Jean Piaget Essay

My own beliefs about early childhood education are based upon the knowledge that children’s growth is developmental. It seems very clear to me that a high quality early childhood program must provide a safe and nurturing environment which promotes a broad spectrum of support for the child’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. I strongly agree with the tenets of the National Association for the Education of Young children–that high quality, developmentally appropriate programs should be available to all children (Bredekamp & Rosegrant, 1992, p. 7). Children under the age of eight have enormous potential for growth and achievement, and it is my belief that they have rights to fulfill their possibilities. A separate statement of the NAEYC divides the concept of appropriateness into two aspects–age appropriateness and individual appropriateness (Bredekamp, 1987, p. 2). This statement coincides with my belief that children are unique individuals who may or may not reflect the usual characteristics of other children of their same age. Furthermore, I believe that a developmentally appropriate curriculum for young children is correctly tailored to the specifics of each age group. Different ages have different needs, interests, and developmental tasks, and the curriculum should reflect those variations. The most effective early childhood curriculum offers creative expression, social and emotional interaction, child-adult communication, child-child communication, physical expression, knowledge acquisition, reasoning practice, risk-taking, and personal autonomy. Early childhood learning happens through play. In this case, play is a serious matter, although it is quite fun to all involved. Children learn by doing and actively participating. When given the opportunity to explore, children flourish. They experiment, make choices, achieve strength and a sense of belonging as an effective individual within the context of a supportive, safe group. It is my belief that early childhood learning must happen in an integrated manner. Children of this age are too young for rigidly separated subject matter, and the skillful teacher of young children easily integrates the physical, emotional, social, creative, and cognitive areas of early learning. Role of Child as a Learner Johann Pestalozzi and Froebel, two of the earliest professionals in early childhood education, championed the development of the quality of early childhood theory and practice. Pestalozzi contended that young children learn most effectively by doing, by playing, and by interacting with the environment–the physical world and other children (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 4). Early, effective learning happens best in a mixed age group, multi-cultural settings,  Froebel, like Pestalozzi, believed that play is of paramount importance in the development of the child, and that the emotional quality of the child’s life (relationship with parents and other significant people) profoundly permeates the quality of the child’s life (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 6). Pestalozzi did not particularly formalize his theories and methods, but he had a very good intuitive grasp of the necessity for language development, nurturing environments, and healthy relationships for children as a springboard for optimum learning. The child as a learner has cognitive needs, and these vary according to the age of the child. Piaget became famous for his work in the cognitive domain, and his guidelines of pre-operational thought to more sophisticated abstract thinking are useful for teachers who wish to be careful about not expecting too much from children who are operating at a lower cognitive level (DeVries & Kohlberg, 1987, p. 54). His work was rather theoretical, and others (principally Kamii and DeVries) have expanded Piaget’s theory to widen its practical usefulness in early childhood classrooms. The young child learns from the motivation of a need to know, and most early learning takes place in the context of the home and relationship with parents and other family members. Lev Semenovich Vygotsky, one of the earliest workers in the area of developmental psychology and psychopathology, believed that children’s learning happens within the framework of the child’s activities and is greatly influenced by the society and values of the persons near the child. The entire field of child development then consists of â€Å"an endless stream of dialectical conflicts and resolutions, with the resolutions then internalized to form the child’s increasingly sophisticated physical and psychological knowledge† (Thomas, 1992, p. 322). John Dewey’s progressive education movement greatly affected thinking and practice for teachers desiring to arrange an appropriate environment for young learners. Dewey was one of the most influential educational philosophers in the United States in the early 1900’s and his influence is still felt in the 1990’s (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p.6). Dewey and other forward-thinking professionals of his time believed that learning should be based upon the children’s interests and that children should be actively involved in their education. Before Dewey’s time, most classroom activity consisted of teachers instructing passive, obedient listeners. Dewey’s work provided a solid philosophical basis for early childhood educators who desire to integrate subject matter into whatever the children are actively involved with at the moment. Dewey contended that any kind of life experience is valuable for learning. Dewey was humanistic in his orientation, and his work spoke to the importance of human interest, value, and dignity (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 8). Abraham Maslow was one of the first psychologists to emphasize the importance of various needs being met before other, higher needs come into focus. He placed the physical needs at the bottom of his needs hierarchy, followed by the need for love and belonging. Physically, children at young ages grow and change dramatically from year to year, and the alert, educated teacher will firmly grasp the necessity of a balanced program of large muscle activity, small muscle play, outdoor opportunities for expression of vigorous excess energy, and small motor expressive activity (Bredekamp, 1987, p. 56). Psychologically, children must feel safe before they are able to explore and learn. Children learn through social interaction with adults and other children, and their learning begins with awareness, moving through cycles of exploration, questioning, and application. Vygotsky viewed each child’s learning in terms of that child’s own ontogenetic development. Each experience of the child comes about as a result of the child’s prior experiences of problem-solving and problem resolution (Thomas, 1992, p. 323). Mitchell, a student of John Dewey, also emphasized the necessity of learning within the context of the group. She believed that education for a democratic society begins at a very young age and she placed great importance on young children learning to cooperate and operate within a group (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 9). Carl Jung did a great deal of research and writing in the areas of variation of personality types, and his concepts lead us to believe that some individuals do their best work completely alone, even at a very young age. Carl Rogers also wrote about the importance of the individual contemplative experience. Like Maslow, Rogers as a humanistic psychologist believed in the importance of the human, individual aspect of learning. He saw learning as a change in self-organization. These learnings may be threatening and happen best in a psychologically safe, supportive environment (Rogers, 1969, p. 159). Although Rogers’ work primarily applied to the therapeutic counseling situation, it has great application to anyone dedicated to assisting others learn more about themselves. Role of the Teacher in the Learning Process Carl Rogers also had definite views on the nature of learning and the role of the teacher. He said that people learn by doing and by activities which involve the whole person (Rogers, 1969, p. 162). He contended that the most useful learning is the learning of the process of learning so that practical problems of living in a changing society may find successful solutions. According to Rogers and others who have followed similar philosophies, teachers are guides and facilitators. They set a creative, stimulating, supportive environment which enhances the child’s natural curiosity about life around him. The astute early childhood educator provides a variety of activities, objects, events, materials and people which will assist the children in channelling their innate drive to learn. The best teachers are current in the understandings of fads and characters that appeal to young children–television shows, favorite foods, clothing, and stories that are modern. Young children tune out adults who simply do not understand current culture. In this way, responsible teachers bring multicultural awareness into the classroom as well as information and materials relevant to their own ethnic background. Mixed classrooms provide an excellent opportunity to teach trust, respect, pride, appreciation of differences, and orderly group problem-solving (McCracken, 1993, p. 55). The teacher sets the tone for self acceptance and the acceptance of others. The effective early childhood teacher is an active learner, regardless of her own age, and this type of professional engages children in active participation with materials that are genuinely interesting to the children. This type of adult extends the child’s learning with skillful questioning and acceptance of error through experimentation. The well-versed teacher understands the various levels of cognitive learning, Piaget’s theories, and Blooms Taxonomy so that children are guided and encouraged, but never forced into an intellectual level that is not appropriate. Responsible early childhood teachers respect the individual styles of the students at all times, as well as the various cultures from which they originate. The emotional tone in the best early childhood environments is one of warmth, high self-esteem, and safety. Creative expression is welcomed, even if the forms prove to be highly unusual. Mitchell advocated creative expression of the whole child, through conversation, art, music, dance, and story-telling (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 9). Cooperative learning and family involvement provide rich resources for respect among individuals and groups of a variety of different cultures. Skillful teachers in multicultural settings will recognize those values which must be basic (respect for the human body and rules for group interaction) and encourage the expression of the varieties and nuances specific to the individual ethnic group (McCracken, 1993, p. 65). Role of Peers in Learning The National Association for the Education of Young Children strongly advocates the guidance of social-emotional development in the classroom. Teachers have the responsibility for positive modeling, encouraging expected behavior, redirecting inappropriate actions, and setting clear limits. With this type of skilled teaching, children learn the social skills of cooperation, helping, negotiation, and verbal communication. In order for these important social skills to happen, teachers must depart from the traditional modes of instructing, placing children at individual desks, and spending a great deal of time as referee or punisher (Bredekamp, 1987, p. 55). CLASSROOM PRACTICES It is evident from the previous writing that effective teaching requires the logical, ethical translation of teaching philosophy into classroom implementation. Most importantly, all activities for young children must be developmentally appropriate to the age (Bredekamp & Rosegrant, 1992). This is true across the board in every subject matter and in every aspect of the child’s being–physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and spiritual. SUMMARY/CONCLUSION In order to be an effective early childhood teacher, I must know my own philosophy, limitations, prejudices, and strengths. In general, I prefer five-year olds, and honestly, I am more comfortable with students of this age who are from my own cultural background. I lean philosophically towards the concepts of Pestalozzi and Froebel as well as the humanistic psychologists who followed in this country. Most of all I strive to provide age-appropriate materials and experiences for the children. References Bredekamp, S. (1987). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Washington, D. C. : NAEYC. Bredekamp, S. , & Rosegrant, T. (Editors) (1992). Reaching potentials: Appropriate curriculum and assessment for young children, Volume 1. Washington, D. C. : NAEYC. DeVries, R. , & Kohlberg, L. (1987). Constructivism early education: Overview and comparison with other programs: Washington, D. C. : NAEYC. McCarthy, M. , & Houston, J. (1980). Fundamentals of early childhood education. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Winthrop Publishers. McCracken, J. B. (1993). Valuing diversity: The primary years. Washington, D. C. NAEYC. Rogers, C. (1969). Freedom to learn. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill. Thomas, R. M. (1992). Comparing theories of child development, Third Edition. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev was born in Tobolsk, Siberia, on February 7, 1834. Dmitri died January 20,1907 at age 73. He was a blonde haired, blue-eyed boy, and the youngest of 14 children. His mother Maria Korniliev s family settled in Tobolsk in the early 1700 s and introduced paper and glass making to Siberia. Ivan Dmitri s father died when he was a young boy, leaving his wife to support the large family. So Maria had to find work to put the children to school. Maria s family owned a glass factory, allowing her t take over managing the company for a modest wage from which she could support the family. Dmitri being the youngest must have been his mother s favorite child and was provided as many opportunities as she could afford. Form Dmitri s early years, she began to save money for Dmitri to attend the university. He spent many hours in the glass factory his mother operated, learning from the chemist about the concepts behind glass making and from the glass blower about the art of making glass. At age 14, he was attending the Gymnasium in Tobolsk. In that year a second major family tragedy occurred, the glass factory burned down. There was no money to rebuild and the only money was the money saved for Dmitri to go to the university. Maria was not about to give up her dreams for her son. She knew that Dmitri had to go to school on a scholarship. So she paused Dmitri to improve his grades and prepare for entrance exams. Dmitri did not want to or cared about other subjects other then science. He felt that history and Latin were dead subjects and waste of his time. In 1849, the family moved to Moscow. Because of political problems university was reluctant to admit anyone from outside of Moscow. Dmitri s mother did not want to give up here, so the family moved again to St. Petersburg. Dmitri took the entrance exams at Pedagogical Institute. He did not get the best grades but well enough to be admitted to the science teacher-training program on a full scholarship. Maria died shortly after Dmitri s acceptance at St. Petersburg. Shortly after his sister died, both from tuberculosis. Dmitri was now alone. He got tuberculosis also and the doctor told him he had two years to live unless he moves somewhere more suitable. Even with this disease he graduated on time. He had his future planed and did not want to die yet, so he move to Simferopol in the Crimean Peninsula. Between 1859 and 1861 he studied the densities of gases with Regnault, A. P. Borodin and Cannizzaro. These people had great influences in his life. He began to teach back at St. Petersburg in 1863. In 1866 he became known as Professor of Chemistry at the University and was made Doctor of Science. He loved to teach and spent most of his time in his classroom. Lot of his lab work including the periodic table was done on his spare time. In 1863 Dmitri married Feozva Nikitchna Lascheva. They had two children. A boy named Volodya, and a daughter named Olga. Mendeleev never really loved Feoza and spent little time with her. In January 1882 he divorced Feozva so he could marry his niece s best friend Anna Ivanova Popova. She was a lot younger than Dmitri but the town loved each other. They had four children together. He made several publications. Most famous one was Organic Chemistry, which was published in 1861 when he was 27 years old. This book won the Domidov Prize. The first edition of Principles of Chemistry was printed in 1868. Both of these books were classroom texts. His greatest accomplishment was the stating of the Periodic Law and the development of the Periodic table. He felt that there was some type of order to the elements, and spent more than thirteen years of his life collecting data and assembling the concept, initially with the idea of resolving some of the chaos in the field for his students. Dmitri was one of the first modern-day scientists that did not rely on his own work but in scientists around the world in order to receive data that they have collected. Then he used their data along with his own data to arrange the elements according to their properties. By 1869 he assembled detailed descriptions of more then 60 elements. On November 29, 1870 Dmitri took his concept even further by stating that it was possible to predict the properties of undiscovered elements. He then proceeded to make predictions for three new elements and suggested several properties of each, including density, radii, and combining ratios with oxygen, among others. People did not believe his theories. They just ignored it and did not take Dmitri s work seriously. In 1875 when Frenchman Lecoq de Boisbaudran discovered one of the predicted elements with he named Gallium, Dmitri ideas were taken seriously. The other two elements were discovered later and their properties were found to be remarkably similar to those predicted by Mendeleev. He was 35 years old when the initial paper was presented. Throughout the remainder of his life, Dmitri Mendeleev received numerous awards from carious organizations including the Davy Medal from the Royal Society of England in 1882, the Copley Medal, the Society s highest award in 1905. He got honorary degrees from universities around the world. Dmitri Mendeleev s work means a lot to us. Imagine how hard it would have been to memories the elements without a periodic table? I admire Dmitri, because not only for his achievements but the way he achieved them. He had a tough childhood and yet he turned out a brilliant man. Dmitri did not give up his dreams but kept chasing after them.

French revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

French revolution - Essay Example The revolution reached its climax in 1789 upon the reconvening of the estates-general, France’s ancient legislative arm, when it became apparent that the higher class had refused to give away their privileges in the interest of saving the nation’s crippling economy. The ordinary French citizens seized this chance to force a revolution. The revolution thus got born out of a battle to attain equality and remove oppression and thus reshaped France’s social and political dimension. The French revolution served an unexpected blow to the nobles. The revolution saw the abolition of privilege and the declaration of rights of man and citizen (Hunt 62). The document of declaration made it clear that each French citizen was equal. The nobles had managed to monopolize all of the country’s wealth and had become adamant in their refusal to share the tax burden that got inflicted on the country’s wealth. With the onset of the revolution, a few nobles who sensed da nger switched sides and fought for the revolution. The nobles who still remained adamant to their privileges faced the fury of the revolution mob (Tackett 101). Many got sent to the guillotine. The revolution achieved the aim of bringing equality among the French citizens. The abolition of privilege also saw a new tax system get put in place where every citizen got to pay his tax share according to the wealth he possessed. Nobility got completely ended. The revolution also saw the abolition of church privileges that impacted on the clergy. The clergy got considered as first class citizens and most of them made up the noble class. Most of the clergy were bishops who got nominated by the king. The clergy got viewed in the same league as the aristocrats. Church property got confiscated early in the revolution. Church lands became nationalized and got sold leading to a full tenth of France’s lands to change hands. The revolution brought a massive redistribution of land that previ ously got consigned to the clergy. In present day France, church property belongs to the locals (Tackett 33). Priests got demanded to take new oaths of allegiance and loyalty to the state. Those who refused got imprisoned, executed or went into hiding. The clergy got employed as salaried officials of the state. The revolution also provided a beacon of hope and freedom to the lives of the ordinary people in France at the time. The revolution led to the creation of new political forces that centered on democracy and nationalism. This new forces gave the ordinary people hope of having an equitable and just society (Hunt 101). The revolution saw the birth of a new government system that shunned monarchy and aristocracy. The ordinary people became the significant beneficiaries of the fruits of the revolution. In the old order French society, not everyone got to enjoy rights. The revolution made a huge step towards having all men enjoy equal rights. The document of declaration of rights o f man and citizen showed promise to the ordinary people who got placed in the lower echelons of society. The French revolution did not only impact and shape the political arena in France; the revolution had a far reaching political consequence on the continent of Europe too. Most European countries at the time of the French revoluti

Works of Karl Marx and Georg Simmel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Works of Karl Marx and Georg Simmel - Essay Example The so-called "commodity fetishism," as Marx (1976) tell us, is the fact that a "definite social relation between men themselves' assumes here, for the, the fantastic form of a relation between things, [or] to the producers' the social relations between their private labours appear' as material relations between persons and social relations between things." (p. 165) This concept was conceived wherein humans are the real actors whose social relationality was obscured in the reified commodity form. (Brah & Coombes 2000, p. 116) The concept of "autonomy of objective culture", on the other hand, is Simmel's characterization of the prevalence of monetary relations in modern society. Here, he is suggesting that, paradoxically, it is the fact that money empowers us that accounts for the fragmentation of subjective life and that monetary freedom is abstract and devoid of substance because it becomes alive and valuable only through being incorporated into the substance of real social relations. (Dodd 1999, p. 38) This principle by Simmel is, in a way, an extension of Marx's commodity fetishism to cultural production in line with the idea that objective culture exists in an autonomous realm that follows an immanent developmental logic. Here, the commodity, money and capital - with money as the "consummate fetish" of money making more money - appear in such a way that they are immediately present on the surface of the bourgeois society but their immediate being is pure semblance. (Simmel 200p, p. xxvi) The comparison of the commodity fetishism and autonomy of objective culture is best illustrated in Marx and Simmel's discourse on money, the aesthetic sphere and freedom. On Money A common ground between Marx and Simmel is their extensive discourse on money and its effects on culture. Marx utilized the Shakespearian theme of money in Timon of Athens wherein it was said that money is an unnatural power which converts the morally bad into the morally good, the antisocial becomes social and that the ugly becomes beautiful. In Shakespeare's Timon of Athens, Timon talked about his gold: Thus much of this will make black, white; foul, fair; Wrong, right; base, noble; old, young; coward, valiant' Thou common whore of mankind, that putt'st odds Among the rout of nations. (Timon of Athens: Act 4, scene 3) Marx adopted this and elaborated more in his effort to illustrate that money is an alien medium - one that conceals the true value of labor and that it takes upon itself and its possessor qualities that are external to man. To quote: That which money can create for me, that for which I can pay (i.e., what money can buy)- that I, the possessor of the money, am. The extent of the power of money is the extent of my power. The properties of money are the properties and essential powers of me - its possessor. Thus what I am and what I am capable of is in no way determined by my individuality. Therefore I am not ugly, for the effect of ugliness, its power of repulsion, is destroyed by money. I - according to my individual nature - am lame, but money gives me twenty legs, therefore I am not lame. I am wicked, dishonest, unscrupulous, stupid man; but people honour money, and therefore also its possessor. (cited in

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Strategic Management - Essay Example GM has a brand name with Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn. Trucks, sport cars, sedans, and SUVs are made by GM. The recognition of the GM brand sets it above new automotive company competition. Another asset is GM’s resources. Money, automotive parts, factories, and stock allow GM to remain competitive worldwide. GM has spent millions on research for hybrids and other cars that run on alternative fuel, lower emissions, and safer products. This creates confidence in the GM product for the consumer population. External Analysis---The remote environment is promising for GM. The resources available to GM allow the company to comply with economic, social, political, technological, and ecological demands. The industry environment is no problem for GM. Entry barriers, supplier power, buyer power, substitute availability, and competitive rivalry are handled by GM’s strong foundation and brand name in the auto industry. The operating environment is more unstable. Customers, creditors, competitors, labor, and suppliers can be affected by a recession or high oil prices. GM will need to take this into consideration and make necessary changes accordingly. As long as GM continues to change in the face of adversity, produce quality products, and research alternative fuel sources, the company will make it through tough times and

Why is the U.S. health care market referred to as imperfect Article

Why is the U.S. health care market referred to as imperfect - Article Example This research will begin with the statement that the health care market of the United States is referred to as an imperfect since it does not cover all the people in the United States. Healthcare is a heterogeneous product where the product matters more than the product itself. People are willing to pay any price to access healthcare in the country.   This has created an opportunity for health providers to charge exorbitant prices for medical prices amidst inflated health insurance costs. Even the people who demand health care services are not the real users. While a perfect market is defined by the factors of demand and supply, this economic theory does not apply to the healthcare sector. The fact that third party players are paying for their direct market expenses makes it an imperfect market. On the contrary, the government should have set up a proper market that would oversee that all third party players in the U.S are included in the health care program. Healthcare initiative, in general, is a collaborative health promotion and disease promotion efforts with a vision of promoting a healthier nation. The vision set there in of achieving an integrated approach to healthcare delivery is highly achievable. It's comprehensively set objectives are aimed at improving the health of the citizens and eliminating health disparities over time, which expected to be effective over a decade. The fact that the initiative involves various players and does not leave the whole burden of medical provision to a single docket, the likelihood of the vision being achieved is high.

Internationalization of a Multinational Firm into an Emerging Economy Essay

Internationalization of a Multinational Firm into an Emerging Economy Context - Essay Example This study aimed at analyzing its efforts to enter China, taking advantages of its emerging economic prospects. Strategies play a decisive role in assisting organizations towards performing their respective business operations in both domestic and international markets, preserving adequate effectiveness. In this regard, relating to the above-stated research title or topic, internationalization strategy, also acknowledged as global strategy, refers to a particular theory based on which, the business firms can acquire a brief understanding about how to compete and offer standardized products and/or services to the customers on a worldwide basis. Based on the above-portrayed research title, it can be affirmed that the firms adopting internationalization strategies are often able to reap certain benefits that further tends to rejuvenate their competitive stance to a considerable extent. These benefits include enlarged market size, attainment of superior economies of scale and most vitall y, the accomplishment of superior competitive positioning. In this present day context, wherein the market environment is incessantly changing due to increased level of internationalization, globalization, as well as liberalization, firms operating in varied industries, are identified to be adopting internationalization strategies at an extensive rate and performing activities with the aim of establishing their respective businesses in emerging economies.

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

Female Circumcision - Research Paper Example e statistics are very important because they show the prevalence of FGM worldwide; they reveal that the fight against FGM must be waged more fiercely because it is far from over. In Kenya, for example, 38% of women have been subjected to some kind of FGM; in some parts of the country (like Kisii) this figure rises to 97% (Wangila 27). Female circumcision and the removal of female genitalia are thought to be almost 2,000 years old (Female genital mutilation: report of a WHO Technical Working Group, Geneva, 17-19 July 1995 103). In fact, some scholars speculate that it may even be older than Islam. Its exact beginnings have not been properly documented, but there is no dispute that it has been around for centuries. FGM basically involves the intentional alteration or causal of injury to parts of the female genitalia out of reasons that have no medical basis whatsoever. In the Islamic world, female circumcision is less prevalent (compared to Africa) and is limited to certain communities that try to justify it by employing the Quran. Among Jews, it has only been documented as practiced by Ethiopian Jews (Falasha), but currently it is also limited among them (Gruenbaum 93). Currently, there are few (if any) known religious sects that advocate for female circumcision anywhere in the world. This involves the forceful reduction in size (or narrowing) of the vaginal opening by creating some kind of seal to cover it (Female genital mutilation 1). This seal is created by excising and adjusting the position of the outer, or inner, labia, with or without necessarily removing the clitoris. Apart from these three procedures, there are others that are not usually classified as circumcision but also involve alteration or causal of injury to female genitalia. These include (but are not limited to) piercing, cauterizing, scraping, pricking and incising the genital area. Female circumcision can leave a girl scarred for life. The procedure is often carried out without sedation and

Cultural Context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cultural Context - Essay Example Nevertheless, both suicides have some semblance. Both Ben and Edna are driven majorly by acts of selfishness. It could be argued that Edna is driven to kill herself because she discovers that no one else dares to join in her overt defiance towards the day’s cultural expectations on women. Robert, for instance is able to restrain himself despite his profound love for her, while she openly mocks him over his apprehensions on adultery (Chopin, 2011). Edna feels too superior to acquiesce to societal norms or what is real. On the other hand, though it could be argued that Ben’s suicide has got little to do with society’s expectations on him, his selfishness and superiority complex is as evident in his quest as much as Edna’s. Ben never personally selected his victims yet he assigns himself the role of selecting those whom he thinks deserves to benefit from his suicide. Inasmuch as we may opt to champion for certain causes in the world, we must also acknowledg e our limitations. It is our duty to seek to involve others in our quests so that the merits and demerits of our intentions may be laid out and clarity sought.

Childhood Obesity Prevention and Intervention Essay Example for Free

Childhood Obesity Prevention and Intervention Essay â€Å"Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last 30 years† (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2008). That statistic is staggering. Data and surveys from the 1970’s to present suggest that the United States has been fighting obesity for a great deal of time and the battle continues, increasing in numbers and ever more alarming trends (Fals, 2009). Obesity has historically been treated as an adult problem, but the tripling of childhood obesity over the last three decades clearly illustrates that children are at exponentially higher risk, requiring a shift in focus. Immediate and continuing efforts are essential in the battle against childhood obesity. Prevention, education, and intervention require the involvement of not only affected children and their parents, but the public, government, and medical community as well. The government and society need to become involved in making prevention and intervention of childhood obesity a top priority. Family involvement is also critical; however, aid is needed to support and educate them. The First Lady, Michelle Obama, has been promoting a campaign (Let’s Move!) to raise awareness and help prevent childhood obesity (White House, 2011). The campaign’s checklists for parents and childcare providers contain numerous simple, but helpful tips like dietary changes, exercising, and restricting television and video game time. Similarly, We Can!  ® is a program offering many resources to parents, caregivers, and local community groups. Like the latter campaign, this program also places focus on diet, exercise, and media usage. The program partners nationally with a number of organizations and media outlets to ensure families in all parts of America have access to information and help (U.S. Department of Health Human Services [HHS], 2012). More programs like these are needed in communities and nationwide. The number of resources is increasing but not as quickly as the problem they are attempting to help. Strategies for childhood obesity intervention and prevention are surprisingly simple, but it is up to parents to implement them. One strategy is sharing meals as a family. Choosing healthy foods is not easy and parents can help by providing healthy meals and sharing them with their children. In addition, children often model the behavior of parents; therefore, a parent eating healthy foods may influence the child to do the same. Eating together has the added benefit of being an emotionally positive experience for the entire family. According to guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, food choices and physical activity are the most important factors in the obesity battle. Consequently, parents must offer healthy foods in addition to lowering the calories their children consume. Children must also be encouraged to exercise (HHS, 2010, p. 10). Finally, reduction of television, video games, and computer usage encourages children to be more active and gets them moving. Reducing screen time to no more than two hours per day is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP, 2003, p. 427). By implementing these strategies, parents will be able to help their children with making strides towards health. Research studies have determined health dangers faced by obese children are comparable to those of obese adults. Formerly adult-associated chronic diseases are striking children. These diseases (comorbidities) are numerous and may have grave consequences. Diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and the metabolic syndrome are only a few examples of the diseases striking obese children (Daniels et al., 2005, p. 2002). Furthermore, additional research has determined that childhood and adolescent obesity can cause early death (Reilly Kelly, 2011, p. 894). The medical community must provide more research and education to help with prevention of these disease processes and better interventions. Researchers have stressed the â€Å"stigmatization of fatness,† with regard to societal views of this disease (Gard Wright, 2005, p. 69). Obese children are assumed to be lazy and unworthy of attention. Obese children suffer many psychological issues and the bullying is one of the contributors. A recent study reported, â€Å"Bullying happens every day† and it â€Å"has a direct impact on stress and trauma symptoms† (Brandt et al., 2012). Furthermore, â€Å"Children who are obese are more likely to be bullied† asserts another study (Lumeng et al., 2010). In general, obese children tend to be at risk for depression, anxiety disorders, social phobias, poor self-esteem, eating disorders, and a higher risk of suicidal tendencies. Psychiatric intervention is required to aid obese children in developing normally so these problems do not continue into adulthood. Individual support and support groups could be very effective interventions to consider. The epidemic of childhood obesity is not getting better. Every year it appears to be getting excessively worse. Realistic goals are to educate parents, healthcare providers, and the public, giving them as much research and information as possible. Education, intervention, and prevention are the most important factors for combating the effects of childhood obesity and in helping to ensure the health and happiness of children suffering from this disease. References American Academy of Pediatrics. (2003). Prevention of pediatric overweight and obesity. Pediatrics, 112(2), 427. Retrieved from http://www2.aap.org/obesity/ppt/PREVENTION%20OF%20PEDIATRIC%20OBESITY%20AAP.ppt 9k 2010-03-11 Brandt, A., Zaveri, K., Fernandez, K., Jondoh, L., Duran, E., Bell, L., . . . Gutierrez, J. (2012). School bullying hurts: Evidence of psychological and academic challenges among students with bullying histories. Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences: Special Edition, 11. Retrieved from http://www.kon.org/urc/v11/bullying/brandt.html Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). CDC Obesity Facts Adolescent and school health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm Daniels, S., Arnett, D., Eckel, R., Gidding, S., Hayman, L., Kumanyika, S., . . . Robinson, T. (2005). Overweight in children and adolescents. Circulation, 111(15), 1999-2012. Fals, A. (2009). Childhood obesity : A bit of history National childhood obesity. Examiner. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/childhood-obesity-a-bit-of-history Gard, M., Wright, J. (2005). The obesity epidemic: Science, morality, and ideology (1st Ed.). New York, U.S.A.: Taylor Francis Inc. Lumeng, J., Forrest, P., Appugliese, D., Kaciroti, N., Corwyn, R., Bradley, R. (2010). Weight Status as a Predictor of Being Bullied in Third Through Sixth Grades. Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 125(6), 1301-1307. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-0774. Reilly, J., Kelly, J. (2011). Long-term impact of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence on morbidity and premature mortality in adulthood: Systematic review. International Journal of Obesity, 35(7), 891-898. doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.222.

Aggregate Demand And The Level Of Economic Activity Economics Essay

Aggregate Demand And The Level Of Economic Activity Economics Essay Introduction Collection of revenue and the use of government expenditure which affect the economy is termed as fiscal policy. Fiscal policy can be distinguished with the major sort of macroeconomic policy, monetary policy, which stabilizes the economy by controlling rate of interest and supply of money. Two major objectives of fiscal policy are taxation and expenditure of government Transforming in the level , composition of taxation and government expenditure can force on the following variables in an economy : Aggregate demand and the level of economic activity; The pattern of resource allocation; The distribution of income. Aggregate demand and the level of economic activity: At a given time the price level and the total demand for goods and services in an economy(Y) is called aggregate demand (AD) . [1]. It is the quantity of goods and services in an economy that will be obtained at all probable price levels.[2] When inventory levels are static the demand for the gross domestic product of an economy is termed as aggregate demand. It is also called effective demand although at other times this term is differentiated. It is often quoted that the aggregate demand curve is downward sloping as at lower price levels a larger amount is demanded. Components of Aggregate demand and the level of economic activity: An aggregate demand curve is the summation of individual demand curves for different sectors of the economy. The aggregate demand is generally expressed as a linear sum of four divisible demand sources.[3] where is consumption (may also be known as consumer spending) = ac + bc(Y à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ T), is Investment, is Government spending, is Net export, is total exports, and is total imports = am + bm(Y à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ T). The pattern of resource allocation: Resource allocation is generally used to allot the resource available in an economy in an economic way. How limited resources are allocated among producers, and how limited goods and services are distributed among consumers , this study takes into observation the accounting cost, economic cost, opportunity cost, and other costs of resources and goods and services. Allotment of resources is a vital idea in economics and is related with economic effectiveness and maximization of utility. The distribution of income: Amongst the population of a nation how the nations total economy is allocated is termed as income distribution. It has always been a major concern of economic policy and economic theory. The allocation of income between the vital factors of production, land, labor and capital are considered to express income distribution. Fiscal policy is a vital factor for the economic development of a country. In Bangladesh fiscal policy consists of activities, which the country carries out to attain and utilize resources to afford services while ensuring optimal efficiency of the economic units. This policy controls the behavior of economic forces throughout the public finance. The main factors to attain these goals are variation in public expenditure, variation in public revenue, and management of public debt. These are revealed in the financial planning operations of the government, set up and executed on year-on-year basis. Literature Review For the overall economic development of a country fiscal policy and its management exert greater influence on economic activity. To boost up an economic infrastructure many research and study have been done by economists and policymakers. In this section literature abounds on the effectiveness and importance of fiscal policy in developed and developing countries of the world. Developing countries are facing dual challenges while undertaking fiscal adjustment policies. One arises from the increasing demand for public expenditures for Infrastructure and social sector investment, and the other arises from the lack of capacity to raise revenue from domestic sources to finance the increased expenditure, primarily due to narrow tax base. To boost competitive capacity of the country in a rapidly globalizing world, the governments of developing countries have to invest a large portion of their revenue in building physical infrastructures. In addition, the low income developing countries also need to spend a major portion of their development expenditures in providing social services to the poor such as health, education etc. On the other hand, as Khattry (2003: 402) pointed out, the structural characteristics of low income countries, combined with prevalence of unsophisticated tax administration limit their ability to raise taxes from domestic sources, namely income and domestic indirect taxes. Also, the existence of a large informal sector and the underground economy constrains the governments capacity for revenue growth. Another source of fiscal problem arises with the process of trade liberalization that requires reduction of taxes on international trade together with the elimination of quantitative restrictions and other forms of trade barriers. Therefore countries have to resort to domestic sources to compensate the revenue loss emanating from trade liberalization. As the scope of domestic sources of revenue is limited due to the narrow tax base and structural constraints in the low income countries, this may lead to a vulnerable fiscal position. In principle, a well functioning VAT system on import combined with broad based low tariffs) can recoup some of the revenue loss due to the greater inflow of imports that eventually follows trade liberalization. National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction (NSAPR) of Bangladesh (2005) recognizes that, as government revenue is heavily dependent on trade taxes, and tariff liberalization typically results in tariff revenue loss, alternative sources of revenue must be ensured in order to prevent a sudden rise in budget deficit (which is already high). In order to recoup revenue losses due to tariff liberalization government is trying to increase revenue from direct taxes. It is also envisaged that indirect taxes such as VAT and supplementary duty are applied uniformly on both domestic production and imports, it would both reduce anti-export bias and increase government revenue by widening the tax-net (NSAPR, 2005, p.86). Trade liberalization may thus lead to a fiscal squeeze as a result of re duced revenue and simultaneous increase in expenditure. According to Khattry (2003) fiscal squeeze led some countries to reduce expenditure on physical capital, while that on social services (e.g. health and education) has been financed by acquiring additional debt. However, it has been empirically substantiated that government capital expenditure plays an important role in enhancing economic growth. Bose et al (2003) investigated a panel of thirty developing countries over the decades of 1970s and 1980s, and found that, the share of government capital expenditure in GDP is positively and significantly correlated with economic growth though current expenditure is insignificant. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between revenue and expenditure and its implication for managing the budget deficit. In order to do this a three variable model is formulated comprising government expenditure, revenue and GDP. Firstly, existence of a long-run relationship among these three variables is tested by using Johansen (1991, 1995) co integration approach. Granger causality test is applied on the corresponding vector error correction model to examine short-run causal relationship between the variables The goal of fiscal policy is to enhance economic growth and employment and to bring stability in economic outcome variables such as the real GDP growth rate. Under the above circumstances, the nature and objectives of fiscal policy may differ with the level of development of the countries. Long run outcome of expansionary fiscal policy depends on the nature of distribution of public resources as the same amount of public money can generate different growth pay-offs in different sectors, and the overall growth of the economy depends on the combined growth of these sectors When the government takes expansionary fiscal policy (expenditure surpassing revenue) either through increasing expenditure or reducing taxes or both, it has to borrow from internal and external sources to finance the deficit. The concept of deficit budget was popularized by Keynes and his followers -the principal argument is that government can boost up economic growth by increasing government expenditures in the short run. Again the government has to shrink its expenditures during the time of growth as excessive aggregate demand can generate inflation. In contrary to the above theory some economists argue that budget deficit negatively affects economic growth According to the advocates of the latter view, lowering budget deficit reduces interest rate thereby increasing investment, which in turn enhances economic growth The risk of expansionary fiscal policy is that, it leads to public debt growth, where it is envisaged that the growth of the economy will be significant enough in the subsequent periods so that the government will have a larger revenue base to finance its enhanced debt obligations. However, failure to generate enough economic growth may force the government into a deficit trap. Therefore the government has to borrow again to finance its deficit -this time may be in greater volume due to increase in the expenditure for repaying principal and interest of previous periods deb t even if the magnitude of public sector activities remains unaltered. There is also a risk that, government borrowing from domestic sources may crowd out private investment by raising the rate of interest. Constraining private investment in this fashion and expending the same amount of money in less productive sectors of the economy can negatively affect overall growth of the economy. As mentioned by Carneiro et al (2004, p.9), if economic agents are non Recording due to credit constraints and overlapping generation, public deficit can have a negative impact on growth as public deficits can hamper growth by competing with private physical capital for individual savings. Conversely, in developing countries public investment can be influential to crowd in private investment as shown by Binswanger et al (1993); infrastructure accessibility and the rural banks are crucial factors for increasing private investment in agriculture, which requires substantial government intervention in fac ilitating private investment. Given excess liquidity in the system (as it is the case in Bangladesh), in spite of significant public borrowing from the banking system over the last 4-6 months, private credit actually proceeded at its usual pace. This however need not be true all the time. Bangladeshs fiscal policy is closely linked to its monetary policy because public budget deficits are mainly financed by increases in money supply. Theoretically, expansionary fiscal policy would generate an increased supply of high-powered money in the face of frequent adjustment in the budget deficit and can provoke price spiral if there is no excess capacity in the economy (Friedman 1956; Friedman and Kuttner 1992). However, increasing government borrowing from central bank is seen as highly inflationary in the case of Bangladesh. But it should be noted that under the situation of chronic slow down of general demand (i.e. a general glut in the economy) higher public expenditure can create higher economic activity by protecting the falling trend in demand which is financed by increased public borrowing (Kiguel 1989). However, there is a general consensus among economists and policy-makers that regulating the growth of money stock is necessary to achieve a fairy stable price level a nd full employment of an economy (Sims 1972) Blanchard and Perotti (2002) use information about the elasticity of fiscal variables to identify the automatic response of fiscal policy, and find that expansionary fiscal shocks increase output, have a positive effect on private consumption, and a negative impact on private investment. More recently, using sign restrictions on the impulse-response functions and identifying the unexpected variation in government spending by a positive response of expenditure for up to four quarters after the shock, Mountford and Uhlig(2005) find a negative effect in residential and non-residential investment Similar studies applied to other countries are relatively scarce, largely due to the limited availability of quarterly public finance data, and, in addition, do not provide a consensual view. Perotti (2004) investigates the effects of fiscal policy in Australia Canada, Germany and the U.K., and finds a relatively large positive effect on private consumption and no response of private investment. Biau and Girard (2005) find a cumulative multiplier of government spending larger than one, and positive reactions of private consumption and private investment in France. De Castro and Hernà ¡ndez de Cos2006) use data for Spain and show that, while there is a positive relationship between government expenditure and output in the short-term, in the medium and long-term expansionary spending shocks only lead to higher inflation and lower output. Heppke- Falk et al. (2006) use cash data for Germany, and find that a positive shock in government spending increases output and private consumption, although the effect is relatively small. Giordano et al. (2007) show that, in Italy, government expenditure has positive and persistent effects on output and on private consumption. Analysis The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, state of southern Asia, in the northeastern portion of the Indian subcontinent, edged on the north, east and west by India, on the southeast by Burma (Myanmar), and on the south by the Bay of Bengal. The total area of the country is 147,570 sq km with a population of 126 million. It lies roughly between 20 °34 and 26 °36 North latitude and between 88 °01 and 92 °41 east longitude. The capital and leading city of Bangladesh is Dhaka. The economy of Bangladesh is comprised by that of a developing country. Its per capita income in 2008 was est. US$1,500 (adjusted by purchasing power parity) significantly lower than India, Pakistan, both which are also lesser than the world average of $10,497. According to the gradation by the International Monetary Fund, Bangladesh ranked as the 48th largest economy in the world in 2008, with a gross domestic product of US$224.889 billion. The economy has grown at the rate of 6-7% p.a. over the past few years. More than half of the GDP belongs to the service sector; nearly half of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with RMG, fish, vegetables, leather and leather goods, ceramics, rice as other essential produce. The aim of the governments fiscal management is striking a weighing balance between government revenue and expenditure. One more foremost goal is to uphold shortage in the existing budget as much as reasonable for advanced investment in the public division. As a result of cautious fiscal policy and strengthening of fiscal management, overall fiscal deficiency through the current decade remained unchanged. To formulate and execute sound fiscal policy is one of the most significant functions of the government. It puts importance on sustaining macroeconomic constancy through balancing public expenditure management. There is no substitute to sound fiscal management in overall economic governance as a fair public income and expenditure management that assures private sector institutions and individuals a steady macroeconomic background. The vital source of government revenue is tax. Public revenue mainly consists of direct and indirect taxes which accounted for more than 80 percent of total government revenue. The government collects the rest of the public revenue from different non-tax collection such as fee, charge, toll etc. The level of revenue assortment is a vital indicator to establish the step of economic development of a country. The economy of a country becomes more stable if it collects large amount of revenue. In this section we are going to analyze the fiscal condition of Bangladesh during the time period from FY-1991 to FY-2008.During these years Prudent fiscal management emerged as a most important challenge facing the country. The Governments revenue mobilization efforts developed remarkably in the early 1990s following the launch of some major fiscal reforms, mainly introduction of the value-added tax (VAT) in 1991.The VAT provided greater coverage and raised rates than the taxes that it restored (mostly excise duty). The revenue tax to GDP ratio rose from 5.9 percent in FY1991 to 7.3 percent in FY1993, but since then, the proportion has remained steady at about 7 percent. A stagnant tax to GDP ratio reveals lack of improvement in broadening the tax net and in improving the tax management system; in brief, the effectiveness of tax assortment remains fragile and futile. Specifically, the Government has failed to widen the coverage of direct taxes, broaden VAT coverage to high-revenue-y ielding trades and services, develop the implementation of import taxes, and bolster tax government. Conversely, nontax revenues are relatively small (a bit less than 2 percent of GDP), and they also festered over much of the 1990s. As consequence, since FY1993, the entire revenue to GDP ratio has altered around 9 percent, making revenue collection of Bangladesh effort one of the weakest in the global economy. In spite of unsatisfactory revenue collection efforts for much of the 1990s, the Government was capable to uphold the fiscal shortage within 4-5 percent of GDP by keeping spending under control. Government expenditure, both current and capital increased rapidly. Therefore, the fiscal scarcity went up to indefensible levels. With declining alternatives to foreign funding of the deficit, the Government had been compelled to finance the shortfall from domestic sources -from banking sector and domestic borrowing. The ensuing monetary adjustment seriously damaged macroeconomic stability. Table 4 : Selected Fiscal Indicators (Percent of Gross Domestic Product) Because of drop of the revenue to GDP ratio to 9 percent in FY1998-99 from 9.3 percent in FY1997-98, caused by flood-induced disruptions, the Government attempted to reverse the declining trend and projected revenue to GDP ratio of 10 percent in the FY1999-00 budget. In spite of establishing a verified revenue mobilization object, no major efforts were made to apply vital fiscal reforms, reduce the tax structure, strengthen tax management, and extend the tax foundation. Moreover, the hindrance in introducing the reshipment assessment scheme, and slothful growth in imports also added to revenue shortfall. Customs duties collection declined by 10 percent in FY1999-00 compared with FY1998-99, and the share of customs duties in National Board of Revenue portion of taxes declined to 28 percent from 32 percent. Nontax revenue collection was also less than projected due mainly to reduced profit and dividend earnings of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). In FY1999-00, losses of nonfinancial SOE s were estimated at Tk31 billion, or 1.3 percent of GDP. Therefore, actual revenue mobilization in FY1999-00 rotated to be considerably below budget projections, at 8.9 percent of GDP. Government expenditure increased to 13.8 percent of GDP in FY1999-00 from 13.3 percent in FY1998-99, because of a rush in the outlay resulting from flood-induced expenditure, particularly the requirement for extra imports of food grains and post flood rehabilitation outlays. The tendency prolonged in FY1999-00 with overall expenses rising to 15 percent of GDP. Though the Government was capable to Keep up current spending at 7.6 percent of GDP (the same percentage as in the previous year), spending under the annual development program (ADP) went up to 6.7 percent of GDP from5.6 percent in FY1998-99. In the FY1999-00 budget, the Governments aim was to reduce expenses to 7.4 percent of GDP. It was a determined aim in view of the coming general election (scheduled for October 2001) when the pressures on t he Government to accommodate increased expenditure is bound to be considerable. Allocation for the ADP in the FY2000-01 budget was 6.5 percent of GDP, 50 percent of which was expected to be financed from domestic resources, and 40 percent of the domestic funding of the ADP would be from bank borrowing. The choice to fund a superior development budget with substantial borrowing from banks had risks to sustain macroeconomic constancy. While 34 percent of the ADP funds have been allocated to sectors that address poverty directly, about 33 percent had been assigned to infrastructure development comprising energy, transport, and communication. Not all ADP projects could be justified on grounds of accelerating the pace of development; several projects had questionable merit. What was more worrying was that some low -priority projects were being financed by high-cost foreign suppliers credits. In FY 1999-00, revenue/GDP ratio was 8.47 percent, which step by step went up to 10.79 percent in FY2005-06. In FY 2007-08 the revenue/GDP more went up to 11.17 percent and the g rowing trend of revenue-GDP ratio further increased to 11.24 percent in FY2008-09. Table 4.1 illustrates tax and non-tax revenue receipts and tax-GDP ratio within the period from FY1999-00 to FY2008-09. From the beginning of the FY2008-09 the revenue objectives of fiscal year came under challenge because of the impact of worldwide financial crisis. The international economy plunged into collapse mainly for noxious credit crisis in the US financial organizations and gigantic falls in prices of commodities like fuel, fertilizer etc. This price drop caused poorer collection of import duties which is the largest source of revenue although the price of commodities favored reduction of high inflation condition. The assortment of import duty in FY 2008-09 fell diminutive of the goals as the import duty is established on the basis of prices of the imported commodities. Study of revenue collection activities for FY2008-09 by categories illustrates that the volume of revenue collection attains from value added tax (VAT).Income tax takes up the second position in the row. Next places are held by import duties, complementary duty, additional taxes and excise duty. On the whole, the part of VAT in the entire revenue collection is progressively increasing. It can be states that, income tax occupies second place above import duties for the second consecutive time. In FY 2008-09, though the entire revenue collection by NBR source fell diminutive of the goals but overall revenue collection stood at TK. 52525.61 crore, which is TK. 5236.49 crore higher than the assortment of the previous fiscal year showing an 11.07 percent increase. In FY 2007-08, total revenue collection placed at TK. 47289.12 crore, which was Tk. 10,069.8 crore or27.06 percent higher than the assortment of the previous year. In FY 2006-07, the total revenue collection under NBR amounted to Tk. 37219.32 crore which was Tk. 3,216.89 crore or 9.46 percent higher than that of the previous year. Item-wise tax collection from FY2006-07 to FY2008-09 is shown in Table 4.2. Management of public expenditure is the most vital part for the fiscal management of the government. The major aims of fiscal management are to uphold social safety net activities, inspire expenditure in productive level, practice austerity in public expenditure and controls over unproductive expenses. Reducing poverty through improving the standards of living of the generals, building physical infrastructure and developing human resources are the key features of large public outlays in every year. Total public expenditure, development expenditure and expenditure/GDP ratio for FY 2008-09 and during the last decade are shown in Table 4.3. Investigation of entire non-development expenditure illustrates that in FY 2003-04, expenditure on pay and allowances was 27.4 percent of total non-development expenses. In FY 2004-05 and FY 2005-06 these percentage decreased to 25.3 and 27.6 respectively, but went up to 28.5 percent in FY 2006-07 and again decreased to 23.6 percent in FY 2008-09. In FY 2003-04, the spending on subsidy and current transfer accounted for 28.4 percent of entire non-development expenses. In FY 2004-05, FY 2005-06, FY 2006-07 and FY 2008-09 the spending on subsidy and current transfer accounted for 30.1, 29.1, 31.4 and 40.5 percent of entire non-development expenses correspondingly. In FY 2004-05, FY 2005-06, FY2006-07 and FY 2008-09 the shares of interest payments on foreign and domestic credits in total non-development cost were 18.8, 19.8, 20.2 and 20.8 percent respectively. The average genuine cost against the adjusted allotment of ADP was around 90 percent during the time from 1999-00 to 2005-06 (Table 4.4). In FY2006-07 and FY 2007-08, the utilization of ADP is about 83 and 82 percent correspondingly. In FY 2008-09 the short-term expenditure records 85.7 percent utilization of revised allotment. The growing tendency of distribution and expenditure in socio-economic and physical infrastructure segments all the way through ADP is constant with the twin objectives of the government- attaining higher growth and diminishing poverty. ADP expenditure and its composition by key sectors are shown in Table 4.5. Budget is organized in line with the national plans and policies taken up for economic development, poverty diminution and social growth. There arises a budget shortage occurring from a space between the government revenue and expenditure, where expenditure becomes more important than the revenue income. The succeeding governments are taking policies to control resources and shifts earnings at an increased rate to the poor people of the country since over 40 percent of population live beneath poverty line. Though, this enhances budget shortage little further, but it generates purchasing power of a vast population that finally propel growth by escalating aggregate demand. It also facilitates a huge portion of the population to keep minimum livelihood. The tendency of budget shortage in Bangladesh obviously shows that shortage remains under 5 percent of GDP except for those years when there were natural catastrophies. Table 4.6 below represents data on budget shortage and the form of i ts financing throughout the time period from FY1999-00 to FY2008-09. At present the debit obligation of the government is at a reasonable stage. Financing throughout grant and credit from outer sources is progressively tightening because of shifting in the policies of contributors. This, prompted the government to take a variety of restructuring initiatives and to adopt inspirational measures to mobilize resources from domestic sources together with from external sources. In principle, the government has a preferences on concessional foreign borrowing to domestic borrowing due to the poorer outlays of foreign borrowing and longer reimbursement time period. Findings Bangladesh is a third worlds developing country. At present it is going through a financial crisis. To analyze any countrys financial condition the key factor is to investigate its fiscal policy and management as fiscal policy has a great impact on the countrys development procedure. In our term paper we have discussed the fiscal condition of Bangladesh in brief. Financing of regular insufficiency, generally undertaken through borrowings from abroad, from Bangladesh Bank, and from scheduled banks, has become a central characteristic of the fiscal policy of the country. Opportunity of borrowing from the public by the government for financing budget deficiency is very limited in the country as investments capability of the people is very low. Therefore, the opportunity of non-inflationary financing of budget shortfall does not exist here. Availability of foreign borrowing depends on the international liquidity situation and the prevailing circumstances in the international capital market, which is always uncertain and unpredictable for a country like Bangladesh. Here, some major key findings which has a great influence on Bangladeshi economy that we noted out from the analysis section are added : # Introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) in early 1990s is one of the key fiscal reforms to develop a effective fiscal administration. # The revenue tax to GDP ratio rose from 5.9 percent in FY1991 to 7.3 percent in FY1993 # Because of drop of the revenue to GDP ratio to 9 percent in FY1998-99 from 9.3 percent in FY1997-98, caused by flood-induced disruptions, the Government attempted to reverse the declining trend and projected revenue to GDP ratio of 10 percent in the FY1999-00 budget # Customs duties collection declined by 10 percent in FY1999-00 compared with FY1998-99, and the share of customs duties in National Board of Revenue portion of taxes declined to 28 percent from 32 percent # In FY1999-00, losses of nonfinancial SOEs were estimated at Tk31 billion, or 1.3 percent of GDP. Therefore, actual revenue mobilization in FY1999-00 rotated to be considerably below budget projections, at 8.9 percent of GDP # In FY1998-99 there had a rush in the outlay resulting from flood-induced expenditure, particularly the requirement for extra imports of food grains and post flood rehabilitation expenses # In the FY1999-00 budget, the Governments aim was to reduce expenses to 7.4 percent of GDP. It was a determined aim in view of the coming general election (scheduled for October 2001) when the pressures on the Government to accommodate increased expenditure is bound to be considerable. # In FY 1999-00revenue/GDP ratio was 8.47 percent, which step by step went up to 10.79 percent in FY2005-06. In FY 2007-08 the revenue/GDP more went up to 11.17 percent and the growing trend of revenue-GDP ratio further increased to 11.24 percent in FY2008-09. # From the beginning of the FY2008-09 the revenue objectives of fiscal year came under challenge because of the impact of worldwide financial crisis. # In FY 2008-09, though the entire revenue collection by NBR source fell diminutive of the goals but overall revenue collection stood at TK. 52525.61 crore, which is TK. 5236.49 crore higher than the assortment of the previous fiscal year showing an 11.07 percent increase. In FY 2007-08, total revenue collection placed at TK. 47289.12 crore, which was Tk. 10,069.8 crore or27.06 percent higher than the assortment of the previous year. In FY 2006-07, the total revenue collection under NBR amounted to Tk. 37219.32 crore which was Tk. 3,216.89 crore or 9.46 percent higher than that of the previous year. Item-wise tax collection from FY2006-07 to FY2008-09 # The average genuine cost against the adjusted allotment of ADP was around 90 percent during the time from 1999-00 to 2005-06. In FY2006-07 and FY 2007-08, the utilization of ADP is about 83 and 82 percent correspondingly. In FY 2008-09 the short-term expenditure records 85.7 percent utilization of revised allotment. # The tendency of budget shortage in Bangladesh obviously shows that shortage remains under 5 percent of GDP except for those years when there were natural catastrophes. The findings

The Homeless in Our Community Essay -- Homelessness In Our Community,

Table of Contents Literature Review — 3 Methodology — 5 Findings — 6 Summary — 8 Works Cited/Works Used — 9 Appendix: Survey Form — 11 LITERATURE REVIEW In this information behavior study, our group examines the everyday information resources, needs, and behaviors of the homeless. Literature research has led us to many key resources. Important literature on our topic includes Everyday Information Needs and Information Sources of Homeless Parents, The Homeless and Information Needs and Services, and Are the economically poor information poor? Does the digital divide affect the homeless and access to information? by Julie Hersberger, and The Impoverished LifeWorld of Outsiders and Framing Social Life in Theory and Research by Elfreda Chatman. The fundamental concepts in the literature show that a study must have a definition of homelessness and information poverty, address the everyday information needs and services of the homeless, identify misconceptions about how the homeless view and use information, and discuss information behaviors and barriers for the homeless. The homeless are a growing population in the United States. As the gap between the wealthy and poor increases, more people find themselves overwhelmed and displaced without a permanent residence, financial stability, or social networks, such as family, friends, and/or public assistance. Generally, homelessness in America is a result of unaffordable housing, family fragmentation, domestic violence, mental illness, health problems, addictions, unemployment, or a combination of several of these issues1 (Hersberger, 2001, p. 119). Research has concluded that homeless â€Å"people in their everyday lives are assessing their information needs in... ....What kinds of everyday information are you interested in encountering here? 23.How useful is what you learn at this place 1) Not Applicable 2) Not Useful 3) Somewhat Useful 4) Very Useful 5) Can’t Do Without 24. Is the information you encounter mostly trivial or good for making important or big decisions? 1) Trivial 2) Big Decision 3) Small Decision 4) All 5) Other 15 25.What would make it easier for you and others to share useful information at this place? 26.What are the drawbacks to getting information at this place? 27.How important is this place as a means to get help for information about everyday life? 1) Most important 2) Somewhat important 3) Not very important 4) Not important 28. What is your next best place for information? 29. Is there anything you’d like to add about what you’ve just told me? 30. Gender 31.Age 32.THANK YOU!

The Character of Scarlet in Gone With the Wind Essay -- Gone With the

The Character of Scarlet in Gone With the Wind  Ã‚     "My Dear, I don't give a damn," (718) Rhett Butler says this infamous quote to Scarlet O'Hara at the end of Gone With the Wind (1934), when the woman has finally poured her soul to him. The novel Gone with the Wind (1934) by Margaret Mitchell is a classic about the hard times suffered during and after the Civil War. Scarlet lives in the Confederacy and everyone there is for fighting for his or her noble Cause. The young southern belle Scarlet O'Hara is forced to do things she never thought a girl of her class and nature would have to do. All throughout the novel, she is faced with serious problems. Scarlet plainly states, I'll not think of that today, I'll think of it tomorrow, for tomorrow is another day, which of course she never does. It is this thought however, that makes her character stay strong, although sometimes living in a daydream. Without telling herself this, Scarlet would have broken down in the very beginning after the war had started. Scarlet lives for the future and not the past. It's this about her that makes her character admirable and noble At first the reader would think Scarlet's character is snobbish and helpless. Through her determination, she forces others to change their opinion of her. In the beginning, she is a young, beautiful sixteen -year old, with a seventeen-inch waist, the smallest in the county. At parties, she never has less than a dozen young men surrounding her, all of whom she never lets know whom she truly loves. The other girls find Scarlet heartless, the way she leads all those boys on, but Scarlet pays no mind to them. She knows they are just bitter with jealousy. She does truly love Ashley Wilkes, but he is to announce his enga... ...d a cause of her own. While many characters in the book fought and died for the great Cause, she cared more about her own. Scarlet had to care for Tara and her family. Although many see her as repulsive, by looking at her acts, she made herself strong with words. The once young and carefree girl was forced to marry for money, not for love, twice. When Scarlet finally let her only true love in life, Rhett Butler, know how she felt about him, she realizes all too late how horrid she's acted, he finally puts Scarlet in her place by stating "My dear, I don't give a damn." At these words, Scarlet still does not break down. After all she has been through she knows what to do. She tells her self that tomorrow is another day, and tomorrow she will get Rhett back.   Works Cited Mitchell, Margaret. Gone With the Wind. NewYork: The Macmillan Company,1994      

War on Drugs Essays -- Illegal Drugs Narcotics essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout history drugs have been nothing but a social problem, a burden per say. From Edgar Allen Poe smoking opium in an attempt to make his poetry more creative, to Vietnam soldiers coming back from the war addicted to heroin. Narcotics was not a serious issue at the time, only a small hand full of people were actually doing the drugs, and they were just simply looked down upon. It was not until the late nineteen sixties when recreational drug use became fashionable among young, white, middle class American citizens, that the United States Government â€Å"put it’s foot down†. (pbs.com) They started slowly ,developing agencies like the (BNDD) Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, which was founded in 1968 by the Linden Johnson administration. Congress also started passing laws like the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act in 1970.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was not until June 17, 1971 when the war on drugs truly began. At a press conference in the White House, President Richard J. Nixon officially declared war on drugs. He stated, â€Å"drug abuse is public enemy, number one in the United States.† He also announced the creation of (SAODAP) Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention. Three years later on August 9, 1974, President Nixon resigns, but not before founding one the greatest assets for the war on drugs, the (DEA) Drug Enforcement Agency. Established in July of 1973, this â€Å"super agency† (pbs.com) consisted of agents from the CIA, Customs and ODALE. This agency was designed to handle all aspects of the drug problem in America and would be headed Myles Ambrose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the first years of the program the DEA was established their main focus was to stop the flow of marijuana from Mexico to America. Around the mid seventies the â€Å"enemy† face began to change, the enemy was now cocaine and it was coming from the country of Colombia. On November 22, 1975 the Colombian police seized over 600 kilos of cocaine from a small plane at the Cali Airport. The plane was believed to be headed to Miami, Florida. The amount of cocaine that was seized that day was the largest cocaine bust to date.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The DEA, along with other agencies, are still fighting cocaine and many other drugs to this day. One of the reasons the war on drugs is lasting so long is because of the cost; the war on drugs is a very expense war. In the past, the government has spent arou... ...m heroin addiction. Psychiatrist Dr. Robert DuPont is a pioneer doctor in drug abuse treatment, he perfumed studies in Washington D.C. in 1969 of heroin addicts, and then convinced the mayor to allow him to provide methadone to the heroin addicts this resulted in the city’s crime rate dropping.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cost of addiction can be devastating to the person and the person’s family. People trade in their cars; clothing and shelter just to get a fix for their addiction. The cost of rehabilitation is outrageous, unless you are attending a free one it can cost up to 1000 dollars a weak.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many programs out in the public today for soul purpose of keeping people clean, off drugs. Programs such as Betty Ford, D.A.R.E, and many more are set up to keep people from drug abuse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the end the war on drugs is not a war to be won or lost, it’s with in the people, rather if they want to do drugs or not. The importation of illicit substances into the United States is an impossibility. There’s over 2,000 miles of border along the Mexican border and the coastal areas, thousands of miles; there is no possible way to stop the importation of drugs into this country.

Media Law Case Studies Essay

1. Whether, as a Member of Parliament (MP), the Accused’s right of free speech in Parliament, given by sections 3 and 8 of the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Ordinance [No. 15 of] 1952 and Article 63(2) of the 1957 Federal Constitution, has been validly limited by the subsequent amendment made to Article 63 with the addition of Clause (4) by the Constitution (Amendment) Act. 1971 (Act A30). 2. Whether the Accused’s right of free speech in Parliament is part of the Constitution’s basic structure or a fundamental rule of natural justice, thus rendering any supposed amendment of the Constitution seeking to limit such right is void and of no effect. 3. Whether the demand for closure of Chinese and Tamil schools in the process of implementing the national language can be legally and constitutionally treated as questioning Article 152(1) and thus, bringing into operation section 3(1) (f) of the Sedition Act 1948 (Revised 1969), despite there not being a demand for the abolition of prohibition of the teaching or learning of such languages. Reasoning 1. While Sections 3 and 8 of the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Ordinance 1952 as well as Article 63(2) of the Constitution grants an MP freedom of speech in Parliament without being held liable to be prosecuted or questioned in court, the subsequent addition of Clause 4 in Article 63 states that Clause 2 is not applicable to any person who has committed an offence under Article 10(4) or the Sedition Act 1948. Noting that the Accused is charged via the Sedition Act, it is clear that the Accused’s right of free speech in Parliament is limited by Clause 4 of Article 63. 2. The Accused’s right of free speech in Parliament is not instrumental in forming the basic structure of the constitution. Thus, it was deemed  unnecessary to decide whether or not any amendments made to said Article will destroy the Constitution’s basic structure. In addition, the Accused’s right of free speech is not part of the fundamental rule of natural justice. Therefore, the amendments made to Article 63 – the addition of Clause (4) limiting MPs’ right of free speech in Parliament – are valid. 3. It was decided that it would be premature and speculative to answer this question at the present stage. The answer is deemed to be bound up with uncertain facts of the case and any proceedings made would be based on assumptions. Counsel was advised to forward the submission prepared to the trial Judge, of whom the case was further referred to. Held The case was accordingly directed to the learned trial Judge for continuation and disposal in accordance with the aforementioned judgment and otherwise according to law. Title and Citation Public Prosecutor v. Param Cumaraswamy [1986] 1 MLJ 518 Facts The accused, Vice President of the Bar Council Param Cumaraswamy, was charged for committing an offence under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948 (Revised 1969) for uttering seditious words during a press conference at the office of the Selangor and Federal Territory Bar Committee on 24 July 1985. The accused was making an open appeal to the Pardons Board to reconsider the petition of Sim Kie Chon, who was charged under the Internal Security Act for possessing an unlicensed forearm, for the commutation of his death sentence. Issues 1. Whether the words uttered by Cumaraswamy can be considered seditious under Section 3 of the Sedition Act. 2. Whether the statement made by Cumaraswamy incited feelings of ill-will and hostility between the different classes of the Malaysian population under Section 3(1)(e) of the Sedition Act. 3. Whether the statement made by Cumaraswamy incited hatred or contempt or excited disaffection against the Authority under Section 3(1)(a). Reasoning 1. Uttered words can only be considered seditious if they achieve one or more of the instruments specified in Section 3(1) of the Sedition Act. Section 3(1)(d) of the Sedition Act 1948 states that for uttered words to be considered seditious, it must be capable of raising discontent or disaffection amongst the people of Malaysia. The press statement was an open appeal to the Pardons Board urging them to exercise their powers uniformly so that the people would not be made to feel that the Board was discriminatory. It was agreed by the Court that the words which were used were unlikely to create discontent or disaffection neither among the people nor against the Authority i.e. Yang di-Pertuan Agong, any other Rulers of State and the government. 2. Section 3(1)(e) of the Sedition Act defines an act with seditious tendency that is capable of promotin feeling of ill-will and hostility between different classes of the population of Malaysia. In one part of the press statement, Cumaraswamy pointed out to the Pardons Board that the people should not be made to feel that the Board was discriminating between â€Å"the poor, the meek and the unfortunate† and â€Å"the rich, the powerful and the influential†. The court agreed that instead of trying to promote ill-will and hostility between the different classes of the population, Cumaraswamy was in fact urging the Board not to create the feeling or impression among the population that the Board was discriminating between the different classes. 3. Section 3(1)(a) stated that a ‘seditious tendency’ is a tendency to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government. It should be noted that Cumaraswamy’s appeal was directed at the Pardons Board and not at the Ruler i.e. the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Hence, it is clear that the statement did not carry the tendency to bring upon hatred of disaffection against the Ruler. Held Mr. Cumaraswamy was found not guilty of sedition. He was subsequently acquitted and discharged. Title and Citation Public Prosecutor v. Pung Chen Choon [1994] 1 MLJ 566 Facts The accused, Pung Chen Choon, editor of newspaper The Borneo Mail, was charged of maliciously publishing false news in The Borneo Mail dated 16 July 1990, stating that Benjamin Basintrol, a priest, had been arrested under the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA), whereas another priest was on the run from the police and several others were understood to be on the ‘wanted’ list. He was charged with an offence under Section 8A(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA). He was prosecuted in the Magistrates’ Court in Kota Kinabalu. A few issues were raised, leading to the case being forwarded to the High Court and subsequently, to the Supreme Court. Issues The following issues of law were presented to the Supreme Court for determination: 1. Whether Section 8A(1) of PPPA, when read with Section 8A(2), restricts the right to freedom of speech and expression granted by Article 10(1)(a) of the Constitution. 2. If so, whether the restriction imposed is one permitted by or under Article 10(2)(a) of the Constitution. 3. Whether Section 8A(1) of PPPA, read with Section 8A(2), is consistent with Article 10(1)(a) and (2)(a) of the Constitution and therefore, valid. 4. Whether Section 8A(2) of PPPA, by presuming that false news by itself is malicious, amounts to pre-censorship and therefore, disregards Article 10(1)(a) and (2) of the Constitution. Reasoning 1. The Malaysian Constitution, unlike the First Amendment to the Constitution of the USA, does not directly addresses freedom of press. However, judicial opinion in India regarding Article 19(1) of the Indian Constitution, which grants all citizens the right to freedom of speech and expression, has established that freedom of press is included within its domain. In regards to that, it is clear that Section 8A(1) of the PPPA does restrict the right to freedom of speech and expression granted by Article 10(1)(a) of the Constitution. 2 & 3. Although not all false news, even if maliciously published, falls within the stated restrictions in Article 10(2)(a), it is possible that the malicious publication of false news could incite acts which jeopardize the internal security of the country, undermine Malaysia’s friendly relations with other countries, lead to disturbance of public  order, and incite the commission of offences. Hence, it can be said that Section 8A of PPPA falls within the orbit of permitted restrictions in Article 10(2)(a) of the Constitution and is constitutionally valid. 4. Section 8A(2) of PPPA is merely a statutory presumption which operates at the trial stage, arising only if the prosecution are able to prove – when prosecuting the accused in court – that the news published is false. Section 8A(2) is, in no way, equated with pre-censorship, which can only take place before publication. Moreover, Section 8A(2) does not restrict freedom of press either directly or indirectly. Hence, the answer to Question 4 is ‘no’. Held The case was forwarded to the magistrate to proceed with the hearing, taking into account the answers to the questions presented, to determine whether the offence charged has been ascertained by the prosecution beyond all reasonable doubt. References Mark Koding v. Public Prosecutor [1982] 2 MLJ 120 Public Prosecutor v. Param Cumaraswamy [1986] 1 MLJ 512 Public Prosecutor v. Param Cumaraswamy (No. 2) [1986] 1 MLJ 518 Public Prosecutor v. Pung Chen Choon [1994] 1 MLJ 566

History Essay Introduction Essay

STEP 1: Focusing your topic: In writing a research essay for history, you should first formulate an idea (a working thesis) about the focus of your research. This gives you a starting point to find source information. The thesis statement must address your assignment. Use keywords from your assignment to help formulate a working thesis statement. STEP 2: Research: Librarians are trained to assist you with finding appropriate sources, but keep in mind there are some types of sources that are NOT appropriate to use for a college level essay. These include sources like encyclopedias (including Wikipedia), textbooks, Answers.com, etc. (These are places to start if you have no information about the topic, but they are not reliable sources of research info). Evaluate any source (especially Internet sources) you plan to use in your essay in terms of the following: Accuracy–(Is the information in the source correct? Does it generally match up with information you’ve found in other sources on the same topic?) Authority–(Who claims responsibility for the information in the source? You would not use a paper written by a 6th grader as a source for a college level class) Objectivity—(Is the author objective or biased? Is there an agenda?) Currency–(Is the information up to date? For example, you wouldn’t want to use a book published in 1959 if you were writing an essay about how students use computers to do research) Coverage—(Is balanced information provided, or is the coverage one-sided or incomplete?) Use sources that contain information that will support the thesis statement of your essay. Don’t use sources that you do not understand. STEP 3: Writing the essay: An academic research essay contains the following elements: Introduction—This introduces the reader to the topic and makes a specific claim (the thesis statement) about the topic. This claim is what the body, or main part, of your essay will support and explain. Argument and Documentation: Often called the body of the essay. This should be several paragraphs/pages long and contains the topic sentences that provide supporting points for your thesis statement, examples from sources that illustrate your supporting points, and explanations of HOW the examples illustrate your supporting points. Conclusion: Wraps up your essay and is the appropriate place to include your opinions about the topic. ↠ A word about transitions: Use them. You should create smooth transitions between paragraphs. This is often done by repeating keywords from the thesis and/or by introducing the topic of the following paragraph in the last sentence of the preceding paragraph. Transitional terms such as â€Å"In addition,† Similarly,† and â€Å"However† also help create smooth transitions. Repetition of keywords and ideas creates transitions. 02/08 The parts of a history research essay: Introduction: This section of the essay introduces the reader to the topic and to your particular historical take on the topic. Some historians like to â€Å"set the scene† with an anecdote that illustrates something important or interesting, or which catches the interest of the reader and focuses it on the essay’s topic. Others prefer to state vital data and background to the topic (one example of this would be a biographical essay which starts with information about when and where a person was born, etc.) Many find it easier to write the introduction after they have written the body of the essay. Statement of Thesis: This commonly appears within the introduction, usually as the last sentence of the first paragraph. Your thesis should be clear and straightforward. If you cannot state your thesis statement succinctly, you may need to think more carefully about what you are trying to argue in your essay and focus your topic more clearly. Argument and Documentation: The bulk of your research essay will be your support of the thesis statement from your introductory paragraph. A â€Å"format† to use for supporting your thesis might be as follows: MAKE A POINT, in your own words, that supports your thesis idea. This is the topic sentence of a paragraph. PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE from a source. This might be done in the form of a quote (using the exact words the source uses and quotation marks– ex. â€Å"quote†) or a paraphrase (restating the idea in your own words—no quotation marks). Whether you quote or paraphrase, you need to CITE any information you obtain from a source, and you do this by inserting a parenthetical note that includes the author of the source’s last name and the page number(s) where the information appeared in the source. For MLA format, the information that goes into the parenthetical note—ex. (Smith 64)—is the first bit of information about that source that your reader will see on your Works Cited page, so it is usually the author’s last name. If you do not have an author’s name, use keywords from the title—ex. The title of the article is â€Å"Joan of Arc: Heroine or Heretic.† Your citation might be (â€Å"Joan† 86). If there are no page numbers, as is often the case with Internet sources, the same citation would be (â€Å"Joan†). [pic]An important part of developing your research writing is to EXPLAIN how the EXAMPLE you have used makes your POINT. This explanation is written in your own words and should clearly indicate how you see the example conveying the point/conclusion you’ve reached about the topic. Conclusion: The conclusion wraps up your essay and serves as an appropriate place to offer your own opinion, apply the research to present-day issues, or state the historic significance of the topic. Visit The Learning Center website at http://www.tridenttech.edu/664_2970.htm for links to handouts on using MLA format, using thesis statements and topic sentences, and avoiding plagiarism.

Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger Essay

Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, strongly resembles the concepts of absurdism, the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe all fail because no such meaning exists. Life just has no meaning or purpose. Camus accepts one inevitable thing, death. The idea that everyone will meet death, then everyone’s life is equally meaningless. The inability to find meaning in life is not logical impossible but rather humanly impossible. The title, The Stranger, is significant towards Meursault’s character in the book because he sees himself as a â€Å"stranger† in the world. It seems to be a nickname for him. He only shares certain things and keeps everyone at a distance. Society does not appreciate him like their own; he does not conform to their ideas and rules. The title is also a reflection of the author because when he wrote the book, no one truly knew the philosophical views of the absurd. The idea that things sometimes happen for no reason, and that occasions sometimes have no meaning to anything in life is disruptive and threatening to society. Meursault seems to be the only one who thinks he has the freedom to do whatever he wants and therefore he does not preoccupy himself with what society has set as the norm. An interesting relationship is between Maman and Meursault. In the beginning of the novel, Maman passed away and Meursault seemed to show no emotions towards her death. He accepted that she died and moved on. He knew that putting her in the Morengo Home was the best for her. Meursault tells his boss that is not his fault that Maman died. Throughout the novel, he contemplates memories of her and what he knew about her. When he is sentenced to a horrible fate, he understands his mother more than ever. Meursault knows why she wanted to be around people who cared and loved her when she died. He realizes that she understood what life was really like similar to him. At the end, he knows that she left this world just like he is going too, meaningless and purposeless. Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, strongly resembles the concepts of absurdism, the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe all fail because no such meaning exists. Life just has no meaning or purpose. Camus accepts one inevitable thing, death. The idea that everyone will meet death, then everyone’s life is equally meaningless. The inability to find meaning in life is not logical impossible but rather humanly impossible. The title, The Stranger, is significant towards Meursault’s character in the book because he sees himself as a â€Å"stranger† in the world. It seems to be a nickname for him. He only shares certain things and keeps everyone at a distance. Society does not appreciate him like their own; he does not conform to their ideas and rules. The title is also a reflection of the author because when he wrote the book, no one truly knew the philosophical views of the absurd. The idea that things sometimes happen for no reason, and that occasions sometimes have no meaning to anything in life is disruptive and threatening to society. Meursault seems to be the only one who thinks he has the freedom to do whatever he wants and therefore he does not preoccupy himself with what society has set as the norm. An interesting relationship is between Maman and Meursault. In the beginning of the novel, Maman passed away and Meursault seemed to show no emotions towards her death. He accepted that she died and moved on. He knew that putting her in the Morengo Home was the best for her. Meursault tells his boss that is not his fault that Maman died. Throughout the novel, he contemplates memories of her and what he knew about her. When he is sentenced to a horrible fate, he understands his mother more than ever. Meursault knows why she wanted to be around people who cared and loved her when she died. He realizes that she understood what life was really like similar to him. At the end, he knows that she left this world just like he is going too, meaningless and purposeless.