Corruption and Poor Leadership in Ancient Mesopotamia. Essays

Corruption and Poor Leadership in Ancient Mesopotamia. Essays Corruption and Poor Leadership in Ancient Mesopotamia. Paper Corruption and Poor Leadership in Ancient Mesopotamia. Paper Jargon being an example of good leadership and Naira-Sin being a good example of poor leadership. Comparison of the two kings will be done with respect to their actions and reasons for their successes or failures, and also with respect to the concept of Me. Finally, a conclusion of what constitutes corruption In Ancient Sumerian will be made. Introduction The Me were a set of rules designed by the gods to preserve harmony and order of the universe. Examine the myth of Ink and Inane where Ink gives Inane efferent duties that comprise Me, as well as the proper aspects of collocation. If Me was adhered to, civilization would prosper, but If they were not followed, collocation would collapse. Primary sources: Ink and Inane Secondary sources: Kramer, Samuel Noah. 1963. The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character. The university of Chicago Press: Chicago. Topic 1 Principles of Good Leadership Examine the Legend of Jargon (Birth Legend and Jargon, King of Ba ttle) Successes and reasons contributing to success. Primary sources: Birth Legend of Jargon, Jargon, King of Battle Secondary sources: Kramer, Samuel Noah. 1963. The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character. The University of Chicago Press; Chickpea. Lick, Secondly. 2001. Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City. Penguin Books; New York TOPIC 2 Reasons for and examples of poor leadership Examine the Legend of Naira-sin and how he was a disastrous leader and caused the downfall of his civilization. Look at his steal that shows him portraying himself as a divine being. Pay closer attention to the Curse of Aged, which give specific examples of how Naira-Sin caused the destruction of an entire city. Primary sources; Legend of Naira-Sin, The Curse of Aged Secondary sources: Elect, Secondly. 2001. Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City. Penguin Books; New York Cooper, Jerome S. 1983. The Curse of Aged. The John Hopkins university Press; Baltimore. Jacobsen, Thrill. 1987. The Harps That Once Sumerian Poetry In Translation. Yale univers ity Press; New Haven Conclusion Kings should follow Me to prevent the downfall of collocation. Corruption In ancient times could be classified as not obeying Me (I. E. Ignoring omens/gods), as was the case of Naira-SSL. Corruption and Poor Leadership in Ancient Mesopotamia. By iguana Me. Finally, a conclusion of what constitutes corruption in Ancient Sumerian will be different duties that comprise Me, as well as the proper aspects of civilization. If Me was adhered to, civilization would prosper, but if they were not followed, civilization would collapse. Primary sources: Ink and Inane Culture, and Character. The University of Chicago Press; Chicago. Topic 1 Examine the Legend of Jargon (Birth Legend and Jargon, King of Battle) Lick, Secondly. 2001. Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City. Penguin Books; New York Cooper, Jerome S. 1983. The Curse of Aged. The John Hopkins University Press; Baltimore. Jacobsen, Thrill. 1987. The Harps That Once Sumerian Poetry in Translation. Yale University Press; New Haven Kings should follow Me to prevent the downfall of civilization. Corruption in ancient times could be classified as not obeying Me (I. E. Ignoring omens/gods), as was the case of Naira-Sin.

How Income Taxes Affect Economic Growth

How Income Taxes Affect Economic Growth One of the most commonly discussed issues in economics is how tax rates relate to economic growth. Advocates of tax cuts claim that a reduction in the tax rate will lead to increased economic growth and prosperity. Others claim that if we reduce taxes, almost all of the benefits will go to the rich, as those are the ones who pay the most taxes. What does economic theory suggest about the relationship between economic growth and taxation? Income Taxes and Extreme Cases In studying economic policies, it is always useful to study extreme cases. Extreme cases are situations such as What if we had a 100% income tax rate?, or What if we raised the minimum wage to $50.00 an hour?. While wholly unrealistic, they do give very stark examples of what direction key economic variables will move when we change a government policy. First, suppose that we lived in a society without taxation. Well worry about how the government finances its programs later on, but for now, well assume that they have enough money to finance all the programs we have today. If there are no taxes, then the government does not earn any income from taxation and citizens do not spend any time worrying about how to evade taxes. If someone has a wage of $10.00 an hour, then they get to keep that $10.00. If such a society were possible, we can see that people would be quite productive as any income they earn, they keep. Now consider the opposing case. Taxes are now set to be 100% of income. Any cent you earn goes to the government. It may seem that the government would earn a lot of money this way, but thats not likely to happen. If you dont get to keep anything out of what you earn, why would you go to work? Most people would rather spend their time doing something they enjoy. Simply, put, you wouldnt spend any time working for a company if you didnt get anything out of it. Society as a whole wouldnt be very productive if everybody spent a large portion of their time trying to evade taxes. The government would earn very little income from taxation, as very few people would go to work if they did not earn an income from it. While these are extreme cases, they do illustrate the effect of taxes and they are useful guides of what happens at other tax rates. A 99% tax rate is awfully like a 100% tax rate, and if you ignore collection costs, having a 2% tax rate is not much different from having no taxes at all. Go back to the person earning $10.00 an hour. Do you think hell spend more time at work or less if his take-home pay is $8.00 rather than $2.00? Its a pretty safe bet that at $2.00 hes going to spend less time at work and much more time trying to earn a living away from the prying eyes of the government. Taxes and Other Ways of Financing Government In the case where the government can finance spending outside of taxation, we see the following: Productivity declines as the tax rate increases, as people choose to work less. The higher the tax rate, the more time people spend evading taxes and the less time they spend on the more productive activity. So the lower the tax rate, the higher the value of all the goods and services produced.Government tax revenue does not necessarily increase as the tax rate increases. The government will earn more tax income at 1% rate than at 0%, but they will not earn more at 100% than they will at 10%, due to the disincentives high tax rates cause. Thus there is a peak tax rate where government revenue is highest. The relationship between income tax rates and government revenue can be graphed on something called a Laffer Curve. Of course, government programs are not self-financing. Well examine the effect of government spending in the next section. Even an ardent supporter of unrestricted capitalism realizes that there are necessary functions for the government to perform.  The Capitalism Site  lists three necessary things a government must provide: An Army: To protect against foreign invaders.A Police Force: To protect against domestic criminals.A Court System: To settle honest disputes that arise, and to punish criminals according to objectively predefined laws. Government Spending and the Economy Without the last two functions of government, it is easy to see that there would be little economic activity. Without a police force, it would be difficult to protect anything that youve earned. If people could just come by and take anything you owned, wed see three things happen: People would spend a lot more time trying to steal what they need and a lot less time trying to produce what they need, as stealing something is often easier than producing it yourself. This leads to a reduction in economic growth.People who have produced valuable goods would spend more time and money trying to protect what theyve earned. This is not a productive activity; society would be much better off if citizens would spend more time producing  productive goods.There would likely be a lot more murders, so the society would lose a lot of productive people prematurely. This cost and the costs people incur in trying to prevent their own murder greatly diminish economic activity. A police force which protects the basic human rights of citizens is absolutely necessary to ensure economic growth. A court system also promotes economic growth. A large portion of economic activity depends on the use of contracts. When you start a new job, normally you have a contract specifying what your rights and responsibilities are and how much you will be compensated for your labor. If theres no way to enforce a contract like that, then there is no way to ensure that you will end up getting compensated for your labor. Without that guarantee, many would decide it is not worth the risk to work for someone else. Most contracts involve an element of do X now, and get paid Y later or get paid Y now, do X later. If these contracts are not enforceable, the party who is obligated to do something in the future might decide then that he doesnt feel like it. Since both parties know this, they would decide not to enter into such an agreement and the economy as a whole would suffer. Having a working court system, military, and police force provides a large economic benefit to a society. However it is expensive for a government to provide such services, so theyll have to collect money from the citizens of the country to finance such programs. The financing for those systems comes through taxation. So we see that a society with some taxation that provides these services will have a much higher level of economic growth than a society with no taxation but no police force or the court system. So an increase in taxes  can  lead to larger economic growth if it is used to pay for one of these services. I use the term  can  because it is not necessarily the case that expanding the police force or hiring more judges will lead to greater economic activity. An area which already has many police officers and little crime will gain almost no benefit from hiring another officer. Society would be better off not hiring her and instead of lowering taxes. If your armed for ces are already large enough to deter any potential invaders, then any additional military spending drags down economic growth. Spending money on these three areas is  not necessarily  productive, but having at least a minimal amount of all three will lead to an economy with higher economic growth than none at all. In most Western democracies the majority of government spending goes towards social programs. While there are literally thousands of government-funded social programs the two largest are generally health care and education. These two do not fall into the category of infrastructure. While it is true that schools and hospitals must be built, it is possible for the private sector to profitably do so. Schools and healthcare facilities have been built by non-government groups all over the world, even in countries that already have extensive government programs in this area. Since it is possible to cheaply collect funds from those who use the facility and to ensure those who do use the facilities cannot easily evade paying for those services, these do not fall into the category of infrastructure. Can these programs still provide a net economic benefit? Being in good health will improve your productivity. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce, so spending on health care is a boon to the economy. However, there is no reason the private sector cannot adequately provide health care or why people will not invest in their own health. Its tough to earn an income when youre too sick to go to work, so individuals will be willing to pay for health insurance that will help them get better if they are ill. Since people would be willing to buy health coverage and the private sector can provide it, there is no market failure here. To purchase such health insurance you must be able to afford it. We could get into a situation where society would be better off if the poor got proper medical treatment, but they do not because they cannot afford it. Then there would be a benefit to giving  health care  coverage to the poor. But we can get the same benefit by simply giving the poor cash and letting them spend it on whatever they want, including health care. However, it could be that people, even when they have enough money, will buy an inadequate amount of health care. Many conservatives argue that this is the basis of many social programs; government officials do not believe that citizens buy enough of the right things, so government programs are necessary to ensure people get what they need but wont buy.   The same situation occurs with educational expenditures. People with more education tend to be on average more productive than people with less education. Society is better off by having a highly educated population. Since people with higher productivity tend to get paid more, if parents care about the future welfare of their children, they will have an incentive to seek an education for their children. There are no technical reasons why private sector companies cannot provide educational services, so those who can afford it will get an adequate amount of education. As before, there will be low-income families who cannot afford a proper education although they (and society as a whole) are better off by having well-educated children. It would seem that having programs which focus their energies on poorer families will have a greater economic benefit than those which are universal in nature. There seems to be a benefit to the economy (and society) by providing an education to a family with limited opportunities. There is little point in providing an education or health insurance to a wealthy family, as they will likely buy as much as they need. On the whole, if you believe that those who can afford it will buy an efficient amount of health care and education,  social programs  tend to be a deterrent to economic growth. Programs which focus on agents who are unable to afford these items have a greater benefit to the economy than those that are universal in nature. We saw in the previous section that higher taxes can lead to higher economic growth  if  those taxes are efficiently spent on three areas which protect the rights of citizens. A military and a police force ensure that people do not have to spend a great deal of time and money on personal security, allowing them to engage in more productive activities. A court system allows individuals and organizations to enter into contracts with one another which create opportunities for growth through collaboration motivated by rational  self-interest. Roads and Highways Cannot  Be Paid by Individuals There are other government programs, which bring a net benefit to the economy when fully paid for by taxes. There are certain goods that society finds desirable but individuals or corporations cannot supply. Consider the problem of roads and highways. Having an extensive system of roads on which people and goods can freely travel greatly adds to the prosperity of a nation. If a private citizen wanted to build a road for profit, they would run into two major difficulties: The cost of collection.  If the road was a useful one, people would gladly pay for its benefits. In order to collect fees for the use of the road, a toll would have to be set up at every exit and entry to the road; many  interstate highways  work this way. However, for most local roads the amount of money obtained through these tolls would be dwarfed by the extreme costs of setting up these tolls. Because of the collection problem, a lot of useful infrastructures would not be built, although there is a net benefit to its existence.Monitoring who uses the road.  Suppose you were able to set up a system of tolls at all the entrances and exits. It may still be possible for people to enter or leave the road at points other than the official exit and entrance. If people can evade paying the toll, they will. Governments provide a solution to this problem by constructing the roads and recouping the expenses through taxes such as the income tax and the gasoline tax. Other pieces of infrastructure such as the sewage and water system work on the same principle. The idea of government activity in these areas is not new; it goes at least as far back as  Adam Smith. In his 1776 masterpiece,  The Wealth of Nations  Smith wrote: The third and last duty of the sovereign or commonwealth is that of erecting and maintaining those public institutions and those public works, which, though they may be in the highest degree advantageous to a great society, are, however, of such a nature that the profit could never repay the expense to any individual or small number of individuals, and which it, therefore, cannot be expected that any individual or small number of individuals should erect or maintain. Higher taxes which lead to improvements in infrastructure  can  lead to higher economic growth. Once again, it depends on the usefulness of the infrastructure being created. A six-lane highway between two small towns in upstate New York is not likely to be worth the tax dollars spent on it. An improvement to the safety of the water supply in an impoverished area might be worth its weight in gold if it leads to reduced illness and suffering for the users of the system. Higher Taxes Are Used to Finance Social Programs A tax cut does not necessarily help or hurt an economy. You  must  consider what the revenue from those taxes is being spent on before you can determine the effect the cut will have on the economy. From this discussion, though, we see the following general trends: Cutting taxes and wasteful spending will help an economy because of the disincentive effect caused by taxation. Cutting taxes and useful programs may or may not benefit the economy.A certain amount of government spending is required in the military, the police, and the court system. A country which does not spend an adequate amount of money in these areas will have a depressed economy. Too much spending in these areas is wasteful.A country also needs infrastructure  to have a high level of economic activity. Much of this infrastructure cannot be adequately provided by the private sector, so governments must spend money in this area to ensure economic growth. However, too much spending or spending on the wrong infrastructure can be wasteful and slow  economic growth.If people are naturally inclined to spend their own money on education and healthcare, then taxation used for social programs is likely to  slow economic growth. Social spending which targets low-income families is m uch better for the economy than universal programs. If people are not inclined to spend towards their own education and healthcare, then there can be a benefit to supplying these goods, as society as a whole benefit from a healthy and educated workforce. The government ending all social programs is not a solution to these issues. There can be many benefits to these programs which are not measured in economic growth. A slowdown in economic growth is likely to occur as these programs are expanded, however, so that should always be kept in mind. If the program has enough other benefits, society as a whole may wish to have lower economic growth in return for more social programs. Source:   The Capitalism Site - FAQ - Government

Influence of Buddhism on Japanese Architecture Essay

Influence of Buddhism on Japanese Architecture - Essay Example The architectural design of Buddhist temples that were introduced in Japan followed the traditional forms that been developed in Korea and China. A number of buildings that made up seven structures were to be found within one compound. These structures included among others the main hall, pagoda, repository for sutras, lecture hall, bell tower, dining hall and dormitory with a wall made of clay enclosing the compound with each of the sides having a gate. In this arrangement, the main object of worship was placed in the main hall with the lecture hall which was construction being used by the monks as study place, religious instructions or for performing various religious rituals. There were also towers in the compound, one housing the bells used for announcing religious daily functions while there was also a tower that housed canonical texts therefore acting as a sutra repository. The dormitories and the mess hall were located either to the sides or behind the inner grounds.Although t he earlier forms of architecture that had been in existence before introduction of Buddhism utilized wood as the main construction martial, introduction of the religion by the Chinese led to novel approaches in the way wood technology was applied in construction. Before the entrance of temple architecture introduced in Japan by Buddhism, there existed simple forms of beam and post technology explored in the design and construction of various structures. This was an important aspect considering the buildings were constructed in a land.

Compare and contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Compare and contrast - Essay Example Programming is a diverse world of symbols and logic where emotions and people stand aside. The addiction of virtual world and the attachment and detachment from the real world, has resonance in it. On the other hand Bill in his book, â€Å"Why the future doesn’t need us†, shares his apprehensions regarding the advancements in nanotechnology, genetics and robotics technology. He significantly talks about the upper hand technology has on human’s capability and the rapid success and progression in nanotechnology which could be used more destructively than constructively. Bill shared his opinion about the ethical issues stirred up due to genetic technology and hence public has condemned about it as well. His apprehensions further lead to NBC era when literacy of GPR technology would be enough to produce mass destructive weapons even with low resources. Thus, it would increase incurable diseases, with lack of work and exercise for humans which in turn would empower technology over human

National Government Essay Example for Free

National Government Essay National Government  is a concept referring to the coalition of the major political parties which were under Ramsay MacDonald,  Stanley Baldwin  and  Neville Chamberlain  they held office from 1931 until 1940. The  Wall Street Crash  was the start of Great Depression  and Britain was badly hit. The Government tried to achieve several different, contradictory objectives which where ones such as, trying to maintain Britains economic position by maintaining the  pound  on the  gold standard, balancing the  budget, and providing assistance and relief to tackle unemployment. In 1931 the situation worsened and there was fear that the budget was unbalanced, which was allowed by the independent  May Report  which triggered a confidence crisis. The  Labour Government  agreed to make changes in taxation and expenditure in order to balance the budget and restore confidence, but the  Cabinet  could not agree on the two options available which was either introduce  tariffs, or make 20% cuts in  unemployment benefit. A final vote was taken on the issue and the Cabinet was split 11:9 with a minority including many political heavyweights such as George Lansbury threatening to resign rather than agree. Due to this unworkable split, on 24 August 1931 the government resigned. Both the Conservative and Liberal parties met with  King George V  and MacDonald, first to discuss support for the measures taken but again to discuss the shape of the next government. On 24 August MacDonald agreed to form a National Government composed of men from all parties with the specific aim of balancing the Budget and restoring confidence. The Government was then meant to resolve once these aims had been met and a general election was to be held. The National Government had many problems during their time in office. One of the major problems they had was the impact of the depression was strong upon Britain. An economic problem they faced was that unemployment had risen to 3 million. During their time in office the unemployment level did drop but this was not due to the national Government it was due to new technology and industries, Rearmament started up in 1936 and there was a housing boom. The national government came up with many schemes such as closing competing factories i. e. cotton; shipbuilding this only increased the number of unemployed. The came up with the unemployment assistance act and the special areas act these worked to a certain extent as for certain areas it was too little too late for schemes like this. But it could not get rid of the intractable million who were people who came from staple industries such as coal, textiles, shipbuilding, iron and steel. These people where the ones who lived in places such as Jarrow where 1 in 10 men where in work. A social problem they faced was that as the impact of the Depression was hard on Britain, there was a large drop in living standards a cut in the amount of benefits people could collect and there was a means test to see if families where eligible for benefits. Which meant fewer families got the ‘dole’ and if they did get it they got a small amount which created the two nations in Britain. As places like Jarrow were one of the worst hit places while places like London and Bristol benefited from a lot of the changes such as they were the ones able to use the new technology and be hired into the new industries and they were one of the few who could afford to buy a new house in the housing boom. There were many hunger marches due to this; the most famous was the Jarrow crusade. This is where many unemployed marched all the way to London to speak to Baldwin about what he was going to do to help them but they were refused a seating which him all they arrived was tea and sympathy it is said. Another Problem faced by the National Government was the balancing of the budget. This was orthodox economics which means it is situation in financial planning where total revenues are equal to or greater than total expenses. This was successful to a limited extent as with all the cuts such as 20% off unemployment as well as having a means test allowing them to save enough money for them to get foreign loans. But only the south of England benefited from the money saved. Social problem occurred due to cuts in unemployment benefit was that there was a drop in benefits for unemployed which led to them having a lower standard of living. They came off the gold standard which made the exports (manufacturers goods) which where imports into other countries cheaper. They lowered interest rates, which helped small businesses, home owners and those in the south of England. Then public sector pay was cut by 10% but navy was not happy about this which caused trouble when the Invogadon navy mutinied. The National Government were successful to an extent but they were limited due to all the economic greatness helped those who were in the south of England and not those in the north which allowed the social deprivation to continue.

Slavery of African Americans :: Literary Analysis, Fredrick Douglass

When considering the slavery of African Americans, few will deny the negative impact it had on the African slaves. However, in his Narrative, Fredrick Douglass makes it clear that several of the slaveholding characters are undermined by slavery—regardless of being unaware of this. By examining the characters of Edward Covey and Sophia Auld, it can be seen that Douglass feels that slavery has a negative effect on the white slaveholders as well as the black slaves. A particular character that is undermined by slavery is Sophia Auld. When Douglass first meets Sophia, he finds her to be â€Å"a woman of the kindest heart and finest feelings.† (Douglass 43) He states that he â€Å"saw what [he] had never seen before†¦a white face beaming with the most kindly emotions.† (41). Douglass emphasizes the fact that â€Å"She had been a good degree preserved from the blighting and dehumanizing effects of slavery.† (43) In fact she does not respond well to â€Å"the crouching servility, usually so acceptable a quality in a slave†¦she seemed to be disturbed by it.† (43) Ultimately, â€Å"slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to [him].† (48). Douglass showcased Sophia’s drastic change in character by using hyperboles, at first describing her as heavenly and angelic, then as harsh and demonic. He notes that, â€Å"she became even more violent than her husband.† (48) So, it can be seen that slav eholding greatly changed the character of Sophia in a negative way. It can additionally be seen that Douglass finds this to be an important fact to make note of by his use of dramatic and somewhat exaggerated language. Unlike Sophia, Edward Covey is consistently portrayed in a negative way throughout his sections of the Narrative. Covey ultimately does himself a disservice by putting significant effort into keeping his slaves in line. The first account Douglass gives of Covey’s behavior—when he sends Douglass â€Å"very early in the morning of one of [the] coldest days in the month of January, to the woods, to get a load of wood† (66) with â€Å"a team of unbroken oxen† (66)—displays Covey’s intent to devise impossible tasks which a slave cannot possibly complete; giving Covey the excuse to beat his slave. Covey had to have known that leading untamed oxen through the woods on a bitterly cold day would be an immensely difficult task for any average individual to complete. He undermines himself in the sense that he spends unnecessary time using his intelligence to devise these plans instead of putting it to more constructive use.

Globalism

I am writing today to inform you about Globalism. I will begin with . â€Å"In 1962, the Canadian communications theorist Marshall McLuhan predicted the electronic transformation of the planet earth into a â€Å"global village†. In the global village, communication between geographically remote parts of the world would be almost instantaneous, and every important new development—technological, ecological, political, economic, and intellectual—would affect every villager to some degree.Social and geographic mobility, receptivity to change, and a sense of collectivity would be the hallmarks of this new world community. Over the past four decades, McLuhan’s futuristic vision has become a reality† (Fiero). Through the decades art has been such a great form of expression for all, from the people who create, to the people who just like to look or collect. Art has also gone through such an incredible form of change. When I think of art I think of Vincent V an Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Donatello, ect. These are the most prominent artists of the last thousand years.But now there is so much more that people can do with art because of modern technology as well as the freedom of expression that, in my opinion, has made artists in this century a little more creative. â€Å"While accelerated by electronic technology, it owes much to a broad array of late twentieth-century developments: the success of anticolonial movements, the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent collapse of Soviet communism, and the end of the cold war. With the elimination of these obstacles to freedom of communication among the populations of the earth, global cultural integration became a possibility, than a reality† (Fiero).We are in the technological era where computers, and simulations do everything for us! We think of our idea, and tell the computer what we want it to look like and the computer spits out something more creative than we could ever imagine. There is only one problem with this method of art and ease of access. Modern industries bring so many benefits to humankind, but it also threatens the global ecosystem we call home. These industries are creating pollution that is damaging every aspect of our lives. â€Å"Sulphur dioxide emissions in one part of the world affects other parts of the world, causing acid rain that damages forests, lakes, and soil.Industrial pollution poisons the entire planet’s oceans. Leaks in nuclear reactors endanger populations thousands of miles from their sites, and green house gases (produced in part from the burning of the coal, oil, and natural gas that power the world’s industries), contribute to global warming and other changes in the earth’s climate† (Fiero). Edward Osborne Wilson is an American biologist, theorist, naturalist, author, and researcher of sociobiology and biodiversity who is a leading defender of the environment. He is a landmark researcher in the study of ecological systems.E. O. Wilson was born on June 10, 1929 (Wilson 1) in Birmingham, Alabama. His early work in biology identifying the correlation between ants (and other animal societies) and human species. Wilson makes great points about the preservation of biodiversity in his book titled The Diversity of Life, â€Å"Every country has three forms of wealth: material, cultural, and biological. The first two we understand well because they are the substance of our everyday lives. The essence of the biodiversity problem is that the biological wealth is taken much less seriously.This is a major strategic error, one that will be increasingly regretted as time passes. Diversity is a potential source for immense untapped material wealth in the form of food, medicine, and amenities. The fauna and flora are also part of a country’s heritage, the product of millions of years of evolution centered on that time and place and hence as much a reason for national concern as the particularities of language and culture† (Wilson 2). This means to me that we need to stop while we are ahead. Despite the wonderful progressions technology has made for the human race, it is actually setting us back.It is making it difficult for future generations to live and thrive. The more resources we use, the less that will be left. Also, with using these resources it causes bad effects for the environment. No environment, no habitat, no human race or any other species for that matter. There are many other people who agree with Wilson’s beliefs. â€Å"The poets Gary Snyder (born 1930) and Annie Dillard (born 1943) share Wilson’s concerns for the natural environment. To essays and poems inspired in part by her love for Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Dillard brings a dimension of awe that has been called â€Å"ecospirituality. A Roman Catholic convert whose outlook is essentially pantheistic, Dillard tests the objective facts of nature agai nst her mystical appreciation of its wonders† (Fiero). As far as art in concerned Wilson’s has influenced many contemporary visual artists such as Robert Smithson. â€Å".. for instance, pioneered one of the most important ecological landmarks of the late twentieth century, the piece known as Spiral Jetty† (Fiero). The Spiral Jetty is a work of art built entirely of mud, salt crystals, basalt rocks, earth, and water on the northeastern shore of the Great Salt Lake.More importantly, and more recently green architecture has been on the rise. According to the text, this is because† Architects have always given practical consideration to the environment in which they build. Now, however, in the face of rising fuel prices, global warming, and the degradation of the ecosystem due to industrial growth, the job of designing structures that do the least possible damage to the environment (a practice known as â€Å"green† or â€Å"sustainable† design), has become even more imperative† (Fiero).This is great because I try my hardest to be â€Å"green† as far as recycling, using my own grocery bags instead of just using the plastic ones and throwing them in the garbage, and also buying products with recycled paper for labeling and their packaging. Being green is important to me as it should be for all. To conclude, globalism is closely identified with a belief. Globalism is acknowledging there are other species in the world besides our own and that future generations need to be thought of in the long run. We must preserve what we have for our children, our children’s children, and so forth.Bibliography Fiero, Gloria K. â€Å"Chapter 28 Globalism: The Contemporary World. † The Humanistic Tradition: Modernism, Postmodernism, and the Global Perspective. 6th ed. Vol. 6. New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. 153-72. Print. O’Meara, Stephen James. â€Å"E. O. Wilson boy naturalist. † Odyssey. April. 2007: 6+ . General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 16 Oct. 2012 Wilson, Edward O. Naturalist. Washington, D. C. : Island [for] Shearwater, 1994. Print. Wilson, Edward O. The Diversity of Life. Cambridge, MA: Balknap of Harvard UP, 1992. Print

Sociology Ch Notes

Are a Result of the collection and analysis of data from a variety of sources such as: Interviews Observations Surveys They are models that allow us to generalize and make predictions Students Need To Be Objective When Studying Sociology Do not be subjective We all have a belief system that can be a problem when studying sociology Remove the â€Å"I† Social Control = the social mechanisms that regulate people's actions – Studied through 3 paradigms: Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactions A paradigm is a theoretical framework through which scientists study the world.Founders of the Discipline of Sociology Functionalists: Augusta Comet (1798-1859) – Wanted to build better societies Recognized 2 equal yet opposing forces in society: Social Static (Tries to keep things the same) & Social Dynamics (force for change & conflict) Founders Continued:- Herbert Spencer-social Darwinism Emilee Druthers (1858-1917) First social researcher to carry out an Investig ation using a large scale collection of data & wanted sociology to be more scientific Ideas and values are the driving force structure could influence human behavior Social Solidarity = The bonds that unite society – Shared beliefs These are important for society to operate harmoniously Collective Conscience = A group's common values, goals, outlook, interpretation of events & identical ways of thinking in smaller societies Solidarity = how connected people feel to others in the environment Mechanical Solidarity = Pre-longitudinal Organic Solidarity = Social ties based upon a functional interdependence of the members of society (we are all dependent upon other, people we do not even know, for our everyday necessities) This is less personal than with mechanical solidarity hen everyone knew each other, what to do, how to behave, and their place in the scheme of things. A lack of solidarity can lead to Egoistic Suicide -few social connections and isolation Alarmists Suicide â₠¬â€œ Exceptionally high level of solidarity places the soup's interests as superior to the individual's. Fatalistic = Too much social control and Anomic = rapid change, usually economic. Division of Labor = A unifying force Tailcoat Parsons – One of the most influential Functionalists Robert Morton – – Manifest Consequences = the intended consequences of an action, LatentConsequence = unintended consequence of an action, & Dysfunctional Consequence = when an action weakens social bonds (a negative societal effect) Conflict Theorists: Karl Marx (1818-1883) – Extreme influence on world politics Focused upon discord and exploitation in society Social change, social institutions and social values are dictated by economic forces Bourgeoisie- Owners of the means of production Proletariat – Sold their labor Capitalism- Bourgeoisie seek to maximize profits & exploit workers Alienation – Workers removed from creativity and achievement, leads to despa ir False Consciousness Historical Materialism Harriet Martinets (1802-1876) – Little recognized – Focused upon Industrialization & Capitalism, class, race & gender inequalities W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1063) – First African American to receive Ph. D. From Harvard. Studied dual heritage & advocated the eradication of prejudice and discrimination Jane Adams (1860-1935) – Hull House – Poverty results from ignorance and structural barriers, not from failings in the morality of a person. John Bellary Foster – The negative effects of capitalism on society and the planet as a whole. C.Wright Mills – Social Conflict (Marxist) Sociological Imagination† = A way of thinking that gives you an understanding of the societal forces that shape your life- how society influences the outcome George Herbert Mead (186-1931)- Founder of Symbolic Internationalism, interested in colonization George Simmer (1858-1918) Interaction amongst people is influen ced by size of group Herbert Blamer – Human beings behave toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things – Contagion = a rapid, irrational mode in which people don't think rationally or clearly = in a group setting. People ‘lose their heads' and react eke acting Howard Becker – Labeling Theory – Human action is related to the labels attached to it. A label is attached to a certain behavior when a group with powerful social status labels it deviant. Deviance is rooted in the reactions and responses of others to an individual's acts. Max Weber (1864-1920) Began as Karl Marx, social class influences our outcomes, but thought that Mar's two class system was too simple. Wealth is important, but so are political power and social status.Discussed the emerging Bureaucracies and Rationality . The Protestant Ethic led to or influenced the rise in Capitalism. The accumulation of wealth is a sign of God's favor. Stressed that the study of sociology should be value free with no personal bias Emerging Paradigms Feminist Theory Gendered and interdisciplinary Exchange Theory Our social experiences consist of a series of rewards and costs. People want to maximize their rewards and minimize their costs which leads to their choice of social action Environmental Theory How do societies adjust to ecological changes (Beasts of The Southern Wild movie). Humans are Just one type of organism sharing the ecological space with animals.

IEP Math Goals for Pre-school

IEP Math Goals for Pre-school The preschool standards aligned to the Common Core State Standards don’t take up geometry or operations- those are held over for Kindergarten.  At this point, the object is to build number sense.  The counting and cardinality skills focus on â€Å"how many.†Ã‚  These focus on â€Å"how much† as in volume and as well as â€Å"how big, or small, or tall, or short, or other attributes of plane figures, as well as volume.  Still, by pairing geometric shapes with colors and size, you will begin to build skills.   When writing IEP Goals for functions and algebra, you will focus on the attributes of shapes for sorting.  This early skill will help students build other skills in sorting, categorizing and finally in geometry.   Of course, to successfully sort for color, shape, and size, it is important to have the shapes in different sizes.  Many math programs come with the same size shapes- look for an older set (wooden) which are generally smaller than the plastic geometric shapes.   2.PK.1 Sort objects by similar attributes (e.g., size, shape, and color).2.PK.3 Compare sets of objects. Determine which set has more or less. The first and third standards could be combined in a single goal because they call on students to sort and compare, skills that require students to assign certain attributes and order items.  The sorting activities are great for young children who have not yet developed language, as they begin to notice the color, shape or size of the things that they sort. Goal:   By annual review date SAMMY STUDENT will sort and compare colored geometric shapes by color, size, and shape, correctly sorting 18 of 20 (90%) in three consecutive trials as instituted by the special education teacher and teaching staff. This would have four benchmarks: Objective 1:  By the end of the first semester of the ______ year, SAMMY STUDENT will sort geometric shapes by color with 80% accuracy as measured by the special education teacher and teaching staff.Objective 2:  By the end of the third quarter of the ____ year, SAMMY STUDENT will sort geometric shapes by shape with 80% accuracy as measured by the special education teacher and teaching staff.Objective 3:  By the end of the second semester of the ______ year, SAMMY STUDENT will sort geometric shapes by size with 80% accuracy as measured by the special education teacher and teaching staff.Objective 4:  By annual review date, SAMMY STUDENTS will sort geometric shapes and compare groups for more or less, with 90% accuracy as measured by the special education teacher and teaching staff.   Instructional Strategy: To begin students sorting, start with two:  two colors, two sizes, two shapes.  Once the students have mastered two, you can move them on to three.   When you begin with colors, use plates of the same color.  Over time they will know that orange is orange.   When you move on to shape names, be sure you talk about the characteristics of the shape:  a square has four sides and four square angles (or corners.  Some Math curricula talk about â€Å"corners† before they introduce â€Å"angles.†)  Triangles have three sides, etc.  When students are sorting, they are at the very first level.  In early intervention, pre-kindergarten you focus is going to be on building vocabulary, not the ability to name all the attributes of plane figures. Once you are started to expand the student’s repertoire, you need to introduce two attributes, as well as comparing small sets for â€Å"more† or â€Å"less.† Patterns The rule for patterns is they have to reappear three times to be a pattern.  The geometric shapes above, beads or counters of any kind can be used to demonstrate and then replicate patterns.  This is an activity that you can create with pattern cards that the students can replicate, first on the card with a template for placing the shapes, and then just a card with the shapes.  These can also be purchased   2.PK.2 Recognize and replicate simple patterns (e.g., ABAB.) Goal:  Ã‚  By annual review date, when presented with a pattern with three repeats, PENNY PUPIL will accurately replicate the pattern in 9 out of 10 trials. Objective 1:  By the first semester of the _______ school year, PENNY PUPIL will replicate bead patterns (A,B,A,B,A,B)  as represented in a picture presentation on a template, 8 of 10 probes as implemented by the special education teacher and teaching staff.Objective 2:  By annual review date, PENNY PUPIL will replicate a bead pattern from a picture, extending A,B to A,B,A,B,A,B, 8 of 10 proves as implemented by the special education teacher and the teaching staff.    Instructional Strategy:   Begin modeling patterns with blocks on a table.  Place the pattern, ask the student to name the pattern (color) and then have them replicate the pattern in a row closer to them.Introduce the pattern cards with the colored blocks (beads) pictured, and places to place each block below (a model template.)Once the student is able to replicate the card, have them replicate cards without a template.

Descriptions and Prescriptions

Descriptions and Prescriptions Descriptions and Prescriptions Descriptions and Prescriptions By Mark Nichol Question: How many dictionaries does it take to screw up the word lightbulb? Answer: How many you got? I’m mildly irritated whenever I see lightbulb styled as two words in an article or a book. (I can’t help it. I’m a word nerd.) That happens all the time, because it’s rarely styled correctly and when I spell-checked this post, lightbulb was flagged as a misspelling. If that’s true, then why doesn’t the dictionary style it as two words? As it turns out, many of them do and correctly is a relative judgment. My favorite dictionary, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, widely favored by American book and magazine publishers, thus marking me as a man of taste and refinement is nearly anomalous in treating the word as a closed compound. And why is that? Dictionaries, like sensible writers and editors, try to straddle the descriptivist and prescriptivist worlds. (A descriptivist describes things as they are; a prescriptivist prescribes how things should be.) They’ll acknowledge, for example, that alright is a frequently appearing variant of â€Å"all right.† But they don’t advocate favoring it over the dominant form – or employing it, for that matter. They merely admit that it exists, for better or worse. And though rampaging hordes of feckless philistines spell â€Å"a lot† as one word, affirm an opinion by writing definately, or refer to someone else’s opinion as rediculous, you won’t find any of those aberrations in a dictionary. They have not acquired even quasi-validity not yet, anyway (shudder). But how is it that one dictionary can authoritatively display a closed compound as standard, when most others and most usage contradicts it? Compound nouns tend to follow a progression in which they begin as open compounds and progress to hyphenated form and are then closed. (Sometimes, the progression skips the middle step.) The precursor of the incandescent lightbulb was developed 200 years ago, and Merriam-Webster’s cites the first appearance in print of the closed compound in 1884. I prefer to think that this particular dictionary happens to be ahead of the curve in granting the closed compound pride of place as the correct form (without even a nod to the open alternative as a variant). But our mischievous mother tongue requires eternal vigilance. Lightbulb may be the correct form if you consider Merriam-Webster’s your lexicographical authority. But the hyphen stubbornly persists in light-year despite that word’s first attestation about the same time as lightbulb was switched on. (â€Å"Light year† implies an annum nearly devoid of gravity, perhaps, and was passed over from the beginning, while lightyear looks as if it should be pronounced â€Å"lighty ear† the same affliction that presents in copyediting, which inexplicably became favored over â€Å"copy editing.†) Meanwhile, â€Å"light box,† which has been around nearly as long it refers to a platform with an interior light source and a clear surface that allows objects placed on it to be illuminated from below still awaits the bestowal-of-the-hyphen ceremony or automatic promotion to closed compound (and perhaps waits in vain). And then there’s the confusion of referring to someone as light-headed yet lighthearted, and of distinguishing between lightening your load and a lightning strike. Such bewildering inconsistency creates a challenge for the careful writer, but it’s to be expected from such a loose language as English. The tip: Choose a dictionary (one preferred, perhaps, by whoever pays you for the honor of publishing your writing), and stray not and don’t sweat it when an otherwise enjoyable piece of someone else’s writing displays adherence to another dictionary’s dogma. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Meaning of "To a T"Hyper and HypoShow, Don't Tell

Elections and Political Parties in Central & Eastern Europe Research Paper

Elections and Political Parties in Central & Eastern Europe - Research Paper Example The modern values of democracy can only be properly protected and advanced through well-established political systems. Politics is a non-violent way of advocating for the rights and freedoms of individuals needed to ensure that each person gets the opportunity to express him/herself and achieve the objectives that he/she has set for him/her. Countries in Central and Eastern Europe have some of the most elaborate and well developed political systems in the world. These old democracies have citizens with a very high appreciation for the values of democracy1. However, the political systems adopted by various countries have huge variations in procedures and the values they emphasize upon. To demonstrate these differences, we have picked two countries; Germany and Ukraine to examine the differences between their political systems. Germany is one of the most interesting republics when studying political systems. During the cold war that lasted from 1950s to 1990, it was divided into two pa rts; East Germany under the socialist political system and west Germany under the capitalist system. Even its capital Berlin had a wall dividing it into east and west regions. However, after the end of cold war and reunification of Germany, it is now under a strong capitalist political system, being a multiparty democracy. During the times of the cold war, the political system was made of only three parties. However, nowadays, with the formation of various coalition parties, the voters have a wide choice of parties to choose from2. However, it resembles most of the major economies in that its parties can be divided into two groups based on the ideologies they adopt. The two groups are either center right or center left. Each of the groups is made up of a number of smaller parties and coalitions. It is very common to find coalition governments taking over power after elections in Germany. Besides the political parties, there are other major components of the German system of governme nt. These components include the executive headed by the president. The president serves the country for a term of five years and can only lead for two terms. The second component is the lower house called the Budegstag. It has members representing voters and elected every 4 years. This house is headed by a chancellor elected from among the members. The third component is the upper house called Bundesrat. Unlike in most other countries, members of the German upper house are appointed from the cabinet rather than being elected by the voters. Each state appoints a representative to the upper house and has the liberty of recalling him/her whenever they wish. It is also worth noting that the representation of states in the upper house is not equal. Like in almost every other country, the German political system has a judiciary responsible for enforcing its laws. It is the main protector of the German constitution. Ukraine was one of the countries under the former USSR. It gained its ind ependence after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. After this, it went through many political transformations into its current position. The Ukrainian parliament is the most powerful organ of governance that the country has. The parliament adopted a document called the declaration of state sovereignty. The declaration stated that the parliament was the only organ with the powers to speak on behalf of the state. Besides parliament, the presidency is the next most important component of the political system in Ukraine. The president has powers to appoint representatives to various international forums and people to represent the president in various occasions and functions. The president is elected in an election held every five years. A president is allowed two terms in office each five years long. Next to him is the prime minister responsible for dealing with various executive functions of the government. The prime minister also heads the council of ministers3. The