Honors Program Essay

Malcolm Anomnachi UMES ID#: 1194723 Aundra C. Roberts, B. A. Program Coordinator The Honors Program/General Studies University of Maryland Eastern Shore Richard Hazel Hall Suite 2051 11868 Academic Oval Princess Anne, MD 21853 My Goals and Academic Interests There is a slogan in my country that says â€Å"A fool at forty is fool forever†; this could be explained to be an assumed concept that one who hasn’t realized his purpose or potential in life by the optimum time of his life (usually age 40), probably never will.My adolescent-hood was nothing to be proud of because I never acted like I could ever imagine myself having a successful future; I lived my life however I wanted without thinking about how my actions could affect me in the future. I was lucky to be given a second chance and since then I haven’t misused it. I have a lot of academic goals, but they shall all end up aiding me to graduate from law school. I currently finished a successful year at the Univ ersity of Maryland Eastern Shore, and I must say that it was exceptionally interesting and I put all other distractions aside to make sure that I passed in flying colors.I am a Criminal Justice major and I intend to use the knowledge obtained from my degree to pass the LSAT to go law school; I also intend to work at a Criminal Justice Agency of my choice while I attend law school. I chose to pursue a career in law after I realized my strongest ground was Arguing, I participated in a lot of high school debates and I usually got in trouble for excessively quarrelling with my high school instructors on class related matters of which I had strong oppositions for.I decided to channel this negative passion into a more subtle and legal manner; I also have a long history of relatives associated with the law so I decided to continue the family tradition to become a Defense Attorney. My grandfather, who was a Chief Judge in Nigeria, died in 1996, and since then his law firm has operated at sl ow pace, I plan to run the place by the time I gain enough experience in the years to come and do wonderful things. I have a lot of goals that I plan to accomplish, but the one I would like to accomplish now is joining The Honors Program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.I am looking for students that I can acknowledge as a challenge to me and I feel that most of those students are in the Honors Program. I think that this program will bring out my undiscovered intelligence because I always enjoy acquiring new information. I think one thing my father failed to realize in his lifetime is that it’s not always about what you know, but it’s also about who you know; if this opportunity is granted to me, I can meet different people who may be able to better my life in the future.It is through this program that I intend to graduate from this university and attend law school at Cornell University, which is also associated with the Honors Program at this university, so becoming a member of this program will hopefully serve as a helpful transition. As a student, I would be lying if I said I didn’t need a help in tuition payment. I hope that joining this program and putting my best in my academic work will earn some sort of scholarship. In a nutshell, joining the Honors Program will open numerous doors for me.I am a respectful student at this school and I maintain a good relationship with all of my instructors because I know that I am practically nothing without them. I strive for nothing but the best and that is why I wish to join this program. Apart from almost becoming a member of the Men’s Track and Field team at this university, I am also a current member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), so this will also be a good addition to my accomplishments in my college life. My main goal at the moment is to join the Honors Program and to excel in it so I hope you can help me accomplish this.

Hum 176. Week 1 Mass Media

University of Phoenix Material- Effects of Mass Media Worksheet Write brief 250-to 300-word answers to each of the following: |Questions |Answers | |What were the major developments in the |In the early/middle 20th century brought a mass of developments into the world. Some of | |evolution of mass media during the 20th |the extended communication lines begin to extend then with radios, televisions, | |century? newspapers. The late 20th century added other forms of media through internet, social | | |communication, and technology such as video games. Media was the forefront of culture and | | |brought people together. Media is a mixture of mass media and communication outlets. | | |Before mass communication, people wrote letters and sent them through mail to communicate. | |However since the evolution, there are new ways such as email, text messages, video | | |conferencing, chatting, etc. This century has adapted to the media conversion and it has | | |evolved into daily lifestyles. In the average workplace, new waves of technology have | | |begun to embark on the evolution by removing files, the use of paper, more recycling, and | | |using technology to its full potential.The average employer no longer requires paper | | |applications. More applications for employment can be done online, through smartphone | | |services with just one touch. Another major development streamed lined in the early 1900’s| | |with the authority of the printing press. As the invention successfully streamed, it | | |allowed the news press and local media to get more local news out effectively. Theatres | | |embraced the line of cinema.More movies also became famous as part of the century | | |entertainment. There were no longer more outside evening films. The films also gained | | |communication through the development of radio. Radio became the worldwide core to news, | | |entertainment, and the source that people could rely on. The radio started to be the hit | | |location f or many artist to show their talents and for viewers to hear top hit songs.The | | |late 20th century brought on more collaboration of music through the internet, cell | | |phones, and applications downloads on the internet, and more. The major developments have | | |been a great asset to the country and will continue to be embraced by individuals. | |How did each development influence | | |American culture? | |

Identity theft Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Identity theft - Research Paper Example This begins with understanding the various reasons why this problem remains relatively under-appreciated and what drives some people to engage in this sort of activity. At the same time that internet criminals are becoming ever more sophisticated in their means of making money from their activities, the general consumer public remains relatively unaware of the dangers. Everyone has heard of the identity theft and many have been victims of it, but few are willing to take the steps necessary to protect themselves against it. Despite the increasing numbers of online shoppers and the relative ease shoppers encounter as they enter an online retailer site, there are several negative factors not directly related to the consumer that nevertheless affect consumer behavior when determining whether to make an online purchase. One of the primary dangers being confronted is the issue of identity theft and information mining being conducted on reputable as well as questionable sites (Wolfinbarger & Gilly, 2003). Until these issues had received some attention, buyers were recommended to make online purchases using more traditional modes of payment rather than through credit cards or online bank transfers. In more recent years, however, numerous security sites and software has been developed designed to assist retail clients build consumer confidence in making the more convenient credit card purchases over the internet, displaying small padlocks as a sign of trust or requiring specific security codes prior to accepti ng a payment through shopping cart technology (Wolfinbarger & Gilly, 2003). While it has become infinitely safer to make purchases online, shoppers are still cautioned to use care when entering personal information and in choosing retailers. Despite the relative ease shoppers encounter as they enter an online retailer site, there are several negative factors that must be weighed before an actual purchase is made. As is reported by Steven Chucala

Alzheimers Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alzheimers Disease - Essay Example Alzheimer’s disease is defined as a progressive, degenerative brain disorder manifested by memory loss, impaired thinking, difficulty in finding the right word when speaking, and personality changes and which eventually lead to cases of dementia (Harvard Health Publications, 2009, p. 2). Continual loss of nerve cells and synapses and decreasing levels of neurotransmitters which are crucial to memory, mental functions, and relaying of complex messages to the nerve cells in the body affects not only the cognitive aspect but also the activities of daily living and one’s personality. The prevalence rate of diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease is approximately more than five million and by 2050, 11 to 16 million of the American population will be probably diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease; that is, one in eight people ages 65 and above is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease cause financial and emotional strain to families and is estimated to have caused the nation a $148 billion health costs annually (Lu & Bludau, 2011, 3). When a person was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, it usually takes 8-10 years to death. Because there is no cure or prevention for the disease, it is essential that different warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease are noted in order to prompt early diagnosis and care and to temporarily stabilize or delay worsening of symptoms through drug interventions. In line with this, the Harvard Health Publications (2009) identified seven warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, which includes: trouble remembering things starting from short-term memory such as a new acquaintance then progressing to loss of long-term memory such as recognition of family members; mood or personality changes (very angry to sad, socially-outgoing to withdrawn, and signs of depression); trouble completing ordinary tasks such as simple tooth brushing; difficulty expressing thoughts particularly in language (e.g. ringer for telephone); impaired judgments such as inability to balance a checkbook; di sorientation manifested by losing track of date and time; and unusual behavior like wandering in the community (p. 3).

Why drug testing should not be allowed in schools Research Paper

Why drug testing should not be allowed in schools - Research Paper Example The paper discusses briefly on the reasons why drug testing makes apparent sense and then talks in greater detail about why it should not be allowed for the right reasons on issues very closely related to it. The brief digression is intended to highlight the rationale why it should not be allowed at all. It can be safely said that there are always two sides to an issue; debate and arguments can get heated and become divisive as long as people hold opposing views and stands on issues which they think and feel affect them and has an important bearing on their lives. This is the case with issues like abortion, euthanasia (mercy killing), same-sex unions, organ donations, the more recently-repealed DADT (dont ask, dont tell) policy in the military services and many others. A more closely-related legal issue is the use of plea bargains which critics say tends to undermine the whole judicial system by letting criminals off the hook lightly with a suspension or probation. This is the same situation with regards to the use of drug testing, whether voluntary or not. This particular issue resonates with almost everyone concerned, as the problem of drug use is quite a widespread social and health problem, given the proliferation of illegal drugs in society today. The drug problem is certainly a menace and many citizens feel that American society is about to overwhelmed by the enormity of this problem. Various solutions have been proposed to deal with it and drug testing is gaining popularity because it seems to make sense to most people. The idea of drug testing has caught on even among populist politicians, who proposed using it in varied aspects of American life such as applying for welfare benefits, where a welfare applicant has to take the drug test first and if he comes out clean, then he gets reimbursed for the expense and qualifies for welfare. If not, he waits for one year and take the test again (Cohen, 2011, p. 1). The idea has even been

Sustainable Tourism Development in Turkey Literature review

Sustainable Tourism Development in Turkey - Literature review Example Tourism becomes couched in sustainable development, which is the ability to positively manage the assets inherent in the natural environment for the purpose of increasing the wealth and well being of the inhabitants of a certain region.   It should be possible to maintain this kind of management in the short and long run; hence the development ought to be sustainable. The problem Tosun finds with the definition of STD is that it proves idealistic in its assumption that all nations are able to effectively employ its tenets. STD was proposed by the WCED, predominantly made up of representatives from developed countries, which appeared not to consider the inferior capabilities of the developing nations to implement the schemes proposed by STD. The researcher argues that Turkey has not been able to sustain the development of tourism quite in the way proposed by the WCED. The heavy indebtedness of developing countries, on the whole, has made it necessary for tourism to be expanded in order to generate much-needed revenue (Teye, 2000, p. 2;). However, the concentration of power in the hands of a central government and the business owners of the tourism sector has prevented the wealth of tourism from being distributed â€Å"fairly† among the inhabitants of the tourist areas (Tosun and Timothy, 2001, p. 353). Tosun agrees with other researchers (Stoeckl et al. 2006) that planning is necessary for sustainable development, and lack of planning by weak local governments generates a host of problems for the tourist areas (Garlick, 2002). Population growth taxes the capacity of the environment as well as the infrastructure (Font and Ahjem, 1999), and far from integrating tourism into the â€Å"broader social environment† (Beeton, 2006), the erection by the elite of numerous hotels and large houses has pressured the sewage systems causing seepage into the groundwater. The tourists themselves, as well as others who take up second-homes in the tourist areas, have so encroached upon the land-space that overcrowding and marginalization of the indigenous people have resulted. Neither do many tourists nor business owners they seek to preserve the environment, but exploit the natural resources without thought of adverse effects. D’Sa concurs with this: â€Å"Ordinary Third World people (as opposed to the à ©lites) find tourism in its present form highly exploitative and socially damaging† (1999, p. 64).   Noise pollution from blaring horns and discos, land and water pollution by littering and waste disposal from yachts, resorts, etc. have also added to the strain on the environment.  

How convincingly do the two studies establish media influence, and why Literature review

How convincingly do the two studies establish media influence, and why they reach rather different conclusions about the media's role - Literature review Example In this study, the authors have conjectured that newspapers have a long term effect on voting patterns. It was believed by these political theorists that the data obtained from the BHPS could provide substantial insight, into the changes that transpire between elections, during pre – elections and in election years. The significant feature of the BHPS is that it gathers information about newspaper reading habits, on a daily basis. In general, many newspapers recommend to their readers the candidate to vote for, and this usually constitutes the basis for their classification. However, the BHPS adopted a markedly different categorisation, by classifying newspapers according to their long – term support to political parties (Newton and Brynin 2001, 272). The BHPS study, fails to consider the partisan attitude of newspapers, and chiefly concentrates on national daily newspapers. A significant disadvantage with the BHPS data is that its questionnaires did not query readers, regarding the amount of time dedicated by them for reading newspapers. Respondents were also not questioned about their interest in the political content of the newspapers read by them (Newton and Brynin 2001, 272). These lacunae in this study render it suspect. In the working paper Was it the Sun that won it again? the author based his study on the data obtained from the 1997 British Election Campaign Study. The latter entailed a four wave panel study, and was carried out between spring of 1996 and the weeks immediately after May 1, 1997, the Election Day. The first phase of the study involved direct interaction with the respondents. In this first phase of this study, the 1996 British Social Attitudes survey had supplied the respondents with the necessary questionnaires (Curtice 1999). The second phase of the study consisted of interviews over the telephone, and was conducted during the first two weeks of April 1997. By that time the election

Research methods and Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research methods and Skills - Essay Example been found to leach from plastic products, more so in high temperatures and basic or acidic conditions, such as during autoclaving.2 This becomes more alarming with the pressing problem of global warming.3 Food is also considered the most significant source of BPA exposure worldwide. In fact, BPA has already been detected in almost all of urine samples collected from USA.4 When BPA is imbibed, it is metabolized by the liver into BPA glucuronide, which is excreted through the urine.5 BPA is an estrogenic monomer that binds weakly to nuclear estrogen receptors. In fact, its binding to estrogen receptors is 1000 – 10, 000-fold lower than the natural hormone E2.6 Currently, it is now polymerized to make polycarbonate plastic, which is now extensively used in the manufacture of food and beverage cans and dental materials. The potency of BPA partly results from the low dose needed to produce a physiologic response. This is because the activation of the effector is longer than the actual hormone-receptor binding, or the number of receptors is greater than the number of molecules. Thus, despite the low affinity of BPA to the receptor, low concentrations still initiate a response. In fact, the linear concentration between receptor occupancy and hormone concentration is preserved only up to 10% receptor occupancy. Above this, saturation of response occurs first, and saturation of receptor follows.7 BPA mimics the activity of 17ÃŽ ²-estradiol, posing a strong estrogenic activity. With just 10 – 20 nM, it was seen to competitively bind to estrogen receptors, proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells, induction of progesterone receptors, and reversal estrogen action by tamoxifen. It induces proliferative and stimulatory changes in estrogen targets.8 There is a major concern to public health due to its high potential for human exposure and to its demonstrated toxicity (endocrine disruptor effect). A growing number of health experts and consumers are becoming concerned

Principles Of American Bible Society Research Paper

Principles Of American Bible Society - Research Paper Example The virtues are not values like honesty or loyalty that one recites in grade school. These virtues mentioned in Galatians are the hallmarks of maturity that one should seek when looking for a spiritual mentor. For one, the aforementioned virtues are not deliberately adopted by a person to become his personal virtue since it is the Spirit that implants these virtues within a person. Looking at the background of these verses, these virtues were listed to serves as concrete examples that contrasts the acts of the flesh such as â€Å"envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings† (Gal.5:21). It is also significant to state that â€Å"the flesh lusteth against the Spirit† (v.17). which explains that since people are made of flesh, it is natural for humans to lust for vices like wine, gossip, money, or illicit sex. But, when a person has spiritually matured, he has struggled over this vices and starts exhibiting the virtues mentioned. What makes these virtues grow? Walking in faith with God makes these virtues thrive within ourselves. Therefore, when one is a matured Christian he or she manifests the virtues in his way of life. It is conclusive to say then that a Christian who has attained spiritual maturity will reflect these virtues in his daily affairs whether it be at work, or at leisure time. Among the virtues that were listed as fruits of the Spirit, I chose love, joy, and peace. I consider them as hallmarks of maturity since they are the basic foundation of all virtues yet they are the hardest to cultivate when one does not walk in God’s word. The first virtue is love which is known as â€Å"agape† in Greek. This love2 is as â€Å"agape† refers to brotherly love that should exhibit mercy and benevolence.

Policy Development Paper Essay Example for Free

Policy Development Paper Essay In this paper, research will be made on reducing prison population and how policy affects and restores how the system works. In the research of how to reduce prison population will include statistics, facts, and public opinion history information which will support the policies claims. This topic has always been controversial and the following research will indentify the stakeholders and their opinions as they relate to the proposed policies and how politics will have an impact in its implementation of these policies. Finally the author will provide policy recommendation and the justification for these policies. In the last several years, this country has gone through many changes in the criminal justice system and one of the major changes is prison overcrowding and the unwarranted prison costs that come with it. This problem not only affects one area of the nation’s prisons, it is practically a problem in every state of the United States. One major question that policymakers should be addressing is whether is it worth having these expenses just to have low-level drug using criminals in jail that are consuming an estimated 65 billion a year? There have got to be a better way to deal with these types of low-level criminals which do not have any business in the prisons whatsoever. These drug offenders need help with rehabilitation and getting their drug problems handled not throwing them in prisons where they are only going to learn more criminal behaviors from the other violent inmates. Two major factors that contribute to the overcrowding of the prison population are: the technical violations those individuals brake like probation and parole, not showing up to court, and just following simple instructions that the parole or probation officers give the offenders and they break those rules. The second factor is that prisons have their policies and if inmates do not follow them and break them they will be punished and serve more time, another reason is that policies change often and for that reason inmates have their sentences increased all the time. In order to reduce the prison overcrowding and maybe have some hope of sinking the recidivism rates, the criminal justice system needs to make some changes and try different alternatives to prison. With the implementation of community-based programs, reminiscent of drug rehabilitation programs, electronic monitoring and house arrest, there can be better results for individual who are trying to better their lives instead of throwing them to the prison system and having them learn new criminal skills from real violent criminals. To prevent overcrowding in the prison system, there are alternatives that the system can use instead of throwing everyone into prison and having to spend much more money for people that clearly do not belong in the prisons. One way to decrease the prison population is to evaluate the prisoners and really study the individuals who are ready to be rehabilitated and serve time in productive manner and this way the prisons can decrease costs at the same time (Heroux, 2011). There are people in this country that may have very extreme views about prisons, they feel that in a modern society, prisons should not exist and everyone has the right to be free (Heroux, 2011). In ones opinion, views like that have no place in this country or any country at all, because it is necessary to have prisons to have control over people that are really aggressive and violent who cannot live freely in our society or else they would cause nothing but chaos in the streets and citizens would not be safe. Society may feel that if policies get tougher with our criminals, the results will be lower crime rates. Unfortunately it does not matter if policies and laws get tougher because not only in this country, but in the whole world, the criminals do not care about laws and policies. Criminals think, act and live a life of crime different than the normal law abiding citizens of this nation, which is why they do not follow the laws and going to prison just comes with the territory f or them. A criminal is well aware that some day they will be behind bars and it does not matter how severe the laws or policies are they will continue to live that life of crime (Marion Oliver, 2006). It is thought to be said that if all criminals were to be locked up, they would not commit any crimes and therefore society would be safer (Heroux, 2011). Statistics show that there is no relationship between mass incarceration and decreased crime rates (Heroux, 2011). Proponents of mass incarceration will lead you to believe that during the 1990s an increase in incarceration resulted in the decrease of crime rate, but this is just a typical case of cherry-picking data to mislead the public. There are three different cases with totally different outcomes that show no evidence that mass incarcerations will decrease the crime rate. In the first case since the 1930s throughout the 1960s, both incarceration and crime rates bounced up and down just a bit, but they stayed at a set level (Heroux, 2011 ). The second case showed that incarceration rates and crime rates shot up simultaneously in the late 1970s to 1980s (Heroux, 2011). The final case showed that incarceration rates sustained its level while crime rates decreased in the 1990s and in the 2000s the incarceration rates continued to increase while crime rates stayed at the same level (Heroux, 2011). So in order to deal with all the prisoners who show potential to have a good rehabilitation in the system, we must provide them with good programs because they are still costing the states billions of dollars every year. First of all the correctional system should be looking closely at those individuals with a low level and first time offenders because they clearly do not belong in the prisons, they belong in programs where they can start paying they dues to society and get them ready to be productive members of society. These individuals have a much higher percentage of not returning to the system because they do not show signs of violent behaviors. Although they have broken the laws, these types of offenders usually have a higher rate of recidivism than ot her individuals who go through the prison system (Heroux, 2011). One major factor why offenders return to prison is because prison will habitually teach individuals to be aggressive and more often than not will make them engage in criminal behavior once they are released to the public sector (Heroux, 2011). On the other hand, alternative sanctions that are more suitable for offenders will eliminate that feeling of trying to commit a crime all the time; it will teach individuals new habits instead of teaching them how to be criminals. Here are different options in which the criminal justice system can adopt to eliminate some of that recidivism rate and decrease it so that the prisons will not be so overcrowded. The first sanction is electronic monitoring, this device had been around for some time now and it works as long the individual does not muddle with it and try to trick it a take it off. Another program in which offenders can be reprogrammed is with community service, probation, parole and restorative justice. Although these sanctions have been designed for individuals who can make a change and have not shown to be violent in prisons, there are prisoners who definitely cannot participate in these types of programs for the reason that they cannot be rehabilitated due to mental issue s and violent behaviors. Of course these programs are not for everyone, just because the programs are available it does not mean that anyone can participate in them. There are steps to be taken by the prison administrators and the courts before allowing an individual to go thru one of these alternative sanctions. One problem that is in the minds of politicians and the states is how much will these programs cost will it be cost effective to send these individuals through these programs to reduce the prison overcrowding. The data shows that alternative sanctions have been proven to be cost effective and they are successful in reducing the criminal behavior and decreasing the prison population (Heroux, 2011). The goal of the criminal justice system is not to eliminate all prisons all together, but to keep them full of individual who really deserve to be there, for instance violent, aggressive and mentally challenged individuals who cannot be walking around in the public because they pose a threat to the society. Another program that is helping many individuals and juveniles especially is the drug treatment programs. As we all know, jail and prisons do not always work for many individuals because they have different problems that need to be looked at by specialists, for example drug addiction. Adult and juveniles who were charged with drug offenses, but they were not violent had the chance to participate in these programs to try and rehabilitate themselves and not return to their bad habits and prisons. These alternative programs are there to give hope to many individuals who did not have the same opportunities that others had and with some training they can be successful and be model citi zens. As a condition to these criminals is that if they do not participate and cooperate with the program the only solution is to return them to prison where they can serve their remainder of their sentences. Drug treatment programs usually take from 16 to 24 months of residential drug treatment depending on the severity of the individual’s addiction (The National Reentry Resource Center, 2012). Drug treatment programs have a successful track record in different states of the country. According to the National Reentry Resource Center, participants who were successful in completing the program were 33 percent less likely to return to prison, 45 percent less likely to be convicted (The National Reentry Resource Center, 2012). In conclusion, alternative sanctions exist so that individuals can have a second chance to straighten up their lives and not return to prisons where more damage can actually happen for them. The programs will not be easy to complete, but in the end they will feel proud of themselves and they will be ready to face the world in a different perspective. Studies have been shown that individuals who participated in alternative programs were more than likely to be more successful than individuals who did not participate in them. The programs mentioned above have been used for years and they have been proven to decrease the prison population, but in order to make a difference we as a society need to support these programs because they are very expensive and is the only way we are going to decrease the overcrowding in our prisons. References Dunn, W. N. (2008). Public Policy Analysis: An Introduction (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Heroux, P. (2011). Reducing Prison Overcrowding, Improving Justice and Preventing Crime. Retrieved from http://www.huggingtonpost.com/paul-heroux/ways-to-reduce-prison-ove_b_925603.html Marion, N. E., Oliver, W. M. (2006). The Public Policy of Crime and Criminal Justice (Rev ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. The National Reentry Resource Center. (2012). Justice Center. Retrieved from http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/what_works/evaluations/washingtons-drug-offender-sentencing-alternatives-dosa

Adderall Use in College Students

Adderall Use in College Students The stress and demand of college on students only seems to be increasing with little ways to cope. Some can’t cope with it and drop out, others struggle through it giving what they can, for some others though, they rely on neuro-enhancing drugs to increase the brains capability to focus and perform. Adderall is a common drug found in this use, along with many others, and it is a legal prescription drug subscribed for ADHD. It enhances the processing speed and energy levels of the user, the defining reason it is helpful to college students. However helpful it may be considered, there are health risks that come from taking adderall. Margaret Talbot, a writer of The New Yorker, reports, â€Å"Drugs such as adderall can cause nervousness, headaches, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, among other side effects.†(654) While headaches and sleeplessness are common, the list only grows with concerning problems. Talbot continues to list risks, noting, â€Å"The label (an FDA warning) also mentions that adults using Adderall have reported serious cardiac problems†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (654). So along with even mild health risks, larger ones have been reported and are acknowledged by the Food and Drug Administration. Along with risks follows consequences of using Adderall, as reported in a 2011 study, â€Å"These consequences include suicidal and homicidal ideation, seizure, and various cardiac complications, such as hypertension, hypotension, tachycardia, palpitations, and dsyrhythmias.†(Jardin, Looby, Earleywine, 1) Therefo re, the misuse of Adderall extends greatly beyond health risks, to loss of life consequences. Another form of health risk, mental rather than psycho-somatic, is the addiction side of the drug and the ignorance of its health risks. Though users view it to be harmless, â€Å"a professor at the university of Michigan’s Substance Abuse and Research Center, reported that in the previous year 4.1 percent os American undergraduates had taken prescription stimulants for off-label use.†(Talbot, 654) That means a general 4.1 percent of American undergraduates abused the prescription drug for purposes other than it should be used. According to Talbot, some other schools reported, â€Å"the figure was 25 percent†, a significantly higher percentage, and â€Å" A 2002 study at a small college found that more than 35 percent of the students had used prescription stimulants non medically in the previous year†(654). These numbers are far apart, but still numbers to be looked at in order notice signs of addiction. â€Å"An FDA warning on Adderall’s label not es that â€Å"amphetamines have a high potential for abuse and can lead to dependence†(Talbot, 654). Once again, a health concern is FDA recognized with the use of Adderall, â€Å"Yet college students tend to consider Adderall and Ritalin benign, in part because they are likely to know peers who have taken the drugs since childhood for ADHD.†(Talbot, 654) If it seems harmless to them, how can it be harmful to you, right? Adderall and drugs like it are prescribed for the specific use to help ADHD, for effects we have yet to understand. Despite this, the results of an online public poll published by Nature, reported that, â€Å"69 percent said that mild side effects were an acceptable risk.†(Talbot, 655) Debatably, the mild risks may be acceptable, but what is to be said about the life threatening risks. While they are harmful, it is hardly reported to not be effective. Alex (a Harvard graduate) put it, â€Å"Productivity is a good thing†(Talbot, 655). Adderall and drugs like it are commonly identified as neuroenhancers because of they fact that they are supposed to help with productivity and focus. Alex has also stated though, â€Å"it only works as a cognitive enhancer insofar as you are dedicated to accomplishing the task at hand†(Talbot, 655), so it is not just like they can be taken and automatically help. Alex elaborates, â€Å"The number of times I’ve taken Adderall late at night and decided that, rather than starting my paper, hey, I’ll organize my entire music library!†(Talbot, 655) Alex claims, â€Å"I’ve looked back at my papers I’ve written on Adderall, and they’re verbose† and, â€Å"with Adderall I’d produce two pages on something that could be said in a couple of sentences†(Talbot, 655). So wh ile they may help productivity, they don’t increase ability to write well. A â€Å"transhumanist† named Seltzer uses, â€Å"a drug called piracetam†(Talbot, 656), which is, not approved for any use by the FDA†(Talbot, 656). Upon interview, â€Å"I asked Seltzer if he thought he should wait for scientific ratification of piracetam. He laughed. â€Å" I don’t want to,† he said, â€Å"Because it’s working†(Talbot , 659). Users report despite the known and unknown risks and design of the drug on the human body and mind, they don’t care as long as it is productive and working. This begs a further question, is it worth banning if people will continue to use it anyways? Though it has such consequences, why hasn’t it been banned. According to Talbot, â€Å"It makes no sense to ban the use of neuroenhancers. Too many people are already taking them, and the user’s them to be educate damd privileged peopler who proceed with just enough caution to avoid getting into trouble.†(659) Talbot makes a point, just like illegal drug trades, people like them, and will likely continue using them. Furthermore, Talbot’s generalization â€Å"the users tend to be educated and privileged†¦with just enough caution to avoid getting into trouble†(659) leads to another point; it is the user’s decision. Talbot claims â€Å"They can make their own choices about how to alter their minds, just as they can make their own decisions about shaping their bodies.† It is the choice and accepted risk of the user to take neuroenhancing drugs, just like smoking and drinking, they have to take all responsibility for the consequences a nd products. Seltzer believed using neuroenhancers, â€Å" is like customizing yourself-customizing your brain† (Talbot, 657). In the developing society, it is considered important to let individuals express how they feel, even if it means changing something about them. Socially, using neuroenhancers to develop ones mind in a way they want, may not be looked negatively upon. However, this can lead to professional complications. Use of Adderall in a college setting brings up complications with competition and grades. Some students on, â€Å"The BoredAt Web Sites†(Talbot, 655), present concerns with, â€Å"Occasional dissents (I think there should be random drug testing at every exam)† Considering the performance and focus boost neuroenhancers can provide, this can give a helping hand to studying. While some students use neuroenhancers to get ahead, that leaves the other students at a disadvantage, similar to athletes who dope to get ahead, a newer concept-â€Å"brain doping†(Talbot, 659). And just like sports, College is also competitive, especially focusing at high professionalism doctorate programs, where the best of the best are picked. While banning the use of neuroenhancers may seem like a good idea, the user will not care about if they are banned or not, the problem will still stay present.   Talbot spoke to Alex again, saying â€Å"he had gone back to taking Adderall-a small dose every day. He felt that he was learning to use the drug in a more â€Å"disciplined† manner.†(660) It appeared to yield results in a change of mentality and use, as Alex stated, â€Å"it was less about staying up late to finish homework he should have done earlier, and more â€Å"about staying focussed on work, which makes me want to work longer hours.† The use itself of adderall isn’t necessarily that bad part, as it it the misuse for inappropriate reasons to either get ahead or do what should have been done. For Alex, it boiled down to his concept of use, he controlled his use of Adderall to improve his work ethic, rather than to demoralize it’s use for better grades and lack of a work ethic to be gin with. Neurohancers don’t need to be banned, but rather people need to be educated on the effects and consequences of it, so they can learn to control it in Alex’s â€Å"disciplined manner†(Talbot, 660). The drug itself is not the problem, but the misuse and lack of understanding on it’s use. While banning it is pointless, controlling it, and how people ethically use it should be the point of focus moving on.   Works Cited Jardin, Bianca, et al. â€Å"Characteristics of College Students with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity   Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Disorder Symptoms Who Misuse Their Medications.† Journal of American College Health, vol. 59, no. 5, Apr/May2011, pp. 373-377. EBSCOhost, doi:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10.1080/07448481.2010.513073 McCabe, Sean Esteban, et al. Non-Medical Use of Prescription Stimulants among US College   Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Students: Prevalence and Correlates from a National Survey. Addiction, vol. 100, no. 1, Jan. 2005, pp. 96-106. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.00944.x Talbot, Margaret. â€Å"Brain Gain: The Underground World of â€Å"Neuroenhancing† Drugs.† The New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Yorker, web, 19 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/04/27/brain-gain.

LAND OF OPPORTUNITY Essay -- essays research papers

United States of America Land of Opportunity?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  United States of America is known as the land of opportunity for many immigrants who dare to dream of a better life. Since the beginning of American history, United States has focused more about equal opportunity than any other country. There are many people who strongly believe that once they come to the United States it is almost guaranteed to find success. For example, my relatives in Korea always ask my parents how much my family has earned so far. Also, they believe that we live in a totally different world, living the American dream. However, it seems like this country is no longer the land of opportunity for those who are immigrants and the low class people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many immigrants come to United States to achieve their America Dreams as my family did a few years ago. They think that they can get high-paying jobs easily, but the reality is not. According to an article, The Land of Opportunity? (Los Angeles business Journal, 1999), immigrants cannot get opportunities for high-paying jobs because: â€Å"The limited number of manufacturing jobs that they might have moved into in previous generations†; â€Å" The need for specialized training in many of jobs†; and â€Å"The lack of union-style apprentice program.† The article also says that many Los Angeles’ poor families are concentrated among recently arrived immigrant groups, most of them Latino, 600,000 or so Kim02 in Los Angeles count...

Annie Dillards A Pilgrim At Tinker Creek and Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five :: Tinker Creek Slaughterhouse essays

Annie Dillard's A Pilgrim At Tinker Creek and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five Throughout history people in general have tried in countless ways to explain the presence of a ‘higher being’. It is basic human nature to wonder about such things. Each and every one of these people has come up with a different explanation for their interpretation of the spiritual power. Annie Dillard and Kurt Vonnegut have given wonderful examples of how these interpretations can differ in their respective books A Pilgrim At Tinker Creek and Slaughterhouse-Five. Each of these books, although covering broad topics throughout, has focused on one center-point: The explanation of why we are here and what it is that we are supposed to do as people. In A Pilgrim At Tinker Creek, author Annie Dillard offers a look into her thoughts by publishing her journal of daily activities while living in a rural area. These activities range from taking walks by the creek to pondering the meanings of life by analyzing a praying-mantis egg sac. Each and every one of her journals offers a deep insight into the spiritual world, not by a particular ‘God’ but more through daily interactions with nature. A pilgrim is described as one who travels far, or in strange lands, to visit some holy place or shrine as a devotee. Dillard is simply that. Many people think that Dillard was inspired to write this novel by a near-fatal attack of pneumonia in 1971. She was remembered as saying that after she recovered, she felt an insatiable need to ‘experience life more fully’. She spent four seasons living near Tinker Creek in an attempt to find herself. What she found was not only how to live a full life, but al so religion. Her attempt to find meaning is made very apparent in the beginning of her book. â€Å"We wake, if we ever wake at all, to mystery, rumors of death, beauty, violence...."Seem like we're just set down here," a woman said to me recently, "and don't nobody know why."† (Dillard, 4). These are vexing questions to us all, and Dillard was determined to explore them.

Eulogy for Father :: Eulogies Eulogy

Eulogy for Father "I have been having a lot of feelings since my father's illness and death and we will see how long the feelings will allow me to speak. By far the biggest feeling I have had has been gratefulness. Gratefulness to have stood in the shade of my father's tree. Because to me my father was like a tree in many ways. An oak tree. An oak who's taproot was anchored in faith and in the Divine, and with branches and leaves that act as a home for those around. I stood in that home and for that I am so grateful. It's an experience that I wish I could condense into a couple of words and then tell you. People I talk to say sometimes "I guess you can't expect your family to be like the Brady Bunch." I don't have the heart to tell them that I wouldn't ever trade my family for that, nor for anyone. It was an incredible experience to grow up in my family with my mother and father. My father’s tree was stable, you couldn't push it, and it was strong. It was a place for everyone around him to glow. He wanted others to glow. He enjoyed and reveled in the glow of everyone around him...not only his own. It is a beautiful thing for a man to be able to do that. I honor him for that. And boy, do I feel a little dwarfed by comparison. A couple of weeks ago I told him, "Dad, you have always done things so deliberately and calmly you have been a great role model for me. I just feel so overwhelmed by trying to follow in your footsteps." He looked at me and motioned with his hand as if throwing a ball at me and said, "Oh you're all right." Somehow that "oh you're all right" was the biggest blessing. He had told me many times that he loved me, that he was proud of what I did, but this sunk deeply into me and I felt it as a blessing from him like I had never received before. All the times my father told me of his love for me, or how he was proud of what I was doing or what ever, were still with me but this simple phrase moved me in a unique way. I think I can speak for all of my siblings when I say that we always knew within our family that we were loved.

A World Class Education Ch 3

The bigger the change, it seems, the more difficult the task. Education is one of the most important things in a child’s life, so what happens when someone decides to present new challenges to our way of thinking? Vivian Stewart attempts to bring some very good points to light in chapter three of her book A World Class Education. Most successful systems tend to have the same basic elements when it comes to education.Strong leadership with ambitious vision is necessary for a profitable future in American instruction. High quality teachers and administrators who focus on global and future orientated goals help guide their students toward a more equitable state. Teacher accountability is also extremely significant; the nation board standard number four states that teachers should strive to strengthen their skills as an educator and critically examine their practice in order to improve their performance.Lastly, teachers should always keep an open mind for the future and continuous ly learn new ways to develop curriculum. This relates to national standard number five. In physical science, students are required to manipulate mathematical equations in order to solve for a range of variables. Here in the United States, we use the English system as our standard for measurement: However, nearly everywhere else in the world, the metric system is used.I apply global orientation to my classroom by teaching my students the metric system and explaining why it is important for scientists to have the same system of measurement. We should be mindful of learning the way others do things and less consumed with the our own systems when we can all benefit from a unified structure. Stewart, V. (2012). A world-class education: learning from international models of excellence and innovation. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD.

Assess the Role of Faith in Supporting Religious Belief Essay

In 1877, William Kingdon Clifford propositioned in his book â€Å"Ethics and Belief† that belief in something without sufficient evidence is irrational. Whilst he accepted that in many beliefs there is often an epistemic gap between the evidence and the conclusion (inductive reasoning) he did also claim that â€Å"It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.† Furthermore he claimed that that tolerating credulity (a tendency to believe readily) and superstition will damage ultimately society. He concurred with David Hume (1711-76) when he said â€Å"All wise men proportion their belief to the evidence.† This stance – that belief without sufficient evidence is irrational – is called evidentialism, and is adopted by many atheists (including Clifford and Hume) in their view of theology. However, natural theology instead attempts to meet evidentialism on its own terms by trying to show that belief in God is actually rational. It draws collectively upon all of the a posteriori arguments for God’s existence including the teleological, cosmological, moral and experiential arguments. However, it is rare that an atheist will be convinced by the evidence of these arguments anywhere beyond the point of agnosticism. It is generally accepted that belief in God requires some element of seemingly irrational faith. Indeed, the stance of fideism states that reason plays no part in belief. â€Å"Whoever attempts to demonstrate the existence of God†¦is an excellent subject for a comedy of higher lunacy.† – Soren Kierkegaard. Moderate fideists suggest that reason can actually be destructive to one’s faith. They claim that reason leads to arrogance by encouraging the idea that human reason alone will suffice and that God unnecessary for moral or spiritual direction. Whilst moderate theists view reason as a barrier to true faith however, (thus disregarding natural theology as irrelevant) extreme theists go so far as to agree with Tertullian when he said (AD 155-222) â€Å"Credo quia absurdum est.† or â€Å"I believe because it is absurd.† Aquinas (1225-74) claimed that there were two ways in which to know God. The first is through natural theology, including his five a posteriori proofs constructed by human reason. The second is through â€Å"revealed theology† which cannot be found by human reason alone, but must involve divine intervention or revelation. The acceptance of these revealed truths requires faith, and this is fundamental to the Christian religion. For example, only faith can reveal the truth behind the statement â€Å"God is the father, the son and the Holy Ghost† or that â€Å"the bread of communion is the body of Christ†. Thus revelation provides us with a body of truths, which must be taken on faith alone. Aquinas claims that faith is a combination of reason and opinion. It involves reason since it is propositional i.e. claims certain beliefs to be true and therefore similar to scientific knowledge. On the other hand these truths cannot be proved, and so involve an epistemic gap. It is this epistemic gap that makes faith a matter of opinion and so allows humanity free will over their belief. The stance that it is our choice whether or not to take a leap of faith was also held by Soren Kierkegaard (1812-1855). Alvin Plantinga (1932-) proposed that the classical foundationalism upon which evidentialism is based is flawed. Foundationalist beliefs are described by Plantinga as â€Å"the starting points for thought† and he summarises their definition as: â€Å"I am entitled to believe X without any evidence if and only if it is self-evident, incorrigible or certain to me in some way†. He argues that this is flawed, since this statement is itself neither self-evident, incorrigible nor is it certain in some way. It appears therefore that foundationalism defines itself as irrational. He also states that there are many beliefs that can be held rationally, but that do not fall under the foundationalist criteria or that can be justified contingently. For example, the trust we have in our memory, or the belief that other people have minds of their own. Plantinga argues that we must ultimately reject classical foundationalism on the grounds that it is incoherent, and also because it rejects many beliefs that common sense tells us to be properly basic. He propositions that his reformed epistemology should take the place of classical foundationalism, and because of this: â€Å"It is entirely right, rational, reasonable and proper to believe in God without any evidence at all.† A theist might claim that it just appears obvious to them that God exists, and for Plantinga this is good enough. However, surely this would mean that anything we like can be a properly basic belief? Could a child’s belief in Santa Clause not be defined as properly basic? Plantinga would respond by saying that it is the beliefs directly connected to God’s existence that are properly basic, rather than the belief in God’s existence itself. For example, the guilt felt after committing a bad deed or the sense that something must have cre ated and designed the universe. Blaisà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Pascal (1623-1662) deemed that it was reasonable to have faith in God by a sheer act of will, so certain was he that he put forward a wager: â€Å"Let us weigh the gain and loss in wagering that God is (exists)†¦If you gain, you gain all, if you lose, you lose nothing.† By this, he meant that the theist stands the chance of gaining entrance to heaven at the risk of nothing, whilst the atheist however risks damnation to hell. However, surely this basis of self-gain is at odds with the teachings of the Christian church? W.K.Clifford suggested that God would deny heaven to those who followed Pascal’s wager on the basis that faith should be founded upon trust and morality, not self gain. Pascal might have responded that true belief would arise from the habit of religion i.e. baptism, mass, prayer etc. However, this is contradicted somewhat by his opinion that one’s relationship with God should be somewhat deeper. â€Å"It is the heart which pe rceives God and not reason.† Furthermore, Pascal’s definition of faith appears to ignore the recognition of God’s immanence and His affect on our everyday lives. William James (1842-1910) found Pascal’s proposition that we can change our beliefs by an act of will entirely ridiculous. He claimed solidly that our beliefs are contingent i.e. each new belief is connected to the previous one. He does agree however that it is rational to sustain a belief even without sufficient evidence given certain circumstances. The first circumstance is where the evidence is indeterminate between two beliefs i.e. favours neither option. The second circumstance is if we are faced with a genuine option i.e. one that is living, forced and momentous. By living James means one that is a reality, as opposed to a dead option, that whilst theoretically possible, isn’t actually going to happen e.g. a devout Catholic supporting the gay pride movement. A forced option is one that cannot be avoided, e.g. choosing whether to go to school or to have a lie in when your alarm goes off at 7:30. A momentous option is one that is unique and irreversible e.g. joining the army – as opposed to a trivial option which is reversible and one that happens regularly throughout life. James states that it is therefore sometimes rational to believe in God without sufficient evidence if the choice is a genuine option. He disputes Pascal’s wager as necessarily being a genuine option as it is not necessarily forced (one could deny the possibility of going to hell) nor is it necessarily living (one might be a devout follower of a different religion). However, he does accept that for a person who perceives the evidence as indeterminate and is already open to belief in God, Pascal’s wager might succeed in tipping the scales and getting them to make that leap of faith. James does believe however that faith can in some instances be a genuine option, and a decision that involves seizing the opportunity and taking a risk. He states that when faced with a genuine option and without sufficient evidence, making a decision will then reveal the evidence to us. For example, one cannot be sure of a stranger’s kindness until they have decided to trust the stranger and give them a chance. Similarly, by making a leap of faith in God, the definitive truth will be later revealed by eschatological verification. However, natural theologians such as Aquinas would certainly dispute James’ claim that the evidence is indeterminate, for the cosmological, teleological, moral and experiential arguments – whilst inconclusive – can be extremely persuasive. Furthermore, like Pascal, he seems to ignore faith as an acceptation of God’s immanence and active presence in our lives. The version of faith held by Aquinas, Plantinga, Pascal and James is propositional in that they all claim that faith about believes in God’s objective existence. However, faith can also be seen existentially as an attitude incorporating God subjectively into the believer’s life. For instance, when I say â€Å"I believe that murder is wrong† or â€Å"I believe in free speech† I am not stating anything about existence, but rather about my commitment towards certain values. H.H.Price (1899-1985) claimed that the statement â€Å"I believe in God† is similar to this in that it is a way of perceiving the world using certain values. â€Å"to see oneself as a created, dependent creature, receiving life and well being from a higher source†¦the only appropriate attitude is one of grateful worship and obedience.† – John Hick. To conclude; each of the arguments examined above vary in their relationship with reason, but what they all have in common is that faith is central to the believer and must work independently of reason to some degree. Some of the arguments incorporate reason, some reject it entirely, but the transcendent nature of God can never be proved, can never be indubitable, for faith is an integral part of religion. Perhaps then natural theology is not trying to prove God’s existence to the point where faith is cast out and certainty resides in its place, but rather it is merely trying to explore God’s nature. â€Å"I do not seek to understand so that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand† – St. Anselm (1033-1109) Proslogian 1. Natural theology could therefore be seen as an expression of faith, rather than a foundation for it. The majority of theists argue that faith is necessary, for if God proved himself to us, we would no longer have free will over our belief and so would be robots without dignity. On the other hand, surely God in His omnipotence could find some way of maintaining our freedom whilst simultaneously providing us certainty of his love? Why not give certainty to the millions of His helpless and suffering children who have lost faith; for where is their dignity?

Characteristics of a Filipino Citizen Essay

The Filipinos are friendly because we have a confidence with our talent. We Filipinos are saying greetings like â€Å"hi† or â€Å"hello† to other people. And I choose the negative trait Undisciplined because I agree with its trait. Why? Because when we say discipline it is doing what is right at the right time. The reason why they are saying we are friendly that is because we are happy. When we are happy, we are in a good mood so that they can approach us easily. Another reason why we are friendly, it is because we want many friends, not just friends but real friends. But choose the friends who are good influence to you. I choose this trait because I am also a friendly Filipino. I want to have many friends, so that when I’m in the midst of trouble I have many real friends to help me. In happiness, loneliness and depression. I choose Undisciplined as a negative trait. Although it is negative trait but there is no doubt about it. In this generation, we have many gadgets that distract us for doing what we should do in that time. Therefore we are making fun of the gadgets nowadays. Filipinos are friendly. The proof of this trait are In my first day of the school I don’t have any friends in personal, only in Facebook. I have a seatmate, we don’t approach each one. It’s like both of us are waiting to ask his name, few minutes I ask his name then he answered then we are now friends. We also asked the name of his seatmate. The following days, his friend and my friends are now friends. We have many friends. I think this trait comes only in our culture. It doesn’t come on other country. And we Filipinos are hospitable so that the other countries comment that we are friendly. Only in the Philippines who are hospitable. Filipinos are undisciplined. In our generation, we have many gadgets we have many entertainment things. We forgot our things that we should do. I experience this and also I am experiencing it nowadays. I have an assignment to do, then the television is on. There is a beautiful movies, then after that movie there is another beautiful movie. I that case, we have a tendency to waste the time for the assignment. Another example, we have an appointment. Then the meeting time is 9am sharp, you arrived there 10am. That is undisciplined Filipino. We are lazy, it came from the Spaniards. The instruction is to write in the notebook. Then you just take a picture or captured it. My point is that we have to realize. What are Filipinos like? Where we came from? Where did we get that attitude? How can be a creative in our countries. I imagine if we colonize other country, we share our traits to them. I realized that our other attitude came from different country. In our country, we have a originality. Like being polite to elders. By saying â€Å"po† and â€Å"opo†. You say â€Å"opo† and â€Å"po† in your parents, grandma, grandpa, tito, tita, elder brother, elder sister, strangers. By being hospitable, when we have visitors we quickly assist them, by giving food, merianda. We pretend to be happy, even if we have major problems. Like when there is a disaster, we are always happy. All I can say is we Filipinos are unique race. We are different in other country. We have a unique sense of humor only in the Philippines. Filipinos over the years have proven time and time again that they are a people with an industrious attitude. This is seen by others as Filipinos being only useful as domestic helpers, working abroad to help their families in the country. Like the farmers in our country, they use there own power. Unlike in other country they us machines to make some â€Å"palay†. Even with little support, technological weaknesses and the country’s seasonal typhoons, the Filipino farmer still work hard to earn their daily meal. We, Filipinos are also religious in our beliefs particularly in Catholicism and Islam. Families would strengthen and encourage their children to attend only once a week in the mass at the same time we have a family bonding and strengthen out relationship in each member of the family. And lastly Filipinos are honest in there doings. In general, they would prefer to work hard for an honest day’s pay than to find an easier way like stealing or cheating.

Walmart Store Analysis

Wal-Mart, â€Å"Always Low Prices, Always.† It is well known that one of the great keys to Wal-Mart’s formidable success is its lower-than-low cost of doing business. Wages in particular are as low as can be. Minimum wages and minimum benefits: that’s the way Wal-Mart stays ultra competitive.This report examines the state of Wal-Mart’s business practices and its effect on the economy. It will describe Wal-Mart as a non-union employer, paying lower wages to their employees than other retail and grocery stores. They do not offer benefits to all employees and most are unable to afford them.Between Wal-Mart’s business practices in increasing their profits and the need to recognize their social and ethical responsibilities, Wal-Mart needs to find a comfortable balance of profitability and responsibility in order to improve their reputation.During the process of writing this report, we found that there was much more information to be discussed about Wal-M art’s unethical business practice than what was reported. We also wanted to point out that although all companies do everything possible to lower their costs and maintain high production rates, Wal-Mart has crossed the line over the years by managing their profits in unethical ways compared to other large corporations who have been ethically and successfully managing their business practices. Information that can be found on Wal-Mart is changing everyday and it was  sometimes difficult to keep up.EXECUTIVE SUMMARYWal-Mart has been recognized as the leader in its industry and the largest company in the nation. With its powerful profit making abilities, Wal-Mart has grown from a local corner store to the money making â€Å"monster† it is today. The company has damaged its reputation over the years due to unethical choices made by its top executives. As a result, its anti-union stance has been singled out on issues concerning benefits, wages, and overall business practi ces.When reviewing Wal-Mart’s financial statements, one would be overwhelmed to see such high performances; but when you are a Wal-Mart employee, it is no surprise why that is true. Employees have been denied opportunities of advancement and pay raises. Lawsuits have been pending against the company with employees claiming they have been denied promotion opportunities in the company due to their gender, and some employees have sued for being over-worked and under paid.Wal-Mart has become so big in its industry, that it has lowered the wages through out the country and has influenced economic change. Since most of Wal-Mart’s employees live below the poverty line, it is difficult for them to afford health insurance when deductions out of their paychecks are sometimes as high as 33%. A Wal-Mart employee who obtains health insurance would have a very difficult time raising a family with this kind of premium. Wal-Mart employees are unable to receive healthcare benefits beca use the cost is too high and their wages are low.As a result, employees face a difficult time deciding whether to sacrifice such a large portion of their pay to obtain health insurance; in most cases Wal-Mart employees persist without health coverage. Deductions for health insurance are higher for Wal-Mart employees than other national retail employees. A Wal-Mart employee pays about 25% more for health insurance than the average retail worker. Wal-Mart has also been opposed by its female employees, who make up two-thirds of its workforce.Women have been discriminated in wage and have been denied any advancement to upper managerial positions – dominated my men. Men make approximately 5%-15% more than women and have a higher chance of advancing to a better position. Dukes vs. Wal-Mart, filed in 2001, was the largest lawsuit against a private employer in the nation and represented 1. 6 million female employees who were discriminated based on their sex. From lawsuits to employee complaints, Wal-Mart has been faced with a great deal of difficulties that have developed through their own unethical business practices.Although every company’s goal is to lower costs and produce large numbers, Wal-Mart has made sky-rocketing profits by unethically hurting its employees and cutting down their wages. Many question why Wal-Mart, the richest retailer in the world, chooses not to provide adequate wages or health benefits for its employees. If Wal-Mart were to reform its health benefits program, raise their product prices by as little as a penny, and create a bias free working environment for women, Wal-Mart would be in better terms with its employees and improve the reputation it sacrificed from the start.â€Å"SAVE MONEY, LIVE BETTER†, NOT ON WAL-MART WAGESINTRODUCTION BackgroundWal-Mart, the large international discount chain was founded by Sam Walton. On May 5, 1950, Walton purchased a store in Bentonville, Arkansas, and opened Walton’s 5 & 10. Little did the small town residents know that they would later become the headquarters for the world’s largest retailer store in the U. S. Through his savvy, and sometimes unusual, business practices, he and his associates led the company forward for thirty years.As Wal-Mart grew into a global corporation it is today, it has dealt with a great deal of criticism by outsiders. Wal-Mart’s ethical citizenship has been questioned numerous times and researched by many. There have been many doubts about Wal-Mart’s business integrity and questions whether their practices are ethical or not. Wal-Mart has faced, and is still facing, a significant amount of controversy over several different issues.Wal-Mart has been caught bribing its employees, discriminating against women, denying its employees of training or promotions, paying low wages, and providing high deductibles for health insurance. Wal-Mart is now paying the consequences and need to become socially responsible in order to maintain a better reputation with society. Although consumers are reeled in with the low prices Wal-Mart has to offer, others feel their ethical beliefs are more important than saving a quick buck.Statement of Purpose The purpose of this report is to examine Wal-Mart’s unethical business practices with a focus on employee wages and high health care deductibles. The report will question Wal-Mart’s aptitude to sell products cheaper than any of its leading competitors and yet maintain making a substantial amount of profit. The report will analyze the unethical practices that have developed through Wal-Mart’s history as a result of focusing on high productivity and profit making strategies.Scope The report will describe Wal-Mart’s unethical business practices that affect its employees. It will examine Wal-Mart’s unethical behavior in conducting business with an overall focus on employee wages.Limitations Time constraints have limited the ex tent of the research. There is a vast amount of information regarding this issue and we are unable to report it all. In addition, no funds are available to conduct primary research.Methods of Research The method of research for this paper was secondary research through databases, internet websites, and books. The research databases of California State University, Los Angeles, will be used to locate articles in current and past publication. The databases used are Lexis/Nexis and  Business Source Premiere. Also libraries, such as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library at California State University, Los Angeles and Los Angeles Public Library in Porter Ranch, California.The major findings of this study indicate that Wal-Mart being the world’s largest and richest retail chain is setting the standard on wages for retail workers and beyond. Because Wal-Mart has become so big, it has dragged down wages throughout the country. Wal-Mart has become what it is today by selling products at low prices and paying their â€Å"associates† even lower wages. Unhappy Wal-Mart workers complain as much about being over-worked as underpaid. Wal-Mart has its own stated policies at its employees’ expense. Wal-Mart pays it’s â€Å"associates† below basic living wage standards and even below poverty lines.Overworked and Underpaid EmployeesH. Lee Scott Jr. is the chief executive of the powerful corporation we call Wal-Mart. According to Mr. Scott, by selling vast quantities of goods at its trademark â€Å"Every Day Low Prices,† Wal-Mart has single-handedly raised America’s standard of living, saving consumers about $100 billion a year (Bianco 2). They feel that selling vast quantities of low price merchandise gives them the right to act as if they represent the American people. Scott states, â€Å"Wal-Mart also provides good jobs for hundreds of thousands of equally deserving employees, offers even part-time workers generous health insur ance and other benefits† (Bianco 2).He accuses greedy labor unions, inefficient supermarket chains, and other Wal-Mart opponents of distorting â€Å"the facts† to suit their own purposes. Wal-Mart insists on describing themselves as â€Å"pro-associate, not anti-union,† but is quick to suppress any and all attempts to have unions organize in its stores. In his book The Bully of Bentonville, Anthony Bianco describes how Wal-Mart has affected wages beyond their own company: Because Wal-Mart is so big, it has dragged down wages throughout the country.Economists at the University of California at Berkeley  found that Wal-Mart’s expansion during the 1990s cut the income of America’s retail employees by 1. 3 percent-or by $4. 7 billion in 2000 alone. What is more, the depressing effect of Wal-Mart’s expansion on payrolls extended well beyond retailing. According to a 2005 analysis by economists at the Public Policy Institute of California, take-h ome pay per person fell by 5 percent across the board following Wal-Mart’s entry into a country.The evidence â€Å"strongly suggest(s) that Wal-Mart stores lead to wage declines,  shifts to lower-paying jobs (or less skilled workers), or increased use of part-time workers. (4) Today, Wal-Mart is surrounded by controversy, but the greatest is from within. Unhappy employees are quitting and dozens of class-action lawsuits are pending against the company. Managers have been known to force employees to work extra hours without pay; either by eliminating breaks or by having them clock out and keep working â€Å"off the clock†. This is Wal-Mart’s way of saving on costs at the price of its employees. Store managers earn bonuses based on earnings.Since the corporation dictates the inventory and operating expenses, managers’ only control is labor costs. Joyce Moody, a former manager in Alabama and Mississippi, told the New York Times that Wal-Mart â€Å"threat ened to write up managers if they didn’t bring the payroll in low enough†. Depositions in wage and hour lawsuits reveal that company headquarters leaned on management to keep their labor costs at 8 percent of sales or less, and managers in turn leaned on assistant managers to work their employee’s off-the-clock or simply delete time from employee time sheet (ufcw.org).In the late 1990’s Wal-Mart’s annual turnover rate was a remarkably high 70 percent, 40 percent higher than in previous years (Slater 120). Wal-Mart does not see this as being a problem. The constant turnover reduces employees eligible for raises, promotions, benefits, and holds the average wage down. Just another way to keep payroll costs at a minimum.Employee WagesWal-Mart employs 1. 3 million workers in just the U. S. and operates more than 3,400 stores throughout the United States. A full time employee working 28- 40 hours a week at Wal-Mart is paid on an average of $250 a week. Be sides having low wages, those workers who are interested or eligible in obtaining health insurance for themselves or for their family pay high premiums and frequently don’t get the coverage they expect. The majority of Wal-Mart employees live below the poverty line and after making deductions in taxes and insurance coverage, a Wal-Mart employee’s salary is not enough to provide them a standard way of living.â€Å"The 2003 poverty guideline for a family of four is $18,400, $4,256 more than the $14,144 in earnings a full-time Wal-Mart worker earns at $8 per hour†¦ A household of four with a gross income of $23,920 or less could be eligible for food stamps -$9,776 more than a full-time, $8-an-hour Wal-Mart worker would earn in a year. † (www. aflcio. org) These numbers are even worst for part time workers. Today, one-third of Wal-Mart’s employees are part-time workers. They are limited to less than 34 hours of work per week and are not eligible for bene fits and must wait 1 year before they can enroll.Sex Discrimination in the Work PlaceIn addition to Wal-Mart’s low wages, its female workers are more disadvantaged and discriminated against in wage than its male workers. More than two thirds of Wal-Mart’s hourly employees are women and make up most of the lower wage positions which include: working the cash registers, stocking shelves and working the sales floor. Although men take responsibilities in these positions as well, the majority of men who work at Wal-Mart have positions as Management Associates or much higher ranked positions. Seventy-two percent of Wal-Mart employees are female and less than one-third of those women have management positions in the company.With that in mind, the average male employee was paid about $5,000 more in 2001 per year than the average female full-time employee. As Wal-Mart’s own workforce data reveals, women in every major job category at Wal-Mart have been paid less than men with the same seniority, in every year since 1997 even though the female employees on average have higher performance ratings and less turnover than men. (http://www. walmartclass. com).Dukes vs. Wal-Mart is said to be the largest and most famous gender discrimination lawsuit against a private employer and is the largest class-action suit in U. S. history, representing 1.6 million current and former female employees. Betty Dukes was the leading plaintiff in the case and sued Wal-Mart for sex discrimination; she was a fifty-four year old African-American woman who worked as a greeter for Wal-Mart.Factors such as seniority and performance were Wal-Mart’s main excuses and reasons that women earned from 5% to 15% less than men. It is disappointing to see that even the cashier positions, that are dominated by women, have men earning more than women. Wal-Mart not only overworks, under pays and discriminates against women, but it also provides neither childcare for workers or affor dable family health benefits.Unaffordable Healthcare DeductiblesWal-Mart employees are incapable of receiving healthcare benefits available for them because of its high cost and their low wages. Since most of Wal-Mart’s employees are unable to afford these health benefits, most of these individuals either turn to government aided insurance such as Medicaid, depend on their spouse’s plans, or expect to see a doctor in rare and emergency cases with no insurance. It is argued that uncovered Wal-Mart employees are not signing up for medical insurance and benefits because most of them exceed the income ceiling and are not eligible.Wal-Mart provides insurance for over 900,000 employees that are with and with out dependants. Employee premiums range between $143. 54 to $249. 71 per month for family coverage and $33. 04 to $72. 04 per month for single coverage. The National Average of workers covered by employer health insurance is 67 percent, and only 47 percent of Wal-Martâ⠂¬â„¢s employees are covered by the company’s health care plan. That is a huge gap when considering that each percent represents thousands of people.Most Wal-Mart employees have a difficult time deciding whether to attain health insurance or stay uninsured for the sake of saving money. ‘Cynthia Murray, who has worked at a Wal-Mart store in Laurel, Md. , for six years, suffers from asthma, but goes to see a doctor only when she suffers a bad attack. Murray is 50 years old, makes $9. 47 an hour, and says that the Wal-Mart plan that costs $23 a month has a $1,000 deductible, which makes it too expensive for her to use. Another plan subtracts $100 from her paycheck every two weeks.â€Å"I don't think anybody working at Wal-Mart has that kind of money,† says Murray. â€Å"All I'm asking from Wal-Mart is a fair share. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Gogoi). Many Americans question why Wal-Mart, one of the richest companies in the United States, can’t offer affordable health i nsurance and pay a living wage. Comparing Wal-Mart’s employee health benefits and wages to Costco’s employee health benefits and wages, one will notice that Costco not only pays its employees higher than Wal-Mart but their deductions are far less. â€Å"The average wage at Costco is $17 an hour†¦. a full-time worker at Wal-Mart makes $7.50 an hour on average.Costco workers pay just 8% of their health premiums, whereas Wal-Mart workers pay 33% of theirs. Ninety-one percent of Costco's employees are covered by retirement plans, with the company contributing an annual average of $1,330 per employee† (Cascio). Based on these facts, it is easy to say that Wal-Mart employees are giving up a large portion of their paychecks to obtain health care. Wal-Mart employees who do have health insurance and receive coverage are paying more in premiums but receive less for their money; in large corporations this has become a trend.New laws have been passed intended to force large corporations to control employee wages and reduce insurance deductibles. From law suits to employee complaints, Wal-Mart has recently thought of ways to reduce the cost of health benefits. The new plan would charge monthly premiums ranging from $25. 00 for individuals to $65. 00 for a family, making that 45-65% less than what employees contributed in the company’s existing plan. But it is not enough to reform the reputation Wal-Mart has lost or the vulnerable employees they let down.ConclusionsHigh productivity and lowering costs is one of the top and most important objectives in business. Wal-Mart being the World’s largest retailer can afford to pay their â€Å"associates† more than what the minimum wage offers. They are in fact, the richest retailer in the world and yet neglect to provide their employees affordable health care with a livable wage. Even if Wal-Mart was to pass 100 percent of the wage increase on to consumers, the average impact on a Wal-M art shopper would be quite small.Wal-Mart’s choice of action toward employee wages, health benefits, and bias work environment have not only brought an enormous shadow over its employees’ lives but also over its own big business reputation. The injustice decisions made through out the history of Wal-Mart has changed many lives and has forever changed the American economy. In the business world, there is big, and then there is Wal-Mart. Recommendations Based on the conclusions presented above, the following actions are recommended: 1. Retaining â€Å"associates† already on staff would be more cost affective then high employee turnover. 2. Train employees. Give the opportunity to advance and have freedom to associate and organize. 3. Our analysis reveals that establishing a higher minimum wage for large retailers like Wal-Mart would have a significant impact on workers living in poverty or near-poverty. 4. In order to increase employee satisfaction, reforming the cost of health insurance would help keep Wal-Mart in good terms with their employees. 5. If Wal-Mart was to raise their prices by as little as a penny to the dollar it would afford them to pay the higher wages. Higher wages provide the employees opportunity to afford health coverage. 6. Implementing fair employment and labor practices. In other words, â€Å"Obey the Law†.

Women & Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Women & Development - Essay Example Because women are not strong as men, they are considered weak and therefore are subjected to prejudice and discrimination. For many centuries women have suffered at the hand of clergy and state. The former renounced women as morally weak while the latter didn’t allow women to use their right to vote. It was not until the 20th century that things started to change and there was considerable intellectual progress. But this progress has not yet made inroads in all regions of the world. The effect of the feminist movement of the 60s can be seen in the Europe and America but women in the developing countries are still facing many serious issues. In this paper we will discuss how UNICEF, a renowned international organization, is trying to deal with women issues like gender inequality, maternal health and other women development issues like female education. We will attempt to elaborate and then evaluate their efforts with regards to women related issues. In the end we will elucidate how UNICEF envisions the future of women development. UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund is an international organization which was established by the United Nations in 1946 in order to deal with the challenges children were facing in the post World War 2 era (UNICEF, 2010). The organization was mainly given the task to deal with the emergency situation children were facing but later the mission of the organization was broadened. Today UNICEF works for children and women in all parts of the world. The focus of the organization is on the children and women of developing world as they are the most vulnerable. UNICEF is funded by voluntary contributions from organizations, people, and countries all over the world. There are national committees that are established in different countries and their purpose is to raise funds. Individual donors also contribute to the organization and they are an important source of funding for UNICEF. UNICEF is working in different less develope d countries with an aim to safeguard rights of children and women. The organization focuses on education, health, and gender discrimination in the developing world. The situation for women and children in the developing world is extremely vulnerable as they are not even given the basic necessities of life. Moreover child abuse and domestic violence is common. In such a situation UNICEF helps to decrease the plight of women in a variety of ways. One such way is to provide education of children and women. Education is one of the areas of focus for UNICEF specially child education. It is important for children to get educated, at least to a certain extent, so that they can realize what their rights are and can also pass that education to their offspring. Women empowerment is also advocated by UNICEF and it calls for an end to gender discrimination in education and job opportunities. Basic health facility improvement is also a way in which UNICEF is helping poor countries. Issues of Wom en Development and Role of UNICEF The main issues that UNICEF deals are female education, maternal health, and gender discrimination. All these issues and the role of UNICEF in dealing with these issues will be discussed below. Gender Inequality Gender inequality is a major problem in developing countries. Women are not given equal opportunities to excel in all walks of life. They are mostly expected to stay at home and take care of the children. Women also have no control on their lives because of the patriarchal nature of societies in the developing world (Mies, 1998). This creates a lot of disparity between the two genders, both economically and socially. Women are not considered equal to men and therefore are denied rights on a regular basis. Gender inequality therefore has become an

Frederic Chopin and Louis Moreau Gottschalk Essay

Frederic Chopin and Louis Moreau Gottschalk - Essay Example Gottschalk was considered to be the first widely recognized American composer in Europe (George, M.R., 1987, Starr, S., 2000) Chopin and Gottschalk both composed and played Romantic period music though their music is quite different. The musical works of Beethoven, Mozart, and Hadyn educated Chopin. Much of Chopin's music was considered to resemble Bach and Mozart. An obvious example of this being Chopin's 24 preludes in which all 24 of the keys mirror Bach's 48 preludes and fugues. The song-like melodies of his Nocturnes, which feature a gentle and flowing bass, are very much written in the style of Italian bel canto opera (Kennedy, M., 2004). Those that came before him also influenced Gottschalk, but he was not inspired by what today are considered classical composers. His time spent in South America and the Caribbean. His early days in New Orleans influenced much of his music in that he utilized much of the rhythmic variations that are characteristic of South American and Afro-American music. His works The Banjo, Grotesque Fantasie and Souvenir de Porto Rico were non-traditional pieces based on traditional Caribbean and South American pieces from unknown composers. He was very forth coming on any of his "quotations" and always acknowledged any borrowing from unknown work. He also did compose traditional, salon music. These pieces particularly The Dying Poet were very popular but ultimately considered inferior to his more ethnic pieces (Lowens, I., 2008). As Gottschalk's music was mainly untraditional and nationalistic, Chopin's was based more on tradition. However Chopin's polonaises were written to celebrate Polish culture and tradition and in this sense his music was nationalistic. He produced compositions of his nationality (George, M.R. 1987). Some of Gottschalk's early pieces La Bananier and Bamboula were based from music Gottschalk experienced in his youth in New Orleans (Starr, S., 2000). But the purpose of this nationalistic music is quite different. Chopin's polonaises were written to celebrate Polish culture and Gottschalk's pieces have an American influence but were not written to celebrate American culture. Gottschalk did eventually write some pieces during the Civil war celebrating the patriotic spirit (he supported the north), entitled The Union, and he was considered a patriot but his music did not inspire the nationalistic pride that Chopin's evoked. Both composers mainly wrote music for the piano. Gottschalk's pieces were written for two and four hands thought he did compose a few works for orchestra, opera, ballet and a programmatic symphony, A Night in the Tropics. Chopin frowned upon programmatic music and any musical scene painting. He maintained a classical purity and discretion in his music that resembles much of the music written before his lifetime. He also wrote primarily for the piano whether as a solo instrument or as an accompiament. His works include sonatas, interludes, nocturnes, preludes and etudes (Lowens, I., 2008, Michalowski, K., 2008). One of the largest differences between these two composers is not their compositions but their playing styles. Chopin required strict attendance on rhythm and the legato style or connection of two notes. He was very attentive to technique and playing a piece as it was written. All of his melodies are written out with no room for improvisation. Pianists can find Chopin's music challenging to play as he documented the all-rhythmic

Death penalty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Death penalty - Research Paper Example In some communities, however, the death penalty among its members was shunned because of the fact that it was forbidden to spill the blood of fellow community members. In such cases, this sentence was often reserved for times of conflict with neighboring communities where captured individuals, especially leaders, were sentenced to death. The continued use of the death penalty to punish a diverse number of crimes in the modern world has come to receive praise and condemnation in equal measure. Those, who advocate for it, argue that it serves as a deterrent to crime, since those who are given the death penalty serve as an example to would-be criminals (Fagan, 2006). Furthermore, they state that there are those individuals, such as murderers, who if sentenced to death, would be good riddance from society. This is because of the fact that they will have been removed from society on a permanent basis, thus ensuring that they are kept from repeating the same crimes that they have committed . They further argue that the death penalty is a just punishment for those individuals who commit such heinous crimes as child murder and serial killing, because these are human beings without a conscience who must be completely removed from society. In addition, they state that the death penalty is completely justified especially when applied to cases where individuals are serial murderers or have committed mass killings; acts which are unforgivable in most human societies in the world (Vollum et al, 2004). It is argued that sentencing such people to death is a means of showing the members of society that such acts cannot be tolerated and that if they are committed, then the lives of the offenders would be forfeit. There are some among those who support the use of the death penalty, who have gone as far as to state that not applying it on people who have committed such crimes as murder and genocide is a miscarriage of justice (Davis, 2002). For them, those who call for the abolitio n of the death penalty are not living in a realistic world, because its abolition is likely to increase the occurrence of terrible crimes in human societies. Furthermore, it is stated that the punishment of a crime must be painful in proportion of the crime committed and this is used to justify the death penalty since leaving murderers alive would be unfair to the families of their victims. The opponents of the death penalty, on the other hand, argue that its application in all manner of cases is a violation of the human rights of the individuals who have committed crimes. They argue that not all of those who are sentenced have a desire to commit murder and that in fact, there are many who only commit murder in self-defense since to do otherwise would have meant their own deaths (Rogoff, 2008). Another argument that they give is that the application of the death penalty is discriminative since most of those people who are sentenced tend to come from minority groups which do not have the resources to get the best representation in the courts (Lynch and Haney, 2000). They state that the use of the death penalty is an act of violence and that its continued use encourages the propagation of a culture of violence within the human society.

Evaluating Instructional Design Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Evaluating Instructional Design - Research Paper Example The three basic outlines for how to approach instruction are defined and given meaning in relationship with instruction. Fifteen principles are involved in the discussion of instructional design, and from these fifteen principles it is intended that seven will be further explored through examples of videos in which they have been violated. In learning how to appropriately use a theory it is often beneficial to see how it has been erroneously applied, or not followed. In looking at the principles of instructional design, it is valuable to see how others have failed to follow the ideas put forth and the effect that these missed steps have on the information that is intended. Merrill on Instructional Design M. David Merrill (2008) has been in the instructional design business for about 40 years. His opinion is that the internet has allowed for easy access to the public, but has created a glut of information dumps through which true instruction is ineffective. He assesses the glut of wor k as representative of an inability to create effective instruction at a broad level, with even professional organizations falling short of those principles that have been determined as necessary to create effective instruction. Merrill (2008) outlines three important aspects of designing learning. The first is the need to show people what is being instructed rather than just tell. Giving people an opportunity to practice what has been learned is more than just multiple choice questions. Getting them involved in more complex tasks is required for good learning. The final aspect of educating that is important for learning is motivation. Real learning comes when a student is able to do something that they were not able to accomplish before the education event, with a real world application being the reward so that they can do what they could not do before the instruction. Being able to do something new is the greatest motivational factor available to the instructor, according to Merri ll. He states that through demonstration, activation of practical application, then through the motivation of learning how to do something, the basics have been covered to improve instruction. Broken down to simple, one word explanations, a teacher must engage the student by showing, practicing, and doing. The emphasis on real world application seems to have a strong focus for learning practices, where abstract concepts are far more difficult to achieve than concepts that are applicable in the real world. Clark and Mayer (2011) break this idea down into farther into three additional types of teaching, the first being show and tell which is receptive, show and do which is directive, and teaching by problem solving which is guided discovery. However, these three concepts are based upon the idea that the student is motivated towards learning because they will be able to do something after the conclusion of the learning experience. The last two of these types of teaching are particularl y directed towards creating a system in which the student is given a form of a doable result from the instruction. Overview of 15 Principles of Instructional Design The discussion of education in relationship to instructional design is based upon the use of principles that guide instruction towards affecting the student to engage in learning. The first principle is alignment between activities and outcomes. In order to create effective learning, it is important