Legislative Requirements of Teaching in Your Specialist Area Essay

Working as a Financial Capability tutor my personal and work values are led by the ethos for Citizens Advice Bureau, my employer; here we value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination; our aims and principles set out to both provide the advice people need for the problems they face and improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives. There are many legislative requirements (laws), and codes of practice (directives and professional ethics) that need to be considered in a learning environment. My organisation has its own policies and proceedures that are applicable to the particular environment; these underpin the legislation to act according to the law as defined in an Act of Parliament and usually enforceable through the courts. My interpretation of ones that will effect me as a teacher are given here. The Health and Safely at Work Act (1974) Everyone has a responsibility for their own safety at work and also a duty to protect the safety and welfare of others, this effects every single organisation. Even if the learners are adults there are still rules and regulations that must be adhered to; As a teacher I need to be fully aware of these rules and ensure that any learners I teach are too. I should always make the class aware of the nearest fire exists and advise of who the fist-aiders are within the building. I must always follow best practise and to lead by example. Risk Assessments are also the responsibility of the teacher in order to establish practices that minimise risk and record any high risk activities. I need to analyse any potential risks when instructing activities within the class. It is my responsibility to assess any risk levels prior to commencement of any tasks in order to minimise the risks. If there are any accidents or incidents, I must also keep a record of these. There are then the legislations that are drawn from the Human Rights Act 2000. Disability Discrimination Act (1995 and 2005) Equality Act 2010 Teachers must respect these laws have been passed to ensure that no one is discriminated against irrespective of any disability (physical or mental) they may have or their gender, age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or marital status/domestic circumstances. For the teacher this means ensuring language, handouts and other learning materials are free from bias; and that inappropriate comments are challenged within the classroom. The environment and all support structures should enable access and include facilities to meet all learners’ needs. . I must ensure that any activities I set are suitable for all learners to participate and must not make any learner feel excluded by their disability. Also when advertising courses and delivering learning, a teacher should not stereotype or in any way disadvantage a group of learners. I would also be using Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults training when working with my students. Data Protection Act 1998 The DPA requires any organisation that holds sensitive data on anyone for over two months to register as data users. As a teacher, I need to be cautious of how I store my learners personal or sensitive information. I should never share someone’s personal or sensitive information with any other person. Freedom of information act 2000 As an amendment to the Data Protection act the freedom of information act makes provision for the disclosure of information held by public authorities or by persons providing services for them. I should be aware of what my students can request to see when I hold information on them. There are also three other pieces that I would consider in my role The Further Education and Training act 2007, for its requirements on the LSC and on further education institutions to have regard to guidance in relation to consultation with learners, potential learners and employers. And the codes of practice issued by; NIACE regarding Safer Practice and Safer Learning; these help the student to focus on their rights and responsibilities when participating in the lifelong learning sector. They address issues such as harm, abuse and personal safety when taking part in any kind of learning, outlining things that could be wrong, and giving students contact details if they feel that they need to report any wrong doing, without needing access to the teacher. Also the Institute for Learning Code of Practice for Teachers 2008 Code of Professional Practice, which seeks to protect learners and the public interest and will apply to all members of the Institute for Learning . The codes purpose is to promote, value and develop the professionalism of all learning and skills practitioners. The Code outlines the behaviours expected of members – for the benefit of learners, employers, the profession and the wider community. The code lists seven behaviours for members to uphold; Professional Integrity, Respect, Reasonable Care, Professional Practice, Criminal Offence Disclosure, Responsibility during Institute Investigations, Responsibility to the Institute. These will all have an affect on what happens both in and out of my classroom and must be at the forefront of every lesson and lesson plan for a teacher. They will be used in tutor/student contracting and in appeals and complaints policies, and so it is important that I keep up to date with these legislations and codes of practice and part of my responsibility is to make sure that they are being adhered to and that I know what procedure to follow if this is not the case.

Continuities and Changes in South Asia Essay

In 1450, India was a divided land. Lack of central unified power had caused the frequent invasions from foreign armies or groups such as that of the Muslims, which slowly occupied and ruled the region, the Portuguese, Aryas, and Turkish armies. Yet the impact that the Europeans had settled in this divided subcontinent is diverse and had changed India immensely with their distinct ideas and culture. Impact of British rule had been widespread through the country and had not only affected their political and culture, but also the religious, social, and economic state of India forevermore. India developed into a divided land, due to political and geographic separation, and consisted of small kingdoms that’d drive away various invaders. The small Muslim population controlled most of the political power whose rulers imposed a tax against all non-Muslims affecting almost the entire population. India at this time only holds a small portion of the oceanic trade, but with the Muslims in the north, items were traded from the Middle East and its nearby regions. However, by the 1500’s, the Indian Ocean trade grew and linked India to Southeast Asia, Africa, and even to the European nations. Europeans, especially the Portuguese, were in need for rare materials and in search of trade in the early 16th century. Ports were deployed by Europeans, African natives, and India in order for goods and other cultural advancements to be introduced. Europeans slowly began to administer and control the trade along the Indian Ocean and soon, The East India Company was established in the 1600’s due to Britain’s economic power. Over time, the Scientific Revolution which resulted to the development of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution stimulated the requirement for new colonies and raw materials. In 1858, Britain took control over India and passed a British rule by the title of The British Raj which brought passengers to South Asia along with their cultural methods, customs, technology advancements, and power competence. The British soon began to obtain resources for their industrial needs and replaced local leaders whom assembled factories and textiles industries leading the natives of India to despise the British. Colonies from many European nations were located throughout the subcontinent bringing along beneficial and difficulties in relations of dissimilar political ideas. European paid Indian soldiers to fight against other fellow Indians. Not only that, but ammunition pack also required them to remove the bullet with the process of biting it and consuming animal fat which belonged to cows. Cows were an animal sacred to the native. After switching to pigs, the Muslim residents were discontent as well. This intrusion from the foreign Europeans concluded the Indians with the desire of independence. Unfortunately, the contrasting Indians did not unite to fight off the trespassers, but instead rivaled against each other. Over periods of time, Indian nationalist movements continued to surface. Although the Nationalist movements did not contribute a big role in gaining independence to the country, they did bring a sense of Nationalism among the people. It was because of this Nationalism and Unity among Indians that caused the British to finally evacuate the country leaving behind a Secular Democracy of India. India went through an immense conversion from the impact of the arrival of the Europeans in the 16th century. With its abundance of resources and population, it became a benefit to the Europeans to conquer and colonize. New conflicts were created between them such as that of the Sepoy Rebellion which lasted till the First World War. Superior technology, political ideas, various customs, cultural methods were accommodated within the region transforming the nation and changing the course of history.

Explaining Management Decisions (SPORTS MANAGEMENT) Essay

Explaining Management Decisions (SPORTS MANAGEMENT) - Essay Example Using the case of Karsten manufacturing corporation, this paper seeks to explain the management decisions in a business. While the vice president’s feelings are understandable, it is imperative to understand that a decision takes several stages and considerations before being reached. Secondly, decision makers face situations that require information which might not be available. For instance the situation of uncertainty faces a person when there is limitation of facts. Complexity is another situation that tends to demand the consideration of other interrelated factors. Then, high-risk consequences situations require that one be keen on the decision because it will have significant consequences. As noted above, management often makes decisions with considerations being made primarily about the organization not the feelings of individuals. Thus, managements tend to employ a number of theories to reach this decision. This is section will focus on the steps that management take in the culmination of a decision-making. The first thing a management is faced with is a situation before a decision is made. For this reason, the management takes time trying to understand the situation. According to Nienaber (2010), the reason competent management takes time here is that the definition of a problem will shape the next process. Thus, management tends to be careful on understanding the situation once it has been recognized as one that requires more attention. Once a problem has been confirmed to exist, it has to be solved, and this calls for a solution. However, because of the complexities of situations, coming up with the right decision is not always easy. Hence, the management draws alternatives first in a bid to identify the most applicable in the given situation. Evaluation of the most appropriate alternatives follows where the management closely looks into each of the alternatives. The selection of the best

CASE STUDY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Case Study Example Conversely, the Seven-S Model was chosen as it considers broader external measures of company efficiency. While a variety of diagnostic models could be applied to the Boeing situation, these specific models provide a strong contrast in that one focuses more heavily on human resource elements and the other focuses on external and structural aspects. In examining the Boeing situation, it’s clear that both situations must be considered in considering the organizational framework. 2. When examining the Boeing situation the Six-Box model encapsulates a number of important elements in the company’s structural framework. In these regards, it’s noted that the six elements of the model includes, â€Å"the organization’s strategy, structure, rewards, internal relationships, helpful mechanisms, and leadership (‘Organizational Diagnostic Models’ 2009).† While the majority of the challenges within the Boeing structural framework are larger organizational issues, it’s clear the human resource issues reflected in this diagnostic model are also essential elements. One of the major cultural issues at Boeing was identified as the merger with McDonnell Douglas. The aspect of the six-box models concerned with internal relationships, helpful mechanisms, and leadership are all diagnostic means of considering the cultural challenges that were presented by this merger. In these regards, the internal aspects of the six-box model con sider both the cultural changes brought on by the merger of these companies with previously disparate visions, but also considers the leadership challenges that emerged as company president Harry Stonecipher assumed the CEO position at Boeing. While the six-box model largely diagnoses the internal aspects of the Boeing corporation, it’s clear that the primary areas of concern are larger structural elements. In these regards, it’s necessary to consider the Seven-S Model. This model indicates that the major areas of concern are,

The Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony and Repressed Memories Essay

The Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony and Repressed Memories - Essay Example Although many people rely on eyewitness testimony, there are a huge number of factors which can influence the way that a victim or other witness recalls the perpetrator of a crime. For example, the stress of being a victim of, or viewing, a crime can mean that some people remember certain elements more vividly or psychologically adapt the memory to make it more bearable (Loftus, 1994). Additionally, there is evidence that cross-racial identification issues, meaning that many eyewitnesses have proven difficulty identifying a perpetrator from a race other than their own (Buckhout, 1974). Pressure from law enforcement agencies can also make a difference, as those who cannot correctly remember the individual in question may feel forced to make a rash judgment that does not correlate with the real criminal (Loftus, 1996). Another common problem that comes from identifying a perpetrator comes from the fact that the witness usually assumes that the actual criminal is present in the line-up, and thus will feel forced to choose from one of those presented to him or her (Loftus, 1996). However, line-ups can be composed of a group of people that happen to fit the description given, or those who were in the area at the time and do not always contain the perpetrator (Loftus, 1996). Police and law enforcement can help to prevent this problem by giving line-up instructions that inform the witness of this fact and ensuring that the witness does not feel pressure to make an immediate judgment, although this does not always work in practice (Bernstein, Penner, Clarke-Stewart & Roy, 2011). It is also a common belief that people can repress memories of traumatic events and then later retrieve these memories (using counseling or otherwise), which could then be used in a court of law. This idea is still really controversial amongst psychologists, with some believing that there

Postcolonial literature challenges the viability of the notion of a Essay

Postcolonial literature challenges the viability of the notion of a fixed identity. Consider how the colonial practice of othering is deconstructed in later novels - Essay Example Colonization has the strong impact on the history of the world that gave rise to the several revolutions, rebellions and different social changes in the society. Post-colonial literature has played a key role, in order to get through of the colonial system of the society. Post-colonial literature gives the sense of distinctive social identity and the otherness due the social culture and norms that are the main source of identification in the world since the early days of its creation. Identity is the element that gives the person realization of his importance in the society whereas Otherness is the distinctive factor that differentiates the person and his abilities in respect to others. Post-colonial literature came into existence as an opposition to the colonial system that ruled the society. It awakened the society to fight for their identity by giving them a sense of otherness in cultural and social aspects1. There are three books that have been discussed below in an account to this, these books belong to the colonial period, and they are also the perfect example of post-colonial literature. The book jasmine has depicted the struggle of the typical Punjabi girl of India and her journey of life in order to attain her distinctive identity in the society and American dream in term of social acceptance and self-contentment. Another book that has been discussed is the ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’, in which Antoinette’s has struggled for the attainment of her identity that has been having been perfectly illustrated in the book... The book gives a sense of otherness by being in a society where the number of other communities was dwelling and struggling to achieve their social identity. The third book that has been discussed in these papers is Black Mischief by Evelyn Waugh. In which the main character Seth can be observe having difficulty in

The CAPM is a valid pricing model and can be trusted to explain the Essay

The CAPM is a valid pricing model and can be trusted to explain the expected return on a security. Discuss - Essay Example The followed discussion will be on in-depth explanation of the ÃŽ ² factor in the equation of the model. The purpose of the paper will hopefully be fulfilled by discussion on these related issues to the model. CAPM was developed during the mid 1960s with several assumptions about the market and the behaviour of investors, giving certain equilibrium conditions which allow an investor to calculate the return of an asset for a given level of systematic risk. CAPM makes use of a measurement of systematic risk which can be used to make a comparison of other assets in the market. In order to arrive at the equilibrium condition of CAPM, certain assumptions have to be defined: CAPM is a model by which the relationship between the risk and expected return on an asset can be determined and this is widely used in pricing of risky securities. The equilibrium condition of the CAPM is as follows: The concept of CAPM starts with a risk-free rate (may be yield on a 10 year government bond). With this concept, a premium is added which is equity investor’s demand for compensation on holding an extra risk. This premium is also known as the equity market premium which is calculated as expected return from the market less the return on risk-free asset. This premium is then multiplied by a coefficient called ‘beta’ (McClure, 2010). In the above figure, the efficient frontier is the line which consists of optimal portfolios and is created from the risk-return graph. The Capital Market Line (CML) is a tangent drawn from the intercept point on efficient frontier to the point where the risk-free rate of return is equal to the expected return. The CML is better than the efficient frontier because it considers risk-free asset in the portfolio (Investopedia, 2010). The SML is a line that shows the systematic risk and whole market return at a certain point of time and this line shows the entire risky assets. The SML is very useful in evaluating the expected return on an asset

Othello, the Moor of Venice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Othello, the Moor of Venice - Essay Example Due to his complete trust of Iago, he failed to examine the situation and preferred to be moved by the intensity of his emotions, assuming a full thought of betrayal he didn’t attempt to seek basis on. On this note, one may find having momentary empathy over Othello’s condition in which he finds it truly painful to discover infidelity which he supposed had come so abruptly from the side of Desdemona. His ardent love for her brings to revelation the weakness of a character who has had so much to prove in terms of his skills as a Moorish general in the Venetian army and several other aspects which rightfully place him as a novel’s protagonist. Iago has been capable of executing his cunning, manipulative strategies to get into power without getting caught due to his intelligence and expertise as a high-ranking soldier that he managed to hold in secret the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. This makes Othello keep a considerable amount of confidence with Iago along with the other incidences in which the former was aided by him so it could never be in Othello’s mind to suspect Iago of deception turned against him. On the other hand, Othello instantly lacks trust and faith with his relationship with his love and has allowed desperation to ruin any wisdom in his reservation. He could have acted and moved with thought, considering his position and character, that there are sides to be heard, justice, and faith of a loved one who, by him, was unjustly fated. His unjustified reaction could have been suspended had he employed a meditative trait of a wise

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

Finance - Essay Example Thus the profit of the company is obtained after subtracting the expenses from the total revenue. For eg: The Profit and loss statement of an organization shows the revenue and expenses of the company. Through the process of financial statement analysis the real income and expenditure of an organization can be computed. Profit and Loss statement Profit and loss statement also known as the income statement of an organization is a summarization of the expenses, revenues and cost incurred during a specific time period. It helps the company and its stakeholders in detecting the item(s) for which the cost incurred has increased lowering the profit of the company.1 For eg: Profit and loss statement includes items like cost of goods sold, interest expense, tax expense and operating expenses; subtracting which from the total revenue, the net profit is obtained. Liabilities The obligation of on organization that arises out of the past transactions is known as the liability of the company. The liability of a company may be in cash or in kind which is repayable both in short and long time span. For eg: Accounts Payable, Interest Payable, Promissory notes payable, etc. are part of the liabilities of a company. Invoices An invoice is a form of bill which is paid to the seller by the buyer of the product or services. The invoice contains the details of the quantities, product and the price agreed upon by both the seller and the buyer of the product.2 For eg: An invoice is a sales invoice from the seller’s side while it becomes a purchase invoice from the buyer’s side. Ledgers A ledger is a book of accounts where the daily monetary transactions are recorded by debiting and crediting the accounts as per requirement. The entries made in the journal finally get transferred to a separate ledger account for the creation of the final accounts of a company. For eg: Sales Ledger, Purchase Ledger, General ledger, etc. Cash flow Cash flow is the movement of cash into or o ut of the business. Cash flow is used to compute the net present value, internal rate of return and the rate of return of a company. Thus the risk associated with the project can be determined with the help of cash flow of a company.3 For eg: Operational cash flow, investment cash flow and financing cash flow. Financial audit The financial audit is the verification of the financial statements of the company in tandem with the generally accepted accounting principles of the company. The purpose of financial audit of a firm is to increase the confidence of the stakeholders of the company who are intended to use the financial statements.4 For eg: The financial systems that are audited are the final accounts of the company which include the income statement, the cash flow and the balance sheet of the company. Answer 2 Answer 3 A manager ensures that legislative requirements for financial management are compiled with to the extent of achieving the budget targets agreed by the Australian Taxation Office whereby the costs are limited over which they have control. The manager of the organization verifies the information obtained is relevant, cost-effective and appropriate in the light of applicability of the information in unknown circumstances. The elements included by the manger of the organiz

Learning Notes Essay Example for Free

Learning Notes Essay |STAGE 1 | |CONTENT STANDARD: The learner understand the different types and forms of drama, the features ,elements and conventions which distinguish | |them from narratives thereby leading him/her to produced a reaction paper. | |PERFORMANCE STANDARD: The learner writes a meaningful reaction paper on a drama presentation. | |ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDING: The learner exhibits understanding and appreciation of drama by making sense of and reacting to the different issues| |presented in it.. | |ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How does one show appreciation of Philippine Drama? | |Learners will know: | |Types of Drama | |Forms of drama | |Drama conventions | |Expressions showing agreement and disagreement | | | |Learners will be able to: | |Explain types of drama | |Distinguish various forms of drama. | |Apply various graphic organizers to illustrate key concepts in a drama. | |Perform an array of reading techniques to concretize and unlock drama concept. | |Respond in various ways to express understanding of drama. | |Relate how drama mirrors real life. | |Deduce authentic experiences that can be incorporated in a drama. | |Analyze descriptions, dialogs and actions to discover, articulate, and justify characters in a drama. | |Draw insights on main and sub issues presented in a drama. | | | |STAGE 2 | |Product Performance Task: A meaningful reaction paper on a drama presentation. | | | |Evidence at the level of understanding: The learners should be able to demonstrate understanding by covering the six (6) facets of | |understanding. | |Explanation-Explain how the playwright justifies the actions, feelings, and attitudes of the character. | |Describe characters, and situation to show how drama reflects culture. | | Interpretation- interpret the series of connected events in a drama plot. Using events line | |Application-Apply role playing strategies in delivering dialogs between the protagonist and antagonist in the play | |Perspective- Develop perspective by evaluating a drama presentation. | |Empathy-assume role in Critiquing a drama presentation. | |Self-knowledge- self-assess one’s strengths and weaknesses in presenting assessment of a drama presentation. | |Evidence at the level of performance: Performance assessment of an original extended dialog for drama presentation based on the following | |criteria: | |1. Focus/Theme | |2. Accuracy | |3. Language | |4. Unity | |5. Coherence | |6. Style | | | |STAGE 3 | |TEACHING LEARNING SEQUENCE | |A. EXPLORE- At this stage, the teacher should be able to do the following: | |Make the learners aware of the desired result that is, for him/her to demonstrate understanding of understanding of the different types and | |forms of Philippine drama as well as the features, elements, and conventions which distinguish them from narratives | |Introduce the Essential Question (EQ), â€Å"How does one show appreciation of Philippine drama? † with the learners. Make them answer the questions| |as exhaustively as possible and cue them into the big ideas by activating their prior knowledge or past experiences. | |Use non-formative assessment procedure to check/evaluate learners’ readiness and competence on the prerequisite skills to the tasks at hand. | |Inform the learners of how they will be assessed. Their major output after the lesson is a meaningful reaction paper on a drama presentation. | |Likewise explain the rubrics. | |Activities |Materials |Date |Remarks | |1. Life is a drama TG. P. 4 |Types of Drama listed on a manila |August 15,2011 | | | |paper. | | | |2. Illustrate it TG. P. 4 |1. Manila paper |August 16,2011 | | | |2. Pentel pen/ pencil | | | | |3. crayons | | | |Note: | |1. Pre-test is given to students. To test their prior knowledge. | |2. Ask the EQ-essential Question | |3. Clarify expectation | |4. Hook and engage interest. | |5. Give the essential understanding. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |STAGE 3 | |TEACHING LEARNING SEQUENCE | |B. FIRM UP- At this stage, the teacher should be able to do the following: | |Make the learners enhance their knowledge of the different types and forms of Philippine drama, as well as the features, elements and | |conventions which distinguishes them from narratives. | |Highlight the grammar item by providing sufficient examples of word/phrase showing agreement or disagreement. | |Provide the learners with activities that are motivating and challenging | |Maximize learners’ participation in various tasks from controlled practice to free association phase of learning | |Provide feedback to check for understanding. | |Activities |Materials |Date |Remarks | |1. Which one are you TG. P. 6 |1. A copy of the words â€Å"JOLOGs and | | | | |â€Å"CONOS† | | | |2. A day for a play TG. P6 | | | | |- Read and write words in the play |2. A photocopy of the Drama- â€Å"Call | | | |that shows AGREEMENT and |Me Flory† by Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero | | | |DISAGREEMENT. | | | | |3. Lexicon TG. P6 | | | | |- Write the meaning of the phrases. |3. Manila Paper with the Phrases | | | | |taken from the play. | | | |4. Simple Recall TG. P7 | | | | |- Comprehension Questions |4. Manila paper with the | | | | |comprehension questions. | | | |5. Agree or Disagree TG. P9 | | | | |- Expressing agreement and |5. Manila Paper with two column A | | | |Disagreement |and B Agreement and Disagreement. | | | | | | | | |6. In my opinion TG. P10. |6. Various topics written on a | | | |- Choose one topic then write an |Manila paper. | | | |opinion paragraph stressing their | | | | |greatest argument for agreeing or | | | | |disagreeing. | | | | | | | | | |Note: Discuss and explain | | | | |expressions on agreement and |Outline of the topic | | | |disagreement. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |STAGE 3 | |TEACHING LEARNING SEQUENCE | |C. DEEPEN- At this stage, the teacher should be able to do the following: | |Provide learners with thought – provoking questions that will make them reflect, revisit, rethink, and revise earlier assumptions about the | |types and forms of Philippine drama, the features, elements, and conventions that distinguish them from narrative. | |Enable learners to apply the grammar items learned by giving them activities within the confines of higher order thinking skills. | |Address the learners’ uniqueness, their strengths and weaknesses by providing them with differentiated instruction as needed. | |Provide them with meaningful and challenging activities that will reinforce what they have learned. | |Engage them in meaningful self-evaluation. | |Give feedback. | |Activities |Materials |Date |Remarks | |1. Curtailed Freedom TG. P. 11 | 1. Topic on specific reality or | | | |- Have them agree or disagree†¦ |game show. | | | | | | | | |2. Mock Election TG. P11 | | | | |-Write and express their ideas | | | | | |2. â€Å"Written issue on a manila | | | | |paper- â€Å"Are you in favor of using | | | |3. Drama Inventory TG. P12 |the Filipino language during | | | |- Complete the table after |English time? † | | | |watching/listening to various drama| | | | |media. |3. Written CHART on a manila paper | | | | |as guide to the activity. | | | |4. Airing Feedback TG. P12. | | | | |- Role play any situation | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |4. Rubrics | | | |Notes: | | | |1. Discuss the Elements of Drama | |2. types of drama | |3. drama conventions | | | | | | | | | | | |D. TRANSFER- At this stage, the teacher should be able to do the following: | |Have the learners make independent application of the various processes (drama review, play reaction paper production, critiquing an original | |extended drama script, ect) they have learned. | |Make them do independent performance or project using varied and complex assessment procedure. | |Harness the learners’ growing proficiency by letting them establish the interface among the activities they have performed. | |Have them see the connections between tasks and the world. | | | |Activities |Materials |Date |Remarks | |1. Drama Review TG. P13 | 1.evaluation Chart | | | |- Complete the evaluation chart | | | | |after watching a scene in a drama | | | | |or play. | | | | | | | | | |2. DRP (Drama Reaction Paper) TG. | | | | |P13 | | | | |- evaluate the strength and |2. List of criteria written on a | | | |weaknesses of a play or drama. |manila paper | | | | | | | | | | | | | |References: | | | | |Laarni- A Dream by Loreto | | | | |Paras-Sulit | | | | | | | | | |Call Me Flory, by Wilfrido Ma. | | | | |Guerrero | | | | |The World is an Apple | | | | | | | | | | |Prepared by | | | |FERDINAND A. SANGAO | |Subject Teacher Noted: | |NORA D. DALAPNAS | |Head Teacher In Charge | | | | | | |

Effects of Wnt-3a and Wnt-5a on Proliferation of HEK293 Cell

Effects of Wnt-3a and Wnt-5a on Proliferation of HEK293 Cell Letong YUAN 1. Outline how you decided how many cells, how many wells and how much Wnt to use.   Please do not repeat anything in the protocols your answer should just explain concisely and clearly how and why you designed the experiment in the way that you did (250 words max). We were provided with three cell lines but we decided to investigate the effect of both Wnt on the proliferation of one cell line, HEK293 cells, limiting the number of variables in the experiment. Unlike MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 which are breast cancer cell lines, HEK293 is derived from human embryonic kidney cells in tissue culture and are non-pathological. As the average doubling time of HEK293 is 24hours, we decided to seed HEK293 suspension cells at 1X105 cells/ml (suggested by Thermofisher ©) in each well containing 500 µl medium. We used 16 wells in total on two 24-well-culture plates, i.e. 8 wells on each plate as illustrated in figure 1. We used two identical plates as cells are not viable after PFA fixation. After 24 hours, as the cultures are in log phase, an escalating amount of Wnt, namely, 0, 5, 20 and 50ng, was added for the investigation of HEK293 cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. The amount of Wnt added was suggested by Reischmann et al, 2015 and limited by the amount of Wnt provided. 100 and 200ng could also be tested if enough Wnt were provided. Figure 1 Schematic diagram of amount of Wnt added in each well containing HEK293 cells. Two of these wells are used as cells on one plate was fixed after every 24 hours. 2. Describe your cultures non-quantitatively (i.e. qualitatively) (200 words max). At 0h, cells tend to be spherical or have elongated shapes and plump with a high density, then they were passaged. After 24h, cells attached to well surfaces as they settle down and then started to differentiate. Some cells have developed one or more antenna-like projections for better attachment and nutrition, while spherical ones are non-adherent. 2-9 cell clusters could be observed, whereas few dead cells were present. At 72h, cell clusters with more than 20 cells were normally seen. Being polar, HEK293 are fibroblastic cells. 3. Analyse one characteristic of your cultures quantitatively including a well-presented and informative graph and a photograph that illustrates the graphed result (think about what makes an informative graph). Have a look at some primary cell culture papers to see how data can be presented clearly and thoroughly. What should you always have on the graph of an experiment looking at the effects of a cell signal on cultured cells? The number of cells show an increasing trend with an increase amount of Wnt-5a added. The addition of 50ng results in almost twice as many cells as in 0ng. Wnt-5a triggers noncanonical signalling pathway. Anomalies in data are possibly because of a non-representative image taken. Its effect can be minimised by having replicates in this experiment. Another contributing factor is the inaccurate particle analysis by imageJ, whose effect can be minimised by taking the mean of numerous results. 4.Briefly suggest a possible mechanism behind your result or, if the ligand has no effect, suggest why this happened. Please note: no effect is not a failure there could well be solid ICB reasons why there was no effect recorded and you can still produce an excellent write-up (200 words max).   Ã‚   Wnt activates signalling cascade through canonical/ ÃŽ ²-catenin Wnt signalling pathway (e.g. Wnt-3a) or noncanonical/ ÃŽ ²-catenin independent Wnt signalling pathway (e.g. Wnt-5a).   In canonical pathway, Wnt binds to frizzled 7TM receptors. Then LRP 5 or LPR6 activates dishevelled (Dvl), triggering the inhibition of GSK3. ÃŽ ²-catenin accumulates in the cytoplasm because of the disassembly of the destruction complex containing APC, Axin and GSK3. In noncanonical pathway, ÃŽ ²-catenin is not involved. Daam1 activates small G-protein Rho, which activates ROCK. Figure 3 In the absence of Wnt, ÃŽ ²-catenin interacts with APC, axin, GSK3, and CK1 forming a degradation complex. The phosphorylation of ÃŽ ²-catenin triggers its degradation. Croucho kept Wnt-responsive genes inactive by binding to LEF1/TCF. The presence of Wnt clamps LRP and Frizzled protein together. The phosphorylation of cytosolic tail of LRP by members of degradation complex causes the disassembly of the destruction complex, which prevents the phosphorylation of ÃŽ ²-catenin and allow its accumulation. Excess ÃŽ ²-catenin can be translocated into the nucleus without degradation and it replaces Groucho and activates the transcription of target genes mediated by LEF1/TCF. These genes are essential to processes like cell attachment, cell proliferation and differentiation.   This explains the addition of Wnt promotes cell proliferation and differentiation. 5. Suggest a possible future experiment to investigate if/how this ligand has an effect on the cells you tested (200 words maximum). Be bold and creative here and try to push yourself beyond, try different concentrations. To see if and how the ligand influences the cells, one way is to assay Wnt-responsive gene product, e.g. ÃŽ ²-catenin, by Western blotting. After Bradford assay determining protein concentration in cell lysate, run a SDS-PAGE gel and transfer the gel onto a nitrocellulose membrane. Analyse the membrane with primary antibody against ÃŽ ²-catenin, then incubate with corresponding secondary antibody. It is possible to add an inhibitory component of the Wnt signalling pathway, for example Apc protein (Albert et al, 2015) that binds to ÃŽ ²-catenin and induces its degradation. Wnt-responsive genes should be kept silence by Croucho bound to transcription regulator LEF1/TCF.

Brief Survey of Psychology :: essays research papers

Psychology seems to be like the science of perception turned into prejudices. I know there is a lot more to it than that, but that seemed to be what Kevin was focusing on. This does not mean bad prejudices like racial prejudices, but good ones like when I go to sleep tonight I will wake up tomorrow. I believe I will wake up tomorrow because I woke up today, if I did not believe that I might have a hard time getting to sleep since I would fear not waking up. So when people who saw a picture of a young girl, then they were shown a picture of both the old woman and the young girl together, they were very likely to fist see the young girl.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I like to think that I am able to think outside the box, but when told to draw four continuous lines through nine points in a box, my mind was unable to think outside that box! Psychology is a power tool because it allows us to take a step back and look at the big picture of individual behavior. We are more able to notice behavior that we take for granted, such as blaming outside influence for our failures, and attributing our success to our own hard work. I would like to think that now people know they how they attribute success and failure, that they would change their ways, and give credit where credit is do, plus attempt to right there wrongs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A topic that I believe could be studied from a social psychologist perspective, is the â€Å"Why do they hate us?† ideology following September 11 2001. Most believe they hate us because they desire our freedom, something for which we pride ourselves. Few people will even attempt to look for the real reasons, such as the 432 + governments we have overthrow since the Regan Administration or the arms we sell to tyrannical dictators. No it must be something good we did, because we only see the good we do. Conversely we only see the bad they do, that’s right the Koran is only about a Jihad and all the people in the middle east wear towels, so that’s why all the people in the middle east hate us, because the towels give them fevers, therefore they are crazy.

College Writing in the 21st century :: Education Writers Essays

College Writing in the 21st century How should it be thought and taught? With the diverse world we live in, I can only see one thing we all possess. The one thing that everyone has in one form or another is his or her individuality. A lot of people have different cultures that make them more of an individualistic group in a modern society. America would scare me out my mind if I came from a society not like Americas, from Japan or areas of the Middle East. I would have to go into a whole different frame of mind to try to survive in this society and be successful. For children or young adults this would be a tough time for them to adapt themselves to our school system. When it comes to college writing, I think teachers in the most part understand they have a cross-cultural influenced student body. With the Students point of view, it's hard to accept people who seem different or blocked from normal social events or interactions. When I was in High school, we had 14 different nationalities within it. It was interesting to have a class with such a wide range of people, beliefs, and learning styles. I would feel bad for the teachers and other students mostly because the new kids that didn't speak nglish very well struggled to communicate with everyone. This caused problems with the teachers trying to teach them and keep them equal in the classroom. This caused some teachers to give up a little bit and not treat them like normal students. When I read Amy Tans essay " Mother Tongue", I noticed that she said that she spoke very good nglish but her mother did not. This caused many problems for her mother like the kids in my school, because people wouldn't take her seriously. This caused a lot of embarrassing moments for Mrs. Tan. She pointed out that when she was a child that her teachers would try to point her in the math and science direction because she showed that she was stronger in those areas which most Japa nese or Chinese are stronger in. Amy expressed that she didn't want to go into math or science she wanted to write. Her teachers tried to sway her decision but she stood strong. People should be able to come into a class and feel not only welcome but also secure with the people around them.

Spread of Christianity Among People Groups Essay -- Research Papers Ge

Spread of Christianity Among People Groups From the very beginning times of Christianity, its message has identified with and transformed communities of people. Christianity itself grew out of a people group who had an identity that stretches back in time thousands of years. The worship of Yahweh, geographically born in ancient Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) has spread through history to the farthest islands of the seas. Born into the people of Israel, Jesus gathered a small group of followers living and working with them until his ascension to heaven. From these few, the Christian faith spread to other Jews in Israel and the further reaches of the Roman Empire, including parts of southern Europe and Southwest Asia. As Christianity was later adopted by the Roman Empire, much of Europe became the focus of conquest for Roman Christianity, though much of this was due in part to the fall of Western Rome. Rome and beyond Justo L. Gonzalez documents this spread of Christianity into Europe through the avenue of Rome’s influence. He quotes from a Roman Citizen, Paulus Orosius who condenses this historical phenomenon into his own words. He thoughtfully writes, "If only to this end have the barbarians been sent within Roman borders,†¦that the church of Christ might be filled with Huns and Suevi, with Vandals and Burgundians, with diverse and innumerable peoples of believers, then let God’s mercy be praised†¦even if this has taken place through our own destruction."(1, p231) The various people groups documented by Gonzalez are primarily groups who claim a common ethnic and political identity in the form of a kingdom. These were at times conversions of coercion through political structures and at times conversions of conveni... ...cepted the gospel. Some of these groups have either made the mistake of claiming the Christian religion as their own, while others have sought to make it their own. Rather, the truth is that the gospel becomes yours when you share it with another. (3) Works Cited: 1. Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. San Francisco: Harper Publishing, 1984. 2. Winter, Ralph D.; Hawthorne, Steven. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Pasadena, CA: The Paternoster Press LTD, 1992. 3. Coptic church, http://pharos.bu.edu/cn/, (5/6/99) 4. Frumentius, http://www.catholic.org/saints/saints/frumentius.html, (5/6/99) 5. Vikings, http://www.csn.net/advent/cathen/11115b.htm, (5/6/99) 6. Crusades, http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/religion/crusades/Crusade.html, (5/6/99) 7. St. Patrick, http://wilstar.com/holidays/patrick.htm, (5/6/99)

American Dream Is Still Alive

American Dream is Still Alive My whole life I grew up believing that there is such thing as the American Dream. The last couple years my faith in that has been tested for sure. Today there are many problems with the economy; there are many people out there who think there's no such thing as the American Dream anymore. â€Å"The creation of a government that is out of control, and thus out of touch, robs every citizen, preventing fulfillment of the original American Dream (Thomas 569). I agree with this, however I am still proud to be an American and I believe that no matter how hard it is, you can do anything you put your mind to. It's not going to be easy; in fact it will be much more challenging than it used to be when the economy was different. But that doesn’t mean that the American Dream has been lost forever. The American dream may not be exactly what it used to be, and it may be harder to achieve than ever before; however, it is still alive. One reason the American dre am is harder to achieve is because America is in a financial crisis.Costly war after costly war is being fought. Our men and women are fighting wars in other countries and are gone for years on end†¦many don’t return at all. Our economy has taken a nose dive, and at a rate that many wonder if there is any hope of it ever coming back up. It seems that more people are unemployed than working, and even those who were highly employable before can’t seem to find a job anymore. The top 4 percent of Americans hold the largest amount of money, and is not trickling down. Many believe we are going through another depression. Children are starving and standards of living are lowering. Wherever you choose to look—at the economy and jobs, the public schools, the budget deficits, the nonstop warfare overseas—you’ll see a country in sad shape (Herbert 564). † It is evident that things need to change. The American Dream may be buried, but we can dig it up and find ways to make it live long and prosperous once again. The news shows that unemployment is slowly dropping, but I can’t help but wonder if that is because those people who receive unemployment benefits are no longer receiving benefits, not necessarily because they have a job, but because their money has run out.In order to make it at all we need to be earning an income. Not to mention the fact that when we are working, most people aren’t even earning a living wage; but what makes matters worse, unemployment is so high these days, just finding a job is becoming next to impossible. The high unemployment makes things so difficult these days. So many people are scrambling to make a living or to make ends meet. With the economy as fallen as it is, even highly educated people are without a job. Many people are finding out that you can be too educated for a regular job.Others are finding that employers don’t want to hire you if you are unemployed. Again, othe rs are highly trainable and would make excellent employees, but employers don’t want to take the time or spend the money to train. During a recession like this, many people need to be working two jobs just to make ends meet. But even fast food restaurants have raised their standards to high that they expect a resume before the consider you. With so little people hiring and those hiring having such high standards, people are becoming desperate just to find a job. State and local governments, faced with fiscal nightmares, are reducing services, cutting their work forces, hacking away at health and pension benefits, and raising taxes and fees. In many cases, the austerity measures are punishing some of the most vulnerable people, including children, the sick, and the disabled (Herbert 565). † These cutbacks have had many ramifications on the American Dream. People who were well on their way to achieving it had their dreams snatched out from under them as employers let peop le go, lowered wages, took away bonuses, and raised the fees on benefits or cut it all together.Suddenly new grads needed more experience and education to get their foot in the door while earning barely enough to pay their rent, let alone their student loans. America has recently fallen into a great recession, and though some claim we are no longer in a recession, our country and has never quite bounced back. Our economy is fragile and unstable. â€Å"In June 2009†¦. native born workers lost 1. 2 million [jobs] (Herbert 565). † Businesses are afraid to hire more workers; for fear that consumers aren’t comfortable spending money quite yet.Consumers are afraid to spend money for fear that they won’t be earning any more. People who were once financially stable are barely getting by, some even homeless. This recession has been said to be equal to, if not worse than, the Great Depression. â€Å"The human suffering in the years required to recover from the reces sion will continue to be immense (Herbert 565). † Recovery may be happening, but is definitely an unstable process. Jobs are still hard to come by and a living wage is still almost unheard of. â€Å"The U. S. needs to develop a full-employment economy that provides jobs for all ho want to work at pay that enables workers and their families to enjoy a decent standard of living (Herbert 565). † In this day and age, it is as much about earning a wage that pays the bills as it is to have a job. What’s the point of working 45 hours a week if it doesn’t pay all your bills? Many people are willing to work the jobs that they may have never considered before, but those jobs don’t come close to paying a living wage. Potential small business owners are having a hard time starting up, as banks are uneasy about giving business loans, slowing job growth even more.Another hindrance in the comeback of our beautiful country is the enormous gap between our wealthiest and our poorest. â€Å"As long as income and wealth keep concentrating at the top, and the great divide between America’s have-mores and have-lesses continues to widen, the Great Recession won’t end, at least not in the real economy. Weak national real estate markets, sluggish job growth, and slow recovery of liquid assets lost during the recession are obstacles to a full recovery (King 574). † There was once a time where you could not exactly be rich, but not exactly be poor.You could afford to live, have a decent job, and even go on vacation. Maybe you couldn’t afford to own two brand new vehicles and put your children in expensive private schools, but you had a savings account that had money in it and were happy with where your hard work had taken you. That, my friends, is what used to be called the Middle Class. It is quickly becoming something of the past, and without those striving for the American Dream, may become a mythical fairytale that we tel l our children and grandchildren about. The importance of education has fallen to the back burner as cuts to public school become greater.As the saying goes, children are our future. They are the people that will be, one day, running our government. When cuts are constantly being made to public schools, children aren’t getting what they need to get the kind of education that allows them to grow up to be critical thinking adults. â€Å"A monopolistic government school system keeps the poor from achieving their dreams, as many remain locked, producing graduates who lag behind other nations in subjects that matter (Thomas 569). † The subjects children are taught were chosen with care.Every child has different talents, and those talents need to be fostered. When subjects get cut from schools, many children miss out on learning what they need to learn in order to grow and become who they are supposed to do. â€Å"There was a time when the United States understood the impor tance of educating its young people and led the way in compulsory public schooling. It also built the finest higher education system in the world. Now, although no one will admit it publicly, we’ve decided to go in another direction (Herbert 566). † This is sad but true.Somewhere down the line, we must have forgotten that a poor education creates a poor society. There is only one teacher per classroom, but each classroom has over two dozen children, each having separate learning needs, and each having different learning styles. With funding being directed places other than public education, the result is schools closing. All over America school after school after school is being closed. This puts hardworking teachers out of business and crams the classrooms even more with children who require a proper education that consists of one-on-one time. Public figures talks endlessly about ‘transformative changes’ in public education, but the years go by and we see no such thing (Herbert 566). † Lately, it seems the only changes we’ve seen have not been what are best for our education system. â€Å"School systems around the country are being hammered with dreadful cutbacks and teachers are being let go in droves, not because they are incompetent, but strictly for budget reasons (Herbert 566). † This leaves kindergartens with waiting lists and parents who have to pay upwards of $300 a month kindergarten fees.Some children are put in part time daycare, while others get full time. However, both go to first grade. I can’t help but wonder if one is more prepared than the other? But I believe there is a silver lining to all of this. The American dream is still alive there is always hope for a better future. The fact that there hasn’t been an overturn of government proves that we are strong. We can adapt to new challenges that come our way. We may get knocked down a time or two, but it’s that light at the end of the tunnel—the one some call the American Dream—that get us back up to try again. As a nation, we have dealt with economic downturns in the past, and the American Dream has faced trials and tests before†¦We have adapted the values contained within the American Dream to meet new challenges (King 577). † Many people have been hit hard with the economic changes. They acclimated to new situations, new ways of living, reinvented themselves, and in doing so, they have found their way back on top. One way we can help bring back the American Dream to its full potential, is to support local business and buy locally.Entrepreneurs create businesses, hire people; people get paid, people shop. People have nice things and money in their pockets, they aren’t so scared to help pay taxes and fund good schools. â€Å"I believe it is necessary and imperative to continue to support the business mechanisms that sustain our economy (King 577). † Without a booming economy, we don’t have a functioning society. We need to support our brothers and sisters. We need to help those around us, and not let it burden us. All this will help create more jobs, and will in turn help the community.If anyone works hard enough, they can â€Å"climb out of hardship and achieve success (King 577). † Hard work is key. It pays off. Sometimes it takes longer than we want it to, but if we don’t give up, we will reap the reward. If we have proven anything in this day and age, it is that we are persistent. â€Å"Despite the recent recession, many have faith that as long as people believe they have a chance of becoming better off than they are today, then the American dream is intact (King 577). † We all have the American Dream inside us, and we will work to achieve it, doing whatever it takes.I believe the American Dream is very much alive. It may not look exactly like it did 50, 60, or 70 years ago, but it is here to stay. Society has ad apted and changed, and so has the American Dream. No longer is it about becoming as rich as one possibly can, but about being financially secure, having a job that pays a living wage, as well as having a savings. Stability is more important that material wealth. It’s a good dream. It may not be so easy to obtain, but it is within reach. With hard work and a positive attitude, I believe it is much closer than we realize.Work Cited Herbert, Bob. â€Å"Hiding from Reality. † They Say, I Say with Readings. 2nd ed. Eds, Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russell Durst. New York: WW. Norton Company, 2012, 564-67. Print. King, Brandon. â€Å"The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold? † They Say, I Say with Readings. 2nd ed. Eds. Gerald Graff et al. New York: Norton, 2012. 572-79. Print. Thomas, Cal. â€Å"Is the American Dream Over? † They Say, I Say with Readings. 2nd ed. Eds, Gerald Graff et al. New York: Norton, 2012. 568-70. Print.

Term Paper on Poverty

Term Paper on Poverty Prejudice, affluence, and poverty in America are linked issues. Works by four authors discussed in this essay, Takaki, Fallows, Olds, and Gioia, help us to understand how the social issues of class and race are intertwined, making an analysis of both necessary for an adequate understanding of any one individually. While the authors discussed here approach the issues from different angles, their works taken side by side clearly show us how prejudice helps the affluent shrug off responsibility toward the poor, offering ‘explanations’ as to why some groups (or persons) remain in poverty and others do not. Additionally, it is argued that those living in affluence – and thus those with the means to significantly address the poverty issue – may, in fact, have a reduced awareness of the existence and reality of poverty. As a result, not only is poverty per se not addressed (we don’t address what we don’t see), but the existing myths and prejudices that help to maintain class divisions, both in society at large and embedded in our legal and social structures, remain unchallenged. However, it is only by examining both the objective nature of the current era together with prejudice and the self-justification of the affluent that one can understand how prejudice, affluence, and poverty are intertwined. The nature of money, according to Gioia’s poem titled simply â€Å"Money†, shapes the reality of life for both the rich and the poor, according to how much they have or don’t have. Gioia’s poem reminds us of the many meanings we accord to money, how we need it and spend it, and how it functions in our economy. One of the clear messages in Gioia’s poem is that money, itself, does not discriminate. It is what it is regardless of who has it, but for those who have it, it grows and multiplies. For those who don’t have it, or don’t have enough of it, it does not. If money itself does not discriminate, how do we account for the gap between those who are affluent and those who are poor? What prevents some from getting it, while others have enough for it to grow? How we answer this question, and the logic behind our answer, is very connected to policy decisions we make concerning poverty, and how effective we are in addressing it. One of our traditional explanations for the why the poor are poor and the rich are rich, according to the American ideology, is that the poor are those who have not worked sufficiently to gain money. Likewise, those who have money, according to the same ideology, are those who have been frugal, worked hard, saved, wisely invested, and who have otherwise ‘lived right’. Takaki, in his article â€Å"Race at the End of History†, provides a summary of how this is embedded in our ideology: â€Å" The American dream still holds promise to all us as Americans. Everyone, regardless of race, can make it into the mainstream through hard work and private effort. † (p. 387). This kind of definition, and the ideology behind it, makes it possible to approach policy issues in such a way that places overwhelming responsibility on those who are poor for their own plight. As Takaki points out, our emphasis is on the fact that success is to be achieved through ‘private’ means, rather than government assistance (p. 387). Addressing poverty then becomes a question of getting those who are not working hard enough, not ‘living right’, to do so. This definition of poverty allows us to say, those who have a lion’s share of wealth deserve that wealth, and those who are in poverty, deserve that poverty. Viewed this way, there is no reason, then, to seriously listen to claims of ‘glass ceilings’ or discrimination, or to look in any other way at prejudices built into our social and legal structures that unfairly increase the odds for some, and reduce them for others. How is it that, in the face of evident continued poverty among certain ethnic or racial groups, we continue to believe in this ideology? Surely, by now enough evidence of systematic discrimination, glass ceilings, and other obstacles for specific racial and ethnic (and gender) groups has shown us that the American dream as summed up by Takaki is based at least partially on a myth. Yet many people still agree with, for example, what Takaki suggests (p. 385) Francis Fukuyama’s explanation is: that poverty is a matter of cultural difference. Parillo, in â€Å"Causes of Prejudice†, and Fallows in â€Å"The Invisible Poor† each help us to understand forces at work that help to perpetuate the myth even in the face of a contradictory reality. Parillo points to prejudice and the continuation of prejudice through the socialization process. Defining prejudice as â€Å"an attitudinal ‘system of negative beliefs, feelings, and action-orientations regarding a certain group or groups of people’† (p. 548), Parillo argues that, through the socialization process, prejudicial views consciously or unconsciously adopted during childhood can then continue into adulthood, and translate into prejudicial choices and behavior in work, social life, and life choices. Additionally, widespread and generally shared prejudicial beliefs and attitudes toward specific groups can be implicitly (or explicitly) reinforced by society at large through, for example, the legal system and cultural norms (p. 557). New generations may not be alert to these subtle reinforcers of prejudicial attitudes and practices, and therefore may not question them. The prevailing stereotypes and prejudices are thus maintained and continued as they are adopted by new generations, and as they continue to be sanctified by the surrounding legal and societal framework. If children acquire their beliefs from their parents through socialization, what prevents them from questioning those values? Surely, we are not all sheep, that unthinkingly accept everything we hear. One explanation that Parillo offers (pp. 550-551) is ‘Self-Justification’, that we need â€Å"reassurance that the things we do and the lives we live are proper, that good reasons for our actions exist. † One way in which this surfaces, he argues, is through a dominant group convincing itself that it is superior to other groups, causing them to associate less frequently or not at all with those groups it deems inferior. Fallows article â€Å"The Invisible Poor† clearly shows how this phenomenon is a reality of our current era of ‘tech wealth’, describing the invisible social barrier between rich and poor people – a barrier so great as to make the poor ‘invisible’ to the rich. Within the tech wealth era, according to Fallows, the production of wealth involves fewer ‘blue collar workers’, so that those directly benefiting from it are not confronted with the realities, struggles, and needs of those less like them. In terms of economic background, there is more similarity between the ‘workers’ producing and benefiting from the new wealth. Second, the nature of work within the tech industry isolates those within it into an insulated world. Long working hours, a minimal amount of leisure time, and social lives primarily focused around those within the same world further contributes to the lack of awareness and connectedness to the rest of the world around them. Third, he points to the ‘racial meritocracy’ of the tech industry, with workers and contributors coming from all corners of the globe. He argues that this racial mix among the tech wealthy leaves them out of touch with the more basic and traditional racial tensions among the less wealthy, and the ways in which those in minority groups not associated with the tech wealthy are still disadvantaged. While Fallows offers a great deal of support for these specific phenomena of the tech wealth era as objective phenomena, which may indeed be at work, combining an analysis of these phenomena with Parrillo’s analysis of prejudice and self-justification offers a fuller understanding of our current era. Sharon Olds, in her poem â€Å"From Seven Floors Up† shows, for example, how even if there are objective forces at work such as those discussed by Fallows, there is still an attitudinal factor at work: when those more affluent are confronted with the reality of poverty, they are looking from seven floors up, through prejudice and self-justification, will more likely (however unwittingly)do not believe it could be a reality of their lives. In sum, given that money itself does not discriminate, and given the overwhelming evidence that there are obstacles to wealth other than the personal failure to achieve the ‘American Dream’, we must look for a fuller explanation of the gap between the rich and the poor. The relationship between affluence and poverty consists not only of objective forces such as new forms of wealth production or characteristics of new economic eras, but more concretely of prejudice. The very real obstacles to wealth encountered by specific societal groups, and embedded in our social and legal structures ,are not only due to the transference of values from one generation to the next, but due to the continued need for self-justification among the affluent. The product of self-justification, prejudice, is the link between affluence and poverty that needs to be analyzed and addressed if social policies concerning poverty are to be effective.

The Purpose of Architecture

The purpose of architecture is to create useful spaces that people want to be in. It’s not enough to make the space useful if people hate being in it. And it’s not enough to make people want to be in it if they can’t use it for its intended purpose. But being attractive without being useful is probably better than being useful without being attractive. If people like a space, they’ll find a way to make it work. If people don’t like a space, they’ll stay away, even if it   seems to meet all their practical needs.Architecture creates more than one kind of space. Interior spaces are the ones we usually think about. But architecture creates exterior spaces as well. A new building on a street makes it a different kind of street. Is it a street where people want to be, or is it a street they hurry through? The architect is as much responsible for the street his building sits on as he is for the space inside the building. If a new construction cre ates a long, blank wall that people instinctively avoid, the architect has effectively destroyed the street.Businesses on the other side of it will wither, and the street will exist only as a passage from one more desirable place to another. Style is less important than scale in creating spaces people like. Architecture on a human scale is inherently more friendly than architecture on a titanic scale. Monumental architecture needs smaller subdivisions to make itself relatable: the arches in a Roman basilica, or the stilts in a Mies van der Rohe office building.Great slabs of concrete or stone put us off instead of welcoming us; remembering the human scale is the thing that makes architecture work. These are all obvious ideas, but the enthusiasm of an all-encompassing theory of architecture can make an architect forget them. An architect needs to look at his plans and ask, â€Å"Will people want to be here? † Perhaps he should point to different spots on the blueprint at rando m: Will people want to be  here,  or  here,  or  here? If he can always answer yes to that question, he’s done his job well.

Maya Angelou Essay

As a woman you are created with a special gift, it’s like little extra ingredients that all women have within them. The poem â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† by Maya Angelou, she speaks about the elegance of a woman, her inner being the way she glow without saying a word Maya expressed how men are amazed by her presence â€Å"men themselves have wondered what they see in me† (line 31-32). It’s hard to put your finger on it all women were born with the power. In the poem â€Å"Still I rise† by Maya Angelou she described the struggles of life trials and tribulations you face in society and the way people may judge you. As if she was writing about a woman â€Å"does my sassiness upset you? †She also wrote in another stanza â€Å"does my sexiness upset you? †She used this comparison to show she is a sexy woman who demands respect. Maya’s attitude in this poem is portraying a confident black African American woman. She is really laughing at men challenging them. They cannot stop her from rising above all expectation. This poem gives you not only inspiration encouragement to be fearless; to the end of it all you must believe you still rise above it all. The title gives a sense of entity and power. This masterpiece the poem â€Å"phenomenal woman† has also empowered women to get more in touch with their inner beauty. Maya describes in great detail the mystery of women and the behavior of men and their reaction. It shows women to not only love your-self but to embrace every aspect of your mind, body and soul. Maya show that sexuality isn’t only related to outer beauty, or by the way you dress it more about how you feel within your own skin . she shows you instead of hating your body love it from the crown of your head to the sole of your feet. In society today women enhances their body by doing plastic surgery to feel accepted. She feels inferior clearly stating that every part of a woman is beauty. In comparisons to â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† and â€Å"Still I Rise† both poems Maya speaks about not bowing to the â€Å"oppressor†. You can feel her compassion in every word in Phenomenal Woman â€Å"now you understand why my head’s not bowed† (lines 47). Still I Rise forth stanza â€Å"with head bowed and eyes lowered? †Within these lines she stresses that she will not conform to what society made her out to be, that she will soar above and beyond everyone expectations. The little gives a sense of entity and power. In conclusion these two poems have few similarities; Maya characterized the strength of an African American woman. By using powerful words she described the emotional aspect of inner beauty, standing proud professing no one will ever bring her down not by the color of her skin nor the fact of being a woman that there’s more within.

Future of Electronic Commerce Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Future of Electronic Commerce Technology - Essay Example It allows manufacturers to buy at a low cost worldwide, and it offers enterprises the chance to sell at a global market right from the start. The major change it has gone through since the past 5 years is the growing market opportunity it has provided to the developing countries. E-commerce has helped them enter the prosperous global market place, and so it has helped reduce the gap between rich and poor countries. In the upcoming era the B2B e-commerce would create new and better job opportunities and placements and would be expected to grow at double the rate it is growing today. B2C (Business to Consumer) e-commerce, despite of all the benefits of new technology along with a lot of media attention, is still in its early stages. The reason behind the slow growth of B2C e-commerce is those threats and vulnerabilities that lead to critical security measures in this respect and are creating new risks and hypes for consumers as well as retailers. There is a need to secure online services along with the factor of "availability" as most shoppers prefer to travel umpteen distances rather than to do discounted shopping online, just because of the threat of security issues like hacking, stealing or losing their credit card numbers. This means there is a desperate need to update the security measures of e-commerce and if the issue resolves to some extent, there would be a drastic change in the slow performance of B2C e-commerce in the next 5-10 years. In this respect the upcoming technology would focus more on the client side security than on ordinary security measures. The information would be more protected and secured between the customer's system and the server, which would be seen as an outcome in the form of enhanced retailing and wholesaling. The security issues would be resolved and the threat to hack would be minimized resulting in the benefits of new technology not limited to only e-commerce companies. Consumers would also be empowered with the ability to counter many of the current micro-marketing tools. If the success of online dynamic pricing rests on the asymmetry of information between consumers and retailers, new technology may hold the promise of "blowing" such asymmetries to "bits" (Philip & Thomas, 2000). The explosion of shopping comparison Web sites and the prevalence of "shopping bots" used by consumers to track competitive prices are just two examples of how technology can be used by consumers to combat the potentially exploitive practices of dynamic pricing. (Jason, 2000) The Internet has already revolutionized the world of Investment and finance. E-commerce has enabled online stock trading to be done online by just logging on to the website and making a few key strokes along with few clicks of mouse to identify the stock and number of shares involved in the transaction, one can buy and sell securities in seconds. Several trading platforms has been built in order to revolutionize the concept of stocks and trading, e-commerce has enabled a common man to engage in any type of online business which in the other case had not been possible. However the major issue to be considered behind the spectrum of online trading is

Nursing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Nursing research - Essay Example In line with this, the role of determining the quality of care provided by nurses is dependent on the quality of education that nurse educators provided to nurses. Hence, the rewards and the benefits arrive once trained nurses engage in practice using evidence from research, which they were taught by nurse educators. On the other hand, nurse educators benefit from the wealth of information that they gain while teaching and preparing nurses for practice. The nursing practices, just like many other professions, rely on knowledge from research in order to develop solutions to problems during practice. In line with this, it is crucial to point out that nursing is increasingly relying on evidence-based practice in order to provide care that was high in quality and was obtained while using the current standards and technology. Nonetheless, introducing evidence-based practice in the clinical environment is essential in ensuring that quality was achieved while providing care. In the clinical setting, evidence-based practice can be introduced in various ways. Nurses can introduce evidence-based practice in a clinical environment by ensuring that the care that patients were given was based on the most appropriate approaches that are grounded in research. On the other hand, it is important to point out that incorporating evidence-practice in a clinical setting can be achieved through the process of developing projects that sought to cause cha nge in practice while using research to develop and implement plans that brought changes in practice. Throughout the practicum project, I valued the efforts of one individual who helped me achieve success in this project by the guidance he provided throughout the process. In line with this, it is essential to point out that I had never thought about the important role of a mentor before my practicum project. However, the practicum project helped me appreciate the role a mentor played and

Joan Wallach Scott, Gender and the Politics of History Essay

Joan Wallach Scott, Gender and the Politics of History - Essay Example Scott’s literature clearly reflects the change brought by feminist history and post-structuralist theory in the way we perceive history (Amazon.com n.d. a).Through her masterpiece, Gender and the Politics of History, Scott has put forward lucidly her own broad, complex and easily understandable definition (Amazon.com n.d. a).She argues convincingly revealing the fact of gender’s significance in the analysis of history (Amazon.com n.d. a).In her book, Scott has pointed out that historians are always into reassessing the grounds, definitions and even the archival sources of history (Amazon.com n.d. a). The challenging theoretical offers have been exemplified with her work on the history of French workers (Amazon.com n.d. a).The literature encompasses an insightful learning of the history of American women historians (Amazon.com n.d. a).Through her masterpiece Scott has offered various remarkable theoretical observations for both feminists and other historians (Amazon.com n.d. a).It is a purely political literature and is expected to produce both disagreement and motivation (Amazon.com n.d. a). Gender and the Politics of History contributes a keenly awaited perception to debates in historiography and the philosophy of history (Gender and the Politics of History 1990). It appears less of a report and more of a book about a historian’s introspection of what the field of writing history results to, what its object is, and what exactly she feels being a professional historian (Gender and the Politics of History 1990). â€Å"History,† in the words of Scott, â€Å"is as much the object of analytic attention as it is a method of analysis.† (Gender and the Politics of History 1990: 3). The essays can also be read as intellectual autobiography, a personal report in which Scott brings into light various attractions and threats along with the issues of post-structuralist theory (Gender and the Politics of History 1990). Gender and

Final Cultural Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Final Cultural - Research Paper Example Development has led society to modified modern foragers who supplement their gathering and hunting with wages, trade, horticulture agriculture and many more forms of survival. Gatherers are becoming extinct in some cultures. However, in other cultures, gatherers remain relevant. For instance, the Mikea of Madagascar is a famous group of foragers. Foragers have different kinds of relationship with their environment than most of other societies. A good example is the Zulu tribe. They interrelate well among themselves and spend most of their leisure time together in conversations, listening to music and dances (Haviland, 2009). Among the Zulu, women are the primary gatherers who gather fruits and can at times kill small animals for food. They live in small groups, determined by availability of food. They do not believe in material wealth, but most of animals they keep are for purposes of food. They live their life in the present, and they never worry of what they do not have. They live in temporary homes that could be made of wood or other material gathered. The group believes that by sharing they expect nothing in return. Values and belief diversity differs from one group of gatherers to the other but this could be due to time, ethnicity, and pattern of their cultural behavior (Leonard, 2010). The zulu have well established political systems. They were governed by a powerful king called shaka. The king had an army that was responsible for protecting the tribe from any likely aggressors. For instance, Shaka’s army fought against British rule during the scramble and partition of Africa. The kingdom was established in the early 1800s and it was as a result of the union of the various clans thereby forming a powerful kingdom (Axel-Ivar, 1976). Horticulture is the science of cultivation of plants. It includes the use of seedlings to produce plants. Economically viable countries show a high potential of a variety of farming activities. The Zulu, like most of

GA Army National Guard Should Provide Laptop Access to all Soldiers Assignment

GA Army National Guard Should Provide Laptop Access to all Soldiers - Assignment Example The reason for this effort is to find out the best possible way to give the Georgia Army national Guardsmen access to computers. There are two options on the table to achieve this. Option one is to designate a computer lab at each armory, while option two is to buy laptops for soldiers. Cost, efficiency, time, desirability and practicality form the criteria for rationing the decision. Internet research, phone calls, unit surveys and interviews are performed to research data to analyze the criteria. After careful analysis option one turns out to be the better of the two. Designating a computer lab offers many advantages and scores higher on the criterion table. Other than lower cost ‘option one’ can be completed in lesser time. Technology is imperative in the military. There are no second opinions in the argument that the soldiers need to learn, acquire and practice the technology skills. The war in Afghanistan is ending. The troops have to return home soon. In the near future The National Guard will be relatively inactive at the international level. The Georgia Army National Guard is focusing on the education and the professional growth of their soldiers. Although the national guards are not recruits where the administration forces them to complete their education and grow in the professional career of their choosing, yet, if they do choose to grow within the ranks then they need to put a lot of effort in accomplishing those goals. And the best way to do that are the online courses. These courses take weeks to complete. And those courses are not the only thing on their schedule. They have to show good performance in the annual and monthly NCOERs. The administration is also responsible for completing any c ounseling statements. The soldiers have a lot of work that they need to complete on a computer. The unfortunate thing is that not all soldiers have computers or desktops in their homes. Moreover, the soldiers have different computers and

Pharmacology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pharmacology - Essay Example At this point, Mary was prescribed the corticosteroid known commercially as Advair. Initially, she was compliant with the recommended dose of two inhalations daily, but later began to forget. In her most recent clinic visit, this practitioner has diagnosed Mary with bacterial pneumonia following chest x-ray and isolated cultures from sputum samples. Cough was initially dry, but grew productive over the course of 24 hours. Spirometry was performed in which she achieved a forced expiratory volume of 62%. The chest x-ray revealed a flattened diaphragm, following this observation Mary was diagnosed with COPD. To treat her infection, she was given amoxicillin. Joseph (4 years old) was brought in by his parents with a high temperature and productive cough. He had no past medical history or allergies and took no prescription or over-the-counter medications. This was a comparatively difficult assessment based upon the prior experience of the practitioner considering that the questions were more directed at the parents than at the child, a frequent necessity of pediatric medicine. But the same overall structure familiar to the practitioner was maintained. As advised by Dorp (2008) the GP used simple language to communicate with the child to provide reassurance. Before asking questions she played with the child to try and gain trust. It is also advised to have a child friendly atmosphere during these assessments (Dorp 2008); but a dedicated area designed to be child friendly is not feasible at present. Following the consultation and examination, a chest infection was detected, and Paracetamol and Amoxicillin were prescribed. COPD is not contingent upon a single organic condition; impaired airflow into the lungs with subsequent breathing difficulty can result from a selection of pathologies, including chest infections. It is often tested through spirometry (Celli, 2000; CDC, 2011). This condition is a risk for both men and women, and the rates of death can

Prevention of Nursing Home Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Prevention of Nursing Home Abuse - Essay Example They are also not in a position to communicate the abuse and thus suffer in silence (IQ Nursing Homes.com, 2008). According to the reports from the U.S. General Accounting Office, 43% of elderly population will live in a nursing home during a lifetime and of these atleast 3 million will be subjected to abuse and atleast 300,000 will die following abuse and neglect at nursing homes (cited in Roberts, 2004). Abuse and negligence leads to violation of human rights of the elderly people who deserve to be respected and have the right to live with dignity and comfort. Infact, the very purpose of admitting then to nursing homes is to make them feel comfortable and get assistance round the clock. Exploitation of their physical and mental vulnerability by means of abuse and neglect needs to be condemned and prevented. Many organizations, groups, laws and reports have devised methods of prevention of abuse and neglect in nursing homes. This article explores some of the measures which help prev ent abuse and neglect. Abuse in the elderly can be physical, sexual, emotional or even wrongful death. Financial exploitation and abuse can also occur. Most of the times, abuse occurs by the staff of the nursing home. However, abuse can occur from other residents of the nursing home too. This article mainly concentrates on abuse from the staff. Abuse of the residents can lead to many consequences which vary in intensity ranging from mild discomfort to serious consequences like dehydration, starvation, serious injuries, bedsores and even death. The most common forms of abuse are neglect and caretaking mistreatment (Griffore et al, 2009). In majority of cases, abuse is not obvious and may be missed easily if a family member or a loved person is not watching intentionally.

“Complete, trusting surrender to God” Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Complete, trusting surrender to God† Essay Although the Qur’an, its sacred text, was only revealed to their Prophet Muhammad more than five centuries after the death of Christ, Muslims trace the beginnings of Islam to the time of Abraham. According to them, the series of revelations of the Qur’an which started in 610 CE in a cave in Mount Hira, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, marked only the renaissance of a religion which sank into insignificance when the people of Mecca rejected the monotheism preached by Abraham. The Islamic claim further states that being the original religion, it provided the foundations for the development of Judaism and Christianity. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) Since the time of the first revelation in Mount Hira, Islam has rapidly grown to become the second-largest religious denomination in the world, next only to Christianity, claiming a following of almost twenty percent of the world’s population. However, its growth has been temporarily slowed down, particularly in the United States, by the effects of the American war against terrorism which is evidently directed against Muslims. This U. S. -orchestrated anti-terrorism war, coupled with the dearth of knowledge about Islam, has severely alienated the Muslims from the rest of the non-Muslim world. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) Yusuf (n. d. ) said that majority of the Muslims are convinced that while the U. S. government has been blaming terrorism on Islam for years, it was the 9/11 incident which dealt the most telling blow on the credibility and reputation of their religion. This was because the international media was able to depict that many Muslims around the world rejoiced after that incident. The truth is, however, that majority of the Muslim world was saddened by that incident and the repercussions it caused. They would like to tell the world that terrorism is not an official policy of Islam and that, in fact, Muslims also consider terrorists as enemies of their religion. He laments the fact that When a crazy Christian does something terrible, everyone in the West knows it is the actions of a mad man because they have some knowledge of the core beliefs and ethics of Christianity. When a mad Muslim does something evil or foolish they assume it is from the religion of Islam, not because they hate us but because they have never been told by a Muslim what the teachings of Islam are all about. Muslims are also complaining about the way non-Muslims always confuse them with Arabs. According to them, while most Arabs are Muslims, less than 20% of Muslims have Arab blood. (Almuslimin. org) Allah is the only authority of this religion. Muhammad was only the messenger and prophet with whom he entrusted the sacred texts called the Qur’an in a series of revelations and who, three years after the first revelation occurred, preached them to the people according to his instruction and his will. However, Muhammad was the role model for all Muslims. His life story and his sayings were saved in the Hadith for every Muslim to learn from and emulate. The central teachings of Islam are oneness of God and of humanity; prophethood and the compass of Islam; human relationship to the divine; belief in the unseen life; and belief in the Last Judgment. (Fisher, 2005. Islam) Islam teaches that there is only one God. This is why the first words spoken to a Muslim infant are the words of the Shahadah – â€Å"la ilaha ill-Allah Muhammad-un Rasulu-llah† (â€Å"There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God†). God may be called by many names, but all the attributes assigned to those different names make up the totality of the One God. They contend that there must be absolute unity among all men of all races because they are all brothers under the one God, and no one race should consider itself the chosen race. Islam teaches that the individual should be one with God, therefore his or her thoughts and deeds should always be inspired by God. This oneness of God and of humanity was very emphatically expressed by Abu Hashim Madami, an Indian Sufi sage, when he said that â€Å"There is only one thing to be gained in life, and that is to remember God with each breath; and there is only one loss in life, and that is the breath drawn without the remembrance of God. † (Fisher. 2005. Islam, p. 373) All the prophets from Abraham to Jesus Christ are honored, but they maintain that Muhammad was the last prophet sent by God with the final message. This means, therefore, that the Qur’an sums up all the messages from God so Islam should include all religions, including Christianity and Judaism which also trace their roots to Abraham. They believe that God created the universe for a purpose and set down laws to govern everything. For this reason, man could live in peace only if he recognizes these laws and abide by them. They accept the existence of the angels, especially Gabriel, whom they credit with bringing the messages of God. They believe that Satan exists just as they believe that there are saints. For them, the Last Judgment means that dead Muslims are allowed some rest before being raised from the grave for the final reckoning, after which the sinners and the unbelievers are sent to hell. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) Their basic practices consist of what they call the Five Pillars of Islam, namely: Beliefs and witness; Daily prayers; Zakat; Fasting; and Hajj. Every Muslim, without resorting to the use of force or intimidation, are obliged to spread the words of Islam so that other people may know about it, understand it, and use the knowledge to guide them in choosing their faith. Prayers should be recited five times a day while facing the direction of Mecca. It is believed that requiring every Muslim to face Mecca symbolizes unity among the devotees of Islam around the world, while the daily prayer emphasizes Islam’s teaching that every Muslim should remember God everyday of his or her life. Zakat, the third pillar, means â€Å"spiritual tithing and almsgiving. † Muslims are enjoined to help the poor by donating part of their annual income to charities of their choice. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for example, channels its contribution through the Islamic Relief Organization which aids people around the world regardless of their religion. Every year, the first Qur’anic revelation is celebrated with a month-long fasting called Ramadan. All able Muslims are required to abstain from â€Å"food, drink, sexual intercourse, and smoking† from dawn to dusk. Although fasting during Ramadan is an obligation, fasting, per se, is advised from time to time because it provides an individual with â€Å"a Transparent Soul to Transcend, a Clear Mind to think and a Light Body to move and act. † The last Pillar – the hajj – is a pilgrimage which is expected of every Muslim who is financially and physically capable even only once during their lifetime. Their pilgrimage destination is Mecca, where their holiest sanctuary, the Ka’bah, is located. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) Muhammad, whose name was taken from the Arabic word hamada which means â€Å"to praise, to glorify,† was born in Mecca, Western Arabia, in 570 CE to Abd bin Al-Muttalib and Amina bint Wahb. (Kikim Media. n. d. ) His parents were believed to be descendants of Abraham and Hagar, the Egyptian slave who mothered Abraham’s son, Ishmael. The story goes that Abraham fled to Mecca with Hagar and Ishmael after his wife, Sarah, also gave birth to a baby boy (Isaac) and became extremely jealous of Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham later built the Ka’bah, Islam’s holiest sanctuary and now the destination of pilgrims during the hajj, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with the assistance of his son, Ishmael. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) The birth, life, and death of Muhammad impacted the world of Islam differently. His birth in 570 CE also signaled the rebirth of Islam which sank into obscurity for centuries when the people of Mecca rejected Abraham’s monotheistic Qur’an religion. His life as a preacher which began three years after the start of the revelations resulted to a rejuvenated Muslim world. The flight of the Muslims to Medina (or the hijrah) which he orchestrated in order for them to escape persecution from the hands of the Qurayshites of Mecca was what strengthened Islam as soon as they had settled in Medina. This later enabled them to raise a strong army to capture Mecca from the Qurayshites. However, while he re-established Mecca as the holy sanctuary of Islam, Muhammad himself chose to live in Medina. While his birth signaled the rebirth of Islam and his life rejuvenated their religion, his death in 632 CE in Medina caused a split in the Muslim world between what we now call the Shi’a and Sunni Muslims because of the issue of succession. Most of the surviving Muslims believed that although Muhammad was able to tell his followers what to do after his death, he failed to appoint his successor. Thus, the majority decided to settle the issue of succession by election. However, there was a minority group who insisted that it was not true that Muhammad did not name his successor because of a report that some weeks before he died, Muhammad held his son-in-law ‘Ali’s hand and uttered the following words: â€Å"Whoever I protect, ‘Ali is also his protector. O God, be a friend to whoever is his friend and an enemy to whoever is his enemy. † (Fisher. 2005. Islam, p. 380) The issue of succession was ultimately decided according to the wishes of the majority – by election – but the two factions have never reconciled up to this day. The Shi’a Muslims now form the majority faction in Iran, while the Sunnis are the majority in â€Å"Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, northern African countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union, and Indonesia. † (page 378) Their place of worship is called a mosque. When I interviewed Bonsan Go, a student from Indonesia, he described a basic mosque as A square building with a small box-type space in front which serves as an extension. It has a dome on the center-top of the main building and a turret or a small ornamented tower or a tower-shaped projection on another building. Inside, you will fine a division (usually a length of fabric) which separates men from the women. There are no tables, chairs, or figurines inside the mosque. I thought, maybe, Mr. Go described a traditional mosque which used to be an Islamic architecture with a dome and one or two minarets. However, the more recent ones especially those constructed in the United States have chosen to go without the dome and the minarets. The more modern mosques have also done away with the curtain-like division which separates the men from the women. I have located one such mosque in Urbana, Illinois. A photo of this mosque is shown below: This is the Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center at 106 S. Lincoln, Urbana, Illinois. It is unmistakably an Islamic architecture with the arches found in front, but without the dome and minarets of olden mosques. Their website (http://www. prairienet. org/cimic/) announces that the mosque holds congregational prayers five times during the day, the first session being at 5:45 in the morning and the last at 7:30 in the evening. The center also offers Arabic classes and is open to visitors any day. CIMIC Newsletter is published bimonthly. In my interview with Bonsan Go, I was able to gain some insights on how a lay Muslim understands and practices Islam. About the hajj, Mr. Go describes it as the â€Å"symbol of unity between the Muslim Ummah and the Oneness of Mankind. † According to him, this has to be done at least once in a lifetime and is very important because it is one of the five pillars of Islam. He said that the hajj is obligatory for all Muslims who can afford it financially and physically. It is also important that the money spent for the hajj comes from hard work and not from corruption. He also talked about the Sunnis and Shi’ites. He described the Sunnis as following the teachings of Muhammad, imitating his every actions and words while the Shi’ites believe that Hadhrat Ali was the real successor to Muhammad because he belonged to the family of Muhammad. He further said that the Shi’ites call their leader an imam while the Sunnis call their leader a caliph, just like they do in Indonesia where the great majority of the Muslims are Sunnis. On the question of marriage, he said that a Muslim is not obliged to have several wives. However, once a man decides to do so, he can only marry as much as four times and he is required to treat all of them equally and see to it that all his wives maintain harmonious relationships all around. The Muslims, according Mr. Go, have never worshipped Muhammad. It is Allah that they give praise to. He considers it very disturbing that most people tend to equate the position of Muhammad with the one who created him. He said that to worship Muhammad instead of Allah is considered a great sin in Islam. On jihad, this was what he said: â€Å"Jihad is not a declaration of war against the enemies of Islam but a striving and a struggle in the path of God. Commitment to God involves commitment to sacrifice one’s time, energy and wealth to promote the right cause. It may be necessary at times to give one’s life in order to preserve TRUTH. † Before we parted ways, he told me that he is deeply saddened by the war on terror being waged by the United States and is targeted at Muslims. He said that the U. S. government has categorized all Muslims as terrorists and as such, must not be trusted. He said that the claim that Islam, as a religion, supports the activities of terrorists is definitely not true because even a Muslim like him hates terrorists. In the study of the beliefs and teachings of Islam and Christianity, Fisher (2005) has shown us the similarities between the two religions. They are both monotheistic, they have their own prophets (Jesus and Muhammad), and both religions trace their roots to Abraham. Islam and Christianity teach their followers to treat their fellowmen with fairness and both religions profess anti-violence sentiments. The Muslims are making this especially clear at every opportunity, enough reason for them to feel very badly towards the U. S. -led anti-terror war. The central beliefs of Islam are also very identical to the central beliefs of Christianity: they both believe in the brotherhood of men, in the angels, saints, even in Satan, and in the Last Judgment. If a split occurred between the Shi’a and Sunni Muslims after the death of Muhammad, a great schism likewise rocked the Christian world when the Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox Church parted ways in 1054. Sadly, however, Fisher has also shown us that both Islam and Christianity have chosen the options of wars of aggression and occupations during the early days for the purpose of spreading their doctrines and widen their spheres of influence. (Fisher. 2005. Christianity; Islam) However, if Fisher (2005) has shown that Islam and Christianity have many similarities, they also differ in some aspects. The first difference is rather basic. While Islam revolves around Allah as its God and only authority, Christianity, as a faith, is based â€Å"on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus. † Muslims disagree with Christians in this regard. They do not believe that Jesus is a son of God. To them, Jesus, like Muhammad, was only a prophet and messenger of God. Another glaring difference between the two religions occurred in connection with the death of Jesus and Muhammad. While Muhammad died peacefully in his bed because of some illness, his death divided the Muslim world into the Shi’a and the Sunni Muslims. Jesus, on the other hand, died a violent death (he was tortured and crucified), but his death strengthened and unified his people. (Fisher. 2005. Christianity; Islam). References Almuslimin. org. (n. d. ). Who Is Muhammad? (Retrieved March 9, 2007 from:http://drupalmalaysia. org/Islam/Muhammad) CIMIC. (n. d. ). Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center. (Retrieved March 5, 2007 from: http://www. prairienet. org/cimic/) Fisher, M. P. (2005). Christianity. Living Religions, Sixth Edition (pp. 284-361). Prentice-Hall. Fisher, M. P. (2005). Islam. Living Religions, Sixth Edition (pp, 362-416). Prentice-Hall. Kikim Media. (n. d. ). The Life of Muhammad. (Retrieved March 5, 2007 from: http://www. pbs. org/muhammad/timeline. html. shtml) Yusuf, S. H. (n. d. ). A Time for Introspection. (Retrieved March 9, 2007 from: http://www. masud. co. uk/ISLAM/misc/shhamza_sep11. htm) .