Theories of Attitudes free essay sample

Attitudes are evaluative statements or judgments, either favorable or unfavorable concerning objective, people or events. They reflect how one feels about something e. g. if is said, â€Å"I like my job†, I am expressing my attitude about work. Attitudes are not the same as values, but the two are interrelated. There are three components of an attitude: Cogn ition, affect, and Behavior. Cognitive Component of an attitude The opinion or belief segment of an attitude. Affective Component of an attitude The emotional or feeling segment of an attitude. Behavioral Component of an attitude An attention to behave in a certain way toward someone or something. In organization, attitudes are important because they affect the behavior. If workers believe that supervisors, auditors, bosses, and time-and-motion engineers are all in conspiracy to make employee work harder for the same or less money, then it makes sense to try to understand how these attitudes were formed, their relationship to actual job behavior and how they might be changed. We will write a custom essay sample on Theories of Attitudes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A person can have thousands of attitudes, but OB focuses on a very limited number of work-related attitudes. These work related attitudes tap positive or negative evaluations hat employees hold about aspects of their work environment. Most of the research in ob has been concerned with three attitudes; Job Satisfaction, Job Involvement and Organizational Commitment. Job Satisfaction An individual’s general attitude toward his or her job. A person with at high level of job satisfaction hold positive attitudes about the job, while a person who is dissatisfied with his or her job holds negative attitudes about the job. Job Involvement The job involvement measures the degree to which a person identifies psychologically with his or her job and considers his or her perceived performance level important to self-worth. Employees with a high level of job involvement strongly identify with and really care about the kind of work they do. Organizational Commitment A state in which an employee identifies with a particular organization and its goals and wishes to maintain membership in the organization. Cognitive dissonance An incompatibility between two or more attitudes or between behavior and attitude. Self-perception Theory Attitudes are used after the fact to make sense out of an action that has already occurred. Attitudes Surveys Eliciting responses from employee through questionnaires about how they feel about their jobs, work group, supervisors, and the organization.

buy custom The Un-Patriotic Act essay

buy custom The Un-Patriotic Act essay The Un-Patriotic Act commonly referred to as the USA patriot Act came into law ten years ago. The initial names were aimed at Uniting and Strengthening American people (Mayeux, 2009). The main aim of the Act was to provide necessary tools in the interception and obstruction of terrorism activities. The Act was tremendously passed into law ACLU (2011), but the impact of the law would interfere with civil liberties and secrecy rights. The views were aired by Senator Russ Feingold. The Un-Patriotic Act also known as Patriotic Act was signed into law in October 26, 2001 by the then president George W. Bush. The title of the Act USA PATRIOT stands for U-uniting, S-strengthening, and A-America by, P-providing, A-appropriate, T-tools, R-required to, I-intercept and O-obstruct, T-terrorism (Khaki ACLU, 2011). The Act reduced confinements on law enforcement authorities ability to check the communications systems through telephone and electronic mail means, health, fiscal and other relevant records. Some people argue Patriotic Act is necessary as it helps in cubing terrorism. At one time, a group of six Yemeni-Americans were convicted of providing material support to al-Qaida (Fletcher, 2011). The office of the secretary of the treasury was elevated to regulate international fiscal matters. The illegal immigrants were detained and deported to their home countries. The Patriotic Act expanded the meaning of terrorism (Mayeux, 2009). Terrorism was classified to as the domestic terrorism and the international terrorism (Fletcher, 2011). America has been experiencing increased domestic terrorism activities committed by American citizens. They were commonly referred to as the lone wolves. In fact, Lone wolves posed significant threats in America. The Patriotic Act was concerned with enhancing security against domestic and international terrorism, improving surveillance procedures, preventing money laundering, increasing border security Fletcher (2011) reducing obstructions to investigations of terrorism, improving the sharing of information, setting up anti-terrorism law, enhanced intelligence. The Patriotic Act received resistance by a number of people. The major point that came out of it involved the indefinite detention of immigrants. Indefinite detention is the state of being imprisoned by law enforcers without trial (ACLU, 2011). This is a violation of the human rights. The American government does this in the umbrella that individuals are the enemy to the human kind and ae possible terrorism organizers. The Patriotic Act has restricted the rights of individual Americans. This has been done by the invasion of privacy. The Patriotic Act has expanded the application of National Security Letters, which allows the law enforcers to search telephones, electronic mails, fiscal records without a court order. The business premises were subject to regular searches not leaving behind the homes of people (Mayeux, 2009). Individual Americans lacked privacy at all. This has led to various legal authorities going to court to challenge the Patriotic Act. Some of the provisions in the Patriotic Act are unconstitutional. The Patriotic Act has been experiencing various battles. Some supporters in 2005 rallied to making it permanent while some critics suggested on the revision of some critical clauses. The Patriotic Act had to be revised especially on areas affecting the liberty of the American people (Mayeux, 2009). The critics argue that the Patriotic Act was passed into law opportunistically. The effect of the twin towers bomb blast in September 11 2001. There were fewer discussions and consultations made in regards to the law (Dinzeo, 2011). This generated controversy and heated debate on the legality of the Patriotic Act. The law invades the privacy of the American people. The communications privacy was also breached. This meant that the law will interdict innocent American citizens and sees them as involved in terrorism (ACLU, 2011). There have been huge constitutional costs as well as economical costs. The critics have gone to court on several occasions. The critics are always demanding the remove of clauses that go against the human rights. The Patriotic Act has been having various extensions in terms of the period the act is valid. A privacy incident Cleary experienced involved the Canadian people and firms in the provinces of the British Columbia. Patriotic Act says that it has the right to do the relevant searches. This has provoked the government of British Columbia to search the people and private firms in the British Columbia. This is a clear illustration on the conflict of interested between the two neighboring governments (Dinzeo, 2011). The Patriotic Act has increased the security of America by many ways. The intelligent surveillance has been on watch on the daily happenings. This has made the security tight and easy to predict any on coming danger. It has also managed to instill fear to people who would be planning to exxercise terrorism (Meadows, 2005). Monitoring has angered several people and has gone to the court to challenge the legality of the Patriotic Act (Khaki ACLU, 2011). There are contentions sections that infringement the rights of individual American rights. Section 215 ACLU (2011), states that the government have the right to obtain ant tangible thing in suspicion of terrorism activities. The government has no right to prove its claims. This is against the human rights. Section 206 ACLU (2011), states that the government have the right to obtain surveillance on any person or property. Section 2006 ACLU (2011) permits the intelligence of the non-US people. This is an abuse of the human rights. The three main contentious clauses are subject to critics and should be reviewed. The persons of America see it as a restriction to the rights of Americans. The Patriotic Act invades on the meaning of the freedom of expression. People are kept in worry because they absolutely know they are monitored (Carlson, 2011). The Patriotic Act has increased the cyber insecurity. The government counter terrorism section will have too much at tomes not interpreting the information in time and others leading to misinterpretation. The policies fail because they infringe the human right and they are ineffective in their operations. The security of America has not much improved. The enactment of the Patriotic Act has not been worth the cost involved. Taking an example, there has been 190,000 national security letters issued to people and businesses without the court approval. Out of the many letters, there is only one that has a terrorist link (ACLU, 2011). This means the Patriotic Act is not worth the effort being put. The Patriotic Act has brought about the economic injustice. The law hinders the free business transactions. The infringement on the freedom of the Americans is unconstitutional. Americans should be set free of monitoring by the government (Carlson, 2011). Conclusion Terrorism is a threat to the United States of America. When it comes to security, the government does not take any chances whatsoever. The main challenge comes in the balancing of security and infringement of the basic human rights. This has led to many court battles challenging the Patriotic Act. The critics have highlighted the different sections that need review. Many cities have passed a resolution against Patriotic Act (Carlson, 2011). 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Effect of Mandated Testing on Education Research Paper

Effect of Mandated Testing on Education - Research Paper Example The consequences or sanctions vary in level of severity, but the implication is clear. They send vivid indications that the method gives a crystal picture of the student’s performance. However, some of the implemented tests may not offer a fair platform to pass judgment on the teachers or students using their performance results. In that, the tests may not offer full and fair credibility on the performers or the tutors. The following paper will show an elaborate analysis of articles touching on mandated testing and its effect in schools. Susan Ohanian, in her article, â€Å"Constraining Elementary Teachers' Work: Dilemmas and Paradoxes Created by State Mandated Testing,† scrutinizes this mode of testing in an elaborate manner. In her work, Susan is keen to provide the resultant effects of mandate testing on the affected individuals, who are teachers and students. She argues that teachers are pressured to act in ways that seem unprofessional to them. In turn, this forms a leading disadvantage of the program in schools. Subsequently, the teachers believe that their behavior will not yield fruits of success in the affected students. Moreover, they feel that they are acting in unprofessional ways as mandated testing seem to focus on Mathematics and English language arts more than the science-related disciplines (Ohanian, web). In addition, according to Susan’s article, the teachers do feel that the test pressure them to work the things the tests demands of the students instead of improving the student’s general performance. In relation to this, when the mandated test turns to asking the student for something previously not familiarized to the student, need to refocus ruptures. There is a need to refocus on things to feed the students’ minds, as the mandated tests requires. However, the article claim a more pressing matter is forcing the teachers to lose their professionalism. The teachers find themselves between helping the studen ts in elementary school and being loyal to their professional field. They feel that their professional training does not concur with the requirements of the mandated test. In order for a student to succeed in the mandated tests the teachers, have to comply with the requirements, which they feel they are not in line with their professional understanding of the curriculum. In turn, they end up ignoring their professional feelings and instead assist the students conform to the requirements of the mandated tests. On the other hand, within the same article, Susan reports of teachers who embraced the ideology of mandated tests and their effects. The teachers believe that the tests offer a comprehensive way of developing the writing, listening and reading skills of students. Moreover, these tests enable students to develop their thinking from a lower level to higher one. Within yet another article, by GreatSchools’ Staff, they record of reasons behind the tests from federal and stat e governments. They believe that the government offers these tests as a way of ensuring all students meet the standard level of the expected grades. As a way of encouraging students to pass in their tests, the government introduced mandated tests. In addition, they publish the results of the mandated tests giving everyone, including teachers, parents and students, an opportunity to view them and contemplate on the way

Business Strategy Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Strategy Questions - Essay Example In many companies and organisations, however, this area of social responsibility is often not identified as a major or separate functional area; instead the responsibility is vested on an individual or managing staff, which frequently performs within the human resources management area. (Anderson, 1989, p. 15) Most companies find it no simple matter to formulate and implement socially responsible actions and programs; however, all companies must become concerned and involved in this area. To operate without major disruptions, a company must at all times be in compliance with legal requirements international, federal, state, and local. It must develop, establish, implement, and police a code of ethical and moral conduct for all members of its organisation. In the area of implementing activities on behalf of CSR, where there is considerably more latitude of operations in how, when, where, and even if the company or division wants to contribute money or other resources to 'worthy causes', the firm must deliberate about and resolve many questions prior to establishing fair and workable guidelines. Gone are the 'showing damn to public' attitudes once held by some companies. With a more active government and populace, company social responsibility in each of the three major areas has continued to gain greater concern and prominence over the past several decades. Social responsibility will continue to take more time, money, consideration, and concern in all future management decisions and actions. Diverse managerial skills, ranging from simple to highly complex, are required in all of these areas of social responsibility. It is the social and moral responsibility of an organisation to consider and recognise the rights or interests of various stakeholders first, not only stockholders and employees but also outsiders affected by the company's actions. Among outsiders include customers, suppliers, governments, unions, competitors, local communities, and the general public whereas stakeholder groups justifiably expect and often demand that the firm satisfy their claims in a responsible manner. In general, stockholders claim appropriate returns on their investment; employees seek broadly defined job satisfactions; customers want what they pay for; suppliers seek dependable buyers; unions seek benefit for their members; local communities want the company to be a responsible citizen; and the general public expects the company's existence to improve the quality of life. To be successful in today's business environment, which is dynamic and complex at the same time, organisations must attempt to incorporate t he interests of these groups when defining their strategy or making business decisions. (Sims, 2003, p. 40) To build an enduring and resilient competitive advantage, an organisation must establish strong relationships with all of its key stakeholders due to the fact that no organisations in today's infrastructure can afford to ignore certain other specialised and highly influential groups which include government agencies that look at organisation compliance with regulatory standards, financial-ratings

Occupational Health and Safety Hazard Material Management and Hazard Essay - 3

Occupational Health and Safety Hazard Material Management and Hazard Communications - Essay Example 74-79). OSHA regards a certain chemical as hazardous if can pose a health or physical hazard. A health hazard is one that can cause a chronic or acute health effect on someone. On the other hand, physical hazards may include compressed gasses, organic peroxides, combustible liquids, explosives, oxidizers, flammables, unstable chemicals and water reactive ones. Chemical importers and manufacturers have the obligation of evaluating chemicals in a bid to establish whether they pose health and physical hazards to people (Robinson & Bird, 2012, p. 74-79). The Hazard Communication Standard does not cover certain product categories. These are wood and wooden products, foods, cosmetics, drugs, and alcoholic beverages packaged and sold for personal consumption. Drugs that health care providers and pharmacies dispense for patient use are not included in the labeling requirement. This also applies to over-the-counter drugs not to forget those drugs that employees consume while at the workplace like aspirin or even first aid supplies. While wood and its products are exempt from the labeling requirements, wood dust is included since it is regarded as a hazardous chemical (Robinson & Bird, 2012, p.

EU’s Policy for Former Socialist States of Central Europe

EU’s Policy for Former Socialist States of Central Europe Josef Borocz on the Basis of the EU’s Policy Toward Former Socialist States of Central Europe Based on the Legacy of the Cold War Integration of Eastern Bloc states into the European Union (EU) has been markedly slow in comparison to its Western counterparts. Borocz and Larry Woolf assert that the stagnant, near-blocking motion of Western European-dominated organizations such as the EU carries with it a sociological, longue-duree contingent, identified by the historical and intellectual alienation of Eastern Bloc nations as a pervading â€Å"other† as perceived from the Age of Enlightenment. While there is significant merit to this argument, the geopolitical realities facing EU expansion throughout the continent outweigh the human facilities of traditional discrimination. With conflicted parties considering Turkey in the periphery of EU membership, the paradox of exclusion through minimal membership as outlined by Borocz and Woolf lends more toward matters of security and economic development rather than a notion as simplistic as the longue-duree facility of Eastern Europe as the â€Å"other.† Sch olars such as Gale Stokes contend that inclusion of the Eastern Bloc brings more than just European unity, adding the need for new defense strategies as well as trade systems, the incorporation of which would require a degree of phased membership so as not to disrupt the development of existing EU member state economies. After considering both proponent and contrarian arguments to the longue-duree assertions of Borocz and Woolf, it becomes evident that the geopolitical ramifications of full Eastern Bloc integration outweigh the possibility of traditional exclusion. Borocz states firmly that it would be a â€Å"mistake to attribute the European Union’s evident reluctance, condescension, and aversion vis-à  -vis one of its immediate neighbors solely to the recent legacy of the Cold War†[1]. Though the menace of Communism and the burgeoning global influence of the Soviet Union and its satellite contemporaries during the Cold War certainly harvested alienation from the capitalist West, the specter of Eastern Europe as the â€Å"other† existed long before Stalin began the ascension of the USSR as a world superpower. As Woolf states, â€Å"the intellectual structures of half a century are slow to efface themselves, but above all the idea of Eastern Europe is much older than the Cold War,† the distinction between East and West â€Å"produced as a work of cultural creation, intellectual artifice, and ideological self-interest and self-pronunciation†[2]. Borocz agrees, adding that â€Å"as critical work on the histor y of European ideas shows, a rational-Western self-image has produced, since the Enlightenment, the notion of ‘East Europeanness’ [sic] as a rudimentary, ‘rustic’ and low-scale version of itself†[3]. Where France, Germany, and England found themselves exploring philosophy, trade, and science, the common Western perception of the East developed as a darker side of Europe, one bordering the outside forces of Africa and Asia. All this developed despite the military action of nations such as Austria and Spain preventing the further advances of forces such as the Turks and the Moors, arguably leaving the remainder of Europe in the peace required to become â€Å"enlightened.† Such alienation, Woolf argues, gradually pushed Eastern Europe indirectly, lumping its association in such a way that Eastern Europe became an intermediary between Asia and Western Europe. The East was therein belittled further, diminished in intellectual capacity to the perceiv ed â€Å"barbarities† of the non-European world. The concept of the â€Å"East† was therefore manufactured intellectually by Western European nations, a manifestation of alienation due to the proximity to and exchange with non-European countries. Future â€Å"admission of the Hungarian (Polish, Czech, Slovene, etc) society to full membership in European Union as equal [sic] partners would thus require no less than the erasure and re-inscription of an over two-hundred year-old† image of West European identity construction,† a lofty goal to achieve in the relatively small period of time in which deliberation regarding membership would hence occur[4]. The human agent in such an action, the longue-duree proclivities of transcending centuries-old prejudice would therefore â€Å"involve reimagining [sic] the weaker, ignored, belittled scientifically and officially apprehended and described—hence objectified—other as a dynamic, inspiring, lively, a nd exciting partner characterized by a complex subjectivity†[5]. Such an adjustment in policy and personal perception would therefore facilitate the delay Borocz describes in his account of Hungarian attempts at EU membership. Adjustments of the aforementioned type paradoxically are warranted by existing Western European member states, not the Eastern state in question applying for EU membership. Borocz and Woolf speculate on the erstwhile definition of integration into the EU and the implications such an action would carry. Borocz concludes that the â€Å"essence of the European Union’s strategy vis-à  -vis the central and eastern European applicants is integration without inclusion, participation in the production systems, and appendance to the consumption markets of EU corporations without the attendant political, economical, social, and cultural rights conferred by European Union citizenship†[6]. That the Eastern Bloc is aware of this inequity suggests the a cceptance of said fact, returning the EU as an organization to a reincarnation of Enlightenment-era prejudice, exclusion, and exploitation. The concept of â€Å"Europeanness† here would be nominal at best, as Eastern Europe would be included at face value, never accepted as a contemporary of its Western counterpart. Appendini and Bislev argue in their Integration in NAFTA and the EU that the phenomenon of European integration is â€Å"reminiscent of the classical historical process of state and nation building† as perceived from â€Å"European history: a set of regulations being established for a territory (an expanding one, but at each moment precisely defined)†[7]. Contrary to Borocz’s observation of deliberate Western procrastination in the acceptance of Eastern membership, Appendini and Bislev suggest the vast requisite regulations which would ensure stable integration into the existing EU framework take time to implement, and suggest that the dismissal of the necessary implementation procedures would compromise the legitimacy of Eastern bloc membership, hence reducing membership to the aforementioned paradoxical state Woolf and Borocz describe. Most prominent among the issues faced by Western Europe were addressed by Denmark, who, despite descriptions of being â€Å"th e most knowledgeable and well-informed about European matters,† are â€Å"just about the most negatively inclined towards integration† owing to the question of â€Å"the welfare state, broadly defined†[8]. The relative economic underdevelopment of the Eastern Bloc, from a macro-economical standpoint, would beg the question of fiscal compromise on the part of Western member states. At which point would European integration serve existing members? The longue-duree aspect of political weight here manifests itself in the conceptualization of national discourse and the common interest formed by the EU. If the EU serves as a means to galvanize the continent in matters of policy and economic decision-making, at which point would Eastern European interests counterbalance and take precedence over the interests of Western Europe? The integration of Eastern member states would have to provide at the very least the potential to benefit existing Western members. Moving past fiscal issues brings to the forefront the question of protocol in the realm of geopolitical and global security realities. Gale Stokes suggests that â€Å"nation inclusion opens borders, creating the need for new defenses and changes in strategy†; for instance, â€Å"Poland and the Baltic nations are still redefining their defense strategies in the wake of the Warsaw Pact’s dissolution†[9]. The integration of most Eastern Bloc states would include the â€Å"onerous burden of having to create a new national defense policy,† conceivably overshadowed by the added weight of having to develop â€Å"national welfare and infrastructure building† to meet EU standards[10]. Were these nations able to achieve such goals independent of the EU, they would already have done so, begging the question of the true value of integration. In adopting Western Europe’s â€Å"particular set of basic values and beliefs† regarding â€Å"nationhood, popular sovereignty and democracy,† Eastern states would provide the Western EU members with added stresses, disrupting the function of an already uncertain establishment. From a security standpoint, Western states would be naturally apprehensive of the geopolitical changes and new threats that have emerged since the Cold War; in this sense, Borocz’s assertions of Western hesitation would be justified. The conflict in Bosnia, for example, is a quintessential example of the types of wars that deter â€Å"most aligned countries from seeking† full integration, as Western Europe was intent at the end of WWII to avoid such â€Å"explosive territorial, ethnic, or religious conflicts†[11]. Lengthy but legitimizing measures such as the temporal associate-member status of the Eastern Bloc are regulations asserted to be â€Å"superior to others†; legitimacy can only be attempted through the â€Å"decision-making mechanisms established† in existing EU membership protocol[12]. Gale Stokes notes Lithuanian Defense Minister Andrius Butkevicius’ hierarchy of threats, citing: â€Å"†¦instability in the former USSR, followed by ethno-religious and territorial conflicts, followed by crime and industrial disasters. With the threat of high-intensity conflicts unlikely in the short run, nations face subtler threats, including disaster-relief operations, peace operations, international crime and drug trafficking, illegal migration, and terrorism. The escalation of such threats to regional conflicts is a threat to long-term security [for the EU as a whole]†[13]. Since Borocz crafted his article, various Eastern Bloc nations have begun their integration into the EU. Their experiences, however, should be duly noted in modern issues such as Turkish ascension and the political ramifications of European inclusion of states such as Serbia and Croatia. Assertions of longue-duree such as those intimated by Borocz and Woolf are not necessarily negated by Eastern admittance (albeit partial) to the EU; the potential still exists for furthered exploitation, as full membership is contingent on Western attitudes and political action. Theoretically speaking, Eastern nations are never fully guaranteed equality in such integration; ironically, unity seems to be a concept extending only to those who have the political and economical clout to take the steps to make it a reality. The modicum of exclusion still existing in the minds of Western Europe limit the EU’s scope and function, as it â€Å"is probably not going to be a nation-state in the classica l sense† owing to the â€Å"fragmented and disperse elements of European identities† preventing the assembly of â€Å"anything resembling even a modest version of a national identity†[14]. The â€Å"associate membership† Borocz describes still has the potential to retard the EU’s abilities to function as a cohesive whole[15]. While the policies of the EU may not be largely based on an isolated perception of the Cold War Eastern Bloc nations, the essence of the EU strategy remains integration without full inclusion, the fact remains that a degree of inequity will pervade the EU’s future functions and day-to-day dealings on the global stage. The degree of integration and the increment steps coerced upon Eastern member ascension therefore remains in the eye of the beholder, so to speak; for the optimist daring to believe in the potential of integration, the inequity of the present is attributed to a genuine concern for the future. To the cynic, however, the remarkably slow process of integration and Western Europe’s modern policies smack of the prejudiced perceptions of old. BIBLIOGRAPHY Appendini, Kirsten A. and Sven Bislev (eds). (1999) Integration in NAFTA and the EU:Deficient Institutionality. Basingstoke: Hampshire Palgrave Macmillan. Borocz, Josef. (2000) â€Å"The fox and the raven: the European Union and Hungaryrenegotiate the margins of ‘Europe,’† pp. 77-83. Goldman, Minton F. (1997) Revolution and Change in Central and Eastern Europe:Political, Economic, and Social Challenges. Armonk: ME Sharpe, Inc. Nabli, Mustapha K. (1999) Financial Integration, Vulnerabilities to Crisis, and EUAccession in Five Central European Countries. Washington, DC: World Bank P. Schimmelfennig, Frank. (2003) The EU, NATO, and the Integration of Europe: Rulesand Rhetoric. Cambridge: Cambridge U P. Stokes, Gale. (1998) Annual Survey of Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union1997, The Challenge of Integration. Armonk: ME Sharpe, Inc. Tang, Helena. (2000) Winners and Losers in EU Integration: Policy Issues for Centraland Eastern Europe. Washington, DC: World Bank P. Woolf, Larry. (1994) pp. 1-6. 1 Footnotes [1] Borocz 2000, p. 79 [2] Woolf 1994, p. 1 [3] Ibid [4] Borocz 2000, p. 81 [5] Ibid [6] Borocz 2000, pp. 81-82 [7] Appendini and Bislev 1999, p. 126 [8] Ibid [9] Stokes 1998, p. 130 [10] Ibid [11] Ibid [12] Appendini and Bislev 1999, p. 126 [13] Stokes 1998, p. 131 [14] Appendini and Bislev 1999, p. 126 [15] Borocz 2000, pp. 81-82

Sleep Essay -- Sleeping Health Sleep Essays

Sleep â€Å"The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to, then forcing oneself to stay awake for days on end must surely come a close second.† -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  F Scott Fitzgerald We spend one third of our lives doing it, and yet, some of us never seem to be able to get enough. People all over the world don’t receive enough sleep whether it’s from a medical condition like narcolepsy, or simply not having enough time in a day. The effects of getting a good night’s rest are essential and signs of sleep depravation are not as hard to spot as one may think. Sleep can be compared to quicksand, ignore it and you’ll find yourself trapped. It will take over you’re body and if you try to fight it, the more it wins. The effects of not receiving enough sleep are not uncommon. Sleep depravation has been used throughout history and is common as a form of torture in many POW camps (Victims of Sleep Depravation). Countries, including the United States have used this method to extract information from prisoners. It leaves no physical markings but its psychological effects can be very harmful. Victims will literally go crazy. Those who have gone through it say that no sleep is even worse than starvation. The number of people who suffer from a lack of sleep is growing. This is largely contributed to the increased popularity of late night TV and use of the internet. How many of us can honestly say that we turned the television off in the middle of our favorite show so that we may go to bed at a reasonable hour? While driving a lack of sleep can be just as harmful, if not more, than driving while drunk.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"We had three of our grandchildren in the back seat. They were singing and the radio was blasting and he went off the road. He said he was all right. I was going to drive, but he said I’m fine, I’m fine. The next day I called the doctor.† (Sleep Apnea) Almost half of Americans drive while drowsy. One out of every five drivers actually had to pull over and take a nap. Compared to alcohol, which only slows you’re reflexes, driving while drowsy makes the driver completely unaware of his or her surroundings. This can be extremely dangerous for motorists especially truckers, who more often than not, drive late into the night. (Drowsiness on motorists) Adults are not the only ones effected by a lack of sleep. A one-year-old baby will sleep 16 out of the 24 ... ...p Apnea. 2 February 2004. http://www.sleepnet.com/sleepapnea.html. Narcolepsy Information. 2 February 2004. http://www.sleepnet.com/narcolepsy.html. Don’t Go To Bed Yet. 2 February 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/travel.cfm. Amphetamines. 23 February 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://corp.aadac.com/drugs/beyond/amphetamines.asp. Got Caffeine? 23 February 2004. http://www.sleepfoundation.org/caffeine.cfm. Study Confirms Sleep Essential for Creativity. 2 March 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/01/21/sleep.creativity.ap/ Depressants. 10 March 2004. http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/depressants.html Night Fever. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1117085,00.html The Real Victims of sleep Depravation. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3376951.stm Insomnia. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://yalenewhavenhealth.org/Library/HealthGuide/IllnessConditions/topic.asp?hwid=uh1001 Kunz, Jeffrey, and Asher Finkel, ed. The American Medical Association Family   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Medical Guide. New York: Random House, Inc. 1987. Stern, Jack, David Carroll. The Home Medical Handbook. New York: David Carroll,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1987. Sleep Essay -- Sleeping Health Sleep Essays Sleep â€Å"The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to, then forcing oneself to stay awake for days on end must surely come a close second.† -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  F Scott Fitzgerald We spend one third of our lives doing it, and yet, some of us never seem to be able to get enough. People all over the world don’t receive enough sleep whether it’s from a medical condition like narcolepsy, or simply not having enough time in a day. The effects of getting a good night’s rest are essential and signs of sleep depravation are not as hard to spot as one may think. Sleep can be compared to quicksand, ignore it and you’ll find yourself trapped. It will take over you’re body and if you try to fight it, the more it wins. The effects of not receiving enough sleep are not uncommon. Sleep depravation has been used throughout history and is common as a form of torture in many POW camps (Victims of Sleep Depravation). Countries, including the United States have used this method to extract information from prisoners. It leaves no physical markings but its psychological effects can be very harmful. Victims will literally go crazy. Those who have gone through it say that no sleep is even worse than starvation. The number of people who suffer from a lack of sleep is growing. This is largely contributed to the increased popularity of late night TV and use of the internet. How many of us can honestly say that we turned the television off in the middle of our favorite show so that we may go to bed at a reasonable hour? While driving a lack of sleep can be just as harmful, if not more, than driving while drunk.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"We had three of our grandchildren in the back seat. They were singing and the radio was blasting and he went off the road. He said he was all right. I was going to drive, but he said I’m fine, I’m fine. The next day I called the doctor.† (Sleep Apnea) Almost half of Americans drive while drowsy. One out of every five drivers actually had to pull over and take a nap. Compared to alcohol, which only slows you’re reflexes, driving while drowsy makes the driver completely unaware of his or her surroundings. This can be extremely dangerous for motorists especially truckers, who more often than not, drive late into the night. (Drowsiness on motorists) Adults are not the only ones effected by a lack of sleep. A one-year-old baby will sleep 16 out of the 24 ... ...p Apnea. 2 February 2004. http://www.sleepnet.com/sleepapnea.html. Narcolepsy Information. 2 February 2004. http://www.sleepnet.com/narcolepsy.html. Don’t Go To Bed Yet. 2 February 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/travel.cfm. Amphetamines. 23 February 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://corp.aadac.com/drugs/beyond/amphetamines.asp. Got Caffeine? 23 February 2004. http://www.sleepfoundation.org/caffeine.cfm. Study Confirms Sleep Essential for Creativity. 2 March 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/01/21/sleep.creativity.ap/ Depressants. 10 March 2004. http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/depressants.html Night Fever. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1117085,00.html The Real Victims of sleep Depravation. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3376951.stm Insomnia. 10 March 2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://yalenewhavenhealth.org/Library/HealthGuide/IllnessConditions/topic.asp?hwid=uh1001 Kunz, Jeffrey, and Asher Finkel, ed. The American Medical Association Family   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Medical Guide. New York: Random House, Inc. 1987. Stern, Jack, David Carroll. The Home Medical Handbook. New York: David Carroll,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1987.

Censorship on Huckleberry Finn, Argument and Counterargument Essay

Time and time again art has been criticized for being too vulgar and expressive, Mark Twain was one of these individuals who participated in art, he was raised in the generation where slavery was common and racial slurs were frequently used. So to criticized and censor his work for writing what he grew up knowing would be like punishing Huck Finn for stealing things from others when he was told it was borrowing all his life by his pa â€Å"Pap always said it warn’t no harm to borrow things if you was meaning to pay them back some time; but the widow said it warn’t anything but a soft name for stealing, and no decent body would do it† (Chp. 12 Pg, 49). I strongly disagree with the fact that people want to ‘update and improve’ the classic â€Å"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† because it uses a term that is found offensive frequently in todays generation. My problem with this posse that wants to change the wording of the book is that, their bigge st concern to why they want to change the word â€Å"nigger† to â€Å"slave† is that they’re doing for the children, trying to make it more comfortable for them to read and protecting the youth from frowned upon terms. If this is their concern then why are they singling out books and classics from decades ago, why not focus on the books being published now with the terms â€Å"whore† â€Å"slut† or â€Å"trailer trash† in it? To me those are equally offensive terms. John Foley once said that he thinks â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† Harper Lee’s classic about racial inequality in the Deep South, and John Steinbeck’s â€Å"Of Mice and Men†(Source A) should be removed from the curriculum for similar reasons† all because they show the reader the time gap between the setting of the writing and the present of today even though in the beginning of all books they tell you what time frame the story is held in â€Å"SC ENE: The Mississippi Valley; TIME: Forty to Fifty Years Ago† (Page 0). Now I can see why some might want these books (Huck Finn, Of Mice and Men, and To Kill a Mockingbird) removed from curriculum, yes I do believe that Twain used the term â€Å"nigger† a few times to many, â€Å"the N-word appears 219 times in Huck Finn† (Source C). Children or even young adults should not be exposed to the vulgar terms and racial slurs that were used in the past. Isn’t the whole point of evolution is to change over time? What good comes from exposing our youth to the past that we all know America is not fond of? Don’t we want our youth to know that these terms are not acceptable in today’s society or the future? When these books make it sound like it was just a little friendly nickname. This is why I feel like students and parents should be given the choice as to whether they want them to read books such as these. We do it for movies at the beginning of every school year, why not do it with books also?

Is SAT Word of the Day Really a Good Way to Study Vocab

Is SAT Word of the Day Really a Good Way to Study Vocab SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips How do you learn new words, especially big ones like "obstreperous" and "percipient" that you don't often hear in daily conversation? Do you pore over long lists, make flash cards, or focus on one or two at a time? For those playing the long game, SAT Word of the Day sites and email lists can be useful resources for gradually building your vocabulary over time. This guide will point you to the best sources of SAT Word of the Day and give you some strategies for how to use them effectively. First, why might you want to study vocabulary this way? IsSAT Word of the Day Effective? Using SAT Word of the Day to build your vocabulary is effective in a gradual way, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as the only vocab studying you do to prepare for the SAT. It's a good way to start early, learn new words, and insert a little bit of SAT prep into your routine on a daily basis. That being said, SAT Word of the Day probably doesn't substitute for more extensive studying. Let's take a look at the pros and cons for studying SAT words in this way. Pros ofSAT Word of the Day Like a trickle of water filling up a bowl, learning a word a day can build up to a great deal of knowledge if you sustain it over time.It's a low-pressure, stress-free way to start SAT prep early, rather than cramming a lot of words at once and struggling to retain them. You could start freshman year and spend just 5 minutes a day learning a word's definitionand how that word isused in different contexts. Have you ever noticed how you learn a new word or fun fact for the first time and suddenly start seeing it everywhere? This "Baeder-Meinhof Phenomenon" could happen with new SAT words, too. You'll start to notice (and should be on the lookout for) SAT wordswhen you're reading books, blogs, or the news. This will both aid your long-term retention of the vocab and help you understandif a givenword has various uses and connotations. Widening your vocabulary is not just useful for the SAT, but also for your own writing, reading, and work throughout high school and college. Finally, SAT Word of the Dayalso serves as a daily reminder to stick to your overall test prep schedule. Incorporating a word a day or an SAT Question of the Day orients you towards learning and building your skills and understanding on a daily basis. While SAT Word of the Day is useful for building up your vocabulary and retaining new words over time, what are some downsides to this approach to studying? Cons of SAT Word of the Day Perhaps the most obvious question aboutusing SAT Word of the Day is whether it teaches you enough to really be effective. Since you're only focusing on one word each day, you'd have to start a long time in advance of your SAT test to learn enough words. If you don't keep reviewing and referring back to words, you might forget those you learned several months or a year ago. While you're studying a word a day in theory, likely you would end up studying more to review ones that you've already learned. Another downside to SAT Word of the Day is that it could bemore of a passive than an active approach. You're learning a word, but not necessarily putting it in context of the SAT and applying it to real SAT questions. Thus you would want to be proactive andcouple yourstudying with answering sample questions and ensuring that you can demonstrate what you've learned on SAT passage-based and sentence completion questions. How effective studying with SAT Word of the Day is also varies from student to student and depends on their individual learning style and focus. This approach may appeal more to you if you like spreading out your test prep over a sustained period of time, but may not be your preferred mode if you like to bunch up studying and focus intensively on more material at the same time. In order to get the most use out of SAT Word of the Day, you want to use high quality resources, just as you should with the rest of your SAT prep. Read on for my suggestions of the best sources for SAT Word of the Day. Where Can You Find SAT Words of the Day? You can track down high quality SAT Words of the Day on various websites, as well as sign up for daily emails. For further reinforcement, you could also choose to create your own word of the day flashcards by writing down vocabulary, definitions, and examples from SAT vocabulary lists. Below are my suggestions for the best websites and email lists. New York Times SAT Vocabulary The New York Times learning blog has an SAT Word the Day 7 days a week. It gives you SAT words anddefinitions, as well as an example of how eachword is used in a sentence. What I like about this blog is that it links you to all the New York Times articles that have used that word. This lets you gain a sense of how it's used in various contexts, which is especially helpful for passage-based vocabulary questions on the current SAT, as well as the more context-based vocabulary questions that will appear on the new SAT in 2016. Plus you can learn about current events and editorials, which might be useful to draw uponwhen it comes time to write your SAT essay. To access these words you have to visit the site. Unfortunately they don't have an email option or a phone app that you could download. You can follow the New York Times learning blogs on Twitter, but not specifically the SAT Word of the Day. Number2.com Word of the Day On this straightforward site, you can find an SAT vocabulary word, definition, and one example. Unlike the New York Times blog, this site doesn't give you additional examples of the vocabulary in context. You could do your own searches, along with keeping an eye out for words you're learning in your reading. If you prefer to have daily vocabulary emailed to you, you can sign up for the email lists of any of the sites below. Get Emailed SAT Word of the Day These sites are all comparable to one another. They will email you a vocabulary word, definition, and example sentence every day. Again, it would be up to you to seek out the new vocabulary in other contexts beyond the one sentence example. SAT Daily (this site also has a texting option) Test Magic SAT Word of the Day SAT Hot Words SAT Words Daily Signing up for an email or texting list is an easy way to keep up with the word a day. Just don't let the emails pile up in your inbox! Finally, you could also create your own vocabulary lists and words of the day on paper or online. One site that's useful for this kind of self-directed studying is Quizlet. Make Your Own SAT Word of the Day Quizlet has some useful preexisting SAT vocabulary lists that you could use to create your own flashcards. You can also upload your own lists and practice that way, perhaps to review words of the day that you studied in the past. If you have an iPad or tablet, you can also play vocabulary matching games and time yourself as you review. If you start studying vocabulary in freshman year for just five minutes a day, then you could really grow your language skills over time. To make the most of your prep, use high quality resources that access the most commonly tested SAT vocabulary words. The best way to retain words and have a complex understanding is to read them in various contexts and take note when they appear in your reading. You could even try working it into conversation or your texts, though you might cause some confusionif you start throwing words like "assiduous" and "perfidious"around. Rather than only passively reading through definitions, actively search these words out and couple your studying with answering SAT practice passage-based and sentence completion vocabulary questions. At the same time, it's important to note that this focus on vocabulary might actually be more relevant for the current version of the SAT than the redesigned one rolling out in 2016. The new SAT has less of a focus on "big" words and more focus on relatively common words that might be presentedin an unusual way.Below is a quick review of the changes as they relate to vocabulary. How Important is Vocabulary for the New SAT? If you're taking the new SAT, you might consider readjusting your approach to studying SAT vocabulary. The new SAT is deemphasizing these common SAT words, and shaping questions around more accessible words, like "intense" and "maintain," that might have different connotations in different sentences. Instead of stand-alone sentence completion questions, the vocabulary questionswill be more passage-based. If you're taking the current version of the SAT, then SAT Words of the Day are still a very useful tool for building your vocabulary and learning the words you'll need to achieve strong scores on the Critical Reading section. If you're taking the newer version, you might still benefit from the SAT Word of the Day, but should focus on connotation and context and not worry too much about particularly obscure words. By learning more about what skills the new SAT will test, you can reshape your prep and continue to use older practice materials effectively. With SAT Word of the Day and all your test prep, you'll be best served by reflecting on your learning style and uncovering the tactic that works best for you. How Do You Learn New Words? As with all aspects of studying for the SAT, reflect on how you learn and retain information and customizeyour study plan to best help you improve. Even if you're someone who likes to bunch up studying, SAT Words of the Day can be a useful tool, especially if you start early. Even though I gave several options of websites and email lists above, the "word of the day" is meant to be just that, a single vocabulary word that you examine and incorporate on a daily basis.With this approach, it's better to prioritize quality of words, definitions, and examples over quantity. Pick just one of those resources (or two, if you really want) and stick with it. Pay attention to how it's used, where you can find it, and how it helps express a thought or idea. Even if only a fraction of the words you learn actually show up on your official SAT tests, you'll still have advanced your language and sharpened your reading, writing, and communication skills. Plus you can impress your friends and family with your ever expanding repertoire of impressive vocabulary. What's Next? Besides Word of the Day, you might also be learning a lot of SAT vocabularyat the same time. Learn about the "waterfall method" of studying SAT words and definitions. Do you have a choice between taking the current version of the SAT and the new SAT? Read about the differences and how to decide between the two here. Gunning for a top SAT score? Read our guide on how to get a perfect SAT score. Learn how to get an 800 on SAT Reading, SAT Math, and SAT Writing. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

owen meany essays

owen meany essays In the novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving, Owen Meanys belief of predestination makes a significant impact on John Wheelwrights emotional stability as an adult. John Wheelwright is unhealthily bitter and angry about his past experiences because he clings to a past that never lets him choose. This bitterness fuels his repugnance towards the United States and the Reagan administration, because he understands that everything is in fact predestined just as Owen Meany had believed and he feels helpless because there is nothing he can do to change the course of events in life. The death and responsibility of Johns mothers death fell into the hands of Owen Meany and John can never accept that it was Owens fate to kill Johns mother. The Vietnam War was completely out of Johns hands to control being a young adult and all, and the fact that eventually the war indirectly took the life of his best friend, for this he feels helplessly responsible and angry. Into adulthood, John becomes bitter towards the United States and its catastrophic news because he knows it is all destined to happen, and like everything else in his life, he has no control or power to change anything. The death of Johns mother, Tabitha Wheelwright, was out of Johns control and the job is predestined to be executed by Owen. Her death falls into Owens hands because as he believes one night after an atrocious fever, that he had interrupted the Angel of Death. Because of this, the task was then placed on him so that he would be the one to kill Tabitha Wheelwright. In Owens opinion, he had INTERUPTED AN ANGEL, he had DISTURBED AN ANGEL AT WORK, he had UPSET THE SCHEME OF THINGS.- The Angel, pg. 102 Owen convinced himself that the reason he was used to kill Johns mom is because he is an instrument of God and that God had taken away Owens hands because he is helplessly under...

Efficient Market Hypothesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Efficient Market Hypothesis - Essay Example On the other hand, the semi-strong form of efficient market hypothesis assumes that the stock prices fully reflect and represent the public information, mentioning and indicating that the fundamental analysis would not bring the yield of superior risk-adjusted returns. The strong-form of efficient market hypothesis is based on the assumption that the prices of securities reflect both private and public information, highlighting and indicating that the investors would be able to earn higher risk-adjusted returns. But, these three forms of efficient market hypothesis have proved some serious limitations. And these serious limitations proved their existence in the year of 1987 when the event of market crash occurred. Is it possible to rationally explain the causes of the market crash of 1987? Is it appropriate to say that markets were efficient enough to represent the prices of stocks in the required way? But, that was not end of it; rather they continued to be part of the finance histo ry. In the year of 1990, the Internet Bubble totally invalidated the rationale behind the use and application of efficient market hypothesis. On the basis of hindsight, it is clearly evident that the equity valuation, which normally heavily depends on the unpredictable and uncertain future predications, was based on irrationality and irrational and unsupportable claims. After that part, its implications in terms of validity and applicability of this theory would be critically accounted for.... In the year of 1990, the Internet Bubble totally invalidated the rationale behind the use and application of efficient market hypothesis. On the basis of hindsight, it is clearly evident that the equity valuation, which normally heavily depends on the unpredictable and uncertain future predications, was based on irrationality and irrational and unsupportable claims. In the subsequent parts of this piece of work, first the concept and theory of efficient market hypothesis would be clearly explained and highlighted. After that part, its implications in terms of validity and applicability of this theory would be critically accounted for. Definition__________________________________________ An efficient capital market is defined as a capital market in which the current price of a share or stock fully and totally represents and reflects all the stock or share related information, including the information of risk (Schweser, 2004). Furthermore, an informationally efficient capital market i s defined as a capital market in which a price of security or stock rapidly and fast adjusts as soon as a new piece of related information is arrived. This piece of definition of an efficient capital market hypothesis is based on certain assumptions, and they are: First, a considerable number of participants, who are there to increase profit or returns on stocks, tend to understand and analyse and and give value to stocks and securities, and these participants are independent of each other. Second, any piece of new information appears in a capital market in a random fashion; and pieces of information are also announced independent of each other with regard to timing as well. Third, securities and stocks investors and fund managers quickly and rapidly start estimating the prices of

Why did Republican Arizona lawmakers pass SB 1070 at this particular Essay

Why did Republican Arizona lawmakers pass SB 1070 at this particular time OR Why has the economy not yet fully recovered from the recession, in spite of the government stimulus package - Essay Example ollowing measures of production; investment spending, gross domestic product (GDP), household incomes, capacity utilization, inflation, and business profits. Often recession occurs when spending falls following adverse supply recessions. Since recession has adverse effects such as increased rates of unemployment, reduced business profitability, and negative social effects like family instability, most countries usually put measures in place to prevent it from occurring. In the event that it occurs, governments usually respond by adopting macroeconomic policies such as decreasing taxation, increasing government spending, and increasing money supply (Samuelson and Nordhaus 14- 15). Since the recent recession began in late 2007, the United States economy is yet to recover fully from it. This is despite numerous efforts by the government such as the economic stimulus package. There have been debates among scholars, economists, government officials, policy makers, and the public on what could be the reasons behind delay in recovery despite the fact that government has put efforts towards recovery such as the stimulus package. The debates have been stirred further by the fact that other large economies such as China recovered long time ago and are on the path of growth. Besides, there are worries that even though US has witnessed various minor and two major recessions since its independence, the most recent recession may be the longest to recover from and the most difficult in US history (Whoriskey 1). All major measures of the health of the economy namely industrial production, employment, output, and incomes still indicate that US is yet to recover fully and tha t the growth has been significantly weak despite the fact that, technically, the recovery begun in June 2009 (Rampell 1). This concern has captured the attention of Barrack Obama, the US president and has been on record saying on 6th August 2011 that he acknowledges the challenge and that the country’s urgent