Title Of Paper Germany Essays - Geography Of Europe, Europe

Title of Paper : Germany Grade Received on Report : 92% Germany ( Deutschland) Germany is a country in the middle of Europe. At the north there is the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; on the east are Poland and the Czech Republic. On the south are Austria and Switzerland and on the west are France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The official name is the Federal Republic of Germany. It has good relationships with its neighbours and other countries. Germany is in the Northern hemisphere and its capital city's are Bonn and Berlin. Population and Climate ( Bevolkerung und klima) Many people live in Germany. In 1993 Germany had an estimated population of 80,767,591. This means that Germany had about 226 people per sq km. Germany has a changing climate, with an average annual temperature of 9? C. In January the temperature changes from -6? to 1? C. This changes depending on the location. The average July temperature range from between 16? and 20? C. The some places in the north of Germany have a warmer climate than the central and southern parts of Germany. The precipitation is hers. In the south, on the Rhine, is an important industrial area on the cities of Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Karlsruhe. Chemicals, machinery, and building materials are made. Stuttgart is the centre of a manufacturing areas because motor vehicles, electronic equipment, office machinery, textiles, and visual instruments are created. Products that are made in Munich are aircraft, motor vehicles, clothing, and beer. Many important industrial areas located in the north west of Germany. These are the Hannover-Brunswick area, where steel, chemicals, and motor vehicles are made. Another major manufacturing area is coastal p! ort cities like Hamburg, Bremen, Kiel, and Wilhelmshaven. The products of this area are refined petroleum, processed food, beer, ships, office machinery, and printed materials. Berlin is also a major producer of electronic equipment. About 8000 companies were working in East Germany in 1990.

How Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny Essay Example

How Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny Essay Example How Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny Paper How Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny Paper The Constitution had done anything they could to defend against tyranny, but how did they do it? In 1787 55 men representing The American States met in Philadelphia to fix their government. Everybody from the States could have a say in this, and all agree equally to guarding against tyranny. Tyranny is a government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power. The Constitution had guarded against tyranny in four different ways which were Federalism, Separation of powers, Checks and balances and Big states vs small states The beginning guard against tyranny was Federalism, which is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant. James Madison had stated in a â€Å"Federalist Newspaper† about Federalism and how it basically worked for the Colony. Federalism protects against tyranny because Federalism isnt an absolute power, its a division of power to certain members of a covenant. The additional guard against tyranny was Separation of Powers which means the government was separated into different branches. The Constitution states that the Separation of powers were legislative, executive and judicial branches. Separation of power can defend against tyranny simply because there is 3 powers, not one; which does not make America have an absolute power. The third guard against tyranny were Checks and Balances, which were the balances in the 3 branches of power. In the constitution, there is a diagram stating which branch has power for each other. This power protects against an absolute power because if each power checks on each other, they are certain that they will not become powerful then one another. The last guard against tyranny was the Big States versus the Little States which means that each state will have certain amounts of senator’s ( The bigger the state, the more senators). Articles in the Constitution state that a certain amount of representatives will be chosen for the amount of a states population. This can protect tyranny so One single representative wont become an absolute power. Federalism, Separation of Powers, Checks and balances and Big states vs small states are the four guards made to prevent tyranny in America. This question is extremely important because this little question has shaped our government and country. How the guards prevent tyranny can show anybody how our country can be stable in ways rather then countrys with absolute powers. If we didnt have the guard against tyranny, Im sure America would be a very different place.

Breaking Up Essays (256 words) - Deep As The Sea, Consquence

Breaking Up She cried, cried on my shoulder and asked me for a chance, a chance to be with her again. But her simple request was finally refused. Before seeing her tears, I couldn't know how deeply she loved me. If her tears and her love to me is postively related, she loved me as a mother loves her only son. But why did she treat me as her friend, her helper, her listener, just sometimes her boyfriend? he saying that we never care the things we now enjoy is true. When I loved her as deep as the sea is, she didn't care me much. Now when I am tired to her, she asked me for a chance to care me as much as she had never done. But it is too late. romises are nice, but hardly kept, and they should not be easily made, or disappointments are expected. Her tears made me feel sorry and guilty, but nothing more than that. She wanted me to love her as I did before by her tears, but she failed. t is fated that I and she should be friends only. But we didn't believe this fate, and now we have been tasting the consquence we should have, which left us unrecoverable wounds on my heart and hers. At this moment I don't ask my lord for anything, except a quick recovery for her. lthough her tears were out of her eyes one by one, dropping on my right shoulder, my decision was not melted.

Suitability of United Kingdom for Multinational Business Research Paper

Suitability of United Kingdom for Multinational Business - Research Paper Example The UK has a special relationship with foreign countries such as the USA and France. It is also a member of NATO, G8, G7, OECD, Commonwealth, and EU. This membership enables it to develop a good business and political relationship with foreign countries. However, the types of distance between the UK and these countries affect these relationships a great deal. According to Ghemawat (137), the different types of distance between different countries influence global trade and multinational business strategies. The specific types of distance identified by Ghemawat which affect the UK in its international trade and multinational strategies include Cultural, Administrative, Geographical and Economic distances (CAGE). In terms of cultural differences, the UK may be considered to experience distance dimension in international involvements through language differences with foreign countries, different ethnicities, different religions, and different social traditions and norms. The main featur e that makes the UK different from other countries is its British culture. For instance, the language spoken by UK citizens is British English. This differs from other languages spoken by UK’s trading partners. The language spoken in France is French while that spoken in Spain is Spanish. The language spoken in the Netherlands is Dutch while that spoken in the USA is American English. This difference in language affects multinational business strategies of multinational companies intending to enter the UK market. According to Alkema, Koster, and Williams (5), one of the most important business strategies for a multinational corporation is to maintain its core business products and services while attempting to meet the needs of its customers in the foreign country. This is always hampered by language differences because certain services are better offered and communicated using the local language of the host country than in British English. Furthermore, the social traditions, religion and ethnic communities of the UK may also not accept the products and services offered by multinational companies. Another example is that UK companies selling pork may not thrive well in countries like Russia. The second type of distance between the UK and other countries is Administrative distance. In this case, multinational business strategies and international trade between UK companies and foreign companies will be affected by the absence of shared monetary and political associations, political hostility and government policies. If the multinational companies from hostile countries intend to enter the UK market, they may face political resistance and may not thrive in those markets. For instance, some Middle East countries such as Iraq are not politically friendly to the UK because of the UK’s affiliation with the US. This makes them not to get appropriate reception in the UK. However, the UK political system is welcome to most countries and is, therefore, an a ppropriate destination for international business. Geographical distance also affects the international involvement of UK and other foreign countries (Ghemawat 142). For instance, if a country lacks a common border with the UK e.g. US, it becomes difficult for US companies to trade within the UK market. This is because it may take time to transport products from one country to another.

Singapore Airlines External Factor Analysis Essay

Singapore Airlines External Factor Analysis - Essay Example Singapore Airlines, initially the Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, started operations as an independent airlines company in 1972. The company has gained a strong position in the airline industry and the route network now has expanded to over 90 destinations in more than 40 countries. The company has been able to achieve competitive advantage through product and experience based differentiation as it pioneered the concept of entertainment and innovation in flight. It was the first airline to introduce hot meals, alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, fragranced towels, and video on demand for the cabin crew members. The crew members are youngest in any airline industry in South Asia and they use the â€Å"Singapore Girl† as the symbolic representation of the company’s commitment to quality excellence and service delivery (Singapore Tourism Report, 2011). Further, the airline keeps the youngest fleet of aircrafts in order to minimize its fuel costs and has an impressive business model which is responsible for its astounding success. It has an efficient financial infrastructure developed and incorporates innovation and strategic management to adapt to the rapidly changing external environment of the industry. As it is the national airline, it is present in the markets of South Asia, East Asia, Europe and America. Therefore, Singapore Airline operates in a highly competitive market thus external environment is of particular importance to its strategic management and leadership. The External environment has an important impact on the airline industries in Asia especially after the augmentation of terrorism across the world. With the changing external trends globally Singapore Airlines is faced by many micro and macroeconomic pressures, socio-cultural changes, political and legal factors and also the technological pressures to constantly innovate. Below is an analysis of the four external factors affecting Singapore Airlines. Political This refers to the political set up and government intervention in the business sector. The government usually discourages private monopolies and hence would encourage competition. This means Singapore Airlines has to watch for political barriers in host countries for example it withdrew the stake in Air India because of the privatization programme of Indian government (BBC News, 2001). The government’s lobbying activities or policies regarding privatization, protection of domestic industry, contracts or subsidies can al l affect the international firms like Singapore Airlines. In politically unstable countries like India and Pakistan, the Airlines will be subject to much uncertainity in operations and will have to incur additional security costs. Even in Singapore, it does not receive any government subsidies despite the fact that it is a national airline (John, 2010) Social Factors Social factors pertain to the societal changes in tastes, preferences and consumption patterns of the consumers. A change in income levels of the society means more people can afford to travel by air rather than by rail or car hence, there can be an increase in the sales of Singapore Airlines domestic and international flights (Hill, 2008). Moreover, changes in social habits like increased preference of entertainment on flights poses a greater pressure on Singapore Airlines to provide such features to the travellers. The crash of Singapore Airline flight SQ006, at the Chiang Kai Shek International Airport in Taipei, mea nt that the company had to compensate the agitated families of victims with a total amount of $400,000 (BBC News, 2001). Moreover, the increased trend of online shopping also requires Singapore Airlines to regularly update its website and offer online selling and booking of airline tickets in Asia. The increase in terrorist activities however, has a

Importance of Conservation Essay Example for Free

Importance of Conservation Essay The term wildlife has been used to refer to species of wild plants and animals. Nature is a term which infers not only life forms but also the interactions between those life forms. Biodiversity is a comprehensive word for the degree of nature’s variety, including both the number and frequency of ecosystems, species and genes in a given assemblage. It is a word which embraces both species richness and genetic diversity, both of which are being threatened throughout the world. Species extinctions and a reduction in genetic variability is taking place at rate never before witnesses. These losses can be attributed to various factors including pollution, physical disturbance, exploitation for food and other uses, deliberate extirpation, and habitat loss and fragmentation; the last of these is undoubtedly the most serious threat. Symptomatic of the rapidly growing human population, pollution, extinctions and habitat loss are all contributing to a diminished quality of life for future generations (Spellerberg, 1992). Conservation of Botanical Diversity Plants are the basis for life on Earth and without their capacity to capture the sun’s energy through the process of photosynthesis there would be no life in our planet. Therefore the conservation of plants is vital to the continued existence of life. There are between 250 and 300 thousand species of flowering plants, an estimated 200 thousand species of ferns, conifers, mosses and liverworts, giving a total of over half a million plant species in the world. Each species has different habitat requirements, performs different ecological functions in different ecosystems and has different uses or potential uses for humankind. It is not then enough to preserve a few selected plant species. For the survival of a quality of life, and the maintenance of the physical processes such as climate patterns, atmosphere and soil, the majority of plant species are needed. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that conservation techniques for plants aim at preserving as many species as possible (Maxted, Ford-Lloyd, Hawkes, 1997). Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology Nature conservation generally focuses on land and distinguishes between two main types of protected area: the national or international parks, and reserves. Like in the case of Konza Prairie Trail, aside from research purposes, the site is also being conserved to preserve the biodiversity in the area and save the animals that are living in the site (Mason, 2007). National/international parks are heterogeneous areas in which generally different biotopes are present and in which some processes are sufficiently conserved. Reserves are generally patchy and smaller, being surrounded by an agricultural or developed matrix. Nature conservation plans are generally achieved following three main approaches: Conservation of threatened plants and animal populations; Conservation of representative biotopes (a piece of land with a particular type of nature), including communities and ecological processes; Conservation of areas with high biological and/or ecological diversity Generally conservation policies tend to conserve structures rather than processes. Landscape ecology can be useful for nature conservation because it takes into consideration the spatial arrangement of habitats, and consequently considers structures and processes as perceived by the different species. This perception often does not coincide with human perception, creating difficulties when management action is required. A compromise should be found, since in the future wild, remote and large areas will be increasingly rare because of human intrusion (Farina, 1997).

Style Essay -- Style Personality Individuality Papers

Style I often wonder what style is, and how does a person know when they are in possession of it. Style is one of the many things that seem to change form day to day for me, and I'm never sure where it might lead me. I think we all have our own style, but how can we get away from having the same style that other people have? When I look through magazines, all I read is the same thing over and over, in a little different style, or voice. Then, when I look out the window, I see people dressed in about the same fashions. These fashions may change from group to group, and age to age, but the idea of having ones own style seems to be hard to find. I think the only place where a person can have their own style is the home. But then we could fall victim to the Crate & Barrel style. For those who don't know, Crate & Barrel is a furniture store for people who like to copy the unique style of one another. So where this leads me is to the idea that the only real place where people can create their ow n style is in themselves. I think the best place to see a persons individual style is in school. I remember when I was in school, I would dress similar to the people that I hung around with. But the person that I was and am today is nothing like the friends that I had and still have. I think when a person is able to find out how they are, and what they want a personal style emerges, and the best thing about this is that we can alter it and change things as we see fit. You're probably wondering, "How do I know when I need to change my style?". The only thing that I can say is this, you'll know when it is time to change. I know that when I get a certain feeling inside, I know that I have to change something so that I can feel better about ... ...les, and we shouldn't be afraid to show them off to the people around us. How cares if we dress a little different. We are expressing our own individualities through the clothes we wear, and if other people don't like it, tuff noogies. Whoever, I think the only time we should be concerned about what others are wearing is when their style is a threat to our lives, or the life of the person wearing the garment. This concept could also be used in the other topics I wrote about in this essay. Unless there is harm to the individual, or individuals around them, we as a society shouldn't be to concerned about the styles of others. Usually these wild styles are a fads, and people will grow out of them. I know that I was able to grow out of many wild styles that my parents weren't sure if I would come out of or not. So if I was able to overcome these styles, others will to.

Street Children

Street Children â€Å"People don't love us,† says Tigiste, a 12 years old street girl from Addis Ababa. A small example of how these kids suffer everyday, as Tigiste, there are many kids like her all over the world. One of these countries that has a huge problem in this issue is Egypt. But who is a street kid? how can we classify these children by that name? and what is the number of them? â€Å"A street child is defined as any boy or girl for whom the street in the widest sense of the word has become his or her habitual abode and/or source of livelihood, and who is inadequately protected, supervised, or directed by responsible adults† (ESCWA).Omneya Ragab, writer in Al-Ahram weekly says, â€Å"Among the estimated tens of thousands children in street situations, 65% escape family problems, 30% are out in the streets to earn money for themselves and their families while 23% are forced to leave by family members. It is estimated that the number of these children is range d between 200,000 and 2,000,000. You can find them sleeping on pavements, standing at traffic, shining shoes, selling newspapers or notice them under bridges. The main cause of this phenomenon is poverty.Although there are not reliable studies, but it is assumed that â€Å"the percentage of those living on less than $1 a day is 3. 4 % while the percentage of those living on less than $2 a day is 42. 8 %†(ESCWA). Other causes are : violence, an old thought that a child has to work at an early age and stop education and falling preys for employers, a member in family or by their peers. Effects are clearly observed as this resulted to depending on charity, sexual abuse and continuing of a series of violence in general and illness.So, this essay will demonstrate the causes of this problem, then the effects in details and how can this problem be solved tackling some projects that are already done to face this. So as to analyze any problem we should know its cause which will lead u s to understand its effects in a better way. A life of a child is at stake, everyday these innocent kids are exposed to danger. First it comes from family, which circumstances affects them and lead to uncontrollability in actions whether from a member of a family or by any sudden unexpected event, like the one that happened at AL Dewe'a or by losing contact with the parents including death.This could result in displacement of these children were they can't find a place or shelter except under a bridge, infront of mosques or in any public place like gardens for example. Also, another cause is, the deprivation of education. Based on the Egyptian 2006 census, â€Å"the percentage of children between 6 and 18 years who never enrolled or who have dropped out of basic education was 14. 7 %, amounting to around three million children. The gross enrolment rate of children in basic, secondary and tertiary levels was 76. %†. It was found that the main causes of that is the violence the y suffer at home, school or at work; which lead afterwards that parents urge them to work only because that is more profitable and gives instant cash flows. The problem is that the child becomes fed up and start to search for the prefered environment but finds that in the street which is an exit to change their lives. Yet they suffer more violence with a constant feeling of insecurity; from older street children, abusive community members or from the police.So they are urged to submit, whether it was for an employer who could be an older street child or to the police and in both ways they will feel pain and humiliation. This can be by abuse, rape or other ways of torture. According to Human Rights Watch, police beatings are purely punitive or correctional in approach: in other words, they are used to â€Å"teach the children a lesson†! And by the street children you can find the worse as sexual violence may lead to unwanted pregnancies for girls and extreme injuries for both genders. Street Children [pic] NAME OF CANDIDATE: CENTER #: CANDIDATE #: TERITORY: JAMAICA YEAR: 2013 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Street children in my community ? What are the factors that influence children to live on the streets? ? What are the measures that can be taken to get them into homes/places of safety? RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. What are the factors that influence children to live on the streets? 2. What are the effects of living on the streets affects these children? 3. What are the measures that can be taken to get street children off the streets? METHOD OF INVESTIGATION The method of investigation chosen is the questionnaire.The questionnaire as chosen as a tool for collecting information because of a number of advantages they are: 1. It requires less time to be completed. 2. It is highly confidential since no name is required. 3. It can be done base on the person’s schedule. REASON FOR SELECTING AREA OF RESEARCH The area in which the research will be done is the down town area. The reason for sele cting this particular area is as a result of the high rate of street children on the streets of down town. It was observed that these children have been on the street on several occasions. I want to explore the causes and effects of their phenomena.PROCEDURES FOR DATA COLLECTION In the area of Down Town Kingston there are thousands of different streets. Some of which are more crowded with street children than others. There was a minimum of 1 street children present on these streets and a maximum of 2. In the less crowded streets of the area, 10 street children were present respectively, questionnaires were given to each. On the streets which were less crowded 6 males were present and 4 females, their ages from 10-17 years. On the street that was more crowded, 16 males and 4 females present their ages also ranged from 10-17 years.When approached and asked if they would complete the questionnaire some demanded money while others immediately agreed, no one refused. Some needed little o r no help. 30 questionnaires were issued, all of which were complete and returned immediately to the researcher who waited on them patiently. When they were finished and counted 8 females and 22 males actually completed the questionnaires. DATA ANALYSIS Street children, where is their place in society? Red Rat, a local DJ aptly describes Jamaicans view on the home of street children when he sang that they â€Å"No Live Nuh Wey†.His song also highlights the hardship experienced by children, the activities they get involved in and their aspirations. This project then, seeks to answer two main questions: 1. Why are these children living on the streets of my community? 2. What are the measures that can be taken to get street children off the streets? In order to provide a comprehensive answer to these two questions, the project will first look at the major cause of this phenomenon, urbanization. It will then look at the spatial location of street children in my community and in K ingston.The focus will then move to who they are, why they are on the streets and the activities in which they are engaged. It will also examine how effective institutions are in meeting the needs of the children. This is done in an attempt to determine whether or not there is hope for these children. This project will conclude by making suggestions on how to give hope to street children. Waugh, (2000), describes urbanization as the process by which an increasing proportion of the total population, usually of a country, lives in towns and cities. This growth is due to natural increase and to a larger extent rural-urban migration.Map 1,page 2, shows that the most densely populated parishes are in the areas of the Kingston Metropolitan Region, which includes Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Catherine, (Census 2001). Urbanization in these areas has placed stress on the available resources and has led to overcrowding, which in turn has led to several problems. These include shortages of hou ses and the development of slums/ghettos, crime and violence, unemployment and underemployment and the incidence of street people specifically, children. The stance of this project is that street children are victims of urbanization.Agnelli, 1986 confirms our stance when he wrote that the phenomenon of street children is urban in nature, as there are no rural street children. Map 2, page 3, further confirms this. [pic] [pic] The writer of this project define Street children as those children who are under the age of seventeen years who live or work on the streets as a regular daily activity. This is endorsed by Lusk et. al (1992) in an article entitled Children in need, described street children as any child for whom the street has become his or her habitual abode and /or source of livelihood, and who is inadequately protected, supervised, or directed by adults.In an interview with a social worker, the profile of a street child was outlined; he mistrust people, he enjoys his indepen dence, he tends to be rebellious, he dislikes authoritarianism or ridged control, he can be rehabilitated, he can cope under difficult circumstances and he is nomadic. The writers of this article indicated that there are three categories of street children: Children on the streets – are those who still have links with families and attend school, but work on the streets outside of school hours.Children of the streets – are those whose links with the family are remote and who consider the street to be their home. Abandoned children – are those who are completely on their own and have no links with their families. Numerous reasons have been given to explain the presence of the children on the roads. A Gleaner article of August 23, 2011 highlighted three reasons: It claimed that some children are orphaned as their parents were killed in shooting sprees in the inner city areas, some parents have migrated and have left them in the care of uncaring relatives, friends a nd older siblings.In another article found in the Sunday Gleaner on August 25, 2011, the writer quoted the former project coordinator of Wings, in saying that the boys were put out of their homes by their parents, and that some were coerced into the streets because of overcrowded homes. In another article found in the Gleaner on March 15, 2002, the writer critically stated that the children were on the streets because they were either truants from the school system or a product of dysfunctional families.From our research, we have found that a typical street child is a 12-year-old boy from a female- headed household, the average size of which is five persons, where his guardian either is unemployed or marginally employed. The responses from the questionnaire regarding the reason for their absence from school suggest that socio-economic deprivation is indeed a major factor. Some even responded sayings that they were forced peddle wares on the streets to supplement the family’s income; others were suspended or expelled from school, while there were a few who stated that there was no reason.Irregular school attendance for those who are actually enrolled into a school is a popular feature found among the street children interviewed. Many went to school only three days per week; using the remaining days of the week to perform their personal activities. For those who were absent from school only once or twice per week, Thursday and Friday were their preferred days to be absent. This they stated enabled them to go to the market to beg and or sell. Thursday is the wholesale day in the major retail market and Friday being payday, is a popular market day for workers in the urban centres.These days proved to be most profitable for these child labourers as they earn much of their money transporting goods for the shoppers. Based on the responses of the children from the questionnaire, it is possible to assess and determine the main â€Å"push factors† which ha s inevitably resulted in them being on the street. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE INCREASING NUMBER OF STREET CHILDREN 11% 30%State 19% 33% Parents Abusers Peers 7%Severe Poverty Push Factors a) The state – Overcrowding of the educational or childcare system is the primary cause for movement of the children from the institutions provided.The state neglects their responsibilities by not adequately funding these institutions. The signs were evident in the inner city schools visited where the teacher – pupil ratio is about 1:60. In addition, the lack of desk and chairs, stationery and other vital equipment causes discomfort for the students and teachers. b) The consequences of the actions of parents such as neglect, migration or directly sending their children out on the streets, forces them to fend for themselves hence causing child labour. ) Physical, sexual or emotional abuse, caused by parents or guardians usually leads to the child running away from home and thereby bei ng forced into child labour d) Peer pressure –The feeling of inadequacy at school discourages then from wanting to learn, especially if they are being teased and ridiculed and hence they are push into child labour. e) Severe poverty – The children are forced unto the streets to supplement the inadequate income of the household, often following the laying off from work of the primary caregiver. ) Those who enter into child labour primarily of their own volition, in order to help out their parents or to become more independent themselves; and g) Those entering as a direct result of family crisis like the illness or death of the primary caregiver. Pull Factors A. â€Å"Pop Culture† influences children, in that it dictates the clothing and styles to be worn in order for them to be considered fashionable. When children of a poor socio economic background see their friends in the latest fashions, living a carefree life without any responsibilities this entices them to want to follow this trend.However due to their poor financial circumstances they are unable to afford these trends, hence leading them to go out and fend or work for themselves in an attempt to afford these styles. B. In a paper published by David Dunkley’s on February 11, 1999, Turf wars were cited as one of the reasons for boys not returning home at nights. From having spoken to street children ourselves, we saw that this was in fact one of the reasons many felt they could not return home at nights and so remained on the streets, as they feared for their lives.Others received money, protection and the needed support from the â€Å"don† (local area leader), who used them as carriers for their illicit wares. On interviewing these children, we also realized that a few of them had behavioral problems. It was found that the children, who exhibited extreme forms of behavioral problems, were from larger families with one or no parent and were the ones who were particularly into sporadic school attendance. They were the ones who were also from depressed communities where overcrowding was a problem and living conditions were poor.During our research, a child highlighted some of his reason for being on the streets. He reported that he lived in a single room house with his mother and other siblings and was forced to leave the house when his mother was â€Å"entertaining†. Another child, who resided with his grandparent, complained that he could not live with her because she was miserable and demanding. Hence he avoided going home as he disliked the living conditions and is thereby a street child. In our survey, 92% of the children were boys and they were involved in a number of activities: they pushed carts, they carried people’s luggage.They sold items for others, they bought and sold items, some went to sea and some were there just to check their â€Å"brethren†. One little boy in particular said that when he is on the street he â €Å"run up an’ down†. Not surprisingly though is the fact that the majority are involved in one or another economic activity. In fact 75% admitted to be so involved. These activities, according to these children yield great returns. In 1986 children were making a maximum of $21. 00 per day, now 75% of them made over $1000. 00 per day. One child stated that he made over $1,800. 0 per day. Seventeen percent of them were reluctant to reveal their daily earnings or simply did not know. If these figures are truly representative of what a child makes on the street, it is no wonder that they are willing to remain there regardless of the harsh treatment, which is meted out to them by the general public. It is evident that the economic pull to street life is greater now than in the 1980s and 1990s. Hence this remains a major factor for children being on the streets. When we question, â€Å"Why are these children living on the streets in my community? there are many reasons and excuses. Many are in search of love and acceptance; others see it as a means of survival or an outlet. The real question however is, â€Å"Is there hope for these children? † In answering the question, is there hope for these children, one would be tempted to give a resounding yes. But can this be justified? The plight of the street children has not been ignored by the Jamaican Government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and International organizations. In fact, programmes have been put in place to alleviate problems of child labour in Kingston.These include RISE Life Management who plays a great role in my community, Children First, Hope for Children, The Possibility Programme, St. Andrew Care Centre, the National Initiative for Street Children (NISC), Tackle Child Labour by the International Labour Organization and the Socialization Project by the Kingston Restoration Company. Mainly the United Children Educational Foundation (UNICEF) funds many of these programmes. All of the named institutions have been established to alleviate problems of child labor and neglected children in the metropolitan area.Most of these institutions aim at giving these children institution Management provides counseling, classes and youth programs for street children in my community. Children First aims at reintroducing them into the formal school system. It reunites them with their families and monitors their attendance in the government schools. Map 3 shows their specific location in Kingston, and proximity to my community the main study area. The residence of the street children are located in mostly densely populated homes where the standard of living is low and living conditions harsh.Many of the institutions that are put in place to help them are located within the community or close by. [pic] In these institutions, a number of activities are planned for the children, some outside the classroom. All the organizations have regular school activities inclusive of Mathematics, English, Reading, Social Studies, Science, and Computing. At Children First there is a thematic teaching system in which themes are chosen by the students, for example, â€Å"Children Rights†. They also offer skills training programs such as cosmetology, barbering and photography. At NISC,Children First for example, has aided a number of students to attend universities both local and international. For example, there is a student studying medicine in Cuba, and one, at The Edna Manley School Of Art is studying to become an actor. Two-thirds of the staff is graduates of the program. Mrs. Pious, executive director of Children First has found that in order to improve the lives of the children, it is often necessary to improve the lives of the parents or guardians as well. As a result, the program has enabled many parents to start small businesses such as chicken rearing, ewing and goat rearing. At Hope for Children, students have been involved in drama. A few of thei r past productions include â€Å"Come Listen to We†, â€Å"Wicked Reality† and â€Å"Man, Woman and Child†. The street children in my community seemed very ambitious and their occupational aspirations were wide and varied. Figure 2 shows the career choice of the street children. DESIRED OCCUPATION OF THE STREET CHILDREN 10 8 6 4 2 0 OCCUPATIONS What is noticeable is that only the needs of the carpenter and the fisherman and to a lesser extent that of a truck driver are catered to by these institution.The implication of this is that if they boys are taken off the street and placed in any of these institutions, their aspirations would not be met. The formal educational institutions however could meet their goals, but they have to, to a large extent turn their backs on these institutions. One still have to wonder, is there hope for these children? What is heartening is that the children, although they were on the street, thought that education was important and tha t it was the only way for them to achieve their goals. In fact, 83% of them believe that education is important in their acquiring their career goals.It is often times said that where there is a will there is a way. Even though many of the children have the desire to attain upper socio-economic mobility, they were often times forced to attend these institutions. When the Administrators were asked about the institutionalization of the children, they indicated that few children came in voluntarily. In fact, Most of the children were sent there by parents, concerned citizens and police officers. Overall, having been forced to attend has caused them to be defiant and hostile to the programme.At Children First most of the children attend voluntarily and hence their level of success is greater. We also found from our interview that 6% of the children did not even know where the institutions were located or even that they existed. Overall, from my observation, the programmes I have studied have shown a level of success. But in light of the negative aspects, which we have observed, I recommend the following: 1. A public education programme on radio and television, which highlights why contributions should be given directly to the programmes in place instead of the children. . Implementing more self-help schemes for the parents or guardians of the street children, that is, helping them to generate a steady income. 3. Government should make the needs of street children one of its priorities. More money should be allocated to these programmes to effect changes. 4. Make the public aware of the plight of our nation’s future through the introduction of a Street Children Day in Child month and Media coverage (when people become aware, they will become sympathetic and generous). DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT Sample of Questionnaire 1. Gender Tick (/)Male ( )Female ( ) 2. Age 10-11 years ( )12-13 years ( )14-15 years ( )16-17 years ( ) 3. How long have you been on the stre ets? 6 months-1 year ( )2-3 years ( )4-5 years ( )6 years and over ( ) 4. When you were at home, what type of family did you live in? Single ( )Nuclear ( )Extended ( ) Other ( ) 5. Do you plan on returning home? Yes ( ) No ( ) 6. Do you like living on the street? Yes ( ) No ( ) 7. What are some of the factors that are responsible for you becoming a street child? Abandoned by parents ( )Disruptive behaviors/can’t be controlled ( )Ran away from home ( )Other ( ) 8. What was the main punishment received at home? Beating/Flogging ( )Indecent language ( )Being put to starve ( ) Other ( ) 9. What type of relationship do you have with your family now that you are on the streets? Excellent ( )Poor ( ) Fair ( ) None ( ) 10. Do you think its better being on the streets that at home? Yes ( ) No ( ) If yes why? ______________________________________________________________ 11. How do you provide for yourself on the streets? Begging ( )Stealing ( )Searching household garbage ( ) 12. Do yo u ever wish you never left home?Yes ( )No ( ) 13. How does being a street child affect you emotionally? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 14. How does being a street child affect your physical appearance? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 15. Were you in school? Yes ( )No ( ) 16. If yes what grade/form where you in? 17. Are you able to read and write? Yes ( )No ( ) 18.What are the measures that can be taken to get street children off the streets? Put them in state homes ( ) Have counseling sessions with them and put them up for adoption ( ) Establish laws to punish parents who contribute to their child being on the streets ( ) 19. Do you think the measures will work for you? Yes ( ) No ( ) Maybe ( ) 20. What can persons who wish to become parents do to avoid chil dren leaving home to live on the streets? Attend parenting sessions on how to care for the child ( ) Talk to the child/children to find out what is bothering them ( )Get involved in activities at the child school to see how well they are doing () BIBLIOGRAPHY Agnelli (1986), Street Children- A growing urban tragedy -Report for the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues Boyce-Reid, k. (1993) A Report on Street Children Projects http://gvnet. com/streetchildren/Jamaica. htm David Dunkley(1999) :Street Children- effects of urbanization ———————– School Based Assessment on Street Children in my community FISHERMAN FIRE MAN CARPENTER PERCENTAGES DOCTOR BUSINESS MAN TEACHER TRUCK DRIVER BANK CLERK Stall Cart Street Children [pic] NAME OF CANDIDATE: CENTER #: CANDIDATE #: TERITORY: JAMAICA YEAR: 2013 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Street children in my community ? What are the factors that influence children to live on the streets? ? What are the measures that can be taken to get them into homes/places of safety? RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. What are the factors that influence children to live on the streets? 2. What are the effects of living on the streets affects these children? 3. What are the measures that can be taken to get street children off the streets? METHOD OF INVESTIGATION The method of investigation chosen is the questionnaire.The questionnaire as chosen as a tool for collecting information because of a number of advantages they are: 1. It requires less time to be completed. 2. It is highly confidential since no name is required. 3. It can be done base on the person’s schedule. REASON FOR SELECTING AREA OF RESEARCH The area in which the research will be done is the down town area. The reason for sele cting this particular area is as a result of the high rate of street children on the streets of down town. It was observed that these children have been on the street on several occasions. I want to explore the causes and effects of their phenomena.PROCEDURES FOR DATA COLLECTION In the area of Down Town Kingston there are thousands of different streets. Some of which are more crowded with street children than others. There was a minimum of 1 street children present on these streets and a maximum of 2. In the less crowded streets of the area, 10 street children were present respectively, questionnaires were given to each. On the streets which were less crowded 6 males were present and 4 females, their ages from 10-17 years. On the street that was more crowded, 16 males and 4 females present their ages also ranged from 10-17 years.When approached and asked if they would complete the questionnaire some demanded money while others immediately agreed, no one refused. Some needed little o r no help. 30 questionnaires were issued, all of which were complete and returned immediately to the researcher who waited on them patiently. When they were finished and counted 8 females and 22 males actually completed the questionnaires. DATA ANALYSIS Street children, where is their place in society? Red Rat, a local DJ aptly describes Jamaicans view on the home of street children when he sang that they â€Å"No Live Nuh Wey†.His song also highlights the hardship experienced by children, the activities they get involved in and their aspirations. This project then, seeks to answer two main questions: 1. Why are these children living on the streets of my community? 2. What are the measures that can be taken to get street children off the streets? In order to provide a comprehensive answer to these two questions, the project will first look at the major cause of this phenomenon, urbanization. It will then look at the spatial location of street children in my community and in K ingston.The focus will then move to who they are, why they are on the streets and the activities in which they are engaged. It will also examine how effective institutions are in meeting the needs of the children. This is done in an attempt to determine whether or not there is hope for these children. This project will conclude by making suggestions on how to give hope to street children. Waugh, (2000), describes urbanization as the process by which an increasing proportion of the total population, usually of a country, lives in towns and cities. This growth is due to natural increase and to a larger extent rural-urban migration.Map 1,page 2, shows that the most densely populated parishes are in the areas of the Kingston Metropolitan Region, which includes Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Catherine, (Census 2001). Urbanization in these areas has placed stress on the available resources and has led to overcrowding, which in turn has led to several problems. These include shortages of hou ses and the development of slums/ghettos, crime and violence, unemployment and underemployment and the incidence of street people specifically, children. The stance of this project is that street children are victims of urbanization.Agnelli, 1986 confirms our stance when he wrote that the phenomenon of street children is urban in nature, as there are no rural street children. Map 2, page 3, further confirms this. [pic] [pic] The writer of this project define Street children as those children who are under the age of seventeen years who live or work on the streets as a regular daily activity. This is endorsed by Lusk et. al (1992) in an article entitled Children in need, described street children as any child for whom the street has become his or her habitual abode and /or source of livelihood, and who is inadequately protected, supervised, or directed by adults.In an interview with a social worker, the profile of a street child was outlined; he mistrust people, he enjoys his indepen dence, he tends to be rebellious, he dislikes authoritarianism or ridged control, he can be rehabilitated, he can cope under difficult circumstances and he is nomadic. The writers of this article indicated that there are three categories of street children: Children on the streets – are those who still have links with families and attend school, but work on the streets outside of school hours.Children of the streets – are those whose links with the family are remote and who consider the street to be their home. Abandoned children – are those who are completely on their own and have no links with their families. Numerous reasons have been given to explain the presence of the children on the roads. A Gleaner article of August 23, 2011 highlighted three reasons: It claimed that some children are orphaned as their parents were killed in shooting sprees in the inner city areas, some parents have migrated and have left them in the care of uncaring relatives, friends a nd older siblings.In another article found in the Sunday Gleaner on August 25, 2011, the writer quoted the former project coordinator of Wings, in saying that the boys were put out of their homes by their parents, and that some were coerced into the streets because of overcrowded homes. In another article found in the Gleaner on March 15, 2002, the writer critically stated that the children were on the streets because they were either truants from the school system or a product of dysfunctional families.From our research, we have found that a typical street child is a 12-year-old boy from a female- headed household, the average size of which is five persons, where his guardian either is unemployed or marginally employed. The responses from the questionnaire regarding the reason for their absence from school suggest that socio-economic deprivation is indeed a major factor. Some even responded sayings that they were forced peddle wares on the streets to supplement the family’s income; others were suspended or expelled from school, while there were a few who stated that there was no reason.Irregular school attendance for those who are actually enrolled into a school is a popular feature found among the street children interviewed. Many went to school only three days per week; using the remaining days of the week to perform their personal activities. For those who were absent from school only once or twice per week, Thursday and Friday were their preferred days to be absent. This they stated enabled them to go to the market to beg and or sell. Thursday is the wholesale day in the major retail market and Friday being payday, is a popular market day for workers in the urban centres.These days proved to be most profitable for these child labourers as they earn much of their money transporting goods for the shoppers. Based on the responses of the children from the questionnaire, it is possible to assess and determine the main â€Å"push factors† which ha s inevitably resulted in them being on the street. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE INCREASING NUMBER OF STREET CHILDREN 11% 30%State 19% 33% Parents Abusers Peers 7%Severe Poverty Push Factors a) The state – Overcrowding of the educational or childcare system is the primary cause for movement of the children from the institutions provided.The state neglects their responsibilities by not adequately funding these institutions. The signs were evident in the inner city schools visited where the teacher – pupil ratio is about 1:60. In addition, the lack of desk and chairs, stationery and other vital equipment causes discomfort for the students and teachers. b) The consequences of the actions of parents such as neglect, migration or directly sending their children out on the streets, forces them to fend for themselves hence causing child labour. ) Physical, sexual or emotional abuse, caused by parents or guardians usually leads to the child running away from home and thereby bei ng forced into child labour d) Peer pressure –The feeling of inadequacy at school discourages then from wanting to learn, especially if they are being teased and ridiculed and hence they are push into child labour. e) Severe poverty – The children are forced unto the streets to supplement the inadequate income of the household, often following the laying off from work of the primary caregiver. ) Those who enter into child labour primarily of their own volition, in order to help out their parents or to become more independent themselves; and g) Those entering as a direct result of family crisis like the illness or death of the primary caregiver. Pull Factors A. â€Å"Pop Culture† influences children, in that it dictates the clothing and styles to be worn in order for them to be considered fashionable. When children of a poor socio economic background see their friends in the latest fashions, living a carefree life without any responsibilities this entices them to want to follow this trend.However due to their poor financial circumstances they are unable to afford these trends, hence leading them to go out and fend or work for themselves in an attempt to afford these styles. B. In a paper published by David Dunkley’s on February 11, 1999, Turf wars were cited as one of the reasons for boys not returning home at nights. From having spoken to street children ourselves, we saw that this was in fact one of the reasons many felt they could not return home at nights and so remained on the streets, as they feared for their lives.Others received money, protection and the needed support from the â€Å"don† (local area leader), who used them as carriers for their illicit wares. On interviewing these children, we also realized that a few of them had behavioral problems. It was found that the children, who exhibited extreme forms of behavioral problems, were from larger families with one or no parent and were the ones who were particularly into sporadic school attendance. They were the ones who were also from depressed communities where overcrowding was a problem and living conditions were poor.During our research, a child highlighted some of his reason for being on the streets. He reported that he lived in a single room house with his mother and other siblings and was forced to leave the house when his mother was â€Å"entertaining†. Another child, who resided with his grandparent, complained that he could not live with her because she was miserable and demanding. Hence he avoided going home as he disliked the living conditions and is thereby a street child. In our survey, 92% of the children were boys and they were involved in a number of activities: they pushed carts, they carried people’s luggage.They sold items for others, they bought and sold items, some went to sea and some were there just to check their â€Å"brethren†. One little boy in particular said that when he is on the street he â €Å"run up an’ down†. Not surprisingly though is the fact that the majority are involved in one or another economic activity. In fact 75% admitted to be so involved. These activities, according to these children yield great returns. In 1986 children were making a maximum of $21. 00 per day, now 75% of them made over $1000. 00 per day. One child stated that he made over $1,800. 0 per day. Seventeen percent of them were reluctant to reveal their daily earnings or simply did not know. If these figures are truly representative of what a child makes on the street, it is no wonder that they are willing to remain there regardless of the harsh treatment, which is meted out to them by the general public. It is evident that the economic pull to street life is greater now than in the 1980s and 1990s. Hence this remains a major factor for children being on the streets. When we question, â€Å"Why are these children living on the streets in my community? there are many reasons and excuses. Many are in search of love and acceptance; others see it as a means of survival or an outlet. The real question however is, â€Å"Is there hope for these children? † In answering the question, is there hope for these children, one would be tempted to give a resounding yes. But can this be justified? The plight of the street children has not been ignored by the Jamaican Government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and International organizations. In fact, programmes have been put in place to alleviate problems of child labour in Kingston.These include RISE Life Management who plays a great role in my community, Children First, Hope for Children, The Possibility Programme, St. Andrew Care Centre, the National Initiative for Street Children (NISC), Tackle Child Labour by the International Labour Organization and the Socialization Project by the Kingston Restoration Company. Mainly the United Children Educational Foundation (UNICEF) funds many of these programmes. All of the named institutions have been established to alleviate problems of child labor and neglected children in the metropolitan area.Most of these institutions aim at giving these children institution Management provides counseling, classes and youth programs for street children in my community. Children First aims at reintroducing them into the formal school system. It reunites them with their families and monitors their attendance in the government schools. Map 3 shows their specific location in Kingston, and proximity to my community the main study area. The residence of the street children are located in mostly densely populated homes where the standard of living is low and living conditions harsh.Many of the institutions that are put in place to help them are located within the community or close by. [pic] In these institutions, a number of activities are planned for the children, some outside the classroom. All the organizations have regular school activities inclusive of Mathematics, English, Reading, Social Studies, Science, and Computing. At Children First there is a thematic teaching system in which themes are chosen by the students, for example, â€Å"Children Rights†. They also offer skills training programs such as cosmetology, barbering and photography. At NISC,Children First for example, has aided a number of students to attend universities both local and international. For example, there is a student studying medicine in Cuba, and one, at The Edna Manley School Of Art is studying to become an actor. Two-thirds of the staff is graduates of the program. Mrs. Pious, executive director of Children First has found that in order to improve the lives of the children, it is often necessary to improve the lives of the parents or guardians as well. As a result, the program has enabled many parents to start small businesses such as chicken rearing, ewing and goat rearing. At Hope for Children, students have been involved in drama. A few of thei r past productions include â€Å"Come Listen to We†, â€Å"Wicked Reality† and â€Å"Man, Woman and Child†. The street children in my community seemed very ambitious and their occupational aspirations were wide and varied. Figure 2 shows the career choice of the street children. DESIRED OCCUPATION OF THE STREET CHILDREN 10 8 6 4 2 0 OCCUPATIONS What is noticeable is that only the needs of the carpenter and the fisherman and to a lesser extent that of a truck driver are catered to by these institution.The implication of this is that if they boys are taken off the street and placed in any of these institutions, their aspirations would not be met. The formal educational institutions however could meet their goals, but they have to, to a large extent turn their backs on these institutions. One still have to wonder, is there hope for these children? What is heartening is that the children, although they were on the street, thought that education was important and tha t it was the only way for them to achieve their goals. In fact, 83% of them believe that education is important in their acquiring their career goals.It is often times said that where there is a will there is a way. Even though many of the children have the desire to attain upper socio-economic mobility, they were often times forced to attend these institutions. When the Administrators were asked about the institutionalization of the children, they indicated that few children came in voluntarily. In fact, Most of the children were sent there by parents, concerned citizens and police officers. Overall, having been forced to attend has caused them to be defiant and hostile to the programme.At Children First most of the children attend voluntarily and hence their level of success is greater. We also found from our interview that 6% of the children did not even know where the institutions were located or even that they existed. Overall, from my observation, the programmes I have studied have shown a level of success. But in light of the negative aspects, which we have observed, I recommend the following: 1. A public education programme on radio and television, which highlights why contributions should be given directly to the programmes in place instead of the children. . Implementing more self-help schemes for the parents or guardians of the street children, that is, helping them to generate a steady income. 3. Government should make the needs of street children one of its priorities. More money should be allocated to these programmes to effect changes. 4. Make the public aware of the plight of our nation’s future through the introduction of a Street Children Day in Child month and Media coverage (when people become aware, they will become sympathetic and generous). DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT Sample of Questionnaire 1. Gender Tick (/)Male ( )Female ( ) 2. Age 10-11 years ( )12-13 years ( )14-15 years ( )16-17 years ( ) 3. How long have you been on the stre ets? 6 months-1 year ( )2-3 years ( )4-5 years ( )6 years and over ( ) 4. When you were at home, what type of family did you live in? Single ( )Nuclear ( )Extended ( ) Other ( ) 5. Do you plan on returning home? Yes ( ) No ( ) 6. Do you like living on the street? Yes ( ) No ( ) 7. What are some of the factors that are responsible for you becoming a street child? Abandoned by parents ( )Disruptive behaviors/can’t be controlled ( )Ran away from home ( )Other ( ) 8. What was the main punishment received at home? Beating/Flogging ( )Indecent language ( )Being put to starve ( ) Other ( ) 9. What type of relationship do you have with your family now that you are on the streets? Excellent ( )Poor ( ) Fair ( ) None ( ) 10. Do you think its better being on the streets that at home? Yes ( ) No ( ) If yes why? ______________________________________________________________ 11. How do you provide for yourself on the streets? Begging ( )Stealing ( )Searching household garbage ( ) 12. Do yo u ever wish you never left home?Yes ( )No ( ) 13. How does being a street child affect you emotionally? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 14. How does being a street child affect your physical appearance? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 15. Were you in school? Yes ( )No ( ) 16. If yes what grade/form where you in? 17. Are you able to read and write? Yes ( )No ( ) 18.What are the measures that can be taken to get street children off the streets? Put them in state homes ( ) Have counseling sessions with them and put them up for adoption ( ) Establish laws to punish parents who contribute to their child being on the streets ( ) 19. Do you think the measures will work for you? Yes ( ) No ( ) Maybe ( ) 20. What can persons who wish to become parents do to avoid chil dren leaving home to live on the streets? Attend parenting sessions on how to care for the child ( ) Talk to the child/children to find out what is bothering them ( )Get involved in activities at the child school to see how well they are doing () BIBLIOGRAPHY Agnelli (1986), Street Children- A growing urban tragedy -Report for the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues Boyce-Reid, k. (1993) A Report on Street Children Projects http://gvnet. com/streetchildren/Jamaica. htm David Dunkley(1999) :Street Children- effects of urbanization ———————– School Based Assessment on Street Children in my community FISHERMAN FIRE MAN CARPENTER PERCENTAGES DOCTOR BUSINESS MAN TEACHER TRUCK DRIVER BANK CLERK Stall Cart

A Confederacy of Dunces as a Criticism of Higher Education

Whether in an effort to become more educated and to obtain more lucrative jobs or due to the need for better education in an increasingly technological job market, the United States has seen a rising trend in the percentage of individuals who choose to attend college and graduate school. Not only has the number of individuals seeking higher education increased, but criticism of higher education has increased as well. Common criticism has included the idea of colleges and universities being more concerned with financial aspects than with their students, as well as the idea of students using higher education not to become more educated individuals, but to increase their chances of earning higher wages after college or graduate school. A Confederacy of Dunces' satirical focus on education and learning provides examples of these and other criticisms of higher education. More specifically, the characters of the story show the reader the educated are not always the ones who fare the best in terms of their emotional well-being and their ability to function in society. In looking at the characters in the novel there seems to be an inverse relationship in terms of the amount of education a character has received in comparison to that character's ability to function normally in society (to not cause others distress, to contribute physically and mentally, etc. ) For example, Ignatius has the greatest amount of education and proves himself the most socially backwards, followed by Myrna, then by Mrs. Levy, an overconfident psychologist with no more than community college experience. Also, the reader is shown that the most educated characters are also the most satirized and laughable characters in the story. Two obvious characters, the characters of Ignatius Reilly and Myrna Minkoff, illustrate some of the possible detrimental effects of higher education. Although it is difficult to comment on Myrna, evidence is provided throughout the novel that portrays Ignatius as a much more sociable and pleasant individual before his days at college. For both of these characters education has distorted their view of society in such a way that it makes them miserable to be part of such an â€Å"abominable and debauched† society. Ignatius complains throughout the novel about other's lack of intelligence and their supposedly â€Å"distorted† view of society. Not only has Ignatius and Myrna's view of society been affected by higher education, but their ability to function socially in society has been affected as well. Neither character is able to maintain a long lasting relationship with others than themselves. Also, Ignatius has difficulty finding employment and has even greater difficulty keeping any job which he obtains. Myrna herself would undoubtedly face similar difficulty if she did not receive substantial funding from her father. Finally, Myrna's view on sex, one that clashes with the social norm, and her propensity to discuss this subject almost gets her raped by a university janitor. Another character who is highly involved in academia, Professor Talc, helps to illustrate the criticism of college being a business for those who run it and by those who work for it. Professor Talc himself admits that he does not know or teach much at all-that his lectures are vague, that he is only popular because of his humor, and that he is not qualified to teach college level Social Studies. Talc's disinterest in educating his students supports the idea that many professors view their work only as a secure job with substantial benefits. Another example of Professor Talc illustrating criticism of higher education comes in the episode of his meeting with a female student. While Talc originally believes that the student set up the meeting either because of her interest in his class or because of her interest in him, the actual motive of the student is only to find out the grade of her most recent project. This episode represents the common criticism of higher education simply providing a means to an end. While the primary goal of a college education was at one time to become a more educated individual, this goal has shifted to receiving good grades, obtaining a good job, making a lot of money, etc. In the author's final attempt to satirize, and therefore criticize, higher education, Professor Talc, the novel's symbol of higher education itself, ends the story being mocked and ridiculed by both teachers and students. In comparing the less-educated characters of the story, the reader is shown that although these characters may not be the most materially well-off or have the greatest intellectual capacity, they do finish the story as the most emotionally, and in some cases financially, stable characters of the story. Also, although they are not formally educated, these characters are able to function well in everyday, practical situations. One such uneducated character who finishes the novel better off than many of the educated characters is Ignatius' mother. By the end of the story, Mrs. Reilly is free of Ignatius, who oppresses her social interests and forces her to cook and clean, and has a chance at marrying Claude Robichaux, a well-off and apparently sympathetic man. Mrs. Reilly has little education and therefore seems to expect and desire little. Unlike those who desire a good job and a good income simply because they attended college, Mrs. Reilly is satisfied by more simple pleasures: the company of friends, dancing, bowling etc. Her simple pleasures illustrate the ideal of the Zen road to affluence-if you do not desire a lot, it takes very little to be happy. In comparing this to higher education, again many of those individuals who attend college and/or graduate school do expect and desire more: a more lucrative job, more socially affluent friends, a wealthier, more attractive spouse. Higher education may also perpetuate the need to be competitive-the need to work increasingly hard in order to get ahead. Evidence of this idea can be found in the fact that an increasing percentage of the population attend college and/or graduate school than in years past. No longer is a high school education sufficient to secure a well-paying job. Both Darlene and Jones also prove to be less educated characters who end the story in better emotional and financial situations than many of those characters who have received some type of higher education. Both Darlene and Jones finish the story with better, more secure employment as well as newfound happiness. Darlene, who is portrayed in the novel as somewhat flaky, demonstrates the idea that â€Å"ignorance is bliss†. As a result of her lack of intelligence, Darlene expects very little, and her highest goal is only to be a well-paid exotic dancer. After reaching this goal at the close of the novel, Darlene's exuberance again shows that if one does not have a lot, it will not take much to become content. Although also appearing uneducated, Jones proves to have a great deal of common sense that allows him to function in society. In this way Jones provides the reader with evidence that knowledge gained through higher education is not the only type of knowledge one needs in order to be successful and achieve goals. In comparing Ignatius with Jones the reader notices this difference between â€Å"book smarts† and â€Å"street smarts† and their use in functioning in society. Using his common sense, an intelligence that Ignatius clearly lacks, Jones can tell when whites are scared of him, and is also able to figure out Lana Lee's scam, using it to maintain job security and eventually to get a more desirable job. In an apparent attempt to both satirize and criticize higher education, John Kennedy Toole creates characters in A Confederacy of Dunces who offer proof that the business of higher education perpetuates competition and the desire to achieve more than others. This increased competition in turn causes both stress and an increased likelihood of falling short of set goals, both eventually leading to unhappiness. Also, as seen in the character Ignatius, the intelligence gained as a result of college or graduate school may cause the educated to look down upon and even to dislike the members of society with average or below average intelligence. The author further mocks education by leaving each character in a particular position at the end of the novel. While the uneducated characters tend to end up better off, the educated characters generally prove unhappy by the end of the story.

Today We Begin from The End essays

Today We Begin from The End essays Today we begin from the end. To the question of what it was, would be, what it wasnt, could be, what went wrong with the right, and the certainty that the uncertainty will put an end to the beginning. What lets us live, what tells us the past, and that we don't know the future. Time provokes encounters, and it causes mismatches , the tomorrow that was yesterday, and that it is impossible bringing back. The heart that keeps what it was, that time didn't and doesnt erase. The illusion of wanting who doesn't want you, the breathlessness that makes you suffocate for the reason than you don't want to know, because what suffocates you is to know that the air you seek doesn't exist. The surprise of the moment that you had taken as lost, gone, and conformed. The pain of what happened, the pain of what didn't happen, and the pain of not knowing what would have happened. The pain that comes from the desire of a forbidden love. Or the happiness of a love of one day, such day that everything w as as it was supposed to be. The day that rises with the birds, the smile with closed eyes to the light that the sun brought to wake you up to a happy day. The Morning that is already late, of one night that didn't end. The walk holding hands,the sound of a mutual silent song, a ballad that makes you smile to who makes you feel love. The moments of silence and observation, happiness, while starring at the beauty by your side for one long second. The moment that you will keep forever, as a portrait of a smile. The night that falls, the moon that comes out, the breeze that passes by, the cold that gives in, the hug that shelters, the intimacy that surrounds, the safety that is sure, the rain that romanticizes, the eternal moment of one day, that ended yesterday, but comes every day, and everyday to come. The caress of a light touch, a gentle kiss, the soft skin, the warmth of a passion. The glance of fixed eye ...

The Development of the Comfort Zone and Development Phase Theories Essay

The Development of the Comfort Zone and Development Phase Theories - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the comfort zone theory focuses on the situations in which people experience the greatest comfort either mentally or physically. It is usually the brain that interprets the objects or situations that make a person comfortable. This paper illustrates that comfort zones are different for different people and they influence the behavior of individuals. A person’s comfort zone could be engaging in group work while another may be comfortable working alone to accomplish personal goals. The nature of a comfort zone determines the manner in which people react to various issues. The comfort zone maintains the character of a person and may become a hindrance to personal development if there are no opportunities for inventiveness. In other words, the comfort zone might be a barrier to thinking outside of what is already known by an individual. The present research has identified that mental expansion may not be accomplished in such a comfo rt zone. Substantial changes might result from tragedies forcing a person outside the comfort zone. Development phase theory, on the other hand, is based on the hypotheses that development is an irregular process that occurs through a series of phases in which individuals have distinct behaviors. In group development, Tuckman in Wheelan & Conway identifies four phases of development, which include; â€Å"forming, storming, norming and performing†.

Titanium Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Titanium - Research Paper Example It can exist in 3 separate forms in nature and numerous alloys have been formed with other metals which only serve to increase its uses. One area where titanium has been found to be of utmost importance is in the medical industry. Medical implants with titanium or titanium alloys incorporated in them have been developed and made use of in the past few decades. This paper will examine the use of titanium in medical implants and its properties that contribute to this success, in particular its property of being non corrosive. 2. General properties of titanium Titanium is a transition metal which is found in the earth’s crust (Balazic et al, 2007). It is the fourth most abundant metal on earth and is found all over the world in volcanic and alluvial deposits. While ores such as rutile and ilmeinite are plentiful, titanium reacts with nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen and is not easy to extract from its ore (Brunette et al, 2001). Extraction involves very expensive methods and a mere 5% of pure titanium is extracted from an ore usually (Brunette et al, 2001). The density of titanium is about half of that of steel though it is as strong as steel (Balazic et al, 2007). ... Metals commonly used to make stable the alpha form include aluminum, tin and oxygen. The beta form can be stabilized using metals like chromium, iron or vanadium. Using mixtures of both of these stabilizers leads to the production of alpha+beta titanium alloys (Brunette et al, 2001). 3. Uses of titanium Titanium has uses in many different fields including aerospace, power generation, automotive, chemical and petrochemical, sporting goods, dental and medical applications (Rack and Qaz, 2006; Sibum, 2003; Wang, 1996 from Balazic et al, 2007). The commercial aspects of titanium were only exploited in the 1940s (Balazic et al, 2007). Starting in the 1960s, titanium was used as a material in medical implants (Balazic et al, 2007). Now, over a 1000 tonnes or 2.2 million pounds of titanium are used in implants all over the world every year (The Titanium Information Group, 2003). Titanium alloys have also been used in the medical industry and there are three main types of alloys which have b een developed: alpha titanium alloys, beta titanium alloys and alpha+beta titanium alloys (Balazic et al, 2007). Of these, it is primarily beta alloys that are used in medical applications (Brunette et al, 2001) Some of the most common alloys that have been used include Titanium-Aluminum-Vanadium and Nickel-Titanium (Nitinol) (Balazic et al, 2007). Some of the main uses in implants are for bone or joint replacements, dental implants, maxillofacial and craniofacial uses, cardiovascular devices and external prostheses (The Titanium Information Group, 2003). It has also been used in medical fasteners and fixation devices (Brunette et al, 2001). 4. Desirable