Pros and Cons of Incest - 3450 Words

I. THE PROS and CONS PROS: New biological studies suggest that couples consisting of third cousins have the highest reproductive success. Scientists came to their conclusions after studying the records of more than 160,000 Icelandic couples with members born between 1800 and 1965. The results of the study are constant throughout the generations analyzed. Women born between 1800 and 1824 who mated with a third cousin had significantly more children and grandchildren (4.04 and 9.17, respectively) than women who hooked up with someone no closer than an eighth cousin (3.34 and 7.31). Those proportions held up among women born more than a century later when couples were, on average, having fewer children. Furthermore, these new studies†¦show more content†¦Morality is often in the eye of the beholder, particularly when it comes to love and sex. Incestuous couples should be left alone to follow their own moral code. 5. Incest cannot be successfully banned It is impossible to effectively ban incest. Couples have been engaging in the practice for centuries. This is partly because family members have always been capable of falling deeply in love. The love felt between many incestuous couples could not possibly be broken by any law banning it. And enforcing such a ban is simply not possible, as it is fairly easy to hide an incestuous relationship. Such a failure to enforce the law undermines the law itself. 6. Incestuous couples love one another the same as other couples. You can’t help with whom you fall in love. As a matter of fact, many adult siblings and fathers and daughters strongly profess their love for one another. Why should this kind of love be taboo? Why should these people not be able to deepen their relationship? Patrick Stubing, who is engaged in an incestuous relationship with his sister in Germany (where incest is illegal), said: Weve done nothing wrong. We are like normal lovers. We want to have a family. 7. Consensual adult incest should not be confused with abusive incest. It is easy to confuse adult incest with abusive forms of incest; such as intergenerational incest between a father and his 14 year-old daughter. Incest betweenShow MoreRelatedAbortion Is The Most Controversial Right1377 Words   |  6 Pagesmother s uterus and should only be carried out by trained medical personnel. Abortion was introduced at a very early age in society. I believe people should choose their own path and their own future, right down to abortions. I believe in choice. Pro-choice. People s lives and rights should not be interfered by the opinion of another. There are certain rights given to a person which cannot be removed or changed. 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Marketing Analysis Fast Food Industry Essay - 1720 Words

Our team of consultants has been hired to examine the fast food industry, in order to provide an industry analysis of the business environment, as this will give an insight of the industry’s current situation and recommend to our client of whether it will be a good market to enter. The following outline of the report will include a brief description of the industry, followed by the industry’s analysis that includes the macro environment demonstrated through a PEST analysis, the industry parameters, the competitive environment that is explained through Porter s five forces and group strategic mapping, followed by a conclusion and recommendations based on the industry analysis. The concept of fast food (also known as quick service restaurant) was introduced by America during the 1950’s and has widespread across the globe into a worldwide industry (Martin, Loudenback Pipia, 2016). Ever since fast food has been a popular trade, as it offers food that is prepared and served quickly towards consumers, besides being consider as tasty, filling, and affordable (Center for Young Women s Health, 2015). However fast food typically includes foods that often made out of cheap ingredients, including high fats in meat, refined grains, added sugars and other forms of added fats (Center for Young Women s Health, 2015). Fast food comes in a large variety of food types, however the classic option consists of a meal including a burger with a side of fries and a soft drink (Jacobs, 2014).Show MoreRelatedMarketing Plan For The Fast Food Industry Essay1570 Words   |  7 Pagesthat the development of the marketing plan supports the businesses to integrate the unique ele ments and attract the appropriate target audience. 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Law of Business Association Company Law

Questions: 1.Whether Mr. Palmer can be examined by ASIC, for breach of section 184 of the Corporations Act, or not? 2.Whether Mr. Palmer is liable under section 588G of the Corporations Act, or not? Answers: 1. Rule: Section 184 of the Corporations Act, 2001[1] (CA), contains that a director or any other officer of the company would be considered to have committed an offence, when such persons are reckless, as well as, intentionally dishonest, and fails to discharge their duties, and exercise their powers, for the proper purpose[2], and in good faith, which is in the best interests of the company. Further, this section states that a director, an employee, or any other officer of the company would be considered to have committed an offence, if they use their position[3] in a dishonest manner, recklessly, or with the purpose of attaining an benefit for themselves, or for another person, in a direct or indirect manner, or for the disadvantage of the company. When a person, who had access to crucial information relating to the company, by being the director, officer, or employee of the company, uses such information[4] recklessly or with an intention of gaining an advantage for themselves, o r for someone else, in a direct or indirect manner, would be considered to have committed an offence, when such information is used dishonestly. In the case of Grimaldi v Chameleon Mining NL[5], it was established that there is no distinction among a shadow director, a de facto director or a formally appointed director. A director of the company, whether he is appointed as such or not, has the obligation to operate in good faith, as well as in best interests of the corporation. Such director has to apply the necessary diligence, along with care, and has to steer clear of all conflict of interests. Section 9 of the CA, defines the director[6] as an individual who is not truly appointed, although operates in the place of a director; or such an individual according to whose wishes or instructions, the directors of the company act. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has been given the powers, under section 13(1) (a) of the ASIC Act[7], to investigate[8] any suspected contravention of the CA. These investigative powers include the power to investigate a director for the suspected breach of the duties of the directors as stated in this Act. The enforcement activities as well as the investigative activities of the ASIC ensure fair play by protecting the interests of the shareholders, creditors, and the corporations[9]. As per Section 422 of the CA, a receiver has to file a report to the ASIC when it seems that a member or an officer of the corporation has committed an offence, relating to the corporation[10]. For a liquidator[11], such report has to be filed under Section 533 of the CA. After receiving such a report from a liquidator or a receiver, the ASIC may, at its discretion[12] decide, whether or not, to investigate a matter under the Section 15 of the ASIC Act. As per Section 50 of the ASIC Act, the ASIC has the authority to commence and continue civil proceedings[13] in the name of the company, when during an investigation, the ASIC considers it necessary to be done in the public interest, as well as, in the name of a person after proper consent, in a written manner, has been obtained from such a person. In the case of ASC v Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu[14], the Federal Court emphasized on this discretion of the ASIC. In cases where the corporation fails, the powers of ASIC regarding the investigation and enforcement can be invoked. Such investigations are concerned with the determination of the knowledge of the directors, auditors or the officers of the company regarding the true state of the affairs of the company. Such investigations are carried with the association of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (DDP) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP)[15]. When an investigation of carried in the matter of a suspected infringement of the corporations legislations[16], as stated in the Section 5 of the ASIC Act, as well as, the CA[17], or when a report is sent by a liquidator or a receiver, the ASIC prepares a final report[18] on such an investigation as per the section 17(1) of the ASIC Act. When such a report covers a serious contravention of the Commonwealth law, or the State or Territory laws, the ASIC forwards such report to the AFP, DDP or the National Crime Authority for further investigation[19]. Section 49 of the ASIC Act, gives ASIC the powers to lay down the charges against an individual, who has or who seems to have committed an offence[20] under the CA. As per this section, the ASIC prosecutes such offenders who can be dealt by way of a summary prosecution. However, when the offences are serious in nature, the DPP prosecutes in such circumstances. An intentional misuse of the position of a director of a company, in order to obtain financial gains; and the decisions of the directors to carry on the trading even when the corporation is insolvent, are some of the examples of serious offences[21]. ASIC and DPP have an arrangement, through which the DPP carries the prosecution of the serious offences. Section 49(5)[22] clearly states that the prosecution by ASIC, does not influence the operations of the Director of Public Prosecutions Act, 1983[23]. As per the arrangement, the ASIC can continue with the summary prosecutions, after laying down the charges, except for the serious offences. Application: Mr. Palmer was a part of the committee that permitted the expenditures, and he had accepted that he used email alias to communicate with the company[24]. The way Mr. Palmer ran the operations at the Queensland Nickel (QN), determines that he was a shadow director. The fact that Mr. Palmer owned QN through two companies, and that the sole director was his nephew, shows that he had control over the affairs of the company. This is because he was such a person, upon whose wishes or instructions, the directors of the company acted. He controlled the operations of QN through the two companies. So, he was a shadow director of QN. Mr. Palmer acted in a reckless manner which was not in good faith or in the interests of QN. He utilized the funds of the company for his benefits, not once but on various occasions. This holds him liable for a criminal offence, under section 184 of the CA. As per Section 422 of the CA, the receiver of QN would have to file a report with the ASIC for the apparent offence committed by the director of QN. In this case, ASIC can, upon its discretion, investigate against Mr. Palmer, for the suspected breach of the duties of the directors, under 13(1)(a) of the ASIC Act. When the charges have been laid down by the ASIC against Mr. Palmer, the DPP would prosecute these offences, being serious in nature. Conclusion: Being a shadow director, Mr. Palmer can be examined by ASIC for breach of section 184, of the CA. 2. Rule: Section 588G of the CA, states it as a duty of the director to prevent such trading which has the effect of making the company insolvent[25]. A person is considered to have committed an offence[26] when a company incurs a debt[27]; and such person was a director of the company at that time[28]; and as a result of the debt, the corporation becomes insolvent or was already insolvent at the instance of incurring such debt[29]; plus the director had suspected that the corporation was insolvent or would become insolvent; and the failure of such an individual to avert the corporation from incurring such liability, was dishonest. The offence covered under subsection (3)(a) attract absolute liability, as defined under section 6.2 of the Criminal Code, and the offences covered under subsection (3)(aa) and (3)(b) attract strict liability, as defined under section 6.1 of the Criminal Code. Application: QN was trading on January 18, 2016, even after it had become insolvent on November 27, 2015. It has already been established that Mr. Palmer was a shadow director of QN. So, the provisions of section 588G (3) are applicable on Mr. Palmer and this attracts strict liability on Mr. Palmer. Conclusion: So, it can be concluded that Mr. Palmer is liable under section 588G of the Corporations Act. Bibliography Articles/Books/Reports Russell Hinchy and Peter McDermott, Company Law (Pearson Education Australia, 2nd ed., 2009) ch 2 Cases ASC v Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu [1996] 753 FCA 1; (1996) 138 ALR 655; (1996) 14 ACLC 1,486; (1996) 21 ACSR 332 Grimaldi v Chameleon Mining NL (No 2) [2012] FCAFC 6 (21 February 2012) Legislation Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act, 2001 (Cth) Corporations Act, 2001 (Cth) Director of Public Prosecutions Act, 1983 (Cth) Others AEST, Was Clive Palmer a shadow director of Queensland Nickel?, The Conversation (online), 13 April, 2016 https://theconversation.com/was-clive-palmer-a-shadow-director-of-queensland-nickel-57642 Tom Middleton, ASIC's Investigation of Corporate Collapses, 2016 https://www.findlaw.com.au/articles/440/asics-investigation-of-corporate-collapses.aspx

Macbeth Essays (1061 words) - Characters In Macbeth,

Macbeth English 11 Honors Paper on MacBeth Due Feb 22nd ?The tragedy of MacBeth? is a story of courage and honor. It gives an interesting mix of love, Machiavellianism, and has a good storyline. MacBeth is a loyal subject to his king, Duncan, but goes terribly wrong when he listens to 3 witches that tell him he will rule someday. MacBeth wishes to get to power quickly with the help of his wife, Lady MacBeth, he kills Duncan, and everyone else in his way. He takes his throne but is soon overturned by his former subordinates. In MacBeth, Shakespeare creates characters who parallel other characters either through their words and actions, or through similarities in characters lives. Each character in the story has a double, through either their similarities, or through their differences. Each character also has something about them that makes them unique. MacBeth and Lady MacBeth are the epitome of an interesting parallelization. At the beginning of the story, the two characters are complete opposites. MacBeth takes the feminine role, while Lady MacBeth is masculine: Lady MacBeth ?Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full Of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood, Stop up th' access and passage to remorse That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between Th' affectand it! Come to my woman's breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring minis- Ters, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature's mischief! Come thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife not see the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To Cry ?hold, Hold!? (I,v,41-54) Lady MacBeth basically states here that she wants the gods to make her a man. She wants to kill Duncan herself. On the other hand when MacBeth hears of Lady MacBeths seriousness in her actions he comes back with: MacBeth ?We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honored me as of late, and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon.? (I,vi,31-34) Nearing the end of the story, Lady MacBeth and MacBeth switch roles. Lady MacBeth becomes feminine and MacBeth becomes masculine. Lady MacBeth becomes week and pitiful while MacBeth, carry's out his plans to help him remain king: Lady MacBeth ?Out damned spot! Out I say! One: two: why, then ?tis time to do ?t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow'r to accompt? Yet who would have though the old man to have had so much blood in him (V,I, 36-41) MacBeth is now fully masculine and trying to keep the kingdom together. When Lady MacBeth commits suicide near the end of the story, he pushes it off and continues with his plan to remain king: MacBeth ?She should have died hereafter; there would have been a time for such a word. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That strits and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing.? (V,v, 17-28) The second pair is also interesting. This pair deals with time frames during the story (i.e. MacBeth from the Beginning, Macduff throughout). MacBeth from the beginning of the story is the loyal thane of Glamis. He protects the king and is awarded a second territory called Cawdor. The king trusted him, and MacBeth was a loyal servant. Then, he met the three witches, which pumped prophecies or, ?seeds of evil? into his head. These prophecies are very tempting but are ultimately destructive. Macduff on the other hand, is faithful and loyal to Duncan and his heir Malcolm. MacDuff knew what MacBeth was plotting and he went to Malcolm to help him stop MacBeth: Malcolm Let us seek out some desolate shade, and There Weep our bosoms empty. MacDuff Let us rather Hold fast the mortal sword, and like good men Bestride our down-fall'n birthdam. Each new morn New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows Strike heaven on the face, that it resounds As if

The market environment analysis of Shanghai environmental protection fashion exhibition Essays

The market environment analysis of Shanghai environmental protection fashion exhibition Essays The market environment analysis of Shanghai environmental protection fashion exhibition Essay The market environment analysis of Shanghai environmental protection fashion exhibition Essay The market environment analysis of Shanghai environmental protection fashion exhibition BYJulteen1313 The market environment analysis of Shanghai environmental protection fashion Consumer market analysis According to the authority of the State Statistics show that 33 capital cities across the country, 393 prefecture-level cities, almost 3,000 county-level cities, Shanghai residents consumption , the proportion of clothing consuming remains a relatively stable trend, both low-income families , middle-income families and high-income amilies, maintain that the proportion of 11% , that is to say, the Shanghai Garment consumption average amounted to 2,552 yuan , a year-on-year in 2009 increased by 360 yuan , an increase of 16. 42%. The main reasons are as follows. Firstly, increase in the price of clothing. Due to the increase of clothing production costs and cost of sales , resulting in clothing prices rose , this factor is an very important influencing factor ; S econdly, the pursuit to the brand of residents. The clothing consumption pursuit among residents has been changed from the previously simple dress equirement to the fashion, elegant, they think highly of the clothing brand. This factor has become the main factors of clothing consumption, it is also an important factor in promoting the development of brand clothing, and it is also an important factor in promoting the development of brand clothing Shanghai Fashion Market Analysis Potential Analysis With the continuous upgrading of consumption and expansion of luxury brands, more and more high-end clothing brands in shanghai have come up. Nearly two years of data show that the major categories of apparel retail average price growth ate of around 10% , the rise in prices of consumer apparel consumer grade shows a growing trend . Nanjing West Road shopping district, Middle Huaihai Road, the Bund, Xintiandi have become landmark luxury consumption in Shanghai. At the same time, some department stores are also actively introduce international brands, Orient Shopping Center, the first Yaohan Shopping Center, New World City department stores are effectively in the introduction of high-end clothing brand . Currently, some department stores sales of international brands account for more than 10% of sales f clothing commodity, is a quite obvious expanding trend. Risk prediction Market risks Exhibition institutions is conditioned by the market environment and social macro policies and laws are likely to lead to the show cannot be properly organized. Funding risks Holding an exhibition will requires a high amount of the cost, so the exhibition company may turn up some inevitable economic risks, such as lack of funds or loan difficulties crisis. If it is not supported by other enterprises, the operation of the exhibition will be suffered. Cooperation Risks Exhibition agencies between other co-operation agencies, exhibition agencies between the institutions of the exhibition pavilion, exhibition agencies between the exhibition service providers as well as marketing intermediary, on the conditions for cooperation, cooperation objectives and cooperation affairs may appear inconsistent and other uncertainties factors will lead a bad effect to the show. Reference websites chinairn. com/news/20130412/110134202. html http://wenku. baidu. com/view/3f7fae75a417866fb84a8e56. html

Shifting Meaning of Censor

Shifting Meaning of Censor Shifting Meaning of Censor Shifting Meaning of Censor By Maeve Maddox The English word censor is used both as a noun and as a verb. In ancient Rome, a censor was one of two magistrates in charge of the census, the enrollment of the names and property assessments of all Roman citizens. Both census and censor derive from Latin censere, to appraise, value, judge. In addition to maintaining census records, the Roman censors were in charge of supervising public morality. During wartime, military censors are appointed to read the letters of service personnel to insure that no information about troop movements can be intercepted by the enemy. Some modern countries have official censors whose duty is to inspect all books and movies before publication or release to ensure that they dont contain anything offensive to the government or the established religion. India, for example, has the Central Board of Film Certification that reviews, rates, and censors motion pictures, television shows, television ads, and promotional material. Before the current classification system of G, PG, PG-23, R, and NC-17 was established in 1968, the United States motion picture industry was subject to the Motion Picture Production Code for controlling movie content and advertising. Unofficially, many groups and individuals exert themselves as self-appointed censors of the public morality, working to ban books from libraries, or objectionable CDs and magazines from store shelves. The usual meaning of censor as a verb is to suppress or remove those parts of a written work or film that are considered unacceptable for some reason. For example, in the 19th century, a bowdlerized edition of Shakespeares plays was published without such naughty parts as the porters scene in Macbeth. In the 21st century, an overzealous college professor has produced a censored edition of Huckleberry Finn. One normally censors a thing, but Im beginning to notice the word being used of people, as if it meant limiting the behavior of: Croteau and Hoynesdescribe managers censoring their employees In truth, it is totally up to the parent to censor their children to what they read and watch. Dont Censor Me (song title) I found one writer using the word censor as if it could connote magical powers of elimination: How can I censor The Epic of Gilgamesh from existing? [] How can I take this book out from my local libraries so that no one can read it The development of filtering software, often referred to as censorware, probably has something to do the shift from a thing as the object of censor to a person as the object. Censorware prevents computer users from seeing certain types of content in a browser. The software is censoring content, but from the users perspective, the users freedom of choice is being interfered with. Not surprisingly, the word censor is coming to mean something like control. Bottom line: Parents may censor the type of music their children listen to, but they dont censor their children. Corporations may censor the speech of their employees, but they dont censor the employees. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. HadDifference between "Pressing" and "Ironing"Is "Number" Singular or Plural?

Discusssion 7 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discusssion 7 - Assignment Example Instead, I suggest that a roving security guard will be hired to deter offenders. I agree that for offenders to be deterred stealing from the swimming club, security measures such as hardening of the target must be instituted. For certain, the absence of security measures in the swimming club must have encouraged offenders to break into the club. t will not be long that this simple burglary will escalate and in addition to cash, other important equipment in the club may be stolen. I also agree with findings of Bruce that apprehension almost do not work (2005 pg. 74). Most of the time, burglars will already be gone before apprehending officers can catch them. So the question now would be what is the most effective way of hardening the target given the situation? By now, the burglars are already emboldened from stealing the club. The best suggestion is to have a combination of security measures that would deter the

The Gender Recognition Act Is it welcome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

The Gender Recognition Act Is it welcome - Essay Example An analysis of the reasons why transsexuals feel that they were born in the wrong gender or why they feel the need to change to the opposite gender will also be covered. This will include looking at the way society reacts to those who have undergone gender reassignment or are about to undergo such treatment, as well as the way in which society treats those who have chosen to live as the opposite sex without having the surgical procedure. Often transsexuals face ridicule from family and friends and society as a whole tends to mock those that are either in the process of changing gender or have fully undergone the transition. The study will look at the change in attitudes over the last few decades to establish whether transsexuals are more readily accepted then previously or whether they are still ostracised and ridiculed and held up as objects of scorn. To give a full picture of how transsexuals are treated the study will divide society into different age groups and classes to establish whether people of a younger generation are more accepting of transsexualism as well as whether class also plays a part the acceptance or non-acceptance of transsexuals. The study will conclude with an in depth analysis of whether the Gender Recognition Act is a welcome piece of legislation. This will take account of the attitudes of those who have undergone the transition as well as those who have chosen to live as the opposite gender without having gender reassignment and compare their views of the Act with society as a whole. There will be a discussion centred on those who feel that the Act is necessary and those that are totally opposed to the Act. It will also cover the reasons why these groups are either for or against the Act and will answer the topic posed of whether the Act is welcome. Modern diagnosis of transsexualism began in the 19th century after a study conducted by a

Critical Analysis of a Childs Reading Essay Example for Free

Critical Analysis of a Childs Reading Essay Reading is an essential skill in modern society. Not only does it enable people to access information, it provides people with a great deal of pleasure. It is vital that primary schools equip children with effective strategies for reading as well as foster a desire to read that will stay with them throughout their lives. This analysis of reading will firstly give a brief outline of the context of my school placement. It will analyse two pupils as readers and their strategies. The school’s policy indicates that the context of teaching reading is very important suggesting a variety of text styles. English Williamson (2005) inform us that the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy (DfES 2001) broadened the range of texts children are introduced to at primary level. The school is superbly resourced, with thousands of books available to all pupils. Silent reading is also practised daily. X Primary is a larger than average three-form entry primary school with 472 pupils. It’s in an area of average to high socio-economic status and the majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds with few pupils who speak English as an additional language. The number of pupils with learning difficulties is below average. (Ofsted 2010). Below is an analysis of a childs reading. I will focus on analysing the childs mistakes in reading, called miscues (Hall, 2003) to gain information of the child as a reader. See more: how to write a critical analysis outline Pupil A was chosen for assessment as he enjoys reading and is a strong reader. He has had several school moves due to family issues, and has received intervention and support throughout his time at Primary X due to his level of absence. He is eager to learn, and was keen to read for me. The assessment involved analysing his word recognition and comprehension skills. This provides an opportunity to understand how Pupil A as a fairly fluent reader may process a text. The text which was read by Pupil A was chosen as it was unknown to him. It was also chosen as a text that was suitable for his level of reading. Many of Pupil As miscues take place in the form of substitution. These miscues often relate to his syntactic knowledge. He reads a instead of one (line 3) and but instead of and (line 8). He also produces the miscue even (line 9) as an insertion. These miscues suggest that he is making predictions about a text using his syntactic knowledge. This suggests that Pupil A brings his own knowledge to a text which causes him to make predictions (Smith cited in Hall, 2003), resulting in a miscue. This suggests that Pupil A uses his syntactic knowledge to obtain meaning in what he reads (Hall, 2003). This miscue can also alter the meaning of the text which may affect his understanding. Pupil A makes the same miscue when he substitutes for for from (Page 2 line 1). He self corrects and asks for reassurance in his correction. Pupil A also corrects himself on the word quickly (Pg 3 line 3). This self-correction reveals that he uses syntactic knowledge to process the text, but also that the text Pupil A sees is different from the text on the page (Goodman cited in Hall, 2003). Goodman suggests that there are two texts in question when reading takes place, being the actual text, and the perceived text. Pupil A demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the text. He demonstrated an understanding for the organisation of the text and recalled events of the story. Pupil A demonstrated an ability to infer from the text and evaluate it. When questioned, he was able to express that he liked the text and expressed why. He demonstrated emotional or psychological response to the text and characters feelings. This suggests that Pupil A engaged with the text and was interested in the plot. In conclusion Pupil A demonstrates a clear ability to read fluently and uses different strategies for decoding words. His ability to decode unknown words could be extended by knowledge of consonant digraphs. Pupil A shows an ability to understand a text on a literal level, as well as engaging in a text by making inferences and evaluating a text. We could improve this motivation to read by encouraging Pupil A to read regularly for pleasure. Pupil B was chosen as although she receives literacy support, she does not enjoy reading. She has accessed literacy support since starting at Primary school in Year 3 and has made considerable progress and is able to read certain texts independently however she also shows little interest in reading for pleasure. She is willing to read with me, as she is used to reading with adults, in a 1-1 situation, and is comfortable with me as I have been in her class for several weeks. She is reluctant to pick a book she in unfamiliar with and cannot think of a favourite author/book when questioned. Pupil B begins well, with her decoding strategies revealing her processing of a text but also her phonic knowledge. She reads the word spider lings (line 8) correctly, by segmenting the word in her head first. She then blends ‘ling’ quietly, to herself, and then asks for reassurance to put both words together. This is because this is an unusual, unknown word, and Pupil B is unfamiliar with the term. She stumbles over the word ‘different’ (line9). She did not segment the word out loud and so it is difficult to determine which strategy she used to decode the word. Nevertheless, it is possible that Pupil B may have used one of two strategies. For the first strategy, it’s possible that she segmented and blended the word in silently. This suggests that Pupil B is confident in segmenting and blending. For the second strategy, Pupil B may have used her graphophonic knowledge to decode the word. Therefore it is possible that she recognised the word from previous reading exercises. She demonstrates her grapheme-phoneme correspondence knowledge in her unsuccessful attempt to decode the word notice (line 10). She fell silent which suggests she attempted to segment the word in her head. However, Pupil B finds this strategy unsuccessful and then chooses to segment the word out loud Pupil B often falls silent throughout the exercise, and waits for a prompt. I feel this is due to her lack of confidence rather than lack of knowledge. Pupil B demonstrates her grapheme and phonemic knowledge (Hall, 2003) by successfully sounding out the first syllable of the word ‘children’ (line11). She was unable to sound out the second syllable. This suggests that she struggled to sound out a particular grapheme. It’s possible that Pupil B was unfamiliar with the consonant digraph il. However, Pupil B demonstrates a fluency in reading which may suggest that she uses sight reading as a strategy (Ehri cited in Hall, 2003) to process a text. Erhi (cited in Hall, 2003) suggests that readers find new ways of identifying words. Finding new methods to identify a word can help a reader to become a more fluent in reading. My reading assessment can provide an insight to how a reader may process a text (Ellis Lewis, 2006 but it’s only an insight. I cannot be certain that the suggested reading strategy is the method used. The childs responses is dependent on the text. Another influence could be the texts difficulty. Too difficult a text may cause them to make miscues and create an unfair representation of the reader (Campbell, 2011). A readers inability to engage in the text may be because the reader is not interested in the text. To remedy this, it would be useful to find out what books the reader prefers. Another strategy for developing reading is shared reading which provides opportunities for children to peer assess. Iversen Reeder (1998) suggest that this allows children to actively participate when they feel comfortable. This is useful when children haven’t developed full confidence in their own reading ability, it provides a ‘safe’ structure encouraging contribution. This would be beneficial if both pupils could work together as Pupil A may help Pupil B become more engaged with the text. After analysing both Pupil A and Pupil B, I was surprised at how both pupils used similar techniques, however they were different when reading aloud. I felt there was a gap in understanding and intonation from both pupils, despite being close in age, and both receiving support. I believe another difference was the pupils was desire to read, with Pupil A keen to read books, demonstrating a clear opinion on authors or genre, however Pupil B was reluctant to name a book she’d read, and didn’t have a favourite author/style. I believe this lack of enthusiasm for reading will hinder her development, regardless of support put in. In conclusion, both pupils show an understanding and varying strategies to break down a text, however the major difference seems to be their attitude towards reading itself. References EDP 4120 Assessing Reading Riley, J Reedy, D. (2000) Developing writing for different purposes: teaching about genre in the early years. Paul Chapman Publishing, London. Iversen, S. Reeder, T. (1998) Organising for a Literacy Hour, London: Kingscourt Publishing. Hall, K 2003 Listening to Stephen Read: Multiple perspectives on Literacy Buckingham: Open University English, E. and Williamson, J. (2005) Meeting the Standards in Primary English. Routledge Falmer. DfES. (2006) The Primary Framework for literacy and mathematics, London: Department for Education and Skills. DfES. (2006) The Primary Framework for literacy and mathematics: Core position papers underpinning the renewal of guidance for teaching literacy and mathematics, London: Department for Education and Skills. DfEE. (1999) The National Curriculum: Handbook for primary teachers in England, London: Department for Education and Employment. Ofsted 2010 Campbell, R 2011 Miscue Analysis in the Classroom Leicester: UKLA

Love in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay -- Shakespeare, Romeo Juli

Love. In all its facets and colors, love is understood and accepted as a concept by even the most primitive cultures. But what is love? Many writers have debated this subject. Many works have been produced detailing the understanding individuals had of the concept of love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  The more accepted conception of love is usually found in Romeo & Juliet. Many people refer to it as love at first sight, in French, â€Å"le coup de foudre†, as if you had just been struck by a lightning bolt. This interpretation dates back to the courtly love tradition which manifested during the late Middle Ages, first through chivalry and then more openly among the nobility. In fact, many references to the courtly love tradition are found in the play, for example, Juliet's famous line: â€Å"I'll prove more true than those that have more cunning to be strange.† Here, Juliet is obviously talking about the other women, those who know to be coy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  The courtly love tradition is, however, best expressed in all the works I have chosen by â€Å"The Miller's Tale†, Chaucer's recalling of tales supposedly told in his time period. In this story, we witness the amorous liaison between Alyson, the carpenter John's wife, and Nicholas, a student of astronomy and courtly love. The lovers engineer a stratagem which will allow them to consume their passion without fear of retribution, but only after much insistence on the part of Nicholas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Then Nicholas began to plead his cause   Ã‚  Ã‚  And spoke so fair in proffering what he could   Ã‚  Ã‚  That in the end she promised him she would.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  It seems strange that, in both stories, there seems to be some resistance to the tradition of courtly love. Both stories were written during the Middle Ages, two hundred years apart. We can ... ....   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone always thinks they hold the truth. The Word of God can be a convincing argument for those who rely on faith to survive. The word of man, however, makes a stronger point, as it demonstrates how foolish and artificial our beliefs can sometimes be, and how they can change and evolve with time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Who is to say what love will be a hundred years from now? What will they write when they speak of us, of our own courtship rituals, of the looseness of morals we sometimes manifest? Will they see our behaviours as evil or good? Or will they see us as people who acted according to the values set in the culture in which we lived?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Or is it better not to think of the future, and just love each other, as we always have, regardless of everything else ? Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. London: Cambridge University Press, 1959.

National Honors Society Essay Essay

To me, National Honors Society’s four pillars are essential elements to being a member of this society. Scholarship and leadership are the two pillars that I feel complement each other because one should be a leader in the community and school without forgetting to be a good student and scholar. Service and character go well together because in order to provide services to students or members of the community, it is necessary to have a good character in order to help others. Leadership is one of the most important traits to have not only in school but outside too. In school, one can take up the position of being a leader by tutoring classmates. By helping a peer understand a topic they were confused about, a feeling of accomplishment and happiness comes along. One can also be a leader by being a part of a club and helping the club officers and other members reach their club goals. For example, I am part of the Environmental Club and I have been an active member since freshmen year. I have participated in many of the events put together by this club and have helped them in planning these events to ensure things run smoothly. At the moment, I am working with two friends on a marketing project for the tower gardens in school. If I am accepted into the National Honors Society, I will be able to gain more experience in being a leader and I will then be able to help the Environmental Club more in fulfilling more club goals. If accepted, I plan to take everythi ng I learn from being a part of this society and apply it to my life. Along with leadership comes the other pillar: scholarship. To me, this pillar is essential because one can be an outstanding leader with good but have bad grades. So although those two pillars are important, the scholarship pillar is equally as important. If someone is capable of having all those good traits while having good grades and being a scholar, they are perfect for joining NHS. I always try to make time for everything like doing homework and studying while also doing volunteer work and helping friends. It’s  difficult to do, but I try my best to make time to accomplish things I need to get done without feeling like I’m tipping the scale on one side more than the other. If I am selected to join this society, I will not forget about my schoolwork. Instead, it would motivate me to do better in my classes in order to keep my GPA in the right place so I would be able to continue participating in NHS without forgetting the importance of being a scholar. The next pillar, service, is one of great importance. I am aware that National Honors Society is a service organization. There will be many activities that will help not only our school but also members of the community and others who are in need of help. Personally, I feel that serving others should be done with a kind heart and not expecting anything in return. One should provide services to those in need because it is the right thing to do and it is truly helpful to those who need it. In the past, I have helped members of my church raise money to give to kids who cannot afford to go on field trips the church goes on. And I have helped raise money for the American Cancer Society each year since freshmen year because the money goes to a good cause and benefits many people. If I am inducted into NHS I will be happy to get the opportunity to participate in other events and activities that help people in need. This would help me give back to the community and our school and also show m e how I should be grateful to have what I have. The last pillar, character, is something we work on everyday to try to improve. Abraham Lincoln once said: â€Å"Reputation is the shadow. Character is the tree.† What I love about this quote is that he is stating that our character is not just what we show to others, but whom we are when no one is around. If one has a superb character, then it is likely that one also has the other three pillars as well. Having a good character helps you in becoming a great leader without forgetting to be a scholar. And in order to provide services to others, having a good character is a must. To me character includes being responsible, trustworthy, respectful, fair, and caring. If I were chosen to be part of the NHS, I would definitely try to improve my character in all of those areas because it is important. Character is what makes people believe in you and it also helps you succeed  in your personal life. I strongly believe that all four pillars: leadership, scholarship, service, and character, are crucial not only for National Honors Society but also crucial for life. If I were to join NHS, I would be given the opportunity to improve in all of these areas and learn from others who are doing the same. I would be able to get to know students that I’ve never seen before or talked to before, and I would get time to spend helping others which is truly gratifying. Joining NHS would be an honor and would help me become a better student, classmate, and friend.

The Host Chapter 19: Abandoned

Who is the Seeker in black? Why is it still searching?† Jared's shout was deafening, echoing at me from all sides. I hid behind my hands, waiting for the first blow. â€Å"Ah-Jared?† Ian murmured. â€Å"Maybe you should let me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Stay out of it!† Ian's voice got closer, and the rocks grated as he tried to follow Jared into the small space that was already too full. â€Å"Can't you see it's too scared to talk? Leave it alone for a sec -â€Å" I heard something scrape the floor as Jared moved, and then a thud. Ian cursed. I peered through my fingers to see that Ian was no longer visible and Jared had his back to me. Ian spit and groaned. â€Å"That's twice,† he growled, and I understood that the punch meant for me had been diverted by Ian's interference. â€Å"I'm ready to go for three,† Jared muttered, but he turned back around to face me, bringing light with him; he'd grabbed the lamp with the hand that had struck Ian. The cave seemed almost brilliant after so much darkness. Jared spoke to me again, scrutinizing my face in the new illuminations, making each word a sentence. â€Å"Who. Is. The. Seeker.† I dropped my hands and stared into his pitiless eyes. It bothered me that someone else had suffered for my silence-even someone who had once tried to kill me. This was not how torture was supposed to work. Jared's expression wavered as he read the change in mine. â€Å"I don't have to hurt you,† he said quietly, not as sure of himself. â€Å"But I do have to know the answer to my question.† This wasn't even the right question-not a secret I was in any way bound to protect. â€Å"Tell me,† he insisted, his eyes tight with frustration and deep unhappiness. Was I truly a coward? I would rather have believed that I was-that my fear of pain was stronger than anything else. The real reason I opened my mouth and spoke was so much more pathetic. I wanted to please him, this human who hated me so fiercely. â€Å"The Seeker,† I began, my voice rough and hoarse; I hadn't spoken in a long time. He interrupted, impatient. â€Å"We already know it's a Seeker.† â€Å"No, not just any Seeker,† I whispered. â€Å"My Seeker.† â€Å"What do you mean, your Seeker?† â€Å"Assigned to me, following me. She's the reason -† I caught myself just before I spoke the word that would have meant our death. Just before I could say we. The ultimate truth that he would see as the ultimate lie-playing on his deepest wishes, his deepest pain. He would never see that it was possible for his wish to be true. He would only see a dangerous liar looking out through the eyes he'd loved. â€Å"The reason?† he prompted. â€Å"The reason I ran away,† I breathed. â€Å"The reason I came here.† Not entirely true, but not entirely a lie, either. Jared stared at me, his mouth half-open, as he tried to process this. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Ian was peering through the hole again, his vivid blue eyes wide with surprise. There was blood, dark on his pale lips. â€Å"You ran away from a Seeker? But you're one of them!† Jared struggled to compose himself, to get back to his interrogation. â€Å"Why would it follow you? What did it want?† I swallowed; the sound seemed unnaturally loud. â€Å"She wanted you. You and Jamie.† His expression hardened. â€Å"And you were trying to lead it here?† I shook my head. â€Å"I didn't†¦ I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  How could I explain it? He'd never accept the truth. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I†¦ didn't want to tell her. I don't like her.† He blinked, confused again. â€Å"Don't you all have to like everyone?† â€Å"We're supposed to,† I admitted, coloring with shame. â€Å"Who did you tell about this place?† Ian asked over Jared's shoulder. Jared scowled but kept his eyes on my face. â€Å"I couldn't tell-I didn't know†¦ I just saw the lines. The lines on the album. I drew them for the Seeker†¦ but we didn't know what they were. She still thinks they're a road map.† I couldn't seem to stop talking. I tried to make the words come slower, to protect myself from a slip. â€Å"What do you mean you didn't know what they were? You're here.† Jared's hand flexed toward me but dropped before it closed the small distance. â€Å"I†¦ I was having trouble with my†¦ with the†¦ with her memory. I didn't understand†¦ I couldn't access everything. There were walls. That's why the Seeker was assigned to me, waiting for me to unlock the rest.† Too much, too much. I bit my tongue. Ian and Jared exchanged a look. They'd never heard anything like this before. They didn't trust me, but they wanted so desperately to believe it was possible. They wanted it too much. That made them fear. Jared's voice whipped out with a sudden harshness. â€Å"Were you able to access my cabin?† â€Å"Not for a long time.† â€Å"And then you told the Seeker.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"No? Why not?† â€Å"Because†¦ by the time I could remember it†¦ I didn't want to tell her.† Ian's eyes were frozen wide. Jared's voice changed, became low, almost tender. So much more dangerous than the shouting. â€Å"Why didn't you want to tell her?† My jaw locked hard. It was not the secret, but still, it was a secret he would have to beat out of me. In this moment, my determination to hold my tongue had less to do with self-preservation than it did with a stupid, grudging kind of pride. I would not tell this man who despised me that I loved him. He watched the defiance flash in my eyes, and he seemed to understand what it would take to get this answer. He decided to skip it-or maybe to come back to it later, save it for last, in case I wouldn't be able to answer any more questions when he was done with me. â€Å"Why weren't you able to access everything? Is that†¦ normal?† This question was very dangerous, too. For the first time so far, I told an outright lie. â€Å"She fell a long way. The body was damaged.† Lying did not come easily to me; this lie fell flat. Jared and Ian both reacted to the false note. Jared's head cocked to the side; one of Ian's ink black eyebrows rose. â€Å"Why isn't this Seeker giving up like the rest?† Ian asked. I was abruptly exhausted. I knew they could keep this up all night, would keep this up all night if I continued to answer, and eventually I would make a mistake. I slumped against the wall and closed my eyes. â€Å"I don't know,† I whispered. â€Å"She's not like other souls. She's†¦ annoying.† Ian laughed once-a startled sound. â€Å"And you-are you like other†¦ souls?† Jared asked. I opened my eyes and stared at him wearily for a long moment. What a stupid question, I thought. Then I shut my eyes tight, buried my face against my knees, and wrapped my arms around my head. Either Jared understood that I was done speaking or his body was complaining too loudly to be ignored. He grunted a few times as he squeezed himself out of the opening of my cave, taking the lamp with him, and then groaned quietly as he stretched. â€Å"That was unexpected,† Ian whispered. â€Å"Lies, of course,† Jared whispered back. I could just barely make out their words. They probably didn't realize how the sound echoed back to me in here. â€Å"Only†¦ I can't quite figure out what it wants us to believe-where it's trying to lead us.† â€Å"I don't think it's lying. Well, except the one time. Did you notice?† â€Å"Part of the act.† â€Å"Jared, when have you ever met a parasite who could lie about anything? Except a Seeker, of course.† â€Å"Which it must be.† â€Å"Are you serious?† â€Å"It's the best explanation.† â€Å"She-it is the furthest thing from a Seeker I've ever seen. If a Seeker had any idea how to find us, it would have brought an army.† â€Å"And they wouldn't have found anything. But she-it got in, didn't it?† â€Å"It's almost been killed half a dozen -â€Å" â€Å"Yet it's still breathing, isn't it?† They were quiet for a long time. So long that I started to think about moving out of the cramped ball I was curled in, but I didn't want to make any noise by lying down. I wished Ian would leave so I could sleep. The adrenaline left me so worn out when it drained from my system. â€Å"I think I'm going to go talk to Jeb,† Ian eventually whispered. â€Å"Oh, that's a great idea.† Jared's voice was thick with sarcasm. â€Å"Do you remember that first night? When it jumped between you and Kyle? That was bizarre.† â€Å"It was just trying to find a way to stay alive, to escape†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"By giving Kyle the go-ahead to kill her-it? Good plan.† â€Å"It worked.† â€Å"Jeb's gun worked. Did she know he was on his way?† â€Å"You're overthinking this, Ian. That's what it wants.† â€Å"I don't think you're right. I don't know why†¦ but I don't think she wants us to think about her at all.† I heard Ian get to his feet. â€Å"You know what's really twisted?† he muttered, his voice no longer a whisper. â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"I felt guilty-guilty as hell-watching her flinch away from us. Seeing the black marks on her neck.† â€Å"You can't let it get to you like that.† Jared was suddenly disturbed. â€Å"It's not human. Don't forget that.† â€Å"Just because she isn't human, do you think that means she doesn't feel pain?† Ian asked as his voice faded into the distance. â€Å"That she doesn't feel just like a girl who's been beaten-beaten by us?† â€Å"Get a hold of yourself,† Jared hissed after him. â€Å"See you around, Jared.† Jared didn't relax for a long time after Ian left; he paced for a while, back and forth in front of the cave, and then sat on the mat, blocking my light, and muttered incomprehensibly to himself. I gave up waiting for him to fall asleep, and stretched out as well as I could on the bowl-like floor. He jumped when my movement made noise, and then started muttering to himself again. â€Å"Guilty,† he grumbled in scathing tones. â€Å"Letting it get to him. Just like Jeb, like Jamie. Can't let this go on. Stupid to let it live.† Goose bumps rose on my arms, but I tried to ignore them. If I panicked every time he thought about killing me, I'd never have a moment's peace. I turned onto my stomach to bend my spine in the other direction, and he jerked again and then lapsed into silence. I was sure he was still brooding when I finally drifted to sleep. When I woke up, Jared was sitting on the mat where I could see him, elbows on knees, his head leaning against one fist. I didn't feel as if I'd slept more than an hour or two, but I was too sore to try to go back to sleep right away. Instead, I fretted about Ian's visit, worrying that Jared would work even harder to keep me secluded after Ian's strange reaction. Why couldn't Ian have kept his mouth shut about feeling guilty? If he knew he was capable of guilt, why did he go around strangling people in the first place? Melanie was irritated with Ian, too, and nervous about the outcome of his qualms. Our worries were interrupted after just a few minutes. â€Å"‘S just me,† I heard Jeb call. â€Å"Don't get worked up.† Jared cocked the gun. â€Å"Go ahead and shoot me, kid. Go ahead.† The sound of Jeb's voice got closer with every word. Jared sighed and put the gun down. â€Å"Please leave.† â€Å"Need to talk to you,† Jeb said, huffing as he sat down across from Jared. â€Å"Hey, there,† he said in my direction, nodding. â€Å"You know how much I hate that,† Jared muttered. â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"Ian already told me about the Seekers -â€Å" â€Å"I know. I was just talkin' with him about it.† â€Å"Great. Then what do you want?† â€Å"Not so much what I want. It's what everybody needs. We're running low on just about everything. We need a real comprehensive supply run.† â€Å"Oh,† Jared muttered; this topic was not what he'd been tensed for. After a short pause he said, â€Å"Send Kyle.† â€Å"Okay,† Jeb said easily, bracing himself against the wall to rise again. Jared sighed. It seemed his suggestion had been a bluff. He folded as soon as Jeb took him up on it. â€Å"No. Not Kyle. He's too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jeb chuckled. â€Å"Almost got us in some real hot water the last time he was out alone, didn't he? Not one to think things through. Ian, then?† â€Å"He thinks things through too much.† â€Å"Brandt?† â€Å"He's no good for the long trips. Starts getting panicked a few weeks in. Makes mistakes.† â€Å"Okay, you tell me who, then.† The seconds passed and I heard Jared suck in a breath now and then, each time as if he was about to give Jeb an answer, but then he just exhaled and said nothing. â€Å"Ian and Kyle together?† Jeb asked. â€Å"Maybe they could balance each other out.† Jared groaned. â€Å"Like the last time? Okay, okay, I know it has to be me.† â€Å"You're the best,† Jeb agreed. â€Å"You changed our lives when you showed up here.† Melanie and I nodded to ourselves; this didn't surprise either of us. Jared is magic. Jamie and I were perfectly safe while Jared's instincts guided us; we never came close to getting caught. If it had been Jared in Chicago, I'm sure he would have made it out fine. Jared jerked his shoulder toward me. â€Å"What about†¦?† â€Å"I'll keep an eye on her when I can. And I'll expect you to take Kyle with you. That oughta help.† â€Å"That won't be enough-Kyle gone and you keeping an eye on her when you can. She†¦ it won't last long.† Jeb shrugged. â€Å"I'll do my best. That's all I can do.† Jared started to shake his head slowly back and forth. â€Å"How long can you stay down here?† Jeb asked him. â€Å"I don't know,† Jared whispered. There was a long silence. After a few minutes, Jeb began whistling tunelessly. Finally, Jared let out a huge breath that I hadn't realized he'd been holding. â€Å"I'll leave tonight.† The words were slow, full of resignation but also relief. His voice changed slightly, got a little less defensive. It was as though he was making the transition back to who he'd been here before I showed up. Letting one responsibility slide from his shoulders and putting another, more welcome one in its place. He was giving up on keeping me alive, letting nature-or rather mob justice-take its course. When he returned, and I was dead, he wouldn't hold anyone responsible. He would not mourn. All this I could hear in those three words. I knew the human exaggeration for sorrow-a broken heart. Melanie remembered speaking the phrase herself. But I'd always thought of it as a hyperbole, a traditional description for something that had no real physiological link, like a green thumb. So I wasn't expecting the pain in my chest. The nausea, yes, the swelling in my throat, yes, and, yes, the tears burning in my eyes. But what was the ripping sensation just under my rib cage? It made no logical sense. And it wasn't just ripping, but twisting and pulling in different directions. Because Melanie's heart broke, too, and it was a separate sensation, as if we'd grown another organ to compensate for our twin awarenesses. A double heart for a double mind. Twice the pain. He's leaving, she sobbed. We'll never see him again. She didn't question the fact that we were going to die. I wanted to weep with her, but someone had to keep her head. I bit my hand to hold the moan back. â€Å"That's probably best,† Jeb said. â€Å"I'll need to get some things organized†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Already Jared's mind was far, far away from this claustrophobic corridor. â€Å"I'll take over here, then. Have a safe trip.† â€Å"Thanks. Guess I'll see you when I see you, Jeb.† â€Å"Guess so.† Jared handed the gun back to Jeb, stood up, and brushed absently at the dust on his clothes. Then he was off, hurrying down the hall with his familiar quick step, his mind on other things. Not one glance in my direction, not one more thought for my fate. I listened to the fading sound of his footsteps until they were gone. Then, forgetting Jeb's existence, I pressed my face into my hands and sobbed.

The Effect of Fast Food in Our Health Essays

The Effect of Fast Food in Our Health Essays The Effect of Fast Food in Our Health Paper The Effect of Fast Food in Our Health Paper Have you ever asked yourself why are there so many fat people out there? No? Yes? This writer has, and this writer would like to know what the reasons are. It is hard to know all the reasons, but most of them are obvious. We are what we eat. This is one of the simplest reasons, and this writer believes it is right. Most of obese people have bad nutrition habits such as high fat level food intake. According to the United States government, the number of overweight Americans is higher than ever before. A 1991 study found that one-third of U.S. adults are obese. One of the reasons for this percentage is the frequent consumption of fast food. The American fast food is not healthy and most of it leads to obesity and might cause cardiovascular problems. It also contributes to polluting the environment. Another reason is that millions of cows, chickens, and pigs are killed every year to satisfy hungry people. Fast food is not good for our health and for our environment. Most of American fast food is unhealthy, high in calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol, but generally low in the nutrients a growing body needs. Do you know how many grams of fat a burger contains? No, right? The reason is because fast food is not often labeled with nutrition facts, but people do not care about it, they just want something fast to eat. The problems begin when the intake of fast food is frequent or almost every day. It is really easy, cheap, and of course fast going to any fast food restaurant or drive through and buy a burger and fried chips, but is it good for your health? The response is No. This does not mean fast food is bad. But it does mean you should fit fast food into a balanced healthy diet. Research shows that eating too much high-fat foods contributes to high blood cholesterol levels. This can cause hardening of the arteries, coronary disease and stroke. High-fat diets may also contribute to a greater risk for some types of cancer, particularly cancers of the breast and colon.(Fast food facts-internet) Eating disorders associated with a sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity, and obesity is expensive. As an example most of the diseases above-mentioned are directly related to obesity. Realize that it is still possible to eat fast food occasionally and follow sensible diet. Fast food also contributes polluting the environment. Just think that for a second how much garbage do fast food restaurants throw away every day. It is a lot. And where it comes from? This is an easy question. It comes from every wrapped burger, straw, or chips and drinks containers. Just imagine thousands of burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and so on are sold every day in United States, so a lot of garbage is collected every day, but just a small part of it is recycled. Another reason of why fast food pollutes the environment is beef. In the United States beef is king. The Western World has a love affair with beef. But how many people are aware that the real costs of the cattle culture are animal suffering, global hunger and poverty, and environmental devastation. More than 6.7 billion-hamburgers were sold last year at fast food restaurants. Beef has been central to the American experience. The relationship between beef and the environment pollution is that cattle raising is a primary factor in the destruction of the worlds remaining tropical rain forests. They graze on nearly 24 percent of landmass of the planet and consume enough grain to feed hundreds of millions of people. The burning of tropical forests to clear land for pasture releases millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. There are currently 1.28 billion cattle populating the Earth. Cattle are also a major cause of global warming.(Rifkin) They emit methane, a potent global warming gas, blocking heat from escaping the Earths atmosphere. One more reason is our dependence on animals for food and the profoundly inhumane and unhealthy conditions under they are currently raised. Beef, pork, turkey, and chicken meat are the main ingredient in fast food menus, but just a few people know how these animals are treated before they are killed and be part of our meal. Mass-produced chickens (around 99% of the market) spend their lives in huge windowless sheds. Many dead and dying birds go unnoticed to discompose in the litter on the shed floor. Most poultry are killed by electric stunning plus neck cutting. They are just animals people think, but the reality is that those animals also feel as human beings. The owners of fast food restaurants say it has positive side also. It is really convenient predictable and fast because out there you can find a fast food restaurant anywhere and it is cheap. Fast food has become a part of the busy American lifestyle. People who work full time and have no time to go home and cook, or students living at the dormitories who do not have the facilities for cooking are just examples of why people eat fast food. There are more than 300,000 fast food restaurants in the U.S. (Fast food facts-internet) and is an important source of employment. But anyway fast food is not the best election for a lunch meal. Healthier choices can be made to help make a healthier body such as eating in vegetarian restaurants or regular restaurants stead of eating fast food every day. This writer conclusion is that even with some positives aspect fast food should be avoided to conserve better our environment and our health. It is your choice to continue eating fast food or not. Works-Cited Rifkin, Jeremy. Beyond Beef: The Rise and Fall of the Cattle Culture. Mammersmit, London: Thorsons, 1994. B. Elizabeth. How much fat is in Fast Food? Netscape. Internet. 7 Oct. 1998. Available:

How to Use a Scorecard to Create More Effective Content with Jeff Goins

How to Use a Scorecard to Create More Effective Content with Jeff Goins Do you wish your content were more consistent and effective? You’ve probably noticed that some of your posts get a lot of attention, while others tend to go largely ignored. Why is this? And, more importantly, what can you do about it? Today’s guest is Jeff Goins. Jeff is the author of The Art of Work and the founder of his blog, Goins, Writer. He says that by having a content scorecard, you can improve the standards of each of your posts, raising your blog’s overall effectiveness. If you’re having trouble keeping the engagement factor of your blog posts consistent, today’s episode is just what you need. Some of the topics we will be discussing today include: How Goins, Writer came about, as well as some great advice he received that got him into the habit of writing every day. The four points of the content scorecard: A good post is well-written, promises something, fulfills that promise, and containing a large amount of value. Some of the biggest challenges Jeff faced when implementing the score card. Advice for creating a scorecard that will work for your blog. Quotes by Jeff: â€Å"You don’t need to want to be a writer. You are a writer. You just need to write.† â€Å"The best content is not necessarily just a good story or a well-written piece but it makes a clear, compelling promise.† â€Å"You haven’t effectively communicated a message until the receiver says, okay, I receive that.†

Write a reading response based on the this article Essay

Write a reading response based on the this article - Essay Example At one point in the article, Honan talks about how he is going to go out of town and is debating about allowing his location to be tracked during this time period as it would make public that his wife would ultimately be alone for five days. His wife states at one point, â€Å"Youre not going to announce to everyone that youre leaving town without me, are you? A lot of weirdos follow you online."(Honan). I couldn’t help but agree with his wife’s consensus. Although there might not be that many weirdos running around out there with the intent to hurt others, it is still scary to think that someone could easily find out where you are and that you had basically handed out this information voluntarily. In reading this article, I was impressed to see all of the capabilities of technology with apps such as iWant, GasBag, and Wikime, but I also feel like there is an overload of it right now. A lot of these apps just don’t seem necessary and could end up causing more trouble than they are worth. By the end of the piece, Matthew Honan seems to agree with this somewhat when he nearly gets in a car crash because he was placing too much of his attention on his smart-phone and not enough attention on the road(Honan). I concluded from the article that with apps, the phrase â€Å"too much of a good thing† definitely applies. Honan , Matthew. "I Am Here: One Mans Experiment With the Location-Aware Lifestyle ." Wired.com . 19 Jan. 2009. Web. 28 Sept. 2011.

Existentialism vs. Relativism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Existentialism vs. Relativism - Essay Example Existentialists believe that personal choices are unique and do not have to be based on an objective form of truth (Waugh, 2004: pp. 432). Relativism serves as the antagonist of absolutism. These are individuals who perceive every situation in life as having two different perspectives and understanding. Relativism personalities believe that the truth or falsity of a concept is relative to the social context from which the idea is generated. Their idea is that what is true for an age group, social class or tribe, might not be true for the same age group, social class and tribe in a different setting. They appreciate that there exists diversity in the norms that are upheld by various societies (McLachlan, 2005: pp. 92). Key Distinctions between Existentialism and Relativism Sartre used existentialism following the World War II as a basis of framing the political and social issues. Camus on the other hand assisted in the popularization of the philosophy, by focusing on personal freedom and individualism. It served as a justification to challenge the regimes at that time and the administrators and citizens embraced the philosophy as a solace to the frustrations they were encountering from domestic and foreign policies between 1960s and 1970s (Waugh, 2004: pp. 432). ... Unlike the existentialists who try to understand the events in their life after happening, the relativists expose the events of other people to research and gain knowledge that depict their future events (McLachlan, 2005: pp. 92). Existentialists believe in human free will. They believe that religion, law, society, and ethics do not indentify an individual. They believe that an individual is able to define himself if he violates the norms set by the society and challenges the preset standards. They believe that an individual is at his best when he is struggling against nature and struggling to maintain his life. They are excited by challenges and find pleasure in going against all the preset rules. Existentialists believe that in doing this, they are able to attach meaning to what they believe in and also attach meaning to their life since they just do not follow rules without understanding them (Waugh, 2004: pp. 432). However, relativists believe that an individual is defined by the society in which he exists. They believe that rules define the norms of a society and set apart what is right from what is wrong. Besides, they acknowledge the fact that different societies have different rules and regulations and hence respect the diversity that exists in individuals. Relativists do not struggle with life and they believe that life flows with nature and the life of others should be used as a specimen not to make the same mistakes. They have the notion that life should be programmed and should not be haphazard in bid to discover oneself (McLachlan, 2005: pp. 92). Relativists believe in having their own way and they do not have the â€Å"it is my fault† mentality. They have the rationale that what they are experiencing is better placed than what

Major Theological Divisions in the Islamic World Research Paper

Major Theological Divisions in the Islamic World - Research Paper Example The purpose of this paper is to establish the origins and evolution of the major divisions in Islam, and identify their ideologies and historical significance until the period of the Mongol Conquests. The paper argues that the major divisions of Islam were caused by struggles for power and authority, and evolved over a long period of time starting in the eighth century after the death of Prophet Muhammad. The major Islamic divisions include: Sunni, Shiite, Wahhabis, and Suffis. As the discussion stresses Prophet Muhammad had predicted in his ruling time that the Islamic religion would divide into seventy-three sects, which would all go to hell except himself and his true followers. The Islam divisions are now up to 150. The first Islamic group which was a successor of Prophet Muhammad was formed immediately after the death of the prophet in the seventh century. This division is known as the Sunni Muslims. Sunni Muslims are the majority of Muslims in the world, and they follow the four Khalifs who succeeded Prophet Muhammad – Hanifa, Hannibal, Malik and Shafi. This group has evolved to pursue their religion alongside secular societies. Ansary suggests that â€Å"they have followed the three Islamic sources of law namely, Hadith, Quran and Muslim consensus†. They consider themselves as those who have been saved by Allah; hence deriving the title of Najiyah.  

Plan for Closing the Achievement Gap for Latino Students

Plan for Closing the Achievement Gap for Latino Students Chapter 1 Definition of the Problem The American education experienced long and sustained period of school reforms filled with significant challenges. The policymakers as well as the governors made the school reform movement their top project priority since the 1980s (Sindelar, Shearer, Yendol-Hoppey Liebert, 2006). The school reform movement undergone profound achievements in the past and continues to tackle significant challenges although it has achieved its goal in creating changes to school conditions, student performance, and institutional policy. The National Governors Association for Best Practices is looking into the achievement gap challenge facing the schools today (Grant, 2009). This requires creating new policies and developing old policies to close in the achievement gap problems happening in several states. The policy primer discloses the nature of the achievement gap problem, its history, and the different states efforts to solve the existing problem. The primer also discusses alternative solutions and strategies at state level including important issues and factors to avoid in implementing solutions. Understanding the achievement gap context The achievement gap context is all about the differences one sees between people coming from different race and class (Chubb Loveless, 2002). There is an increasing difference concerning the performance of students coming from the disadvantaged minority as compared to the performance demonstrated by white students of the same grade level (Chubb Loveless, 2002). This achievement gap is a clear issue of racism and the effects of the power of the privilege. Educational institutions, educators, and policymakers face genuine lack of understanding creating and developing schools that can cope up with the context of a diversified society. The challenge goes on with the creation of correct policy that could help close the achievement gap. Federal response to the urgent persisting achievement gap problem The No Child Left Behind Act or NCLB is an attempt by the Federal government to close the achievement gap (Chamberlain, 2004). The policy set forth a new accountability practice for American schools to set the same standards with detailed plan for testing performance to ensure students meet preset standards of the schools. The framework of the NCLB allows a student to transfer to other schools located at the same district if he fails to pass the test performance set by the school. It is the responsibility of the school district to provide persistently failing students supplemental services as well as choices to study at other schools operating within the same district (Chamberlain, 2004). The school needs to demonstrate adequate progress about the problems of persistently failing students. Failure to show progress makes them open for state law corrective action (Chamberlain, 2004). The schools focus their performance targets based on the conditions of the students with disabilities a nd coming from disadvantaged family background. This includes students coming from ethnic or minority group that possess limited English language skills and proficiency. However, well performing schools are still required to alter school practices, policies, and governance to accelerate and enhance the educational experience of the disadvantaged group of students. The state considers a school as well performing only when they become successful in bridging the achievement gap. The intervention of the new Federal law on the educational scene has created quite a stir among schools struggling to meet the new set of policies and criteria. How do you measure the achievement gap? NCLB Act is clearly a Federal strategy to challenge the achievement gap brought by the effects and challenges of inequality among students in the US. Schools measure achievement gap by comparing African-American test scores and academic performance with the Hispanic group and white Americans using standard assessment tests (Chamberlain, 2004). Survey statistics gathered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reflected a narrow gap between Hispanic and African-American 17 year old students reading scores for the period 1975 to 1988 (US Commission on Civil Rights, 2004). The gap becomes wider or somehow constant in the areas of mathematics and reading during 1990 to 1999. The NAEP charts on achievement gap raised concern over the intelligence and skills of the disadvantaged minority students. The Education Trust analysis on the NAEP data bothered policymakers. It concluded that the grade 12 level disadvantaged minority students performed similar to the level of the students studying four years behind them (Ferguson Mehta, 2004). The skills of the Latino and African-American 17 year old students are comparable to the skills possessed by the 13-year-old White students in the subjects of English, science, and mathematics (Ferguson Mehta, 2004). The educational attainment is another way to measure the achievement gap between races. The different ethnicities showed wider gap as to the highest educational level of attainment they had achieved in the past. The groups showed gaps in all discipline. Dropouts among African-American and Hispanic groups in high school are heavier even though the tuition fee rates are lower than those rates given to the Whites (Ferguson Mehta, 2004). The Whites show more effort in trying to get a college degree than the Blacks and Hispanic young adults. Policymakers and schools do not overstate the importance of achievement gaps but actually noted the big difference between Whites and other ethnic groups educational achievement specifically Hispanic and African-American groups (Chubb Loveless, 2002). The achievement gap is the outcome of local and national standard test measures between diversified groups of students mostly categorized by ethnicity and socioeconomic status (Chubb Loveless, 2002). The other forms of category applicable to the groups are their gender and ability. There are many ways that a school can measure the achievement gap between the groups such as test scores resulting from standardized test and average grades obtained by each group. The dropout rates, highest level of educational attainment, and population of college enrollees are other ways to measure the achievement gap between ethnicities (Strictland Alvermann, 2004). Although the results of this statistic survey came from different American states, the same thing is also happening with other countries. These achievement gaps noted across countries showed the possible effects brought by discrimination and social injustice. The government made a good move eradicating social discrimination. The move to bridge the achievement gap between ethnicities also responds to their effort to solve existing social discrimination at the same time. Eradicating the gap as a public policy would help eliminate the other problem of social discrimination. However, some people disagree that the core causes of the achievement gap come from a persons class, culture, or even biology. These people believe that policymakers can directly influence economics and education using progressive education based on multiculturalism. This idea is more effective in helping them achieve equality among ethnic groups. Identified factors causing the widening achievement gap Researchers do not have any clear idea about the real reason for the increasing achievement gap between ethnic groups. Structural as well as cultural factors played a major role to the widening discrepancy. Students lacking the cultural capital portrayed by the middle class are likely to show low academic scores and achievements especially if they experience little parental involvement concerning their education and home coursework (Strictland Alvermann, 2004). Annete Lareau stated that better resource students demonstrate more accomplishments in academics and life (Lareau, 2000). Other researchers believed that a persons ability to achieve more in life and academics largely depends on its socioeconomic condition and the classification of race from which he belongs. It is evident that students belonging to the disadvantaged minority suffer the adverse result of the achievement gap because they find themselves at a disadvantage position than the White students. Understanding the effects of the environment and culture to students performance The culture, traditions, beliefs, social roles, and environment of the student influence the students performance and are factors that need extra consideration and study when dealing with the core causes of achievement gap (Lareau, 2000). It would be for the researchers advantage that he should look into the lives, environment, economic condition, and practices of the disadvantaged minority to ascertain and identify specific cultural differences that can help explain the differences of the child-parent relationships between ethnic group families (Lareau, 2000). Cultural differences shaped the childs behavior and motivation to become achievers. The authors Jencks and Phillips argue that a child belonging to the Black family do not have much motivation and encouragement from their parents because of the lack of understanding about the benefits of education and obtaining academic skills (Jencks Phillips, 1998). The lack of awareness resulted to Black children going to school with little vocabularies than their White counterparts. Studies claimed that students with parental involvement such as homework assistance show more progress in school (De Carvalho, 2001). In comparison, the disadvantaged minority consists of single parents have to spend more of their time looking for money to cope up with their household economics and other needs rather than staying and getting involve with their childs homework (De Carvalho, 2001). The minority group also consists of parents that do not understand nor speak English well. The study points two major causes of the childs difficulty namely unavailable English speaker at home and lack of parental involvement for homework. Researchers highly believed that children from the minority group do not attend school because they are not willing to find themselves in comparison with the Whites and accused as behaving like the White children by their peers (De Carvalho, 2001). The children of the minority group simply lack the motivation and the understanding to pursue higher education because they do not see and believe the benefits and role of education in their future. They possess little understanding about the benefits that knowledge and higher education bring to their lives and how it could improve years of hard work (De Carvalho, 2001). The common minority behavior from lack of motivation to do better in school is plain rejection of the idea to achieve something more in their future. It is like giving up their potential and the ability to do more by not studying and working hard to make any progress in their social status as well as to receive higher wages. Furthermore, researchers found that schools often set up their performance measures based from the students knowledge as well as familiarity about the White group that belongs to the middle class cultural capital. It is obvious that the disadvantaged minority is not familiar about the middle class cultural capital background of the White group. Schools need to change their test for students performance and base it on their understanding of the subject matter. The test should be solely base on how they understand and perceive the subject they are taking. How structures of the institutions influence the students? Students coming from the disadvantaged minority group definitely go to schools categorized by the district as poorly funded schools (Danielson, 2002). Children belonging to low-income household attend poorly funded schools because it is the only affordable form of education. Schools belonging to the poorly funded school category have limited resources and employ teachers with less qualification (Danielson, 2002). Schools tried to solve the achievement gap between ethnicities by placing students in tracking education groups. The framework of the tracking education group assigns students within the same school into several groups base on their skills and academic abilities (Ansalone Biafora, 2004). The schools then tailored the teachers lesson plans to meet the varying requirements of the different sets of learners abilities (Ansalone Biafora, 2004). The strategy made dramatic progress to some learners. However, some schools based their grouping from the students cultural capital and socioeconomic status that results to the disadvantaged minority overly representing the lower educational group (Ansalone Biafora, 2004). This made schools placed the African-Americans and the Hispanic students into the lower educational group. Their perception about the minority group wrongly placed the African-Americans and the Hispanic students, which reflects practice of institutional racism (Ansalone Biafora, 2004). This confirms some researchers beliefs that the initiation of the tracking education groups implies the existence of racial segregation within the school system itself. Several studies performed on tracking education groups provided negative results. The implementation of the tracking education groups harmed the potential of the minority students to learn more skills because the teachers assigned to their groups are less qualified (Molnar, 2003). The curriculum design for the minority group is also less challenging and provides less opportunity for advancement in their academic fields. The peers as well as the teachers of the students belonging to the lower tracking educational group labeled them as slow learners. This greatly affected their self-confidence and motivation to continue their studies, which resulted to increasing minority school dropouts. Concerned psychologist claimed that the schools tracking groups outcomes might not be beneficial to all groups (Molnar, 2003). They cannot identify any lasting benefit to the grouping. Chapter 2 Rational The schools explanation over the creation of the tracking education widely varies. The goal to find applicable institutional and policy solutions to narrow the achievement gap gave birth to drafting education reforms. The categorization leads schools to provide remedial classes as well as tutoring sessions for identified less performing students. Strategies applied to narrow the ethnicities achievement gap The school provided tutoring sessions to the less advantaged and low performing students after school. They also offer remedial classes to help underperformers. The main problem noted with the categorization program is the pressure it gave to minority students. The program pushes minority students or underperformers to learn at a fast pace in an attempt to catch up with the performing groups usually comprise of their White counterparts. The catch up required more efforts from the teachers and gave much pressure to the students. The schools changed their categorization by race to grouping the students according to their ability. This new grouping criteria enabled schools to provide fair quality education for the students without considering ethnicity. The detracking scheme made schools and teachers perceive students equally (Burris Welner, 2005). This also made schools provide more teachers that are qualified to the different groups, design their curriculum appropriately, and provide more resources to the learners. Understanding the condition of the minority The Blacks and the Latinos usually describe the low-income minority of the United States (Aragon, 2000). These students usually come from poor families and comprise the less performing group in school. The schools can easily identify minority students based on their SAT scores. Minority students often obtain lower scores than their White peers (Aragon, 2000). The schools broke down their SAT scores according to their socioeconomic status. The results showed that the Blacks and the Latino students usually achieve lower SAT scores than the Whites. However, Asians still achieve higher SAT scores than their White peers who belong to the same family income level. The analysis of the authors Steven G. Rivkin and Eric A. Hanushek fully explained the core causes of the increasing achievement gap. In their book published last 2006, the authors discussed the effects of the schools effort to group the students according to their socioeconomics and ethnicity (Hanushek Rivkin, 2006). The racial concentration in certain groups created the unequal distribution of experienced teachers and the inexperienced teachers (Hanushek Rivkin, 2006). The study noted the increasing achievement gap in the grades 3 and grades 8 levels. Looking into the structure of the high performers that belongs to the minority group There are minority students who managed to excel in their grade levels. One great example of minority high performers is the students attending at Davidson Magnet School of Augusta, Georgia. The other school with minority high performers is the Amistad Academy located in New Haven, Connecticut. The schools strategically employ traditional and rigorous training instructions that include providing direct instruction to students. Researchers found direct instruction effective and efficient in developing the skill levels of the learners coming from the inner city of the research title Project Follow Through (Harris Graham, 2007). Black schools sometimes perform higher than their White counterparts do. The results of the annual test during the later part of the 19th century at Washington, DC can prove this claim. The Blacks performing higher than the Whites do continued until the middle of the 20th century. The M Street School gave quite a performance during this period by exceeding on the national standardized test. The author Carl L. Bankston III and his partner researcher Stephen J. Caldas claimed that the achievement gap causes the segregation of the schools in US (Caldas Bankston, 2005). The book titled â€Å"A troubled dream: The promise and failure of school desegregation in Louisiana† published in 2002 and the other book titled â€Å"Forced to fail: The paradox of school desegregation† published in 2005, clearly pointed that students benefit more when placed in the same school with high achieving students (Caldas Bankston, 2005). Their research also showed that students experienced academic disadvantage when they interact more with low achieving schoolmates. This proves their perception about the achievement gap as the core cause of school segregation. This means that parents played a major role and are greatly involve in the creation of school segregation for the fact that many parents even avoid sending their children to schools with larger minority student population (Caldas Bankston, 2005). Understanding the standards based form of education reform The standard based education reform based its classification by the education characteristics and income level of the student regardless of performance (US Commission on Civil Rights, 2004). Most schools in US decide to adopt the education reform. The policymakers believed that students regardless of race and gender have the potential to become achievers and receive higher pay levels. There is a need to study the content and context as well as the effects of the states education policy and compare them with the education policies of other nations. Improved performance is attainable using the standard based assessments with clear set of incentives such as examination for high school graduation (US Commission on Civil Rights, 2004). The student reforms of whole language, multiculturalism, affirmative action, block scheduling, desegregation, inquiry-based science, and reform mathematics were not successful in improving the achievements of the students. The recent NCLB legislation requires students to take annual testing and demonstrate progress at an acceptable rate every school year. The federal government imposed sanctions to schools with larger population of under performing students. Obviously, the schools having the greatest attendance of minority and poor students face the problems of coping up with the legislation and working on the skills of the students. Those who favored the traditional education claimed that the schools are not designing the education reforms in a constructive way because the reforms are not curriculum and student based. The IQ tests and the SAT are widely accepted as norm-referenced tests. Some people claimed the ACT as limiting chances for the minorities. Many people favored the standards based assessment because they have a clear definition and design of the criteria for the reference test (US Commission on Civil Rights, 2004). The criteria are acceptable and regarded as free from any cultural bias. The students can easily pass the reference test criteria. In 2006, states like the Washington questioned the effectiveness of the approach. The assessment became a mandatory requirement for graduation. Terry Bergeson, a Superintendent, believes that students coming from the disadvantaged minority can compete and are capable of achieving higher scores (Thomas, 2005). However, these minority students need additional help to perform more. MCAS in Massachusetts showed higher percentage of graduating students for all races. In the Fairtest point, there are still many minority students dropping out and performing less than the Whites and Asians. Although the Washington state has narrowed the achievement gap, researchers cannot find any conclusive evidence that the standard based reforms are effective in closing the achievement gap. The author of the book titled â€Å"The Bell Curve†, Charles Murray, looked into the point gaps and its relative improvement (Locke, 1995). His analysis implied that the test is theoretically easy to pass but actually difficult to answer. The test consists of open-response questions that are mostly problem solving, reading, writing, and mathematics. Minorities who fail the test are about twice or even four times than the population of the students that achieve high scores of the testing history. In 2006, only one sophomore student belonging to the minority group passed the standard test. One needs to pass WASL to obtain a diploma. The tasks of keeping American public schools from educational failure depends on how fast policymakers and educators provide efficient policies and effective structure of framework for teaching that can respond to the students individual differences and capabilities. There is a rising need for educational institutions to meet projected challenges posed by changing demographic trends and requirements. The most crucial part is the transmission of societal values from diversified students of differing religion, philosophy, history, and political context. The lack of understanding of each ethnic group values and culture endangers the opportunity of any education reform to work for the learners. Chapter 3 Significance of the problem The American Indian group always ranked below the Latino and the African American students in terms of graduation rates and standardized test scores. The three groups always showed significant numbers concerning dropout rates. The achievement gap persists in the US history. The study published in the Education week revealed that American Indian or Alaska Native students graduation rate is about 47.4 percent. The foundation of the couple Bill and Melinda Gates funded the study. The statistics showed that American Indians were 30 points below their White peers, which means that about half of the graduating students belonging to the minority failed. The Council of Chief State School Officers report in 2006 declared that the low attendance of American Indian students across the country is a significant problem among the states specifically West Mississippi (Council of Chief State School Officers, 2006). The persisting problem about the achievement gap of the African Americans, Hispanic, Asian Americans, and Caucasian students present a challenge to the present structure of public education (Zajda, 2005). The gap narrowed a little during the 1970s and the 1980s and then started to widen again in 1990. The gap persists to widen until today (Vanneman, Hamilton, Anderson Rahman, 2009). There were about 22% grades 4 White students who scored below the basic NAEP test for reading in 2007. The report also showed about 50% Hispanic and 54% Black students who obtained scores below the basic NAEP. There were about 16% White students at grades 8 who scored below the basic mark required to pass the reading test. There were about 42% Hispanic and 45% Black students performing below the basic mark required to pass the reading test. The wide achievement gap reflected in their math scores also. Some people argued that district resegregation across the states reinforced the rising disparity problems. This is especially true in the northern and southern districts (Kozol, 2005). The White parents enroll their children in high quality suburban schools while the African-American as well as the Hispanic families enroll their children in racially isolated schools. These racially isolated institutions normally provide school instruction of very low quality and normally face other types of problems (Zajda, 2005). The California state is the most affected state in the US. Jack OConnell, State Superintendent, considers the task of helping the minority as moral, economic, and ethical imperative (Gerston Christensen, 2009). The California Department of Education (2009) revealed the state needs to prepare and train the students especially the African-American and the Latino to compete in the global economy. This would make California gain a competitive edge over world economic leaders. The success of the task largely depends on how well the students respond to the NCLB standardized test. Taylor (2006) is the main advocate of the Critical Race Theory. He tried to bring awareness about the racial minority and institutionalized oppression hidden under the Federal as well as state policies. Although the Federal government created the NCLB in an attempt to bridge the achievement gap, Taylor claimed that the Federal regulation puts too much pressure over the educators and students in trying to improve academic performance. Taylor claimed that the movement did not correctly address the issues stated in The Colors of Poverty by Lin and Harris. Taylor claimed that putting pressure to perform better does not respond to the racial segregation practices and policies. People and policymakers do not even understand the occurrence and the consequence of the practices nor do they have the ability to reverse its occurrence (Taylor, 2006). Understanding the context of differentiated instruction Differentiated instruction makes students the center of learning and teaching based from the theory that students come to school bearing different skills implying unique differences on their learning needs (Tomlinson, 1999). The varying degrees of differences may refer to their personal and educational context, community or environment background, and academic skills. The educators under the differentiated instruction design and employ several methods of instruction that can facilitate the learning experiences of the diversified students in the classroom effectively. The goal is to match students skills to the resource materials in a qualitative manner. The program includes blending the needs of the whole class with the design of their individual instruction using effective approaches and methods to expedite the processing of knowledge, input and output, of the learners. This requires constant assessment of the students progress by their respective classroom teachers. Policymakers considered the differentiated instruction movement as a proactive approach to educational issues facing practitioners today (Tomlinson, 1999). The proactive approach makes the students become more comfortable in pursuing their education. Educators refine and tailor their instructions according to the needs of the students. This also entails adjusting the curriculum to fit the students academic needs. Teachers committed to this approach understand that the students they teach shape their teaching style and practically believe that students create awareness on teachers how to shape them. The students personality and learning style necessarily influence the instructors teaching philosophy and methods (Tomlinson, 1999). This is the only way to get through them and seems the only possible way that they get to learn things. Creating a model for differentiated instruction requires student centered approach that supports the key elements of interest, readiness, and learning profile (Allan Tomlinson, 2000). The Russian psychologist, Lev Vygotsky, declared that people receive and learn more things when they are ready to learn these things (Daniels, 2001), which is the theory behind the differentiated instruction movement. The differentiated instruction approach matches the individuals interest and methods of learning. This approach supports the student interest, which is one of the key elements of differentiated instruction. Jerome Bruner claimed that the moment a teacher gains the interest of the student is the specific moment that a student starts to learn and the learning experience becomes more rewarding (Tomlinson Allan, 2000). The American psychologist who wrote about the multiple intelligence theory, Howard Gardner, claimed that a human being is a unique individual that possesses different levels of intelligence and perceives learning in different ways. This led him to suggest that schools need to look into the possibility of providing individual-centered approach. The framework tailors the curriculum to the intelligence and preferences of the child (Tomlinson Allan, 2000). This suggestion fits to the different student learning profile key element of differentiated instruction. The context of differentiated instruction supports and integrates the learning styles of the students to the conditions of their brain development. This constructivist learning theory details and analyzes the various factors that influence the readiness, intelligence preferences, and the interest of the students that motivate and engage them to learn at school (Anderson, 2007). Kathie Nunley, an educational psychologist, stated that the movement for differentiated instruction is crucial to the classroom makeover from the 1970s homogeneous groupings to the present heterogeneous learners (Nunley, 2006). Educators using the differentiated instruction approach are able to ascertain and meet the differing needs of the students, help each student in their learning process, and exceed expectations from established standards (Levy, 2008). Tomlinson believed that the need to implement differentiated instruction came from the fact that learners are unique individuals that vary in different ways. The student population is also fast becoming academically diverse, which presents higher probability that diversity will continue for a long time. Pre-assessment criteria for differentiated instruction The most crucial part of the differentiated instruction program is the assessment, identification, and determination of the students skills and knowledge. Educators need to understand the level of their skills for identification and design of the instruction methods and approach. The students skill levels and knowledge base are crucial