Saturday, August 31, 2019

Albany Plan of Union Essay

A lot of uneducated people in today’s time think that the colonies always worked together before the French and Indian war. But sadly the people who think this are wrong. In fact the only connection between the colonies, other than the fact that they were all part of England, was through trade. With this loose connection there would never be any hope of defeating the French in the French and Indian war. But luckily Ben Franklin had a great idea to unite the colonies called the Albany plan of union. Even though it was not passed, the Albany Plan of union was a genius idea because it brought every colony under the control of one council, allowed the collection of taxes for military purposes, and united the colonies so that they could actually defeat the French. First off, throughout America the only thing governing the colonies besides England was each colony’s own colonial assembly. This kept each of the colonies very diverse and independent from each other. With the Albany Plan each of the colonies would be under control of a Grand Council, which would be headed by a President General appointed by the king. This would keep all the Colonies together and following one order. With this the Colonies could easy be ready for war if anything were to happen. Secondly, another big problem with the separated colonies was the fact that barely any money was sent to help the war effort. Without money for support there would be no way for supplies. Under the Albany Plan for Union, the grand council would have the right to collect taxes to go towards the war effort. One of the disagreements about this part of the plan was that the larger colonies became angry because they would be paying more taxes then the smaller colonies. This would prove to be Benjamin Franklin’s most daring part of his plan. Finally, one of the most important parts of this plan was that it united all the colonies as one. Before this plan the militia was state based and not very professional. Also state militia would not leave the boundary of their own state. This made the Militia weak and unable to defeat the French. With this union of colonies, the militias could come to the war in minutes earning them the nickname, Minutemen. In conclusion, The Albany Plan of Union was truly a genius idea. Each part f the plan was what the colonies needed to be united and to defeat the French forces. Sadly though, The Albany Plan of Union needed an approval from parliament and the colonial assemblies. In the end it was not passed because the British saw it as a threat and the Assemblies liked there power. Even though it was not accepted it was a great idea. Even though it was not passed, the Albany Plan of union was a genius idea because it brought every colony under the control of one council, allowed the collection of taxes for military purposes, and united the colonies so that they could actually defeat the French.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Gmo Soybeans

There GMOs in almost everything that we eat. GMO stands for genetically modified organism. â€Å"Genetic modification occurs when genes from one organism are transferred to another in ways that do not occur without human intervention. The result is a GMO, or a genetically modified organism. † (Farrell 1) Soybeans are one of the largest GMO crops being produced. With the modification of the soybean by Monsanto, it is now possible for the crop to survive when herbicides are sprayed over it.The herbicide that the soybeans are resistant to is Roundup, so farmers do not have to worry about their soybeans dying to the herbicide. I believe that the negative effects of modified soybeans so not outweigh the benefits because genetically modified soybeans so not increase the production but increase the businesses’ profit, and there are health problems that can arise. Having GM soybeans does not mean that more would be produced; it only means that businesses would raise their profi ts.Many European countries do not buy any GMO products from the U. S. because they are afraid of any problems that may arise in the future, so I believe that since other countries are not buying any GM food, they do not want to change back into growing food naturally with no modifications or pesticides, because they want to make a bigger profit. They prevent any change that could stop them from making more profit. They do not care if they are damaging the environment; they only care about making more money.For example, people use Roundup (an herbicide) to kill weeds in their backyards or on the sidewalk. Farmers use the same product on the food that we want; they use it to kill the weeds that are growing around the soybeans. To prevent the soybeans from also dying, they have been modified to withstand the weed killer. Scientists have modified it by adding three different genes to the plant: a gene from bacterium, from a virus, and from a petunia. (McMillen )When combine with the ori ginal gene, it looks the same but it is now resistant to the Roundup herbicide.Even with soybeans modified, farmers do not benefit from it. The modification has not helped the production go up, the only thing that has gone up is the price. â€Å"[Costs] about $6 an acre to plant the usual seeds, companies charge over $40 per acre for the genetically modified seeds [and the companies gain $34 per acre of seeds sold]. (McMillen 1) Because the seeds are seeds are patented, (which means that the one who invented it, is the only one who has the right to use or sell the product to anyone,) farmers cannot save any eeds from the ones that they have grown. Therefore; each year they have to buy more from the same business. If the farmers save the seeds, they will be fined or even taken to jail. Genetically modified soybeans can also cause health problems. Soy beans can cause food allergies. Since we don’t really know if the bacteria gene in the soybeans will cause a reaction, scientis ts have compared the proteins in the soy with other proteins that are known to cause allergies.If the GM protein has sequences that cause allergies, then according to the World Health Association, the GM crop should not be sold or there should be more testing done on it. However, there are sections of proteins produced in GM soybeans that are identical to allergens, but there was no more testing done to it. (Smith 1) If there are proteins in the soy that are causing allergies, â€Å"then the situation may be made much worse by something called horizontal gene transfer (HGT).That's when genes spontaneously transfer from one species' DNA to another. † (Smith 1) Plants should naturally have barriers that keeps genes from transferring to other species, but since there are foreign genes in the soy, it is losing its ability to stop this from happening. Even though it is most common in bacteria and rare in plants and mammals, genes transfer from one species to another, and a study f ound that parts of the genes from the soy were found in the DNA of human gut bacteria.So even after we stop eating GM soy, we could still be exposed to this transfer of genes because it will still be produced in our intestines. (Smith 1)I believe that there should be more testing because we do not know if there are any other risks involved with eating GM soybeans. Genetically modified soybeans are not beneficial because there is no gain in product only the gain in profit of businesses, and it also causes allergies.With soybeans being resistant to weed killers, weeds are becoming resistant to Roundup, so farmers actually have to use more money to buy more herbicides because they may not be working well anymore. Also it costs more to buy GM soy that soy that has not been tampered with. Not only do businesses profit, but we the consumers can suffer from the product. There are proteins in the soy gene that are identical to genes that cause allergies. We the consumers should be able to d ecide what we want eat, and also decide how we want the food to be produced.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Compare and contrast the influence on employment policy of the Essay

Compare and contrast the influence on employment policy of the European Union and NAFTA on their respective member states. Evaluate their likely impact on the practice of International HRM - Essay Example nd being two of the world’s largest economies for instance, there are widespread differences in terms of complexity in decision making process and distinctiveness in terms of policies and organizational framework. However, the existence of such apparent similarities as well as differences to certain extent do not prevent or hamper the objective of this paper that seeks to offer a comparison between the two unions. This paper examines, discusses and analyses the influence on employment policy of the European Union (EU) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on their respective member states and also the subsequent and likely impact on the practice of international HRM. It also offers an overview of the impact of EU and NAFTA’s employment policies on the labor market of their respective member states. The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA, is a trilateral free trade deal which came into force in January 1994, which was established with an aim of eradicating the huge amount of tariffs that were levied on products or goods which formed a part of trade between the three North American countries namely Mexico, Canada and the United States1 while the European Union or the EU is a conglomeration of several sovereign states merged together for various economic benefits. The main goal of the EU is the progressive integration of Member States economic and political systems and the establishment of a single market based on the free movement of goods, people, money and services2. This paper discusses the impact of such associations on the labor market, economy, and employment and discusses key concerns faced by them. It further discusses the extent of benefits, if any, or challenges and opportunities faced by them and trace the factors that highlight the similarities as well as differences between them. The European Union is constantly facing challenges from the enlargement of the Central and Eastern European states3 on account of transition as well

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Educational Theory and Sustainable Education Essay

Educational Theory and Sustainable Education - Essay Example Sustainability problem was first highlighted by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987 (the Brundtland Commission). In 1992 the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janiero popularised this term. The emphasis was placed on the integration of thinking and action around ecological, social, political and economic systems. (Educating for a Sustainable Future, 2005) There are two currents which explain the interest in sustainability in the developed world. The first is the economisation of society or ‘finding economic values or indicators for economic and social phenomena.’ The second concerns a revaluation of nature, its transformation into a thing to be managed and controlled. These two currents are represented in ‘sustainable development’ term which exhibits a human desire to dominate over nature and a contradicting, ultimate dependence on its resources. There are many interpretations of sustainability which r equire critical assessment as they serve different social and economic interests. One group focuses on â€Å"sustainable economic growth†, the other – on â€Å"sustainable human development†. The first group does not support the idea of transformation of current social or economic systems while the second calls for a departure from current systems. Education was viewed as the â€Å"greatest resource† to achieve ecological society. Many major international reports see education as a source for sustainable living.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Feminist Analysis of TV Show 30 Rock Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Feminist Analysis of TV Show 30 Rock - Essay Example This factor threatens male egocentricity. Feminine perceptions are more humanistic. This is manifested in the show 30 Rock and its popularity. Feminists with Marxist perceptions would place emphasis on the manner in which the social systems and motivations of capital gain have hindered the humane feminist values from coming to light. Feminists with a radical perspective would conclude that the subduction of this feminist approach is a result of male egocentricity. This is also due to society's insistence of sexual orientation, rather than making allowances for individual freedom of choice. There is also the insistence of the perception of the consumption oriented nuclear family. Feminists who maintain a liberal perspective perceive things in a different light ( Kaplan : 252). The feminine perspective is essential to the male dominated society as demonstrated by the relationship between Liz (Tina Fey) and Jack (Alex Baldwin). There exists the possibility of interchanging sexual identi ties. In order to totally become human, different perspectives must be adapted. The American television series 30 Rock, demonstrates the interchange of roles between masculine and feminine genders. Prior to the 1990s, during the era of 1963- 1980, females were only portrayed as sexual objects or for the fulfillment of masculine needs. The sexual objects and need fillers were put into place in order to fulfill the masculine requirements and desires. This resulted in the feminist desire to eradicate this type of subduction (Kaplan : 253). There are three categories of feminist, each with a specific motivation and objective ( Kaplan :252). The feminist perspectives which were popularized in the 1990s are still popular today. The first category of feminist evaluation and research requires that the members of the female gender be treated as peers. This venue has two possible outcomes. One approach may conclude with domesticated feminism. This is representative of feminine roles of the ni neteenth century. The second possible outcome of this venue is a liberal female female perspective, which is more representative of the present. From my feminist perspective, Liz (Tina Fey) is the embodiment of both. In the liberal feminine perspective, females are allowed to vie within the institutional framework for equal rights to employment and self determination. This requires that the female be perceived as a peer. This perception by society includes the rights and obligations of equal treatment. This perspective has resulted in the American male adopting the roles in the household which would be normally classified as feminine such as cooking, cleaning, babysitting (Kaplan: 254). A primary type of feminine role perception exists in Diana Meehan's Ladies of the Evening: Woman Characters in Prime Time Television. The second category of feminine television production is viewed by the â€Å"pre- Althusserian Marxist† feminist perspective. This perspective perceives televis ion as an extension of capitalist society. These theorist propose that television interests are founded upon the manipulation of the television viewer as a consumer Kaplan: 257). A third category of feminist evaluation arises from the radical feminist perspective. In this perspective, the female gender is perceived as superior. Liz (Tina Fey) perceives herself as superior, she does not need a relationship with a man. Liz (Tina Fey) can get things done by herself.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Competitive Advantage Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Competitive Advantage - Assignment Example It encompasses several aspects of a company's marketing tactics and strategies in building a strong competitive advantage that can secure the company's future. A competitive advantage is plainly a facet or capability of the organisation that it occupies or extends to the customers. For an organisational facet to form a 'competitive advantage', it needs to be unequalled in the market and not acquired by any other existing or upcoming competition in the market. This notion can also be translated in the words of Barney (2002, p9) as, "a firm experiences competitive advantages when its actions in an industry or market create economic value and when few competing firms are engaging in similar actions". Porter (1985, p3) explores the concept of competitive advantage as the capability of an organisation to create value for its customers in a way that procures more value to the customers than the competitors, he says, "Competitive advantage grows out of value a firm is able to create for its buyers that exceeds the firm's cost of creating it. Value is what buyers are willing to pay, and superior value stems from offering lower prices than competitors for equivalent benefits or providing unique benefits that more than offset a higher price. There are two basic types of competitive advantage: cost leadership and differentiation". Hence, a firm's competitive advantage has to be unique among all the other companies in the market. This implies that whatever company owns and provides to customers should have one or more differential aspect that can distinguish it form its competitors. Today, many organisations engage in providing almost same kind of products to a specific range of products. Consequently, the customers need to choose between a lot of options with slight distinction to satisfy their needs and problems. For a firm to win more customers than its competitors and sustain them in the long run, it needs to offer its customers something that is not being currently offered in the market. For instance, a different product with enhanced value, a courteous and friendly workforce, a well-known company image, and a breakthrough in technology helpful in satisfying customers in a much better way than the competitors. The customers would only be willing to buy the company's product or even pay a higher price for it if there's something in the product or service being by the company that the customers perceive to be valuable or different in satisfying their needs than other products in the market. The more the customers perceive the product to be valuable, the more the opportunity for the company to remain successful in the long run. The upcoming section of the paper investigates into some of the aspects of a company's marketing tactics and manoeuvres that could be utilised towards the achievement of a competitive advantage. Winning Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty And Trust Firms consistently endeavour to attain the mellowest possible levels of customer satisfaction and retention to survive in the modern competitive business arena. It is a factor that rightfully approximates a company's emplacement in the competitive market. If the customers are satisfied, the company is likely to be successful; otherwise it is doomed to be obscure in the future

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The effects of energy drinks on the body Research Paper

The effects of energy drinks on the body - Research Paper Example The manufacturing companies portray the energy drinks as youthful, fun, and harmless. However, the effects of energy drinks vary among people depending on age, body activity and the ingredients therein. Some of the effects are good while others are harmful. This paper will analyze the effects of energy drinks on the body. Biologically, caffeine stimulates the central nervous system hence creating more awareness and activity. However, the large concentrations of caffeine and taurine in energy drinks have possible effects on human brain and low body immunity. It also causes breast shrinkage in females and some allergic reactions such as rashes. The high concentrations also cause stomach pain, nausea, dehydration, insomnia, low athletic performance, and anxiety. Ingredients of an energy drink can be addictive in the end, which causes headaches and irritation. Energy drink’s ingredients especially caffeine affect the heartbeat and blood pressure because of the stimulation they cause to the nervous system. Carnitine and Guarana, lead to weight loss and increased metabolism. Calorie and high sugar may otherwise lead to weight gain. Sugars increase the risk of diabetes and teeth cavities while caffeine weakens bones. Energy drinks when mixed with alcohol leads to dehydration (Reifeiss, 2011). High am ounts of caffeine in the energy drinks increase the risk of miscarriage, delivery of low-weight babies and difficulties during birth in pregnant women. The dehydration caused by energy drinks is harmful when combined with exercises among sportsmen (Health and wellbeing, 2010). Taurine, which is also contained in the energy drinks, helps in regulating heartbeat, energy levels, mild inhibitory neurotransmission, and muscle contractions. Vitamins B contained in energy drinks helps in converting sugars to energy in the body. Ginkgo Biloba helps in circulation, concentration, and memory retention. However, it has side effects like dizziness and

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Criminalizing Marijuana Usage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Criminalizing Marijuana Usage - Essay Example This paper will seek to influence the people in Congress and other pressure groups, such as non-government organizations, civil society organizations, etc. in trying to formulate the laws of the land that would prohibit the usage of Marijuana and deem the such as contrary to public interest. These people are the primary target of this paper as they are the ones in office, appointed by the power of the people’s suffrage, to govern the bureaucratic processes of the land, including the formulation and execution of the laws. This paper would show them a more or less holistic approach to the problem on drug usage and drug addiction, specifically Marijuana. In order to convince the targeted groups above-mentioned, this paper will utilize argue of how the positive effects of placing a ban on the use of Marijuana will outweigh the negative ones, all in the light of public interest and safety of the American people. Introduction: Cite real-life criminal cases that complicated and experienced lost of lives in the U.S. caused or affected by the use of illegal drugs and Narcotics. Introduction: Cite real-life criminal cases that complicated and experienced lost of lives in the U.S. caused or affected by the use of illegal drugs and Narcotics. I. Marijuana, due to its high content of narcotics and other addictive elements, causes addiction, which furthermore complicates into grievous medical conditions that are unalterable and life-threatening. a. Heart and blood vessel complications b. Stroke and other brain problems c. Threat to social security

Friday, August 23, 2019

Continental Philosophys Search for Balance Essay

Continental Philosophys Search for Balance - Essay Example "Such absolutizing, he charged, lent itself to generalizations of broad critical scope with respect to the idealistic procedure of hypostatizing the Idea and brought about (as allegorical derivatives from it) certain concrete political and social determinations, such as family, classes, and the state powers...In Marx's view," Hegel's dialectic "was mystifying and alienated inasmuch as Hegel did nothing but sanction, by a method inverted with respect to real relationships, the alienation of all the concrete historical and human determinations" (Rossi). Existentialism with "Soren Kierkegaard in the first half of the 19th century. He was critical of Hegel's philosophical system which analyzed Being (or existence) in an abstract and impersonal way. Kierkegaard was concerned with the individual's subjective experience of what it is to exist as a human being. For Kierkegaard the individual constantly has to choose what s/he is to become without recourse to the findings of science and philosophy" (Jones). Existentialism would eventually come to its most potent expression in the writings of the Frenchman Jean-Paul Sartre.... ..Politically Sartre claimed he was a Marxist and thought that freedom had both political and individual dimensions." Sartre, who in contrast to Kierkegaard was an atheist, coined the Existentialist credo, "Existence precedes essence". "What Sartre meant by the phrase 'existence precedes essence' is this: If there is no cosmic designer, then there is no design or essence of human nature. Human existence or being differs from the being of objects in that human being is self-conscious. This self-consciousness also gives the human subject the opportunity to define itself. The individual creates [oneself] by making self-directed choices" (Jones). There remained echoes of Hegel to be heard within Sartre. "The first Sartrean thought which has been derived from Hegel is the view that if there is to be any Truth in man's understanding of himself, it must be a Truth which becomes. Truth is thus something which emerges." With this assertion we hear "an obvious trace both of Hegelian dialectics and the Marxist tenet of the knowability of man. The second thing in Sartre which can be traced back to Hegel is the claim that what Truth must become is a totalization. We find in Hegelian dialectics that the synthesis is a totalization of the truth found in both the thesis and the antithesis. In the same manner, we find in Sartre asserting that the Truth in man is a Truth not just about his existence but also about the situations surrounding his existence" (Decino). Twenty-first Century Continental philosophy has come to be "preoccupied with two alternative formulations" that seem to transmute the Hegelian dialectic: desire given kinetic energy as jouissance and desire given kinetic energy as power. "These two views oppose and complement each other. They form a frame within which

Management acccounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management acccounting - Assignment Example The intention of any costing system is not to replace an accounting system; but instead, to work within the broad frameworks of the accounting systems by extracting specific data for ease and speed in analysis (Barnett 2007). Costing systems exists in many forms two of which are the Conventional Absorption Costing and the Activity Based Costing (ABC). The conventional Absorption costing is a costing technique where all the costs associated with the production of the good or the services are considered; it is also called full costing (MeÃÅ'vellec 2009). It is used with the intent of giving the full picture of a company’s financial situation. Activity Based Costing on the other hand involves cost allocation based on cost drivers and they are known to provide companies with the most accurate costs for the products they produce despite the fact that they are time consuming to prepare. For ABC costing, direct materials, direct labor and manufacturing overhead will each have a cost driver; this will aid the application of the costs to the goods and services (Gosselin 2005). A comparison of the Conventional Absorption costing which is the traditional method applied and the Activity Based Costing, which is the modern approach, indicates that in most of the products, the ABC profits are higher than the Traditional cost profits. While the Traditional Method gives a total profit of 386,000, the ABC profits are 389,010; ABC’s profits are higher by 3,010. This difference may first be attributed to the approach and assumptions that are applied by either method to arrive at the profits. The traditional systems are known to apply the single volume-based cost driver approach, which has the tendency of distorting the costs of the products (MeÃÅ'vellec 2009). It does this by assigning the overhead costs to the respective products based on how they utilize direct labor making the systems report inaccurate product costs (Barnett

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Retaliation and assassination Essay Example for Free

Retaliation and assassination Essay Why might many Palestinian youths of your own age want to join terrorist organisations such as Hamas or Islamic Jihad, despite the danger of capture, retaliation and assassination? What choices would these youths have to consider in deciding to join such an organisation? The conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis has lasted since before 100BC. The conflict is over which people really should own the state of Israel. Should it be split 50% 50% or should the Palestinians be made to leave. Israel is the link between the different continents of Europe, Africa and Asia. Without this connection trade may not take place as easily. The country gets most of its money comes from the oil trade. Oil is one of the worlds most important resources and so, Israel is needed to keep many other countries running. This means that Europeans Africans and Asians will always be there. Israel is also in various different industries such as cars, wines, farming and the chemical industry. Both the Palestinians and the Israelis hold historic claims to the land, these date back to biblical times. The biblical character of Abraham is the most significant to this long-term dispute because both the Palestinian and Jewish races descended from him. Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. Each of these sons spawned a different new race. From Isaac, came the Jewish and from Ishmael, came Arabic. The Jewish have suffered a great deal of persecution throughout their era in history. Christian blamed them for the death of Christ, the worst sin ever. Most recently were the events of World War II. The Jews suffered the most attacks and were used as puppets by Hitler for the outbreak and the consequences of the war. Many were executed in death camps such as Auschwitz during one of the biggest mass genocides in history, the Holocaust. The Jews were also persecuted during Biblical times because the Egyptians enslaved them. God promised the Jews that he would lead them back to their promised homeland, Israel. God sent Moses to help the Jews who returned them to Israel where they settled in around 1200BC. The Jewish race emigrated throughout the world for years and years. They were a dispersed race who no longer had a homeland of their own. However, many remained resolute as to the fact that they were Jewish and were proud of it. The Jews experienced a great deal of persecution over the years, throughout the world as I have said before hand. After this, it was decided that the Jews should have their own homeland. This was to return to their homeland of Israel. They were determined on returning to this homeland that can be seen in their final prayer that is used to conclude the annual Jewish festival, the Day of Atonement. The prayer reads Next year in Jerusalem. This proved their aspirations of a return to their homeland. However, the Jews were faced with a very demanding problem. During the 7th century, the Arabic race claimed control of the country and renamed it Palestine. They proclaimed the new Palestine as their own homeland. A man called Theodor Herzl started a project to form the first Zionist movement. The aim of his new movement was to establish a mass Jewish settlement in Palestine. However, he was to fail to meet this requirement. He became the president of this New World congress of Zionists. His work was mainly based on persuading the likes of Turkey and Britain to support his cause. Theodor Herzl was successful in gaining the trust of the Turks who eventually sided with the Germans against the Arabs in World War One. However, the British preferred to support the Arabs, who wanted to reduce the support for the countries opposing them. However, the British soon became liable to persuasion. This was due to the money the Jewish race, particularly based in America at the time, had to offer. They had inherited this from previous generations. This would have been of great benefit to the British because the American-based Jews could have persuaded the Americans into the war. As a result of these issues, three agreements were made. * Balfour Declaration- this promised the Jews that their promised land of Israel would be returned to them on two conditions. These were that they persuaded America to join the war and that they maintained the support of Russia as an ally. * The Sykes Picot agreement- this was a secret agreement that was written up between Britain and France in which it was agreed that they would share the land gained when they overthrew the Turkish army. * The McMahon agreement- this promised the support of Lawrence of Arabia in helping the Arabs to revolt against and overthrow the Turks. As a result, they would be given their own, undisputed homeland. These agreements began to cause problems. The League of Nations were handed the responsibility of controlling the land of Palestine, mainly England and France. Both the Arabs and the Jewish to give control of the land to them put pressure upon the League of Nations. The Jewish population of the world saw their chance to return to their homeland of Palestine, which they preferred to call Israel. Many Jews from around the world began to immigrate back to Palestine. This emigration of the Jewish population continued steadily over the next few years. The United Nations suggested a solution to the dispute over the land of Palestine after the Second World War. In 1947, they put forward a proposal to divide the land into three parts. Two of them would be equal and would divide Palestine into an Israeli and Arabic section. However, the capital of Jerusalem would be left as a neutral city. This would city would be controlled by the UN and could therefore be used for important matters of country welfare and economy. This city could be used as an international trade centre for the export of oil. The Jewish accepted this proposal but the Arabs rejected it. The Arabs, in their increasing restlessness with the Israelites, came together from distant lands. They mainly came from nations such as Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq. They began to fight with the Jews over certain areas of land. This, along with other factors contributed to the two races having four wars in the space of 25 years. Unluckily for the Arabs, this was a big mistake because The Israelis wealth meant that they could afford the unsurpassed war technology. This money also meant that they could train new soldiers for the next war. Factors such as these gave the Jews the edge in the wars between the races. The Jews came out on top; they were victorious in all four wars. This gave the Israelis a greater degree of control over Palestine. The Jews shortly re-renamed the country of Palestine, Israel. As their control increased because of these wars, started by the Arabs, they forced the Palestinian inhabitants into refugee camps. This is a very real problem that still faces the Palestinians of today. After the wars, a mutual bitter hatred developed between the Palestinians and Israelis over who held the strongest claim to the land. This is a very long-term and real argument that continues to this modern age. The overwhelming power and military force available to the Jews means that the Palestinians are unable to match them. The Palestinians feel that they have been unjustly forced out from their own land. They hope to one day, have the power to overthrow the Jews and return to the very soil of Palestine that is sacred to them and was to their ancestors thousands of years beforehand. The Palestinians were extremely humiliated by the fact that they were unable to stop the Jews from taking their land. The Palestinians were forced to live off of UNWRA rations. The conditions in the refugee camps are appalling and diseases are quick to proliferate. They felt that the western world was turning a blind eye and that they would have to take matters into their own hands. The Palestinians concluded that the UN was failing to direct world issues to an adequate extent. They assumed that the UN were only too quick to become involved with the punishment of Iraq for their problems in dealing with their neighbouring country, Kuwait. The Palestinians found this to be very unfair and increased speculation among the Arab world that they had to deal with their desperate issue individually. This is why the Arab world resorted to terrorism, because it proved a point and raised consciousness as to the problems that the Arabs were facing in Israel. Loads of Arabs also feel as if they are commonly treated as rouges and are made to pay for such massacres as the holocaust and the Dreyfus affair in France. The exhilaration of representing their race may also have appealed to a youth. All of these factors mean that a youth is lead to believe that they have no substitute but to fight. They see themselves as freedom fighters; not terrorists and so are not unenthusiastic to join. They also believe that they have nothing to lose seeing as they are skirmishing to salvage land that has already been lost and that nations such as America and Britain provide the financial support. A huge number of Palestinian youths of approximately 14 years of age would have wanted to join such terrorist organisations as the legendary Hamas. Unavoidably in the wars, the two races had fought; they were pushed out of their homes into refugee camps. Some of these refugee camps have low-grade living environments and diseases can multiply easily. Families will have lived in these refugee camps for long periods of time. This will have been long enough to bring up a child. The Palestinian youths will have been trained the common Arab attitudes towards the Jewish race from a very young age. Such as, their parents would have explained to them how the Israelis took their assets and land was taken away from them. This might have encouraged the youth to fight so that they made up for the four wars. Their parents will have inaugurated their own opinions into their children. These opinions would have been very tough in the heart of the child and they would have tremendous hatred towards the Jews. This would have sparked and cultivated the childrens own perspectives as to how monstrous the Israelis were, like an attitude of hatred towards the Israelis. The youth may have thought that because no one was willing to help their cause they would solve the problem their selves. Adolescents might have felt alienated if they didnt join up to a terrorist organisation. I am sure that peers as well as parents encouraged the youths to sign up to a terrorist organisation like Hamas or Alaxa. Countless youths have been brought up to mistrust the peace talks of their Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. Numerous families might have chosen to bring up their children in this way because they feel that peace would not solve anything because so many other Palestinians had died in the last couple of years. They might feel that peace is not enough vengeance towards the Israelis who killed many Palestinian figures such as Deir Yassin, Sabra and Shahla. This will just encourage the youth to hate the Palestinians even more. Instead, a Palestinian youth could always take a political route towards the conflict and devastation. Many groups such as the Palestinian Labialisation Organisation (PLO) led by Yasser Arafat offer to help the youths of Palestine. These groups believe in peace, which can be obtained through negotiations and discussions. This process is ideal for the western world because of its loss of threat and the amount of deaths. Members are not at as much risk as those are in terrorist organisations like Hamas or Alaxa. This system has proved to be a great deal more productive than using terrorism because more has been achieved. People still believe that violence is the only way to win. Another way for a youngster to express their aspiration for peace would be to sign their name on the Progressive List for Peace in the Middle East. This aims to achieve teamwork between the Arabs and Israelis in sorting out their differences and accomplishment some kind of declaration over the disputed state of Israel. Families and friends, however, might strive to dissuade a youth from joining a campaign because it is not a way of settling the scores and they would be considered to be traitors. Even though there are six main Arabic terrorist groups, they all share the same common goal. This is to cause fear in order to make a point. The point is to make the world aware of their problems in Israel and to make the worlds citizens think about why people would sacrifice their lives for their Homeland. The six groups are Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Alaxa, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Abu Nidal Organisation. They have different styles of making people hate and fear them throughout the world and because of this they have killed hundreds of innocent people from many different cultures. Israel has a secret service and they can find out who is a member of a terrorist organisation. Prior to a youths decision to join a terrorist group, they must think about their options and their penalties. For instance the first main question they must chose to answer is what organisation do I join. This is a vital question because, if they ever chose to leave, many organisations will decline this request because the person knows so much information on their group. If you would still wanted to quit that organisation they would probably kill you so you dont spread the information. The organisations say that youre with us or against us. People would lose their freedom because people would try to kill them on the streets and they would have to disguise or hide themselves. The last option for a Palestinian youth would be to leave these problems behind and leave Israel. This would not be of any benefit to Israel because it is not solve the problem. This could be a way out for the youths as they are not at jeopardy in the bordering Arab countries such as Egypt. From here, they could support the Arab cause without risk of losing their lives by convincing Europe and other superpowers to join in the struggle for a homeland. The youth could also have a better education and life in such countries as England, France and the USA. Numerous Palestinian youths are faced with such a serious question, should they fight for their country. They have a wide range of choices; none of them are easy. Should they FIGHT In order to solve this conflict, there must be debates in the forthcoming and somebody must take charge of the country. The Palestinian and Israeli youths are the future, maybe if they all stopped fighting the wars would stop. I believe over time the Israelis and Palestinians will merge as one race.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Advantages And Disadvantages Relying On Field Notes English Language Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Relying On Field Notes English Language Essay At the first step of this assessment I have to answer what the advantages and disadvantages are of relying solely on field notes, in comparison with producing a transcription of an audio or video recording. During the second half of the twentieth century, there was a huge growth in the amount of educational research and the emergence of a substantial methodological literature on how best to pursue it. The educational research became quite diverse, not only in the topics examined but also in the methodological and theoretical approaches that are used. Perhaps not surprisingly, disagreement is closely associated with such diversity, and there are even differences of opinion over what is and is not research, and what is and is not educational research(E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p. 63). Field notes or transcription of an audio or video recording are characteristics of reflective practice and of what is often referred to as action research. Nevertheless, a great deal of educat ional enquiry is carried out as a separate task from educational practice, even when it is designed to inform practice directly. In this matter, the researchers may not be educational practitioners themselves, although they frequently are (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p. 63). Concerning the range of strategies that can be used to pursue educational research it is a wide range of issues such as laboratory and classroom experiments, large-scale surveys of the behaviour, attitude, etc. The results of the research, i.e. the data may be the product of direct observation on the part of the researcher or it may be produced by others, and can take a variety of forms, such as answering questionnaires by ticking in boxes on interview or observational schedules, numbers as recorded in published statistics, text from published or unpublished documents or from field notes written by the researcher during the course of observations or interviews, audio-or video-recordings and transcripts of these(Research Methods in Education, Handbook, p.26). A common way of conceptualizing this diversity is the distinction between quantitative and qualitative approaches and it is necessary, however, to emphasize that it is a very crude distinction and one that is potentially misleading. The most obvious distinction between the two sorts of research is that the former deals with numbers whereas the latter does not or does to a minor degree. Going back to the main point of the question I have to deal with the qualitative research since field notes or audio video recording are within this category. As interview transcripts are made and field notes of observation compiled the researcher continuously examines the data, by highlighting certain points in the text or making comments in the margins. The important points are identified by the researcher noting contradictions and inconsistencies, comparisons and contrasts with other data and so on. At this point the researcher is not just collecting data, but thinking about it and interacting with it. Much of these first attempts at speculative analysis will probably be discarded, but some ideas will no doubt take shape as data collection and analysis proceed. Much of this early activity may appear chaotic and uncoordinated, but such `chaos is a prolific seed-bed for ideas (Research Methods in Education, Handbook, p. 68). However, sometimes, because of the pressure of time, the notes the researcher makes may be little more than a scribbled comment, or a one-word `indicator particularly as the research goes on, one might write longer notes or memos or summarize parts of data that go together and that could be one of the disadvantages for the field notes. On the other hand, by writing the notes down, the researcher has the advantage of memorising better the outcome of the interview. Concerning though the audio video recording as it used to happen in the past, qualitative researchers relied primarily on written field notes as a source of data. However today, they use audio or video recorders, although they often supplement these recordings with field notes in order to provide additional information that may not be evident in the recordings which is one of its disadvantages. In addition, this might include such things as the layout of the setting, what happened before the recording began, talk that was too quiet to be picked up by the microphone, who was speaking to whom, non-verbal behaviour of various kinds, and behaviour that may be obscured on the video recording. Generally speaking, the aim when writing field notes is to provide as detailed and accurate an account as possible of the nature of a setting, and of what was said and done while the observation was being carried out (E891 Educational Enquiry, Media Guide, p. 8). Another advantage of the audio video recording is the opportunity the researcher has to play over and over the interview and clarify more what he hears. In contrast, by audio video interview, the interviewee loses his own privacy since an interview is more or less a confession. (824 words) Question 2 During the second half of the twentieth century, educational research has moved away from the use of the quantitative method and the associated reliance on positivist ideas about methodology, and towards various kinds of post-positivist approach although neither quantitative research nor the influence of positivism disappeared completely. Educational research came increasingly reliant on relatively unstructured forms of data, such as audio and video recordings, open-ended field notes, and published or unpublished documents even using material from the internet. This data was analysed in ways that did not rely on quantitative method, being designed instead to produce accounts that are similar in basic character to those written, for example, by historians (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p. 81). As a result, qualitative researchers work mainly with relatively unstructured data which is not framed in terms of analytic categories at the point of data collection. Researchers are using observational data produced in the form of open-ended field notes describing what is observed in plain and concrete language, and/or through audio or video recordings which are then transcribed. In addition researchers may use data from relatively unstructured interviews in other words, those that do not involve asking a set of pre-specified questions, or offering informants a choice from pre specified answers. Instead, for the most part, their aim is to encourage informants to talk in their own terms about matters that may be relevant to the research. Once again, the data is recorded by means of field notes, and/or more usually by audio recording and transcription (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p. 104). Moreover, observation as a source of data uses most kinds of documents, observation requires the researcher to record the data by means of field notes, audio or video recording. Whenever electronic recordings are used, these usually must be transcribed, which in a sense are time-consuming activities that must be carried out before the even more time consuming activity of analysis starts. Very often observation in qualitative research uses audio or video recording which usually provides a more accurate and detailed record than the use of field notes. However, these techniques still do not record everything. For example audio recordings omit nonverbal behaviour that may be very significant in understanding what is being expressed. On the other hand, camera angle will make some things visible and others obscure or out of focus. Furthermore, both audio and video recordings need to be transcribed, and errors can be introduced here. Even transcription involves inference (Ochs, 1979, p.2). The researchers have to be very careful when interviewing people and collecting data. In other words, they reject the idea that interview data can be used either as a window into the minds of informants or as a source of information about the social worlds in which they live. At this second part of my assignment the question which is needed to be answered is what would be lost by relying on audio recording rather than a video recording. Up to now, I have tried to analyse the usage of the audio video recording by the researchers and pick point advantages and disadvantages of this method. There is a need for more time to be consumed when we do the transcription of an audio instead of a video recording due to the fact that we can only listen to the audio instead of listening and watching a video recording. In addition, with the audio recording we lose important non-verbal and contextual information. Unless we are familiar with the speakers we may also find it difficult to distinguish between different voices. Wherever possible, supplement audio-recordings with field-notes or a diary providing contextual information. Moreover, audio recordings omit nonverbal behaviour that may be very significant in understanding. What is happening while a researcher is asking someone something that could be seen in the video recording is easier to be interpreted. Laughter or coughing could be very important on the ground of what it is said but is missing from the audio recording since both need to be transcribed and errors can be introduced here easier with audio recording since transc ription involves inference. Moreover, the usage of the audio recording may mislead the researcher since he only has the voice and not a picture of the interviewee. However it is more intimidating to video record an interviewer and it goes without saying that permission should be sought before any audio or video recording. (736 words) Question 3 Coming to the third part of the assignment, I have to point out the advantages and disadvantages of the structured interviewing. Structured interview falls into the educational research. According to Stenhouse A research tradition which is accessible to teachers and which feeds teaching must be created if education is to be significantly improved.(An introduction to Curriculum Research and Development, 1975, p.165). Furthermore, David Tripps words are very significant as he mentioned the importance of the educational research by saying that there is no doubt if educational research seeks to improve practice it needs to be grounded in educational events and not in academic theories (Critical Incidents in Teaching, 1993, p. 152). From my own experience, this is very important to me, since I recognised the fact that I had been very successful in the classroom while being ignorant of what academics considered knowledge essential to teaching. I actually became aware of the difference betw een knowledge of academics and knowledge of teachers after I had taken educational lessons in pedagogy as part of the compulsory pre service course so that I could continue teaching. Additionally, improving teaching is by grounding in educational research in realities of teachers everyday experience. We are all familiar with interviews from everyday life which basically the interview is an interactional format that consists of an interchange between one or more people by asking questions and a person (or a number of people) answering them. An interview can be distinguished from a test or an oral examination in that the aim is for the person questioned to provide information or opinions, while the interviewer does not usually make any explicit evaluation of the answers beyond what might be required for the sake of politeness (E891 Educational Enquiry, Media Guide, p. 10). Even though interviews are described in broad terms, we also recognise when an interview is taking place and it is also important to understand the considerable variation in their character. This is not just about differences in purpose but even research interviews may vary considerably in a number of ways. As it was mentioned before, it is possible to interview one or more persons simultaneously thus marking the distinction between individual and group interviews. Another significant difference concerns where an interview takes place on whose territory, for example. In structured interviews characteristic of survey research, interviewers in general, reveal as little as less possible about themselves, in contrast of what can be read from their appearance and behaviour. However, this is the case during the formal part of the interview; there is more to be disclosed in informal interchanges before or after the interview. However, in qualitative interviews, with their more unstructured format, it is common for interviewers to provide more information about themselves. In addition, some commentators have argued that they are obliged to do this, as part of an appropriate reciprocity that ought to operate between researcher and researched (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p. 234). Another fact that the researcher should take into consideration when he or she is preparing a structured interview is the design of the interview. To avoid mistakes piloting is very necessary. Observation schedules and the way the researcher records observations also ne ed to be reliable, since it needs to mean the same to others as it does to you. You need to make sure that you negotiate with each other to arrive at mutually agreed definitions of the behaviours and situations you want to concentrate on. As Coolican points out: We know that each persons view of a situation is unique and that our perceptions can be biased by innumerable factors. An untrained observer might readily evaluate behaviour which the researcher wants reported as objectively as possible. Where the trained observer reports a hard blow, the novice might describe this as `vicious' (Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology, 1990, p.63). Coming back to my working experience, as an assistant head master, I experience structured and semi structured interviews almost every day. Being with young students from 15 to 18 years of age as educators we are in constant discussion with them. While I was studying for the structured interview my mind always goes back on the first days of each year for the first year students in school. Every assistant head master normally is responsible for at least 25 first year students; as a result, I always have freshmen at school that I have to interview them so I can have a brief idea about them. The interview is developed as a structured one and many questions could be answered by either answering yes or no or by filling in with a few words. The most important for me is to drain as more useful information as possible. Furthermore, based on the given participants answers to my questions, I have to determine not only the students personal problems, hobbies and interests but also oral fluency, vocabulary strengths, and general communication skills. This assessment target, which in a sense is not part of the structured interview it is a tool which I have to develop so that I can comment at the end of the interview for myself. As it is obvious, the interviewees are often nervous and sometimes are shy. I usually put a lot of effort to get as more as possible from the interviewee and this sometimes becomes more and more difficult for me. As Mcnamara mentioned the interviews are particularly useful for getting the story behind a participants experiences and the interviewer can pursue in-depth information around the topic but it is also useful as follow-up to certain respondents to questionnaires, e.g., to further investigate their responses. (General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews, 1999, p. 12). Whenever I come to the end of the interview, a lot of thoughts go through my head. The fact that I learn more about my students could become an advantage or a disadvantage for me or any interviewer. However, this part should stay with me or any other interviewer and I should explore more strengths or weaknesses of this method. As a starting point for the advantages of an interview I should mention the fact that all participants are getting equal chances to answer on the same questions and present themselves as best as possible since all the questions are set up in such a way to give them the opportunity. Face-to-face structured interviews are quicker to conduct and they give better opportunity to assess the interviewees meaning and interpretation of the questions. They also help to identify any confusion that might come up from the so asked question or answer, more easily and efficiently. In addition, they allow the chance to present material to interviewees and get their reactions. Furthermore, face-to-face structured interviews are generally better than mail questionnaires with interviewees with unknown educational skills that may not be clarify for the questions asked. They are also helpful when sensitive information is looked for since interviewers normally can establish a trust with the interviewee and they are able to drain answers to questions that the interviewee may otherwise be negative to answer or to answer truthfully. In addition, where less is known about the way in which interviewees think about an issue or about the range of possible answers to a question, structured interviews has the chance for interviewers to ask additional questions, if needed to get reasonable answers. Moreover interviewees are asked the same questions in the same way. This makes it easy to repeat (replicate) the interview. In other words, this type of research method is easy to standardise and provides a reliable source of quantitative data. On the other hand, there are also disadvantages from the structured interview such as the associated one with obtaining data from tests, questionnaires and structured interviews. These methods are often aimed at capturing dispositions, such as respondents abilities, attitudes or tendencies to act in particular ways. However, peoples responses to particular questions or test items on particular occasions within the research context may be different from what they would typically say or do in other circumstances. In other words, their responses may be generated by particularities of the research context, and may not apply more generally. Even where the responses are the product of a disposition, researchers will not know exactly under what conditions this disposition is acted on (E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, p. 148). However, interviews also develop the dynamic for an interviewer to intentionally or unintentionally influence results and violate consistency in measurement. The survey interviewees are very sensitive to cues given by the interviewers verbal and non-verbal behavior. As well, an interviewer has the opportunity to ask further questions or give clarifications and may undountefully influence the expected answers. Although they are faster to conduct than mail questionnaire surveys, face-to-face interviews are costly due to the amount of staff time required to conduct interviews and to the cost of travel. Coming to my interviews, I am, however, generally able to make fairly accurate judgments about students background and abilities. In most cases, I also get feedback as interviewer. Many participants said they found my tone of voice and my encouraging approach very helpful. That kind of feedback certainly helped me as the interviewer. (1540 words) Coolican, H. (1990) Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology, London, Hobber and Stoughton. E891 Educational Enquiry, Media Guide, (2007), The Open University. E891 Educational Enquiry, Study Guide, (2007), The Open University. McNamara, C., (1999), PhD. General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews, Minnesota. Ochs, E. (1979) Transcriptions as theory in Ochs, E. (ed.) Developmental Pragmatics, New York, Academic Press. Research Methods in Education, Handbook, (2003), The Open University. Stenhouse, L.(1975) An introduction to Curriculum Research and Development, London, Heinemann. Tripp, D. (1993) Critical Incidents in Teaching, London, Routledge.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Instability of the Spanish Colonies

Instability of the Spanish Colonies Section 2: Investigation Many Historians would agree that Spains instability gave their colonies autonomy theyve been waiting for. Spain was ruled by a monarch while Spanish colonies were organized as vice-royalties whose loyalty was with the king. Spain attempted to control every aspect of colonial life through thousands of regulations, by increasing tax revenue, and replacing Creole officers to peninsulares (Strang). Despite Colonies restricted trade, the growing Creole American identity, and the disrespect peninsulares had toward creoles which created discontent among creoles, Spanish colonies did little to change the status quo. Although there were some uprisings in the 1780s such as the Tupac Amaru rebellion, they fought not for their independence and rights but for a change in the system under the monarchy; their slogan was viva el rey y muera al mal gobierno (long live the king and death to bad government) (Strang, popular sovereignty and decolonization). Colonies call for independence was instead tri ggered by an external force: The collapse of Spain (Blaufarb, the Western Question).Napoleons invasion of Spain and the accession of Joseph Bonaparte onto the Spanish throne sparked revolts in Latin America (Strang, popular sovereignty and decolonization), because Bonaparte wasnt seen as their legitimate king. In cities not yet controlled by the French and in Spanish colonies, Juntas were created in the name of the absent king: Ferdinand VII (Strang, popular sovereignty and decolonization). Although the colonies were still loyal to the monarchy, the idea that the power would be given to the people became increasingly prevalent; each city now only had their own interests in mind due to the fact that they couldnt answer to the king. The first two juntas established were the junta of Chuquiasaca in todays Bolivia and of la Paz; the junta of Bolivia was created to reassure its allegiance to the junta central in Spain while Junta of la Paz was created because they wanted to separate from the crown (Donghi, The Contemporary History of Latin America). The establishment of la Paz created tensions in the Americas. Bolivian Historiographers believed it to be the beginning of their struggle for independence (Donghi, The Contemporary History of Latin America). Many juntas created from then on wanted to be part of a government of liberty and independence (Donghi, The Contemporary History of Latin America). Meanwhile in Spain, Bonaparte was still ruling the empire, and was instable more than ever. The invasion depleted Spains assets which started a debate over the nature of sovereignty which will start a civil war (Blaufarb, the Western Question).Communication was also severed between Spain and its colonies after France took control of Spain. The collapse of the Spanish empire and its weakened authority, created an international competition over Spanish colonies (Blaufarb, the Western Question). After the invasion Britain attempted to keep Spanish America together in order to exploit their resources and also keep France from taking control of the colonies (Blaufarb, the Western Question). Since Spain was in chaos, they couldnt enforce trade restrictions giving colonies the freedom to trade with any nation which benefited Britain. Britain therefore had an incentive to use its naval power to keep France from taking over.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Britain loosened their control of the Atlantic aft er the war was over. In 1815, although business went back to normal, tensions increased within the Spanish monarchy; wartime unity among Spaniards to fight against France disappeared after Ferdinand VII regained power, and some even turned against Ferdinand and allied with Latin American rebels to end the monarchy (Blaufarb, the Western Question).To take advantage of Spains instability and declare independence would be seen as treacherous, additionally the colonies were optimistic that Ferdinand would embrace reform which wasnt the case. After it became clear that the colonies will not return to obedience, Ferdinand established oppressive policies (Blaufarb, the Western Question).). As compromises became unattainable, uprisings against the monarchy began to take form and more people were sacrificed. Although many historians agree that the collapse of Spain was caused by the invasion which led to colonies call on independence, historians of the reform era consider the Bourbon reforms to be a crucial cause of the revolts. The colonies started to develop an identity separate to that of Spain because of those reforms(lynch). The change was so great that some historians, such as John Lunch, described them as a second conquest of the Americas (Lynch, the Spanish American Revolutions). During the 2nd half of the 18th century, Bourbon Spain sought to change its economy, society, and institutions; the main reasons of those reforms were the decline of Spains productivity (Lynch, the Spanish American Revolutions). Their goal was to strengthen the kings power, centralize state power through reforms, increase production with trade within the colonies, and increase revenues going to Spain (Lynch, the Spanish American Revolutions). Although those reforms were established in order to bring the colonies closer under Spains control, it isolated the Creole population, strengthened their American Identity and laid groundwork for the wars of independence during the 19th century (Lynch, the Spanish American Revolutions). In an effort to increase silver, and gold production (most revenues comes from mining), the monarchy decreased their taxes in half (Lynch, the Spanish American Revolutions). Bourbon monarchs prevented colonies from competing with goods exported from Spain by reinforcing laws that restricted colonies from trading with other empires with the exception of Spain; laws such as the legal code of 1778 regulations and royal tariffs for free trade (Kuethe and Andrien, The Spanish Atlantic World in the Eighteenth Century). Creole elites unhappy with those restrictions aggravated their sense of alienation from the crown. Measures taken to increase mining production increased workers and slaves labor which also led to their discontent. They succeed their goals of increasin g trade, and royal revenues but also weakened elites and lower classes sense of loyalty to the crown. Spain also established two new viceroyalties (of New Granada and of Rio de la Plata), and excluded most creoles to increase royal control and weaken creoles influence whom they thought had grown too large (Kuethe and Andrien, The Spanish Atlantic World in the Eighteenth Century), again heightening creoles negative sentiments towards Spain. As part of efforts to reinstate royal supremacy, the crown negotiated with Rome giving them a greater authority to nominate and appoint religious authorities (Kuethe and Andrien, The Spanish Atlantic World in the Eighteenth Century). But the most significant religious bourbon reform was the expulsion of the Jesuits who had economical, political and religious power; Creoles who were educated in Jesuits colleges and those who had the same views as Jesuits found their expulsion in 1767 disturbing (Kuethe and Andrien, The Spanish Atlantic World in the Eighteenth Century). The Jesuits expulsion drove another wedge between the crown and Creole elites. The bourbon reforms as a whole ultimately failed to achieve their goals mainly because it deepened divisions between the colonies and Spain. The rising nationalist sentiments in the Americas enabled the formation of a separate American identity and thus laid the groundwork for the wars of independence after The Napoleonic invasion of Spain. The bourbon reforms did weaken colonies loyalty to the crown; it created discontent among Creole elites but wasnt enough to declare independence from Spain. Without the decline of the Spanish empire and Britains naval power which kept France from controlling the colonies, colonies would have never known what true autonomy was like. Although the war for independence would have happened sooner or later, The Napoleonic invasion precipitated those uprisings. The instability in Spain gave colonies a sense of political legitimacy and power. Authority came from the king, laws were obeyed from it came from the king, but now there was no king to obey. The colonies were able to govern themselves as power was now in the hands of the people, allowing them to trade freely. The majority of the colonies waited until Ferdinand VII regained power mainly out of fear, but after it became clear that the king wanted the colonies to return to obedience, the colonies started to revolt for their independenc e. On the other hand, Latin American independence would have eventually happened because of the growing tensions before the Napoleonic war, new enlightened ideas, the American and French revolutions, the financial dependency Spain had which was revealed by the bourbon reforms, and the rise of Creoles influence; the Napoleonic war merely   precipitated the revolts.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Macbeths Ambition As Displayed In Act 1, Scene 7 Essay -- essays resea

In Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act I, scene 7, Macbeth hesitates because of both pragmatic and moral causes; although, his moral scruples seem to overpower the pragmatic arguments. Macbeth is torn between these two issues, and his unique way of deciphering his problems is exhibited in this scene. Macbeth feels that if he were to assassinate the king, Duncan, that he better do it soon. The first line of Act I, scene 7 begins with, â€Å"If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well; It were done quickly.† So, basically, Macbeth feels that if the crime was committed when it needed to be, and if it were done quickly, then he would be safe. This argument is a moral concern toward Macbeth, this is the first thought that comes to his mind, because it is exhibited in the fist line of his soliloquy. Macbeth is hesitant to murder Duncan, because he feels that he would be eternally punished in hell for committing such a heinous crime. Macbeth expresses these feelings in lines 7-10, â€Å"But here upon this bank and shoal of time; We’d jump the life to come.† The â€Å"life to come†, is the afterlife, which would be an eternity of suffering for Macbeth, because of his assassination of Duncan. Thus, making this argument a moral concern, and one of Macbeth’s overpowering arguments in his soliloquy. Macbeth feels that if he were to succeed the throne from Duncan, the common people would feel a sense of mistrust toward Macbeth. Macbeth expresses these thoughts in lines 7-10, â€Å"Lines 7-10: â€Å"We still have j...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Structure of NTFS :: essays research papers

Structure of NTFS The NTFS file system is used in all critical Microsoft Windows systems. It is an advanced file system that makes it different from the UNIX file systems that the original TCT was designed for. This document gives a quick overview of NTFS and how it was implemented. The biggest difference is the use of Alternate Data Streams (ADS) when specifying a meta data structure. MFT The Master File Table (MFT) contains entries that describe all system files, user files, and directories. The MFT even contains an entry (#0) that describes the MFT itself, which is how we determine its current size. Other system files in the MFT include the Root Directory (#5), the cluster allocation map, Security Descriptors, and the journal. MFT ENTRIES Each MFT entry is given a number (similar to Inode numbers in UNIX). The user files and directories start at MFT #25. The MFT entry contains a list of attributes. Example attributes include "Standard Information" which stores data such as MAC times, "File Name" which stores the file or directories name(s), $DATA which stores the actual file content, or "Index Alloc" and "Index Root" which contain directory contents stored in a B-Tree. Each type of attribute is given a numerical value and more than one instance of a type can exist for a file. The "id" value for each attribute allows one to specify an instance. A given file can have more than one "$Data" attribute, which is a method that can be used to hide data from an investigator. To get a mapping of attribute type values to name, use the 'fsstat' command. It displays the contents of the $AttrDef system file. Each attribute has a header and a value and an attribute is either resident or non-resident. A resident attribute has both the header and the content value stored in the MFT entry. This only works for attributes with a small value (the file name for example). For larger attributes, the header is stored in the MFT entry and the content value is stored in Clusters in the data area. A Cluster in NTFS is the same as FAT, it is a consecutive group of sectors. If a file has too many different attributes, an "Attribute List" is used that stores the other attribute headers in additional MFT entries. FILES Files in NTFS typically have the following attributes: S.N. Attribute Description 1. $STANDARD_INFORMATION Contains MAC times, security ID, Owners ID, permissions in DOS format, and quota data.

Cultural Communities Essay -- Sociology, Culture

In this essay, I will argue that to understand a person’s behaviour, ways of life and their development, we need to understand their cultural practices and circumstances of their communities. I will also discuss how this can be done and the implication for this in early childhood education. Rogoff (2003) argues that humans are develops as cultural beings: â€Å"people develop as participants in cultural communities. Their development can be understood only in light of the cultural practices and circumstances of their communities- which also change† (p. 3-4) According to Gonzalez- Mena (2003), understanding cultural differences can be confusing and no one can possibly know all about the culture of every family who might come into early childhood centres. So she questions whether this means that should educators ‘throw up their hand’ and give up rather than seek answers by understanding cultural difference, by exploring its broad themes and organising concepts. Everyone’s activities are from their â€Å"universal social-ecological community. Their social relationships, political influences, historical events, movements, economic situation and cultural background affect their activities† (Prout, 2005, p. 25). Understanding deeply the reasons behind their activities is more important than lightly watching their surface activities. By understanding the reasons behind their activities, one gains more knowledge about another’s ethnic context and is less likely to misunderstand the other’s ethnic life meaning. Whether the activity is an everyday chore or academic performance depends in large part on the circumstances that are routine in their community and on the cultural practices they are used to. An example in the Democratic Republic of Con... ...ment the beliefs and the cultural activities in the individual ways. So, I might avoid activities, which against the child’s family’s culture and beliefs, to the child. In Te WhÄ riki (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1996) under Communication strand: the languages and symbols of their own and other cultures are promoted and protected. The curriculum goal states â€Å"children experience an environment where: they experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures† (p. 16). In conclusion, understanding reasons behind people’s activities is more important, because the understanding could help us to suspend our own interpretations and values and beliefs in order to make sense of others actions and culture. As well as this, the accurate understanding about young children, family and community could help me to implement early childhood education better.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Information Systems Development Methodologies Essay

This purpose of this paper is to give an understanding of the information systems development methodologies available. A software development methodology or system development methodology in software engineering is a framework that is used to structure, plan, and control the process of developing an information system. Here are some iterative methodologies that can be used especially for large projects and some of their characteristics. Spiral Model The idea is evolutionary development, using the waterfall model for each step; it’s intended to help manage risks. Don’t define in detail the entire system at first. The developers should only define the highest priority features. Define and implement those, then get feedback from users/customers (such feedback distinguishes â€Å"evolutionary† from â€Å"incremental† development). With this knowledge, they should then go back to define and implement more features in smaller chunks. Each iteration of the prototype represented as a cycle in the spiral. The Spiral software development model is a risk-oriented. Use the spiral model in projects where business goals are unstable but the architecture must be realized well enough to provide high loading and stress ability. Recognizing: 1. Focus is on risk assessment and on minimizing project risk by breaking a project into smaller segments and providing more ease-of-change during the development process, as well as providing the opportunity to evaluate risks and weigh consideration of project continuation throughout the life cycle. 2. Each cycle involves a progression through the same sequence of steps, for each portion of the product and for each of its levels of elaboration, from an overall concept-of- operation document down to the coding of each individual program. 3. Each trip around the spiral traverses four basic quadrants: (1) determine objectives, alternatives, and constraints of the iteration; (2) evaluate alternatives; identify and resolve risks; (3) develop and verify deliverables from the iteration; and (4) plan the next iteration. 4. Begin each cycle with an identification of stakeholders and their win conditions, and end each cycle with review and commitment. Phases: 1. Project Objectives. Similar to the system conception phase of the Waterfall Model. Objectives are determined, possible obstacles are identified and alternative approaches are weighed. 2. Risk Assessment. Possible alternatives are examined by the developer, and associated risks/problems are identified. Resolutions of the risks are evaluated and weighed in the consideration of project continuation. Sometimes prototyping is used to clarify needs. 3. Engineering & Production. Detailed requirements are determined and the software piece is developed. 4. Planning and Management. The customer is given an opportunity to analyze the results of the version created in the Engineering step and to offer feedback to the developer. Variations. Win-Win Spiral Process Model is a model of a process based on Theory W, which is a management theory and approach â€Å"based on making winners of all of the system’s key stakeholders as a necessary and sufficient condition for project success.† Incremental Development Here the project is divided into small parts. This allows the development team to demonstrate results earlier on in the process and obtain valuable feedback from system users. Often, each iteration is actually a mini-Waterfall process with the feedback from one phase providing vital information for the design of the next phase. Recognizing: 1. A series of mini-Waterfalls are performed, where all phases of the Waterfall development model are completed for a small part of the system, before proceeding to the next increment; OR 2. Overall requirements are defined before proceeding to evolutionary, mini-Waterfall development of individual increments of the system, OR 3. The initial software concept, requirements analysis, and design of architecture and system core are defined using the Waterfall approach, followed by iterative Prototyping, which culminates in installation of the final prototype (i.e., working system). Phases: 1. Inception. Identifies project scope, risks, and requirements (functional and non-functional) at a high level but in enough detail that work can be estimated. 2. Elaboration. Delivers a working architecture 3. Construction 4. Transition Variations . A number of process models have evolved from the iterative approach. All of these methods produce some demonstrable software product early on in the process in order to obtain valuable feedback from system users or other members of the project team. In some, the software products which are produced at the end of each step (or series of steps) can go into production immediately as incremental releases. Prototype Model The prototype model is used to overcome the limitations of waterfall model. In this model, instead of freezing the requirements before coding or design, a prototype is built to clearly understand the requirements. This prototype is built based on the current requirements. Through examining this prototype, the client gets a better understanding of the features of the final product. The processes involved in the prototyping approach are shown in the figure below. Recognizing: 1. Not a stand alone, complete development methodology, but rather an approach to handling selected portions of a larger, more traditional development methodology (i.e., Incremental, Spiral, or Rapid Application Development (RAD)). 2. Attempts to reduce inherent project risk by breaking a project into smaller segments and providing more ease-of-change during the development process. 3. User is involved throughout the process, which increases the likelihood of user acceptance of the final implementation. 4. Small-scale mock-ups of the system are developed following an iterative modification process until the prototype evolves to meet the users’ requirements. 5. While most prototypes are developed with the expectation that they will be discarded, it is possible in some cases to evolve from prototype to working system. 6. A basic understanding of the fundamental business problem – necessary to avoid solving wrong problem. Phases: 1. Requirements Definition/Collection. Similar to the Conceptualization phase of the waterfall model, but not as comprehensive. The information collected is usually limited to a subset of the complete system requirements. 2. Design. Once the initial layer of requirements information is collected, or new information is gathered, it is rapidly integrated into a new or existing design so that it may be folded into the prototype. 3. Prototype Creation/Modification. The information from the design is rapidly rolled into a prototype. This may mean the creation/modification of paper information, new coding, modifications to existing coding. 4. Assessment. The prototype is presented to the customer for review. Comments and suggestions are collected from the customer. 5. Prototype Refinement. Information collected from the customer is digested and the prototype is refined. The developer revises the prototype to make it more effective and efficient. 6. System Implementation. In most cases, the system is rewritten once requirements are understood. Sometimes, the Iterative process eventually produces a working system that can be the cornerstone for the fully functional system. Variation. A popular variation is called Rapid Application Development (RAD). It introduces strict time limits on each development phase and relies heavily on RA tools (allow quick development). Comparison of models * Involves higher cost – needs to be iterated more than once * Not suitable for smaller projects * Project success depends on the risk analysis phase – hence, it requires highly specific expertise in risk analysis * Limited reusability * No established controls for moving from one cycle to another cycle, no firm deadlines, lack of milestones * Management is dubious | Incremental| * Potential exists for exploiting knowledge gained in early increments. * Moderate control over the life of the project through the use of written documentation and the formal review and approval/signoff by the user and information technology management at designated major milestones * Stakeholders can be given concrete evidence of project status throughout the life cycle. * Helps to mitigate integration/architectural risks. * Allows delivery of a series of implementations that are gradually more complete and can go into production more quickly as incremental releases * Gradual implementation provides the ability to monitor the effect of incremental changes, isolate issues and make adjustments before the organization is negatively impacted| * Very rigid and do not overlap phases * Not all the requirements are gathered before starting the development; this could lead to problems related to system architecture at later iterations. * The user community needs to be actively involved throughout the project – time of the staff, project delay. * Communication and coordination skills take central stage in the development. * Informal requests for improvement after each phase may lead to confusion – controlled mechanism for handling substantive requests needs to be developed. * Possible â€Å"scope creep (user feedback on each phase increases customer demands. * Errors and risks can be detected at a much earlier stage, as the system is developed using prototypes * Addresses: inability of many users to specify their information needs; difficulty of systems analysts to understand the user’s environment * Can be used to realistically model important aspects of a system during each phase of the traditional life cycle * Improves user participation in system development and communication among project stakeholders Documents * Increases complexity of the overall system * Involves exploratory methodology and therefore involves higher risk. * Involves implementing and then repairing the way a system is built, so errors are an inherent part of the development process. * Can lead to false expectations and poorly designed systems. * Approval process and control is not strict. * Requirements may frequently change significantly.| Here is another table that consists of the situations where each model is the most appropriate for applying. The data is based on my previous analysis and additional data collected from the internet. Conclusion Why there are so many System Development Methodologies is because all projects and systems require its own road to run. And not each method will be suitable for another one. Selecting the correct software development methodology with a proper cost-benefit analysis for a project can help projects to release successfully, on time, and within budget. Once an organization has determined which methodologies will work best for its projects it can ensure that there is a repeatable process established that will ensure successful projects. Tackling a project blindly with no process defined will result in undesirable product. Errors in the products are common, yet if the process is utilized properly, they can be eliminated quickly. Choosing the better approach or simply understanding the methodologies is important to ensure the right project/product is a result from the hard work.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Diabetes Treatments Essay

Diabetes and Treatment Diabetes is a group of diseases that result from a defect in the body’s ability to maintain a homeostatic glucose level. The defect may be in insulin secretion, insulin action or both. Diabetes can be classified as Juvenile, Type 1, Type 2, or Gestational. Distinction between the different classifications is based on the circumstances present at time of the diagnosis. Defect in insulin secretion Type 1 diabetes is an absolute deficiency in insulin secretion in the pancreatic islets. Type 1 diabetes can be confirmed by serological evidence of an autoimmune process and genetic markers. Type 1 is the results from a cellular-mediated autoimmune destruction of the ÃŽ ²-cells of the pancreas. These patients are dependent on insulin to survive and have a high risk of being ketoacidosis when first diagnosed. Insulin resistance Type 2 diabetes or noninsulin dependent diabetes has a gradual onset and patients may take years to identify common symptoms. Autoimmune destruction of ÃŽ ²-cells does not occur. Insulin secretion is defective in these patients and insufficient to compensate for insulin resistance. These patients are usually obese or carry extra fat in the midsection of the body. Gestational diabetes Gestational diabetes (GDM) is recognized as any glucose intolerance that is diagnosed initially during pregnancy. â€Å"The definition applies regardless of whether insulin or only diet modification is used for treatment or whether the condition persists after pregnancy.†(â€Å"ADA,† 2004, para. 26) If a patient is diagnosed with GDM the patient may not continue to be diabetic after delivery or may develop Type 2 diabetes immediately after delivery or later  in life. Women who have had GDM have a 35% to 60% of developing diabetes in the next 10 to 20 years according to the National Diabetes Fact Sheet of 2011. Treatment for Gestational Diabetes The first line treatment for GDM is nutritional therapy and education. It is not recommended for pregnant females to lose weight. The current recommendations of restricting carbohydrate intake to 35 to 40% of dietary calories, there is debate about restricting calorie intake, due to the effects of reduce calories on the fetus. The recommendation by the American Diabetes Association for patient’s that have a body mass index greater than 30 kg per m2 is to decrease the calorie intake by 30 to 33% of daily intake. If the patient is unable to maintain blood glucoses 105 mg per dL in the fasting state and 120 mg per dL two hours after meals then either insulin or oral medications are recommended. There has been no documented evidence that either form is better at maintaining normal plasma glucose. Patients must be educated on taking her blood glucose often, usually at least four to five times per day. Initial treatment for GDM with insulin maybe either via multiple daily injections or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. Regular and neutral protamine hagedorn (NPH) insulin, both of which are classified as pregnancy category B, have been the classic initial therapy. Recently, rapid-acting insulin aspart has been approved for use in pregnancy, and lispro is considered a treatment option for patients, 70/30 aspart mix and 75/25 lispro mix are pregnancy category B. For basal insulin, detemir is recommended during pregnancy but remains a pregnancy category C.(Jodon, 2011) Short term effects of GDM The short term effects of GDM are usually seen in the fetus. In the early weeks of pregnancy it is thought that uncontrolled hyperglycemia may cause birth defects that include neural tube defects, cardiac malformations, and early loss of pregnancy. In later weeks there is evidence that the maternal hyperglycemia crosses the placenta and causes â€Å"fetal hyperglycemia, compensatory fetal hyperinsulinemia, and consequently increased adipose deposition of nutrients, resulting in macrosomia.†(Jodon, 2011, para. 7) The effects on the infant can last beyond the womb. The infant may have to be  delivered by c-section due to macrosomia. An infant that has been exposed to hyperglycemia levels in utero may need support after delivery for hypoglycemia due to the infant’s pancreas secreting large amounts of insulin. Long term effects of GDM The long term effects of GDM are currently being studied. In recent years there have been correlation studies between GDM and Type 2 diabetes diagnoses later in life. The long term effects of GDM on the infant include an increase in obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life. If a patient does not make modifications to lifestyle and diet choices then she may continue to need insulin to keep her blood glucose at a healthy level. The most recent recommendation from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology is to retest GDM patients six to twelve weeks after delivery for hyperglycemia; the recommendation was made to catch early indications of Type 2 diabetes. Summary Diabetes can affect any person, whether a fetus or an older adult. The long term effects of gestational diabetes are not just on the mother but can have long term effects on the child also. The diabetic mother needs to understand the changes she makes during her pregnancy can help her after pregnancy from becoming an insulin dependent diabetic and also lower the chances of her child developing diabetes. Educating the patient includes modifications to diet, exercise, glucose monitoring, and appropriate medication regimen. Education is the key to helping patients maintain good glucose control and decrease their future risk. References Arcangelo, V. P., & Peterson, A. M. (Eds.). (2013). Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice: A practical approach (3 ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus. (2004). Retrieved from dio:10.2337/diacare.27.2007.S5 Jodon, H. (2011). New Standards of Care for Gestational Diabetes. Retrieved from Clinicians Review: http://www.clinicianreviews.com/home/article/new-standards-of-care-for-gestational-diabetes/43f9e46f915c950c0d48257fbbe7bb52.html McCance, K. L., & Huether, S. E. (2012). Understanding Pathophysiology (5th Custom Edition

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Is the Claim of White Skin Privilege a Myth

Is the Claim of White Skin Privilege a myth? As a whole, minorities from all religions, races, and sexualities have reached numerous high points in life. These high points have resulted in the establishment and entitlement to minorities having the same rights as whites. However, the right of blacks as in being equal is always up for debate. Statistics show and prove that for every dollar a white household brings in, a black household only brings in 61 cents. Some people like to say that the white household is more skilled or has a higher education, however, this is not the case in most situations.These facts can be accurately traced back to the issue of discrimination against blacks. Most people agree that this type of discrimination is seen frequently but never spoken of. Why are there different meanings of this word for different races, if the foundation of our country established as everyone is equal? What do these rights actually mean, and if most people pay these rights absolute ly no attention at all, why are these rights even in place? Focusing on the topics of white benefits, white denial, and a personal opinion, in this essay will I will explain to the reader the question, â€Å"Is the claim of white skin privilege a myth? Referring to the author from the first passage, Paul Kivel, â€Å" The reality of privilege is so embedded within the dominant group that to recognize and admit its reality is alien to most whites. † As a whole, white people in the United States do not recognize the fact that they have different right to this day. They just realize the effects that most benefit themselves. The benefits that white people receive are coveted by numerous people all over the globe. Many people around the world sacrifice their customs, beliefs, and languages, just so they can have these benefits.It has been proven that whites have thrived in many parts of life just for exploiting and manipulating people of color. Why would someone risk their own cu lture in order to obtain these privileges, is a question a lot of people ask? The only answer that makes any sense at all is for the people to be economically successful. Many people of color face difficult challenges and disadvantages over whites, simply because the person is white. With people of color having disadvantages, there comes, insults, discrimination, violence, harassment and economic and cultural exploitation.The majority of people of color have experienced at least one of these disadvantages in their lives, but most have grown to expect these disadvantages. Just because of these discriminations, a lot of colored people avoid a lot of situations at work and at school, and they are more likely to have fingers pointed at them for robberies, or have their car searched for some bogus reason. When a topic of race is brought up however, whites are quick to speak on it. Many dramatic emotions and feelings flow through the minds of white people as they are forced to talk about the existence of racism in today’s society.Black people are consistently accused of using or pulling the â€Å"race card†, but is something expected to be an outcome of it? According to Tom Wise, the black person’s reward is actually non-existent. Actually it is normally the white person who pulls a race card and gets a positive outcome from it. According to whites, the race card, â€Å"is something people of color play so as to distract the rest of us, or to gain sympathy. † However, studies show that people of color are actually normally scared to use the card in fear that they may be attacked, or simply ignored altogether.Wise accurately addresses the problem that people of color deal with. â€Å"Simply put: whites in every generation have thought there was no real problem with racism, irrespective of the evidence, and in every generation we have been wrong. † Over the course of many years, whites have actually become immune to the claims of rac ial inequality; they say that they have found cures for people of color and their problems. These cures are Drapetomania and Victim Syndrome. Drapetomania originated as a so-called â€Å"cure† to explain why slaves escaped from their loving masters.Masters were told that keeping a slave in a child state of mind, that he or she would in turn be loyal to there master. However whites also found a way to ignore the state of mind that the slaves were in, they stamp them with an illness and took it ay to far. This stamp is revealed over a century later in Washington State in a school district. People of color were falsely accused of having disorders, and also accused of being extremely paranoid. The actual name created for their â€Å"illness† is called the â€Å"victimization syndrome. Whites are quick to accuse blacks of victim mentality, due to the fact that they were being inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, and for the simple fact that they â€Å"want† to be considered targets for harassment. Whites to this day still refuse to discuss the situation and persistently deny the fact that it still exists even to this day. This could just be because whites themselves have never been through such an experience in their lives, and continue to cover it up with their own excuses and ignorance. I am white, however I do not agree with some of the racial situations that still exist in our society today.I as a white American am faced with a lot of the same challenges as a black individual, however I do strongly believe that everyone in this country from birth has equal opportunity. This is only because public education is free to everyone in America. Do I think that people of color experience difficulties in finding jobs, or moving up the cultural, corporate, or economical ladder? No, in this case I do not. Why you might ask? Well let me tell you this, every single one of my bosses at work are black, and how did they get there?They worked their way u p the ladder. However, two of the managers I work for graduated from FAMU. So I do not agree with the statements that all blacks are faced with discrimination. However I do admit that some do experience discrimination, but I must say in those situations the person of color needs to keep their head high and prove that person wrong. Many people go far in life with self-motivation, without self-motivation not much can be accomplished, but use times when you are criticized or discriminated against to push you further.Tell yourself that no that is not how it is and aim to prove that person wrong and do not stop until you get there. I do believe that this country still needs to change I would love to see everyone in this country do well and everyone should strive to succeed. There are many opinions of this situation out there, and I do not believe that in my lifetime that this situation will be resolved but we cannot focus on the past we must move forward and strive for excellence.