The Film Shane Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Film Shane - Essay Example The setting of the film is obviously a very early pioneer community in which there are frequent disagreements about land ownership and use. The first appearance of Shane shows him in the distance on horseback, against a background of impressive hills and wide landscape. This contrasts with the Starrett family’s small log cabin which is enclosed by log fences and a flowing river. The family scenes mostly take place in this small enclosed area, which appears all to have been created out of wood by the peaceful father figure of Joe Starrett. The villains, on the other hand, are pictured in dark saloon settings, with shades of brown and gray, and the key gun battle which resolves the danger to the community takes place in such a small, dark room. The hidden message in the visual camera work is to highlight the broad vista of freedom and justice that Shane represents. In the scene where Shane leaves the community, the camera shows young Joey standing on the porch of his log cabin, watching the figure of Shane retreat into a small speck against craggy mountains, just as in the beginning he was first spotted from afar. The message is that a single American hero can travel the whole wide world and make a difference and he is presented as a hero through the eyes of young Joey. Film-making is a team effort, and it involves many different technical skills contributed by specialists such as the camera operator, the actors, and professionals in areas such as lighting, music, make-up, costumes etc.

Business, Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business, - Research Paper Example In this regard supply chain management has a key role to play in the success of companies with aspects like outsourcing being on the rise. The present study would analyze the aspect of vertical integration versus strategic alliances as a possible supply chain management strategy of firms engaged in the aerospace and defense industry competing in the international markets in a globalised market environment. Business level co-operative strategy In general terms, strategic alliances can be defined as co-operative agreement and arrangements between the two or more partners, and hence, the co-operative relationship management is one of the prime requirements in strategic alliances. The strategies aims to meet this requirement are known as the business level co-operative strategies. Co-operation is one of the basic attributes of the strategic alliances and the partners must have a clear understanding of this attribute for framing a set of business level co-operative strategy. Kwok and Hamp son have identified the very specific parameters to measure and frame the co-operative strategies in case of strategic alliances. ... oss border strategic alliance The need for greater consolidation within the highly capital intensive aerospace and defense industry segment has paved the way for greater alliance and collaboration among various organizations for an effective supply chain management. The need to develop high end research has also promulgated the need to have greater strategic alliances with international partners. For example the NATO partners are actively trying to enter into greater collaborations and strategic alliances with the US and European companies in a bid to improve upon the efficiency of the companies (Lorell et.al, â€Å"Implications of European Consolidation and Increased Aerospace Globalization†). Strategic alliances also help in developing a greater synergistic association between the companies and the civil sector. The example of the modern air fighter Euro fighter Typhoon is a good example in which five European nations namely Germany, UK, Spain and Italian companies went into a strategic alliance to create a world class fighter aircraft. Another such example involves the case of EUROFLAG consortium in which five European national companies have entered into a strategic alliance to manufacture fifth generation fighter aircrafts. However the aspect of cross border alliances also involve certain hindrances mainly in the form of government contracts and regulations, arms policies and export rules of different nations, disparities in the requirements and finally the absence of multinational legal structure across various nations etc that can have serious implications on the development of cross border strategic alliances between players in the aerospace and defense industry (Commission of the European Communities, â€Å"Cross Border Industrial Integration†). Vertical

World Com and Accounting Ethics Essay Example for Free

World Com and Accounting Ethics Essay Current business and regulatory environments are more conducive to ethical behavior due to many new laws that have been put into effect in recent years. For many companies, especially small ones, the checks and balances are not put into place as well as they should be. With new laws in effect and more and more accountants paying attention to their clients’ accounts, ethical behavior is on the rise although it will take a long time to recover from the scandals that rocked the world beginning with Waste Management in 1998 and following with Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, HealthSouth, Freddie Mac, AIG, Lehman Brothers, Bernie Madoff and Saytam in 2009. For 10 years unethical behavior and choices almost brought our country to its knees and even now many people are losing their homes and their jobs because the economy has still not fully recovered. In 1983 in a small coffee shop in Hattiesburg, MS, the business concept that would become WorldCom was born. The company was to become one of the largest telecommunications companies that would one day rival ATT. WorldCom began as a small long distance telephone company and through an aggressive acquisition strategy, evolved in the second-largest long distance telephone company in the United States and one of the largest companies handling worldwide Internet data traffic. WorldCom achieved its position through a large number of acquisitions and between 1991 and 1997, WorldCom spent almost $60 billion in the acquisition of many of these companies and accumulated $41 billion in debt. With each acquisition, WorldCom’s stock continued to rise as the company became more noticeable, rising from pennies per share to over $60 per share in 1997. As the company grew people sat up and took notice and Wall Street investment banks as well as analysts and brokers began making buy recommendations to investors worldwide. All of this would have ended well if WorldCom had obviously played by the rules but alas, that was not the case. As with any acquisition, let alone 65 of them in six years, management at the top level requires considerable attention to make the merging of the two companies run smoothly. Secondly, the accounting of the financial aspects of each merging company must be accomplished through the application of generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP). WorldCom’s merger with MCI was the beginning of the end. Bernie Ebbers (CEO) paid little attention to the details of the operations and many things began deteriorating, mainly customer service. Customers were told they were not customers, computer systems conflicted with each other and billing systems were not coordinated – a recipe for disaster. Although WorldCom had an immense talent for buying competitors, it was not up to the task of merging them. WorldCom also used their own interpretation of accounting rules when preparing financial statements. â€Å"In an effort to make it appear that profits were increasing, WorldCom would write down in one quarter millions of dollars in assets it acquired while, at the same time, it â€Å"included in this charge against earnings the cost of company expenses expected in the future. The result was bigger losses in the current quarter but smaller ones in future quarters, so that its profit picture would seem to be improving.† (Moberg) WorldCom managers also made their own assumptions regarding accounts receivables which if the money customers owe the company. They chose to ignore the accounts receivables because this allowed for a lower assumption of non-collectable bills which in turn required a smaller reserve fund. The end result allows for higher earnings. All of these practices could continue as long as WorldCom continued to acquire additional companies, using those companies as their â€Å"merry-go-round† to utilize poor accounting practices. Not only poor practices but unethical. In 2000, the merry-go-round stopped when the government refused to allow WorldCom to merge with Sprint. Another accounting practice that that was uncovered was the allowance of the board of directors to authorize loans to senior executives. Mr. Ebbers received a $341 million loan authorized by the board of directors which is the largest amount any publicly traded company has lent to one of its officers in recent memory. This brings concerns about conflict of interest and breach of fiduciary duty but nevertheless WorldCom was not the only company allowing this practice. And on top of that the loan interest rate was as low as 2% which was not much of a return for the company that loaned him that large of an amount. WorldCom’s unethical accounting practices were found by Cynthia Cooper who worked as an internal auditor for WorldCom. Cynthia and her team became suspicious of a number of peculiar financial transactions and began their own private investigation. What they found were multiple entries that were misallocated and unauthorized to the tune of $4 billion dollars in capital expenditures. It appeared the company was trying to represent operating costs as capital expenditures in order to make the company look more profitable. By allowing these kinds of practices and attempting to have others following the same kind of unethical behavior, moral and trust were at an all time low within the company. Beginning in 2002 everything began to unravel. The SEC began an investigation on the company and WorldCom was trying to avoid filing for bankruptcy. Within months they laid off more than 17,000 employees, almost 20 percent of their workforce. By the time it was all said and done, 30,000 employees lost their jobs and investors lost over $180 billion dollars. WorldCom improperly booked $3.8 billion as capital expenditures which improved cash flow and profit over a 5 quarter period. This disguised the actual net loss for 2001 and the first quarter of 2002. It is possible that the accounting irregularities go back to 2000. In simple terms WorldCom did not account for expenses when it incurred them, but hid the expenses by pushing them into the future, giving the appearance of spending less and therefore making more money. This apparent profitability pleased investors who pushed the stock up to a high of $64.51 in June 1999. When WorldCom was stopped from acquiring Sprint they had to find a way to hide their large expenses so that the price of the stock would not go down. They did this by treating $7 billion of line costs as capital expenditures. These line costs were basically rental fees paid to other phone companies to use their phone lines. Up until 2001 these fees (expenses) had always been properly expensed in previous years but when WorldCom placed them in the capitalization category the expense was delayed to future periods which in turn boosted current-period profits. The accounting guideline that made this decision fraudulent was materiality. Materiality refers to the impact of an item’s size on a company’s financial operations. Materiality states that if an item would not make a difference in decision-making, the company does not have to follow GAAP in reporting the item. In this case, $7 billion dollars in expenses makes a huge difference so GAAP guideline should have been followed. Consequently profits for 2001 and 2002 were overstated greatly. This ethical breach could have been avoided long before it became a huge problem basically by maintaining the accounting system from the very beginning. Because WorldCom was more interested in acquiring companies than in merging them properly, accounting systems from various companies did not work together well. After a time and more and more acquisitions it became a huge mess and nobody really had any idea what was right and what was wrong. Senior management used that disorganization to conceal their fraudulent activities. This large of a fraud should have been easily detected by doing a routing comparison of the actual physical assets with a list of the physical assets shown in the accounting records. Following the scandal of WorldCom which closely followed the Waste Management Scandal in 1998 and the Enron scandal in 2001, Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, introducing the most sweeping set of new business regulations since the 1930s.

Anatomy and Pathophysiology of Gout and Lupus

Anatomy and Pathophysiology of Gout and Lupus Introduction Gout is an acute inflammatory arthritis with the potency to fully destroy the integrity of the joint leading to severe disability. It is termed as a true crystal deposition disease caused by formation of monosodium urate crystals in joints and other tissues. It is the common cause of inflammatory arthritis that has increased in prevalence in recent decades (Roddy and Doherty 2010). Gout normally results from the interaction of genetic, constitutional and environmental risk factors. It is more common in men and strongly age related. Both acute arthritis and chronic arthropathy (tophaceous gout) are considered under the rubric of gout (Mikuls and Saag 2006; Roddy et al. 2007). In a broader term, it can be defined as combination of events involving an increase in the serum urate concentration, acute arthritic attacks with monosodium urate monohydrate crystals demonstrable in synovial fluid leukocytes, and tophi which usually occurs in and around joints of the extremities. These physio-c hemical changes either occur separately or in combination (Terkeltaub 2003; Shai et al. 2010). Gouty arthritis accounts for millions of outpatient visits annually and the prevalence is rising. It affects 1-2% of adults in developed countries, where it is the most common inflammatory arthritis in men. Epidemiological data are consistent with a rise in prevalence of gout. Rates of gout have approximately doubled between 1990 and 2010. A number of factors have been found to influence rates of gout, including age, race, and the season of the year. In men over the age of 30 and women over the age of 50, prevalence is 2% (Eggebeen 2007). Anatomy and Pathophysiology Gouty arthritis is one of the most painful rheumatic diseases and its incidence increases promptly with advancing age. In 75% of the patients, gouty arthritis initially strikes a single joint which is most commonly the big toe. In women gout develop in increasing numbers after menopause eventually at an incidence rate equal to that of men (Hootman and Helmick 2006). In elderly patients, an occurrence of gout is usually less spectacular than in middle age and often implies an upper extremity poly or mono articular presentation rather than the classic mono articular lower extremity picture commonly displayed by middle-aged men. In older patients, gout can be more likely the clinical picture of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis (Cassetta and Gorevic 2004). Gouty arthritis can be classified into four stages depending upon level of severity namely; (i) Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia: In this stage, a person has elevated blood uric acid levels but no other symptoms and therefore requires no treatment. (ii) Acute Gouty Arthritis: In this stage, hyperuricemia leads to deposition of uric acid crystals in joint spaces, leading to gouty attacks (iii) Interval / Intercritical: This is the stage between acute gouty attacks with no symptoms and (iv) Chronic Tophaceous Gout: where the disease leads to permanent damage (Bhansing et al. 2010). Pathogenesis of gouty arthritis is critically influenced by sodium urate crystals and inflammatory processes they induce (Wise and Agudelo 1996). An inefficient renal urate excretion which leads to the elevated levels of uric acid above the saturation point for urate crystal formation is a major determinant of the disease. Purine catabolism leads to the formation of metabolic by-product, uric acid. In most mammals like higher primates, many birds and some reptiles, the urate oxidase (uricase) enzyme converts uric acid (relatively insoluble) to allantoin (highly soluble), leading to very low serum uric acid levels. A series of parallel mutations in the genes of uricase in the Miocene period results in the production of the dysfunctional form of uricase that leads to accumulation of relatively higher level of insoluble uric acid and subsequently the development of gouty arthritis (Liote and Ea 2006; Eggebeen 2007). Degradation of purines results in the endogenous production of uric aci d that usually contributes about two-thirds of the body urate pool, the remainder being originated by dietry intake. Of the uric acid formed daily, about 70% is excreted through the kidney while the rest is eliminated into the biliary tract and then converted to allantoin by colonic bacterial uricase. Therefore, in the vast majority gouty patients, hyperuricaemia occurs from reduced efficiency of renal urate clearance (Laubscher et al. 2009; Terkeltaub 2010). Development of the acute and chronic inflammatory gout is facilitated with the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in joints. while MSU crystals were first identified as the aetiological agent of gout in the eighteenth century and more recently as a danger signal released from dying cells, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying MSU-induced inflammation (Martinon et al. 2006). For crystal formation n occurrence of gout, the ionic product of sodium and uric acid must be at or above the saturation level at which MSU crystals can form. Uric acid is a weak acid of pKa 5.75 and, it exists mainly in the ionized form as urate at physiological pH of 7.40. MSU has limited solubility under physiological conditions and the saturation level in plasma at a pH of 7.40 is 6.8 mg/dl (408 ÂÂ µmol/l) and when the plasma concentration exceeds this level, crystals may form in the joints and tissues (Terkeltaub 2010). MSU crystals preferentially form within cartilage and fibrous tissues, where they are relatively safer from contact with inflammatory mediators and may dwell for years without causing any defects. However, if shed from these sites of origin into the joint space or bursa, they are highly phlogistic particles that are immediately phagocytosed by monocytes and macrophages, stimulating the NALP3 inflammasome, triggering the release of IL-1 and other cytokines and a subsequent infiltration of neutrophils. Here the white cells release a package of inflammatory mediator substances which, in addition to destroying the crystals, also damage the surrounding tissues (Martinon et al. 2006). This acute inflammation defines the symptoms of an acute flare such as pain, swelling and redness and is typically self-limiting. Continual deposition of large numbers of MSU crystals may also heading out the joint damage through mechanical effects on cartilage and bone (pressure erosion), and probably low-gr ade inflammation. However, these more chronic crystal-tissue interactions still remain elusive and in need of further investigations (VanItallie 2010). Systematic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Introduction Lupus is an autoimmune disease which leads to both acute and chronic inflammation of various tissues of the human body. Lupus can be classified into different form depending upon the target tissues and organ system. Defined as Type III hypersensitivity reaction, people with lupus produce abnormal antibodies in their blood that target tissues within their own body rather than foreign infectious agents. Because the antibodies and accompanying cells of inflammation can affect tissues anywhere in the body, lupus has the potential to affect a variety of areas such as heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys, and nervous system. When internal organs are involved, the condition is referred to as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The disease may be mild or severe and life-threatening (Wallace 2010). The prevalence of lupus ranges from approximately 40 cases per 100,000 persons among Northern Europeans to more than 200 per 100,000 persons among blacks (Johnson et al. 1995). In the United States, the number of patients with lupus exceeds 250,000. The life expectancy of such patients has improved from an approximate 4-year survival rate of 50% in the 1950s to a 15-year survival rate of 80% today (Merrell and Shulman 1955; Abu-Shakra et al. 1995). Even so, a patient in whom lupus is diagnosed at 20 years of age still has a 1 in 6 chance of dying by 35 years of age, most often from lupus or infection. Later, myocardial infarction and stroke become important causes of death (Cervera et al. 2003). Anatomy and Pathophysiology SLE is an inflammatory and multi-systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by an uncontrolled auto-reactivity of B and T lymphocytes. This results in the production of auto antibodies (auto-Abs) against self-directed antigens and causes tissue destruction (Cuchacovich and Gedalia 2009). Pathogenesis of SLE is a multi-factorial event and the exact mechanism of disease development and progression is still unclear. Multiple factors are known to be associated with the development of the disease such as genetic, racial, hormonal, and environmental factors. Defects in apoptosis are one of the proposed mechanisms involved in patho-physiological events of SLE. Imbalance in apoptotic machinery leads to the production of auto-antibodies. These antibodies lack the ability to differentiate between pathogenic and normal host cells and cause increase cell death and abnormalities in immune tolerance (Andrade et al. 2000; Rahman and Isenberg 2008). It is believed that all the major components of immune system are involved in SLE progression at various levels. Mostly proteins present in cell nucleus are targeted by the immune system. The likely environmental triggers for SLE include ultraviolet light, drugs, and viruses. These stimuli cause the destruction of cells and expose their DNA, histones, and other proteins, particularly parts of the cell nucleus. It is observed that in patients suffering from SLE, there is increased cell death in monocytes and keratinocytes and hyper expression of Fas protein by B and T cells of the immune system. Tingibl e body macrophages (TBMs) are large phagocytic cells present in the germinal centers of secondary lymph nodes. They express CD68 protein. These cells normally engulf B cells which have undergone apoptosis after somatic hypermutation. In some patients with SLE, significantly fewer TBMs can be found, and these cells rarely contain material from apoptotic B cells. Also, uningested apoptotic nuclei can be found outside of TBMs. This material may present a threat to the tolerization of B cells and T cells (Gaipl et al. 2006). Monocytes isolated from whole blood of SLE sufferers show reduced expression of CD44 surface molecules involved in the uptake of apoptotic cells. Most of the monocytes and tingible body macrophages (TBM), which are found in the germinal centres of lymph nodes, even show a definitely different morphology; they are smaller or scarce and die earlier. Serum components like complement factors, CRP, and some glycoproteins are, furthermore, decisively important for an efficiently operating phagocytosis. With SLE, these components are often missing, diminished, or inefficient. References Abu-Shakra M, Urowitz MB, Gladman DD, Gough J (1995) Mortality studies in systemic lupus erythematosus. Results from a single center. II. Predictor variables for mortality. J Rheumatol 22:1265-1270 Andrade F, Casciola-Rosen L, Rosen A (2000) Apoptosis in systemic lupus erythematosus. Clinical implications. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 26:215-227, v Bhansing KJ, van Bon L, Janssen M, Radstake TR (2010) Gout: a clinical syndrome illustrated and discussed. Neth J Med 68:352-359 Cassetta M, Gorevic PD (2004) Crystal arthritis. Gout and pseudogout in the geriatric patient. Geriatrics 59:25-30; quiz 31 Cervera R et al. (2003) Morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus during a 10-year period: a comparison of early and late manifestations in a cohort of 1,000 patients. Medicine (Baltimore) 82:299-308 doi: 10.1097/01.md.0000091181.93122.55 Cuchacovich R, Gedalia A (2009) Pathophysiology and clinical spectrum of infections in systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 35:75-93 doi: S0889-857X(09)00004-0 [pii] 10.1016/j.rdc.2009.03.003 Eggebeen AT (2007) Gout: an update. Am Fam Physician 76:801-808 Gaipl US et al. (2006) Clearance of apoptotic cells in human SLE. Curr Dir Autoimmun 9:173-187 doi: 10.1159/000090781 [pii]Â   10.1159/000090781 Hootman JM, Helmick CG (2006) Projections of US prevalence of arthritis and associated activity limitations. Arthritis Rheum 54:226-229 doi: 10.1002/art.21562 Johnson AE, Gordon C, Palmer RG, Bacon PA (1995) The prevalence and incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus in Birmingham, England. Relationship to ethnicity and country of birth. Arthritis Rheum 38:551-558 Laubscher T, Dumont Z, Regier L, Jensen B (2009) Taking the stress out of managing gout. Can Fam Physician 55:1209-1212 doi: 55/12/1209 [pii] Liote F, Ea HK (2006) Gout: update on some pathogenic and clinical aspects. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 32:295-311, vi doi: S0889-857X(06)00024-X [pii] 10.1016/j.rdc.2006.03.001 Martinon F, Petrilli V, Mayor A, Tardivel A, Tschopp J (2006) Gout-associated uric acid crystals activate the NALP3 inflammasome. Nature 440:237-241 doi: nature04516 [pii] 10.1038/nature04516 Merrell M, Shulman LE (1955) Determination of prognosis in chronic disease, illustrated by systemic lupus erythematosus. J Chronic Dis 1:12-32 Mikuls TR, Saag KG (2006) New insights into gout epidemiology. Curr Opin Rheumatol 18:199-203 doi: 10.1097/01.bor.0000209435.89720.7c 00002281-200603000-00014 [pii] Rahman A, Isenberg DA (2008) Systemic lupus erythematosus. N Engl J Med 358:929-939 doi: 358/9/929 [pii] 10.1056/NEJMra071297 Roddy E, Doherty M (2010) Gout. Epidemiology of gout. Arthritis Res Ther 12:223 doi: ar3199 [pii] 10.1186/ar3199 Roddy E, Zhang W, Doherty M (2007) The changing epidemiology of gout. Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol 3:443-449 doi: ncprheum0556 [pii] 10.1038/ncprheum0556 Shai A, Rimar D, Rozenbaum M, Wolfovitz E, Rosner I (2010) Gout in young migrant Filipino women in Israel: a changing epidemiology. Case reports and review of the literature. Rheumatol Int 30:1685-1687 doi: 10.1007/s00296-009-1198-7 Terkeltaub R (2010) Update on gout: new therapeutic strategies and options. Nat Rev Rheumatol 6:30-38 doi: nrrheum.2009.236 [pii] 10.1038/nrrheum.2009.236 Terkeltaub RA (2003) Gout. New England Journal of Medicine 349:1647-1655 doi: doi:10.1056/NEJMcp030733 VanItallie TB (2010) Gout: epitome of painful arthritis. Metabolism 59 Suppl 1:S32-36 doi: S0026-0495(10)00229-5 [pii] 10.1016/j.metabol.2010.07.009 Wallace DJ (2010) Advances in drug therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus. BMC Med 8:77 doi: 1741-7015-8-77 [pii] 10.1186/1741-7015-8-77 Wise CM, Agudelo CA (1996) Gouty arthritis and uric acid metabolism. Curr Opin Rheumatol 8:248-254

Terrorism and the Effects on Security Policies Essay -- Terrorism

â€Å"No state responds to a terrorist campaign without changing its institutions and hence society itself, even if only slightly,† Stephen Sobieck states in his chapter on Democratic Responses to International Terrorism in Germany. Politically motivated terrorism struck the heart of both Germany and Italy in the 1970’s and 1980’s causing each state to do exactly what Sobieck stated. Both countries, unfortunately, suffered severe casualties, infrastructure damage, and threats from right and left wing terrorist organizations triggering these countries to adopt policy changes. This included a restructured legislation, the addition of new laws, and the modification current laws. Both countries political agendas and perceptions caused significant complications affecting each state’s ability to handle the rising threat. Germany’s political setting suffered intense rivalry between the two levels of government: the Bund (national government) and the La nder (states). Italy had similar political struggles on the perception and ideology of terrorism impacting the country. The dominated Christian Democratic Party (DC), whose primary goal was to pleas the public opinion, viewed terrorism based off political interests. The two rival parties, whose strength grew towards the end of the 1970s, included the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and the Movimento Sociale Italaino party (MSI). It took the Italian political classes five years to alert themselves seriously to the problem of terrorism. With the issues facing the political parties, both countries inappropriately utilized their security forces. Each state had qualified and effective security units that were essentially ineffective to the political agendas faced within the country. The GSG... ...changing their societies. Works Cited Stephen M. Sobieck, â€Å"Democratic Responses to International Terrorism in Germany,† in David A. Charters (ed.), The Deadly Sin of Terrorism: Its Effect on Democracy and Civil Liberties in Six Countries, 66. Luciana Stortoni-Wortmann, â€Å"The Police Response to Terrorism in Italy from 1969 to 1983,† in Reinares (ed.), European Democracies Against Terrorism, 148. Donatella della Porta, â€Å"Institutional Responses to Terrorism: The Italian Case,† Terrorism and Political Violence, 4: 4, 1992, 156-158. John E. Finn, Constitutions in Crisis. Political Violence and the Rule of Law, 211. Sobieck, â€Å"Democratic Responses to International Terrorism in Germany,† 53. Stortoni-Wortmann, â€Å"The Police Response to Terrorism,† 151. Ibid., 156-157. Sobieck, â€Å"Democratic Responses to International Terrorism in Germany,† 60-61.

Shopping: Online vs. Store Essay -- Compare/Contrast, Comparison, Inte

When comparing two different ways of shopping most people do not even think about the difference, they do both and not even realize it. In today's society people shop while at work, after work and on the weekends, whenever time permits. Stop and think how can I get more time in the day for family or just myself? The best way to figure that out with all the recourses we have is to go into a store and spend time looking through racks and waiting in endless lines to just purchase something. I compared going into a store verses online shopping; to see which one will save you time and money. There are many reasons for choosing to go into a store to purchase items needed. For instance, having someone assist you in finding what you need, or just answer questions about the product. It is also a way to get off the couch, away from the television, or off the computer. Another feature is you can see and examine what you are going to purchase. This helps in the decision making for most people. You know the minute the salesperson rings you up, the product is yours to take home and use right aw...

Intrinsic and Extrinsic barriers Essay

Good morning to one and all of you present, my task for today is to enlighten you about what Inclusive Education is and what intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to learning and development are. One of the many challenges facing education in post-apartheid South Africa is that of realising the constitutional values of equality, freedom from discrimination and the right to a basic education for all learners, including those who experience barriers to learning. Under apartheid, learners were not only educated separately according to race, but a separate special education system served those learners with disabilities or impairments. To address this and bring educational practice in South Africa into line with the international trend of including learners, who experience barriers to learning, in general or mainstream classes, South Africa has enacted legislation and formulated policy which establishes an inclusive education system. Inclusion is broadly understood as the process by which learners who previously might have been taught in a separate special education system, because of the barriers to learning they experience, would now be taught in regular schools that have taken the responsibility of changing and improving to provide the support necessary to facilitate access and participation. What is Inclusive Education? Inclusive education means that all students attend and are welcomed by their neighborhood schools in age-appropriate, regular classes and are supported to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of the life of the school. Inclusive education is about how we develop and design our schools, classrooms, programs and activities so that all students learn and participate together. Neighborhood schools are the heart of our communities, and Inclusion BC believes they are essential for a quality inclusive education system. Therefore we believe it is important to support a public education system in B.C. Inclusion in education is an approach to educating students with special educational needs. The Department of Basic Education is committed towards the building of an Inclusive Education system at all levels as outlined in Education White Paper 6: Building an Inclusive Education System, 2001. Such an inclusive system will facilitate the inclusion of vulnerable learners  and reduce the barriers to learning, through targeted support structures and mechanisms that will improve the retention of learners in the education system, particularly learners who are prone to dropping out. Benefits of Inclusive Education All children benefit from inclusive education. It allows them to: Develop individual strengths and gifts, with high and appropriate expectations for each child. Work on individual goals while participating in the life of the classroom with other students their own age. Involve their parents in their education and in the activities of their local schools. Foster a school culture of respect and belonging. Inclusive education provides opportunities to learn about and accept individual differences, lessening the impact of harassment and bullying. Develop friendships with a wide variety of other children, each with their own individual needs and abilities. Positively affect both their school and community to appreciate diversity and inclusion on a broader level. Why is Inclusive Education Important? It’s important because as South Africans, we value our diverse communities. These communities start at school, where all students learn to live alongside peers. They learn together; they play together; they grow and are nurtured together. Is inclusive education for everybody? The simple answer is YES. However, individual needs may mean that some students need to spend time out of regular class for a particular purpose. There are always exceptions, but they are in fact EXCEPTIONS: if needed, they are individualized in the student’s community school. What should I expect? You can expect the school to provide a plan to support teachers and students through good inclusive practices —like collaboration, team work, innovative instructional practices, peer-strategies, and more. ************************************************************************************* We now move on to the Second part of the discussion what intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to learning and development are? Barriers to learning  acknowledges that educational difficulties may arise from a number of sources, and may be intrinsic or extrinsic to learners. What is Intrinsic Barriers? Intrinsic barriers include physical, sensory, and neurological and developmental impairments, chronic illness, psycho-social disturbances and differing intellectual ability. What is Extrinsic Barriers? Extrinsic barriers are those factors that arise outside the learner, but impact on his or her learning. They may arise from the family and its cultural, social and economic context and include lack of parental involvement in education and family problems like divorce, death, and violence. Schools themselves may constitute barriers to learning when learners’ mother tongue is not used for teaching and learning and when schools are not safe. Therefore learners will experience barriers differently depending on the family of which they are a part, the extent to which their schools facilitate access and participation and the resources in the communities and societies in which they live. Support for learners who experience barriers to learning can be understood as all those actions that increase schools’ capacity for responding to diversity Inclusive practice is an important component of support and refers to strategies adopted, technical support provided, structures and procedures applied and actions carried out in the pursuit of including learners who experience barriers to learning. A focus on inclusive practice, while not denying the importance of inclusive culture and policy, ensures that attention is given to what is actually happening in schools, rather than wishful thinking or rhetoric about inclusion. Intrinsic factors – born with problem -physical/physiological impairments that may become disabilities if society and the system of education do not make provision for these learners (impairments, genetic factors, brain damage) -personality factors, especially types of temperament and unsatisfied emotional needs Extrinsic factors – problem not in learners self but in circumstances they grow up in -Environment – unfavourable socioeconomic circumstances, urban areas (apartments, little supervision), rural environments (poor school attendance), prosperous areas (bored, drugs, pressure) -Education – poor teaching (lack of qualifications, unmotivated or lazy), incomplete participation on the part of learners, inappropriate study material, inefficient school organisation, crowded classrooms -Language – many learners taught in English (not home language), often the teachers can’t speak proper English either. They perform poorly due to a lack of understanding -Culture – need to accommodate diff cultures, we learn, think and do things differently – keep that in mind (religion, language, food, sense of humour) -Job prospects – many learners leave schools but there is no jobs available so they get depressed and discouraged = underachieve at school To conclude Schools of a variety of classroom practices that acknowledge the diversity among learners and differentiate according to individual learning suggests that these practices should be encouraged in inclusive classrooms. In these ways, schools can learn from one another and can increase their repertoire of strategies that enable support, address barriers to learning and provide quality education for their learners. Thank you.