Environmental Geology Essay

In 2006, seismic researchers can predict the location and direction of earthquakes by merely 10 to 20 minutes before it happens. Researchers use ultrasounds to assess earthquakes faster. Precise ultrasound images were recorded from the fault which is ruptured and the direction the rupture goes (American Institute of Physics [AIP], 2006). In 2008, seismic researchers can now predict earthquakes with much more preciseness and earlier than other previous equipments. A researcher from Rice University named Fenglin Nui and some of his colleagues are currently working on some experiments that can detect earthquake in a much earlier time. The method they use is detecting P-waves with the use of some super sensitive instrument called the Seismic Stress Meter. P-waves are the fastest of all the waves associated with earthquakes (Rice University, 2008). 2. (20 pts) What are the lessons learned from the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China? What are the lessons learned from the 1985 Mexican earthquake? Discuss. The destructive earthquake that hit Sichuan region in China brought lessons that seismic researchers deem helpful in predicting earthquakes. Sichuan region is located in highly mountainous area that is active and could be attributed to the earthquake hazard that happened. Topographic analysis can now help scientists to assess area that has high risks of having earthquakes (Pennsylvania State University, 2008). The destructive earthquakes in Mexico City made a realization for a civil engineers association. They all realized that their building codes where buildings are designed to be built still are of no level with the earthquake intensities in Mexico. A problem arises when the soft clay layer of the ground was struck by the earthquake. The soft clay layer of ground started to transmit more movements higher than what engineers have expected. The ground shook buildings in Mexico much longer than what is expected (Peterson, 1986). 3. (15 pts) Discuss the 2008/2009 Chaiten volcanic eruptions in Chile. What are the implications of this natural disaster on the local residents? Chaiten volcanic eruption was one that local residents never expected to happen. The Chaiten volcano was said to be dormant for almost 10,000 years now. But surprisingly and unexpectedly, the volcano has shown activity and after a few days it erupted. Many residents were evacuated from near the volcano. About 4000 people within 6 mile radius from southern region of Chile were evacuated. The town near the volcano was almost buried in ashes just like what happened to Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted. The sudden eruption after a long sleep gave residents fear of the volcano erupting again at any given time (University of Colorado, 2008). 4. (15 pts) Explain two different measures that can be taken to prevent, or at least minimize, the occurrence of landslides. One of the most effective measures that can be taken to prevent occurrences of landslides is through afforestation. Trees can greatly contribute to minimizing numbers of landslides in many ways. Trees can help absorb water from the soil. Water is said to be one of the main cause of landslides. Another is that trees can hold the soil firmly in the ground also minimizing the landslide occurrences. Another measure that can be used to prevent landslides is by creating levees or dykes. In this method, landslides are prevented by building walls usually near rivers which regulates water levels that cause the landslides (People’s Daily Online, 2000). 5. (10 pts) What is the mechanical paradox implied by long runout landslides? Heavy rain is said to have started landslides. So, one might think that landslides move and accelerate together with water. The long runout landslides are really caused by heavy rains but there is really no water associated with the movement and acceleration of landslides. The movement and acceleration of landslides are associated with the pressure vibrations called the acoustic fluidization. As the land slides pressure vibrations were generated making a frictionless effect to the ground which causes the land mass to move like a fluid (Collins and Melosh, 2007). References American Institute of Physics. (2006, April 1) Real-Time Quake Detection:Seismologists Use Ultrasounds to Assess Quakes Faster. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 27, 2009 from http://www. sciencedaily. com/videos/2006/0406-realtime_quake_detection. htm Collins, G. and Melosh, H. (2007, July 15). Acoustic Fluidization and the Extraordinary Mobility of Sturzstroms. Retrieved March 27, 2009 from http://amcg. ese. ic. ac. uk/~gareth/publications/abstracts/lpsc03b. pdf Pennsylvania State University. (2008, July 24). Chinese Earthquake Provides Lessons For Future. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www. sciencedaily. com ¬

Egyptian art Essay

In Egyptian art, style is everything. In the Egyptian Art we have examined, we see striking similarities in the objects d’art that are included in this view. One thing that we can see in all the art works that we have seen is that the style remains consistent throughout the history of Egypt. The view of this writer is to look at each work and compare it to other works later in Egypt’s history. To that end, we will examine four separate works—the Palette of King Narmer, which was predynastic, the tomb of Ti at Saqqara which is of the Fifth Dynasty, the Portrait of Ni’Ankhesut, which is from the early Sixth Dynasty, and finally the Funerary Stele of Iamu, from the First Intermediate period. Each of these unique works has their own similarities to each other and their own unique differences. Three of the works are worked in limestone, which was a primary medium of Egyptian art, especially when it came to tomb or funerary art. The fourth is in stone, and was used to hold makeup and was intricately carved with a well for that express purpose. The first work that this writer will examine is the Palette of King Narmer. This work is done in what is probably basalt or some other stone, as it is not done in the soft limestone that was common in other Egyptian art forms. Egyptologists are unsure exactly what event this depicts, but what we can see is that King Narmer is the largest figure on the palette. On the front of the palette Narmer is depicted leading an army and slaying an opposing army. The opposing army is dead and decapitated, with their heads between their legs. This is pictured in the top third of the palette. In the middle third of the palette is a round depression made up of the entwined necks of two cats. This indented area is where eye makeup would have been placed. In the bottom third we see a warrior fighting a bull, a common theme in early Egyptian art. It should be noted here that the cats with the entwined heads is a distinctly Mesopotamian feature, showing the influence of the Middle Eastern art forms on early Egyptian art. On the back of the palette, we see a large figure who appears to be Narmer, wearing the crown of Upper Egypt. He appears to be subduing an enemy, who appears to be the leader of Lower Egypt. This is obviously meant to symbolize the supremacy of Upper Egypt over Lower Egypt. We notice from the position of the figures that every figure is in the profile position, but the arms are facing forward. This shows early on the foundations of Egyptian art, mainly, the consistency of keeping a majority of the body in profile, while only putting arms and chest in full frontal view. We also notice that on both sides of the palette, Narmer is the largest of the figures, making it clear that the palette is about him and his accomplishments. This is also a recurring theme in Egyptian art—the making of the main figure larger than other figures in the work. This assures the viewer that they are aware of who the main subject is. The second work that we are going to examine is the tomb of Ti at Saqqara. Again, we see that Ti is the largest figure in the work. This tomb relief is in color, which sets it apart from the other works we have examined. It probably retains its color due to the fact that it was not exposed to the elements as were other works. The paint brings out the striking details and shows the intricacies of Egyptian tomb art. It is also worked in limestone, which was a primary medium in Egypt. In this relief, we se that Ti is on a boat on the Nile. The Nile is teeming with all sorts of marine life. From our knowledge of the hieroglyphics, we know that Ti and his hunters are hunting hippopotami in the Nile marshes. Again, Ti is in profile save for his hands and chest. It is at this point, however, that we can see that there is very little difference between the picture of Ti and the picture of Narmer. This shows us that the Egyptians did not think about differentiation between human forms. They counted on the hieroglyphics and the idea of the larger figure being the focal point of the work. The third work that we will examine is the portrait of Ni’Ankhesut. It is a limestone portrait, which makes us assume that it is from the tomb of this individual. This is from the Sixth Dynasty. In this work, we see Ni’Ankhesut as the central figure in this work. Out of necessity, Ni’Ankhesut is the largest figure in the work, and above his head are hieroglyphics. These probably tell his story or his name, though we do not see the characteristic cartouche that accompanies the name. The fact that this individual has a tomb indicates that he was of sufficiently high rank to have the wealth and prestige that a tomb connotes. Again, if we physically look at the portrait, we see that the head and the legs are in profile, but the chest and the arms are in full frontal view. This again shows the idiosyncrasies in Egyptian art. If we compare the physicality of the portrait to the other two works that we have examined, we see that there is very little physical difference in the three figures. Again, the lack of differentiation among figures is evident. The final work we will examine is the Funerary Stele of Iamu. It is worked in limestone, which is the primary medium of Egyptian tomb art. This work is a more complex work than the portrait, but not as detailed as the Palette of Narmer. In this work, we see again that Iamu is the largest figure, and above his head are hieroglyphics. In this relief, it is difficult for one to tell what Iamu is doing. Again, we see little physical differentiation with the other figures that we have examined, and we see that all the figures are in profile and that this is totally in keeping with all Egyptian art. This writer does see some beginnings of differentiation in the figures, which begins to pave the way for more realistic portraiture. What conclusions can we draw from these four works? The first thing is that Egyptian art changed little over the years of Egypt’s rise and fall. Second, we see that Egypt chose art to express and transmit their culture. We also note that hieroglyphics were used to great effect to tell the individual stories that each work shows (with the exception of the Narmer Palette). Fourth, we can see that relief is the main form of art used by the Egyptians. Fifth, color is used throughout the Egyptian artistic world to give life to the two-dimensional images on the limestone walls. Sixth, relief is also a way to provide the art with a depth that it would otherwise lack. We must continue to learn from ancient art as it is the way that we learn the most about ourselves. To understand it is to better understand ourselves and our own culture.

Critiquing Current Educational Issues Essay

Matters of education, like any other sociological issues, can cause a lot of controversy if they are handled in a manner that does not represent or take into account the views of all the stakeholders (ABC, 2010). This has been the case with the My school website in this country. Long before the My school website came into operation, support as well as opposition could be clearly witnessed from different stakeholders including teachers, the Australian Education Union (AEU), and the government through the independent Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) which is charged with the responsibility of making available to the public data about schools that is nationally comparable. However, the most controversy has arisen after the website became operational. The issues of contention vary depending on the particular sides embroiled in the debate. However, regardless of the views that are being raised, the effects that the controversy about the My school website has generated have been dire not only to students and their schools but also to teachers in the Australian education curriculum, the parents, as well as investors who need to finance education programs in the country. This paper critically discusses the sociological issues that have surrounded the My school website prior to and after its inception. This is with a view to establishing the extent to which the controversy has affected the various stakeholders in the education sector in the country. The My School Website My school is a website which profiles close to a thousand Australian schools. All these schools may be searched by any interested person or organization using filters such as the location of the school, its sector, or even the name. Perhaps the most important information to be found on the website is that of statistical and contextual nature; but also included is information about the results by the National Assessment Plan for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). These results allows for comparisons to be done for schools; particularly those that are statistically similar. Therefore, the My school website allows for the searching for schools across the nation; finding local schools in one’s own area; comparing schools that are statistically similar; viewing school-level results by NAPLAN; and identification of schools’ performances so that there is an allowance for sharing successful strategies (Peatling, 2010). Contentious Issues Proponents of My school, who mainly comprise of the government, NAPLAN, and a section of parents, argue that the website has allowed parents and other people an opportunity to assess schools on the basis of key indicators, particularly on literacy and numeracy, so that they can make informed decisions about where to enroll their children. They also argue that through the site parents can monitor the performance of their children and so be better placed to advise them accordingly. The site has also been lauded for bringing together all schools across the nation so that finding information about school performances and other records is no longer difficult (Peatling, 2010). This site, they argue, has enabled the results of schools on national tests to be better understood in a manner that is both meaningful and fair. The site has also enabled schools seeking to enhance their performance to learn from others which have similar populations. By providing extensive information on Australian schools, the My School website introduces a new level of transparency and accountability to the Australian school system. However, the opponents have forwarded a number of critical issues which they believe are actually making the education sector to suffer. The first contention and one which has generated the most opposition is the use of particular indices to rank schools (Peatling, 2010). These indices have apparently failed to present to the public what the actual facts about schools are because it has been proved that some schools that are known widely to be underperformers have been ranked or placed in the same category as other elite schools whose national record has been known by the people to be very high. A notable example that has been widely quoted is the grouping together of Bulli High School, Wollongong, and Trinity Grammar, Summer Hill; as well as ranking of Scotch College which is among the most prestigious schools in the country alongside Epping North Public School. This issue has particularly caused a lot of concern among teachers, led by the Australian Education Union, who have used it to reiterate their allegation that the My school website is deeply flawed and cannot be relied upon for its inaccuracy, invalidity, and incompleteness (Peatling, 2010). Another key issue has been the margin of error that has been identified in the ranking of the schools in the test results by KAPLAN. In some cases, it has been found that the margin of error has been as wide as 34 – pointing out that there was no way the website could be relied on to convey the correct information to the public. From the AEU’s perspective, the site is only a source of conflict and serves to create tension and unnecessary competition among teachers and schools. The union reiterates the need for the education sector to be made rather autonomous so as to avoid events that can compromise the quality of education (Peatling, 2010). AEU holds that tests ought not to be used to rate the student’s ability but only as a means to ascertain where a child or learner is up to. Sociologically, tests results ought to be the secret of the learner because the test was done that one learner alone. Exposing such results to other people, especially when the results are poor, serves to embarrass the learner and cause one to be less confident in school. The overall outcome is a tendency to continue failing in successive tests. Another issue that has raised a storm about the My school website is that it is being used to discriminate against certain ethnic communities, particularly the Aboriginal students (ABC, 2010). This lament, mainly from parents, has stemmed from the system used where schools have been listing the number of Aboriginal students enrolled there as part of the statistics posted on the My school website. This, the parents contend, is discriminatory as it tends to bring to the fore the notion that the Aboriginal students are responsible for the poor performance of schools so that the more of them a school has the lower it is likely to perform on the KAPLAN index. This can never be farther from the truth (ABC, 2010). The Clash Between Government Policy and Public Opinion Even on the international scene, there have been constant clashes between the policy of governments and what the public feels is the best. In matters of education in particular, there has been a series of policy frameworks that governments have put in place without considering their effects on the other stakeholders. For instance, issues regarding the performance of educators in learning institutions like schools and colleges have been hotly contested because while the policy might require teachers and other educators to be appraised based on their performance, the indices used in certain cases never really depict the actual input by these educators. For instance, teachers can be assigned to students who are hard of learning for a reason or more and so such teachers, if rated on the basis of the performance of their students alone, never really get justice done. Similarly, it is not appropriate for the government to continue using indices to rank schools and publishing such information on the My school website without considering other factors. The effect this has on teachers is that they are likely to become demoralized and put less effort in their work for they know the evaluation of their work is not at all fair. For parents, the use of the My school website has had different effects (Peatling, 2010). First, it may help them to ascertain the best performers among schools and so enroll their children in such ones. However, there is another more critical issue about what parents whose children are in poor-performing schools can do. The natural inclination of such parents is to withdraw their children from these poor performing schools and have then enrolled in other schools with better performance indices. This, if allowed, would cause a mass exodus of students from some schools into others, eventually causing another problem of overcrowding and subsequent declining in the quality of education in those schools initially ranked highly. But since the government is not prepared to allow such migrations, continuing to use the My school website might only cause parents a lot of anxiety from knowing that their children might never be able to make it in life because they are in lowly-ranked schools. For the students, they will get discouraged if they learn that their school does not perform well in comparison to others. As AEU has claimed, education is not all about literacy and numeracy but more about individual students’ ability to learn to do many other things in life. Students in lowly-ranked schools might be led into the false belief that their teachers are not competent enough and so give up trying to improve their performance. However, the My school website has had the positive effect of creating a competitive environment in schools so that low performers are compelled to work harder to improve while the best performers try their level best to maintain or improve their performance record (Peatling, 2010). Conclusion The My school website is bound to continue eliciting a lot of debate in the days to come with varying effects on the society, the students, teachers, and the government. What is clear in this debate is that there has been no attempt to have the feuding parties to work together to sort out their differences. Instead, every side has been unilateral in its decisions and has not cared about the implications of its actions on the students, teachers, and parents. While the government is downplaying the opposition to the My school website by AEU and citing it as any other opposition that happens whenever there is change, the fact is that the union has key sociological issues that ought to be addressed if the education standards in this country are to be kept high. Sociologically, therefore, the feuding parties ought to work together to find ways of ironing out their differences before the matter gets out of hand.

Missile Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Missile Crisis - Essay Example But though major powers were not directly involved, they armed or funded surrogates, lessening direct impact on the populations of their own countries, but increasing conflict and tension between millions of civilians around the world. One of the 'hot spots' in the Cold War was the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the then US President John F. Kennedy and the Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev were practically eyeball to eyeball, each with a finger on the trigger. One wrong move and this would have escalated to a nuclear confrontation, and ccompletely changed the course of history. For the Americans, the countdown began on Monday, October 15, 1962, when a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft revealed several Soviet nuclear missile installations in Cuba. They promptly swung into action and the subsequent 13 days has been recorded for posterity and popular consumption in a typical American good-guys-verses-the-bad-guys movie "Thirteen Days," where the good guys were, of course, the Americans. Who knows when it began for the Russians Perhaps the insecurity of being on the defensive started after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the use of nuclear weapons is seen by some historians as a warning to the Soviet Union. According to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's memoirs, he conceived the idea of placing intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Cuba to counter an emerging lead of the United States in developing and deploying strategic missiles. At this point of time, MAD, or "mutually assured destruction" was a prominent feature of the nuclear arms race, supported in particular by the deployment of nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). The idea was that the two super-powers would not attack each other because both sides had nuclear weapons to decimate each other, and worse, to make the entire planet uninhabitable. So, since launching an attack would be suicidal for either party, neither would attempt it. (Wikipedia) For the Soviet Union, what brought things to a head was the presence of U.S. missile sites in Turkey, which directly threatened cities in the western sections of the Soviet Union, tilting the balance of terror in favour of the U.S. As for the Cubans, ever since the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961, when the United States armed and funded Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro's government, the Cubans lived under the shadow of fear of more reprisals from the United States. It was to protect themselves from another such United States-sponsored invasion, that Fidel Castro gave the Soviet Union approval to build missile installations in Cuba. The differences in their view-points are reflected in how they subsequently remember the incident. The Cubans know it as the October Crisis, just one of the many run-ins with the Americans. The Soviets refer to it as the Carribean Missile Crisis, where the Cubans are merely instrumental in yet another confrontation with the Americans in the Cold War, while the Americans call it the Cuban Missile Crisis. However they saw it, the thirteen-day countdown (Timeline of the Cuban Missile Crisis, n.d.) was it was considered one of the tensest and most perilous moments in history. Starting with the American discovery of the SS-4 nuclear missiles in Cuba, when President Kennedy immediately convened his Executive Committee to consider America's options, which ranged from doing

PROGRAMMING AND CULTURE IN ARCHITECTURE WAY Assignment - 1

PROGRAMMING AND CULTURE IN ARCHITECTURE WAY - Assignment Example The outdoor spaces and areas such as the porches, decks and gardens are also an important element in the design of the house. They speak the importance of the outdoors lifestyle of the Eressos community. The superfluous elements identified in the design of the house included the fitting of air conditioners. The house will be designed in a â€Å"green† manner to enable plenty of airflow during the warm summer periods. Unnecessary resource in the bathroom will be minimized as these are superfluous. The bathroom will be compartmentalized, instead, in a manner that will still provide functionality and privacy. Based on what I have read about Eressos, I would consider housing design in other contexts as being innovative and creative. The use of other materials besides stone in construction is quite creative and less costly. Such materials include bamboo that not only construct good houses but whose use also helps in the conservation of the

Management Accounting 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management Accounting 2 - Essay Example Budgeting is a continuous process in large organizations. Operation department create plans to help the company achieve its corporate goals. Overhead costs, capital expenditures, operating expenses and sales are forecasted for the upcoming fiscal year by the unit managers. The forecasted figures are then sent to the upper management for its approval. The upper management reviews all the projected costs, expenditures and revenues and then approves it. The approved formal budget forms the guideline for operations in the coming year. Monthly and quarterly budget are also prepared by organizations to keep a track of performance against projected figures and takes corrective action if there is any deviation. Upper management has a bottom up approach in respect of budgeting. Corporate managers take the top down approach in meeting business goals. Managers who have a good understanding of profits and sales and have the capacity to overestimate costs typically create successful budgets (Singla, 2009, p. 147). There are various benefits of budgeting such as managers can compare the company’s performance against the projected figures which also forms the basis of their functioning within an organization. They compare the current performance of the company against projected figures and takes corrective action if there is any deviation. In this way, the managers are also able to keep their employees focused and guide them to performa nce (Lucey, 2003, p. 187). Formal budgeting provides the company with a detailed and comprehensive picture of the immediate future and also informs the company about the possible opportunities and threats. Time is an important factor in the budgeting process. Managers sometimes find themselves completely lost in their effort to meet the rules and regulations that are there in the formal budget. But to have a sound system to exercise

Gender and Mentoring Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gender and Mentoring - Research Paper Example Female are more in to talking things out and expressing their feeling to maintain a healthy mentor and student relationship. Even when they have conversation with student of same gender they always try to build a new relation. Mentor-selection process is whether to be mentored by a man or a woman, The research on gender and mentoring has found that there are consistent differences in mentoring relationships between males and females but I don’t think gender is really matter because I’ve had mentors in different fields of different genders, It’s about shared values more than anything, I haven’t found gender to matter at all cause what’s mattered to me is someone’s perspective—how able are they to see the big picture and their performance. Ensher, E.A., & Murphy, S.E., The Mentoring Relationship Challenges Scale: The impact of mentoring stage, type, and gender, Journal of Vocational Behavior (2010),

Early Virginia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Early Virginia - Essay Example The English law at that moment did not protect the rights of the Africans, and they ended up being overworked and mistreated. Their hard work and high production rate formed the backbone of the successful and rigid economic status that prevails in the American continent. Although not only Africans who were victimized by slavery, they formed the greatest percentages of manual laborers since they were much stronger physically and were easily available. The labor shortage in America promoted slave trade, and the European powers were competing on the number of slaves. The same completion remains, but has been converted into economic and power competition. An estimation of over fifty million Africans were taken as slaves as early as the year 1800. Most of these slaves were separated from their families and ended up disappearing far away from their people (Zinn 27). Zinn says that slavery is the root of racism since the inferiority of Africans started secondary to slave trade (Zinn 29). The American economy at this period was controlled mainly by agriculture and the richest people were those doing agriculture. Most of this people later ventured into other businesses, which fostered the rapid economic growth of the American continent. The Americans were not concerned with the well-being of the slaves and they even killed the slaves with little work rate. They were inhuman and their only interest was limitless profits from their agriculture. The Africans, on the other hand, were not united due to their ethnic diversities and could not come together to aid themselves out of European slavery. The first slaves from the American continent went to Jamestown at around 1619 and they were used in agricultural firms. The area experienced faster agricultural growth and this led to other English settlers demanding for African slaves to work on their farms. With

Criminal Justice Compare and Contrast rationalism and determinism Essay

Criminal Justice Compare and Contrast rationalism and determinism. With reference to your readings, define these two approaches and study of criminal behavior - Essay Example Most of these theories are rooted on the natural instinct that leads to commitment of crime or forces that compel individual to develop crime traits. There have been studies that have been carried out suggesting that genetic factors and other biological harming aspects like head injury and exposure to toxic substances, and others may increase the chances of someone becoming a criminal by developing some criminal traits like impulsitivity and sensations seeking. This effect of biological harms on individual traits has been explained to be the effect on the central nervous system including sympathetic and parasympathetic system. Many of the researches that have been carried out in this area focuses on chemical messenger which is the neurotransmitters which relays signals between neurons and the brain, and the hormones regulating body urges like sex drives and response to stressors like testosterones. Other factors like skin conductiveness, level of brain activities, and others which af fects functioning of nervous system may lead to a dysfunction of the nervous system leading to development of crime traits. The general expression of these studies is that there are some natural factors that determine individual vulnerability to committing a crime. This means that some factors in the body and others in the environment that affects the biological status of the body can be responsible for criminal activities since they induce the development of criminal behaviors. Hence, there may be likelihood that criminals may be having a particular crime inducement gene that is not found in other people. Let us look at the postulation of the gene-based evolutionary theory. Gene-based evolutionary theory is supported by studies which suggested that crime is inherited in some genes. Although there has been no prove on crime genes as such, there is a likelihood that some individual traits like 'pushiness' or 'deception' may have some effect on development of crime traits. Studies have suggested that individuals with such traits can reproduce and pass on the traits to the next generation which may develop the same crime traits. However there has been much acrimony about the postulation of these genetic based crime theories with some arguing that they have not been able to explain some aspects of crime. It has also been argued that these theories give a postulation that we cannot control crime by the fact that we cannot change criminal behavior in the population since it is genetic. The theory wipes away the effects of the social environment on crime and supports the postulation that races and ethnic groups' view of crime may have biological backing. The two theories above can be explained by their postulation that there is crime traits in the individual is a functions of the biology of the body. This means that criminal traits in the individual can be inherited in the genes or it can result from change in the biological make up of the body as a result of exposure to harmful activities. They can be explained in a simple fact as their postulation that crime traits are determined by some factors beyond individual control. Determinism is supported by the earlier theories of crime which tried to explain the individual do not choose to engage in crimes

Medical Marijuana Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Medical Marijuana - Research Paper Example It was marred with political motives and manipulations. Not all facts were presented. The long-proven therapeutic use of marijuana was not made known to the public. Rather, it was consciously and systematically put aside by emphasizing and worse exaggerating the harmful effects of marijuana. In short, marijuana was demonized driven by political and economic reasons. Since then, the criminalization of drug abuse has become not only legally but also morally right and the war on drugs has become not only a civic but also a moral duty. As a consequence, small drug offenders filled correctional facilities, causing not only human rights abuses in and outside corrections but also causing the Federal State coffer to bleed unnecessarily; urban violence between drug users/pushers and law enforcers heightened, entailing greater police visibility, capability, and sophistication which means bigger budget allocation for efficient law enforcement; and drug operations went underground, not only making law enforcement more difficult but also denying the government millions of potential taxes while enriching drug cartels and crooked law enforcers and legislators. Other than this, the criminalization of marijuana has also deprived patients of a potent alternative medicine that could be less expensive than those being produced by profit-oriented pharmaceutical com panies. Within this context, this paper argues for the legalization of medical marijuana because it is more economically beneficial than it is socially costly. Marijuana is a Spanish-American term originally used to refer specifically to tobacco, but was used later in South and North America to refer generally to cannabis (Iversen 26). This reference change must have been due to the fact that marijuana comes from the Cannabis or hemp plant, named scientifically as Cannabis sativa in 1735 by the well-known Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus, making it an officially classified species (5). Marijuana was

Future of Educational Finance Essay Example for Free

Future of Educational Finance Essay Gary Marx stated â€Å"identifying, monitoring and considering the implications of trends is one of the most basic processes for creating the future† (Stevenson, 2010 p. 1). The world of education is forever changing at a pace that gets more rapid as the years go on. The decisions made in the past have laid the foundation of education today, as will recent changes affect the future. Programs such as choice schooling and No Child Left Behind will impact school funding. Rulings such as the Lemon Test and separation of church and state will impact decisions that can potentially result in litigation and court rulings dictating educational decisions. In his work regarding educational trends, Kenneth Stevenson (2010) stated, â€Å"a continuing recession, escalating political polarization, rising racial/ethnic tensions, a growing national debt, and a widening divide between the haves and the have nots portend a future fraught with unprecedented challenges to and clashes over the form and substance of public education in America† (p.1). Analysis of the Lemon Test The Lemon Test was created by Chief Justice Warren Berger as a result of the court case Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) and is based on the principles stated in Everson v. Board of Education. The case of Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) centered on Rhode Island’s Salary Supplement Act. This act approved a salary supplement of up to fifteen percent for teachers who taught secular subjects in private religious schools or non-public elementary schools. The courts determined that approximately twenty-five percent of Rhode Island’s students attended non-public schools. Furthermore, ninety-five percent of the parochial schools were Roman Catholic. Pennsylvania offered a similar program that reimbursed non-public schools for expenses related to secular education and required schools to account for the expenses separately. Approximately twenty percent of Pennsylvania’s children attended non-public schools and ninety-six percent of the schools had a religious affiliation. The high courts looked at its own precedents and determined that, in order  for a law to be in compliance with the Establishment clause it, â€Å"must have a secular legislative purpose; second, its principal or primary effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion; finally, the statute must not foster an excessive government entanglement with religion (Barnes, 2010, p. 2-3). The Lemon test was created to, â€Å"determine when a law has the effect of establishing religion† (The Basics, 2014, p. 3). The court applied the Lemon test to the Pennsylvania and Rhode Island supplemental funding programs and deemed that the programs in both states were unconstitutional (The Lemon Test, 2009). Both programs met the first requirement of the Lemon test as they had a secular purpose. However, the court determined that it was unclear if the programs met the second set of criteria as â€Å"while the aid was intended for secular use, it was not entirely secular in effect† (The Lemon Test, 2009, p. 1). The court decided that it did not need to establish if the programs met the second part of the Lemon test as they failed to meet the third criterion as both programs â€Å"excessively entangling state administrators with the operations of parochial schools† (The Lemon Test, 2009, p. 1). The Lemon test has â€Å"become an extremely influential legal doctrine, governing not only cases involving government funding of religious institutions but also cases in which the government promoted religious messages. Over the years, however, many justices have criticized the test because the court has often applied it to require a strict separation between church and state† (The Lemon Test, 2009, p. 1). The test has been the foundation for many of the court’s ruling regarding the establishment clause since 1971. The choice  The idea of vouchers for education was first introduced in early 1950 in a move to privatize education. In that same year, as a result of Brown v. Board of Education, the southern states put the first voucher program into action as a way to â€Å"enable white students of all income levels to attend the segregation academies and continue receiving a publicly-funded, all white education† (Save our Schools NJ, 2014). In 1989, Wisconsin’s more modern voucher programs, focused on poor children of all races. (Save our Schools NJ, 2014). Regardless of the nature of the voucher program, the impact is the same- taxpayer funds being diverted from public school funding. In 2002, the Supreme Court ruling of the case of Zelman V. Simmons-Harris  stated that it was not a violation of the Establishment Clause to provide scholarships for some students to attend private or parochial schools. This ruling had a subsequent impact on the development of S1872, also known as the Opportunity Scholarship Act. This act allowed for vouchers to go to private or religious schools. Changes from S1872 resulted in an almost $1 billion dollar revenue loss for school funding by the end of its fifth year (NJEA, 2011). In addition to the government revenue lost, a 100% tax credit is given to companies who donate to these funds thus losing additional revenue. The children given these scholarship vouchers are children from targeted failing school areas, which then result in that already failing district to lose additional weighted funding for those children. â€Å"Shifting a handful of students from a public school into private schools will not decrease what the public school must pay for teachers and facilities, but funding for those costs will decrease as students leave† (NCSL, 2014). A study by the American Federation of Teachers in 2011 looked at the revenue lost in several states as a result of money being diverted to voucher programs. In most cases, these programs obtained funding by either increasing taxes or by reducing state aid to local school districts. Both the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program did just that. The Milwaukee program, in 2009, cost taxpayers roughly $130 million and the Cleveland program reduced Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid to the Cleveland public schools by $11,901,887 in 2007 (American Federation of Teachers, 2011). One of the most significant issues with voucher programs is the fact that they do not have the same monitoring and regulations as public schools in order to obtain funding. â€Å"Perhaps the biggest critique of market-based reforms, such as school choice and performance based accountability is that they will further exacerbate inequalities in education† (Fusarelli and Young, 2011, p. 92). Not all program funding is distributed in the programs based on poverty. Parents of special education students are not guaranteed special education services. In addition, many programs are not monitored for the way they appropriate money. When a review of the Arizona tax credit programs was conducted, it was discovered that â€Å"almost two-thirds of all voucher orga nizations kept more funds for overhead than allowed under state law† (AFT, 2011, p. 7). Per student revenue that local districts lose to  these programs is not guaranteed to be 100% applied to the students attending the private school. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education had a budget cut of $5 billion (The Education Trust, n.d.). In 2013-2014, over 35 states are providing less funding per students, more than 10% in fourteen of them. (Leachman Mai, 2014). With decreasing numbers such as these, voucher programs only continue to threaten to take limited funding away from local districts. Continued funding cuts will have an impact on the economic future of our country. As stated by Brimley et al. the more education provided, the more wealth developed; the more wealth created, the more funds available for investment; the more investment undertaken, the more wealth available for investment in physical and human capital: (Brimley et al., 2012, p. 3). The Impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is the largest federal funding program in the history of the United States. No Child Left Behind is a, â€Å"reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which originated in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty† (Braden and Schroeder, n.d., p. 1). While NCLB provides additional funding from the federal government it also imposes mandates that states must follow. The supplementary funding provided under the No Child Left Behind Act is not necessarily enough for states to meet the standards required by the act. The main focus of NCLB is Title I funding which the federal government allocates to states to help provide an education to economically disadvantaged students. No Child Left Behind includes eight other forms of Title funding such as school safety, teacher quality, assessments, and American Indian education (Braden and Schroeder, n.d., p. 1). Title I funds are the most important part of No Child Left Behind as the majority of the funds are earmarked for Title I purposes and Title I funding holds states accountable for student achievement as evidenced on state assessments. The move towards holding states accountable for student achievement began prior to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Most states included accountability in their education reform acts during the 1990s (Ladd, 2001). By the year 2001, the same year as NCLB, more than forty states published a school report card, more than half had some type of school achievement rating, and numerous states offered assistance or sanctions to schools with low student  performance (Meyer, Orlofsky, Skinner, Spicer, 2002). In January of 2002, No Child Left Behind was signed into law and for the first time in history the federal government was involved in, â€Å"setting broad parameters, implementation timelines, and sanctions for state accountability systems† (Dun combe, Lukemeyer, Yinger, 2006, p. 1). States began to implement NCLB in 2002 during a time of financial difficulties. This created concerns based on the cost involved in funding a program of its magnitude as well as questions regarding the extent to which the NCLB program was funded. Most estimates concerning the cost of implementing the program were far from accurate. This prompted states, such as Connecticut and Utah, to pass legislation which allowed them to either ignore the parts of NCLB that required funding from the state or sue the federal government for a lack of funding (Duncombe et al., 2006). While NCLB involves many federal education programs, the act’s requirements in regards to school improvement, accountability, and testing are a priority. No Child Left Behind required states to test students in grades three through eight yearly in math and reading. Students in grades ten through twelve must be tested once. In addition students must be tested in science once in grades three through five, six through eight, and tenth-twelfth. In addition, states, school districts and individual schools are to â€Å"publicly report test results in the aggregate and for specific student subgroups, including low-income students, students with disabilities, Eng lish language learners, and major racial and ethnic groups† (New America Foundation, 2014). Another requirement of NCLB is that all teachers must be highly qualified. Teachers must pass a licensure exam and be certified by the state they teach in. Teachers who teach a specific subject area must demonstrate their subject knowledge by passing the subject knowledge portion of the licensure exam. NCLB specifies that states develop a plan â€Å"to ensure that low-income and minority students are not taught by teachers who are not highly qualified at higher rates than are non-minority and low-income students† (New America Foundation, 2014). In addition, NCLB give parents and guardians the right to know the qualification of their child’s teacher and if their child is receiving instruction from a paraprofessional and if so the qualifications of that individual. NCLB requires that school district’s notify parents in writing if their child will receive instruction from a teacher who is not highly  qualified for longer than four weeks (New America Foundation, 20 14). No Child Left Behind stated that all school districts in the United States were to guarantee that each child enrolled in their district would score proficient in the state’s reading and math assessments by 2014. Each state was given the freedom to define what grade level proficiency meant in regards to their state standards. NCLB required that schools make â€Å"adequate yearly progress† (AYP) towards achieving their goal. Proficiency rates increased yearly up to 2014 and individual states were allowed to choose their rate of increase. In order for a state to make AYP they must meet their goal for student achievement in reading and math every year (New America Foundation, 2014). Forty-three states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, a group of California school districts as well as the Bureau of Indian Education applied for waivers exempting them from being required to meet their targets and other requirements of NCLB from the Department of Education. In September of 2011, President Obama and Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, announced that the Obama administration, â€Å"would allow states to request flexibility in meeting some of the requirements under NCLB in the absence of the law’s reauthorization† (New America Foundation, 2014). For a state to qualify to receive flexibility throu gh a waiver, the state needs to show they have adopted or will implement reforms to their, â€Å"academic standards, student assessments, and accountability systems for schools and educators† (New America Foundation, 2014). According to No Child Left Behind schools that do not make AYP for two consecutive years will be identified for school improvement, and will have to create a school improvement plan (SIP), and apply a minimum of ten percent of their federal Title I funds to professional development. Schools that do not make AYP for a third year will be under corrective action, and will be required to apply interventions to improve school performance, â€Å" from a list specified in the legislation† (New America Foundation, 2014). If a school fails to make AYP for a fourth year they will be, â€Å"identified for restructuring which requires more significant interventions† (New America Foundation, 2014). If a school fails to make AYP for a fifth year, â€Å"they must implement a restructuring plan that includes reconstituting school staff and/or leadership, changing the school’s governance arrangement, converting the school to a charter, turning it over to a private management company, or some other major change†Ã‚  (New America Foundation, 2014). Specific school districts that have a high percentage of schools that fail to make average yearly progress for multiple years could be, â€Å"identified for school improvement, corrective action, and restructuring† (New America Foundation, 2014). The Future of Church-State Relations As religion continues to hold influence on the American culture the U.S. judicial system remains the authority for interpreting the constitutionality of matters of religion. The separation of church and state comes as a result of America not having an established religion for all of the residents to follow; the people were given freedom of religion. According to Thomas Jefferson, God is acknowledged as the creator of mankind and government is not a divine organization therefore it is the responsibility of the citizens to oversee the institution of government. In 1791 the government discontinued support or promotion of any religion. The decisions made so long ago continue to greatly impact organizations such as schools today. In the classroom teachers are held accountable to the state that they will remain neutral on the subject of religion while on school grounds (The Boisi Center, n.d.). Cases such as Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v Nyquist (1973) and Mueller v Allen (1983) have kept the courts busy on the subject of funding religion in the educational system (Pew Research Center, 2008). The Free Exercise Clause permits students to practice their faith privately on campus as long as it does not cause disruptions to the academic day and students are not being persuaded to follow his/her beliefs. School vouchers and tax credits that were distributed from 1983-2002 were considered constitutional under the Establishment Clause as they approved a parent’s choice to have their child attend a religious school. The courts accepted these practices because they did not show intent to persuade on the side of religion (The Boisi Center, n.d.). During this time all over the country courts were hearing cases to oppose the allowance of vouchers to religious organizations as they felt it went against the separation of church-state. In some states courts ruled that vouchers could only be used for parents that wanted to move their child to a higher performing public school so that private religious schools did not receive state education funds. Now and in the future the United States  will continue to permit religious liberty to the people, the government will not be accountable nor will it dictate ones religious practices (The Boisi Center, n.d.). With the increased cases that continue to build against religion in schools and educational funding to religious private schools it is predicted that the future of church-state relations in educational funding will give more authority to the state education departments on the placement of funds. The state will seek more control of religious private schools, as the voucher program seems to be here to stay. The state is going to want more control of curriculum if they will be providing financial support (Pardini, 1999). Tax credit programs are also popular and seem to offer a compromise of church-state relations. Tax credits provide financial support to families that choose to place their child in private schools. As time progresses state government will advocate for an increase in charter schools, this will allow for state funds in the form of vouchers and tax credits to support schools that do not have a religious focus (Pardini, 1999). This battle will continue until a decision is m ade by the U.S. Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the Blaine Amendments. These amendments were established in 1875 to disallow states to financially support private schools that teach religion. At this time there are approximately thirty states that incorporate Blaine language in their constitution, which disrupts the success of vouchers being used by parents that wish to relocate their child to a higher performing and/or religious private school (DeForrest, 2003). Future Trends in Court Decisions and Power over Educational Financing The courts have had a hand in education dating back to the creation of the United States Constitution. Although there was no specific mention in the Constitution as to who was responsible, who carried the power in terms of financing education, education was valued in the early days, and many early settlers used the Bible to teach the young to read. As time went on people challenged the use of teaching the Bible in Public Schools. People used the First Amendment of the United States Constitution to argue about the intermingling of church and state and the use of direct government support for parochial, and private schools (Brimley, Verstegen, Garfield, 2012). The courts found themselves hearing cases of people challenging the use of government funds in schools other than public schools and, in the case of Pierce v. Society of Sisters  (268 U.S. 510-1925), the courts ruled for using public funds for church-related schools. Because of this ruling financing public schools has seen some great changes, and will continue to see changes. This court ruling could potentially change the makeup and the system of education in the United States. States will implement more stringent guidelines as to what they expect from schools in regards to performance standards since they are the ones providing the funds. These guidelines are the result of schools continuing to fail to meet state requirements, running low on funds due decreased income from property taxes, or the need for states take over more schools or shut them down, To date there has not been a proven method that will solve the problems of educational financing. Politics have a large influence in financing education. This was evident during the Bush administration, when money went into funding Laura Bush’s library after other school programs were cut. For nearly forty years the constitutionality of the way schools are financed has been scrutinized. There have been one hundred thirty-nine lawsuits in forty-five states promoting finance reform after the ruling of Serrano v. Priest (Education Next, 2010). The states are required by their individual state constitutions to provide an adequate education to all students. Currently there is no solution to the challenges of financing public schools so that all individuals feel like they are being treated equally. The debates and challenges have been going on for decades and will continue for years to come. Responsibility is placed on the states to ensure that their State Constitution requirements are being met and to provide funding for local schools. Conclusion As previously stated education as it is known today continues to change at a rapid rate and will continue to change forever as the world that we all reside in is ever changing. Technology has had a major influence on education, and the world in general. â€Å"If students are not being taught to use technology, and not being taught adequate math, science, and communication skills, the United States will continue to lose its superiority to other countries† (A Nation at Risk, 1983). In order for the United States to keep up with the competitive commerce, today’s students need to be pushed a little more to achieve more and not just be satisfied with mediocrity. There was a time when funding private and/or parochial  schools was not even an issue, as it was clearly understood that government monies was allocated for public schools. As time went on, needs changed, be it individual needs such as students with disabilities, or families of low income. With these needs came reasons to challenge the norm. Attorneys were contracted, and the status quo was challenged. Nobody could have predicted the changes that would happen nor is it possible to predict the future from today. It is impossible to guess the future of financing education because no one knows what the needs will be in fifteen to twenty-five years from now. It is crucial that past rulings be thoroughly examined to assist with preparing for future financial direction, although that is not the magic solution. References A Nation At Risk: The Imperative For Educational Reform (1983). American Federation of Teachers (2011). School vouchers: The research track record. Retrieved September 29, 2014 from: http://www.aft.org/pdfs/teachers/vouchertrackrecord0211.pdfBarnes, M. (2010, September 13). The Lemon Test and the Establishment Clause: A Proposal For Modification. Retrieved September 29, 2014. Barry, C., and Wysong, C. 2010. School-Finance Reform in Red and Blue. Where theMoney Goes Depends on Who’s Running the State. Retrieved Summer 2010 / Vol. 10, N0. 3 from: educationnext.org/school-finance-reform-in-red-and-blue/ Braden, J., Schroeder, J. (n.d.). High-Stakes Testing and No Child Left Behind: Information and strategies for Educators. Retrieved September 29, 2014, from http://www.nasponline.org/communications/spawareness/highstakes.pdfBrimley, Vera R., Verstegen, Deborah A., Garfield, Rulon R. (2012). Financing education in a climate of change (11th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon DeForrest, M. (2003). An Overview and Evaluation of State Blaine Amendments: Origins, Scope, and First Amendment Concerns. Harvard Journal Of Law Public Policy, 26(2), 551.Duncombe, W., Lukemeyer, A., Yinger, J. (2006, September). The No Child Left Behind Act: Have Federal Funds Been Left Behind? Retrieved September 29, 2014, from http://cpr.maxwell.syr.edu/efap/Publications/costing_out.pdfFusarelli, Bonnie and Young, Tamara (2011). Preserving the â€Å"public† in public education for the sake of democracy. Journal of Thought. 46(1) p. 85-96 Ladd, H. 2001. â€Å"School-Based Educational Accountability Systems: The Promise and Pitfalls.† National Tax Journal 54 (2): 385-400. Leachman, Michael and Mai, Chris (2014). Most states funding school less than before the recession. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. May 2014. Meyer, L., G. Orlofsky, R. Skinner, and S. Spicer. 2002. â€Å"The State of the States.† Quality Counts 2001. January 10.. National Conference of School Legislatures (2014). School Vouchers. Retrieved September 28, 2014 from: http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/school-choice-vouchers.aspxNew America Foundation. Background Analysis. (2014). Retrieved September 28, 2014, from http://febp.newamerica.net/background-analysis/no-child-left-behind-overviewPardini, P. 1999. Church/state complexities. Retrieved from www.rethinkingschools.orgSave our Schools NJ (2014) School Voucher Basics. Retrieved September 27, 2014 from: http://www.saveourschoolsnj.org/vouchers/The Basics of Separation. (2014). Retrieved September 29, 2014, from http://candst.tripod.com/tnppage/tnpidx.htmThe Boisi Center. Date Unknown. Separation of church and stat e. Religion and American Public Life. Retrieved from www.bc.eduThe Lemon Test. (2009, May 14). Retrieved September 28, 2014.

The play that follow, have on Mompesson Essay Example for Free

The play that follow, have on Mompesson Essay The decision to close the village which is made my Mompesson and Stanley together, was a tough one to make, but together they explained their plans to the villagers, and the people listened, and agreed to stay in the village. This shows Mompesson has found the strength somewhere inside him to make an important decision and stick to it. The village is in shock, and a few obviously are not keen on the idea of staying in the village to die, but they agree. Once Mompesson and Stanley have announced their plan, they are left alone. God help us Mompesson. What have we done? This is the last we hear about the announcement of the plan to close the village, and it is a very emotional moment for Mompesson and Stanley. At the start of the play Mompesson had his own views, and he did not have any view of compromise either. He begins in the village very weak, although on the outside he is strong, inside he is weak. As the plague gets worse, and more people die, he becomes stronger, and learns to deal with pain. At the beginning Mompesson is very self righteous, but as the play goes along, he becomes more matured, and slowly changes into a better person. One decision that was hard for Mompesson to make was when Catherine asked to send the children out the village. They discuss whether or not to send the two young children, and in the end come to the conclusion that they must smuggle them out when everybody is asleep, without either of them. The decide that the children must go on their own, but Mompesson will take them to Catherines brother in Yorkshire. This decision was hard for them, but it is definite, the children had to go. His greatest pain is when Catherine dies. She tells him gently and calmly but he cant understand why it has happened. He loses his trust in God, and turns away from his religion. He cries out to God, and asks him why it had to happen to him. You cant do that! God, Father, you cant do that to me! He expresses his anguish whilst Catherine tries to stay calm, she tells him that they should go to the rectory, and that she wants a comfortable death. He is stunned. Pain is hard for him, but he learns from his anguish, but it was to be hard. Catherine always gave him advice, and now he was going to have to survive without her. After Catherines death, Mompesson had to go on without her and without the children. He tries to confess that he sent the children away but the villagers already know. We knew all along about your children, Rector. Right from the first. Old Unwin saw you creep out of the door with them at midnight, looking so guilty. Even though the villagers knew, they didnt say anything until Mompesson did, as they didnt mind. They know he did it for them, and forgive him for it. The small crowd that surround Mompesson continue on to tell him they have faith in him, and their prayers are with him in his time of pain. But you loved us with all your heart, too, in the hardest way. Not with words. With actions. They explain to him they realise how much he has done for them. He has changed so much since the beginning when he arrived in Eyam. At first he didnt care for them at all, but he had learnt to love and care for them. I loved them? I felt nothing And they forgave me, with what might be their last breath I dont understand. Mompesson cant see that he has loved them, he still believes that he is how he was at the beginning. But really he has got off his pedestal above them, and become more of a human being. As the play went on, Mompessons words and actions change, they go from bad to good. He learns to deal with suffering, and forgets that he didnt want to work there. The plague arrived in Eyam in the Autumn of 1665, and it ended in the Autumn of 1666. This means that Mompesson has only ages one year, but mentally he has aged a great deal more. He has matured and learned to come to terms with pain and loss. He has grown in mind, in such a small amount of time. Mompessons actions throughout the play show and prove that in the end, he did care for the villagers, whether they cared for him or not. His relationship with Stanley also comes to a halt, and they part on good terms.

Durkheims Approach to Sociological Analysis

Durkheims Approach to Sociological Analysis Outline the main features of Durkheims approach to sociological analysis, and discuss how this may be used to understand suicide rate. Durkheim was a French positivist, with an emphasis on functionalism, which revolves around a biological analogy where in society, is seen as an organic whole with each component working to maintain the others, similar to the human body. Its main interest is seeing how these parts create a stable whole. One of the main areas of Durkheims approach is the focus on social facts, these are social phenomena and ways of thinking and behaving that restrain individuals in some manner or other and can include institutions such as the state and education. They appear from collectively formed rules and practices, be they religious or secular and are beyond our control as individuals. Because of these social facts individuals have littler or no control over their own actions, rather than constructing their own world they are directed by the system as society needs certain social behaviours and phenomena to survive. These social facts are passed on from generation to generation and shared among the individuals. From this perspective it is not individual will that drives behaviours but rather the common norms and values of society that shape ones consciousness. Not only are these types of behaviour and thinking external to the individual, but they are endued with a compelling and coercive power b y virtue of which, whether he wishes it or not, they impose themselves upon him (Durkheim, 1895 pp50). These social facts form the basis of a collective consciousness, which Durkheim sees as the body of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society (Durkheim, 1893). This collective consciousness promotes solidarity, forging a common bond between individuals in a society, creating a form of order and stability. Without a form of moral consensus there would be conflict and disorder From where interest is the only ruling for each individual finds himself in a state of was with every other (Durkheim, 1973, p89) Since the collective consciousness is a social fact it too constrains individuals to act in terms of the greater good and for the good of the society and is deeply imprinted on the individual as without it there would be no society as we know it. These social facts can have problems if they regulate too much or not enough, without enough control the individual would give in to their own wants and desires, with too much they would feel repressed, inevitably both will lead to deviance, that being going against the norms and values of society. From a collective consciousness come two forms of solidarity, organic and mechanical. Organic solidarity is based upon a dependence that individuals in an advanced society place on each other. It is common among societies where the division of labor is high. Though individuals perform different tasks and often have different values and interests, the order and survival of society depends on their reliance on each other to perform their specific tasks. Mechanical solidarity on the other hand is based upon the similarities among individuals in a society, within it people feel connected through similar work, education and religious practices. It primarily exists in societies that possess a low division of labour where this is little interdependence between individuals and where there is a basic or lack of organisation and compared to societies with organic solidarity there is more value placed on religion, society and its interests and there is a greater collective consciousness and les s emphasise placed on individualism, that being where you count yourself as an individual rather than part of a group, putting yourself first etc (Haralambos 2004 pp). From organic solidarity and individualism can come anomie, this is a sense of normlessness, where norms themselves are unclear, broken down or unregulated If the rules of the conjugal morality lose their authority, and the mutual obligations of husband and wife become less respected, the emotions and appetites ruled by this sector of morality will become unrestricted and uncontained, and accentuated by this very release; powerless to fulfil themselves because they have been freed from all limitations, these emotions will produce a disillusionment which manifests itself visibly(Durkheim, 1972, p. 173) He noted that it was common in societies that possessed a less defined collective consciousness and a higher amount of individualismThe state of anomie is impossible whenever interdependent organs are sufficiently in cont act and sufficiently extensive. If they are close to each other, they are readily aware, in every situation, of the need which they have of one-another, and consequently they have an active and permanent feeling of mutual dependence.(Durkheim, 1895, p184) Imbalances in the amount of regulation caused by social facts and the amount of integration from solidarity are one of the main factors within suicide, less advanced societies having too much integration and regulation and industrial societies have too littler of either. Durkheim said that suicide was a social act, not entirely an individual one revolving around the relationships between the individual and society. He found that there was a correlation between the suicide rate and various social facts. For example he found that suicide rates were higher in protestant countries than catholic ones, he also found that there was a low rate during times of social and political upheaval due to the amount of solidarity that such events creates (Durkheim in Marsh, pp66-69). He laid out four types of suicide, depending on the degree that individuals were involved in society and on the degree that their behaviour was regulated. The four types being egoistic, anomic, altruistic and fatalistic. Egoistic suicide is common in industrial societies with high amounts of division of labour and comes from a high amount of individualism, which stems from a low amount of integration due to a weak collective consciousness from the social groups from which they originally belonged; in effect society allows the individual to escape it In this case the bond attaching man to life relaxes because that attaching himself to society is itself slack (Durkheim in Marsh pp67). This sort of suicide Durkheim said accounted for the differences of suicide rates between Protestants and Catholics, with Catholicisms demanding a higher amount of conformity, in comparison to the Protestant church that encouraged the individual to interpret the religious texts in their own way without stigma. Another type of suicide common in industrial societies is anomic which results from a low amount of regulation. It occurs when norms and values are disrupted by social change, procuring feelings of uncertainty with in the individual. Whenever serious readjustments take place in the social order, whether or not due to a sudden growth or to an unexpected catastrophe, men are more inclined to self destruction (Durkheim in K. Thompson, 1971, pp109) Durkheim found that suicide rates rose during positive as well as negative directions of social change. He noted that there was a rise after the crash of the Paris stock exchange in 1882 and the conquest of Rome in 1870 by Victor-Emmanuel which resulted in rising salaries and living standards but also a rise in the suicide rate. On the opposite side of the spectrum is altruistic suicide that comes from a high amount of integration and strong feeling of society and solid collective consciousness. This form of suicide is mostly present in pre-industrial societies who possess mechanical solidarity. This was seen as a self sacrifice for the good of the group This sacrifice then is imposed by society for social ends (Durkheim in Marsh, pp68). It is not done because it seen as the best option but more out of a sense of duty to said group. For someone to do such an act out of duty then they must have little self worth, the individual being fully submerged into a group and feeling like just a part of a greater thing, thus highly integrated. For society to be able to compel some of its members to kill themselves, the individual personality can have little value. For as soon as the latter begins to form, the right to existence is the first conceded (Ibid, pp68) Various examples of this can be seen throughout history, Vikings considers it dishonourable to die of old age or sickness and so ended their own lives to avoid social disgrace. Durkheim placed no importance on fatalistic suicide, saying that it had more place in history than in modern societies. It occurred when society restricted an individual so much that they were repressed, feeling that they had no futures or dreams. One of the major criticisms of Durkheims analysis is his concepts of integration and regulation. Durkheim gives no hint as to how one would measure integration or regulation for example he simply asks us to assume that such underlying concepts are significant in relation to the explanation of suicide. He assumes that suicidal behavior results from a deviation from normal levels of integration and regulation. We are given no idea what exactly is a normal level, so we cannot say what amount of regulation and integration is normal or abnormal (Web ref 1). However with some work, it could be possible to come up with various test relating to theses concepts, so that we could measure them among different groups in society. A second criticism is that his work on suicide is based upon official statistics from the 19th century He gives us little idea about the reliability of the source of the statistics and the methods used in recording them could not be up to scratch, some could be wrong, s ince they were hand written things could be misread and so on. Another factor is that the determination of suicide involves is process of interpretation by numerous people such as policemen, doctors, coroners etc (Ibid). In this respect, we have no real way of determining either the reliability or validity of suicide statistics. The coroner is the one who decides whether death was due to suicide or not and various factors can sway his judgment towards it not being so. The individuals verdict depends on their outlook on their work and on their outlook on suicide. Some would be thorough in the investigation whilst others would be concerned about not intruding upon the rights and feelings of the surviving relatives. For example if the victim was Catholic, since traditionally the Catholic Church view suicide as a sin, the coroner may well make his decision based on the effect that the stigma that a suicide verdict carries may have on the relatives. It is known that coroners in Catholic countries such as Italy and Mexico are more-reluctant to classify a suspicious death as suicide than coroners in non-Catholic countries. Another fact is that some countries suicide is classified as a crime, in such countries, coroners tend to be more-reluctant to classify a death as suicide than in countries where such a law does not apply, for example when suicide was illegal in Britain the punishment was that deceased property would be ceased by the state, so it would be justifiable to deem a suicide as something else to avert any more tragedy. Also where the victim was insured against death, coroners tend to be less likely to classify death as suicide than in instances where there is none, as such an act can void the coverage. One final criticism is that he does not take into look into individual action as a cause; however he does briefly acknowledge it but claims that it has no part in sociology (Ibid) Bibliography Durkheim, E (1973). Moral Education. Macmillan USA Durkheim, E (1975). On Morality and Society. revised ed. Chicago: Chicago University Press Durkheim, E (1982). The Rules of the Sociological Method. revised ed. London: The Free Press. Durkheim, E (1997). The Division of Labour in Society. revised ed. London: The Free Press Haralambos and Holborn (2004). Sociology themes and perspectives. 6th ed. London: Collin Marsh.I (1998). Classic and Contemporary Readings in Sociology. London: Pretince Hall. Thompson.K and Tunstall.J (1983). Sociological Perspectives. 9th ed. London: Penguin Books

Jean-Paul Sartre and Louis Althusser as Responses to Vichy France Essay

Jean-Paul Sartre and Louis Althusser as Responses to Vichy France The Second World War seems to have had an enormous impact on theorists writing on literary theory. While their arguments are usually confined to a structure that at first blush seems to only apply to theory, a closer examination finds that they contain an inherently political aspect. Driven by the psychological trauma of the war, theorists, particularly French theorists, find themselves questioning the structures that led to the particular events and situations of the war. Many of these writers found themselves driven to engage the lackluster resistance against the Vichy regime in France and sought critical models that explain or lay to rest the guilt of a complacent citizenry. In particular, Jean-Paul Sartre and Louis Althusser reshaped the notion of the author and the subject to encompass the existence of a complacent citizenry. Sartre primarily concerned himself with the role of the author while Althusser addressed the role of the subject. It must be remembered, however, that Sartre’s model of the committed author has implications that modify the notion of the subject to some extent, just as Althusser’s model of ideology modifies the concept of the author. In accordance to their focus (the author or the subject), the two writers come to contradictory conclusions regarding the role of personal responsibility. Addressing the issue of a complacent citizenry in â€Å"What is Literature?†, Sartre’s abstract notions of the writer reveal a certain preoccupation with the failed resistance in World War II. Specifically, he chooses to directly address the Resistance poets: How can one hope to provoke the indignation or the political enthusiasm of the rea... ... the complexity and the guilt of a complacent citizenry, both writers re-evaluated the idea of the author and the subject. In spite of being largely contradictory, they both leave room for some agreement. One could argue that the choice presented by the author to the subject in Sartre fits within Althusser’s ideology of ideologies. Insofar as it is the author’s responsibility to reveal the ideology, the world, to the subject and it is the subject’s responsibility to interpret the ideology or the text. However, this common ground is both narrow and unstable and would be difficult, at best, to support. References Althusser, Louis. â€Å"Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses.† Contemproary Critical Theory. Dan Latimer (ed.). San Diego: Harcourt 1989. Sartre, Jean-Paul. â€Å"What is Literature?† and Other Essays. Cambradge, MA: Harvard University Press 1988.

Events Leading to American independence :: American History, The Coercive Acts

Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts (1774)They were harsh actions that were made to keep the colonists in check. The Coercive Acts did not make the colonists very happy. The Coercive Acts included: closing Boston Harbor and they made them pay for the tea that they dumped in the harbor. They also reminded them of the quartering act which forced colonists to give British soldiers a home and a hot meal when they wanted. The last action they did was removed all town meetings they have. These actions made the colonists turn against Britain even more.Continental Congress (1774)They first met in Philadelphia. They had 56 delegates for the continental congress. Every colony besides Georgia sent delegates. They discussed how to get a good militia. They discussed what to boycott and what was going to be in the Statement of Grievances. They did not know that there would be a Second Continental Congress. Second Continental Congress (1775)They held their first meeting on May 10, 1775. All 13 colonies sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress. They authorized the printing of money. The Second Continental Congress set up the very first post office. The Continental Congress created the continental army which helped make the colonies win. The Continental Congress was a key part of the war that was to come.The Boston Massacre (1770)The redcoats over reacted when the colonists were throwing snowballs and other harmless items. The Colonists were taunting the redcoats. The redcoats thought that a riot was starting. Paul Revere, being a silver smith used this to his advantage. He engraved the image of the Boston massacre into silver and used that as propaganda. They used this to gain support of the colonists. There were 8 killed colonists.Taxes to Pay for War Debt (1764) Britain first decided that they wanted to help the colonists and pay for the war that was between them and the French. They won the French and Indian War. After the war Britain decided to raise the taxes by a lot . This was one of the many catalysts of the Declaring Independence from Britain. This made even more people join the side with the colonists because of the tax raises. They all wanted the taxes repealed. So they boycotted buying all foods that had a big tax on them. They even boycotted some of the very simple everyday life foods that you must have. They added many other taxes for Tea that was raised in tax by double.

Symptoms of ADD/ADHD Essay -- Disease, Disorders

You know that person; the one that can’t stay on subject, the one who will be talking then all of a sudden the conversation goes off in a totally different direction, like a squirrel searching for nuts that keeps dropping the one it is carrying because something else caught its eye. Chaotic, frazzled, impulsive, unorganized, daydreamer, procrastinator, inattentive, goof off and lazy are just a few descriptions of an adult that has Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD). At one time ADD/ADHD was thought of as just childhood complications that did not affect adults, but since there is no cure for ADD/ADHD, adults are affected also. Most adults that have ADD/ADHD were not diagnosed with it as children, because ADD/ADHD wasn’t recognized except by a very few people that were aware of it at the time (Smith and Segal, 2012). Instead as children they were labeled as lazy, trouble makers, day dreamers and other labels and they grew into adults with those same labels and tendencies. They may have learned to adjust during the teen years but as they became adults and responsibilities and demands on their time grew, the challenges of dealing with ADD/ADHD also grew. ADD/ADHD affects 4-5 percent of all adults, more than 11 million in the United States (Barkley). When not diagnosed and treated it can impact all areas of life including work, home and social relationships. With treatment adults, and children, with ADD/ADHD can learn to compensate and overcome the symptoms and challenges they face with ADD/ADHD on a daily basis to lead productive lives. Symptoms of ADD/ADDHD aren’t the same in adults as in children and do not present themselves the same in each individual. Some common adult symptoms of A... ...d Treatment. Retrieved from www.helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_adult symptoms.htm (March 20,2012) Mayo Clinic Staff, (January 8, 2010). Adult ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder)- Comprehensive overview covers symptoms, diagnosis, treatment of adult ADHD. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/adult-adhd/ds01161 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In Adults Adult ADHD- a Misunderstood Potential/Symptoms/Treatment/Self Help Adult ADHD copyright 2012 Retrieved from http://www.adultadhd.net (March 20, 2012) Reviewed by Amal Chakraburtty, MD March 1, 2010 for Webmd ADHD in Adults: Symptoms, Statsitics, Causes, Types, Treatments, and More Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: ADHD in Adults Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-adults (March 20, 2012)

Health Care Providers

HIPAA is a very important health care law that all health care providers are required to comply with and is designed to simplify administrative aspects of health care. Established in 1996 HIPAA is used to protect and secure the privacy of patients’ health care information and health insurance portability. It also standardizes electronic data transactions(Austin, Wetle, & Wetle, 2012). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA is a federally enacted law, although if the state has stricter guidelines healthcare providers must fallow the state’s law. For example HIPAA requires the health care provider to keep documents for 6 years after the last date of service, and the state requires health care providers to keep documents for 10 years after the last date of service, than the health care provider must fallow the states guidelines for these types of things. There are many key facts that a health care employee should know about the HIPAA law. On the first date of service the patient must be presented with a written HIPAA notice, although they are not required to sign the notice to receive treatment. The health care provider must have record of a good faith effort, and document the refusal with a reason for the refusal as well. The HIPAA notice must be written in plain language, state the rights the patient has, how their protected health information (PHI)is used and disclosed, and how to contact HIPAA with questions or complaints. Health care providers must promptly revise and distribute notices when there are any changes. Spoken, written, and electronic information are all protected under HIPAA. HIPAA stresses to health care providers that they must avoid incidental use and disclosing patient information. Violation of this can result in severe consequences such as civil fines of up to $50k, 1 year in prison or both, obtaining information on false pretenses result in 5 years of prison time or $100k in fines, or both, If protected health information is disclosed a $250k fine or 10 years of prison time or both is imposed. All of these consequences are per violation. These regulations affect everyone involved with the health care facility because it affects how people do their jobs, what resources are available to them, how the patients are treated, and how well the employees fallow the regulations.

Music: the Medicine of the Mind

Music can have effects on the human brain that are hard to exaggerate. For instance, a mere snippet of song can trigger one’s memories so vividly. A tune can induce emotions ranging from unabashed joy to deep sorrow and can drive listeners into states of patriotic fervour or religious frenzy–to say nothing of its legendary ability to soothe the savage beast. The study of how music affects the mind and the interconnection between music and the physical and mental health of human beings has been a subject of interest for many.Music is known to speed the recovery of health ailments and has a calming effect on the mind. Music helps fight anxiety and has a soothing effect on the brain. Music may affect the brain/mind by increasing creativity and problem solving skills; concentration and memory; and speeding up healing. Music increases creativity and problem-solving skills. Music enhances creativity, by positively impacting the right side of the brain where most of oneâ€℠¢s creative thought is situated and triggering brain centres which deal with enhancing creativity.For example, according to the article â€Å"Healing by Music Therapy – Ragas† From the online magazine: ‘Akhand Jyoti’, certain ragas (A pattern of notes in Indian music that have characteristic intervals, rhythms, and embellishments, used as a basis for improvisation) activate the chakras of the body, thus giving the individual an added advantage in other creative tasks. Additionally, music increases spatial and abstract reasoning skills required in tackling problems, solving puzzles and decision-making.Moreover, according to Eric H. Chudler, Ph. D. , a lecturer at the Washington University Faculty of Music, â€Å"the brain responds to the â€Å"Mozart Effect†; listening to classical music for a period of 10 minutes appears to increase your creative abilities. † Therefore, listening to Mozart's music positively affects the spatial-temporal reaso ning, simply put; it ‘makes one smarter’. Furthermore, music increases concentration levels and improves memory.According to the online article â€Å"The Brain on Music† by the neurologist Dr. Ellen Weber; â€Å"Classical music, such as Haydn and Mozart, often improves concentration and memory when played in the background. † Hence, music helps increase your concentration levels a great deal. In addition, music has a calming effect on the mind, so, the calmer the mind, the easier it is to focus and concentrate. Additionally, music has been found to increase memory levels of Alzheimer's and dementia patients.The silence between two musical notes triggers brain cells which are responsible for the development of sharp memory. Flute music, and instruments like the santoor and sarod are recommended for the enhancement of concentration and memory. Also, classical music improves the ability to recall what's retained in the brain in the form of memory. Strong beat s cause the brain waves to resonate in synch with the beat, thus, leading to increased levels of concentration and increased mental alertness. Moreover, music acts as a catalyst in the healing process.According to the online article â€Å"Music and the Healing Process† from the Thorburn Associates Acoustic and Technology Consultants website, â€Å"There is also significant research that music can be used in medicine to help manage pain, reduce anxiety†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hence, music is an effective distraction from pain and suffering of the sick and injured, however, music not only diverts the mind from pain, but also helps bring about certain chemical changes in the brain, such as, enabling one’s mind to secrete endorphins that speed up the process of healing.As a result, music therapy is recommended for patients of high blood pressure, heart diseases and even cancer, so, music may be considered as therapeutic in pain management. Therefore, listening to melodious, comfort ing music is sure to have a positive effect on the physical and mental well-being of patients. If not cure every ailment, music definitely creates hope in the minds of patients – a hope to recover. And when nothing else works, only hope does. To sum up, increased creativity and problem solving skills; concentration and memory levels; and speedy healing, are the effects music has on the mind/brain.Music really affects the human mind a great deal. So much so, that it influences one’s physical and mental state. Music aids in the speedy recovery of ailments by diverting the mind away from the pain as well as through chemical changes in the brain brought about by music which catalyse the healing process. In addition music calms the mind, helps fight anxiety and has a soothing effect on the brain, thus, increasing one’s concentration and memory levels. Lastly, through triggering brain centres and stimulation of the right side of the brain, music enhances an individual ’s creativity and problem-solving skills.

Launching Indian Fast Food in Bulgaria

The country I would choose to launch the Indian Fast Food would be Bulgaria. In order to evaluate the marketing strategy we have to make research and to discover the differences between the Bulgarian and the UK market 1. Fast food in Bulgaria There is a little amount of information regarding the fast food market free on internet. A survey, done by Synovate (Synovate, 2009), shows that the Bulgarians love fast food more than that Americans and the Brits. According to the survey more than 68% of the people in Bulgaria confirm that they like so much the taste of the fast food that they can’t give it up.The survey also shows that there is a real passion for fast food in Bulgaria. Compared to the matured market like US and the UK the Bulgarians still find the quick service restaurants quite trendy and creative. Moreover there is no sign of the consumption to go down. The main players on the market are McDonald’s (since 1994), KFC (since 1994), SubWay (since 2008). In Bulgari a there is difference between the burger and sandwich fast food and the typical Bulgarian fast food, which offers pre-cooked or fast prepared dishes.Typical Bulgarian fast food chains are Happy, Ugo, Divaka. They all are quick service restaurants. And all of the fast food chains international and domestic are experiencing substantial growth during the years. 2. Indian restaurant in Bulgaria The next step is to check the market and the appearance of Indian food in the country. Actually after a short research in the internet I have found just four Indian restaurants Gurkha, Saffron, Kohinoor and Taj Mahal (Inyourpocket, 2012), all of them are in Sofia.Checking the online published menus confirm that the Indian food is expensive and therefore is accepted as exclusive high standard cuisine. 3. Demographic research The third issue is demographic research. Are there any Indian groups living in Bulgaria? In the research done online there are no traces of substantial number Indians living i n Bulgaria. 4. Identifying the differences in the marketing strategy Armed with the research information I would point the first difference from the original projects. The two segments of consumers identified in UK are not applicable in Bulgaria.There is no Indian society and the people are not familiar with the Indian food. A new primary research should be conducted in order to identify and segment the clients. Next- the marketing strategy should be changed to meet those needs. In the UK in terms of consumer value created we are going to meet stated needs by the interviewed potential clients. In Bulgaria we will have to create value by offering completely new cuisine. We need to create hunger for Indian food in the potential clients. We will do it with the mystic of the Indian food offering it at a very good price.So in terms of positioning strategy we will compete mainly with the fast food restaurants offering cooked food and not much with the sandwich and burger fast food. Compet ing with the Indian restaurants will be in the part of food delivery and again targeting the fast food segment we won’t have big difficulties beating them with better prices. Because of the huge demographic differences in the country I do not believe that the service should be offered nationally. I would rather choose between three and four big cities for launching the restaurants.Another interesting spot to open a fast food restaurant is on the highway. The segment targeted will completely differ from the two identified in the UK Market. As potential clients I would point the people practicing Yoga. 5. Identifying differences in the marketing mix Because the product will be completely new for the local clients the menu variety must be easily recognizable. The primary research will give a better idea about the taste of the people and expectations they have. In terms of pricing there is huge difference between the UK and Bulgaria so the prices should be adjusted accordingly.An d again the prices should be in a close competition with the fast food restaurants offering cooked meals. The places for the restaurants are going to differ from those in the UK for example. The reason is that in Bulgaria the train stations are usually used by the people below or around the poverty line. So the locations should be chosen carefully. I would start with one in the city center in Sofia, another in some of the city malls and third in the biggest business park where more than 10Â  000 are working every day.Again changes in the promotions should be made not only to make the clients enter the restaurants but also to make them try the food. A promotion mix should be selected very carefully so to turn every new client into regular one. With having most of the main differences identified I still believe that launching Indian fast food restaurants will be successful. First because the people love it, second because they use it on daily basis, third because the dining out cultu re is highly accepted in the bigger cities.Another reason is that the people use for centuries the Indian species, moreover we love spicy hot dishes, and finally but not least Bulgarians are open to try new things especially when it comes to food. Inyourpocket, 2012. Inyourpocket. [Online] Available at: http://www. inyourpocket. com/Bulgaria/Sofia/Restaurants-and-Cafes/Indian [Accessed 22 11 2012]. Synovate, 2009. Softpedia. [Online] Available at: http://news. softpedia. com/news/Bulgaria-Is-the-Real-Fast-Food-Nation-Study-Reveals-113448. shtml [Accessed 22 11 2012].