Womens Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean

In every country in Latin America and the Caribbean, women suffer acute discrimination. Often, the discrimination women face is related to social prejudices regarding appropriate patterns of conduct for men and women. This entrenched sex inequality provides the backdrop for the pervasive and widespread human rights violations women face in the region, with little chance of justice. The most pernicious types of womens human rights abuses in the Americas occur in the areas of womens reproductive and sexual health and rights, discrimination and violence against women in the workplace, and violence against women in the home. After decades of dictatorships in some countries, democracy has not meant an end to impunity for violations of women†¦show more content†¦Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the second highest HIV prevalence rate after sub-Saharan Africa. Women increasingly constitute the majority of those newly infected. Even so, governments have failed to in corporate respect for womens human rights into their central responses to the epidemic. In the Dominican Republic, for example, women are subjected to illegal HIV testing without informed consent when they seek employment or health care, and those who test positive are routinely fired from their jobs and sometimes denied public healthcare. In addition, public health professionals often reveal confidential HIV test results to womens families without the tested individuals knowledge or consent, exposing them to a heightened risk of violence and stigma. Other countries in the region, such as Peru, require as a matter of law that all pregnant women test for HIV without ensuring womens confidentiality or consent, and without linking HIV tests and counseling to the pervasive problem of domestic violence. Womens inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean is reflected in the discrimination they face in the workplace. Since the 1960s, the number of economically active women in the region has more than tripled. Though more than half of theseShow MoreRelatedAmerica, Mexico, The Caribbean, And South America Make Up Latin America Essay1070 Words   |  5 PagesCentral America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America make up Latin America. Approximately 640 million people reside in this region. Latin America is the largest foreign supplier of oil to the United States. It is the United States’ fastest growing trading partner, as well as its biggest supplier of illegal drugs. Latin America is also the largest source of U.S immigrants, both documented and not. The life expectancy for females is 72 years of age and the life expectancy for males is 79 yearsRead MoreGender Inequality During Latin American Countries1373 Words   |  6 Pagesinequality affected women in Latin American countries? Gender inequality has affected the women of Latin America in a multitude of ways, but it can be argued that the division of gender equality is extremely prominent when analyzing reproductive rights and health care access. Compared to countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, Latin America is far behind in terms of civil rights and reproductive rights. The lack of rights is not in question; women’s barrier to reproductiveRead MoreChild Malnutrition1718 Words   |  7 Pagesmillion children under the age of five years, nearly one-third of all children in developing countries were either underweight or stunted. Malnutrition causes a great deal of physical and emotional suffering and it is a violation of a childs human r ights. Malnutrition substantially raises the risk of infant and child deaths, and increases vulnerability to a variety of diseases in later life. In addition, malnutrition impairs cognitive ability and decreases school performance, and lowers labor productivityRead MoreHuman Rights And Social Equity757 Words   |  4 PagesHuman Rights and Social Equity Thesis and Motive Human rights are vital to achieving and sustaining development, and while world leaders acknowledged the links between human rights and development, the MDGs did not reflect this as inequities faced by populations were not considered (UN Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [OHCHR], 2015). For example, while some countries were able to achieve the MDGs, in many countries, particularly poor ones, individuals remain in extremeRead More Latin American Change Essay3051 Words   |  13 PagesOver the course of the past half-millennium, the 33 countries that now comprise Latin America and the Caribbean have gone through drastic change. Since the discovery of the New World in 1492, each country has gone through some level of colonization by a European power and transition to its current state. During this period the regions have seen political, social, religious and economic transformations of various degrees. Nevertheless, many scholars argue that regardless of the changes encounteredRead MoreFeminist Theory1248 Words   |  5 PagesFeminism refers to political, cultural, and economic movements aimed at establishing greater rights, legal protection for women, and or womens liberation. It includes some of the sociological theories and philosophies concerned with issues of gender difference. Nancy Cott defines feminism as the belief in the importance of gender equality, invalidating the idea of gender hierarchy as a socially constructed concept. Feminism has earned itself a bad reputation, but it never undermined gender differencesRead MoreInequality in Latin America Essay3137 Words   |  13 Pages Although Latin America has faced many social, political, and economic issues within the last three centuries, inequality remains one of the most important, historical, and omnipresent aspects of the region’s culture. As Europeans took over Latin America during the time of colonization, they implemented many elitist social structures that have held strong and are evident today (Harris). Income inequality is the most visible and greatest disparity that the region faces; yet inequality between genderRead MoreWomen s Suffrage During The Nineteenth Century Essay1488 Words   |  6 PagesThe women’s suffrage movements began to emerge during the first half of the nineteenth century. In the United States, a handful of Western states already granted women’s suffrage during the nineteenth century. However, in the ma jority of states the enfranchisement of women followed only after the nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which granted full voting rights to women in 1920. Similarly, British women gained partial suffrage through the Representation of the People Act ofRead MoreFranklin Delano Roosevelt And The New Deal1987 Words   |  8 Pages Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park on January 30, 1882. Roosevelt, at age 28, ran for New York State senate where he fought political machines. He became the thirty second president of America in the year 1933, the worst year in the Great Depression. Roosevelt became president as a democrat. He was also president during World War II. Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio in 1921 and was paralyzed in his legs. He obtained polio when he was on a vacation in Campobello Island. In 1944 RooseveltRead MoreU.s. Foreign Policy During World War II Essay1357 Words   |  6 PagesStates quickly assumed the worst of European powers in the ir administration of their Caribbean and South American colonies. Displeased by the notion that Spanish control of Central and South American nations could further interfere with U.S. interests, interventionists and McKinley invoked the Monroe Doctrine. Citing the cruelty with which the Spanish empire ruled over the island of Cuba, along with impeded neutral rights and the vast economic losses, McKinley at last gave in to his militarist opponents

Popularity, Physical Appearance, and the American Dream...

Popularity, Physical Appearance, and the American Dream in Death of a Salesman For most, the American Dream is a sure fire shot at true happiness. It represents hope for a successful, fortune-filled future. Though most agree on the meaning of the American Dream, few follow the same path to achieving it. For struggling salesman Willy Loman, achieving this dream would mean a completely fulfilled existence. Unfortunately, Willys simplistic ideas on how to accomplish his goal are what ultimately prevent him from reaching it. Out of all of Willys simplistic ideals, one major pattern we can notice is how Willy truly believes that popularity and physical appearance are what make people wealthy. We are first introduced†¦show more content†¦The boys ask their father if his business will be like their Uncle Charleys. Willy responds by saying that hell be, Bigger than Uncle Charley! Because Charley is not- liked. Hes liked, but hes not- well liked. From this example, it becomes evident that Willy thinks being well liked can make you successful. The most significant example, however, is also one that takes place in one of Willys flashbacks. Again, he is speaking to his sons about becoming successful. He tells them, ...the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. You take me...I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. Willy Loman is here! Thats all they have to know, and I go right through. From these examples, it becomes very apparent that appearance and popularity are overly important to Willy when it comes to being successful in the business world. As we can see from Willys ideas of personal attractiveness, he doesnt seem to rely on hard work very much, particularly when it comes down to achieving the American Dream. In actuality, it is the lack of hard work that attracted Willy to become a salesman in the first place. In a conversation with Howard, his boss, Willy speaks of an eighty-four year old man hed met when he wasShow MoreRelated Popularity, Physical Appearance, and the American Dream in Death of a Salesman724 Words   |  3 Pages the â€Å"American Dream† is the hope for a future filled with success and fortune.   Although many may share the idea of the American Dream, each person has a different perception of what is necessary to achieve this goal.   Willy Loman, the lead character of Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, believes that popularity and physical appearance are the keys that unlock the door to the â€Å"American Dream†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We are first introduced to the importance of popularity and physical appearance when WillyRead More Myths of the American Dream Exposed in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman828 Words   |  4 Pagesthe American Dream Exposed in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman    Willy Loman, the lead character of Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, believes in the myths of the capitalistic society(DiYanni 412). This essay will examine the impact of the capitalistic myths on Willy Lowman.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy believes in the myth that popularity and physical appearance are the keys that unlock the door to the â€Å"American Dream†. We are first introduced to the importance of popularity and physical appearanceRead More The American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Essay795 Words   |  4 PagesThe American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman The American Dream ~ for many, it is the unlocked door that leads to happiness.   It is the hope for a future filled with success and fortune.   Although most people have a similar idea of what the American Dream is, they may have different ideas on how to achieve it.   For Willy Loman, a struggling salesman, achieving this dream would be a major accomplishment.   Unfortunately, his unusual ideas of how this dream can be achieved preventRead MoreThe Destruction of Willy Lowmans American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of A Salesman626 Words   |  3 Pages In Arthur Millers Death of A Salesman readers are introduced to Willy, an ambitious salesman who just cant seem to get a break despite his drive. Willys life is marked by failure, and an almost stubborn attachment to the idea of striking it big. Willys life is ended by his own hands, the result of a broken dream that lead to a broken spirit. In many senses Willy represents the idea of the everyman, the average working cla ss man trying to get ahead, this is reflected in his attachment toRead More Comparing Death of a Salesman and The American Dream Essay1240 Words   |  5 PagesComparing Death of a Salesman and The American Dream   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Arthur Miller’s Death of A Salesman and Edward Albee’s The American Dream, Willy Lowman and Mommy possess the trait of superficiality. Their priorities are to look good and be liked, and this contributes to their misguided paths to reach success. This attribute is one of many societal criticisms pointed out by both authors. Arthur Miller criticizes society for perceiving success as being liked and having good looks. He illustratesRead More Willy Lomans Distorted Values in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman946 Words   |  4 PagesWilly Lomans Distorted Values in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman  Ã‚      Willy Loman, the central character in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, is a man whose fall from the top of the capitalistic totem pole results in a resounding crash, both literally and metaphorically. As a man immersed in the memories of the past and controlled by his fears of the future, Willy Loman views himself as a victim of bad luck, bearing little blame for his interminable pitfalls. However, it was not an ill-fatedRead More Comparing the American Dream in Millers Death of a Salesman and Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun3400 Words   |  14 PagesComparing the Destructive American Dream in Millers Death of a Salesman and Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun America is a land of dreamers. From the time of the Spanish conquistadors coming in search of gold and everlasting youth, there has been a mystique about the land to which Amerigo Vespucci gave his name. To the Puritans who settled its northeast, it was to be the site of their â€Å"city upon a hill† (Winthrop 2). They gave their home the name New England, to signify their hope for aRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1870 Words   |  8 PagesTewari2 In Arthur Miller s play, Death of a Salesman, the major theme as well as the main source of conflict is Willy s inability to distinguish between reality and illusion. Willy has created a fantasy world for himself and his family, a world in which he and his sons are great men who have what it takes to make it in the context of business and free enterprise. In reality, none of them can achieve greatness until they confront and deal with this illusion. An illusion is some event or objectRead MoreWilly Loman : the Tragedy of the American Dream2717 Words   |  11 PagesWilly Loman : The Tragedy of the American Dream Prosperity, job security, hard work and family union are some of the concepts that involve the American Dream, generally speaking. Some people think this dream is something automatically granted; or in contrast, as in the story Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller, as something that has to be achieved in order to be successful in life. The play takes issues with those in America who place too much stress on material gain, instead ofRead More Oppression and Depression: The Effects of White Masculinity2725 Words   |  11 Pagescompletely failed, and according to society’s and their own standards, they are not worthy to be considered real men. White masculinity is the ideal design of an adult male. It is a model for every man in America from birth up until the moment of death. This ideal dictates preferences in society for both men and women. John F. Kasson claims that a man is â€Å"valued solely for his beauty, his body openly admired and aggressively pursued by [women] (as well as courted by his own sex)† (Kasson 27). Popularity, Physical Appearance, and the American Dream... For many, the â€Å"American Dream† is the hope for a future filled with success and fortune. Although many may share the idea of the American Dream, each person has a different perception of what is necessary to achieve this goal. Willy Loman, the lead character of Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, believes that popularity and physical appearance are the keys that unlock the door to the â€Å"American Dream†. We are first introduced to the importance of popularity and physical appearance when Willy is speaking to his wife, Linda, about their son Biff. â€Å"Biff Loman is lost,† says Willy. â€Å"In the greatest country in the world, a young man with such personal attractiveness gets lost.† In this quote, not only is Willy confused†¦show more content†¦The boys ask their father if his business will be like their Uncle Charley’s. Willy responds by saying that he’ll be, â€Å"Bigger than Uncle Charley! Because Charley is not- liked. He’s liked, but he’s not- well liked.† From this example, it becomes evident that Willy thinks being â€Å"well liked† can make you successful. The most significant example, however, is also one that takes place in one of Willy’s flashbacks. Again, he is speaking to his sons about becoming successful. He tells them, â€Å"...the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. You take me...I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. ‘Willy Loman is here!’ That’s all they have to know, and I go right through.† From these examples, it becomes very apparent that appearance and popularity are unusually important to Willy when it comes to being successful in the business world. As we can see from Willy’s ideas of personal attractiveness, he doesn’t seem to rely on hard work very much, particularly when it comes down to achieving the American Dream. In actuality, it is the lack of hard work that attracted Willy to become a salesman in the first place. In a conversation with Howard, his boss,Show MoreRelated Popularity, Physical Appearance, and the American Dream in Death of a Salesman823 Words   |  4 PagesPopularity, Physical Appearance, and the American Dream in Death of a Salesman For most, the American Dream is a sure fire shot at true happiness.   It represents hope for a successful, fortune-filled future.   Though most agree on the meaning of the American Dream, few follow the same path to achieving it.   For struggling salesman Willy Loman, achieving this dream would mean a completely fulfilled existence.   Unfortunately, Willys simplistic ideas on how to accomplish his goal are what ultimatelyRead More Myths of the American Dream Exposed in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman828 Words   |  4 Pagesthe American Dream Exposed in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman    Willy Loman, the lead character of Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, believes in the myths of the capitalistic society(DiYanni 412). This essay will examine the impact of the capitalistic myths on Willy Lowman.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy believes in the myth that popularity and physical appearance are the keys that unlock the door to the â€Å"American Dream†. We are first introduced to the importance of popularity and physical appearanceRead More The American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Essay795 Words   |  4 PagesThe American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman The American Dream ~ for many, it is the unlocked door that leads to happiness.   It is the hope for a future filled with success and fortune.   Although most people have a similar idea of what the American Dream is, they may have different ideas on how to achieve it.   For Willy Loman, a struggling salesman, achieving this dream would be a major accomplishment.   Unfortunately, his unusual ideas of how this dream can be achieved preventRead MoreThe Destruction of Willy Lowmans American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of A Salesman626 Words   |  3 Pages In Arthur Millers Death of A Salesman readers are introduced to Willy, an ambitious salesman who just cant seem to get a break despite his drive. Willys life is marked by failure, and an almost stubborn attachment to the idea of striking it big. Willys life is ended by his own hands, the result of a broken dream that lead to a broken spirit. In many senses Willy represents the idea of the everyman, the average working cla ss man trying to get ahead, this is reflected in his attachment toRead More Comparing Death of a Salesman and The American Dream Essay1240 Words   |  5 PagesComparing Death of a Salesman and The American Dream   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Arthur Miller’s Death of A Salesman and Edward Albee’s The American Dream, Willy Lowman and Mommy possess the trait of superficiality. Their priorities are to look good and be liked, and this contributes to their misguided paths to reach success. This attribute is one of many societal criticisms pointed out by both authors. Arthur Miller criticizes society for perceiving success as being liked and having good looks. He illustratesRead More Willy Lomans Distorted Values in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman946 Words   |  4 PagesWilly Lomans Distorted Values in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman  Ã‚      Willy Loman, the central character in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, is a man whose fall from the top of the capitalistic totem pole results in a resounding crash, both literally and metaphorically. As a man immersed in the memories of the past and controlled by his fears of the future, Willy Loman views himself as a victim of bad luck, bearing little blame for his interminable pitfalls. However, it was not an ill-fatedRead More Comparing the American Dream in Millers Death of a Salesman and Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun3400 Words   |  14 PagesComparing the Destructive American Dream in Millers Death of a Salesman and Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun America is a land of dreamers. From the time of the Spanish conquistadors coming in search of gold and everlasting youth, there has been a mystique about the land to which Amerigo Vespucci gave his name. To the Puritans who settled its northeast, it was to be the site of their â€Å"city upon a hill† (Winthrop 2). They gave their home the name New England, to signify their hope for aRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1870 Words   |  8 PagesTewari2 In Arthur Miller s play, Death of a Salesman, the major theme as well as the main source of conflict is Willy s inability to distinguish between reality and illusion. Willy has created a fantasy world for himself and his family, a world in which he and his sons are great men who have what it takes to make it in the context of business and free enterprise. In reality, none of them can achieve greatness until they confront and deal with this illusion. An illusion is some event or objectRead MoreWilly Loman : the Tragedy of the American Dream2717 Words   |  11 PagesWilly Loman : The Tragedy of the American Dream Prosperity, job security, hard work and family union are some of the concepts that involve the American Dream, generally speaking. Some people think this dream is something automatically granted; or in contrast, as in the story Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller, as something that has to be achieved in order to be successful in life. The play takes issues with those in America who place too much stress on material gain, instead ofRead More Oppression and Depression: The Effects of White Masculinity2725 Words   |  11 Pagescompletely failed, and according to society’s and their own standards, they are not worthy to be considered real men. White masculinity is the ideal design of an adult male. It is a model for every man in America from birth up until the moment of death. This ideal dictates preferences in society for both men and women. John F. Kasson claims that a man is â€Å"valued solely for his beauty, his body openly admired and aggressively pursued by [women] (as well as courted by his own sex)† (Kasson 27).

Comparison of Australian and Indonesian Economy free essay sample

Comparison of Australian and Indonesian Economy The major points of contrast between the Australian and Indonesian economies are: GDP, GDP growth, inflation, unemployment and quality of life. In this essay I will also discuss the quality of the environment in each. There is also a large contrast between the land area and population of each nation. The World Bank classifies Australia as a developed economy. It is a mixed market economy because the price mechanism works within the framework of government controls. 4% of the workforce is involved in service, 11% in manufacturing, and 10% in primary industry. In 2002, it was ranked 12th in the world in terms of per capita income. Indonesia is a developing economy. It relies heavily on primary industry and agriculture for domestic and international income, although, it is industrializing. 50% of the workforce is involved in agriculture, 35% is involved in manufacturing, and 15% is involved in services. In 2002 it was ranked 111th in the world in terms of per capita income. Australia has a much larger surface area than Indonesia, and a much smaller population. Australia has a surface area of 7692 thousand sq km, whilst Indonesia has a surface area of 1905 thousand sq km. Australia’s population in 2004 was 20. 2 million, whilst Indonesia in the same year was 223. 8 million. It is important to note that because of Indonesia’s much higher population compared to Australia; it has a much lower GDP per capita, as GDP per capita is calculated as GDP/population. In 2005, Indonesia’s GDP was US$280. 9 billion; its GDP per capita was US$1237. In 2005, Australia’s GDP was US$692. 4 billion; its GDP per capita was US$33629. This huge difference in GDP per capita is a result of the major difference in population size. From 2001-2002, Australia’s GDP increased by 3. 5%. In the same time Indonesia’s GDP increased by 3. 7%. This indicates that both economies are growing. Indonesia’s economy has been growing more than the Australian economy since 2000. According to the Australian Department of Foreign affairs and trade, the Australian economy has maintained growth at around 3% pa, whilst the Indonesian economy has been growing at 4. 5-5% pa for the last 5 years. Its growth in 2005 was 5. 7%. From 1990-2002, the average inflation for Australia has been 2. 3%. In Indonesia, however, it has been 14. 0%. This major difference is due to economic and political instability in Indonesia over the past 10 years. In 1997, there was a currency crisis in Indonesia, and this, along with the political instability of President Suharto being replaced by Dr B. J. Habibie, led to the economy collapsing and going into recession. The currency crisis caused exchange rate depreciation, which cause the heightened inflation, shown in the figures at the beginning of this paragraph. Inflation caused many industries to collapse, creating high unemployment. In 2002, Australia had an unemployment rate of 6. 3%, in the same year; Indonesia had an unemployment rate of 20%. Indonesia’s unemployment rate is a result of the previously mentioned currency crisis and political instability of 1997. The unemployment in Indonesia has been rising since this time. As Indonesia’s unemployment has been increasing, Australia’s has been decreasing from 11. 25% in 1992, to 5. 1% in 2005. There is no great difference in the proportion of women inn the workforce. In 2002, Australia’s workforce was comprised of 45% women. In 2002, Indonesia’s workforce was comprised of 40% women. Quality of life is measured by the World Bank on a Human Development Index. The Human Development Index (HDI) measure life expectancy, literacy and GDP per capita. In 2002, 177 nations were measured with this index. Out of the 177, Indonesia came 111th. This is due to the continuing effects of the fore mentioned currency crisis. Out of the 177, Australia came 3rd. The Human Development Report that the results were published in showed stark contrasts in quality of life indicators between Australia and Indonesia. In Indonesia, the prevalence of Child Malnutrition from 1992-1998, has been 34%. In the same time, Australia’s prevalence has been 0%. Indonesia’s population’s access to sanitation in 2000 was 55%. Australia’s was 100%. The Indonesian life expectancy in 2002 was 66. 6 years, while Australia’s was 79. 1 years. This study shows that there are major differences in quality of life between Australia and Indonesia The rapid industrialization of Indonesia’s economy and demographic pressure has led to significant deforestation in the nation and a decrease in the quality of the environment in general. From 1990-95, 10844 square km was forested on average each year. In comparison, Australia lost an average of 170 square km a year over the same time frame. This rapid deforestation has occurred because of the expansion of the paper and lumber exporting industries. Because over 80% of Australia’s population lives in capital cities, Australia has very good environmental quality. Australia has a much higher GDP than Indonesia; however, Indonesia’s economy is growing at a faster rate than Australia. Indonesia has a very high unemployment rate, caused by Economic and Political instability 10 years ago. These economic and political problems also caused very high inflation. Indonesia’s quality of life is significantly worse than Australia’s, particularly in relation to sanitation. Indonesia’s is a newly industrializing economy. This has caused many environmental problems as Indonesia’s paper and lumber exporting companies rapidly forest the land.

The Woman free essay sample

â€Å"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.† -Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre I am no bird but I am a woman: a woman in the 21st century where I’m supposed to be free. I am supposed to have an independent will and be free of any fear regarding my status in the society. I am a female, the other wheel of the chariot moving humanity towards a better future. In spite of having an important role in the evolution and development of the mankind, the world doubts my capabilities and talents. In this modern society, I can see examples of gender discrimination and female suppression. On one hand, I see goddesses being worshiped while on the other hand, I see a woman abused and raped. This is the irony of the world we live in. Throughout history, we have examples of great women who accomplished great things, be it in the field of politics, arts or the sciences. We will write a custom essay sample on The Woman or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page From Cleopatra to Marie Curie, from Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher to Indra Nooyi and Oprah Winfrey, we have examples of strong, self reliant women who knew their aims and aspired for greatness. They are the embodiment of the independent will which Bronte talks about. Thus it is disheartening to note that women are still considered a â€Å"piece of meat†. The plight of a woman in today’s society remains the same. Brutalization, discrimination and suppression continue to be a part of the lives of women around the world. In my country, there is news of domestic violence, sexual assaults, abductions, trafficking, feticide and dowry related disputes every day. One day a minor girl is attacked by 40 men on the streets of Guwahati, while a few months later a girl is raped by six men in Delhi. Heinous crimes are committed behind closed doors every minute. Therefore, I do not feel safe on the streets of my city. Mahatma Gandhi once said, â€Å"Of all the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading, so shocking or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity; the female sex (not the weaker sex). We are not weaker, we are equal. Mahatma Gandhi believed in equality and so do I. Therefore, the subjugation of the female sex is a step backwards in the march of humanity towards evolution. With every ten steps forward, the suppression of women takes us five steps backwards. I am a 17 year old entering the world of adults. I aspire to be the change in this society. My aim is to become an educated and self sufficient individual so that no net may ensnare me. I am willing to face every challenge that the society throws at me. I hope for a brighter future â€Å"where the mind is without fear and the head is held high†. I am a woman and I am proud to be one.

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Why the Sioux Oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline

Why the Sioux Oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline As the Flint, Michigan, water crisis made national headlines in 2016, members of the Standing Rock Sioux  successfully  protested to protect their water and land from the Dakota Access Pipeline. After months on end of demonstrating,  the water protectors rejoiced when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided on Dec. 4, 2016, to  prohibit the pipeline from crossing  Lake Oahe, effectively bringing the project to a halt. But the pipelines future is unclear after Obama leaves office, and the Trump administration enters the White House. Building of the pipeline could very well resume when the new administration takes over.   If finished, the $3.8 billion project would span 1,200 miles across four states to link the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota to an Illinois river port. This would allow 470,000 barrels of crude oil daily to be transported along the route. But the Standing Rock wanted construction on the pipeline stopped because they said it could devastate their natural resources. Initially, the pipeline would have crossed the Missouri River near the state capital, but the route was changed so that it would pass under the Missouri River at Lake Oahe, a half-mile upstream from the Standing Rock reservation. The pipeline was redirected from Bismarck because of fears that an oil spill would endanger the city’s drinking water. Moving the pipeline from the state capital to an Indian reservation is environmental racism in a nutshell, as this form of discrimination is characterized by the disproportionate placement of environmental hazards in communities of color. If the pipeline was too risky to be placed near the state capital, why wasn’t it deemed a risk near Standing Rock land? With this in mind, the tribe’s effort to stop  construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline isn’t simply an environmental issue but a protest against racial injustice as well. Clashes between the pipeline’s protesters and its developers have also sparked racial  tensions, but the Standing Rock have won support from a broad cross-section of the public, including public figures and celebrities.   Why the Sioux Are Against the Pipeline On Sept. 2, 2015, the Sioux drafted a resolution explaining their opposition to the pipeline. It read in part: â€Å"The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe relies on the waters of the life-giving Missouri River for our continued existence, and the Dakota Access Pipeline poses a serious risk to Mni Sose and to the very survival of our Tribe; and ...the horizontal direction drilling in the construction of the pipeline would destroy valuable cultural resources of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.† The resolution also argued that the Dakota Access Pipeline violates Article 2 of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty which granted the tribe the â€Å"undisturbed use and occupation† of its homeland. The Sioux filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in July 2016 to stop construction of the pipeline, which began the following month. In addition to concerns about the effects a spill would have on the Sioux’s natural resources, the tribe pointed out that the pipeline would course through sacred ground protected by federal law. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg had a different take. He ruled on Sept. 9, 2016, that the Army Corps had â€Å"likely complied† with its duty to consult the Sioux and that the tribe â€Å"has not shown it will suffer injury that would be prevented by any injunction the court could issue.† Although the judge denied the tribe’s request for an injunction to stop the pipeline, the departments of the Army, Justice and Interior announced after the ruling that they would suspend building of the pipeline on land of cultural importance to the tribe pending further evaluation. Still, the Standing Rock Sioux said they would appeal the judge’s decision because they believe they were not sufficiently consulted when the pipeline was rerouted.    My nations history is at risk because the pipeline builders and the Army Corps failed to consult the tribe when planning the pipeline, and routed it through areas of cultural and historical significance, which will be destroyed,† stated Standing Rock Sioux Chairman David Archambault II in a court filing. Judge Boasberg’s ruling led the tribe to ask for an emergency injunction to stop building of the pipeline. This led the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit  to state in a Sept. 16 ruling that it needed more time to consider the tribes request, which meant that all construction 20 miles in either direction of Lake Oahe had to stop. The federal government had already called for construction along that part of the route to be halted, but Dallas-based pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners didn’t immediately respond to the Obama administration. In September 2016, the company said the pipeline was 60 percent complete and maintained it would not harm the  local water supply. But if that were absolutely certain, then why wasn’t the Bismarck location an appropriate site for the pipeline? As recently as October 2015, a North Dakota oil well blew out and leaked more than 67,000 gallons of crude, putting a tributary of the Missouri River at risk. Even if oil spills are rare and new technology works to prevent them, they cannot be completely ruled out. By rerouting the Dakota Access Pipeline, the federal government appears to have put the Standing Rock Sioux directly in harm’s way in the unlikely event of an oil spill. Controversy Over Protests The Dakota Access Pipeline hasn’t attracted media attention simply because of the natural resources at stake but also because of clashes between protesters and the oil company in charge of building it. In Spring 2016, only a small group of demonstrators  had set up camp on the reservation to protest the pipeline. But in the summer months, Sacred Stone Camp ballooned to thousands of activists, with some calling it â€Å"the largest gathering of Native Americans in a century,† the Associated Press reported. In early September, tensions heightened as protesters and journalists were arrested, and activists accused the security firm tasked with protecting the pipeline of pepper-spraying them and letting dogs viciously attack them. This called to mind similar images of attacks on civil rights protesters during the 1960s.    In light of the violent clashes between protesters and security guards, the Standing Rock Sioux were granted a permit to allow the water protectors to legally rally on the federal lands that surround the pipeline. The permit means the tribe is responsible for the cost of any damages, keeping demonstrators safe, liability insurance and more. Despite this shift, clashes between activists and officers continued in November 2016, with police reportedly firing tear gas and water canons at protesters. One activist came dangerously close to losing her arm as a result of an explosion that occurred during the confrontation. Protesters say she was injured by a grenade thrown by police, while police say she was hurt by a small propane tank that protesters rigged to explode, according to CBS News. Prominent Standing Rock Supporters A number of celebrities have publicly expressed their support for the Standing Rock Sioux’s protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Jane Fonda and Shailene Woodley helped serve Thanksgiving 2016 dinner to the demonstrators.  Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein visited the site and faced arrest for allegedly spray-painting construction equipment during a protest. A former 2016  presidential candidate also stands in solidarity with the Standing Rock, leading a rally against the pipeline. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) said on Twitter, â€Å"Stop the Dakota Access pipeline. Respect Native American rights. And let us move forward to transform our energy system.† Veteran rocker Neil Young even released a new song called â€Å"Indian Givers† in honor of the Standing Rock protest. The song’s title is a play on the racial insult. The lyrics state: There’s a battle raging on the sacred landOur brothers and sisters have to take a standAgainst us now for what we all been doingOn the sacred land there’s a battle brewingI wish somebody would share the newsNow it’s been about 500 yearsWe keep taking what we gave awayJust like what we call Indian giversIt makes you sick and gives you shivers Young also released a video for the song that features footage of the pipeline protests. The musician has recorded songs about similar environmental controversies, such as his 2014 protest song â€Å"Who’s Gonna Stand Up?† in protest of the Keystone XL pipeline. Leonardo DiCaprio announced that he shared the Sioux’s concerns as well. â€Å"Standing w/ the Great Sioux Nation to protect their water lands,† he said on Twitter, linking to a Change.org petition against the pipeline. â€Å"Justice League† actors Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher  took to social media to announce their objections to the pipeline. Momoa shared a photo of himself on Instagram with a sign that said, â€Å"Oil pipelines are a bad idea,† along with hashtags related to the Dakota Access Pipeline protest. Wrapping Up While the Dakota Access Pipeline protest has largely been framed as an environmental issue, it is also a racial justice issue. Even the judge who denied the Standing Rock Sioux’s temporary injunction to stop the pipeline, acknowledged that â€Å"the United States’ relationship with the Indian tribes has been contentious and tragic.† Since the Americas were colonized, Native Americans and other marginalized groups have fought for equal access to natural resources. Factory farms, power plants, freeways and other sources of pollution are all too often erected in communities of color. The richer and whiter a community is, the more likely its residents have clean air and water. So, the Standing Rock’s struggle to protect their land and water from the Dakota Access Pipeline is just as much an anti-discrimination issue as it is an environmental one.

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Research paper - Essay Example Earthquakes are believed to be caused by different occurrences that include glacial rebounding, sliding of tectonic plates that lie over each other, and by sudden discharge of stored strain that is accumulated along a fault line. The severity of a shake from an earthquake is usually as a result of three factors i.e. its magnitude attenuation of a wave that causes the earth quake as it moves through the earth’s surface and the possible disruption caused by different rock structure (Hough par 9-12). These vibrations can be predicted before they happen in a place. When these vibrations happen also, they result in major disruptions to physical features. However, the major cause of investigation has resulted from the threat these vibrations cause to people. The ability to predict great causes of damaging events that are likely to face an area in future time is a basic element of risk reduction development practices. It becomes an important element when it is facing emergency and le ad to development of a good planning for such emergency (Albarello and Meletti 1-2). Earthquakes are caused by seismic waves. The intensity of these waves is measured with a machine known as a seismometer. The depth of the earthquake is another determiner of its intensity. Earthquakes are a major threat to life because if they happen with great magnitude, they lead to destruction of properties in which people live. When they happen on the water, they result to tsunamis that are likely to result in disruption of waters and seizing of ships. The commotion caused on the water also is extended to the coast, which causes major deaths of people at such coastal lands and destruction of property. Before the 1970s and 1980s, prominent scientists were optimistic that reliable prediction of earthquakes was possibly going to come. This was facilitated and motivated by the ground breaking prediction event of Soviet Union prediction of an earthquake and the successfully accomplished prediction of Chinese earthquake that happened in Haicheng. However, even with those optimistic achievements, there was a lot of pessimism because still many predictions were not reliable by then (Hough 34). Today, prediction of earthquakes is possible by scientists who agree that the understanding of ground motion attenuation relationships is an important aspect of predicting possibility of there being an earthquake. In March 2009, an Italian technician observed the radon and noticed some abnormalities and predicted that a great magnitude earthquake would be experienced. Although seismologists did not concur with that laboratory scientist, a fatal earthquake was experienced in L’Aquila barely a month after the prediction. The earthquake claimed many lives and were injured while a lot of property was destroyed and many were displaced from their places. Forecasting of earthquakes is faced with many debates about their occurrence once they have happened. For example, when it happened in cit y of L’Aquila a lot of questions and debates followed; scientists were fiercely faced by contradiction basing on their ability to forecast such dangers. This earthquake was so destructive such that everyone affected by it rose against the people who are responsible for predicting (Albarello and Meletti 3). Currently, there are many prediction methods for earthquakes developed such that one does not have to ask whether it is possible to

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example ult or confusing because the range of his audience is very broad and this text deals with an issue which is not directed towards a specific audience but it seems to be directed towards general public and towards the authorized people who can implement his ideas about education. The philosophical nature of the text suggests that it is written keeping in mind the academic expert who has some understanding of what he wants to say. He generalizes his argument. For instance, he writes, â€Å"all education proceeds by the participation of the individual in the social consciousness of the race" (Dewey 77). Dewey is not talking about specific education, but the word â€Å"all† is used with the word education to talk about the education, in general. Generalization of the argument is one of his techniques to emphasize the importance of the topic he is discussing. In addition, another important aspect of his writing is his use of words, and his sentence structures are also very important rhetorical choices. Dewey is very prudent in his choice of words. He uses very simple words in the text. The use of simple wording in his arguments helps the readers in understanding the meaning of the text. Here is an excerpt from the text as an example is given to show how he uses simple words for facilitating the readers, â€Å"Without insight into the psychological structure and activities of the individual, the educative process will, therefore, be haphazard and arbitrary...if it does not, it will result in friction or disintegration, or arrest of the child nature" (Dewey 77). In addition to above, the sort of words, he uses in this article implies that whatever he is stating is true or fact. The word â€Å"believe† at the beginning of the every paragraphs function as an iteration which increases the importance of his argument and the words â€Å"true education† give the sense of truth or fact. Besides, the words â€Å"I believe† at the beginning of every paragraph also suggests that whatever,

Blues and Jazz Essay Example for Free

Blues and Jazz Essay Blues and Jazz are both very popular genres of music spanning almost a century of culture, aesthetics and spirituality. As the blues and jazz are horribly interrelated, this paper will try to differentiate the two great genres of music. A. What is Blues? Per definition, blues is the name given to both musical form and genre of blues. First coined by the African-American communities in the South of the United States of America by the end of the 19th Century, Blues was inspired by spirituality, work song, field hollers and chants- uncomplicated narrative ballads that rhymes. Its form is defined by the use of specific chord progressions- the most common being the twelve-bar blues chord and the singing is for stimulating purposes at slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale. Blues can be divided in several subgenres ranging from country to urban blues to electric blues to blues rock to punk blues. The term â€Å"the blues† refers to melancholy and sadness. The blues lyrics often refers to depressed mood as it embodies the African laborer, whose hardships and spirit is wed to the songs. B. What is Jazz? In contrast, Jazz sprung from the confluence of African and European music traditions. The African heritage evident in the use of blues notes, improvisation, polyrythms, syncopation and the swung note. The term â€Å"jazz† originated from a West Coast slang term and first used to refer to music in Chicago. Jazz has spawned plenty of genres from New Orleans Dixieland to big-band style swing to bebop to latin jazz to Afro-Cuban and Brazilian jazz to jazz-rock to acid jazz. The spread of jazz cultivated music and aesthetics around the world, hence, giving rise to plenty of unique styles. II. History A. Origin of Blues The Blues was born just after the civil war in North Mississippi. A singer would sing a line, and a guitar would answer. For many years, Blues was recorded only by memory, depicted and told live and in person. It was first made popular by the black composer, W. C. Handy in 1911-1914 The publication of Handy’s â€Å"Memphis Blues† and â€Å"St. Louis Blues† has made Blues popular. By the 1920s, Blues became a national craze. Mamie Smith recorded the first vocal blues song, â€Å"Crazy Blues†. The later 40’s and early 50’s saw the like of Willie Dixon playing what was Mississippi Delta blues backed by bass, drums, piano and occasionally harmonica and so began the popularity of blues on national television. Meanwhile, T-Bone Walker and B. B. King pioneered a style of guitar playing that combined jazz technique with the blues tonality and repertoire. In the 1960’s, bands like the Rolling Stones had picked up the Blues and brought it to young American white men. Rock, since the 1960’s, went through several blues revivals. The latest generation of blues players has drawn a new generation listeners to the blues. B. Origins of Jazz New Orleans is often credited as the birth place of Jazz. African-American music, through the Blues began the improvisation of Jazz. The most influential man is Louis Armstrong, the father of modern jazz. The swing era (1930s-40s) is the most popular and accessible time of Jazz, during this time, Jazz was the most popular music in America. What followed the swing era was one of the most important creative eras since the inception of Jazz. Mid 1940’s to mid 1950’s saw the birth of bebop. Quicker pace and complex harmony were combined with popular melodies to create this kind of subgenre. Jazz in the 1960s was inspired by the avant garde movement. Jazz musicians took the genre to the boundaries of creativity and began to speak out on social issues. The current era of jazz can be deemed to be a combination of the avant garde and neoclassical movement. Through improvisation, current musicians keep pushing jazz to the boundaries of music, experimenting with hip hop and other forms of music. III. Instruments and Musicians A. Instruments/Musicians in Blues Blues uses just about any musical instrument- guitar, piano, harmonica, bass guitar, drums, saxophone, vocals, trumpet, trombone. Different performers use different kinds of instruments. For instance, performers such as Frank Stokes, and Memphis Minnie utilised instruments such as washboard, fiddle, kazoo and mandolin. Musicians who have been famous in Blues include the like of Josh White (1914 or 1915-1969), Sonny Boy Williamson I (1914-1948), Gladys Bentley (1907-1960), T-Bone Walker (1910-1975), Roosevelt Sykes (1906-1983), Memphis Slim (1915-1988), Arnold Moore (1914-2005), Baby Face Leroy Foster (1923-1958), Lenny Kravitz (born 1964). B. Instruments/Musicians in Jazz Just like blues, jazz uses just about any musical instrument- saxophone, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, flute, piano, guitar, double bass, tuba, drums, vocals, vibraphone. Famous jazz musicians include Louis Armstrong (1901–1971), Thelonious Monk (1917–1982), Maynard Ferguson (1928-2006), Herbie Hancock (born 1940), Benny Carter (1907–2003), Glenn Miller (1904–1944), Charles Mingus (1922–1979). IV. Audiences A. Blues Audience The Blues originally was sang by the African-American laborer, to express his emotions on the general hardships in life. However, blues has reached the whole world. All the drama is still there but it is spread for those who can appreciate it. Anyone or everyone can be the audience. B. Jazz Audience Jazz, was spawned by the blues and since its inception, has now gathered millions of audiences around the world. There is no selective audience for this genre, anyone who appreciates jazz music is welcome to be its audience. V. Conclusion Blues is considered as the forerunner of Jazz, given that it started earlier and it actually spawned jazz music. Blues also speaks of traditions and personal experiences (the African-American laborer). Hence, Blues is more of a feel-based kind of music. It is very free, the only purpose is to relay the feelings, expressions of the artist. Jazz, for its part, is considered as dance music and improvisation is at its core. Jazz also incorporates more color, this is tricky for non-musicians and is far more technical in its aspect. Jazz is an exploration on how to make music more colorful, hence jazz spawned a lot of subgenres. When it comes to audience, there is only the matter of appreciation. Anyone who appreciates blues is welcome to blues. The same principle applies to jazz music. Works Cited: History-of-rock. com â€Å"A Short Blues History. † n. d. 27 Jul. 2009 http://www. history-of-rock. com/blues. htm. Unc. edu. â€Å"A (very) brief history of jazz. † n. d. 27 Jul. 2009 http://ils. unc. edu/~jnvicker/inls181/final/histpart2. html. Wikipedia. â€Å"Blues. † n. d. 27 Jul. 2009 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Blues. Wikipedia. â€Å"Jazz. † n. d. 27 Jul. 2009 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Jazz.

I.t. Doctors Database Analysis :: essays research papers

There are some parts of a Doctor’s Surgery that could benefit from computerisation. As time goes on technology will aid most types of work, for instance office work (Department of Trade and Industry, for example). Technology could be used in a Doctor’s surgery to computerise the patients’ files, to print out prescriptions and certificates for things like immunisations. The patients’ file would consist of their name & address, telephone number, D.O.B, sex, allergies, and diseases. In addition, it will be faster for the doctor to access his or her files because they are all just a few clicks of a mouse button away instead of loads of paper-based files in a big fat cabinet away. If you were to misplace a file in your office, it would probably be hard to find it, whereas if you lost a file on a computer you could use the find utility in Microsoft Windows 95, 98 or 2000 (by pressing the button and F at the same time) and the file would be found in a few seconds. On a computer you could automatically put the files in alphabetical order by whatever- name, GP, date of birth e.t.c. However, in an office cabinet it really would not be easy at all to put and keep the files in some sort of alphabetical sequence. Currently the database is pen-and-paper based, which may be cost effective but is very time-consuming when compared to a computer-based database. Say you have a paper-based database. If one of your clients move house or get married, you would have to create a whole new record because of the altered information. And say it was a family who moved residence, and then after you made the new records the parents got married. It would cause a lot of hassle and waste a lot of time, wouldn’t it? The doctor would get annoyed searching for people’s files and they would take longer to get through things, which means less appointments every day. The dilemma is that I need to make a database to answer all these problems. I will make a database for a doctor’s surgery so the doctors can look up and alter the files of their patients with just the click of a button. The database will be able to find their medical record (allergies, etc.), their home address, their home phone number, their allergies (if any), and their diseases (if any). I.t. Doctors Database Analysis :: essays research papers There are some parts of a Doctor’s Surgery that could benefit from computerisation. As time goes on technology will aid most types of work, for instance office work (Department of Trade and Industry, for example). Technology could be used in a Doctor’s surgery to computerise the patients’ files, to print out prescriptions and certificates for things like immunisations. The patients’ file would consist of their name & address, telephone number, D.O.B, sex, allergies, and diseases. In addition, it will be faster for the doctor to access his or her files because they are all just a few clicks of a mouse button away instead of loads of paper-based files in a big fat cabinet away. If you were to misplace a file in your office, it would probably be hard to find it, whereas if you lost a file on a computer you could use the find utility in Microsoft Windows 95, 98 or 2000 (by pressing the button and F at the same time) and the file would be found in a few seconds. On a computer you could automatically put the files in alphabetical order by whatever- name, GP, date of birth e.t.c. However, in an office cabinet it really would not be easy at all to put and keep the files in some sort of alphabetical sequence. Currently the database is pen-and-paper based, which may be cost effective but is very time-consuming when compared to a computer-based database. Say you have a paper-based database. If one of your clients move house or get married, you would have to create a whole new record because of the altered information. And say it was a family who moved residence, and then after you made the new records the parents got married. It would cause a lot of hassle and waste a lot of time, wouldn’t it? The doctor would get annoyed searching for people’s files and they would take longer to get through things, which means less appointments every day. The dilemma is that I need to make a database to answer all these problems. I will make a database for a doctor’s surgery so the doctors can look up and alter the files of their patients with just the click of a button. The database will be able to find their medical record (allergies, etc.), their home address, their home phone number, their allergies (if any), and their diseases (if any).

Fear: Debut Albums and Heavy Rock Concert

Fear Everyone has a weakness and something they fear; for many it can be the fear of heights or just a simple little spider. Some people may react by crying, shutting down, and acting tough or in rare occasions some might choose to overcome it. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you have done in life, the truth is that there is nothing that can prepare you for that one moment in life that one fears the most. The sky was gray, there was smoke everywhere, the smell of burning tires, people running and yelling at one another.It was very difficult to comprehend what was going on, and all I could hear was the sound of bells in my ears similar to the ones you hear after leaving a heavy rock concert. I had lost my consciousness for a few seconds and had no idea what just occurred. As my head cleared out I looked around and slowly began to regain my consciousness, there were buildings, a burned vehicle and soldiers laying down to my left. I lay down with the rest of the soldiers a nd heard my lieutenant calling for help.That’s when I realized we were just ambushed, and there was nothing we could do about it. A simple patrol turned into the worse day possible. Finally, it was quiet for a few seconds and that fear of getting hurt was going through my head. It was one of the worst moments of my life, and the worst part was that there was nothing to do but to stay calm. We all decided to run into an abandoned building to look for cover. Once inside, we began to clear the rooms one by one until we found a secure location. All of us have been out patrolling for hours in the hot desert heat.We were all exhausted, supplies were low and everyone was running on their second wind and to make matters worse our only way of communication was our damaged radios. There was no way to call for backup and our only hope was that somehow our unit back in our base was able to get the message and realized that we were in need of help. Even though we had all been trained for situations like this, there was no way to compare it to the real thing; you don’t think the same and your body won’t respond like it normally does. I’m not going to lie, I was scared; the fear of me dying was there I didn’t show it but it, was there.Even in a stressful situation it’s funny but true that at times like these the non-religious is always praying for something. As the hours went by, there was nothing we can do but wait. It was quiet, and there was really not a way to describe the scene. It was just one of those priceless moments where everyone was weak. In the corner of the room was that tough guy that never went to church on his knees with his hands together silently praying; to his left was one holding a rosary, another soldier looking at his family picture as a tear slowly rolled down his cheek.It was not hard to imagine what he was going through. Others were sitting silently just staring at the wall, and then there was I sitting in the middle of the room holding my rifle close to my chest just like when a mother holds her baby, thinking of all the precious moments I had with my family, all the good times with my friends, everything that I still wanted to accomplish, and the fear of possibly not being able to do any of that anymore. Several hours had gone by, and there was no sign of anyone coming to aid us.Everyone looked at each other and our eyes could tell us the fear we had and our expressions could tell us that hope was running out. Sure we can blame our lieutenant for not listening to us in the first place. I’m sure that if he would’ve done what we told him, we wouldn’t be in this situation, but we couldn’t blame him. It was his first time in combat. He was in a worse situation than most of us, but the truth is that blaming him would only make matters worse. The only thing left to do was just cross our fingers and hope that everything would be fine, but let’s be honest I was scared shitless.Then finally, luck was on our side when one of our convoys was heading our way; we were able to flag it down and finally after a long shitty day a sign of relief was there. We all looked at each other grabbed our gear and headed out. That day was one of the worst days of my life, one that could only be described as the day I discovered and faced my worst fear, the fear of not knowing what was going to happen next or if I was even going to make it out of there alive. â€Å"All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty† – George S. Patton.

Accounting Standards in the United States of America

Accounting in the USA The following report will describe and discuss the major elements of accounting in the USA. It will show that the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are set by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), where as the International Accounting Standards (IAS) are set by the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). This report will also state the similarities and differences between these standards. In addition, the following report will use relevant examples to evaluate current accounting problems and issues in the USA related to international convergence of accounting standards.Fargher et al. (2008, page. 67) pointed out that FASB’s conceptual framework (CFW) for financial reporting is generally consistent with that of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). However the FASB provides more detail with six statements of financial accounting concepts (SFACs). The first level in the CFW explains the main purposes of financial reports are to provide useful information for investors and creditors, to estimate future cash flows and to claim venture resources. The second level consists of qualitative characteristics and elements of the CFW.The qualitative characteristics of the USA CFW are relevance, reliability, comparability and consistency. The main components include assets, liabilities, equity, investment by owners, distributions to owners, comprehensive income, revenues, expenses, gains and losses. The third level of CFW indicates how the firm executes the events based on assumptions, principles and constraints. There are four assumptions: economic equity, going concern, monetary unit and periodicity. The four principles include historical cost, revenue recognition, matching and full disclosure.The constraints consist of cost-benefit, materiality, industry practice and conservatism. Fargher (2008, p. 229) mentioned that USA uses FASB 95 Statement of Cash Flows, plus FASB 102 and 104. The for mat is the same as the international one which includes operating, investing and financial activities. However, it is encouraged to report cash flows using the direct method even though the indirect method is usually used. Interest paid and received and dividends received are classified as operating activities. Non cash transactions are excluded from the cash flow statement. Fargher (2008, p. 89) stated that the income statement format under US GAAP involves a range of steps but the subtotals are listed before the unusual and rare items. Changes in retained earnings are included in the retained earnings statement and comprehensive income that reports changes in fair value and similar items after the operating income. Note disclosure is based on particular standards plus SEC and other sources under the US GAAP hierarchy. IFRS and US GAAP have some similarities but there are also several differences. The main similarities and differences are in the areas of revenue recognition and inv entory valuation.A similarity between US GAAP and IFRS is that revenue is not recognised until the revenue is actually earned. Under the US GAAP, a large amount of guidance provided usually only applies to specific industries. For example, there are specific rules for the recognition of software revenue and sales of real estate under US GAAP, while comparable guidance does not exist under IFRS (Ernst & Young 2010). Also, both systems define inventory as assets held for sale in the ordinary course of business. A significant difference between using US GAAP and IFRS is the inventory costing method is that US uses LIFO, whereas LIFO is prohibited by the IFRS.Also, inventory valuation is measured under the IFRS at lower of cost and net realizable value. However, under the US GAAP, inventory valuation is carried at the lower of cost and market, where the market is the current replacement cost (Ernst & Young 2010). According to (Todd M. Hines 2007, p1) IFRSs are becoming more important in the global economy. â€Å"Over the last 35 years there has been a strong push towards the adoption of a uniform set of financial accounting standards to replace the myriad number of country-specific standards now in use†. This indicates that each country has developed its own sets of financial accounting standards.It is essential to work towards the uniformed international accounting standards for organisations doing business globally to have comparable information. As a result of this push for internationally recognised set of accounting standards, IFRS were created with the goal of providing a single internationally recognized set of accounting standards. In an ever increasingly globally connected world, more transactions and investment planning occur on a global level. As international convergence has progressed many countries have conformed under IFRS and adopted their standards.The USA has similar standards but continue to use different financial reporting standards. Ho wever these differences according to (Todd M. Hines 2007, p4) often ‘lead to confusion and large complications for preparers and users of financial statements’. Financial statements prepared under different reporting standards are hardly comparable, therefore overseas investors may not be able to compare between the financial reports of business under IFRS and those operating under US GAAP. This can lead to confusion and affect the judgments of financial statement users.Due to the difficulties in comparison the users of the financial information must understand both IFRS and GAAP to make informed decisions. Moving from US GAAP to IFRS will have a major impact on business’ financial reporting in the USA. Decisions made by managers, financial advisors, CEO’s, governments, and the users of financial statements will have to be drastically rethought with the change. If the USA decides to follow the convergence trend towards IFRS, they will be moving into a more volatile reporting environment, particularly in the reporting of assets as well as that of net profit.One alarming statistic is that the volatility of tax benefits, deferred tax benefits in particular, can be 98% more volatile under IFRS (McAnally, et. al. 2010). This increased volatility is due to the greater use of fair value in the preparation of the financial statements, and the eventual elimination of historical cost under IFRS. Fair values are used under IFRS to better reflect the changing economic conditions, but this introduces uncertainty and makes it much harder to predict reported earnings than under historical cost, which the USA uses.Although fair value is more relevant, often it is not reliable due to the influence of economic conditions on the valuation of assets. This increased volatility will lead to retraining in every area of accounting. With the change to IFRS, there will be a large amount of rethinking and retraining for areas such as financial planning and for ecasting as well as in target setting, but the major area it will affect is the reporting of financial statements. Another issue regarding the convergence of the USA to the IFRS accounting standards is the effect it will have on IT systems.As the adoption of IFRS starts to gain momentum among many counties, global business will be dealing with major changes over the next few years. According to Pratt (2010), not only are private companies considering the IFRS, but also public companies including banks and private investors who also have growing concerns about the implication of the convergence. This adoption of IFRS by the USA will bring about several changes in the way recording and reporting financial data is carried out. This is due to the differences between IFRS and U. S.GAAP standards. It has been found that there are 103 differences between IFRS and U. S. GAAP in the way recording of data happens. Management in the performance and technology division of KPMG suggests that the change to IFRS will drastically affect the accounting IT systems in the USA (Pratt, 2010). One of the major concerns for the USA is that under IFRS the financial data needed to keep IT systems up to date will have to be more detailed and more frequent. It is also believed that the financial reporting ledger will be affected by adopting IFRS.Pratt (2010) claimed the US needs to ‘[m]ake sure that the new system accommodates IFRS if [companies] are planning to upgrade the system. ’ This will mean more money will need to be diverted from other key functions and into the development and upgrading of IT systems. With the major push for convergence, the USA needs to critically evaluate the effect that their move to IFRS may have on their IT systems and the software they use. Also, U. S. companies will need to become familiar with the new systems and technology before the change in order to keep up with international competitors.The major elements of the USA include the concep tual framework, financial reports, revenue recognition and inventory. Taking problems and issues into account, our group concludes that the convergence of the USA to IFRS would benefit both, the global economy and the USA. Although problems with financial reporting, volatility, retraining and IT systems may arise, converging to international standards will allow users to have easy comparisons between companies and greater transparency.In conclusion, we feel it is beneficial for the USA to converge to international standards so that there are a set of global standards for all companies to follow. Word Count: 1491 BIBLIOGAPHY Books Fargher, N, Wise, V, Kieso, DE, Weygand, JJ &Warfield, TJ 2008, Fundamentals of Intermediate accounting, John Wiley & Sons Australia, Milton. Websites Ernst & Young, 2010, Revenue Recognition, viewed 29 September 2011, Ernst & Young, 2010, Inventory, viewed 29 September 2011, L. Gordon Crovitz. 2008 (September 8). Closing the Information GAAP, viewed 29 Sep tember 2011. lt; http://online. wsj. com/article/SB122083366235408621. html> Mary E. Barth. 2004. Fair Values and Financial Statement Volatility, viewed 29 September. Journal Articles Todd M. Hines 2007 ‘International Financial Reporting Standards: A Guide to Sources for International Accounting Standards’; Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, Vol. 12(3), p. 1-8 McAnally, M, McGuire, S, & Weaver, C 2010, ‘Assessing the Financial Reporting Consequences of Conversion to IFRS: The Case of Equity-Based Compensation', Accounting Horizons, Vol 24 (4), p. 589-621Gornik-Tomaszewski, S 2003, ‘Short-Term Convergence Between US GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards', Bank Accounting & Finance (08943958), Vol 16 (5), p. 39-42 Tarca, A 2004, ‘International Convergence of Accounting Practices: Choosing between IAS and US GAAP', Journal of International Financial Management & Accounting, Vol 15 (1), pp. 60-91 Pratt, MK 2010, ‘GET READY FO R GLOBAL ACCOUNTING', Computerworld, Vol 44 (3), p. 21-23 Laux, C. & Leuz, C 2009. ‘The crisis of fair-value accounting: Making sense of the recent debate’. Accounting, Organizations and Society. V 34 (6-7), p. 826-834

4 Major Types of Wind Essays - Wind, Vortices, Atmospheric Dynamics

4 Major Types of Wind Essays - Wind, Vortices, Atmospheric Dynamics 4 Major Types of Wind subject = Science title = 4 Major Types of Wind Wind, Its So Much More I did my report on wind. As you may or may not know wind moves horizontally, and the wind that doesnt move horizontally moves vertically. That kind of wind is called a current. Many things may cause these rushes of moving air, one thing would be atmospheric pressure differences. The differences in the distribution of pressure and temperature is caused by the unequal distribution of heat. There are also the differences in the thermal properties of land and the ocean surfaces. When the temperatures of different regions become unequal, the warmer air will normally rise and move over the cold air because the cold air is heavier. That will sometimes cause things like tornadoes. Another way that winds move are by the usually great rotation of the earth. Isnt that enough as it is? Really though..how fast are we rotating and flying through space? Winds are classified into four major types believe it or not. The four major groups are, the local winds, the seasonal winds, the cyclonic and anti cyclonic winds, and th e prevailing winds. Thats kind of impressive if you ask me! Most people think of wind as a slight breeze on a summers day when it could be so much more. There are actually many, many more kinds of wind. You must remember that those are just the four main kinds. Now back to our "summers breeze," the strongest wind ever reliably measured on the surface of the earth was 362 km per hour or 225 miles per hour, recorded on Mount Washington, New Hampshire, on April 12, 1934. Considerably stronger winds, however, occur near the centers of tornadoes. I also thought that that was pretty neat. I got that fact out the Encarta 95 encyclopedia, a very reliable source. Thats where I got a lot of the information in this report. Now we get the chance to talk about the local winds. These winds are determined by the seasonal changes in temperature and pressure over the land as well as water. During the day changes occur, which will exercise a similar but more of a local effect on places. These changes that will only occur during the day are diurnal. These diurnal occurrences happen mostly in the summer, because the land is warmer than the surrounding water during the day and is colder than the water by night. Isnt it strange? Owell. The variations of pressure therefore lead or move a called forth system of breezes directed toward the land during the daytime and back towards the sea at night. These land and sea breezes penetrate to a distance of about 50 km or about 30 miles on and off the shore. Similar daily changes in temperature occur over an irregular terrain and cause mountain and valley breezes. Other winds are brought forth by local phenomena including whirlwinds and winds associated or caused by thunde rstorms. The second kind that were going to talk about is the seasonal winds. The air over the land is warmer in summer and colder in winter than the air over or next to the ocean during the same seasons. During the summer time, the continents consequently becomes the target of low pressure, with winds blowing in from the colder oceans. In the winter, all of the continents are the targets of high pressure, with winds directed toward the warmer oceans. These seasonal winds are typified by the monsoons of the China Sea and the Indian Ocean. This parts about cyclonic and anticyclonic winds. Cyclonic and anticyclonic winds are like hurricanes, tornadoes, and cyclones. Within each of those things, hurricanes, tornadoes, and cyclones, the wind is spinning or winding in a specific direction. Most tornadoes spin counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern, but occasional tornadoes reverse this behavior. Its unknown why this happens but maybe one day someone will be able to explain why. The speeds of some tornadoes have often placed themselves at more than 480 km per hour or more than 300 miles per hour, although speeds of more than 800 km per hour or 500 miles per hour have been estimated for extremely

The Countries of the World in French

The Countries of the World in French Learning the French names for countries is relatively easy if you are already familiar with the name in English. In most instances, the translation is as simple as attaching something like  -ique  or  -ie  to the end of the name.  That means that this a very easy French lesson which students of any level can learn. Les Pays en Franà §ais Below is a list of virtually all of the countries in the world, organized alphabetically from English to French. As you study geography in the French language, you will find it useful to learn how to speak about the countries and be able to use them in sentences. Remember that you need to use a definite article (the the, such as  le or  la)  for countries. Some of the countries do not have a  definite article  because they are islands. Articles are normally not used with islands. You will also need to know the gender of the country in order to use it in a preposition.  Nearly all countries that end in -e are feminine, and the rest are masculine. There are just a few exceptions: le Belizele Cambodgele Mexiquele Mozambiquele Zaà ¯rele Zimbabwe In those cases and for  countries that use  l  as the definitive article, the gender is indicated next to the name. English French Afghanistan l'Afghanistan (m) Albania l'Albanie (f) Algeria l'Algà ©rie (f) Andorra l'Andorre (f) Angola l'Angola (m) Antigua and Barbuda l'Antigua-et-Barbuda (f) Argentina l'Argentine (f) Armenia l'Armà ©nie (f) Australia l'Australie (f) Austria l'Autriche (f) Azerbaijan l'Azerbaà ¯djan (m) Bahamas les Bahamas (f) Bahrain le Bahreà ¯n Bangladesh le Bangladesh Barbados la Barbade Belarus la Bià ©lorussie Belau Belau Belgium la Belgique Belize le Belize (m) Benin le Bà ©nin Bhutan le Bhoutan Bolivia la Bolivie Bosnia la Bosnie-Herzà ©govine Botswana le Botswana Brazil le Brà ©sil Brunei le Brunà ©i Bulgaria la Bulgarie Burkina-Faso le Burkina Burma la Birmanie Burundi le Burundi Cambodia le Cambodge (m) Cameroon le Cameroun Canada (learn the provinces) le Canada Cape Verde Island le Cap-Vert Central African Republic la Rà ©publique centrafricaine Chad le Tchad Chile le Chili China la Chine Colombia la Colombie Comoro Islands les Comores (f) Congo le Congo Cook Islands les ÃŽles Cook Costa Rica le Costa Rica Cà ´te d'Ivoire la Cà ´te d'Ivoire Croatia la Croatie Cuba Cuba Cyprus Chypre (f) Czech Republic la Rà ©publique tchà ¨que Denmark le Danemark Djibouti le Djibouti Dominica la Dominique Dominican Republic la Rà ©publique dominicaine Ecuador l'Équateur (m) Egypt l'Égypte (f) El Salvador le Salvador England l'Angleterre (f) Equatorial Guinea la Guinà ©e à ©quatoriale Eritrea l'Érythrà ©e (f) Estonia l'Estonie (f) Ethiopia l'Éthiopie (f) Fiji les Fidji (f) Finland la Finlande France (learn the regions) la France French Polynesia la Polynà ©sie franà §aise Gabon le Gabon Gambia la Gambie Georgia la Gà ©orgie Germany l'Allemagne (f) Ghana le Ghana Greece la Grà ¨ce Grenada la Grenade Guatemala le Guatemala Guinea la Guinà ©e Guinea Bissau la Guinà ©e-Bissao Guyana la Guyana Haiti Haà ¯ti Honduras le Honduras Hungary la Hongrie Iceland l'Islande (f) India l'Inde (f) Indonesia l'Indonà ©sie (f) Iran l'Iran (m) Iraq l'Irak (m) Ireland l'Irlande (f) Israel Israà «l (m) Italy l'Italie (f) Jamaica la Jamaà ¯que Japan le Japon Jordan la Jordanie Kazakhstan le Kazakhstan Kenya le Kenya Kiribati Kiribati (f) Kuwait le Koweà ¯t Kyrgyzstan le Kirghizstan Laos le Laos Latvia la Lettonie Lebanon le Liban Lesotho le Lesotho Liberia le Libà ©ria Libya la Libye Liechtenstein le Liechtenstein Lithuania la Lituanie Luxembourg le Luxembourg Macedonia la Macà ©doine Madagascar Madagascar (m) Malawi le Malawi Malaysia la Malaisie Maldives les Maldives (f) Mali le Mali Malta Malte (f) Marshall Islands les ÃŽles Marshall Mauritania la Mauritanie Mauritius ÃŽle Maurice (f) Mexico le Mexique (m) Micronesia la Micronà ©sie Moldavia la Moldavie Monaco Monaco Mongolia la Mongolie Montenegro le Montà ©nà ©gro Morocco le Maroc Mozambique le Mozambique Namibia la Namibie Nauru la Nauru Nepal le Nà ©pal Netherlands les Pays-Bas New Zealand la Nouvelle-Zà ©lande Nicaragua le Nicaragua Nieu Niouà © Niger le Niger Nigeria le Nigà ©ria North Korea la Corà ©e du Nord Northern Ireland l'Irelande du Nord (f) Norway la Norvà ¨ge Oman l'Oman (m) Pakistan le Pakistan Panama le Panama Papua New Guinea la Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinà ©e Paraguay le Paraguay Peru le Pà ©rou Philippines les Philippines (f) Poland la Pologne Portugal le Portugal Qatar le Qatar Romania la Roumanie Russia la Russie Rwanda le Rwanda Saint Kitts-Nevis Saint-Christophe-et-Nià ©và ¨s (m) Saint Lucia Sainte-Lucie Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint-Vincent-et-les-Grenadines San Marino Saint-Marin Sao Tomà © and Principe Sao Tomà © et Principe (m) Saudi Arabia l'Arabie saoudite (f) Scotland l'Écosse (f) Senegal le Sà ©nà ©gal Serbia la Serbie Seychelles les Seychelles (f) Sierra Leone la Sierra Leone Slovakia la Slovaquie Slovenia la Slovà ©nie Soloman Islands les ÃŽles Salomon Somalia la Somalie South Africa l'Afrique du Sud (f) South Korea la Corà ©e du Sud Spain l'Espagne (f) Sri Lanka le Sri Lanka Sudan le Soudan Surinam le Surinam Swaziland le Swaziland Sweden la Suà ¨de Switzerland la Suisse Syria la Syrie Tajikistan le Tadjikistan Tanzania la Tanzanie Thailand la Thaà ¯lande Togo le Togo Tonga les Tonga (f) Trinidad and Tobago la Trinità ©-et-Tobago Tunisia la Tunisie Turkey la Turquie Turkmenistan le Turkmà ©nistan Tuvalu le Tuvalu Uganda l'Ouganda (m) Ukraine l'Ukraine (f) United Arab Emirates les Émirats arabes unis (m) United Kingdom le Royaume-Uni United States (learn the states) les États-Unis (m) Uruguay l'Uruguay (m) Uzbekistan l'Ouzbà ©kistan (m) Vanuatu le Vanuatu Vatican le Vatican Venezuela le Venezuela Vietnam le Vià ªt-Nam Wales le pays de Galles Western Samoa les Samoa occidentales Yemen le Yà ©men Yugoslavia la Yougoslavie Zaire (Congo) le Zaà ¯re (m) Zambia la Zambie Zimbabwe le Zimbabwe (m)

Infection Control Practice in Acute Care Centers Essay

Infection Control Practice in Acute Care Centers - Essay Example Other recent estimates indicate that the average annual costs related to hospital acquired infections currently range from$4.5 billion to $11 billion. The substantial patient morbidity of the healthcare associated inflections is particularly attributed to a number of risk factors that significantly increases the susceptibility of hospitalized patients to infections by viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites. Compared to others, patients hospitalized or under intensive care units often have a significantly higher risk of developing infections. Generally, some of the major risks include poor or compromised immune systems of hospitalized patients due to illnesses, overcrowding, invasive medical procedures that are often carried out in patients in acute healthcare centers and most importantly, poor infection control practices among nurses and other medical staff in many acute healthcare centers. Although hospital-based infection control measures and policies have been in place since the 1950s, the risk of health care acquired infections continues to be higher due to the lack of proper application, malpractices and implementation of these policies. For example, in most cases, the absence of effective infection practices such as failures to follow proper procedures or conform with the infection control guidelines often result in poor conditions thereby causing hospitalized patients to develop infections. Some of the likely reasons for the non compliance with hospital acquired infection control policies among nurses and other medical staff in acute healthcare centers often include work overload, lack of motivation, time, education, patient turnover, staff attitude and state barriers. However, substantial empirical evidence suggests that many hospital acquired infections can effectively be prevented or reduced through a number of strategies of improving infection control

Analysis of Sale of Human Organs Arguments Research Paper

Analysis of Sale of Human Organs Arguments - Research Paper Example David’s point of people donating organs for money is very persuasive as he talks about compensation for any organ donated. it makes more sense when he claims that organs from deceased people donated and the person’s family could be beneficial. For both the deceased’s family and the needy person of the organ can benefit in the process. For instance, if the family needs some money for bills in the hospital or burial, they can decide to exchange some organs of the deceased for money, which can serve best for all. This type of exchange for vital organs can motivate people to donate one of their organs in their life to save some life or get money to perform other work, which could be urgent (David, 2005). The beneficial should not only be the recipient of the organs but both parties involved. This point is very much persuasive as people can be willing to give out their organs for compensation. This effect can work, as it is evident that donors of these organs live wel l without any disorder or reduction of functionalities in their bodies. An instance when such decisions can serve a good purpose is when money for urgent medication is needed and no available source, someone can donate an organ and serve the pain but make both people survive. In his argument, a person has a right over their bodies and not controlled by either the government or any other body. If an organ transplant sale authorized, people can give out willingly due to the offered compensation. An example of the unpersuasive point is that, if the organs are for sale, some desperate people will not benefit if they cannot afford to buy the organ. As David claims people will tend to kill others for their own benefit. The argument of an objection to selling an organ cannot lead to the destruction of people live or due to the failure of getting the right price for a certain organ. In his exploration, the question which asks for one to assume they needed an organ and in the process finds s omeone willing to sell, it is realistic that, if you need something vital for your life that you have no option left.  

You guys have to write through order instruction Assignment - 1

You guys have to write through order instruction - Assignment Example The student can use these texts as the complement to the standard books or it can also be used alone for studies. When it is concerned with text reading, we do not agree with Machiavelli that it is better for the Prince (United States) to be parsimonious rather than generous. This is because the situation is completely different today as both nations have nuclear weapons which are deterrent to open war as it has the capability to destroy the complete world. Even if the government itself does not declare the open war, the finger which is steeped in fear or hate can accidently click the button which will fire the first salvo. Machiavelli lived in an age where such total destruction of the world could not be imagined. So, in most of the cases today, this can be only lead misunderstandings and further cracking up of the relationship. The generosity can inspire the goodwill in most of the cases which leads to mutual rapport in

Teaching Upper Intermediate Students To Take Notes English Language Essay

Teaching Upper Intermediate Students To Take Notes English Language Essay 1.1. Introduction The purpose of this assignment is to report on an EAP course design simulation. I have decided to focus on EAP for two reasons. Firstly, I am currently teaching at a university in Turkey where I have the task of preparing students for life in an English-medium learning environment. This assignment provides me with an opportunity to examine this learning context and identify factors that influence learning. Secondly, I conducted a similar project whilst completing an MA in Applied Linguistics. During this project, I designed a pre-sessional EAP course for a group of multi-lingual students entering a university in England. I now work predominantly with mono-lingual groups in a non-English speaking country and am interested in investigating how these factors influence course design. 1.2. Theories and Principles EAP rose to prominence in the 1970s (Jordan 1997) and its importance has since increased with the emergence of English as the lingua franca of the global academic community (Hyland Hamp-Lyons 2002). EAP has been defined as the teaching of English with the goal of enabling learners to use that language to study or conduct research (Flowerdew Peacock 2001) and involves helping students to develop linguistic, academic and cultural competence (Gillett Wray 2006). EAP courses may be taught in English speaking contexts, or in countries in which English is used as a foreign or second language (Jordan 1997). EAP is categorised as a form of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and a distinction has been made between English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP) and English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) (Blue 1988). EGAP courses, like the one employed in my own context, teach a common core of language and academic skills that all university students require. In contrast, ESAP courses focus on the language and skills needed in one particular academic discipline. However, despite this divide, analyses of EAP courses have revealed that they generally share the following defining features (Robinson 1991: 2): They are goal directed. They are based on the needs of the students. The duration of the course is clearly specified. The students tend to be adults over the age of 18. A high level of English proficiency is not necessarily required. The need to develop academic as well as linguistic competence has received considerable attention in EAP literature (Ballard 1996; Sowden 2003). Ballard (1996) argues that foreign students often require help adjusting to the distinctive academic culture of western universities. For instance, she identifies students struggle to adapt to the critical approach to learning expected of them in western universities. This argument applies to my own teaching context because many of the lecturers are either from or have been educated in western countries and, consequently, have particular expectations about how students should behave. The need to incorporate both linguistic and academic skills into EAP courses has lead many writers to consider the type of syllabi to employ during these courses. Task-based or process syllabi are centred on the cognitive acts students perform at universities. These syllabi emphasise the use of authentic activities and English is viewed merely as the medium through which these activities are performed (Ballard 1996). Similarly, skills-based syllabi, as employed in my own institution, advocate the development of skills that students need to succeed at university. In contrast, content-based syllabi emphasise the material students study at university. These syllabi promote the analysis of language within relevant discourse (Spanos 1987). Likewise, text-based or genre-based syllabi facilitate the examination of language within authentic contexts (Feez 2002). Importantly, Flowerdew (2005) highlights that, depending on student needs, elements of different syllabi can be combined to create an integrated course. 1.3. My Own Experiences My current teaching position is my first classroom exposure to EAP and EAP students. Research conducted into this group of students suggests that they have a number of defining characteristics. For example, Todd (2003) identifies that these students are usually more mature and motivated. Waters and Waters (1992) suggest that successful university students are able to think critically and logically, are self-aware and self-confident, and are willing and able to take responsibility for their own learning. Unfortunately, in my own context, the students have generally just finished high school and have not yet fully developed these characteristics. For instance, many students expect teachers to tell them what to do and are unsure about how to manage their own personal study time. Therefore, teachers must help students develop personal traits as well as linguistic and academic skills. My previous experience of designing an EAP course highlighted the enormity of the task. Whilst analysing the needs of the students, I listed the skills and sub-skills successful university students employ. On completion, I had created an unmanageable list of skills and a pre-sessional course could not explicitly address all of them. Therefore, the course I eventually designed employed a task-based syllabus that allowed students to experience and reflect on the learning activities they would participate in at university. They then built their weaknesses into long-term development plans. 1.4. Implications of the Literature and My Experience Based on the literature and reflection on previous experiences, I believe the following implications are relevant to the design of the EAP course and the needs analysis process. The needs analysis must identify the academic departments the students will be entering. If the students are studying similar subjects, an ESAP approach may be adopted. However, if they are studying different subjects, an EGAP has to be used. The needs analysis must examine the students needs in relation to their linguistic, academic and cultural competency. The needs analysis must be used to identify the students main areas of weakness. It will not be possible to teach all of the various skills and sub-skills that the students need to succeed at university. Instead, the course must prioritise the primary weaknesses. A decision will have to be made regarding the most appropriate syllabus type to meet the needs of the students. 2. Needs Analysis 2.1. Group Profile To promote a learning-centred approach, a questionnaire (see Appendix 1) was used to collect data about learner needs (Hutchinson and Waters 1987). A questionnaire was the most practical method to collect this data. The results (Appendix A) are summarized below: Learner Characteristics 21 students (13 males and 8 females). The average age is 20 (ranging from 18 26). 18 Turkish and 3 Iraqi students. The students are entering various departments at an English-medium university. Sport, films and music are common interests. Learner Preferences Both deductive and inductive approaches. Working on their own, in pairs and in groups. Having input into what and how they learn. Both teacher and self-assessment. Self-Assessment The students perceive reading and speaking as their stronger skills. Listening and writing are skills they need to improve. The students also completed a learning styles questionnaire (Appendix 2). They favour a combination of visual, auditory and kinesthetic activities (Appendix B). 2.2. Identifying Needs Needs analysis (NA) is the process teachers use to determine and prioritize the needs for which a particular group of learners require a language (Richards 2001). These needs may originate from the students or from other stakeholders such as the institution. To assess the needs of this class, I performed a target situation analysis (TSA) to identify the skills students require when they enter the university (Munby 1978). I examined the syllabus used within my institution. This was the most practical method because this syllabus was created following a language audit and, thus, provided a comprehensive breakdown of target needs. The TSA highlighted my institution employs a skills-based approach. As discussed in section 1, successful university students must employ a vast range of sub-skills. Consequently, I performed a present situation analysis (PSA) (Richterich Chancerel 1980) to enable me to identify and prioritize gaps between the students current skill-set and those they require. I used diagnostic tests to collect information about reading, listening and writing because they are the most practical method to obtain accurate quantitative data about students knowledge (Hughes 2003). I used classroom observations to test speaking because this was the most practical way to collect information about a large number of students. Following the findings of the TSA, I employed a skills-based approach and assessed the students listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. 2.3. Diagnostic Testing Diagnostic tests are conducted at the beginning of a period of study to collect data about students current state of language development (Hughes 2003). To ensure the students perceived these tests as being useful; thus satisfying the condition of face validity (Gronlund 1998), I replicated activities the students perform in the institutions examinations. This also satisfied the condition of content validity. Skill Procedure Listening Students took notes while listening to a lecture and then answered comprehension questions using their notes (Appendix 3). Reading Students answered comprehension questions about an academic text requiring them to scan, skim and infer meaning (Appendix 4). Writing The students wrote an academic paragraph (Appendix 5) that was marked for grammar, vocabulary, content and organisation. To increase scorer reliability, a colleague checked the grades (Hughes 2003). Speaking The students were observed in class and marked on grammar, vocabulary, fluency and pronunciation. Once again, a colleague checked the grades. Grammar and Vocabulary These items were assessed indirectly through writing and speaking. 2.4. Results 2.4.1. Present Situation Analysis The diagnostic tests revealed that, on average, the students achieved passing marks (above 60%) in reading and speaking, but failed in listening and writing (Appendix C.1). This matches the students self-assessment. The writing scores highlighted the greatest difficulties concern grammar, vocabulary and organisation (Appendix C.2). The students struggled to use a range of lexis and had problems with grammatical and lexical accuracy (e.g. Appendix 6). However, during feedback, the students self-corrected the majority of their grammar mistakes. This suggests they were performance rather than linguistic errors. The students said they have problems studying vocabulary and usually just translate from L2 to L1. The students also had difficulty using cohesive devices and organising their writing to meet academic conventions and answer questions directly. The note-taking sheets (e.g. Appendix 7) revealed the students struggled to isolate important information and recorded redundant information. The students failed to employ strategies to help them record information quickly. Interestingly, when the students completed the listening test as a while-listening task, they had little difficulty answering the questions. This suggests the students problems concern note-taking rather than listening. The students explained they have had little experience of this task. This supports the notion that these students must develop academic competency. 2.4.2. Target Situation Analysis The syllabus of the institution revealed successful students must be able to use a variety of skills and strategies when taking notes from lectures and writing (Appendix D). To investigate these skills further, the students completed a self-assessment questionnaire (Appendix 8). This questionnaire performed the dual function of collecting data about the students abilities, and increasing their awareness of the skills and strategies needed to succeed at university (Allright 1982). The results showed they are not particularly confident about writing and note-taking sub-skills (Appendix E). 2.5. Priorities for the Planned Course The course will teach EGAP because the students belong to different faculties. The results of the diagnostic tests revealed taking notes from lectures and writing to be common weaknesses. This confirms the students self-assessment of their needs. The course will focus on these skills and provide the students with opportunities to develop and practice strategies they can employ when taking notes. The course will also raise awareness of the organisation of academic writing and promote effective vocabulary use and error correction. Finally, as mentioned in section 1, because the majority of students have just finished high school, the course will aim to increase awareness of university study. 3. Course Proposal 3.1. Course Proposal In accordance with the NA, this EGAP course will focus on taking notes from lectures and, academic writing. It will be taught over 1 week and consists of 20 hours of classroom time with 4.5 hours of additional writing tutorials (3 extra tutorial hours will be available if extra teaching is needed). It will supplement the 8-week course the students are currently taking. The course will enable the students to reflect on, intensively practise, and consolidate the skills and strategies they have already started developing. This will allow the students to address weaknesses and develop confidence in preparation for next course. As such, the supplementary course will be taught at the end of the students current course. 3.2. Goals and Objectives Curriculum designers state the goals and objectives of courses to imbue their creations with purpose and direction (Graves 2000). Goals can be defined as statements concerning the general purposes of a course while objectives are specific statements describing how goals are to be realised (Richards 2001). The goals of this course are to develop the students abilities to write academic essays and paragraphs and, take notes from lectures. The course also aims to increase the students confidence of taking notes and raise their awareness of how to succeed in academic life. To achieve these goals, I have formulated 19 objectives: 4 listening objectives (LO1-LO4), 4 note-taking objectives (NO1-NO4), 8 writing objectives (WO1-WO8), 1 vocabulary objective (VO1), 1 grammar objective (GO1) and 1 affective objective (AO1). For full details of the goals and objectives see Appendix 9. 3.3. Approach As identified in sections 1 and 2, the students need to develop an awareness of what life is like in university departments (Sowden 2003). Consequently, the course will employ an integrated skills approach that simulates the canonical sequence of university study (Appendix F). The lectures the students will listen to and take notes on will provide lexical input about the topics they will write about. The students will supplement this input through further reading and vocabulary study outside class (e.g. Appendix F, Day 1). This self-study responds to the students learning preferences and encourages them to take responsibility for their learning, a characteristic crucial for academic success (Waters and Waters 1992). Based on the analysis of learner needs, a variety of different approaches will be employed in the classroom. First, the listening and note-taking component will include awareness raising and reflection activities. The students have little experience of this task and these activities remedy this. Secondly, both inductive and deductive learning will be employed because the students enjoy both. Thirdly, the course will incorporate individual, pair and group work. For example, the students will brainstorm ideas for writing tasks in pairs before sharing with the group. The students will perform the writing individually. Finally, the course will employ both P-P-P and T-T-T lesson shapes depending on whether the students are encountering concepts for the first time or revisiting them. 3.4. Course Content The listening and note-taking component of the course builds from part to whole (Richards 2001). The diagnostic tests revealed the students have difficulty identifying important information and using note-taking strategies. This course allows the students to increase their awareness of and practise listening and note-taking strategies in isolation before having opportunities to use them, first, in tandem and, then, holistically (e.g. Appendix F, Day 1). Moreover, the students will practise these strategies whilst reading before applying them when listening. This componential approach recycles objectives and, allows students to automatise strategies separately so, when using them holistically, they find it less cognitively challenging (Field 2008). The writing component of the course builds from simple to complex (Richards 2001). The diagnostic tests revealed the students have difficulty answering questions directly and developing ideas logically. Consequently, the students will practise this skill in body paragraphs before progressing to full essays. The writing component will also develop from whole to part (Richards 2001) with students examining the organisation of full texts before analysing and practising writing the individual components (e.g. Appendix F, Day 2). The students identified they enjoy inductive learning and this methodology facilitates this. The students will complete the writing outside class. This removes the pressure of time limits and emphasises the writing process rather than product (Walker and PÃ ©rez RÃ ­u 2008). The grammar and vocabulary teaching will be reactive as the diagnostic tests highlighted the students difficulties mainly concern performance rather than linguistic errors. The students writing will be marked with grammar and vocabulary mistakes highlighted using an error code. The students will then re-write and self-correct their texts in the tutorials. The students enjoy both teacher and self-correction, and both inductive and deductive learning. This methodology responds to these needs. The tutorials will contain fewer students so the students will have greater access to a teacher if they need to ask questions. 3.5. Materials The materials to be used in this course have been designed for the purposes of English teaching (Appendix F). The language is graded and, in the lectures, the rate of speech is slower. This will allow the students to focus on developing the targeted skills and strategies instead of worrying about language. It also responds to the students affective needs. They are extremely anxious about taking notes and, if exposed to authentic lectures, might be overwhelmed (Guariento and Morely 2001). The use of inauthentic material is also offset by the authenticity of the tasks. The students will have to take notes and write essays in their departments so they are likely to be motivated (Long and Crookes 1992). Unfortunately, the use of graded material limits the topics to those in the coursebooks. I have chosen lectures on the topics of health, society and relationships. These topics are accessible to all of the students and the TSA revealed they feature in the coursebooks and exams of the inst itution. 3.6. Institutional Constraints A number of institutional constraints have influenced the design of this course. Firstly, the availability of teachers affected the tutorials. Ideally, the tutorials would contain a maximum of five students. However, this would require in excess of 5 teachers and this was not possible. Consequently, two teachers will conduct the tutorials and the class will be halved. Secondly, the institutions examinations influenced the methodology used on the course. The students will sit a skills-based examination shortly after participating in this supplementary course. Consequently, I decided to use comprehension questions to measure note-taking ability. The students perform similar tasks in their exam so they will probably be more motivated because they can apply the strategies they practise during this course. 4. Assessment 4.1. Assessment Principles Assessment is an umbrella term referring to the collection of data about the abilities or achievements of learners taking a particular course (Brindley 2001). It may occur formatively (during the course) or summatively (at the end of the course). Assessment can be performed using both quantitative and qualitative methodology (Jordan 1997). Qualitative methodology may include classroom observation or interviews while the main quantitative method is testing. Tests may be employed at various stages during a course. Proficiency and diagnostic tests are administered at the beginning of a course to provide information about learners existing abilities (Hughes 2003). In contrast, achievement tests are used formatively or summatively to assess students progress and identify what they have learnt from a particular course (Brindley 2001). In order to be effective, tests must be both valid and reliable (Hughes 2003). Validity concerns the ability of tests to measure what they are supposed to while reliability is the extent to which tests can be repeated achieving consistent results (Brindley 2001). 4.2. Monitoring Learner Progress Progress in the listening and note-taking component will be assessed through comprehension questions and self-assessment (Appendix 10, Days 1, 3 and 5). This assessment is integrated into the course and will be conducted in the final block of note-taking days. The comprehension questions include multiple choice and short open-ended questions. The self-assessment requires the students to reflect on their use of strategies practised and rate themselves (e.g. Appendix 11). The students will also collect their note-taking sheets, comprehension questions and self-assessment sheets in a Learning Portfolio (LP). These will function as records of their learning processes and, be used for summative assessment and reflection purposes (Nunes 2004). Progress in the writing component will be assessed through the completion of three writing tasks: one paragraph and two essays (Appendix 10, Days 2, 4 and 5). The students use of grammar and vocabulary will be assessed indirectly through these tasks. The students will write a first and second draft for each task and both drafts will be marked and graded. The first drafts are to be completed outside class. The second drafts will be started in writing tutorials and finished outside of class. Both drafts of each task will be included in their LPs. 4.3. Assessing Learner Outcomes The students LPs will form the basis of the summative assessment (Appendix 10, Day 6). The students will reflect on their work and self-assess their progress in each of the objectives (Appendix 12). In one to one tutorials, the students will discuss this self-assessment and form long-term development goals to respond to their weaknesses. This assessment will be low stakes because the students will soon be taking a high stakes examination in the institution and do not need further pressure. The decision to use both teacher and self-assessment in the formative and summative assessment responds to the students learning preferences. Self-assessment also encourages students to be more active and take responsibility for their learning (Harris 1997). The use of LPs combines formative and summative assessment, and this helps students to better understand their strengths and weaknesses (Lam Lee 2009). It also allows the students to monitor their development in note-taking; thus, increasing their confidence. 4.4. How Assessment Principles Influenced Assessment Methodology The assessment methods aim to conform to the principle of validity. Adopting a skills-based approach achieves construct validity. The TSA revealed my institution advocates this theory and the assessment methods of this course reflect this. The students will be assessed on their ability to employ skills and strategies when taking notes from lectures and, writing paragraphs and essays. The course also follows theoretical developments in written assessment. The use of LPs rather than timed exams emphasises the writing process rather than the product (Walker and PÃ ©rez RÃ ­u 2008). The use of skills-based assessment also satisfies the conditions of both content and face validity. The assessment tasks mirror those performed on this course and, during regular courses and examinations. Consequently, the students are likely to view the course and assessment techniques as appropriate (Gronlund 1998). The assessment methods also aim to conform to principle of reliability. The listening and note-taking component of the course will be assessed using multiple choice and short open-ended questions and, these will be marked using a standardised answer key. This will increase scorer reliability. The written tasks will be marked using the writing criteria of the institution. These criteria are regularly standardised. Therefore, although subjective, scorer reliability will be enhanced. 4.5. Constraints and Opportunities Whilst planning how to assess this course, I encountered a number of constraints. Firstly, I decided to use comprehension questions to assess listening and note-taking because this is how my institution assesses these skills. The students are familiar with this form of assessment so, had I chosen a different method, I may have experienced negative backwash with students failing to value my choice of methodology (Hughes 2003). Moreover, by using comprehension questions, I can exploit backwash from the examinations positively to motivate the students. Secondly, I faced practicality problems with the written assessment. The students will complete their writing tasks at home and have tutorials about them the next day. Therefore, to allow for marking, tutorials would have start at 10am with regular classes being taught in the afternoon. The students will submit their work via e-mail by 8am. This provides the teachers sufficient time to mark and, also imposes deadlines on the students. Suc h deadlines are part of university study and the students must take responsibility for meeting them. 4.6. Course Evaluation Evaluation is the process of collecting information about a course, both formatively and summatively, with the purpose of determining how effective it is and to guide decisions about teaching and learning (Murphy 2000). The evaluation methods to be used on this course are summarised in Appendix 13. In this course, LPs play a crucial role in evaluation. The data in these portfolios will help me make both formative and summative judgments about whether objectives are being met. The formative judgments will be particularly useful because they will help me to decide whether to use any of the free tutorials to provide additional teaching. In addition, the students will complete a questionnaire to evaluate the course summatively (Appendix 12). This questionnaire will allow the students to rate the usefulness of the activities, materials, teaching and assessment methods, and make open-ended comments about the course. 5. Conclusion 5.1. Conclusion Studying at university is an extremely complex process requiring students to participate in a variety of learning activities and, use a vast array of skills and sub-skills (Munby 1978). The task of EAP practitioners, who help students acquire these skills, is unenviable because, in addition to teaching linguistic competence, they also have to help students develop academic and cultural competence and, personal characteristics. When designing my course, I responded to this challenge, by conducting an analysis of the students needs. This analysis enabled me to identify and prioritise the most pressing weaknesses of the students. Therefore, I was able to maximize the benefit that the students would receive from what is a relatively short course. I believe that, having taken the course, the students will, not only be better equipped to take notes from lectures and, write paragraphs and essays, they will also feel more confident about doing so. The task of designing an EAP course for my students was made even more challenging because most of them have just finished high school and are unfamiliar with university study. Therefore, I believe that my decision to design the course to simulate university study will be particularly valuable to them in the long-term. Although the students will still have a lot more to learn about academic study, I believe that, when they enter their departments, they will be more aware of what is expected of them both inside and outside of class. Moreover, I feel that, through being exposed to the use of LPs as a method of learning and assessment, the students will have taken a huge step towards to becoming more self-aware and responsible for their own learning. These characteristics will play a fundamental role in their lives as successful university students.