Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Dr. Kings Letter From Birmingham Jail essays

Dr. Lord's Letter From Birmingham Jail articles Peacefulness can contact men where the law can't contact them. These words, as spoken by the late social equality pioneer Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Step Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, 1958) turned into the key principle of his life. The idea driving the words would characterize his work, yet the historical backdrop of a whole age of American individuals in the twentieth century. Yet, his words would have demonstrated empty were it not for the moves that he made to help them. In the event that his words were the spike that pierced the core of isolation, the peaceful exhibits that went with them were the mallet that was struck against that spike. They were an intense blend that couldnt be overlooked or quieted through the difficult endeavors of segregationists of the time. Dr. Lords words educated his activities, and the other way around. No place in his extraordinary history is that more clear than in the apparently close to home letter he composed from a prison cell in Alaba ma; the Letter from Birmingham Jail. A key case of this in Letter from Birmingham Jail is found in a segment in which Dr. Lord says, I have reliably lectured that peacefulness requests that the methods we utilize must be as unadulterated as the finishes we look for. (Passage 43). At this specific purpose of Kings letter, there are different fundamental implications and understandings that might be gathered, however they all strike a similar harmony. While the familiar maxim expresses that the closures legitimizes the methods, peacefulness and especially its utilization during the Civil Rights Movement, directs that the methods ought to legitimize the finishes. The words, and the implications inside them, are held as a belief system; a statement of purpose for the whole Civil Rights Movement and the ethical standard of the individual people. To be progressively explicit about what this implies, Dr. Lords confirmation of peacefulness addressed the reason and battle against legitimate and social treachery, gave a distinct cont... <!

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Biotechnology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biotechnology - Essay Example (Paine, et. al., 2005). Another model is the BT corn, which hereditarily adjusts corn harvests to shield it from ruthless bugs, for example, caterpillars. Much contention has encircled biotechnology and biotechnology crops from the beginning. There are numerous pundits contend that it exacerbates the parcel of ranchers instead of improve it since it makes an example of corporate reliance. Taking the BT-corn model, after some time, vermin would build up a resistance to changed strain in the corn yield and ranchers will have no real option except to buy new pesticides from the organizations at costs that will abuse their absence of decisions. Natural supporters, then again, caution of the perils of biotechnology on biodiversity and other living things. For instance, tree huggers declare that the corn that is fending bugs off is additionally executing the Monarch butterfly. As indicated by Kloppenburg and Burrows (2001), â€Å"given the expanding commodification of science and innovati on and the truth of where buying power lies, it is gullible to expect another apparatus, for example, biotechnology ever to fall outside corporate control.† 2. a. ... Since it is absurd to expect to direct research on human bodies, utilizing creatures in lab tests is legitimized as a solid method of learning the dangers to human wellbeing and to nature. Notwithstanding, inquire about including creatures must be done in a mindful way in order to maintain a strategic distance from any pointless brutality upon the creatures and to guarantee that the research facility tests are finished with the least conceivable harm to them or to other life frameworks. b. The portion reaction bend alludes to a x-y diagram intended to quantify the consequences for a living thing or life forms because of introduction to stressors or synthetic substances, tried over a given timeframe and in differing dosages. The goal is to decide if a specific substance is valuable, and the levels or portions that it is useful, just as the dosages at which it is as of now unsafe. The portion reaction bend is regularly used to help in the creating of natural or wellbeing guidelines. c. LD50 is the portion required to kill half of an example populace inside a given time period. It is additionally called the middle deadly portion. A low LD50 is perilous in light of the fact that it implies that lone little dosages are required to kill half of the example. On the other hand a high LD50 is expectedly esteemed to be more secure. The issue anyway with this standard is that it just estimates passing and not other poisonous impacts that don't vital lead to death. 3. I concur that the prudent rule is a significant natural standard, and one that ought to be beat showcase contemplations and facilitated commerce summons. Researchers like Adler restrict the preparatory guideline, as his concern with it was that it was not receptive to the dangers of biodiversity

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Goldwater, Barry Morris

Goldwater, Barry Morris Goldwater, Barry Morris, 1909â€"98, U.S. senator (1953â€"65, 1969â€"87), b. Phoenix, Ariz. He studied at the Univ. of Arizona, but left in 1929 to enter his family's department-store business. After noncombat service in World War II, he won election to the Phoenix city council. In the U.S. Senate, Goldwater advocated state right-to-work laws, a reduction of public ownership of utilities, and decreases in welfare and foreign aid appropriations. He attacked subversive activities and opposed the senatorial censure of Joseph R. McCarthy . Goldwater became the acknowledged leader of the extreme conservative wing of the Republican party. In 1964, as the Republican presidential nominee, he was decisively defeated by President Lyndon B. Johnson . Nonetheless, many believe that Goldwater initiated a conservative revolution in Republican politics and American public opinion that ultimately led to the election (1980) of President Ronald Reagan . Goldwater was again elected to the Senate in 1968, 1974, and 1980. In his later years, Goldwater, basically libertarian, often clashed with cultural conservatives. He wrote The Conscience of a Conservative (1960), Why Not Victory? (1962), The Conscience of a Majority (1970), and Goldwater (1988) with Jack Casserly. His son Barry Morris Goldwater, Jr., 1938â€", b. Los Angeles, was a U.S. congressman from California (1968â€"83). See biographies by L. Edwards (1995) and R. A. Goldberg (1995); studies by K. Hess (1967), J. H. Kessel (1968), and R. Perlstein (2001). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Prostitution of Minors - 1435 Words

Prostitution of minors occurs all around the world. We do not notice because it may not concern us, and it is difficult to act when something does not affect us in any way. It affects you if you have children or nieces who are under age right now selling themselves to help out their families who are in need of money. What would you do right then to help them get out of that situation? Thats whats going on in Europe right now when you visit, is the same thing that is happening in Mexico. There are many young girls selling themselves because they have to work to support their family. I had a personal experience with this issue when I took a trip down to Mexico with my cousins once. It was around 1:00 a.m, and we were heading back to the borderline to cross back into the U.S. On our way there I saw an empty building that was full of women and children standing outside. I told my cousin to stop, and I got out of the car to ask a girl who looked to be around 9 or 10 years old, what she was doing there I will never forget her words, I came here to work to help out with money because right now Im the only one who can. I told my cousin to help the girl with some money she could go home for the day, so that she did not have to do this at least for a day. Those words of hers have stuck with me to this day. Seeing these children out there that have to resort to these acts to support their family seems unfair because they are not the parents. The parents should be theShow MoreRelatedDomestic Minor Sex Trafficking : Prostitution Or Exploitation?1518 Words   |  7 PagesDomestic Minor Sex Trafficking: Prostitution or Exploitation? Although the history of child sex trafficking in developing nations has been widely documented, recently research has revealed that minor sex trafficking (also known as child prostitution) is a growing problem within U.S. borders as well. â€Å"Child prostitution is the sexual exploitation of a minor for profit, which can include money, drugs, or other items of value† (Center for Arizona Policy, 2014). The sexual exploitation of minors is aRead MoreProposition 35-Californians Against Sexual Exploitation ( CASE Act )1057 Words   |  5 Pagessafeguarded sexually exploited minors as victims of human traffickers, and not delinquents. The initial court ruling did not abide by the CASE Act and instead tried the minor under the juvenile court with two counts of prostitution. The Court of Appeals found that the court’s decision was misguided because it contradicted the CASE Act’s efforts to defend sexually exploited minors. As discussed above, the CASE Act was unclear in defining who constituted CSEC and how minors were tried in the courts. InRead MoreProstitution Is Legal For Human Trafficking1010 Words   |  5 Pagesnumber is increasing. Prostitution is legal but human trafficking is not. How can we make prostitution legal and then not expect is to lead to more human trafficking around the world. Prostitution is the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment. Usually when you think about prostitution you think about out of the United States. But, now in the United States 1 out of 50 states have prostitution legal. Nevada is the only state where prostitution is legal. But it isRead MoreThe Worlds Oldest Profession1574 Words   |  7 Pagesstates â€Å"Prostitution is the world s oldest profession†. Some find this statement true but there are many advocates groups who are fighting to end this profession. In this paper we will explore the history, the business side, the players who are involve in the world of prostitution and how it is related to sex trafficking. Also the different factors that are involve and how the government trying defeat this epidemic. Pipeline to prostitution Bring awareness, provide the true facts of prostitution, theRead MoreProstitution in America1528 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction In the United States prostitution for the most part is illegal. Around the world though is practically the opposite. Why is prostitution so unacceptable in the US? The US is one of the few countries in the world where prostitution is illegal. When I say for the most part I mean that in some counties in Nevada prostitution is legal. Downfalls of Legal Prostitution Prostitution is legal (with some restrictions) in Canada, most all of Europe including England, France, WalesRead MoreProstitution : The Oldest Profession On Earth1107 Words   |  5 PagesProstitution Prostitution is considered as the oldest profession on Earth. Sexual service in return for payment is called the prostitution. Prostitution is a big issue effecting women, men, and children all over the world. This is a world-wide controversy and it is something that people are not comfortable talking about. The question is whether people who are involved in the sex industry are willingly or are forced to do it. Our society has different points of view on this issue. Some people agreeRead MoreShould Prostitution Be Legal?1236 Words   |  5 Pagesmajority of people believe prostitution should stay illegal, claiming that the legalization of prostitution will only make the chances of getting an STD even higher, an increase in rape rates, and will also add to the growth of human trafficking. Although this could be the case, there have been many studies that tell a different story. Currently, Nevada has allowed prostitution in 11 of its counties with much success. There can be many ben efits from the legalization of prostitution in the states. LegalizingRead MoreThe Sexual Exploitation Of Youth1500 Words   |  6 Pagescentres on concerns of privacy rights involving private use, child pornography, as well as regarding the establishments of exploitation and consent. Barabash involved two fourteen year old girls who were runaways, dependant on drugs and involved in prostitution. According to Statistics Canada (2008) at the time of this case, youth aged 12 to 14 were twice as likely to experience sexual violence then that of young adults, this statistic was even higher if the victim is female (Sexual Assault, para. 4)Read MoreProstitution : The Oldest Profession On Earth1352 Words   |  6 PagesProstitution is considered as the oldest profession on Earth. Sexual service in return for payment is called prostitution. Prostitution is a big issue effecting women, men, and children all over the world. This is a world-wide controversy and it is something that people are not comfortable talking about. The question is whether people who are involved in the sex industry are willing or are forced to do it. Our society has different points of view on this issue. Some people agree and want to legalizeRead MoreShould Prostitution Be Legalized? Canada?1379 Words   |  6 Pagessexual intercourse. Over time, the subject of prostitution has surfaced in spiritual and social discussion, and more recently into legal and moral discourses with an emphasis on the rights of sex workers. Since the recent phenomenon of advanced women’s rights through rigorous activist groups in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, propelling the advancement of women’s rights movements began to immerge in the first world. At its core, prostitution is not an individual issue, but rather, a societal

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities Free Essay Example, 2500 words

It is evidently clear from the discussion some adults who anyhow managed to pass out their school often come across difficulty in coping with the basic literacy agility and dexterity, they are slow in processing the information, understanding the facts and also find difficulty in reciprocating the facts. Attention intricacies are often faced by such individuals, chronic absentmindedness, poor memory retention, and complexity are also observed in their organizational skills as well as management of things. According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that there are various misnomers persisting in the society about the learning disabilities encompassing- individuals with learning disabilities are have low intelligence and they can never learn appropriately. However, according to Gerber most of the students with learning disabilities possess average to above average intelligence. According to Brody Mills, most of the individuals belonging to the category of learning disability are actually gifted. Timely guidance, supervision and with patience and hard work these individuals are able to cope well to overcome their learning disabilities and can be successful individuals in future. In certain cases, individuals with learning disabilities are marked as the individuals who are lazy and out of their laziness they tend to cut excuse that they are negligent, careless and apathetic or unenthusiastic. We will write a custom essay sample on Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Gradually, with the research being carried out and studies performed it is now established that learning disabilities are the resultant of neurological mutilations and it is not related with the characteristic attributes of the individual. The present research has identified that an individual has no control over such an attitude and therefore by nature, such individuals are not lazy or unenthusiastic but because of their neurological condition they tend to display such characteristics

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Social Developmental Value of Theater Arts Free Essays

string(132) " dramatic effect of a soap opera in Britain could have the same effect anywhere with any culturally differing social circumstances\." Applied Theatre is an umbrella term used to describe theatre and drama based practices with the aim of social development. The topics can range from targets of community building, protest, cultural awareness and sensitivities, harm reduction, religion, health, socio-economic representation, and educational purposes. Within Applied Theatre, there are no set traditional theatrical methods but a preference towards innovative and interactive methods where actors often have the freedom to engage with the audience and where audiences shape the philosophy as well as the content of the piece. We will write a custom essay sample on The Social Developmental Value of Theater Arts or any similar topic only for you Order Now As once said by Augusto Boal, a famous Applied Theatre practitioner who spearheaded a creative arts movement called â€Å"Theatre of the Oppressed;’’ â€Å"Theatre is a form of knowledge; it should and can also be a means of transforming society. Theatre can help us build our futures, rather than just waiting for it’’ This philosophy is a statement of artistic humanitarianism where creative and performance arts reach the height of their power to create and inspire, as performance is combined with everyday people and represents individuals and their society rather than fulfilling a goal of entertaining, thrilling, and profit making. This is using theatre as an investment in the social economy. To look more in-depth at the educational value and social significance of Applied Theatre, major concepts of the field could be examined through three diverse applications. These applications will include culture, harm reduction, and protest. Culture From primitive story telling, to Shakespearean cultural-political representations of Elizabethan society; the performing arts has historically always been a part of most cultures. Nowadays where cultures are highly mosaic in nature and where we find ourselves in the midst of fusing and evolving identities, and an influence of masses of media and technology; the need for cultural identity is more crucial than ever. This is greatly apparent in the North American indigenous population that throughout history has suffered copious amounts of underrepresentation, abuse, and annihilation. Rooted in the 16th century European explorations, the Native eople of North America have always undergone ill treatment. The historical European desire to colonize and assimilate foreigners was carried out up until the end of the 20th century where indigenous peoples’ children were sent to concentration camp-style schools run primarily by the catholic church under rigid government policies concerning Natives which was referred to as â€Å"Indians affairs. ’’ The children were stripped of their language, culture, religion, and traditions and forced to behave in a foreign way. This caused domino effects amounting to Canada and America’s current situation where Native people continue to suffer from social disorders, and be at a high risk for alcoholism, drug-use, prostitution, poverty, and subjection to adoption and fostercare as well as a lack of community resources. In recent years, great efforts have been put in place to restore Native culture that was once outlawed. Traditionally their history was an oral tradition recorded through story telling. This was seen as a unique opportunity to apply theatre arts to a suffering population in hopes of gaining cultural identity and applied to the greater North American population to raise awareness and understanding towards Native people. In the Eastern Canadian province of Ontario in the small town of Manitowaning there is a theatre group called the De-ba-jeh-mu-jig. This name comes from the indigenous languages of Cree and Ojibway meaning â€Å"Story Tellers. The company is non-profit and community based and currently produces a number of performances including children’s performances and interactive theatre using their own unique creation/writing process and methodology with the purpose of representing and showcasing the local indigenous culture and engaging in home-grown solutions to their own challenges for cultural and social development. They’ve done numerous productions and tours of shows with unique titles such as â€Å"The Indian Affairs’’ and â €Å"New World Brave,† whose titles themselves exemplify the content of their aim. The productions often encompass the stories of their traditions, religion/spirituality, history, language, and survival and are often intertwined with modern day cultural challenges. The company has also done improvisation projects with topics such as careers and fetal alcohol syndrome as well as other outreach programs to foster artistic engagement in the community. The works of this company sum up the power of theatre arts in a culturally applied sense and continue to educate, inspire, and engage a generation as well as harmonize and restore a once lost people and their culture into modern society. Harm Reduction Harm reduction is a term, which refers to policy put in place to cut down the practice of human-behavioural activity that may produce harmful effects. This includes a range of topics including illegal, and risky/dangerous practices. For example, harm reduction public policy could be attributed to things such as Drugs including illegal substances, needles, alcohol related issues, Tobacco, and drug crime, as well as Sex including topics such as safe sex, STI’s, HIV, AIDS, prostitution, as well as more psychological and less intensive topics like mental health, self-harm, and bullying. By analyzing the works of Sponsored Arts For Education, known as S. A. F. E. , a Kenyan non-governmental organization with the mandate of delivering social change by addressing controversial topics. They primarily focus on social aspects, treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS and safe sex and family planning, but also include topics such as peace, female circumsicion, and female rights/empowerment, water and health, prisoner outreach, environmental issues, Drug use, and LGBT topics. All of these outreach topics are delivered through creative mobile theatre performances targeting rural areas of Kenya where social stigma, the lack info technology and education are hindering people’s health and safety and contributing to the expanse of the aforementioned issues. S. A. F. E. , started by British actor Nick Reding, is a proactive charity whose philosophy states it’s belief that dance, music and theatre break down barriers and draw people in thus creating social change. In 2012 Coronation Street writer Damon Rochefort collaborated with S. A. F. E. with a vision that the dramatic effect of a soap opera in Britain could have the same effect anywhere with any culturally differing social circumstances. You read "The Social Developmental Value of Theater Arts" in category "Papers" Soap operas play on issues and emotions that reflect real people’s lives in the cultural sense of the viewers, and they perform long running dramatized renditions that offer a real insight into each characters’ lives. Thus, they are drawing the viewers into long time subscription and allowing them to experience a sense of escape. During the collaboration, the cast of Coronation Street visited Kenya to create a unique soap style piece of drama that plays on life changing messages in the sense of local cultural and the issues and struggles that face their society. The team visited Bangala, a slum of 20 000 people, one of the nation of 1. 5 million HIV positive people’s hardest hit areas. Most people don’t know how to prevent the spreading of the disease and usually don’t know their own status. There is a huge social stigma about HIV and families known to be positive are demonized and alienated. Infected mothers pass the virus to their children because there is a lack of knowledge about drugs for pregnant women that block the passing, and the children face barriers to education and freedom because they too are infected. The virus continues to be spread because of stigma, ignorance, and unavailability of condoms. The cast of Coronation street had to use these issues to train Kenyan actors and collaborate to put on a rehearsed non scripted (improvised) production. The finished product was a story about two local families who have to come to terms with a series of events consisting of whatever life threw at them (in a local context) including relationships, rape, child prostitution, family planning, female courage, health, and violence. They portrayed positive ways of dealing with and preventing these things and used comedic effect to break stigma and engage the audience and set them at ease. The production was done with the use of a mobile theatre that consists of a large vehicle, which has been fitted to store a stage, which retracts out of the side of the vehicle forming a large raised platform, and fitted with speakers. This is a very pure and original form of theatre, which is intimate and innovative. A perfect fit for the unique and original concept of applied theatre. Analyzing the creation a such performance, it is apparent that copious attention to detail is necessary to create the right effect. Dealing with such serious opics it is important to know how to combine the right amount of comedy with the right amount of seriousness. In utilizing this form of theatre correctly it is possible to realize the full potential of the arts and reduce harm to the masses. After the Coronation Street/S. M. A. R. T. show, counseling services and resources were available such as a condom tent and family planning tutorials. After a one year tour of one S. M. A. R. T. applied theat re tour in Kenya, an audience of 80 000 people would have viewed the show and 18 000 would have learned their HIV status as a result. Protest The early formations of applied theatre are apparent through the theatrical practices of classical drama and the politically motivated arts movements of 18 and 19th century Europe. Most notably, the French Revolution had a largely politically fuelled theatre scene. During France’s period of the ‘’Ancien Regime’’ where France was under monarchial rule, theatre was highly regulated by the monarchy and only three approved theatres existed in France. These displayed works that were highly censored and apolitical. After the fall of the monarchy, there was more freedom, which allowed for more theatres to be put up and a more vivid dramatic arts scene emerged, but continued to be censored. In 1791 a law was passed called the Chapelier Law which gave theatres the right to operate free from governmental oversight. Immediately following this the number of theatres boomed and theatre began to be seen as an arena of new French ideology and a pillar in the community. This period, known as the Enlightenment, fifty three new theatres opened and were constructed with vast audience space whilst new plays were constantly being written. There was an area of the theatre known as the ‘Parterre’ where were the working class would react and interact with their emotions towards what was being portrayed on stage quickly became a melting pot of political ideology and national identity and emotion. During the Enlightenment, plays were so politically fueled that French newspapers would criticize plays which lacked political representation saying that they were anti-revolutionary and a distraction from the pressing issues of society. For example, a famous and elaborate dramatic opera by Paisielo performed in Paris and was condemned, publicly petitioned against and reported to the National Assembly because of the general opinion of it being sensuous blasphemy with no significance or respect towards political fuel, national identity or democratic flow of interest. In fact, the importance of political theatre was so grave that the law even stated that any theatre that ‘’performs works attempting to undermine public spirit and to revive the shameful superstition of royalty will be closed, and the directors will e arrested and punished to the full extent of the law. ’’ This type of theatre was labeled as ‘Pieces de circonstance’ or more literally translated, Pieces representing the circumstances. Plays such as ‘’The Fall of Toulon’’ by benoit Picard used a story line based on true events and speeches by notable French figures such as Robespierre, whils t incorporating fuel for national pride, the national anthem, and a portrayal of overcoming struggle, freedom of expression, and comedy to make a mockery of the plight once faced in regards to the old monarchial system. These innovative pieces gave the ever so changing nation pride, courage, and esteem to address issues facing the build of their new society, as well as a safe place to discuss political feelings and national identity. The role played by the more scripted and political classical French drama from the Enlightenment period of the French Revolution, was pivotal in producing direct effects upon society and can be used as inspiration for modern theatre applied to modern day struggles. Now with an added creativity and freedom, with aspects such as improvisation, and deliberate engagement with the audience, the ower to be mobile, and more insight to the diversity of issues that perturb the human race, theatre can be used as a perfect tool for engaging a society in forms of protest and movements in a peaceful and democratic manner. These early works gave way for modern practitioners to fulfill their own philosophies using theater as a catalyst in an ongoing protest for change. Augosto Boal, a Brazilian applied theatre pioneer spent a lifetime producing social change via dramatic arts. In his early life he felt the need for the underclass of his nation to up rise through peaceful means. He recognized the social iniquities and racial divide facing them. He felt that his own social class, race, and social status impeded the progression of a generation of people subjected to life in the slums of his city. His philosophy was that change came from within the target group rather than an imposition of change upon them. His slogan was a quote from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet stating that ‘’theatre is like a mirror that reflects our virtues and defects equally. ’’ Boal went on to start the Centre for Theatre of the Oppressed. This organization had as an objective the study, discussion, and expression of social issues. They used this to protest and up-rise against diverse issues such as citizenship, culture, and oppressive policy all by means of theatricality. The works of Boal through the Centre for Theatre of the Oppressed even gained a feat of having a law passed protecting crime victims and witnesses in Brazil, a valuable asset in the society of the oppressed people represented by the organization. Boal wrote many books including Theatre for the Oppressed, Games for Actors and Non Actors, The Rainbow of Desire: The Bo al Method of Theatre and Therapy, and Legislative Theatre. In Games for Actors and Non Actors, Boal outlined a nearly every dramatic exercised he applied during his career. From this stemmed new kinds of innovative theatre such as the following: Newspaper Theatre is a technical system allowing an audience to make use of local news articles and other non-dramatic pieces of literatre, and apply them into becoming a theatrical scene. Legislative theatre is a form that provides an opportunity for local voters to voice and protest their opinions in dialogue with government and institution using theatrical methods. The formulation of a piece is created based on proposed laws and policies. The audience may join in as actors and express their views thus impacting the creation of the local policy. Forum Theatre is a highly interactive form of theatre where audience members could call upon a piece to pause, where mistreatment or oppression was evident in the storyline or amongst character interactions. Audience members would formulate solutions for a rational and preferred means of addressing and dealing with the subject. The audience shaped the course of which the piece would take. Invisible Theatre is the pursuit of an ambiguous performance in a location unsuspecting of a performance such as in a public setting. This tricked spectators into thinking that a real event was taking place but the theme would always address social issues. It is a means of getting a message across to an audience who may not normally be open to view a such performance. It also allowed for public interaction into the piece. Boal’s work went on to creating a practice called Drama Therapy based on the aforementioned principles. It is apparent that by drawing upon classical methods and applying dramatic aims into aims of social development; that theatre can be used as a catalyst for change in modern society. Innovation in theatrical forms are endless, and as long as creativity is used with enough insight into social needs, a powerful fusion is developed. Whether the goal is to educate to reduce harm in a developing country and within vulnerable communities, or to build a sense of community and culture, to gain political interest, or to revolutionize a nation, the power of the dramatic arts is an unparalleled tool where possibilities are endless. Task List 1) The topic for my research is the social developmental aspect of theatre. The aim is to look at the diversity in which theatre can be used as an applied tool. The research will analyse Applied Theatre methods, history, and applications. My reasoning for choosing this topic was because of a personal career specific interest. The only limitation was my inability to find live performances to gain a first hand experience as there were none in my area. I was also limited to choosing only a few possible applications of applied theatre as the lists are endless as it is a creative process rather than a set method. 2) My sources of info are listed in detail in the bibliography. I used books and Internet. Primary sources are sources of information that offer first hand knowledge of the subject. They are created during the time and within the direct context/environment of the subject. Secondary sources are continuations of primary sources, they are analysis, continuation, and interpretation of subjects, and events out of direct context/period. 3) I chose to use books mainly and internet to look more in depth at concepts discovered in my readings. I will acquire my books from the Central Vancouver Public Library where there is the largest collection of books in Canada as well as a wealth of resources. (I used the system to earch keywords such as: social change, applied theatre, theatre for change, political theatre, social drama, sociological drama, democratic drama, drama for change, theatre in the third world, humanitarian theatre. ) When using Internet I will verify sources prior to relying on their information. I will check the credibility of the authors and publicists. 4) Choose topic on the day asked by the instructor, find practical examples to broaden my perspective, select sources, gather notes and source details in a clear and concise method including brain tools such as mind maps and connections logs, analyse notes including primary and econdary information, choose a format for the final piece including the desired form of presentation, compose piece based on chosen format and information, proof read, edit, submit/present. 5) Do the research and write up project 6) Present project 7) Evaluation of Aims and Methods – Drawing on personal interests, my aims of showing the breadth of applications of theatre, its educational value, and its ability to impact society by bringing about social change, became very easy. I feel that the sources of my information applied directly to my aims and that breaking down my aim into three subcategories of culture, protest, and harm reduction- made for a more concise way of getting my point across. These three subcategories embodied the initial aim and each showed the educational value of theatre for that specific application. This happened through using practical examples, historical events, and practitioner profiling. My time table was effective as everything came together easily and on time. My time table was more of a checklist instead of a dated series of events. My sources were very clear and understandable, as well as verified for credibility. Looking at websites, I always checked the name of the author and searched them on google, as well as the date of their publication to get the most up to date examples. Also when looking at the study of Applied Theatre I found that referring to university prospectuses aided myself in personally understanding its researchable value. How to cite The Social Developmental Value of Theater Arts, Papers

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Statistical Notes for Clinical Researchers

Question: Discuss about the Statistical Notes for Clinical Researchers. Answer: Introduction: The annual rainfall and climate of the country Singapore has been analyzed in this report. The country Singapore is located in tropical rainforest region. The country is surrounded by sea on all its sides. The region experiences maritime climate all over the year. There are no distinct seasons. The country also experiences moderate temperature and huge amount of rainfall all over the year. The average temperature of the country is about 88 degree Farenheight. The country is located to the south of the Equator. December and January are the coldest month while the April and May are the hottest month (Xavier et al. 2014). In this report, the climate of the country Singapore is being studied. The temperature, humidity, rainfall of the country is being analyzed using various statistical techniques. The report will help to get an idea about the overall climate of the country. The calculations, charts and analysis for this report has been done using excel software. The main research question considered for this report is: Is there any relationship between the temperature and humidity? Is there any relationship between the sulphur di oxide and nitrogen di oxide content and air temperature? Is there any relationship between the rainfall and bright sunshine? Data Analysis, results and discussion: The descriptive statistics measures helps to get an idea about the dataset. The summary statistics measures include the measures of central tendency, dispersion, histogram and other graphs and charts. The summary statistics measures have been calculated for the variables amount of rainfall, sunshine, average temperature and others. Temperature(Max) Sunshine Relative humidity Total rainfall Sulpher di oxide content Nitrogen di oxide content Mean 31.42857 Mean 5.614286 Mean 82.42857 Mean 2184.571 Mean 11.42857 Mean 23.71429 Standard Error 0.114879 Standard Error 0.105624 Standard Error 0.739921 Standard Error 150.606 Standard Error 0.649437 Standard Error 0.521641 Median 31.3 Median 5.6 Median 82.9 Median 2159.9 Median 11 Median 24 Mode 31.2 Mode #N/A Mode #N/A Mode #N/A Mode 11 Mode 25 Standard Deviation 0.303942 Standard Deviation 0.279455 Standard Deviation 1.957647 Standard Deviation 398.4661 Standard Deviation 1.718249 Standard Deviation 1.380131 Sample Variance 0.092381 Sample Variance 0.078095 Sample Variance 3.832381 Sample Variance 158775.2 Sample Variance 2.952381 Sample Variance 1.904762 Kurtosis -1.40432 Kurtosis -0.76392 Kurtosis 2.95556 Kurtosis 0.043713 Kurtosis -0.63809 Kurtosis -2.0895 Skewness 0.567796 Skewness -0.01178 Skewness -1.5093 Skewness -0.25177 Skewness 0.168964 Skewness -0.35866 Range 0.8 Range 0.8 Range 6.1 Range 1210 Range 5 Range 3 Minimum 31.1 Minimum 5.2 Minimum 78.5 Minimum 1538.4 Minimum 9 Minimum 22 Maximum 31.9 Maximum 6 Maximum 84.6 Maximum 2748.4 Maximum 14 Maximum 25 Sum 220 Sum 39.3 Sum 577 Sum 15292 Sum 80 Sum 166 Count 7 Count 7 Count 7 Count 7 Count 7 Count 7 Table 1: Descriptive statistics measures (Source: Created by author) The mean value of the average daily maximum temperature of Singapore is found to be 31.42857. The mean temperature has a deviation of 0.303942. The median value of the temperature is 31.3 degree Celsius and the modal value is 31.2 degree Celsius. The skewness value is 0.567796 and the range of temperature has a negative kurtosis measure. The range of maximum temperature very the years is however very small only 0.8. The summary statistics measures states that the daily Sunshine has a mean value of 5.614826. The mean value has a deviation of 0.279455. The median value of Sunshine is 5.6. The Sunshine value is different for different years from 2008 to 2014. Therefore, there is no modal value of Sunshine. The range of Sunshine over the years is 0.8. The Sunshine variable has almost symmetric distribution the value of skewness being only -0.01178. The country experiences a maritime climate and therefore is expected to have a high value of relative humidity. The average value of relative humidity all over the years is 82.42857 and the median is 82.9. The average value has a deviation of 1.957647 from the mean value. The distribution of relative humidity is negatively skewed indicating that some of the years have a low value of relative humidity. The entire range of relative humidity is 6.1. The mean value of total rainfall of the country over the year is 2184.571 which have a deviation of 398.4661 from the mean value. The skewness value of the distribution is -0.25177. The entire range of observation is 1210. The median value of total rainfall is 2159.9 (cm) which indicates that there is no such outlier present in the observation. The sulpher di oxide content has a mean value of 11.42857 which has a deviation of 1.718249. The entire range of observation is 5 and the distribution is positively skewed. The mean value of Nitrogen di oxide content is 23.71429 and the median value is 24. The modal value of nitrogen di oxide content is 25. The mean value has a deviation of 1.380131. The range of the observation of nitrogen di oxide content is 3. The distribution of sulpher di oxide content is negatively skewed. Discrete random variable: The number of days in te year having rainfall is a discrete random variable. The number of days in the year can take the values 1, 2, 3,........ Out of 365 days in a year, the number of days in the year that is expected to have rainfall is said to follow a binomial distribution. The average number of days in the year that is expected to have rainfall is 180.4286. The proportion of days when the rainfall occurs is 0.493151 or is approximately 0.5. Therefore, a binomial distribution has been fitted by using the parameters n = 365 and p = 0.5. The probability distribution function of the variable is given below: The above graph plots the values of number of rainy days along x axis and the CDF and the PDF values of along the y axis. The PDF values are shown with the help of the red line. The red line shows that the distribution of PDF is approximately symmetric. The CDF of the distribution gradually increases and reaches a maximum value at 1. Inferential statistics: The distribution is said to be normally distributed if the distribution of the values are symmetric. The mean, median and modal values of the normal distribution coincide. The value of skewness for the normal distribution is zero. The value of kurtosis measure for the normal distribution is also zero. The values of the normal distribution are expected to lie within 3 limit. About 99% of the values of normal distribution lie within the 3 limit. The variable average temperature is expected to follow a normal distribution (Kim 2013). The deviation from normality could be best measured with the help of Kurtosis value (Bates et al. 2014). The skewness value for the variable is 0.56776. Therefore, the value is much less and the variable can be assumed to be normally distributed. A test of hypothesis has been conducted for the variable temperature. The average daily maximum temperature of Singapore is 31 degree Celsius. A hypothesis test has been conducted to test this claim. The null hypothesis of the test is H0: = 31 and the alternative hypothesis is H1: 31. The test statistic is given by: t = (x-bar )/(/sqrt(n)). The test statistic is said to follow a normal distribution. As the number of observation is very small, less than 30, the population standard deviation has been approximated by the sample standard deviation. The value of the test statistic is 3.73062. The value of the tabulated z at 5% level of significance is 1.96 for both sided test. The null hypothesis of the test is rejected on the basis of the calculated value of the test. The average temperature cannot be assumed to be 31 degree Celsius. Correlation: The relative humidity and the temperature have some kind of relationship between themselves. As the value of temperature increases, the value of relative humidity decreases and vice versa. The relative humidity is actually a ratio between the pressures of water vapor at a given temperature to the pressure of water vapor at equilibrium. When the temperature is low, the relative humidity is high and when the temperature is high, the relative humidity is low. The Pearsonian correlation has been calculated for temperature and relative humidity. The value of the variable is -0.39935. Therefore, there is a negative correlation between the two variables. The correlation has also been calculated for the variables Sunshine and total rainfall. The rainfall and Sunshine are negatively related. The value of the correlation coefficient has been calculated to be -0.77086. This means as the value of Sunshine increases, the value of rainfall decreases. Regression: The air temperature has a relationship between the Sulpher di oxide content and the Nitrogen di oxide content. The relationship among the variables has been explored with the help of regression analysis. A linear regression line has been fitted for the variables. The regression line obtained from the equation is given below: y = 33.22166 -0.0235 * Sulpher di oxide content 0.06429* Nitrogen di oxide content. The regression equation states that there is a negative relationship between sulpher di oxide content and nitrogen di oxide content and the air temperature. The air temperature decreases as the nitrogen and sulpher di oxide content increases. The R-squared for the regression analysis is 0.151147. Therefore, the model is not a very good fitted model in reducing the error and predicting values from regression equation. The summary statistics measures like mean, standard deviation, variance, skewness and kurtosis measures are being calculated for each of the variables. A test has been conducted to know about the average temperature of the country. The average temperature has been found to be not equal to 31 degree Celsius. The relationship between the air temperature and relative humidity is being studied. It has been found that there is a negative relationship between the temperature and relative humidity. The Sunshine and rainfall is also said to follow a negative relationship. The air temperature is inversely related to the nitrogen di oxide and suplher di oxide concentration in the air. The increase in sulpher di oxide and nitrogen di oxide content decreases the air temperature as is indicated by the results of regression analysis. Conclusion: The report gives an idea about the overall climate of Singapore. Various climates related issues are being studied in this assignment. The country Singapore is located in South of the Equator in tropical region. The country is surrounded by sea on all its sides. The country experiences very high temperature and huge amount of rainfall all over the year. The relative humidity in the country is very high as well (average 82%). The Sulpher di oxide and Nitrogen di oxide content in the air has a negative relationship with air temperature. References: Bates, D., Maechler, M., Bolker, B. and Walker, S., 2014. lme4: Linear mixed-effects models using Eigen and S4.R package version,1(7). Blanca, M.J., Arnau, J., Lpez-Montiel, D., Bono, R. and Bendayan, R., 2013. Skewness and kurtosis in real data samples.Methodology. Draper, N.R. and Smith, H., 2014.Applied regression analysis. John Wiley Sons. Kim, H.Y., 2013. Statistical notes for clinical researchers: assessing normal distribution (2) using skewness and kurtosis.Restorative dentistry endodontics,38(1), pp.52-54. Kim, H.Y., 2013. Statistical notes for clinical researchers: assessing normal distribution (2) using skewness and kurtosis.Restorative dentistry endodontics,38(1), pp.52-54. Regezi, J.A., Sciubba, J.J. and Jordan, R.C., 2016.Oral pathology: clinical pathologic correlations. Elsevier Health Sciences. Xavier, P., Rahmat, R., Cheong, W.K. and Wallace, E., 2014. Influence of Madden?Julian Oscillation on Southeast Asia rainfall extremes: Observations and predictability.Geophysical Research Letters,41(12), pp.4406-4412. Xie, L., Kang, H., Xu, Q., Chen, M.J., Liao, Y., Thiyagarajan, M., ODonnell, J., Christensen, D.J., Nicholson, C., Iliff, J.J. and Takano, T., 2013. Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain.science,342(6156), pp.373-377.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Required High School Exit Exams

Required High School Exit Exams Free Online Research Papers Passing grades just doesn’t guarantee graduation and a high school diploma anymore in many public schools across the nation. To ensure that students who receive high school diplomas meet basic requirements of academic proficiency and job readiness, many states across the nation have adopted the exit exams that students must pass in order to graduate and receive a diploma. State exit exams are most often based on 10th grade proficiency standards; a few states aligned their exams to the 8th and 9th grade levels and some others to the 11th and 12th grade levels (www.cep-dc.org August 2006). The number of states that are implementing this law is on the rise throughout the United States. The high school exit exam covers skills in language arts and math. There are several mixed feelings on whether high school exit exams should be required both positive and negative. These mixed feelings come from many different kinds of people such as students, parents, teachers and even politicia ns. Along with these exit exam comes controversy, hidden cost, and the possibilities of drop out rates sky rocketing to record lows. The over all intentions of this law are set to help students and prepare them for the future in the â€Å"real world† as we sometimes refer to life after high school. There have been positive outcomes from states that have implemented the law that requires students to pass their high school exit exams in order to graduate and receive a high school diploma. According to the Center on Education policy (CED) about 90 percent of high school seniors ultimately pass the test, although a high percentage of students fail the first time they take it (Kavan Peterson, Stateline.org, 2005). There are many ways for students to prepare for these high school exit exams to include, preparation books, web sites and additional tutoring by high schools. The average exit exam is aligned with the 10th grade education level. The students can take the test up to eight times during their high school years, which offers plenty of opportunities and should be no problem for high school seniors to pass. It is arguable that the high school exit exams are necessary in order receive a diploma, but it also helps to maintain its value as academic achievement. By setting these sta ndards the value of diplomas will be credible for employers and institutions of higher learning, which use them as indicators of the possession of necessary skills to perform a specific employment. As I stated before states are providing different opportunities in order to help students pass the high school exit exams. In some cases Arizona, Washington, and Maryland have expanded their alternate paths in order to help students that are struggling to pass the exit exam. Some of the alternatives offered are substitution of SAT and ACT scores, receiving credit toward exam scores for satisfactory course grades, waivers and appeals process. There are currently twenty subject tests apart of the SAT, all of which fall under the general subjects of English, history, math, science, and languages. Some states allow students to use their exit exams even if they have transferred from another state. Out of the 25 states that currently require or are in the process of requiring exit exams, more than one third offer remediation to students as well as working to find the most effective type of remediation to be most beneficial to the student. Where as California has nearly tripled it’s spending; to help remediate students who have failed the exam. The implementation of high school exit exams could motivate schools to better serve the students and their educational needs therefore; by implementing the high school exit exam schools could see the number of high school graduates increase. As more and more states adopt the high school exit exam, schools are trying to align their curriculum with the exams in order to prepare students for the exam when the time comes. By implementing these high school exit exams it not only prepares students for job readiness and higher learning, but it points out particular areas where students have deficiencies, therefore, helping to improve and focus on the more effective education curriculum. While there are many people supporting the high school exit exams, there are many opposing the high school exit exam as a requirement in order to graduate and receive a diploma? Opponents of the high school exit exam requirement, complain that the exam will drive already low graduation rates even lower. Critics feel that it is fundamentally unfair to deny students their high school diploma after completing thirteen- years of school. Because of the high school exit exams many students who have planned to attend college or pursue a military career do not have that option unless they successfully pass the exam. Since the high school exit exam has been implemented, English language learners and students with disabilities tend to have the lowest pass rates on the exam, yet only 4 out of the 25 states with current or planned exit exams offer special options, other than test accommodations. While states participate and join the forces of implementing high school exit exams nation wide, th e cost in which it will take to finance these exams is not exactly covered. Most often the cost of exit exams is imposed on districts with little to no support from the state and districts reduce other education programs to cover these hidden costs (www.cep-dc.org September 2006). It is unfair to require students to pass test on material they haven’t been taught and schools have yet to get new textbooks, and teachers haven’t been trained to standards. By requiring students to take the high school exit exams, too many students would not be able to graduate from high school, putting them at risk of failure in life and increasing their chances of dropping out. Education researchers fear that the high school exit exams will intimidate students and lead to higher drop out rates, especially among low income or disabled students and Black and Latino high school students who fail at higher rates than white or Asian students. The Manhattan Institute for policy research uses two highly respected rate calculations to figure out if the high school exit exams are effective or not. The results show that adopting a high school exit exam has no effect on state’s graduation rate. Some states set the high school exit exam to a middle school level, with tha t in mind where is the high school student even being challenged or when students in high school should be preparing for college. The high school exit exam appears to be a waste of time. The â€Å"real† problems in the education systems that need to be fixed are the poor learning conditions, rather than a high school exit exam. A quote I came across that doesn’t support the high school exit exam said, â€Å"Exit exams aggravate existing inequalities and do NOTHING to enhance academic excellence. They are a phony fix to a complex problem.† (New York Times article by Applied Research Center, Feb. 24, 1999.) The most group of students that appear to be having the difficulties are the minorities. With that in mind, the high school exit exams could be singling out the minority group of students and causing a wedge between the many different cultures in our nation. High schools already have class grades, portfolios and final exam, requirements in order to graduate and receive a diploma, for that reason the added high school exit exam creates another stress for students and these measurements are far more accurate determinants of both their performance and their knowledge. After extensive research on whether high school exit exams are necessary and effective in order to graduate and receive a high school diploma, I’ve come to the conclusion to believe that high school exit exams should not be required in order to graduate and receive a high school diploma. I feel that yes they could help schools and teacher assess on areas in the learning curriculum that need improvement. Although, by demanding this exit exam many students who are barely making it could be held back and become discouraged, therefore dropping out of high school where they might have had a chance if it wasn’t for the exit exam. The high school exit exam is not completely aligned with the curriculum that is being taught in schools, so the students are hardly even prepared, when the time comes to take the exam. Students already have graduation requirements which they have to maintain in order to graduate, for example finals, reports, portfolios, therefore this high school e xit exam could be hurting them more than helping them. I believe there are many other problems within the education systems, such as qualified teachers, adequate learning environments and sufficient learning materials. So by applying the high school exit exam the real problems are not being fixed, but only being masked by a useless test. Work Cited Hoor Bahnpuri, Susuan K. Sexton, â€Å"State high school exit exam: hidden cost†, Center on Education Policy, 2006, cep-dc.org Daniel Weintraub, â€Å"High school exit exams under fire† Scientifically correct, July 21, 2003, scientificallycorrect.com Jack Jennings, â€Å"State high school exit exams: A challenging year†, Center on Education Policy, August 2006, cep-dc.org Kavan Peterson, High school exit exams on the rise†, Stateline, May 23, 2005, Statline.org Eric Kelderman, High school exit exams set low bar, Stateline, June 10, 2004, Stateline.org Jay P Greene, Ph.D., Push Out or Pulled Up? Exit exams and dropout rates in public high schools†, Manhattan institute for policy research, May 5, 2004, manhattan-institute.org Research Papers on Required High School Exit ExamsStandardized TestingPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyHip-Hop is ArtPETSTEL analysis of IndiaResearch Process Part OneArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Genetic EngineeringDefinition of Export QuotasThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Essay

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

The Importance of Reflection in Nursing Practice Essay

The Importance of Reflection in Nursing Practice - Essay Example This process, called a meta-cognitive process, is normally reflected in a number of our daily routines and activities. Thus when we have to attend a call from a patient in pain, what priority we accord to it will be determined by the values and beliefs we hold and how we assess the situation. Reflective learning calls for instilling of the critical nursing skills in nurses through participative and emancipative education. This in turn helps in empowering the practitioners to deal with contradictory situations. Such training implies learning continuously with regular evolutionary inputs. Daloz (1986) describes the characteristics of support and challenge and the ways in which they might combine to foster learning. He describes support as an affirming activity. When a teacher supports a learner, the teacher lets the learner know that the learner is cared about. White (1997) suggests that new knowledge and theory can be generated when a structured and analytical methodology is applied to reflect on experience. In general, reflective practices can be categorized in two types; Reflection-in-action is when someone is working, and learning at the same time i.e. being fully aware of he's doing. Reflection-on-action is learning in a simulated environment when the nursing practitioners are taught by their tutors with the help of practical. For example nursing calls for advice being offered to the relatives and friends of the patients. Nursing is a science as it requires studying the medical practices and science, but it's an art as well because working with different types of people requires an attitude of understanding the feelings and compassion. Profession of Nursing involves being well versed with the technical gadgets, bio-medical terms, clinical tests, test reports as well as psychology, since during the majority of the times, when doctors are not around, nobody from family or friend circle is nearby, a Nurse is supposed to be the bedside companion taking care of the person with all sincerity. During such times most of our behaviors represent a mixture o f influences from both implicit, subconscious activations, and conscious considerations. The profession often requires long hours of working and heavy workloads while dealing with a range of people from all walks of life. Therefore, reflection-in-action is observing the things and the surroundings from one point of view and then devising 'in-time' appropriate reflections. Therefore in my opinion the profession of nursing requires; Compassion for another's suffering and love for the feelings of their patients Very high ethical standards Commitment to their profession Good interpersonal communication ability Critical cognitive process based thinking ability Highest standards of integrity and honesty Dealing with difficult and often unpleasant circumstances Working in physically demanding and often stressful environment Continuous aptitude for learning throughout one's life. Schon (1983) therefore calls for a "reflective practicum" to be an integral part of professional education. Lamb & Huttlinger, (1989) advocates reflection has a method by which nurses can enhance their future prospects and research practices. Williams (2001) enlists the results of a survey

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Indiana Geology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Indiana Geology - Essay Example ich are lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous and anthracite that greatly differ in hardness and the harder the coal, the less the wetness and the more useful it is for fuel. However, bituminous coal, which has very little moisture but high heat value and is widely used in electricity generation coke making in the steel industry is the type discovered in Indiana. The discovery of Bituminous coal along river Wabash was one of the greatest findings in Indiana due to its priceless nature and this Indiana ranks number 15 in the nation’s energy affordability sixth and third in coal production and coal use nationwide respectively. Its mining began in 1830 and by 1918, it had significantly surpassed 30 million short tons that worth approximately $817 million dollars, which ranked it 8th in the nation in coal production and later reduced due to World War I. The chief mining method used in Indiana was deep mining until around 1940s when the introduction sophisticated excavation machines enabled the use of surface mining that was very cost effective. Surface mining has been very successful method contributing almost 70% of Indiana’s recent production (Indiana Business Research Centre Web). The Indiana coal is of a very great quality and has substantial distinction in chemical and physical properties. The infrastructure system especially transport system favored the mining process where there were single line and two line rail service that helped to export the coal. The rise of interest and opportunities in coal facilitated the building of infrastructure particularly in Ohio River and Lake Michigan, watercourse transfer points and equipment of main lines to help high-speed unit-trains that had big waits. There are sufficient road networks within the state to help trucking coal to their production points thus improving the economy of the state. Indiana coal has a very wide market both domestically and overseas using inland watercourse system and private terminals along

Monday, January 27, 2020

Risk and return strategies

Risk and return strategies Portfolio management is principally about risk and return strategies. Introduction Portfolio management is principally about risk and return strategies. Portfolio management is concerned with the construction and management of investment assets. There are two principal school of portfolio management: passive and active. A passive and active term refers to the method by which the assets are selected for inclusion into the portfolio. A passive portfolio includes the market portfolio; consist of shares in all companies quoted on the stock exchange, or a selection of group of stock e.g. all technology stocks. Passive portfolio therefore does not make any attempt to research each stock and decide if it should be included or excluded from the portfolio. There is no technical or fundamental analysis carried out in order to beat the market portfolio. Passive equity portfolio management is all about long-term buy and hold strategy, usually tracking an index over time. This is designed to match the market portfolio performance. Active portfolio management on the other hand uses research, analysis (both fundamental and technical), economic factors and also an element of subjective judgement in selecting stock into the portfolio. It is believed that the stocks are undervalued and will out perform the market portfolio in the future. Planning The planning stage of portfolio management involves a written investment policy statement. A clearly defined investment policy that includes the preferred management technique, hence, active or passive indexed portfolio management. It also outlines the portfolio goals; level of returns and defined risk tolerances for the portfolio. The planning also involves rebalancing strategies and means of effective internal and external communication of those goals. Asset Analysis Aside from inside knowledge asset selection advice is based on two principal types of investment analysis: technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis is based on studying past trends in share prices in the belief that patterns can be discerned in their movements which can be used to predict future movements. This uses graphs of historical share price variations and it is often referred to as â€Å"chartists† analysis. Fundamental analysis concentrates on the study of the underlying position of the company. Such details as its strengths and weaknesses and future opportunities and threats, also uses ratio analysis in evaluating a particular stock. Asset Selection and Combination Stock selection as part of Active portfolio management has very limited impact on the return investors earn, as a result of stock markets being efficient. The efficient markets hypothesis (EMH) holds that a stock market is efficient if the market price of a company’s share quickly and correctly reflects all relevant information as it becomes available (Lumby, S., Jones, C., (2004)). In asset selection and combination we need to remember that investors are risk-adverse and select their portfolios by the mean/variance criteria (i.e. they are markowitz efficient investors). However, asset combination does result in an increase portfolio returns as a result of how the investment are combined and allocated within the available asset classes. The combination of stocks vs. bonds vs. cash, large companies very smaller ones, UK companies vs. overseas stocks and value companies vs. growth companies. Evaluation of Performance Portfolio performance evaluation involves return measurement (weight average return) over several periods. Performance measures such as market timing and security analysis. Style analysis is used to describe a portfolio by evaluating how its returns act, rather than by using a simplistic concept of what the portfolio included. Its objective is also to provide a superior mean of performance measurement for stocks and also the skills of the fund manager. Style analysis uses an asset class factor model: Ri = bi1Fi1+bi2Fi2+ †¦ + binFin+ei Where Fi1 †¦ Fin are return factors and bi1 †¦Ã‚   bni are sensitivities to the factors. All factors are return factors to the portfolio. The factors used in the portfolio are stock index, bonds, value stock, growth stock etc. There are many ways to evaluate the performance of a portfolio, style analysis is one of the newest techniques and it allows us to explain how portfolio returns behave. It is also a useful mean of stock selection for the portfolio.   Re Balancing Rebalancing the portfolio is critical for the financial future. Rebalancing involves buying low and selling high. This process ensures that the portfolio is in line with the initial portfolio asset allocation plan. As the economic conditions change some assets within the portfolio will appreciate faster then others and their weighting within the portfolio will change from the initial allocation plan. This will result in an out of balance portfolio and will need rebalancing by selling high performing stock and buying low performing ones. Indexing – Advantages and Disadvantages As the stock markets are efficient there are various advantages in index funds over actively managed funds as a portfolio management method. EMH theory states that security markets are extremely efficient in processing individual stock information; so undervalued shares are difficult to consistently identify and purchase. Another advantage is the lower expenses in managing an index fund over an active fund. Also lower trading costs versus actively managed funds where stocks are typically traded more frequently and finally, lower capital gains taxes resulting from shares being sold less often. Disadvantages of indexing are in terms of tracking error suffered as a result of changing economic climax where certain stock will out perform expectations. This could result in the portfolio becoming out of balance and rebalancing results in transaction costs and subsequent errors in tracking the underlying index. Active Portfolio Management An Active investor is one that is not passive. Active portfolio manager’s portfolio will differ from that of a passive manager. This is due to that fact that active managers will act on perception of mispricing in stock market, and as such perceptions change frequently, such managers tend to trade frequently, hence, the term ‘active’. Efficient Market Hypothesis would disagree that such mispricing exist in the market and that the stock market is efficient. Therefore, active portfolio manager’s returns are lower then that of passive managers, due to the increase cost of actively managing the portfolio. If the markets are semi-strong or strong form efficient then active portfolio management in terms of fundamental or technical analysis are waste of time as they will not provide a potential gains in discovering the undervalued stocks. Only if the market were weak form efficient than it would permit fundamental analysis to uncover potential gains. Therefore, active portfolio management is an unrewarding exercise and can lead to waste of both effort and money. Passive vs. Active There are various advantages of passive portfolio management over that of active. We have already discussed the EMH and how that would suggest that active management has very little value in terms of portfolio selection in a semi-strong form of market efficiency.   So passive portfolio management costs much less than active management. This give passive investors an increase net returns as the management costs are lower. Passive portfolios are also more tax efficient with their ‘buy and hold forever’ approach result in low income tax costs. Active portfolio often attracts capital gains tax from sell of short-term appreciated gains in stocks. Passive mutual funds have a inherently low turnover of securities and thus are exposed to fewer realised capital gains. Passive portfolios have predictable styles. A passive investor knows exactly what types of securities he or she is invested in. Active managers, on the other hand, can vary the composition of their portfolios significantly over time a problem known as style drift. Conclusion Actively managed portfolio will try to deliver excess returns over the passive portfolio by actively forecasting future returns on individual stocks. However, in reality they do not obtain significant excess return of the market portfolio, which is the primary indexing for the passive portfolio management.  Ã‚   This is in accordance with the efficient market hypothesis that states that stock markets are semi-strong or strong form efficient, with stocks being priced correctly.   Index funds are arguable more successful portfolio management method on the believe that markets are significantly efficient and active manager will not be able to gain excess returns, after taking into account the excessive costs involved in active management. Passive management seeks to deliver the return and risks associated with the chosen index. Evaluation of index funds performance is in terms of how closing the portfolio tracks the underlying index in terms of returns. The costs associated with index funds are in rebalancing the portfolio. It assumes that when the economic condition changes and the assets weight within the portfolio can be redefined automatically. However, in rebalancing the portfolio involves physical selling of high stocks and selling low stocks, which involve transaction costs. This result in tracking errors driven by transaction costs, funds cash flows un-invested, treatment of dividend by the index and index composition changes. Finally, the liquidity of the underlying index stocks can have an impact on transaction costs and subsequently the tracking error encountered by the portfolio. References Bibliography http://www.cypram.com/passive.html Lumby, S., Jones, C., (2004), Corporate Finance – theory and practice 7th edition, Thomson ACCA Paper 3.7 (2001) Strategic Financial Management, The Financial Training Company http://www.nseindia.com/content/press/jul2003b.pdf#search=tracking%20error%20and%20methods%20of%20indexing

Saturday, January 18, 2020

CMTG Network Security Infrastructure

Each Kudler Fine Foods location would be protected via higher end firewall recommended for small/medium size businesses with higher security requirements (Cisco, Watchguard, Barracuda). Each Kudler Fine Foods location, regardless of its geographical location, would have hi-speed internet access that would keep it connected to the headquarters location. Each firewall would be configured to provide maximum security for each location as well as Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection between the location and the headquarters. Headquarters location would host Main POS Database Server which would be synchronized with all other POS database servers every fifteen to thirty minutes. All of the synchronization would take place via VPN that has 1024bit encryption. Each geographical location would be able to access necessary data and files at the headquarters location via VPN at any time. Depending on the network authentication and network policies, not every person would have access to the same data. Since Kudler Fine Foods employs only two computer support specialists, we would recommend for the email to be hosted off site and be accessed either via Outlook Web Access (web-mail) or POP/SMPT/IMAP protocols with the Microsoft Outlook client. We also recommend that Email SPAM filtering be provided by the Email Host, but Kudler Fine Foods computer support staff should have access to email spam filters and manage them as they see fit best for the organization. Read this  Chapter 2 – Why Security is Needed We would also recommend for the Website to be hosted outside of the Kudler Fine Foods network but would recommend that Website’s database be synchronized with the network database via secure connection. Main reason for suggesting Email and Website services to be hosted off-site is security, downtime and support staff. Each firewall would handle IDS and IDP (intrusion detection and prevention service), as well as web access filtering, attachment filtering, traffic monitoring, virus scanning. Each computer and server would also run virus protection software. Firewall would be setup to shut down and block any suspicious network incoming/outgoing traffic in case of security breach and log it and email notify the computer support specialist (DoS, Hacker attacks, Virus outbreak). Firewall security updates would be done automatically and in the background and would provide security against latest threats. We believe that proposed network security infrastructure for Kudler Fine Foods would be secure, centralized, manageable by the small IT staff, reasonably priced to implement and easily upgradable and expendable in the future.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Psychoanalysis of Iago Essay

In William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, the character Iago lacks a superego which allowed his id to run free and this caused him to lack any form of sympathy and to become a sociopath. This led to him hurting everyone he could and to his eventual downfall. He also tried to justify his actions throughout the play to reinforce his righteous ego. First to understand Iago and his actions we must look at what the id, ego, and superego actually are. According to Freud these are different divisions that make up your mind. The id is the primitive side of your mind. Its only purpose is to seek out and obtain pleasure. The id will do anything it has to obtain it goals no matter how amoral or dangerous its actions may seem. Freud states that the superego is the complete opposite of the id. The superego’s goal is to apply moral values to obtain one’s wishes. The superego imposes guilt, shame, self-doubt, and anxiety to control one’s actions. The ego is the section of your mind you are most aware of. The ego’s goal is to compromise between the two other sections by using logic. It tries to satisfy both the id and the superego. Sometimes the ego becomes overwhelmed and to protect itself it must deploys defense mechanisms. This relates to Iago because he lacks a superego which tells him right from wrong. Since his superego is no longer functioning the ego does not have to compromise between the two sides. However his ego is not useless it still has a purpose. It uses logic to get what his id wants that’s why Iago always has a plan to obtain what he desires and it also justifies his actions. His ego also justifies his actions so he can live with himself. Therefore Iago’s id and ego are operating as they should and it is his superego that is absent. Without a superego and left with his id in control, Iago has all of the traits of a sociopath according to the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. The first trait that Iago has in common with a sociopath is deception. Iago constantly lies throughout the novel to just about everyone he meets. One example of this is when he is speaking with Montano and he says, â€Å"Tis evenmore the prolongue to his sleep. He’ll watch the horologe a double set If drink rock not his cradle.†(Othello II, III, 89). In this quote Othello is trying to spread a  rumor about Cassios’s drinking problem. Except Cassio does not have one. Iago is trying to ruin Cassio’s reputation. This example also leads to another trait of Iago’s which is his conning and manipulation. Like deception Iago uses manipulation throughout the play. For example Iago is talking to Roderigo and he says, â€Å"Thou art sure of me. Go, make money. I have told tee often, and I re-tell thee again and again, I hate the Moor. My cause is hearted. Thine hath no less reason.†(Othello I, III, 53). In this quote he is trying to convince Roderigo that he into giving him all of his money because they share the same cause. However Iago is just trying to use Roderigo to obtain money. The final trait Iago has is that he lacks empathy and he lacks remorse. I excellent example of this is when Iago’s wife, Emilia, is about to illuminate Iago’s plan to ruin Othello. Iago stabbed Emilia, his wife, before she could elaborate and later on she died from her wounds. Iago felt no remorse for the death of his wife and showed no empathy towards her when he stabbed her. Sociopaths are very capable of self – control. Like Iago they use logic to take calculated risks and to blend in with society. Iago does this throughout the novel which is why he was known as honest Iago because he blended in so well that no one suspected that he was committing any amoral acts. Most of Iago’s actions throughout the novel can be associated with calculation, deception, Manipulation, and lack of empathy and remorse. These are the traits of a sociopath therefore Iago can be considered a sociopath. Iago’s traits and actions would cause most people to become guilt ridden even without a superego. However Iago does not because his ego deploys a defense mechanism. This mechanism is called rationalization. Iago makes up excuses and justifications for his actions. For example the whole point of him trying to make Othello jealous was to get Cassio fired. He felt that he was more deserving of Cassio’s position however once he has the position he continues to try to ruin Othello’s life. He also justified his actions against Othello by telling himself that Othello slept with his wife however this was just a rumor and was never proven. He justifications is how he is able to able to live with the things he had done. The plot of this entire novel is based on Iago’s sociopathic traits. Without any of these traits the plot of this novel would dramatically change. Iago is a direct cause for  most of the events in the novel such as Othello becoming suspicious of Desdemona or the deaths of some of the characters. Without these traits Iago would no longer act like a sociopath and therefore he would no longer be the antagonist. The character Iago is very much a sociopath. He lacks sympathy for others and will take advantage of them given the chance. His lack of a superego accounts for this because his id is allowed to run free without any restrictions. This leaves his ego to justify his actions and to make calculated decisions to satisfy the id without getting caught. However his id’s desires eventually lead to his and everyone else’s downfall.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Character Analysis Mama Nadi From Nottages Ruined

The atrocities of modern-day Africa come to life on stage in Lynn Nottages Ruined. Set in war-torn Congo, this play explores the stories of women trying to survive after and during brutal experiences. It is a moving story that was inspired by the true accounts of women who survived such cruelty. The Inspiration for Nottages Ruined Playwright Lynn Nottage set out to write an adaptation of Berthold Brechts Mother Courage and Her Children  that would take place in the war-ravaged nation, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nottage and director Kate Whoriskey traveled to Uganda to visit a refugee camp where thousands of men, women, and children hoped to avoid the atrocities of the barbaric government and the equally cruel rebel militants. It was there that Nottage and Whoriskey listened as dozens of refugee women shared their stories of pain and survival. The women recounted unimaginable suffering and nightmarish acts of violence and rape. After gathering hours upon hours of interview material, Nottage realized that she would not be writing a re-invention of Brechts play. She would create her own structure, one that would incorporate the heart-wrenching narratives of the women she met in Africa. The result is a play called Ruined, a tragic-yet-beautiful drama about holding onto hope while living through hell. The Setting of Ruined Ruined is set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, probably sometime between 2001 and 2007. During this time (and still today), the Congo was a place of territorial violence and immeasurable suffering. The entire play takes place in the slipshod bar with makeshift furniture and a run-down pool table. The bar caters to miners, traveling salesmen, military men, and rebel fighters (though not usually all at the same time). The bar provides its guests  with drinks and food, but it also functions as a brothel. Mama Nadi is the shrewd owner of the bar. As many as ten young women work for her. They have chosen a life of prostitution because, for most, it seems to be their only chance of survival. The Roots of Mama Nadi Mama Nadi and the other female characters of Ruined are based upon the experiences of real women from the DRC (The  Democratic Republic of the Congo). During her visit to the African refugee camps, Nottage collected interview material and one of the women was named Mama Nadi Zabibu: she is one of fourteen women who  receive thanks in Nottages acknowledgment section. According to Nottage, all of the women she interviewed were raped. Most were raped by multiple men. Some of the women helplessly watched as their children were murdered in front of them. Sadly, this is the world which Mama Nadi and the other characters of Ruined have known.   Mama Nadis Personality Mama Nadi is described as an attractive woman in her early forties with an arrogant stride and majestic air (Nottage 5). She has etched out a profitable business in a hellish environment. Above all things, she has learned duplicity. When the military enters the bar, Mama Nadi is loyal to the government. When the rebels arrive the following day, she is devoted to the revolution. She agrees with whoever is offering cash. She has survived by being charming, accommodating, and serving anyone, whether honorable or evil. At the beginning of the play, it is easy to vilify her. After all, Mama Nadi is part of a modern-day slave trade. She buys girls from a friendly traveling salesmen. She offers them food, shelter, and in exchange, they must prostitute themselves to the local miners and soldiers. But we soon sense that Mama Nadi harbors compassion, even if she attempts to bury her altruism. Mama Nadi and Sophie Mama Nadi is most altruistic when it comes to a young woman named Sophie, a beautiful, quiet girl. Sophie has been ruined. Basically, she has been raped and assaulted in such a brutal manner that she can no longer have children. According to the local belief systems, men would no longer be interested in her as a wife. When Mama Nadi learns of this, perhaps realizing the injustice of not just the attack but the way society rejects women who are ruined, Mama Nadi does not shun her. She allows her to live with the other women. Instead of prostituting herself, Sophie sings at the bar and helps out with the accounting. Why does Mama Nadi have such empathy for Sophie? Because she has experienced the same brutality. Mama Nadi has been ruined as well. Mama Nadi and the Diamond Among her many little treasures and wads of cash, Mama Nadi possesses a small but precious stone, a raw diamond. The stone does not look impressive, but if she sold the gem, Mama Nadi could live well for a very long time. (Which makes the reader wonder why she stays in a makeshift bar in the Congo during a civil war.) During the middle of the play, Mama Nadi discovers that Sophie has been stealing from her. Rather than being angry, she is impressed by the girls audacity. Sophie explains that she was hoping to pay for an operation that would mend her ruined condition. Sophies goal obviously touches Mama Nadi (although the stern woman doesnt show her feelings initially). During Act Three, when the gunfire and explosions are getting closer and closer, Mama Nadi gives the diamond to Mr. Hatari, a Lebanese merchant. She tells Hatari to escape with Sophie, sell the diamond, and make sure that Sophie receives her operation. Mama Nadi gives up all of her wealth in order to give Sophie a new beginning.