Delta Airlines Employee Motivation and Performance Research Paper

Delta Airlines Employee Motivation and Performance - Research Paper Example However, an employee can only be eligible for such privileges after working for an initial minimum of thirty days. The travel privileges can be used across all the destinations that are covered by Delta Airlines. Through this program, employees in the airline have been able to travel to different global destinations and they reciprocate in appreciation of their employer’s effort make their work experience enjoyable. The reciprocation is seen through improved employee performance and proper relations with the Airline management (Nelson, & Quick, 2013). In addition, the employees’ relatives can also enjoy the travel privileges. Spouses, minors mainly students and parents are entitled to the provision of free travel services. Employees’ children that are nondependent travel companions and friends can also enjoy reduced travel charges. It is notable that the employees’ families are an integral part of their lives and may play a big role in compelling them to keep working at the airline. If the families and friends receive such privileges, they may impact positively on the employees’ attitude towards their role at the airline. Consequently, the employees are compelled to keep working for the airline and develop a positive assertiveness towards the execution of their duties (Grodal, Nelson & Siino, 2015). The employees and their family members eligible for the travel privileges are expected to be on board after other commercial passengers have boarded the flights. Therefore, they occupy the spaces that are still available after all the revenue travellers are on board. Before the travel privileges are activated, the employees are expected to pay an activation fee amounting to fifty dollars. The travel privileges are applicable after the proper guidelines are adhered to and relate to all the employees. In order to maintain its well-established status in the airline industry, Delta Airlines offers a number of rewarding benefits to

Reflective Essay on Referral Systems in Nursing

Reflective Essay on Referral Systems in Nursing Learning Objective:- To acquire knowledge about the various referrals systems used in my placement area. This reflective essay describes my experience in achieving my learning objective, referral system which I had taken as a part of the ONP programme. According to Dewey (1916) Reflection is a process which perceives connections and links between the parts of an experience (cited by Boud et al, 1985). When nurses reflect on what they do, they can make sense of their practice, and imagine and/or bring about changes ( street 1991; Cox et al.1991 cited by Taylor, B. J., 2000). Reflection helps us to transform ourselves to provide better care for the patients by enhancing our skills and knowledge. Schon, D. (1983) emphasised that reflection is a way in which professionals can bridge the theory- practice gap, based on the potential of reflection to uncover knowledge in and on action (cited by Taylor, B. J., 2000) I have chosen Gibbs model of reflection (1988) to reflect on my experience. I chose this framework because it enables me to recapture the event step by step and thus to learn from my experience as experience is the best teacher of all (Harry Callahan, H. cited online). Referral is defined as aÂÂ  personÂÂ  recommendedÂÂ  toÂÂ  someoneÂÂ  orÂÂ  forÂÂ  something (Dictionary. com, 2009).Since all health care required cannot be obtained at any given level of the system, anÂÂ  effective referral mechanism is a key element in the delivery of care (The Ministry of Health, Belize, 2006). So I took this objective to get familiar to the referral system used in my new placement area. As I am working in a stroke unit, most of the patients require a multidisciplinary approach. The core multidisciplinary team includes appropriate levels of nursing, medical, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and social services staff. Other disciplines are also regularly involved in the management of stroke patients including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, dietitians. (SIGN, 2010). This was different from my past working experience even though there was involvement of multidisciplinary teams and referrals to various specialities, but referrals to social services and also the policies pertaining to referrals is a new experience. I observed how my senior colleagues refer patients to various teams, asked doubts on the various teams available in the trust and how to avail them and the basis of referring a patient. Then, I was able to refer patients under guidance. My mentor has also assigned me to do referrals and has assessed me for the same. I got feedback and was able to make necessary corrections. I was able to refer patients to various teams such as Speech and Language therapist (SALT), diabetic nurse, dietitician, and OT. Initially I had some difficulty in understanding the various teams and their roles, the different forms used to refer patients, methods to refer (by fax/calls). But as I was able to do several referrals I got familiar with the system used in my placement area. In the beginning I observed my senior colleagues referring the patient and then I began to refer patients. I was able to clarify doubts with my mentor and colleagues thus helping me to understand the healthcare system more effectively. Now, I feel confident in referring patients to other healthcare team as needed because the holistic, comprehensive, interactive approach of an interdisciplinary team is the hallmark of stroke rehabilitation (Miller et al, 2010)). I feel by taking this learning outcome I was able to improve my communication skills and teamwork thus enabled me to develop professionally. My mentor has assessed me competent in referring patients. According to Dent, S. M., 2007The ability to hear what others are saying and determine the accuracy and relevancy of their feedback is a significant source of professional and partnership development and a critical leadership competency. I believe I was able to achieve an important outcome essential for me to provide holistic care for the patients. As I did several referrals, I was able to build my confidence and take part in appropriate learning and practice activities that maintain and develop my competence and performance (NMC, 2008).Guidance from my mentor and colleagues helped me to understand the system and thus enabled me to deal with it at ease. My mentor assessed me competent in referring patient effectively. It is necessary for a patient to receive appropriate medical attention where required for a speedy progress. It is the responsibility of the staff to ensure that timely referrals are made so that patient care is not jeopardised. As a whole, I was able to gain knowledge about the referral system used in my placement which helped me to keep myself up to date with the resources available to ensure effective care. I ensured that for patients under my care referrals are made on time and if I am not sure of something I make it a point to take the valuable opinion of my seniors (NMC, 2008). As a future action plan, I feel that I should keep my knowledge and skills up to date (NMC, 2008) and should be aware of all the trust policies in order to make effective use of the resources available. I will also actively do more referrals and be well versed with the system.

Comparing Metaphors in Norman Macleans, A River Runs Through It and He

Comparing Metaphors in Norman Maclean's, A River Runs Through It and Henry David Thoreau's, Walden In Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It, the author recounts the story of his early life growing up in Montana. The narrative revolves around his family and the art of fly fishing. Through the novel, Maclean begins to understand the wisdom of his father, the fierce independence and downfall of his brother, and the divinity and beauty of nature. A similar theme regarding divinity in nature is found in Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Building his own cabin and supplying his own food, Thoreau spends two years living alone beside Walden Pond. Thoreau recognizes nature as the "highest reality"(265) and the intrinsic work of "the Builder of the universe"(348). Thoreau also provides insights into human life and expresses these in indirect metaphors with his natural surroundings. The narratives differ most in their changes in mood and plot progression. In Walden, Thoreau displays a change from beginning to end, expressing pessimism and depression at first and then happiness and fulfillment in the end. A River Runs Through It is largely opposite of this change. Thus, both authors relate similar themes and experiences while significant differences exist in the mood and progression. One theme common to both narratives relates to how people are similar to bodies of water. Maclean illustrates this as he describes his brother Paul as being "tough"(8) and "very angry"(7) from his youth. Consequently, Paul's favorite river is the Big Blackfoot, which "is the most powerful and . . . runs straight and hard"(13). Maclean describes the river's "glacial origins"(14) and how it was formed overnight in "the biggest flood in the world"(14). Paul... ... glories in the beauty of nature and expressed how infinite man's possibilities are. In contrast, Maclean provides a valuable and realistic lesson, as his brother's premature death and his family's sorrow are the final details of his story. Despite, the depressing ending, Maclean expresses his belief in the permanence of one's legacy as he hears the words of his family echoed in the river. Thoreau states, "Yes, we have done great deeds, and song divine songs, which shall never die"(349). Thus, both works display compelling themes of nature and men's lives while differing substantially in their plot progression and mood. Works Cited Maclean, Norman. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories. Chicago: The U of Chicago P, 1976. Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. 1862. Walden and Other Writings by Henry David Thoreau. Ed. Joseph Wood Krutch. New York: Bantam, 2001. Comparing Metaphors in Norman Maclean's, A River Runs Through It and He Comparing Metaphors in Norman Maclean's, A River Runs Through It and Henry David Thoreau's, Walden In Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It, the author recounts the story of his early life growing up in Montana. The narrative revolves around his family and the art of fly fishing. Through the novel, Maclean begins to understand the wisdom of his father, the fierce independence and downfall of his brother, and the divinity and beauty of nature. A similar theme regarding divinity in nature is found in Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Building his own cabin and supplying his own food, Thoreau spends two years living alone beside Walden Pond. Thoreau recognizes nature as the "highest reality"(265) and the intrinsic work of "the Builder of the universe"(348). Thoreau also provides insights into human life and expresses these in indirect metaphors with his natural surroundings. The narratives differ most in their changes in mood and plot progression. In Walden, Thoreau displays a change from beginning to end, expressing pessimism and depression at first and then happiness and fulfillment in the end. A River Runs Through It is largely opposite of this change. Thus, both authors relate similar themes and experiences while significant differences exist in the mood and progression. One theme common to both narratives relates to how people are similar to bodies of water. Maclean illustrates this as he describes his brother Paul as being "tough"(8) and "very angry"(7) from his youth. Consequently, Paul's favorite river is the Big Blackfoot, which "is the most powerful and . . . runs straight and hard"(13). Maclean describes the river's "glacial origins"(14) and how it was formed overnight in "the biggest flood in the world"(14). Paul... ... glories in the beauty of nature and expressed how infinite man's possibilities are. In contrast, Maclean provides a valuable and realistic lesson, as his brother's premature death and his family's sorrow are the final details of his story. Despite, the depressing ending, Maclean expresses his belief in the permanence of one's legacy as he hears the words of his family echoed in the river. Thoreau states, "Yes, we have done great deeds, and song divine songs, which shall never die"(349). Thus, both works display compelling themes of nature and men's lives while differing substantially in their plot progression and mood. Works Cited Maclean, Norman. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories. Chicago: The U of Chicago P, 1976. Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. 1862. Walden and Other Writings by Henry David Thoreau. Ed. Joseph Wood Krutch. New York: Bantam, 2001.

Personal Ethical Development Paper Essay

Everyone has their own personal code of ethics, develop through education and experience. With the basic identified in kindergarten or even earlier. Each of us have developed personal ethical codes with inputs and guidance from numerous people including family members, friends, church leaders, mentors, teachers, community leaders and role models. My underlying ethical system primarily is a duty-base ethical system, in which I acted in a certain manner, a manner that is a clear right or wrong. As a child, my parents and family were the ones who lay the ground rules for my ethical decisions. Knowing what is right from what is wrong, to say please and thank you when asking for and receiving something, to say good morning, good afternoon and good night, and to always speak the truth, pray before bed time, and again in the morning when I wake up. School teachers taught me how to enforce strict discipline, self-control and obedient behavior while in class. Religion, also play a major role on my personal ethics, it helps me to established a set of principles and morals, to always show respect for others, to do unto others as you would like others to do unto you. There are other unique individuals that have influenced my personal ethics, such as Mahatma Ghandi, have earned my respect as a prominent leader; who once said, â€Å"Even if you are a minority of one, the truth will always be the truth.† Also Lady Theresa, another prominent figure who also said â€Å"when I am hungry, I look for someone to feed, and when I am thirsty I look for someone to give a drink of waters.† These are people with morals, value, and  principles, which set good examples for others to follow. Looking to others as well as the rules and regulations when making an ethical determination, is a very important process of ethical decision-making. Speaking openly and honestly, that my information are indeed factual, show support for my company and others, even when there are differences of opinion; to adapt to any changes, even if the initial process was done by me. Take pride in my work, whatever duties assigned to me. Try to amend any problems caused by misunderstanding of information. Address injustice, provide assistance, and so on. Entitlement-based: By showing positive emotions, such as joy and happiness towards others, will consequently make them more optimistic and more likely to live out their moral choices to help others. Moral values often conflict with other values. For example, a co-worker of mine made several mistakes while processing tax forms for the IRS. These process must be done with specific governmental guidelines (company strives on quality), she brought some forms over to my desk for verification, I came across several mistakes, using a systematic approach, I went back to her, very politely I said, â€Å"you have to be a little more careful,† there were few mistakes in you batch, knowing very well that people don’t like to told that they’ve made a mistake. She asked, what were the mistakes? I said there were four internationals included in your domestic batch, she said there were no international codes, I said agreed, but the address clearly states Canada, she rose from her seat asking for a second opinion (more like yelling), is Canada international, she asked? Everyone answered yes in uniformly. Feeling rather embarrass, she walked back to my desk and started yelling at me, saying how she don’t like my attitude and told my manager how I tried to embarrass her. My manager in turn told me to be careful how I speak to my fellow employees. My ethical standard of fairness was challenged because my boss did not review the situation in a fair manner. My manager did not address the situation between us or address the entire department of the situation; instead she listens to one side of the story. Quality is an integral part of the company’s operation, and as a senior employee and part  of the verifying team it is my duty, my responsibility to inform employees of any errors. My boss did not make a conscious effort to control the negative feeling and put everyone in a positive frame of mind. There were two other instances involving the same employee that continued to challenges my ethical standard that led me to make a final decision and asked for a transfer to anothe r department. Ethical codes vary among individuals and also corporations. History is filled with examples of the impact on society of varied ethical codes, from the organization or corporate perspectives, one can hardly picked up the newspaper anymore without reading about corporate scandal. As Allen Greenspan noted testifying before Congress in 2002, â€Å"trust and reputation can vanish overnight,† and we have seen repeated examples of such occurrences, demonstrating why good ethics is good business (Wisely,1974). There are many factors of moral reasoning and behavior that are relevant in any organizational settings. History demonstrates that trust, integrity, honesty and credibility remain very important to any organization. Organization should have a clear set of organizational goals and policies, particularly when it comes to moral and ethics, employees need to know that the organization holds itself and them to a higher standard. By being clear about what is acceptable and what is not in the work place (Wisely, 1974). This plays into setting the policies that will govern how the organization is run. Guidelines of the company must be followed. In terms of competition, whether it is with another company or between two employees, ethics and moral should always be stressed. For example, if two employees are pitted against each other in competition for a raise, the potential for immoral and unethical behavior is there. The eagerness to get ahead in any way possible can be strong. It is therefore necessary for the organization owners to stress that the integrity of this organization cannot be compromised in any way shape or form. To incorporate ethics, an organization must obey the law and the spirit of the law where ever they conduct business, values must be real, and must reflect actual behavior, especially among the organization’s leaders. To emphasize principles more that rules. (This is the best way to be more  demanding of the organization, (Schulman, 2006), to encourage all employees to be challenging and demanding in the ethical domain of everyone in the organization, including the bosses. Perception is reality. Ethical and social responsibilities are part of the same thing. Our ethical values are part of our image in the business world. At one time it did not matter much if we polluted the environment, paid below the minimum wage or used plastic bags wastefully if we could get away with it (Schulman, 2006). Rightly, as an organization in a community, which for some large organizations includes major parts of the world, investors may decide to invest, or not according to our reputation for ethical behavior in our society. References Miriam Schulman, March 22, 2006. Incorporating Ethics into the Organization Strategic Plan. Retrieve from. http://www.scu.edu William H. Wisely (1974). The American Civil Engineer. Retrieved from. http://www.acsc.org Trevino, L.K., and Nelson, K. A. (2011), Managing Business Ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right (5th Ed). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Aol Strategic Decision Making and Corporate Social Responsibility

Assume you have recently joined Genzyme, a leader in biotechnology with revenues of nearly $4 billion in 2007, as a member of Jim Geraghty’s strategic planning staff. Geraghty is a Senior Vice President at Genzyme. You have been evaluating several projects as a member of the Humanitarian Assistance for Neglected Diseases (HAND) program and must provide Henri Termeer, Genzyme CEO, with some clear recommendations about which project(s) to undertake.Using the information provided in the Harvard Business School case â€Å"Genzyme’s CSR Dilemma: How to Play its HAND† and Exhibit 1: Comparative Analysis of Alternatives, (attached) your task is to provide a written report that: 1. Identifies and explains the dilemma Genzyme is facing. 2. Evaluates the various project proposals being considered. 3. Recommends specific alternatives to Termeer and the Board, justifying your recommendations. 4.Satisfies an extremely demanding Board of Directors, which expects to see that yo u use appropriate analytical and decision-making tools learned in the course of your MBA program when conducting your analysis and reaching your conclusions essay writer promo code. Your report should adhere to the following guidelines: ?The length of the paper must not exceed 4 pages (5 pages if you choose to include two or more charts or graphics) ? Formatting must be space-and-a-half, 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1† margins. ?Properly cite the Genzyme case whenever appropriate custom paper writing service.Make sure that any quotations are clearly denoted. ?Do not use supplemental information about the company or the external environment that has not been included in the case and attached materials. The same written responses will be used by different readers/evaluators for assessing the Strategic Decision Making goal in the EMBA program. Goal 1: Strategic Decision Making –Graduates make ethical strategic business decisions that utilize appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative analyses, information, and data to further the attainment of the firm’s goals and competitive strategies ?   

Adolescent Stress and Depression essays

Adolescent Stress and Depression essays Asking for HELP when it comes to stress and depression for adolescents. When it comes to stress no one knows more on the topic then today's youth. Thousands and thousands of students go through depression and stress every day, but not one individual asks for help. Many adults believe that stress occurs in the late twenty's or early thirty's of your life that is a myth. Almost all of today's adolescence suffers from stress or depression. Based on a study done by the Stanford School of Medicine almost 80% of those who suffer from stress are teenagers ranging from 13 to 21 years of age. In today's society many people face many obtuse and gigantic problems with stress and depression. Many even go years with depression and never discover it. Once a person discovers that he is suffering from depression the biggest problem that arises is asking others for help. Here are some steps that an adolescent with depression can take to speed up his or her recovery. First, family support is undeniably the strongest and most effective way for adolescent to begin their recovery. Most people fail to rely that in the worst of times family members tend to open their arms and welcome family members when there in need of help. There is no reason for teens to hide it from them. Sharing their expressions and life style with family and friends will not only help their recovery speed up its course, but also get understanding them better. Second, consult your physician. Physicians today have many alternatives that suit their style of living. Today there are many treatment options from exercise and natural stimulants to prescription and anti-depressants, but only their physician can make that decision. Try having them making an appointment to discuss the problem and see how he will be able to help. Third, with todays advances in medicine nothing stays valid for long so I urge that they to do a bit of research. Search the web for medical breakth ...

The Judicial System essays

The Judicial System essays The writers of the US Constitution were determined to separate the powers of the federal government in to three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The prime function of the judicial branch is to interpret the law in such a way that rules made in the past can be applied reasonably in the present. This function gives the courts a role in policymaking. The Constitution establishes the Supreme Court of the United States and grants Congress the authority to establish lower federal courts. The United States has two different courts systems-the federal courts and the state courts. Federal courts make judgments in cases having to do with the U.S. Constitution or other federal law. They hear cases in which the U.S. is suing or prosecuting someone. They handle disputes between citizens of two different states and disputes involving foreign countries and U.S. citizens. Crimes that happen on ships at sea are called admiralty cases and are also held in federal court. Federal courts are set up on three levels. The lowest federal courts are the district courts, where most federal cases are heard first. The United States has 90 district courts. The Court of Appeals is the next highest in the federal court system. The Court of Appeals is divided into 11 circuits that cover all the states, territories, and possessions of the U.S. Defendants who are not satisfied with the decision of a district court can appeal to the court. The highest federal court is the Supreme Court. It consists of eight associate justices and one chief justice, appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate. Justices are appointed for life and their salaries cannot be lowered while they serve. These rules were established so that justices would be free from political pressures that might influence their decision. The court has two kinds of jurisdiction. In cases affecting ambassadors and other public ministers and in cases in which a state is one ...

1987 Nobel Prize in Physics

1987 Nobel Prize in Physics The 1987 Nobel Prize in Physics went to German physicist J. Georg Bednorz and Swiss physicist K. Alexander Muller for discovery that certain classes of ceramics could be designed that had effectively no electrical resistance, meaning that there were ceramic materials that could be used as superconductors. The key aspect of these ceramics is that they represented the first class of high-temperature superconductors and their discovery had groundbreaking effects on the types of materials that could be used within sophisticated electronic devices Or, in the words of the official Nobel Prize announcement, the two researchers received the award for their important breakthrough in the discovery of superconductivity in ceramic materials. The Science These physicists were not the first to discover superconductivity, which had been identified in 1911 by Kamerlingh Onnes while researching mercury. Essentially, as mercury was reduced in temperature, there was a point at which it seemed to lose all electrical resistance, meaning that electrical current count flow through it unimpeded, creating a supercurrent. This is what it means to be a superconductor. However, the mercury only exhibited the superconducting properties at very low degrees near absolute zero, around 4 degrees Kelvin. Later research in the 1970s did identify materials that exhibited superconducting properties at around 13 degrees Kelvin. Bednorz and Muller were working together to research the conductive properties of ceramics at an IBM research laboratory near Zurich, Switzerland, in 1986, when they discovered the superconducting properties in these ceramics at temperatures of approximately 35 degrees Kelvin. The material used by Bednorz and Muller was a compound of lanthanum and copper oxide that was doped with barium. These high-temperature superconductors were confirmed very quickly by other researchers, and they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics the following year. All of the high-temperature superconductors are known as a Type II superconductor, and one of the effects of this is that when they have a strong magnetic field applied, they will exhibit only a partial  Meissner effect  that breaks down in a high magnetic field, because at a certain intensity of magnetic field the superconductivity of the material is destroyed by electrical vortices that form within the material. J. Georg Bednorz Johannes Georg Bednorz was born on May 16, 1950, in Neuenkirchen, in North-Rhine Westphalia in the Federal Republic of Germany (known to those of us in America as West Germany). His family had been displaced and split up during World War II, but they had reunited in 1949 and he was a late addition to the family. He attended the University of Munster in 1968, initially studying chemistry and then transitioning into the field of mineralogy, specifically crystallography, finding the mix of chemistry and physics more to his liking. He worked at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory during the summer of 1972, which is when he first began working with Dr. Muller, head of the physics department. He began work on his Ph.D. in 1977 at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, in Zurich, with supervisors Prof. Heini Granicher and Alex Muller. He officially joined the staff of IBM in 1982, a decade after he spent the summer working there as a student. He began working on the search for a high-temperature superconductor with Dr. Muller in 1983, and they successfully identified their goal in 1986. K. Alexander Muller Karl Alexander Muller was born April 20, 1927, in Basel, Switzerland. He spent World War II in Schiers, Switzerland, attending the Evangelical College, completing his baccalaureate degree in seven years, starting at age 11 when his mother died. He followed this up with military training in the Swiss army and then transitioned to Zurichs Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Among his professors was renowned physicist Wolfgang Pauli. He graduated in 1958, working then at the Battelle Memorial Institute in Geneva, then a Lecturer at the University of Zurich, and then finally landing a job at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory in 1963. He conducted a range of research there, including serving as a mentor to Dr. Bednorz and collaborating together on the research to discover high-temperature superconductors, which resulted in the awarding of this Nobel Prize in Physics.

Professional Integration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Integration - Essay Example Basically, the Good Idea Company model aims to perform specialized medical core and noncore functions wherein the tasks concerned depends upon the command of the customer. Such commands of tasks to be performed by MSOs include medical transcribing and administrative functions. Primarily, this model of MSO represents manifold business tasks and operations which cannot be performed deliberately by health professionals. Thus, for these noncore operations which are far from the field of medicine such as finance and accounting, health system affiliations find this model a favorable one which allows them to have the work done by specialized MSOs. Between the two models of MSOs above, the Venture Capital Company provides more privilege for participating parties for integration. Since the Venture Capital Company aims to generate capital by outsourcing administrative and managerial operations to MSOs who specialize in these fields, they become more focused on their core operations. Hence, this allows a rapid pace of integration for both parties. On the other hand, the Good Idea Company provides slow but sure integration which is only limited to the tasks the customer commands.

Suicide among young men in the United Kingdom in related to the press Research Paper

Suicide among young men in the United Kingdom in related to the press - Research Paper Example Social phenomenon of various kinds is analysed using evidence to back up claims. Evidence gathering for such purposes needs to be traced out meticulously in order to create a true reflection of the society and its problems. This paper attempts to analyse the social problem of suicide in Great Britain in order to ascertain a particular direction for research. Overlying trends will be identified and any anomalies in social behaviour will be segregated. These social anomalies will be investigated later as â€Å"major memoirs† while this â€Å"minor memoir† will delineate the various resources that could be used to research the identified issue. Moreover, the credibility, relevance and suitability of the sources will be established to present a strong foundation for research. Social Problems Social problems can be seen as any social conditions that produce harm to any segment of the society’s population. Moreover, social problems can also represent various social con ditions and acts that may violate a society’s norms and values. (Eitzen et al., 2009) Social problems can be produced by social psychological behaviour or through implications of the social structure. (Beeghley, 2000) For example if a person is a drug addict then there could be multiple causes for it. One reason could be that the person in question has friends or other social influences that encourage the use of drugs. This reason would constitute the social psychological aspect of the explanation. Another reason could be that the person in question is unemployed, depressed or otherwise repressed by social institutions to an extent that he feels that drug use is the only solution. Such an explanation would constitute a social structural explanation of the problem. Social problems can proliferate if portrayed in such light. Suicide: Social Problem or Private Problem Suicide can be seen as any act initiated by a human being to end his or her own life with complete knowledge and established intent. (Hawton & van Heeringen, 2009) Various reasons can be attributed to suicide including social, biological and other explanations. Perhaps the most significant work on suicide was produced by Emile Durkheim in analysing suicide using scientific methods. However there has been rampant debate regarding the nature of suicide as a personal or as a social problem. The act of taking one’s own life is nonetheless a purely personal problem. The lack of social commentary on any issue tends to make such issues personal. Previously suicide was treated as a purely personal problem. However media spotlight on the issue aided in the transformation of suicide into a social problem in recent years. (Samaritans, 2011) In order to ground things in more concrete reason it is best to analyse the statistics for suicide to form a clearer picture. Suicidal Trends in Great Britain The suicide rates in Great Britain must be traced from official sources in order to guarantee their c redibility. Moreover, suicide rates need to be adjusted for their consistency with population growth. As population levels grow each year, the suicide rates must reflect this growth or suicide rates would seem to keep decreasing each year. The government of Great Britain compiles statistics for suicide as well as other such issues each year. These statistics are available on the official statistics portal of the government better known as the Office for National

Litercy Criticisms on How The People In A Street Car Named Desire Research Paper

Litercy Criticisms on How The People In A Street Car Named Desire represent those of tennessee williams life - Research Paper Example Meaning of Streetcar Named Desire The play â€Å"Streetcar Named Desire† was written after William’s first success of â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† and was known to develop with his own cliche statement which he called a ‘streetcar named success.’ This was based on his early achievements as a playwright and with the inability to move in the correct direction with his next plays. The confusion which came from this success was one which was based on the ability to indulge in life while not carrying a sense of direction about future prospects. The result was William’s moving into a controversial lifestyle where he was able to indulge in drinking, fine dining and gambling (Torres, 162). The conflicts which were faced then combined with the understanding that William’s had of himself which led from fame to a self – destructive attitude. The overall plot line and the different actions which take place, as well as the main theme of the pla y, all show this specific attitude and the way in which William’s is reflecting about his life at this particular time (Bloom, 11). The writing of this specific book was also based on the philosophies and interpretations which William’s had during this time. He created a looking glass of his own life and how he had struggled then instantly broken through into success. This left him with the need to re-examine relationships, morality and the conflicts which occurred either in his own life or in general. The idea which he began to move around was to find the ideal of what was good. â€Å"Then what is good? The obsessive interest in human affairs, plus a certain amount of compassion and moral conviction, that first made the experience of living something that must be translated into pigment or music or bodily movement† (Williams, 22). The philosophy which William’s fell back on at this time then led him to delve into his personal relationships, specifically with his sister, and to re-examine the interest of his personal affairs and the way in which he believed he had interacted with them. It was this specific component that led to the questioning of his character and the reflection of this in his next play (Thompson, 47). Direct Relationships to Characters The different characters used throughout â€Å"A Streetcar Named Desire† are recorded as having a direct association with William’s life. The characters in the play are known to be representative of the family that William’s had, specifically in reference to Blanche, who is found to go through several brutal relationships and end up in a mental hospital. Blanche is known to be directly linked to William’s sister, Rose, who struggled with mental health for several years and later became incapacitated after a lobotomy. The problem and crisis which William’s associates with is reflective of watching his sister go through the victimization and with the concept of explaining the complexities, emotional conflicts and the deeply rooted problems of the mental health which he sees through his sister. Each of these become associated with Blanche and the struggles noted throughout the play with her mental health and relationships with others (Vlasopolos, 322). The character of Blanche is the main focus which William’

Justinian and the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Justinian and the Law - Essay Example It means that considering law as a phenomenon, peculiar only to the certain socio-economic structure, and which keeps the same nature at establishment of basic concepts, principles, categories and institutes during all existence of human civilization is not correct. That is why there is a general growth of interest to researches, which under such point of view are of not only historical interest, but also help to define the character and tendencies of transformations of law in the process of historical development of humanity, and consequently to find out consistent patterns of its development, which must be taken into account in modern conditions. Experience of development of law of legal system at Justinian's being in power can be very useful for the awareness of genetic root of many institutes of our legal system, establishment of possible prospects of its development, using of accomplishments and taking into consideration of lacks of conducting of those or other measures on perfection of the legal system, most grandiose from which is a systematization of law, conducted in the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine) in the first half of the sixth century by Emperor Justinian. Let us appeal to the history as "the history of law, inseparable from the history of the State, because the growth of a legal system both determines and is determined by the general condition and civilization of the nation, finds in these same epochs its most natural divisions"1. An imperial aspiration of Justinian has negatively reflected on socio-economic position of the state, as a load of military charges came upon the population of Byzantium, destroying not only its economy but also the economy of neighbor countries. At the same time, objectively his political direction had certain positive maintenance, as he to a certain extent operated in light of general tendency of competition of ancient culture with the barbarian world from Northern East, which threatened fully to destroy odds and ends of old Roman and ancient Greek cultures. The main directions of domestic policy of emperor Justinian were: gradual liquidation of last republican institutes and strengthening of individual p ower of emperor; creation of an authoritarian state based on enormous centralized state and conducting of related administrative reforms; achievement of unity of faith (confession unity) in the state with recognition of emperor as a main leader in this sphere; realization of economic measures, directed on multiplying commodity turnover and revival of production; circumscription of proprietary rights of main landowners, economic influencing of which sometimes outgrew in political power. Limitations of rights of big landowners have been accompanied with measures, directed on encouragement of development of yeomanry (for example, by means of establishment of preferential taxes). Justinian pursues also a policy of encouragement to settling on new territory, and also to settling of earths which were before mastered, but then abandoned. What is important is that domestic and foreign policy of Justinian required not only the armed efforts

Politics of Travel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Politics of Travel - Essay Example The purpose of the article is to spread awareness about the ways, tourism can harm the traditions and resources of a country. Every tourism agency focuses on attracting tourists to their country, while they should also be educating tourists on how they can be respectful towards the resources of the country they are visiting and not waste water or electricity, while they are on the tour. The audience for this article are tourists, who move from country to country in order to explore different places. However, if we go deeper into the article, the audience is also the tourism authorities of the country, who should make sure that whenever people come from other countries, they don’t waste country’s resources, tourism doesn’t become the reason for reservoirs being damaged or crops being destroyed. It is for the tourists to understand that they need to make better choices when they are traveling to someplace. The thesis statement of the article is in its introductory paragraph, which states that â€Å"Tourism has seriously damaged, fragile ecosystems like the Alps-the winter skiing playground of Europe-and the trekking areas of the Himalayas. The writer begins by directly stating the problem which would be discussed in the article, tourism. The writer then defines and generalizes the different areas of the world which are threatened by tourism like the areas of Himalayas, dunes, mangroves, and forests. The writer then changes his point from areas to how tourists are wasting water of the countries they visit and how this water is not available to the locals of the village. Moreover, the writer links water with electricity, as there are luxury hotels built for tourists, in which they stay; for hot water, electricity is consumed too.

ITEC640 - IT PM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ITEC640 - IT PM - Essay Example Since it is a software house, their technical staff is considered to be their asset who is responsible for making good quality products for their clients. Therefore, it makes sense to give the project manager full command over the projects as he is technically sound and has the required skills to make best possible decisions. The organization under discussion hires technical people on the basis of their skills and then assigns them positions in the most appropriate ‘Product Team’. Every product has its own respective team and ‘Team Lead’. These team members are entirely responsible for this one product and are involved in its development, deployment, support etc. The ‘Team Lead’ will be managing and leading the projects in which his team members will be involved. This enables the technical staff to gain expertise in their product and induces product loyalty to a great extent. Whenever the company gets a new project, a new project team is made (which is discussed in more detail later in the report). There is another type of structure that prevails in many organizations. At times, the formal structure is not sufficient to get work done quickly. In such situations, informal structure and reporting comes in play. Informal communication tends to ignore the complex chain of command and jump starts stalled activities. It helps in meeting deadlines exceptionally well. Informal structure promotes communication among the employees and management, integration, flexibility etc. Some degree of informal reporting is also present in the company under discussion. The members of different product team have informal brainstorming sessions for most efficient solutions to problems. Marchewka (2009) stated that power in the organization is not always governed by the hierarchy but by the degree of connectedness with the colleagues. Informal communication between the employees also

Politics of Travel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Politics of Travel - Essay Example The purpose of the article is to spread awareness about the ways, tourism can harm the traditions and resources of a country. Every tourism agency focuses on attracting tourists to their country, while they should also be educating tourists on how they can be respectful towards the resources of the country they are visiting and not waste water or electricity, while they are on the tour. The audience for this article are tourists, who move from country to country in order to explore different places. However, if we go deeper into the article, the audience is also the tourism authorities of the country, who should make sure that whenever people come from other countries, they don’t waste country’s resources, tourism doesn’t become the reason for reservoirs being damaged or crops being destroyed. It is for the tourists to understand that they need to make better choices when they are traveling to someplace. The thesis statement of the article is in its introductory paragraph, which states that â€Å"Tourism has seriously damaged, fragile ecosystems like the Alps-the winter skiing playground of Europe-and the trekking areas of the Himalayas. The writer begins by directly stating the problem which would be discussed in the article, tourism. The writer then defines and generalizes the different areas of the world which are threatened by tourism like the areas of Himalayas, dunes, mangroves, and forests. The writer then changes his point from areas to how tourists are wasting water of the countries they visit and how this water is not available to the locals of the village. Moreover, the writer links water with electricity, as there are luxury hotels built for tourists, in which they stay; for hot water, electricity is consumed too.

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

Happiness Research - Essay Example Based on the appraisal-based theory of happiness, Myers and Diener maintain that one's personality traits, the characteristics of one's social milieu etc can determine one's happiness. Whereas a person's age, sex, race, and income etc cannot determine factors of happiness, "better clues come from knowing a person's traits, whether the person enjoys a supportive network of close relationships, whether the person's culture offers positive interpretations for most daily events, whether the person is engaged by work and leisure, and whether the person has a faith that entails social support, purpose, and hope." (Myers and Diener, 1995, p 17). In a reflective exploration of the arguments put forward by Myers and Diener, it becomes lucid that family support and family relations are two important factors that contribute to happiness or the subjective well-being of an individual. In their article, Myers and Diener offer crucial premises concerning the happiness or satisfaction with life and they suggest that personality traits, supportive network of close relationships, culture, work and leisure, social support, purpose, and hope etc can determine one's happiness. It is fundamental to investigate the premise by the authors that people who have strong family relations are happy and healthy. ... Thus, in their important study titled "Family Support, Family Income, and Happiness: A 10-Year Perspective", North, Holahan, Moos, and Cronkite examined the role of income and social support in predicting coexisting happiness and change in happiness and the conclusions of their study support the premise of Myers and Diener that people who have strong family relations are happy and healthy. "Income had a small, positive impact on happiness, which diminished as income increased. In contrast, family social support, measured by 3 subscales, Cohesion, Expressiveness, and Conflict, showed a substantial, positive association with concurrent happiness, even after controlling for income." (North, Holahan, Moos, and Cronkite, 2008, p. 475). Therefore, it is essential to realize that family social support has a great influence on the happiness of an individual, as against income, and financial stability. The family support and family relations are among the most fundamental elements determining the well being of an individual and the organization of family life can influence the individual's happiness. Based on literature review on the topic, Myers and Diener maintain that the impoverished social connections in the ever more individualistic modern societies hinder happiness and well being of individuals. "Individualistic societies offer personal control, harmony between the inner and outer person, and opportunity to express one's feelings and talents, though with the risks of a less embedded, more detached self." (Myers and Diener, 1995, pp 14-15). The social support system as well as family support and relations can greatly help one in realizing happiness. The value

Are Children Born with an Innate Ability to Acquire Language

Are Children Born with an Innate Ability to Acquire Language Humans ability to use language is essential and many believe it to be the sole ability that seperates us from all other mammals (Chomsky, 2006 ; Crrystal, 1997 ; Hocket, 1960. The importance for humans to be able to acquire language from a young age is unquestionable, but how we acquire it is under huge debate amongst psychologists and psycholinguists. Nativists such as Chomsky (1959) believe language has an innate basis and this is how we acquire it so quickly and at such a young age, whilst behaviourists believe we acquire language like any other learned behaviour (Skinner, 1957). Another theory in this debate is the social pragmatic theory which states that children create constructions of languages which develop over time (Tomasello, 2003). This essay aims to explore the theories that exist within this debate and therefore examine the support and evidence for each in order to assess if children are in fact born with an innate ability to acquire language. Immitation Perhaps the most simplest theory existing within this debate is the idea that children learn language by imitating adults and modelling their speech based on what they hear others saying. Adults also use child directed speech and therefore talk differently to and around children compared to how they talk around other adults (Cook and Newson, 2007). Many psychologists have also said that this theory is too simplistic to account for language acquisition (Bloom, Hood, and Lightbow 1974, Clark and Clark 1977, Chomsky 1986, and Dale 1976). This theory cannot be ignored though as imitation has been proven to help children acquire an accent (Blades, Cowie and Smith, 2003). Skinner Further support Evidence for the imitation theory comes from Skinner, who founded behaviourism, which claims that any behaviour is learnt from experience and subsequently there is no such thing as an innate ability; this includes the ability to acquire language. In 1957 he claimed that language acquisition was simply a matter of imitation, reinforcement and association therefore we learn language in the same way that Skinner showed how a rat can learn a path in a maze. Support for Skinner comes from Clarke-Stewart (1973) who found that children who experienced a vast amount of spoken languages from their parents had a larger vocabulary compared to those who experiences little spoken language. Chomsky Chomsky however disagrees with Skinner (Chapman and Routledge, 2005) and believed that children are born with an innate knowledge of the structure of language. He called this a language acquisition device (LAD) which is an innate mechanism only in humans which allows us to develop language. (HARTLEY). Chomsky argued that a poverty of the stimulus existed as the language in by which children are surrounded is not rich enough for children to successfully learn language and so they must be helped with the process of acquisition by some form of innate knowledge (HARTLEY). Chomsky (1959) pointed out that children cannot learn by imitation alone as they are able to produce sentences they may have never heard before and this is one of the major flaws of behaviourism. Children use grammar to construct these new sentences by using grammatical rules, this also means they can identify when they produce ungrammatical sentences and can prevent these mistakes from being produced again in the futur e (WHITNEY). Chomsky also noted that all languages have universal grammar or linguistic universals which all humans are programmed to understand and learn quickly early on in life. The theory of Universal Grammar says that all languages have the same basic foundation. As humans were not genetically programmed to speak a particular language so grammar allows us to learn the patterns of a particular language without actually being taught them (WHITNEY). If no one is born knowing a particular language, and were prepared to acquire language, then we must be born with the ability to acquire any language. This is reflected in children of a younger age as it is easier for them to learn a new language than it is for adults. However, this ability to acquire language rapidly must be taken advantage of before puberty, as after this critical period it is much harder for a child to learn how to talk correctly (HARTLEY). Support for Chomsky Like Chomsky, Jill and Peter de Villers (1978) showed that parents use child directed speech when talking to their children, and so if imitation were to be the answer to how we acquire language, children would talk using this motherese language. Support for language acquisition being innate can be taken from a longitudinal study conducted on a 9 year old deaf child called Simon. Researchers studied him from 2 years old and found that despite his parents teaching him incorrect grammar when it comes to in sign language, he was able to sign with correct grammar (http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/01/health/linguists-debate-study-classifying-language-as-innate-human-skill.html). However, this study was only conducted using one child and therefore cannot be seen as representative of the whole population. Dionne, Dale, Bolvin and Plomin, 2003 (Mccartney and Phillips, 2006) conducted a study using same sex twins and found that when they correlated vocabulary and grammar ability, they were equally correlated at ages 2 and 3. This, they believe, suggests that there are genetic factors influencing these abilities and therefore there is a general innate language basis. If language does in fact have an innate basis then language disorders should be inheritable Criticism for Chomsky There are less extreme nativists than Chomsky who say that we are born with language biases allowing us to learn language. This is called the whole object assumption or fast mapping. The acquisition of names for entities belonging to different types and the effect of lexical contrast (Kipp and Shaffer YEAR). Bard and Sachs (1977) reported a study where a child had two deaf parents, despite being surrounded by speech from television and friends he was unable to acquire language until a speech therapist began to work with him around the age of 4. After this he was able to acquire language rather quickly showing there must be some form of innate knowledge that allowed him to acquire languages quickly, however he still needed to be taught how to use language. Gomez and Gerkhen, 1998 (Hoff and Shatz, 2009) reject the idea that language has innate properties. They say that many researchers assume that because language is so complex, it is unlearnable and therefore we must be born with a way of knowing how and when to generalise from the stimuli in which we encounter. Piaget, 1980 (Piaget, Piatelli-Palmarini and Chomsky, 1980) also said because language is complex we cannot assume it has a specific innate basis simply because we acquire it quickly and early on in life. Bloom and Markson (YEAR) pointed out that the focus of most language acquisition research is based on parents teaching children speech. This research is mainly conducted within western cultures, however this is not universal as in some cultures parents dont help their children to learn words, therefore they learn from overheard speech. However these children still develop a good vocabulary. Locke, 1995 believed that all knowledge that rationalists said was innate can actually be learnt through experience. At birth our mind is a tabula rosa on which sensations can influence and determine our future behaviour. Research has been conducted regarding the critical period that Chomsky referred to regarding optimal acquisition of language. Research has shown that if children have not acquired language before puberty then they are not likely to ever fully acquire it, regardless of any innate mechanisms they may hold. If the language acquisition advice truely existed, like Chomsky believed it to, then surely this critical period would not exist, or at least we should be able to acquire language at any age (Hayes, YEAR). Lenneberg Lenneburg (1967) believed in a critical period for language acquisition but that that said that a child must experience spoken language frequently during this critical period in order for language to be fully acquired. After this critical period prior to puberty, the child undergoes several changes which makes it increasingly harder for the child to acquire language. This is also supported by the fact that it is harder for adults to learn a language than it is for children. Social Pragmatic Theory Tomasello (2003) looked away from a specifically innate theory of language acquisition and instead created a construction based approach to how children acquire language; developing from simple to more complex constructions. Bruner (1983) said that almost all language a child acquires is done so through a routine of interaction with adults or more complex speakers than themselves. A child will first learn to understand a persons intentions by sharing goals and therefore enabling the child to know what is going on and why it is happening. This then facilitates joint attention between the child and adult allowing them to both focus on the same object or cultural routine. A cultural routine is an activity or event which occurs frequently in the childs everyday life and so the child is able to predict successfully the shared goals existing in that activity (Tomasello 2008). An experiment conducted by Baldwin 1991, 1993 (Bates and Tomasello, 2001) showed that children are capable of monitoring an adults attentional focus and know that a label refers to an object that the speaker is attending to, even if this object was hidden. At around 16 months children were unable to identify any object, but around 19 months they successfully chose the object the adult was attending to despite this object being hidden from sight. Despite this Atkinson (1982) and Gleitmen et al (1984) believed that the social pragmatic view of how children may acquire language is vague and subsequently does not produce testable theories of language.

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide are Morally Correct :: Free Euthanasia Essay

Euthanasia is Morally Correct "The third night that I roomed with Jack in our tiny double room, in the solid-tumor ward of the cancer clinic of the National Institute of Health in Maryland, a terrible thought occurred to me. Jack had a melanoma in his belly, a malignant solid tumor that the doctors guessed was the size of a softball. The doctors planned to remove the tumor, but they knew Jack would soon die. The cancer had now spread out of control. Jack, about 28, was in constant pain, and his doctor had prescribed an intravenous shot, a pain killer, and this would control the pain for perhaps two hours or a bit more. Then he would begin to moan, or whimper, very low, as though he didn't want to wake me. Then he would begin to howl, like a dog. When this happened, he would ring for a nurse, and ask for the pain-killer. The third night of his routine, a terrible thought occurred to me. 'If Jack were a dog, I thought, what would be done to him?' The answer was obvious: the pound, and the chloroform. No human being with a spark of pity could let a living thing suffer so, to no good end." (James Rachel's The Morality of Euthanasia) The experience of Stewart Alsop, a respected journalist, who died in 1975 of a rare form of cancer gave an example on the morality of euthanasia. Before he died, he wrote movingly of his experiences with another terminal patient. Although he had not thought much about euthanasia before, he came to approve of it after sharing a room with Jack. While growing up, each of us learns a large number of rules of conduct. Which rules we learn will depend on the kind of society we live in and the parents and the friends we have. We may learn to be honest, to be loyal, and to work hard. Sometimes we learn a rule without understanding its point. In most cases this may work out, for the rule may be designed to cover ordinary circumstances, but when faced with unusual situations, we may be in trouble. This situation is the same with moral rules. Without understanding the rules, we may come

Quest for Self and Identity in Jack Kerouac’s On The Road Essay

The Quest For Identity In On The Road  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Jack Kerouac’s ‘On The Road’, the protagonists embark upon a long, arduous quest for human identity. Their aim is to uncover who they truly are, where they fit in the ‘scheme of things’ and what the meaning of life is. They articulate this desire by speaking, during the novel, of the search for ‘IT’, ‘IT’ being human identity. This ‘IT’ is an intangible thing; something that holds a different meaning for every individual. It encompasses all the things humans yearn for – life answers, the meaning of the universe, happiness, enlightenment, self-fulfilment, ‘beatification’ (as articulated by Kerouac). ‘On the Road’ is the story of a desperate search for ‘IT’, in which the protagonists finally come to realise that ‘IT’ is unattainable and time cannot be defied. The human search for ‘IT’ is never-ending.   Even when we know that the search is virtually impossible, that ‘IT’ is unreachable, that ou... ...iences and thoughts. The novel concludes with the poignant truth humans often try to ignore – that time and aging are inexorable and that the answers to life will most probably never be known to any of us while on earth. Works Cited: Kerouac, Jack. On The Road. Penguin Books Limited, New York. 1955. Honan, Simon. The Beat Generation,   Allen and Unwin Publishing, New York. 1987. Eliot, T.S. The Collected Works of TS Eliot, Eldridge Publishing Inc, Sydney.1954.

Life of Pi

In the novel, â€Å"Life of Pi† the author Yann Martel tells a story within a story about Piscine Molitor who is also known as Pi. He is the protagonist and the dynamic character of story. In the chapters that confine the main story Pi is a timid middle-aged man and is deeply spiritual after learning the teachings of Hinduism, Catholicism, and Islam. He tells us about his childhood growing up in India as a son of a zoo keeper. He’s a vegetarian and he expresses his love for animals. Pi is a student of religion, zoology and is deeply interested by the characteristics of people and animals. Yet there is another side to Pi, and there is a constant switch between his thoughts and actions. Pi has learned about animal nature and its violent capabilities but it is not until he is faced with these circumstances. Not long after the ship sinks Pi and a tiger named Richard Parker are the only ones left on the lifeboat. Pi fears Richard Parker in some way but when he learns that his chances of survival are becoming very slim he uses his fear as a key to survival. Pi temporarily forgets all his other problems and manages through several courses to dominate Richard Parker. Pi The author uses indirect characterization to show how an awful position can bring out the worst in a man, and unexpected help in the most effective of animals. Pi becomes very quick and aggressive when it comes to finding and consuming food. I just didn’t have the time to consider what was before me. It either went into my mouth that instant or was lost to Richard Parker, who was pawing and stamping the ground and huffing impatiently on the edge of his territory. It came as unmistakable indication to me of how low I had sunk the day I had noticed, with a pinching of the heart, which I ate like an animal, that this noisy, frantic, unchewing wolfing-down of mine was exactly the way Richard Parker ate. † This compares t he close similarities between a man and an animal. Life of Pi The novel itself is inclined with philosophy and how different kinds of religion affected the life of Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi), the narrator of the story. It started when Pi was in a ship with his family when a mysterious incident led the ship to sink in the ocean, leaving only Pi the human who survived the incident. Along with him are the different animals whom he had discourse and interaction with in the lifeboat. Things started to went somehow out of control when the hyena ate some fellow animals. Long after, the tiger itself fed on the hyena but managed not to attack Pi. The two, Pi and the tiger whose name in the story is Richard Parker, continued to survive together and managed to keep each other’s company. After a long time, they found an island with a strange algae-dominated form. Soon they discovered that the algae were deforming themselves into acids at night and there’s this strange fruit that has a human-like teeth in it. Pi concluded that the island is an organism that eats humans. With these view of things, Pi and Richard Parker left the strange island and arrived in Mexico. There they departed from each other after keeping each other’s company for 227 days. Pi went to the hospital and he was confined there. Two Japanese officials named Okamoto and Chiba visited him and interrogated him how the ship sank. He told them the stories about the animals and his stay with the tiger, Richard Parker. However, the two officials did not believe him. Then he told another story where he was in a ship with his mother, a cook and a Chinese sailor. This story was a disgusting one where the cook is someone who is barbaric in actions. Pi let the two Japanese officials choose whichever version of story they want and the latter chose the one with animals which they wrote a story with. Pi was engaged in the three major religions in the world namely Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam where his life was patterned. He clearly portrays a character who did not believe in religion as a whole but in conviction in one sense. Belief as a human necessity could be seen through Pi’s character where Pi is a representative of human divinity.[1] His life, as well as his activities, is associated with god/s. For him, everything is related to god/s. Or may I say that everything can be related to god/s. His personality here can be viewed as an attachment to a belief which creates a form of survival. This can be compared to what Emile Durkheim said in his research that those who are in a strong attachment, say Christianity, had a lesser probability of committing a suicide than those who are more individualistic. Moreover, a strong hold to a belief can lengthen one’s life because there is a definite belief that serves as a guide for a person throughout his/her life. On the other hand, Richard Parker was also able to sustain the coexistence between them (with Pi) by his animal instincts. Example for this is the search and hunt for food, which is one of the physiological needs of human in order to survive and to perform everyday life functions. With this is a concept of the survival of the fittest portrayed by the hyena and tiger where they ate their fellow animals in order to survive. The weakest being can not handle to live longer while the stronger ones are those that have the capacity to hunt and kill for their own benefit in order to live. Another manifestation of this survival is when Pi and Richard Parker was the only one who was alive and they managed to live longer in the strange island and to go to Mexico where their lives were more secured. Life of Pi was a unique combination of social reality and religion. According to the author Martel, it doesn’t matter which was believed the truth but that belief should be present. Truth is only a matter of understanding. What really exist are evidences of a history, whether it was true or not. It was we who give the definition of what the social construction of reality means. And what people believed to be the truth is a matter of collective approval. Approval of those in the dominate classes. In the novel, stories were given. How can one say which story is true and which one is not? Martel says that ‘the facts do not always constitute the importance in the experience’.[2] Thus, one can say that unreliable facts which are given to us. We are the ones who will decide what is true and what is not. â€Å"Life’s story is one’s own, and faith trumps factuality.† What really matters for the truth to exist is the belief of people on it. Without the belief, a truth can not be truth. Works Cited Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. Canada: Knopf Canada, 2001. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org [2] Ibid. Life of Pi Name- Htet Hlaing Hmee ( 1207C20609 ) Period- 1 Life of Pi Novel Proposal Theme- The Nature of Suffering Argument A Point 1- Pi can't imagine a God who suffers Quotation- â€Å"This son, on the other hand, who goes hungry, who suffers from thirst, who gets tired, who is sad, who is anxious, who is heckled and harassed† ( 91 ) Point 2 – Pi stops when he's working out the immediate detail of survival. Quotation – â€Å"I was either fixed on practical details of immediate survival or transfixed by pain, weeping silently, my mouth open and my hands at my head. † (169) Point 3- The worst night of his lifeQuotation- â€Å"It is pointless to say that this or that night was the worst of my life. I have so many bad nights to choose from that I've made none the champion. Still, that second night at sea stands in my memory as one of exceptional suffering† ( 188 ) Argument B Point 1- Suffering grief becomes carnivorous Quotation- â€Å"They were dead; I could no longer deny it. What a thing to acknowledge in your heart! To lose a brother is to lose someone with whom you can share the experience of growing old, who is supposed to bring you a sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, creatures to people the tree of your life and give it new branches. ( 194 ) Point 2 – Orange Juice's suffering to proportions Quotation- â€Å"She was beheaded. The neck wound was still bleeding. It was a horrible sight to the eyes and killing to the spirit. † ( 201 ) Point 3- Realizes his suffering is taking place in the middle of an ocean Quotation- â€Å"I saw my suffering for what it was, finite and insignificant, and I was still. My suffering did not fit anywhere, I realized. And I could accept this† (269) Argument C Point 1- No escape for poor Pi.Quotation- â€Å"Salt-water boils – red, angry, disfiguring – were a leprosy of the high seas, transmitted by the water that soaked me† ( 389 ) Point 2- Pi's suffering drive s him Quotation- â€Å"I ate some of his flesh. I mean small pieces, little strips that I meant for the gaff's hook that, when dried by the sun, looked like ordinary animal flesh† ( 386 ) Point 3- Pi turns to God at one of the points of his Pacific crossing Quotation- â€Å"The lower you are, the higher your mind will want to soar. It was natural that, bereft as I was, in the throes of unremitting suffering, I should turn to God. † ( 428 ) Life of Pi In the novel, â€Å"Life of Pi† the author Yann Martel tells a story within a story about Piscine Molitor who is also known as Pi. He is the protagonist and the dynamic character of story. In the chapters that confine the main story Pi is a timid middle-aged man and is deeply spiritual after learning the teachings of Hinduism, Catholicism, and Islam. He tells us about his childhood growing up in India as a son of a zoo keeper. He’s a vegetarian and he expresses his love for animals. Pi is a student of religion, zoology and is deeply interested by the characteristics of people and animals. Yet there is another side to Pi, and there is a constant switch between his thoughts and actions. Pi has learned about animal nature and its violent capabilities but it is not until he is faced with these circumstances. Not long after the ship sinks Pi and a tiger named Richard Parker are the only ones left on the lifeboat. Pi fears Richard Parker in some way but when he learns that his chances of survival are becoming very slim he uses his fear as a key to survival. Pi temporarily forgets all his other problems and manages through several courses to dominate Richard Parker. Pi The author uses indirect characterization to show how an awful position can bring out the worst in a man, and unexpected help in the most effective of animals. Pi becomes very quick and aggressive when it comes to finding and consuming food. I just didn’t have the time to consider what was before me. It either went into my mouth that instant or was lost to Richard Parker, who was pawing and stamping the ground and huffing impatiently on the edge of his territory. It came as unmistakable indication to me of how low I had sunk the day I had noticed, with a pinching of the heart, which I ate like an animal, that this noisy, frantic, unchewing wolfing-down of mine was exactly the way Richard Parker ate. † This compares t he close similarities between a man and an animal. Life of Pi Name- Htet Hlaing Hmee ( 1207C20609 ) Period- 1 Life of Pi Novel Proposal Theme- The Nature of Suffering Argument A Point 1- Pi can't imagine a God who suffers Quotation- â€Å"This son, on the other hand, who goes hungry, who suffers from thirst, who gets tired, who is sad, who is anxious, who is heckled and harassed† ( 91 ) Point 2 – Pi stops when he's working out the immediate detail of survival. Quotation – â€Å"I was either fixed on practical details of immediate survival or transfixed by pain, weeping silently, my mouth open and my hands at my head. † (169) Point 3- The worst night of his lifeQuotation- â€Å"It is pointless to say that this or that night was the worst of my life. I have so many bad nights to choose from that I've made none the champion. Still, that second night at sea stands in my memory as one of exceptional suffering† ( 188 ) Argument B Point 1- Suffering grief becomes carnivorous Quotation- â€Å"They were dead; I could no longer deny it. What a thing to acknowledge in your heart! To lose a brother is to lose someone with whom you can share the experience of growing old, who is supposed to bring you a sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, creatures to people the tree of your life and give it new branches. ( 194 ) Point 2 – Orange Juice's suffering to proportions Quotation- â€Å"She was beheaded. The neck wound was still bleeding. It was a horrible sight to the eyes and killing to the spirit. † ( 201 ) Point 3- Realizes his suffering is taking place in the middle of an ocean Quotation- â€Å"I saw my suffering for what it was, finite and insignificant, and I was still. My suffering did not fit anywhere, I realized. And I could accept this† (269) Argument C Point 1- No escape for poor Pi.Quotation- â€Å"Salt-water boils – red, angry, disfiguring – were a leprosy of the high seas, transmitted by the water that soaked me† ( 389 ) Point 2- Pi's suffering drive s him Quotation- â€Å"I ate some of his flesh. I mean small pieces, little strips that I meant for the gaff's hook that, when dried by the sun, looked like ordinary animal flesh† ( 386 ) Point 3- Pi turns to God at one of the points of his Pacific crossing Quotation- â€Å"The lower you are, the higher your mind will want to soar. It was natural that, bereft as I was, in the throes of unremitting suffering, I should turn to God. † ( 428 )

Multiple physics Investigatory Essay

Repulsorlifts as a Method of Stable Magnetic Levitation | Repulsorlifts were used in the study to find out if they can be used to replace the wheels of a conventional car. It was hypothesized that it will be able to lift a car using magnetic repulsion forces. The different magnets were tested individually with the usual tests for magnetic strength, size, and temperature increase, which were done in the preliminary testing. The prototype road and car were then constructed based on the specifications that had been identified after the preliminary testing. The prototype car’s magnets were permanent magnets while the road magnets were electromagnets. They had been oriented so that the magnets would repel each other. | Investigatory Project in Physics Balloon Powered Car When it comes to powering a race car, there are a ton of different options. Some cars are powered by gasoline, diesel, or other combustible fuels, or you can even power miniature race cars using a mousetrap! In the Balloon Powered Car, we’ll show you how to build a racer that uses the power of air pressure to roll across a room. Objectives: a.) to create a balloon powered race car for maximum speed and distance b.) to incorporate Newton’s Laws of Motion Materials: * Foam core or corrugated cardboard * Wooden barbeque skewers * Regular cardboard * Straws * Tape * Balloons * Scissors * Wire cutters Procedure: 1.) Start off by cutting the chassis of your car. We don’t condone the use of blow torches or saws during Sick Science experiments, so you have to create the chassis using scissors and foam core (corrugated cardboard works great, too). Cut a 6Ãâ€"3 inch piece of your chosen material using the scissors. 2.) A car is nothing without axles. Given the size of your car, wooden barbeque skewers will make perfect axles. Use wire cutters to snip two 4†³ pieces of skewer. 3.) You need to mount the axles to your chassis in a way that allows the axles to turn freely. For mounts, cut two 3†³ sections of straw and use tape to fix the mounts to the front and back (3†³ sides) of your chassis. 4.) Now that you have axle mounts, mount your axles! Slide the wooden skewers through the middle of the straws. 5.) Axles are great, but humans invented the wheel for a reason. The wheel was invented for use on the Balloon Powered Car! Use scissors to cut four quarter-sized pieces of regular cardboard. If it helps, you can trace a quarter or circle of similar size to give yourself some guidelines. 6.) Push the cardboard circles onto the skewers, one on each end of both skewers†¦.

Research Paper and Argument Topics

1 The University Writing Center â€Å"Because writers need readers† Research Paper and Argument Topics Race and Ethnicity Gender and Sexuality Multiculturalism and Diversity Advertising and Marketing Economic Issues Environmental Issues Media Issues Consumerism and Convenience Culture TV and Film Sports and Entertainment Race and Ethnicity †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should racial profiling be a legitimate law enforcement policy in some areas? Should Affirmative Action for state university enrollment be continued?Should the primary method of public school funding (property taxes in individual school districts) be amended to create more fairness in schools? If a university offers â€Å"African-American Studies† or â€Å"Black Studies† as courses, should it also offer â€Å"European-American Studies† or â€Å"White Studies†? How do certain television programs perpetuate racial or ethnic stere otypes? Should schools only purchase textbooks that offer revised or alternative perspectives on historical events? What should be done about racial disparities in the sentencing of criminals? Should the American government pay reparations and return land to Native Americans?Should hate groups have the right to distribute literature on university campuses? If research shows that certain racial or ethnic groups receive poorer medical care on average, how should this problem be corrected? Should government organizations have staff that accurately reflect the racial, ethnic, and gender balance in society? Criminal Justice Religion The Political Process Education National/International Policies UCF Issues Civil Liberties Counter-Culture Issues Youth Issues Local Area Issues Gender and Sexuality †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ What should be done to eliminate salary disparities between men and women?What should be done to create equity in executive positio ns for women in particular corporations and industries? Should women be allowed in military combat? To what extent? Is healthcare for women underfunded? In what ways? Should insurance companies that cover the cost of Viagra prescriptions also be required to cover birth control and regular examinations for women? Are homosexual characters and topics appropriate for primetime television? In what ways does gender play a role in student success and teacher attention in the classroom? Should the Equal Rights Amendment be revived and made part of the Constitution? UWC at UCF (407) 823-2197 ttp://uwc. cah. ucf. edu W:UWC ArchiveUWC BackupUWCHANDOUTSPublic HandoutsLit Not on Lit RacksResearch Paper and Argument Topics NEW. docx Jun-14 2 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should the Family and Medical Leave Act be extended beyond 12 weeks? Should prostitution be legalized? Under what conditions? How does pornography differ from prostitution? Is it contradictory that one should be legal while the other is not? Should homosexual marriage be permitted in Florida? Should homosexual couples in Florida be legally allowed to adopt? Multiculturalism and Diversity †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should English be made the official language of the United States?Should ESL students be taught content courses in their native language? Should high school history classes and social studies curricula be changed to reflect diversity and multicultural perspectives? Should Columbus Day be discontinued in favor of a new post-colonial perspective? Should Christmas, Easter, and other religious observances be considered national holidays? Should the United States have a more stringent or more relaxed immigration policy? Advertising and Marketing †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ How do certain kinds of advertising perpetuate gender, racial, or religious stereotypes?How do certain kinds of advertising make claims of patriotic values? How do mass marketing and manufacturing affect originality and creativity in the arts and other fields? Does the American consumerist society conflict with democratic values? In what ways? How does advertising treat convenience as necessity? Are certain kinds of advertising unethical? Should product placement in television, film, and other media be controlled? Should product advertising and selling be permitted in public schools? Should communities retain the naming rights to baseball parks and football stadiums, or should businesses be allowed to purchase these rights?Does the modeling industry bear any responsibility to provide healthy, realistic physical role models for young women? Is the use of sexual imagery in ad campaigns unethical? Should tobacco and liquor advertising be allowed on television? Should all billboard advertising of alcohol be banned? Should tobacco and alcohol companies be allowed to use ad campaigns that could be considered child-friendly? Why are alcohol companies now allowed to advertise on television under certain conditions (after primetime, with responsible drinking messages in some ads, etc. )? Economic Issues †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should the local sales tax be increased/decreased?Should â€Å"sin taxes† on alcohol and tobacco be increased to help pay for the increasing costs of medical care? Should Florida increase the use of toll roads to pay for local road improvements? Do local power and utility companies operate as monopolies? Should purchases made over the Internet be taxable? Should the government provide financial assistance to people whose retirement funds were invested in the stock of companies that may have used unethical accounting practices (i. e. , Enron, Arthur Andersen, etc. )? UWC at UCF (407) 823-2197 http://uwc. cah. ucf. eduW:UWC ArchiveUWC BackupUWCHANDOUTSPublic HandoutsLit Not on Lit RacksResearch Paper and Argument Topics NEW. docx Jun-14 3 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Argue for or against the earning potential vs. risk of investing in a certain kind of stock. Argue for or against a controversial trade tariff or tax. Many stock analysts describe the nature of today's stock market as completely different from the stock market of twenty or thirty years ago. Argue for or against this assertion. Does America have a responsibility to assist its industries financially and politically if other countries' industries receive similar assistance from their own governments?Argue for or against Federal Reserve strategies that attempt to keep inflation low. Large corporations such as Walmart and Barnes & Noble have been criticized for driving mom-and-pop shops out of business. Is this a valid criticism when considering the nature of supply and demand? A few years ago, the U. S. Mint issued a new form of dollar coin. Argue for or against the continued use of this new currency. Should the United Kingdom join other E. U. countries in converting its currency to Euros?Environmental Issues †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should national environmental policy focus on developing more oil resources or developing renewable energy sources? Should our national energy policy focus on building more nuclear power plants? How does overseas oil dependency influence our economy and/or international policies? Should genetically engineered food be labeled differently? How do city zoning laws and ordinances affect development and conservation? Which civic policies should be changed to encourage conservation rather than new land development? Should recycling be mandatory? How should recycling efforts be funded?Should fines for littering and dumping be stronger? Should fines and penalties for corporate pollution be more punitive? Should the fuel efficiency of SUVs a nd pick-up trucks be raised? Should the government offer tax credits for the purchase of hybrid or alternative energy vehicles? Should the designations of endangered and threatened species be changed? Should loss of economic/industrial benefits be considered when land is preserved for endangered species? Should more civilian oversight be created to monitor government and military pollution? Should environmental studies become a mandatory part of science curricula in public schools?Should third-world countries be held to the same levels of pollution control as more advanced nations? Argue for or against new environmental regulation concerning a specific industry (e. g. , clear-cutting for raising cattle vs. tropical rain forest protection). Argue for a specific regulation that will make a certain business or industry more environmentally safe. Media Issues †¢ †¢ †¢ How does profit motive in media corporations influence what and how information is broadcast? What ethica l considerations or conflicts of interest exist for a corporate media news channel?How and why do certain media outlets contribute to sensationalism in news reporting? UWC at UCF (407) 823-2197 http://uwc. cah. ucf. edu W:UWC ArchiveUWC BackupUWCHANDOUTSPublic HandoutsLit Not on Lit RacksResearch Paper and Argument Topics NEW. docx Jun-14 4 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Is the Internet a positive development for news reporting? Does it represent a more democratic medium of information? How does specific media bias affect how news is interpreted and delivered? How has the conglomeration of media companies influenced radio and TV content? Do cable companies represent a monopoly?Should more customer options be available with cable television? Should cable services be offered on an a la carte system (for example, paying $40 a month for 40 channels individually chosen by the consumer)? Should a stricter rating system be im posed upon television programming? Should tabloid television be scheduled only for late night time slots? Should parental locks be optional or mandatory on televisions? Consider media influence on national political campaigns fifty or a hundred years ago in comparison with such influence today. Should new regulations be imposed to make current campaign coverage more equitable?Should music-sharing programs that facilitate piracy on the Internet be outlawed? Should websites that allow the free download of bootlegged movies be shut down? Do production companies have the right to shut down websites that allow the free download of sound or video clips from their media? Consumerism and Convenience Culture †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should the official work week be shortened/extended? How is shopping an American cultural value? Which American or cultural values does the mall represent? How does the concept of consumer credit influence our econom y?How does American consumer culture deal with the concept of death? How are the values, expectations, and rituals of specific holidays such as Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day influenced by consumer culture? What role does product packaging play in consumerism? What role does the national debt play in consumers’ spending awareness? Consider the issue of disposable products and packaging and their impact on the marketplace as well as the environment. Argue for or against new regulation. TV and Film †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should televised sexual and violent content be censored by the government?Are mandatory ratings a form of censorship? Is there a gender-based double standard regarding nudity, sex, and ratings on television? Which values do â€Å"reality television† shows appeal to? How have they changed television viewing? What does the trend towards voyeuristic TV programs reveal about modern Americ an culture? To what extent has television as a source of entertainment changed American neighborhoods and leisure activities? Which values/philosophies/worldviews are expressed by a certain television program? What impact has 24-hour news coverage had on our TV watching habits?How has it changed our view of information? How does MTV contribute to celebrity and image-selling? How has the television as an invention changed American household and family life? Why are the TV and film industries considered so hard to break into? UWC at UCF (407) 823-2197 http://uwc. cah. ucf. edu W:UWC ArchiveUWC BackupUWCHANDOUTSPublic HandoutsLit Not on Lit RacksResearch Paper and Argument Topics NEW. docx Jun-14 5 †¢ †¢ †¢ Because celebrities are so often in the public spotlight, do they have ethical responsibilities to set good examples for young people?In the past, the Screenwriters Guild of America has pushed for the credit â€Å"A Film By [director's name]† to be banned. Why would the SGA want this, and is this a justified request? Do scriptwriters have a right to be allowed on the set of a movie they wrote, or is this a privilege to be allowed at the discretion of the director? Sports and Entertainment †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ How has the increase in ticket prices and athlete salaries negatively affected professional sports? Should professional tennis players only be able to use personalized/custom-made rackets?In World Cup soccer matches that end in ties, should penalty kicks be discarded for some other method of determining a winner? Should professional sports leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB establish a promotion/relegation system that rewards strong teams from lesser leagues with promotion, while relegating poor teams to a lower division? What changes, if any, should be made to NBA rules to preserve the integrity of the sport? Do celebrity athletes bear any responsibility for being role models for children? Should the instant replay remain in effect in the NFL? Should it be extended to other sports as well?Should teams with potentially offensive logos and nicknames (like the Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins) change their names to be more racially sensitive? To what level should collegiate sports be funded? What is their relationship to academics? Should college athletes be paid to play? Does Title IX actually promote gender equality in college sports? Should GPA standards for college athletes be raised or more rigidly enforced? How have professional sporting events been negatively influenced by entertainment, including Jumbotrons, music, and crowd-pleasing activities?Should certain kinds of performance-enhancing drugs be allowed in different sports? Should creatine be banned from Major League Baseball? Should women be allowed to play in professional sports leagues that have no female league equi valent (NFL, NHL)? How have the four major professional American sports (baseball, basketball, football, and hockey) affected the rise of other sports such as soccer and lacrosse? How have ESPN and other media sources influenced (positively or negatively) professional sports in the last twenty years? Should communities bear all, part, or none of the burden of financing new sports arenas for professional teams?Criminal Justice †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should the criminal sentencing process be reevaluated or changed because of racially unfair sentences? Which changes should be implemented to prevent prison rape? How has the proliferation of privately funded prisons changed the criminal justice system in America? Should certain non-violent crimes be punishable by fines rather than jail time? Are state-mandated â€Å"three-strikes† policies unfair? UWC at UCF (407) 823-2197 http://uwc. cah. ucf. edu W:UWC ArchiveUWC BackupUWCHANDOUTSPublic HandoutsLit Not on Lit Ra cksResearch Paper and Argument Topics NEW. docx Jun-14 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should children who commit certain crimes be treated as adults? If so, should there be a lower age limit to this policy? Are exile programs (where a criminal is sent to prison in a distant state) fair? What kinds of rights should criminals have? Which conditions of incarceration are fair? Are certain kinds of capital punishment cruel and unusual? Should capital punishment be suspended because of racial disparities? Should capital punishment be suspended because of the chance of executing an innocent person? Should prison be punitive or rehabilitative in nature?Now that genetic/DNA evidence is admissible in court, should controversial closed cases be re-opened? If someone has already been executed, should his or her case be re-opened under certain circumstances? Should some kind of reparation be made to the fami lies of the wrongfully accused? Should there be a limit to the number of death row appeals that can be made? Presuming that capital punishment is allowable, what types of crimes should this apply to? Only murder? Treason? Is society's obligation to simply remove a criminal from society, to actually punish the criminal for crime, or a combination of both?Considering this, what is the purpose of the death penalty in America today? Should the legal requirements for obtaining a search warrant be changed? If an officer finds something that s/he was not looking for (e. g. , narcotics in an automobile that was being searched for firearms), why should or shouldn't the officer have the right to take the accused into custody? Consider the issue of â€Å"reasonable suspicion† in your discussion. Why are lawyers stereotyped as sharks? Is this a fair representation, and if not, why is it so prevalent? Many consider today's justice system to be too slow.What improvements could be made to e xpedite the system without sacrificing due process? Some states have harsher penalties than others for drunk driving. Consider the policies of a particular state and argue for a change in the penalties. Define â€Å"terrorist. † Under what circumstances, if any, is â€Å"terrorism† acceptable? Should terrorists be tried in a military or civil court? When tried in our court system, should the citizens of other countries have the same rights as citizens of the United States? Argue for or against an amendment to the statute of limitations for a particular crime. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢Religion †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ What, if anything, should constitute acceptable â€Å"prayer† or moments of silence in public schools? Should religious schools be required to teach health/sexual education from a non-religious perspective? Should religious phrases be removed from American money? Should government provide faith-based organizations with funds to help the needy? Should evolution be the official curricular focus of public schools regarding human origin? Should faith-based organizations be given tax exempt status by the government, even if the organization does not provide any concrete services for the needy (food, shelter, etc. )?Should the Orlando-based Holy Land theme park be given tax exempt status because it is run by a faith-based organization? UWC at UCF (407) 823-2197 http://uwc. cah. ucf. edu W:UWC ArchiveUWC BackupUWCHANDOUTSPublic HandoutsLit Not on Lit RacksResearch Paper and Argument Topics NEW. docx Jun-14 7 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Is the government justified in denying the Wiccan religion tax-exempt status because it fails to meet one of the government regulations in defining a religion – that of congregating at a regularly scheduled time and place? How has the role of the Catholic Church been affected by the recent accusations of sexual abuse by pri ests?Argue for a specific change in church policy regarding these crimes. Are public school winter holidays still generally organized around Christian holidays rather than those of any other religions? Argue for or against a change in policy. On campus, faith-based organizations can receive funds as part of a club. Does this follow the separation of church and state? Should Christmas, Easter, and other religious observances be considered national holidays? The Political Process †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should the Electoral College be discarded in favor of a simple popular vote in presidential elections?Do alternative political parties in America receive fair treatment during elections? Should third party candidates be allowed to participate in national debates? How do the media help or hinder third parties? Should they receive equal and free airtime on major networks? Should the campaign f inancing system be reformed? Should presidential candidates be barred from spending their own money for their campaigns? What is the relationship between personal campaign finance and free speech? Should terms of senators and congressmen be further limited?Should a national form of health care be created, or should health care remain a private industry? Examine the historical reversal of the value systems of Republicans and Democrats. Should a particular Congressional District be reallocated? Argue for a policy change that would make the American democratic process more efficient. Are checks and balances a crucial element in American government? Does this process work as it was originally intended? Has the executive branch of the American government gained too much power in the last fifty years? Cite specific examples in your argument.How has/will new technologies like the Internet change the political process? How can the voting process in national elections be made less confusing? Education †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Is standardized state or national testing (such as the FCAT or SAT) helping or hurting American schools? Is the current system of public school funding (primarily through property taxes) unfair? Does it contribute to inequality in the public school system? Should tracking be used in determining courses for public school children? Should magnet and charter schools be encouraged or discouraged?Should the system of busing students to school be amended? Should local school districts be redrawn to create schools that are more equal? Should federal school vouchers be used at religious schools? How does the separation of church and state apply to this issue? Consider the needs of a teacher's salary vs. the realities of the funding schools now have. Argue for a change in education budget allocation. Do teachers in classrooms of thirty or forty children accomplish their intended tasks as educators? Should they be expected to? UWC at UCF (407) 823-2197 http://uwc. ah. ucf. edu W:UWC ArchiveUWC BackupUWCHANDOUTSPublic HandoutsLit Not on Lit RacksResearch Paper and Argument Topics NEW. docx Jun-14 8 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Some standardized tests scores factor in to how much money a school will receive in the next fiscal year. Is this an ethical way to demand accountability from a school, or does this further punish lower-performing schools? Consider the benefits and drawbacks of a home-school education vs. a public school education. Conservatives, liberals, and radicals all have different ideas about the purposes of a public education.Research several perspectives and argue for or against a particular viewpoint. How necessary are the arts in the public school system? Argue for or against a change in funding for a particular district. National/International Policy †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ In which situations, hyp othetical or actual, is U. S. military intervention in other countries justifiable? In which situations is it not? Does the threat of terrorism warrant the suspension or curtailment of civil liberties? What policy should the American government have towards international political crises? To the Middle East?To Israel? To Tibet? What should our policy be towards trade with China? Should the United States support the expansion of NATO to include the Baltic states? Should mandatory military service be required for all men and women in America? What are the ethics involved when considering the separation of powers and allowing a Presidential Line Veto? Is shuttle diplomacy a better alternative to gunboat diplomacy in the modern world? Consider the CIA's pre-September 11th policy of non-assassination and its post-September 11th policy of pro-assassination. Argue for or against this new stance.Does the United States have a right to preemptively protect itself from terrorist attacks by att acking nations accused of sponsoring terrorism? Not considering the United States, what is the most powerful nation on the planet? Explain the criteria used in making this judgment. Should the United States change its policies on educating foreign nationals and issuing student visas? UCF Issues †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ What is the best solution to the parking issues on the UCF campus? Should the GEP (General Education Program) be changed? What courses should be added or dropped?Should the composition program at UCF be changed? How? Should the course be worth a different number of credits? Is the concept of UCF as a â€Å"metropolitan university† a good idea for the future of the school? Should Greek Park expansion take place, even if it means developing environmentally delicate areas? Is corporate funding of university research a good idea? Should public universities have the right to sell the names of campus buildings to corporations? Argue for or against the UCF football program joining the MAC. Should UCF fund the men's basketball team more heavily?Should UCF devise a different scheduling method for classes held in modules and portable trailers? UWC at UCF (407) 823-2197 http://uwc. cah. ucf. edu W:UWC ArchiveUWC BackupUWCHANDOUTSPublic HandoutsLit Not on Lit RacksResearch Paper and Argument Topics NEW. docx Jun-14 9 †¢ †¢ †¢ Should the â€Å"tradition† of not stepping on the Pegasus symbol in the Student Union be reevaluated? Argue for or against more university funding for student services such as the Student Academic Resource Center and the University Writing Center. What purpose does the campus newspaper serve, and how well does it achieve its purpose?Civil Liberties †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should people between the ages of 18 and 20 be allowed to drink adult beverages that contain a lowered alcohol content? Should legal hemp produ ction be reassessed by the Florida legislature? Under which conditions (if any) should medical marijuana use be legal? Under what rationale have some states gone against federal regulations and fought to allow medical marijuana use? Do terrorist attacks justify any suspension of civil liberties in the name of national safety? Should prison sentences for non-violent â€Å"victimless† crimes be commuted to community service or alternative methods of punishment?Is there such a thing as a â€Å"victimless crime†? What rights do airplane passengers give up by allowing themselves to be checked before boarding? Argue for or against a specific passenger check policy. What rights do people lose when on public school property? Is the suspension of these rights valid? Proponents of a lowered drinking age sometimes note the disparity between the draft age (18) and the legal-drinking age (21). Argue for or against the validity of this comparison. Counter-Culture Issues †¢ â₠¬ ¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Should people under eighteen years of age be required to have parental permission to get tattoos and piercings?Is ear piercing of children of a certain age child abuse? Should rave clubs have limits on their operating hours? Why have recent raves been shut down in the Orlando area? Was this action justified? Do owners of raves have a right to operate a business that can be potentially harmful to youth? Youth Issues †¢ Should the minimum age for attaining a driver's license be increased? Should this be a national standard? †¢ Should the mandatory age for quitting school be raised or lowered, or is the current age of sixteen justified? †¢ Should computer skills be a fundamental part of education curricula?Local Area Issues †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ What kind of public transportation system would be best for Orlando? Would light or high speed rail best serve the interests of Orlando residents? Should local zoning restrictions be changed to encourage community development? How do current zoning restrictions limit or control growth? Should police patrol the University Drive area more stringently? Should regular speed traps be a part of this patrol? UWC at UCF (407) 823-2197 http://uwc. cah. ucf. edu W:UWC ArchiveUWC BackupUWCHANDOUTSPublic HandoutsLit Not on Lit RacksResearch Paper and Argument Topics NEW. docx Jun-14 0 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ How does traffic light timing influence traffic in the UCF area? Should traffic light patterns be recalibrated to help reduce congestion? Should Alafaya Trail be expanded to four lanes from McCollough Road through Oviedo? Should off-campus UCF housing be restricted because of conflicts with local neighborhoods? Are the policies of local apartment complexes fair? How should they be changed? Should new development in the Orlando area face more stringent environmental considerations? Should carpool restriction s be placed on certain Orlando highways for certain times of the day?Should Orlando campaign for a professional baseball team? A professional football team? Would having a professional basketball team contribute to the prestige of the city? How does tourism in Central Florida affect local communities? Should legalized gambling in the form of casinos be considered as an economic boost to this area? Should dancers be allowed to perform nude in local establishments? UWC at UCF (407) 823-2197 http://uwc. cah. ucf. edu W:UWC ArchiveUWC BackupUWCHANDOUTSPublic HandoutsLit Not on Lit RacksResearch Paper and Argument Topics NEW. docx Jun-14