The Monster Study Essays - Speech Impediments, Free Essays

The Monster Study Essays - Speech Impediments, Free Essays The Monster Study Holly Castle The Monster study is speech impediment experiment that was done on the children that lived in the orphanage. This experiment was conducted to find out if stuttering was inherited or did environment play a key factor. Wendell Johnson was the speech pathologist that conducted this study to find the cause and cure for stuttering. This study violated a lot of ethical issues because the children were psychological harm, informed consent was not given and the subjects were deceived. Wendell Johnson had a biased opinion in this study because he was a stutter himself and was desperate for a cure. In this essay, I will discuss the background of this experiment and the violations of ethics that were done in this study. The Monster study began on Jan. 1939, in Davenport, IA at the University of Iowa. The participates of this study were orphanages whose parents died in the civil war and their mothers could no longer take care them, so they were left in an orphanage. Johnson got permission from the University of Iowa to conduct his research at this orphanage. When conducting his research, Johnson decide to recruit one of his students to help with the experiment by the name of Mary Tudor. Mary Tudor was avid but timorous student that was willing to get involved in the research. In 2003, Reynolds stated that Tudor's responsibility in the study was to tell non-stuttering students that they stutter and to tell the one's that did stutter that they have perfect fluency. Her experiment begins with 22 subjects, none of the subjects were told of this study. They were also told that they will receive speech therapy. In 2003, Reynolds stated that Tudor's experiment, she had to induce healthy children into stammering: she also told stammering children that did not stuttering. Before this study began, there were ten participates that were target by matrons and teachers. The ten participates that were target as stutters were divided into groups. Five were group IA the experimental set and group IB were the control set. Group IA was told that their speech was fine and they had no problem. The other group IB was told your "''Yes, your speech is as bad as people say.'' The remaining twelve were ages 5-15 and was chosen randomly and they were separate into two groups of six. Group IIA were told that they were showing signs of stuttering and they must correct themselves immediately. In Group IIB, this was the control group and they were told that their speech was normal and was praised for their enunciation. The subjects in Group IIA sought a lawsuit against the University of Iowa because of their psycho logy harmed they received from this study. In this case study, there were a few incidents of violations of ethics. In 1998, Callahan recommends that researchers should follow the three ethical issues: Autonomy, beneficence, and human justice. Autonomy is the first ethical principle that a researcher should respect the participate and make sure that informed consent has been given. The participates of this study was not aware the risk or what the study was about and could not give consent legally because they were minors. Johnson and Tudor did not give full disclosure of this research to the minors, teachers, or matrons at the orphanage. Beneficence is the second ethical principle; the researcher should maximize the benefits to the individual or society without creating harm to the subject. Johnson was so determined to get a cure that he caused psychological damaged to these children and did not follow up with care. The last ethical principle is human justice. Researchers should choose their selection on equitable subjects instead of conducting research on institutionalized children and prisoners. Johnson unfairly targets the children in orphanage because they did not have any parental figure they could be taken advantage. In conclusion, this essay discusses the pertinent details of the case study and how Johnson and Tudor violated ethical issues to conduct inconclusive case study. The case study was done at the orphanage in Davenport, Iowa on 22 subjects. Johnson was determined to keep information from the participants and everybody that was involved, in order to validate his point about stuttering

Herman Hollerith, the Inventor of Computer Punch Cards

Herman Hollerith, the Inventor of Computer Punch Cards A  punch card  is a piece of  stiff paper  that contains digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. The information might be data for data processing applications or, as in earlier times, used to directly control  automated machinery. The terms  IBM card, or  Hollerith card,  specifically refer to punch cards used in semiautomatic data processing. Punch cards were widely used through much of the 20th century in what became known as the data processing industry, where specialized and increasingly complex  unit record machines, organized into  data processing systems, used punched cards for data input, output, and storage.  Many early  digital computers  used punched cards, often prepared using  keypunch  machines, as the primary medium for input of both  computer programs  and  data. Punched cards are now obsolete as a  recording medium, as the last election in which they were used was the 2014 midterms, according to the Pew Research Center. Semen Korsakov  was the first to use punch cards in informatics for information store and search. Korsakov announced his new method and machines in September 1832; rather than seeking patents, he offered the machines for public use. Herman Hollerith In 1881, Herman Hollerith began designing a machine to tabulate census data more efficiently than by traditional hand methods. The U.S. Census Bureau had taken eight years to complete the 1880 census, and it was feared that the 1890 census would take even longer. Hollerith invented and used a punched card device to help analyze the 1890 U.S. census data. His great breakthrough was his use of electricity to read, count and sort punched cards whose holes represented data gathered by the census-takers. His machines were used for the 1890 census and accomplished in one year what would have taken nearly 10 years of hand tabulating. In 1896, Hollerith founded the Tabulating Machine Company to sell his invention, the Company became part of  IBM  in 1924. Hollerith first got his idea for the punch-card tabulation machine from watching a train conductor punch tickets. For his tabulation machine, he used the punch card invented in the early 1800s, by a French silk weaver called  Joseph-Marie Jacquard. Jacquard invented a way of automatically controlling the warp and weft threads on a silk loom by recording patterns of holes in a string of cards. Holleriths punch cards and tabulating machines were a step toward automated computation. His device could automatically read information which had been punched onto a card. He got the idea and then saw Jacquards punchcard. Punch card technology was used in computers up until the late 1970s. Computer punched cards were read electronically, the cards moved between brass rods, and the holes in the cards created an electric current where the rods would touch. What Is a Chad? A chad is a small piece of paper or cardboard produced in punching paper tape or data cards; also can be called a piece of chad. The term originated in 1947 and is of unknown origin. In laymens terms, chad is the punched out parts of the card - the holes.

Trade union density has undergone significant decline since 1979 Essay - 3

Trade union density has undergone significant decline since 1979 - Essay Example A few decades ago, the trade unionism in the United Kingdom used to be very vibrant. Almost all the workers in both the public and private sectors were represented in the trade unions in UK (Blyton and Tumball, 2004). The trade unions had a huge representation of male workers who worked in the mass production industries. However, from 1979 trade union density in the country began to drop according to Blyton and Tumball (2004). Before this unfortunate decline, statistics show that membership in the trade unions considerably high; during this time, more than half of the entire workforce in the UK belonged to one form of trade union or another. This is stark contrast to the situation today when the trade unions only have 26% of UK workers as their members (Labour Force Survey Report, 2006). The private sector only contributes a mere 12% of its workforce as members to trade unions in the UK. The same statistics show that the majority of union workers are those who are in the public sector. Very few part time employees enrol in any of the unions. According to Butler’s (2005) analysis, there are fewer men than women in the most trade unions. Workers from across the country, regardless of whether they were working in public or private organizations were all affected by this decline. There are a number of factors that led to the decline of trade union membership in the private and public sector and they will all be discussed in this paper. The decline of trade union membership density in the UK started to be felt after Margaret Thatcher took over the premiership in 1979. Though her leadership is not the sole reason for the decline, it played a major role in not preventing the decline of trade unions in the United Kingdom. Right after Thatcher became the Prime Minister of Britain, there were several civil unrest cases throughout the whole country according to Butler

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example It also informs the audience of the challenges faced by various individuals who went through the school. These people are mostly blacks who sacrificed themselves to the betterment of the society. Obama as the president of the United States made the speech. In the two speeches, Obama claims that Americas are the authors of their own destiny. He also amplifies the notion that no difference that exists between blacks and whites. Moreover, he concurs that no one should be given preferential treatment based on color, but he or she must work hard to have such privileges. Obama use of ethos is highlighted in the two speeches and amplifies challenges and problems faced by American people. The perfect union speech was made when Obama campaign was in jeopardy. This was due to racial profiling that was taking place in opposing camps and some sections of the media. Moreover, his relationship with Reverend Jeremiah Wright and being part of his election campaign. He had been making speech consider ed offensive to some of the racial groups. These were mostly done during the Sunday sermons. For example, he talks of mistreatment of blacks by the whites (Carney and Sullivan 1). However, Obama disengages from the pastor by showing the history of racial differences in United States. He believes that the sentiments of the Reverend are because of what he went through during his upbringing in the fifties. He informs the audience that resentment is a characteristic of both whites and the blacks that may be caused by either missing opportunities in their lifetime. Obama connection with Reverend Jeremiah Wright was a point of concern to the audience. This is because he could be perceived as offering support to the blacks at the expense of the whites. This meant that most of the whites could note vote for him during the democrat primaries and election that were few days ahead. Moreover, other could have labeled him as a racist and thus not suitable for the unification of the American peop le. However, the speech broadcast to all Americans helped change most of the perceptions. This reached most of the people who had eligibility to vote. They identified themselves with the challenges Obama was going through. Consequently, they viewed Obama leadership as likely to be inclusive and not condoning racial profiling. Moreover, Obama strong appeals to ethos are seen as he distances himself from Wright. This occurs as he identifies himself as a person involved in the racial history of America. He considers himself a person of a mixed race background. In fact, he concurs to have been raised by white grandmother. He believes that his life has been surrounded by racial inequality. On the other hand, he is an astute politician with a form of education not achieved by many in the society. He manages to show that person’s upbringing does not shape his or her destiny. This gives him authority to make claims. He also handles the issue of Reverend Wright without appearing to da mage his character. He pleads with black Americans to â€Å"embrace the burden of our past without becoming victims of our past† (Jones 1). Obama understands these burdens as he is labeled as a racist during primaries. Moreover, he once heard the white grandmother-talking saying that she was cautious of the Black Americans in their neighborhood. Moreover, he puts Wrights views on the mistreatment of the blacks into historical context. He did this with

Adults with Learning Disabilities Essay Example for Free

Adults with Learning Disabilities Essay The discourse of ‘learning disabilities’ is now being used to challenge a wide range of acts and practices, including violence and intimidation, non-consenting sexual acts, the bullying of less resilient people by more able service users, unacceptably deprived physical or social environments and financial exploitation or fraud. Some argue that it should include all abuses of human rights. Clearly, these issues are not new as the following essay illustrates, and historically some of these practices have been hidden within service cultures while others have been quite open but variously rationalized as ‘behavior modification’, ‘relationships’, ‘control and restraint’, or ‘not giving in to attention seeking’. Abuse was regarded as a central, and inevitable, feature of institutionalized provision in influential models such as that of Goffman (1961) and Wolfensberger (1975 and 1980) within an analysis whose focus was on organizations and ideology. The new discourse is much more personalized and within it the focus is on the experience of the victim. This has some advantages for individuals and highlights some dilemmas for service organizations. It makes clear that people with learning disabilities are harmed, as any individual would be, by personal or sexual violence or exploitation. Harm is deemed equivalent whoever has caused it, for example whether it has been perpetrated by another service user, a member of staff or a stranger. This way of framing harmful acts highlights conflicts of interest between service users: the discourse of ‘challenging behavior’ for example, designed to neutralize the stigma of difficult behavior, inadvertently deflects from and discounts the experience of those on the receiving end of difficult behavior. Naming these acts as abusive confronts service agencies with the need for specialized, safe (expensive) placements for those who present a risk to others. Men with learning disabilities who have difficult sexual behaviors, for example, are often placed alongside very vulnerable people, their needs for asylum taking precedence over the safety of more vulnerable people (Thompson and Brown 1998). But while this acknowledgement is a step forward for individuals ,the new discourse risks personalizing forms of mistreatment that arise out of societal and structural inequalities. At an individual level, when issues of power are overlooked or neutralized, abusive and exploitative interactions can be explained away as relationships of choice. At a service level, new fault-lines between agencies and between purchasers, providers and regulators set up contingencies that make abuse more likely and less visible. At a societal level, there is growing inequality between the pay and working conditions of managerial, professional and so-called ‘unqualified’ staff within and across the statutory, private (for-profit) and voluntary (not-for-profit) sectors. Gender and race exacerbate the unequal position of direct care staff and the disproportionate responsibility that falls on them. This paper divides into two parts. First, I shall review the current usage of the term ‘learning disabilities’, looking at how it is being defined and categorized. Second, I will outline what is emerging as good practice in this field. WHAT DOES A LEARNING DISABILITY LOOK LIKE? Let me explain this with an exaomple: Saras lifelong difficulty with reading and writing had nothing to do with not being smart. Most individuals who have a learning disability are of average to above average intelligence and therefore have the intellectual potential to succeed at school and in careers. But they often do not reach this potential. While effort and motivation are important for success, it is clearly unfair to say of someone with a learning disability that he or she just needs to try harder. No matter how hard Sara worked, her problems did not go away. We know that a learning disability is caused by specific dysfunction within the central nervous system. The central nervous system, made up of the brain and the spinal cord, controls everything we do: our ability to process and think about language and to express ourselves verbally, as well as our ability to process nonverbal information, including art or music. Saras symptoms included reversing or rotating numbers (6 for 9), letters (b for d;p for q), and words (was for saw; on for no) when writing; omitting letters and sounds; and making sound and word substitutions when reading (tril for trial;then for there). Such problems make it difficult to decode words, and these decoding errors are most evident when reading aloud. Though never diagnosed, Saras symptoms became evident in first grade, when formal reading instruction began. As we learn to read we must of course master the alphabet, which is like a code, and learn the relationship between letters and sounds. Reading is a process of decoding the clusters of letters, converting them into words, and then attaching meaning to the words. In many cases, problems with phonological processing the ability to receive, transform, remember, and retrieve the sounds of oral language interfere with the acquisition of reading skills. Phonological processing involves the ability to separate a word into its component parts or blend sounds to construct a word. Problems with these skills make it very hard for the beginning reader to achieve fluency. Comprehension of written material depends on accurate and fluent decoding, a good vocabulary, and comprehension of the grammatical structure of sentences. When these skills are not developed that is, when they are slow and labored the reader must devote more energy and effort to identifying and comprehending each individual word, rather than constructing meaning from an entire paragraph or from general context. For many years, researchers believed that the reader automatically moved from reading the words on a page to comprehending, without participating in the process of constructing meaning. But recent research points to the fact that the reader plays an active role: using background knowledge about the subject, calling on appropriate strategies for both decoding and comprehension, and applying the right amount of attention and concentration. Reading strategies are now considered essential components of the reading process. These might include paraphrasing while reading or summarizing afterward to help with comprehension. Competent readers are able to evaluate the reading task and select strategies that are a good fit or match to the task. In Saras case, she read slowly and had to reread material several times, so she found it difficult to comprehend content or recall important facts when questioned about them later. Unlike good readers, she did not rely on strategies that could help her. She also struggled with writing. Many times she was ashamed to submit patient reports because she knew they were filled with spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors and were not organized or structured well. Her reports never reflected her knowledge or keen insight into patient care. Writing problems can be seen at any age, although they become more evident as academic or work demands increase. While Sara knew what she wanted to say, she had trouble getting started, focusing on the essential facts, and editing effectively. She tended to use the same words over and over. This was so different from her spoken language, which was rich and varied. Not surprisingly, it took her a long time and a good deal of effort to complete her reports. Her mathematical skills, though, were more than adequate. But there are people with learning disabilities who have problems understanding mathematical concepts or difficulty solving verbal or written mathematical problems. These problems may stem from more than one source, including inadequate spatial or directional sense and difficulty understanding abstract symbols or the language of mathematics. To use a basic example, someone who does not have a good understanding of concepts such as plus and minus is going to find it hard to identify the process needed to solve a mathematical problem. Learning strategies will be of great help to this person. Sara was also troubled by her erratic performance at work. Some days, she would be fine. But when she was fatigued or stressed, she found her attention was poor and she made more than the usual number of errors. At these times, she did not feel in control and usually needed to take a break and call on the support of friends to help her get back on track. While Sara felt her social life to be strength, some individuals who have learning disabilities have difficulty in social situations because they cannot perceive others needs and make or keep friends. Relationships with family and friends and associates on the job may suffer. As a way of compensating, an individual may avoid social situations altogether and thus become isolated. Others may struggle with low self-esteem and a lack of assertiveness, which can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies of failure. Moreover, repeated negative experiences in school and at home can discourage an individual from even trying. Many individuals who have learning disabilities have difficulty planning ahead and then evaluating their performance in academic courses or work-related tasks. Planning involves the ability to determine the outlines of a task and the skills it will require. Planning helps us generate strategies or know when to ask for outside help. We are not always conscious of initiating this type of planning because so many tasks are performed automatically, such as remembering a frequently called phone number by using a mnemonic, or writing notes in a book or on a memo. But when tasks are new or complex, active planning is needed. Other learning problems may stem from an inability to manage ones time effectively to get something done on schedule. For example, many college students do not leave sufficient time to research and write a term paper, and end up frantically completing it the night before it is due. Or a manager may delay writing a budget or marketing report, finding it hard to begin. In order to use strategies at school, at home, or on the job, we need to be aware of ourselves as learners. Researchers have suggested that each of us has our own built-in executive function that directs and controls our actions. If this executive is efficient and aware of individual skills and the strategies needed to accomplish a task, the appropriate plan of action can be put into effect. If the plan is unsuccessful, then the executive reevaluates and initiates a new course of action. Individuals who have learning disabilities have a less efficient executive, the theory goes, and are therefore less able to generate and use effective strategies in their personal and professional lives. In addition to learning disabilities, a large number of adults suffer from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD affects an individuals ability to focus and concentrate on school or work tasks, and to make good use of strategies. The struggle to achieve is so much harder with the added burden of ADHD. Although external factors do not cause a learning disability, we know that they do play a significant role in learning. It is well documented that the environment we live and work in influences and helps to shape our learning patterns, behavior, and sense of self. Research has consistently shown that the type and quality of support provided both at school and within the home are strong determinants of success in school, at work, or in ones personal life. For example, a supportive family, early identification of learning problems, and appropriate intervention may make all the difference in helping an individual compensate for the disability. Learning disabilities are found throughout the world and in all socioeconomic groups they are not bound by culture or language. Approximately the same numbers of males as females have learning disabilities, and the problem tends to run in families. Many prominent figures in politics, science, and the arts are reported to have had a learning disability, among them Nelson Rockefeller, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and Auguste Rodin. Einstein, for example, was described as having difficulty learning a foreign language and mathematics of all things! He also struggled with other academic subjects and with writing. All adults face the challenges and rewards of employment, home and family, leisure pursuits, community involvement, emotional and physical health, and personal responsibility and relationships. Adults who have learning disabilities must manage these life demands with an added set of problems. Society expects adults to be self-supporting, to function within a community, and to exhibit appropriate social behavior. Typically, to be self-supporting one must be employed. Employment for most adults spans a long period of time. It may begin with the exit from high school and continue for fifty or more years. While research on the employment of adults who have learning disabilities is sparse, and the findings that are available reflect the heterogeneity of the population, the information reported is unfortunately discouraging. It suggests that individuals with learning disabilities, as a group, show higher rates of unemployment, have jobs of lower status, receive lower pay, and change jobs more frequently than those without learning disabilities. Of course, there are many individuals at all levels of the workforce who do attain professional success. Further, there are well-documented accounts of persons with learning disabilities throughout history who have made significant contributions to society, among the most notable being Einstein, Edison, Churchill, and Rockefeller. It is important to keep in mind that adults who have learning disabilities who have above average intelligence, come from middle to higher economic backgrounds, and/or have completed postsecondary education, have higher rates of employment, higher job status, and greater job satisfaction than this research indicates. Those who graduate from college are much more likely to hold professional or managerial positions, for example, than those who have only a high school diploma. What makes success on the job so difficult for some people with learning disabilities? For one thing, persistent problems with reading, writing, and arithmetic can interfere with their work. Many report that they continue to struggle with decoding skills, sight vocabulary, and reading rate. Banking tasks and money management often bring out their troubles with arithmetic. Spelling is frequently reported to be the biggest problem of all. The level of basic skills that is required in the current job market is expanding to include more abstract abilities. Employers want their workers not only to be proficient in basic skills but also to be able to use these skills effectively and efficiently to solve on-the-job problems. Employers want the people they hire to be able to read for information, to analyze and synthesize the material, and apply the material read to on-the-job situations. They further expect employees to analyze problems, formulate solutions, and communicate that process, in writing, to others. Workplace mathematics, like reading and writing, also requires identification of the problem, analysis, and then the ability to find a solution. Employers further expect good interpersonal skills. The ability to use technology and information systems is becoming more essential as well. To do all of these things efficiently and effectively, workers must have mastered basic skills and be able to apply thinking skills. They also need personal qualities such as individual responsibility, self-esteem, and self management. The nature of a learning disability may affect the development of some of these competencies. For example, because of years of struggle and failure, self-esteem may be low and self-monitoring skills may not be functioning effectively. Employers often do not understand what a learning disability is, thus making it even more difficult for the adults with learning disabilities whom they supervise. Because employers cannot see the disability and may have limited knowledge about learning disabilities, they may find it difficult to understand that the problems are real. Therefore, they may fail to provide the necessary accommodations and supportive environment. They may often fail to recognize that, with assistance, workers who have learning disabilities may be tremendous assets to the company. A learning disability is a lifelong condition. Some adults, by the time they have completed their formal education, have learned to compensate for their difficulties. For many others, difficulties continue and to varying degrees impact on careers, social relationships, and activities of daily living. There are adults who were diagnosed as children and received services under the guidelines of PL 94-142. But more and more adults, who never knew why school was so hard, are now addressing the problem by initiating an assessment and seeking services to help them cope with their disabilities. Adults who have learning disabilities are a heterogeneous group. Some struggle with reading and writing, some with mathematical tasks, some with the basic challenges of daily life. There are adults who have learning disabilities who have trouble finding and keeping a job; others are professionally successful yet cannot seem to develop a satisfying social life. And there are those who seem to have few problems as they successfully negotiate the range of lifes demands. Adults who have learning disabilities are not merely children with learning disabilities grown up. The impact of having a learning disability differs at each stage of development. And adulthood itself has many stages, each with its unique challenges. Satisfaction or dissatisfaction at one stage does not guarantee the same degree of adjustment at another. At one point, the adult might deal with self-identity, at another with employment and economic independence, and still another with personal responsibility and relationships. As a group, adults who have learning disabilities represent a broad spectrum of the population. We see individuals of different ages, from different socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural groups. We see different clusters of social and learning problems that affect education, social, personal, and occupational adjustments. The field now recognizes the unique needs of the adult who has learning disabilities, and as such has responded by providing legal protection, programs, services, and an ever-developing information base. Where do we stand today? References: Erikson, E. H. 1968. Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: Norton. Hallahan, D. P. , Lloyd, J. W. , Kauffman, J. M. , Weiss, M. P. , Martinez, E. A. (2005). Learning disabilities: Foundations, characteristics, and effective teaching (3rd ed. ). Toronto: Pearson Education, Inc. Johnson, D. J. , Blalock, J. W. (1987). Adults with learning disabilities: Clinical studies. Orlando: Grune Stratton. Jordan, D. R. (1996). Teaching adults with learning disabilities. The professional practices in adult education and human resource development series. Malabar, Fla: Krieger Pub. Shapiro, J. , Rich, R. (1999). Facing learning disabilities in the adult years. New York: Oxford University Press. Wong, B. Y. L. (1998). Learning about learning disabilities. San Diego: Academic Press.

A Review of The Family Game by Yoshimitsu Morita Essays -- Kazoku Gemo

I watched The Family Game (Kazoku Gemo) by Yoshimitsu Morita. While initially hesitant I wound up loving the movie. It was a satire that succeeded both in being a pleasure to watch and also at times absolutely hilarious. The Family Game is basically a satire about Japan’s new middle class in the 1980s. The film intermixes industrial imagery between scenes which give the film a bleak feel. At the lowest level this is a movie about Shigeyuki Numata, a clearly intelligent student who (unlike his brother Shinichi) is largely unconcerned about his academics and does poorly in school. Shigeyuki’s father, a white-collar worker who is evidently comparatively affluent (but by no means â€Å"rich), relents to finding his son a tutor (e.g. what Sugimoto describes as â€Å"shadow education†). Yoshimoto takes on the challenge of increasing Shigeyuki’s grades and is relentless and demanding in his approach. However, on a more abstract level this is a film with much lar ger aspirations. The Family Game explores the problems with the educational systems in Japan, a dysfunctional Japanese family, gender roles, ...

Salary Surveys

The legal field in the United States is constantly changing. Assisting attorneys is no longer a one title job. An attorney can call his or her assistant a paralegal, a legal assistant, a legal secretary, and so on and so forth. The process to become an attorney’s assistant is also changing. Many attorneys in the United States prefer to hire paralegals. The American Bar Association defines a paralegal as â€Å"a person, qualified by education, training, or work experience, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which the lawyer is responsible† (American Bar Association, 1997). This broad definition allows a great variant in the salary paid to a paralegal. An entry level paralegal in Knoxville, Tennessee can expect to earn $35,000 per year according to www. salary. com. An entry level paralegal is defined as a paralegal with 0-2 years experience, and may or may not possess an Associate’s Degree in paralegal studies. In comparison, a Paralegal with five or more years experience and a bachelor’s degree can expect to earn $55,000 per year. The salary ranges throughout the state of Tennessee for paralegals are standard. This is not the case throughout the United States. Each state within the United States must account for cost of living. The cost of living in Southern California is significantly higher per year than the cost of living in Tennessee. The salaries that are paid to employees need to reflect this cost of living, at least to some degree. According to www. salary. com, an entry level paralegal in San Diego, CA can expect to earn $40,000 per year. A paralegal with five or more years of experience and a bachelor’s degree can expect to earn $70,000 per year. Cost of living is not the only reason for differences in pay based on region. Competition, education, and demand for certain positions also plays a part in the salary an employee can expect to earn. For example, in San Diego, CA major universities offer paralegal programs at the bachelor’s degree level. Because of this attorneys expect to hire the best educated paralegal, and a paralegal with only an associates degree will not be able to compete for jobs effectively in this region. In contrast, Tennessee does not offer very many paralegal programs at the bachelor’s degree level. The majority of paralegal programs in Tennessee are either certificate programs or associate’s degree programs. Population plays a major role in salary variants. The population of Knoxville, Tennessee does not require as many attorneys. The attorneys that do work in Knoxville, Tennessee most likely do not have the same work load as those attorneys who work in San Diego, California and do not need the same level of support form a paralegal. This also causes these attorneys to hire paralegals at a lower wage. The amount of money a person living in Knoxville, Tennessee can afford to pay an attorney is also less. Since attorneys in Knoxville, Tennessee earn less than attorneys in San Diego, California, the paralegals will also earn less. Another factor that affects the salary a paralegal will receive is area of law. A paralegal working for the US Attorney’s office in Knoxville, Tennessee can expect to make the same salary as a paralegal working for a private practice attorney in San Diego, California, educating and experience being equal. However, that same paralegal working for the US Attorney’s office in San Diego, California can expect to earn $5 more per hour than he or she did working in the same capacity in Knoxville, Tennessee. The area of law that a paralegal chooses to work in has a major impact on the salary received. By obtaining a bachelor’s degree and a graduate level paralegal certificate, obtaining a competitive salary in Knoxville, Tennessee has been disappointing compared to the salaries available in San Diego, California. However, due to the lower cost of living, a lower salary is acceptable. Holding a bachelor’s degree and a graduate level paralegal certificate also assists a paralegal in competing more effectively for the jobs that are available in Knoxville, Tennessee. The majority of the paralegals in Knoxville, Tennessee only possess an Associates degree in paralegal studies or relevant experience. These paralegals consistently earn less than a paralegal with a higher level of education, which is fair under the circumstances. Paralegals who have achieved a lesser amount of education can have a tendency to resent the inconsistencies in salary. Many of these paralegals feel that they are doing the same job as the more educated paralegal and should be receiving equal compensation. However, through further investigation one would conclude that a more highly educated paralegal will be allowed to conduct more research, write briefs, and work with minimal attorney supervision. This is in stark contrast to a paralegal with a lower level of education. In order to adjust for the inconsistencies in pay, an organization will usually offer bonuses for extra work put in as well as promotions. It is common practice to promote a paralegal with years of experience even if that paralegal is lacking in education. The promotion rate for a paralegal with a lower level of education may be on a slower timeline than that of a paralegal with a higher level of education, but this is an attempt to minimize the inconsistencies in salary. Receiving an adequate salary for a paralegal can be a complicated task. Many factors exist that provide for inconsistencies in salary. The region of the country a paralegal lives in, the type of law the paralegal works in, the amount of experience the paralegal has, and the level of education a paralegal has obtained all play a role in determining how much a paralegal should be paid. Reviewing the education programs available at the American Association for Paralegal Education will assist paralegals in receiving the highest possible salary throughout their career.

Should There Be Private Universities

rivate universities in India – why? how? Why do we need private universities? Higher education in India has largely been the preserve of the Government till recently in terms of both funding and provision of education. But for this to continue, the Government should continue to be in a position to pour in large sums of money to fund higher education. Today, the Government is unable to find the funds even to keep up its own commitment of spending 6% of GDP on education.There is also a clamour to spend more of what little funding the Government has allocated for education, on primary education than on higher education, and quite rightly so, given that many children don't even get a basic primary and secondary education today. Thus the Government spending on higher education as a percentage of overall government spending on education is only likely to decrease further in the coming years. But the demand for higher education is continuing to increase with more and more students wa nting a higher education today than ever before.How can we bridge the gap between increasing demand and decreasing government funding for higher education? The only option is to tap the private sector to participate in the funding and provision of higher education. The process of increasing private participation in higher education has already begun with a few states like Chhattisgarh and Uttaranchal having passed legislation to permit the setting up of private universities in their states.Indeed the private sector has been funding higher education in India for a long time, albeit on a very limited scale. The Birla Institute of Technology and Science at Pilani in Rajasthan, which is funded and run by the Birla Group Trust, became an officially recognised university as far back as 1964. Other institutions like the Manipal Group in Manipal in Karnataka have been running private colleges since 1953 and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education became a deemed university in 1993.Many othe r self-financing colleges were set up in the early 1990s and a few of them have now become deemed universities. Problems arising out of poor regulation of private universities After the passing of legislation in Chhattisgarh in 2002 (and subsequently in other states like Uttaranchal), to facilitate the establishment of private Universities with a view to creating supplementary resources to assist the State Government in providing quality higher education, there was a spate of private universities that were set up under the Chhattisgarh Act.The Chhattisgarh legislation was passed in a hurry without much care, leaving many loopholes in the Act, which were quickly exploited by many organisations that set up private universities, without a serious commitment to higher education. Many of the private universities set up under the Chhattisgarh Act did not have either the infrastructure, or a campus, or the funds to provide quality higher education, and functioned out of one-room tenements. The Chhattisgarh Act did not provide for proper regulation and maintenance of standards by these universities and moreover, the Chhattisgarh Government did little to ensure that the private universities did what they were expected to do according to the legislation. Students who signed up for courses offered by private universities set up under the Chhattisgarh Act were being taken for a ride by many private universities who had no capability to offer quality courses.Prof. Yashpal, former chairman of the University Grants Commission, petitioned the Supreme Court in 2004 to declare the Chhattisgarh legislation unconstitutional and the Supreme Court after due deliberation concurred and declared in February 2005 that all the private universities set up under the Chhattisgarh Act were illegal, putting the careers of all the students who enrolled in the institutions set up by the private universities in jeopardy.But to protect the interests of the students, the Supreme Court directed the Chhattisgarh Government to take appropriate steps to have such institutions affiliated to the already existing State Universities in Chhattisgarh. It is important to note that the Supreme Court did not state that all private universities are illegal – it has only stated that the manner in which the Chhattisgarh legislation allowed the setting up of private universities was illegal. The problem is not with private participation in higher education, but with the poorly drafted Chhattisgarh legislation and the lack of proper egulation. Given the Government's lack of funds for higher education and the increasing demand for higher education, we simply cannot do without private universities. We have no option but to tap private funding for higher education. The task before us now is to come up with ways and means to ensure that private universities are properly regulated, yet autonomous and independent enough to flourish, and held to high standards to provide quality higher educat ion. How can we ensure private universities are held to high standards? We can borrow the model from the corporate sector.Just as all companies are required by law to publish annual reports providing details of their assets, liabilities, profits and losses, the profiles of the board of directors and the management and various other financial information, every educational institution (whether public or private) should publish an annual report with details of the infrastructure and facilities available, profiles of the trustees and the administrators, the academic qualifications and experience of the staff, the courses offered, the number of students, the results of the examinations, the amount of funds available to the university and the sources of funding etc.In addition, every educational institution must get itself rated by an independent rating agency like CRISIL, ICRA or CARE and publicly announce its rating to prospective students to enable the students to choose the instituti on they want to enroll in. At one stroke, this will bring in transparency and ensure that every educational institution, whether public or private, is accountable not only to those students who are studying in the institution, but to prospective students and the public at large as well.Public announcements of the financial and educational records of the institutions as well as their ratings by independent rating agencies will generate healthy competition between the various private institutions and will also put pressure on the Government funded institutions to work towards all-round improvement. Such a system is already in place for maritime education in India. In 2004, the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), which regulates maritime education in India, introduced a system of rating maritime training institutions in India.In 1996, maritime education was opened to private sector participation and over 130 private institutions are in operation today. To ensure that all institution s provide high quality education, the DGS has asked all maritime educational institutions to get themselves rated by one of the three reputed independent rating agencies in India – CRISIL, CARE or ICRA. The publicly announced ratings will benefit he students, in deciding which institution to enroll in, the institutes, in differentiating themselves based on their quality, the employers, in assessing the quality of students graduating from the institutes and the DGS as well, to non-intrusively regulate the maritime education sector and ensure high quality of education. Maritime education institutes, both public and private, are now getting themselves rated by independent rating agencies and the DGS lists the ratings on its web site. Introducing a similar model across all other sectors of higher education including engineering, medicine, arts, sciences etc. ill ensure that only those institutions with better facilities, staff and infrastructure and reputations will thrive. This will go a long way in ensuring the provision of quality higher education not only in the private sector, but in the public sector as well. The Centre and the States should pass legislation to make it mandatory for all higher education institutions to publish a detailed annual report of their financial and educational status and also be rated by independent rating agencies and publicly announce their ratings.

The Pros of Mosquitoes and Their Important Roles

The Pros of Mosquitoes and Their Important Roles Not much love is lost between people and mosquitoes. If insects can be credited with evil intent, mosquitoes seem determined to wipe out the human race. As carriers of deadly diseases, mosquitoes are the  deadliest insect on Earth. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people die from malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever after being bitten by a disease-carrying, blood-sucking mosquito. The Zika virus can harm fetuses if a pregnant woman gets bitten, and chikungunya can cause debilitating joint pain. If these diseases affect a large population at once, the outbreak can overwhelm local health care, the UN reports. Mosquitoes also carry diseases that pose serious threats to livestock and pets. At the very least, these bloodthirsty insects are major annoyances, biting humans with a persistence that can be maddening. Knowing this, is there an intrinsic value to keeping them around? If we could, should we just eradicate them all off the face of the earth? The answer is mosquitoes do have value. Scientists are divided as to whether theyre worth it, though. The Long History of Mosquitoes on Earth Mosquitoes populated this planet long before man. The oldest mosquito fossils date back some 200 million years, to the Cretaceous period.   More than 3,500 species of mosquitoes have already been  described from various parts of the world, of which only a few hundred species bite or bother humans. In fact, only female mosquitoes bite humans. Males lack the parts to penetrate human skin.   Benefits Many scientists agree that mosquitoes present more of a hassle than they have value. The mere fact that they are the reason for so many human deaths a year is reason enough to wipe them off the planet. However, mosquitoes serve important functions in numerous ecosystems, serving as food for many species, helping filter detritus for plant  life to thrive, pollinating flowers, and even affecting the herding paths of caribou in the tundra. Last, scientists are looking at the mosquito for potential medical treatments. The Food Web Mosquito larvae are aquatic insects  and, as such, play an important role in the aquatic food chain. According to Dr. Gilbert Waldbauer in The Handy Bug Answer Book, Mosquito larvae are filter feeders that strain tiny organic particles such as unicellular algae from the water and convert them to the tissues of their own bodies, which are, in turn, eaten by fish. Mosquito larvae are, in essence, nutrient-packed snacks for fish and other aquatic animals. In addition, while species of mosquitoes eat the  carcasses of  insects  that drown in the  water,  the mosquito larvae feed on the waste products, making nutrients such as nitrogen available for the plant community to thrive. Thus, the elimination of those mosquitoes  might affect plant growth in those areas. A mosquitos role on the bottom of the food chain does not end at the larval stage. As adults, mosquitoes serve as equally nutritious meals for birds, bats, and spiders. Mosquitoes seem to represent a considerable biomass of food for wildlife on the lower rungs of the food chain. Mosquito  extinction, if it is achievable, could have an adverse effect on the ecosystem. However, many scientists suggest that the ecosystem could eventually rebound and another species could take its place in the system. Acting as Pollinators Only the females of some mosquito species need a meal of blood to get the proteins necessary to lay eggs. For the most part, male and female adult mosquitoes depend on nectar for energy. While retrieving nectar, mosquitoes pollinate plants to help to ensure that different types of plant life thrive.  When mosquitoes pollinate  plants, especially the aquatic ones around which they spend much of their lives, they help perpetuate these plants. These plants provide cover and shelter for other animals and organisms. Medicinal Lessons? Although the mosquito has been a known vector for spreading disease all over the world, there is some hope that mosquito saliva may  have some potential use for the treatment of the No. 1 worldwide killer of humans: cardiovascular disease. One promising application is the development of anticlotting drugs, such as clotting inhibitors and capillary dilators. The composition of mosquito saliva is relatively simple, as it usually contains fewer than 20 dominant proteins. Despite the great strides in knowledge of these molecules and their role in blood feeding, scientists still know only about half of the molecules found in the insects saliva.

8 Steps to Writing a Magnetic College Student Resume

8 Steps to Writing a Magnetic College Student Resume This right here is a post that approached the art of magnetic college student resume writing from a rather unorthodox perspective. But hey, that’s what it’s going to take for most grads in the modern world to land a sweet job! This is current, insider info. Step 1. Quality Approaches vs. Quantity The first thing to realize is that it’s better to focus fire your efforts on a small number of ideal options (1-5), rather than planning on designing a resume to send out en masse. Why? Who cares why? It should be obvious. If it’s not, then you better keep reading because you’re out of touch with the inbound marketing world. Because of the modern job market, you need to come across in a serious and personalized way to stand out from the crowd. How many other grads are applying to this position? Furthermore, if you lack experience and haven’t had the chance yet to prove yourself, then you’re going to need to really make up for that fact with a magnetic and irresistible college student resume (among other things). More details in our blog post on how to write a resume with no job experience. Step 2. Inventory Specs Benefits Take an hour out of your day, grab two pieces of paper and a pencil and do some masterminding. On one page, list your specifications. These are all the basic skill-sets and book smarts you have relevant to the position. Include certifications, degrees etc. On the other page, you list the benefits of hiring you from the company’s perspective. Now, realize that in today’s world, the specs don’t mean too much. It’s a results-driven world out there. Where’s the results you’ve created? If there are none, then the only leverage you have are the benefits of hiring YOU. And, the good news is that there’s only one of you. How can you capitalize on that fact? Step 3. Consider How You Might Break the Rules Study the resumes that most HR personal will expect to see and then ask yourself if there’s anything you can do to break the rules, but in a way that works in your favor. It’s hyper-competitive out there folks! Snap some intern out of their daze for a minute and get noticed! What do you have to lose by showing a bit of personality? Because guess what, most startups out there (and there’s millions of them paving the way for the future of the technologically driven world) are looking for young, creative and personable folks to work with. Communicate that millennial spirit. However, you should take into consideration that there are still some rules about writing a resume that are better to follow. Step 4. Come Out Swinging Be Direct Don’t think you can beat around the resume bush and get away with it. You can’t. Get straight to the primary benefit of hiring you and then list off your most impressive specification first. Stack the deck so that they see only the biggest selling points you have. Then, taper as you go but keep your resume ideally packaged on one page. With every word and sentence you put on that resume, ask yourself if you’re getting to the point or avoiding something. Boom! You’re not knocking on the door here folks, you’re kicking it in. â€Å"Here’s why you should hire me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bam, Bam, Bam! Also, dont forget about the power of words. Find out what good adjectives for a resume are and try to use them! Step 5. Harness the Power of Formatting I want you to look at your resume the way a copywriter looks at an expertly formatted advertorial web article. You know, the kind that you can’t help but reading and then have you pulling out your credit card for something. The title of your resume is as important to you as it is to a business trying to land on the first page of Google search results. The content must be easy to scan through. Subtitles, bullet-point lists, benefits and specifications. The content begins with a short introductory paragraph that serves as the hook. This should be crafted using your primary benefits. Check out good resume examples on websites which weve added to the list of top 10 resources about college graduate resume writing. Step 6. Yes, Have an Editor or Proofreader Look at It There’s no question. Unless you yourself are some kind of trained editor or proofreader, have someone else do it. In fact, you might want to consider actually paying a professional to look at it. Speaking of which†¦ Step 7. Consider Outsourcing These days you can hop online and pay freelance resume writers to craft something super-professional and impressive. All they’ll need is everything you wrote on those two pieces of paper from earlier and the list of companies you’re focusing on. Step 8. Maintain a Current Resume As time goes by and you collect more benefits and specifications that are resume worthy, be sure to update your resume. Things move quickly. Jobs can come and go before you know it. Always maintain your resume with the mindset that you could be on the job hunt at any moment. After the perfect resume is created, you should send it out! If you wont get the answer soon, dont be desparate. Consider sending a follow-up letter after sending a resume!

Light and Telescopes and Gravity Research Paper

Light and Telescopes and Gravity - Research Paper Example Optics is a common term used to refer to the study of light and its interactions with matter. Reflection is the bouncing back of light on a surface, in most cases resulting in image formation. Refraction on the other hand denotes the bending of the rays of light when passing through one medium to another (124). The speed of light in different transparent materials with ordinary matter is lower than that in a vacuum. For instance, the velocity of light in water is 75% the speed of light in a vacuum. The behavior of light is dependent on its wavelength and like other electromagnetic radiations high frequencies translate into lower wavelengths and vice-versa. Light is made up of photons/ quanta of lower energy levels which evoke excitations (electronic) in the molecules it interacts with resulting in variations in the chemistry/ bonding of the molecule. In the lower portion of the spectrum of light, the radiation (infrared) is no longer visible as the quanta of these radiation lack energy sufficient to elicit variation in molecule retinal of the eye retina, hence no visibility (at least not via quantum absorption) (Walker, 418). Over the limit of visible light, UV radiation is not visible to human eyes because it is absorbed by the internal lens below 400nm and the cornea below 360nm. In addition, the human retina’s cones and rods cannot detect radiation of wavelength below 360nm and are destroyed by such radiation. The main source of light on earth is the sun with approximately half of the EMR from the sun in the visible light region. However, there are a plethora of other light sources and mechanisms of producing light such as bioluminescence, electroluminescence, sonoluminescence, scintillation, radioactive decay, triboluminescence, particle-antiparticle annihilation, chenkov radiation, and so on. Light is either measured via photometry or radiometry. Light applies physical pressure on objects along its path with its