Tuesday, December 24, 2019

History of Adoption Essay - 1146 Words

In today’s society, over 143 million of children worldwide are growing up without parents (The United Nations Children’s Fund, 2006). This is largely due to homelessness, wars, natural disasters, and disease which produce many unadopted children (Bartholet Smolin, 2012). Unparented children find themselves at a high-level danger of perception, deficient care, mistreatment and exploitation, and their welfare is regularly inadequately monitored. Many Children without parental care are placed in terrible institutions, where they receive less personal attention and insufficient care environments can diminish children’s feeling and societal advancement and leave them defenceless to exploitation, sexual mistreatment and corporal savagery (The†¦show more content†¦Adoption is an excellent way to overrule inequality of children and solving violence of children without parental care in our society. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (â€Å"CRC†) r egulates a commitment protecting all the children rights including The Universal Declaration of Human Rights issues the law about common concept for human rights that children â€Å"are entitled to special care and assistance† (Todres, 2007). Firstly, family environment is the most important factor to children, exceptionally unparented children. Since family is the first institution which teach and guide children’s behavior before they face with other institutions in the real society. For unparented children, they do not have the family to guide them as parented children and it can be the cause of children without parental care to get the violence easier. Adoption can clean up this problem as adoptive parents can teach the expression to them. Secondly, Survival and development of the children including education and health are other factors which every children should get because it is the basic constituent especially, education and health. As there are the foundation which improve and protect children’s life such as getting knowledge for occupation in the future, getting ability to consideration and getting the health careShow MoreRelatedBrief History Of Emv Adoption ( Emvco )1798 Words   |  8 PagesBrief history of EMV adoption (EMVCo, LLC, 2014) Chip cards were originally invented in 1977. The first mass deployment of chip cards for payment by the banking industry was in France in 1984, driven by a need to reduce high levels of fraud due to counterfeit and lost/stolen magnetic stripe cards. By 1994 all French banks carried chip cards, deployed using the French specification called B0’, and were able to significantly reduce fraud. Based on this success, there was a spread of chip card adoptionRead MoreAdoption Worth The Cost : Should Adopting A Child Be Free?1453 Words   |  6 PagesAdoption Worth the Cost Should adopting a child be free? As a first response, many people would answer â€Å"Yes, adoption should be free,† arguing that there should not be a price tag on children, or that adoption is unreasonably expensive. Others may argue that â€Å"No, it should not be free,† because it may unknowingly put the adoptees at risk for danger, while the children are easily accessible. Adoptions were created to give children, whose biological parents could not care for them, a new and affectionateRead MoreSample Informative Outline On International Adoption1063 Words   |  5 Pagesexactly are they?) Today I am going to inform you about†¦. 1.The History of international adoption. 2.The process of international adoption. 3.Post adoption supervision. Now, let me elaborate on that first point I referred to in the introduction, the history of international adoption. II. BODY (NOTE: You may have fewer main points or sub-main points.) A. Main Point 1: Adoption from foreign countries, also known as international adoption started shortly after World War II. 1. Sub-Point 1: AccordingRead MoreA Report On Medical Records1300 Words   |  6 Pagesattorneys, and the adoption agency that handled their adoption. Ellington s biological mom s ultrasound looked abnormal during her pregnancy but the adopted parents did not receive those results until a year after adopting him. If the biological mother had been open about the ultrasound, Ellington could have gone through Love Without Boundaries, Rainbow kids, and Madison which are adoption agencies that are in place for children with special needs. Knowing your medical history can save your lifeRead MoreAdoption : A Positive Impact On Society s Life1189 Words   |  5 PagesThrough adoption, a child is removed from a toxic environment, and given a chance at a better life. They are provided with the basic needs and care that their birth parents either neglected to provide or were unable to provide. Although adoption does have a positive impact on an adoptee’s life, it comes with the loss of their birth parents, extended,families and or siblings. Older children placed into new homes is beneficial in many ways, it also carries a potential negative psychological impactRead MoreThe Life Of Abortion And Adoption . When You Considered1412 Words   |  6 PagesThe life of abortion and adoption When you considered the word abortion and adoption they can bring out different feelings based on people’s perspective. Some would think that abortion is an easier choice because the mother and father do not have the responsibility for a child or for the rest of their lives. From my personal perspective, this is a very bad idea because the mother is taking a life of a child and the procedure could can hurt the women’s body, which could lead to pregnancy challengesRead MoreAdoption Is A Better Choice1330 Words   |  6 Pagespregnancy, there are many options for them. Most of their options are not straight forward or easy to see. Some mothers decide to keep their child while others feel that adoption or abortion is the better choice for both themselves and the unborn child. In the United States, nearly one in four pregnancies end in abortion. Adoption is a better choice because it is just the beginning for a life. According to the blog, Our Bodies Ourselves, the first recorded abortion in the Untied States was in theRead MoreLGBT Adoption Essay1559 Words   |  7 PagesLGBT Adoption â€Å" There are approximately 100,000 children and/ or adolescents who are in the Child Welfare System waiting to be put into foster care or be adopted† (Kreisher). The number of children living with 1 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender (LGBT) parent today ranges from six to fourteen million children or adolescents. Adoption is to take into one’s family legally and raise as one’s own child. Although adoption is first spoken of in the Bible, the first recorded adoption takes placeRead MoreJackson Kruger. Mrs. Hooks. English 11. 29 January 2017.1479 Words   |  6 Pagesa major issue for more than 100 years. In the late 1800s, abortion was illegal unless it was needed to save a woman’s life. Also, in the late 19th century, Susan B. Anthony wrote a speech titled â€Å"Social Purity† which spoke out against abortion (â€Å"History of Abortion†). In the mid 1900s, Colorado became the first state to allow freedom with abortion which included reasons such as the mental state of the mother, pregnancy caused by rape, and fetuses with deformities. Although it was only one state thatRead MoreAdoptees and Birth Certificates Essay1649 Words   |  7 PagesHave you ever been to a new doctor and filled out the required paperwork on family medical history? After moving recently, I went to a new doctor. I had to have all those papers filled out. It was easy becaus e I know all of the information or can get it. Most people know who their biological family is and therefore also know about medical history. However, in the 1940s many birth certificates of adoptees were sealed. This continued to occur for four decades. Now depending upon the state the adopted

Monday, December 16, 2019

Writing Narrative Free Essays

IMPLEMENTING PICTURE SERIES TO IMPROVE TENTH GRADE STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN WRITING NARRATIVE TEXTS AT MABI PROGRAM OF MAN 3 MALANG A Thesis by Fifin Naili Rizkiyah (Nim 20622140128) State University of Malang, Faculty of Letters, English Department, July 2010 Nowadays, English is becoming more and more important. English is a global language which many people all over the world speak English as first or second languages. Many countries include English as the subject taught in educational institution. We will write a custom essay sample on Writing Narrative or any similar topic only for you Order Now English is a key to open the door of science, technology, economics and culture. In Indonesia, our government has made a policy on the school curriculum that English is taught as a compulsory subject. As stated in Pusat Pembinaan amp; Pengembangan Bahasa in 1984 (in Marhum, 2009:3), on December 12, 1967, the Minister of Education issued Decree No 096/1967, stipulating English as the first foreign language to be taught in Indonesian schools. Based on KTSP (Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan= School Based Curriculum), the instructional objective of English is that the mastery of four language skills; they are listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Language skills are classified into receptive and productive skills. Receptive skill includes listening and reading while productive skill includes speaking and writing. Productive skills are obviously more difficult than the receptive. Widiati and Cahyono (2006:139) state that writing is the most complex skill compared to the other three skills. Some students often complained about how difficult it is to write in a foreign language, even Blanchard and Root (2003:1) state that writing can be difficult even in your language. In a new language, writing can be even more difficult. Students often got stuck in expressing their ideas into written texts. They also had problems with the language use. Those problems are faced by students of 10th MABI program MAN 3 Malang which is the subject in this study. To solve the students’ problem in writing, the researcher decided to conduct a classroom action research applying picture series as a strategy to improve the students’ ability in writing narrative texts. The study is to find out how picture series strategy is implemented in improving 10th grade students’ ability in writing narrative text. The writing activities were to giving a model of how to write a paragraph of narratives including teaching students generic structures of narrative and training students to write a paragraph of narrative by using picture series. As the warm-up activity, the researcher did brainstorming in order to raise the students’ readiness and eagerness to write. Then the researcher comes to training stage, which is the process of writing. And the students’ final products are assessed based on the scoring rubrics made. The procedures of implementing picture series in teaching writing are as follows: 1. Brainstorming (asking some questions related to the topic to be discussed to elicit the students’ ideas) 2. Discussing flow-chart text containing communicative purpose, rhetorical structure, and grammatical pattern of the text 3. Distributing the pictures series 4. Prewriting (listing topics, identifying objects and action verbs in the pictures) 5. Outlining (making outline; making sentences representing every picture in the picture series) 6. Drafting 7. Polishing (revising and editing) The research design was a collaborative action research which consisted of two cycles, in where cycle 1 consisted of two meetings and cycle 2 consisted of four meetings. A cycle consisted of four steps namely: planning the action, acting on the plan, observing the action and reflecting on the observation. The subject of the study was the 21 students of X MABI MAN 3 Malang in the academic year of 2009/2010. The instruments used to collect data were observation checklist, field notes, questionnaires, scoring rubrics and the students’ writings. The data from the observation, scoring rubrics and questionnaires were analyzed and the results are presented in the form of tables and description, while the data gained from the field notes and the students’ writings were analyzed and reported descriptively. The result of the study showed that the picture series effectively improved the students’ ability in writing narrative texts. All students had reached the minimum score of 3 in all aspects; organization, diction, and language use. Moreover, the majority of the students gave positive responses towards the implementation of picture series, in the case that 70% of the students showed excitement. Furthermore, they found that picture series is interesting, easy to understand, moreover, it helped them to organize paragraphs and develop ideas in writing narrative texts. Here are the mean scores of the students’ writings in each category. Cycle 2 collaborative Cycle 2 individual Cycle 1 Preliminary study In conclusion, picture series can be implemented to improve the students’ ability in writing narrative text at MABI program of MAN 3 Malang. Picture series was very helpful to develop the students’ ideas and creativity. The students enjoyed the writing activity implementing picture series because it was interesting, fun, and not boring. It is suggested that the teacher use the picture series in teaching writing since it can solve students’ problems in writing. It is also suggested that other researchers conduct other researches that apply picture series in other skills and genres. How to cite Writing Narrative, Essays

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Reflection for Electrocomponents Plc

Question: Discuss about the Reflection for Electrocomponents Plc. Answer: Introduction Electrocomponents Plc. is a British-based distributor of electronics, automation and control components, engineering tools and consumables. The company is a mid-size company with close to 6000 employees. It was established in the year 1937 as Radio spares selling spare parts for radios. The company has an annual revenue of GBP 1291 Million and its operating income is GBP 40 million. The objective of this paper is to discuss the financial position of the company. The paper would assess the company position as portrayed by journalists and other financial reports in the media. The paper would also evaluate the corporate governance of the company and it would also discuss the investment opportunity in Electrocomponents Plc. There are various factors that could define the stock position and the share price of the company. These factors could be internal and external in nature (Acharya, 2013). The internal factors would include the internal strength of the company, the available cash flow with the company, the employee strength and capabilities of the company, etc. The external factors would be the factors like competitive position of the company, level of competition in the market, the factors like political, legal, economic, social, technological, etc. Generally, the combination of internal and external factors would determine the stock market presence of any firm. Critical Reflection on Electrocomponents Plc The initial research suggests that Electrocomponents Plc. is a good company to invest. The current trading price of the company is close to 440 GBX. The company has seen a good surge in its share price. In the previous quarter (Sept, 2016), the company was trading at close to 380 GBX. However, the stock price of the company took a dip in the Sept quarter of 2015 (McCahery, 2016). That was the time, when the stock of the company was trading at 180 GBX. It can be said that the company has a good reputation in the market. Different firms, journalists and media has provided a good rating to the company. This is one of the reasons that the investor confidence is maintained in the firm and the company is doing good (Oscroft, 2016). It is expected that Electrocomponents Plc. would continue to be profitable and the investors would continue to get dividends from their shares. The good thing for Electrocomponents Plc is that it has a clean image in the market and this is its biggest advantage. The three-year stock chart of the company can be shown as: I believe that the share price of Electrocomponents Plc can increase further. The market sentiment is good and there are not any serious signs of global recession (Chester, 2016). Therefore, it is expected that the share price of Electrocomponents Plc would strengthen further. I personally believe that the market condition of the company would also depend on the leadership skills exhibit by the top leaders of the company. I believe that a leader should create a mission and vision statement according to their beliefs, moral, values, and standards. I also believe that as a leader you have must lead with compassion and humanity which will help create a vision and mission statement that is centred around how you want others to treat you and how you treat others. Corporate Governance of Electrocomponents Plc Simply defined, Corporate governance is the system of rules, practices and processes by which a company is directed and controlled. Corporate governance essentially involves balancing the interests of a company's many stakeholders, such as shareholders, management, customers, suppliers, financiers, government and the community. The corporate governance framework of Electrocomponents Plc can be shown as: It would be correct to say that corporate governance is an important function for the mid-size and large organizations. In fact, the focus on corporate governance enables the organizations to get closer to customers, end consumers, investors and society at large (Westphal, 2013). Corporate Governance Vision will provide a guide as to what the organization aspires to be and the mission will provide the road map as to why the company actually exists. Another element is to identify the organizations core values. When all these are in place then the next step is to identify the action plan which will help lead into achieving the goals. Then there is evaluation and assessing of the process to ensure to ensure that the plan is being fulfilled. Another key element, which I believe has to be met for any type of organization to be successful, is communication. Communication Strategy is very essential in the sense that there must be a good flow of information on development, on who is being in volved with planning, how are they being involved and how to they communicate with the rest of the stakeholders involved (Erkens Hung, 2012). The key strengths and weaknesses of the corporate governance of Electrocomponents Plc can be discussed as: Strengths: The management of Electrocomponents Plc keeps various internal and external stakeholders involved. For example, customers are invited on the annual day and the feedback from customers is collected. Weaknesses The company has limited focus on sustainable development practices. The company should increase its focus on sustainability and CSR practices. Current Market analysis: Electrocomponents Plc. The company is doing well in the current market environment. The snapshot of the current market analysis of Electrocomponents Plc. can be shown as: Source: https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-markets/stocks/summary/company-summary/GB0003096442GBGBXSTMM.html The share price of the company is stable. A lot of investors have invested in the company with the expectations that the share price would increase in the future. It is expected that the share price would increase but it cannot be said with complete certainty that the share price would increase (Claessens, 2013). The company is continuously making profits in the last few years and the future of the company looks bright. Therefore, it could be the right time for the investors to invest in the company. The company has a PE ratio of 19.60 and this is a good PE ratio (Denis, 2016). This is another reason for investors to invest in the company. In the tear 2012, the PE ratio of the company was close to 12.5 and therefore it can be said that the company has made huge improvements in its PE ratio. A snapshot of the performance of the company in previous years can be shown as: The above income statement looks attractive and this is the reason that people should continue their investment in the company. Source: https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-markets/stocks/summary/company-summary/GB0003096442GBGBXSTMM.html Conclusion The above paper discusses the financial position of Electrocomponents Plc. With the above discussion it can be said that the company is doing good and it would a good time to buy the stock of Electrocomponents Plc. Usually, there are two types of investors. The first type of investors would invest when the market is down so that they can get good returns on the investment (McConnell, 2016). The second type of investors would have a systematic investment plan who would invest at regular time interval without thinking much about the stock index. The second type of investors is the retail investor who would want to play safe. The stock of Electrocomponents Plc. Is a safe stock and retail investors can easily invest in the companys stock. The underlying assumption is that the stock price would increase in the long term. It is recommended that the investors should invest in the stock price of Electrocomponents Plc. with a long-term time horizon. The short-term investment is generally risk y and the investors may not get good returns in short-term. References Acharya, V.V., Gottschalg, O.F., Hahn, M. and Kehoe, C., 2013. Corporate governance and value creation: Evidence from private equity.Review of Financial Studies,26(2), pp.368-402. Chester, A. G. 2016. Should You Buy Blinkx Plc, Electrocomponents plc And Sareum Holdings Plc On Todays News? Retrieved from: https://www.fool.co.uk/investing/2016/04/05/should-you-buy-blinkx-plc-electrocomponents-plc-and-sareum-holdings-plc-on-todays-news/ Claessens, S. and Yurtoglu, B.B., 2013. Corporate governance in emerging markets: A survey.Emerging markets review,15, pp.1-33. Denis, D., 2016. Corporate Governance and the Goal of the Firm: In Defense of Shareholder Wealth Maximization.Financial Review,51(4), pp.467-480. Erkens, D. H., Hung, M., Matos, P. (2012). Corporate governance in the 20072008 financial crisis: Evidence from financial institutions worldwide.Journal of Corporate Finance,18(2), 389-411. McCahery, J.A., Sautner, Z. and Starks, L.T., 2016. Behind the scenes: The corporate governance preferences of institutional investors.The Journal of Finance. McConnell, J.J. and Qi, Q., 2016. Just Talk? CEO Succession Plan Disclosure, Corporate Governance and Firm Value. Oscroft A. 2016. Should you buy Electrocomponents plc after earnings soar?. Retrieved from: https://www.fool.co.uk/investing/2016/11/18/should-you-buy-electrocomponents-plc-after-earnings-soar/ Westphal, J.D. and Zajac, E.J., 2013. A behavioral theory of corporate governance: Explicating the mechanisms of socially situated and socially constituted agency.The Academy of Management Annals,7(1), pp.607-661.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

The Way of Geisha Dance

The way of Geisha dance demonstrates to us the importance of maiko in the traditional Japanese culture. The difficult times that the character goes through serve to prepare her for the tedious maiko training. Maiko entertains people from all cadres.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Way of Geisha Dance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This, at the same time brings to us the rich Japanese culture. The whole process through the dance displays the thorough training the Maiko usually go through. Geisha lessons prepare women to become independent with little dependence on men. Their sanctity when training shows how the trainers value developing maiko women who respect themselves. The main character loses parents and a sister. The death of parents and the punishment do not serve any good to the character. The dance reveals the element of jealousy among women as they compete for the attention of men. The concept behin d may not be men as depicted because maiko grow up women who never get married but it seems the push is economic gain. An appreciation by men comes in terms of monetary rewards. The dance is crucial to the lives of many Japanese women. It has created a constant source of income to these women. Maiko is an avenue for trainers to make income. The training is formal and schools exist. The tutors who are specially trained must be paid. The geisha houses, recruitment, and training are income-generating stages. The structure of the training itself creates a continuum that is a source of income to people at every level. From art training, learning in teahouses through to the teachings on the navigation of social networking people earn income. The trainers, entrepreneurs who run geisha houses, hairdressers and stylists all get income. The maiko girls are very successful businesspeople.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper wi th 15% OFF Learn More The dance attracts tourists in Japan (Masuda 77). The visitors who are always very enthusiastic about the dance, come to purchase the traditional costumes called kimono along with the geisha makeup. Geisha has been expanded to cover modeling and taking international tours. Through this, the Japanese culture that is considered the impeccable form of art is spread across the world. Geisha has succeeded in giving women economic and financial independence. The comparison between Geisha and Japanese dance draws many differences. Whereas the Japanese dance has two types i.e. Odori and Mai, geisha is one dance that has two divisions that are Tchikata and Jikata. Geisha is a dance dominated by women, and the Japanese dance is male oriented. Geisha is performed in public places that include social functions while the Japanese dance is performed in rooms. Ballet is a western traditional dance. It has its own vocabulary that compares to the special regalia won by geisha dancers. There are several types of the ballet depending on the geographical origin including the French ballet, Russian ballet, and Italian ballet. This is different from geisha that only has one origin. Other similarities include the training that is intensive and takes time to sharpen skills that cover a range of issues such as dancing, acting, and other artistic displays. The two dances also prominently feature women who sing and play musical instruments. Both dances stem from the cultures of respective communities. We can confidently conclude that as much as the dances originated from countries that are far apart, they have more similarities than differences and most of them promote their respective cultures.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Way of Geisha Dance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Works Cited Masuda, Sayo. Autobiography of a Geisha. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003. Print. This essay on The Way of Geisha Dance was written and submitted by user Landon Bowers to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

THE SPRING WIND Essays - Rabbits And Hares, Calf, Cattle

THE SPRING WIND Essays - Rabbits And Hares, Calf, Cattle THE SPRING WIND A Maple was sleeping the whole winter. As a dream, he heard the howl of a snowstorm and alarming cry of a black raven. A cold wind swung brunches of the Maple and bent them. One sunny morning the Maple felt as if something warm and gentle touched him slightly. The Maple awoke. It was a warm spring wind moving about. Dont sleep anymore, - a spring wind whispered. Awake, spring is drawing near. Where is she the spring?asked the Maple. The swallows are bringing her on their wings - said the Wind. I have flown from the far land, from the warm sea. The spring is coming along the fields. She has decorated herself with flowers the Spring Beauty. The swallowsare bringing colored ribbons on their wings. Here is a story of a warm spring Wind told to the Maple. The Maple sighed, straightened shoulders. The buds turned green because the Spring-Beauty was coming. Activity 1. Questions for discussion 1)Who was sleeping the whole winter? 2)What did the Maple hear through the sleep? 3)Who swung the branches of the Maple? 4)When did the Maple awake? 5)Who was bringing the spring? 6)Who decorated the Spring-Beauty? 7)Who were the friends of the Spring-Beauty? Activity 2. Act out the talk between the Maple and the spring wind. Pupil 1 (spring wind): Dont sleep anymore. Awake, spring is drawing near. Pupil 2 (the Maple): Where is she the spring? Pupil 1 (spring wind): The swallows are bringing her on their wings. I have flown from the far land, from the warm sea. The spring is coming along the fields. She has decorated herself with flowers the Spring Beauty. The swallowsare bringing colored ribbons on their wings. Activity 3.Pictures Activity 4. Crossword Down 1)The spring is coming along the _____. 2)The ______ are bringing colored ribbons on their wings. 3)The Maple felt as if something ____ and gentle touched him slightly. 4)The swallows are bringing her on their _____. 5)A cold ___swung brunches of the Maple. 6) It was a warm ____ wind moving about. Across 1)A ____was sleeping the whole winter. 2)Awake, spring is ______ near. 3)She has decorated herself with ______. 4)The Maple sighed, straightened _____. Activity 5. Drawing the picture One needs to paint a picture using the elements to display an object. Describe what is shown. THE LARGE AND THE SMALL A Calf has been born to a cow Liska. The Calf is too little yet but he can already kick. The Calf comes up to the cow, drinks milk enough and wants to go for a walk. He walks about the yard and suddenly sees a little animal. The Calf touches a little animal. It is covered with a soft down, softer then the mothers one. A little animal looks at the huge one. The Calf has screwed up his eyes and is sitting quietly, quietly. Who are you? - asks the Calf. I am an old Mother Rabbit, - answers the little animal. Are you really old? - wonders the Calf. - Does it mean you have got children? Oh, yes. I have got little Rabbits. And who are you? I m a little Calf, - he answers. - I have just been born. Cant you have been born just now? - wonders an old Rabbit. It is strange you are so little yet and at the same time so big. And you are already the old mother Rabbit but so little at the same time, - the Calf has been surprised again. Is everything in the world really so astonishing? Activity 1. Questions for discussion 1)What is a cows name? 2)What does a Calf see in the yard? 3)Who is bigger: a Calf or a Rabbit? 4)Who is older: a Rabbit or a Calf? 5)Who is little and big at the same time? 6)Why is world so astonishing? 7)Why the tale is cold The large and the small? Activity 2. Find in the text. 1) . 2) . 3) . 4) . 5) , - . . 6) ? Activity 3. Who said? 1)Who are you? 2)I am an old Mother Rabbit 3) Does it mean you have got children? 4)Oh, yes. I have got little Rabbits. And who are you? 5)I have just been born. 6)It is strange you are so little yet and at the same time so big. 7)And you are already the old mother Rabbit but so

Friday, November 22, 2019

Folkways, Mores, Taboos, and Laws

Folkways, Mores, Taboos, and Laws The social norm, or simply norm, is arguably the most important concept in sociology. Sociologists believe that norms govern our lives by giving us implicit and explicit guidance on what to think and believe, how to behave, and how to interact with others. We learn norms in a variety of settings and from various people, including our family, our teachers and peers at school, and members of the media. There are four key types of norms, with differing levels of scope and reach, significance and importance, and methods of enforcement. These norms are, in order of increasing significance, folkways, mores, taboos, and laws. Folkways Early American sociologist William Graham Sumner was the first to write about the distinctions between different types of norms in his book Folkways: A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals (1906). Sumner created the framework that sociologists still use today. Folkways, he wrote, are norms that stem from and organize casual interactions, and emerge out of repetition and routines. We engage in them to satisfy our daily needs, and they are most often unconscious in operation, though they are quite useful for the ordered functioning of society. A common example of a folkway is the practice, in many societies, of waiting in line. This practice brings order to the process of buying things or receiving services, allowing us to more easily perform the tasks of our daily lives. Other examples of folkways include the concept of appropriate dress, the practice of raising ones hand to take turns speaking in a group, and the practice of civil inattention- when we politely ignore others around us in public settings. Folkways mark the distinction between rude and polite behavior, so they exert a form of social pressure that encourages us to act and interact in certain ways. However, they do not have moral significance, and there are rarely serious consequences or sanctions for violating them. Mores Mores are more strict than folkways, as they determine what is considered moral and ethical behavior; they structure the difference between right and wrong. People feel strongly about mores, and violating them typically results in disapproval or ostracizing. As such, mores exact a greater coercive force in shaping our values, beliefs, behavior, and interactions than do folkways. Religious doctrines are an example of mores that govern social behavior. For example, many religions have prohibitions on cohabitating with a romantic partner before marriage. If a young adult from a strict religious family moves in with her boyfriend, her family, friends, and congregation are likely to view her behavior as immoral. They might punish her behavior by scolding her, threatening judgment in the afterlife, or shunning her from their homes and the church. These actions are meant to indicate that her behavior is immoral and unacceptable, and are designed to make her change  her behavior to align with the violated more. The belief that forms of discrimination and oppression, like racism and sexism, are unethical is another example of an important more in many societies today. Taboos A taboo is a very strong negative norm; it is a prohibition of certain behavior that is so strict that violating it results in extreme disgust and even expulsion from the group or society. Often times the violator of the taboo is considered unfit to live in that society. For instance, in some Muslim cultures, eating pork is taboo because the pig is considered unclean. At the more extreme end, incest and cannibalism are both considered taboos in most places. Laws A law is a norm that is formally inscribed at the state or federal level  and is enforced by police or other government agents. Laws exist to discourage behavior that would typically result in injury or harm to another person, including violations of property rights.Those who enforce laws have been given legal right by a government to control behavior for the good of society at large. When someone violates a law, a state authority will impose a sanction, which can be as light as a payable fine or as severe as imprisonment.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Name Changes in the Book of Genesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Name Changes in the Book of Genesis - Essay Example Sarah was a half sister to Abraham, and the Bible describes her as beautiful (Genesis 12). For example, when Abraham and Sarah went to Egypt, the Egyptians saw her as beautiful, and they praised her beauty to the household of Pharaoh (Genesis 12:14). However, God was not happy with Pharaoh, and He did strike the household of Pharaoh with plagues (Genesis 12: 14-17). That is when Pharaoh discovered that Sarai was Abrahams wife, and he demanded that Abraham should leave Egypt immediately (Genesis 12: 18-20). Abraham died at the age of 175, and he was buried by Isaac and Ishmael, his sons. Jacob was a grandson of Abraham through Isaac. God also changed his name to Israel, meaning may God prevail (Genesis 32: 28-29). This paper analyzes how the changes in Abraham, Sarah and Jacob’s names shaped their characters. Abram to Abraham: In Genesis chapter 17 verses 4 to 6, God enters into a covenant with Abram. God made a promise to him, that he will become a father of many nations, and his name shall not be called Abram anymore, but Abraham. God also promised to make Abraham fruitful, and from him, Kings would descend. God’s conversation with Abraham began in Genesis Chapter 12 verses 2. In this verse, God promises Abram that he will make him into a great nation, and will bless him. He also promised to make his name great.The name Abram refers to the exalted one and this is a name that his father Terah gave it to him. However, this name was an embarrassment to Abraham, and this is because he was unable to get children. This is despite Abraham possessing great wealth (Shooter's Bible, 18). From the scriptures, we can denote that Abraham had other sons apart from Isaac and Ishmael. These children were born with him to his wife Keturah. Keturah gave Abraham six sons, and through these children, God was able to fulfill his prophecy of making Abraham a father to many nations. For example, Ishmael formed the generation of the Ishmaelite, while Isaac formed the ge neration of the Israelites. This is through his son Jacob, whom God renamed Israel. It is important to denote that the Abraham lived a blessed life, as a result of God’s blessings to his life. We find that Abraham, true to the words of God became a great man, and he had enormous wealth. Genesis chapter 17 verses 23 to 27 denote that Abraham had possessions, and this included male servants, born of his household, and those that he bought by his own money. This was a symbol of wealth, and it is because poor people cannot afford to have servants within their households. After a change to this name, we find that Abraham began to have angelic visitors. For instance, in Genesis chapter 18 verses 1 to 2, we find that Abraham was visited by three angelic visitors. Because of the stature of Abraham before Gods eyes, God revealed to him what He was about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18: 16-19). This is because God had chosen Abraham to become a father to many nations, and on th is basis, he also allowed him to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18: 22-24).  

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Economics, Goods and Services, Firms, Production, Supply and Demand Essay

Economics, Goods and Services, Firms, Production, Supply and Demand - Essay Example The essay shall focus on how goods and services’ supply and demand is influenced by consumers, how the changing needs and wants of consumer are met and how the different types of resources are used by firms for the production of goods and services. A market is a place where buyers and sellers meet in order to exchange goods and services. Market structure is comprised of buyers, sellers, buyer and seller entry barriers, size of the firm, product differentiation, market share and competition. With the above characteristics, one is able to determine where a particular firm is classified. Some examples of market structure are; Monopoly-here, companies are owned by the state, and other partner entry is not allowed. Oligopoly-here, the number of buyers is high than the number of sellers, thus competition is high. Monopolistic competition-here there is many buyers and many sellers for same products, different branding and very high competition. Perfect competition-an example is betwe en food bought in the stores and those from the market. The following are other market definitions: Economics is concerned with production, allocation and utilization of goods and services. Economics can be divided into; microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics deals with firms, buyers, and markets. Macroeconomics deals with growth, inflation and policies that affect economy (Wessels, 16, 2006). Consumers are those who benefit from goods and services. They are the users of produced products (Houghton, 20, 2009). Goods are useful items that are required and useful to individuals to satisfy their needs or wants. They can also be classified as tangible, since they can be touched unlike services, and can be stored for the future (Houghton, 15, 2009).  There are three types; inferior goods, which decrease in demand as consumer income increases; normal goods, which demand increase as consumer income increases; and luxury goods, which are non essential and are mostly considered an influence. Services are intangible, cannot be stored and are an activity that is done to an individual from another. Services are the other alternatives to goods. Services are done in order to provide help or as a profession (Houghton, 15, 2009).   Firms are organizations that deal with goods and services and their production to cater for the needs and wants of consumers. Firms can be businesses, corporations, or partnerships that have the main aim of producing goods and services for consumption (Rugraff & Hansen, 119, 2011). Production is the process of manufacturing goods from raw materials. Production is transforming raw materials that in their natural form do not have any benefits to consumers. After processing these raw materials, the products that come out can be used by consumers (Menger, Klein, Hayek, Dingwall & Hoselitz, 161, 2007). Supply is the distribution of goods and services to consumers. Supply is influenced by the demand for goods and services (Adil, 4, 2006).à ‚   Demand is the desire for a certain good or service by a consumer(s) who is willing to buy the good or service at a certain set price. Factors that influence demand are like price; of the good and other related goods (substitute), and also the price of the good and other goods (complementary) (Adil, 5, 2006).   Resources are the sources that products are extracted from. In economics, there are four main types of resources namely; land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship (Mankiw, 538, 2011).

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Currency and Thai Baht Essay Example for Free

Currency and Thai Baht Essay Assessing Future Exchange Rate Movements 1. How are percentage changes in a currency’s value measured? Illustrate your answer numerically by assuming a change in the Thai baht’s value from a value of $0.022 to $0.026. ANSWER: The percentage change in a currency’s value is measured as follows: where S denotes the spot rate, and St −1 denotes the spot rate as of the earlier date. A positive percentage change represents appreciation of the foreign currency, while a negative percentage change represents depreciation. In the example provided, the percentage change in the Thai baht would be: That is, the baht would be expected to appreciate by 18.18%. 2. What are the basic factors that determine the value of a currency? In equilibrium, what is the relationship between these factors? ANSWER: The basic factors that determine the value of a currency are the supply of the currency for sale and the demand for the currency. A high level of supply of a currency generally decreases the currency’s value, while a high level of demand for a currency increases its value. In equilibrium, the supply of the currency equals the demand for the currency. 3. How might the relatively high levels of inflation and interest rates have affected the baht’s value? (Assume a constant level of U.S. inflation and interest rates.) ANSWER: The baht would be affected both by inflation levels and interest rates in Thailand relative to levels of these variables in the U.S. A high level of inflation tends to result in currency depreciation, as it would increase the Thai demand for U.S. goods , causing an increase in the Thai demand for dollars. Furthermore, a relatively high level of Thai inflation would reduce the U.S. demand for Thai goods, causing an increase in the supply of baht for sale. Conversely, the high level of interest rates in Thailand may cause appreciation of the baht relative to the dollar. A relatively high level of interest rates in Thailand would have rendered investments there more attractive for U.S. investors, causing an increase in the demand for baht. Furthermore, U.S. securities would have been less attractive to Thai investors, causing an increase in the supply of dollars for sale. However, investors might be unwilling to invest in baht-denominated securities if they are concerned about the potential depreciation of the baht that could result from Thailand’s inflation. 4. How do you think the loss of confidence in the Thai baht, evidenced by the withdrawal of funds from Thailand, affected the baht’s value? Would Blades be affected by the change in value, given the primary Thai customer’s commitment? ANSWER: In general, a depreciation in the foreign currency results when investors liquidate their investments in the foreign currency, increasing the supply of its currency for sale. Blades would probably be affected by the change in value even though its Thai customer’s commitment, as the sales are denominated in baht. Thus, the depreciation in the baht would have caused a conversion of the baht revenue into fewer U.S. dollars. 5. Assume that Thailand’s central bank wishes to prevent a withdrawal of funds from its country in order to prevent further changes in the currency’s value. How could it accomplish this objective using interest rates? ANSWER: If Thailand’s central bank wishes to prevent further depreciation in the baht’s value, it would attempt to increase the level of interest rates in Thailand. In turn, this would increase the demand for Thai baht by U.S. investors, as Thai securities would now seem more attractive. This would place upward pressure on the currency’s value. However, the high interest rates could reduce local borrowing and spending. 6. Construct a spreadsheet illustrating the steps Blades’ treasurer would need to follow in order to speculate on expected movements in the baht’s value over the next 30 days. Also show the speculative profit (in dollars) resulting from each scenario. Use both of Ben Holt’s examples to illustrate possible speculation. Assume that Blades can borrow either $10 million or the baht equivalent of this amount. Furthermore, assume that the following short-term interest rates (annualized) are available to Blades: Currency Dollars Thai baht Lending Rate 8.10% 14.80% Borrowing Rate 8.20% 15.40% ANSWER: Depreciation of the Baht from $0.022 to $0.020 1. Borrow Thai baht ($10,000,000/0.022) 2. Convert the Thai baht to dollars ($454,545,454.50 million Ãâ€" $0.022). 3. Lend the dollars at 8.10% annualized, which represents a 0.68% return over the 30-day period [computed as 8.10% Ãâ€"(30/360)]. After 30 days, Blades would receive ($10,000,000 Ãâ€" (1 + .0068)) 4. Use the proceeds of the dollar loan repayment (on Day 30) to repay the baht borrowed. The annual interest on the baht borrowed is 15.40%, or 1.28% over the 30-day period [computed as 15.40% Ãâ€"(30/360)]. The total baht amount necessary to repay the loan is therefore (454,545,454.50 Ãâ€"(1 + .0128)) 454,545,454.50 10,000,000.00 10,068,000.00 460,363,636.40 5. Number of dollars necessary to repay baht loan ($THB460,363,636.40 Ãâ€" $0.02) 6. Speculative profit ($10,068,000 – $9,207,272.73) 9,207,272.73 860,727.27 Appreciation of the Baht from $0.022 to $0.025 1. Borrow dollars. 2. Convert the dollars to Thai baht ($10 million/$0.022). 3. Lend the baht at 14.80% annualized, which represents a 1.23% return over the 30-day period [computed as 14.80% Ãâ€"(30/360)]. After 30 days, Blades would receive (THB454,545,454.50 Ãâ€" (1 + .0123)) 4. Use the proceeds of the baht loan repayment (on Day 30) to repay the dollars borrowed. The annual interest on the dollars borrowed is 8.20%, or 0.68% over the 30-day period [computed as 8.20% Ãâ€" (30/360)]. The total dollar amount necessary to repay the loan is therefore ($10,000,000 Ãâ€"(1 + .0068)) 5. Number of baht necessary to repay dollar loan ($10,068,000.00/$0.025) 6. Speculative profit (THB460,136,363.60 – THB402,720,000.00) 7. Dollar equivalent of speculative profit (THB57,416,363.60 Ãâ€"$0.025) 10,000,000.00 454,545,454.50 460,136,363.60 10,068,000.00 402,720,000.00 57,416,363.60 1,435,409.09

Thursday, November 14, 2019

To Homeschool or Not to Homeschool, That is the Question Essay

When a child walks out the door to his first day of school, a parent may ponder about his child’s future. Will he be a doctor or a lawyer? Is music or art in his future? Although most of the questions parents deliberate are positive in nature, fears also arise. Will he be smart? Will he fit in socially with others? From a child’s educational to social growth, parents have a responsibility to navigate their child down a path which will yield the greatest reward. Of these paths are public schools, private schools, online school or homeschooling. Within these schooling options, numerous factors enter into the final determination. Time commitment and money required are two of the biggest factors parents consider when choosing how their children will be educated. Caring parents want the best for their children and know they have only one chance to make the right educational decision. Although the homeschooling option may have some positive attributes steering par ents toward choosing this method, the negative aspects prove it is not the most beneficial choice for a student or his family. Different scenarios of instruction fall under the homeschooling umbrella. Whether a child is actually taught at home with a curriculum his parents either purchased or drafted themselves, or the child is taught online via a home-study course, all are types of homeschooling. In addition, some parents practice a homeschooling method known as unschooling. In this situation, parents fill their house with â€Å"encyclopedias, history books, art supplies, games and other learning tools that children are free to take up if or when they choose.† (Home schooling). This type of schooling uses daily life lessons to incorporate the core subject learning... ...r. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. â€Å"Preface to ‘Why Do Parents Choose to Homeschool?’.† Homeschooling. Ed. Myra Immell. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Current Controversies. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context.Web. 25 Apr. 2012. Shives, Steve. â€Å"Homeschooling Curricula Do Not Meet Academic Standards.† Homeschooling. Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. From â€Å"Homeschoolers Who Don’t Learn Science Shouldn’t Receive a Diploma.† American Chronicle. 2008. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. â€Å"Tuition & Class Fees.† The Academy of Creative Learning. 2012. N.p., n.d., Web. 30 Apr. 2012. http://www.azpianoforte.com/464001.html Wilson, Jacque. â€Å"Unschoolers learn what they want, when they want.† cnn.com. 2011. N.p., 3 Aug. 2011. Web. 27 April 2012.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Psychology and It’s function Essay

The American Heritage dictionary defines psychology as â€Å"the science that deals with mental processes and behavior.† The difference between a literature and a psychology major is that a literature major is already seeing their patients. Every day a literature major opens up their books, and finds out something else upon a host of characters psyches. They are presented with odd situations, with broken characters, and they must come to an understanding of whom that character is in order to understand their actions. Literature aids us in our understanding of reality by giving us fictionalized example of how real people would act in intense situations. A good author makes you believe his or her characters are real, and understand why they do what they do. This is particularly apparent in Araby by James Joyce, and As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner Araby, by James Joyce allows its reader to see life through the eyes of an adolescent struggling to be a man. It allows the reader to see the reality of what it’s like to feel unaccomplished and pathetic. The boy in the story is trying to make his voyage to the bazaar, his new adventure to mean that he’s entered a new phase of life. Time suddenly seems to slow down in the story as the boy waits for Saturday to arrive. â€Å"I could not call my wandering thoughts together† he complains â€Å"I had hardly any practice with the serious work of life which, now that it stood between me and my desire seemed to me child’s play, ugly monotonous child’s play.† (Joyce, 29) Illustrated in the story are the real emotions the boy is feeling as both a man too old to be child, and a child too young to be a man. The boy’s arrival at the bazaar, and inability to purchase anything shows him that he is not ready to be the man he is striving to be by triumphantly impressing Mangan’s sister. The story is a study on the popular reality of adolescence. â€Å"Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger† reflects the boy, finally  realizing that the whole quest was frivolous, the girl was a fantasy. So, in this end he has gained some self-realization. His ability to recognize his youth and his ignorance is a growth. This sort of insight into the psyche of an adolescent could be found after years of study of adolescent psychology, or it could be learned through a powerful illustration like Araby. Araby, like much literature, provides us with an example of how many young boys feel about life–frustrated, unaccomplished, and eager to grow up. In â€Å"As I Lay Dying† by William Faulkner we the reader get a unique opportunity to understand and see into the psyche of nearly every character in the book. We get a full picture of the character’s reality by seeing the actions of the novel from various perspectives. Faulkner teaches As I Lay Dying readers that no one perspective is correct, which is a valuable lesson to bring to the real world. The novel, simply from the way it is written, teaches us a great deal about how different people’s views of situations effect how they interact within them. In the novel Cash is able to feel accomplished, important, and like he can do something about his mother’s death by building a coffin. Dewey Dell cannot understand this, she is disgusted that he’s built his coffin right outside the window where Addie can see it. Neither one of them communicates with each other or allows their emotions to be revealed. This sort of breakdown of communication between families is often a cause of fighting within households. Often, we do not understand that different people almost always have different perspectives, and explaining them could prevent resentment and anger. By giving us various narrators and no overall â€Å"judge† of the situation, Faulkner is allowing us to see this about both the novel, and reality. Often in literature gives us an example of how people act in real life. I find myself relating literary examples to what’s happening in my life almost every day. How often do we as a society hear the term â€Å"Big Brother† in reference to the way our government is acting? Many novels we read in class gave us an understanding on how people interact with each other in real life. A true literary analyst sees the characters world as a reality, and often feels like a psychologist, trying to get the root of the meaning of a character’s actions.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

A Comparison of Federal and Puerto Rican Employment Protections

Following the Industrial Revolution of the Nineteenth Century, the federal government of the United States pursued the enactment of various laws to protect the rights of individual laborers.This was primarily spawned at the insistence of labor unions, which were legalized in the same time period. Throughout the following century, a number of revisions and improvements were made upon these laws, to the point where at the present individual workers enjoy the full legal protections of the United States government at their places of employment.These federal statutes cover all areas from age discrimination to discrimination against those with disabilities. One major statute is based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against a worker on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.This applies to not only treatment on the job, but to all aspects of the employment process, including hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, and referral.Employers are prohibited from showing preference while advertising or recruiting. For example, an employer may not post advertisements for a position that are tailored exclusively to a particular gender, or insinuate during the hiring process that individuals fitting a certain description are more likely to be hired. (Department of Labor.)Falling under the same statute, employers cannot dismiss an employee for any of the above classifications, and cannot pay less on the basis of gender, race, etc. This was a common practice before the creation of such protections, as in many circumstances women were paid much less for working the same jobs that men were being paid much higher to complete.In addition to this, the federal statutes prohibit child labor, which means in most states that workers under the ages of 18 or 16 are subject to certain restrictions in the number of hours a week they may work, and other aspects of working the job including the use of tools and operation of machinery. (Department of Labor.)As well, Title I of the Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits employers of fifteen or more employees to discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities.This law is inapplicable in some circumstances. Obviously, if an individual is disabled in such a way so as to make them wholly unable to perform the duties of a given job, it is not considered discrimination for the employer to refuse to hire them. However, in some cases involving minor mental illness, where individuals are still able to adequately perform the function of a job, which may or may not require less skill, employers are not permitted to discriminate on the basis of the disability, and are subject to being penalized if they are discovered doing so. (Andrade.)The federal government left some areas of employment protection to be decided by the individual states. One example of this is minimum wage. Though there is a fairl y low standard of minimum wage established by the federal government, individual states may establish a higher minimum wage. In the case of Puerto Rico, the minimum wage is $5.15 per hour worked, though over the summer of 2006 members of the House of Representatives introduced legislation to raise this minimum wage to $5.40.This minimum wage only applies to employers who are covered by the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Employers not covered by the FLSA may pay their workers much lower rates, close to $3.00 per hour. (Department of Labor.)Even so, Puerto Rico is said to have some of the most strictly regulated labor laws within United States jurisdiction. This is due in part to highly successful labor movements within the territory. All federal statutes regarding labor apply to states, and this includes territories such as Puerto Rico. If these regulations are not followed, the Department of Labor will intervene in some manner and enforce the law. At a minimum, Puerto Rica n labor laws must comply with the labor laws established by the federal government of the United States. (Andrade.)In some areas, Puerto Rico has gone above and beyond the minimum established standards. As mentioned, the House of Representatives has made an effort to raise the minimum wage. As well, the territory has established the Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which enforces the Occupational Safety and Health Act of Puerto Rico (OSHA).Among other things, this act guarantees to each employee in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico â€Å"safe and healthful working conditions†. Employers must ensure that each employee has a job and jobsite free of hazards which may cause death or physical injury. (Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; Serrano.)Employers must also obey all occupational safety and health standards, and any rules or regulations that are applicable to the worksite. This includes federal statutes, as well as Puerto Rican laws.This is enforced through the use of inspections, which are conducted on the basis of priority in the following order: imminent danger, fatalities/catastrophes investigations, complaint/referral investigations, programmed inspections, and follow-up inspections to ensure that any necessary modifications have been carried out by the employer. An additional measure established a Boiler and Elevator Inspection Program, the title of which is self-explanatory.In this program, inspectors ascertain the safety of boilers and elevators on jobsites, judging all aspects including manufacture, installment, and safe operation. These measures, while adopted by several other states, are not specifically enforced or provided by the federal government.Contrary to the bad reputation that many labor sites outside of the continental United States have earned, Puerto Rico vigorously follows federal standards of employment protection, and has made initiatives to improve upon the federal model. With a decent mi nimum wage, laws promoting safe workplaces, and an administration in place that actively inspects employers to ensure the enforcement of these laws, Puerto Rico has been deemed by many to be a safe, profitable place for laborers to work.Works CitedAndrade, N (2006, October 4). Puerto Rico-State-Labor Law Center Blog. Retrieved October6, 2006, from Labor Law Center Web site: http://blog.laborlawcenter.com/category/state/puerto-ricoAuthor Unknown, (2006). Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Retrieved October6, 2006, from ToPuertoRico.org Web site: http://www.topuertorico.org/constitu.shtmlAuthor Unknown, Puerto Rico State Information Page. Retrieved October 6, 2006, from U.S.Department of Labor Web site: http://www.osha.gov/oshdir/stateprogs/Puerto_Rico.htmlSerrano, M, Labor Laws Weigh Heavily on Puerto Rico’s Employers. (2005, August 25). PuertoRico Herald, http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues2/2005/ vol09n34/ CBLaborLaws.shtml

Thursday, November 7, 2019

“Poor People would be better off if they had fewer children to feed and clothe”. Essay Essays

â€Å"Poor People would be better off if they had fewer children to feed and clothe†. Essay Essays â€Å"Poor People would be better off if they had fewer children to feed and clothe†. Essay Essay â€Å"Poor People would be better off if they had fewer children to feed and clothe†. Essay Essay â€Å"Poor Peoples would be better off if they had fewer kids to feed and clothe† . The competency of the hapless in rise uping kids will ever be a impression of concern in every society. notably in the Caribbean part. Sadly. we suffer from different economic and societal developmental issues which dates back as far to the issue of independency from our colonial provinces with the exclusion of some Gallic Caribbean states such as ; Martinique. Guadeloupe. St. Martin and British Virgin Islands. However. most states are plagued with the devil of unemployment courtesy of the fluctuating economic system in the universe at big and in the West. Most states besides suffer from encephalon drain taking back to the slow economic system. For each society to be efficaciously studied. one has to travel beyond the surface and dissect the state of affairs. as cells are to the organic structure so are people to the society/ state that we live in. hence the importance of population surveies in happening out issues that plague the society. further taking us to the subject of treatmen t and rating today which is â€Å" Poor people would be better off if they had fewer kids to feed and clothe† . There is no uncertainty in my head that this statement is so factual. Poor by definition agencies holding small or no money. goods or agencies of support. Therefore if I was hapless and I had less dependants to worry about I would be better off holding fewer kids to feed and apparels. and if I should take the autonomy of pulling your imaginativeness to the world of holding the duty to besides direct multiple kids to school and supply them with technological advancements†¦ hapless people are 120 % better off if they had less duty. The rich nevertheless. make non endure from the achings of holding excessively much kids or excessively small because in kernel they can last this predicament. For this impression of response. the author will be pulling cognition from the Malthusian theory and besides the Neo – Malthusian and Marxist theory. but for now allow us concentrate a spot on the Mathus political orientation and how effectual it is on the rating of the population growing and tendencies. Thomas Malthus. the laminitis of this theory postulates that if the population continues to turn quickly. so the effects would be damaging. he pointed this out in his celebrated treatise. He states that the population increases in geometric proportions ( 2. 4. 6. 8 ) while the nutrient resources available for them would merely increase arithmetically i. vitamin E 1. 2. 3†¦ in simple words if the human population was â€Å"allowed† to increase at a faster rate than the nutrient supply. a point would come when nutrient beginnings couldn’t back up the turning population. Malthus in his thought doubted the inventiveness of world and engineering and even though his theory is non precisely incorrect it doesn’t needfully suit the Caribbean position. Food and apparels are available yes. but do we all have the capital to buy these goods to do life comfortable? Further taking us to believing of Karl Marx who is hell set on that it is the inequality of the opinion cate gory that causes poorness. malnutrition. offense and hungriness. This would be solved if just chances were given to other people and non merely those with wealth running through their venas ; this theory fits in to the Caribbean society today. The opinion would be the politicians and those who are apart of large organisations. These are the people whose kids are better off in life and they besides receive heavy rewards and they perform less burdensome work. Compared to the in-between category and lower workers. who work for such unjust rewards. Therefore taking to the underdevelopment of the destitute and certain population tendencies such as the heavy migration degrees in each state. This farther leads to the loss of human development because the people who leave their place states for better occupation chances and betterments in life criterions leave a spread in the society which the authorities has to make full. bing more. The issue of offense and aberrance in the society can be related to holding hapless back evidences and broken places. particularly juvenile delinquency. The author took it upon herself to measure these deductions and to the extent at which they are true and I came across a household in my community who can be considered as hapless. This household life in one 2 sleeping room house. wit h an outside bathroom and kitchen has 35 people populating in it. In this household there are 2 people over 60 old ages old. their 4 kids and their children’s many kids. Each kid has no less than 5 kids and to add all of them are without male parents. as they have refused to take up their duties. It is sad to state that these sisters have non obtained an instruction higher than a secondary degree. and so they are virtually unemployed with the exclusion of one sister who is a domestic assistant. They are besides populating without electricity and running H2O. We were asked to measure the population in relation to development. How precisely development is possible when surrounded in state of affairs such as these? In most instances such as these. the kids like the 1s in my community will stop up go forthing school and history will reiterate itself. other state of affairss such as aberrant behaviour and teenage gestation will besides gyrate out of control taking to an uneffective society full of dead persons. who will merely finally weigh the economic system down. increase in revenue enhancement to back up public assistance systems. a low GDP rate. addition in condemnable activities and even prematurely deceases. The wellness attention of these less fortunate are besides at inte rest. As persons how can we halt the on-going wretchedness of an overpopulated society. offense and aberrance. wellness attention lacks. encephalon drain. hungriness and the rhetorical rhythm of unemployment? Well there are several organisation which seeks to relief the hapless such as UNICEF and Food for the hapless. who are ever present when natural catastrophes ( hurricanes. temblors. vents ) wreaks mayhem in states. orphanhoods and in the instance of dire demands and physically challenged. In Jamaica there is besides the PATH plan which was instituted to assist kids who are traveling to school. pupils on this plan receive a monthly stipend. wellness attention and tiffin at school. a large aid to most. Besides. if they excel academically. they are awarded scholarships to go on their district instruction. Now back to Malthus. who has his solution which takes the signifier of moral restraint. The use of utilizing birth control methods ( contraceptives/ rubbers ) or merely merely abstaining from sexual activity until one is ready emotionally and economically. acquiring married older. spacing kids and holding less kids. These methods when combined will swerve the turning population and make more productive persons. the hapless would be able to take advantage of the aid they are having and they will so be able to acquire an effectual occupation which will assist them to go less dependent on the society to take attention of them. therefore hapless people would be better off because in kernel they wouldn’t be hapless once more.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Dissatisfied vs. Unsatisfied

Dissatisfied vs. Unsatisfied Dissatisfied vs. Unsatisfied Dissatisfied vs. Unsatisfied By Sharon Dont mix up dissatisfied with unsatisfied. Dissatisfied applies only to people who are unhappy, frustrated or disappointed with a thing, person or situation. Examples: I was dissatisfied with the service I received at the restaurant. She was dissatisfied with his response to her question. Unsatisfied refers to the feeling of needing more and can be used with abstract items. Examples: Despite the hearty meal, his hunger remained unsatisfied. She has had the bill for three weeks, but it still remained unsatisfied. The adjective is dissatisfaction. Here are some quotations from publications around the web: No, thats not a real statistic. Yet Ilana hasnt been alone in her sexual frustration. Several shows recently have been depicting women as unsatisfied. Like Ilana, theyre determined to do something about it and a finding man isnt necessarily part of the equation. LA Times More people than ever are dissatisfied with the products and services they buy, according to a new report from Arizona State Universitys W.P. Carey School of Business. And when there is a problem, were less happy with the customer service we receive. USA Today Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Grammar Test 125 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be)12 Misunderstood and Misquoted Shakespearean Expressions

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Organisation and behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organisation and behaviour - Assignment Example 52). Motivation is among the key determinant of work output of employees. There is a positive association between motivation and work output. When employees are adequately motivated, their output has been shown to increase considerably (Northouse, 2012.p 36). As such, managers ought to be well equipped with knowledge on how to motivate employees. Their primary role is to see goals and objectives of the firm realized and such requires dedicated employees. If employees are not motivated, their performance is not optimal and may not sustain the firm. Managers are; therefore, better off aware about motivation that will keep employees enthusiastic to realize the firm’s goals and objectives. Maslow hierarchy of needs tries to establish human motivations. It is the achievement of certain needs that motivates people, and they are in a hierarchical order from the very basic existence needs. It is upon fulfilling one need that a person ventures into fulfilling the next (Bass and Bass, 2009. p. 78). The model consists five stages that can be classified into three broad categories namely basics, needs, and growth needs. Basics include deficiencies, the needs include physiological needs, safety, love and self-esteem and lastly, growth needs accommodates self-actualization (Nel, 2011. p. 17). An individual toils to satisfy basic needs in the lower levels before progressing to growth needs in higher level. According to Maslow, a person stagnates on a specific level of need until that need is either partially of fully satisfied. When a need aggravates or the person is constantly not able to meet the need, the easy option often becomes to regress back to an earlier need to fulfill it more and to avoid the frustration (Bass and Bass, 2009. p. 80). This result in what the ERG theory calls frustration-regression aspect. The theory assumes that there are two

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Hamza Yusuf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Hamza Yusuf - Essay Example Yusuf often acts as a guest speaker at events coordinated by different subdivisions of the Muslim Students Association of the US and Canada. Together with Haten Bazian and Zaid Shakir, Yusuf is a co-founder of the Zaytuna College located in Berkeley, California. The college was established in 1996 and is dedicated to reviving traditional methods of study, especially with regard to the sciences of Islam (Ghazali 2011, 65). Yusuf is also a signatory of A Common Word Between Us and You, which is an open letter written by Islamic scholars addressed to Christian leaders, speaking to the need for peace and understanding. Yusuf has adopted a stance against all religious rationalizations for terrorist attacks. After 9/11, he typified the actions of the attackers as acts of mass homicide. Yusuf strongly condemns terrorist attacks arguing that Islamic is exploited as an innocent victim (Ghazali 2011, 115). Yusuf has authored an array of books and pamphlets, which seek to educate Muslims on pro per and ethical conduct. Thought Yusuf is renowned for a number of original thoughts, which are aimed at assisting Muslim lead fruitful lives devoid of evil deeds. One of his most notable thoughts is that of dunya. Yusuf typifies dunya as the illusory nature of the world; it consists of aspects that delude people into thinking that they are permanent fixtures in the world. Dunya also compels Muslims to think that they can transgress since they believe they are independent from Allah. In essence, Yusuf considers dunya as the element that takes Muslims away from the akhira (the after life), thus exemplifying Satan’s game. Satan’s game, according to Yusuf (2008, 69) is aimed purposely at detracting people away from the akhira through shaytan, which means to obstruct or make distant from the akhira. Therefore, Yusuf (Yusuf and Shakir 2007, 128) believes that dunya makes Muslims feel that dunya is nearer than the akhira. Islam argues that dunya is distant and equates it to attempting to reach for grapes that are beyond one’s grasp. This is the true character of dunya; one can never get it since it always evades people. Through his teachings, Yusuf seeks to teach Muslims that dunya is unimportant. He in turn demonstrates the importance of the akhira, which is the essence of all Islamic messages. Therefore, he argues that, in all their actions, Muslims must endeavor to head away from dunya and further towards the akhira. In order to delineate the true nature of dunya, Yusuf contrasts it to normal human actions. Yusuf (2004, 89) argues that seeking food to sustain a healthy body is not considered dunya, neither is earning enough money to meet one’s obligations or spend on halal. In order to justify his stance regarding dunya, Yusuf ponders on the assertions of the Holy Prophet of Islam that if Adam’s son had a single mountain of gold, he would then desire a second mountain. The Prophet argued that the son’s mouth would never b e filled, with the exception of the dust of his private grave. Yusuf takes this teaching to mean that dunya is deceptive since it compels people to desire more earthly possession than they need. Yusuf teaches Muslims to steer clear of the deluder and in turn move towards the akhira. In addition to this, Yusuf teaches that Muslims should avoid the delusion of dunya that it is possible to live both in the past and future. In turn, Yusuf believes that Muslims should always endeavor to live in the present. He argues that

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

MRT 18, 19 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MRT 18, 19 - Essay Example You would be impacted in that you would have to put extra pressure on manufacturing and sacrifice quality controls. Some potential solutions is to suggest to your boss how quality control will be affected and how that would negatively affect the firm in the long run. You could conditionally agree with the April 1st delivery but keep close tabs on manufacturing, and if they are unable to meet that deadline simply inform the client of this. Or you could keep the mid April delivery date but assure your client that this is vital to ensure quality control. #4 On a personal level I probably would push for the April 1st deadline. It is the case that your boss has a great deal of experience with the matter and if during the course of filling the order, it becomes clear that manufacturing will be unable to complete the task then you can simply relay this message to the client and reassure them that the decision was based on maintaining quality control. #1 http://blog.tandberg.com/ The reason why I have chosen Tandberg is because they are one of the global leaders in the marketing and manufacturing of video teleconferencing systems. Furthermore they have a strong hold of the tele-presence equipment market for small businesses which in which video is streaming in such high bandwidth that it actually seems like the person is there. #2 The intended audience is most likely small to large size organizations in which a great deal of their activities may require active participants to travel a long distance or minimize the risk of disease from close human contact. Some specific examples are distance education, healthcare specialists, or even manufacturing. In terms of education one quote from the blog is â€Å"Another opportunity cited is the possibility that students can take classes that may not be offered at their own schools – Mandarin for example – through distance education over video

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Hofstede Theory of Cultural Differences

Hofstede Theory of Cultural Differences As we know that today we are living in an era of globalization and culture has a very significant impact on the organization in which operates. Thats why so many researchers have placed too much importance to create a good relationship between the practices and culture of an organization in which it operates, but on the other hand according to the Earley (1994), if management practices are not according to the needs and demands of their employees so then the following problems will arise such as de motivation, low productivity and high turnover. So in order to overcome such problems, a very serious attention much is given to improve the culture of an organization as it ultimately effects the development and effectiveness of HRM strategies and policies. For better understanding of the effect of national cultures on development and effectiveness of HRM strategies, firstly the concept of culture must be clearly understood. A pattern of basic assumptions invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaption and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. Brewster et al (2008), p.14-15 This definition of culture basically defines that culture is a set of believes, norms and values that people acquire and share with others. The basic feature of culture is that, culture is adaptive. It is helpful for those people who are coming or joining a new place and easily come to know about the existing problems in an organization. Another definition for a culture is: the core of culture is composed of explicit and tacit assumptions or understandings commonly held by a group of people; a particular configuration of assumptions/understandings is distinctive to the group; these assumptions/understandings serve as guides to acceptable and unacceptable perceptions, thoughts, feelings and behaviours; they are learned and passed to new members of the group through social interaction; culture is dynamic it changes over time (Milliken and Martins, 1989). This definition by Milliken and Martins basically defines that culture has two characteristics, first is, its a collective phenomenon, everybody used to share it and secondly it shapes the way people of that culture thinks and respond. As discussed earlier, this is an era of globalization, every single nation has its own culture, their way of thinking, perceiving, responding is absolutely different from different nations. That is why every culture has its own set of values, beliefs and norms. And it easily be seen by different examples of nations like wise: if we see USA the rate of freedom is very much high over there similarly independence, individualism and level of competition tends to be very high in USA but on the other hand lets take Japan where much importance is given to belongingness, all the work is done on group consensus, seniority is also taken into account and cooperate with each other as much as they can similarly in Arab countries family harmony and parental guidance is high and much of the authority is given to the senior member of the society. In Asian countries like Pakistan, ratio of hospitality is very high, respect for seniors and aged people are also high, mostly a decision is taken by havin g guidance from a senior member of a family. Most of the cross-cultural researchers like Hodstede and Trompenaars argued that the culture of the society plays a vital role and helps a lot in reshaping the practices of the management. As the society vastly vary in cultures, management has to keep in mind different methods for motivation of the employees from different cultures and sometimes it creates a problem for the management in decision making process. Hofstede Cultural Dimension: Now I will explain in detail that how management practices differs when organization operates in diverse cultures. Taking into consideration the work done by Hofstede (1980), where he carried out a research by analysing the questionnaires filled up by IBM employees in 70 countries. He concluded that cultural differences depend on four factors: Power Distance: Power distance is the extent in which less powerful members of the society or organization enjoys unequal distribution of the power. For instance, Females and Minorities. In organizations where power distance is high, Hierarchy tends to be taller where all major decisions are taken by few members of the top level management and all decision making process is centralised. High power distance also means that low level management cannot challenge the decision taken by upper level management and also it is very difficult to meet them. But on the other hand where power distance is low, decision making process is decentralised, all the big and small decisions are approved by taking help from the low level management. The basic concept over here is the employee empowerment, and these organizations are found with flat hierarchical pyramid. For Instance: Virgin group of companies. Where chairman of the organization have made small departments and they are allowed to take all decisions regardi ng their department, this helps them out in good decision making skills and also the employee empowerment. Uncertainty Avoidance: Uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which people feel threatened about a typical situation and have created a set of beliefs in order to avoid these situations. High uncertainty avoidance companies or nations tend to have a strong belief on heir experts and their knowledge and their managers are low risk takers and have a high need for security and these countries are usually developed nations. And countries with low uncertainty avoidance tend to be more risk takers. All activities running in an organization are usually unstructured and there are few written rules, as the managers are willing to accept the risk that is why employee turnover is high in these organizations. From the perspective of HR, all employees are open to accept the new ideas and viewpoints. Individualism versus Collectivism: Individualism refers to the extent to which people look after for themselves and their immediate family only. People in individualistic society tend to gain individual rewards and want to take all decisions by themselves. As they are responsible for their decisions only, they also rewarded individually. Countries which are high in individualism tend to be wealthier and developed, where all promotions are made on the basis of market value. But on the other hand, societies with collectivism tend to work in a group and take care for each other in exchange of loyalty. Countries which are high in collectivism tend to be poorer, where individual initiatives are low and promotions are given on the basis of seniority. Hofstede argued that countries like America, Great Britain and Australia tend to be individualistic societies. Where employees are running behind the individual recognition and promotion in an organization is the major motivational force. But countries like China, Japan and Pak istan, tend to be collectivist society, where all decisions are made on group consensus. Everybody take care for each other and employees are more focused towards group recognition. And the most important over here is that, management encourages cooperation and loyalty and they are treated as a family rather than an individual working for the organization. In 1992 Holden mentioned collectivist society as: Japanese managers spend up to 30% of their time, in and outside normal office hours, educating their younger colleagues and initiating them in the lore and wisdom of the company, preparing them functionally and psychologically for the operations outside the firm (Holden, 1992, p.31) Masculinity versus Femininity: A Masculine culture is the one in which basic social values are success, money and things. A country which is high in masculinity, people laid great importance on recognition, advancement, showing off, material achievement and being outward. But on the other hand countries which are high in femininity, tend to be caring and loving. A great importance is laid on cooperation, group decision making, friendly atmosphere and more employee freedom. Organizations which are working in low masculine society, promotions are made on the basis of merits and all employees are treated as a member of one family, but in organization working in high feminine society, rewards are set in such a way so that more and more competition takes place between employees rather than cooperation. Conclusion: It can easily be concluded that, Hofstede shows that national cultures contain at least four dimensions and every organization has to come up with these dimensions as they are working in diverse cultures. After analysing these dimensions a company can easily operate in diverse cultured society as national culture has a significant impact on the organization. Knowledge of different cultures is very much essential for the organizations which are working as multinationals and also for HR Professionals, as people who are going to hired by the organization have different set of beliefs regarding motivation, loyalty, career development and decision making. So a proper match must be there between the organization practices and the national culture, in this way an organization can easily succeed in a society in which it operates. So that there would be a positive impact of national culture on the development and effectiveness of HRM strategies and policies.

Friday, October 25, 2019

being independent Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Graduating and getting out on your own is a difficult step to make. There are a lot of things that you have to take into perspective. The choices that you make when you get out of highschool believe it or not are crucial and life altering. Decisions that you have to make are ones like what you want your career to be, where you want to live, and a big decision is buying a house. In making these decisions you have to do a lot of research and things to be prepared. I did a lot of research in hopes of finding a career that I would like and three things that I could see myself doing was owning my own spa ($100,000 yearly salary), managing a spa($60,000 yearly salary), or being an Esthetician. After thinking long and hard about it however, I decided I would like to be en Esthetician. An Esthetician is a person who gives care to skin in a non-medical way. An Esthetician makes a decent amount of money which is important to have if I want to be able to afford a house.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being an Esthetician would be fun because I enjoy working with people and I am good at working with them. I am also good with my hands which is necessary in my job Making other people feel better about themselves makes me feel better about myself. One set back in that job however would have to be foot fungus. Feet aren?t my favorite thing on the human body especially with any kind of fungus on them. Going into a job that has a high paying salary often requires experience or schooling. I would have to take classes and work hard to get my license so that it is easier for me to find a job. To become an Esthetician it is only required to have at least 17 weeks of classes which would cost under $1,000.00 and at the end of the classes I would graduate with my license in esthetics. I looked at job offers and have came to the conclusion that if I was an Esthetician I would make an estimated amount of $50,000.00 a year. That salary however can vary depending on your qualit ies and experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I plan on living in Long Beach, California and the reason being is I have always had the desire to live near the beach. Living far away I would have to take into consideration transportation. Being on my own requires you to be financially stable. So I figured out that if I had a 2002 Jeep Gand Cherokee La... ... in Long Beach which is a wealthy town. So the price of my house is very reasonable for the area I am going to be living in. It could be cheaper to take out a 20 year loan and pay $100 a month more which would cover the interest but with my salary it is better for me to take a 30 year loan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I asked myself two questions at the beginning of this project, one being what if I run out of equity on my home with a reverse mortgage? I found that answer on www.google.com and it said that you can?t run out of money and they can not force you to move out of your home. Another question was, when I am old if I have to go to a nursing home what will happen to my house? That answer was also found on www.google.com and it was that if you are moved out for a year or longer then my home can be sold. All of these things and more have to be considered before you even buy a house. So researching and taking your time thinking about every detail is extremely important. You want to be able to afford what you have and still have money to save or spend at your discretion. I hope that one day this bit of research gives me some backing for when I actually do move out on my own.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Deception Point Page 23

It appeared the astrobiologists had been right, Tolland thought. ET is a bug. Rachel's legs felt weak beneath her. â€Å"I can't†¦ believe it,† she said, turning the fossil in her hands. â€Å"I never thought†¦ â€Å" â€Å"Give it some time to sink in,† Tolland said, grinning. â€Å"Took me twenty-four hours to get my feet back under me.† â€Å"I see we have a newcomer,† said an uncharacteristically tall Asian man, walking over to join them. Corky and Tolland seemed to deflate instantly with the man's arrival. Apparently the moment of magic had been shattered. â€Å"Dr. Wailee Ming,† the man said, introducing himself. â€Å"Chairman of paleontology at UCLA.† The man carried himself with the pompous rigidity of renaissance aristocracy, continuously stroking the out-of-place bow tie that he wore beneath his knee-length camel-hair coat. Wailee Ming was apparently not one to let a remote setting come in the way of his prim appearance. â€Å"I'm Rachel Sexton.† Her hand was still trembling as she shook Ming's smooth palm. Ming was obviously another of the President's civilian recruits. â€Å"It would be my pleasure, Ms. Sexton,† the paleontologist said, â€Å"to tell you anything you want to know about these fossils.† â€Å"And plenty you don't want to know,† Corky grumbled. Ming fingered his bow tie. â€Å"My paleontologic specialty is extinct Arthropoda and Mygalomorphae. Obviously the most impressive characteristic of this organism is-â€Å" â€Å"-is that it's from another friggin' planet!† Corky interjected. Ming scowled and cleared his throat. â€Å"The most impressive characteristic of this organism is that it fits perfectly into our Darwinian system of terrestrial taxonomy and classification.† Rachel glanced up. They can classify this thing? â€Å"You mean kingdom, phylum, species, that sort of thing?† â€Å"Exactly,† Ming said. â€Å"This species, if found on earth, would be classified as the order Isopoda and would fall into a class with about two thousand species of lice.† â€Å"Lice?† she said. â€Å"But it's huge.† â€Å"Taxonomy is not size specific. House cats and tigers are related. Classification is about physiology. This species is clearly a louse: It has a flattened body, seven pairs of legs, and a reproductive pouch identical in structure to wood lice, pill bugs, beach hoppers, sow bugs, and gribbles. The other fossils clearly reveal more specialized-â€Å" â€Å"Other fossils?† Ming glanced at Corky and Tolland. â€Å"She doesn't know?† Tolland shook his head. Ming's face brightened instantly. â€Å"Ms. Sexton, you haven't heard the good part yet.† â€Å"There are more fossils,† Corky interjected, clearly trying to steal Ming's thunder. â€Å"Lots more.† Corky scurried over to a large manila envelope and retrieved a folded sheet of oversized paper. He spread it out on the desk in front of Rachel. â€Å"After we drilled some cores, we dropped an x-ray camera down. This is a graphic rendering of the cross section.† Rachel looked at the x-ray printout on the table, and immediately had to sit down. The three-dimensional cross section of the meteorite was packed with dozens of these bugs. â€Å"Paleolithic records,† Ming said, â€Å"are usually found in heavy concentrations. Often times, mud slides trap organisms en masse, covering nests or entire communities.† Corky grinned. â€Å"We think the collection in the meteorite represents a nest.† He pointed to one of the bugs on the printout. â€Å"And there's mommy.† Rachel looked at the specimen in question, and her jaw dropped. The bug looked to be about two feet long. â€Å"Big-ass louse, eh?† Corky said. Rachel nodded, dumbstruck, as she pictured lice the size of bread loaves wandering around on some distant planet. â€Å"On earth,† Ming said, â€Å"our bugs stay relatively small because gravity keeps them in check. They can't grow larger than their exoskeletons can support. However, on a planet with diminished gravity, insects could evolve to much greater dimensions.† â€Å"Imagine swatting mosquitoes the size of condors,† Corky joked, taking the core sample from Rachel and slipping it into his pocket. Ming scowled. â€Å"You had better not be stealing that!† â€Å"Relax,† Corky said. â€Å"We've got eight tons more where this came from.† Rachel's analytical mind churned through the data before her. â€Å"But how can life from space be so similar to life on earth? I mean, you're saying this bug fits in our Darwinian classification?† â€Å"Perfectly,† Corky said. â€Å"And believe it or not, a lot of astronomers have predicted that extraterrestrial life would be very similar to life on earth.† â€Å"But why?† she demanded. â€Å"This species came from an entirely different environment.† â€Å"Panspermia.† Corky smiled broadly. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† â€Å"Panspermia is the theory that life was seeded here from another planet.† Rachel stood up. â€Å"You're losing me.† Corky turned to Tolland. â€Å"Mike, you're the primordial seas guy.† Tolland looked happy to take over. â€Å"Earth was once a lifeless planet, Rachel. Then suddenly, as if overnight, life exploded. Many biologists think the explosion of life was the magical result of an ideal mixture of elements in the primordial seas. But we've never been able to reproduce that in a lab, so religious scholars have seized that failure as proof of God, meaning life could not exist unless God touched the primordial seas and infused them with life.† â€Å"But we astronomers,† Corky declared, â€Å"came up with another explanation for the overnight explosion of life on earth.† â€Å"Panspermia,† Rachel said, now understanding what they were talking about. She had heard the panspermia theory before but didn't know its name. â€Å"The theory that a meteorite splashed into the primordial soup, bringing the first seeds of microbial life to earth.† â€Å"Bingo,† Corky said. â€Å"Where they percolated and sprang to life.† â€Å"And if that's true,† Rachel said, â€Å"then the underlying ancestry of earth's life-forms and extraterrestrial life-forms would be identical.† â€Å"Double bingo.† Panspermia, Rachel thought, still barely able to grasp the implications. â€Å"So, not only does this fossil confirm that life exists elsewhere in the universe, but it practically proves panspermia†¦ that life on earth was seeded from elsewhere in the universe.† â€Å"Triple bingo.† Corky flashed her an enthusiastic nod. â€Å"Technically, we may all be extraterrestrials.† He put his fingers over his head like two antennas, crossed his eyes, and wagged his tongue like some kind of insect. Tolland looked at Rachel with a pathetic grin. â€Å"And this guy's the pinnacle of our evolution.† 25 Rachel Sexton felt a dreamlike mist swirling around her as she walked across the habisphere, flanked by Michael Tolland. Corky and Ming followed close behind. â€Å"You okay?† Tolland asked, watching her. Rachel glanced over, giving a weak smile. â€Å"Thanks. It's just†¦ so much.† Her mind reeled back to the infamous 1996 NASA discovery-ALH84001-a Mars meteorite that NASA claimed contained fossil traces of bacterial life. Sadly, only weeks after NASA's triumphant press conference, several civilian scientists stepped forward with proof that the rock's â€Å"signs of life† were really nothing more than kerogen produced by terrestrial contamination. NASA's credibility had taken a huge hit over that gaffe. The New York Times took the opportunity to sarcastically redefine the agency's acronym: NASA-NOT ALWAYS SCIENTIFICALLY ACCURATE.