The Skinny about the New Trend

Women come in different sizes. Ideally, there should be no ideal weight for men and women alike. A person’s proper weight should be determined, not by aesthetic standards, but by health standards. Thus, a person’s ideal body weight should be determined by his/her bone structure, height, and other relevant factors, and not by the way certain clothing would look on him/her.Unfortunately, there appears to be a current trend favoring skinny women over their more healthy counterparts, especially in the glamorous circles such as Hollywood and the high fashion industry. Thus, top international actresses and celebrities, such as Kate Bosworth, Keira Knightley, and Nicole Richie have been spotted sporting very thin figures.In the related world of high fashion, models could be seen strutting in the catwalks looking too thin for comfort. Indeed, it would be considered very unusual if a plus sized woman appears in a catwalk, unless she is promoting a line of maternity clothing or t hose made specifically for plus sized women.The current culture that favors thin women over their more fleshy counterparts could be explained by at least popular phenomena. The first one involves Barbie, a doll that has captured the fancy of young girls all over the world for many years. Barbie has given birth to a specific image of a perfect woman, which image is the standard being aspired for by women, young and old alike.The other cultural phenomenon promoting the overly thin figure is the skinny trend in Hollywood and the high fashion industry, which sends the message that only skinny women could look beautiful in fabulous dresses. Barbie is a doll that has captured the interest of both adults and children alike, and male and female alike.Indeed, Barbie could be considered a cultural phenomenon since its creation in the 1950s. Barbie is viewed as the epitome of the perfect woman, who has the beauty and curves that is the envy and dream of every girl or woman. Indeed, the picture of Barbie had a profound and lasting influence in the lives of young girls and women all over the world. However, much of this influence had been negative, following her perceived representation of the ideal feminine.Mattel, Incorporated is responsible for creating Barbie, whose full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts (Vaughan). On March 9, 1959, the doll was officially introduced in the market at a major toy fair in New York (Vaughan). This makes the doll five decades old (Vaughan).Barbie was originally conceptualized by her producers to be a doll that has no clear and identifiable personality (Vaughan). Initially, she was designed to be a toy that would allow little girls to project their own personalities (Vaughan).Barbie was a reaction to a popular doll at the time named Lilli (Wolf). Lilli was a German doll that was known for her large breasts and sexy clothing (Wolf). It sold a lot of numbers, which encouraged Mattel to create a counterpart that would appeal to little girls (Wo lf).Barbie’s creators, Ruth and Elliot Handler, intended to design an adult doll for little girls, which was supposed to be radically different from the popular dolls manufactured for young girls at the time, which all looked like babies (Wolf). Thus, Barbie was designed to be 11  ½ inches tall (Wolf). She also weighed 11 ounces (Wolf). Thus, in her debut, she wore a swimsuit, thereby sporting the image of a teenage model (Wolf). Barbie thus debuted as â€Å"the first doll in America with a adult body.† (Wolf).Initially, Barbie did not meet instant success (Wolf). Despite her entrance as the first of her kind in the American market, consumers appeared to be unprepared for Barbie’s arrival (Wolf). In particular, mothers had been primarily horrified at the sight of Barbie’s adult body (Wolf). Mothers were concerned that this new doll was exuding way too much sex appeal to be good for their little girls (Wolf). Hence, upon her entry to the American market, Barbie did not immediately become the cultural icon that she is today (Wolf).Later on, however, Barbie experienced certain changes in and developments in the consumer scene which allowed her to penetrate popular culture (Wolf). The first development involved the introduction of the television set to the market (Wolf). In 1950s, the television was introduced, which presented itself as a major medium that could reach the most number of people (Wolf).This major economic episode permitted Barbie to reach her target market of mothers, teenagers and girls (Wolf). Thus, little girls who saw the television ads asked their mothers to buy them the new beautiful doll (Wolf). This made Barbie a household name (Wolf).The second economical development was a result of the strong economy that emerged after the war (Wolf). At that time, middle-class suburban families began to get on their feet. This allowed teenagers to earn enough money to buy these Barbie dolls on their own, without asking for he lp from their parents (Wolf). This was good for the doll business, because sales of the Barbie dolls shot up (Wolf).

The Relevance of Loyalty in “Julius Caesar”

The Relevance of Loyalty in Julius Caesar In the Shakespearean play Julius Caesar, loyalty is relevant to each person. In the eyes of Marc Antony, Marcus Brutus, and Cassius, the term â€Å"loyalty† means something entirely different to each man. In a sense, each of the three characters is only loyal to what he thinks is good and right but in some cases, his morals also fluctuate with his desires. Marc Antony plays the specific role of a son-like figure to Caesar.He takes no part in the conspiracy which eventually leads to the demise of Caesar although when Caesar does die, Antony baits Marcus Brutus with flattery to ensure his relative favor with Caesar’s murderers. Nonetheless, Marc Antony is loyal to Caesar as well as the memory of Caesar. He uses his â€Å"favor† with Brutus and the conspirators to gain permission to speak at Caesar’s burial ceremony, subtly inciting rebellion in the citizens of Rome. As previously stated, Antony is loyal to Caesar in life as well as in death.Marcus Brutus’ loyalties, on the other hand, lie with Rome. As one of Caesar’s most trusted friends, Brutus respects and admires Caesar but when decisions concern the entire Roman Empire, Brutus weighs Rome more important than his friend. Because of this loyalty to Rome, Brutus is swayed by one of the conspirators and becomes a conspirator himself. He doesn’t side with Caesar’s enemies because of envy or jealousy but because he believes it is the right thing to do in Rome’s best interest.During the play, Brutus is in constant war with himself, wondering if what he did was the right thing. His loyalty to Rome and his friendship with Caesar battle with each other throughout the piece. Cassius, however, is consumed with a lust for power and Caesar is obviously in his way. It seems he plots to kill Caesar for his own personal gain. Cassius uses Brutus as a â€Å"puppet†, thinking Brutus will do whatever he requests. He i s abruptly proven wrong when Brutus confronts Cassius of his crooked demands.Cassius is enraged but is placated soon after. He is loyal only to himself, using the excuse of preserving democracy to rationalize his actions. Marc Antony was loyal to Caesar, Marcus Brutus was loyal to Rome, and Cassius was loyal to himself. Three men fought for three different causes, two noble and one ignoble. Though Brutus and Cassius both wanted Caesar’s death, they wanted it for two very different reasons. In Julius Caesar, loyalty is consistent with men’s beliefs. Each man made his choices based on the foundation of his loyalties.

Development and Training Leaders and Managers Essay

Development and Training Leaders and Managers - Essay Example FedEx Corporation, CNN, Hewlett-Packard among others, had difficulty starting their businesses but now end up as megalith corporations looked up by everyone. Analysts account this phenomenon to hard work, business acumen, resilience, effective marketing strategies among others. But almost everyone else agree on two factors that consist as common denominators of all these firms and these are to wit: leadership and effective management. Even in educational administration, these two factors are necessary in order that high education officials be able to properly develop leaders and managers who would make this world a better place to live in. weighing 2.5 tons each be constructed if there was no effective leadership, coordination, management and administration. Or how could Alexander the Great unify and maintain his world empire which stretched across the vast expanse of Asia as well as in parts of Europe and Africa if there was no effective leadership and management ( Gamage & Pang 2003, p.4). Thus, because leadership and management make any organization effective and fruitful and are of paramount importance to any such organization, both must be inculcated and developed in present and future high officials of any organization as well as students in all schools worldwide. Upon the shoulders of all educators and all heads of educational organizations lie the onus of training and developing the qualities of good leadership and effective management in all students in all schools and colleges. Likewise, these educational institutions should also ensure that they develop future efficient education leaders and managers to fortify such role of educational institutions. Thus, in recent years the focus of attention by governments is the development of research and policies and practices that would strengthen educational leadership. The challenge is now to develop the human potential for leadership and management (Bush & Middlewood 2005, p. vii). Educational Leadership and Management The notion of educational leadership varies from one author to another but it is certain that educational leadership involves a process of influence. Thus Yukl defines it as that which "involves a social influence process whereby intentional influence is exerted by one person or group over other people or groups to structure the activities and relationships in a group or3 organization" ( Bush 2003, p.5). But it must be stressed that anyone will have difficulty influencing any group of people if his character is less than sterling i.e. if his personal values and mindset leave much

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 8

Operations Management - Essay Example Operations management is a paradigm of industry lined by means of the manufacture of products and deliverance of services, as well as engages the accountability of making sure that business processes are well-organized in areas of employing as small resource as needed, plus effectual in conditions of convincing consumer needs. It is linked by means of organizing the procedure that adapts contributions in the shapes of labor, materials also energy into production like services and goods (Spain Exchange, 2009). â€Å"Operations are collection of core actions of an organization, and engage the manufacturing, selling, and maintenance of the products and services that the organization produces† (Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2005). And â€Å"Operations management is acknowledged as production/operations management; design, operations, and improvement of the productions/operations systems that develops the organization’s main products or services† (Shim & Siegel, 1999). â€Å"The operations management of a company consists of the design, operation, and enhancement of the activities that produce and distributes the basic products and services of the company. From an organizational approach, operations management can also be described as the organization of the direct resources that are necessary to develop and distribute company’s products and services. Operations management is a part of an organization which deals with the development of products and services, as wel l as comprises the job of making certain that organization’s actions are well-organized and successful† (Jayalath, 2009). Operations management can exactly be well thought-out as a subject of business related with the manufacturing of commodities and services, and covers the sole accountability of making certain therefore as to business procedures are well-organized in terms of utilizing as low resource as required, and efficient in terms of fulfilling customer needs (Fisher College of Business, 2008).

Historiographical trends from the 1960s onwards and how it affected Essay

Historiographical trends from the 1960s onwards and how it affected the ways in which historians write about women in the past - Essay Example In America, during the reconstruction era, a lot of rights were violated including women's segregation. However, feminism movement was not due to the suffrage only, women's image to the society as mothers, daughters and wives were challenged by women activists. "Gender conflict was as deeper as ever both before and after World War I, and the vote finally granted in 1918, proved a weak tool for a change" (Copelman, 1990). Women suffragists sparked the fire for the feminism movements around the world, with feminism movement expanding into other areas in women liberations. A lot have been documented in various historical journals women's struggle; this history representation has helped a lot in shaping the contemporary history and making historians have critical look at how women were represented in past in history writings. Historiography of women's history has played a vital role in shaping women's history or new history with historians arguing for new historical analysis on how gender has constituted to the social changes and relationships. For Dina Copelman in reviewing article 'Liberal Ideology, Sexuality difference and the Lives of Women: Recent Works in British History' in Edwardian and Victorian political life, there had been complex role of women which could have hard time with liberal natural rights tradition and theories of sexual difference. The study according to Copelman, allows historians to see the relative value of different modes of interpretation in the historical analysis of women and gender. Nevertheless, a lot have been written about women involvement and how women started themselves writing books, biographies, poems and ballads to mention a few. More and more have been written but most historians especially women historians have given detailed account of women presentations or involvement in history and how they had been presented by previous historians. "The history of historiography made remarkable presentation how historians portrayed women in the history writings, she pointed out that women were presented as wives, daughters and mothers and being denied participations in other areas as politics, economic activities and leadership positions." (Copelman, 1990). Like Copelman, other historians reviewed women presentations in history writings with the emergence of gender and feminism movements which picked up in 1960s. Historians in searching of women participations in various activities discovered that very little was written about women as many historians in that time were men, whose focus were on masculinity. "Women were ignored in history writing due to the fact that male historians decided what was historically significant to be written and what wasn't, with war, and politics being in their top lists and ignoring that fact family, social relationships and marriage mattered, the area where women were much involved in, hence being left out of male historian writings." (Millions, European Women and Historical Writing 1400-1800). Many male historians portrayed women as objects in their writings and not as subjects, the inclination which has largely

U5 Case Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

U5 Case - Coursework Example A second utility is NPM (Orion Network Performance Monitor), a network management solution suitable for company networks. I would use NPM after Spiceworks to get an in-depth view of Badger Tools Inc.’s network problems and setbacks brought about by updating manually. NPM should provide me with a detailed list of hosted VMs within the network, as well as an outline of the server’s physical and virtual conditions (Rux, 2012). I can run NPM while offline and online to get a spatial idea of the full potential of the network. The first recommendation is connecting the servers and updating while online. An online update should provide new data and program components essential to the clients’ desktops, data, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Vista Enterprise. Secondly, Badger Tools Inc. should install Hotfix in Windows Vista Enterprise as a solution to GPU-oriented programs ran by the clients’ desktops. Lastly, the company can make all its servers ECN supportive. This means Badger Tools Inc. should enable the routers that experience high traffic to mark loads so that peers who get these loads can decrease their speeds of transmission (Rux,

Sleep Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sleep - Essay Example There are some health effects of sleep which are very imperative to consider and comprehend. These include the fact that sleep is very directly linked with the overall health and quality of life of individuals under discussion. It is a well-known fact that restoration, growth and development come about when a person is sleeping in a deep manner. This goes to suggest how important deep sleep is to human beings. The resistance to viral infections is increased and the natural immunity within the human body becomes better. Since lack of sleep may mean breakdown in the human body’s health processes, researchers and medical practitioners are against this dictum adopted by a few people. When it comes to classification of sleep, there are two tangents which come under it. One is the sleep deprivation and the other – sleep debt. Sleep deprivation looks at the utter lack of time required for sufficient sleep. This is ideally a condition that would affect in impairing physical, em otional as well as cognitive working of the human body. On the other hand, sleep debt is essentially the variation in the time between the attained sleep and the sleep which is required to maintain alert wakefulness, most of which comes about during the day. Lack of proper sleep measures can lead to a number of disorders in the human body. These are linked up with some serious mental as well as physical health considerations. Some of these include the mental health disparities, obesity and overweight patterns in the human body, cardiovascular issues, immunological disorders, respiratory problems, endocrine concerns, metabolic diseases and a number of other ailments which keep on happening within the human body. The need is to comprehend how important sleep is and give it the priority that it richly deserves. It will solve quite a few issues during the daytime as well as keep the person alert. Some of the common sleep disorders include dyssomnias and parasomnias. Dyssomnia usually in cludes within its fore the insomnia, sleep paralysis, hypersomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome and the Circadian Rhythm sleep disorder. Parasomnia takes into account the REM behavior disorder, the night eating syndrome, the nocturnal eating disorder, sleepwalking issue, sleep terror disorder, sexomnia and the nightmare disorder. There are gender differences also existent within sleep that need to be given significance. These differences come about when a child is merely 6 months old. It has been researched that women usually have more relaxed sleep when compared to men. Also it has been noticed that women take less sleep than men while the latter have more rapid eye movements during sleep. In the same footing, men usually experience a decline in slow wave sleep which happens earlier but takes place quicker than women. Hence men tend to sleep well as compared to women for a number of scientific reasons. In order to attain a good night’s sleep, it is importa nt to have a proper sleep schedule in place. It is usually a common phrase ‘early to bed, early to rise – makes you healthy, wealthy and wise’. One can learn quite a few things from this phrase as it sums up nearly all the concerns which sleep can address, not only in the present times but also in the future. A sleep friendly environment is the key to having a good night’s sleep because it usually tells the person that he is safe, sound

Dwarf planet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dwarf planet - Essay Example sume the spherical shape and secondly, they have not yet established a debris free orbit in their solar system and thirdly, they must not be satellites for other planets. Further, if the celestial object in question is too small to take the rounded spherical shape, it would probably be classified as a comet or an asteroid. In our own solar system, there are several objects that fall under this category of planets. The introduction of this new category of celestial objects was prompted by the recent discovery of Eris – a disc shaped cluster of debris that was located far beyond the orbit of Pluto. The other notable dwarf planets in our solar system are Ceres and Pluto. Ceres was for previously recognized as the largest asteroid and Pluto is demoted to dwarf planet status considering that its orbit is not as well established as other planets. It is interesting to note that these three are only the most prominent dwarf planets in our solar system. There could be as many as 200 orbiting in the outer reaches of our solar

Hospitality Management Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hospitality Management - Movie Review Example The show is currently on its thirteenth (13th) season. The communication pattern in this show is basically that of a mature audience but the show is meant for a general audience and as such is bleeped out. In the thirteenth season episode one there is a number of contestants all fresh with hope and fire in their veins ready to take on the competition. As stated by the narrator the trash talking too is not spared for a show later. Ashley, Frank. Katie, Jr, Sterling, Latasha, Jennifer, Bryant, Santos, Denine, Kalen, Fernando, Aaron, JP, Roe, Sade and Janai. The show is to happen in Chef Ramsey’s famous kitchen and hotel in Caesars’ place which is in Las Vegas. The show’s location begins at a Cinerama in which Chef Ramsey proposes that the competitors watch an inspirational movie before they start the competition. While in the movies the Chef surprises them with a number of viewers and two other chefs who are their guide for a 45 minute challenge that happens in the culinary school of arts. They are then told to prepare a signature dish of their own with just under 30 minutes under Chef Ramsey’s strict supervision. Jp is the first contestant to win in under 15 minutes. While his confidence is present and huge, Chef Ramsey has doubt in his voice about the food that has been made before his eyes. Chef Ramsey in this episode is direct to the point with brief punctuations of profanity in the beginning when he meets the contestants. However in the communication between Ramsey and his contestants he is able to drive home his points in what sometimes comes out in a whimsical and brutally honest way. The first contest saw men lag behind the women in what was a contest that ended up with brutally honest answers to prepared dishes. Some of the contestants were unable to deliver good dishes while others presented really good dishes that scored them a rare 4 out of 5 score. The reason for some of this was due to poor

Two Theories of the Formation of Relationships Essay Example for Free

Two Theories of the Formation of Relationships Essay There are two theories of the formation of romantic relationships, which are the reward/need satisfaction theory by Byrne and Clore (1970) and the similarity theory also by Byrne and Clore with Smeaton (1986). The similarity theory promotes liking. It suggests that we are attracted to people with similar personalities and attitudes to us and that we first sort potential partners for dissimilarity avoiding those whose personality or attitudes appear too different from our own. This suggests that we form relationships due to similarity. Research to support this theory can be seen by Caspi and Herbener (1990). They found that married couples with similar personalities tend to be happier then couples with less similar personalities. This suggests that similarity is important and often the rule for long term relationships. The similarity theory is based on the social approach which fails to consider the cognitive thought process, meaning that the theory assumes that we form relationships based upon similarities. Another criticism is of the determinist view this theory takes. This means that it takes away a person’s ability to make their own decisions therefore it is deterministic. The theory does not consider not consider that often some couples who are completely opposite in personality and attitudes. This means that theory cannot account for everyone. However the theory is widely recognised as its principles are used on dating websites which match up partners according to how similar they are to each other. Yoshida (1972) pointed out that this represents only a very narrow view of factors important in relationship formation as similarity of self-concept, economic level and physical condition being equally important. This research is backed up by Speakman et al (2007) who found that people often choose partners with similar levels of body fat. This shows that similar personality and attitudes are not the only factors in the formation of relationships. The reward/need satisfaction theory is a far better explanation of the formation of romantic relationships. This theory suggests that we are attracted to people who we find satisfying or gratifying to be with. The theory is also based on the principles of operant conditioning as we seek rewarding stimuli and avoid punishing stimuli, and classical conditioning due to attraction through association. Also we like people who are associated with pleasant events such as a holiday. The theory suggests that we go into relationships because the presence of some individuals is directly associated with reinforcements which makes them more attractive to us. Byrne and Clore also suggested that we like people who are associated with pleasant events and that the balances of positive and negative feelings are crucial in relationships. This means that where the positive feelings outweigh the negative feelings a relationship is more likely to develop and succeed whereas where the negative feelings outweigh the positive feelings are likely to fail. This theory can be criticised for not explaining abusive relationships as these types of relationships still form despite the partner receiving punishing stimuli from that relationship. It also does not account for cultural and gender differences in the formation of relationships. For example, Lott (1994) suggested that in many cultures women are more focused on the need of others rather than receiving reinforcements. Also this research used a survey and is therefore subjected to social desirability bias.

Social and emotional learning (SEL)

Social and emotional learning (SEL) There is a daunting list of issues which face students and educators alike. A growing number of genuinely effective educational establishments are now coming to realise that competence in socio-emotional development and academic achievement are intrinsically linked and an integrated, coordinated approach (i.e. not just teaching children how to pass exams but educating them in how to develop life skills and deal with social challenges) in each of these areas not only helps students maximise their potential in school but throughout their lives. Educational establishments are now viewed as an important if not central arena for health promotion [and] primary preventionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in addition to the education of students (Roeser, Eccles, Samoroff, 2000, p. 467). This information however, is far from new. Wang et al. (1997) examined 28 learning influence categories which were based on handbook chapters, surveys of national experts and research syntheses. Of their findings they discove red that of the 11 most influential categories, 8 of them involved factors which were socio-emotional (classroom climate, peer group, social interaction, etc). In support of this work the (American) National Center for Education Statistics (2002) cited that among the predominant reasons given for children dropping out of school several involved socio-emotional factors. Generally feeling left out made up 23.2% whilst those who did not get on with peers or teachers accounted for 20.1% and 35% respectively. 12.1% of the students said they did not feel safe. These worrying figures led Wang et al. to conclude that intervention of a direct kind in the psychological determinants of learning promises the most effective avenues of reform (p. 210) which also supports the cohesive provision of social and emotional learning throughout school-life. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the ability within the student to recognise emotions and manage them effectively whilst establishing positive and healthy relationships with others around them (competencies which are inarguably essential for all pupils). Accordingly, the objectives of SEL are a combination of cognitions, behaviours and emotions. It is this process of knowledge acquisition and its effective application regarding attitudes and the development of related skills (including managing emotions, developing concern and care towards others, decision-making in a responsible manner and capably handling situations which may be challenging) (Beaty, 2008). Through positive engagement in activities within the classroom and outside the learning environment the students can learn SEL skills in a similar fashion to the manner in which they learn academic skills, then apply them and put them into practice. The increasingly complex situations which todays children face have are bet ter faced when these integrated and enhanced skills are applied (Elias et al., 1997). Much of prevalent practice and methodologies on SEL has evolved largely from research conducted by Goleman (1995) and Gardner (1993), both of whom started a great interest in SEL throughout the 1990s which has continued to the present day. On-going research has increasingly shown that those schools which make efforts to employ SEL and adopt its requirements produce outcomes which are positive. Parents and educators alike are progressively recognising the relationships across socio-emotional learning and academia, in particular within the systems of support found within the context of schools (Kearns, 2010). Within the context of safe, caring, well-managed and participatory school, classroom and extraneous learning environments, these learned skills are reinforced in the home, at school and within the community. All children benefit from instruction in social and emotional learning, although those who are already at risk, are beginning to engage in behaviour that is negative or those who may already display problems which are significant are particularly suited to SEL development. This is why early implementation of SEL programming is essential in order to allow children to develop their skills throughout their early childhood into adolescence. SEL programming focusses mainly on the universal prevention of behavioural problems and the promotion of socio-emotional competence as opposed to direct intervention. There may be smaller numbers of pupils who may require treatment which is moderate to intensive in order to develop socio-emotional competence but the intention of SEL programming is to enhance and promote growth in these areas for all children and to allow them to develop healthy behaviour structures as opposed to behaviours which may be mal-adaptive or unhealthy (Rice et al., 2006). A comprehensive and continuous system of support services which are based on student needs is the context within which SEL should be viewed. As such a support system, SEL is a concept which unifies the integration and coordination of school-based promotion and prevention programmes which reduce marginalisation and minimises fragmentation of these efforts. The most sustained and effective approaches should involve a partnership between educators, parents, students and community members in order to continuously and effectively plan, implement and evaluate the efforts of SEL. Socio-emotional education should begin in pre-school and continue throughout formal education. It should also be intentionally entwined to academic development and is an integral element of the national curriculum (Elias et al., 1997; Talay-Ongan Ap, 2005). With so many situations that can have negative effects on both the socio-emotional and the academic development of children, ultimately affecting their happiness in their lives, it is crucial that children are given SEL from an early age. An increased and generalised sense of fear and insecurity is purveyed throughout the media, from fanatical terrorism and government fear propaganda to adverts and unattainable levels of exquisiteness in teen magazines and music television. This is compounded by a continually increasing level of inequity between the rich and the poor (Wollman et al., 2003). The media constantly bombards the unprepared public with lurid stories of sleaze and corruption, spanning across all walks of previously respected life. Politicians, businessmen, people in positions of esteem, sports icons and popular culture figures (to name but a few) are all regularly featured in relentless stories and reports of unethical conduct and questionable behaviour. This was not a conc ern for generations gone by when the media was less forthright about the delivery of messages which encouraged unhealthy behaviour, nor was the threat of online danger via internet chat rooms and violent video games so prevalent. With so many role models with publicly tarnished reputations, and unethical behaviour increasingly commonplace, more and more students are finding a feeling of uncertainly with their lives and their futures. This disenfranchisement, insecurity, disillusionment, and in many cases, fear, provides a palpable case for stating that perhaps SEL is now more than ever an essential element of educational reform (Zins, et al., 2004). Many SEL initiatives which currently exist are fragmented in methodology and approach which detracts from their collective effectiveness. Extreme action such as the introduction of metal detectors, searching pupils upon entrance to school property, alongside school change management, recreational activities, school architecture and information materials (brochures, posters, etc.) can help prevent problem behaviours whilst promoting a safe environment but are far from the provision of a coordinated and cohesive programme. Rather the outcome is the loss of opportunities to reinforce skills across activities and initiatives along with a seemingly inevitable competition for resources. By using SEL as the organisational framework for such initiatives it can serve a broad array of positive promotional efforts whilst delivering effective prevention of negative behaviours (Gottfredson Gottfredson, 2001). There are several key competencies that are regarded as essential to be reinforced in SEL programming. They consist of: Self-awareness (the identification and effective regard for ones own emotions, a recognition of strength in both ones self and in others and a sense of self-confidence), a social awareness (which involves a sense of empathy and respect for others), responsible decision making (evaluating and reflecting upon personal, ethical responsibilities), self-management (controlling ones impulses, managing stress, developing persistence, setting goals and developing self-motivation) and relationship skills (learning cooperation, seeking and providing help and developing effective communication) (Bear, 2005). As previously noted, it is when they are taught and developed in a caring, well-managed and supportive learning environment that these competencies are they delivered most effectively. Autonomic development, ethical advancement and self-discipline are all more effectively furthered in environments whereby care, consideration, mutual respect, cooperation and decision making are normal conduct. These contexts find themselves structured in such a way that they encourage exploration among students to try new or innovative learning activities. They can also provide accessible opportunities in order to address personal problems or requirements and allow support with the establishment of positive peer and adult relationships. The result is that students feel a sense of safety and security, and are not fearful of making mistakes. A reciprocal relationship should exist in the classroom between SEL and the climate of the school. The school environment which is positive and promotes SEL effectively is affected positively by the development of SEL in its students. This synergistic process exists due to the interdependent nature of social, emotional and academic growth (Dolby, 2007). Given the continuing positive outcomes of research conducted on SEL it seems clear that the responsibility to deliver effective programmes is evident. This means that educators should not only teach and assess SEL for all students within their care but should also be responsible for the conduction of reliable assessment of socio-emotional, health related and academic outcomes in tandem with acknowledgement and development of the school climate. All of this should be based on input gained from a range of constituencies, including, but not limited to, the students themselves, parents, community members and teachers. The assessment of SEL is an area which is still in need of further development and may soon become an area of particular interest to school psychologists. For acceptability and accountability purposes, a determination needs to be made regarding the value-assessable outcomes of SEL with regards to student learning and socio-emotional development, and to enable adequate devel opmental strategies in order to effectively review and improve the instruction delivered (Stormont, 2007). It is essential for todays students to be prepared not only to pass academic exams but pass tests that they will encounter in day to day life. Socio-emotional competence is closely related to academic achievement and to remain effective, educators should focus efforts on coordinated and integrated instruction on each area thoroughly in order to maintain the greatest potential among pupils to succeed both in academia and throughout their lives. Growing research concludes that SEL intervention of an evidence-based nature is increasingly becoming associated with health, academic achievement and ethical conduct. This creates the constant challenge of how to implement SEL as a core element of the national curriculum and perhaps more importantly how to develop relevant programming which is sustainable and effective.

Ways of Racial Categorizing Essay -- Racial Relations, Discrimination

What is discrimination? Discrimination is a combination of representation, stereotyping and ideology set by society to rank different groups of people. In an excerpt of â€Å"The Woman in the Window†, Ramona Lowe shows that there is a racial discrimination toward African-Americans in America. The story focuses on Mrs. Jackson, an African-American who lives in the north, and the struggles she faces at her work place. She was hired to cook in front of a restaurant window dressing as a stereotypical â€Å"Southern mammy† (Lowe 3) to attract customers. While cooking in front of the restaurant window, Mrs. Jackson was laughed at by a group of white kids who called her â€Å"Aunt Jemima and nigger† (Lowe 3). Clearly, Mrs. Jackson was mistreated because the society she lives in ranks her race, Black, lower than her bosses', which is white. Lowe’s short story, â€Å"The Woman in the Window†, demonstrates a racial discrimination against Blacks during the 194 0s by incorporating representation, stereotyping and ideology in the text. In order to illustrate the segregation of African-American, Lowe uses representation in her work. The characters in the story represent a social status based on race: the owners, Mr. Parsons and Kraft, represent the high-class and Mrs. Jackson represents the low-class. First, let’s discuss how Lowe shows the audience that Mr. Parsons and Kraft represent the high-class. For instance, the narrator frequently refers to Mr. Parsons and Kraft as â€Å"the proprietor† (Lowe 2) but always refers to Mrs. Jackson as herself. By using the word â€Å"proprietor† instead of their names, Lowe shows a separation between Mrs. Jackson and Mr. Parsons and Kraft. This use of word declares that the owners are a representation of high-class. They are different... ... So by using ideology, Lowe can reveal the racial discrimination against Blacks. After the establishment of the Jim Crow law, America faces the problem of African-American segregation. An excerpt from Ramona Lowe’s short story, â€Å"The Woman in the Window†, demonstrates a racial discrimination against Blacks during the 1940s by incorporating representation, stereotyping and ideology. First of all, the representation of the owners as high-class and Mrs. Jackson as low-class shows that representation can be use to demonstrate racial discrimination. Secondly, the owners’ assumption that Mrs. Jackson is from Georgia and that she needs money proves that stereotyping can be use to demonstrate racial discrimination. Lastly, the white children laughing and calling Mrs. Jackson â€Å"Aunt Jimima and nigger† is evidence that ideology can be use to demonstrate racial discrimination.

Tone and Imagery in The School Children Essay -- School Children Essay

Tone and Imagery in The School Children    Louise Gluck's   The School Children   may provide some shock for readers as it twists and turns through a school day marked by eerie abnormalities.   Gluck successfully uses visual imagery to convey a deeper meaning to a fourteen-line poem about children, teachers and parents.   These three groups come to life through the descriptive poem that allows readers to form their own conclusions.   Though Gluck’s meaning is never clearly stated, her use of tone and imagery create an extremely visual work with three dynamic sets of characters.    Gluck continuously presents the schoolchildren as simple, orderly creatures. She portrays them as heading to school with their book bags and later in the poem points out the orderly arrangement of their coats inside their classroom.   This orderliness helps readers perceive the children as wooden dolls or mindless beings that follow instruction.   Gluck writes,   How orderly they are- the nails on which the children hang their overcoats of blue or yellow woods (8-10).  Ã‚   These lines are divided in a manner that present an image of children hanging orderly on nails before the reader reaches the final line describing their clothing and show the powerful imagery created by Gluck.   It is important to note that the children are described as only having two different styles of coats- a yellow wool coat, perhaps for girls, and a blue wool coat, most likely for boys.   Gluck leaves readers imagining a flock of orderly children wearing similar clothing while sitting in their c lassroom.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Joining the schoolchildren inside the classroom are teachers, whom Gluck describes... ...f a June Cleaver figure who is sending a token of appreciation to her child s teacher.   Instead they are interpreted to be desperate creatures seeking for any sign of hope in an environment filled with gloom.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The descriptions of these three sets of characters through visual imagery provided an important element in Gluck s creation of   The School Children   which is part of her larger work, The House on Marshland that was drafted in 1971.   Throughvisual imagery she creates a combination of characters that help readers interpret the possible underlying meanings of the work.   Gluck successfully uses the schoolchildren, teachers and mothers as vehicles for the various interpretations of her work.   In the process, she creates dynamic characters that we are able to understand through symbolism and imagery.   

More Than A Feeling-Intuition And Insight :: essays research papers fc

More Than A Feeling By definition, intuition is the inherent ability to connect with one's inner self. It seems as if as time goes by, intuition is thought of less. This is likely due to the lack of education and understanding of this peculiar ability. Yet some people believe that everyone has intuition. Few people actually experience it. Many dismiss the fleeting hunches and gut-feeelings as coincidence. Those who do believe in the intuitive powers of the mind think it comes in many different forms. For example, a stressful situation may cause one to become frantic and worried. As if they "know" everything will work out, another person may handle that situation differently. That is what believers feel is a natural ability derived from instinct. In our Western society of cell phones and fax machines, many of us ignore our natural instinct. In fact, some have already had an intuitive experience. The experiences can be anything from a feeling that something will be good or bad, a feeling that we need to pay attention or that something is wrong with someone, or even deja vu. Most of the time, we ignore these intuition and we use our reasoning and logic instead. Although reasoning and logic are very good for solving our Smith 2 problems, our intuition may provide us with the answer to that problem more helpfully or accurately "Intuition is knowing without knowing why you know," says Laura Day. For some people, this is easier said than done. Intuition may be difficult to grasp for some due to lack of frequency but, many things can be done to improve the occurrence and quality of intuitions. For example, those people wishing to better their intuition perform relaxing activities. Those activities could include sitting by a body of water, staring at a relaxing fire, visualizing something relaxing or listening to a calming sound. This quiets the sound that constantly echo in the minds of humans. This is when we realize our intuitions. In his book "The Celestine Prophecy", James Redfield tells the story of a man who travel to the Peruvian rain forest in search of his friend Charlene. This man come to discover a group of people in search of what they call "The Nine Insights". On his journey, he meets many people who help him to get in touch with his intuitive side. The character was periodically put in a setting where he had difficulty figuring out a problem or getting out of trouble.

In the Country of Men Course Notes Essay

Thorough and insightful understanding of the ideas, characters and themes constructed and presented in the text. Complex discussion and critical analysis of the structures, features and conventions used to conduct meaning. Complex analysis of the ways in which social, historical and/or cultural values are embodied in the text. Construction of a sophisticated interpretation, which demonstrates an understand of ways in which the text is open to different interpretation by different readers. Considered selection of significant textual evidence and highly appropriate use of relevant metalanguage. Highly expressive, fluent and coherent writing. Hisham Matar Born NY 1970 Returned to Libya as a 3yo Father a diplomat Accused of opposition of Gadhafi’s revolution In 1979 family escaped to Egypt Father kidnapped by Egyptian security in Cairo and handed over in Libya Never heard of again – 2 letters in 1996. Matar biographical details Personal experiences provide a real link to the events of the novel Father of young Libyan captured by security forces and detained for his opposition to a regime which he claims oppresses freedom This novel is NOT a biography, rather a reflection of his own experiences, particularly his relationship with his mother. Matar’s messages uses his own experiences, or memory of these, to illustrate ideas about family and, to a lesser extent oppression. Where is Libya, North of Africa, surrounded by Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Algeria. Near Turkey and Iran. The Problems with Libya Libya was often occupied during its history – Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans all colonised Libya in ancient times – archaeological sites still there 7th century Arabs introduced Islam religion and culture early 20th century Italy colonised Libya after an agreement with British and French to carve up north Africa Italian influence still strong in Libya – evidence in text – Signor II Calzoni, Faraj reads and swears in Italian Post WWII Libya divided up between French and British Given independence by them in 1951 King Idris 1 ruled 1951 onwards Oil discoveries in 1959 made Libya a very strategically important and potentially wealthy country GADDAFI 1969 Muammar el Gaddafi (Qaddafi), a military officer, headed a military coup against the autocratic King Idris – popular uprising Gaddafi known as The Leader Of The Revolution or The Guide Erratic Ruler, became more and more autocratic himself Strange man Formed in the 1980s – Amazonian guards – personal bodyguards – all women Gaddafi claimed that they would be the perfect guards because Arab gunmen would not fire at women Many claimed that the guards were an example of his eccentric showmanship and that he enjoyed being surrounded by beautiful young women He always travelled surrounded by the Guard Women were very well trained in martial arts and were apparently hand picked by Gadhafi himself They had to take a vow of chastity After he was deposed, many claimed they had been raped by him Shades of 1984 Living in Libya, under Gadhafi Most industries and media were controlled by state Most aspects of peoples lives controlled Telephones tapped, sometimes tapper intrudes on conversations ITCOM Easily identified secret police roam the streets watching people ITCOM Extensive surveillance systems – 20-30% of people worked in surveillance for the Revolutionary committees which oversaw and infiltrated every part of Libyan Society. They are able to walk into people’s homes and look for evidence of ‘disloyalty’ ITCOM Press was silenced University students silenced Public excecutions of ‘enemies’ of state, often televised ITCOM People lived in fear of being accused of crimes against the revolution Gadhafi had dissidents living overseas assassinated. His power is evident not just in Libya but also in Egypt where the Matar family escape to, but Gadhafi’s supporters in Egypt capture the father and hand him over to Gadhafi’s regime. Libya was known as a pariah state for many years – one which acts in a brutal way against its own citizens Libya often shunned by other countries because of active promotion of, and sanctuary given to, terrorist groups. Big Brother Cult of personality built around Gadhafi (Recall 1984) Referred to himself as The Guide of Libya, rather than the leader. Called himself a socialist, an Arabist, an African and a Muslim at various times in his rule. He changed according to which way the political wind was blowing and his actions were always about maintaining power. Libya Mainly a Muslim nation. People called to daily prayers from loudspeakers in mosques. Drinking and eating of prok prohibited. Often women are required to cover up in public. Like all religions, followers range from strictly observant to those who are Muslim in name only. Suleiman’s mother drinks when father is away but doesn’t go out when she drinks because alcohol is prohibited (ITCOM) Alcohol is prohibited by both the Koran and the legal system. Arranged marriages (ITCOM) blood feuds, arguments common, particularly in underdeveloped areas What ideas are these covers trying to convey? Cover 3 bleak, dark, tree represents shelter mulberry tree, tree of knowledge. Storm clouds suggest bad luck is coming etc. again the contrast  looks very western Cover 4. Plain white and blue almost white and blue collar shirts, the smart and the dumb, the rich and the poor. and the boy being in the middle almost a shadow, not 100% there. Red the colour of anti revolutionary. How are the colour font and other visual aspects used to convey meaning here? The white colour reflects the hotness of Libya and the shadow of the boy reflect that he’s not entirely there, the colour use of red is anti revolutionary, symbolic of blood. Why do you think that the author chose the title IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN for this book? Muslim way of life, women are almost lesser important, symbolizes no freedom or mention of women at all, almost symbolizes the WWI as WWI was for men only and women didn’t fight at all. What questions are raised about concepts of country, manhood and humanity? The country of men means its really a man dominant country, there is no such thing as a woman almost. Very sexist society How does the title tie in with the themes of the novel and the position of the characters as they struggle in their environment? How does the author use contrasting imagery in the opening passage to set the tone of the book? How does the image of people seeking mercy from the heat reflect the broader condition of the characters? HOLIDAY HOMEWORK How is betrayal shown to be a strong force in the lives of the characters in the country of men? In the country of men suggests that people cannot avoid brutality in a country under a dictatorship. Discuss. What forms of imprisonment are depicted in the novel? How do the characters experience and react to a lack of freedom? Through the mothers alcohol, women are imprisoned by men, in the country of men, means no voice for women. What can we infer about the lives of women in Libya during the time period represented in the story? They are in a mans world with no control. Throughout the novel, Suleiman refers to his mothers alcoholism as her ‘illness’. How accurate is this observation? Do you feel it is a reflection of Suleiman’s naivety in youth or a kind of wisdom about her actual condition? In the Country of Men Themes Narrative voice The novel is written in first person narration, largely through the eyes of 9 year old Suleiman, but with comments at times from him as an adult. Much of it is internal monologue, one of the reasons that matar created Suleiman as an only child. As he had no one to talk to he internalises his experiences, hence making for a more reflective novel. The child-like commentary allows for readers to understand things that Suleiman does not: for example, Mama’s ‘medicine’ and her ‘illness’. Names Names and naming are important in the text. Interestingly, Suleiman’s name can be traced back to Suleiman the Magnificent, the emperor of the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century who expanded the empire significantly and instigated enormous social and cultural developments. He is also known as â€Å"Slooma† a family name which is appropriated by Sharief and ‘habibi’ by his mother which means â€Å"my darling† â€Å"beloved† or â€Å"baby† (Innocence) SETTING The setting of Lepcis Magma is used symbolically as a fallen civilization, an example of how every society will one day decay and die. The concerns of its people have long disappeared into time. MOTIFS The heath/summer is a motif running through the novel. At times it represents hell, as Suleiman tries to avoid hell by practising running over the bridge to paradise. Other times, its glare stupefies the people and pushes them indoors, leaving only the children to jostle each other outside. The long days of summer without school also allows for Suleiman to have the freedom where he observes the adults more than usual. The sea is also another motif, the beautiful blue ocean just at the end of the road. At times Suleiman swims in it looking to be cooled and cleansed from the dirty activities he faces day-to-day. He tries to take Kareem into it to seek some solace from his grief but Kareem resists. Interestingly, it is here where he almost drowns Bahoul the beggar, exerting his power and giving into the base urges that he sees in his society SYMBOLISM The symbolism of replacing the picture of Baba with an enormous picture of the Guide in the reception room, shows loyalty to the regime and the strains on family relationships. Also showing that they have nothing to hide to show loyalty. Shows their not related to what Baba did, and the guide is now their father and father of Libya. The games played by the boys, games such as ‘My land, Your Land’ where they try to take power by gaining more land, represents the political ‘games’ of the older men around them. The squabbles and fights are also a microcosm for  the violence in the country in which they are growing up. Much is made of the power of words in this novel. In an act of resistance to the dictatorship. Nasser is seen running through Martyrs’ square after Faraj, clutching a typewriter used for producing subversive pamphlets. In another scene, Najwa and Moosa burn all Faraj’s books to save him from incrimination; however, the image of books burning is redolent of violent regimes trying to rid themselves of intellectuals who might question them. Moosa is a poet and lover of language; he is also closely tied with dissident acts. Linked to this idea, is the power of storytelling. Ironically, Najwa condemns Scheherazade for being ‘a coward who accepted slavery over death’ pg15. She berates her for not standing up to her husband, for staying to look after her children, for being thankful for her life. The irony is that Najwa appears to be restricted as Scheherazade was and she also seems to fall in love with her husband over time. To Suleiman though she is a hero; that she managed to keep telling tales without giving in to fear amazes him. Also, he is a storyteller too, as is Mama. Loyalty and Betrayal: the novel addresses the issue of loyalty. How do the characters experience loyalty and betrayal? Discuss some examples. What do you think is the main cause of some of the betrayals that occur? In chapter 5, Moosa says â€Å"its our obligation to call injustice by its name pg53† Suleiman’s mother replies â€Å"go call it by its name in your country. Here it is either silence or exile, walk by the wall or leave. Go be a hero elsewhere.† What does she mean? Who is right? How do the different characters in the novel face injustice and what are the consequences? Point of view? How does the point of view of the story affect the way that we see the injustices represented in the story? How might this be different if the narrator were an adult? Hisham Matar has much in common with Suleiman. Both left Libya where they were children, although unlike Suleiman, Matar was  accompanied by his parents. In 1990, Matar’s father was kidnapped while living in exile in Cairo and was returned to Libya, where he was tortured and imprisoned. He has not heard from him since. How does knowing the similarities between the author and protagonist affect the way you think about the novel? Role of women Do the women in Suleiman’s life have any true power, and if so, from where is it derived? How has Suleiman’s opinion of his mother changed by the time he reaches the novels closing scenes? Insight into the text What is the effect of reading about this episode in history through a child’s point of view? What clarity does it bring? In what ways do a child’s impulses muddy the truth? When the students visit Lepcis Magna, Kareem states, â€Å"Children are useless in a war.† Do you think this is true? What might the authors point of view be? What profession does Suleiman ultimately choose? Why do you think the author decided to have Suleiman choose this profession? Pg 232 He chose the profession of medicine, being a pharmacist. It reflected the influence his mother had on him with her illness and helped him to understand what it really was. Gadhafi is the most important character in the novel, despite his absence. Do you agree? The novel examines the futility of resisting oppressive power. Discuss. How does Matar use both tension and narrative point of view to engage the reader? How is tradition shown to be a powerful force in the lives of the characters in In the Country of Men? How does Matar develop a sense of time and of place in his novel? Along with confusion, pain and despair, there is a strong message of hope in Matar’s novel. To what extent do you agree? Corruption is not only isolated to the Libyan dictatorship. To what extent do you agree? In the Country of Men suggests that life demands a choice between resistance and surrender.’ Discuss In the Country of Men demonstrates that it is a man’s actions that deï ¬ ne him.’ Discuss In In the Country of Men, Matar shows more sympathy for women than for men. ’Discuss. â€Å"Why does our country long for us so savagely?† Matar’s love of his country and his fears for it permeate his novel In the Country of Men. Discuss. How does Suleiman’s view of the world change during the course of the novel? ‘Despite the horror of the political regime, this is still a novel about the power of love.’ To what extent do you agree?

Classroom Incidents Essay

A classroom incident is an unexpected event that occurs in a classroom causing disturbance or presenting a safety risk. A classroom incident can affect a teacher, a student or all the members of the classroom. There are many critical incidents that have occurred between teachers and students or among students. A critical classroom incident either spoils the student-student relationship or the teacher-student relationship. Past classroom incidents can offer important lessons that can be utilized in adopting the right ways of managing similar incidents in the future (Levin & Nolan, 2010). Incident related to cheating Adam reported his classmate Moses to the class teacher because of his cheating habit. Moses often copied the work of his classmates. Adam also notified the teacher that Moses was cheating in exams. During exams, he would collaborate with other students to exchange exam papers. Moses denied all the allegations. He said that Adam was only afraid of competition. However, it was a fact that Moses cheated in class work and in exams. He was spending most of his time perfecting the art of cheating rather than reading. The teacher was mad at Moses and decided to investigate the problem. However, he was unable to catch Moses or any other student cheating. Ways in which things went well or badly. Many things went the wrong way during the critical cheating incident. The teacher was frustrated by the cheating allegations. His frustration was even more when he couldn’t unearth and stop the cheating. The teacher’s inability to catch Moses and his company could tempt other students to cheat too. Moreover, the fact that some individuals were cheating was a blow to the trust of the students on the school’s examination system. Nevertheless, the same incident had some positive aspects. It is evident that Moses and his group were driven by the urge to achieve better results. They went into cheating in order to have good grades just like the rest of the students. The teacher was also able to establish the cheating problem which needed an urgent solution. Lessons learned from the incident. The cheating problem occurred because the student involved had realized that he had a task to deliver. He had to be successful in school. The teacher’s inability to unearth the root of the cause or to catch the students red handed shows that a different approach should have been applied. Incase of uncertainty, it is wiser not to rush for a solution. Instead, take your time and come up with the best tactic. The teacher should have thought of the benefits and consequences of his solution before going to the ground. May be transforming the cheating behavior would be better than simply deciding to punish the offenders. It can be concluded that cheating is a common incident in many classrooms and that it should be handled with care to avoid the effects of the failure to curb it. Similarly, every other classroom problem should be handled with caution (Walters & Frei 2007). Incident related to Rudeness During an afternoon class, a teacher wanted to check the assignment of Brown, one of his students. Brown responded rudely to the teachers request using inappropriate language. The teacher was frustrated. The other students watched in dismay. Brown was known due to his bad behavior and attitude. He never appreciated the importance of his fellow students and teachers. He felt superior and had a big ego. He always kept showing off. He would disregard warnings from prefects and teachers. Ways in which things went well or badly. The incident was wrong. The teacher felt disrespected by a student. He was mad because of the way Brown responded. Brown’s actions were against the values of the teacher-student relationship. At least the teacher should have been treated with his deserved respect. The rest of the class felt unappreciated. At least, Brown should have shown his uncontrollable ego out of the classroom. The students were also disappointed by Brown’s attitude. They felt rejected and abused. This critical incident had interfered with the right values of the student-student relationship. However, the same incident still has a positive side. The differences between the students were established. Brown had a desire to establish his own status although he followed the wrong route. His ego could be used to show that he had a low-esteem. He hid behind his rudeness and pretence to retain a sense of respect from the rest of the students. Brown’s behavior had a positive message to the other students. Since he avoided the other students, he had no friend. A friend would have helped him with the assignment. Lessons learned from the incident. The student was an attention seeker. He exploded once he got the attention of the entire class. The teacher was wise enough not to react harshly. The situation could have been worse if the teacher had lost his tempers. The class could have been treated to a more dramatic scene. It is important to note that students come from different backgrounds. Different students also have different levels of self esteem. Teachers should try to know the kind of students they are dealing with in order to handle them accordingly. There is a need to engage the students in order to know their grievances. Had the students reported Brown’s behavior in advance, the incident could have been avoided. According to Dixie (2003), counseling is always applicable as a good method to discard bad morals. Brown could have been assisted through counseling. References Dixie, G. (2003). Managing your classroom. London [u. a. ]: Continuum. Levin, J. , & Nolan, J. F. (2010). Principles of classroom management: A professional decision-making model. Boston: Pearson. Walters, J. , & Frei, S. (2007). Managing classroom behavior and discipline. Huntington Beach, CA: Shell Education.

Electronic Medical Records Essay

When looking at Electronic Medical Records and how do we get our senior physicians to â€Å"buy in† for successful implementation of computer charting for the hospital there are several things to consider. First, most senior physicians are used to the paper patient charting system and are reluctant to convert to EMR because they feel it would take away from patient interaction and care. According to Griffith and White (2010) diagnostic excellence requires two kinds of knowledge which are rapid communication of patient’s current needs and an understanding of the clinically indicated responses. With this in mind EMR makes recording patient information faster and more complete, includes safeguards to improve accuracy, and it speeds up patient related information. In 2004 president George W. Bush, set an ambitious goal that by 2014 all citizens would have access to their electronic medical record. President Barack Obama reinforced that commitment with nearly twenty billion in stimulus money for hospitals who convert to electronic medical records and a rather recent legislation called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act further underlined the initiative to move towards the electronic medical record. This legislation is aimed at creating more funding and a network of incentives for healthcare professionals and physicians who are ready to adopt EMR and abide by the concept of â€Å"meaningful use† of electronic medical records. The opportunity for improvement is to optimize the documentation of patient encounters, improve communication of information to physicians, improving access to patient medical information, reduction of errors, optimizing billing and improving reimbursement for services, forming a data repository for research and quality improvement, and reduction of paper costs within the HCO. It is important to resolve this problem of EMR use now because it will considerably increase patient outcomes and patient safety within the hospital. Currently departments within the hospital have difficult time communicating with one another in a timely manner. EMR will enable departments to communicate effectively and cut down on treatment time for patients. This will result in better continuity of care for patients from the outpatient to inpatient and back to outpatient care. HCOs must keep in mind there is a lot of federal pressure to have all patient’s access to their medical record thru EMR by 2014 and the penalties for not being in compliance are levied in reduced reimbursements of Medicare and Medicaid payments with financial penalties as well. The desired outcome from my MAP implementation is to have EMR fully operational within eighteen months and also have an inter workability with other healthcare systems for patients care. I also want to accomplish the ability for all interdisciplinary services to have the ability to communicate with one another and the health team to have access to medical records for patient care in order to cut costs of visits and provide overall better patient care within the HCO. There are several realistic constraints to consider in the implementation of EMR which are the costs of implementing which is normally between one and three million dollars, federal and state compliance issues, and infrastructure for servers supporting EMR. I also have to consider the constraint of time for the implementation process which is usually averages twelve to eighteen months for full system wide usage of EMR. There are several other constraints of EMR which are ensuring financial incentives for physicians, employee training, and sustainment training for updates and maintenance to EMR. The problem exists because senior physicians came thru medical school at a time where computers weren’t being used on a broad basis for patient care and they believe EMR will disrupt their traditional working style and require a greater constraint on them when dealing with EMR. The physicians also are concerned with the complexity and usability of EMR which will require them to allocate additional time and effort which would take away from patient care. There are several actions that are needed to achieve my MAP goal. First, I must have C suite leadership buy in for the implementation of EMR. Next, I must ensure the financial plan is approved for EMR system. I also must ensure to have the physical space for the system within the clinics and facilities of my HCO. I have to make sure a training plan is developed for my IT staff, physicians, nurses, and associates. I have to develop a plan for embedding IT staff within each clinic to provide assistance and troubleshoot any glitches within the EMR system. I must ensure my EMR system talks with the networks of other facilities to ensure the patient information flow is adequate for patient processing time and internal consulting. I also have to ensure protection for HIPPA and the safeguarding of patient information when it is sent to outside servers. Finally, I must ensure my EMR system is in compliance with all federal, state, and local requirements. When looking at the key actions steps and there sequencing the first step I would do is ensure I have C suite buy in for the implementation of EMR. Before I meet with them I would have my total implementation plan completed and ready to present to them and ensure that all key steps are covered. Next, I would ensure with the HCOs building manager that the necessary space is available for the EMR system and all spaces are compliant with fire barriers with in the hospital. The next key action step would be the implementation of the training plan on EMR for my IT personnel to ensure they are fully ready for the launch. I would also have to ensure the training plan for the physicians, nurses, and staff is fully implemented and resourced. This would lead me to ensure I have my IT staff embedded in each clinic for the first month to make sure the implementation goes smoothly as possible.

The Fifteenth Amendment

The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote-based on that citizen's â€Å"race, color, or previous condition of servitude†. It was ratified on February 3, 1870, as the third and last of the Reconstruction Amendments.In the final years of the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era that followed, Congress repeatedly debated the rights of the millions of black former slaves. By 1869, amendments had been passed to abolish slavery and provide citizenship and equal protection under the laws, but the narrow election of Ulysses S. Grant to the presidency in 1868 convinced a majority of Republicans that protecting the franchise of black voters was important for the party's future. After rejecting more sweeping versions of a suffrage amendment, Congress proposed a compromise amendment banning franchise restrictions on the basis of race, color, or previous servitude on February 26, 1869.The amendment survived a difficult ratification fight and was adopted on March 30, 1870.United States Supreme Court decisions in the late nineteenth century interpreted the amendment narrowly, and by 1910, most black voters in the South faced obstacles such as poll taxes and literacy tests, from which white voters were exempted by grandfather clauses. A system of whites-only primaries and violent reprisals by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan also suppressed black participation.In the twentieth century, the Court interpreted the amendment more broadly, striking down grandfather clauses in Guinn v. United States (1915) and dismantling the white primary system in the â€Å"Texas primary cases† (1927–1953).Along with later measures such as the Twenty-fourth Amendment, which forbade poll taxes in federal elections, and Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections (1966), which forbade poll taxes in state elections, these decisions significantly increased bl ack participation in the American political system.

National Oilwell Varco Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

National Oilwell Varco - Research Paper Example Such regulatory risk may mandate National Oilwell Varco make changes to the segments in which NOV is operating. 1. Environmental Protection Agency: an agency created to unite the federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities that would provide environmental protection. As a result of the exploration and production of oil and gas in the recent tears, there appeared new norms and rules that companies should apply for drilling permits. Thus, the Environmental Protection Agency is working to curb pollution and emissions created by the oil industry. That requires National Oilwell Varco to deal with the enhanced involvement by the organization’s administration. National Oilwell Varco focuses on safety from the hazardous working conditions, it should ensure the compliance with the regulation on each of its oil platform. Refineries should require the regulations on nitrous oxide emissions, byproducts and products the company manufactures and sells (Hackett, Regoli, De Deo, Polley, 2014). Despite the oil and gas businesses questioned the need for tighter controls because of the regulation to be the most expensive in US history and have little impact on the environment and consumers, however, EPA stated that a combination of the proposed air pollution rules would assist in meeting the proposed standards of cutting smog-forming emissions from oil and gas industry and transportation.2. American Petroleum Institute: a national trade association that represent U.S. oil and natural gas industry.

Enterprise and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Enterprise and Innovation - Essay Example We can categorize age structure as per preferences of the population in a particular age group. Thus we can have the various sub-groups as – 15 to 19, 20 to 29, 30 to 49 and 50 and above. We can safely assume that people falling in these sub-categories of age groups will have more or less similar preferences and hence we can target our products as per these 5 segments. An important point to note is that the population in the segments 15 to 19 and 50 and above will have more leisure time as compared to the other two which fall in working age group. These segments will have more time during the week-ends. Looking at the timings of the games, we have 3 week-ends between 27th July and 12th August 2012 (the period scheduled for the games). Thus, we can introduce products as per following plan: Based on the tastes of the various age group segments different flavors have been introduced. People in the age group of 15 to 19 would prefer the flavors mentioned above. People above 50 years tend to get digestive problems and hence the products mentioned for their category will appeal to them. 20 to 29 years age people are more experimental and nor very money conscious. Hence, new flavors not introduced so far will appeal to them. And finally people in the age group of 30 to 49 are generally more health conscious and hence would prefer fruit based drinks which do not have the ills of carbonated drinks and at the same time will also be healthy. The Price elasticity of Demand (PeD) determines how sensitive the demand for a product is to changes in prices. We will look at the general factors impacting all products as well as factors that are specifically impacting Coca-Cola at Olympics. 1. Substitute availability: Coca-Cola has direct competition with its substitute – Pepsi. Both are similar in taste and thus have very high PeD. Moreover in UK Coke has a direct rival Robins. This

Finance for manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Finance for manager - Essay Example In the initial three (3) year period the market will be restricted to only a few suppliers but this will change thereafter as the market will be opened to other suppliers. This means that care should be taken to ensure that the company does not invest in too large a capacity which may not be necessary later. There are two options available to Steelbeam. The company can either choose option 1 – which involves investing in capital with a limited capacity to produce a maximum of 1,000 units (small capacity) or option 2 with the capacity to produce a maximum of 4,000 units (large capacity). These alternatives have different variable cost per unit with the large capacity project having the lowest variable cost per unit and the small capacity project the highest variable cost. In assessing the two options the company has to pay attention to the contribution that both projects make to fixed cost as well as the break even point in units. Additionally, every capital budgeting decision requires the use of capital budgeting techniques in order to make a determination of which option is more advantageous to the company. The techniques available to your company include: ENPV is calculated using the figures obtained from the pessimistic, most likely and optimistic market forecast while applying the formula used in project evaluation and review technique (PERT). This technique assumes that the estimates of sales and demand activity follow a probability distribution (See Heizer and Render 2006). The expected sales and demand are found through the application of weights to the three estimates in each case – of demand and sales, as follows: The information arrived at from the computations suggests that the expected annual demand is 6,333 units and the expected selling price per unit - Â £12,167. These figures can be used to determine which option is better for Steelbeam PLC. Each option will be assessed to determine its

Ethical Philosophy in Lives of the People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 104

Ethical Philosophy in Lives of the People - Essay Example For example, I never lie to the people. In spite of the fact that it may be difficult at times, there is a fine logic behind it: I do not lie to the people because if I start lying, everyone could start lying. As a result, there will be no one that can be trusted in the society. This means that lying should not be made a universal law and it should be excluded from my behavior. Another aspect that I would like to mention is treating people as ends only, not as means. It is often suggested that the quality of personal relationship has deteriorated in the contemporary world; it is attributed to the fact that people try to stay autonomous and see others as way to achieve their goals. I despise this kind of thinking. Of course, some of my friends are able to help me with different tasks. However, they are not my friends because they can be useful to me, they are my friends, because we have similar interests and so on (Cornman & Lehner, 1992). In other words, I never think about my friends from this point of view. Finally, I also would like to highlight the concept of good will. The latter means that a person performs an action out of the desire to follow the universal law and behave ethically, not pursuing any other goals. Indeed, I know that sometimes my actions can be beneficial for me; for example, if I report a mistake of a waiter, I will be able to get a bonus from a restaurant. If I see a mistake I would most certainly report it not because I expect some sort of benefits, but because I truly believe that by doing so I help the organization improve their quality of service. Having examined all the points that were mentioned, I might conclude that my ethical philosophy is consistent with Kant’s moral philosophy. First of all, it utilizes the concept of universal law and rejects any action that can’t be made one.

The Founding Docs of the U.S. Governmen Assignment

The Founding Docs of the U.S. Governmen - Assignment Example merican Enlightenment through its postulates which emphasize social justice with regards to financial independence, citizenship rights, paid employment and social welfare (Hofstader, 1989). It laid the foundation for emancipation of slaves and blacks to bring them into the mainstream of American society facilitating equal rights and equal opportunities in all areas for everyone, including blacks and ethnic minority. The sovereignty of state and powers of the government was embedded in the constitution of America. Representative republican governance indicated democratic framework of the constitution. The republic structure of governance was considered as the American experiment mainly because it helped test the moral implications of the principles of the constitution and its flexibility in incorporating the changes. The Bill of Rights was important legal document fulfills principles of American enlightenment while satisfying views of both federalists and non federalists. It paved way for reforms in constitution through amendments. It empowered Americans to make decisions about their political and social equity. The federal structure of governance with its dual nature, it was able to focus on development of people and region while wider policies of national interest like defense etc. remained the responsibility of the federal Union of America. Thus, it promotes responsible use of power in implementing the democratic rights of individuals while judiciously executing its rights to power. (words:

How did the government use its power to create and define the idea of Essay

How did the government use its power to create and define the idea of Canadian - Essay Example On the other hand, the government also applied the concept of suppressing radical ideas majorly through banning and prohibiting public meeting as well as rallies that are held by key activists. In the early 1900s, the government of Canada, specifically the Vancouver Trade and Labor Council, Socialist Party of Canada and other political elites, engaged in a competition to gain the complete trust of workers. That is, those that frequently engaged in public rallies to fight for freedom of speech. Their solidarity was seen as a threat to the prosperity of the elite political class and the federal government. 2 The government of Canada also applied a strategy that basically focused on forming collaboration with business owners to oppose strikes. In the year 1919, during the Winnipeg strike, the three levels of Canadian government opposed a strike, which has been defined as one of the most influential historical strikes in Canada by reducing the supply of basic necessities such as: Food, water and communication as well as replacing the striking Canadian workers with immigrants, who were then referred as aliens.3 Moreover, the government of Canada has also been on the forefront of opposing any act of racism and ideologies directed towards discrimination. Philip Jensen is one person that has been on the frontline; making attempts to ensure that government of Canada legalize racial discrimination in the sense that business owners and other service providers deny services to people based on their races and even ethnic backgrounds.4 Some of the strategies discussed above are still applied by the government of Canada. Most governments currently oppose discrimination and have even implemented laws that hinder discrimination in relation to race, religion et cetera, and an idea that is also greatly applied by the Canadian government. In addition, the government in some cases can also oppose strikes, especially those that are

Stem Cell Research Legislation Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Stem Cell Legislation - Research Paper Example By mid 2000s, many states like New Jersey allowed human cloning for for developing and harvesting stem cells from humans. However, others like Indiana and Michigan amended laws that prohibited human embryo creation or destruction for purposes of medical research (Vestal and Writer 2008). During his second term, in 2006, Bush for the first time used his presidential veto on Enhancement Act of Stem Cell Research, but it was not enacted into law. Chris Smith, a Jersey congress man, wrote the 2005 Research Act on Stem Cell Therapeutic, with some narrow exceptions, and President Bush signed it into law. When Obama took over as the US president, he removed federal funding restriction, which Bush had passed in 2001 and this only allowed 21 cell lines funding which had already been created. Contrary, the Dickey Budget Amendment in the 2009 Act on Omnibus Appropriations still bans funding by federal for creation of new cell lines. This means that the federal government can only fund research that uses hundreds of lines created by private and public funds The President’s Council (2005). Scientific Background Stem cells are found in many multicellular organisms for example hematopoietic stem cells that are multipotent and give rise to blood lineage cells. Embryonic stem cells differ from multi potent stem cells in that, they are pluripotent and hence are able to provide all body cells. The first embryonic stem cells in humans were isolated in 1998, but 1981, they had been isolated in mice (John and Joe, 2007). The cell therapy on stem cells is called stem cell treatments, which introduce new cells into bodies of humans for possible cancer, diabetes, and somatic cells treatment as well as other medical conditions. Stem cells might also be useful in cloning and they have also been used in repair of tissues that have been damaged by diseases (Neel and Silberner2008). After fertilization, according to John and Joe, (2007) a research conducted at the university of Wake Forest indicated that amniotic fluid sperm cells donated by pregnant mothers hold similar promise like embryonic stem cells. Under President Bill Clinton’s administration, NIH, in 2000 issued federal funding guidelines for embryonic stem cell research (John and Joe, 2007). Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act This was the name given to two similar bills that that passed through the house of senate and representatives in United States. President Bush vetoed the two bills but was not signed into law. Irrespective of their names, they hence remained as bills and not act. Act of 2005 was the first one to be vetoed by President Bush after five years of his inauguration. The bill however did not allow stem cell research to be funded by the federal government. If it was passed, it would have allowed new lines of stem cell research gotten from human embryos, which had been discarded and be created for treatments of fertility. The 2007 Act proposed federal legislation that could amend t he act of public health service to provide for stem cell research on human embryos. In April 2007, the bill was passed in the senate and the house by June. The 2009 act triggered more concerns on whether to enact the bill into law but was later passed by the congress in 2009. Stem Cell Research Legislation Stem cell research offers a positive to promise to the cure of certain deadly diseases like cancer and diabetes. Kirk, the Illinois republican says that it is

Criminal Sentencing Essay Example for Free

Criminal Sentencing Essay A basic question in criminal sentencing is â€Å"What are the purposes of criminal sentencing?†Ã‚   Scholars, too, reflect on the purposes of punishment. There are commonly four identified purposes: Retribution. The oldest but considered the most important purpose for sentencing is retribution, that is, inflicting on an offender suffering comparable to that caused by the offense. An act of social vengeance, retribution is grounded in a view of society as a system of moral balance.   When criminality upsets this balance, punishment exacted in comparable measure restores the moral order, as suggested in the biblical dictum â€Å"An eye for an eye. † While contemporary critics of retribution sometimes charge that this policy lacks the force to reform the offender, it still remains a strong justification for punishment. A second purpose for sentencing, deterrence amounts to the attempt to discourage criminality through punishment.   Initially, deterrence arose as the banner of reformers seeking to end what they saw as excessive punishments based on retribution.   Critics asked, â€Å"Why put someone to death for stealing if that crime could be discouraged with a prison sentence?†Ã‚   As the concept of deterrence in sentencing gained widespread acceptance, execution and physical mutilation of criminals were gradually replaced by milder forms of punishment such as imprisonment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are two types of deterrence, specific deterrence demonstrates to the   individual offender that crime does not pay while in general deterrence, the  punishment of one person serves as an example to others. Rehabilitation. The third purpose for sentencing, rehabilitation, involves reforming the offender to preclude subsequent offenses.   It resembles deterrence by motivating the offender to conform.   But rehabilitation emphasizes constructive improvement while deterrence and retribution make the offender suffer.   In addition, while retribution demands that the punishment fit the crime, rehabilitation focuses on the distinctive problems of each offender.   Thus identical offenses would call for similar acts of retribution but different programs of rehabilitation. Social protection. A final purpose for sentencing is social protection, or rendering an offender incapable of further offenses either temporarily through incarceration or permanently by execution. Like deterrence, social protection is a rational approach to punishment and seeks to protect society from crime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The different forms of sentencing used in different jurisdictions include institutional sanctions—time to be served in prison or jail; and noninstitutional sanctions—fines and forfeiture of the proceeds of crime, and service of the sentence in the community in the form of probation or parole. Recently the arsenal of punishments has been considerably enlarged by the creation of mixed sanctions and alternatives to either institutional or noninstitutional sanctions. The following are the variety of options for sentencing: Death penalty. In thirty-six states (as well as the federal courts), courts may impose a sentence of death for any offense designated a capital crime, for example, first-degree murder. Incarceration. The defendant may be sentenced to serve a term in a local jail, state prison, or federal prison. Probation. The defendant may be sentenced to a period of probationary supervision   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   within the community. Split sentence. A judge may split the sentence between a period of incarceration and a period of probation. Restitution. An offender may be required to provide financial reimbursement to cover the cost of a victim’s losses. Community service. An offender may be required to spend a period of time performing public service work. Fine. An offender may be required to pay a certain sum of money as a penalty and/or as an alternative to or in conjunction with incarceration. This leads us to the next question, â€Å"What are some reforms that have been proposed? A recent reform growing out of the victims’ rights movement in the sentencing process is the consideration of statements by the victim, known as â€Å"victim impact statements† (VIS). Twenty-six states have mandated the use of VIS in criminal cases, while another twenty-two states have adopted so-called â€Å"victim bills of rights† that include recognition of the right of a victim to present a VIS. In the VIS, the victim provides a statement about the extent of economic, physical, or psychological harm suffered as a result of the victimization. The victim also can make a recommendation about the type of sentence an offender should receive. Usually the VIS is incorporated into the pre-sentence investigation report written by the probation officer. Research has revealed that a judge’s choice of a sentence is influenced much more by legal considerations than by victim preferences in cases where VIS has been presented (McGarrell, 1999). The third reform proposal is â€Å"restorative justice.† Restorative justice has been a feature of justice systems for a long time, though it was little used until a group of criminologists in the United States and the Commonwealth countries brought the idea back to life. The term restorative justice was virtually unknown a decade ago, and it is still in search of a commonly accepted meaning. Yet, the literature related to this subject has grown rapidly, so that we venture to define it in terms offered by Howard Zehr, published in a symposium of The Justice Professional, entitled â€Å"Criminology as Peacemaking.† Zehr provides contrasting paradigms between the traditional, retributive sense of justice and the newly emerging (or reemerging) restorative sense of justice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If the proposed reform of restorative justice were adopted, where would that leave us with respect to the traditional â€Å"aims† or â€Å"justifications† of criminal justice? As to retribution (or just desserts), we would still be limited to never imposing an obligation (sanction) that outweighs the harm done. As to incapacitation, even the staunchest advocates of restorative justice recognize that some offenders are far too dangerous to be returned to the community and that their separation from the community is necessary. But the prison population could be vastly reduced. As to resocialization or rehabilitation, the very idea is built into restorative justice, which aims at   Ã‚  restoring the community. Some of the current issues in federal sentencing according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission at https://www.ussc.gov. are the following: The issue on the amendment pertaining to offenses involving cocaine base (crack) and the amendment pertaining to certain criminal history rules, see 72 FR 28558 (May   21, 2007); 72 FR 51882 (September 11, 2007), should be applied retroactively to previously sentenced defendants. The issue of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the and the United States Sentencing Commission has decided to establish a standing victim’s advisory group pursuant to   28 U.S.C.  § 995 and Rule 5.4 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure. It was stated that the purpose of the advisory group is (1) to assist the Commission in carrying out its statutory responsibilities under 28 U.S.C.  § 994(o); (2) to provide the Commission its views on the Commission’s activities as they relate to victims of crime; (3) to   disseminate information regarding sentencing issues to organizations represented by the   Ã‚  advisory group and to other victims of crime and victims advocacy groups, as appropriate; and (4) to perform any other functions related to victims of crime as the Commission requests. The victims’ advisory group will consist of not more than 9 members, each of whom may serve not more than two consecutive 3-year terms. The issue on New Yorks Rockefeller laws to curb the drug trade – which directly contributed to a dramatic increase in the states prison population costing the state millions of dollars, but failing to impact drug trafficking. According to a New York   Times editorial, â€Å"New York has made incremental changes to the Rockefeller laws in recent years, but has stopped short of restoring judicial discretion.† A governor-appointed commission charged with studying state sentencing practices, however, has produced a report calling for the end of â€Å"indeterminate sentencing† – the process by which a judge imposes a minimum and a maximum sentence and the Parole Board decides when to release an offender. It further suggests that nonviolent offenders be considered for community-based treatment instead of prison. Finally, Gov. Elliot Spitzers commission recommends restoring prison-based educational and training programs as a means of helping to lower recidivism rates. The website of the Sentencing Project at http://www.sentencingproject.org. mission is to promote reforms in sentencing law and practice, and alternatives to incarceration through their advocacy and research. Moreover, the Sentencing Project provides defense lawyers with sentencing advocacy training and to reduce the reliance on incarceration. Hence, the Sentencing Project has become the leader in the effort to bring national attention to disturbing trends and inequities in the criminal justice system with a successful formula that includes the publication of groundbreaking research, aggressive media campaigns and strategic advocacy for policy reform. As a result of The Sentencing Projects research, publications and advocacy, many people know that this country is the worlds leader in incarceration, that one in three young black men is under control of the criminal justice system, that five million Americans cant vote because of felony convictions, and that thousands of women and children have lost welfare, education and housing benefits as the result of convictions for minor drug offenses.   Thus, the Sentencing Project is dedicated to changing the way Americans think about crime and punishment which coincide with the interests of the National Association of Sentencing Advocates. References   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   McGarrell, E.F. Restorative Justice Conferences.   Indianapolis, IN: Hudson Institute, 1999; Edmund F. McGarrell, â€Å"Cutting Crime through Police-Citizen Cooperation,† American Outlook, Spring 1998, pp. 65–67. The Sentencing Project at http://www.sentencingproject.org. U.S. Sentencing Commission Available at https://www.ussc.gov. Zehr, H.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Justice as Restoration, Justice as Respect,†The Justice Professional 11,   Ã‚  Ã‚   nos. 1–2 (1998), pp. 71–87.