Female Skeletal Maturation Evaluation Health And Social Care Essay

Abstraction: The purpose of this survey was to look into the interrelatednesss between skeletal adulthood indexs of manus carpus radiogram, inframaxillary eyetooth calcification phases and cervical vertebrae ripening as seen on orthopantomograph and sidelong cephalogram and besides to correlate them with chronological age. The samples were derived from dental panoramic, sidelong cephalogram and hand-wrist radiogram of 173 female topics. The CVM was assessed utilizing the method developed by Julian vocalist, the hand-wrist ripening was assessed utilizing the method developed by Fishman and Calcification of the inframaxillary eyetooths was rated harmonizing to the system of Demirjian. Statistical analysis of the information was performed with computing machine package and the interrelatedness between all the three methods was analyzed utilizing â€Å" qi † square trial. Based on the recorded information from the present survey the undermentioned decisions possibly drawn: Phase I I of manus carpus radiogram coincides with phase F of eyetooth calcification and Acceleration phase of cervical vertebrae ripening. Stage III of manus carpus radiogram coincides with phase G of eyetooth calcification and passage phase of cervical vertebrae ripening. Stage V of manus carpus radiogram coincides with phase H of eyetooth calcification and slowing phase of cervical vertebrae ripening. Cardinal Wordss: Cervical vertebral ripening ; Hand-wrist ripening ; Skeletal adulthood ; Chronological age.IntroductionBiologic age, skeletal age, bone age, and skeletal ripening are about synonymous footings used to depict the phases of ripening of a individual. Sexual ripening features, chronologic age, dental development, tallness, weight, and skeletal development are some of the more common means that have been used to place phases of growing. Because of single fluctuations on timing, continuance and speed of growing, skeletal age appraisal is indispensable in explicating feasible orthodontic intervention plans.1 To maximise the curative consequence, unluckily a low correlativity has been found between general skeletal adulthood and facial growing as measured by common parameters.2 The standard method of measuring skeletal adulthood has been to utilize a manus carpus radiogram to compare the castanetss of an person ‘s hand.3-5 To avoid taking an extra X ray, nevertheless, some research workers have sought to associate ripening with dental and skeletal characteristics other than the castanetss in the manus wrist.2 Lamparski in 1972 found that cervical vertebrae, as seen on everyday sidelong cephalogram were as statistically and clinically dependable in measuring skeletal age as handwrist technique.2 & A ; 6 Dental development indexs are non dependable forecasters of an person ‘s phase of skeletal development.7-18 Because there is broad fluctuation among persons in the timing of the pubertal growing jet, chronologic age can non besides be used in the rating of adolescent growth.19-25,35 Skeletal adulthood is influenced in each person by a combination of familial and environmental factors. The ossification sequence and timing of the skeletal adulthood within the hand-wrist country show polymorphism and sexual dimorphism, which can restrict their clinical prognostic use.26-32, 36MATERIALS AND METHODSThe sample was derived from pre intervention orthopantomograph, sidelong cephalogram and manus wrist radiogram of 173 female patients from the section of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics , Bapuji Dental College and Hospital, Davangere. The topics were seeking orthodontic intervention and were representatives of the general population that might be expected to profit from the consequences of this probe. A sum of 173 patients aged from 8-15 old ages were taken and they were chronologically divided into 8 groups, each dwelling of minimal 20 topics. All the patients included in the survey were females. A sidelong cephalogram, orthopantomograph and manus carpus radiogram taken on the same twenty-four hours were used for this survey. All the radiogram were taken with same x-ray equipment at the same distance and strength. The records were evaluated by the same operator. Skeletal adulthood indexs were assessed from the manus carpus radiogram by Julian Singer ‘s standards. Skeletal adulthood indexs assessed were the ossification phases of 2nd figure proximal phalanx, 3rd figure center and distal phalanx, the ossification of adductor sesamoid and ossification of maulerss of unciform bone, pisiform, ulna and radius. Calcification phases of inframaxillary eyetooth were determined from the orthopantomographs based on Demirijians phases of tooth calcification. Cervical vertebrae ripening of the sample were evaluated by the Hassel & A ; Farman alteration of Lamparski ‘s standards, which assesses maturational alterations of the II, III and IV cervical vertebrae. Radiographs of each patient were analyzed by utilizing computing machine, Scanner and Printer. The radiogram were ab initio scanned image of these radiograms as seen on the computing machine proctor was analyzed and a printout of the same was taken on the DTP paper through the Laser pressman. The illation of each was mentioned on the printouts along with patients name, age and sex. After obtaining the above mentioned printouts, comparing and correlativity of the three different methods and with the chronological age was evaluated subsequently.ConsequencesThe interrelatedness between the manus carpus radiogram, laniary calcification and cervical vertebrae ripening were analyzed statistically by â€Å" qis † square analysis and the undermentioned consequences were obtained.The frequence of happening of skeletal adulthood indexs with laniary calcification phases are:Hand carpus OPG Percentage Stage – I ( Early ) Stage – Tocopherol 47 % Stage – II ( Pre pubertal ) Stage – F 70 % Stage – III ( Pubertal Onset ) Stage – Gram 73 % Stage – IV ( Pubertal ) Stage – Gram 53 % Stage – V ( Pubertal Deceleration ) Stage – Hydrogen 75 % Stage – VI ( Growth Completion ) Stage – Hydrogen 68 %The frequence of happening of skeletal adulthood indexs with cervical vertebrae ripening phases are:Hand carpus Lateral Ceph. Percentage Stage – I ( Early ) Stage – I 58 % Stage – II ( Pre pubertal ) Stage – Two 60 % Stage – III & A ; IV ( Pubertal Onset & A ; pubertal ) Stage – Three 71 % & A ; 72 % Stage – V ( Pubertal Deceleration ) Stage – Four 52 % Stage – VI ( Growth Completion ) Stage – Volt 71 %The frequence of happening of cervical vertebrae ripening phases with laniary calcification phases are:Lateral Ceph. OPG Percentage Stage – I ( Initiation ) Stage – Tocopherol 47 % Stage – II ( Acceleration ) Stage – F 58 % Stage – III ( Transition ) Stage – Gram 63 % Stage – IV, V & A ; VI ( Deceleration, ripening & A ; completion ) Stage – Hydrogen 61, 95 & A ; 50 %DiscussionThe growing factor is a critical variable in orthodontic intervention. A intervention program can change from orthognathic surgery to extraction of dentitions to non extraction of dentitions, depending on the growing factor. Genetic and racial diverseness and other environmental influences have a pronounced consequence on the rate of development of the prepubertal and pubertal growing of the kid. A more accurate appraisal of the physiologic development can be made by utilizing radiographic scrutiny of the calcified constructions in the manus wrist.21 Numerous efforts has been made in the yesteryear to measure the dental age by finding either the figure of teeth nowadays in the unwritten pit or by surveies based on calcification of multiple dentition. Given the good established relationship between skeletal and bodily adulthood, phases of inframaxillary eyetooth calcification can be used as ca foremost level diagnostic tool to gauge the dental age. This toot h in peculiar has enjoyed equal importance, since its phases of calcification provide a readily recognizable indicant of the adulthood position in an individual.27 Relationship between the phases of tooth mineralization of inframaxillary eyetooth appears to co-relate better with ossification phases than the other dentition. On the other manus the usage of cervical vertebrae to find skeletal adulthood is non new. The maturational alterations of cervical vertebrae as seen on sidelong cephalogram are clinically dependable in measuring skeletal age. Knowledge of these phases of ripening that a kid has attained aids in measuring his/her patterned advance through developmental position. This information bears great clinical importance in placing the optimum clip for prompt orthodontic direction of child.14 The intent of this survey was to supply the orthodontist with an extra tool to assist find growing potency in the adolescent patient. This was o be accomplished by utilizing anatomic alterations of the cervical vertebrae observed on the sidelong cephalogram and eyetooth calcification phases as seen on the OPG. By utilizing routinely taken diagnostic radiogram the orthodontist would hold a dependable diagnostic tool to assistance in explicating intervention options. The present survey investigated the relationship between the skeletal adulthood indexs in manus carpus radiogram, laniary calcification and cervical vertebrae ripening phases. The survey besides compared the relationship between chronological age and assorted skeletal adulthood indexs. This survey consists of 173 female topics with the age group runing from 8-15 old ages, and the undermentioned findings were obtained phase II of manus carpus radiogram coincided with phase F of eyetooth calcification and Acceleration phase of cervical vertebrae ripening. These findings were in conformity with the survey conducted by Sandra Coutinho.10 On the other manus the relationship with cervical vertebrae ripening were in conformity with the survey conducted by Hassel and Farman in which phase II is in correlativity with skeletal adulthood indexs like breadth of epiphysis is every bit broad as shaft of 5th finger in-between phalynx. Stage III of handwrist radiogram coincides with phase G of eyeto oth calcification and passage phase of cervical vertebrae ripening. Stage V of manus carpus radiogram coincides with phase H of eyetooth calcification and slowing phase of cervical vertebrae ripening. Canine calcification findings were in understanding with the surveies conducted by Chertkow and Fatti.12DecisionBased on the recorded information from the present survey the undermentioned decisions can be made. Stage II of manus carpus radiogram coincided with phase F of eyetooth calcification and Acceleration phase of cervical vertebrae ripening. Stage III of handwrist radiogram coincides with phase G of eyetooth calcification and passage phase of cervical vertebrae ripening. Stage V of manus carpus radiogram coincides with phase H of eyetooth calcification and slowing phase of cervical vertebrae ripening. The ability to accurately measure skeletal adulthood from inframaxillary eyetooth calcification and cervical vertebrae ripening, without the demand for extra radiogram, has the potency to better orthodontic diagnostic and curative determinations. The techniques simpleness and easiness of usage should promote these methods as first degree diagnostic tool to measure skeletal adulthood.

Market Research on Chutney

Research on the chutney industry * Study of salad accompaniment (2007) revealed that Mayonnaise and salad cream compete with pickles, chutney and relish as meal accompaniments and as sandwich ingredients. Ethnic products such as mango chutney, premium products such as organic beetroot and relish that are marketed as essential barbecue components are growing in popularity. There is a good opportunity for salad accompaniments to step into the breach with innovation in flavours that satisfy consumer demand for exotic flavours to brighten up mealtimes. Mintel (2009) has researched into attitudes towards food preparation and found an increase of people that want to try new recipes 7 points between 2005 and 2009 Rising concerns about obesity have put the spotlight on the nation’s diet as never before. Not only confined to adults, obesity rates are set to increase among both boys and girls if current trends continue, with more than one in five girls forecast to be classified as obese by 2010. This has serious implications for their future health. * The English provender company EPC is rolling out a new product range and packaging, based on the theme of natural ingredients. The launch will include seven chutney made using the traditional open-pan cooling method. There will be four new flavours, including Hot Chilli & red pepper chutney and Moroccan spiced chutney and new recipes for three existing flavours including ploughman’s plum chutney and caramelised red onion chutney. ’ The range will retain its trademark square jar but new clear labels will allow consumers to see the natural colour and texture of the products. The use of script typeface will give an artisan feel to the range, while tamper tags will carry serving suggestions and natural ingredients will be stamped around the lid. our research revealed a growing demand for products that taste as good as home-made using natural ingredients and traditional cooking methods’ says marketing director Grahame Wright. We’re filling a gap in the premium mainstream market’ EPC says the ? 31M chutney category has grown by 4% in the past 12 months and is targeting Christmas shoppers. * In July 2007 marketing director Kerr Arthur said that ‘consumer tastes are becoming ever more sophisticated. People are beginning to look beyond classic flavours and are also using the products in different ways such as for sandwich filling, dip and barbecue ingredients. ‘Whit this in mind we decided to extend our range of speciality chutneys and have developed these tasty new recipes to make al fresco dining more memorable this summer’ ( fire-roasted pepper chutney with capers and sweet caramelised onion chutney with orange) * Ribblesdalecheese (2011) have done a small tasting session on their chutneys and had a small questionnaire for their subjects. These are the results that they * 1) How do you rate it out of 10? * 2) Would you change anything? * 3) Would you eat it with cheese? * 4) Would you buy it?Results of the Men Tasters|   |   |   |   |   | | Rank|   | Type| Total score| Average Score|   | 1| Tomato & Chilli| Spicy| 145|   | 8. 0|   | 2| Sweet Chilli| Hot| 149|   | 7. 9|   | 3| Red onion marmalade| Savoury| 111|   | 7. 8|   | 4| Onion 1|   | Savoury| 79|   | 7. 3|   | 4| Spicy Onion| Spicy| 82|   | 7. 3|   | 4| Spiced Apple| Sweet| 67|   | 7. 3|   | 4| Piccalilli|   | Spicy| 66|   | 7. 3|   | 4| Apple 1|   | Sweet| 55|   | 7. 3|   | 5| Pineapple|   | Sweet/Spicy| 66|   | 6. 8|   | 5| Banana|   | Spicy| 66|   | 6. 8|   | 6| Pear & Apricot| Sweet| 66|   | 6. 7|   | | Apple 2|   | Sweet| 51|   | 6. 1|   | 8| Tomato 2|   | Savoury| 36|   | 6. 0|   | ‘This is quite interesting, because if  Ã‚  you take the top five chutneys, then men prefer savory chutneys, and preferably  a little spicy and hot. The sweeter chutneys appear at the lower end of the table. So what do women like, is this any different? ’ Results of the Women Tasters|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Type|   | Total score| Average Score|   | 1| Red onion marmalade|   | Savoury| 120|   | 8|   | 2| Piccalilli|   | Spicy| 92|   | 7. 7|   | 3| Sweet Chilli|   | Hot|   | 61|   | 7. 6|   | | Pear & Apricot|   | Sweet| 99|   | 7. 6|   | 3| Apple 1|   | Sweet| 76|   | 7. 6|   | 4| Pineapple|   | Sweet/Spicy| 90|   | 6. 9|   | 4| Tomato & Chilli|   | Spicy| 83|   | 6. 9|   | 4| Spicy Onion|   | Spicy| 62|   | 6. 9|   | 4| Onion 1|   | Savoury| 55|   | 6. 9|   | 5| Spiced Apple|   | Sweet| 81|   | 6. 8|   | 6| Banana|   | Spicy| 78|   | 6. 5|   | 7| Apple 2|   | Sweet| 82|   | 6. 3|   | 8| Tomato 2|   | Savoury| 41|   | 5. 9|   | ‘Well, looking at this, it would appear that women do have slightly sweeter tooth’s than men,   and tha t men and women do have different tastes.Whilst Caramelized  Red Onion Chutney and Sweet Chilli Jam appears in both men and women’s top 3, women far prefer Piccalilli to men and men far prefer the spicy Tomato & Chili to women; look at the Pear and Apricot: it is fourth in the women’s preferences and third to bottom in the men’s’ – interesting, hey? And another question to ask†¦who buys chutney? Men or women? ’ ‘There are many conclusions that can be drawn from this piece of work, but for us, it helps to identify what we are going to make.This includes Sweet Chilli Jam, Tomato & Chilli, Caramelised  Red Onion, Piccalilli, Apple, Pear & Apricot†¦and we have a couple of new ones up our sleeve! ’ And in case you wondered, here is the combined list of men and women’s results. | What Both Men & Women Tried  | Total Score| Average Score| 1| Red onion marmalade|   |   |   | 230. 5 | 7. 9|   | 2| Sweet Chi lli|   |   |   | 210| 7. 8|   | 3| Apple 1|   |   |   | 131| 7. 7|   | 4| Tomato & Chilli|   |   |   | 227. 5| 7. 6|   | 5| Piccalilli|   |   |   | 158| 7. 5|   | 5| Pear & Apricot|   |   |   | 165| 7. 5|   | 6| Pineapple|   |   |   | 156| 7. |   | 7| Spicy Onion|   |   |   | 144| 6. 9|   | 7| Banana|   |   |   | 144| 6. 9|   | 8| Spiced Apple|   |   |   | 147. 5| 6. 7|   | 8| Apple 2|   |   |   | 133| 6. 7|   | 9| Onion 1|   |   |   | 134| 6. 4|   | 10| Tomato 2|   |   |   | 77| 5. 9|   | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | * Pickles, chutneys and relishes are failing to capture the attention of younger shoppers. While for older generations chutneys have been a flavoursome accompaniment to a range of meals, with some creating their own concoctions, younger consumers' most likely exposure is when they're dipping their poppadums into a spot of mango chutney. Bainbridge (2007) belie ves that ‘November and December are the best-selling months for the pickles, chutneys and relishes sector, as shoppers stock up on accompaniments to their turkey leftovers and ham sandwiches. ’ Dorset population research Pring (2011) laid out interesting demographics research on the Dorset area: * Dorset is average sized, small sparse population (159 per sq. km compared with 362 for E&W on average. * Life expectancy in Dorset for both men (80. 3 years) and women (82. 8 years) was higher than the England average.Largest elderly population of all the shire counties (29% of retirement age 19% for England and Wales) * Population is increasing due to net inward migration * Average house prices are among the highest in the UK outside London * But, Earnings are below national levels * Unemployment is low * But, there is little manufacturing * Approx. 10,500 people work in residential/social care (7% of employees in employment) * More people work in social care than directly in leisure and tourism * Median gross annual pay in Dorset was ? 24,927 (South West ? 24,922, England ? 26,165) * The latest unemployment rate for Dorset is 4. % (South West 6. 0%, England 7. 6%) * Dorset lowest quartile affordability ratio (house price to earnings ratio: a higher ratio means less affordable housing) was 10. 3 (South West 8. 2, England 6. 7). References Pring, A. , 2011. The demographics of Dorset and its effect on End of Life Care [online] [viewed on 13 November 2012]. Available from: http://www. piperhub. com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Dorset-Demographics-and-EOLC-Andy-Pring. pdf Bainbridge, J. , 2007. Sector Insight: Pickles, chutneys and relishes – Changing tastes hinder growth [online] [viewed on 10 November 2012].Available from: http://www. prweek. com/uk/news/771632/Sector-Insight-Pickles-chutneys-relishes—Changing-tasteshinder-growth/? DCMP=ILC-SEARCH Bainbridge, J. , 2008. Sector Insight: Pickles, Chutneys and relishes [online] [viewed on 10 Nov ember 2012]. Available from: http://www. prweek. com/uk/features/862382/Sector-Insight-Pickles-Chutneys-relishes/ Ribblesdalecheese’s, 2011. Chutney Tasting Results II. In: Ribblesdalecheese's Blog[online]. 20 February 2011 [viewed on 5 November 2012]. Available from: http://ribblesdalecheese. wordpress. com/2011/02/20/chutney-tasting-results-ii/ Food Manufacture, 2007.Chutney offer sophistication [online] [viewed on 5 November 2012]. Available from: http://www. foodmanufacture. co. uk/NPD/Chutneys-offer-sophistication Food Manufacture, 2011. Chutneys ‘go natural’ in time for Christmas market [online] [viewed on 05 November 2011]. Available from: http://www. foodmanufacture. co. uk/Ingredients/Chutneys-go-natural-in-time-for-Christmas-market Mintel, 2007. Salad Accompaniments – UK – August 2007 [online] [viewed 11 November 2012]. Available from: Mintel Mintel, 2009. Media and Food (The) – UK – October 2009 [online] [viewed on 11 Novemb er 2012] . Available: from Mintel

Are Governments Controlling The Internet Essay Example for Free

Are Governments Controlling The Internet Essay Prior to the 21st century society greatest inventions were the automobile, the telephone, the airplane as a means of communication and transportation. Now individuals are blessed with the Internet. It is commonly regarded that the Internet is a manifesto of technology that allows human beings to interact with one another using networking services. The Internet has broken down the barriers and means of traditional communication. In cyberspace, people can talk with each other regardless of location. It can be defined as a â€Å"unique medium† with no geographical location but available to anyone (p. 21). It is not only used for communication but information searching, listings of products and services, advertising of large/small businesses, and much more. In essence, the Internet can be regarded as a separate entity from our own physical world – a digital utopia. The question being raised is, with the large scale of the internet, how is it maintained or even controlled? Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu’s book Who Controls the Internet? Illusions of a Borderless World gives a perfect example of how the Internet is being directly (and indirectly) controlled by territorial government. As each section of the book is uncovered, it is clearly pointed out that national governments through control of local and global intermediaries and coercion exercise dominate control over the digital empire. The book is subdivided into three large sections. In the first section Wu and Goldsmith marks the impression to the readers that the Internet is in fact a â€Å"libertarian state† where users can freely express themselves. The authors argue at the commencement of the Internet there are no actual â€Å"rulers† or â€Å"governors† of the Internet rather it was the upheaval of a Digital American Revolution, that’s built on â€Å"language and reason and our fail in each other† (p. 22). The authors later indicate that it was open because it was willing to â€Å"accept almost any kind of computer or network†. Thus it is a society that is ruled by the humanity that resides within the Internet. â€Å"Humanity united might do better than our lousy systems of government, throw away the constructs of the nation-state, and live in some different but better way† (p. 7). Section two establishes that users from different geographical regions want their information presented in their local language. As the author pointed that language is one of the most important aspects on the internet. It gives the example that people in Brazil, Korea and France do not want English versions of Microsoft products but rather want a version they can fully understand (p. 50). As the next section unravels we start to notice how digital humanity needs rulers and starts to get involved how national governments are governing the borders of the internet. It proves that government uses coercion and local intermediaries to restrict and even block content that is on the internet. An example would be Nazi merchandise and hate sites appearing on French networks and even an incident in China where a 15 year old girl Liu Di was punished by the Chinese government when she was making an argument comparing the Chinese government and a prostitute. It also points out how controlling Governments can be a beneficial factor in regulating illegal activities such as file sharing and copyrighting. The final section of the book shows how the government aims to make the borders of the Internet a haven that protects its citizens from harm. This section explores the aspect of globalization and competing countries in controlling the Internet. Europe, U. S. and China all wishes to have a centralized power over the Internet. If two out of three countries that are in favour of online gambling while the one third is not, how can a borderless digital society solve this problem? The sections encourages decentralized governments to work together to adapt to people’s needs and respond in a more positive manner (p. 53). For the struggle of ultimate control lies within national governments – and a problem of clashing government interests and priorities can be a serious concern for the future of the Internet (p. 171). Wu and Goldsmith both agreed that this is the â€Å"beginning of a technological version of the cold war, with each side pushing its own vision of the Internet’s future† (p. 184). In order for the book to draw readers closer into fully understanding the Internet the authors must not only make a compelling argument but the style and construction of the book is also important. This essay will discuss four areas in which the book was successful or non-successful into helping readers understand the importance of national governments and their role on the Internet. The notable points in creating a compelling argument lie within the thesis, the method(s) of research, the evidence that supports the thesis and the overall evaluation/recommendation. The first point that’s important in this book is the thesis. The thesis is the main point the authors are trying to make throughout the entire book. In the book Who Controls the Internet Wu and Goldsmith stated their thesis in the conclusion rather than the introduction. Instead they decided to allure readers by telling a short story in the introduction to foreshadow readers into the overall point of the book. In my opinion the thesis of the book can found on page 180 where it reads â€Å"Beneath of fog of modern technology, we have seen the effects of coercive governmental force on local persons, firms and equipment† (p. 180). Ironically, this is not the thesis that users anticipated on hearing when they decide to read the book. On the back cover of the book it reads â€Å"a book about the fate of one idea – that the Internet might liberate us forever from government, borders and even our physical selves†. (Wu and Goldsmith) Wu and Goldsmith prompted readers with a general idea then throughout the book used examples and heated evidence to prove that idea wrong. It gives readers the perception that the Internet is in fact a challenge to governmental rule rather than the idealistic entity of freedom and liberty. The thesis was not always stated at the end of the book rather the author hinted their thesis throughout chapters to reinforce their main point along the way. For instance in chapter 5, Wu and Goldsmith talk about how local intermediaries are present and how government uses coercion to control these intermediaries, thus â€Å"ruling the internet† (p. 65). The authors stated that it would be extremely easy for individuals to â€Å"overlook how often governments control behavior not individually, but collectively, through intermediaries† (p. 68). The authors use the example of HavenCo to reinforce their thesis. In the book HavenCo was described as â€Å"the first place on earth where people are free to conduct business without someone looking over their shoulder† (p. 65). Shortly after, HavenCo became the object of negativity where porn and other offensive content were being hosted. Due to their business model they would not seek out cooperative intermediaries. However falling into a downward spiral, HavenCo became desperate so they looked towards national governments for assistance. However the government would not oblige since it was hosting offensive content and demanded that HavenCo remove the material. Of course, without this aspect â€Å"HavenCo was nothing†. And now without the support of powerful government officials and intermediaries HavenCo is now a â€Å"jumbled pile of network equipment, rotting and obsolete† (p. p. 84-85). The authors presents the readers with a clear and indirect thesis in each chapter, and as each chapter passes they are vividly trying to reinforce their thesis by providing real life evidence that happens in the midst of the digital society. Other notable examples that are highlighted in the book that supports the thesis would be the Chinese government sometimes with help from Yahoo, seize political dissidents and put them in prison (p. 181). Next, the government that are threatening Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and search engines and credit card companies with fines so that they can filter out offensive net communications. And, it is clear that Jon Postel and the Internet’s founders give up control over their creation under implied threats of governmental force. And finally, under the aspect of file sharing (where it was debated it would be hardest to control) governments have executed hidden but important ways to fuel coercion on the economy of file-sharing and â€Å"tilts the playing field to favour law-abiding companies like Apple† (p. 181). The authors have a very climatic way to communicate their thesis to the reader, By presenting support evidence and a strong conclusion they are in fact proving to readers that the government does control the internet. The next section uncovers the methodology that the authors used to present their topic. In order to prove their thesis they need an abundant amount of information. Not only does this information provide historical insight in the topic but it grants validity in the matter. In the book the authors have presented much needed evidence that governments control the internet, as each chapter is unraveled the readers are engulfed with powerful side stories of the lives of specific individuals that resided in the digital age. The book uses a combination of statistical information and encoded facts, personal biographies and appealing stories. If we direct our attention to the sources at the end of the book we notice that the authors use a hefty number of secondary sources. The only notable errors that are present in their methodology were that the sources they used were a little out of date. Old sources will lead to skewed results and that might cause a misinterpretation of the research. The book was written and published in 2006 but the majority of sources they used were within the 1998-2001 timeframe. Although they did use several sources that were recent (2005) it still does not change the fact that the Internet and technology are always changing in real time. With this change it’s rather hard to keep up and readers can be misinformed of with irrelevant information rather than significant information. Although with these slight flaws in the book, the methods were applied correctly in the sense that it is very easy to understand. They have broken the entire book into three parts; each part builds up information for that peak ending (or thesis). The methods were appropriate in the sense that the authors had a balance of evidence to support their claim. For example, the information gathered was not all focused on the government’s point of view but rather an equal split between government, organizations and individuals. It would be naive to think that a proper thesis can be proved without the support of evidence. Methodically the authors predominately still influence the readers with horror stories and statistics of government coercion on digital societies to prove their thesis. For example, the chapter on China outlines President Bill Clinton’s visit to the foreign land. Clinton observed that users required national ID cards before logging on. Regulated cafes also featured cameras pointed directly at the computer screen and police officers would occasionally monitor users right behind their back (p. 97). In China the Internet is far from being a liberating force but rather it is the major attraction for government surveillance. As previously mentioned Liu Di was arrested on personally insulting the government over the Internet, shortly after Liu Di’s story was printed in the press as a warming to all other civilians using the Internet. Throughout the book we see many stories that mimic the true horrors of the Internet, presented in a non-fictitious way to leaves readers shunned into believing the overall message of the book. Other factual occurrences that are displayed in Wu and Goldsmith’s methodology are the Kazaa/Napster case where digital piracy was at its initial state. Napster, a company located in the United States was battling with court officials to stay alive. With no luck, a simple U. S. ourt order was easily enforced and that led â€Å"to a total system collapse† (p. 108). Another factor that stands out with the evidence was that it’s very diverse in the geographical sense. The authors not only present their ideas from the American standpoint but tackles on other regions of the world. In the introduction the authors commences a deep discussion on global borders of the internet, the evidence and support was from a simply disgruntled individual that didn’t like seeing Nazi merc handise on the French site of Yahoo (p. p. 1-10). By using this intrinsic method of communicating the thesis they are successful in the sense of drawing readers. This chapter rather than supporting the thesis, they argue against it saying that the Internet â€Å"cannot be regulated†. Using factual data, they are offering both sides of the story in a very objective manner. This helps readers understand the thesis a little better and perhaps even raise serious questions on a political, global and technological standpoint. Who Controls the Internet is a very accurate portrayal of the digital society. It tells readers the important message that originally the Internet was designed to liberate individuals and it was designed to escape government and borders, but without the government mingling in affairs the Internet as we know it today wouldn’t flourish. One of the few appealing factors of this book is that it speaks out in a very clear and engaging style. Within each chapter the author conveniently uses sub-headings to divide important topics and that each chapter features several compelling stories. The two authors, who are both lawyers does an excellent job of communicating the legal issues to the readers without heavy use of legal jargon. Despite the many praises the book gets, it still has some flaws. In my opinion the flaws are contained within the unnecessary pictures and images that are included. Many (if not all) of the pictures are unneeded. For instance on page 4 it shows a rather large photo of the Palais de Justice, where the Yahoo case was litigated and similarly on page 66 shows a picture of Sealand where HavenCo was initiated. Although visualizations are nice they have no purpose in proving the thesis. How can a picture of Jon Postel who is described as â€Å"a rambling, ragged look, living in sandals, and a large, unkempt beard† help readers understand the dominate government forces on the Internet. In another part of the book Wu and Goldsmith dedicated half a page to Steve Jobs and as a background; shows a skull and sword insignia and was labeled â€Å"Piracy†. In retrospect the authors should have gotten rid of filler photography and replaced it with diagrams, which brings up the next flaw, the limited use of diagrams within the book. A diagram can help readers understand the point the author is trying to prove in either a passage or chapter. Back to the Steve Jobs example, if the authors showed using a diagram how Apple and national governments were combating internet piracy it would strengthen their thesis in proving that government controls most sides of the Internet. Or even a timeline that showed how government intervened with such programs such as Napster, Kazaa and then taking on Apple. This book appeals to a large audience of graduate, undergraduate students and professors teaching either politics or information technology. The benefits include that readers of this book can raise important questions and use these questions as the foundation for political debates. The content is not the only contributing factor in a well rounded book, Wu and Goldsmith does an excellent job in constructing the book that’s easily presentable to the reader. Even an individual with very little prior knowledge of the Internet can understand the book. Each term is defined when it is firstly introduced. Next, at the end on page 187 the authors implemented a â€Å"frequency used abbreviations† section and the definition in case the reader is having a hard time following due to the technological jargon. In conclusion, there are four areas that were used to critically analyze the book. They are the thesis, the methodology, the evidence used to construct the book and the personal evaluation. This book presents many important topics that relate to past, presents and futures of the technological era. It is telling a story where digital democracies suffer at the ends of coercive governments. It is not just powerful nations have the power to reshape the Internet’s architecture, more specifically it is the United States, China and Europe using their dominate power to reestablish their own version of the Internet. Are Governments Controlling The Internet. (2016, Nov 16).

CRITICAL REFLECTIVE EVALUATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CRITICAL REFLECTIVE EVALUATION - Essay Example According to Cowan (1999), he suggests that learners reflect in an educational sense â€Å"when they analyse or evaluate one or more personal experiences, and attempt to generalise from that thinking†. However, as Biggs (1999) points out, â€Å"a reflection in a mirror is an exact replica of what is in front of it. Reflection in professional practice, however, gives back not what it is, but what might be, an improvement on the original†. From the reflective model I had to describe what had happened? In my case I had a task to write a Dissertation. I was required to choose my own title and write 8 000 words. It took me time to find the right topic, and I was in doubt on which should be the best topic to write about. It is however of a great concern for the modern health care services to focus on the informal carers. It is because of this that I landed on my topic that was investigating the social care provisions for the informal carers, its implications to the care givers and receivers. If I was going to achieve this task, I was expected to consult and keep closely to my assistance some specialists with adequate experience. I therefore had a meeting with my supervisor to discuss a way to approach this project and fortunately enough, he was really ready to offer me all the assistance I wanted. After the meeting I had courage to begin my project by drafting a Gant Chart which guided me throughout all the stages of researching and writing my project. I adequately received all sorts of help that I required from my supervisor through every stage of writing this project without the supervisor tiring off. I therefore learnt how important it can be to use the knowledge and assistance of those who have the experience in such related fields. The word dissertation sounded like a very hard task to me at first. When I read the module and saw all I was required to do, I became very worried and anxious thinking of how I was going to do it. I felt like

Mount Olive College has now become The University of Mount Olive (UMO) Essay

Mount Olive College has now become The University of Mount Olive (UMO) - Essay Example Therefore, everyone believes and trusts that it can indeed make a good university. However, to accomplish this goal, the management of the college needs to have a proper plan. In its strategic plan, the college should carry out an assessment to find out if indeed the college fits to be expanded. After looking at all the available facilities, it should focus on the implications of the expansion and ascertain the right amount of money that needs to be allocated for the exercise. With all these in mind, I would like to express m satisfaction with the feasibility of the project. First and foremost, the expansion of the college will not injure the reputation of the institution. In fact, it will be readily welcome by the general public which will be the number one beneficiary of the new UMO. As it is now, the college has a total size of 250 acres. This is a large size of land that needs to be properly utilized. To effectively do this, expansion should be made to be manageable so as not to overwhelm the management. Meaning, it might not be necessary to acquire more tracks of land as the available one is enough for all the facilities that are required. However, should a need arise; the college may consider increasing its size by acquiring additional plots of land to use in constructing other campuses. Nevertheless, this might not be prioritized as the college has enough campuses at the moment. In terms of costs, I would suggest that the new project would require adequate amount of money to complete. So, I suggest that the management should set aside at least $20 million. This will be used in renovating the available facilities which might be worn out or old enough to be properly used in the new university. Also, part of this money will be used in the construction of more facilities which might not be enough. These include residential halls, college apartments and lecture halls. This will have to be done because the upgrade of the college will

Salsa dance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Salsa dance - Essay Example The Latin Americans are known for their love of spices in their meals. Therefore, salsa just like food is different styles of music and dance patterns put together to produce the beautiful salsa dance. Salsa music is a compendium of different types including guanguancà ³, son, rumba, mambo, cha-cha-cha- conga, Danzà ³n, the rhythms of Carnival, and plena. Salsa was identified as the great chill pepper sauce that makes up the Caribbean music and it designates a movement which is an undeniable music phenomenon (Boggs 190). Over the recent past, various dancing styles have been incorporated into salsa dancing for both men and women including spins, shoulder shimmies, acrobatics, body isolations, leg work, rolls, arm work, body movement, lifts and even hand styling. The process of synthesis and creativity is traced to Cuba where mixing of successive Cuban themes was practiced. Bernada (98) points out that the fact that some of the common music styles such as conga, bolero, guaguanco and even guaracha were all categorized under rumba. Rumba at that time was rhythm and fiesta where various styles of dance including both Columbia and yambu were enjoyed. The similar case is identified with bachata, cumbanchata, and cumbancha which literally mean a fiesta (Leonardo 123). Salsa music main ingredient is Cuban son. The musical structure is made up of piano, trumpets, percussion, counterbass, and backing vocals which are adjusted well with each other to produce salsa music. The salsa fusion and the son transformation into salsa could have been done in the Caribbean quarter of New York City. Several factors played part in emergence of salsa such as the existence of a community with a large population where the Latin and Caribbean cultures interacted, the marginalization of these communities, and the need for a musical and poetic form of expressions for their experiences and express their view regarding the contemporary world

WGST 400 Assignment 4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

WGST 400 Assignment 4 - Research Paper Example of both self-emancipation and social emancipation.1 In England, the term was first employed in the1890s during women’s campaign for individual rights and the claim to citizenship, especially the right to vote. The campaign for suffrage challenged the denial of autonomy to women as citizens and feminists of the period stood for women’s right to ‘a democratic political voice and a social right to resources.’2 However, the meanings of feminism in England extended beyond the campaign for suffrage and encompass such aspects as the segregation and stigmatization of women’s gender roles, celebration of women’s uniqueness and differences, socio-economic and cultural issues of women, equal rights for women, education disparities of women, equality of opportunities and equal wages, antimilitarism and pacific movements, women emancipation movements, and so on. It is worthwhile to analyze the historical growth and development of feminist movements in Great Britain. Organized feminist movements in England can broadly be categorised into two phases-the first wave feminism and the second wave feminism. The first wave feminism consists of feminist movements in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, covering the campaign for suffrage as well as feminist experiences during and after the First and Second World Wars. The second-wave feminism covers feminist initiatives beginning from the mid-or late 1960s and extends itself to modern radical feminism. The nineteenth-century intellectual and economic developments, specifically liberalism and the industrial revolution, paved the way for the first wave feminism.3 While liberalism triggered the growth of liberal feminism the industrial revolution offered middle class women a unique opportunity to work out of home and earn money. Similarly, the theory of relative status deprivation has been part ly responsible for the rise of feminism as women strongly felt that they are negated of adequate opportunities whereas their

Psychology at Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Psychology at Work - Essay Example rs of the team are often guided by a leader who provides the necessary information in terms of task divide and receives feedback on the work progress. Grewal (2011) added that the team members may share a common goal but it is not necessary that all of the members in a team should have the same roles and responsibilities. Hollenbeck et al (1995) pointed out that a team can be differentiated from a group of people or students in terms of their individual roles. A group of people may share same skills and qualities and they may not be interdependent to each other for meeting the common goal. A group is often formed without a leader, whereas a team needs a leader in order to ensure that the team members are following the right direction. In order for a team to be efficient and yield the desired result, the team working competencies are more important than the individual personality traits. Individual personalities of the team members may have different characteristics but the organizati on has to ensure whether or not those members can coexist harmoniously in a team. Then only the team as a whole can be able to yield higher productivity. The concept of emergent state identifies the team as a whole and addresses its evolution and improvement in a holistic manner. The most vital emergent states for team building are mutual trust, holistic team identity and confidence in team’s ability (Nancarrow et al, 2013) . Team building helps a firm to efficiently organize its work flow. A complicated task can be efficiently achieved by breaking it down to smaller activities and allocating them to different members of the team. This as a result leads to proper skill utilization of the team members and the managers are able to accomplish a particular task in less time. Thus team building is quite effective in managing a work (Sutton, 2014). Gottlieb (2007) mentioned that building an effective team allows the members to achieve the goal quickly and in a resource efficient way.

Duties and responsibilities of a US sailor Essay

Duties and responsibilities of a US sailor - Essay Example No other branch of the forces can beat the fury of these sailors’ binge drinking. However, their hard work and commitment to achieve their goals is well established. Responsibilities are given to a US sailor as early as in a boot camp. He is expected to learn to stand guard watch, and be responsible of any event that occurs within his area. There are Eleven General Orders that are Sentry-shaped to give an understanding of what being a U.S sailor means, responsible for equipment worth millions of dollars and many lives. The General Orders are the guiding principles of the responsibilities of a sailor, whether he is in boot camp, on the very first sail or finishing a 30-year career (Cutler, 2005). A U.S navy sailor must be always ready to come forward and take leadership roles, as an efficient concept of accomplishing his or her most basic responsibility of defending the State. When a certain task is given to a sailor, it is upon him to see that the task is accomplished precisely, rather than assuming that some other sailor will do it. In addition, a sailor should not drift through his time while in the navy. Each one of them must pay attention to all details no matter how small the matter may be. According to their guiding principles, attention to any detail may signify the difference between failure or success of a given task, and between life and death. A sailor is not expected to play favorites or put into effect the rules without considering honesty and neutrality. Permitting some sailors to ignore other rules will bring challenges in the field. Integrity in the Navy also requires that a sailor hold on to his or her responsibility no matter what comes on his or her way. This is the reason why their regulations provide that no sailor should quit in simple tasks. With this in mind, a sailor can never give up, even when he sees a likelihood of death, while carrying on his duties. In the Navy, a team is much greater than any individual sailor is. Given

The role of supply chain management in tourism Research Paper

The role of supply chain management in tourism - Research Paper Example According to Zhang, Song and Huang, tourism supply chain management is â€Å"a set of approaches utilized to efficiently manage the operations of the tourism supply chain within a specific tourism destination, to meet tourist needs from the targeted source markets and accomplish the business objectives of different enterprises within the TSC† (p.345). In other words, supply chain management in tourism is essentially about coordinating the efforts of numerous providers within one and the same package of services, targeting one specific consumer market segment. A supply chain presupposes having a number of product and service providers enter in and sustain contractual relationships with one another. Consequentially, how each organization performs largely depends upon the quality and efficiency of performance among other organizations in the same supply chain. Over the last decade, supply chain management has already become a distinctive feature of business activity in tourism: this is mainly because tourism by itself operates through a complex combination of activities, interests, resources, and stakeholders all of which must be coordinated and functionally linked into a single supply chain. Certainly, the essence of SCM in tourism is distinctly different from that in manufacturing. While in manufacturing consumption usually follows production, in tourism production and consumption are almost always simultaneous. (Harewood 2008). Moreover, bearing in mind that tourism is neither tangible nor physical, supply chain management in tourism is essentially about coordinating various services from different suppliers at every single point of the tourism supply chain (Harewood 2008). It goes without saying that the nature and complexity of supply chains vary across tourism industries. Hotels, restaurants, and theme parks rely on different standards and principles of SCM. Nonetheless, whatever the industry, SCM is always a value-added activity that makes tourism providers more competitive and strengthens their position in the market. Supply chain effects on hotels Hotels are probably the basic and most influential ingredients in contemporary tourism industry. Much has been written and said about hotel operations and their implications for the development of the entire tourism industry. In its current state, the hotel sector of the global tourism industry comprises the features of rapid development and consumer-focused approaches to business. In this context, supply chains have a potential to enhance the quality and efficiency of hotel services supply and ensure that even the most sophisticated demands of consumers are consistently met. Supply chains are integrally linked to the quality and nature of

Plagiarism Excuse Essay Example for Free

Plagiarism Excuse Essay This letter is regarding the charge on violation of the University’s Student Code of Conduct. I comprehend that plagiarism is a crime, it is wrongful to copy some one else’s work or even idea without giving the author credit for his work. But, my assignments, term reports and coursework are never plagiarized not even a single bit, I always make it a point to cite my entire work appropriately. The reference list I have at the end of my coursework clearly reflects where I have taken my work from. However, my mistake this time was that I forgot to properly do in-text citation of the things I took directly from the author’s text; I should have put those lines that I copied directly from the author’s document in quotes and then should have cited it both internally and at the end of the paper. I comprehend that I made a mistake by forgetting to put the author’s words in quotes, but my intention was not to cheat or commit a crime. All of this happened completely unintentionally. The work pressure I was going through at the time of submission and continuous distraction by of clients and employees just made me feel sick and I completely forgot the basic requirements I had to fulfill in completing the paper. Sir, I am aware that the university is very strict regarding the rules it has towards plagiarism. I am not irrational and foolish enough to submit a plagiarized paper in college and ruin my future. I realize that it is better to shed tears for some time because of getting a bad grade in a course rather than weeping my entire life by submitting plagiarized work. I am a student who cares about his academic career and wants to achieve a lot of goals in life. I can be a motivated contributor to the university; I am even capable to become much more than that if I am provided with the opportunity. Please don’t take this away from me because of my one silly mistake which I committed by coincidence, this university has taught me how to be a better person and has changed me. I feel a part of it and the thought of being separated from it is so painful. I hope for your maximum cooperation as my future is in your hands! My life, my education, my respect in the eyes of my friends and colleagues is at stake and I may not able to digest any charge due to my silly mistake. I also fear that any action or charge against me will have a very negative effect on my health and business. Sir, Please consider my statement that I had no intention to plagiarize in any circumstances before taking any step against me as it is a matter of my whole life . All my life I have studied very hard , was a brilliant student in class and a good person with everyone . I assure to the disciplinary committee with full confidence that my future paper will not be affected by any personal and business issues and I will pay full attention to all the university’s disciplinary requirements. I also hope that the reasons I gave to proof myself innocent will be taken into consideration. Reference: Gilmore, B. (2008). Plagiarism: Why It Happens and How to Prevent It. Heinemann

Qualitative Social Research Essay Example for Free

Qualitative Social Research Essay Sociological researcher, Steven Taylor, in his articles discusses the moral and ethical issues researchers must grapple with when they are carrying out studies of abusive behavior in institutions that have weak and disadvantaged people in our society. He cites his own 1 year work experience in a state institution for the mentally retarded to highlight his concerns. He describes it as being in deplorable physical condition and grossly understaffed. The attendants had little training and there were no therapy programs. They controlled the inmates through verbal and physical abuse directly to them and forcing them to clean up their own mess, including feces and urine. They also pitted some inmates against others, such as giving and withholding favors of coffee, food and drugs. Further they forced them to perform humiliating acts such as swallowing lit cigarettes and performing fellatio on each other. Mr. Taylor felt that in order to gain the trust of the attendants and thereby get more valid observations, he had to develop a rapport with them. He did so by drinking beer with them and socializing in other ways. He also played the naive student role and refrained from being critical about their methods. Nevertheless, he was troubled by the abusive behavior he witnessed, but in a quandary as to what to do about it. The attendants, for their part, rationalized their behavior by saying â€Å"the inmates don’t hurt like we do† and treating their actions as entertainment. Personally, I suspect they really didn’t know how to properly treat the inmates and were desperate to try anything that seemed to control them at least in the short run. The author then posed the question as to what the researcher should do in the face of this ethical dilemma during his study. He considered 4 alternatives ; 1)intervene. , for example to as attendant to stop or threaten to inform his supervisor. The problem with this approach is that it would spell an end to rapport with the attendants and thereby hinder the researcher’s ability to collect data on daily activities. 2) leave field. But research is needed to learn why people abuse. 3) blow the whistle. This would obviously shatter rapport and violate the confidentiality provisions of the ASA Code of Ethics. 4 continue study- which is what Mr. Taylor did. Obviously he felt that although this might not appear to be a good option it was the â€Å"least bad† to him. The author then suggests 4 ways to deal with immoral acts; 1 participation in abuses. He contends this is never justified, and that research goals can be accomplished without making human subjects suffer. Furthermore it is I clear violation of the ASA Code of Ethics. 2 ) observation of abuse. This may be the price to pay for conducting field research in immoral situations, but a person can never sit idly by in extreme cases like murder and rape. 3 inadvertently contribute to abuse because of reactive effects . It is clear that often this can’t be controlled by the researcher and therefore can’t be resolved by a professional code of ethics. However the researcher can refrain from encouraging it, for example pretending not to hear an invitation to join in such behavior. 4) doing something about abuse after study, that is, by publishing it and trying to get political action especially through mass media such as TV and newspapers. Finally Taylor concludes the researcher should 1) debate moral and ethical issues before embarking on a particular study and 2) make his own assessment about how to resolve professional ethics and personal morality. Reference Taylor, Steven J. â€Å"Observing Abuse. Professional Ethics and Personal Morality in Field Research†

Different viewpoints and opinions on education

Different viewpoints and opinions on education Indoctrinational vs. democratic/participatory teaching methods and techniques John Dewey argued that education should use a critical democratic approach to raise student consciousness about values, attitudes and worker responsibilities. He stated that the primary purpose of education in United States was to foster the growth of democratically minded citizens, and Dewey made no distinction in the education of those who would manage the companies and those who would work on the shop floors. Dewey strongly advocated vocational exploration as a means to acquire practical knowledge, apply academic content and examine occupational and societal values. However, he adamantly opposed the use of vocational education as merely trade education as it would overemphasize technical efficiency. If this occurred, and some would argue it has, education would then become an instrument of perpetuating unchanged the existing industrial order of the society, instead of operating as a means of its transformation (Dewey, 1916). Dewey believed that it was educations role to combat soc ial predestination, not contribute to it. In contrast, Charles Prosser and David Snedden advocated an indoctrinational approach for teaching work value and attitudes; students should learn, without question, the ethical standards of dominant society and the professional ethics of the desired professional area (Prosser, 1939). Supporters of this approach believed the primary purpose of public education was the development of human capital for the success of industrial economy. To accomplish this, they argued that scientific management principles, drawn from the industrial sector, were employed in the public school setting, creating a hierarchically structured and production oriented educational system (Spring, 1990). Prossers sixteen theorems of vocational education support this vision of schooling. According to him, vocational educational should replicate the occupational environment (i.e. processes, machinery, tools), emphasize efficiency (e.g. outputs, costs) and teach functioning facts rather than in the mere acquiring of abstract and socially useless knowledge (Prosser Quigley, Vocational education in a democracy, 1949). In the past thirty five years the argument initiated by Dewey, Prosser and Snedden has resurfaced between educational theorists, outside the realm of vocational education, and business leaders concerned about the decline of industrial productivity in industrialized nations. Expanding upon Deweys perspective, these educational theorists have used a socio-political-economic framework to guide their critique. Specifically reproduction theorists have criticized vocational education for transmitting work values and attitudes necessary for a compliant workforce as well as primarily employing indoctrinational pedagogies for work values and attitudes instruction (Bowles Gintis, 1976). Reproduction and critical theorists have argued that the indoctrinational approach is exploitative because it produces attitudes in students that correspond to the type of work in which students will most likely participate upon completion of their formal education (Anyon, 1980); (Giroux, 1983); (Macleod, 1987 ). Another facet of this debate was represented in the report Americas choice: high skills or low wages! which focused on corporate organizational structure and its relationship to worker behaviors (National Center on Education and the Economys Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, 1990). It stated that about 80% of United States companies utilize a pyramidal mass manufacture model that values reliable and compliant workers who perform their tasks almost robot like. This is in contrast to democratically structured organizations that need workers who are adaptable, resourceful, critical and capable of making decisions. While Dewey and critical theorists are concerned primarily with implementing democracy in the schools and the workplace to create a more just and equitable society, the industrial sociological literature has provided evidence that work organizations that employ democratic processes or participatory management also increase worker productivity (Hall, 1987); (J ain, 1980); (Zuboff, 1983). The Commission suggested that, while there is a trend towards companies implementing more participatory management, vocational education needs to teach democratic skills and utilize primarily democratic strategies so that future workers will be prepared to participate in, and assist in transforming companies into high performance organizations. Ineffective learning The nature of work has changed and our understanding of how people learn has also changed. Both developments call into question the organization, goals and pedagogy of our educational system. What makes these developments so powerful is that our new understanding of both work and learning suggest very similar directions for reform. Strengthening the educational system so that it conforms more to the ways people learn will also directly enhance the ability of that system to prepare students for the type of workplaces that are emerging in factories and offices throughout the industrialized world. The following discussion of effective learning emerges from a powerful knowledge base known as cognitive science. From the perspective of cognitive science this discussion purports to underscore two basic points about learning and teaching. First, school routinely and profoundly violates what we know about how people learn effectively and the conditions under which they apply their knowledge appropriately to new situations. Second, these practices seem to permeate all levels and sectors of education and training in developed countries right from elementary grades to corporate training. Mistaken assumption # 1: The educational enterprise assumes that people predictably transfer learning to new situations As a society, we presume that the ultimate point of schooling is to prepare students for effective and responsible functioning outside of school. Accepting this assumption means that we have to confront what is known as the knowledge transfer problem. Knowledge transfer simply means the appropriate use in a new situation of concepts, skills, knowledge and strategies acquired in another. Historically, lower-skilled workers had a very limited need for transfer. Transfer becomes important when you encounter the unfamiliar and non-routine, and lower skilled workers encountered little that was not familiar and did not have the responsibility for handling the non-routine that they did encounter. Goods and services were limited in number, allowing long production runs of the same thing or service and reducing the number of events that have not been previously encountered. Within this limited product or service range, companies organized the work as specialist work workers had responsibility for a narrow range of activity. Supervisors and managers were expected to handle the non-routine events that did occur within this narrow, repetitive world. That is, responsibility for events that required problem solving, judgment, heuristics, analogues, or other mental activities enhanced by the access to knowledge and skills acquired in other situations was detached from lower-skill jobs and vested in middle-skill managerial jobs. However, technological innovations and changed market conditions ushered by globalization and in its wake increased competition means an increased number of non-routine events. Companies in developed countries are gradually shifting from highly specialized and repetitive jobs at lower skill levels toward teams expected to handle a broader range of activities, and they are also increasingly vesting problem-solving, supervisory responsibilities in these teams. Thus, a broader range of workers is being asked to exercise the mental activities enhanced by access to knowledge and skills acquired in other situations. Extensive research, spanning decades, shows that individuals do not predictably transfer knowledge in any of the three situations where transfer should occur. They do not predictably transfer school knowledge to everyday practice (Pea, 1989); (Lave, 1988). They do not predictably transfer sound everyday practice to school endeavors, even when the former seems clearly relevant to the latter. They do not predictably transfer their learning across school subjects. We focus on the first two transfer problems: from school to nonschool and from nonschool to school. Transferring from school to outside of school: This transfer situation is at the heart of schooling. Usually, the major claim for school-type instruction is its generality and power of transfer to situations beyond classroom (Resnick, 1987). The fundamental question is whether knowledge, skills and strategies acquired in formal education in fact get used appropriately in everyday practice. Students in college physics courses designed for physics majors can solve book problems in Newtonian mechanics by rote application of formulae. However, even after instruction, they revert to naÃÆ' ¯ve pre-Newtonian explanations of common physical situations to which their school learning is relevant (diSessa, 1983). Studies of expert radiologists, electronic troubleshooters and lawyers all reveal a syrprising lack of transfer of theoretical principles, processes or skills learned in school to professional practice (Resnick, 1987). For example, Morris and Rouse found that extensive training in electronics and troubleshooting theories provided little knowledge and fewer skills directly applicable to performing electronic troubleshooting (Morris Rouse, 1985) Transferring from outside of school to school: People learn outside of school all the time. The question then is what people do with what they learn outside of school when they move into school. Does sound, everyday practice get transferred to get used in school learning? How does incorrect learning outside school affect correct learning inside school? Dairy workers, although almost errorless in their use of practical arithmetic at work, performed badly in on arithmetic tests with problems like those encountered in their jobs (Scribner Fahrmeir, 1982). Brazilian street vendor children successfully solved 98% of their marketplace transactions, such as calculating total costs and change. When presented with the same transactions in formal arithmetic word problems that provided some descriptive context, the children correctly solved 74% of the problems. Their success rate dropped to 37% when asked to solve the same types of problems when these were presented as mathematical operations without descriptive context (Carraher, Carraher, Schliemann, 1985). Other studies show that training on one version of a logical problem has little, if any, effect on solving an isomorphic version that is represented differently (Hayes Simon, 1977). Teaching children to use general context-independent cognitive strategies has no clear benefits outside the specific domains in which they are taught (Pressley, Snyder, Cariglia-Bull, 1987) Cognitive experts agree that the conditions for transfer are not fully understood. Even though studies cited in previous paragraphs continue to find no evidence of transfer, others identify conditions under which transfer seems to occur (Holyoak, 1985); (Nisbett, Fong, Lehman, Cheng, 1987); (Lehman, Lempert, Nisbett, 1988); (Singley Anderson, 1989). We know that people routinely apply skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic to new situations with some success. These skills are used most effectively in well understood content domains. For example, readers get more out of their reading when they know something about the domain in which they are reading than when they do not. Nonetheless, skills such as reading do let us enter unfamiliar content areas we do use these skills in new situations, and they do help us. At the same time, we also keep finding lack of transfer. We now know that certain practices in school impede learning. More effective learning may not be sufficient for transfer, but poor initial learning will certainly impede it. Mistaken assumption # 2: Learners are best seen as passive vessels into which knowledge is poured In a typical schoolroom or a corporate training session, the teacher or expert faces the learners in the role of knowledge source. The learner is the passive receiver of wisdom a glass into which water is poured. This instructional arrangement comes out of an implicit assumption about the basic purpose of education: the transmission of societys culture from one generation to the next. The concept of transmission implies a one-way flow from the adult members of the society to the societys young, or, from the expert to the novice (Lave, The culture of acquisition and the practice of understanding: Report No. IRL88-0007, 1988). In fact, schooling is often talked about as transmission of canonical knowledge in other words, of an authoritative, structured body of principles, rules and knowledge. Education as canonical transmission thus becomes the conveying of what experts know to be true, rather than a process of inquiry, discovery and wonder. This view of education leads naturally to the student as the receiver of the word, to a lecture mode of teaching, and to the teacher as the controller of the process. This organization of learning, with the teacher as order-giver and the student as order-taker, fits the traditional organization of work for lower-skilled workers in both civilian workplaces and the military. The workers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ responsibility was à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to do what he was told [to do by the management] (Callahan, 1962). Ben Hamper, an auto assembly line worker, uses more colorful language: Working the line at G. M. was like being paid to flunk high school for the rest of your life (Marchese, 1991). The assumption that the teacher is the pourer and the student the receptacle has several unfortunate consequences. Passive learning reduces or removes chances for exploration, discovery and invention: Passive learning means that learners do not interact with problems and content and thus do not get the experiential feedback that is key to learning. Students need chances to engage in choice, judgment, control processes and problem formulation; they need chances to commit mistakes. The saying, experience is the best teacher, is borne out by the research you learn what you do. While not sufficient for effective learning, doing is nonetheless necessary. However, schools usually present what is to be learned as a delineated body of knowledge, with the result that students come to regard the subject being studied mathematics, for example as something received, not discovered and as entity to be ingested, rather than a form of activity, argumentation and social discourse. This organization of learning mirrors the traditional organization of work, especially for lower skilled workers. Under the system of industrial management known as scientific management or the Taylor System, each mans task was worked out by the planning department. Each worker received an instruction card which described in minute detail not only what is to be done, but how it is to be done and the exact time allowed for doing it' (Callahan, 1962). This system was highly prescriptive; it left no room for deviation or innovation. Passive learning places control over learning in the teachers, not the learners, hands: Passive learning creates learners dependent on teachers for guidance and feedback, thus undercutting the development of confidence in their own sense making abilities, their initiative and their cognitive executive skills. The example of Brazilian street vendor children may be recalled at this juncture. The researchers found that when the children tried to work school math problems, they did not check the sensibleness of their answers by relating them back to the initial problem. Although virtually errorless in their street math activities, they came with preposterous results for school math problems (Carraher, Carraher, Schliemann, 1985). In a study of supermarket shoppers use of arithmetic, the researchers assessed the shoppers command of structurally similar school math problems. The shoppers spoke with self-deprecation about not having studied math for a long time. Lave clarifies what is happening here. Individuals experience themselves as both subjects and objects in the world. In the supermarket, for example, they see themselves as controlling their activities, interacting with the setting, generating problems in relation [to] the setting, and controlling problem solving processes. In contrast, school à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ create[s] contexts in which children à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ experience themselves as objects, with no control over problems or choice about problem-solving processes (Lave, Cognition in Practice, 1988) in sum, control in the teachers, not the students hands undercuts students trust in their own sense making abilities. As companies have started shifting decision-making power to the shop floor, managers find that workers conditioned to depending on their supervisors telling them what to do are frightened and lack confidence in their ability to solve problems and make decisions. In addition to its effects on confidence, passive learning also undercuts the development of a particular set of higher order cognitive skills called the cognitive self-management, or executive thinking, skills. These are simply the skills that we use to govern our problem-solving attempts. They include goal setting, strategic planning, checking for accurate plan execution, monitoring our progress and evaluating and revising our plans. We now know that those who function as independent and effective learners are people with these skills. However, as Pea has observed, passive learning is disastrous for developing them. Classroom studies of reading, writing, and math and science instruction show that the executive processes for controlling thinking and learning processes are under the teachers control, not the students. These processes seem to get developed when the learning situation is structured to shift control from the teacher to the student, the teacher gradually removing the support that students need initially as they begin to show the ability to work autonomously (Pea, 1989). Passive learning creates motivational and crowd control problems: Jordan describes a Mexican public health training program designed to improve the practice of Mayan midwives. Her analysis spotlights behaviors that American teachers constantly complain about their students (Jordan, 1987). The teaching is organized in a straight didactic material in a mini-lecture format. When these lectures begin, the midwives shift into what Jordan calls their waiting-it-out behavior: they sit impassively, gaze far away, feet dangling, obviously tuned out. This is behavior that one might also observe in other waiting situations, such as when a bus is late or during sermons in church, (p. 3). We see the same behaviors in American third graders. Hass found that students were deeply engaged in team problem-solving during their drill and practice time, but invested little attention or involvement in the teachers instructional sessions. During three weeks of observation, the children did not adopt any of the specific strategies demonstrated by the teacher during general instruction time (Hass, 1988). As teachers know it so well, motivational problems often end up as crowd control problems, as illustrated by the behaviors of different groups of children at a Metropolitan Museum display of Ice Age art and artifacts. Most of the school groups were moved from one exhibit to the next, pausing before each to hear a guides or teachers lecture. Since the children were bunched in front of an exhibit, they could not all hear the lecture, and even when they could, they lacked understanding of the time frames involved or the archaeological significance of bits of bone. Teachers had not set up the museum visit so that students became involved in what they were going to see. Groups were therefore restless and crowd control became the teachers primary concern. One junior high school class behaved very differently, exhibiting a quiet intensity as they moved through the exhibit gallery. They had packets of worksheets with questions about issues and problems that they were expected to solve at the exhibit. Some questions were factual, but most required inference and thought. The students had to figure out for themselves where and what the evidence would be concerning particular questions (Farnham-Diggory, 1990). Motivational and crowd control problems with students have shown up for decades with lower-skilled workers in the forms of high turnover, absenteeism and, in extreme cases, sabotage. Mistaken assumption # 3: Learning is the strengthening of bonds between stimuli and correct responses Based on his animal experiments, the brilliant psychologist Edward Thorndike developed a new theory of learning. As Cremin observed, the theory presumed that learning was the wedding of a specific response to a specific stimulus through a psychological bond in the neural system. The stimulus [S] then regularly called forth the response [R]. the bond between S and R was stamped in by being continually rewarded; an undesired bond was extinguished through punishment or failure (Cremin, 1961). For the purpose of this research, this psychological theory had three major effects. It led to the breakdown of complex ideas and tasks into components, subtasks and items (stimuli) that could be separately trained. It encouraged repetitive training (stamping in). And it led to a focus on the right answer (successful response) and to the counting of correct responses to items and subtasks, a perspective that ended up in psychometrically elegant tests that were considered the scientific way to measure achievement. The result was fractionation: having to learn disconnected subroutines, items and subskills without an understanding of the larger context into which they fit and which gives them meaning. As Farnham-Diggory notes, fractionated instruction maximizes forgetting, inattention and passivity (Farnham-Diggory, 1990). Since children and adults seem to acquire knowledge from active participation in complex and meaningful environments, school programs could hardly have been better designed to prevent a childs natural learning system from operating (p. 146). The phrase a childs natural learning system goes to the heart of why the usual school programs do not meet their own learning objectives well. Human beings even the small child are quintessentially sense-making, problem-solving animals. The word Why is a hallmark of young childrens talk. As a species, we wonder, we are curious and we want to understand. Pechman talks about the child as the meaning maker. Fractionated and decontextualized instruction fails to mobilize this powerful property of human beings in the service of learning (Pechman, 1990). Mistaken assumption # 4: What matters is getting the right answer Bothe the transmission and the behaviorist views of learning place a premium on getting the right answer. A transmission view stresses the ability of the learner to reproduce the Word; a behaviorist view, the ability of the learner to generate the correct response. The end result is the same: students and teachers focus on the right answer, jeopardizing the development of real understanding. The focus plays out in several ways. An instructional focus on the right answer discourages instruction in problem solving: A right answer focus encourages an emphasis on facts. Facts are important, but by themselves constitute an impoverished understanding of a domain; a fact-focus does not help students abilities to think about the domain in different ways. Cognitive analyses of a range of jobs show that being able to generate different solutions to problems that are formally the same is a hallmark of expert performance (Scribner, Head and hand: An action approach to thinking, 1988).Employers and college educators both complain that American high school graduates are limited in their thinking and problem-solving abilities, deficiencies that stem partly from an educational emphasis on facts and right answers. Students resort to veneers of accomplishment: Students respond to a focus on right answers by learning to test right within the school system. They figure out what answers the teacher or the test seems to want, but often at the cost of real learning. These surface achievements have been called the veneer of accomplishment (Lave, Smith, Butler, Problem solving as an everyday practice, 1988). Also, Jordans analysis of a Mayan midwives training program illuminates basic truths about the learning and testing of American students (Jordan, 1987). She found that midwives who had been through the training course saw official health care system as powerful, in that it commanded resources and authority. They came to distinguish good from not good things to say. Specifically, they learned new ways of legitimizing themselves, new ways of presenting themselves as being in league with this powerful system, but with little impact on their daily practice. Although they could converse appropriately with supervisory medical personnel, their new knowledge was not incorporated into their behavioral repertoire. It was verbally, but not behaviorally fixed. Jordan notes that the trainers evaluated their program by asking the midwives to reproduce definitions, lists and abstract concepts. She observes that if these tests measure anything at all, they measure changes in linguistic repertoire and changes in discourse skills [not changes in behavior] (pp. 10-12) The same behaviors show up with Hasss American third graders. He noticed that in mathematics lessons the students got much practice in problem-solving methods that they had brought into the classroom with them methods that were not being taught and were not supposed to be used. The children used these methods to produce right answers, which the teacher took as evidence of their having grasped the formal procedures that she was teaching them. In fact, all that had happened was the appearance of learning. Teachers do not get behind the answers: We end up with appearances of learning because, in their search for right answers, teachers often fail to check behind the answers to insure that students really grasp the principles that they want the students to master. In typical American classrooms the time devoted to a lesson on a particular topic makes it hard to bring to the surface, let along change, the ideas and assumptions that individuals bring to the lesson. Traditional curriculum design is usually based on a conceptual analysis of the subject matter that ignores what is already in the learners head, with the result that students make mistakes that arise from undetected ideas that they brought to the lesson. Or they can play back memorized canonical knowledge and conceptions but return to their own ideas when confronted with unfamiliar questions or non-routine problems. As noted earlier,, students in college physics courses designed for physics majors can solve book problems in Newtonian mechanics by rote application of formulas, but even after instruction revert to naÃÆ' ¯ve pre-Newtonian explanations of common physical situations (Raizen, 1989). Teachers do not focus on how to use student mistakes to help them learn: In their search for right answers, teachers tend to regard student errors as failures rather than as opportunities to strengthen students understanding. American teachers placed little emphasis on the constructive use of errors as a teaching technique, a practice that the researchers attribute to the strong influence of behaviorism in American education. Behaviorism requires teaching conditions that help learners make only correct responses that can be reinforced through praise. Mistaken assumption # 5: To insure their transfer to new situations, skills and knowledge should be acquired independently of their contexts of use This idea is often talked about as decontextualized learning, which simply means learning out of context or meaning. The rationale for decontextualised learning goes back to the presumed conditions for the transfer of learning. As Lave observes, extracting knowledge from the particulars of experience was thought to make that knowledge available for general application in all situations (Lave, Cognition in Practice, 1988). Almost seventy five years ago, John and Evelyn Dewey wrote about the learning costs of decontextualized education. A statement, even of facts, does not reveal the value of the fact, or the sense of its truth of the fact that it is a fact. Where children are fed only on the book knowledge, one fact is as good as another; they have no standards of judgment or belief. Take the child studying weights and measures; he reads in his textbook that eight quarts make a peck, but when he does examples he is apt, as every schoolteacher knows, to substitute four for eight. Evidently the statement as he read it in the book did not stand for anything that goes on outside the book, so it is a matter of accident what figure lodges in his brain, or whether any does. But the grocers boy who has measured out pecks with a quart measure knows. He has made pecks; he would laugh at anybody who suggested that four quarts made a peck. What is the difference in these two cases? The schoolboy has a result without the activity of which it is the result. To the grocers boy the statement has value and truth, for it is the obv ious result of an experience it is a fact. Thus we see that it is a mistake to suppose that practical activities have only or even mainly a utilitarian value in the schoolroom. They are necessary if the pupil is to understand the facts which the teacher wishes him to learn; if his knowledge is to be real, not verbal; if his education is to furnish standards of judgment and comparison. (Dewey Dewey, Schools of tomorrow, 1915) Get over the traditional distinctions between head and hand The indictment of traditionally organized learning was coming out of a powerful research base, cognitive science. At the heart of this research was the presumption that intelligence and expertise are built out of interaction with the environment, not in isolation from it. It thus challenged the traditionally held distinctions between: Head and hand Academic and vocational education Knowing and doing Abstract and applied Education and training School-based and work-based learning Recent EU policy indicates a reassessment both of the relationship between work and education and the role of work experience in academic and vocational programs, on the basis that globalization is generating the need for new learning relationships between education and work which will support lifelong learning (European Commission, 1995). Thus, in the case of work experience in both general and vocational education, it is now envisaged that it could fulfill an important new role, providing an opportunity for those young people in full-time education and training to develop their understanding about changes in the world of work, to enhance their key skills and to make closer links between their formal programs of study and the world of work (Green, Leney, Wolf, 1999). However, although there has been

Computerized Maintenance Management Systems :: essays papers

Computerized Maintenance Management Systems INTRODUCTION Facilities departments are under tremendous pressure to provide more information faster, and at a lower cost to the company. At the same time many companies have reduce staff to the bare minimum. Maintenance professional are presented with more difficult challenges today than at any previous point. The biggest obstacle of all confronting maintenance professionals is being forced to do more with fewer resources. Maintenance departments must deliver superior service, comply with regulatory requirements and provided detail financial accountably all within the confines of limited and/or reduce budgets. In order to meet these challenges, maintenance professionals are arming themselves with economical computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS). In recent years flexible, dependable and economical computerized maintenance management systems have become available to help fight the never-ending struggle to operate and maintain the built environment. But what are computerized maintenance management systems? They are management information systems that utilize the technologies of computers, telecommunications, etc. to executed the maintenance management processes and provide management with information for decisions making process. Work Identification Work Planning Work Scheduling Analysis History Recording Work Execution Like any other computerize information system it is made up of the following: a. hardware b. software c. data bases d. peripherals equipments e. train staff members We need to acknowledge at the outset that CMMS are not for every organization and that current research shows that as much as fifty percent of all CMMS start up have failed to pay back a meaningful return on investment after two years of operations. That is to say in many cases the heavy investment in CMMS information technologies have failed to live up to the much publicized benefits of automation and have delivered some disappointed results. So we do not want to give the impression that CMMS in themselves will cure all the ills of the profession and to advice against walking into the same technology trap that are endemic to the business community at large. In a rush to automate every job function that affects organizational efficiency and bottom line profits, many managers are overlooking important caveats inherent in all information technology implementations. This highlights the point that an organization needs to know how to find the right CMMS and how to implement and main tain the system. The decreasing costs of computer hardware, and the emerging power of microcomputers and software technologies, have disguised the question of feasibility.

Is artificial intelligence possible? Essay -- Computer Science

Is artificial intelligence possible? IS A.I. POSSIBLE? In the science fiction film, The Terminator directed by James Cameron, the computers in the movie "get smart" and rise up against their human masters. In other words, the computers in the movie were able to become independent of their programmers and developed a kind of artificial intelligence (A.I.). This essay will prove that in real life, computers will never realize artificial intelligence, and also even though functionalism is based on an analogy between humans and computers, it is an effective way to describe the interaction between the mind and body. Two essays will be evaluated in this essay. The first essay was called; "Can Computers Think?" by John Searle which rejects the theory of A.I. The second essay was called; "Escaping from the Chinese Room" by Margret Boden, which supports A.I. A functionalist view of the mind is one that draws an analogy between the functioning of the human brain and the functioning of the digital computer. The strongest view says that the mind and the brain are just digital computers. This is called strong A.I., which is a term coined by John Searle. American Hilary Putnam was one of the first to make the analogy between the brain and the computer Putnam said it made no more sense to compare the mind and the brain then to compare the software with the hardware of a computer. He also made the point that psychologists were like programmers and electrical engineers were like physicians. Putnam also made the point not to take the analogy too far. There are important differences between computers and humans. One of the differences Putnam felt was that "à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦all humans were able to learn from their experience and so change their own program but few computers could do that unaided" Hilary Putnam also argued against identifying psychological events with neurophysiologic events, and even against the attempt to do so. He felt mapping the brain to the mind was a waste of time. Jerry Fodor was another well known functionalist. Fodor, like Putnam felt that functionalism alleviated many of the problems associated with other mind body theories. These other mind body theories included Cartesian Dualism, materialism, behaviorism and the identity theory. Cartesian Dualism is the theory that that the mind and the brain are two separate things... ... as these are products of people not brains." She tries to demonstrate that the robot and the human brain are the same, in that they are both made up of small very stupid parts which build into a collective brain that is capable of understanding; "The fact that a certain light sensitive cell can respond to intensity gradients and that one neuron can inhibit the firing of another" Problem with this explanation is that now instead of input from a keyboard, the robot now receives its information from its sensors. The input will still be processed programming in the CPU of the robot. Boden did not disprove Searle's point that the syntax of a program is not sufficient for understanding of a digital computer system. Boden could not show that non-biological entity did have understanding, but she did show that Searle's argument on this point was a little weak because it relied on in tuition. The functionalism theory was shown to be an attractive theory a long as it was not taken too literally. Consequently it was shown in this essay that due to syntactical nature of computer programs and the computers lack of causal powers needed for a machine to have mental states.

marriage under fire :: essays research papers

Marriage under Fire We must remember what marriage is for and why God has given it the design he did. Marriage is to be between a man and a woman. This goes back to the beginning of time and why God created woman in the first place; â€Å"to provide a helpful mate for Adam; it was not good that man should be alone† (Genesis 1:18, 20-23). So we see that marriage was God's idea, not men. Knowing this, why in the world would we as Americans give that right to homosexual couples? Marriage is a blessing the God gave to man. In society today, many individuals have forgotten the importance of marriage. People have the tendencies to marry anyone at anytime because they do not see the significance of marriage and God. America was founded by God and his beliefs. The United States screams God everywhere from currency to the Pledge of Allegiance. Thus meaning, why would the United States, a place of God, allow something morally wrong and sinful? Some would argue that homosexual marriage is a step in the righ t direction for human rights. They believe it is an act of freedom. This is wrong because homosexual matrimony is everything God stands against. Citizens today do not have the right to try and add or delete any scriptures in the Bible to help themselves. God made the Bible to guide people in the right direction. People need to read the bible in order to understand the word, not to change it. Accepting homosexual marriage would only hurt America. It is a major threat to the structure of families. The country should not take lightly the meaning of marriage and on a higher note try and take it away. â€Å"Marriage is like a brand new car: once you take that car off of the car lot the value of it depreciates. Giving homosexuals the right to marry would depreciate the value of marriage and the pride it once carried will be no more. Not only does it do that, but more importantly it goes against God! We must preserve our values and morality for generations to come, for those children being born today and next year.† The marriage between two people of the same sex is against Gods beliefs, a threat to the structure of families and a sin to mankind. With dedication and perseverance people who oppose gay marriages can succeed in ending the debate of making it legal.