Types of Teachers Essay Example for Free

Types of Teachers Essay Abstract This paper explains three different types of teachers and their role and impact over the educational system. By the same token it is emphasized that the teacher is an important part of the learning process who impacts the shaping of the lives of young children. The relationship between a student and a teacher is a difficult one in most of cases and it is something that raises problems which need to be resolved. At this point every teacher has different way of presenting and teaching the given material and the crucial role in establishing a good and fruitful collaboration with students is the approach of the teacher which should inspire positive attitudes and amiable atmospheres for learning. To illustrate such an approach, as well as the opposite of it, this paper consists of the following types of teachers: intimate, authoritative and indifferent teachers. Keywords: authoritative, intimate, indifferent teacher; Types of Teachers. Teachers are the ones that pass the knowledge over to the students and they utilize different way of presenting the given material. According to Jupp (2012), â€Å"Teachers make thousands of decisions each day, and they don’t do it about abstract ideas. They do it about a life of a child. You can’t imagine anything harder. † For instance, some teachers bear this in mind and manage to create a friendly atmosphere which gives the students the needed motivation for seeking knowledge, whereas some teachers are not so proficient. The reason for this can be the lack of motivation of the teacher, because there are many teachers who evolve in this profession only because there was nothing else to do and their interest is simply based on earning money. Their goal at the end of the class is a finished syllabus, not passing knowledge. Students find this kind of situation frustrating and their frustration is seen in the outer world. Balanced, positive classroom will bring out the best of students. Many psychological studies, such as Baumrind (1971) which shows the various parenting styles can correlate with various teachers’ classroom styles in the sense that a good model of a parent is an appropriate model for teacher. According to the study, the crucial elements of relationships are the responsiveness and demandingness. Considering these elements teachers can be classified as authoritative, intimate, and indifferent. Authoritative teachers will be characterized by a high response, and a high demand, and are considered to be the closest to the ideal picture of a teacher. Most of them can be described with personality traits such as: curious, creative, attentive, principled, astute, patient, hardworking, gregarious, communicative, and openhearted and perhaps the most important, proficient. They are eager to know something more about the student apart from their first and last name, something more about their individuality, more personal. They are more likely to build a good relationship with the students and will allow them participation in the class, as long as it is something relevant to the topic of the lesson, so the student involvement in the class is at a very high rate. These ways of participations are â€Å"important predictors of social and academic adjustment† (Hughes, 2002). The authoritative classroom might be an excellent opportunity for developing speaking skills, because an authoritative teacher is open to feedback and debates with the students. However, authoritative classroom might not be ideal for developing speaking skills because some authoritative teachers are closed to feedback as this may question their authority. An authoritative teacher would organize the class neatly and orderly and the discipline would be present throughout the class, so the students would feel comfortable and respectful. In ideal situation mutual respect and cooperation are the most important tools of an authoritative teacher for their approach of teaching, although not every authoritative teacher uses them. Intimate teachers are characterized by high response and low demand, i. e. high involvement in students’ lives but occasionally poor establishment of a control in the classroom. When making decisions, the students’ feelings might be taken into consideration and nothing else. Intimate teachers often ignore disrespectful behaviour and discipline will not be present in such a classroom. This atmosphere is more like to be friendly but chaotic and may result in a classroom which is entirely out of control. Being kind is good, still being too kind and ignoring the discipline will be a dead end. This kind of teacher will probably be liked by most of the students but the teaching can be poor and it may result in poor academic skills. Indifferent teachers are characterized by low response, low demand, and little or no control over the class. They are one of the worst types of teachers. The image that students get of them is that they seem to be bored with the class and are eager to finish with it as soon as possible. The involvement of the students is at a very low rate. Some of these teachers do not prepare for class and usually are sitting in front of the class, sighing and citing word by word the lesson from the book. Others will tell the students to read silently as they are gazing somewhere or contemplating matters not even close to the lesson material. An indifferent teacher lacks motivation and is not at all hardworking. This teacher appears generally uninterested and might not even bother to provide different materials during the course, so students are able to get the exams from the previous years. That will certainly have negative feedback and students will have low motivation and poor or no knowledge at all. Classroom discipline is a concept unknown for these teachers. They lack the skill and motivation to establish a discipline in the class needed to provide an orderly atmosphere class. The reason for the indifference may be due to the lack of motivation for teaching. As mentioned in the abstract, some of these teachers may be those who become teachers unintentionally, because there was nothing else to do. Students will respond negatively of the atmosphere. If one asks a student to describe an indifferent teacher, he/she will probably sigh and say something like learning is up to the students as far as that teacher is concerned. Students who have this type of teacher do not have the opportunity to exercise speaking skills at all. According to Rowe, K. (2003), the type of the approach of the teacher i. e. the established relationships result in creating certain characteristic behaviours. The statistics show that the authoritative type produce students who are responsible, socially competent, well prepared and knowledgeable, the intimate teachers produce irresponsible students with poor leadership skills; and indifferent teachers produces students with poor verbal skills and poor or no knowledge at all. Teachers are the ones that teach the lessons of humanity and should take more responsibility in creating their approaches towards students. Regarding these classifications the closest to an ideal teacher is the authoritative one. In addition, according to Baumrind (1971), the authoritative approach is the best approach because it correlates with appropriate student behaviors. It is true that to be an authoritative teacher is much easier to imagine than to accomplish. Since, the students are to be the next academic citizens who deal with various positions and for that purpose teachers should think twice before stepping into a classroom unprepared. However, even the least motivated teachers should simply consider if the teachers they are being at the moment are the ones they would prefer their children to have. References Baumrind, D. (1971). Cornell University College of Human Ecology. Parenting styles and adolescents. Retrieved from http://www. human. cornell. edu/pam/outreach/parenting/research/upload/Parenting-20Styles-20and-20Adolescents. pdf Hughes, Jan N. (2002) Authoritative Teaching: Tipping the balance in favor of school versus peer effects. Journal of School Psychology 40(6), 485-492 Retrieved from http://www. centerforcsri. org/research/improvement. cgi? st=ssr=SR005149 Jupp, B. (2012, January 18). Join ED and teachers for#teach talk discussion on twitter Retrieved from http://www. ed. gov/blog/2012/01/join-ed-and-teachers-for-a-teachtalk-discussion-on-twitter/ Rowe, K. (2003) â€Å"The Importance of Teacher Quality as a Key Determinant of Students’ Experiences and Outcomes of Schooling Retrieved from http://research. acer. edu. au/research_conference_2003/3.

Child Trafficking In Nigeria Social Work Essay

Child Trafficking In Nigeria Social Work Essay Human trafficking in Nigeria has been one of the greatest problem in Nigerian history. Human trafficking can be traced to the period colonialism when human beings are been traded for mere commodities to the Europeans, to help them in their plantations in their own country. Due to the abolishment of slave trade in Nigeria by 1885-1950, the act of human trafficking was reduced and some few years later they started child trafficking since the children are more vulnerable. Child trafficking is a form of human trafficking that involves the transportation, harbouring, receiving ,recruitment of children in the purpose of exploitation. The issue of child domestic labour is very complex and problematic. Domestic child labourers are among the most invisible child labourers. The number of children exploited in private households is unknown because of the hidden nature of the work. Many of these children are girls and in many countries domestic service is seen as the only employment option a girl might have. Children exploited in domestic service are paid little or nothing, are malnourished, are very vulnerable to further abuse and exploitation, and do not go to school. However, because child domestic workers are employed within an informal family environment, they cannot be integrated as a professional group within conventional working systems because such integration would presuppose an acceptance of the idea of child domestic labour. At the same time, without legal initiatives, it is difficult to combat child domestic labour. Furthermore, the terms, norms and standards to regulate the employment of children are lack ing because children work in a largely invisible domain outside law and the public sphere and their domestic labour cannot be integrated under normal labour laws. Although the final goal of all laws should be the prevention and elimination of child domestic labour, it is acknowledged right at the outset that this is a long term goal. In the interim, there is a need to accept that children do, and will continue, to work until effective alternatives make it unnecessary for them to work. In the meantime, the best interest of the child principle together with the notion of the child as a rights holder should guide any lawmaking on child domestic work. Law and policy reform can play a powerful constitutive and transformative role in improving and changing the lives of both the girl child and male child domestic worker; however, in envisioning workplace and domestic arrangements it is important to see that sex stereotypes are not reinforced. Just as much as law has the profound power to p revent and regulate domestic labour, it has the power to reinforce it by creating loopholes through which employers can continue to hire child domestic workers. Laws can often spark social change only if they are translated into action. In drafting new laws or revising existing laws, child domestic labour should be seen in the context of historic sex discrimination. There is an apparent tension when laws and policies are blind to the differences between the girl child domestic worker and the male child domestic worker such as the girl childs weak bargaining position and low status, which increases her vulnerability to coercion by her family and employer. Child trafficking in Nigeria is something the government has not really put enough effort to ensure that child trafficking is reduced or eradicated this is due to the lapse (corruption) of the whole government system because most of the child traffickers are top government officials and this makes it very difficult to investigate any problem that has to do with child trafficking. According to a research carried out by United nation children fund (unicef) say the average age of children been trafficked in Nigeria is around 15years but the age varies, especially with girls and also it says 60-80% of girls in the sex trade outside the country are in Italy (over 700 in Italy while Belgium and Holland is experiencing an upsurge in the number of Nigerian girls. On the average About 10 children pass Nigerian borders daily originating from fostering and extended family system. Children that are been trafficked has so many reasons which include domestic help, prostitution these are especially for girls while boys are used as scavengers, car washing, bus conducting, drug peddling and farming. Child trafficking has so many effects on both the child and the country. Trafficking of migrant children has unquestionably affected individual children and their communities in various immediate and long term ways. It sometimes endangers the childrens lives. The obvious impacts of child trafficking often mentioned is on deteriorating their education, physical and mental development. Moreover, the trafficked migrant children are disempowered in many ways. They are in the foreign country with foreign customs and foreign language. They are transported and sold or deceived as bonded labour, treated like property, and work under slavery-like conditions. Whenever they feel depressed, or suffering, or face difficulties, or are tortured, commonly they have no one they can turn to as they tend to live in isolated areas. Even if they have a chance to seek help, they often do not know where to go or what to do or whom to ask because they are illegal migrants and are afraid of police. In some c ircumstances, they may encounter racism from the police, authorities, and general people among whom may be their own employers. A major result of child trafficking can be loss of lives, increasing prevalence of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) including HIV/AIDS, increase in violence and crime rate, increased school drop-out, impaired child development, poor national image and massive deportation of Nigerians especially girls. And also, There are diverse reasons why many Nigerian children are vulnerable to trafficking, including widespread poverty, large family size, rapid urbanization with deteriorating public services, low literacy levels and high school-drop out rates The demand for cheap commercial sex workers in countries of destination strongly contributes to the growth of this phenomenon and the success of this criminal network. Parents with a large family, often overburdened with the care of too many children, are prone to the traffickers deceit in giving away some of their children to city residents or even strangers promising a better life for them. Traffickers exploit the trust of people rooted in a widespread, culturally accepted common practice in West Africa of placement and fostering as part of the extended family safety net. In some instances, desperately poor and uninformed parents willingly co-operate with the traffickers, giving away their children in exchange for a small fee. In the hands of unscrupulous guardians, these children are increasingly trafficked and exploited for money. But All hope is not lost as every problem has a solution. The government can still curb this evil practice in order to save children and the good name of the country. Firstly, government should provide free education in every government owned school in the country from the nursery to the secondary level so that parents will have no excuse of giving out their children to strangers in the pretext of taking them to learn new sill in new environment. Secondly, government should pay workers salaries at the end of each month because they have personal bills to foot; children to cater for and they depend solely on their salaries. Thirdly, the parliamentary arm of the government should make and amend law that all Nigerian families should not have more than 3 children and any found to go against the law would be punished because one of the causes of child trafficking in Nigeria is the inability of parents to cater for so many children. Also, government should make laws for children against child abuse and intimidation which should be strictly adhered to. Last but not the least, government should come to an agreement with leaders of other countries that any Nigerian child suspected to be abused or trafficked should be rescued and the trafficker, punished. In an effort   aimed at battling child trafficking within Nigeria and the sub-region, Nigeria and the government of Benin Republic have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-operate in the   area of prevention of child trafficking as well as the repatriation of offenders to countries of origin for prosecution. Executive Secretary of National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters(NAPTIP), Mrs. Carol Ndaguba disclosed this at a one-day workshop on Anti Child Trafficking Network Project in Nigeria held at the UN House Abuja. According to her, Nigeria and the government of Italy, United Kingdom and Spain also have understandings on joint initiative on modalities for prevention of child trafficking and slavery, adding that the Italian government as well as UNICEF have been providing huge financial and capacity building support to the agency in carrying out its task. On the issue of house-help or domestic servants in the country, NAPTIP Executive Secretary regretted that the phenomenon had been exploited by traffickers to batter, sexually or emotionally traumatize victims, adding that the so called syndrome must now come to an end. She identified the challenges faced by the network project to include   expansion of the network from 22 states to 36, sustaining awareness campaign at the state and community levels, and capacity building of the state working groups. In her remark, Deputy Country Representative of UNICEF, Barbara Reynold said that although the anti-trafficking agency was already doing a lot to put an end to the menace of human trafficking, more needs to be done in the area of conscientisation and increased awareness by   a broader section of society.

Low Level Programming Language Computer Science Essay

Low Level Programming Language Computer Science Essay Low-level programming language is a programming language that provides little or no abstraction from a computers instruction set architecture. The word low refers to the small or nonexistent amount of abstraction between the language and machine language; because of this, low-level languages are sometimes described as being close to the hardware. A low-level language does not need a compiler or interpreter to run. The processor for which the language was written is able to run the code without using either of these. By comparison, a high-level programming language isolates the execution semantics of computer architecture from the specification of the program, making the process of developing a program simpler and more understandable. Low-level programming languages are sometimes divided into two categories: first generation, and second generation. First generation The first-generation programming language, or 1GL, is a machine code. It is the only language a microprocessor can process directly without a previous transformation. Currently, programmers almost never write programs directly in machine code, because it requires attention to numerous details which a high-level language would handle automatically, and also requires memorizing or looking up numerical codes for every instruction that is used. For this reason, second generation programming languages provide one abstraction level on top of the machine code. Example: A function in 32-bit x86 machine code to calculate the nth Fibonacci number: 8B542408 83FA0077 06B80000 0000C383 FA027706 B8010000 00C353BB 01000000 B9010000 008D0419 83FA0376 078BD98B C84AEBF1 5BC3 Second generation Second-generation programming language, or 2GL, is an assembly language. It is considered a second-generation language because while it is not a microprocessors native language, an assembly language programmer must still understand the microprocessors unique registers and instructions. These simple instructions are then assembled directly into machine code. The assembly code can also be abstracted to another layer in a similar manner as machine code is abstracted into assembly code. Example: The same Fibonacci number calculator as on page one, but in x86 assembly language using MASM syntax: fib: mov edx, [esp+8] cmp edx, 0 ja @f mov eax, 0 ret @@: cmp edx, 2 ja @f mov eax, 1 ret @@: push ebx mov ebx, 1 mov ecx, 1 @@: lea eax, [ebx+ecx] cmp edx, 3 jbe @f mov ebx, ecx mov ecx, eax dec edx jmp @b @@: pop ebx ret High level programming language High-level programming language is a programming language with strong abstraction from the details of the computer. In comparison to low-level programming languages, it may use natural language elements, it is easier to use and more portable across platforms. Such languages hide the details of CPU operations such as memory access models and management of scope. This greater abstraction and hiding of details is generally intended to make the language user-friendly, as it includes concepts from the problem domain instead of those of the machine used. A high-level language isolates the execution semantics of computer architecture from the specification of the program, making the process of developing a program simpler and more understandable with respect to a low-level language. The amount of abstraction provided defines how high-level a programming language is. The term high-level language does not imply that the language is superior to low-level programming languages in fact, in terms of the depth of knowledge of how computers work required to productively program in a given language, the inverse may be true. Rather, high-level language refers to the higher level of abstraction from machine language. Rather than dealing with registers, memory addresses and call stacks, high-level languages deal with usability, threads, locks, objects, variables, arrays and complex arithmetic or Boolean expressions. In addition, they have no opcodes that can directly compile the language into machine code, unlike low-level assembly language. Other features such as string handling routines, object-oriented language features and file input/output may also be present. High-level languages make complex programming simpler, while low-level languages tend to produce more efficient code. High-level programming features like more generic data structures, run-time interpretation and intermediate code files often result in slower execution speed, higher memory consumption and larger binary size. For this reason, code which needs to run particularly quickly and efficiently may be written in a lower-level language, even if a higher-level language would make the coding easier. With the growing complexity of modern microprocessor architectures, well-designed compilers for high-level languages frequently produce code comparable in efficiency to what most low-level programmers can produce by hand, and the higher abstraction may allow for more powerful techniques providing better overall results than their low-level counterparts in particular settings. There are three models of execution for modern high-level languages: Interpreted Interpreted languages are read and then executed directly, with no compilation stage. Compiled   Compiled languages are transformed into an executable form before running. There are two types of compilation: Intermediate representations   When a language is compiled to an intermediate representation, that representation can be optimized or saved for later execution without the need to re-read the source file. When the intermediate representation is saved it is often represented as bytecode. Machine code generation Some compilers compile source code directly into machine code. Virtual machines that execute bytecode directly or transform it further into machine code have blurred the once clear distinction between intermediate representations and truly compiled languages. Translated A language may be translated into a low-level programming language for which native code compilers are already widely available. The C programming language is a common target for such translators. Examples of high level programming language include: Java, C, Python, Scheme, Prolog, C++, C#, VB, Java Script, Ruby and Lisp. Comparison of high and low programming languages below are similar programs in both languages to find greatest and smallest data value in a data set. Validating raw data Input validation is an important part of any computer application that requires user interaction. It applies to anything that the application does to ensure that data entered by the user is acceptable for the purposes of the application. Input validation can take place at various times in the data entry cycle. For example, the programmer can: Constrain the users entry of data before it begins by providing very restricted data input fields that permit only valid choices. The most common way to do this is to provide standard controls that do not permit free keyboard entry, such as drop-down lists, option buttons, and check boxes. Constrain the users entry of data at the moment that it occurs by monitoring every keystroke for validity and rejecting unwanted input as its typed. For instance, a particular entry field might seem to the user to ignore anything but numeric characters. React to the users entry of data after the user is finished, accepting or rejecting the contents of a data field when the user attempts to leave the field or close the screen. Input validation can also have varying degrees of user participation. For instance, the program can Automatically correct a users mistakes without asking the users opinion. Warn the user of incorrect input and prompt the user to correct the input before allowing the user to continue with other activities. Benifets of Data Validation: Reduces the time that is spent completing forms and eliminates costs associated with errors by validating data, improving efficiency and minimizing the high cost of exception handling resulting from data input errors. Validation happens immediately in a visual basic form and can catch common errors such as not entering a required field, incorrect data type or entering incorrect data based on other data previously entered into the form. Example validation of checking if the date entered is after todays date: Private Sub Date_Entered_AfterUpdate()   Ã‚  Ã‚   If Me.Date_Entered>date() then  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Date_Entered is form field name   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   msgbox Please enter a date less than or equal to todays date.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Me.Date_Entered.setfocus  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   set cursor back in the date field   Ã‚  Ã‚   end if End Sub Using strings with passwords in visual basic The use of strings benefits data entry in a password application in visual basic because the program would not reset itself and crash on error input. This could affect the safety of the password which could be compromised. It compares the 4 digit numbers inputted in order and will only allow access when all 4 characters are correct and in the right sequence. If this doesnt happen it will reset and wipe the numbers clear. This is so the imputer cannot see which ones he/she has got right and try different ones for the others remaining. In visual basic for the above program you could limit the user to a certain amount of attempts before the user is locked out. When the code is incorrect you could have a warning flash up on the computer, or if the wrong sort of data is inputted you can have a warning asking for the correct data. Likewise if you have not inputted 4 digits it would crash so this can be modified in the code strings with . Data Types Boolean Data Type   This data type holds values that can be only true or false. The keywords True and False correspond to the two states of Boolean variables. Use the Boolean data type to contain two-state values such as true/false, yes/no, or on/off. The default value of Boolean is False. Type Conversions When Visual Basic converts numeric data type values to Boolean, 0 becomes False and all other values become true. When Visual Basic converts Boolean values to numeric types, False becomes 0 and True becomes -1. When you convert between Boolean values and numeric data types, the .NET Framework conversion methods do not always produce the same results as the Visual Basic conversion keywords. This is because the Visual Basic conversion retains behaviour compatible with previous versions. Programming guide Negative Numbers. Boolean is not a numeric type and cannot represent a negative value. In any case, you should not use Boolean to hold numeric values. Type Characters. Boolean has no literal type character or identifier type character. Framework Type. The corresponding type in the .NET Framework is the system Boolean structure. In the following example, runningVB is a Boolean variable, which stores a simple yes/no setting. Dim runningVB As Boolean Check to see if program is running on Visual Basic engine. If scriptEngine = VB Then runningVB = True End If Integer Data Type   Integer data holds signed 32-bit (4-byte) integers ranging in value from -2,147,483,648 through 2,147,483,647. The Integer data type provides optimal performance on a 32-bit processor. The other integral types are slower to load and store from and to memory. The default value of Integer is 0. Programming guide Interop Considerations. If you are interfacing with components not written for the .NET Framework, for example Automation or COM objects, keep in mind that Integer has a different data width (16 bits) in other environments. Widening. The Integer data type widens to Long, Decimal, Single, or Double. This means you can convert Integer to any of these types without encountering a System.OverflowException error. Type Characters. Appending the literal type character I to a literal forces it to the Integer data type. Appending the identifier type character % to any identifier forces it to Integer. Framework Type. The corresponding type in the .NET Framework is the System.Int32 structure. If you try to set a variable of an integral type to a number outside the range for that type, an error occurs. If you try to set it to a fraction, the number is rounded. The following example shows this. The valid range of an Integer variable is -2147483648 through +2147483647. Dim k As Integer The following statement causes an error because the value is too large. k = 2147483648 The following statement sets k to 6. k = CInt(5.9) Char Data Type   Holds unsigned 16-bit (2-byte) code points ranging in value from 0 through 65535. Each code point, or character code, represents a single Unicode character. You use the Char data type when you need to hold only a single character and do not need the overhead of String. In some cases you can use Char(), an array of Char elements, to hold multiple characters. The default value of Char is the character with a code point of 0. Unicode Characters The first 128 code points (0-127) of Unicode correspond to the letters and symbols on a standard U.S. keyboard. These first 128 code points are the same as those the ASCII character set defines. The second 128 code points (128-255) represent special characters, such as Latin-based alphabet letters, accents, currency symbols, and fractions. Unicode uses the remaining code points (256-65535) for a wide variety of symbols, including worldwide textual characters, diacritics, and mathematical and technical symbols. You can use methods like IsDigit and IsPunctuation on a Char variable to determine its Unicode classification. Type Conversions Visual Basic does not convert directly between Char and the numeric types. You can use the Asc, AscW Functions to convert a Char value to an Integer representing its code point. You can use the Chr, ChrW Functions to convert an Integer value to a Char having that code point. If the type checking switch (Option Strict Statement) is on, you must append the literal type character to a single-character string literal to identify it as the Char data type. The following example on page 8 illustrates this. Option Strict On Dim charVar As Char The following statement attempts to convert a String literal to Char. Because Option Strict is On, it generates a compiler error. charVar = Z The following statement succeeds because it specifies a Char literal. charVar = ZC Programming guide Negative Numbers. Char is an unsigned type and cannot represent a negative value. In any case, you should not use Char to hold numeric values. Interop Considerations. If you are interfacing with components not written for the .NET Framework, for example Automation or COM objects. Widening. The Char data type widens to String. This means you can convert Char to String without encountering a System.OverflowException error. Type Characters. Appending the literal type character C to a single-character string literal forces it to the Char data type. Char has no identifier type character. Framework Type. The corresponding type in the .NET Framework is the System.Char structure Comparison table between Ladder Logic and Visual Basic Language Ladder Logic Visual Basic Suitability for engineering applications High Medium Availability Medium High User friendliness Low High Cost of software High Low Size of code Low (high compact) High Difficulty of use Medium to High Easy Ease of programming Medium User has knowledge then low User has no knowledge then High Ideal use Machine control Simulation Resources: www.wikipedia.org, www.msdn.microsoft.com, www.fortran.com, visual basic help, www.visualbasic.freetubes.net, www.blueclaw-db.com

robert frost :: essays research papers fc

Moraru Teodora-Bianca IIIrd year, German-English gr. I. The Psychological Origins and the Effects of the Hobbyhorse in Laurence Sterne’s â€Å"Tristram Shandy† Defying Dr. Samuel Johnson’s statement that â€Å"Nothing odd will do long†, Laurence Sterne’s eccentric masterpiece, â€Å"The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman†, an extended act of meditation upon story-telling based on John Locke’s philosophical theory of the association of ideas, became a notable forerunner of the modern English novel, celebrating the infinite possibilities of the art of fiction. Undoubtedly, one of the most crucial philosophical literary works of the 18th century was John Locke’s â€Å"Essay Concerning Human Understanding†, which had a tremendous influence on the writers of his time and also on the worldwide approach to terms such as â€Å"the nature of thought† and â€Å"human consciousness†. In his â€Å"Essay†, Locke stated important theories about the sequence of ideas and their interrelation, which profoundly influenced Sterne and became the basis of much of the seemingly arbitrary structure of his comic metanovel, â€Å"Tristram Shandy†. Sterne adopted in particular two of Locke’s concepts. First, the association of ideas, by which certain ideas, either by accident or because they have some particular significance, become so closely linked in a man’s mind that he cannot think of any of them without inevitably calling up all the others as well, in the same order in which he had prieviously experienced them. Secondly, the train of ideas, which is a more general concept of the mind as being constantly in motion, with the result that one idea automatically suggests another in some way similar to it, which in turn leads on to something else. Sterne uses this latter concept as an explanation for much of the seemingly eccentric behaviour of his characters and as a basis for many of the dazzling transitions of time and space which take place in the novel. John Locke considered the ideas as being the fundamental building blocks of all human thought, also stating the fact that â€Å"all our knowledge and ideas arise from experience† and that there are no innate ideas. He viewed the human mind as a â€Å"tabula rasa†, a â€Å"white paper, void of all characters, without any Ideas†. This empty room of the mind is gradually furnished with ideas of two sorts: first we obtain ideas of things we suppose to exist outside us in the physical world by sensation, and secondly we come to ideas of our own mental operations by reflection.

Free Essays - Victorious Achilleus of the Iliad :: Iliad essays

Victorious Achilleus of the Iliad  Ã‚   From reading book twenty two in the Iliad it is clear, from the beginning, that Achilleus will prevail in the battle against Hektor.   The reader is given many hints from the text that Achilleus will succeed.   Homer, the writer of the text, feels he will win, and so gives the reader hints of his victory though his narration, and through the words of Hektor's parents, and the gods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, Hektor's father encourages his son to allow other men to fight with him in battle against Achilleus.   He says, "Hektor, beloved child to not wait the attack of this man alone, away from the others.   You might encounter your destiny eaten down by Peleion, since he is far stronger than you" (Homer 436).   Hektor's father assumes that if Hektor fights alone he will certainly lose.   Hektor's father knows what a great warrior Achilleus is, and so seeks to convince his son to cast away his pride, admit he is weaker, and solicit support from his fellow Trojans.   He has already lost a few sons at the hands of Achilleus and expects that Hektor cannot possibly win.   Since his father recognizes his weakness, this is the first hint about the outcome of the battle.   But Hektor, brave man that he is, will not be so easily convinced that Achilleus is stronger.   Even Hektor's mom is skeptical he can triumph over Achilles and begs him, "Do not go out as champion against him, o hard one; for if he kills you I can no longer morn you..." (Homer 437).   She too has little faith that he will overcome Achilleus and is concerned he will die at the hands of this great warrior.   She is so worried she does not even want him to fight.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Next, Homer gives the reader a few more indirect suggestions about the outcome of the battle.   When Hektor first sees Achilleus approaching, he does not act like a extremely brave warrior.   Homer explains, "And the shivers took hold of Hektor when he saw him, and he could no longer stand his ground there, but left the gates behind, and fled, frightened..." (Homer 438).   Obviously, it seems unlikely Hektor can slay Achilleus since he is so afraid he cannot even stand his ground.   If he has no confidence in his fighting ability surely most readers will also think he is unable to win and that is why he chooses his only option-fleeing.

RIP Bradley Nowell :: essays research papers

-T hose of you who were fortunate enough to meet Bradley Nowell, saw a man who liked to smile and sing. He did these two things with the greatest of ease. The man we knew liked to pick up a guitar, not needles, but on the 25th of May in 1996, many of us were shocked by the news of his tragic death. Just seven days earlier, he married the beautiful Troy Dendekker. Things were lookin absolutely bright for him. It was rumored that he even woke up extra early on the morning of his death to walk his dog on the beach because he felt just great to be living. Hours later after he woke up, he was found dead from a heroin overdose in his San Francisco motel room. W hat went wrong I thought to myself? I remember hearing the news of his death on a local radio station. I've been a Sublime fan since my senior year of high school. The single "Date Rape" made the Chicago airwaves and I was hooked. I did a little research and I discovered that Bradley had been in and out of rehabilitation centers since 1992. Many people that I've talked to about Bradley's death really didn't seem to care. Being a huge Sublime fan, I was angered by their ignorance. Most of the time I heard people say that it was Bradley's fault for taking the drug in the first place, but I came to realize that it really wasn't his fault. Troy Nowell says in the VH1 documentary on Bradley that obviously the drug was "bigger than both of us (Bradley and Troy)". She said he hated what he was doing, and tried to stop numerous times, but the world is ignorant to the fact that this drug, heroin, is extremely physically addictive. Bud Gaugh, the drummer of Sublime, said he used to hug, sweat, and cry with Bradley during his fight with heroin. If it were his choice, Bradley would've stopped using it, but heroin took a hold of his nerves and his entire body. W e need to remember the Bradley who gave us three absolutely spectacular albums and a voice that stopped the world, not the one who stuck needles in his arm. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him a good twelve hours during the day.

Promoting Gender Equality Essay

For centuries women were not treated equal to men in many ways. They were not allowed to own property, they did not have a Share in the property of their parents, they had no voting rights, they had no freedom to choose their work or job and so on. Now that we have come out of those dark days of oppression of women there is a need for strong movement to fight for the rights of women and to ensure that they get all the rights which men have or in other words a movement for the Empowerment of Women. The present seminar has been planned with a view to discuss the various issues related to the Empowerment of Women and to suggest measures for achieving this end.The body of research on women‘s empowerment has conceptualized and defined this construct in many ways and used different terms, often interchangeably, including ―autonomy,â€â€"―status,â€â€" and ―agencyâ€â€" (Lee-Rife and Edmeades 2011; Malhotra et al. 2002; Upadhyay and Hindin 2005). see more:examples of gender equality A review of the literature also shows different measures for the same conceptualization. For example, studies often measure women‘s autonomy with an index that assesses their participation in decision-making in various household issues. This index represents women‘s degree of control over their environment. Some researchers include both major and minordecisions, while others include only major decisions, excluding day-to-day household decisions and those that are traditionally within the woman‘s domain. Women‘s empowerment encompasses many dimensions, including economic, socio-cultural, familial/interpersonal, legal, political, and psychological (Malhotra et al. 2002), which contributes to the wide variation in conceptualizations of women‘s empowerment. Given this variation in conceptualization, it is difficult to measure women‘s empowerment consistently. Kabeer (2001), whose definition is widely accepted, defines empowerment as ―the expansi on of people‘s ability to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously denied to them. Two central components of empowerment are agency and resources needed to exercise life choices (Kabeer 2001; Malhotra et al. 2002). Even with a clear definition, these constructs are difficult to quantify in a standardized way.Additionally, to measure empowerment at an individual level, researchers must translate the amorphous constructs into a set of specific questions that population-based surveys can ask of individual respondents (Kishor and Subaiya 2008). Another challenge is the variation in cultural contexts that affect the measurement of women‘s empowerment. It is desirable to use standardized questions that enable cross-cultural comparisons of empowerment. Yet a measure that captures empowerment in one context may have limited relevance in another, as is the case with measures that assess mobility in a community where women‘s free movement is the norm. While many existing measures of empowerment were originally conceptualized and developed for the context of Asia, and for South Asian countries in particular (Dyson and Moore 1983; Mason 1987), measures that are universally applicable regardless of the gender equity environment, such as those used in Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), are most useful for cross-national comparisons. Using the available standardized measures of women‘s empowerment among several population-based samples from sub-Saharan Africa will allow us to make comparisons and better understand whether the available measures adequately capture empowerment in these settings. It is still unknown whether the same dimensions of empowerment that were developed elsewhere are relevant in sub-Saharan Africa, where the gender environment is completely different than in other regions. In Africa, empowerment is likely to look different than elsewhere because of such differences as more working women who have control over their earnings, more polygamy, more nuclear families (as opposed to extended families), and larger ideal family size, and because women‘s status is often tied to their fertility. EMPOWERMENT AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH A broad body of research exists on women‘s empowerment and reproductive outcomes. Substantial research, primarily focused on Asia, demonstrates that women‘s empowerment is associated with contraceptive use (Gwako 1997; Morgan and Niraula 1995; Schuler et al. 1997; Woldemicael 2009), lower fertility (Balk 1994; Dyson and Moore 1983; Hindin 2000), and longer birth intervals (Upadhyay and Hindin 2005). Some researchers have suggested that women‘s empowerment is a key pathway through which education influences fertility (Jejeebhoy 1995; Mason 1987). To operationalize women‘s empowerment, much of the research literature uses the previously mentioned index of participation in house holddecision-making. The standard DHS questionnaire includes a set of questions about household decision-making. Other approaches include assessing women‘s acceptance of reasons that a husband is justified for beating his wife, and also reasons that a wife is justified in refusing sex with her husband (Ethiopian Society of Population Studies 2008). The DHS includes questions about these issues. Such gender-role attitudes measure the extent of women‘s acceptance of norms that justify men‘s control over women. As expected, they are associated with lower levels of power over household decision-making among women (Dhaher et al. 2010; Hindin 2003; Linos et al. 2010). MAJOR OBSTACLES TO THE PROMOTION OF GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWERMENT Notwithstanding the widespread commitment shown through the ratification of international and regional gender equality frameworks, normative gains are not yet fully reflected in substantial changes in women’s lives, as shown in the preceding section. Large gaps remain between policy and practice and it is the aim of this section to discuss some of the major challenges that have been experienced. Continued presence of strong cultural and traditional practices constraining progress in achieving gender parity The continued presence of long standing cultural and traditional practices that discriminate against women and girls’ have constrained the progress towards achieving gender equality. Discriminatory practices and public attitudes towards the advancement of women and gender equality have not changed at the same pace as policy, legal and institutional frameworks. Lack of ratification of the instruments that promote gender equality Previous sections have identified the status with respect to a number of regional instruments, particularly the African Women’s Protocol. Some countries are yet to sign this instrument, while a considerable number are yet to ratify it. Ineffective institutional and policy implementation mechanisms Thirteen years after the adoption of the BPFA by the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, the greatest challenge facing countries and regional institutions is the effective implementation of the adopted commitments. Good policies that do not have well formulated implementation plans and resources render the policies ineffective. In some countries, the capacity of gender machineries has also contributed to the slow pace. Some policies are not effectively implemented because they were not developed in a participatory way inclusive of both men and women. Lack of targets with well defined time-frames are also some of the factors that have hampered effective implementation of policies. Lack of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms also plays a significant role in the lack of implementation. Moreover, some policies tend to focus on the symptoms rather than addressing the persistent underlying causes of gender inequality. African women, especially those living in rural communities and those with disabilities, still face exclusion from participating in development processes that can empower them and improve gender equality. It is crucial to undertake inclusive participatory approaches in policy development that involve women as equal partners. Lack of adequate resources Lack of human and financial resources severely limits gender mainstreaming to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment. Even in situations where a comprehensive plan of action for gender mainstreaming has been developed, countries may not have adequate resources to implement the plan. In particular National Gender Machineries (NGMs) experience limited financial and other material resource base to enhance the implementation of gender equality mandates, roles and responsibilities. In addition, there are gaps in human capacity, there is generally a challenge with respect to gender competence skills of officers in the NGMs to influence the engendering of macro-economic and sector policy frameworks. There is high staff turn over of experts, and low staff retention, most countries are facing difficulties of retaining and sustaining staff with the necessary expertise. Continued presence of strong cultural and traditional practices constraining progress in achieving gender parity in education In taking decisions with respect to the education of their children, some families continue to have preference for educating boys rather than girls. As noted female-to-male school enrolment, retention and completion favor boys in a majority of countries. Very few countries have female to male enrolment rates that favor girls over boys and these countries have been making progress to redress the situation. Continued presence of strong cultural and traditional practices constraining progress in achieving gender parity in health Some cultural and traditional practices continue to inhibit progress in the area of sexual and reproductive rights. Women and girls continue to risk death from maternal mortality. There is need to provide accessible sexual and reproductive healthcare services and education to reduce maternal mortality. Such interventions need to address the roles of both men and women. The rate of HIV infection is much higher among women than men and in this regard, governments must establish and monitor strict legal frameworks to address the vulnerability of women and girls. Furthermore, access to anti-retroviral treatment should be ensured. Lack of enforcement of laws that promote gender equality and lack of knowledge of laws In some countries laws that promote gender equality are in place, however lack of enforcement of such laws leads to the perpetuation of gender inequalities and violence against women. In some countries, laws are in place, but interpretation of these laws is lacking and as such, they are not enforced. Lack of full involvement of men and boys Changing cultural and traditional beliefs including patriarchy requires the involvement of men, and boys in the promotion of gender equality through innovative rights-based, culturally sensitive programmes and continued education and sensitization. Continued lack of recognition of women’s unpaid work The continued lack of recognition of unpaid work (domestic, reproductive, care and support) performed by women hampers the development of policies that can effectively promote gender equality. There is therefore need for such work to be given due recognition in the computation of national income. Limited role of the media The media can play a major role in promoting gender equality beyond what it is currently doing. In particular in creating awareness, sensitization and education campaigns to change patriarchal attitudes. As noted before establishing new laws alone is not enough; existing gendered social relations and cultural norms may quickly shape these laws. There is need for measures to counter preexisting social forces through education and training of both men and women. The media can make a major contribution towards promoting these gender equality messages. Lack of sex disaggregated and gender responsive data Sex-disaggregated data and information from gender-sensitive indicators are often not collected, lost in aggregation of published data, or not used. Gender responsive data would help in tracking the progress made towards achievement of gender equality. SUGGESTED RECOMMENDATIONS Translation of commitments and policies promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment into action on the ground remains a major challenge in Africa. Based on the findings of this study, this section highlights some recommendations that can help countries successfully implement the commitments and policies aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Improved research and collection of gender responsive statistical data It is important to systematically collect accurate sex and gender disaggregated data and conduct research that is essential for monitoring and evaluating progress towards achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment. More efforts are needed to build capacity of national experts to collect gender disaggregated data in order to enhance integration of gender perspectives in the development process. Strengthen documentation and dissemination of information on promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment Sharing of information is important within countries, between countries and internationally and is critical to the success of achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment. There is need to intensify documentation of experiences with successful and unsuccessful practices and widely disseminate this information. It is important for member States, development partners and international and regional bodies to identify information exchange systems that can facilitate wide exchange of this information in the region. CONCLUSION The Empowerment of women has become one of the most important Concerns of 21st century not only at national level but also at the international level. Efforts by the Govt. are on to ensure Gender equality but Government initiatives alone would not be sufficient to achieve this goal. Society must take initiative to create a climate in which there is no gender discrimination and Women have full opportunities of Self decision making and participating in the Social, Political and Economic life of the Country with a sense of equality. As countries around the world work to promote gender equality and empower women as part of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, it can be expected that demand for smaller families will follow. Additionally, family planning programs can address women‘s empowerment as part of their mission to help women and couples have only the number of children they want. Such programs are likely to generate interest in family planning services, create demand for smaller families, and also reduce unwanted fertility. REFRENCES _Abadian, S. 1996. Women’s Autonomy and Its Impact on Fertility. World Development 24(12):1793-1809. _Gwako, E.L. 1997. Conjugal Power in Rural Kenya Families: Its Influence on Women’s _Decisions about Family Size and Family Planning Practices. Sex Roles 36(3-4):127-147. _Jejeebhoy, S.J. 1995.Women’s Education, Autonomy, and Reproductive Behaviour: Experience _from Developing Countries. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press. _Jejeebhoy, S.J. 2000. Women’s Autonomy in Rural India: Its Dimensions, Determinants, and the Influence of Context. Pp. 204-238 in Women’s empowerment and demographic processes: moving beyond Cairo, edited by H. Presser and G. Sen. London: Oxford University Press. _ Lee-Rife, S.M. 2011. Women’s Empowerment and Reproductive Experiences over the Lifecourse. Soc Sci Med 71(3):634-642. _Linos, N., M. Khawaja, and M. Al-Nsour. 2010. Women’s Autonomy and Support for Wife Beating: Findings from a Population-Based Survey in Jordan. Violence Vict 25(3):409-419. _ Mason, K.O. 1987. The Impact of Women‘s Social Position on Fertility in Developing Countries. Sociological Forum 4:718–745. _Morgan, P.S. and B.B. Niraula. 1995. Gender Inequality and Fertility in Two Nepali Villages. Population and Development Review 21(3):541-561. _Westoff, C. and A. Bankole. Reproductive Preferences in Developing Countries at the Turn of the Century. Calverton, Maryland: ORC Macro. DHS Comparative Reports No. 2. 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