Germination experiment Essay

Method: 1. Put some soil in every beaker and make sure it is almost the same amount 2. Place 5 beans inside each beaker at the same level beneath the soil 3. Pour 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 ml of water in each beaker respectively and keep watering them every 2 days 4. Leave the beakers close to a good light source 5. After a week record the length of the stem of the plants in each beaker Variables: 1. Dependant: Height and growth of the plants 2. Independent: Amount of water 3. Controlled: Where the beakers are placed, amount of soil, amount of seeds, type of seeds, how often the plats are watered (Initially it was decided that the amount of water we would use would be 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 ml but we decided to lower the amount of water so that the plants wouldn’t drown) Results: amount of water (ml) Length of plants (cm) average length (cm)   Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Conclusion: The first thing we can see from the results is a boundary in the amount of water in relation with the beaker size and the amount of soil. In the table we can see that after the 20ml of water the seeds drowned and so they didn’t grew at all. But if we take in comparison the length of the plants in the beaker with 20ml with the one with 10ml we can see that with more water the germination takes place faster. For example in the results table we have the average growth of the plant of about 10. 5 cm and in the 20ml an average growth of 17. 8, so evidently we can say that the hight the amount of water, the faster the seeds will germinate and the higher they will grow. Evaluation: I think that in general this experiment was carried out fairly in terms of the type of seed, thay were kept in a well lit place, all the beakers had the same soil and the same amount of it, etc. The problem was that the plants were drowned so we couldn’t get a good set of results, so if he experiment had to be carried out again I would set a limit of water to allow the plants to actualy germinate.

Frostbite Chapter 4

FOUR I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. JANINE Hathaway. My mother. My insanely famous and stunningly absent mother. She was no Arthur Schoenberg, but she did have a pretty stellar reputation in the guardian world. I hadn't seen her in years because she was always off on some insane mission. And yet†¦here she was at the Academy right nowright in front of meand she hadn't even bothered to let me know she was coming. So much for motherly love. What the hell was she doing here anyway? The answer came quickly. All the Moroi who came to campus would have their guardians in tow. My mother protected a noble from the Szelsky clan, and several members of that family had shown up for the holidays. Of course she'd be here with him. I slid into my chair and felt something inside of me shrivel up. I knew she had to have seen me come in, but her attention was focused elsewhere. She had on jeans and a beige T-shirt, covered with what had to be the most boring denim jacket I'd ever seen. At only five feet tall, she was dwarfed by the other guardians, but she had a presence and way of standing that made her seem taller. Our instructor, Stan, introduced the guests and explained that they were going to share real-life experiences with us. He paced the front of the room, bushy eyebrows knitting together as he spoke. â€Å"I know this is unusual,† he explained. â€Å"Visiting guardians usually don't have time to stop by our classes. Our three guests, however, have made time to come talk to you today in light of what's happened recently†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused a moment, and no one needed to tell us what he was referring to. The Badica attack. He cleared his throat and tried again. â€Å"In light of what's happened, we thought it might better prepare you to learn from those currently working in the field.† The class tensed with excitement. Hearing storiesparticularly ones with a lot of blood and actionwas a hell of a lot more interesting than analyzing theory from a textbook. Apparently some of the other campus guardians thought so too. They often stopped by our classes, but they were present today in a larger-than-usual number. Dimitri stood among them in the back. The old guy went first. He launched into his story, and I found myself getting hooked in. It described a time when the youngest son of the family he guarded had wandered off in a public place that Strigoi were lurking in. â€Å"The sun was about to set,† he told us in a gravelly voice. He swept his hands in a downward motion, apparently to demonstrate how a sunset worked. â€Å"There were only two of us, and we had to make a snap decision on how to proceed.† I leaned forward, elbows propped up on my desk. Guardians often worked in pairs. Onethe near guardusually stayed close to those being guarded while the otherthe far guardscouted the area. The far guard still usually stayed within eye contact, so I recognized the dilemma here. Thinking about it, I decided that if I were in that situation, I'd have the near guardian take the rest of the family to a secure location while the other guardian searched for the boy. â€Å"We had the family stay inside a restaurant with my partner while I swept the rest of the area,† continued the old guardian. He spread his hands out in a sweeping motion, and I felt smug over having made the correct call. The story ended happily, with a found boy and no Strigoi encounters. The second guy's anecdote talked about how he'd gotten the drop on a Strigoi stalking some Moroi. â€Å"I wasn't even technically on duty,† he said. He was the really cute one, and a girl sitting near me stared at him with wide, adoring eyes. â€Å"I was visiting a friend and the family he guarded. As I was leaving their apartment, I saw a Strigoi lurking in the shadows. He never expected a guardian to be out there. I circled the block, came up behind him, and †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The man made a staking motion, far more dramatic than the old guy's hand gestures had been. The storyteller even went so far as to mimic twisting the stake into the Strigoi's heart. And then it was my mother's turn. A scowl spread over my face before she even said a word, a scowl that grew worse once she actually launched into the story. I swear, if I didn't believe her incapable of having the imagination for itand her bland clothing choices proved she really didn't have an imaginationI would have thought she was lying. It was more than a story. It was an epic tale, the kind of thing that gets made into movies and wins Oscars. She talked about how her charge, Lord Szelsky, and his wife had attended a ball put on by another prominent royal family. Several Strigoi had been lying in wait. My mother discovered one, promptly staked it, and then alerted the other guardians present. With their help, she hunted down the other Strigoi lurking around and performed most of the kills herself. â€Å"It wasn't easy,† she explained. From anyone else that statement would have sounded like bragging. Not her. There was a briskness to the way she spoke, an efficient way of stating facts that left no room for flourishes. She'd been raised in Glasgow and some of her words still had a Scottish lilt. â€Å"There were three others on the premises. At the time, that was considered an unusually large number to be working together. That's not necessarily true now, considering the Badica massacre.† A few people flinched at the casual way she spoke about the attack. Once again, I could see the bodies. â€Å"We had to dispatch the remaining Strigoi as quickly and quietly as possible, so as not to alert the others. Now, if you have the element of surprise, the best way to take Strigoi is to come around from behind, break their necks, and then stake them. Breaking their necks won't kill them, of course, but it stuns them and allows you to do the staking before they can make an y noise. The most difficult part is actually sneaking up on them, because their hearing is so acute. Since I'm smaller and lighter than most guardians, I can move fairly quietly. So I ended up performing two of the three kills myself.† Again, she used that matter-of-fact tone as she described her own stealthy skills. It was annoying, more so than if she'd been openly haughty about how awesome she was. My classmates' faces shone with wonder; they were clearly more interested in the idea of breaking a Strigoi's neck than analyzing my mother's narrative skills. She continued with the story. When she and the other guardians had killed the remaining Strigoi, they'd discovered two Moroi had been taken from the party. Such an act wasn't uncommon for Strigoi. Sometimes they wanted to save Moroi for a later â€Å"snack†; sometimes lower-ranking Strigoi were dispatched by more powerful ones to bring back prey. Regardless, two Moroi were gone from the ball, and their guardian had been injured. â€Å"Naturally, we couldn't leave those Moroi in Strigoi clutches,† she said. â€Å"We tracked the Strigoi to their hideout and found several of them living together. I'm sure you can recognize how rare that is.† It was. The evil and selfish nature of Strigoi made them turn on each other as easily as they did their victims. Organizing for attackswhen they had an immediate and bloody goal in mindwas the best they could do. But living together? No. It was almost impossible to imagine. â€Å"We managed to free the two captive Moroi, only to discover that others were being held prisoner,† my mother said. â€Å"We couldn't send the ones we'd rescued back by themselves, though, so the guardians who were with me escorted them out and left it to me to get the others.† Yes, of course, I thought. My mother bravely went in alone. Along the way, she got captured but managed to escape and rescue the prisoners. In doing so, she performed what had to be the hat trick of the century, killing Strigoi in all three ways: staking, decapitation, and setting them on fire. â€Å"I had just staked a Strigoi when two more attacked,† she explained. â€Å"I didn't have time to pull the stake out when the others jumped me. Fortunately, there was an open fireplace nearby, and I pushed one of the Strigoi into it. The last one chased me outside, into an old shed. There was an axe inside and I used that to cut off her head. I then took a can of gasoline and returned to the house. The one I'd thrown into the fireplace hadn't completely burned, but once I doused him in gasoline, he went up pretty quickly.† The classroom was in awe as she spoke. Mouths dropped. Eyes bugged. Not a sound could be heard. Glancing around, I felt like time had frozen for everyoneexcept me. I appeared to be the only one unimpressed by her harrowing tale, and seeing the awe on everyone's faces enraged me. When she finished, a dozen hands shot up as the class peppered her with questions about her techniques, whether she was scared, etc. After about the tenth question, I couldn't take it anymore. I raised my hand. It took her a while to notice and call on me. She seemed mildly astonished to find me in class. I considered myself lucky that she even recognized me. â€Å"So, Guardian Hathaway,† I began. â€Å"Why didn't you guys just secure the place?† She frowned. I think she'd gone on her guard the moment she called on me. â€Å"What do you mean?† I shrugged and slouched back in my desk, attempting a casual and conversational air. â€Å"I don't know. It seems to me like you guys messed up. Why didn't you scope out the place and make sure it was clear of Strigoi in the first place? Seems like you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble.† All eyes in the room turned toward me. My mother was momentarily at a loss for words. â€Å"If we hadn't gone through all that ‘trouble,' there'd be seven more Strigoi walking the world, and those other captured Moroi would be dead or turned by now.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah, I get how you guys saved the day and all that, but I'm going back to the principles here. I mean, this is a theory class, right?† I glanced over at Stan who was regarding me with a very stormy look. He and I had a long and unpleasant history of classroom conflicts, and I suspected we were on the verge of another. â€Å"So I just want to figure out what went wrong in the beginning.† I'll say this for hermy mother had a hell of a lot more self-control than I did. Had our roles been reversed, I would have walked over and smacked me by now. Her face stayed perfectly calm, however, and a small tightness in the set of her lips was the only sign that I was pissing her off. â€Å"It's not that simple,† she replied. â€Å"The venue had an extremely complex layout. We went through it initially and found nothing. It's believed the Strigoi came in after the festivities had startedor that there might have been passages and hidden rooms we hadn't been aware of.† The class ooh'ed and ahh'ed over the idea of hidden passages, but I wasn't impressed. â€Å"So what you're saying is that you guys either failed to detect them during your first sweep, or they broke through the ‘security' you set up during the party. Seems like someone messed up either way.† The tightness in her lips increased, and her voice grew frosty. â€Å"We did the best we could with an unusual situation. I can see how someone at your level might not be able to grasp the intricacies of what I'm describing, but once you've actually learned enough to go beyond theory, you'll see how different it is when you're actually out there and lives are in your hands.† â€Å"No doubt,† I agreed. â€Å"Who am I to question your methods? I mean, whatever gets you the molnija marks, right?† â€Å"Miss Hathaway.† Stan's deep voice rumbled through the room. â€Å"Please take your things and go wait outside for the remainder of class.† I stared at him in bewilderment. â€Å"Are you serious? Since when is there anything wrong with asking questions?† â€Å"Your attitude is what's wrong.† He pointed at the door. â€Å"Go.† A silence heavier and deeper than when my mother had told her story descended over everyone. I did my best not to cower under the stares of guardians and novices alike. This wasn't the first time I'd been kicked out of Stan's class. It wasn't even the first time I'd been kicked out of Stan's class while Dimitri was watching. Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I crossed the short distance to the doora distance that felt like milesand refused to make eye contact with my mother as I passed. About five minutes before the class let out, she slipped out of the room and walked over to where I sat in the hallway. Looking down on me, she put her hands on her hips in that annoying way that made her seem taller than she was. It wasn't fair that someone over half a foot shorter than me could make me feel so small. â€Å"Well. I see your manners haven't improved over the years.† I stood up and felt a glare snap into place. â€Å"Nice to see you too. I'm surprised you even recognized me. In fact, I didn't even think you remembered me, seeing as how you never bothered to let me know you were on campus.† She shifted her hands from her hips and crossed her arms across her chest, becomingif possibleeven more impassive. â€Å"I couldn't neglect my duty to come coddle you.† â€Å"Coddle?† I asked. This woman had never coddled me in her life. I couldn't believe she even knew the word. â€Å"I wouldn't expect you to understand. From what I hear, you don't really know what ‘duty' is.† â€Å"I know exactly what it is,† I retorted. My voice was intentionally haughty. â€Å"Better than most people.† Her eyes widened in a sort of mock surprise. I used that sarcastic look on a lot of people and didn't appreciate having it directed toward me. â€Å"Oh really? Where were you for the last two years?† â€Å"Where were you for the last five?† I demanded. â€Å"Would you have known I was gone if someone hadn't told you?† â€Å"Don't turn this back on me. I was away because I had to be. You were away so you could go shopping and stay up late.† My hurt and embarrassment morphed into pure fury. Apparently, I was never going to live down the consequences of running away with Lissa. â€Å"You have no idea why I left,† I said, my voice's volume rising. â€Å"And you have no right to make assumptions about my life when you don't know anything about it.† â€Å"I've read reports about what happened. You had reason for concern, but you acted incorrectly.† Her words were formal and crisp. She could have been teaching one of my classes. â€Å"You should have gone to others for help.† â€Å"There was no one I could go tonot when I didn't have hard proof. Besides, we've been learning that we're supposed to think independently.† â€Å"Yes,† she replied. â€Å"Emphasis on learning. Something you missed out on for two years. You're hardly in a position to lecture me about guardian protocol.† I wound up in arguments all the time; something in my nature made that inevitable. So I was used to defending myself and having insults slammed at me. I had a tough skin. But somehow, around herin the brief times I had been around herI always felt like I was three years old. Her attitude humiliated me, and touching on my missed training already a prickly subjectonly made me feel worse. I crossed my arms in a fair imitation of her own stance and managed a smug look. â€Å"Yeah? Well, that's not what my teachers think. Even after missing all that time, I've still caught up with everyone else in my class.† She didn't answer right away. Finally, in a flat voice, she said, â€Å"If you hadn't left, you would have surpassed them.† Turning military-style, she walked off down the hall. A minute later, the bell rang, and the rest of Stan's class spilled into the hall. Even Mason couldn't cheer me up after that. I spent the rest of the day angry and annoyed, sure that everyone was whispering about my mother and me. I skipped lunch and went to the library to read a book about physiology and anatomy. When it was time for my after-school training with Dimitri, I practically ran up to the practice dummy. With a curled fist, I slapped its chest, very slightly to the left but mostly in the center. â€Å"There,† I told him. â€Å"The heart is there, and the sternum and ribs are in the way. Can I have the stake now?† Crossing my arms, I glanced up at him triumphantly, waiting for him to shower me with praise for my new cunning. Instead, he simply nodded in acknowledgment, like I should already have known that. And yeah, I should have. â€Å"And how do you get through the sternum and the ribs?† he asked. I sighed. I'd figured out the answer to one question, only to be given another. Typical. We spent a large part of the practice going over that, and he demonstrated several techniques that would yield the quickest kill. Every movement he made was both graceful and deadly. He made it look effortless, but I knew better. When he suddenly extended his hand and offered the stake to me, I didn't understand at first. â€Å"You're giving it to me?† His eyes sparkled. â€Å"I can't believe you're holding back. I figured you'd have taken it and run by now.† â€Å"Aren't you always teaching me to hold back?† I asked. â€Å"Not on everything.† â€Å"But on some things.† I heard the double meaning in my voice and wondered where it had come from. I'd accepted a while ago that there were too many reasons for me to even think about him romantically anymore. Every once in a while, I slipped a little and kind of wished he would too. It'd have been nice to know that he still wanted me, that I still drove him crazy. Studying him now, I realized he might not ever slip because I didn't drive him crazy anymore. It was a depressing thought. â€Å"Of course,† he said, showing no indication we'd discussed anything other than class matters. â€Å"It's like everything else. Balance. Know which things to run forward withand know which to leave alone.† He placed a heavy emphasis on that last statement. Our eyes met briefly, and I felt electricity race through me. He did know what I was talking about. And like always, he was ignoring it and being my teacherwhich is exactly what he should have been doing. With a sigh, I pushed my feelings for him out of my head and tried to remember that I was about to touch the weapon I'd been longing for since childhood. The memory of the Badica house came back to me yet again. The Strigoi were out there. I needed to focus. Hesitantly, almost reverentially, I reached out and curled my fingers around the hilt. The metal was cool and tingled against my skin. It was etched along the hilt for better grip, but in trailing my fingers over the rest of it, I found the surface to be as smooth as glass. I lifted it from his hand and brought it to me, taking a long time to study it and get used to its weight. An anxious part of me wanted to turn around and impale all of the dummies, but instead I looked up at Dimitri and asked, â€Å"What should I do first?† In his typical way, he covered basics first, honing the way I held and moved with the stake. Later on, he finally let me attack one of the dummies, at which point I did indeed discover it was not effortless. Evolution had done a smart thing in protecting the heart with the sternum and ribs. Yet through it all, Dimitri never faltered in diligence and patience, guiding me through every step and correcting the finest details. â€Å"Slide up through the ribs,† he explained, watching me try to fit the stake's point through a gap in the bones. â€Å"It'll be easier since you're shorter than most of your attackers. Plus, you can slide along the lower rib's edge.† When practice ended, he took the stake back and nodded his approval. â€Å"Good. Very good.† I glanced at him in surprise. He didn't usually hand out a lot of praise. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"You do it like you've been doing it for years.† I felt a delighted grin creep over my face as we started leaving the practice room. When we neared the door, I noticed a dummy with curly red hair. Suddenly, all the events from Stan's class came tumbling back into my head. I scowled. â€Å"Can I stake that one next time?† He picked up his coat and put it on. It was long and brown, made of distressed leather. It looked very much like a cowboy duster, though he'd never admit to it. He had a secret fascination with the Old West. I didn't really understand it, but then, I didn't get his weird musical preferences either. â€Å"I don't think that'd be healthy,† he said. â€Å"It'd be better than me actually doing it to her,† I grumbled, slinging my backpack over one shoulder. We headed out to the gym. â€Å"Violence isn't the answer to your problems,† he said sagely. â€Å"She's the one with the problem. And I thought the whole point of my education was that violence is the answer.† â€Å"Only to those who bring it to you first. Your mother isn't assaulting you. You two are just too much alike, that's all.† I stopped walking. â€Å"I'm not anything like her! I mean†¦we kind of have the same eyes. But I'm a lot taller. And my hair's completely different.† I pointed to my pony tail, just in case he wasn't aware that my thick brown-black hair didn't look like my mother's auburn curls. He still had kind of an amused expression, but there was something hard in his eyes too. â€Å"I'm not talking about your appearances, and you know it.† I looked away from that knowing gaze. My attraction to Dimitri had started almost as soon as we'd metand it wasn't just because he was so hot, either. I felt like he understood part of me that I didn't understand myself, and sometimes I was pretty sure I understood parts of him that he didn't understand either. The only problem was that he had the annoying tendency to point out things about myself I didn't want to understand. â€Å"You think I'm jealous?† â€Å"Are you?† he asked. I hated it when he answered my questions with questions. â€Å"If so, what are you jealous of exactly?† I glanced back at Dimitri. â€Å"I don't know. Maybe I'm jealous of her reputation. Maybe I'm jealous because she's put more time into her reputation than into me. I don't know.† â€Å"You don't think what she did was great?† â€Å"Yes. No. I don't know. It just sounded like such a †¦ I don't know†¦like she was bragging. Like she did it for the glory.† I grimaced. â€Å"For the marks.† Molnija marks were tattoos awarded to guardians when they killed Strigoi. Each one looked like a tiny x made of lightning bolts. They went on the backs of our necks and showed how experienced a guardian was. â€Å"You think facing down Strigoi is worth a few marks? I thought you'd learned something from the Badica house.† I felt stupid. â€Å"That's not what I† â€Å"Come on.† I stopped walking. â€Å"What?† We'd been heading toward my dorm, but now he nodded his head toward the opposite side of campus. â€Å"I want to show you something.† â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"That not all marks are badges of honor.†

Comparison Between Japan and America in Education

Every country perceives the importance of education. Any country that keeps their people uneducated or does not help to educate cannot make them as a responsible person. America and Japan both feel very strongly about education and that they need to have well educated people. Both of these countries have educational systems that are similar in some ways and yet very different in other ways. In order to understand the education between the two countries, it is useful to compare the system of the failure, school uniform, and entrance examination.First of all, there is a difference from the system of the failure between Japan and America. America adopts the system of the failure from the elementary school. When the teacher decides that the student should take the grade again because of his or her inadequate understanding for the class, the student must take the same curriculum. On the other hand, Japan does not adopt the system from the elementary school. The system is used from the hig h school. In Japan, the compulsory education is from the elementary school to the junior high school.Inside the period, the system of failure is not applied. In the case of the failure in Japan, thirty percent is the deadline in each test. In the system of the failure of the two countries, the primary education and the secondary education are completely different. However, from the higher education, the system is the same. Not only the system of failure, but also the school uniform is another difference. In Japan, almost all students wear the school uniform every day from elementary school to high school.It’s good for students themselves because they do not need to worry about their cloths every day. Their parents also do not care about the cost of the cloths. In contrast, almost all students in America do not wear the school uniform. Some private schools adopt the school uniform, but it is rare to see the uniform in America. As for the school uniform, there is no similarity. Furthermore, there are the difference and similarity in the entrance examination.In Japan, a lot of universities depend on the written test to measure the student’s academic ability. On the other hand, in America, many universities make a point of the student’s character. The essay is one of the good ways to make students express their own opinions. Although Japanese universities adopt the written test in the entrance examination, many high schools use the creative tests in the entrance examination to measure the students’ character. One of the good examples is the interview.Interviewer can know their character soon. Similarly, American schools use the telephone interview. In the entrance examination, there are the same ways and difference ways in the two countries. Although there are many similarities and differences between the educational systems of Japan and America, it is hard to declare that one is better than the other. It is useful to compare the educat ional system of the failure, school uniform, and entrance examination to understand the education between Japan and America.

Managing cultural diversity in the workplace environment of singapore Essay

Managing cultural diversity in the workplace environment of singapore - Essay Example During the process, a critical view of the policies and practices and their impact on other aspects of organisational performance would be placed to assess the effectiveness of the policies and practices. Moreover, possible recommendations to tackle these challenges would be suggested based on organisational practices. While the effects of globalization have been so profound that all organisations have to adapt to the changes, diversity is one of the strategies adopted for sustainability and performance. This reflects in their policies and practices with respect to human resources management. Though the western countries adopted this route much earlier, it is relatively newer concept in most of the Eastern nations (Mor-Barack, 2005). This does not mean that the Eastern nations did not employ people from different cultures and ethnic groups; but just that the organisations have started adopting policies and practices to encourage and, to an extent, suit multicultural and diverse populations during last few decades. The most important requirement for managing diversity comes from equal rights act and policies congruent with this act, which create favourable social, legal and organisational environment to all groups of people. Secondly, organisational policies and practices that encourage and support diversified workforce. Globalization has provided extraordinary benefits to organisations, which has enticed many organisations to enter the global market. This has further increased the numbers of people from different backgrounds, cultures, races and ethnic groups to work together at different locations. On the other hand, organisations in some sectors are known to have moved to other places in order to flourish because the legislation there was more conducive to their strategies; for example, Singapore has relaxed legislation

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Business law - Essay Example A property based legal system is one that revolves around the notion of property – which is the legal right to exclude or keep others from interfering with one’s property, which is what one owns. Under this concept, there would be three kinds of property (a) public property which is owned by the Government (b) private property, which comprises the resources that an individual owns and (c) common property, which comprises land and other kind of property which people own jointly. There is greater incentive for people to develop those resources which they own because they can control what they produce.In the United States, the capitalist system and the free market allows individuals to develop, to freely benefit and profit from the property and resources that they own. Therefore, this provides them the incentive to work hard to develop their resources. For example, in the United States, I can use my talent and financial resources to start a small business and I will be ent itled to make as much profit as I can and keep most of that profit for myself. In a similar way, I will also have the right to enter into deals with other businesses and customers which will bring me the maximum profit and therefore I will have the incentive to work hard at my business to develop it.The property based system is one that is based on a free market system and that of private enterprise. The level of Government control is very low and it is easy for individuals to exercise ingenuity in developing successful business tactics to make the maximum profits.

Marketing through Online Social Networking Communities Essay

Marketing through Online Social Networking Communities - Essay Example It is about reaching your customers, both existing and potential, at the right time, in the place with the right tactics. This essay will essentially deal with what social networking communities are, the ramifications that they have on their customers who are also users of these social networking communities and the marketing and brand related activities they employ to target this segment. Social Networking Communities-a phenomenon Very aptly put by Jeremiah Owyang (2007), Online communities group together people who share similar interests and are involved in the exchange of information and connected over the Web. Online social network sites are a broader category of the same nature that allow individuals to connect with people known or unknown to them by creating profiles through which they manage their contacts and interact with them. The differences between the different social media networks is blurring with time with the only differentiating factor the level of restriction enab led on the community or site that determines the kind of members who join it. Facebook, Friendster, MySpace, LinkdIn, Cyworld, Ning, Spruz, among many others, are examples of such communities and sites. Social Networking sites, over the past century, have evolved from being general social sites to more specific sites, such that one can now find an online social networking community for virtually anything including friendship sites, alumni networks, career related and hobby specific. The features these sites boast are becoming more and more sophisticated. As users become more savvy their needs and means to stay connected also become sophisticated which pushes for these sites to enable features such as photo-sharing, video-sharing and private messaging. Most social networking sites become a phenomenon due to their sheer nature, however, it is very common to find people segregated on the basis of nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age interests and so on (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). A nother important differentiating factor of online social networking communities is their being anchored around people or interests. The trend in today’s social networking landscape indicates that these sites and communities are evolving to form well integrated ‘egocentric’ networks that defy the concept of small closed groups (Boyd & Ellison, 2007 cited in Wellman, 1988, p. 37). Boyd (2006) purports that these sites behave as â€Å"networked public spaces† (Boyd & Ellison, 2007) in the virtual world that allow users to interact as they wish even when it is not possible to do so in the offline or real public spaces. Online social networking communities therefore, serve to bridge the gaps between the online and offline worlds of its users, making them a central part of their lives. Marketing in the Social Media Landscape The rising trend in social networking sites has important ramifications on businesses and marketers. Each day as users grow exponentially, more time and attention is dedicated to social networking sites subsequently increasing their monetary worth. Businesses have discovered that marketing through social networking communities contains a landmine of opportunities, not to make money per say, but to engaging customers. People on social

Autism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Autism - Research Paper Example The trend has also caused increased autistic cases since the last century. The book also dwells on understanding the causing factors and symptoms of the disease. However, the author does not provide a particular causing factor. This is based on that numerous factors have been cited to be responsible for the disease. For instance, genetic inheritance, exposure to birth complications, childhood vaccinations and exposure to metals can be cited as causing factors. The book also cited numerous symptoms that are associated with autism. The main focus is, however, done on the repetitive nature of autistic people. In addition, other symptoms are associated with neurological disorders. As a child develops, numerous health challenges are experienced before they reach full development. The development of a child should require their participation in social activities. In addition, the ability of a child to use their physical abilities should also be monitored. Malfunctions of these activities may depict a weaknesses or suffering from an illness. Volkmar (2007) is of the assumption that the health of a child is determined by their ability of fit their environment without many complications. Medical complications may be evidence of an existing illness of health complication. For instance, autism affects children below three years. Autism distorts the ability of the child to socialize effectively as well as take part in physical activities. Volkmar (2007) defines autism as a neurodevelopment disorder depicted by poor social interaction behavior, nonverbal and verbal communication. This medical illness makes it impossible for a child to fit in their environment. Volkmar (2007) points out that, autism has been existence for years but no certain cure has been created to curb the illness or ensure recovery of children affected. Autism is depicted by numerous characteristics and causing factors. The causing

Citizen Kane and Deat of a Salesman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Citizen Kane and Deat of a Salesman - Essay Example bears his greatest source of frustration since, despite his looking forward to his elder brother’s prosperity, he ends up a poor man, demoted and stopped from working. His entire life has little depictions of achieving what he ever wanted. On the contrast, Charles seem very prosperous in his life. He is a prominent icon in the journalism department as he makes the deeming decisions at yellow journalism. His prosperity is well defined in his prominent relationship with the president where he ends up vying for the New York state governor seat along with his marriage to the president’s daughter, Emily. When compared to Willy, Charles seems to have anything he needs at his possession. He has a great family; a wife and a son with immense prosperity depicted in the kind of career he lead. We learn that Willy had always wanted to be like his prosperous diamond oriented brother only for him to work for long years with an ultimate termination on his work life. He ends up living on the basis of childhood fantasies of which he never came into a consensus with ideas of his maturity. Apparently, both icons in the two films end up as failures especially in the mannerisms through which they handled relationships. Charles ends up a lonely man, with two divorced wives; Emily and Susan. He does very little to maintain a good relationship both to his family and to himself. It gets to a point that he shuns people from entering his mansion where he only interacted with his workers. It is clear that Charles fails in maintaining healthy relationships though on the other hand Willy succeeds a bit in maintaining his family but dies an unsatisfied man. Unlike Willy, Charles may have experienced a dead end in the kind of relationships he had, but it seems like he has always wanted a life for himself. He is unhappy on losing everything with reference to his nature where he has always wanted everything for himself. Life looses meaning to him to the point that he dies a happy man. He

Population Trends in China Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Population Trends in China - Math Problem Example China therefore is a good case study in population growth trends, its analysis and prediction. This paper concentrates on population trends in China between 1950 and 2008, and outlines various models that could be used to represent the data. A variable can be defined as a quantity or attribute that changes according to different situations in a certain process. In our case, the time (t) in years is a variable because it moves from 1950 to 1995. The second variable is population (P) of the people of China in millions. A parameter is a constant that varies from one group of equations to another. The parameters are m, the gradient and c the y-intercept. The graph below shows the population trends in China between 1950 and 1995. Trends Seen in the Graph From the graph, it can be noted that population in China has been increasing over the years. Between 1950 and 1975, the population increases at an increasing rate whereas, between 1975 and 1995, it increases steadily. This difference could be attributed to the one child policy that was introduced by the Chinese government in 1978, to curb population increase. The points in the above graph assume a linear pattern and if a line of best fit is drawn, it has a gradient of approximately 15.49 (calculated using technology). This means that China’s population grows by about 15.49 million people each year. The increase in population has remained steady probably because, there has been a decrease in the infant mortality rate and national deaths due to improved healthcare. Another factor could be immigration by people from other countries. The correlation coefficient (R2) is 0.994, translating to a 99.4% fit, which is a good fit. Functions that could Model the Behaviour of the Graph Som e of the functions that could possibly be used to model the behaviour of this graph are, exponential, linear, logarithmic and polynomial functions. Starting off with the exponential function, it takes the form, The growth rate of an exponential function is proportional to its value. For example, if the rate of population growth is proportional to its size, then the population after t years will be Fig 2: Graph showing an exponential model of China’s population. The correlation coefficient in the above graph is 0.990 which translates to a 99.0% fit of the data points to the curve. This is a relatively good fit. However, the data points for 1970 up to 1980 are overestimated while that of 1995 is underrated. A linear function is one that can be written in the form, where m is the gradient and c is the y-intercept. A linear function often implies uniformity. Fig 3: A graph showing a linear model of China’s population. The correlation coefficient (R2) is 0.994 translating t o a 99.4% fit of the data points to the line. This is a much better fit than the exponential model. In this model, the points in 1960 and 1965 are underestimated while that of 1950 is overrated. A logarithmic function can be defined as the inverse of an exponential function. It can be expressed by the following identity, Fig 4: A graph showing logarithmic model of China’s population. The correlation coefficient of the above graph is 0.994 translating to a 99.4% fit. It is similar to the linear function fit, but also better than the exponential model fit. The above three models can be used because they all have a 99.0% and above fit, which is an excellent choice as we cannot have real data with a 100% fit. Developing a Model Function that Fits the Data In this case, I choose to use a polynomial function. A polynomial function can be defined as a mathematical function consisting of several terms added together. This includes a linear function, which is discussed above. A polyno mial

Five Reasons to Stop Saying Good Job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Five Reasons to Stop Saying Good Job - Essay Example One of the most important consequences of saying ‘Good Job!’ to a child constantly, Kohn argues, is that it reduces the child’s real achievement. â€Å"As if it weren’t bad enough that ‘Good job!’ can undermine independence, pleasure, and interest, it can also interfere with how good a job children actually do. Researchers keep finding that kids who are praised for doing well at a creative task tend to stumble at the next task – and they don’t do as well as children who weren’t praised to begin with.† (Kohn) In a reflective analysis of this argument made by Kohn, it becomes evident that the author is highly sensible in making this point, because practical experience as well as research evidences supports his claim. One must agree with the author that it is time to stop praising children by saying ‘Good Job!’ because it creates pressure to the youngsters to keep up the good work. It is unquestionable fact that ‘Good job!’ often ignores the thoughts, feelings, and values behind the behaviors of human beings and it unfortunately promotes the less desirable motives in the child.

Marketing of World Cup Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Marketing of World Cup - Essay Example In order to understand well the history of soccer, it is appropriate to grasp how the professional sports came into being. People have always sought to have and enjoy leisure time which in most cases was not possible. This urge built up and people were able to form some organized sports in the mid ninetieth century. Before then, people, especially in America, had some forms of skills but they had not been put into practice and they were not standardized. It is the increased interests and the urge to make the recreational activities better and enjoyable that led to the development of various rules and regulations to govern the activities such that they became more organized. The organized groups developed into more established and well-managed teams with the members being more serious. The aspect of competition also came up where different teams could compete and have some rewards for the winning teams. The teams got skills through training and could now compete on national and intern ational levels. The games started with simple aspects like curling, bowling after which professional sports like baseball, basketball, hockey and football came about. Just like any other aspect, the field of sport has grown from very humble beginnings of very simple groups of social interactions to more organized activities, specialized and sophisticated professional sports. That has also transformed to the modern big tournaments like the popular world cup events. The splitting marked the beginning of the today’s most famous game, which is soccer.

Race representation in Desmonds and Mind your language Essay Example for Free

Race representation in Desmonds and Mind your language Essay In this essay I am going to compare the ways in which race has been represented in the two sitcoms Desmonds and Mind your language. Desmonds is a sitcom set in a barber shop in the 1989 and Mind your language which is set in a school in 1970s. Mind your language reinforces stereotypes by the peoples accents for example Ali said that he goes around and nicking on peoples doors when hes meant to say knocking on peoples door thats why you cant trust him and this also makes him sound dishonest. Ali and Ranjeet are in a conflict with each other because of the war against India and Pakistan. Jamila the Pakistani woman is represented as domestic because she is always knitting in class also there is conflict going on with Ingrid the Swedish woman and Anna the German woman who are trying to attract most of the men in the class because mostly the class is full of men. Ranjeet is shown as a typical Indian because he is always shaking his head and moving his hands and also him going to be arranged married to a another person that he doesnt even know and doesnt like. Taro the Japanese man has a camera on him because it shows that all Japanese people carry cameras and makes them look like tourists. All the students in Mind your language dont take learning English seriously by not doing their homework instead they buy it of Giovanni the Italian and coming late to their classes. Desmonds is a sitcom set in 1980s in a barber shop. Desmonds is different to mind your language. It is subverting stereotypes because in Desmonds the people own their own business and when the show starts you see white people hanging around with black people instead of white people on one side and black on the other. This is represented by Shirley how is the daughter of Desmond has a white friend and when the show is starts you see a Blackman and a white man shaking hands. In Desmond the barber shop is used for social conversation about black people achieving things and how political comments are made negative at stereotyping in the media. Sean is the son of Desmond. Hes represented as a claver and wanting to go to school and wanting to learn. As well as listening to rap music and the older brother Sean has left and started working as a bank manager how lives well and also owns his own house. In conclusion I think mind your language is bad because it makes the people sound dishonest and bad but Desmonds on the other hand show positive view on TV because of showing black people wanting to learn and at the same time being into rap music and also black people being friends with white people.

Quantitative and Qualitative Comparative Approaches

Quantitative and Qualitative Comparative Approaches Comparative Education What Are the Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative and Qualitative Comparative Approaches? Introduction Virtually it is impossible for comparison not to exist, since it is a major part of human nature. Anything that exists and can be thought about has the potential to be compared. Swansen (1971: 145) stated that THINKING WITHOUT comparison is unthinkable, so is all scientific thought and scientific research. When the term comparative approach is used in the general sense it is a vital attribute in the field of social scientific methodology. In the general sense it may be assumed that all social scientific methods are comparative. However, in the field of sociology the term is more restricted to the explicit study and comparison of different societies; in an effort to determine the alike and different attributes of the societies (Eastthope 1974). However, some researches in this field of study have developed the position over the years that there is no uniqueness about this field of inquiry. One such researcher is Smelser (1976) who indicated that there is no separate goal recognised by comparative and non comparative researcher because they both describe societal trends by creating limitations over situations and case variants that occur in those trends. Ragin (1989), however, maintained that the comparative approach is a distinctive field because it can be characterised as having an undeviating experiential functioning of the nonfigurative notion of society that has a high level of notions. Based on this, Ragin stated that this is what differentiates compartivists and non- comparativits. Therefore it may be assumed that the comparative approach involves the studying of one society and comparing it to more than one case (society) based on their societal factors such as culture, politics, etc., and determining their similari ties and differences and attributing them to why phenomenon exists in the society being analysed. There are two major methods that researchers can apply when they conduct comparative research. These two approaches are called the comparative quantitative and comparative qualitative approaches. Therefore, in this essay I will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative comparative approaches. However, firstly I will conceptualise the term comparative approach within the tradition of social science and then I will define discuss the consequences this has for education. Reference will then be made the three stages the comparative approach evolved in education and the major principles that the comparative approach is hinged on. The qualitative and quantitative comparative approaches will then be defined; their features and functions, advantages and disadvantages will be discussed. I will then discuss what the best approach the comparative approach is; then I will finally be discussing the consequences that the comparative approach has for education. Conceptualising the Comparative Approach In the broad field of sociology the comparative approach may be defined as relating to a type of evaluation that contrasts one ideology or investigative plan aligned with others. It may have a possibility of being replaced by another one that can be used to explicate the same others that would explain the same common trend (Gerring 2008). Furthermore, Keaty (2008) stated that the comparative approach is the primary scientific process existing, that an individual can utilise to control theories and analyse the correlations of more than one variable, while maintaining all invariance that can latently alter factors. The main purpose of the comparative approach in this field of study is to construct a justification of worldwide trends that are common to these societies but also allows researchers to analyse the more intricate trends of a society Ragain (1987). Therefore, it may be assumed that through the use of the comparative approach researches are capable of distinguishing that a sou nd empirical elucidation is pertinent to a diverse number of situations, however it still provides the researcher the opportunity to identify that societal trends are multifaceted and that a broad rationalisation is an incomplete rationalisation. Ragin (1989) further purported that the comparative approach is a rational approach and as a result it is hinged on John Stuart Mills (1888) principles of inductive inquiry. John Stuart Mills (1888) as cited in Etzioni and Du Bow (1970) called these three principles are called method of agreement, method of difference and the indirect method of difference. The method of agreement may be explained as if two or more cases of the occurrence that is being examined have one condition that is similar, it is assumed that this condition in which all the occurrence concur, is the origin of the specified trend. Therefore in order for an occurrence to be necessary it must occur in each situation (206-208). Furthermore, it may be assumed that in this instance the comparativits would be concerned with investigating situations where the condition can be identified and therefore by default conditions that are not recorded would not be necessary for the occurrence(s) to transpire. The method of agreement that Mills (1888), as noted in Etzioni and Du Bow (1970), formulated may be explained as if an occurrence in which the trend under analysis takes place, and an occurrence in which it does not transpire, and the occurrence is the equivalent one should be reserved, that one taking place before; the condition(s) and the two cases that are different may be termed as the effect or a vital aspect of what caused the trend to take place. The final method that Mill (1888) defined, that the comparative approach is grounded on, is the indirect method of agreement. This method Mills indirect method of difference is the use of the method of agreement twice (208-210). Researchers draft cross tabulations in an effort to establish if trends are existent and if the result present/present or absent/absent then the notion can be maintained. When compartivists apply this method it has three major steps these are: the dual employment of the indirect method of difference and the step which is related to the elimination of challenging single elements of clarification through opposite comparisons. However, when the comparative approach is applied in education it may be defined as being a combination of pedagogy and the social sciences. The comparative approach in education deals with the structure and purpose a school serves. It is suggested by Noah and Eckstein (1969) that the field of education and the social sciences have merged because researches have focused on analogous types of statistics and congruent subject matters. Furthermore, the other reason for this merger between fields is the noticeable interest in quantitative and experiential and approaches of investigation (Noah and Eckstein 1969). The application of the comparative approach in education is purposeful for four main reasons. Crossley and Watson (2004) have tried to identify these purposes. Firstly, it allows stakeholders to comprehend their own educational structure. Secondly, it provides individuals with the opportunity to also be able to comprehend other peoples educational structures, their cultures and i ts societal interactions. Thirdly, individuals would be able to recognise contrast educational structures, procedures and effects as a means of recording and comprehending the issues in education, and assistance to the development of educational guiding principles and traditions. Fourthly and finally it supports enhanced global comprehending and collaboration owing to augmented understanding to various beliefs and traditions of the world. When the comparative approach is applied in the field of education it is hinged on the various stages that evolved from. They are two major theories that are used to explain this process. According to Bereday (1964) as noted in Bray, Adamson and Mason (2007) the development of the comparative approach in education went through three steps. The first step he insinuated occurred during the 19th century and was established by Marc- Antonie Jullien the first known methodically, academic comparative educationalist. This period was referred to as borrowing. Bereday (1964) stated that during this phase great importance was focused on the categorisation of explanatory facts. After that emphasis was placed on contrasting the information collected in an effort to determine the preeminent traditions that a country was using with the purpose of implementing them in other countries. Beredays (1964) second step in the development of the comparative approach in education transpired within the firs t 50 years of the 20th century. This phase, he contended was pioneered by Sir Michael Sadler in the United Kingdom and it emphasised that educational structures are interlinked complicatedly to the nation that maintains them. Beredeys (1964) last step involved interpretation which stresses the development of the evolving of hypothesis and approaches and the apparent creation of the stages of comparative processes and strategies to assist the improvement of ideologies. According to Bereday (1964) as noted in Bray et al (2007) this modern new historical era that examined was a extension of the conventions of the phases of guessing, but it proposed that preceding guessing and ultimate borrowing is endeavoured it is essential that the subject is methodically implemented and applied to the educational policies. Comparative social science is also important in the field of comparative education. The process of borrowing and analysing educational systems across countries are very important for the existence of this field. As such, the use of the quantitative and qualitative approach is also important in comparative education research. The general field of comparative research is generally associated with applying the qualitative approach because cases have to be analysed. However, when applied in education there is a greater need for compartivists to apply the quantitative approach. This demand was brought about because of the move in focus contained in the discipline of comparative education from chronological, descriptive investigations in the direction of investigations applying arithmetical data and quantitative data analysis methods (Bray et. al 2007). The Two Approaches to Comparative Research As previously mentioned they are two major means by which researchers approach their investigations, through the application of either the quantitative or qualitative approach. In this section I will be discussing these both approaches in the broad social science field and then I will be discussing them as they are applied to the field of comparative education. According to Picciano (2004) the major differences between the both approaches when applied in education are based on the rationale of the investigation, the type of information to be collected, the method by which the collected information would be scrutinised, and how conclusions will drawn based on the findings of the collected data. For example, if a researcher wanted to investigate and understand trend that was occurring in a society the researcher may apply the qualitative approach. However, if another researcher was desirous of conducting a correlation study on students performance, they may apply the quantitative approach Quantitative Comparative Approach When the qualitative approach is applied generally, Bryman (2004) defined it as an investigative approach that typically stressed on words as opposed to the computations involved the gathering and interpretation of information. He further stated that this approach has three major features. The first feature is that it involves a deductive methodology towards the interaction connecting assumptions and investigation, in which the emphasis is situated on the examination of these assumptions. The second feature is that it integrates the systems and standards of positivism and of the natural empirical model. And thirdly it exemplifies an analysis of societal veracity as a peripheral authentic purpose Bryman (2004). The application of the qualitative approach in the social sciences is generally advantageous for four major reasons. Bryman (2004) stated that these reasons are measurement, causality, generalization and replication. Measurement is essential because it allows the researcher to define fine disparities between the cases, it is a reliable mechanism for shaping dissimilarities and it provides the foundation for further accurate educated conjectures of the level of association between notions. When the quantitative researcher is investigating a trend he or she is not interested in explaining the trend but rather in determining why the trend is occurring. When the researcher has made their final findings and conclusions there results may be able to be generalised to the whole population being researched. And finally, because of generally steps that are followed, and this method of research is void of personal biases it is objective, therefore if the researcher or any other researcher cond ucted the same research following the same steps the results yielded should be similar. Therefore this would give an indication that this approach to the social science is reliable and valid (Bryman 2004). However, they are also some disadvantageous which occur from applying the quantitative approach. Bryman (2004) has identified four major disadvantages that are generally associated with the application of this approach. Firstly he stated that researches of this approach are unsuccessful in discriminating individuals and societal organisation from the way by which people construe the world. Secondly, some individuals are of the opinion that the means by which the data is measured false belief that it is exactitude. For example, if a researcher distributed questionnaires, it is likely that some individuals may misinterpret the questions, and the answers may not be accurate. Thirdly, sometimes, the respondents may not have enough knowledge to answer the questionnaire adequately, which will result in the data not reflecting the current trend. And finally the investigation of interaction among variables produces an inert perspective of societal that is mutually dependent of individuals l ives (Bryman 2004). An example of how the quantitative approach was applied in mainstream social science was the study conducted by Chin, Fisak and Sims (2002). This study was termed Developing a Likert Scale: the case of attitudes to vegetarians. This study was used to investigate the behaviours of vegetarians who were said to be abnormal and as a consequence were considered with scepticism and resentment. As a result, the study conducted on a sample of undergraduate students of a university from the United States. There scale sought to answer four major questions. These questions were based on the type (s) of behaviours that vegetarians exhibited that was seen as offensive, discrepancy with their vegetarians ideologies, health concerns of vegetarians and how to treat them aptly. The researchers of the comparative quantitative approach also refer to this approach as the variable approach. Ragain (1989) defined this approach as being established on theory. Furthermore he opined that the qualitative comparative approach seeks to determine and analyse the association among perceptible interactions throughout various nations, and extensive hypothetically established descriptions of worldwide societal trends, as opposed to trying to comprehend explicit results. However, it must be noted that the main purpose of the quantitative comparative approach is based on establishing theories which are formulated from common assumptions as opposed to analysing historical conditions, in an attempt to create various historically results. This approach, the quantitative comparative approach has been famous for more than 25 years and its fame because there was a revamping in the concern of researching global societal phenomenon. This revamping of the field prompted researchers to inculcate the quantitative procedures from the conventional social sciences, which led to the application of the social science procedures to analyse hypotheses. The application of the quantitative approach in comparative social science has been beneficial because compartivists now have and increased authenticity and a renewed association with conventional social science (Ragin 1989). The use of the quantitative comparative approach is advantageous obviously for the same reasons mentioned for the use of the quantitative approach in mainstream social science, however Ragin (1989) has presented seven advantages that compartivists derive when they apply the quantitative comparative approach. Firstly, comparitivts are now equipped with an approach that allows them to study a large number of cases at an instant. Furthermore, it allows these researchers to increase the quantity the amount of scrutiny which does not require a great amount of knowledge of the field; despite having knowledge of the field would improve the quality of this approach. Secondly, it has stimulated a novel awareness in consistent quantitative cross-national data. This awareness is valuable because measuring permits more precise examination of the hypothesis to be achieved. Quantification of description of societal composition presents a foundation for analysing a wide range of conjectures concern ing the interaction among cases. Thirdly, it allows investigators to consider alternative explanations more carefully when testing a theory. Fourthly, comparativists now have access to information from various a large cross sections of countries data bases. Fifthly, through the application of the quantitative comparative approach, researchers have now when creating scientific generalisations; since the quantitative procedures that have been introduced are conventional like the traditional design in mainstream social science. Sixthly, it has reduced the inclination between some comparativits to appreciate specific elucidations when confronted with several contradictory situations. And finally it has given researches the opportunity to use procedures of statistical control (Ragin 1989). An example of a quantitative comparative study would be Bronschier and others (1978) study of developed countries that had an advanced level of local investment economies grew quicker. However, some individuals have criticised the quantitative comparative approach of these comparativists. Picciano (2004) has identified some major criticisms. Firstly, individuals have stated that comparativits who apply this approach has not given their subjects the opportunity to express their genuine perceptions, unlike the researchers who use the qualitative comparative approach. The quantitative comparative approach is also said to be criticised because findings from this approach tend to be void of significance. Researchers of the qualitative comparative approach also are condemned because they tend to be concerned with hypothesises which are unrelated to cases being examined, therefore this results in findings which are not truly linked to the instigative enquiries. As such, statistics are produced which is fictitious and inappropriate to distinct situations (Picciano 2004). According to Bryman (1988) and Smith (1983) as noted in Bray et al (2007) the use of quantitative comparative education in education is purposeful for the formation of principles which provide some form of clarification and forecasting of educational trends Principles of relationship maintain a practical reliance among objects, while principles that seek to determine reasons (qualitative comparative approach) entail an unchanging series of procedures. Observing this approach to the nomothetic form of analysis entails that investigators contemplate such principles to be worldwide, despite of dissimilarities that exist. Principles increases potentiality to explicate and forecast interactions among trends across circumstances. The quantitative approach is also imperative in education. These comparative educational investigators are interested in analysing in a fashion that their results would be generalised and pertinent to all the trends regardless of the nation our culture. Concurrently, there are feasible assumptions, systems, and strategies across the globe, and an aspiration to get worldwide explanations to worldwide phenomena. Major records from worldwide researches of educational accomplishment, and educational statistics collected by global organisation, can be appealing to knowledgeable and apprentice investigators similarly as a result of its accessibility. Ultimately, if the government indicates that they require the educational system a worldwide group to carry out an investigation they may require that researchers apply a more quantitative comparative approach (Bray et al 2007). Qualitative Comparative Approach When the qualitative approach is defined in mainstream social science Creswell (1998) stated that it is an investigative procedure of comprehending rooted on clear customs of inquisition that investigates a societal or human dilemma. The investigator creates a multifaceted, whole depiction, evaluates words, reports comprehensive ideologies of subjects, and performs the research in a real situation. However, he maintained that researchers who use this approach ought to conduct a quantitative research preceding it. Lincoln (1995) stated that this approach is procedure has a large concern of integrating and deducing the real subject with an effort to explain and understand trends of people. Furthermore this type of investigations uses diverse types experimental resources e.g. interview, case study, etc. When researches use the qualitative approach to conduct their investigations they are six steps that they must follow. Bryman (2001) has identified these six steps. The first step involves formulating broad investigative enquiries. The next step involves the choosing of the pertinent cases to be investigated. Thirdly, these researchers should seek to gather their pertinent information that will answer their research questions. Fourthly, the researcher has to construe the gathered information and afterwards they should seek to do some theorising. At this point the researcher has to redefine the research question, gather more information and re-interrupt the gathered information. Finally, the research can then construct their findings and conclusions. An example of the application of the qualitative approach to investigation is Taylors (1993:8) study cited in Byman (2004). This research involved the investigation of female drug users who used needles. In her study she showed that thes e women were rational active individuals who were capable of making choices rooted on the eventualities of both their drug abuse and the roles they play in society collectively. The qualitative approach in mainstream social science is advantageous. Burns (2000) has identified some advantageous of applying this approach when conducting research. Firstly, because the basis of research in this approach is not established on testing a hypothesis the investigator is provided with the opportunity to have a more intimate relationship with the subjects, and therefore a better understanding of the phenomenon being investigated. Researchers of this approach can also have a better opportunity in developing causations as it relates to trends that are occurring. Ultimately, when the findings are prepared they are not represented with numerical summaries; therefore the average person can understand the results presented (Burns 2000). However, they are four major disadvantages which can be associated with the application of the qualitative approach in mainstream social science. Firstly, the approach is too subjective, as such the results are too reliant on the investigators disorganised perceptions about what they view consequential. This approach to investigation is impossible to reproduce because it does not have any formal structure. Another criticism of this approach it that the results yielded cannot be generalised and can only be applicable to the small number of cases that were researched. Finally the whole procedure that is carried out in this approach does not clearly depict what the investigator procedures and how they made their deductions (Bryman 2001). The qualitative comparative approach is defined as an approach that compartavists use to create chronological clarification of detailed past results or previously distinct grouping of observed trends. This approach is also referred to as the case-orientated comparative method. The objective of this methodology is equally past construe and fundamental rational. Therefore, comparativits who use this method attempts to comprehend or infer explicit cases based on their inherent values. Thus the general aim is to create restricted generalisations regarding the subjects of tentatively distinct groups of experiential trends universal to a small group (Ragin 1987). They are some advantageous which can be derived from utilising the qualitative comparative approach. Ragin (1989) identified some of these advantages. Firstly, it is feasible to focus on fundamental difficulty involved in studying the cases based on attributes that create the significant societal transformation and trends that concern social scientists. Also this methodology necessitates that the researcher defers suppositions concerning the similarity of subjects and situations. This accommodation enhances the interactions between ideologies and findings. The research sample is manageable since the cases are few. Therefore these compartivists will be able to contrast the differences, and have a personal understanding of pertinent subjects (Ragin 1987). A good example of a qualitative comparative study is Marvin Harris (1978) study of sociocultural puzzles This study entailed him to studying the various views people had regarding meat from various parts of the world. He was able to explain these different ideologies of meat eating for the various regions based on cultural elucidations. They are also some disadvantages in applying the qualitative comparative approach. Picciano (2004) identified four disadvantages. Firstly, the analysis of the information is too dependent on the researcher. Furthermore, when the researcher has completed their investigation the study cannot be reproduced nor can the results be generalised for any other cases. And ultimately, since the results are not presented statistically some researchers will view the results as insufficient to provide valuable proof and furthermore being an assault to the truth. Since the qualitative approach to social to comparative method involves determining causation compartivists tend to apply comparative historical research when investigating. Mahooney and Ruechemeyer (2003) noted that this approach is a primary type of investigation that is applied in the social science. The comparative historical researchers primary interest is in enquiries which are precise to specific chronological cases. As a result of the desire to explicate these cases, frequently may result in additional research which extends beyond the initial subjects. Comparative historical analysis also involves explicating and recognising of fundamental configurations that create significant outcomes Furthermore investigators clearly examine past trends and obtains the changes over a time frame. And ultimately because comparative historical researchers typically are acquainted with all cases, they are able to they can assess variables based on theoretical analysis and legitimacy is achiev able when a reasonable number of cases are chosen (Mahooney and Ruechemeyer 2003). An example of a comparative historical study in the field of education would be Green and Wiborg (2004) study on Comprehensive Schooling and Educational Inequality: An International Perspective. Skopol and Somers (1980) have identified three approaches that can be used in comparative historical analysis. The first one is called Parallel Demonstration of Theory. The chief principle of this approach was for contrasting situations/countries past to convince the reader that a specified and described assumption can frequently reveal its effectiveness. An example of this approach is Jeffery M. Paiges study on the Agrarian Revolution. The second approach is contrasting on contexts by putting cases beside each other and more or less has a differing purpose than parallel comparative history. An example of this approach is Reinhard Bendix investigation of nation building and citizenship. Generally comparison is done between separate subjects. Typically contrasts are advanced by of the direction of assumptions. The third approach is the Macro-social Analysis. These investigators employ this style chiefly to determine causation about macro-level methods and systems. An example of this approach is Barrington Moores research on Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy (Skopol and Somers 1980). Mahooney (2000) also identified another approach that may be used in comparative historical analysis as path dependency. Through this approach researchers indistinctively conceptualise the past that is significant and the impacts it will have on the future. This form of investigation essentially analyses the association between sequential variables are considered, however it does not essentially scrutinise path-dependent progression of transform. However, it proposes an account for specific results of occurrences of exceptions. An example of the path-dependency approach to comparative historical analysis is Jack Goldstones Revolution and Rebellion in the Early Modern World (Mahooney 2000). However within comparative education they are some researchers who prefer to adopt the qualitative comparative approach, and therefore insist that this method is applied. They prefer this method because they opine that it will eliminate the inadequacies that are associated with the quantitative approach to comparative education. Qualitative investigators within the field of comparative education also view that there is a sound conviction in the significance of traditional, political and societal framework and the opinion that education cannot be unrelated from its indigenous customs. Qualitative investigation is also supported through a great quantity of worldwide numerical statistics, frequently insignificantly engaged devoid of reflection of impending preconceptions. And also by means of elements of investigation contrasted which not only include native circumstances and societal difference, with consideration to the enquiry of the objectivity or importance of the investigators un dertaking. The qualitative comparative investigators in education focus on the necessitatity to the immensely prospective for partiality and difficult conjectures when investigators act externally from their personal intellectual circumstances. They opine that effort ought to be present in order to become cognisant of such partialities and furthermore to enquiry individual postulations although attempting to comprehend the postulations fundamental to the nations and traditions which are aims of investigations. An example of the use of the qualitative comparative approach in education is Margaret Archers (1979) as noted in Green (1990) study on The Social Origins of Education Systems. Her study was conducted in Russia, England, France and Denmark. This research was also the basis for Green (1990) study on Education and State Formation. Another example is Ramierz and Boli (1987) study on The political Construction of Mass Schooling: European Origins and Worldwide Institutionalization Mixed Methods Combing the qualitative and quantitative approaches to the comparative approach is beneficial when considering the many advantages and disadvantages t

Dualism And Dualistic Interactionism

Dualism And Dualistic Interactionism Dualism was believed to approach by Pythagoras nearly 6th Century B.C.E. Pythagoras believe on transmigration of soul-means that when a person died, the soul is immortal and bound to divide soul. However , Pythagorass theory is not likely famous during that time. Later, Plato shows the disjunctive between mind and body. Plato think that body is like a prison used to trap mind/soul. After death, the body decompose because it was made of material while soul/mind is immortal. This shows that body and mind is two separated things. Dualism that famously used nowadays came from the famous philosopher and mathematician, Rene Descartes.It is also known as the beginning of modern philosophy. Rene introduced two main subject for dualism which are substance and property. In order to understand dualism,several argument were rised.One particular argument is dualistic interactionism which known ascommon sense.Descartes stated the point of interaction is something connected mind/soul to body is at pineal gland of brain.However,the soul is not likely trap at pineal glad,it only act as point of interaction.Mind is real but it is different from brain.. The brain is the major locus for the mind or consciousness of the soul, yet mind or consciousness is distributed throughout the whole body.But the function of pineal gland as point of interaction has been proved as wrong by scientifically method.Pineal gland function to secrete serotonin derivative melatonin(hormone use to modulate sleep and wake patterns and seasonal function).There are no evidence to associate mind/soul to body.This is making interactionism as a weak argument to defend dualism. Another argument is mind is the immortal soul.Many religion like Islam and Christian teach that soul is different from our body.When we died ,the soul is immortal and will go to heaven or hell.This argument is similar to Platos approach.Thats why platonic dualism are well accepted in Christian . The third argument is ,if dualism is false,we can reduce mind/mental states to physical matter or vice versa,or to neutral third substance.However,it was impossible to change your mental states to matter.For example if we feel anger towards someone,can you made your feeling into concrete object?of course not.Thats why this argument is commonly used to convince people about dualism.However,this argument can be critise for the lackness of imagination.In imagination we think about something then we made it into some physical things. The last argument is mental states(mind) and physical(body)have different and irreconcilable properties. First point for this judgement is mental states cannot be publically observable.For example ,I fall from stairs and hurt my head.We can see the effect of fallness because the bump in my head but you cannot feel the pain I suffered.Thats why mental states is private unlike physical things such as fireworks and cannot be publically observable. Next is mental states is not spatially located .Many experiment been conducted but scientist still cannot proved where mind located ,either inside or outside of the brain.Pretending that you are feeling happy.Does you feel happy in your head or the happiness is spread throughout your body?So,where exactly your mind?Third point is mental states does not have properties as physical.As example our body have mass and can do physical motion.We can not weigh a thought and we cannot measure how far our feeling can go.Some people stated that they have depthness of feeling but,how can they measure the depthness?Fourth,mental states have subjective properties(Qualia)that physical do not have.Qualia is raw feels .It is a subjective or qualitative properties of our experience.It is like how to know what is red color or how to differentiate musical notes heard from piano or violin. It is impossible to reduced Qualia into physical properties. So there are at least four major differences between the mental and the physical, which make it difficult, to say the least, to understand how one might reduce the mental to the physical. That seems to give us considerable reason to think that the mind and the body are two totally different categories of being. So,this is a good argument for dualism. In this philosophy of mind, dualism is different kinds of mental events and physical events in a set of beginning of belief in which they were claimed. Instead of that, the dualist in the philosophy of mind had identified the big difference between mind and matter. They all disagree that the mind is the same as the brain. While others also deny that the mind is the only one the product of the brain. The concept of this dualism is that our mind is more than our brain. It can contain everything in our surrounding. This concept tells us that our mind has a non-material which is spiritual dimension that includes consciousness and possibly an eternal attribute or we can call that as motivation. In order to understand this concept is we have to consider ourselves first as a container which is including our physical body and physical brain together with a separate non-physical mind, spirit, soul, motivation and so on. The mind, spirit, or soul is considered the conscious part that manifests itself through the brain. In a similar way where the picture and sound waves manifest themselves through a television set. These waves of picture and sound are also known as no -material just like the mind, spirit, or soul. There are many types of dualism that are distinguished based on if and how mind and matter are thought to each other together with its own functionality. Thus, this dualism can be divided into two which is substance and property dualist. Substance dualists typically argue that there are difference matters in our mind and body where the mind is a thinking thing is less exposed to the physical of an object. The physical objects are including size, shape, location, volume, speed and direction in movement, adherence to the laws of physics, and so on. However, substance dualists fall into several groups depending on how they think the connection of mind and body are related. For instances, interactionists believe that minds and bodies can affect to each other. Occasionalists and parallelists, generally motivated by a concern to their curiosity of physical science. But this is denied because all apparent interaction to God is ultimately attributing.Epiphenomenalists offer a compromise theory, asserting that bodily events can have mental events as effects at the same time denying that the reverse is true. This can be done by avoiding any threat to the scientific law of conservation of energy at the expense of the common sen se notion that we act for reasons. The occasionalism and parallelism are another two types of substance dualist. These theories are largely preserved or are taken from the original of history. The occasionalist mentioned that there are no interactin between mind and body mind. They may seem to when, for example, we put our hand above the hot kettle then the hot and distressing sensation occurs. Occassionalists, like Malebranche, assert that the sensation is caused by God where God create appropriate experiences and feeling by using the occasion of environmental happenings. Furthermore, according to the parallelist, our mental and physical histories are coordinated so that mental events appear to cause physical events (and vice versa) by virtue of their temporal conjunction, but mind and body no more interact than two clocks that are synchronized so that the one chimes when hands of the other point out the new hour. Since this fantastic series of harmonies could not possibly be due to mere coincidence, so it is advanced in explanation of religion. In creation God does not appeared continuously, just like the occasionalist had mentioned, but builds into creation a pre-established harmony which is we programmed ourselves that maximally removes the need for future impact. Next, another dualism is property dualism which is that mental states are irreducible attributes of brain states and it holds that mental phenomena are non-physical properties of physical substances. Consciousness is the most widely known as an example of a non-physical property of physical substances. However, other dualists hold that mental states, characteristic and episodes are brain states, even the states cannot be conceptualized in exactly the same way without loss of meaning. According to epiphenomenalism, mental events can build bodily events or processes, but bodily events or processes cannot caused by mental phenomena (McLaughlin, p. 277) whether an epiphenomenalist thinks these mental epiphenomena are properties of the body or properties of a non-physical mental storage determines whether the epiphenomenalist is a property or substance dualist. They are many psychology principle that had been discuss today. For example, functionalism, dualism, mongolism. All this principle had their own explanations and their own believe about the life and the things that related to life. But, for my group opinion, the most suitable and the nearest principle that can get along with life. human body actually had two things, that is body and mind. This two things react with each other simultaneously to create the most complicated and perfect things, that is life to run smoothly. Dualism can be prove to be nearly correct because it has implications that related to life after death issues. This is because, after we die, we will going to had our life after death, and many religion in this world was practicing the same things. After we die, our soul will separated from our body, and will live the life after the death. So, the life after death is based on judgment on how we operate or run our life before. Besides that, nobody in this world can ret ain or can resist death. Everybody will die, and nobody had the immortal. So, this prove that dualism concept was the most or nearly precise principle that can be related to life. Apart from that, human rationality in the terms of thinking was also an implication that can be used to prove that dualism principle was true. Physical forces was something that play an importance role in peoples thought judgment. If there is no soul, instead, there is only had body, they will be no believe or not believe for something that is not real-abstract. For example, the galaxy had seven layer, and god is actually exist . on the other hand, if our body had only self-refuting left, there will be no room for rational beliefs. British study had published that there is evidence that consciousness continues after a persons brain stopped. The most shocking prove was that actually death support the dualism . the brain still run the function of lucid thought with formation and reasoning of memory. Besides, there are also patience that admit that they had gain information that they had never knew it before. Brain was also being proved that had no place where electric stimulation can cause a person to believe or decide. This was proved by doing interviewed to sixty three heart attack victims who were declared death. Roger sperry and hiks team had studied difference between right and left hemisphrere of the brain, and they had founf that mind had causal power independent of the brain activities. This is why, materialism was concluded to be false by sperry. Actually, thought had two component, that is mind and brain. This can be said to be true because thoughts can be true or false, however, brain staes itself cannot be true or false. So, how on earth can we think in our everyday life about right or wrong? This can be the obvious prove to prove that dualism was the most precise principle exist-yet. Besides that, by measuring brain waves, nobody can tell we what are we thinking. Instead, we must been ask about what had been thinking first, then everybody will knows. That is why the dualism principle was chosen to be most or nearest precise principle that can be adapt to our life as it had two component that work and react simultaneously to complete the cycle that we called life and it was also true to be said that life or mind body actually had two component, that is body and soul.

Essay --

Faith healing is an unbelievable phenomenon where diseases and medical conditions are cured solely through spiritual means. First demonstrated by Jesus Christ, many modern day faith healers claim they can heal any disease and offer their services as an alternative to modern-day medical treatment. There have been many displays of this faith healing over the years, but it’s a controversial topic that has many people for and against. There are many self professed faith healers in the world today. Some of them are famous and ridiculously rich, some are the opposite, but they all claim to have some sort of supernatural power capable of healing through faith alone. It’s the exact opposite of medical treatment and is hard to prove, but cases of cures are being reported often. For example, the Healing Rooms Ministry of Bethel Church in Redding, California have pages of testimonials of people claiming to be healed of things such as broken bones and cancer. But how is it possible to know whether these stories have been fabricated or not? How is it possible to know to what extent the faith healing actually had an effect on the cure. It isn’t possible. What often happens in these faith healing situations is what is called the placebo effect. People go into it expecting to be cured, and may end up no longer feeling the effects of their disease after being â€Å"healed†. The problem with this is the fallacial reasoning, whereby the participant affirms the consequent and also gets caught up in a post hoc, ergo propter hoc. The participant uses the faith healing method, and then if they get better they will assume that it was because of the faith healing and not any natural process or other medical treatment they may have received. There are many log... .... Putting the beliefs behind it aside, though, many groups and organisations have offered cash incentives for cured victims of particular faith healers to publicly come forward, but no-one ever has. Furthermore, previously mentioned James Randi has had a cash prize of one million dollars for anyone who can prove that they have supernatural powers to him. He has been offering this award for many years, but has not needed to pay up even once to date. Faith healing is something that many people have experienced, through themselves or a loved one, and some will speak only good of it, but many will argue the opposite. Despite the relatively large number of positive testimonials, faith healers have a bad track record, and as much as it would be nice for it to be at least somewhat reasonable, there is no solid or scientific evidence whatsoever to suggest that is the case.

Interconnected :: Biodiversity Science Biology Essays

Interconnected â€Å"Loving nature is not the same as understanding it.† Like the majority of the human race, Harriet in Gary Larson’s [JH1] book, There’s a Hair in my Dirt, â€Å"‘not only [misunderstand] the things she saw – vilifying some creatures while romanticizing others, - but also her connection to them’† (Larson 1998). The human race is one big Harriet; we see what is on the surface and never truly understand what lies beneath because we fail to even look. In order to understand ourselves, we must first understand what makes us and shapes us. Perhaps this is why we should understand biodiversity and the effects it has on us and science. All living things need each other to survive. We need the trees to breathe, they need us to produce CO2 for photosynthesis, and they also need the worms to cultivate the land for rich soil. Hence, we could imply that we need the worms to breathe. It’s more than that, though. The whole concept of biology, or even science, revolves around the intricate connections between all of its aspects. We need to understand biodiversity to understand our connections to all living things. In order to understand biodiversity we need to use systematics. In order to understand systematics we need to understand taxonomy, phylogeny, evolution and all the other parts. Every part of who we are is saturated in everything around us and yet we do not even try to take the time to absorb a drop of it. Despite the fact that we consider ourselves to be the most intelligent of the species living on this planet today, our egos and independence, our ignorance and manipulation, allow the understanding of our very existence on this earth to pass us by. In order to truly understand who we are, we need to come nose to nose with the earthworms. In understanding biodiversity, we will be able to harvest the benefits that come from it. Not only will we be able to understand our connections with all living things, but our connection with the environment as well. Interconnected :: Biodiversity Science Biology Essays Interconnected â€Å"Loving nature is not the same as understanding it.† Like the majority of the human race, Harriet in Gary Larson’s [JH1] book, There’s a Hair in my Dirt, â€Å"‘not only [misunderstand] the things she saw – vilifying some creatures while romanticizing others, - but also her connection to them’† (Larson 1998). The human race is one big Harriet; we see what is on the surface and never truly understand what lies beneath because we fail to even look. In order to understand ourselves, we must first understand what makes us and shapes us. Perhaps this is why we should understand biodiversity and the effects it has on us and science. All living things need each other to survive. We need the trees to breathe, they need us to produce CO2 for photosynthesis, and they also need the worms to cultivate the land for rich soil. Hence, we could imply that we need the worms to breathe. It’s more than that, though. The whole concept of biology, or even science, revolves around the intricate connections between all of its aspects. We need to understand biodiversity to understand our connections to all living things. In order to understand biodiversity we need to use systematics. In order to understand systematics we need to understand taxonomy, phylogeny, evolution and all the other parts. Every part of who we are is saturated in everything around us and yet we do not even try to take the time to absorb a drop of it. Despite the fact that we consider ourselves to be the most intelligent of the species living on this planet today, our egos and independence, our ignorance and manipulation, allow the understanding of our very existence on this earth to pass us by. In order to truly understand who we are, we need to come nose to nose with the earthworms. In understanding biodiversity, we will be able to harvest the benefits that come from it. Not only will we be able to understand our connections with all living things, but our connection with the environment as well.