Evaluation of Issues Project

When I first received the Issues Introduction Coursework element, I had no clue about which topic I wanted to cover. There is such a variety of Issues in our world ranging from political problems to crucial environmental issues. I decided I would mind map all of my ideas out (anything to do with issues) and I evaluated my choices. I wanted to create a piece on a topic, which is relevant now and has a very strong history – an issue that needs tackling now. I decided I would go down the root of abuse (social issue), which is a very vague topic. It includes sub-topics of physical abuse, discrimination, child abuse and many more. Abuse is a topic, which has affected the British and nearly every single person on this planet: on an international scale we have child labour to electric chairs. This needs to stop now: this may be the root cause of anger, of hatred, of breakdowns in relationships. Abuse is a topic, which has also affected me in some ways during my life, and I thought it was time to put some of my own background into my piece of work; this is a skill, which many directors use in their films. Eg. Steven Spielberg is Jewish, and his film ‘Schindler's List' has its point of view to sympathise with the Jews because of the cruelty to them from the Nazis. I was influenced by this director to be very subjective about a topic I am very serious about. I integrated my two art forms through a film. This is using ‘moving images' and ‘drama. ‘ It is a simple idea but the procedure and the work takes a long time to create. I decided I would use film to show my intended audience (young children, aged 10-12) what the effects of bullying and abuse can cause. A film can use spontaneous language, and I kept the scenes short so they were memorable: this is the purpose of a film. First of all, from my original mind map I began to think of topics, which could be incorporated into my project from abuse. I decided I would go down the root of school bullying, a typical situation which takes place, but it has hybrid topics. It covers discrimination, domestic abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse and the mentality of bullies. This is because abuse does not come in one form – abuse is caused by something, which enrages people. Through my research I found that through psychology, abuse is caused by a mental issue, which enrages people, which causes a physical outcome (usually negative). There then, is a solution how to calm down, how apologise and stay calm. But when somebody gets bored they begin to aggravate somebody, which can bring on this anger again. It is a â€Å"vicious cycle. † This is exactly what my piece intends to do. It shows that ‘bullying never ends' and ‘bullying never stops' and that whenever there is a peak of happiness it eventually falls back down and everybody has to start rebuilding their lives again. This is a scene in my piece at the end of the film. Another theme is that ‘abuse creates more abuse. Her mother has domestically abused Zoi and therefore it's â€Å"mother-like-daughter†: Zoi begins to bully people too! I created scenes, which would evoke the audience about scenes of abuse, and bullying and I wrote them with more dialogue to create a stream of consciousness (just like Zephaniah's Neighbours) and this would engage my audience. I researched how girls were mean to each other (using Mean Girls) and I used some of these girls' characteristics in my own piece. I lastly created a storyboard with quick images and shots on how the audience was going to see this film. I drafted the scenes and the storyboard so I could see what improvements could be made to make my intended audience to make them even more shocked! I used a style model to show how to write and how to present a film script. I took the layout and the font type of this piece to make my own script look professional. I also incorporated some of my critical analysis pieces' work like having many twists in the films. The Guardian Advert ends with a twist using different shots; I decided I would use my own twist. These are that Zoi is getting domestically abused, and Stacey kills off Anna at the end. It is a very depressing ending, which is what I want my audience to feel left with. I want them to connect, to empathise with Zoi and Anna and show that dreadful things can affect our lives. I want to show my audience that bullies are, and will always be, hated. When also creating my advert poster, I looked at some posters showing abuse and took ideas from here. Like the silhouettes; the purpose of using a silhouette is so the audience can try and convey their own idea to what the character really looks like rather than just filling it black. I also put on some media to give it a modern touch (eg. ewspaper and magazine cuttings for the title) and I also edited the â€Å"girl's† body to look devilish. A first judgement would make you think that this girl is evil, which is an idea taken from my analysis pieces. Actually, the devil girl becomes a nice, well-mannered pleasant character! My strengths in creating this piece were being able to create a strong film with a message; my scenes were very strong in the way they were acted and the range of shots I used emphasised the raw emotion I wanted to convey to my audience. I used different types of literacy techniques and dramatic techniques too. Eg. In the soliloquy of Anna (a dramatic monologue), I wanted my audience to feel sympathetic to her. My weakness was time keeping. I had a plan, and I tried to stick to it. It took too long filming and editing though. That was the longest part of the project – but in the end I completed my project with success. If I were going to do this project again I would keep time-management at the top of my list because everything else (portfolio etc. ) fell behind. I think that writing my scenes were also strong using a pragmatic lexical choice to involve the audience's own colloquial language incorporated into my film piece. This would engage the audience because it would feel very comfortable, informal and sort of â€Å"eavesdropping. † Examples of this are â€Å"mates. † I experimented with swearing, which is very bad for a young demographic to hear, but in the end, children will end up hearing this language once they get older anyways. In my opinion, I think that my final piece is very successful in putting its point across to my demographic (young children). If my audience were watching this then they would feel shocked at the end and all the way through, which is its intended primary purpose, with the second being to entertain. This film is full of a hybrid of issues and plot twisting. It conveys symbols of trust and loyalty (hugs and holding hands) as well as scenes, which can shatter trust (i. e. letter in the locker). My piece not only conveys the theme of abuse through a modern media type (film), but it is very personal to those who are murdered, or commit suicide, being school students, being different today! I honestly think I have done a great job in presenting my issues to influence young children to NOT get involved in bullying or abuse!

An Analysis of the Australian Curriculum

Introduction With the introduction of the Australian National Curriculum into all education systems across the country, many questions and debates have occurred in reference to its effectiveness. From the often perceived conflicting curriculum definitions to the unfortunate failures of past attempts of curriculum implementation, every member of the community has an opinion on this significant shift in the way Australia thinks of its children’s education (Rudd, 2007).The Australian Curriculum however, has attempted to provide answers to these misgivings and societal concern, from an easy to use website interface, transparent developmental process and state/ territory inclusion of common educational individualities. The Australian Curriculums development has been that of promise and hopeful success (Brady & Kennedy, 2010).The Australian Curriculum should make it easier for teachers to incorporate community and student centred learning opportunities within the classroom, whilst a llowing for additional time and streamlining of assessment procedures, due to a short and precise teacher focused curriculum document. Therefore the current Australian Curriculum process is the best opportunity for the development and implementation of a world class curriculum that enables Australia’s future leaders to compete in a globalised world (MCEETYA, 2008; Shelly & Gunther & Gunther, 2012). Definition of curriculumDefinitions of curriculum are numerous and often believed to be conflicting. This can be especially so when delineated by the intended purpose of the curriculum as well as individual bias from specific stakeholders. Wiles (2005) lists varying definitions for four common curriculum purposes; curriculum as a plan, as subject matter, as an experience and as an outcome (appendix 1). Upon analysing these purpose related definitions it could be argued that each different definition ultimately alters the detail of what can be generally deciphered as a common intent , with individual stakeholder inclusions of specific content.Hutchins (as cited in Wiles, 2005) (appendix 1), when defining curriculum as a subject matter explains that curriculum should consist of grammar, logic, mathematics and the greatest books of the western world. In contrast Bestor (as cited in Wiles, 2005) includes the study of grammar, literature and writing, mathematics and the ‘mother tongue’ as the basis for his definition. As a result both academics can be seen to desire the same thing, extensive discipline based study; however have both included individualities perceived important to themselves.In order to define its intent, the Australian Curriculum has attempted to simplify the term curriculum through an explanation of purpose and intent. The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012a) simply define the Australian Curriculum as â€Å"†¦ what all students should learn as they progress through school †¦ † [as a ] â€Å"†¦ foundation for their future learning, growth and active participation in the Australian Community† (para. 2). Through the defining of the curriculums purpose, the Australian Curriculum encompasses such academic inclusions of definition as noted by Wiles (2005) within its structure.As subject matter, the Australian Curriculum has included a discipline-based method of curriculum encompassing twelve learning areas with nationally significant individualities, through the incorporation of ‘Cross Curricular Priorities’. As a plan the Australian Curriculum has included ‘General Capabilities’ that ensure student future success with identified essential skills such as information and computer technology capability, ethics and intercultural understanding; amongst others (ACARA, 2012b) (appendix 2).Thus, the Australian Curriculum has defined itself as an individual curriculum idea through the incorporation of multiple intents within its structur e. Development of the Australian Curriculum and curriculum models related to this development Since as early as 1980, numerous attempts at the development of a National Curriculum with varying levels of support and enacted implementation have been made (Brady & Kennedy, 2010).The Australian political structure and the level of authority the federal government has over state/territory and independent organisations over educational policy, may have been a contributing factor for this lack of committed development and intended eventual nationwide implementation (Marsh, 2010). Learning from previous governments’ attempts implementing a national curriculum, the federal government from 2009, enacted a series of shaping reforms, with the aim of successfully gaining support and legal authority over the implementation of a national curriculum (Marsh, 2010).The request for state/territory appointed representatives, statements of open consultation in development, through to what Brady a nd Kennedy (2010) refer to as ‘hard policy’, including the establishment of ACARA as a statutory body over all manner of educational policy and the linking of funding repercussions to the implementation of the Australian Curriculum (Schools Assistance Bill, National Education Agreement) has led to all educational organisations agreeing to the use of the impending curriculum documents.Brady and Kennedy (2010) state that no single form of curriculum model is commonly used by developers, therefore using specific components of different models and designing a process that works for the organisation or individuals intent. As such the Australian Curriculum developers have appeared to take such an approach. With the foundation of a Naturalistic model of development, including the use of discussion, interaction and negotiation of developers and stakeholders, the Australian Curriculum developers have additionally used a fundamental aspect of an Objectives model of development (B rady & Kennedy, 2010).The use of defined standards or content descriptions (Objectives model) as depicted by the national curriculum has been incorporated both after initial targeted discussion between stakeholders and before final consultation prior to publication (ACARA, 2008). As a consequence the important developmental principles of curriculum development as described by Marsh (2010) that all decision making in the development of an Australian Curriculum is transparent whilst alleviating societies concern over a discipline-based curriculum was met by the initial and ongoing consultation being undertaken.Structure of the Australian Curriculum The Australian Curriculum has been published on the Internet in order to allow maximum flexibility in viewing and the organisation of content. As such the interface is user friendly and easy to understand. The Australian Curriculum is currently broken down to cover four subject areas with an additional eight areas to follow from 2013 (ACARA , 2012a; MCEETYA, 2008). Each subject area is broken down into year levels encompassing Foundation to year ten (with eventual inclusion of years eleven and twelve).In order to differentiate different subject sub topics; strands and sub strands have been developed to allow focus of content descriptions (statements of required student learning). English for example covers three interrelated strands; language, literacy and literature, with content descriptions grouped into sub strands, which enable the visual identification of development of knowledge, understanding and skills (ACARA, 2012f). Content descriptions are then listed, which describe the required learning that students must be exposed to within each subject, strand and sub strand.The content descriptions provide detailed information of learning opportunities, cross curriculum opportunities and a glossary of terms. Additionally digital resource information is also available that relates to each relevant content description. A wealth of information for educators, parents and the general community is available on the internet for the Australian Curriculum, including student work samples of content description attainment, which may negate any uncertainty surrounding student expected learning and eventual assessment practices the curriculum requires.Complimenting the subject areas and included content descriptions are cross curriculum priorities. ACARA (2012e) states that these priorities of, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia and sustainability, will enable student relevance and address the issues that the students will face throughout their lives. The opportunities for inclusion of cross curricular priorities are embedded within the subjects curriculum documents where appropriate, however with differing levels of relevance for individual subjects (ACARA, 2012e).The Melbourne Declaration (MCEETYA, 2008), incorporated a set of seven ge neral capabilities that were deemed important for student future success by acting as a foundation for current and future learning. Student capabilities include literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology competence, critical and creative thinking, ethical behaviour, personal and social competence and intercultural understanding (ACARA, 2012b).Again it is seen that these basic capabilities will enable student success in a globalised workforce by enabling competiveness through the inclusion of 21st century needs of today’s students. Australian Curriculum in relation to the needs of 21st Century learners In the Federal governments’ educational reform document, The Melbourne Declaration (MCEETYA, 2008), the diverse needs of 21st Century students were acknowledged and a series of objectives established. The world is becoming ever more globalised with international mobility and competitiveness at the forefront (MCEETYA, 2008; Shelly et al, 2012).Therefore t he Australian Curriculum set to include a series of â€Å"general capabilities† (ACARA, 2012b) that would enable student future success by acting as a foundation of current and future learning. In addition, the inclusion of Information and computer technology (ICT) as a cross-subject enhancement tool, in order to address the needs of students of a digital age has also been included. The Melbourne Declaration (MCEETYA, 2008) defines ICT as â€Å"essential in all 21st Century occupations† (p. 5).Within the realm of ICT as a learning tool, educators are able to create authentic and meaningful learning opportunities across all subjects, as well as allowing the successful inclusion of differing learning styles of students through the use of digital resources such as podcasts, speech to text applications and web resources, amongst many others (Shelly et al, 2012). The Australian Curriculum provides these opportunities throughout and are indicated were appropriate throughout the content descriptions.The Australian Curriculum has set to include all students regardless of gender, race, socio-economic status and language ability the opportunity to succeed with the Australian Curriculum and provide them the best chance to be successful contributors to society (ACARA, 2012d). Teachers are able to make professional judgements on how to teach and assess the knowledge required to be learnt (ACARA, 2012d). Teachers are provided the flexibility to adjust the delivery of content to the needs of individual students to allow for maximum learning successes.Comparison of Australian Curriculum to local (state) and international models Prior to the publication of the Australian Curriculum in English, Mathematics, history and science, the Northern Territory was using a curriculum document titled Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF). The NTCF is vastly different in design to that produced by ACARA due to the NTCF being an outcome based curriculum model compared to the Australian Curriculums assessment of student achievement against explicit learning area achievement standards (NTCF, 2012).Similarities do exist between both the NTCF and Australian Curriculum incorporating a set of desired student personal attributes called EsseNTial Learnings in the NTCF document and General Capabilities within the Australian Curriculum documents. Both the NTCF and Australian Curriculums goals in the development of these personal development outcomes were to prepare students to be valuable members of the community and successfully contribute in a competitive globalised world (ACARA, 2012b; NTCF, 2012).The similarities in curriculum content continue through to the structure of subject content and related standards and outcomes of achievement. The Australian Curriculum content description for Mathematics – Foundation – Statistics and Probability, states that â€Å"[students] answer yes or no to questions to collect information† (ACARA, 20 12c). In contrast, the NTCF outcome for Mathematics – Chance and Data, Key Growth Point two for foundation, states â€Å"learners use everyday language to state opinions on the possibility of a given event occurring† (NTCF, 2012).Although the similarities in content within both the Australian Curriculum and Northern Territory Curriculum Framework are many, the difference in detail and length of the documents is significant. As noted by Kevin Rudd in the document titled New Directions for our schools (Rudd, 2007), state and territory curriculum organisations tend to develop curriculum documents that are far to detailed than necessary. This is especially evident when comparing the NTCF’s Australian Curriculum document implemented in semester two 2012.A quick glance clearly indicates the substantial difference as the original NTCF mathematics document consists of 130 pages compared to that of the NTCFs Australian Curriculum implemented document totalling six pages for transition to year ten levels (Appendix 3 – further comparison of current NTCF and NTCF Australian Curriculum documents). Thus the simplification of the documents may lead to teacher instructional enhancement and clearer levels of required attainment, enhancing student success working with the curriculum.Conclusion The Australian Curriculum is an extensive yet precise document detailing what is essential for student learning to enable success in the future. The Australian Curriculum has invented itself as a transparent holistic educational document with a clear purpose and intent. Additionally, the Australian Curriculum has learnt from the errors of past attempts at a national curriculum and incorporated soft and hard policy (Brady & Kennedy, 2010) that enforces the use and implementation of the document nationally.By incorporating an online presence with a thoughtful inclusion of student needs for success in the 21st century through the development of cross curricular pr iorities and general capabilities, the Australian Curriculum is enabling student success in a soon to be Asian dominated globalised world (MCEETYA, 2008). The Australian Curriculum has incorporated what is deemed significant throughout Australia’s diverse individual curriculums and indeed created a document that shares a common intent for education specifically with the Northern Territory Curriculum Framework.The Australian Curriculum is at the precipice of complete national implementation. Only time will tell if it is successful in its attempts at creating a world class curriculum for Australia’s leaders of tomorrow (MCEETYA, 2008). References Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2008, July 17). Professor Barry McGaw AO, welcome address, Queensland Consultation Forum [Streaming video]. Retrieved from http://www. acara. edu. au/news_media/vodcasts . html Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012a).Overview. Retr ieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/Curriculum/Overview Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012b). General capabilities in the Australian Curriculum. Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/File/85028d2c-d680-402b-84c7- 9fdd00ecac82. Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012c). Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum (Mathematics). Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum . edu. au/Mathematics/Curriculum/F-10Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012d). Diversity of learners. Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/Mathematics/ Diversity-of-learners Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012e). Cross Curriculum priorities. Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/CrossCurriculumPriorities Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012f). Content Structure (English). Retrieved fro m http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/English/ Content-structure Brady, L. & Kennedy, K. (2010). Curriculum Construction (4th ed). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson. Marsh, C. (2010). Becoming a teacher: Knowledge, Skills and Issues (5th ed). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson. McMillan, J. (2010). Classroom Assessment: Principles and Practise for Effective Standards- Based Instruction. Boston, USA: Pearson Education. Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Melbourne, Australia: MCEETYA. Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF). 2012). Retrieved from http://www. det. nt. gov. au/teachers-educators/curriculum-ntbos Rudd. , K, & Smith. , S. (2007). New Directions for our schools. Canberra, Australia: Australian Labour Party. Shelly, G. , & Gunther, G. , & Gunther, R. (2012). Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology in a connected world (7th ed). Boston, U SA: Cengage. Wiles, J. (2005). Curriculum essentials: a resource for educators (2nd ed). Boston, USA: Pearson. Appendix 1 Wiles (2005) definitions of curriculum: Curriculum as Subject MatterThe Curriculum should consist of permanent studies-the rules of grammar, reading, rhetoric and logic, mathematics and, at the secondary level, the greatest books of the western World (Robert Hutchins) The Curriculum must consist essentially of disciplined study in five areas: command of the mother tongue and systematic study of grammar, literature and writing, mathematics, the sciences, history and foreign language. (Arthur Bestor) The Curriculum should consist entirely of knowledge that comes from the disciplines (Philip Phenix) A Curriculum is a written document. George Beauchamp) Curriculum as a Plan The Curriculum is a planned program of learning opportunities to achieve broad educational goals and related objectives. (William Alexander) The Curriculum is all the learning of students that is planned by and directed by the school to attain its educational goals. (Ralph Tyler) The Curriculum is (a set of) planned and guided learning experiences for the learners’ continuous and wilful growth†¦ (Daniel and Laura Tanner) A Curriculum is a plan for learning. (Hilda Taba)Curriculum as an Experience A Curriculum is those experiences set up by the school for the purpose of disciplining students and youth in group ways of thinking and acting. (B. O. Smith, William Stanley, and Harlan Shores) The Curriculum is generally considered to be all the experiences that learners have under the auspices of the school. (Ronald Doll) The Curriculum is that series of things students and youth must do and experience. (Franklin Bobbitt) The Curriculum is the life and program of the school†¦ n enterprise in guided living. (Harold Rugg) Curriculum as an Outcome The Curriculum is a planned learning outcome for which the school is responsible (James Popham and Henry Baker) The Curri culum is a structured set of learning outcomes (objectives) resulting from instruction. (k. Howell, S. Fox, and K. Morehead) Appendix 1 Curriculum is concerned not with what students will do in the learning situation, but with what they will learn as a consequence of what they do. Curriculum is concerned with results. (Maurice Johnson) Appendix 2General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2012b) Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/File/85028d2c-d680-402b-84c7-9fdd00ecac82 Appendix 3 Comparison of Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF) and NTCF Australian Curriculum document. Figure 1: Demonstrates the amount of additional detail the NTCF document includes, in comparison to the NTCFs new Australian Curriculum document implemented in July 2012 (Note: NTCF does not have an independent History Curriculum) (ACARA, 2012; NTCF, 2012)

BTK Strangler: Dennis Rader

Dennis Lynn Rader, born March 9, 1945, had been penalized to serve ten consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole for more than 40 years having been guilty of murdering ten (10) people in Sedgwick County, Kansas between 1974 and 1991. Rader became known to be the BTK Strangler, which stands for Bind, Torture and Kill, an apt description for his modus operandi. Soon after the killings, letters were written to the police and to local news outlets, boasting of the crimes and knowledge of the details. He was then arrested in 2005 and subsequently convicted after the letters have resumed in year 2004.Biography Rader was the eldest of the four sons of William Elvin and Dorothea Mae Rader. He grew up in Wichita, where he committed his murders, and graduated from Riverview School and later Wichita Heights High School. Rader also attended Kansas Wesleyan University and spent four years in the U. S. Air Force. Rader moved to Park City, a suburb seven miles north of Wichita. There he w orked at the meat department of Leekers IGA supermarket where his mother also worked as the bookkeeper. On May 22, 1971, he married Paula Dietz.In 1973, he earned an associate’s degree in Electronics at Butler County Community, El Dorado. That same time, he enrolled at Wichita State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice in 1979. He led a Cub Scout troop and was active in his Lutheran Church. Rader has two grown children with Dietz. From 1972 to 1973, he worked for the Coleman Company as an assembler, as had two of his early victims. From November 1974, until being fired in July 1988, Rader worked ay a Wichita-based office of ADT Security Services.It was believed that this is where he has learned how home security systems work, and how to defeat them, enabling him to break into the homes of his victims without being caught. In 1991, Rader was hired to be the supervisor of the Compliance Department at Park City. On March 2, 2005, the Park City council fired Rader for failure to report to work. By this time, he had been detained by the authorities for being charged of murder. On July 27, 2005, Sedgwick County District Judge Eric Yost waived the usual 60-day waiting period and granted an immediate divorce for Paula Rader, being in accord that her mental health was in danger.Paula Rader said in her divorce petition that her mental and physical condition has been adversely affected by their marriage and that her husband had failed to perform material marital dues, possibly because of him being in custody. The 34-year marriage was ended, after Rader having not contested to the divorce. Bind, Torture and Kill Rader casually described his victims as his ‘projects’ and at one point likened his murders to euthanizing animals. He had referred to a ‘hit kit,’ a briefcase or bowling bag where he would put the items he would use during the murders.This includes guns, tape, rope and handcuffs. He also had ‘hit clothes’ that he would wear for the crimes and dispose it thereafter. Naturally, the American serial killer developed a pattern for his murders. He would wander the city, find potential victims, stalk them until he knew the patter of their lives and strike at the best time to do so. If his victims were his co-workers, he would get acquainted with them making it easier for him to track him down. He would often stalk several victims at a time, so he could continue the hunt if one did not work out.At the time of the murder, Rader would cut the phone lines, defeat the home security system and break into the house, and hide until his victim came home. He would often calm his victims by pretending to be a rapist. He said many of his victims were more cooperative after he said this, and even helped him. Instead, Rader would kill them. Apparently, Rader bound, tortured and killed his victims. He would strangle them until they lose consciousness, let them revive, and then strangle them again. â€Å"He would repeat the process over and over, forcing them to experience near-death, becoming sexually aroused at the sight of their struggles.Finally, Rader would strangle them to death and masturbate to ejaculation into an article of their clothing, usually underwear† (Smith 2006). Apprehension and Conviction One thousand one hundred (1100) DNA samples were taken by the police testing hundreds of men trying to find the serial killer. Rader’s daughter had a DNA sample tested after law enforcement had linked her father’s name to the crimes. Rader had left a note to the police asking them to reply by a newspaper ad, if it was alright for him to give them more information about himself via floppy disk and not get caught.The police had then replied, via the newspaper ad, that it was alright and that there was no way ok knowing who sent it, when in fact there was. On January 2005, Rader came to his pastor with a floppy disk saying he had the agenda of a church council meeting and needed to run off copies on a printer. He had inserted the disk into a computer thinking it was ordinary but unfortunately, that move may have cracked the BTK serial killer case to the police. On the last day of February 2005, Pastor Michael Clark welcomed four law enforcement officers with a search warrant and he was asked who had access to the computer.An electronic imprint in a disk sent to a Wichita TV station by the BTK killer had been traced to the church. It appears that a computer disk becomes the key evidence to charging the then 59-year-old church council president with 10 murders that terrorized the city for over three decades. The authorities had him caught; they quickly got the BTK’s name and tracked him down. The police had been tightlipped about why they believe Rader is the BTK killer, but some details have emerged indeed pointing to him as the murderer.Among them are the disk, DNA samples, surveillance and mocki ng letters. Rader, who was held in lieu of $10 million bail, was arrested on February 25, 2005 in Park City. One June 27, 2005, he pleaded guilty to his crimes and gave a graphic account of his crimes in court (Serial). Rader was suspected of eight murders committed in the 1970s and 80s but authorities have linked two additional victims to the serial killer. He was sentenced to serve 10 consecutive life sentences (one for each life he took), without parole for 175 years, on August 18, 2005.The Victims Rader’s victims include: ? 1974: Four members of one family (Joseph Otero, his wife Julie Otero, and two of their five children: Joseph Otero II and Josephine Otero) and a separate victim, Kathryn Bright ? 1977: Shirley Vian and Nancy Fox ? 1985: Marine Hedge ? 1986: Vicki Wegerle ? 1991: Dolores Davis Rader said he did have other intended victims, notably Anna Williams, 63, who in 9179 escaped death by returning home much later than he expected. The Letters Rader was particular ly known for sending taunting letters to police and newspapers.There were several communications from BTK during 1974 to 1979. The first was a letter that had been stashed in an engineering book in the Wichita Public Library in October 1974 that described in detail the killing of the Otero family in January of that year. In early 1978 he sent another letter to television station KAKE in Wichita claiming responsibility for the murders of the Oteros, Shirley Vian, Nancy Fox and another unidentified victim assumed to be Kathryn Bright. He suggested a number of possible names for himself, including the one that stuck: BTK.He demanded media attention in this second letter, and it was finally announced that Wichita did indeed have a serial killer at large. In 1979 he sent two identical packages, one to an intended victim who was not at home when he broke into her house and the other to KAKE. These featured a poem, â€Å"Oh Anna Why Didn't You Appear,† a drawing of what he had inten ded to do to his victim, as well as some small items he had pilfered from Williams' home. Apparently, Rader had waited for several hours inside the home of Anna Williams.Not realizing that she had gone to her sister's house for the evening, he eventually got tired of the long wait and left. In 1988, after the murders of three members of the Fager family in Wichita, a letter was received from someone claiming to be the BTK killer in which he denied being the perpetrator of this crime. He did credit the killer with having done admirable work. It was not proven until 2005 that this letter was in fact written by the genuine BTK killer, Rader, although he is not considered by police to have committed this crime. ArrestSometime during February 2005, police obtained a warrant for the medical records of Rader’s daughter. A tissue sample seized at this time was tested for DNA and provided a familial match with semen at an earlier BTK crime scene. This, along with other evidence gather ed prior to and during the surveillance, gave police probable cause for an arrest. Rader was stopped while driving near his home and taken into custody shortly after noon on February 25, 2005. Immediately after, law enforcement officials converged on Rader’s residence near the intersection of I-135 and 61st Street North.Once in hand, Rader’s home and vehicle were searched, and evidence was collected. Rader talked to the police for several hours, although he confessed almost immediately. Twelve DVDs were filled recording his confessions. On February 26, 2005, the Wichita Police Department announced that they were holding Dennis Lynn Rader as the prime suspect in the BTK killings in a press conference. The Reason Behind the Killings After having taken into custody, Rader admits through local police department interview that he committed the crimes â€Å"to satisfy his sexual fantasies† (Douglas 2007).Works Cited Beattie, R. Nightmare In Wichita: The Hunt for the B TK Strangler. New American Library, 2005. Brunker, M. Neighbors Paint Mixed Picture of BTK Suspect. MSNBC News Services & The Associated Press. 27 February 2005. Douglas, J. E. Inside the Mind of BTK: The true Story Behind Thirty Years of Hunting for the Wichita Serial Killer. Jossey Bass Wiley, 2007. Serial Killer Next Door – Confessions of the BTK Killer. CNN. 27 June 2005. Smith, C. The BTK Murders: Inside the â€Å"Bind Torture Kill† Case that Terrified America's Heartland. St. Martin's True Crime, 2006.

Life in Britain is expensive.As a result many mothers have to work to Essay

Life in Britain is expensive.As a result many mothers have to work to pay the bills. This has caused the break-up of family life and had a disastrous effect on - Essay Example are for under 2 years of age has gone up by 33% in the past 6 years (Easier Finance, 2008) and the cost of electricity and gas is up by 16% compared to last year (The Times, 2008) to quote a few. This situation has resulted in more people in a family especially mothers going out to work in order to make ends meet as revealed by a recent study that 1 in every 3 parent’s work (Easier Finance, 2008). There has been a substantial increase in the proportion of married mothers going to work since the mid-1960s according to an article published by McRae, S. According to a recent survey, the number of women going to work as increased by 18% since 1993 (Easier Finance, 2008).A major reason identified for this is the increasing cost of living and in addition work also provides women confidence in themselves, a way of exposing their skills and also increased social contact (Orr, J, 1997). The publicly funded childcare mounts to only 2 % of children under 3 years of age. While earlier on mothers took up part-time jobs now they prefer to go for full-time jobs in order to make ends meet (Orr, J, 1997, Reynolds, T, Calleder, C, Edwards, R, 2003).This trend of both the parents going to work has affected the quality time they spend with their children (Easier Finance, 2008). A study conducted has revealed that children of working mothers showed lesser educational achievement due to lack of ma ternal care (Orr, J, 1997). The study also showed that among working mothers, children of mothers who worked part-time fared better in examinations compared to those whose mothers worked full-time reflecting the fact that the amount of time spent on children by the mother had an influence on the cognitive development of the child. Another new trend that is fast growing is the atypical working hours taken up by mothers. This includes working at weekends and in shifts during weekdays in order to manage both home and work. A Recent study has revealed that children get to spend less time with

Marketing Process Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Process Questions - Essay Example Even though the customers at the hotel are satisfied with the service that Hydro Tech offers and there is a demand for such service, but the buying power remains in the hands of the manager who has to check for the feasibility of such cleaners. Hydro Tech vacuum cleaners are more costly than the average vacuum cleaners and since the consumers in the hospitality industry usually buy at low bulk price, they are not willing to spend almost double of the price of the average vacuum cleaner. Furthermore, vacuum cleaners by Hydro Tech require initial training before they can be used by the average consumer. Thus Hydro Tech would have train the entire cleaning staff of the particular hotel and for this the manager would have to allocate time for the training. The marketing process allows an organization to understand its target market and to develop marketing strategies that suit that particular target market. When an organization is catering to different target markets, it is imperative that the marketing strategies for different target markets are different. For example, in the airline industry, the marketing tactics for first class passengers differs from that of economy class. In a similar way, when Hydro Tech moved from the health industry and towards the hospitality industry, it was important that they revise their marketing tactics to suit the needs of the target market. Hydro Tech was unable to develop a marketing strategy that catered to the needs of the target market and this is because of lack of understanding of the marketing truths. Firstly, Hydro Tech did not analyze the situation properly, that is, it failed to understand the decision making process of the consumers in that particular industry, Secondly, since Hydro Tech f ailed to understand the target market, they did not produce a marketing strategy that would attract to this target market. Thirdly, they did not make

Discussion Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 14

Discussion Question - Essay Example This is in the light of capital constraints, where each of the affiliates to the company provides a suitable ground for shareholder value maximization. Shifting capital in this case would be informed by the performance of each affiliate prior to capital shifting and the extent of value maximization required. Capital should be shifted from relatively low performing affiliates to relatively high performing ones, allowing for diversification of shareholder value maximization. Managing working capital is critical to the daily operations undertaken by the company (Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2010). This is more so in line with the relationship between working capital and inventory portfolio. Increase in inventory costs restrains the production capacity of the firm. As a result, working capital becomes directly involved due to the fact that inventories are dealt with every single day. Production needs to flow, and the production capacity should improve as opposed to deteriorating. In this regard, the financial manager of the company should devote more time in managing working capital in such a way that mainstreams the inventory

The Role Of The Born Global Firms In International Business Assignment

The Role Of The Born Global Firms In International Business - Assignment Example b) Globalization and born global businesses are highly related to each other. One is the cause of the emergence of the other. Both the emerging globalization and the born-global businesses share some common issues with each other. Here, the issues found in the article have been briefly discussed.ïÆ'Ëœ Trade barriers are totally removed from most of the European economies of western countries. There each of the companies from domestic to international all of them competes with each other according to their potentiality.ïÆ'Ëœ The emerging industrialization, as well as modernization, caused globalization in the eastern economies like India, China. This indirectly helps the born global firms of the European countries to get a global market for performing their business.ïÆ'Ëœ It has also been observed nowadays, that the regional integration like NAFTA and the European Union has massively increased, which made easy for a born global firm to expand its business internationally (Case 1).à ¯Æ'Ëœ The growing integration in the global financial market has made the born global businesses more effective in the emerging economies. When the European countries would suffer from the debt crisis, the born global firms of those countries were much concerned to expand their business initially in the developing economies so that they can give potential threat to their American rival in the global financial market.Q.2. The smuggling business is growing rapidly among the spiritual Syrian people

Proven Practices for Securing Your Website against Distributed Denial Research Paper

Proven Practices for Securing Your Website against Distributed Denial of Service Attacks - DDoS - Research Paper Example It was identified that an Internet bulletin board called as 4chan initiated the attack by utilizing readers of the Internet bulletin board who participated to a campaign called as ‘payback’ to initiate a DDOS attack (McGARVEY, 2013). Likewise, the Motion picture association was apparently stimulated an Indian organization called as Aiplex for carrying out in contradiction of piratebay.com that is a file sharing website. As a result, Motion picture association was not available for more than a day and got attention of the media such as Reuters, British Broadcasting Company, London telegraph etc. One of the security research expert or advisors, Mr Sean Paul spoke on media about this incident and named it as ‘the future of cyber protests’. Likewise, he predicted that this is a part of a protest. Later, the assumptions made by the security expert were true, as again same type of attack was organized and time was the target was a credit card industry. The major p layers targeted in this attack were PayPal, MasterCard, Swiss banks and many others, as the objective was to impose penalty to these organizations for not providing services associated with whistleblowing site Wikileaks (Mansfield-Devine, 2014). Conversely, Wikileaks reported an incident i.e. DDOS attack soon after publishing highly confidential United State diplomatic cables. Later on, all the servers were moved to Amazon cloud seeking protection from these attacks (Crosman, 2014). Another DDOS attack targeted Russia’s most popular newspaper website more than one time within the last 24 months. The attacks were disabled for a week but Sokolov, who is executive editor in chief, is still seeking a cyber-criminal behind these attacks. Likewise, he suspects a government funded agency ‘Kremlin Youth’ is behind these attacks, as no support was given by the local authorities within the country. It is eminent that these DDOS attacks are now considered

Geographical Characteristics of Cyprus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Geographical Characteristics of Cyprus - Essay Example Cyprus experiences a subtropical climate as a benefit from the presence of mountain ranges and vast central plain which is drained by rivers. The quick-developing Cyprus economy is largely indebted to its geographic specifications and the socio-cultural influences of the migrant populations residing in the mainland. This essay will clearly study the geography of Cyprus as an evaluative overview of its climatic, demographic and socio-cultural designs. Topographic Details The charm of the topography of the country is elevated with the mighty stand of Mount Olympus. Geologists like Simmons have always focused this island for its location; Cyprus covers around 9550 square kilometers of land area that lies nearly 65 kilometers south of Turkey and 105 kilometers far from the west of Syria with four major topographic provinces including the coastal belt, the northern range, the southern range, and the central plain (6). Cyprus has a typical climate that experiences warm winters and moderate ly hot summers with a high number of sunshine hours and frequent rains in winter. The country has been renowned for its historical and epical prominence in the European civilization. This small island country is known for its rich mineral wealth, wine produces and extreme natural beauty. Interim volcanoes along the mountains and violent weather conditions across the fertile valleys make the golden-leaf like island a location of might hiding in beauty. In the opinion of Bowman, Goult and Hunt, the prominence of Greek mythology has also helped Cyprus achieve the position as the world’s hottest choice for honeymooners, bird watchers and all kinds of tourists as this island is believed to be the home of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. This Island features home for a wide range of plants and animals that add to its specific beauty. Economic and Political Implications of Geography Salt lakes and salt marshes that lie over a large area of the mainland makes the scarcity of wat er worse; however, there are many rivers that drain the agricultural land and meet the purpose of the population to a great extent. Cyprus is largely an agricultural region where the people engage mostly in livestock production and related trades while a large proportion of the people engage in crop production. According to an expert’s opinion, â€Å"the island’s microclimates and varied topography allow for diversified crop production† (Mirbagheri, 4). Animal husbandry involves the production and sales of milk, egg and meat of different animals. Farmers engaged in the crop production from irrigated farms produce grapes, melons, lemons and bananas while wine grapes, cereals, olives, fodders and almonds are produced mainly depending on rain-fed farms. Spring-summer cultivation of majority of crops Cyprus depend on the stored moisture of the land and deep summer crops depend on irrigation. The crops produced are largely used for the domestic consumption while the surplus is exported mainly to the European Union nations. Certain studies reveal that Cyprus gains around 480milli litter of average annual rain fall – a meager quantity compared to the requirement – a result of which farmers depend on scarce water resources for agricultural purposes (Cyprus Profile). Continuous droughts and volcanoes create water shortage in the central plains of Cyprus that

Aerodynamics Which shape can accomplish the design objectives Essay

Aerodynamics Which shape can accomplish the design objectives - Essay Example However, they are not to be assumed in the current time where fuel is expensive. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (2013) define aerodynamics as the manner in which air travels around things. It indicates that through the laws of aerodynamics, researchers have been able to expound on how aircrafts fly. Physics indicates that for an airplane to be able to travel through the air, there are force constituents that make up aerodynamics. These force constituents relate in such a way that an airplane is able to fly symmetrically. When flying symmetrically, two forces are in action. They are lift and drag. Drag is defined as the part of the aerodynamic force, which is parallel to the wind in action. It is said to impede on the forward movement of the airplane. If an airplane is travelling at a speed less than that of the speed of sound through air, it experiences induced and parasite drag (Dole & Lewis, 2000). On the other hand, lift is the sum of all aerodynamic forces that are acting on an airplane, which is after they are determined perpendicu larly to the path of flight. It is the result from forces of pressure that act on the surface exposed to airflow. So, what design can save fuel? It is the paper’s aim to answer this question. Firstly, this paper will look at the arguments in support of the idea that winglets help in saving fuel. Secondly, it will examine the arguments against this idea. Thereafter, a conclusion shall be made on the fuel saving ability of winglets. Lift is required to cover for mass forces and is approximately equal to the weight of the airplane (Torenbeek & Wittenberg, 2009). The wings and tail plane generate lift successfully when drag is at most minimum. Hence, there arises a lift to drag ratio (L/D) that is used to measure their efficacy. Minimum drag (D min) is obtained by: (W) Ã · (L/D) max. With these in mind, there has been questions around the best

Chinese women and their problems during the High Qing era Essay

Chinese women and their problems during the High Qing era - Essay Example   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Writing of the elite-dominated the analysis of gender in High Qing times.   Sitting in the ivory towers, the intellectuals recorded their scholarly observations.   Susan extends the scope to the grassroots level. She deals with her contribution in the farm, household, entertainment by the courtesan, and the participation of women in rituals and domestic religious festivities; and above all, the important issue of women’s poetry. The sensibilities expressed by various women poets are great historical documents to the time during which these poems were written. They provide valuable information about the emotions of women, moral values, and social relations and to an extent, political judgments. Yuan Mei’s recollections of the women poets with whom he was acquainted with, were full of catkin images, especially the stories of child intellectuals who were brilliant poets. So also, Xie Daoyun of willow catkin fame was known for upstaging their male frien ds and relatives in verbal combat and poetry contests.That was a strange position, which Mann noticed and elaborated in her book, about the elite Chinese women. The patrilineal family demanded that elite women demonstrate family prestige by remaining secluded and restrict their activities. But they enjoyed a new type of freedom in the Qing constellation. They could write and reinterpret their own history. The elite women had a pragmatic approach to their role in the society. They did not challenge the familial traditions or the social structure and the question of â€Å"women’s identity† that in a way challenged men, was of no consequence to them. They exploited and enjoyed the possibilities of autonomy that was prevalent within their society.

Osmosis Lab Report Essay Example for Free

Osmosis Lab Report Essay

Study On The Objectives Of Micro Finance Institutions Finance Essay

Study On The Objectives Of Micro Finance Institutions Finance Essay A sustainable economic growth and development has its foundation on economic agents access to financial services (credit, savings, pension funds etc). Studies have shown that there has been a failure of both the government and financial institutions to provide access to loan able funds to the grass root level of the economy (GCAP, 2010; Sundaresan, 2008), for this reason it has become increasingly fashionable for national economies to set up Micro-finance Institutions to meet the need of these groups of people. Microfinance is becoming widely accepted especially in the developing countries and it is now playing a major role in reduction of poverty and the economic development in the world. This essay seeks to analyse both theoretical and empirical evidence with the view to ascertaining whether MFIs have lived up to their objectives as key drivers of economic growth and development. In addition, the essay will look at the impact of MFIs in Nigeria in relation to poverty eradication wi thin the following perspectives: Provision of Financial Services Access to Finance and Regulatory and Legal Framework for access to finance Nigeria Financial Services Sector is made up of the commercial banks, the Microfinance Banks, Discount houses, Cooperative societies, Insurance sector and Pension funds, Savings and Loans, Leasing companies etc. The essay will focus on those financial institutions that are licensed to take deposits and create loans. Microfinance is defined in terms of the services they offer; the provision of a wide range of services including deposit taking, advancement of loans, payment services, money transfers, and insurance services to the low income members of the economy (ADB, date). Microfinance can simply be seen as the provision of quality financial services to the poor. The theory of Microfinance dates back to 1975 to Mohammed Yunus, an Economics University lecturer in Bangladesh. In his classic research project he designed a credit and delivery system to provide banking services to the rural poor (Hulme et al, 2009). The research gave birth to what is known today as the Grameen bank; that has grown both in assets and operations (Grameen, 2009). The provision of financial services within the Nigeria context has been an abysmal failure. Recent survey by the FinScope found some staggering fact about the level of banking participation in the economy FinScope (2008). According to the study 74% of the adult population have not been banked, 15% of women at the time of the survey have no bank account and 86% of rural adults are not unbanked (FinScope, 2008). A comparison of the level of access to financial services particularly the deposit money bank done amongst four countries in African including; Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania found that Nigeria has the second largest number of non-banking population see Fig. 1 (Isern et al, 2009). The level of financial services illiteracy amongst the adult population is equally very low according to the survey (FinScope, 2008). See Fig 3. The close proximity of Microfinance banks to the rural population offers them a great advantage to reach the nonbanked populace unfortunately; emp irical studies showed that only 3 percent of adults use Microfinance as their main bank (Bun et al, 2007). The Small and Medium Enterprises have been identified as the engine room of growth and development in most economies (Malik and Teal, 2008). However, this very important sector of every developed and developing economy has been very dormant in Nigeria. A World Bank study in 2008 (World Bank, 2008) have identified access to finance amongst others as one of the top constraints of the development of SMEs in Nigeria. In a study that compared the Sectoral contribution to GDP, it was observed that Nigeria SME sector was much smaller than that of other developing countries; according to the study, the SME accounted for about 50% of the nations GDP very little when compared with the 80% of the other developing economies. To improve on this the country need a well funded and operationally strong Microfinance institutions, it is arguable though whether the MFIs operating in the country have lived up to their expectations. For instance, a study done by Malik and Teal (2008) showed that only 5% of firms have received loans from Microfinance Institutions even when 80% applications were received from the SMEs. See Fig.4. The study showed the extent to which access to and cost of financing are a problem for Nigerian SMEs. Access to loan able funds was seen as a function of size; according to the survey, about 59% of small firms faced varying degrees of difficulties in accessing finance compared to 35% of medium firms and 11% of large SME firms. A world comparison of access to and cost of credit done on India, China, South Africa, Indonesia and Brazil saw Nigeria closely following Brazil as countries with the highest impediments to access to credit see Fig 5 (ICA 2008). The study of Isern et al (2009) showed that households, rural populace and SMEs are not very interested in accessing investment funds from MFIs. Part of the reasons adduced for this lacklustre attitude include high interest rates (cost of funds), collateral requirements, maturities mismatch etc. However, the study done by ICF in 2008 showed that cost of funds is cheaper in Nigeria relative to the other 5 countries surveyed. The supply of Microfinance services has a very long history in Nigeria, although this was frequently done in informal ways. A study done by Food and Agricultural Organisation in 2004 estimated that 25% of Nigerians accessed some informal sources of financing (FAO, 2004). USAID in 2005 carried out a survey that estimated that a majority of funding for Manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises came from personal savings, informal lending schemes known as esusu and gifts from family members (USAID, 2005). The FinScope survey in 2008 equally revealed that 24% of SMEs used informal sources of funding for their businesses. Various forms of Non-Governmental Organisations NGOs which are not for profit oriented micro-credit schemes have been in place since the 1980s. For instance Ford Foundation began supporting households and SMEs in 1993 and as 2004 have provided capacity building grants to 123 organisations worth $180,000 US dollars at the 2000 exchange rate, and the Foundation have refinanced loans to 241 organisations to the tune of $1.7 million (Isern et al, 2009). The study noted that majority of the NGOs used Grameen solidarity groups model to provide loans to small groups of people. The 2005 Microfinance framework made provision for traditional community banks that were operating in the country to be re-licensed as microfinance institutions with a minimum capital base of NGN 20 million (CBN, 2005). The community banks operating in the country before the re-licensing were privately held companies licensed to take deposits from the public as well as provide credit services. CBN reports showed that these banks became very successful in deposit mobilization but failed in their functions as lenders to the rural households and SMEs within the communities that they operated (CBN/OFID Reports, date). As at July 2008, about 125 Microfinance licenses were processed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and most of these licenses were for internationally experienced Microfinance organisations such as ACCION International which is a partnership between Citibank-Nigeria, Ecobank, Zenith bank, IFC and SME manager. Other international organisations like K-REP (Kenya), BRAC (Bangladesh), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have provided both funding and technical expertise to MFIs. The traditional commercial banks were not left out of the Microfinance arrangements as most of them opened subsidiaries that undertook the functions of MFIs (CBN reports, 2008). The growth of MFIs in Nigeria was encouraging. See Fig 6. The international capital flows as well as the technical expertise helped to build the much needed confidence that was lacking when the banks operated as community banks. However, the growth and concentration of MFIs may become too risky; as majority of them are serving the same market. CBN data showed that 100 of MFIs were operating in Lagos State alone and 16 in Abuja the Federal Capital. Reports from the CBN showed that as at the end of October 2008, a total of 724 MFIs were fully licensed and in operations, with 607 of them being community banks that were re-licensed as MFIs, about 86 MFIs have been given approval in principle during the period under review (CBN, 2008) Again another important source of risk is from the very low capital base that is required for the MFIs and poor regulatory and supervision framework. The CBN in their current reforms are taking some major steps to mitigate these risks; with the proposal of merging and consolidations within the sector. If the various reforms pull through, the country may see more financial strong MFIs that are able to perform their functions as key drivers of national growth and prosperity. Despite the rapid growth of the MFIs in both size magnitude and operations; lending to rural households and SMEs has continued to stagnate. The growth in MFIs have failed to translate into easy access to investment funds, SMEs and households have continued to bedevilled by high cost of funds and collateral requirements. Adverse selection within the financial services sector has continued to persist as a result of information asymmetry. Information asymmetry in the sense that the MFIs have no way of fully guiding and protecting their loanable funds to the public, as a result of this; higher risk premia are demanded to provide financial services which excludes high quality borrowers. The table showed the low reliance of SMEs in the country on capital from financial institutions; clearly borrowed funds from the banks including the MFIs have remained very low, largely as a result of the factors mentioned before. The result is even worst when compared with that of other developing economies like Brazil, South Africa, China, India, Indonesia and Kenya. Source: ICF Survey (2008) the result showed is for short term financing as in the case of long term financing firms depend entirely on personal funding. Table 8 clearly shows that only 4% of SMEs have access to lines of credit/loans while 8% have access to various forms of overdrafts. MFIs account for a very low percentage of financial services funding in Nigeria, largely because of loan ceiling that is active within that sector. Microfinance institutions operating in Nigeria are mandated to keep 60% of their loan portfolio below the NGN 500,000 (US$4310) loan threshold. Central to the Microfinance regulatory framework is the CBN guidelines for licensing of microfinance banks (MFBs). The guidelines provide two licensing options; unit MFBs that are licensed to operate within the local government area in which they are registered with a minimum capital base of NGN20 (US 172,000) million naira. The unit MFBs according to the guideline may expand their operations subject to the NGN20 million capital requirement per branch. State MFBs are licensed to operate in all parts of the state in which they are registered and are subject to a minimum capital requirement of NGN 1 billion (US $8.6 Million). For the state registered MFBs to raise additional funds and open more branches; they are required to have covered at least two-thirds of the state and raise additional NGN 20 million to open a branch in another state. The prudential regulations of MFIs are designed to manage credit risks that are part of the Microfinance operations; the capital adequacy ratios of the MFIs are set with the notion that the institutions will be engaged in mostly unsecured credit financing, the capital adequacy ratio is set at a risk-rated 10:1 ratio (CBN2005). In addition, there are strict guidelines setting up reserves and dividend pay-outs. Microfinance prudential regulations are designed to reduce risk concentration by putting a cap on the amount of credit an individual and groups can access. The Microfinance prudential regulation is designed to reduce risk concentration by putting a ceiling on individual loans (1% of unimpaired shareholder funds and 5% for group borrower), a 100% provisioning is required for loans over 90 days in arrears or restructured (Isern 2009). Microfinance deposits up to NGN 100,000 (US $862) are protected by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Fund (CBN 2008). The Supervision of microfinance is based on both on and off-site supervision, box 2 shows a summary of the regulatory and supervision principles of microfinance institutions in Nigeria. Interest Rate policy of Microfinance institutions in Nigeria ranges above 20-30% for loans, advances, overdraft facilities and other types of lending services (Isern, et al 2009). The interest rates charged by the MFIs are quite high when compared to that charged by the conventional money deposit banks see Table 13. The high rates of interest reflects the high risk premia of the targeted audience that the MFIs are designed to serve. The high rate of interest rate has been identified as one of the key factors that limit rural households and businesses from access to credit through the MFIs (Philips 2002). This imposes distortion in the flow of credit as companies that cannot afford the high cost of borrowing look for informal sources which are marred by risks and uncertainties. The review of the operations of Microfinance Institutions in Nigeria has clearly revealed that there should be a trade-off between high cost of funds on one hand and provision of financial services on the other hand. From what they are designed to achieve, they are supposed to provide some sort of lose collateral lending and as such have a higher risk than the conventional commercial banks. Microfinance Institutions in developing economies like Nigeria faces some challenges both in their operations and in the environment in which they operate. One of these challenges as noted by Cerven and Ghazanfer (2008) includes some cultural practices that discriminate against women such as specific cultural, familial and personal circumstances other important considerations to women empowerment in Nigeria are religious issues like Purdah: (seclusion of women) which is rampant in Northerner Nigeria. Technical know-how and in-adequate regulation has been identified as one of the internal and external factors that militate against the growth of MFIs in Nigeria (Campion 2002). Microfinance been in a somewhat embryonic stage; developments and regulations are still evolving is expected that the sector could face some hiccups before stabilizing. Microfinance Institutions have enormous growth opportunities in Nigeria as a result of most of the factors highlighted in this essay; the nature of their operations and the Acts establishing them makes them a better preferred choice for consumers of financial services. However, this comes with a high cost to both the MFIs and their customers. To the MFIs the potential for high loan defaults are present; this may if not managed properly lead to financial fragility in the sector. To their customs; the high cost of interest and cumbersome application process that they have to face is a big challenge; there is an irony in the interest rate charged by MFIs in Nigeria, a country that has a forecasted average growth rate in GDP of between 5-6% per annum, has a cost of fund of between 20- 30%, this presupposes that businesses should grow more than the countrys GDP. Despite all the challenges of the MFIs in Nigeria, they remain substantial to the growth and development of any economy; and in Nigeria in particular the MFIs have large un-tapped markets and are set for long-run profitability if the relevant infrastructures are put in place. Fig 3 Percentage of adults who have never heard of the listed services and products

Ethical dilemmas in social work: A case study

Ethical dilemmas in social work: A case study New Hanover County Senior Resource Center: Ethical Dilemma What are values, ethics, ethical dilemmas and a code of ethics? Values relate to principles and attitudes that provide direction to everyday living. Values also refer to beliefs or standards considered desirable by a culture, group or individual (Merriam, 2003). On the other hand, ethics means a system of beliefs that constitutes moral judgment. In essence, ethics are moral principles (Barsky, 2010, p. 12). An ethical dilemma is when a person is faced with a choice between two equally conflicting moral principles, and it is not clear cut which choice will be the right one. (Barsky, 2010, p. 6). In other words, adhering particularly to one principal might result in the violation of the other. Finally, ‘a code of ethics’ is an explicit statement of the values, principles and rules of a profession, which acts as a guide for its members and their practice (Code, 2008). In every occupation, professionals are faced with ethical dilemmas. Dilemmas at workplaces can sometimes be the hardest decision to make in life; however, as a professional we must take the proper steps to move further and not jeopardize our license or career. As a Bachelor of Social Work intern at the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center, ethical dilemmas are easy to come by. Description of Ethical Dilemma An ethical dilemma occurred on November, 20th of 2014. The client that this dilemma revolves around, is on the Senior Resource Centers Home Delivered Meals program. The program serves home-bound elderly citizens age 60 and over, and they receive a lunch Monday through Friday, prepared at the center nutrition site by a local catering company (Nutrition, 2015). This specific client has been receiving meals since 2006, and in November it was time for a reassessment to be done. Reassessments are done every six months to make sure the clients are still eligible to receive meals. I and my field instructor, Jean Wall, visited this client at their home. I knocked on the door, and after a few seconds I could smell marijuana wayfaring in the air coming out of an open window beside the door. The grandson of the client opened the door, and said the client was not there. He looked to be older than 18. My field instructor asked where the client was, and the grandson changed the story to the client was in the bedroom taking a nap. The grandson had red eyes, and was slurring his words, which are symptoms of marijuana use. Added with the smell of marijuana coming from inside, it was clear he had been smoking it. After leaving the clients home, I was unsure how to proceed with what just happened. The drug use in the home could negatively affect the clients overall health and well-being, but is it within our jurisdiction, as social workers at the senior resource center, to make a report? The Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers, also known as NASW, expresses the values and principles of the profession. By having values and principles that guides our practice, this assists our work, and helps us to act in ethical ways. In short, values and principles provide a guide and standard for ethical practice in social work (Barsky, 2010). The ethical standards that conflict, in this ethical dilemma, are standards 1.01 and 1.07. 1.01 states that a social workers primary responsibility is to promote the wellbeing of clients. Standard 1.07 part ‘a’ states that social workers should respect clients’ rights to privacy (Code, 2008). Standard 1.07 is also in conflict with North Carolina possession laws. In North Carolina, Marijuana is classified as a Schedule VI Controlled Substance, and possessing marijuana in North Carolina is considered a Class 1 misdemeanor under N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-95(d)(4). Stakeholders Every decision we make affects other people. Social workers have a moral obligation to consider the ethical implications of their decisions on others. Each person, group, or institution likely to be affected by a decision is a stakeholder with a moral claim on the decision maker (Barsky, 2010). There are individuals, groups, and organizations that can be affected by the ethical decision made concerning this client who lets their drug using grandson live with them. First of all, the client is most likely to be affected by the decision because this ethical dilemma revolves around the client and questions what is best for the client. The grandson is also a stakeholder. More individuals that are stakeholders are Jean Wall and myself, because we are the social workers involved with the case. The organizations that are also stakeholders are the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center, the Apartments where the client lives, The Department of Social Services, and The Wilmington Police Depa rtment. Possible Courses of Action Identifying all possible courses of action and the participants involved in each, along with possible benefits and risks for each, is important for making the best decision when it comes to ethical dilemmas. In this case, there are three possible courses of action; doing nothing, reporting the drug use, and discussing it with the client. The first course of action, doing nothing, entails not reporting the drug use or confronting the grandson or client with the matter. Essentially, the participants with this option are the social workers involved with the case, which are Jean Wall and myself. We would document the home visit like we are required to, but no further investigation would take place concerning the drug using grandson living with the client. The benefit to this option is that the client gets to have the grandson continue to live there, which may help if she has an accident or medical emergency, where she would need help calling 911 or getting to the hospital. The risks of this option are that the grandson may become abusive as an effect of the marijuana use, and that the client’s health could be negatively affected from inhaling the smoke. The second course of action, reporting it, entails making a report of the drug use to the police department, or to Adult Protective Services. The participants in this option are, myself, my field instructor, the client, the client’s grandson, the Wilmington Police Department, and the Department of Social Services. The benefits for this option are that the client is no longer living in an unhealthy environment, and that, if the police reprehend the grandson for possession, then drugs have been taken off the street. The possible risks are that the client is displeased and makes complaints to the agency, and another risk is that the police can do nothing about the drugs being in the home, and in retaliation, the client may want nothing to do with the senior resource center anymore. The third course of action is discussing the issue with the client, and letting the client decide what they want to happen. Participants is this option would be the client, the grandson, myself, and my field instructor. The benefits are that the client becomes aware that there is an issue, and starts to take steps to get the grandson out of the house, and that the grandson will be aware that this could lead to a bad environment for his grandmother. The possible risks are that the client may get angry with us trying to get involved, the grandson may get violent and defensive, and that the agency may lose the client. Analysis of Courses of Action The courses of action mentioned previously need to be thoroughly examined. Doing this entails going over the reasons in favor of and opposed to each possible course of action. Option number one of doing nothing, entails not reporting the drug use or confronting the grandson or client with the matter. Reasons in favor of this option include the Code of Ethics ethical standard 1.07. That standard prohibits social workers from sharing client’s personal information (Barsky, 2010, p. 98). Social workers should respect the client’s rights to privacy, and this applies to this option because we would be protecting the clients privacy by not reporting the drug use. Another reason in favor of this option is that it’s not in our jurisdiction to do, or say anything, about the apparent drug use because there was no evidence of elder abuse, and we could see no actual drugs. The reasons opposed to doing nothing revolves around the Code of Ethics standard 1.01. It is a social wo rkers responsibility to promote the wellbeing of clients. In this case, doing nothing would not adhere to following that standard. Option number two, of reporting it, entails making a report of the drug use to the police department, or Adult Protective Services. One reason in favor of this option is that it would adhere to the ethical standard 1.01 of promoting the clients wellbeing. Another reason in favor of this option is because it would follow with my own personal value about being against drug use. Additionally, possession of marijuana is against the law in North Carolina. Reasons opposed to reporting is that it would compete with ethical standard 1.07 where it states that social workers have to respect client’s rights to privacy. Also, reporting this issue to police would go against the ethical principle of dignity and worth of the person. The NASW Code of Ethics (2008) states that, â€Å"Social workers seek to enhance clients’ capacity and opportunity to change and to address their own needs†. Finally, option number three, of discussing the issue with the client, and letting the client decide what they want to happen, has reasons in favor of and against it. Reasons in favor of talking it over with the client includes the ethical theory that the client is the expert on their own life, and the ethical principal of dignity and worth of the person. Option three adheres to this theory and principal because we would be giving the client the opportunity to change and to address their own needs instead of making the decision for the client, without the clients consent. A reason opposed to this option is the legalities involved with North Carolina law. Drug possession is against the law, so just discussing the issue with the client may not be enough. Consultation Consulting with colleagues and appropriate experts about ethical dilemmas can aide in the decision making process. With this case, I consulted with Jean Wall, who is my field instructor, and then I consulted with another intern at the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center. The reason I consulted with the other intern was to try and get a sense of what her opinions on the case are, and to see what her decision would have been. The outcome of that consultation was that she was stumped on what to do also, but that she agreed with me on that it was an issue. She was not sure what should be done about it either. Next, I consulted with my field instructor about the home visit in general, then asked what should be done with the issue. Jean stated that, first, it was not part of our job to advise our clients on what should be done. We are to only give them the resources and tools they ask for. Second, that since there was no sign of abuse or neglect we could not make a report. Determining a Course of Action and Documentation The course of action that was chosen was to do nothing about the issue. This option was chosen because there was no sign of abuse or neglect, so we could not make a report to Adult Protective Services, and because we did not actually see any drugs while we made the home visit. The Senior Resource Center does not have a particular method of documenting ethical dilemmas. Documentation is done for all client interaction with the agency and staff. I documented the reassessment, like I would any other reassessment, once we could get in touch with the client and do the full reassessment. Ongoing Evaluation and Documentation After making the decision, monitoring, evaluating, and documenting the decision comes next. After documenting the first home visit we did to see the client, my field instructor set up another appointment with the client, and did the full reassessment for Home Delivered Meals. After the assessment, my field instructor and I debriefed on how the second home visit went. My field instructor stated that the house was very cluttered and smelled of smoke. The grandson was still living with the client, but he was out of the room for the visit. The client was found to still be eligible for Home Delivered Meals, and in six months, my field instructor will conduct another reassessment. Conclusion In conclusion, an ethical dilemma is a conflict of moral principles, occurring when a person is faced with a certain situation where adhering particularly to one principal might result in the violation of the other. Over the course of this internship, I have found that dilemmas at workplaces can sometimes be the hardest decisions to make in life; however, as an aspiring professional I must take the proper steps to move further. While interning at the New Hanover Senior Resource Center, this ethical dilemma occurred during a home visit. The client’s grandson had been smoking marijuana within the client’s home. The reason this was an ethical dilemma was because two standards in the NASW Code of Ethics were in conflict, specifically 1.01, and part ‘a’ of 1.07. In the end, my field instructor and I were not able to do anything about the smoking of marijuana in the client’s home. We could not report it to Adult Protective Services because there was no sig n of neglect or abuse to the client. However, there will be further monitoring of the situation due to the client still being on the Home Delivered Meals program, and having to do reassessments every six months. References Barsky, A. E. (2010). Ethics and values in social work: An integrated approach for a comprehensive curriculum. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Retrieved February 7, 2015, from https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp G.S. 90-95. (2015). Retrieved February 7, 2015, from http://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_90/GS_90-95.html Merriam-Webster, Inc. (2003). Merriam-Websters collegiate dictionary. Springfield, Mass: Merriam-Webster, Inc. Nutrition. (2015). Retrieved February 7, 2015, from http://src.nhcgov.com/services/nutrition/

Stephen Jay Gould Nonmoral Nature Essay -- essays research papers fc

Evil in Nature and a Benevolent God   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea of the existence of evil in nature many times creates arguments between creationists and scientists concerning not only the design of nature by a creator –God, but the actual benevolence of God. In Stephen Jay Gould’s essay â€Å"Nonmoral Nature† (1984), he explores this highly controversial issue by posing the question: â€Å"If God is good and if creation reveals his goodness, why are we surrounded with pain, suffering, and apparently senseless cruelty in the animal world?† He uses the life span of the parasitic ichneumon wasp to illustrate a scientific view that the concept of evil is limited to human beings and that the world of nature is unconcerned with it. To some degree Gould may be correct in his assumption that nature is unconcerned with evil, however, a Christian view and scriptural model does provide strong argument as to how the fall of man influenced evil in nature, and how nature points directly to the benevolenc e of God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Christian believes that God created the universe and its basic life forms. According to scripture, when God originally made life, He considered it â€Å"good† and perfect (Genesis 1:25). However, the Bible also shows that the perfect state God established on earth did not last long. Scripture recognizes the existence of evil and suffering in nature, and points the finger at God Himself as being responsible. Genesis chapter 3 reveals several curses God placed on the serpent, on Eve, and on nature. When Adam and Eve disobeyed their creator’s command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they rejected God and demonstrated they were no longer capable of living in their perfect world. They needed a place for their fallen weakened characters, and in Genesis 3:17-18, God revealed the kind of earth they would live in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from then on, â€Å"Cursed is the ground†¦in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life†¦thorns and thistles it shall bring forth; and you shall eat the plants of the field.† After their fall, Adam and Eve live... ...;  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Blackford, Russel. â€Å"Stephen Jay Gould on Science and Religion.† Quadrant Magazine 2000.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.users.bigpond.com/russellblackford/gould.htm Bohlin, Raymond G. and Kerby J. Anderson. â€Å"The Straw God of Stephen Gould† Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation 35.1 1983: 42-44. Gould, Stephen Jay. â€Å"Nonmoral Nature,† 1984. Hen’s Teeth and Horse’s Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History. New York: W.W. Norton, 1994. 32-44. Johns, Michael. â€Å"Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life.† Rev. of Rock of Ages, by Stephen Jay Gould. Emory Report 27 Sept. 1999: 52.6. Kirby,William. â€Å"On the Power, Wisdom, and Goodness of God.† The Bridgewater Treatisies. Treatise VII (1835) 2.2. The Ryrie Study Bible. New American Standard Translation. New York. New American Library, 1999. Wheeler, Gerald. â€Å"The Cruelty of Nature† Origins 2.1 1975: 32-41.

The Decision :: Creative Writing Short Story Essays

The Decision The tall man standing at the edge of the Haunted Forest looked directly at Siggford, waved, and disappeared. Perhaps the villagers were right in advising him to take the long route around the forest instead of cutting through it. Siggford hesitated. He could feel the warmth of the morning sun beating on his back. As he brushed his sandy blond hair off his forehead he found he was already perspiring. Watching the dense forest in front of him, he considered his options. He could travel through the forest in a day, or take three days to walk around it. Shaking his head and rolling his eyes he set out towards the forest. He stayed up too late listening to the villager's tales of these woods. Someone probably made up the stories to discourage curious children from wandering off and getting lost in the trees. Entering the forest he felt uneasy, but nothing seemed unusual as he wandered on through the morning. Around noon he found a stream meandering through a clearing where it ended in a pond. The clear water sparkled invitingly in the sunlight. It reminded him of a diamond he'd seen once. He stooped at the edge of the pond and reached in with both hands to cup the water when he realized what had been bothering him all morning. With his hands poised half way between the pond and his mouth, he strained to catch any sound. He could hear the stream running into the pond, but that was all. As he looked up from the pond a chill ran down his spine as he found himself face to face with the biggest man he'd ever seen. Now why would he call that creature a man? True, it stood on two feet and had hands and a face which resembled a man, but that thing was not a man. It was covered in matted brown fur from head to foot with what appeared to be blood strewn liberally throughout its body. It smelled like a dead animal. Its mouth was closed, but two sharp teeth stuck out over its lower lip. The black eyes stared at Siggford, but they held no thought. Only emotion. It leaned back its head and howled a howl that shook the ground. Or was it just Siggford who was shaking? Before he could move, or even react, the creature grabbed his arm and started pulling him out of the clearing and back through the forest.

Phil Alden Robinsons Field of Dreams :: Film Movies Field Dreams Essays

Phil Alden Robinson's Field of Dreams Was Ray Kinsella a triumphant hero who dared to live his dreams, or merely an insane lunatic who blindly followed voices that could only be heard within the confines of his mind? Although either of these theories could be argued successfully, the idea that this intrepid man was indeed a hero is supported by a list of characteristics that generally indicate a classical hero. In the movie, Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella was introduced to the viewers as an ordinary man, living an ordinary life, in an ordinary town. Conversely, he was given the extraordinary supernatural ability to revive a number of celebrities from both the world of baseball and literature who had been dead for many years. Kinsella related to common people, but possessed powers that are not only uncommon, but ultimately inhuman. Although not a fool, Ray Kinsella was also not invincible. For example, he was forced to deal with defeat and hopelessness throughout his travels. Once, he misunderstood a message given to him and journeyed to a place that he was not called to go to. But, being the bright and resourceful person he was, he was not discouraged and continued to persevere. Ray Kinsella was called upon by forces left unknown to the viewers and himself to go on both a physical journey as well as a journey of the heart. After hearing voices proclaiming, "If you build it, they will come," Ray risked the economic and emotional stability of the family he loved dearly to build a baseball field. At first, Ray Kinsella was highly skeptical, but eventually he realized the significance of his obscure calling. Upon the completion of the baseball field, "Shoeless Joe Jackson", the baseball player who had been his father’s hero before he passed away, suddenly appeared in the field to talk with Ray and to play baseball. As the plot progressed, Ray continued to receive messages. After each new message, Ray was called upon to further his journey. This journey involved traveling to various cities around the United States, as well as facing issues within himself that he has successfully hidden from for years. The reason for his journey, and the path to follow were never clearly manifested to Ray Kinsella.

City Life is Better Than Village Life Essay

In Certain cases, never cross your mind that City life is better than village life. However, there are so many advantages and disadvantages in city life and village life, also there is a big differ in the lifestyle with a little similarities. Reality, city life is more comfortable and civilization. As will as there are a lot of chances to developing the live. firstly, in City life there is a good opportunity for a young people make theme start them life with a high salary because the big companies located in the cities, in addition, a good education for children because there are better school than in the village, also, a convenient homes, large shop complexions, banks, offices, hotels, and hospitals. see more:country living vs city living Furthermore, a lot of things that cannot may in the village. On the contrary, there are people who prefer to live in the village because they love the village life with its healthy clean air and fresh products and they cannot live in cities, but almost they are usually the elderly. Although living in the city has many advantages there are some disadvantages too, the cost of the living is very high in the city, the city is always noisy, no fresh air and pure water. So it is hard to lead a healthy life. On other hand the village the undeveloped area for example, we cannot easily get many facilities the insufficient medical and education facilities, few opportunities to make money, little entertainment, no or little public transportation, also less facilities than a big city offers. Over all there are some similarities between both locations with big differences. But for each lives there is lovers who cannot switches lives to the other city, at the end, I see that Living in a village near the city is the best way to combine the benefits of this two lives. [continues] Read full essay Cite This Essay APA (2011, 06). City Life and Village Life. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 06, 2011, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/City-Life-And-Village-Life-717448.html MLA CHICAGO Welcome StudyMode.com is the web’s  leading learning tool. We inspire millions of students  every day with over 1,200,000  model essays and papers, AP notes  and book notes. Learn More  Related essays  Village Life Vs City Life  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦part of people that there is a big difference between village life and city†¦ 2 pagesMay 2011  City Life Vs. Village Life  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦might long to live in the city and those in the city may long for the peace†¦ 2 pagesAugust 2011  City Life And Village Life  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦there are so many advantages and disadvantages in city life and village†¦ 2 pagesSeptember 2011  Assignment About Campier And Contrasts Between Village Life And City Life. †¦offer these professions to the people. There are many reasons why a city life†¦

A Latin Christmas Essay

In Martin Espadas Latin Night at the Pawn disclose, the poet examines the Latin glossiness during Christmas time in a young, but still exploitation community of Latino immigrants. The song proposes that during few time in America, people of Latino descent could non enjoy themselves during the holidays as they would if they were in their own country. Therefore, the theme of the numbers is heavily influenced by the demise of Latin finale in America. Espada augments his rime to guide the theme clear by victimization the following elements of poetry diction and t angiotensin converting enzyme, symbols, and imagery. style and tone play a particular role in Espadas poem. In the first line, Espada uses what I think to be the most important member in the whole poem, apparition, to bring active a vision he has of a salsa band through the window of a loan office. The word apparition room a shadowiness corresponding image. By evaluating this word and its context, the poem itsel f has created a tone right away. We rear say that the mood of this poem is in truth gloomy and depressing when both one stooge see is a ghost and nothing else. The poem then continues with descriptive words to describe other looks. For instance, the word appear is introduced. The word gleaming means to shine brightly. By introducing this word, the poet draws emphasis on how important this salsa band is to him during Christmas. However, locked in the shop are gleaming instruments that cant play no more and Christmas to him is leave in utter silence.Moreover, Espada mentions two distinct colors, a capitalen trumpet (line 4) and a silver trombone (line 5). Both silver and favourable help represent the time of Christmas. close to all Christmas trees use silver and gold ornaments as a decorative feature. Also, the poem ends with another word worth noting, morgue. A morgue is a dress where asleep(predicate) bodies are kept. Ironically, during Christmas, we dont associate de molition with such a joyful time. However, in this poem, a connotation for the word morgue could include death. Now, put all these elements together, we can conclude that Espada is revelation a very dark Christmas he had gone through. A Christmas where there was no trumpet blowing, no trombone performing, no congas drumming, no maracas swinging, no tambourines shaking, and that all present was besides the thought of it-no real Christmas.Espada besides uses symbols to just develop his point. The three major symbols in this poem are indeed the pawnshop, the instruments, and the value tags. First, the essence of the pawnshop itself is important because it attests a story, beyond itself. Sometimes money gets in the way of a persons happiness. As a result, we pawn the press we really cherish for a quickly buck. Espada is toilsome to explain that on crystallize of the struggles Latinos face, they excessively must sacrifice the things they love. Second, the instruments tell us a capital bed ab forth the demise of Latin stopping point in America.Instead of being compete and making great music during the holidays, they razz there unused. Espada in his poem creates an undesired feeling. Lastly, the price tags that resemble that of a dead mans toe are equally important. The tickets symbolize the presence of death where there should be life. The Latin culture in the town of Chelsea is completely dead. Latinos rush given up on their culture in place where its not truly accepted. These elements create the point Espada is trying to express.Imagery is also an important aspect to this poem. The poet creates imagery that attacks several senses and by doing so, it also helps pinpoint the importance of different ideas. Espada writes, gleaming in the Liberty loan pawnshop window, (line 2). As one reads, you cant help but imagine seeing this bright light coming out through a window and presentation you a salsa band. Furthermore, Espada mentions several instrum ents. With this inclusion, one can imagine hearing the sounds of these lovely instruments playing coherently and in sync together.However, Espada also writes, all the price tags dangling like the city morgue ticket on a dead mans toe, (lines 7,8,9). This image develops a kind of unemotional and nervous feeling about whats actually going on in the poem. All in all, by pose these sources of imagery together, you notice what the poet is trying convey. Espada is rough drawing our attention to a salsa band and all of its instruments, but in the end things arent always what we want or expect. The Latino culture is nothing more than an illusion, in a land that does not discretion its immigrants well.Thus, in Latin Night at the Pawnshop, Espada creates a poem that expresseshis concerns about Latin culture in Massachusetts in the late 1980s by exploitation different elements of poetry. The power of diction and tone, symbols, and imagery, meliorate the central theme the poet wants to ma ke. Espada does a great job converting one simple moment, into a thousand words and ideas.