My Chinese Dream free essay sample

Since used by incumbent Chinese president Xi Jinping on November 29, 2012, the term meaning to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, Chinese dream, has been a catchword. Every Chinese is talking about it. â€Å"My Chinese dream is to get a stable job†, a laid-off worker said when investigated. â€Å"Mine is to give birth to lovely twin brother and sister†, a pregnant woman claimed. If asked, as a grassroots undergraduate, my Chinese dream is that we young people have confidence in and hope for a bright future. Many cases of college students killing their schoolmates draw people’s attention. To name a few, this April, a junior undergraduate Jiang in Fudan University was poisoned by his roommate Huang to death just because of a small quarrel. In 2010, one was killed and two were wounded by student Zeng of Sichuan University only for mocking his plain appearance. A versatile student Zhu from Tsinghua University was poisoned by an intimate of her according to the police in 1994. We will write a custom essay sample on My Chinese Dream or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page How ridiculous these top students’ behaviors are! They are smart and hard-working enough to enter college, but they are stupid and diffident enough to give up their years of hard work and decades of bright future in the blink of an eye just for an ill-considered impulse. They may be top students, but definitely not excellent students. As the old saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. We students should strive for a bright future through our competence, rather than turning to some evil deeds or impractical shortcuts. No one is perfect, so what’s important is to correct your own demerits, not to bear a grudge on others’ merits. â€Å"I worked hard for 18 years, only to have a cup of coffee with you. † This phenomenon is getting more and more pervasive. Nowadays, the gap between the rich and the poor is so big that those born poor are likely to toil all their lives to catch up with the rich second generation. As a result, many young people become cynical and begin to lose heart on their comparatively slim chance of success. Of course they have good reason to think that way. It’s proved that the better family background one has, the easier he gets a job and the higher his initial salary is. There is no doubt that students by no means start from the same point and rich students are easier to achieve success. However, should we grassroots students give up our dreams just because some stupid gaps? Should we lose hope on our future just because we’ve seen through the merciless reality? Should we let down our loved ones and ourselves just because of our own cowardice? No! As young and energetic college students, we must be confident and hopeful that a bright future is beckoning to us somewhere. We just need to stay hungry for knowledge and stay foolish about the cruelty of life. We don’t love life for its perfection; we love life because of its authenticity. Realizing its flaws and still love it, that is real love. Let’s unload unnecessary items, take our Chinese dreams, embark on a raft and start our wonderful journey. Thank you!

Free Essays on History Of Depression

Depression – What is it? Depression is an affliction that over 20% of Americans will experience in some form during their lifetime. It is one of the most common and serious mental health problems facing people today. Many people experience feelings of sadness, or melancholy every now and then. But when these feelings last for weeks, months or even years, it is referred to as clinical depression. Depression can hamper a person's ability to function effectively throughout the day and even eliminate their desire to get out of bed in the morning to face the day. According to the National Institute of Health, in any given year, 9.5% of the population in the United States will have a depressive disorder , with women more than twice as likely as men to experience depression at sometime in their life. Those most likely to experience depression are married women, women in poverty, adolescents, and unmarried men. Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal daily functioning and cause pain and suffering both to th ose who have the disorder as well as those who care about them. Many people begin to feel depressed because of a notable event or events. The events of September 11, 2001 are an example of those types of events. Not only did these tragedies affect families who lost loved ones but also those who may have only witnessed the events on television. The suddenness and intensity of the attack was so incomprehensible that many were unable to cope and fell into a depressed state. Family history and genetics also play a part in the greater likelihood of someone becoming depressed in their lifetime. Increased stress and inadequate coping mechanisms to deal with that stress may also contribute to depression. Depression is not a purely biochemical or medical disorder. There are biological and psychological components to every depression. Types of Depression When people talk about â€Å"being depressed† they are typically referring to... Free Essays on History Of Depression Free Essays on History Of Depression Depression – What is it? Depression is an affliction that over 20% of Americans will experience in some form during their lifetime. It is one of the most common and serious mental health problems facing people today. Many people experience feelings of sadness, or melancholy every now and then. But when these feelings last for weeks, months or even years, it is referred to as clinical depression. Depression can hamper a person's ability to function effectively throughout the day and even eliminate their desire to get out of bed in the morning to face the day. According to the National Institute of Health, in any given year, 9.5% of the population in the United States will have a depressive disorder , with women more than twice as likely as men to experience depression at sometime in their life. Those most likely to experience depression are married women, women in poverty, adolescents, and unmarried men. Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal daily functioning and cause pain and suffering both to th ose who have the disorder as well as those who care about them. Many people begin to feel depressed because of a notable event or events. The events of September 11, 2001 are an example of those types of events. Not only did these tragedies affect families who lost loved ones but also those who may have only witnessed the events on television. The suddenness and intensity of the attack was so incomprehensible that many were unable to cope and fell into a depressed state. Family history and genetics also play a part in the greater likelihood of someone becoming depressed in their lifetime. Increased stress and inadequate coping mechanisms to deal with that stress may also contribute to depression. Depression is not a purely biochemical or medical disorder. There are biological and psychological components to every depression. Types of Depression When people talk about â€Å"being depressed† they are typically referring to...

The Presumption of Innocence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Presumption of Innocence - Essay Example Amid this reality, justice must be the grandest virtue in a democratic society and truth must be its basic attribute. The laws and institutions become nothing and insignificant if these used as an instrument for injustice. The latter will drumbeat the call for reformation and abolition of these structures if it perpetuates discrimination, human rights violation, deprivation of liberty, and if the rights of the citizenry are bargained for elitist interest. Injustice is unbearable. It dehumanizes and alienates us from our political ideals or convictions. Justice is supposed to at the core of civilization’s social contracts. Many political and social philosophers have made noble abstractions and theories about systems of governance and yet they commonly agreed that justice’s guiding principles are the foundational pillar required to safeguard free and rational persons to experience equality as they associate with the rest of the civilization. Through this, they will be abl e to specify the nature and kind of social cooperation or collaboration needed to form that kind of government for the enjoinment of their basic rights and the performance of duties. It also defines the social benefits they needed to relish therefrom. It’s also through this dream for a just society that fellows are able to establish regulations and policies to set norms for social behavior and interaction. Every person must decide with reasonable reflection on what constitutes good and that which is fair against the unjust; equitable against inequitable. True, peoples progress, develop, and change. The nature of social contract for a just society also evolves. The populace social conduct became its culture and the past became historical facts unearthed to shed understanding for the present. Those bloody wars of the past and the conflicts that espoused the evolution of society also alter the course or direction of a nation. Many of those social phenomena required application g enuine justice for social healing and to embody a nation of social cohesion.  

Investment Advice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Investment Advice - Essay Example The share prices of the stocks which are being traded in the market, are decided by incorporating and reflecting all associated information (Quiry, Dallochio, & Vernimmen, 2011). The supporters of the Efficient Market Hypothesis are of the idea that the stocks or shares are always traded at their fair value, which in turn makes it almost impossible for the investors to manipulate the overall stock market by either indulging in the purchase of low priced stocks or selling the high priced stocks. According to this theory, it is not possible for the investors to manipulate or outperform the stock market as the market is efficient in terms of incorporating all relevant information.Efficient market hypothesis is believed to be applicable in the real stock markets by some of the analysts. Many of the financial analysts and economists are of the view that the stock markets are always efficient in terms of reflecting the complete information associated with the different stocks and the overa ll stock market. This school of thought is of the view that it is possible for the stock market to be efficient, as any new information in the market is passed on very rapidly and hence this information is incorporated in the prices of the stocks. This makes it impossible for the investors and financial analysts to take advantage through the techniques of technical analysis or fundamental analysis. This concept of efficient market hypothesis is directly related with the concept behind the ‘random walk’.... EFFICIENT MARKET HYPOTHESIS Efficient market hypothesis is one of the famous financial or investment theories, which tries to explain the general behaviour and trend in the stock market. According to this theory, it is not possible for any investor, either big or large, to beat the market because the stock market is efficient. The share prices of the stocks which are being traded in the market, are decided by incorporating and reflecting all associated information (Quiry, Dallochio, & Vernimmen, 2011). The supporters of the Efficient Market Hypothesis are of the idea that the stocks or shares are always traded at their fair value, which in turn makes it almost impossible for the investors to manipulate the overall stock market by either indulging in the purchase of low priced stocks or selling the high priced stocks. According to this theory, it is not possible for the investors to manipulate or outperform the stock market as the market is efficient in terms of incorporating all rele vant information. Efficient market hypothesis is believed to be applicable in the real stock markets by some of the analysts. Many of the financial analysts and economists are of the view that the stock markets are always efficient in terms of reflecting the complete information associated with the different stocks and the overall stock market. This school of thought is of the view that it is possible for the stock market to be efficient, as any new information in the market is passed on very rapidly and hence this information is incorporated in the prices of the stocks. This makes it impossible for the investors and financial analysts to take advantage through the techniques of technical analysis or fundamental analysis. This concept

Therapy Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Therapy Models - Essay Example According to the paper, in order to achieve success, in this case, is to break the habits and thought patterns that the patient is constantly trapped in. The urge to consumer an addictive substance is so strong that the patient cannot fight it alone. It’s like controlling an elephant that a person rides on. If the elephant starts taking decisions on its own, start moving wherever it wishes, the driver will have no control on it no matter how much he yells and shouts. But when the elephant and the rider are in such an area that doesn’t have anything that would lure the elephant towards it (alcohol, depressed thoughts), than the elephant can in fact roam freely around. The elephant example is just for understanding how strong the urge is of an addict to get his ‘fix’. Clinical treatment models that are normally used to treat such patients include; inpatient and outpatient treatment, extended care centers, recovery houses (more commonly known as the rehab cent ers), counseling, support groups and orthomolecular medicine. There is a huge emphasis on the reasons why a patient chooses drugs and alcohol and why does he keep taking it? If the patient consciously wants to get rid of the addiction than help is almost everywhere however if there is a belief system tied to the use of the substance then it gets hard for the health providers to treat the patient. For instance in the case of Devdas, he simply chose to use alcohol because it helped him forget the thought of his love for a while. If asked, he would definitely say that ‘let him be’ he likes the pain and misery he is in. Treating such patients can be more difficult than normal addicts, quite contrary to Cynthia (our imaginary patient who came to the clinic herself). She is seeking help and desperately wants to get rid of her chronic depression.

Implications of Single Parent Families

Implications of Single Parent Families The issue of single parenthood has been of much discussion if many societies in the recent past mainly to the increment of these families and the perceived inability of the failure of societies to stop this (Booth, Crouter 2002). In many societies, the nature of life with relations to jobs, interaction, life expectations and extended families may give rise to or create an environment that is deemed to be conducive for the existence single parents (Antecol, Bedard 2005, Ray 2010). In the view of this essay, single parent families pose different implications to different societies in the world which can again be defined by income levels, religious affiliations, geographical disposition and even technological development levels (Cheal 2003), this is to say that, there are certain implications that may be prevalently negative due in technologically advanced societies and not necessarily with the same intensity in economically deprived societies or deeply religious societies. The view held by this essay is that, generally, single parent families pose various negative implications to the societies as a whole. This essay will therefore describe what single parent families are, also, the essay will briefly discuss the rise of single parent families and provide an elaborate evaluation about the implications and lastly provide an evaluation about what could be done to deal with these implications. Single parent families Single parent families may be described as those families that have only one member of the parents being represented and not both the parent and conventionally, this may imply that either the father or the mother is absent and the children are brought up by the other parent (Cavanaugh, Fields 2006). According to Deleire, Kalil (2010), a single parent family is a family that appears normal in representation but with the absence of a resident member of the parents being either the mother or the father. It is however important to develop an understanding about what parentage means, as this will facilitate the creation of a more holistic view of the concept. This is because, while (Furlong, Cartmel 2007), viewed parents as both the man and the woman who live together and hence both take an active part in raising the children and keeping the family together, (Hantrais, Flipov, Billari 2006), notes that that is a view that is conventionally confined to straight families that leaves the homosexual parents out of its definition and is hence limited. According to Campbell et al (2008), the rise of homosexuality, especially in developed economies is increasingly ruling out the conventional definition that includes man and woman. Another view that has been taken by (Hayslip, Kaminski 2008), notes that by stating that the man and woman must be living together, the subjective problem is that these must be under one roof for most of their day or week, which is increasingly becoming impossible when the need to provide for the family increasingly leading to parents living apart as they seem to fend for their families. Could this arrangement be termed as single parentage? Probably the definition given by (Paterson 2001), is more acceptable as it brings about the psychological and physical aspect of this family composition, because, this definition views single parents as those who are physically and emotionally detached from each other and hence one or each of the parents look after all or some of the children, as the outcome of separation for the other partner. The causes The view held by Bradshaw (2003), and Deleire, Kalil (2010), is that it is not possible to understand the implications of single parent families without identifying the cause of existence of such families. The following are the causes of the rise in single parent families; First, death of the is the primary cause of these families since death of the parent deprives the family of one of the parents. Therefore in societies where terminal illnesses are prevalent or where death rates are higher, the probability of having many single parents and hence such families is also very high (Edwards 2009). But at this point it is important to note that the existence of single parent families as a result of death may only be temporary if the widow or widower remarries after a period of mourning, which may extend to a few years, therefore, single parentage only arises when there is no re-marriage. In many a society, depending on the ages of the widow (er), re-marriage may be an option, also, and this is to imply that if the marriage takes place when the children are already old and have left the house, the case of single parentage may not arise since in the view of Egeland, Carlson, Sroufe (2009), single parentage exist where children are still in the care of the par ents. Secondly, according to Hayslip, Kaminski (2008), divorce, which may be caused by a multitude of reasons, is another case for single parentage. This is because, divorce leads to estrangement of the partners and this leaves one of the partners with the duty of taking care of the children. The increased rise in divorce cases, which is caused by disagreements or as is in the recent past, mutual agreements, leads to the aforesaid single parentage. Divorce cases are on the increase in all societies both the Western and Orient, the rich and poor across the globe (Hill, Hill 2003). Third, economic reasons (Heckman 2008, Melchior et al. 2009) which come about by the need to stay apart, sometimes for weeks or months or even years hence leading one of the partners to have sole responsibility for upbringing, but this may be disputed since the other partner, mainly the man, still parents the children indirectly by sending money and issuing instructions (Hutchings et al 2007). But as noted earlier, single parentage has much to do with psychological imbalance than just the presence of one of the partners and the continued absence of one of the parents may mean that the each of the parents and even the children experience the psychological imbalance that exists (Ray 2010). Fourth, decayed moral fabric of many societies have lead to early or unwanted pregnancies which in turn leads to single mothers having to take full responsibilities of their children as the supposed fathers are either not known or are simple not ready to take responsibilities for parentage (Rimm, Rimm 2008). In this case, according to (Cheal 2003) societal vices like wartime rape cases are also immoral and when they lead to pregnancies, then single parentage arises. Fifth, religious beliefs, according to (Furlong, Cartmel 2007), some religious beliefs may lead to women having to give birth as the options of abortion is not considered and as such when this happens then they may be left to deal with child raising on their own. According to (Rimm, Rimm 2008), this belief is predominant in the Catholic denomination of the Christian faith where, even family planning methods are not entertained. Sixth, adoption cases are also on the rise and these also causing the non-biological existence of single parentage when the children are adopted by one person (Bradshaw 2003). Since most laws on adoption do not curtail this practice to the existence of both the parents (Cavanaugh, Fields 2006) and (Ray 2010), it is increasingly becoming easy to adopt by individual. Seventh, the sense of independence that is now sought after by many women who may not wish to have their own children but not under the control of anyone else has also contributed to the rise of such families (Egeland, Carlson, Sroufe (2009) and (Furlong, Cartmel 2007). The view held by this essay is that, for this to happen, the mother must be assured of their ability to take care of their children especially to provide for their material needs (Hayslip, Kaminski 2008). This is therefore a major cause for the rise in relatively developed economies where jobs can be created then in developing economies. The factors given above denote that there are many reason causing rise of single parent families and most of which are beyond the control of the parent or even the state, but, the state can, to some extent have effective measures of dealing with this situation although this may take time, for instance change the tax benefit system for single families may not be an easy process as it is political, but (Cheal 2003), notes that this can only go to a certain extent but will not hold families which are in marital problems together. The Implications As seen in the discussion above, there are various cause of single parentage and these hence mean that the implications are also many as given below; First, single parent families deprive the children of the benefits of having the other parent (McBride 2006). This according to Hall and Hall (2007), Osberg (2003), may lead to serious behavioural problems cased by the sense of deficiency, which the child realises through his/her peers. For instance, according to the research by (McLanahan 2000), lack of father figure may often lead to behavioural problems by the children, which may make them to start having problems with the law at a very early age. However, (Peele 2004), made an attempt to state that behavioural problems might be caused by any factor and not necessarily lack of the father figure, but this view has been contested by (Pounds 2007), who noted that the father figure may be found in the mother and hence, the view held here is that the child grows to note a difference between him/her with other children and it is this psychological knowledge of abnormality that makes the child to have tendencies of negative reaction and begin to be on the wrong side of the law. Secondly, as a result of having problems with the law, the government may be forced to spend a lot of money on rehabilitation and this may hence mean that in serious case scenario, the government will have to allocate more money to the social welfare department and activities at the expense of other development allocations (Tanner 2003). According to (McLanahan 2000) and (Cheal 2003), this is a major problem since the allocations to this department are not productive either in the short or the long term. According to Yarber, Sharp (2010), when children are taken into custody for correction, they may not necessarily respond positively to this custodial correction and on the contrary, they may become rebellion and the purpose will have been defeated. However, (Deleire, Kalil 2010), noted that this is a problem with less scientific ways of rehabilitation that leave children to feel like criminals than potentially productive members of the society. Thirdly, single parentage may result in unnecessary allocations of benefits to the single parents in a welfare state (Telegraph 2009, BBC News 2007 and Thisismoney 2009). This is a terrible outcome on many fronts. In the view of this essay, tax benefits on single parents bring about single families that encourage child vices as held in the first and second part above, and at the same time takes away money from the exchequer in an unproductive ways leading to serious deficit problems which the UK is facing currently (BBC News 2007). This is seen as the social problems that extend to political problems in the society and this to many a normal families becomes an unfortunate situation since it appears that single parentage is rewarded and normal parentage is punished ((Booth, Crouter 2002). According to (Rimm, Rimm 2008), the reason the benefits which lead to budgetary imbalances are unfair when given to most of the single parents is that the system will most certainly stand to be abuse d by those who know how to do so. Also it is generally impossible for the governments to know for certainty who of the single parents are in their situations in a genuine way and lastly, there will be no way of having in place a more effective control measures to compromise the parents or even to ensure that the society is trained on the importance of a normal family when there is seemingly more advantages of staying single than in a family (Wang, Benard 2004 ). Fourth, single parent families exposes the parent or the children or both to abuses especially if the parent is the mother and not the father (Deleire, Kalil 2010), this is the view that is also held by (Yarber, Sharp 2010, Rimm, Rimm 2008), who stated that when the children are left with the mother alone, chance are that the society will note the vulnerability of this entire family and those who wish to exploit them will do so in various ways (Furlong, Cartmel 2007) for instance a supposedly caring boyfriend or partner may abuse the children due to lack of real parentage attachment to them. The mothers may also be under severe abuse as a result of this and while this is not to suggest that the abuse is often physical, but they may be taken advantage of either due to their money or property after which they will be left in a sorry state (McLanahan 2000). According to (Deleire, Kalil 2010), the probability of suffering by single mothers is higher than the women in a normal relationshi p, since these single mothers and even their children are viewed to have no where to go to (Wu 2009). However, Deleire, Kalil (2010), noted that such abuses, as much as they exist in many a society, they are more prevalent in the developing than developed societies, because, in developed societies certain infrastructure exist that may discourage such instances for instance, quick police responses and CCTVs which when coupled with increased profiling, may deter violent abuses, this is not the case in the developing economies. Fifth, according to McLanahan (2000) and Swick, Williams (2010) single parent families are bound to have increased stress than a normal family due to the lack of shared responsibilities. This is a crucial problem in that, in single parent families, the lone father or mother bears all the burden of parentage, including fending for the family and looking after the children interest (Wu 2009). According to Swick, Williams (2010), this causes the parent to provide less than sufficient attention to the children and to snap at minor provocation which may affect the childs psychology due to abuses, beatings and even serious sufferings that might be inflicted on to the children who may suffer in silence (Wang, Benard 2004). While this view has also been supported by (Furlong, Cartmel 2007) and (Deleire, Kalil 2010) who noted that such parents cause problems to themselves and to their children, (Cavanaugh, Fields 2006) and (Jackson, Preston, Franke, 2010), have not supported it and they state that stress can exist more in a normal family than in a single parent family and it all depends on what the parent is doing and not the state of the parent. This is because; most single parents are resilient and can bear stress in a far better way than normal parents. Sixth as their parents are stressed, children may hence be stressed too which may affect their ability to perform well in school. This is because; children may not be able to handle the psychological pressures that come with stress, which may be translated to mean deprivation and withdrawal (Wang, Benard 2004), these children are more likely to experience serious dysfactionalities and absent-mindedness which are also psychological in nature and hence loss concentration in the classroom (Anderson A., et al 2008), however, (Wu 2009), seriously disputes this notion by stating that children in abusive but normal families are the ones who may show such tendencies as they live in the terror of abusive parents. This seem to be a more credible point of view as the children in such families are left with little option if they view, for instance, their mother to be helpless and their fathers to be monsters (Cavanaugh, Fields 2006), this may not exist in single parent families. According to (Ri mm, Rimm 2008), the main implication in this case is that the children who may wish to compare themselves to their mates, may find themselves lacking especially if they also come across teachers who talk about the parent that is not in the childs life (Jackson, Preston, Franke, 2010). According to the research conducted by (Zastrow, Karen 2009), in Denmark, on an average, the children from single parent backgrounds were found to be performing poorly in the classroom than those in the normal families, however, this research produced an interesting finding by stating that, on average, the performance was worst soon after the parents have split and as the child recovers from the shock, they, mentally accept the reality if it is explained clearly to them and their performance may improve (Wang, Benard 2004). (McLanahan 2000), took a very different point of view by stating that childs performance has nothing to do with their family set-ups but everything to do with the schools that they are studying in, because, good schools which are sought after produced an average of better results with higher grades for every child (Melchior et al. 2009) as opposed to the average schools. Seventh, according to (Furlong, Cartmel 2007), single parents families may cause a spiral effect on the future generations by having children who develop greater tendencies to being single parents themselves as they grow to learn to be the mother and father of their families at the same time. This, according to (Cavanaugh, Fields 2006), is a positive implication in creating a resilient society, but, according to Yarber, Sharp (2010), the resilience is to the extent of the child being able to handle pressure in the future at work but not positive in encouraging a normal family existence (Melchior et al. 2009 ). According to (Rimm, Rimm 2008, Yarber, Sharp 2010), the ability to act as a mother and father at the same time has nothing whatsoever to do with positive societal framework and resilience does not replace the discipline and order that can exist with the existence of both the parents, therefore, this notion of resilience is self defeating. Eighth, according to the research conducted by (Zastrow, Karen 2009) and (McLanahan 2000), single parent families face serious economic deprivation, poverty and even exposure to vices like prostitution, theft and greater likelihood of suicide. The study here was related to material problems that the single parents face and it was found that when there is shared responsibilities, the family may sustain unlike if such is not present (Rimm, Rimm 2008). This is because, in a single parent family, the source of income may be one especially in cases where one partner died or where there was unwanted pregnancy, this may lead to deprivation where children lack what they need and when this prevails, and stress comes in, the tendency to resort to extreme measures (Melchior et al. 2009). Prostitution is one of the common ways of fighting poverty when other measures seem to have failed (Jackson, Preston, Franke, 2010), also, in worse cases, suicides may be the way out of misery by both the paren t and the child(ren), and these are practices that do not only wreck the single parent family but also the normal families (Jackson, Choi, Bentler 2009). Discussion and Conclusion This essay has managed to highlight various issues that relate to single parenthood as they affect various societies. Single parenthood is a major problem that confronts all societies alike. It is the view of this essay that the implications can only be dealt with if the causes are identified. As seen in this essay, the main causes of this situation range from family disagreements to natural causes to political factors of the welfare state, these are far reaching and hence with much more greater implications and it may not be possible to adopt a single method of tackling these as the approach has to be multi faceted. The best way to tackle the problem of single parenthood is to ensure that the social and moral fabric is addressed (Rimm, Rimm 2008, Yarber, Sharp 2010), and the view of this discussion is that for this to be done, the schools must be encouraged to adopt curricula that educates and instils on the children the importance of family without seeking to find out how their families are composed, this will cause sanity to the moral thinking of the society and as the generation ages, the importance of family will be glorified (Melchior et al. 2009). Also, religious based organisations must be consulted and asked to help by having their teachings geared towards family cohesion and not family breakages, this however requires the society to be more responsive to religious calls which may not be a major issue sin many societies. Also, the rules that make divorce easy and benefiting especially to the other partner who goes to share half the wealth must be re-discussed and changes adopted (Yarber, Sharp 2010), in the UK, the mother is generally given the duty to look after the children while in the USA (Rimm, Rimm 2008), this duty is shared with the father also taking part, this is in the case of divorces, the shared responsibility may reduce the vices that children may show since they still enjoy the company and teachings of the parents. However, in the cases of death, it is obvious that there cannot be any arrangement of custodial rights for the other party as they are not there, but this calls for strengthening the community spirit, so that the whole society can be charged with the duty of taking care of the children (Booth, Crouter 2002, Yarber, Sharp 2010), of course schools can only play a limited role and the extended family needs to take an active role, yet, it must be realised that this cannot be forc ed either, however, the government can to some extent facilitate this by reducing the benefits given to the single parents who choose to do so simply to benefit from the tax benefits, this will lead to more reliance on family and lastly, foster caring should be vetted and allowed for normal families alone as a way of placing the child in a normal family and avoiding future problems (Melchior et al. 2009). Lastly, as seen from this discussion, there are more negative implications of single parent families than are positive ones, which denote that this is a societal problem that needs to be dealt with and it calls for society-wide participation to deal with it. While single parents must be cared for, care must be taken to ensure that this care is not misinterpreted and abused by others who may have other options.

Friends Essay -- Television Shows Entertainment Papers

Friends Welcome to "New York," where the folks are friendly, the buildings never falter, and all quarrels end with a quip. Not to be found on the East Coast, this Burbank, California-based "New York" is the setting of "Friends," the popular situation comedy that first aired on NBC in 1994. With roughly sixteen million households tuning in each week, not to mention syndication of re-runs, "Friends" has become a cultural icon. "Friends" is more than just a sit-com that begins on Thursday at eight o'clock and ends at eight-thirty. It is a living, breathing, fictional reality like a second home that isn't lived in, but lived through. Many viewers talk about the characters on "Friends" as if they were, in fact, close personal friends. They remember specific lines from episodes that aired years ago; they know each character's life history, personality traits, compulsions, strengths, weaknesses, idiosyncrasies; they even remember the names of minor characters who have appeared in only o ne or two episodes (Simon B4). The show is about six singles who "hang out in a New York City apartment, drink coffee, and make jokes" (Chidley 48). Although this simple premise borders on boredom, don't be fooled. NBC has shown us through shows such as "Seinfeld," which paraded itself as "a show about nothing," that less equals success, as far as ratings and viewer approval are concerned. The key to "Friend's" success, however, is not the inherent mediocrity of the premise. Rather, the simplicity of the premise redirects creative energy toward crafting incredibly well written dialogue to be superbly performed by a quirky, energetic, and charming cast. The humorous dialogue, the chemistry between the actors, and the charisma that emanate... ...ood Library. 18 March 2002. "A Cultural Touchstone." People 31 Dec. 2001: 68. Academic Search Elite Full Text. Palni SiteSearch. Goshen College Good Library. 18 March 2002. "The Girl Friend." Rolling Stone 7 Mar. 1996: 34. Academic Search Elite Full Text. Palni SiteSearch. Goshen College Good Library. 18 March 2002. Rice, Jim. "With 'Friends' Like These." March 31, 2002. http://www.sojo.net/magazine/index.cfm/action/sojourners/issue/soj9605/article/960541d.html Simon, Richard Keller. "Much Ado About 'Friends': What Pop Culture Offers Literature." Chronicle of Higher Education. 16 June 2000: B4. Academic Search Elite Full Text. Palni SiteSearch. Goshen College Good Library. 18 March 2002. Wild, David. "Six Lives on Video Tape." Rolling Stone 18 May 1995: 62. Academic Search Elite Full Text. Palni SiteSearch. Goshen College Good Library. 18 March 2002.

Definitions of Justice in the Melian Dialogue

Amidst an interlude in the fierce struggle for power between the two dominant Greek poleis, Athens and Sparta, the Peloponnesian war, there was unrest. Despite the Peace of Nicias, belligerence between the two states did not cease, but rather took on a new face. While careful to remain within the parameters set several years before in the peace treaty, Athens moved cautiously, but aggressively in establishing alliances, albeit coerced, and strengthening its empire. It was at this juncture that it made its move toward securing the small, weak island-state of Melos, which in its neutral independence suggested danger to the Athenian empire.In a move not of fairness, but of survival, Athens offered the Melians an ultimatum: to be subjugated under Athenian rule as a colony, or be utterly destroyed. It is the Melian dialogue which follows and presents the presumed diplomatic debate between the two nations; the Melian people’s argument for their own neutrality, and the Athenian peopl e’s attempt to persuade them to submit. The issue which arises in light of the events at Melos remains to be whether it is the people of Melos’ views of justice which is correct, or if it is Athens’ definition which is truer.By examining each city-state’s contributions to the Melian dialogue, each respective interpretation becomes clear, enabling further judgement on the event’s outcome. The Athenians offer the Melians a choice in their own fate, both of which result in Athens’ domination; essentially, this boils down to the Athenian’s definition of justice lying in expediency for those in power. Not a question of fairness, for them, justice lies in survival, and that which results in the most certain preservation of both the subduer and the subdued is just, â€Å"†¦ t would involve your submitting before suffering the worst possible fate, and we would profit from not destroying you,† (Thuc, V, 91). For the Athenians, thei r own pursuit of power, and that which enables its acquisition, is paramount to survival, and as heirs to this mentality, they believe it only natural and therefore not reprehensible, â€Å"divinity†¦ and mankind†¦ are under an innate compulsion to rule wherever empowered. Without being either the ones who made this law or the first to apply it after it was laid down, we applied it as one in existence†¦ and one that will endure for all time,† (Thuc. V, 105). The Athenians see no injustice in doing simply as their nature impels them to do. In fact, the Athenians see their offer of subjugation to the Melian people as more than reasonable, â€Å"What we will demonstrate is that we are here to help our empire and that there is salvation for your city in what we are now about to say, since we hope to rule over you without trouble and let both parties benefit as you are saved,† (Thuc. , V, 91). Following their belief in doing what is necessary to strengthen th emselves, even at the expense of others, is what brings Athens to Melos.The Melians, contrarilly, see justice as grounded in fairness. They contend that action based in reason is the true definition of justice. â€Å"There is every advantage in your not destroying a universal benefit, but that at all times there be fairness and justice for those in danger,† (Thuc. ,V, 90). This belief in abstinence from aggression without cause is what defines the fundamental differences in the Athenian’s and the Melian’s philosophies. As a neutral state, Melos remained impartial up until it was confronted by Athens, and it is this confrontation which violates the Melian definition of justice.Having not been harmed by the Melians, nor threatened, they had no right, in the Melian’s eyes, to act toward them with hostility. Desiring only to be left alone, the Melians wanted Athens to accept their neutrality and depart, â€Å"You would not tolerate our staying neutral, frien ds not enemies, but allies of neither side? † (Thuc. , V, 94). According to the Melian definition of justice, Athens has no reason or right to inflict any harm upon them, nor to coerce them into the loss of their independence.Having had no desire to take part in the war between Athens and Sparta, Melos’ conception of justice was disregarded as Athens imposed their own definition of justice upon the island-state, at which point, Melos was forced to fight. The results of Athenian’s view on justice are exemplified its being an empire state holding power over many and acting with aggression when the opportunity for greatness is before it. Holding justice to be that which benefits the strong, the building of an empire serves to allow the mother nation-state to collect monetary benefits and resources from those states which it dominates.This collection enables the powerful polis to become more so and then further its sphere of influence. Additionally, this definition o f justice permits an ambitious city-state to spread, conquering not only the states which stand in direct opposition, but also any that could serve as a barrier to reaching absolute greatness. The Melian’s definition of greatness, likewise, serves to explain its position as an isolationism island city-state. In order to act justly, in accordance with Melian belief, a nation-state must act with aggression only in instances where it is necessary for the safety and welfare of its citizens and only as defensive.Justice would require the respect of a peaceable state’s existence, and the humane treatment of all wartime participants. A just state could not openly provoke another state without cause, nor upset its independence. Ultimately, it was not only a question of justice which lead to the genocide at Melos, but also one of power. It was the Athenian’s drive for power, especially control over others, which lead to its provocation of the Melians, and in fact, their definition of justice nearly demanded it.Under the belief in that which served its own benefit as justice, Athens was spurred toward the indispensable pursuit of power, specifically power over the Melians. The Melian philosophy of neutrality and fairness is in direct opposition to this bellicose ideology. At its heart, the fundamentals of Melian justice conflict with the pursuit of power, i. e. , dominance over others and therefore with Athens, resulting in an insurmountable discrepancy over which their negotiations are futile to transcend.Though the Melian dialogue is a primarily fictional account of a conversation written by a former Athenian, it is clear that the definition of justice that is favored in Thucydides’ account is that of the Melians. Logical and noble, it is the Melian’s defenses of their own interests that wins out as the stronger, while leaving the Athenians’ assertions of justice sounding brutish, pessimistic, and altogether contrary to modern conceptions of justice. It is the Melian’s definition which wins out as truly virtuous and altruistic, exactly what justice should be.

Free Essays on Child Abuse

Most of us find it difficult to imagine how anyone could abuse infants and children. We can’t comprehend it. It doesn’t to us. In the past, our society has tried to deny it and pretend that such abuse did not exist. However, child abuse has been of the most prominent and acknowledged problems in Americans society. For many years, the enormity of the problem was simply inconceivable. Two factors brought the concerns and difficulties associated with abuse to the forefront of social consciousness. First was admitting the problems of child abuse. The second, acknowledging that abuse is present in families of all cultures, religions, and socioeconomic classes.1Experts now recognize abuse as a severe problem with potentially harmful and even devastating effects on children and adults who were abused children.2 Popular and clinical writings use varying definitions of child abuse. For the most part, child abuse includes physical harmful contact ranging from fondling to rape, neglect of physical well-being, and emotional harm through verbal abuse.3 Often children are victims of several forms of mistreatment. Not every abused child develops emotional or psychiatric problems. However, child abuse does seem to increase the likelihood of several difficulties.4 This may include aggression toward or avoidance of others, hyperactivity, anxiety, emotional withdrawal, mild to severe delays in physical and emotional growth, and sexualized behaviors. 5 Clearly, abuse contributes to a child’s concept of life. This may include a sense of loss of a good and just world, a negative outlook, and a lack of trust in others or self. 6 Children thrive on the sense of the mother and father being good, caring and all powering. When this person is abusive that interferes with the sense of goodness and fairness. Children feel fearful to their parents’ powerfulness.7 They lose their security. This makes these children more vulnerable to other abuses. N... Free Essays on Child Abuse Free Essays on Child Abuse Child Sexual Abuse The problem of child sexual abuse has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. The American media have reported numerous cases in which persons in positions of trust- including day care providers, clergymen, and scout leaders- have been accused (and in some cases convicted) of molesting children under their care. Many of these charges have been made by adults who claim to have recovered repressed memories of abuse they were subjected to as children. Other widely reported stories have involved children being abused- and sometimes murdered- by convicted child molesters newly released from prison. In addition, pedophiles have reportedly lured child victims into abusive situations via the Internet. Commentators point to such developments as evidence that the problem of child sexual abuse in the United States is alarmingly serious. On the other hand, some researchers and social critics, while agreeing that child sexual abuse is a horrendous crime, maintain that the extent of the problem has been exaggerated due to various causes. Media critics contend that intensive reporting of a few sensational cases has created a sense of panic among the public. Others question the validity of the recovered memories that are the basis of many child abuse accusations. In addition, the victimization of children, society’s most vulnerable members, automatically provokes intense anger among parents and concerned citizens who demand action on the part of law enforcement. While such outrage is natural and understandable, some commentators argue that the public’s response to recent developments has been excessive and has created the impression that the problem is worse than it actually is. Varying estimates This debate remains unresolved in part because it is impossible to determine the exact extent of the problem. Experts believe that most cases of child sexual abuse are never reported to authorities. In fact, th... Free Essays on Child Abuse Imagine for one moment that you are not yourself any longer. Visualize instead that you are a young girl; old enough to know right from wrong yet still young enough to be terrified by the dark shadows in your room. It is a cool autumn night and your parents have opted to attend a party which you are not allowed at. â€Å"It will be fine,? they say. Although you already know what is to come. Your uncle comes over to watch you for the evening, and your parents are so pleased by the fact that they do not have to find a sitter. As soon as he arrives, your mother kisses you on the cheek and scurries out the door to join your father already waiting in the car outside. The nightmare begins. His slimy hands casually slide an ebony cartridge into the VCR as he smiles at you seductively. You can feel his eyes worming their gaze through your clothes every time that he looks at you. You feel dirty and violated every time you think about what he does to you when you are alone. He walks over to the couch and sits down next to you. His hand slithers it way onto your knee and you cringe in revulsion. â€Å"Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you,?he chides. Your mind feels panicky as you feel his touch in more intimate places and you scream involuntarily. His grip tightens as he places his hand over your mouth. â€Å"We’ll have to do this the hard way!?comes his intense whisper. You flail your arms at him, but it doesn’t help. His writhing massive body is on top of yours, and you feel so powerless. Eventually, you sink into a sobbing heap and simply wait for his passions to stop. You wait for the nightmare to end. When he is done, you limp to the laundry room and try fruitlessly to get the blood stains out of your clothes. It is all your fault... Abuse: The violation or defilement of; What you have just experienced is one type of abuse that occurs millions of times every year across America. Estimate... Free Essays on Child Abuse With society placing such significance on family preservation, many of the institutions set in place to protect children from abuse were focusing more attention on preserving the family than on protecting the child and the child’s rights. Welfare Service tends to be understanding and view both the parents and the child as victims of circumstance. Even the United State’s Supreme Court based their system around preservation of the family by making their rights of biological parents have more power in the courts than the children’s rights unless the biological parent loose their parental rights due to being found to be unfit (Bartholet 1999). Within this century, child pornography has begun to be recognized as a form of abuse with maltreatment of the fetus being considered another form of abuse. As a society we consider pornography as exploiting the innocence and rights of children. Also the recognition that fetuses are as living, breathing beings and should have just as many rights against abuse has caused the governments to enact laws which protect the fetus while it is still in the womb. Current Day Perspective Even though child abuse has been present throughout history and the issue has been brought out into the public eye more and more during the last century. The issue still remains one of the biggest problems in today’s society. There are many efforts and programs that have been put into place to help children who have already been abused or neglected, but at this time the focus needs to be placed on prevention. Through the years the rights of the children have been overlooked and emphasis on parental right has been the main concern of the legal system. Family preservation has been a main focus for many social services, courts and law enforcement. Even though parental rights are still placed as more important than the child’s rights; society has started to reevaluate whether or not it is more detrimental to keep the... Free Essays on Child Abuse In 1962, C. Henry Kempe conducted a survey of eighty-eight hospitals in which he identified 302 children who had been â€Å"battered†. The survey, which for the first time defined the â€Å"battered child syndrome†, graphically catalogued brutality to young children, many of whom suffered multiple injuries. While earlier discoveries of the child abuse phenomenon had smoldered in the public consciousness, Kempe’s report ignited a broad-based national effort to find ways to protect children. Specifically, it led to calls for child abuse reporting systems, to ensure that whenever a â€Å"battered child† was even suspected, the case would be reported and measures taken to protect the child. By 1966, all fifty states had passed legislation regulating child abuse, all of which mandated reporting. By 1986, every state but one required reporting of neglect, and forty-one states made explicit reference to reporting of emotional or psychological abuse. Initially mandated reporting was limited to physicians, but this was eventually extended to include teachers, nurses, counselors, and the general public. The state mandated reporting laws resulted in a meteoric rise in child abuse reports across the United States. In 1962, when Kempe and his colleagues published their report, there had been about 10,000 child abuse reports. By 1976, child abuse reports had risen to more than 669,000 and by 1978 to 836,000. By 1992, almost 3 million reports of child abuse were filed nationwide, including 1,261 child abuse-related fatalities. If current trends continue, it is projected that more than 4 million children will be reported for abuse annually by the year 2000. There are many different definitions for child abuse. According to the Child Abuse Prevention Act (CAPTA) of 1996, child abuse and neglect is defined as: â€Å"at a minimum, any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional h... Free Essays on Child Abuse Abuse and Neglect 2 Legally, child abuse is defined as physical of psychological injury that results from adult’s intentional exposure of a child to potentially harmful physical stimuli, sexual acts, or neglect (Sulkes, 1998). Studies have proven that most child abuse cases are higher in most homes that are single-parent and step-parent homes. Most people do not see it as child abuse they might see it as discipline. Child abuse rates in America are very high. Sadly, about 2,000 infants and children die as a result of abuse and/or neglect each year in the United States (Sulkes 1998). Within child abuse there are models for explaining what it pertains. One useful model for explaining abuse classifies its causes into four broad categories: socio-cultural factors, characteristics of the child, characteristics of the abuser, and family stresses (Bittner& Newberger, 1981). The main idea of this model is that episodes of abuse are typically precipitated by everyday interactions between parents and children. In most cases children with mental disabilities and those who have temperaments are more likely to be abused than others. On another aspect of child abuse; the majority child abuse cases, about two-thirds, involve physical injuries (Sulkes, 1998). Stats in the United States never lie. In the United Abuse and Neglect 3 States alone, most cases of child abuse involve children between the ages of 2 and 9 (US. Bureau of the Census, 1997). Now, in these cases of child abuse they may start to have mental issues. In conclusion, I have personally learned a lot. I feel that we as a society can put child abuse to an end. People in this really need to recognize what they are doing to their children and really analyze the long term affect that this will be causing them. We as a nation can do this we just need to come together!... Free Essays on Child Abuse Imagine for one moment that you are not yourself any longer. Visualize instead that you are a young girl; old enough to know right from wrong yet still young enough to be terrified by the dark shadows in your room. It is a cool autumn night and your parents have opted to attend a party which you are not allowed at. â€Å"It will be fine,? they say. Although you already know what is to come. Your uncle comes over to watch you for the evening, and your parents are so pleased by the fact that they do not have to find a sitter. As soon as he arrives, your mother kisses you on the cheek and scurries out the door to join your father already waiting in the car outside. The nightmare begins. His slimy hands casually slide an ebony cartridge into the VCR as he smiles at you seductively. You can feel his eyes worming their gaze through your clothes every time that he looks at you. You feel dirty and violated every time you think about what he does to you when you are alone. He walks over to t he couch and sits down next to you. His hand slithers it way onto your knee and you cringe in revulsion. â€Å"Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you,?he chides. Your mind feels panicky as you feel his touch in more intimate places and you scream involuntarily. His grip tightens as he places his hand over your mouth. â€Å"We’ll have to do this the hard way!?comes his intense whisper. You flail your arms at him, but it doesn’t help. His writhing massive body is on top of yours, and you feel so powerless. Eventually, you sink into a sobbing heap and simply wait for his passions to stop. You wait for the nightmare to end. When he is done, you limp to the laundry room and try fruitlessly to get the blood stains out of your clothes. It is all your fault... Abuse: The violation or defilement of; What you have just experienced is one type of abuse that occurs millions of times every year across America. Estimates of abuse range wildly depending on the source of on es info... Free Essays on Child Abuse Most of us find it difficult to imagine how anyone could abuse infants and children. We can’t comprehend it. It doesn’t to us. In the past, our society has tried to deny it and pretend that such abuse did not exist. However, child abuse has been of the most prominent and acknowledged problems in Americans society. For many years, the enormity of the problem was simply inconceivable. Two factors brought the concerns and difficulties associated with abuse to the forefront of social consciousness. First was admitting the problems of child abuse. The second, acknowledging that abuse is present in families of all cultures, religions, and socioeconomic classes.1Experts now recognize abuse as a severe problem with potentially harmful and even devastating effects on children and adults who were abused children.2 Popular and clinical writings use varying definitions of child abuse. For the most part, child abuse includes physical harmful contact ranging from fondling to rape, neglect of physical well-being, and emotional harm through verbal abuse.3 Often children are victims of several forms of mistreatment. Not every abused child develops emotional or psychiatric problems. However, child abuse does seem to increase the likelihood of several difficulties.4 This may include aggression toward or avoidance of others, hyperactivity, anxiety, emotional withdrawal, mild to severe delays in physical and emotional growth, and sexualized behaviors. 5 Clearly, abuse contributes to a child’s concept of life. This may include a sense of loss of a good and just world, a negative outlook, and a lack of trust in others or self. 6 Children thrive on the sense of the mother and father being good, caring and all powering. When this person is abusive that interferes with the sense of goodness and fairness. Children feel fearful to their parents’ powerfulness.7 They lose their security. This makes these children more vulnerable to other abuses. N... Free Essays on child abuse Child abuse is a very common thing in today's society, although not much is heard about it. The abuse occurs in the home where the bruises can be hidden. The emotional and physical scars are hidden behind clothes, makeup and lies. There are four different types of abuse suffered every day by children all across the world. The four different types are physical, sexual, emotional and psychological. The abuse leaves scars with children for the rest of their lives, physical scars, but the one's that cause the most pain are the emotional scars, the scars that last a lifetime. Child abuse is the intentional use of physical force or intentional omission of care by a parent or caretaker that causes a child to be hurt, wounded, or killed. In Canada the exact statstics of child abuse and neglect is unknown, but is recognized as a major social problem. Under Provincial laws requiring physicians - and encouraging other persons - to report incidents of suspected abuse, more than two million cases of neglect and physical abuse are reported each year. Child abuse covers a wide range of parental actions that results in harm being inflicted on children of all ages. The kind of abuse, however, varies with age. Infants and preschool children are most likely to suffer deliberately inflicted fractures, burns, and bruises. This is known as the battered child syndrome, first identified during the 1960's. Historically, reported cases of sexual abuse, ranging from molestation to incest, primarily involve male perpetrators and school-aged or adolescent female victims. More recently, however, a growing number of pre-school victims have been identified. Perhaps the most consistent type of abuse is neglect - that is, physical or emotional harm resulting from a parent's failure to provide a child with adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, and moral training. A common symptom of neglect among young children is underfeeding; an und... Free Essays on Child Abuse In Today’s American society we fail to address several issues that need to be solved. Unfortunately, child abuse is one of the major issues that our country is plagued with, yet we neglect to bring this to the attention of the entire nation. It is often over looked because everyone has a different view of what exactly defines child abuse. To set the record straight there are four basic forms of child abuse: emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse (ICAN). Emotional Abuse (also known as: Verbal abuse, mental abuse, and psychological maltreatment), includes acts or the failures to act by parents or caretakers that have caused or could cause, serious behavioral, cognitive, emotional or mental disorders. This can include parents/caretakers using extreme and/or bizarre forms of punishment, such as confinement in a closet or dark room or being tied to a chair for long periods of time or threatening or terrorizing a child. Less severe acts, but no less damaging are belittling or rejecting treatment, using derogatory terms to describe the child, habitual scape goating or blaming, the child (ICAN). Neglect, which is the failure to provide for the child’s basic needs. Neglect can be physical, educational, or emotional. Physical neglect can include not providing adequate food or clothing appropriates medical care, supervision, or proper weather protection (heating or coats), to the child. Educational neglect can include failure to provide appropriate schooling or special educational needs, allowing excessive truancies, to the child. Psychological neglect is the lack of any emotional support and love, never attending to the child, spousal abuse, drug and alcohol abuse including allowing the child to participate in drug and alcohol use (ICAN). Physical Abuse, is the inflicting of physical injury upon the child. This may include, burning, hitting, punching shaking, kicking beating, or otherwise harming a child. The parent ... Free Essays on Child Abuse Child Labor Child Labour Ingrid Pinto ABC School of Social Sciences Child Labor The 1990 World Summit for children was a landmark, which was attended by 71 heads of state. It was a moment of great satisfaction and encouragement for all the international bodies engaged in their pursuit of making â€Å"A world fit for children†, when 71 heads of state pledged to eradicate polio, reduce infant mortality rate, eliminate the worst forms of child labor and promote vocational training for adolescents.1 Complex Factors There is a popular public opinion that the children should not be exposed to labor tasks including employment at an age, which demands their involvement in educational and recreational activities. The activities undertaken at child age contribute to their growth and development and undertaking labor task at this age is no less than a crime. However, mostly people express this opinion based on strong emotions and the complex factors contributing to this dilemma are not understood in their real background. These factors range from legal, social, political and economic aspects, which extend far beyond the strong emotions. A detailed, careful and empathetic analysis of these factors can lead us to understand the problems of child labor on an international horizon. Powerful legislation, its strict enforcement and the extent of its implementation across the board on an international scale can serve as a foundation in addressing this curse. International studies reveal the magnitude of the grave problem of child labor. A systematic estimate, undertaken in 1985, calculated around 31 million street children worldwide, of whom 71 percent were child workers living at home, 23 percent kept occasional family contact, and 8 percent were entirely separated.2 The contributing factors to the child labor are limitless, however, the vital few factors are external debt, poverty, lack of appropriate infrastructure, economic crisis, and social and ... Free Essays on Child Abuse Running Head: Child Abuse in the Preschool Years Abstract Child abuse can take many forms and has a variety of symptoms. A child who is abused may show all of them or none. It isn’t always easy to tell if a child has been or is being abused. A child also may become resilient. Many times the abuse is a cycle that has started many generations before and each child has learned that it is acceptable to treat their own children like that. It is important that if you suspect abuse to call and inform the appropriate people because otherwise it may go unseen. Child Abuse in the Preschool Years Child Abuse occurs more than many people think it does. It can take many forms such as emotional, sexual, and physical abuse. The effects can last a lifetime. Child abuse can have detrimental effects on cognitive and social development, especially, when it occurs before or during the preschool years of life. Symptoms of Abuse Physical abuse is more frequent for families living in stressful situations, poverty, single-parent households, and high levels of marital conflict. A few warning signs of physical abuse are: injuries that have no reasonable explanation, burns from cigarettes or immersion of hot water, fear of adults or care providers, inappropriate attire in warm weather, and fear of physical contact. Many times abuse occurs because parents or caregivers are insensitive to the child’s emotional or behavioral levels. They have unreasonably high expectations for their children (Feldman, 2003). Psychological abuse occurs when parents or caregivers harm children’s behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or physical functioning. Psychological abuse also includes neglect. The caregivers make the child feel like they are a burden to them and the child may be threatened with abandonment or even death. Neglect is ignoring or being emotionally irresponsive to the child. Psychological ab... Free Essays on Child Abuse The key word in the definition of child abuse is deliberate. Why would anyone deliberately do something like that to their own child? In 2001, 3 million referrals concerning the welfare of approximately 5 million children were made to Child Protective Service agencies throughout the United States. Professionals, including teachers, law enforcement officers, social services workers, and physicians, made more than half of the reports. Others, including family members, neighbors, and other members of the community, made the remaining referrals. More than one-quarter of investigations or assessments 28 percent resulted in a finding that the child was abused or at risk of abuse. The remaining investigations resulted in a finding that the abuse did not occur, the child was not at risk of abuse, or the information wasn’t good enough. Approximately 903,000 children were to be victims of child abuse. Not in just physical but in, medical neglect, sexual abuse, and psychological. To get these numbers down, there are lots of things us as a country can do. We can start by letting kids be kids, and being parents to kids not their friend, but not their worst enemy. Most States define perpetrators of child abuse or neglect as a parent or other caretaker, such as a relative, babysitter, or foster parent, who has abused a child. Fifty-nine percent of perpetrators were women and 41 percent were men. The median age of female perpetrators was 31 year, the median age of male perpetrators was 34 years. More than 80 percent of victims were abused by a parent or parents. The 2001 victimization rate of 12.4 per 1,000 children in the population is comparable to the 2000 rate of 12.2, especially given that the child population base numbers were estimated. Both the 2000 and 2001 rates are lower than the 1998 rate. The 1999 rate is considered an outlier that was unduly influenced by the census population estimates. Children in the age group of birth to ... Free Essays on Child Abuse There are millions of children being abused every year. Child abuse doesn’t necessarily have to be physical, it can be mental, emotional, or sexual abuse; it can even be neglect. Abuse doesn’t only affect the child being abused, but it also affects the people witnessing the abuse. Child abuse can affect the child in many different ways. The worst way the child can be affected is suicide. Every child abuse case is different in its own way. Child abuse can lead to problems and suffering, but it is not always that simple. Every child will have a different way of dealing with it that they think is all right because they have been raised only knowing this. Common effects of child abuse include: Nightmares or difficulty sleeping; low self-esteem; antisocial behavior, including rebelliousness or running away; increased hostility; or aggression. Feelings of fear, shame, anger, guilt, anxiety, or confusion are often found in a child that is being abused. The child will tend to stay away from other children and play by himself. A child that is abused will most likely be abused until they are a teenager and will usually find themselves in an abusive relationship later in life, if they’re not being abused they will usually be the abuser. The child will most likely be effected by the abuse their whole lives, and will need therapy at some point in their lives. But most cannot afford it so they live with the thoughts of being abused all their lives. Many people are not aware of the long-term effects abuse can have on a child. Whether a child experiences abuse or witnesses it, the effects often affect the physical, intellectual, and emotional growth of the child. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. It is a time organizations try to make the public aware that there are children being abused everyday. During this month organizations try to educate people on how to bring healing to those who are being abused. Infants and toddlers (0 - 2 ½... Free Essays on Child Abuse Children have been abused throughout the world for many years. Child abuse is any â€Å"physical or mental† (Rench 163) behavior that endangers the development severity or survival of a child. It is the guardians’ betrayal of trust and authority over a child and the child’s well being. Any serious risk of harm to a child, can be considered child abuse. Some types of child abuse, that children face each day are: physical, sexual, neglect and emotional abuse. Day by day children who are abused have many questions, but no answers, one in particular is â€Å"why†. Children are abused because guardians think that they must use whatever type of discipline necessary to country a child’s behavior to feel justified. In doing so, they relinguish their guilt in the â€Å"name of discipline† (Abuse Child, 1 of 1). Caregivers may not understand the skills necessary to meet the need of a child. Some kids are not cared for in the right way because they were not wanted in the first place. Parents may have been exposed to the same abuse and have not learned have to raise their child. Children can also be abused by stressed caregivers. Children of all ages from babes to teenagers are abused. It occurs in any kind of home and in all types of ethnicity, religion, social and economic background. Abuse has no limits to any age group. Children of all ages may be at risk. Three year olds are often faced with neglect, while teenagers are more likely to be physically abused. Any â€Å"deliberate application† (Abuse, 1 of 1) of force to any part of a child’s body. Children who are physically abused, can also face emotional abuse. Physical abuse can include : slapping, punching, burning, hitting, pushing, biting, shaking, choking, kicking or even poisoning a child. Any harmful or dangerous use of force, can lead a child to have a very low self esteem. Emotional abuse is denying a child love or affection. Children are also being neglected and not gi... Free Essays on Child Abuse Many children suffer at the hands of adults - often their own parents. They are beaten, kicked, thrown into walls, and/or burned with cigarettes. They have their heads held under the water of toilet bowls, are scalded by hot water or they are forced to stand in freezing showers until they pass out. A child could be stuffed into running washing machines or sexually molested, suffer from neglect in the forms of starvation and lack of medical attention, and still go unnoticed by outsiders. In fact, it is estimated that three children die every day in the U.S. alone from one form of child abuse or another. It is a sickening practice that has no set standard of rules to finish off the persisting problem. Different states have different methods and agencies to help prevent abuse in the home, some work quite well while others bomb - a dangerous gamble when it comes to the life or mental state of a child. The precise number of deaths each year is not known because of the extent of most fatal ity investigations that could be suspected as child abuse but are seen as open and shut death cases. A report from the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, however, depicts more than three million reports of alleged child maltreatment practices in the year of 1995 alone. Many more children are living with abuse rather than dying from it, too. So what steps are being taken to protect our nation's children? All states have a Child Protective Services (or CPS) system. This is the governmental system responsible for investigating reports of child abuse or neglect. In state after state, the CPS agency lacks the resources to respond adequately to the overwhelming number of reports it is legislatively mandated to investigate. All fifty states have child abuse reporting laws requiring reports of suspected abuse to be made by specified professionals and others whose work brings them into regular contact with children. Any citizen may report suspected abuse as ... Free Essays on Child Abuse Child Abuse Child Abuse is a big problem among America today. I very disappointed that I didn’t get to hear the speaker on child abuse. Being in the field of education, I will be around children every day, and need to pay close attention to how the children act, look, and feel. As I was going through high school, a girl in my school became pregnant. She seemed to not care about the life she was carrying. While being pregnant she still continued to drink and smoke. Many people may not think of drinking while pregnant is child abuse, but IT IS. Her baby was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, also known as FAS, a leading cause of mental retardation. There is no sure for these birth defects, which can range form severe problems to the less visible problems like paying attention in school. Being that I watched a baby be brought into the world who would have disabilities that weren’t it’s fault, I truly despise parents who allow this to happen. Child Abuse and neglect can not always be seen. As a teacher to children, I need to be aware of the warning signs. A few key warning signs are: Nervousness around adults, aggression toward adults or other children; sudden, dramatic changes in personality for extended periods, and low self-esteem. When a child is being abused at home, it very rare they will come to an adult and ask for help. There are ways to reach out and help them through it. One way to reach out is to; be a friend to a parent you know, by asking how their children are. If the parent seems to be upset of struggle in their answering offer to baby-sit, just show you understand. Another way is to talk to your neighbors about looking out for one another’s children. Encourage a supportive spirit among parents. Getting involved within community is a big key with helping understand and comfort children and parents. In order for children to grow up healthy mentally and physically parents need to nurture the...

How to Get Students to Talk in Your Class

How to Get Students to Talk in Your Class Most elementary students like to talk, so it usually isnt a problem when you ask a question that you will have a lot of hands go up into the air. However, most activities in an elementary classroom are teacher-directed, which means the teachers does most of the talking. While this traditional way of teaching has been a staple in classrooms for decades, todays teachers are trying to steer away from these methods and do more student-directed activities. Here are a few suggestions and strategies to get your students talking more, and you talking less. Give Students Time to Think When you ask a question, dont expect an immediate answer. Give your students some time to gather their thoughts and really think about their answer. Students can even write down their thoughts on a graphic organizer or they can use the think-pair-share cooperative learning method to discuss their thoughts and hear the views of their peers. Sometimes, all you need to do to get students talking more is just let it be silent for a few extra minutes so they can just think. Use Active Learning Strategies Active learning strategies like the one mentioned above is a great way to get students talking more in class. Cooperative learning groups offer students the opportunity to work together with their peers and discuss what they are learning, rather than having to take notes and listen to the teacher lecture. Try using the Jigsaw method where each student is responsible for learning part of the task, but must discuss what they learned within their group. Other techniques are round robin, numbered heads, and team-pair-solo. Use Tactical Body Language Think about the way students see you when you are in front of them. When they are talking, do you have your arms folded or are you looking away and are distracted? Your body language will determine how comfortable the student is and how long they will talk. Make sure that you are looking at them when they speak and that your arms are not folded. Nod your head when you agree and do not interrupt them. Think about Your Questions Take some time to form the questions that you ask students. If you are always asking rhetorical, or yes or no questions then how can you expect your students to talk more? Try having students debate an issue. Formulate a question so that students will have to choose a side. Divide students into two teams and have them debate and discuss their views.   Instead of telling a student to look over their answer because it may be incorrect, try asking them how they came to get their answer. This will not only give them a chance to self-correct and figure out what they did wrong, but it will also give them the opportunity to talk with you. Create a Student-Led Forum Share your authority by having students pose questions. Ask students what they want to learn about the subject that you are teaching, then ask them to submit a few questions for classroom discussions. When you have a student-led forum students will feel more free to talk and discuss because the questions were posed from themselves, as well as their peers.

Economic Impact of the Cocoa Industry Case Study

Economic Impact of the Cocoa Industry - Case Study Example It lies between Liberia and Ghana and borders the North Atlantic Ocean. Other neighboring countries are Mali and Burkina Faso in the north, Guinea in the east, and the Gulf of Guinea in the south. (Central Intelligence Agency) Its principal city is Abidjan, which is the economic and political capital of the country. Yamoussoukro is its official capital city. (Bureau of African affairs) Ivory coast plays a major role in the economic and political stability of the whole of Western Africa, with people from poorer neighboring countries relying on it to provide employment.Felix Houphouet-Boigny was the main political figure leading the rebuilding of the country after the World War II. Consequently, he became the country’s president after it achieved independence in 1960. He motioned for the improvement of the conditions of the African farmers and other laborers. He believed that the path to African harmony was through gradual economic and political cooperation, recognizing the prin ciple of laissez faire in the internal relationships. The country began to prosper with the help and cooperation given by France. Up to now, France remains as one of the major markets of the country. In the 1980s the country's economy began to suffer as the population began to grow. This caused the decline in the county’s standard of living. â€Å"A failed coup in September 2002 left Cote d’Ivoire divided between a rebel-held north and government-controlled south transforming the country from a regional economic miracle to a conflict hot-spot.†Ã¢â‚¬  (IRIN) Today, the Ivory Coast is struggling to maintain economic and political vitality. Ivorian Economy Since the colonial period, the Ivorian economy is chiefly market based and depends a lot on the agricultural sector. Together with forestry, and fisheries, the three sectors account for a considerable part of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and of exports. â€Å"Almost 70% of the Ivorian people are involved in agricultural activity in one way or the other† (Cote d'Ivoire). As a result, the country’s economy fluctuates from time to time, depending on the international prices of its agricultural products, and productivity according to whether conditions. Its main products and exports are cocoa beans, coffee, and palm oil. Other principal exports are banana, cotton, pineapple, tuna, rubber, and tropical woods. Table 1 shows the ups and downs in Ivory Coast’s economy from 1980 up to 2005. Table 1 Gross Domestic Product and Dollar exchange rate of Ivory Coast from 1980 to 2005 (International Monetary Fund) Year Gross Domestic Product US Dollar Exchange 1980 2,121,163 211.27 Francs 1985 3,077,900 449.26 Francs 1990 2,939,400 272.26 Francs 1995 5,490,706 499.10 Francs 2000 7,416,793 709.87 Francs 2005 8,532,387 526.56 Francs Year 1990 has the lowest GDP although the CFA stands strong against the American Dollar. There was no drastic change in the economy until 1990. In the succeeding years, there was noticeable increase in the country’s GDP, but the country’s currency value decreased. Increase in GDP may be due to the country’s oil produce. On the other hand, the slump of CFA Franc in 2000 is largely caused by loss of foreign investors and decrease in agricultural profit due to the civil war. â€Å"To reduce the economic fluctuations caused by price variability, the government encourages diversification in export and intermediate processing of cocoa beans†. (Bureau of African affairs) â€Å"Despite attempts by the government to diversify the economy, it is still largely dependent on agriculture and related activities, which engage roughly 68% of the population†. (Wikimedia Foundation Inc.) The government continues to be optimistic that the

Heart attacks and stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Heart attacks and stress - Essay Example Medicine Net (2010) has reported that if left unmanaged, stress can lead to emotional, psychological, and even physical problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pains, or irregular heart beats (Medicine Net, 2010). Stress can increase both the blood pressure and the cholesterol level in our body which can lead to heart attacks. This paper focussing mainly on stress related heart attacks. In simple terms Heart attack is the blocking of blood flow to the heart due to some problems. Barrier less flow of blood to and fro heart is essential for the smooth functioning of heart. Heart pumps blood to all over our body through veins and whenever this pumping disrupted, heart functions may cease. â€Å"If the flow of blood isn’t restored quickly, the section of heart muscle becomes damaged from lack of oxygen and begins to die† (What Is a Heart Attack?, 2008) Heart attacks are common both in men and women. Different reasons were cited as the cause of heart attacks, But generally it is accepted that lack of physical workouts and changing life styles are the major reasons behind heart attacks. The current generation is tied with so many commitments to their family, society and to the workplace. It is difficult for a layman to manage all this commitments equally well. The failure in the management of commitments may result in increased level of stresses and stress causes many physical and mental problems and heart attacks are one among them. Friedman and Rosenman were the first to explain why specific behaviours (overt pattern behaviour A" or Type A) could cause heart attacks and contribute to coronary artery disease. Stress can cause accelerated atherosclerosis and coronary occlusion that is associated with elevated cholesterol, triglycerides, and free fatty acids, increased fibrinogen, haptoglobin, plasma seromucoids, platelet aggregation and adhesiveness, polycythemia, and accelerated blood clotting (Stress And Heart