Reflective Autobiography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflective Autobiography - Assignment Example At a very young, when I had just started school, I was taught about the family and here the subject of diversity first emerged. My teachers and my parents taught me on how diversity played a significant role in the family make-up. Not only were roles played by each individual in my family were diverse, but I also came to learn having different families leaving in the same community and in harmony despite their many differences represented a significant role of diversity to the community. Just like a family, the community is linked to a more complex state of diversity as there are so many factors involved in distinguishing not only families but individuals as well. It is at this stage that I was able to learn factors such as ‘nuclear,’ ‘single’, ‘extended’ and many other terms that were used to describe families (Harris). Then while interacting with my peers and the community as a whole I was able to notice how we all looked different. Growing up reflected many incidences of diversity, and I grew to understand its meaning in-depth. Later into life as my education advanced is when I started understanding the meaning of diversity under more complex subjects and contexts such as its role in communication, business, sociological, political, and technological. I came to realize that diversity is the uniqueness in every aspect of our life, the differences that define each of us as a person. These aspects include race, age, religion, political ideology, ethnicity, sexuality, physical appearance and abilities, preferences, as well as cultural practices (Unzueta, Knowles, and Ho). As I grow older, I realized that diversity is what determines every step in my life including the diversity in the choices I made for my lifestyle. Having been born and raised in China and later moving to the US where I have been studying the English language for the last ten years has been a great step for me as far as diversity is concerned. Not only have I

International Market Entry and Development Essay - 1

International Market Entry and Development - Essay Example The paper explores a number of issues enveloping international market entry and growth. International Market Entry and Development A. Market Research in Appraising Foreign Market Potential The practice of market research pursues to expose the market potential of targeted foreign market. This encompasses investigating if the targeted export market enjoys the crucial means to procure imported products, in addition, to whether the needs and prospects of the target market are being sufficiently met. The evaluation of new market’s potential incorporates information centering on features such as competition, market volume and the economy expansion rate, and present trade restrictions. The examination of market prospective also engages competitive strength analysis by highlighting the competitors in the new market, additionally to comparative extent delivery of the objective market shares (Sakarya, Eckman & Hyllegard, 2007). Market size evaluation incorporates an appraisal of the all ocation of the overall market share within the new country that the organization can sensibly anticipate acquiring, as dictated by dynamics such as competition and pricing. Market growth evaluation entails an appraisal of the present demand and future claims, plus unexploited or unmet demand (Sakarya, Eckman & Hyllegard, 2007). There are a number of competitive tactics that may manipulate the choice of new foreign markets such as forestalling the entrance of related organizations or going into a market where huge competitors are deficient. B. The Considerations for Product Adaptation in Foreign Markets Product adaptation details a broad range of concerns varying from superiority and manifestation of products, to other features such as assembly, casing and modeling. Merchandise may have to be adjusted dynamically to match the physical, social, or obligatory prerequisites of a new market (Ajami, 2006). Likewise, the product might be redesigned or repackaged to suit varied consumer lik ings. In seeking product adaptation, organizations ought to be cautious of the downsides linked with adaptation. Inclusive adaptation of marketing solutions is not fundamentally constructive given that it hinders organizations’ capacity to employ benefits derived from features such as economies of scale (Ajami, 2006). Nevertheless, product adaptation assists organizations to appraise and efficiently exploit enriching differentiations, in addition, to distinguishing the company’s attributes and potential. Several factors that steer product adaptation encompass differential exploitation of conditions, political and regulatory pressures, changing client behavior models, competition, and coalition with the marketing concept (Goldman & Nieuwenhuizen, 2006). The edifying and psychological dynamics impacting on product adaptation comprise of facets such as consumption models (models of purchase and patterns of usage), and psychological attributes outlining outlooks towards th e brand. C. Approaches to Amending Promotional Tactic to Fit Foreign Markets Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning Segmentation in marketing is typically commenced at the client level. Nevertheless, in international

Describe Romeo and Juliets love Essay Example for Free

Describe Romeo and Juliets love Essay Describe Romeo and Juliets love and the way it develops in the course of the play. (Look carefully at the language used and use short quotations to illustrate your answer. ) Shakespeare meant for his plays to be performed on a stage and not to be read, he was a very skilled play write and he made his audiences believe things that in reality could not happen in such a short space of time. Romeo and Juliets love for one another shows their disobedience towards their parents. The houses that the pair of star crossd lovers belong to are involved in an ancient feud. We are made aware of the feud before we even meet the lovers; it is the very first thing that the Chorus, who is a single person on the stage which Shakespeare and many other play writes used to calm down a disorderly audience and give background information on the play, says: Two households both alike in dignity In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. Their love is ill-fated from the moment they first meet, at Capulets party, because of the dispute that has been going on for generations. When we first meet Romeo, his father Lord Montague describes Romeos melancholic mood, this fits exactly the contemporary ideas of lovesickness in Shakespeares time. Lord Montague and Benvolio contrast Romeos feelings for Rosaline and how they have changed his personality. We can see that Romeo is not himself as he says: Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here; This is not Romeo, hes some other where. The many oxymorons, Romeo uses in his speech are meant to suggest his confused state of mind: Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, Still-waking sleep,Romeo sees Rosaline as the most beautiful woman on earth he matches her beauty to those of saints: When the devout religion of mine eye Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fire! It seems that Romeo is only in love with the idea of being in love. On our first meeting with Juliet her mother is calling her. She replies to her mother in a formal way: Madam, I am here. What is your will? She is modest, quiet and beautiful. Since she is from a powerful Verona family she is well dressed. When Lady Capulet suggests that the County Paris would make a good husband, Juliet responds:Ill look to like, if looking liking move. But no more deep will I endart mine eye Than your consent gives strength to make it fly. In the times when the play was written it was normal for parents to arrange who their daughter would marry. When Romeo sees Juliet for the first time his extravagant declarations of love for Rosaline vanish in a second. He now speaks with tenderness and plainness: Beauty to rich for use, for earth to dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, As yonder lady oer her fellows shows. In the last line of his speech, Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I neer saw true beauty till this night. What Romeo says, is that what he said earlier in the play was silly and wrong. Ironically, when Benvolio was persuading Romeo to go to the party he told him he would soon forget Rosaline and this is just what happened. Romeo anticipates the line of approach he will take during the dance by saying that her touch will bless his hand. It was believed at this time that true love always struck at first sight; love that grew gradually was no love at all. This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand. This is a quick-witted bout of flirtation in which both sides are equally smitten, as is made clear by what follows, but in which Juliet plays the proper young girls role of cutting up Romeos lines as fast as he can think them up. Saints do not move, but grant for prayers sake. Then have my lips the sin that they have took. and You kiss by the book. This shows Juliet to be much wittier than a typical 13 year old girl. This flirtatious fourteen-line passage is actually a sonnet; it was popular in the sixteenth century and generally regarded as the proper means for love poetry. Juliet manages to tease Romeo slightly in the earnest gesture of the devotion that they declare: For saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch, and Ay, pilgrim, lips that they use in prayer. Juliet is encouraging Romeo to kiss her in a subtle way. She takes early charge of the relationship. Romeos love for Juliet is unmistakably passionate, which an Elizabethan audience would have loved. He uses a lot of effective imagery. For example the image of the sun: It is the east, and Juliet the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Romeo is putting Juliet on a higher pedestal, saying she is a higher being, he is also referring to the brightness of her beauty, and that she brings light into his world of darkness. In calling for the triumph of the sun over the moon, Romeo is hoping she will not remain a virgin much longer. Women who prolonged their virginity excessively were thought to suffer from green-sickness, a problem that could only be cured by healthy lovemaking. The entire opening soliloquy to this scene is devoted to Romeos fevered desire that Juliet will make love with him. Despite his passion, he is shy enough, and polite enough, not to simply burst in upon her. It is the tension between his overwhelming desire and his reserve that shows how much he truly loves her. The comparison of a womans eyes to bright stars was a usual thing, but Romeo elaborates it in a dazzling series of lines dwelling on the brightness of Juliets beauty: The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars As daylight doth a lamp. Her eyes in heaven Romeo is impetuous, impulsive and has his head in the clouds; he uses phrases of elaborate description. Whereas Juliet is down-to-earth, practical, natural and spontaneous by her speech we can tell that it is her first experience of love and that she is young and because of the language she uses that Romeo excites her. It is Juliet who is thinking through the consequences of their love more systematically and practically than is Romeo. She almost immediately speaks of the death that threatens him: And the place of death, considering who thou art, If any of my kinsmen find thee here Romeo replies that love cannot be held out by stony limits. Romeo believes that love has directed him to Juliet. From the beginning their dialogue is riddled with reference to death. This is dramatically ironic because the chorus already told the audience that they will die because of their love. When Romeo says: Alack, there lies more peril in thine eyes; And thou but love me, let them find me here He is using conventional and courtly language, which goes back centuries. Juliets long speech makes clear that she is still an honourable young woman who wishes her love had not been so promptly revealed; but now that it has been, she does not intend to look backward. She indirectly refers that Jove laughs at the oaths of lovers. Just as Romeo had scorned the moon for its virginity, Juliet rejects it as too variable: O swear not by the moon, th inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable. Juliet is honest. She feels that she has been too easily won by Romeo: Or if thou thinkst I am too quickly won, Ill frown and be perverse and say thee nay, So thou wilt woo; but else, not for the world. Again Juliet allows herself to flirt with oath in calling Romeo her God. Romeo insists that he will love Juliet faithfully. Having proclaimed her love once, the basis of Juliets expression is unstopped, and she becomes the dominant figure in the rest of the scene. This young pair know very little about each other except that they are extremely attractive and witty. Juliets has split moods in this scene one is lead by her head and one by her heart. Her head is her practical side; her heart is spontaneous and excited. Falconry was a popular sport in Elizabethan England. Juliet is comparing Romeo to a falcon, and what she would like is for Romeo to be her falcon, she likes the idea of being able to call him back to her hand whenever she needs him: Hist! Romeo, hist! O for a falconers voice, To lure this tassel-gentle back again! When Romeo asked the Friar to marry Juliet and himself, the Friar agreed only because he is hoping that the marriage of Romeo and Juliet will put an end to feud between the houses of Montague and Capulet. From the text we can tell that Friar Laurence is Romeos confident, a father-figure. Children in the 14th/15th Centuries who had important parents didnt have the same relationship as children today have with their parents. This is why Juliet confides in her nurse and Romeo in Friar Laurence. The last line in Act two Scene one, Friar Laurence is saying to Romeo that he should take it slow because those that go to fast will stumble later on: Wisely and slow: they stumble that run fast. In the marriage scene it is Friar Laurence who is thinking ahead, he says: So smile the heavens upon this holy act, That after hours with sorrow chide us not! Romeo, lives only in the present, and says so: Amen, amen! But come what sorrow can, It cannot countervail the exchange of joy That one short minute gives me in her sight. In his view, the joy of a minute with Juliet will be greater than all the possible sorrow of any later hours. Romeo adds that he is ready to face the greatest sorrow of all: Do thou but close our hands with holy words, Then love-devouring death do what he dare; It is enough I may but call her mine. These exulting words foreshadow what actually happens; love-devouring death makes its first appearance shortly after the wedding. The Friar understands that Romeo thinks love will make him bullet-proof, and tries to talk some sense into him: These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, Which as they kiss consume. On their wedding night Friar Laurence anticipates that they will consume each other (consummate their marriage). Just like the nurse anticipates for Juliet. The Friar says that the ecstasies of love cant last forever. The sweetest honey Is loathsome in his own deliciousness, And in the taste confounds the appetite: In other words, too much honey can ruin its taste. The Friar concludes his little talk by advising Romeo to love moderately as, Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow. Juliet reveals her innermost feelings in her soliloquy. She is apprehensive and excited: she makes a reference to the classical god Phoebus Apollo: Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phoebus lodging; such a waggoner. Juliet uses a lot of phrases that make her seem impatient like, Gallop, leap and fiery-footed steeds. Juliet is nervous about what is going to happen when Romeo arrives. She extends the falcon image: Hood my unmannd blood, bating in my cheeks, With thy black mantle; till strange love, grown bold, She gives the impression that she is worried about her body and that she will not fulfil Romeos needs. The repetitive use of the word come refers to her impatience for Romeo to arrive quickly to her. Most of the soliloquy is of a sexual nature but some of it is not, for example: Give me my Romeo. And when I shall die Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the faces of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night, This is extremely romantic. It also refers to death. When the nurse tells Juliet that Romeo has killed Tybalt, Juliet uses oxymorons, these show that she is confused, beautiful tyrant and fiend angelical. However, when the nurse starts to criticise Romeo, Juliet cuts off the nurse and defends him, Blisterd be thy tongue. Juliet implies that banishment is worse than death. She seems more mature and her practical side is seen especially when she says: My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain; And Tybalts dead, that would have slain my husband: Romeo uses direct and romantic speech that shows his sincere and loving feelings; It was the lark, the herald of the morn, No nightingale. Look, love, what envious streaks Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east. Nights candles are burnt out, and jocund day Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops. I must be gone and live, or stay and die. This shows that he is mature; much more than Juliet earlier in the play. Their mature dreamy roles are swapped. Romeo reassures Juliet that they will be together again: I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve For sweet discourses in our time to come. Juliets reply to this phrase is: O God! I have an ill-divining soul: Methinks I see thee, now art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb: Either my eyesight fails, or thou lookst pale. This is dramatic irony because when Juliet wakes up from the potion she does see Romeo on the floor of the tomb. Juliet seeks the help of Friar Laurence because she has been abandoned by her parents and her nurse, the one person she is closest to, except for Romeo but it seems that he too has deserted her. She feels suicidal when she talks to Friar Laurence; she would rather die than marry the County Paris. When Friar Laurence suggests that she takes the potion she appears to be relieved. Though out the scene she is very courageous. The soliloquy dwells on her fear of the vault; it enlarges what she had already said to Friar Laurence. The speech confirms that the vault is connected with the catastrophic climax of the play. She is determined to kill her self in the potion does not put her in a slight coma: What if this mixture do not work at all? Shall I be married than tomorrow morning? No, no; this shall forbid it: lie thou there. She fears it could be poison and she then contradicts that statement in the next one. She feels that she may go mad in the tomb if Romeo is not there when she wakes, the horror of these images make her go mad. In the end she takes the potion for Romeos sake: Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Heres drink I drink to thee! Romeos speech before taking the poison is direct and simple poetry. He is still referring to Juliet as light. In the speech Romeo personifies death and accuses death of trying to keep Juliet beautiful so that death can use her for his pleasure: That unsubstantial death is amorous, And that the lean abhorred monster keeps Thee here in the dark to be his paramour? He uses grotesque metaphors and similes. He appears to be preparing himself for death. A dateless bargain to engrossing death! He is trying to prolong the moment. His love for Juliet is obvious at this point in the play; he drinks the poison for Juliet, Heres to my love! all he wants is to be with Juliet and if they cant be together in life then the must be in death. As a result of the lovers deaths the families are brought together. Prince Escalus makes sure that the blame is shared; he makes that very clear: Where be these enemies? Capulet! Montague! See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love; And I, for winking at your discords too, Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished. The prince is also blaming himself; he knows that all had a part to play is Romeo and Juliets deaths, and this is why it is such a tragic ending which is written in a very expert way.

Educational needs of immigrant and refugee students

Educational needs of immigrant and refugee students This literary review examines what educators are doing to assist the influx of foreign students, what tools they use in class, and how these students perceive treatment by other students in class. In this article, I include examinations from a series of articles that relate to the topic I chose in class, which are the educational needs of immigrants and refugee students. In order to understand what these needs are, I selected articles that address the needs of immigrant and refugee students, and focused on what teachers develop in their classroom to facilitate those needs. This literary review also addresses the effectiveness of dual language programs for immigrant/refugee students, and how educators can reach these students effectively utilizing the dual language model. Educational needs of immigrant and refugee students: Are teachers meeting the needs of these students? An immigrant leaves his homeland to find greener grass. A refugee leaves his homeland because the grass is burning under his feet- Barbara Law Teachers in classrooms today face an ever-changing, more difficult challenge than those who taught in previous generations. The culture of students in class changes every year, making it complicated for educators to reach the unfamiliar ground effectively. As an educational society, we have not seen the demographics of students change more since the influx of immigrants in the early 1900s. During the past 20 years, the amount of foreign speaking students in a typical public school has doubled, if not tripled in size (Goldenberg, 2008). According to Kugler, E. G. (2009), the population of immigrant children in the classroom stands at 10.8 million students. With that said, the question remains as to how teachers reach the new immigrant and refugee students. This literature review addresses the needs of the changing environment in which teachers and students cohabitate together on a daily basis, how teachers reach students with language barriers, and complications that both parties face daily. What is the difference between a refugee and an immigrant? In order to understand the basis for this article, one must first understand the concept of refugee and immigrant. According to Colorà ­n Colorado (2008), refugees are individuals who fled their lands in fear of persecution due to personal, religious or political beliefs, in search of a safe haven. Immigrants are people that migrant to a different country in search of a more suitable job opportunity, living situation, or a desire to move closer to extended family. The major difference in a refugee and an immigrant is that refugees leave their country in a hurry, whereas the immigrant plans the move ahead of time. According to Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, educators define immigrant students as such, individuals who are aged 3 through 21; were not born in any state; and have not been attending one or more schools in any one or more states for more than 3 full academic years (SDCOE, 2010). What parts of the world are immigrants and refugees coming from? This question poses large relevance to the manner in which teachers address the needs of students arriving from different countries. The needs of these students vary by country and status of which they enter the U.S. During the 1980s, there were a vast number of refugees entering the United States from Latin American countries, some arrived from Asia, and a handful came from the Caribbean islands. Statistics shows that over 85% over refugees arriving from this decade were from Latin American countries (Jensen Chitose, 1994). During the 1990s, the arrival of refugees came primarily from countries involved in conflicts such as Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and Sudan (McBrien, 2005). In 2003, the approved refugee applications came from similar countries to United states during the 1990s influx, Bosnia (3,874), Afghanistan (1,635), Sudan (1,054), while the majority of applicants received were from the country of Somalia (24,458) (McBrien, 2005). What are the needs of immigrant and refugee students? Students who arrive from other countries requesting educational services from American teachers have many educational needs. This need varies by culture, and depends upon the services each student received in his/her home country. Many students from other countries have difficulty in reading abilities. This problem worsens when trying to grasp reading concepts in the English language. In researching this, Goldenberg states that students who learn to read in his/her first language are far more effective in grasping English language reading concepts, than those who have no reading ability at all. Teachers must use sensitivity when attempting to help foreign students in their reading ability, as these students will be discouraged if they are corrected too often, or too soon when learning English. Educators must approach instruction of reading concepts to foreign students with caution, and allow for extra time when completing assignments (Goldenberg, 2008). One critical need that refugee students have when he/she arrives here in the United States is mental health care. These refugee students bring emotional baggage to the classroom, and many teachers and counselors do not have the resources available to assist these students as the language spoken creates a barrier. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a common problem found in refugee students, and affects the students performance in school (Kugler, E.G, 2009). Due to the residency status of these students, many are unable to receive treatment for this disorder, or are afraid to divulge personal information to others, as he/she fears deportation back to the home country (Kugler, E.G, 2009). Not only is there a mental health care need within refugee students, but also a need for basic resources available to each family. When arriving here in the United States, students often have difficulty finding a school close to where the family is staying. Once the student finds a school close to home, the next hurdle is the school accepting the documentation on each learner. There are no pamphlets or handouts given to families when arriving in the States, and many do not have any personal contacts each family can rely on for assistance with education placement. Immigrant students that arrive in the U.S often acquire the English language quicker than their adult parents do. This causes the student to take on the responsibility of an adult, where he/she is often in charge of helping negotiate finances, health decisions, and family affairs (Kugler Price, 2009). The needs of immigrant and refugee students are a very multifaceted situation, that teachers cannot handle simply utilizing the ELL classroom resources. These students need to build their knowledge in core content areas also. Educators and administrators must not shelter these students from mainstream classroom culture, as it will hinder their ability to acculturate into English culture. The more exposure these students receive in English on a day-to day basis, the quicker they acquire these skills (Goldenberg, 2008). There is another need that immigrant and refugee students have when arriving in the U.S. These students understand the role they possess in his/her home culture, yet when arriving in the classroom, there is much confusion as to how these students fit in our society. The parents of immigrant/refugee students may not have the adequate time to ensure that the student knows how to act in the new culture, which leads to confusion and unease for the student. The teacher plays a large role in assisting with finding resources to help familiarize each immigrant/refugee student in understanding classroom roles for students. Some immigrant/refugee students who travel to United States for various reasons have specific needs when they appear in the classroom. One such group that researchers continue to study is the Hmong-American students that intermix with the mainstream English speaking population. These students have increased in numbers at an exponential rate since 1975, when they first started arriving from their home country of Laos (Vang, 2005). California has a large number of these students in their school system, tallying about 36,000 Hmong students, with about 85% of these having limited English proficiency (Vang, 2005). In order for these students to show success in the school system, educators and administrators must first address needs for the Hmong population. The need for these students is assistance from translator or teacher that speaks the Hmong language. Hmong students initially received placement in ESL classrooms, as administrators felt teachers might effectively reach them. Administrative staff placed Hmong students in these classes under the assumption that these students do not excel, and with no desire to further their education in college (Vang, 2005). Administrators also felt that these students, although not entering college, needed skills to survive in the workplace. Hmong students received placement in classes that geared the students toward workplace success, with the goal of minimum graduation requirements fulfilled. For administrators and educators in these situations, it is vital that they refrain from grouping students in certain classes, based upon the perceived ability each student possesses. These students must receive objective placement in classes that addresses the Hmong population need. How do teachers effectively address each of these needs? In developing strategies that teachers use to help immigrant and refugee students adapt to the new classroom culture, the first thing a teacher must incorporate is effective management skills. Teachers must re-invent styles of teaching in order to reach each foreign-born student, and understand each students cultural background. It is important for teachers to develop activities that encourage students to learn not only in his/her native language, yet also build on what they already understand (Curran, Mary Elizabeth, 2003). In a research article found, analysts report that utilizing a dual-language program is helpful for immigrant and refugee students (Goldenberg, 2008). This concept involves students using their home language in the morning to learn subject material, and then in the afternoon using English while learning different content areas (Goldenberg, 2008). This teaching concept is known as a dual language program in many states. Here in Nebraska, the dual language program provides opportunities for both English and foreign language learners. Where do teachers fail in reaching the needs of immigrant and refugee students? With the vast influx of immigrant and refugee students arriving in the classroom over the past two decades, the challenge to give these students proper education has proven difficult for many teachers in any grade level. There are several problems when attempting to reach the immigrant and refugee students. The first issue is that the immigration/refugee population is not getting any smaller, and research shows that the amount of incoming immigrants to the number of native English speakers in the classroom grows at a rate of 4:1(Walker, A., Shafer, J., Liams, M. 2004). A second issue in which teachers and administrators fail to reach immigrant and refugee students is only teaching English in school, which does not allow assistance in foreign languages in these classrooms. The English only push in schools enables legislation that denies use of any other language than English within the classroom setting (Shunpiking, 1996). This limits the learning environment for those who are limited English proficient, and does nothing to promote success of these students. There are currently sixteen states that have English only laws in schools, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia (Shunpiking, 1996). There is one area in which educators and administrators fail in meeting the needs of immigrant/refugee students that often many in society do not consider. In some areas of the U.S, these students do not receive enrollment in charter schools, yet these schools are often closest to where the immigrant/refugee students live. New York is one of the cities that struggles to ensure immigrant/refugee students have a place in their charter schools. A study done in January of 2010 by United Federation of Teachers found that only four percent of ELL students receive enrollment in charter schools within the neighborhood these students live in. This is in contrast to the citywide average of 14 percent that enroll in charter schools. Charter schools receive on average about 10 percent less students of free/reduced lunches than those schools on the district level. How do teachers encourage refugee and immigrant students to succeed? Helping refugee and immigrant students succeed not only takes place in the classroom setting, but can assist refugee/immigrant students and their families outside the class also. Teachers can tap into community resources available to the school that will help each immigrant/refugee family feel welcome. According to Colorà ­n Colorado (2009), there are several things teachers can pursue to help students adapt within the new environment when arriving in the classroom. Below are the methods as listed on their website. The first is the teacher must educate him/herself about the new student. It is important to learn their culture, and from what country they originate. It is helpful for new students lowering their affective filter if the teacher allows each individual to share with the class their experiences. Below is a list by Colorà ­n Colorado (2009), of things teachers should utilize to help welcome new immigrant and refugee students in class: Learn as much as you can about refugee students cultures, and invite students to share their knowledge with their classmates. Develop a list of community resources such as food and clothing shelves, health care centers, and adult ESL classes. Have the information on hand to share at conferences or other family events. Consider what works best for the families if they live in a concentrated area with a community center you may want to hold the meetings in their neighborhood. Be sure to have bilingual support, food and childcare. Federal funds can be used to provide transportation as well. For older students who need to develop initial literacy skills, work with other staff to provide age-appropriate materials that allows the students to practice their developing skills, but doesnt require them to complete activities designed for young children (Colorà ­n Colorado, 2009). Are dual language programs effective for immigrant and refugee students? The effectiveness of a dual language program in a given school system relies upon the acquired skills teachers possess in the program, and the ability to successfully reach each student. In Texas, administrators tout this program with a mark of success in their school systems.

Ethics of Torture and Preventive Detention

Ethics of Torture and Preventive Detention Discuss the ethical implications of preventive detention and interrogation tactics. Preventive detention is a pretrial detainment without the right to bail of a person accused or suspected of a crime and assumed to pose a danger to society. This type of detention can apply to political prisoners, alleged terrorists, those seeking asylum, and does not always result in a trial. Detention involves keeping people in confined conditions, often behind razor wire and electric fencing. The increase in human rights abuses, and a lack of due process occurring in immigration centers, gives authorities the power of preventive detention without trial on the basis of suspicion alone. Guantanamo Bay, for example, was once a detention center for refugees. Since September 11, 2001, it has become a detention center for suspected terrorists, some of whom have been detained without charges for years. Human rights and ethics abuses have been documented in Guantanamo Bay because of the hidden public scrutiny and lack of accountability. The human rights issue is how a terrorist is defined . In the US during the cold war, anyone who opposed the government was deemed an enemy of the state, and was legislated in the Allen Registration Act of 1940. During the 1940s and 1950s, people were executed in the US for simply refusing to name fellow communists (Doerr-Zegars, Hartmann, Lira Weinstein, 1992). Critics of this type of detention claim that just by supporting Al Qaeda or the Taliban may make a person dangerous, but it is not a mental illness. No one states that Al Qaeda members are not able to control their behavior, or are treated through psychiatric treatment. In their minds, preventive detention is an unnecessary and dangerous expansion of government power and because of this the Guantanamo Bay detainees should be charged or released. The word torture needs to be put in a context of ethics as it relates to interrogation techniques. Water boarding is an awful technique, but it is much different than mutilation with drills, rape or forcing a suspect to watch their family tortured, putting hummus in a mans anus, forcing suspects to stand on broken feet, and playing detainees songs at loud volumes on repeat. Ethical morality involves a balance of ends and means. It is pertinent to consider that there are benefits from these interrogation techniques. Critics of interrogation tactics must answer critical questions such as if by performing these activities such as water boarding, and we may be able to elicit information that would stop a massive attack on an American city, would it then be considered feasible. Or, if by doing so, we can save a thousand innocent lives? Ten thousand? What about if we knew of a possible strike on American soil and the only way to prevent such an attack was by using unethical interrogation t echniques?, would preventing such devastation be worthy of a green light to do so? The Democratic members of Congress think so. Physical torture and manipulation will successfully produce intelligence information and confessions. To some, the harsh methods of torture and interrogation lack a value that proves costly to criminal justice efforts to provide security and solve crimes. Individuals who undergo long periods of torture have been shown to exhibit considerable long-term effects of PTSD which is considered a human rights violation. Human rights law recognizes that certain rights may be suspended by governments during a time of public emergency which threatens the life of the nation and the existence of which is officially proclaimed.(p.365, 2008) The ethical implications used by interrogation methods are ones that depend on the definition of ethics. If saying the ends justifies the means then ethics must have a place in the issues that surround interrogation. Ethics are defined as value, belief, principle and convictions that a group of people hold to be a noble part of life and strive to practice every day (Sheikh, MacIntyre Perera, 2008). Interrogation by itself is on no way an ethical process and the attempts to introduce ethics into interrogation methods would require that the purpose of interrogation and detention would need to be redefined. References Doerr-Zegers, O., Hartmann, L., Lira, E., Weinstein, E. (1992). Torture: Psychiatric sequelae and phenomenology. Psychiatry, 55(2), 177-184. Sands, P., Q.C., Fraser, M.,A.C.C.H. (2008). TORTURE TEAM: THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LAWYERS FOR ABUSIVE INTERROGATION/TORTURE TEAM: HUMAN RIGHTS, LAWYERS, INTERROGATIONS AND THE WAR ON TERROR A RESPONSE TO PHILIPPE SANDS. Melbourne Journal of International Law, 9(2), 365-390. Sheikh, M., MacIntyre, C. R., Perera, S. (2008). Preventive detention: The ethical ground where politics and health meet. focus on asylum seekers in australia. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 62(6), 480.

A New Policy on High-heeled Shoes :: Medical Medicine Health Essays

A New Policy on High-heeled Shoes Background Throughout history, women have bent over backward to feel and look attractive. Many of the methods used to obtain this goal are dangerous to their health. The high-heeled shoe, one of the most popular types of women’s foot apparel, belongs in this category. The pump puts a tremendous amount of stress on a woman’s knees, back, heels, and toes. To avoid these potential problems, women should be warned about the dangers of wearing high-heeled shoes. Needs Without knowledge of the damage done by high-heeled shoes women are put in danger of permanently harming their bodies. "High heels hurt and can cause significant health problems including bunions, heel pain, toe deformities and painful trapped nerves" (1). Many women experience lower back pain resulting from the extended wear of high-heeled shoes. Women are also more likely to sprain an ankle while wearing heels than while wearing flatter shoes. The constant wearing of a heeled shoe can shorten the Achilles tendon over time, causing the wearer to lose a range of motion in the foot. This can result in causing pain during any exercise, even one so simple as walking(1). Another health concern is the strain on the knee, which can result in osteoarthritis, a chronic degeneration of cartilage in the joints. A two-inch heel is enough to cause an increased amount of strain on the inner side of the knee, possibly setting the stage for the onset of this condition (2). Below are two diagrams sh owing the health dangers of extended high-heel shoe wearing, Figure 1.1 shows the injuries to the foot and Figure 1.2 shows the damages to the rest of the body. Source: www.ama-assn.org/insight/en_hlth/atlas/newatlas/mufront.htm (3) Source: www.ama-assn.org/insight/gen_hlth/atlas/newatlas/foot.htm (4) Many women also have to waste money going through a corrective surgery that otherwise could have been avoided if they had been aware of the damage caused by high-heeled shoes and had been more moderate with the amount of wearing time. "The total estimated cost for this avoidable surgery is $2 billion annually" (1). This wastes time and labor, both of which could have been easily saved by an informational warning about the risk of wearing high-heeled shoes. Idea Since there are so many ill effects resulting from high-heeled shoe usage, women should be informed of them. I propose the best way to do so is to place a warning label on all high-heeled apparel boxes. This label would appear something like the following:

Gertrude Stein Essay -- Biography Essays

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein is one of the most celebrated authors and patrons of the arts. She encouraged, influenced and aided many literary and artistic figures through her support, investment and writings. Stein was born on February 3, 1874 into upper middle class surroundings in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. When she was 3 years old the family moved to Vienna and then on to Paris before returning to America in late 1878. Gertrude and her brother Leo became very close although he was two years her senior. They found like interests and became devoted allies through much of their early lives. Stein was eight years old when she made her first attempt at writing. Reading became an obsession for her beginning with Shakespeare and books on natural history.[2] In school she was fascinated with the structuring of sentences. She once said, â€Å""I suppose other things may be more exciting to others...I like the feeling the everlasting feeling of sentences as they diagram themselves.[3]" In 1904 she moved in with her brother Leo at 27 Rue de Fleurus which would become the meeting place of many writers, artists, critics and people drawn by her reputation. Her brother and she also began collecting paintings by Renoir, Gaughain, Picasso (who later painted her portrait), Cezanne, Baraque, Matisse and others[4]. The â€Å"Salon,† as their home came to be called, had paintings literally covering every wall. They had dinner parties every Saturday night and the â€Å"Salon† became a sanctuary for artists and writers. It became so popular that Stein had to begin writing late at night after all the other guests had departed. Her literary and artistic judgments were revered, and her chance remarks could make or destroy reputations.[5] A... ...bdominal pains which would be diagnosed as colon cancer a few months later. She was rushed to the hospital on July 19, 1946 and made her will on the 23rd leaving the bulk of her estate to Alice. On the 27th before being wheeled into emergency surgery her last words were spoken to Alice. "What is the answer? ...without a reply, "In that case...what is the question[11]?" [1] Gertrude Stein-brief biography, http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/stein-bio.html 2 The World of Gertrude Stein, http://ellensplace.net/gstein5.html [3] Ibid [4] Ibid [5] Gertrude Stein-brief biography, http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/stein-bio.html [6] The World of Gertrude Stein, http://ellensplace.net/gstein5. [7] Ibid [8] Ibid [9] Ibid [10] Gertrude Stein-brief biography, http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/stein-bio.html [11] Ibid