Supply side factors of drop out for students

Harmonizing to the National Plan for 2003-2015 ( 2003 ) of the Royal Government of Cambodia, Education for All ( EFA ) is the first critical and inevitable measure for bettering and sharpening human resources, which are needfully needed for Cambodia ‘s economic fight in an progressively planetary and regional economic system. Driven by a figure of development be aftering enterprises by the Royal Government of Cambodia, the constitution of EFA, which was approved by the Royal Government of Cambodia in 2002, came into consequence. In add-on, the National Plan emphasizes that, to develop the state ‘s economic system, Cambodia needs to guarantee its ain countrywide basic instruction, primary and lower secondary instruction, since the Government firmly believes EFA is the first and inevitable mechanism for Cambodia to make its ain Socio Economic Development Plan II ( SEDP II ) by agencies of equalising educational entree among its both advantaged and disadvantaged kids. This E FA program is besides encouraged by the on-going Poverty Reduction Strategic Plan ( PRSP ) of 2002, which aims at poorness decrease in Cambodia since the Government found that it has been the chief trap well lending to hapless pupils ‘ dropouts in Cambodia Basic Education. A paper by United Nations Children ‘s Fun ( UNICEF ) ( 2007 ) , which outlined the cosmopolitan primary instruction by aiming making the unapproachable in Cambodia, emphasizes that, to guarantee EFA in Cambodia, it is necessarily necessary to guarantee correlativity between both supply and demand-driven factors since the two factors are inseparable, intertwined tow-side consequence. This research, conducted by agencies of literature reappraisal from several beginnings, purposes to reply the undermentioned inquiries: What are these demand-side and supply-side which may forestall hapless kids from remaining in school? What does the Kampuchean Government do to cut down the influence of these factors on drop-out? The followers are the illustrations over the above research job, which chronologically includes the present state of affairs of drop-out in basic instruction in Cambodia, both supply-side and demand-side factors which may forestall hapless kids from remaining in school, and the Kampuchean Government ‘s solution in cut downing the influence of these factors on drop-out.Present Situation of Drop-out in Cambodia Basic EducationWith necessary engagement in their household ‘s economic activities, Kampuchean pupils in basic instruction normally face late school entry and early school dropout ( ILO, UNICEF, 2006 ) . The same research by ILO and UNICEF ( 2006 ) besides explains that about 16 per centum of Kampuchean kids are already active in their household ‘s economic work at the age of six while over half of them are involved at the age of 10. Therefore, kids engagement in economic activities exceeds that in school by the age of 15. In this sense, most of them merely ana lyze entirely, so they consider dropout. A study by World Bank ( 2005 ) shows that dropout rate becomes the highest during the pupils ‘ passage from primary schools to take down secondary schools. While the pupils are making their basic instruction, some of them choose to drop out of school without even finishing it. The study, furthermore, identifies many grounds of dropout, in which poorness seems to be the most influential ( as cited World Food Programme, 2007 ) . The tabular array below is the illustration by MoEYS/UNESCO ( 2000 ) , and NPRS ( 2005 ) on different grounds why pupils in Cambodia basic instruction bead out of school:ReasonsMales ( % )Female ( % )Parents ‘ poorness 22.3 19 Needed at place 1.6 21.1 Poor instruction 0.4 0.4 Distance to school 2.9 2.9 Schooling is non utile 0.4 0.3 Family migration 3.9 3.9 Other grounds 11 8.8 No response 37.5 43.6 Beginning: MoEYS/UNESCO ( 2000 ) /NPRS ( 2005 ) ( as cited in World Food Programme, 2007, p. 5 ) Harmonizing to the tabular array above, MoEYS/UNESCO ( 2000 ) /NPRS ( 2005 ) shows that poorness is the most influential factor forestalling pupils from traveling to school and hence doing them to drop out. It besides shows a great difference in the figure of pupils who reach the last class in primary schools and the proportion of pupils who continue their survey to take down secondary schools. The study moreover explains that, despite the abolishment of primary school fees, the secondary schools ‘ fees are non free. Therefore, possibly these are the grounds why pupils decide to drop out of school during the period of their passage from primary to take down secondary school since their parents or households can non afford their go oning instruction. The same determination by MoEYS/UNESCO ( 2000 ) and NPRS ( 2005 ) illustrates that, despite increasing proportion of pupils traveling to primary schools, there are still a big figure of pupils dropping out of schools or non inscribi ng for their go oning instruction in lower secondary schools ( as cited in World Food Programme, 2007 ) .Supply-side FactorsA statement by UNICEF ( 2007 ) identifies three chief supply-side factors, which prevent hapless kids from remaining in school, viz. unequal public outgo on primary instruction, high pupil-teacher ratio, and uncomplete school substructure. The study shows that, even though 80 to 84 per centum of entire Kampuchean instruction budget has been allocated to basic instruction, turn toing the issue of unequal public outgo is still a job, which to boot involves deciding issues of distance from school, installations and substructure of school, and instructors ‘ preparation and Numberss, peculiarly for entree to primary schools in distant and rural countries. The account, furthermore, emphasizes â€Å" aˆÂ ¦though investing in instruction has helped to increase the net registration rate in Cambodia by over 20 per centum over the period 1997 to 2004, a signif icant figure of kids still denied instruction opportunitiesaˆÂ ¦ † ( UNICEF, 2007, p. 8 ) . In add-on, high pupil-teacher ratio is besides a job. â€Å" Pupil-teacher ratio in schools in the poorest 300 communes averaged every bit much as 79 students per instructor compared with 46 in schools in the richest 300 communes † ( World Bank, 2006, p.101 ) . Another statistics sing high pupil-teacher ratio in primary instruction shows: The pupil-teacher ratio in Cambodia does non compare favourably with that of other states in the regionaˆÂ ¦ Cambodia has one of the highest pupil-teacher ratios in the part, between 1.8 to 2.9 times more than other states. The high pupil-teacher ratio has a direct influence on attending and larning results, and it peculiarly affects those kids populating in underserved countries of the state ( UNICEF, 2007, p. 9 ) . UNICEF ( 2007 ) , furthermore, shows that uncomplete school substructure besides affects students ‘ survey in schools, particularly who chiefly live in distant countries and those who can non afford their day-to-day transit. The determination proves that, despite to-some-extent betterment in structural substructure in basic instruction in Cambodia, a figure of uncomplete schools remain still. Those uncomplete schools is the chief cause of primary school students ‘ drop-out since they can non travel upward as those uncomplete schools can non supply higher classs for them. Similarly, a 2004 World Bank study peculiarly points out four of import factors from supply-side: deficient school preparedness, a big figure of uncomplete primary schools, low quality of instructors, and unequal wellness attention installations, viz. H2O and latrines and such acquisition installations as library. The study posited the roots of students ‘ dropouts on poorness trap, stating that: Poverty is the first factor that predisposes kids to drop out of school. Poor households are unable to pay the cost of schooling that could be every bit high of 79 per cent of the per capita non-food outgo of the poorest 20 per cent of the population. Children ‘s deficiency of school preparedness frequently a consequence of malnutrition and deficiency of preschool experiences is another factor that particularly impacts negatively on Grade 1 repeat and drop-out ( as cited in UNICEF, 2005, p. 9 ) . Mainstreaming Inclusive Education Undertaking by Voluntary Service Oversea ( VSO ) ( 2006 ) conducted a little pilot survey of a little sample of kids ( n=32 ) on primary school dropout in Kampot state, and it provided similar account on supply-side factors. One of the grounds is excess costs for school. The research shows that students are supposed to pay more for their excess lessons, or they would neglect in their survey. The 2nd ground is that their places are distant from schools. The research show that some pupils spend at least an hr each from place to school and this is the chief ground for their school dropouts. The concluding ground in the findings is instructors ‘ behaviour. The study emphasizes that physical penalty, harmonizing to 25 % of the kids, continues to be in school and is a factor that discourages some of them non to go to school ( VSO, 2006 ) .Demand-side FactorsIn the working documents by UNICEF ( 2007 ) on Universal Primary Education: Reaching the Unrea ched, demand-side explains three factors as the grounds for pupils dropouts, viz. poorness, geographics and ethnicity. First, poorness is really likely to be the most influential facet. Without even nutrient to eat for their day-to-day endurance, kids are required to work by their household. Cambodia Child Labor Survey emphasizes that around 50 % of all kids in Cambodia, aged from 7 to 14, were much more actively involved in economic aid in 2001 if compared with other with-similar-income states ( ILO, UNICEF and World Bank, 2006 ) . â€Å" Together with the demand of significant domestic work, this economic activity delays the chance that a kid would get down primary school by the official school entry age of six † ( UNICEF, 2007, p. 10 ) . In the same statement, UNICEF ( 2007 ) found that costs of kid schooling is the issue. Since cost of basic education-both direct and indirect-is high in Cambodia, hapless pupils find it disputing to remain in school, but sing dropout might be the better pick. Poverty is besides a chief cause of hapless pupils ‘ late entry into primary school. World Bank ( 2005b ) has found that â€Å" Children in Cambodia enter school well subsequently than the official school enrolment age of six, averaging 7.6 old ages as of 2001, † ( as cited in UNICEF, 2007, p. 11 ) . Therefore, this delayed start in school seems to be a terrible disheartenment in their academic continuance and it therefore appears to be the account about why hapless pupils decide to drop out of school. Second, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports ( 2006 ) shows geographical location earnestly affects hapless pupils ‘ survey in footings of non merely farness but besides school conditions. Students whose agencies of transit is non low-cost have to travel to school on nutrient for long distance. At the same clip, the school conditions in distant countries are normally much worse than those in the urban countries. With no longer tolerance t o this regular state of affairs, most hapless pupils choose to discontinue school ( as cited in UNICEF, 2007 ) . Third, the study by UNICEF ( 2007 ) illustrates that cultural minorities largely live in rural countries, and they therefore do non truly mean to remain in school since survey can assist them with about nil. Therefore, dropout would be their better manner. In add-on, the same pilot survey by VSO ( 2006 ) besides identifies four factors from demand-side as the grounds why pupils drop out of schools, viz. demand for kids to work, deficiency of personal resources, deficiency of assurance, and unwellness. Need for kids to work to back up their household is largely inevitable for hapless kids in Cambodia. The determination states that around 25 % are required to assist their households with any necessary plants. The study adds, â€Å" in these state of affairss, school is frequently an excess load. Children become exhausted and therefore unable to concentrate on their survey † ( VSO, 2006, p. 16 ) . Consequently, this difficult work may forestall them from traveling to school. In add-on, guaranting adequate resources for their survey is besides the issue. â€Å" Similarly, 12.5 % of the interviewed kids [ n=32 ] in Kampot state are found unable to afford books or pens, so they can non take portion in lessons. Even though this ground is non given as a chief ground for dropping out, but it is at least in concurrence with other grounds † ( VSO, 2006, p. 17 ) . VSO ( 2006 ) adds that deficiency of assurance partially affects the pupils ‘ survey. 9 % of those kids dropped out as the consequence of their ain hapless public presentation in school. With deficiency of assurance in head, pupils are more likely to discontinue school. The account adds that, of those grounds, unwellness is another since, even though it is a rare instance, pupils are more likely to discontinue school when they are earnestly sick.Government ‘s SolutionsTo cover with this dropout issue, the Royal Government of Cambodia, with Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports as executive mechanism, needs to guarantee effectual execution for the undermentioned undertakings. UNICEF ( 2005 ) emphasizes that the MoEYS foremost needs to implement and vouch that all Kampuchean kids, particularly the hapless, are given equal chance to acquire choice instruction and to accomplish just entree to instruction. Second, the MoEYS besides needs to endeavor to supply more chances for vulnerable groups to acquire mine old ages of basic instruction. To accomplish these two chief aims, the MoEYS has outlined some of import, relevant schemes in ESP/ESSP. These include abolishment of the cost barrier to basic instruction and other illegal Acts of the Apostless by agencies of first doing enrolment run effectual ; 2nd providing to the demand and scholarship for secondary instruction, chiefly for those hapless and vulnerable kids ; 3rd extinguishing uncomplete primary schools by constructing extra schoolrooms and more lower secondary schools in underserved countries ; four turn outing school operational budget ; 5th cut downing repeat and drop-out chiefly in Grade 1 to 6 ; 6th supplying more chances for kids out of school to re-entry ; 7th making plans for out-of-school young person to acquire equal instruction ; eighth spread outing l iteracy plans for grownup ; and eventually seeking to enroll instructors from remote and cultural minority country. In a more elaborate account by EFA ( 2003 ) , to cover with these issues, the Royal Government of Cambodia has introduced a figure of strategic programs, in which some are in the procedure of execution while some are the future programs. First, it was necessary for the Government to set up both â€Å" Poverty Reduction Strategic Plan ( PRSP ) and Socio Economic Development Plan ( SEDPII ) † since the Government believes that long-run EFA sustainability, particularly to help the hapless or other deprived pupils, will ne'er be ensured without these two programs ( EFA, 2003, p. 19 ) . In another broader context, about comprehensive instruction reform has to be implemented with thorough accent on following cardinal mileposts 2000/2002: â€Å" Design and execution of PAP for primary instruction, concentrating on cut downing cost load on the hapless and publicity of improved internal efficiency in early 2000. Formulation of preliminary instruction policy and strategic model, as portion of interim PRSP in mid-2000. MoEYS hosting of Government, givers and NGO seminars on international experiences of sector broad attack to education reform in mid/late 2000. Formal understanding to education partnership rules by MoEYS, givers, NGO advisory group in early 2001, alongside revival of donor instruction sector w0rking group. Joint reappraisal and assessment of ESP and ESSP, climaxing in joint ESSP assessment study and collaborative forward program and high degree instruction unit of ammunition tabular array in mid 2001. Design and execution of assorted mode instruction sector support plan and complementary capacity edifice aid plan by cardinal donor Alliess in early 2002. MoEYS and donors/NGO readying of poorness impact, sector public presentation, revised ESSP and donors/NGO study as portion of first ESSP public presentation reappraisal in late 2002. Formulation of preliminary PRSP and MTEF, pulling on the policy and strategic waies set out in the revised ESSP 2002/6 in late 2002 † ( EFA, 2003, pp. 19-20 ) .DecisionWith elaborate amplification in response to the above research inquiries, brief decision on dropout grounds in Cambodia basic instruction can been seen as an interconnected factors between both demand-side and supply-side, which need necessary solutions from the authorities. In supply-side factor, dropout is affected by five chief grounds, viz. unequal public outgo on primary instruction, high pupil-teacher ratio, uncomplete school substructure, low quality of instructors, and deficiency of school installations, which are largely the duties of the authorities. Likewise, demand-side factors are besides the instance, in which pupils necessarily face several challenges: poorness, geographics, ethnicity, demand for kids to work, deficiency of personal resources, deficiency of assurance, and unwellness. Of all the gro unds from demand-side, poorness seems to be the most seeable ground in the pupils ‘ dropout. As can be see in the above literature reappraisals, their household ‘s fiscal crisis is the most influential barrier which causes their late school entry and ignorance. With these challenges, pupils seem to hold less motive in their survey, and they therefore end up with dropping out of school. To manage this issue, the Royal Government of Cambodia should make four prioritized undertakings: equalising basic educational entree to all pupils, supplying more chances to vulnerable groups, set uping Poverty Reduction Strategic Plan ( PRSP ) , and developing Socio Economic Development Plan ( SEDPII ) . With all the undertakings successfully accomplished, drop-out rate is expected to diminish consequently.

The Development of Multi-Faceted Literacy in American Culture

Though many theories have been formulated about literacy and how to apply proper education to it, few seem to grasp the fact that true literacy involves lots of different aspects. Though many educators have tried to put the term literacy into a strict definition, it is best understood as a complex educational aspect. Literacy combines elements of culture, both nation and international. It involves picking up essential skills that can be taught in the classroom, as well. In addition to all of that, it involves a person learning the advanced art of articulation. Speaking well, writing well, and understanding how to get a point across are three things that should be included in that discussion, as well. How a person understands literacy is dependent upon which of these theories that person accepts as being the standard. According to Dr. Robert Needlman, literacy needs to be understood in a broad sense, as it is very important to all other forms of learning. In a recent article on the matter, Needlman wrote, â€Å"Literacy is more than just being able to read and write. Literate children see reading as fun and exciting. They use reading to learn about a wide range of subjects, and they use writing to share their ideas† (Needlman). This means that teachers must learn to teach their students how to read and write at the most basic level, but that is rarely enough. True literacy can not be gained without a wide application of many different principles. One position that has become very popular among educators in recent years is one that employs a strategy of teaching students to communicate. Learning how to frame words in sentences and paragraphs is not enough in order to truly teach someone to be literate. In order to be literate, a person has to be able to take those words and put them into coherent thoughts. This position is probably the one that most closely represents what today’s educators should be aiming for when they frame curriculums for students. Skills based literacy is the building block from which all other things have to come. This is generally accepted by most educators out there. The problem is that some of these educators are not going beyond that. Though literacy starts with the basic skills, it certainly cannot stop there. It can only be effective if it is combined with a literacy program that teaches students cultural literacy and communications skills, as well. Teaching one without taking the time to teach the other is like teaching a person how to fish, giving them all of the equipment, and then forgetting to tell them where the pond is located. Though learning the actual skill of reading and writing is obviously an important part of the process, the cultural aspects are even more important. Especially in the United States, cultural literacy has not been nearly as much of a concern as other aspects of education. This is partly because teachers have been teaching with their eye on standardized tests and partly because no real value has been placed on cultural literacy. Now, the value and importance of both understanding how to read and write and understand how to put those things into context is being stressed more and more in schools and to America’s youth. Certain school districts have taken the initiative of instilling this sort of program within their curriculum for students. According to literature put out by the Poway Unified School District, cultural literacy is important to the development of students. Their website states, â€Å"The best lessons for cultural literacy come from the many students who sit in front of us each day in our classrooms. Their cultures, heritage, and stories formulate the most powerful cultural literacy curriculum† (Poway Unified School District). Elementary schools are not the only ones taking notice in this. College writing programs have implemented strategies as well to give their students a chance to become fully literate. Reed College, for example, has an entire writing program that is dedicated to teaching students the proper rules for communicating in their writing. This program not only focuses on writing, but it also teaches the value of things like drama and other liberal arts. Hampden-Sydney College is another college in the United States that has put an emphasis on this type of education. Their rhetoric program must be completed by all students who come through the school, whether those students are business majors or history majors. In the full context of a college liberal arts program, writing takes on a huge level of importance. Universities that offer these programs need to instill a writing intensive program across the board. This does not mean that just journalism or English students should have to concentrate on refining their skills. It means that in history courses, religion courses, philosophy courses, and other sorts of classes, a bunch of writing should be required. By incorporating writing into the curriculum of these other subjects, students will further learn how to communicate with their writing and they will become better at the other subjects, as well. Without an emphasis on writing, a liberal arts program is doomed to failure. Successful communication is a necessary aspect of these programs, as well. That cannot be gained without learning how to write critically, though. As E.D Hirsch is quick to point out, the English language lends itself to much interesting diction for writers. In his book, Hirsch wrote, â€Å"Literature in English excels in every kind of writing. Its particular glory is its poetry. For historical reasons, the English language acquired a vocabulary that is unusually rich and nuanced, combining words of Germanic root (such as see and glimpse) with words of Latin root (such as perceive and envision)† (Hirsch). There are quite a few different approaches to organizing a program such as this. Some colleges have started specific writing courses that teach students how to put their ideas into writing. More times than not, these classes are put into freshman year experience programs. These are the programs that teach students how to learn and how to be good college students. More times than not, these classes are taught alongside a study skills course. After all, most students are going to have to write multiple essays when they enter college and writing will be an essential part of their life. It only makes sense to preach the importance of writing from the very beginning of the college experience. This is not enough, though. In today’s world, being able to write and communicate is essentially important. Just about everything revolves around it, including the business world. According to the Educational Testing Service, which handles much of the student testing in the United States, the situation is extremely dire. They state, â€Å"As society becomes more technologically advanced, the quantity and types of written materials are growing. Adults are expected to use information from these materials in new and more complex ways and to maintain and enhance their literacy skills through lifelong learning activities. Literacy skills are critical not only for the personal achievement of individuals, but also for the social and economic development of each nation. These skills are no longer linked to a single threshold that separates the literate from the nonliterate† (Educational Testing Service). This quotation does much to state the overall importance of literacy in society and it also hammers home the point that literacy is becoming more important and more relevant, despite what some might think. In fact, it is dire, according to C.H. Knoblauch. In his Literacy and the Politics of Education, Knoblauch writes, â€Å"However, if literacy today is perceived as a compelling value, the reason lies not in such self-interested justifications but in its continuing association with forms of social reality that depend on its primacy† (Knoblauch). In addition to that, there is sentiment from other literary sources about the American situation. The Formation of National Cultures states, â€Å"In America, the reality is that we have not yet properly achieved monoliteracy, much less multiliteracy† (Foundation of National Cultures). This means that the United States still has to work on both the simple parts of literacy, as well as the more advanced aspects. One of the staples of any liberal arts program is a good history department. History courses are interesting because of the fact that they incorporate many different aspects of reading, writing, critical thinking, and lots of other skills. Students are not only forced to write and read critically, but they are often forced to do these things in a cultural sense. History courses not only teach what happened and when it happened, but they study cultural trends. Writing and reading have to be a huge part of any history course. Framing a history course with an eye on literacy is easy. In fact, it would be very difficult to even consider teaching any sort of history class without the inclusion of these things. As far as the actual setup of a course is concerned, it would not be all that difficult to integrate. The course would need a strong textbook, which must be read each and every night. In addition to that, the instructor of the course would teach the class in a lecture/discussion format, where students have to get used to both critical listening and critical communication. During each class period, students would have to listen to an instructor and take notes on what that professor is saying. This is one way to not only teach students the art of writing, but it also teaches students to think about the most important things that they are hearing. From that, they will react to that knowledge. The course would not be taught with only lectures, though. There would obviously be some grading that would be required. Writing would be integrated into the course in both essays and in tests. For the essays, students would be required to submit a number of them, depending upon length. This would give students a chance to not only explore the liberal arts staple of history, but it would also make them learn how to express themselves in a logical way. Essays would require proper writing skills, as well as good organization and good understanding of the material at hand. This would be an appropriate test of the knowledge and a good way to further integrate literary skills into the course. When it came time to give the test, writing would be on that, as well. Some part of the test would include an essay, where students would have to prepare a concise thought without too much time to research the issue. By doing these things, writing, reading, and critical communication could take their rightful place of importance in the liberal arts field. Without them, the courses would be naked and barren. By including writing and reading in liberal arts programs, a university would not be precluded from also offering advanced writing courses. Traditional definitions of literacy have come up with the conclusion that it is actually a skill that must be learned and mastered. Though the cultural literacy idea has become much more popular in recent years, the idea of literacy being a skill has still not been lost. With the right amount of instruction, students can learn how to both read and write at a very high level. Like with other subjects in a curriculum, writing programs must take the opportunity to teach both the basics and the advanced aspects of writing and reading. Colleges would be well advised to offer a literacy major or minor within their course catalog. With this program, the university could offer tens of classes on writing and reading. Everything from critical writing to business writing could be offered within this major. With that knowledge, a student would be able to go on to many different careers, since it has been established that writing and reading is such a large part of the business culture today. As long as literacy is a skill, it is something that must be harnessed and taught in universities and in lower levels of schools, as well. Elementary, middle, and high schools would be smart to adopt similar programs, which would further prepare students for the rigors of college literacy programs. In short, this would take a concerted effort at every level of academia if it is going to be successful. This is something that Allan Bloom takes very seriously in his book, The Closing of the American Mind. In there, Bloom writes, â€Å"I used to think that young Americans began whatever education they were to get at the age of eighteen, that their early lives were spiritually empty and they arrived at the university clean slate unaware of their deeper selves and the world beyond their superficial experience† (Bloom). The need for education at early levels is of the utmost importance to people like Bloom. No matter what definition of literacy a person subscribes to, the fact remains that it is a very important part of education that must be addressed. At current standing, schools are not doing nearly enough to teach the skills and to instill the type of cultural knowledge that is essential in order to truly communicate. Literacy is far more complicated than many educators have been willing to give it credit for. The first step to truly teaching literacy in a correct way is to understand that it is a changing thing. According to the folks at the Perkins School for the Blind, literacy includes many different aspects that must be accounted for. Their website reads, â€Å"The development of literacy is founded upon our experiences – beginning with birth – and our interactions with the world and those around us. Over time, these experiences enable us to develop the ability to connect meaning to words and letters. First, though, the path to literacy requires establishing communication and connecting meaning to objects, events and people in our world† (Perkins School for the Blind). This means that literacy is constantly being learned by everyone, each and every day. With this sort of knowledge in hand, it is easy to conclude that literacy must be included in every aspect of education. When talking about a classic liberal arts education, this is especially true. No matter if the skills-based literacy interpretation is correct or the other interpretations are correct, one must concede that all aspects of the idea should be considered. When shaping the plan for literacy training within a liberal arts program, lots of things must be considered. Luckily for those people who frame curriculums,   many liberal arts classes already require many pieces of literacy to be included to begin with. From critical writing to reading to other forms of communication, literacy will always be a part of history, philosophy, English, and the other subjects within liberal arts. With that in mind, the key is to highlight those skills and make sure that students are given an opportunity to enhance them. Works Cited Bloom, Allan. Closing of the American Mind. Educational Training Service. What is Literacy? http://www.nocheating.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.c988ba0e5dd572bada20bc47c3921509/?vgnextoid=2a8eaf5e44df4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=6773e3b5f64f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD Hirsch, E.D. Cultural Literacy. Knoblauch, C.H. Literacy and the Politics of Education. Perkins School for the Blind. Perkins Panda Early Literacy Kit. http://www.perkins.org/literacy/panda/ Poway Unified School District. Cultural Literacy. http://www.powayusd.com/projects/edtechcentralnew/culturallit.htm â€Å"Formation of National Cultures† Needlman, Robert. What is Literacy? http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,5133,00.html         

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The essential factors in the achievement of organizational goals Essay

The essential factors in the achievement of organizational goals - Essay Example It's My Bike recounted the experience of Debbie Martin as the new Supplier Quality Manager for the commercial product division of Cold Air Corporation. In this new position, Debbie encountered problems in the organization where a $250 bike is primarily involved. The bike was purchased by her predecessor and was currently utilized by her subordinate, Ronnie in order to inspect the incoming inputs in the plant's production line. As the company changed the supplier for one of its components, Ronnie's inspection became more frequent which consequently led to more frequent use of the bike. However, Cold Air Corporation is also currently undergoing a product transition handled by the Airhandler Quality managed by Steve Gregg. Because the distance from the Airhandler's office and the components for the new production line necessitated the use of the bike, Gregg borrowed the bike for his team's activities. This became the highlight of the case as Ronnie was quite hesitant in lending the bike to the other department while Airhandler Quality team argued that they are currently handling the most important project in the plant so they should take possession of the bike and Debbie should buy a new one. This paper will take a look at three problems encountered in... What seems to be one of the major causes of the recent misunderstanding was the real purpose of the bike. It should be noted that the conflict have arisen because there seems to be a vague designation of the bike. It was stated in the case that the bike was purchased by Debbie's predecessor in order to "aid in transporting testing materials and small samples from one end of the plant to another." However, there seems to be an inefficient communication within the organization as to where the bike should be used for. This can be indicated by the following situations: 1. the bike has been taken and repainted by the metal works department without the knowledge of Debbie or anyone in her department; 2. the bike was borrowed by the Airhandler Quality team for their own purposes and refused to return it without Debbie's formal request; and 3. Steve Gregg wants the bike to be utilized for his department as he is handling the most important project in the plant which will necessitate Debbie to buy a new bike for Ronnie's inspection. At the start of the case, it was stated that Debbie's boss is "not an easy person to work for" since he expects his employees to have a "take charge attitude and avoid bothering him with trivial issues." Taking this into account, Debbie should try to resolve the problem at hand first before resorting to his immediate superior. It is seemingly wrong that Debbie should bother his supervisor due to a $250 bike if he had given them responsibility and accountability in solving "trivial" problems within their department. In order to solve the conflict within the organization, Debbie should set the primary purpose which the bike will serve. As it was purchased by her

A Sporting Goods Store Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

A Sporting Goods Store - Research Paper Example Entrepreneur’s role 21 Business plan 21 License potential 21 Corporate partners 21 Proprietary rights 21 Infrastructure members 21 Bibliography 22 FEASIBILITY STUDY OF A SPORTING GOODS STORE Introduction Our proposed company is a sporting goods store that will manufacture a line of clothing for sports enthusiasts, carry known brands of sporting equipments, and accessories for fishing, hunting, hiking, and camping, aside from being a service center for these equipments. It is a combination of a retail, manufacturing and service business. At this point, we are still on the concept stage. Methodology/Analysis Our shirts will be customized, carrying our own brand and logo, but the designs will be done according to the theme of the sports events and idea of customers. Each design is unique as it will represent the theme of each event. As a shirt manufacturer, it will be a specialty store because we will use high materials. As a retail outlet, our store will carry known brands of hi king, fishing, and camping materials, as we plan to work for distributorship and licensed agreements with named brand owners. We will also set up a service and maintenance department that will repair sporting equipments that people bought from our store. As these items are costly, our maintenance will add value to them. Our Products will be sourced from sporting goods manufacturers and wholesalers and then sold to the general public via our retail store. Target markets are people of ages 18 and above, residents of Des Moines, and with average income of $35,000 and above. Study showed these people have the capacity to spend, and enjoy active sports life. Hiking, fishing, and camping are simple outdoor activities that people enjoy. Since our company is in the locality, it will be ready to serve their needs as a one stop shop for outdoor sports. In order to penetrate our target market, we will consider a tie up with schools, sports organizers and clubs for a city wide sports campaign l ike a city hiking day, hunting and fishing competition once every 6 months. We will also encourage sponsorship and media coverage. Our start-up costs and capital needed is estimated at $250,000. Start - capital will be provided by four partners at $25,000 each and the balance of $150,000 will be borrowed from the bank. Bulk of this fund will be used for capital expenditures, inventory, and maintenance and operating expenses for the first months of operations. It is expected that sales in the following months will provide the needed cash flows for operations. Our financing will be both debt and equity. Conclusion We plan to pursue this business since based on our projection; it is not a losing proposition. The first months of operations will be difficult for the start-up of our business, but we will keep our expenditures to a minimum so that our cash flows will not suffer and we do not have to borrow some more. Initially, sports organizations in the area that we have approached are e xcited with the idea and many of our friends have encouraged us to continue with the proposal.

WK5-Critque Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WK5-Critque - Essay Example Most of these articrafts were collected and donated by the curator and founder, Dr. David Pilgrim. The Jim Crow museum also owns a website link that serves as a valuable educational resource for research scholars at national as well as international levels. The website is very simple in layout and design. With a bold title description at the top, the format of the articles presents a clear and readable font size with a number of pictorial illustrations. There is no link, advertisement or content pasted on both sides of the article to avoid reader’s distraction. However, one has to move back to the main menu page for navigating to another article or resource. The information is well structured with bullets, numbering and headings for clarity. One of the most notable merits of the presented information is the acknowledgement of the sources in-text as well as at the end of the articles. The sources used are mostly from the scholarly journals and accredited books supporting the au thenticity of the information. Apart from several merits, the update information is not mentioned anywhere for the website or individual resources. The sources for the incorporated images are also not mentioned that makes it difficult for research scholars to track unbiased opinion. However, undoubtedly, the website is serving as a good learning and teaching resource.

Bureaucratic and Normative Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Bureaucratic and Normative Control - Essay Example Actually hierarchy in general (in the sense of levels of authority) is to be found in any administration which has a certain degree of magnitude and complexity. The feudal type of administration had a complicated hierarchical system. (Davis, 1994, p73) 'There is hierarchy of a social rank corresponding to the hierarchy of fiefs through the process of sub-infatuation...' 6 But the difference between the two kinds of hierarchies, according to Weber, is to be found in the type of authority relations. In the feudal case the relationship between inferior and superior is personal and the legitimating of authority is based on a belief in the sacredness of tradition. In a bureaucracy, authority is legitimised by a belief in the correctness of the rules and the loyalty of the bureaucrat is oriented to an impersonal order, to a superior position, not to the person who holds it. So what makes an administration more or less bureaucratic from the hierarchical point of view is not the number of le vels of authority, or the size of the span of control; the decisive criterion is whether or not the authority relations have a precise and impersonal character, as a result of the elaboration of rational rules. Concerning first the criterion of meaningful adequacy, it does not necessarily make sense to someone that a type of organisation having the Weberian characteristics to an extreme degree should yield maximum efficiency. One could equally well imagine such an organisation as being extremely inefficient. For example, some of these characteristics, even from a common sense point of view, seem to promote administrative inefficiency rather than efficiency (e.g. promotion by seniority). As to the criterion of objective possibility, in the light of the empirical research done since Weber, one can argue that a perfectly rational-efficient organisation having Weber's ideal characteristics is not objectively possible, in the sense that it runs against the known laws of nature -- in this case, against recent empirical findings. Such findings rather indicate that the more accentuated some characteristics of the ideal type are, the more inefficient the organisation becomes. In one sense, a great part of the literature on bureaucracy since Weber

Case Study 10.1 - Project Scheduling at Blanque Cheque Construction - 1

10.1 - Project Scheduling at Blanque Cheque Construction - Case Study Example A project manager may make use of the below approaches to estimate how long a project will last, rather than basing it on how long he is pressured to make it last. The expert opinion uses the consensus method to arrive at an estimate. The project manager will engage the services of at least three experts who have an understanding of the type of project to be undertaken or have managed similar projects before (Kerzner 6). After a briefing by the project manager on the project requirements, the experts discuss it among themselves and each submits their own separate estimates according to their understanding. Each produces a task list containing effort estimates for each task. The project manager then hands back a list of the estimates to the experts without revealing to which one of them each belongs. He asks the experts to consider the risks and estimates of the others’ results and recalculate their work. The experts then discuss the project to determine if any assumptions or issues have changed after the last discussion. After studying the combined estimates, the experts revise their estimates and submit the results independently again. If the discrepancies are still not practical, the project manager hands the results back again, or invites more experts. The aim is to make the difference between the lowest and the highest estimates as low as possible. The cycle may be repeated severally until most of the results are in or close to agreement. Once in agreement, an average of the experts’ estimates is used as the project duration. However, rather than spending much time on the estimation procedure, the project manager may use the results of several experts in the early stages. For example, if three experts determined the estimate as 2000 hours and one estimated at 4000 hours, he may need to ignore the overestimated duration but with the knowledge that he bears the risk of the duration accepted actually doubling. Past history is one of

Hurling alone critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hurling alone critique - Essay Example Demographic analysis shows that famines has led to the changes in lifestyles and behavior of those of Irish ancestry and, when mixed with stressful environment, this lifestyle is likely to lead to cardiovascular disease. In addition, the article points to the racial approach to various diseases, as some ethnic groups have more obvious predisposition to a certain disease (ibid). As for me, the main controversy underlies in two aforementioned statements: on the one hand, socioeconomic status contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease, but racial and ethnic factors are also included, so the real reason for posing Irish people as a risk group is quite vague. Another problem is in comparison itself is the narrowness of analysis: the scholars in fact, attempted to match socioeconomic and health factors, but spoke very little about lifestyle factors and the other important characteristics of each group. Furthermore, socioeconomic factors were reduced to employment and or the presence of another source of income, whereas they have forgotten about the huge Irish heritage, extrapolated to the United States by immigrants: job patterns and perceptions, the overall 'careerism' and the ability to spend leisure time effectively and usefully.

The Storm of 1928 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Storm of 1928 - Essay Example The overwhelming number of dead bodies were just too much for the rescue team. With just a number of days the wetness and the sun that set the place made the bodies decay beyond recognition. Some of the bodies were burnt in the fire as there was nowhere the bodies could be taken for burial. This points to a lack of the preparation measures of such a disaster.  The evacuation measures that could be used to save people in case flood struck were largely lacking. Apart from those who instantly died from the overflowing water, others died as they tried to find their way to a safe place. They would travel long distance where the flood had thrown them without finding any help. Frail and weak, many of them died while in search for food and shelter. If there were a good rescue measure, some of these people could have been saved. For instance, use of state resources such as military helicopters that could have been sent to rescue the survivors.  The technological advancement perhaps has ma naged to enable things that were impossible do back then in 1928. For instance, the detectors that can be used to warn of any changing cyclone movement in oceans that would be alert of any impending danger. Despite the limit of the technology back then, there were alerts made through the Radio. The government should have made efforts to relocate those people close to the coastline. The fact some people went around telling others of the impending hurricane cannot be used as a justification that proper information was given to the victims.

Organization and Environmental Analysis Essay Example for Free

Organization and Environmental Analysis Essay Huawei Technologies technical diversification of its portfolio and value addition to its existing products is highlighted by Huawei being ranked amongst the top 5 in the world in terms of essential UMTS patents. By June 2008, Huawei had filed 30,569 patent applications. (Huawei Corporate Information-Huawei Media release). The big inclination towards RD and strong cost differentiation has enabled Huawei Technologies to achieve what the other dominant players in the telecom industry have been struggling to achieve- customization! .This strong customer focus is also the face of Huawei Technologies projected through its brand logo. The Huawei Technologies brand logo reflects its core principles of â€Å"customer-focus, innovation, steady and sustainable growth, and harmony, conveying Huawei Technologies sincere commitment to helping its customers realizing their potential to launch a variety of competitive services through continuous innovation and an enterprising spirit. † (Huawei Corporate Information-Huawei Media release). The Huawei Technologies logo was recently changed and modified to reflect harmony as also one of its key elements, so as to convey its social responsibility. Huawei Corporate Information-Huawei Media release). This has brought in the much needed image change required by Huawei Technologies primarily being seen as a Chinese vendor. Figure1: Huawei Contract Sales (Source Huawei Corporate Information-Huawei Media release) Opex Capex leverage which Huawei Technologies has been able to offer its customers has enabled it to demonstrate cost leadership which is evident as 72% of its contr act sales were from overseas market in 2007. Let alone in 2007, it had 45% increases in its contract sales revenue. See figure 1. Huawei Corporate Information-Huawei Media release). The strong hold which Huawei Technologies is being able to maintain also comes from the socio-political environment it works in as the labour cost in China is one sixth of that of United States or Europe. Thus it has become a key external environmental factor . Internally Huawei Technologies has capitalized on human resource and RD. But has the cost differentiation been enough, will it still promise growth and more market share? These are the biggest questions which need to be addressed for a guaranteed continuous growth. This question has made Huawei Technologies rethink its marketing strategy towards value proposition, and to value chain analysis (Porter 1985) for a bigger market share. Before that however lies another hurdle of poor quality perception a question mark on the quality of Chinese branding. Issue 2- The dragon brand wagon. With the FMCG market taking blows after blows because of adulterated Chinese raw materials, the general consumer perception on Chinese quality is struggling to establish a stand. Though it specifically affects as said the FMCG market or the business dealing in B2C but the general perception affects all including B2B. And this has been one of the prime challenges. From 1998 to 2001 Huawei was looked at with distrust doubt . With the Cisco lawsuit the market penetration in the developed economies had become more difficult and required 1000 times more effort as compared to its American or European counterparts. (The Economist, Nov 2007). I believe that the focus needs to be shifted towards creating a strong brand if Huawei Technologies needs to keep its foothold in the global telecom market. Thus strengthening of the Huawei brand has become even more important. Remodeling to establish Huawei as a brand has been now the new focus to develop a better perceived quality create brand equity. The need of brand recognition has also become very vital to be seen as a valued collaborator for its customers. Brand development has never been big in China; with large volume market brand recognition never existed in the Chinese market. Hence it becomes more essential as well as difficult for Huawei to develop its brand image to compete in the global economy. The strong need for branding and change for the marketing orientation to move towards the service sector becomes more vital when we look into the 5C’s of Huawei Technologies. Issue 4- The 5C’s. Exploring the 5 C’s of Huawei Technologies highlights the core competencies of Huawei and helps us in understanding why a new orientation approach is required . As discussed earlier Huawei Technologies dominates in cost differentiation and is armed with a strong RD to achieve customization in a high barrier industry and it has been a key strength of Huawei Technologies. But a quick SWOT analysis brings out the lack of perceived quality in the market as one of the greatest threats Huawei Technologies faces. Its major competitor Ericsson currently leading the market share comes with a very strong branding and high perceived quality. The dilemma is not just the market perception but also the perception of the employees themselves despite the fact that human capital is a key resource strength of Huawei Technologies which also drives to low labor costs.

Reduce,Reuse and Reclycle Essay Example for Free

Reduce,Reuse and Reclycle Essay Practicing these three steps (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) helps us lessen the environmental impact that manufacturing and distributing products have on our environment. Reducing waste is the most effective 3 R practice, because it means not producing unnecessary waste in the first place – So there is zero impact on the environment. If we reduce what we buy and use in the first place and reuse wherever possible, fewer things need to be recycled and the amount of waste we produce will fall. The next best is Reuse, because it extends the life of a product. That item still had to be made but it is used over and over, reducing the need to make new stuff. Recycling in the end is the reprocessing of materials. It helps reduce pollution caused by waste and the need of raw material so that rainforests can be preserved. BENEFITS: We are going to give you some tips and practical examples how to save money, energy and the environment. 1. Do not waste food, make sure that you buy what you are going to consume, give leftovers to your pets or discard them in a responsible way. (Environmental friendly). 2. Grow your own vegetable, fruits, and flowers. 3. When you leave a room always turn the lights off – Do not forget to switch off all the electrical equipment’s, turn down your emersion heater. 4. Instead of using dishwasher, wash dishes by hands from the sink 5. Always turn the tap off when you wash your teeth. You do not need the tap running when you are brushing your teeth. 6. Instead of buying a lot of books, you can borrow from the library or charity shops. 7. Do not automatically get rid of your old newspaper; use it in place of paper towels to clean glasses and mirrors. Shred it to make packaging materials, use it as a fire starter. 8. Reuse junk mail envelops for your own mail. Just put a label over the see through window or if the envelop has a bar code at the bottom, run a black marker through it. 9. Do not dump water you use to cook vegetable; water your plants with it. 10. Use the public transport (trains, undergrounds) rather than cars to reduce pollution. ADVANTAGES OF RECYCLING: Recycling uses much less energy than producing new materials from scratch. This means less fossil fuel is burnt and less greenhouse gas is emitted. The vast majority of materials collected from your doorstep are recycled and used in the UK. This means less fuel is used to export waste and import new materials. Recycling helps to reduce pollution, Co2 emissions caused by waste and preserve natural resources for futures generations. Recycling is one of the best ways for you to have a positive impact on the planet in which we live. It is so important to both, the natural environment and us (Human beings). N. B: However, recycling still creates some pollution because it is an industrial process. That’s why â€Å"Reduce and Reuse† are the most important of the 3 R practice. Did you know? Recycling Aluminium uses only five per cent of the energy and emissions needed to make it from raw materials. Each year in the UK, we go through over 1. 2 million Tonnes of electrical waste. (That’s the equivalent of 150 Thousand double decker buses). Prevention is better than cure as the doctors say. Therefore, we must act fast as the amount of waste we create is increasing all the time. We are going to conclude our topic with this wise and pertinent citation of Margaret Mead: â€Å"Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. †

Children A Gift From God Religion Essay

Children A Gift From God Religion Essay Many have heard of yuppies but have you heard of dinkies? The first type refers to those young urban professionals who are financially secured. Dinkies (double income but no kids) refer to those married couples having no intention or unwilling to have children. Freedom to travel and to enjoy life is a frequent answer. Other reasons include less expenses, less responsibilities and fewer problems in short less headaches. A few crudely replied, We simply dont like children as if they have never been children themselves. Some argue that the old Chinese saying, raising children to safeguard our old age, no longer applies as they saw the presence of neglected parents around. They are absolutely right. Bringing up children involves countless sacrifices and giving up many of lifes enjoyment. A parents responsibilities start from a childs conception onwards to adulthood and oftentimes beyond. From a purely economic viewpoint, investing the money spent in raising and educating a child could easily provide for a comfortable retirement. All these reasons centre on avoiding responsibility and maximizing enjoyment in life. Barring any justifiable reason, there is only one appropriate word to describe this self-centred attitude selfishness. The reason to raise and to sacrifice for our children can also be summarized simply in one word love the opposite of selfishness. Love for God, our Creator by following Christs teachings. Married couples should regard it as their proper mission to transmit human life and to educate their children; they should realize that they are thereby cooperating with the love of God the Creator à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ They will fulfill this duty with a sense of human and Christian responsibility. (CCC #2367) Love for our spouse, i.e. to bring forth the fruits of a sacred marriage. Fecundity (producing or capable of producing offspring) is a gift, an end of marriage, for conjugal love naturally tends to be fruitful. Children are the fruits of our love for our spouse and fulfillment of our marriage. The Catechism teaches A child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment. (CCC #2379) Look at those who intentionally shrink from their responsibility of having children. They may look happy and carefree but can they really find joy in their lives? I felt sorry for a former colleague suffering from mid-life emotional problems. Adamantly, he ridiculed the formality of marriage and refused to have children. I wonder if his newest Mercedes limousine, latest audio-visual equipment, memories of world travel and investment portfolio could take the place of children Gods gift that he had refused in giving joy to him and his spouse. Danny, a friend who recovered fully from cancer, told me that the support of his wife and two daughters gave him the courage to withstand the rigors of chemotherapy and other pains. He praised God for the most precious gift, his children. As for those neglected parents in their old age, they have done their duties for God and for their children. Whether their children will fulfill their own towards their parents is another matter. In comforting neglected parents, my wife, Mary, explained, Consider the joy and happiness that your child had given to you as consolation for your past sacrifices and love. Be glad that you have done your duty. A child is not something owed to one, but is a gift. The supreme gift of marriage is a human person. However, those couples who did not receive this gift need not despair. (They) should unite themselves with the Lords Cross, the source of all spiritual fecundity. They can give expression to their generosity by adopting abandoned children or performing demanding services for others. (CCC#2379) Before receiving the gift of children at his old age, Abraham asked God, What will you give me for I continue childless?(Gen 15:2) Remember, sometimes God acts in a mysterious way. Spouses suffering from infertility may not realize that Gods gift comes in many ways and at different time. Instead of giving them children, He may have given other gifts. Have faith and follow His will. For those who are struggling to support large families, they can find solace in our Churchs teaching: Sacred Scripture and the Churchs traditional practice see in large families a sign of Gods blessing and the parents generosity (CCC#2373). Our children are indeed a blessing and a gift from God.  ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­ Please send your comments to [emailprotected]

Essay --

People from all over come to experience the Grand Canyon National Park, located exclusively in North Arizona. Covered with unexplored caves and valleys, and immense canyons, the Grand Canyon is very well liked for hikers, whether that hiker is experience of a beginner. This park offers recreational events for everyone. Today, the Grand Canyon stretches out to be eighteen miles long in some places. The Grand Canyon has much to offer from hiking along a rough, yet narrow landscape, bringing the family out to camp for a few days, gazing at the amazing scenery, or visiting the Indian reservations. This area contains several ecosystems and also hundreds to thousands of unique plants and animals. â€Å"It contains fossils of corals, crinoids, and brachiopods that indicate warm tropical conditions in a sea that once stretched across the continent. The stone looks different from the red wall, because 500 million years ago the ocean was closer to the ancient continent, and any mud and sand t hat washed off the land mixed in with the lime, making it crumbly and yellow† (Weintraub 24). The rock layers in the canyon make a magnificent color of stripes in the canyon walls that could be seen miles and miles away. Not only is this canyon enormous, but also this vast canyon can be seen from space. Although the canyon is not the deepest canyon in the world, it is known for its tremendous dimension and its vibrant landscape. This terrain reserves more than two thousand archeological sites of Native Americans, who have also resided there for four thousand years. The park itself became a National Park in the year 1919. The Grand Canyon is a stunning place to visit for all ages, and for the family to see the remarkable canyon formed not only by the erosi... ... patches along the river† (Halvorsen 5). Separate from the eroding motion of the Colorado River, the flow of the debris played a major, yet foremost role in the broadening and expanding of the Grand Canyon. All these elements contributed to the creation of the Grand Canyon, which still till this day remains a fascinating story and feature for every one of us, especially geologists, who still have many thoughts as to how the Grand Canyon was even formed. Rock layers that have formed the Grand Canyon, as everyone has seen, are created due to the sedimentations of the seas and the oceans. All of this is precisely evident of the fact that the rocks that are found on the sides of the canyon are made of sedimentary rocks. Scientists have said that the erosion is how the Grand Canyon was form, but there can always be something new to every evaluation of the Grand Canyon.

We devised apiece of drama with the help of the story that was written :: Drama

We devised apiece of drama with the help of the story that was written with words extractedfrom the poem: Walls. I represented. We devised a piece of drama with the help of the story that was written with words extracted from the poem: Walls. I represented Jerusalem; the holy city of God. I was positioned at the centre in-between the two worshippers to show that Jerusalem is a place of pilgrimage and prayer. In front of me, either side, were the soldiers that guarded Jerusalem and the people within. Behind me (Jerusalem) were the two builders, again either side, building the ‘wall’ around me; which is known as the Wailing Wall or Western Wall. The Western Wall in Jerusalem is the holiest site in Judaism. The wall is all that remains of the Second temple, built by Herod the Great. Jews traditionally visit the site, which is also known as the Wailing Wall, to lament the destruction of the First and Second Temples and to offer prayers. My group showed narrated action where the narrator (enacted by me) spoke directly to the audience to comment on the events happening on stage. I was tall and stood up straight so therefore I had the highest level. In the opening freeze, as shown in the stick diagram, my arms were raised high above and spread outwards to symbolically show that I am a vast piece of land i.e. Jerusalem. Indeed, it is a place for protection, safety and support for the people living here. I had a strong and bold tone of voice and said the narration loudly and clearly. A piece of prop that we had used was a sari that was draped around me to show a sense of divinity and to represent the holy land of God. The worshippers had themselves knelt down to show their devotion and respect as well as their humility (lower level). The proximity between me and the worshippers are really close because they are the inhabitants of the city and are part of the community. The soldiers were upstanding and sturdy as I was (Jerusalem) because the well-being of the people and the city is under their guardianship. The builders of the wall, who were behind me, were miming movements of real builders such as; one hand clenched like a fist, the other ‘holding’ a hammer and building. Since it was a spontaneous improvisation we had only little time to prepare. Using the time we had, I think we had prepared a clear and engaging presentation of the story. The soldiers (Craig and Dior) moved from their designate places to the opposite side (left to right), back and

Civil War :: essays research papers

Alpha -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alpha The first Greek alphabet alpha symbolizes the beginning of an event. Here, of course, we are talking about the beginning of the Civil War. Conventional history claims that the American Civil War started on April 12, 1861 at the bombing of Fort Sumter. Is it true? We CW buffs probably would not quite satisfy with this answer, and we know there were armed hostile incidents happening long before Ft. Sumter, and we shall examine them here. Carl Von Clausewitz, author of "On War", said that war is the extension of politic. The South had long making threat that they would secede if the country elected the Lincoln as President. The North dismissed them. After all, the Southerners had been "talking" secession for the last 40 years since the 1820 Missouri Compromise. Too many cry wolves. Meanwhile, the South thought that the North wouldn't fight. "I could wipe all the blood with my handkerchief" proclaimed Leroy Walker, who later served as the first Confederate Secretary of War. "They are shopkeepers and factory workers. What do they know about soldiering?" The South believed that one southerner could easily beat 10 Yankees. So both sides underestimated the other's determination. The drumming of war cry were beating slowly in the background. In the month of November 1860, events began to heat up. Lincoln got elected on the 6th. South Carolina called for a Convention. New York stock market dropped its price. Maj. Anderson was ordered to Ft. Moultrie. Georgia voted a million dollars to arm the State. In December, South Carolina seceded on 20th. Anderson secretly moved the Federal garrison to Ft. Sumter at night on 26th. US Revenue Cutter William Aiken surrendered to S. Carolina State force on demand. Please notice that President Buchanan took the "do nothing" policy. Taking a ship is clearly an act of war, according to the Northern viewpoint, but the same act would become the defense of a new Country from the Southern viewpoint. But if the Federal chose not to fight back, there would be no "conflict." So you could see that a series of "incidents" happened, but the Federal under Buchanan did not respond. The tempo of war drum increased in January 1861. South Carolina prepared for war / defense, organizing troops and guarding the wharfs and ships, and seized Ft. Johnson in Charleston Harbor. Federal organized militia to defend the D.C. Capital.

Fast Food and Food Handler Wear Essay

1. Infrared thermometers are used to measures? Surface temperatures 2. Food cannot be refrozen once it is thawed because? Dangerous bacteria can grow on thawed food 3. What is the minimum temperature for transporting hot food and hot food holding items? 135 (F) degrees 4. The appropriate freezing method for destroying the anisakis parasite in fish is? -4 f degrees and held for 7days 5. What type of jewelry may a food handler wear while preparing food? Plain band 6. A women runs out of the bathroom in a fast food restaurant, and frantically tells the manager that the bathroom sink has backed up and is overflowing. What should the manager do? Close the restroom and call a plumber to unblock the drain 7. The concentration of a sanitizing solution is compromised when? The solution is to hot 8. All of these foods are potentially hazardous expect for? Raw asparagus 9. If the water supply to an establishment is shut off and there is no alternate portable water source? The establishment needs to close until the water supply is restored 10. The minimum internal temp of a pork roast or tuna casserole cooked in a microwave is? 165 (f) degrees for 15seconds 11. A food handler reports to the manager that he has been diagnosed with hemorrhagic colitis. The manager must? Ask the person to leave the establishment and report the incident to the health dept. 12. Clean plates are required for each trip to the buffet because? Contamination can be prevented 13. Frozen foods, other than ice cream, must not be stored at a temp. Over? 0 f degrees 14. Hand washing is not allowed in sinks that are? Used for food prep 15. Light bulb in food prep area must? Be covered to prevent physical contamination 16. The safe way to thaw large poultry or meat product is? In a frig at 41 f or lower 17. The minimum temp and time allowed for cooking a roast beef is? 130 f for 112 min 18. Hand antiseptics can be used? After proper hand washing 19. Which of the following is the best method for killing bacteria in ground beef? Cook to 155 f for 15 sec 20. Which of these disease- causing bacteria may be found in the shell eggs? Salmonella 21. Cooked food is a self serve establishment that has been in the danger zone of under 135 f to over 70 f internal temp of? 165 f – for 15 sec 22. When displaying live shellfish for consumption, the FDA food code requires that you? Have a HACCP plan and a variance 23. The chef prepared a large quantity of homemade beef stew and divided it up into two shallow pans for cooling. He placed the pans in the refrigerator and stirs them frequently. However, he was unsuccessful in cooling the stew from 135 f to 70 f within 2 hrs. What must the chef do to cool the stew? Reheat stew at 165 f for 15 sec and begin cooling process again 24. The entire hand washing process should take at least? 20 sec 25. Listeria bacteria is especially dangerous because? It can grow in dish water 26. Back siphoning occurs when the portable water pressure is lower than the waste water pressure and the waste water backs into the portable water-cross connection? Air gaps 27. Which of these foods in the most likely source of botulism? Vegetables in a swollen can 28. The internal receiving temp of fresh? 41 f 29. Which organism is most likely to multiply in vacuum or airless packaged foods? Clostridium botulinum 30. The minimum wash temp for chemical sanitizing in a ware washing machine should be? 120 f degrees 31. To manually hot water sanitize in a three sink process, the item must be in the water that is at minimum? 120 f – 30 sec 32. Which of the following is a safe food handling practice? Clean and sanitize food surfaces in constant use every 4 hrs 33. In a Hazards Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan, CCP’s are identified in? Flow chart 34. Measure a chicken noodle casserole where do you insert thermometer? Into the center or thickest part of the casserole 35. Grease traps must be cleaned on a regular basis because the can? Cause a backup 36. Product stuffed with either raw chicken or beef must be cooked to an internal temp of? 165 f for 15 sec 37. The first step in planning a food safety training program is? Identify the topics for the training 38. When cooking in a microwave, potentially hazardous foods should? Be rotated or mixed halfway through the cooking process 39. To ensure that the items are sanitized, the temp of a ware washing machine’s final sanitizing rinse must be at least? 180 f degrees 40. What two factors are the most important for controlling food borne illness in the food preparation process? Time and temp 41. Reduced Oxygen Packaged food must be stored? In refrigeration 42. An outbreak of typhoid fever, caused by the Salmonella Typhi Bacterium, is most likely to occur after? Flooding 43. Which of the following fall into the â€Å"eight most common food allergens† category? Milk, Wheat, Soybeans 44. Enterohemorrahagic E. coli is a? Bacteria that produces shiga toxins. 45. Which of the following bacteria are found in soil? Bacillus cereus 46. The anisakis simplex worm is most likely to be found in? Under cooked fish 47. Which of the following illness DO NOT have to be reported to the local health dept? Giardiasis 48. Which type of temp probe would use to measure the temp of an oven or refrigerator? Air 49. Which of the following is NOT a method for removing oxygen from packed foods? HMR 50. For traditional steeped tea, the hot water should be a minimum of? 175 f and steeped for minimum of 5 min 51. The correct method for calibrating a stem type thermometer is? In water and ice, and calibrate 32 f 52. Shellfish dealer tags must be kept on file for how many days after the shellfish was harvested? 90 days 53. You have a food delivery arriving in an hour that will consist of milk cartons, fresh chicken breasts, and vacuum-packed bacon. What is the best thermometer to use to check product temperatures on all of these products? Bimetallic thermometer 54. Food borne intoxication is caused by eating food that contain? Poison producing microorganisms 55. To free up space in the kitchen, a busser is asked to manually clean some pot and pans in a three-compartment sink. First he scrapes and rinses the items. Then, he washes them in the first sink, rinses them in the second sink, sanitizes them in the third sink, and sets the items on the drain board to air dry. What did the busser do wrong? He forgot to clean and sanitize the sinks before using them 56. PCO stands for? Pest control operator 57. The best method of preventing an outbreak of Hepatitis A is? Proper hand washing procedures 58. On her morning shift, a food handler puts on clean disposable gloves, and begins to move defrosted hamburger patties form the refrigerator to the preparation area, as directed by the cook. Then, she is asked to slice tomatoes. When she’s done, she slices raw onions. In this sequence of task, when should the food handler change gloves? After moving the hamburger patties to the preparation area 59. The chef just finished preparing raw chicken breasts in a citrus marinade. She will store them in the refrigerator for the next shift to cook and serve for dinner. In order to prevent possible cross-contamination, where should the chef place the tray of chicken breast in the refrigerator? On the bottom self next to the ground turkey 60. A food handler comes to work with a bad cold, but insists that he is well enough to work. The employee is asked to take his temperature, and it turns out that he has a fever. What should the manager do? Send the employee home 61. Which of the following bacteria might be found in a food worker’s hand wound? Staphylococcus aureus 62. A father takes his four year old daughter and her friend to the local hamburger diner after swimming lessons. The friend wants a hot dog, and his daughter wants a hamburger. Because the father likes his hamburgers rare, he orders a rare hamburger for himself and his daughter. What should the server do? Explain that the restaurant cannot serve rare hamburgers to young children 63. Salmonella spp. Bacteria have recently been found in contaminated? Produce 64. A food worker used a Quats sanitizing solution in a three compartment sink as the final step in the cleaning and sanitizing process. She confirmed that the water temp was 75 f, she followed the manufacturer’s concentration instructions, and she completely immersed the cleaned metal cooking pots in the solution for 15 sec. last, she let the pot air dry before storing it. What did the food worker do wrong? She didn’t immerse the pot long enough 65. Which of the following foods are most easily contaminated with the Norovirus? Ready to eat foods 66. Shigella spp. Bacteria are most likely to be found in contaminated? Water 67. A catering company is preparing and transporting hot and cold foods to a customer site for a birthday party. The customer will then reheats and serve the food to guests at the appropriate time. Which of the following must the catering company provide to the customer? Reheating instructions for hot foods 68. A customer has just finished eating a seafood salad with a peanut dressing. As he is paying the bill, the customer starts to have trouble breathing. His face starts to swell, and he breaks out in hives. Most likely the customer is suffering from? An allergy attack 69. In the final hour of a local fund raising event, your food booth runs out of ice for cold beverages. What is the best course of action to follow? Send a volunteer to the nearest store for a bag of ice 70. A food handler in a small coffee shop has just finished deep frying a batch of chicken nuggets, when a customer order comes in for fried shrimp. What does the food handler need to do to avoid cross- contact? The food handler should use a different fryer and oil assigned to cook seafood 71. At an offsite catered event, the food service manager has been hot holding a beef stir fry at 145 f, when suddenly she loses her heat source. Guests are in line waiting to be served. What should the manager do? Begin to serve guests, because the stir fry can be out of temp control for up to 4 hrs 72. A server walks up to a newly seated party of two. The female customer announces that she has a wheat allergy. What should the server do? Wait till the customer orders, and then check with the manager to confirm if any of the ordered items contain wheat

Buddha’s Brain

in the SPOTLIGHT Richard J. Davidson and Antoine Lutz Buddhas Brain Neuroplasticity and speculation I n a new visualise to the f wholly in States, the Dalai Lama gave a speech at the Society for Neurosciences annual showdown in Washington, D. C. Over the past some(pre no(prenominal)einal) years, he has helped recruit Tibetan Buddhist monks for and directly encouraged interrogation on the fountainhead and conjecture in the Waisman research lab for Brain resource and Behavior at the University of WisconsinMadison.The findings from studies in this unusual sample, as easily as related research efforts, signal that anywhere the contrast of meditating for tens of thousands of hours, the long- circumstance practitioners had genuinely alte passing the structure and serve of their superstars. In this article we discuss neuroplasticity, which encompasses much(prenominal) alterations, and the findings from these studies. Further, we notice on the colleagued signal affect ( SP) challenges, the flow status, and how SP can contribute to advancing these studies. WHAT IS NEUROPLASTICITY?The term neuroplasticity is officed to describe the wizard changes that extend in response to capture. There atomic number 18 many another(prenominal) different mechanisms of neuroplasticity, ranging from the growth of parvenue connections to the creation of new neurons. When the framework of neuroplasticity is apply to surmise, we suggest that the moral procreation of surmisal is fundamentally no different than separate forms of learning acquisition that can entice plastic changes in the brain 1, 2. WHAT IS conjecture? The term speculation refers to a all-encompassing variety of holds, ranging from techDigital Object Identifier 10. 109/MSP. 2007. 910429 niques designed to throw out relaxation to exercises, performed with a more farr all(prenominal)ing terminal such as a heightened spirit of well-being. It is thus essential to be specialised about the type of sup put bore under investigation. In 3, supposition was conceptualized as a family of complex horny and directional regulatory strategies developed for various ends, including the finis of well-being Buddhist Vipassan? and Mah? mudr? , a a a and ar similarly involve in many popular layperson interventions that draw on Buddhist practices.FINDINGS OF caput CHANGES IN MEDITATION In what follows, we add to pressher the changes in the brain that occur during each of these styles of meditation practice. Such changes include alterations in practice sessions of brain function assessed with functional magnetic resonance resource (fMRI), changes in the cortical evoked response to visual stimuli that weigh the impact of meditation on economic aid, and alterations in amplitude and synchrony of highfrequency oscillations that probably flirt an important role in connectivity among widespread circuitry in the brain.EXPERIMENTAL SETUP The experiments describe below that measure hemodynamic changes with fMRI petition a high-field-strength magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner equipped with the appropriate throb sequences to acquire data rapidly and with the needful fiber optic stimulant drug obstetrical delivery devices so that visual stimuli can be presented to the subject while he or she lays in the bore of the magnet. For the studies that measure brain galvanising employment, a high-density recording organization with amongst 64 and 256 electrodes on the scalp surface is enjoymentd.FA MEDITATION A recent assume 4 used fMRI to beam the skittish correlates of FA ( proceed on page 172) THE terminal NEUROPLASTICITY IS USED TO DESCRIBE THE BRAIN CHANGES THAT expire IN RESPONSE TO EXPERIENCE. and emotional balance. here(predicate) we counseling on deuce habitual styles of meditation, i. e. , commissioned attention (FA) meditation and informal supervise (OM) meditation. FA meditation entails voluntarily cerebrate attention on a elect inclination in a sustain fashion. OM meditation involves nonreactively monitoring the content of experience from import to moment, primarily as a means to recognize the nature of emotional and cognitive patterns.OM meditation signly involves the use of FA training to calm the mind and shrink distractions, but as FA advances, the cultivation of the monitoring skill per se becomes the main focus of practice. The aim is to reach a landed e arouse in which no explicit focus on a specific object is retained instead, one remains sole(prenominal) in the monitoring state, attentive moment by moment to anything that occurs in experience. These dickens common styles of meditation ar a great deal combined, whether in a single seance or all over the course of a practitioners training.These styles argon instal with some variation in some(prenominal)(prenominal) meditation systems, including the 1053-5888/08/$25. 002008IEEE IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING magazine publisher 176 SEPTEM BER 2007 in the SPOTLIGHT y=4 keep from page 176 % T2 Accuracy Times2 Versus 1 50 40 30 20 10 0 ? 10 Novices Time1 Practitioners PZ P3b to T1 420-440 ms 0 10 1,000 F-Values ms Novices Practitioners r=? 0. 68, p=. 001 Amygdala 0. 2 0. 1 0 ? 0. 1 ? 0. 2 10 20 30 (a) V 20 ? 20 20 ? 20 20 ? 20 20 ? 20 20 ? 20 20 ? 20 (d) 40 50 r=? 0. 64 Time2 +5? V ? 5? V ? 200 scintillate No-Blink T1 T2 ?5 ? 4 ? 3 ? 2 ? 1 0 1 2 3?V T1-Elicited P3b Amplitude Time2 Versus 1 (c) (b) F3 Fc5 Cp5 F4 Fc6 Cp6 V2 500 ccc hundred 0 Blocks 50 Resting State 100 pensive State (e) 150 Time (s) % 100 45 0 Controls % 100 45 * * % 80 Practitioners * * * * * 40 0 current Initial Base withdraw Baseline (g) Meditation State * Controls Practitioners * * 0 * 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (f) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 FIG1 Neuroimaging and neurodynamical correlates of FA and OM meditations. (a) Relationship between degree of meditation training (in years) and hemodynamic response in the amygdala (in blue) to distractor sounds during FA meditation in long Buddhist practitioners.Individual responses in the right amygdala ar plotted (adapted from 4). (b) The step-down in P3b amplitude (a brain-potential world power of resource allocation) to the premiere of two tar retrieve stimuli (T1 and T2) presented in a rapid period of distracter stimuli after iii months of intensive Vipassan? meditation 5. (c) Generally, the greater the decrement in brain-resource allocation to T1 was a over time, the break out open an individual became at accurately identifying T2 (adapted from 5 ). d)(e) Example of high-amplitude da Gamma military action during a form of OM meditation, nonreferential shame meditation, in long-term Buddhist practitioners 6. (e) Time course of da Gamma (2542 Hz) activity force out over the electrodes displayed in (d) during four blocks computed in a 20-s sliding window every 2 s and then comed over electrodes. (f) Intra-individual analysis of the ratio of gamma to behindhand oscillations (413 Hz ) averaged across all electrodes during forgiveness meditation. g) The evidentiary fundamental interaction between collection (practitioner, control) and state ( sign service line, ongoing baseline, and meditation state) for this ratio. meditation in ables and novices. The study compargond FA meditation on an external visual point to a rest condition during which participants do not use meditation and ar merely instructed to adopt a neutral baseline state. The meditation condition was associated with energizing in multiple brain regions implicated in monitoring (dorso side(prenominal) prefrontal cortex), engaging attention (visual cortex), and attentional orienting (e. g. , the uperior frontal sulcus, the adjunct motor area, and the intraparietal sulcus). Although this meditation-related activation pattern was chiefly stronger for long-term practitioners compared to IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING cartridge clip 172 JANUARY 2008 novices, activity in many brain areas involved in FA meditation showed an upside-down u-shaped curve for both classes of subjects. Whereas effective meditators with an average of 19,000 practice hours showed stronger activation in these areas than the novices, expert meditators with an average of 44,000 practice hours showed less activation.This modify u-shaped function resembles the learning curve associated with skill acquisition in other domains of expertise, such as language acquisition. The findings reinforcement the root that, after extensive FA meditation training, nominal effort is necessary to sustain attentional focus. Expert meditators also showed less activation than novices in the amygdala during FA meditation in response to emotional sounds. Activation in this affective region correlated negatively with hours of practice in aliveness, as shown in aim 1(a).This finding may substantiate the idea that advanced levels of concentration are associated with a significant decrease in emotionally reactive behaviors that are dissonant with stability of concentration. Collectively, these findings support the view that attention is a trainable skill that can be stird through the mental practice of FA meditation. OM MEDITATION Another study 5 deep examined the idea that OM meditation decreases elaborative stimulus processing in a longitudinal study using scalprecorded brain potentials and performance in an attentional blink task.The consequence of lessen elaborative stimulus processing is that the subject is able to better attend moment-to-moment to the stream of stimuli to which they are exposed and less likely to get stuck on any one stimulus. The attentional blink phenomenon illustrates that the information processing ability of the brain is limited. More specifically, when two targets T1 and T2, imbed in a rapid stream of events, are presented in close temporal proximity, the entropy target is often not seen.This deficit is believed to result from competition between the two targets for limi ted attentional resources, i. e. , when many resources are devoted to T1 processing, too hardly a(prenominal) may be available for accompanying T2 processing. The study in 5 found that ternary months of intensive training in Vipassan? meditation (a common style of a OM meditation) decreased brain-resource allocation to the first target, as reflected in a smaller T1-elicited P3b, a brainpotential index of resource allocation. This is illustrated in epithet 1(b), which shows the reduction in P3b amplitude.In this figure, the scalp-recorded brain potentials from electrode Pz, time-locked to T1 onset as a function of T2 truth detected (no-blink) vesus not detected (blink), time (before or after three months), and group (practitioners versus novices) are shown. The scalp map shows electrode sites where this three-way interaction was significant between 420 and 440 ms. The reduction in brain-resource allocation to T1 was associated with a smaller attentional blink to T2, as shown i n Figure 1(c).As participants were not returnd in formal meditation during task performance, these results contribute support for the idea that one long-term effect of OM meditation may be reduction in the propensity to get stuck on a target as reflected in less elaborate stimulus processing and the development of efficient mechanisms to engage and then disengage from target stimuli in response to task demands. Previous studies 6 of high-amplitude pattern of gamma synchrony in expert meditators during an emotional version of OM meditation support the idea that the state of OM may be shell understood in name of a succession of dynamic global states.Compared to a group of novices, the adept practitioners self-induced high amplitude sustained electroencephalography (EEG) gamma-band oscillations and long-distance stagecoach synchrony, in particular over lateral fronto-parietal electrodes, while meditating. Importantly, this pattern of gamma oscillations was also sig- nificantly more pronounced in the baseline state of the long-term practitioners compared with controls, suggesting a sack in the default mode of the practitioners as shown in Figure 1(g).Although the precise mechanisms are not clear, such synchronizations of oscillatory neural discharges may play a essential role in the constitution of transient networks that integrate distributed neural processes into highly legitimate cognitive and affective functions. An example of high-amplitude gamma activity during a form of OM meditation, nonreferential compassion meditation, in long-term Buddhist practitioners 6 is shown in Figure 1(d) and (e). The intra-individual analysis of the ratio of gamma to slow oscillations (413 Hz) averaged across all electrodes during compassion meditation is illustrated in Figure 1(f).The abscissa represents the subject numbers, the ordinate represents the difference in the mean ratio between the initial state and meditative state, and the black and red stars indicate th at this development is greater than two and three times, respectively, the baseline standard deviation. The significant interaction between group (practitioner, control) and state (initial baseline, ongoing baseline, and meditation state) for this ratio is shown in Figure 1(g). The relative gamma increase during meditation was higher in the postmeditation session.In the initial baseline, the relative gamma was already higher for the practitioners than the controls and correlated with the length of the long-term practitioners meditation training through life (adapted from 6). SP CHALLENGES While SP has a ludicrous opportunity to contribute to this novel effort to chart the manner in which the brain may be transformed through the mental practice of meditation, there are several associated challenges. Among these challenges are the characterization of different signatures of brain function that distinguish among different meditation practices,IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE 173 JAN UARY 2008 in the SPOTLIGHT continued the parsing of variance in brain activity that may be due to changes in peripheral physiology such as respiration, and the co-occurrent measurement of electrical and hemodynamic signals to harness the best temporal and spatial resolution possible. meet ON BRAINCOMPUTER INTERFACES 1 of the interesting implications of the research on meditation and brain function is that meditation might help to stamp down neural noise and so enhance signal-to-noise ratios in certain types of tasks.In contexts where brain-computer interfaces are being developed that are based upon electrical recordings of brain function, training in meditation may help oneself more rapid learning. This idea warrants imperious evaluation in the future. FUTURE take form Ongoing and future work focuses on a few distinct directions. One of the crucial areas requiring attention is the characterization of changes in connectivity among the various brain circuits that are diligent by these practices. The development of new methods to essay different aspects of connectivity (both structural and functional) provide be extremely valuable in furthering this line of inquiry.The goal of such work is to better understand how different circuits are combine during meditation to produce the behavioral and mental changes that are said to occur as a result of such practices, including the packaging of increased well-being. AUTHORS Richard J. Davidson (emailprotected edu) is a director and Antoine Lutz (emailprotected edu) is an associate scientist, both with the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison. REFERENCES 1 A. Berger, O. Kofman, U. Livneh, and A. Henik, Multidisciplinary perspectives on attention and the development of self-regulation, Prog.Neurobiol. , vol. 82, no. 5, pp. 256286, 2007. 2 R. A. Poldrack, Neural systems for perceptual skill learning, Behav. Cognit. Neurosc. Rev. , vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 7683, 2002. 3 A. L utz, J. P. Dunne, and R. J. Davidson, Meditation and the neuroscience of consciousness An introduction, in The Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness, P. D. Zelazo and E. Thompson, Eds. Cambridge, U. K. Cambridge Univ. Press, in press. 4 J. A. Brefczynski-Lewis, A. Lutz, H. S. Schaefer, D. B. Levinson, and R. J. Davidson, Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. , vol. 104, no. 7, pp. 1148311488. 5 H. A. Slagter, A. Lutz, L. L. Greischar, A. D. Francis, S. Nieuwenhuis, J. M. Davis, and R. J. Davidson, Mental training affects use of limited brain resources, PLoS Biol. , vol. 5, no. 6, pp. e13800010008, 2007. 6 A. Lutz, L. Greischar, N. B. Rawlings, M. Ricard, and R. J. Davidson, long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude synchrony during mental practice, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. , vol. 101, no. 46, pp. 1636916373, 2004. SP I N D I A N A U N I V E R S I T Y P U R D U E U N I V E R S I T Y F O R T WAY N E unveiling DIRE CTOR OF THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION RESEARCH atomic number 49 University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Department of engineer invites applications and nominations for the position of Founding Director of the centralise of virtuousness in radio receiver communicating Research. Candidates essential possess a recognized subject field reputation for research excellence in the field of radio receiver communication. chastens degree required possession of an acquire doctorate in electrical engineering or its equivalent is highly desired. perceptiveness leave be given to candidates with a strong history of applied research, patience collaboration, and experience in Department of Defense-funded projects.The initial appointment will be for a period of three years with the resource for subsequent renewal based upon performance. IPFW is a regional campus of both Indiana University and Purdue University and is the largest university in northeast Indiana. Serving more than 12,000 students and religious offering more than 180 degree options, IPFW is a comprehensive university with a strong custom of service to and collaboration with the region. The Department of Engineering offers B. S. degrees in electrical, computer, civil, and mechanical engineering. The M. S. egree in engineering with concentrations in electrical, mechanical, computer, and systems engineering will be launched during the 2007-2008 school year. The department presently includes 16 full-time faculty members and has approximately 300 undergrad students. The Founding Director of the spunk of Excellence in Wireless converse Research shall have the following responsibilities gear up the Center of Excellence in Wireless Communication Research, emphasizing the practical application of piano tuner technology for the needs of the regional defense labor.Expand collaboration with industry through sponsored research. Establish a radio receiver laboratory to supp ort courses in wireless communication. Develop a series of undergraduate courses that would lead to an undergraduate certificate in wireless communication. Develop and teach courses for the Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) electrical engineering concentration that would lead to a graduate certificate in wireless communication. Develop and offer credit and non-credit victor development experiences for regional employees. Participate in IEEE 802. X standards development.Coordinate and host conferences on the application of wireless technology with an emphasis on defense applications and emerging technical wireless technologies. This position offers a unique opportunity to build a Center of Excellence in Wireless Communication Research and to significantly expand industry-university cooperative research in the fields of wireless networks. IPFW offers a competitive salary and benefits incase and an excellent work environment. Fort Wayne is the second largest city in Indiana and is locate within several hours of Chicago, Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Indianapolis.It boasts affordable housing, a low cost of living and a safe environment in which to instal a family. The region is home to septet major defense contractors employing over 1,800 engineers working in the fields of wireless communication, sensing element networks, C4, network-centric systems, and defense products. Applicants with extensive industrial earlier than university career experience will be given serious consideration and are strongly encouraged to apply. Candidates demonstrating extensive affaire networks within the business and governmental sectors will be preferred. To apply for this position, occupy visit our Web site at www. ipfw. obs. Applicants should submit a cover letter addressing wireless communication and DoD knowledge and experience, add up/vita, statement of research and teaching experience, and the call and contact information for at least three references . The committee will amaze review of applications immediately and the search will remain open until the position is filled. For supererogatory information regarding IPFW and the Department of Engineering please visit the Web sites at www. engr. ipfw. edu and www. ipfw. edu. ,3) LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW(TXDO $FFHVV$IILUPDWLYH $FWLRQ (PSORHU IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE 174 JANUARY 2008