Honeybees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Honeybees - Essay Example Large farms even hire beekeepers to increase the number of bees that will make pollination faster. Another importance of honeybees is that they produce wax which are used in candle and polish making. These facts are not new discovery though. In old walls and caves, pictures of bees were found painted believed to be done thousand years ago (USDOA). Amusingly, while honeybees play important roles in agriculture industry of the United States, they were brought to United States by European colonizers during the early days and not really native of the country. Honey bee is a highly adaptable insect that can live to a wide range of climate and geographic location. It is indigenous and able to adjust to a wide variety of climes and geographic regions. The natural territory of honeybees is the area of Southern Africa to somewhere in Southern Scandinavia, and from continental Europe to West Asia(USDOA). It is the southwestern part of United States and northern Mexico where honeybees are most likely abundant and of different variety. Carl Hayden from Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona said that are about 1000 to 1200 species of bees within a one hundred mile radius of Tucson. However, it was found out that neither one is native honeybee. Identified are around 25,000 species of bees and almost 40,000 are in waiting to be listed down. Placing them to specific genus takes time for the entomologists. Unluckily, out of 25,000, 8 to 10 species believed to be honey bees. This number is still growing though because there are lot of identified species already (USDOA). Interestingly, honey bees are classified by strain and not through genus and species. If we say strain, it means place of origin. Most common strains of honey bees currently found in the United States are the Apis mellifera ligustica, the Italian bees, and the Apis mellifera carnica, the Carniolan bees. But science learns to discover on how to interbreed. This practice is brought about by the need to produce more honey and enhance pollination. One considered as most famous attempt at creating such a hybridized line was the crossing of the European lines and the African lines (USDOA). Mating the unassuming but high honey producing European bees to the aggressive African counterparts is the goal of crossing the lines of African and European. It was in 1956 when the test was done by Brazilian researchers hoping that a more hardworking bee will be the result. However they did not succeed. Test result showed that the aggressive traits dominated and in essence veiled the characteristics of the European bees. The conducted test became popular when a worker in the laboratory where the bees were located accidentally removed the screens which kept the queens in their hives (USDOA). Accordingly, around 26 group of the Africanized bees flew. Ever since, the descendants have been moving northward. After 40 years later, African honey bees are found in the southwestern United States. This is causing concerns due to their aggressive nature and capacity to replace the well-known colonies of productive European lines (USDOA). There is a caste system among colonies of bees. The queen ranks at the top of the caste which primary duties are to populate the colony by mating with male honey bees. Directing activities to the workers is another duty of the queen. The queen

Inspirational ideas and thinking Essay Example for Free

Inspirational ideas and thinking Essay How can a certain story thrill our sense and especially our understanding about the real world? The Lord of the Rings is a story depicting the people’s thirst and desire for power which caused them to oppress mankind and the battle between good and evil. Tolkien created this story during the first ever made world war and continued it until the Second World War happened. Eventually, Tolkien was determined by taking the challenge of making a world symbolized by mythology. Back in his period, he loved tale telling to children and at those children that he was inspired to create the hobbit’s existence. This story is considered as better than that of the other fantasy stories because lord of the rings tells more about reality, the story was not made just to entertain nor thrill the readers and watchers of the book and movies, rather because the movie depicts more about true events. You can even see patterns of similarity in some of the world’s history in the different parts of the trilogy. The story wanted readers to realize that there are such people in earth that possesses greed of power and that greed causes them to create cruelty to mankind and destruction to other territory, nation, and to the person himself. The lord of the ring story can be like our socio-political and also economical structure which was tended to be showed by creating the film. The film was made for people to clearly envision and comprehend the world (Eaton, 2003). The lord of the ring has been successful because people appreciated its artistic way of showing the parallelism between the story itself and the reality about the world in which it is hidden. The film was said to be making everyone believe that there are really changes that had happened in the world; from a world of calmness and peace into a chaotic world of war. It showed the history when a person desired and went on chasing for the power to certainly have the authority above all people, a person who really wanted to rule the world. This part was depicted when everyone seemed to desire the ring’s power and all the troubles in the story then started in the journey of the ring bearer (Eaton, 2003). In the story of the lord of the ring, a lot of enemies were chasing the ring bearer because they wanted to have the power, battles always happen because â€Å"Frodo† the ring bearer does not want to hand the ring to those who are evil. It is showed in the reality when two countries were starving for the power, the power that will make them to be above all, which is depicted by the ring, caused them to plan for destruction to each other’s territory. And a lot of people were killed who innocently knew nothing about the war (Eaton, 2003). Like the story part of the two towers, it is seen from a certain people, in the desert country part of the earth, who wanted to conquer the middle earth through their power, but had failed from successfully doing so, they are now dead but still their aim was said to be alive because of their avid followers who continuously plan for another conquer (Eaton, 2003). The story of the twin towers of the Lord of the Rings is about the hunger for power in order to be the king that has the authority above all. The middle-earth is depicting the real world in which they both have the same characteristics of cruelty and greed for power. Another example event of this that can be seen from the events on the history is about the World War II in which a certain leader of a certain territory and a dictator of another territory merged their full power and invaded another territory to conquer. It was the history of domination of a certain continent of the world with the use of power and authority (Eaton, 2003). The story of the Lord of the Ring was based on a reality which inspired the writer of the story. It started from a true story of history about war in where the author grew up. The languages, in which the author of the book wrote, came from a place whose dialect was never listed as a part of that place’s language. The author developed it with the combination of his own styles of language and created then the language for his elves character (Society. , 1996-2007). Tolkien wrote his epic making the ring as a material thing that depicts the evilness, it is explained that the ring has its own willing power; it has the power to control the person who uses it no matter what the person do to stop it from its willing power (Novelguide.com, 1999-2007). According to the author, the ring cannot be used for good purposes but rather it is only used for doing evil things and that it controls the person no matter how strong he resist from doing something evil (Novelguide. com, 1999-2007). Tolkien said that the ring is evil in its nature which comes from both human’s inner initiative and an outer force that commands him (Novelguide. com, 1999-2007). In reality, I can say that the â€Å"ring† is the power with the combination of being greed possessed by a person; it is what makes them do evil. An over desire for power and authority makes people lose their heart in exchange for ego contentment. The ring is believed to be an evil in nature because it corrupts the person’s kindness and change it into strong desires. The ring drags the person to do extremes which is unstoppable because it has an unending power. According to Tolkien the ring is a symbol of strong power. In the trilogy of the ring Frodo sees a lot of knight riding horses only when he wears the ring and loses sight of them when he removes it from his finger (Novelguide.com, 1999-2007). It is also like the evilness that power can arise to a person’s character, that because of the privileges that the power gives that certain person that he could not see the negative side of those things he tend to do; that only if he lose his power would he understand what he had caused and only when he lose his power would he return to his true self again. Power is like a chest of gold that will make a person capable of obtaining everything that he or she desires for him or herself that’s why it can bring out the evil side of a person. It can change a person from a goodhearted one into a greed and cruel person. In reality many of the listed people in history were written because of their negative leadership or cruelty to mankind because they have in their hands an uncontrollable power. Like when an authoritative and powerful man in the World War II told his soldiers to kill all the Jews. It was an act of evilness that he was able to do because he possesses a lot of power in him that blinded him from the distinction between good and evil (Novelguide. com, 1999-2007). The author of the story said that a man who has the ring will not be able to die but will not also be able to acquire more of his life; rather he will continue his life until such time that the evilness will conquer him (Novelguide. com, 1999-2007). This statement of the author tends to explain that a person who acquired great power and used it for evilness will never die, it is because he may be written in history with all the negative things he had done. But then the darkness will conquer his soul in exchange (Novelguide. com, 1999-2007). The lord of the rings by Tolkien does not have gods; people rely on their selves as in reality which is considered the philosophy of communism by Karl Marx in which states that people rely on their capabilities and that God exist only in people’s mind because they tend to seek for someone to save them. The evilness occurs because people abuse their powers and tends to have and desire more power that that of what they already posses. In the trilogy of the lord of the ring, Frodo with his other companions such as Sam, Aragorn, and Gandalf went to a dangerous journey heading the place of Mordor where they planned to totally destroy the ring. In their journey, the ring bearer with his friends had gone through a lot of fights against the dark ones. This scene depicts how people tend to stop the true evil in this world, which they seek of a way of how to destroy the force that creates evil even in a life threatening way. The movie tended to show that it is better to lose ones life that that of to lose the life of the crowd. Another interpretation that could be made through the story in relation with the World War II is that Tolkien depicted the ring as the noxious weapon used in the war. That certain weapon is the atomic bomb which killed a lot of innocent people and ruined a lot of territories (Roch, 2005). It is said that Tolkien indeed based his work from the real war of the early ages in which it mirrors the two territories’ true event which is horrifying. The two places were said to be Mordor and the dreadful devastation of Shire in the lord of the rings trilogy (Roch, 2005). The characters of evil or the soldiers of the evil Lord Sauron whose appearance are like decaying body of dead people are also based from the authors experience during the war (Roch, 2005). When Tolkien went back to his place, the place was literally ruined and he saw a lot of corpses which no one can endure to stare at because of its decaying appearance (Roch, 2005). The place of Mordor may also be depicted to the ruined or wrecked place after the world war; the trees were all destructed, all plants are destroyed as well as the soil turned out to be black which turned to be a mud (Roch, 2005). I could say that the author depicted the ring as everyone fears to hold because it is self destructive and also it is so powerful to destroy anything and anyone else. In the World War II, people were also afraid of the bomb which Tolkien said that the ring symbolizes because in the same way, they both may lead into cruel outcome. In the story of the lord of the rings’ last part which is the return of the king, Frodo and the others succeeded in destroying the king and soon gave a new hope to all the people in their territory because they were able to have a new king in which Aragorn has portrayed. In reality with the world war II, after the cruel dictator was missing not knowingly what happened to him, the people had a new hope for a new peaceful life because the evil was already destroyed. In consideration with evilness and goodness, the trilogy of the lord of the rings has symbolized the world’s essential elements; the good and evil. The good ones are symbolized by hope, changes, and other more that results into goodness, while the evilness or darkness are symbolized by ignorance and the lost of hope. In the story the elves are covered with a white light that brightens, it is a symbol of their being the good ones that they reflect something which is the contrary of evil. The evil ones appear to be ugly like decaying bodies and their place was a wrecked one full of darkness. Tolkien made the Lord of The Ring following and basing on the patterns of the World War I and II events. Depicting his comprehension on reality and placing it in the context of a fantasy that everyone could appreciate even without understanding its real meaning. Though there are a lot of differences and distinction between his created world and the world he wanted people to understand, they were said to be fitting each other in terms of evil and good. Tolkien depicted the characters in the story, the events and other aspect basing on the good and bad side of possession of great power. Also he showed in the story how friends and comrades try to console each other in times of crisis. Tolkien tend to show how certain people tend to share each other’s difficulties in times of troubles and that in a certain world full of hidden cruelty, everyone needs help in order to get through it and in order to make through it all. Now I understand that the main meaning of the trilogy of the lord of the ring in which the original author Tolkien tended his readers to understand is the cruelty which is caused by the over possession of power. That the book explains about the possible negative effect of power to a person which had appeared in the story in a patterned way. I could also say that I believe in Tolkien when he said that great power can corrupt a person’s heart.

Effects of the WWII Atomic Bombs :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Effects of the WWII Atomic Bombs Two Sources When the atomic bomb went off over Hiroshima on Aug. 6th, 1945, 70,000 lives were ended in a flash. To the American people who were weary from the long and brutal war, such a drastic measure seemed a necessary, even righteous way to end the madness that was World War II. However, the madness had just begun. That August morning was the day that heralded the dawn of the nuclear age, and with it came more than just the loss of lives. According to Archibald MacLeish, a U.S. poet, "What happened at Hiroshima was not only that a scientific breakthrough . . . had occurred and that a great part of the population of a city had been burned to death, but that the problem of the relation of the triumphs of modern science to the human purposes of man had been explicitly defined." The entire globe was now to live with the fear of total annihilation, the fear that drove the cold war, the fear that has forever changed world politics. The fear is real, more real today than ever, for the ease at which a nuclear bomb is achieved in this day and age sparks fear in the hearts of most people on this planet. According to General Douglas MacArthur, "We have had our last chance. If we do not devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door." The decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japanese citizens in August, 1945, as a means to bring the long Pacific war to an end was justified-militarily, politically and morally. The goal of waging war is victory with minimum losses on one's own side and, if possible, on the enemy's side. No one disputes the fact that the Japanese military was prepared to fight to the last man to defend the home islands, and indeed had already demonstrated this determination in previous Pacific island campaigns. A weapon originally developed to contain a Nazi atomic project was available

Morality as Anti-Nature

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher known for his radical critics of the classical philosophical thought and religion. Nietzsche rejected social laws, morals and religion. Nietzsche’s views on religions and morals get the best realization in his later works. In Beyond Good and Evil he explores the ethical mechanisms, which regulate people behavior and their origins. He did not believe that nature was morally neutral. He distinguished two types of morality: herd morality and master morality. Herd morality he attributed to Christianity. Nietzsche criticized both – this type of morality and religion, based on the consciousness of slaves. He correlated the appearance of the terms good and bad to the terms of Roman Empire when everything connected with warriors and cruelty. Such moral system gave week and suppressed a kind of compensation in their miserable situation and gave them mechanisms to control strong and successful members of the society.   Nietzsche states that generations of people live directed by the ethical judgments created by the generation of slaves. He believes that   using such moral principles we only distance ourselves from true liberation and fortify the continuousness of the slaves. The type of morality described above reflects â€Å"herd morality†, which dominates in the society for centuries. Another type of morality, which is contrasted to herd morality, is called master morality. According to Nietzsche this morality is realistic and reflects the real destination of all human creatures. Master morality asserts the power of successful and strong individuals, who have the right to rule the world. Nietzsche denied the morality of the nature, calling it morally neutral. â€Å"There are no moral phenomena; there are only moral interpretations. Thus, master morality speaks of â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† rather than â€Å"Good and Evil† (Nietzsche, 87).   He saw master morality as the way to overcome limitations, created by the moral judgments of slave morality. Master morality for Nietzsche becomes the way to realize the potential to will-to-power. Denying religions values, Nietzsche did not recognize rich literary prophesy of world religious. He did not see any value in religious texts and sermons. The Sermon of the Mount is an essence of all Christian teaching. It contains instructions of Jesus Christ to his Disciples. These instructions teach people compassion and patience. Speaking about afterlife, Jesus underlines that all needy will get everything they deserve after death. In his sermon, Jesus underlines the importance of seeking for the righteousness, he states: â€Å"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled† (Matthew 5:6). Principles of non-violence and obedience to the will of God are close to the ideas expressed by the majority of world religions. Jesus Christ stresses on the unconditional universal love, which he defined as a main moral principle. The Ten Commandments given to Moses on the Mount of Sinai contain the very principle ideas of Christian teaching. According to the Bible God gave these Ten Commandments to Moses in order to pass his will to all people. These Commandments became universal guidelines for all religious people. They express norms of moral behavior for all people. If we study them in greater detail we will see that these Commandments are universal and can be applied for all people regardless of their race and religion.   For many centuries the Ten Commandments have been the foundation for moral system of Western Civilization. It is difficult to doubt such universal truths, as: Honour thy father and mother Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal (Exodus 20:2-17). It is had to imagine a person, who would disagree these Commandments. The Ten Commandments are designed in order to regulate not only relations between God and humans. They also contain guidelines for person to person interactions and social behavior. Night Journey or Al-Isra wa Al-Miraj of 24th Rajab 619 CE is a story from Qur’an, which describes the journey of the Prophet Mohammed to Jerusalem and his meeting with God.   This story describes Prophet’s journey through seven heavens and his conversation with God. On his way Mohammed meets a lot of characters from religious texts. After his conversation with God he gets the message that it is necessary to pray God five times a day. Often people, who read this story understand it literary and see it only as a message about the necessity to pray. In reality the message of this story is much deeper as it speaks about such important themes as faith in God, individual responsibility, right faith, avoiding evil and sacredness of life. This passage from Qur’an raises the questions of human freedom and responsibility.   Mohammad passes not only the message about the necessity to pray God. He also speaks that each person should be responsible for his actions. Nietzsche’s critique of religion has an aesthetic nature. He also denies morals.   For Nietzsche religion is only an ugly form, weak people use as compensation for their weakness.   The cult of weak and miserable was established for centuries and it included the denial of everything beautiful, healthy, strong and powerful, including human body. Nietzsche states that â€Å"Christianity, which despised the body, has been the greatest misfortune of humanity so far† (Nietzsche, 119). For him religion along with morality serves only for the justification for weak and powerless, who have no other means to express their right for living. Calling for revolt and setting up the morality of master Nietzsche deprives week of their right to live and realize themselves. â€Å"God is dead† is a phrase from his writing which reflects his radical attitude to religion and ethics. Nietzsche stated that religion, philosophy and what is most important – humanity – were killed by the traditional values of society. The way of life and social organization have lead to the destruction and depreciation of moral values and basic human qualities. As he states: â€Å"Morality, as it has so far been under stood, it has in the end been formulated once more by Schopenhauer, as â€Å"negation of the will to life† is the very instinct of decadence, which makes an imperative of itself. It says: â€Å"Perish!† It is a condemnation pronounced by the condemned† (Nietzsche, 154). Nietzsche wanted to create a generation on new human beings – supermen or Overman – free from the false morality.   â€Å"Our moral judgments and evaluations†¦are only images and fantasies based on a physiological process unknown to us† – he states to prove the relativity of the moral norms and principles. Nietzsche believed that the society’s traditional way of thinking and morals were life-denying and destructive. Traditional morals gave a rice to â€Å"slave morality† which suppresses all impulses to creatively and free will of the humans and makes them to adopt a â€Å"herd mentality†. It makes people believe that thing which is good for the majority is good for everyone. That is the reason people put themselves into the strict limitations and boundaries of the predefined good and evil. â€Å"Slave morality encourages conformity; national, racial, gender, and religious bigotry; and unthinking patriotism† (Soccio, 114). The world was defined by Nietzsche to be dead. He put all the burden of responsibility for this on the traditional Christian morals accepted by the vast majority of the western world. According to Nietzsche, traditional moral values, such as self-sacrifices, humanity, love, compassion have killed everything natural. The only way out Nietzsche saw in crossing the line, getting out of the moral limitations and restrictions of good and evil and following only â€Å"the will to power†. That would place the humans on the other, higher plane of existence. Nietzsche is an influential philosopher, famous for his critics of Christian morality. His critics of all religious doctrines is a brave attempt to overcome religious dogmatism and domination. Despite his teachings contain a lot of innovative ideas and strong arguments I think that rejecting Christian morals and religious moral in general he rejects not only bad things, but also rich prophesy created through the centuries. Nietzsche regards religion as a source of suppression of human will. He counts on conscious individuals, who are directed by inner moral, which regulates all their thoughts and actions. Unfortunately, modern society consists of different people, who are not always driven by higher moral standards. In this case religion, social norms and regulations become those defensive mechanisms, which help to avoid bad consequences.   Rejecting their norms and regulations can bring harm to the society and human race in general. Works Cited Nietzsche, Friedrich On the Genealogy of Morals. trans. Walter Kaufmann and R.J. Hollingdale, in On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo. New York: Random House, 1967. Nietzsche, Friedrich Beyond Good and Evil. trans. Walter Kaufmann. New York: Random House, 1966. Nietzsche, Friedrich, Thus Spake Zarathustra, tr. Thomas Common, London: George Allen and Unwin, 1999. Nietzsche, Friedrich Beyond Good and Evil:   Prelude to a philosophy of the future, tr. R.J. Hollingdale, Harmondsworth, Middlesex:   Penguin Books, 1973. Nietzsche, Friedrich, The Twilight of the Idols and The Anti-Christ: or How to Philosophize with a Hammer, Penguin Classics, 1990. Soccio, Douglas J. Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy, Belmont, CA : Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2004.

Pros and cons of immigration to Asoa

This essay gives some general ideas guarding to the pros and cons of immigrating to an Asian country. Better opportunities for future development is the most important reason for people to immigrate to Asia. In Asia, there are many developing countries like China and the Philippines. These countries are in the progress of globalization, they need specialists who know deferent languages to help for their development. This provides many opportunities for Immigrants who usually know various foreign languages, and hence, gives a better career path to them.Besides, education is also a reason for immigration. There are many top universities In Salsa such as Twisting university and the university of Tokyo. Many people also consider Immigration Is a pipeline for them or their children to enter those top universities. Exchanging values and cultures Is also a benefit can be gained out of immigration. People immigrating to a foreign country usually face a huge culture shock. By experiencing the culture shock, people can actually have a chance to reflect to their own culture.Ideally, those people can absorb the good sides of the two cultures and eliminate the weaknesses of the cultures. Since the Russian culture is quite different from some of the Asian cultures, this culture can act even more effectively. For example, in Chinese culture, Taoism emphasizes living in harmony, be natural and spontaneous. On the other hand, there are also some drawbacks of immigration. First of all, It Is difficult to deal with the cultural differences. It is hard for a person to adopt and live in a totally culturally different environment.They need to learn about the local tradition In order to merge and communicate with the locals harmonically. New Immigrants might also face racism. New immigrants also need to deal with the language barriers. In Asia, there are many different languages and language systems with Russian. Only in China, there are more than 10 language systems. Immigration is a major decision in your life. Although, apparently, immigrating to Asia brings us a lot of new opportunities in terms of work and education, we need to also consider the downsides of it.Evaluate if you can handle the cultural differences and the language barriers before making the decision for immigrating to Asia. Pros and cons of immigration to Asia By catering_PVC 1st studying year, Faculty of Philosophy Essay â€Å"Pros and cons of immigration to Asia† Globalization brings a new immigration trend to Russia. People consider immigration to Asia as an easy opportunity to create a new life. Some of them want to have a specialists who know different languages to help for their development.This provides any opportunities for immigrants who usually know various foreign languages, and immigration. There are many top universities in Asia such as Twisting University and the University of Tokyo. Many people also consider immigration is a pipeline for them or their children to enter those top universities. Exchanging values and cultures is there are also some drawbacks of immigration. First of all, it is difficult to deal with different environment. They need to learn about the local tradition in order to merge and communicate with the locals harmonically. New immigrants might also face

Why Do We Celebrate Presidents Day

Why Do We Celebrate President's Day Presidents Day was established in 1832 to celebrate George Washingtons centennial. The annual holiday, which now falls on the third Monday of February, later evolved into a celebration of Abraham Lincolns birthday as well, and eventually turned into a day to mark the birthdays and lives of all American presidents- although the holidays name was never officially changed to Presidents Day. Did You Know? George Washingtons birthday got changed from February 11, 1731, to February 22, 1732, when the Gregorian calendar was adopted. An act of Congress made the date a federal holiday.Thanks to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, Washingtons Birthday- which is often called Presidents Day- is always celebrated on the third Monday in February.Retailers love Presidents Day, and use it as a time to put big-ticket items on sale- because thats when people start getting their income tax refunds back. The First Presidents Day The origins of Presidents Day date back to the early nineteenth century, and it all started with George Washington. The first American president was born on February 11, 1731. As the centennial anniversary of his birth approached, Congress announced that festivities in Washingtons honor would be held on February 22, 1832. Why the change in dates? The answer lies in the history of the modern calendar. Washingtons birth took place before 1752, which was the year that Britain and all of its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar. Thus, Washingtons birthday now fell on February 22, 1732, which meant that a century later, in 1832- instead of 1831- it was time to celebrate. Festivities took place all over the country, including the early adjournment of the Congressional session, followed by the reading of Washingtons 1796 Farewell Address, which has become an annual tradition. In 1879, Congress passed a bill declaring that February 22, long celebrated as Washingtons birthday, would be designated a federal holiday. At that time, Congress added February 22 to the list of official holidays observed by federal employees in the District of Columbia. This presented a problem initially, though- some government employees were paid for the day off, but others werent. In 1885, Congress solved that issue by declaring that all federal employees, including those employed outside of Washington D.C., were to be paid for all federal holidays. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved a number of federal holidays to Mondays. This change was adopted so that workers would have several three-day weekends throughout each year, but there was opposition from people who felt that holidays should be observed on the days they actually celebrate. According to historian C.L. Arbelbide, the  Congressional Record  highlighted three primary benefits of this change, aimed specifically at families: Three-day holidays offer greater opportunities for families- especially those whose members may be widely separated- to get together. . . .The three-day span of leisure time . . . would allow our citizens greater participation in their hobbies as well as in educational and cultural activities.Monday holidays would improve commercial and industrial production by minimizing midweek holiday interruptions of production schedules and reducing employee absenteeism before and after midweek holidays. The Uniform Holiday Act went into effect in January, 1971, and declared Washingtons Birthday, the third Monday in February, as a legal public holiday. During discussion about the new act, it was suggested that Washington’s Birthday should be renamed Presidents Day in order to honor the birthdays of both Washington and Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12, 1809.  However, Congress rejected the name alteration and it was never officially changed. So, why do people still call it Presidents Day? The Meaning of Presidents Day Today You can thank your friendly neighborhood retailer for the use of the term Presidents Day. Its become one of the most popular times of year for sales. While this might seem like an odd season to decide you need to run out and buy a new mattress or a dresser, theres actually a reason behind the tradition of Presidents Day sales on big-ticket items: its when people are starting to get their income tax refunds. Although there have been attempts over the years to formally start calling Washingtons Birthday by its more common name of Presidents Day, its never happened. In addition, states have the power to call it Presidents Day if they wish- the use of the name Washingtons Birthday is found at a federal level. No matter what you choose to call it, if youre a federal government employee, youll get the third Monday in February off each year. Sources Arbelbide, C L. â€Å"By George, IT IS Washingtons Birthday!†Ã‚  National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/winter/gw-birthday-1.html.â€Å"George Washingtons Birthday.†Ã‚  National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, www.archives.gov/legislative/features/washington.Hornick, Ed. â€Å"What You May Not Know about Presidents Day.†Ã‚  CNN, Cable News Network, 18 Feb. 2019, www.cnn.com/2016/02/15/politics/presidents-day-history-washington-birthday/index.html.â€Å"Public Law 90-363 .†Ã‚  US Government Publishing Office, 27 Jan. 1968, www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-82/pdf/STATUTE-82-Pg250-3.pdf.

A Close Look at the Singapore Math Method

A Close Look at the Singapore Math Method One of the harder things parents have to do when it comes to their child’s schooling is understand a new method of learning. As the Singapore Math Method gains popularity, it’s starting to be used in more schools across the nation, leaving more parents to figure out what this method is all about. A close look at the philosophy and framework of Singapore Math can make it easier to understand what’s going on in your child’s classroom. The Singapore Math Framework The framework of Singapore Math is developed around the idea that learning to problem-solve and develop mathematical thinking are the key factors in being successful in math.The framework states: â€Å"The development of mathematical problem-solving ability is dependent on five inter-related components, namely, Concepts, Skills, Processes, Attitudes, and Metacognition.†Looking at each component individually makes it easier to understand how they fit together to help children gain skills that can help them solve both abstract and real-world problems. 1. Concepts When children learn mathematical concepts, they are exploring the ideas of branches of math like numbers, geometry, algebra, statistics and probability, and data analysis. They’re not necessarily learning how to work the problems or the formulas that go with them, but rather gaining an in-depth understanding of what all of these things represent and look like.It’s important for kids to learn that all of math works together and that, for example, addition doesn’t stand by itself as an operation, it carries on and is a part of all the other math concepts as well. Concepts are reinforced using math manipulatives and other practical, concrete materials. 2. Skills Once students have a solid grasp of the concepts, it’s time to move on to learning how to work with those concepts. In other words, once the students have an understanding of the ideas, they can learn the procedures and formulas that go with them. This way the skills are anchored to the concepts, making it easier for students to understand why a procedure works.In Singapore Math, skills don’t just refer to knowing how to work something out with pencil and paper, but also knowing what tools (calculator, measurement tools,etc.) and technology can be used to help solve a problem. 3. Processes The framework explains that processes â€Å"includes reasoning, communication and connections, thinking skills and heuristics, and application and modeling.†    Mathematical reasoning is the ability to look carefully at mathematical situations in a variety of different contexts and logically apply the skills and concepts to problem-solve the situation. Communication is the ability to clearly, concisely and logically use the language of math to explain ideas and mathematical arguments. Connections is the ability to see how math concepts are related to each other, how math is related to other areas of study and how math relates to real life. Thinking skills and heuristics are the skills and techniques that can be used to solve a problem. Thinking skills include things like sequencing, classifying and identifying patterns. Heuristics are the experience-based techniques a child can use to create a representation of a problem, take an educated guess, figure out the process to work through a problem or how to reframe a problem. For example, a child may draw a chart, try to guess and check or solve parts of a problem. These are all learned techniques. Application and modelling is the ability to use what you’ve learned about how to solve problems to choose the best approaches, tools and representations for a certain situation. It’s the most complicated of the processes and takes a lot of practice for children to create math models. 4. Attitudes Children’s are what they think and feel about math. Attitudes are developed by what their experiences with learning math are like.So, a child who has fun while developing a good understanding of concepts and acquiring skills is more likely to have positive ideas about the importance of math and confidence in his ability to solve problems. 5. Metacognition Metacognition sounds really simple but is harder to develop than you might think. Basically, metacognition is the ability to think about how you are thinking.For kids, this means not only being aware of what they are thinking, but also knowing how to control what they are thinking. In math, metacognition is closely tied to being able to explaining what was done to solve it, thinking critically about how the plan works and thinking about alternative ways to approach the problem.The framework of Singapore Math is definitely complicated, but it’s also definitely well thought out and thoroughly defined. Whether you’re an advocate for the method or not so sure about it, a better understanding of the philosophy is key in helping your child with math.

How Systematic Random Sampling Work

How Systematic Random Sampling Work Systematic sampling is a technique for creating a random probability sample in which each piece of data is chosen at a fixed interval for inclusion in the sample. For example, if a researcher wanted to create a systematic sample of 1,000 students at a university with an enrolled population of 10,000, he or she would choose every tenth person from a list of all students. How to Create a Systematic Sample Creating a systematic sample is rather easy. The researcher must first decide how many people out of the total population to include in the sample, keeping in mind that the larger the sample size, the more accurate, valid, and applicable the results will be. Then, the researcher will decide what the interval for sampling is, which will be the standard distance between each sampled element. This should be decided by dividing the total population by the desired sample size. In the example given above, the sampling interval is 10 because it is the result of dividing 10,000 (the total population) by 1,000 (the desired sample size). Finally, the researcher chooses an element from the list that falls below the interval, which in this case would be one of the first 10 elements within the sample, and then proceeds to select every tenth element. Advantages of Systematic Sampling Researchers like systematic sampling because it is a simple and easy technique that produces a random sample that is free from bias. It can happen that, with simple random sampling, the sample population may have clusters of elements that create bias. Systematic sampling eliminates this possibility because it ensures that each sampled element is a fixed distance apart from those that surround it. Disadvantages of Systematic Sampling When creating a systematic sample, the researcher must take care to ensure that the interval of selection does not create bias by selecting elements that share a trait. For example, it could be possible that every tenth person in a racially diverse population could be Hispanic. In such a case, the systematic sample would be biased because it would be composed of mostly (or all) Hispanic people, rather than reflecting the racial diversity of the total population. Applying Systematic Sampling Say you want to create a systematic random sample of 1,000 people from a population of 10,000. Using a list of the total population, number each person from 1 to 10,000. Then, randomly choose a number, like 4, as the number to start with. This means that the person numbered 4 would be your first selection, and then every tenth person from then on would be included in your sample. Your sample, then, would be composed of persons numbered 14, 24, 34, 44, 54, and so on down the line until you reach the person numbered 9,994. Updated by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

Edward Gibbon and his contribution to Historiography Research Paper

Edward Gibbon and his contribution to Historiography - Research Paper Example In order to know more about him comprehensively, we have to answer questions about who he was, what drove him to write, and what perceptions of his work were adopted by both his contemporaries and modern day readers. The term historiography refers to the theory and history of writing.1 It can also be defined as the academic prospect of writing history and how historians came to understand these records.2 Due to the complexity and inaccuracy associated with historical study, historiography thus enables us to identify and appreciate these discrepancies in a bid to find the truth. It also helps us gain insight on humanity; the knowledge that would enable us to avoid mistakes made in the past that led to catastrophes and borrow those that were beneficial.3 For example, the study of the fall of the Roman Empire would easily be relevant in the modern day superpowers and thus the statement; history repeats itself. The historiography’s progression, and its methods and conception, chan ged and developed substantially. All of the past sources of history, to the seventeenth century started accumulating in the enlightenment period. One of the major influential historians and academician of the period was Edward Gibbon. Edward Gibbon (April 27, 1737-January 16, 1794) was a historian in the 18th century, and his writing on history was an important element among his contemporaries and is still an important topic of study in modern day academic scholars of historiography.4 In his life time he served as a soldier during the English seven-year war, managed his family’s business and was also a member of parliament. He was born in Putney, England in a period of ‘enlightenment.’ Edward Gibbon was born April 27, 1737 to Edward and Judith Gibbon in Putney, London, England5. He was raised as the only child after his six siblings died at infancy. His father was an heir to an affluent family.6 During this period, there was a wide revolutionary thinking on the p erception and acceptance of Christian theology and church dogma. He was born to an affluent family, according to the standards of the period; his early education was profound, as demonstrated by his ability to engage in scholastic research and writing at a relatively young age.7 His childhood was marred by poor health and he describes himself as â€Å"a weakly child† and nearly succumbed to death several times. He was vastly ignored by his parents who were occupied with their social life and was abandoned to inadequate caregivers who were household servants and physicians.8 One of the ways that he uses method or conception from the past is evident in the classical period. By the Enlightenment and eighteen century, we find that Classical writers have been highly common in academic all over the European continent, with similarities in all his works, from writers of the ancient Rome and Greece. A Greek writer, Heredotus, wrote â€Å"The Persian Wars’ that has the theme o f geography and ethnography, of the Near East people. Gibbon also appears to have the same theses in the â€Å"He is popular for several publications, but the major one is the ‘Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,’ by the manner in which he comprehends all the Europe’s ‘barbaric’ people. In addition, another idea that he appears to have adopted from the ancient Greece is that of universal history; this idea

Formal Legal Brief on a Tort Law Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Formal Legal Brief on a Tort Law Case - Essay Example Donoghue suffered severe gastroenteritis, shock, as a result, Mrs. Donoghue brought a claim for damages against Stevenson, and the trial judge found the action sustainable while the court of appeal overturned the decision. Mrs. Donoghue appealed to the House of Lords. Issues In this case, the issue was whether Stevenson the manufacturer of the beer owed Mrs. Donoghue who consumed the contaminated beer a duty of care. Stevenson raised an issue, where even if Mrs. Donoghueproved allegations of the consequences of the contaminated beer correct his duty of care did not extend to every consumer of the products he manufactured and for which he would not be liable. Lord Atkin stated that Mrs. Donoghue has to show that the injury resulted in breach of duty by Stevenson and in the circumstances by Stevenson to take reasonable care to prevent injury. Rules The rule applied in this case was the neighbor principle, which essentially states that if a negligence case is to be successful the proxim ity of the two parties that are the claimant and the defendant should not be too remote. The proximity of the defendant and the plaintiff should be that of a neighbor. To capture this position is Lord Atkin’s neighbor principle, which provides that some concept of relationship must be in existence giving rise to a duty of care. He goes ahead to state that the general rule that one loves his neighbor and one ought not to hurt his neighbor. A neighbor in this case gets a restricted response. The rule is that one should take reasonable steps to avoid acts or omissions, which are reasonably foreseeable, would be likely to injure one's neighbor. A neighbor according to Lord Atkin is anyone who is directly and, closely affected by ones act ions or omissions and one reasonably ought to have them in contemplation before doing the act or omissions in question. Analysis For an action in negligence to succeed, the plaintiff must show that there was a duty of care owed to the plaintiff b y the defendant. The defendant must have breached the owed duty of care, and as a result, the plaintiff suffered damage. This duty existed prior to the case of Donoghue V Stevenson, but the duty owed was usually in sheer circumstances or proximity between the two parties. In determining the existence of a legal duty of care based on the general principle of proximity of the parties and the foresee ability of the event in question. This case provided that even in situations where the duty of care did not initially exist an individual owes a duty of care, not to harm other people who are reasonably foreseeable to be hurt by such actions. In order for the action, to succeed Mrs. Donoghue had to establish the connection between her and the manufacturer, Stevenson in relation to the negligence. The duty of care in this situation is that of an ordinary, prudent man. According to the case of Anns v London Merton Borough foresee ability is what might be reasonably expected to occur due to t he actions of the defendant. The position is that liability may only arise in a case where the defendant would have foreseen the harm and avoided it. In this case, Stevenson knew that public members would consume the ginger beer and; therefore, Stevenson had a responsibility of ensuring the beer befit human consumption. The position in this case is that if a manufacturer puts a product for consumption in which the products form precludes examination

New Product Introduction Processes. ( Engineering Strategy ) Coursework

New Product Introduction Processes. ( Engineering Strategy ) - Coursework Example Protection is better than treatment and even if it is expensive because here the cost we pay is through money but when we have to treat a disease we pay it through both our health and money. In this new era where health research has got to a point where a vaccine is available for all the difficult and resistant disease why not just avail it. â€Å"Although many successful antiretroviral drugs have been developed with enormous impact on HIV-associated morbidity and mortality, access to antiretroviral therapy remains limited to only 5% of the total population of HIV-infected subjects in developing countries† (Schwartlà ¤nder, 2434–2436). There are antiretroviral and a few more new vaccines developed by two pharmaceutical companies. These vaccines have a lot better efficacy and safety profile that has been tested and made sure through animal models first and then through clinical phase III trials. â€Å"Over the past 10 yr there has been a progressive increase in resourc es for vaccine research, allowing the generation of several candidate vaccines capable of stimulating anti-HIV immunity (Bart, 286–293. & McMichael, 227–255. ) These vaccinations need to be advertised in such a way that people get to know the facts of their productions and more importantly their good impact on health. These are T cell based vaccines, which have proven to be the most promising one out of all the other categories so that point should be the point of focus to get the customer’s trust in this new product. â€Å"T cell vaccines are unlikely to prevent infection but may control HIV replication after infection, leading to attenuation of HIV disease†(Desrosiers, 221–223& Pitisuttithum, 1160–1165). It is hard to accept a new thing easily and specially when it is dealing with human being’s health but in order to take care of these viruses that are merging day by day and

Racal Inequalities n the US Justice System Research Paper

Racal Inequalities n the US Justice System - Research Paper Example The current rate of total incarceration in the United States is by a significant degree the highest of any economically-developed Western nation state – around 1% of the adult population is in detention. The prison population of around 2.3 million individuals exceeds the population of some 15 American States, and prompts an Economist lead article to state, justifiably, that ‘No other rich country is nearly as punitive as the Land of the Free’. While the rate at which America incarcerates its citizens has more than quadrupled since 1970, there is little evidence that this approach is having the intended effect on crime rates, which are higher now than in 1970. For young black men, this figure rises to an astonishing 1 in 9 (Economist, 2010). Many of these individuals were given prison sentences or relatively minor drug offences, and so the unnecessary and apparently ineffective harshness of much American legislation has its part to play, as will be detailed below. The proportion of prison inmates from different racial groups demonstrates the blatantly racist bias in the justice system. 38% of those incarcerated in the United States are African-Americans, but the latter make up only 13% of the total population, while 19% of those in prison are Latinos, but the latter account for only 15% of the total population. This has led to the dangerous situation where a black male born in 2001 has a 32% chance of incarceration at some point, a Hispanic male has a 17% chance of being imprisoned, while a while male has only a 6% chance of incarceration (The Sentencing Project, 2008, p.2). Furthermore, while the above figures represent national averages, Human Rights Watch found that in seven States, blacks are incarcerated at more than thirteen times the rate of whites. The United States has found itself in a situation where, in every State, the proportion of blacks in prison is greater than that of whites, and in Minnesota and Iowa it is 12 times greater (Human

Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Politics - Essay Example Whatever the flaws, the precepts of divine law theory are basically hinged on what is right and what is wrong. Under that concept, any chaos or disorder in a community is resolved by determining what is good or bad in the conduct of the members. Hence, when all went loose and everyone was in pandemonium and craving for his or her own individual human desires, the biblical Moses saw that a law or set of laws be put in place in order to bring back orderliness and desirable behavior among the throng. Seeking heavenly intervention, he took rage against the people and dictated upon them absolute obedience to the Ten Commandments which he claimed came from above. Whether the directives were really from supernatural forces or not did not make a difference. What was then more essential and urgently necessary was that sanity and normalcy returned to the ancient land within the ambit of law and justice. As population multiplied and as men adopted different beliefs, perceptions and concepts, bowing to one symbol of adoration and worship over and above the power of humans became impossible. Those who were of superior intelligence developed their own independent thinking, perceptions and understanding of things and events and discussed and debated on their ideas in the public forums. The expressions influenced even those who did not care about changes and dynamics taking place in society. As it became imperative, practical laws which did not bear to any divine connection slowly gained acceptance. It had to be accepted that there were scores of people who did not believe in a god or in gods primarily because they did not see those to be worshipped. They did not entertain the idea of leaving to faith whatever they wanted to believe in. Interspersed between the differing factions, the concept of natural law became a neutral ground as an alternative that could be accepted by all to a cert ain extent. Hence, one who sowed and planted would harvest the

Price Strategie of Ford Fusion Hybrid Research Paper

Price Strategie of Ford Fusion Hybrid - Research Paper Example The present research has identified that Ford has launched Ford Focus Hybrid car keeping in mind the continual rise in the price of gas and the overt health conscious that global society has become. This situation is ideal since people are looking for such hybrid cars and carmakers are ready to grab the opportunity to improve their financial health. Toyota has already launched a few hybrid cars and has captured a majority portion of the market. Ford, as a result, has to keep the price of its hybrid fusion in such a way that it can meet its objectives. It is found that the price of Ford hybrid Fusion is set at just over $27000 which is almost $3000 more than its Toyota counterpart. Hence, it can be said that the main objective of such pricing is to gain as much profit as possible; in other words, this pricing strategy of Ford is profit oriented. Flexibility is an important element in the overall pricing strategy. Flexibility is provided in terms of discounts, customization, and negoti ation. Like any other cars of Ford, a customer can place their customized order on the company’s website. Prices are set on the basis of specifications of the customers. Discounts are given to promote the car to some special customers. However, rebates or discounts vary with region. Consumers have little power to negotiate regarding the price of the product. Only customers i.e. dealers have the power to bargain with the manufacturer. Pricing strategies vary with the different stages in the product lifecycle. Usually, there are four different stages in the life cycle of a product. These are introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. Ford Hybrid Fusion is at its growth stage where its demand is found to be increasing continuously as consumers are looking for more and more fuel-efficient car. In other words, sales growth is rapid at this stage.

Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Politics - Essay Example Whatever the flaws, the precepts of divine law theory are basically hinged on what is right and what is wrong. Under that concept, any chaos or disorder in a community is resolved by determining what is good or bad in the conduct of the members. Hence, when all went loose and everyone was in pandemonium and craving for his or her own individual human desires, the biblical Moses saw that a law or set of laws be put in place in order to bring back orderliness and desirable behavior among the throng. Seeking heavenly intervention, he took rage against the people and dictated upon them absolute obedience to the Ten Commandments which he claimed came from above. Whether the directives were really from supernatural forces or not did not make a difference. What was then more essential and urgently necessary was that sanity and normalcy returned to the ancient land within the ambit of law and justice. As population multiplied and as men adopted different beliefs, perceptions and concepts, bowing to one symbol of adoration and worship over and above the power of humans became impossible. Those who were of superior intelligence developed their own independent thinking, perceptions and understanding of things and events and discussed and debated on their ideas in the public forums. The expressions influenced even those who did not care about changes and dynamics taking place in society. As it became imperative, practical laws which did not bear to any divine connection slowly gained acceptance. It had to be accepted that there were scores of people who did not believe in a god or in gods primarily because they did not see those to be worshipped. They did not entertain the idea of leaving to faith whatever they wanted to believe in. Interspersed between the differing factions, the concept of natural law became a neutral ground as an alternative that could be accepted by all to a cert ain extent. Hence, one who sowed and planted would harvest the

Relationship Between Development Of The Sound System And Overall Motor Essay

Relationship Between Development Of The Sound System And Overall Motor Development In Children - Essay Example This essay stresses that that two children by dissimilar patterns of production of speech sounds throughout an early period of phonological development preserve dissimilarity in production patterns during the developmental period. This paper makes a conclusion that though equally children's articulatory skills appeared to be inside normal limits, as compared by their peers, one was in advance of the further in completing the phonetic inventory. Furthermore, their approaches to the manufacture of polysyllabic words at Time 1 were evocative of their later production skills for incessant speech. Even though these outcomes are not broadly generalizable, they begin to offer evidence for untried hypotheses in the literature concerning the relationship between premature pronunciation processes and afterward pronunciation skill. Several predictions made by this study that may be tested by potential studies are the subsequent: 1. First of all the use of glottal and glide substitute for intervocalic consonants throughout early stages of development may be prognostic of moderately slower development of precise articulatory motion wanted for the production of affricates and no early clusters. 2. Early concluding consonant deletion, glottal, and glide substitute do not come into view to be analytical, necessarily, of a wide-ranging linguistic deficit or a harsh phonological difficulty. 3. No doubt, a premature partiality for assimilation and reduplication processes does not come into view to be prognostic of sluggish phonological learning.

Eddies action Essay Example for Free

Eddies action Essay Beatrice is responsible for eddies death because she didnt act soon enough. If Beatrice acted sooner Eddie could have calmed and a lot of this wouldnt have happened. Marco wants revenge on Eddie because Eddie contacted immigration to inform them of him and Rodolpho. This angers Marco and makes him want to seek revenge. He believes that Eddies action was the start of a downward spiral leading to the unfortunate fate of his children. He confirms this in the quote, That one! He killed my children. Marco could be blamed for eddies death because of his personal vendetta. He went to Eddies house fuelled with aggression, shouting, Eddie Carbone outside of Eddies house demanding that Eddie steps outside to settle this. If you were trying to clear Marco of international murder you could argue that Eddie pulled a knife out. Another reason you can state is that Marco was using self defence to prevent getting hurt these reasons is what can clear Marco from international murder. Marco kills Eddie at the end of the final scene. Eddie lunges at Marco and they begin to fight. Eddie pulls out a knife and attempts to stab Marco. Eddie tries to stab Marco but Marco twists the knife and stabs Eddie instead, it results in Eddie dying. There is evidence in this which tells us that Marco is responsible for eddies death such as when Marco says, in my country, he would have been dead by now. He would not live this long this gives me more knowledge which tells me that Marco is responsible for eddies death. This quote tells us that Marco is a man of vendetta, this is the way he settles his problems. Eddie is a man of honour dying like this suits him because he has fought for what he believes in. I have come to the conclusion that Eddie is fully responsible for his death. I believe he bring everything on himself such as calling immigration because he couldnt control his jealousy which resulted into angering Marco, this leaded into a vendetta. By settling this feud Marco wants to fight, as Eddie comes out he brings a knife; if he had not brought that knife the damage would have been so much less. The writer directing the final words towards Alfieri is aimed at touching each member of the audience, each feeling mixed emotions throughout the play however, whoever is to blame becomes irrelevant and you can not help but morn and feel a sense of loss over I life that has been taken. The writer points out that for all Eddies wrong doings he was unable to control his actions due to his belief in what he felt was right. I think a view from a bridge is a tragedy because throughout the play Eddie goes through so much. He loses respect from others, he drifts apart from his niece on the strengths of his personal beliefs and lack of control over his jealousy and consequently loses his own life. The line in which sums up the main point for is when Alfieri says sometimes we settle for half and I like it better.

The Politics of Turkish National Identity Essay -- Political Turkey Es

The Politics of Turkish National Identity ?Modern Turkish National identity has been shaped by events that have taken place in the region throughout its history. The formation of the national identity can be attributed to two dichotomies of political thought and culture. Some people want to keep in line with Turkey?s modern history as a secular westernized country looking to join the European Union; while others hearken back to the days of the Ottoman Empire and wish to make Turkey a divided Islamic state. Conflict between those who consider themselves Turks and the Kurdish separatist party, a militant rebel force, has long shaped the changing Turkish national Identity. Today, Turkey in many ways has had ?to depart from a strict observance of the guiding principals of [Turkey?s modern history] and the kind of self-perception and views it aimed to instill in the population? (Kushner 232). Although the most westernized of all Middle-East countries, Turkey still must deal with Islamic fundamentalism prominent in the area. In recent history, Turkey has done a poor job balancing the differing desires of the members of its society: some would like to homogenize and westernize society while others want to be recognized as a deeply religious and individual sector of the Turkish population. MODERN HISTORY? The country of Turkey, as we know it, has only come about in the last 80 years or so. Before this time, the land of present day Turkey was referred to as Anatolia. Anatolia is considered the bridge that connects the Middle East to Europe. Despite years of occupation by differing nations, the area of present day Turkey has held some consistency and continuity. This continuity is possible because even though many count... ... The Kurdish Experience. Jul.-Aug. 1994. PP 12-15. Mutlu, Servet. ?Ethnic Kurds in Turkey: A Demographic Study? International Journal of ? Middle East Studies. Vol. 28, No. 4. Nov. 1996. PP 517-541. World of Information Business Intelligence Report: Turkey. Walden Publishing Ltd. ? 2000. [i] Often considered as state socialism. In Turkish use, it involves state control of some industries and public services. [ii] A follower of the larger of the two primary denominations of Islam. [iii] A member of the smaller of the two great divisions of Islam. The Shia originated in a dispute over who should be the legitimate successor to the Prophet; a majority of early Muslims accepted the tradition of community consensus to choose the leader, but a minority supported the claim of Ali, the Prophet's cousin, to inherit the mantle of leadership (A Country Study).

Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events Essays -- science, Sony, Microso

Technology is not only a computer it’s making something better. Technology has been advancing everything and making it better. Technology doesn’t even have to be an object it can be something that has to do with science. That’s why I think that technology is good because it is making everything advanced and better than it was before. Technology is good. Technology is good because it makes our lives a whole lot easier. One reason why technology is good is because sony and Microsoft both have good systems but they are battling and seeing who’s system is better and that’s just making the systems better for us to use. In the article it says â€Å"Video games used to be seen as something for teenage boys who didn't have a lot of friends. But now a video game customer can be just about anyone. People spend nearly $63 billion worldwide on games. Almost half of those who play games are women and one-third are older than 36.† that is a good thing that more people are enjoying the video games since they came out with better technology. Now there are more people buying it because of the new technology. Another reason why technology is good is because now there is a way that doctors can find out if a baby has autism within 2 months of birth and that’s a good thing because now they can find out early and treat them wh en they are little. In the article it proves that, â€Å"Doctors usually cannot determine if a child has an autism spectrum disorder until age 2 at least. But, a new study finds that signs of it can be seen as early as two months after birth.† Since the doctors can find autism that early they can try to treat them as soon as possible. That way it won’t get too serious. The last reason why technology is good is for medical reasons is becau... ...hy people that say technology is bad are wrong. Technology is good for these reasons, sony and Microsoft both have good systems but they are battling and seeing who’s system is better and that’s just making the systems better for us to use, there is a way that doctors can find out if a baby has autism within 2 months of birth and that’s a good thing because now they can find out early and treat them when they are little, and for medical reasons is because scientists and doctors are trying to train the special need kids to make eye contact with the person that is talking to them early in their lives so they will have experience later in their lives while talking to people. That is why technology is good. Works Cited "Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events." Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.

Patriotism in the American Education System Essay

The debate regarding the education of our children has been going on since the institutionalization of education and will continue as long as we are a liberal democracy full of free thinking citizens. People will always have an opinion and we will, most likely, never be able to please every single person. William Galston and Robert Fullinwider are in full support of teaching a version of history that promotes patriotism and inspires those learning of it to feel a sense of pride and a duty to, in a sense, carry on the mission of the American heroes that have come before us and done great things in terms of the progress for our country. Harry Brighouse is quite different than Galston and Fullinwider in that he believes that by keeping the full truth, gruesome or not, from those that are being educated that we are doing a great disservice to them. I tend to side with Galston and Fullinwider with the feeling that our history needs to be taught in an inspiring sort of way. What benefit do we truly gain by teaching young Americans that yes, in fact, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great American whose work during the Civil Rights Movement was essential to where we have progressed to as a society today, but he was also an adulterer and plagiarist? By revealing the holes in an American hero’s character we are diminishing his greatness and his impact on the people that have learned of his story years and years after he made such a monumental impact on our country and the progress to end segregation. The gain from sharing that knowledge is extremely minimal compared to the damage it does to the credibility of his work that he is truly known and greatly respected for. It is much simpler and much more productive to producing patriotic citizens if we leave certain, inconsequential parts of the story out. This doesn’t mean we lie to anyone, we simply tell the part of the story that generates the desired feelings of national pride and/or patriotism while instilling the necessary knowledge to generations that will move forward to produce similar greatness, or as Fullinwider puts it, â€Å"historical knowledge contributes to citizenship, and thus â€Å"nation-building,†Ã¢â‚¬  (Fullinwider, 1996, pg. 204). Harry Brighouse is of the belief that by shielding any tiny bit of the truth from children as we educate them we are doing a lot more harm than good to them. He argues that children should be exposed to the entire truth regardless of the negative light that may be revealed of anyone involved, â€Å"American hero† or otherwise. Brighouse feels that it is the responsibility of an educational system to expose kids to as much factual information as we can and allow them the freedom to choose what they will believe and what will inspire them both in the present and the future. Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. sides with Brighouse and establishes that argument that â€Å"writing or teaching history as a means of ‘defining national identity’ turns history ‘into a weapon’,† (Schlesinger, 1999, pg 37). Both Schlesinger and Brighouse would argue that history should never change, all the facts should be laid out on the table and nothing should be held back, because, if we make the decision to hold something out of curriculum, who makes that decision and what qualifies as unnecessary? Schlesinger and Brighouse’s argument centers on the main idea that educators do not have the right to manipulate history. Schlesinger goes in depth in his writings in The Disuniting of America that certain false views of history are wrong, but even dangerous for citizens to be exposed to. He claims that, â€Å"the proper account of our past strengthens the â€Å"common purpose† that holds us together. It reinvigorates the American Creed,† (Schlesinger, 1990, pg. 37). Galston and Fullinwider are on the other side of the argument, they believe that educators should teach history in such a way that instills national pride and creates informed, proud American citizens. Fullinwider calls this type of history â€Å"patriotic history.† He believes that this sort of education will inform, of course, but more importantly will establish a system of values that, in the end, will create citizens. Both Galston and Fullinwider argue for a type of history that they refer to as a â€Å"usable past.† A usable past is one that informs citizens and institutes a willingness to â€Å"make the sacrifices necessary to support and improve the nation’s political institutions,† (Fullinwider, 1996, pg. 207). Truth of the matter, like in the case of the exclusion of facts regarding Martin Luther King, Jr. unfavorable personal lifestyle during the telling of his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, is that not all men who do great things are great men of high character. In some cases, inclusion of all the facts does nothing to diminish any greatness and may, in fact, create a greater sense of the ability for one single person to make a great impact regardless of any shortcomings they may have. On the other, if all the details are not necessary then why include them? Why would we make a hero less of a hero by revealing the unnecessary truth? Facts that bind the entire story together should never be omitted. Galston and Fullinwider believe in, and support, an education that promotes national pride. They are all for a patriot history, because we will then instill the idea and sense of responsibility in young Americans that they should carry the torch, so to speak, and continue to build upon the greatness that is America. Fullinwider concludes that the purpose of teaching a patriotic history â€Å"is to help students â€Å"develop a keen sense of ethics and citizenship,† so that they might â€Å"care deeply about the quality of life in their co mmunity, their nation, and their world,† (Fullinwider, 1996, pg. 222). In Patriotic History, Fullinwider argues against Schlesinger’s point for the â€Å"nothing left out† type of historical education, by saying the Schlesinger is intending to make history seem very precise and when that becomes the case we’re leaving it up to what truth the educator believes in. Fullinwider goes even further in his argument against Schlesinger’s writing by claiming that Schlesinger’s book The Disuniting of America is, in fact itself, purely history told for effect without the intention to simply inform, but rather to draw out and strengthen commitments to national unity (pg. 210). The presentation of history is storytelling and storytelling must come from a particular point of view. Historical education may never be 100% accurate because we’ll never truly know the intentions or finer details from all the angles or perspectives of each event. Somebody has to tell the story to present the history, but it will always come from a l imited point of view. It is the duty of the educational systems to determine which point of view the story should come from and this is where I agree more with Galston and Fullinwider; before we, as an educational system, decide what we want taught to our citizens, we need to decide what we hope listeners or those being educated should get out of the experience. Like Galston and Fullinwider, I think it is in the best interest for our country to try and promote patriotism and pride in being an American. The responsibility of shaping and molding upstanding, progressive citizens falls on the shoulders of our educational systems as well as public institutions and they both must come together to determine what is best for the development of our nation. Within that responsibility lays the decision of what aspects of history we will teach our young students. For me, it comes down to favoring civic education over philosophic education. I’d rather the goal of our educational programs be to pass along the knowledge necessary to create individuals that feel a loyalty and responsibility to do something great for their country, whether that be along the lines of being a great American hero like Martin Luther King, Jr. or simply by being a consistent, educated, responsible American citizen capable of supporting and functioning within our democracy. I disagree with the argument that by teaching a certain version of history we are limiting a child’s autonomy. We are not enforcing any beliefs or completely eliminating any bit of history, we are simply fostering an environment that will produce good and loyal citizens. Agreeing to tell a story (teaching history) a certain way does not mean we are telling people how to think; quite the opposite. We are inspiring greatness and allowing people to be free thinking and promoting the idea that anyone, common, uncommon and anywhere in between, can make a great impact that will last forever. The argument that exists between the Galston/Fullinwider side of teaching a patriotic history and the Brighouse/Schlesinger side of giving the whole â€Å"truth† regardless of degrading details just muddies the argument that we should really be having: What do we hope to get out of those that are being taught this history? When we look at that question we will be able to work together to find a solution. We could go on forever, just like this argument already has, debating what story to tell and from which perspective, but that, ultimately, gets us nowhere. Lets agree to teach from a perspective of â€Å"nation building† that Galston and Fullinwider promote and continue to develop as a country. Bibliography Fullinwider, R. (1996). Patriotic History. Cambridge University Press, pages 203-225. Galston, W. (1991). Civic Education in the Liberal State. Cambridge University Press, pages 470-478. Schlesinger, Jr., A. (1999). The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a Multicultural Society. W. W. Norton & Company, pages 12-37.

Genetic and Environmental Influences in Alcoholic Tendencies Essay

Alcoholic Tendencies in people may be triggered by environmental influences, genetic influences, or both. Some people may be at a great risk of developing alcoholism because of this. Genetics alone can cause certain behaviors in people. If a child grows up in an environment where neither of the parents are alcoholics but the child carries the gene to become one, the child may have a higher chance of becoming an alcoholic as an adult due to genetic factors. However, because the child is not exposed to alcohol use regularly they may never exhibit alcoholic tendencies. A person may have an even greater risk if they have genetic factors, and they are brought up in an environment where there is a lot of alcohol use. Environmental factors can also cause behaviors in people. A person that grows up in an environment where they are exposed to alcoholism regularly might have the tendency to become an alcoholic even if their genetics don’t show alcoholic tendencies. The environment in which they consider normal consists of alcohol use. Therefore, it is likely they will continue with the behaviors that they are used to. However, because the child does not have genetic factors influencing alcoholic tendencies, they may never have a problem with alcohol despite growing up in an environment where alcoholism is present. Scott 2 Genetic and environmental factors influence alcoholic tendencies in people, but this does not necessarily mean having one of these factors will result in alcoholism. However, if both factors are present then a person might have a greater chance.

Religion and the Meaning of Life Essay

According to Frederich Nietzche, â€Å"A man who has a why to live can bear any how†. To me this statement provides massive insight into the human experience: all people need a purpose in life. As humans we need a constructive outlet through which we can invest our thoughts, emotions, efforts and energies. We need something to thrive for and strive toward. Religion, for many people provides this outlet in life in a most positive manner. It allows people to find themselves by losing themselves foremost. Religion encourages service to others, selflessness, forgiveness and ascetic values that allow people to displace personal prejudices and mental barriers that are roadblocks on the path toward self awareness and understanding. Religion teaches that human beings are direct creations of God. Due to this, the religious person places immense gravity into the definition of what it means to be human. To the religious person human life is sacred therefore all human beings are treated as if they are sacred entities. Dignity is vital to this experience and the religious person lives a decent life based largely on the fact that they find it a grave injustice to engage in dehumanizing acts. A dehumanizing act is any action that undermines the value of what it means to be human, and because human life to the religious person is sacred; treating other people and oneself with respect is part of the job description. Religious people also are heavily focused on remaining loyal to traditions and place heavy emphasis on the concept of togetherness through ceremonies, rituals and even celebrations. Religious people congregate and come together in a forum of mutual understanding of one another’s beliefs and values, and respect for the characteristics that make individuals unique. This is how religious institutions have survived throughout the ages. People of all sorts come together based on a mutual understanding of the same truths. The idea of coming together forms a family-like atmosphere that strengthens dynamics within individual households and strengthens interpersonal bonds among all people whom the religious person encounters. The religious person lives a life of kindness, simplicity and dignity highlighted by unity, loyalty and fairness. These concepts are vital to becoming a well integrated person which is the key component to finding one’s purpose and meaning in life. Once a person gains a sense of purpose, the other aspects of their lives fall into place based around what that person chooses to life for. When a person lives for their faith, their lives are based around morals that encourage reverence for all human beings and a genuine perceptive of righteousness. This is why religious people not only have a strong sense of self, but also have unshakable character based in a solid affection for mankind.

City life Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

City life - Assignment Example How specifically they tend to relate to society is of significant concerns and thus discussed fully in the essay. The essay tries to answer some questions on how the elderly relate with the society. The essay gives a conclusion relating with popular theorists on city life and planning concerning the elderly homes. The first area of concern is how the elderly are taken care of by the community in relation to their needs. As a responsibility to take care of the elderly, it is vital that we get a critical understanding of the needs and requirements of the elderly. The requirement for the elderly will involve the following; financial needs, housing, health care, nursing, social and other needs. Having a good awareness about the various needs and requirement of the elders as listed above, is necessary for care takers of retirement homes as they are vital for quality care to the elderly. Financial needs, just as regarded in the community, are a basic need for the elderly as it enables them to pay for their requirements such as up-keep at the retirement homes, food, groceries, medicine and other basic necessities. Thus, a source of income or savings is necessary for the senior citizens. Housing is a necessity for everyone as well as for the elderly; this is because everyone desires to live in areas where he or she is comfortable. The design of a retirement home should be able to accommodate changes that may arise with time as well as consider the comfort of the dwellers. The retirement home should be such that it is a safe place with helpful neighborhood in case of an emergency. A place where there is well developed infrastructure service; clean and reliable water supply, electricity, schools, telecommunication and well-connected public transport. Health care is the most beneficial when it comes to the elderly needs as they are prone to sickness. With the ageing trend, their body tends to weaken by slowing down and as a result becoming

Electoral college Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Electoral college - Essay Example The amendment provides room for the electoral process in case the electors failed to choose the president by majority. Each state had a number of electors that were same as the number of the state representatives in the upper and lower houses of the legislature. In 1969, the District of Columbia gets for the first time number of elector equal to the least populous state elector’s by the 23rd Amendment. The electors person's choice is from the states they represent by a populous vote that translates to the presidential candidate they favor in the end. There have been many attempts to change the system, but none has been useful. The states organize the elector’s elections where congress determines the dates. Some of the attempts that have been successful include Nebraska and Maine give two votes to the overall winner in the states and one vote for congressional district winner. The system of the presidential election termed as Electoral College system establishment is in the year 1804 after the 12th amendment of article II of the constitution. The main factors that influenced the creation of the system were to ensure that each state gets a fair say in who is their president. The electors were the rich land owners of the time and had to be white. To create a solution should any of the candidates fail to get a win of 270 populous elector’s votes. This scenario arises when the electors who pledge to vote for a given candidate vote otherwise as they are not bound to their promise by the constitution. The House of Representatives resolves this stalemate. The pros of the system include it enhances national cohesion in the country and ensures that distributing the populous president decision all over the country. The system also ensures that there is political stability by enhancing the two political party system (Bickel. 56). The people against the system argue that the system provides a leeway for a candidate to win the nationwide election and los e the electoral vote. The critics justify their argument by the events that happened in the year 2000 when republican George Bush lost the populous vote and went ahead to win the electoral vote. His opponent Al Gore won the populous vote but, lost the electoral vote. In the end Bush, become the president. The critics say the system gives a leeway to election of a minority leader. They argue President George W. Bush was a minority leader but went ahead to gevern the country four those four years. This leader will not protray the Nation's free will as a few individuals that have a free will on whom to elect into office elected him into office. The minority leader increases the risk of dividing the nation into half. Most of the people will not have faith into his leadership regime. This may trigger mass protest and derail the economy of the nation. Critics point to the possibility that the Electoral College discouraging voter turnout in many states. Critics’ argue since the coll ege has the mandate to elect the president then, the voters may after all leave the decision to the college and boy court elections. This will be a big setback in democracy as people will feel to be denied their constitutional mandate to elect the leader of their choice. Many republicans in the current states where they rule are aiming to change Electoral College

CASE 3 W4 OIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CASE 3 W4 OIS - Essay Example In the same direction, the effects of manual ordering bring about inefficiency because not much is done within a short time frame. Once all these effects happen, effectiveness becomes undermined. Currently, there is an unintended effect with the CPOE, which has to do with the continuation of orders that are not explicitly discontinued by the doctor for a patient moving to a new part of the hospital. At Mount Auburn, adverse drug events (ADEs) are the largest injury category, as they account for up to 20% of total injuries (Mount Auburn Case, p. 1). The study at the hospital continues to show that there exists two major form or types of ADEs namely preventable and potential ADEs. Whereas preventable ADEs were noted to be have been resulted from correctable errors, potential ADEs were those that did not result in any injuries. Between these two types, it is expected that the implementation of the information system can lead to a reduction in both. This is because both cases of ADEs are directly attributable to human mistakes, which leads to medical errors. Since the information system will be eliminating most of the human phase of interaction with the ordering system, it is expected that all two forms of ADEs will be reduced drastically with the CPOE. At both Mount Auburn and Emory, it was noted that the CPOE system helped in bringing about standardization of care by reducing the variation of treatments and standardized care whenever possible (Emory Case, p. 7). The evidence of this major change is very glaring when the implementation of the information system is compared to moments before the implementation. For example, before the implementation, patients received preferential treatments based on the discretions of care givers. What is more, patients who were attended to at times that care givers were less tired were sure to receive the best of service than those who

The battle of Trenton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The battle of Trenton - Essay Example In fact this war served as a morale booster and gave immense confidence to the American army to continue the American revolutionary war even though American army suffered lot of setbacks earlier. One of the major significances of this war is the fact that it occurred in the Christmas night. Hessians and British troops never thought that American army may attack them on that particular day. Moreover, they never anticipated that American troops may try to cross the Delaware River under difficult and risky conditions. However George Washington took the risk of crossing this river using some boats even though the river was filled with ice blocks. British troops and the hessians were taking rest or sleeping while American troops arrived quite unexpectedly. More than one hundred British and hessians soldiers were killed in this battle and the rest were captured live. Not even a single American soldier was killed in this

Answer the question in form of essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer the question in form of - Essay Example Personally, I have been raised to believe that there are only two acceptable genders, and a third one is utterly laughable and brings humiliation to the family. However, with the propagation of the principles of diversity, people of various sexual orientations are now being embraced to the fold. Media has been actively promoting them, breaking down barriers set by essentialists and creating a new morality that I am still having difficulty fully accepting. Vacek’s arguments were very clear as he used various examples, some even exaggerated in order for readers to see his point. He discussed six overlapping criteria for what should make a marriage and these criteria are being debated upon by essentialists and postmodernists. These are gender differences; reproduction; â€Å"unnatural sex†; institutional recognition; purposes of marriage and parenting. With differences, Vacek claims that boundaries between men and women are slowly disappearing with the fusion of gender roles. Only biological differences seem to remain. Hence, same sex partners who have similar biological make-ups can still be considered a couple due to diminishing gender differences required in marriages. The issues regarding sex and reproduction between heterosexual and homosexual marriages continue to be controversial, although Vacek reasons out that the modern world has found alternatives that make them more acceptable socially but not necessarily moral ly, especially in the eyes of essentialists. His point is that any couple can be having unnatural sex, as recognized by essentialists and can reproduce children or just adopt, but these do not make them less suitable to be people of good spouses and parents. Legal status and recognition were also discussed by Vacek as the law only recognizing heterosexual unions, but he argued about homosexual spouses having the same conditions or even better, but they are

History of American Education Essay Example for Free

History of American Education Essay The Colonial Period (1607–1775) †¢ 1642 †¢ Massachusetts Bay Colony law requires proper teaching of children. In 1642, the Mass Bay Colony ruled children not taught properly would be apprenticed (practical work experience under the supervision of skilled workers in the trade and arts) to the town. The Early National Period (1775–1820) †¢ 1805 †¢ First elementary school established in New York, Formed by a wealthy businessmen to provide education for poor children. Run on the Lancastrian model that the older students learn and pass it down to the younger children. The Common School Movement (1820–1865). †¢1825 †¢ Noah Webster standardizes word meanings. First edition of Noah Websters An American Dictionary is published. The Evolution of the American High School (1890- 1920) †¢ 1895 †¢ First achievement test devised. Joseph Rice develops a spelling test, which he gives to over 16,000 students in eighth grade. The spelling test is made of 50 words. The Modern Era (1946 present) †¢ 1954 †¢ Brown vs. Board of education, Topeka case makes segregated schooling illegal on the grounds that segregated schools generate feelings of racial inferiority and are inherently unequal. The Colonial Period (1607–1775) †¢ 1642 †¢ Massachusetts Bay Colony law requires proper teaching of children. In 1642, the Mass Bay Colony ruled children not taught properly would be apprenticed (practical work experience under the supervision of skilled workers in the trade and arts) to the town. This even in education history has shaped today’s classroom and proposes great reflection of what children are to become tomorrow. In this even, societies are molding a future for children, boosting their education in hopes that someday they  will have made a wise career choice and make something of them. Not intended for the children to work under someone’s care, but to work for themselves. This is still practiced in today’s classroom. The curriculum gets more complicated and the lessons get harder to accomplish. This paves the way for children to challenge themselves and others around them in order to succeed. Teachers are to encourage students to be what they want to be in life and not to settle for less. Children are encouraged by parents, teachers and society to become successful no matter what they plan to achieve with their education. This method is started before birth for many children and parents. Parents practice things such as singing, playing music, reading and talking to unborn children to stimulate them in the womb. This stimulation helps children progress faster and learn easier when they are born. Society has stressed to children that they should learn, learn, and learn some more to be as successful as they can possibly be.

Employee Wellness Programs Health And Social Care Essay

Employee Wellness Programs Health And Social Care Essay Worksites are where most adults spend more than half of their waking hours .   In light of this, they offer a unique opportunity to affect change in an individuals health status.   Billions of dollars are spent each year addressing health in the workforce only after illness and/or injury has already occurred (2). This translates to profit losses in the form of lost wages and compensation, productivity, and high employee turnover.   Employees also pay a high physical and emotional price for poor health. Rising healthcare costs are also passed along to the consumers who share the burden of higher premiums, deductibles, and copayments (3). Prevention is the key in addressing issues in a proactive manner. For most organizations, this phenomenon is reflected in a high utilization of personal time off and requested sick leaves (2) (4) (5). A related issue is the abuse of the sick leave benefit where employees feel a stress-day off is a benefit and at their discretion. This is often related to stress in the work place or a work place environment that is uncomfortable for the employee (6). Past efforts to control this issue have included requiring physician certification of a valid health problem, implementing company policies that limit utilization of ad hoc time off, and encouraging managers to say no when asked for excessive days off. Some companies have even eliminated the concept of a sick day and increased the employees personal time off by a day or two to compensate (6). Regardless of the labeling for time off or of the managements effort to control increased health related issues, many organizations report that employees taking unplanned days off has increased (4). The recommendat ion is to move away from the confrontational approach of imposing corporate rules to limit the abuse and focus on the core of the problem, health problems and stress management in the workplace (2) (5). A human resources (HR) industry survey found that reported personal illness accounts for 35 percent of all unscheduled absences in the workplace (4). Some HR experts estimate that absenteeism can cost a company around $600 per employee per year, and thats just in use of benefits and healthcare costs. The estimates are higher if the calculation includes other related costs such as overtime pay, costs of temps, missed deadlines, and lower productivity (7). Some of these unaccounted for sick days can be avoided if the companys management is proactive when making organizational changes and in providing means for helping employees deal with health issues (1-5). This increased utilization is driving up the cost of coverage and company officials are considering some desperate options to save money such as a drastic reduction of coverage or the elimination of benefits altogether.   Prior to the implementation of such measures, company executives need to consider a different approach upon which they feel may not only raise awareness of health and safety issues, but provide the tools necessary for employees to increase their quality of life. The Healthy People 2010 initiative is a government effort to promote employers to get involved in the health of their workers with the intended goal being to Increase quality and years of healthy life (3).   One area recommended is to implement an employee wellness program that addresses staying healthy, increasing exercise opportunities, and reducing worksite injuries through increase safety practices (1) (2) (5). Employee wellness programs are predicated on the basis that most illness is directly preventable and that the workplace has the ability to transform lives (1).   Companies that implement programs will see a decrease in healthcare costs by lowering utilization rates of sick days and improving the workplace environment (2) (5).   These programs are meant to improve the overall quality of life for each of their employees (3).   Statement of the Problem The purpose of this study was to determine if an organization takes proactive efforts to implement healthy programs that can positively influence a reduction of sick days used by employees. Researchers have found significant cost savings for the organization by taking the action of becoming involved in the wellness of employees (2) (5). The use of sick days, whether due to illness or a need for a personal day away from stress, result in higher costs due to issues such as overtime pay, costs of temps, missed deadlines, and lower productivity (7). Healthy Workforce 2010 (3), a program within the Healthy People 2010 initiative, recommends employer groups take an active role in implementing programs, such as an employee wellness program, in order to improve the overall health of their employees and subsequently creating a healthier work environment. Hypothesis Hypothesis 1. The introduction and management of a worksite wellness program at a manufacturing organization will improve the overall health and wellness of their employees. Hypothesis 2. There will be a significant decrease in the number of personal days off and sick time, as reported to Human Resources, based on improved employee health and satisfaction at their workplace as a result of implementing a workforce wellness program. Hypothesis 3. There will be an increase in employee knowledge and skills for healthier living as measured by a pre and post-test measuring the amount of information gained from interventions such as onsite workplace classes. If these of hypothesis do not prove true, the researcher expects that the organization will still experience costs equal to or exceeding that of previous years in health related time off, which will be reflected in personal time off (PTO) or sick days (STO) utilization rates. Employees may show an increase in knowledge of healthier lifestyle changes but this may not change their behaviors surrounding time off and implied expectations of utilizing a company benefit. Delimitations This studys focus is on reducing the overall costs to an organization as impacted by the over-use of PTO and STO by employees. The actual cost savings are estimated to include reduction in other areas such as overtime, hiring of temps, and production losses. But to keep this studys outcomes in a reasonable space, the only measurements for success will be the reduction of overall usage of time off or PTO and STO per 100 employees. The base measurement for this analysis will be statistics from previous years. In order to keep the number of employees and impact at a manageable level, the study will only review the effects of a wellness program on one organization, a large manufacturing organization in a suburb outside of Los Angeles, California. The organization has over 600 employees at the target location, consisting administrators, engineers, line supervisors, and skilled factory workers. Managers have reported an average expected utilization of time off related to health and stress issues. Limitations Since the study will focus on a specific population in a specific industry, the results may reflect the impact of a program that is only successful under certain environmental influences. Also, a CCH survey (6) discusses the abuse of PTO or STO days, highlighting that use of these days are influenced by various reasons in addition to sickness or stress. Some areas indicated in surveys (4) include family illnesses or problems, which may not be impacted by a wellness program, and seasonal influences such as summer or holidays, which often results in 4 day weekends. The study is relying upon the information collected by the HR representatives of the organization, which limits the analysis to days reported to HR and avoiding comp time or personal days which are taken as agreements between supervisors and employees. Since the baseline will be the reported days from previous years, this limitation should have little impact on the outcome of the study. Assumptions In defining this study, the following assumptions were made: All time off is reported and tracked by the HR department. Since illnesses and stress leave are human-based factors and not necessarily bound to a specific industry, the results of this study will be applicable to other industries and workers. Implementing a program that focuses on reported time off will not unduly influence an increase or decrease in reported days due to the study itself. Since the study is qualitative, the results will be only be the starting point for other studies that should include other factors that may influence increased use of personal days off. Operational Definitions PTO Personal Time Off, a company benefit for employees of most organizations. STO Sick Time Off, a company benefits only offered at some organizations; some companies have rolled sick time into the personal time benefit. MATCH Multilevel Approach to Community Health. A five-phase program planning model developed in the late 1980s. Normative Need The needs of a population based on expert opinion. Expressed Need The needs of a population based on factual data. Healthy People 2010 U.S government publication that brought together much of what was known about the relationship of personal health behavior and health status. Primary Data Original data collected by the planners. Lifestyle Disease A disease that is associated with how a person lives. Such as their smoking habits, alcohol, drug abuse, physical activity and eating habits. Lifestyle diseases include, heart disease, stroke, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Risk Factors is a variable that is associated with increased risk of disease or infection. Risk factors can include, lack of physical activity, diet, etc. Wellness Wellness is an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices towards, a more successful existence (8). Absenteeism is defined as a chronic absence and in this context it is in relation to work. Non-communicative diseases diseases that are not infectious. These disease include those that are from genetic or lifestyle factors. Segmentation process of identifying groups of consumers that share similar characteristics and will respond in a like way to a marketing strategy. Chapter Two Literature Review Over 100 years ago, the biggest health care threat we faced had to do with the spread of communicable diseases. Today, communicable diseases take a back seat to a much bigger problem that plagues American citizens which is that of lifestyle origin. A lifestyle disease is defined as one that is affected by factors such as poor dietary habits, alcohol and/or drug usage including tobacco smoking, and lack of physical activity (9). These factors individually as well as in combination make a person much more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, obesity, and certain types of cancers. In order to reduce the risk of these diseases, individuals must address changes to their lifestyles that include participating in workplace healthy wellness programs. This chapter will review the influencing factors in the effort, the scope of the problem of lifestyle diseases, and discuss some of the benefits of targeting specific areas in a wellness program. Addressing Lifestyle Changes Researchers have shown found a direct relationship between providing intervention to improve a persons health and the cost saving realized by that persons employer (1) (2) (5).Taking proactive measure to improve the persons health and to implement preventative measures keeping the person out of a high-risk category for lifestyle diseases extends the persons life and benefits everyone they are involved with, from their employer to their families (1). Some researchers found the reverse to be true also. Ignoring the factors identifying people by their risk for lifestyle diseases will result in an increase of health problems and in costs to the employer through use of sick time and increased workplace injuries (2) (5). Modifying an individuals risk factors for lifestyle diseases can be difficult. People usually express a lack of time outside of the workplace for healthy behaviors such as meal planning and exercise; since, half of our waking hours are spent at work (9). In addition to time constraints, beginning any new healthy lifestyle behavior is no easy task, but it can make a profound effect on both physical as well as mental health. These benefits hold true regardless of the workers age. One large cohort study of 15,708 examined the impact of adoption of new lifestyle behaviors (9). All individuals were of typical working age 45-64. It was found that people who newly adopt a healthy lifestyle in middle-age experience a prompt benefit of lower rates of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Further conclusions recommend that we begin to adopt strategies to encourage healthy lifestyles. This is especially true among those with pre-existing medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or obe sity (9). Lifestyle changes not only take commitment on the part of the participant but a great deal of support from others as well. Support from co-workers can be a strong motivator but in order for healthy changes to be fully adopted by the workforce, it must be a priority among the decision makers within the company (2) (5). The cost impact of a disease such as obesity is well documented. Obesity contributes to monetary losses for the employee as well as employer. In response, employers continue to look for ways to offset those costs through the offering of company-sponsored wellness and weight management programs. Health care organizations in particular hospitals, as well as public employers can be important role models in this process. A change in policy could make a dramatic difference for smaller employers which represent the majority of U.S. employers as they are far less likely to offer health promotion programs unless a government incentive was offered (10). Worksites are where most adults spend more than half of their waking hours. In light of this, they offer a unique opportunity to affect change in an individuals health status. Health in the workplace should focus on one main role central to prevention. Prevention tactics can be geared towards prevention of illness and spread of disease as well as prevention of accidents, injury, and disability. Billions of dollars are spent each year addressing health in the workplace only after illness and/or injury has already occurred (11). This translates to profit losses in the form of lost wages and compensation, productivity, and high employee turnover. Prevention is the key in addressing issues in a proactive manner. Wellness programs are an important component of employer benefits packages because they offer workers and their families choices for pursuing healthier lifestyles with less illness, ultimately leading to less costly benefits packages (9). Wellness programs and employee assistance programs are important benefits for workers and their employers; data from the National Compensation Survey (NCS) show that workers in the public and private sectors had greater access to these kinds of benefits in 2008 than they did a decade earlier. In an age of ever-increasing health care costs, services that promote health and wellness have become an important element of U.S. society. Wellness programs often include health education and an awareness component. According to some analysts, these programs address issues that increase worker satisfaction and productivity. Implementing a Wellness Program Using MATCH Researchers have found the employers who implement proactive, work-based wellness programs can realize significant savings in utilization of STO, decreased productivity and costs for production lags (2) (5). In one study, researchers implemented a worksite health promotion program to reduce the utilization of short-term disability days at a large company. The researchers estimated the potential cost savings over a 2-year period would be in excess of $1,300,000 (2). A similar study that implemented a health-promotion program over five years found estimated cost savings from reduced sick days at over $600,000 a year (5). The target populations in both of these studies focused on employees who were high users of sick days. Expanding that approach to the entire population should contribute even more to the cost savings. Affecting change in a population with varying influential levels is strength in the program design called the Match Model. Match is an acronym for Multilevel Approach to Community Health (12). The concept behind the Match Model is based on attempts to reach various levels within a target population through working with individuals of influence at various levels. Once appropriate goals are selected in the Match Model, intervention planning begins with the selection of objectives and approaches. The program development then commences with the creation of the actual delivery pieces such as information materials and class curricula. The preparation for implementation is the next step whereby key individuals who will deliver the intervention are trained, roll out dates established, and the program actually begins. The final step in the Match Model involves the program evaluation process. This critical step provides the program development team with outcomes measures to evaluate the program effectiveness and provide necessary feedback that will drive future programs. Worker Health in the United States Worker health in the United States is a broad issue. Multiple political initiatives have been recently developed in an effort to address the problems that have arisen as a result of national attention to multiple health concerns that currently plague the country which includes rising obesity rates, type II diabetes, tobacco usage, as well as a host of other issues. An example of a set of national health initiatives is the Healthy People 2010 (3) objectives, aimed at making a difference in 10 years. Many of the initiatives contained within are aimed at increasing quality of life through the prevention of disease. The program has a total of 467 objectives organized into 28 focus areas. There are special provisions for physical activity, tobacco usage, and obesity (3). The program also addresses issues for employers such as high utilization of benefits, increased absenteeism, and productivity issues, all resulting in high-cost employees especially those who experience multiple risk fact ors for diseases including high blood pressure, smoking, and sedentary lifestyles (3). Top reasons for taking what might be called non-sick days are family issues (21 percent), personal needs (18 percent), entitlement mentality (14 percent), and stress (12 percent). Lisa Franke, a workplace analyst at CCH, says that absences for stress and entitlement taking days employees believe they have earned are up slightly from last year because leaner staffing levels have intensified workloads (13). Based on these findings, recommendations to employers in the United States are focused around two main factors. The first recommendation from the Healthy People 2010 program is that employers, at least 75% of those in the United States regardless of size, should offer a comprehensive employee health promotion program. The second recommendation is that employer groups should strive for a 75% participation rate among all employees. The objectives of Healthy People 2010 sparked a subsidiary report known as Healthy Workforce 2010 (3). The report outlines eight primary objectives that promote health and quality of life among workers in the United States. Among the objectives presented in the report, the researchers highlighted the impact of unhealthy habits of the U.S. population on the economy and future of the country. In 1998, the report estimates that a quarter of the adult population smoked; this statistic is even higher at 35% for American teenagers. Other vices such as alcohol and drug abuse have cost the U.S. economy over $276 billion dollars as a result of healthcare, auto accidents, lost productivity, and other issues (3). In addition to problems created by substance abuse, the Healthy Workforce 2010 report estimates that over half of the U.S. population is overweight or classified as obese. This problem can be addressed by encouraging employees to participate in regular daily exercise. Similar to substance abuse among workers, this growing problem results in related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and osteoarthritis which costs both employers and the U.S. economy in healthcare costs (3). Other areas resulting in higher healthcare costs and impacting the work area include addressing work-related injuries and providing a safe working environment for employees. Even beyond the deaths caused by work accidents, the U.S. Bureau of Labor estimates that employees experience approximately 5.7 million non-fatal accidents annually, resulting in over 2.7 million lost work days. The Healthy Workforce 2010 recommends employers not only focus on preventing accidents but also increase healthcare coverage, since the U.S. Census Bureau reports that over 42 million American workers are not covered by health insurance, a trend predominant in smaller companies (3). Worker Health in California Studies from the State of California Department of Health (14) reported similar findings at the national level. The larger issues that appear to be problematic in the State of California involve lost wages and productivity caused by diseases that are aggravated by unhealthy lifestyles. These include obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular complications among others. The literature revealed that worksite wellness programs help to reduce overall operating costs from increased healthcare utilization, accidents and poor productivity. Employers also benefit from these programs through enhanced recruitment, retention of healthy employees, and reduced absenteeism (15). The easiest way to address health related issues is to take actions that prevent the problems in the first place. Primary healthcare measures are the key to ensuring a healthy population. Worker Health in Los Angeles County Similar reports in Los Angeles County provided population-wide data on health related quality of life in Los Angeles County and used measures developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track health trends at the national and state levels. The average numbers of unhealthy days and activity limitation days were higher in Los Angeles County (6.4 and 2.4, respectively) than in California (5.9 and 2.1) and the United States (5.5 and 1.9, respectively) in 1999. These differences may reflect disparities in health status across the three populations but as well as demographic differences (e.g., socioeconomic or racial/ ethnic differences) between the populations. In addition the number of unhealthy days and activity limitation days were significantly higher in persons previously diagnosed with depression, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, or asthma than in persons not diagnosed with these conditions (16). Health Consequences for Workers Employees also pay a high physical and emotional price for poor health. Rising healthcare costs are passed along to the consumers who share the burden of higher premiums, deductibles, and copayments. Financial responsibilities can lead to increased stress levels among workers. Employee wellness programs are predicated on the basis that most illness is directly preventable and that the workplace has the ability to transform lives. These programs also decrease healthcare costs through lowering utilization rates. These programs are meant to improve the overall quality of life for each of the participants (3). The Importance of Physical Activity Regular physical activity provides a multitude of benefits to an employee. According to the American Council on Exercise (11) low-back pain is a leading cause of job-related disability and missed work in the United States. This problem results in over $50 billion every year in healthcare costs. Work-related back pain experienced by most people can be prevented with just a little forethought. In high-risk back pain jobs requiring frequent bending, lifting, and twisting, employees and employers can be taught a variety of methods in order to reduce stress on the back and help prevent injuries. This risk of injury increases in those who are overweight, smoke or are inactive (11). Benefits of Smoking Cessation According a report conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (17) over 8.6 million people in the U.S. experience a health-related problem due to smoking. In the subsequent CDC report the next year (17), the agency reported that smoking was responsible for over 90% of lung cancer mortalities and over 80% of the COPD (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) deaths. This is largely because cigarettes and other tobacco products contain over 4,800 chemical, 69 of those which have been identified as carcinogenic. Smoking has also been linked to other serious illnesses and medical problems such as slow wound healing, peptic ulcers, and other diseases contributing to loss of employee productivity (18). Employers have responded by creating smoke-free workplaces nationwide, where employees can be protected from the life-threatening effects of secondhand smoke. In 1999, a study found that approximately 70% of the U.S. workforce was impacted by a smoke-free employer policy (19). But l aws and employer responsibility varies by state, so this statistic can vary above 80% in states like Utah and Maryland or drop below 50% in states like Nevada (19). Healthy Diet Advantages According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) (20), diabetes is one of the fastest growing and one of the most costly health issues facing the U.S. worker. The disease has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, affecting a growing number and percentage of people every year. The cost of diabetes to the American healthcare system is staggering, resulting in missed work days and higher benefit requirements for employers. In the ADA report, one-fifth of the healthcare dollars spent is used to provide care for someone with diabetes, while one-tenth of the healthcare dollars spent is associated with diabetes. For employers, the costs of diabetes increased 32% from 2002 to 2007, with the increase in medical expenditures and lost productivity estimated at $174 billion. Per capita, the annual cost of diabetes is approximately $11,744 a year. Many people do not recognize that they are at risk for diabetes (or diabetes-related complications if they already have diabetes). How ever, type II diabetes can be prevented or delayed for many of those at high risk for diabetes and diabetes-related complications can be also be prevented or delayed with lifestyle practices including maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, and a balanced diet (20). Summary The prevalence of lifestyle diseases among Californians and within the U.S. is growing. Everything from fast foods to sedentary activities plays a role in contributing to this national problem. Addressing the issues requires more than just adding a few cardio sessions every week or walking a little more, the effort requires attacking the problem at the root, changing how people define and move through their lives. Lifestyles changes are exactly that, changes that affects across a persons life and hopefully for the rest of their lives. Many factors contribute to lifestyle diseases include home culture, resting activities, and work environments. Implementing a wellness program at a worksite will provide the support and information needed to make effective changes to the employees health while benefiting both the employee and employer (2).