How Children Learn to Read and Write, with use of Quality Texts to Support

An analysis of the way in which children learn to read and write, and the place of quality texts in supporting this. â€Å"Being able to read is the most important skill children will learn during their early schooling and has far-reaching implications for lifelong confidence and well-being. †(Adonis & Hughes, 2007) Throughout history, different strategies and methods have been developed to aid com/frederick-douglass-and-malcolm-x-compare-and-contrast-essay/">learning to read and write. Classic styles (although still highly regarded) of writing children’s books including, rhyming, rhythm and repetition have been used consistently to support evolving children’s literacy (Lerer, 2009).Newer methods such as synthetic phonics include developing the relationship between sounds and written word. This essay will highlight different strategies and methods that have been developed, and their effectiveness in developing a child’s literacy skills from a young age . McGee & Richgels talk about ‘each child’s journey through the wide and varied landscape of literacy development being unique’. They explain that ‘decoding, fluency, background knowledge, comprehension and motivation are essential in each child’s literary development (McGee & Richgels, 2003).From the moment a child becomes aware of his/her surroundings, they will be aware of environmental print; â€Å"Environmental print refers to print that occurs in real life contexts- the signs, billboards, logos and functional print that saturate a child’s world† (Prior & Gerard, 2004:5). This allows the child to engage with the shapes and form of the words, without actually having an understanding of the meaning. Yetta Goodman describes this period as; ‘the roots of literacy’ (Goodman, 1980). Children will assign their own meanings to the marks, this shows they have engaged with the print and have decided what it means.She a explains Dolores Durkin’s paper ‘paper and pencil kids’, with regard to setting a stong foundation in literacy. She explains children’s ‘ideographic message drawings’ come first, followed by ‘scribbling’, these scribbles then evolve into ‘random letters’, and then eventually more conventional word forms. During this process children learn to decode their own words and the words of others. ‘Stepping into reading’ is easy for them, as they have already engaged with the forms of the print in meaningful ways (Shea, 2011).Goodwin explains; Concept Books are special books designed to teach concepts such a colours, shapes, materials and animals to young children. Concept books have very few words (perhaps one per page), but very vivid and engaging pictures that allow the child to associate the words on the page with the illustration (Goodwin, 2008). Learning the alphabet is good example of where a well-made co ncept book could be used. Helen Oxenburys book; ABC of things is a perfect example of this, as each page has a different letter with a pleasing illustration, creating narrative interest within each picture.Picture books can be used as an excellent resource in helping develop young children’s literacy. Goodwin explains that illustration in picture books ‘may be simply decorative’ but often aims to ‘interpret’ or ‘supply narrative meaning’ that isn’t accessible from the text alone. (Goodwin, 2008) A good picture book can be enjoyed by people of any age. â€Å"Anyone who has read picture books with very young children knows that they promote personal, detailed and exploratory talk as well as social or even raucous merriment† (Watson & Styles, 1996:1).A good method of gauging children’s engagement with a picture book could be Aidan Chambers’ ‘Tell Me’ approach. Chambers explains that the tell me a pproach is about finding out about the readers experience with the books – ‘enjoyment, thoughts, feelings, memories’ and whatever the reader wisher to report. Thoughts are ‘honourably reported’ without risk of belittlement or rejection, which allows the teacher and reader to explore the book in explicit detail (Chambers, 1996).Meek, in her book; ‘How Texts Teach What Readers Learn’, explains that although ‘good decoding’ and ‘good teachers’ help, texts themselves play a very important role in teaching children to be readers, rather than people that can merely read (Meek, 1988). Goodwin talks about introducing children to ‘intertextual thinking’. She names books such as Pat Hutchin’s; ‘Rosie’s Walk’ and Janet Ahlbergs; ‘Each Peach Pear Plum’, to illustrate her point that a text can mean more than the words themselves (Goodwin, 2008). â€Å"Part of the joy of r eading literature is revelling In the language that authors use† (Goodwin, 2008:25).As well as pictures, literary language can be utilised to create narrative interest for a child learning to read. Studies have shown that; â€Å"Children’s early (preschool) sensitivity to rhyme and alliteration is an extremely powerful indicator of their eventual success in learning to read (Perfetti et al, 1997:226). Cook writes about rhyme in literacy in becoming literate; He says that in the ‘early stages’ rhymes ‘draw attention to linguistic structures’, and at a later stage provide a ‘pleasurable halfway house between language as sound and language as the vehicle of relatively precise meaning’ (Cook, 200:26).A good example of rhyme and rhythm in literature is ‘Tanka Tanka Tanka’ by Steve Webb. Goodwin (2008) explains the ‘strong rhythmic pattern’ leads the reader to ‘respond with dance’. He talks about t he rhythm of the language drawing the reader in, taking the literature ‘beyond the cognitive’ (Goodwin, 2008). As well as rhyme and rhythm, repeating texts have been used to engage children with literacy. â€Å"Repetition increases the strength of neural connections. Reading the same book to children repeatedly serves to reinforce familiar words† (Wolfe & Nevills, 2004:45).A perfect example of a repeating text is ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’ By Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Goodwin talks about ‘the great joy of the book’ for the young readers. She explains the way the language ‘mirrors the experiences of the story’, saying that the repetition makes children ‘compelled to join in’ (Goodwin, 2008:24). Not only is good literary language important when considering children coming to grips with literacy, but the type of book you choose. Considering what the child is interested in when choosing your boo k will help when you come to read it.Traditional books which follow themes such as; fairy stories, folk tales, legends and myths or dragons. Meek talks of fairy stories being ‘genuine children’s literature’. She explains there are ‘deep and abiding links between the childhood of mankind as preserved in these stories and the early life of each of us’ (Meek, 1982:36). Goodwin writes about traditional stories challenging ‘accepted notions of good and evil, of family structure and of relationships’. Stories such as ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Billy Goats Gruff’, are good examples of stories about overcoming evil.Goodwin also makes the point that ‘values, beliefs and practices are passed on’ through traditional stories, helping children ‘become part of history’ and understand ‘how and why things come to them’ (Goodwin, 2008). Familiarity with well-known literature may allow children to ex plore how stories work. Patterns start to emerge in traditional literature; usually following an introduction, events, problems, resolution style. This could be highly beneficial when children come to write (or tell) their own stories. Other types of books, which help children engage with literature, are factual books.â€Å"Factual books, linking in with other areas of their work, help to extend their (children’s) experiences and knowledge (Hobart & Frankel, 2005:88). For the other part of this module we were tasked with writing a children’s book, using strategies we had studied that help children become literate. I took a non-fiction/fiction approach to my own book, using facts about different animals and their respective habitats, combined with a fictional plot, involving space ships and giant animals. This may result in the child engaging with the ‘story’ and the colourful pictures as well as learning actual facts about the animals involved.â€Å" Probably no other aspect of reading instruction is more discussed, more hotly debated, and less understood than phonics† (Strickland, 1998:5). What is phonics? The American National Reading Panel describes synthetic phonics as; â€Å"Those that emphasise teaching students to ‘convert letters (graphemes) into sounds (phonemes)’ and then to ‘blend’ the sounds to form ‘recognisable words’. Analytic phonics, on the other hand is taken to refer to larger unit phonics programmes, that introduce children to whole words before teaching them to analyse these into their component parts, and emphasise the larger sub-parts of words (i. e., onsets, rimes, phonogrammes and spelling patterns) as well as phonemes† (Wyse & Styles, 2007:35).â€Å"A review of the teaching of early reading in England commissioned by the UK Government recommended that synthetic phonics should be the preferred approach for young English learners. In response, all E nglish schools have been told to put in place a discrete synthetic phonics programme as the key means for teaching high-quality phonic work† (Wyse & Goswami, 2008:691). In 2006, Jim Rose, the Secretary of State for Education for England, produced his report recommending that synthetic phonics must be included in early reading instruction.This decision caused uproar among academics and professionals, as evidence has shown that the Rose Report’s recommendation for synthetic phonics contradicts a large body of evidence over the last 30 years (Wyse & Styles, 2007). The Clackmannanshire studies are a perfect example of this contradiction. In 2004 research into synthetic phonics was carried out in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It was promoted a great deal by the media, which resulted in a recommendation by England’s Education Select Committee that there should be an enquiry into the teaching of reading through synthetic phonics.  (Wyse & Styles, 2007).Howev er, a spokesperson from the Clackmannanshire study stress that the report was not intended to initiate synthetic phonics ‘taking over’ reading strategies, but to show the advantages of using it alongside other established literacy strategies (Johnson & Watson, 2005). One of Synthetic phonics’ critics, Margret Meek, suggested that phonics is ‘highly inefficient’, ‘full of traps’ and ‘does not account for the individual learner’.She also highlights the idea that without enjoyment, emotion and engagement, reading will seem ‘insignificant’ to a child, and separating this could lead to children seeing reading as a task, rather than a lifelong skill (Meek, 1982:75/76). â€Å"Reading is about reading comprehension and not ‘barking out words’ (Edessa, 2011:11)†. Evidence here highlights the need for a broader literacy strategy spectrum, not just one system designed for all, as a lone focus on a s ingle strategy could cause a child to lose focus in his/her studies.Waterland was critical of phonics, saying reading could only be learned by children working together with competent readers using what she coined the ‘apprenticeship approach’ (Waterland, 1985) The ‘immersion in literacy’ or ‘top down approach’ is a strategy that has been used in the past to teach reading and writing to children, and is a child centered approach which does not emphasize skill (Cohen & Cowen, 2007). The top down approach typically starts with children sitting with a parent, older sibling, carer or caretaker reading a book together.In this setting children will learn not only about reading, but also about print and language. They also learn reading is easy, enjoyable and fun. It allows the child to ‘read’ and understand the meaning without decoding every word in the story (Cohen & Cowen, 2007). Hinkel Writes â€Å"The top down processing inv olved contextual factors such as sociocultural knowledge and task assessment of producing or interpreting the discourse of the task† (Hinkel, 2005:733). This suggests that a learner engaging with a top down approach may draw on other areas of knowledge, not specifically limited to the topic.This may lead to a more holistic development of a literacy beginner. Vygotsky describes each school experience as a ‘complex cultural activity’ (Vygostsky, 1978:11), It has been discussed that the bringing together of synthetic phonics and top down approaches would be a superior method of introducing children to the complex cognitive process of successful reading. I believe that combining the top down and bottom up (phonics) approaches needs of all students would be met, and could also lead to a future with reading and enjoying text, rather than merely reciting meaningless words.It may also benefit teachers, as teachers that are given freedom to promote literature and reading i n the classroom could create interest in reading and literacy, instead of merely reading instructions from flashcards. This, in turn, may increase the quality of education in that respective classroom. Cohen & Cowen talk about ‘the balanced approach’; â€Å"The balanced approach allows teachers to literally take advantages from both the top-down and bottom-up approaches to meet the needs of all students† (Cohen & Cowan, 2007:60).In this essay I have highlighted the diverse, child-centered approaches designed to help children learn to read and write; Picture books, with their vivid illustrations creating meaning and exploration of early literacy. Rhyming and repeating texts, allowing children to draw meaning and reinforce words. Traditional books, with their classic story forms and characters, allow children to understand how stories are formed, which may help when they come to write their own.Evidence suggests that a take over of synthetic phonics may not be the best option, as I feel it gives children a one-dimensional view of literacy. I feel, combing the two approaches to create a curriculum that focuses on integrating the ‘sounding out’ phonic approach with the whole book, ‘real book’, comprehensive approach, will create a stronger bond with phonemic awareness and lingual fluency in children. This could promote literacy being part of a more cultural experience, and in turn may increase literacy levels across our nation.

Aup Definition

Unit 5 Assignment 1: Testing and Monitoring Security Controls Learning Objectives and Outcomes ?You will learn to recognize security events and baseline anomalies that might indicate suspicious activity. ?You will learn to identify policy violations and security breaches and to appropriately monitor threats and control activity across the network. Assignment Requirements Refer to the handout Testing and Monitoring Security Controls. It contains information on security events or breaches and baseline anomalies. After studying the handout, answer the following questions: Identify at least two types of security events and baseline anomalies that might indicate suspicious activity. ?Given a list of policy violations and security breaches, select three breaches, and consider the best options for controlling and monitoring each incident. Identify the methods to mitigate risk and minimize exposure to threats or vulnerabilities. Required Resources Worksheet: Testing and Monitoring Security C ontrols Submission Requirements ?Format: Microsoft Word ?Font: Arial, Size 12, Double-Space ?Length: 1–2 pages ?Due By: Unit 6 Self-Assessment Checklist I have identified at least two security events and baseline anomalies. ?I have indicated the best options for controlling and monitoring three of the policy violations and security breaches from the list. ?I have identified the methods to mitigate risk and to minimize exposure to threats or vulnerabilities. Unit 5 Assignment 2: Define an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) Learning Objectives and Outcomes ?You will learn to successfully identify inappropriate activity on a network and to develop a basic AUP that describes the handling of such incidents.Assignment Requirements Richman Investments requires the enforcement of strict ingress-egress filtering policies for network traffic. Certain traffic is expressly forbidden: ? No peer-to-peer file sharing or externally reachable file transfer protocol (FTP) servers ? No downloading exe cutables from known software sites ?No unauthorized redistribution of licensed or copyrighted material ? No exporting internal software or technical material in violation of export control laws ? No introduction of malicious programs into networks or onto systems ?No accessing unauthorized internal resources or information from external sources ? No port scanning or data interception on the network ?No denying service or circumventing authentication to legitimate users ? No using programs, scripts, or commands to interfere with other network users ? No sending unsolicited e-mail messages or junk mail to company recipients ? No accessing adult content from company resources ?No remote connections from systems failing to meet minimum security requirementsDefine a LAN-to-WAN, Internet, and Web surfing AUP that restricts usage of the company’s Internet connection and permits the company to monitor usage of the corporate Internet connection. Carefully evaluate the implications of each policy and how implementations might impact the IT infrastructure, both positively and negatively. Weigh the benefits and the disadvantages of each method. Consider whether or not a proposed solution causes an interruption to the legitimate users and how it might bring security at the expense of preventing a perfectly legitimate activity.Required Resources ?None Submission Requirements ?Format: Microsoft Word ?Font: Arial, Size 12, Double-Space ?Citation Style: Chicago Manual of Style ?Length: 1–2 pages ?Due By: Unit 6 Self-Assessment Checklist ?I have defined an effective LAN-to-WAN, Internet, and Web surfing AUP. ?I have evaluated the implications of each policy. ?I have carefully considered the benefits and disadvantages of each policy enforcement control. ?I have proposed strong ideas for acceptable and unacceptable resource usage.

The History of Democracy in Algeria Research Paper

The History of Democracy in Algeria - Research Paper Example As the discussion stresses  colonization in Algeria began in the 5th century B. C. Native people of Algeria were forced to move back from the coastal areas by the successive waves of Roman, Byzantine, Turkish, Arab and French invaders. Among these Arab invaders have greatly influenced the natives of the country in terms of religion and language. However, Phoenicians were the first to invade the northern Algeria during 12th century B.C. Then the Romans came into the country and united the northern part of it. Under Roman rule Christianity flourished. However, it was ended by the Vandals, though a large section of area was still under the control of Berbers. Arabs started to dominate the area since 7th century.  This essay declares that  during World War I many Algerians were brought to the mainland of France for making them work in the French Army and various factories. After the World War I first organized movements began in the country for complete independence under the heads hip of Messali Hadj. Such movements started to gain momentum after World War II. Muslims were given some political rights in 1947 after a massive nationalist demonstration caused death of almost 88 Frenchmen and thousands of Muslims. In November, 1954 Algerians started their uprising in a way that could not be ignored by the French government. National Liberation Front (FLN) which was the main nationalist party introduced attacks on French people in both France and Algeria.   The war resulted in the fall of the government. In 1958 Charles de Gaulle came back in power and in 1962, Algeria’s independence was proclaimed (Phillip C. Naylor. ALGERIA - Part 3). History since Independence In 1963 Ahmed ben Bella took charge as Algeria’s first president. Under Bella’s rule, abandoned colonial holdings were nationalized. He supported various liberation movements in the country.

Scope and effect of sale of goods act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Scope and effect of sale of goods act - Essay Example The passing of property from the seller to buyer gained significance in the context of the buyer placing an order with the seller and then becoming insolvent. Had the product ordered for by the buyer already been shipped there arose a discrepancy in regard to the rights of the seller since he would unwillingly provide credit. The act clearly states that until all of the terms of the contract of the sale of goods, mainly the payment for the product, are met by the buyer, the seller has the right of disposal over the product. The clause â€Å"notwithstanding the delivery of the goods to the buyer† (Sales of Goods Act 1979, s19 (1)) gives a right to the seller to claim possession of the goods in question if the buyer has not fulfilled the terms of the contract. This clause is unlike those of international contracts which make property pass effective at a particular physical point or time such as during payment or at the loading port of ships (Ziegler, 139). (b) The rights of an u npaid seller against the buyer The rights of an unpaid seller are treated in section 19 of the act by allowing the seller, the title of retention of the goods to be sold to the buyer unless all the terms of the contract for the sale of the goods is fulfilled by the buyer. The rights of an insolvent or bankrupt buyer are superseded by the title of retention clause of the act whereby the seller has the right to repossess the goods even in case it has already been shipped to the buyer. ... In such cases, it is argued that it would upset the administration of the buyer’s business and hence the seller must not be given the right to disposal (Tomasic, 199). 2. Romalpa Clause Aluminium Industrie Vaassen BV v Romalpa Aluminium Ltd Section 19 of the Act clearly states the rights of the unpaid seller; however a unique situation arose in 1974 when a Dutch manufacturer, Aluminium Industrie Vaassen BV brought out an action against an English company, Romalpa Aluminium Ltd. The plaintiffs claimed that they were entitled to the aluminium foil that was at the premises of the defendant since they had not paid for the goods and to the proceeds of the foil that had been sold to third parties by the defendant. The contract made between the plaintiff and the defendant reiterated the right of the seller over the goods until payment was made by the buyer, it also did not provide any stated power to the defendant to sell the foil; however it was agreed by both the parties subsequent ly that the defendant had an implied power to sell the foil. This agreement did not help either of the parties by any margin. While the defendant argued that it had sold the foil on its own account and was not an agent of the plaintiff’s, the plaintiff on the other hand chose to exercise the right of the seller as put forward by the Sales of Goods Act. . The case had become complex on two accounts: a part of the foil delivered to the defendant had been sub sold and this foil that was sub sold was in the same form as that delivered to the defendant. The court had to decide whether the defendant was acting merely as an agent of the plaintiff while sub selling the foil or if the

Applied economic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Applied economic - Assignment Example Given that model 2 is the correct model, the Gauss-Markov theorem tells me that the model’s ordinary least square estimators are the best estimators under classical linear regression models. This implies that the coefficients are the best for the model and the R2 is the highest that the model can attain (Wooldridge 102). Suppose a test was conducted on the hypothesis at 15 percent level of confidence and a p-value of 0.119 obtained, the test result would mean that no significant relationship exist. This is because for a two tailed test, implied by the alternative hypothesis that ÃŽ ²1≠ -3, then the confidence level for the test is 0.075. The p-value is therefore greater that the confidence level and this means that the null hypothesis is not rejected. Conducting the test 10 percent level could change the conclusion on significance. This is because of the associated increment in confidence interval that could extend to cover the critical value. Assuming that Ram (2009) is correct in his model in which openness is a significant factor to government’s expenditure, then expected value of error term in the model that omitted the openness variable cannot be zero and the expression is not valid. This is because of effects openness that was factored in the error term and meant that what was perceived to be the error term was not error but effects of an unidentified variable. Even though both models leads to rejection of the null hypothesis, the greater absolute t-statistic from model two offers better evidence for rejecting the null hypothesis because it would ensure rejection of the null hypothesis at a greater level of precision than would model 1. The greater absolute value of the statistic in model two explains this because greater statistic than a reference value implies significance. Suppose population is added to model 1, then

How i plan to study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How i plan to study - Essay Example [Author not known1, 2005].The first step of my study plan is to diligently attend all the lectures pertaining to my subject and try to seek clarification in case of any doubts regarding the topic discussed . The next step is to identify the important points . I will capture the main ideas in the form of notes. [Landsberger, 2005]. I will utilize mind-mapping technique because it is an effective tool of taking notes. It is a technique of taking notes through key words and images. This method helps in quick jotting down of relevant information and is an effective method to remember and review the contents of the lectures. In mind mapping technique, the sentences and paragraphs will be represented in the form of key words and images. Circle the most important word represented by symbol or phrase. Write the related topic outside the circle close to each other. Gradually, the map expands in the direction the topic navigates. This helps the topic in being more specific or detailed. [Landsberger, 2005] Thirdly, I will link and cross-reference key words and images utilized in the mind maps. [Author not known2, 2005]. This will help me to relate to the key notes, phrases, questions and images mentioned in the notes. Fourthly, I will memorize the contents learnt in the classroo

Environmental Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Environmental Issues - Essay Example Roberts who believes that the hazards of DDT are misrepresented by the activists while in fact it proves to have saved the lives of many. Three Main areas of Disagreement between Anne Platt McGinn and Donald R. Roberts are as follows - McGinn states that the toxic DDT should only be used in an emergency to treat diseases while more environmentally friendly methods such as bed-nets, anti-malarial drugs, improving living conditions and eradication of insect breeding sites should be used. Roberts claims that the steps to eradicate Malaria by proper drains and larviciding only happen in principal cities, while the mainly affected rural areas remain vulnerable. McGinn claims that insects became resistant to DDT when ingested while Roberts claims that DDT acts only as a repellant. McGinn says ‘In order to control a disease, why should we poison our soils, our waters and ourselves?’ (Pg.289) Donald reacts by stating Science Magazine that species did not go extinct and DDT level s had declined after its use was stopped. DDT only reaches a concentration in water of 1.2 parts per billion, so the claim that it causes the death of algae is false. Birds and sea lions have not declined due to DDT as claimed, while in reality statistics have proven their increase during the use of DDT. c) After a lot of research done on the subject, I comply with the Donald’s ideology and therefore prefer the use of DDT to save humans because all other claims against DDT have no solid proof of its dangers. ISSUE 17 – Environmental Hormone Mimics a) Environmental Hormone Mimics are ‘Xenobiotic’ chemicals that have been found to mimic or disrupt the reproductive hormones such as estrogen. These chemicals are known to alter the reproduction of wildlife along with creating severe health problems like cancer in humans. The controversy is whether these claims are true or are magnified falsifications. b) According to Professor of Biological Sciences, Michele Tr ankina, ‘hormone mimics’ disrupt ‘everything from fish gender to human fertility’ (World & I Journal, 2001) (Easton, 2011, Pg.319) while Michael Gough, a biologist argues that these claims are only supported by â€Å"junk science†. (Endocrine Disrupters,Politics,Pesticides, the Cost of Food and Health, " , 1997) Michele Trankina states that there has been a radical decrease in ‘sperm count’, an increase in testicular cancer and defective genetalia in men due to this. Gough states that these claims ‘fell apart’ when scientists found large geographical variations in sperm counts that did not change over time. Trankina points out to the increase in breast cancer in women as a result of exposure to the hormone mimics, while Michael Gough dismisses these claims by stating that there was no proven evidence to any of these claims even though many researches had been carried out. Puberty in girls has decreased from the age 12 and 13 to 7 years of age due to exposure to xenoestrogens in water, food, creams and plastics according to Trankina. But Gough states that results of the Tulane paper researched by Dr. McLachlan himself on the toxicity levels of pesticides came back as negative. c) Due to lack of evidence and proof on the role of hormone mimics in the environment, I support Gough’

Drop in customer and target market for a beverage operation Assignment

Drop in customer and target market for a beverage operation - Assignment Example In this paper I will be using drop-in-customer as my customer type and analysing the target market in relation to selection of location for a beverage operation. Energy boosting beverages are largely consumed by sports persons such as athletes. However, the market for these beverages has grown and expanded beyond sports persons to attract non-traditional drinkers. Teenagers, college students and young adults in the ages of 18 to 34 account for majority of energy drink consumption today. This is particularly because of this population’s active lifestyle. Furthermore advertisements for such products appeal to this generation more as compared to older persons. Research has shown that 34% of persons between the ages of 18 and 24 take energy drinks regularly (O’Brien et al, 2008). Also half of all college students consume a drink at least every month regardless of their gender. Most drop-in-customers for beverages are therefore below the age of 34 years of age, are active and therefore will take an energy drink especially on a tiresome day (Heckman, Sherry and Gonzalez, 2010). Sports persons also actively consumer energy drinks. This target market many not have lots of money to spend but regularly need the drinks and will therefore often purchase a drink. The young adults on the other hand are mostly in their first jobs and therefore have some funds to spend on drinks. Marketing and advertisement messages should therefore communicate the benefits of the drinks and at the same time appeal in terms of price (Miller, 2008). Location for beverage operations is also an important element of marketing considering the demographics of the target market. The on-the-go life style of the target market for instance requires that operations are located in strategic places such as supermarkets, college canteens and central places on streets. Design of the retail outlets should also take in account the fact that these

Govierment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Govierment - Essay Example One of the primary roles of the government is to promote the welfare of its people. Under capitalism, however, this role is under jeopardy due to market freedom. When it comes to socialism, the government plays an active role in influencing major activities that influence social welfare. Even though the society has limited choices to make, the government extends access to basic needs to the entire society. The opposite of this idea is evident in capitalism. In conclusion, there is need for government intervention in production and consumption matters. In general, producers are profit-driven and they strive to sell at the highest market prices possible. Under socialism, government intervention tames consumer exploitation and subsequently collaborates with industry stakeholders in enhancing societal growth and development. Finally, socialism exhibits equitable distribution of wealth and resources, while capitalism promotes social

Natural Disaster Essay Example for Free

Natural Disaster Essay Abstract The December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, triggered by a massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, is the deadliest natural disaster ever of this kind. Aside from a massive number of casualties, this tsunami caused heavy economic damage and severe destruction to the natural environment of stricken countries. Given the significant destruction and suffering, it resulted in massive international support through financial and humanitarian aid. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis and a better understanding of the causes, the impacts and actions that could have been taken to limit the damage. Introduction The December 26 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami ranks among the ten deadliest natural disasters ever recorded thus far with a death toll over 225 000 and thousands of individuals missing. The large tsunami waves were generated by a massive earthquake off the northwest coast of Sumatra Island in Indonesia (Rossetto 2007). Tsunami waves spread across the Indian Ocean, damaging the shores of countries near and far from the epicenter (Rossetto 2007). It produced considerable damage and its impact went beyond the toll of human casualties. It had widespread economical, environmental and psychological impacts. Among the worst hit regions were the countries in and around the eastern Indian Ocean. Such natural disaster causes tremendous human suffering and immediately solicited responses worldwide with significant financial support and humanitarian aid. Sequences of Events (Earthquake Tsunami) The 9.0 magnitude earthquake of 26 December 2004 that occurred off the northwest coast of Sumatra in Indonesia was the third largest earthquake ever recorded. With an epicenter located near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the quake was generated as a result of the sliding of a portion of the India plate beneath the Burma plate (Risk Management Solution, 2006). The result was a fault rupture, displacing the seafloor (Figure 1) and a large volume of the ocean, triggering devastating waves that hit the coastline of 11 Indian Ocean countries (Bilham 2005). The tsunami waves travelled across the Indian Ocean with an average velocity of 640 km/h (Rossetto 2007). However, tsunami waves tend to behave differently in deep water than in shallow water (Rossetto 2007). Once the tsunami reaches shallow water along the coastline, the wave velocity decreases while its amplitude increases significantly from the mass amount of energy built by the wave, causing even more destructive waves and substantial inland inundation (Rossetto 2007). In Aceh, north of the island of Sumatra, wave height reached 24 meters once it hit the shores and rose up to 30 meters inland, with a maximum wave height recorded to be 60 meters (Paris 2007). Being the landmass closest to the epicenter of the earthquake, Aceh province was the hardest hit area from the eastward-moving tsunami followed by Sri Lanka because of non-existing landmass between it and the epicenter of the quake to protect the coastlines (Athykorala 2005). The fault rupture of the earthquake was in a north-south orientation, which meant that the strength of the tsunami was greatest in east-west direction (Athykorala 2005). Hence, despite being located near the epicenter, some regions escaped the worst from the tsunami given their position relative to the fault rupture. With this said, Somalia was hit harder than Bangladesh despite being farther away from the epicenter (Athykorala 2005). Depending on the distances involved, the tsunami could propagate up to hours before reaching some coastlines. Aceh, Nicobar and Andaman were among the first regions to feel the effect of the tsunami, eventually hitting coastal regions of Thailand, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania (Figure 2). At last, its effects were also detected along the west coast of North and South America, which includes Vancouver and British Columbia. Causes A tsunami is produced by a sudden vertical shift of the seafloor causing a displacement of a massive volume of water, usually an ocean. Depending on the size of the sea floor displacement, it will have a different impact on wave formation from the surface water. These displacements can be a result of underwater disturbances such as earthquake, volcanic eruption, meteorite impact and landslide (National Geographic). As for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggered it and caused an estimated 1600 km of fault line slipped about 15 meters along the zone where the Indian plate subducts beneath the Burma plate (Rossetto 2007). As the northern rupture continued, it transformed from a subduction (Figure 3) to a strike-slip fault; two plates slide pass one another in opposite direction. With this said, displacement caused by this earthquake generated a tsunami that ranks among the deadliest natural disasters ever occurred. Impacts Beyond the heavy toll of human lives, the Indian Ocean Tsunami has caused severe economical, environmental and psychological consequences, which will affect the regions for upcoming years. With 174 500 casualties, 51 000 missing and roughly 1.5 million displaced, the toll of human casualties from this tsunami has no modern historical equal (Risk Management Solution 2006). Among the countries hit by the tsunami, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India were left with the most serious damage and death tolls. The aftermath of the tsunami was even worse than anticipated with deaths recorded as far as 8000 km away from the epicenter, along the east coast of Africa. Thousands of individuals were carried away by the waves into the open sea and the ones who survived were left with no food or clean water and open wounds (National Geographic 2005). Given a high risk of famine and epidemic diseases, the level of death increased significantly (National Geographic 2005). With this said, given the extent of the disaster, it instantly spurred international support and assistance through financial and humanitarian aid for the people affected by the tsunami (National Geographic 2005) A humanitarian campaign was quickly put in place to provide temporary sanitation facilities, nutrition and fresh water to contain the spread of diseases (National Geographic 2005). The main economic impacts of the Indian Ocean Tsunami were the damage inflicted to the fishing and tourism industry. As a result of the tsunami, marine fishery and aquaculture harvests of affected nations were severely depressed (UKabc 2006). This was in part due to lack of fishing stocks, but also damage to necessary equipment such as fishing boats and gear (UKabc 2006). As a major economic activity and a provider of foreign exchange income, fishing also provided employment to a large span of individuals. This disaster lead to high income loss for coastal fishing communities that relied heavily on fishing seasons as their primary source of income. In addition, water surges and flooding (Figure 4) destroyed many important buildings and properties along the coasted cities that were affected, including touristic resorts (Risk Management Solution 2006). Although, most tourist infrastructures remained intact following the tsunami, tourism industry faced numerous cancellations (Rossetto 2007). Thus, the loss suffered by the fishing and tourism sector will have long-lasting economic consequences for these coastal regions. The tsunami impacts on the environment were both widespread and destructive (Figure 5). The main effect on the natural environment includes critical damage inflicted on the ecosystems from the salt-contamination of freshwater supplies and soil (Athykorala 2005). Seawater contaminated wells and invaded porous rocks on which stricken communities depended for water (Rossetto 2007). Hence, unless seawater can easily be pumped out, these communities were likely to depend on outside aid for water and food for upcoming months. In addition, an increased salt concentration in the soil will have a damaging effect on plants causing them to wilt and die (Athykorala 2005). As a result, some plantation sites were completely destroyed and would take several years before full recovery. This tsunami can have an immediate devastating impact on the psychological and social well being of individuals exposed to it. Such disaster results in tremendous destruction, but also creates concern for mental health of the survivors. There was great concern over the youngsters because children and adolescents are considered to be more vulnerable than adults to such traumatic events (Bhushan 2007). Within the first 6 months following it, 23-30% of children were diagnosed with full and persistent symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorders (Bhushan 2007). This can impede with their psychological functioning, which is critical for their future development. Actions Although the tsunami could not be prevented, its impact could have been mitigated. Unlike earthquakes, tsunamis can be detected in advance from a Tsunami Warning System that uses a network of ocean-floor and surface sensors (Sausmarez 2005). However, such warning system did not exist in the Indian Ocean back in 2004, which left individuals of affected nations completely surprised by the tsunami (Sausmarez 2005). No effective communication infrastructure was available to warn population on the coastlines. Following this natural disaster, an important issue arises about the population’s education of warning signs and precautions that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of death during a tsunami. For instance, if individuals had a better understanding of tsunamis, it could have saved thousands of lives. For example, they should be able to recognize that a receding sea is an indication of impending danger (Athykorala 2005). With this said, improving public awareness could be beneficial in that it prepares them to react accordingly to protect their lives and lives of others. At a United Nations conference in 2005, an agreement was made upon establishing a Tsunami Warning System in the Indian Ocean (Sausmarez 2005). This system of warnings has been active since 2006 (Unescopress 2006). Conclusion The 26th December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami ranks as the most devastating tsunami ever with over 225 000 deaths. Concerns resulting from this tsunami include damage inflicted on the natural environment, vegetation, buildings and other man-made structures, but more importantly on life. Although this event caused large economic and social consequences, it led to inevitable improvement and development of measures to reduce risk of life and economic losses. For instance, in order to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and properties on exposed coastlines, a warning system has been implemented in the Indian Ocean and will lead to improved communication in such situation. In addition, a lack of knowledge, preparedness and mitigation strategies also justifies the significant death tolls. Thus, program of mitigation and preparedness should be put into place in order to educate individuals to better cope when facing such a disaster. Finally, given that this tsunami has a return period of longer than 500 years; it is unlikely that a natural disaster of this magnitude will occur in the near future. Nevertheless, if it were to happen, these nations have the necessary protective measures to cope. Bibliography Top of Form Bottom of Form Athykorala, P., Resosudarmo, B. (December 01, 2005). The Indian Ocean Tsunami: Economic Impact, Disaster Management, and Lessons. Asian Economic Papers, 4, 1, 1-39. Top of Form Rossetto, T., Peiris, N., Pomonis, A., Wilkinson, S., Re, D., Koo, R., Gallocher, S. (January 01, 2007). The Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004: observations in Sri Lanka and Thailand. Natural Hazards, 42, 1, 105-124. Top of Form Nirupama, N. (January 01, 2009). Socio-economic implications based on interviews with fishermen following the Indian Ocean tsunami. Natural Hazards, 48, 1, 1-9. De Sausmarez, N. (January 01, 2005). The Indian Ocean Tsunami. Tourism and Hospitality: Planning Development, 2, 1, 55-59. Paris, R., Lavigne F., Wassimer P. Sartohadi J. (2007). Coastal sedimentation associated with the December 26, 2004 tsunami in Lhok Nga, west Banda Aceh (Sumatra, Indonesia). Marine Geology 238 (1-4): 93-106 Bilham, Roger. A Flying Start, Then a Slow Slip. Science. Vol 308, No. 5725, 1126-1127. May 20, 2005. Top of Form Bhushan, B., Kumar, J. S. (May 01, 2007). Emotional Distress and Posttraumatic Stress in Children Surviving the 2004 Tsunami. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 12, 3, 245-257. Bottom of Form UKabc. (2006). Indian Ocean Tsunamis Devastate Fisherfolk. UK Agricultural Biodiversity Coalition. Retrived November 1, 2001, from http://www.ukabc.org/tsunamis.htm Risk Management Solution. (2006). Managing Tsunami Risk in the Aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake Tsunami. Retrived November 1, 2011, from http://www.disastersrus.org/emtools/tsunami/IndianOceanTsunamiReport.pdf National Geographic. (January 07, 2005). The Deadliest Tsunami in History? National Geographic News. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1227_041226_tsunami.html Unescopress. (2006). Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning system up and running. Building peace in the minds of men and women. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=33442URL_DO=DO_TOPICURL_SECTION=201.html National Geographic. (n.d). Tsunamis. National Geographic News. Retrieved November 1, 2001, from http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/tsunami-profile/ USGC. (n.d). Magnitude 9.1 – Off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra. Science for a changing world. Retrieved November 1, 2001, from http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eq_depot/2004/eq_041226/neic_slav_l.html National Geographic. (n.d) Tsunami. National Geographic New. Retrieved November 1, 2001, from http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/tsunami-general/#/tsunami01-coastal-flooding_21847_600x450.jpg USGS. (n.d). Details of Tsunami Generation. Pacific Coastal Marine Science Center. Retrieved November 1, 2001, from http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/sumatraEQ/model.html

Synthetic A Priori Knowledge And Judgment Philosophy Essay

Synthetic A Priori Knowledge And Judgment Philosophy Essay It is common knowledge that we all make judgments. Judgments about people we meet, what we or others should look like, or even judgments about world affairs and nature. Yet what knowledge do we have instilled in us or how is knowledge presented to us that allow us to make the judgments we make. With that in mind, the followed text is comparing analytic and synthetic judgments while holding emphasis on synthetic a priori knowledge as reflected in Kants Critique of Pure Reason. I will then take these ideas a step further by comparing Kants ideas and arguments against Humes as it was he who interrupted his dogmatic slumbers and gave his investigations in the field of speculative philosophy a quite new direction. (Critique of Pure Reason) To begin, Kant had a few issues with the way previous philosophers used the term analytic and synthetic judgment. Based on their use of the terms, he can to the conclusion that they failed to differentiate between the judgments in a way that justifies their use. As defined by Wikipedia, An analytic judgment is a proposition whose predicate concept is contained in its subject concept. While a synthetic judgment, is a proposition whose predicate concept is not contained in its subject concept. While these two definitions of the judgments have been used in philosophy in many different ways to justify many philosophical arguments or ideas, Kant believed the two judgments were not coextensive so he gave four other logical combinations that he felt should be examined while defining analytic and synthetic judgments. Analytic a posteriori judgments cannot arise, since there is never any need to appeal to experience in support of a purely explicative assertion. Synthetic a posteriori judgments are the relatively uncontroversial matters of fact that we come to know by means of our sensory experience (though Wolff had tried to derive even these from the principle of contradiction). Analytic a priori judgments, everyone agrees, include all merely logical truths and straightforward matters of definition; they are necessarily true. Synthetic a priori judgments are the crucial case, since only they could provide new information that is necessarily true. But neither Leibniz nor Hume considered the possibility of any such case (Kemerling 2). With the definitions and formulations of the judgments aside, Kant believed that it was possible to synthetic a priori judgments because these types of judgments are what most of human knowledge is based from. With Hume in mind, Kant generally believed that Humes view on arithmetic and geometry could be used as the building blocks for natural science. Once the foundations for natural science have been laid, you can then use that information to explain certain events or predict what the future holds in respect to natural science. Hume derived this line of thinking from two different explanations. He believed that ideas come from impressions and relations of ideas which can be shown through mathematics. These impressions and relations of ideas then lay the ground work or foundation for the natural sciences. With the foundation of natural sciences being formed through impressions and relation of ideas, Hume also believed cause and effect played a role, but that experience can never be a source of any of the ideas for natural science. The reason for this is that experience is the clear example of the constant conjunction between cause and effect and it is above all clear that we cannot have knowledge without cause and effect. Thus, cause and effect gives us our impressions and relations of ideas which help form knowledge. The negative portion of Humes analysis-his demonstration that matters of fact rest upon an unjustifiable belief that there is a necessary connection between the causes and their effects-was entirely correct. (Kemerling 2) Humes rationality of cause and effect forces his conclusion that induction has no logical force. That causes have explanations behind them that could be traced back to natural reasons and are above all determined by nature. Kants Critique of Pure Reason shows how reason determines the conditions under which experience and knowledge are based. (Kemerling 1) This means that if I want to buy a car, I must have money and knowledge of what it will cost to buy a car. Without money, I cannot buy a new car or without the knowledge of where to buy a car, I would not know of a car to buy. This is where we take our experience and knowledge and combine them to give us cause and effect as above. When we have concepts of understanding, those ideas will provide us with the ability to connect knowledge together to create a synthetic a priori judgment. Kant believes that all of our knowledge stems from experience, but that our knowledge does not have to stem out of the experience. In other words a priori knowledge is independent of our experiences and senses. With that said, Kant believed that philosophy must stand in the need of a science that will determine the extent of all of it. Mathematics is an example of how far, independently of experience, we can progress in a priori knowledge. (Kemerling 3) So in conclusion, natural science contains a priori synthetic judgments and metaphysics contains a priori synthetic knowledge. Kant believes that pure reason is, That which contains the principles whereby we know anything absolutely a priori. (Critique of Pure Reason) Its like adding and subtracting which brings about a priori answers, once we do that our judgments and concepts stem from an a priori origin. For the analysis, that is, mere dissection of concepts, contained in this or that, is not the aim of, but only a preparation for metaphysics proper, which has its object the extension, by means of synthesis of prior knowledge. For Humes analysis by Kant he stated that all things ultimately exist in space, a priori, before we can sense. The priori of an object is their concept of it. It is more than showing these concepts, but containing a knowledge of their concepts and how it can be arrived as a synthesis, of a priori knowledge. (Jones 2) Overall, both Hume and Kant came to agree that all theoretical sciences of reason have synthetic a priori judgments and are followed in these principles; All knowledge begins with an experience. A priori knowledge is independent of experiences. If we understand and adapt to these principles of synthetic a priori judgment, we may begin to understand everything within a better light especially cause and effect. In respect to both Hume and Kant, I must say I agree with their definitive choices for use of the judgments. While pushing aside analytic judgments, both Kant and Hume make strong arguments for why synthetic a priori judgments are not only the foundation for natural science, but also for the definitive source of almost all human knowledge. I agree with Kant in saying that we can have an idea or impression of something which knowledge can be stemmed from, but I genuinely dont believe we can know something without having experience of it. You can have an idea of something, but not knowledge of something and those two ideals are drastically different in my mind. Overall, Kant does a great job at conforming and revamping Humes ideas on synthetic a priori judgment and without synthetic a priori knowledge, we would defiantly be lacking much knowledge in the human culture.

Reasons for Womens Suffrage Campaign :: essays research papers

In the years after 1870 there were many reasons for the development of the women’s suffrage movement. The main reasons were changes in the law. Some affecting directly affecting women, and some not, but they all added to the momentum of Women’s campaign for the vote. Before 1870 there were few bills passed to achieve much for the movement. One bill that was passed, which did not directly affect women in too many ways was one of the starting points of the campaign for the vote. This was the 1867 Reform Act. In 1832, the Great Reform Act was passed, this allowed most middle class men to vote, but not working class men. But, the 1867 Reform Act changed this. This Act lead to all men who had lived at the same address for 12 months to be able vote. This meant that many more working class men were able to vote in the General elections. After this Act, many women felt that if the majority of men, regardless of class, were able to vote, why should women not be able to vote as well. Later, in 1870 the first part of the Married Women’s Property Act was passed. Until this act was passed, when a woman married, any property she owned was legally transferred to her husband. Divorce laws heavily favored men, and a divorced wife could expect to lose any property she possessed before she married. The implications of these two Acts combined, was enough to start women questioning the reasons for them not being able to vote, it started the campaign of votes for women. In the second part of the Reform Act, in 1884, many more men were able to vote. This simply fueled the campaign even more. As even more men could vote, still no women could. Despite all this, women could still vote in some things. The 1869 and 1882 Municipal Council Acts allowed women to vote in council elections. Women could also vote in elections for School Boards from 1870, for Boards of Health from 1875 and in elections to the London County Council from 1889. The Local Government Acts of 1894 and 1899, which set up district and borough councils, also included women as voters. So, women were already allowed to vote in: council elections, school board elections, health board elections, county council elections and others. Why were they not able to votes in such things as General elections? Reasons for Women's Suffrage Campaign :: essays research papers In the years after 1870 there were many reasons for the development of the women’s suffrage movement. The main reasons were changes in the law. Some affecting directly affecting women, and some not, but they all added to the momentum of Women’s campaign for the vote. Before 1870 there were few bills passed to achieve much for the movement. One bill that was passed, which did not directly affect women in too many ways was one of the starting points of the campaign for the vote. This was the 1867 Reform Act. In 1832, the Great Reform Act was passed, this allowed most middle class men to vote, but not working class men. But, the 1867 Reform Act changed this. This Act lead to all men who had lived at the same address for 12 months to be able vote. This meant that many more working class men were able to vote in the General elections. After this Act, many women felt that if the majority of men, regardless of class, were able to vote, why should women not be able to vote as well. Later, in 1870 the first part of the Married Women’s Property Act was passed. Until this act was passed, when a woman married, any property she owned was legally transferred to her husband. Divorce laws heavily favored men, and a divorced wife could expect to lose any property she possessed before she married. The implications of these two Acts combined, was enough to start women questioning the reasons for them not being able to vote, it started the campaign of votes for women. In the second part of the Reform Act, in 1884, many more men were able to vote. This simply fueled the campaign even more. As even more men could vote, still no women could. Despite all this, women could still vote in some things. The 1869 and 1882 Municipal Council Acts allowed women to vote in council elections. Women could also vote in elections for School Boards from 1870, for Boards of Health from 1875 and in elections to the London County Council from 1889. The Local Government Acts of 1894 and 1899, which set up district and borough councils, also included women as voters. So, women were already allowed to vote in: council elections, school board elections, health board elections, county council elections and others. Why were they not able to votes in such things as General elections?

Roger Williams and his Attack on Puritanism Essay -- American America

Roger Williams and his Attack on Puritanism During the seventeenth century a group of Christians split off from the Anglican Church of England and formed their own theology know as Puritanism. The Puritans were made up of the middle-class teachers, lawyers, merchants, clergy, and parliament members. Joshua Miller explains how the Puritans, "equated the church with the body of Christ;" and further states that, "to admit everyone, even open and unrepentant sinners, to the church was to pollute Christ's body" (Miller 59). The Church of England corruption of this body was the main reason for the great "Puritan Migration" during the seventeenth centry, along with the fact that the King refused to convene parliament at the time causing an uprising against the Throne of England. [1] The Puritans were cast out by King Charles of England and sent to the Americas to start a new colony of their own. The Puritans came to the Americas with a set idea of union between church and state. In the patent given to the Puritans by the King a selct few men were given the power to make laws without consent of the commonwealth and allowed to confiscate lands from the natives. Roger Williams a man who openly opposed these kinds of injustices committed by Puritan leaders like John Cotton and John Winthrop. A Puritan that had turned Separatist, Roger Williams wanted no part of the tainted Church of England. Separatists completely severed ties with the Anglican Church and formed their own denomination with their own theology and system of beliefs. Williams' separatist views did not sit well with the Puritans and as a result he paid the price for his open rebellion against the Puritan acts in New England. The Puritan church and government banis... ... his radical religious beliefs and his liberal political views which now live on in present day society. Works Cited 1.Covey, Cyclone. The Gentle Radical A Biography of Roger Williams. New York: MacMillan Company, 1966. 2. Greene, Theodore P. Roger Williams and the Massachusetts Magistrates. Boston: 1876. -Dexter, Henry M. As to Roger Williams and His 'Banishment' from the Massachusetts Plantation. Boston: 1976. - Knowles, James D. Memoir of Roger Williams. - Williams, Roger. "Mr. Cotton's letter Lately Printed, Examined and Answered." Narragansett Club. Providence: 1866. - Winthrop, John. "Winthrop's Journal." Original Narratives of Early American History. New York: 1908 Vol. 1 3. Miller, Joshua. "Direct Democracy and the Puritan Theory of Membership." Journal of Politics. Vol. 53 Issue1 Feb. 1991 pp. 59. Jstor June 3, 2000.

Free Things They Carried Essays: The Girl Next Door :: Things They Carried Essays

The Girl Next Door in The Things They Carried The Feminist Approach Method to critical analysis examines the feminism implied within the text. In Tim O'Brien's, The Things They Carried, the story, "Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong," is a story about the changes in a female when she is exposed to war. But, more importantly it is a story that illustrates how women are more than sex objects. "Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong," proves that female and male stereotypes do not always apply. "Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong," is a story being told by Rat Kiley to Mitchell Sanders, two soldiers of the Vietnam War. Mark Fossie's girlfriend, Mary Anne Bell, comes to stay with the soldiers in their perimeter. She arrives to Vietnam by a helicopter with the daily shipment of supplies for the soldiers. When the soldiers meet her she is identified as an innocent blond with "white culottes and this sexy pink sweater" (90). Even her name is a direct reference to the Virgin Mary, a sign of purity. The men in the perimeter are attracted to her, because they see her as a sex object. They view her as a daily source of survival. In the beginning of the story, Mark Fossie guides Mary Anne around by the arm, but after a while, Mary Anne begins to guide herself. Slowly, she becomes curious about the equipment and the war. She begins to adapt to life in Vietnam by eating with her hands, and using the phrases she hears from the soldiers. She becomes less concerned about her appearance and her cleanliness, and she begins to use weapons. Her voice becomes lower, her body becomes firmer, and her eyes become colder. She is becoming less of a sex object to the soldiers, because she is more masculine. One night Mary Anne does not come back to Fossie. He begins jumping to the conclusion that she is sleeping with other soldiers, when actually she is just hanging out with the guys. Mary Anne explains to Fossie that the war is like an appetite. On page 111, she states: "I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it's like I'm full of electricity and I'm glowing in the dark-I'm on fire almost-I'm burning away into nothing- but it doesn't matter because I know exactly who I am." This statement is referring to the idea that Mary Anne has found a part of her that was always missing.

Communal harmony and the question of cultural identity Essay

Harmony and the co-existence of mutli-faceted elements are the two essential ingredients of any society which seeks sustainable longevity. In a pluralistic society the question of harmonious existence of its different structural units becomes all the more pertinent. An analogy can be observed with the human body wherein the different functional systems work in unison to create a perfect coherence. Like in the human body where, different organs combine to form organ systems, in a human society smaller population groups combine to form socio-cultural entities based on particular types of identification. Unlike their biological counterparts this process of identification is not scientific and fully rational. The identification followed by human beings depends on ceratin social mores and socio-cultural guidelines which may vary from race, colour, creed, gender, class etc. to religion, region and nationality. This process is sometimes a skewed one as during the course of it a particular social grouping more than often identifies comparatively with respect to other grouping and instead of harmonising itself with other groupings differentiates with them. In case of India, the scenario is not only a peculiar one but is also intertwined with its socio-political realities. We live in a highly diversified pluralistic society wherein the number of cultural elements outscore the structural ethos provided by any type of government. The different communities in India classify themselves according to different criteria which differ temporally as well as contextually. The classification process is so well differentiatied that many of the times, people originally belonging to a particular group start associating themselves with completely different groups in different contexts e. g. people belonging to a particular caste group may associate differently with each other on the basis of economic class or educational standards. The concept of cultural identity is at the core of the Indian society. The historical formation of Indian society provides us with an idea of its multi-faceted diversity and non-inclusive cultural developments. Social history of India outlines how various indigenous as well as foreign elements reacted and intermingled in an undefined manner to produce newer cultural traits for the population to identify with. Religion, language, ideology etc. have, from time to time, given various channels for cultural identification. The communal formation of Indian society is to be observed in not a narrow way. Though religion provides the most simple way of communal identification in India, we must remeber that the idea of community is central to process of communalization

Environmental Protection Program

The collective action of humans – developing and paving over the landscape, clear-cutting forests, polluting rivers and streams, altering the atmosphere's protective ozone layer, and populating nearly every place imaginable – are bringing an end to the lives of creatures across the Earth. Extinction of biological species is not necessarily a phenomenon initiated by human activity, some argue. Although the specific role of extinction in the process of evolution is still being researched and debated, it is generally accepted that the demise of any biological species is inevitable. Opponents of special efforts to protect endangered species invariably point this out. They also suggest that the role of homo sapiens in causing extinction should not be distinguished from that of any other species. This position, most often espoused by individuals whose other views are curiously much more anthropocentric, is contrary to some well established facts. Unlike other creatures that have inhabited the Earth, human beings are the first to possess the technological ability to cause wholesale extermination of species, genera or even entire families of living creatures. This process is accelerating. Wildlife management efforts initiated during this century have been unsuccessful in stemming the tide. Most public attention given to endangered species has focused on mammals, birds, and a few varieties of trees. Ecologists recognize a far greater threat to the much larger number of species of reptiles, fish, invertebrates, and plants that are being wiped out by human activity. In the past few decades, vast areas in several regions of the world have been cleared to make room for urban development or for food production. Modern agriculture techniques and industries' need for raw material have contributed to the epidemic of extinction. During the last few centuries, growth in the human population and intensification of our use of resources has greatly increased the rate of species extinction. Today, this rate is at least 1,000 times higher than it was when the genus Homo made its appearance about 2 million years ago. According to the best estimates, an average of 200 species vanishes from the Earth every day. By the year 2025, an estimated 20 percent of Earth's species may have been pushed to extinction – a loss of species unmatched since the end of the Mesozoic 65 million years ago. For human beings, the consequences of this extensive wave of extinction's will be severe, whether they are viewed from a moral, aesthetic, scientific, or economic perspective. Scientists fear that the vitality of our ecology may be seriously threatened by the reduction of biological diversity resulting from the lost genetic resource contained in the extinct species. They note that the ability of species to evolve and adapt to environmental change depends on the existence of a vast pool of genetic material. This problem joins the issue of endangered species with that of wilderness preservation. Unfortunately, the need to set aside vast undeveloped areas to prevent wholesale extinction is more acute in the poorer, more crowded regions of the world where people are pressured by both their own basic needs and the demand of the industrialized world for their resources. The concept of biodiversity helps capture the magnitude of the problem. Biodiversity is the variety of, and interaction among, living organisms and the ecological complexes that they occur in, from the smallest habitat to the Earth as a whole. The concept also includes the genetic variability within these species, the raw material of both evolutionary adaptation and selective breeding by humans. In terms of biodiversity, extinction is more than the loss of individual species, it is the degradation of the ecological complexes that support all life on this planet. The set of plant, animal, fungus and microorganism species that occur together at a particular place make possible the functioning of an ecosystem at that place. Undisturbed ecosystems, with their natural level of biodiversity – regulate the flow of energy and the cycling of nutrients, which all life depends on. The ongoing elimination of a sizable portion of the Earth's biota is probably the clearest sign that the manner in which we use the natural environment is not sustainable. The intensity of our exploitation of natural resources is simply too great. In the past 40 years, human beings have wasted over a fifth of the Earth's topsoil, destroyed more than half of its forests, polluted most fresh and onshore marine waters, and profoundly changed the characteristics of the atmosphere. It is easy to put much of the blame on population growth. The human population has more than doubled over the past 40 years to reach the present level of more than 5. 5 billion. Each new person puts an added burden on the natural environment. Yet if we are to understand the roots of the problem and work towards real solutions, we need to look at other factors besides population growth. As living organisms, we must utilize the natural environment to satisfy our basic needs. The manner in which we do this, however, is as variable as human culture. The problem is that present social, economic, and political structures encourage us to maximize our use of natural resources rather than use them wisely. In today's world, economic resources are highly concentrated in industrialized countries, where most of the world's goods are consumed by a minority of the global population. Seventy-seven percent of the people in the world – most of whom live in less-developed nations – have only about 15 percent of the world's wealth, consume only 10 to 15 percent of the world's natural resources, and generate about 10 to 15 percent of the world's pollution. This global inequality is one of the major factors contributing to overuse of resources and destruction of natural habitats. At present, our ignorance of biodiversity is telling: scientists believe that the total number of species on Earth may be about 10 million, although only 1. million have been named and classified. Such knowledge is of great importance in itself, and of fundamental importance to achieving sustainable productivity. But it is only one of many prerequisites; another is a stable human population. Unfortunately – and only if we sustain our attention to family planning around the world – two to three times the current number of people may be alive when the human population levels out. At that point, the intelligent use of organisms and other natural resources will be absolutely essential for future stability. A stable human population, however, will not in itself allow us to attain a stable world. We must also address much more effectively the problems of poverty and lack of social justice throughout the world. This must include pursuing sustainable agricultural development in a way that guarantees more people access to the land they must have to meet their own needs. The role of women must also be enhanced throughout the world, in relation to health and family planning, literacy and school involvement, and participation in the work force. Another problem to confront is overconsumption of the world's resources by people in industrialized countries. Plans to preserve biodiversity and utilize it sustainably will fail as long as the global community continues to promote growth and consumption rather than reduce them. In addition, it is important to augment the number of educators, scientists, and engineers who live in developing countries, only about one in twenty of the world's scientists and engineers live there. Without technical knowledge and expertise, the chances for most less-developed nations to achieve sustainable productivity are poor. All nations must be given the opportunity to explore multiple paths, consistent with their own social values, for making biodiverisity an indispensable ingredient of socioeconomic, cultural, and scientific development. Without the achievement of a stable global population and the implementation of social justice, it simply will not be possible to learn about, manage, preserve, and benefit from what is left of the world's biodiversity. Understanding the connections between biodiversity, human institutions, and our long-term survival is the first step in learning to manage the biological resources of the planet Earth, our common home, for our mutual benefit. The sixth extinction is not inevitable. If humans are the cause, they can also be the solution. Conservation law in this country has taken a new turn, and in many ways California is leading the charge. The next decade will be an exciting and critical time for this state and the nation. The future of our natural resources and of our quality of life may well depend upon the choices and commitments we make over the next few years. If you travel the length or breadth of the state of California, you experience its diversity as a progression of distinct environments, each with characteristic plant species and climatic conditions. To highlight such contrasts, scientists have divided the state into large bioregions, each of which encompasses environments with broadly similar characteristics. A bioregion is itself a mosaic of unique aquatic and terrestrial environments-marshes, grasslands, woodlands, forests. California is composed of 11 major biogeographic areas, or bioregions. The great diversity of habitats within the state has allowed California to serve as a final refuge for species once dispersed throughout the West. The isolation provided by restricted habitats has allowed them to act not only as refuges, but also as centers of evolution for new species. Hence, California has a remarkably high degree of endemism – of species found nowhere else – in much the same way that an island often has endemic species. The two most important arbiters of California's natural landscapes are its Mediterranean climate and its varied topography. These factors are interconnected: landforms modify the climate, producing local variations in temperature and precipitation, and climate determines the nature and rate of erosion and soil deposition. Over eons, these and other factors have interacted to produce an amazing diversity of both landscapes and species. More than a third of the plants native to California are endemic, either evolving here in response to the continual opening up of new ecological niches, or finding refuge here after geologic change had altered their homelands. In California, population growth is obviously a direct cause of spreading urbanization. New housing developments and freeways overwhelm woods, meadows, and chaparral, destroying unique habitats full of evolutionary novelties, placing many native plant and wildlife species in imminent danger of extinction. It is tempting to blame our problems on overpopulation. The California that once supported 300,000 native Americans is now teeming with about 31. 5 million inhaitants-and their automobiles. It may be that the state's environment cannot support this many people, but we also should remember that incredible environmental damage had already been done when the state's human population numbered 1 million or fewer. It may be more appropriate to look at the nature of our economic system, a system oriented toward and dependent upon continuous growth, and one that operates on the fixed assumptions that there are potentially unlimited resources at one end of our economic pipeline and, at the other, a bottomless sink for disposal of wastes. Of course, there is neither. The first inhabitants of California lived for centuries within the limits of their environment, and the Spanish and Mexican economy was oriented more toward stability than growth. Unfortunately, the â€Å"get-rich-quick† mentality of the Gold Rush pioneers who followed them continues to play a role in California even now. The view of the natural world as a place to live, and therefore to care for, has not held its own against the view of nature as something to exploit. We have reached our present dilemma: Now we must balance the need to protect and maintain what is left of California's once renowned biodiversity against the need to care for the well-being of its human population. Yet protecting nature is no longer merely an option; the survival of humanity depends on the survival of our cohabitants on Earth.

Philippine Noon Time Shows Essay

For over a decade now, noontime TV shows have captivated the Filipino public, colloquially known asâ€Å"the masa†. These shows run for 2 hours a day, 6 days a week, usually from around 2 to 4 o clock pm. Their immense popularity is shown by the long lines of people that wait outside the studio hours before the program starts. All of them, hoping to get a chance to participate in the festivities which include playing games, singing, and dancing. Millions more watch through their television. All this translates into high TV ratings, eventually generating billions in revenue for the producers and executives. The host himself earns around 1 to 2 million pesos everyday. The audience mostly consists of people from the D and E demographics. Butch Stuart in his article â€Å"Mr Willie† describes them as â€Å"those who come from near or far away, many with borrowed transportation money, coming from all walks of masa life. Some of the groups that he mentioned were featured in these shows include: farmers, fishermen, GROs, bus drivers, people with missing teeth, people with special talents, single mothers, gay, graduates who failed their licensing exams, girls who can dance, boys who can sing, bibingka vendors, and, even, young girls with great looking legs.† Overseas Filipino Workers are also given special mention in the show. Those present in the audience see it as a welcome home celebration, or a way to re-immerse themselves in the Filipino culture. A euphoric upbeat atmosphere underpins the event. Mr Stuart describes it as â€Å"120 minutes of mindless choreographed entertainment – games, dancing, singing and laughter with ample opportunities for ogling†. These events don’t require any complex thinking from the participants. They were designed to be visceral and to conjure a response of raw emotion. Girls in scantily clad outfits are the ones who facilitate the celebration. They serve two purposes in the event. Firstly to captivate and attract through their revealing outfits. But they also carry out logistical tasks like accompanying audience members to the stage and dancing the tunes for everyone to mimic. The host ensures that all elements of the show are put together. To keep everything lively, his dialogue must always be fast paced. At times he gives off the impression of a cheerleader – always rousing the audience into states of excitement. He will always crack jokes left and right, and will never miss any opportunity even it means making fun of himself. For the show to be successful, the host must understand the sensibilities of the majority lower class audience. The interactive environment can only exist if he can connect with the â€Å"masa’s† humor. In Philippine society, no one has been more successful in doing this than Willie Revillame. A household name in television, he has amassed a massive amount of wealth from his noon time shows Wowowee in ABS CBN and later on, Willing willie on TV 5. Noon time shows rely on the D and E classes as their target audience. When criticism is mounted against these shows, producers are quick to respond that these journalists do not understand the plight of the poor. Some argue that these shows give the poor false hope. They line up for months waiting to be called on stage. Waiting to tell their life story. Waiting to play for a million pesos with house and lot. But the reality is that most of those who line up for the show never even make it to the studio. RESEARCH QUESTION: We would like to find out why Filipinos from the class D end E brackets are captivated with these noon time shows. It is the poor’s endorsement that sustains them. Companies who want to reach out to this consumer market donate lump sums of money for their products to be advertised on air. They know that the millions of impoverished families watching these shows will see their products. But the poor do more than just endorse. Often they peg their aspirations and dreams to the show itself. Watch any full show and you are sure to come across someone sobbing on air, talking about how his dream was to meet Willie in person. To answer the question of why the poor are so captivated, we will need to address more specific inquiries. Media for instance, is never a neutral medium. It has the capacity to shape public perception through its different portrayals of reality. After acknowledging that the poor are interested in these shows, we will look into what techniques and strategies these shows use to sustain that interest. It is easy to understand that someone who stumbles across ABSCBN may be mesmerized by the glitz and glamour of the wowowee show girls. But how do the producers maintain that interest for long periods of time when the programs in these shows tend to be repetitive? Further inquiries may also be raised concerning how we perceive and understand poverty as a social ill. Subconsciously or not, these shows frame this issue in a biased way. Critics are quick to pounce on Willie Revillame for taking advantage of the poor. In return, he retaliates by calling them apathetic and claiming that he truly empathizes with them. Both assertions are possibly right. These shows may be both half empty and full. But perhaps a better way to resolve this conflict is to look into the assumptions about poverty that these shows espouse. Even more questions can be raised regarding the link between poverty and gender in Philippine society. We question how structures of patriarchy are reinforced and reflected in the arrangments of these shows. Willie Revillame is notorious for using blatantly sexist language. In one account by Butch Stuart, Willie comments on the obesity of a middle aged woman who came up to hug him by saying, â€Å"Mas masarap yapusin ang mga dalaga†. But the epitome of this sexism is seen in the dancing girls that liven the show. Mr Butch Stuart describes them as if they were tools to tingle one’s sensations: â€Å"Tall, Pretty, Scantily Clad,Jiggling their cleavage breasts, bending, grinding and humping their loins, the tassels and trimmings of their skimpy covers swaying with their dancing, as they blow kisses, seamlessly sequing from program segments to ads, teasing men to the edge of one particular cardinal sin†. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: The group will use Marxist analysis to understand the dynamics that exist between the audience and the TV producers in these noon time shows. The paper on Marxism and method talks about the central scientific goals of Marxist analysis. The first of these is to provide a well founded and logically derived description of the central institutional feature of a market based economic system. The second goal is to historicize and to determine how these features came to exist. The last is to determine the social implications of these arrangments. We like this kind of theoretical framework for its rigid empiricism. Many frameworks start from the universal towards the particular. That is to say they start with an established principle and then go on trying to rationalize the real world to try to fit that picture. In contrast, Marxist analysis begins from the ground up. It first takes a look at what is observable like the relationships of people across the social strata, the relationships of people to capital, or the relationships of people to instiutions which did not exist apriori, but instead have a historical basis to them. After making repeated observations, Marxist analysis will then see if recurring patterns, outcomes, and courses of action exist. Only then will a theory be produced to account for these similarities. The Marxist approach is a scientific one. As Daniel little writes that Marxist analysis explain real world phenomena in terms of underlying causal conditions rather than crude associations among observable va riables. This process of analysis is significant in our research in that it requires us to look at the tangible motivations of those watching these noon time TV shows. It is no mere coincidence or stroke of luck that these shows continue to remain prominent. There are financial incentives that make thousands of people skip their work just to watch them live. There are also practical ways to explain why the poor would rather sing and dance away their problems to the tune of â€Å"boom tarat tarat†. Finally, it is an undeniable fact that the elites- namely the business tycoons, the tv executives, the celebrity personalities and everyone else on the upper echelons of the media industry, continue to benefit from a capitalist system that produces massive amounts of inequality. The mode of production, in this instance the noon time tv shows that generate the income, will cease to exist if there were no poor people to delude. We will also use the Gramscian concept of hegemony to describe the process in which the poor are made to passively accept their positions of status. Hegemony, is the process with which the dominant class projects and reinforces its ideologies through the use of cultural institutions. Chandler states that this represents not only political and economic control, but also the ability of the dominant class to project its own way of seeing the world so that those who are subordinated by it accept it as ‘common sense’ and ‘natural’. Gramsci would find the institution of the family to be repressive. By belonging into the family unit, we are socialized into aspiring for specific life goals. One of this is to be productive citizens ing specialized skill sets that can be used to earn profit. We see this as obvious. However, the fulfillment of this goal ensures the preservation of our inequitable social structure. The family and educational system ensures that when one profit minded factory owner dies, another one takes its place. DEFINITION OF TERMS: Marxism Marxism is defined as the political, economic, and social principles and policies advocated by Marx; especially : a theory and practice of socialism including the labor theory of value, dialectical materialism, the class struggle, and dictatorship of the proletariat until the establishment of a classless society. A body of doctrine developed by Karl Marx and, to a lesser extent, by Friedrich Engels in the mid-19th century. It originally consisted of three related ideas: a philosophical anthropology, a theory of history, and an economic and political program. Rational Choice Theory Rational choice theory is defined as An economic principle that assumes that individuals always make prudent and logical decisions that provide them with the greatest benefit or satisfaction and that are in their highest self-interest. Noon Time Variety Show Variety shows are defined as Theatrical entertainment consisting of successive unrelated acts, such as songs, dances, and comedy skits. In the context of this paper they are performed using the medium of the television. SCOPE AND LIMITATION: Our study will focus solely on Noon time TV programs in the Philippines. Other countries have their own formats for variety shows. These will not be covered by this paper. Our goal is to understand poverty particularly in the Filipino context. Therefore our analysis will focus more on the cultural nuances of Filipino society reflected in local variety shows. We will also not consider other reality TV shows that do not fall under the category of a variety show. That is, an event consisting of successive acts of singing, dancing and, games. The reason for this is that differences in show arrangements will make it difficult to conduct a consistent analytical approach for all reality tv across the board. For instance, Marxists themes of class inequality to an extent are less evident in weight lost shows such as the biggest loser than they are in wowowee. The selection of participants for both these shows are also markedly different making it difficult to conduct a unified analysis of the demographics. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: METHOD AND METHO http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marxism http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/367344/Marxism http://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/rational-choice-theory.asp#axzz2JCDDzjcx

History of DNA

This paper explains that Francis Crick and James Watson are the only names associated with the discovery of the DNA molecule; however, many scientists were involved. DNA sciences have led to a wide variety of advances in livestock development, forensic sciences. DNA is also being used in Law enforcement, paternity testing and limitless therapeutic medical uses. How did the new knowledge of DNA challenge traditional beliefs? DNA is a term that’s used in science as well as parts of daily life. People know that DNA is part of our body.The new knowledge of DNA challenges traditional beliefs in many ways. DNA has come along way in the past 50 years. Not only has it brought justice to cases left unsolved but has made a large impact in convicting criminals especially in rape and murder cases. Not only did they establish new knowledge about the universe, scientist also use DNA for cloning, establish paternity beyond reasonable doubt, to confirm the pedigrees of pets, dogs and cats, ra cehorses and livestock, also predicting and curing inherited diseases.Although are making breakthrough everyday, scientist are having difficult time locating the specific genes that causes diseases. How might it have led to the realization of multiple truths through controversy? The latest and most controversial DNA based research is stem cell science. The controversy surrounding stem cell research has both positive and negative consequences, making it an intense debate. The serious concern about the stem cell research is the human abortion that is needed to get proper material to study. The opposition to stem cell research is from religious beliefs.Another controversial research is cloning. Should cloning be allowed is the question. Most religions groups can argue that God did not intend cloning to be done. From creation to natural death Cloning is â€Å"playing God† man creating a duplicate of life from a life that already exist. Native Americans are opposed to such testing because they feel it violates their beliefs. Due to scientist digging up ancestry artifacts and profiling for scientific reasons. The plus side to scientist profiling would be tracking our ancestry knowing the truth of Native American history. History of DNA This paper explains that Francis Crick and James Watson are the only names associated with the discovery of the DNA molecule; however, many scientists were involved. DNA sciences have led to a wide variety of advances in livestock development, forensic sciences. DNA is also being used in Law enforcement, paternity testing and limitless therapeutic medical uses. How did the new knowledge of DNA challenge traditional beliefs? DNA is a term that’s used in science as well as parts of daily life. People know that DNA is part of our body.The new knowledge of DNA challenges traditional beliefs in many ways. DNA has come along way in the past 50 years. Not only has it brought justice to cases left unsolved but has made a large impact in convicting criminals especially in rape and murder cases. Not only did they establish new knowledge about the universe, scientist also use DNA for cloning, establish paternity beyond reasonable doubt, to confirm the pedigrees of pets, dogs and cats, ra cehorses and livestock, also predicting and curing inherited diseases.Although are making breakthrough everyday, scientist are having difficult time locating the specific genes that causes diseases. How might it have led to the realization of multiple truths through controversy? The latest and most controversial DNA based research is stem cell science. The controversy surrounding stem cell research has both positive and negative consequences, making it an intense debate. The serious concern about the stem cell research is the human abortion that is needed to get proper material to study. The opposition to stem cell research is from religious beliefs.Another controversial research is cloning. Should cloning be allowed is the question. Most religions groups can argue that God did not intend cloning to be done. From creation to natural death Cloning is â€Å"playing God† man creating a duplicate of life from a life that already exist. Native Americans are opposed to such testing because they feel it violates their beliefs. Due to scientist digging up ancestry artifacts and profiling for scientific reasons. The plus side to scientist profiling would be tracking our ancestry knowing the truth of Native American history.

Evaluating Online Sources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evaluating Online Sources - Essay Example Her credential speaks for itself and this makes her article useful and reliable. Furthermore, being a scholar, she must have written the article after conducting several studies and observations. Katrina article is published in the Dialogue Journal, an international journal of thought, faith and action. It is a non-profit organization aimed at nurturing intelligent, deepening reader’s commitment to Jesus Christ and the Bible, as well as articulating biblical responses to the contemporary issues in humanities, philosophy, arts, and sciences. In her article, Katrina strives to explain whether the benefit human beings obtain from animal usage in medical research justifies the act. Additionally, she aims at pointing at the biblical support for using animals in medical research. She asserts that Jewish teachings claim that animals were created to serve the interests of human beings; thus, their use as companions, food, and for labor (Katrina, n.d). Animals were to serve humans so long as they were treated in a manner that they were not subjected to pain and suffering. Therefore, Katrina supports the use of animals in medical research so long as they were handled with care and not subjected to pain. Katrina also claims that human beings are superior to animals; thus, their interests should be served first. This implies that animals should be used for goals that improve the conditions of human beings. Since medical research aims at improving the health standards of human beings, Katrina argues that animal research is justifie d. As much as she gives reasons that support animal usage in medical research, Katrina also points out that the animals should be handled in a manner that reduces unnecessary stress (Katrina, n.d). She reinforces that animals should be used in research that they are needed and that the research personnel conducting the test should be well trained on research principles and ethics that concern animal welfare (Katrina, n.d). In this way, using