Students who feel connected to peers Essay Example for Free

Students who feel connected to peers Essay In many cases, violence in schools may be due to lack of understanding and keen eye and ear to the students. Students need to have role models as well as a confidant they can talk to. However, â€Å"When they do not have access to caring adults, feelings of isolation, rejection, and disappointment are more likely to occur, increasing the probability of acting-out behaviors† (Dwyer et al, 1998, p. 10). This writing seeks to reveal what researchers and authors have unveiled concerning the belief that students who have a sense of connection with adults and/or teachers are more likely to go to them and warn them of a fellow student’s plan to violate the school community. Introduction Violence in schools can date as back as when humanity started. This statement simply means that violence can be defined as an occurrence that happens as a result of the imperfections of humanity. However, violence should not be taken as something that can harm the true bond of humanity but one that can be curbed and minimized with the right communication systems. In many cases, violence in schools can be avoided if only fear of attack after reporting violence plots can be curbed. As study carried out using hypothetical scenarios showed that though some students felt that fear of being punished or attacked would make them not intervene or report a violence plot. â€Å"High schools are generally larger than middle schools and provide less opportunity for teachers and students to interact, which is the foundation for building trust, caring and community between the two† Willenz (2009). Research findings on past occurrences and response levels In some cases schools have counselors to talk to the students and â€Å"At the high school level, counselors are part of the staff. However, the average high school counselor has between 350-400 students to advice. This is too many students for the counselor to have a personal relationship with students† (Johnson, n. d). However, a good number of students revealed that they would be willing and ready to report violence plots/plans to an adult or teacher if they not only had a good relationship with the adult/teacher and had a sense of belonging and were proud of their school. The main question would then be: how do schools/teachers create the kind of environment and relationships in schools that would encourage students to report such cases of violence or intervene if they would not pose danger to themselves? Researchers, authors and various front end campaigners have all tried to engage all their efforts towards finding the real and most effective way to curb violence in schools. Various authors have come to the conclusion that school policies and rules may be so rigid as to cause a gap between adults/teachers and students rather that creating the bond and kind of relationship that would encourage the students to freely speak out and report violence plots by fellow students. In this case the policies and rules would pose more harm to the school and its community more than they would be meant to protect and govern the relationships to create a safe haven for the school communities. In his article, The A-B-Cs of School Violence, Johnson (n. d) reveals that: â€Å"Researchers have completed an analysis of 37 school shootings. The research showed that students at school usually knew what would happen because the shooters had told them, but the bystanders didnt warn anyone. This disturbing pattern gives society a brief ray of hope, because this gives teachers time to intervene. If kids tell, teachers or parents might be able to learn what a student is planning before the violence erupts. † In most cases, schools and the community as well as governments have policies and measures meant to curb violence in schools after they occur, but few measures have been put in place to prevent violence incidents before they happen. As much as teachers may be seen as the adults to be reported to incase of a violence plan/plot, in many cases student counselors and parents can be of great importance in enhancing relationships and freedom of expression among students to ensure they would be free enough to go to the adults without fear of being reprimanded or attached by the violators. Student-teacher relationships have been seen as a great tool that can be used to help curb violence in schools. In order for a teacher to be able to enhance this relationship with the students, there is need for the teacher to ensure that he/she has â€Å"set forth both academic and behavioral expectations for all students. In addition to school wide codes, each teacher must articulate to students on the first day of class the basic standards of behavior for the class. Additional standards may be developed with input from the students to reinforce their commitment to the standards† Johnson (n. d). For violence in schools to be prevented, students must then be deemed as critical information sources as they get to interact at a closer, personal and individual manner than teachers do. Jimerson Furlong (2006) add that â€Å"Students also are an essential source of information and their input into the problem definition undertaking can provide the school safety team with substantial clarification and direction. † Researchers reveal that in some cases students would be comfortable and willing to give information on a fellow student planning to commit a violent offence in or out of the school if â€Å"children feel safe when expressing their needs, fears and anxieties to school staff† (Dwyer et al, 1998, p. 10). â€Å"Teachers who use cooperative learning, peer helping, cross-age mentoring, and community service facilitate resilience. These strategies create a connection or bond between the student and school, allow for practice with social skills, and decrease students’ likelihood of engaging in destructive behaviors† (Vitto, 2003). Having constraints with time, demanding curricular, need for great accountability, as well as pressures related to testing, the teachers’ desires to have and maintain positive and individual/personal relationships with students can be interfered with. In this case the closeness to adults and/or teachers that would encourage students to reports cases of violence before they happen would be reduced. To help counter this challenge, the inclusion of parents as the â€Å"watchful eye† over the students in their communities and schools could help enhance a bond with them as adults and increase the probability of the students reporting violence plans. Many authors have revealed that â€Å"Fear of getting into trouble makes students less willing to go to a teacher or principal with their concerns about a peers potentially dangerous plan and more likely to ignore the situation† (Willenz, 2009). As Vitto (2003) adds: â€Å"Unfortunately, many school reform initiatives focus on inadequate solutions, such as vouchers, increased testing and accountability, year-round schooling, harsher punishments, and zero-tolerance policies. These solutions are shortsighted and ignore critical factors such as the importance of positive teacher-student relationships and the development of social-emotional competencies and resilience† (p. 5). As many researchers have proven, finely operated schools nurture not only their academic but also safety and generally appropriate behaviors that help support students in attaining high standards, cultivate constructive relationships among school teachers, staff and students, and uphold significant parental and societal involvement. These promotes positive cohesion characteristics in schools, enhances prevention and suitable intervention as well as effective response from students in case of a response in reporting plans by fellow students to commit violence related offences. â€Å"For all students, Syvertsen et al. said, knowing they could voice their opinions and be heard by a school official along with their sense of belonging – how they and their friends fit into the school culture – best predicted whether they would confront the peer themselves or tell an adult† (Willenz, 2009).

Access Inclusion Participation Disability Sport Health And Social Care Essay

Access Inclusion Participation Disability Sport Health And Social Care Essay The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. (DDA, 2005). Access and inclusion into sport and physical activity is difficult for many people with a disabiltiy therefor changes must be made to ensure that every person wishing to take part can do so. This could be changing the facilities so that access is better for disabled people as well as modifying equipment and training programs so that everybody can access the facilities. There are many schemes in place to help give disabled people the opportunity to participate in sporting activities. The Federation of Disability Sport Wales (FDSW) is a pan-disability National Governing Body of Sport. The aim of the scheme is to promote and develop quality sports opportunities for people with disabilities (Disability Sports Wales, 2004). Many studies have been carried out in an increased effort to find connections between disability and physical activity but despite this increased effort problems still remain. Many young disabled people would like to take part in physical activity and in a study the majority of people surveyed expressed a preference to participate in a sporting environment if it was organised within a disability sports. (EFDS, 2005). Sports for the disabled still remain an understudied area and should be improved greatly if it is to develop. A development for disability in sport is needed because there are people who cannot participate in sport because of reasons beyond their own control. For most disabled people, their disability is not the barrier and therefore more should be done to overcome barriers that could be easily eradicated (Barton, 1989) A physically active lifestyle is associated with many health and social benefits. This is also true for those individuals who have a disability or long term health condition. Physical activity can not only decrease the danger of secondary health problems but can also improve all levels of functioning (Hidde et al. 2004). The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. (DDA, 2005) For people with a disability, accessing sporting activities can be difficult as there may not be many facilities to provide for them. Also the sports that they are able to access may not be suitable for them to be included therefore adaptations must be made to the sports to give them the opportunity to participate (Jette, 2003). This should include participation with able bodied participants also. There are schemes which run to organize safe and enjoyable sporting activities for disable people, as well as schemes that look to give access, inclusion and participation in sport for disabled and able bodied people alike (Finch et al, 2001). The Federation of Disability Sport Wales (FDSW) is a pan-disability National Governing Body of Sport. The aim of the scheme is to promote and develop quality sports opportunities for people with disabilities (Disability Sports Wales, 2004). This scheme is set in Wales but there are other schemes that work towards promoting and developing disability sport throughout the UK. This report will look at disability in sport. The main issues that will be looked at are access to take part in sports as well as the inclusion for disability in the sports. With these factors being identified, participation levels for disability in sport will be examined to see what areas of the UK are working towards giving equal opportunities for disabled children and adults. The project will study the schemes and look at how they help to allow access and inclusion to the sports and also the participation levels of disablity in sport. Rimmer et al, (2006) reported that an investigation was carried out into the accessibility of health clubs and leisure centres for people with mobility disabilities and visual impairments. The investigation studied thirty-five health clubs and fitness services in a nationalized field test in which a new piece of equipment was used. The Accessibility Instruments Measuring Fitness and Recreation Environments (AIMFREE), was used for measuring the ease of access of fitness amenities in the built environment, equipment, swimming pools, information, facility policies, and professional behaviour. All the facilities that the test was carried out on confirmed low to moderate levels of accessibility. Some of the deficiencies showed a cause for concern with the Disability Act guidelines regarding the built setting; other problems related to parts of the facility such as the equipment, information, policies, and professional staff (Davies, 2002). Many studies have been carried out in an increased effort to find connections between disability and physical activity but despite this increased effort problems still remain (Fitzgerald, 2008). Hezkiah (2005) stated that young disabled people demonstrated low levels of physical activity and perceptual motor difficulties compared to young people without a disability. This low level of activity and motor learning affects their ability to learn. Major barriers to young disabled people include language conception which is vital for following commands, and physical disabilities, which have an effect on their capability to carry out motor skills (Gatward and Burrell, 2002; Gordon and Williams, 2003). These limits can have an effect on their motivation and add to restricted opportunities for regular involvement in movement, physical activity and sports, which consecutively affects their capability to develop and progress in these important areas of growth and development. Finch et al (2001) set out to determine how important barriers linked with disability are to peoples levels of physical activity. During the study the participants were asked a series of questions to answer for a range of information, and were then asked to specify which physical activities they participate in. The subjects were asked to provide the reasons preventing their contribution in physical activities. No clear inclusion or exclusion information was given therefore the reasons would be their own personal feelings. Findings of the study have shown that 20% of the participants acknowledged current injury or disability as one of the barriers to additional physical activity, with half of the participants expressing it as the most important grounds as to why they do not take part in more physical activities. Current injury or disability was a barrier to physical activity in older people more often than younger participants. Injury or disability was the main difficulty to participate in physical activity for people who are obese based on their body mass index (BMI) more often than those who were underweight or normal weight. Another finding during the study suggested that current injury or disability was a major barrier for people who were not very active more often than people with a high current physical activity level. The findings suggested the importance to target the support of physical activity to older adults and overweight people particularly to get them active by giving them access to facilities along with the inclusion to the activities. They go on to identify the problems that can occur with disability. They state that a person would stop exercising because of a disability rather than just becoming overweight and not exercise because of the weight problem. Rimmer et al (2004) recognized a variety of barriers and facilitators that were associated with participation levels in health and leisure programs and amenities amongst persons with disabilities. The results showed that the participants reported 178 barriers and 130 facilitators. The problems identified were barriers and facilitators connected to the built and natural environment along with economic issues. Emotional and psychological barriers were also identified as a problem. The amount of involvement in physical activity among people with disabilities is affected by a multi-factorial set of barriers and facilitators. Future research could utilize information conducted by Rimmer et al (2004) to develop participation schemes that have a superior probability of accomplishment. A report from the EFDS, (2005) showed that whilst young disabled people valued sport and recreation opportunities, they do not access their chances for physical activity on a regular basis. Disability is not a barrier to participation in sport and leisure. Regardless of rising guidelines and legislation encouraging improved participation in sports and physical exercise by young disabled people, only a restricted quantity of young disabled people do take part in physical activity. Only a small number of young disabled people have access to sport and physical activity opportunities outside the activities obtainable inside curricular time which includes after-school clubs, community opportunities, and general play. The most significant factor that was found to have an effect on physical activity involvement was the persons impairment, with those with multiple impairments less probable to take part than those with a single impairment (Maloney et al, 1993). The most frequent curriculum sports linked with impairment groups and genders were Swimming, Boccia, Ball Games, Football, Athletics, and Cricket. Swimming, Football, Badminton, and theme parks were the most frequent sports and activities participated in, in a community setting. Activities such as Swimming, Boccia, Athletics and Horse Ridding had an important position for the young disabled people with multiple impairments. Barriers to participation included access to facilities and equipment. Improvements in facilities and access to equipment would improve access to sports and recreation opportunities (Williams, 2005) In studies, young disabled people have expressed a fondness for taking part in physical activity when participating in a sporting environment particularly if it was organised within a disability sports club with other people with comparable impairments or an after school club with friends. With consideration to the type of activity, results showed that young disabled people would like to participate in activities that young disabled people already participating in (EFDS, 2005). There are many initiatives set up to give people with a disability an opportunity to participate in sport and physical actvity (Norwich, 2007). The Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) is a proposal that supports the fitness production to develop into a more inclusive plan that can cater for the needs of both disabled and non-disabled people alike. Through a variety of developments, the initiative has maintained facilities across England to produce a comprehensive service which results in increasing participation levels by disabled people. Parasport is a combined proposal between the British Paralympic Association (BPA) and the services services firm Deloitte. Their aim is to amplify participation levels in competitive sporting events. Parasport aims to improve how talented sports people are being identified and aims to support them at a community level. They plan to provide bursaries to talented and high potential athletes through a partnership with SportsAid. With this help they also set out to establish a new Disability Sports Institute known as Parasport, run by the BPA. The BPA is the body responsible for the elite side of disability sport, although the Parasport project is open to all abilities. Another initiative in place is The Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS). This scheme is set up in England and aims to help young and talented athletes who are committed to combining their sport and education to make themselves better. Currently there are 50 sports eligible for TASS, of which 16 are disability sports. This scheme is open to people aged between 16 and 25, with an upper age limit of 35 for people with a disablity. The scheme can provide a package of sporting activities to athletes and give them the ability to access high quality training facilities. An athletics initiative has been launched in by the Sports Council Wales to encourage more children with disabilities to participate in sport. Combined with the Federation of Disability Sport Wales, athletics sessions have been introduced where children can take part in fun sessions with skilled volunteers from Welsh Athletics. The Disability Sport Wales National Community Development Programme is a joint initiative set up between the Sports Council for Wales, the Federation of Disability Sport Wales and 22 local authorities across Wales. The proposal aims to develop excellent community based sporting and leisure opportunities for disabled people throughout Wales (Hughes, 2009) Arthur and Finch (1999) said that people with a disability might recognise the physical and social benefits resulting from participating in physical activity generally. However, a failure to recognise specific guidelines on the necessary frequency and extent of physical activity in order to achieve such benefits, particularly amongst older people, contributes to low participation levels. External barriers resulting in a lack of opportunity to participate in physical activity among people with a disability have been widely discussed in literature (Arthur and Finch, 1999;; Doll-Tepper, 1999; DePauw and Gavron, 2005). Research has shown a range of issues, which include a lack of confidence. With the opportunity to participate, the confidence would grow and give the people a chance to be active. A Lack of physical and emotional support was also a factor that caused people with a disability not to take part in sport and physical activity. Not having someone to go with to the gym or sporting facility is another barrier (DePauw and Gavron, 2005). According to Arthur and Finch (1999), this poses a greater problem for those people with a disability who need some kind of physical, oral or visual assistance or moral support. Lack of information was a big factor in reasons to why they did not participate in sport. Arthur and Finch (1999) found that a lack of information held by people with a disability led to low awareness of the sorts of possible sporting activities and appropriate sport facilities. According to the English Federation of disability sport (2000), the lack of access to information has worsened. Lockwood and Lockwood (1997) and Doll-Tepper (1999) both said that the subsistence of poorly trained service providers, unsuitable activities and inflexible programmes as areas of particular concern. Both Arthur and Finch (1999) and DePauw and Gavron (1995) raise the issue of a lack of available facilities and say that the blame for this is due to cuts in funding. Arthur and Finch (1999) found that poor physical access at existing facilities could present a barrier to the participation of people with a disability in sporting activities, in terms of the inappropriate design of buildings, lack of aids and adaptations to equipment. Negative attitudes towards disability include those of other facility users. DePauw and Gavron (1995) found that college students held negative and stereotypical attitudes towards the inclusion of individuals with a disability in physical education and sport. Arthur and Finch (1999) found a correlation between the negative and conventional attitudes of other sport centre users. This then produced a lack of confidence and motivation for people with a disability. National statistics show the lowest participation rates for disabled people. They produced a Taking part and active people survey which showed that 8.8 9.5% disabled adults participated in regular moderate activity (Sport England, 2006; DCMS, 2007). It also found that 44% of disabled young people did not take part in regular physical activity (Sport England, 2001) Research has shown that disabled young people do participate in sport both in and out of school (Finch et al, 2001). However, both the overall rate of participation and the frequency with which disabled young people take part in sport is lower than for young people in general. There are also important differences between participation in school compared with out of school participation. In school young disabled people participated in sport more frequently than they did out of school. However, this pattern was the reverse for all young people (Corneliben and Pfeifer, 2007) An initiative set up in Ireland is called Disability Sport Donegal. This scheme aims to give children an opportunity to participate in sporting activities. They aim to offer a wide range of activities that include Boccia and martial arts. They develop the programme for inclusion into sports for disabled people. They also look to form a relationship with local schools to include children in sporting activities. With the inclusion within schools they can then develop programmes out side of school and give opportunities to disabled children and adults to take part in sports clubs that provide the safe, fun environment and facilities that are needed to give a wider range of activities to disabled people (Donegal Sports 2007) Research has shown that many people with a disability do not take part in sport because they dont have access to the facilities or equipment they needed (Paciorek and Jones, 2001). In addition travel was shown to be a barrier as they were unable to get to and from any accessible venues. Lack of information was a problem for the many of the participants and parents because they were unaware of facilities or clubs offering activities for disability. Organisations were identified during the questioning, including Viva project and RCT Tigers. Viva is a registered Charity that was established in November 1992 to work with young people with a disability aged between 11 and 25 with who live in Rhondda Cynon Taff. The ethos of the Viva project is to facilitate and support all of its youth members to become fully involved in community activities. Viva believes this encourages young people to develop better liberty and make more choices for themselves. The main aim of Viva is to challenge members to raise their ambitions while they broaden their experiences and abilities. They try to give confidence to the members to develop greater independence and make more knowledgeable choices for themselves. At the same time they expect to raise community awareness in accepting disabled young people as valued citizens (Sports Council Wales, 2006) Vivas aim is to create equal and respected relationships between disabled young people and their non disabled peers. They look for disabled young people to participate in active community amenities, which they may have been conventionally excluded from because of the stigma and separation that is related with disability. Viva believe that by giving young people the same chances as their peers, people can learn and work together to meet the challenges we face in life. RCT Tigers FC is a pan disability football club for young children in the Rhondda Cynon Taff Area which was set up in January 2008. It was founded to improve opportunities for disability sports in Rhondda Cynon Taff. With these organisations set up it is important that extra work is conducted to make them successful. It is imperative because without these organisations people with a disability would not be able to take part in any sport or physical activity. It is also important to develop new initiatives as well as making the existing organisations more accessible by better information and promotion. With the development of initiatives, disability in sport can develop and give opportunity to people where participation would be difficult and inaccessible (Yuen et al, 2007). In conclusion I feel that physical activity and sports participation can improve a disabled persons health and well-being. Regular exercise and inclusion in sports by disabled people is as important as it is for their active counterparts. Professionals working with people with disabilities should enthusiastically encourage participation in sports and recreation activities. The relationship of sports for the disabled is difficult. Sports are a rehabilitating tool for integration into society and a way for them to remain active. In addition, sports and disability as portrayed by the media often still broadcast existing stereotypes that erect social barriers for the disabled, in the area of social perception (Barton, 2001) Sports for the disabled still remain an understudied area and should be improved greatly if it is to develop. A development for disability in sport is needed because there are people who cannot participate in sport because of reasons beyond their own control. For most disabled people, their disability is not the barrier and therefore more should be done to overcome barriers that could be easily eradicated (Barton, 1989)

Hughes Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate

Hughes' Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate In the Hughes’ text, Women in World History: Volume 1, the chapter on Middle Eastern women focuses on how Islam affected their lives. Almost immediately, the authors wisely observe that â€Å"Muslim women’s rights have varied significantly with time, by region, and by class† (152). They continue with the warning that â€Å"there is far too much diversity to be adequately described in a few pages.† However, I argue that there is essential information and insight on said topic that the authors have failed to include, as well as areas of discussion with incomplete analyses. I will use Leila Ahmed’s book, Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate, as well as her essay entitled â€Å"Early Islam and the Position of Women: The Problem of Interpretation,† to cite the shortcomings of the text. After the first part of the Hughes chapter on Middle Eastern Muslim women, the emphasis shifts, from Quranic doctrine regarding women to how Muslim law and scholarship have interpreted the Quran’s direct admonitions to women. However, this shift is unfortunately subtle. The authors fail to make a clear distinction between the Quran, a sacred text believed to be the verbatim word of God; and Muslim law, which was formulated by (male) Muslim jurists who consulted the Quran and whose consensus was later declared infallible (Ahmed 58). Such a distinction is necessary because the Quran itself is vastly different from a legal document; Ahmed observes in â€Å"Early Islam and the Position of Women† that â€Å"Quranic precepts consist mainly of broad, general propositions chiefly of an ethical nature, rather than specific legalistic formulations† (59). Indeed, the Qura... ...areas of emphasis. In contrast, Leila Ahmed analyzes representations and mores of Muslim women in different social and religious contexts in order to draw conclusions about their effect on women’s--and men’s in relation to women’s--status, in earlier periods of Islam, as well as the further-reaching implications they have had for modern Muslim societies. Works Cited Ahmed, Leila. Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1992. Ahmed, Leila. â€Å"Early Islam and the Position of Women: The Problem of Interpretation.† In Women in Middle Eastern History: Shifting Boundaries in Sex and Gender, ed. Nikki R. Keddie and Beth Baron. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1991. Hughes, Sarah Shaver, and Brady Hughes. Women in World History. Vol. 1. Armonk, N.Y., and London: M.E. Sharpe, 1995.

What is the Future of Social Security? Essay -- essays research papers

What is the future of Social Security?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is much-heated debate on the issues of Social Security today. The Social Security system is the largest government program of income distribution in the United States. People are concerned that they won't see a dime of what they worked so hard to contribute into the Social Security system for so many years. Social Security provides benefits to about forty-three million Americans. Not only to retired workers, but also to their spouses and dependents of the workers who die prematurely. It also provides benefits to disabled workers and their dependents. Social Security appears to most people like a simple retirement saving’s account. After all, you generally contribute through payroll deductions, then get money back after you retire. Nonetheless, Social Security is a complex and intricate communal program. By design, Social Security involves massive subsidies from the next generation of retirees to the present, from single workers to married couples. Now that the gigantic post World War II baby boomers generation approaches retirement age, there is concern about the consequences it will have on Social Security. There are basically three options, we can do nothing and allow Social Security to run it’s course, revise Social Security, or consider privatization of the system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Historically, the Democratic and Republican parties have clear and opposing viewpoints. Quite simply, the Democrats whole-heartedly oppose change to a program initiated under Roosevelt's New Deal. The Republicans consider this social program contrary to capitalism. However, over time the Republicans learned that it's popularity with the voters has made this issue untouchable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Congressman Richard Gephardt, the social security was not meant to be the sole source of retirement income but rather as a foundation for retirement to give all working Americans a safety cushion. There will be money in the fund until 2029, so distressing baby boomers don’t have to worry. After that money is depleted the revenue from the payroll tax will be sufficient enough to pay 75% of every social security benefit for the subsequent 75 years. But how many burdens should be put on the young and middle age individuals, whose taxes basically pay for government retirement ... ...s for generations to come, which in essence, needs to start now. Using a conservative economic projection should be one of the steps taken for the growth of future social security. We all know there are no free rides in life; someone is always taking the bill, much less in social security. Any of the changes discussed in this report would impose a real alteration in the level of benefits, taxation and risks. Ultimately, we need to look forward with complete understanding and full acceptance of changes, while keeping faith in a system, which has served us so well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richard A. Gephardt, Being Careful with Social Security [article online], Newsweek Inc. Accessed 15 January 1997; Page A19. Social Security Administration. Available from http://www.ssa.gov   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert J. Samuelson, Justice Among Social Security [article online], Newsweek Inc. Accessed 1 July 1998; Page A23. Social Security Administration. Available from http://www.ssa.gov   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Similarities of hip-hop and the blues :: rap music

Rapping the Blues: The Similarities of hip-hop and the blues Hip-hop is one of the major music genres of today like the blues were in the 1950's. Stanley Crouch views hip-hop as being vulgar and obscene while he sees the blues as being one of the classic music genres. In actuality, these two genres are similar in many ways. A very important part of Stanley Crouch's life is his love for the blues. Many of his essays are related to or have aspects of the blues contained within them. Crouch relates topics that he writes about to the blues, because this is a subject he believes he is very familiar with. In The All American Skin Game, Stanley writes, "Jazz is very important to my vision of life in our time." (Lamb, 1). Jazz gives him a feeling of individuality and community. This means that when individuals push him, and he pushes them back, they both become better individuals as well as a better community. For Stanley, the blues tell the stories of the African-American community. Some of the stories talk about the harshness of their lives, but they also talk about the good times they had. [People] play the blues to get rid of the blues not to get them." (Lamb, 1). When people play or even listen to the blues, they are letting all of their worries go. They are not worrying about their job, the bills, or their kids. They are just trying to enjoy the moment when the blues are playing. The blues are some people's release from the stresses of their lives. To say it lightly, Stanley Crouch does not like the hip-hop genre of music. The dreadlocks, the clothing style, and the "vulgar": gold chains are just a few things he does not approve of at all. (Crouch, 1 ) It astounds him to see how far African-American music has fallen since the days of the Motown. Stanley was quoted as saying this about rap, "It is rudeness, vulgarity, and pornography disguised as ‘keeping it real.'" (Crouch, 1) He also went on to say the hip-hop music genre has the worst impact of all music genres on our culture today. (Crouch, 2) Crouch believes one does not need much talent to become a successful rapper unlike the jazz greats he listens to all the time. In Stanley Crouch's view, the only messages that rappers put in the minds of todays' youth is that they need to have sex, kill people, and do drugs all the time. Similarities of hip-hop and the blues :: rap music Rapping the Blues: The Similarities of hip-hop and the blues Hip-hop is one of the major music genres of today like the blues were in the 1950's. Stanley Crouch views hip-hop as being vulgar and obscene while he sees the blues as being one of the classic music genres. In actuality, these two genres are similar in many ways. A very important part of Stanley Crouch's life is his love for the blues. Many of his essays are related to or have aspects of the blues contained within them. Crouch relates topics that he writes about to the blues, because this is a subject he believes he is very familiar with. In The All American Skin Game, Stanley writes, "Jazz is very important to my vision of life in our time." (Lamb, 1). Jazz gives him a feeling of individuality and community. This means that when individuals push him, and he pushes them back, they both become better individuals as well as a better community. For Stanley, the blues tell the stories of the African-American community. Some of the stories talk about the harshness of their lives, but they also talk about the good times they had. [People] play the blues to get rid of the blues not to get them." (Lamb, 1). When people play or even listen to the blues, they are letting all of their worries go. They are not worrying about their job, the bills, or their kids. They are just trying to enjoy the moment when the blues are playing. The blues are some people's release from the stresses of their lives. To say it lightly, Stanley Crouch does not like the hip-hop genre of music. The dreadlocks, the clothing style, and the "vulgar": gold chains are just a few things he does not approve of at all. (Crouch, 1 ) It astounds him to see how far African-American music has fallen since the days of the Motown. Stanley was quoted as saying this about rap, "It is rudeness, vulgarity, and pornography disguised as ‘keeping it real.'" (Crouch, 1) He also went on to say the hip-hop music genre has the worst impact of all music genres on our culture today. (Crouch, 2) Crouch believes one does not need much talent to become a successful rapper unlike the jazz greats he listens to all the time. In Stanley Crouch's view, the only messages that rappers put in the minds of todays' youth is that they need to have sex, kill people, and do drugs all the time.

Article Review: Learning Organizations Essay

A learning organization is any organization that uses its power to acquire knowledge while managing to stay innovative enough to remain competitive in a constantly changing environment. Learning organizations have four main objectives: To create a culture that not only encourages, but also supports an environment of continuous employee learning, critical thinking, and taking risk with new innovative ideas. Understands and allows mistakes while valuing employee contributions. Learns from their mistakes through experience, and experiment with these ideals Disseminate any new knowledge throughout the organization for rapid and successful implementation into the day-to-day activities. (BusinessDictionary.com, 2012) Article: Studying the Relationship between Components of the Learning Organization and Organizational Commitment (Forozandeh, Soleimani, Shah Nazari, & Nasri, 2011) Article Summary Organizational learning and the institutionalization of the learning organization are some of the most important factors of a successful business organization in today’s complicated, ever changing, and dynamic global business environment. The major capital in any learning organization is its employees and their commitment to the organization. The purpose of the article being reviewed is to study the relationship among components of the organization (System thinking, team learning experiences, Personal masters, mental models, and their shared visions) and their organizational commitment. The data collection was completed using the descriptive-field method on a cement company located in Iran; it consisted of 50 people, and was collected by means of a survey in July of 2011. Based on the results of the survey, there is a noticeable and significant relationship among every component of the learning organization and their organizational commitment (Forozandeh, Soleimani, Shah Nazar i, & Nasri, 2011). Author’s Conclusions  and Recommendations The authors of the article conclude that the results of their survey illustrate that the organizational commitment is one of the most important and effective factors in changing any organization to a learning organization. When the employees of a business have more of a commitment to the organization, the implementation of the learning organization is accepted with more facilitation, or the employees are more open to the idea. The results show that managers who want to establish a learning organization should provide the means for commitment towards the organization as much as possible. This factor will also help increase job performance and progress as well as help managers in the transformation towards the learning organization. Creating a learning organization on the other hand develops more commitment of the employees towards the organization. Reviewers Conclusion and Recommendations After reading the article, the authors conducted a survey to find the commitment to the organization and tried to establish how well the organization was creating an environment for a learning organization. Through a simple survey base of 50 employees, the authors were able to establish a link between employee commitment and the basis of a learning organization. This shows an important link between innovation and a learning organization: you have to have the commitment and dedication of the employees in order to implement an innovative and learning organization environment. Without the commitment of the employees (who are essentially responsible for carrying out any new implementations), you cannot foster a learning environment, as you will have employees unwilling to participate and be a part of the solution. This conclusion would be a factor for any organization in any business model to consider. In the new and ever changing global markets (as the market is no longer based on local or even continental markets), a company has no choice but to accept change and grow with the markets in an effort to remain innovative and competitive. To do this, you have to have a learning organization committed to and able to accept change. This will require a learning environment with the ability to learn and change as often as needed. In order to have a learning  environment, you have to have employee commitment! How these Concepts Apply to the Reviewers Organization The concepts discussed in this article would apply to any organization in many ways. The organization I work for is in the food distribution business, and one thing that is lacking is the ability to grow and become a learning organization. The organization is not willing to learn and grow with the ever-changing industry and as a result, they have begun to lose millions of dollars in business to their competition. One concept lacking in our business is the ability to change to meet the customer’s needs, they are only committed to their own wants. This environment is a perfect example for what a learning organization is not. Every suggestion to change given to upper management by the employees to help the organization or the employees are considered and essentially ignored. Some companies are not able or lack the ability to change with the environment, and shrinking sales and lack of employee commitment are the results. There is not a lack of trying from the employees, who value their jobs and want to see the company grow. However, you cannot foster a learning environment when you have a management system that is not willing to learn or change with their environment. References BusinessDictionary.com. (2012). Learning Organization. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/learning-organization.html Forozandeh, L., Soleimani, M., Shah Nazari, A., & Nasri, H. (2011, October). Studying the relationship between components of the learning organization and organizational commitment. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 3(6), 497-509. Retrieved from UOP Library October 22, 2012

Outline and evaluate biological explanations of obesity Essay

Various explanations can be provided for the reasons of obesity, from biological explanations, to neurological and evolutionary theories. Even socio-economic reasons could give insight into why some people have a higher likeliness of obesity Evolutionarily, the thrifty gene hypothesis provides insight as to why many suffer from obesity, as it suggests that our current genes are no longer suited to our new environment. Modern day society is filled with foods of a high calorific content, and our energy expenditure has decreased more and more with the technological advancements made. More television is watched and more computer games are played. This has been attributed to the increase in obesity, especially in children. Dietz and Gortmaker found that an extra hour’s viewing of TV a day can increase obesity levels by 2%. Further support for the thrifty gene hypothesis has been found for example in the case of Pima Indians and other groups of different societies who live in harshe r conditions (in comparison to Western society) and are more likely to develop obesity when exposed to a Western diet. The thrift gene hypothesis is reductionist however, as the gene pool has remained consistent over the last 40 years, yet only now are levels of obesity rapidly increasing, which suggests that other factors, such as biological and behavioural reasons are more significant. An example of a biological approach would be genetic reasons, which could provide an explanation for obesity, as some individuals may be genetically inclined with a family history of having a predisposition for weigh gain, particularly in today’s world which contains ample supplies of food. Our ancestors tended to eat as much as they could when possible, in order to create a reserve of energy which they could rely on, and to allow them to survive when no food was available. Our systems which control our satiety are not very sensitive to knowing when to stop, as they are programmed to find food when we are hungry, so now, we continue to overeat, are unable to stop, because we are innately programmed to consume for survival. Many twin studies have been made, which all indicate that genetic factors play a large part, and suggest that obesity often runs in families. Bouchard overfed 12 pairs of male MZ twins and found three times more similarity of weight gain within pairs than between pairs, strongly indicating genetic factors.  However this was a relatively small sample size, so in order for us to make a strong conclusion, the study should be replicated on a larger scale. However this would be ethically improper, as weight gain is associated with many physiological and sometimes psychological ailments, such as diabetes or depression; therefore it would be unethical to expose a large number of participants to weight gain. This was supported by Stunkard who examined the BMI of 93 pairs of MZ twins reared apart and found that genetic factors accounted for 66-70% of variance in body weight. However to assume that we inherit our BMI disposition from our parents would be reductionist, as it doesn’t account for individual differences, such as an overactive thyroid, which would cause weight gain. A UK study carried out research upon 4 year ol d twins, and found obesity heritability was 0.61in boys and 0.61 in girls, which further supports the idea that genes play a significant role in our weight gain. However this study was not done cross-culturally, therefore lacks population validity and cannot be generalised to everyone. Also, the study relied on self-reports made by the mother of the children, who may have been dishonest as a result of social desirability bias, This study presents the idea of passive gene-environment correlation, which provides biological and behavioural explanations (that our genetic factors interact with our environment). Both approaches are deterministic however. The biological approach represents hard determinism, and has absolutely no room for free will, and there is evidence to support it. Frayling analysed 39,000 white people’s blood sample from the UK and Finland. While the extremely large sample size increases the internal validity of the study, using only white Finnish and British participants is ethnocentric, therefore the results cannot be generalised to others. In his study, 25% of participants were clinically obese (BMI over30), and he fou nd that variations to the FTO gene were more common amongst obese participants. In fact, those with the altered gene were on average, 3 kgs heavier than those with the usual chromosome 16. Whilst this cannot be used to explain all cases of obesity, as there are many individuals without a mutated chromosome 16 who are still obese, but it does explain why some people struggle more than others to lose weight (due to their unchangeable genes). Possible neurochemical imbalances cause overeating. Recent research suggests that body fat might be an active organ and may trigger hunger itself. This would mean that once  individuals start gaining excess weight, they then feel more hunger and become less sensitive to satiation signals. Most of the research was conducted upon rats, by making lesions to specific parts of their hypothalamus which we assume play a role in our eating behaviour. It was found by Hetherington and Ranson that rats with lesions to the ventromedial hypothalamus would overeat until they became obese. However rats are not humans, therefore the finding cannot be generalised from one to the other. Also, this study breaks various ethical boundaries, as the effects of the lesions were irreversible and would have resulted in the suffering, and eventual deaths of the rats. Fortunately this study did have real life practical applications, as Quaade successfully lesioned the Lateral Hypothalamus of obese patients to induce aphagia (and reduce their eating). Other neurological pathways also play a part in our eating behaviour, as found by Cummings, who investigated the changes in blood ghrelin levels over time between meals. Ghrelin is a hormone released from the stomach when it is empty, and is detected by the lateral hypothalamus. Cummings used six participants (very small sample size, low population validity) and monitored their ghrelin levels (using blood samples) every 5 minutes after they had eaten their lunch. Participants were asked to assess their levels of hunger every 30 minutes, and it was shown that 5 out of the 6 participants used, showed that their ghrelin levels were closely correlated with degree of reported hunger. This was a lab study, with a high level of control, and easily replicable, so has high internal validity and reliability. However it is hard to determine whether the predicted levels of hunger stemmed from actual hunger, or social cues such as meal times and a person’s learnt expectancy of when they should next eat. However this study has real life practical applications, as gastric bands can be used to treat obesity, as they have been shown to reduce ghrelin secretion.