Immigration Policy and illegal immigrants Term Paper

Immigration Policy and illegal immigrants - Term Paper Example For a nation made and flourished by immigrants and rightfully admired by immigrants from across the globe, it is quite paradoxical to mistreat and exploit modern-day immigrants. The unfortunate and negative connotation associated with immigration in the US is also observed to further degrade the lives of Native Americans, African-Americans and Chicanas (Moreno, 2004). These groups are treated as lesser citizens in their own country and sometimes forced to go through the shame of being stereotyped as illegal citizens (Hernandez, 2009). Amidst all these immigration negativity, it is observed that illegal immigrants do have positives especially in regards economic and political considerations. This study will provide a background on the issue of illegal immigration in the US in terms of current immigration policy and the Bracero Program, before discussing the costs and benefits that illegal immigration brings to the nation. The study will be based on the premise that illegal immigration is beneficial to the United States. Background According to the CBO (2006), US immigration policy is anchored on three goals. The first is to reunite families through admission of immigrants who already have family members living in the US. Secondly is to admit skilled labor in order to meet projected labor shortages and lastly to provide refuge to people in risk of political, religious or racial persecution in their home countries. These three goals are the result of evolution of the nation’s immigration policy over time. In terms of illegal immigration, the law defines such individuals as unauthorized aliens who enter the US without legal documentation or who overstay their temporary visa requirements. The policy of dealing with such individuals is through apprehension either at the point of entry or within the US. it has been argued that failure to devise sound and sustainable immigration policy has resulted in the weakening of the American economy, jeopardy of diplomacy and threats to national security (Council on Foreign Relations, 2009). Such views have led to the mistreatment and stigmatization of illegal immigrants in a seemingly nationwide anti-immigration discourse. A look into the efficacy of the current apprehension, repressive and exclusionary policy by the US on illegal immigration indicates that it has largely failed to tackle the issue and instead fueled the anti-immigration sentiments in the population which are more sensationalist-driven rather than fact-based. Border repression and exclusion have temporary prevented illegal immigrants from returning to their countries with particular reference to Mexico, which has contributed to the â€Å"problem†, while at the same time leading to increased sophistication and criminalization of illegal immigration. More importantly, it has led to increased aloofness to illegal immigrants by the natives, which is manifested through extreme attention to the issue and vilification of immigrants based on their presumed economic costs at the expense of citizens effectively transforming the issue into an alleged national emergency (Arnold, 2011). The key to understanding the cost/benefit debate and taking a position on it is through analyzing the 1942-1964 Bracero Program which allowed Mexican nationals to work temporarily in agricultural fields, in the US, following laws and diplomatic agreements between the US and

Social obligation Essay Example for Free

Social obligation Essay Fred was sitting in his usual spot, with his coffee piping its way up his nose. Yet today there were other things on his aging mind. His blind eyes pierced the darkness before him amidst the meaningless babble around him. He knew the people around him were talking, and he knew that it was when the voices were hushed†¦transformed to a whispers, that they were talking about him. He trusted those around him despite the knowledge that he was really rather a burden on society. His experience of people had told him he would be this way and his mind drifted to the very day he realized what life was about. He remembered the day it happened. He remembered most of all because he had chosen to hold this memory close. The streets had been quiet and heavy with the smell of spring rains and he could hear the slow drip of precipitation as it coursed its way off of roof-tops and gutters onto the rising mist of the pavement. The man sat with his legs stretched out on the newspapers and cardboard on the hard concrete. â€Å"Pennies for the old man. † He drawled through his spittle stained mouth. Fred shivered and walked on. â€Å"I know who you are. † Shouted the man after him through a gurgled laugh. Fred cringed deeply, hating the uselessness and hopelessness of the man who took the role of his alter-ego. Yes, that ego he nurtured so close to his puffed up breast. He continued walking towards the park, where he proposed to write a new song for his ever-growing repertoire. His daughter was participating in a play that day, but he hated the formalities of everyday life and particularly the things that were expected of his. Social obligation. There had been something in the mockery of the street-man’s voice that seems to worm its way into his preoccupied brain. â€Å"I know who you are†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he repeated to himself, sneering at the arrogance of a man who had amounted to nothing†¦really. On his way back from the park, he thought of possible ways he could avoid walking past the menacing man. No, there was no way out and he shrunk into his designer overcoat, pulling his Al Capone hat over his eyes. That wouldn’t work either, he always wore it. The man was still there, apparently sleeping. Fred tiptoed past, holding his breath until he thought he was past the threat. He let out a deep breath†¦rolling his eyes back in relief. He heard a cackle and thought he was imaging it, perhaps his artistic overbearing imagination had gotten the better of him. â€Å"Don’t wanna see me do you? † said the gravelly voice. The sun was setting and the steam still rose form the grey pavement as Fred peered down at it. He suddenly felt awfully small. Maybe he should just talk to the man and get it over with he was thinking when the voice replied, â€Å"Yeah, just talk to the old man and get it over with†¦who knows, it could be you one day. † He shrunk a few inches more and turned to swagger back to the emaciated body. â€Å"Let me buy us coffee first. † Fred offered grudgingly. â€Å"I just loooove coffee, shrieked the voice, â€Å"but good Brazilian coffee please, none of this fake stuff†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Well, Fred thought, take the arm†¦. The two misfits were sitting on the pavement in silence, sipping the hot life-giving liquid. At length Fred began to wonder, â€Å"So how did you come to be here? † The man sighed, a wet tuberculosis riddled sigh. â€Å"Well†¦my father was a surgeon and my mother†¦she never had to work. My father never had much time for me but I had all I could want. † The sky was falling again, but Fred was enjoying the feeling of rain on his Carducci slacks. â€Å"I studied and became a lawyer, got married and children and got divorced. Losing my family made me lose faith in being accomplished at anything. I just let it all go†¦drank it away. Felt it was easier to just live on the streets and have no one to answer to, no one placate. It was easy, but lonely. I got in a fight on the streets and had my eyes gouged out. Now I see more than I ever used to. † Fred began to feel uncomfortable, but there was something he needed to ask. â€Å"Do you never miss your family, children†¦friends. † The man gurgled again, smiling a gapped smile, the teeth that remained, clawing into the heart of the viewer. â€Å"Nah, I have more friends now than I ever did. These friends care about me out of pity, the others cared about me for what they could get out of me. † Fred looked out at the empty streets and sidewalks†¦thinking of the man he walked past everyday with ever having really understood why he was there†¦

The Madness of Ophelia Essay -- Essays on Shakespeares Hamlet

  Ã‚   In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince Hamlet may act like he is "mad north-northwest", but it is his lover, Ophelia, who is truly mad.   Both lose their fathers at the hands of others and both have loved ones that seem to have turned against them.   Unlike Hamlet, who has revenge, Ophelia ends up having nothing to hold onto.   Her sanity breaks and sends her into a downward spiral, while Hamlet's remains intact.   In this paper, I will show that it is the manipulation by and loss of the two men Ophelia loved most-Hamlet and her father, Polonius-which leads to her madness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There have been many theories offered-especially by psychoanalysists-concerning the cause of Ophelia's madness.   Freudian theorists like Theodor Lidz attribute it to Ophelia's incestuous feelings for her father and her desire for Hamlet to take her away from, or even kill him.   When this actually does occur, Lidz says Ophelia's incestuous feelings drive her mad.   Victorian theorists claimed that Ophelia was a hysteric.   They defined hysteria is a mental breakdown during adolescence, when a girl suffered from sexual instability.   This mental illness was applied to anyone who showed what psychiatrists thought were "Ophelia-like" behaviors, "the same young years, the same faded beauty, the same fantastic dress and interrupted song" (Shakespeare, 230).   Modern day theorists have attributed Ophelia's madness to schizophrenia, which puts the madness into a biochemical framework.   Schizophrenia has been argued to be "an intel ligible response to the experience of invalidation with the family network, especially to the conflicting emotional messages and mystifying double binds experienced by daughters" (Shakespeare, 236).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These theories are lackin... ...ne to hold onto.   What made everything fall apart, and what completely ruined her, was her love for them.      Works Cited Partridge, Eric.   Shakespeare's Bawdy.   New York:   E.P. Dutton & Co., 1969. Shakespeare, William.   Hamlet.   Ed. By Susanne L. Wofford.   Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1994. Wilson, J. Dover.   What happens in Hamlet.   Cambridge: University Press, 1960. Works Consulted Ronk, Martha. "Representations of Ophelia." Criticism 1: 21-43. JSTOR. Web. 22 May 2015. "Hamlet." William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Paul A. Jorgensen. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1985. 47-57. Twayne's English Authors Series 415. Twayne's Authors on GVRL. Web. 22 May 2015. Goddard, Harold. "Hamlet to Ophelia." JSTOR. National Council of Teachers of English, 23 Oct. 2007. Web. 23 May 2015. .

Fathers and Daughters Relationships in Shakespeare’s Literature Essay

The fathers and daughters relationships in Shakespeare drama and literature have attracted a great deal of scholarly attentions specifically in the influence of feminist criticism. There is an apparent shifting affection towards fathers and daughters when the latter struggle to negotiate a passage into adulthood and marriage with their father’s blessings, and when the fathers struggle to surrender or relinquish their young daughters to other men—their future husbands. Most of the time the fathers, who often belongs to royalty or upper class, rejects the men that their daughters choose because of their lower standing. Apparently, some fathers judge the appropriateness of the men through their properties, strength and social positions. Also Shakespeare incorporates fathers from the middle life who are also reluctant to release their daughters at the threshold of adult commitment in marriage. The conflicts, fears, and insecurities, as each faces a crucial challenge of adulthood, cast new light on questions of moral development, male and female sex roles, and traditional and progressive social norms. In earlier marriage, the father is the one who mostly manipulate his daughter’s decision making and thus making a woman’s sense of free will powerless. Meanwhile, some appraisals in fathers and daughters relationship in Shakespeare’s literature are typically more sympathetic to the fathers. Some daughters manifest tyrannical possessiveness taking advantage to her social standing and the excess parental affection of her father. Some are being manipulated by the daughters’ exemplary conduct such as capriciousness, coldness and disloyalty. While some rebels against father’s possessiveness towards them â€Å"as a love corrupted by the power a patriarchal society confers on him†. Juliet and her father Old Capulet in the story of Romeo and Juliet, Desdemona and her father Branbantio in the story of Othello, Portia’s submissiveness to her father’s standard in The Merchant in Venice, though she knows it is quite wrong, all consciously or unconsciously moves to the whims of patriarchy. Meanwhile the character of Cordelia, the youngest daughter of King Lear, refused to go over board in her statement of love towards her father, and Jessica shows her disobedience and rebellious nature towards her father Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Apparently, there are two facets of fathers and daughters relationships in Shakespeare literature; first, some of his literature shows daughters’ submissiveness towards the standards of patriarchy as the daughters allow their fathers to dominate their lives to the extent that they are helpless to change their fate, and second, some daughters boldly oppose their fathers’ standards through escape and rebellion. These two facets creates such ambiguity as to whether Shakespeare is a pro feminist as he presents sexist oppression or did Shakespeare somehow remains within the tradition of patriarchy? Most of the tensions and conflicts between the fathers and daughters revolve around the impending marriages of the daughters. In various Shakespearean plays, the father is often the one who chooses his daughter’s husband, which normally goes against the daughter’s will. â€Å"The daughters in some Shakespearean literature break the emotional strings that tie them to childhood, defying paternal authority to assert emotional independence† (Dreher 5). One good example that shows defiance in paternal authority is when Juliet proceeds to marry Romeo event though Capulet, her father, strongly disagrees since Romeo is a Montague, the family’s rival clan. This action from Juliet creates conflict between her and her father which eventually leads to added drama throughout the play. Capulet is forced to disown his own daughter because of her act of disobedience; â€Å"Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch/ I tell thee what: get thee to church o’ Thursday/ Or never after look me in the face/ Speak not, reply not, do not answer me!/ My fingers itch.  Ã‚  Wife, we scarce thought us blest/ That God had lent us but this only child;/ But now I see this one is one too much,/ And that we have a curse in having her/ Out on her, hilding.† (Shakespeare 207). Capulet feels like he is not being just rejected as a father but her patriarchal role has been rejected as well. As for Juliet, her opposition towards her father especially in terms of love illustrates her need for emotional freedom and desires for life transition that will give her opportunities for personal growth. But Juliet apparently holds her father’s opinion in high regard and respect because after receiving her father’s judgment, she says; â€Å"Good father, I beseech you on my knees,/ Hear me with patience but to speak a word (Shakespeare 207). She apparently does feel badly for disappointing her father. Therefore, some Shakespeare’s female characters think very highly of their father’s opinions as part of their tradition, but proceed to do what they feel is in their own best interests and advantage. Though Juliet disobey her father after falling in love with Romeo but her love for the man develops her sense of independence and maturity since Juliet in the initial part of the play plays the role of an innocent child who comes at her parents command immediately and who perceives marriage â€Å"an honour that I dream not of† (Shakespeare 48). Similarly, Juliet and Lord Capulet have a strong relationship in the beginning of the play wherein the latter treats her daughter with so much love and compassion but not until he wishes her to marry Paris in Scene 5 of Act III. When Juliet disobeys, he put his judgment against her daughter with rage. But when Juliet returns apologetically to her father, and agrees to marry Paris, he once again returns to being the loving and caring father the readers initially identified. This also shows that Juliet, though has an independent mind, is still attached to the belief that she has a responsibility as a daughter to obey her father. Basically, the play Romeo and Juliet shows how the limitations set forth by the father in a patriarchal society can affect a daughter’s life while she lives under his roof. The patriarchal or authoritarian demands made by Juliet’s father, Juliet’s marrying Paris, in combination to Juliet’s secret marriage to Romeo, her father’s most hated enemy, greatly contributed to Juliet’s suicide and tragedy. â€Å"Although Capulet is genuinely distraught over his daughter’s suicide at the end, leading us to believe that his love for her was greater than his dictatorial display of affection for her throughout the play, he is nevertheless one of the chief culprits for her demise†. Desdemona and Brabantio’s relationship has one of the most unique father and daughter relationship in all Shakespearean’s plays. The subtle conflict between the two starts when Desdemona fallen in love with a man of a different race, culture and color. She marries Othello even though she knows that her father will greatly oppose on it.   She conceals her intentions and weds without her father’s consent which as a result, she loses her father’s affection. Brabantio is a Venetian Senator with definite ideas on the subject and behaviour of his daughter. He, as much as possible, wants her daughter to choose a husband who he feels is of her caliber, someone that will fit her complex psychological traits and as well as someone who will raise their family’s esteem in Venetian society. But Desdemona acts contrary to what is expected of her. She instead marries a Moor and not a Venetian man and an army general who does not have a lot of money but only prestige. Furthermore, Othello is also old nearly like her father’s age since the two are friends. Brabantio apparently wants her son in law to have a long life expectancy to inherit the family’s wealth and so that Desdemona would not be widowed or have to return to her father’s dependence. Meanwhile, Desdemona’s father doesn’t also understand Desdemona’s judgment in marrying Othello since her actions are so out of keeping with his sense of her character. He apparently believes that Desdemona’s decision to marry Othello is so incongruous with both the social norms and Desdemona’s usual self. Thus Brabantio then believes that she must have been bewitched since he couldn’t believe that his actions are all voluntary, â€Å"For I’ll refer me to all things of sense,/ If she in chains of magic were not bound,/ Whether a maid so tender, fair and happy,/ So opposite to marriage that she shunn’d/ The wealthy curled darlings of our nations,/ Would ever have (t’ incur a general mock)/ Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom/ Of such a thing as thou—to fear, not to delight† (Shakespeare â€Å"Othello† 10). Though Othello says that Desdemona was captivated by his tales of adventure and suffering not bewitched, â€Å" My story being done/ She gave me for my pains a world of sighs/ She swore, in faith, t’was strange, ‘twas passing strange;/ ‘Twas pitiful, ‘twas wondrous pitiful† (Shakespeare â€Å"Othello† 16). But nonetheless, whatever the intentions behind Desdemona’s decision, her actions illustrates disobedience to social norms and ultimately to her father’s expectations. In the Merchant of Venice, two separate father-daughter relationships play an integral role in the central narrative of the play. The play illustrates the strained relationship of Venetian and Jewish money lender Shylock and his daughter Jessica and the non existent association on Portia’s relationship with her deceased father. Shylock, devastated with the death of his wife Leah many years earlier, kept his house and environment with great mourning out of her respect for her. The continuous dedication or even obsession of Jessica’s father to her mother created distance between Shylock and his daughter Jessica, who can never completely understand the great love her parents shared. Jessica’s father is strictly puritanical too, wherein he keeps Jessica locks up in their small world isolating her from the outside. Moreover, Shylock also shows little love and affection towards his daughter that perhaps motivated the latter to be rebellious and disloyal. She meets secretly with Lorenzo who is a Christian. When the two fled together, Shylock becomes even more upset discovering that his valuables disappeared with them, â€Å"My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter ! / Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats! / Justice! The law! My ducats and my daughter! / A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats, / Of double ducats, stol’n from me by my daughter! / And jewels—two stones, two rich and precious stones, / Stol’n by my daughter! Justice! Find the girl! / She hath the stones with her, and the ducats!† (Shakespeare â€Å"The Merchant of Venice† 40). Jessica is not a good daughter at all since she let her rage against her father to dominate her actions and decisions. Likewise, Shylock is not a good father since he gives more importance to tradition, mourning and wealth giving little attention to his daughter. Portia’s father on the other hand is just as controlling as Jessica’s father however, Portia approach her father’s wishes with submissiveness. Though Portia is one of the strongest female characters in all Shakespearean’s plays, she respects her father’s wishes. King Lear, who is old enough to retire from power, decides to divide his royalty amongst his three beautiful daughters. He offers the largest share to the one who loves him best. Goneril and Regan, who significantly give importance to position and royalty, proclaim passionately and with all hypocrisy that they love their father more than anyone and any material thing in this world. Their statements completely please the King. However, Cordelia, the King’s youngest daughter, refuses to flatter him exaggeratedly, displaying a mild and forbearing temperament. Cordelia’s honest assertion annoys and offends the King. Easily persuaded by the hollowness of his two daughters’ pretensions due to his blindness and wrong judgment of character, King Lear then decides to disinherit Cordelia and divides the kingdom only between the two. The subtle conflict of the Cordelia and King Lear starts on this. King Lear is basically hurt with what he perceived as an insult. He is expecting a flattering affirmation for him by his daughter but the latter’s genuine statement insulted him.

Economics of computing Essay

Foreign In the study of Lucy A. Tedd (1991-2000), it describes how the changing economics of computing resulted in staff at Reading University Library wishing to move away from a system shared between various libraries to an integrated library management system under local control. According to Robson (2001), usability is a key requirement for users, says Elisabeth Robson, Product manager for Online Computer Library Center. The catalogue has become a way to pull together different resources, including commercial resources and web links. Management systems also tolerate circulation, as well as check in/check out and enable libraries to acquire materials and track where they are. Local As said by Lou (1986), a review on the computer application in 223 libraries in Metro Manila. The study revealed that they prioritize the three library functions to be computerized as cataloging, indexing, and circulation. Though, the plans for automation for the libraries cannot be implemented due to financial failure of the libraries, and the need of funds from the government. Regardless of this negative aspect, the libraries are not turning their backs unto the automation of their libraries. According to Agena (2008) made a study about the collection usage of the students of the Jose Rizal University in a period of three years using the quantitative and qualitative approach. The goal of the study is to assess the usefulness of the faculty of students to their library and it been revealed that it is generally important for them to go to the library for their academic needs.

Contextual class factors on the example of the United School District Racine

Contextual class factors on the example of the United School District Racine Environmental context Racine, Wisconsin is a city that occupies an area of 18.7 square miles. Of the total area of the land the city comprises about 15.5 square miles. Water occupies about 16.76 percent of the area. As of the 2010 census report, it was established that Racine had about 78,860 people.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Contextual class factors on the example of the United School District Racine specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This figure comprised 33,887 households. The city has a balanced racial mix. For example, according to the same census report, the white population was 60.91 percent, the African American population took about 20.32 percent, the Native Americans took 0.61 percent, and Asia took 0.05 as the Pacific Islander comprised about 0.05 percent of the total population of the area. The Racine Unified School District is a diverse community. With a student population of about 21,000 students th e district comes out as one that takes education with a lot of interest. The students come from diverse backgrounds. Students come from urban, rural and even suburban regions. All in all, the students come from a catchment area that is within 100 square miles. The urban district of Racine is located on the shores of Lake Michigan to the south western part of Wisconsin. In the district, there are 21 elementary schools with 3 magnet schools. The SC. Johnson Elementary school is located on the south western part of Racine. The school occupies about 13.5 acres with 33 rooms. Majorly, the school has a kindergarten and first grades based in one wing while the other wing houses second through to fifth grades are housed in another wing. The school is replete with an outdoor learning center. Contextual Classroom Factors At SC Johnson Elementary every student comes to class with distinct learning abilities based on experience and personality. It is important for teachers to design the learnin g environment in the classroom to be accustomed to every learner. A classroom’s physical features include; information posted on the classroom walls and notice boards. This includes; parts of academic subjects’ content in short form descriptions of school’s vision, statement and mission and school rules. Such information if well arranged on the classroom walls acts as a reminder to the students of their purpose in the classroom.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Students’ artworks and pictures especially the most outstanding also form part of classroom wall hangings. This acts as a motivation to the students as they feel recognized for their efforts in class. There are other physical features that have been installed in classroom, to help in the improvement and effectiveness of learning process. A sink is installed in the classroom to use when doing art activities and science experiments. There are many outlets since there are many things to be plugged in. There are also projector connections, and sound proofs. Lockers and rest rooms should be close to the classroom. Counter tops, book shelves, and cabinets are many in the classroom for learners to place their books and files. Ventilation and widows are essential for air circulation, and improving the classroom environment. Technology equipment and resources such as desk top computers and laptops serve as important teaching aids in class. These equipment and resources can be used for demonstration and research learning. Most learners are fascinated by the presence of computers in class. Presence of such facilities in class enhances their participation in the learning process. Proper rules and regulation should be put in place to ensure students don’t spent most of the time on computers at the expense of other subject areas. There are amplification equipments installed i n the classroom since the teacher’s voice has to be above the noise that might be coming from outside the classroom. When the voice of the teacher fades, the students can be able to hear even when they are sited at the back. It also improves the ratio of signal-to-noise. These are the speakers which should be well installed and set to avoid learner’s interference. There are other essential interesting items that can be used to enhance good learning environment in a classroom. These include small refrigerators, a stereo system that has a CD player and a TV. This will allow the learners to access some entertainment which to a great extent contributes positively to learning. There are visual presenter, digital projectors, and white boards that are electronic, which are used by the teacher to create versatile lessons and at the sometime engaging the students. There are also interactive aids of learning, net book computers, and other essential software that are academic. Ed ucation technology is utilized by teachers to make the learning environments to be teacher-centered. They use technology to make improvements in new lessons, visuals, ideas, and new levels activities. Parental involvement in students’ learning process should be highly encouraged. Research indicates that parental involvement in their children’s education improves performance and quality of education. Concerned parents would for example ensure that their children attend school regular basis. They will also be involved in the evaluation and progress of their children both socially and academically.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Contextual class factors on the example of the United School District Racine specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Researchers have found that parental involvement in the learning process contributes to improvement in the child’s behavior, and affects positively the achievement of the child. Parents can achieve this by involvement at home-by, helping with homework, studying with their children, and discussing the events of the school. They should also attend functions organized in schools, and volunteering to be with children in classroom. The institution should communicate with parents regularly, and incorporate them in the process of learning. The parents should also encourage the child, and appreciate them when they do well, discussing their progress with the teacher. Parents’ involvement helps to reduce the risk of failure of children, and prevents school dropout. The morale of the children and their attitude towards learning are improved. The arrangement of a classroom shows style teaching of the educator. Tables or desks for group discussion should be arranged in a circular manner or in clusters. A u-shaped arrangement or circle is recommended for effective participation and contribution of every student in the group. Self-spaced individualiz ed arrangement plan is also recommended. Plants used for in the study of sciences, arts, and other academic material should organized and accessible. Good thoughts and planning are essential in selection of the type of child-centered environment in a classroom. This is because the features layout reflects positively to the success of the learners. The physical material in the class should be accessible to avoid confusion, disruption, and delay in the learning process. Desk arrangement is also very essential in a classroom, and the teacher is allowed to make changes at any time in the class. In a classroom of 30 desks, desks are arranged in rows of five or six to avoid confusion. School rules and regulations guide the students on how to conduct themselves when they are within the school, and outside the school compound. The school rules help the institution to ensure that there is order in school. The rules and regulation of the school will normally define the rules and the penalty t hat an offender can face in case of breaching. The SC Johnson school’s rules and regulations book has guidelines on students dress code, grooming and conduct in school. The school routine spells out the normal daily activities undertaken by students at various times. The routine schedule at SC Johnson School lists students’ names and activities assigned to them at various times. Students are guided by the routine to carry out manual work, which includes; cleaning the compound, washing classes and maintaining the lawn. All these rules contribute positively to the learners’ progress, socially, morally, and academically. For the learner to excel academically they need to be disciplined and follow the school rules and regulations to the letter. Basic rules such as mode of dressing, language of communication, general respect, and punctuality are emphasized in this learning institution.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Parents are also conversant with the schools. When a leaner breaks one of the rules, he or she is imposed a punishment, and the parent or the guardian is notified. Records of indiscipline are also well recorded and filed for future references. This helps the institution to bring up all rounded students, who are presentable in the society. Impact of Students’ Contextual Factors on Design of Instruction and Assessment The gender issue has received a lot of focus in the design of instruction material form. Numerous complaints of gender discrimination emerge in various instruction materials and evaluation modes. It is important that when designing instruction materials and methods, gender sensitivity should be accorded utmost priority. There is often the problem of male attitude where male teachers perceive female students as weak in particular areas and go ahead to make them feel they are weak. Teachers should take a leading role to encourage both female and male students to hav e an equal perception of the learning content. Special needs students come to class with learning challenges that require special attention by teachers to effectively guide them in the learning process. Before designing an instruction and evaluation program, a teacher should examine the composition of the learners and identify students with learning difficulties caused by disabilities. They should then devise an effective way to include the needs of the special needs students in the classroom. For example, the design of instructional material for a deaf student should be of a similar standard as to balance his/her needs with other classmates without special needs. This will be critical as it will make special needs student’s feel comfortable, adaptable, and have a fair access of the curriculum. Also, the Include strategy should be used when designing instructional material for special needs students. On this, a student performance in school is based on the interaction with th e instructional environment, thus, what happens in the classroom can either magnify or minimize the impact of special needs student on his/her learning, compelling adaptation. Culture describes â€Å"a peoples’ way of life†, it affects the way people learn and perceive different aspects of life. Culture contributes largely to ones’ personality and experience. The aspect of cultural differences should be properly addressed in the process of designing instructional materials to ensure dominant and minority cultural aspects are captured. Language which is one of the aspects of culture is a key component of learning and teaching process. Students’ consciousness of the differences in language can either promote or inhibit learning. Learning resources in school’s library should reflect the culture of different cultural practices for inclusivity. The learning process in class should be directed in a manner that values the diversity of language as well as cultural practices. Skills level equally plays a big role in the design and evaluation of a learning process. Both instructional materials and assessment must reflect the level of the students’ comprehension. Higher order content beyond the students’ comprehension discourages them from participating in the learning process. The design of the instructional materials should check/analyze student strength, in other words, what a student can do successfully. Success promotes a student motivation and self-image.The instructional materials should be able to address the social-emotional and academic areas; this will help in identifying a student’s skills and strengths and thus designing effective instructional materials. SC Johnson Elementary school has been designed in a way that incorporates all the student’s needs and diversities. There are sinks in the classroom to be used by the learners in science experiment. High level learners are given opportunities in this school to engage in enterprises, and therefore, the school is designed in a way that allows extra rooms and spaces for these activities. The students with partial impairments are also considered through the structures and design of this school. Painting and modeling special rooms have been well equipped to take care of those who have such interests and talents. Influence of Prior Learning on Design of Learning Goals, Assessment and Instruction Students’ prior learning experience comprises of the skills and knowledge a student brings to class that is relevant to the content prepared for instruction. Teachers need to build on this experience to formulate instruction content that progress from known to unknown content. This section looks at the influence of students’ prior knowledge on formulation of learning goals, instruction and assessment. Learning goals point to what a learning process aims to achieve. It should be understood that what the students knows about t he subject content can either be constructive or destructive to learning. The teacher should therefore seek to understand the extent to which the learner understands the subject content to know the aid and effort they require to achieve the learning goal(s). Students’ prior knowledge should be taken in consideration in the instruction process. It helps a teacher build learning content in a systematic and hierarchical manner. Quality learning can be achieved if content is developed from known and basic concepts of the subject to more complex ones. The instruction process should develop continuous links between what the students know, to what they do not know. The main aim of an assessment is to establish the level of student comprehension of a given content area. Any meaningful assessment should haves specific goals and objectives. The SC elementary school teaching program is organized in a manner that teachers are provided an opportunity to carry out an initial testing on the students at the beginning of the term. It is important to carry out a prior assessment on students in order to establish the learner’s prior knowledge before introducing new content.The success of the learners and their knowledge level will guide the teacher on which learning method is appropriate and efficient to apply. School Demographics Survey Add the following data in percentage format: School Ethnic Makeup: (as a %) White 25% Black 42% Hispanic 29% Pacific Islander 0% Asian 1% Other 3% Your class (es) Ethnic Makeup: (as a %) White 33% Black 56% Hispanic 11% Pacific Islander 0% Asian 0% Other 0% Teacher Diversity: (as a %) White 84% Black 7% Hispanic 9% Pacific Islander 0% Asian 0% Other 0% Male 15% Female 85% Using raw form, add the following data: Number of students (school-wide) with an IEP (officially designated as Special Needs) 106 Number of students receiving Free Lunch (school-wide) 483 Number o f English Language Learning Students School-Wide 93 Your Class 2 Gender of students (school wide) Male 291 Female 291 Other issues of diversity (i.e. religion) Economic Disadvantage 494

Free Essays on Margaret Sanger And The New Era Of Women

Imagine a world that is overpopulated with children. The number one reason why families are poor are due to the fact that they have too many children. But in today’s society overpopulation is not a problem due to the wonderful birth-control movement of Margaret Sanger. In the early 1900s sexual relations were used for the sole purpose of procreation, but as society changes, sexual relations became more for recreational purposes more than procreation purposes. The 1920s brought forth a new era for the middle class women. A woman’s role was most indefinitely redefined. Motherhood was no longer seen as every woman’s maternal instinct and was claimed to be not sufficient enough for child rearing. Now mothers were expected to seek and rely on the advice of professionals such as doctors, nurses, and trained educators in nursery school and kindergartens. Up until this point, this was the only role that women knew. These changes devalued what had been a very important and consuming activity. In order to compensate the loss of this very important role, many women now turned to another role: being a wife and companion to their husband. Previously women were consumed with the role of being a mother more so than the role of being a wife. But now a woman’s relationship with her husband assumed a greatly enhanced importance. Therefore, a woman’s sexual relationship with their husband was not solely considered a means of procreation, but now it was considered important and a very pleasurable experience. This also led to romantic love because a women’s sexual relationship was now more open. Obviously, the more â€Å"relations† a husband and wife would have, the more children they would have. This led to the importance and the growing interest in birth control. The pioneer of the American birth-control movement was Margaret Sanger who began her career as a promoter of the diaphragm and other birth control devices. She believed ... Free Essays on Margaret Sanger And The New Era Of Women Free Essays on Margaret Sanger And The New Era Of Women Imagine a world that is overpopulated with children. The number one reason why families are poor are due to the fact that they have too many children. But in today’s society overpopulation is not a problem due to the wonderful birth-control movement of Margaret Sanger. In the early 1900s sexual relations were used for the sole purpose of procreation, but as society changes, sexual relations became more for recreational purposes more than procreation purposes. The 1920s brought forth a new era for the middle class women. A woman’s role was most indefinitely redefined. Motherhood was no longer seen as every woman’s maternal instinct and was claimed to be not sufficient enough for child rearing. Now mothers were expected to seek and rely on the advice of professionals such as doctors, nurses, and trained educators in nursery school and kindergartens. Up until this point, this was the only role that women knew. These changes devalued what had been a very important and consuming activity. In order to compensate the loss of this very important role, many women now turned to another role: being a wife and companion to their husband. Previously women were consumed with the role of being a mother more so than the role of being a wife. But now a woman’s relationship with her husband assumed a greatly enhanced importance. Therefore, a woman’s sexual relationship with their husband was not solely considered a means of procreation, but now it was considered important and a very pleasurable experience. This also led to romantic love because a women’s sexual relationship was now more open. Obviously, the more â€Å"relations† a husband and wife would have, the more children they would have. This led to the importance and the growing interest in birth control. The pioneer of the American birth-control movement was Margaret Sanger who began her career as a promoter of the diaphragm and other birth control devices. She believed ...

Understanding ACT Scores What Do They Mean

Understanding ACT Scores What Do They Mean SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You took the ACT and got your score, but you don’t know how to interpret your ACT score. What does your ACT score measure? Is your score high or low? Will your score be enough to get you into your target schools? In this article, I'll answer all of these questions and more, so you can go toward understanding ACT scores. What Does the ACT Measure? The ACT was designed to measure your preparedness for college, though whether the ACT actually does sois highly debatable. There are many smart, successful people, who did not score high on the ACT. So what do ACT scores mean at all? Universities continue using the ACT because admissions officers think the SAT and the ACT are â€Å"equalizers.†While every applicant received a unique high school education and has a distinct background, all applicants took the ACT or SAT. For this reason, admissions officers use it to compare students. The purpose of an ACTscore is to get you into college; as such, you should understand your ACT score in terms of how it can help you do that. How Does Your ACT Score Match Up? ACT Score Range To understand our score, you need to know the range of possible ACT scores. The composite scores can range from 1 to 36. The composite score is simply the average of your four section scores, which are each graded separately from 1 to 36 (the Essay/Writing section is not counted towards your composite score because it's optional). The average ACT score in the US is usually around 21, but the exact number varies from year to year. While many students strive for the highest possible score, most students don't need a 36 to be accepted to their target school. What’s a Good Score for Your Target Schools? If you don't need a perfect 36, what score should you shoot for? To figure out what a â€Å"good† score is for your target schools, search â€Å"[College Name] ACT† in Google. That search should take you to the Freshman Admissions Profile. The exact name may vary between colleges, but on the page you should find either the 25th/75th percentile or the average ACT. (If you have trouble finding this info, PrepScholar also has admissions info pages for most schools- just search "[college name] Prepscholar ACT" to find it.) The 25th percentile ACT score means that 25% of admitted freshmen scored at or below that number (in other words, 75% of admitted applicants scored above). The 75th percentile ACT means that 75% of admitted freshmen scored at or below that number (or 25% of admits scored above). The average ACT is an average of all of the admits’ ACT scores. A good score is at or above the 75th percentile ACT score for that college. If you have that score in addition to a strong transcript and application, you have a great chance of being admitted. For colleges that only provide average ACT, I recommend aiming for a score 2 points higher than the average. That way you will have a score near the top 25% of admitted students. Why shouldyou aim for a higher score? I'm assuming you are a normal applicant. A special applicant would be a recruited athlete, legacy, child of a significant donor, or a unique talent like a world-class cellist. Colleges will accept students with these qualifications with lower ACT scores than normal applicants. It depends on the school, but those students can account for up to 25% of admits. If you're a normal applicant, you want a higher ACT score to make you stand out, so your target score should be the 75th percentile or above. For a more in-depth explanation of these concepts, check out What is a good ACT score? A bad ACT score? An excellent ACT score? Should You Retest? How Many Times? If you didn't reach your target score (the 75th percentile or higher for your target colleges), I would recommend retaking the ACT.However, don't take the ACT more than 6 times. It is unnecessary. If you have not reached your target score after 3 or 4 tests, then you aren't studying for the test properly. To achieve your goal, you need to have a dedicated study plan. Check out one of our guides for creating an ACT study plan for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Other options you should consider: hire an ACT tutor, take an ACT class, or enroll in an online ACT prep program such as PrepScholar. Check out PrepScholar:Harvard grads and ACT full scorers created our program that figures out your strengths and weaknesses. Your ACT prep is then customized to target your weaknesses, so you get the best preparation possible. What’s Next? Need help with your ACT preparation? Struggling with the ACT English section? ACT Science? ACT Math? ACT Reading? Don't get discouraged! With the appropriate amount of preparation, you can reach your target ACT score! Disappointed with your ACT scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Research Paper - Health Care Reform Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Paper - Health Care Reform - Assignment Example There would be adjustments to other health care providers, agencies and even the psychiatric facilities. These market reduction updates are likely to be offset by newer yearly productivity changes in order to reflect an increase in the economy of the United States. Issuing of budgets to the productive changes will not be an easy task for the reason that measures used in establishing them are not recognized. If there are no doubts of the effectiveness of charge arrangements, collection and billing, health care providers may plan in reducing the market updates and containing the costs (Saltman, 320). The law of health care reform takes for granted that payments of the disproportionate share hospital will be less significant if a large population of people get coverage by insurance. These disproportionate share hospital payments will continue to be vital in healthy margins maintenance in many health care providers (Elmendorf, 196). To assist in offsetting the health care costs for Medicaid patients, other providers of health care may get huge amounts of money as reimbursements. In addition, these health care providers are likely to make best use of Medicare disproportionate share hospital payments by estimating the capture of services used in charity care. Payment changes are likely to affect all people participating in health care provision. The reform issues directives on new models of payment then the patients and the health care providers know the changes made and modify their behaviors so that the new model can be accommodated (Gonzalez, 160). There will be changes in collection of data, how they are shared and analyzed by the health care providers. In a life science company, increase in value emphasis will need amendments in how information can be employed in positioning and presenting the products. The latest large sets of data are likely to be put into use by

Screening Asia ( commenting asian movie ) Essay

Screening Asia ( commenting asian movie ) - Essay Example China produces movies with a collective bent while Taiwan produces individualistic movies. Additionally, the movies produced by China have a big scope, but are not as outward as those produced by Taiwan. 2. What is a Brief History of Taiwanese Nationalism and Film? Taiwanese Nationalism is an important aspect, as the Taiwanese nationalism has been highly diverse. This is because different colonialists colonized Taiwan. Before democratization, the Kuomintang considered Taiwan to be part of China that would be joined with the mainland. Therefore, the expression of Taiwanese nationalism was highly discouraged. The colonizers in Taiwan allowed the production of movies; however, they put great restrictions on it. Only movies in Mandarin Chinese languages were allowed. Additionally, the Kuomintang produced movies that portrayed the behavior of an ideal citizen. Overall, early film in Taiwan was a way communicating political ideas. However, after democratization, Taiwanese films started to address historical and cultural issues, thus ushering in the â€Å"new cinema.† Here most movies addressed important aspects such as Taiwanese identity and Taiwanese political history. 3. What is your favorite time of the Taiwan film? Why? My favorite time of the Taiwan film is the â€Å"New Cinema.† This was a period when the Taiwanese had the freedom of developing their films without any influence from colonizers. Initially, the different colonizers of Taiwan were restrictive to movie production in Taiwan. Nonetheless, with the â€Å"new cinema† period, the Taiwanese got back their right of expression, thus produced movies that explored various topics in society. 4. Do you think that Taiwanese films are being heavily influenced by foreign culture? I feel that Taiwanese films are not being influenced by foreign cultures. In the past, foreign cultures influenced Taiwan movies, but this is not the case today. This was the case in the past, as Taiwan was colonized by different foreign countries, which imposed their cultures on Taiwan, including Taiwan’s film production. 5. Why do you guys think the Taiwan’s cinema producer  have to include Japanese girl character on the movie? Why not leave alone the Taiwan character? any opinion? The Taiwan film producers feature a Japanese girl character on the movie, probably because Japan as a country had a great influence on Taiwan. Including Taiwan’s film. Japan colonized Taiwan for a long time, beginning 1895 to1945. During this time, Japan had imposed its culture on the Taiwanese, who were naturalized to become Japanese. These therefore, were expected to dress like Japanese, eat Japanese food, speak Japan, engage in Japanese religious rites, and use Japanese names, among others. Therefore, maybe this great influence of the Japanese culture on the Taiwanese culture had a great impact. The Japanese also had an influence on Taiwanese film production, as these produced documentarie s and feature films that were mainly political in nature. Therefore, I consider that the influence of Japan on Taiwan is still felt through the Taiwanese films today. Korea 1. How was your first impression on Korean films?  Have you been consider that Korean public films are ‘too commercial’, or inartistic?  If so, what is the rationale behind your notion? I consider Korean films to be of low quality, as compared to those produced in the USA. This is

Developing a care pathway for patients with fractured neck of femur Essay

Developing a care pathway for patients with fractured neck of femur - Essay Example The study is done in St. Vincent Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria in October 1, 1997 to November 30, 1998. It has 111 patients with 80 women and 31 men with mean age of 81 years old. They have found that a proactive multidisciplinary approach can reduce the length of stay. The study also shows that early intervention is another way to reduce the stay in the hospital therefore the risk of having complications brought about by the longer stay in the hospital has lessen. St. Vincent Hospital includes patients with language and cognitive difficulties. Since not all of their population does not speak English. They believed that the inclusion would test the efficacy of clinical pathways in the delivery of multidisciplinary care. Also during the study they found no significant clinical difference in time of mobilization or complication or readmission rates. Possible explanation includes the frequent existence of unstable and often untreated premorbid conditions in patients with fractured neck of femur, which requires attention during their acute admission. In contrast, patients undergoing elective joint replacement have the benefit of preadmission assessment clinics which may resolve expected medical, allied health or discharge issues before admission.. ( Choong , Langford, Dowsey, Santamaria 2000 ) The report of the South Tyneside health Care Trust in 2003 whi... The pathway starts at the waiting after the Triage to see the A&E doctor, which could be up to an hour since patient with these case are given low priority. Another hour of waiting for the X-ray department since they could handle one patient at a time. The next wait would be for the porter staff to come to take the patient to the X-ray Department and again, once the X-rays have been taken, another one to bring the patient back to A&E. The films had then to be interpreted by the A&E doctor, who may not have been immediately available. Once the diagnosis has been made, the orthopedic doctor on duty had to see the patient and the transfer to the ward again another wait for the porter. They want to make the pathway much easier for the patient they make a study and make necessary adjustment to lessen the waiting time. The changes were made, on arrival the patient is seen by a senior A&E nurse who has undergone appropriate training. The nurse assess the patient's need for analgesia and adm inister it according to protocol. The A&E Nurse fills out the X-ray request form and contacts the X-ray Department. The Bed Coordinator is contracted and warned of the portable need for an orthopedic bed. The patient is offered the use of a cordless telephone to contact relatives and or neighbors. The patient is taken to the X-ray department and the films taken. Once the radiographer made necessary impression the radiographer notifies the A&E. Since the patient will take only for a few minutes in the x-ray department the porters will wait for her and take the patient directly to the orthopedic ward. If no fracture is seen, the patient is returned to A&E for further assessment. The

Hospitality Facilities Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hospitality Facilities Management - Essay Example People who have relatives in other states or countries never bothered to think about their accommodation as they had an option to live but for people who were going for business trips or for leisure had to first think about it before they plan their trip. However, hospitality business came into existence keeping in mind this notion and with the increase in hotel ranges and chains, it became easier for all classes to afford their accommodation in different parts of the world depending upon their profile and their need. The term hospitality was coined keeping in mind the service which hotel industry is serving. The term refers to the relationship between a guest and a host in which guest is the visitor of the hotel and the host is the team of hotel serving. Hotel services just not mean to provide space to stay. The whole concept is referred to serving the guest with all the possible and necessary things required by one. It includes food, entertainment of the guests, clubs, resorts and many other things. Hospitality is also regarded as the act of generously providing care and kindness to whoever is in need as it means serving the guests. The background of this term is that it was derived from a Latin word hospes which is originated from hostis. It means stranger. Along with that, a word hostire which means to compensate was also merged to derive the word hospitality. It even has a story of Telemachus and Nestor of Greek mythology attached to the background which explains the sacred hospitality notion. Concept of Hospitality The concept of hospitality has been changing with the changing times. It has become more challenging with the fast development taking place around the world. However, the concept of hospitality has been way different in the past. In the past, it was considered as a duty of all to serve the guest as much as possible taking it into the ethical boundaries and teachings of one. It was counted as an act of discipline to host someone (Hospitality industry Business solutions from AllBusiness_com). If we observe the contemporary notion of hospitality, we would see a major difference from the past concept. Today, it has become more as of entertainment, throwing parties, providing leisure entertainment and to facilitate tourist businessman. As hospitality has now become a source of money making, people surviving in this industry are very much cautious about their acts and facilities to hold a strong position in the market. However, the biggest selling proposition for this industry is the custo mer satisfaction which a customer may experience while using the service of any hotel. This notion is the key component of the success of the business of hospitality. What is Customer Value In the past, when the concept of

Legalizing gay marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Legalizing gay marriage - Essay Example Eight other states legislated gay marriages as legal while three states (Maine (Dec. 29, 2012), Maryland (Jan. 1, 2013), Washington (Dec. 9, 2012)) legalized marriage by popular vote. Unfortunately, there are still 17 states that ban same sex marriage and these include the states of â€Å"Alabama (2006, 1998), Arkansas (2004, 1997), Florida (2008, 1997), Georgia (2004, 1996), Kentucky (2004, 1998), Louisiana (2004, 1999), Michigan (2004, 1996), Mississippi (2004, 1997), Missouri (2004, 1996), Montana (2004, 1997), North Dakota (2004, 1997), Ohio (2004, 2004), South Carolina (2006, 1996), South Dakota (2006, 1996), Tennessee (2006, 1996), Texas (2005, 1997) and Nebraska† (www.gaymarriage.procon.org) which means that there are still 13 states that needs to work on about the legality of same sex marriage. One of the main reason why gay marriages should be legalized in all of the states of United States I because United States as a country is founded on the principles of equality and liberty and gay marriage is consistent to the demand of equality and liberty. This equality meant not only having equal rights and equal opportunities but also on the right to be who they want to be and who they want to love. Liberty meant not only being free from the shackles of a master but also liberty from discrimination of not being able to marry just because of sex orientation. It also meant the freedom to choose whom to love without encumbrance of the law. In a way, this is a right to equal accessibility to law to have the same legal contract of marriage that binds couple just like the straight couples. It is also worth mentioning that it is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence â€Å"that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, tha t among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happinessâ€Å"

Hospitality Facilities Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hospitality Facilities Management - Essay Example People who have relatives in other states or countries never bothered to think about their accommodation as they had an option to live but for people who were going for business trips or for leisure had to first think about it before they plan their trip. However, hospitality business came into existence keeping in mind this notion and with the increase in hotel ranges and chains, it became easier for all classes to afford their accommodation in different parts of the world depending upon their profile and their need. The term hospitality was coined keeping in mind the service which hotel industry is serving. The term refers to the relationship between a guest and a host in which guest is the visitor of the hotel and the host is the team of hotel serving. Hotel services just not mean to provide space to stay. The whole concept is referred to serving the guest with all the possible and necessary things required by one. It includes food, entertainment of the guests, clubs, resorts and many other things. Hospitality is also regarded as the act of generously providing care and kindness to whoever is in need as it means serving the guests. The background of this term is that it was derived from a Latin word hospes which is originated from hostis. It means stranger. Along with that, a word hostire which means to compensate was also merged to derive the word hospitality. It even has a story of Telemachus and Nestor of Greek mythology attached to the background which explains the sacred hospitality notion. Concept of Hospitality The concept of hospitality has been changing with the changing times. It has become more challenging with the fast development taking place around the world. However, the concept of hospitality has been way different in the past. In the past, it was considered as a duty of all to serve the guest as much as possible taking it into the ethical boundaries and teachings of one. It was counted as an act of discipline to host someone (Hospitality industry Business solutions from AllBusiness_com). If we observe the contemporary notion of hospitality, we would see a major difference from the past concept. Today, it has become more as of entertainment, throwing parties, providing leisure entertainment and to facilitate tourist businessman. As hospitality has now become a source of money making, people surviving in this industry are very much cautious about their acts and facilities to hold a strong position in the market. However, the biggest selling proposition for this industry is the custo mer satisfaction which a customer may experience while using the service of any hotel. This notion is the key component of the success of the business of hospitality. What is Customer Value In the past, when the concept of

E-Logistics and International Supply Chain Management Essay

E-Logistics and International Supply Chain Management - Essay Example This report stresses that the service management activities of a company aptly use the internet and other information and communication technologies. This is because it is the only source of information for the customers of the business. The use of internet is done to provide real time data to the customers, especially related to the interfaces with the functions of the operations and logistics departments. The internet has major impacts ion these processes in both the downstream activities and the internal parts of the supply chain. The internet is used for the recognition of events and understanding the opinion of the customers and is also used to communicate effectively with the customers regarding their needs and the responses of the company. This paper makes a conclusion that the impact of the internet is a major area of focus in the supply chain management process. The development of e-SCM is only a step forward to integrate internet effectively in the supply chain and logistic processes. The main impact of internet is that it allows the sharing of real time data which is very useful for the smooth functioning of the supply chain management system. The use of internet can lead to several benefits like there reduction in the costs, maintenance of optimal inventory levels, proper allocation of stocks, advanced planning and proper forecasting of the demands and quick response to the anticipated market demands.

The Spiritual Autobiography Essay Example for Free

The Spiritual Autobiography Essay One of the fascinating characteristics of Japanese religion is the syncretism of its traditional religions, foremost of which are Zen Buddhism and Shinto. In Journey In Search of the Way: The Spiritual Autobiography of Satomi Myodo, Satomi gives a mesmerizing look into the spirituality of Japan, through the eyes of what seems at first an unlikely witness. Satomi’s experiences are untypical for a Japanese woman in the Meiji era, considering that she was the only daughter of her parents. Petty (2004) argues that by being an only child, Satomi received her parents’ whole investment of expectations and dreams, a burden of responsibility in any society. Thus she was subjected to experiences that a village girl at that time would normally not have, such as her education in Tokyo, her subsequent unwed pregnancy or her arrangement as a Kageki actress. Her unique encounters as both a Shinto miko and a Zen nun are an insight to the mixture of the two religions in modern Japan. When Satomi first engaged in ascetic practices, she was doing it to prepare herself to become a miko. Initially, she was not satisfied with her experience, rather describing herself afterwards as no better off than she was before. This purification process is not unique to the Shinto religion, but her struggles can be classified as more of a shamanistic nature reflecting her encounters with the kami. Satomi continued to engage in an ascetic lifestyle afterwards, in her discovery of Zen. According to Nixon (2000) â€Å"At this point Satomi’s asceticism is less severe, and she consciously relates it to her practice of meditation, but it serves a similar function – i. e. , one of deliberately frustrating a lower level structure of dependency, in order that the dynamisms of a higher level of personality might emerge, as indeed they do with her first kensho experience. † (par. 14). Although she found true enlightenment and spiritual invigoration in the practice of Zen, her initial experience in purifying the spirit with Shinto has given her prior introduction to the life she will lead as a Zen nun. Additionally, Satomi’s failures and accomplishments in her role as a woman in the Meiji-era society gave her the character and persistence needed in her pursuit of satori. By practicing zazen, Satomi found great peace and joy, something she was searching for since the very beginning. It can be argued, however, that her Shinto preparation was a stepping stone towards finding enlightenment. Her first kensho experience, at fifty-nine years old came late in life, and her dedication towards this experience made her a model of achievement in any religious path. Zen and Shinto were at the time of Satomi separated, with Shinto following the Kannagara no michi tradition that was used in pre-war Japan to instill a nationalistic spirit on the Japanese. From the start however, the influence of Buddhism on Shinto is apparent and the best example would be the description of Kannagara no michi as teaching a primal state of natural and spontaneous harmony with the kami, to which one might return by abandoning human desire and artificiality. This incorporation of beliefs is characteristic of the faith of modern Japanese people today, which take Shinto and Buddhist teachings as part of the culture and spirituality of Japan. Satomi’s account is clear and vivid, giving justice to the setting and context of her life’s story. The Journey In Search of the Way: The Spiritual Autobiography of Satomi Myodo is a very good reading on the religions of Japan, and especially in relation to the role given to women. R E F E R E N C E Nixon, Laurence. (2000). A Dabrowskian Analysis of a Japanese Buddhist Nun [Electronic Version]. The Dabrowski Newsletter, 6(2). Petty, Genevieve. (2004). A Wild Woman in Buddhism: A Critique of the Life of Satomi Myodo. Retrieved April 7, 2007, from http://poeme. memory-motel. net/academic/satomi. pdf

History of Baju Kurung

History of Baju Kurung The baju kurung, a kind of regional clothes for Malay female, includes baju and kurung. In Malay language, baju means clothes and shirts; kurung means confinement, imprison. Baju is a kind of frock coat, whose sleeve length is to the wrist; kurung is a kind of skirt, which is of the ankle length. Additionally, with a 200-year-long history, the baju kurung was invented by Sultan Abu Babar, who is the father of Modern Johor. In 1800s, when aiming at creating the baju kurung, he considered two main factors: conforming to the rules of their religion and being aesthetically pleasing. As the time goes by, the baju kurung has developed into three main kinds of styles. The original style is the Taditional Baju kurung. The hemline comes below the knees. Another style is the Baju Kurung Kedah. It is similar to the traditional one, but its kurung is cut shorter in the hem so that it is below the waistline. The last style is the Baju Kurung Moden. It is the modern pattern for women. There are ma ny differences between the modern cut and the traditional cut, for example, the collars in the modern one is commonly accessorized with some sumptuous buttons, while the tradition one seldom has this kind of decoration. Since Malaysia is an Islam country, Islam requires that a womans clothes should cover the whole body except hands and face. Consequently, compared with modern clothes, the baju kurung may look conservative. However, many Malay women still prefer the baju kurung. As Malaysia is an Islam country, the baju kurung not only meets the requirement of the religion, but also shows the unique culture of Malaysia. To conform to religion duty is one of the reasons why Malay women wear the baju kurung. Islam, with a more than 1300 years long history, has a great influence on the Muslim and a stringent requirement about womens clothes. As Koran, the holy book of the Islam, says, Prophet, tell your wives and daughters, and the women of the faithful, to draw their wraps a little over their faces. They will thus be recognized and no harm will come to them. God is forgiving and kind (Koran, chapter33, verse59). Furthermore, The clothes for the Muslim women should not be so glamorous that it can attract the attention of men(Asma and Paul, 2003, pg189). Meanwhile, an attire of the baju kurung with a sleeve-length frock coat and a long blouse, covering the whole body of a woman, loose enough and not revealing the figure, just fits the requirement. As a fact, 64. 3% of Malay women pointed out they wore the baju kurung because of their religion. Besides, as a unique part of Malay culture, wearing the baju kurung among Malay women has been considered as a common way to show their cultural identity. As one Malay woman said, Not only Malay women, but also many Malaysia-Chinese girls enjoy wearing the baju kurung to present that they are in Malaysia, which indicates that they are really proud of their culture. Whats more, with the development of Malay culture, the baju kurung, which combines the merits of tradition and modern fashion, brings Malay women, especially young women many benefits. First, the modern baju kurung adds more beauty, elegance, and safety to Malay women. The baju kurung is gradually modernized as the fold on the right side of the skirt are varied, boarded, they do not always start from the waistline, and may be shorter and various in length: the modern attire of the dress moves great individually(Broch-Due, Rudie, and Bleie, 1993, pg297). With the development of modern fashion, and many kinds of colours and embroideries to choose, various kinds of the baju kurung are designed to meet the requirements from individuals. In fact, 90% of Malay women said that the baju kurung was beautiful, and they enjoyed wearing the baju kurung. Additionally, The Baju kurung is loose enough, the ladies who are fat or pregnant can look elegant when they wear baju kurung(Anonymous, para.9) . Covering the whole body but not wrapping up womens body, the baju kurung makes women more elegant. Meanwhile, the baju kurung brings much safety. It must be loose enough, so as not to describe the shape of a womens body. So wearing the baju kurung makes me feel comfortable and safe, especially from naughty eyes which love to stare at womens body(Broch-Due, Rudie, and Bleie, 1993, pg199). While in some extent, the baju kurung may cover womens physical beauty. With a consideration of safety, the baju kurung is practical and acceptable. Second, as a kind of national clothes, the baju kurung is widely worn in formal occasions, such as wedding, and funeral. One Malay young woman said, When a woman is wearing the baju kurung, she is generally considered polite, respectable, and genteel. From this view, the baju kurung is a kind of formal dress for certain occasions in Malaysia. Third, the baju kurung is comfortable and cool. It is true that Malaysia is a tropic country, when Malay women are wearing the baju kurung, it may be considered hot and stuffy. However, 80% of Malay women explained that it was not hot at all. Made of cotton or silk, women who wear the baju kurung no longer feel hot and uncomfortable. In short, due to bringing mental and practical benefits, the baju kurung, as an unique traditional clothes, is acceptable by many modern Malay women. Moreover, to a Malay Muslim woman, wearing the baju kurung not only expresses her loyalty to Islam, but also displays Malay culture to foreigners. At the same time, the baju kurung makes women beautiful, elegant, safe, formal, and comfortable. Thats why the baju kurung, as a kind of traditional clothes, can be developed and inherited until today. All in all, if one traditional clothes intends to last longer, it can learn from the baju kurung, to make a successful combination tradition and modernization. References Books: George Sale (1764). The Koran: commonly called the Alcoran of Mohammed. Britain: Bavaria Library Vigdis Broch-Due, Ingrid Rudie, Tone Bleie (1993). Jendered Symbols and Social Practice Cross-cultural Perspectives on Women. Britain: Berg Publisher Asma Abdull Ah, Paul Pedersen (2003). Understanding Multicultural Malaysia: delights irritations. America: Pearson Publisher Laurence Goldstein (1991). The Female body: figures, styles, speculations. America: University of Michigan Press Beng Huat Chua (2003). Life is not complete without shopping: consumption culture in Singapore. Singapore: NUS Press John Nguyet Erni, Siew Keng Chua (2005). Asian media studies: politics of subjectivities, first edition. America: Wiley-Blackwell Internet: Retrieved from http://web.singnet.com.sg/~hsh17/sect1baju.html on 26th October 2009 http://www.101cookingrecipes.com/malaysia-cooking-recipes/malaysia-melayu-malay-baju-kurung-kebaya-cloth.php on 26th October 2009 http://www.pahang-delights.com/baju-kurung.html on 28th October 2009 http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/translation on 3rd November 2009

Capital Punishment Is Wrong Essay -- Death Penalty Crime Essays

Capital Punishment Is Wrong To this date, Seven hundred and seventy two criminals in the U.S. alone have been subject to Capital Punishment. (Executions USA 2002). Using specific examples such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Timothy McVeigh execution, capital punishment is seen as inhumane, wrong and an unusual punishment. The death penalty is greatly rejected and discouraged by many countries and states. There are more than one hundred countries who have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, while the United States has increased the rate of executions and the number of crimes that are punishable by death (The Death Penalty†¦2000). Many politicians claim that they are tough on crimes, but they should spend ninety four percent of criminal justice money on preventing crimes instead of after the crime was committed (Get the Facts†¦2000). Protocol No.6 to the European Convention on Human Rights to Abolish is an agreement to abolish the death penalty in peacetime. The other two protocols, the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty, provide for the total abolition of the death penalty but allows states wishing to do so to retain the death penalty in wartime as an exception (Facts and Figures†¦2000). There are several different procedures that are used to execute such as hanging, the electric chair, gas chamber, lethal injection and the fire squad, which is still used in Idaho and Utah (The Death Penalty, 2000). The death penalty is abolished for all crimes under the Human Rights because it is believed to be inhumane, cruel and degrading, but it is still enforced today. The death penalty should also be abolished because the failure to prevent the execution of the innocent and the cost for executions are outrageous. In the eyes of those who are for the death penalty, they believe that the criminal should lose all rights once they commit a heinous crime and they also believe that the cost of imprisoning someone for life without parole is extremely higher than just putting them to death. They also take into consideration that the death penalty is okay by their religion. They believe that God was for the death penalty and they claim that He once killed men who crosse... ... http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/factsinnocence.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/cruelanddegrading.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/cost.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/violationofhrs.html Amnesty International. (2000). The Death Penalty in the U.S.A. (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/rightsforall/dp/index.html Amnesty International.(2000). Facts and Figures on the Death Penalty(Online). http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/imtcam/dp/dpfacts.htm Civil Liberty. (9 May 2001). Don't Kill McVeigh (Online). http://www.civilliberty.about.com/ CUADP. (2000). Get the Facts, Then Decide (Online). http://www.cuadp.org David McReynolds. (27 April 2001). The Case of Tim McVeigh & Capital Punishment (Online). http://www.zmag.org/mcveigh.htm ECADP. (30 April 2002). Executions USA 2002 (Online). http://www.ecadp.org/forall/cont_exec.html Human Rights Watch. (2000). The DEATH PENALTY(Online). http://www.hrw.org/about/initiatives/deathpen.htm Capital Punishment Is Wrong Essay -- Death Penalty Crime Essays Capital Punishment Is Wrong To this date, Seven hundred and seventy two criminals in the U.S. alone have been subject to Capital Punishment. (Executions USA 2002). Using specific examples such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Timothy McVeigh execution, capital punishment is seen as inhumane, wrong and an unusual punishment. The death penalty is greatly rejected and discouraged by many countries and states. There are more than one hundred countries who have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, while the United States has increased the rate of executions and the number of crimes that are punishable by death (The Death Penalty†¦2000). Many politicians claim that they are tough on crimes, but they should spend ninety four percent of criminal justice money on preventing crimes instead of after the crime was committed (Get the Facts†¦2000). Protocol No.6 to the European Convention on Human Rights to Abolish is an agreement to abolish the death penalty in peacetime. The other two protocols, the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty, provide for the total abolition of the death penalty but allows states wishing to do so to retain the death penalty in wartime as an exception (Facts and Figures†¦2000). There are several different procedures that are used to execute such as hanging, the electric chair, gas chamber, lethal injection and the fire squad, which is still used in Idaho and Utah (The Death Penalty, 2000). The death penalty is abolished for all crimes under the Human Rights because it is believed to be inhumane, cruel and degrading, but it is still enforced today. The death penalty should also be abolished because the failure to prevent the execution of the innocent and the cost for executions are outrageous. In the eyes of those who are for the death penalty, they believe that the criminal should lose all rights once they commit a heinous crime and they also believe that the cost of imprisoning someone for life without parole is extremely higher than just putting them to death. They also take into consideration that the death penalty is okay by their religion. They believe that God was for the death penalty and they claim that He once killed men who crosse... ... http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/factsinnocence.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/cruelanddegrading.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/cost.html Amnesty International. (2000). Death Penalty Facts (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/violationofhrs.html Amnesty International. (2000). The Death Penalty in the U.S.A. (Online). http://www.amnestyusa.org/rightsforall/dp/index.html Amnesty International.(2000). Facts and Figures on the Death Penalty(Online). http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/imtcam/dp/dpfacts.htm Civil Liberty. (9 May 2001). Don't Kill McVeigh (Online). http://www.civilliberty.about.com/ CUADP. (2000). Get the Facts, Then Decide (Online). http://www.cuadp.org David McReynolds. (27 April 2001). The Case of Tim McVeigh & Capital Punishment (Online). http://www.zmag.org/mcveigh.htm ECADP. (30 April 2002). Executions USA 2002 (Online). http://www.ecadp.org/forall/cont_exec.html Human Rights Watch. (2000). The DEATH PENALTY(Online). http://www.hrw.org/about/initiatives/deathpen.htm

Bad Debts and Uncollectible Accounts Receivable

When we own a business, we hope that all the customers who get goods or service from us will pay in full. But in fact, a certain percentage of customers will default on their obligations. We need to consider this part of money to balance sheet, so that we report them as writing off bad debts.Account Receivable We recognize Account Receivable from two different parts. 1) Service Organization, we record a receivable when it provides service on account. 2) Merchandiser, we records receivable at the point of sale of merchandise on account.Bad Debt Expense Under GAAP, when we sale goods or offer service to customers, we recognize the revenue as â€Å"Sales Revenue† on Income Statement- even the customers don’t pay immediately. When we can’t collect the receivable money, we have to report an expense to offset the revenue which we reported at the beginning of sale or service. This is the so called Bad Debt Expense. In other words, seller records losses that result from extending credit as Bad Debts Expense.Methods of Accounting for Uncollectible Accounts There are two methods to record the uncollectible accounts. 1) Direct Write-Off. But it is theoretically undesirable. 2) Allowance Method. It is much better. Companies estimate uncollectible accounts receivable. Then debit Bad Debts Expense and credit Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. Companies debit Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and credit Accounts Receivable at the time the specific account is written off as uncollectible.Write-offs First of all, we need to decide a specific amount for the uncollectible account. For instance, we decide $1000 debt is uncollectible. Secondary, we decrease the Account Receivable by $1000. We also decrease the allowance for doubtful account by $1000. So, at the beginning we have $20000 for the account receivable and $2000 for allowance, then it falls down to $19000 and the allowance would drop to $1000. Then the net account receivable is still $18000 the same as be ginning. Eg: Bed Debts Expense 1000Allowance for doubtful accounts 1000Balance Sheet Approach Under the percentage of receivables basis, management establishes a percentage relationship between the amount of receivables and expected losses from uncollectible accounts.

Psych Profile of Kennedy

During one of the most tumultuous times in United States history, our president John F. Kennedy exhibited his decision making style and leadership qualities such as vision, delegation, focus, and ambition. His term was short lived, lasting only two years and ten months, but in that time he made a great impact on the United States and even the world. He was so important because he was a great leader in a time when the United States was in dire need of one. John F. Kennedy’s leadership qualities and decision making style reflected in the ways he responded to such events as The Cuban Missile Crisis and The Bay of Pigs Invasion. John F. Kennedy was a strong president; he showed vision, decision making style, and delegation through his enactment of policies and the decisions he made while he was president. These three aspects of his character provide a framework for how he handled situations. â€Å"'Vision' mobilizes external support for the leader's overarching goals, and charts out a national direction. ‘Decision making style' focuses on the ‘internal', process-oriented aspects of leadership. The Delegation factor assesses what competence and perspectives that will bring input into the decision-making which will carry out the vision. Kennedy was concerned with the national security of the country and did everything he could to ensure the safety of its people. One of the decisions carried out by John F. Kennedy was the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an invasion of the Bay of Pigs in Cuba by special CIA trained Cuban exiles in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro. The decision was ultimately made by John F. Kennedy and it failed in just a couple of days. Many men had died and others were taken as prisoners of war. Kennedy would eventually have to negotiate for the release of well over 1,000 survivors. The invasion failed for a number of reasons. Kennedy’s Presidential advisory committee made six false assumptions regarding the Bay of Pigs Invasion: no one will know that the United States was responsible for the invasion of Cuba, the Cuban air force does not pose a threat, the Cuban exiles have high morale and are willing to carry out the mission without any support, Castro’s army is weak, the invasion will spark a revolution among people in Cuba, and if the brigade doesn’t succeed then they can retreat to the Escambray Mountains. Kennedy admitted later that he had his doubts about the mission but kept them to himself. â€Å"†How could I have been so stupid?   President John F. Kennedy asked that after the Bay of Pigs fiasco. He called it a â€Å"colossal mistake. †Ã‚  It left him feeling depressed, guilty, bitter, and in tears. One historian later called the Bay of Pigs, â€Å"one of those rare events in history — a perfect failure. â€Å"† So why then, did Kennedy not voic e his concerns? There was an underlying force that was apparent while Kennedy was discussing the invasion with his advisors, it is known as Groupthink. Irving L. Janis wrote a book explaining group think and failures that occurred in history as a result of it, The Bay of Pigs invasion being one of them. Janis describes Groupthink as â€Å"An excessive form of concurrence speaking among members of high prestige, tightly-knit policy making groups. It is excessive to the extent that the group members have come to value the group (and their being part of it) higher than anything else. This causes them to strive for a quick and painless unanimity on the issues that the group has to confront. To preserve the clubby atmosphere, group members suppress personal doubts, silence dissenters, and go along with the general consensus of the group. † This theory of groupthink has affected many groups in history negatively. Had groupthink not been present then the Bay of Pigs Invasion may not have even happened. All it would’ve taken was for the closed mouth president to speak up and voice his opinion about how it could go wrong. Mongar argues that it appeared as though â€Å"Kennedy experienced difficulty separating the administrative and political functions of the presidency, which would have been understandable in view of the fact that the Bay of Pigs was his first important political decision. † As far as the Bay of Pigs is concerned, Kennedy started out as a simple decision maker or foreign policy leader. He would since become a more complex decision maker, using carefulness and strategy to implement policies and decisions. Kennedy later revised his group decision-making process to encourage more dissent and debate. This change would later help to avert a potential nuclear disaster. Even though the Bay of Pigs Invasion turned out to be a complete failure, Kennedy demonstrated that he was ambitious. He was a new president and wanted to start off strong, so given the opportunity to attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro, he took it. This showed in his actions following the invasion as well, for he had to negotiate for the lives of over a thousand survivors or POW’s that were captured during the failed invasion. The psych or individual attributes of any given leader are important in the decision making process. Some situations even encourage leaders to fuse their own attributes with the problems they’re dealing with. The Cuban Missile Crisis can be attributed as being one of those occasions. The Cold War Rivalry had been extremely high between America and the Soviet Union for years. The Cuban Missile Crisis was an event that had the entire world standing in fear and attention. In October of 1962, aerial photos showed Soviet nuclear missile sites that were armed in Cuba. If the program were to continue, their nuclear warheads would be able to reach most of the United States. John F. Kennedy’s first inclination was to launch an air strike to take out the missiles; but upon further speculation and debate with his advisors he concluded that it would be a poor idea, thinking back to the debacle of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. He instead decided to use soft power through negotiations and blockades. Soft power is the use of alternatives to military conflict such as treaties, negotiations, and policies. Kennedy was offended by what he believed were false assurances from Khrushchev that the Soviet Union was only introducing defensive weapons to Cuba as a means to defend the country from a potential attack from America. Kennedy said that the missiles would have to be removed because he did not want it to have a negative effect on the â€Å"global political balance. He took the action of making a quarantine or blockade around Cuba, which was considered an act of war but he did not think that the Soviet Union would launch an attack from a mere blockade. What this meant was that every ship entering or leaving Cuba was to be inspected by the U. S. Navy, mainly for offensive weapons of any kind. The failure that Kennedy faced from the Bay of Pigs Invasion was not something that he was willing to face a second time , especially since in this case it could mean the fate of the world. He was diligent and focused in his plan with the Cuban Missile Crisis. â€Å"†¦Kennedy's succorance need and his obsession for competence: demonstrable expertise. In general, the implementation groups brought together in crisis situations were superior to any the White House has ever known. The indirect effects were largely cognitive, involving the manner in which his operational regulators structured and expectations of his advisers: Kennedy's pessimism about he probability of failure sharpened their sense of professional craftsmanship and dedication to sound judgment; his sense of caution produced a reluctance to act prematurely which usually gave them more time to work; his natural skepticism encouraged them to thoroughly question every conclusion and item of information encountered. † This shows that through Kennedy’s personality traits, he was able to influence the people around him and thus making everything run smoothly. He had a sense of caution and thoroug hness that enabled him and his advisors to handle the situation without any hiccups.

In Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in Guatemala Virginia Sanford

In Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in Guatemala Virginia Sanford goes into the heart of Guatemala to six different locations of clandestine cemeteries to interview survivors of mass suicides that occurred during the period that is now known as La Violencia. Sanford strives to give voice to the Maya, who have been silenced all these years, and chose to have them write their own history of what happened during those dark years.By uncovering the dark secrets of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union as well as those of the Guerilla Army of the poor, the Guatemalan people were able to begin to heal, to find justice, to become inspired to organize again for social change and to ultimately take control back over their own lives and participate in the democracy that they paid so dearly for (p. 73). Sanford constructs a â€Å"phenomenology of terror† through a forensic anthropological study of the clandestine grave sites at six different locations across Guatemala that the crimes against the Maya ultimately resulted in attempted genocide.These massacres occurred during a period known as La Violencia (1978-1982) under the regime of General Lucas Garcia (1978-1982) and General Rios Montt (March 1982-Aug 1983) (p. 14). According to Sanford, La Violencia went from selective terror into mass terror culminating in the â€Å"scorched earth† campaign and ultimately the violence did not cease until the disarming of the last civil patrols and the signing of the 1996 Peace Accords (p. 15).The Maya were the weak common people caught in the middle of a vicious war between the communist guerilla and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union (GNRU); where both sides took advantage of the Maya using them for food and shelter and killing them with little thought if they got in the way for any reason (p. 101). The Maya were simple farming people for the most part and their rights were easily stripped away and they were treated like slaves for years and after La Violencia, they were left maimed, poor and powerless.The phenomenology of terror that Sanford constructed from the death records, bone analysis, testimonio and other public records/media consists of seven escalating phases of violence and domination (p. 32). . Through analysis of these phases Sanford proves the depth of the GNRU’s crimes and therefore brings them out in public for the Maya people to begin their process of healing. The phemomenology of terror starts with the â€Å"pre-massacre community organizing† which amounted to the Maya’s attempt to better their own community often through the local churches to build infrastructure for clean water etc.Because this organizing sometimes included guerilla organizing (which Sanford indicates was often brought about by fear tactics on the guerilla’s part), it attracted violent repercussions from the GNRU (p. 127). The phase two, â€Å"the modus operandi of army massacres,† Sanford describes as th e beginning of genocide because the GNRU felt they could not prevent the guerilla from organizing and they used this as an excuse to kill innocent civilians who might or might not have been involved, in order to scare everyone else away from the idea of helping the guerilla (p.129). In the â€Å"post-massacre life in flight,† or phase three, the Guatemalans fled the killing fields of their own villages and took refuge in the mountains with little or no supplies or protection against the elements and many of them died of illness or exposure. The guerilla found them here too and sometimes forced them to kill their own children in order to survive (p. 132). In phase four the â€Å"army captures a community† and the Maya were basically treated like prisoners of war: they were tortured, raped, punished, and were forced to work for their food (p.135). In phase five, â€Å"model villages,† the Guatemalans experienced something similar to German concentration camps wher e they lived under constant military control and were forced to work under fear of being tortured or killed (p. 138). In phase six, â€Å"the ongoing militarization of community life,† the civil patrollers, or police, were handed over control from the army but the struggle was still the same, the Maya continued to experience torture and abuse of power(p. 141).In Sanford’s last denoted phase titled â€Å"living memory of terror,† the Maya struggle to put their lives back together while living in terror and with diminished rights. The police continued to control their lives and prevent them from bettering their communities in any way (p. 143). The uncovering of the phenomenology of terror is precisely how the healing process was instigating. The Maya people realized their need for healing when the bodies of their loved ones were being uncovered and when they heard the stories of their peers being told and realized that their own story needed to be revealed as well .Sanford chose multiple excavation sites in order to have a variety of communities but also so that she could generalize. The communities she chose included: Ixil, K’iche’, Kaqchikel, Q’eqchi’ and Achi villages from the northwest highlands to the central lowlands to the eastern mountains (p. 17). Uncovering these clandestine grave sites amounted to taking back their villages, taking back their loved ones and giving them the respectful burial that they deserved. In doing this it created a political space that was stolen from the Maya in the reign of terror (p.73). This political space allowed the people to come together and gain power in numbers; they never allowed themselves to be separated off so that no one person could be sacrificed for the cause of bringing out the truth of these massacres. Even those who still believed that the GNRU were telling the truth about the massacres, that the only people killed were communist guerillas, were brought to see t he truth about La Violencia because â€Å"the bones don’t lie† (p. 47).Even military officials came to give public recognition of the murders but gave many justifications for their ruthless actions (p. 16). After Sanford herself uncovered a woman’s corpse face down in a mass grave holding a small baby, it became clear that civilians, including women, children and the elderly were a large part of the sacrifice made at mass executions made by the GNRU (p. 43). Records indicate that most of the bodies at the Plan de Sanchez site were women, children and elderly (p. 47).The Maya went to the Ministerio Publico (prosecutor) as a group and said, â€Å"We want a Christian burial for our families because they aren’t dogs, and we don’t want them piled up in those graves like dogs† (p. 39). They were not put down by the Rabinal when they were ordered to attend a meeting that amounted to them trying to control the Maya and prevent them from colluding wi th the foreigners to uncover the truth. â€Å"Leave the dead in peace† the sub-commander told them, but the Maya already knew that the dead were not in peace and stopped at nothing to uncover the rest of the truth so that they could be (p.44). By pushing forward and sticking together the Maya was able to strip the power from the â€Å"memory of terror† to hold them down and instead used it to drive them forward for change and justice (p. 230). Sanford shows that the excavation process gave healing through several different avenues, besides giving the Maya strength in coming together and publicly revealing the truth, the excavation also brought healing through religious ritual and public consecration of the burial sites.The rituals at burial sites â€Å"implicate the enactment of deeply held beliefs about the individual and community identity and reckoning in the past as well as the present† which Sanford believed was the powerful key to opening a future for the Maya in their own broken land (p. 40). Long after the confession and re-burial, the temples built on the sites allowed the Maya to continue their grief process and to continue to heal and have a place where they could go for remembrance of their loved ones and the pain they experienced (p. 245).In addition, the exhumation inspired the local people to organize once again to try to better their communities and used the memory of terror as inspiration to work hard for change rather than allowing it to hold them down in fear (p. 211). These local initiatives included things such as support groups and groups advocating yet more exhumations. (p. 243). Sanford describes another type of healing that took place because of the exhumations and resulting testimonies that amounts to the clinical treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: testimonial therapy (p. 239).By giving survivors the chance to â€Å"understand the impossible nature of the situation to which they had been exposed† and to transfer â€Å"the burden of responsibility to the perpetrators of violence and to the repressive structures that fomented their traumas† they were able to heal the emotional wounds of those experiences (p. 241). The final step in healing is providing the people with justice through charging those guilty of leading the massacres. Ultimately the confessions and the exhumations helped to bring those guilty of these horrible crimes to light for the sake of justice.The Maya faced the obstacle of â€Å"auto-limpieza,† which was the act of killing those who were in charge of giving orders for the military on behalf of the men who were in the upper echelons of the military power structure—in other words, the men who could tell the truth about who was ultimately responsible for these massacres were killed (p. 211). In addition to this obstacle, the government attributed any challenge to their authority to equate to a national security threat. So when the Maya be gan to search for those guilty of these war crimes, they faced the old threat of terror (p.251). According to Sanford, â€Å"justice, rule of law, and truth commission are now seen as a critical step for societies experiencing the transition from military rule,† therefore it was of utmost importance to the Maya to pursue justice and bring closure on the dark La Violencia era (p. 249). With the help of other Central American countries and international organizations such as the Human Rights Watch and the United Nations, the Maya people were given the added strength to bring justice to at least a few war criminals.Without their help the Maya may never have been able to overcome the memory of terror which stood in the way of them being able to participate in the democracy that they paid so dearly for (p. 253). Ultimately the trials of the authors of this violence helped to construct, â€Å"a viable democracy by demonstration that the rule of law extends to the powerful as well as to the poor† (p. 270). In conclusion, Virginia Sanford shows through a forensic anthropological study of the massacre sites that genocide did indeed occur against the Mayan people and she lays out the timeline of violence in seven phases that she calls the phenomenology of terror.Through the process of constructing this phenomenology the Maya are brought together again and inspired to better their community and fight for justice. They experience healing through testimonio (of their PTSD) and through public recognition of their loved one’s sacrifices in religious ritual and the consecration of the burial sites. By consecrating those public spaces and bringing to justice those who were responsible, the Maya were able to break fear of the memory of terror and take their rightful place in the democracy that they paid so dearly for.