Austrian Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Austrian Economics - Research Paper Example The second prime objective of Menger was to prove that this explanation of commodity-price-formation is not only general but also abstract. The purpose of this explanation was also to correct the German Historical School, which suggests that there are no such universal economic laws that are applicable across different cultures, times and nations. They rejected the â€Å"Manchester School’s† requisition on global free trade in view of the universal relevance of the comparative edge (Mises, 1969). Menger being a supporter the rich empirical research of the historicists debated that the economic goods’ properties are based on the general theoretical investigation. He also dedicated his book to Wilhelm Roscher who was a renowned historicist. The Historical School’s younger members did not support Menger’s argument. The subsequent argument to this — characterized the methodenstreit or dispute over procedures — followed that the historicist s started to refer Menger and his supporters as the â€Å"Austrian School,† that signifies their mediocrity in comparison to the genuinely German approach (Bostaph, 1994; Caldwell, 2004; Mises, 1969). Although the Historical School applied adequate impact on the German Universities and thereby, took them to the twentieth century however it is the insights of the Austrian School that marked an impact on the remaining professions in other parts of the world. The discussions by Menger in relation to subsiding marginal utility, scarcity, and Robinson Crusoe economies were naturally knitted into the surfacing marginalist consensus. Similarly, the students of Menger, Friedrich Wieser and Eugen Bohm-Bawerk made significant contributions to the principle concept, Wieser for introducing the terminology â€Å"opportunity cost† and Bohm-Bawerk for his coining the time preference discussion (White, 2003). The Austrians had differences with the others, particularly when Marshall re established the production-cost-concept as one blade of a pair of scissors that evaluate price whereas the marginal utility being the other blade of these scissors. However, these were just minor disputes under a wider consensus. Although both F.A. Hayek and Ludwig von Mises followed the tradition of Menger however by the time they were internationally recognized they were just economists and did not require any â€Å"Austrian† label. Since that point of time, the â€Å"Austrian School† simply became a term of historical significance. Nevertheless, the affiliation with the mainstream of the profession continued. The argument related to socialist calculation disclosed the deep, fundamental gulf that distinguishes the Austrians from the neoclassical orthodoxy, which commenced, in 1920, with the publication of â€Å"Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth† by Mises (1935). According to Mises, the socialist planners, without money prices, would miss-out a common denominator for calculating the effectiveness of alternative uses of resources and hence, would be unable to get involved in rational economic calculation. The socialist-economists retorted with the market socialism theory, the concept that the socialist planners could employ the centrally controlled accounting prices and systems of equations as an alternate for market exchange. Hayek and Mises retorted by pointing out that the market socialists basically misinterpreted the issue, but to no benefit. All Professional

Free

Freedom of the Will Essay Edwards’ Freedom of the Will may be construed as a psychological discourse. As an annihilation of false views of the Will that prevailed in his century and in the present, in order that men may learn how to have Christian belief and be saved, and as a reply to the discourse of Arminian Minister Whitby, this work is indeed evangelical. Edwards has put emphasis on the â€Å"faculty of choice† (Tappan 1839, 16), the Will which the mind chooses as being judged by the faculty of understanding. Although this discourse may not be as authoritative as Calvin’s Institutes, the author of Freedom of the Will is undeniably one of the great and enduring masters when religious emotion is being talked about. When it comes to reasoning in his work, Edwards can never be more crafty. Simply put, Freedom of the Will is the work of a genius. In the section where Edwards distinguished Will from Desire, he has agreed with the argument of Locke but he has put more understanding and correlation connecting these two things. I do not suppose, that Will and Desire are words of precisely the same signification: Will seems to be a word of more general signification, extending to things present and absent. Desire respects something absent†¦ A man never, in any instance, wills any thing contrary to his desires, or desires any thing contrary to his will. (Edwards 1754, 2) In his discourse, Edwards has analyzed and made into view that although Will and Desire are distinguishable from each other, these two are in fact the same faculty of the man’s soul where the Will is being determined by the â€Å"strongest motive† (Edwards 1754, 4) acting over the man’s soul and thereby choosing what is, at that moment seems good to Him, which is his inclination. With this attack on the common arguments in his Freedom of the Will, Edwards is meritorious of all the credits. Moreover, in the section where Edwards has discussed on the deliberate and free choice of Man to do something â€Å"evil and painful† (Colonial and Revolutionary Literature, n/d), he has offered his readers sharp logic. He has noted that if the Man errs it is due to his free choice given the full knowledge of good and happiness versus evil and pain and such an action, to choose evil with suffering, is monstrous and is very incomprehensible. As this can be logical, it is also very difficult to practice. Man generally chooses the good but circumstances do not allow him to stay choosing and practicing the good. Analyzing the discourse, Freedom of the Will speaks of the truth. Edwards is no optimist when it comes to his philosophies. He has made it a point in his discourse that evil do exist in this world and how his teachings sprouted from a deep hatred of evil. The thing which makes sin hateful, is that by which it deserves punishment; which is but the expression of hatred†¦. Thus, for instance, ingratitude is hateful and worthy of dispraise, according to common sense; not because something as bad, or worse than ingratitude, was the cause that produced it; but because it is hateful in itself, by its own inherent deformity. (Edwards 1754, 65) On the last note, the discourse has came up with and is correlated to what are called â€Å"ethics or the rules† (Tappan 1839, 265), which are not compelled to be obeyed by everyone but impose a strong power upon the conscience of the majority, especially those who believes in an Almighty being and those who do not want to feel the uneasiness of the evil and the persecuting nature of the Man. Disobedience to these manly imposed rules are considered as a â€Å"state of sinfulness† (Tappan 1839, 265) or the corruption of human sensitivity disposed to violate the harmony and fitness of the spiritual constitution. Bibliography Henry Philip Tappan, A Review of Edwardss Inquiry into the Freedom of the Will (New York: J. S Taylor, 1839). Jonathan Edwards, The Freedom of the Will (Florida: Soli Deo Gloria, 1754). The Colonial and Revolutionary Literature; Early National Literature, Part I (The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21). Volume XV.

The Relationship Between Attitudes Towards Academic Dishonesty Essay e

The Relationship Between Attitudes Towards Academic Dishonesty, Infidelity, and Normalization of Unethical Behavior According to the work by McCabe (1999), academic dishonesty (e.g., cheating on a test) in educational institutions (i.e., high school, college) is considered a norm by some students. Furthermore, some students believe that it is up to adults (i.e., parents, teachers) to deal with the issue of academic dishonesty. These attitudes towards academic dishonesty are representative of one issue schools deal with in our society regarding students. Attitudes towards academic dishonesty do not just affect the classrooms they, also translate to other areas of students’ lives. For instance, Estep and Olson (2011) found a positive correlation between attitudes towards academic dishonesty and attitudes towards infidelity. This finding suggests that if students approve of cheating on a test they are more likely to approve of cheating on a partner. However, Estep and Olson point out that it is easier for a student to cheat on a test than on a partner because an instructor is less likely than a partner to confront the student. In other words, there seems to be no consequences when cheating on a test in comparison to cheating on a partner. In his study, McCabe explains that students portrayed teachers as adults who enabled them to cheat because they do not discourage the behavior. For instance, one student in the focus group conducted by McCabe mentioned that there are rules regarding plagiarism, but most of the time they are not enforced. Similarly, in a study conducted at a university in Taiwan Chun-Hua and Yang (2011), suggest that students’ attitudes towards cheating and pressures from peers to cheat are not major influence... ...., & Olson, J.N. (2011). Parenting style, academic dishonesty, and infidelity in college students. College Student Journal, 45(4), 830-838. Hackathorn, J., Mattingly, B. A., Clark, E. M., & Mattingly, M. B. (2011). Practicing what you preach: Infidelity attitudes as a predictor of fidelity. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 30, 299-311. doi:10.1007/s12144-011-9119-9 Hsiao, C., & Yang, C. (2011). The impact of professional unethical beliefs on cheating intention. Ethics & Behavior, 21(4), 301-316. doi:10.1080/10508422.2011.585597 McCabe, D. (1999). Academic dishonesty among high school students. Adolescence, 34(136), 681-687. Vail-Smith, K., Whetstone, L., & Knox, D. (2010). The illusion of safety in â€Å"monogamous† undergraduate relationships. American Journal of Health Behavior, 34, 12-20. doi:10.5993/AJHB.34.1.2

A summary of Literature Review of the Health Effects of Obesity

Heslehurst et al (2008), in a study about complications of obesity, sought to determine the effect of maternal BMI status on outcomes of pregnancy with immediate short-term obstetric resource implications.The study was a meta-analysis study that aimed to investigate the relationships between maternal obesity and its impact on obstetric care. Literature concerning cohort studies of pregnant mothers was searched. The pregnant women under study were required to have their anthropometric measurements taken within sixteen weeks gestation, followed up during pregnancy with at least 1 obese and 1 group for comparison.The meta-analysis showed that maternal obesity was significantly related to increased odds of instrumental and caesarian deliveries, hemorrhages, infections, longer hospital stay and increased requirement for neonatal care. Maternal obesity had a significant contribution to poor prognosis for mother and baby when delivering and immediately during the post-partum period.The Nati onal clinical for managing obese pregnant women and public health should urgently therefore come up with interventions to address health of mothers and their babies.Study 2Sullivan et al (2008) sought to investigate the effect of obesity on diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipedemia. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) for 2000 and 2002 was used to estimate the impact of health on people with hyperlipedemia, diabetes and hypertension.Multivariate regression methods for controlling variables such as age, race, sex, ethnicity, education, insurance, income, smoking status, proxy response and morbidity were used.   Instruments used in the study include SF-12 physical component scale (PCS-12), mental component scale (MCS-12), visual analogue scale (VAS) and EQ-5D index. The least absolute deviation that was censored was used to for the VAS and EQ-5D while the ordinary least squares (OLS) were employed for the PCS-12 and MCS-12.It was concluded that, obesity significantly aggrava tes the association between diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipedemia and health function, health perception in United States.Merten et al (2008) undertook a study to investigate racial and gender differences in adolescent and young adult psychosocial outcomes. Sample size used was 7,881 African American (915 males and 1,073 females) and white (2864 males and 3029 females) adolescents. The study was basically concerned with examinations of psychosocial consequences that are encountered by obese adolescents.Results of the study showed that obesity in females is associated with lower status when one attains young adulthood. The obese females also tend to be depressive than normal weight females. However, obesity status does not affect the psychosocial outcomes in young adult males. There was no evidence to indicate an interaction between obesity and race.ConclusionObesity in individuals leads to both psychological and physiological consequences. Obesity in pregnant women causes various c omplications which include hemorrhages, neonatal trauma, caesarian and instrumental deliveries among others. Obesity in teenagers leads to low self esteem especially in girls. At the same time obesity exacerbates hyperlipedemia, diabetes and hypertension in individuals suffering from these conditions.ReferencesWang, F and Veugelers, P.J (2008). Self-esteem and cognitive development in the era of the childhood obesity epidemic. Obesity Reviews. 9(6): 615-623Qi et al (2008). Gene-environment interaction and obesity. Nutrition Reviews. 66(12):684- 694.Heslehurst et al (2008). The impact of maternal BMI status on pregnancy outcomes with immediate short-term obstetric resource implications: a meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews. 9(6): 635-683.Sullivan et al (2008). The impact of obesity on diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension in the United States, Quality of Life Research 17(8):1063-1071Merten et al (2008). Adolescent Obesity and Young Adult Psychosocial Outcomes: Gender and Racial Diffe rences, Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 37(9):1111-1122. Other Sources for Literature Review of health effects of obesity

Business Fashion Affects Consumer Behavior

Business fashion affects consumer behavior Position 1. 1 Current situation Fashion trend always affect how the majority wear. Recently, a series of casual wear fashion brands have arrived Hong Kong. It drives hundreds of thousands of youngsters or young adults crazy on western casual wear style. It is not hard to observe this in streets. This attributes to fashion brands usually push a mass promotion towards the targeted consumers together with an attractive and all round market offering. fashion brands not only provide a product, but also shopping experience with well created shopping environment, well trained salespersons and well organized after sales services) That’s why consumers are attracted to follow their trends by becoming so fence to the fashion brands. 1. 2 How it affects Consumer behaviors are affected by different stimuli, including marketing strategies. It influences the buyer’s black box, which are buyer characteristics and decision process.For fashion b rands, they usually utilize different marketing strategies in order to adapt or influence social, personal, cultural and psychological factors that affect buyer’s black box and therefore their purchase decision. 1. 3 Reasons behind If fashion brands successfully influence the buyer’s purchase decision, they can gain a huge business chance. That means if they can make up a fashion trend that consistent with their clothing style, it would bring such a million dollar sales.As it becomes a fashion trend, consumer will not only buy it for once, but become loyal as long as it is still ‘fashionable’ to them. it would bring a continuous benefit but not all-for-once. Problems 2. 1 Consumer To some extent, it in fact creates an unnecessary consumption which means it is not purchasing for need. Many exact need recognition to purchase are implied by external stimuli which is not internally implied by consumers itself but made by marketers. Just try to think, how many clothes you bought for need only but not because you think it is good.Why you feel good to the product, which might be it is chic, mostly for the teens and young adults. That implies a problem of overconsumption or even existence of shopaholics or any personal finance. 2. 2 Fashion Fashion brands would create fashion trends to match their clothing style. That might affect the independency of the art of fashion. Fashion is an art, is an expression, is an time mark. It represents many things that weigh. It is more than a business. If it has been used as a market strategies, that , to some extent, limit or even destroy fashion.At least some fashion designers might sacrifice the art value of fashion and turn their design to business oriented, that the fashion design should suit their business marketing strategies. Like many renowned fashion brands, they would fine tune the product shown in the fashion catwalk show before it is sold. Like the high heels designed specially by YSL, which i s a round shape like a quarter of a circle with heel when you look by side, the level of heels have been lowered and fine-tune their design before it is launched to the public.

Lucrezia Borgia - Essay essays

Lucrezia Borgia - Essay essays Lucrezia Borgia was considered the most ruthless of the Italian Renaissance noble woman, was her father and brother Cesare the creators of her reputation? Was she a murderer or a Political Pawn? During the 1400's a rebirth of learning took place, this was called the Renaissance. The Renaissance was when the development of Western Civilization had marked transition from medieval times to modern times. In this time the importance of reputations played an important role for rising families. In the year of 1437, a charming little girl was born, blue eyed and blonde hair, her name Lucrezia Borgia. She was the daughter of Cardinal Rodrigo and his mistress Vanozza Catanei. Rodrigo was a very wealthy Spaniard man and maintained a well developed lifestyle, but he was known to have an attraction for woman and took full use of it. He had 4 children from his mistress Vanozza whom were: Cesare, Juan, Lucrezia and Jofre. Each lived with their mother for three years until she remarried. After doing so Rodrigo took the kids and put them under the care of Adriana De Mala, a fellow Spaniard. Adriana De Mila was a widow who raised Lucrezia from age three until her first marriage at the age of thirteen. In 1492, Cardinal Rodrigo became Pope Alexander VI. He moved himself and his family into a new built palace called Maria Del Portico in St. Peters, in this palace there were doors that led straight to Lucretias room and her good friend Giulias room as well, which allowed him to see them whenever he pleased. During this time the Pope had an affair with Giulia which had started a lot of bad press for the family. This bothered many Italians and made gossip spread starting the beginning of the Borgias reputation. Meanwhile, Lucrezia was growing up faster and faster and was soon engaged to two men, both were broken off by her father. Soon he had engaged her to Giovanni Sfroza, but the marriage did not last beca...

Era of Independence Essays

Era of Independence Essays Era of Independence Essay Era of Independence Essay Essay Topic: Cry the Beloved Country Independence or death! l stay. l say to the people that I am staying! (Independence of Brazil) All three of these statements were made by Doom Pedro to the Brazilian masses as he attempted to free them from the incompetent hands of Portugal. Doom Pedro crowned himself emperor of Brazil with an almost Napoleon-like Eire, however that was the most radical aspect of this revolution. Braziers run for independence was not a full-scale assault on dependency, as Gordon Wood describes, but four generations of a Royal, Portuguese family who decided that Portugal was a colony of Brazil, not the other way around. When Brazil gained Independence, the common people were still on the bottom, the landholding elite were still on the top, and the slaves still worked the fields just as they had during the colonial era. Liberty was achieved without the expensive, drawn-out wars that many other countries in Latin America experienced (Independence of Brazil). After the Brazilian gained their freedom, one to two percent of the population still owned much of the land, there was no middle class to speak of, and 33% of the population were slaves In their chains. Independence for Brazil came In two parts; one when they were impolitely separated from Portugal, and the much more difficult phase, when reforms made the entirety of Brazil a truly free nation with slavery banned. (Kidders) Like many countries runs for independence, Braziers started with Napoleon deciding that he was the emperor of Europe. This of course included Great Britain, a force with Portugal and an eventual motive for abolishment of slavery (Francis). Brutal was Portugal main trading partner, ally since 1373, and most importantly. Earliest protector. As an act of defiance that showed support to Britain, Portugal refused to join the Continental System, which lead to the invasion by Napoleons army. Because of this invasion, the entire Royal Court was pressured to journey to Brazil for refuge. Britain compelled Brazil to open for trade and told the prince regent, Doom Jiao VI, to flee to Portugal. This would work twofold as a way to defy the French as well as Institute a base o f financial stability In the colony. Luis dad Chunk, a financial counselor, suggested to the Prince Regent, It Is about time for Your Majesty to see that Immense content of Brazil as a resourceful and well- populated country {in which you could establish}. On November 27, 1 807, the Portuguese Council of State that included Doom Jiao VI, the whole court including 10,000 courtiers, religious leaders, lawyers, military advisors, and 9,000 sailors off on an unparalleled, 4,500 mile Journey that would lead to the first European monarch to set foot on his own New World colony in addition to be to first to settle In a seat of power (Solders). This stride toward Independence was an Inadvertent one because when the court arrived in ROI, they elevated it to the capital of the entire Portuguese empire. This remained true even as Napoleons forces were driven out of Portugal and Jiao VI stayed in Brazil. On December 16, 1815, Jiao VI declared that Brazil was an equal to Portugal (Made). This development gave the Brazilian pride as well as However, the parliament of Portugal demanded that Jiao VI return to Portugal or lose his seat of power. Parliament also wanted to return Brazil to being a colony, rather than an autonomous country that held the Emperor and seat of power. His parting advice to his son, Doom Pedro, who he abdicated to, was to always side with Brazil if there was strife. A possible reason for this is that Brazil and Doom Pedro would be in more control over the abolishment of slavery, and not have to be objected to the will of the British, thus have given Brazil more autonomy. (Kidders) This is exactly what happened in 1822, when Doom Pedro refused the demand that he return to Portugal with the Cry of Piranha, Independence or death! (Keen and Haynes). When military forces came to Portugal he cried the Foci, or l stay, which made the Brazilian population adopt Doom Pedro as their own. He had declared that Brazil was free from Portugal and was crowned the Emperor Pedro I (Independence of Brazil). It was not Just the valiance of Doom Pedro and his lack of desire to be separated from Portugal that fueled independence. One factor was the shining examples of independence that Brazilian were hearing of; United States from Britain and other Latin American colonies from Spain. This, combined with Enlightenment ideas, proved to Brazilian that freedom was possible (Hamilton). More importantly, the lack of a bourgeoisie and economic stimulation angered many Brazilian. This was in part due to mercantilism. The Crown refused to allow the colony to manufacture, therefore there was no manufacturing class, as well as local merchants had little to no role in overseas exports (Kidders). This problem was fed by the continuation of slavery. The tendency to identify labor with slavery sharply limited the number of socially acceptable occupations in which Portuguese or free mixed blood could engage. This gave rise to a populous class of vagrants, beggars, poor whites, and other degraded or disorderly elements who would not or could not compete with slaves in agriculture and industry, (Keen and Haynes). Because of this tendency, there was Just the slaveholders and slaves involved in the economy with the middle class nonexistent. Made stated that The master class and the entire Brazilian economy relied on the work of slaves. If slaves did everything, many of the white owners did very little. Finally, it was British pressures that forced the Doom Padres son as well as heavy conscience, Doom Pedro II began to enact laws to abolish slavery. The British had pushed for abolishment, even threatened with removal of resources and trade, since the beginning, however the dependency on slaves prevented Brazil from complying. In 1831, a law passed under the English influence to ban the slave trade, however manumission caused the ban to be ineffectual (Kidders). Doom Pedro II passed concrete laws that liberated slaves, however the landowners and farmers were displeased. They lost the only viable workforce, which subjected them to higher prices for manpower. Finally, it was Princess Isabel, Doom Padres daughter, who passed the official law that abolished slavery on May 13, 1888. (registry). Gordon Wood described the American Independence movement as a full-scale assault on dependency. This is because in the monarchical system of both Brazil and America, there was a strict hierarchy while the independence movement strove to make every man independent. In Woods eyes, there was not a more radical turn of events than the upheaval of the social hierarchy that had been in independence movement, was a progression that the revolutionaries hoped {would} decapitate the social order while leaving the structure intact . In this scenario the wealthy Portuguese would simply leave, and the wealthy Brazilian would take their place, (Made). The elite did not want anything other than to have their autonomy, especially so that they could continue their thriving slave trade that fueled the country. Doom Jiao, aside from his love for Brazil, both sparked and halted the independence movement when he told Doom Pedro to remain with Brazil which led Pedro to declare independence in 1822. His main motivation curbed complete freedom; Brazil would not be under Portugal thumb who was under Britains thumb. The British were proponents of abolishment and if Brazil stayed a colony, their slavery system would have been cut off far sooner. But like many nations that depended on agriculture for their economy, Brazil depended heavily on slave population. From the beginning of Braziers existence to 300 years later, African slaves were the main workforce. They worked the coffee and sugar plantations as well as various other ranches that dappled the nation. This is a stark contrast to the Southern United States, where some or most of the slaves were the workers, Braziers slaves, on the other hand, were all of the workers in the urban and rural areas throughout the entire country (Made). Slavery stunted the economic development of Brazil because a middle class could not develop as the slaves were the most plentiful workforce available. This was debilitating and stunting the economic development. What the late abolishment of slavery within Brazil says about the hierarchy is that it was a key part, not Just because of the workforce but also because the elite were posh people who fed on luxury. As Todd Edwards wrote, Braziers Leonia elite could not imagine a Brazil without slavery. This goes back to the revolutionaries not wanting to topple the system, but Just take Portugal and the influence of England out. Abolishment was necessary so that plantation owners could begin to hire and work the majority of Brazilian who sat idle and in need of work. Abolishment created the needed bourgeoisie. As Gordon Wood said, equality did not mean that everyone was in fact the same, but only that ordinary people were closer to wealth and property to those above them and felt freer from aristocratic patronage and control than did common people elsewhere in the Western World. When Brazil first declared its independence, people chanted Doom Padres name in the streets and he was beloved. However, as time went on and the shiny luster of a new found independence faded, Brazilian realized that nothing was any different than when they were a colony. In respects to Gordon Woods statement of what a full-scale assault on dependency, is, the Brazilian did not have a radical independence movement where they upturned social norms. It was only after the British intervened that slavery, the indicator of freedom, was abolished and Brazil was truly made free.

Answering the US Census Is Required by Law

Answering the US Census Is Required by Law Many people consider the questions from the  U.S. Census Bureau  either too time-consuming or too invasive and fail to respond. But responding to all census questionnaires is required by federal law. While it rarely happens, the Census Bureau can impose fines for failing to answer the census or the American Community Survey or for intentionally providing false information. According to Title 13, Section 221 (Census, Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers) of the United States Code, persons who fail or refuse to respond to the mail-back census form, or refuse to respond to a follow-up census taker, could be fined up to $100. Persons who knowingly provided false information to the census can be fined up to $500. But those fines have significantly increased as of 1984. The Census Bureau points out that under  Section 3571 of Title 18, the fine for refusing to answer a bureau survey can be as much as $5,000, and up to $10,000 for knowingly providing false information. Before imposing a fine, the Census Bureau typically attempts to personally contact and interview persons who fail to respond to census questionnaires. Follow-up Visits In the months following each census- which occurs every 10 years- more than 1.5 million census takers make door-to-door visits to all households that failed to respond to mail-back census questionnaires. The Census worker will assist a member of the household- who must be at least 15-years old- in completing the census survey form. Census workers can be identified by a badge and Census Bureau bag. Privacy Persons concerned about  the privacy of their answers should know that, under federal law, all employees and officials of the Census Bureau are prohibited from sharing a persons personal information with anyone else, including welfare agencies, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Internal Revenue Service, courts, police, and the military. Violation of this law carries penalties of $5,000 in fines and up to five years in prison. American Communities Survey Unlike the census, which is conducted every 10 years (as required by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution), the American Communities Survey (ACS) is now sent annually to more than 3 million U.S. households. Those selected to participate in the ACS first receive a letter in the mail stating, â€Å"In a few days you will receive an American Community Survey questionnaire in the mail.† The letter will go on to state, â€Å"Because you are living in the United States, you are required by law to respond to this survey.† The envelope will boldly remind you that, â€Å"Your response is required by law.† The information requested by the ACS is more extensive and detailed than  the handful of questions on the regular decennial census. The information gathered in the annual ACS focuses mainly on population and housing and is used to update the information gathered by the decennial census. Federal, state and community planners and policymakers find the more recently updated data provided by the ACS more helpful than the often 10-year-old data from the decennial census. The ACS survey includes about 50 questions applying to each person in the household and takes about 40 minutes to complete, according to the Census Bureau, which states: â€Å"Estimates from the ACS contribute to providing an important picture of America, and an accurate response to the ACS questionnaire is important. When used in conjunction with the most recently available decennial census counts, information from the ACS documents how we live as a nation, including our education, housing, jobs, and many other issues.† Online Census While the Government Accountability Office has questioned the cost, the Census Bureau is expected to offer an online response option for the 2020 decennial census. Under this option, people could respond to their census questionnaires by visiting a secure  website. Census officials hope the convenience of the online response option will increase the census response rate, and thus the accuracy of the census. Purpose The census is used to apportion members of the U.S. House of Representatives and for allocating funds for programs to help the needy, elderly, veterans, and more. The statistics also might be used by local governments to decide where infrastructure projects are needed.

Russias new leader (International Relations) Essay

Russias new leader (International Relations) - Essay Example Under Putin, Russia began consolidating itself after the traumatic experiences of moving to a market economy and losing ground in Europe. Thus, the recent presidential elections have again raised the specter of nationalism and a call from the president elect, Medvedev to the Russian people to help him regain Russia’s past glory. This paper takes a look at what the Russian elections of 2008 mean for Russia and its quest to regain its past glory. I also take a look at what kind of leaders are Medvedev and Putin apart from examining the Russian-Georgian conflict and the way in which Putin handled the same. According to Stratfor, a website devoted to geo-political affairs, â€Å"Despite ongoing demographic, economic and geopolitical problems, Russia is using every political and economic — and, increasingly, military — tool at its disposal to reassert itself in the former Soviet Union and try to rake back its former geopolitical position† (George Friedman, 2008). This has been accompanied by a string of actions ranging from going to the aid of South Ossetia and flexing its muscles over the missile deployment in Eastern Europe. The fact that Russia is on the ascendant and is likely to play a prominent role in the great power equations of the 21st century has been noted by other commentators as well. â€Å"If Russia was where history most dramatically ended two decades ago, today it is where history has most dramatically returned. Russia’s turn toward liberalism at home stalled and then reversed, and so has its foreign policy. Great power nationalism has returned to Russia and with it traditional great power calculations and ambitions† (Robert Kagan, 2008). Thus, ever since Putin began consolidating powers in the presidency, there has been a marked shift in the tone and attitude of Russia towards the world. This is in line with the expectations of the Russian people who want to return to their days of glory as a

Finance and Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Finance and Accounting - Essay Example With the tightening of the environmental regulations, the environmental protection costs of the industry like pollution reduction, regulatory reporting, monitoring and waste management have increased over the years. In the conventional management accounting method the environmental costs are allocated as general overheads expenses such that the production managers are not aware of the environmental costs and do not have any impetus to reduce the same. Environmental management accounting involves the identification, analysis, collection and use of material information and other monetary as well as environmental cost related information, for the purpose of facilitating environmental and conventional decision-making in the organization. Unlike conventional management accounting which puts special emphasis on the identification of the environmental costs such as waste management cost, environmental management accounting assists in the decisions that have an impact on the environment. The reason for the growing prominence of environmental accounting is the fact that the environmental costs comprise of a substantial amount, more than the firm can estimate. It helps in the better management of the environmental costs, formulation of business strategies, determining accurate costs of goods and services, minimization of environmental costs etc. The implementation of the environmental accounting rules benefits the organizations in the form of lower costs through economic use of resources; improved design of goods and processes. The minimization of the environmental impact gives an advantage over the competitors; and selection of opportunities that help in reducing the operating costs (Global Development Research Center, n.d.). Therefore environmental management accounting serves the dual purpose of improving and managing the environmental as well as the financial performance of an organization. In contrast the conventional management accounting

Patient expierence undergoing surgery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Patient expierence undergoing surgery - Essay Example Surgery represents a major trauma that provokes a relatively stereotyped physiological response. A period of postoperative recovery follows, ranging from a few days to several weeks depending, primarily, on the severity of the pre-existing pathology and the surgical procedure performed (Munafo & Stevenson, 2001). For many patients, undergoing surgery can be a daunting thought. It has been shown that the majority of patients admitted to hospital for elective surgery experience anxiety preoperatively. The cause for pre-operative anxiety can be attributed to many factors. Personal factors may include fear for the unknown outcome of the surgery, as some very risky surgical procedures can result in paralysis, coma and death, as the worst case scenario. Some patients also experience anxiety concerning the impact of their condition to their loved ones. Monetary issues as to the cost of the surgery itself, pre and post ancillary procedures, medications and hospital rates is also known to be a major cause of anxiety for most patients. Anxiety and stress are unpleasant sensations and can also adversely influence the surgical procedure as well as affect the patients recovery (Badner, Nielson, Munk, Kwiatkowska & Gelb, 1990). Therefore, it is the objective of this paper to determine the physiological effects of surgical interventions as well as positioning on the patient, taking into consideration the effects of anxiety and stress on a patients perspective. For this case, the surgical procedure being used as an example is hysterectomy. Hysterectomy is defined as the surgical removal of the uterus. The three common types of hysterectomy are: supracervical (partial) hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus without the cervix, total (complete) hysterectomy which is the removal of both uterus and cervix and radical hysterectomy which removes the ovaries, fallopian tubes, lymph

The organisation and its environment. Costa coffee Essay

The organisation and its environment. Costa coffee - Essay Example Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 and initial operations was the supply of coffee beans to coffee shops and small scale vendors. After acquiring a formidable market, the venture was stretched to cover other operations. For many years in the coffee industry, the entrepreneurs behind Costa Coffee realized the demand of coffee beverage was more than the demand for coffee beans and berries. It is at this point that the idea of supplying drinks became more realistic. At the moment the enterprise focuses on the supply of hot drinks, particularly coffee, soft drinks and snacks. The growth of this enterprise has been significant as many branches have been launched across the globe. According to Worthington & Briton (2009) Costa Coffee has become more of a global entity that just a coffee enterprise that was launched in London. From the success story of Costa Coffee many similar companies have been resorting to the strategies applied by Costa coffee in order to achieve their goals. C osta Coffee has several aspects of both its internal and external environment. In its internal environment, operation and structural arrangement makes most of the issues faced in this particular environment. According to Turner (2003) it was hard for the enterprise to open up more than one branch. However, this move was significant as the management of Costa Coffee had the motive of reaching a wider target market. This was only possible through right and proper management that would ensure that all operations and structures are well formulated to suit the resources available for the enterprise. After the launch of another Coffee shop in London, it became easier to open up branches and manage them effectively. However, when it came to cross-border investment the scenario changed since the rules of trade became more complex. In the internal environment, the enterprise had to ensure that they had the right staff to operate in the company, proper management of funds and resources and a strong management team that would ensure continuity of the venture. In the external environment, the main issue was creating a greater competitive advantage over its competitors. This meant that the enterprise had to formulate the best strategy in order to be better than its competitors. Just like any other business venture, competitors create the greatest threat to any new enterprise entry in the corporate environment. For Costa Coffee there was an added advantage as they had started as another venture which had already established a market base. Another significant external market factor was the adherence to the rules of trade in the market. This matter became more complex when the venture had to expand its operations in other countries. The international market has new operational rules and regulations that enterprises need to adhere to. According to Turner (2003) adhering to trade rules and regulations is one external environment factor that any business enterprise is required t o effectively consider. For Costa Coffee regulation inclusions of the hotel and catering industry was mandatory. Communication in any organization is an important factor that should be considered effectively. Communication extends from just the requirements of the internal management system. For example, the general corporate environment has rules and regulations that should be adhered to by all organizations. For this to be effectively implemented there should be a proper communication

Reviews of the Articles about Global Problems Essay

Reviews of the Articles about Global Problems - Essay Example Soil, which is composed of organic and inorganic components, is an integral part of terrestrial life and many organisms including humans are greatly dependent on this vast resource. The organic or living components which are constituted by thousands of microbes, fungi, nematodes, mites and gophers play a vital role in maintaining soil health and fertility. The organic wastes that are present in the soil are processed by the soil microflora and the resulting nutrients are made available for the plants. Ground water is filtered and cleaned by the soil matter and soil also helps to retain atmospheric dust and other pathogens thereby contributing to cleaner air. Soil is also a major determinant of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Man-made activities such as plowing and soil changes due to erosion and neglect can result in the release of excessive amounts of carbon dioxide in to the atmosphere. Agricultural practices such as tillage can deprive the soil of essential organic nutrients an d the addition of fertilizer chemicals, pesticides and herbicides further deplete the soil nutrients. The large number of concrete layered on top of the soil in urban areas, heavy machines and pollution cause extensive and at times irreversible damages to soil life. The desert conditions in Africa are mainly due to extensive grazing and agriculture which has resulted in degradation of the top soil. The author further adds that unhealthy soil can also cause several human diseases. The increasing global warming poses a great threat to the biodiversity of the soil which can be adversely affected even with the slightest change in temperature and moisture. The author has also included the views of soil experts Eric B. Nelson and Diana H. Wall who respectively believe that soil... The essay "Reviews of the Articles about Global Problems" analyses eight articles by eight different authors about such global problems as like the effect of increasing carbon dioxide quantities on global warming, threats to soil life from globalization and industrialization, the harm of pesticides to the environment and the effect of technological advancements on humanity. For example, the article â€Å"The hidden world under our feet† by Jim Robbins focuses on soil life and the numerous threats that it faces due to globalization and industrialization around the world. Soil, which is composed of organic and inorganic components, is an integral part of terrestrial life and many organisms including humans are greatly dependent on this vast resource. The organic or living components which are constituted by thousands of microbes, fungi, nematodes, mites and gophers play a vital role in maintaining soil health and fertility. Another article â€Å"A Change in temperature† by Justin Gillis analyses the effect of increasing carbon dioxide quantities on global warming. Recent findings suggest that global temperature change is a more slow process and humans would be able to adapt to these changes. The major issue under consideration is about the sensitivity of the climate to increasing carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. Earlier in the 19th century, Svante Arrhenius estimated the earth’s average temperature to increase by nine degrees Fahrenheit, though, now it is likely to be between three to eight degrees Fahrenheit.

The organisation and its environment. Costa coffee Essay

The organisation and its environment. Costa coffee - Essay Example Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 and initial operations was the supply of coffee beans to coffee shops and small scale vendors. After acquiring a formidable market, the venture was stretched to cover other operations. For many years in the coffee industry, the entrepreneurs behind Costa Coffee realized the demand of coffee beverage was more than the demand for coffee beans and berries. It is at this point that the idea of supplying drinks became more realistic. At the moment the enterprise focuses on the supply of hot drinks, particularly coffee, soft drinks and snacks. The growth of this enterprise has been significant as many branches have been launched across the globe. According to Worthington & Briton (2009) Costa Coffee has become more of a global entity that just a coffee enterprise that was launched in London. From the success story of Costa Coffee many similar companies have been resorting to the strategies applied by Costa coffee in order to achieve their goals. C osta Coffee has several aspects of both its internal and external environment. In its internal environment, operation and structural arrangement makes most of the issues faced in this particular environment. According to Turner (2003) it was hard for the enterprise to open up more than one branch. However, this move was significant as the management of Costa Coffee had the motive of reaching a wider target market. This was only possible through right and proper management that would ensure that all operations and structures are well formulated to suit the resources available for the enterprise. After the launch of another Coffee shop in London, it became easier to open up branches and manage them effectively. However, when it came to cross-border investment the scenario changed since the rules of trade became more complex. In the internal environment, the enterprise had to ensure that they had the right staff to operate in the company, proper management of funds and resources and a strong management team that would ensure continuity of the venture. In the external environment, the main issue was creating a greater competitive advantage over its competitors. This meant that the enterprise had to formulate the best strategy in order to be better than its competitors. Just like any other business venture, competitors create the greatest threat to any new enterprise entry in the corporate environment. For Costa Coffee there was an added advantage as they had started as another venture which had already established a market base. Another significant external market factor was the adherence to the rules of trade in the market. This matter became more complex when the venture had to expand its operations in other countries. The international market has new operational rules and regulations that enterprises need to adhere to. According to Turner (2003) adhering to trade rules and regulations is one external environment factor that any business enterprise is required t o effectively consider. For Costa Coffee regulation inclusions of the hotel and catering industry was mandatory. Communication in any organization is an important factor that should be considered effectively. Communication extends from just the requirements of the internal management system. For example, the general corporate environment has rules and regulations that should be adhered to by all organizations. For this to be effectively implemented there should be a proper communication

Read read instructions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Read read instructions - Essay Example I’ve chosen this particular work, because Aaron Burr had played maybe the main role in John Vanderlyn’s life. He had noticed young artist’s talent and in 1796 sent him to France and paid for his studying. When Vanderlyn had returned after five years to America, Aaron Burr let him stay at his house, where artist could continue to paint and develop his talent without worries (Sardy). Portrait belongs to this period. 1802, oil on canvas. By that time in Europe (in German especially, but in France too) the Romantic Era had already begun. To my mind, except of neoclassicism we also can see an influence of romantic style in this portrait. Dark background and it seems Burr’s light profile floats on a viewer. Also material around Burr’s neck’s like moving, though his face is steel and calm. In 1922, the architectural historian Siegfried Giedion trying to name an emotional side of neoclassical idea coined the term â€Å"romantic classicism† (neoclassicism.us). And I think that’s what we can say about John Vanderlyn’s portrait of Aaron Burr. There’s classicism, but there’s also a bit of romantic expression. I think with this portrait John Vanderlyn wanted to show an eternal part of his patron, to make a classical portrait of a powerful man. But in the same time, to make Aaron Burr’s image active and modern. Sarudy, Barbara Wells. American Artist John Vanderlyn 1775-1852 and his fateful connection with Aaron Burr. Retrieved 9 August from:

University and Research Essay Example for Free

University and Research Essay Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Having spent 40 years in universities, I have had sufficient time to consider some of the idiosyncrasies, foibles and problems of these academic institutions. The purpose of this editorial is to discuss the current state of university research and explain why I find some aspects of the current situation disturbing. Changes that started during the second half of the 20th century and that have continued into the 21st threaten to bring about fundamental changes in the nature of universities. Some of the changes are commendable, for example, the large expansion in the proportion of the population attending universities, at least in the richer nations. Other trends are disturbing, especially the increasing tendency of governments and industry to view universities as engines for short-term economic gain. While universities certainly cannot ignore the context in which they function and the needs of society, responding purely to short-term economic considerations threatens to subvert the very nature of universities and some of the benefits they provide to society. So what exactly is a university and what is its purpose? I much prefer the Oxford English Dictionary definition of the word â€Å"university† to some of the more utilitarian definitions in other dictionaries. The Oxford definition reads, in part, â€Å"whole body of teachers and scholars engaged in the higher branches of learning. † Thus, it is the community of faculty and students that is the essence of a university. The higher branches of learning in which teachers and scholars engage have 2 important products: the educated minds that are essential for the well-being of society, and new knowledge and ideas. Some of that new knowledge will enrich society by producing economic growth, directly or indirectly, but the benefits of new knowledge go far beyond economic gain. Universities have always been subjected to outside influences. The oldest European university, the University of Bologna, has existed at least since the 1080s. Some time before 1222, about 1000 students left Bologna and founded a new university in Padua because of â€Å"the grievous offence that was brought to bear on their academic liberties and the failure to acknowledge the privileges solemnly granted to teachers and students. †1 The outside interference came from the Roman Catholic Church, and, for several centuries, Padua was home to the only university in Europe where non-Catholics could get a university education. Both Bologna and Padua were student-controlled universities with students electing the professors and fixing their salaries. However, in spite of marked differences, there are similarities between what happened then and what is happening today, with important outside influences — then the dogma of religion, now the dogma of business — threatening to change the activities of the community of teachers and scholars. The seeds of what is happening now were sown in the years following World War II. Before the war the most important influence on a faculty member was probably the departmental chair, who in those days had power to influence in an important way what went on in the department. Nonetheless, a faculty member would have had access to departmental resources and would not necessarily have required outside research funding (although such funding was sometimes available from private foundations). The mechanism of funding research, and the amount of money available for research, changed greatly in the postwar years. In 1945, Vannevar Bushs landmark report to President Harry Truman, Science the Endless Frontier,2 had an important influence on university research. In this report, Bush stated, â€Å"The publicly and privately supported colleges, universities, and research institutes are the centers of basic research. They are the wellsprings of knowledge and understanding. As long as they are vigorous and healthy and their scientists are free to pursue the truth wherever it may lead, there will be a flow of new scientific knowledge to those who can apply it to practical problems in Government, in industry, or elsewhere. † Bush supported the idea that the US government should provide strong financial support for university research, but also supported the idea that the individual investigator should be the main determinant of the topics for investigation, with statements such as â€Å"Scientific progress on a broad front results from the free play of free intellects, working on subjects of their own choice, in the manner dictated by their curiosity for exploration of the unknown. †2 In the latter half of the last century, many countries adopted the model of granting councils, which used a system based on peer review to distribute money for investigator-initiated research. This model has been a great success, but it has also contributed to important changes in universities. Much more money has been available to support medical research, basic science research and engineering research than has been available for the social sciences or arts. Thus, decisions about support for different disciplines devolved from the universities to governments, who decided on the budgets of their various grant-giving bodies. Also, individual researchers who were successful in obtaining grants no longer depended as much on departmental facilities. In my opinion, this not only weakened the power of departmental chairs but also decreased collegiality within departments. With increased enrolments, as a university education became accessible to a greater proportion of the population, and an increased need for infrastructure for the larger student population and for complex research equipment, administrators became more concerned about sources of funding and consequently more detached from the faculty. There is always a tendency for senior academic administrators to speak and behave as though they were the university (when of course they are there to serve the community of teachers and scholars). This is of course a normal human trait, no different from the tendency of politicians to forget that they are elected to serve the people. However, this increasing detachment of senior university administrators from the faculty has facilitated the erosion of collegiality within departments and universities. The individual personalities of university faculty probably also facilitated this change. I learned recently, when looking at the literature on personality, that an inverse correlation between intelligence and conscientiousness has been demonstrated in a number of studies (see, for example, Moutafi et al3). Thus, it might be more than just my paranoia leading me to believe that the small proportion of university faculty who lack conscientiousness and collegiality is larger than in some other walks of life. The erosion of collegiality is not a matter of great significance, except that it probably played a role in making researchers more open to the efforts of governments to transform them into entrepreneurs. The most recent and possibly the most important change in university research resulted from the push by governments to commercialize the results of such research. In the United States, the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 encouraged universities to license to private industry discoveries made with federal funds. 4 The push by governments for commercialization of new knowledge grew during the 1980s and 1990s and continues to have an important influence on universities. Recently, Lord Sainsbury, the science and innovation minister in the United Kingdom, boasted that there had been a cultural change in universities there, which has resulted in a substantial increase in university spin-offs. 5 In 2002 the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada entered an agreement with the government to double the amount of research performed by these institutions and to triple their commercialization performance by 2010. 6 Although this agreement was reached in the absence of any broad consultation with the faculty who are supposed to commercialize their work, the universities seem to be well on track to achieve this objective, with a 126% increase in revenues from licence royalties between 1999 and 2001. 7Most major universities now have a technology transfer office, and at many universities success in commercialization is taken into account when faculty are considered for tenure. Will there come a time when success in commercialization carries the same weight as (or more weight than) teaching and research in the awarding of tenure? The end result of all the changes discussed above is that individual faculty members have become much more like entrepreneurs whose main allegiance is to the maintenance or growth of their own research programs and not infrequently to the commercialization of their research. The researcher exploring Vannevar Bushs â€Å"endless frontier† could be considered the modern equivalent of the homesteader taming the seemingly endless frontier of the 19th century American West. 8 This is not necessarily detrimental if a new generation of university research entrepreneurs provides the new knowledge that will benefit patients and society. However, the change in culture that made university faculty more like entrepreneurs also made them more open to the desire of governments to make them entrepreneurs in the economic sense. Although the nature of universities has been changing, there was no threat to the fundamental nature of universities until the drive for commercialization began. A recent report of the Canadian Association of University Teachers9 states that university administrators have been â€Å"building increasingly hierarchical management structures† that â€Å"place the future of academic medicine in danger. † The reports main concern is that â€Å"incentives to create commercializable products push economic concerns, rather than scientific and ethical considerations, to the forefront. †9In the fields of biologic psychiatry and behavioural neuroscience the emphasis on  commercial applications has already, to some extent, moved research priorities away from an emphasis on mental well-being to an emphasis on commercial products. There are many examples of this shift. For example, more research is being carried out on antidepressant drugs than on psychotherapy, even though in mild to moderate depression (the majority of cases) drugs and psychotherapy are approximately equal in efficacy. There is increasing evidence for the efficacy of exercise10,11 and fish oils12,13 in the treatment and prevention of depression. However, these strategies receive much less attention than antidepressant drugs. Even an established antidepressant treatment such as S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe)14 receives little attention. Searching the abstracts of the 2004 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, I found 179 with the key word â€Å"antidepressant† and only 4 with the key word â€Å"S-adenosylmethionine,† and none of those 4 was concerned with the antidepressant action of SAMe. SAMe is a major methyl donor and seems to work in a fundamentally different way from any product being investigated by drug companies. Surely we could expect that an antidepressant acting through a different mechanism would be a popular topic of investigation. However, SAMe is a natural product and not of commercial interest. Similarly, insights into what exercise or fish oils do to the brain may provide important insights into the pathophysiology of depression and its treatment, but these subjects receive little attention. Many basic science researchers investigating the mechanisms of antidepressants produced by drug companies do not receive funding from those companies. However, enough are lured by drug company research funds into working on topics of interest to the companies to significantly influence what are fashionable topics of research. Laboratories with funding from industry can often afford more trainees, who may then adopt a more industry-centred approach in their own research. While the availability of funds from industry has certainly influenced research, the pressure on university faculty to commercialize the results of their research will undoubtedly cause even greater distortion in the areas of research that are most popular. Granting agencies have increasingly tried to foster research in neglected areas by allocating funds to specific areas of research and requesting applications in those areas. Although this approach is certainly necessary, it has not done much to alter the effects of drug company money on research output. Also, in some ways it moves research even further away from the ideal in Vannevar Bushs report that â€Å"Scientific progress on a broad front results from the free play of free intellects, working on subjects of their own choice, in the manner dictated by their curiosity for exploration of the unknown. †2 This model was notably successful in the last half of the 20th century, but it may not survive the pressure to commercialize. While there is still much scope for curiosity-driven research, the curiosity of researchers is likely to be aligned increasingly with the interests of drug companies. As mentioned above, a cultural change has accompanied the increasing commercialization of university research. The pressure to commercialize has been critiqued in some quarters, but many university faculty have nonetheless embraced commercialization, or at least remained unconcerned about it. Are we far from a time when a researcher without a patent that is being commercialized will be regarded in the same way as those who do not publish regularly in the top journals? And how long will it be before governments make commercialization a mandate of granting councils and a requirement for the majority of grants? A fascination with the workings of the brain and how it can malfunction in mental illness is the usual motivator for researchers in neuroscience and psychiatry research. As a result, curiosity-driven research will always tend to serve the best interests of patients. Although research driven by commercial interests will certainly benefit psychiatric patients in some ways, it cannot serve their overall needs, as it is much too narrowly focused. The designation of funds by granting agencies for specific neglected topics will help but is unlikely to produce any large changes in the direction of research. Thus, the biggest losers from the pressure to commercialize will be psychiatric patients. In addition I am concerned whether students who are trained to focus on the short-term commercial implications of their research will be able to maintain the breadth of vision that is a characteristic of the majority of creative researchers. Changes due to pressure from governments to commercialize are not limited to researchers. The increased emphasis on commercialization in universities has in some ways distorted the perceptions of senior university administrators about the purpose of the institutions. For example, there seems to be a lack of concern about some of the sources of funds that universities receive. Universities now hold patents on many life-saving drugs. These patents sometimes limit access to the drugs, particularly in low-income countries. 15 In Canada, one-quarter of the faculties of medicine receive funding from the tobacco industry. 16 Perhaps a suitable future definition of a university will be a â€Å"whole body of teachers and scholars engaged in turning ideas into profit. † In 13th century Italy the response to interference by the Roman Catholic Church in the work of scholars was a move to another location to escape the interference. In the 21st century that option is not available even to the minority who are concerned about the drive to commercialize. However, the picture is not entirely bleak. Charitable foundations will remain immune to commercial interests. In addition, even though charitable foundations will probably remain relatively small players in the funding of research, there are promising signs. For example, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, created in 2000, has an endowment of about US$27 billion and is striving to use its money for the benefit of humankind in areas neglected by governments. This foundation is not involved in psychiatric research, but its focus on preventive approaches may help to direct interest to that important area. Research on prevention in psychiatry is still in its infancy and will certainly remain that way if short-term commercial considerations stay paramount. However, charitable foundations cannot be expected to have any large effect on the change in university culture brought about by the drive to commercialize. Although I would like to be able to end this editorial on a more hopeful note, I am concerned about these cultural changes, and I do not see any solution. Still, one lesson from history is that the communities of teachers and scholars making up universities have adapted to many changes over the centuries without changing the fundamental nature of universities, and they will surely continue to do so. I am just not sure how. Go to: - Footnotes Competing interests: None declared. Correspondence to: Dr. Simon N. Young, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033 Pine Ave. W, Montreal QC H3A 1A1; fax 514 398-4370; simon. [emailprotected] ca Go to: - References 1. History. Padua (Italy): Universita Degli Studi di Padova. Available:www. unipd. it/en/university/history. htm (accessed 2004 Dec 13). 2. Bush V. Science the endless frontier. A report to the President by Vannevar Bush, Director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, July 1945. Washington: US Government Printing Office; 1945. Available: www. nsf. gov/od/lpa/nsf50/vbush1945. htm (accessed 2004 Dec 13). 3. Moutafi J, Furnham A, Paltiel L. Why is conscientiousness negatively correlated with intelligence? Pers Individ Differ 2004;37:1013-22. 4. Thursby JG, Thursby MC. Intellectual property. University licensing and the Bayh-Dole Act. Science2003;301:1052. [PubMed] 5. Sainsbury L. A cultural change in UK universities [editorial]. Science2002;296:1929. [PubMed] 6. Allan Rock welcomes framework on federally funded university research [press release]. Toronto: Industry Canada; 2002 Nov 19 [modified 2003 Jun 16]. Available:www. ic. gc. ca/cmb/welcomeic. nsf/558d636590992942852564880052155b/85256a220056c2a485256c76004c7d44 (accessed 2004 Dec 13). 7. Berkowitz P. Spinning off research: AUCC sets new tool to measure universities commercialization performance. Univ Aff [serial online] 2004;June/July. Available:www. universityaffairs. ca/issues/2004/junejuly/print/spinningoff. html (accessed 2004 Dec 13). 8. Kennedy D. Enclosing the research commons [editorial]. Science2001;294:2249. [PubMed] 9. Welch P, Cass CE, Guyatt G, Jackson AC, Smith D. Defending medicine: clinical faculty and academic freedom. Report of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) Task Force on Academic Freedom for Faculty at University-Affiliated Health Care Institutions. Ottawa: Canadian Association of University Teachers; 2004 Nov. Available:www. caut. ca/en/issues/academicfreedom/DefendingMedicine. pdf (accessed 2004 Dec 21). 10. Salmon P. Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress: a unifying theory. Clin Psychol Rev2001;21:33-61. [PubMed] 11. Depression: management of depression in primary and secondary care. Clinical guideline 23. London (UK): National Institute for Clinical Excellence; 2004 Dec. Available:http://www. nice. org. uk/pdf/CG023NICEguideline. pdf (accessed 2005 Mar 8). 12. Nemets B, Stahl Z, Belmaker RH. Addition of omega-3 fatty acid.

Role of the Nurse in Delegation of tasks

Role of the Nurse in Delegation of tasks Delegation is a term that means assigning certain authority or responsibility to a person to carry out that task but the person delegating still maintains the responsibility of the delegated task (Wikipedia, 2010). In the nursing world, delegation is a skill that requires knowledge of what a registered nurse (RN) can delegate and who they can delegate to. It is a competency both recognized by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Delegation is a complex skill that is best learned through working with other RNs. In order for an RN to delegate, he or she must know their states nurse practice acts, institutions policies and procedures, and the institutions job description for assistive personnel (Potter and Perry, 2005, p. 379). In order for the RN to delegate a task to a nursing assistive personnel (NAP) or another RN, he or she must know the five rights of delegation which includes the right task, right circumstance, right person, right directions and communications, and right supervision and evaluation (ANA, 2009). A right task is delegated when the task being delegated is within the NAP or another RNs scope of practice. The person being delegated to that task must require very little supervision and must be competent at the assigned task. A nurse can assign the NAP to take vital signs from another patient of his or her but not assign him or her to discontinue an IV. If a nurse is in the middle of an important task (i.e, start another IV from a patient whose IV line had infiltrated), she can ask or assign another RN, if that RN is not busy with her own task, to give her other patients their scheduled medications. For a task to be completed in the appropriate time and manner, it must be done under the right circumstances. The delegating RN must look at the overall scenario to see if the delegated task is right for the patient setting and that resources are readily available. A patients condition can change quickly in an acute care setting. An RN with good critical thinking skills can make good clinical decisions based on the clients condition and be able to delegate a task to the NAP. For a good patient outcome, an RN must know who he or she can delegate a task to. Knowing who to delegate a task can make the workflow much smoother. An NAP with very little experience might need constant supervision compare to an NAP who has worked in the facility for years and knows what can be delegated to him or her. Although an inexperienced NAP must need supervision, he or she must not be deprived of clinical experience and that once enough clinical experience, within his or her scope of practice, is achieved, he or she can be a big help to maintain good workflow. Giving the right direction and maintaining good communication with the NAP or other RNs is a big key in maintaining a good work relationship between the RN and the NAP. Communication is a two way process and that it must be proper and appropriate (ANA, 2009). The delegating RN must let the NAP know what he or she expects of them in doing a delegated task. Giving the NAP a clear and complete direction can make the job flow much smoother and manageable. The RN must also let the NAP know that if he or she has any question regarding the delegated task, that the RN will be readily available for him or her as a resource, guide, and support if she has any question (NCSBN, 2005, p.09). Having supervised the NAP by the delegating RN makes sure that the NAP is complying with the practice, policies, and procedures of the working institution and within the NAPs scope of practice. The RN can determine how often he or she can assign the NAP based on patient needs on the nursing unit and supervise the NAP based on the NAPs experience with the task. In supervising the NAP, the RN must make sure that the delegated task is completed on time so that other RNs on the unit may utilize the NAP if needed. If the delegated task is not completed on time, the RN must intervene so that in can meet the facilitys expectation and completed on time (NCSBN, 2005, p.10). Also, if there is an unexpected change in the patients condition while the NAP is performing his or her task, the RN must intervene to assess and check what could be causing the patients change in condition. Knowing who to delegate and what can be delegated can result in good patient outcomes. Delegation is a skill that requires critical thinking and experience. In order for the RN to delegate, he or she must know the five rights of delegation, their state nurse practice acts, and the working facilities policies and procedures on delegation (ANA, 2009). In turn, this helps assure the public and patients that good, safe, up-to-date knowledge on nursing procedures, policies, and standards keep the RNs and NAPs competent on what they do to provide care. In some of the patients and publics view, the RNs are the one taking care of them but some dont realize that without the NAPs, the RN would not be able to provide the needed time and care they need. RNs are highly encouraged to seek help or assistance if they have any questions regarding delegation. This can help the RNs obtain the information they need to provide safe and effective care for the patients and result in good patient outcomes. This also helps them build a good working relationship with the NAPs and that the NAPs are more willing to do the required task without having to ask them the next time. And thus, this frees the RN to tend to his or her more complex patient and in return, have good patient outcomes.

Deregulation In The Electric Industry :: essays research papers fc

Electricity is the principal force that powers modern society. It lights buildings and streets, runs computers and telephones, drives trains and subways, and operates all variety of motors and machines. Yet most people, despite their great dependence on electrical power, hardly give it a thought. They flip a switch, turn a key, or pick up a phone and expect the power to be there without fail. The almost-century old structure of the American electric utility industry is in need of change. Almost all interested parties accept the fact that technological change and altered views of the nature of government intervention have made the idea of increased competition attractive (Johnson 35). But just how should the competitive market be structured? Some participants want complete deregulation so they can derive the fullest benefits of competition quickly. Others argue that the unfettered free market, however, will cause hardship and inequities (36). Stability in electrical power has traditionally depended on a system highly regulated by federal and state government. In recent years, however, many leaders in government and industry alike have pushed for deregulating the system to make it more responsive to changes in business and technology and more open to the forces of free-market competition (Craven C5). Deregulation has been successful in reducing costs and promoting innovation in airlines, natural gas, telecommunications and other industries. The electric industry is next. Initial steps to deregulate electrical power are now being taken in the United States and Canada. Today the subject is being actively debated in board-rooms and state-houses across the Continent. Everyone is wondering what deregulation will do to the industry. People do not know how it will affect businesses and consumers, and they are debating whether to move fast or slow with deregulation. The "open access" rule of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission went into effect on July 9, 1996. Known as Order 888, it applies only to wholesale transactions. It requires public utilities that own, operate, or control transmission lines to charge other firms the same transmission rates they charge themselves, under comparable terms and conditions of service (Encarta "Deregulation"). This will open control of the market, and it will prevent utilities from denying transmission grid access through prohibitively high rates. Public utilities, municipal utilities, and rural cooperatives are the only customers that are able to purchase wholesale power for resale. Office buildings provide the power to their end users, but the tenants, building

Sample Literary Research Paper

Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, best known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, has written many novels, poems, and short stories in his lifetime but his most famous for his children's â€Å"nonsense† novels: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the sequel Through the Looking Glass. His works, especially the two mentioned, have influenced countless readers over the years, and references to his writings can be found in every type of media from the song â€Å"White Rabbit† by Jefferson Airplane to the the Matrix trilogy. While both books are intended for a child's entertainment, they are full of symbolism and hidden critique. His clever wordplay, use of logic and reasoning, and incredible imagination are all trademarks of his style of writing, which is often referred to as â€Å"literary nonsense. † To readers with little experience with Carroll's work, this term seems to perfectly describe Carroll's confusing and often rambling style, but when more thoroughly inspected, it becomes obvious that this â€Å"nonsense† has a far deeper meaning. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is about a young girl, Alice, who gets bored doing her multiplication tables one day and follows a white rabbit into a hole. Through this hole, she ends up falling into Wonderland, a place where there are potions and foods that can change the drinker's size, a tea party thrown by a Mad Hatter and a March Hare, and a Caucus-race that everybody wins. As Alice journeys through Wonderland she meets stranger and stranger, or, as she says, â€Å"'Curiouser and curiouser! ‘† (15), characters such as a hookah-smoking caterpillar sitting on a mushroom and a grinning Cheshire Cat who is not all there all the time: â€Å"'Well I've often seen a cat without a grin,' thought Alice; ‘but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life! ‘† (94). She runs into three gardeners who are painting the Queen of Hearts' roses from white to red so she will not cut their heads off. Alice and the Queen play a game of croquet in which the mallets are live flamingos and the balls are hedgehogs until the Queen eventually orders the beheading of everyone but Alice, the King, and herself. The book ends with Alice discovering that the whole experience was a dream from falling asleep while doing her multiplication. The story itself became much more popular upon the release of the Disney animated version. Many parts of this movie, however, were not originally found in the book but are instead found in its sequel. Through The Looking Glass is very similar to Alice's other journey, but this time she steps through her mirror, also known as a looking glass, and finds herself on a giant chess board inhabited by the Red and White chess pieces from the set in her room. When she asks the Red Queen if she can play, she is told she can take the place of a white pawn and start on the second square and will become a queen if she reaches the eighth. She eventually meets Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum who tell her the poem â€Å"The Walrus and the Carpenter. † She later meets Humpty Dumpty who tells her that he can make words mean whatever he wants and then proceeds to explain to her the meaning of the poem â€Å"Jabberwocky. † Alice is then taken prisoner by a Red Knight and later rescued by a White Knight, both of whom keep falling off their horses, and guided safely to the eighth square where she is made a queen and invited to the Red and White Queen's nonsensical dinner party, after which she once again wakes up and realizes that the whole thing was just a dream. The poem â€Å"The Walrus and The Carpenter† from Through the Looking Glass is a classic tale narrated by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum about a walrus and a carpenter who, while strolling down the beach one sunny night, convince a large bunch of oysters to take a walk with them: â€Å"Their shoes were clean and neat-/ And this was odd, because, you know,/ They hadn't any feet† (74-75). After much talk of whimsical nonsense, the walrus and the carpenter eat the unsuspecting oysters. There are many speculations on what the symbolism behind this poem actually is, but one theory, addressed in the movie Dogma, suggests that it is about religions tricking their followers. According to this theory, the walrus represents Eastern religions as either Buddha or Ganesha, while the carpenter represents Jesus and all Western religions. The two of them trick the helpless oysters, representing the innocent masses, with their words and then use them for their own gain, which in this case is as food. Many argue that this is not the true meaning behind the poem since Carroll was also an Anglican clergyman, but it is also noted that he was pushed towards his clergy position by his father and eventually grew to dislike the whole of the Anglican Church. The true meaning of the poem may never be known since Carroll never told anyone, and it was one of many things left unexplained in his diaries. â€Å"Jabberwocky† is yet another famous poem from Through the Looking Glass, containing many of the characteristics that earned Carroll's works the title â€Å"literary nonsense. This poem is first read by Alice when she holds the book containing it up to her mirror, and the first stanza is later told by her to Humpty Dumpty when he claims to be able to explain any poem ever invented and a good many that haven't been invented yet. â€Å"Jabberwocky† is about a boy who is warned by his father to beware the Jabberwock, a great beast with jaws that bite and claws that catch, and s o takes his vorpal sword and seeks the beast. When they meet, the boy slays the monster and takes its head back to his father to receive his praise. Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice that many of the words in the poem are portmanteaus, or words with two meanings packed into them. For instance, â€Å"slithy† means both â€Å"lithe† and â€Å"slimy,† while â€Å"mimsy† is â€Å"flimsy† and â€Å"miserable† at the same time. He also clears up the rest of the nonsense words in this poem such as â€Å"outgribing,† which he says is something between bellowing and whistling with a sneeze in the middle. The first stanza goes: â€Å"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe / All mimsy were the borogoves / And the mome raths outgrabe† (126). As Humpty explains it to Alice, this loosely translates to, It was four in the afternoon and the slithy toves, a mix between a badger, a lizard, and a corkscrew, went round and round the grass-plot of a sundial until they had worn holes in the ground. The borogoves, thin, shabby birds with their feathers sticking out, were mimsy and the mome raths, sorts of green pigs that lost their way, outgribed. This style of making up words to describe altogether new concepts or creatures as he pictured them has been compared to that of Dr. Seuss: it provides entertainment to children who laugh at these nonsense words, while at the same time has its own meaning when explained. Lewis Carroll had a writing style unlike any seen before his time. His â€Å"literary nonsense† has provided entertainment for countless children, while amusing and stimulating the minds of adults at the same time. While many of the characters and events in Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are known or debated symbols or references to something else, their true meanings could only ever be understood by Carroll himself.

China in Africa Essay

In brief the NAI Policy Dialogue questions the World Bank recommendations for large scale agriculture to solve the productivity and equity problems in African agriculture. The whole issue of property rights is intimately linked to the question about agriculture and development. The contribution by Benjaminsen and Sjaastad on aspects of property rights formalization in Africa draws on recent processes in Mali and Tanzania. A general conclusion is that the formalization of property rights in rural areas is a very complex and problematic issue. There is a high risk of the process being co-opted by officials and a wealthy elite, if necessary provisions are not made. Finally, Kjell Havnevik draws our attention to the relationship between inequality and climate change. This contribution is based on a presentation he made in Berlin in June 2007. Decoding the evolving China–Africa relations is the theme of an article written by NAI Research Director Fantu Cheru. He suggests that policies and programmes to deal with the present imbalances between China and Africa require us to revisit and redefine the NEPAD agenda. A regional approach will, in his opinion, help African countries to negotiate from a stronger and better platform. During 2008 researchers at NAI will continue to devote attention to this topic. In our interview section we present one interview with Martha Qorro, professor in English language, on the question about the language of instruction in Tanzania. She is of the opinion that the best way to teach English is not to use it as the language of instruction. She also responds to the question why the question of language of instruction has become such a sensitive political issue in Tanzania. In our second interview Jerome Verdier, chairman of the Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission, points to the fact that the TRC’s part of the conflict resolution is nothing new. Liberia has a history of resolving community conflicts at the round table. But in the past there were no prolonged conflicts, such as the recent 4 year period of massive human rights violation. In the research section we present the result of a conference which took place at NAI, Uppsala, in September 2007 regarding the ongoing discussions between EU and the ACP countries on Economic Partnership Agreements. The discussion at the conference highlighted the lack of connection between the poverty alleviation goal and the reality of the negotiations, despite numerous political declarations on both the EU and ACP sides. Key decisions on EPAs will soon be made by EU and ACP ministers. The Africa Europe Group of Interdisciplinary Studies, AEGIS, of which NAI is an active member, is presented through three contributions. Photo by Susanne Linderos News from the Nordic Africa Institute 3/2007First, we bring you an interview with the AEGIS Chair, Professor Patrick Chabal of King’s College, London.

Child Prodigy Essay

| Child Prodigies: A Blessing or a Curse? | Term Essay| | | Mona S. November/28/2012 | Child Prodigy: A Blessing or a Curse? A child prodigy is an individual, who at a very early age (mostly under the age of 10) is a master of one or a couple of skills or arts. These individuals or children display expert ability or a deep grasp of the fundamentals in a field usually only undertaken by adults. Using a specific term which expresses or defines a child prodigy can change attitudes portrayed towards such individuals such as gifted, talented, superior, rapid learner, able student, bright, exceptional, and even genius.Although there are many terms used to define a child prodigy, the most accepted and preferred terms used are gifted or exceptional (Laycock, 1957). Barbara Clark (1997) identifies a child prodigy as an exceptionally gifted individual who seems to have different value structures, which usually allow them to cope with the conflict or difference they find between their perceptio n of life and that of the average person. According to D. Feldman (1993), a child prodigy may have a reasonably high, but not necessarily exceptionally high, IQ.Prodigies tend to be unusually focused, determined, and highly motivated to reach the highest levels of their fields. They are often marked by great confidence in their abilities, along with a naive sense of these abilities. Thomas & Crescimbeni (1966) refer to the gifted or child prodigies as individuals that have an IQ of 115 and higher. However, that could only be implied to highly intellectual individuals as there are many different forms of child prodigies.I am interested in child prodigies for many reasons as it plays a huge role on how they are raised and how they socialize with others. To others a child prodigy might be a blessing but to child prodigies it is a curse depending on how they are treated. Here are some reasons as to why it is perceived that way: Most child prodigies are denied from having a normal and he althy childhood especially by their parents as they want them to focus on improving their â€Å"gift† and sometimes it happens for the child’s own benefit or in other cases to be used to obtain fame and fortune.It might be a good thing, especially for child prodigies that are â€Å"gifted† in the arts field, to improve and practice on it for future use but it must be done in a healthy and proper way so that children can have a childhood which would help them interact and engage within a society in a normal and functional way, however, denying child prodigies from having a normal, play balanced childhood might eventually turn out disastrous as they will not know how to engage or behave in an acceptable behaviour within their society and it would probably cause them to develop a non-friendly, egoistic, and obnoxious attitude towards others as they believe they are better than the rest. This might cause their lives to brake or be unfulfilled for many reasons that I will expand on throughout this essay. And there is also the widespread belief that young geniuses are pushed and nudged to extremes by one or both parents. Von Karolyi and Winner (2005) believe that the ‘talented’ train and practice extensively, and this practice is necessary for the development of performance. However, thoughtful practice is a very special form of activity that differs from mere experience and mindless drill. Unlike playful engagement with peers deliberate practice is not inherently enjoyable.It also differs from successful performance in front of an audience, which is rewarded with applause, praise and receiving prizes. According to Yoga (2008), parents who wish or hope that their child is a prodigy need to rethink that whole notion especially due to the recent reports that have been portrayed within the media about child prodigies. When a child receives a reputation for excellence, originality, and brilliance for their gift, parents become so please d with the child’s performance and deny any involvement and although this might cause the child to feel delighted with their successful outcome, they face the difficulty of defining their own contributions and would eventually acquire feelings of doubt and ambiguity about their own abilities.What makes things worse is that parents’ standards keep increasing after each accomplishment which causes new projects difficult to start and this would only make the child feel that their finishing product will never be good enough therefore causing them to pick simple tasks where they will not worry about failing in. Goal setting may become defensive, aimed at protecting against feelings of failure or low ability (Covington and Beery, 1976). Competition encourages and motivates gifted children to perform to the best of their high ability, and the recognition they receive for their successes provides the motivation for continued competition. However, there are some negative side e ffects of extreme competitiveness.Child prodigies have to deal with a lot of stress and pressure on their performance because of the expectations that the people around them have of them and from the repeated adult praise such as being perfect, best, or the smartest. The world imposes adult expectations on them, and they are really only children. The challenge of allowing and encouraging gifted children a childhood remains the challenge to the parents and teachers of such children. In my opinion, too many children are pushed too soon into a world that they shouldn’t really be expected to live in. It’s up to the parents to shelter them from harm, and gently show them or introduce them to the real world and its negative side with clear and loving understanding.I don’t know any child prodigies personally, but I am guessing that for a long time they live in a protected bubble where everyone thinks they are special for their talent and not for being a person, when th ey grow up there talent is not as noticeable anymore and therefore their novelty appeal has worn off, they are then expected to live in the â€Å"real world† with no understanding of what it entails and how to interact on a social level. Parents would unintentionally be treating their â€Å"gifted children† differently from their â€Å"normal† children which would only cause sibling rivalry which can be minimized and adjusted but will not disappear. Usually sibling rivalry occurs due to the competition for parent’s attention and sometimes their resources.Cornell (1986) found that â€Å"non-gifted† siblings of gifted children were less well-adjusted than a control group of other non-gifted children. Some child prodigies feel entitled to special treatment yet rarely get it. This could include being excused from certain activities or classes to be given the opportunity to work on their â€Å"gift†. By receiving such special treatments child pro digies could fall in two paths, one of which they are being bullied by others due to their special treatment. Gifted children today experience many disruptions in their lives. Some of these disruptions are relatively unique to them, such as needing to hide how well they do at school as a means to fitting into an anti-intellectual school environment (Coleman & Cross, 2001).All children are affected adversely by bullying, but gifted children differ from other children in significant ways, and what they experience may be qualitatively different. The personality traits and interests of many gifted children may make them targets of bullying by their classmates. At the same time gifted children may be more susceptible to the emotional damage that bullying can inflict. Usually the bullying will occur verbally in order to avoid a lot of trouble from physically abusing their targets and would include segregating the gifted child from peers and other activities, whether it is within class or outside. The gifted children would be called names such as â€Å"teacher’s pet† or â€Å"smarty-pants†. These days bullying can be done very easily that it would spread virally, i. e. cyber bullying.Some gifted children tend to be more timid than other gifted or non-gifted children due to lack of socialization if parents insist on them practicing their â€Å"gift† all the time for their future’s sake therefore they might keep it to themselves about being bullied and sooner or later without seeking help, or even though they do seek for help they are ignored by the adults within the society who believe that the bullying will eventually stop which it does not, it might cause the gifted children to commit suicide as they are tired of the endless bullying. Sometimes the bullying can also cause the gifted child to feel hatred or lose interest in their â€Å"gift† and would not want to engage in such activities again. The same thing can happen if t he child is forced to practice their â€Å"gift† all the time, such as the piano, and is denied their childhood or freedom and is treated as a tool for fame and success.Another path the child prodigy could fall under would be self-social segregation where the child prodigy would not want to spend time with the other normal children as they view themselves to be way better than others. Sometimes, when denied the access for special treatment, it might frustrate and cause them to be even more aggressive, driven, and overachieving than they are by nature. As the child is dehumanised and instrumentalized or taught to ignore reality and to occupy the parental fantastic space, such an unfortunate child feels almighty and all-knowing, perfect and brilliant, worthy of adoration and entitled to special treatment. The empathy, compassion, a ealistic assessment of one's abilities and limitations, realistic expectations of oneself and of others, personal boundaries, team work, social skil ls, perseverance and goal-orientation, not to mention the ability to postpone gratification and to work hard to achieve it are all lacking or missing altogether. Sex or gender differences do matter in accordance to being gifted. Reis and Callahan (1989) emphasize the importance of distinguishing between sex or gender differences, i. e. relating the biological and the sociocultural differences. The possibility of gender differences in interests, and perhaps even in cognitive activity, which would lead girl and boy prodigies toward different domains for study and mastery. These differences might also be biologically based to some extent; they are undoubtedly heavily patterned and reinforced by cultural values.Whatever their origins, it appears at first blush that girl prodigies are better represented in some fields than others, and further exploration of why this might be the case is in order. When we know more about such relationships, we may understand more about gender differences or at least individual differences in the development of specific talents. Why prodigies are found in some fields and not others, and whether certain fields attract more children of one gender than the other, is a matter for further attention. Being gifted or a prodigy also differs on what culture you are from, i. e. if a specific culture views you as a prodigy or not, as well as your socio-economic status because they might be rarely identified or described as gifted or talented if they are from a poor rural area.Peers of economically deprived or culturally different gifted children usually do not place a huge value on school achievement. Family, cultural, and language differences and testing circumstances must be considered as values and beliefs can affect ability testing. An understanding of different cultures is an important factor in both identifying who is gifted and how to set up a program that would help nurture their gift in a non-smothering manner. According to Bernal, 197 9; Bruch, and Curry, 1978, an interesting way to find such gifted people in these cultures would be to meet with students named by peers as out-of-school â€Å"leaders† who can explain characteristics of culturally valued giftedness within their own peer culture.Overall, I would like to state that child prodigy might be something good but only if the child was handled with care and love and given a lot of freedom of choice and opportunity to pursue their dreams otherwise they would be perceived as tools or mini adults with no mind or will of their own that are forced to do what pleases others. Brainstorm/Web Chart Here is a Brainstorm of ideas or a web chart of my term topic paper â€Å"Child prodigy: A blessing or a curse† References Bernal, E. M. (1979). The education of the culturally different gifted. In A. H. Passow (Ed. ), The gifted and the talented (pp. 395-400). Chicago: National Society for the Study of Education. Bruch, C. B. , ; Curry, J. A. (1978). Persona l Learnings: A current synthesis on the culturally different gifted. Gifted Child Quarterly, 22, 33-32 Clark, B. 1997). Growing up gifted: Developing the potential of children at home and at school. Upper Saddle River, N. J: Merrill. Cornell, D. G. , ; Grossberg, I. N. (1986). Siblings of children in gifted programs. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 9, 253-264. Coleman, L. J. ; Cross, T. L. (2001). Being gifted in school: An introduction to development, guidance, and teaching. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. Covington, M. V. ; Beery, R. G. (1976). Self-worth and school learning. New York: Holt. Feldman, D. H. (1993). Child Prodigies: A Distinctive Form of Giftedness. Gifted Child Quarterly, 37, 4, 188-93. Laycock, S. R. (1957). Gifted children.Toronto: The Copp Clark Teacher's Handbook Series. Reis, S. M. , & Callahan, C. M. (1989). Gifted females: They’ve come a long way—or have they? Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 12, 99-117. Thomas, G. I. , & Crescimbeni , J. (1966). Guiding the gifted child. New York: Random House. Von. Karolyi, C. and Winner, E. 2005. â€Å"Extreme giftedness†. In Conceptions of giftedness, Edited by: Sternberg, R. J and Davidson, J. E. 377–394. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (2nd edn) Yoga, S. S. (2008, April 14). Child prodigy: Two sides of genius. The star online. Retrieved from http://thestar. com. my/lifestyle/story. asp? file=/2008/4/14/lifefocus/20902655&sec=lifefocus