Issues in Cognitive Development

Issues in Cognitive Development Steps in Language Development While debate is still ongoing about how children acquires language, with naturists arguing that individuals are born with biological inclination for language, and behaviorists projecting that children develop language by emulating the sounds heard within the immediate environment (Maitland 135), consensus seems to have been reached among the two groups on the major steps involved in the development of language in children. This section aims to elucidate the steps involved.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Issues in Cognitive Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There exists broad consensus that humans can communicate from birth, as can be demonstrated by the newborn’s cry alerts when faced with a distressing situation such as pain or wetness. However, it is only after the fourth month from birth that the infant is able to turn these cry alerts, coos, and gurgles into some f orm of bubbling, explained as the generation of phonemes which are not in any way related or limited to the child’s exposure to the immediate environment. After the lapse of ten months from birth, the baby is able to narrow down these phonemes to those of the language or languages spoken in the immediate environment (Maitland 134). At the turn of their first birthday, most toddlers progress from bubbling into the use of a holophrase, which can be explained as the usage of one word to communicate meaning. For instance, the baby may point indoors and say, â€Å"Go!† At the turn of their second birthday, most children are able to put together two-word sentences known as telegraphic speech. Available literature demonstrates that this speech is mostly typified by the use of a verb and noun, such as â€Å"go toilet† or â€Å"eat bread† (Maitland 134). Language development theorists are in agreement that it is between two and three years of age that the child is not only able to expand the vocabulary exponentially, but the sentences generated increase in length and intricacy. By their third birthday, the young children begin to follow the rules of grammar without necessarily sticking to any conventions of instruction. For instance, a 3-year-old child may say, â€Å"I goed to the shop.† Such sentence construction, although coming from a 3-year-old child, indicates the use of the general rule, also called overgeneralization or over-regularization, that we form the past tense by adding (-ed) to the word or phrase. The ‘overgeneralization’ or ‘over-regularization’ of language witnessed among the 3-year-olds demonstrates that children apply grammatical rules without necessarily making any appropriate exceptions (Maitland 134). However, as time goes and language development becomes further entrenched, young children achieve the capability to express more abstract notions, concepts and ideas that goes beyond the p hysical realm around them, not mentioning that they also attain the capability to express their own feelings.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Applying Piaget’s Vygotsky’s Theoretical Concepts to Classroom Experiences Both Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky can be termed as the leading lights in the psychology of cognitive development due their classical works, which have been well documented in literature. It is indeed true that their theoretical concepts can be, and continues to be, used in modern classroom settings. This section aims to discuss five concepts from the theories of both Piaget and Vygotsky, and illuminate how these concepts can be applied to classroom experiences. Jean Piaget was a prominent psychologist of the 20th century mainly interested in aspects of developmental psychology, particularly in respect to how individuals acquire, retain, and devel op knowledge (Wittrock 41). Today, his concepts and theories are used by teachers across the world to enhance students’ learning experiences. In his theory of cognitive development, Piaget came up with the concept of assimilation and accommodation to denote two corresponding processes of adaptation through which awareness of the external world is internalized in the individual. In assimilation, what an individual perceives in the external world is incorporated into the internal world without necessarily changing the structure of the internal world, while in accommodation; the internal world is obliged to accommodate itself to the evidence and facts with which it is confronted, thus triggering an adaptation (Wittrock 43). This concept can be applied in modern classroom experiences by encouraging teachers to take an active, mentoring role towards students so as to enable them share in their learning experiences instead of pushing information to passive and sometimes unintereste d students. By observing children to have a comprehensive understanding on their growth and developmental patterns, Piaget came up with the concept of maturation to imply the children’s mounting capability to understand their world and those around them (McInerney 587). This concept further implies that children cannot comprehend or perform certain activities or duties until they are psychologically mature enough to be able to engage in those activities. This assertion has been overwhelmingly used by contemporary educators to form the basis for scheduling the school curriculum with a view to making sure that only those activities or learning tasks that children within a specific age-group can understand are indeed included in the curriculum.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Issues in Cognitive Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In his theory of cognitive development, Lev Vygotsky came up with the con cept of the zone of proximal development, which was aimed at explaining the idea that development should be defined both by what a child can be able to achieve independently and what the child can be able to achieve when he or she receives assistance from either an adult or a more competent peer (Slavin 47). This concept, along with the two levels of development, is useful for teachers in modern classroom settings to the extent that they can use it to objectively evaluate where the child is at a given moment in terms of learning outcomes, as well as where the child ought to be. In the context of curriculum development, educators and teachers can employ Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development concept to design a developmentally suitable curriculum, where learning activities are designed on not only what the learners are capable of doing on their own volition, but also on what they are capable of learning with other peers who are more proficient (Slavin 47; McInerney 590). Vygo tsky’s concept of proximal development further suggests that educators in modern classroom settings must make sure to expose the children to instruction and activities that fall inside the zone of proximal development if effective learning is to take place (Woolfolk 156). For example, if a child is unable to recognize the sounds in a word or phrase even after been exposed to repeated prompts, the child may not be able to take advantage of the instruction in this type of skill. Additionally, extant literature demonstrates that instructors can employ this concept to, among other things, design instruction in such a way that it is capable of providing practice in the zone of proximal development for individual learners as well as for groups of learners (Woolfolk 159). For example, instructors can employ suggestions, clues and prompts that in the past assisted children during evaluation to form the basis for instructional activities. Vygotsky’s concept of cooperative learn ing can be used in the modern classroom setting to plan learning activities by bringing together children who are at different learning levels to assist each other to learn. What’s more, Vygotsky’s concept was later developed in 1976 by Wood, Bruner Ross to operationalize the concept of scaffolding. In its most basic form, the scaffolding concept represents the supportive interactions that take place between an adult and a child with the view to assist the child to accomplish an activity that is beyond his or her independent efforts (Slavin 88). In the modern classroom setting, the concept of scaffolding has been used by teachers to assist learners graduate from assisted to unassisted success at various learning tasks.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In a school biology class, for example, the instructor might utilize scaffolding by first providing learners with exhaustive guidelines that are needed to perform an experiment on osmosis, and afterwards provide them with concise outlines that they can use to structure further osmosis experiments. With time, the teacher might request the learners to perform the experiments exclusively on their own. Maitland, Laura Lincoln. 5 Steps to a 5AP Psychology, 2010-2011 Edition. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2010. Print. McInerney, Dennis M. â€Å"Educational Psychology – Theory, Research, and Teaching: A 25 –Year Retrospective.† Educational Psychology 25.6 (2005): 585-599. Web. Slavin, Robert E. Educational Psychology: Theory Practice. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon, Inc., 2005. Print. Wittrock, Mike C. â€Å"Learning as a Generative Process.† Educational Psychologist 45.1 (2010): 40-45. Web. Woolfolk, Anita. Educational Psychology. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.

History of Myanmars 8888 Uprising

History of Myanmars 8888 Uprising Throughout the previous year, students, Buddhist monks, and pro-democracy advocates had been protesting against Myanmars military leader, Ne Win, and his erratic and repressive policies.  The demonstrations forced him out of office on July 23, 1988, but Ne Win appointed General Sein Lwin as his replacement. Sein Lwin was known as the Butcher of Rangoon for being in command of the army unit that massacred 130 Rangoon University students in July of 1962, as well as for other atrocities.   Tensions, already high, threatened to boil over.  The student leaders set the auspicious date of August 8, or 8/8/88, as the day for nationwide strikes and protests against the new regime. The 8/8/88 Protests In the week leading up to the protest day, all of Myanmar (Burma) seemed to rise up.  Human shields protected speakers at political rallies from retaliation by the army. Opposition newspapers printed and openly distributed anti-government papers.  Entire neighborhoods barricaded their streets and set up defenses, in case the army should try to move through.  Through the first week of August, it seemed that Burmas pro-democracy movement had unstoppable momentum on its side. The protests were peaceful at first, with demonstrators even encircling army officers in the street to shield them from any violence.  However, as the protests spread to even rural areas of Myanmar, Ne Win decided to call army units in the mountains back to the capital as reinforcements.  He ordered that the army disperses the massive protests and that their guns were not to shoot upward - an elliptical shoot to kill order.   Even in the face of live fire, the protesters remained in the streets through August 12. They threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at the army and police and raided police stations for firearms. On August 10, soldiers chased protesters into Rangoon General Hospital and then began shooting down the doctors and nurses who were treating wounded civilians.   On August 12, after just 17 days in power, Sein Lwin resigned the presidency.  The protesters were ecstatic but unsure about their next move. They demanded that the sole civilian member of the upper political echelon, Dr. Maung Maung, be appointed to replace him. Maung Maung would remain president for just one month.  This limited success did not halt the demonstrations; on August 22, 100,000 people gathered in Mandalay for a protest.  On August 26, as many as 1 million people turned out for a rally at Shwedagon Pagoda in the center of Rangoon.   One of the most electrifying speakers at that rally was Aung San Suu Kyi, who would go on to win the presidential elections in 1990 but would be arrested and jailed before she could take power.  She won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her support of peaceful resistance to military rule in Burma. Bloody clashes continued in the cities and towns of Myanmar for the rest of 1988.  Throughout early September, as the political leaders temporized and made plans for gradual political change, the protests grew ever more violent.  In some cases, the army provoked the demonstrators into open battle so that the soldiers would have an excuse to mow down their opponents. The End of the Protests On September 18, 1988, General Saw Maung led a military coup that seized power and declared the harsh martial law.  The army used extreme violence to break up demonstrations, killing 1,500 people in just the first week of military rule alone, including monks and schoolchildren.  Within two weeks, the 8888 Protest movement had collapsed. By the end of 1988, thousands of protesters and smaller numbers of police and army troops were dead.  Estimates of the casualties run from the implausible official figure of 350 to around 10,000.  Additional thousands of people disappeared or were imprisoned.  The ruling military junta kept universities shuttered through the year 2000 to prevent students from organizing further protests. The 8888 Uprising in Myanmar was eerily similar to the Tiananmen Square Protests that would break out the following year in Beijing, China.  Unfortunately for the protesters, both resulted in mass killings and little political reform - at least, in the short run.

Little Albert and Classical Conditioning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Little Albert and Classical Conditioning - Essay Example Conditioned emotional responses as defined by Coon and Mitterer (2010) are learned emotional reactions to previously neutral stimuli (p. 232). An example of this are phobias, which psychologists believe began as conditioned emotional responses. During the time of Watson and Rayner (1920) who conducted the study entitled, Conditioned Emotional Reactions, different assumptions have been proposed in concerning the likelihood of conditioning diverse types of emotional response; however, exact experimental evidence in aid of such view is missing. It was recommended previously that in infancy the fundamental emotional reaction models are not many, comprising so far as perceived of fear, rage and love, then there must be several uncomplicated ways by means of which the range of stimuli which can bring forth these emotions and their compounds are highly amplified, or else, intricacy in adult response could not be accounted for (Watson & Rayner, 1920). Watson and Rayner (1920) though without adequate experimental evidence, enhanced the perspective that this variety was augmented by means of trained impulse aspects. It was recommended that the first home life of the child endows a laboratory setting for creating conditioned emotiona l responses. With this premise, Watson and Rayner (1920) put the whole matter into an experimental test. Watson and Rayner (1920) used the subject named Albert who was reared almost from birth in a hospital environment; his mother was a wet nurse in the Harriet Lane Home for Invalid Children. Alberts life was typical, he was fit from birth and one of the best developed youngsters ever brought to the hospital, weighing twenty-one pounds at nine months of age. He was impassive and inexpressive. His stability was one of the major reasons for utilizing him as a subject in their test as emphasized by Watson and Rayner (1920) for they felt that they could cause him reasonably little harm in performing such experiments. Watson

Personal journal entry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Personal journal entry - Essay Example However, all the formatting methods must adhere to the required method selected by the institution for consistency. If these standards were not available, there would be chaos in writing because many methods of writing would be available and that would these would not be following a particular consistent strategy making it difficult to communicate between different individuals. In fact, there would be no communication because the formatting methods applied enable understanding and consistency. The audience determines the content and how the message needs to be delivered. One cannot generalise the message and the audience because every message must have be tailored to a specific audience. Selection of words while writing can depends on the formality, so that if the audience has high level of formality it is important to avoid using words with similar denotation that have different connotations like â€Å"aren’t mad† and â€Å"are not angry.† In terms of tone, the appropriate tone of word selected should match with the purpose of that word with the audience. The tone relates to emotion, attitude, seriousness, or humour. One should use humour when it is appropriate and resonate with the audience. The most important part is to avoid using slang word or using personal digressions in any form of

Chessington World of adventures Essay Example for Free

Chessington World of adventures Essay In this assignment I am going to investigate the purpose for which an organisation uses ICT. The company that I am going to review is called Chessington World of Adventures. I will also write about the ICT systems used in one department that I have written about in unit 2a. I will write about the marketing department and explain devices they use etc. In the marketing department they use many different types of computers for many different things. Some staff will use their computers for typing long documents or letters; others may use them for creating PowerPoint presentations for various things. In most organisations people will use their computers or a choice of devices for similar things, but this isnt the case in Chessington. Proposed Hardware and Software for a Computer Aided Design Company There are several pieces of computer equipment a design company would need to function efficiently. Firstly they would need the correct input and output devices. To input the data a computer and mouse would be needed, these are standard input devices. The company would perhaps benefit from the use of a light pen rather than a mouse, though this would depend greatly on the software packages they would be using. Another input device that may be useful to the company would be a Graphics Tablet or Digitiser. The user can draw professional quality illustrations onto the flat rectangular surface of the digitiser, using a stylus. The computer traces the movement of the stylus and displays it on the screen. A high-resolution tablet would be needed by a CAD company. A scanner may also be of use to the company, or a digital camera, depending on what exactly the company was designing. Images of high quality can be obtained from the use of a digital camera, and there are many high-resolution scanners that would allow the company to scan in pictures that will be needed in the design of the product they are creating. Whether the company chose a scanner with OCR (optical Character Recognition) would be there choice, though it would not be necessary. The software the company would need would probably be specialist software, rather than off-the-shelf packages. However as well as this the company would need the relevant software to co-ordinate the input and output devices (this normally comes with the hardware). An operating system, such as Microsoft Windows, would be essential, and it may also be useful to the company to have a word processing and a database package. This would allow the company to keep their accounts on computer and allow them to send mail merge letters, for example. Output devices the company would need are obviously a printer. I would expect them to choose a colour laser printer, as this provides the best quality printouts, quickly and quietly. The expense of the toner cartridges would be easily justified, as the plans/posters the company will be creating are essential to their business. If the company need to produce detailed line drawings a plotter would be ideal. The company would also need a visual display unit. As they will undoubtedly want to work with many colours and a high resolution the type of VDU I would recommend is an XGA (extended graphics array), which has a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. The company may even want a screen with an even higher resolution. As for the memory required by the company, they will need a very powerful processor, perhaps a 1GB processor. They will also need enough RAM to run all the applications. As well as the company will need non-volatile memory, ROM. This could be anything from magnetic tapes to optical disks. I think it would be advisable for the company to have a large hard disk drive, to save templates on, for example. Floppy Disks would not really be a suitable solution as they arent big enough to hold large picture files, for examples. CD-Rs or CD-RWs would be more suitable to save individual design projects on, and magnetic tape, such as Digital Linear Tape, would be a suitable method of backing storage due its large memory capabilities. Graphics: Graphics are computer-generated images, such as pictures or illustrations. The range of graphics software is extensive and you have probably come across images stored in word processing software (e. g. Clipart) and images created on the computer using lines and shapes (e. g. circles, rectangle, or square). STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT: Before you can design or write a computer program, there are many stages of development that you must go through when doing this process, these are as follow; Analysis of the requirement what does the computer program need to achieve? Design of solution. Development of the program probably broken down the into small subprograms. Implementation and testing of the program, including training of the eventual users of the program. Preparation of documentation, which will include documentation relating to the actual program and documentation for the users (i. e. a users guide or manual). Ongoing maintenance and development of the program. In this department I will mention these components groups: Input Output   Processor   Storage   Ports/Cables Input An input device is any hardware, which is used to enter data into the computer system. Chessingtons keyboards are the most common input devices, which are used. They use a QWERTY keyboard, which is the most common type of keyboard. The name comes from the first six letters on the keyboard. They are based on the design of the first typewriters. Each key is connected to a switch, which closes when the key is pressed. This sends a signal to the CPU based on the characters ASCII code. There is another type of keyboard that is called a Concept keyboard (soft touch keyboard). They are faster but more limited. They are normally used in the food shops and the restaurants around Chessington. Each switch has a symbol on it representing a piece of data stored in the computer like the price. This is designed to meet the needs of the marketing department. The second most popular piece of hardware used in the marketing department is the mouse. There are two or three buttons. When a cursor is over an icon, menu item or edge of a picture the mouse button can be clicked once or double clicked to give the computer a command. It Can also be held down to drag something over the screen. There is a ball under the mouse that moves across a flat surface. Sensors measure the movements of the balls in two directions and from this the computer can measure the distance travelled. This is used to move the cursor on the screen. There are other types of mouses like a: Tracker ball, which works in the same way as a mouse, but the ball is moved by hand so it takes up less space. This is a fiddly method that is not that accurate or quick. The marketing department use this because it is easier to use and more common than the other types of mouses. Touch sensitive pad, which look like small screens. You move your finger across the pad, which moves the cursor. They use less space than a mouse but they are easily damaged and not very reliable. The employees in Chessington dont think its suitable to use. Little pimples work by putting your finger on them and pushing them in the direction you want the cursor to move. They are very small and not very precise/accurate. Output An output device is any hardware used to communicate the result of data processing carried out by the CPU (Central Processing Unit). The most common output device used in the marketing department is a VDU (Visual Display Unit) also more commonly known as a monitor. They are used when visual information is needed. The two ways in which monitors differ are size and resolution. Size is measured in inches across the diagonal of the screen. Most PCs have 17inches and laptops have 12 inches. Resolution changes by the number of pixels/dots, which make up the viewed image on the screen. The two main types of monitors are: LCDs (Liquid Crystal Display), which are used in laptops and some desktops. This is the monitor, which the department uses most of the time when the employees are working in groups or individually. CRTs (Cathode Ray Tubes), which are used in PCs. These are the same ones as used in TVs and can be damaging to the eyes when in long use. The marketing department rarely use this because of the consequences and the after effect. Another main output device is a printer. This is used to produce a permanent hard copy of the information on paper. There are three types of printers used in the marketing department: Dot-Matrix Printers also called impact printers, which are the cheapest to buy and operate. The cashiers of shops around Chessington mainly use this in tills. The print head is a template of pins consisting of 9 or 24 arranged in a vertical line or block. Each fibre is formed using a set pattern of some of the pins. The ribbon is a long strip of material with ink on one side. The print head pins push the ribbon on the paper to create a series of dots. The advantages are that it is cheap to buy and operate. The disadvantages are that it is very slow, low resolution and very noisy. An Ink-Jet Printer costs less than a laser printer but better quality than a Dot Matrix. This is the most common type used by many organisations. The main component is the print head. This has lots of tiny nozzles or spouts through which small jets of ink are sprayed on to the paper. The advantages are good resolution-300 to 600, which means you can print good quality documents, and often in colour. Disadvantages are its can be slow when printing in colour, often less than four pages per minute. It can be expensive to run and the cartridges cost more per page than laser printer cartridges. Thirdly the Laser Printer that is also called the page printers because the data to be printed is sent to the printer in complete pages, one at a time. This printer is the type of printer output device that Chessintgon mainly uses. They work in the same way as photocopiers. There are four main parts, which are the electrostatic rotating drum that has a negative electrical charge. The laser reflects on to the drum a mirror image of the page to be printed. Where the page hits the drum the negative charge is removed. When the drum passes over the toner cartridge the ink is attracted to the negatively charged areas of the drum. The ink is then transferred on to the printer paper. The fuser unit heats the paper to fuse the ink onto it. The advantages of a laser printer are very high resolution like 600 dots per inch or more meaning they can print high quality documents. They are also very fast by managing to print over 10 pages per minute and also very quiet. The disadvantages though are they are still quite expensive. There are lots of complex parts inside which are expensive to repair. The marketing department cant use continuous or multi-part stationary. How the CPU controls input and output hardware This shows how the information from the input (hardware) devices transmits information into the Central Processing Unit (CPU). The Central Processing Unit then processes the given information, organises it and then transmits it to the output devices that display it. Processor Storage The main storage of the computer stores all of the data, which is going to be processed. All of the data is entered from an input device. The data will reside in memory while it is being processed, then it will be joined by the results of the processing, which will be contained until it is to be carried out and transferred to an output device. ROM (read only memory) holds predefined program instructions that were written onto the ROM permanently during the manufacturing. These instructions are non-volatile, which means the instructions are unaffected by loss of power, from the computer. RAM (random access memory) is possible to read or write to this type of memory but the contents will be deleted when the power is turned off and the data will not been saved. RAM is also used to hold programs such as Microsoft word while they are running they are held as files on a disk when they are not in use. RAM also holds graphics data, which is shown on the screen, on the VDU. Ports/Cables CABLES AND CONNECTORS: CABLES: The different components of a computer system are connected by the cables. CONNECTORS: Computers have connection signs to show the person where to put the wire in, e. g.if you were to look behind a tower case you can see the mouse sign to where you put in. The Control Unit The control unit (CU) coordinates the work of the whole computer system. It controls the hardware attached to the system by making sure that the command given to the program are activated. It controls the input and output of data, so all the signals go to the right place at the right time and also controls the flow of the data with the CPU. The Arithmetic and Logical Unit This is where the computer processes data by either manipulating it or acting upon it. The Arithmetic part does calculations. The Logic part makes decisions. Immediate Access Store The (IAS) holds any data and programs needed by the computer when they are being used. The CPU reads data and programs kept on the backing storage that is stored temporarily in the IASs memory. The Advantages and Disadvantages of using IT There are different times when to use ICT and when not to. For example when you want to write the same letter to more than one person, it would be ideal to use ICT to do a mail merge on Microsoft Word. If you want to keep permanent records UN damaged then ICT will be the best way. When not to use ICT will be when you just want to make notes, quick drafts or diagrams. When you are not creating anything permanently, just deciding different ideas. The Advantages A computer based filing database system takes up a lot less space than a paper based filing system. Searching for records is a lot easier and quicker. More than one person at a time can access the data if it is a network connection PC. The data is saved/stays in the computers memory and it wont get lost or miss filed. There a fewer staff needed to look after the computer system. Reports can be generated very quickly often by an automated processing routine. The Disadvantages Setting up a computer system is very expensive. Big systems in large organisations such as the NHS cost millions of pounds. Computer systems need to people to maintain and use them. Training costs can be high and the money is wasted if that person leaves. Computer systems are not perfect, if there is a system failure or a power cut, then the important data may get lost or corrupted. It can be easy to copy files and so remove confidential information from the system. The system needs to be kept secure from unauthorised users and hackers. Data Validation and Verification Data Validation Data validation checks the data is the correct type. The computer can perform validation automatically while the data is being entered. There are four main data validation techniques: Range check This makes sure that the data is within the specified range for example a percentage is 0% 100%. Presence check This makes sure that important information has been entered for example when a person orders an item online they need to enter their name, address and credit card number or without these it wont allow it to function. Check digit This checks that numerical data has been entered accurately Data type check This will check to make sure that text has been entered where needed and not numbers for example. Data Verification This is different compared to validation because this is making sure the data that has been input is the same as the original data. There are two main verification techniques: Proof-reading is when a person reads the data that has been entered onto the system and compares with the original, any incorrectly entered data will be edited. Double entry is when the data is entered by twice by two people. The computer then compares the two versions and any found errors are then corrected. Problems with data validation are that it only checks that it is the right type and not whether it is accurate or not. Any problems with the verification program could mean other possible mistakes. Problems with data verification are that double entry is time consuming and can be very expensive. Proof reading is also expensive and doesnt allow for computer error. Analysis In my project, I found the hardest thing was trying to create a booking system. That one page took me four weeks, as I had to type the HTML code, edit it and re edit it. Publisher was much easier to adapt to. There is nothing that I would change to my project as I feel I have done mine the best possible way. One of my problems was trying to insert a calendar on the site. When I did it I couldnt proportion it correctly. The text wasnt as visible as I would have liked unless I proportioned it to the whole page. In the end I chose to abandon the calendar. None of the layouts suited my task so I had re design/alter the way they had done it. I did a different background and colour scheme. When using HTML it was hard remembering to use the American language to write it in instead of English. I did like the way that Publisher toolbar menus were easy to use and understand, for example inserting hyperlinks was much easier than in HTML due to the excellent Microsoft Wizard. I chose Publisher as it actually had a web site creating program unlike Microsoft Word. I thought that this project was good and the way I did it. Next time I do my project I would write out long texts areas in Microsoft Word because it is easier to do alignment, format and spell check the text. I would still use Microsoft Publisher if it was accessible otherwise HTML. I would also try to be more creative next time for example like adding Java features.

The Complexities of Human Relationships Explored in Nella Larsens Pass

A huge amount of literature was created exclusively for African Americans during Larsen’s time. For the first time, African Americans were being told that it was okay to be proud of who they were. This knowledge and self-awareness was important in many works of literature, but a number of writers began exploring the darker side of this group with literature that concentrated on the pessimistic aspects of race relations in America. Nella Larsen's novel, Passing, focuses on this idea with the story of Clare Kendry, a tragic mulatto who "passes" as a white person. Not only is Passing representative of the dilemma of the tragic mulatto, it is also a novel that explores the difficulties of human relationships.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clare Kendry's life is a great example of the difficulty of the tragic mulatto. In Passing, Clare seems to have and urge to go back to the African American world she left. Clare tells her friend Irene Redfield that "she can't know how in this pale life of mine I am all the time seeing the bright pictures of that other that I once thought I was glad to be free of†¦It's like an ache, a pain that never ceases" (Larsen 145). She also realizes a great deal how she wants to see African Americans, "to be with them again, to talk with them, to hear them laugh" (Larsen 200). Even though Irene feels that there is "nothing sacrificial in Clare's idea of life, no allegiance beyond her own immediate desire," (Larsen 144) it is obvious that Clare's wish to return to her African American race is sincere, even if the reasons seem unfair.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Irene believes Clare to be "selfish, cold and hard" (Larsen 144). Irene also feels that Clare does not have "even the slightest artistic or sociological interest in the race that some members of other races displayed. [She] cared nothing of the race, she only belonged to it" (Larsen 182). While there may be a little truth to this report, it does not lessen Clare's own pain at having to deny her African American legacy, and her longing to return to it. Irene isn’t being fair to Clare. She is not being the true friend that Clare needs. Irene represents a piece of society who feel that people who pass must have a ethically satisfactory reason to return to their African American roots such as a want to rebel against a white humanity that has forced them into the role of a white person. In my opinion, Clare’s desire to return to her ... ...ar just how Clare falls from the window after Jon discovers her dishonesty, just before the fall Irene reveals "that she couldn’t have Clare Kendry cast aside by Bellew...she couldn’t have her free" (Larsen 239). This tells that Irene is very likely accountable for Clare's death. Although the vagueness adjoining the incident prevents determining Irene's guilt beyond a practical disbelief, she seems to be the one character who benefits the most from Clare's death. In the end, the variations between Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield are overshadowed by their similarities revealing that their relationships are just as noteworthy as the subject of passing. Nella Larsen's Passing effectively deals with the troubles of the "tragic mulatto," and the complexities of human relationships. Her literary donation is important because of her capability to boldly handle a sensitive racial issue while also exploring the consequences of this issue on human relationships. It is obvious that Larsen included both the social and psychological characteristics of passing in her novel, and I believe that is what truly made the novel great. Works Cited Larsen, Nella. Passing. New York: Penguin, 1997.

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Current Issues: Gangs 2011, n. p. Copyright @ 2011 ReferencePoint Press, Website: www. referencepointpress. com. P. O. Box 27779, San Diego, CA 92198. Phone: 858-618-1314. Fax: 858-618-1730. All rights reserved. Current Issues: Gangs By Peggy J. Parks Contents Gangs at a Glance Overview How Serious a Problem Are Gangs? Primary Source Quotes Facts and Illustrations Why Do Young People Join Gangs? Primary Source Quotes Facts and Illustrations Can People Leave the Gang Life Behind? Primary Source Quotes Facts and Illustrations Can Gang Violence Be Stopped? Primary Source QuotesFacts and Illustrations Key People and Advocacy Groups Chronology Related Organizations For Further Research Source Notes About the Author Gangs at a Glance Gangs and Gang Members The U. S. Department of Justice estimates that more than 20,000 gangs with a total of about 1 million members are criminally active in the United States. Gang Migration Gangs are no longer confined to large cities. The FBI states that ga ng activity is rapidly spreading to outlying suburban and rural communities throughout the United States. Types of Gangs Four main types of gangs identified by the U.S. Department of Justice are street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, and military gangs. Gangs and Crime Law enforcement officials say that gangs commit a wide range of crimes, including distribution of drugs, weapons trafficking, drive-by shootings, armed robbery, assault, identity theft, and homicide. In many communities gangs are responsible for as much as 80 percent of crime. Cities with Gang Problems The U. S. Department of Justice has identified Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York as the top three cities for the most gangs and gang-related crime.Reasons for Joining Gangs Young people join gangs for many reasons including the desire to belong to a family-like group, protection from rival gangs, the ability to make money (usually from stealing or selling drugs), prestige, and ready access to drugs. Quitt ing Gangs Whether people are able to leave gangs depends on the particular gang and its rules. Jumping out (being beaten by gang members) is a common way of letting someone out. Some gangs expect their members to remain committed for life and threaten them with death if they try to quit.Fighting Gang Violence In cities throughout the United States, the FBI and state and local law enforcement officials are focusing on the most violent street gangs in an effort to capture their leaders and get them off the streets. Overview â€Å"Gangs are morphing, multiplying, and migrating—entrenching themselves not just in our inner cities but increasingly in our ever-sprawling suburbs and wide-open rural spaces. † —Federal Bureau of Investigation, a law enforcement agency of the U. S. Department of Justice. Gangs and gang-involved kids exist at some level in every community. Certain groups have decided to use violence and retribution, and their acts are affecting all of us. à ¢â‚¬  —Steven D. Strachan, the chief of police of Kent, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. At 16 years old, Melody Ross was thoroughly enjoying life. She had just begun her junior year at Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, where she was an honors student and a pole-vaulter on the track team. She was popular and known for being friendly, kind, and someone who always had a sunny smile on her face.On the evening of October 30, 2009, Melody and her friends went to their school's home ­coming football game. After the game ended, the girls left the stadium and were sitting on the curb in front of the school. Suddenly the loud crack of gunshots filled the air. A feud had broken out between members of rival gangs, and they were shooting at each other—with bystanders caught in the crossfire. By the time the violence ended, three people lay on the ground, wounded and bleeding: two men and Melody. Ambulances rushed them to the hospital, where the men were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.Melody, however, was not so fortunate. She died of a severe bullet wound in her side. Her family and friends were devastated, and as a memorial to her, a classmate named Dylan Vassberg created a Facebook page entitled RIP Melody Ross. â€Å"Every kid our age–we don't ever think we're going to die,† he says. â€Å"We never think that. We think we're going to college and we're going to have a long life and die of old age. Not die because someone decided to shoot a gun. We never think of that. It's not something that crosses our mind ever. Not even fathomable, really. 1 How Serious a Problem Are Gangs? Although the precise number of gangs and gang members (known as gangbangers) is not known, the U. S. Department of Justice makes estimates based on information it receives from state and local law enforcement officials. In January 2009 the Justice Department's National Gang Intelligence Center released a report entitled National Gang Threat As sessment 2009. The report states that more than 20,000 violent gangs with a total of approximately 1 million members were criminally active in the United States as of September 2008.The report's authors state that â€Å"gangs pose a serious threat to public safety. † They warn that throughout the country, gang activity is rapidly spreading from large cities to outlying suburban and rural areas. This, they predict, will cause gang-related violent crime to remain at high levels and likely increase. They write: â€Å"As these gangs encounter resistance from local gangs or other drug distributors in these communities, an increase in violent incidents such as assaults, drive-by shootings, and homicides can be expected. â€Å"2 The Evolution of GangsNo one knows exactly when gangs first formed, but they are often assumed to have been around for centuries. According to Lou Savelli, who is a retired New York City police sergeant and cofounder of the East Coast Gang Investigators As sociation, the word thug dates back to India during the 1200s. It is derived from â€Å"Thugz,† an Indian word that referred to a gang of criminals who traveled throughout the country terrorizing towns. Savelli adds that like gangs today, the Thugz had their own symbols, hand signs, slang language, and rituals.Gang activity is thought to have begun in the United States early in the country's history. Journalist Ed Grabianowski explains: â€Å"Criminal gangs have certainly been around as long as crime itself—it doesn't take a criminal mastermind to realize there is strength in numbers. The urbanization that accompanied the Industrial Revolution gave rise to the modern street gang. â€Å"3 Throughout the 1800s, as more people immigrated to America from other countries, gangs such as the Monk Eastman Gang and Five Points Gang formed and terrorized the streets of New York.But it was the 1920s that ushered in the heyday of gang activity in the United States because of a n otorious gangster named Al Capone, also called Scarface. This was a time known as Prohibition, when the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution made the sale or distribution of alcohol illegal. Supporters hoped the legislation would transform American society for the better, but its effects were quite different from what they expected. Once alcohol was no longer legally available, criminal gangs began to distribute it on the black market.These gangs developed rapidly and continued to grow in power, which caused a steep rise in violent crime. Capone and his gang of criminals were responsible for a wave of violence in the Chicago area during the 1920s and 1930s. Savelli says this led to his becoming known as most violent gangster in Chicago and perhaps in all of the United States. Capone's reputation spread far and wide, and his actions strongly influenced the activities of would-be gangsters throughout the country. By the time Prohibition ended in 1933, gangs had become entrenched t hroughout the country and were widely known for their connections with violent crime.During the 1950s gang-related crime was rampant in a number of U. S. cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, and it was steadily growing. Over the following decades gangs became better organized and continued to expand their activities from cities into neighboring communities, as the Justice Department explains: â€Å"The gang members who migrated from urban areas often formed new, neighborhood-based local gangs. These local gangs generally controlled their territories through violence and intimidation. 4 Gang membership—and associated violent crime—continued to grow throughout the rest of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. Street Gangs and Motorcycle Outlaws Gangs often differ significantly from one another based on membership requirements, structure, and the ages and ethnicity of the members. Two main types that have been identified by law enforcement off icials are street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs. The Justice Department says that street gangs pose a considerable threat to communities because they are the largest group and also control the greatest geographical area. Therefore,† Justice Department authorities explain, criminal activities such as violence and drug trafficking perpetrated by street gangs pose the greatest threat. The threat becomes magnified as national- and regional-level street gangs migrate from urban areas to suburban and rural communities, expanding their influence in most regions and broadening their presence outside the United States to develop associations with . . . criminal organizations in Mexico, Central America, and Canada. 5Most street gangs are local-level gangs that operate in single locations while regional-level street gangs are more organized and larger. Some of the largest and most violent street gangs are Hispanic gangs such as MS ­13, 18th Street, Surenos, and Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings) and the predominately African American gangs Bloods, Crips, and Black P. Stone Nation. Asian gangs such as the Asian Boyz are also developing a reputation as a result of their links to drug trafficking and violent crimes. Though less common than gangs of other racial and ethnic groups, white gangs also pose a threat.The white supremacist street gang Nazi Low-riders has a growing presence in Southern California, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Illinois, and members have been connected with a number of racially motivated violent crimes. Outlaw motorcycle gangs also pose a significant threat because they engage in numerous criminal activities, such as trafficking in weapons and drugs, and often commit violent crimes. State and local law enforcement agencies have identified as many as 520 outlaw motorcycle gangs with an estimated total of 20,000 members of various races and ethnicities.The motorcycle gangs that the FBI considers the greatest threat because of criminal activities are the Sons of Silence, Bandidos, Mongols, Hells Angels, and Outlaws. Gangs Behind Bars Just because people are incarcerated, and even sentenced to life in prison, does not necessarily prevent them from engaging in gang activities. According to the Justice Department, prison gangs are highly structured criminal networks that are active within prisons throughout the United States. It adds that as of September 2008, more than 147,000 documented gang members were incarcerated in federal, state, and local correctional facilities.One state where this is a particularly serious problem is Washington. According to a study released in 2009, gang-affiliated inmates are responsible for 43 percent of all violent crimes that are committed in the state's prisons. The report also states that the Crips are the most represented prison gang, with 2,385 inmate members. Also well known for violence behind bars is the white supremacist gang Aryan Brotherhood and the Latino gangs Barrio Azteca and Mexican Mafia. One gang that has been especially violent in Texas prisons is the Texas Syndicate.In February 2007 federal authorities issued indictments for gang members who were suspected of being responsible for as many as 16 murders outside the state's prisons, including a triple slaying in 2003. The indictment states: â€Å"It is understood that members and prospects of the TS may receive a telephone call and instructions to commit a murder . . . at any time. Regardless of the member's friendship or association with the victim, the orders are to be carried out. â€Å"6 Not only are gangs extremely active in prisons, gang members who have been imprisoned are often the gangs' top leaders.According to Sergeant Jeremy Young, who is a supervisor with the Modesto, California, police street crimes unit, the bottom level of a gang's chain of command is made up of gangbangers who are the â€Å"soldiers† on the street; the mid-level is composed of the leaders o f street crews who run the operation; and the top level are the bosses who are often inside prisons. â€Å"The (gang leaders in the) prisons run the street,† he says. â€Å"A lot of things that start in there end up out here. â€Å"7 Criminal Activities Gangs are involved in a wide range of crimes.These include drug distribution, assault, armed robbery, drive-by shootings, auto theft, identity theft, extortion, weapons trafficking, and homicide. In fact, the National Gang Threat Assessment report says that according to law enforcement officials throughout the United States, criminal gangs commit as much as 80 percent of the crime in many communities. Yet the connection between gangs and crime is a controversial is ­sue. According to the Justice Policy Institute, a Washington, D. C. –based think tank that supports alternatives to incarceration, gang members are not responsible for the biggest share of crime in most jurisdictions.In a July 2007 report, the group stat es that many crimes committed by gang members are unrelated to gang activity, and reliable data on the extent of gang crime do not exist. The report's authors write: â€Å"The available evidence indicates that gang members play a relatively small role in the national crime problem. . . . National estimates and local research findings suggest that gang members may be responsible for fewer than one in 10 homicides; fewer than one in 16 violent offenses; and fewer than one in 20 serious . . . crimes. â€Å"8 Gang-Infested CitiesAlthough gangs have a presence in communities all over the United States, the National Gang Center says that the three cities with the most gangs and worst gang-related crime are Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. According to John S. Pistole, who is the deputy director of the FBI, Los Angeles is â€Å"ground zero for modern gang activity,† with over 400 gangs and an estimated 40,000 gang members. â€Å"Many gangs were born here, a generation ago,â₠¬  he says. â€Å"But they are no longer limited to Los Angeles. Like a cancer, gangs are spreading to communities across America. â€Å"9Two other California cities where gang-related crime is increasing are San Diego, where gang-related homicides rose 56 percent between 2006 and 2007, and Salinas, where gang-related homicides increased 125 percent during that same period of time. Gangs are also a serious problem in Hartford, Connecticut, and Camden, New Jersey. And Pistole adds that gangs are becoming more active in many other cities including Baltimore, Houston, Washington, D. C. , Denver, Atlanta, Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Omaha, Nebraska. High-Tech Gangbanging The Internet has opened up a whole new way for gangbangers to recruit new members.As a February 2007 ABC News report states: â€Å"By posting online content that glorifies the thug lifestyle, gangs are using the Web to recruit—some using children as young as 8 years old as part of the on ­line recruiting process, known as ‘Net Banging. ‘†10 Sometimes rival gang members spar with each other online, proudly displaying their gang colors, tattoos, and gang hand signs in photos. They also use the Internet to schedule fights with each other as well as brag about crimes that they have committed. By monitoring these sites, federal and state law enforcement officials can track gang activity.Cell phones also play a crucial role in gang operations. Gangbangers communicate with each other by sending text messages, and it is not uncommon for them to use multiple phones that they discard after they have completed criminal operations such as drug trafficking. The Justice Department offers an example: â€Å"The leader of an African American street gang operating on the north side of Milwaukee used more than 20 cell phones to coordinate drug-related activities of the gang: most were prepaid phones that the leader routinely discarded and replaced. 11 Why Do Young People Join Gangs ? Law enforcement professionals say that the issue of why kids join gangs is complex. According to the Justice Policy Institute, no single risk factor or set of factors can accurately predict which young people will become gang members. One of the most common reasons kids join gangs is that they are from broken homes and desperately want to be part of a family-like group, and they perceive gangs as being able to provide that. Brandon Robinson grew up in a housing project in Kansas City, Missouri.As a participant in a 2007 survey about gangs, he told interviewers that many of those who join share the commonality of being from poverty-stricken, dysfunctional backgrounds. â€Å"You got family members on crack and you ain't eating right,† he says. â€Å"Everybody's hungry. â€Å"12 According to Robinson, gang members look out for each other, help feed each other, and stick up for each other, much like a family would. â€Å"That's when you start loving your street,†13 he says.Other reasons for joining gangs include the lure of having money to spend (from stealing or selling drugs), easy access to drugs, and protection from the dangers of the street and rival gangs. Yet many criminal justice experts say that being part of a gang does not keep kids safer at all. In fact, studies have shown that young people who are involved with gangs have a markedly higher likelihood of being injured or killed than those who are not gang-affiliated. Girl Gangs Traditionally, gangs have been dominated by males and that is still true today.But the Justice Department states that female involvement in gangs is on the upswing. A May 2008 study by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention found that in high-crime neighborhoods nearly 30 percent of girls surveyed claimed that they were members of gangs. The report ranked â€Å"young females as the fastest growing offenders in the national juvenile justice population. â€Å"14 One city that has experienced growing problems with girl gangs is Flint, Michigan. Gina Nyovane, a 22-year-old graduate of Flint Northwestern High School, has observed girl gangs in her former school and throughout the city.She says that these gangs are becoming more widespread and more violent, as she explains: â€Å"I hear it all the time. Girls are quick to pull a gun out, faster than a guy. â€Å"15 Over Labor Day weekend in 2009, members of a girl gang called the Goonies followed a car that was carrying members of a rival gang, the Dufflebacks. A young man traveling with the Goonies fired six shots at the other car, killing an 18-year-old male passenger and wounding the female driver. Can People Leave the Gang Life Behind? The common view is that people who join gangs are never allowed to leave them.The Justice Policy Institute says its research has found that gang membership is not a â€Å"one-way street† and that the typical gang member is active for a year or less. The group explains: â€Å"Thi s myth is perpetuated not only by the media but also by gang members who exaggerate the stakes of membership in order to underscore the importance and permanence of their collective bond. â€Å"16 Yet many people say that joining a gang is a lifetime commitment, and the only way someone can leave is by dying or going to prison. Former gang member Hashim Garrett was 15 years old when he was shot six times in the back and legs.Today he struggles to walk and must use forearm crutches because his right leg is paralyzed. In a speech to students at a middle school in 2008, Garrett addressed the realities of gang life: â€Å"They say they're like your family, but your loved ones don't ask much of you. Come home on time, clean up your room, be polite, eat your vegetables. The gang's going to ask more than that. Hold this gun. Hold these drugs. Prove you're wild. Maybe kill somebody. † He adds that most gang members want to quit the gang but are too afraid to do so. If you join the f ootball team and you don't like the coach, you can quit. You can't quit a gang that easy. â€Å"17 Can Gang Violence Be Stopped? Controlling gang proliferation and gang-related crime is one of the most significant challenges facing law enforcement officials every day of the year. Federal agencies such as the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives have partnered with state and local police departments throughout the United States in an effort to bring down gangs and put an end to their crime sprees.In many cities, the focus is on eliminating the leadership of gang enterprises. According to Pistole, the goal is to do more than just disrupt their activities—it is to â€Å"dismantle them entirely. † He explains: Taking apart a gang is like demolishing a building. Hacking away at individual walls and beams might damage the building, but it doesn't destroy it. But using federal drug and racketeering statutes is akin to dynamiting the foundation. On ce the gang's leadership infrastructure implodes, all members are weakened. It becomes difficult for the group to operate.Eventually, it crumbles. And so our strategy is to prosecute as many gang leaders, members, and associates as possible so there are no pieces left which are large enough to allow the gang to rebuild. 18 How Serious a Problem Are Gangs? â€Å"Following a marked decline from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, a steady resurgence of gang problems has occurred in recent years. † —James C. Howell, Arlen Egley Jr. , and Christina O'Donnell, research associates with the National Gang Center. â€Å"Wherever MS-13 goes, violence follows.Gang members have carried out beheadings and grenade attacks in Central America and have hacked people with machetes in cities along the East Coast in the United States. † —Jessica M. Vaughan and John D. Feere, policy analysts with the Center for Immigration Studies. For people in many areas of the world, includi ng the United States, gang violence is a harsh reality of life. According to the U. S. Department of Justice, the problem in America is growing worse. The Justice Department estimates that the number of gang members totaled about 1 million as of September 2008, which was an increase from 800,000 in 2005.One reason gangs continue to grow larger and more powerful is that they are fostering relationships with criminal organizations in Mexico, Central America, and Canada. This has led to a proliferation of drugs and weapons being smuggled across the U. S. border as well as an influx of illegal aliens who join gangs. To emphasize the seriousness of America's gang violence, FBI director John Pistole tells the story of a young woman who was working at a Los Angeles outdoor market in September 2007. Her newborn son, Luis, was beside her is his stroller.Members of the 18th Street gang approached one of the market's vendors, telling him that he could not sell his goods in their territory unle ss he paid them rent. He had steadfastly refused to meet their demands in the past, and when he continued to do so at the market, gang members drew their guns and opened fire on him. The man survived, but Luis did not. A stray bullet struck the baby and killed him instantly. Pistole says that this tragic incident is indicative of what is happening throughout the country: â€Å"In too many neighborhoods, too many young people are recruited into gangs.They fall into a life of crime, drugs, and violence. They shoot each other, with no regard to the innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire. Crime and violence are not confined to their cliques, but have a chilling effect on entire communities. â€Å"19 A Ruthlessly Vicious Gang Of all the gangs known to law enforcement, Mara Salvatrucha, or MS ­13, is one of the most violent. It started as a small Los Angeles street gang formed during the 1980s by immigrants from El Salvador. Now, however, it is among the largest and most dangerou s gangs in the United States and Central America.According to the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), MS-13 has â€Å"mushroomed into the size of a small army† and â€Å"strives to be the most violent and feared gang in the world. â€Å"20 ICE states that MS-13 members have been convicted of murder, assault, extortion, kidnapping, theft, drug dealing, rape, robbery, and other violent crimes. One city that is plagued by the violence of MS-13 is Houston, Texas. Although larger gangs are active in the city, the FBI considers MS-13 to be â€Å"of particular concern because members are often heavily armed and well trained in the use of weapons and assault tactics. 21 In January 2009 MS-13 gang members robbed a Houston beauty salon at gunpoint and sexually assaulted an employee. They warned her not to go to the police, saying that if she did she would regret it. They also threatened the salon owner, telling her that they would kill her if she reported the incide nt, and they demanded that she pay them a weekly protection fee of $100. The salon owner was terrified—but she was also angry. She had seen the same kinds of crimes committed in her native El Salvador, and she was determined to fight to keep them from happening in her adopted country.Even though she feared for her life and the lives of her family members, she went to the FBI and told agents what happened. During that visit she turned over a security surveillance tape that showed the gang members' faces. About a week later the woman had not paid the protection money. In retaliation, two MS-13 gangbangers drove by the salon and sprayed the front door with bullets—but they did not get away with the violent act. Because of the tapes and the salon owner's cooperation, the FBI agents arrested seven members of the gang. As one agent explains: â€Å"This case is proof that victims of crime should not suffer in silence. He adds that the salon owner, who was placed in protectiv e custody by the FBI, â€Å"was courageous to stand up to gang members, and as a result those gang members are now in jail. â€Å"22 Violent Communities Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago is often called one of America's most beautiful cities. With its tree-lined neighborhoods of stately brownstone homes, the â€Å"Magnificent Mile† shopping district, prolific theaters and restaurants, and world-renowned museums, the city attracts tourists from many different countries—yet it also has a dark and dangerous side.Law enforcement officials estimate that 50 to 60 gangs are active in Chicago and that together, they have as many as 30,000 members. Armed gangbangers roam the streets of the South Side of Chicago, committing crimes and terrorizing the people who live there. A chilling testament to this gang violence is evident in one of the city's lesser-known monuments: an arrangement of more than 150 landscaping stones, each bearing the name of a school-age chil d killed by gang violence since 2007. Police superintendent Jody Weis states that Chicago youth have become increasingly more violent over the years.He explains: â€Å"There's simply too many gangs, too many guns and too many drugs on the streets. We've got a problem with some of our young people . . . resorting to use of weapons and violence to solve any type of conflicts they may have. â€Å"23 Chicago has had a problem with gang violence for many years, but public outrage was sparked in 2007 when a 16-year-old honors student named Blair Holt was killed. Holt, who was not involved with a gang, was riding in a city bus with a friend when members of rival gangs started shooting at each other. He attempted to shield his friend by pushing her down into a seat.His heroic act saved her life, but he was fatally shot in the stomach. Afterward, his father, a Chicago police officer, expressed his despair and frustration over gangs who do not think twice about killing people: â€Å"You wo nder where it comes from. What causes a child to wantonly and blatantly hatch such an ill-conceived plan? To go out and do something like this? What makes them do it? Where is this coming from? What are the influences? â€Å"24 Chicago is far from alone in its ongoing struggle with gang violence. It is prevalent in communities all over the country.In South Carolina, for instance, the rate of gang violence has risen nearly 1,000 percent over the past decade, with the highest number of incidents reported in Colleton County. Although Colleton County is home to just 38,000 people, law enforcement investigators have identified about 20 active gangs with an estimated total of 400 members. According to Sheriff George Malone, â€Å"The violence in Colleton County is out of control. â€Å"25 One incident occurred in November 2009 in the small town of Walterboro. A group of people were playing cards in the front yard of their home when a car pulled up and suddenly opened fire on the group. A 20-month-old toddler and 2 adults were killed; 6 others were injured. Gangs in the Military According to the Justice Department, gang activity is on the upswing in the military. Members of every major street gang and some outlaw motorcycle gangs have been identified on both domestic and international military bases. One incident involved three soldiers stationed in Alaska who were charged with murder after killing a civilian as they shot at members of a rival gang. Another involved a soldier who was arrested in October 2007 for the gang-related shooting of five people in Oklahoma.A 2009 Yale Law Journal article describes one case in which a marine sergeant who was a gang member â€Å"shot his commanding officer and executive officer—both lieutenant colonels—and threatened to continue killing officers until his fellow gang members were released from confinement. â€Å"26 While on active duty, gang members may abuse their security privileges and access to weapons and other military equipment to further gang activities. For instance, military gang members may take advantage of their positions to engage in criminal acts such as trafficking illicit drugs or weapons.According to the same article, a gang member in the army who was stationed in Iraq smuggled home four AK ­47 assault rifles that were later used to commit multiple bank robberies. After gang members have been discharged from the military, they remain a serious threat to society. They can use their combat skills against rival gangs and also teach those skills to others. The Justice Department says that this poses a â€Å"potentially significant threat,† as it explains: â€Å"Gang members with military training pose a unique threat to law enforcement personnel because of the distinctive military skills that they possess . . especially if gang members trained in weapons, tactics, and planning pass this instruction on to other gang members. â€Å"27 The Justice Department adds th at such military training could ultimately result in more organized, sophisticated, and dangerous gangs as well as an increase of deadly assaults on law enforcement officers. Incarcerated Gangs Incarcerated gang members are every bit as threatening as those who are on the streets because gang members who are behind bars often control crimes that are committed outside of prison.One example is the Mexican Mafia (also known as the Eme), a violent prison gang with as many as 75,000 members. The incarcerated leaders rule over associates who are given the authority to order crimes in neighborhoods or cities. Tony Rafael, the author of the book The Mexican Mafia, explains: â€Å"Street gangsters very often are puppets of the big homies locked up in prison. The proof is overwhelming and plays itself out on an almost daily basis in almost every neighborhood in Southern California. â€Å"28Members of the Mexican Mafia and their associates have been connected with kidnapping, murder, drug tr afficking, and extortion, among other crimes. According to Rafael, the gang has grown into a large, powerful, and violent organization. He writes: â€Å"It has far-reaching intelligence and communications systems, as well as a standing army of thousands of street soldiers. â€Å"29 Rafael adds that the Mexican Mafia continues to expand its power over street crime: â€Å"Most neighborhoods in Southern California that have a strong Hispanic street gang presence feel the power of the Mexican Mafia.It took local and state law enforcement over twenty years from the founding of the Mexican Mafia to recognize its influence on the streets. It took another two decades for federal law enforcement to address the Eme as a significant criminal organization. â€Å"30 Aside from controlling crime on the streets, these gangs are also involved in violent acts inside prisons. This is a serious problem in Ohio, where attacks in state prisons have doubled from nearly 500 in 2005 to more than 1,000 during 2008.Corrections officials say that part of the increase in violence is due to an influx of gangs such as the Heartless Felons, who are known for attacking prisoners in bands of six or more. Some of the worst violence has broken out at Mansfield Reformatory, a prison built for 1,536 inmates that now houses 2,475–161 percent over capacity. â€Å"These are dangerous times,† says Shirley Pope, the director of the state's Correctional Institutional Inspection Committee. â€Å"Mansfield is overcrowded. It is understaffed and on top of that, it has this peculiar group of younger inmates who have been described as incredibly vicious.An Ongoing Problem Whether they are terrorizing people in neighborhoods, committing crimes while in the military, or reigning over street crime from inside prisons, gangs are a significant problem all over the United States. Law enforcement officials report that gangs now have a presence in every U. S. state and the District of Columbia, a nd gang membership appears to be growing. According to reports from local, state, and federal authorities, there is no sign that this situation will change anytime in the near future.

Causes And Effects Of Deforestation In Myanmar Environmental Sciences Essay

Harmonizing to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations U.N.FAO, there are about 31,773,000 hour angle hectares or 48.3 of woods in Myanmar. An norm of 372,250 hour angle or 0.95 % of wood have been lost yearly between 1990 and 2010. The organisation states that within the period of 20 old ages ( 1990-2010 ) , around 7,445,000 hour angle or 19.0 % of the entire wood has been cleared in Myanmar. Myanmar is one of the top 10 states that are go oning highest deforestation rate in the universe, and its rank is seven. The Rangoon-based Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association ( BANCA ) alerts that Myanmar is run intoing a deforestation crisis because of natural catastrophes ( hurricanes, inundations, drouth and fires ) , human activities ( logging, slash-and-burn agribusiness, cutting trees for fuel, mining operations, dike edifice, uncluttering land for farm animal graze and oil extraction ) and overpopulation. If deforestation can non be controlled by authorities, the consequence could be really black. It has negative impacts on environmental debasement and direct biodiversity loss. Exporting lumber and human population are the chief causes of deforestation in Myanmar. The Global Witness Non-Governmental Organization ( NGO ) manipulated that Myanmar shipped at least one million three-dimensional metres of lumber into China in 2002. Between 2010 and 2011, authorities exported 864,000 metric dozenss of lumber and got US $ 600 million from it. Furthermore, harmonizing to the UN FAO study that Burma ‘s rural populations of around 70 % or at least 30 million rely on woods for their basic demands in 2009. Government and people do non aware if they cut a batch of trees for their net incomes ; it will impact on ecosystem and go on a batch of natural catastrophe in Myanmar. The intent of this paper is to demo causes and effects of deforestation in Myanmar. In peculiar, the impact of clime alterations is really serious job in Myanmar due to deforestation. This paper will discourse the programs of authorities to work out these jobs, and it will besides supply some possible suggestions to protect the woods.1.0 CausesThe significance of deforestation is cutting, uncluttering and taking of trees for assorted grounds such as logging, slashing-and-burning agribusiness, uncluttering land for farm animal, constructing dike. Sometimes, natural catastrophes can highly destruct woods. For case, Cyclone Nargis destroyed a batch of trees in Myanmar on 2 and 3 May 2008. Myanmar is developing state, so the authorities and people are highly depend on woods. They cut down a batch of trees for assorted grounds, but the chief point is for short-run economic benefits ( Putatunda, 2011 ) . Deforestation can be caused non merely human activities, but besides natural catastrophes. In Myanmar, authorities exports a batch of natural resources to other states, but they got more money by exporting lumber. Harmonizing to the parliamentary Natural Resources and Environment Conservation Committee, Myanmar exports a batch of teaks by legal or illegal. The London-based Environment Investigation Agency claims that Myanmar exported 1.6 million tones of teak per yearly to neighbouring states such as India, China, Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.itto.int/files/user/mis/mis % 20charts % 20homepage/snap20111201.gif The bureau states Myanmar got $ 5.7 billion by exporting 18 million three-dimensional metres of wood log between 2000 and 2010. Harmonizing to statistics, Myanmar has more than 16.32 million hectares of wood, and the country of teak is 24,300 hectares while the country of hardwood is 324,000 hectares. In Myanmar about 1.98 million three-dimensional metres of hardwood and 283,000 three-dimensional metres of teak are used in Myanmar per one-year. As a consequence, cutting a batch of trees for exporting is endangering Myanmar woods. Overpopulation affect on woods because they destroy a batch of trees for their net income. In Myanmar, the population is increased about one million yearly. The population Myanmar is 54,584,650 in 2012.According to UNFAO, 70 per centum of the Myanmar people live in rural country, and they rely on woods for their basic demands and nutriment and income. Similar to Indonesia, people who get less than US $ 1 cut trees to acquire a few income for short-run ( Stolle, 2008 ) . Deforestation can be caused by non merely semisynthetic, but besides natural catastrophes. In Myanmar, forest fire is one of the chief jobs to destruct woods. Union of burma lost up to 10 dozenss of forest fuel because of forest fire. As a consequence, every 30 to 70 dozenss of top wood dirt are destroyed in Myanmar. Myanmar is confronting natural catastrophes such as cyclones, landslides, temblors, tsunami, fire and drouth. They are besides existent menaces to Myanmar ‘s environment.EffectssBurning trees and uncluttering forest highly affect on environment. A batch of nursery gases including C dioxide are emitted from deforestation. Hence, the temperature of planetary is lifting, so climate alterations and dirt eroding go on in Myanmar.2.1 Climate ChangesA batch of natural catastrophes are endangering Myanmar ‘s forest such as cyclones, temblors and inundations ( Moe, 2009 ) . Cyclone Nargis destroyed trees and support of people more than temblor and inundations. Cyclone Nargis was the top deadliest and most acerb tropical cyclones to of all time strike Myanma r ( The New York Time, 2012 ) . The cyclone notably affected a sum of 37 townships. The UN predicts more than 2.4 million people were affected by Cyclone. Harmonizing to official figures, 53,800 were losing, and 84,500 people were killed. It besides destroyed a million estates of rice Paddies, trees and killed three-quarterss of the farm animal with its saltwater rushs.2.2 Soil eroding and dirt birthrate lossIn Myanmar, dirt eroding is one of the most serious jobs, and authorities can non be controlled until now, so the agricultural merchandises of Myanmar are falling. The birthrate of the dirt will cut down if the surface dirt is eroded, and it can turn agricultural land into desert land. To forestall dirt eroding, Myanmar should continue woods and grasslands. If soil eroding can non be preserved, it will take to deluging. Weather and agricultural experts argue that they get 4 inches of rain from the inundation countries, but deluging jobs ne'er go on with this sum of rainfall in t he yesteryear. Not merely alimentary depletion but besides ecological, societal and economic job can be happened because of dirt eroding.SolutionsA batch of natural catastrophes are endangering people in Myanmar. Most catastrophes are caused by deforestation. So, the authorities are seeking to cut down deforestation. They have three programs for that. First of all, they will wholly censor exporting lumber to other states in 2014 ( William Boot, 2012 ) . However, it is hard to halt illegal logging and exporting to China. The ground is China ‘s boundary line is really close with northern portion of Myanmar. Most hapless autochthonal people are trusting on wood for their basic demand. Although the authorities does non let to cut trees, they may make go on, but their strategic is a few positive effects on halting illegal logging and exporting to non merely China but besides other states. The 2nd is re-afforestation. Every June or July, the authorities order to works trees in the w hole state. Furthermore, the authorities has dictated its citizen between the ages of 11 and 60 must works five trees per yearly in China. The authorities references that the consequence of their plan is they have been planted at least one billion trees since 1982. Although the authorities of China ‘s program win, in Myanmar, their programme failed since after seting trees, cipher attention about them. In the people ‘s head, their duty is merely seting trees. The last scheme is coaction with UN organisation. It established The National Commission for Environment Affairs ( NCEA ) which purpose is to back up the environmental protection and cut down the environmental debasement. The authorities expects this coaction can forestall deforestation in Myanmar. The best solution is giving occupation to hapless people. If they have adequate money for their basic demand, they will non destruct the woods. They will non care how many catastrophes happen and the authorities announces the regulations because money is more of import than retaining the environment for them. Furthermore, recycling and recycling points are besides the best solution. For illustration, industries are utilizing a batch of bamboo to bring forth paper. If people and pupils reuse the recycling paper, they may cut down utilizing bamboo. These solutions may worsen deforestation in Myanmar.DecisionIn decision, Myanmar was covered a batch of woods in the past, but today, the coverage of woods decreased significanly in Myanmar. Exporting teaks and overpopulation are the chief causes to be confronting deforestation in Myanmar. Myanmar is hapless state, so authorities budget depend on exporting teaks to other states. About 283,000 three-dimensional metres of teak and 1,98 0,000 three-dimensional metres of hardwood are used for exporting in Myanmar per twelvemonth. Increasing population is besides the chief job. Approxima tely one million people are incresing per yearly. Most of them are hapless, so they rely on woods for their basic demands. The consequence of destructing woods is breathing a batch of nursery gases. As a consequence the temperature is lifting, and it affects on clime and dirt of Myanmar. By altering clime, a batch of natural catastrophes are go oning in Myanmar such as Cyclone Nargis, temblors, inundations and drouth. Cyclone Nargis destroyed a batch of trees and affected more than 2.4 million people, and it was nightmare for people. Myanmar has no many good topographic point for agribusiness due to deforestation. Government tried to work out deforestation, but it did non impact on the job. Reducing unemployments and recycling points may forestall destructing the woods. If the authorities can non command deforestaionthe, a batch of utmost natural catastrophes will happen in Myanmar. If there is no adequate trees, the temperature will be higher and higher, and the decease rate of peo ple will aggressively increase in hot season. Health jobs and economic system jobs will besides go on. It is believe that if there is no trees, animate beings can non last. If there is no animate beings, all people can non besides survive. By keeping the environment, the universe will be beautiful.

Thomas Green Case Study Essays

Thomas Green Case Study Essays Thomas Green Case Study Paper Thomas Green Case Study Paper Thomas green Case Study:- 1)Thomas Green was a high performing individual and could have been a very good leader, if he would have exhibited all the qualities of a true leader. Here is an analysis of Thomas’s leadership style based on Ancona leadership model. a. Inventing:- Thomas was very good on this quality of leadership. Soon after his promotion, when he met Davis, his boss, he was able to come with many new ideas and client responded very positively to these ideas. i. Another example of Thomas being inventive:-one of the market specialists who accompanied Thomas to several meeting during the special software project said that Thomas is very creative and can quickly think of new ideas on his feet. b. Visioning:- One of the very important example of Thomas being a visionary was that he know what he wants in his career. He was able to see the position where he wants to be in his organization. And using his inventing capability he was able to make a way to that promotion i. Another example of Thomas’s visioning skill:- In-spite of positive indicators of the market stats (as per Davis) Thomas was able to see that market is actually not going in that direction. Thomas was more close to the consumers. After he stepped into this new role he met many clients, their account executives and market specialist. Based on his meetings he was able to predict that 10% growth, which Davis forecasted was not achievable. c. Sense making:- Thomas was good in this skill also. His ideas made sense to clients (clients responded well to his ideas). Also he was able to convince McDonald that he is a better fit for the new senior marketing specialist position. While in meeting he was able to invent new ideas for his clients which totally got the clients interested in his ideas. d. Relating: This was something Thomas fell behind on. McDonald informed him that he is walking into a tricky situation; still he was not able to relate this warning to Davis’s behavior. During Budgeting and forecasting meeting he openly challenged Davis’ forecasted growth of 10 %. He was not able to relate that Davis was doing this forecasting for past several years and Thomas is the young new guy, challenging Davis Openly will make Davis very upset. In addition he was not able to relate to McDonald either. After the promotion he did not follow up with McDonald to keep him posted of the dynamics going on between him and Davis. Further he was not able to relate to his clients. He was able to walk them through the benefits they will get based on his idea, however, he was not able to provide data supporting his ideas. Green was a high potential worker, if he has been more successful in relating to the people around him then he could have been very strong and influential leader. 2) When this new position of senior marketing specialist opened up, Davis expected to choose the new person. However, McDonald made decision to hire Green. Davis started to act from power as Green was directly reporting to Davis. In first meeting Davis although appreciated Thomas’s new and creative ideas, he also said that these would have been more effective if he had been able to provide supporting data. From the position of power he was able to set targets for Thomas, which was not very realistic. He used his power as boss to decide Thomas’s perception of reality as this lack of enthusiasm. Soon Davis and Thomas both landed in the â€Å"Right† zone of negotiation. Davis acted his right to know Thomas’s schedule and his plans for growth. Additionally he also acted his right to get follow-up on requested information. Thomas at the same time was acting on his rights to be able to voice his perception that 10% of growth for his region is not a possible target. In response to Davis’s complain about his schedule he defended by using the argument of his right to make decision on his trip to maximize the output. Although they were started acting from rights and power, they landed into the interest zone very soon. They based their conflict on the performance of their individual goals. Davis wanted to show a better growth in regions under him, whereas Thomas did not wanted to set a target which he could not achieve and be a failure. In my view, if they could have tried harder to relate to each other or invent a way to relate to each other, then they could have settled for a common interest. Green should make extra effort to be in good terms with Davis. Especially after knowing that Davis’s first instinct would have been not to like him. Thomas should provide all the answers and follow-up to Davis on time by taking help from one of this marketing specialist. Also this marketing specialist can update Thomas’s calendar. Thomas should have other marketing specialist develop data to support his ideas and present them in a nice presentable format to be presented to Davis and also the clients. On the other hand Davis can also ake a step towards relating to the new situation where Davis is the new senior Marketing Specialist and try to take maximum advantage of his positive qualities. He should trust Thomas in growth forecasting as Thomas is closer to the consumer and has more exposure to the real picture. Historical data is not always the correct way to forecast. I they both make and attempt to relate to each other using these ways, they can definitely resolve th e dispute. 3)Thomas Green is not very experienced in his current role. Based on my experience from Eric Peterson case, going forward, Thomas can do following things to be a better fit in his organization. a. He should send a weekly update:- i. Thomas has been working very hard to meet clients and the market specialists to generate new business. Still Davis thinks that is a total waste of time. If Thomas sends weekly update to Davis and request a weekly feed-back from him, this will make Davis feel more valued, and the correct/useful work will be on Davis. Your progress in weekly updates will also make sure that Davis does not think that Thomas is not enthusiastic about work. i. The bad side of this strategy is that this may give Davis more opportunity to beat on Thomas. This can make Thomas very frustrated and can result in poor performance. b. Clarify your rights and power: i. Thomas was the new senior marketing specialist for this region and Davis was forecasting for this region. Thomas should clarify on this rights and responsibilities with Davis as well as McDonald. It will make more sense for a person, who is responsible for generating the growth to make the forecast of growth. ii. There is a possibility that this will add to Davis’s anger and he may come as if Thomas is taking away Davis’s Job. Davis can use this power to add to Thomas’s problems. c. Take the opportunity when it presents itself:- During the first appraisal meeting with Davis, Thomas could have explained his work in details and clarified Davis’s doubts on his work rather than accepting all the charges. Or after receiving the forwarded email he should have really worked hard to change Davis’s perspective in 30 days. This could have been highest on his list. Or after receiving the forwarded email, he could have McDonald and convinced her of the work he was working on. Or take one of Davis’s questions and relate the answer to what he is working on along with the success plan to resolve the issue. i. Davis will have no or less complains about him, also it will show that you are giving importance and respect to Davis. ii. A possible bad side to this approach is that he may totally freeze Thomas’s initiatives to expand and grow reasoning that this does not relate to the question at hand.

French Nasal Vowels for English Speakers

French Nasal Vowels for English Speakers When we speak of nasal vowels in French, we are referring to certain characteristically French vowel sounds that are produced by expelling air through the nose. All other French vowels sounds are pronounced mainly through the mouth, with no obstruction of the lips, tongue or throat. Nasal Vowels and Nasal Consonants Vowels followed by m or n, as in the words  un, on and an, are  nasal. Try to say them and youll see that air is expelled primarily through the nose, not the mouth. This doesnt hold  true, however, when the nasal consonants m or n are followed by another vowel. In this case, the vowel and consonant are both voiced. For example: un  Ã‚  Ã‚  nasalune  Ã‚  Ã‚  voiced There are also nasal vowels in English, but they are a bit different than French nasal vowels. In English, the nasal consonant (m or n) is pronounced and thus nasalizes the vowel that precedes it. In French, the vowel is nasal and the consonant is not pronounced. Compare the following: French  Ã‚  on  Ã‚  anEnglish  Ã‚  own  Ã‚  on French Vowels in General Overall, French vowels share a few characteristics:   Most French vowels are pronounced further forward in the mouth than their English counterparts.The tongue must remain tensed throughout the pronunciation of the vowel.French vowels do not form diphthongs, which is  a sound produced by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another (as in  coin,  loud  and  side  ).  In English, vowels tend to be followed by a y sound (after a, e, i) or a w sound (after o, u). In French, this is not the case: The vowel sound remains constant; it does not change into a y or w sound. Thus, the French vowel has  a purer sound than the English vowel. In addition to nasal vowels, there are other categories of French vowels as well. Hard and Soft Vowels In French, a,  o, and  u  are known as hard vowels while e  and  i  are considered soft vowels, because of certain consonants (c,  g,  s) change pronunciation (hard or soft), in agreement with the vowel that follows them. If theyre followed by a soft vowel, these consonants become soft as well, as in manger and là ©ger. If theyre followed by a hard vowel, they, too, become hard, as in the name Guy. Vowels With Accent Marks Physical  accent  marks on letters, a required feature of French orthography,  can and often do change the pronunciation of vowels, as in the scores of French es with either accent  grave  (pronounced eh) or the acute accent  aigue (pronounced ay).

Kodak and Fujifilm Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Kodak and Fujifilm - Research Paper Example It was then that he started experimenting and finally developed a camera by the year 1880 based on which the Kodak Company was initiated. Thus cameras and photographic films were the core products that the company offered to the general public with intention to make it a large business (George Eastman, n.d.). The company had also focused sincerely on advertising of their products considering advertising as an important measure of business (George Eastman, n.d.). The core business of Fujifilm is manufacture of photographic film. This company was founded in 1934 and is now a leading company in the world of photography across the globe. With establishment of the company in 1934, the company gradually expanded globally and opened up its branches across different countries in the world (Corporate History n.d.). The fundamental approach that Kodak has been following for managing its operations has been a humanistic approach. Eastman believed that his employees were highly important and hence should be offered with more than just wages. There are four major principles that the company followed from its initial times. These include: Production of mass products at a low cost, Distribution of the products across the globe, Extensive advertising, and Focus on the customer. There have been three policies on which the management of the company has been maintained. These are: (1) Continuous research for development and growth of the company; (2) Well behaving with the employees to make them feel important and part of the company; and (3) Reinvestment of the company’s profits in expansion of the business (Schreiner, 2012, pp.1-3). The management approach at Fujifilm Company is focused on increasing and maximizing the synergies of its employees towards accomplishment of organizational goals. The company focuses on utilizing its human resources