How Roles and Statuses Affect Behavior

How Roles and Statuses Affect Behavior There is a fine line between status and role. Status is the position or a rank in a group or social structure. An example of this would be the president, Barack H. Obama. The president is a status because it is a position in a social structure; in this case, Barack H. Obama would be the president of America. On the other hand, a role is an assumed or an expected way a person should behave. For example, a mother is an assumed position where as soon as a female gives birth, they are expected to take care of the child, and thus called â€Å"mother. In Philip G. Zimbardo’s article, â€Å"The Pathology Of Imprisonment,† (pg. 140, 2011) Zimbardo wanted to simulate a prison environment and see the psychological and how the roles of the guards and prisoners develop. Zimbardo did this by creating a advertisement in the newspaper and hired two dozen young men who were at first, all on the same playing field; all of them had no criminal reco rd, emotionally stable, normal, and were all intelligent and from middle class families.The important part about this is that the role of prisoner and the role of guard were chosen by the flip of a coin which meant that the roles were completely random and the prison environment would be the only factor in how it shaper the boys behaviors. Throughout the experiment, the boys were videotaped so that Zimbardo could observe the behavior. Very quickly Zimbardo noticed that the guards became more and more aggressive towards the prisoners, and the prisoners reacted exactly how a real prisoner would react.Zimbardo states that the guards came up with many creative ways to control the prisoners. In one case, a rebellious prisoner, who refused to eat, was in solitary, and the rest of the prisoners were given a choice, whether to let the prisoner out and give up their blankets, or keep the blankets and keep the rebellious prisoner in solitary for the night. In the end, it was every man for him self and the rest of the prisoners chose to have their blankets.The only incentive for the prisoners was the pay of fifteen dollars per day, but some had to be cut short because of their reactions to the prison environment, such as crying, depression, and insanity. It was clear that the boys who were supposed to play the role of prisoners and guards were now acting in the mindset as if their status was really the prisoner and the guard. In fact, the experiment got too realistic and Zimbardo’s two-week experiment had to be cut short to six days. In Harvey Molotch’s article, (pg. 66, 2011)â€Å"The Rest Room and Equal Opportunity,† the author argues that even if men and women have equal amount of space in the bathrooms, it does not guarantee equal opportunity in the bathrooms because of the different roles of women and men. Men can use urinals, which take up less space than toilets and women need their own private stalls because of their specific needs. The author also suggests how western culture shapes the way how women use the bathroom, such as doing make up and gossiping. Therefore the differences in roles of women and men cause unequal opportunities even if they are given the same opportunity.

Developmental psychology Essay

I have identified a number of themes from both interviews which relate to Jo and Tony’s childhood and life experiences and how these have influenced their development and how their children’s lives have differed from their own. Â  Educational influence Educational issues appear to have influenced both Tony and Jo Tony refers to himself as being uneducated: And then I only went to school for a year, after I was eleven. Tony ex plains this was due to the years education he did receive: I had a very interesting year the year’s education I had was very interesting situation in at a boarding school in Sussex. Where I was I learned a great deal actually. Lines 34-36 He says that other influences had contributed to his education: strange influences, and yes I suppose I am self-educated I’ve read an awful lot obviously Lines 40 – 41 Jo describes her education as being different I went to school in Leeds ’til I was eight and then I was evacuated. Lines 44 – 45 I then went to boarding school for the next ten years Lines 46 -47 * Parental influence There are several references to Jo and Tony’s views on the important role of parenting, for them this had been through their parent’s work and religious beliefs: Tony: Victorian Work Ethic in Line 54 Tony and Jo agree that religion was a very big influence from their parents Tony Lines 63 – 67: Jo’s mother was brought up as a Methodist and my father was as well. And I think Methodist principles were fairly firmly entrenched. And Yes I think that has, that makes us to a certain extent the sort of people we are. In lines 81 – 82 Tony talks about which career paths were available to them and one’s parent’s experiences and aspirations certainly entered into it as well In the second interview both Tony and Jo make reference to separation from their fathers because of the war, this appears to be a shared experience for both of them. Jo then compares this with their own children’s experience of separation, their children feared that Tony and Jo would separate like another family that they knew. Jo says that when the children are young it is important to make sacrifices or you adapt Line 122 Interests could be pursued later. She emphasizes this further if you want to nurture and encourage your children, then some one or other had got to stay, perhaps hold back a little to give as much as you can to your children Lines 145 – 148. Although Jo acknowledges that women have equal rights today in contrast with the past, she believes that in order to provide a nurturing role women should still put their children first. She also talks about the importance of stability for children children like stability. And it’s the stable base that you make around them that matters more Lines 154 -156 * Social/cultural/historical influence Historical influence has played a part in Jo and Tony’s development, the war had a huge impact on them, their fathers went away and there was uncertainty as to whether they would return. The educational opportunities available differed between them, Jo went to school and boarding school but Tony only had one year of education and apart from this was self taught.

Making the World a Better Place Philosophy 1001, Dr. Cara Nine

Making the World a Better Place Philosophy 1001, Dr. Cara Nine ‘Better Place’? ‘Making the world†¦ ’? Making the world a better place There are two sets of philosophical questions: 1. What is ‘good’ or ‘better’? (That is, what does a ‘better world look like and why? ) 2. What kinds of actions are ‘right’? (What are we justified in doing to bring about the good? ) Ideas of the good life Hedonism Desire Satisfaction Theory Objective Goods Theory Theories of Right Action Utilitarian Deontological Feminist Virtue Theory Cases Protesting Unjust Government Aiding an impoverished community Torture Letter to MenoeceusBy Epicurus (341-270 BC) Epicurus ‘Hedonism’ in popular culture http://www. hedonism. com/ Hedonism: Different kinds of desires. Just to be clear†¦ â€Å"It is not an unbroken succession of drinking-bouts and of merrymaking, not sexual love, not the enjoyment of the fish and other deli cacies of a luxurious table†¦ † For Hedonism: â€Å"For the end of all our actions is to be free from pain and fear† Intrinsic vs. Instrumental goods Instrumental good Intrinsic Good For Epicurus, Happiness is secured by: A tranquil emotional state. Example: We should not fear death Evidence : Misery clearly hampers the good life; happiness clearly improves it.But, is happiness what we want for our loved ones? I recall a talk by a doctor who described a patient of his (who had perhaps had a prefrontal lobotomy) as ‘perfectly happy all day long picking up leaves. ’ This impressed me because I thought, ‘Well, most of us are not happy all day long doing the things we do,’ and realized how strange it would be to think that the very kindest of fathers would arrange such an operation for his (perfectly normal) child. –Philippa Foot, Natural Goodness, p. 65 Desire Theory and Problems with Hedonism Hedonism Happiness is the only intrinsical ly valuable good. A happy life is a good life.The argument from evil pleasures Hedonism’s response: Happiness from evil actions IS as good as happiness from virtuous actions. The Paradox of Hedonism Happiness is like a butterfly—the more you pursue it, the more it eludes you. Be still and let it come to you. Paradox of Hedonism 1. If happiness is the only thing that directly makes us better off, then it is rational to single-mindedly pursue it. 2. It isn’t rational to do that. 3. Therefore, happiness isn’t the only thing that directly makes us better off. Argument from multiple harms: If hedonism is true, then you can be harmed by something only because it saddens you.You can be harmed in other ways. Therefore, hedonism is false. False Happiness Nozick’s Experience Machine Experience Machine Nozick thinks that the real life is clearly better, despite equal levels of happiness. What makes the real life better? Desires and The good We desire for our lives to be based in reality. This desire matters. Other desires matter, too. Desire Satisfaction Theory The good life is getting what you want. Something is good for you if and only if it satisfies your desires. Good things about desire-satisfaction theory Allows for a variety of ‘good’ lives. Good things about desire-satisfaction theoryPrioritizes personal autonomy and avoids paternalism Avoids objective values â€Å"objective† = fixed independently of your desires and opinions â€Å"subjective† = refers to your desires and opinions Motivation? Problems with the Desire Satisfaction Theory Getting what you want may not promote your good Desires based on false beliefs Fix! The desire must be based on informed beliefs. More Problems Dis-interested or Other-regarding desires Problems, cont. Disappointment: I was playing great tennis†¦ I’d finally taken my game to what felt like a notch above all my opponents’. It should have been greatâ₠¬ ¦ But it wasn’t.It felt hollow—It reminded me of the story of King Midas: My success wasn’t translating into happiness. –John McEnroe—(with James Kaplan, You Cannot be Serious) Impoverished Desires Objective Goods Theories of the Good Life Hedonism Desire Satisfaction Theory Objective Goods Theory Objective Goods Theory What is good is defined independent of your desires or opinions. Objective well-being concept: Income? The objective/universal approach defended Nussbaum’s approach http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=Qy3YTzYjut4 Appeals to ‘natural law theory’, that things are good when a thing fulfills its nature. Things are bad when they are unnatural.Solves (? ) Hume’s argument We can know only two sorts of claims: conceptual truths or empirical truths. Moral claims are neither conceptual nor empirical truths. Therefore, we can have no moral knowledge. Natural law theory’s response: If you know the nature of â⠂¬Ëœhuman’, and what it takes to fulfil our human nature, then we can know what is morally good. Options for objective goods: Happiness Options for objective goods: Autonomy Relationship with other objective goods. Essence of ‘human’ Possible problem with adding autonomy to the list: Cultural variations. But Do we have to be culturally relative? Options for objective goods:A sense of self Having commitments, likes and dislikes, values and goals. Options for objective goods: Morality Aristotelian virtue Human flourishing– â€Å"If you concern yourself not at all with what you owe to others or with what they need from you, you live in profound isolation. .. Morality is good for us because it †¦ gives me a kind of friendship not just with my friends but with everyone. † (Kazez 54) Martha Nussbaum: Basic capabilities. Life. Bodily health Bodily integrity. Senses, imagination, thought. Emotions. Practical reason. Affiliation. Other species. Play. Co ntrol over one's environment.Possible problem with the objective theory†¦ Utilitarianism Theories of Right Action What should I do or not do? Utilitarianism A brand of consequentialism An action is morally required just because it produces the best results. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) Utilitarianism (1861) The quest for ‘the good’ is identified with the question of what is right and wrong to do. Mill writes: â€Å"All action is for the sake of some end and rules of action, it seems natural to suppose, must take their whole character and color from the end to which they are subservient. â€Å" (in other words†¦ The ends justify the means! ) 1.Rationality in choice of conduct is maximizing the satisfaction of one's chosen goal (or the goal that is best to pursue). 2. The rational goal of human striving is happiness, and happiness consists in pleasure and the absence of pain. I should do what maximizes happiness-for-me-over-my-entire-life. Acting effectively t o achieve this goal is being prudent. Prudence requires a kind of impartiality. So†¦ In merely individualistic terms: Ice cream NOW = 2 units of Happiness, and 3 units of Pain later. To maximize happiness over my entire life, I should not have ice cream now. But Mill’s utilitiarianism is universal project (not individualistic! 3. Human striving 4. The moral goal involves impartiality. One person's good counts the same, in the determination of what is to be done, as the same-sized good of any other person. 5. The moral goal equals the aggregate happiness of all persons. 6. So, moral rationality demands that we maximize aggregate human happiness. †¦ and animals? Problems†¦ Utility monster: Trolley Problem Trolley Problem Trolley Problem Trolley Problem Deontology Kantian ethics Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) What matters with regard to whether an action is right or wrong is what kind of an action it is. (The end doesn’t justify the means! )Kantian Deontology Pe rson’s essence = autonomy Autonomy = self+rule Ethical principles follow logically. Consistency and Fairness Equal with regards to our autonomous rational personhood. What if everybody did that? How would you like it if I did that to you? Problem Case If disastrous results would occur if everyone did X, then X is immoral. Redescribe the act? But this makes the morality of an act merely a matter of its description. Kant’s answer: The Categorical Imperative (version 1): Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. Is a maxim universalizable?Formulate your maxim clearly. Imagine a world in which everyone supports and acts on on your maxim. Then ask: Can the goal of my action be achieved in such a world? Example: Lying The universalized maxim of lying generates a contradiction. Categorical Imperative (version 2): The Principle of Humanity Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. Persons are rational agents The moral law is the law of reason So we rational beings are beyond value since we are the sources of value ‘Means’ only: Used as a means AND respected as rational agent at the same time: problems with the principle of humanity: The notion of treating someone as an end is vague. 2. The principle fails to give us good advice about how to determine what people deserve. – punishment and Lex Talionis (Law of Retaliation) 3. The principle assumes that we are genuinely autonomous, but that assumption may be false. Baron d’Holbach The Argument Against Autonomy 1. Either our choices are necessitated or they are not. 2. If they are necessitated, then they are out of our control, and so we lack autonomy. 3. If they are not necessitated, then they are random, and so we lack autonomy. 4.Therefore, we lack autonomy. 4. The principle cannot explain why those who lack rationality and auto nomy are deserving of respect. – What is the scope of the moral community? Argument against animals 1. If the principle of humanity is true, then animals have no rights. 2. If animals lack rights, then it is morally acceptable to torture them. 3. Therefore, if the principle of humanity is true, then it is morally acceptable to torture animals. 4. It isn’t. 5. Therefore, the principle of humanity is false. Feminist Ethics â€Å"The male is by nature superior, and the female inferior; the one rules, and the other is ruled. –Aristotle â€Å"As regards her individual nature, each woman is defective and mis-begotten. † –Aquinas â€Å"[W]omen must be trained to bear the yoke from the first, so that they may not feel it, to master their own caprices and to submit themselves to the will of others. † –Rousseau â€Å"†¦ laborious learning or painful pondering, even if a woman should greatly succeed in it†¦ They will weaken the charm s with which she exercises her great power over the other sex†¦. Her philosophy is not to reason, but to sense. † –Kant Feminist Ethics Previous (male-dominated) philosophy: Made false claims about women.Identified female with nature/animals and male with reason/human. Ignored female experiences and perspectives. Un Chien Andalou , 1929 silent surrealist short film by the Spanish director Luis Bunuel and artist Salvador Dali General Approach: Women are the moral equals of men. â€Å"The right to life of women in Pakistan is conditional on their obeying social norms and traditions. †Ã¢â‚¬â€œHina Jilani, lawyer and human rights activist 2. Experiences of women deserve our respect and are vital to a full and accurate understanding of morality. Some statistics: Women’s nominal wages are 17 percent lower than men’s.Women perform 66 percent of the world’s work, produce 50 percent of the food, but earn 10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property. 3. Traits that have traditionally been associated with women are at least as morally important as traditionally masculine traits. 4. Cooperation, flexibility, openness to competing ideas, and a connectedness to family and friends, are often superior to ways of reasoning that emphasize impartiality, abstraction, and strict adherence to rules. Lawrence Kohlberg’s 6 stages of moral development: Moral Development: Gilligan Women fared poorly on Kohlberg’s model. Advancing to only around stage 3. ) Women tend to think and experience the world differently than men. Gilligan’s model or moral thinking: In A Different Voice Women’s Experience Justice is†¦. blind Dr. Denis Mukwege tries to restore dignity in Congo. Women’s Experience: Vulnerability to Rape Major-General Patrick Cammaert, former commander of UN peacekeeping forces in the eastern Congo: â€Å"It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in armed co nflict. † Perceptions of rape in war: From: something that is inevitable when men are deprived of female companionship for prolonged periodsTo: an actual tactic in conflict. Effect on victim: Rape is always torture. Women’s Experience Increased dependence and diminished autonomy. Fewer choices and less control over important aspects of their lives (than men). Central fact of most women’s lives is their dependence. Consider a moral assumption: stand up for our rights and defend our honour against attacks: Does a woman stand up to an abusive husband, knowing she may be killed, have her children taken away from her, not know where her next meal will come from? Not just women We all are deeply connected with others.Moral philosophy that pretends that we are fully autonomous beings without dependent relationships fail to take an important part of human life into account. Ethics of Care Importance of Emotions â€Å"Reason is a slave of the passions. † –Da vid Hume Motivates. Helps us Understand (Sympathy/Empathy) Care: combination of sympathy, empathy, sensitivity, and love. Particular vs. Universal Describes our obligations. Particular obligations = I have them only to particular people. Universal obligations = I have them to all persons. A strict version of Ethics of Care theory denies the existence of universal obligations.Ethics of Care: Moral obligations come from RELATIONSHIPS. Relationship roles will sometimes require of you conflicting actions. There is no easy formula. Problems with the Ethics of Care: Must be supplemented by other theories. Or risk restricting the scope of the moral community too much. Role of emotions needs further exploration. Downgrading impartiality has its costs. Review Theories of ‘The Right’ Utilitarianism Theory Pleasure/freedom from pain is the only intrinsic good. An action is morally required just because it produces the best results. Rationality Impartiality Maximize human happiness UtilitarianismPositives Intuitive Matches good with the right Equality Useful for social policy Utilitarianism Negatives Utility monster Animals? Conflicts with Justice Deontology Theory (Study of Duty) The end doesn’t justify the means Derived from Autonomy (self + rule) Deontology Categorical Imperative 1: Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. Deontology Categorical Imperative 2, The Principle of Humanity: Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. Deontology PositivesExplains duties of justice Clear rules Equality Intuitive Deontology Negatives Principles difficult to apply Problems with autonomy Scope? Feminism Theory Men and women are moral equals. All of human experience deserves our attention/respect. ‘Feminine traits’ are as morally relevant as ‘male traits’ Interpersonal ways of moral re asoning are often superior to abstract, universalized, rule-governed moral reasoning. Care/Relationships Feminism Positives Embraces full account of human experience Can account for interpersonal moral reasoning, dependence. Feminism Negatives Problems with accounts from emotion Downgrades impartiality

Blood Splatter Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Blood Splatter Analysis - Research Paper Example Blood spatter analysis was sensationalized during the O.J. Simpson trial. Bloodstain pattern analysis, hereinafter referred to as (â€Å"BPA†), began in the late nineteenth century. However, while it has been studied for such a long time, the science and exact art of bloodstain pattern analysis has only recently become a staple in crime scene analysis. The first known study of blood spatters occurred at the Institute for Forensic Medicine in Poland, by Dr. Eduard Piotrowski. His studies resulted in the publication of his book "Concerning the Origin, Shape, Direction and Distribution of the Bloodstains Following Head Wounds Caused by Blows." The study of BPA is a combination of physics, biology and math. The investigation can take place at the scene of the crime or through the pictures that crime scene investigators take at the scene of a crime. The first time that blood spatter became highly sensationalized was 1955 in a case called Ohio v. Samuel Sheppard. Since 1955 when Dr. Paul Kirk first presented a bloodstain evidence affidavit in State of Ohio v. Samuel Sheppard, expert testimony on bloodstain interpretation has gained wide acceptance in U.S. courts (James, 1998). At trial, an affidavit purported to be an expert opinion was submitted by Dr. Paul Kirk. This 1955 case landmarked one of the earliest instances of our legal system recognizing the importance of blood spatter analysis in investigating the scene of a murder. The testimony offered outlined the position of the murderer or suspect and that of the victim. Ultimately, despite strong objections, the testimony demonstrated that the victim was assailed by the defendant’s left hand. The initial step in the examination of blood at any crime scene is to be fully aware of how bloodstains are characterized. (Department, 1998). There can be no characterization without answering three crucial

Blue Ocean Strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Blue Ocean Strategy - Research Paper Example 2.0. Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create Grid Table 1. Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create Grid (ERRC) for Nintendo Wii  Eliminate Raise Game expansion packs Purchaser influence Simplicity / easy to play Reduce Create Gaming technology Health & lifestyle benefits Family experience 2.1. Eliminate Here BOS advances that Nintendo Wii has to look for those factors in the gaming industry that the industry has been competing on that can be done away with. Traditionally, in the Red Ocean, game expansion packs are utilised as a customer lock-in strategy. They are used to extend the gamers interest beyond the original version of the game. Nintendo Wii, unlike its competitors, does not offer expansion sets and this has enabled it to develop new value in two ways. Firstly, expansion sets lead to an extra cost to both manufacturer and users. By eliminating these expansion packs Nintendo Wii is able to save costs on production, distribution, promotion and sales. Secondly, these expansion sets needs serious gamers who are focused on extending their gaming experience beyond leisure. Expansion packs are also seen in some quarters as being as an unethical way of increasing customer loyalty through promotion of addiction (â€Å"Why are Video Games Addictive - Reasons & Theories,† 2011). The Wii targets the casual gamer who does not have that urge for an extended gaming experience. In fact, the Wii could use this to promote itself as the non-addictive gaming choice. 2.2. Reduce According to the Four Actions Framework at this juncture the Wii needs to determine whether products or services have been overdesigned in the race to match and beat the competition. Wii’s big competitors, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, have concentrated on differentiating their products through over-serving customers with provision of cutting-edge technologies such as increased graphics and HD. The benefits that these companies obtain through this strategy are marginal in comparison to the costs they incur. Kim and Mauborgne (2005) referred to this as increasing cost structure for no gain. PS3 and Xbox 360 are forced to provide cutting-edge game play because they are fighting over the same market of demanding, die-hard gamers. On the other hand, the Wii opted to focus on the three groups of noncustomers: those people at the market edge who are undecided, those that flat out refuse to purchase a Wii because they are committed to another system like the XBox 360, and the unexplored, who may not know about the Wii or possibly cannot afford it. Nintendo reduced their costs by going low tech and increased the value of the Wii by instead focusing on making it easy to understand, fun to play and highly interactive. According to Scott (2008) Nintendo expanded the market by making video games simpler and more accessible. 2.3. Raise As stated above the Wii utilised a strategy that was different from its rivals, focusing on raising the simplicity, fun an d interactivity of its games as its customer value proposition rather than using superior gaming technology as its value proposition. This is in line with the third action of the BOS Four Actions Framework which seeks to identify factors that need to be raised well-above the industry standards (Kim & Mauborgne,

What has happened in a CHOSEN EUROPEAN ECONOMY over the last two years Assignment

What has happened in a CHOSEN EUROPEAN ECONOMY over the last two years - Assignment Example Firstly, by taming expectations, actual inflation can be controlled; and secondly, this will also lead to stability in employment and output. Similarly, purpose of the fiscal policy (whereby the government alters public expenditure and taxation policies) is to boost aggregate demand of the country, which in turn is expected to improve growth rate of the economy (Lawton, 2013). In the wake of the global financial crisis, Germany, like most other developed countries, is following the policy of fiscal tightening. Germany is a member of the programs undertaken by Euro Plus Act and main commitment of this program was to reduce debt of the government. High debts of the government are not supportive for the long run as this increases the risk of default. Polices of the government are being heavily guided by withdrawal of stimulus and measures of consolidation coupled with reduction of social security benefits. Fiscal consolidation measures followed by German government have been effective in bringing down both the structural and actual deficit of the country. The deficit of the government was brought down below the reference figure of 3%. The general finances of government had also shown a surplus in 2012 for the first time, after the crisis. This makes it clear that the country has been successful in achieving the medium-term budgetary goal and structural deficit is within 0.5% of GDP. Bringing down structural deficit is also important for controlling long-term stability of a country; and in case of Germany, it has been observed that in 2012, the structural net borrowing was only 0.31% of GDP, which was well within control of the government. Even in 2013, structural deficit was below the stipulated value of 0.35% (Deutsche Bank, 20 13). On expenditure side of the fiscal policy, main focus of the government in the last two years has been to increase investment in research and developmental programs and education. The rationale behind doing

Network Security Ph.D. Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8500 words

Network Security Ph.D. - Essay Example The weekly assignment, which covered various security-related topics, necessitated that we, as students, research the assigned topics, engaged with the material and, importantly, explore the multi-dimensional nature of network security. Added to that, weekly feedback on assignments offered us a clear indication of the topics which we could handle well and those which we could not. Following a review of the weekly assignments and the identification of the topics which I could write a good extended research on, I decided that threat identification and confrontation was an interesting topic. It was, however, too general and accordingly, I sought the advice of our Chief information Security Officer who directed me towards state of the art threat identification and mitigation technologies as a possible topic. The primary aim of this research is the examination of the technologies currently employed for the detection of a worm attack and its subsequent negation. Through this examination, the research will illustrate that by taking existing honeypot technologies and using them to populate unused IP space on a network, a honeywall could use these honeypots as sensors to detect and respond to unauthorized traffic. In order to respond to the research question, an in-depth investigative exploration of the network attacks and the technologies for dealing with them was conducted. The research was limited to secondary data and all sources were checked for credibility. Part II: Background 2.0 Introduction An understanding of the nature and types of attacks seen on the network is established first. Following the classification of attacks, a profile of an attacker is presented to provide a more substantial example of network intrusions. A discussion of firewalls, intrusion detection, and honeypots is provided to complete the background information. 2.1 Network Activity Lyle (1997) posits that most attacks fall within one of three main categories: attacks on integrity, attacks on confidentiality or attacks on availability. The act of maintaining the integrity of a network is the act of preventing authorized users of the system from making changes beyond their authority, and to prevent unauthorized persons from making changes at all. If the integrity of a

People and organization development Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

People and organization development - Coursework Example An organisation is composed of different units with specific roles that contribute to the success of the operations and the achievement of the goal. One of the most important aspects on the establishment and operation of an organisation is the change that dictates organisational development. Organisational development (OD) is the force that moves the company forward in different aspects. It is described as by Huse in 1980 as ‘the deliberate, reasoned, introduction, establishment, reinforcement, and spread of change for†¦the improvement of the organization both in terms of effectiveness and health† (Nel, 2009, p.2). For that matter, the change brought about by the reaction of the organisation to different intrinsic and extrinsic factors can be considered included in the definition of organizational development. These changes affect the components of an organisation specifically the people. One aspect of organisational development is even targeted to improve the well b eing of the people such as the employees and the members of the organisation. Due to the importance of the development of the people, the research undertaken is focused on one of the important dynamics in an organisation that is related to the people, team and team building. Team and Team Building Teams are cooperative groups in an organisation established to achieve common specific goals. ... This is where the concept of team building comes in. Team building is defined as the planned activities with the primary objective of improving the group dynamics. The main roles of team building activities include â€Å"improvement of the accomplishment of tasks, interpersonal skills, problem solving skills and team performance.† Such activities apply for different classifications of groups such as work groups, temporary project teams and virtual teams. In addition, problems and challenges within an organisation or within the team itself can be resolved through team building activities namely lack of cooperation, loss of productivity, conflicts within the group and in the work environment, lack of innovation and initiation, and the failure to achieve goals and complete tasks leading to inefficient services. Team building activities cover the different aspect within the organisation such as employee involvement, work design, restructuring, and strategic change (Cummings and Wo rley, 2009, p. 2263). In general, the issues related to team and team building is clearly connected to the change that can challenge the company and can result to either excel or fail. For that matter, the methods and principles of the dynamics of the team and the methods and techniques in team building are considered to be included in the basic protocols in the establishment and operation of organisations. Thus, to be able to achieve an understanding of the team and team building concept, it is important to consider the different topics related to the subject matter understudy. Objectives of the Study The study is aimed to present an overview of the concepts of the team and team building and the role on people and organisational development. In general, the

Merit Pay For Teachers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Merit Pay For Teachers - Research Paper Example (3) Pay for performance, or merit pay, for teachers can solve both problems. â€Å"Money plays a major role in educating America’s students,† state Kaplan and Owings in American Education: Building for a Common Foundation. â€Å" For the 2008-2009 school year, nation-wide public education at all levels cost one trillion dollars...When it comes to quality education, we as a society can pay now or we can pay later...It is a critical investment in a community’s—and our nation’s—infrastructure.† (Kaplan 2010) Assuming that we want to take the wiser course and pay now, thus avoiding future economic catastrophes, one of the things we need to do is to increase teachers’ salaries while also encouraging them to be more effective in the classroom. Texas Six years ago student scores at Audelia Creek Elementary School in Richardson, Texas, were among the worst in the district. More than a third of the teachers left. Now, thanks to TAP, the Teacher Advancement Program, Audelia’s students have some of the highest scores and teachers seek to work at Audelia. TAP is a national teacher evaluation and training program that includes annual cash bonuses for high-performing teachers. Teachers of each grade level meet regularly and are led by a master teacher who trains and evaluates them. One meeting, for example, focused entirely on how to teach students to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. â€Å"It’s not the sandwich, it’s the process,† the principal explained. For a teacher to know whether a student understands a reading assignment, she needs to ask the student to re-tell the material. But that's not a process that comes naturally to many kids. So the teacher has to "pre-tell," modeling the steps that students would take to organize their thoughts in order to re-tell material they've heard. For the Richardson district, teachers who hit the minimum TAP targets get an extra $2,000. But the b onus could be as much as $3,500. Over the past two years, most of Richardson's TAP teachers got around $2,800. "It's the best teaching model I have ever seen," one teacher said. "But it's not for the faint-hearted." In 2010 Audelia was awarded the annual $50,000 TAP Founder's Award by the California-based National Institute for Excellence in Teaching. The State of Texas gave its blessing to districts to find their own ways to strive for excellence. District Awards for Teacher Excellence (DATE) programs were first implemented in Texas districts during the 2008-09 school year. The program is currently in its third year of operation with approximately $197 million in annual state funding. All districts in the state are eligible to receive grants, but participation is voluntary. The National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt University found that student achievement has improved and teacher turnover has declined in schools participating in the Texas state-funded DATE progra ms. Colorado Denver’s move forward in 2005 has been called both â€Å"the nation’s most ambitious teacher pay plan† and â€Å"making pure dumb luck work.† In 1990 the Board of Education first negotiated into labor agreements the formation of committees to study merit pay. There was not much enthusiasm. On November 1, 2005, Denver voters approved a $25 million property tax increase tied to ProComp, a program of merit pay for teachers. ProCamp has four components: student growth, market

Class Matters... Short Description of a Section of the Book Essay Example for Free

Class Matters Short Description of a Section of the Book Essay Class Matters by Bell Hooks, the section â€Å"The Me-Me Class: The Young and the Ruthless† examines how the mass media influences ideas that everyone living in the united States is rich, into the minds of foreigners. This section further notes that the media makes it seem as though social and economic backgrounds have little or no influence on the world of spending because most advertisements seem to make items seems affordable and cheap to acquire. The media reveals the fantasies of life to make people think that the things shown in the media are reality, especially in the eyes of teenagers. This section notes that the media brings about the â€Å"psychological torment; envy† amongst teenagers. The way the media presents issues regarding children/students, makes it seem as though it is easier to acquire money wealth on an outward appearance. This may be done to bring about competition into society, which develops envy amongst individuals if they are unable to acquire a particular item. In this section, it states that it is easier to acquire money and goods than it is to find meaningful values and ethics. This is a really profound statement because it portrays the influence the media has had on the youth to the extent that their values and ethics don’t really have as much meaning to them as that of the money and goods the acquire. This further demonstrates the culture of the youth and how materialistic things have an impact on the way youth view today’s world. The media is indirectly educating the youth with items that seem relevant in the world rather than showcasing the importance of education. This may be the reason why many schools have decided to enforce a rule that students need to wear uniforms. This lessens the amount of items students will be competing with each other. Although the world is set up in a way that competition exists, the fact that students have the same items means that they are less likely to be envious of each other.

Should Plastic Bags be Banned?

Should Plastic Bags be Banned? Plastic shopping bags are very cheap, useful and convenient:  Should they be banned? Introduction Universally, individuals and groups continue to advocate for the banning of plastic shopping bags, proposing that they be replaced with reusable biodegradable bags. Due to their synthetic nature, plastics are considered pollutants by critics. However, they are also very cheap, useful and convenient and a complete ban will have a significant negative economic impact for retailers, states and consumers. Both critics and advocates for the ban of plastic shopping bags have been outspoken, with each side presenting objective arguments to support their cause. By analysing the advantages and disadvantages of plastic shopping bags, the report attempts to examine the prospective economic, environmental and even social impacts that a ban on plastic could have in society. A realistic assessment based on objective studies will be critical in presenting an accurate evaluation of the plastic ban and will be helpful to all stakeholders involved. Background Ever since the emergence of plastics in the 1940s, they have grown to become extremely popular for consumers and industrial entities. Even in the 21st Century, the volume of plastic being manufactured annually continues to rise with the total production volume in the first decade of the century equalling the entire 20th Century’s production. An estimated 260 million tons of plastics are currently being produced annually for different purposes worldwide (Clapp and Swanston, 2009). Plastic shopping bags, defined as recyclable high-density polyethylene bags, are designed to be used only once. The increase in retail shopping and the emergence of retail venues in the 1970s led to the exponential increase in the popularity of plastic bags. Research by Clapp and Swanston (2009) indicate that plastic bags are the most popular grocery bag of choice for consumers worldwide. Estimates indicate that between 600 billion and 1.5 trillion plastic bags are used yearly around the world (Luis and Spinola, 2010). Plastics shopping bags are manufactured when fossil fuels are converted into polymers. Plastics are considered exceptionally durable and strong, an aspect that is counterproductive since it accounts for its negative properties. It is estimated that it takes between 400 and 1,000 years for a thin plastic to be broken down, hence they are considered a threat to the environment (Thompson, Moore, ComSaal, and Swan, 2009). Existing literature indicates that most citizens favour recycling rather than a complete ban of plastics. Surveys indicate that the majority of shoppers reuse plastic bags at least once (Ellis, Kantner, Saab and Watson, 2005). Current Situation The calls for a complete ban arise from the primary concerns associated with plastic shopping bags. The first concern is that plastics create a waste stream that is extremely difficult to eliminate or manage. Research carried out by the California Integrated Waste Management Board revealed that plastics of all kinds comprise an estimated 10% of the state’s disposable waste stream. A further estimated 0.3% and 0.13% of the total waste stream were plastic bags and plastic shopping bags respectively (Delaney Madigan, 2014). Plastic bags are also known to litter with different studies revealing that, of all the total litter collected in the world, between 1 and 5 percent are from plastic bags. In the US alone, consumers use a whopping 100 billion plastic bags annually, with a large proportion of this eventually becoming litter (Delaney Madigan, 2014). Another critical cause for apprehension is that plastic bags take a very long time to disintegrate. Research show that plastic bags can last for as long as 1,000 years, with the vast majority of this life cycle being within the end of life phase either as litter or in a landfill (Freinkel, 2011). The extensive lifespan results from its immunity to biodegradation, hence they can only photo degrade over very long time periods releasing toxic additives in the process which also pollute the ecosystem. A plastic bag’s lifecycle has also been noted for being greenhouse gas intensive since fossil fuels are the primary compounds used during their production. There have also been concerns about the effect of plastic bags on marine pollution. An assessment carried out by the United Sates Environmental Program (UNEP) revealed that an estimated 80% of all marine debris come from a land source of which 60%-80% are plastics (Delaney Madigan, 2014). Plastic marine debris exists in almost al l the regions of the world, hence it has created global pollution problems. Plastic directly affects more than 660 species of animals including fish, birds, turtles and a group of marine mammals (Bean, 2013). When the animals confuse the bags for food, their digestive tracks become blocked, a development which may eventually cause death. According to San Francisco marine officials, a study in which 370 autopsies were carried out found one in every three dead leatherback turtles to have some form of plastics in their stomachs (Bean, 2013). Call for Bans The documented undesirable effects of the plastic bags have led a number of individuals and groups to lobby for a worldwide ban on them. Studies show that even though the majority believed that consumer education would improve the situation, they have not achieved a significant reduction in single use bag consumption. According to Ellis, Kantner, Saab and Watson (2005), education campaigns have only led to a 5% decrease in voluntary plastic bag usage. As a result, certain nations have created mandatory ordinances to limit the use of plastic bags. In the United States for example, 17 states have ordinances that place bans and limitations on the use and distribution of plastic bags. Essentially, bans can be designed in various means although it will depend on how it reduces plastic bag use, limiting the overall environmental damage, the overall economic impact on consumers, manufacturers and retailers and the legislation’s ability to reduce plastic bag use (The Economist, 2007). A number of variables that may be considered when imposing a ban include the types of bags to be banned, whether or not to include a fee, promoting the use of alternative paper, attaching an amount to the specific type of bags, or specifying the type of bags to be used. Other variables should include the types and sizes of retail venues that the ban can affect, ordinance exemption and incentives that will enforce the ordinance such as fees or fines that accompany non-compliance (Clapp and Swanston, 2009). Potential Impacts of Plastic Bag Ban Economists and environmentalists have identified a number of potential economic impacts on the ban of plastics. A ban has the capacity of reducing the volume of plastic bags used in retail outlets. However, this will vary and can only be determined by customer feedback, retail venue feedback, analyses of baggage records, analysis of the disposition of waste stream and observational studies. A ban of plastic bags may be successful especially if retailers are subjected to charge customers for plastic bags as a measure for overall reduction. Using the case of Ireland which has achieved a 90% reduction in the use of plastic paper bags, it was evident that the initiation of a national fee served that purpose well (Sugii, 2008). A considerable environmental impact will also result from the ban of plastic paper bags if customers are subjected to pay for the use of the bags. The imposition of a complete ban or a fee for the usage will significantly reduce the environmental impact of plastic paper bag use. A complete ban on plastic paper bag may, however, be difficult to impose although it is estimated that this would result in between a 93% and 96% reduction in the reported environmental impacts. The goal should, therefore, be a step-by-step transition from the use of plastic bags to reusable bags so as to limit the eventual economic impact of plastics (Hasson, Leiman, and Visser, 2007). Economic Impact on Retailers A complete ban of plastic shopping bags or even a transition to other reusable bag types will have multiple economic effects. The effects will not only be on plastic manufacturers, but consumers, retailers and even entire cities and states will be affected. Retailers will be some of the worst affected entities with a ban on plastic shopping bags since in nearly all countries of the world, they offer them to customers at no charge. Although retailers purchase the bags at minimal costs, they are cost effective and can be charged on the retailer’s expense account. Retailers will still need to package goods for their customers in some way and the cost associated with alternative bags will be significantly greater for retailers. Retailers may also opt to sell the alternative paper bags to customers, a development which may be sustainable in the long run. Although in the short run retailers may suffer a loss due to the increase in the usage of paper bags, the loss can be mitigated if consumers start paying for their own reusable bags. Retailers may lose business if customers take their business elsewhere, especially when the ban is selective (Ellis, Kantner, Saab and Watsonm 2005). It is further documented that research from areas in which plastic bags were banned demonstrated a considerable decrease in sales. This is, however, disputable since the methodology used and the sample size of the study was relatively minimal and restricted within the boundaries of the Los Angeles County. Economic Impact to Consumers and Plastic Manufacturers A ban on plastic shopping bags would have a significant impact on consumers, since at present the bags are given free to consumers. However, a study by the United Nations Environmental Program revealed that plastic shopping bags are not actually free, but cost every household between $10 and $15 annually (Hasson, Leiman, and Visser, 2007). In order to estimate the potential economic impact that a ban on plastics could have on consumers, it is imperative to consider the price for the alternative reusable and paper bags. Although reusable bags are relatively costly, customers may actually save costs eventually since reusable bags are more durable and are designed to last for many years. Customers can even replace reusable stock a number of times further saving cost instead of paying recurring fees for paper bags (Hasson, Leiman, and Visser, 2007). Bans on plastic paper bags will also have a significant impact on plastic manufacturers since a significant proportion of their business is based on the domestic segment. A number of plastic manufacturers have aggressively opposed any proposed bans or measures to restrict the use of plastic bags. Although most of the manufacturers produce a wide variety of products, it is evident that any bans on plastic shopping bags will significantly hinder the companies’ revenue streams. Clapp and Swanston (2009) however argue that plastic bag manufacturing companies can mitigate the loss in business by switching to other product lines, such as the manufacture of reusable bags. Ellis, Kantner, Saab and Watsonm (2005) argue that it is not the shopping bag plastic manufactures that will lose, but the actual loss will be incurred by the larger plastic producers. Analysis and Conclusion Multiple arguments to support an opposition of the ban of plastics have been presented by opponents. According to Freinkel (2011), there is no need to ban plastics since the proportion of litter resulting from plastic shopping bag is too small to justify a total ban. He further argues that the ecological litter impact of plastic shopping bags, when quantified, is quite insignificant. A ban of the use of plastic paper bags could also cause significant job loses within the plastics manufacturing industry. Nonetheless, it has been argued that the job loses can be compensated when a number of businesses emerge to fill the need for reusable bags. Based on the analysis, the best option is to create measures with the objective of reducing the use of plastic shopping bags rather than implementing a complete ban. Even though there exists substantial literature documenting the environmental impact of banning plastic shopping bag, assessing the economic impact remains challenging. It is evident that a complete ban of the use of plastic shopping bags would affect a number of players within the plastic industry. Both retailers and consumers may be negatively affected in the short term as a result of an increase in baggage costs, but it is projected to decrease whenever a transition to reusable bags is effected. The plastic industry will, however, suffer even though plastic manufacturers can begin producing reusable bags. Bibliography AECOM Technical Services. (2010). Economic Impact Analysis: Proposed Ban on Plastic Carryout Bags in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles: AECOM. Bean,L. (2013). Silent Killers: TheDanger of Plastic Bags to Marine Life.  EcoWatch. Clapp, J. and Swanston, L. (2009). â€Å"Doing Away with Plastic Shopping Bags:  International Patterns of Norm Emergence and Policy†, Environmental Politics, 18:3, 315-332 Delaney, T., Madigan, T. (2014). Beyond sustainability: A thriving environment.  McFarland Company, Inc. Ellis, S., Kantner, S., Saab, A. and Watson, M. (2005). Plastic grocery bags: The Ecological  Footprint. Michigan Technological University. Freinkel, S. (2011). Plastic: A toxic love story. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Hasson, R., Leiman, A. and Visser, M. (2007). The Economics of Plastic Bag Legislation In  South Africa. South African Journal of Economics, 75(1): 66-83. Luis, I. P. and Spinola, H. (2010). The influence of a voluntary fee in the consumption of  Plastic bags on supermarkets from Madeira Island (Portugal). Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 53(7): 1-15. Sugii, T. (2008). Plastic Bag Reduction: Policies to Reduce Environmental Impact. Tufts  University The Economist. (2007). The War on Shopping Bags: Plastics of Evil. The Economist, March  29th, 2007. Thompson, R.C., Moore, C. J., ComSaal, F.S., and Swan, S. H. (2009). Plastics,theenvironment and human health†, Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society, Biological Sciences, 364 (1526).

Lagrange Multipliers in Mathematics

Lagrange Multipliers in Mathematics Lagrange multipliers arise as a method for maximising (or minimising) a function that is subject to one or more constraints. It was invented by Lagrange as a method of solving problems, in particular a problem about the moons apparent motion relative to the earth. He wrote his work in a paper called Mechanique analitique (1788) (Bussotti, 2003) This appendix will only sketch the technique and is based upon information in an appendix of (Barnett, 2009). Suppose that we have a function which is constrained by . This problem could be solved by rearranging the function for x (or possibly y), and substituting this into . At which point we could then treat as a normal maximisation or minimisation problem to find the maxima and minima. One of the advantages of this method is that if there are several constraint functions we can deal with them all in the same manner rather than having to do lots or rearrangements. Considering only f as a function of two variables (and ignoring the constraints) we know that the points where the derivative vanish are: Now g can also be minimised and this will allow us to express the equation above in terms of the dxs Since these are linear functions we can add them to find another solution, and traditionally is used to get Which is 0 only when both We can generalise this easily to any number of variables and constraints as follows: We can then solve the various equations for the s. The process boils down to finding the extrema of this function:   Ã‚   As an example imagine that we have a fair 8 sided die. If the die were fair we would expect an average roll of . Let us imagine that in a large number of trials we keep getting an average of 6, we would start to suspect that the die was not fair. We can now estimate the relative probabilities of each outcome from the entropy since we know: We can use Lagranges method to solve this equation subject to the constraints that the total probability sums to one and the expected mean (in this case) is 6. The method tells us to minimise the function: Where the first part is the entropy and the other two parts are our constraints on the probability and the mean of the rolls. Differentiating this and setting it equal to 0 we get: Now if we do an integration we know that this value must be a constant function of since the derivative is 0, also since each of the terms in the summation is 0 we must also have a solution of the form: Or We know that the probabilities sum to 1 giving: Which can be put into (A2.1) to get Which doesnt look too much better (perhaps even worse!). We still have one final constraint to use which is the mean value: We can use (A2.2) and re-arrange this to find Which also doesnt seem to be an improvement until we realise this is just a polynomial in : If a root, exists we can then use it to find . I did not do it that way by hand, I used maple to find the solution   to the polynomial. (the script is below) I also calculated the probabilities for a fair dice as a comparison and test. fair dice mu = 4.5 unfair dice mu = 6 p1 0.125 p1 0.32364 p2 0.125 p2 0.04436 p3 0.125 p3 0.06079 p4 0.125 p4 0.08332 p5 0.125 p5 0.11419 p6 0.125 p6 0.15650 p7 0.125 p7 0.21450 p8 0.125 p8 0.29398 lambda = 0 lambda = -0.31521 Table A2. 1: comparison of probabilities for a fair and biased 8sided dice. The bias dice has a mean of 6. > > > > > > Equation also appears in the thermodynamics section. Because can be used to generate the probabilities of the source symbols I think that it would be possible to use this value to characterise the alphabet i.e. take a message from an unknown source and classify the language by finding the closest matching from a list (assuming that the alphabets are the same size). I havent done that but think that the same approach as the dice example above would work (the mean would be calculated from the message and we would need more sides!). When we have a totally random source, and in this case the probability of each character is the same. This is easily seen from (A2.2) as all the exponentials contribute a 1 and we are left with   Ã‚   Where m is the size of the alphabet all the symbols are equally probable in this case.

Teaching Techniques for Different Learning Styles Essay example -- Ess

Teaching Techniques for Different Learning Styles As teachers we will be faced with many difficult tasks one of which will be finding creative ways to motivate the children in our classes to learn. There are so many teaching techniques it may be overwhelming for new teachers. With the emphasis on test scores and the â€Å"No Child Left Behind† Act many teachers may fear being creative in the classroom. This paper will attempt to explore some creative teaching techniques. Recently there has been much discussion about different learning styles. As teachers it is important that we try to teach to all the styles in order for the children in our classes to be motivated to learn. Flexibility and creativity can aid teaching different learning styles. According to an article in â€Å"Helping Children Succeed† there are 3 main types of learning styles, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Visual learners learn by watching, calling up images from the past when trying to remember, and picturing the way things look in their heads. Auditory learners learn by listening. Kinesthetic learns learn best through movement and manipulation. (Learning Styles, n.d.) Forty percent of the population is visual learners. Some tips for teaching visual learners include: - Written instruction for all assignments and tests - Use visual aids: handouts, outlines, charts, graphs, etc. - Make flashcards - Use lots of pictures - Provide examples In elementary classrooms teachers can have posters and charts that are relevant to the curriculum. Labeling items in the classroom is good for pre- and early readers. For older children watching age appropriate movies is helpful in history and social studies. Graphs and charts are helpful in math and sc... ...sed Teaching and Learning. Intervention in School & Clinic, 37 (4), 237-242. Kozminsky, E. & Kozminsky, L. (2002). The Dialogue Page: Teacher and Student Dialogues to Improve Learning Motivation. Intervention in School & Clinic, 38 (2), 88-96. Lenz, K., Graner, P., & Adams, G. (2003). Learning Express-Ways: Building Academic Relationships to Improve Learning. Teaching Exceptional Children, 35 (3), 68-71. Wilms, W. (2003). Altering the Structure and Culture of American Public Schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 84 (8), 606-616. Steele, M. (2001). Ambush or Seduction? Some Creative Approaches Towards Motivating Learners. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 38 (2), 112-118. Rejskind, G. (2000). TAG Teachers: Only the Creative Need Apply. Roeper Review, 22 (3), 153-158. For the Classroom. (1994). Interventions in School & Clinic, 29 (5), 310-312.

Autism Spectrum Disorder and Interventions Essay -- eye contact, commun

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that develops during a child’s first few years of life (Lesack, Bearss, Celano, & Sharp, 2014). This disorder occurs significantly more often in boys than girls (Goldstein, Naglieri, Rzepa, & Williams, 2012). Autism is part of a group that is known as pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), which also includes Asperger’s disorder, Rett disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) (Sunita and Bilszta, 2012). Some characteristics children represent with autism is the inability to make eye contact, to initiate and respond communication, and smile back at someone else who is smiling at them. Autistic children have trouble with understanding messages and interpretation of facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, and emotional expressions directed toward them. There is also a sense of fear that they have when there is a change of environment (Goldstein, Naglieri, Rzepa, & Williams, 2012). These children also show many developmental struggles like reciprocal socialization, interests, motor skills, cognitive skills, thinking, and activities. On top of all of those developmental difficulties as many as 70% of children with autism spectrum disorder show challenging behaviors, including aggression, disruptive behaviors, and cause injury to themselves. When a child with autism has disruptive behaviors is can lessen the response to educational intervention and then turn into further separ ation from children around their age, which increases the caregivers stress related to disruptions in daily activities (Lesack, Bearss, Celano, & Sharp, 2014). These difficulties or characterization... ...ractice in Pediatric Psychology. 2(1), 68-82. Nah, Y., Young, R.L., & Brewer, N. (2014). Using the Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC) and Childhood Autism Rating Scales (CARS) to Predict Long Term outcome in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. March 23, 2014. Sari, O.T., (2014). Outcomes of Play-based Home Support for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Social Behavior and Personality. 42(Suppl.) S65-S80. Sunita &Bliszta, J.L. (2012). Early Identification of Autism: A Comparison of the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers. Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health. 49(2013). 438-444. Thompson, T. (2013). Autism Research and Services for Young Children: History, Progress and Challenges. Journal of Applied in Intellectual Disabilities. 26. 81-107.

On the Size and Nature of the American Republic

After the American Revolution, a great debate ensued over the size and nature of the proposed American Republic. There were those who stressed a small republic constituted by 13 confederated states. There were also political thinkers who sought the establishment of a large, heterogeneous republic (comprised of different classes of people with different interests). To differentiate the specifics of the two contending views, there is a need to examine two prominent American figures who represented the differing views. Brutus represented those who want to establish a small confederated republic.James Madison represented the other group. Brutus on the Size of the American Republic For Brutus, a free republic would be unsuccessful if it was of immense extent (both geographically and politically). The increasing number of inhabitants as well as the increasing needs of a large republic put strains on the government. The consequence for him was clear: such large republic would, in time, fall to anarchy. He cited the argument of baron de Montesquieu as the basis of his view: â€Å"It is natural to a republic to have a small territory, otherwise it cannot lone subsist.In a large republic there are men of large fortunes, and consequently of less moderation; there are trusts too great to be placed in any single subject; he has interest of his own; he soon begins to think that he may be happy, great and glorious, by oppressing his fellow citizens; and that he may raise himself to grandeur on the ruins of his country†. For Brutus, the establishment of a large republic inevitably results to the concentration of power and wealth to the hands of the few. Because moderation is more or less absent in these people, their power and wealth are used to oppress the people.As time progresses, the oppression becomes more and more manifested in the deteriorating conditions of the people. The republic will soon bow to the power of the ruling and oppressive class of citizens. In add ition, because of the immense extent of the republic, the needs and demands (and dreams) of the people are lost in the myriads of a thousand interests. Some needs and views are sacrificed to the so-called â€Å"general will† which for Brutus was a vague concept. The negotiation of interests becomes a battle for power or authority.Those who occupy a significant position in government (or those who have contacts in the government) will have their views and interests magnified in the halls of the legislative branch. Thus, the true needs of the people are easily distorted. In addition, if the republic is small, the public good is easier taken into account by the government. It is easily comprehended by every citizen (subject to criticism). The interests, then, of the people are better protected because the abuses are of insignificant nature.Brutus cited the case of the Grecian and Roman republics as examples to strengthen his argument. In the beginning, these republics were of sm all size. Their governments were simple but democratic in form. Every need and view of citizens was taken into account, making governance a matter of citizen consent. In due time, however, these republics expanded their domains. Rome, for example, acquired territories from several wars against Carthage and some Asian kingdoms. The result was: their governments transformed from that of free government to those of tyrannical (and abusive) ones.Brutus on Authority The construction of a tyrannical government, with supreme authority vested on one person, would inevitably result to the destruction of the peoples’ authority. The people would not be able to exercise their rights and duties. They would not be able to force the government to account for its misdeeds. Public accountability would vanish; the person in power would project himself as an infallible leader, incapable of committing any mistakes while in office. Thus, the large republic would crumble.The remnants of democracy, made significant in democratic institutions, would vanish from history. The restoration of democracy, for Brutus, would be achieved through another bloody revolution, much greater in extent than the previous one. Brutus on Homogeneity With regard to homogeneity, in a free republic, â€Å"the manners, sentiments, and interests of the people should be similar†. If such was not the case, clashes would be unending. Antagonisms would develop among groups of people competing for power and wealth.This would inevitably result to the malfunctioning of the government. It would not be able to serve the people in its true capacity. The deadlock among competing groups would necessitate again the establishment of a despotic government, to which no citizen would proscribe to. Basis on Human Nature Thus, because the climate (social, political, and economic situation of states) of the United States was varied, there was a need to establish confederated states, governed by a nominal federal h ead of state.Here were the things that Brutus considered: 1) the interests of the states (correspondingly its people) were largely varied, 2) the customs and traditions of the states also varied, and 3) the states had differing opinions of the nature and extent of the proposed American republic. These considerations, for Brutus, were enough to justify the establishment of a small republic, for heterogeneous and discordant principles were clearly present. Brutus Fears on Some Provisions in the US Constitutions Brutus was well aware of some provisions in the US Constitutions which called for the establishment of a large republic.For example, the vesting of the power to draw and approve treaties on the president and the senate was an incursion to the rights of the states to determine foreign policies. The drawing of foreign policies of supra-legislative bodies was a characterization of legislative tyrannies (as in the case of France). The status of the president as commander in chief o f the armed forces was also questioned by Brutus. If the president held the power to unquestionably command the army, then there was a high chance that he would use it to maintain his position.For Brutus, these powers of the â€Å"national government† were vestiges of tyrannical governments; governments established to preserve order to a large state. Madison on the Size of the American Republic Before Madison presented his arguments as to the proper size and nature of the American Republic, he drew a sharp distinction between a democracy and a republic. Democracy is a state governed by direct democracy; that is, the decisions of the government are directed by the people. Its actions are based on the needs and demands of the sovereign will of the citizens.Thus, every citizen is required to participate in the affairs of the state. Political participation is therefore maximized in democracies. A republic, on the other hand, is characterized by the delegation or representation of the will of the people to elected delegates. The election of delegates will allow the people to choose the person who can best discern the public good. In addition, a large republic will usually offer the citizens more choices, so there will be a greater chance for quality candidates to be chosen to represent the public. Thus, Madison favored the establishment of a large republic that would govern the 13 states.Madison’s Rejection of Homogeneity as the Basis of the Republic Madison rejected homogeneity as the basis for the establishment of a republic. According to him, even pure democracies like Athens became avenues of torment and clashes of opinion. A pure democracy, such as that proposed by Brutus was not a guarantee to the protection and advancement of citizens’ interests. He believed that homogeneity existed in a vacuum; that is, it was no guarantee that a general reduction in the extent of a state (population) would inevitably to the perfection and assimilation of beliefs, passions, and interests (Madison, 1787).Even in a small republic, passions and interest were highly varied. Thus, human nature could not be rearranged by arranging the political atmosphere to which a human being is situated. A state, small or large, would be comprised of citizens having different opinions, interests, and passions. Madison also discussed the nature of factions in a state. For Madison, factions destroy the liberty of the individual to participate in the affairs of the state. Factions retard the functioning of the government, thus inefficiently delivering services to the people.Factions could be disastrous if the majority belong to a faction (the tyranny of the majority). If the majority succumbed to the will of the unreasonable passions, then the state would become a tool of oppression of the minority. Even if the minority presented strong arguments (reasonable) of a particular policy and the majority refused to allow such policy to be implemented, then su ch policy would not be implemented. If this was the case of the state, then the government would be inefficiently and ineffectively ruled by an oppressive group of people. Madison’s Solution to the Problem of FactionsMadison presented two solutions for the â€Å"factions† problem. The first solution was to destroy the conditions which were essential to the establishment of factions. The second solution was to give every citizen the same view, passions, and interests. For Madison, only the first solution was feasible. By establishment safety nets in governance (there were some provisions in the US constitution that guarantee the rights and interests of the minority), the effects of factionalism would be minimized (it would be impossible to totally eradicate factionalism in a diverse nation).These safety nets took the form of negotiated mediums; that is, avenues where interests could be aggregated. Madison as the First Pluralist Madison proposed the establishment of seco nd-in-importance agencies to take note of the interests of the minority. Even in supra-legislative bodies like the House of Representatives and the Senate, Madison proposed the institutionalization of lobbying methods. The purpose of which was to give every citizen (or group of citizens) the chance to air their views and interests.For Madison, aggregation of interests was the key to maintaining a large heterogeneous republic. Thus, Madison was usually called the â€Å"first pluralist. † In recent years, however, the so-called interplay between federalist and anti-federalist perspectives was essentially rooted from the increasing powers of the â€Å"national government. † Some people wanted a less strong central government to effectively serve the needs of the citizens. There are those who argued that a strong central government is essential to procure the best services for the people.

Usa and it policies

Ukraine, which was until 2008 Bucharest summit extended its support ND participation towards NATO forces, has now turned indifferent and cold to US under the presidency of Victor Hancock. It's necessary to recall the actions of the United States in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya, where they acted either without and sanction from United Nations Security Council or distorted the contents of the resolution, as it happened in Libya. US is often accused of having different yardsticks on the issue of military intervention.The current crisis is not only about Ukraine. However, the outcome of the East-West standoff in Ukraine may be crucial for deciding the success or failure of Russian's new policy of defiance. Crimea was Putting trump card and he played it well. Despite the load threats of sanctions and other punitive actions by the west, President Vladimir Putting went along with the wishes of the people of the Crimean peninsula and on march 21 duly signed a treaty incorporating the regio n into the Russian Federation.And Russia seem to receive an unprecedented support from many developing counties Including BRICKS nations which declared to have no appetite for the sanction regime that the west wants to impose on Russia and regretted the use of sanctions as a weapon against Russia. While on the contrary the 67 leaders meeting at The Hogue In the last week of March decided unanimously to suspend Russia from the 68.The GO leaders Issued a statement condemning what they termed as â€Å"Russian's Illegal attempts to annex Crimea In contravention to International law'. The 67 leaders warned that they would â€Å"Intensify actions† that could have a escalating Impact on the Russian economy! Though Putting gave an assurance that there would be no further moves to â€Å"split Ukraine† despite the growing glamour among the Russian speaking parts of eastern Ukraine for breaking away!Well, there still a lot more to this undying wave of rattling animosity. The wor ld Is transforming, change Is Inevitable and India for now advised to remain clang to Its â€Å"Non alignment policy' and refrain Itself from stepping Into the chaos! USA and it policies By reestablishment unprecedented support from many developing counties including BRICKS nations While on the contrary the 67 leaders meeting at The Hogue in the last week of March decided unanimously to suspend Russia from the 68.The 67 leaders issued a statement condemning what they termed as â€Å"Russian's illegal attempts to annex Crimea in contravention to international law'. The 67 leaders warned that they would â€Å"intensify actions† that could have a significant impact on the Russian economy!

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Ten

December 12, Thursday morning Dear Diary, So after a week of work, what have we accomplished? Well, between us we've managed to follow our three suspects just about continuously for the last six or seven days. Results: reports on Robert's movements for the last week, which he spent acting like any normal businessman. Reports on Alaric, who hasn't been doing anything unusual for a history teacher. Reports on Mrs. Flowers, who apparently spends most of her time in the basement. But we haven't really learned anything. Stefan says that Alaric met with the principal a couple times, but he couldn't get close enough to hear what they were talking about. Meredith and Bonnie spread the news about other pets besides dogs being dangerous. They didn't need to work very hard at it; it seems as if everybody in town is on the verge of hysteria already. Since then there've been several other animal attacks reported, but it's hard to know which ones to take seriously. Some kids were teasing a squirrel and it bit them. The Massases' pet rabbit scratched their littlest boy. Old Mrs. Coomber saw copperhead snakes in her yard, when all the snakes should be hibernating. The only one I'm sure about is the attack on the vet who was keeping the dogs in quarantine. A bunch of them bit him and most of them escaped from the holding pens. After that they just disappeared. People are saying good riddance and hoping they'll starve in the woods, but I wonder. And it's been snowing all the time. Not storming but not stopping, either. I've never seen so much snow. Stefan's worried about the dance tomorrow night. Which brings us back to: what have we learned so far? What do we know? None of our suspects were anywhere near the Massases' or Mrs. Coomber's or the vet's when the attacks happened. We're no closer to finding the Other Power than we were when we started. Marie's little get-together is tonight. Meredith thinks we should go to it. I don't know what else there is to do. Damon stretched out his long legs and spoke lazily, looking around the barn. â€Å"No, I don't think it's dangerous, particularly. But I don't see what you expect to accomplish.† â€Å"Neither do I, exactly,† Elena admitted. â€Å"But I don't have any better ideas. Do you?† â€Å"What, you mean about other ways to spend the time? Yes, I do. Do you want me to tell you about them?† Elena waved him to silence and he subsided. â€Å"In the basement,† chorused several voices. â€Å"And we're all just sitting here. Does anybody have a better idea?† Meredith broke the silence. â€Å"If you're worried about its being dangerous for me and Bonnie, why don't you all come? I don't mean you have to show yourselves. You could come and hide in the attic. Then if anything happened, we could scream for help and you would hear us.† â€Å"I don't see why anybody's going to be screaming,† said Bonnie. â€Å"Nothing's going to happen there.† â€Å"Well, maybe not, but it doesn't hurt to be safe,† Meredith said. â€Å"What do you think?† Elena nodded slowly. â€Å"It makes sense.† She looked around for objections, but Stefan just shrugged, and Damon murmured something that made Bonnie laugh. â€Å"All right, then, it's decided. Let's go.† The inevitable snow greeted them as they stepped outside the barn. â€Å"Bonnie and I can go in my car,† Meredith said. â€Å"And you three-â€Å" â€Å"Oh, we'll find our own way,† Damon said with his wolfish smile. Meredith nodded, not impressed. Funny, Elena thought as the other girls walked away; Meredith never was impressed with Damon. His charm seemed to have no effect on her. She was about to mention that she was hungry when Stefan turned to Damon. â€Å"Are you willing to stay with Elena the entire time you're over there? Every minute?† he said. â€Å"Try and stop me,† Damon said cheerfully. He dropped the smile. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because if you are, the two of you can go over alone, and I'll meet you later. I've got something to do, but it won't take long.† Elena felt a wave of warmth. He was trying to trust his brother. She smiled at Stefan in approval as he drew her aside. â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"I got a note from Caroline today. She asked if I would meet her at the school before Alaric's party. She said she wanted to apologize. Elena opened her mouth to make a sharp remark, and then shut it again. From what she'd heard, Caroline was a sorry sight these days. And maybe it would make Stefan feel better to talk to her. â€Å"Well, you don't have anything to apologize for,† she told him. â€Å"Everything that happened to her was her own fault. You don't think she's dangerous at all?† â€Å"Be careful,† Elena said as he started off into the snow. The attic was as she remembered it, dark and dusty and full of mysterious oilcloth-covered shapes. Damon, who had come in more conventionally through the front door, had had to take the shutters off to let her in through the window. After that they sat side by side on the old mattress and listened to the voices that came up through the ducts. â€Å"I could think of more romantic settings,† Damon murmured, fastidiously pulling a cobweb off his sleeve. â€Å"Are you sure you wouldn't rather-â€Å" â€Å"Yes,† said Elena. â€Å"Now hush.† It was like a game, listening to the bits and pieces of conversations and trying to put them together, trying to match each voice to a face. â€Å"And then I said, I don't care how long you've had the parakeet; get rid of it or I'm going to the Snow Dance with Mike Feldman. And he said-â€Å" â€Å"-rumor going around that Mr. Tanner's grave was dug up last night-â€Å" â€Å"-you hear that everybody but Caroline has dropped out of the snow queen competition? Don't you think-â€Å" â€Å"-dead, but I'm telling you I saw her. And no, I wasn't dreaming; she was wearing a sort of silvery dress and her hair was all golden and blowing-â€Å" Elena raised her eyebrows at Damon, then looked meaningfully down at her sensible black attire. He grinned. â€Å"Romanticism,† he said. â€Å"Myself, I like you in black.† â€Å"Well, you would, wouldn't you?† she murmured. It was strange how much more comfortable she felt with Damon these days. She sat quietly, letting the conversations drift around her, almost losing track of time. Then she caught a familiar voice, cross, and closer than the rest. â€Å"Okay, okay, I'm going. Okay.† Elena and Damon exchanged a glance and rose to their feet as the handle on the attic door turned. Bonnie peered around the edge. â€Å"Meredith told me to come up here. I don't know why. She's hogging Alaric and it's a rotten party. Achoo!† She sat down on the mattress, and after a few minutes Elena sat back down beside her. She was beginning to wish that Stefan would get here. By the time the door opened again and Meredith came in, she was sure of it. â€Å"Meredith, what's going on?† â€Å"Nothing, or at least nothing to worry about. Where's Stefan?† Meredith's cheeks were unusually flushed, and there was an odd look about her eyes, as if she were holding something tightly under control. â€Å"Nothing, or at least nothing to worry about. Where's Stefan?† Meredith's cheeks were unusually flushed, and there was an odd look about her eyes, as if she were holding something tightly under control. â€Å"Never mind where he is. Who's coming up the stairs?† â€Å"What do you mean, ‘who's coming up the stairs?' † said Bonnie, rising. â€Å"Everybody just stay calm,† Meredith said, taking up a position in front of the window as if guarding it. She didn't look overly calm herself, Elena thought. â€Å"All right,† she called, and the door opened and Alaric Saltzman came in. Damon's motion was so smooth that even Elena's eyes couldn't follow it; in one movement he caught Elena's wrist and pulled her behind him, at the same time moving to face Alaric directly. He ended in a predator's crouch, every muscle drawn taut and ready for the attack. â€Å"Oh, don't,† cried Bonnie wildly. She flung herself at Alaric, who had already begun to recoil a step from Damon. Alaric nearly lost his balance and groped behind himself for the door. His other hand was groping at his belt. â€Å"Stop it! Stop it!† Meredith said. Elena saw the shape beneath Alaric's jacket and realized it was a gun. Again, she couldn't quite follow what happened next. Damon let go of her wrist and took hold of Alaric's. And then Alaric was sitting on the floor, wearing a dazed expression, and Damon was emptying the gun of cartridges, one by one. â€Å"I told you that was stupid and you wouldn't need it,† Meredith said. Elena realized she was holding the dark-haired girl by the arms. She must have done it to keep Meredith from interfering with Damon, but she didn't remember. â€Å"These wood-tipped things are nasty; they might hurt somebody,† Damon said, mildly chiding. He replaced one of the cartridges and snapped the clip back in, aiming thoughtfully at Alaric. â€Å"Stop it,† said Meredith intensely. She turned to Elena. â€Å"Make him stop, Elena; he's only doing more harm. Alaric won't hurt you; I promise. I've spent all week convincing him that you won't hurt him.† â€Å"And now I think my wrist is broken,† Alaric said, rather calmly. His sandy hair was falling into his eyes in front. â€Å"You've got no one but yourself to blame.† Meredith returned bitterly. Bonnie, who had been clutching solicitously at Alaric's shoulders, looked up at the familiarity of Meredith's tone, and then backed away a few paces and sat down. â€Å"I can't wait to hear the explanation for this,† she said. â€Å"Please trust me,† Meredith said to Elena. Elena looked into the dark eyes. She did trust Meredith; she'd said so. And the words stirred another memory, her own voice asking for Stefan's trust. She nodded. â€Å"Damon?† she said. He flipped the gun away casually and then smiled around at all of them, making it abundantly clear that he didn't need any such artificial weapons. â€Å"Damon?† she said. He flipped the gun away casually and then smiled around at all of them, making it abundantly clear that he didn't need any such artificial weapons. â€Å"Oh, I'm sure,† Bonnie said. Elena walked toward Alaric Saltzman. She wasn't afraid of him, but by the way he looked only at her, slowly, starting from the feet and then continuing up, he was afraid of her. She stopped when she was a yard from where he sat on the ground and knelt there, looking into his face. â€Å"Hello,† she said. He was still holding his wrist. â€Å"Hello,† he said, and gulped. Elena glanced back at Meredith and then looked at Alaric again. Yes, he was scared. And with his hair in his eyes that way, he looked young. Maybe four years older than Elena, maybe five. No more than that. â€Å"We're not going to hurt you,† she said. â€Å"That's what I've been telling him,† Meredith said quietly. â€Å"I explained that whatever he's seen before, whatever stories he's heard, you're different. I told him what you told me about Stefan, how he's been fighting his nature all those years. I told him about what you've been going through, Elena, and how you never asked for this.† But why did you tell him so much? Elena thought. She said to Alaric, â€Å"All right, you know about us. But all we know about you is that you're not a history teacher.† â€Å"He's a hunter,† Damon said softly, menacingly. â€Å"A vampire hunter.† â€Å"No,† said Alaric. â€Å"Or at least, not in the sense that you mean it.† He seemed to come to some decision. â€Å"All right. From what I know of you three-† He broke off, looking around the dark room as if suddenly realizing something. â€Å"Where's Stefan?† â€Å"He's coming. In fact, he should be here by now. He was going to stop by the school and bring Caroline,† Elena said. She was unprepared for Alaric's reaction. â€Å"Caroline Forbes?† he said sharply, sitting up. His voice sounded the way it had when she'd overheard him talking with Dr. Fein' berg and the principal, hard-edged and decisive. â€Å"Yes. She sent him a note today, said she wanted to apologize or something. She wanted to meet him at school before the party.† â€Å"He can't go. You've got to stop him.† Alaric scrambled to his feet and repeated urgently, â€Å"You've got to stop him.† â€Å"He's gone already. Why? Why shouldn't he?† Elena demanded. â€Å"Because I hypnotized Caroline two days ago. I'd tried it earlier with Tyler, with no luck. But Caroline's a good subject, and she remembered a little of what happened in the Quonset hut. And she identified Stefan Salvatore as the attacker.† â€Å"Don't you understand? You're not just dealing with high school students anymore,† Alaric said. â€Å"It's gone too far. Caroline's father knows about it, and Tyler's father. They're concerned for the safety of the town-â€Å" â€Å"Hush! Be quiet!† Elena was casting about with her mind, trying to pick up some hint of Stefan's presence. He's let himself get weak, she thought, with the part of her that was icy calm amid the whirling fear and panic. At last she sensed something, just a trace, but she thought it was Stefan. And it was in distress. â€Å"Something's wrong,† Damon confirmed, and she realized he must have been searching, too, with a mind much more powerful than hers. â€Å"Let's go.† â€Å"Wait, let's talk first. Don't just go jumping into this.† But Alaric might as well have been talking to the wind, trying to rein in its destructive power with words. Damon was already at the window, and the next moment Elena let herself drop out, landing neatly by Damon in the snow. Alaric's voice followed them from above. â€Å"We're coming, too. Wait for us there. Let me talk to them first. I can take care of it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena scarcely heard him. Her mind was burning with one purpose, one thought. To hurt the people who wanted to hurt Stefan. It's gone too far, all right, she thought. And now I'm going to go as far as it takes. If they dare to touch him†¦ images flashed through her mind, too quickly to count, of what she would do to them. At another time, she might have been shocked at the rush of adrenaline, of excitement, that coursed up at the thoughts. She could sense Damon's mind beside her as they raced over the snow; it was like a blaze of red light and fury. The fierceness inside Elena welcomed it, glad to feel it so near. But then something else occurred to her. â€Å"I'm slowing you down,† she said. She was scarcely out of breath, even from running through unbroken snow, and they were making extraordinary time. But nothing on two legs, or even four, could match the speed of a bird's wings. â€Å"Go on,† she said. â€Å"Get there as fast as you can. I'll meet you.† She didn't stay to watch the blur and shudder of the air, or the swirling darkness that ended in the rush of beating wings. But she glanced up at the crow that soared up and she heard Damon's mental voice. Good hunting, it said, and the winged black shape arrowed toward the school. Good hunting, Elena thought after him, meaning it. She redoubled her speed, her mind fixed all the while on that glimmer of Stefan's presence. Stefan lay on his back, wishing his vision wasn't so blurred or that he had more than a tentative hold on consciousness. The blur was partly pain and partly snow, but there was also a trickle of blood from the three-inch wound in his scalp. If only he could collect his thoughts enough to call for help†¦ but the weakness that had allowed these men to overcome him so easily prevented that, too. He'd scarcely fed since the night he'd attacked Tyler. That was ironic, somehow. His own guilt was responsible for the mess he was in. I should never have tried to change my nature, he thought. Damon had it right after all. Everyone's the same-Alaric, Caroline, everyone. Everyone will betray you. I should have hunted them all and enjoyed it. He hoped Damon would take care of Elena. She'd be safe with him; Damon was strong and ruthless. Damon would teach her to survive. He was glad of that. But something inside him was crying. The crow's sharp eyes spotted the crossing shafts of headlight below and dropped. But Damon didn't need the confirmation of sight; he was homing in on the faint pulsation that was Stefan's life-force. Faint because Stefan was weak and because he'd all but given up. You never learn, do you, brother? Damon thought to him. I ought to just leave you where you are. But even as he skimmed the ground, he was changing, taking a shape that would do more damage than a crow. The black wolf leaped into the knot of men surrounding Stefan, aiming precisely for the one holding the sharpened cylinder of wood above Stefan's chest. The force of the blow knocked the man ten feet backward, and the stake went skittering across the grass. Damon restrained his impulse-all the stronger because it fit the instincts of the shape he was wearing-to lock his teeth in the man's throat. He twisted around and went back for the other men who were still standing. His second rush scattered them, but one of them reached the edge of the light and turned, lifting something to his shoulder. Rifle, thought Damon. And probably loaded with the same specially treated bullets as Alaric's handgun had been. There was no way to reach the man before he could get a shot off. The wolf growled and crouched for a leap anyway. The man's fleshy face creased in a smile. Quick as a striking snake, a white hand reached out of the darkness and knocked the rifle away. The man looked around frantically, bewildered, and the wolf let its jaws fall open in a grin. Elena had arrived.

Example Persuasive Essay

Should Teachers Be Able to Bring Guns to School? Guns are powerful weaponry used mainly for protection. Misuse of this type of weapon is the cause of laws and regulations that are enforced today, for people can be greatly injured if not used for pragmatic reasons. Guns have literally been banned from many public places, such as schools, for this reason.Absolutely no one, aside from law-enforcement officials, are allowed to carry a gun on them in schools; however, teachers should be allowed to carry guns as well because they know their responsibilities and need the ability to protect their students, as well as themselves, in a case of emergency. In a time of crisis, such as an intruder or another person with a gun at school, teachers act as an aegis to their students, for most teachers treat their students as if they were their own children.Knowing their responsibility of protection, teachers know that it would be difficult to shield their students if an intruder were to infiltrate th eir classroom or place where they were assigned to teach or monitor students. However, by being able to bear a gun, they would not only be able to protect their students, but they could also stop the intruder from harming any other student or faculty member as well.This process of being able to allow teachers to carry guns would be inevitably difficult, for, in most places, as Brad Knickerbocker says, â€Å"District policy prohibits anyone except a law-enforcement officer from bringing a weapon onto campus† (1). However, as Knickerbocker also says, â€Å"Throughout the country, lawmakers are filing bills that would make it legal for adult school employees to carry firearms†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1).Therefore, there is a chance that a bill will be passed and allow the great advantage of being able to possess a gun on school property for the responsible teachers wanting to provide a protected environment for their students, be able to protect themselves, and simply have a security mea sure for any emergency situation that may come up. Initially, students are the major components that make up a school, for, without them, educators would have nothing and no one to teach. Students should be able to come to school worry-free and comfortably, for they should not have the fear of a school not being safe at any time.Moreover, in order to be a preventative of students being afraid, there should be more security measures than there are currently in schools today. Indubitably, most schools have emergency drills and practices for protection; however, that is not always enough, for people in a school can still be harmed, or even worse, executed. For example, a student could walk into a school with a concealed weapon and easily start firing off into a crowd of students; therefore, law-enforcement officers alone may not be able to reach the situation fast enough.Furthermore, if each teacher were allowed to carry a gun, with proper training, they would be able to stop the stude nt from harming any more students than they could have before. Nevertheless, this does not mean only a gun such as a pistol, for even Taser guns could be used if the intruder or the threatening student didn’t need to be injured to the extent to where they are immediately deceased. Basically, students would be much more protected where they could roam the halls without apprehension if teachers were allowed to carry and use guns accordingly.Subsequently, teachers should not only be able to protect their students, but they should be able to protect themselves as well. Although there are risks where teachers could harm themselves by accidental usage of a gun, misplace a gun, or have their gun stolen, there still seems to be more pros than cons on the situation. As students are known to be the main components of a school, the educators are very important as well. Because of this, those educators need to be protected in case something abominable was to happen to them as well.Most t eachers would agree that if a situation came up where law-enforcement officers were needed, they would want to be equally equipped with protection, and, in this case, that protection would be a gun. Unfortunately, there are still teachers that would rather not have a gun, for, as Kenneth S. Trump, President of National School Safety and Security Services, said, â€Å"The vast majority of teachers want to be armed with textbooks and computers, not guns† (qtd. in â€Å"Arming Teachers† 1).However, those disagreeing teachers most likely wouldn’t believe that if an emergency came up to where their own lives were threatened. Typically, the majority of teachers would agree that a gun could be a great advantage in a case of emergency, whether or not there could be a few risks at stake. Finally, emergency situations can happen in the blink of an eye, and the phrase, â€Å"expect the unexpected,† should be applied as a preventative for anything harmful that could have been avoidable. Also, an emergency situation can get so out of hand that numerous law-enforcement officers would need to be present.An example of this would be the Columbine High School massacre, where a student brought a gun to school and fired off into a crowd of students, which injured 21 people and executed 15 people; however, this could have been avertible if teachers were allowed to have guns, for a teacher could then have had the ability to stop the student from causing any harm, aside a simple scare of the school’s students and faculty being wounded. Moreover, that massacre is merely an example of an event that could have been much worse, for, with violence becoming worse in today’s world, an execution of a whole school could even happen.This, at least, should be a reason for teachers to have guns so everyone would feel safe in the long run. In addition to this, the matter of teachers having guns shouldn’t be a complicated matter when emergencies co me up because it would be a great advantage for all teachers with training for the usage of guns to be able to have a quick way of response to any type of thing that may endanger human lives; therefore, avertible situations should be taken into consideration, and, if nothing else, arming the teachers with guns would be a great way to fulfill that thought.Mostly, some people could say that a process as complex as this would seem not worth fighting for; however, many teachers could agree otherwise, for they would rather be protected and take risks than to be like a sitting duck and not take even the slightest risk to support an advantage that could save other people’s lives, as well as their own. Trump says, â€Å"The arming of teachers and school staff goes is a significantly different issue that goes beyond simply the issue of an individual’s right in a number of states to be licensed to carry a concealed weapon† (qtd. n â€Å"Arming Teachers† 2). This is partially true, for it does inevitably go beyond the basic rights of individuals; however, that does not mean that it shouldn’t be taken into effect because complexity comes around. Basically, when push comes to shove, people shouldn’t back down due to the lack of simplicity of a certain matter, and, in this case, that matter would be allowing teachers to carry guns.Ultimately, risks are taken every day, and the risk of wounding a few students to a whole body of students seems to be a much better way out. That way, the teachers wanting to protect their students, as well as themselves, can act as a precaution, for most realistic teachers know that, if an emergency situation came up, it would surely be atrocious to go back and see that less harm could have been done after all.As Knickerbocker says, â€Å"The NRA and other gun advocates view allowing guns on school property as a safety measure† (2); therefore, overall, if an organization such as the National Rifle Association were to agree that teachers should have the advantage to step up in emergency situations in order to protect their students, as well as themselves, then it shouldn’t be such a crucial matter to allow guns to be carried by teachers after all.Works Cited â€Å"Arming Teachers and School Staff with Guns. † schoolsecurity. org. National School Safety and Security Services, 1996-2008. Web. 2 Oct. 2012. Kinckerbocker, Brad. â€Å"Should Teachers Be Able to Bring Guns to School? † seattletimes. nwsource. com. The Seattle Times Company, 2007. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.