Living in a Global Society Rubric

Living in a Global Society Integrated Unit Assignment and Rubric/Feedback Sheet Description: Teacher candidates will develop an instructional unit based on a realistic fiction trade book. Additional information: 1. The selected trade book will have part or all of its setting in a country other than the United States of America. 2. The unit will display integration of language arts (English usage, writing/composition, and spelling), reading (comprehension and fluency), math, science, social studies, the arts, physical education, and student use of technology. . The arts, physical education, and technology will need to be integrated into only one lesson each somewhere within your unit. These do not need to be done on a daily basis. b. Language arts, reading, math, science, social studies will need to be integrated into each day’s instructional planning. 3. Learning activities need to incorporate at least three of the five following items: a. Culture and cultural diversity b. Tim e, continuity, and change c. Economic, scientific, and technological development d. Individuals, groups, and institutions . Civic ideals and practice of the country that is the setting of the book 4. The integrated unit will cover three complete days’ instruction. Local pacing guides are not to be taken into account. The three days of instruction will be done on Plan Book Sheets. Please indicate content areas that are being integrated. 5. All appropriate standards for each integrated lesson are to be listed. 6. Template for submitting on following page. 7. One full day’s instruction will also be developed using the Blueprint Lesson Plan format.Candidates will pick any one of the three days developed on Plan Book Sheets as the day that also gets Lesson Plans. 8. Candidates will have an individual checkpoint meeting with their instructor to ensure appropriate progress is being made towards completion of this assignment. 9. Candidates will bring a copy of their Rubric/Res ponse Sheet for Individual Unit Meetings to their unit meeting with starred items completed before meeting 10. Completed unit assignments will be submitted in a zip bag on a flash drive with rubric.After any editing, the candidate will upload finalized version to Task Stream. 11. Please email questions to me at emily. [email  protected] edu ELE 4030: Living in a Global Society Plan Book Sheet for Unit Assignment Trade book used and grade level of instruction: Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan – Grade 4 Instructional day: (Circle appropriate one) Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Focus for this day: Introduction of Story – Vocabulary, Geography, Science and Math Content area (s) addressed in this lesson: Reading, Writing , Geography, Social Studies , Science and MathReado ELE 4030: Living in a Global Society Plan Book Sheet for Unit Assignment Trade book used and grade level of instruction: Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan – Grade 4 Instructional day: (Circle appropriate one) Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Focus for this day: Continuation of Story – Comprehension, Geography, Science and Math Content area (s) addressed in this lesson: Reading, Writing , Geography, Social Studies , Science and Math Reado ELE 4030: Living in a Global Society Plan Book Sheet for Unit AssignmentTrade book used and grade level of instruction: Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan – Grade 4 Instructional day: (Circle appropriate one) Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Focus for this day: Conclusion of Story – Comprehension, Geography, Science and Math Content area (s) addressed in this lesson: Reading, Writing , Geography, Social Studies , Science and Math Reado The University of North Carolina at Pembroke School of Education – Teacher Education ELE 4030: Living in a Global Society Integrated Unit Assignment and Rubric/Feedback Sheet Candidate: | |Aspect of Assignment | Possible points | |Cover sheet (Candidate’s name, course, semester & year, Integrated Unit based on †¦ (na me of trade book), level of |-10 if missing or | |instruction |incomplete | |Plan book sheet completeness & clarity |10 | |Lesson plans in Elementary Lesson Plan Format, completeness, and clarity |10 | |Curriculum integration |10 | |Language arts strategies |10 | |Reading strategies |10 | |Math strategies |10 | |Science strategies |10 |Social studies strategies |10 | |Arts strategies |5 | |Physical education strategies |5 | |Student use of technology |5 | |Developmental appropriateness |5 | |Total points earned out of 100 & Instructor comments | | | |/100 | | | | University of North Carolina at Pembroke School of Education – Elementary Education Department Rubric/Response Sheet for Individual Unit Meetings **Candidate: Cristy Prince | |**Book used & author: Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan | |**Appointment day & time: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 4:00 p. m. | |Aspect of Assignment |Possible Points | |On time for appointment |10 | |One day’s Plan Book Sheets | 20 | |Three Lesson Plans in Elementary Lesson Plan Format |20 | |Curriculum Integration 20 | |Meshing of activities with appropriate standards |20 | |Clarity/precise language |10 | | |100 | |Subtotal | | |Rubric not provided by candidate |-15 | |Rubric provided but starred items not completed |-15 | | | | |Total | | Comments: ———————– Standards/Competencies: English Language Arts – Goal 1: The learner will apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write. Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed. Goal 3: The learner will make connections with text through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, visual and written texts. Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively. Social Studies – Goal 2: The learn er will examine the importance of the role of ethnic groups and examine the multiple roles they have played in the development of North Carolina. Science – Goal 1: The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of animal behavior and adaptation. Math – Goal 1: Number and Operations – The learner will read, write, model, and compute with non-negative rational numbers. Activities/Strategies: We will begin the day with the reading of Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan.The teacher will read aloud the first 10 chapters, stopping along the way to introduce vocabulary (Norway, Norse, kroner, Nazi, etc. ) and geography (Norway, the Arctic Circle, Poland, Germany, Britain, and France). The day’s activities will also include a summary written by the students on what has been read to them thus far. They will be asked to begin to think what role the Norse have played in the development of our country and what, if any, they have p layed in our state. We will also discuss how both humans and animals adapt to such a cold, harsh climate. During math, we will continue talking about Norway and their system of currency. We will work on currency conversions, starting with a basic lesson and then moving on to using the web site www. xe. om to practice further. We will further this concept in the computer lab in the afternoon with www. ixl. com. Standards/Competencies: English Language Arts – Goal 1: The learner will apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write. Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed. Goal 3: The learner will make connections with text through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology. Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, visual and written texts. Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.Social Studies – Go al 2: The learner will examine the importance of the role of ethnic groups and examine the multiple roles they have played in the development of North Carolina. Science – Goal 1: The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of animal behavior and adaptation. Math – Goal 1: Number and Operations – The learner will read, write, model, and compute with non-negative rational numbers. Activities/Strategies: We will begin the day with the reading of Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan. The teacher will read aloud chapters 11-20, stopping along the way to introduce any new vocabulary and/or geography. The day’s activities will also include a summary written by the students on what has been read to them thus far.They will be asked to revisit our discussion about what role the Norse have played in the development of our country and what, if any, they have played in our state. We will also discuss what animals indigenous to ou r country could survive in Norway. During math, we will continue talking about Norway and how they moved their gold from the cave to the Snake. We will work on word problems that revisit such a conundrum to figure what it would take to move amounts from site to site. We will further this concept in the computer lab in the afternoon with www. ixl. com. Standards/Competencies: English Language Arts – Goal 1: The learner will apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write. Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.Goal 3: The learner will make connections with text through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology. Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, visual and written texts. Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively. Social Studies – Goal 2: The learner will examine the importance of the role of ethnic groups and examine the multiple roles they have played in the development of North Carolina. Science – Goal 1: The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of animal behavior and adaptation. Math – Goal 4: Data Analysis and Probability – The learner will understand and use graphs, probability, and data analysis.Healthful Living Education – Goal 6: The learner will demonstrate competency in a variety of movement forms and proficiency in a few to gain competence towards lifetime physical activities (NASPE Standard 1). Activities/Strategies: We will begin the day with the reading of Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan. The teacher will read aloud chapters 21-30, stopping along the way to introduce any new vocabulary and/or geography. The day’s activities will also include a summary written by the students on what has been read to them thus far. They will be asked to revisit our discussion about what role the Norse have played in the development of our country and what, if any, they have played in our state.Students will be asked to draw pictures of what adaptations they believe that we as North Carolinians would need to make to survive in Norway. In this picture, they will also draw a picture of their favorite NC indigenous animal with their adaptations. During math, we will wrap up our discussion on Norway with a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the Norse with Americans. We will further this with a bar graph of what students believe to be attributes common to both countries. To wrap-up our journey into Norway, we will practice our â€Å"sled-moves† during recess. The students will work both individually as well as in pairs to come up with the most original slalom.

Discussion of Former Child Soldiers with Ptsd and the Available Treatments

In his magazine article describing the obscene violence that is currently going on in Uganda, Christopher Hitchenssits down with a boy named James at a rehab center. James was fortunate enough to escape being a slave to Kony, when he was marched all the way to Sudan, where an ambush ensued and James got away. Marching long distances was an initiation technique used by the Lord’s Resistance Army in order to herd out the weaker boys. If a boy was too tired to go on, the other slaves were forced to brutally beat him to death. Before the march, James was savagely flogged with a wire lash and spared from having to kill his own family which is a frequent method of registration practised by the Lord’sResistance Army. No doubt, these experiences would have a negative developmental affect on any child, perhaps developing PTSD. Hitchens writes that when he was speaking to James, the boy would sit perfectly still in his chair, stoic, but when it came time for James to share his story, he began twisting in his chair. Along with rubbing his eyes and making waving gestures with his arms, these restless and jumpy behaviours are common symptoms of PTSD. What is the impact on a child who was forced to kill someone? Are the outcomes of this experience just as severe as witnessing a murder or being raped? Future research must dissect these varying forms of war trauma and compare the severity of a specificexperience to the negative developmental outcomes. Though the analyses of the data collected from these smalls groups seems exhausting, it is vital in order to better understand the individual. Slowly but surely, the research gathered surrounding specific traumatic experiences, will uncover more sophisticated strategies in the rehabilitation of former child soldiers. Participants were taught to verbalize the traumatic Overwhelming Events and that these events and the accompanying emotions might no longer be processed on a conscious level and could produce psychological disequilibrium. They were then taught that these traumatic events and emotions are often encapsulated in their subconscious memory as a coping device and that encapsulating the events and emotions can cause physical symptoms – Somatisation. Participants learned to recognize the psychological and physical bondage of these traumatic events and to acknowledge that these were beyond their control. This was followed by selecting a Companion to Release the encapsulated events to and leads to greater freedom from the emotional bondage. Recognizing their own Resilience as based on their individual strengths leads to the emergence of a New-Self, which leads to Rebuilding their social structure. A final Commencement celebration serves to integrate the learning as well as to initiate a bridge between the former child soldiers and their community. The vulnerability of a child who has just witnessed the destruction of their village and possibly the murder of their family, allows warlords to brainwash them and force them to perform sinister acts of violence. While being enslaved, a child’s once innocent mind is often flooded with warped views by their captor, and turned into an irrational killing machine. The effects of this are devastating on several levels; psychological, emotional, social and physical. As the previously discussed studies prove, it is crucial for research to continue surrounding the mental health outcomes of child soldiers in any war torn country. References Bayer, C. P. , Klasen, F. , Adam, H. (2007). Association of Trauma and PTSD Symptoms WithOpenness to Reconciliation and Feelings of Revenge Among Former Ugandan and Congolese Child Soldiers. JAMA, 298(5), 555 – 559. Hitchens, C. (2006). Childhood’s End. Vanity Fair, Jan 2006, 58 – 64. Onyut, L. P. , Neuner, F. , Schauer, E. , Ertl, V, Odenwald, Shauer, M. , Elbert, T. (2005). Narrative Exposure Therapy as a treatment for child war survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder: Two case reports and a pilot study in an African refugee settlement. BMC Psychiatry, 5:7

Analysis of Fuzzy Logic

Analysis of Fuzzy Logic This was a paper on Fuzzy Logic I wrote for my Programming in C++ Intro class, I dont think it is very good myself. You could probably use it in a intro to computers class, or some kind of high school programming class. I have no idea what I got on the paper, I dont have the graded copy any more. This would be a great paper to use as a starting point. Hope this saves you some time and effort. Fuzzy Logic What is fuzzy logic? How does it differ from conventional logic? Who discovered fuzzy logic? How can it be used today? How is it being used, and by whom? These questions are questions I will attempt to answer in this brief discussion of fuzzy logic, so let us begin. The first and most important question is What is fuzzy logic? Fuzzy logic the logic people use in day to day decisions. Instead of all items falling into one set, as in conventional logic, items can fall into multiple sets. A good example would be the big cat question. There are two sets in this problem The cat is golden, and The cat is black. A lion clearly fits into the first set The cat is golden. A Black Panther clearly fits into the second set The cat is black. But what about a jaguar, it has a golden coat with black spots, it does not clearly fit into any one of the sets, so it a part of both. The main difference between fuzzy logic, and conventional logic is this. Conventional logic holds that something cannot be a mender of two sets. Fuzzy logic holds that things can be a part of multiple sets. The term fuzzy logic was brought forth in 1965 by a professor at the University of Berkeley, named Lofti A. Zadeh. Zadeh wondered why it was that people can base decisions on imprecise, non-numerical information, yet they are better at making complex decisions that machines. These ideas were presented to the world in 1973, in his paper titles Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics. In this paper Zadeh introduced the idea of a linguistic variable, and a fuzzy IF-THEN rule. The concepts introduced in this paper paved the way for real world applications. Now a days fuzzy logic is being used in many different fields, and in many different ways. Some fuzzy-based consumer products include camcorders, washing machines, color TVs, and fuzzy computer chips. Unfortunately the US has been very slow to use this new type of logic. All of the products listed above were created by Japanese companies. Part of the reason US companies were so slow to utilize this new type of logic my stem from cultural differences between the eastern, and western ways of thinking. In conclusion fuzzy logic has many applications that havent even been explored yet, and in some applications it is better than conventional logic.

The Impact of Semi-Passive RFID Tags on the UK Warehouse Operations Essay

The Impact of Semi-Passive RFID Tags on the UK Warehouse Operations Performance - Essay Example ight be used in warehousing and, when they are used, what benefits have resulted from their use in both the warehouse situation and allied industries. The challenges to be overcome in the use of BAP tags and the solutions offered will also be studied. Thereafter the principal objective will be - through an in depth survey of the industry - to attempt to understand the concerns of non-users, asses the reactions of current users and their future intentions, and offer suggestions for greater application of, and improvements in, BAP tags for the warehousing industry. RFID technology was developed in World War II in order to distinguish between enemy and allied aircraft and to prevent â€Å"friendly fire† incidents (Mital & Ives, 2003; Weis, 2009). Refined in 1948 for ‘civilian’ use (Roberts, 2006) the system consists of â€Å"two basic components – a transponder [the tag itself] and a transceiver [the reader]. The tag comprises an antenna and an integrated circuit which requires a power input (Mital & Ives, 2003). This comes from the transceiver [reader] through a tiny antenna. The transponder gathers energy from the magnetic field, processes the information and passes it back to the reader for processing (Mital & Ives, 2003). There are three types of tag: (a) passive - draws energy from the transponder (b) active, containing a small battery and (c) semi-passive - battery powered but requires signal from the transponder for activation [i.e. conserves energy when dormant] (Angeles, 2005). Ambient vibration energy was s uccessfully used to boost BAP battery power (Lai et al., 2005). The performance of the tags depends on their type and the frequencies used. They may be divided roughly into three groups: (a) low [100-500 kHz] - tags are mostly passive and the reading distance is short [0-3.5 m]; (b) intermediate [10-15 MHz] - reading range of 0-10 m; (c) high [850-950 MHz and 2.4-5.8 GHz] - the reading distance is commonly 50-100 m with, under favourable

Compare and contrast disparate treatment and disparate impact Essay

Compare and contrast disparate treatment and disparate impact - Essay Example In all disparate treatment cases, â€Å"whether the issue is the truth or falsity of the employer's reason for its action, or the co-existence of legitimate and illegitimate motives, whether the plaintiff puts on direct or circumstantial evidence, or both, the issue at the liability stage is simply whether the plaintiff has shown, by a preponderance of the evidence, that discrimination was a motivating factor in the employment decision.† (Drachsler, 2005, p.230) The Civil Rights Act of 1991, further extended these provisions and consolidated the list of prohibitions. But the application of Disparate Treatment theory to any given case is never straight-forward, for management decisions are based upon so many factors, with prejudice and discrimination (if any) often playing out in subtle and indirect ways. Judge Magnuson elaborated on 1991 amendments thus: â€Å"Absent from the statute is the requirement that discrimination be a "substantial" factor, a "but-for" factor, or the necessary and sufficient cause of the employment decision. Instead, Congress unambiguously required that discrimination be "a" motivating factor in the employment decision.

Elevating Brand Values Through Corporate Social Responsibility in Essay

Elevating Brand Values Through Corporate Social Responsibility in China A Study on Sporting Goods Companies - Essay Example On the other hand, advocators of CSR say that companies exhibiting social responsibilities can gain the trust of customers thereby increasing sales. In China, the CSR activities are conducted more for serving the interests of the government than the consumers and therefore companies mostly focus on ethical issues that are initiated by the government. This paper is based on a survey conducted on 200 Chinese consumers and also representatives from Nike and Adidas to assess their perception on CSR activities of their companies. The survey result showed that although majority of people are aware of CSR activities, almost 65 percent of the respondents’ purchase decisions are not affected by a company’s CSR activities. In contrast, the company respondents generally felt that although CSR activities are necessary for positive responses from customers, only 22 percent of them felt that CSR activities are responsible for their companies’ success. Corporate social responsibility is one of the main aspects that almost all the organizations in the world now focusing at. In its earlier stage, the performance of any organization was always measured by its overall business volume, its awareness among the people across the globe and by its innovativeness. But in modern age, along with the business performance, corporate social responsibility also plays an important role in creating value for the organization in the society. Moreover, different organizations across the globe now use CSR strategies as one of their branding and promotional activities to reach out to more consumers across the globe. The Cone Communications/Echo Global CSR Study organized by The Cone Communications, 2013, carried out a clear fact about the test to enterprises in present world’s continuously challenging and ever changing market place, and that is: the challenge of creating a â€Å"real and meaningful impact†. In modern world the question is not about engaging in Corporate

Components of Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Components of - Research Proposal Example Components of Research Proposal This paper, thus, aims to discuss research proposals and their components, in order to equip the reader with at least an idea pertaining to how to write a research proposal. Discussion A research proposal defined is a statement of intent to explore a subject or topic, and following is a detailed plan for this exploration. A student seeks the help of more experienced people, such as their faculty professors for supervision of their research, as well as guidance. For this reason, the students must ensure that the research proposal they prepare is useful, as well as acceptable, and feasible, for every person involved (Kolb, 2008). One can consider a researcher to be a voyager on the path to discovery, where the proposal is the star that guides their journey and help them avoid fault turns. A few essential sections are needed in every research proposal in order to be complete, other than the title page, abstract and table of contents. These are: Introduction When one embarks on the task of exploring something, it always helps to start with a vague yet much needed description of what the research question actually is. This description is a brief statement of the reason for interest in the topic, and the general nature of the concern. There are several possibilities for the themes, which the introduction can have (Ethridge, 2004). It may describe a person or coalition, which raises an issue for the researcher such as change in law affecting taxation in municipalities. Other than this, the topic may just be one that is a subject of interest of concern for the researcher, for which there is not enough information available. Finally, the topic may be related to something that provokes the researchers’ curiosity, like wanting to know what the conflicting opinions of citizens about health policies in a certain area (Ethridge, 2004). The proposal must go on to turn this general concept into a specific research question, which reveals the authors area of focus and th e hypothesis it plans to test (Kolb, 2008). The question should be one that challenges or explores a concept, and one that the researcher cannot yet answer. One way of narrowing the proposal down to one such question is to first draft a proposal with several questions, and then specify the line of inquiry. Objectives & Rationale In the objectives, the researcher states their aims from the research, and the specific and general goals it has. The rationale of the proposal (Jansen, 1997) brings forward the problems one can expect from the research, and any limitations that the researchers will face during it. It discusses these while keeping in focus the main purpose for wanting to conduct the research, the ‘rationale.’ Research Statement Here, the researcher will state the research question mentioned above, with brevity and clarity. They will also mention their intentions in the research, and the achievements they have planned. The thesis of the paper, which will follow l ater on, will revolve around this question. Theoretical Framework (Literature Review) The literature review of the paper will consist of a heavy amount of research, from formal and scholarly sources. This will consist of information both theoretical and empirical. This information will be required to present an argument in light of the question, whether by purporting it or opposing it, in order to build a clearer understanding of the topic (Ethridge, 2004).

Contract law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Contract law - Essay Example Generally, for a contract to exist and to be valid more weight is directed to the intention of creating legal relationship by all parties involved.1 Under this case of Bob versus Alan, it is evident that both parties have an intention to create a legal relationship between them. So we can say that it is enforceable contract, because of both Bob and Alan intention to create this legal relationship. Also there is an element of consideration whereby there is a price agreed upon of â‚ ¤725. It is also evident that both Alan and Bob had the contractual capacity to contract, for example, we find that Bob had a child, meaning that he had attained age of majority and that he was free to enter into contract without duress. Also both parties agreed to contract because when Alan approached Bob to purchase the item he was not forced to do so by Bob. The aspect of the nature of business being undertaken is lawful and therefore Bob and Alan were not involved in any illegal business. In this case of Bob versus Alan we can explicitly conclude that the major element of contract in question is that of offer and acceptance. There was evidenced of an offer being made by Bob through an advert in the Wormskirk Evening Gazette that read as follows; ‘Utopian Penny Red stamp, one only, â‚ ¤750 or nearest offer’. According to the rules of offer, an offer can be made to the public or to a specific person, but it cannot shape the foundation of a contract until it has been accepted by an established individual. In this case of Bob versus Alan it was immaterial to whom the offer was directed to. Such offers made through advertisement can be accepted by anyone just by acting upon them and in this case Alan responded to the advert and acted upon it. Another rule of offer is that an offer can be made orally, in writing or by conduct. Usually the person making the offer is called an offeror

Compassion of Strangers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Compassion of Strangers - Essay Example Nying Je can be paraphrased as love and respect--compassion in its purest form is ‘unconditional and universal in scope’. The Dalai Lama’s compassion is described differently and in a much wider context, encompassing a notion that some of us might describe as unconditional love: "At the heart of Buddhist philosophy is the notion of compassion for others†¦[it] is not the usual love one has for friends or family. The love[†¦]is the kind one can have even for another who has done one harm. Developing a kind heart does not always involve any †¦ sentimental religiosity [†¦] It is not just for people who believe in religions; it is for everyone who considers himself or herself to be a member of the human family, and thus sees things in accordingly large terms.† In essence, this love is for all sentient beings as an extension of oneself. The writer continues, noting that "the rationale for universal compassion is based on the same principle of spiritual democracy[†¦]the true acceptance of the principle of democracy requires that we think and act in terms of the common goo d.† Compassion, in this essay, takes on a significance slightly different than that commonly accepted by western civilization. We feel compassion as a type of absent sympathy, as something that touches us, sometimes profoundly, on the part of another; however, compassion in our society is largely a secondary emotion. According to His Holiness, however, true compassion is a selflessness that lends itself everywhere and to everything; in the moment that a compassionate human being witnesses the suffering of another, that human being is immediately moved and internally obligated to do whatever possible to alleviate said suffering. Within compassion is mentioned the concept of universal responsibility, as both an offshoot and a critical component of this emotion: "[†¦]

Inheritance Of Tools Essay Example for Free

Inheritance Of Tools Essay Glessing 1 The Passing Down of Tools Inheriting tools allows my family to pass on generations of hard work, detail, and precision. I am the recipient of the huge, black, Severson drill press given to me by my great grand father, who came over from Germany in 1902. I do not know if you have ever seen a Severson drill press, but the craftsmanship is something to be proud of. Everything is hand crafted, pulleys, gears, and even the key that tightens the chuck. My grandfather who inherited this drill press from his father just passed it down to me. I can remember endless hours watching my grandfather working with the press, drilling holes in decoy bodies or just doing odd jobs for the neighbors. He always told me the sang keep your eye on the metal and not on the bit because its not the bit that your name Glessing 2 is on its the product that the bit makes. This sang often times has run through my mind when I think of my grandfather but, never more so when he was in the hospital last year dieing of lung cancer. I remember that Monday just like yesterday. I was sitting behind the drill press fixing a wheel bushing on the neighbors Toro lawn mower. It was a ugly, red, piece of junk, but all the time my grandfathers sang keep echoing in my head its your name on that job. I then hustled to finish boring the wheel to one half-inch diameter and began inserting the long brass sleeve into the wheel when the phone rang. I answered it was my grandmother, she sounded concerned, she quietly asked, May I speak with your father. This was a rather new development because it was never my grandmother who called asking for my father it was always my grandfather looking for a hunting buddy or someone to help him work on his old, rusted, pink, 1958 Cadillac. I soon felt chills running down my spine I immediately shut off the huge press as it ground to a halt I heard my dad say Glessing 3 oh no! I had no idea what was going on could this be a fatal heart attack, or maybe a simple engine problem in his Cadillac that my grandfather was too stubborn to convey to my father. My grandfather has had many past health problems but the majority of them were heart related. I soon disregarded the conversation since sometimes my dad tended to flip out at very small minute things. I had to get this  lawnmower done for the neighbor since his lawn resembled a green alpha field after a huge windstorm. I started up the old black press with a clank and a bang the huge wheel that drove the chuck had broken. The teeth spun off the gears like butter off of a hot ear of corn. I was terrified I thought how am I going to be able to fix this. Luckily just like in the story Inheritance of Tools, by Mr. Sanders, my father had taught me many skills: including welding, machining and cabinetry. Although my skills are much different than that of Mr. Sanders stories they have the same basic concept, learning a skill from a father or grandfather. Glessing 4 I then began to disassemble the huge nut that holds on the main pulley of the huge gear driven set up. Luckily, the pulley teeth were going to be salvageable with a little filling, as for the pulley, it needed extensive welding. I then turned around and sprinted for the large white three-story farmhouse that had been in the family for eighty years. I was very interested to see if my father was going to go fishing like he had planned earlier that day or if he was going to help my grandfather work on his car. He calmly said, Your grandfather isnt well. I jokingly said what another clogged artery. Since the new joke in our family was which one of grandpas arteries is going to plug up next. My grandfather had a horrible eating problem. He ate eggs and bacon for breakfast fried chicken for lunch and usually meat loaf for dinner, my favorite. My father laughed I think to lighten the mood for what he had in store to tell me. He said, No his voice stern but yet quite. I said, then what is wrong with him. My father repeated the most devastating word to me, he has lung cancer and the doctor Glessing 5 has given him two weeks to live. I can relate this feeling to that of the story ËÅ"Inheritance of tools Mr. Sanders was informed of his fathers death after he had used the very tools his father had handed down to him. I felt the same way, my grandfather was not dead, which I was very grateful, but he was next to dead. The very powerful untouchable man I watched make decoys, fix neighbors projects and be the inspiration of a good sang was not going to be here anymore. That was what was the hardest for me as I think it was also for Mr. Sanders in ËÅ"Inheritance of tools. The fact that the man you looked up to the man  that taught you everything was going to be gone. I had many things flash through my mind but after everything was over, and the horrible prognosis infiltrated my mind, I actually was very angry. ËÅ"Why does god need to take my grandfather now I shouted to whom ever could hear. Sanders and I did what I feel was the best thing anyone can do; carry on the tradition and legacy of your loved one. Whether it is helping others, making goose decoys or in Sanders Glessing 6 case showing his son how to hammer a nail. I feel even repeating the old sang, often used by my grandfather when I was young, You can not appreciate some things until you are older, helps carry on the tradition of the big black Severson drill press and all the knowledge that goes with it. I shook off the news of my grandfathers terminal diagnosis and I lumbered back out to the shed and began to weld. I pictured my grandfather there welding away on the same pulley as I was, since there were previous welds on the same faded black pulley. I then thought to myself of another old seemingly senseless sang my grandfather had told me about welding and life in general. He said its not what you see on the outside of the pulley its what gets inside that counts. I have tried to understand that sang for many months now and it reminds me just like sanders black and blue thumb reminded him of his father. I wish my grandfather was still alive today and I would ask him what that means, but since he is not I will try to answer it the best I can. I now think my grandfather was trying to instill in me, when Glessing 7 I was young was that of hard work, precision, and most of all to treat people as you would like to be treated. American Society is so judge mental of clothes and jewelry th at we rarely see what is inside, we only see, as my grandfather said, what can be ground off. Glessing 8 Sanders, Scott. Our Lives Our Worlds a Thematic Reader.Ed. Richard M. Shaw, et.al. Orlando: Harcourt, 2001. 5-12.

Maintaining Project Management in the Built Environment

Maintaining Project Management in the Built Environment â€Å"The UKs construction industry has been enjoying a period of strong growth, with the infrastructure and the commercial construction sectors at the forefront of this trend.† (Corporate watch, 2004) The environmental groups of UK, such as the Construction Industry Environmental Forum (CIEF), The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Envirowise, Construction Industry Council (CIC), Defra, Environment Agency, Corporate Watch, etc. are more cautious and active to built environment specifically in the UK construction industry. Their one of the main objectives is to improve the sustainability and environmental performance of construction. Thus it need a well organized preplan and to maintain it; that means project management. Now the question come that, does it really important to maintain a project management in the built environment specifically in the UK construction industry.  · Background: There is no doubt that the construction industries in built environment today face more challenges than in the past. The modern business environment is operating in a highly turbulent time. Demand for operational activities to achieve effectiveness and efficiency, the environment has increased the need for organizational accountability both in public and private sector. The UK construction industry is a growing sector and developing day by day. In this case project management is viewed as a tool that helps the organization to carry out selected project effectively and efficiently. This project management tool in the built environment does not guarantee the project success. It has been seen that some project completed within the determined time and meet all requirements, but has not succeed. On the other hand, some project perceived as successful though they have failed to meet the most important criteria. However, in a project environment, the project management can provide the achievement of project and organizational goals. In addition, project management presents a greater assurance to the stakeholders that all resources are utilized and managed effectively. â€Å"Projects fail at an alarming rate. Quantitative evaluations show that as many as 30% of projects are cancelled before completion, wasting all the time money and effort spent on them. Surviving projects usually fail to deliver the full initial project scope or deliver late or overrun the budget†. (William, 2002). Project management is very important when consequence is absence of proper project management or project management is not applied properly to the projects. Continues changes in project scope, the demand for efficient project management is emerged to maximize the resources. â€Å"Effective project management will help: meet or exceed customer expectations, maximize the use of your resources (time, people, money, space, etc.), bring the project to a successful conclusion on time and within budget, document what was done for any need of future reference, and build confidence in your team for future projects†. (Glenn ,2007)  · Aims of the dissertation: The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the importance of project management in the built environment, specifically in the UK construction industry.  · Method of the dissertation: The method of this dissertation is external referencing. Journals and reference books are used as the source of data to this dissertation. Materials are collected on the internet, libraries and other mediums of research.  · Results: One or two sentences indicating the main findings. For the touch of globalization and worldwide competition construction firms are not concern with accomplish the work within the time limit and budget; and get profit, They are competing with how efficiently, accurately accomplish the project with highest amount profit as well as proper implementation of the project.  · Conclusions: One sentence giving the most important consequence of the work. 2. To assess the significance, structure and execution of Project Management in built environment principally in the UK construction industry. Construction Industry Environmental Forum, UK says that their objectives and mission is to improve the sustainability and environmental performance of construction, by providing a cross-sector and independent forum for the exchange of new ideas and demonstration of best practice. 2.1. The objectives of Construction Industry Environmental Forum Their objectives are Demonstrate the implementation and value of sustainability best practice To identify the barriers and promote practical solutions To provide briefings on the latest legislative changes To showcase examples of best practice and innovation, and the business benefits To assist in the production of appropriate best practice guidance To promote research in sustainable construction Disseminate the results of new research and guidance that can help to deliver a more sustainable built environment. 2.2. Key themes of Project Management in built environment principally The key themes are- Biodiversity and wildlife Energy use and climate change Performance measurement Planning urban regeneration Sustainable resource use Contaminated land Environmental management Sustainability accounting and reporting The internal environment Social and corporate responsibility Waste management, recycling and materials Procurement and modern methods of construction 2.3. Illustration Rapid Globalization has made so much pollution that the people of the world are now cautious to build environment friendly construction. Government has imposed many rules and regulations on construction industries. This makes the construction projects more complex to do. Increasing amount of the competition in construction industries are now emphasis on the accuracy and the efficiency of work as well as the environment friendliness. So a proper management and well established plan is needed to face this situation. Thus the necessity of project management came to an question in of project management in the built environment specifically in the UK construction industry. The skills in Project management are not secret art especially in built environment. In regarding construction project success there are some techniques that should be developed. Now let see what a project management means. â€Å"A project is some overall task which has a definable beginning and a definable end. It consists of a number of related and dependent activities, all of which utilize resources, and upon which there are imposed internal and external conditions† (Marttino, 1968) â€Å"Project management in construction is a practical, easy-to-read guide to defining, organizing, planning, and executing a construction project so that it is completed to the satisfaction of the principal stakeholders†.( Research and markets,2004) The Project sponsor receives the projects due. The sponsor owns overall responsibility of directing and organizing for the project. Asides that, the sponsor resolves various issues around scope, schedule, budget, and staffing and accelerates finance for the project. Surely the sponsors want to get profit and frequent money circulation from their investment and invest where they the risk is low. To attract them project management is an attractive tool. Project management ensures optimum performance of their operation, proper use of resources and completes the project within the time limit. 2.4. Basic Elements of project Basically the elements of any project are Operations- the things organization/firm do Resources- the things organization/firm use, consisting of men, money, materials, machines and time. Conditions or restraints- under which organization/firm must work such as deliveries and deadlines. Resources may be fixed, variable or combined. When resources are used efficiently, they are said to be levelled. Planning is done independently of resources consideration. The assigning of resources to a plan determines the schedule automatically. Since duration estimates are only guesses, it is important that dynamic control be maintained. Network analysis is a tool for controlling, as well as planning. â€Å"Even organizations that have established a formal Project Management Office need an executive champion, particularly when the office is understaffed.† (Don, 2007) 2.5. Life cycle of a project Now let see how the Life cycle of a project is Project development and preliminary engineering Bidding and contract negotiation Engineering design Purchase and procurement Construction Commissioning (Prasanna,P-28.8) Figure 2: life cycle of a project (Prasanna,P-28.8) Project management is the primary means which manipulate the organizational strategy. Projects are to be said as unique units of work that put into action the policies and strategies of an organization. â€Å"Construction projects are directly linked with the strategic vision and mission of the organization. As far as owners or operators of physical facilities are concerned, construction projects are the means of supporting their organizational goals. Organizations are constantly faced with new demands on their physical facilities. Owners of facilities are continually re-shaping the way they design and organize their work practices, which in turn directly impacts the performance of their physical facilities.† (Michael,2004) In the field of UK construction industry the importance and need of project management is an important issue, because all organization, whether large or small, at one time or other, are engaged in manipulating new undertakings. â€Å"These undertakings may be diverse, such as, the development of a new product or service; the establishment of a new production line in a manufacturing enterprise; a public relations promotion campaign; or a major building programmers†.(Sandro,2004) The concept of project management is traditionally familiar with construction industry and is widely applied on projects of all sizes and complexity. The role of project management in the construction industry is to put in important value to achieve the successful delivery of projects. Project management function is applicable to all types of projects in built environment. Application of project management to the construction industry is an important component to raise the standards by setting objective standards of competence and encouraging their usage. To achieve the construction project success in the field of built environment the proper criteria should be followed. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said about them, â€Å"The RICS Project Management Faculty is the home within RICS for professionals who have an interest in the management of construction projects.† (rics.org ) 3. To classify the project management tools and techniques and quantify their influence in the construction project success. â€Å"There is a relationship between time and cost to perform an activity. There is a normal and crash point for both the time and cost of each job.† (Marttino, 1968) Team building, planning, controlling and monitoring, even terminating a project all are the part of the project management function. There are many reasons for which the construction projects are often completed late and the budget exceed the expectation. However, the department of the environment working with the construction industry, that encouraged a number of initiatives to promote improvements of successful construction. Skills of the construction workforce, information technology, research all these needs to be developed to achieve the construction project success. The right process makes built environment easy and application of information technology in the construction industry become available. It is known that high levels of understanding issues facing by the governments and the industry leaders and the applicability of project management provide a theoretical framework for strategic planning and emphasize the tools for research into the economics of the industry. In the field of construction industry promoting the importance of built environment is a significant issue. Construction industry is the process that adding infrastructure to the UK built environment. Commitment to the objective of project management is strong tool to continue and maintain a successful construction project. Excellent communication, well managed team leadership, capability to work at both internal and external levels of project management, being informed about when and how to make trade-offs and concentrating on business goal are to be said the techniques used to achieve the successful delivery of projects. 3.1. International project management The planning exercise provides the project appraiser with the following information- Determination of the major problem areas, Identification of goals and a good matrix to related targets purpose, purpose to objective and objectives to fid development goals, A consideration of alternatives strategies, sector allocations and programmes and a choice between them An identification of alternative project Thus the boundaries of project appraisal are determinate. (Wadhwa, Daver, Rao, -1998) The appraisal of the project is very important which consists of the following steps. Determination of expected contribution of alternatives actions to the various goals. The determination of costs-benefits of the various actions. The determination of a conceptual framework to monitor and evaluate the proposal action.(Wadhwa, Daver, Rao, -1998) So any Project investigation, analyzing, designing, implementing, and managing is done properly by the management. Management directs the project through appropriate process. The process goes through a continuous aspect as the Directing a Project (DP), Starting up a Project (SU), Initiating a Project (IP), Managing Stage Boundaries (MSB), Controlling a Stage (CS), Managing Product Delivery (MP), Closing a Project (CP), Planning (PL).( PRINCE2 2008) 3.2. Times with any project All this processes are related with time boundaries. The time lines are- Earliest start times- the earliest time at which all preceding activities can be accomplished. Latest starting time- the latest time an activities can be starts without delaying the project. Earliest finish time- the earliest possible time at which an activity can be completed. Latest finish time- the latest time and activity can be completed without delaying the project.(Marttino, 1968) Select time line boundaries are very important for a successful project management. Float is a measure of available time verses required time. Jobs without float are said to be critical and lie on the critical path. There are four Kinds of float- Total float- differences required time and maximum time. Interfering float (event slake) the measure of float share by downstream activities Free float measure of excess time when all activities start as early as possible. Independent float the difference between required time and minimum available time.(Marttino, 1968) 3.3. Common Difficulties There are some common difficulties that are playing as a determiner of the success or failure of the project. In a project, capital expenditure decisions are extremely important; they also pose difficulties which stem from three principal sources. Measurement problem Identifying and measuring the cost and benefits of a capital expenditure proposal tends to be difficult. This is more so when a capital expenditure has a bearing on some other activities of the firm (like cutting into the sales of some existing product) or has some intangible consequence (like improving the morale of workers). Uncertainty A capital expenditure decision involves cost and benefits that extend far into the future. It is impossible to predict exactly what will happen in the future. Hence, there is usually a great deal of uncertainty characterising the cost and benefits of a capital expenditure decision. Temporal spread The cost and benefits associated with a capital expenditure decision are spread out over a long period of time. Usually 10-20 years for industrial projects and 20-50 years for infrastructural culture projects. Such a temporal spread creates some problems in estimating discount rates and establishing equivalence. (Chandra, 2007) 4. To evaluate the stages onto which the project management tools and techniques are applied while executing any construction project. It is very important to evaluate the tools and techniques that are used in a project to its successful conclusion. Every steps of a project is very important. The efficiency of the management depends upon the perfect use of its resources. One fault may change the overall condition of the project. 4.1. Capital expenditure decision Capital expenditure decision often represents the most important decision taken by a firm. Their importance stems from three inter-related reasons- Long term effect The consequences of capital expenditure decisions extend far into the future. The scope of current manufacturing activities of a firm is governed targets by capital expenditures in the past. Irreversibility The market for used capital equipment in general is ill -organized. Further, for some types of capital equipment, custom made to specific requirements, the market may virtually be no existent. Once such an equipment is acquired, reversal of decision may mean scrapping be reversed without incurring a substantial loss. Substantial outlays Capital expenditures usually involve substantial outlays. An integrated steel plan, for example, in rolves an outlay of several thousand million. Capital costs lend to increase with advanced technology. (Chandra, 2007) 4.2. Facts of project analysis There are some factors to analysis any project. They are essential to estimate the importance of the project to the firm. According to Chandra, 2007 the factors are- Market analysis this factor determines the need of the project. That means how fruitful will be the project to the society. Technical analysis it determines the capability of the firm to complete the project. Financial analysis it determines the financial capability of the firm to complete the project as well as the profitability of the project. Economic analysis it determines the economic aspects of the project to the society. Ecological analysis it determines the biological aspects of the projects. Basically this is the most important factor to build built environment specifically in the construction industry.(Chandra, 2007) 4.3. Capital budgeting process Capital budgeting is the tool that ensures the outcome from the project and successful conclusion of the project. It is also very important to continue the regular activity and financing. It requires identifying all parties as well as stakeholders related to this project for proper execution of management of the project. First the plan of budgeting should be made than analyze it to determine the necessity and minimize the cost. After this firm should select the priority of financing and select the source of financing. Then implement it and review the effectiveness. The process can be shown as follows. In Capital budgeting process every elements is affecting others. 5. To investigate the role, application and efficacy of project management processes in achieving the successful delivery of projects. There are five resources to complete the project. Basically these are the elements that combine all the factors and tools to complete a project. Man Money Materials Machines and Time The building process maintains follows an identifiable life cycle at the time when important environmental impact occurs. However, this process is result to the function and rules of project management of varying degrees of formality that is liable about the procurement, control, and direction of the resources required. The function project management is practiced as it seeks to continue the explicit and implicit performance factors. â€Å"The roles, duties, and responsibilities of the project manager are examined to establish the positions during the life cycle at which the environmental impact of the building process is determined and the opportunities available to the project manager to exercise environmental responsibility whilst pursuing the satisfaction of explicit performance requirements (cat.inist.fr,1997) Single project management provides the project portfolio management efficiency. The previous research reminds that the single project management is related with project portfolio level outcome. â€Å"A questionnaire survey with 279 firms verifies the hypothesized role of information availability, goal setting and systematic decision making in achieving portfolio management efficiency.†(Miia Pà ¤ivi, 2007, Pages 56-65) So, reaching project management goals and portfolio management efficiency are two different hypothesized links. Project management is known as a general issue, but most of the time so many of us get it wrong. Even if one gets it right once, the next time project is often so disappointment. The reason behind it may be unable to embed project management into all aspect of the organization and dont learn from the mistakes. In the built environment of construction industry the organization needs to consider which projects will delivery strategic objectives. Project management has emerged as a well-built discipline which is practiced by high level of training, certified experts as organizations have come to observe that they would not stay in business if they cannot handle their projects. However, many organizations are still limiting or reducing the application of project management to the tactical level. It is so much important for the organization to stay in the survival of the construction enterprises in built environment. 5.1 Role of Project Management Notably, the role of project management is defined especially by the following strategies:- Executive championship: high level of buy-in decision and the guidance to give support the portfolio manager. â€Å"Even organizations that have established a formal Project Management Office need an executive champion, particularly when the office is understaffed.† (Wessels, 2007) Business acumen: in order to meet the organization objectives, the project managers need to take quick decision about which projects are necessary. A solid project management process: leadership is an important tool to do the excellent job to create strategic portfolio in regarding project management of construction industry. the project managers and their teams should maintain and continue the practice of just-do-it. Timeframes and budgets: the budget and timeframes should be within the control of project so that the projects would not set up for failure from the beginning. It is known that construction industry is sixth largest industry in United Kingdom. So, it is needless to mention the importance of successful project planning and the budgets in a timeframe. The construction industry comprises a huge amount of investment and cost that is to be said unrecoverable. Hence, if the proper implementation does not occur especially in the UK built environment then there is the possibility of a large amount of loss. â€Å"According to the latest figures (April 2003) from the Office of Government Commerce statistics, 569 PFI contracts have been signed in the UK, 418 of which are already operational. The combined capital value of these contracts is  £53 billion, although the value of individual projects ranges from under  £1 million to over  £1 billion. In the construction and property sector, the scope of PFI has been wide-ranging, including roads, bridges, sewage treatment plants, waste incinerators, hospitals, schools, prisons and office accommodation. But despite the large number of projects procured to date, the effectiveness of PFI is still subject to considerable debate.† (emeraldinsight,2008) Requirements analysis: most of the cases it has been viewed that the organization does not follow and meet the proper requirements. This lack leads to a risky result for any type of organization. Stay the course: the benefit of project management is that it helps to stay in the course when the objectives and goals are determined. Whatever the task is, whether it is difficult or easy, staying in the course makes it possible to fulfill. 6. To identify the importance and need of project management with the augmentation of scope and complexity of construction project. It is strongly recommend that the benefit, challenge, objectives, goals, strategies all should be selected in a systematic manner for the better outcome. Furthermore, the stages of project management are to be considered and implemented in a normal procedure. The following diagram shows the stages involved in project management. The above figure suggests that at first the organization would focus on what would be their task and strategy that already mentioned. Then the next step would be to emphasize on how those task and strategy can be implemented. To implement successfully, the organization must have to consider the following criteria in accordance with their objectives: Adequate formulation: the project management helps to formulate the required data and information adequately and make the function more reliable. Sound project organization: sound project organization means how smoothly and efficiently the organization can run. When the proper project is implemented then the organizational activities become functional and easy to retain. Proper implementation planning: whatever the plan is should be implemented properly. The organization needs to follow the right way to make their plan of project effective and desired. It is strongly recommended that the right thing at right way would be implemented at right time and obviously at the right place. Advance action: advance action needs to take before going to consider about any project success. Good project management thinking helps to identify and recognize the advance actions those are needed to run in the built environment of construction industry. The success or final outcome of the effort depends mostly on the proper advance action. Timely available of funds: the project management plays a major role in regarding budget issue. The budget issue is equaled important for achieving the desired success. Barriers are involved when the project is maintained and run. Available of funds is one thing that formulates the process of a successful project outcome. Judicial equipment tendering and procurement: Better contract management: management is to be defined as planning, controlling, organizing and implementing the functional activities. Contract management is the field where all things related with the planning, controlling, organizing and implementing. The more managed contract, the more desired success can be gained. However, project management to success of construction is similar with blood to a body. â€Å"Communication on projects between owners and contractors can sometimes be difficult†. (ehbrunjesassociates.com,2004). In UK construction industry, the external environment is very competitive and challenging. At every step, the organization has to face these challenges and only proper project management can make these challenge completed. Effective maintaining: the well maintenance of project is the heart of successful construction project. In the perspective of UK construction industry, effective maintaining can lead to a high level of success. â€Å"Project Management is not a catch phrase dreamed up by some marketing director. It is a well-developed body of science with its own processes, technologies, certified professionals, trade associations, and body of literature. So far, lawyers have not been a part of that world, but that is about to change†. (Donald,n.d) The importance and need of project management with the augmentation of scope and complexity of construction project cannot be ended in words. The development of project management within a construction industry related organization allows the management teams to work in partnership. Proficiency, locally, nationally or globally the implementation of project management bears some legal and ethical importance. The contribution of project management to a modern developed country like UK is a considerable topic. It is a formal methodology used to ensure that the projects would be completed on time and within the budget. However, project management is used historically in the construction industry, where methodology is firmly established. In the area of project management ability, making decision in a changing environment is the major concern. The rapid growth of project management is to be stated as an indication of a change in business function throughout all organization. It is implemented in construction industry to bring about change in organization platform so that they can lead change in organization. The trinity of project management is time, cost and quality (content or scope). All these things are the major objective function on a project. â€Å"The importance of effective project management is by no means restricted to new plant development and construction†. (Brian, n.d) For careful management, maintenance and plant outage work is necessary, especially for in light of growing competitive pressures. Project management in todays UK construction industry is faced with the challenge whereby the essential roles and functions they are performing witness a gradual shift in focus. To continue and retain their professional competency, application of project management in construction adapt to the changing environment by depending on effi

Wealth and Beauty Equals Popularity in Beverly Hills 90210 :: Media Argumentative Persuasive Argument

Wealth and Beauty Equals Popularity in Beverly Hills 90210 Every teenager who has attended high school can relate to the pressures that come from the desire to be popular. It’s normal for teens to feel the need to be in the â€Å"in crowd† and to fit in with the â€Å"beautiful people.† Television shows help contribute to this â€Å"need† to fit in. One such show, Beverly Hills 90210, is based on beautiful teenage characters, most of whom are wealthy and, coincidentally, popular. In today’s society there is a shared cultural belief that in order to be popular high school students must be wealthy and beautiful. The show both challenges and reinforces this cultural belief by offering characters like Kelly Taylor, who is a beautiful, California blonde who seems to lead an ideal life. She is one of the most popular girls at West Beverly High (partly because she was able to afford a nose job). Beautiful people such as Steve Sanders--a wealthy, snobbish womanizer--constantly surround her. A character who challenges this belief is Andrea Zuckerman, an intelligent, middle-class student who is more concerned about her grades than her appearance. And there are also the twins from Minnesota, Brenda and Brandon Walsh, who are not instantly popular; rather, they use their personalities (and their good looks), not their wealth, to fit in. On the outside Kelly, Steve, and even Brandon and Brenda seem to be happy because they are popular and because they lead fairly normal lives. But the well-seasoned viewer knows that these are just transparent beliefs. These beautiful teens do not lead perfect lives. The show has some cultural significance: seemingly superficial characters have complexities that are not obvious at a first glance. In fact, Kelly is ashamed of how she lost her virginity and the fact that her mother is an alcoholic. She is unexpectedly conscientious; she was concerned about her SAT scores. Kelly also proved to be a good friend to Brenda after she threw her a surprise going away party when the Walsh family was planning to move back to Minnesota. Kelly seems so self-absorbed on the outside but at the same time she is constantly trying to help her friends overcome obstacles. Steve also contributed to the going away party.

Personal Essay :: essays research papers

How could such a happy name inspire so much fear? Throughout the school, this name was dreaded, feared, cursed, and abused. At the beginning of the school year, there would always be a student weeping with hatred, crying out against his crazed science teacher, Mr. Joy. People thought of him as the embodiment of all evil possible in a teacher, a heartless dictator, a cruel old man. When he walked by, he often got stares, and whispers of â€Å"Hitler† behind his back. On that hot languid September morning, I sat in stony silence at my desk, hearing the warnings of upperclassmen echoing in my ears, waiting for Mr. Joy to appear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As he walked in, I breathed a temporary sigh of relief. At least I am taller than him! A short wiry man with an almost military gait marched into the room. The hair on his slightly balding head was thoroughly brushed back, his clothes impeccably starched, and his shoes polished so well you could see your own reflection in them. His face seemed hardened by time and experience; he looked bitter, even a little sad. But the most striking feature about his face was his eyes: they seemed to shine with a fierce passion, a burning desire, but for what? As he talked to us about the extensive course requirements, his high expectations, and the heavy workload, we all fidgeted with nervousness in our seats. He spoke with a grim sense of determination, and we listened with a sense of impending doom. But then, suddenly, his voice changed, and his eyes glowed with more intensity than ever before. He told us about his love for biology, and how much he wished that he could impart it to us. He told us about the beauty of the complexity of life in every organism from a delicate butterfly to a steadfast giant sequoia. He was so excited about the recent developments in molecular biology and genetics, but his enthusiasm seemed sincere and real: it wasn’t just the over-caffeinated perkiness of a cheerful kindergarten teacher; it was a genuine love for learning and discovery. The assignments were long and difficult: in the first week itself we were required to memorize the entire periodic table and recite it to the class. Day after day, week after week, students faltered in class, and they were embarrassed: it seemed worse because he didn’t yell; he simply stared at you sternly yet sadly, and calmly called on the next person.

Ansel Adams :: Biographies Bio Biography

Ansel Adams On February 20, 1902 Ansel Easton Adams was born in San Francisco, California. He was the only child of Charles and Olive Adams. Ansel, originally trained as a classic pianist, would later abandon his first love, music, for photography. Ansel Adams became America's most talented and beloved landscape photographer. In 1908, Ansel started school. He was a poor student and hated going to school. In 1915, Charles Adams took his son out of school and had him privately tutored. Charles also bought Ansel a year pass to the Panama Pacific International Exposition. The Exposition included exhibits on painters, science, machinery, and photography. "It was also the first time that he encountered photography as an art form in three prints exhibited by photographer Edward Weston, with whom he was much later to collaborate in the f/64 Group project and who became a great friend"(1). During his unconventional education, Ansel became interested in music, particularly, the piano. He began to teach himself how to play. He was very serious about his music. Later, recognizing his son's talent, Charles hired Marie Butler, who was piano tutor, for his son. She tutored Ansel for three years. Ansel seriously considered becoming a concert pianist. Then, in 1916, Ansel took his first trip to Yosemite while on vacation with his family. Ansel became interested in photography on this trip and took his first photos on his first camera. "With his first camera, a Kodak Box Brownie, Ansel's life as a photographer began Ââ€" an interest which was to endure for the rest of his life. With his first attempts at committing the magic of Yosemite to film, he demonstrated the beginnings of an immense talent which was to make him a world-class photographer". (2) Ansel was persuaded by his parents to attend school again and he went to Mrs. Kate Wilkins' private school. In 1917, he graduated from the eighth grade at Mrs. Wilkins' school. His graduation marked the end of Ansel's Academic Career. Ansel continued to pursue his first loves, the piano and music, as well as his new found interest in photography after his graduation. Ansel began teaching himself the basic principles of photography. He got a job working part-time for a photo finisher, Fred Dittman, in San Francisco. This is where Ansel had his first dark room experience. Ansel Adams :: Biographies Bio Biography Ansel Adams On February 20, 1902 Ansel Easton Adams was born in San Francisco, California. He was the only child of Charles and Olive Adams. Ansel, originally trained as a classic pianist, would later abandon his first love, music, for photography. Ansel Adams became America's most talented and beloved landscape photographer. In 1908, Ansel started school. He was a poor student and hated going to school. In 1915, Charles Adams took his son out of school and had him privately tutored. Charles also bought Ansel a year pass to the Panama Pacific International Exposition. The Exposition included exhibits on painters, science, machinery, and photography. "It was also the first time that he encountered photography as an art form in three prints exhibited by photographer Edward Weston, with whom he was much later to collaborate in the f/64 Group project and who became a great friend"(1). During his unconventional education, Ansel became interested in music, particularly, the piano. He began to teach himself how to play. He was very serious about his music. Later, recognizing his son's talent, Charles hired Marie Butler, who was piano tutor, for his son. She tutored Ansel for three years. Ansel seriously considered becoming a concert pianist. Then, in 1916, Ansel took his first trip to Yosemite while on vacation with his family. Ansel became interested in photography on this trip and took his first photos on his first camera. "With his first camera, a Kodak Box Brownie, Ansel's life as a photographer began Ââ€" an interest which was to endure for the rest of his life. With his first attempts at committing the magic of Yosemite to film, he demonstrated the beginnings of an immense talent which was to make him a world-class photographer". (2) Ansel was persuaded by his parents to attend school again and he went to Mrs. Kate Wilkins' private school. In 1917, he graduated from the eighth grade at Mrs. Wilkins' school. His graduation marked the end of Ansel's Academic Career. Ansel continued to pursue his first loves, the piano and music, as well as his new found interest in photography after his graduation. Ansel began teaching himself the basic principles of photography. He got a job working part-time for a photo finisher, Fred Dittman, in San Francisco. This is where Ansel had his first dark room experience.

Personal Computer and St. Thomas Aquinas Essay

What are the possible effects of gadgets in the academic of the students of St. Thomas Aquinas? Is it positive or is it negative? Both sides are possible. It can be positive in the view of the students but negative on the view of the teachers. Either way, the researchers wants to view all side of the story, both positive and negative. The researchers also want to inform the readers that gadgets, brought by the advancement of technology can help and destroy their academic performance. II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The researchers found out that there are several problems regarding their topic. A very obvious problem is that gadgets often distract the attention of the students. The researchers want to solve and give possible solutions to the said problem. How gadgets distract or get the attention of the students? Does it bring positive results on their academic performance and academic standing? III. HYPOTHESIS The researchers suggests that students should have less time in using their gadgets, especially their cellular phones, iPods, PSPs, Laptops, and their own personal computers. Why the researchers included personal computers? Because most of the time, students nowadays use their personal computers for gaming and entertainment purposes. The researchers formulated this as a possible solution because if the students lessen their time on their gadgets, then they will have more time in enhancing their academic performance by reading books, observing their environment, and by interacting with other people. IV. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The researchers have assumed that using modern day gadgets often bring negative effects on students, especially on their academic performance. The reason why the researchers assumed this is because it is very obvious. They also observed to other people that the main reason why they fail their subjects is that they spent more time on using their gadgets, especially their personal computers. They use it most of the time playing computer games. Also, cellular phones is also a reason because they spend their time texting and calling their friends instead of reading and studying their lessons. V. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK INPUT: Cellular Phones iPod Personal Computer PSP OUTPUT: Failing Grades Less time in interacting with other people personally Gets distracted easily More Irritable VI. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The researchers conducted the study so for the reason that they want to inform the readers about the effects of gadgets on the academic performance of the students. Here are some of the reasons why they have conducted the said study: Parents – they should know the possible effects of gadgets on the academic performance of their children. This will help them on how they will control their children. Also, this will also serve as a guide for them how to discipline their children. Students – they should know their limits. They must learn how to manage their time. Students nowadays cannot manage their time. They use their time on things that distracts their attention on studying. They must learn that using gadgets is good but they must learn how to limit their time. VII. SCOPE AND LIMITATION The study is limited only on how gadgets affect the academic performance of the students of St. Thomas Aquinas. The study is focused only on how gadgets affect the academic performance of the students. The researchers want to inform the readers that using gadgets will cause many negative effects than positive effects. VIII. DEFINITION OF TERMS Academic Performance – this is how a student performs in class. This can be a positive or a negative performance. Academic Standing – refers to the rank of student in his/her class. Gadgets – refers on the things brought by technology. For example, computer, cellular phones, music players. Personal Interaction – refers on communicating with other person personally. Texting – refers to the act of communicating with other people by using cellular phones.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters Essay

Big Brothers, Big Sisters is a prevention program, which enhances the socialization of children through paying attention to their psychological and physical development and increasing their feeling of â€Å"being included† into community and school environment. Due to the fact that the project is mostly directed to planning interesting leisure and education-related activities for minors, it can be interpreted as prevention program, as it creates a friendly and harmonious environment which encourages and reinforces the child’s self-esteem through establishing a symmetric communication between the minor and adult and teaching important social skills. As for me, I believe that the program is effective, as it deals mostly with three important predictors of deviance and crime – absence of developing and diversified pastime, lack of engagement with community activities and academic failure (and the consequent loss of interest in education) in schoolchildren. In addition, the relevant study, provided by the website, demonstrates the following results: â€Å"Researchers found that after 18 months of spending time with their Bigs, the Little Brothers and Little Sisters were: – 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs; – 27% less likely to begin using alcohol; – 52% less likely to skip school; – 37% less likely to skip a class; – more confident of their performance in schoolwork; – one-third less likely to hit someone† (at http://www. bigbrooc. org/html/our_impact. html, 2007). There are three major curriculums, designed within the program. First of all, there is a set of community-based activities, which take place once a month. The community volunteers encourage the participants to do sports, play intellectual games, have meals together or simply take walks in the park. Group-based mentoring program includes monthly meeting of Big and Little Brothers and Sisters and learning new and unusual types of sports, associated with team playing. For instance, the participants do kayaking, play miniature golf or team bowling. All these sports are aimed at improving the children’s concentration, dexterity, ability to plan and make joint decision within the team; as one knows from developmental psychology, the progress of physical skills is particularly sensitive to influences at teen age, when the person is actively growing. The complex of school-based activities comprises weekly sessions, during which the minors are assisted in their home assignments. The major advantage of this program, which actually can cause in the jealousy of the similar agencies, is its image of partnership between adults and children, who receive not mentors, but friends, whose role models are more likely to be learned by minors. The typical agencies of this profile (working in the directions of prevention and diversion) more willingly involve competent specialists (in a limited number) than volunteers, so the underage target audience not always receives socialization experience and learn social skills during workshops and training. In addition, the Big Brothers Big Sisters project manages to maintain its focus on the underage audience in all points of its curriculum and stimulates the natural and healthy socialization in minors (through communication and team activities), instead of creating artificial conditions (like those in workshops and purposeful social skills training). The goals of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters project to great extent coincide with the orientation of the whole juvenile justice system. The major priority of the system is prevention of juvenile crimes and recidivism, but this goal is traditionally accomplished through enlightenment and education in the spheres of crime and punishment, drug addiction and alcohol use. The efforts of the program, on the other hand, are directed to improving the minors’ physical and psychological health and helping them establish friendly contact with the environment. This model is often neglected by the juvenile justice system, so it would be beneficial to introduce the program under the management of the network of government institutions, responsible for delinquency prevention, as the idea of healthy and natural socialization is likely to become a new direction in the functioning of the juvenile justice system and the unity of accountability will provide courts will more comprehensive information about the children. In addition, the program will also demonstrate success in the field of diversion. Finally, the program will correct the official and formalized image of the juvenile justice system and break the stereotype of the â€Å"punishing institution†. The major strength of the program is its positivist approach to prevention, which includes strengthening the minors’ social and psychological potential rather than intimidating schoolchildren about the adversities, associated with delinquency and illicit drug use. The project embraces community work, group work and school work, so that the major environments, in which the children operate, are influenced and to some extent altered. The ultimate goal in this sense is the development of the sense of inclusion into all these environments in the participants. On the other hand, the program lacks one important components, which is family-based work. As the website suggests, the underage participants originate from the households, where domestic violence and alcohol use are practiced. With respect to the fact that behavior models, learned in the family, are to certain degree determinative in teenagers’ behavior, it would also be useful to establish a contact between the families and the community and arrange activities, which imply the creation of a large team, consisting of children, their parents and the Bigs. Another weakness is the lack of basic psychological education for children, as at the certain stage of their development they need theoretical knowledge of building relationships and understanding others, so the Big Brothers, Big Sisters can introduce monthly discussions of the achievements and difficulties, experienced by the participants in their relationships with coevals and adults. Reference list Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Orange County. (2007). Official website, at http://www. bigbrooc. org.

Life Span Perspective on Human Development Essay

In this essay I will touch on several different theories of human development and growth as well as their theorist. I will show how hereditary and environment play a vital role in human development and identify a few aspects of life span perspectives. Psychosexual Theory One theorist was Sigmund Freud who believed that the development of sexual personality or libido was the development of personality. Freud beliefs were that every individual goes through five stages that further form your personality. The first stage or the earliest is the oral stage which includes sucking and drinking, sexual drive is focus around the mouth, later on leading to more aggressive biting, chewing, sucking of thumb and later years of possible cigarette smoking. The second stage is the anal stage or the toddler stage. His stage is actually broken down into two parts; the first part is called the expressive period in which the child takes pleasure in having a bowel movement. The other part to the second stage is the retentive stage where they will store their feces. The Phallic stage is where children gain pleasure from stimulation there private area, this also is a time were the child will begin to identify with either mother or father depending on the sex of the child. This will help to identify gender roles. The latency stage is the puberty stage where teens find a more acceptable way channeling their sexual aggression. The last stage is the Genital stage in which the adult has reach sexual and emotional maturity. Ego Development Ego development theory was created by Erik Erikson. Erikson believed our personality is formed from opposites such as dependant or independent, aggressive person or passive person, are just an example of a few. Erikson stated that some of these traits you are born with others are learned. Erikson based his theory off the study of the Sioux Indians during this study he learned that behavior and the Indians culture played a great part in there world. Erikson organized life in stages from birth to death, in this theory Erikson theorized that children who had a difficult childhood, versus a child who did not have so many challenges. First stage birth to 18 months trust versus mistrust in this stage we as babies will either learn to trust and have confidence or mistrust and have a feel of worthlessness. Early childhood stage 18 months to 3 years Autonomy versus shame, in this stage children start to master some of the skills on their own their independency kicks in and it also at this stage they may be easily shamed. Ex. (toilet training). 3 years to five years is the intuitive versus guilt, 6 years to 12 years is the industry versus inferiority, 12 to 18 years identity versus role and then there are three more stages after that. Environmentalist Theory John Watson, Skinner believed that a child environment shapes what they learn and environment. Depending on how and where you were raised will determine how you react to things. It was believed that be more stable learning environment will help develop normal stages of growing up. Children seem to learn best through rote activities were the recite colors, alphabet, numbers their address and telephone. When children don’t take to this form of learning they are said to have a learning problem or disability such as ADD. Conclusion In conclusion I agree with every theory except for Sigmund Freud psychosexual theory, I felt a little uncomfortable with some of the points, I do not believe that any part of the sucking, drinking, or chewing as a infant has anything to do with sexual drive. I think it all had to do with surrounding to your environment weather you be an adult of infant. The Theory that I agree with the most is John Watson, Skinner the environmentalist theory, I believed that children learns through things being repetitive, I feel that a good environment breeds a stable child then there are the exceptions. Carlson, Neil R. Psychology: The Science of Behavior. Boston: Allyn, 1990 Gleitman, Henery. Psychology. New York: Norton, 1991 Western, Drew. Psychology: Mind, Brain, Culture. New York, 1999.

Death of An Economy

My topic deals with Pakistan, its relationship with the IMF and World Bank, and its internal problems that are causing unemployment, poverty, economic crisis and hunger. I shall be analyzing the situation using the neo-classical theory, as it is what the economists of the Pakistan government and the IMF are using to alleviate the economic instability of the country. Situated in the sub-continent, Pakistan is a low-income country, with great promise for growth. Unfortunately, it is held back from reaching middle-income status by chronic problems like a rapidly growing population, sizable government deficits, a heavy dependence on foreign aid, recurrent governmental instability and large military expenditures. It is to address these fundamental faults in Pakistan†s economy that the IMF has initiated the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) in the country. This is discussed in further detail later in the paper. Like all developing countries, Pakistan†s population is largely employed in the agricultural sector, which accounts for about 48 percent of the labor force. In today†s world the Industrial and Service sectors are the largest growing areas of a developed county†s economy. Yet Pakistan only employs 39 percent of its population in Service, and a minute 13 percent in Industry. This is a paltry figure, compared to the employment statistics of a developed country. Pakistan is also heavily dependent on a single export crop, cotton. Hence the country†s fortunes rise and fall with the cotton market. It is no wonder that there are so many poverty stricken people in Pakistan. When almost half the population is involved in a very volatile market, a lot of the time, a lot of people will be burnt by price fluctuations. The country is also subject to the mercy of the weather. Focussing on a major cash crop means very little diversification. This translates to mass hunger and hard times for the agricultural sector whenever the agrarian lands are ravaged by floods, or conversely, by droughts. Even more importantly, Pakistan†s agricultural sector is marked by large landowners, controlling most of the production. Hence, only a minimal amount of the profit from exports goes to the poor people working for the large farmers. It is these people who constitute a large portion of Pakistan†s population. It is also these people who are living in abject poverty in the rural regions of the country, devoid of the right to feed their families. This is a great illustration of a theme discussed in â€Å"World Hunger, Twelve Myths.† Lappe, Collins, Rosset and Esparza discuss the commonly believed myths about why hunger and poverty exist. In it they clarify this very important point: hunger does not exist due to a shortage of available food, but because of ‘fear† and ‘powerlessness,† resulting in the ‘anguish, grief and humiliation† felt by the hungry and poverty stricken. Pakistan is a classic example of this theory. Based on a feudal system, especially in agriculture, Pakistani society is primarily controlled by feudal overlords, (a.k.a. the politicians or relatives of politicians), who own or oversee most of the agrarian land and industrial base. Being above the law, due to their political influence, these corrupt people can literally get away with murder. Thus, keeping their laborers subdued and underpaid is no hard task. Anyone who dares to complain is used as an ‘example† for potential future unrest. As a result, the people in their ‘elakhas†, (controlled lands), remain destitute in the throes of poverty, unable to help themselves due to their lack of power and the fear of the ‘thekedars†, (large landowners). By a lack of power, I refer not to a dearth of physical prowess but to a scarcity of basic human rights. These are the same rights that people in developed countries take for granted. The right to vote for whomever one feels like is missing. Instead a lot of villagers are forced to vote for the local land owner due to a combination of fear and ignorance; a fear of the repercussions of a potential loss by the feudal lord and the ignorance of any means to escape this same overlord†s wrath. Very often there is also no choice of candidates. There are very few people willing to risk their own and their families† safety by running against their subjugators. All this goes against the very nature of the free market economy that Pakistan is supposed to be running. While the IMF and World Bank are using Neo Classical theory to address the nation†s problems in the capital, half the country is still being run under the feudal system. Till this system is broken, and the immense lower classes are empowered there is not a dent that can be made in the country†s poverty and hunger issues. Rather the problem will continue to grow right under the economists† noses. Pakistan is also set back by ethnic problems, having numerous groups including Punjabis, Pakhtoons, Sindhis, Balochis and Mujahirs. Speaking different languages, the different ethnic groups do not get along very well as is witnessed by the numerous clashes between Sindhis and Mujahirs in the violence torn city of Karachi. The language barrier also translates to a lack of mobility of labor, which is a key to economic success under neo-classical theory. Hence the large sparsely populated province of Balochistan is presently under utilized. Due to a lack of available labor, industries are tough to set up. If the language/ethnic barrier could be overcome, the rich lands of Balochistan could potentially become the saviors of Pakistan†s economy. Pakistan also has a very week industrial base. Being an ex British colony it suffers from a similar problem to the one ailing a number of the African and South American countries. This issue is that the colonists never bothered building up the necessary base for industrialization. While the rest of the world was busy building this base, greedy colonists who did not care about the country and thus paid no attention to its development were exploiting countries like Pakistan. Hence Pakistan is permanently playing catch up to the rest of the developed world leaving very little money for social services to help the situation of the poor. The literacy rate in Pakistan is also very low. In 1992, the official literacy rate for the adult population was said to be a low 36 percent. Even more dismal was the statistic that listed 45 women being educated for every man. With this dearth of qualified personnel, there is no room for economic growth as there are no new minds to head the growth. Women are also the primary food producers in Pakistan. If they are not being educated, it means that they are not up to date on the latest production techniques, which in turn translates to inefficiency and the aforementioned ignorance. Once again it all ties into the powerlessness that marks the hunger and poverty-stricken. Women represent 54 percent of Pakistan†s population. If they are not allowed to exercise their rights to an education and to vote, how can the country be expected to progress? It is like asking a man with one leg to run. Like other third world countries, in Pakistan, substandard housing, inadequate sanitation and water supply, and widespread malnutrition contribute to spread of disease and to high infant, childhood, and maternal mortality. The leading causes of death are gastroenteritis, respiratory infections, congenital abnormalities, tuberculosis, malaria, and typhoid fever, all preventable diseases. Unfortunately the poor, uneducated lower classes are not given enough attention by the corrupt officials running the country, which is resulting in their situation deteriorating year by year. These, along with other economic and social issues are causing immense hunger and poverty in Pakistan. Presently Pakistan is passing through an unprecedented economic crisis, made worse by the global recession. The turmoil in domestic markets and the imbalance between resources and liabilities threatens to roll back the modest levels of economic development and industrialization that Pakistan has achieved so far. Had it not been for a reasonably strong agricultural base, the situation would be much worse. This ‘situation† has been caused by a mixture of issues, including the near sightedness of politicians and their persistence in following politically popular, but economically disastrous policies. An example of this is the detonation of a nuclear bomb a year ago. Simply to show off to India and the rest of the world, as well as to raise their local popularity, the Pakistani government decided to go ahead with an unnecessary test that brought economic sanctions against them and also cost them a lot of their aid from western countries. However, much more important have been the structural reasons underlying this deterioration, all of which have been contributing to the growing feeling of desperation the hungry and poverty stricken have been experiencing. Before this paper begins finding solutions to the problems at hand, we need to remind ourselves of the key issues. 1) One major problem that Pakistan needs to deal with is the fact that its expenses are far more than its revenues. Partly due to decades of lax fiscal management, but more because of myopic policies in its external relations, the militaristic structure of the state and the narrow vision of its rapist elite, Pakistan is Rs 100 billion short of the money to simply keep its existing machinery operational. How is a third world country supposed to develop an infrastructure when it is spending more than its net revenues on only two items, debt servicing and defense? In fact, Rs 18 billion of its defense has to be financed to borrowing. The Pakistani government has not been governing; it has simply been acting as a debt-securing agency. 2) Lately the government has been touting the fact that it has achieved the IMF imposed budget defect target. What it neglects to mention that it achieved the target through questionable means. Firstly, it drastically reduced its developmental expenditure from 7.5 per cent of GDP in the early '90s to a paltry 3 per cent, which translates to a cutback of 140 billion in present prices. A cutback of expenditure of such extent in the governments purchases of private sector goods like cement, pipes and cables and services like engineering explains why a number of private sub-sectors are at the point of closing down, operating at a vastly reduced capacity. This is adding to the issues of hunger, poverty and unemployment being faced in Pakistan. The government has also reduced the amount it givers to the provinces by Rs 30 billion, transferring some of its debt to the provincial governments. In other words the government has done nothing to resolve the issue of structural defect. 3) What†s worse is that not only has developmental expenditure been sharply curtailed, but that the scarce resources set aside for infrastructure works have been diverted to less productive investments_like the new motorway and the new Lahore airport. This massive reduction of the public sector†s developmental activities is causing a contraction in employment opportunities for Pakistan†s growing number of middle class educated youth. This is particularly serious in the areas where the private sector is unlikely to locate due to the lack of infrastructure. Thus the really poor areas continue to live in poverty due to the government†s inability to provide adequate physical and social infrastructure or create an environment for private sector investment. It has also not been able to maintain law and order and is guilty of not living up to its contractual obligations which is further discouraging foreign and domestic investment in the country. The treatment of its foreign currency account holders and IPPs last year illustrates this point. 4) Pakistan suffers from the typical problems that all third world countries suffer. One of these is massive corruption at all levels, estimated at Rs 100 billion a year. This means that a large portion of national wealth has been stolen from the poor. No wonder, the country is unable to lift itself out of the quagmire of poverty and hunger. 5) Tax evasion is another issue that the government needs to address. Successive governments have failed to establish a tax culture due to an inequitable structure, which taxes different sources differently. An example of this is provided by the large farmers who, despite now getting higher international prices for their crop, are unwilling to pay the modest levels of provincial taxes. The political leadership itself does not pay its taxes diligently. Thus, unless companies owned by sitting ministers install invoice based systems for tax accounting, it will continue to be difficult to enforce retail taxes. Also, the repeated bowing down of the government to shutter-down threats of traders and the repeated refusal of large land-owners to meet their tax obligations is increasing the burden of taxes on the helpless poor, the organized sectors, and the honest people foolish enough to pay their taxes. If the rich are not willing to meet their responsibilities, how are the poor supposed to survive? 6) There is the additional problem of a gap of between 5 an 6 per cent of GDP per year between domestic national savings and investments which translates to approximately Rs 150 billion being financed from external borrowing. This further adds to the crippling debt that is allowing the IMF and World Bank to interfere in the formulation of domestic economic policies. 7) The external debt of around US$ 34 billion is more than 50 per cent of GDP, and four times the annual foreign exchange earnings. Pakistan can neither repay nor service this debt. So far I has only postponed the inevitable, default by piling up further debts at abominably high rates. 8) Pakistan†s exports compromise 0.2 per cent of world exports and diversification from a single crop economy has remained an elusive dream. Therefore to hope for exports to be the driving force of economic recovery, as the government is doing, would require an astronomical rise in exports, and the price of cotton. In other words it is impossible. 9) The country†s ability to export is also affected by sluggish world trade, which coupled with an over valued currency, is rendering Pakistan†s exports uncompetitive. With the rise in the price of oil, the gap between import bills and export receipts is widening. 10) Until now this gap has been met with remittances and short-term borrowing. But due to a decline in remittances for a number of reasons and Pakistan†s declining credit, this is no longer an option. It therefore seems that it is impossible to maintain the present levels of growth rates and imports as well as meet debt servicing. 11) Public sector industries are also deeply in the red due to over-manning, corruption, and the protection given to large defaulters of utilities. The combined debts of just WAPDA and KESC, (which deal with electricity and gas respectively,) are Rs 91 billion while the loans of 18 public sector enterprises is close to Rs 250 billion. 12) The government is offering 15 to 18 per cent interest rates on its saving schemes which is far to high for it to be able to generate high enough returns to service the debt and still have enough left over to finance developmental activities. 13) Most of Pakistan†s industry faces the issue of negative or nominal growth, while value-added industry is operating at 30% below capacity. The limited growth is due to a lack of comparative advantage, the lack of credit availability and a high interest rate. Despite inflation being well below double digits, interest rates are as high as 15 to 18 per cent on loans! This is too high to keep the present economy afloat, let alone raise it to a maintainable level of growth. 14) There is also a lack of confidence in the government by the private sector. How can a government that cannot even handle domestic peace issues be expected to turn around an economy that is in the throes of a downward spiral? Therefore the private sector has been occupied in short-term trading and currency speculations which do nothing for growth or the welfare of the state. 15) An obvious result of this situation is that the disparity between the rich and the poor has grown. The share of the poorest 20 per cent of households has fallen to 7 per cent while the richest 20 per cent are receiving over 45 per cent. The low rate of economic growth and the high rate of inflation over the last few years have left the poor with no buying power resulting in almost a third of the population living below the poverty line. There is also anger amongst the poor about the fact that the incidence of increased taxation has been heaviest for them; expenditures on services for them have declined. Social tensions are rising with the growth of the absolute number of poor, illiterate and jobless, as employment opportunities and wages decline due to the stagnating economy. Such conditions are hardly conducive to political and social stability, without which growth will remain a distant dream. On top of all of this, Pakistan is plagued by the curse of the IMF and World Bank. Constant defects in the current account of the balance of payments and depleting foreign exchange reserves is causing the extension of credit to become an exercise in haggling and bargaining. Each time there are negotiations along with a string of conditions attached to the loan. The release of credit is then delayed until each and every condition of the IMF has been met. The only way that Pakistan can now secure loans and vital extensions on its debt is to institute the Structural Adjustment Programs that have been drawn up by IMF economists. The problem is that the benefit of these programs is questionable. Most countries have suffered immensely from them. Instead of improving the economy, these programs have been destroying them. Unfortunately, like other countries that have yielded to the them, Pakistan is virtually being taken over by the IMF, along with the World Bank.