The Bacterias Environment And Its Unusual Ability May...

Alcanivorax borkumensis is a bacteria that found in aquatic areas of the world. It is an unusual bacteria because it has the ability to break down oil found in the oceans. In the following pages, I will discuss the size and shape of the bacteria. Also, I will discuss how the bacteria’s environment and its unusual ability may help mankind in controlling pollution of the world’s oceans. First, we will discuss the basic makeup of the bacteria. A. borkumensis is a rod shaped bacteria with no flagella that was discovered in 1998. It is aerobic and halophilic, meaning it gains energy from oxygen and tends to thrive in salty environments, such as seas and oceans. Also, A. borkumensis is considered an alkane degrader, as it can eat alkanes, and use this as a source of energy (Alcanivorax, n.d.). A single A. borkumensis is 2.0 to 3.0 micrometers in length; unless they survived solely on an n-alkane diet, where they were found to only be 1.0 to 1.5 micrometers in length. The bacteria is roughly 0.4 to 0.7 micrometers in diameter (Buss, 2010). Now that we know how the bacteria survives, we will discuss the basic components of its environment. It was first discovered in sediments found in the North Sea, where there is an abundance of oil and gas wells. A. borkumensis is found naturally in seawater. While A. borkumensis has been found in non-polluted water, it is most commonly found in oceans that contain petroleum oil. This oil can be found naturally or from oil spills. It is found in

The Sunbeam Board Of Directors - 1488 Words

This case attempts to study and analyze the decisions of the Sunbeam Board of Directors (BOD) during Albert Dunlap’s stint as the Sunbeam’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This analysis will comprise the CEO hiring and his shareholder primacy view, first year and second year CEO compensation package review and will conclude the BOD’s decision to fire the CEO. In July, 1996 Sunbeam was a dying brand, which struggled to survive in the increasingly competitive market-place and needed a savior.(case p. 2) Sunbeam’s BOD brought in Al Dunlap to turnaround this ailing firm, based on Dunlap’s proven ‘restructuring and downsizing’ track record. â€Å"For much of his career before coming to Sunbeam, Dunlap was known as the poster child of corporate restructuring (case p.1).† Self-serving CEO’s (Dunlap’s) short-sighted and flawed shareholder primacy view Dunlap focused largely and explicitly on shareholder primacy and practically lacking consideration for all other stakeholders of the firm, which reflected in his â€Å"take-no-prisoners† (case p.1) management style during his tenure as Sunbeam’s CEO. Dunlap’s goals were limited to just maximizing stockholders’ wealth by adopting fast turnaround tactics and all other salient characteristics of the very existence of corporation such as product innovation, product/service quality, employee and customer satisfaction and corporate ethics were completely neglected. Mr. Dunlap’s adaptation of shareholder-theory was based on historic view ofShow MoreRelatedThe Sunbeam Board Of Directors1620 Words   |  7 PagesThis paper attempts to study and analyze the decisions of the Sunbeam Board of Directors (BOD) during Albert Dunlap’s stint as the Sunbeam’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This analysis will comprise the CEO hiring and his shareholder primacy view, first year and second year CEO compensation package review and will conclude with the BOD’s decision to fire the CEO. In July, 1996 Sunbeam was a dying brand, which struggled to survive in the increasingly competitive market-place and needed a savior.(caseRead MoreAl Dunpal Case Study1394 Words   |  6 Pagesstock price from $38.00 to $120.00 and sold the company to Kimberly Clark for more than $6B. Due to his past success, Al Dunlap was hired to turn around Sunbeam. Sunbeam had a long period of management and financial instability. In other words, Sunbeam needed a â€Å"savior.† Many believed this was Al Dunlap. Unfortunately, through his tenure at Sunbeam, stock price fell from a high $53.00 to $16.00 on the day that he was fired. Were his â€Å"rightsizing† techniques not adequate? or was he just an overpaidRead Moreï » ¿Case Study â€Å"Al Dunl ap at Sunbeam†1020 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Case Study â€Å"Al Dunlap at Sunbeam† Response to Dunlap’s view of shareholder privacy I don’t agree with Dunlap’s view that shareholders are the only constituencies about which corporate directors and executives should be concerned. In light of agents’ obligations to principals, managers are supposed act in the best interest of the company’s shareholders, the major capital providers, when making decisions; however, as shareholders and stakeholders interests are to a large extent compatible, especiallyRead MoreCorporate Fraud: Sunbeam Corporation and Chainsaw Al Essay1940 Words   |  8 PagesBackground In July 1996, Alert J.Dunlap (also known as Chainsaw Al)was hired as CEO and Chairman by Sunbeams board of directors to help the company from a period of lagging sales and profits and make it an attractive acquisition target. Dunlap used cost-cutting style method and had a reputation for results that immediately the price of Sunbeam stock price increased by 60 percent. How things begin? In 1997, Dunlap fired thousands of employees, shut down factories and warehouses, and streamlinedRead MoreSunbeam: Balance Sheet and Shareholders Wealth966 Words   |  4 Pagesidea of the different investment, financing, and dividend decisions made by that particular firm. When it comes to the Sunbeam case, I think that in the beginning, June of 1996, Albert Dunlap definitely succeeded in maximizing shareholders’ wealth. It seems to me that he was more of a short term guy, considering that in the long run everything ended up backfiring. Sunbeam used a sketchy approach when it came to their accounting practices, and in turn the company was able to report higher revenueRead MoreAl Dunlap and Sunbeam875 Words   |  4 PagesDEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTANCY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS MEMORANDUM DATE: September 14, 2011 SUBJECT: Al Dunlap at Sunbeam analysis Introduction This memo will reflect on and analyze the decisions of the Sunbeam Board of Directors during Albert Dunlap’s tenure as CEO. This analysis will include an overview of Sunbeam’s goals, evaluation of 1996 – 1997 and 1998 compensation package, assessment of the firing decision by BOD and the overall governance of the BOD. Sunbeam’s Goals Dunlap is famousRead MoreSunbeam Corporation and Chainsaw Al3034 Words   |  13 PagesOTTAWA UNIVERSITY FINANCE ADMINISTRATION POST-CLASS ASSIGNMENT MODULE 5 FAHRIAN C.H. CHOE STUDENT ID: 128370 MELAKA # 03 DUE: JULY 5, 2004 FINAL CASE IN FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING SUNBEAM CORPORATION AND CHAINSAW AL Prepared For Richard Brewington Instructor Ottawa University International Prepared by Fahrian C.H. Choe Student Ottawa University International June 30th, 2004 CONTENTS Read MoreSunbeam Corporation Ethics4981 Words   |  20 PagesBusiness Case Studies – January/February 2010 Volume 6, Number 1 Sunbeam Corporation: A Forensic Analysis Patricia Hatfield, Ph.D., Bradley University, USA Shelly Webb, Ph. D., Xavier University, USA ABSTRACT The members of the Board of Directors at Sunbeam were completely bewildered. Al Dunlap, Sunbeam’s highly successful but controversial CEO was threatening to resign after almost two years of leading Sunbeam successfully out of a slump that had threatened the long-term viability Read MoreSunbeam Ethical Analysis2500 Words   |  10 Pages 3 Restructures in Sunbeam 3 Turnaround at Sunbeam 5 Accounting Practices at Sunbeam Corporation 5 Accusations 5 Key Players in Sunbeam’s Scandal 6 Unethical Behaviours 7 Ethical Analysis 7 Stakeholder Theory 7 Deontological Theory 7 Shareholder Theory 7 Utilitarianism Theory 7 Reference 9 Executive Summary This report is based on Sunbeam Corporation and Albert DunlapRead MoreSunbeam Case800 Words   |  4 Pagesthat was signal that the board of directors believed in having Dunlap â€Å"putting his money where his mouth was†. The board allowed this grossly excessive compensation package because the Sunbeam had been experiencing short term success over the past 15 months with Dunlap was at the helm. I believe that a change was needed from the first package but this package was not well defined as well. In fact, it was the first compensation agreement on steroids. 4. Did the board make the right decision

Sociology and Global Social Science

Questions: 1. Robert K. Merton expands an understanding of functionalism in three ways. What are they? And what are their features? 2. According to Macionis Plummer some people embrace the term globalisation and some are its critics, summarise these views. 3. What, according to Cohen, is a moral panic? 4. What is social epidemiology? 5. What is the difference between absolute poverty and relative poverty? 6. What is environmental racism? Answer: 1. Robert K. Merton indeed expands the understanding of functionalism in three ways. Firstly, He mentions that the division and definition of the functions are different for different parts of the society. So the definition of various functions in the society is based on a number of factors present in the society. Secondly, Merton mentions that some of the functions are left unacknowledged in the society. Merton describes various types of functions of a component in the society by taking the example of higher education system. Thirdly, Merton mentions that the functions in the society are sometimes not useful and are negative (Macionis, 2008). 2. As mentioned in the book, the term globalisation can be defined in various ways and is perceived in various ways. Some of the people across the globe embrace the term by focusing on the positive impacts of this global phenomenon. Some of these benefits focused by the people are increased opportunities for financial transactions, enhanced communications, enhanced global culture and enhanced international governance. Some of the people across the globe critic this global phenomenon by citing some of the negative impacts like increased international crimes, global inequalities, globalization of the super-rich and localization of the poor (Macionis, 2008). 3. Cohen defines moral panic as a situation or episode where an individual or a group of individual are posed as threats to the social values or social interests through the mass media. Such a situation in turn leads to a number of key individuals to be portrayed by the mass media as the protectors of the moral and social values. Some of these individuals are the politicians, editor and bishops, who play the role of the protectors. Such as situation also leads to a number of experts to share their research, analysis and views on the corresponding situation through the mass media (Macionis, 2008). 4. The study of social epidemiology focuses on the research and analysis of distribution of the diseases or the health conditions of the individuals are distributed across the society. This study also focuses on the analysis of the impacts of social, environmental and physical conditions on the distribution of the health and diseases through the society. Such a study allows the society to be stronger in terms of the protection of the lives from a number of deadly diseases through the effective preventive steps taken according to the research or analysis of the distribution of the diseases and epidemics (Macionis, 2008). 5. The concept of absolute poverty can be defined as the lack of such resources among the individuals in the society, which is life threatening. The concept of absolute poverty is considered only among the poor individuals in the society. But the concept of relative poverty is considered only among the rich people for their members to define the lack of some resources are taken for granted by the individuals of the corresponding socioeconomic level. So in case of relative poverty, the individuals lack some of the resources which are taken for granted in the corresponding socioeconomic level (Macionis, 2008). 6. The concept of environmental racism focuses on the facts that most of the times the environmental hazards are present or occur to the close proximity of the poor people and far from the rich people. There are a number of examples in the real world, where the population in the poor countries suffer from the scarcity of some resources, which are available in excess in the rich countries. This in turn leads to the perception of environmental racism by the governments in the global phenomenon of globalisation (Macionis, 2008). References Macionis, J. J., Plummer, K. (2008). Sociology: A Global Introduction, 4th edn, Harlow.

Peer Pressure Outline Essays - Youth, Educational Psychology

INTRODUCTION I Teenagers feel peer pressure every day in their lives 1. Kids separate themselves from their parents by participating in peer groups 2. Peer groups can offer negative choices to teens 3. Most kids want to be liked and do well. 4. The pressures felt by teens every day affects their lives BODY II Peer pressure in school A. Concrete Detail B. Commentary Detail C. Commentary Detail D. Conclusion Sentence III Peer pressure with friends outside of school A. Concrete Detail B. Commentary Detail C. Commentary Detail D. Conclusion Sentence IV Pressure at home A. Concrete Detail B. Commentary Detail C. Commentary Detail D. Conclusion Sentence CONCLUSION V Teenagers feel peer pressure every day in their lives. A. Kids separate themselves from their parents by participating in peer groups B. Peer groups can offer negative choices to teens C. Most kids want to be liked and do well D. The pressures felt by teens every day affects their lives

The Irony of Clemencia’s Story Professor Ramos Blog

The Irony of Clemencia’s Story Gracen Slover ENGL 101 10 July 2019 The Irony of Clemencia’s Story In the short story, â€Å"Never Marry a Mexican†, by Sandra Cisneros, we are introduced to Clemencia, a woman who tells us her love and life story through past and present experiences. She isn’t living the life she’s always dreamed of, with a husband who loves and cares for her. This makes her feel helpless and that she will never marry a man and it shapes her mentality and her life aspirations. Clemencia starts off by expressing her anger and resentment for her mother, who was an adulterer. She retells many details from her life that she uses to victimize herself and gain some type of sympathy from others and more importantly, from herself. Although, it is revealed that she is indeed doing things just as bad or the same as what she said she hated her mother for. Clemencia isn’t able to step back and notice she is what she hates and is doing many things that others have done to her that she did not like. As she retells her story, many key pieces that she makes important, show irony and reveal her true colors. Clemencia had lived with her mother, father, and siblings during her childhood. Until, her father became ill and was soon dying quickly and in the hospital. During these heartbreaking weeks, Clemencia’s mother was off having an affair with a white man named Owen and was nowhere to be found while her husband was dying. Clemencia was so angry and shocked by her mother’s actions that she even refused to stand next to her, while her father passed away. After Clemencia’s father died, her mother quickly married Owen and moved him and his kids into her family’s house. This made Clemencia despise of her mother and think of her as nothing but an adulterer, who didn’t care one bit about her father’s death; and now her own children. Her mother seemed to disconnect herself from her previous life, and didn’t pay very much attention to or care for her real family. Clemencia never forgives her mother for what she has done or for how much she’ s ruined her and her sibling’s life. When Clemencia was a little older, she fell in love with a married man, Drew, who was her teacher at the time. She ends up living her life as this man’s mistress for many years, while his wife, Megan, lives like she has no clue that it’s happening. It is ironic that she hates her mother for sleeping with a man while she’s married, but in the future sleeps with a man who has a wife and family of his own. Research has shown that people turn into what they focus on, â€Å"Your mind is a very powerful thing†¦ and you become what you think about† (Peterson). She expressed her hatred for her mother because she has ruined her family, but later on in life she ruins another family for her own pleasure. The tables have turned and Clemencia takes no responsibility for her actions. She thinks she has done nothing wrong, and wants to put the blame on her mother who did the same thing; ruined a family for her own satisfaction. She may think she is doing nothing wro ng, because she isn’t married herself and isn’t being an adulterer. But, she is the one helping the man be one and is tearing a family apart to fulfil her wants and needs. Clemencia is oblivious to the wrong she’s doing and thinks she’s taking care of this married man. She says, â€Å"I just want to reach out and stroke someone, and say There, there, it’s all right, honey† (Cisneros 83). Clemencia has no thought or care for Megan as she sleeps with her husband for years and years. She only thinks about herself and what she wants from Drew, which shows as she says, â€Å"I haven’t stopped dreaming you. Did you know that? Do you think it’s strange? I never tell, though. I keep it to myself like I do all the thoughts I think of you† (Cisneros 78). You can tell by the way she speaks about him, like there’s not a care in the world about anyone else, especially his wife. But, she can hate her mother for doing exactly as she’s doing. As I mentioned before, Clemencia met Drew when she was his student, at around the age of 18. He was obviously intrigued by her and wanted her for his own. At the same time, Clemencia was interested as well and at a young age, began sleeping with him. In my opinion, she was in a way taken advantage of because of her age. At 18, she could have been easily manipulated into thinking this older man, who was her teacher, could be trusted and that he would take care of her. She â€Å"fell in love† with Drew and had a sexual relationship with him for several years. Until Megan, Drew’s wife, had a baby boy and the story becomes ironic. Clemencia continued to live with Drew and now his son, sporadically, when Megan was not there. She watches the boy grow up, explaining how she took care of him sometimes and how she thought of him, â€Å"These mornings, I fix coffee for me, milk for the boy. I think of that woman, and I can’t see a trace of my lover in this boy, as if she conceived him by immaculate conception† (Cisneros 82). She still had absolutely no respect for Megan, the child’s mother and Drew’s wife, and especially not for herself. Clemencia then explains how she sleeps with the son as well, in order to, â€Å"make the boy love [her] the way [she] love[s] his father† (Cisneros 82). The irony of this situation ties back to how she brings up her mother for being a hussy and a terrible person, but turns out to be one herself and not care for one second how wrong it is. It is also ironic how she was taken advantage of in her past by Drew, and now she took advantage of his son. Research has proved that it is very common for someone who has been abused, to abuse someone else, â€Å"[The abused] have difficulty with intimacy, security, trust, and commitment in [their] relationships. Lacking clearly defined personal limits and boundaries, [they] become enmeshed in [their] needs and emotions† (Characteristics of Emoti onally Abused People). In the beginning of the short story, Clemencia’s mother tells her that she should never marry a mexican because they’ll never be able to give her the type of family support and love that she wants. â€Å"She said this because of my father†(Cisneros 68), says Clemencia. She says this because her father was born in Mexico, which made him different than her and her mother, who were mexican too, but born in America. Her mother made it seem as though it was a bad thing to be full Mexican and meant that you couldn’t be faithful or provide true love and support for a family. In the future, when Clemencia is having an affair with Drew, she ends up viewing herself the same way her mother saw her father; a mexican. She tells herself that she’ll never be good enough for a man who could provide her with everything she wanted. Which she expresses by saying, â€Å"Besides, he could never marry me. You didn’t think†¦? Never marry a Mexican. Never mar ry a Mexican†¦ No, of course not†(Cisneros 80). It’s ironic how she is told from childhood to never marry a Mexican and tells herself that she never will, and in the end, she becomes the â€Å"mexican† that no one should marry. Clemencia’s story of love and life starts off sweet and ends ironically. She carried so much hatred for her mother her whole life for one reason, and ends up doing what the reason was herself. She let someone take advantage of her, but in the future does the same action to an innocent boy. And she even ends up being what she never wanted to be apart of, a â€Å"Mexican†, who couldn’t provide love and support for a real family. She doesn’t think for a second that she’s the bad guy, and wants to blame everyone else in her story. But ironically, she becomes exactly what she hated; a lying, adulterer â€Å"Mexican†. Cisneros, Sandra. Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. New York, Vintage, 1991. Peterson, Deb. â€Å"The Secret Power of Your Mind to Determine Your Future.† ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 3 July 2019, thoughtco.com/you-are-what-you-think-31688.nbsp; Characteristics of Emotionally Abused People, eqi.org/signs_of_emotionally_abused_people.htm.nbsp;

Woodrow Wilsons Fourteen Points - Explanation and Text

Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points - Explanation and Text One of the key US contributions to the end of World War I was  President Wilson’s Fourteen Points. These were an idealistic plan for rebuilding Europe and the world after the war, but their adoption by other nations was low and their success wanting. American Enters World War I In April 1917, after several years of entreaties from the Triple Entente forces, the United States of America entered World War I on the side of Britain, France, and their allies. There was a range of reasons behind this, from outright provocations, like Germany restarting unrestricted submarine warfare (the sinking of the Lusitania was still fresh in people’s minds) and stirring up trouble via the Zimmerman Telegram. But there were other reasons, such as America’s need to secure an allied victory to help, in turn, secure the repayment of the many loans and financial arrangements the US had organized, which were propping up the allies, and which may be lost if Germany won. Some historians have also identified US President Woodrow Wilson’s own desperation to help dictate the terms of the peace rather than being left on the international sidelines. The Fourteen Points Are Drafted Once American had declared, a massive mobilization of troops and resources took place. In addition, Wilson decided America needed a firm set of war aims to help guide policy and, equally as importantly, begin to organize the peace in a manner which would be lasting. This was, in truth, more than some of the nations went to war with in 1914†¦ An inquiry helped produce a program that Wilson would endorse as the Fourteen Points. The Full Fourteen Points I. Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understandings of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view. II. Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war, except as the seas may be closed in whole or in part by international action for the enforcement of international covenants. III. The removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers and the establishment of an equality of trade conditions among all the nations consenting to the peace and associating themselves for its maintenance. IV. Adequate guarantees given and taken that national armaments will be reduced to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety. V. A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims, based upon a strict observance of the principle that in determining all such questions of sovereignty the interests of the populations concerned must have equal weight with the equitable claims of the government whose title is to be determined. VI. The evacuation of all Russian territory and such a settlement of all questions affecting Russia as will secure the best and freest cooperation of the other nations of the world in obtaining for her an unhampered and unembarrassed opportunity for the independent determination of her own political development and national policy and assure her of a sincere welcome into the society of free nations under institutions of her own choosing; and, more than a welcome, assistance also of every kind that she may need and may herself desire. The treatment accorded Russia by her sister nations in the months to come will be the acid test of their good will, of their comprehension of her needs as distinguished from their own interests, and of their intelligent and unselfish sympathy. VII. Belgium, the whole world will agree, must be evacuated and restored, without any attempt to limit the sovereignty which she enjoys in common with all other free nations. No other single act will serve as this will serve to restore confidence among the nations in the laws which they have themselves set and determined for the government of their relations with one another. Without this healing act the whole structure and validity of international law is forever impaired. VIII. All French territory should be freed and the invaded portions restored, and the wrong done to France by Prussia in 1871 in the matter of Alsace-Lorraine, which has unsettled the peace of the world for nearly fifty years, should be righted, in order that peace may once more be made secure in the interest of all. IX. A readjustment of the frontiers of Italy should be effected along clearly recognizable lines of nationality. X. The peoples of Austria-Hungary, whose place among the nations we wish to see safeguarded and assured, should be accorded the freest opportunity of autonomous development. XI. Rumania, Serbia, and Montenegro should be evacuated; occupied territories restored; Serbia accorded free and secure access to the sea; and the relations of the several Balkan states to one another determined by friendly counsel along historically established lines of allegiance and nationality; and international guarantees of the political and economic independence and territorial integrity of the several Balkan states should be entered into. XII. The Turkish portions of the present Ottoman Empire should be assured a secure sovereignty, but the other nationalities which are now under Turkish rule should be assured an undoubted security of life and an absolutely unmolested opportunity of an autonomous development, and the Dardanelles should be permanently opened as a free passage to the ships and commerce of all nations under international guarantees. XIII. An independent Polish state should be erected which should include the territories inhabited by indisputably Polish populations, which should be assured a free and secure access to the sea, and whose political and economic independence and territorial integrity should be guaranteed by international covenant. XIV. A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike. The World Reacts American opinion was warmly receptive to the Fourteen Points, but then Wilson ran into the competing ideals of his allies. France, Britain, and Italy were hesitant, with all wanting concessions from peace that the points weren’t prepared to give, like reparations (France and Clemenceau were stiff supporters of crippling Germany through payments) and territorial gains. This led to a period of negotiations between the allies as ideas were smoothed through. But one group of nations who began to warm to the Fourteen Points was Germany and its allies. As 1918 went on and the final German attacks failed, many in Germany became convinced they could no longer win the war, and a peace based on Wilson and his Fourteen Points seemed to be the best they would get; certainly, more than they could expect from France. When Germany began arrangements for an armistice, it was the Fourteen Points they wished to come to terms under. The Fourteen Points Fail Once was the war was over, Germany having been brought to the verge of military collapse and forced into a surrender, the victorious allies gathered for the peace conference to sort the world out. Wilson and the Germans hoped the Fourteen Points would be the framework for negotiations, but once again the competing claims of the other major nations – mainly Britain and France – undermined what Wilson had intended. However, Britain’s Lloyd George and France’s Clemenceau were keen to give in some areas and agreed to the League of Nations. Wilson was unhappy as the final agreements – including the Treaty of Versailles – differed markedly from his goals, and America refused to join the League. As the 1920s and 30s developed, and war returned worse than before, the Fourteen Points were widely considered to have failed.

Argument and Persuasion essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Argument and Persuasion - Essay Example The United States is influencing the rest of the world through its culture and products, but the United States is also influenced by the culture of other countries. The United States is composed of different ethnicities and religions – the Jews, the Christians, the Muslims, the Hindus, and the Buddhists, and these ethnicities and religions have been absorbed and assimilated by Americans as part of their own culture. Traditional practices in medicine have also been integrated into our practice because of the proven benefits that they have managed to bring forth to patients and our country in general. These traditional practices include acupuncture, acupressure, and some herbal medications (Andrzejczyk, p. 96). Mega-corporations from other countries have also managed to make good business here in the United States, including Toyota, Sony, and Mitsubishi. Feng Shui, a distinctly Chinese practice is also being applied in many homes and by many designers in the United States. Through these practices there has been a mutual global cultural exchange, making it possible for different countries to be in closer contact with each other and to be more in touch with other countries. According to the â€Å"One Ku (cool) Language for All,† (Andrzejczyk, p. 149) the use of English as a universal language has also made it possible for nations to relate and communicate with each other as traders and as businessmen. The shift in this globalized world and the use of English represents a more willing participation of countries as global players in the economy. The common language has also managed to make our world smaller and easier for people to embrace and conceptualize. Just as globalization brings forth benefits, it can also bring about negative consequences. Its negative consequences are on the effects of the culture in the country where it is introduced, especially when it does not share the culture of the home country of the product being

Regulation of Industrial Relations in the UK Essay

Regulation of Industrial Relations in the UK - Essay Example Up to the 1950s, the UK state’s role in industrial relations was characterized as involving minimum intervention (Kahn-Freund, 1969). However, since the end of the Second World War, the UK state has increasingly intervened in industrial relations. It is fair to state that given the increased intervention by the UK state in industrial relations it is reasonable to conclude that there has been a determined shift away from voluntarism relative to collective bargaining agreements toward state intervention in supporting some minimum standards within the employment contract. The government or state’s intervention has moved toward a more active role in regulating the relationship between employee and employer and working conditions in the UK. This paper demonstrates the UK state’s shift from voluntarism to actively supporting minimum standards within the employment contract by tracing state intervention and the methods by which state intervention has been utilized. In general, states intervene in industrial relations in a variety of roles and capacities. They may intervene as an employer or as a supervisor or regulatory agent for income and price setting. States may also intervene as economic management, or for the protection of standards. States intervene in industrial relations as legislators and rule-makers. States may also intervene in industrial relations in an attempt to establish and promote the parameters of social order (Hyman, 2009). Historically, the UK has operated as an employer in its own right signifying private employers should follow the state’s example in how it treats its employees. As a result of this approach to employment principles, it was expected that employees in the public sector would seek to avoid tensions and conflicts in the workplace (Rollinson & Dundon, 2007).

Begging in India Essay Example for Free

Begging in India Essay Begging in India is a fashion, a compulsion, a profession, a privilege and a recreation. The number of beggars in India is much larger than in other countries. Our heads hang down in shame when we read description of this institution given by foreigners in a hateful manner. To the Westerners, India is a land of the mendicants and snake-charmers. Beggars are found in villages and towns, on roads, crossings and footpaths. But their favorite haunts are bathing Ghats, temples, religious or festival fairs, railway stations, trains and bus-stands. It is a big nuisance to be confronted by street beggars at all odd places. Like the God Almighty they seem to be omnipresent. You are waiting for a bus at the bus-stand or walking down a road with your friend, they appear from nowhere and start an endless volley of entreaties and blessings. They follow you close at your heels and keep pestering you till you give them some coins out of a sense of sheer disgust and helplessness. There are various types of beggars in India. The religious; beggars cluster round pilgrim centres and attract public attention by their wonderful feats. There are crippled and disabled beggars who remain lying on road-sides or at railway or river bridges arousing sympathy of the passers-by, making all kinds of pitiful gesture! ; There are beggars who are quite stout and able-bodied. Begging for them is not a necessity but a profession. They are idlers and rascals who are unwilling to earn their bread by hard work. They often operate in gangs and their leaders hold a bank balance that would be credit to an important business magnate. They are disguised as physically disabled or handicapped. They use as tools young women with new born babies or young children. Whenever they find an opportunity, they commit thefts and crimes, including kidnapping of children. At some places we come across modernized beggars dressed in suits. Such beggars lead a luxurious life in places of retirement. There are travelling beggars who are particularly seen in trains. The collect alms for orphanages, cow-shelters and widow-shelters, which exist only in their minds. Foreigners are their most privileged victims. Begging in India has developed into an art and a full-fledged profession. The practice of begging is the result of the poverty of the country and the deep-seated religious sentiments and superstitions of our country men. Unemployment, illiteracy, ignorance and ever-increasing population are other causes of begging. It cannot be denied that the distribution of wealth is not fair and the gulf between the rich and the poor is very wide. The rich and the well to-do accept extreme poverty and begging as a necessary feature of society. Religion seems to teach them that charity is the surest passport to heaven. Beggars, in themselves are problems and they create other social problems by kidnapping women and children; Sometimes, we begin to doubt the integrity of spiritually and morally high persons and ill treat them because pink clothes have become the common dress of beggars in India. Charity, in our country, enjoys religious sanctity. But it is conveniently forgotten that misplaced charity is good neither for the one who shows it nor for one to whom it is shown. It encourages idleness and in activity. It produces parasites and wastes a sizeable amount of human power. Laws should be legislated for abolishing begging and offenders should be severely dealt with. The government should be establish work-houses where able-bodied beggars should be kept and compelled to work. The people, in general, should be made conscious of the fact that beggars are the greatest enemies of the country and there should be country wide agitations against beggars. The crippled and disabled beggars should be maintained by the State, The disabled and diseased beggars and orphaned children and destitute women deserve particular attention from the State. There should be asylums and training centres for such people. Here they should first be treated for their ailments and then trained in different kinds of handicrafts and cottage industries. The success of some of the schools for the blind, the deaf and the dumb shows the true solution of the problem. In place of individual charity, funds and donation should be raised on a large and organized scale for the relief of these unfortunate people. Indeed, beggary if so intricately women into our way of life that, no matter how corrupt and scheming it gets, it shall continue to claim attention. If not from the educated, from the illiterate and the superstitious. Tragedy stares at us round every corner. Begging is one of the worst social evils that denegrade India in the eyes of the world. The earlier it is eradicated, the better it would be in the interest of our nation.

Suicide among college students Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   SUICIDE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS Suicide has become a critical, national problem and the extent of this is mind-boggling. Suicides have been proven to be one of the leading causes of death among college students. According to Webters dictionary â€Å"suicide is the act killing oneself on purpose†. It derived from the Latin sui, meaning â€Å"self†, and caedere, which means â€Å"to kill†. But this is just a definition, because an actual suicide holds different meanings to people such as tragic, shocking, a relief, a cry for help, a shame, heroic, the right choice, punishment, revenge, protest, anger, a mistake, desperate, hurtful and many more. But why do people, like college students who have their entire future ahead of them, simply give up hope and turn their heads away from life and commit suicide. There are several causes of suicide, recent incidents of suicide on college campuses, warning signs from a suicidal. I blame the Constitution and the United States law for not taking any hard init iative on the subject of suicide. I also impose the choice of the media, which is reflecting and portraying suicide towards a wrong direction. However most important questions remain: can the growing epidemic of suicide be solved, what are communities doing about it and what can they do to help? The first and outmost question that comes in my mind is why do college students commit suicide? Why would the quiet, shy chemistry major student sitting next to you in the library jump from his 14th floor dorm? Why would a talented athlete on the basketball team use a gun to kill herself? The causes for committing suicide can range from depression, family and relationship problems, expectations, pressure to succeed and academic failure, financial stableness, not reaching the goal that is desired and many more. According to the National Association for Suicide Prevention everyone has different reasons for being depressed and the extent of that depression will also vary from person to person. Some common causes of depression that have been found to lead to college suicide are not feeling loved or understood, the feeling of rejection, trouble with friends and family, or the feeling of being â€Å"no good†, and not reaching the academic standards (42). Kay Jamison, a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University said in the Universi... ... suicide help phone line and on campus psychologists. But just to be more cautious, all the students in college should know more about the growing and serious epidemic of suicide. Students should put up flyers informing them on the subject of suicide and like any other societies they should have fundraisers to raise money in creating suicide help line and psychiatric offices for college students off campus. Be aware of their environment and inform any sign of suicide among their peers so that they can immediately get help before it gets too late. It depends on individual, some college students manage to survive and even flourish under the most difficult circumstances, while others flounder under the same conditions. Works Cited: Steven, Swanson. â€Å"Tribune National Correspondent†. Chicago Tribune Oct. 2004: 8.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Colt, George Howe. The Enigma of Suicide. New York: Touchstome/Simon & Schuster,1993. Portner, Jessica. One in Thirteen. Maine: Robins Lane Press, 2001. Franz, Kafka. â€Å"The Metamorphosis.† The Idea of the Human. Trans. Willa and Edwin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Muir. Minerva Press, 1992. 402-447.

Latest Earth Theories Essay

Plate tectonics rend to describe the huge scale motions of the earth’s lithosphere. The theory actually encompasses old concepts of the continental drift developed in the twentieth century and seafloor distribution hence it was clearly understood from the year 1960. The modern theory states that the lithospheric plate movement means the continental drift and it is caused by the radioactive mantle that normally produces heat and the elements within the core. Consequently, the heat creates the conversion currents within the mantle that tend to drive the plates all along their path of the movement. Hence, when plates crash, denser plates submerge underneath lighter, less dense crustal plates along subduction zones. As much as very heavy plates move downward they really melt and the molten rock objects makes its way towards the surface and finally its extruded direct to the surface as lava. A little number of plates slide past one another and eventually they cause earthquakes (Anderson 2007). The present information on the structure of the earths interior comes right from the studies of the paths together with the characteristics of the earthquake waves that do travel all through the earth. It as well comes right from the laboratory experiments on the surface minerals as well as rocks at high pressure and the temperature. People have problems in explaining the features of plate tectonics since the pictures that are in the textbooks are very much removed from the reality. Tectonic plates are the real plates which make up the less-than-firm of the earth’s crust. These particular plates soar on the volcanic emission layer of the molten rock under them. As they shift while rubbing together, the vibrations are the earthquakes. While the volcanic emission pushes up among the plates it creates a volcano. References Anderson, D. (2007). Latest Earth Theories. Cambridge: Cambridge Publishers.

Importance of Organic Foods Essay

The definition of organic agriculture is farming with the use of synthetic chemicals. After World War II, larger and increasingly automated farms, known as â€Å"factory farms,† put the synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides developed in the 1920s into widespread use. They found that more crops could be produced mass produced. What they did not realize were the dangers of using these chemicals and the effects they would have on the environment and human health. The USDA must approve all products claiming to be organic and there are many strict guidelines farmers must follow. Farmers must abstain from the use of prohibited materials (pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and sewage sludge) for three years prior to being certified organic and then continue these practices throughout their organic license. They must employ positive soil burning, conservation, manure management and crop rotation. They must provide outdoor access and pastures for livestock and refrain from the use of antibiotics and hormones in their animals, while sustaining livestock on 100% organic feed. Farmers may not use genetically modified organisms or irradiation. Organic products are grown in healthier soil and contain higher levels of nutrients and non-organics. Many organic may even taste better. Food irradiation is worse than the radiation from a television or microwave. The ionizing radiation processes used on food break up molecules and deplete food of essential vitamins and enzymes. Many pesticides are linked to diseases. An example is glufosinate, which is commonly used on sugar beets and canola, has been shown to cause birth defects. Chemical companies influence the government to raise the acceptable levels of chemicals in foods so that they can make more money on their product without concern for the environment and the safety of people. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging the use of biosolids (human waste) to be used as fertilizers in order to solve the problem of there being too much waste than they know what to do with. They problem is that industrial waste and toxic chemicals get mixed in. Many toxins such as PCBs, DDT, asbestos, dioxins, and toxic heavy metals are being used in the cultivation of food. Yuck. Another problem we face is the use of hormones and antibiotics in our livestock. Bovine growth hormones end up in our dairy products, and those BGHs and linked to prostate and breast cancer. The ingestion of antibiotics can damage the balance of beneficial bacteria in our bodies and create drug-resistance, so that if we really get sick, antibiotics may not work anymore. Many people may try to eat healthier by cutting down on fast-foods and processed foods by eating more fruits and vegetables, but this can even defeat itself. For example, non-organic spinach contains for pesticide residue than any other fruit or vegetable. The twelve most contaminated crops are: strawberries, green and red bell peppers, spinach, cherries (US), peaches, cantaloupe (Mexico), celery, apples, apricots, green beans, grapes (Chile), and cucumbers. More than 90% of all pesticides used don’t even reach the desired plant they were used on! There are many reasons to buy organic foods. You will protect future generations- decrease the cancer causing pesticides in foods. You will prevent soil erosion- soil is the foundation of our food chain, and chemicals fertilizers deplete healthy soil. You will protect water quality- water makes of three-fourths of the planet, and the EPA has estimated that pesticides contaminate the ground water in over thirty-eight states. You will save energy- modern farming uses more petroleum than any other industry, but organic farming is based mainly on labor intensive practices and uses green manure to build up soil. You’ll keep chemicals off of your plate- the EPA considers 60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides, and 30% of insecticides carcinogenic. You will protect farm worker health- over one million people are poisoned annually by pesticides, and farmers exposed to herbicides have a six times greater risk of contracting cancer. You’ll help small farmers- most organic farms are small and independently owned, and the US has lost more and 650, 000 family farms in the past decade. You’ll promote biodiversity- insects become genetically resistant to insecticides, and soil is left lacking natural minerals and nutrients if chemicals are used. And the number one reason to buy organic- your food will taste better and contain more essential vitamins and nutrients! Pittsburgh Organic and some helpful websites: East End Food Co-op 7516 Meade Street PGH, PA 15208 412-242-3598 E House Company 1511 East Carson Street PGH, PA 412-488-7455 www. eastendfood. coop www. nascigs. com -request a free carton of smokes! www. cleanvibes. com www. organicconsumers. org www. odemagazine. net www. organickitchen. com www. sare. org www. themeatrix. com.

Free Essays on The Sovereignty And Goodness Of God

Throughout Mary Rowlandson’s narrative, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, we receive a glimpse of what captivity among the Indians is like. Rowlandson’s personal account is from a Puritan’s point of view about Native Americans beginning in February of 1675. While reading this narrative, one must understand that the Native Americans were treated as bad if not worse than Mary Rowlandson herself. To get a true understanding, one must be aware of both sides of the story. Rowlandson’s faith remained the primary basis of how she dealt with most problems and her attitude towards the Indians. Even before her capture, Rowlandson saw â€Å"the causeless enmity of these Barbarians, against the English, and the malicious and revengefull spirit of these Heathen† (64). She perceived the Indians as â€Å"murtherous wretches†, â€Å"merciless Heathen†, and â€Å"Infidels† (68-69). As a woman of the Lord, she did not like all the battling, and the sight of murder was frightening. She dreaded the day they would invade her community. They came that â€Å"dreadfull hour,† and all the stories she had heard from others about invasion became a reality (69). Before she was actually captured, she always said she would â€Å"rather be killed by them than be taken alive,† but once she was captured she â€Å"chose rather to go along with those ravenous Beasts† (70). To go through such a trial as captivity would be such a witness to her Christian faith. Rowlandson did not think very highly of the Indians when they captured her, and to h er when they were all gathered in one place, it portrayed â€Å"a lively resemblance of hell† (71). Before Rowlandson’s captivity and throughout her first remove, the Indians are given the image as being animals. Even through these trying times, Rowlandson’s faith remained strong, and she never lost hope. When she felt like she might not make it, â€Å"the Lord renewed my strength still, and carried me along† (... Free Essays on The Sovereignty And Goodness Of God Free Essays on The Sovereignty And Goodness Of God Throughout Mary Rowlandson’s narrative, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, we receive a glimpse of what captivity among the Indians is like. Rowlandson’s personal account is from a Puritan’s point of view about Native Americans beginning in February of 1675. While reading this narrative, one must understand that the Native Americans were treated as bad if not worse than Mary Rowlandson herself. To get a true understanding, one must be aware of both sides of the story. Rowlandson’s faith remained the primary basis of how she dealt with most problems and her attitude towards the Indians. Even before her capture, Rowlandson saw â€Å"the causeless enmity of these Barbarians, against the English, and the malicious and revengefull spirit of these Heathen† (64). She perceived the Indians as â€Å"murtherous wretches†, â€Å"merciless Heathen†, and â€Å"Infidels† (68-69). As a woman of the Lord, she did not like all the battling, and the sight of murder was frightening. She dreaded the day they would invade her community. They came that â€Å"dreadfull hour,† and all the stories she had heard from others about invasion became a reality (69). Before she was actually captured, she always said she would â€Å"rather be killed by them than be taken alive,† but once she was captured she â€Å"chose rather to go along with those ravenous Beasts† (70). To go through such a trial as captivity would be such a witness to her Christian faith. Rowlandson did not think very highly of the Indians when they captured her, and to h er when they were all gathered in one place, it portrayed â€Å"a lively resemblance of hell† (71). Before Rowlandson’s captivity and throughout her first remove, the Indians are given the image as being animals. Even through these trying times, Rowlandson’s faith remained strong, and she never lost hope. When she felt like she might not make it, â€Å"the Lord renewed my strength still, and carried me along† (...

Egyptian View of Death and Their Pyramids

Egyptian View of Death and Their Pyramids The Egyptian view of death during the dynastic period involved elaborate mortuary rituals, including the careful preservation of bodies through mummification as well as immensely rich royal burials such as that of Seti I and Tutankhamun, and construction of the pyramids, the largest and most long-lived monumental architecture known in the world. The Egyptian religion is described in the vast body of mortuary literature found and deciphered after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone. The primary texts are the Pyramid Texts - murals painted and carved onto walls of the pyramids dated to the Old Kingdom Dynasties 4 and 5; the Coffin Texts - decorations painted on elite individual coffins after the Old Kingdom, and the Book of the Dead. The Basics of the Egyptian Religion All of that was part and parcel of the Egyptian religion, a polytheistic system, which included a number of different gods and goddesses, each of whom was responsible for a specific aspect of life and the world. For example, Shu was the god of the air, Hathor the goddess of sexuality and love, Geb the god of the earth, and Nut the goddess of the sky. However, unlike the classic Greek and Roman mythologies, the Egyptians gods didnt have much of a backstory. There was no specific dogma or doctrine, nor was there a set of required beliefs. There was no standard of orthodoxy. In fact, the Egyptian religion may have lasted for 2,700 years because local cultures could adapt and create new traditions, all of which were considered valid and correct - even if they had internal contradictions. A Hazy View of the Afterlife There may have been no highly developed and intricate narratives about the actions and deeds of the gods, but there was a firm belief in a realm that existed beyond the visible one. Humans could not comprehend this other world intellectually but they could experience it through mythic and cultic practices and rituals. In the Egyptian religion, the world and the universe were part of a strict and unchanging order of stability called Maat. This was both an abstract idea, a concept of universal stability, and the goddess who represented that order. Maat came into existence at the time of creation, and she continued to be the principle for the stability of the universe. The universe, the world, and the political state all had their appointed place in the world based on a principle system of order. Maat and a Sense of Order Maat was in evidence with the daily return of the Sun, the regular rise and fall of the Nile River, the annual return of the seasons. While Maat was in control, the positive powers of light and life would always overcome the negative forces of darkness and death: nature and the universe were on the side of humanity. And humanity was represented by the ones who had died, especially the rulers who were incarnations of the god Horus. Maat was not threatened, as long as man was no longer threatened by eternal annihilation. During his or her life, the pharaoh was the earthly embodiment of Maat and the effective agent through which Maat was realized; as the incarnation of Horus, the pharaoh was the direct heir of Osiris. His role was to make sure the obvious order of Maat was maintained and to take positive action to restore that order if it was lost. It was crucial for the nation that the pharaoh successfully made it to the afterlife, to maintain Maat. Securing a Place in the Afterlife At the heart of the Egyptian view of death was the Osiris myth. At sunset every day, the Sun god Ra traveled along a heavenly barge illuminating the deep caverns of the underworld to meet and battle Apophis, the great serpent of darkness and oblivion, and succeed to rise again the next day. When an Egyptian died, not just the pharaoh, they had to follow the same path as the Sun. At the end of that journey, Osiris sat in judgment. If the human had led a righteous life, Ra would guide their souls to immortality, and once united with Osiris, the soul could be reborn. When a pharaoh died, the journey became crucial to the whole nation - as Horus/Osiris and the pharaoh could continue to keep the world in balance. Although there wasnt a specific moral code, Maats divine principles said that to live a righteous life meant a citizen kept moral order. A person was always part of Maat and if he or she disordered Maat, he or she would find no place in the afterworld. To live a good life, a person would not steal, lie, or cheat; not defraud widows, orphans, or the poor; and not harm others or offend the gods. The upright individual would be kind and generous to others, and benefit and help those around him or her. Building a Pyramid Since it was important to see that a pharaoh made it to the afterlife, the internal structures of the pyramids and the royal burials in the Valleys of the Kings and Queens were built with intricate passageways, multiple corridors, and servants tombs. The shape and number of the internal chambers varied and features such as pointed roofs and starry ceilings were in a constant state of reformulation. The earliest pyramids had an internal pathway to the tombs that ran north/south, but by the construction of the Step Pyramid, all corridors began on the west side and led toward the east, marking the journey of the Sun. Some of the corridors led up and down and up again; some took a 90-degree bend in the middle, but by the sixth dynasty, all entrances started at ground level and headed eastward. Sources Billing, Nils. â€Å"Monumentalizing the Beyond. Reading the Pyramid before and after the Pyramid Texts.†Ã‚  Studien Zur Altgyptischen Kultur, vol. 40, 2011, pp. 53–66.Kemp, Barry, et al. â€Å"Life, Death and beyond in Akhenatens Egypt: Excavating the South Tombs Cemetery at Amarna.†Ã‚  Antiquity, vol. 87, no. 335, 2013, pp. 64–78.Mojsov, Bojana. â€Å"The Ancient Egyptian Underworld in the Tomb of Sety I: Sacred Books of Eternal Life.†Ã‚  The Massachusetts Review, vol. 42, no. 4, 2001, pp. 489–506.Tobin, Vincent Arieh. â€Å"Mytho-Theology in Ancient Egypt.†Ã‚  Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, vol. 25, 1988, pp. 169–183.

How White Privilege is Manifested on the Internet as Covert and Overt Term Paper

How White Privilege is Manifested on the Internet as Covert and Overt Racism - Term Paper Example The fact that even talking has become a fringe activity is the biggest marker yet of how much we have moved our lives online. However, the entry of this new mode of communication has not changed some of the ways in which we relate to other people in real life. One of the areas of great interest is with regard to race relations. For a long time we have got used to the idea that whites are portrayed as superior to all other races. There are different constructs in society that help reinforce that stereotype. The internet is now one of the mediums through which white privilege is passed on. There are several ways in which white privilege is manifested with regard to the internet. This paper shall seek to, explore those ways. In addition to that, the paper shall explore some of the ways that have been tried out to bring a about a more level racial playing field on the internet. White privilege has been defined variously but the basic components of that definition remain the same. It has to do with access for instance and the rewards that one receives for belonging to the white race. Further still there is a component that that states that there is some power to affect norms and values as a result of someone being white. Finally there is an agreement that white privilege can either be manifested consciously or unconsciously. The first point of entry when discussing a topic of this nature is to look at the development stage with regards to new technologies and software. It is known by all technology enthusiasts and mere watchers of the industry that Silicon Valley in California is the technology capital of the world in many ways. This is an area where developers and geeks gather to try and discover the next big thing in the world of technology. Most internet startups are located in Silicon Valley. Above all, this is an affluent part of California (Nakamura 2002). Most of these young men and women it must be said are white. They develop technologies that are genuinely designed to help the rest of humanity. However, we all know that diversity is a theme of continuing importance in this age of globalization. The lack of diversity in such places where technologies are developed is the first stage at which tendencies that are racial in nature later come to dominate people of other races when they eventually make them to the internet. Racial diversity might not add anything tangible in the process of developing these technologies, but at the very least it gives the developers an alternative viewpoint of the technologies that hey are developing. After all they are going to be used by people of all races (Nakamura 2002). To further illustrate this point, think about the world famous owners and founders of all the big global internet and technology companies. The most eminent of them, the now deceased Steve Jobs, was white. The founder of Facebook, mark Zuckerberg is white also. The Amazon founder is white also. It therefore begs the question, why is ra cial equality or rather diversity not reflected in the development of the major internet and technology firms? This is because there is limited access for those who belong to other races. Why for instance would a black man be the president of the United States but there is not even one renowned black founder of any of the big global internet and technology firms? The answer is that there is a lack of access (Racism review). On

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 33

Assignment Example Furthermore, the health department of Northern Carolina would always seek to ensure that the vaccination record of a child is checked once the child under consideration enrolls in a school, or a child care facility. It is important to provide an explanation that a child is not allowed to enroll in a school, whether it is private, religious, or even public without the same child receiving all immunizations that are appropriate and useful for their age. This policy is aimed at reducing the chances of a child to acquire diseases that are preventable through vaccination, as well as reducing the chances of such a disease spreading to vulnerable children. It is the following ailments that the state of North Carolina actively vaccinates its citizens against, HPV, Hepatitis A, and B, Diphtheria, Anthrax, Influenza, Mumps, Rabies, Tetanus, Typhoid, etc (Department of Health, 2014). Furthermore, for purposes of turning this vaccination policy into a success, the Government of North Carolina has developed a vaccination schedule that all health care agencies must follow while vaccinating children under the ages of 18 years. This schedule contains the identification of the ages in which children are supposed to be given certain doses of the vaccine, and identifies the type of vaccine to be administered. These vaccination schedules do not only identify the vaccination programs of children, but they also identify the vaccination programs of adults. In the medical field, a cohort study is always used to obtain evidence for purposes of disapproving the existence of an association between the causes and effects of a disease or medical condition. It is important to provide an explanation that by failing to disapprove an hypothesis, then chances are high people will start having confidence in it. It is important to understand that the cohort study can be a useful method in reporting on HPV, and tracking the disease. This is because scientists will identify a

Maritime Technology 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Maritime Technology 2 - Essay Example Development of Container Ships Container ships are usually defined in terms of TEU or twenty foot equivalent units. An 8500 TEU for example can transport 8500; twenty foot equivalent units of containers between two ports. With time being a critical factor for most globalized operations and fuel costs increasing by the day it has become inevitable for the shipping owners to transport maximum number of containers possible in one single voyage. This has lead to a continuous research and study into the development of new designs of increased capacity that would be capable of withstanding the rigours at sea. At the time, it should also be able to navigate easily through different canals and seas offering varying degrees of drafts. (Container Ship Types, 2000) Source: 4250 TEU Container ship, (Container Ship Focus, June 2006) Technical Requirements Purchasing of 18000 TEU ships is a matter of great achievement for any company and it is said that only Maersk which is the leader in Container ship transportation have ventured into buying 10 number of ships from Daewoo. The increased container capacity poses lot of technical queries, which need to be taken care of. 1. To account for the increased number of containers the length and width of the ship would be needed to be increased proportionately. This increase would again pose problems to the ships manovereability. It is known that ships have to navigate through various canals that exist between high seas to cross across continents. The PanaMax of size 4100 TEU’s delivered in 1980 was the largest to be delivered in those times and was named by its ability to pass through the Panama Canal. There was however no major change in the next twelve years and the size hovered around 4500-5500 TEU’s. Ships of length 294.1m, width 32.3m and draft of 12m was the maximum dimension of a ship capable of passing the Panama Canal. An accident leading to the slippage of 4 containers containing lethal arsenic oxide into the sea in 1992 near New Jersey lead to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopting the guidelines on safe securing of cargoes and became part of the International Convention for Safety of life at sea, 1974. (SOLAS) This required the ship must have a Cargo securing manual approved by the Flag State.( Container Ship Types, 2000) Most container ships built thereafter were an offshoot of the PanaMax category with increased TEU. The Post-PanaMax built in 1996 had a capacity of 6400TEU. By 1999 this size had increased to 9000 TEU’s. These ships have cell guides which enable better arrangement of container cargo above deck. However five cargo holds were unprotected from rain and rough seas which made it very critical to have an efficient bilge or waste water disposal system. The Suez-Max Large container ships (ULCS) built thereafter were capable of carrying 12000 TEU’s. The Post-Suez-Max ships are classified as those ships which can carry capacities upto 18000 TEU. Th is would require a ship breadth of 60m with a maximum draft of 21m. The Suez Canal is being revamped to accommodate these increased sizes of ships in the current years. Ships of 18000TEU are classified as Malacca Max since the Malacca strait offers a draft of 21m. The harbours of Singapore and Rotterdam are the other ports that offer such drafts. (Container Ship Types, 2000). Therefore it is inevitable that while placing orders for such large container shi

Differentiation made among poor readers into dyslexics

Differentiation made among poor readers into dyslexics Is dyslexia a big, expensive myth (Mills 2007)? Despite the popular acceptance of dyslexia as a type of learning disability, particularly as a persistent and significant form of reading difficulty, the debate surrounding its existence, definition, and diagnosis persists (Doyle 2003). For many years now, school systems around the world have developed and implemented strategies in order to address dyslexia because it affects a considerable percentage in the population. In the United Kingdom, one out of 10 people are considered dyslexic, 375,000 children (Hayes 2005) and in other studies, 5% of the childrens population (Ramus 2003). Dyslexia is widely thought to be a deficit that can be overcome with proper learning interventions; some very prominent personalities have been said to succeed over dyslexia: Hans Christian Andersen and Nelson Rockefeller, for instance. Scientific and academic discourse on dyslexia, which is derived from the Greek words dys meaning difficult and lexia meaning reading, is plagued by a definitional crisis (Snowling 2000; Ingram, Pianu and Welsh 2007). Until now, there is still no consensus on the definition of dyslexia. Moreover, issues on categorisation also face the dyslexia community (Lyon, Shaywitz, and Shaywitz 2003). This is perhaps because poor reading is influenced by a myriad of factors: socio-economic disadvantage, poor diet, poor living conditions, and others. This paper centralises on the controversy on whether or not a) it is possible to differentiate dyslexics from garden-variety poor readers and b) it is useful to make such a differentiation. The issue of differentiation has significant implications and until now, psychologists and academic writers are still debating over it. Treating dyslexia as a distinct entity seems logically sound. In every class, there are students who do very poorly in reading bu t exhibit higher ability in other competencies. There are also those who do poorly in reading and in generally all other competencies. In terms of diagnosis, some claim that differentiating dyslexics from poor readers will enable educators to development the most suitable interventions. Nonetheless, the definitional crisis over dyslexia makes it a dilemma to make that diagnosis. Labelling someone as dyslexic actually makes the assumption that existing literature and empirical data have generated more precise insight into what dyslexia is. The fact of the matter is experts have only agreed to disagree on the criteria by which dyslexia is diagnosed, including the types of intervention necessary to help children overcome their reading difficulties (Rice and Brooks 2004). The peril of differentiating dyslexics and garden-variety poor readers without any clear and conclusive parameters for diagnosis is that in the end, students with temporary reading difficulties may be branded dyslexics needlessly and students who are in genuine danger may not be getting the appropriate learning interventions they need. Due to the unstable and inconsistent definitions of dyslexia, some academic writers have questioned whether the disorder really exists. Some people view dyslexia as a social and emotional construct (Elliott 2005, p. 485) and politicians claim the impairment as a fictional malady (Hayes 2005, p. 1) to suggest that dyslexia is an artificial disorder concocted by the school system to promote their interests or to hide weaknesses in language instruction. Some have even claimed that dyslexia has a class bias: that it is the middle-class way of covering up intellectual weakness. Despite these allegations, the dyslexia movement worldwide has gained wide acceptance and scientific endeavours, which although inconclusive have provided greater insight into how this impairment can be overcome by children and adults. This paper explored recent literature on dyslexia, its definitions, causes, and critically discussed the issue of differentiation between dyslexics and garden-variety poor readers, how such a difference could be diagnosed, and its implications. The paper concludes that while there are proposed methods of evaluation, there remains no conclusive means of differentiating dyslexics and garden-variety poor readers. 1 Dyslexia: definitions and causes 1.1 The reading process In order to critically examine dyslexia, models of the reading process need to be reviewed. There have been two predominant theoretical models to answer the questions: how do children read? and how do they learn how to read? (Harrison 2000, p. 35). Kenneth Goodman (1970, as cited in Harrison 2000) explained that reading was a selective process which requires children to use minimal language cues but maximum contextual information. In what he calls the psycholinguistic guessing game, Goodman argued that the objective of reading is not word or letter recognition but to make sense of it the construction of meaning. Recent studies have shown the fluent reading requires a fairly complete and rapid visual processing of text while hypothesising or guessing as Goodman (1970) suggested has a small role to play in word recognition. The most widely accepted model of reading among experts and psychologists is the interactive model which states that the reading process is largely supportive of the bottom-up model as well as the input of top-down processes when required (Harrison 2000). This means that in order for individuals to read fluently, what occurs is automatic, rapid, and context-free word recognition having a fixation duration dependent on the relative word frequency of separate words. Stanovich (1980) attempted to incorporate what is known about skilled and unskilled reading into the interactive-compensatory model. A key concept of this model of reading is that a process at any level can compensate for deficiencies at any other level (p. 36). Stanovichs model was a response to both bottom-up models and top-down models which had their own problems. One of the problems for the top-down model is that for many texts, the reader has littlele knowledge of the topic and cannot generate predictions. While the top-down models may explain beginning reading, with slow rates of word recognition, they do not accurately describe skilled reading behavior. Stanovich (1980) argued that good readers recognised words rapidly because their recognition was automatic. It was poor readers, by contrast, who needed to make the greatest use of context in order to facilitate word recognition, and they did so at the expense of needing to devote extra time to this part of the processes. The o bvious implication of this model is that accurate, rapid word recognition is really important in fluent reading. 1.2 Defining Dyslexia Dyslexia is difficult to define. Although there have been several definitions introduced since its inception, experts have relied on identifying exclusionary and inclusionary characteristics to define who has dyslexia (Rice and Brooks 2004). Fletcher and Lyon (2008) offered three primary reasons why dyslexia is hard to define. First, dyslexia is unobservable construct meaning that attempts to measure it are imperfect and people suffering from the disorder cannot objectively report it. Second, dyslexia is dimensional, meaning that there are varying degrees to which individuals may experience difficulty, from minor, severe, and even in-between. Third, what characteristics to include and what to exclude have been a site for great disagreement among practitioners and psychologists. Nevertheless, common points in several definitions can be seen are elaborated in this paper. A specific learning disability Defining dyslexia as one disorder among a whole umbrella of learning disabilities (LD) has been criticised (Shaywitz, Morris and Shaywitz 2003; Snowling 2000). Studies have shown that among all learning disabilities, reading disability is the most prevalent, affecting 80% of people diagnosed with learning disabilities. In the past, LD encompassed a broad selection of difficulties experienced by children and adults in several competencies: reading, listening, writing, mathematics, and speaking. Dyslexia is now defined as a specific learning disability (Shaywitz, Morris, and Shaywitz 2003, p. 2). Some definitions on dyslexia describe the different areas impaired. The British Association of Dyslexia (2010) defines dyslexia as a specific learning difficulty which mainly affects the development of literacy and language related skills wherein difficulties may experienced in rapid naming, working memory, phonological processing, processing speed, and other skills. The definition also elaborates that dyslexia may occur among people who are of normal or average intelligence. Shaywitz, Morris, and Shaywitz (2003) explained that among the indicators of dyslexia may be poor spelling, inaccurate word recognition, and poor decoding abilities. The National Centre for Learning Disabilities treats dyslexia as a language processing disorder which may impair reading, writing, spelling, and speaking. Dyslexia Scotland (2010) defined dyslexia as a specific leaning difficulty affecting almost 10% of the population. Dyslexics are said to experience difficulty in reading, spelling, writing, and mathematics. It explained that dyslexia occurs as a consequence of poor short-term memory; hence, dyslexics do poorly in learning abilities because they are unable to maintain the sequencing of numbers, words, or simple instructions. The Miles Dyslexia Centre (2010) defined dyslexia as a combination of abilities and difficulties which affect the learning process in one or more of reading, spelling, writing and sometimes numeracy/language (n.p.). Dyslexics have weaknesses in the following areas: memory, processing speed, short-term memory, visual perception, auditory perception, spoken language, and motor skills. Nevertheless, their definition of dyslexia also reiterates that in place of such weaknesses, dyslexics are gifted with creative or oral skills and that the impairment occurs regardless of socioeconomic or linguistic background. In addition, the National Strategy for Improving Adult Literacy and Numeracy Skills point out that dyslexia is the result of poor phonological processing and poor short-term memory. Hence, dyslexics often struggle with following instructions, copying notes from the board, and difficulty in reading (Department for Education and Skills 2004). The Dyslexia Institute (2002) also outlined some of the shortcomings of dyslexic individuals, such as: 1) difficulty in processing real-time information due to poor short-term memory or working memory, 2) problems in the phonological process which make them struggle in associating letters to sounds, and 3) problems in visual processing. A neurobiological dysfunction Many definitions focus on the neurobiological origins of dyslexia (Shaywitz, Morris, and Shaywitz 2003; Nicolson and Fawcett 2005). Dyslexia is seen not as a consequence of impaired vision or poor intelligence, but as a neurological disorder which has caused brains of individuals to interpret and process information in a different manner (National Centre for Learning Disabilities 2007). The National Institute of Health (2008) also viewed dyslexia as a problem with the brains ability to recognise and process symbols which may affect childrens capacity to separate sounds in spoken words or in rhyming skills which are fundamental in the reading process. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS 2010) indicates that dyslexics experience difficulties with writing, phonological processing and rapid visual-verbal responding. It defined dyslexia as a brain-based type of learning disability that specifically impairs a persons ability to read. These individuals typically read at levels significantly lower than expected of them despite having normal intelligence (NINDS 2010, n.p.). While the effects of dyslexia vary, the most common characteristics among dyslexics are said to include phonological processing, spelling, and rapid verbal-visual response. Dyslexia is also heritable and recent studies have pointed to genes which make individuals predisposed to the learning disorder. A phonological deficit Secondary to the biological basis of dyslexia is that it is the consequence of a phonological deficit. The phonological deficit hypothesis originated from Pringle Morgan, considered to be the father of dyslexia (Snowling 2001). According to this hypothesis, reading entails the segmentation of texts into the smallest units of language called graphemes. Graphemes are then converted to phonemes which then become then complete sound of a word. For this to take place, the reader needs to assemble and address the phonology of a word. Dyslexics have difficulty in phonemic representations and phonemic recall due to poor short-term memory and other weaknesses in brain mapping. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA 2008) describes dyslexia a language-based type of learning disorder. Dyslexics experience difficulty in developing fluent single-word decoding skills. Furthermore, Fletcher et al. (2002, as cited in Rice and Brooks 2004) supported the notion that dyslexia indicates a problem with phonological processing. Accordingly, children who suffer from dyslexia are identified when they appear a deficit in the skills of words recognition which is associated with rapid naming and phonological memory. In addition, Snowling (2001) considered the importance of phonological processing as one of the etiology of dyslexia. Therefore, this definition focuses on the issues with word-decoding more than reading comprehension, which are controversial and critical point to distinguish between children who have specific difficulties in reading and those who have more problems and weaknesses in language. Finally, this definition is clear by clarifying that dyslexia includes some difficulties in spelling and other writing skills. Snowling (2001) attributes dyslexia to weaknesses in language that affect the development of reading and spelling with dyslexic people. The phenomenon of weakness in language do not affect the reading directly, but also affect the development of the spoken language, which is the basic foundation for learning to read. Snowling (2009) then defined dyslexia as: A specific form of language impairment that affects the way in which the brain encodes the phonological features of spoken words. The core deficit is in phonological processing and stems from poorly specified phonological representations. Dyslexia specifically affects the development of reading and spelling skills but its effects can be modified through development leading to a variety of behavioural manifestations (pp. 213-214). This definition stresses the importance of focusing on the ability to read text not only accurately, but also rapidly and with the importance of proper expression. The acute shortage in the development of fluent reading is characteristic of dyslexia, which continues into adulthood, even if accuracy evolved. Therefore, the importance of reading fluently must be encouraged dyslexic children who read accurately but not fluently will pass unnoticed. Fletcher et.al. (2002, as cited in Rice and Brooks 2004) agreed that most students with dyslexia frequently encounter problems in reading comprehension because of the difficulties in the accuracy and fluency of word recognition. They may also suffer from these problems even if the skills of the accuracy and fluency were improved because of weaknesses in vocabulary as well as in language abilities. One of the most popular and widely-used definition dates back to 1928 and developed by The World Federation of Neurology: A disorder manifested by difficulty learning to read, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence and sociocultural opportunity. It is dependent upon fundamental cognitive disabilities which are frequently constitutional in origin (as cited in Gustafson and Samuelsson 1999, p. 127). This definition is the basis of what is known as the discrepancy-based view of dyslexia (Fletcher et al. 2007). This definition assumes dyslexia as an unexpected difficulty in reading. By unexpected, dyslexia is taken to occur as a reading disorder in a child or an adult who despite having all the various factors crucial to developing fluent reading (motivation, intelligence, good instruction) still struggles with reading (Shaywitz 1998). More challenging has been the question of how to operationalise the unexpected nature of dyslexia. This has been achieved by allowing a certain amount of discrepancy between a childs level of intelligence (evaluated through an IQ test) and reading ability. Some schools use the absolute discrepancy involving 1 to 1.5 standard deviations across scores while others use the regression-based model of ascertaining the correlation between reading achievement and IQ. The discrepancy-based definition of dyslexia provides the basis for the categorisation of dyslexics with garden-variety poor readers. Genuine dyslexics are those who despite having average intelligence struggle with reading while poor readers are those who struggle with reading because of intellectual weakness and other demographic and sociocultural factors. The phonological deficit is considered as the cognitive basis to dyslexia (Snowling 2001; Vellutino et al. 2004). Nonetheless, this deficit is also viewed as secondary only to other deficits such auditory temporal processing deficits (Tallal 1980) or low-level visual deficit induced by inhibitions in the magnocellular system (Livingstone, Rosen, Drislane, and Galaburda 1991). 1.3 Visual Processing in Dyslexia The most dominant etiological explanation for dyslexia had been that it was phonological deficit and not the result of problems in visual functioning or processing. However, in the 1980s, several researchers undertook systematic studies and found that many dyslexic readers experienced visual deficits. For instance, Getman (1985, as cited in Ramus 2003) attributed problems in visual tracking to oculomotor deficiencies as well as a supposed deficit in the transient visual system. This theory has been discredited by several controlled experiments but the hypothesised effect of the transient visual system gained empirical interest. While proponents of theories attributing dyslexia to visual deficits do not exclude other explanations, the relationship between dyslexia and problems in visual processing has spurred academic interest in the subject. The main theory behind such systematic reports indicates that dyslexia is caused by a deficit in the transient system or the magnocellular system in the visual pathway. The magnocellular-deficit theory explains that two parallel systems lead the visual pathway from the eyes to the visual cortex: the magno- (large) and parvo- (small) cellular systems. The larger system consisting of large cells possesses high conduction velocity as well as sensitivity to rapid movement and stimulus changes. The smaller system is sensitive to fine spatial details and color. Dyslexia occurs among people which have magnocellular systems that have reduced sensitivity (Lovegrove, Garzia, and Nicholson 1990). The magnocellular system indirectly influences the parvocellular system by pressuring the latter in the course of the reading process. As one reads, there occurs a series of fixations followed by saccades or short rapid eye movements. The magnocellular deficit theory proposes that the larger system is stimulated by the saccades and the parvocellular system by the fixations. Dyslexia occurs when there is inhibition in the magnocellular system, consequently suppressing activity in the parvocellular system. While a number of psychologists and writers have accepted the magnocellular deficit theory, there have also been counterproductive results. For instance, in a review of contrast sensitivity studies which support the magnocellular deficit theory, Skottun (2000) found the studies which are consistent with the theory are outnumbered by studies that disprove it. An explanation behind the conflicting results is the lack of definite parameters to diagnose dyslexia. One author has alleged that the confirmability of the magnocellular deficit theory is confined to only one subtype of dyslexics (Borsting et al. 1996, as cited in Skottun 2000). 1.4 Auditory Processing in Dyslexia Another alternative explanation to dyslexia does not discount the deficit as phonological in nature but sees it more as one that stems from an auditory deficit in temporal processing. This theory is based on Tallal (1980) who proposed that children who are poor readers have difficulty processing brief or rapidly changing acoustic events whether used in speech or not. Hence, children find it difficult to judge the temporal order of nonspeech tones presented but stop-consonant-vowel syllables as well. This deficit interferes with their overall speech perception which is crucial to normal development of language, in turn, a fundamental requirement in reading. Tallal and colleagues arrived at this hypothesis after studying children with language impairments. When presented with high and low tones at long (400ms) and short (50 ms) interstimulus intervals (ISIs), the children were found unable to make temporal order judgments (TOJ). Tallal (1980) found that compared to normal readers, dyslexics performed poorly when presented long ISIs. From this observation, Tallal made an inference that dyslexics have a non-linguistic deficit in temporal resolution of rapidly changing auditory stimuli which impairs speech perception. Tallal also inferred that this deficit underlies the phonological problem. Studies which replicated Tallals work had mixed findings. Reed (1989, as cited in Ramus 2003) found that when using stop consonants and tones, dyslexics performed poorly compared to normals in making TOJs but performed equally with normals when presented with steady state vowels. Other studies lent support and contradiction to Tallals hypothesis. For instance, Mody, Studdert-Kennedy, and Brady (1997) concluded that dyslexics suffered from speech discrimination deficits rather than TOJs. In sum, evidence suggesting a direct link of temporal processing deficit to dyslexia has not been established. The auditory disorders that are observed in individuals with dyslexia are not particularly rapid or temporal in nature. These disorders are restricted to a subset of the dyslexic population, and have little influence on the development of phonology and reading. It therefore seems that the phonological deficit that is characteristic of dyslexia can arise in the absence of any auditory disorder, with the most severe auditory impairments nevertheless acting as aggravating factors (Ramus 2003). 2. Does dyslexia exist? There is also some debate on whether it is meaningful to speak of dyslexia as a distinct disorder in relation to other individuals classified as poor readers. If it can be proven that there is no significant difference among individuals diagnosed with dyslexia and your average or garden-variety poor reader, then it would make sense to question whether to study dyslexia at all. 2.1 Difference between dyslexics and garden-variety poor readers Gough and Tumner (1986, as cited in Siegel 1992) introduced the concept of the garden-variety poor readers in order to separate dyslexics from poor readers found to be poor in language, listening, verbal knowledge, decoding skills or pronunciation language. The authors differentiated dyslexics from the poor readers by diagnosing them as low in decoding skills but not long in listening. Behind this differentiation is the definition of reading disability based on an aptitude-achievement discrepancy (Stanovich 1991). There were children who were observed to be poor readers but perform well in other skills. On the other hand, there were poor readers who perform poorly in intellectual skills. This discrepancy criterion made the key assumption that: poor readers with a high aptitude (based on IQ test scores) were neurologically and cognitively different from poor readers with a low IQ. Hence, clinically, the term dyslexic came to mean only children with significant discrepancy in reading ability and intelligence. The discrepancy criterion is the basis of legal statutes governing special education practice in the U.S. and elsewhere. Academically, research definitions of dyslexia use this criterion widely. Dyslexia is officially diagnosed using the discrepancy criterion in the ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders (World Health Organisation 1993), and to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV [DSM-IV]. Before a child or adult is diagnosed as dyslexic, his or her reading achievement must be considerably lower than what is expected of him or her by age and IQ score. Valtin (2010) concludes that using this criterion, dyslexia is then defined as a medical, eetiological concept of specific reading impairment in children of normal intelligence, due to genetic or neuropsychological deficits'(p. 3) while normal reading disability occurs in children tested as having subnormal intelligence. The operationalisation of the discrepancy concept has been critiqued as a reification of something that has not been substantiated empirically (Stanovich 1994). The basic assumption is that a child or adults intellectual capacity is the norm for determining reading underachievement. Hence, the degree of discrepancy of reading ability from IQ was judged as meaningful, in the almost total absence of empirical evidence (Stanovich 1994, p. 581). Children with reading disabilities were categorised as RD-D or reading-disabled with IQ discrepancy (dyslexics) and RD-N (reading-disabled without IQ discrepancy (poor readers). Supporters of the discrepancy criterion argue that differentiation among poor readers assists in determining which learning interventions suit groups of reading-disabled children. Because dyslexics suffer from reading disorders without showing measurable signs of intellectual weakness, their needs are different from those who read poorly because of low IQ, socioeconomic disadvantage, health problems, and others. There are many however who question its usefulness in diagnosis because dyslexics and garden-variety poor readers experience the same weaknesses in spelling and reading (Valtin 2010). Moreover, the task of differentiating children with reading disorders into dyslexics and garden-variety poor readers is a largely arbitrary one (Rice and Brooks 2004) because it may be diagnosed under one method but not in another. Because there is no clear-cut definition of dyslexia, it has been considered a construct to refer to descriptive characteristics and not due to any cognitive dysfunct ions (Rice and Brooks 2004). 2.2 Diagnosing differences between dyslexics and garden-variety poor readers It is also relevant to review existing literature and empirical data to conclude that it is scientifically possible to distinguish which children are dyslexics and which are garden-variety poor readers. While some findings have pointed to noticeable differences between dyslexics and poor readers, they are mixed and cannot be considered unequivocal evidence to suggest differences in both groups. Rice and Brooks (2004) listed several studies that suggested moderate differences in the performance of dyslexic and poor readers on a few reading-related tests but these differences are overrun with similarities in performance of the same groups in tests measuring reading-related characteristics such as reversal errors in alphabet, digital sequencing errors, spelling of sight vocabulary, phonemic segmentation, and pseudoword reading. Moreover, studies (Fawcett et al 2001, Jorm et al 1986, as cited in Rice and Brooks 2004) have also found that garden-variety readers had lower scores than dyslexics in the areas of rhyme task, memory span, segmentation, and pseudoword repetition. Badian (1994) conducted an experimental study to secure support for the treatment of dyslexia as a separate entity by proving that dyslexics and garden-variety poor readers differ significantly in cognitive skills which are reading-related. Using 110 children subjects grouped into three dyslexic, garden-variety poor readers, and good readers, Badian (1994) found that it is empirically sound to differentiate dyslexics from garden-variety poor readers. While nonword reading and phonological awareness among dyslexic and garden-variety poor readers were both low in comparison to good readers, the study found that dyslexics had unique weaknesses in phonological coding of graphic stimuli and automatic visual recognition, consistent to Stanovichs phonological-core variable-difference model of dyslexia. Aaron (1989) also found differences between dyslexics and non-dyslexic poor readers in an experimental study on reading comprehension but not on word reading. Using two groups of primary-level poor readers, one group diagnosed as dyslexics (normal IQ scores) and the other as NSRD (nonspecific reading-disabled) or those having below normal IQ scores. The dyslexics were inferior than other two groups in terms of spelling and decoding, were more context-dependent when it came to word recognition, and did the worst on inferential comprehension. Ellis, McDougall, and Monk (1996) had somewhat contradicting results with Aaron (1989). Using four groups dyslexics (mean IQ 118), normal readers (mean IQ 107), and garden-variety poor readers (mean IQ 80), and precocious readers (mean IQ 126) the study measured reading accuracy as a measure of reading ability. They concluded that dyslexics and garden-variety poor readers had insignificant differences in decoding skills, consistent with Siegels (1992) claim and Stanovichs (1994) assertion. Moreover, unlike Aarons (1989) earlier finding, the poor readers obtained lower scores on comprehension of text and listening comprehension compared to dyslexics. The lack of scientific rigour in some of the psychometric tests and research on differentiation has also been criticised. Two control groups are required to undergo such experiments. Controlling for confounding variables in the tests is also difficult. Researchers need to take note of demographic and psychometric measures to establish validity of the findings (Chiappe et al. 2001, as cited in Rice and Brooks 2004). While Aaron (1989) and Badian (1994) gathering encouraging results that support differentiation, they also accepted several methodological issues with their experiments. First, the definitions were not uniformly used. There were considerable age differences in the sample of normal readers and garden-variety poor readers as well as the type of experimental design used. 2.3 Relationship of intelligence and dyslexia The discrepancy-based criterion in diagnosing dyslexics is largely because of a few prominent and highly gifted dyslexics known in history. Hence, dyslexia has come to be known as a disorder afflicting individuals who are otherwise intelligent but have difficulty reading. However, as Siegel (1992) explains, there is absolutely no scientific data suggesting that only intelligent people have dyslexia or that people considered of low intelligence cannot suffer from dyslexia. The reason why level of intelligence is used to isolate individuals having reading programs is that the IQ score is the best measure of someones intellectual capacity. Hence, people with a high IQ can be said to have greater intellectual capacity than those who have lower IQ. In the context of the reading-disabled, a dyslexic is someone who cannot perform up to their maximum potential because of neurobiological or genetic factors. Intelligence scores also