Psychological Issues for Society

Psychological Issues for Society Free Online Research Papers Psychology is the scientific study of human and animal behavior. It is made of theories and tries to prove why we behave the way we do, our mental processes, our emotions, and our actions. In this writing assignment I will discuss why some people choose to behave so outrageous that we see it as abnormal self-destructive behavior and why others try to fit in this society and follow the rules. In the United States there’s people from all over the world from different cultures and traditions. I will give my personal opinion on some of the issues and controversies in our country. My first issue is about drugs. Many people feel that certain illegal drugs like heroin, marijuana, and cocaine should be legalized. I think it’s a crazy idea, people feel that is they legalize it at first we would buy it but then we would get bored and the use will decrease, but how many lives will be lost? Is it worth taken a chance? I don’t think so, tobacco is legal and people don’ t get tired of smoking, so if they legalized these drugs more and more people will get addicted. The effects of any drug depend on several factors like the amount taken the user’s past drug experience, the manner in which is taken, and circumstances. Heroin is a highly addictive drug derived from morphine, which is obtain from the opium poppy. It is a downer that affects the brain’s pleasure systems and interferes with the brain’s ability to perceive pain. Heroin can be injected into a vein or a muscle, smoked in a water pipe, inhale as smoke through a straw or snorted as powder via the nose. Cocaine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant that heightens alertness, inhibits appetite and the need for sleep, and provides intense feelings of pleasure. Cocaine’s short-term effects appear soon after a single dose. Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette or in a pipe or a bong. If you have a job and you are selected for a urine test marijuana will show up. The short-term effects of marijuana include problems with memory and learning, distorted per ception, loss of coordination, increased heart rate and anxiety. The long-term effects of these drugs include slowed and slurred speech, constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, impaired night vision, sedation, coma, addiction, convulsions, heart failure, paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, loss of interest in sex, marijuana even contains some of the same, and sometimes even more of the cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco. These drugs can hurt you and those who surround you. I don’t understand why would anyone go through the risk of dying of overdosed and just the fact of addiction is a nightmare that many choose to live every day of their lives. Drugs bring me to my next issue which is why some people think that alcohol and tobacco should be illegal. Let me start by saying that millions of lives would be safe if smoking and drinking was illegal. Is it fair for innocent people to die because of a drunk driver or because of second hand smoke? How much do we value the lives o f others and our own?. You don’t need to drink much alcohol before your ability to dive becomes impaired. The more heavily you drink, the greater the potential for problems at home, at work, with friends, and even with strangers. One of my family member was an alcoholic and I know that they face a lot of problems like arguments with the family or friends, loss of employment due to absences or decreased productivity, committing or being the victim of violence and also alcohol can cause a range of birth defects, the most serious being fetal alcohol syndrome F.A.S. (physical abnormalities, mental impairment). Children born with alcohol-related birth defects can have lifelong learning and behavior problems. Some problems, like those I mentioned above, can occur after drinking over a relatively short period of time. But other problems such as liver disease, heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and pancreatitis often develop more gradually and may become evident only after long- term heavy drinking. Women may develop alcohol-related health problems after consuming less alcohol that men do over a short period of time. Some drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver which can cause death if drinking continues. If drinking stops, this condition often is reversible. Alcohol also causes cirrhosis which is not reversible and causes death unless you stop and you’re chances of survival improve considerably. Moderate drinking can have beneficial effects on the heart, especially among those at greater risk of heart attacks, such as men over the age of 45 and women after menopause. It wouldn’t be so bad if alcohol was illegal and you could only get it like most legal drugs with a medical prescription. Long-term heavy drinking increases the risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, some kinds of stroke, and cancer, especially cancer of the esophagus, mouth, throat, and voice box. Women are at slightly increased risk of developing breast cancer if they drink two or more drinks per day. Drinking may also increase the risk for developing cancer of the colon and rectum. The pancreas helps to regulate the body’s blood sugar levels by producing insulin. The pancreas also has a role in digesting the food we eat. Long-term heavy drinking can lead to pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. Alcohol had a great effect on body, and it does more damage than good. Tobacco is anoth er drug which I think should be illegal. Tobacco contains nicotine, an addictive drug that makes it very difficult for users to quit. One out of every three smokers dies from tobacco related disease. The tobacco industry main targets are teens, minorities, and women. Nicotine has both stimulant and depressant effects upon the body. Stimulation of the central nervous system may cause tremors in the inexperienced user, or even convulsions with high doses. People who use tobacco products frequently depend upon it providing the side effects, some of them are the stimulation of the memory and alertness, alleviation of boredom to help them accomplish certain tasks at specific levels of performance. Tobacco is believed to have an addictive potential comparable to alcohol, cocaine, and morphine. There are many associated health risks. In general, chronic exposure to nicotine may cause an acceleration of coronary artery disease, peptic ulcer disease, reproductive disturbances, fetal illness and death. Tobacco and its various components have been associated with an increased risk for cancer of various body organs like cancer of the oral cavity, esophagus, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, stomach, cervix, and bladder. Another big problem with smoking is second hand smoke. Many people who have never smoked once develop cancer faster than a regular smoker. Some of the health risks in children are: increased frequency of respiratory infections, asthma, and decreases in lung function as the lungs mature. We all know there are many good reasons to stop smoking or never start. Tobacco can also cause brain damage, there is strong link between smoking and strokes; it increases cholesterol and decreases the vitamin C levels in your blood. Smokers have a higher lifetime frequency of substances abuse, severe depression, anxiety disorders, and other psychological problems. Smoking can also make you look older. Heavy smokers have nearly five times as many wrinkles as their non-smoking peers . Since more people get connected to the Internet every day, pornography has become a very discussed issue in our society. Constitutional rights freedom of speech and expression do not factor in to the risk of harm carried by pornography. There is pornography protected by the First Amendment and illegal pornography which is not. Pornography use is a choice, and is like an addictive drug; a little can get you hooked and too much can damage your life. Pornography aside, sex is selling for businesses that aren’t even selling sex. The mere existence of the advertising industry and the billions of dollars spent on advertising are proof that visual images persuade. I do think that pornography is psychologically and socially harmful and should be illegal in all forms. Pornography shapes attitudes and the way people view relationships and sex roles, specifically by normalizing aggression towards women for some men in sexual and other interpersonal encounters and increasing the tolera nce for aggression toward women in the larger culture. Sexual interest and sexual acts of any kind are mistaken for acts of love. Sex gives the illusion of being loved and appreciated. In the absence of love, people seek intimacy through porn and sex. Casual sex is portrayed as exciting and desirable outside of a committed relationship. Beauty is measured by proportion of body parts, shaping unrealistic expectations of what a woman’s body should look like. Pornography’s messages about sex and sexual fulfillment are misleading. Pornography also hurts kids. Teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases like Aids are completely nonexistent in porn, giving a false believe that there is no adverse consequences to behaviors depicted in pornography. Teaching that sexual experimentation with anyone, anywhere is a major theme considered â€Å"fun† in pornography. Pornography teaches that women enjoy being stripped, forcibly abused and even raped. Other messages in por nography are drug addiction, prostitution, exhibitionism and voyeurism are branded in the minds of children as normal behavior. One such message is that women are sex toys readily available for sexual fulfillment by anyone and are devoid of value, worth and feelings. These messages found to hurt adults have an even greater impacts on kids. Child pornography consists of photographs, video tapes, books, magazines, and films that depict children in sex acts, all of which are illegal. Child porn has become a sophisticated multi-million dollar black market industry. Hard core pornography of adults is legal to posses but illegal to distribute. My last point of discussion is the choice women have of abortion. There are for options when a women is pregnant with a child. First the option of having and raising the baby, thus bearing responsibility if she could have helped conceiving the child, in cases where the pregnancy was due to consensual sex. The other option is to have the child and ra ise it, thus showing love to the child where the woman isn’t responsible for the pregnancy, she was raped. The third option is to have the child and gave it away for abortion, regardless of how the child was conceived. The last option is to have an abortion. The morality of abortion depends upon the nature and identity of the thing being aborted. I do think that abortion should be illegal except in cases where the baby had a defect or the woman was raped. I do believe abortion is the taking of a human life, being morally equivalent to murder or manslaughter. The issue of the identity of the unborn (is it human or not?) is prior logically to the issue of the woman’s right to choose. There is no morally relevant difference between a fetus and a viable child who is outside the womb. Fist the size of the fetus doesn’t determine its humanness; the level of development which would mean that a 25 year old man is more human than a 13 year old boy; the environment, so if I step out of the house, do I become less of a human being? also the degree of dependence, appearance and function, many people have hardly any functional abilities at all but they are still considered humans. Abortion is permissible in the case of rape. Rape is bad. There is no doubt about this. But if abortion is taking the life of a human being, then adding murder or manslaughter to an already existing rape hardly solves the problem. We have four logical possibilities concerning abortion. First the unborn is a human being and we know it. Second the unborn is a human being and we do not know it. Third the unborn is not a human being and we know it. Fourth the unborn is not human and we do not know it. To me abortion turns out to be the intentional killing of a human being, which should e considered murder. If the case abortion is not murder. But it is not okay either. Abortion turns out to be manslaughter. For manslaughter is the unintentional killing of a human being. What lives in the womb is a real child, a small person, a human being essentially like us, in the first phase of his or her existence. Our society will never be perfect and I think that’s our main goal. I have discuss some of the more controversial issues in our society today but it is impossible for everyone to agree on one solution. Research Papers on Psychological Issues for SocietyThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Capital PunishmentGenetic Engineering

How to Draw Contour Line Art 4 Key Steps

How to Draw Contour Line Art 4 Key Steps SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you heard about contour line art but aren’t sure what it is? The good news is that you’ve likely already made dozens, maybe even hundreds, of contour line drawings throughout your life without realizing it! Contour drawing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your hand-eye coordination and drawing skills. In this guide, we explain what contour lines in art are and how you make contour line art. We also suggest different contour drawing exercises so you can keep improving your skills. What Is Contour Line Drawing? Contour line art is a method of drawing where you draw only the outline of an object, without any shading. â€Å"Contour† actually means â€Å"outline† in French, which is where the name comes from. For example, if you wanted to do a contour line drawing of a pear, you’d simply draw the outline of the pear, add a stem, and stop there. Some contour drawings will include outlines of important interior shapes (such as wrinkles in cloth or objects on a bookshelf), but contour drawings will never contain shading or minute details. Because you’re focusing on just the shape of an object and not any minor details, contour line art is a great drawing method for beginning artists as well as those looking for some quick drawing exercises. Children, as well as people without a lot of experience drawing, typically make contour line drawings without realizing it, simply because this method is one of the easiest and quickest ways to begin drawing. However, just because contour line art is easy to start doesn’t mean it’s only meant for beginner artists or those who don’t have the skills to do more detailed drawings. Contour line art has many uses, even for highly-experienced artists. Many artists will begin a project with a contour line drawing to get a quick sense of the piece’s composition, then they’ll later go back and add more details. Contour line art is also a good way to become more skilled at replicating the outline of an object and developing hand-eye coordination (which we’ll explain more about in the next section). If you can’t create strong and accurate outlines of an object, the piece will still look unfinished or slightly â€Å"off† even if you add in lots of details and embellishments. Professional artists have used contour art for centuries. Cartoonists often use contour art in their finished pieces, the ancient Greeks used it when decorating vases, and da Vinci frequently made contour line drawings when doing figure studies. It’s an essential skill that every artist should know and practice regularly. The image on the left is an example of contour line art. The image on the right is NOT because it includes shading. How to Draw Contour Lines in Art In order to get the most from your contour line drawing practice, follow these four steps when making contour art. Step 1: Choose What You’ll Draw and Gather Materials For your first contour drawing, we recommend choosing just one object to draw, as this will be easier to focus on than several objects. Put the object or place your seat in a spot where you have a clear view of the object. For materials, you’ll need a drawing tool (pencil or charcoal is most common), and paper or a sketchpad. If you’re using loose paper, you may want to tape it to something so it doesn’t move around while you’re drawing. Now you’re ready to begin! Step 2: Look at the Object It may surprise you to learn that, when you’re drawing contour lines, you want to spend most of your time looking at the object itself, not at your sketchpad. This can be really difficult when you first start doing it, but that’s the point! Contour drawing forces you to really notice and work to replicate the outline of an object. It trains your hand to follow what your eye sees. Start by spending about half your time looking at the object and half your time looking at your paper, and gradually work your way up to looking at the object 90% of the time. This will feel strange initially, and your first drawings will probably look a little wonky, but just keep practicing! As you develop your hand-eye coordination, it’ll feel much more natural, and your drawing skills will improve as a result. You also want to make sure that you’re capturing as much detail of the object’s outlines as possible. If there’s a notch or a warp in the object, make sure your drawing represents that. Contour art is all about replicating the form of an object as closely as possible. Step 3: Draw Long, Continuous Lines Many people new to contour art begin by drawing lots of short lines because they aren’t used to not looking at their paper, and they don’t want to make too big of a mistake by drawing a long line that doesn’t follow the object’s lines.However, you’ll improve your drawing skills more if you draw fewer, longer lines. Drawing longer lines, especially without looking at your paper, improves your hand-eye coordination and helps you become more confident when drawing. Step 4: Go Slow and Steady It can be tempting to rush through contour drawing exercises, especially if you’re used to drawing detailed pieces where the outline is only the first step. Remind yourself to slow down and concentrate on replicating the outline of the object as perfectly as you can. At the same time, don’t freeze up while you’re drawing. Especially when you first begin contour drawing, you may feel tempted to take breaks to compare your drawing to the actual object. Resist this urge! Remember, you want to spend very little time looking at your paper and more time looking at the object. Just concentrate on closely observing the object, keep drawing steadily, and pause and critique your work once you’ve finished. There’s no â€Å"correct† amount of time to spend on a contour drawing, and it’ll likely depend on what you’re drawing. However, about 5 to 20 minutes per drawing is average. Contour Line Drawing Practice Exercises Now it’s time to put all this new art knowledge to the test! In this section are eight contour line drawing exercises you can do to improve your drawing and observation skills. #1: Make a Contour Drawing of Your Hand If you aren’t sure where to start with contour line art, start with something right in front of you! Hands are a very common object to do a contour drawing of, so once you finish, you can look online or in art books for lots of other examples of contour drawings of hands to compare to your own piece. When you’re drawing, remember to aim to look at your paper only 10% of the time. #2: Copy a Contour Line Drawing by Another Artist If you’re still getting the hang of contour art and are not quite sure how to tackle a real-world object, start by replicating another artist’s contour line drawing. Remember to look more at the object than at your paper, and focus on replicating the lines as closely as possible. #3: Do a Blind Contour Drawing A blind contour drawing means that you don’t look at your paper at allnot even for a single secondfrom the time you begin your drawing until the time you finish. Cover your canvas or sketchpad if you need to.Expect your drawing to look a little funny, especially if it’s your first time doing a blind drawing, but this is a great way to improve those hand-eye-coordination skills and learn to really focus on whatever it is you’re drawing. #4: Draw the Outline of an Object With One Continuous Line This takes the concept of drawing long lines even further. For this exercise, you’ll draw the object in one continuous line, never lifting your pencil from the paper until the outline is complete. Again, these drawings will look strange at first, but as you practice, you’ll improve your drawing skills and your ability to recreate the lines you see in real life. #5: Make Five Contour Line Drawings in Less Than One Minute Each Sometimes you just need a quick exercise to get your creative juices flowing, and contour art, because it doesn’t get into the details of objects, is great for this. This exercise involves drawing five contour line pieces in less than five minutes. You can draw five different objects, draw the same object five times, or a combination. Because you’re only spending a minute on each object, you’ll need to be able to replicate its form quickly but accurately. #6: Draw an Object You Know Really Well Choose something you’re very familiar with, such as a favorite childhood toy, the dresser that you’ve looked at every day of your life, or even a pet or friend, and make a contour line drawing of the object. This may be harder than you think. Because you know the object so well, you may be tempted to add in lots of detail, but remember, contour art focuses on the outer edges of the object. This is a good way to remember what’s important in contour art and what you don’t include. #7: Use Cross Contouring to Add Dimension Cross-contour lines are a way to add depth to your contour drawings without adding shading. To add them, you’ll draw parallel lines that run across the object, similar to those you might see on a topographic map.See examples here. Cross-contour lines will help improve your observational skills and learn more about the rules of perspective by requiring you to pay close attention to the outlines of an object and how the lines run across it. The parts of the object that are closer to you will have cross-contour lines closer together, while the more distant parts of the object will have lines further apart. #8: Draw an Object That's Upside Down Once you’ve gotten the hang of contour line art, try drawing an object upside down! You won’t be able to rely on your memory as much since the object will be flipped, so this will exercise really force you to pay attention to the object’s form as you observe it. Summary: Contour Line Art Contour line definition art is a great way for any artist, whether beginning or advanced, to hone their drawing and observation skills. Contour line drawing involves only drawing the outline of an object, without any shading. When you do contour lines in art, you should spend the majority of the time looking at the object, not your paper, in order to improve your hand-eye coordination and really get a good sense of what the object looks like. Once you feel comfortable with the basics, there are many contour line art exercises you can try out to keep growing your skills! What's Next? Are you making an art portfolio to apply to art schools?Check out our guide to learn everything your art portfolio must include to stand out from the crowd! Now that you know how to create a portfolio, are you wondering what art programs you should apply to? Check out our guide on the best art schools in the United States! Want more drawing exercises? We have a guide with over 100 drawing ideas to keep your artistic skills sharp! Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Christine Sarikas About the Author Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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North Korea Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

North Korea - Research Paper Example According to Armstrong (2011), North Korea is currently experiencing a range of issues but the most prevalent include the poor state of the economy, which Armstrong (2011) attributes to its authoritarian leadership style that still has not implemented market reforms to improve the country’s ailing economy. Secondly, Armstrong (2011) states that the country has focused so much on funding its military operations that comprise of more than 9 million military personnel of which approximately a million are active army personnel, a fact that makes it the 4th country in the World with largest military defence force. The country’s budgetary allocation to the defense department is extremely high leaving little resource for economic development. Armstrong (2011) stated that North Koreans are grappling with harsh economy, coupled with high food prices, periodical shortage of electricity, fuel, and raw materials that cause manufacturing factories to remain inactive thus, leading to increase in number of the unemployed population. However, on the positive side Armstrong (2011) notes that the new North Korean leader has given women the freedom to wear western brands, which were restricted in the past due to their western affiliation. Secondly, the new North Korean leader has shown a new leadership style by taking the responsibility of the failed rocket launch. Such an admission was not to the norm with the North Korean leadership. The other notable current issue in North Korea is its poor relations with its’ close neighbor, South Korea of whom they are still technically at war with after failing to sign a peace treaty ever since the Korean war. The North and South currently have murky relationship because of periodical wrangles that increases the tension between the two countries. Armstrong (2011) further notes that the new leader of North Korea strained the country relationship with China after recently carrying out a

Gendered Roles in The Tale of Genji Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gendered Roles in The Tale of Genji - Essay Example Notable among themes is the illustration of unique livelihoods of high courtiers at the time of the Heian period. This illustration also qualifies the social constraints and liberties which men and women faced in the Heian period, as shall be seen forthwith. Social Constraints Which Compelled Elite Men and Women to Negotiate As Part of Their Privileged Status In the Tale of Genji, there are particular sorts of social constraints which compelled men and women to negotiate as part of a privileged status. In the Genji Monogatari, it is the concept and reality of class and class consciousness. She is not able to fit into the life in palace, despite being the queen, Lady Kiritsubo. As is provided for by Seidensticker, the grand ladies in the palace regard her as a presumptuous upstart while ladies who hold lesser or lower social standing than Lady Kiritsubo are resentful towards her. The gravity of this development is portrayed as being highly potent since the same affects the queenâ€⠄¢s psychosocial life: she falls ill and becomes more frequently at home, than at the palace1. Again, it is indisputable that life’s natural courses are constraints and forces which compel men to negotiate as part of their privileged status. Since man must die, he has to genetically propagate himself and his genes. Marriage is the environment in which propagation is done, and love is the force which creates this environment and also sustains it. To get into marriage, all like Emperor Kiritsubo had to negotiate with their fiances or girlfriends. Despite the glaring disparity of fortunes, Emperor Kiritsubo falls in love with Lady Kiritsubo, marries her and sires Genji with her. At a certain point, Emperor Kiritsubo, Emperor Suzaku, Kokiden, Lady Fujitsubo and Genji die. One of these constraints is the integration of individuals to their occupation, in lieu of their personality and character. To this effect, none of the characters in the original texts are assigned explicit name s. All characters are referred to, in relation to their roles, their social standing and the relations that these characters have with other characters. This is the case so that there is the Minister to the Left, His Excellency and the Heir-Apparent, respectively2. While this development above may soothe the ego of aristocrats and people with reputable occupations, it may also serve as a source of stigma to those who are less privileged in the society. In the same wavelength, referring to people by their character may subject the same to prejudice and stigma too strong to allow them the power and chance to reform. Anyone who is always and consistently referred to as a thief may not see the need to reform as that label is permanently stuck on him. The same may also entrench classicism since those who are poor and weak in the society are referred to as such. The elite are always referred to by their honorifics and thereby entrenching their sense of self importance. The Greatest Source s of Freedom (Or Joy) and the Greatest Constraints on Individual Identity That Men And Women Faced In This Age, As Seen In the Novel Some of the greatest freedoms which men and women enjoy in the Heian Period are biologically induced, meaning that because of biological reasons, certain

The law relating to organ transplantation Essay Example for Free

The law relating to organ transplantation Essay Organ transplants can vastly improve patients quality of life and benefit their families and society in general by restoring an ill and dependent individual to health. On cost benefit analysis transplants prove ultimately cheaper than long-term dialysis by i 191,000 per patient on average. However, there are fewer donors than there are needy patients although this should not be the case, because the percentage of willing donors lie in the 70s. Nonetheless, actual donations languish in the 20s. I argue that this is due to the misdirected and incoherent legal structure in place. I suggest that to increase the number of organs for transplantation a presumed consent system should be implemented to close the gap between willing and actual donations. In conjunction with improved coordination this will ameliorate the severe shortage. Such a system is ethically and morally justified. I consider other options under cadaveric donation such as increased investment in coordination without a change in the default position of deference to relatives (in the footsteps of Spain), as well as alternatives to cadaveric donation, such as live donations and xenotransplantation. They are however problematic both ethically and practically, such that even if the law formally and effectively ensures that all who need organs get them, it would be normatively wrong. 1 The law relating to organ transplantation The terms of the relevant law must be subject to critique, because ultimately healthcare workers must work within the existing common law and legislation, even as they seek to save patients from an avoidable early death. The definition of death is problematic. Today the concept of brain death has been adopted by most Western countries. Others suggest however that when the capacity for sentience is irrevocably absent, the minimum criteria for personhood no longer exists, despite the presence of a functioning brain stem. Perhaps it is best to admit that it is impossible to define the moment of death with any certainty or precision, and that the important task therefore is to determine at what point in the process of dying organ retrieval becomes legitimate. In the UK, s1(4) of the HTA61 specifies that the doctor be satisfied that life is extinct before organ retrieval may take place but there is no statutory definition of death, leaving that to a matter of clinical judgement. Standard practice is for two independent doctors to perform two sets of tests to determine brain stem death. The HTA61 outdated and prevents the facilitation of a successful programme. The current system tries to allow for all possible scenarios. S1(1) approximates an opt-in system, but there is no definition of who the person lawfully in possession of the body is, and a verbal intention is only legally valid when it is made in the course of the last illness. Further, according to HSC 1998/035, 8. 2, if a patient is a recorded willing donor, there is no legal requirement to establish a lack of objection on the part of relatives, but in practice it is good practice for any objectives raised by relatives to take priority over donors wishes. S1(2) approximates a weak opt-out scheme applying where the deceased has left no recorded expression of his or her wishes. The person lawfully in possession of the body is authorised to remove organs for transplantation if reasonable enquiry shows that the deceased did not object to organ removal or that the surviving spouse or any surviving relative has no objection to the use of the organs. Although it is fairly evident why spouses should be invited to express their views, this does not reflect the reality of the situation in which many adults now live cohabitees or long term partners now fulfil this role. The system is on aggregate incoherent and piecemeal, and when an organ is taken, no one knows for sure why is it because the medical team has requested, or is it because the medical team has procured it under s1(2) of the HTA61? McLean opines that the current legislation is more of a hindrance than an assistance to an effective transplantation programme. So, to increase the number of organs for transplantation a presumed consent system should be implemented in conjunction with improved coordination to ameliorate the severe shortage. Such a system is ethically and morally justified. 2 Dead Donors Presumed Consent Historically doctors were thought reluctant to ask families of the deceased about the possibility of donating their relatives organs. However, Gentleman et al. found that in fact request rates were reasonably high such that the belief that a failure to request is the cause for organs shortage is no longer sustainable. Rather, the problem with the opt-in system is its inability to enforce deceased individuals preferences because the family vetoes it, in part because they were never made known. For a grieving and bereft family, a request for organ donation is difficult to agree to because they can only guess at the wishes of the deceased and if there were any doubt at all, would not the natural answer be a rejection? If relatives had severe objections, they should be taken into account for to do otherwise raises the spectre of the swastika, but the point remains that by changing the default position of organ donation it is a veto clearly against the deceaseds wishes, which would be rather more unlikely to take place than the current veto due to a simple lack of information. It is not that the PC system is ethically unsound. I argue that presumed consent is superior to the opt-in system because it truly ensures autonomy by giving effect to choices each person makes. It gives legal effect to individual autonomy and it ensures truly informed consent when accompanied by public education and information, instead of intuitive responses to organ donation. Nonetheless, some problems with presumed consent have been pointed out. Patient autonomy lies at the very heart of modern medicine and medical research . This is partly a reaction against medical paternalism and an increasing awareness of the integrity of the individual. It may be argued that a presumed consent (PC) system is paternalistic but it concomitantly reinforces individual autonomy and preserves the dignity and integrity of the individual especially in comparison to, for example, an organs market. McLean points out that underpinning the UK system of organ donation is the fundamental view that organ transplantation should be a gift relationship. So Sir Morris doubts that proposals to change legislation to allow presumed consent to be introduced are likely to be publicly accepted. However, why is presumed consent any less a gift? It does not mean widespread harvesting of cadaveric organs. It means greater public awareness and individual choice that is made concrete. More practical considerations also exist. First, the need for sophisticated infrastructure to maintain an opting-out register. But this is a problem of the past century. Today, only Internet access and a computer is necessary. It is no more difficult than maintaining a register for opting-in patients. If the number of donors truly reflects the number that are willing at 70% then it is in fact more efficient to keep a shorter list of those who do not wish to donate, which would constitute only 30% of the population. Secondly, there is a fear of adverse publicity if organs are taken in the face of relatives objections but as argued above, these could be taken into account, and public education moral suasion could persuade the public of the logic of a need for such a system, to cause a change in social values. For example, when the presumed consent system was implemented in Singapore, statistics showed that more people came forward as donors under a separate legal scheme as a result of heightened public awareness of great need. Even the family was more likely to agree to organ harvesting the Muslim cadaver belongs to her family, so despite the exemption of Muslims from the presumed consent system, Muslim donations rose as well. Due to the widespread awareness of the merits of organ donation with public education and the support of religious leaders with clear moral grounds for the scheme, social values developed to embrace this medical system. Third, one might ask if resources could be better employed than on the maintenance of such a system but if it solves the problem of organ shortage and alleviates medical conditions at the knife-edge between life and death, it is a small price to pay in terms of opportunity cost. Alternatives to Presumed Consent Required request of families bypasses individual autonomy. It is precisely the problem with the current system. Financial and medical priority incentives a survey of the systems currently in place reveals that compensation is illegal. Blumstein says that in the US, families are offended when financial incentives are offered when they consent to their deceased relatives organs being donated. Nonetheless, the American Medical Association (AMA) has voted to encourage studies to determine whether financial incentives could increase the pool of cadaveric organ donors. Among strategies considered are small payments to deflect the funeral cost of a relative and preferential consideration for organ donation when a member of someones family has donated an organ. This prioritisation is manifestly unethical it may be pragmatic but why should donation work on this basis? Should it not work on a basis of response to medical need, instead of allowing queue jumping by people who volunteer someone elses organs? Financial incentives could increase the pool of cadaveric organs, but there are other methods to consider namely my proposal of presumed consent which are far more egalitarian and prima facie altruistic so far as cadeveric donations are concerned. Relaxed restrictions amounts to mere tweaking of the existing system which does not address ethical problems with the current system, such as the undermining of individual autonomy. If the list of criteria for the exclusion of donors is made less stringent, to allow a greater pool of potential donors, the final filtrate of donors will still be paltry in comparison with a comprehensive overhaul of the current system. Improved coordination take for example Spains system based on familial consent. The lessons learnt are that a decentralised system appears most effective, comprising 1) local organisations that focus mainly on organ procurement and promotion of donation and 2) large structures that focus on promoting organ sharing and co-operation. This simply means more investment is needed. The real issue remains this: if the main reason forwarded for not having the opt-out system diminished personal freedom is the same reason for why the Spanish coordination system works, should we not be wary, even if the numbers crunch delectably? Coupled with the PC system however this would greatly increase the effectiveness of the organ transplantation system and protect autonomy too. Elective Ventilation of deep coma patients close to death with no possibility of recovery for a few hours to preserve their organs long enough to prepare for their removal after death. A trial held in Exeter in 1988 led to a 50% increase in the number of organs suitable for transplantation, but was halted in 1994 when the Department of Health declared in unlawful, because it was not in the patients best interests but whilst of no direct benefit to the patient, it is not contrary to the patients interests and has the potential to benefit others. Nonetheless, this would still be subject to relatives vetoes without a systemic revamp.

Difficulties in Formulating Macroeconomic Policy :: Economics Policy Making Essays

Difficulties in Formulating Macroeconomic Policy Policy makers try to influence the behaviour of broad economic aggregates in order to improve the performance of the economy. The main macroeconomic objectives of policy are: a high and relatively stable level of employment; a stable general price level; a growing level of real income (economic growth); balance of payments equilibrium, and certain distributional aims. This essay will go through what these difficulties are and examine how these difficulties affect the policy maker when they attempt to formulate macroeconomic policy. It is difficult to provide a single decisive factor for policy evaluation as a change in political and/or economic circumstances may result in declared objectives being changed or reversed. Economists can give advice on the feasibility and desirability of policies designed to attain the ultimate targets, however, the ultimate responsibility lies with the policy maker. Policy makers are continually trying to formulate policies that will help the economy achieve these objectives. However, there are numerous difficulties which policy makers are faced with. In a democratic society like the UK, the macroeconomic objectives are not under the sole control of the Government. For example, the level of employment depends on the decisions not only of the government (e.g. for employment in the public sector) but also of private firms as to how many workers they wish to employ. Also, membership to international organisations (i.e. WTO or EU etc.) means that the international regulations and directives must be adhered to and cannot be altered. Therefore, the freedom of action of the policy maker is restricted, as the new policy must function along side existing international policies. Most policies are designed against the background of a theoretical model. However, there is no ‘true’ model and so different policy makers and economists may have different views to certain economic variables. Therefore, each policy maker will formulate different policies based on their views in order to achieve the same objective. For example, Keynesians view that consumption expenditure depends upon current disposable income. Whereas Milton Friedman argued that consumption is related to permanent rather than current income. He was therefore more sceptical about he usefulness of a tax change for stabilisation purposes than one who believes that consumption depends on current disposable income. Policy makers usually use Fiscal policy to alter the level, timing or composition of government expenditure and/or the level, timing or structure of tax payments. And they use Monetary policy to alter the supply of money and/or credit and also to alter interest rates. But some policies are not always successful; a good example was the decision to use monetary policy to solve the liquidity trap. This policy aimed to reduce interest rates and stimulate investment

Road Carnage in Africa

Hot Topic Road accidents (Carnage) in Kenya. How organizations can contribute to address this imminent Human and Economic crisis. Table of Contents 1. Introduction to road accidents in Kenya2 2. The main issues with road accidents5 3. Other subsidiary issues7 4. The effect of road accidents to businesses and the economy 8 5. Prepare to manage road safety challenges in an organisation 10 6. Dealing with ethical and legal issues 13 7. Future implications if issue is not addressed 15 8. Bibliography17 1. Introduction Last year, 1 day before Christmas day, the Kenya Traffic police led by the Police Commissioner, Mr Mathew Iteere launched yet another National Road Safety Campaign aimed at curbing road accidents during the holidays and cutting the holiday period road accidents rate by 50% from the tradition high of 200-300 accidents that happen during that period from 24 December to 5 January (Daily Nation, 24th December 2009). In his Christmas message, The Police Commissioner regretted that most road accidents in Kenya can be avoided (even eliminated). He noted that road accidents are mainly caused by carelessness (human error and poor judgement) y road users. He singled out over-speeding, over-loading, none use of the safety belts and disregard of the Highway Code as the most abused traffic rules today. In his widely televised message, he issued a warning to careless drivers and directs the traffic police (blue boys) to act on those that abuse the traffic rules. Such a road safety crackdown is not new in the 46-year old post- independence Kenya. But those actions should be strengthened and be made into routine practices that have a longer timeframe enabling one to build the much needed sustainability. It’s a widely known fact worldwide that road accidents cost huge amount of money let alone the lost human resources especially to the developing and undeveloped economies (WHO & World Bank report, 2004). The combined human and economic cost is simply not acceptable to poor countries that want to boost the standard of living of their majority population with very scarce resources. According to a recent report done jointly by the World Bank and the World Health Organisation (WHO) on road traffic injury prevention, road accident statistics are quickly becoming the global catastrophe as shown below. 1. 2 million People are estimated to die globally each year on our roads. That’s around 3,000 deaths daily of which 500 of them are children. ? 50 million people are estimates to be injured globally on road injuries each year, 15 million seriously. ? Developing countries account for more that 85% of the global death toll from road traffic crashes or accidents. ? The global finan cial cost of road traffic injuries is about 518 billion USD each year (about 2-4% of GDP). Such is cost is equivalent to 50% of the GDP of Africa the continent (Kenya Statistics, 2004). For males aged 15-44, road traffic injuries rank second (after HIV/AIDS) as the leading cause of premature death and ill health worldwide. ? By 2020, unless action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to rise to about 80% in low and middle income countries especially developing countries (WHO and World Bank report, 2004). Clearly, it is as difficult to accurately determine the economic burden of Africa's road traffic accidents, as it is to collate accident data in the first place. There are the problems of under-reporting to contend with, as well as different countries adopting different criteria e. . defining a road traffic accident fatality (Odero & Heda, 2003). Some countries define a fatality as one occurring on the scene, others for periods of 24 hours, three days or 30 days after the e vent (Bamburi Cement, 2009). Today road accidents are Africa's third biggest killer, after Malaria and HIV/AIDS (WHO & World Bank, 2004): Africa's roads are the most dangerous in the world, but with a growing awareness of the true cost of road accidents, initiatives are underway to dramatically improve their safety. Road traffic accidents are known to be a major cause of death and disability throughout the developing world, but nowhere is the problem as acute as sub-Saharan Africa. Bad roads, aged vehicles and lax regulations are all considered major contributing factors to Africa's road fatality and accident numbers, themselves three times as great as the continent's share of motor vehicles. It’s this nationally critical issue that we want to study and propose urgent remedial actions for organisations as well as non-governmental organisations operating in Kenya. . The main issues with road accidents in Kenya The key issues with the road accidents and road injuries in Kenya are not new. For our literature review, Kenya has had a long history of road safety initiatives that have not lived to deliver the much needed breakthrough results. In 1979 a National Road Safety project was initiated and implemented with funding from the Finnish government, though few results can be seen 30 years late r (Kenya Roads Board, 2009). Kenya looses about 3,000 persons every year through road accidents annually. About 13,000 people are injured of which 6,000 are seriously injured and need long term medical treatment (Saidi & Kahoro, 2001). Most of the people who die on road accidents are vulnerable road users. These include pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists (Kenya Police, Traffic department). The majority of most of the people losing their lives are the young people, young graduates who provide the much needed skills and human resources base the country and organisations are in dire need of. A common question not asked is why educate and train a professional for over 16 years, then lose him / her on the road just before he can be useful to the country or a business organisation. First, after a critical review on all road safety initiatives in Kenya, we find 3 main issues that we believe clearly explain the poor road safety record for the past 20-30 years. 1. What to do – we know what to do, but we have trouble implementing it 2. Implementation – the challenge with implementation is due to lack of capacity at 4 main levels †¢ Inadequate Human resources Inadequate Financial resources †¢ Lack of knowledge †¢ Lack of political will 3. Collaboration – Is it then possible to build a Private Public Sector Partnership Program (PPSPP) which will implement road safety measures that can make a difference to the nation and make Kenyan roads a safer place for our children and the future generation? Secondly, the economic cost to the country is inde ed very significant (WHO & World Bank, 2004). As noted earlier, the average cost of the road accidents and resulting injuries is about 2-4% of GDP per annum. In 2009, the IMF assessed the Kenya economy GDP to be about 30 billion USD, a 2% cost per annum will translate to 600 million USD (estimated about 50 billion Kenya Shillings in one single year). It’s not doubt that such colossal amount of wasted expenditure only comes second to the annual recurrent expenditure allocated in the annual budget to Education and Health budgets (Ministry of Finance, 2008). Such a burden has huge implication on the ability of the economy to meet its needs from meagre resources that are available for nation building. Thirdly, we have a public sector that does not see road transport and accidents as a key issue as long as it does not affect them or their families. This perspective does undermine any tangible progress in road safety initiatives as it’s created no sense of ownership on role as a general public (Kenya Police, Traffic department). 3. Other issues on road accidents in Kenya While the main issues have been addressed under section (3) above, the other issues that must be addressed include the following; ? Lack of a clear policy on road transport (review of the old traffic act is now mandatory). A clear policy will create guidelines to administer and manage the road safety roadmap. ? Poor enforcement of existing traffic rules particularly by the enforcement officers, mainly the traffic police. ? Rampant corruption within the traffic department. Corruption is perhaps the single largest bottleneck to enforcing the traffic rules and does in a way create an impunity culture for PSV drivers on our roads today (Transparency International, Kenya chapter, 2008). ? Lack of a clear ownership between the public sector and the private sector on the framework to deal with road carnage. A guideline which included an approved curriculum on training and licencing of all types of drivers. ? How to develop an axis to mobilise the public to take care and protect their lives and those of other road users. 4. The effect of road accidents to organisations Our research shows that road accidents do not respect any business entities, indeed their implications transverse all business organisations. B oth private and public institutions face the full blunt of road carnage in different ways as shown below; ? Loss of critical human resources and talents in organisations The primary age group heavily impacted by the road accidents are the young people between the ages of 15 – 44. This is usually the young professional age group that provides the much needed human resources in organisations. Road accidents take away the much needed source of talent as well as the future leaders in organisations (WHO & World Bank, 2004). ? Higher direct cost of doing business in the country Loss of lives through accidents results in increased business costs, organisations face both short term and long term treatment and medical expenses. The severe injuries require more long term medical costs that result in increased medical premiums and medical costs for an organisation. On the other hand, the lost man-hours cannot easily be compensated especially in the case of a fully trained, qualified and proficient staff member. ? Higher indirect cost of doing business compared to other countries In modern day settings, injuries to family members created more demand for employees, particularly if an employee’s relative suffers injuries after an accident. Such strain impacts on employee’s morale and ability to dedicate all his abilities to get his / her work done. In addition, accidents results in increases cost of road transport (through higher insurance premiums, higher fuel consumption and delays due to traffic congestion after accidents). The business partner involved in an accident has increased cost of losing an asset, which in most cases is indirectly passed onto the organisations. For government organisations e. g. public health hospitals (Kenyatta National Hospital), higher accident victims results in higher operating expenses which have to be funded by the central government through increase of taxes on an annual basis. Unpredictable business planning Businesses rely on predictable business environment to remain profitable and continue with their operations (Kumar & Subramanian, 2000, p. 1). Road accidents hinder the predictability of the business environment through delayed delivery timeliness and increased turn-around time for organisations. In nearly all cases, these additional costs must be paid for in full by the organisations i n question, resulting to lost productivity, efficiency and profitability. 5. How can organisations better manage the road safety challenge When we talked to a number of organisations in Nairobi, we notice how heavily they have invested in state of art security and alarm systems to protect their assets (money, machines, organisational documents, policies, trademarks and patents etcetera), but few if any have developed even a simple structure to safeguard the safety of their employees while on the road. It’s important to also include human resources as a critical resource for the organisation. A great proportion of companies have not developed sound plans to safeguard their most important asset (human resources), especially when they are on the road travelling while on the Job. While road safety from the office to work is largely seen as an issue for the employee to manage, it’s paramount that organisations and their management teams provide a clear framework to provide their employees with a road safety roadmap that will enhance their vigilance while on the road to and from work. People are the greatest asset an organisation can have today. Good employees are a source of competitive advantage for an organisation (Samson & Daft, 2009). A glimpse of the few organisations that have designed an effective road safety program in Kenya today especially, petroleum companies (e. g. Total Kenya and Bamburi Cement) highlights about 5 step action plan to set an effective road safety roadmap. Each organisation needs a clear roadmap which if well implemented and incorporated in the organisation systems, will lead to improvement of safety in most of our roads today and safe companies lost man hours, sick leave, absenteeism and higher medical bills. 1. Collect data At the beginning, the organisation should assess its specific road safety context by collecting road accident statistics (road fatalities, lost time injuries, medical injuries, and first-aid injuries) and define what is measurable. The data collected should then be analysed into critical information to aid in decision making. Second the organisation should define a road safety policy with clear milestones and key objectives to be monitored on a monthly basis. A regular and consistent monitoring mechanism should be designed by the organisation, to review its progress of its road safety objective. 2. Develop a road safety plan A road safety roadmap is a mandatory document for any organisation committed to ending the carnage on our roads today. The roadmap should be a well neat and elaborate plan of action on what the organisation wants to do in improving its road safety commitment and objectives. These action plans must address the challenges on policy, enforcement, ownership, and training and self renewal priorities for the organisation. 3. Resource the road safety plan A plan is ineffective without key resources being allocated to it. The organisation should identify and sufficiently allocate two main types of resources; (1) Financial resources and (2) Human resources (competent and well trained resources. . Launch urgent interventions A key lever for a road safety action plan is to address current major gaps with immediacy to build legitimacy in the roadmap. The key areas that require immediate intervention are on;- ? Speed ? Impaired driving ? Seat belts ? Helmets ? Road mapping ? Defensive driving training ? Emergency preparedness 5. Collaborate with others Finally the organisation should plan to share its best practi ces with other institutions as a way to benchmark performance and renew its practices both on local, regional and international levels. With increased collaboration and partnership with the public sector, with a shared vision, the challenge of the road accidents and injuries will be addressed head-on by all stakeholders hence creating a sustainable avenue to address this great challenge facing organisations in the 21st century. 6. Ethical and Legal Issues The key challenges towards realising an effective road safety program in any organisation is how candid data collected or observed will be shared across the organisations so that corrective actions (that may include sanctioning) can be applied. Most of the major changes in safety awareness remain with our culture (way of doing things here) or on changing individual behaviour and taking a personal commitment to protecting other people lives. Some of the common ethical dilemmas that managers face include the following; ? Can i report the Chief Executive, Senior Managers or a friendly colleague who i noted did not adhere to the company’s guidelines e. g. driving while speaking on mobile phone on the road? Will this affect my career or my relationship with my supervisor? Can staff be required to use the Alco-blow to detect the influence of alcohol (though this is not yet legalised in Kenya)? ? Can staff carry out safety initiatives away from the office e. g. monitor staff travelling for a weekend to upcountry and are not wearing seat belts? ? Can we terminate an employee who does not comply with the organisations code of conduct on safety? ? Should i disclose an accident or should i bribe the traffic policeman to be left scot-free. A reported accident my injure my career opportunities and limit subsequent promotion changes in future. On the legal side, the main challenge remains how to deal with corruption (so called white lies) both within and outside the organisation. ? Internally, this may not be a great issue as staff can be directly sanctioned in the line with staff standing instructions and their employment contract. ? However, externally the issue with corruption (rather falsification of accident information so as not be appear guilty) is a major setback for enforcing a successful road safety roadmap. According to Transparency International, the police department has year after year been rated as the most corrupt institution in Kenya. Can they be relied upon to book violation of a driver, pedestrian or other road user fairly and equitably? This remains a key component that requires constant collaboration and use of other tools e. g. global positioning systems (GPS) to address rampant cases of cheating on the part of employees (Transparency International, Kenya chapter report, 2008). 7. Conclusion In conclusion, there is no doubt that road accidents results in huge human and economic cost to our relatively poor country (WHO & World Bank, 2004). The lives that are lost on our roads every year are critical to achieve the economic objectives of the country and organisations as well. Similarly the country has to save money to be spent towards treating road injury victims rather than providing such much needed funds to other areas of economic growth e. g. to fund projects like free primary education (FPE), improve our road network (build and repair our roads) and provide the much needed medical facilities in public hospitals (equip public hospital better). As a country we cannot afford to lose 2% of annual GDP (about KShs 50 billion) on road accidents, related injuries and long term medical treatment to accident victims. If accidents can be avoided, these resources can be allocated to other critical areas of the economy and organisations can be able to improve their productivity and become more responsible citizens. The medium term impact on the economy is indeed catastrophic and as a country we will not be able to meet our vision 2030 to becoming an industrialised nation. It’s time for all Kenya, young and old to participate to improve their safety standards in our roads and make Kenya a safer country for our children future. As a nation we owe this to the future generations of this country. As noted by the World Bank and the World Health Organisation in 2004, unless action is taken, by the year 2020, road traffic injuries are predicted to rise to about 80% in low and middle income countries (developing countries). Our country will not be spared if it does not take immediate and more radical actions to manage the road safety issue. At today’s road accident frequency rate, road accidents will become the 2nd largest cause of death after Malaria in Kenya by the year 2020 and surpass HIV/AIDS as the 2nd largest killer (WHO & World Bank, 2004). This is confirms our recommendation that as a country we are sitting on a time bomb. Today is the time for you and me to develop our solid action plan, put these actions into practice and contribute towards improving the safety in our roads. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. WHO & World Bank. (2004). World report on road traffic injuries prevention. Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http://www. ho. in/violence-injury-prevention. html 2. The Kenya Roads Board. Road accident statistics (2009). Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http://www. krb. go. ke. html 3. Bamburi Cement limited. Road safety campaign â€Å"Epuka Ajali† (2009). Accessed on 31 December 2009 from http://www. bamburicement. co. ke. html 4. Kenya Police. Traffic department. Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http://www. ken yapolice. go. ke. html 5. Kenya Statistics. (2004. ) Accessed on 4 January 2010 from http://www. unicef. org/infobycountry/kenya-statistics. html 6. Odero, W. K. & Heda, P. M. (2003). Road traffic injuries in Kenya, magnitude, causes and status of intervention. Inj Control saf promotion, Mar-June 10 (1-2). Pg 53-61 7. Saidi, H. S. & Kahoro, P. (2001). Experience with road traffic accidents violations at the Nairobi Hospital. East Africa Medical Journal, 78 (8). Pg 41-44 8. Samson, D & Daft, R. D. (2009). Fundamentals of Management. 3rd Asia Pacific Ed. Pg 170-206. 9. Kumar, K. & Subramanian, R. (1998). Navigating the External Environment. SAM Advanced management journal. Retrieved December 14, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www. highbeam. com/doc/1P1-5377780. html

Child Observation: Child and Adolescent Psychology

This time, I decided to observe children between the ages of five and six in a kindergarten class room at Maddock Public School. Maddock is a smaller school and there were only five children in the class, all of them were boys. I knew this would be an interesting day, because we learned in class that boys tend to be a little bit more active and disobedient, but I was definitely looking forward to it. I went in about fifteen minutes before the school day started so I could observe the boys from the time their mom dropped them off, until the time I left.The first boy came in; he was a smaller boy, who is known to have special needs. I’m not exactly sure what is wrong with him, but his disabilities definitely showed during my observation. While his mother was dropping him off, I could tell that he didn’t want to leave her. He kept holding onto her legs, and whining, mumbling things to her that I could not understand but she could. She got down on one knee and told him that she would be back soon, and that he would have lots of fun with his friends. Right after she told him this, another child walked in with his older sister.The first little boy almost immediately forgot that his mother was there, and walked over to the other child. When the second boy got dropped off, he was immediately distracted by the other boy, and leaving his sister was not a problem at all. I guess that day was show and tell day, because they were each excited to show off what they had brought to each other. They didn’t want to wait until the designated time to show things off. The other three boys came in at the same time. I’m assuming they rode the bus together, because they came in talking about one of the older kids that must have been picking on one of them.As soon as they walked through the door, they ran and told Mrs. Maddock, their teacher. Of course the event wasn’t as serious as they made it seem, Mrs. Maddock explained to them that they were fine , and that if it happened again to let her know. About five minutes later, it seemed as though they had completely forgotten that it had even happened. The bell rung and the boys went and say down in their seats. While Mrs. Maddock was trying to talk to them a couple of them were listening to her, but the others were playing with their pencils and animal-shaped erasers.She would pause mid-sentence and look at them until they realized that she wanted them to stop. They would then slowly put their items down, and give her their undivided attention. She asked them to all sit by the calendar, and they all jumped up and ran to it, trying to get the closest spot. Their pictures were on the wall. One was by the weather station, the other by the line leader station, and so on. They each had their own little duty for that day. The one whose picture was by the weather stood up and told the rest of the class what the weather was supposed to be like that day.Mrs. Maddock had pictures with thund er clouds and lighting and rain. With those pictures, the little boy told them all that the weather was going to be bad, and it was going to storm. All of a sudden, one of the boys passed gas, and the room went from being quiet to loud in less than a second. All the boys started making farting noises and couldn’t stop giggling. Mrs. Maddock went along with it for about a minute or so, and made the little boy who passed gas say â€Å"excuse me. † They had finally gotten over it, and seemed as though they’d forgotten it.It’s pretty amazing how short their attention spans are! Mrs. Maddock walked to the front of the classroom, and all the boys followed to their seats. She did this a couple times throughout the time I was observing, and every time the boys knew exactly where to go. It was like that most of the day. She had those boys in line, and even at the age of five and six, they respected her. She pulled out a big ruler, and started pointing to the alpha bet above the chalk board. One by one, the boys would name out the letter she was pointing to. As they called out the letter, they also wrote it down on a sheet of aper, and then spelled out a word that began with that letter. It was amazing to me that even the boy with special needs knew each letter, and knew how to spell a word using those letters. Of course the words were short, usually no more than four letters long, but they had these words perfected and had fun writing them too. Their reward for knowing all of the letters in the alphabet was free time. During this time, they ran to the toy box and pulled out the dinosaurs and cars, and played. They were all getting along until one of the boys grabbed the other’s car, and wouldn’t give it back.One boy immediately sided with the one that stole, and the other two sided with the one who got his car stolen. It was mass chaos. Screaming at each other, and pointing fingers seemed to be the only way they knew how to sett le this situation. Mrs. Maddock walked over and separated the kindergarten fight and asked the two main boys what had happened. Of course each of them had different stories, and it was funny to me to see how they reacted. The one who was lying kept looking away, and pausing his sentences with â€Å"um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  while he tried to make up more lies.Mrs. Maddock knew right away of course which one was telling the truth, but because they were all yelling at each other she put both of the main boys in time out. The other three went back to playing, and nobody seemed to fight anymore. Everyone got along, because they didn’t want to get put in time out either. About five minutes later, she asked the boys to line up by the door. The line leader of the day ran as fast as he could, just to get to the front, and started to tell the other boys to be quiet so they could leave.He was more than excited to show off his leadership to the other school as they walked through the halls to t heir Physical Education class. It was around this time that I left. After the boys left to go to the gym, I walked around and looked at their alphabet papers. One of the boys had exceptionally well handwriting. Three of the others were about average and of course the one with special needs was very hard to read. They also had art projects on their desks. It was fun to see that all the boys art revolved around sports and trucks or cars.While I was looking at these things, it made me wonder how different the class would have been if there would have been at least one girls. The classroom I observed in was my kindergarten class room, and Mrs. Maddock was my kindergarten teacher. Being in that classroom with her brought back so many memories. Of course our class was quite a bit bigger, I observed many things that could have been observed while I was in kindergarten. While classroom sizes might get smaller by the year, the level of energy and excitement between the classmates stay the sa me.

Research Paper Introduction about Abortion

Research Paper Introduction about Abortion Research Paper Introduction about Abortion The attitude towards abortion has always been and still is very controversial. It has, however, changed throughout the history of humanity: for example, it was commonly accepted in the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. On the other hand, the majority of men were against abortion as they felt they were entitled to have a baby. There are a few references to abortion in an Old Testament, where a fetus was perceived rather than an object, not a living being. In other words, there was a law, that if a person causes a miscarriage, he must be punished for that. There are no references to this topic in the New Testament. Later on, abortion in the western world was not considered a crime if done before a certain period, usually before 18-20 weeks. It was a common practice in the colonial America, but was usually kept in secret, as sexual activity before marriage was disapproved by the society. The Abortion Act of 1967 in England fully legalized abortion, but under certain conditions. It s tates that a doctor has the right to perform an abortion if other two doctors agree that this is done for the sake of the woman. For example, doctors are sure that giving birth to a child will cause physical or mental harm to a woman. Still, there are lots of debates concerning whether abortion should be legalized or not. The cons of abortion usually include the following facts: Abortion is a crime. Even if it is a fetus, it is still a process of killing someone who deserves to live. Abortion can often lead to serious complications, injury to the uterus or cervix if done by unskilled doctor, or serious infection. Some of the factors, including the above mentioned complications, can lead to a risk of not being able to become pregnant again. It is a stressful and unpleasant experience, and a person can feel depressed and guilty for the rest of the life. On the other hand, there are facts that prove that abortion is legal and should be done in certain cases: Only a woman who is pregnant has a right to decide whether to do abortion or to keep a baby, provided she is of sound mind. Neither doctors, nor anti-abortion activists will have to take care of a baby, but it is a woman who has to decide whether she is capable and ready for that. The current stage of the medicine development enables doctors to detect any possible problems that a woman can have while giving a birth to a child. So, if doctors are sure that giving a birth to a child can be dangerous for a woman, they may convince her to make an abortion. The similar situation is with a baby. If doctors diagnose that a baby is very likely to have a disease after birth, a woman has to decide whether to make an abortion or to give a birth to a child, who can later on suffer for the rest of its life. If a woman got pregnant after a rape, then having an abortion is a way to get rid both of an unwanted baby and the psychological trauma after such a dire experience. There will probably never be a clear answer to whether abortion should be legal or not, whether it is morally right, or if it is the biggest crime a person can commit. Anyway, people have to deal with someone elses life, one of the most valuable things a person can have, so it is necessary to think carefully and consider every detail. Tips on Writing a Research Paper Introduction on a Controversial Topic: To write a good introduction for abortion research paper, you have to provide the readers with clues to what the paper is going to be about. Stay close to the point and keep the introduction short. As your topic is controversial, make it clear what position you take on the matter. Make sure that you conclusion and introduction coincide. Re-read the introduction and conclusion and compare them. Also you can hire a research paper writer to have a custom paper on abortion topic written from scratch. Just visit our site and fill in the order form!

Top 3 Ways to Beat Procrastination

Top 3 Ways to Beat Procrastination Don’t let 2016 start getting away from you already. We all suffer from procrastination, but the first month of the new year affords a great excuse to tackle the problem. Make some serious progress toward being free from the pull of Facebook and get some real work done.SEE ALSO:Â  6 Tips to Overcome Procrastination and Get Stuff DoneStep 1: Use a reward system.Hey, it works for mice. Set up a schedule or time structure that you can live with and stick to it. You can try the Pomodoro method (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off), or come up with something that works best for you. Set aside reward breaks to fritter around and keep your work time sacrosanct. That way, no matter how dull or difficult the work, you have a finite amount of time before you’re allowed a break. Psychologically, this can make all the difference.Step 2: Set smaller, manageable goalsHave a daunting task? An insurmountable project? Break it down. Take a hammer to the impossible and chip it into smaller acti onable items you can get done in smaller, more manageable chunks of time. Getting a few of these preliminary or minor details taken care of will help you build momentum and start to see the full shape of the finished job. And it’s always so satisfying to cross tasks off a list; the more you have per list the better!Step 3: Do a mental warm-up firstTreat this one just like the gym. You wouldn’t go right to the heavy dumbbells without doing a bit of prep work first. Start your work day with a bit of reading (no, not Facebook or celebrity gossip blogs!). Seeing well-expressed ideas and well-written words can spark your own drive to do good work- and can even give you the inspiration you need to make your project pop. If reading isn’t your thing, try a crossword puzzle or Sudoku or Luminosity- anything to get your brain going in advance of getting down to work.

Hydrogen Energy and the Greenhouse Effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hydrogen Energy and the Greenhouse Effect - Essay Example The measurements showed that in the past half century, CO2 levels have been steadily rising at an exponential rate (Weart). This is due to growing population and the quickly-developing technologies that inevitably demand more energy, and, in the present, humanity's main source of energy is fossil fuels. As such, finding alternative energy sources has become a very important quest in the present. Among these alternative sources of energy is Hydrogen. Hydrogen is often presented as one of the most promising alternatives for carbon-based fuels because it is the clean energy source that burns into water vapor. It is also often pointed out that Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and is very abundant on earth itself in the form of water. However, switching to a Hydrogen powered economy isn't really as simple as it sounds. Although water is very abundant on Earth, it takes up a lot of energy to break it down into its hydrogen and oxygen components and package it (Zyga). There is also the risk of hydrogen leaking out from the fuel cells which contain it (Warwick et. al.). Hydrogen energy would then basically cost more and be less economical than the current energy sources. However, if switching to Hydrogen as a major energy source would have good environmental impacts, t hen maybe it would be worth the cost. The product of Hydrogen combustion as opposed to, say, gasoline combustion would only be water vapor whereas for gasoline combustion, the products would include carbon dioxide which is considered to be the major cause of global warming. However, there are some who argue that water vapor, in fact, is the major greenhouse gas and is responsible for a larger portion of the greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide is. So, to find out whether hydrogen would really be a better energy source than carbon-based fuels, let us first look into the reactions involved in their combustion. For the carbon-based fuels, we'll just take octane, which is an important component of gasoline, as an example. The combustion reactions are as follows: 2 H2 + O2 2 H2O + 572 kJ (1) 2 C8H18 + 25 O2 18 H2O + 16 CO2 + 11017.8 kJ (2) If we multiply equation (1) by 20, we get roughly the same amount of energy generated for the two reactions: 40 H2 + 20 O2 40 H2O + 11440 kJ (3) So, to produce the same amount of energy, 16 CO2 molecules and 18 H2O molecules would be produced for the octane combustion while 40 H2O molecules would be produced for the hydrogen combustion. If water vapor is a greenhouse gas just as CO2, then it my be that switching to hydrogen as an energy source would bring about an even worse greenhouse effect than the CO2 produced by burning octane. However, there are a lot of things to be considered. Even though water vapor makes up 80% of all greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by mass, it is responsible only for 36% - 66% of the long wave absorption done by all the greenhouse gases (Schmidt). By contrast, CO2 comprises only 1.44% of all the greenhouse gases by mass, yet it absorbs 9% - 26% of the total long wave absorpt