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Sunday, November 24, 2019

Dear Sir and Other Business Conventions

Dear Sir and Other Business Conventions Dear Sir and Other Business Conventions Dear Sir and Other Business Conventions By Maeve Maddox A reader asks: Is it just me, or does the Dear seem a little awkward when starting a business letter to someone whom you have never met or communicated [with]? If I have to call someone Mr. or something similar, is this person really dear to me? I had to laugh because I had a similar feeling the first time I had to type a letter signed Yours faithfully in England. Wow, I thought, what a devoted way to sign a business letter! At the time I was very young and literal-minded. (you can read more here about the business letter format). Dear Sir, Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, and all such polite expressions are conventions, agreed-upon forms that serve a conventional purpose. Theyre not intended to be taken literally. Language is itself a convention. For example, the object that English speakers call a pencil is by French speakers called a crayon. For American English speakers a crayon is a stick of colored wax composition used for drawing and coloring. When I use a word, Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less. The question is, said Alice, whether you can make words mean so many different things. We can and do make the same words mean different things. Its all a matter of context. The dear in Dear Sir, does not mean the same as the dear that I use to address my grandchild. The one is a convention; the other is an endearment. The complete conversation between Alice and Humpty Dumpty in Through the Looking Glass may be read here. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your Story5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present Tense5 Ways to Reduce Use of Prepositions

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Child Abuse with Adopted children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Child Abuse with Adopted children - Essay Example There is an increase in the number of transnational adoptions. IV History Effects Weir 2011 2009 controversy on a Tennessee mother sending back her adopted child rudely. Bonnet 2011 Adoptive father sexually abusing girl child. Miller et al. 2007 Death of 18 adopted children in the US. V Summary As family is the most private space that exists for an individual, any attempt to monitor and interfere in what happens inside a family will result in rising eyebrows, and allegations of an intrusion into personal freedom. This is why the case of adopted children falling victims to child abuse, go unreported and un-remedied often. Still time and again there have been some such reports coming in. It is in this context that the issue of child abuse of adopted children needs to be studied more. In an adopted family, a child can possibly have a series of problems as compared to conventional biological families. These include, difficulties in forming a tie with the new parents who are strangers to the child, absence of support mechanisms outside family, socio-cultural and economic gap, parents’ attitudes and expectations, differences in cultural standards of parenting, issues of class, race and religion involved, etc. These can be remedied only through establishing government leve l and community level mechanisms to monitor the problems of adopted children and to interfere if necessary. There are class, race and religious feelings involved.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

"Juvenile Delinquency Interventions" Coursework

"Juvenile Delinquency Interventions" - Coursework Example This is quite some amount of cash and is unbelievable as a result. I believe in the findings of this study because teenagers seem to do what they are particularly asked not to do. By exposing teenagers to jails and making them aware of the criminal activities that put people in jail, they are made aware of wrongs that they perhaps were unaware of. It is imperative to note that teenagers may be vulnerable to attempting to engage in illegal activities simply because they were exposed to them. In the case of Johnny, who was diagnosed and found to be psychopathic, there are a number of effects that his diagnosis would have on his rehabilitation. For instance, his condition will not allow him to listen and partake advises from his counselors or therapists. Additionally, with his condition, he may be resistant to psychotherapy. A good example of the effects of this diagnosis is a patient who punched his psychotherapist in the face during a session when he was asked to sit calm and watch a predetermined video as a healing process. This was posted in the

Monday, November 18, 2019

Strategic Human Resource Mangement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategic Human Resource Mangement - Essay Example s as well as in the implementation of those strategies through HR activities such as recruiting, selecting, training and rewarding personnel† (Lii, 2003). SHRM models work to promote learning and competitiveness of the workforce as the basic prerequisite for improved competitiveness and better efficiency in organizations. Cadbury and Craft are the two examples of how SHRM works in practical workplace environments. Needless to say, SHRM in these organizations is heavily influenced by national and corporate cultures, and is closely aligned with the social responsibility and ethical dimensions of workplace performance. The history of SHRM at Cadbury dates back to the times when there were no unions; yet, Cadbury’s owners clearly well realized the value of HR to their competitiveness and performance. Cadbury considered people as inherently valuable to the firm and thus a resource that had to be used effectively (Price 2007). Those were also the views promoted by Craft in its approaches to HR. Obviously, those were the roots of SHRM that positions effective utilization of human resources as the source of strategic competitive advantage (Bratton & Gold 2001). For both Cadbury and Craft, SHRM stands out as the cyclic combination of several different activities: organization’s direction, environmental analysis, strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation; these altogether exemplify Bratton’s model of SHRM which successfully works in dozens of modern organizations. Moreover, Craft and Cadbury realize that HR are valuable, inimitable, and rare – the view that goes in line with the resource-based view of the firm (Hall 1993). Finally, the success of SHRM in Cadbury and Craft lays in that both organizations were successful in linking their HRM practice to behavioral, performance, and financial outcomes the way they are discussed by Guest (HRM Guide 2005). As a result, HR stands out as the core of sustained competitiveness in organizations in the long run.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Implications Of Cognitive Learning Styles On Training Design Education Essay

Implications Of Cognitive Learning Styles On Training Design Education Essay Cognitive Styles are described as individual differences in modes of organizing and processing information in memory. Often, cognitive styles are described as the link between personality and cognition (Sternberg and Grigorenko, 1997) or a missing piece in understanding self (Riding and Rayner, 1998). Over thirty different style labels are classified into two style families, the Wholist-analytic (WA) and the Verbalizer-Imager (VA) dimensions. These dimensions of cognitive styles are fundamental as they develop early in life and are pervasive as they affect social behavior, decision making and learning behavior (Sadler-Smith and Riding, 2000). The general idea while designing learning materials and trainings is that all individuals learn in a similar manner. Hence learning materials and trainings, while designing, are standardized and fail to accommodate cognitive styles and learning styles in the design process. Moreover, training design methodologies although acknowledge learning styles, but they lack the theoretical and empirical bases to accommodate the important role played by cognitive styles in determining learning performance. The assumption that all individuals learn in a similar manner ignores individual differences in cognitive styles. Streufert and Nogami (1989), and Hayes and Allinson (1994) suggested that one of the causes for differences in performance of individuals across a variety of organizations is the effect of cognitive style. Therefore, the research question the paper attempts to answer is: Cognitive styles play an important role in determining the learning performance of trainees. Hence designers of trainings and learning materials need to accommodate cognitive style in training design methodologies in order to improve the effectiveness of trainings. Research proves that accommodating individual differences in cognitive styles has a beneficial effect on learning performance. The research by Hayes and Allinson (1996) also argues that cognitive style may be an important factor in determining how individuals operate at each stage of the learning cycle. Literature Review Conventional training design methodologies fail to acknowledge the important role played by cognitive style in determining learning performance. Hence, it is necessary to consider the relationship between learning performance, learning strategies and cognitive style. It is also necessary to suggest ways in which human resource development practitioners may accommodate individual differences in style such that the effectiveness of training and development interventions may be improved (Riding and Sadler-Smith, 1997). Kim Buch and Susan Bartley (2002) investigate the relationship between learning style and preference for training delivery mode. The study explores the topic by using the Kolb Learning Style Instrument to measure training delivery mode preference. The results showed a relationship between the two variables depicting that convergers showed a stronger preference for computer-based delivery and assimilators showed a stronger preference for print-based delivery. The results also revealed an overall preference for classroom-based delivery for adults on the study, regardless of their learning styles. The article also discusses the implications of these results for training design and delivery, thereby implicating the importance of learning styles in the design process of trainings. The type of learning style is not significantly effective on the students achievement and learning performance in different learning environments (Yilmaz-Soylu and Akkoyunlu, 2002). The study investigates the effects of learning styles on students achievement and learning performance in different learning environments designed according to principles of Generative Theory of Multimedia Learning. The inferences were made by studying a study group in three different learning environments at different times. The research made use of two different learning instruments including a pre-post test experimental method to identify students achievement score and Kolbs Learning Style Inventory to measure students learning styles. The design and application of distance learning is of central concern to many educators. Research has been conducted from a variety of perspectives in this area. The paper by Yuliang Liu and Dean Ginther (1999) explores ways to adapt the design of distance education to students cognitive styles. The paper provides an overview of the construct of cognitive styles along with the major dimensions and characteristics of cognitive styles. The researchers also present some applications of cognitive styles to the design of distance education. The research by Steven John Simon (2000) indicates that trainees whose learning style matches training methodology are more successful in training outcomes, have higher computing satisfaction, and have higher levels of computer use. The study examines the relationship of learning style and training method to computer satisfaction and computer use. The researcher uses structural equation modeling to examine and understand the results of a field experiment to determine the optimum method of training beginner computer users, and to assess the role of learning styles in computing system training. Trainees learning style was determined using Kolbs Learning Styles Inventory. The study by John Hayes and Christopher W. Allinson (1997) reviews the research on the interaction effect of learning style and the learning style orientation of the learning environment on learning outcomes, and discusses how the findings from educational research can improve training and development practice. The paper attempts to indicate the effect of cognitive learning styles on training and development practice and discusses the need for more research in work settings and the dearth of valid and reliable measures of cognitive learning style. The presence of a valid and reliable measure of cognitive learning style can be easily administered to employees and is considered as a factor which may have inhibited research in this area. Additionally, the advantages and disadvantages of a number of measures that could be used in work settings are also discussed in the paper. Christopher W. Allinson and Lucinda Willis (2010) examine the range of business learning styles in a population consistency of American and international business students. The research uses the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey to determine learning styles in both working and learning environments. Research findings indicate that learning styles are uniquely related to geographic locations. Research suggests that individuals differ in the way they process information due to their learner characteristics. It also suggests the presence of 11 dimensions of learner characteristics. Lynna J. Ausburn and Floyd B. Ausburn (1978) use a fresh approach to instructional design and emphasize the importance of cognitive style as a learner characteristic. Noting that cognitive styles are stable, resistant to change by training and bear little relation to general ability, the authors advocate assisting the learner whose information processing pattern is not compatible with the task to be learned by involving explicit alteration of the task requirement with which the learner is having difficulty. Therefore, the study proposes to design the training so as to accommodate learning styles by a three-step instructional design plan with which to move beyond individual instruction to individualized instruction. Such a plan would allow for differences in learners to not result in differences i n learning. In order to optimize individual performance, managers and human resource practitioners have a crucial role to play and a number of human resource interventions are required to facilitate a versatility of style at both the individual and the organizational levels (Sadler-Smith and Beryl Badgera, 1998). The research describes cognitive style as an important determinant of individual behavior and considers it imperative to organizational learning and the innovation process. The researchers argue that it is a fundamental determinant of individual and organizational behavior and manifests itself in individual workplace actions and in organizational systems, processes and routines. The paper presents a number of propositions which raise some implications for research into cognitive styles and its impact upon innovation and organizational learning and training. The study by Eugene Sadler-Smith (1996) argues that learning style along with learning preferences and cognitive styles may be included under the term personal style. The paper reviews each aspect of the personal style framework and considers its relationship to learning performance at the reaction, learning, behavior and results level. It also describes the instruments which may be used for profiling personal style and suggests that personal style profiling is of value to human resource development practitioners as it may help them identify their own styles, become aware of any bias or imbalance in the training and learning methods which they employ and design and develop learning events which accommodate or acknowledge the personal styles of the learners. Eugene Sadler-Smith (1996) explores ways in which individual differences between learners regarding their cognitive styles (Riding, 1991) and experiential learning model (Kolb, 1984 and Honey and Mumford, 1986, 1992) may be accommodated while designing self-instructional learning materials. The study provides suggestions to develop balanced instructional materials that acknowledge each stage of the learning cycle and individual differences between learners in terms of verbalizer-imager (VI) and wholist-analytical (WA) dimensions of cognitive style. It also reviews the learning cycle, the associated learning styles (Kolb, 1984; Honey and Mumford, 1986, 1992) and the verbalizer-imager/wholist-analytical model of cognitive style (Riding, 1991) to make suggestions. The research argues that the learning cycle notions suggested by Kolb and Honey and Mumford and the cognitive style model by Riding may provide useful guidelines for accommodating individual differences between learners while designing self-instructional materials which may enable; learning difficulties to be anticipated and addressed, the effectiveness and efficiency of self-instruction to be improved, learners to become aware of the learning process enabling them to be self-reliant and autonomous, and learners and designers to adopt a whole-brain approach. Implications of cognitive style for management practice especially while designing and delivering trainings is studied by John Hayes and Christopher W. Allinson (1994). The paper identifies some important dimensions of cognitive style, addresses semantic issues associated with the nature of cognitive style and examines ways in which styles can be classified. Research regarding learning styles is emerging from a variety of disciplines and is conducted in domains outside psychology from which many of the central concepts and theories originate. These domains primarily include medical and health care training, management, industry, vocational training and education. Moreover, the applications of these concepts are very broad due to the importance of learning in every field and to every aspect of life. However, the topic has become fragmented and disparate due to the varied aims of the research and the diversity of disciplines and domains in which the research is conducted. Therefore, this has rendered the topic to be complex and difficult to comprehend and assimilate. Hence, it is necessary to present an account of the central themes and issues surrounding learning styles and to consider the instruments available for the measurement of style. The paper by Simon Cassidy (2004) reviews the theories, models and measures related to learning sty les. The study attempts to clarify common areas of ambiguity in particular issues surrounding measurement and appropriate instruments. It also aims to bring together necessary components of the area so as to allow for a broader appreciation of learning styles and to inform readers regarding possible tools for measurement of learning styles. The paper anticipates promoting research in the field by making it more accessible to new practitioners and researchers and by developing a greater appreciation for the area across disciplines. The paper by Samuel Messick (1984) examines characteristic features of cognitive styles and the ways in which learning styles differ from one another. These distinctive characteristics are integrated to form a framework that serves to define cognitive styles in contrast not only to abilities but to other types of stylistic variables. The paper also discusses implications of cognitive styles in terms of improving instructional methods, enriching teacher behavior and conceptions, enhancing student learning and thinking strategies, expanding guidance and vocational decision making, broadening educational goals and outcomes and tuning the stylistic demands of educational environments. The author also addresses the reasons why cognitive styles have educational impact and why such educational benefits are difficult to realize. The study by Eugene Sadler-Smith (2001) explores the construct validity of learning style as defined in the Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) and its relationship with cognitive styles as measured by using the Cognitive Styles Analysis (CSA) by R. Riding (1994). The study also examines the relationship between styles and learning preferences and suggests that the LSI assesses two dimensions as defined by Kolb (comprehension and transformation) and that the learning style and cognitive styles are independent and the relationship between style and preference is mediated by gender. Adrian Furnham (1991) reports three studies concerned with personality correlates of learning styles. The Eyesenckian dimensions of Extraversion, Neuroticism, Psychoticism and Lie correlated with three different measures of learning style; the Honey and Mumford (1982) Learning Style Questionnaire (LSQ), the Whetten and Cameron (1984) Cognitive Style Instrument (CSI); and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI). Personality measures, especially extraversion and psychoticism were strongly correlated with learning/cognitive styles in each case. The study also discusses the implications for assessing learning and cognitive styles in terms of the incremental validity of using learning style instruments. The effect of text-plus-text versus text-plus-picture computer presentation conditions and the students cognitive styles on the learning performance is investigated in the paper by R. Riding and G. Douglas (1993). For the study, fifty nine 15-16 year old students in a secondary school were randomly assigned within sexes to one of the conditions. In the text-plus-text condition, the learning material content described the working of car brake systems while the text-plus-picture condition consisted of text with additional pictorial information. The students were given a post-test overall learning performance along with the Cognitive Styles Analysis (CSA) (Riding, 1991) which measures an individuals position on two cognitive style dimensions; Verbal-Imagery and Wholist-Analytic. The study concluded that the Verbal-Imagery cognitive style and presentation condition interacted in their effect on overall learning performance. In the text-plus-picture condition, Imagers were superior to Ver balizers, while in the text-plus-text condition the Verbalizers did better than Imagers. The authors also observed that Imagers used more diagrams to illustrate their answers than Verbalizers. The study also discusses the results in terms of their implications for instruction. Elizabeth R. Peterson, Ian J. Deary and Elizabeth J. Austin (2003) assess and examine the reliability of Ridings Cognitive Styles Analysis test (CSA) by comparing the performance on the original CSA test and a new parallel version. Both test versions were completed twice by 50 participants, however, the second time the test was completed approximately a week later. The reliability of the test was measured using parallel forms, test-re-test and split half analysis. Correlations of the Verbal-Imagery (VI) and Wholist-analytic (WA) ratios from both test versions were low. However, when the CSA and parallel form data were combined, the split-half analysis of the Wholist-Analytic (WA) style ratio was stable but the Verbal-Imagery (VI) style ratio remained unreliable. Management education and development practitioners should recognize that individuals learning preferences are likely to vary as a result of cognitive style and that this diversity should be acknowledged and accommodated by practitioners through the use of a variety of instructional methods. Researchers also argue that management education and development will benefit from adopting a variety of modes of presentation which will enable individuals to process information in their habitual modes (i.e. visual or verbal) and using instructional devices (overviews, summaries and different types of advance organizers) which compensate for the weaknesses of individuals habitual modes of organizing and structuring information in memory. In order to encourage self-awareness and hence facilitate learning and strategy development, management education and development practitioners should use the notion of style and its assessment. Therefore, it is now imperative to fully utilize the notion of styl e in the education and development of managers in the 21st century. The study by Eugene Sadler-Smith and Richard Riding (2000) aims to consider the implications of the Wholist-Analytic (WA) and Verbalizer-Imager (VI) dimensions of cognitive style for management education and development. The study presents and examines that at a practical level, the style may exert an influence over learning behavior in a number of ways; by interacting with the mode or structure of the presentation of information; by influencing an individuals propensity to engage in particular types of learning behavior (learning preferences) or through using an awareness of individuals personal styles as a basis for meta-cognitive awareness (learning strategy development). The paper by Eugene Sadler-Smith and Peter J. Smith (2004) presents strategies for accommodating individuals styles and preferences in flexible learning programs. The paper argues that considerable growth and development has taken place in the use of flexible methods of delivery for workplace learning and development. However, while designing programs for flexible learning, the designers often assume that learners exhibit uniformity in their ability to process and organize information (cognitive style), in their tendency towards particular learning formats and media (instructional preferences) and the conscious actions that learners employ to deal with the demands of specific learning situations (learning strategies). Due to such assumptions, the designers of learning materials and trainings may risk ignoring important aspects of individual differences in styles, preferences and strategies. The paper aims to consider some aspects of individual difference that are significant to the d elivery of flexible learning in the workplace, identify some of the challenges that may raise for instructional designers and learning facilitators based on differences in styles and preferences between individuals and suggest ways to accommodate and acknowledge individual differences in styles and preferences in the models of flexible learning design and delivery through the use of a range of instructional design, learning and support strategies. The paper by Pat Burke Guild (2001) examines the effects of diversity, learning styles and culture on the learning performance of learners. The author argues that educators do not believe that all learners learn in the same manner, yet, educators throughout the world continue to treat all learners alike while acknowledging diversity. Educators, today, are aware that students learn in different ways. Theories and extensive research illustrate learning differences among individuals. Learners bring their own individual approach, talents and interests to the learning situation in terms of learning styles, cognitive styles or multiple intelligences. Moreover, individual learners culture, family background and socioeconomic level also affect the learning process. Hence, these theories and principles have an important effect on the opportunities for success for every student in schools. The paper by Teng Pei-Shan, DengchuanCai and Yao-Jen Fan (2009) investigates the relationship between design thinking and design performance in different types of cognition. Designers have the responsibility to understand and care about users cognitive habit to distinguish the difference between thinking and performance in different cognitive styles. The study uses the Cognitive Style Index (CSI) and classifies it into two groups; Analysis and Intuition. The research uses experience and questionnaire methods to test two groups with different cognitive styles, to show the difference of design process performance in thinking and sketch ability while executing the same mission. The study uses 134 design major students. The primary results of the study concluded for the design process that; people in intuition group prefer image thinking and those in analysis group prefer word thinking; people in intuition group have better performance than those in an analysis group. Finally, cognitive style can be applied to design education and work such that educators respect the learning modes of different users and utilize proper ways to gain better learning performance. The paper by James B. Wells, Benjamin H. Layne and Derek Allen (1991) examines the appropriateness and applicability of multimedia instructional strategy in the management development training. The paper also reveals significant differences in the learning styles of supervisors, middle managers and upper managers. It also provides some reasons for the existence of learning style differences and suggests training media and instructional strategies most suited for the dominant learning style of each level of management. The study presents various methodologies and media approaches that can be planned to meet the needs of the training participants. The paper by John Hayes and Christopher W. Allinson (1998) reviews the implications of cognitive styles on the theory and practice of individual and collective learning in organizations. The study evaluates and asses aspects of two contrasting literatures from adjacent fields of individual and organizational learning. The study focuses on the extent to which the individual level construct of cognitive style can be applied covertly to aid understanding at the organizational as well as at the individual level. The paper identifies nine categories of intervention and also focuses on ways in which consideration of cognitive style can improve the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve individual and organizational performance. The paper by David Cook (2005) studies the effects of learning and cognitive styles in web-based learning and presents application of cognitive and learning styles in web-based learning. Web-based learning can reach large, heterogeneous audiences and adaptation to cognitive and learning styles increases its effectiveness. The study uses cognitive and learning style constructs to predict relationships between cognitive and learning styles and the web-based learning. The study suggests that teachers and educators develop web-based learning activities that consider assessing and adapting to accommodate learners defined by the Wholist-Analytic (WA) and active reflective constructs.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Rodeo State Finals Essay -- Descriptive Essay Examples

Rodeo State Finals This is what I had been hoping for the entire year. I had been to many that were quite the same to this one, but none that could give me the same enduring edginess and serenity that I was feeling right now. My eyes skimmed across the hundreds of people who were all there for the same reason as me. Striving to be out of the sweltering sun, but not out of clear view of what I came for, I lead myself in a mighty search for the spot for which I belonged. As I sat down, I prepared myself for the pain that I was going to feel about an hour later. I always forgot how sore I would get from sitting on the bleachers for so long, but every time I approached them, I would remember and smile. During, the whole rodeo season I looked forward to going to the State Finals. I didn't attend the finals as a participant, but as a spectator. As President of the "Saddle Bronc Fan Club" for my friend Cole, there was no way I would miss this experience. We both had been looking forward to this day for a long time. Everything about going to this rodeo was fantastic: the food, the fun, most of all, the rodeo grounds. The place that I fit in was in the stands of the arena. Sitting there for four days got a little old, and, going on the fifth day, I was a little tired. Nevertheless, tired or not, this was what I had been looking forward to--the Short Go. This is the round in a rodeo when the top 15 from each event compete for the title of State Champion. This day was different from the other days that I had come. I could feel the tension and hostility in the air from the contestants. Maybe it was from the stress and pressure of the day's rodeo, or maybe it was from the fact that they all were wearing long sleeve sh... ...addition, no one could beat the way I was feeling. This is where I belonged even though others thought different. I had never once thought about going to rodeos until I met Cole. He had led me to something that I will now look forward to going to for the rest of my life. Even with the blistering sun and even with the pouring rain, I found a sense of my own belongingness. Just because I didn't look the part of a usual rodeo fan, didn't mean that I wasn't one of the biggest fans of all. I was glad that I could be a supporter for my friend, but most of all I was glad for the new, thrilling experience. It was a feeling that no roller coaster ride could ever give me. My next journey was in a month, and I was on my way to the next big rodeo, Nationals. I expected the same response from people there as here, but I was hopeful for it. With this thought, I smiled.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Character and Sex Education

As Americans we tend to have a conditioned view toward sexuality as a normal, healthy part of life. However, it seems that one may underestimate the power that sex has on culture, which is evident in the many areas. Most recently discussions on a sexual nature received extreme national prominence with the public events surrounding the Kenneth Starr investigation and report, which focuses on the sexual aspects of the relationship between President Bill Clinton and a former intern, Monica Lewinsky. The result was a war of beliefs, morals and differences of cultures mixed with political anipulations. With the increase of sexual presence in our society, it is often wondered how this increase has affected morals and values of those who live it. Sex is everywhere–not just limited to the bedroom, but to the television, movies, billboards, office buildings and almost every fragment of modern culture. Around the turn of the twentieth century, open discussion and study of sex was well on its way. Sexual/cultural pioneer, Sigmund Freud believed that sexuality was tightly woven in all persons, present from birth. His breakthrough thinking affected social practices and was nstrumental in breaking the â€Å"moral fog that had enshrouded sexuality for most of the nineteenth century did not begin to lift until after the First World War† (Janus 1993). By analyzing modern culture, a person can accurately determine the effects of the sexual revolution and how it has led to the alterations or evolution of personal, moral and Where do we get our morals and values? Character education was what took place in school and society in the past. This drilling of acceptable social conventions seemed to â€Å"contain† our culture for many years. In modern years society has shifted to the â€Å"decision-making approach† (Kilpatrick 1993). This approach takes many forms, sometimes as a course in itself, sometimes as a strategy in sex education classes, sometimes as a unit in civics or social sciences–it has set the tone for modern moral education in public and even private schools. â€Å"The shift from character education to the decision-making model was begun with the best of intentions. The new approach was meant to help students to think more independently and critically about values† (Kilpatrick 1993). Followers of this approach claimed that a young person would be more committed to self-discovered values than to ones that were simply handed down y adults. That was the hope, but the actual effect of the shift has been quite different. For students, it has meant confusion about moral values: learning to question values they have scarcely acquired, unlearning values taught at home, and concluding that questions of right and wrong are always changing with the influence of society. We live in a sexual world, but Americans have been slow to fully acknowledge its enormous impact. Among those interviewed in the Janus Report who were 18 to 26 years old, 21% of the men and 15% of the women had had sexual intercourse by age 4; a small percentage of them had had their first intercourse before age 10. â€Å"It ought to be the oldest things that are taught to the youngest people. † (Noonan 1999) This statement accurately portrays moral education today. â€Å"The Day America Told the Truth,† a 1990 survey of American beliefs and values contains this scene from a California high school. The setting, Friday afternoon and the students are leaving a class in â€Å"social living. † The teacher's parting words are, â€Å"have a great weekend. Be safe. Buckle up. Just say no. And if you can't say ‘No,' then use a condom! (Kilpatrick 993) Although the teacher in this example gives a nod in the direction of abstinence, his approach is basically of the â€Å"responsible sex† variety. Sex is an image that Americans have grown accustomed too. Sex is everything. If you're good looking, then you're having sex. If you're sexy, then you're having sex. If you're having sex, you're popular, and people are more likely to buy stuff from your company if you show people having sex. Sex sells. Sex sells cigarettes. Sex sells cars. Sex sells clothes, alcohol and One way that a breakdown of sexual restraint hurts society is the educational sphere. There is abundant evidence that the more sexually active students do poorly in school and tend to drop out more frequently (Noonan 1999). For all of the teenage girls, who drop out of school, half of them do so because of pregnancy. But that figure only suggests one small aspect of the problem. The constant distraction caused by worries about sex and about relationships takes a tool on schoolwork. Dieting has become an unfortunate cultural phenomenon, especially for women and girls, whose self-image is often closely linked with their body image. Eating disorders are more common in girls ecause they believe it's their role in society to be sexy. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the history of sexual abuse in eating disorders patients, and the findings have been controversial. The figures range from 7% to 74%, with most studies showing that between 20-69% of anorexics and bulimics have been abused† (Janus 1993). It is important to note, however that not everyone who has been sexually abused develops anorexia and not all anorexics have been sexually abused. For many survivors, anorexia can also serve as a way to make their bodies less desirable to potential perpetrators. In one sense, mature adolescents deny their sexuality by returning to a prepubescent state, developing amenorreah or loss of menstruation, which is one of the criteria for diagnosing anorexia. Unfortunately, teachers have been reluctant to discuss sex in absolute moral terms, leaving students with the impression that it's purely as subjective matter. It turns out that when adults confront teens over sexual misbehaviors, a frequent response is simply, â€Å"I didn't know it was wrong. † Everyone is a product of his or her culture. We tend to conform to cultural expectations, even if not perfectly. Our present culture sends out confused and misleading messages about sex-messages that, in the long run, may cause more harm than good. A former secretary of education observed,†I have never had a parent tell me that he or she would be offended boy a teacher telling a class that it is better to postpone sex. Or that marriage is the best setting for sex, and in which to have and raise children. On the contrary, my impression is that the overwhelming majority of parents would gratefully welcome help in transmitting such values. † (Kilpatrick 1993) The long history of sexually transmitted diseases has made aution in sex one of the facts of life. In the late 1980s, the AIDS epidemic made caution in sex a fact of life or death. It was no longer a moral issue. When AIDS surfaced as a national problem, the sexually active momentarily panicked. The enormous tensions generated by these devastating STD†s made practice of casual sex pause. â€Å"The new social and sexual changes in lifestyles have been adopted by many other participants. Divorced or separated men and women, newly single, are dating again and searching for sex partners and new love. Parents in their 40's and 50's and 0's are enjoying a new sexual style at the same time their teenage or young adult children are also experimenting with sex, and seeking loving relationships. There are few guidelines now, except for cautions about sexually transmitted diseases. The old rules governing sex no longer apply, and many individuals and couples now create their own moral and lifestyle decisions, or make them within the morality of their own small, peer In the Janus report, 45% of women and 19% of men claimed to have been sexually harassed on their jobs. In the interviews, the men attributed the harassment they xperienced to both heterosexual and homosexual individuals; the women ascribed their harassment almost entirely to men. In an age of liberation, it is interesting that an issue so broad gained national attention so accidentally. Why all the sudden there an underlying awareness of widespread sexual harassment on the part of women? The intensity and speed of reaction to the charges readily support this assumption. Sexual Harassment has become a household topic across America. Today, men and women are more free than ever to explore their sexual beings in or out of marriage. Their ransformed sex roles, feminism movement and the sexual revolution cause increased communication outside the home. Today, medicine, psychology and sociology advise that people should keep on having sex as long as they wish. Sexuality becomes adapted to the context of the sexual experience, at all ages. While early adolescence are experimenting with full sexual activities of diverse varieties and young couples are seeking sex for reproduction, older couples are enjoying the comfort and excitement of sex in a new appreciated form. â€Å"A new, vital, and active sexuality has been identified mong mature, and post mature Americans. While society frets about preteens' frolicking and college students' antics on Spring break in Florida, the graying segment of Americans may be leading the way in superior sexual experience† (Janus 1993). Other issues relating to sexuality have also made headlines over the past two decades. Divorce rates leaped in the 1970's, absent or self-involved parents and child-rearing practices were blamed for creating misbehaving, out-of-control kids; the family was believed to be in big trouble. Very young adults are living together without the benefit f marriage. Meanwhile, kids are experimenting with their own sexuality at earlier and earlier ages. Barely out of their own childhood, teenagers are producing babies at ever-growing rates. By the 1980's, nearly a million mothers under 18 were giving birth every year. (Janus 1993) Of these young women, 70% were unmarried, up from 30% only a decade earlier. Some estimates indicate that as many as 10,000 extremely young women age 12 or younger, become pregnant every year. (Janus 1993) The younger these children are when they have their first child, the more likely they are to ave at least one more child before their teen years end. These children who have children are particularly at risk of dropping out of school and becoming social throwaways who face a bleak future and are wanted only on the streets. Later, unable to get and hold jobs, they will drop out of the labor market as well, creating cycles of deep, depressing, poverty as their children and grandchildren in turn become teenage, single, unemployable parents. This idea represents the attitude of our culture to criticize teen parents and to make an example of â€Å"those kids. look what can happen to you. etc. However, this is not always the case, many teen mothers are extremely successful in personal and professional careers. Many times the father will support the baby who shares his genes, even if they do not act as a family unit. By analyzing many factors where sex is apparent on modern culture, it is obvious how this increased presence has significantly affected values and morals on related topics. There has been a dramatic shift in attitude in just a small period of time and it will be interesting to see how these changes will continue to evolve and adapt to new introductions of culture and it†s influence.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Great Critical Essay Topics for You

Great Critical Essay Topics for You Critical Essay Topics (part 2) (you can find Part 1 here) Movies and TV in Critical WritingWrite down all movies about a high school life (at least those that you remember). Select only one movie, which you consider to be the most outstanding example of its genre. Do you think that the movie influenced your development of personality? Critically analyze positive and negative sides of the movie. Do you agree that usually there are many differences between books and movies screened on the same texts? Choose one book and a movie screened on its plot. Did you manage to find many differences? Try to choose newly screened movies for your writing. Do you agree or disagree that filmmakers should pay more attention to the potential audience? Do you think that some scenes should be excluded to reach a wider audience? Can you name some examples, when you would not let your children watch a movie that was shown in a cinema without any restrictions? Do you agree that horror movies influence ones psychological development? Would you let your children watch horror movies without any limits? Provide some examples to prove your opinion. Critically examine the way TV reflects wedding shows. Do you think that emotions of people are mostly fake? Do you think that all reactions are exaggerated? Many people believe that wedding shows should be more down-to-earth since they do not reflect life as it is. Do you agree? Choose one popular TV series based on real-life events. Have you managed to find some far-fetched scenes that would never happen in real life? Would you still proceed watching this TV series? Do you agree that people are manipulated and in real setting, they would act in a completely different manner? Originality in filmmaking becomes extinct. Most of directors and produces are involved in re-making already screened shows to increase their popularity. Do you think that changing an old story instead of producing a new one is a good idea? Do you think that directors and filmmakers gain huge profits for nothing? Introduce some examples and prove your opinion. Can you describe and define a summer movie? What features should it possess? Can you name a couple of incredible summer movies? Write your expectations and preferences while choosing a summer movie. Choose either a comic or a tragic character and try to find it in several movies. Do you think directors show the same hero or heroine differently? Critically discuss decisions, actions, and motivations of the chosen character. Do you think that American society is influenced too much by popular TV series? Choose one series and try to discuss its viewers and followers. Critically analyze its positive and negative impact on the viewers.Can you recall any horror movie that scared you so much? What makes it special? Were all scenes realistic? Try to name a couple of examples that scared you to death and discuss if director reached success in reflecting events. Explore advertising on TV. Do you think that government should impose a strict limit on the amount of advertisements showed by each channel? Do you agree that advertising influences the way children act in a significant way? Use 2-3 ads that are currently streaming on channels. Can you name the worst movie you have ever watched? Why was it so bad? Did you manage to watch it till the end? List a couple of factors that would have resolved the issue. Do you think that this movie was just a waste of time and money? Research the television history. What tendencies were popular in the past and now? Did you manage to find some drastic changes? Do you think that television became more cruel and shows too much thoughtless scenes? Mention your favorite comedy and analyze its scenes to the full. Why do you consider this comedy to be special? What is the subject of laughter? While watching the comedy, did your friends laugh that much? Do you think that ones sense of humor determines much while watching the comedy? Do you think that real-life situations cannot cover events showed in the comedy? Do you think that reality TV shows make a strong impact on peoples lives? Can you name one of such shows? Do you think that people participating in reality shows miss their own life? Critically examine personalities in such shows and predict their possible intentions behind being famous. Do they want to escape their lives? Can you name a vintage movie? Doyou think modern youths will ever watch vintage movies? Being a high school graduate, would you ever consider watching a film with your parents? Name at least one movie that won Oscar. Do you agree that this movie deserves its prize? What unique scenes and characters can you find in the movie? If you were a filmmaker, what kind of movie would you produce? A comedy, drama, thriller, tragedy, detective story, etc.? What would you like to draw attention to in your movie? Critically examine modern tendencies on TV. What would you like to change? Provide a couple of examples with supporting ideas.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Margaret Sanger Biography - Birth Control Advocate

Margaret Sanger Biography - Birth Control Advocate Known for: advocating birth control and womens health Occupation: nurse, birth control advocateDates: September 14, 1879 - September 6, 1966 (Some sources, including Websters Dictionary of American Women and Contemporary Authors Online (2004) give her birth year as 1883.)Also Known as: Margaret Louise Higgins Sanger Margaret Sanger Biography Margaret Sanger was born in Corning, New York.   Her father was an Irish immigrant, and her mother an Irish-American.   Her father was a free-thinker and her mother a Roman Catholic.   She was one of eleven children, and blamed her mothers early death on both the familys poverty and her mothers frequent pregnancies and childbirths. So Margaret Higgins decided to avoid her mothers fate, becoming educated and having a career as a nurse.   She was working towards her nursing degree at White Plains Hospital in New York when she married an architect and left her training.   After she had three children, the couple decided to move to New York City.   There, they became involved in a circle of feminists and socialists.    In 1912, Sanger wrote a column on womens health and sexuality called What Every Girl Should Know for the Socialist Party paper, the  Call. She collected and published articles as What Every Girl Should Know (1916) and What Every Mother Should Know (1917).   Her 1924 article, The Case for Birth Control, was one of many articles she published. However, the  Comstock Act of 1873 was used to forbid distribution of birth control devices and information. Her article on venereal disease was declared obscene in 1913 and banned from the mails. In 1913 she went to Europe to escape arrest. When she returned from Europe, she applied her nursing education as a visiting nurse on the Lower East Side of New York City. In working with immigrant women in poverty, she saw many instances of women suffering and even dying from frequent pregnancies and childbirths, and also from miscarriages. She recognized that many women attempted to deal with unwanted pregnancies with self-induced abortions, often with tragic results to their own health and lives, affecting their ability to care for their families. She was forbidden under government censorship laws from providing information on contraception. In the radical middle-class circles in which she moved, many women were availing themselves of contraceptives, even if their distribution and information about them were banned by law. But in her work as a nurse, and influenced by Emma Goldman, she saw that poor women didnt have the same opportunities to plan their motherhood. She came to believe that unwanted pregnancy was the biggest barrier to a working class or poor womans freedom. She decided that the laws against information on contraception and distribution of contraceptive devices were unfair and unjust, and that she would confront them. She founded a paper, Woman Rebel, on her return. She was indicted for mailing obscenities, fled to Europe, and the indictment was withdrawn. In 1914 she founded the National Birth Control League which was taken over by Mary Ware Dennett and others while Sanger was in Europe. In 1916 (1917 according to some sources), Sanger set up the first birth control clinic in the United States and, the following year, was sent to the workhouse for creating a public nuisance. Her many arrests and prosecutions, and the resulting outcries, helped lead to changes in laws, giving doctors the right to give birth control advice (and later, birth control devices) to patients. Her first marriage, to architect William Sanger in 1902, ended in divorce in 1920. She was remarried in 1922 to J. Noah H. Slee, though she kept her by-then-famous (or infamous) name from her first marriage. In 1927 Sanger helped organize the first World Population Conference in Geneva. In 1942, after several organizational mergers and name changes, Planned Parenthood Federation came into being. Sanger wrote many books and articles on birth control and marriage, and an autobiography (the latter in 1938). Today, organizations and individuals which oppose abortion and, often, birth control, have charged Sanger with eugenicism and racism. Sangers supporters consider the charges exaggerated or false, or the quotes used taken out of context.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Financial Crisis Effects on America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Crisis Effects on America - Essay Example This essay stresses that the effect of the crisis evolved to a number of countries, and by the mid of 2008, the economic crisis had spread over an appreciated region, worldwide. Many countries with emerging economies felt the influence of the recession that had its manifestation in a number of ways including increased poverty level. Among the countries that experienced a hard hit were the South Africa, Turkey and Mexico. Some like China, however, managed to have a fair time during and after the recession since it records an appreciated rate of economic growth. This paper declares that the recession had emanated from a number of factors and got policymakers and investors unaware. Multilateral agencies and analysts of economic situations underestimated the effect of the financial crisis and the great depression, at the beginning. Signs as the high current deficits, mainly in the United States and United Kingdom, were a clear show that the economy was at under challenge. The lax financial regulation in the United States, coupled with the loose monetary policy experienced were among the different various signs of a financially unstable period. However, after Lehman Brothers experienced a collapse, the situation received attention from policymakers and investors. Investors, for instance, revised their strategies. Noteworthy is the transmission effect of the financial crisis to the country’s real economy. The effect of the real economy on occurs through five notable ways. The wealth effect on the real economy relates to the reduction in n et worth of households. The crisis experienced had considerable effects on the well-being of households in the United States. A significant number of households experienced financial distress because of the reactions to economic stress. The first three quarters of the crisis in 2008 experienced a substantial reduction in asset values for households (Bernanke 2008, p.1). The reduced stock value also reduced the net worth of households. There was a nota reduction in the prices of houses, as well. A significant percentage of households had little value in ownership of stock market holdings. Direct ownership of equities went down to a low record in 2008. Mutual fund holdings reduced and initiated the effect of reduced household net worth. The reduction in prices of stocks triggered a significant hit on households nearing retirement period. The wealth effect also reduced the level of consumption among since there was high need for households to make savings. The need for savings was prom pted by the urge to make up for the reduced value of wealth and maintain the level of life that households had, prior to the crisis. The confidence effect of the economic crisis relates to the implications on the portion of the population that lost wealth and experienced a reduction in asset value. May citizens underwent losses in the stock market. Other people experienced unstable credit ratings while others lost employment. These affected their level of commitment and prompted keenness in consideration of financial commitments. Their confidence level reduced remarkably, as they gained caution regarding the possibility of

Friday, November 1, 2019

Exegesis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Exegesis - Research Paper Example The use of plain sense to interpret the scripture involves determining if the scripture makes the ordinary common sense and thus we use this in the interpretation. According to the scripture this narrative is meant to develop the idea that Jesus’s entire life was sinless and blameless. Luke 4 repeats most of the themes that are found in the bible. This is exemplified in this passage by the use of keywords that are common in the bible. The Holy Spirit, God, Devil, Son of God and the name Lord, your God, are keywords that are found in many verses of the bible. The common biblical theme of temptation and trial dominate this verse as it has in many others (Beale and Carson, 2007). James 1:13-18 talks about how our bodily desires lead us into temptation. This passage discusses the means one can use to overcome temptation, which is also the theme of first Corinthians 10:13. The structure of the passage enhances the plain sense of the passage significantly because the context makes perfect common sense. The passage starts with Jesus returning from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit, which in turn guides him to the wilderness. The first temptation involved hunger and the devil asked Jesus to turn the stones into bread. Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy to show that the word of God is more important than food (Ford, 1999). The second temptation involved the devil asking Jesus to worship him and become the king of all kingdoms in the world. However, Jesus referred to the scripture again to overcome the temptation. Finally, the Devil asked Jesus to throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple to test if God would protect him. Luke’s structure portrays a process of testing where Jesus overcomes a more challenging temptation than the previous one. Narrative theology generally involves the interpretation of a scripture or passage from the bible through the meaning of the story narrated. From this passage, Luke 4: 3-12, the devil comes out as deceitful