The Clearling Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Clearling - Assignment Example She dragged her basket over to the spring, then knelt and scooped up some of the clear cool water to drink. Refreshed, she lay back on the grass and closed her eyes, not caring about the further stains her clothes would suffer. She had been hunting in the forest all afternoon for berries, so that her mother could make her famous berry pie for their â€Å"special† guest, who was coming to dinner tonight. Kallan did not want to think of that â€Å"special† guest, her stomach tightened every time she did. Her parents had been looking for an eligible suitor ever since she had turned 16 last spring and Mr. Goodwyn was the result. He was rich, owned a manor house on ten acres of land and he was well connected at court. â€Å"The perfect husband!† Her mother had labelled him. â€Å"A proper gentleman.† Her father had announced happily. But, Kallan did not like him, never mind love him! And aren’t you supposed to love the person you are to wed? She thought to herself miserably. Lately, she had found herself spending more and more time in the forest, trying to avoid Mr. Goodwyn’s frequent visits. But, there was no avoiding him tonight; for, it was tonight that he was to make his formal proposal to her father, asking him for her hand in marriage. A silent tear rolled down her cheek and she made no attempt to wipe it away, instead she listened to the singing of the birds around her. Then, faintly she heard something else, sweet distant music accompanied by the tinkling of bells. As she listened, it came closer until it was all round her. Blinking she sat up and gasped in amazement. The sun had set and faint stars were beginning to shine, and in the faint light she saw that in the once empty clearing, now stood at least a dozen silvery white horses, their brightly coloured harnesses jingling with tiny gold bells. But, what was more astonishing were the people, if people they were, who were now dismounting from the beautiful horses. They were tall and slender, and moved so gracefully that they seemed to flow over the ground. One of the figures was playing a harp, the source of the sweet music she had heard. Stooping the figure set the harp on the ground and turned to Kallan. â€Å"Now, child, do not stare so. Have you never heard of The Fair Folk?† The speaker was the loveliest female Kallan had ever seen, she was tall and willowy with a fountain of coppery curls falling in waves down her back and around her angular ageless face. â€Å"W-well, yes†¦but,† Kallan stammered in a half whisper. She had heard tales of The Fair Folk, but she had thought that that is all they were, tales. The woman smiled gently down at her. â€Å"Come join us my dear, we are stopping for our evening meal.† She held out her hand and Kallan scrambled to her feet and took it â€Å"I am Taylliana, Elf Queen of Fernin.† Kallan gasped and tried to curtsy but the queen stopped her saying, â€Å"None of that child, it is not necessary. What is your name?† â€Å"Kallan My Lady.† â€Å"Well met Kallan.† the queen said â€Å"Now come join us.† She led Kallan to where a brightly coloured silk covering had been placed on the grass. Kallan sat down dazedly and politely accepted a glass of what smelt like berry juice from the queen. She could not believe what she was experiencing, it all seemed so unreal. â€Å"This is Kallan.† The queen announced to the rest of the elves as they sat down and began passing bowls of fresh

Christian spirituality Essay Example for Free

Christian spirituality Essay People in this realm have diverse attention to different facet of their lives. Some of which believes in a certain perception contrary to the views of the other and it all boils down to a premise that we in this universe have enormous preferences which truly makes us unique. Similarly, it has the same wavelength when we put into account the very imperative issue of faith and strong adherence to believing in God. Donald Miller in his masterpiece Blue like Jazz, he exemplifies the avenues of spirituality and how it is possible to enlighten the views of the readers as they go through the work of art. Uplifting the souls is the focal element of the author and parallel to this, the central aspiration of this paper is also to epitomize the intriguing views of the author and at the same time squeeze out the necessary lessons in life that will ultimately open the minds of the readers. By having the views of the book by means of its meaningful experiences of the author, we could have a brilliant grasp to what really is life in a spiritual way. Any occurrences that have been demonstrated in the book will truly it will shed light to our naked eye. The personal reflections of the author contribute to our understanding to the nature of God and how to respond to this indulgent. The ingredients in Donald Miller’s Blue like Jazz are driven by the perceptions towards sex, love, community, family and God. It absolutely speaks on what it feels to have an in depth connection with God and how to examine our inner self on what we truly believed in despite the challenges of our malicious environment. The point of view as regards to searching for spirituality and believers who wanted to have a strong relationship with God was the intentions of this masterpiece. It is intended in the latter part of the paper to expound in a Christian approach the impressions and attitudes in relation to the concept of Miller. Indeed, it is expected that at the end of this paper, the readers should have a strong attachment in relation to the subject matter of spirituality and the things that it entails. Donald Miller tackles the life’s spices which includes sex. The question of does love can be truly be proven by sex is at hand. It has been said that you can love with all your heart but you cannot scientifically examine it. Accordingly, it is an intense feeling which flows inside that makes your personality fortify. The feeling surely brightens our outlook even though it does not undergo several test because what proves it is our own selves per se, â€Å"love for example is a true emotion but it is not rational, what I mean is people actually feel it, I have been in love, plenty of people have been in love yet love cannot be proved scientifically† (Miller, 2003). The author makes use of the penguins as case in point in elaborating how making love can truly transform into something essential in our lives. It says the instances wherein penguins have their own way of showing their love to their partners and at the same time giving value to their siblings. The intensity of emotions in relation to their responsibilities was intact in this scenario. The male penguins take hold of the responsibility of looking after the eggs and in due time the eggs will mature. It has been demonstrated how the female penguins goes back after sometime to witness their little penguin. This was a good elaboration of a strong connection with our loved ones. We sense the right time when it is necessary for us to be there. Similarly, Miller take hold of this picture to emphasize the essentiality of faith that without even seeing it, we know that the love of God is there for us. The timing that the penguins epitomize truly connotes a strong feeling of union that is so unique in our being rational. Being a Christian entails a lot of faith to be able to have a strong grip on what we believed in. Indeed, it signify us the right usage of our intellect and free will as we chooses to have a relationship with our God. â€Å"I don’t think you can explain how Christian faith works. It is a mystery and I love this about Christian spirituality. It cannot be explained and yet it is beautiful and true. It is something you feel and it comes from the soul† ( Miller, 2003), on a brilliant concept, the secret ingredient of a happy life is no other than the healthy bond with God hand in hand with the faith that we have in our lives. In relation to the love that has been showed to us by the instances in the lives of the penguins, we can perceive how essential it is to feel the love and give it back as well. As we all knew, love is a huge topic but at the same time the most interesting subject matter of all time. It is the one wherein we could all take part into. Furthermore, it is the area where varieties of people of all ages can adapt which makes it more interesting for that matter. The reflection of Christ love for the church can emulate in the event of marriage where two souls binds together to be one. The acceptance of differences as well as giving back the love that they received towards the other are the things that makes a real and unconditional relationship. The vocation of marriage enlightens us and ultimately gives joy to our everyday lives. Giving ourselves completely to others has a very deep meaning because it entails acceptance of other person in our life and submission of our inner self. In the circumstance that Miller shares to its readers when he had a conversation with Paul, his friend who is very happy in his married life, he got the realization how incredible it is to be in love and to be loved. Given that some of his friends give him a feedback of a wrong approach of dealing with women, upon talking to Paul he realized that marriage encompass to love your self as well. In order to protect your relationship it is essential to have a factor that will compromise the both parties. In the case of Paul and his wife, they find time to have their own privacy, in that way they’d be able to respect each other which also gives mystery to the relationship that they have, â€Å" I’m saying there are stuff I can’t tell her not because I don’t want to but because there aren’t words. It’s like we are separate people and there is no getting inside each other to read each other’s thoughts, each other’s beings† ( Miller, 2003). In accordance with this, marriage is not all about the two people that has been bind together, it is also about who is the center of their relationship which truly binds them together, â€Å"I am glad I married Danielle and I will be with her forever but there are places in our lives that only God can go† ( Miller, 2003). It is imperative to have God as the center of our relationship. He brings out the best in us when He guides us. As we consistently ask for His love and guidance, the relationship that we have will ultimately be filled with joys and abundance of love, â€Å"I mean that to be in a relationship with God is to be loved purely and furiously† ( Miller, 2003). The best exemplification of what we have learned from the undying love of God to its people was our strength to do the same with our loved one and to other people that surrounds us. As we go back to the essentiality of grace, the application of such is a contributing element in making a successful family life surrounded by blessings and guidance of our almighty. Does the connection we have with God extend a deep relationship with the people that surround us? This is an uncertainty that some of us having a hard time finding the real answer because we are in one way or the other uncertain to what we really wanted to build as relationship with the people we rarely know. Parallel to this, at some in our lives we find it hard to accept a person beyond our wavelength. We set criteria of who we are apt to build rapport to the point that sometimes neglect the importance of a person basing on his or her individuality and not in his/her spirituality. How the community that you belong really changes your outlook in life and your relationship with God? At some point in our lives, we got used to living in our own way far from other people. We live and spend our time alone that we miss the part of our lives that we get along with other people in our community, â€Å"I didn’t know what to think about living in community at first. I had lived on my own for about six years and the idea of moving in with a bunch of slobs didn’t appeal to me† ( Miller, 2003). In lieu of which the exchange of ideas that we get from other people is also essential in our existence in this realm and we could only get this by means of interacting with other people. Like that of what the author showed to us, the interaction with other people was lacking in a sense that became self centered. Some of the people that surround us might misinterpret that gestures that we convey simply because we are not used to living with other people. The lessons of life can simply be available if we look at life in a different manner – and that is to intermingle with the people in our community. On top of this, it is good to apprehend that God enlightens our perspectives in life. He usually guides us in whatever decision we come up to and in this case, God makes him realize the importance to dealing with other people and appreciate their existence, â€Å"God brought me to Graceland to rid me of this deception, to scrub it out of the gray matter of my mind† ( Miller, 2003). The capabilities that the community has could contribute to the knowledge that we have and in this manner, we can help each other grow in our own little way. Family is one of the focal points of our lives. This is where we get the strength and inspiration that we need to continue with our life. We can never deny the fact that this aspect of our life has a huge impact in our personality as well as with the attitude that we project to the people that surrounds us. It is absolutely the time of our life that we think of other people more than our selves because we prioritize our family more than anything else, â€Å"If you don’t love somebody, it gets annoying when they tell you what to do or what to feel. When you love them you get pleasure from their pleasure and it makes it easy to serve† (Miller, 2003). This instance does not necessarily mean that you wouldn’t love and serve God because you don’t love Him; you don’t love Him because you did not see Him. Ultimately, this is not the case when we talk about our faith and love for God. Our strong belief in the love of God for us and for humanity was undeniably great. We adhere to His principles and we follow His teachings which make us a better person. God’s love for this human race was irrevocably unconditional that he continuously accepts us despite our shortcomings in life. Enormously, God did a magical thing in our lives as he consistently touches our souls and guides our ways. As we scrutinize the importance of the author’s portrayal of what magic truly is, we might get fascinated with the allure of the thought of magic alone. It is true that when we were younger, our attention was easily derailed with the magical world but in fact everything is just a trick. In fact, there is a loop hole in every magic that has been showed to us it’s just that we are too young to recognize it. As a kid, we just focus on the elements that will satisfy our fascination neglecting the truth that magic is just a form of entertainment. â€Å"I got frustrated because everything that was magic was only a trick, meaning it wasn’t really magic, it was an illusion† (Miller, 2003), same with our lives, the figment of our imagination lies on what our naked eyes can reach but we miss the part that the reality of life is always at hand. God provides us with wonderful environment where we could exhaust all our efforts to achieve what is really beautiful beyond the temporary magic that we acquire for a moment. â€Å"Everybody wants to be fancy and new. Nobody wants to be themselves but they want to be different† (Miller, 2003), it is extremely important to pause for a while and contemplate on what we really needed in our lives. We project a gesture that we are different but what is more important is to have a closer look of what magical feeling God is providing us. Indeed, where we lived at a moment is the result of the brilliant love of God for us. What we are in this universe is the output of God’s goodness to this humanity. There are instances in our lives that at some point we have to be rigid with our faith and by doing so, one has to be profoundly knowledgeable on what really comprises his persona and what he truly believes. Having a strong faith is undeniably one of the greatest discoveries in our lives. The very essence of our trust in God is to know the principles of His words, in lieu of which we are apt to follow His commands that are very important in the foundation of our dogmatic belief in God. It is ultimately important for the people to know God and His wonderful deeds. It is beyond doubt that behind God’s creation lays an astonishing message of building ourselves completely. God is all knowing that He provides all the things that we need in continuing the path of our lives. We obey God, we follow His will and we become a better person is what truly matters in this masterpiece. In view of the great knowledge that has been embarked on us making available the work of art of Donald Miller, it gives us the enlightenment that we seek as we go along with the pages of this book. The manner in which the author presents his perception was incontestably comprehensible. It gives his reader the time to contemplate and grasp what he really wanted to go halves. Giving examples as well in the context of his elaboration of his insights truly adds to the substance of his subject matter. It really doles out the purpose of the author to stretch the faith of his readers. The values that we got from Blue like Jazz truly define the voice of God. Beneath the pages of this work of art lies the realization that life is full of magical thought, it is just in our hands to explore these things to make it visible. Our capacity to look at things in a different way is beneficial as we continue to battle with the challenges of life, like that of the book, its mysterious titles expounds what it really wanted to convey in its readers and this is what God wanted to happen, we define our selves in a manner that is reachable and at the same time life worth turning the pages.

How I Would Teach The House On Mango Street Essay example -- Teaching

The House on Mango Street is a very interesting book about a young Latino girl and her daily life. It is a look through a child’s eyes of the world around her. The story is written in short chapters, explaining different aspects of life from a child’s point of view. The story confronts poverty, physical abuse, discrimination and other issues that we’d never want our children to deal with. The House on Mango Street is truly a worthwhile book for children to read. It helps the reader understand what it’s like growing up in a rundown and harsh neighborhood, such as Mango Street. The House on Mango Street is the story about the life of Esperanza Cordero. She tells, in her own words, what the neighborhood is like around her and talks about the people she is close to. The first people she talks about are her family. You meet her family by the description of their hair. You learn a little about each family member by her description. For example, her mother’s hair smells like bread and makes her feel safe. The main characters you learn about are the two sisters, Lucy and Rachel. Lucy and Rachel ask Esperanza to chip in to buy a bike. The girls become friends and after meeting them, most of Esperanza’s experiences in the neighborhood are with the two sisters. Then, you meet characters with a smaller influence, such as Marin, Louie, Darius, and many more. The story starts out with the narrator, Esperanza Cordero, talking about her house and how she got there. Esperanza explains that she hasn’t always lived on Mango Street. She lived in many apartments before getting her house, although she is not happy with her house. It wasn’t what she imagined at all. Her parents say the house is only temporary, but Esperanza knows the truth. She knows she will be there a long time and she doesn’t want to be there. Esperanza feels out of place in her neighborhood and this theme continues throughout the book. She is ashamed of where she lives, but she’ll ride it out until she is old enough to get out. It is very obvious in the end of the book when Alicia tells Esperanza that the house of Mango Street is always her house. "No this isn’t my house," Esperanza says and shake my head as if shaking could undo the year I’ve lived here. "I don’t belong. I don’t ever want to come from here." At the end o f the story, you hear about the house of her dreams and her promise to get out of ... ...ed to their culture. Then, I’d have the children read the story. After they were done with the story, I’d have the class paint a mural of Esperanza’s neighborhood. Each child would then pick a character, draw a picture of them, and write a short description of the person under the picture. Then, when the mural and character drawings were finished, I would place the pictures of the characters on the mural of Mango Street. I would put each picture near the spot on the mural where the character lived. I think this would be a fun project for the class that will show to me that they know the material in the book. In conclusion, The House on Mango Street is both an educational and fun book to read. It helps the reader see into a different culture and perspective, while adding humor to keep the reader entertained. The story confronts disturbing issues, but through the eyes of an innocent child. Overall, this book is about growing up. This book does a great job of making the reader see what it’s like to grow up in a place like Mango Street. The House on Mango Street really makes the reader aware of the world around them and that their experience growing up was not like everyone else’s.

Reading Teacher Essay

How should the proper balance between teacher freedom and responsibility be determined? Position 1: Fir increased Academic Freedom: * Schools are at the center of local debates about touchy subjects such as, morals, sex and sexual orientation, religion, politics, economics, racism, and a host of other social value controversies. * Censorship denies, defeats, or diminishes academic freedom! * Sex, Politics, and Religion: A few Cases * A parent in Loathe, Kansas, demanded that John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men be banned from the school curriculum and classroom because the book is â€Å"worthless† and â€Å"profanity filled. † The Majority rejected the effort. * In Oakley, California, some parents wanted the same Steinbeck book banned for racial descriptions. * Schools use the popular Philip Pullman book The Golden Compass was protested by a group of parents and Christian leaders in Winchester, Kentucky; because Pullman was call â€Å"an atheist† and the book â€Å"anti-Christian. † * A high school history teacher in Denver Public Schools was dismissed because the city newspaper published his and other candidates’ views as they ran for congressional seat† the district thought his views were too controversial. He won the case but the district limited him to teaching Basic English and erased his teaching history. * A high school student paper in Bakersfield, California, was prohibited from publishing a story with interviews about gender identity, but a county judge ruled that student to have the right to exercise freedom of speech. * Most frequently banned books: Harry Potter, Diary of Anne Frank, Catch-22, Farewell to Arms, Deliverance, The great Gatsby, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Chocolate War, and Slaughterhouse Five. Even some comic books suffered censorship. * Most censored authors: Judy Blume, Mark Twain, Maya Angelou, John Steinbeck, J. D. Salinger, Toni Morrison, R. L. Stine, Maurice Sendak, William Golding, and Rovert Cormier. * Quotes about censorship from famous figures: * Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: â€Å"Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself. † * Historian Henry Steele Commanger: â€Å"Censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates in the end the kind of society that is incapable of real discretion. † * Actress, playwright, screen writer, and sex symbol Mae West: â€Å"I believe in censorship. I have made a fortune out of it. * Climate of Fear * Challenges to school and library books have been 400 to 500 per year over the past three decades. A lot of the challenges were mostly by individual parents. Organized efforts have joined. * Parents Against Bad Books in Schools (PABBIS) and safelibraries. org. * On safelibraries. org they have published the most shocking and inappropriate segments of each book. * A lot of schools try to limit controversy by passing strict policies that are even sometimes illegal. * Good school districts have splices and practices that promote academic freedom which doesn’t allow for parents, students, and the public to challenge or raise questions about what is taught and how. * What happens? Teachers lose jobs, students can be suspended, and teachers avoid controversy, and education suffers. * We need freedom: Intellectual freedom! * A Necessity, Not a Frill * Academic Freedom = Free Society, which is what our Nation was founded on. * It is increasingly important for teachers to become more active advocates for academic freedom in public discourse and in political arenas. * Democratic education requires debate and discourse – only with teacher freedom can this happen. * Freedom to teach and learn is basic to good education. * Arguments against Academic Freedom * Based on traditional ideas that teachers are not â€Å"scholars,† they have a captive audience, they can influence impressionable minds and they are public employees subject to the will of board and administrators. * The argument against those that believe in those traditional ideas is that our education system now requires teachers to have scholarly qualities; students are expected to inquire and challenge rather than just be a captive audience. * Mischief in Defining Academic Freedom * Zealots everywhere (Zealot being someone who believes their way is superior) has tried to use schools as agents to impose their views and values on the young. They don’t want schools to present opposing views or conflicting evidence and are against real critical thinking. * Academic Bill of Rights – is a bill of rights that demands neutrality for institutions and requiring a diverse faculty along political lines. This bill of rights is for colleges but is popping up in precollegiate schools. * Academic Freedom Petition – a single-issue document that argues that academic institutions should ensure student and teacher freedom to discuss scientific strength and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution. * The problem with these two laws/bills is that they contain seeds of censorship and self-censorship to avoid controversial subjects. This twisted use of academic freedom can cloud the more valuable condition needed for critical thinking in schools and colleges. * A threat to academic freedom – self-censorship – When teachers screen ideas from classroom use in order to avoid controversy. * Conclusion: Fear threatens academic freedom! * The Essential Relationship of Academic Freedom to Democracy. * Democracy states that people are capable of governing themselves. People can make knowledgeable decisions and select intelligently from among alternative proposals. * The Evolution of Expansion of Academic Freedom. * We have adopted German theory – Lehrfreiheit and Lernfreiheit – the freedom of teachers to teach and learners to learn without institutional restrictions. * Socrates – was said to be sinful and wicked because he and his students had the freedom to pursue truth. All wickedness, he argued, was due to ignorance; freedom to teach and learn would uncover knowledge, eliminate ignorance and improve society. The judges at that time did not agree and Socrates was sentenced to death. * Courts, in general, have exhibited an expanding awareness of the need for academic freedom in schools and have provided protection for teachers. * Educational Grounds for Academic Freedom * Where if not in schools will students be able to explore and test various ideas, new concepts, and challenge propaganda in a safe and guided environment? * The classroom serves as a â€Å"safe place† to explore without social condemnation or ridicule. * Education consists of ideas and challenges, increasingly sophisticated and complex. * Learning best occurs as people test new ideas against their own experiences and knowledge. – that testing requires academic freedom. * Not operating in this manor will risk conformity. Students will not examine controversial material in schools that students will not be challenged and participate in critical thinking. * The Center of the Profession * Basically we’re currently trained and we know what we’re doing. Professional Development and certification has equipped us uphold ethics and values. * A professional teacher must be free to examine controversial issues openly in the classroom. * Teacher jobs must not be at risk because they explore controversial material or consider ideas out the mainstream. * We need individuality. * Academic Freedom and Teacher Competency: the Tenure Process * Non Tenure – Incompetent teachers do not deserve and should not receive that extra protection; they should be dismissed if a fair and evidential evaluation find them incompetent. * Teacher competence is a mix of knowledge, skill, and judgment. * Knowledge of the material. * Of the students in class * Professional skill in teaching. * Professional judgment. * Under tenure law teachers cannot be fired without due process and legitimate cause. The tenured teacher who is threatened with firing has a right to know specific allegations, a fair hearing, and an evidentially based decision. * Obstacles for Academic Freedom * Religious schools sometimes fired teachers for anti-moralistic requirements, sin, not attending religious services, and not exhibiting sufficient religious enthusiasm. * At the beginning of the nineteenth century teachers were fired for not remaining single, avoiding drinking and smoking, dancing, political views, etc. * At the first half of the twentieth century, political restraint and censorship replaced religious and moralistic restrictions on teachers. * John Dewy and other scholars founded the American Association of University Professors in 1915 which recognized that even then all teachers, not just those in colleges, needed academic freedom. * Some states have tons of censorship attempts each year by parents, school boards, administrators and parents. * The internet * Scare tactics are set up to block access to many â€Å"good† internet sites (our school, example). * Many teachers avoid significant topics to sterilize to the point of student boredom. * National Coalition Against Censorship has been created. Position 2: For Teacher Responsibility * Teachers use classroom for political platforms (especially in colleges). * Power and Responsibility in Teachers * Teaching is among the most influential position in society. Teaching is next to parenting in its power to carry values and ideas from generation to generation. * The influence of teachers goes will beyond the classroom doors, school grounds, and school term; teachers exert influence that can last for years and even lifetimes. Teacher’s ability to influence their students is a huge responsibility. * Parental Rights * If parents can be held accountable for their children, so should teachers. (Even though they don’t) * Schools must give supportive social and family values among our youth. * Public school teachers are even more accountable than private ones to the community and to parents for what they teach and how. * Teacher Responsibilities to Parents * Teachers must remain sensitive to parent interests. * Teachers have responsibilities for providing a safe, healthy classroom environment, and assume protective moral ethical and legal duties. * Parents sometimes don’t know what’s going on in the classroom until the damage is already done. * Parents have the right to monitor. * PABBIS lets parents see various pieces of literature and provides evidence to help them make rational judgment about the material. * Internet Access is becoming a huge problem. * There exists a serious problem in Internet usage when websites continue inhumane, anti-American, racist, Antiauthority, sexual, antireligious or other inappropriate material that can be accessed at schools. * Teacher Responsibility to Children. * Children are vulnerable * Children look to teachers for direction. * Children are immature and unformed. Teachers must be careful. * Teacher Responsibility to Society * Society trusts teachers to develop the young into positive, productive citizens. * Teacher Responsibility to Their Profession. * Teachers can be the key to good education, or poor education * Teachers have the responsibility to recognize children’s needs and academic development. * Teacher Irresponsibility * Tenure covers poor teachers and socially dangerous teachers. * Sometimes teachers will start to threat a school with atheism, Satanism, sicalism, communism, and take other extreme positions after they’ve been tenured. Deeming themselves as â€Å"untouchable. † * Tenure laws make it almost impossible to rid schools of poor teachers. * Academic Freedom of License * A license to teach is not a license to impose one’s views on others. * Sometimes teachers who â€Å"mind bend† for years and teach in an unethical manor gets by because administration is afraid to reprimand them. * Tenure teacher firing is rare. * Tenure laws create burdensome requirements that save teacher jobs even when those teachers have demonstrated a lock of respect for parents, students, and community values. * We need to make it easier to fire teachers. * 18 states have modified tenure regulations; the Education Commission of the States website shows current state approaches. Idaho has completely eliminated teacher tenure and other states are considering major reform. * Conclusion : * Teachers deserve respect and appreciation for their contributions to society, decent salaries, and comfortable working conditions.

Hydrolic Fracking Research Paper Essay

Hydraulic fracturing is a process used in nine out of 10 natural gas wells in the United States, where millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground to break apart the rock and release the gas. Scientists are worried that the chemicals used in fracturing may pose a threat either underground or when waste fluids are handled and sometimes spilled on the surface. The natural gas industry defends hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, as safe and efficient. Thomas J. Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, a pro-industry non-profit organization, claims fracking has been â€Å"a widely deployed as safe extraction technique,† dating back to 1949. What he doesn’t say is that until recently energy companies had used low-pressure methods to extract natural gas from fields closer to the surface than the current high-pressure technology that extracts more gas, but uses significantly more water, chemicals, and elements. The industry claims well drilling in the Marcellus Shale will bring several hundred thousand jobs, and has minimal health and environmental risk. President Barack Obama in his January 2012 State of the Union, said he believes the development of natural gas as an energy source to replace fossil fuels could generate 600,000 jobs. However, research studies by many economists and others debunk the idea of significant job creation. Barry Russell, president of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, says â€Å"no evidence directly connects injection of fracking fluid into shale with aquifer contamination.† Fracking â€Å"has never been found to contaminate a water well,† says Christine Cronkright, communications director for the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Research studies and numerous incidents of water contamination prove otherwise. In late 2010, equipment failure may have led to toxic levels of chemicals in the well water of at least a dozen families in Co noquenessing Township in Bradford County. Township officials and Rex Energy, although acknowledging that two of the drilling wells had problems with the casings, claimed there were pollutants in the drinking water before Rex moved into the area. John Fair disagrees. â€Å"Everybody had good water a year ago,† Fair told environmental writer and activist Iris Marie Bloom in February 2012. Bloom says residents told her the color of water changed to red, orange, and gray after Rex began drilling. Among the chemicals detected in the well water, in addition to methane gas, were ammonia, arsenic, chloromethane, iron, manganese, t-butyl alcohol, and toluene. While not acknowledging that its actions could have caused the pollution, Rex did provide fresh water to the residents, but then stopped doing so on Feb. 29, 2012, after the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said the well water was safe. The residents absolutely disagreed and staged protests against Rex; environmental activists and other residents trucked in portable water jugs to help the affected families. The Marcellus Outreach Butler blog (MOB) declared that residents’ â€Å"lives have been severely disrupted and their health has been severely impacted. To just ‘close the book’ on investigations into their troubles when so many indicators point to the accountability of the gas industry for the disruption of their lives is unbelievable . In April 2011, near Towanda, Pa., seven families were evacuated after about 10,000 gallons of wastewater contaminated an agricultural field and a stream that flows into the Susquehanna River, the result of an equipment failure, according to the Bradford County Emergency Management Agency.The following month, DEP fined Chesapeake Energy $900,000, the largest amount in the state’s history, for allowing methane gas to pollute the drinking water of 16 families in Bradford County during the previous year. The DEP noted there may have been toxic methane emissions from as many as six wells in five towns. The DEP also fined Chesapeake $188,000 for a fire at a well in Washington County that injured three workers. In January 2012, an equipment failure at a drill site in Susquehanna County led to a spill of several thousand gallons of fluid for almost a half-hour, causing potential pollution, according to the DEP. In its citation to Carizzo Oil and Gas, the DEP strongly recommended that the company cease drilling at all 67 wells â€Å"until the cause of this problem and a solution are identified.† In December 2011, the federal Environmental Protection Agency concluded that fracking operations could be responsible for groundwater pollution.â€Å"Today’s methods make gas drilling a filthy business. You know it’s bad when nearby residents can light the water coming out of their tap on fire,† says Larry Schweiger, president of the National Wildlife Federation. Whatâ €™s causing the fire is the methane from the drilling operations. A ProPublica investigation in 2009 revealed methane contamination was widespread in drinking water in areas around fracking operations in Colorado, Texas, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania. The presence of methane in drinking water in Dimock, Pa., had become the focal point for Josh Fox’s investigative documentary, Gasland, which received an Academy Award nomination in 2011 for Outstanding Documentary; Fox also received an Emmy for non-fiction directing. Fox’s interest in fracking intensified when a natural gas company offered $100,000 for mineral rights on property his family owned in Milanville, in the extreme northeast part of Pennsylvania, about 60 miles east of Dimock. Research by a team of scientists from Duke University revealed â€Å"methane contamination of shallow drinking water systems that is associated with shale-gas extraction.† The data and conclusions, published in the May 2011 issue of the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, note d that not only did most drinking wells near drilling sites have methane, but those closest to the drilling wells, about a half-mile, had an average of 17 times the methane of those of other wells. â€Å"Some of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing—or liberated by it—are carcinogens,† Dr. Sandra Steingraber told members of the Environmental Conservation and Health committee of the New York State Assembly. Dr. Steingraber, a biologist and distinguished scholar in residence at Ithaca College, pointed out that some of the chemicals â€Å"are neurological poisons with suspected links to learning deficits in children,† while others â€Å"are asthma triggers. Some, especially the radioactive ones, are known to bioaccumulate in milk. Others are reproductive toxicants that can contribute to pregnancy loss.† An investigation by New York Times reporter Ian Urbina, based upon thousands of unreported EPA documents and a confidential study by the natural gas industry, concluded, â€Å"Radioactivity in drilling waste cannot be fully diluted in rivers and other waterways.† Urbina learned that wastewater from fracking operations was about 100 tim es more toxic than federal drinking water standards; 15 wells had readings about 1,000 times higher than standards. Research by Dr. Ronald Bishop, a biochemist at SUNY/Oneonta, suggests that fracking to extract methane gas â€Å"is highly likely to degrade air, surface water and ground-water quality, to harm humans, and to negatively impact aquatic and forest ecosystems.† He notes that â€Å"potential exposure effects for humans will include poisoning of susceptible tissues, endocrine disruption syndromes, and elevated risk for certain cancers.† Every well, says Dr. Bishop, â€Å"will generate a sediment discharge of approximately eight tons per year into local waterways, further threatening federally endangered mollusks and other aquatic organisms.† In addition to the environmental pollution by the fracking process, Dr. Bishop believes â€Å"intensive use of diesel-fuel equipment will degrade air quality [that could affect] humans, livestock, and crops.† Equally important are questions about the impact of as many as 200 diesel-fueled trucks each day bringing water to t he site and then removing the waste water. In addition to the normal diesel emissions of trucks, there are also problems of leaks of the contaminated water. â€Å"We need to know how diesel fuel got into our water supply,† says Diane Siegmund, a clinical psychologist from Towanda, Pa. â€Å"It wasn’t there before the companies drilled wells; it’s here now,† she says. Siegmund is also concerned about contaminated dust and mud. â€Å"There is no oversight on these,† she says, â€Å"but those trucks are muddy when they leave the well sites, and dust may have impact miles from the well sites.† Research â€Å"strongly implicates exposure to gas drilling operations in serious health effects on humans, companion animals, livestock, horses, and wildlife,† according to Dr. Michelle Bamberger, a veterinarian, and Dr. Robert E. Oswald, a biochemist and professor of molecular medicine at Cornell University. Their study, published in New Solutions, an academic journal in environmental health, documents evidence of milk contamination, breeding problems, and cow mortality in areas near fracking operation s as higher than in areas where no fracking occurred. Drs. Bamberger and Oswald noted that some of the symptoms present in humans from what may be polluted water from fracking operations include rashes, headaches, dizziness, vomiting, and severe irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. For animals, the symptoms often led to reproductive problems and death. Significant impact upon wildlife is also noted in a 900-page Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) conducted by New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation. According to the EIS, â€Å"In addition to loss of habitat, other potential direct impacts on wildlife from drilling in the Marcellus Shale include increased mortality . . . altered microclimates, and increased traffic, noise, lighting, and well flares.† The impact, according to the report, â€Å"may include a loss of genetic diversity, species isolation, population declines . . . increased predation, and an increase of invasive species.† The report concludes that because of fracking, there is â€Å"little to no place in the study areas where wildlife would not be impacted, [leading to] serious cascading ecological consequences.† The impact of course affects the quality of milk and meat production as animals drink and graze near areas that have been taken over by the natural gas industry. The response by the industry and its political allies to the scientific studies of the health and environmental effects of fracking â€Å"has approached the issue in a manner similar to the tobacco industry that for many years rejected the link between smoking and cancer,† say Drs. Bamberger and Oswald. Not only do they call for â€Å"full disclosure and testing of air, water, soil, animals, and humans,† but point out that with lax oversight, â€Å"the gas drilling boom . . . will remain an uncontrolled health experiment on an enormous scale.† Bibliography of Works Cited: http://www.marcellusoutreachbutler.org/ http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/03/19/the-perils-of-fracking/ www.coalitiontoprotectnewyork.org http://psehealthyenergy.net/data/Bamberger_Oswald_NS22_in_press.pdf http://www.scribd.com/doc/97449702/100-Fracking-Victims http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/us/04natgas.html?pagewanted=all http://steingraber.com/ http://frack.mixplex.com/content/scientific-study-links-flammable-drinking-water-fracking http://www.hydraulicfracturing.com/Pages/information.aspx http://www.epa.gov/hydraulicfracture/ http://geology.com/articles/hydraulic-fracturing/

French Expressions Using Temps

French Expressions Using Temps The French word le temps literally means time or weather and is also used in many idiomatic expressions. Learn how to say spare time, job sharing, to pause, and more with this list of expressions with temps. Possible Meanings of Le  Temps time (but not when telling time in French)weather(grammar) verb tense(music) beat(science) phase, stage Expressions With Temps le TempsFather Timele temps daccà ¨s (computers)access timele temps dantenneairtimele temps darrà ªtpause, haltle temps astronomiquemean/astronomical timele temps atomiqueatomic timele temps composà © (grammar)compound verb tensele temps de cuissoncooking timele temps diffà ©rà © (computers)batch modele temps faibleweak beat, low pointle temps fortstrong beat, high pointle temps frappà © (music)downbeatle temps de guerrewartimele temps librespare timele temps littà ©raire (grammar)literary verb tensele temps mortstoppage, injury time; lull, slack periodle temps de paixpeacetimele temps de paroleair timele temps partagà © (computers)time-sharingle temps de pose (photography)exposure/value indexle temps de rà ©actionreaction timele temps de rà ©ponseresponse timele temps de saignement (medicine)bleeding timele temps que subjunctiveby the time (that) simple pastle temps sidà ©ralsidereal timele temps simple (grammar)simple verb tensele temps solaire vraiapparent/real solar timele temps surcomposà © (grammar)double-compound tensele temps universeluniversal timele temps de valsewaltz timeun adverbe de temps (grammar)adverb of time, temporal adverbun bon temps (sports)good time/resultle complà ©ment de temps (grammar)complement of time, temporal complementla concordance des temps (grammar)sequence of tensesle travail temps choisiflextime, flexitimele travail temps partagà ©job sharingsaccorder un temps de rà ©flexionto give oneself time to thinkarriver tempsto come just in timeattendre quelque tempsto wait a whileavoir du bon tempsto enjoy oneself, to have a good timeavoir du temps devant soito have time to spareavoir le temps (de faire)to have time (to do)se donner du bon tempsto enjoy oneself, to have a good timeà ªtre dans les tempsto be within the time limit, to be on schedule/time, to be ok for timeà ªtre de son tempsto be a man/woman of his/her timefaire son tempsto serve ones time (in the army/jail), to have ones dayfaire un temps de Tous saintto have grey and gloomy weathermarquer un temps darrà ªtto pausemettre du temps ( faire quelque chose)to take time (to do something)passer le plus clair de son temps rà ªverto spend most of ones time daydreamingpasser son temps ( faire)to spend ones time (doing)passer tout son temps ( faire)to spend all of ones time (doing)perdre du/son temps ( faire qch)to waste time/waste ones time (doing something)prendre du bon tempsto enjoy oneself, to have a good timeprendre le temps de faireto find/make time to dotravailler plein temps / temps pleinto work full-timetravailler temps partielto work part-timetuer le tempsto kill time Au temps pour moi  !My mistake!Avec le temps, à §a sarrangeraThings will sort themselves out in timeÇa remonte la nuit des tempsThat goes back to the dawn of time, Thats as old as the hillsÇa se perd dans la nuit des tempsIts lost in the mists of timeCela fait passer le tempsIt passes the timeCela prend trop de tempsIt takes (up) too much time, Its too time-consumingCest un signe des tempsIts a sign of the timesCà ©tait le bon tempsThose were the daysCe nest ni le temps ni le lieu deThis is neither the time nor the place for/toComme le temps passe  !  How time flies!Depuis le temps que je te le dis  !  Ive told you often enough!Donnez-moi le temps deGive me a minute toIl a pris son temps  !  He took his time (about it)!Il est temps de   infinitiveIts time toIl est/serait (grand) temps que   subjunctiveIts (high) time thatIl à ©tait temps  !About time! In the nick of time!Il faut bien passer le tempsYouve got to pass the time somehowIl faut à ªtre de s on tempsYou have to move with the timesIl faut donner/laisser du temps au tempsYou have to give these things timeIl nest plus temps deThe time for ___ is overIl nest que temps deIts high time toIl ny a pas de temps perdreTheres no time to loseIl y a un temps pour tout  (proverb)Theres a right time for everythingJe me suis arrà ªtà © juste le temps deI stopped just long enough toLa jeunesse na quun tempsYouth doesnt lastPrenez votre tempsTake your timeQuel temps fait-il  ? Hows the weather?Quels temps nous vivons  !What times we live in!Le temps cest de largent  (proverb)Time is moneyLe temps est venu deThe time has come to, its time toLe temps nest plus oà ¹Gone are the days whenLe temps perdu ne se rattrape jamais  (proverb)Time and tide wait for no manLe temps presseTime is shortLes temps ont bien changà ©Times have changedLes temps sont durs  !Times are hard!Vous avez tout votre tempsYou have all the time in the world / plenty of time / all the time you need deux/trois tempsin double/triple time tempsin time temps perduin ones spare timeau bon vieux tempsin the good old daysces derniers tempslately, recentlyces temps-cithese daysces temps dernierslately, recentlycombien de tempshow much timedans lancien tempsin the olden daysdans le bon vieux tempsin the good old daysdans ce temps-lat that timedans les derniers temps detowards the end ofdans un deuxià ¨me tempssubsequentlydans les meilleurs temps  (sports)among the best timesdans mon j eune tempsin my younger daysdans peu de tempsbefore longdans un premier tempsat first, to start with, the first phasedans quelque tempsbefore long, in a (little) whiledans le tempsin the old days, in the past, formerlyde mon tempsin my dayde tout tempssince the beginning of timede temps autrefrom time to time, every now and thende temps en tempsfrom time to time, every now and thendepuis combien de tempsfor how long, for how much time, since whendepuis quelque tempsfor some time, its been a while sincedepuis le temps queconsidering how long, in all the time that, its been a long time sincedu temps que tu y es  (informal)while youre at iten ce temps-lat that timeen ces temps troublà ©sin these/those troubled timesen deux temps, trois mouvements  (informal)in double time, very quickly, before you could say Jack Robinsonen peu de tempsin a short timeen temps et en heurein due courseen temps et lieuin due course, at the proper time (and place)en temps normalusually, under normal c ircumstancesen temps opportunat the appropriate timeen temps ordinaireusually, under normal circumstancesen temps utilein due timeen temps vouluin due timeen un temps oà ¹at a time whenentre temps, entre-tempsmeanwhile, in the meantimehors du tempstimelessil y a beau tempsfor a long timeil y a combien de temps  ? how long ago?les jeunes de notre tempsyoung people todayun moteur 4 temps4-stroke engineun ordinateur exploità © en temps rà ©elreal-time computerpar les temps qui courentthese days, nowadayspar temps clairon a clear day, in clear weatherpendant ce temps(-l)meanwhile, in the meantimepeu de temps avant/aprà ¨sshortly before/afterla plupart de son tempsmost of ones timela plupart du tempsmost of the timepour un tempsfor a whileles premiers tempsat first, in the beginningtout le tempsall the time

What You Should Know About Gender Dysphoria

What You Should Know About Gender Dysphoria The term gender dysphoria describes a strong feeling that one’s actual gender is different from the biological sex assigned to them at birth. Gender dysphoric persons born with male genitalia and physical characteristics may strongly feel they are actually females, while those born with female genitalia and physical characteristics may strongly feel they are actually males. Dysphoria is defined as a profound state of unease or dissatisfaction. Key Takeaways: Gender Dysphoria Gender dysphoria is a strong feeling that one’s actual gender is different from the biological sex assigned at birth.Children, adolescents, and adults may experience gender dysphoria.Gender dysphoria is not a mental illness.Gender dysphoria has no bearing on a person’s sexual preference.  Gender dysphoria was called â€Å"gender identity disorder† until 2013.Due to their differences from â€Å"gender norms, dysphoric people face significant challenges to gaining equality and social acceptance.Today, there is evidence that society is becoming more accepting of gender dysphoric people.   Gender dysphoria was formerly called â€Å"gender identity disorder.† However, this suggested that gender confusion was a mental illness, which it is not. In 2013, the â€Å"Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders† of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), acknowledged that gender confusion becomes a medical condition only if actually affects one’s health or well-being and renamed it gender dysphoria. It is important to understand that while gender dysphoria is a recognized medical condition, it is not a mental illness.   Examples of Gender Dysphoria Children, adolescents, and adults may experience gender dysphoria. For example, young biologic girls may prefer to wear boys’ clothing, participate in boys’ activities, and express their desire to grow up and live as men. Similarly, young biological boys may say they wish they were girls or state that they will grow up to be women. Gender dysphoric adults, feeling uncomfortable being treated by others according to the gender assigned to them by society, may adopt the behavior, clothing, and mannerisms of the gender with which they most closely identify. The Language of Gender Identity Understanding the true meaning and range of the gender dysphoria spectrum requires an understanding of some often-confused terms. For example, while they are often used interchangeably, â€Å"sex† and â€Å"gender† are not the same. According to current (2013) APA guidelines, the following definitions apply: â€Å"Sex† refers to the biological differences between males and females based strictly on internal and external sex organs and chromosomes present at birth.â€Å"Gender† refers to a person’s internal feelings of being male, female, a blend of both, or neither, according to generally accepted cultural or societal perceptions of masculinity or femininity. These personal feelings of masculinity or femininity make up one’s â€Å"gender identity.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Transgender† refers to persons whose sense of gender identity does not match their sex assigned at birth. For example, someone whose biological sex is male (has a penis) but who feels like a woman is a transgender. Transgender people often have a feeling that they were â€Å"born in the wrong body.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Transsexual† refers to gender dysphoric persons whose feelings of opposite-gender identity are so powerful that they take steps to assume the characteristics and gender-based roles o f persons of the opposite sex. Transsexual persons may seek medical assistance- such as hormone replacement therapy or gender- reassignment surgery- to effectively change their physical appearance or gender. â€Å"Gender Queer† refers to individuals whose gender identity and sometimes sexual orientation shift throughout their lifetimes.â€Å"Gender Fluid† applies to persons who embrace different gender identities at different times.â€Å"A-gendered† literally means â€Å"without gender,† and applies to people who identify as being of no gender at all.â€Å"Cis-gender† describes persons whose gender identity or sexual expression aligns with the sex assigned to them at birth. Gender Dysphoria and Sexuality Many people incorrectly associate gender dysphoria with same sex attraction, assuming that all transgender persons are gay. This is a dangerous and potentially harmful misconception. People with gender dysphoria typically live as straight, gay, or bisexual, exactly like those whose gender identity aligns with their biological sex. Basically, gender dysphoria has no bearing on a person’s sexuality. Brief History of Gender Dysphoria Descriptions of gender dysphoria’s feelings of discomfort with one’s anatomical sex first appeared in medical literature during the middle of the 19th century. Until the 1950s, gender nonconformity and same-sex relationships were almost universally considered to be socially objectionable forms of perversion. This negative perception began to change in late 1952 when Christine Jà ¸rgensen famously became the first American to undergo gender-reassignment surgery. After her secret surgery became known, she became one of the earliest advocates for the rights of transgender people. In 1957, sexologist John William Money created and advocated for the concept of gender as a separate entity from sex. As a result of Money’s research, the feeling of confusion between anatomical sex and gender identity was classified as a form of mental illness called â€Å"gender identity disorder† by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in 1980.  This terminology contributed to the stigmatization and discrimination still experienced by transgender and gender-fluid individuals today. Finally, in 2013, the APA recognized that â€Å"gender nonconformity is not in itself a mental disorder,† and reclassified â€Å"gender identity disorder† as â€Å"gender dysphoria,† which becomes a medical condition only if it results in actual mental or physical harm. Despite this turning point in understanding on the part of the medical community, transgender people continue to face significant challenges in gaining equality and social acceptance. Gender Dysphoria in Modern Society Today as always, society places great importance on gender norms- the â€Å"socially-acceptable† ways of expressing gender and sexuality. Gender norms are passed from generation-to-generation by parents, teachers, friends, spiritual leaders, the media, and other social institutions. Despite recent signs of better acceptance, such as legally-required transgender public bathrooms and gender-neutral college dorm rooms, many gender dysphoric persons continue to suffer as a result of their feelings. According to the APA, physicians typically require that transsexual or transgender persons seeking hormone therapy or gender-reassignment surgery must first be examined and referred by a mental health provider. Research conducted by the University of California in 2012, found that the rejection by the straight community experienced by transgender and transsexual people is actually significantly harsher than that experienced by lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people. In addition, a study conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network in 2009 found that transgender and transsexual students face much higher levels of on-campus harassment and violence than LGB students. Perhaps most significantly, a 2011 study conducted by the Institute of Medicine concluded that the marginalization of gender dysphoric people by society is having a devastating effect on their physical and mental health. For example, the study found substantially higher rates of substance abuse, attempted suicide and HIV infection, and other medical problems in transgender and transsexual persons than those occurring in the general population. Evidence of Change Today, there are important signs that a more hopeful era of understanding and acceptance for gender dysphoric people is at hand. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has banned all forms of discrimination against or harassment of individuals in the workplace because of their gender identity, including transgender status or sexual orientation. In addition, the U.S. Department of Defense now allows transgender, as well as gay and lesbian individuals to serve openly in all branches of the military. More clinical studies are exploring treatment techniques for transgender people who seek it, as well as ways to prevent discrimination and harassment. Finally, a growing number of universities are joining institutions like Brown, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale in offering health insurance plans that include coverage for hormone therapy or gender-reassignment surgery for transgender students, faculty, and staff. Sources Understanding Gender. GenderSpectrum.org. OnlineWeiss, Robert, LCSW. Heterosexual, Homosexual, Bisexual, Gender Dysphoric. Psychology Today. OnlineWhat Is Gender Dysphoria? American Psychiatric Association. OnlineZasshi, Seishin Shinkeigaku, 2012. The history of the concept of gender identity disorder. National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of HealthNorton, Aaron T. Herek, Gregory M. â€Å"Heterosexuals’ Attitudes Toward Transgender People: Findings from a National Probability Sample of U.S. Adults.† Psychology Department, University of California, Davis. January 10, 2012The 2009 National School Climate Survey. Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. ISBN 978-193409205-7The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding. Institute of Medicine. ISBN 978-0-309-21061-4

Cover Letter Writing Guide

Cover Letter Writing Guide When applying for a job, apart from your resume you should send your cover letter. Writing a great cover letter can get your foot in the hiring managers door, even if you dont have the perfect resume. Usually, there are only 2 types of cover letters – predictable and boring ones and the rare specimen† of cover letters that grab the hiring managers undivided attention and increase your chances of landing the job interview. Keep in mind that you need to accomplish these 4 aspects with your cover letter: Introduce yourself to the hiring manager. Explain why you should get the job. Write things you didnt describe in your resume. Give a short explanation of other aspects of your resume. Sections of ?over Letter In this regard, the standard format of the cover letter contains these 3 sections: 1. Contact Information At the beginning of your cover letter, you should write some personal information. In this section, you should briefly mention a basic info about yourself – degree, area of study/expertise, and your career goals (make sure that those terms align with the goals of the company). Tip: Find out to whom youre writing by researching. Use the companys official website, LinkedIn, or call the company and ask for the hiring managers name. Even if you write it wrong, the hiring manager will appreciate the effort youve made. 2. Introduction (self-promotion) In this section, its important to directly respond to the job description that hiring manager wrote. Explain how your skills, abilities, and previous job experiences can help you to meet the companys needs. The best way of doing this is by literally including words and phrases hiring manager used in the job description in your cover letter. Tip: Include a bulleted list of your accomplishments because that way your experience looks more impressive. 3. Conclusion The final paragraph is often called the call to action section of your cover letter. Inform the hiring manager that youre looking forward to meet in person. Write something like Thank you for taking the time to read my cover letter and thats it. Tip: Write that youll call or send e-mail in a week if you dont get back the response. That is a good way to show that you know how to take the initiative when needed. Cover Letter Page Format Congratulations! Now you have great content for your cover letter but your work isnt over yet. You should not forget about how your cover letter really looks and feels as its the document that gives hiring manager the first (and often the most relevant) impression about you. That is a very important aspect of the cover letter so you need to pay attention to elements such as font style and size, alignment, and margins. When it comes to the font style, its really a matter of choice. You should use a professional looking one that matches/or similar to the font used on the companys website. Standard font size is 10-12 depending on the font style you chose. Make sure that person who will read your cover letter will not strain the eyes. You should maintain a uniform alignment through the whole cover letter. Its the best to keep all paragraphs left-aligned. When we talk about margins, 1 – 1.5 margins are always a safe choice. If you are having troubles fitting everything on one page, you can make the margins little smaller but make sure not to make the content look crammed together. Formatting For Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a tool that most of the companies use during hiring process to make the reviewing applications faster. Its basically a software that works like some kind of resume database and sorts and organizes applications. Some of ATS are programmed to screen candidates based on the content you included in your resume. Conclusion If youve carefully read the guide above, you should be able to write a great cover letter. So, if youve responded directly to the job description, and included keywords and phrases from it in your own cover letter, you already have high chances of highlighting yourself among bunch of others. After all, your goal is to make the hiring manager to read your cover letter carefully. Your part is to write a great cover letter, in order to give you a higher chance of getting a job and if you feel like you need some help you can buy a cover letter from us. The rest is up to a hiring manager. Good luck!

Trusts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Trusts - Essay Example There are a number of benefits where trust is concerned. For instance, specific terms can be made hence controlling who or when distributions can be made (Ramjohn, 8). Agatha was a renowned business woman in London who was believed to be without parents and grew up in the streets. She had a fleet of public transit buses, 20 business stores, 5 clothing lines, and 30 restaurants among others. As fate would have it, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer final stages. Like any other person would do, she knew that she had to leave a responsible person to manage the assets. Her firstborn son was business oriented. Her youngest daughter was barely 16 years old. In her trust therefore, she let his son benefit from the business stores and the public transit buses only when he would marry and have at least one child. The rest of the property was a trust for her daughter Eva, after completing her master’s level of education so that she would be at a better position to manage. This infor mation was taken with great amazement by her children as none of them had any idea in the first place how much their mother had left for them. She had not shown any signs that she was leaving anything behind for them as they knew that she owned nothing much. Meanwhile, the family lawyer was left in charge of all property. A trust that is properly structured can protect an asset the creditors of the beneficiary or beneficiaries who are not at a position to wisely manage their money. A trust can also be allowed to change from a public record and become private (Watt & Todd, 20). Robert was brought up from a very rich background. However, due to peer influence and the fact that his parents never denied him anything, he turned out to be an arrogant man and a drunk. Unfortunately, his parents were involved in a road accident and were pronounced dead at the arrival of the hospital. As the only child, he was placed on a trust for the family business, a top cream 5 star hotel, only when he would stop taking alcohol and own up. When Robert learnt about the trust, he was taken aback. He never would have thought that his parents would ever make him a beneficiary for anything due to his irresponsible behavior. It took him a few days and Robert sought ways of becoming sober. The board of the hotel was therefore placed in charge until then (Watt & Todd, 45). Types of trusts Marital Trust- this is whereby the beneficiary is the surviving spouse. Adam, a mechanical engineer working for Ford Motors Company, has been overly ill. At the time of his date, he made a trust for his wife as a beneficiary of all his businesses which was approximated to be about a $2,000,000. This was done by Adam without his wife’s knowledge with his reason being that she may not carry his wishes to terms. He made his wife the beneficiary so that she would be at a position to educate their two children, Paul and Eva. Adam knew his wife too well and there was no other kin he had in mind to carry such obligations rather than his wife. Adam had not given his wife reason to believe that he would place a trust on for her. At first, his wife thought it was a big joke the minute she learnt about the figure placed in her trust. That is the time that she realized how much her husband believed in her. Charitable lead trust- This kind of trust allows some benefits or assets to go to charity and what remains can go to the beneficiaries (Clements & Ademola, 121). Thomas is a person who has worked at a number of hospitals. The last years of his living, he worked for Penzance hospital. He has several houses in St Ives and Penzance. In his will, Thomas decided to place a trust for charity in the Cornwall County. The charity was to

Synergy between law and business ethics Dissertation

Synergy between law and business ethics - Dissertation Example men intent on trying to maximise profit in business present a disposition for resisting illegal or immoral conduct based only on a fear of sanction imposed by law. Ethics, morality, virtue and that which is good means little, if nothing, to bad men. Because profit is important for business, and laws are rules that emerge after compromise between conflicting ideologies and ethical points of view to present grey areas and loopholes, creative attempts at circumvention are always possible. However, business itself cannot remain aloof from ethical conduct to remain unconcerned about business ethic because to do this presents a risk of damage and loss arising out of a lack of harmony with stakeholders. Thus, it makes sense for business to emphasise on an ethical culture in addition to compliance with law, and it makes sense for a government to enact and to implement fair laws to regulate business while emphasising on the ethic in business to deliver for all stakeholders. History has demons trated that law alone cannot deliver good business, and business depends on those that are well versed in both business and ethics to make the right decisions. For Aristotle, virtue, and personal integrity mattered most and this is still significant in the present day and age. Thus, a need exists for a synergy between law and business ethic to deliver ethical business in a society, and this dissertation examines this synergy of law and business ethics. (This page intentionally left blank) CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES ______________________________________ Business ethics derive from a broader concept of ethics that attempts to examine what is right and wrong behaviour for the conduct of business under a set of impressed circumstances. 1 Ethics is a branch of philosophy that tries... The author of the dissertation "Synergy between law and business ethics" considers that business ethics derive from a broader concept of ethics that attempts to examine what is right and wrong behaviour for the conduct of business under a set of impressed circumstances. Ethics is a branch of philosophy that tries to understand better morality, the derivation of moral principles and the application of morality to conduct of business or individuals. Within the context of business, no special set of ethical principles applies only to the world of business, and immoral acts are wrong regardless of whether or not a businessperson has committed them. Business ethics helps decide about what is right and wrong within the context of business settings to understand better moral issues arising from business practice, decision-making and the working of institutions. The conduct of business presents many challenges to those involved in business and reports of insider trading, fraudulent earning s tatements, and manipulation of corporate statements. demonstrates ethical challenges associated with the conduct of business. Ethical conduct must prevail in employment relationships, in relationship between business and customers, product safety, compensation of workers, sustainability in business operations and commitment of business to the uplift of a society in which it operates, etc. Failure of a business to act in an ethical manner damages parties that deal with a business, the society in which a business operates and the business itself.

The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant - Essay Example This essay discusses that the author cleverly represents a lot of elements through the diamond necklace, most prominent of which is the high social statuses and wealth. While a diamond necklace represents beauty in the real world, within the novel it is representing the evils of the society. The satirical reference is clearly visible during the story as Madame Loisel is not content with her dress which is worth 400 francs, but would rather have the necklace too. She considers it unruly and humiliating for herself to go amidst rich women with a dress but no expensive jewelry. When she is asked to select between the different jewelry items by her friend, she skips on the Venetian cross, pearl necklace, and bracelets, and selects a diamond necklace instead. This shows her thirst for wealth and needs to belong to the upper class. She clarifies it herself when she states that the party will be attended by many riches and she doesn’t want to feel left out because of her social statu s. In the late 1800s, wealth was a factor that many people cared about, and social class even more. Maupassant uses situational irony and the social satire to deliver his message that money is not always wealth. Maupassant learned from his seniors about observation and reporting of daily life occurrences in a biting way. Very rarely would he show the sympathy for his characters? The Necklace was also inspired by his clerical work experience in the Public Instructions Ministry.

Reflections of Nature-Nurture and the Issue of Cloning Essay

Reflections of Nature-Nurture and the Issue of Cloning - Essay Example As the discussion explores nature versus nurture is a shorthand expression for debates about the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities versus personal experiences in determining or causing physical and behavioral traits. In many instances, it has been found that genes do have a contribution to the intelligence and personality of an individual. This paper declares that the definition of ‘nurture’ would include not merely the care given by the parents but also one’s experience in the womb. In case of cloning, the experience in the womb is not possible and this challenges the ‘nature’ itself. Current studies in biology indicate that genes alone cannot determine the trait because the genes are never sufficient in isolation. A particular environment can influence a trait just as particular genes can influence the trait. The media too portrays clones as exact carbon copies with no unique traits but the environment that influences people’s behavior and personality. Genes merely dictate the shape and the number of neurons in the brain. The arrangement and the connection between these neurons determine the personality of the individual. According to the way the neurons function, a synapse is activated or triggered by a certain event or its corresponding action. The events and experience influ ence these connections, which ultimately influence the personality traits and determine a person’s behavior.

Why do I want to be a teacher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Why do I want to be a teacher - Essay Example In turn this will help the students to gain an insight into what is right and wrong and thereby become more careful in their decision making in their academic, personal life and all future endeavors. In addition to the learning environment, teachers play a vital role in shaping the personality of their students apart from teaching the subject and hence play a dual role of both an educator as well as a counselor. They share a special bonding with the student as they play the role of a parent in this second family. Teachers must take an interest in the academic and personal life of every student which would help them to find the right solutions in case of any problem. Mere teaching of the subject would only be a professional approach which will not create a bond between the teacher and the student. Spending quality time with all the students and an unbiased attitude would help the students to share a good comrade with their teachers. Nevertheless it is also important for the teacher to also bear in mind the limits of their relationship and also help the student to understand the same. When such an understanding is established it will prevent each one from taking advantage of the other.

Reflections of Nature-Nurture and the Issue of Cloning Essay

Reflections of Nature-Nurture and the Issue of Cloning - Essay Example As the discussion explores nature versus nurture is a shorthand expression for debates about the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities versus personal experiences in determining or causing physical and behavioral traits. In many instances, it has been found that genes do have a contribution to the intelligence and personality of an individual. This paper declares that the definition of ‘nurture’ would include not merely the care given by the parents but also one’s experience in the womb. In case of cloning, the experience in the womb is not possible and this challenges the ‘nature’ itself. Current studies in biology indicate that genes alone cannot determine the trait because the genes are never sufficient in isolation. A particular environment can influence a trait just as particular genes can influence the trait. The media too portrays clones as exact carbon copies with no unique traits but the environment that influences people’s behavior and personality. Genes merely dictate the shape and the number of neurons in the brain. The arrangement and the connection between these neurons determine the personality of the individual. According to the way the neurons function, a synapse is activated or triggered by a certain event or its corresponding action. The events and experience influ ence these connections, which ultimately influence the personality traits and determine a person’s behavior.

Management Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management Finance - Essay Example Behavioral issues of standard costing include planning and operational variances which further includes materials, sales and labor variances. Planning and operational variances mean when plans or standards of a budget are normally depending on the expected environment where targets are decided. But in reality if the environment is not same as the expected one then the actual performance is compared with the standard performance to measure the changed conditions. In planning variance, we compare the set up standard with the revised standard and in operational variance we compare the actual output with the revised standard. The other important behavioral issues of standard costing involve Variable overhead variance and fixed overhead variance. Variable overhead variance can be defined as the difference between the standard or planned variable overhead cost which is allowed for the actual output and the variable overhead cost that has actually occurred. The variance is also called as ex penditure variance as the variable overhead cost can vary with change in production thus a change in expenses amount can also be the reason of such variance (Drury, 2008, p.432). It can be expressed as follows- Fixed overhead is the portion of total overhead cost variance which can be occurred due to the difference between the standard cost of fixed overhead allowed for the output which is produced in actual. And the actual fixed overhead cost incurred. Fixed overhead variance can be derived as- Fixed overhead further expands itself as a. Budget or Expenditure Variance and b. Volume variance. Budget or expenditure variance is known as that portion of fixed overhead variance which occurs because of difference between actual fixed overheads and planned or budgeted fixed overheads during a particular period of time. It can be derived as follows- Volume Variance is the portion of fixed overhead variance which happens due to the difference between standard costs of fixed overhead which i s allowed for the actual output and the planned fixed overheads for the particular period in which the actual out has been produced (Drury, 2008, p.438). Volume variance can derived as follows- Apart from measuring the variance analysis, we should also focus on the relationship between variance analysis and behavioral issues that occurs in an organization. Variance analysis measures the performance ability of the managers (Izhar, 2001, p.294). Managers know that their performing ability is judged by the variance analysis and their risk and reward depend either on adverse or on favorable result of variance analysis. Thus they have two ways, either they will work hard to achieve the standard amounts or they can manipulate the planned amounts. For this reason the organization should distinguish between controllable cost and uncontrollable cost. Controllable cost can be defined as those cost which can be controlled by the managers if they are efficient enough like cost of labor. It is a controllable cost and if management is efficient then they can reduce the labor cost by reducing number of the inefficient labors. They will hire only those labors that are skilled and efficient in the production line. Uncontrollable costs are those costs which cannot be controlled by management like cost of raw materials. Management cannot influence the cost of raw materials in the market (Bhattacharyya, 2011, pp. 539-540). Thus if the managers are judged by planning variance then they will be discouraged and de-motivated. It

Preparation of Identification by Ir and Nmr Spectroscopy Essay Example for Free

Preparation of Identification by Ir and Nmr Spectroscopy Essay The reactive acid chloride can then be treated with a primary or secondary amine to give the amide along with HCl, which reacts with the excess amine to give an alkylammonium chloride salt. The mechanism of this process is shown on the following page in Scheme 22: [pic] Scheme 2 To carry out this reaction, the apparatus shown in Figure 1 will be assembled. The apparatus must be dry, since thionyl chloride will react with water to give sulfur dioxide and hydrogen chloride. The acid chloride will then be cooled to room temperature and dissolved in anhydrous ether. Ice-cold diethylamine will be added as a solution in anhydrous ether to form the amide. The resulting ether mixture will washed with aqueous sodium hydroxide (to remove any excess acid chloride), then washed with hydrochloric acid (to remove any excess diethylamine). The resulting ether solution of DEET will be dried and evaporated to yield the crude product, which will then be purified by column chromatography to afford pure DEET. The percent yield from m-toluic acid will be determined and the product will be analyzed by transmission infrared spectroscopy (IR) as a neat sample using NaCl plates5 to confirm its structure by (1) looking at the major absorptions and comparing them to a correlation table6 and (2) by comparing the spectrum to that of an authentic sample. Thionyl chloride is toxic and corrosive! Do not breath the vapors! Use in a hood! When heating a reaction apparatus, be sure that it is open to the air so that pressure build up and subsequent rupture of the apparatus does not occur. When heating liquids, make sure the liquid is stirred (or a boiling chip is added) to prevent â€Å"bumping†. When performing an extraction, make sure to vent the separatory funnel often to prevent pressure build-up. The apparatus shown in Figure 1 was assembled. The 10-mL reaction flask was charged with 0. 275 g of m-toluic acid (0. 0020 mol) and 0. 30 mL of thionyl chloride (0. 492 g, 0. 0041 mol). The condenser water was started, and the mixture was gently heated with stirring on an aluminum block (block temp ~ 90 oC) until boiling started. The reaction mixture was then gently boiled for about 15 minutes. After the boiling period was finished, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature. 4. 0 mL of anhydrous ether were added, and the mixture was stirred at room temperature until a homogeneous mixture was obtained. To this solution was added (dropwise over a 15 minute period) a solution of 0. 6 mL of cold (0 oC) diethylamine (0. 462 g, 0. 0063 mol) in 1. 33 mL of anhydrous ether. During the addition, a thick white cloud of diethylamine hydrochloride was formed. After complete addition, the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for about 10 minutes. 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide (2 mL) was then added, and the reaction mixture was stirred for an additional 15 minutes at room temperature, then poured into a separatory funnel and allowed to separate. The aqueous layer was discarded, and the organic layer was washed with an additional portion of 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide (2 mL), followed by a portion of 10% hydrochloric acid (2 mL). The organic layer was washed with water (2 mL), dried (Na2SO4) and evaporated to yield crude N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide as dark brown liquid. The crude product was filtered through a short alumina column using hexane as the eluent (~ 5 mL). The hexane solution was evaporated to give 0. 340 g of pure N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide as a yellow liquid. Reaction of m-toluic acid with thionyl chloride, followed by diethylamine produced 0. 340 g of a yellow liquid the IR spectrum of which unequivocally showed the presence of the amide carbonyl functional group at 1633 cm-1. In addition, absorptions due to aliphatic C-H (2980 – 2880 cm-1), and aromatic C=C (at 1585 cm-1). The IR spectrum is attached to this report. These data are consistent with the structure of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), shown in Figure 2 below: [pic] Figure 2: N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) In addition, the IR of the product closely corresponds with that of an authentic sample of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) shown in the lab text. 9 Also, the 1H-NMR shows the presence of four (4) aromatic protons in the region 7. 3 – 7. 1 ppm, as well as a three (3) proton singlet at 2. 35 ppm, which corresponds to the benzylic methyl group. The presence of two ethyl groups is clearly shown by the presence of two quartets which integrate to 2 protons each at 3. 53 and 3. 24 ppm, and two triplets which integrate to 3 protons each at 1. 23 and 1. 09 ppm.

Reflection On Nature And Nurture Philosophy Essay

Reflection On Nature And Nurture Philosophy Essay The theme of Nurture v. Nature is a topic of heated debates. Different scientists in many branches of science still can not find agreement about the degree of influence of hereditary and social factors on human development. Carolyn Csongradi in her article Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes? explores this theme and gives her opinion on the topic. The author investigates how relation between nature and nurture influence thinking processes. The research is very interesting because the process of human thinking and cognition is another object of controversy and heated debates and the author unites two interesting and controversial topics in one article. In the first part of the article she explores different approaches to the problem of nature v. nurture influence. The author of the article explores different theories which investigate the relation between hereditary and social influence. The article is interesting because the author gives arguments from different field of human science. She approaches the problem from different perspectives and this gives the readers opportunity to get a detailed information on the topic. Those who believe that hereditary factors have greater influence on human development believe that genetic information determine human personalities and behavior. Of course some behavioral patterns may be nurtured but still major influence belongs to hereditary factors. According to evolutionary approach our knowledge and reactions are inborn but they may be modified by upbringing and society. Evolutionists believe that the most important knowledge about the world is selected by natural selection and passed through time and generation. This kind of information helps different spices to survive. According to Darwin, the founder of the Evolutionary Theory, instincts which are useful for the survival of the entire spice are more valuable and that is the reason why some behavioral patterns became suitable for the life in the society. During the 1800s, Charles Darwin speculated that certain rules for conflict arbitration were needed at the point in time when a species evolved a longer mem ory, a keener imagination and became involved in social contracts. For example, a bird, which could leave an active nest to migrate with her group, choosing that instinct over the one to nurture, would find this choice too difficult with a better memory (Csongradi). Neurological studies described by the author of the article show that nature prevails over nutrition. As an example the author speaks about the research of Oliver Sacks, who investigated behavior of savants people with extraordinary artistic abilities. Oliver Sacks finally came to the conclusion that surrounding has little influence on the abilities of these people. They are not dependant on the things which surround them and on the people around them. Then the author turns to philosophical investigation on the topic. The author turns to the opinion of outstanding philosophers, such as Hume and Kant, who underlined the important role of hereditary factors in human behavior and development. Kant believed we inherited certain categories or concept grids on which experiences could be sorted or organized (Csongradi). Freud, famous behaviorist and the founder of psychoanalysis, also believed that nature became that factor which determined human behavior and reactions. Descartes, famous philosopher of the 16th century expressed even more radical view. He doubted the existence of any objects outside of human mind. The author of the article gives description of the simple experiment which proves that our reactions and perceptions are determined by our mind. This simple experiment very vividly illustrates that human mind determines our perception and experience. In this experiment three bowls of water are put on the table. One bowl of water is hot, another is very cold and the third one is tepid. The participant of the experiment puts one hand in the cold water and another hand in the hot one. After several minutes he places both hands in the bowl with tepid water. The sensations in two hands will be different. This experiment proves that human mind influences our perception of reality. The author also gives arguments against natural approach. As she states there exist values which are not necessary for the survival of the spice. Certain qualities were developed not only through natural selection process and this fact raises doubts concerning natural approach. Such qualities as altruism, truthfulness or justice contradict to natural approach because they are not always necessary for the survival of the spice. Some choices may even result in the death of an individual but still there are people who make these choices. Carolyn Csongradi made interesting investigation on the theme of relation between genetic and social influence on the development of human personality. In her article she provides information in interesting and convenient manner. Information is divided into subcategories which makes it convenient to get the authors idea. It is evident that Csongradi stands for natural approach. Her thesis is clearly formulated in the beginning of the article. She presents several groups of arguments in order to prove her position. These groups are: philosophical discussion, neurological studies, evolutionary view. These three sections present different kinds of proofs for the naturalistic approach. The author uses research data. She bases her conclusions on the research of the contemporary scholars. In addition, she addresses famous philosophers of the past in order to give proofs of her position. Csongradi descries neurological research and studies which give proofs to natural approach to the person ality formation. In addition, the author describes simple experiment with water which can also prove to which extend our perception is conditioned by our mind. Big number of references at the end of the article proves that the author addresses multiple sources in her research. At the end of the article Csongradi describes arguments of the opposing side. She gives data which does not fit smoothly into the theory of natural approach and evolutionary selection. She gives arguments which must provoke reader for their own reflections on the topic. In general, the article gives interesting and trustworthy data on the theme of natural and social influence on the individual. The article Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes? A New Look at an Old Debate by Carolyn Csongradi can be found in the site of National Health Museum (http://www.accessexcellence.org). In these site specialists and researches in different fields of human knowledge discuss questions of human health, bioethics and other important questions. The information presented in the website may be regarded as trustworthy. Despite the site contains advertisements, it does not refer directly to the themes of the articles. The articles presented in the site are written by specialists and presented in simple and interesting manner in order to give different people opportunity to expand their knowledge in different fields. Csongradi, Carolyn Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes? A New Look at an Old Debate http://www.accessexcellence.org/LC/SER/BE/whata.php Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes?A New Look at an Old Debate by Carolyn Csongradi What Is The Relationship Between Nature And Nurture In The Acquisition Of Knowledge? Nature is more influential than nurture: Knowledge arises from genetic information honed by a process of natural selection. Some portions of this knowledge might be nurtured, but genetically determined forms also may modify how we categorize our experiences. Evolutionary view: From an evolutionary point of view, certain things we know about the world are innate, although modifiable by interactions with family, education, religion and society. This knowledge about objects and what is valued is natural having been selectively reinforced over time. For instance, pack behavior observed in wolves is a form of collective behavior which supports kinship preferences and caring, while perpetuating a common genetic pool. These core values, associated with social groups, were used long ago by individuals who were successful in their primitive world and had the greatest chance of procreation. Accurately understanding the world enhanced both group and individual survival. During the 1800s, Charles Darwin speculated that certain rules for conflict arbitration were needed at the point in time when a species evolved a longer memory, a keener imagination and became involved in social contracts.(29) For example, a bird, which could leave an active nest to migrate with her group, choosing that instinct over the one to nurture, would find this choice too difficult with a better memory. He argued that certain instincts, such as caring for young as opposed to making a rapid decision to leave, were preferentially selected in any conflict because those values had longer lasting consequences. (30) A reasonable alternative interpretation might be that those behaviors encouraging the survival of young also perpetuated those genes which might select for altruism at least among relatives. This form of altruism enhances the survival of the genotype of the altruist. Altruism for non-relatives is quite a different story because the personal pay-off or gain is less easil y discerned. Neurological studies: Oliver Sacks, author and neurologist, has devoted much of his recent book to describing the unique behavior of a group of his patients who are savants.(37) A savant is someone who demonstrates an extraordinary talent in a particular field such as art, music, or mathematics. A large percentage of savants are autistic with limitations in their ability to personally relate to others. Sacks became friends with a young boy named Stephen, who was an autistic savant, capable of memorizing complex scenery at a glance and retaining the information for months. When asked he would accurately construct a pen and ink sk etch from what he had observed earlier. He started his pictures at one edge of the paper, working across to the other edge, filling in the framework and all the details without an outline. While drawing, the house could come down and Stephen would not notice. He sometimes took artistic license and added features which did not originally exist, but the basics, the original flavor, remained. In a sense, having demonstrated his enormous talent at an early age, he had little need for nurture from the environment or from other humans. Philosophical discussion: In examining the relationship between what was inherited and what was learned from experience, philosophers Hume and Kant were echoed by the behaviorist, Freud, when they spoke of natures contribution as a force to be reckoned with, educated or subdued. Human nature was always a fact to contend with. In a more extreme view from the 1500s, Descartes questioned whether anything existed outside of the mind. He finally conceded that if there were real things instead of only our thoughts about them, God was responsible for the interpretation. Kant, who realized that Descartes position made all knowledge subjective to each individual, tried to move away from this restrictive view and proposed that the mind was an active participant in knowledge acquisition, constructing certain aspects of an experience. Kant believed we inherited certain categories or concept grids on which experiences could be sorted or organized. (5) To understand how the mind might construct an experience, the following experiment should be helpful. Obtain three bowls each holding about a gallon of liquid. Arrange them so that the first bowl contains hot water; the second, tepid; and the third, very cold water. Simultaneously, place your left hand in the hot water and you right in the cold. Wait one minute and immerse both hands in the tepid water. What has each hand told you about the temperature? Additional examples of the minds involvement in interpreting experience are seen with optical illusions, the unnoticed retinal blind spot and other adaptive behaviors found in the nervous system. One of the problems with a purely nature based argument is how to explain the existence or continuing survival of certain values which may involve actions for which there is no obvious natural selection pressure. For example, why should a choice be made contrary to an individuals stated preferences or which may result in actual punishment? Altruism for non-related individuals, truthfulness and justice as fairness are values difficult to support from an evolutionary view, particularly when some choices cause the death of an individual, effectively removing those genes from the pool. Hypothesizing these as primarily inherited values would generate a requirement for a very complex set of genetic directions having a large common human base of reference. The search for a potential common morality has provoked more debate than agreement among anthropologists, theologians, and philosophers.(33)