MIS 2200 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MIS 2200 - Essay Example What should be a quick trip to the Campus Center may take over an hour because of this situation. All of the parking in the lot closest to the Campus Center is handicapped accessible. The students surveyed observed that there always seem to be at least five of these parking spaces empty, regardless of the time of day visited. If students could park in this lot, their trips to the Campus Center would remain short and convenient. Converting four of the spaces in the lot closest to the Campus Center from handicapped accessible to metered spots could alleviate the frustration students experience when trying to make a quick trip to the Campus Center. The fee required for parking in the metered spot is small when compared to the amount of time the student will save. These fees will generate additional revenue for the college. In addition, students will be happy to have this parking option available. Implementation of this solution by December, when the weather adds even more frustration, would be

Analytical Review Of From Out Of The Shadows History Essay

Analytical Review Of From Out Of The Shadows History Essay From Out of the Shadows is a study of Mexican women, who had migrated to America before the World Wars, their struggles and achievements. Vicki L. Ruiz is a professor of History and Chicano/Latino studies , University of California and has authored a number of books including the well known book Cannery Women, Cannery Lives. Vicki L. Ruiz exposes the strife the Mexican women had to face after crossing the border early in the century. The book tells us about the endeavors of these courageous and enterprising women and the society they helped to build in an alien land, quite often under hostile conditions. In her book she writes From Out of the Shadows focuses on the claiming of personal and public spaces across generations (Ruiz, xi). Ruiz was motivated to chronicle this aspect of American history by the stories she heard as a child from her mother and grand-mother. Her imagination was kindled by the images of village life, the difficult living conditions and the discrimination women faced in those days. From Out of the Shadows also emphasizes the different types of political activism in which the Mexican-American women participated and created public awareness, which included fighting for the cause of civil rights and organized protests against the Vietnam War. For a newer edition of this book, Ruiz has added a preface that carries on the story of the Mexican womens experience in America and traces the growth of Latino history. The book describes the first exodus of women crossing the border from Mexico to California seeking refuge from tyrannical husbands or in search of a better life earlier on in the century. Over one million Mexican men and women migrated al otro lado between 1910 and 1930 (Ruiz: 6) Ruiz throws light on the effort made by protestant groups in an attempt to Americanize the Mexicans but whose efforts generally failed because the Mexican women relied on their own community groups like the rural community groups, religious groups and labor unions to help them absorb into mainstream American society. The book talks about the conflict that arose between mothers and daughters when the daughters were forbidden to use makeup and the mothers insisted that teenage girls attend a dance or go for social outings like movies with a chaperone. What this book reveals is a portrayal of a distinct culture in America, one that has slowly gained momentum and richness in the past several years. From Out of the Shadows is a significant contribution to the largely unrecorded and undocumented history of Mexican-American women. She has chosen to integrate the cultural diversity based on gender, class, region and generational experiences. She has used a variety of sources in her research such as records of census, journals and scholarly texts. In the introduction, Ruiz tells her readers that Mexican women have made history, no matter what their occupations. However, somehow their tales have remained in the shadows (Ruiz xi). In her work, Ruiz has tried to address the issues of interpreting these unheard voices and defining strength within individuals, families and communities. Conventionally the history of America has focused on the Northern European immigrants and their progeny as the settlers in a male dominated, capitalist society. In her writing, Ruiz demonstrates the hardships the Mexican women faced in their journey to become a part of the American community. Ruiz draws upon the lives of women, their dreams, aspirations and decisions and gives these issues a platform. She examines the influx of Mexican women into the States before World War II. Her writing also illustrates their responses to the pressures and challenges of adjusting to the newly forming American culture and Americanization of society in general. The women had to live with altered social values during the inter-war period and the end of young Mexican American women who took to chaperoning. The increasing political and social activism of Mexican women and their role in resisting financial oppression as well as their espousal of the cause of feminism through the 1960s and 70s has been faithfully chronicled in the pages of this book. As yet not much has been documented and published about the activities and importance of Mexican women in twentieth century America. In that perspective this book may be considered as a pioneering attempt to record the contribution of Mexican women in building a multicultural American society. The book is full of interesting anecdotes and tales of how the women struggled to make sense of an alien world, into which they had migrated, and of their efforts to make their lives and of those around them meaningful. The thoughtful way in which personal interviews of Mexican women with very long memories and lots of stories to tell, adds poignancy to the text. The narrative increases the readers admiration for the courage and doggedness displayed by these women in their struggle to realize their rights and for a chance to get equal opportunities, work and wages. To present an unbiased analysis of the book one must draw attention towards some of the draw backs in the book as well. While this is a monumental effort to chronicle the contribution of Mexican women and the integration of Latino people to the American society it becomes hard to comprehend the frequent use of jargon that impacts the flow of the narrative. In portions the author becomes too involved in the account and loses sense objectivity and neutral research. Ruiz, however, admits that she has written from the heart (p.xii) and this kind of impassioned approach may appeal to a good many of her readers. Readers looking at this book as a traditional source of historical data may find this approach subjective and a bit unconventional. It must be emphasized here that the data collected and recorded in this book is of great importance to students of American history and to all those generations of Mexican-American people who have now become assimilated in the multicultural American so ciety. The book will find a ready readership amongst scholars in who are taking courses or researching in the areas of Diaspora, immigration and ethnic studies. It is also an asset for teachers who have to teach courses in this filed. This book is of special interest to women all over the world and to anyone who wishes to learn about the Mexican settlers in America and the contribution Mexican-American women have made to the development, organization and sustenance of Latino culture in the American society. Through the pages of this book Vicki Ruiz has truly rescued the Mexican- American woman and drawn them From Out of the Shadows. Work Cited: Ruiz, V.L. 2008. From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in Twentieth Century America. New York: Oxford University Press. Print. .

Regal Imagery in Flannery O’Connor’s Everything That Rises Must Converg

Regal Imagery in Flannery O’Connor’s Everything That Rises Must Converge Flannery O’Connor uses images of regality as represented by hats, colors, and ironic regal references in the short story â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge† to symbolize Julian’s mother, and her societal views. She, like the hat, is not as upper class as she would have herself or others believe. In addition, her racist beliefs are challenged when a black woman enters the bus with the very same hat, forcing her to realize that the regal attitude she holds will never be validated, and she will no longer be able to pretend that she is superior to anyone. The hat, which â€Å"looked like a cushion with the stuffing out,† resembles â€Å"the dumpy figure† of the mother. In addition, the hat is referred to as â€Å"preposterous,† and â€Å"ridiculous,† all the ways her son considers her to be. The hat is gaudy and not worth the money she paid for it, but she is certain of its taste just as she is certain how good it looks on her (because the sales lady had told her so), and how superior she is to those at the Y. The sales lady had said that ‘â€Å"with that hat, you won’t meet yourself coming or going,† which means that she will not be alike anyone else. Of course, this is not the case, and the black Negress would ultimately be the last person Julian’s mother would wish to meet. The colors in the hat are extremely significant. Its purple velvet flap creates the image of royalty, and the rest of it, green, represents money. This is the only time that green is mentioned in the story, for money is not something that they have, which even the mother cannot dispute. In addition to the hat, the sky of their once â€Å"fashionable† neighborhood is the color of â€Å"a dying violet,† and the house... ... apparently does not realize this: ‘â€Å"Most of them in it are not our kind of people,† she said, â€Å"but I can be gracious to anybody. I know who I am.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Ironically, she is completely unsure of whom she is, and this is why it is so hard for her to come to terms with any of the reality around her. The importance of the hat becomes most overt when the Negress enters the bus wearing one exactly identical. ‘â€Å"That was your black double,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ says her son. She had, until this point, thought herself greater than most she encountered, whether black or white, and for a working- class black woman to have the same taste as her, in addition to the means by which to attain it, her fragile view of life has been forever shattered. The fact that this â€Å"black queen† ends up more powerful than the â€Å"white queen† underscores the irony inherent in the main characters delusions of grandeur. Regal Imagery in Flannery O’Connor’s Everything That Rises Must Converg Regal Imagery in Flannery O’Connor’s Everything That Rises Must Converge Flannery O’Connor uses images of regality as represented by hats, colors, and ironic regal references in the short story â€Å"Everything That Rises Must Converge† to symbolize Julian’s mother, and her societal views. She, like the hat, is not as upper class as she would have herself or others believe. In addition, her racist beliefs are challenged when a black woman enters the bus with the very same hat, forcing her to realize that the regal attitude she holds will never be validated, and she will no longer be able to pretend that she is superior to anyone. The hat, which â€Å"looked like a cushion with the stuffing out,† resembles â€Å"the dumpy figure† of the mother. In addition, the hat is referred to as â€Å"preposterous,† and â€Å"ridiculous,† all the ways her son considers her to be. The hat is gaudy and not worth the money she paid for it, but she is certain of its taste just as she is certain how good it looks on her (because the sales lady had told her so), and how superior she is to those at the Y. The sales lady had said that ‘â€Å"with that hat, you won’t meet yourself coming or going,† which means that she will not be alike anyone else. Of course, this is not the case, and the black Negress would ultimately be the last person Julian’s mother would wish to meet. The colors in the hat are extremely significant. Its purple velvet flap creates the image of royalty, and the rest of it, green, represents money. This is the only time that green is mentioned in the story, for money is not something that they have, which even the mother cannot dispute. In addition to the hat, the sky of their once â€Å"fashionable† neighborhood is the color of â€Å"a dying violet,† and the house... ... apparently does not realize this: ‘â€Å"Most of them in it are not our kind of people,† she said, â€Å"but I can be gracious to anybody. I know who I am.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Ironically, she is completely unsure of whom she is, and this is why it is so hard for her to come to terms with any of the reality around her. The importance of the hat becomes most overt when the Negress enters the bus wearing one exactly identical. ‘â€Å"That was your black double,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ says her son. She had, until this point, thought herself greater than most she encountered, whether black or white, and for a working- class black woman to have the same taste as her, in addition to the means by which to attain it, her fragile view of life has been forever shattered. The fact that this â€Å"black queen† ends up more powerful than the â€Å"white queen† underscores the irony inherent in the main characters delusions of grandeur.

Personality Reflection

* All around the world today, personality is discussed. Personality reflects who a person really is on the inside. One can determine a person’s personality through expressions. Whether one is meeting a person for the first time or on a job interview, personality is what’s often identified. People are unique in their own ways, which would explain how individuals obtain different personalities. This paper will define personality and address some key personality features that define the author. The paper will also include key concepts used to explain the author’s personality, the consistency of the author’s personality features, and the reaction to the personality analysis taken by the author. Lastly, the paper will identify what would make a personality test reliable and valid. * There are various definitions for the word personality however, according to Dictionary. com (2011); Personality is the visible aspect of one’s character as it impresses others. The author defines personality as being uniquely you. Some individuals are known for their pleasing personalities; however others may deal with angry- rude personalities. Some key personality features that define the author are Leader, Motivator/ Encourager, and Enthusiast. All of the author’s life, she has been told by many that she was a leader. As the author grew older, she realized that those statements were true. For this reason, the author takes the initiative to perform many tasks; even the tasks no one else would do. As a result, others have admired and followed her phenomenal leadership. The next personality feature of the author is the Motivator/ Encourager. The author motivates herself by setting short and long term goals; in addition to motivating others to do the same in order to achieve goals. The author also encourages herself and others. The author is compelled to give advice to others, and likes to share with individuals what to do with truth while being open minded. The author has a strong sense of concern for others. Many people find the author to be friendly, understanding, and practical. The author uses her excellent communication skills to share specific insights based upon facts and experience. The Enthusiast also defines the author personality. The author is very enthusiastic and has a strong willingness to work with others. The author’s personality features are consistent. The Leader, Motivator/ Encourager, and Enthusiast are features that make the author who she is today. Adapting to every situation and bringing the good out of every bad situation. The author has taken a personality test curious as to what her personality features were. The author was in awe as she identified the results of the analysis. The analysis was accurate and informed the author of the description of each feature. The author plans to retake the same personality test in the upcoming year to ensure the test was reliable and valid. A personality test is reliable if the test and scores are accurate each time. For example, the author took the first half of the personality test and identified her features. Likewise she took the second part of the test and the features did not change. According to Friedman and Schustack (2009), this is termed Internal Consistency Reliability. Internal Consistency Reliability is the degree of consistency measured by seeing whether subparts or equivalent parts of a test yield the same results (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). In addition to Internal Consistency Reliability, Test retest is another notion that makes a personality test reliable. Test retest is the degree of consistency between the results of the same test taken on different occasions (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). For example, next year the author plans to retake the personality test, therefore the results should be consistent. When internal consistency reliability and test–retest reliability are high, we know we are measuring something real—we have a reliable personality test (Friedman &Â  Schustack, 2009). Equally important, Personality tests are considered valid if the test is measuring what it is supposed to be measuring (Friedman & Schustack, 2009). In conclusion, all individuals have different personalities. The importance of knowing that there are various personalities is significant, especially when interacting with others from a different culture. For this purpose, individuals should take personality tests to exercise and enjoy who they truly are and have a better understanding of why people act the way they do.

Byzantine Art Essay

There are many differences and similarities between the following two pieces of art; the Toreador Fresco and the Egyptian Fowling Scene. The Toreador Fresco is a fresco depicting a bull-leaping ceremony. It is from the palace at Knossos(Crete), Greece and from around 1450-1400 BCE. The Egyptian Fowling Scene is a mural painting from the tomb of Nebamun. It is from Thebes, Egypt and from the 18th Dynasty, ca. 1400-1350 BCE. The styles between these two periods are very different, but there are still a few similarities found between the two pieces of art. The Toreador Fresco depicts a bull in the center, and a man leaping over its back. There is a woman on each side of the bull. Unlike the Fowling Scene, this fresco includes a border. In the Egyptian Fowling Scene, Nebamun is standing in his boat, flushing birds from a papyrus swamp. He is holding his throwing stick in one hand and three birds in the other hand. He is accompanied by his wife and daughter who are both shown holding lotus flowers. In the Toreador Fresco, the bull is the central figure of the painting while in the Fowling Scene every space was filled with lively details such as lotus flowers and butterflies. As for the depiction of the human figure, in the Toreador Fresco, the human figures have stylized shapes with pinched waists and they are highly animated. Also, in order to distinguish between male and female, the artist painted the young women with fair skin and the man with dark skin. This was a widely accepted ancient Minoan convention. This is very different from the depiction of human figures in the Fowling Scene. The skin color of Nebamun, his daughter and his wife are all the same dark color. The artist scaled down their figures in proportion to their rank. The wife and daughter were much smaller than Nebamun. Also, in the Fowling Scene, the animals show a naturalism based on careful observation. One similarity between the paintings was that the human figures were painted with the profile pose with the full-view eye. Another similarity between the two paintings would be that they both represent rituals and traditions. The Toreador Fresco depicts the Minoan ceremony of bull-leaping while the Fowling Scene is a tomb painting showing that Nebamun is enjoying himself in the afterlife. Another difference would be that in the Toreador Fresco, the artist used curved lines to suggest the elasticity of the living and moving beings unlike the Fowling Scene where the depiction of movement was not represented very well. In the Toreador Fresco, the artist also elongated the animal’s shape to show the powerful charge of the bull and used sweeping lines to form a funnel of energy. It is easily seen how the depiction of movement is better represented in the Toreador Fresco than in the Fowling Scene. In the Fowling Scene, the artist used many different and lively colors whereas in the Toreador Fresco, there is not a great variety of colors used. In the Toreador Fresco, you can tell that it is Minoan art by the elegance of the Cretan figures, with their long, curly hair and proud and self-confident bearing. This distinguishes them from all other early figures styles. You can also see a few cultural differences between the two periods just by comparing the two paintings. The human figures in the paintings are all dressed much differently. Also, in ancient Egypt, the artists often used hierarchal scale in their paintings. They would make the size of the human figures larger based on their social status. That is why in the Fowling Scene, the wife and the daughter of Nebamun are much smaller than him. Whereas, in the Toreador Fresco, you do not see a hierarchal scale, the human figures are all the same size. In conclusion, there are many differences and similarities between the Toreador Fresco and the Fowling Scene. Both paintings represent rituals and traditions. Also, they both have figures painted with the profile pose. In the Toreador Fresco, it includes a border and the bull is the central figure. The human figures are wasp-waisted, and highly animated. The depiction of movement is much better represented in this piece of art than the Fowling Scene because the artist used curved lines to emphasize the movement of the figures. He also elongated the bull’s shape to show the powerful charge of the animal and used sweeping lines to form a funnel of energy. In comparison, in the Fowling Scene, the artists filled every space with lively details. The marsh is full of lotus flowers and butterflies. Although the depiction of movement is not shown as well as the Toreador Fresco, a variety of lively colors is shown in the painting. Unlike the Toreador Fresco, the hierarchal scale is shown in the Fowling Scene.

Why Crowdsourcing Sometimes Works for Writers

Why Crowdsourcing Sometimes Works for Writers Years ago when someone needed a writer, that person went through a marketing firm or relied on queries received after a call for submissions. In today’s â€Å"sharing economy,† writers can be found on the Internet easily, alongside people offering to design a company’s logo for $5 and manage entire marketing campaigns for $20. Unfortunately, this has led professionals to assume that the sharing economy is for amateurs. As someone who earned half her income last year through Elance, I’m here to tell you that professional writers do have a place in crowdsourcing. Businesses of all sizes use these sites to find talent and some of those businesses are eager to pay professional rates. If you’ve dismissed crowdsourcing as a way to supplement your freelance writing income, here are three reasons to reconsider: It’s a Great Supplement Even the busiest freelancer has slumps. One week your inbox is full of assignments and the next, you’re wondering if you’ll ever work again. Crowdsourcing gives you an option when it feels like all the editors have flown off to a tropical island somewhere. You can place a few proposals and maybe land an assignment or two. A couple of those assignments may even lead to ongoing work. The cost to join these sites and start bidding on jobs is minimal, so the only real cost is the time you’ll put into searching through all the requests for bids. Experts Can Be Choosers Before you sign up and begin searching for jobs, be aware that if you command a high per-word rate, you must learn to be selective. You’ve probably already discovered how to identify the low payers through their use of terms like, â€Å"Great opportunity to build your portfolio† and, â€Å"We don’t have a big budget, but we promise plenty of work.† Many of your proposals may be met with complete silence. But if you’re willing to put in the time, you can find clients who will pay your rate. Finding Your Niche Many freelancers learn that having a niche allows them to set themselves apart from others. Medical writers can command top dollar, as can those willing to write about science and technology. In the crowdsourcing arena, you’ll likely find that postings for articles and blogs are highly competitive, which means clients can pay ridiculously low rates. However, clients are willing to pay far more for important content, and you’ll discover that you can bid top rates for landing page content, sales copy, and press releases. Focus on these areas and you’ll avoid wasting time bidding on jobs requesting 20 articles about wedding dresses. Due to the competitive nature of crowdsourcing, many freelancers quickly get frustrated with the work required to successfully bid on jobs. However, when funds are low and jobs are scarce, crowdsourcing can provide a valuable source of income and possibly lead to regular, reasonable-paying, maybe even long-term work. If you’re ready to get started with crowdsourcing, here are some of the best sites to find writing gigs: Elance Guru Outsource PeoplePerHour Freelancer

Free Essays on Intelligent Design Of The Universe

Intelligent Design of the Universe The search for knowledge about the origin of humanity is as old as its inhabitants. Since the early 1800's mankind has narrowed the debate to creation by a Supreme Being and the theory of evolution. Ever since then, science has been at odds against religion. Now it appears that science is returning to religion. Scientists are finding proof that the universe was created by a Supreme Being. The word evolution refers to the change of something over a period of time. In biology, the theory of evolution is "the complex of processes by which living organisms originated on earth and have been diversified and modified through sustained changes in form and function. This theory proposes that between 4 million and 10 million years ago, all organisms on earth had a common ancestor and that through a process of evolution, all living organisms descended from this common ancestor. Cevalier de Lamarck, a French naturalist proposed a theory of evolution in 1809. His idea did not get much scientific consideration until Charles R. Darwin announced his theory of evolution. Darwin published "his most famous book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. Darwin stated that offspring resemble their parents, yet they are not exactly identical to them. He also noted that some of these differences were not effects of their environment, but actually were passed down from parents to children. Darwin is the most well known scientist to write on evolution. There are many different variations on the theory of evolution. Darwin states that natural selection is the main reason for the evolution of life. The fight for food, water and other necessities benefits those creatures who are well adapted for the struggle. Those that cannot survive, die with no offspring to continue their genetic line. Natural selection is also called survival of the fittest. Another related idea to evolution is gradualis... Free Essays on Intelligent Design Of The Universe Free Essays on Intelligent Design Of The Universe Intelligent Design of the Universe The search for knowledge about the origin of humanity is as old as its inhabitants. Since the early 1800's mankind has narrowed the debate to creation by a Supreme Being and the theory of evolution. Ever since then, science has been at odds against religion. Now it appears that science is returning to religion. Scientists are finding proof that the universe was created by a Supreme Being. The word evolution refers to the change of something over a period of time. In biology, the theory of evolution is "the complex of processes by which living organisms originated on earth and have been diversified and modified through sustained changes in form and function. This theory proposes that between 4 million and 10 million years ago, all organisms on earth had a common ancestor and that through a process of evolution, all living organisms descended from this common ancestor. Cevalier de Lamarck, a French naturalist proposed a theory of evolution in 1809. His idea did not get much scientific consideration until Charles R. Darwin announced his theory of evolution. Darwin published "his most famous book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. Darwin stated that offspring resemble their parents, yet they are not exactly identical to them. He also noted that some of these differences were not effects of their environment, but actually were passed down from parents to children. Darwin is the most well known scientist to write on evolution. There are many different variations on the theory of evolution. Darwin states that natural selection is the main reason for the evolution of life. The fight for food, water and other necessities benefits those creatures who are well adapted for the struggle. Those that cannot survive, die with no offspring to continue their genetic line. Natural selection is also called survival of the fittest. Another related idea to evolution is gradualis...

A New Theory of Dinosaur Evolution

A New Theory of Dinosaur Evolution Its not often that a scholarly paper about dinosaur evolution shakes up the world of paleontology and is covered in major publications like The Atlantic and The New York Times. But that is exactly what has happened with a paper published in the British magazine Nature, A New Hypothesis of Dinosaur Relationships and Early Dinosaur Evolution, by Matthew Baron, David Norman and Paul Barrett, on March 22, 2017. What makes this paper so revolutionary? To grasp this requires a quick briefing on the currently existing, widely accepted theory about the origin and evolution of dinosaurs. According to this scenario, the first dinosaurs evolved from archosaurs about 230 million years ago, during the late Triassic period, in the part of the supercontinent Pangea that corresponds to modern-day South America. These first, small, relatively undifferentiated reptiles then split off into two groups over the next few million years: saurischian, or lizard-hipped, dinosaurs, and ornithischian, or bird-hipped, dinosaurs. Saurischians include both plant-eating sauropods and meat-eating theropods, while ornithischians comprise everything else (stegosaurs, ankylosaurs, hadrosaurs, etc.). The new study, based on a lengthy, detailed analysis of dozens of dinosaur fossils, presents a different scenario. According to the authors, the ultimate ancestor of dinosaurs originated not in South America, but in the part of Pangea roughly corresponding to modern-day Scotland (one proposed candidate is the obscure, cat-sized   Saltopus). The first true dinosaur, moreover, is proposed to be Nyasasaurus, which originated  in the part of Pangea corresponding to modern-day Africaand which lived 247 million years ago, ten million years earlier than previously identified first dinosaurs like Eoraptor. More importantly, the study completely rearranges the lowest branches of the dinosaur family tree. In this account, dinosaurs are no longer divided into saurischians and ornithischians; rather, the authors propose a group called Ornithoscelidae (which lumps in theropods along  with ornithischians) and a redefined Saurischia (which now includes sauropods and the family of meat-eating dinosaurs called herrerasaurs, after the early South American dinosaur Herrerasaurus). Presumably, this classification helps account for the fact that many ornithischian dinosaurs possessed theropod-like characteristics (bipedal postures, grasping hands, and in some species, even feathers), but its further implications are still being worked out. How important is all this for the average dinosaur enthusiast? Despite all the hype, not very. The fact is that the authors are looking back to a very opaque time in dinosaur history, when the earliest branches of the dinosaur family tree had yet to be established, and when it would have been virtually impossible for an observer on the ground to distinguish between a profusion of  two-legged archosaurs, two-legged theropods, and two-legged ornithischians. Turn the clock ahead tens of millions of years to the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, and everything pretty much remains unchangedTyrannosaurus Rex is still a theropod, Diplodocus is still a sauropod, all is right with the world. How have other paleontologists reacted to the publication of this paper? There is widespread agreement that the authors have done careful, detailed work, and that their conclusions deserve to be taken seriously. However, there are still some objections being voiced about the quality of the fossil evidence, especially as it pertains to the earliest dinosaurs, and most scientists agree that additional, confirming evidence will be needed before books on dinosaur evolution have to be rewritten. In any case, it will take years for this research to filter out to the general public, so theres no need to worry just yet about how to pronounced ornithoscelidae.

Kafka's 'The Trial' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Kafka's 'The Trial' - Essay Example Elizabeth KÃ ¼bler-Ross (1969), the author of ‘On Death and Dying’, describes the emotional cycle through the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. On the other hand, these ideas are tested in order to understand fully the way a man lived the last year of his life in a story called, ‘The Trial’. The stages KÃ ¼bler-Ross discussed are said to be a way to interpret the life of K. most especially during the time he was in the difficult stage of his life. As a Doctor, KÃ ¼bler-Ross makes a significant move on writing the book because it helps the patients and also her colleagues to comprehend with the cycle of emotional states of a person. Sometimes even Doctors are having difficulties admitting to themselves that a patient is dying and they just could not do something about it. But how effective these ideas can be to lighten up someone who is in the stage of depression? The cycle does not only pertain to a dying person, but also to a person who is in a bad situation such as hearing that a relative died, losing a career and other. Accordingly, it is fundamental to analyze KÃ ¼bler-Ross’ ideas and specifically apply to the story of ‘The Trial’. The novel is all about Josef K., a man who works in a bank as a senior clerk that was taken into custody by two agents. It was an unexpected arrest and the two agents did not discuss why K. was caught. He was then asked to wait for further instructions by the Committee of Affairs. Consequently, he was able to meet various people significant in his life and the case gets aggravated. It then changed his personality of being a confident man to an uneasy man just like the people he has met before (Kafka, 1984). Thus, the story depicts the life of K. and how he tried to cope up with a series of events that significantly defined his life before his death. The life of K. became vague in the story and reflects the

The History and Regeneration of Ballymun, Co. Dublin Ireland Essay

The History and Regeneration of Ballymun, Co. Dublin Ireland - Essay Example The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the regeneration of Ballymun, a major renewal project now being implemented in Dublin. The paper will also examine if this regeneration project has been successful in achieving its objectives. In examining this issue the author has looked at Ballymun as a whole and researched past problems and mistakes made by the government and Dublin City Council. This paper reviews the most recent and most radical of attempts to regenerate Ballymun, which is currently being implemented under the auspices of a quasi-governmental organization, Ballymun Regeneration Ltd (BRL). This company was established by Dublin Corporation in 1997 to prepare and implement a plan for the regeneration of the Ballymun estate and the ambitions housing demolition of the flats and rebuild of new homes and socio-economic development programme which it has devised will be funded by a mixture of direct public investment together with tax relief for private sector investme nt in house building and office and factory development.   This regeneration project is highly innovative in the Irish context because BRL is the first and, to date, the only designated, quasi-governmental agency which has been employed to regenerate a public housing area in the history of the Irish State. Moreover, the use of tax incentives to encourage private sector investment in an area of this type is also unprecedented.  ... The dissertation will look at the following issues and relevant theories: 1. Establishing the urban regeneration in Ireland and its initiatives 2. Pointing out urban problems in Dublin 3. Evolution of Ballymun: its planning and development, its construction and design problems, 4. Ballymun problems and their solutions due to strategies of regeneration 5. Defining problems concerning built environment, housing management, regeneration This dissertation reviews the most recent and most radical of attempts to regenerate Ballymun, which is currently being implemented under the auspices of a quasi governmental organisation, Ballymun Regeneration Ltd (BRL). This company was established by Dublin Corporation in 1997 to prepare and implement a plan for the regeneration of the Ballymun estate and the ambitions housing demolition of the flats and rebuild of new homes and socio-economic development programme which it has devised will be funded by a mixture of direct public investment together with tax relief for private sector investment in house building and office and factory development. This regeneration project is highly innovative in the Irish context, because BRL is the first and, to date, the only designated, quasi governmental agency which has been employed to regenerate a public housing area in the history of the Irish State. Moreover the use of tax incentives to encourage private sector investment in an area of t his type is also unprecedented. BRL is also significant in the international context as, unlike many comparable regeneration projects in other countries, the indications are that its efforts to diversify tenure and encourage private sector

New Technology in the Medical Field Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

New Technology in the Medical Field - Essay Example many healthcare organizations have come up with privacy and security policies that govern the access, use and exposure of organization’s information in order to minimize such risks. An analysis of the privacy and security policies of three recognized healthcare organizations namely Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Mayo Foundation and Georgetown University Medical Centers reveals some themes that are among them. For all the three healthcare organisations unauthorised access of the organisation’s information is not allowed. This could be those that are stored in computers or those produced as hard copies. In relation to this, there is no unauthorised alteration, revision, transmission or modification of the organisations information or other information within the organisation’s system (Georgetown University Medical Centers, 2007, Mayo Foundation, 2002 and BIDMC Technology Resources Policy, 2007). For all confidential information or programs installed in the organisation’s computers, the staff must get authority from the organisations information officer or office in order to access, delete or modify them. All information deemed to be confidential is protected from external access and their release or exposure constitutes a breach of the security and privacy policies. All staff are not allowed to use the organisations IT for activities that are not related to the organisation’s business activities so as to limit the availability of the network resources to other people. Remote access to organisation’s information is not allowed except for selected workstations or persons authorised by the chief information officer. There are some security and privacy policies that differ significantly between the three healthcare organizations. An example are policies relating to personal privacy when using the organization’s computer information or technology resources. In Mayo Foundation, no one has the permission to access a computer using another

EMERGING MARKETS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

EMERGING MARKETS - Essay Example Banks were mostly publicly owned, although capital markets were allowed. Currently, India`s financial system is the most established in the emerging market economies. The financial systems of both countries are dominated by banks. For instance, China`s industrious savers have no choice to formal banking system. On the contrary, a significant number of Indians distrust banks but they have a preference to amass gold and real estate properties as an alternative. In addition, both governments need banks to serve social objectives, but the Indian government is more translucent concerning the shared results being worth the expense. Banks whether private or public must meet objectives for countryside access to banking services and loaning to significance sections and must distribute a needed share of their savings to public sector unions. The Chinese government`s political main concerns are to guarantee steady well-ordered liberalization of openly possessed manufacturers and economic growth adequate to captivate millions of labor force competitors, immigrants, as well as laid off employees every year. Bank loaning is still registered to finance much of this development even as banks are restructured to meet new oversea competition. Bank reforms started in earnest in 1995 when institutions and regulations were transformed to change them into commercial banks (Bosworth and Collins 2007). Practical norms for loaning were introduced, banking, secur ities as well as indemnity supervisors were developed and regulatory principles constricted. Three policy banks were established to carry on policy loaning roles and made regional heads purportedly with sufficient seniority to force bank loaning on credit worthiness criteria. The local banking system of China currently comprises of a considerable number of institutions almost all of which are under the ownership of various

School Administrator Interview [iw6-d5] Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

School Administrator Interview [iw6-d5] - Essay Example Schools has limited funding and quality education demand great amount of money. In this case, managing finance of school is very critical job. This paper outlines an interview of my school administrator. My school is a private organization. Our finance administrator, Principal, has a master degree in accounting and finance. With 10 years of experience, He is excellent in accounting, budgeting and financial management. His analytical skills and accuracy are fantabulous. His organizational and communication skill are magnificent. He can efficiently work on team or independently with minimal supervision. Having knowledge of private school finance systems, policies and procedures, he can manage multiple tasks in fast pace environment. I asked the principal some questions about his position and responsibilities. As a principal, he generates the operations and capitol budgets for next academic year. As an administrator he has good influence in developing district budget. He works with department chairs to make requests for year ahead budgeting. According to him, he gained all knowledge by experience. When I tried to enquire about state funding formulas, he explained that being private school, they are not held to state funding formulas. Finance management is very critical job. But most difficult task, according to him, is understanding why teachers and staff find it difficult to plan ahead and use purchase order system. He is saturated with reimbursement system. On asking effect of future school finance on education he said, increased finance will improve school performance. The expenditure of more money for education would lead to improved student outcomes. There are evidence to prove relationship between the amount of resources and student achievement (picus, 1995). The strong belief that money is important to improving school performance maintains a strong following. The quality of school facilities are important to student learning. He believes that more money would help school provide a higher quality education, which in turn would lead to greater student achievement. Many important educational programs are aimed at improving opportunities for groups of students with special needs are based on the assumption that additional resources are essential to their success (Roy, 2004). With more funds, Classroom size can be reduce which ensures increased attention per pupil and improve student learning. According to him, important outcome of sch ooling will be success in the labor market, and there is link between higher cost resource allocation patterns and improved career earnings. It can be argued that an important outcome of schooling is the ability of graduates to find and keep good, high paying jobs. While making the link between educational resources and employment (as measured by lifetime earnings or a similar measure), men who were educated in states with relatively small classes in the public schools and relatively high teacher salaries tended to have higher earnings than did men educated in states with relatively larger classes and relatively lower paid teachers. This findings suggest that small classes and high teacher salaries (both of which would lead to higher per pupil expenditures), may have a greater effect on future earnings. Again teacher education also affects student performance. There is positive

Business Environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Business Environment - Assignment Example For instance, the above mentioned values of P&G has resulted in creation of top quality workforce that feels pride in working for this multinational corporation. In addition, the company has strong loyal customer base that endorses novel ideas and products through acquisitions and purchases. The main objective of P&G is to target lower-middle, middle-middle and elite customers and enhance its market share through constant focus on innovation, differentiation and branding so that it could become largest FMCG Corporation worldwide (Internet: Pg.com). Ryanair is a UK based air travel services provider with a mission to provide no-frills low cost travel services to customers from middle – middle and lower - middle social classes who have inclination to save maximum amount of their hard-earn money. Ryanair, although, does not offer any top quality facilities to passengers, yet it has been famous and enjoys largest customer passenger base because of lowest fares compared to all othe r UK airlines. The core values of Ryanair are cost leadership and employee satisfaction, which gives this carrier an edge over rivals. The main objectives are to maintain cost-efficiency and no-frills services quality in extremely challenging business environment (Internet: Ryanair.com). The major difference between mission statements of both organisations is that P&G is more focused towards value-addition and offering branded production at higher prices (no compromises over product quality) whereas Ryanair is strictly concerned with cost-efficiency even through taking back some facilities from passengers. Stakeholders of both organisations are their employees, customers, shareholders, business partners, suppliers and government authorities. The stakeholders of P&G have achieved their objectives by becoming associated with a top quality brand offering corporation, which highly values inputs of all associated personnel for well-being and growth. The partners, employees and customers are penchant to continue their relationships with P&G in the long run. The stakeholders of Ryanair have accomplished their objectives by investing and acquiring ownerships in a profitable firm that maximises their wealth through generation of profits and disbursements in the form of dividends. The responsibilities of both organisations include production and sales of want-satisfying goods and services through use of socially responsible procedures, employee safety, legal compliance, payment of taxes, maximisation of shareholders’ wealth, accountability to stakeholders and environmental protection. P&G has designed an in-depth code of conduct and constitution to ensure they fulfill aforementioned responsibilities. For instance, P&G has also developed 5-year and 10-year plans for reduction of carbon emissions to ensure greater environmental protection (P&G Report, 2010). Ryanair has strict internal regulations and committees that opt to monitor all business operations, thereby attempting compliance with legal and environmental laws followed by organisational policies (Ryanair Report, 2010). Task 2 As far utilisation of resources is concerned, it is worthwhile to mention that P&G focuses heavily on workers’ individual performance and productivity. Also, the corporation inducts latest machinery / equipment so that it could automate business process and maximise productivity through

School Administrator Interview [iw6-d5] Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

School Administrator Interview [iw6-d5] - Essay Example Schools has limited funding and quality education demand great amount of money. In this case, managing finance of school is very critical job. This paper outlines an interview of my school administrator. My school is a private organization. Our finance administrator, Principal, has a master degree in accounting and finance. With 10 years of experience, He is excellent in accounting, budgeting and financial management. His analytical skills and accuracy are fantabulous. His organizational and communication skill are magnificent. He can efficiently work on team or independently with minimal supervision. Having knowledge of private school finance systems, policies and procedures, he can manage multiple tasks in fast pace environment. I asked the principal some questions about his position and responsibilities. As a principal, he generates the operations and capitol budgets for next academic year. As an administrator he has good influence in developing district budget. He works with department chairs to make requests for year ahead budgeting. According to him, he gained all knowledge by experience. When I tried to enquire about state funding formulas, he explained that being private school, they are not held to state funding formulas. Finance management is very critical job. But most difficult task, according to him, is understanding why teachers and staff find it difficult to plan ahead and use purchase order system. He is saturated with reimbursement system. On asking effect of future school finance on education he said, increased finance will improve school performance. The expenditure of more money for education would lead to improved student outcomes. There are evidence to prove relationship between the amount of resources and student achievement (picus, 1995). The strong belief that money is important to improving school performance maintains a strong following. The quality of school facilities are important to student learning. He believes that more money would help school provide a higher quality education, which in turn would lead to greater student achievement. Many important educational programs are aimed at improving opportunities for groups of students with special needs are based on the assumption that additional resources are essential to their success (Roy, 2004). With more funds, Classroom size can be reduce which ensures increased attention per pupil and improve student learning. According to him, important outcome of sch ooling will be success in the labor market, and there is link between higher cost resource allocation patterns and improved career earnings. It can be argued that an important outcome of schooling is the ability of graduates to find and keep good, high paying jobs. While making the link between educational resources and employment (as measured by lifetime earnings or a similar measure), men who were educated in states with relatively small classes in the public schools and relatively high teacher salaries tended to have higher earnings than did men educated in states with relatively larger classes and relatively lower paid teachers. This findings suggest that small classes and high teacher salaries (both of which would lead to higher per pupil expenditures), may have a greater effect on future earnings. Again teacher education also affects student performance. There is positive

Subway Smoothie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Subway Smoothie - Essay Example Our company will use four elements of promotional mix, which include advertising, sales promotion, personal selling and public relation. Advertising refers to the presentation of a standard message regarding the strengths, price and availability of goods or services by the marketer in an impersonal way (Weinreich, 2010). In this strategy, our main aim will be building the pull effect since our adverts will deliver a message that will make the product appealing to customers to buy it. Since fast foods have become a major concern, relaying a message on the importance of smoothie foods will pull more customers to buy the foods. We would also rely on sales promotion, which is the short-term use of incentives or other promotional activities that will stimulate the customer to buy our product (Urban, Sultan, & Qualls, 2012). This particular element helps bring short and immediate effect on sale as well as faster stock clearance. The technique will also help in the induction of customers and distribution channels; and will help us win over fast food competitors. As a business, we will apply such sales promotion skills as rebate, discounts, premiums, and usable benefits, e.g. buy two get one free. The general benefit will be attracting people’s attention as well as inducing them since our new product will be available at a lower price. We will also rely on personal selling, which will enable our sales team have face-to-face interactions with the customers. Since it is a face-to-face interaction, our sales team will be able to explain the merits of our products directly, thus increasing the sale of the product. It is also a flexible element, meaning the seller may change the offer according to various situations. It also induces customers to buy given goods in order to satisfy their needs. Public relations is the last element of marketing mix that we will apply, which

Russia as a Threat to the US

Russia as a Threat to the US This essay will examine Russia as the most significant security threat/security challenge confronting the U.S. The grand strategy to address that threat is retaking the offensive. Additionally, the international theory of realism that aligns with the grand strategy will be examined. Next, the essay will explore the historical precedent of the Truman Doctrine in order to support the grand strategy as an example of that evidence.   Last, the essay will discuss the risks, as well as the international relations theory of liberalism, to illustrate this grand strategy. The most significant security threat/security challenge that faces the U.S. today is Russia.[i] â€Å"Russia’s nuclear weapon stockpile and aggressive, unpredictable actions are reasons that country presents the most serious near-term threat to world wide stability.†[ii] One rationale for this security challenge of the threat is that Russia partners with other weaker states, such as Syria, to instigate and supply these states in order to accomplish its own strategic objectives, by â€Å"looking to leverage its military support to the Asad regime†¦and use its military intervention in Syria, in conjunction with efforts to capitalize on fears of a growing ISIS and extremist threat to expand its role in the Middle East.†[iii] With Russia’s weapons capability, and action to create alliances with other weaker states, it offers these partnered states a stronger opportunity to use nuclear proliferation,[iv] or chemical weapons as a strategic rationale against the U.S. to prevent the U.S. from acting against them, as well as an offensive strategy to use to attack the U.S.[v]   These weaker states, like Syria, can present as great a danger as strong states to the U.S.’ national interests.[vi]   For example, weapons of mass destruction could be nuclear or biological.   Biological weapons can be easily accessible; nuclear weapons are more difficult to obtain on its own, but a transnational terrorist organization can secure weapons from a state.[vii]     Ã‚   Another example of Russia’s threat against the U.S., is its defiance of non-state organizations, that Russiain its post-Soviet roleis â€Å"re-surging with authoritarianism and is aggressively contesting liberal norms, by seeking to weaken and divide non-state organizations, such as, NATO and the EU.†[viii] To illustrate this point, Russia created a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) that the U.S. claimed Russia violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. That breach enables Russia to continue to produce GLCMs,[ix] thereby perpetuating the nuclear proliferation threat to the U.S. Yet another example is Russia’s cyber threat.   Russia is consistently seeking to use cyberspace to bolster its own status, while attempting to threaten the U.S.’s interests in the areas of: government, military commercial, social and infrastructure.   Recently, Russia used its aggression of cyber to influence the U.S.’s 2016 elections. Further, Russia’s actors conducted disruptive cyber attacks outside the U.S., and has â€Å"leveraged cyber space to seek to influence public opinion across Europe and Eurasia.†[x]   This is another security challenge for the U.S., as Russia continues to seek out weaknesses in the U.S.’s systems as well as partner with other states to build aggression against the U.S. The above discussed Russia security challenges raises the intensity of interest to a level of vital, because of the seriousness of its threats against the U.S. â€Å"Protecting its physical existence when in jeopardy, due to attack or threat of attack is the most important.†[xi] Further, a vital interest is one in which interest is so crucial to a state, it will not compromise. An example of this is to â€Å"prevent the regional proliferation of WMD†¦prevent the emergence of a regional hegemon in regions, promote the well-being of allies and friends and protect them from external aggression.†[xii] The vital level corresponds to the basic interest of defense of the homeland due to those threats and therefore causes the U.S. to employ a strategy that aligns with its national interest of survival.[xiii] The example for this is toâ€Å"prevent, deter and reduce the threat of nuclear, biological and chemical weapon attacks†¦prevent the emergence of hostile major powers or failed states†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [xiv] The evidence discussed above illustrates that Russia rises to the intensity level of vital for the greatest significant security challenge the U.S. faces.      In light of the security threat posed by Russia, the U.S. should pursue the grand strategy of re-taking the offensive. Using this approach for the advancement of the liberal order, serves the U.S.’s global interests. That the â€Å"spread of democracy and market economics, prominence of liberal ideas as the guiding norms of international affairs, preservation of global stability and balance of power†[xv] is the accurate and appropriate direction for the U.S. to take regarding the grand strategy. The re-taking the offensive is important because it must continue sustain the liberal order—to pursue efforts to sustain and invigorate the momentum. To accomplish this, the implications are to provide the U.S. with safety, security and prosperity (U.S. citizens), retain and improve its diplomatic and economic ties with its allies (Germany, France, UK, Japan, India and Australia), reinvest in liberal democratic programs with non-governmental agencies (NATO, UN, EU), but most importantly, to aggressively combat nuclear proliferation (Russia, Syria), as well as other threats (chemical attack, terrorism) to the international order.[xvi] An example of this re-take the offensive approach is the relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine, through coalition with each other, cooperate together in order to thwart regional hegemony expansion by Russia. It shows evidence that illustrates how the grand strategy of retaking the offensive addresses the security threat to the U.S. by Russia.    The IR theory that aligns with the grand strategy is realism. Realists view world politics as a power struggle that is conducted with conditions characterized by anarchy, and define a state’s interest in terms of levels of power over other states as a self-help mechanism.[xvii] For example, using hard power as a means by which states advance their national interests to force an enemy or reluctant ally to adhere to a state’s national objectives is the main objective in order to maintain domination over the other states, thereby allowing the stronger state an opportunity to act upon its own agenda. Further, peace is defined as the absence of war, occurs when states adhere to their own singularly defined national interests. Once in place, it becomes an intensive driving force, that states can no longer control its momentum, but becomes engulfed in its movement, and then controlled by it.[xviii] Therefore, as an example, by the US pushing back on China’s significantly growing political, military and economic power, this demonstrates how the U.S. seeks to dominate another state. China’s strategy of its own position of increasing improvement, will motivate China into expanding its regional and global influence, thereby propelling China into the competitive sphere of other major superpowers—the U.S. This endangers the U.S.’s national interests, which must then exert its own power in order to retain its superior position.[xix] Further illustrating domination by using hard power to dominate others, by incorporating soft power thereafter, a state can replace domination by cooperation where diplomatic, military and economic relationships of coalitions can flourish in order to assert against other nations states from becoming important international actors.[xx] The IR theory of realism supports the U.S. grand strategy of retaking the offensive by using levels of power in a self-help method in which to control other states in order to achieve its objectives.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The historical precedent of the Truman Doctrine is an important document for U.S. foreign policy that is considered the start of the Cold War. The doctrine articulated that the United States would provide military, political, and economic aid to threatened states that were under subjugation from outside authoritarian forces.[xxi] Additionally, the Truman Doctrine created a policy for containment and deterrence to thwart further expansion of Russia and its sphere of influence[xxii]. To further illustrate the historical significance of the threat from Russia, the doctrine was created in response to assist Greece and Turkeydemocratic nations which were in danger of becoming overthrown by the Russian regime. This doctrine supports the grand strategy of retaking the offensive, as the U.S. must intervene and maintain its strategic interests in order to safeguard the world against authoritarian/communist attempts to threaten and politically overturn U.S. democratic spheres of influence throughout the world.      The risks, as viewed through the lens of the IR theory of liberalism, and the reliance on intelligence organizations and other actors that play an increasingly important role regarding global affairs. Specifically, the U.S.’s reliance upon its alliances with these states and non-governmental organizations to thwart Russia, illustrates that riskNATO, UN, and WTOin order to follow their liberal mandate for Russia to be thwarted. The question is whether or not these partners â€Å"possess the vigor need to sustain or advance that order.†[xxiii] The risk is the reliance on the influence to shape the environment for the success of the U.S.; it is placing its fate in other organizations’ hands, and therefore relying upon its unknown ability to assist in exercising the U.S.’s strategic objectives. This risk demonstrates the justification of retaking the offensive as the grand strategy regarding Russia’s threat to the U.S.   This essay analyzed Russia as the most significant threat to the U.S. today. In light of this threat, the grand strategy of retaking the offensive is appropriate for the U.S. The IR theory of realism is the foundation for retaking the offensive, as illustrated by the historical precedent of the Truman Doctrine, whereas liberalism increases the risk to this grand strategy of retaking the offensive. ENDNOTES [i] Missy Ryan, â€Å"Pentagon unveils budget priority for next year: Countering Russia and China,† New York Times, February 2, 2016. [ii] Leon Shane, III, â€Å"Incoming Joint Chiefs chairman calls Russia, China top threats, Military Times, July 9, 2015. [iii] Daniel R. Coats, â€Å"World-wide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community†, Senate Select Committee on National Intelligence, May 11, 2017: 1. [iv] Glenn P. Hastedt, â€Å"Military Instruments:   Big Wars,† in American Foreign Policy: Past, Present and Future†, (Rowman and Littlefield, 2015), 334. [v] Ibid. [vi] Liana Sun Wyler, â€Å"Weak and Failing States: Evolving Security Threats and U.S. Policy†, (Washington, D.C.: Congressional research Service, April 18, 2008): 1-8. [vii] Stephen D. Krasner, â€Å"Failed States and American National Security†, Hoover Institution Journal, Hoover Institute, April 16, 2015.   [viii] Hal Brands, â€Å"American Grand Strategy and the Liberal Order: Continuity, Change, and Options for the Future†, Building a Sustainable International Order, A RAND Project to Further Explore U.S. Strategy in a Changing World, Perspective Expert Insights on a Timely Policy Issue, The Rand Corporation, 2016: 11. [ix] Daniel R. Coats, â€Å"Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community†, Senate Select Committee on National Intelligence, May 11, 2017: 6. [x] Daniel R. Coats, â€Å"Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community†, Senate Select Committee on National Intelligence, May 11, 2017: 1. [xi] Dennis M. Drew and Donald M. Snow, â€Å"Making Twenty-First-Century Strategy: An Introduction to Modern National Security Processes and Problems†, Air University Press, (November 2006): 33 [xii] Alan G. Stolberg, â€Å"Crafting National Interests in the 21st Century in U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, 5th ed. Vol. II, ed. J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr; 13-21.   Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, June 2012.  Ã‚   [xiii] Dennis M. Drew and Donald M. Snow, â€Å"Making Twenty-First-Century Strategy: An Introduction to Modern National Security Processes and Problems†, Air University Press, (November 2006): 33 [xiv] Alan G. Stolberg, â€Å"Crafting National Interests in the 21st Century in U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, 5th ed. Vol. II, ed. J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr; 13-21.   Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, June 2012.  Ã‚   [xv] Hal Brands, â€Å"American Grand Strategy and the Liberal Order: Continuity, Change, and Options for the Future†, Building a Sustainable International Order, A RAND Project to Further Explore U.S. Strategy in a Changing World, Perspective Expert Insights on a Timely Policy Issue, The Rand Corporation, 2016: 13. [xvi] Ibid. [xvii] Dr. Chris Bolan, â€Å"Realism†, lecture, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA, cited with permission of Dr. Bolan. [xviii] Glenn. P Hastedt, â€Å"Defining American Foreign Policy Problems,† in American Foreign Policy: Past, Present and Future, (Rowman and Littlefield, 2015), 33. [xix] Hal Brands, â€Å"American Grand Strategy and the Liberal Order: Continuity, Change, and Options for the Future†, Building a Sustainable International Order, A RAND Project to Further Explore U.S. Strategy in a Changing World, Perspective Expert Insights on a Timely Policy Issue, The Rand Corporation, 2016: 11. [xx] Ibid. [xxi] Ibid. [xxii] Ibid. [xxiii] Hal Brands, â€Å"American Grand Strategy and the Liberal Order: Continuity, Change, and Options for the Future†, Building a Sustainable International Order, A RAND Project to Further Explore U.S. Strategy in a Changing World, Perspective Expert Insights on a Timely Policy Issue, The Rand Corporation, 2016: 11.

Free Essays - Human Fears in Catch-22 :: Catch-22

Catch-22 Human Fears The satirical and sympathetic tones in Catch-22 create bizarre situations and tragedy that describe war without the false glory and honor. It exposes human fears and needs in a time of pressure. The diction of Catch-22 displaces the irrational ideas that the military upholds regarding death. The "clause of Catch-22" has no consideration for the "rational mind," or "concern for one's own safety." Catch-22 is a logical infallibility that makes one follow in endless circles of nonsense. Anyone sensible is lost in this swamp of incomprehensibility. Sane becomes arguable and life becomes a joke when regarded through a catch-22. There was a "grim secret...over the messy floor," like "garbage," it was the "inevitable end." Death was so often and close and real that it became like a secret between soldiers that if it wasn't told maybe it would never be true. When they were dead they were like garbage, they could be burned, dropped and buried. For everyone in the war, death could be at any time. It was coming but they didn't know when. Death was treated like it was impersonal, almost a joke; a horrible joke that no individual had control over. In Catch-22 the detail portrays the actions leading Yossarian to become an Atheist. "Shivering uncontrollably," he kept thinking "everyone is trying to kill me." Physical pain isn't uncommon in war. It can create fear and cause anger toward everything, no matter what the cause. The thought that so many people are coming with guns forward and that they all could potential end his life; this paranoia kept running through the mind of Yossarian. With something like "Catch-22" it must be a "mean and stupid God." Catch-22 keeps a soldier in the fight with the fear and anger and danger. When you seem hopelessly lost and in peril all the time, one will begin to question the meaning of it all. Why am I still here? Why me? These questions and situations without an answer created a loss in faith. The organization of the plot moves from confusion to argument and finally to refutation. In the beginning Yossarian tries to reason with the officers to let him stop flying missions.

The Young Offenders Act :: Free Essay Writer

The Young Offenders Act This essay was written to show the advantages and disadvantages of the Young Offenders Act over the previous Juvenile Delinquents Act. Also it should give a theoretical underezding of the current Canadian Juvenile-Justice system, the act and it's implications and the effects of the young offenders needs and mental health on the outcome of the trials. In the interest of society the young offenders act was brought forth on april second 1984. This act was created to ensure the rights and the needs of a young person. Alan W. Leshied says "On one hand the justice and legal objectives of the act are being effectively realized while on the other hand the needs and treatment aspects of it leave much to be desired." The research of the Young offenders act is still ongoing but Leshied says that it is becoming clear that the custody positions have been in dispute since the act came into effect. The old Juvenile delinquency act states in section 38 "The care and custody and discipline of a juvenile delinquent shall approximate as nearly as maybe that which should be given by his parents, and... as far as practability every juvenile delinquent shall be treated, not as a criminal, but as a misguided and misdirected child . . . needing aid, encouragement, help and assiezce."(Page 72) If a youth is close to the adult age of 18 years they could be transfered to the adult justice system. This means that they would be given the same sentences as an adult including and up to life in prison. Many people have tried to correct this problem that they see as a weakness. Yet, so far their attempts have failed. Another weakness they find, is that the courts are expensive and unsatisfactory methods of dealing with crime that is not very serious. Before the fabrication of legal aid most young offenders were not able to obtain legal services. "Subsection 11 (4) provides that, were a young person wishes to obtain counsel but is not able to do so, the youth-court judge shall refer the young person to the provincial legal-aid, or assiezce program. If no such program is available or the young person is unable to obtain counsel through an available program, the youth court judge may, and on the request of the young person shall direct the young person to be represented by counsel.

Literacy Development in Afterschool program at Yeronga State High School Essay

Introduction Yeronga State High School was established in 1959 by Queensland Government on 60 acres of land. This school comprises of student from more than 60 cultural and linguistic back grounds, many students come from Africa, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. More than 90% of this population is refugees coming from war-torn countries suffering from war trauma. This study is carried out during a Volunteering for ESL (English as Second Language) program for grade 8 to12 student. As a volunteer, there was an opportunity to participate in various afterschool program run by school such as Homework club. This project report attempts to comprehend field of literacy in afterschool program with a focus on researches made in past relates to literacy practise and outcome. The core objective is to investigate how the literacy is developed among student during this process through informal oral interview and observations. This paper also investigate what problem student face in after school program and what steps needs to be taken to over come that problem as an educator. This project report endorsed the fact that after school programs with experience and activities enhance child’s literacy development which is a consistent argument as per academic literature authored by Garbarino and others (Garbarino et al., 1992; Werner, 1990).In order to have a crystal clear understanding of development of literacy occurred in afterschool program, an extensive literature review has been done. It would be really important to note that this project report covers a small body of research so as a reader one should emphasize on relevance and significance of the literature review in context of the body of this project report. This project report briefly discuss of pertinent research related to specific literacy application. These applications are selected on the base of their existence at after school program at school, their endorsement in research in the filed of afterschool program and literacy and their appropriateness. The nucleus hypothesis of this project report is a main goal of Afterschool program is to construct aptitude for rich academic content through engage student in challenging learning activities for their own academic enrichment. Afterschool program should not act as an extension of school day but should be able to provide high-interest generating activities that complement school-day learning in variety of ways. Researcher has been also suggested that afterschool program indirectly supports academic achievement in various ways such as it provides platform to enhance non academic literacy and competencies which help students to enhance their academic learning; it also ensure that students develop critical development inputs which helps them to prosper in their academic success and keep them fully prepare and engaged; creation of alternate rich learning environment; and help students to overcome the hurdle (Sheley,1984). According to Miller (2003), for a positive results and successful development of literacy, after school program should be equipped with some critical characteristics, first and foremost foundation of any successful After-school program is It has to be carried out in Physical and psychologically safe environment. In order to develop literacy they should be placed under supportive relationships, it’s also important to create the feeling of belongingness among student so they can feel important and recognized. Main goal of after school program should be opportunity for skill building through integration of school, society and family. Rationale of Project For building academic successful literacy in academic success (Broh, 2002; Cairns, 1995; Campbell, Storo & Acerbo, 1995; Childress, 1998; Cooper, Valentine,Nye, & Lindsay, 1999; Eccles & Barber, 1999; Gerber, 1996). After school programs can play a key role in engaging youth in the learning process by providing opportunities to explore interests, gain competency in real world skills, solve problems, assume leadership roles, develop a group identity with similarly engaged peers, connect to adult role models and mentors, and become involved in improving their communities. Early adolescence is a time of dramatic change in every area of a young person’s life. During this period, young people forge personal identities in a context of physical and emotional changes, the increasing importance and influence of a peer group, and growing independence. It is the confluence of change on many levels-biological and physiological growth, peer and social expectations, and the school environme nt-that can make early adolescence a particularly risky period (Lerner, 1993a; Solodow, 1999; Weissberg & Greenberg, 2000). The research sample of this project report is a grade 8 to 12 student of Yeronga state high school where ninety percent of total population comes from war torn country. These students can experience social changes that may distract them from academic pursuits; they also enter an academic environment less in tune with their developmental needs. Studies by Eccles and her colleagues (Eccles & Midgley, 1989; Eccles & Midgley, 1990; Gutman & Midgley, 2000) paint a convincing portrait of the conflict between the developmental stage of early adolescence and the environment of most middle and junior high schools. Apart from that Poverty, violence and family distress are three lethal risk factors for children grown up in war traumatized country (Garbarino, Dubrow, Kostelny, & Pardo, 1992). Poverty has a direct fatal affect on growing child as it limits the resources available for their disposal for learning and in an indirect manner negative parental behavior which is an outcome of psychological distress faced by parents due to poverty (McLoyd, 1990). Children from war-torn countries have a posttraumatic stress syndrome which generates from sleep disturbance and aggressive behavior (Bell, 1991; Osofsky, Wewers, Hann, & Fick, 1991). After school programs can also create a bridge or â€Å"border zone† between the culture of peers, families and communities on the one hand, and the school environment on the other (Heath, 1994; Jackson & Davis, 2000; Scharf & Woodlief, 2000).This report argues that after school programs can make a difference in building the â€Å"prerequisites† to learning, supporting not only school achievement, but long-term competence and success as well. Students are usually viewed as important contributors rather than passive recipients. They choose their roles, help others who are less skilled, and are critical to the success of the project. They are honored for their accomplishments as well as expected to have strong feelings and relationships. In many high quality afterschool activities, young people experience a group setting where every individual’s effort makes a difference, where they spend significant time (rather than a class period) focused on a specific skill, and where they receive a lot of individual attention from adults. Will these practices increase students’ engagement in learning? To answer this question, we must explore education literature to identify factors that motivate students to become committed to learning. Due to limited body of research available in the field of after school program, the focus of this report is mainly narrowed down to literacy practise and outcome. In the next section, an extensive literature review of specific literacy practice which helps in developing literacy in after school program has been analysed. It would be really important to note that the following literature review should be considered as summary of most relevant research done in the field of development of literacy in afterschool program. Literature Review The following literature review is a focusing specifically on three specific literacy practices: Reading aloud, dramatisation and book discussion. The selection of these three literacy practices is based on the relevant application at Yeronga state high school afterschool program. This literature review is a comprehensive summary of most relevant research and key reports carried in United States to crystallise our understanding of the three selected literacy practice. Reading Aloud â€Å"The single most important activity for †¦ reading success appears to be reading aloud to children† (Neuman, Copple, & Bredekamp, 2000) Reading aloud is a foundation stone for any literacy development. It’s really important to get children interested on daily basis throughout the primary grades. This literacy practice helps student with fluent reading and injects a passion so that they can be a good reader (Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, & Wilkinson, 1985; Calkins, 1997). This literacy practice transform less able reader to better reader by motivating students to read rich and content full book. According Armbruster et al. (2001), in primary grades children learn meaning of words via listening to their teacher when they read the text. In this scenario â€Å"Reading aloud† can really help as while reading a book or a text when student pauses at a particular word, its an opportunity for teacher to identify that he/she is facing a problem with unfamiliarity of word and to overcome this problem teacher can engage student in a conversation. This conversation can help student to understand new words, meaning, concepts as well as their correlation to their prior knowledge and experience. In terms of Vocabulary growth this â€Å"Reading Aloud† can play a major role. The base of this argument is in primary grades student learns vocabulary from two different sources first is the word it self woven in text of book and second is words spoken by teacher (Dickinson & tabors, 2001). In certain cases it also depends on a source of text i.e. choice of book which can have a positive or negative impact of vocabulary development. In other words, if a book has limited vocabulary than it would be difficult to develop vocabulary growth in student (Dickinson & Smith, 1994). Other important aspects which have to be taken into consideration while reviewing concept of â€Å"Reading Aloud† are methods, environmental influences, attitudes and interactive behaviours (Morrow, 1990). These factors can play a crucial role in literacy development. In an experiment conducted by Morrow (1990) at kindergarten students, his initial idea behind this experiment was to investigate the effect of small group story readings in different class room environment. Children were distributed among six classroom in a school based in urban area which had a children from middle to lower socioeconomic level, with over 60 percent belonging to minority group . This group of children were divided into experimental and control group on random bases. Each group has assigned one research assistant and time frame for the study was decided for 11 weeks. Research assistant in experimental group were asked to use maximum level of interactive behaviour techniques such as managing, prompting, supporting and informing. In a control group research assistant were instructed to follow teacher’s manual. As a result children under experimental group were asking more questions, making more comments and involving in discussion with fellow classmate. Interactive environment helped them to develop their literacy in terms of dealing with meaning in context of area of detail, interpretation, reflection from own experience as well as narration. Children from this group scored a high grades in reading comprehension. The conclusion of the study was, reading aloud practice increase literacy by involving student in verbal participation, comprehension and complexity of verbal interchange. Story and Literature Dramatizations It’s a well known fact that from early age children have enjoyed and used story and drama play as a connecting bridge to their literacy. According to Rowe (1998) this kind of practice is a crucial part of enhancing literacy-learning process as during process student may apply dramatization as a means of exploring content of books. Primary age students who are engaged in this kind of practice can facilitate literacy activity and can motivate cooperative learning behaviour (Stone and Christie, 1996). This literacy practice provides a plat form to student for bringing a piece of literature to life. While they are in this process, acting out character’s part helps engaged student to build memorization, fluency, and comprehension skill. According to (Berk & Winsler, 1995), develops literacy in younger children by: * Encouraging them to use language in creative way * Providing them an open platform to sort out problem and concern * Help students to understand how the transition from oral to written language can happen * Enhancing their ability to recall, imagination and story reading. In an area of text literacy development â€Å"fluency† plays a vital role, during this kind of literacy practice, students are comply to read passage repeatedly aloud with guidance so that they can improve their fluency because it’s really necessary to derive comprehension from their reading. Rose, Parks, and Androes (2000) studied an approach that used drama as a vehicle to instruct reading. The participants for the study were drawn from four Chicago-area public elementary schools that previously worked with Whirlwind, a non profit arts education organization that developed the reading program under study-Reading Comprehension Through Drama (RCD). The schools were large and served populations that were primarily African American or Hispanic, in low-income neighbourhoods. Four fourth-grade classrooms were randomly chosen and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. For 10 weeks, the experimental group was taught reading using the RCD program, while the control group used traditional text-based methods. Comparisons were based on pre- and post-tests using the reading comprehension score from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). The treatment consisted of two, one-hour sessions each week of in-class work with a performing artist. The students’ primary work was to dramatize a piece of narrative text in short skits. The RCD program was divided into four stages: story, sequence, perception, and evaluation. Breaking stories into their various elements allowed students to better understand the different pieces, or propositional elements, of the story. The first stage of the program required the students to read a text, create symbols to illustrate the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory 24 various story elements (e.g., what, who, where) and then retell the story to another student using the symbols. In the second stage, students were asked to identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story, and then represent that in a three-panel illustration. In the third stage, students had to act out a scene using their five senses to illustrate possible sensations experienced by the story characters. Finally, students explored ideas of interpretation, critique, and opinion, and were interviewed as if they were characters from the story. After controlling for differences in pre-test ITBS scores, reading grade equivalent scores for the experimental group increased significantly more than for the control group. On the factual comprehension subscale of the ITBS, the experimental group improved significantly more than the control group. On the inferential comprehension subscale, no significant differences were found between the two groups. The researchers concluded that drama-based reading instruction can improve reading skills more than traditional. Book Discussion and literature Circle Book discussions and literature circles were among the practices found in Spielberger and Halpern’s (2002) case studies of 16 afterschool programs identified as having exemplary or innovative approaches. In afterschool programs, literature circles provide a chance for students to engage in extended discussion about the books they read. Students can also reflect on and respond to the connections between those books and others they have read, their own personal experiences, and the world around them. However, the authors comment that book discussion groups and literature circles may be difficult for afterschool staff to implement without experience and skills in leading discussions. This kind of literacy practice helps students to extend their reading skills, learn to analyze different kind of literature as well as how to develop opinion on the same and find evidence from text. According to Gambrell (1996), this kind of literacy practice promotes deeper understanding of text, higher level thinking and improved communication skill among students. Indicating the effectiveness of discussion in promoting readers’ deeper understanding of text, Palinscar (1987) and Palinscar and Brown (1984) have found that students in reciprocal teaching groups outperform comparison groups on reading comprehension. Morrow and Smith (1990) also found that kindergartners who engaged in small- group discussions of stories that were read aloud had superior story recall compared to students who discussed the story one-to-one with the teacher or who worked in larger groups. In study done by Hudgins and Edelman (1986), found that 60 fourth- and fifth-graders in 10 classrooms who participated in small-group discussions in which they were encouraged to take responsibility for thinking and talking provided more supporting evidence for conclusions than did a control group. Studies by Almasi (1995), Villaume and Hopkins (1995), and Green and Wallet (1981) (all cited in Gambrell, 1996) show further evidence that student led discussions encourage higher level thinking and problem solving. Research by Almasi (1995, cited in Gambrell, 1996) indicates that students’ communication skills improve as they become more experienced in small-group discussions. In addition, Eeds and Wells’s (1989) findings support the belief that through book study groups, students can participate in enriching conversations that foster their understanding of literature, even when discussion groups only meet twice a week for 30 minutes and where the teacher-leader is a novice with no teaching experience. In their non-experimental study, Eeds and Wells investigated four literature study groups of fifth- and sixth-grade students. Of particular interest is that the study groups were led by undergraduate education students who had no prior experience working with children. The study group leaders were encouraged to participate â€Å"as group members working with the children to construct meaning rather than acting as all-knowing interpreters of the text.† Teacher-leaders were discouraged from preparing a set of explicit comprehension questions, letting the meaning emerge from group discussion; however, they were encouraged to capitalize on a teachable moment if they noticed one. Dickinson and Smith (1994) suggest that book discussions can affect vocabulary development. They followed 25 children who met the income requirements of Head Start and who were either enrolled in Head Start or a similar subsidized program for low income children. The children were four years old at the beginning of the study and took a battery of language/literacy development tests at the age of five. Based on classroom observations, the researchers found that teachers’ oral book reading styles could be grouped into three approaches: co-constructive, didactic-interactional, and performance-oriented. Each approach is characterized by different types and amounts of talk before, during, and after the book reading session.Several of these studies comment on the influence of text type. Dickinson and Smith (1994) found that a book with limited vocabulary and plot, which was observed in use with the didactic-interactional approach, did not show the same strong correlation to vocabulary development as the other two approaches. They note that â€Å"a steady diet of books with predictable text may not be optimal.† Eeds and Wells (1989) also wonder if the exceptional quality of a text may lead students to higher levels of dialogue and richer insights and generalizations. A study by Leal (1992, cited in Gambrell, 1996) found that informational storybooks enhanced discussion more than narrative or expository texts. Methodology > First and foremost step in direction of this project report was to conduct a search of literature and research studies that concentrated on afterschool program. It has been found that very little research has been done on Afterschool Program, though this is an area that is beginning to receive more attention. > The primary goal of the search process was to secure a nonbiased, representative sample of studies obtained through a systematic search for published and unpublished reports sources as web article, journal article, books and electronic database such as Proquest, Emerald and Jstor for search using the keywords â€Å"read aloud’ and â€Å"afterschool,† â€Å"dramatization† and â€Å"afterschool,† and â€Å"bookdiscussion† and â€Å"afterschool,† and associated terms as well as Manual searches of the contents of several journals that published afterschool outcome studies. > Reports based on some methodological and content grounds were excluded. Such as After School Programs that focused on academic performance or school attendance and only reported such outcomes, adventure education and Outward Bound programs, extracurricular school activities and summer camps. This also includes extracurricular school activities, academic and recreational programs conducted during the summer, and educational and social events offered by local libraries, museums, parks and faith-based institutions. These types of activities were not included in our review. > Study sample of this project was a student of Yeronga state high school selected in random order for an informal oral interview during their afterschool program activities. > No standard format was followed informal interview however, question asked during the interview process and times for each interview were kept same in order to maintain uniformity in process. > The research on these literacy practices-reading aloud, dramatization, and book discussion-provides strong support for their inclusion in afterschool programs. Although the available research on literacy practices in the afterschool context does not provide obvious results regarding their benefit in that context, their general benefits are well established Analysis According to D’Amico (2001) and Soto (1990), Race, class and ethnicity remain powerful predictors of school achievement. Despite 40 years of education reform (Alexander, Entwisle & Bedinger, 1994), the achievement gap-the differences in school performance between rich and poor children, between children in affluent communities and those living in poor communities, and between white children and Asian on one hand, and African American and Latino children on the other-persists. Students who are engaged in learning take interest in their schoolwork, make an effort to earn good grades, and attempt to master the subject matter on their own before requesting assistance (Connell, Halpern-Felsher et al., 1995). Students who are alienated from school, on the other hand, score lower on psychological assessments of adjustment, are more likely to act out aggressively, are far more likely than their peers to use alcohol and drugs, become sexually active at an early age, and commit acts of juvenile delinquency and crime (Hawkins & Weis, 1985; Resnick et al., 1997). Poor children, especially those from non-dominant cultures, do not enter school with the same â€Å"soft skills† (understanding of the behaviour, social, communication, and work styles expected in school) due to their different cultural backgrounds. They have developed different interaction styles, expectations, social norms, and assumptions than those they face in the mainstream school culture (Allison & Takei, 1993; Comer, 1988; Delpit, 1988; Heath, 1982, 1994). Time span after school hours adds its own challenges in literacy development. Several studies, all somewhat outdated, suggest that about 60 percent of adolescents’ time is invested in school and other productive activities, while about 40 percent is discretionary (Csikszentmihalyi & Larson, 1984;Timmer et al., 1985). Of this â€Å"leisure† time, 40 percent is spent socializing; 20 percent is spent watching television; and very little time is spent readingor in other constructive activities like the arts and sports (Medrich et al., 1982;Timmer et al.,1985; Zill et al., 1995). An estimated eight million children between the ages of 6 and 14 regularly spend their discretionary time without adult supervision (National Institute on Out-of-School Time,2001). National data suggests that middle school-age children are much more likely to be in self-care and less likely to be in supervised arrangements than younger school-age children. While only 10 percent of 10 to 12 year-olds attend afterschool programs as a â€Å"primary† arrangement (the one in which they spend most of their after school time), 24 percent spend more of their time home alone than in any other setting (Capizzano, Tout & Adams, 2000). More than one third of children in this age group spend some time caring for themselves each week as either a primary or secondary arrangement. This proportion increases with age: 23 percent of 10-year-olds spend some time caring for themselves compared to 44 percent of 12-year-olds (Capizzano et al., 2000). Research admits that there is a great risk involved in spending lots of time with peers without adult supervision or monitoring. Students who â€Å"hang out† without supervision or engagement in constructive activities are likely to develop negative attitudes towards school and other anti-social or risky attitudes and behaviors (Dryfoos,1990). While Jordan and Nettles’ research was conducted with a sample of high school age students, research on younger children suggests the findings would probably also apply to middle school students (e.g., Pierce, Hamm & Vandell, 1999). Cooper’s (1999) investigation of the relationship between five afterschool activities and academic achievement included nearly 500 students in grades 6-12 from urban,suburban and rural school districts. Controlling for the effects of student background characteristics like ethnicity, income, gender, and grade level, the researchers found that time spent in structured groups, doing homework and extracurricular activities was positively associated with higher grades and test scores. Time spent working after school was negatively associated with academic achievement. Research indicates that most young people who are home alone or on the streets for long periods of time don’t do well. Formal afterschool programs provide adult supervision for more hours in addition to offering a wider range of activities. literature analysis of this report shows that Afterschool program has a positive effects on overall literacy development for student in following manner : Increases in Attitudes and Behaviors Linked to School Success: ? Increased sense of efficacy, competence and leadership (Campbell et al., 1995;Fleming-McCormick & Tushnet, 1996; Heath & Soep, 1998) ? Better behavior in school (Baker & Gribbons,1998;Johnson et al.,1999;Posner & Vandell, 1994) ? Better emotional adjustment (Baker & Gribbons, 1998; Kahne, Nagaoka,O’Brien, Quinn, & Thandiede, 1999; Marshall et al., 1997) ? Better use of time (e.g., less time watching television,more time in enrichment and academic activities) (Johnson et al., 1999; Posner & Vandell, 1994) ? Better work habits (Schinke et al., 1992;Vandell & Pierce, 1999) ? Better conflict resolution skills ( Posner & Vandell, 1994) Improved Academic Performance: ? Improved skills in data analysis and writing (Schlegel, 2003) ? Improved homework completion or quality (Johnson et al., 1999) ? Improved grades (Baker & Witt, 1996; Brooks, 1995; Cardenas, 1992; Hamilton & Klein, 1998) ? Higher scores on achievement tests (Hamilton & Klein, 1998; Hamilton et al.,1999; Huang, 2001; Huang et al., 2000; Johnson et al., 1999) ? Reductions in grade retention (Hamilton et al., 1999) ? Decreased dropping out of school (Jones & Offord, 1989) Conclusion To support literacy teaching and learning in the after school programs following steps should be taken in consideration: firs of all focus should be set on encouraging student to have high expectations. Secondly, motivate staff involved in afterschool program in order to cultivate a shared commitment to help every student develop strong literacy skills; afterschool program should provide regular opportunities for teachers who teach the same students to discuss and collaboratively plan literacy programs for their students (e.g., the special education teacher and the classroom teacher, the librarian and the classroom teacher); analyse how the school’s timetable supports effective literacy learning, allocate reasonable blocks of instructional time for literacy; support inquiry-based learning, where students explore issues, big ideas, and questions, including those of particular interest to them, and where they understand what and why they are learning (Routman, 2000); after schoo l program should promote models of classroom management and instructional approaches that facilitate literacy learning, such as small-group instruction designed to meet a variety of needs and flexible student groupings; it should demonstrate a commitment to critical literacy and higher-order thinking by asking students questions about the texts they are using; After school program should also value the cultural literacy that exists in the school community and across the province by displaying family stories written in languages other than English, multilingual signs, and books (including dual-language books) that inspire pride in the community and its languages; afterschool program should work in collaboration with parents, community members, students, and teachers to create school-wide literacy celebrations and traditions (e.g., e-mail exchanges with â€Å"e-pals† from across the province, letter-writing campaigns, poetry festivals, literature â€Å"graffiti† boards) (Harwayne, 2000; Booth, 2002); last but not the least it should provide a framework outlining the responsibilities of volunteers and educational assistants to ensure that reading and writing instruction and remediation remain the central responsibility of classroom teachers, and ensure that struggling readers and writers have opportunities to learn through susta ined interaction with teachers (Allington & Cunningham, 2002); In addition to helping students to acquire literacy skills, these practices are also transferable to the afterschool context. As discussed in the introduction of this document, when designing academic enrichment programs in afterschool, other factors must be considered in addition to the academic element. For example, activities in afterschool programs must be engaging for students and not duplicate what is happening during the school day. After school activities must also address the needs of youth and expand on their learning in ways that are relevant to them. These literacy practices offer the opportunity to accomplish all these tasks, while simultaneously strengthening students’ literacy skills. As research continues in the field of academic enrichment in afterschool, it is necessary to continue to consider the nature of the afterschool context. Literacy instruction and skill development in afterschool programs can not truly be understood without considering other critical factors such as engagement, relevancy, and not duplicating the experience of the school day for participating students. The quality of program implementation and staff are also critical factors to consider. Given the understanding of the afterschool context, research and practice suggest there is great potential for afterschool programs to provide a supportive role in the development of students’ literacy skills. Reference list * Alexander, K. L., Entwisle, D. R. & Bedinger, S. D. (1994).When expectations work: Race and socioeconomic differences in school performance, Social Psychology Quarterly Vol.57, pp. 283-299. * Allison, K.W. & Takei,Y. (1993). Diversity:The cultural contexts of adolescents and their families. In R. M. Lerner (Ed.), Early Adolescence: Perspectives on Research, Policy and Intervention. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. * Anderson, R.C., Hiebert, E.H., Scott, J.A., & Wilkinson, I. (1985). Becoming a nation of readers: The report of the Commission on Reading. Champaign, IL: Center for the Study of Reading. * Armbruster, B., Lehr, F., & Osborn, J. (2001). 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