Social Promotion Essay -- essays research papers

Social Promotion: An Excuse for Not Educating a Child   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When it comes to students failing a grade level there has always been two options, either a student can be socially promoted or they can be retained. The choices for a failing child are limited and both situations have stigmas attached. Both options have positive and negative effects this I concur. While, presenting both sides of the argument I will note that retention is not always the solution to a failing child’s future, however, promoting a student without the skills or knowledge to proceed to the next grade level only paves a future of destruction. What is Social Promotion?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Social promotion is the practice of promoting students to the next grade when they have failed to master part or all of the grade-level curriculum.† Social promotion is considered to keep a student’s social and psychological well being intact by allowing them to stay with their peers (social promotion). Social promotion reinforces failure, ignores students’ problems, and sends a message to every student that achievement and effort do not matter. (#1 pg. 1) The Alternative†¦Retention   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Retention is often viewed as the only alternative to social promotion, it is a policy that holds back students who have failing grades at the end of a school year (#2 pg. 3). Retention allows students to have an additional year to repeat a grade and to master the core curriculum for that grade level. However, when a child repeats a grade level they are often taught the same skills in the exact same manner from the previous year, thus leading them through another unsuccessful year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While most teachers know that educational research indicates that retention can be ineffective, if not harmful, they feel there are insufficient educational alternatives (#2 pg. 4). It is estimated that between 15 and 19 percent of students are retained each year and as many as 50 percent of students in large urban areas are usually retained at least once before they graduate or decide to drop out of school (Starr pg.1). The American Federation of Teachers reports that very few studies have ever documented any appreciable long-term academic gains with retention (Starr pg. 1). The AFT also notes that with retention come problems such as, student alien... ...ly intervention, and a determine and well prepared staff.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is so easy to pass a child off by just promoting them to the next level. One might think it is not my problem anymore. By socially promoting children by just one grade level can effect that student’s performance for a lifetime. Students are in school to learn not to be passed off. They have right to a proper education and they must master all skills before being promoted. There is no hope for a child who has not met the standards or mastered the skills to be constantly promoted from one grade to the next. A student with an immeasurable amount of unmet skills and standards will never be able to function on â€Å"normal† level within society. If school systems, teachers, and parents do not hold each child responsible for the set standards then they are depriving these students of an education and a chance to ever have a successful future. When the question asked what is to be done with a failing student the answer is not social promotion. Social pro motion is an excuse, a scapegoat, or a way out of taking the time, extra effort, and responsibility of educating a child.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Character and Conflict in “The Most Dangerous Game” Essay

Conflict and Character in â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† There’s a popular worship song called â€Å"Love Knows No End† by Hillsong. Although it may be simply sung at church, I find it relative to General Zaroff, a hunting fanatic in â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†. His ardent passion for the thrill of hunting led him to seek a greater challenge. Since he had already perfected the art of killing all of his quarry without exception, he decided to pursue a new creature; one that could reason and provide a more perplexing chase – humans. Unfortunately, Rainsford accidentally stumbled across Shiptrap Island, the location where General Zaroff hosted his malevolent game. Undoubtedly, conflicts have brought out the true character of everyone. As in the case of Rainsford and General Zaroff, from â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†, by Richard Connell, it was seen that the dilemmas and obstacles either contributed to creating a dynamic or static character. Without conflict, there would be no brilliance or appeal to a story. It is a vital element in literature that presents the character a challenging struggle from an opposing force, whether it be nature, an antagonist, or the character himself. Such as, â€Å"‘Rainsford,’ called the general, ‘if you are within sound of my voice, as I suppose you are, let me congratulate you. Not many men know how to make a Malay mancatcher’† (Connell 13). This demonstrates a competition for General Zaroff, granted that he was a hunting prodigy. Very rarely, has someone been close to winning the game, Rainsford being one of them. General Zaroff recognized that possibility and perhaps have had glimpses of fear and uncertainty. On the other hand, â€Å"Rainsford knew he could do one of two things. He could stay where he was and wait. That was suicide. He could flee. That was postponing the inevitable† (Connell 14). This was the climatic struggle for Rainsford from the story because of his hopelessness. He could not dismiss the fact that at one point, he would die from the hounds. Rainsford perceived this tragic circumstance since his mind was weak from the mental battles, along with the physical hardships he faced throughout the whole game. Therefore, the conflicts from this story resulted in either a transforming or stagnant character. For instance, General Zaroff’s character development proved to be static, in  other words, not changing throughout the story. To illustrate this, â€Å"He could see the great hounds, and he called, ‘Better luck another time,’ to them† (Connell 15). Considering this quote, it was apparent that he would continue his monstrous game in the future. Even with General Zaroff’s predicament of possibly losing the game and his murdering secrets being revealed, he did not relinquish his passion for bloodshed. Another case is, â€Å"Two slight annoyances kept him from perfect enjoyment. One was the thought that it would be difficult to replace Ivan† (Connell 15). Rainsford constructed an ingenuous trap that killed Ivan and a few of the hounds. As a consequence, General Zaroff lost his loyal accomplice. Accordingly, he would be on the search for a new â€Å"Ivan†, confirming that he still needed a partner to help him with his games. Thus, General Zaroff remained the same character that he always was, a ruthless hunter, despite his struggles. In contrast, the dynamic character in the story was Rainsford, due to his change in his approach of sympathizing with his prey. For instance, â€Å"‘Who cares how a jaguar feels?’† (Connell 1). This was his remark to his associate, Whitney, who pitied the jaguar, along with the rest of the victims in every hunt. Rainsford shrugged off the idea of empathy, stating that he was a hunter, and not a huntee. Eventually, â€Å"At daybreak Rainsford, lying near the swamp, was awakened by a sound that made him know that he had new things to learn about fear† (Connell 14). Throughout the arduous days in the game, Rainsford finally understood the world of a huntee. The experience firsthand led him to a form of sympathy or at least respect for his prey. Although the author was not clear about Rainsford maintaining his hunting lifestyle after this encounter, it can be concluded that he portrayed a dynamic character through his conflicts in the jungle. General Zaroff’s love for hunting truly had no limits, which brought forth the slaughter of countless men, in addition to his own death. In many ways, love knows no end, as portrayed in the title of the praise song by Hillsong. However, Rainsford’s aspiration for hunting was altered by the challenging experience of living as a prey, therefore illustrating a dynamic character, as opposed to General Zaroff, who remained the static character undeterred by his conflicts.

Rosenbaum’s a Perversion of the Past (Mississippi Burning)

Oleh Jonathan Rosenbaum's critique of the 1988 film â€Å"Mississippi Burning† draws much of its intellectual adn emotional response to the film from Rosenbaum's personal experiences as a participant in the civil rights movement of the 1960's. The article — which casts the movie â€Å"Mississippi Burning† in a pretty much unfavorable light due to what Rosenbaum feels is a deliberate series of distortions of historical fact — recounts in equal portions, Rosenbaum's direct experiences of the era and the experience of the era as it is presented by the movie's director, Alan Parker, who Rosenbaum immediately identifies as a former advertising director. Rosenbaum also remarks that Parker's previous films: â€Å"all reek of advertising's overheated style† (Rosenbaum, 119). and Rosenbaum also makes it clear that he is not, himself, an impersonal interpretor of the era of the civil rights movement that Parker's movie attempts to cover. Rosenbaum's article appeared in a book-length collection of his essays entitled â€Å"Movies as Politics† published in 1997. The book contains numerous essays on Hollywood films and attempts to shed light on the political repercussions of the all-too-routine historical inaccuracies and poetic license which is deeply embedded in contemporary commercial films. Rosenbaum's thesis, relative to â€Å"Mississippi Burning† is that damage to American culture is, indeed, done by the making of a movie which focuses on superficial imagery: churches burning, people being beaten, etc — and in fact distorts the truth of factual occurrences — in order to fulfill the attributes of a successful commercial film. Rosenbaum claims that â€Å"Mississippi Burning† is a dangerous re-visioning of history for many reasons, foremost among them: the fact that the film features two white protagonists, both of whom are federal agents, plus the undeniable fact that Parker in shaping his protagonists as unambiguously moral agents with no trace of personal racism or fear of racists, completely distorts the historical truths behind the events of the film. For example, Rosenbaum remarks that in his personal experience, no agency or authoritative bureau seemed the least bit interested in helping civil rights activists: â€Å"the answer was no-one. Certainly not the local police or the FBI as I quickly learned† (Rosenbaum, 119) and his conclusion that Parker has not only re-envisioned, but wilfully perverted the historical facts behind the event of â€Å"Mississippi Burning† to create a more salable film are rational and just in my opinion. Within the format of the essay, which is more conversational in tone than scholarly, Rosenbaum relies primarily upon anecdotal remembrances and personal experiences than on solidly researched historical evidence or upon sociological references of any kind. His assertions are certainly emotionally convincing because it doesn't take much effort to persuade me, or probably many other people, that a big-money director of commercial films would distort or change whatever was necessary in order to make a successful film in economic terms. If it were not so, then said director would still be directing TV commercials. This seems to be the most onerous flaw in Rosenbaum's thesis, as I am not entirely convinced that Parker or anyone else associated with Hollywood movies ever intended to make anything other than a piece of entertainment posed as drama with a more or less obvious historical â€Å"hook. However, the use of serious cultural issues for the purpose of making money is usually referred to as exploitation and I think Rosenbaum does a quite convincing job of painting Parker as an exploitative director bent first on making money and success and only secondarily, if at all, interested in the issues of substantive historical record of the e vents the movie ostensibly was meant to cover.

Dinosaurian Synapomorphies Found In Archaeopteryx Essays

Dinosaurian Synapomorphies Found In Archaeopteryx Essays Dinosaurian Synapomorphies Found In Archaeopteryx As promised, here are the derived characters with which Gauthier (in his 1986 paper) unites Archaeopteryx with modern birds, outside of all other theropods (with Gauthier's original clarifiers in parens) [and with my editorial comments in brackets]: Premaxillae elongate, narrow, and more pointed anteriorly, with longer nasal processes [similar condition in bullatosaurs, and in the nondinosaurian Megalancosaurus, but unique to Archie and later birds in Maniraptora]. Maxillary process of premaxilla reduced so that maxilla participates broadly in external naris (also in troodontids). Enlarged brain/basicranium (temporal musculature fails to extend origin onto frontal bones [to a certain degree in bullatosaurs and therizinosauroids, and perhaps in some of the newer, "brainier" dromaeosaurids]. Double-condyled quadrate displaced from distal position on opisthotic to more anteromedial position in contact with prootic (Currie, pers. comm. and Walker, pers. comm., disagree with Whetstone's interpretation of the quadrate: Currie notes the anterior displacement of the quadrate in troodontids [maybe Nino can comment on the condition in Pelecanimimus], and Walker does not consider the quadrate to be double-condyled in Archaeopteryx). Maxillary and dentary teeth reduced in size and number (or lost), with unserrated crowns and enlarged roots that completely enclose replacement teeth within them [many of the smallest theropod teeth are unserrated, which may be a developmental constraint. The pinched roots of bird teeth are similar to those of troodontids, basal ornithomimosaurs, and (in at least a couple of cases) dromaeosaurids]. Robust furcula for hypertrophied flight musculature [true to a certain extent, although oviraptorids and (perhaps) some dromaeosaurids have substantial furculae as well, and even the new Morrison ?allosaurid seems to have a primitive furcula!]. Scapula with more or less prominent acromion process for ligamentous connection to clavicle. Lenght/bredth ratio of scapula at midlength exceeds nine (not in penguins) and scapula tapers distally. Acrocoracoid tuberosity larger than in other coelurosaurs. Coracoid enlaged and inflected posteromedially more so than in other coelurosaurs. Very long forelimb and hands (e.g., in Archaeopteryx forelimb is 120-140% of hindlimb length, and more than twice as long as distance between glenoid and acetabulum), with forearm more than 87% of humerus length and mcII approaching or exceeding one-half of humerus length. Ischium compressed and dorsoventrally deep. Compared to other theropods, tibia, fibula, and metatarsals relatively more elongate with respect to femur, regardless of body size (mts short in penguins and some other birds) [Actually, as S. Gatsey and I have shown elsewhere, what actually is happening is a difference in the allometry of bird vs nonavian theropod hindlimbs. In nonavian theropods, the tibia/fibula and the metatarsus become relatively smaller as body size (and femur size) increases; in birds, the tibia/fibula and the metarsus become relatively longer as body size (and femur size) increases. Unfortunately, Archaeopteryx lies very close to the points at which the "bird" and "nonbird" allometric lines cross, so it is not possible to say at present to which of these curves the Urvogel belongs]. Fibula attenuate distally, and may not extend to end of tibia. Proximal tarsals fused to tibia/fibula and to one another in adults [also in some ceratosaurs]. Distal tarsals and metatarsals fused at least distally in fully adult individuals (convergent in some ceratosaurs, elmisaurids, and Hulsanpes) [future work may show why this is no surprise for Hulsanpes...; also found in Avimimus]. First pedal digit elongate and reversed (may be reversed in some extant birds) [the first "reversed" he uses is "reverted"; the second is "reversed" in the evolutinary sense]. Metatarsal I attached on the distal quarter of metatarsal II. Tail reduced to no more than 23 free caudal vertebrae. Feathers cover limbs and tail, feathers on lateral margin of tail and posterior margin of arms enlarged, curved, and asymmetrically vaned, indicating aerodynamic function [While it is true these features are currently only known in Archaeopteryx and later birds, there is only negative evidence with regards to this character in other theropods, as discussed in the paragraph immediately following his character list]. Thus, there are derived features linking Archaeopteryx to modern birds. In order to falsify this hypothesis, additional analyses must be conducted which: a) add new characters, or demonstrate that the above are not coded properly; and b) add new taxa, or demonstrate that the taxa previously

Invention of the Mirror

Invention of the Mirror Who invented the first mirror?   Humans and our ancestors probably used pools of still water as mirrors for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. Later, mirrors of polished metal or obsidian (volcanic glass) gave wealthy preeners a more portable view of themselves.   Obsidian mirrors from 6,200 BCE were discovered at Catal Huyuk, the ancient city near modern-day Konya, Turkey.   People in Iran used polished copper mirrors at least as early as 4,000 BCE.   In what is now Iraq, one Sumerian noble-woman from about 2,000 BCE called the Lady of Uruk had a mirror made of pure gold, according to a cuneiform tablet discovered in the ruins of that city.   In the Bible, Isaiah scolds Israelite women who were haughty and walk[ed] with necks outstretched, ogling and mincing as they go...   He warns them that God will do away with all of their finery - and their brass mirrors!  Ã‚   A Chinese source from 673 BCE casually mentions that the queen wore a mirror at her girdle, indicating that this was a well-known technology there, as well.   The earliest mirrors in China were made from polished jade; later examples were made from iron or bronze.   Some scholars suggest that the Chinese acquired mirrors from the nomadic Scythians, who were in contact with Middle Eastern cultures as well, but it seems just as likely that the Chinese invented them independently. But what about the glass mirror we know today?   It also came about surprisingly early. Who was it, then, that made a sheet of glass, backed with metal, into a perfect reflecting surface? As far as we know, the first mirror-makers lived near the city of Sidon, Lebanon, some 2,400 years ago.   Since glass itself likely was invented in Lebanon, its not too surprising that it was the site of the earliest modern mirrors. Unfortunately, we do not know the name of the tinkerer who first came up with this invention. To make a mirror, pre-Christian Lebanese or Phoenicians blew a thin sphere of molten glass into a bubble, and then poured hot lead into the bulb of glass. The lead coated the inside of the glass. When the glass cooled, it was broken and cut into convex pieces of mirror. These early experiments in the art were not flat, so they must have been a bit like fun-house mirrors. (Users noses probably looked enormous!) In addition, early glass was generally somewhat bubbly and discolored. Nonetheless, the images would have been much clearer than those obtained by looking into a sheet of polished copper or bronze. The blown bubbles of glass used were thin, minimizing the impact of the flaws, so these early glass mirrors were a definite improvement over earlier technologies. The Phoenicians were masters of the Mediterranean trade routes, so its no surprise that this wonderful new trade object quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean world and the Middle East.   The Persian emperor Darius the Great, who ruled around 500 BCE, famously surrounded himself with mirrors in his throne room to reflect his glory.   Mirrors were used not only for self-admiration, but also for magical amulets.   After all, theres nothing like a clear glass mirror to repel the evil eye!   Mirrors were commonly thought to reveal an alternate world, in which everything was backward.   Many cultures also believed that mirrors could be portals into supernatural realms.   Historically, when a Jewish person died, his or her family would cover all of the mirrors in the household to prevent the deceased persons soul from being trapped in the mirror.   Mirrors, then, were very useful but also perilous items! For much more information on mirrors, as well as many other interesting topics, see Mark Pendergrasts book Mirror Mirror: A History of the Human Love Affair with Reflection, (Basic Books, 2004).

WRITING PLAN FOR THE SOCIAL EFFECTS OF HURRICANCE KATRINA IN THE GULF Essay

WRITING PLAN FOR THE SOCIAL EFFECTS OF HURRICANCE KATRINA IN THE GULF REGION - Essay Example Hurricane Katrina sped up the rate of wetland destruction in the Gulf region and along the coast of Louisiana. In various areas of the Mississippi River Delta Basin, there were losses of about half of the regional land mass due to the powerful storm surge witnessed in the advent of Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina affected people in many ways, socially and otherwise. A lot of lives were lost initially, and numerous people also had their lives and daily activities disrupted. Not only did Hurricane Katrina cause damage to the coastline, the hurricane also affected plants and wildlife and in the region, and damaged a lot of buildings, businesses, homes, power lines, schools , roads and bridges. The Hurricane left hundreds of thousands of people without any way to get their homes or go to work, and it separated many from their loved ones and relatives, as well as inflicting mental and physical distress on the people who witnessed this storm and the after-effects of the hurricane. One major cause of death as a result of Hurricane Katrina was drowning. Elderly people of 75 years of age and above were the ones mostly affected by the disaster. It is notable that disaster preparedness efforts for the future should place emphasis on the evacuation and care provision for the more vulnerable populations, including people who may be in hospitals or in long-term care facilities. â€Å"Improving mortality reporting timeliness will enable response teams to provide appropriate interventions to these populations and to prepare and implement preventive measures before subsequent disasters.† (Reed, J. & Theiss, M. 2005) During the days and weeks following Hurricane Katrina, there was rapid deterioration in conditions in the gulf region. For example, New Orleans hospitals and extreme difficulties in the evacuation of their existing patients, hospitals in the downtown New Orleans area were also reportedly not admitting new patients in the days following Hurricane Katrina. † (Nossiter, Adam. 2005) In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, disaster response may have limited precision of documenting all the victims, although this is not likely to be a large difference. â€Å"It is possible that some people who died during the storm were never found or documented. Second, classifying people who were evacuated and later died from Katrina-related causes is inherently difficult, especially as regards older people who had serious preexisting medical conditions.† (Brinkley, D. 2007). After hurricane Katrina, numerous evacuees from the gulf region, were faced with staying for extended periods of time with no income, and destroyed or severely damaged homes. This group also had little or no hope of recovering their possessions, and some started to express the desires to be resettled elsewhere permanently. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, â€Å"approximately 8,000 animals were rescued and brought to temporary shelters set up at the Lamar-Dixon Ex position Center in Gonzales, Louisiana, or the Parker Coliseum at Louisiana State University. (Press Release. "Reviewing Louisiana Animal Evacuation And Rescue." Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2005.) Hurricane Katrina also significantly affected the popularity of Katrina as a name for babies. According to the Social Security Administration, â€Å"Katrina, which had ranked as the 281st female baby name in 2004, dropped down to 382nd most popular name in 2006, 600th most popular name in 2007, and 815th most popular name in 2009.† (Social Security Administration) This was a surprising turn of events, because in the past, major hurricanes like Hurricane Camille which happened in 1969, usually made the names of such

Postgraduate International Marketing Coursework Assignment Essay

Postgraduate International Marketing Coursework Assignment - Essay Example The article identifies five key issues a company must take into consideration and adapt to in order to participate in the high demanding business field. These are (i) a core value strategy, (ii) development of a clear market strategy, (iii) integrating an Internet-based technology strategy, (iv) managing key organizational process strategy to achieve total integration among business functions (v) and manage change strategy programs in the form of internal marketing (Piercy, 2002). The aim of this paper is to evaluate how the former key issues reflect the constantly evolving changes of the marketplace and how much these contribute to the success of a high standards company. The critical evaluation is based on relevant articles and real-life examples. An estimation and personal viewpoint is supplied at the end of the paper. The key to success as far as value-based strategies are concerned is the constant evolvement and adaptation to offer the customer something new. Recycling of the same product or service over and over again is not competitive in the marketplace anymore. Customer needs call for innovative ideas which treat the customer as a market selling strategies aware person (Piercy, 2002). According to Piercy also, the customer retention relationship, first invented in 1990's, is based on profitability rather than a love level; in this case the customer is viewed as a stupid profit machine that requires little or no attention and is only valued for the profit they leave the company with. The example of Toyota selling cars with no interaction at all with the company stuff is a good example. In this era everything around the customer was about branding; the brand is the selling product and it sells good since customers seem to prefer famous brand which they equate to high performance. Customer need s and tastes however change and a high competing company has to evolve to in order to meet these needs of Relationship Marketing. According to a research value-based marketing for fed-beef cattle using real-time ultrasound and graded animal relations for the selection of animals to slaughter increased profit range of $10.61-27.26 per head from using relations data, $9.04-16.75 per head from using RTU measures and $11.27-27.93 per head from using both to selectively market beef animals. Building a relationship where the customer satisfaction is the core product sells pays off and is the main criterion to a successful company. Value Strategy Value strategy defines monitoring of the customer needs to provide the products a services of importance to them. Value strategy comes in to bring the customer in the focus of the firm selling strategy and off the competition among organizations. The main issues we confront as far as value strategy is concerned is that there is no standard way of estimating the value attached to the customer and even though past techniques are thought as obsolete there are still many companies that have a big with low price products and friendly customer approach. Put in other words, it is really difficult to find the trick that will work for customers. Customers buy on personal values basis: religious, spiritual, environmental, or