How Lexus Relates to Quality Management Essay

In 1990, Lexus created a new line of luxury cars. It’s called the Lexus LS. It had such fine quality that made such a good impression at its first release. Lexus is a branch of Toyota and Toyota could afford to create another luxury car because they had such deep pockets. This article talks about the new 2013 Lexus LS that will have a price range of $83,050 to $121,750 and the reason the price is set so high is because they put in such high quality parts and technology into the car. The interior has a new ambience to it to have a welcoming sensation and the seats have been re-contoured for better comfort and support (Kenzie). The rear seats are also in top quality: they recline and include a shiatsu massage function, and a DVD entertainment system with a lap desk for the laptop. The seats measure the occupant’s body temperature to adjust the seat’s heating and cooling to compensate. The fancier the features are in a product, the more it will cost. The costs are to the manufacture and will translate to higher finished goods prices for the consumers than products with fewer features. Lexus has such high quality to their cars that it is understandable that their prices are higher than normal, economy cars. I thought this article to be interesting because it proves why Lexus cars are so much more expensive than regular economy cars. The prices of Lexus cars reflect the work and high class technology that’s put into the car.

Health and Health Care Essay

The book â€Å"Health and Health Care 2010: The Forecast, The Challenge† by Roy Amara et al. provides detailed analysis of trends that will affect health care policies and practices by 2010. In particular, the authors have made an excellent effort to forecast stability and volatility of health care in the USA. The authors cover the following topics: health care forecast, demographic trends, health care demands, health insurance, children’s health, medical and information technologies, diversity and the workforce. Managers and staff members will find the chapters about information and medical technologies of particular interest. Nevertheless, the issue of ablation is paid too little attention. The authors argue that the primary purpose of the book is to make readers aware of critical factors that affect health care system in the beginning of the 21st century. When speaking about demographic trends and burden of disease, they claim that American population will be more ethnically diverse and older. Thus, such situation will be very likely to result in increased number of chronic diseases. One more important problem is that health care costs have increased meaning that less people can afford highly-qualified medical support. The authors predict growth of Medicare and Medicaid by 2010 due to changes in health care insurance systems. They say that â€Å"during the 1990’s, the managed care became the dominant health care insurance and delivery system, covering more than 60 percent of publicly and privately insured lives†. (p. XX) Managed care plays is argued to play important role in controlling national expenditures on health care, and people are provided with coordinated health care. Nevertheless, managed care is highly criticized by physicians, the media and consumers, but the government decided to make managed care an effective mechanism of controlling costs and delivering health care. The way the health care system is organized is swiftly changing, and surplus of hospital beds will contribute to consumer’s market. However, intermediaries will be entailed with a new role. The authors mention that the negative moment is that little changes were provided in the way the physicians practice medicine. Even the invention of the telephone, the computer and Internet didn’t significantly change medical practices. Of course, exceptions are present. It is physicians who are the central figures in health care, but surplus of doctors and new roles of health care providers are very likely to shift that paradigm over the next decades. New medical and information technologies are of particular interest for managers and staff members, and they are claimed to be the key driving force in organization of the health care system in the beginning of the 21st century. The problem is that health care industry is the last in implementing information technologies that would increase quality and effectiveness of health care delivery. The authors write that â€Å"beginning in the19th century, medicine has made great strides in verifying the germ theory, creating aseptic surgical techniques, discovering antibiotics, developing anesthesia, and imaging the inside of the body†. (p. 111) Of course, the impact of such innovations is undeniable and huge as physicians gained an excellent opportunity to improve public health, to extend the life span, and to improve the quality of life. Moreover, the quality of health care delivering was heightened as well. Nine medical technologies are argued to significantly affect the outcomes of patient care and health care delivering: rational drug design, advances in imaging, minimally invasive surgery, genetic mapping, genetic testing, gene therapy, artificial blood, effective vaccines, implementation of stem cells and xenotransplantation. Stem cells â€Å"can generate all other types of cells in the body and therefore hold great promise for replacing or repairing tissues and organs damaged by disease†. (p. 131) Researches of stem cells are nowadays one of the most interesting, the most promising and contradictive area of discussions and medical researches. Many researchers agree that development of the new method would open new doors before medicine. Some scientists say that creating of new human embryo must be prohibited, because it s morally unacceptable and religiously unethical. The authors continue that medical management is implemented sporadically nowadays. In particular, medical management is defined as an active management of the care of the population. Today, medical management fully depends on information systems that are used for monitoring and tracking medical processes and outcomes. Disease management programs positively impact medical practices and patient management. When speaking about public health, the authors admit that â€Å"over the past 30 years the public health system has operated under pressures of resource scarcity, limits in leadership, and organizational fragmentation†. (p. 9) Public health system is safety-net medical provider, and economic problems make its performance hardly bearable. Over the next decades global forces will the context in which public health systems will be very likely to operate. The authors conclude that global economies increase health risks and, therefore, public health system should be embedded in the context of global threats and opportunities. Cost-effective technologies should be developed for enhancing surveillance, screening and environmental health. Finally, public health strategies should aim at employing ecological strategies as ecology is human and structural determinant of health behavior. Managed care will remain dominant in health care insurance. References Amara, R. et al. (2003). Health and Health Care 2010: The Forecast, The Challenge (2nd ed. ). Princeton, NJ: Jossey-Bass.

How do social roles and the environment affect behavior, attitudes and beliefs Essay

Our roles in social institutions and our various environments have a huge influence on our behaviours, attitudes and beliefs. When placed in an extreme environment, individuals usually begin to stress and feel unsafe. When assigned to authoritative roles, indivuals in toxic environments tend to act aggressive and arbitrarily in order to maintain control and avoid any form of harm directed at them. When placed in an extreme environment, one tends to assume that their values and morals can overcome the harsh situations in that environment. Unfortunately the sad reality is that these extreme environments usually take control over one’s behaviour and beliefs. This was proved in various experiments conducted such as Milgram’s Experiment on Obedience and Conformity and Zimbardo’s Experiment on the â€Å"Pathology of Prisoners†. Stanley Milgram’s Experiments on Obedience and Conformity. Under certain circumstances ordinary individuals, with no prior sadistic or violent history, can be pressured and convinced into harming others. These circumstances arise when the individuals committing the harmful acts are forced into believing that they are not going to be held accountable for any of the acts committed. Milgram’s experiment on Obedience and Conformity demonstrates this idea. Milgram’s experiment involved a researcher dressed in a lab coat, who instructed a subject referred to as the teacher to teach a pair of words to the subject known as the learner. Under instructions given by the researcher, the teacher was to administer an electric shock to the learner, whenever the answer he/ she gave was inaccurate. The severities of the shocks administered were to increase with each wrong answer given by the learner. Milgram found that majority of the participants administered  the highest level of the shock, despite the agonizing pleas and cries made by the learner. Milgram’s also came to the conclusion that ordinary individuals could become accomplices to harmful behaviours which violate human rights when they are persuaded into believing that they do not have to assume full responsibility for if anything harmful should occur to other individuals. Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Experiment on the â€Å"Pathology of Imprisonment†. Roles assigned to us usually tend to have huge influences on our behaviours and attitudes towards others. We usually like to assume that our morals and values will triumph over destructive environments. The unfortunate reality is that when placed in an extreme environment, the environment usually takes control of our attitudes and beliefs. Zimbardo’s Experiment on the â€Å"Pathology of Imprisonment† would prove how difficult it is to overcome the temptation to abuse the power and authority granted individuals. Zimbardo’s experiment involved a mock prison in which participants were assigned their roles arbitrarily by the flip of a coin. Half were assigned the roles of prisoners, while the other half was expected to portray the roles of guards. After the first two days the participants seemed to become their roles, as opposed to them consciously acting out their roles. There was a sudden and extreme change in behaviours in which the guards developed a cruel and de grading approach towards the prisoners. The prisoners on the other hand became servile towards the guards and displayed signs of depression and resentment towards the guards. Zimbardo’s experiment reveals that because the guards were granted authority and power over the prisoners, they begun to act in ways in which they will not usually act, in their everyday normal lives. The prisoners on the other hand became depressed and servile due to the fact that they had no control or power in the environment in which they were placed in. The Documentary about Zimbardo’s experiment. In extreme and toxic environments such as Zimbardo’s mock prison, individuals with power exercise cruel and intimidating measures towards the people they control, in order to maintain order and a sense of power. In the  documentary about Zimbardo’s experiment, Psychologist Zimbardo along with other participants give detailed accounts of what occurred during the time period of the experiments. Dave Eshleman, who participated as a guard revealed that he instigated the method of harassment and verbal abuse against the prisoners in an attempt to show his authority and dominance over the prisoners. Eshleman also expressed his disbelief at the fact that none of the good guard made an attempt to point out his tyrannical abuse of power, but rather was stunned that the other prisoners went along with his harsh attitudes. Clay Ramsay, who participated as a prisoner, recalls losing his sense of comfort and also recounts having his thoughts become distorted under the constant ver bal and emotional abuse administered by the guards. Ramsey reveals that being placed under such an environment, made it easy for him to display signs of anxiety and severe stress. Referring to these accounts given by the participants, one can come to the conclusion that power corrupts. While individuals subjected to harsh and unjust abuse from authoritative figures find it difficult to stand up and defend themselves. This reveals that victims of abuse find it tough to stand up to their abuser out of fear. The Movie â€Å"Das Experiment†. When given a high position in a stressful and extreme environment, individuals with power desire respect and obedience from the people whom they control. In certain circumstances, authoritative figures resort to violence and aggressive behaviours to confirm their authority. This usually occurs when they people they control stand up to them, or challenge their actions. When given excessive power to establish regulations and exercise power, authorities become excessively aware of the power they hold and use the fear of their subjects to make them obedient. The movie â€Å"Das Experiment† conveys this idea. In the movie sadistic guard Berus is considered as the dominant guard among all the guards. He believes that the key to maintaining power and order is through humiliation and dehumanization of the prisoners. Berus authority and aggressive behaviour is challenged by Tarek, the dominant prisoner. Upon the realization that Tarek, is not a push over Berus and Exhert, another abusi ve prison guard, turn to drastic measures such as  urination on Tarek, and forcing him to clean the toilet with his clothes. Violence was also used as a means of taming Tarek and the other prisoners. The Movie â€Å"Das Experiment showed that when giving power and authority over others it is easy to become tyrannical in an attempt to maintain power and establish who is in control. Abu Ghraib Prison. Soldiers who run the prison located in Abu Ghraib turned the prison into a torture site for prisoners and captured prisoners. Prisoners brought in for interrogation, faced abusive treatments and harsh torturous measures, in an attempt on the part of the soldiers, to get the prisoners to crimes they may have or may have not committed. The soldiers in this environment had no previous known records of an abusive or sadistic history. These soldiers were normal individuals placed in a toxic and unsafe environment. The soldiers placed in the Abu Ghraib prison did not receive formal training, and may have felt threatened and insecure in an unstable environment such as Iraq. Thefore in order to remain and be perceived as the total authority figures, the soldiers ruled with dominance and fear. Prisoners were subjected to physical, sexual, mental and emotional abuses by the soldiers. This incident proves that even people considered normal, when place din stressful environment scan lose all sen se of morality. Similar to Zimbardo’s experiment, the soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison began to settle into their roles as authority figures and abused the prisoners in order to show their power and dominance.

Ethanol vs methanol as gasoline supplement Research Paper

Ethanol vs methanol as gasoline supplement - Research Paper Example The saturated hydrocarbons are the major components of gasoline mainly alkenes like 2-methyl-2-butene, alkanes like isooctane and cycloalkanes. In addition it also contains oxygenators which are pre used hydrocarbons that contain oxygen and are good substitutes for aromatics besides reducing the smog forming properties of exhaust gases. They include ethanol, methanol, methyl tertiary butyl ether and tertiary amyl methyl ether. Gasoline contains octane enhancers, aromatics like benzene, and blending agents to make high quality gasoline by adding preservatives. Methanol is used as safe way of storing energy. It is yielded by recycling carbon dioxide gas from its toxic state to inexhaustible carbon source. It is also environmental friendly due to its reductive conversion from carbon dioxide. It can also be converted to di-methyl ether which possesses a high calorific value and is an excellent diesel and house hold gas substitute. In addition methanol and related oxygenates can be made f rom carbon dioxide through aqueous electro-catalytic reduction without prior electrolysis of water to yield hydrogen leading to formation of oxygenated fuels through electrolytic conversion of water and carbon dioxide. ... When used as a fuel the engine of the motor vehicle must be designed to run on high alcohol levels (Dewick, Green and Miozzo 134). Also fuels containing ethanol release less energy compared to non-alcoholic fuels. Being an excellent solvent it dissolves fuel system parts, rubbers, plastic, fiber glass and to some extent aluminum. In addition the rubber that is used to in the fuel system parts shrink, swell or loose strength when exposed to ethanol reformulated gasoline. Methanol can be used as alternative fuel in small petrol engines having an advantage over gasoline because it is liquid under atmospheric pressure and also its energy density is about half of that of gasoline (Liu and Zhang 56). The distribution of methanol uses the same infrastructure as for distributing gasoline. The vehicles that are to use methanol needed to be installed with direct methanol fuel cells in contrast to hydrogen consuming devices which require liquid fuel to deliver power to run the automobiles. Use of methanol as fuel is eco-friendly hence posing intrinsic advantages to the environment than using gasoline as it enables efficiency of the engine, greater power density and it is cost effective (Liu and Zhang 55). DISCUSSION Ethanol is hygroscopic and an excellent solvent. Ethanol is added at gasoline pumps after the gas has been produced and delivered at the major gas refinery because of the risk of water contamination when traveling through the pipelines. Studies have shown that 10% ethanol gasoline dissolves 50 times more water than the conventional non-alcohol gasoline. Water dissolves in an ethanol blended fuel leading to the occurrence of phase separation (Miller and Spoolman 420-425). Phase separation of gasoline occurs because too much water is absorbed

Enron accounting scandal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Enron accounting scandal - Essay Example It made revolutionary changes in the trading markets of energy which has opened the door for new power traders and suppliers. It also tailored a nationwide energy-trading network by engaging in electricity and natural gas contracts that reflects the cost of delivery to a specific destination. By year 1999, the company adapted an internet-based system as Enron Online was launched. In 2001, it reported its executed trades on-line averaging to $2.5 billion a day. Having posted a 57 per cent increase in sales between 1996 and 2000, the company was considered as one of the most successful companies in the world. It controlled, 25 per cent of the â€Å"over the counter† energy-trading market or the trades conducted party-to-party and not over an exchange like the New York Mercantile Exchange. In addition, in the last week of 2000, its shares hit a 52-week high of $84.87 per share (www.mbaknol.com, 2011). No doubt that among the major player that had a major impact in the gigantic co llapse that turned out to be Enron is the accounting firm that handled its auditing. This is Arthur Andersen which garnered ire and revulsion following the events of the scandal. There was the unending debacle over the alleged shredding of important documents moments before they were subjected to an investigation. This was to cover-up the paper trail on the corruption that went on within the company. In 2002, the Houston Court found the company guilty of obstructing justice that led to the lost of over $60 billion by investors. The jury found it guilty on account of an alteration of a company memorandum that was connected with the revelation of the income of Enron. The judgment emphasized the need of accounting firms to monitor corporations and not just to stick with balancing accounts (Thomas, 2002). Though the entire firm had been indicted and found guilty, the most prominent figure that contributed to the catastrophe is their Chicago lawyer Nancy Temple who ordered David Duncan t o erase her name from a memo when they already knew the Securities and Exchange Commission was after them. The subject of the memo was on a $1 billion loss of Enron that Temple disagrees with. The whole debacle has placed the entire firm into jeopardy as they lost one-third of their 2,300 clients whereas only 5,000 out of a former 26,000 of their United States employees opted to remain with the company. The editor of Bowman’s Accounting Report has been quoted describing â€Å"Arthur Andersen is dead. Once the indictment was handed down, clients started jumping faster than they did off the Titanic† (Thomas, 2002). All these turn of events had led to the realization that there has been transcendence among accounting firms to be more cautious and transparent of their dealings with client companies. This judgment over Arthur Andersen only leads as basis to the public conclusion that there was something awfully wrong with the way Enron conducted its business. The non-disclo sure of facts that the company is in ruins which led investors to believe they are putting their money on a viable company when in fact they are not. This case served only as fuel to the public clamor to delve into the culpability of Enron executives and to hold them liable and to make them responsible to the aftermath of the company’s mess. There have been a number of opinions that pertain to the whole situation, some even uncalled for and downright degrading such as the reference to Andersen employees as Androids (Thomas, 2002). T

Differences between both Sakuntala's (Kalidasa versus Mahabarata Research Paper

Differences between both Sakuntala's (Kalidasa versus Mahabarata version) - Research Paper Example The interpretation of Karma theory is simple and straightforward. ‘Every action has the reaction and the intensity of the reaction is in proportion to the intensity of the action.’ No dispute exists between the scientists and the spiritualists as for this issue. So, Sakuntala and Dushyanta are both the victims of their past deeds and they had to suffer the fated consequences of separation. Kalidasa generously uses flowers and trees to describe his women characters. Bee and deer are used as metaphors to highlight the activities and amorous adventures of the King. In Act I, the King is compared to a bee that is out to suck honey from the flowers, in this case the one and the only flower, Sakuntala. Sakuntala is not accustomed to such attacks from the bee. Initially she wonders why the bee has left the Jasmine vine and now tries to fly to her face. As the bee is persistent in flying towards her, she turns her bewitching eyes swiftly to watch the bee’s flight. Not out of love, but due to fright. But this bee is bold, and seems as if he has come to conquer her. He reaches out to her eyelids, then cheek and gently buzzing around, he whispers some sweet nothings into her ear. She tries to ward off the bee, but he strikes at her hand and steals a kiss. The King is so much enamored of Sakuntala that he wishes that she should accompany him. Sakuntala is awfully afraid and thinks that her virginity is in peril. She cries out to her friends to save her from the dreadful bee. This bee episode appears in act I. The story of Sakuntala appears in the 'Adiparva' chapter of the epic Mahabharata. â€Å"Sakuntala from the Mahabarata version is confident, outspoken and independent in nature, whereas the Sakuntala from Kalidasa's "The Recognition of Sakuntala" is displayed as quiet, immature (romantic), and dependent.† Sakuntala of Mahabharata: â€Å"The two Sakuntalas are a good example of the change in characterization of a heroine. The Sakuntala of the Mahabharata stands her ground and speaks up for her right. Kalidasa’s Sakuntala does try to argue her case, but it is not her independence or the power of her words which we remember.†(Rustomji, p.45) When Sakuntala reached the court of Dushyanta, he took a defensive posture. Rather he was trying to defend the indefensible. He pleaded with her that no one knew about their association. Dushyanta presented before Sakuntala his queer logic that women were capable of enticing men to achieve their objective and he further argued that his people would conclude that she did the same thing to trap him and demand that her son should become the crown prince, which was part of her game plan. So, Dushyanta said that he did not admit to the marriage immediately and denied any association with her. He was clearly taking the defensive position as Sakuntala could not be browbeaten by his barbs. She reminded him about his promise and put forth her demand with all the confidence and wit h adamancy. Dushyanta remembered everything but shamelessly denied knowing her or having married her in Gandharva style. In such a grim situation anybody would turn cynical. She was about to faint, but regained her composure to launch a verbal attack on Dushyanta, for which she had

IT and Strategic Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IT and Strategic Systems - Research Paper Example Currently, competitive advantages mainly originate from technological enhancements as well as innovation regarding business models and processes. This makes support activities like information systems along with research and development the most important sources of advantage in terms of differentiation. Additionally, primary activities are mainly the sources of cost advantage making the costs easily identifiable for every activity and thus properly managed (Harvard Business Publishing, 2008). The main aim of value chain activities is offering the customers value that will surpass the costs of the activities so that it can lead to profit margins. The primary activities associated with the value chain include inbound logistics that involves receiving and warehousing materials that will be used for production as well as distributing them to the manufacturing department when they are needed. Other activities are operations, which entail the process of transformation of inputs into finished commodities, and outbound logistics that involves storing the finished goods in warehouses and distributing them when needed. Marketing and sales, involving identifying the needs of the customers and generating sales as well as service that supports customers after they have bought the commodities are also activities that are associated with the value chain. These activities are supported by among other things technological development, which comes up with various technologies that support the activities of creating value (Netmba.com, 2010). Porter’s five forces assume five significant forces that define the level of competition in a business environment including supply power that evaluates the ease with which suppliers can increase prices depending on the number of suppliers on every key input, how unique the commodity is and the costs associated with

Should Students be Expelled From School for Cheating or Plagiarizing Essay

Should Students be Expelled From School for Cheating or Plagiarizing - Essay Example Plagiarism is the violation of the sole purpose of education. If the purpose of education is to teach one how to be a man, a plagiarizer in the very first place destroys this basic premise of education itself. Moreover, a plagiarizer or an academic fraud pollutes not only himself but also the environment of the whole institution. Often students are inspired by the positive result of their friends’ uncaught plagiarism. Therefore, in order to check the corrupting impact of plagiarism and academic fraudulence, students should be expelled from school if they are caught cheating or plagiarizing. The plague of plagiarism revealed in various research reports is rather terrifying. According to according an â€Å"Academic Cheating Fact Sheet† more than seventy five percent of the college students confess that they have cheated at least one time in their school life. Only a few of these plagiarizing students get caught, where the majority had been able to evade the authority or t heir teachers. (â€Å"Academic Cheating Fact Sheet†) If the school authorities were strict enough to establish exemplary punishment by expelling the cheating students, the plague of plagiarism would not spread at such a high rate. The deterrent effects of expelling a cheating often get reduced by the lack of the academic authorities’ goodwill to prevent this academic crime. Obviously expelling a student is to be taken as the ultimate punishment for a plagiarizing student.... Obviously expelling a student is to be taken as the ultimate punishment for a plagiarizing student. In my opinion, expelling a student from an academic institution plays only a partial role in reducing this academic crime in the campuses. One will commit a severe a mistake if he or she relies on it as one and only means for resolving this problem. Reports show that students often plagiarize because a. they do not any clear idea of what plagiarism is, 2. they do not feel the stigma as well as negative consequences of plagiarism, 3. they feel that they have no other choice but to plagiarize and 4. they feel it is easy to plagiarize (Reid) Indeed the first two reasons are the students’ lack of knowledge about what plagiarism is and lack of awareness of the negative impacts of plagiarism on the students’ academic skills and its negative consequences in broader contexts such as the society, the nations, etc. It is the academic authorities’ duty to raise awareness amon g the students. The students are assisted promptly, warmly and friendly in any case they need assistance. Only after taking all types of preventive and complementary measures to remove this crime from an academic campus, expelling a plagiarizing student should be made the unalterable law. Argument against â€Å"students should be expelled from school if they are caught cheating or plagiarizing† If plagiarism or academic fraudulence is considered as a plague or a disease, expelling a plagiarizing student means banishing him or her to suffer alone, avoiding a teacher’s pedagogic duty to nurse the rotting mind of his or her students. So I staunchly oppose this view that â€Å"students should be expelled from school if they are caught

Marketing Research on Selected Two Major Competing Brands Essay

Marketing Research on Selected Two Major Competing Brands - Essay Example As the paper stresses the marketing case study analysis of the Google Inc presented by Abt had demonstrated the marketing programs of Google precisely. Taking insights from his work, the most important facet of Google’s marketing program is that it aims to make its applications and products accepted by all the market segments. Another important aspect of Google is that it allows both private and non-profit organization to use this search engine at absolutely free of cost. It is of no surprise to mention that Google works on the marketing motto that information gathering is a phenomenon of individuals, non-profit organizations and small and large businesses. This discussion declares that the external environment of Google is dynamic in nature and thus also provides opportunities and threats to the search engine. Google is on high demand and to remain competitive in this dynamic environment, it needs to predict the changes and accordingly adapt systems, cultures, strategies and also the process of alignment with the changes. In this respect, Google until now has undertaken several changes like that of the decision taken by Larry Page to step down from the role of Vice President and make Eric Schmidt the front man for Google (CEO). This indicates that Google follows dynamic strategies within its internal environment to cope up with the ever changing external environment. Google holds the top most position in the web and this position allows it to control any of the growth areas. Google has been so far applying marketing penetration strategies in the web industry for remaining on top. Free exposure and free benchmarking are some of the stra tegies that have been helping Google over the years. They always keep themselves aware of the competitive positioning and this trait of the company helps in achieving the competitive advantage over other competitors. The strongest element of Google’s marketing mix is their ‘universal search product’. This element always allows Google to either vote for or against any form of information and it is believed that this product type of Google is the ultimate generator of its

Forms and Substance Dualism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Forms and Substance Dualism - Essay Example If, conversely, dualism can be convincingly maintained, then our evidence obtained from studies of the brain would simply not suffice in gaining any form of insight into the human mind. Dualism is a logical necessity: sustained as a question that does not need to be answered as it can be fulfilled a priori, owing to the fact that humans have the ability to seek introspection regularly. (Almog, 129-34) Indeed, we experience the separation between our body and mind, which would support the notion that they are separate entities and empirical evidence is not required to prove such a concept. However, this does not mean that dualistic theory is foolproof: for example, can our experience be enough to prove such a concept Indeed, many philosophers are not in favor of dualistic ontology. The first classical representation of dualism can be recognized in Plato's work; more specifically originating in The Phaedo. Interestingly, in dualism, 'mind' is contrasted with 'body', but in different historical periods, different aspects of the mind have been the center of attention. For example, in the classical period it was the intellect of the mind, which was considered to be the crux of what separated us from the physical. However, from Descartes onwards, the opposition to materialism came from our apparent 'consciousness' and experience of 'sensation'. The emphasis on intellect is certainly echoed in Plato's work: as he believed (as did many other Greeks) that the body was a prison for the intellectual soul. Indeed Plato believed that the true substances are not physical bodies, which are ephemeral, but the eternal Forms of which bodies are imperfect copies. He came up with the idea of a realm of "Forms" and said that intellect was immaterial, for it does not last you, the refore Forms are immaterial, and thus intellect must link to those that it apprehends. He then continued to say that such a link forced the soul to want to leave the body to enter a realm of Forms. In his later writings, The Republic, Plato furthered his ideas on Forms and the soul; he claimed that not only was the soul the true form but belonged to a higher status within reality than the body did, and that the soul was a separate, immortal substance. Plato's study of dualism in The Phaedo was indeed complex, and more a metaphysical study regarding the imprisoned soul. However, it can be seen, especially amongst his writings in The Republic, that Plato was clear on his belief that the body and soul were separate entities, forming the base for philosophical extensions in more recent times. Continuing from Plato, St Thomas Aquinas extended earlier works on dualism in his endeavor to unite philosophy with proof of God. Aquinas agreed with the Aristotelian notion that when the soul entered the body it animated it and gave it life; calling it anima. Moreover according to Aquinas, the soul operates independently of the body and it cannot decay; for only things that can break into parts can decay, Thus, following Aquinas' argument, the soul is able to survive death. He also said that through

Aristarchus and Ptolemy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aristarchus and Ptolemy - Essay Example Ptolemy happened to be a citizen of Egypt, between 90AD and 168AD, during the Roman times and was of Greek Origins (University of Oregon, 2012). Ptolemy was known to be a versatile personality, who happened to be a mathematician, astrologer, geographer and astronomer. Aristarchus was the first astronomer to propound the theory of heliocentricity, which regarded the sun to be a stationary star around which the earth revolved (V Archive, 2012). It was Aristarchus who calculated the diameter of the sun and estimated the volume of the sun on the basis of its diameter (V Archive, 2012). Many astronomers and physicists do believe that it was Aristarchus’ estimation of the superior volume of the sun as compared to the earth that led Aristarchus to conclude that the Sun constituted the center around which the earth revolved (V Archive, 2012). Though Aristarchus’ original treatise in which he noted down his discovery did not survive, references to his heliocentric theory do occur in the works of Archimedes (V Archive, 2012). It was Aristarchus who first proposed that the sun remained fixed and unmoved and the earth revolved around it in a circular orbit. In the history of astronomy, Ptolemy is attributed the honor of developing a comprehensive arithmetical model for accurately calculating celestial motions and astronomical phenomena (University of Oregon, 2012). Ptolemy also propounded his geocentric theory, which the astronomers popularly refer to as Ptolemaic system. Ptolemy extended varied arguments to establish the fact that the earth constituted the center of the universe, and other heavenly bodies revolved around it (University of Oregon, 2012). It was primarily owing to the Ptolemaic system that the geocentric theory gained strong grounds in the Christendom for a long time, until it was eventually replaced by the heliocentric theory propounded by Copernicus (University of Oregon, 2012)). Ptolemy is also credited

Marketing Packaging and Labeling Essay Example for Free

Marketing Packaging and Labeling Essay Packaging and Labeling What you’ll learn . . . †¢ The principal functions of product packaging †¢ The main functions of labels Packaging †¢ The physical container or wrapping for a product. Functions of Packaging †¢ Promoting and Selling the Product Functions of Packaging †¢ Defining Product Identity – invokes prestige, convenience, or status Functions of Packaging †¢ Provides Information – UPC symbols, contents, guarantees, nutritional value, potential hazards Functions of Packaging †¢ Meeting Customer Needs – various sizes, snack kits, etc. Functions of Packaging †¢ Ensuring Safe Use – plastic instead of glass, tamperresistant packaging, blisterpacks, childproof containers To read about the Tylenol murders in 1982, and the resulting invention of the tamperproof package, click on the Tylenol box above. Functions of Packaging †¢ Protecting the Product – during shipping, storage, and display. Protects food from spoilage. Helps prevent shoplifting Contemporary Packaging Issues †¢ Aseptic Packaging – Incorporates a technology that keeps foods fresh without refrigeration for extended periods Contemporary Packaging Issues †¢ Environmental Packaging – reusable, recyclable, less wasteful, and safer for the environment Contemporary Packaging Issues †¢ Cause Packaging – to promote non-product issues such as social and political causes Ex: Body Shop, Ben Jerry’s Click on the ice cream carton to learn about cause packaging at Ben and Jerry’s Labeling †¢ A label is an information tag, wrapper, seal, or imprinted message attached to a product A labels main function is to inform about contents and give directions Brand Label – gives the brand name, etc. Descriptive Label †¢ Information about product use, care, other features Grade Label †¢ States the quality – AA, A, B Labeling Laws †¢ Many package labels must meet local, state, and federal standards †¢ FDA – Federal Food and Drug Administration – requires nutritional info, regulates health claims and defines descriptive terms such as â€Å"light,† â€Å"free,† â€Å"low,† and â€Å"reduced† to make them consistent on all products †¢ FTC – Federal Trade Commission – monitors for deceptive advertising that is false or misleading, including guidelines for environmental claims like â€Å"recycled† or â€Å"biodegradable.†

Personal Experience Gained From Team Working English Language Essay

Personal Experience Gained From Team Working English Language Essay Personal reflection is vital to learning, teaching, personal identity and ones research. I have learnt and explored my experience on this group project which includes a number of elements such as analysing articles and writing annotated bibliography of different articles. I also had access to learning tools like online resources, textbook material and library resources which helped me improve my writing skills as well as my ability to understand materials effectively. Sharing and discussing different ideas and amount of knowledge amongst the group also gave me a brief insight on how to deal with problems and come up with an applicable solution. I also experienced how to confront difficulties in a team work and how to resolve any sort of argument or problem and come up with something which is agreeable by everyone. While working on assignment such as this, I exercised a great opportunity of developing and enhancing my writing skills effectively and efficiently with the help of other p eoples ideas which was an advantage to me. In conclusion, Ive learnt a lot of things about myself while working with my group members in undertaking this project and also found that I am capable of achieving almost anything if I put my soul and heart into it. Has the project given you any new insights about group work? Offcourse it has. This project has given me many benefits from using group work as part of teaching and learning activities in this project. Working in teams can make work a lot more easier leading to an involving and satisfying experience for students. By engaging myself into a group, I increased my involvement in the project, put in more effort, gained greater satisfaction and became more oriented in completing the groups task. Also, working in groups can be challenging at times and it demands a set of skills. With this project, gained fair knowledge about the way task-oriented groups work and what complexity it involves. At first, it was hard for me to understand the whole process of team work and the amount of communication skills it involved but by undertaking this project in groups, I have certainly developed a stronger sense of obligation amongst the members and increased pressure towards the completion of the task. In conclusion, this project has given me a new insight about group work with an opportunity of learning group skills. These skills promoted my self-independence and less dependence on teachers. What was the thing you liked BEST about working in a group? The best thing which Ive always liked about working in a group is talking and getting to know people at first. Working in a group is a great way to practice skills youre not sure of. Some of the most important things I like when working in a group is staying organized, finishing off tasks before the deadline, enjoy working with others and rising up concerned issues if theres any. Working in groups also makes a project interesting and big as compared to doing it individually. With group work, Ive been learning more in less amount of time and also enabling myself to check on everybodys progress to see if anybody needs help. Last, but not the least, I like the fact that the amount of work in a group is divided fairly and evenly for each members so that the work is done in a timely manner and efficiently as opposed to doing it individually. What was the thing you liked LEAST about working in a group? The thing which I liked the least about working in a group is the way at times a group member would talk over other members or when a member is being a non active participant. I strongly believe that a group requires everyones participation and sincerity on a same level. Another thing I like least about working in groups is that it can become harder at times to meet up as many members are busy when others are free or vice versa. Its not like doing an assignment individually where you can work at your own pace without having to consult anyone else. Finally, the last thing I like least about working in a group is that a lot of members rely on others to do their work instead of them doing it themselves. This is not fair on other members as they have their own work to do and complete it before its deadline. What would you do differently in a group project next time? I would like to FOCUS ON THE ASSIGNMENT ITSELF What were the challenges of completing the assignment? One of the major challenges of completing the assignment was finding the right type of articles in terms of clear context and topic. Many research methods and resources were used to locate the appropriate articles and it was something which wasnt easy at all. The second major challenge was to create a proper annotated bibliography of each article which was equally as difficult as finding an article. However, the given useful websites and online resources helped me overcome this problem and made me understand the key important points involved in the process of writing annotated bibliography. Through the use of this knowledge, I was able to summarise the articles in correct format and also reference it in a proper manner. Finally, another factor that challenged me in completing the assignment was time. As I was writing out the bibliography carefully and spending more time in researching and reading the articles thoroughly, I realized that I was running short of time before the due date so I had to sharpen up my speed. What were the benefits of completing the assignment? One main benefit of completing the assignment was that it was a short summary/analysis of appropriate articles and the amount of work involved was easily distributed amongst the group members. This assignment was completed much quickly and in effective time manner as it didnt engage any sort of complexity in understanding the context and topic. Another benefit of this assignment was that it was a group one thus, giving me an experience of working closely in groups with each other and discussing the important aspects of the articles and the amount of work allocated to each members. Working in groups made this assignment easy to finish and meeting up its deadline just in time. Finally, the last benefit was that after completing this assignment, I nicely understood the concept of writing annotated bibliography in a proper manner without having any difficulties. This is a great achievement and it also helped other group members as well. Reflect on the various stages of the assignment. Stage one was about writing critical review of a chosen article. While doing this assignment, I went through prewriting, composing, revising and publishing stages of successful critical writing in terms of its context and topic. I began to realize how the process of reviewing an article is divided between positive and negative elements. A few of my writing processes reflected on Sequencing, organizing, arranging and identifying beginning, middle and end key points with topic sentences and supporting ideas. I also revised my review by adding extra information and deleting or changing unnecessary text and also corrected grammar and spelling punctuation. In the final step of this assignment, I presented the best effort by generally presenting my review and ensuring that it meets the marking criteria. The four steps which I followed lead me to decent writing skills which I developed. Stage two was about working in group and writing annotated bibliography of articles. While doing this assignment, I felt like I had a second chance of improving and getting better at writing skills and content. More over, it also made me communicate widely and broadly with my group members discussing and organising the amount of task we had to conduct as a team. This also tested my inner knowledge and made it easier for all of us to start on the assignment and call for help if difficulty arises. With the help of resources, I wrote the whole bibliography of articles effectively considering that my sentences and paragraphs cover main ideas and supporting sentences corrected in grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. The thing that I learned the most from this assignment was that time is an important factor and one must always manage it wisely. Stage three is about reflecting back on group assignment with more focus on group experience and assignment. It is more like a survey on all the experience gained throughout the various stages. These personal reflections have changed and improved my writing skills in a variety of ways. I think more broadly and wider now in terms of context and structure. In writing a review and working in group, I found that I had to push myself a little harder to succeed. In the end, I was pleased with my work. I can Comment on ideas, in terms of how they are meaningful to me and also link my observation skills to my own ideas, experience and develop a future practice. How could this assessment task be improved? This assessment task needs little bit of improvement which can be done in a number of ways. Firstly, all the appropriate inter-related assignment information and templates should be up on the website on time and all parts of it should be complete and available e.g. stage three of the assignment had a template uploaded later on along with marking guide which I think it shouldnt be like that. All the assignment details and its related parts should be uploaded at once together. Failure to do this can lead to confusion and at times, can be a problem for those students who want to get the assignment over and done with. Secondly, the amount of workload required from an assignment should be decreased as according to the weight of the assessment. For .e.g. this assignment weights approximately 6.5% of the total 20% and also requires a lot of writing and experience to answer it thus, the content and the amount of work should be reduced as its not that much worth.

Why Did The Soviet Union Collapse?

Why Did The Soviet Union Collapse? More than two decades have passed since the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics disappeared from the world political stage. Starting with 1985, the internal situation of the Soviet Union, as well as its international status, began to experience breathtakingly fast and radical change, which eventually led to its collapse in 1991, event probably commemorated today only by Vladimir Putin, who describes it as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century (annual state-of-the-nation address to Parliament,  Moscow, April the 29th, 2005, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty). The are many controversial debates about the actual reasons that caused the collapse of the vast Soviet Empire, but one thing is certain: they cannot be reduced to one single factor, as for an historical event of such calibre to happen, it took the interaction of many factors, producing a set of circumstances that made the change urgent and inevitable. In the following essay, I shall present and argue the main fact ors that contributed to and can be described as reasons for the end of the Soviet Union. To begin with, we are talking about a disintegration process with different origins and extremely intense dynamics. The systemic involution had actually begun in February 1956, when Nikita Khrushchev struck the deadly blow against the myth of Stalins inerrability (February 25, 1956: Khrushchevs Secret Speech, denouncing Stalins abuses). It was followed by other disillusions, which would undermine the myths of the irreversibility and invincibility of the communist order. The economic problems of the USSR were asking for desperate measures, the society was becoming more and more corrupt, harsh, and inefficient, the sole existence of the USSR as a union was starting to be questioned. After the removal of Khrushchev from power in 1964, Leonid Brezhnev was appointed his successor. The economic crisis that engulfed the Soviet Union and the majority of the socialist states in the 1970s spread to the following decade. The reform surrogates consecutively introduced by the communist leaders failed to optimize the economy and release tension in social relations. The soviet socialism model proved to be completely inadequate, considering that the world was about to enter as Jeremy Rifkin calls it the third industrial revolution. Yuri Andropov (1982-1984) appeared to be trying to put into practice a reform policy, but was confronted by the inflexibility of the superior political structures and resistance from the bureaucratic system installed by Brezhnev. But shortly after the death of Konstantin Cernenko, on March the 11th 1985, in Moscow, a new leader emerged, animated by reforming ideas, under the aegis of Mikhail Gorbachev. The Soviet Union was confronting grave issues at the time Gorbachev took over, and they were all exacerbated by the immense quantum of military expenditures. The new General Secretary was quite cautious at the beginning, apparently proving to be consequent to his predecessors, but he then rapidly proceeded to consolidating his power, replacing, in a few weeks time, much of the governing team, and casting away his main rivals. This was meant to pave the way to Gorbachevs reforms. It started with the Central Committee plenum of the CPSU in April 1985, where Gorbachev brought forward the principles of the policy he intended to put into practice in the Soviet Union, in an attempt to save the communist system by implementing a slow liberalizing process that would lead to the abolition of the systems most heinous features, without destroying its ideological fundaments. That policy bears the name of perestroika, or restructuring. In his vision, the soviet system had deviated from the Leninist theory, and needed a reorganization based on reforming the political and economic systems, and improving the system of social relations, above all economic (Kommunist, no. 5, 1985, as cited in Sakwa, R., 1999, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union, London and New York: Routledge, p.424). The main goal of perestroika was to demolish the consequences of the Brezhnev era (famously described as an era of economic stagnation), so Gorbachev decided to adopt a strategy of rapid accel eration (uskorenie) in the rate of growth, confident of the command economys potential to deliver it (Acton, E. and Stableford T., 2007, The Soviet Union: A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY, vol. 2: 1939-1991, Exter: University of Exter Press, p. 384). Applying this concept relied entirely on the support of the society, but conscious of the obstacles standing in his way, the soviet leader took a set of measures in order to stop the nomenclature who would have wanted to prevent these reforms from happening. A general view of this vision could be summarized in this extract from Gorbachev, M. S., 1987, PERESTROIKA: New Thinking for Our Country and the World, London: Collins, p. 66: I am pleased that theres a growing understanding, both within the Party and in the society as a whole, that we have started an unprecedented political, economic, social and ideological endeavour. If we are to implement everything we have planned, we must also carry out unprecedented political, economic, social and ideological work in both the internal and external spheres. Above all, we bear an unprecedented responsibility. And we are aware of the need for large-scale and bold efforts, especially at the first stage. In any case, the contradictions and limits of perestroika prevented the political system from being reformed. Therefore, there was a radical difference between what the initiator of the reforms wanted and what the final result was. Another important component of the reforming policy Gorbachev was introduced in 1986, and is called glasnost (openness), which meant gradually abolishing censorship, introducing political transparency and freedom of the media, which was a gate to elucidating the problems that were blocked, or remained unsolved for decades. The freedom a person had to publicly express a point of view which, not many years ago, would have had him deported in gulags (or even sentenced to death, in Stalins time), became an ordinary right thanks to glasnost. Soviet newspapers could criticize the government policy, the CPSU, and even Gorbachev himself. Yet remarkable were the results of perestroika in the external relations. He was convinced that this program could not be fulfilled unless the countrys international relations radically changed. Indeed, the USSR started redrawing its essential external policy. Together with his External Affairs Minister, Eduard Shevardnadze, Gorbachev managed to practically revolutionize the soviet external policy, enjoying great sympathy around the world. He introduced a new political thinking, based on a few components: external policy no longer needed to be reasoned and led through the ideological factor; the conflict between the 2 superpowers, USSR and USA, was non-productive, and military power did not automatically guarantee national security; the soviet state needed to revise its external objectives. Signing an agreement with China on the issue of the oriental borderline, his propositions to limit nuclear and conventional armaments, and drawing off his troops in Afghanistan, made Gorbachev loo k like a man who was promising peace. Furthermore, at the European Council in Strasbourg, he admitted that there is no such thing as an unchangeable social system, and suggested that such transformations could occur in Eastern Europe. This signal was also received in Eastern European states, not only in the West. His declaration was widely interpreted as a green light to the reformers in Eastern Europe, in their efforts to implement a democratic system and a market economy, but especially, it dispelled the fear of the intervention of the Big Brother (the name Hà ©là ¨ne Carrà ¨re dEncausse gives to the Soviet Union) to end the reforms. Another important step in the democratization of the USSR was made in 1989, with the election of a new Soviet Parliament, the Congress of Peoples Deputies. These were not free elections like the ones in the West, taking into consideration that 90% of the candidates were members of the CPSU and other political parties were strictly forbidden. But these elections offered the people the possibility to choose their candidates, and the vote counting had been correctly done. It was definitely the closest thing to democratic elections since 1917. Yet despite the radical reforms adopted in the USSR, no one anticipated the fundamental changes that were about to happen in Eastern Europe between 1989 and 1991. Poland was the first country in Eastern Europe where Gorbachevs perestroika and glasnost turned into an anticommunist revolution. The non-violent Polish break-up with a totalitarian regime was made possible by the existence of both governing and opposition elites, who understood the necessity of such a compromise. The final closure of the communist era in postwar Poland was done in December 1990, with the election of Lech Walesa as president. The Polish events in 1988-1989 had a substantial impact on the entire region. Hopes were reborn in Hungary, as in the spring of 1990, elections were held and won by the Democratic Forum, which led to overthrowing the communist power through the will of the people. In Czechoslovakia, the collapse of the communist regime was done by what the historians and public opinion know as The Velvet Revolution. Active opposition became visible since early 1989, when demonstrations were held throughout the country, and just as expected, democratic forces would take over later that year. The regime collapse in East Germany came as a natural consequence of the events rapidly taking place in the soviet bloc. In late October and early November 1989, hundreds of thousands of protesters went out on the streets of East German cities, demanding their rights. On November the 9th, the Berlin Wall, the main symbol of both German separation and the Cold War, was demolished. In Bulgaria, in December 1989, the communist leader T. Jivkov was arrested and the Communist Party changed its name into the Bulgarian Socialist Party, as a symbolic break-up from the Leninist dogmas. In Romania, unlike other countries in the soviet bloc, communism was overthrown through a violent, open fight. The lack of real opposition within the Communist Party made a peaceful transition impossible. The revolution first started in a city in Western Romania, and was first repressed by the secret police. But a second revolutionary wave broke out on December the 20th, which eventually spread out across the country, breaking the psychological barrier. First encountering militia and army resistance, the huge crowds managed to take over, forcing the Ceausescu dictatorial couple to flee. The communist dictator and his wife were captured, an improvised Court charged them with genocide and impairment of national economy, and the two were finally executed on the Christmas Day in 1989. 1990 was the year in which increasing social convulsion started to lead towards questioning perestroika, as an effect of the resurgence of national consciousness in all the Soviet Republics and satellite states, a factor which Gorbachev had not predicted in his plan to redress the Soviet Union. Interethnic confrontations arose in all the Soviet Republics, and national conflicts were threatening the cohesion of the USSR. Lithuania proclaimed its independence in March 1990. It was shortly followed by Estonia, Latvia, Georgia and Armenia. Other Republics proclaimed themselves sovereign: The Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Moldova, Byelorussia, and Ukraine. The laws of the USSR were no longer obeyed, and the leaders of the republics were demanding that the recruits should no longer be incorporated in the Soviet Army. Aware of the danger, Gorbachev proposed, in February 1990, a new treaty that was to establish a confederation, in order to avoid secession. The Congress of Peoples Deputies approved the project for a referendum on keeping the Union. The instauration of a new presidential power weighed significantly in the rapid evolution of the national problem. However, on August the 19th 1991, in Moscow, a group of conservative members of the Politburo who were against the reformation processes, launched what is known today as The August Coup, with the intention of removing Gorbachev from power, but eventually failed. The coup strengthened Boris Yeltsins position as elected President of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) and leader of the democratic forces, and weakened Gorbachevs position. Finally, Gorbachevs desperate endeavors to transform the Soviet Union into the Union of Sovereign States, to organize new elections, to rescue his power, ended in failure. The Republics proclaimed their independence after August 1991. On December the 8th 1991, near Minsk, the Presidents of RSFSR, Ukraine and Byelorussia signed an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and forming the Commonwealth of Independent States. In these given conditions, on December the 25th 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev would resign from the position of president of a state that no longer existed. The Soviet Union officially ceased to exist starting with December the 31st 1991, 69 years after its establishment. All in all, my view is that the economic backwardness of the USSR, the failure to effectively implement reforms (reforms which, paradoxically, led to its destruction), the loss of the arms race, and not least, nationalism, formed the main factors that determined the collapse of the Soviet Union. The dismantling of the Empire can be interpreted as an unhappy implosion, deriving from profound internal causes, from the inability of communism to build a viable economy. And the germs of the implosion had laid right in the theses of Gorbachevs brilliant by some, a non-sense by others perestroika, in his political actions, as the leader himself is the one who drove the first nails into the coffin, when he demanded the abrogation of article six of the USSR Constitution, which guaranteed the CPSUs supremacy. Gorbachev tried this way to transfer the political power to the Soviets, angering the elder conservative activists. Also, 1989 was the year that practically switched on the genetic immu ne system of captive nations. The long-dispraised nationalism was the explosive that dashed the Empire of proletarian internationalism to the ground. And yet, the revolution did not fail, considering that we cannot talk about a revolution that is totally triumphant. All the founding myths of that system based on the quasi-religious cult of the single party were shaken, and finally collapsed.

Napoleon Bonaparte Essay -- essays research papers

Napoleon Bonaparte Corsica is a rugged island in the Mediterranean, which lies sixty miles off the coast of Italy. The Corsicans are proud and independent people. In 1768, when the French took over the island from Genoa, an Italian state, the Corsicans rebelled and fought for their freedom. But they were unsuccessful. Their leader, Pasquale Paoli, was driven into exile. Several months later, on August 15, 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, a major port on the island. He was the second-born son of the family. His real name was Napoleone Buonaparte, but as a young man, he decided to give his name a French spelling. He did this because he had his mind set on a military career in France, and he didn’t want his Italian-sounding name to stop his progress. In 1796, he changed it permanently to Napoleon Bonaparte. When Napoleon was nine, his father decided he should go to school in France to get an education befitting their birth. But he didn’t have the money to pay for his schooling. He petitioned the king, Louis XIV, for a scholarship for Napoleon. The king had set up a special fund for the sons of French nobles, granting them money to attend military school. Now that Corsica belonged to France, the Bonapartes were French citizens and were eligible for this scholarship. Napoleon was excited about his future. Still, he was apprehensive. He had never left the island before, and he didn’t know how to speak French. So before he could further his training, he would have to learn the language. To do this his parents were sending him first to a school in Autun in southern France. There the students were mean, they had laughed at his Corsican accent and mocked his poor clothes and rough manners. When Napoleon had learned to speak French fluently, he went to study at Brienne, it a training school for the Military College in Paris. He found that the students there were even crueler. They looked down on him because he was of Corsican nobility. Taunting Napoleon, they called him a "slave" because his home had been conquered by the French. Napoleon was very sensitive. He withdrew more and more into himself. Soon he stopped trying to make friends. In a corner of the school yard, he set up a private garden, which he closed off with a wooden fence. One of its stakes he nailed a sign that read "Napoleon’s Country". He spent his days there,... ...he day wore on, neither side achieving a clear victory. However, the Prussians, who had managed to regroup their forces, came to the rescue of their allies. After they swarm into the battle, Napoleon’s attempt to reclaim the throne became known as The Hundred Days, ending with his great defeat at Waterloo. On June 22,1815, Napoleon was again forced to abdicate. Aware that the allies would be much harsher in their terms this time, he tried to escape to the United States. Napoleon hoped to get to America by booking passage on a merchant ship out of the French port of Rochefort, on the Atlantic. Napoleon secretly fled to Rochefort, but when he arrived in the town, he learned that the British were blocking the port and wouldn’t let any ship sail without first inspecting it to make sure he wasn’t aboard. On July 14, 1815, he decided to surrender to the British authorities. And he was being exile to St. Helena, a remote island lost in the South Atlantic. After nearly six years of lonely exile, Napoleon died on May 5, 1821, of stomach cancer at the age of 51. He was buried on St. Helena. Twenty years later, however, the British allowed his remains to be brought back to Paris, in state.

Atomic Bomb Essay -- essays research papers

Atomic Bombing Of Hiroshima On the quiet morning of August 6, 1945, the United States shocked the world by dropping an atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima, Japan. (www.grolier.com) Hiroshima was a major industrial city with an estimated population of almost 400,000 people. A B-29 bomber was loaded with the Atomic Bomb and left the United States Pacific air base at 2:45 a.m. local time and dropped the bomb at 8:15 a.m. The bomb was detonated one minute after being dropped. The atomic bomb, nicknamed "Little Boy", which was dropped on the Hiroshima City, exploded at an altitude of 580 meters above a hospital close to the present A-bomb Dome. (Brown, p.38) The mushroom cloud resulting from the explosion reached an estimated altitude of five hundred and twenty meters over Central Hiroshima. The atomic bomb blast obliterated three-fifths of the city within seconds. The atomic bomb gave off uranium-235 and was equivalent in power to approximately 15 kilotons of TNT gunpowder. (www.enviroweb.org) The fireball resulting from the explosion emitted an intense thermal heat, which caused severe burns and loss of eyesight. Most of the people exposed to thermal rays died. In addition, the impact of the bomb landing on the ground created an enormous shock wave closely followed a quick expansion of air. The result was the immediate death of 75,000 people. (www.grolier.com) The long-term effects of the bomb on the environment and children are horrible. Atomic blasts cause many prolonged injuries such as, keloids, cataracts, leukemia and other cancers. (earthbase.org) The total death count for the atomic bombing is estimated at 140,000. This means that almost as many people died from the long-term effects as were killed in the initial explosion. People who think that dropping the bomb was right say that the bomb was the one event that ended the war. Americans believed that the Japanese would fight until the very last man even if there were a dropping of the atomic bomb. Luckily for them the war ended. The reason the United states dropped the atomic bomb was because they wanted the unconditional surrender of Japan. Personally I think they could get Japan to surrender using a different type of method. I think they would have surrendered on their own because the axes powers where starting to diminish. Germany surrendered before they dropped the bomb and the re... ...ll with rain. Because of the wind, the rain did not fall directly on the hypocenter but rather in the northwest region (Koi, Takasu area) of Hiroshima and the eastern region. Nowadays, the radioactivity is so miniscule that it is difficult to distinguish from trace amounts of radioactivity caused by atmospheric atomic-bomb tests. In reading many quotes by bomb survivors and leaders in the Japanese government, I came to the conclusion that they had a lack of respect of for the United States. It wasn’t just from the bombing but from the treatment of them back in the United States but from the mistreatment of the Japanese. The government thought that the Japanese were spies and were giving them military secrets. The government in my eyes thought that the Japanese were no good and looking for trouble. The United States was prejudice against the Japanese. With the United States dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the whole world just assumed that dropping atomic bombs was now fair. This happening started what we called the Cold War. The Cold War was basically a bunch of countries pointing nuclear weapons at each other. This was total chaos throughout the majority of the century.

Child Observation

Child Observation Background The child that I chose to observe was a nine year old boy that I will refer to as Dan. Dan is a highly gifted child who, unfortunately, suffers from cerebral palsy, as well as panic attacks. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother, who has remarried. His father who also has remarried, does have contact with him, though the relationship is somewhat strained. He comes from an upper middle class background, and has no brothers or sisters. I observed Dan in the waiting room for about an hour (his mother was good enough to bring him in for his appointment a little early so that I could observe him).The room contained many toys and books for varying ages, as well as a number of magazines for both kids and adults. The walls were covered with different pictures and posters, and there were a number of chairs. Observation Dan’s mother, Molly, helped him into the office by supporting him under his arms. His upper body works normally but he has t rouble with his legs, particularly his lower legs, and is unable to walk on his own. His mother took him immediately to the corner of the room containing the toys and books, then lowered him to the floor.Dan picked out a science book that appeared to be geared towards children a few years older than he. Lying on the floor, he began to read aloud and frequently questioned his mother, who sat in a nearby chair, about pronunciation of words, as well as dates and background information on famous scientists mentioned in the text. His mother answered all of his questions, and when she did, he engaged her in further conversation about the subject until he was sure that he understood. His mother was then called into the office to speak with the doctor alone.Before leaving, she asked Dan if he needed to use the restroom (he needs her help to do so). He told her he was fine, and she went into the office. At this point, Dan and I were the only two people in the room. He continued to read aloud after his mother had left. With her gone, he engaged in private speech when he came to a word he did not know, or a subject he was unfamiliar with. His conversations with himself were very similar to those he had with his mother. About ten minutes after his mother had left, Dan began looking over at me occasionally, but only for a second before going back to his reading.When he was unsure of a word, he repeated it several times before moving on. His reading grew gradually quieter until I could not always make out the words. At one point, he came across a word that he did not know and began reasoning to himself as follows: â€Å"This must be an English word†¦although I speak English, so maybe it’s from a different country†¦ or maybe they only use it in England. † Dan looked at me several times as he attempted to reason through this, but did not ask me for help. After that, he closed the book and looked around the room.He pulled a rock the size of a large marb le from his pocket, and began brushing it lightly against first a nearby chair leg, then his own sneaker. He sat up, experimented with throwing the rock at his left hand, which he held open, palm facing his right hand. I should note that he did not appear to be trying to catch it, but I could not be sure. At any rate, he never did catch it in the several times that he threw it. He then rolled it down his arm a couple of times, before throwing it straight up in the air, leaving his hand out, but not moving it at all as the rock fell past it.At this point Dan looked at me for about five or ten seconds straight, the first time he had done more than glance at me. He then pushed the book away and crawled over to a large aluminum can with a lid on it that was filled with toys. He brushed the rock lightly against it, but did not open it. Next, he looked at me and smiled. He asked me if he was bothering me and I told him he was not. He told me he did not want to distract me if I was studyin g. I answered that I was just writing something for school and that he was not distracting me at all.He said that he did not want to be bothersome and that he had been trying to be as non-distracting as possible. I told him not to worry about it and to just do whatever he wanted. After that, he began to talk to me a great deal. He told me about a book that he had read in the waiting room before and asked if I had ever read it. I answered that I had not and he told me all about it. He said it allowed you to put different wigs and clothes on different people and that he really liked it a lot. He went on to say that it was â€Å"a lot of fun, but it’s not here anymore so someone must have took it.I don’t know who took it though. † He then pulled down another book with big wobbly eyes that were placed to be on a different picture every time you turned the page. He asked me if I ever saw this book and I told him that I had. He said that it was â€Å"a really cool bo ok. † He then started reading it aloud, looking over at me occasionally as he did so. A little later, as he continued to read, his mother came back in and asked again if he needed to use the restroom. He told her he did not, and she lifted him up and helped him into the office for his appointment.Interpreting the Observation The first thing that struck me about Dan’s behavior was that he ignored the toys and magazines, and went straight for the books. Not only that, the first book that he picked out was obviously geared towards kids several years older than he. I knew going into the observation that Dan was highly gifted, and combining that with his physical disability, it made sense that he would be an avid reader and , relative to the other kids his age, a very advanced one. This proved to be true.Gambrell (1994) says that a child who is motivated to learn will read for a number of reasons, including to gain knowledge. This certainly seemed to be the case with Dan as he was very intent on being sure that he understood exactly what he was reading. Many kids read because they have to, and they learn so that they will get an â€Å"A† in school; Dan was reading and learning for the sole purpose of gaining knowledge. This is not surprising given the fact that gifted children have been found to have significantly higher intrinsic motivation to learn all subject areas than do their peers (Gottfried & Gottfried 1996).This study went on to say that â€Å"From the early years through adolescence, children who are identified as gifted evidence superior persistence, attention, curiosity, enjoyment of learning and orientation toward mastery and challenge. This was mirrored in the enthusiasm with which Dan went about the task of reading and being sure that he understood what he had read. The fact that his mother allowed him to pick out a book himself could be relevant to Dan’s apparent motivation to read.Gambrell (1994) reports that over 80% of children name books that they picked out themselves when asked about those they most enjoyed. In contrast, only 10% talked about books that were chosen for them. A strong correlation was shown to exist between a child’s being allowed to choose his own book and his intrinsic motivation to read. Gambrell further reports that learning through books is enhanced by social interactions, which further increase his desire to read. Dan obviously demonstrated this through the conversation he had with his mother while reading.After his mother left, Dan made frequent use of Vygotsky’s private speech (overt verbalizations not intended for a listener), particularly in the form of questions to himself. I saw this as both modeling his earlier conversations with his mother, and actively trying to learn new words and information. Goodman (1981) found that, in problem solving tasks, questions to self occurred more frequently following failures. This too, was the case with Dan who would often ask himself questions after being unable to pronounce a word or figuer out its meaning.Goodman also found that a hight rate of verbaliztions during problem solving tast was associated with increased efficiency. This is consistent with the fact that Dan, who made frequent use of such verbalizations, was a very advanced reader for his age. His frequent glances at me during particularly troublesome spots could have been related to social referencing. He appeared to want to ask me for help, but never did. Instead he simply looked at me as he tried to pronounce the word, as if trying to guage my facial reaction to see if he was right.Conclusion Dan appeared to be, aside from his diagnosed problems of cerebral palsy and panic attacks, a fairly normal, though cognitively advanced, nine year old boy. His reading every thing aloud struck me as somewhat unusual, and I have no sure explanantion as to why; perhaps he feels that he learns better through auditory stimulation. He also seemed to use private speech more than the average nine year old would, but as I discussed earlier, some studies have linked this to better problem solving abilities and high cognitive performance.References Gambrell, L. B. , (1994). What motivates children to read? Scholastic Literacy Research Paper, 2 Gottfried, A. E. & Gottfried, A. W. , (1996). A longitudinal study of academic intrinsic motivation in intellectually gifted children; Childhood through early adolescence. Gifted Child Quarterly, 40 (4), 179-183 Goodman, S. H. , (1981). The intergration of verbal and motor behavior in preschool children. Child Development. 52 (1), 280-289 Child Observation PSY 122 Child Growth and Development *Key Assessment: OBSERVATION *OF A CHILD and GROUP OF CHILDREN (This key assessment will be in 2 parts; *a total of 4 separate observation papers*) NAEYC Standards and Supportive skills: Standard 1 Promoting Child Development and Learning a Knowing and understanding young children’s characteristics and needs 1b Knowing and understanding the multiple influences on development and learning Standard 3 Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families 3b Knowing about and using observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment tools and techniques 3c Understanding and practicing responsible assessment Supportive Skill 2 Mastering and Applying Foundational Concepts from General Education Supportive Skill 3 Written and Verbal communication Skills Supportive Skill 4 Skills in Making Connections between Prior Knowledge/Experience and New Learning Observation 2: Observe a different child in 2 new area/activities* Part 2: *Observation 3: Observe a group of children inte*racting in one of the following *area/*activities* Observation 4: Observe another group of children interacting in a different area/activities* *Areas/Activities include: PSY 122 Child Growth and Development Key Assessment: OBSERVATION *OF A CHILD and GROUP OF CHILDREN (This key assessment will be in 2 parts) Observation Paper Format Observation Paper # 4 REMEMBER: To use pseudonym (not real name) Describe what the child (ren) are doing and saying (use quotation marks) during the length of your observation. Be specific, objective, and descriptive. Avoid judgmental statements (i. e. â€Å"That little boy was bad. † ). Kids Towne day care is located in an industrial park in Branford, CT. It currently has 75 children enrolled. Inside, the daycare is broken up into class rooms by age. On this day, I chose to observe the preschool room. The classroom currently has 20 children enrolled but not all the children attend daily. On this day there were 14 children in the classroom. The ages range from 3 years old to 4. 5 years old. The ratio of boys to girls is 2:1. Around 8:00am, I began watching the entire group of children. The structure of their day begins at 8:00am with â€Å"circle time. † Miss Sam, the teacher of the preschool room, announces to the children â€Å"Circle time! † I watched as they all came running. â€Å"Sit on a letter. † Miss Sam instructs the children. In the middle of the room there is a huge carpet with all the letters of the alphabet on it. Each child sits on a letter of their choice. â€Å"I want J† says a little boy named Jonah. Once all the children are seated Miss Sam begins with the date and the weather. â€Å"Its chilly outside today† she tells the students. â€Å"Mommy made me wear my jacket but I didn’t want to. † Says a boy named Alex. Shortly after the date and weather, the room breaks out in song. â€Å"The wheels on the bus go round and round†¦Ã¢â‚¬  sing the children. I notice that one girl is not singing. She is sitting with her legs crossed with her elbows on her knees and her head down. When the song finishes, Miss Sam asks Meghan, â€Å"What’s wrong? † â€Å"I have a headache Miss Sam. † â€Å"Well, maybe you’ll feel better after we make our monster puppets? † Meghan didn’t answer. â€Å"Who wants to make monster puppets? † asks Miss Sam. â€Å"Meeeeeeee! † several children proclaimed. I watched as the kids ran to the art center where two long rectangular tableswere side by side. All the boys sat at one table, and all the girls sat at the other. Miss Sam gave each child a brown lunch bag and spread crayons, markers, feathers, pom poms and glue on the table. Miss Sam showed the children a monster puppet that she had made. Mine is going to be pink† said one of the little girls. â€Å"Mine too† said another. I watched as the children worked on their puppets. â€Å"Roarrrrrrrr† said one boy who was coloring his bag green. When the children finished their puppets they all held them up and shared them with pride. Section II. Inferences/Interpretations: Section III: Theorist: Choose a theory/theorist (i. e. Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, Skinner, Bronfenbrenner, etc. ) and include a discussion on how this theory would explain what you have observed about the child (ren)’s behavior and development. Child Observation Child Observation Background The child that I chose to observe was a nine year old boy that I will refer to as Dan. Dan is a highly gifted child who, unfortunately, suffers from cerebral palsy, as well as panic attacks. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother, who has remarried. His father who also has remarried, does have contact with him, though the relationship is somewhat strained. He comes from an upper middle class background, and has no brothers or sisters. I observed Dan in the waiting room for about an hour (his mother was good enough to bring him in for his appointment a little early so that I could observe him).The room contained many toys and books for varying ages, as well as a number of magazines for both kids and adults. The walls were covered with different pictures and posters, and there were a number of chairs. Observation Dan’s mother, Molly, helped him into the office by supporting him under his arms. His upper body works normally but he has t rouble with his legs, particularly his lower legs, and is unable to walk on his own. His mother took him immediately to the corner of the room containing the toys and books, then lowered him to the floor.Dan picked out a science book that appeared to be geared towards children a few years older than he. Lying on the floor, he began to read aloud and frequently questioned his mother, who sat in a nearby chair, about pronunciation of words, as well as dates and background information on famous scientists mentioned in the text. His mother answered all of his questions, and when she did, he engaged her in further conversation about the subject until he was sure that he understood. His mother was then called into the office to speak with the doctor alone.Before leaving, she asked Dan if he needed to use the restroom (he needs her help to do so). He told her he was fine, and she went into the office. At this point, Dan and I were the only two people in the room. He continued to read aloud after his mother had left. With her gone, he engaged in private speech when he came to a word he did not know, or a subject he was unfamiliar with. His conversations with himself were very similar to those he had with his mother. About ten minutes after his mother had left, Dan began looking over at me occasionally, but only for a second before going back to his reading.When he was unsure of a word, he repeated it several times before moving on. His reading grew gradually quieter until I could not always make out the words. At one point, he came across a word that he did not know and began reasoning to himself as follows: â€Å"This must be an English word†¦although I speak English, so maybe it’s from a different country†¦ or maybe they only use it in England. † Dan looked at me several times as he attempted to reason through this, but did not ask me for help. After that, he closed the book and looked around the room.He pulled a rock the size of a large marb le from his pocket, and began brushing it lightly against first a nearby chair leg, then his own sneaker. He sat up, experimented with throwing the rock at his left hand, which he held open, palm facing his right hand. I should note that he did not appear to be trying to catch it, but I could not be sure. At any rate, he never did catch it in the several times that he threw it. He then rolled it down his arm a couple of times, before throwing it straight up in the air, leaving his hand out, but not moving it at all as the rock fell past it.At this point Dan looked at me for about five or ten seconds straight, the first time he had done more than glance at me. He then pushed the book away and crawled over to a large aluminum can with a lid on it that was filled with toys. He brushed the rock lightly against it, but did not open it. Next, he looked at me and smiled. He asked me if he was bothering me and I told him he was not. He told me he did not want to distract me if I was studyin g. I answered that I was just writing something for school and that he was not distracting me at all.He said that he did not want to be bothersome and that he had been trying to be as non-distracting as possible. I told him not to worry about it and to just do whatever he wanted. After that, he began to talk to me a great deal. He told me about a book that he had read in the waiting room before and asked if I had ever read it. I answered that I had not and he told me all about it. He said it allowed you to put different wigs and clothes on different people and that he really liked it a lot. He went on to say that it was â€Å"a lot of fun, but it’s not here anymore so someone must have took it.I don’t know who took it though. † He then pulled down another book with big wobbly eyes that were placed to be on a different picture every time you turned the page. He asked me if I ever saw this book and I told him that I had. He said that it was â€Å"a really cool bo ok. † He then started reading it aloud, looking over at me occasionally as he did so. A little later, as he continued to read, his mother came back in and asked again if he needed to use the restroom. He told her he did not, and she lifted him up and helped him into the office for his appointment.Interpreting the Observation The first thing that struck me about Dan’s behavior was that he ignored the toys and magazines, and went straight for the books. Not only that, the first book that he picked out was obviously geared towards kids several years older than he. I knew going into the observation that Dan was highly gifted, and combining that with his physical disability, it made sense that he would be an avid reader and , relative to the other kids his age, a very advanced one. This proved to be true.Gambrell (1994) says that a child who is motivated to learn will read for a number of reasons, including to gain knowledge. This certainly seemed to be the case with Dan as he was very intent on being sure that he understood exactly what he was reading. Many kids read because they have to, and they learn so that they will get an â€Å"A† in school; Dan was reading and learning for the sole purpose of gaining knowledge. This is not surprising given the fact that gifted children have been found to have significantly higher intrinsic motivation to learn all subject areas than do their peers (Gottfried & Gottfried 1996).This study went on to say that â€Å"From the early years through adolescence, children who are identified as gifted evidence superior persistence, attention, curiosity, enjoyment of learning and orientation toward mastery and challenge. This was mirrored in the enthusiasm with which Dan went about the task of reading and being sure that he understood what he had read. The fact that his mother allowed him to pick out a book himself could be relevant to Dan’s apparent motivation to read.Gambrell (1994) reports that over 80% of children name books that they picked out themselves when asked about those they most enjoyed. In contrast, only 10% talked about books that were chosen for them. A strong correlation was shown to exist between a child’s being allowed to choose his own book and his intrinsic motivation to read. Gambrell further reports that learning through books is enhanced by social interactions, which further increase his desire to read. Dan obviously demonstrated this through the conversation he had with his mother while reading.After his mother left, Dan made frequent use of Vygotsky’s private speech (overt verbalizations not intended for a listener), particularly in the form of questions to himself. I saw this as both modeling his earlier conversations with his mother, and actively trying to learn new words and information. Goodman (1981) found that, in problem solving tasks, questions to self occurred more frequently following failures. This too, was the case with Dan who would often ask himself questions after being unable to pronounce a word or figuer out its meaning.Goodman also found that a hight rate of verbaliztions during problem solving tast was associated with increased efficiency. This is consistent with the fact that Dan, who made frequent use of such verbalizations, was a very advanced reader for his age. His frequent glances at me during particularly troublesome spots could have been related to social referencing. He appeared to want to ask me for help, but never did. Instead he simply looked at me as he tried to pronounce the word, as if trying to guage my facial reaction to see if he was right.Conclusion Dan appeared to be, aside from his diagnosed problems of cerebral palsy and panic attacks, a fairly normal, though cognitively advanced, nine year old boy. His reading every thing aloud struck me as somewhat unusual, and I have no sure explanantion as to why; perhaps he feels that he learns better through auditory stimulation. He also seemed to use private speech more than the average nine year old would, but as I discussed earlier, some studies have linked this to better problem solving abilities and high cognitive performance.References Gambrell, L. B. , (1994). What motivates children to read? Scholastic Literacy Research Paper, 2 Gottfried, A. E. & Gottfried, A. W. , (1996). A longitudinal study of academic intrinsic motivation in intellectually gifted children; Childhood through early adolescence. Gifted Child Quarterly, 40 (4), 179-183 Goodman, S. H. , (1981). The intergration of verbal and motor behavior in preschool children. Child Development. 52 (1), 280-289 Child Observation PSY 122 Child Growth and Development *Key Assessment: OBSERVATION *OF A CHILD and GROUP OF CHILDREN (This key assessment will be in 2 parts; *a total of 4 separate observation papers*) NAEYC Standards and Supportive skills: Standard 1 Promoting Child Development and Learning a Knowing and understanding young children’s characteristics and needs 1b Knowing and understanding the multiple influences on development and learning Standard 3 Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families 3b Knowing about and using observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment tools and techniques 3c Understanding and practicing responsible assessment Supportive Skill 2 Mastering and Applying Foundational Concepts from General Education Supportive Skill 3 Written and Verbal communication Skills Supportive Skill 4 Skills in Making Connections between Prior Knowledge/Experience and New Learning Observation 2: Observe a different child in 2 new area/activities* Part 2: *Observation 3: Observe a group of children inte*racting in one of the following *area/*activities* Observation 4: Observe another group of children interacting in a different area/activities* *Areas/Activities include: PSY 122 Child Growth and Development Key Assessment: OBSERVATION *OF A CHILD and GROUP OF CHILDREN (This key assessment will be in 2 parts) Observation Paper Format Observation Paper # 4 REMEMBER: To use pseudonym (not real name) Describe what the child (ren) are doing and saying (use quotation marks) during the length of your observation. Be specific, objective, and descriptive. Avoid judgmental statements (i. e. â€Å"That little boy was bad. † ). Kids Towne day care is located in an industrial park in Branford, CT. It currently has 75 children enrolled. Inside, the daycare is broken up into class rooms by age. On this day, I chose to observe the preschool room. The classroom currently has 20 children enrolled but not all the children attend daily. On this day there were 14 children in the classroom. The ages range from 3 years old to 4. 5 years old. The ratio of boys to girls is 2:1. Around 8:00am, I began watching the entire group of children. The structure of their day begins at 8:00am with â€Å"circle time. † Miss Sam, the teacher of the preschool room, announces to the children â€Å"Circle time! † I watched as they all came running. â€Å"Sit on a letter. † Miss Sam instructs the children. In the middle of the room there is a huge carpet with all the letters of the alphabet on it. Each child sits on a letter of their choice. â€Å"I want J† says a little boy named Jonah. Once all the children are seated Miss Sam begins with the date and the weather. â€Å"Its chilly outside today† she tells the students. â€Å"Mommy made me wear my jacket but I didn’t want to. † Says a boy named Alex. Shortly after the date and weather, the room breaks out in song. â€Å"The wheels on the bus go round and round†¦Ã¢â‚¬  sing the children. I notice that one girl is not singing. She is sitting with her legs crossed with her elbows on her knees and her head down. When the song finishes, Miss Sam asks Meghan, â€Å"What’s wrong? † â€Å"I have a headache Miss Sam. † â€Å"Well, maybe you’ll feel better after we make our monster puppets? † Meghan didn’t answer. â€Å"Who wants to make monster puppets? † asks Miss Sam. â€Å"Meeeeeeee! † several children proclaimed. I watched as the kids ran to the art center where two long rectangular tableswere side by side. All the boys sat at one table, and all the girls sat at the other. Miss Sam gave each child a brown lunch bag and spread crayons, markers, feathers, pom poms and glue on the table. Miss Sam showed the children a monster puppet that she had made. Mine is going to be pink† said one of the little girls. â€Å"Mine too† said another. I watched as the children worked on their puppets. â€Å"Roarrrrrrrr† said one boy who was coloring his bag green. When the children finished their puppets they all held them up and shared them with pride. Section II. Inferences/Interpretations: Section III: Theorist: Choose a theory/theorist (i. e. Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, Skinner, Bronfenbrenner, etc. ) and include a discussion on how this theory would explain what you have observed about the child (ren)’s behavior and development.