Espionage Act 1917

Many historians, politicians, experts, believe that the Espionage Act of 1917 was one of the must controversial laws passed. This law was passed on June 15, 1917 shortly after the United States entered world war I. The reason why many people believe this law was so controversial, is that many argue that it directly affected the constitutional right of freedom of speech. The reason is because this act originally prohibited any attempt to interfere with military operations, to support United States enemies during wartime, it also prohibited promoting insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, refusal in the military, and or to interfere with military recruitment. The punishment for braking this law could be punishable by death or by imprisonment for not more that 30 years or both and fines up too $10,000. Moreover, many believed that this restrictions were unconstitutional, but later on in 1919 the U. S Supreme Court unanimously ruled in court case Schenck v. United States that the act dud not violate the freedom of speech of those convicted under its provisions. President Woodrow Wilson Attorney General Thomas Watt Gregory and Jon Crawford supported the pass of the act, however the viewed it as a compromise. This document it quite important to historians that would like to study laws related to people leaving in the United States during this era. This article helps historians understand the importance of the U. S trying to keep a sense of control on their own grounds. By the government implanting this law they can feel a little safer of retaliation. Regardless, people still protested and did things that opposed the law. However, by having the law it helps to keep that control. This shows historians that besides all the problems going on overseas, the president it still had and â€Å"urgency† of having some type of law protecting the U. S form any type of anarchy, or interference with the military. Moreover, this document can give a lot of insight to historians that study human group movements or the arrest of political figures. For example, anti-war groups like Frayhayt or â€Å"left-wing† politicians like Bill Haywood, Philip Randolph, John Reed. This document could be used for historians with a specialty in law, or historians that study political people and group organizations during this time

Discrimination in Employment Act Essay

Legislative requirements are defined by law, The health and safety act 1974 ensures a safe working environment. The electricity at work regulations 1989, The COSHH 2002 regulations protects people against any chemical/substances hazardous to health, the MHOR 1999 how to move equipment safely without injury. The data protection act 1998, The equality act 2010 involves race relations and disability, age, Each has their own act , sex discrimination act 1975 and age discrimination act 2006. RIDDOR 1995 for the reporting of injuries,disease and dangerous occurrences. Regulatory requirements include IFL code of practice for teachers to ensure responsibilities towards safe guarding vulnerable adults in learning, public liability insurance , a waiver for clients to sign to say they are happy to be treated by trainees under supervision, risk assessments. Hygiene standards, registered personnel, terms and conditions of employment, codes of professional practice LLLS 2008 IFL, and your duty of care. 1. 2 To value and celebrate everyone, as each learner will each have a different range of abilities, you must treat everyone equally and with dignity and respect, no matter their age, race, culture or disability. Everyone is entitled to education and adapt your teaching methods to include everyone. Have a look at Reisenberger & Dadzie 2002, Equality and diversity in adult and community learning- a guide for managers, Niace, which you can access at http://www. excellencegareway. org. uk/pdf/A1181. pdf Accessed 20th October 2012. 1. 3 Think about what you will be teaching prepare and organize a plan. Make the lesson interesting but informative. To adapt your lesson if something goes wrong, are the learners benefiting from the lesson and how to tell if they are. Assess your methods if you notice they are not picking up on the topic, track progress and look back on paperwork/ evidence try another method. Be positive, knowledgeable in your profession, confident, enthusiastic and encourage, keep up to date with the beauty industry. Good practical experience and keeping up to date records show organisation. 1. 4 Identify the needs of the learner, then look at the type of methods available. Then we can assess if the learner is getting what they need out of that teaching method, deliver current and relevant information, the learner may have a preference of how they would like this to be done. You will need to try all methods and adapt them, use different resources while your lesson is in progress, reflect on your own experiences in order to motivate the learner. As a teacher you may need to mentor, support, plan, design and deliver to the best of your ability, reflect, adapt and communicate effectively, observe and listen, to self assess yourself, justify your decisions, keep records and make referrals as necessary in order to do this I use the table below called the smart guide and I follow this to involve an objective setting. S | Specific, know what need to be achieved | |M |Measurable, ways of measuring completion | |A |Achievable, is an event that is achievable | |R |Realistic, factors such as resources and time | |T |Time scaled, deadlines, stops people postponing tasks. They relate to a | | |guide for objective setting. | 2. 1 A relationship between the learner and the teacher should be of a professional manner, listen to them when they are talking, do not involve yourself or others with any personal issues, confidentiality is important , but we need to know when to refer the learner . No contact by phone or outside the premises, if you know the learner you must inform your line manager. When you are with a student in a one to one situation leave the door open or have someone else in the room with you. 2. 2 You need to know when to refer a learner for internal or external support services, be prepared to be the first point of call and you need to know what services are available for them, then you can refer them to another trained professional and concentrate on supporting them. There are many services available for learners such as the Samaritans helpline, drugs, dyslexia, citizens advice bureau, victim support and NHS direct, as well as assistance with funding. 2. You can clarify your own responsibilities with your line manager, be a team player, register with organisations within your field such as HABIA (Hair and Beauty industry authority), LAPS ( Lead authority partnership scheme). Health and safety in Hairdressing and beauty therapy( online) ( updated 27th Ju ne 2012) ( Accessed on 20th October 2012) available at http://www. hse. gov. uk/hairdessing. 3. 1 The environment that you work in should be safe and clean with adequate lighting and space, good maintenance of equipment with appropriate records to hand. You should provide facilities so the learner can research their material, have access to books or the website, show videos, outings to a salon with a good reputation, ensure the layout of your class room is meeting the requirements of the learner this may change. Do a lesson plan, identify all needs, Assess if your methods have been productive, encourage and support all learners, motivate them to build their portfolio of evidences, give them feedback after practicals, share your experiences , discuss the positives with the negatives. 3. 2 Do not interrupt a learner when they are talking, listen to them and express an option. Encourage them to make their own ground rules to show respect to others, there may be other professionals or clients watching. Think of your colleagues as a client, maintain their dignity, wear full uniform this reflects your professionalism, hair tied back, no nail polish, nails short and clean, wash hands, wear appropriate footwear, set standards for the learner to follow. Mobile phones on silent, equipment to be cleaned and put away safely. Give the learner responsibilities such as a stock check. Conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times this will reflect on the running of the salon and the sales of the bu siness. Bibliography: London underground trainers code of practice.

Word Lab 2 Ch 3

————————————————- Jonner Public Library Jonner Public Library 4992 Surrey Court, Jonner, MA 02198 ? 291-555-9454 ? Web Address: www. jpl. net March 10, 2012 Mr. Brent Jackson 5153 Anlyn Drive Jonner, MA 02198 Dear Mr. Jackson: Thank you for registering online for our spring classes. As a library patron, you are aware that we offer a great deal more than books and magazines. The table below outlines the classes for which you have registered, along with the dates and locations: Class| Date| Location|Intro to Windows 7| April 10| Room 10B| eBay Basics| April 18| Room 24C| Genealogy Searches| April 24| Room 10B| Overview of Office 2010| April 28| Room 22A| Note that all classes, regardless of date, begin at 10:00 a. m. and last four hours. Although no materials or textbooks are required for the classes, you are strongly encouraged to bring the following items: * Pens, pencils, or other writing implements * Blank CD or DVD to store documents and notes created during class * Notebook or loose-leaf binder for handwritten notes Your valid library card to verify enrollment eligibility Please note that no food or drinks are allowed in any of our computer facilities. If you have any questions or would like to register for additional courses, please contact me at (291) 555-9454 or via e-mail at [email  protected] net. Again, thank you for your interest in and continued patronage of Jonner Public Library. We look forward to seeing you when your first class begins. Sincerely, Marcia Lawrence Head Librarian

The Archaeological search for the ancient city of Troy Essay

The Archaeological search for the ancient city of Troy - Essay Example According to the myth that he created, in the early childhood little Henry has set a fantastic goal - to find Homer's Troy and immortalize his own name. For this he earned a fortune and turned his life into one of the most amusing stories in world history. In this a very interesting tale’s finale: Troy has been found and wiped out. Heinrich Schliemann was born in 1822 in the family of a Protestant pastor in Germany. During his childhood he heard many stories about ancient castles and buried treasures. Those stories along with the "World History for Children" book, which he got when he was 8 as a gift from his father, according to him, became the impetus for the journey to a mythical Troy. Later, in his autobiography Schliemann wrote that when he saw pictures of Troy, the city, glorified by the blind Homer in the immortal "Iliad", he decided once and for all to find the city. Archaeology, the science of finding and excavation the ancient civilizations hardly existed in the begi nning the XIX century. And Schliemann's idea of basing his search on the work of literature, taking it at a face value sounded crazy. What if the poet, albeit the great one, used metaphors and wrote about imaginary things? Heinrich’s father fell into financial problems and the boy had to look for an employment. Beside the work, he was spending his money on further his education. Wanting to verify the statement â€Å"A man who speaks two languages is worth two men†, Henry decides to study foreign languages, starting with the mother tongue – German, polishing pronunciation. Using his own method of learning within only three months he learned English and French – within next months. On March 1844, after being fired from his next job, he approached the richest import and export firm in Amsterdam â€Å"Schroeder and Co" and offers himself as a commercial agent to work with foreign partners. â€Å"Schroder and Co† had the trading business virtually ever ywhere in the world and Heinrich proved to be a real catch for them. Not only he knew languages, he also knew how to trade. He was working for two people and receiving one salary. After a year of hard work he has made a great success – the director of the company made him his personal assistant. At that time the most profitable market for the company was Russia. Technical complexity of its development was that the representatives of Russian trading companies generally did not know any foreign language. It was difficult to negotiate. Schliemann took the initiative to rectify the situation and started to learn the Russian language. Soon he became fluent in it and was stationed to Russia. In 1846 Russia met Schliemann with intolerable cold. The path to his dream journey to Troy lied through the endless snow, which still had to be turned into gold. Spring brought Heinrich Schliemann fabulous profits. He started his own company and over the next few years he creates an entire trad ing empire, which specialized in the purchase of European goods in Amsterdam and selling them in Russia. It seemed the market in Russia is conquered, and Schliemann left to America, where he invested in gold mining. Profiteering gold was successful, but the outbreak of the Crimean War in Russia in 1854 opened new horizons for the company.

Policy Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Policy Report - Research Paper Example The agreement was initiated in the year 1994 comprising of complex principles as well as lengthy documents. Altogether, the principles have been documented in eight sections, 22 chapters and nearly 2000 pages. It generally sets rules for international trade as well as investment between Canada, the United States as well as Mexico (USDA, 2004). The major issues associated with NAFTA can be identified with reference to various occasions. For instance, since the agreement has been signed, a substantial deficit became gradually apparent between the three nations leading towards dislocation of resources. Furthermore, the manufacturing sector also had to witness a decline that endorsed numerous US jobs. Besides, it was observed that most of the US companies re-established their manufacturing units to Mexico at the cost of many US jobs. To mitigate such consequential effects, countries attempted to impose threat related to the re-establishment of businesses to squeeze concessions in wages and thus attain greater benefits (Office of United States Trade Representative, 2012). There are numerous parties who have been involved in resolving the issues at NAFTA including the Mexican economy, multinational companies based on any of the three countries (i.e. Mexico, Canada and United States) and US Federal Government acting as a combined decision maker bloc of Canada and the United States of America. These three parties play a vital role in assisting United States at minimising the trade deficit which was initially observed in the international trade affairs between the allied nations. The other parties involved in this process include the US companies who must have the capability to compete on the world stage, socially conscious as well as responsible organisations that are sponsoring training programs (Office of United States Trade

Supply chain management - Operation management Essay - 1

Supply chain management - Operation management - Essay Example The aggregate planning is often shared with the supply chain partners since it has a great impact on the supply chain. All the stages within the supply chain ought to work hand in hand in order to improve the supply chain performance. This is quite essential because it would help synchronize the flow of operations throughout the supply chain (Boyer & Verma, 2009). The information that would be better shared with the supply chain partners is the vendor managed inventory because vendors are known to undertake the duty of planning on behalf of the trading partners. My main reason for such a decision is to minimize the safety stock as a buffer on the vendor side due to the uncertainty in demand as well as minimize the safety stock on the consumer side due to uncertainty in supply (Liu & Kumar, 2003). The supply chains partners will have to ensure that there is collaboration between the overtime, inventory holding and the subcontractors. In case the aggregated plan is not achieved, a special handling process ought to be adopted so that the process of production is not slowed down, but met as anticipated within the six months. Strategic sourcing is, as well, information that ought to be shared herein. Since the production of tankloads involves a chain of suppliers, sourcing becomes a complex match making procedure. The combined process of efforts from subcontractors, working overtime and the inventory holdings varies in its structure from chronological sharing. The success in information sharing throughout the supply chain, starting from demand forecast to order fulfilment, will see the Bottling Company minimise costs using this production

Personality Traits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personality Traits - Essay Example In addition, it is also true that I tend to perceive life as rosier than it is sometimes, but I do not think this is bad. On the contrary, if one willingly chooses to observe life as a unity of the good and bad, manages to focus on the good and learn from the mistakes that represent the bad, he is on the right path to a full and rich life of personal satisfaction and gratification. Aside from this, my problem solving skills have also been perfected in the sense that, unlike most people who get paralyzed when they are confronted with a difficult situation, I stop and think it through carefully. I do not waste time bothering myself with scenarios that could have been, and â€Å"if only he/she did not do it, now I would not be in this predicament.† I find this type of thinking detrimental to the process of solving the problem in question. A happy mind is a healthy mind and there is nothing that a healthy mind cannot

Ceo Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ceo - Research Paper Example business by up to 2300%, it became an online bookstore before quickly diversifying into other ventures like selling VHS tapes and DVDS, video games, clothing, toys, electronics, software, and music CDs. Due to these efforts visible success, the Time Magazine, in 1999 named Bezzos as the 1999 Person of the Year. The earnings per share for Amazon.com as at December 2014 were at $1.14 while the Return on Equity was at 40.2%. Since 2003, the company has had remarkable growth in sales. The total sales in 2003 were $5,743 and have grown to over $500 million in 2014, which also reflects a continuous increase in the net income. The company has a profit margin ratio of 3.2%, which is derived from dividing sales ($14,952) by net income ($487). The asset turnover ratio is at 2.3 reached at by dividing total assets by sales. Through ratio analysis, it is possible to determine whether the company is making progress or not. From the discussion, it is evident that amazon.com has seen gradual improvements in sales and net income as well as earnings per share. Amzon.com has the highest price-earnings ratio as compared to other major companies of common stock. For instance, Amazon.com has a price-earnings ratio of 58 while companies like Cocacola are at 25, Microsoft at 34, and Time Warner Inc. at 30. Amazon has established itself to be a leading e-commerce enterprise by advancing from a typical bookstore to a virtual Wal-Mart of the web. It has also introduced action services alongside the fixed-price format. Big companies like Toys ’R Us and Target outsource technological services from Amazon, Inc. there has been an impressive growth since its inception with revenues growing from $150 million in 1996 to $3.7 billion in 2000 (Laseter et. Al. p. 32). The company enjoys the economies of scale because it has effectively managed to diversify into other fields thus spreading its fixed costs across the market. The company established its brand as bookseller and through its

Describe the emergence of transitional political islam Essay

Describe the emergence of transitional political islam - Essay Example he emergence of the transitional political Islam, the Arab Spring protested increased the influence of the Islamic parties among several countries that has seen dissipated power. The paper reviews the emergence of transitional political Islam in the Middle East and North Africa during the Arab Spring. The resurgence of Islam is closely associated with the crushing of military defeats of Arabic countries that suffered in the hands of the hands of Israeli forces in 1967. After the fail of the military in Arab resulted into the Islamic revival that grow to challenge nations in the Middle East and North Africa (Barton et al, 2014). According to Howard (2010), the exodus of these began with the formation of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt that found in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna that became very influential in religious and political sector. The Muslim Brotherhood movement gained popularity among the Islam as it addressed issues affecting and threatening Muslim societies such as westernization, secularization and materialism. However, the movement did not last long before it suffered a terrible blow, for instance during the rule of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in Egypt that was followed by onslaught of the Muslim brotherhood movement. The effect was evident across several nations su ch as Tunisia where the Islamist Ennahda party lost election. The Arab Spring protest came as a surprise to Islamic bodies bringing many unanswered issues to light such as religious and political differences. Islamist had a difficult moment addressing the issue among different people because of the delicacy of the matter as it included varied constituencies requiring different things (McCormick, 2012). However, the Islamists from most of the Middle East States who are ruled by autocratic regimes who gains power by denying the Islamists a popular vote that brutally suppresses of both the leaders and followers. In the same spirit, this has escalated autocracy among nations in the Middle

What is your favorite major and why Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is your favorite major and why - Essay Example Every major corporate has several accountants working for them and they are well paid, they do a really important task of making balance sheets and profit and loss statements, these statements are then passed on to shareholders of the company and this is how the whole process works. Following is an example of how some people manipulate balance sheets to earn money. Satyam an Indian company was involved in a huge accounting fraud and it was later realized that the company had prepared several misleading reports because of which several shareholders held on to their shares and they also made a lot of profit because new share holders were very impressed with their reports, this is how important accounting really is. One misleading report and everything can change. To conclude it is very fair to say that accounting is really important and a company must have ethics and declare their results properly. Transparency in business is extremely important, a transparent organization will never dupe its shareholders and it will also attract new shareholders unlike Satyam, to conclude it is very fair to say that accounting is very

Globalization and BTL Essay Example for Free

Globalization and BTL Essay The impact of globalization on BTL has been positive with increased indicators which show major progress in increasing levels and growth. The 1990s witnessed moderate economic growth for Belize which resulted in a record growth of telephone services with an average annual growth rate of ten percent. Also with the increase in teledensity, there have been improvements in network modernization (BTL, 2008). The efficiency of BTL has added to the benefits. The percentage of digital lines is reported to increase by the end of the decade. The number of lines per employee has also increased which points towards an increased growth path that tends to reach efficiency levels which are similar to developed countries. The objectives of the telecommunications reform in Belize have been mixed. The achievements in terms of penetration and access are uneven. There is an internal growth gap in urban areas with higher access as compared with lower telephone penetration levels in the rural areas. This limitation has been caused by the inequalities of the telecommunications infrastructure. Metropolitan areas tend to have most of the infrastructure concentrated while minimum services are offered in rural areas. Growth in the telecommunications sector has been slow in 2007 because of the high costs of installing the network and lack of profitability of the service in rural areas (BTL, 2008). Mobile telephone services together with changes in technology have begun to experience an accelerated process of growth in Belize. The mobile phone market in Belize enjoys less regulatory dependence and the need for survival of the dominant company. The overtaking of fixed telephone services by mobile services was driven by the introduction of pre-paid systems. The average growth in users of mobile telephony was thirty percent in Belize in 2007. BTL has entered into a consolidation process where mobile telephone services are becoming part of the picture. The level of dynamism and growth of the telecommunications sector has been spectacular especially for the mobile telephone services (BTL, 2008). This increases the access to telecommunication services. However the government continues to focus on promoting fixed line connectivity and internet access. BTL’s introduction of mobile phones has assisted in increasing the access to telecommunication services and closing the digital divide. The pre paid option has been attractive for Belizeans because of universal access and convenience for lower economic groups. Research also shows that Belizeans prefer mobile telephone services over traditional telecommunications access. One of the advantages has been that the lower activation cost for the user in the case of mobile services as compared with fixed telephone services. The pre paid option also offers attractive alternatives for people because it allows the user to control costs and avoid signing contracts. The operator also finds it cost effective because it does not have to send monthly account balances. BTL mobile telephone services have lower costs in terms of initial costs and usage costs. The cost of mobile telephone services is half that of fixed telephone services. The number of mobile phone subscribers has increased from nine percent to thirty percent in 2007 (BTL, 2008). BTL has improved its performance since the advent of globalization because of lower transaction costs and reduced uncertainty. This has increased the efficiency of markets and administrative organizations. The company has contributed in assisting agricultural companies in comparing prices in various markets. It allows them to obtain the highest prices for their produce and eliminate dependency on local middlemen. It also enables them to modify their products and respond to market demand (BTL, 2008). BTL has also helped to assist organizations in ordering spare parts and immediate contact with technicians which can reduce time lost due to broken machinery. Business organizations have also reduced their inventories because replacements can be ordered and delivered as needed. Contact between producers and shippers can be arranged on schedules for delivery of products to markets which reduces the risk of spoilage. It also has assisted in significant savings in personnel time and travel costs. BTL has also assisted in maximizing the efficiency of shipping so that trips are not wasted while consumption of fuel is minimized. Industries are also migrating to rural areas which allows for decentralization of economic activities. BTL’s mobile phone services have also increased as rural areas prefer them for their economic development. It allows rural areas to use them heavily and spend their income on mobile phone services (BTL, 2008). The demand for mobile phones is heavy in rural and remote areas because of the perceived contribution towards the rural economy. BTL has become highly popular because of its cheap services. The telecommunications sector in Belize is dominated by BTL which has a monopoly on telecommunication services in the country. The 1990s witnessed an annual growth of lines which averaged fifteen percent (BTL, 2008). Line installation has been focused in urban areas which account for sixty five percent of total lines (BTL, 2008). Despite the expansion in the number of fixed lines, the investment has not been sufficient to cover demand for the service. The cellular market has been one of the fastest growing in 2006 and 2007. Still BTL faces the challenge of meeting the growing demand of basic services and data communications. A fast growing internet market has also not satisfied the expectations of consumers. The liberalization of the market has brought benefits as the country uses resources to meet new demands. The mobile sector has the longest growth rate because of the rise in standards of living. The mobile sector is also attractive because of its reliability, efficiency, and low cost as compared with the fixed telephone services. Globalization has also helped BTL in digitizing the telecommunications system as the proportion has grown from thirty percent in 1998 to fifty percent in 2007 (BTL, 2008). BTL’s fiber optic network links several neighboring countries. The network allows connections to submarine cables and networks operated by other countries. BTL provides cellular services to a large number of subscribers. The cellular service has increased its coverage in the past years with services being moderately good for consumers. Liberalization has enhanced the ability of BTL to purchase and acquire cellular phone technology for consumers. Telecommunications reform has assisted BTL in improving its efficiency and meeting the demands of the changing environment. The government wants to give BTL complete administrative, technical, and financial independence with some functions controlled by the government. It also aims to allow for joint ventures and strategic alliances with other companies. Restrictions on foreign participation are also reputed to be removed by the government. It aims to state the public interest of modernizing and developing telecommunications through the process of liberalization of the market in order to allow market participation. A capital investment program to upgrade the country’s GSM cellular service and deploying wireless technologies in the rural areas was announced in 2007 (BTL, 2008). The company also increased funding for network development by investing an estimated forty three million dollars. It also installed eight hundred and fifty MHz frequency equipment to increase the coverage of cellular phone consumers. An updated prepaid intelligent billing system was launched in 2006 which would facilitate and provide user friendly services (BTL, 2008). This program was also reputed to stimulate demand for mobile phone services of the company. A new wireless network with a frequency of four hundred and fifty MHz has also been proposed which will provide telecommunications services for businessmen, professionals, government officials, security forces, fishermen, and other residents with mobile phone services (BTL, 2008). The company’s fixed line services have not been successful because of globalization. This is because of the unstable economy and low population in large parts of the country. Fixed lines are concentrated in the urban areas where they provide services for certain customer groups. BTL has reported losses in fixed line domestic services which include line access charges and per minute call traffic. BTL has also not increased customer rates from 2001 till 2007. It also implemented several reductions in price for various data communication and satellite services. Internet capacity tariff was reduced by a percentage of ninety percent. Tariff reductions have assisted in increasing the number of consumers. DigiCell prepaid customers were offered discounts of twenty five cents for calls. Other features were also introduced which included further discounts for consumers who call for more than five minutes. SMS to email was a service offered for prepaid customers which allowed them to send messages throughout the world. The number of DigiCell consumers rose from ninety three thousand to one hundred thousand in 2007 (BTL, 2008). The total number of cellular consumers has risen to one hundred and eighteen thousand in 2007 (BTL, 2008). Siemens has been providing technical assistance to BTL for the maintenance of the cellular network. The company has also aimed to create modern cellular equipment along with high speed internet services to consumers. Globalization has assisted the company in increasing its cellular business which now comprises a major portion of its net income. The rapid growth of BTL has allowed it to implement customer friendly billing and care systems. Outdated systems have been gradually phased out. Post paid customer and billing system will be implemented in various stages of 2008 (BTL, 2008). BTL will be able to access information of consumers which will help it to increase its reliability and effectiveness. Other major developments have been the use of information technology systems to enhance the administrative, technical, and financial functions of the organization.

The Information Seeking Behavior of Graduate Students

The Information Seeking Behavior of Graduate Students People seek information in different ways and using different methods to access the information they need. One individual might prefer to get the information from a news agency while another might prefer to access the latest news online or from TV, newspapers, and SMS services. Academics and students have their own unique seeking behavior and their own ways of obtaining information whether it is from a scholarly database, the web, library collections, or from their peers, therefore, it is important for us to know in this thesis how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. Another important factor that this research is looking at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established information behavioral model, and if that model can help us explain more clearly the seeking behavior and the process students go through when searching for and obtaining the information they need. From my experience as a university graduate student in Kuwait University, graduate students face problems related to how to search and seek out related information in the appropriate databases for their work. Because there is an absence of a course and a curriculum in Kuwait University that teaches the basics of information, information types, information searching process, information seeking behavior, and an information seeking guide or strategy design, the graduate students spend most of their time struggling to find a suitable way to seek and obtain the information they need correctly. This information seeking process is done on a trial and error basis by the graduate students during their coursework assignments and projects. It would be more helpful to have this kind of information incorporated in the universitys courses and curriculum especially in the first year of study to help the students improve their information seeking process. Some students also face access problems bec ause they are not given access to the databases from outside the campus by some universities. This thesis will investigate how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. It is also important to know in this research whether the students were satisfied with the material they found during their searching process, and whether the resources found was enough for them in which they got to a point where they stopped searching for any more materials. Another important area of investigation that this research is looking at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established information behavioral model, and if that model can help us explain more clearly the seeking behavior and the process students go through when searching for and obtaining the information they need. It is interesting that there arent many or enough previous research studies that study graduate students research activities and problems students faced during the information seeking process. For this reason, graduate students information seeking behavior will be examined to identify the types of search activities undertaken, and the problems they faced during their coursework and research papers. Although a number of studies have been conducted on information seeking behavior, but the issue of research activities interrelation with topic-related activities, how the results of the search activities were understood by the students, and whether the students feel that they have satisficed their information needs and achieved information fulfillment particularly in the context of Kuwait University graduate students in Kuwait, as one of the developing countries, have not been given much consideration. Also, there is a gap in the information seeking models described in the literature revi ew, whereas the models dont show the integration of students library usage or knowledge about their resources as well as citation analysis. There needs to be an integration of library use and citation analysis in these models to give a better understanding of students information seeking behavior. It is important to understand how students browse the variety of resources because it helps educators in developing and assessing courses designed to instruct their students in library and electronic usage. However, there might be a possibility that students may not be familiar with library resources, or not be aware of which resources a library might have, or how to make use of them. It is therefore of interest to us to try and understand what makes one student go out and explore library resources, while another one might not use the library for printed material but instead uses only electronic or web resources to access the material needed from a remote location such as from the working offices or from home (Waldman, 2003). 2. Related Work Since this thesiss research questions focuses on investigating the information seeking activities that are undertaken by graduate students, when students feel that they have satisficed their information needs, and did the students achieve information fulfillment, it is important to define these terms in relation to this research. There is an increasing recognition that in order to understand information seeking we need to understand the context in which it takes place and which to some extent shapes it (Allen and Kim, 2001; Brezillon and Saker, 1999; Chang and Lee, 2000; Cool, 2001; Kuhlthau and Vakkari, 1999; Solomon, 2002; Sonnenwald, 1999; Talja et al., 1999; Vakkari et al., 1997; Wilson and Allen, 1999 cited in Ford, 2004, p. 183). Information seeking within its broader context is often termed information behaviour, defined by Wilson (1999, p. 249, cited in Ford, 2004, p. 183) as: those activities a person may engage in when identifying his or her own needs for information, searc hing for such information in any way, and using or transferring that information. The notion of information behavior broadens that of information seeking by including consideration of the use of information in satisfying the purposes for which it was required. But taking into account such wider context may also have a narrowing effect, since the contextual elements that broaden the focus of a model may at the same time narrow its generality, in that they may be specific to particular domains of activity (Ford, 2004, p.183). Simon defines satisficing as a decision-making process through which an individual decides when an alternative approach or solution is sufficient to meet the individuals desired goals rather than pursue the perfect approach (Simon, 1971, p. 71 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). When individuals satisfice, they compare the benefits of obtaining more information against the additional cost and effort of continuing to search (Schmid, 2004 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). In fact, in many organizations, problems are considered resolved when a good enough solution has been found, that is the manager satisfices as she looks for a course of action that is satisfactory (Choo, 1998, p. 49 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). Theoretically, decision makers consider all potential alternatives until the optimal solution emerges (Stroh et al., 2002 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). However, such an exhaustive analysis would require additional time and expenditure which information se ekers must weigh against the likelihood that they will find additional information of sufficient value to offset the cost of continued searching. The consequences of putting time and effort into finding optimal solutions can be costly; therefore, decision makers must be willing to forgo the best solution in favor of one that is acceptable (Stroh et al., 2002, p. 94 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). In so doing, information seekers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦satisficeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and choose the one [solution] that produces an outcome that is good enough' (Stroh et al., 2002, p. 94 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78) The foregoing examples suggest that users may satisfice their need for information based on what they are able to find and thus stop looking for more information. Users may also stop looking for information prematurely if the information systems are difficult or unusable. The very abundance of information makes it crucial for information seekers to decide what information is enough to meet their objectives. (Prabha et al. 2007, p. 78). Information Fulfillment can be defined as the achievement of all information needs. The provenance of the term can be traced back to the 1870s when it was used to describe the fulfillment of a commercial order. The aim of an information system is to ensure that the end user is able to function effectively within the organization and able to access all the necessary information in order to complete a task. There have been a variety of information models proposed which aim to plot the sequences of events from the initial information seeking to information finding (Burke, 2006, p.446). Seeking information is still a fundamental activity which involves searching, collecting, organizing, storing, retrieving, and using information (Abouserie, 2007). Abouserie (2007) stated that it has become easy to save time and make less effort in retrieving information on a subject or to get a information source by its title, author, subject, and date of publication through the use of information based research tools. He also explained that the tasks of making several information seeking strategies and retrieving information have been improved by the emergence of new generations of hardware and software (Machionini, 1995 cited in Abouserie, 2007, p.3). Adequate knowledge about the information needs of users is imperative for libraries in re-orienting their collections, services and activities to synchronize them with the information seeking behavior of users. New technologies have affected the information seeking process. These technologies have affected some functions and processe s in universities, schools, libraries, and information centers (Abouserie, 2007). Abouserie (2007) also described that storing, organizing, retrieving, and providing access to information are the main processes that have been positively affected. Many library materials are available in online databases. In addition, it becomes possible for many users to use each database at the same time without affecting the quality of the service or the response rate. He also stated that information seeking is a broad term that includes the ways individuals formulate their information needs, seek, evaluate, select and use the needed information. Many factors contribute to the selection and use of different information sources such as: cost, past success, accuracy, reliability, comprehensiveness, usefulness, currency, response time, accessibility, technical quality, and the format. Investigations into the information needs and information seeking patterns of individuals would help improve the current information systems and resources for providing to the continuous changing needs of their users (Abouserie, 2007). In this thesis information seeking behavior is described as an individuals way and manner of gathering and sourcing for information for personal use, knowledge updating and development (Kakai et al, 2004 cited in Ajiboye, 2007, p.546). Waldman (2003) stated that information seeking behavior is the way people search for and utilize information. It is important to understand what factors are relevant in motivating a person to seek out information. A particular focus of inquiry has been on those factors that play a role in deciding to use the library and its resources as a place to seek information, either physically or virtually, as opposed to just surfing the Internet. He also stated that it would appear that more people are using the Internet to find information they need, and information that is unmediated by the library. He stated that informed library users are aware that libraries have resources that are more comprehensive and scholarly in nature than most Web resources available on the Internet. Also, libraries may provide access to scholarly literature that is not freely available on the Web, or may not be online at all. Equally important, users become aware of libraries resources, usually while having to write research papers in their undergraduate or graduate studies. Waldman (2003) also said that it is critical to understand what makes students use the librarys resources whether (print and/or electronic) while others will not think of the library as a place to find scholarly resources for their papers. One difficulty to the use of a librarys resources, and in particular its electronic resources, is that they are not seen as being direct. In contrast to an Internet search engine, where a single keyword search will usually result in thousands of hits, no matter what the topic is, on the other hand, in the library, students have to choose a particular database and be more selective in the search words they use according to Waldman (2003). 3. Objective of the research and the proposed methodology The aim of this thesis is to know how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. It also aims at knowing whether the students were satisfied with the material they found during their searching process, and whether the resources found was enough for them in which they got to a point where they stopped searching for any more materials. Another important factor that this research aims at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established information behavioral model, and if that model can help us explain more clearly the seeking behavior and the process students go through when searching for and obtaining the information they need. The following objectives will be used in the study to structure the inquiry and to guide the development of the research procedures and methodologies: To identify and synthesize the literature relevant to information seeking behavior. To determine the place of this research within the published literature. To select and develop a method of data collection. To examine and analyze how students obtain the information they need. To gather and represent data on the information seeking activities and strategies of students. To investigate the extent to which model of the information seeking models could explain the information behavior of graduate students. To test the applicability of a generic (Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981) and a non-linear information model (Fosters 2005 information behavior model) to the information behavior of graduate students. To examine what difficulties students face and what types of behavior they experience during their information seeking process when finding or not finding the appropriate information. For this reason, an exploratory qualitative research approach with semi-structured, in-depth interviews was chosen as the methodology, because this research focuses on studying the information seeking behavior of graduate students, and the most suitable method to study the behavior of students as well as their information needs and process of acquiring information is through the qualitative method. According to Ambert et. al. (1995) qualitative research seeks depth rather than breadth, and instead of drawing from a large sample of an entire population, qualitative researchers seek to acquire in-depth information about a smaller group of persons. The aim of qualitative research is to clear about how and why people behave, think, and make meaning as they do, rather than focusing on what people do or believe on a large scale. In addition, qualitative research frequently results in discovery of new information, and new practices or behaviors rather than verification. It may also involve complete redirection, or modification of, or additions to, existing ideas or models. Qualitative methods are a set of data collection and analysis techniques that can be used to provide description, build theory, and to test theory Van Maanen (1979 cited in Shah and Corley, 2006, p.1824). The reason why quantitative method is not being used in this research is because this thesiss aims and objectives are not to develop and employ mathematical models and hypotheses concerning phenomena using calculations and statistical procedures. Qualitative research is a better method to be used for this thesis because it provides a deeper understanding of the issues and insight into the process we are studying. Researchers in this field such as George, C. et al. (2006) study explored graduate students information behavior related to their process of inquiry and scholarly activities. Qualitative method was used through in depth, semi-structured interviews that were conducted with one hundred graduate students representing all disciplines and departments from Carnegie Mellon Univers ity. Other researchers like Foster (2005) offers a new, nonlinear model of information seeking behavior, which contrasts with earlier stage models of information behavior and represents a potential cornerstone for a shift towards a new perspective for understanding user information behavior. The model is based on the findings of a study on interdisciplinary information-seeking behavior. The study followed a qualitative approach using interviews of 45 academics. The interview results were inductively analyzed and an alternative framework for understanding information seeking behavior was developed. The research approach that will be applied in this thesis will be the use of Grounded Theory (GT). This thesis and its research questions try to find an answer or an explanation to the phenomenon which is the graduate students information seeking behavior. This research has no previous theory or a hypothesis to test, but it seeks to generate a new idea, information, added value, or a theor y to previous research done in the subject of information seeking behavior of graduate students. Therefore, the most suitable qualitative data analysis method chosen for this thesis is Grounded Theory (GT). Grounded Theory is a general, inductive, and interpretive research approach which was originated in 1967 by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). Glaser defines grounded theory as an approach that is based on the systematic generation of theory from the data collected and analyzed that is obtained from social research. Theory is generated during the actual research, and this is achieved through continuous interplay between analysis and data collection. Researchers who use GT as their research method do not test or verify any preconceived hypothesis. In contrast, researchers in this approach develop new theory based on the collected data. Instead of having hypotheses to test, researchers in GT studies have research questions to address. In grounded theory, a researcher should keep his/her mind open to any possible evidence that might exist in the dataset. In Glasers words (1992, p. 8) GT is inductively generating theory through qualitative analysis of qualitative and/or quantitative data. To define the meaning of qualitative analysis, Glaser (1992, p. 1) states that qualitative analysis entails any kind of analysis that generates findings or concepts, as in grounded theory, that are not arrived at by statistical methods. Although GT is a well-established methodology, it is an approach to research rather than a detailed research method. The general goal of GT research is to develop theories in order to understand the phenomenon under study. GT has been developed and also used within the field of social science, and has been successfully employed by people in a variety of different disciplines including information science. In addition, Pace (2004) states that the main and essential stages in the process of GT development involves first coding the data collected, memo writing, sorting the data, and then writing the theory. This study is also significant because the uses of information resources especially electronic resources are used by students in universities and academic libraries. Since the access and use of electronic resources is faster and less time consuming, it makes it more appealing for students than that of obtaining printed resources. This research will be applied in Kuwait University in the College of Graduate Studies by choosing a sample of graduate students to study, because students in Kuwait face problems related to how to search and seek out related information in the appropriate databases for their research papers. Graduate students in Kuwait University need a strategy to guide them in their information seeking process. New information, added value, and a theory integrated with the information seeking models will be proposed in this research paper. 4. Results of data collected The sample was drawn from the population of graduate students enrolled at the College of Graduate Studies at Kuwait University. The 24 students that were interviewed and observed in the library and computer labs were from the Information Systems, Social Sciences, and Library Departments. The data that was collected from the students transcribed interviews were coded into meaningful categories using qualitative data analysis and represented in the figure below and will be described in 8 key points that will hopefully help in answering the research questions of this thesis and address the gap or problem in this research. From the data collected it is clear that the students information seeking behavior and activities were only caused by their course-related homework and that they mainly used online resources to find information they needed for their coursework in a hope to reach information fulfillment. Also from the data collected during the interviews, the students expressed that the y dont seek information or make any research activities outside their university coursework or for personal use. Plus, so far from the data collected, the students seem to follow Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981 and Fosters 2005 information behavior model that were explained in the literature review and they are applicable in their situations. The findings were summarized in the following key points, topics, or themes: types of research activities, activities interrelation with topic, library usage and role in obtaining information needs, Internet usage and role in obtaining information needs, result of search activities understood by students, support from instructors and fellow students in getting information, achieving satisfaction with information needs, and achieving information fulfillment. 4.1 Data Analysis The main approach to the data analysis involved a detailed analysis of the interview transcripts collected from the graduate students at Kuwait University. First of all, notes from each interview, made both during the interview and immediately after it, were reviewed and then highlights as well as new concepts were identified. Secondly, the transcript from each interview was reviewed and coded. Thirdly, each new interview was compared to the previous ones for confirming or disconfirming evidence. Open coding using Key Point Coding was used for coding the responses from the interviews to give P1, P2, and so on where P indicates key point (Allan, 2003). The codes are then analyzed and those that relate to a common theme are grouped together. Concepts are then grouped and regrouped to find categories. Then these concepts and categories lead to the emergence of a theory. If the data has been analyzed without a preconceived theory or hypothesis, that theory is truly grounded in the data b ecause it came from nowhere else. Preliminary patterns describing the factors that influence information-seeking behavior were developed based on concepts identified during the literature review (Mansourian, 2006). Key Points Responses from sample P1: Types of research activities Only university courses related activities from (I1 to I27). I3, I26 also researched for personal work. P2: Activities interrelation with topic Activities are interrelated with topics from (I1 to I27) P3: Library usage and role in obtaining information needs I3, I4, I6, I9, I11,I13, I16, I22, I25 P4: Internet usage and role in obtaining information needs I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I8, I9, I10, I11, I12, I13, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I21, I22, I23,I24, I25, I26, I27 P5: Result of search activities understood by students I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I9, I11, I12, I13, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I24, I25, I26, I27 P6: Support from instructors and fellow students in getting information I1, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I8, I9, I10, I11, I12, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I21, I22, I23, I24, I25, I26, I27 P7: Opinions on achieving satisfaction with information needs I1, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I8, I10, I11, I12,I13, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I21, I22, I23, I24, I25, I26, I27 P8: Achieving information fulfillment I18, I24, I25 Key Points are presented using the code (p) as in key point no.1 (P1), key point no.2 (P2). Responses from the sample that was interviewed are presented as (I1, I2). The code (I) refers to Individual 1, Individual 2. This thesis examines what types of research activities are undertaken by graduate students, and how these activities were interrelated with topic-related activities. This thesis identifies how the results of the search activities were understood by the students, when students feel that they have satisficed their information needs, and did the students achieve information fulfillment. Also, this thesis sets out to investigate the extent to which model of the information seeking models could explain the information behavior of graduate students, and to test the applicability of a generic (Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981) and a non-linear information model (Fosters 2005 information behavior model) to the information behavior of graduate students. From the data collected during the interviews and observation, it is clear that the students search activities were interrelated with topic-related activities. Their information seeking behavior and activities were only caused by their course-related homework and that they mainly used online resources to find information they needed for their coursework in a hope to reach information fulfillment. Also from the data collected during the interviews, the students expressed that they dont seek information or make any research activities outside their university coursework or for personal use. Plus, so far from the data collected, the students seem to follow Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981 and Fosters 2005 information behavior model that were explained in the literature review and they are applicable in their situations. The findings were summarized in 8 key points, topics, or themes. The students all expressed that they always feel that they havent satisficed their information needs and dont achieve information fulfillment. They also face problems during their information seeking behavior and demanded that Kuwait University find a solution to these obstacles to improve their i nformation seeking experience. One student recommended that, Kuwait University must provide us with training courses and workshops for all types of searching that is organized with the library and should be incorporated within our courses. Also, skilled librarians should be hired who are aware of other fields and majors so that they can help us with our searching process and save us time when finding materials. Plus, the university should subscribe to more databases as well as English and Arabic journals in addition to the ones that are already available. Moreover, there should be one web page or portal to unite the access to all database web sites by entering just one username and password, because there is the burden and difficulty of entering a username and a password for each database web site. There is no portal that unites all of the universities databases where only one username and password is entered at the beginning and then you can browse all the databases. Another studen t suggested that, My information seeking process and obtaining experience could be improved by being able to download all articles from the universitys databases, because right now I face a problem in downloading some articles. Also, the university needs to subscribe to more databases so that I have a variety of resources to search for my topics. The databases that the university is currently subscribed to should work. Finally, there needs to be more organization in the university library in terms of keeping articles or books so that we can easily find them and not take so much time in searching for resources that could be lost without us knowing. Furthermore, a student said that it would be lovely to see the university, Provide me with full access to databases off the university campus. Additionally, meetings should be organized with librarians and students to help them on the ways of searching for materials, and on how to get the printed and electronic resources available physical ly at the library or on the universitys online web site. Equally important, all students suggested that the university should provide them with up-to-date software programs and good hardware devices with no technical problems or defaults. 4.2 Graduate Students Information Seeking Behavior Model at Kuwait University The following proposed model describes and shows the steps and process of what graduate students actually go through and what they do in their information seeking behavior. The boxes in the model show processes, inputs, outputs, steps, and people, and the arrows represents a mixture of information and decision making trajectories and the relationships and inter-relationships between them. First, the graduate student is given the option of choosing his or her topic to do a research on, or a topic is assigned to them by the instructor during the coursework. The topic is interrelated with the research activities or the information seeking behavior. Then, the students seek for information either from the library or from the Internet. The graduate students use mostly electronic resources from the web via Google Scholar, The Invisible Web, and from the databases that the university is subscribed to. When the students are experiencing their information seeking behavior, they sometimes get h elp, support, and advice from their instructors and fellow students or friends. Afterwards, the student gets the results of his or her search activities and the information seeking behavior might result in satisfaction and happiness to the student or non-satisfaction which then leads to lack of satisficing and information fulfillment. Finally, the satisfaction of the information should lead to information fulfillment for the student. 5. Conclusion Academics and students have their own unique seeking behavior and their own ways of obtaining information whether it is from a scholarly database, the web, library collections, or from their peers, therefore, it is important for us to know in this thesis how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. Another important factor that this research is looking at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established informatio

Dietrich Bonhoeffer :: Essays Papers

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on February 4th 1906, as a son of a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Berlin. Throughout his early life he was an outstanding student, and when he finally reached the age of 25 he became a lecturer in systematic theology at the University Berlin. Something that is very striking is that when Hitler came to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer became a leading spokesman for the Confessing Church, the center of Protestant resistance to the Nazis. He organized and for a shot amount of time he led the underground seminary of the Confessing Church. His book Life Together describes the life of the Christian community in that seminary, and his book The Cost Of Discipleship attacks what he calls "cheap grace," meaning that grace used as an excuse for moral laxity. Bonhoeffer had been taught not to "resist the powers that be," but he came to a conclusion to believe that to do so was sometimes the right choice. In 1939 his brother-in-law introduced him to a group planning the overthrow of Hitler, and he made significant contributions to their work. (Bonhoeffer at this time was an employee of the Military Intelligence Department.) He was later arrested in April of 1943 and imprisoned in Berlin. After the failure of the attempt on Hitler's life in April of 1944, he was first sent to Buchenwald and then to Schoenberg Prison. Bonhoeffer was almost killed, but was lucky as his life was spared, because he had a relative who stood high in the government; but then this relative was himself implicated in anti-Nazi plots. On Sunday 8 Dietrich Bonhoeffer :: Essays Papers Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on February 4th 1906, as a son of a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Berlin. Throughout his early life he was an outstanding student, and when he finally reached the age of 25 he became a lecturer in systematic theology at the University Berlin. Something that is very striking is that when Hitler came to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer became a leading spokesman for the Confessing Church, the center of Protestant resistance to the Nazis. He organized and for a shot amount of time he led the underground seminary of the Confessing Church. His book Life Together describes the life of the Christian community in that seminary, and his book The Cost Of Discipleship attacks what he calls "cheap grace," meaning that grace used as an excuse for moral laxity. Bonhoeffer had been taught not to "resist the powers that be," but he came to a conclusion to believe that to do so was sometimes the right choice. In 1939 his brother-in-law introduced him to a group planning the overthrow of Hitler, and he made significant contributions to their work. (Bonhoeffer at this time was an employee of the Military Intelligence Department.) He was later arrested in April of 1943 and imprisoned in Berlin. After the failure of the attempt on Hitler's life in April of 1944, he was first sent to Buchenwald and then to Schoenberg Prison. Bonhoeffer was almost killed, but was lucky as his life was spared, because he had a relative who stood high in the government; but then this relative was himself implicated in anti-Nazi plots. On Sunday 8

Essay --

About 13 years ago , America wasn't involved in any wars with any nation. Our nation deported not as many immigrants as we do today, and citizens used to get through airport security in five minutes. As we can see a lot can change in little over a decade. Many dramatic changes needed to be changed after September 11th. The 9/11 attack stands alone as a unforgettable moment in United States history, that showed the most influential effects on the America and its citizens. 19 groups of combat that were known to be associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States on September 11, 2001 ( "9/11 Attacks."). Two different planes flew into the towers of the New York City, World Trade Center. Meanwhile there was a third plane third plane hit the Pentagon that was outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane took a wrong turn and crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Death and destruction came out of the 9/11 attacks. More than 3,000 people were killed during and afterward the attacks in not only New York City but also Washington, D.C., this count did not include the 400 police officers and firefighters who also died.( "9/11 Attacks."). The human tragedy of 9/11 is unbearable and immeasurable. Yet there is another cost, the kind we are known to measuring, which is the economic cost. 9/11 Affected the United states economically. First it started off with the 2001 recession. In 2001, four days after the attack the economy started to drop for the first time since the Great Depression. Between the insurance cost, cost of rebuilding the World Trade Center into a Memorial and Museum, the United States spent a lot of money. New York City, had 430,00... ... higher chance of developing cancer compared to those in the group that was not exposed to the dust. 135 people had cancer in a non-exposed group. This was being compared to 161 smaller sized group (9 /11 Ten Years On - The Health Effects On Rescue Worker). Not all effects of 9/11 were good, but some of them changes the United states for the better. 9/11 was one of the worse days in american history that affected americans economic, security, health, and physiologically. Fortunately, the person who planned this horrible attack was found in 2011 and killed. This was a sense of relief for american people. Yes, people are still scared about future attacks but know that this time the united states know what to do. The 9/11 attack stands alone as a unforgettable moment in United States history, that showed the most influential effects on the America and its citizens.

American Schools Need Essentialism Essay -- Education Teaching Essays

American Schools Need Essentialism There are five main philosophies that describe education: Essentialism (the back-to-basics approach which strives to teach students the essentials), Progressivism (which stresses individuality), Perennialism (which is the teaching of philosophies that have been around for hundreds of years), Existentialism (which give the students the choice of when to study and when not to), and Behaviorism (which lets teachers use reinforcement to achieve the desired behaviors which need to be used in the class room). Essentialism was the main philosophy used in earlier classrooms, and should be adopted back into the classrooms of today. If essentialism is going to be brought back into the classroom many changes are needed. The students’ curricula of today’s schools have too many classes that stray students away from the basic subjects. Another point of today’s schools is that there is too much acceptance for absences, tardiness, and misbehavior. Students feel like the school is their personal playground and there is nothing the teachers can do about it...

Memory Keepers Daughter Literary Analysis Essay

Kim Edwards shows through the whole book that we are only human, the themes that life is beyond our control and through the connection between suffering and joy. Edwards uses plot to set up a sort of life schedule. It goes in order into the future but occasionally skips years ahead. She also cleverly sets the book up so that each year, or â€Å"chapter† has both sides of the story, that of Caroline who is raising Phoebe and then the life of Norah and David raising their son Paul. As the book starts off it is that of a happy tone with Norah giving birth and then leading to a depressing and melancholy tone as Dr. Henry lies to his wife telling her that their daughter has died, to save her from the pain of their daughter having down syndrome. Norah gains more and more depression as the years go on, always wondering â€Å"what if†. With all the depression going on in the story line of Norah there is a gain of strength in Caroline’s story line as she raises Phoebe. This shows the theme of suffering and joy. The idea that even though the character is suffering they are the one with the most joy. Norah Henry has it all: the doctor husband, money and a healthy son but still wants what she never had; her daughter. Caroline has struggled with at first the decision to keep Phoebe and raise her as her own, then struggling with actually raising this baby girl with down syndrome alone and with no one, but she is joyful in the book never having the depression that plagues Norah and her marriage with David Henry. When Caroline finally sees David 18 years later, she says: â€Å"You missed a lot of heartache, sure. But David, you missed a lot of joy†. In the theme that life is beyond our control the author Kim Edwards has the book move through the years rapidly and at a fast pace in order to demonstrate how life flys by. Throughout the book Edwards uses photography as a metaphor showing the character David’s growing obsession with taking photographs as a desperate attempt to make time stand still: â€Å"Photo after photo, as if he could stop time or make an image powerful nough to obscure the moment when he turned and handed his daughter to Caroline Gill†. Life may also feel as it is out of their control with there being a constant aura of uncertainty or â€Å"what if† quality. That being said, the characters in the end will always wonder what life would have been like if David had never given his daughter away, but find it exhausting to wonder once they are brought together in the end after the death of David. As Paul reflects at the end of the novel: â€Å"His mother was right; he could never know what might have happened. All he had were the facts†. Life was also seeming to be out of anyone’s control with the struggle of the melancholy tone through the novel with Norah becoming more and more depressed becoming that of a drinker in Paul’s young life and then being so unhappy with her marriage with David for him being so distant that she has an affair with a man while she is on a trip to Aruba with her job. Even with the tone the author seems to have it progress in a rapid fashion just as the years fly by in the story line. Life is inevitable, people make mistakes, and the mistakes people make have great impact and effect not only them, but the people around them; just as David Henry’s mistake haunted his life and tormented that of his wife’s. In day to day life there are always the people that make mistakes with good intentions. The authors point wasn’t to completely make David the antagonist in the story but yet he was that one person who’s mistake was made with half hearted good intentions, he wanted to spare his doting wife the pain of having to raise one child with down syndrome, he didn’t want her to think that it was her fault in anyway. David just wanted the problem to go away not fully realizing that the problem wasn’t his daughter it was him having to deal with his own past. David Henry’s sister died at the young age of twelve and she had down syndrome as well, it is really sad that this character couldn’t deal with his own past so much that he ruined his present and his future. He knew the pain that his sister having down syndrome had left on him and her death that not only was he trying to spare his wife the pain of having a daughter with down syndrome but yet the author was trying to convey to the reader that he also did it to protect his son from it as well. Norah becomes the character you feel bad for not a protagonist but yet just that good character who’s life unfolding before her is the result of decisions from those around her. She is constantly depressed from thinking she lost her daughter, then she is also gaining more and more eternal sadness with her husband not letting her gain any sort of closure with this or even to simply tell her the truth of his actions and what he had done. The relationship between Norah and David grows further and further apart with him setting himself more distant from her as time goes on due to his guilty conscious eating away at him. Then on a happy note you have Caroline, she turned her whole life around for the life choices of David and that of herself. She raises Phoebe alone at first always fighting for more advanced learning abilities for down syndrome, she gains a man in her life named Al who helped her in the very beginning get to shelter when she had decided to keep the baby but then her car wont start in the middle of a blizzard, he becomes her knight in shining armor. Al becomes a big character having sought out Caroline after years and years of that first encounter with her and stays in her life loving and caring for both her and Phoebe, he becomes the father figure Phoebe never got to have. Kim Edwards set up all the right kind of characters for this plot and in every right way to develop the novel. In the end the themes of life being out of our control and the connection between suffering and joy are evident throughout the story. Kim Edwards used immense characterization that helped to develop those following themes with having the right selection of types of characters. The plot definitely has to do with developing the story, for it ties in with the life is out of our control theme having time go by so rapidly demonstrating that life is always constant and never stopping or standing still like a photograph for anyone or anything. Photos represent memories in life, David became enthralled with taking photographs in an effort to make time stop, maybe capture the memory he had when he made the decision to give his daughter away. The metaphor of David and his taking pictures ties into the Title â€Å"the memory keeper’s daughter† for he was the memory keeper, the keeper of the biggest life secret and lie. Kim Edwards made everything tie together with literary elements of metaphor, characterization, and Plot.

MBA for engineers

The time duration and requirements for the degree vary around the world but the main requirements include a few years work experience. It varies from 2 year programs to a 3 year program depending on the time one can give to it. Generally people opt for the degree after non technical degrees in order to enhance their job perspectives and get promotions at their current jobs. The MBA trend at one point fully saturated the job market with such graduates. This caused a shift/ decline in the MBA trend which was picked up a few years back with engineers opting for MBA instead of their regular Master programs.Opportunity cost of a MBA degree: The total cost of an MBA, inclusive of tuition as well as two years of Oregon salary, has risen to ‘four times the post-degree starting salary in the past 10 years† according to Fortune magazine. And in the case of Stanford Graduate Business School, for example, Pedestrians calculates the total cost to be â€Å"a whopping $351 ,662. † Full-time Mambas, however, at least have the luxury of being able to focus on their studies exclusively and have unrestricted access to all the program's resources (including career services).Part-time MBA programs are more affordable financially, but their principal cost is even more finite – time. For these students juggling work and school eaves very little time for having a social or personal life. The degree also takes longer to complete; typically three years in the United States. In addition, some MBA programs restrict on-campus recruiting to those with full-time status, and part-time students may not have access to all the programs or classes afforded their full-time counterparts. Executive MBA students, like their full-time counterparts, are able to complete their degree In two years.Admission, however, is usually restricted to applicants with more than ten years experience (Topmast. Coma's survey determines the average age of students to be 37). The MBA is also th e most expensive degree to obtain on the basis of tuition alone; for example, in 2012 the tuition to attend Wharton is $1 71 , 360. For most people, this is cost-prohibitive if their employer is not sponsoring the education. And, like part-time MBA students above, MBA students still have to wrestle with the time management problems of attending school while working full-time.Is MBA worth it for Engineers: When people have gone as far as they could with their present education, they have two options. Either they get an advanced degree or a similar degree as the previous one. This may be the answer to the people who want to untie working the same type of work and would like to continue in the same aspect of their career. But on the other hand, they have a second option and that is to get an MBA degree which will allow them to move up the career ladder. A lot of engineers wonder if they should seek an advanced engineering degree or an MBA degree.The answer to the question lies with the future goals of the individual. If they plan on Opening their own business one day, an MBA degree would be a valuable asset to them. Since looking at technical aspect of their degree is important for the business as well but the business requires more than that. It teaches how to look at technical skills from a business point of view and market the skills to prospective clients. Since one of the skills taught in an MBA is financial skill, it helps the technical background graduates manage their business with a keen sense of the market.Engineers excel at being able to stay focused and solve problems with a limited set of resources in a logical and practicable manner. When coupled with the ability to â€Å"talk the language of business† this combination is invaluable to an employer. On the value of the MBA education, Didgeridoo explained that there is a need for people who speak both the technical engage as well and the C- level language. Since engineers are given a problem st ate, a set of limited resources and are told to find a way out from the very beginning, they are able to work more effectively in MBA.He also said that his engineering background gave him a huge advantage in non technical fields while he was in his MBA program. Putting himself among people with non technical background, he realized that he had an overall advantage by allowing him to think like an engineer, having the language of an MBA. In a Wall street journal article, written by a Havana strategy roofless Julie Wolf, it was mentioned that with there maybe implications for middle managers looking to advance their careers but are being held back by the lack of managerial skills/ experience.Also in it, it was mentioned that corporate succession plans might favor functional experts who have managerial capabilities and at least general managers who are willing to work with the highly technical/ specialized counter parts. A candidate with both the technical expertise to understand the n uts and bolts of the product development cycle as well as the ability to see the wider marketing or striation picture is highly desirable. If you are looking to move â€Å"out of the lab coat† and into the corner office, obtaining an MBA may be just the ticket.If one is a candidate with the technical expertise to understand the mechanics of product development as well as see beyond the current market picture is available, then that candidate will be high desirable. Also if someone is looking to change their careers or move out of the laboratories, MBA might just be the ticket for it all. Since engineers overall act as managers at times, one can easily think about shifting the career focus if they think they have cached their maximum promotion level with the engineering degree.Some times it is not all about doing your own job but about getting others jobs done. This is one of the basic managerial skills which is learned outside an MBA degree. Having an MBA degree just provides valuable skills and a chance to shift the career away from the technical field towards managerial roles or acting as a bridge between the technical and non technical people. This characteristic is one of the most desired in the market currently since the HRS department requires technical assistance from time to time. Having both the kills can enable anyone to bridge the gap and earn more than before.For engineers, there is hardly anything challenging in the MBA program as they have already come from a curricula which involved a lot more technical study and advanced mathematics than a regular MBA program. Contradictions to the choice: People when asked about the requirement for promotion to management positions often reply that experience is the single most important factor. But according to Jay Rogers of Rangelands Engineering says that placement requests for an MBA graduate are as low as 0. 6% as compared to Engineering Masters degree and BBS in Engineering which comes close to 1. % and 97. 7% respectively. Also according to the same dataset applied above, the average salary of an MBA is less than that of an Engineer. So we can say that MBA can open some doors but engineering have fewer doors and choices which is why the salaries are high A lot of companies also believe that MBA is an expensive hire. Software and computer engineering is one area that is dominated with the startup culture with the idea that MBA is a hindrance instead of a help. A lot of companies also hold bias against the Mambas and how they try to run organizations.Similarly, top companies who have understood the importance of an MBA tend to hire people from the top schools. So if someone wants to shift careers, they will have to choose the top MBA programs since top companies have an image to take care of. On the other hand, people who just want to enhance their job skills or shift their positions in the same organization they are working in, any MBA degree is acceptable. It all depends on how one visualizes their future and what do they expect from the degree since all that is taught in an MBA program is something that you an learn by studying a few good books on the subject.MBA culture in Pakistan: MBA picked up the trend relatively late as compared to the rest of the world. By the time the trend of engineers opting for an MBA was picked up in Pakistan, the market was already saturated with the traditional Mambas. The engineers, who picked up the trend wanted job enhancement and promotions in their respective jobs. The study further details about what prompted the trend to emerge in Pakistan. According to the research we did, we came across two major reasons why people were opting for an MBA.

Multiculturalism in Children’s Writing in the US in the 1980s

Introduction This essay will firstly give an overview of the history of multicultural children’s literature. Secondly, it will map out key theories and debates surrounding multicultural children’s literature in the United States. Thirdly the essay will analyse two books set within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that were published in the United States in the late 1980s – The Flag Balloon and Israel Is. The essay will analyse if and how multiculturalism is presented in the text and the images and identify how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is informed in the books. Each analysis will also assess whether the multiculturalism in the text and the images seems imposed or natural. The analysis of each book will also briefly assess whether the multiculturalism is natural or imposed in the society at the time each book was published. THE HISTORY OF MULTICUTURALISM IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE According to Gopalakrishnan (2010), there is limited evidence and much debate as to when multicultural children’s literature began. For example, certain theorists argue that multicultural literature predates the 20th century (Norton and Norton 2003; Sims Bishop 2007). Regardless of when multicultural children’s writing was created, most theorists agree that before 1965, the number of multicultural children’s books was limited (Gopalakrishnan 2010). The year 1965 is described as the turning point for multicultural literature when a widely published article entitled ‘The All White World of Children’s Books’ (Larrick 1965) sparked a flurry of activity in the years following it. In the article, Larrick (1965) describes a survey she conducted, where she found that of 5206 books published in 1962, 1963 and 1964, only 349 or 6.7% included African American characters in their text or illustrations. After this article was published, two significant groups formed: the Council on Interracial Books for Children (in 1965/1966) and the Coretta Scott King Award, established for authors and illustrators of African American and Black descent in 1972 (Gopalakrishnan 2010). After the formation of these groups, another study similar to that of Larrick (1965) was conducted in 1979 by Jeanne Chall and her colleagues. In this survey Chall found that there was over an 100% increase in the number of children’s books that featured an African American character (14.4% of all children’s multicultural literature in the United States) (Cohen and Cowen 2008). According to Cohen and Cowan (2008) in the late 1980s and early 1990s multicultural children’s publishing experienced a spurt. Almost all major publishers increased their multicultural book lists and the number of smaller publishers specialising in multicultural books increased. This increase was due to sensitivity and growing awareness on the publisher’s part and also the need to purchase these books as the school demographics and requirements changed. Since multicultural children’s books now form a more significant part of the literary landscape, the subject has attracted a number of theorists and scholars who have developed their own theories surrounding children’s multicultural literature Banks and Banks (2001). Although theorists of multicultural children’s literature attempt to theorise and analyse a myriad of topics surrounding the subject of multicultural children’s literature, one of the main theoretical debates surrounds the question, what defines multicultural children’s literature? There are three theoretical approaches surrounding the definition of multicultural literature. The first approach is the all inclusive approach. Advocates of this approach argue that all literature should be defined as multicultural since, in their opinion, every human being is multicultural and each individual may describe their identity in a variety of ways (Shannon 1994; Schwartz 1995; Fisherman 1995). The second approach is the multiple + culture approach. This approaches argues that multicultural children’s writing is defined as books that are simply about more than one culture in a society regardless of who is the dominant group and who is the dominated (Cai 1998). Bloor’s (2010) definition of multiculturalism expands one step further from the multiple + cultures definition and describes a multicultural society as not one where multiple cultures merely exist, but one where diversity is promoted and the mosaic of cultures is celebrated and encouraged. The third approach is the exclusive approach. This approach is one where the theorists believe that children’s multicultural literature should only be defined as literature that is about populations that have experienced marginalisation and oppression. Some proponents of this approach state that multicultural children’s literature should only be defined as literature by and/or about people of colour since this form of literature gives people of colour the opportunity to have a voice. (Lindgren 1991; Harris as cited in Cai, 2002). In addition to the different approaches to defining multicultural children’s literature, Sims Bishop has provided us with a theoretical classification of multicultural books. Sims Bishop (1982, 2007) divides multicultural children’s literature into three sub groups: melting pot literature, socially conscious literature and culturally conscious literature. Melting pot books are characterised by those where aside from skin colour or a cultural definition, the story could apply to any character in the United States (Gopalakrishnan 2010). The second sub group of children’s multicultural literature is categorised as socially conscious books. According to Sims Bishop (2007), socially conscious books introduce one cultural group and its unique experiences to the mainstream to make â€Å"socially conscious† or to educate the larger group about the trials and tribulations of a unique cultural group. The main purpose of socially conscious books is â€Å"to engender empathy and sympathy [and] to promote tolerance for racial desegregation or integration† (Sims Bishop 2007: 61). Thirdly, culturally conscious books, according to Sims Bishop (1982), are those that depict the languages and cultural traditions of a group’s experiences most often from an insider’s perspective. The working definition of multiculturalism in this essay will be the second approach, the multiple + culture definition where there is more than one culture in a society regardless of who is the dominant group and the dominated. The analysis will also explore whether the books expand to Bloor’s (2010) version of multiculturalism where the mosaic of culture is encouraged and celebrated. While analysing how multiculturalism is presented in each book, Sims Bishop (1982, 2007) classification of multicultural children’s literature may be applied to the analysis. THE FLAG BALLOONHOW IS MULTICULTURALISM PRESENTED IN THE TEXT AND THE IMAGES OF THE FLAG BALLOONMulticulturalism is demonstrated immediately on the cover of this book and in the second line of text. The cover of the book has been illustrated in the colours of the Palestinian flag. Flags are a means of representing an identity, and there can only be an ‘identity’ if there is an ‘other’ (Berreby 2008). Although flags tend be representative of a country, state or nation, the second line of text in the book tells us that this flag is certainly not for a country. The narrator asserts ‘I have a flag but no country’ (Stickles and Townsley 1988: 7). The narrator continues to say ‘the soldiers who occupy my town and make all the laws say it is wrong to fly my flag’ (Stickles and Townsley 1988: 7). From this text we can deduce that these are a group of people who are a part of a country where their culture, customs and even identity may not b e accepted. Nonetheless, this text clearly demonstrates that this a society in which the law makers have different ideological beliefs to those representing the cultural minority. In summary, using Cai’s (1998) definition of multiculturalism, multiple cultures living in one society, the cover page and first page of text depicts a multicultural, albeit uncomfortable society. Multiculturalism is further demonstrated in the text, while simultaneously informing the reader about the Israeli-Palestinian. For example, the father of the narrator says he is ‘making bread for the family whose house was destroyed by the soldiers’ (Stickles and Townsley 1988: 11). We are informed that ‘the soldiers shut down the school’ (Stickles and Townsley 1988: 15) and the narrator’s brother is ‘beaten up by soldiers’ (Stickles and Townsley 1988: 15). The text is educating the reader about the trials and difficulties experienced by the Palestinians in the town. This is a clear example of Sims Bishop’s (1982, 2007) sub category of socially conscious, multicultural, children’s literature where the reader is informed of the trials and tribulations of the community (Gopalakrishnan 2010). The images of flag day further emphasise the difficulties faced by the Palestinians and encourages the reader to feel empathy and sympathy for their situation. This is a further demonstration that this book is an example of socially conscious multicultural literature. There are three images depicting how happy, joyful and cheerful the Palestinians are on flag day. Firstly, on page 23, in the square where the festivities of flag day are due to take place, each person has a smile on their face. Secondly, on page 25 there are six Palestinian men playing a series of instruments; while playing the instruments they have smiles on their faces. Thirdly, page 25 depicts five people holding Palestinian flags and smiling (Stickles and Townsley 1988). These images are sharp contrasts to the next three images, which depict the arrival and the after-effects of the opposing force. Firstly, on the image on page 26 we see three angry looking men with rifles in a car. The text informs us that these are the soldiers. Secondly, on page 27 are five soldiers carrying guns. Finally, on page 29 the image shows us the square where the festivities were taking place. All the decorations have been destroyed. In this image we see the ultimate clash of the two cultures, who live together in one society. Although inharmonious, this image demonstrates two groups living in one society (Stickles and Townsley 1988). These images fit the multiple + culture definition (Cai 1998), where two cultures live together within one society regardless of who is dominating and who is dominated. The dichotomy is emphasised further when we see the narrator of the book release her balloon bearing the Palestinian flag into the air. This image is followed by an image of a soldier attempting to shoot the balloon down. The penultimate image speaks volumes regarding the dichotomy between Israel and Palestine. The image shows four Palestinian children cheering, with a look of satisfaction on their faces that the balloon bearing the Palestinian flag is flying free. In contrast to this, the Israeli soldier is looking towards the balloon, holding his gun and frowning. The final image shows the balloon bearing the Palestinian flag flying high above the land (Stickles and Townsley 1988). In summary, multiculturalism is depicted throughout the text and images in the book however the multiculturalism found in this book is characterised by the basic definition of multiculturalism, that is multiple cultures living in one society (Cai 1998). The book does not expand to Bloor’s (2010) version of multiculturalism where the mosaic of cultures is celebrated in the society. Although, the book demonstrates the most basic definition of multiculturalism, the book does fit into Sims Bishop’s (2007) category of social and cultural consciousness, where we learn about the Israel and Palestinian conflict from one cultural perspective and where the reader is encouraged to empathise and sympathise with the narrator, her family and the town’s people.. In essence this book does demonstrate a multicultural society at its most basic level and the book does inform us, albeit from only one perspective of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict The book is effective in conveying multiple cultures living in one society since throughout the book the contrast can be seen between the Palestinians and the Israeli soldiers. DOES THE MULTICULTURALISM PRESENTED IN THE BOOK SEEM IMPOSED OR NATURAL The interpretation of the book by the reader is highly subjective (as demonstrated by a variety of reader-response theorists (Rosenblatt 1978; Bleich 1978) and to a large extent, the answer to this question depends on a variety of factors including the ideological beliefs of the reader and the knowledge and experiences of the reader. For these reasons, it is problematic to prescribe whether or not the multiculturalism in the text and illustrations is imposed or natural. Each reader will interpret this differently. It may be safer to look at the text and illustrations from both angles. One may argue that the images and the text of the book is imposed, forced and unnatural. After all, it is clear from the text and images as described in the examples that the Israeli soldiers do not want the Palestinians to raise the Palestinian Flag and the Palestinians do not want their territory to be occupied by the Israeli soldiers, implying that the multiculturalism is forced, unnatural and unwanted. On the other hand, one might argue that the multiculturalism presented in the text and images is natural and that regardless of the reasons behind these cultures living side by side, both groups live in the same society regardless of who is dominating and who is dominated. This argument would insist that if the reader ignores reasons or circumstance, multiculturalism is natural in the text and images. At the time the book was written, the world was protesting against the treatment of the Palestinians including people in the United States (Neff 1997), thus to these people the multiculturalism would appeared imposed. In fact, regardless of political affiliation it is doubtful that one would describe the society as a natural multicultural one since the multiculturalism was a result of war.ISRAEL ISHOW IS MULTICULTURALISM PRESENTED IN THE TEXT AND IMAGES IN ISRAEL IS From the cover page of this book, we see a striking image of multiculturalism. Three children appear to be on a Muslim prayer rug (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008) hovering above Jerusalem. The boy is wearing a Kippah; Observant Jewish men keep their heads covered by wearing a skull cap (Kippah) (Board of deputies of British Jews 2006)) indicating that he is Jewish. The second child on the prayer rug has black braided hair in pigtails. While there is no confirmation on the cover, this girl may be Palestinian. Interestingly both the Jewish boy and the girl who may be Palestinian have taken their shoes off, indicating that the Jewish boy is showing respect for the Muslim prayer rug (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008). There is another girl who is kneeling on the prayer rug. She has her shoes on, however her shoes are not on the prayer rug. Again could she be showing respect for the other culturesThe prayer rug is hovering in the air and in the background are scene depicts Jerusalem. We see t he Dome of the Rock which is known to be symbolic to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths (Petersen 1994). In summary, the cover page surely demonstrates multiculturalism in Israel as we have three children from different cultures together on the prayer rug. This represents three cultures in one society (multiple + cultures) (Cai 1998). The image described is significant as it represents harmony between cultures when at the time (late 1980s), there were hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians (Neff 1997). The second page most definitely represents a society of multiple cultures living harmoniously together. In this illustration there a number of images that demonstrate multiculturalism. Firstly there is a Jewish woman, identified by the fact that she is wearing a Tichel; Observant orthodox married women cover their hair in public (Board of Deputies of British Jews 2006). Interestingly, she is purchasing some products from a woman that is dressed in the colours of the Palestinian flag – black, green and red. In the background there is a man wearing a Kippah but also wearing non- traditional clothes. He may represent a more liberal approach to Judaism. He and his wife (who is not wearing Tichel) are purchasing items from a man wearing traditional Arab attire. In this scene people who seem to interacting with each other are smiling with one another indicating peaceful, harmonious relations between each culture (Topek and Kahn 1988). Not only do these images depict multiple culture s living together in one society, the images are also congruent with Bloor’s (2010) definition of multiculturalism, where the mosaic is celebrated. One interesting scene demonstrating multiculturalism and the comparison between Palestine and Israel is the scene on page 6, which contains the text ‘big farms’ (Topek and Kahn 1988: 6). The farm appears to a Kibbutz demonstrated by the houses towards the left hand side of the page. What is interesting is that although this a Jewish Kibbutz, in the middle of the page there is a large chicken, illustrated in red, green and outlined in black, the colours of the Palestinian flag. The image shows the backdrop of a Jewish Kibbutz and in the foreground a chicken coloured in the Palestinian colours peacefully standing on a cow. Again this image demonstrates peaceful relations between Israel and Palestine and two cultures living together harmoniously side by side. This is Bloor’s (2010) definition of multiculturalism. In the penultimate page, there are dove (a symbol of peace (Soucek 2006)) above a group of people. From the far left is a woman without a Tichel, standing next to a man who is wearing a Kippah, but also western clothes. This family may represent a more liberal attitude to Judaism. He is standing next to a man with a beard, who is wearing a long black coat, black trousers and a black hat. His wife is also wearing a Tichel and his daughter’s skirt below her knees. This family appears to be an observant Orthodox Jewish family. Next to the more conservative Jewish family is what might be assumed to be a more liberal Palestinian family. They are happily standing next to a family who are dressed in a more traditional Palestinian outfit. The son of the more conservative Jewish family is wearing blue and white and the son of the family is also wearing blue (the colours of the Israeli flag). The Jewish boy has his arm extended to the Palestinian liberal boy indicating a desire for a pe aceful multicultural society. The different cultures together on one page fit both the definition of multiple cultures in one society (Cai 1998) and also Bloor’s (2010) definition of multiculturalism where cultures are living together harmoniously. In summary, the book Israel Is certainly demonstrates a multicultural society, both in the most basic of definitions where there are multiple cultures living together in one society and in more advanced definitions; this book also fulfils Bloor’s (2010) definition of multiculturalism where the mosaic is celebrated and encouraged. The intent of the authors seems to be to encourage peace and harmony between all cultures in Israel. The only way this book informs us of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is its underlying insistence on peace. There are no images of war, only images of different cultures living in harmony. DOES THE MULTICULTURALISM PRESENTED IN THE BOOK SEEM IMPOSED OR NATURAL The answer to this question is subjective and an insider’s perspective may be very different from an outsider’s perspective. From an outsider perspective, nothing appears unnatural about the illustrations; however an individual who lived in Israel during the late 1980s may have differing opinion. For example, an individual who may have experienced hostility from another cultural group may argue that the images presented are unnatural and have been imposed by the authors. Given the events that took place in the late 1980s in Israel (the First Infatida) (Neff 1997) one may argue that the multiculturalism presented in the text is imposed and unnatural due to the hostilities between Palestinians and Israelis. Again, this is very subjective and each individual may have their own interpretation of events based on their own experience and knowledge. Bibliography Au, K. H. (1993) Literacy instruction in multicultural settings. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. M. (2001) (Eds.). Handbook of research on multicultural education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Berreby, D. (2008) Us and Them: The Science of Identity. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Bleich, D. (1978) Subjective criticism. London: The John Hopkins University Press. . Bloor, K. (2010) The definitive guide to political ideologies. Milton Keynes: AuthorHouse BOARD OF DEPUTIES OF BRITISH JEWS. (2006) Jewish Family Life and Customs: a practical guide. Available from: http://www.bjpa.org/Publications/details.cfm?PublicationID=14876 [Accessed 11th October 2014]. Cai, M. (1998) Multiple definitions of multicultural literature: Is the debate really just â€Å"ivory tower bickering†. The New Advocate, 11(4), 311–324. Cai, M. (2002) Multicultural literature for children and young adults: Reflections on critical issues. Milton Keynes: Lightning Source. Cohen, V., and Cowen J. (2008) Literacy for Children in an Information Age: Teaching Reading, Writing, and thinking. Bedmont: Thompson Wadsworth. Encyclop?dia Britannica. (2008) Prayer Rug. [Online] Available from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/474169/prayer-rug [Accessed 11th October 2014]. Fisherman, A. R. (1995) Finding ways in: Redefining multicultural literature. The English Journal, 84(6), 73–79. Gopalakrishnan, A. (2010) Multicultural Children’s Literature: A critical approach. California State University, Los Angeles: Sage Publications Larrick, N. (1965, September). The all white world of children’s books. The Saturday Review, 63–65, 84–85. Norton, E., & Norton, S. E. (with McClure, A.). (2003) Through the eyes of a child: An introduction to children’s literature. Upper Saddle Fiver, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall. Lindgren, M. V. (1991) The multicolored mirror: Cultural substance in literature for children and young adults. Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin: Highsmith. Neff D., (1997) The Intifada Erupts, Forcing Israel to Recognize Palestinians Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. December 1997, p. 81-83. Peterson, A. (1994) Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. London: Routledge Rosenblatt, L. M. (1978). The reader the text the poem: The transactional theory of the literary work. Carbondale & Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press. Schwartz, E. G. (1995). Crossing borders / shifting paradigms: Multiculturalism and children’s literature. Harvard Educational Review, 65(4), p. 634–651. Shannon, P. (1994). I am the canon: Finding ourselves in multiculturalism. Journal of Children’s Literature, 20(1), p 1–5. Sims Bishop, R. (1982) Shadow and substance: Afro-American experience in contemporary children’s fiction. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. Sims Bishop, R. (2007). Free within ourselves: The development of African American children’s literature. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Soucek, G. A., (2006) Doves (Complete Pet Owner’s Manual). New York: Barron’s Educational Servies Inc Stevens C. A., (1989) Turkey & Palestine: Both Middle Eastern Secular Democracies Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. March 1989, p 17. Stickles, F.C., and Townsley J. (1988) The Flag Balloon. Washington: Amer Educational Trust Topek, S. R., and Kahn, K. J. (1988) Israel Is. United States: Kar-Ben Pub