Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Effect of Exercise

For whatever reason people exercise the benefits are worth the pain. The first thing exercise can effect, is your state of mind. Everyone can benefit from this. Someone that has a better state of mind will become less likely to suffer from depression. Another benefit would be to boost one's self esteem. If you look good you'll feel good. The mind is a powerful thing it controls everything, and those who aren't at peace create unmanaged stress. Most people are unaware of the emotional, and physical consequences of unmanaged stress. The second effect exercise can change is one's lifestyle.Exercising can boost your energy. It can improve muscle strength. Muscle strength can help when it comes to doing just the simple daily shores. Laundry, mopping and doing dishes can all become easier to complete after one starts to exercise on a regular. Another great benefit of having a better life style is that your social life will become more active. From dating to parting with friends, you will f ind yourself having the time of your life all from working out. The last but the most important effect exercise would change is your health.Being overweight can cause troubling health problems. Diabetes, and high blood pressure are just two of the main problems overweight people have. Exercising can lessen your chances of becoming ill. Becoming healthier can help a diabetic lower their needs for insulin and can cause one with high blood pressure to have a more stable vital sign. Daily exercise is one of the best medicines out there. It can have you feeling wide awake. Instead of drinking coffee (which can prevent you from falling asleep later, causing drowsiness again the next day) you should walk and keep moving.In conclusion a lot of things can happen because of exercise. Exercise is a benefit that everyone at any age can participate in. Rather it's just going to the gym, walking around the neighborhood, or simply just taking the stairs, you will reap the benefits. I just named a few things that exercise can change but there is a lot a great things that can change after one Starts to exercise. I personally feel completely better after started to exercise. Feel like have more energy, I feel like I can take on the world. So I will continue to exercise and I would encourage everyone to do the same.

Friday, August 30, 2019

National Geographic: the World’s Most Dangerous Drug

The World's Most Dangerous Drug is a documentary produced by the National Geographic Channel in 2006, that explores the disturbing effects of methamphetamines, not only to those who use the drug but also to those people associated with them. American journalist and news presenter, Lisa Ling, takes the viewer on a journey to the mental and physical aftermath of taking Meth. The use of selection and omission, re-enactment and archival material, manipulation of codes and actuality, all contribute to the portrayal of the issues presented in this documentary. These issues conspire: the high percentage of crimes in the United States created by meth users, the promising lives destroyed by Meth and the life-long damage Meth has done to those who have stopped taking it, yet are still under the influence of the drug. Selection and Omission plays an important part in portraying the ideas of the documentary because it is an effective technique used to control what the audiences are able to view and what they are not. Interviews are widely used, not only of the Meth users but also of those who deal with the issue of meth on a daily basis. Examples of interviews that stood out were the ones of Kobe Kempey and his family. The portrayal of the idea that anyone can be victimised by Meth is initialised through these interviews. Kempey’s life story also depicts the lives of those who have survived being meth addicts in the past, however are still haunted by it. Professional interviews from doctors and from the police are used to show the lifelong consequences Meth does to people and to communities. The audiences are purposely affected by the interviews so that they can sympathise with the Meth victims and so thatthey are aware of the repercussions of taking the drug. The archival material shown in the beginning of the documentary creates a feeling of anxiety within the audience and introduces the main objective of the film. Through the footage and sound, the audiences are aware of the growing popularity of Meth among young adults. The re-enactment of Michael Wamsley and Janel Hornickel’s experience, half-way through the documentary, rogresses this idea and proves the promising lives destroyed by Meth. Similarly, the documentary Sicko, by Michael Moore, uses archival footage and sound to show real events and to make the documentary more persuasive. The manipulation of codes can affect one’s reading of a text. Symbolic codes are shown throughout the film to signify various meanings. The American flag is shown outside the Meth house to convey the idea of Methamphetam ines ravaging communities in America. The British pound being used as a ‘spliff’ also informs the audience that meth, not only ravages American communities, but also damages other countries through its diversity. Actuality is a code of realism that involves the recording of images and sounds on location as they actually happen. An example was when Lisa Ling went to a Bangkok red-light district to film the two, Thai, young women taking Meth for more booze. The women did not want to be shown on camera due to the constraints in the country. This scene depicts a real event that occurred in an unrehearsed situation. It represents the cultural context of Thailand and a part of their way of social life. Another example is of the ‘drug deal’ scene with the undercover cop, Sean Christian. This documentary is presented in third person Point of view to look at the issue of Meth from a different perspective. The Thai government’s values of discipline and safety throughout the country were conveyed through 3rd person P. O. V. The audiences are aware of those values because of the event that was shown in the documentary. A few footages from â€Å"Bankok’s Brutal Crackdown on Meth in 2003† were shown to purposely appeal to the audience and make them more aware of the generation of Thai Meth addicts. Visual effects and confronting images both assist in making this text more persuasive. Diagrams of the brain were shown to give the audience an insight to what really occurs inside the body when Meth is consumed. Before and after images of meth addicts were shown to reveal the physical effects and ‘meth mouths’ to portray the dame Meth causes to the teeth. Confronting advertisements from the Montana Meth Project were also shown to target young audiences and to promote their campaign. Repetition is also used, when showing the Meth bags and the ‘Methamphetamines’ medical sign to highlight the important of knowing what meth looks like to avoid wasted lives of addiction. Technological developments such as, animation allowed this portrayal to be more powerful. This documentary was produced mainly in the American states of Portland and Omaha and also in Bangkok, Thailand in 2006. Technological developments have made travelling to these destinations more accessible. This is a large-scale type of production because it was produces by the national Geographic Channel. The World’s Most Dangerous Drug depicts the mental and physical effects of taking Meth through the use of selection and omission, re-enactment and archival material, manipulation of codes, actuality and visual effects to raise awareness concerning the issue of methamphetamines, continuing to seduce millions around the world, infecting brains and bringing crime, chaos and death wherever it goes.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Beauty of a Woman

Great controversy has surrounded women during this generation regarding the idea of beauty. It seems to be a preconceived notion to many people in America today that women of today’s’ standards are far more revealing and outgoing than that of yesteryear. Women in the past were more conservative and caring as to the way they looked and acted. The question remains, are these ideas accurate, and if so, is this a more desirable way for a woman to be? Young girls of today look to role models such as Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsey Lohan for beauty.If this is the gauge in which standards are set, it is done so poorly. These young women have come to fame at an early age and seem to try to defy any sense of discretion or modesty that they have. They wear revealing clothes, if anything at all, and behave rudely and carelessly in public places. Other role models of today’s society strive to be perfect, no matter the cost. Actresses such as Mary-Kate Olsen and Nic ole Richey have both reportedly been treated for eating disorders, all at the cost of a perfect body.Women of today are repeatedly receiving messages that one must be thin and beautiful to be worthy of attention. Media is constantly telling women of these things through ads, articles, commercials, and movies. It is easy to believe that women who lived in the 1950’s had it easy, in the regard to the pressures to be thin and attractive. According to The Feminine Mystique, a book written in 1963 by Betty Freidman, some of these cliches of women in the 1950’s is not necessarily true.First of all, women in the 50’s were starving themselves to fit into the department store dresses. One shopper was quoted as saying, â€Å"Women are out to fit the clothes, not visa-versa. † It was reported that women were three to four dress sizes smaller in the 1950’s than they were in 1939. Women from the 1950’s were dying in hospitals for refusing cancer treatmen ts because the side affects were â€Å"unfeminine. † The beauty of a woman is not solely related to the way she looks. Beauty comes from within, as well.Are women of today more beautiful than that of days gone by? Women in this era, who have been freed by the Women’s Liberation Movement of the 1970’s, seem to have no qualms about maintaining a career and a family. Many of the women of today seem to have it all – the American Dream perhaps. Some feel that the women of today are happier than ever before. Delving deeper into this ideal raises the notion that perhaps women feel more alone today than in the past. They struggle with feelings of guilt and anxiety regarding childcare and divided family time.Perhaps women of today wish times could be simpler, like they were in the 1950’s. Women of the 50’s also argued that they were living the American Dream. The suburban housewife – she was the dream image of the young American women and the envy, it was said, of women all over the world. (Friedan, 2). However, these suburban housewives stopped attending college, began getting married in their teens, and seemed to forget their place as women in society, instead replacing that role with that of a housewife. A woman in the 1950’s cared deeply about the way that they looked.They insisted their homes are kept up, that their children be presentable, and that everything had the appearance of perfection in their lives. A woman of today also cares deeply about the way she looks. They also desire that their homes be kept up, their children presentable, and everything appears perfect within their lives. However, all of these things are just that – the appearance of something. Deep down, women in the 1950’s felt very isolated and dissatisfied. Many had dreams and desires that had somehow been oppressed for years.Somewhere along the way, they were told that their true identities no longer mattered. Instead, the y must look the way television or a magazine tells them to look. They should do what the media tells them to do and nothing more. Somehow, a woman in the 1950’s bought into these ideas and became mindless to it. The women of today may also feel dissatisfied and isolated. Perhaps, the women of today are also living in the shadows of what the media tells them to do. Women go to college, get six figure incomes, and strive to get ahead no matter what the cost.The women of today are no different that those of days gone by. The only thing that has changed is the issue which is oppressing them. To conclude, the women of the 50’s were incredibly beautiful, as are the women of today. The women of days gone by cared just as much of her appearance as the women of today. Women continue to have the same social and personal issues today that affected them fifty years ago. Women have come a long way in some regards, and are still so far behind in others. References Friedan, Betty. Th e Feminine Mystique. 1963. http://us. history. wisc. edu

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

FREEDOM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FREEDOM - Essay Example In his work, â€Å"The Story of American Freedom,† Foner traces the idea of freedom in the United States from the past to the present and illustrates the different meanings that it has taken in its transformation to the present day concept. The concept of freedom has evolved during the 18th and 19th centuries, and in the modern context, freedom can be perceived as the universal right of equality to all human beings, irrespective of their race, color, gender or sexual orientation. Freedom is the birth right, but to the Americans it was bought about by the Civil War. Foner says that other people also value freedom, but the idea is having more prominence in the public and private discourse in the United States than any other country. In the past, the idea of liberty was something between the natural liberty and the moral liberty. People considered liberty as the freedom to do only what is good. By the eighteenth century this concept was changed in the Atlantic world. Thus, the id ea of freedom evolved to the concept that if religious liberty means obedience to God, civil liberty meant the obedience to law.

German Immigration to America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

German Immigration to America - Essay Example 370). This fact indicates that as neighbors, there is a high probability that they knew each other prior to undertaking the voyage. Estimating the average cost needs the cost of the fare multiplied by the quantity (number of people who undertook the voyage). Since the exact number of people were not available, it would be safe to approximate the quantity using the mean family size, which also represents â€Å"the mathematical average of all the terms† (Giles-Peter, 2005, par. 2) and therefore would appropriately estimate the average number of family members who undertook the voyage. It is important to study statistical information from the past because it provides crucial information that explains historical data, such as the number of Germans who migrated to the United States and the cost of undertaking such journey. It provides vast amounts of information relative to demographic factors, average family size, income level, and way of life, among others. Their willingness to journey to an unknown and unfamiliar place indicated that their way of life in Germany was difficult and they were looking forward to be the promise of a better life in

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Improving our Enlisted Evaluation Process Essay

Improving our Enlisted Evaluation Process - Essay Example The participants were all employees of Edryn, with no biases or references towards race, gender, or nationality, and were directly surveyed so that no proxies were used. Observations were made from the primary research method only. The survey encompassed a total of fifty descriptive questions explicative of the participants' view on coworkers as a whole, citing relevance towards: 'Teamwork;' 'Measurement;' 'Training;' 'Customer satisfaction;' 'Continuous improvement.' The answer parameters were scaled from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating 'Do not agree at all,' and 5 indicating 'Strongly agree.' The definitive for Teamwork was questions 1-10 on the survey. Teamwork as it correlates to the facility can be holistically described by these parameters, abstracted in order from the survey questions: a developed sense of belonging; harmonious; commitment to team goals; pride; freedom of information; helping one another; knowledge based; total involvement. Teamwork as it correlates to the facility can be holistically described by these parameters, abstracted in order from the survey questions: a developed sense of belonging; harmonious; commitment to team goals; pride; freedom of information; helping one another; knowledge based; total involvement. Teamwork as it correlates to the facility can be holistically described by these parameters, abstracted in order from the survey questions: a developed sense of belonging; harmonious; commitment to team goals; pride; freedom of information; helping one another; knowledge based; total involvement. In regards to measurement, the participants gauging of the establishment were approached with these abstracted concerns, voiced in a positive approach towards both internal and external suppliers: performance standards; systems of measurement; internal performance standards; tracking improvements; awareness of cost and work; quality of product and service; quality of process; potential of improvement; reliance on data for improvement. The answer parameters were scaled from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating 'Do not agree at all,' and 5 indicating 'Strongly agree.' Organizational Improvement Data Analysis Table 1 shows the dispersed quantitative responses of all participants. Table 2: Data Analysis shows the average, median, mode, standard deviation and variance between all test dimensions. The average measures the mean; this is used to describe the intermediate values across the boards. The median defines the midpoint in the series of responses, and the mode is used to note the most commonly occurring value. Standard deviation measures the spread of the test scores; this is used to define the difference average difference in the data set, and is the square root of the variance. Variance measures the dispersion of the test scores as the average squared deviations from the mean. The data analysis uses a 0.05 significance level to gauge the probability of rejection with the sample size and standard deviation to signify the confidence intervals for east dimension. Table 2: Data

Monday, August 26, 2019

Personal and Organisational Development Report Essay

Personal and Organisational Development Report - Essay Example This way, understanding the link between my own attributes and required characteristics for employment will help me in being clear about my goals, responsibilities and challenges that can be possibly attached with the profession itself. Task One I am aware of how competitive the business environment is that obtaining a financial analyst position in successful firms will be incredibly challenging especially for those with fewer experiences or less idea on this profession’s tasks and responsibilities. As a means of preparing for employment, the use of a SMART career plan has allowed me to outline all my goals that I intend to successfully achieve over a period of time as I develop goals which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time framed. My very first concern is my resume and cover letter as employers first look through these regardless of how capable, knowledgeable, or experienced a candidate is; what matters first is to present an impressive resume that pro vides an overview of educational attainment and relevant job experience in an honest, concise, and professional manner. Since I only have limited work history and do not have actual employment experience even in a short duration, I intend to use the unconventional format for presenting my abilities and other attributes in a better structure. Moreover, asking feedback from other people may also allow for further improvements. Next goal is to attend at least four events every month to establish connections with other people who have more experience and knowledge. This can be achieved by attending programs and other training opportunities that can allow me to both meet individuals who intend to learn the best practices and skills for financial analysis and other finance-related tasks. Aside from making valuable connections, it is most likely that the necessary knowledge and skills are developed. For instance, I have learned about the Financial Analysis Specialist (FAS) Program that is an online designation program implemented for financial analysis professionals to improve their training and verify their knowledge for them to land a job within the industry. It has presented a number of objectives for trainees such as being able to understand and use financial analysis tools and practices, the basic principles of accounting, and online resources for a more efficient financial analysis, to name a few- addressing my needs to considerably improve on my own set of skills. Programs like these will also help my potential employers in knowing that I possess specialized knowledge with regards to this particular area, possibly much more than others who are competing to have this job. This will also suggest that I am serious about my professional goals and that I immediately take relevant action for my career development. Participating in exams such as the Series 7 or 63 may also equip me with terms and practices for accounting and other finance-related while reviewing for and taking the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam will considerably improve my technical knowledge. Additionally, several tests and modules gave me a clearer view on aligning my

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Evaluating Capital Investment projects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Evaluating Capital Investment projects - Essay Example On the contrary, non-discounted matrices applies accounting rate of return. The metrics measure project performance/progress over a given period. Therefore, it is advisable for Arizona Hospital to select a combination of metrics due to the prones and cones associated with each metrics. Some of the prones of discounted matrices include; they give the intrinsic value of an investment, they are easier to apply and are reliable to use than non-discounted cash flow metrics methods. Some of the disadvantages of discounted metrics over non-discounted metrics include; they are based on assumptions and can only be reliable when there is certainty of cash flows (Baker & English, 2011). On the other hand, sensitivity analysis entails a mathematical technique used to determine the impact of independent variable over the dependent variable. The sensitivity may tell the senior managers of Arizona hospital whether the project will be optimal and the level of risk associated with a particular project so that necessary changes can be applied accordingly (Saltelli, Tarantola & Campolongo, 2004). This means that sensitivity analysis act as a useful tool for assessing capital projects risk and returns. This is because sensitivity analysis helps to identify the potential investments risk in the market, these help managers to prepare on how they can deal with that risk (Saltelli & Wiley InterScience,

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Choose one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Choose one - Essay Example plant whose extract facilitates excretion of urine can for example help in treating complications that are associated with the system of urine excretion such as kidney problems. Similarly, a plant that facilitate running nose can facilitate nasal hygiene. Physical properties of plant extracts such as astringency plants’ curative role. Astringency binds disease-causing organisms to body tissues that facilitate elimination. Plants are also sources of chemicals that are used to manufacture chemical based drugs and consuming a plant that is rich in a chemical treats similar diseases that the resultant manufactured drug treats (http://permaculturenews.org/2013/10/09/medicinal-plants/). Examples of plants with medicinal value are garlic, chamomile, and Dandelion. Garlic is a common plant for domestic use and is effective against microorganisms at different body organs and system while chamomile helps relax the body. (http://www.homestead.org/KarynSweet/MedicinalGarden/MedicinalGarde n.htm). The subject relates to my environment through providing alternatives to management of diseases. It creates awareness of natural solutions to medical problems and offers alternatives to chemical based drugs whose adverse effects are many. The subject also offers a cheaper alternative to care because natural products are either free of cheaper than processed

Friday, August 23, 2019

Civil Rights vs. Civil Liberties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Civil Rights vs. Civil Liberties - Essay Example In essence, Civil liberty and Civil rights are envisaged in the constitution and was derived from the declaration of independence and the bill of rights (Walker 481). It is worth to note that close assessment of the two terms offers an insight into the significance of sound socio-economic and political polices towards sustainable growth as has been experienced in United States. The cultural diversity that characterizes United States makes such emphasis on civil rights and civil liberty crucial. Civil rights generally entail having basic rights of being free from unequal consideration on specific characteristics that include gender, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation among others. In the context of other socio-economic provisions like housing, employment among others, civil liberty constitutes unrestricted or biased access. Civil liberty therefore entail guaranteed basic rights that are explicitly addressed by the constitution and defended by the law makers and judicial system. Achieving a united nation has been facilitated by the concentration of socio-economic interest on the constitution and relentless efforts to implement and practice. According to the Bill of rights in the constitution, civil rights and civil liberty are enshrined as the pillars of prosperity and this evident in government efforts to champion for the American dream of equality. Key constituents of civil liberty include; the right to privacy, fair judicial process, marriage, freedom of religion, rig ht to vote among others. Civil liberty and civil rights must be supported through supervised enactment and sub sequent adoption. This means that every individual is subject ted to the highlighted rights and freedom and any breach is taken through legal redress by the court. The aforementioned rights in United States are enforced through documentations on Declaration of Independence and Voting Rights Act of 1965. Voting is key to expressing

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Exotic Animals Essay Example for Free

Exotic Animals Essay The exotic animal trade is a growing industry in which exotic animals are bred, sold, and traded in massive amounts. Millions of exotic animals are being kept in private residences, small roadside zoos, and traveling wild animal exhibits. Sadly, beautiful and majestic animals are being held captive in unfortunate living conditions. They are being deprived the enrichment and companionship that they require to develop and flourish effectively as if they were living in the wild. These mistreated animals can be extremely dangerous to human health, the safety of the public, and the animals themselves. Many exotic animal attacks have been front page news; most recently, the release and killing of forty-nine exotic animals in Zanesville, Ohio, was said to be the worst exotic animal incident in United States history. This dangerous incident and those like it need to be thoroughly investigated, and legislation must be improved to avoid future incidents. Stricter laws will ensure exotic animals are being cared for humanely and the public is protected. Common exotic animals that are being purchased for private ownership or entertainment purposes are large game cats, bears, wolves, zebras, reptiles, birds, and nonhuman primates. The genetic anomalies of zedonks, crossbreeding zebras with donkeys, are even being advertised for sale (Green). All of these exotic animals may seem cute and cuddly in zoos and other exhibits, but they are extremely dangerous if not cared for appropriately. The care of exotic animals can be expensive, and many people will purchase these animals unaware of the costs that are required to maintain the animal’s health and environment. Many investigations into exotic animal attacks have revealed that these animals are not being cared for in humane ways. They were not being fed adequately and have not received appropriate medical care. The conditions these animals are forced to live in can make them violent towards owners or handlers. They become violent because they are hungry or because of health problems they have developed due to their ill-treatment. Exotic animals can carry diseases that can be dangerous to humans and, in some cases, even fatal. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that seventy thousand people in the United States contract the bacterial disease salmonella from the handling of reptiles, such as snakes or iguanas (Kirpalani). Humans have died from being exposed to diseases like the Monkey B virus carried by nonhuman primates as well as rabies found in many different species of animals. Additionally, humans can pose a threat to the exotic animals when they come into contact with them. Diseases that humans carry, like the herpes simplex virus, if contracted, can be fatal to certain small primates (Parsell). Many people question why there are a great number of exotic animals for sale in the United States. The answer is simple: exotic animal trade has been significantly profitable for those parties involved. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reports that the illegal trafficking of exotic animals is a twenty-billion dollar industry (Eaton). Even though many states have laws that prohibit the sale and purchase of exotic animals, they continue to be illegally purchased through easy access websites, exotic animal brokers, exotic animal breeders, and exotic animal auctions held at livestock yards. There were even reports of one Texas woman selling tiger cubs from the back of her car in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I recently visited the website ExoticAnimalsForSale. net and discovered over six-hundred advertisements for exotic animals that were being sold. The animals ranged from large game cats to exotic birds and dangerous reptiles. Interested buyers can simply purchase these animals with one click of the mouse. The ease of illegally purchasing exotic animals has made this industry considerably successful. The lack of awareness and ignorance of many people that own exotic animals has been the cause of many incidents or attacks that have occurred. Recently, Terry Thompson, of Zanesville, Ohio, released his fifty-six exotic animals from their secure cages and then took his own life, enabling the animals to dangerously roam the farmland surrounding the moderately populated community. Most of the exotic animals released were extremely dangerous and posed a threat to the public. That afternoon, law enforcement officials were ordered to shoot and kill eighteen Bengal tigers, seventeen lions, six black bears, three mountain lions, two grizzly bears, two wolves, and one baboon. One other primate, a macaque monkey was reported missing, but later the remains were found and had been half eaten by another animal. Zoologist and animal activist were appalled that all the animals had to be exterminated, especially the eighteen Bengal tigers; a species that is currently found on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN). Although forty-nine of them had to be killed, only one bear, two monkeys, and three leopards were successfully trapped and transferred to the nearby Columbus Zoo. Investigation later revealed that Thompson was not a sane person. He had past run-ins with the law concerning the welfare of his animals, and he had been convicted of animal cruelty in 2005. Similar incidents have occurred concerning the dangers of exotic animal ownership. Like the couple from Grain Valley, Missouri who were charged with endangering the welfare of a child when their pet ferret chewed off seven of their infant son’s fingers down to the knuckle. The news has reported many other shocking exotic animal incidents that have occurred this year. In Connecticut, a television animal star chimpanzee bit off both hands and mauled the face and of an elderly woman. In Florida, the death of a two year old girl who was squeezed to death in her crib by a pet python raised many concerns with the government officials that enforce animal ownership laws. These incidents, as well as many others, have shown that protective action must be taken immediately by law makers. The leniency in laws that prohibit the sale and purchase of exotic animals does not come without consequences. The Exotic Animal Incidents database compiled by the animal protection agency Born Free USA reports that seventy-five human deaths and over fifteen-hundred non-fatal incidents have occurred over the last twenty-one years (Whyte). As a result of the Zanesville incident, Ohio Governor John R. Kasich issued an executive order requesting state agencies to increase inspections and enforce stricter laws relating to animal health, captivity, and cruelty. The executive order called for The Ohio Department of Health, The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and The Ohio Department of Agriculture to cooperate in the detailed investigation and additional inspection of private exotic animal owners and their facilities where wild animals are being bred, raised, and exploited. Ownership of exotic animals is legal in nine states, and in thirty other states, exotic animal ownership is legal if permits are simply applied for through state and local organizations (Kirpalani). These states must revise this easy process that they have developed. The laws should make exotic animal ownership harder. The process should weed out those individuals that are not competent enough to care for these animals. Our federal government has only one law in place to regulate the treatment of animals. The Animal Welfare Act, signed in 1996, requires that minimum standards of care and treatment be provided for certain animals bred for commercial sale, used in research, commercially transported, or exhibited to the public (USDA). Exotic animals should never be pets. They are wild animals and should be treated as if they are roaming free in their natural habitat, not at the cost of entertainment and human profits. It is imperative that state lawmakers and government officials take immediate action to pass strong legislation to protect the world’s exotic animals. Without these laws in place, many more animals will be held captive, mistreated, and set up as a danger to the public. Exotic animals should be in legitimate zoos where they can live in appropriate habitats, receive proper veterinary care, and adequate nutrition. Only professionals in a zoo should have the responsibility of providing the care and attention that these innocent animals deserve.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Adding a Class to the School Curriculum Essay Example for Free

Adding a Class to the School Curriculum Essay Dear Principal, a class that specializes in focus, prioritizing, organization and study skills is absolutely necessary for any Middle School student. At my age and younger, students have a tendency to be disorganized both physically and mentally. I have a knack for losing and forgetting my homework assignments and my grades suffering. I know I am not alone in this struggle against clutter and forgetfulness. Critical thinking classes provide a student with structure, study skills and the art of prioritizing. I know personally the effects of school on a student who is unprepared and disorganized. The stress and sleepless nights can be avoided with a class dedicated to the students future. Unlike Math and Language Arts, this class would be linked with the students success in EVERY other class. The benefits would not only pertain to students, but to the enthusiasm and effectiveness of a teacher. Is there anything more important than preparing a student for his or her future? The skills learned in a critical thinking class would help a student not only through Middle and High School. The study skills and note taking strategies would also be useful and very beneficial in College and whatever career they choose to pursue in the future. A class dedicated on teaching a student to remain focused and take accurate notes in lectures would be beneficial to all the daydreamers, doodlers and dozers who cant listen to a teacher and stay focused on the words coming out of her mouth. I know the effects all too well. As my teacher begins her daily rant, I shut my mind off and let it wander around the room. I see students snoring in the corner and others doodling in their notebook or flinging notes to each other as slyly as possible. I smile at their antics in relieving the exhausting boredom of a class like this. Only a handful of students are actually listening to the teacher and it is evident that they rather be anywhere else doing anything else. With lunch just ten minutes away the whole class is already leaning towards the door and staring hungrily at the wall clock. I am snapped out of my daydream by the shrill shrieking of the lunch bell above my head. Relief runs through me as the teacher dismisses us and our grumbling stomachs. As quickly as I possibly can I scramble to pack up all my things and rush to the lunchroom. I dont even remember to write down the homework assignment! This forgetfulness is fueled by my inability to stay focused in any class much less the one right before lunch. The night before I had stayed up all night studying for a different test this inevitably leads to me being grumpy and unfocused for the following days. Especially since every night seemed to be a late night and with the stress and lack of sleep I am on the verge of snapping. The next day I fail the pop quiz along with almost all of the students who stopped listening to the teachers lecture, five minutes in. Mr. Principal, if students knew how to take accurate notes and focus, then the snoring in the back of the class would be brought to a minimum as well as all the other distractions in the room. Students would be more eager to learn if they understood how to do it in a way that works for them and they see the positive effects it can have on their lives. Grades overall would improve if students knew how to listen in class and study correctly. Instead of waiting until the night before a huge exam, reading words over and over until they become a jumbled mess of never ending letters and symbols, I could study one step at a time so that on the night before I can skim over the topics and be prepared to face the test. Being prepared keeps students from wanting to ditch school in order to avoid the test as a whole or just to sleep in and catch up on some Zs. Preparation would also bring the lack of sleep and stress to a minimum. No longer would the piles of never ending homework and study guides hover over our worn out minds, not if we knew how to work ahead and prioritize what needs to be done now and what can be done progressively. It would help to keep students fresh, awake and ready to learn every morning. Not only could grades improve, but so would the schools attendance record. Mr. Principal, students are more willing to come to class if there is something to look forward to. Instead of school being boring and torturous, it could be viewed as an opportunity to put the skills learned in their Critical Thinking class to the test. There would also be less problems waking up and therefore making it to class on time. No more napping in class, instead students would be note-taking and teachers would see the increased enthusiasm in their class. The teachers would be motivated to work even harder to teach their students all they can. Why would teachers want to teach if they know that the students couldnt care less? If teachers see students participating and not acting out then they would also be motivated to help the students learn even more than what is specified in the curriculum. Regular and advanced students would surpass any of the other schools. The school would work at least ten times more efficiently and productively. Everyone would be enthusiastic and successful in school. Mr. Principal if adding a class could determine whether your school is average or above average, would you take the chance? The skills learned in Middle School Critical Thinking classes would have a lasting impression in a students life forever. With the added skills, advanced teachers, and motivation that a student gains while taking a Critical Thinking class would definitely up their chances of that student staying in school not only in High Sch ool, but progressing even in the College level. This is not a simple feat and many students who just dont know how to keep their lives organized have a lot more chances of dropping out than the student who is well prepared and ready to take on anything the class has for them. In college most if not all the classes are lectures, if this bores a student or a student knows how to keep organized notes then the classes will be a lot harder. In comparison to High School, College has a lot more temptation to go party instead of studying, or hanging out with friends in your dorm instead of going over yesterdays notes. This can lead to dropping grades and even dropping out of school. Peer pressure to drink, smoke and not study is a LOT stronger as the years go by. In college teachers are no longer on top of their students to do their assignments and to study like the teachers in Middle School and High School. Students have more freedom and a more responsibility to keep their grades intact and the choice to worry about their academic or the ir social life. This responsibility may be too much for an average student, but for a student who has been taught and has practiced their critical thinking skills, the choice is obvious. The students who have the discipline to prioritize correctly and put their school first will be more successful time and time again over the student who picks his social life over his stupid grades. The students who stay up until midnight cramming for an exam that they knew months before will also struggle with their own problems in the future. Mr. Principal, a student who has practiced discipline, prioritizing, focusing and productivity will be prepared for anything that can come at them in the future. It is your job to prepare your students and if your students arent improving then their academics are failing. This is not something that can be fixed with MORE work, but with a class that helps kids manage their time better. Skills like these are not only useful in college though. They are useful in the students car eer. Discipline and respect are very useful in an office setting especially when interning. Interns are usually put through a series of test before they are even accepted! Most of the time these tests have nothing to do with what one hundred twenty thousand times fifty is, but with how to manage two or three tasks at the same time and how to be adaptable in any situation. An intern who already knows how to take outline notes and schedule their days accordingly will have much more chances of succeeding in the business world over an unprepared slacker. Bosses look for organization and preparation in their employees, but above that they look for someone who looks the part. Before you even open your mouth in an interview, the only thing the employer sees is just how long you stayed up the night before preparing a last minute resume. The bags under your eyes and crumpled outfit wont seem like a presentable and organized employee and the typos in your resume will stand out in comparison to the other applicant who worked on their resume for a week, reading and rereading it until it was perfection. The applicant who has her hair perfectly in place, her outfit ironed flat and fully prepared to speak to the employer has a lot more chances of being hired. This all goes back to you, Mr. Principal. The students ability to focus on the interview and be prepared depends fully on what opportunities YOU put in their lives when they are in your school. If Critical Thinking Classes arent offered in school then your students will be beat out in interview after interview not only for their careers, but for college and for advanced placement. This will hinder them in comparison to the students who have all the skill they taught in their Critical Thinking classes to help them through the interview and even to their promotions in work. Mr. Principal students deserve to have a class that will allow them to have an upperhand in classes, interviews and applications. Every student has the ability to have straight As and be successful, but not all of them have the skills needed to put their abilities to work and help them not only in Middle School, but for the rest of their lives. Mr.Principal you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The admiration of both your staff and students and the incredible feeling that comes from knowing that youve made a difference in your students lives. Without a doubt, thanks to the Critical Thinking Class your school could benefit from the increased academic abilities of your students. This class will help students for generations to come, if you could go back in time wouldnt you want to be given this chance?

The Effect Of Motivation For Adult Learners English Language Essay

The Effect Of Motivation For Adult Learners English Language Essay This assignment investigates the effect that motivation brings to L2 adult learners and the development of motivational theories in L2 learning, which has received considerable attention recently. Dornyei (2001) highlighted the progressing importance in the motivational field studies and mentioned that the study of L2 motivation reached an unprecedented boom in the 1990s, with over 100 journal articles published on the topic. Motivation is a highly complex term, widely used not only in everyday life but also in many areas of social sciences, for example in various branches of psychology, in educational studies and in applied linguistics. It is intended to explain nothing less than the reasons for human behaviour. That causes and influences an action or the reason for doing something, in other words, motivation is taken as a key factor in L2 learning. According to Vanessen and Menting, Motivation refers to some internal state or attitudes of the learner and not to what brings it about. A language learner may be strongly or weakly motivated; that is to say, he may want to learn the language very much or not very much. In addition, Dornyei and Skehan offered the more precise definition about motivation and divided it into three parts: Motivation concerns (i) the choice of a particular action, (ii) the persistence with it, and (iii) the effort expended on it. In broad terms, motivation is responsible for why people decide to do something, how long they are willing to sustain the activity, and how hard they are going to pursue it. (2003:614) The purpose of this essay is to discuss that language learning motivation plays an essential role in both research and teaching; however, it used to be regard as a dynamic emotional or mental trait, also in the more recent research, learning motivation has been taken as fluctuating during the learning process. Nevertheless, the argument has not been well demonstrated in Asia. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate whether and how English learning motivation changed of adult L2 learning process in Taiwan. Given these premises, the paper is divided into three sections. The first section, I will analysis the different theories of motivation, such as Gardners Integrative Motivation with Instrumental Motivation, Dornyeis L2 Motivational Self System and Process Model of L2 Motivation those concerns with the main development of motivational theories. The second section, I will briefly explore the factors that make adult learners change their motivation on L2 learning. The third section, I will provide some effective suggestions and possible solutions to arouse adult learners learning motivation for classroom practice. The Development of Motivational Theories Dornyei defines the notion of motivation that The direction and magnitude of human behaviour, that is, the choice of a particular action, the persistence with it and the effort expended on it (2001:5). Gardner (1985) contributed to explain the distinction in motivation between integrative and instrumental has been significant in studies of motivation. Gardner (1985) saw L2 learners goals as being integrative or instrumental motivated. By practicing the advanced research that developed by Gardner and his associated colleagues in Canada. They analyzed the integrative motivation and instrumental motivation as the branches of social-psychology in the following: Integrative dimension The notion of integrative motivation was introduced into L2 studies by Gardner and Lambert (1959, 1972) in an attempt to explain variation in L2 motivation in multicultural environments. It is firmly based on the personality of the learner, and they suggest that the people who have stuck positively to resemble the foreign peoples concerned, to understand the culture, and to be able to participate in it from Skehan (1989). An integrative orientation involves an interest in learning an L2 because of a sincere and personal interest in the people and culture represented by the other language group (Lambert, 1974:98). Dornyei, Csizer and Nemeth (2006) defined that the most specific concept of the integrative dimension has been explained by Gardners (1985) theory of integrative motivation, there are three integrative components: Integrative Orientation, Integrativeness and Integrative Motivation/ Motive. Figure 1.1 shows a schematic representation of the construct. According to this following Figure 1.1, the integrative components participate in three levels of abstraction. Integrative Orientation directly feeds into integrativeness, which has effects on one of the three main elements of integrative motivation. Moreover, Gardner defines that orientations involve the hidden reasons of learning an L2; in a more precise way, they represent ultimate goals for achieving the more immediate goal of learning the second language (1985:11). He clarified that integrative orientation is not only stresses an emotional involvement with the other community but also reflect a positive non-ethnocentric approach to the other community (Gardner, 1985:133-134). Gardner (1985) illustrated the meaning of Integrativeness by using the Figure 1.1, which presents that it is a combination as made up of following variables: integration orientation, interest in foreign languages and attitudes towards L2 community. Back to Gardners explanation of integrative motivation: reflects a genuine interest in learning the second language in order to come closer to the other language community. At one level, this implies an openness to, and respect for other cultural groups and ways of life. In the extreme, this might involve complete identification with the community (and possibly even withdrawal from ones original group), but more commonly it might well involve integration within both community. (2001:5) The integrative motive is constructed by the attitudinal, goal-directed and motivational variables. From Figure 1.1, it generalizes integrativeness, attitudes towards the learning situation (evaluation of the L2 teacher and L2 course) and motivation. Furthermore, motivation here is defined as (1) desire to learn the L2, (2) motivational intensity (effort), (3) attitudes toward learning the L2. As for integrative motivation, Gardner and Lambert (1959) investigated English speaking high school students studying French in Montreal. In this context those students with an integrative motivation were more successful in their language learning than those with instrumental motivation. Young children might have simple goals in L2 learning. They may want to know more about the foreign country and may wish to experience their culture, so that is the reason why they learn an L2. Attitudes Toward L2 Community Interest in Foreign Languages Integrative Orientation Desire to Learn the L2 MOTIVATION INTEGRATIVENESS Evaluation of the L2 Course Evaluation of the L2 Teacher Attitudes Toward Learning the L2 Motivational Intensity (Effort) ATTITUDES TOWARD THE LEARNING SITUATION Figure 1.1 Schematic representation of Gardners integrative motive (based on Gardner, 1985) Instrumental dimension In L2 motivational research, instrumental motivation has been highly discussed and compared with integrative motivation. Vanessen and Menting gave a brief overview of instrumental motivation: The instrumentally motivated learner requires the language as a means to some other end, whereas for the integrative learner the language and all that it brings by way of culture is an end in itself. (1975:76) This type of motivation is on the basis of the advantages which will bring with L2 learning. For example, for better professional achievement, for a better job or a higher salary as a consequence of mastering an L2 as Dornyei, Csizer and Nemeth (2006) pointed out. However, in Gardners opinion (1985), he categorized instrumentality as a type of orientation rather than motivation, that is, a goal for L2 learning. From Gardner and Lamberts (1972) example to illustrate the instrumental motivation, they conducted the research in the Philippines, English, has definitely great instrumental value, as an international language adopted there for business purposes. People have vital needs to master it, so high school pupils with instrumental motivation were highly encouraged. Comparisons between Integration Motivation and Instrumental Motivation Although Gardner (1985) has continued to put emphasis on integrative motivation, the studies showed that instrumental motivation can also lead to successful learning. However, there is a doubt on the statement of finding a positive relationship between integrative motivation and L2 achievement. Oller, Baca and Vigil (1977) provided an example that Mexican women in California who rated Anglo people negatively were more successful in learning English than those who rated them positively. Hence, they conclude the result that sometimes learners may be motivated by negative attitudes toward the target language community. Gardner and Lambert (1972) mentioned that both types of motivation frequently co-exist in the same learner, but it should be admitted that it is hard to classify one thought to either one motivation and decide which one is which one. Lantolf and Genugn (2002) presented a case study of a doctoral students Chinese learning experience of an intensive summer course as describing the dynamically changing of motivation. This learner was taking Chinese learning as part of her PhD studies. At first, the learner began with the goal of developing communicative ability in Chinese but because of strictness of the instructor, the learner abandoned her goal, replacing it with passing the requirement of the PhD program. This showed the shift of motivation changed on L2 learning. The L2 Motivational Self System In more recent studies, Dornyei (2005) proposed a new theoretical approach to understand L2 motivation, that is, L2 Motivational Self System. It attempts to combine findings of self search in psychology with a number of essential theoretical L2 constructs together. The central theme of the L2 motivation self system has been interpreted as integrativeness/ integrative motivation with the Ideal L2 Self (Dornyei, Csizer and Nemeth, 2006). Nevertheless, Ideal L2 Self refers to all the characteristics that a person would like to maintain. (e.g. hopes, aspirations, desires). Dornyei (2005) has highlight the significant of The L2 Motivational Self System that it broads the frame of the traditional conception of L2 motivation. The Ideal L2 Self is a powerful motivation to learn the particular language; therefore, learners would like to reduce the contradiction between their actual and ideal selves. Process Model of L2 Motivation Pre-actional Stage Actional Stage Post-Actional Stage Motivational Retrospection Motivational Functions: Forming casual attributions Elaborating standards and strategies Dismissing intention and further planning Main Motivational Influences: Attributional factors (e.g. attributional styles and biases) Self-Concept beliefs (e.g. self-confidence and self-worth) Received Feedback, praise, grades. Executive Motivation Motivational Functions: Generating and carrying out sub-tasks Ongoing appraisal Action Control Main Motivational Influences: Quality of the learning experience (pleasantness, need significance, coping potential, self-and social image) Sense of autonomy Teachers and parents influence Classroom reward-and -goal-structure (e.g. competitive or cooperative) Influence of the learner group. Knowledge and use of self-regulatory strategies (e.g. goal-setting, learning and self-motivating strategies). Choice Motivation Motivational Functions: Setting goals Forming Intentions Launching Action Main Motivational Influences: Various goal properties (e.g. goal relevance, specificity and proximity) Values associated with the learning process itself, as well as with its outcomes and consequences. Attitudes toward the L2 and its speakers Expectancy of success and perceived coping potential Learning beliefs and strategies Environmental support or hindrance. Figure 1.2 A process model of learning motivation in the L2 classroom (based on Dornyei and Skehan 2003:619) Dornyei and Otto (1998) proposed a process model of L2 motivation. This is dynamic time-related process model, incorporating three stages, the first as we prepare to engage in an action, associated with the pre-actional phase; the second actually getting engage into the action and after the event, the final stage involves the learners final analysis of the actional process when it is completed, as explained as Figure 1.2. illustrating three stages processing in language activities and the factors affect L2 learners set motivation during the learning process. In addition, this dynamic process model of L2 motivation uses time to organize the relevant motivational influences into various stages and also affects students language learning behaviour in classroom settings. Discussion: What factors make Taiwanese learners change their motivation on L2 learning? Motivation has been taken as an understanding of a complex mental process. Ellis (1994:524) pointed out that researchers have investigated the operational system about motivational construction and nearly all of the theories are rooted by the conscious brain working; however, human beings make decisions may in a conscious or unconscious situation, but nowadays the technology has not had the effectiveness to search for answers of motivational decisions making from which parts of the brains and the relationship between consciousness and unconsciousness. Nevertheless, as Gardner (1985) explained that for some people a wish to integrate, in some sense, with the speech community of the language being learnt seemed to be more strongly associated with success, while for others a wish to capitalize on the usefulness of knowing a language within the learners own culture was more effective. This was the distinction made famous by him and his colleagues (Gardner 1985) between integrative and in strumental orientations. Although it is difficult to distinguish from the conscious or unconscious decision making, there is now a colourful mix of approaches to the understanding of L2 motivation for adult L2 learners on language learning. Age is one of the factors that make adult learners change their motivation on L2 learning. Ellis (1994:523) stated that children generally enjoy the advantage over adult in L2 learning because of their age, but adult may learn faster than children during a short term learning. Moreover, adult learners often have already set up goals for the reason why they want to learn an L2, and instrumental motivation always overweighs integrative motivation on L2 learning. As we can see from Dornyei and Skehans (2003) L2 motivational learning process model (Figure 1.2), learners are affected by the environment very much during the Pre-Actional Process and Actional Process. Kharma (1974) also argued that motivating factors may vary so widely from one community to another that what applies to one situation may not apply at all to another. For adult learners, the age factor should also be taken into consideration in L2 teaching. He straight highlighted the significance that the age at which the student begins to learn the foreign language and the impact of the maturational stages on the continuation of the foreign language course at school have great influence on motivation set up. Most of the adult learners decide to learn an L2 may because of instrumental motivation. Furthermore, the other influence factors of adult L2 learners motivation changed are the students linguistic and cultural background and the status of the mother tongue; the teachers attitu de to the teaching profession in general and to foreign language teaching in particular, the relationship between teacher and student, and the schools attitude to the language may play an enhancement of motivation. Implications for Taiwanese Adult Learners on Second Language Learning Since most of the adult learners are eager to learn an L2 because of the reasons for better job or higher salary and so on, but for the rest of the adult learners may still want to explore the foreign culture or be interested in achievement on L2 learning. No matter for what motivation, the adult learners should be encouraged by teachers on L2 learning. The recent motivational research has focused on more classroom learning than the early work of Gardner and associates in Canada. Dornyei and Csizer (1998:215) listed ten commandments for good teachers who motivate their learners in classroom practice. Set a personal example with your own behaviour. Create a pleasant relaxed atmosphere. Present tasks properly. Develop a good relationship with the learners. Increase the learners linguistic self-confidence. Make the language classes interesting. Promote learner autonomy. Personalise the learning process. Increase the learners goal-orientedness. Familiarise learners with target language culture. Kharma (1974) stated that the foreign language teacher is unquestionably the most important element of all. For being a foreign language teacher should have great attitude towards arousing learners motivation in learning an L2, and always be ready for the situation of competence. In this way, the learners may be affected positively by the teachers more and more, therefore, the learning efficiency and learning motivation can be much more stable. In addition, Ellis (1994:516-17) reported that language teachers tended to lead to increased motivation, thereby, to increased productivity. He believes that good language teachers may link L2 learners with the real world and lift up their persistence and effort in language learning. 5. Conclusion The study of L2 motivation reached a great turning point in 1990s, and an increasing number of researchers investigate the underlying theories or discover the new models of theoretical approaches to explain the complex mental process on Second Language Learning. The development of motivation theories as I mentioned above which all have close relationship between each other, and explain the construction of learners motivational setting. Motivation is a dynamic perspective and so called an educational shift that Ellis (1994) named. Due to the complexity of motivation, language teachers may have great responsibility on enhancing the link between language learning and motivation maintaining. In Taiwan, most of the adult learners who decide to learn an L2 because of requirement of the professional qualifications. However, sometimes they may have both integrative motivation and instrumental motivation co-exist. The Ideal L2 Self also helps adult learners pay more attention on L2 learning in order to achieve the goals for themselves; therefore, the language teachers once understand the process of motivation setting, the efficiency of learning can be promoted better as well. word count: 3091

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Latinomics, Good or Bad? :: essays research papers

Latinomics, Good or Bad?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What are the effects of the Latino and Hispanic population on the economics of Kentucky? According to Olsen if the Hispanic population were a city, it would be the third-largest and fastest growing city in the state. The U. S. Census Bureau reports that the Hispanic population of Kentucky was 21,984 in 1990 and almost 60,000 in the year of 2000. These figures do not take into account the undocumented immigrants which are estimated by the government at over 100,000. Based on these figures, the estimates seem low. I would venture to say that in the state of Kentucky there could be as many as 140,000 to 160,000 Latinos and Hispanics combined. Just look at the number of Hispanic children being born in the local hospitals. The article states that twenty-nine percent of the births last year at Jewish Hospital in Shelbyville were Hispanic babies. Just imagine what the figures must be in the Lexington hospitals. Some of the benefits of this new immigrant population are workers with an honest work ethic and they are not afraid of a hard day’s work for a fair wage. As the article states, they are not taking jobs away from locals, they are filling a void that cannot be met by the local labor force due to the lack of persons willing to perform the jobs. The agriculture and horse industries have benefited immensely from the labor of these immigrant workers, both male and female. It takes a lot of manual labor to harvest the crops and make all the farms look so pristine. In central Kentucky we are experiencing a major housing boom and the immigrant population has stepped up to plate by providing the manpower and specific skills needed to build houses at the rate of demand that we expect. Along with this comes the satisfaction that they are helping to build the future of the community. They take pride in the fact that in fifty or one hundred years, the houses that they helped to build will still be standing for the next generation. One local builder states that he has six immigrant workers because he cannot find the help he needs locally and two of them have been with him for more than five years and one for close to ten years. He pays all of them above average wages and provides them with housing, medical care, and other benefits.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Changing of Communication Essay -- Functions of Communication

The emphasis from traditional mixed visual and verbal communication to solely verbal communication is encouraged by the expanding global community by conducting distant communication through telecommunications. Instead of boardroom meetings, telephone meeting connect businesses worldwide synthesizing bigger markets and new buyers. This change is both good and bad; good for the expansion of businesses, but bad for the loss of personal connection. With telephone meetings eliminating travel, it is paralanguage that conveys personalities, not appearances, over the phone through variations in pitch, volume and pace, or how a person speaks. Just as a person would dress to give the right impression for a job, now with effective paralanguage, a person can use speech to give the right impression for a job. Before the surge of globalization, Albert Mehrabian, a researcher in the field of communication, established a classic statistic that only 7% of meaning in effective spoken communication is from the actual words spoken, while 38% comes from paralinguistic (the way words are said), and 55% comes from facial expressions (Chapman www.businessballs.com). Now that globalization has transformed communication, the 55% of communication’s meaning in facial expression translates into paralanguage and the words that are spoken. The already high percentage, and now the increasing percentage of communication relaying on paralanguage demonstrates the importance of understanding it for modern business communication. First impressions, and last impressions, expecially over the telephone, effects the perception of a person’s personality through their voice by 3 aspects of paralanguage: pitch, volume and pace. In a study comparing readers, observ... ...spects of paralanguage effectively so at the end of the day, a profit is being made and success is being achieved all because of clear communication. Works Cited: Chapman, Alan. â€Å"Mehrabian Communication Research.† Business Balls. 2004. May 1, 2005. http://www.businessballs.com/mehrabiancommunications.htm Fatt, James P.T. â€Å"It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It - Nonverbal Communication.† Communication World June-July 1999. May 5, 2005 http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4422/is_6_16/ai_55580031 Tannen, Deborah. That’s Not What I Meant!: How Conversation Styles Makes or Breaks Relationships. New York: Ballantine Books, 1986. Waltman, John L. and Steven P. Golen. â€Å"Detecting Deception During Interviews – Great Communicators.† Internal Auditor August 1993. May 5, 2005 http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4153/is_n4_v50/ai_14506773

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Techniques Used in Peter Porters Your Attention Please :: essays research papers

A poem written by Peter Porter is called â€Å"Your Attention Please†. Phrases like â€Å"Death is the least we have to fear† and â€Å"A nuclear rocket strike of at least one thousand megatons†, certainly got my attention. This poem is written in the form of a radio announcement, warning of a large nuclear attack aimed at all our major cities. It covers a serious subject and yet the tone used is used in a casual way. Many techniques are used which make this poem very effective. A rather strong feeling used throughout the whole poem is that it is satirising the government. It does so by using bureaucratic language that people often relate to officials and being organised. I felt that this acted as a disguise for the horrifying truth of the events happening. The voice had a sense of authority over me, made me feel that I should obey the advice given in commands. The poet uses this to get his opinions across discreetly using a satirising tone and allowing the reader to work it out for themselves. Words and phrases are used that intimidate you like, â€Å"To comply with the shelter Requirements published in the Civil Defence Code†, it would seem that in the time it took to say that the announcer could have moved on and stopped wasting time. We often relate this to a grander more pompous way of speaking. It makes you think almost like this attack was planned. You also feel intimidated by the use of precise times and exact measurements - such as - à ¢â‚¬Å"This announcement will take two and a quarter minutes to make†. This is also typical of a government speech, again wasting time with information you did not really need to know. Another meaning of this poem is possibly to prepare you for a nuclear attack and make you think of what you would do in this situation. This aspect of a war like this is shocking, however, it is obvious that the poet finds it ridiculous. This idea is familiar as it still works today as this threat is still existent. The idea of this happening to you and your family is genuinely chilling. This poem does contain a certain amount of poetic effect but if you were a listener it wouldn’t be obvious. Nevertheless there is a certain structure which is kept to through the poem.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

African Americans in Civil War

When the Civil War began in 1861 it began for many political reasons all of the reasons were affected by slavery, but the war was not entirely about slavery. It is a belief that President Lincoln and the north started the war because they were fighting for slavery, but this common belief in not completely true. They fought to protect the Union. Because of the willingness of the African Americans to fight in the war they changed the idea of slavery and new reasons for the fighting of one of the bloodiest wars in the history of the world. African Americans changed the Civil War, consequently changing the world as we know it. At the beginning of the war the question was asked â€Å"†¦what shall be done with them [slaves]? † (Document A). Because the North/Union had only heard of blacks and slaves, they did not know what they should do with them in the war. This also shows that runway slaves were fleeing to the Union, but the Union did not have a policy for them. Because of the lack of a policy the U. S. Congress passed the Confiscation Act of 1861. The Act stripped the slaves owners of any claim to the slaves, but it did not explain whether the slaves were free or not. As a result, these slaves became property of the U. S. government. In a domino affect of the Confiscation Act, General David Hunter, of the Union Army, freed all slaves within his command, which consisted of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. Only about a week later did Lincoln rebuttal the order and slaves became property of the government again. During this same time there was a mass meeting of African Americans to discuss President Lincoln’s call for colonization of Blacks in Central America. (Document B). Also mentioned in this article is that there are millions of freed blacks, but most of them have moved to the Union side, which brings about the question â€Å"†¦what shall be done with them? † Although the war did not start as a war about slavery rather than to keep the Union, but that changed due to the Emancipation Proclamation which was passed by President Abraham Lincoln. This only freed slaves where the rebellion had already begun, but it also showed the moral side of the war. The blacks that were already freed were willing to fight in the war, and risk their lives for the Union. This dedication to the Union is shown in the picture of Lady Liberty and a wounded black solider (Document G). The freed slaves fought in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment for the Union, which was an infantry group that was for all black men. They fought hard which caused Abraham Lincoln to continue with his plans to free all slaves. (Document C). At the beginning of the war the slavery was an issue, but it wasn’t the reason the men were fighting for. However, due to the courage of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment and other brave soldiers it became a moral war rather than political. African Americans involvement in the Civil War helped shift it to a war for freedom of millions of slaves. Without the brave acts of many men and war hero’s this may not have been a strongly pushed issue by the leaders. The war went through an evolution due to the freed blacks. The country was changed forever because of the strong beliefs of many people in that era.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Banning Performance enhancing Drugs from Sports

At the onset, drugs are chemical substances that can affect the physical body. They are primarily made to treat illness and disease. However, there are some drugs that are used for other purpose beyond treating physical illness. These drugs are commonly known as the social drugs and are usually taken â€Å"to help people to or to give users an enjoyable experience† (Beashel, P. Sibson, A. & Taylor, J. p. 140).While there are social drugs that are illegal, Beashe, Sibson, and Taylor (2001) aptly stated that many of these drugs are available within social institution and can be taken in the context of relaxing experience and enhancing sports performance (p. 140). There is nothing wrong with these so long as these drugs are publicly available which means their uses by the public are allowed by law. In other words, they are particularly not harmful to the physical body. Most of the performance enhancing drugs belongs to the so-called â€Å"social drugs.† They are drugs that are available within social institution and are therefore not particularly harmful to the physical body, hence they should not ban from sports merely in the context of unfair competition since anyone can avail of those drugs within social institution. Currently, all performance enhancing drugs are banned in sports regardless of its positive physical effect. According to Beashel, Sibson, and Taylor, there are some performance enhancing drugs that are harmful but many are not.Doping drugs like Nandrolone, testosterone, stanozolol, clenbuterol have the effect of reducing recovery time to be able to train harder and longer. These drugs also â€Å"increases muscle bulk, strength and endurance when combined regular exercise† (p. 141). These drugs are not harmful when taken correctly or responsibly, their impacts are obviously enhanced through regular exercise. Analgesics (narcotic) like Codeine, Methadone, and heroin are pain killers which their effect â€Å"allows training and c ompeting even when injured† (p.141). Other performance enhancing drugs such as Human growth hormone (HGH), erythropoietin are thought to improve performance, and increase number of red blood cells, which means that more oxygen can be carried to the muscles and endurance is improved. On the other hand, there are some drugs that need to be ban from sports. These drugs are those that are harmful to the physical health. Among these drugs are the Beta blockers. This drug according to Beashel, Sibson, and Taylor â€Å"keep heart rate and blood pressure low (p. 141).While there are some benefit for low heart rate but this is only during the resting time not during the time of extreme activities. This is same with low blood pressure. Low blood pressure means that the does not pump enough which is important when doing extreme activities such as sports competition. Low heart rates may lead to dizziness and weakness in the flow of blood to the brain. Alcohol and tobacco drugs are no dou bt harmful and should be banned as they also contribute to the reducing blood pressure and the heart rate. Banning only harmful drugsSince performance enhancing drugs can be easily identified as harmful and not harmful, the government should ban only those that are harmful but allow with minimal restriction the use of non harmful drugs in sports. Responsible use of these drugs will not pose health problems rather it will enhance the potential of the athlete. Therefore what is needed is for the authorities to come up with better guidelines on the proper and responsible use of these drugs. Banning only harmful drugs will help athletes avoid using the wrong drugs that causes the health problems.Thus, by categorizing harmful and non harmful, health authorities can easily provide necessary guidelines and information that will help the athlete avoid those harmful drugs, and they may be able to identify what type of drugs that they need. Banning all the performance enhancing drugs in sport s is counter productive as it only leads to criminal offense due to substance abuse in the sense that it was use against the existing ban and not against the law concerning public health protection.Allowing athletes to use performance drugs should they decide to do so Given the many hazardous and more dangerous substances that that are practically available to every body such as alcohol and tobacco which are among the top causes of deaths in America and in many parts of the world, it would be unjust to ban athletes from using performance enhancing drugs simply because of isolated case of death relating to the use of such drugs.As it has been argued above, the lack of proper guidelines as to which drugs are harmful and which are not makes it more dangerous for those who really wanted to explore their potential rather than the drugs it self. Athletes who may wish to use such drugs should be given freedom to do so just as anyone who may wish to drink alcohol or they want to smoke they can simply buy tobacco practically anywhere. This is an inherent rights and the essence of the freedom of choice exercise freely by tobacco smokers or the alcoholics.The arguments concerning natural and unnatural enhancement which emphasized that drug enhanced performance is illegitimate is not sound argument every athletes are taking all sorts of drug supplement such as vitamins, pills and so forth, just to keep themselves fit. The Database Book (2004) points out, â€Å"There is nothing â€Å"natural† about taking vitamin pills or wearing whole-body Lycra suits. The book noted that diet, medicine, technology, and even coaching already give an artificial advantage to those athletes who can afford the best of all these aids† (p.88). By allowing athletes to use of performance drugs, it will provide equal playing field for everyone and athletes can compete openly and fairly. Allowing athletes to use performance enhancing drugs if the so wished enhanced the quality of spor ts and the entertainment it provides to the viewing public. Vincent Parrillo (2008) pointed that the most obvious reason why athletes wants to use performance enhancing drugs are â€Å"to become a better athlete and have enhanced sports related outcomes† (p. 263).Parrillo further add that athletes use such substance â€Å"to recover from and prevent injuries, to improve their appearance, and in some cases in response to pressure from coaches† (p. 263). These reasons are not at all subjective and they are valid. Regardless of what others say, athletes are being pressured to do more than they can do with their natural capacity by their coaches to win their games. The argument that allowing athletes to use performance enhancement drugs is like sacrificing the health of the athletes for the sake of better entertainment does not really hold much.With proper information and guidelines on the use of such chemical substances, there is no way that the athlete’s health co uld be sacrificed. It could not be denied that the public enjoys watching high level competition. The public are the tax payers where the money for sports development is coming from and they deserve high level sports. The incidents of deaths among athletes who used performance enhancement drugs can still be considered isolated compared to the deaths caused by alcohol and tobacco.If there is any thing that should be banned in sports it is certainly not those harmful drugs, but first and foremost are tobacco and alcohol and those drugs that are proven harmful to the health not only of the athletes but of everybody. The use of performance enhancing drugs among athletes continued to scandalize different sports competition spawning splinter group of competitors and sports administrators to promote the concept of officially legalizing the use of some of the substances that enhanced performance.Legalizing drugs will not only eliminate the problems of unfair competition but also the shame a nd embarrassment of athletes who may have use the substance not for winning a particular game but for fast recovery from injury to be able to play the next game. Allowing the use of performance enhancing drugs for athletes is very practical and a solution to the conflicting view of what is drugs and what is not. Nigel South (1998) noted that even tea and Coffee â€Å"have both been illegal drugs and vilified, as is alcohol today in Saudi Arabia and a number of other Muslim countries† (p.104) while cannabis and other stimulant drugs â€Å"have been and continue to be not only legal in some parts of the world but also an important aspect of their culture in which they are used† (South, p. 104). Conclusion While most of the authors and important personalities in sports are against the use of drugs in sports, they cannot deny that no matter were the efforts to make sports drug free, it remains the source of scandal and embarrassment not only for the athletes, but also for the nation they represents.Just like the problems of illegal drugs on the street that have never been beaten despite on the war on drugs, the use of performance enhancing drugs will persist so long as the athletes are being pressured to do beyond their capacity in order to win the game. Because of the nature of some drugs and its medical prescription on patient, there will always be an effort to exploit the situation to gain an advantage in sports.Only when athletes are allowed to use such substances should they decide to use them can the fair playing field will be realized. Thus, Athletes should be allowed to use such substances in the name of fairness and high level competitive sports. Reference Beashe, P. Sibson, A. & Taylor, J. (2001) The World of Sport Examined China: Nelson Thornes The Debatabase Book (2004) USA: IDEA Parrillo, V. (2008) Encyclopedia of Social Problems USA: Sage Publication South, N. (1998) Drugs USA: Sage Publication.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Sci/256 Environmental Pollution Outline

Environmental Pollution Outline Jason D Windham SCI/256 November-26-2012 University Of Phoenix Environmental Pollution Outline Water management- developing various plans to maintain the present and future water demands. It also may include importing state water, developing new resources, using reclaimed water, and managing existing supplies more cautiously. Describe water management and use. Freshwater sources- Is water from the earth surface using glaciers, bogs, ice caps, ponds, lakes, streams and rivers Water supply problems-The demand for water increases yearly.Water conservation-The carful use and protection of the water supply. Water use-Off stream is water used from its source such as rivers and stream. Then you have Consumptive using which is the use from off stream by plants and animals. Next there is the in-stream usage which is the use of rivers for navigation, hydroelectric power generation, fish and animal habitats and also recreation. Effects of water use and management practices on the environment Short-term effects- Long-term effects- It’s really is a major concern due to climate change of the earth it can be uncertain.Three major types of environmental pollution- Water pollution , Air Pollution, Land Pollution Identify type one. Causes Treatments Effects on ecosystem health Effects on human health Identify type two. Causes Treatments Effects on ecosystem health Effects on human health Identify type three. Causes Treatments Effects on ecosystem health Effects on human health Global warming Background Describe the Earth’s atmosphere. Describe the Earth’s energy budget. Global warming concepts What makes the Earth warm? – Explain the greenhouse effect. What natural greenhouse gases are associated with the greenhouse effect?What anthropogenic greenhouse gases contribute to global warming? The future Predicted climate, weather, and ocean changes of increased global warming Potential environmental, ecological, and societal effects from increased global warming Evidence that supports or refutes increased global warming predictions and effects Prevention How might global warming be mitigated? What can you do to decrease the effects of global warming? What political constraints might influence decisions on global warming? As a global society, how can nations and individuals influence policies and practices to mitigate for increased global warming?

Initial Public Offerings Essay

An Initial Public Offering or IPO is the very first offering of a firms’ stock or shares on the stock market, when the firm â€Å"goes public† (Business Dictionary.com, 2014). Not all businesses should or need to take this route. In the following paragraphs we will describe an initial public offering for a global firm, along with certain roles, pricing issues, risks, and foreign exchanges. When most businesses start up, they are privately held. This means that the company is only owned by a few people and do not have shares. It is not cheap or easy for a company to become publicly traded. In some cases the benefits of going public outweigh the costs of going public. There are several benefits that come with going public such as, a higher valuation, greater liquidity in public markets, and greater access to capital, attract top talent by enabling the company to grant stock options or restricted stock awards, growth, and grab the attention of other companies. Also before a company goes public, they must meet basic financial requirements, depending on the exchange the company will be listed in. These exchanges are the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), NASDAQ Global Select Market, and S&P 500. When a company is getting ready to go public, it must find investment bankers to invest into the business. Investment bankers must have sales and distribution capabilities needed for a successful execution of the IPO, and can provide strong analyst coverage once you go public. The investment bankers that are chosen must fit personality-wise, have good research and analyst coverage, knowledge and understanding of the business and the industry, and whether that bank has brought other companies public in this sector (Wasserman, 2010, How to prepare a Company for an IPO). When a company is getting ready to issue stock, there are risks to the company when offering securities (stock). This is when an underwriter steps in. An underwriter offers to take some of   the risk of the offering in exchange for a premium. They buy the securities from the issuer and then turn around to sell them on the stock market. The issuer gets cash up front instead of waiting to sell stock on their own. The company knows that they are not getting full market value but they no longer have the risk of having to find enough buyers to purchase the stock at a desirable price (Boundless, 2014, underwriters). Underwriters do not mind this deal because they can sell the stock at a higher price and make a profit. The originating house is an investment brokerage firm or several investment bankers joined together to manage the underwriting and sale of a new issue of stock to the general public (US Legal Definitions, 2014, Originating house). A syndicate is a temporary association of investment bankers brought together for the purpose of selling securities; also called a purchase group (allbusiness.com, 2014, Syndicate). One of the investment bankers in this group, usually from the originating house, is selected to manage the syndicate. There are two types of underwriting syndicates, divided and undivided. In a divided account, the liability of each member investment banker is limited in terms of participation. Once a member sells the securities assigned, that investment banker has no additional liability regardless of whether or not the other members are able to sell their portion of the security or not. In an undivided account, each member is liable for unsold securities up to the amount of its percentage participation irrespective of the number of securities that investment banker has sold. Most syndicates are based on the undivided account arrangement (allbusiness.com, 2014, Syndicate). When the pricing of the issue or putting a starting price on shares of stock occurs, IPO investors, the issuer’s board of directors and the underwriters will set a price at which the company and any selling stockholders will agree to sell shares to the underwriters at closing. The pricing usually occurs after the close of the markets on the final day of the road show; the stock will begin trading on the exchange on a â€Å"when issued† basis the next morning (Wasserman, 2010, inc.com). The company that issues the shares controls the IPO process along with the underwriters. The SEC does not regulate business IPO share and how many they use or how shareholders they have. There are only a limited numbers of broker-dealers most of the underwriters hit investors of wealth because they can buy lager blocks of IPO’s shares and can hold the investors  for long team. Some ricks in public offering losing the company to investors and the public. Going public you must share all information such as financial reporting and how the company is ran. By going public the company gives up all information to the SEC, the shareholders and, public. A discussion of any foreign exchange risks the company can face with your ideas about how to mitigate them†¦ One risk would be for the investors how because when exporting or importing the product the changes in currency exchange rate and the investor may lose money on the investment or could gain on the investment also, to do converted back into the current currency. Also the company could lose lots of money in other countries but, the risk may out way the bad for investors and the company. Investors like taking risk and if they believe it will out way the bad then they will take the risk to mitigate the company. In conclusion, not all companies can afford or meet all of the special requirements to become an IPO. Sometimes it is not necessary for companies to become IPOs. If you are a company considering going public, check into all the options and all of the requirements needed for the market in which you will be listed. The choice is up to you and all others involved in the decision. References All Business. (2014). Syndicate Definition. Retrieved from http://www.allbusiness.com/glossaries/syndicate/4944704-1.html Boundless Finance. (2014). Boundless â€Å"Underwriting†. Retrieved from http://www.boundless.com/finance/textbooks/ Business Dictionary. (2014). IPO Definition. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com Titman, S., Keown, A. J., & Martin, J. D. (2014). Financial Management: Principles and applications (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice. U.S. Legal Definitions. (2014). Originating House definition. Retrieved from http://www.definitions.uslegal.com/0/originating-house-underwriting/ Wasserman, E. (2010). How to Prepare a Company for an Initial Public Offering. Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/guides/preparing-for-initial-public-offering.html

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Ashton Carter - On California National Guard Soliders Enlistment Bonuses

Ashton Carter On California National Guard Soldiers Enlistment Incentives delivered 26 October 2016, Brussels, Belgium (in ensuring that our service members are treated with gratitude and respect for their service; and that they get all the support they need from the Department of Defense.) Today, I ordered a series of steps to ensure fair treatment for the California National Guard soldiers who may have received incentive bonuses and tuition assistance improperly as a result of errors and in some cases criminal behavior by other members of the California Guard. First, Ive ordered the suspension of all efforts to collect reimbursement from affected California Guard members, and that suspension will continue until Im satisfied that our process is working. Second, Ive asked our top personnel official in the Department of Defense, Peter Levine, to assess the situation and to establish a streamlined and centralized process no later than January 1st of 2017, and to ensure that it it isit is capable at that time of resolving all cases by July 1st, 2017. Our goal is to have a process that honors the commitment of service members and also our responsibility to the taxpayer. Further Reading: https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/987214/carter-tasks-dod-team-with-streamlining-review-process-for-13000-california-gua

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Japanese culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Japanese culture - Essay Example In Japanese films, her traditional values and identify had been mentioned little in spite of its growing popularity. The films produced in the country particularly, by Miyazaki shows Japanese tradition as static and monolithic from ancient times depicts Japanese culture as a dynamic composite of various cultures from difference period's history. The Japanese people consciously remember their tradition and culture. The Japanese culture is the combination of Japanese-ness and western-ness. There was an attempt to interpret Japanese tradition from modern viewpoint. During the period from 1955 to 1957, the media (one magazine) published the Japanese tradition controversy. The six characteristics stated above in the field of space had been divided into two streams. The Yayoa tradition was derived from the first three characteristics of Shinto shrines residential buildings and teahouses. The Jomon tradition was derived from the other three features mentioned above, they are, use of beautiful natural materials, right and left asymmetry and harmony with nature which display ordinary peoples vitality and dynamism. The Japanese-ness in architecture was not monolithic but derived from conflicting Jomon and Yayoi, Japanese cultural history as per Tange. The postwar Japanese architects were able to build up ideas of Japanese-ness in prewar years. Okinaw Okinawa, Japanese and American military personnel had various views of Japanese-ness after the pacific war. The American were in the belief that the Okinawa people were different from that of Japanese people. As a result of this, the Americans ordered Okinawa publishers to remove all associations with prewar images of Japanese-ness in their school textbooks. Thought the Okinawa was under the control of Japanese Ministry, the department of education was administratively under the control of Americans but Okinawa's had imported the textbooks from Japan since 1949. The ethnic differences between the peoples in Okinawa, Taiwan, and Korea had complicated the process of inventing Japanese-ness in the beginning of twentieth century. Many study papers reveal that the unique aspect of Japanese colony policy was attention to culture assimilation, the enforcement of Japanese language, Shinto religion and obeying the Japanese emperor were under princess during the years between 1895 and 1945. In the beginning, the Japanese technocrats were similar to Taiwan technocrats as cultural legacy of Chinese civilization bases on Confucian classics. The people of Taiwan did not accept the culture and tradition of Japanese as the text books edited and published in the year 1901 showed Japanese as evangelists of European civilization, depending on western medicine, punctuality and industriousness. During the colonial period, the modern ideas of democracy, hygiene and sanitation, Taiwanese intellectuals approved industriousness and punctuality. These aspects were partially regarded as of Japan but this legacy of official Japanese-ness was gradually faded

Monday, August 12, 2019

Post-colonial liberation movement vs. Post-soviet resurgent Essay

Post-colonial liberation movement vs. Post-soviet resurgent nationalism - Essay Example Post-colonial liberation movement vs. Post-soviet resurgent nationalism Liberation movements have nevertheless seemed as struggles against impossible odds and are fought at an immense cost to everyone involved (Bill Ashcroft, 2006). The post second world war led to the rise of the developed west and the backward third world, where the problems of the population have often remained unattended to and are often accompanied with the coercive attitudes of the ruling governments. These are the initial seeds for armed struggle. On the other hand, the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1990 was one of the most resounding events of the 20th century. Since then, the once assumed notion of fading nationalism has once again gained ground and has become one of the most powerful as well as an important decisive force towards nationalism. Nationalism has most often been based on ethnicity and can be witnessed most prominently in the former Soviet Satellite states apart from Russia and its neighbors. Nationalism and the new era politics based on ethnicity have gained momentum over the issue of rights for minorities, which are often victims of national politics. In this context, it is also interesting to compare this aspect with the western approach towards including minorities into the political equation, which could serve as useful models for nations that have recently emerged out of the Soviet grip.