Saturday, August 31, 2019

Characteristics Of A Good Leader

There are many things that can be done by people at my age, teenagers, to make a better preparation for our future. Being a good leader is one of them. However, unlike what some people think, being a good leader does not mean that we hold a power over other people. Instead, there are many characteristics of a good leader and therefore, this essay shall explore some characteristics of it. To begin with, responsibility and the ability to make an important decision play an important role to be a good leader.In contrast to these factors, there would be dire consequences and it is just a matter of time before the leader feel the full-effect of his action. For instance, some companies had the irresponsible owner before they went bankrupt. Furthermore, these irresponsible owner were often making reckless decision. Clearly, it is important for a good leader to be responsible and able to make an important decision. The other factor is that a good leader should be strict with the regulation wi thout exception to their members. As this factor will prove that a good leader can be fair to the others.For this reason, I can illustrate that in a group, the leader has a relationship with one of their members. However, they should never put an exception to the members as this can lead to dire consequences through their actions. As a result, these leaders may end up being replaced by others. Hence, a good leader must be fair when they have gained the trust to become a leader. Finally, a good leader should be someone who is hard working and creative. More importantly, they should be persuasive when giving their team encouragement.This can produce a good result for their team because they have earned the trust of their leaders to do something. For example, most employees in some companies have been supported by their leaders that they will earn additional payment if they finish their work before the deadline. To put it in a nutshell, it is clear that the factors mentioned above are the characteristics of a good leader. In my opinion, a good leader must have a good morale behavior as well. By doing it right, one can make a better condition that may affect the outcome of their lives in later life.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Prisoner Education

The education of prisoners is a topic that is riddled with complications. One of the major barriers in the way of prisoner education is public indifference and ignorance. It seems that people are almost happy to simply lock people away rather than actually confront problems such as recidivism and community reintegration. Our paper argues that prisoner education is not only a good thing, but is necessary to fix the underlying problems within the United States prison system.There is definitely a lack of education programs in our prison system today. Furthermore, even in those institutions that have education programs have many different problems such as; courses that are interrupted or terminated on the personal whims of prison administrators; the absence of libraries; waiting lists for programs; limited or no access to training in information technology; vocational courses that are dated paths to nowhere.By looking at effective existing programs, field studies at Massachusetts prisons , and actual prisoner interviews we will attempt to outline a model program and argue that educating prisoners is a means by which to help save out failing prison system. As we have talked about in class, the United States has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, but we also possess one of the highest crime rates. If the previous statement is true, there is an enormous problem with our system, and we believe that education is the key to solving it.In order to properly critique our prison system it is important to look at existing educational and vocational programs in our area. The Massachusetts Department of Correction’s has a mission statement which reads, â€Å"The Massachusetts Department of Correction’s mission is to promote public safety by managing offenders while providing care and appropriate programming in preparation for successful reentry into the community. † They do this by following their four step program â€Å"Manage – Ca re – Program – Prepare. We found that some of the programs offered may fit this mission, but others need tweaking. The first prison we decided to research was MCI Norfolk. MCI Norfolk utilizes a myriad of different programs, from adult basic education to Welding. However, the sheer number of programs offered does not always indicate a successful educational system. In our research we found that Norfolk, although possessing a wide verity of programs, is one of the worst educational programs in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections.However, MCI-Norfolk does offer a few programs that we thought were very unique and would be helpful in designing a model program. For example, MCI Norfolk offers a program called the â€Å"Responsible Fatherhood Program† which seeks to raise the awareness of male inmates’ parental responsibility. The program tries to emphasize the value and importance that a father’s presence can have on a child. The program lasts e ight weeks and requires a minimum of eight hours of structured curriculum driven activities.The RFP program works in three stages, with the ultimate goal of reunited father’s with their children, and strengthening their bond as father and child. The â€Å"Fatherhood Graduate Maintenance Program† is for graduates of the RFP program, which allows inmates to practice and discuss the skills they were taught in the previous stage. Once they have passed the FGMP stage, the inmate moves onto the Father/Child Visitation Component, which is a structured and staff facilitated visit for inmates who have completed the first two steps of the program.What we liked about this program is not only that it seeks an important goal (preparing inmates to become better fathers), but it is very extensive and requires a lot of dedication from the inmate. Another program that we liked was the â€Å"Employment Readiness Program† which is a 10-day workshop that is designed to assist inmat es in the development of the necessary skills that are needed for successful transition back into the community. The program runs 2. 5 hours per day for inmates who are within one year of their earliest possible release date.Throughout the course the participants are taught; resume building, cover letter writing, job application processes, mock interviews and how to maintain employment. Also includes social support, housing plans, financial awareness and budgeting, education referrals, criminal impact and attainable goals. All of these skills are important to learn in order to find and maintain a job, and some inmates may have never learned these skills. Our biggest critique of the program is that it is far too short.There are a lot of important skills listed in the program description, but 10-days at 2. 5 hours a day is not nearly enough time. Our suggestion is to run the same type of program, but offer it as a yearlong class. This class is offered at all of the Massachusetts Depar tment of Corrections prisons, and we feel with the proper revamping, it could be a very successful program. The third existing program that we looked at was the Boston University Program. The program is designed to meet the needs of the students who have accumulated a minimum of twelve transferable college credits.Students eligible to enter this program have an opportunity to achieve a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies from BU’s Metropolitan College. Although this program requires inmates to have already accumulated college credits (which most have not) we thought it was important to mention because this program is donated in full by Boston University. Many times over the semester we have seen that finding funding for prisoner education is difficult. Most people are hesitant to want to pay any amount of money to fund the education of criminals, and that is why programs like the Boston University program are so important.If we can remove the stigma associated with prisoner education, finding funding will become easier, and more programs will be available. The final prison program we looked at was the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. As with MCI Norfolk, Souza-Baranowski offered many different programs, including; barber school, computer technology, culinary arts, educational counseling, English as a second language, and many more. However, like Norfolk, we found that Souza-Baranowski had certain programs that were unique to their facility.The program that we thought was most unique and interesting was the â€Å"Relapse Program† which is a vendor facilitated eight week, twenty-four session program designed to assist inmates in identifying high risk situations that may lead to relapse, and teach them skills to address those situations without relapse. We thought this program was essential because using a prison as a detox center and never teaching addicts the skills they need to avoid relapse is ineffective. This program not only helps parti cipants identify high risk situations, but helps them develop the skills they need to avoid or combat those situations.Souza-Baranowski utilizes many different programs in order to educate their inmates, and that is part of the reason why we decided to do part of our field study at this location. Our fieldwork interview conducted by our Crime and Social Justice group focused on the Souza-Baranowski Corrections Center (SBCC) by speaking to their Education Principal. This facility, located in Shirley, MA, is considered a Maximum Security Level Prison. Sitting on top of 18 acres of land, the SBCC is one of Massachusetts’ newest correctional facilities holding close to 1300 inmates. The principal of the school, Mr. Brian Hogan, kindly volunteered his time and answered a few questions regarding the model education program available at the SBCC. Brian Hogan has held the position of principal of Souza-Baranowski Corrections Center since the prison’s founding in 1999. His expe rience as a public school teacher and as a case manager for the Department of Correction made him a qualified candidate for the position. The information he relayed to us about the SBCC education system as well as his opinions on the subject matter was very useful to our group in figuring out what works for prison education and what does not.According to Mr. Hogan, the school in SBCC houses around 200 inmates and offers a variety of different classes for all levels of education. The elementary school classrooms, which ranges in grade levels from 2nd to 6th is in one classroom, while the 6th to 8th grade level students are in the Middle School Classroom. At the high school level, two classrooms exist; one with a pre-GED teacher and another with grades 9-12th. In addition to these basic classrooms, specialty teachers exist for the prisoners who might have more difficulty in the learning process such as literacy, ESL and special education classes.Finally, the highest level of education available for the inmates is a limited amount of college courses available through a distance learning program and videoconferencing. In our interview, Brian Hogan thoroughly described the process necessary to be considered for the education program and the eligibility requirements for the prisoners. The MCI diagnostics department for basic educations tests all the offenders who wish to be considered for the educational program. Through this test, they determine his level based on their scores on language, math and reading exams.Subsequently, the inmate’s name is placed on a waiting list while the education level is sufficiently evaluated and based on whether spots are available or not, this determines if they are enrolled as student in the school. All of the prisoners are eligible for a spot in the program, but certain circumstances create a higher likelihood of actually being chosen. SBCC is more likely to enroll inmates with smaller sentences as well as the ones that are closest to their release date. According to Mr. Hogan, the reason for this is to effectively reach out to the prisoner right before they are released into the community when they need it most. SBCC contains a wide variety of inmates and many who are at different points in their sentences. From men who are about to be released to others who might be doing life in jail, all kinds of inmates do exist in the facility. Although these prisoners doing life do get a shot at attending the prison school, they are definitely the least prioritized in receiving an education.Even as least likely, these men are not completely excluded and one spot by SBCC is reserved in every classroom for a â€Å"lifer†. The education system is focused wholly on a voluntary basis for the inmates. No one officer or teacher exists that goes out and recruits the inmates or encourages them to join the school. The men are given the material: handbooks, outlines and all types of information about the school to a ttract their participation. Whether the inmates decide to apply for a vacancy or not is totally up to them.SBCC does offer an incentive to encourage the prisoners to enroll. The incentive takes two and half days off the inmates’ sentence for every month he attends school. It should also be noted that this is all contingent upon the good behavior of the offender. As soon as he acts up, however, he is taken out of the classroom and not allowed to attend the education program any longer. One of the questions our group was interested in knowing more about concerned the funding and technology available to the prison in order to successfully to teach these prisoner students. As Mr. Hogan remarked, some funds do come from the Massachusetts State budget however, the program also depends on private state grants for a big portion of the money necessary to support the education program. The prison’s technology resources are relatively well-off with two to three computers, with no internet connection, available in each classroom. Additionally, different software programs are also available for these students such as spelling and keyboard software as well as GED preparation software. The ESL learners also have the benefit of Rosetta Stone to aid them in learning English.In Hogan’s opinion, SBCC’s school can be considered as â€Å"cutting edge in education† for prisons. He believes that recent years has brought about a new focus and shift directed towards college classes, where 15 of the 200 men enrolled in education classes are currently capable of taking college-level courses and work towards an Associates’ degree. The school has helpful teachers who are experienced with public school teaching and school counselors who point the students in the right direction and encourage their schooling. The program, to Mr. Hogan, is moving in the right direction and the state and national statistics available suggests that education in prisons does work. Evidence shows that prisoners, who have some college or schooling after leaving prison, do not return. Not only are recidivism rates reduced, but these men usually find decent jobs and overall the public becomes safer because once released these guys do not commit crimes again. Mr. Hogan mentions that just by having these education classes, it goes a long way in changing the norms when it comes to education in prisons.He talked about how years ago such education programs would definitely have been frowned upon by the public. People were incapable of understanding why men, who have committed crimes and are in jail to pay for these offenses, would be rewarded with the opportunity to get an education in prison. People especially turned against such schooling whenever taxpayer’s dollars entered into the picture. As Brian Hogan put it, education systems in prison are not the most politically correct thing and that is why the public often gets in the way of the promotio n of these education programs in facilities. Speaking to Mr. Hogan increased our knowledge base about the specific programs available in Massachusetts for prisoners, and compared to some of our other experiences we counted ourselves lucky that this interview went so smoothly. This was not the case with some of the other contacts that our group tried to reach out to. After submitting multiple proposals to the Suffolk House of Corrections, in the end our request to visit the prison to speak to the inmates was denied. In another attempt to visit a prison, and if that failed, then to speak to the school principal, we contacted MCI Norfolk just as we had reached out to Souza-Baranowski.Unfortunately, Ms. Diane Wiffin was not the most obliging and went back and forth with our group as if trying to avoid the questions and unwilling to give her opinion. When we informed her that the principal of SBCC had given us the description of his education program, she asked to review his answers, and her response was as follows: Hi, Chelsea! Veronica M. Madden, Deputy Commissioner of the Classification, Programs and Reentry Division, and I have reviewed your proposal and the questions and responses from Brian Hogan, Principal at Souza Baranowski Correctional Center. Mr.   Hogan's responses can be applied to MCI Norfolk as there are consistencies in the administration of our education programs throughout our facilities.Deputy Commissioner Madden did want to comment on your question as to why people are refusing to give you information and how hard it is to obtain an interview. We don't know who else you have contacted, but as I indicated to you when we spoke, we get an overwhelming number of student projects and we have limited resources to be responsive to those requests. As much as we would like to be available, we just don't have the resources. In terms of Mr. Hogan's response to that question, Deputy Commissioner Madden wonders if Mr. Hogan was referring to potential publi c reaction to inmates who participate in the Boston University Prison Program, which is donated by BU at no cost to taxpayers. BU also makes several scholarships available to DOC staff. We think the public is supportive of inmates' receiving adult basic education, GED and vocational training. Attached is a copy of our Program Description Booklet. Education information is contained in that. Also as part of that booklet is a listing of programs and education/vocation training listed by facility.In addition, on www. mass. gov/DOC there is research material covering recidivism rates. This is should be exactly what you need for your project†¦ Diane Wiffin, Director of Public Affairs As her response shows, little time is available for the Deputy Commissioner to answer our questions and apparently the program of SBCC can be applied to MCI Norfolk. Our group was lucky that Mr. Hogan did not mind answering our questions but this reluctant behavior made us wonder why prisons were unwilli ng to talk to us about their facilities.Before contacting Ms. Wiffin, we had already experienced certain setbacks with the process and we decided to ask Brian Hogan what his opinion was about why so much disinclination existed to speak to a group of Boston college students. He believed the difficulties we experienced were due to their fear of the public’s reaction to education in prisons. Many times these prison education programs are not advertised for people and either they do not understand or choose to not understand just what affects it could have on the community. Mr.Hogan reflected, the taxpayer does not want to spend their money on something considered to be more of a reward, when they should be punished. In addition, he mentioned that this government funding for programs of college education receives much critique because parents have their own children that they are struggling to put through college. Consequently, seeing men in prisons able to take advantage of this makes them angry. Overall prisons are very skeptical of people’s intentions and fear that something, like education, that they believe to be good, could be misconstrued by the public.This is especially true because as he puts it, what newspapers and the media portray is often negative when it comes to crimes and inmates in prisons. From these negative images, people make their own negative assumptions and believe that all prisoners are bad and should not receive any education. As a result, many do not care that this, overall, would be something better for the community and many take no importance that such education reduces the rate of recidivism. Mr. Hogan also states, that the â€Å"reality does not make for good reading,† and so little things like watching a recently released film to prisoners becomes outrageous for some constituents. These interesting opinions from Mr. Hogan reminded our group of everything that our class had touched upon regarding the image of cr ime in the media. Sara Beale, in the article we read for class â€Å"The News Media’s Influence on Criminal Justice Policy: How Market-Driven News Promotes Punitiveness,† (Beale 2006) claims that the media is manipulated to show a negative image of crime in the public and as a result instills a moral panic.In framing, the media emphasizes a certain crime story, idea or feeling, often negative, resulting in the viewer’s fear in crime and offenders. The more fear they feel, the more the inclination to call for punitive policy and punish the offender. Also, television shows and news reports are used as entertainment for the public to improve ratings. This means that the entertainment sometimes does not accurately reflect the reality. (Beale 2006) This inaccurate reflection of reality encapsulates how people in the public view education for prisons and how it is portrayed to the masses.For this reason, the prisons are scared their education programs might lose fundi ng and resources, and therefore are reluctant to give away too much information to the public and media. In general, our group’s opinion of the SBCC’s is favorable and can be considered a good education model. Other information that we have gathered shows that the only programs some prisons actually have depend upon re-entry programs. These re-entry programs tend to lecture to the inmates on the limitations on their behavior, before they are released into the community.Oftentimes no real engagement occurs with the prisoners, and if no education exists than these former inmates are more likely to commit crimes again. We believe that the college classes available to the inmates of SBCC are a significant asset to their program, and other research we conducted suggests that these classes are the most effective in reducing recidivism. Opponents do arise amongst the public concerning education in prison, but it would be more beneficial if they took into consideration that mo re education equals less crime and less recurring offenders.Another conclusion we arrived at from our interview is the need for other prisons to implement these education programs and to make them more available to inmates. With only 200 prisoners out of 1300 allowed to participate in schooling, there are still many who never get the opportunity to learn. If these classes were available to more of the inmate population, then perhaps recidivism could be addressed more thoroughly through these efforts. We also believe that prisons such as MCI Norfolk should improve their programs if the reason for not giving us information is because the program they have is incompetent.If the reason for not talking to us is due to fear of misrepresentation, we think this has to be addressed in a different manner, perhaps through informational pamphlets or some other form of media to get the message out to the public that education in prisons is a good thing. After many trials and tribulations, trying to break through the barriers of prison security that refuses to share the prison education information, we got creative. Pondville Correctional Center is located in the town of Norfolk, Massachusetts. The facility houses 204 inmates total.The majority of the inmates are Level 3, which means that they are minimum-security inmates, while the others are Level 2, meaning that they are pre-release inmates. Our group decided to go to one of the work placements, which was at an auction house near the facility. About fifteen inmates were present at the auction house, and we had the opportunity to speak directly with all of them during the hour before the auction. This was an incredible and interesting experience, one that none of us had ever had before. It gave us much more insight into the prison system and the people inside of it.As mentioned on the Mass. gov website, â€Å"The primary mission of Pondville Correctional Center is to protect the public’s safety by incarcerating in mates and to provide inmates the opportunity for responsible reintegration and positive behavioral change† (Public Safety, 2011). We believe that in order to fully reintegrate someone into society, inmates need to be educated and also have vocational training so that they can be a meaningful and productive addition to society once they are out of prison. When looking at the programs offered at all of the prisons, the options seem pretty extensive.For example, Pondville requires all inmates to work unless they have a medical waiver and they also give prisoners vocational, educational, and self-help opportunities. The facility boasts that their education programs are â€Å"innovative†. They offer classes including Adult Basic Education, English as a Second language, GED tutoring, and a Life Skills Computer program that focuses on resume writing, job applications, job interviews, and personal finance. If we merely looked at the website, we would conclude that the opportuni ties for inmates are there, they just have to get involved.After speaking with the inmates, we realized that this was not the case at all. The inside perspective from the inmates, that other prisons had so desperately tried to keep from us, made it clear that, although they have some classes, it is almost impossible to get into the programs. The reality is that there is open door access to programs at prisons, but it goes by earliest release date and overall there are not nearly enough programs. One man said that there are only about eighteen men per class, but 400 people want to be in that class.Also, because it is by earliest release date, many people will be in prison for years until they get the chance to be in the program. How we can we, as a society, expect someone to become completely educated if we only let them into the programs 6 months before they are released? We, as a society, are appalled that people are let out of prison and then go back to their old habits, but this is because they do not know how else to act. They fall back into their own uneducated ways and wind back in prison, but if we do not give them an education, what else should we expect?Another issue with the education offered to prisoners is that most of the teachers do not have high expectations for the inmates. As one inmate stated, if we show up, we pass. We do not have to do anything if we do not want to, but if we merely show up, she will pass us. From experience, our group agreed that it is extremely hard to try hard and have a strong work ethic when your teacher expects nothing from you. A lot of the teachers at the prisons, as Brian Hogan, principal at Souza Baranowski told us, have been laid off and, therefore, are relocating to prisons.This means that they are real and qualified teachers, but then why are they not expecting the same from the inmates as they did from their previous students? The teachers need to take responsibility for the success of the inmates. They need t o have expectations for the prisoners and only pass them if they deserve to pass. Having education classes is a start, but they need to have education classes in which the prisoners actually learn things, and that is not going to happen if they are passed just for showing up.Denying prisoners feeds into a theory that we discussed this semester while reading The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison. (Reiman, & Leighton, 2010). The Pyrrhic defeat theory states â€Å"the American criminal justice system – the entire process from law-making to law-enforcing – has failed to eliminate the rates of crime that characterize our society and threaten our citizens† (Reiman, & Leighton, 2010). We discussed this theory as a group and concluded that the criminal justice system fails to liminate the rates of crime because we are sending inmates back into society the same way (or even worse) than they were when they entered the system. Instead of using the years that they are in the system to educate them and teach them better ways, we are letting them sit around watching Jerry Springer, joining gangs, or fighting each other. By denying prisoners a proper education and then just expecting them to change and not come back to prison is absurd. The ignorance of people believing that prisoners are not entitled to an education will just continue to perpetuate the crime cycle.For example, if an offender has served his time and has to face the world again with a lack of academic knowledge on top of an already perceived low morale as they will be judged for being in prison in the first place, it will be a lot easier for them to stray again and end up back in the system. However, with the prospect of being educated and having added knowledge, this will hopefully encourage and give inmates the confidence and ability to make something of their lives and also be provided with the idea that they can do other things in life than turn to crime.We need to be smart on c rime. We need to educate people so that they have the ability to change once they are released. Once a prisoner gets his GED, so many more doors open up for them and more opportunities arise. Because they already have a strike against them for being in prison, inmates need credentials to get their foot into the door, and an education will help them with this. While visiting the auction house, we talked directly with a man named Tom Lyons. Tom has spent the last twenty years in prison for killing a man. When he entered the system, he was illiterate.After spending some time with Tom, we learned that a mixture of religion and education changed his life. His release date was coming up on April 15th, and he could now read and write due to the education that he received in prison. He studied poetry while in the system and his favorite author is Emily Dickinson. Tom says that having an education made him realize that he wanted to help others, and he wants to go around speaking to groups ab out his experiences, etc. He also said that without an education, he never would have been able to have the confidence to want to make something of his life once he gets out.While Tom was lucky enough to get an education, he also has missed out on a lot. Over the past twenty years, so much has changed in our society. Cell phones, Internet, and other technological advances have transformed us. However, Tom has never experienced most of these things. He was getting out in 15 days and they were just teaching him how to use a computer. He said that there were always programs that were interesting to him, but he could not get into them until he was really close to getting out.As Tom said, â€Å"if you’re preparing someone to change their entire life, you need to start right as we get in. Not one year before we are getting out. I was lucky and got into an education program earlier, but millions of people are not. † Tom may have learned to read and write, but he is still so f ar behind in terms of understanding technology, something crucial to succeeding in today’s world. From speaking with Tom, we realized that there is so much that needs to be addressed within the education department within prisons.After speaking with Tom and the other prisoners, we realized that there is an open door access to programs, but this does not mean much because a lot of people cannot get into the programs because eligibility goes by earliest release date. The prisoners gave us some of their main wishes for the education system. These included for people to have higher expectations for them, for there to be more programs and more GED programs, and to have teachers who truly care about their success instead of just showing up to get a pay check.These wishes are all things that we think many would agree with. They are not asking for things that are absurd. They are just asking to be given the chance to get an education, and if we, as a society, want them to stop ending up back in prison, that is exactly what we need to give them; a good education and skills to use outside of prison. Although there are solid arguments why it is unfair for prisoners to be getting these perks while being in prison, one must remember the structural deficits that currently exist in our society.In an ideal world, education in the prison systems would not be a necessity or a topic of discussion. Within an idealistic system, there would be adequate educational programs that created motivation and encouragement in all youth to work hard and stay on the right path. This correct path would lead students to the ample jobs awaiting them. There would be no need to resort to criminal activity in order to support oneself or one’s family. Anyone who did stray from these available opportunities would have no excuse for their irresponsible behaviors, leaving prison as their option of punishment.However, and this is a big however, because the current structural system is not giving everyone equal opportunities to climb the rungs of the social ladder. Understandable then, many individuals feel trapped into a life of crime and violence as a means to escape the grueling effects of an unfair system. This is not an excuse, nor is it justification for the crimes that many people are arrested and imprisoned for. Regardless of the unfair system, acts of violence and criminality should neither be supported nor accepted. Because society does not mirror the ideal that many wish for, there will inevitable be acts that are deemed unlawful.With an unequal system and over two million inmates the question arises, whether as a nation our desire is to rehabilitate these prisoners or just punish them and house them in prison cells for the rest of their lives. There are many sides to every story, and in this case there are those who support educational programs within prisons and there are those who are opposed to it. Some argue against education for those on death row, wh ile others say that no one in prison should be given the opportunity of an education. Knowledge is power, but why should prisoners be given this power?The money that is being spent on prisons should be going to the education of people who are not criminals. Others argue that there is so much money being spent on housing and feeding prisoners already. Why do these prisoners deserve an education when so many children are suffering through poorly funded public school systems? The most popular reason is that people believe their tax dollars are being spent on educating prisoners while many Americans struggle to send their children to college or even good high schools. Also, educating prisoners is seen as a distant reward that benefits them individually rather than benefitting societyUnfortunately America’s individualistic nature creates a shortcoming for their nation. They do not see the benefits of educating prisoners. An educated nation is a better nation. The stance that will be taken is to rehabilitate prisoners and allow them to become working members of society upon their release. Under this perspective, the education system within a prison would not only be necessary but would serve as a vital program to helping prisoners have the slightest chance at emerging into society as skillful and productive members.If inmates receive an education before they are released from prison, if they have help through this system to gain a job and work to support themselves, one can only hope that it would reduce the level of crime and reduce the number of prisoners re-entering prisons. This hope is the reality. Although Studies have clearly shown that â€Å"participants in prison education, vocation and work programs have recidivism rates 20-60 percent lower than those of non-participants† (Granoff, J 2009) many Americans still disagree with the education of prisoners.Despite these negative arguments against educating prisoners, there exist an abundant number of advantages to these programs. After discussing with the Principal and director of the prisons and discussing with the inmates themselves, it is clear that the education system is under a lot of scrutiny by the public. The principle of the Souza-Baranowski maximum-security prison said, â€Å"People don’t understand it. People are struggling to send their kids to college. People are abiding by the laws and doing the right things don’t see the benefit of educating those who have broken law†.Without information on programs and how they work to benefit society, the general population will remain oblivious to the constructive aspects of these programs. The media affects the way we view society and the programs within it. Media programs stress certain points that highlight what people want to hear, what lobbyists want said and what society deems important at the time. In order for people to realize the extent of the positive impacts of the programs available, we nee d to hear more success stories like that of Joan.Joan said, â€Å"I did not realize at the time that I had taken the first step on a journey of lifelong learning. Nor that the process would allow me to accumulate â€Å"human capital† (qualifications skills and abilities), â€Å"identity capital† (self-worth) and â€Å"social capital† (a supportive network of friends and colleagues). † (Erwin, J) She is just one example of the many positively impacted individuals who were transformed from caterpillars to butterflies with a little encouragement and motivation.As said before, we believe that many of the existing programs in the prison systems aim at positively influencing the prisoners. We understand the complexity of the issues at hand and the controversy that surrounds this discussion. Although these troubles exist, we came up with what our model program would consist of, and the recommendations that we have concerning the programs that are currently being utilized. Our model program is based on a rehabilitative method. We would want to prisoners to accumulate â€Å"human capital† â€Å"identity capital† and â€Å"social capital† as Joan described.The programs would be mandatory to ensure that all prisoners were getting involved. There would also be incentives to take part in the programs. Of course the prisoners should want to take advantage of these programs without being pushed to do so, however, we recognize that getting the ball rolling will show these prisoners what they are capable of. For many inmates, no one has ever pushed them to capitalize on their true potentials, which leaves them yearning for self-fulfillment in all the wrong arenas.Our hope is that once they see their capabilities, this will push them to continue to work hard and motivate them to move past their criminal behaviors once they are released from prison. It is very important for there to be vocational classes that give the inmates spec ific skills and talents that will ensure them some job opportunities when they are released from prison. On a higher level, GED classes and college programs need to become common in all prisons instead of being the exception to only a few.We also believe that the number of programs being offered needs to be drastically increased. As the inmate said, there are 400 hundred people who want to be in certain programs but only 18 can be. This disparity is disheartening, as the desire to change exists; however the opportunity to do it is lacking. As prison populations grow into the millions, society must decide how â€Å"tough on crime† they are going to continue to be. The individual states have the power to decide the individual educational systems within their prisons.Education, as a result of negativity towards all prisons, has not only become less of a priority but is seen as prisoners being given a free ride. The problem however, is that the current system that offers harsh pu nishment and little rehabilitation is not working. Harsh punishment does not however mean deliberate cruelty. Prisons should not be a place that purposely creates horrible conditions for inmates. Just having your freedom taken away from you is probably one of the worst things that can happen to an individual. Certainly, no one has the right to injure another person or to take his or er life however, if society does not work at rehabilitating these individuals, then the length of sentences and punitive measures will not only need to be increased but turned up by many notches. The cutting of education budgets within prisons increases the likelihood that upon release these prisoners will only return to prison. People in the general population are already reluctant to hire someone with a criminal record so adding a lack of education will make it virtually impossible for released prisoners to do anything but go back to their old lifestyles of crime.This will only create a never-ending cy cle that will inevitably become hurtful to society as a whole. Of course the ideal education system outside of prison is what we dream of, but until then we support the efforts to protect society by educating those who once harmed it.Work CitedErwin, James. â€Å"In Prison, Education Is Your Best Route to a Better Life | Erwin James | Society | Guardian. co. uk. † Latest News, Comment and Reviews from the Guardian | Guardian. co. uk. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .Granoff, Gillian. â€Å"Education Update – Prison College Programs Unlock the Keys to Human Potential. † EDUCATION UPDATE – APRIL 2011 – Education News. 2009. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. . Public safety and security, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. (2011). Pondville correctional facility Government Printing Office.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Automatic Stabilizers

The result is higher government spending and lower tax collections and the increased likelihood that the government will run a budget deficit. Similarly, when the economy grows rapidly, tax collections increase and government expenditures on transfer payments decrease, and the likelihood of the federal government running a surplus is greater. Now suppose an economy had a balanced federal budget neither deficit nor surplus. An external shock (such as a dramatic increase in oil prices or drought) then plunged the economy into a recession. Tax revenues fall and expenditures on transfer payments increase, resulting in a budget deficit. Believe it or not, the deficit actually serves a valuable role in stabilizing the economy. It works through three channels: †¢Increased transfer payments such as unemployment insurance, food stamps, and other welfare payments increase the income of some households, partly offsetting the fall in household income. †¢Other households whose incomes are falling pay less in taxes, which partly offsets the decline in their household income. Because incomes do not fall as much as they would have in the absence of the deficit, consumption spending does not decline as much. †¢Because the corporation tax depends upon corporate profits and profits fall in a recession, taxes on businesses also fall. Lower corporate taxes prevent businesses from cutting spending as much as they would otherwise during a recession. The government deficit itself, in effect, offsets part of the adverse effect of the recession and thus helps stabilize the economy. Similarly, during an economic boom, transfer payments fall and tax revenues increase. This dampens the increase in household income and also the increase in consumption and investment spending that would accompany higher household income and higher corporate profits. Stabilization policy is an action taken to move the economy closer to full employment or potential output. Transfer payments that stabilize GDP without requiring explicit actions by policymakers are called automatic stabilizers. The great virtue of automatic stabilizers is that they do not require explicit action from the president and Congress to change the law. Given the long inside lags caused by ideological battles in Washington, D. C. , over spending, taxes, and the deficit, it is fortunate that we have mechanisms in place to dampen economic fluctuations without requiring explicit and deliberative action. Reference link: http://classof1. com/homework-help/economics-homework-help

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Species at the Small Nature Trail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Species at the Small Nature Trail - Essay Example The Small Nature Trail is not named so because of its size, but rather it is named after Lawrence Small, who owned the land before it was acquired by the school. The trail loops through woods and wetlands and offers many opportunities to observe diverse plant and animal interactions in their natural surroundings. The Harvard Trails Guide released by the Harvard Conservation Trust (n.d.) mentions that, â€Å"the black birch which, when scratched, smells like root beer; spice bush, which also emits a ‘spicy’ odor; sassafras, with its three different leaf shapes; and the shagbark hickory, with its distinctive or exfoliating bark.† I was able to identify and examine these trees myself during the hour and a half long trail walk. There were also boardwalks and bridges that cover the wet areas of the trail. A little while into my trail walk, I began to examine the ground where I was walking more closely. Soon, I noticed red ants moving rather quickly in their line. They were carrying a dead beetle to their nest. As I looked closely, I noticed that the larger worker ants were carrying the beetle while the smaller worker ants assisted the larger ones and went up and down the line formation, trying to get the dead beetle to their nest. ... Once the beetle was taken into the hole, the activity above the ground reduced as most of the ants accompanied their food into hole. After watching their activity for a while, I went back to the trail to continue my exploration. As I walked along the trail, I noticed bracket fungi growing on several trees like the poplar and maple trees. They were easy to identify as they had the characteristic semi-circular shape, which looks like shelving growing out of the trees. In fact, throughout my trail walk, I found several bracket fungi growing on trees and tree stumps. When I touched them, they felt soft and squishy. Bracket fungi are known to derive their nourishment from their host – the trees. I plucked out a piece of the fungi from a tree trunk and found some small root-like structures extending into the tree. Therefore, I believe that the bracket fungi that I saw were parasitic. The walk on the boardwalk was a wonderful experience as there was thick foliage on both sides and on e cannot see too far since the path twists and turns through the foliage. As I got off the board walk, I saw several different kinds of plants which had flowers of different colors. That is when I noticed some butterflies fluttering around these flowers. As I took some time to observe this insect-plant interaction, I realized that the butterflies was not only drinking the nectar from the flowers, but were also helping the plants in pollination - something that I had studied in my school, but never really taken the time to notice in nature. I spent a considerable amount of time observing these butterflies. After spending some time with the butterflies, I resumed my walk. As I approached the wet area of the trail, I noticed some turtles basking in the sun. I

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Management of people and organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Management of people and organizations - Essay Example This report consists of an organizational structure of the Walgreen Company. The company follows rigid departmentalization, which is a centralized set-up. The departments are not expected or needed to interact with each other on a daily basis. There are times when inter department communication is necessary but they are not expected to work in collaboration for the fulfillment of their routine tasks. It consists of levels of functional setup with centralized reporting and authoritative work processes. The original structure consists of three levels of management; the CEO on the first level, CFO and Departmental heads on the second level, supervisors and managers in the third level. There is a recommendation given to re-structure the set-up. Instead of three levels, Area Managers can be located at level two who will be responsible to give directives to the departmental heads. As Walgreens is providing services at national and international platforms, it is necessary to locate Area Man ager. During this process, some authority and decision-making powers of CEO can be transferred to the Area Managers. It is bureaucratic organization with very less communication between the departmental heads. However, there can be some delegation of work within the department. Supervisors can take the role of the Line Managers in the organization. However, there is a need to define their responsibility. Managers and Departmental Heads can play an effective role in filling communication gap and provide solutions within the department.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Descriptive questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Descriptive questions - Assignment Example Business Operations: Worldwide business operations are handled with the help of technology. IT has played a big role in managing backhand support; the LAN, WAN systems, and connectivity through websites is supported by IT teams in organizations. Management Information Systems (MIS), a system that is used by companies in order to manage their operations, deal with customers and store data is due to advancements in technology. The latest trends include storing the data on virtual cloud, and being able to retrieve and present with the help of DropBox, Skydrive etc., is a great development into IT industry (Slatman, 2013). Food Processes: In food industry, where technology has changed many ways of business operations, both input and output side. For input side, order procurement is an area where with the use of JIT (Just in Time) inventory systems, the storage costs are minimized. Moreover, with the use of bar codes, effective inventory management gives a change to businesses to analyse which items are slow movers and what are fast movers and how effective marketing must be used to create pull factors for such items. At processing stage, machines are being used to monitor the temperature, humidity and other factors. Use of automated machines is increased in order to increase efficiency and decrease the service time. McDonalds, a well-known food chain used a prototype of robots to handle the processes of fries and shakes (Pantelidis, 2009). Sociocultural Forces in IT: Information technology has largely impacted on sociocultural factors. With the use of internet and latest technologies, people share a set of different values: Cultural and Ethnic Identity: with regards to Information Technology, the previous cultural identity of people, that is they are recognized and affiliated with a particular cultural norms and values, seems to vanish. With increasingly virtual world, people seem to own and present their own individual identities. The trend is widespread in West, though the East is in process of adopting it and the pace is quick. With increasing number of internet users, mostly due to the growth in Asia and Middle East, the cultural identity is taking new shape. A mix of cultural and personal identities, the ethnic aspect is equally affected due to change in technology. It is evident in real world the size and pace of immigration taking place. However due to technology, in virtual world, the ethnic identity is obscured by factors such as individualism, personality, self-concept and the like. Question 2 (a) Direct Marketing, one of the oldest form of marketing has been used in different ways. Direct mail, email, promotional material in shape of broachers, leaflets, billboards as well as advertisement on TV are few forms where consumers are tried to inform, persuade and remind about the presence of a product or a service. Many a times it is surprising to see how purely website businesses use TV as a promotional media as opposed to online media (where the consumers are just a click away from website businesses). The presence of such strategy is an example that consumers are complex, hard to comprehend and many a times irrational. Therefore they must not be treated by simple forms of selling, rather with a well-thought strategy with

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Disassembling and Reassembling of Proteins Essay

Disassembling and Reassembling of Proteins - Essay Example As the paper highlights after leaving the stomach, food goes through the oesophagus into the stomach where the onset of protein digestion occurs. The hydrochloric acid is released in preparation for digestion, and plays a critical role in activating pepsinogen into pepsin, the enzyme that catalyses the breakdown of proteins. The HCl intrinsic factor also aids in the conversion of proteins into metaproteins, making the catalysis of the breakdown easier since peptidases break down metaproteins easily. Interaction of proteins with hydrochloric acid triggers denaturation, making digestion easier. The acidic environment serves as a favorable environment for the activity of the activated pepsin. Pepsin takes an active role in breaking down proteins into peptides.This paper stresses that digestion of protein continues in the small intestines because pepsin activity of breaking down proteins is partial. The resulting peptides need further digestion in their constitute amino acids that can be absorbed by the small intestines DNA. In the case of infants, the enzyme rennin is present in the stomach, and its major responsibility is acting on casein, converting it to a soluble protein molecule named paracasein. In the reaction that follows, calcium ions encounter paracasein, and calcium paracaseinate forms. Pepsin then acts on paracaseinate, digestive it into simpler molecules.  In the small intestines, pancreaticpeptidases such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase, and carboxypeptidase indulge in further digestion of the peptides.

Impact of introduction of business intelligence tools in organization Research Paper

Impact of introduction of business intelligence tools in organization - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that ever changing newer technologies have transformed businesses all over the world and these technologies are actually determining the future viability of a said business in today’s competitive environment. An organization today is more or less global in some way or the other, therefore, the competition is not constrained to geographical boundaries. The effect of this threat is evident and companies are being more proactive in investing in software suites that would provide them with the competitive edge over their rivals. Economies in many ways are becoming more and more technology dependent these days and this means that the organizations performing business in these economies too should equip themselves with technology and use it to outperform their competitors. Many theorists have argued over the recent times that organizations should employ technology to make them more agile and flexible. To serve this purpose, many renowned business managers came up with the idea of using statistical measures to best translate the data they have. Data is only an asset if it can be transformed into some useful information by the means of which decision making could be made easier and business managers can forecast their production plans and marketing strategies. Companies therefore are moving away from conventional approaches to a paradigm where information management is a very important determinant. The researcher therefore aims to examine the information landscape of an organization before the implementation of a business intelligence tool and the after effects of the implementation. He will also look into the different technologies available and how each technology varies with the organization type and organization size. Moreover, he will also take into consideration the success stories of many different organizations that are reaping huge rewards with a successful Business Intelligence tool implementation! The researcher will look to fin d and interview concerned business managers such as Sales managers, Brands managers, Credit managers, Compliance managers and Technical managers. This array of managers don’t only show the diversity of application of Business Intelligence technology but also show the various set of departments can benefit from one Business Intelligence implementation in an organizations. 2. Objectives The objectives of this research are very well defined and cater to a very specific niche of applications. They are as follows: To examine what effect on organization’s performance can a specific Business Intelligence application bring To examine how organization can define certain Key Performance Indicators and use them to gain business edge How reporting and dashboards can simplify a manager’s job To assess the value of historic data and how can it be used to work like a decision support system To study if Business Intelligence applications are compatible with other information pr oviding software available in the organization? To differentiate between different Business Intelligence Technologies available and recommend the ideal match for a specific organization To calculate a typical ROI on Business Intelligence Suite Implementation To study how to streamline the general architecture of a BI implementation with the organization’s IT architecture 3. Background Organizations over the years have tried their best to forecast or predict things. In the recent past these studies were based on study of current happenings and events. Since the introduction of computers at the workplace, these studies became much more

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Managerial Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managerial Accounting - Assignment Example In an article by Shanker, she recognizes the importance of accounting information in providing managers with solid information that they could base their decision making (Par 1). The author further points out that accounting information eliminate the need for business executives to use personal perception and gut to make decisions (Shanker par 1). In addition, the article recognizes that accounting is used in understanding the appropriateness of strategies used to attain short term goals. Shanker points out that short term financial goals such as an increase in sales, amount of debt, number of creditors and level of loss can be accurately determined by providing accounting information (par 1). The article is of the assumption that to acquire accurate and effective accounting information; a business entity should be formulated in three steps. Firstly, the cash numbers should be acquired. Shanker points out that cash is the most significant asset in an organization (par 2). For this reason, executives should analyze how cash-wise an organization is, and use the information to plan for short and long-term financial expenditure. For instance, if a business has cash balance of $50,000 and requires purchasing assets worth $120,000, the manager should come up with alternatives that would raise the money without using the cash balance of the business. To understand the current financial data in organizations, most executives use ratios to analyze the financial position of their businesses (Shanker par 2). For instance, the current ratio is used to determine the ability of a company to pay its short-term debt. It is determined by comparing its current assets and liabilities. The second step is to mind the budget. This can be determined by analyzing the value of income and expenditure at a specific time. This ensures that the business runs of a specific budget. Shanker is of the assumption that; if a

Friday, August 23, 2019

What has shaped and influenced the way I lead and manage Essay

What has shaped and influenced the way I lead and manage - Essay Example The change in family structure provided me with the most influential aspects from both my father and mother’s sides. On my father’s side, I was his only child and for the first 18 years of my life, we were very close to one another. I was the centre of his universe and being the only child, he had big plans for my future. I really admire him not only because of his brilliance in business, but also on his strong character. As I grew up, I could not help but marvel at his business acuity and creativity that made him successful in every undertaking he ventured in. He is a very resolute, bold, and passionate man in whatever he believes in and nothing can stop him from achieving his goals. His admirable character and close interaction with him formed the basis of my personality. The great importance he attached to our friendship made me feel secure and appreciated. As a result, I developed a strong sense of self-belief and confidence that characterize my professional life to date. In addition, his determination to succeed against all odds formed the foundation of my strong self-motivation, unwav ering focus, tenacity and courage to succeed in whatever I decide to do. My mother‘s side was equally influential in development of my leadership and management qualities. In contrast with my father’s side where I was his only child, my mother had three other children and living in such a large family exposed me on how to interact with people. My mother was open to us and she always emphasized on the importance of a united family. Wherever we had issues with one another, she encouraged us to speak out in order to solve the conflict amicably. I really admired this democratic leadership style especially when we used to hold family meetings to voice our concerns. In those family meetings, each one of us was given an

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Christopher Columbus Case Essay Example for Free

Christopher Columbus Case Essay Christopher Columbus is one of the most well-known explorers in history. Christopher Columbus had many voyages that he had done throughout the years. There was several letters that he had written, one regarding his first voyage was to Luis de Santangel that explained what he had found, and the way he felt during his voyage. Another was his fourth voyage to Ferdinand and Isabella, in which he shows sorrow and regret for his discoveries. In the letters that Christopher Columbus had written his tones were very distinct and different. It is hard to think that it is even the same person wrote the two letters. Columbus made a complete change from arrogant to humble in his attitude. The letter that Christopher Columbus had written to Luis de Santangel was regarding his first voyage and his tone in this letter can be described as very eager, passionate, and anxious for his upcoming voyages. When reading the first letter you can tell that he is excited just by the way he describes the way the island looks. He goes in great length about the marvels of the new lands he encounters. He explains them as he is a child experiencing something new for the first time. All are most beautiful, of a thousand shapes, and all are accessible and filled with trees of a thousand kinds and tall, and they seem to touch the sky and Espanola is a marvel. Christopher Columbus radiates his excitement through his letter to Luis de Santangel. Christopher Columbus almost feels as he truly has the whole world at his finger tips, and awaits more. In His letter Regarding the Fourth Voyage that was to Ferdinand and Isabella you see a much different demeanor about him. Very pessimistic and down attitude surrounds his writing. He speaks of weeping when he thinks about the lands that he has found, due to the fact that they are pretty much barren. He goes on by saying people are dying them daily because of the audacity that people have there, imprisoning people, and taking their lands. He goes on deeper by explaining how he has grown old and grey. Not a hair on his body that isnt gray. He states how everyone is trying to explore and plunder without any knowledge of exploration or any heart for the matter, just trying to get a piece of the action. I think he feels somewhat betrayed, and asks mutual punishment for Alonso de Ojeda, who is the man that took almost everything he had. â€Å"The same punishment is due to him who robbed me of the pearls, and to him who infringed my rights as admiral†. Christopher Columbus is one of the most well-known explorers of all time. Columbus life was a voyage in itself. While he rose to fame as an outstanding explorer, he also had terrible lows in his life. During his voyages, Columbus wrote letters documenting his experience. His tone and diction in Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage is upbeat and hopeful, while his tone in the Letter to Ferdinand and Isabella Regarding the Fourth Voyage is full of sadness. His series of four voyages between 1492 and 1504 produced a brief moment of wonder following by a longs series of disasters and disappointments, which reflect his attitudes at these different times in his life.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Human development Essay Example for Free

Human development Essay Human development entails all means to widen man’s preferences so he could sustain a healthy lifestyle, enjoy human rights, experience the normal way of living, and discover ways to become useful for the service of others and for his own esteem. Similarly, he can enjoy living a contented life enjoying the privilege of having political, cultural, communal, and economical liberties. Human development has its own justification. If at some point one’s development is questioned or criticized or discriminated against, so long as one does not interfere with other people’s lives nor deprive them of their own happiness, one owes nobody an explanation for what he does, for who he is and how he has become. In order to pull off this human development, he may seek some channels to build up his entire being. Socialization can be one of those channels wherein such channel will give them a sense of being in the right place and eventually develop and become the right person they wanted to be. Socialization can never be done it is composed of only one person. You have to meet people who may share the same the interests, cultures, norms, ideals, talents, or other similar stuff that you can relate to. To develop fully as individual, one must discover his or her potentials and share them to others. Of course, socializing entails hardships in managing time and adjusting to a group of people. But then, if you love the group you are in or are interested of improving yourself, all these problems could not possibly overshadow your development as a human being. Man’s socialization skills therefore are essential in his development as a person. If he uses his socialization skills to the fullest, he may become unaware of the extent that his socialization skills would take him if developed. If he learns to discover and harness such, he will undoubtedly provide himself with a huge room to completely grow as a human being.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Sikh Culture and Community in New Zealand

Sikh Culture and Community in New Zealand Davinder Kumar  Ã‚   The title of my analytical report is Sikhism. It related with the whole Punjabis people which lives in the New Zealand. Sikhism community provides some basic needs of Punjabi community like social help, health related help and employment services. The main purpose of my analytical report is making our community better and make some changes in our community, create new plans which is more helpful to our Sikhism community. With the help of this report we try to find out some problems which related to health, economic, social and culture, education of Punjabis. Also, find the good solutions for solve these types of problems. Because its all about the good development of our Punjabi community. I take some youngsters, old Punjabi people, children, other culture peoples whose interested within the Punjabi culture as an audience. After taking the audience our Sikhism community shared with the visions and values with them and told them about our communitys policies, government policies with all rules and regulation and asked the audience give us to your feedback about our Sikhism community. The scope of our analytical report is providing all kind help to all people whos interested in Punjabis culture. Our main scopes are providing Punjabi languages classes for interested people, solving jobs problems for international students and solved the economic and social problems. Sikhism planning some goals to achieve with this report: Give knowledge to Punjabis about Sikh culture. Making good relationship between New Zealand government and Punjabis with giving information about how to live in New Zealand, Follow the all rules and regulations etc. Leading the importance of Punjabi education and providing the best skills to our Punjabi people. The Punjabi people will be able to benefit support services such as fitness programs, music classes and health clinic. We want to involve youth membership for knowing about how to get in touch with our Punjabi community and how we provide social and economic services to find their purpose in life. Information to collect Methods intended to use Approval Via email and phone Information related to organisation Websites Skills Internet Structure Internet Public opinion Members According to my collected information and the method intended to use for collecting the information. The all information related with my organization. I have search a lot how we can provide better services to people and impact of the influences on the internet and external influence. I am also getting information about the Punjabis social, economic, health and culture. This information is collected from the Sikhisms website and some information get from another internet websites. Sikhism makes a plan with the help of the analytical report for solving the big problems which related with Punjabis education, culture, economic, social and health factors. Sikhism community wants to leading and following the all rules and regulation which made by New Zealand government, it will help to manage the good relationship between government and Punjabis. we are also wants to provide a good education to our Punjabi people, as well as opportunities, after getting the better education they will know about the Punjabis history and after getting the opportunities the Punjabis will be able to get health facilities, also social and economic facilities. The first Sikhism community developed in year 1964 in New Zealand, in Hamilton. Then the second community developed in Otahuhu in 1986. This report shows about some problems facing by the Punjabi peoples related with the social, economic, health, study, occupation and culturally and some demonstrates how some Punjabi business can be placed through our services. needs of Punjabi community. Nowadays, our company is also considered as a role model for other companies. Our company also provide shelter to the homeless people. Our main aim is to fulfill the basic needs of Punjabi community. Because from recent years we have seen many skills and interest. To explore their skills our company is doing many efforts we are providing many facilities to them for example education like Sikhism community is providing the Punjabi languages classes to those people who interested to learn Punjabi language. On the other hand, Sikhism community provide jobs for Punjabi people who live in the New Zealand . The Sikhism community available in the all Sikh temples which is in the New Zealand. So, every person can have connected with the Sikhism community easily. Sikhism community is one of the best community for Punjabi people. Our community serve the people by providing them free food and shelter. Our company also arrange many camps and welfare programs to solve their problems our company not only solve the problem of Sikh people we also welcome every people from any religion. Our company provide all information to people related to health, culture, social and economic. We also conduct many surveys to know the roots of problem which they are facing. Our staff also help the people to get job they train them. Everyone can ask freely their problems to the Sikhism communitys people and they will help to solve the problem. Sikhism provides the free food for all people at the Sikh temples and at any time people can go to Sikh temples and eat food. There are many people in New Zealand who cannot buy food for them self so they can go to Sikh temples for eating food. There are many community partners who help for running the community services with money and other useful things. Sikhism community collaboration with many community partners, shares a vision, history, roots of Punjabi culture and interaction of values and protocols in Punjabi culture. We have many Punjabis family who work in our community and there are many other people like kiwis, Fiji Indians and from another religion. In this report, we find some issues and problems of Punjabi people regarding with the health, economic, culture and jobs. We also find those people who interested for learning the Punjabi language. In this modern era, New Zealand is developing fast day by day with the technology and other different methods. So, there are many changes occurring in the life style of Punjabis according to their regular basics needs related to the Punjabi culture, health, social and economic issues and education also. As we find some other problems like some Punjabi people are very poor they cannot manage their children school fees with their salary. So, we provide a free education for those children. Some Punjabi people are week from their economically condition, while some have a not job for earning money for buy their daily basics needs. They were struggling due to the school fees are very expensive and their income is very low. So, how they can afford the medical and educational cots including cost of the daily food and travelling. We also find out there are not whole Punjabi people stuck in these type of problems, but there are many homeless Punjabis in the Auckland. So, Sikhism community provide the residence for those homeless people in the Sikh temple and food as well. Our community arrange meetings every week for discuss about how to helps the poor and homeless people. Sikhism community also provide jobs for jobless people in this way those people can afford school fees for their children, money for buy daily basics. Punjabi people can get some social helps from our company to make their economically strong. We planning for making the new site for people where they can me et Sikhism community members and they share their every problem with the members and experience. Also, making some health center for those people. There is some external factor which effects form outside the organization and our Sikhism community work according with these external factors- Rules and regulation Our community members work according to the company rules and regulation and also follow the rule and regulation which is set by the New Zealand government. We didnt share with anyone the peoples personal information and problems. Public opinion- firstly, we taking public opinion then we discuss about those ideas and at the end we will take set regarding their problems. Technology- we have a good and updated technology which help to keeps the all records about the people and we also provide new technology to those children which are learning in Sikhism community. Sikhism community work according some internal factors- Employees Strength: The employees are very important part for every company. If employee are goods in one company so the company running good and better otherwise if the members are bad so those company cant growth properly. Financial System: Financial system is also important in every community if any community have good financial supporter they will give good services to the people. And Sikhism community have a many Punjabi financial supporters which gives the money for running the community. At the end, In my opinion say Punjabis have many problems related to the social, economic, homeless and education. Sikhism community provide good services for these people it is good. They provide lots of the services like education, health clinic, homes, foods and jobs also. The good thing is every people can go to the Sikh temple and get these facilities. I want to suggest some things like Sikhism community should make more good relationship with the New Zealand government to getting the economic help for running the community and in this way the government can understand the all Punjabi peoples problems. They should more better services and training to their staff members for solving the other people problems easily and in better way. They should share the all reports with their staff members and with those people who give financial support to the community in the meeting because in this way the community system running better. Sikhism community should also keep ready to solve every problem and get up to date with new technology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism_in_New_Zealand www.google.com/sikhism www.sikhism.co.nz

Monday, August 19, 2019

Avalon: Isle of Mystery Essays -- Island Avalon Essays

Avalon: Isle of Mystery The island of Avalon has been shrouded in mystery throughout the history of the Arthurian legend. Named Ynyswytryn, meaning "the glassy isle", it was famous as the Celtic paradise "The Happy Island of the Blest" (Webb 11). In the earliest religion it was believed that the souls of the dead were borne westward to "†¦an Island in the Western Sea, to the abode of Glast and Avallac†¦.Thus in later times was Arthur to be borne to the 'Island Valley of Avillion' " (Webb 11). The island supposedly held a mystic cauldron of Regeneration into which dead are dipped to spring out into a new life (Webb 12). In the Life of Gildas written by Caradoc of Llancarvan, Arthur comes to Glastonbury, and the writer tells us that the "City of Glass" derives its name from the British Yniswitrin, yet gives no hint that it was identical with Avalon (Robinson 7). "The Spoils of Annwn" also mentions the island, saying that after the battle of Camlan, Taliesin brings the wounded Arthur to Insula Pomorum, which is an attempt to translate the Welsh Ynys Avallach, and leaves Arthur there under the care of Morgen (Loomis, Roger Wales 154). Morgen was the chief of nine maidens on the island and was skilled in the arts of healing; the 4th line, 2nd stanza says that "By the breath of nine maidens it [the cauldron] was kindled" (Loomis, Roger Wales 154). A 12th century Welsh tradition derived the name of the island of Avalon from Avallach, the father of Morgain; from this, the Arthur legend acquired the name as well as the ministrations of Morgain le Fà ©e (Loomis, Roger Wales 72). William of Malmesbury, writing around 1125, also attributes the name to "a certain Avalloc, who is said to have lived there with his daughters because of the s... ...6. Loomis, Richard M. "Arthur in Geoffrey of Monmouth." The Romance of Arthur. Ed. James J. Wilhelm. New York: Garland, 1994. Loomis, Roger Sherman. Celtic Myth and Arthurian Romance. New York: Columbia UP, 1926. Wales and the Arthurian Legend. Cardiff: U of Wales P, 1956. Parry, Joseph D. "Following Malory out of Arthur's World." Modern Philology. 95.2 (1997): 147. Reid, Margaret J. C. The Arthurian Legend: Comparison of Treatment in Modern and Midiaeval Literature. London: Oliver and Boyd, 1938. Robinson, J. Armitage. Two Glastonbury Legends: King Arthur & St. Joseph of Arimathea. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1926. Webb, Albert E. Glastonbury: Ynyswytryn; Isle of Avalon. Glastonbury: Avalon,1929. Wilhelm, James J. "Arthur in the Latin Chronicles." The Romance of Arthur. Ed. James J. Wilhelm. New York: Garland, 1994.

Covers of the High and Low: Attractions and Reflections Essay -- Book

Covers of the High and Low: Attractions and Reflections When preparing a book for publishing, companies surely convene to agree upon a suitable cover - its design, size, color, texture, print size and design, and so on. Not one of these ingredients would be arbitrary, but each seems to perform two functions - attracting the appropriate reading audience, and reflecting the text's content in an intriguing manner. In short, the bestseller cover seems to work to create a certain "aura" which acts as a stylized extension, and/or abbreviated summary of the atmosphere produced by the words within. Often a picture appears centralized on the cover - an image to catch the eye more quickly than mere printed words would. At a moment's glance, the passer-by has already noticed an image, and then continues to process its meaning, aided by the ensuing title and perhaps author's name. Certain expectations and questions are inspired, as techniques of the cover take effect in the mind of the potential reader. The meaning derived from the cover's collaborat ing external signifiers is often fulfilled within the internal text. Because the cover is reflective of the novel's internal workings, and often its "high/low" cultural classification, the first reader/cover encounter could both determine a reader's initial acceptance or rejection of the book, and be somewhat prophetic of his/her subsequent reading experience. In this way, the bestseller cover is effective in reflecting the inner substance of the writing (including "high" or "low" cultural quality) in an intriguing manner which attracts appropriate readers. Danielle Steele's Vanished portrays a small picture - an almost outlined (rather iconic) suggestion really - of a young boy in what ... ...s traits of the "low cultural" bestseller converge together in the compact, physical realm of the cover to reflect the content's most "popular" strengths in a way that is provoking, and often enigmatic. The use of image and other signifiers of the cover is handled differently by "high cultural" bestsellers, as their literary self-perceptions are different. Hence, although both "high" and "low cultural" bestsellers use similar methods of content reflection, their covers are remarkably dissimilar, owing to 1.The difference in the publishers' perception of the book's strengths (such as "art", or "entertainment"), and 2.The target audience the publisher wishes to attract, based upon these perceptions. All bestsellers are popular, and their charismatic covers, when channeled to the appropriate audience, must be imperative in their achievement of such immense popularity.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Can At-Risk Children be Helped? Essay -- Crime, Juvenile

The 2010 Census showed that over 74 million children (or one-fourth of the total population) reside in the United States—with almost one-fourth being children under the age of 12 and one-fourth being youth ages 12-17 (Federal Interagency on Child and Family Statistics, 2011). Many of the decisions a young person makes can affect the rest of his or her life—and juvenile crime is just one of the bad decisions a young person can make. This essay covers the issue of juvenile crime, social work’s involvement, and my reflections on this issue. The Issue of Juvenile Crime According to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, in 2009 youth ages 12-17 committed more than 275,000 serious violent crimes (2011). Many factors are known to contribute to youth crime, including a lack of parental involvement their child’s life; maltreatment; failure to adhere to social norms; and untreated health/mental issues. The old â€Å"Boys will be boys† adage by a parent is not an acceptable excuse for juvenile misbehavior (Segal, Gerdes, and Steiner, 2010). Youth need positive role models in their lives. If a young person’s parents are not positive role models, the child may turn to a life of crime. Sometimes, however, maltreatment by a parent is a contributing factor to juvenile crime. Those suffering from maltreatment tend to internalize their feelings, causing them to exhibit symptoms of â€Å"anxiety, depression, or suicidal behavior† (Maschi, Morgen, Hatcher, Rosata, and Violette, 2009). Internalization of feelings can lead to the externalization of unacceptable behaviors. Maltreated youth can become aggressive and rebellious (Maschi, et al, 2009). Untreated health or mental issues can also contribute to juveniles’ involvement in cri... ...s.gov Gerdes, K.E. & Segal, E. (2011). Importance of empathy for social work practice: integrating new science. Social Work, 56(2), 141-148. Harris, A. (2009). The role of power in shaming interactions: how social control is performed in a juvenile court. Contemporary Justice Review, 12(4), 379-399. Doi: 10.10880/10282580903342854 Maschi, T., Morgen, K., Hatcher, S., Rosato, N., & Violette. (2009) Maltreated children’s thoughts and emotions as behavioral predictors: evidence for social work action. Social Work, 54(2), 135-143. Segal, E., Gerdes, K., & Steiner, S. (2010). An introduction to the profession of social work. Third Edition. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cenage Learning. Schwalbe, C., Hatcher, S., & Maschi, T. (2009). The effects of treatment needs and prior social services on juvenile court decision making. Social Work Research, 33(1), 31-40.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Developmental Psychology and Trust Versus Mistrust

| St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community CollegeAssociate Degree ProgrammeMID-SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS 2013| COURSE TITLE: Developmental PsychologyCOURSE CODE: PSY202SEMESTER: 2 (SAMPLE TEST)DATE: Wednesday 6st March 2013 TIME: 11:00 amDURATION: 2 hours INSTRUCTIONS: | | This paper consists of eight (8) pages and three (3) sections: Section A: Twenty (20) multiple choice questions worth a total of 20 marks. Section B: Ten (10) matching questions worth a total of 10 marks. Students should attempt ALL questions in this section. Write your answers on the writing paper provided.Section C: Nine (9) short answer questions worth a total of 30 marks. ALL QUESTIONS ARE COMPULSORY SECTION A: Multiple-choice questions Instructions for Section AAnswer ALL questions in this section. Record your choice on your answer sheet (eg 1. D ). | 1. The study of changes in behaviour from conception to death encompasses a. gerontology b. thanatology c. developmental psychology d. social psychology 2. A resear cher creates a situation on a school playground in which children are excluded one by one from a group game by the teacher so that their emotional reactions can be studied. What kind of research method is this? a. tructured observation b. case study c. experiment d. correlational study 3. Which research strategy simultaneously compares individuals of different ages? a. cross-sectional b. longitudinal c. experimental d. correlational 4. According to __________, all children pass through a series of distinct stages in their intellectual development. a. Piaget b. Bloom c. Watson d. Harlow 5. Which psychologist contended that â€Å"trust versus mistrust† is the first psychological stage? a. Jean Piaget b. Erik Erikson c. Sigmund Freud d. Lev Vygotsky 6. Preoperational means that a child cannot yet perform: a. reversible mental actions. b. symbolic thinking. . intuitive reasoning. d. mental representation of an unseen object. 7. According to Bronfenbrenner's theory, the macrosyste m is __________. a. the patterning of environmental events and transitions over the life course b. the culture in which individuals live c. involved when experiences in another social setting influence what the individual experiences in an immediate context d. the overarching system which includes all of these factors and more 8. Harlow's finding that baby monkeys prefer a terrycloth surrogate mother to a wire mother demonstrates the importance of a. imprinting or critical periods b. contact comfort c. cceptance d. good nutrition 9. When we say a child's thinking is less abstract than an adult's, we mean that a. children use more examples and generalizations. b. children use more principles, but require fewer generalizations. c. children use fewer generalizations, categories, and principles. d. adults base their understanding of the world more on particular examples and tangible sensations 10. Joey is watching a horse race. He knows that his dog at home has four legs, a tail, and fu r. When he sees the horses, he shouts out â€Å"Doggies. † Joey is demonstrating a. assimilation b. accommodation c. conservation d. irreversibility 11.Emily, who has brown eyes, has one dominant gene and one recessive gene. When we describe her actual genetic makeup, we are describing her __________. a. DNA b. genotype c. reaction range d. gametes 12. Humans have __________ pairs of chromosomes. a. 46 b. 23 c. 2 d. an undetermined number of 13. The sex chromosomes of females are ______ and the sex chromosomes of males are ______. a. YY, XX b. XX, XY c. XY, XX d. XX, Y 14. The component of a chromosome that controls heredity is ____. a. proteins b. histones c. DNA d. RNA 15. The stage of prenatal development in which the neural tube develops into the brain and spinal cord is the a.Germinal Stage b. Embryonic Stage c. Fetal Stage d. Fetus Stage 16. Which layer of embryonic cells eventually becomes the circulatory system, bones, and muscle? a. endoderm b. mesoderm c. ectoderm d . blastocyst 17. You leave your child with a babysitter. When you return, your child ignores you. Your child's behavior indicates a(n) __________ attachment. a. securely attached b. secure-avoidant c. insecure-avoidant d. insecure-ambivalent 18. Teratogens are those agents which: a. Adversely affect development b. Support development c. Improve development d. Have no effect on development 19. Which reflex normally persists longest after birth? . Babinski b. Grasping c. Moro d. Rooting 20. Which of the following is NOT considered a primitive reflex? a. Babinski b. rooting c. palmar grasping d. stepping SECTION B: Matching questions Instructions for Section BFor each question, match the appropriate item in Column II with its associated word/phrase in Column I. Record your choice on your answer sheet (e. g. , 1. A). An answer may only be used once. | Column I| Column II| 1. Trust versus mistrust| a. the process by which a schema is changed, modified, or created anew in order to underst and something new in the environment| 2.Assimilation| b. â€Å"Stealing is wrong because it is against the law. †| 3. Oedipus complex| c. infants are totally dependent on others in their environment to meet their needs| 4. Bioecological model| d. in the female, an unconscious sexual urge for the father | 5. Preconventional level of reasoning| e. biology and environment interact to produce development| 6. Accommodation| f. in the male, an unconscious sexual urge for the mother| 7. Chronosystem| g. children motivated to take the first step, to start something on their own and to be ambitious| 8.Conventional level of reasoning| h. It is wrong to take the moneybecause you may get caught and then punished| 9. Initiative versus guilt| i. the process by which an existing schema is used to understand something new in the environment| 10. Electra complex| j. the idea that changes in peopleand their environments occur in a time frame and unfold in particular patterns or sequences over a person’s lifetime| SECTION C: Short answer questions Instructions for Section CAnswer all questions in this section. Record your answer on your answer sheet with the number and sub-section clearly labelled. 1) Distinguish between cognitive and physical development. [3] 2) Describe the types of research designs used in developmental psychology. [3] 3) Outline TWO nurture factors that can influence the developmental process. [4] 4) Sometimes inherited defects can produce chromosomal abnormalities. a) What are chromosomal abnormalities? [2] b) State TWO characteristic features of a person with Down syndrome. [2] c) Give an example of another chromosomal abnormality and what it entails. [3] 5) Briefly outline what happens in fetal period of prenatal development. [3] ) List THREE important motor milestone displayed by infants in their first year. [3] 7) According to Piaget, newborns lack an understanding of object permanence a) At what stage of cognitive development do infants d evelop object permanence? [1] b) What must infants master or acquire in order to understand object permanence? [2] 8) Differentiate between separation anxiety and stranger anxiety. [3] 9) In the strange situation procedure, a baby who clings to the mother while she is present and who shows extreme distress when the mother leaves would be exhibiting which style of attachment? END OF TEST

Friday, August 16, 2019

Usb Flash Drive

————————————————- USB flash drive Definition:Â  USB flash drives are compact file storage devices to save your information externally. Flash drives are about the size of a disposable lighter and can be conveniently worn around your neck or attached to your keychain. The end of the flash drive is inserted into the USB port on the computer. Once attached to the computer, they operate in much the same way as floppy drives, but have capacities currently in the range of up to 2 gigabytes.Pen drives, or USB–based technology thumb drives, have become the most popular data storage media devices for working professionals, students, academicians and independent tech consultants. Lightweight, small and easy to carry from place to place, a pen drive easily fits into a pocket or a wallet. Pen drives now available in multiple capacities, ranging from 512 MB to 32 GB, are used to store documents, photos, files, music videos and more. All read/write speed values are displayed in MB/Sec. Store Files A 4 GB or 8 GB pen drive can be used to store basic documents, PDF files, PowerPoint presentation and spreadsheets. 16 GB or 32 GB pen drives can be used to store high-capacity files such as videos, TV episodes and even movies. Transfer Files * Word documents, PDF files, presentations, photos and other files saved on a computer can be easily transferred or downloaded onto to a pen drive. Similarly, files can be transferred from a pen drive to a PC or laptop. Portable Devices * Independent technical consultants and PC technicians can use pen drives as portable work devices.They can store important files, utilities tools and programs in pen drives, and transfer them to another workstation or work site elsewhere. Working professionals can transfer their presentations and other important files stored on their hard drives to pen drives and take them elsewhere. Back-Up D evices * As almost all brand pen drives are password protected, they can also be used as effective back-up storage devices. Important personal information such as medical history, critical family information, important contacts, old family photographs, etc. can be stored in pen drives. Promotional Items * Many companies are now using pen drives to sell promotional material, marketing communication content and other sales literature. The ease with which pen drives can be customized and imprinted with company logos, pictures and images makes them effectivee promotional items. A USB Pen drive is a data storage device that contains flash memory with a combined Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. USB Pen drives are naturally changeable and rewritable, and physically much lesser than a floppy disk.We can use USB pens easily to plug it into the USB port of your computer and lookout the system automatically identifies the new device. You can stare at your system drive; a new drive has bee n produced. The operating system can communicate with your USB Pen Drive just like any ordinary Hard Disk Drive. The USB Pen Drive is dust-proof and shock-proof and contemplating a mere 21 grams, it needs no batteries, has no touching parts and is presented in range of volumes from 32 mega byte to a massive 1 giga byte.USB stands for Universal Serial Bus and it is a ‘standard' organized by the computer manufacturing to agree a vast amount of different devices to be easily involved to one machine with the minimum condition for further drivers and software and still work at an effective speed. Many firms within the UK use Persuasive USB pens as little enticements to customers of old and new. The hint of giving out Promotional USB pen drives is to offer customers with something that they can use that has your company logo upon it. A collection of Promotional pen drives can be given out to clients it all depends on how current you want them to be.General items of Promotional USB p en drives have been pens with messages printed upon them. Give your fixed customers Promotional USB flash drives like printed pens and they will have an thing they can use on a regular basis that has your name inscribed upon it. Moreover, give Promotional USB drives to prospective new clients and they will be capable to deliver your company brand inside their business premises. Each time they use an USB pen that has been given to them by you, your goods will be floating through their minds and your company will be leading in their thoughts. For more information visit http://www. global-emarketing. com .

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Myth of Gilgamesh Analysis

Liliana Magdaleno Ken Hiltner, Miss Russ English 122 LE October 27, 2011 Word Count: ~1450 Hero or Villain? In all epics, we read about the endeavors of heroes who have to conquer an evil entity in order to ensure the peace of their constituencies. They exhibit great virtues such as courage, pride, intelligence, wit, patriotism, and love for the people of their land, among other things.Those are typically the qualities that come to mind when we think of a hero; however, when we think of the evil force that compliments the hero, we think of someone/something that causes harm onto the land, and thus brings fear to everyone when the name of that entity is spoken. In the case of The Myth of Gilgamesh, the distinction of hero or villain is distorted. There is significant evidence that suggests that not only is Gilgamesh a villain, but also he is an environmental hazard. In the Myth of Gilgamesh, we are introduced to the so-called â€Å"hero† and leader behind the great walled city of Uruk.Gilgamesh â€Å"had seen everything†¦had journeyed to the edge of the world†¦had carved his trials on stone tablets†¦restored the holy Eanna Temple and the massive wall of Uruk†¦Gilgamesh suffered all and accomplished all. † (2-3) This introduction leads us to believe that Gilgamesh does possess some of the qualities that would make him be considered a hero; his soldiers refer to him as â€Å"the fortress† and â€Å"protector of the people, raging flood that destroys all defenses. † (3) It is rather instinctual for the reader to feel an admiration towards the character. However, one must not be so quick to judge.Words are just words, but actions are far louder. What is true of the statements that are said by his soldiers is that Gilgamesh destroys all defenses, in the ecocritical perspective; he destroys the defenses of the Cedar Forest. As the story unfolds, we begin to see Gilgamesh more as a villain than a hero. For example, Gilgam esh â€Å"does whatever he wants, takes the son from his father and crushes him, takes the girl from her mother and uses her, the warrior’s daughter, the young man’s bride, he uses her, no one dares to oppose him. † (4) Gilgamesh abuses his role of the hero/ruler of Uruk so that he can rape women and command his soldiers.He is inconsiderate of the feelings of others and only does as he pleases without thinking of the well being of his people. Gilgamesh feels like he is above men, king of kings. The people of his land don’t respect him, they fear him; thus the people of Uruk beg the gods to bring a force strong enough to calm Gilgamesh. That is when we are introduced to Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s double. Enkidu is the exact opposite of Gilgamesh, he is what epitomizes the desired ideal of a hero: he protects the animals from poachers, protects women from the lust of Gilgamesh, and is sensible. He is strong, witty, and has a love of nature.Enkidu is everyth ing the people of Uruk wished Gilgamesh to be. If Enkidu is the person that suits the role of the hero, it is fair to say that Gilgamesh is not a hero at all. Gilgamesh is ambitious, and wants to be forever known by the people of his land. Thus, he wants to preserve the great walled city of Uruk and make it a relic for the great empire ruled by the greatest the Fertile Crescent had ever seen. This need for an unnecessary relic that will require heavy resource consumption (in this case lumber) is an anachronism for a similar phenomenon that occurs within industrialized countries, affluenza.Affluenza is the suggestion that material possessions will bring joy to the individual. This is detrimental to the environment because it causes resource overuse and is very unsustainable. The latter part of the myth begins to show environmental degradation due to Gilgamesh’s greed. The Cedar Forest is the unknown and savage realm beyond the walled city of Uruk that is protected by an evil f orce named Humbaba. From an ecocritical perspective, the wilderness beyond Uruk is just nature or the environment.It is human anthropocentricism that makes it hard to realize that the wilderness is not something to fear just because we don’t have complete control over it. Man above nature is the cause of the Cedar Forest’s demise. Our villain-disguised hero needs to venture into the wilderness in order to face himself with his enemy Humbaba; it is during this section of the myth that another character flaw is revealed: Gilgamesh is a coward for being afraid of the force that is Humbaba (nature manifested as the Cedar Forest). He convinces his double, Enkidu, to embark on the same journey and help him defeat the deity.Gilgamesh is quick to talk about how he wants to be remembered for his glory and ensure that every inhabitant of Uruk will remember the great ruler he was. Yet, he is such a coward that he cannot do this alone. He has nightmares about entering the forest a re a psychological indication that he is not as mighty as he thinks he is. These nightmares are also critical of the environment, Humbaba is portrayed as a ruthless monster that will â€Å"tear [Gilgamesh] from limb to limb,† and â€Å"crush [him]† leave him â€Å"bloody and mangled on the ground. (29) This perspective of the environment as ruthless and relentless is the driving force for Gilgamesh to want to destroy it, to rid himself of the fears of what nature bestows. Nature is not a scary nor evil as this classic literature suggests, in modern contemporary times and even in the pastoral times, nature is giving and beautiful, once the value of the environment is known, it becomes less frightening. Gilgamesh had a fear for the unknown and a thirst for power; in essence, destroying nature would be the only way to realize how important nature truly is.After the fall of Humbaba, Gilgamesh stripped the forest of its tall and luscious trees. Not only did Gilgamesh rape the women of his soldiers, but he raped the forest as well. This was the ultimate goal of our villain’s quest: Gilgamesh gained full access to the Cedar Forest in order to create the relic that he so desired. Gilgamesh needs to feel that he is in control of everything, including nature. On the night of the attack, the weapons Gilgamesh used to combat Humbaba were axes, instead of swords or other conventional weapons. This story is a great metaphor for deforestation.Gilgamesh is the modern day logger in thirsty for virgin lands to satiate his thirst for common pool resources. At the moment, Giligamesh only cares about the reputation and glory, not about how much damage he is causing to the land. This damage turned out to be one of the greatest environmental mishaps of all time. The Myth of Gilgamesh took place in ancient Mesopotomia. This area was previously referred as the Fertile Crescent. After this large-scale deforestation, there wasn’t really anything fertile abou t it. In A Forest Journey by John Perlin, we learn about the technologies created within the era of Gilgamesh.It is evident that as human ingenuity kept rising, environmental degradation followed. The people of the Third Dynasty at Ur, 2100 B. C. harnessed the power of lumber to create â€Å"axes, hammers, hoes, and sickles [to] facilitate work. † (37) Tragedy of the Commons, another anachronism, surfaced as the people of the land began the exploitation of the common pool resource of the Euphrates poplar. With the rising demand of wood, policy and trade became instituted and modern day problems such as selling resources at low prices, not including the environmental impact, in addition to transporting these resources long distances.The physical environment also changed with excessive silt and high salinity. Silt was a huge problem because the â€Å"Euphrates, Tirgis, and Karun rivers became full of silt and salt† (38); water levels declined which made it difficult for irrigation and transportation by ship. High salinity also damaged the agriculture industry as high amounts of salty minerals inhibited successful crop yields. Throughout history we have read about marvelous civilizations with great empires and feats, majestic lands with beautiful relics to preserve their culture forever. Learning about their rise is as amazing as learning about their fall.In the case of Mesopotamia, greedy leaders such as Gilgamesh who wish to preserve his era by means of environmental degradation not only make him an incompetent leader by virtue of not being humble and lack of desired qualities, but also one of the key reasons that this great civilization became a barren land. Works Cited Mitchell, Stephen. â€Å"Book One to Book 5. † Gilgamesh: a new English version. New York: Free Press, 2004. 1-32. Print. Perlin, John. A forest journey: the role of wood in the development of civilization. New York: W. W. Norton, 1989. Print.