Fuel cells Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fuel cells - Essay Example This is then used to run a turbine to produce electricity. Thus there are many intermediate steps each with certain efficiency (always less than 100%) associated with each of them. This is because thermal energy is the worst form of energy with maximum entropy and therefore can never be converted fully into useful work. Now the overall efficiency of chemical potential energy to electricity conversion is a product of efficiency of each of the intermediate steps and therefore is much smaller. The best thermal power plants operate at maximum conversion efficiency of about 40%. Also, the combustion products are highly polluting adding to carbon emission and global warming. Fuel cells on the other hand convert the chemical potential energy directly into electricity and thus have very high conversion efficiency which is typically 70%. Besides, the reaction products are relatively harmless and in many cases completely harmless. Thus fuel cells are being seen as power plants of future and a tangible potential solution for containing the menace of carbon emission and therefore, global warming. These are already into many specialized and high end applications. In this report the basic principle, related developments and current and potential applications of fuel cells are briefly discussed. A fuel cell is like a galvanic cell. It directly converts chemical energy into electricity and is highly efficient. It is now possible to make such cells in which reactants are fed continuously to the electrodes and products are removed continuously from the electrolyte compartment. Galvanic cells that are designed to convert the energy of combustion of fuels like hydrogen, methane, methanol, etc. directly into electrical energy are called fuel cells. Such a fuel cell was used for providing electrical power in the Apollo space program. The water vapors produced during the reaction were

Connections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Connections - Essay Example Generally, protests are carried out against immoral and unjust actions. If protests are violent, they could be immoral themselves or a source of injustice. Therefore, they will not be effective because they are like the very thing that they are protesting against. Due to this, non-violent protests are more effective than violent protests. The first historical example which comes to mind is the British colonialism of the United States. The Americans could not peacefully protest against this because the British had an army behind them and violently opposed any protests to their presence in the United States. Therefore, the only form of protest which could achieve the removal of the British from America was violence. The second historical example which comes to mind is the secession of the Confederate States. The North and all Americans who opposed the division of their country into two could not protest against this in a non-violent way. The confederate states had gathered their armies and had declared their secession from the United States of America. The only way that this development could be reversed was through violence, which means that protest had to take the form of military confrontation. The type of direct action which martin Luther King called for was peaceful protest in the form of sit-ins and marches.

Relationship Between Religiosity And Prejudice Psychology Essay

Relationship Between Religiosity And Prejudice Psychology Essay The literature on the relationship between religiosity and prejudice has shown inconsistent findings. We argue that it is necessary to distinguish between different types of religiosity and that the relationship with prejudice is mediated by different values. Results of two studies conducted in Italy showed that identified religiosity and introjected religiosity predict different levels of prejudice towards Muslim immigrants. Moreover, the negative relationship between identified religiosity and prejudice was mediated by prosocial values, whereas valuing conformity mediated the positive relationship between introjected religiosity and prejudice. In sum, results showed that it is possible to better understand the relationship between religiosity and prejudice by disentangling the different ways of being religious. Keywords: religious identity, religious internalization, values, prejudice Religiosity and Prejudice: Different Patterns for Two Types of Religious Internalization Are religious people more tolerant? The question about the relationship between religiosity and prejudice always elicited opposite answers. From one side, one would expect that religious people are more accepting of minority out-groups, basing on the idea that most religions teach love for others (see Hunsberger Jackson, 2005). From the other side, not all people describing themselves as religious have positive out-group attitudes; on the contrary, this relationship often goes in the opposite direction, with more religious people being more prejudiced (see the review by Batson, Schoenrade, Ventis, 1993). It is now evident that, in order to approach these conflicting answers, it is necessary to differentiate between the different ways of being religious (see also Leak Finken, 2011), and to investigate which people, among religious people, are more tolerant and which are not. The most common distinction is between an intrinsic and an extrinsic religious orientation (Allport and Ross, 1967): according to these distinction, intrinsic religiosity is connected with low prejudice whereas extrinsic religiosity is related to relatively high levels of prejudice. However, empirical research investigating the link between religiosity and prejudice has not clearly supported these connections and, therefore, this distinction does not seem to offer a clear understanding of the inconsistent link between religiosity and prejudice (Hunsberger Jackson, 2005). Another attempt to analyze the relationship between religiosity and prejudice has been to identify intervening variables. Indeed, scholars identified other constructs than can influence the positive or negative effects of religiosity on prejudice. Research showed that differences in prejudice can be explained by considering the mediating role of, for example, political ideology and right-wing authoritarianism (e.g., Rowatt et al., 2009), religious fundamentalism (e.g., Altemeyer Hunsberger, 1992), and sense of meaning (Hunsberger Jackson, 2005). The aim of the present research is to make a further contribution to the understanding of the relationship between religiosity and prejudice, by analyzing two forms of religious internalization and by examining value endorsement as a mediating variable. In particular, we focus on the distinction between what is called indentified regulated religiosity and introjected regulated religiosity (Ryan, Rigby, King, 1993). In addition, we consider the role of the endorsement of prosocial values and conformity values as mediators in the relationship between religiosity and prejudice. The findings of two studies that examine the attitude towards Muslim immigrants of young adults in Italy will be presented. Religious Identification and Introjection Research on religiosity and prejudice has used Allport and Ross (1967) distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation (see Batson, Schoenrade, Ventis, 1993). Recently, some scholars questioned the usefulness of this distinction (e.g., Cohen, Hall, Koenig, Meador, 2005; Flere Lavric, 2007) and revised it (Neyrinck, Lens, Vansteenkiste, Soenens, 2010) by using theories of human motivation such as self-determination theory (Deci Ryan, 1985; Ryan Deci, 2000). An alternative distinction has been offered by research in the field of self-determination theory, which proposed a specific conceptualization of the different ways in which religious values are endorsed and religious behavior regulated. Beliefs can be endorsed in a superficial and conditional way depending on circumstances and social pressures (heteronomy), or in a personal and independent way (autonomy) (Ryan Deci, 2000). Within this framework, two types of religiosity emerged that vary in their relative autonomy: introjected regulation and identified regulation (Ryan, Rigby and King, 1993). The former represents religious beliefs and behaviors that are predominantly based on social pressures and the approval of others. The latter represents adoption of beliefs as personal convictions and the enactment of religious behaviors that are personally chosen and valued (Ryan et al., 1993). Introjected and identified internalization of religion appear to be differently associated to psychological outcomes with the latter having positive and the former negative effects on mental health, psychological adjustment, and self-esteem (Ryan et al., 1993). Whereas the psychological implications of both types of religiosity have been examined, little is known about their social implications. In particular, the relation between types of religious internalization and prejudice has not been investigated. In this study we propose that identified internalization may be related to lower prejudice towards Muslim immigrants, which in the Italian context is a significant and generally negatively evaluated minority out-group (Strabac Listhaug, 2008). In fact, individuals who are deeply identified with their religion can be expected to privately endorse religious principles of prosociality and tolerance, if they feel that their religion values prosociality and tolerance. Accordingly, they should display relatively positive out-group attitudes. In contrast, individuals who mainly introject their religiosity do not privately endorse such values but rather seek approval from significant and generalized others, as they feel that to be religious is to be like the majority of people. In view of the wide-spread negative attitudes towards Muslim immigrants in Italy they, therefore, can be expected to be more prejudiced towards Muslim immigrants. Thus, our prediction is that identified religious people will show significant lower levels of prejudice towards Muslim immigrants than introjected religious people. Religiosity and Values Research on religiosity and prejudice has tried to shed light on the reasons why religious people are less or more prejudiced by examining mediating variables (e.g., Rowatt et al., 2009). In the present paper, we consider values as possible mediators between religiosity and prejudice. Thus, we assume that the different values associated with the different ways of being religious can influence the relationship between religiosity and prejudice. Research investigating the relationship between religiosity and values can be broadly divided into two types. A first group of studies focuses on the relationship between religiosity and conformism. For example, a meta-analysis by Saroglou, Delpierre and Dernelle (2003), including 21 samples from15 different countries, examined the link between religiosity and Schwartzs (1992) model of human values. The analysis showed that religiosity is mainly associated with valuing the maintenance and adoption of social and cultural rules and conventions. A second group of studies highlights the association between religiosity and prosocial values. For example, in his review Regnerus (2003) found that religious adolescents are more likely to be involved in prosocial behaviours than non religious peers. Furthermore, Hardy and Carlo (2005) showed that prosocial values partially mediate the relationship between religiosity and prosocial behaviors. These studies indicate that religiosity is associated with valuing conformity as well as prosociality and these two sets of values are likely to play a different role in intergroup attitudes. In general, the prosocial value of concern for the welfare of others tends to lead to accepting and positive behavior (Hardy Carlo, 2005), whereas valuing conformity and respect for tradition tends to lead to discrimination of non-traditional out-groups, including immigrant groups in Italy (Sniderman, Peri, de Figueiredo, Piazza, 2002). We expected conformity values to be most strongly connected with introjected religiosity because this type of religious belief is predominantly based on approval of others. In contrast, prosocial values were expected to be connected with identified religiosity. In turn, the conformity and prosocial values were expected to be independently associated with prejudice. Thus, the second prediction of the current research is that higher identified religiosity is asso ciated with lower levels of prejudice because of the endorsement of prosocial values, whereas higher introjected religiosity is associated with higher levels of prejudice because of the endorsement of conformity values. The Present Study In the present study, we tested the relationship between religious internalization and anti-Muslim prejudice, and the potential mediational role of prosocial and conformity values. We predicted two paths: identified religious people should endorse in a greater way the religious principles of prosociality and tolerance, thus, we expected a path from identified religiosity to less prejudice, via the endorsement of prosocial values Because of the other-based-approval of introjected religiosity and because those who prize conformity will tend to yield to social pressure and have more negative attitudes toward immigrant groups (Sniderman et al., 2002), we expected the endorsement of conformity to mediate the relationship between introjected religiosity and prejudice. Method Participants. Participants were 164 Italian young adults, self-identified as Catholics, of age between 17 and 30 (M = 21.68, SD = 3.20), with 64.2 % females. Procedure. Participants were contacted by a member of the research team in schools and religious associations. They were asked to fill in an online questionnaire and participation was voluntary. Participants who completed the questionnaire had the chance to take part in a prize draw. All respondents signed an informed consent form before completing the questionnaire. Measures. Respondents completed the questionnaire in Italian. All the measure included were translated into Italian with a back-translation procedure, as recommended by the guidelines of the International Test Commission (Hambleton, 1994). The Christian Religious Internalization Scale (Ryan et al, 1993) was developed for research with a Christian population and measures the reasons why a person engages in religious behavior. There are two reliable and validated subscales, Introjected Religiosity and Identified Religiosity (response scale: 1, not at all true, 7, very true). Two example items for the introjected religiosity subscale (five items) are: an important reason why I attend church is because one is supposed to go to church, when I turn to God, I most often do it because I would feel guilty if I didnt. Example items for the identified religiosity subscale (six items) are: when I turn to God, I most often do it because I find it satisfying to me, an important reason why I attend church is that by going to church I learn new things. In the present sample Cronbachs alpha showed acceptable values (introjected religiosity ÃŽÂ ± = .70; identified religiosity ÃŽÂ ± = .86). Prosocial values were measured with five items adapted from Flanagan, Cusmille, Gill, and Gallay (2007). The scale prompt is the question When you think about your life and your future, how important isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Subsequently, participants are asked to respond to five items (5-point scale): to do something in order to build a better society, helping those who are less fortunate, to make a contribution to your country, etc. (ÃŽÂ ± = .82) Prejudice towards Muslims. Following Verkuyten and Yildiz (2010) we focused on the acceptance of Muslim immigrants expressing their religious identity in Italy. Using five items, participants were asked to indicate their agreement (7-point scale) with Muslims expressive rights. Two examples are: to show and express their religion in public life, to wear a headscarf. The scores were recoded so that a higher score means less acceptance of Muslims rights and, thus, more prejudice (ÃŽÂ ± = .87). Conformity. Following Snidermans et al. (2002) research in Italy, participants were asked to rate their agreement (7-point scale) with four statement about conformity values. Two example items are: one should distrust those who act differently from most people; rules are there for people to follow, not to try to change (ÃŽÂ ± = .71). Results and Discussion Constructs were modeled as single-indicator observed variables, by calculating the mean score of the scale items. We conducted a series of path analyses with prejudice towards Muslims as the dependent variable, using the software Amos 16. Means, standard deviations and intercorrelations among the variables are displayed in Table 1. The mean for identified religiosity is higher than for introjected religiosity (t = 21.22, p. Table 1. Means, Standard Deviations and Correlations. Variables 1 2 3 4 5 1. Identification 2. Introjection .36** 3. Prosocial values .44** .12 4. Conformity .06 .18* -.01 5. Muslim prejudice -.07 -.05 -.27** .35** Mean 4.67 2.51 4.03 3.08 3.67 SD 1.17 0.94 .73 1.18 1.60 *p We first tested a model in which introjection, identification, prosocial values and conformity values were independent predictors of prejudice towards Muslims. Fit indices for this model were not acceptable (à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ² (5) = 34.321, p. We then tested a full mediation model, whereby the influence of introjection and identification on anti-Muslim prejudice was carried respectively by the endorsement of prosocial and conformity values. The model showed a good fit with the data (à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ² (5) = 2.341, p. > .05; NFI= .97; CFI= 1.00; RMSEA= .00, 90% confidence interval: .00- .07) and accounted for 20.0 % of variance in prejudice towards Muslims. Significant parameters from this model are shown in Figure 1. We then calculated the indirect effects on the basis of Preacher and Hayes (2008) bootstrapping method. There was a significant indirect effect from identified religiosity via prosocial values on anti-Muslim prejudice (the standardized indirect effect was estimated as -.12; this value lies between the estimated 95 % confidence interval, -.03 to -.22). There was also a significant indirect effect from introjected religiosity via conformity to prejudice towards Muslims (ÃŽÂ ² = .06, 95% confidence interval: .01 to .12). To further examine our mediational hypotheses we tested an alternative model in which the endorsement of prosocial and conformity values predicted the outcome measure indirectly through identified and introjected religiosity, respectively. The fit indexes for this model were not acceptable (à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ² (6) = 52.763, p. .44** Prosocial values Identification -.28** -.12* Prejudice towards Muslims .36** .06* .36** .18* Introjection Conformity Figure 1. Results of the path analysis showing the empirical mediation of prosocial values and valuing conformity. Solid lines represent direct effects and dashed lines represent indirect effects. Numbers are standardized regression weights. **p In sum, the findings confirm the prediction of the independent associations of identified and introjected religiosity with prejudice. Besides, they also confirm the mediational hypotheses about the role of values endorsement. In particular, there appeared to be two pathways: one from identified religiosity via the endorsement of prosocial values to lower prejudice towards Muslims, and the other from introjected religiosity to valuing conformity to higher prejudice. General Discussion The research aimed to test the prediction that different forms of religious internalization are independently associated with prejudice, and that these associations are mediated by the endorsement of different types of values. Thus, we selected a religious sample in order to shed light on the different ways of being religious. Results showed that higher identified religiosity was related to stronger acceptance of Muslims rights (i.e. lower prejudice) and that this was connected to the endorsement of prosocial values. Conformity values which accounted for the indirect relationship between introjected religiosity and prejudice. A first interesting finding is that religious identification and religious introjection were independently and in contrasting ways related to prejudice. They emerged as two dimensions of religiosity that are indirectly associated with prejudice, one with a positive sign and the other one with a negative sign. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such a clear pattern emerge. Therefore, this conceptualization of religiosity could be a useful model that is able to overcome some of the problems with Allport and Ross (1967) distinction, that was not systematically and consistently related to prejudice (see Hunsberger Jackson, 2005). A second finding is that, in agreement with research on values and religiosity (Saroglou et al., 2003), we found a relationship between religiosity and conformity and with the endorsement of prosocial values. Additionally, we were able to identify which form of religious internalization predicts the association with which set of values. Prosocial values were clearly connected with identified religiosity, whereas valuing conformity was associated with introjected religiosity. A third result that contributes to the literature relates to self-determination theory (Ryan et al., 1993). The findings enrich Ryan et al. (1993) conceptualization because they empirically show that the difference between identified and introjected religiosity not only has consequences for individual well-being but also for value endorsement and thereby for prejudice. In fact, the different ways of being religious are strongly associated to different values and this lead to opposite outcomes. Conclusion In the present study, we aimed at investigating the relation between different types of religious internalization and different levels of prejudice. The study indeed presents some limitations, first because of the correlational nature of data and second because of the composition of the sample. In fact, participants are of young age and all live in Italy, making it difficult to generalize the findings to other countries, maybe where religiosity has a different distribution among the population. Similarly, we need to examine other targets of prejudice (e.g., Jews, homosexuals) before reaching general conclusions. Nevertheless, we think that some interesting directions for future research a can be drawn from these findings. A first one refers to the internalization of religion: identified internalization turned out to be a form of religiosity that has the potential to encourage prosocial orientations and out-group tolerance. Thus, it would be interesting, for future research, to look at the factors that promote identified religiosity among religious groups and families (e.g., Assor, Cohen-Malayev, Kaplan, Friedman, 2005). A second suggestion is that future research should investigate other determinants of individual differences in religiosity and try to identify the different ways of being religious with their specific consequences (Pargament, 2002): for example, it is possible that not only identified and introjected internalization have effects on prejudice, but also religious practices and participation in religious organizations and groups(e.g., prayer, church attendance, volunteering, et c.). To sum up, our research add to the investigation of religiosity and prejudice by showing that two forms of religious internalization have independent and contrasting associations with prejudice, and that these associations are accounted by the endorsement of different values. This means that religiosity can both promote and hinder positive intergroup relations, depending on the way religion is internalized and the related values that are endorsed. This seems to indicate that more research is needed about the different ways of being religious and the mediational mechanisms that intervene in the religiosity-prejudice link.

Computers in the Educational System :: Education Teaching

Computers in the Educational System A little over ten years ago the world was on the brink of a monumental revolution. The computer was rapidly becoming more accessible to a wider range of people. Before the world knew it computers were brought down from a room sized machine that could only be operated by a trained professional to a shoe box sized machine that just about anybody could operate. Nowadays computers are used everyday of our lives. Computers can also be found in just about every classroom around the world. According to Stephen C. Howell â€Å"The introduction of computer technology into classrooms promises history’s most powerful and complex transformation of the learning process, powerful because of the extraordinary capabilities digital technologies offer, complex because of the high level of training necessary to utilize these technologies.† This paper will investigate both the â€Å"extraordinary capabilities† of the computer and the necessary training. As the computer boom really begins to takes off people are learning how to use computers at younger and younger ages. Now days the ten year old in the family can usually run the family computer better then the parents can. This is because schools are starting to mandate a computer class as a special course in elementary school. The children love it, and it gives them a great base to build on when the go to high school, and beyond. The number one reason for the computer boom was the invention of the internet. The internet makes it possible for people all over the world to exchange thoughts and ideas. Teachers are now able to harness the powers of both computers and the internet. All around the world teachers are using computers to aid them in there teaching. The internet makes it possible for students to research any topic they can imagine by searching thousands of library data bases world wide without even leaving the classroom. In the future students may be able to log onto an electronic classroom where a teacher is teaching a subject thousands of miles away. This electronic classroom would link students from all around the world, using a program called video conferencing, so that they could explore the feelings, and opinions of other students there age from different parts of the world.

Carphone warehouse Essay

Introduction Carphone warehouse is a mobile phone retailer founded in 1989 in an era when phones were too bulky, hence being referred to as carphones. It’s based in UK and has over 1700 stores across Europe. Outside the United Kingdom and Ireland, the company carries on its business under the name phone house. Carphone warehouse did its initial public offering at the main market of the London stock exchange (Great Britain et. al, 2011). There has been tremendous growth in the business and this has resulted to Carphone opening many branches at home and also in Western Europe. Ways of improving operations at Carphone warehouse In its quest to provide modern services to its customers and the staffs in general, carphone warehouse has embarked on going back to the drawing board to ensure they have many of the latest mobile technologies. The strategy by this company to utilize smart technology in its stores has attracted a lot of attention and many shoppers are flocking their shops. The younger generation is so much obsessed with smart technology; the large workforce of carphone is mainly the younger generation. This strategy is very good as it portrays a positive image to those shopping in its stores (summers, 1998). Carphone partners with many well performing companies together with which they do business. By using this strategy they enhance their market position and this puts them ahead of the game. Recently it announced a possible partnership with Samsung which will see up to 60 standalone stores open across Europe. The company is well endowed with technology and many of their staffs are well equipped with the latest technology. According to the latest statistics from the stores, they have rolled out over 5000 tablets to members of their staff across all stores which is now seen as the single biggest digital workforce. The CEO of the company said in one of the tabloids that they put technology at the heart of what they do, and so practice what they preach. Carphone warehouse needs to undertake several measures to improve their business. To get at the top does not require much effort than to remain there. This company should evaluate their pricing; this should be done first by evaluating what the customer think about their prices. They should come up with prices that are not way too high out of business neither too low to bring a burden of cash flow shortage (Greasley, 1999). They should also have prices and commodities for all classes of people, both high end customers and the common shoppers. This will help bring up the profitability of the company. Carphone warehouse needs to improve on their weak spots.   There were criticism and accusation that they were slamming to win new customers, customers alleged that when they bought phones on this store their landlines accounts were subsequently switched off without their consent, a scenario like this will portray bad picture on this company. The company needs to improve their corporate image by coming with better ways of public image (Greasley, 1999). The company should also explore new markets by improving their marketing. Venturing into new demographic areas will help the company to increase its clientele which in the long run will boost sales. Carphone should spread their wings even in Eastern Europe or even in other continents. Involvement of employees in the business is vital for the growth. Although carphone has improved in this aspect by digitalizing their staff, employees should be motivated to be brand ambassadors of the company. Being up to date with the current trends in the technology will also help the company to compete actively and increase their sales. References Greasley, A. (1999). Operations management in business. Cheltenham: S. Thornes. Summers, M. R. (1998). Analyzing operations in business: Issues, tools, and techniques. Westport, Conn: Quorum Books. Great Britain., Freeman, P., & Saunders, D. (2011). The Carphone Warehouse Group plc v   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Office of Communications Case 1111/3/3/09:

Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 3

August 21, 1864 I can't stop thinking about her. I will not even write her name; I daren't. She is beautiful, entrancing, singular. When I'm with Rosalyn, I am Giuseppe's son, the Salvatore boy, essentially interchangeable with Damon. I know it would not matter one whit to the Cartwrights if Damon took my place. It is only me because Father knew Damon would not stand for it, knew I would say yes, just like always. But when I saw her, her lithe figure, her red lips, her eyes that were flickering and sad and thrilling all at once †¦ it was as though I was finally just myself, just Stefan Salvatore. I must be strong. I must treat her like a sister. I must fall in love with the woman who is to be my wife. But I fear it is already too late†¦. Rosalyn Salvatore, I thought to myself the next day, tasting the words as I walked out the door, ready to fulfill my duty by paying a second call on my soon-to-be-betrothed. I imagined living with Rosalyn in the carriage house–or perhaps some smaller mansion my father would build as our wedding present–me working all day, poring through ledgers with my father in his stuffy study, while she took care of our children. I tried to feel excitement. But all I felt was cold dread seeping through my veins. I walked around the grand path of Veritas and gazed wistfully up at the carriage house. I hadn't seen Katherine since she arrived yesterday afternoon. Father had dispatched Alfred to invite her to supper, but she'd declined. I'd spent the evening looking out the window toward the house, but I couldn't see any flicker of candlelight. If I hadn't known she and Emily had moved in, I'd have assumed the house had remained unoccupied. Finally, I went to sleep, wondering the whole time what Katherine was doing and whether she needed comforting. I tore my eyes away from the drawn upstairs shades and trudged down the driveway. The dirt road under my feet was hard and cracked; we needed a good rainstorm. There was no breeze, and the air felt dead. There wasn't another person outside as far as the eye could see, yet as I walked, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on walked, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I got the uneasy feeling that I wasn't alone. Unbidden, Robert's warnings about walking off on my own floated through my mind. â€Å"Hello?† I called out as I turned around. I started. Standing just a few feet behind me, leaning against one of the angel statues that flanked the drive, was Katherine. She wore a white sunbonnet that protected her ivory skin and a white dress dotted with tiny rosebuds. Despite the heat, her fair skin looked as cool as the pond on a December morning. She smiled at me, displaying perfectly straight, white teeth. â€Å"I had hoped for a tour of the grounds, but it seems you are otherwise engaged.† My heart pounded at the word â€Å"engaged,† the ring box in my back pocket as heavy as a branding iron. â€Å"I'm not †¦ no. I mean,† I stammered, â€Å"I could stay.† â€Å"Nonsense.† Katherine shook her head. â€Å"I already am taking lodging from you and your father. I will not take your time as well.† She raised a dark eyebrow at me. Never before had I spoken with a girl who seemed so at ease and sure of herself. I felt the sudden, overwhelming urge to whip the ring from my pocket and offer it to Katherine on one knee. But then I thought of Father and forced my hand to stay put. â€Å"May I at least walk with you for a bit?† Katherine asked, swinging her sun umbrella back and forth. Companionably, we walked down the road. I kept glancing to my left and right, wondering why she didn't seem nervous to walk, unaccompanied, with a man. Perhaps it was because she was an orphan and so utterly alone in the world. Whatever the reason, I was grateful for it. A light wind blew around us, and I inhaled her lemony ginger scent, feeling as though I could die of happiness, right there, next to Katherine. Simply being near her was a reminder that beauty and love did exist in the world, even if I couldn't have them. â€Å"I think I shall call you Silent Stefan,† Katherine said as we walked through the cluster of oaks that marked the line between the village of Mystic Falls and the outlying plantations and estates. â€Å"I'm sorry †¦,† I started, fearing that I was as dull to her as Rosalyn was to me. â€Å"It's simply that we don't get very many strangers in Mystic Falls. It's difficult to speak to someone who doesn't know my whole history. I suppose I don't want to bore you. After Atlanta, I'm sure you find Mystic Falls a bit quiet.† I felt mortified as soon as the sentence left my lips. Her parents had died in Atlanta, and here I was, making it sound like she'd left some exciting life to live here. I cleared my throat. â€Å"I mean, not that you had found Atlanta exciting, or that you wouldn't enjoy getting away exciting, or that you wouldn't enjoy getting away from everything.† Katherine smiled. â€Å"Thank you, Stefan. That's sweet.† Her tone made it clear she didn't want to delve into the topic any further. We walked in silence for a few long moments. I kept my stride deliberately short so Katherine could keep up. Then, whether by accident or by design I'm not sure, Katherine's fingers brushed against my arm. They were cold as ice, even in the humid air. â€Å"Just so you know,† she said, â€Å"I don't find anything about you boring.† My entire body flamed hot as a conflagration. I glanced up the road, as if trying to ascertain the best route for us to follow, though really I was hiding my blush from Katherine. I felt the weight of the ring in my pocket again, heavier than ever. I turned to face Katherine, to say what, I'm not even sure. But she was no longer by my side. â€Å"Katherine?† I called, shielding my eyes against the sun, waiting for her lilting laugh to rise up in the underbrush along the road. But all I heard was the echo of my own voice. She had vanished.

Gestural Theory of Language Origin

Gestural Theory of Language Origin Many linguists and philosophers have come up with a myriad of theories, suggestions and approaches in their bid to try to explain the origin language as a means of communication.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Gestural Theory of Language Origin specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, many researchers, scientists, animal behaviourists and archaeologists have conducted many experiments and excavated many historical sites to try to understand this means of communication which can be used to convey non-figurative information and performing routine manipulations in our daily lives. Mostly, these studies have involved comparative studies among the primates. While these studies have revealed that primates other than hominids are capable of using gestures, their use of language constructively was limited to a few words only comparable to language competency of two year old. While many scientists and researchers attribute the emergence of the use of language among Homo sapiens to spontaneous emergence in a manner similar to the â€Å"big bang theory† of the origin of the earth, others propose that language use originated genetically and evolved over time. M ichael Corballis, in his quest to determine the origin of language, proposed gestural and vocal theories. In his theories, he proposed that human language faculty preceded the development of vocally transmitted speech. Moreover, he argued that human language faculty relies heavily on gestures. This paper scrutinizes Corballis theories and aims at determining how convincing and/ or promising these theories are. It aims at examining Corballis view on human language that may have evolved from manual gestures (Corballi 24) Over the years, the origin of use of language has generated a lot of interests from many professionals due to the uniqueness it offers as a means of communication. The versatility that comes with using language as a means of communication is one of such driving forces. Using sentences, we are able to refer to occurrences both in the past, present and the future.Advertising Looking for research paper on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, with language, we are able to let our imaginations run riot and conjure up unseen and probably non existent events. Language can be used without the limitation placed by barriers such as physical barriers or lack of vision. It is possible for a blind person to effectively communicate via language as long as they are able to vocalize their message. With the use of language, the parties involved in a communication channel are not restricted in any way by the number of messages that they can convey using language as a means of communication. Corballis factually points out that this enormous advantages enjoyed by the advanced hominids, the Homo sapiens who replaced other primitiv e hominids, results from their ability to manipulate language using language rules, grammar. (21). This set of rules devised by the advanced hominids as a result of their cognitive abilities, is the driving factor in the success currently enjoyed by language as a means of communication. In his view, Corballis contends that language has evolved together with the primates., in particular, H. sapiens, capable of using complex language to communicate. In trying to justify his point of view that the evolution of language and primates are coupled, many researchers have drawn conclusions from studies aimed at teaching apes and other primates language use. Evolutionarily, hominids and these primitive primates separated millions of years ago. This probably explains why their ability to master language use is limited. However, these primitive primates have shown remarkable success in their ability to learn and master numerous gestures and signals. Since we share a common origin with these pri mates, this directly points to the fact that the present day capabilities humans have in using language as a means of communication must have originated from gestures. Moreover, it is the capability of human beings to use language among other factors that makes them be considered as more advanced primates than others. H. sapiens share a common ancestry with the monkeys and thus the comparability between their neurons’ activity in response to gestures resembles those of Wernicke’s and Broca’s aphasias in human beings’ brains which control language faculties.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Gestural Theory of Language Origin specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, this is further evidenced according to Corballis, which points to the direction of gestural language origin. Indeed, such studies tend to show that at first our ancestors used gestures but later the use of gestures was gra dually replaced by the use vocals, and hence language now is the means of conveying information (Fitch 20). The ancestors of primates always worked on all fours which enabled them to survive in among the trees. However, this posture restricted their movement and their ability to communicate with others. As a result, they were prone to attacks by predators. As time went by, however, they adapted a bipedal walking style which not only enabled them to widen their field of vision, but also freed their arms to perform other duties such as making tools, hunting, and gathering. With the coming of bipedalism, these ancestors managed to come up with a form of communication that played an integral role in their survivorship. This new form of communication was the use of gestures which later evolved together with the evolution of the individual primates to give rise to the use of language. Pointing out studies by Bickerton which concluded that the use of language emerged spontaneously with the emergence of H. sapiens as late as 150,000 years ago, Corballis shows his stand on the origin of language. This time period is also connected to the time when H. sapiens, who have mastered the use of language as a communication means, emerged. Due to their association with language use, it is easy to associate them with the demise of gestures and signals as single means of communication. This view is also supported by the fact that present day languages have been existence for a short while; probably they originated with the emergence of H. sapiens who replaced other hominids that used gestures primarily as their means of communication. However, tracing the origin language from the gestural point view would be a futile attempt without understanding how these primates separated into hominids and apes. Archaeological evidence shows that these two groups of primates which shared a common way may have been separated by the Great Rift Valley.Advertising Looking for research paper on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Those hominids that moved into savannah grasslands faced a great challenge in defending themselves since in the grassland they were easily preyed upon unlike in the forests as Corballis opines. Such vulnerabilities required a sense cooperation that could only be achieved by the use of efficient and effective means of communication. The means of communication of choice was the use of gestures. Corballis rightly puts that this is the only thing we share with the apes especially at childhood when we can only use gestures, a strategy our ancestors used while inhabiting the open grasslands of savannah. This conferred relative secrecy in the communication process compared to the use of vocalization. It is from these gestures that these hominids began to use vocals to represent these signals and gestures which have been restructured and their complexity increased with time making the use of language the most effective means of communication. However, it is important to note that, as Corbal lis points out, the use of signals has not been abandoned all together by the H. sapiens; they have been integrated into the present day language. They may be used singly especially by the deaf or together with grammar language to lay emphasis on points which may not be achieved by relying on language only. Use of gesture is deep rooted in the human race to the point of being innate. It has served a myriad of purposes from religious to social functions. Many religions, especially indigenous ones, may prohibit the use of language as a means of communication during some times or between some genders. Hence, once permitted means of communication in such scenarios is the use of gestures. Our innate ability to use gestures as a means of communication, as Corballis puts it, is shown by the spontaneously use of gestures and signals by blind people without learning it from anyone. This points to a common ancestry between human beings and other primates who rely on gestures and signals as a means of communication. Moreover, it shows that our complex means of communication, grammar, originated from the gestures and signals of the closest relatives of H. sapiens. Drawing conclusions from various studies across the globe, Corballis further gives evidence that not only humans have an instinctive ability to develop gestures and signals when deprived of the capability of using language as a means of communication. Deaf people world wide use almost the same gestures and signals; both blind and the sighted show a common tendency to use gestures in their speeches, just to mention but a few instances which Corballis points out as living testimonies of our inherited ability to use gestures. However, among these examples that he points out, it is only the combination of gestures and language by the sighted individuals while speaking clearly points out the gestural origin of language (Corballi 24) To further prove his theory of gestural origin of language, Corballis rightly puts it that there is resemblance in the activities of the Broca’s and Wernicke’s of the brains of both the deaf and sighted individuals when exposed to the same stimuli, vocalization of words. This conclusion he draws from the study conducted by Helen J. Neville et al. Moreover, humans tend to have their left brain being the most active in determining which hand to use in gestures and also controlling their speech. Speculatively, such dominance can be traced back to the ancestral hominids in their bid to adapt to the use of language as their dominant means of communication. More studies into brain functions also indicate connectivity in the origin of language. Corbially clearly contends that to him gestures are not just necessary tools in the communication process but rather, they are the main means of communication process capable of functioning independently and are the source raw materials that led to the evolution of language that we use today. He contends that it is the se manual gestures that, through an evolutionary process, have formed the foundation on which the complex grammar that the H. sapiens use today, is built. (Fox). The primates have undergone a period of transition in their means of communication. The new advancements in the language use were associated with a complexity and advancement in all aspects of their lives including social, religious and economic among others. The Homo sapiens which replaced the other relatively primitive hominids invented the use of tools mainly because of their increased brain capacity and bipedalism movement. The increased brain capacity, as Corballis points out, resulted in development of cognitive skills and as a result, the change of lifestyle. These led to the need to have an effective means of communication that would allow passage of information and enable the communities of hominids to learn these new ideas. Thus, this necessitated the need for not only using gestures but also the use of language a s a means of communication. The emergence of language can be traced to a few thousand years ago when, as the fossil records reveal, H. sapiens emerged to replace other hominids as H. erectus. It is this group of hominids that are associated with the introduction of technology and the use of language as a means of communication. With the emergence of language, Corballis contends that these hominids were able to overcome such communication barriers as the need for vision or light to effectively pass information. In addition, they had the capability to communicate without being limited by the physical barriers. Corballis also contends that it is not the invention of superior technology and bigger brain capacities that have enabled us to survive and dominate the world and all other primates. Rather, he states, it is our ability to effectively use these technologies by learning how to use them using a proper means of conveying information. In conclusion, one must emphasize that the use o f language has enabled many inventions and brought a lot of changes. However, humans in their bid to glorify their literary skills and vocalization capabilities tend to forget a very important component of communication which is the use of gestures. Gestures, though nonverbal, convey the deepest feelings that otherwise would be lost in the process of using verbal communication. In this quest, they forget that indeed, gestures are the source of language that we use nowadays. Gestures are innate and hence are passed on from generation to generation. The deaf have learnt to communicate effectively in the world without seeing anything while strangest have formed strong bonds despite language barrier by just using gestures. This just shows how independent gestures are as means of communication. Studies that cut across the world reveal that these gestures are, in most cases, similar, thus giving further indications that gestures are inborn. Walking down the lane of evolution of primates w ith special attention to their means of communication, shows there is a connection between the origin of the modern day language and gestures that our ancestral hominids used many millions years ago. Corballis, C. Michael. 1991. The Lopsided Ape. New York: Oxford University Press. Fitch, Tecumseh. The Evolution of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Fox, Margalit. Talking Hands. New York Times. 2011 Web.

The Realistic Hero Essays - English-language Films, Free Essays

The Realistic Hero Essays - English-language Films, Free Essays The Realistic Hero Tom Sawyer, the main character of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, written by Mark Twain, is an average boy who is bored with his civilized life and escapes these constraints by pulling pranks, and pulling other mischievous things. The character of Tom, in the most part, is presented as a realistic and convincing boy. He is kind and loving, but also cruel, stupid, and hypocritical of others at times, as well as, he shows maturation throught the story. The story of Tom Sawyer,as well as being about a realistic character, is a story that is intrusive to adults and children. Tom is shown throughout the story as a typical boy of his time and place. He has a loving, happy home, with his devoted Aunt Polly to care for him. He is mostly restricted by his home routine of prayers, meals, chores, bedtime, and things like that, but when his routine life gets to dull, he has the nearby river and woods, where he can go to escape. Though Tom is not " the model boy" of the village, he even hates the "model boy." He plays boyish pranks on Aunt Polly, Sid, his friends, and everyone in town. He steals, lies, plays hooky, fights, and goes swimming secretly, but he is a normal boy and this is what normal boys do at his age. Tom is a clever, imaginative boy who has a good knowledge about human nature and knows how to use it. He continually outwits his Aunt Polly, and also persuades other boys to do his work for him without them even knowing of his trickery. One example of this is in the whitewashing scene, when his Aunt Polly makes him whitewash the outside fence before he is allowed to play. He slyly conviences the first boy by saying "...I don't see why oughtn't like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence everyday?" (21) With this cunning use of words he manipulates the boy to whitewash the fence, which leads to others also joining in to help. In the end, Tom has made a tidy profit as well as got the whitewashing done without actually doing it. As well as Tom being known as a strong boy, he also has fears. He is afraid, at various times in the book, of being harmed by Injun Joe, starving to death with Becky in the cave, of witchcraft, and of death during the thunderstorm when he is ill with the measles. Some of his fears are based on real dangers, such as with Injun Joe. Others are just simply fears in his mind. Partly by luck and partly by using his mind and courage, Tom is able to eventually triumph over his fears. Tom , who is usually a spirited guy, sometimes goes off by himself to be alone and think about his death. Ususally these dark moods only last a very short time, then he is back to his rowdy self. For example, after being rejected by Becky, he goes off into his comforting woods and thinks about ways to get back at her, and even thinks about running away. Though he gets into these moods occasionally, a quick visit from his friends he totally forgets his depressed mood, and resorts back to his spirited self. Although Tom likes to rebel against society and its restrictions, he is basically respectable. He is the nephew of a woman who is the soul of suitability and who is instilled him with these values. When Tom calculates his pranks and adventures in term's of society's reactions. At the end of the story, he even persuades his best friend Huck, who is an outcast in the town, to become "respectable" by telling him "Well, everybody does that way, Huck." (243) Tom also conviences Huck to "be respectable" by telling him he won't let him join his robber gang " if you ain't respectable." Also another aspect of Tom that is realistic is how he grows throught the story. Tom starts out acting childish and irresponsible and ends up acting more mature and responsible. The story of Muff Potter begins with Tom and Huck going to a graveyard to try

Acceptance Speech - Martin Luther King Essay Example for Free

Acceptance Speech – Martin Luther King Essay ? Acceptance Speech Martin Luther King was an African American activist and leader who dedicated his life to fighting for equal rights for coloured people in America. Grown up in a Baptist family, Christianity held a huge fascination for Martin Luther King, which is often reflected in his speeches. In 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his achievements in the struggle for equality and independence for coloured people. When receiving the award, Martin Luther King expresses his appreciation by a speech in Oslo. This speech is slightly different to his other speeches such as â€Å"I have a dream† or â€Å"Eulogy† as he uses less metaphors and alliterations and not only focuses on racial discrimination in the United States of America. He uses high vocabulary, as he speaks to a highly educated non-American audience in a humble tone. Martin Luther King begins his speech with the words: â€Å"The tortuous road which has led from Montgomery to Alabama to Oslo†¦ This can be classified as a metaphor, as â€Å"tortuous road† emphasizes that Negros had to suffer humiliation, exploitation and oppression for many years. But this â€Å"road† gave new hope to the people in the United States, as it is said in the speech: â€Å"This road has opened for all Americans a new era of progress and hope. † This is an extended metaphor that appears throughout the whole paragraph, as he goes on with:† a superhighway of injustice†. These words show that the civil rights movement can’t be stopped anymore and will finally bring justice for Negros. Throughout the speech many alliteration occur such as:†faith in the future† or â€Å"bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood†. These examples show that alliterations point attention to the sentence and help to fix the reader’s mind. It then goes on with the simile: â€Å"Man is more flotsam and jetsam in the river of life†. By these words Martin Luther King wants to emphasize that it is possible for everybody to change something in the world, despite the fact that people do not have the same opinion. Later he says:† I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to Starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality†. By metaphor â€Å"starless midnight of racism† Martin Luther King wants to indicate was considerate to something unsolvable or unchangeable. By the words â€Å"bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood†, he which is also a metaphor, he emphasizes thatpeace and brotherhood will finally be achieved. However, hese metaphor are very effective as they make the abstract or unknown concrete but it also enlivens the reader’s imagination. This sentence can also closely be classified as a balanced sentence, as Martin Luther King tells us what to do and what not to do. However, this helps to persuade the audience so stand up for their rights. Throughout the speech many anaphoras occur such as â€Å"I refuse to accept† or â€Å"I believe that†. This rhetor ical device emphasizes Martin Luther King’s aim for equal rights all over the world. Later on it says: â€Å"I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘is-ness’ of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal ‘ought-ness’ that forever confronts him. † Martin Luther King had a vision for how things ought to be. He shows us to refuse to accept things for how they are, and instead strive to find the solution for how they ought to be. Martin Luther King will always remain one of the most influential and greatest freedom fighters in the world. Though his commitment and persuasion, he achieved a lot for Afro American people in the USA. Acceptance Speech – Martin Luther King. (2018, Nov 13).

Twitter in Our Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Twitter in Our Life - Essay Example To potentially support Twitter’s relevancy toward citizen journalism, one can explore the 2012 presidential campaign between incumbent Barack Obama and new candidate Mitt Romney. On October 30, one month prior to the actual election, analysis of Twitter activity regarding both candidates identified that Romney maintained more negative tweets than his opponent, who ultimately won the election for a second term. Of Romney’s total tweet volume, 34 percent were attributed to negative discussion whilst Obama maintained a 33 percent negative tweet volume (TNS 2012). Analysis of the content of these negative tweets identified that major socio-political topics such as taxation, immorality, worry, and disaster were attributed, in higher volume, toward the loser Romney (TNS). On October 30, one day prior to the aforementioned analysis, mainstream journalism (CNN) had moderated a debate between the two candidates where the moderator inquired of Romney his stance on disaster relief in the wake of a large superstorm that ravaged the U.S. East Coast. Romney on national television indicated that the Federal government should have a limited role in disaster relief to avoid incurring more debt, calling it immoral (Taylor 2012). After these debates, the mainstream Huffington Post maintained a neutral reporting position regarding Romney’s criticisms of immorality and disaster prevailing negative tweets, suggesting that Romney also stated he would ensure adequate funding to America’s FEMA organization to provide such relief.

REPORT ON HIGHER EDUCATION IN QATAR (Part in green2) Research Paper

REPORT ON HIGHER EDUCATION IN QATAR (Part in green2) - Research Paper Example One major challenge that is hindering the progress of Higher Education Sector is less number of male students and increasing dropout rate of students at the secondary education level (ElGahnem, 2012). The declining number of male students in higher education is because of their responsibility of supporting their family and they easily get attracted to jobs that require fewer skills. Most of the students lack vision about their future studies and are reluctant to explore new areas of studies; recently, the demand of graduates in healthcare, research and technological fields has increased and each one offers attractive career opportunities for graduates who acquire education in these fields. In Qatar, there are less opportunities for students as institutions offering these programs are new ones and attracting students is a bit difficult for them (Khodr, 2011). Initiatives taken for promoting Higher Education and Role of Overseas Universities In order to help students in gaining access to top ranked universities, public and private organizations are taking huge measures. All concerned authorities are working together to tackle challenges being faced by Higher Education sector so that they can provide right guidance to the future workforce of the country (Sawahel, 2012). Qatar’s government has observed that students are unable to get qualified for admissions in leading universities because they lack the skills and intellectual capabilities as the education system of the country does not match the standards set by international bodies. Qatar National Vision 2030 has been launched in November 2008 with the aim of providing support to the education system of the country. In the report, all initiatives that have been taken and those that will be implemented are provided with complete details (UNDP, 2012). The foremost initiative taken is development of Supreme Education Council which is responsible for designing and implementation of policies for promotion educa tion at all levels especially higher education so that the workforce is compatible to meet demands of country’s economy. Secondly, social mediums are being used by Qatar Foundation and Ministry of Education to create awareness about various career opportunities existing for the students along with attracting students to get enrolled in such programs. Incentives are being offered to students so that they are encouraged to acquire higher education such as study abroad on scholarship and getting enrolled in part-time education program along with work (Khodr, 2011). In order to provide directions related to vocational and technical education to students who cannot meet university’s admission criteria, they are offered the opportunity of getting enrolled in Diploma courses being offered by Qatar Founda

Behaviorism and Constructivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Behaviorism and Constructivism - Essay Example The use of ICTs at all academic levels has become widespread in recent years because of their advantages: (i) ICTs have the capabilities of enhancing the extent of students’ understanding of a curriculum’s contents—that is, the learners could have better grasp of the subject-matter through the use of ICTs; (ii) with ICTs, the instructors or teachers could improve or change the contents of a curriculum—in other words, they could broaden the curriculum covering new areas of studies made possible by the advent of educational technologies; (iii) ICTs could be used as supporting materials or equipment in the process of delivering education (Leask & Meadows, 2000). The most interesting aspect of the application of ICTs at schools is that it makes learning more enjoyable to the learners. For example, the fascinating graphics used in some educational software have the power to catch the attention of the students or learners for a long time and help to boost the ov erall memory level (Leask & Meadows). Students at the elementary are the biggest section of the academia that are carried away with interesting and funny graphics. People learn in different ways: considering the principles of constructivism, it is clear that some people believe (i) that learning is an active process that requires active participation on the part of the learners.

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Journal opinion article - Essay Example Puerto Rico debt obligations have ashamed the debt obligations of Detroit. Detroit which had 7 hundreed throusand residents went bankrupt for piling up debt obligations of 18 billion dollars which were not serviced. In comparison to this, the condition of Puerto Rico is severely devastating with the figures of debt obligations that are unfunded in various obligations and pension funds of 3.5 million residents remaining unserviced. The debt obligation has grown to a whopping amount of 87 billion dollars and the government has reached a situation where they are going to run out of funds. The island of Puerto Rico has been expecting a bailout from the US administration in order to save their economy. However, real facts indicate otherwise with news of the US brokerage firms advising investors to stay out of investing in the bonds of Puerto Rico that they plan to use to finance their debt obligations. In order to attract the investors, Puerto Rico has issued bonds with a forecasted yield of 9.29% which exceeded that of Greece. For this reason, Puerto Rico is being referred as Greece of America. In 2008, the measures taken by the government to stabilize the economy created a situation of debt trap for the territory of Puerto Rico. The governor at that point of time undertook measures like cutting down government jobs, reducing income taxes to half as well as reducing the corporate tax rate by about 9%. These measures were undertaken by looking at the limitations of government in funding the economic investments and their abilities to meet the level of expenditure with an eye on the treasury. The steps were also taken to maintain an optimum level of liquidity in the economy and contain inflation by restoring a balance between the demand and supply in the economy. The level of government job cuts reduced the expenditure of the government in terms of payment of salaries. Although this provided relief to the policy makers in the short term, the government job cuts also led to decrease in production volumes. The decrease in production volumes meant that the supply of goods and service decreased. The slowdown of the GDP led to the reduction in the earnings of revenues of the government. Although, the government of Puerto Rico tried to maintain stability by injecting liquidity in the economy through reduction of corporate and individual taxes, the slowdown of the income level and the earnings meant that the investments and the demands also deteriorated. The revenue earnings of the government suffered and the treasury volume got depleted over a period of time. Due to this debt trap in Puerto Rico, the government ran out of funds and the economy headed towards a debt crisis. The debt crisis of Puerto Rico is slightly different from that of Greece due to the fact that a major part of its debt obligations are long term. Due to small short term debt obligations, the territory would get some more time to restore its financial status and recover from the de bt obligations. The government has also taken austerity measures to control the situation of debt crisis. This includes an increase in the contribution of the state from 8.275% to 10% in the pension plans. By doing this, Puerto Rico had planned to get more funds in the pension schemes that could be used to service the debt liabilities and the long term maturities could be paid with the restoration of economy in future. The measures taken by the

Kidney Stones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Kidney Stones - Essay Example Men, on the other hand, tend to have complications when passing stones, making their condition known to them. Kidney stones are among many medical conditions that do not have a single, definite cause. Though multiple risk factors have been determined, it has been decided that each individual produces kidney stones for reasons that are specific to the individual body. However, it is understood that kidney stones develop as a result of an excess of calcium, oxalate, and uric acid, which is more than the fluid in the urine can dilute. This causes the urine to become too concentrated. The science behind why excess amounts of these minerals form into kidney stones continues to be researched. The risk factors behind the prevalence of kidney stones include a family history of kidney stones, being an adult, being male, obesity, dehydration, diets high in protein or sodium, and other digestive diseases. Since there are different ways for an individual to form kidney stones, different types of kidney stones have been recognized. Calcium stones form as a result of too much calcium oxalate in the body. This substance is common in many food products and is created regularly by the liver, making calcium stones the most common type of kidney stone (McAninch, 2013). Struvite stones form as the result of an infection in the urinary tract, and tend to be among the largest of kidney stones. Uric acid stones form as a result of an individual not drinking enough fluids or else lose too much fluids, causing the urine to consist primarily of minerals but very little fluid. Cystine stones are caused by a hereditary condition during which the kidneys excrete excessive amounts of the amino acid cystinuria. Regardless of the type or cause of the kidney stones, the symptoms are the same. In most cases, especially among women, a kidney stone does not prompt noticeable symptoms until the stone moves around within the kidney or passes through the ureter, which is the tube that connects the k idney to the bladder. The symptoms associated with the movement and passing of the kidney stone include severe pain below the ribs, pain in the groin and lower abdomen, pain during urination, blood in the urine, foul-smelling or cloudy urine, and frequent urination. If there is an infection that has caused a kidney stone to form, the individual may also experience fever, chills, and nausea. The symptoms of a kidney stone may intensify if the kidney stone shifts in location, such as its movement along the urinary tract. Kidney stones are treated based on what type of stone they are, their size, and where they are located within the body. If the individual has a smaller stone, they are often able to pass it without invasive treatment. In most cases, drinking large quantities of water can help to flush the urinary system, allowing the stone to pass, and over-the-counter pain relievers can decrease the intensity of pain associated with passing stones, especially for men. When needed, me dical therapy is also available in the form of an alpha blocker, which relaxes the ureter muscles (Rose & Post, 2001) and makes passing the kidney stone easier and less painful. When a stone is too large to pass or threatens to cause damage to the kidney or urinary tract, it may be broken up with a procedure known as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, which involves using sound waves to create shock waves that

Behaviorism and Constructivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Behaviorism and Constructivism - Essay Example The use of ICTs at all academic levels has become widespread in recent years because of their advantages: (i) ICTs have the capabilities of enhancing the extent of students’ understanding of a curriculum’s contents—that is, the learners could have better grasp of the subject-matter through the use of ICTs; (ii) with ICTs, the instructors or teachers could improve or change the contents of a curriculum—in other words, they could broaden the curriculum covering new areas of studies made possible by the advent of educational technologies; (iii) ICTs could be used as supporting materials or equipment in the process of delivering education (Leask & Meadows, 2000). The most interesting aspect of the application of ICTs at schools is that it makes learning more enjoyable to the learners. For example, the fascinating graphics used in some educational software have the power to catch the attention of the students or learners for a long time and help to boost the ov erall memory level (Leask & Meadows). Students at the elementary are the biggest section of the academia that are carried away with interesting and funny graphics. People learn in different ways: considering the principles of constructivism, it is clear that some people believe (i) that learning is an active process that requires active participation on the part of the learners.

Kidney Stones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Kidney Stones - Essay Example Men, on the other hand, tend to have complications when passing stones, making their condition known to them. Kidney stones are among many medical conditions that do not have a single, definite cause. Though multiple risk factors have been determined, it has been decided that each individual produces kidney stones for reasons that are specific to the individual body. However, it is understood that kidney stones develop as a result of an excess of calcium, oxalate, and uric acid, which is more than the fluid in the urine can dilute. This causes the urine to become too concentrated. The science behind why excess amounts of these minerals form into kidney stones continues to be researched. The risk factors behind the prevalence of kidney stones include a family history of kidney stones, being an adult, being male, obesity, dehydration, diets high in protein or sodium, and other digestive diseases. Since there are different ways for an individual to form kidney stones, different types of kidney stones have been recognized. Calcium stones form as a result of too much calcium oxalate in the body. This substance is common in many food products and is created regularly by the liver, making calcium stones the most common type of kidney stone (McAninch, 2013). Struvite stones form as the result of an infection in the urinary tract, and tend to be among the largest of kidney stones. Uric acid stones form as a result of an individual not drinking enough fluids or else lose too much fluids, causing the urine to consist primarily of minerals but very little fluid. Cystine stones are caused by a hereditary condition during which the kidneys excrete excessive amounts of the amino acid cystinuria. Regardless of the type or cause of the kidney stones, the symptoms are the same. In most cases, especially among women, a kidney stone does not prompt noticeable symptoms until the stone moves around within the kidney or passes through the ureter, which is the tube that connects the k idney to the bladder. The symptoms associated with the movement and passing of the kidney stone include severe pain below the ribs, pain in the groin and lower abdomen, pain during urination, blood in the urine, foul-smelling or cloudy urine, and frequent urination. If there is an infection that has caused a kidney stone to form, the individual may also experience fever, chills, and nausea. The symptoms of a kidney stone may intensify if the kidney stone shifts in location, such as its movement along the urinary tract. Kidney stones are treated based on what type of stone they are, their size, and where they are located within the body. If the individual has a smaller stone, they are often able to pass it without invasive treatment. In most cases, drinking large quantities of water can help to flush the urinary system, allowing the stone to pass, and over-the-counter pain relievers can decrease the intensity of pain associated with passing stones, especially for men. When needed, me dical therapy is also available in the form of an alpha blocker, which relaxes the ureter muscles (Rose & Post, 2001) and makes passing the kidney stone easier and less painful. When a stone is too large to pass or threatens to cause damage to the kidney or urinary tract, it may be broken up with a procedure known as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, which involves using sound waves to create shock waves that

Place and Memory Essay Example for Free

Place and Memory Essay Perhaps the strongest case for memory is made in the context of the places we occupy. It is not easy to forget what happens in our lives with reference to the space we occupy. In other words, we remember our experiences, especially the most important ones, with reference to the places we occupied at the time of those experiences. Elizabeth Liebert (2004) has written: â€Å"Novelist Barbara Kingsolver loves the places where she writes. She observes: ‘Whether we are leaving it or coming into it, its here that matters, it is place. Our greatest and smallest explanations of ourselves grow from place, as surely as carrots grow in the dirt. ’† According to the author, we learn about ourselves with references to the memories we have about certain places. If I happen to find something I dislike or disagree with in a particular place, for instance, I will be reminded of my sure likes and dislikes whenever I hark back to my specific experience of disliking or disagreeing with something in that particular place. In fact, I had an important experience in Aruba that would explain this phenomenon. I paid a twenty-day visit to the island of Aruba when I was fifteen years of age. Three of my older cousins accompanied me to the gorgeous 32 km long island in the Caribbean Sea. The weather was warm and sunny. The landscape: cactus-strewn. Aruba offers tourists natural, historical and cultural attractions they would not find elsewhere. Still, I find myself repressing my memories of Aruba whenever they occur. My cousins and I visited many places in Aruba by ourselves. These interesting places included the Alto Vista Chapel; the Arikok National Park; Bushiribana Balashi (historical gold mines); the California Lighthouse; and the Palm and Eagle Beaches. Although we made very short visits to these wonderful places, we felt very fortunate to be there. A week before we were suppose to return home from Aruba, my cousins and I decided to take a tour bus to the Ayo Rock Formations that have been described as the town of Bedrock in The Flinstones. We had learned about the puzzling geological formations in Aruba, and about the Ayo Rock Formations we were particularly excited because we all had read in our travel guide that this place was once a dwelling place of an ancient race that left petroglyph markings on stone boulders. And, the area is surrounded by huge stones that seem as though they had been stacked on top of each other by giants! On our way to the Ayo Rock Formations, however, a rather unfortunate incident occurred. Our bus had stopped at the red signal on an empty road when a motorbike came very close to our vehicle, as if out of nowhere. There was a young girl sitting in front of the man riding the motorbike. She yelled at the top of her voice: â€Å"Help! Rape! † That is all I remember hearing at the time. I was nervously moving in my seat on the bus, only trying to understand what had just taken place, when our tour guide stepped off the bus to confront the man on the motorcycle. I had actually not seen him getting off the bus. I only gathered that he had left our bus when I saw him being stabbed in his shoulder by the man on the motorbike! The next thing I knew was that the driver of my tourist bus drove off in a rush, leaving the tour guide behind. Many tourists on my bus questioned him anxiously as he drove the bus at top speed. But the man refused to say why he had done what he did. Of course, there were many complaints to the authorities later on. All the same, we could not undo the act of the driver, or the man on the motorbike who had stabbed the tour guide before my eyes. I have never returned to Aruba, and I believe that I never will. Several of my friends have tried planning out a trip to Aruba with me, knowing that I have been there before and may be able to guide them. I do not think I would be able to guide them, however. I do know that that place and experience taught me that I love justice and refuse to empathize with those who do not submit to it, such as the bus driver, who left the tour guide in the lurch, or the man who stabbed our tour guide in the shoulder. I have often told my friends that I hate Aruba. Today I question myself: Do I really hate the place that has made me understand that I love justice?

Critical Pedagogy Is Very Broad Education Essay

Critical Pedagogy Is Very Broad Education Essay The literature of critical pedagogy is very broad indeed and contains dense information. In fact, the political perspective of critical pedagogy towards the curriculum contributes much to creating abundant scholarships in the field. In addition, as many authors perceive, critical pedagogy lacks a set of definite principles; which makes the process of setting a unified definition of its premises so challenging. Still, the implementation of aspects of critical pedagogy in the classroom setting can have wide scale results on the teaching process as a whole. Hence, it is important to give a brief examination of the literature of critical pedagogy, an analysis of its core principles, and an investigation of the critique directed against its assumptions. By virtue of being critical, critical pedagogy and critical thinking share some common grounds. However, despite the existence of the critical stance in both disciplines, there are broad differences between them. One of these differences is related to the expectation of action in each discipline. In its emphasis on analysis and deep interpretation, critical thinking does not necessitate any action to achieve social change. On the other hand, the principles of critical pedagogy aim at creating a social action that comes mainly through educational practices. Another important difference has to do with the scope of interest of each discipline. Critical thinking is, by definition, individualistic and largely ignores the collective relations. Critical pedagogy, on the other hand, is more concerned with corporate action; that is why, as Burbules and Berk suggest, in critical pedagogy individual criticality is intimately linked to social criticality (55-56). Critical pedagogy might also be thought of as an extension of critical theory. Both critical theory and critical pedagogy employ their strategies with view at obliterating the hegemonic collective standards and paradigms. However, critical pedagogy is different from critical theory in the fact that it is mainly an educational philosophy that reacts towards the oppressive systems in the educational arena. The primary concern of critical pedagogy in this aspect is with issues that have to do with maintaining equal opportunities and establishing dialogical mode of discourse. As Burbules and Berk put it in the language of critical pedagogy, the critical person is one who is empowered to seek justice, to seek emancipation (50). Collins also describes the framework of critical pedagogy as being realistically involved in enlarging the sites within our institutions where genuine, noncoercive dialogue and reasonable opposition to oppressive bureaucratic controls can emerge (63). This proves that critical pedagogy involves an entirely new orientation that departs from traditional models of education and embraces a number of principles that may not be familiar in the generic pedagogical systems. The basic characteristic that separates critical pedagogy from other approaches is its celebration of social justice and emancipation. In addition, a critical approach to pedagogy is distinguished by an emphasis on dialogic interactions with view at giving equal opportunities for all voices. Critical pedagogy values the students experiences and locates these experiences at the centre of the learning process. The mission of critical pedagogy is more complex than it seems to be, and its scope encompasses a plethora of pedagogical approaches and practices. In Life in Schools: An Introduction to Critical Pedagogy in the Social Foundations of Education, McLaren points out that critical pedagogy aims at investigating, questioning and changing the relationship among different factors in the learning experience. These factors include classroom teaching, the structure of the school, and the social relations with the community. This imposes a great task on the critical pedagogue as he has to take into account a wide range of social and educational variables in his work (26-28). Critical pedagogy has its roots in Paulo Freire who is generally considered to be the inaugural philosopher of critical pedagogy (McLaren, Paulo 1). Although at first Freire dedicated his efforts to issues related to literacy in Brazil, his philosophy expanded gradually to embrace a cornucopia of social and educational issues that have been the object of criticism. In Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage, Freire pointed out that what he called for was not merely a pedagogical method; rather, it was a strategy of living within the educational system (67). McLaren observes that the bottom-line of Freires pedagogy is to establish a non-hegemonic approach that is based on dialogue and interaction (McLaren, Paulo 2). This clearly shows the political dimensions of Freires philosophy. Freire actually stressed the importance of incorporating social and political critiques in the curriculum. This explains why his approach promotes a liberatory form of education that emphasizes emancipation and rejects all forms of oppression and domestication. In The Politics of Education, Freire maintains that the learning process should take into consideration two essential dimensions. The first is the context of authentic dialogue between learners and educators (49). The dialogue will empower students to move toward becoming knowing subjects and they will develop a relationship with the teacher in which one knowing subject [is] face to face with other knowing subjects (49). For Freire, by employing authentic dialogue in the teaching process, education becomes pedagogy of knowing rather than an experience of narration sickness (Freire, Oppressed 57). However, Freire warns that the dialogic process should not be reduced to simple to-and-fro questions that may also become tedious and sterile. Instead, there should be a focus on creating interaction between students and teachers in problematizing knowledge. In this regard, it is the responsibility of the teacher to inspire students to move forward within this critical practice (Freire, Freedom 80). The second dimension that should be considered in the learning process is the social realities in which students live. Freire states that authentic thinking, thinking that is concerned about the world is concerned with reality, and does not take place in ivory tower isolation, but only in communication (Freire, Oppressed 64). This suggests that earning should be connected to the realities of students lives. Otherwise, by ignoring these realities, educators will be creating divisions that make difficult the construction of our ideals of change and transformation (Freire, Freedom 55). A very influential concept in Freires philosophy is that of praxis. Freires praxis, which delineates critical reflection and action, entails the application of educational practices and philosophies to create a better educational experience. To this end, students should be viewed as active participants in the teaching process and in the formulation of teaching methods. They are engaged in what Simon calls a transformative critique of their everyday lives (Simon, Teaching 60). The teachers role here resides in encouraging students to get involved in reflection on their worlds so as to assist them in engaging in critical consciousness. For Freire, the development of critical consciousness in the student can be attained by means of implementing what he called the problem-posing model of education. Freire proposed this model as a counterpart to the banking system of education dominating the educational institutions. He asserts that the banking system fosters domination and oppression, whereas the problem-posing mode promotes liberation and democracy. He goes on to claim that whereas banking education anesthetizes and inhibits creative power, problem-posing education involves a constant unveiling of reality. The former attempts to maintain the submersion of consciousness; the latter strives for the emergence of consciousness and critical intervention in reality. (Freire Oppressed 68). Freires philosophy of education was adopted and modified by various writers. The most prominent figure in this aspect is Ira Shor, who was mainly influenced by Freire. In his Critical Teaching and Everyday Life, Shor criticizes the institutionalized modes of education which involve undemocratic approaches. He demonstrates that these traditional systems have restricted students from contributing to the learning processes. He calls for implementing learning activities that are democratic in nature. These activities are set against the notions of education that students have from their previous experiences within the traditional pedagogical system. The democratic methods of teaching would change the role of students from passive to active critical subjects in which they become active participants in their own learning (111-113). Shor also pointed out some of the limitations of Freires assumptions. Examining the applicability of the Freirean philosophy, he stressed the difficulties involved in implementing the principles of this philosophy within the classroom setting. In his When Students Have Power, he strongly argues that despite the benefits gained from the implementation of the assumptions of critical pedagogy; these assumptions do not go smoothly when turned into practice in the context of classroom environment (56). However, Freire responded to this claim when he stressed the fact that his educational philosophy was not merely a collection of strategies that could be implemented in all educational environments. Rather, different educational practices should be adapted depending on each individual context. Freire acknowledged that pedagogy is influenced by ideology and since ideologies vary a lot, the existence of a single philosophy of critical pedagogy is not practical. Hence, one cannot speak of pedagogy but must speak instead of pedagogies which respond to particular necessities, interests and conditions (Gaudiano and de Alba 128). The challenges of reaching a definite conception of critical pedagogy brought about different approaches to the philosophy by many writers. bell hooks, for example, supports Freire in promoting the link between theory and practice in order for the student to be the center of the teaching process. However, she does not employ Freires concept of critical pedagogy. Rather, she has introduced what she calls engaged pedagogy. She defines it as a system that combines anticolonial, critical, and feminist pedagogies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ for interrogating biases in curricula that reinscribe systems of domination à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ while simultaneously providing new ways to teach diverse groups of students (qtd. in Florence 10). A central feature of this model is the repudiation of the use of sophisticated language; a key feature of traditional educational methods that creates barriers between students and teachers. Roger Simon has introduced another significant approach to critical pedagogy which he calls pedagogy of possibility. In his Empowerment as a Pedagogy of Possibility Simon contends that proposing pedagogy is also proposing a political ideology. Hence, this model of pedagogy aims at enabling a particular moral project, a particular not yet of how we might live our lives together (372). He stresses the fact that such a pedagogy will require forms of teaching and learning linked to the goal of educating students to take risks, to struggle with ongoing relations of power, to critically appropriate forms of knowledge that exist outside their immediate experience, and to envisage versions of a world that is not yet in order to be able to alter the grounds upon which life is lived (375). Like Freire, Simon stresses the importance of not looking at his ideas as mere abstractions. Rather, they should be put into practice in all educational environments. Teachers who would implement the principles of the pedagogy of possibility must not expect a guideline for techniques to be adopted, but rather approach such a task strategically, locally and contextually formulating practice within an integrated moral and epistemological stance (Simon, Teaching 58). This will lead to a possibility for creating counterdiscursive activity that attempts to provoke a process through which people might engage in a transformative critique of their everyday lives (60). The complexities inherent in critical pedagogy have given rise to many critiques of its principles and assumptions. The scope of the criticism directed against critical pedagogy is so vast that it includes critiques from disciplines such as feminism, and postmodernism. It is of high importance to shed light on some these critiques directed against critical pedagogy in order to identify the potential challenges in implementing its practices in classroom environment. The first critique to be considered is that which comes from the very nature of critical pedagogy itself. Critical pedagogy inherently requires a constant investigation of its principles and practices. In this aspect, Giroux and McLaren contend that many current trends in critical pedagogy are embedded in the endemic weaknesses of a theoretical project overly concerned with developing a language of critique. Critical pedagogy is steeped in a posture of moral indignation toward the injustices reproduced in American public schools. Unfortunately, this one-sided emphasis on critique is matched by the lack of theoretical and pragmatic discourse upon which to ground its own vision of society and schooling and to shape the direction of a critical praxis (32). In her The Struggle for Pedagogies: Critical and Feminist Discourses as Regimes of Truth, Jennifer Gores critique of critical pedagogy is based on her contention that there are two distinct versions within critical pedagogy; she identifies these versions according the prominent figures who most contributed to the philosophy of each strand. The first version contributes to what she calls pedagogical practice. She suggests that Freire and Shor represent this strand of critical pedagogy which offers concrete suggestions and examples taken from their own pedagogical practice, and which is intended to help other educators (40). Gores criticism is directed against the other approach which she calls pedagogical project. This approach is represented in the contributions of many significant pedagogues, mainly Giroux and McLaren. Gore claims that their approach relies heavily on an abstract political vision and should not be called critical pedagogy, but critical educational theory (42). She goes on to argue that the major shortcoming of such an approach resides in its failure to delineate a set of practices for classroom teaching. As a result, their pedagogy might be seen to restrict its audience to those readers who have the time, energy, or inclination to struggle with it à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and, in so limiting its audience, it subsequently limits its political potential (38). Essentially, Gores criticizes the fact that such critical pedagogues tend to focus on abstract theories that lack the potential for implementation. As an example, Gore cites the concept of empowerment, which is a key principle in critical pedagogy. Within the pedagogical project model, the concept of empowerment has been confined to extreme abstraction that forces teachers to be the agents of empowerment, without providing much in the way of tangible guidance for that work (Gore, What 66). Hence Gore calls for creating guidance for teachers so that principles of critical pedagogy can be translated into reality. However, Gore does not call for creating recipes for educational practices. Rather, she contends that theorists of critical pedagogy should take into consideration the context of the educational process instead of merely adhering to a unified theoretical background (Gore, What 67). As mentioned above, Freire himself rejected an essentialist view of critical pedagogy and called on teachers to adapt the learning process to the context of students experiences. In this regard, a great responsibility lies on teachers in determining the methodologies appropriate for each particular context. Similarly, Elizabeth Ellsworth employs a feminist perspective to refute any essentialist interpretation of critical pedagogy. She goes on to claim that even the term critical is a repressive myth[s] that perpetuate[s] relations of domination and hides the actual political agendas à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ namely antiracism, antisexism, anti-elitism, anti-heterosexism, anti-ableism, anti-classism, and anti-neoconservatism (93). She also believes that theorists of critical pedagogy have failed to launch any meaningful analysis of or program for reformulating the institutionalized power imbalances between themselves and their students, or of the essentially paternalistic project of education itself (98). Moreover, Ellsworth develops a deconstructionist critique of critical pedagogues. She claims that these pedagogues are implicated in the very structures they are trying to change (101). She criticizes the fact that much of the literature of critical pedagogy is the work of the dominant white middle class men. She goes on to argue that a relation between teacher/student becomes voyeuristic when the voice of the pedagogue himself goes unexamined (104). In his Elements of a Post-liberal Theory of Education, Bowers basic criticism resides in his claim that, in a way, critical pedagogy enforces the assumptions and values of Western metaphysics. Although he promoted the contributions of Freire and his followers, Bowers believes that Freires model emphasizes the modernist way of thinking, and thus it reinforces Western values and principles. For Bowers, all Freires pedagogy is based on Western assumptions about man, freedom, progress, and the authority of the rational process (127). He claims that the problem with Freires position is not that he advocates critical reflection but that he makes it the only legitimate source of knowledge and authority (129). Although Freires emphasis on dialogue as a basic component of the educational process has been praised as a democratic strategy, Bowers criticizes the very notion of using dialogue as a tool for emancipation. He contends that relying on dialogue in this aspect shifts the locus of authority from that of community and tradition to the individual who unifies thought and action in a new praxis (129). This focus on the individual on the expense of other collective concerns has lead to the failure of critical pedagogy in addressing issues related to ecology and the nature of the world. As he puts it, The problems of inequality and restricted individual empowerment are not nearly as important as the cultural roots of our alienation from nature. Regardless of how our agenda for social reform is framed, the bottom line has to do with reversing the global ecological deterioration we are now witnessing (159). A very important critique of critical pedagogy that should be highlighted here is that which comes from a postmodern perspective. In their Dialogue across Difference: Continuing the Conversation, Burbules and Rice explore the postmodern critique of critical pedagogy. The authors start their argument by suggesting that there are two versions of postmodernism that hold different positions relative to modernism itself (397). They call these two versions postmodernism and antimodernism. The authors suggest that a basic characteristic of postmodernism is that it goes beyond the norm but at the same time accepts the basic significance of the tradition it proposes to go beyond (397). They cite Giroux and McLaren as examples on postmodernist critics who relish some key democratic assumptions of modernism and yet go beyond them. Antimodernism, on the other hand, defines itself as the antithesis of modernism and is characterized by a strong antipathy to the language, issues, and values of modernism (398). The authors criticize this strand and assert that having deconstructed all metanarratives and radically relativized all possible values, antimodernism is left with no clear way of justifying any alternatives (398). The different positions of postmodernism and antimodernism account for the dissenting views related to the relationship between critical pedagogy and postmodernism. In this regard, some writers strongly believe that critical pedagogy is far from incorporating the premises of postmodernism. In Reflective Teaching in the Postmodern World: A Manifesto for Education in Postmodernity, Parker holds the view that many critical educational practices involve some modernist assumptions and fail to account for a genuine understanding of the process of knowledge construction from a postmodern perspective (16). Similarly, there are other feminist and postmodernist writers who assert that some strands of critical pedagogy do not address such issues which are of high importance in the field. In her Freire and a Feminist Pedagogy of Difference, Weiler explores the conflict she perceives between the modernist orientations of critical pedagogy and postmodernism. As a feminist writer arguing from a postmodern perspective, she claims that her goal is to retain the vision of social justice and transformation that underlies liberatory pedagogies (450). She suggests that the universal goals of liberation do not directly analyze the contradictions between conflicting oppressed groups or the ways in which a single individual can experience oppression in one sphere while being privileged or oppressive in another (450). Accordingly, Weiler believes that the theory that calls for the existence of universal experience of oppression does not take into account the specific contexts of the classroom experience. Hence the focal point of her argument resides in redefining the collective experience in the context of historically defined struggles (Weiler 451). In this regard, Weiler claims that Freire ignored the existence of diverse experience of oppression; hence she calls for a more situated theory of oppression and subjectivity, and for the need to consider the contradictions of such universal claims of truth or process (456). Weiler argues for a feminist-postmodern approach to confront the deficits in Freires philosophy of pedagogy. In this regard, she delineates three major issues where this process can be implemented. She names these as the role and authority of the teacher, the claims for knowledge and truth in personal experience, and the question of difference. Weiler concludes by asserting that the existence of different approaches in this arena does not necessitate abandonment of the goals of social justice and empowerment, but it does make clear the need to recognize contingent and situated claims and to acknowledge our own histories and selves in process (470). On the other side of the spectrum, there are many writers who strongly believe that critical pedagogy strongly incorporates some aspects of postmodernism. In Critical Crosscurrents in Education, Collins sheds light on this link between critical pedagogy and postmodernism as he suggests that, like critical pedagogy, postmodernist critical discourse is about the struggles for power to be heard about the empowerment of other voices' (76). In the same vein, Pinar et al. suggest that there is a possibility for developing a strand of pedagogy that engages in some postmodern principles. This version of pedagogy goes beyond the issues of oppression and suffering that are merely viewed from a class- struggle perspective (305). Other writers share the same view and contend that the philosophy of Freire and other critical pedagogues does incorporate some postmodern dimensions. Most of these writers approach this issue through dividing Freires writing into different phases, stressing that the postmodern orientations appear in his later work. Peters, for example, suggests that there are some postmodern ideas that can be clearly seen in Freires later work. These ideas include Freires emphasis on textuality, subjectivity, experience and culture in addition to his own interpretation of oppression and power (117). Similar to Peters, Roberts asserts that in order to locate the modernist inclinations in Freires writing we should look at Freires work as a whole, and not to focus on his writings during the first stage of his work. Roberts contends that Freire did promote some postmodern techniques in confronting all forms of oppression. He also highlights Freires confrontation with postmodern critics, especially in his later writing. Roberts examination of this issue concluded in his contention that Freire argues for what he called progressive postmodernism. Freire has stressed the fact that educators should challenge modern ways of thinking through becoming more tolerant, open and forthright, critical, curious, and humble (112). Clearly, the above argument proves that any attempt to come up with a clear-cut definition of critical pedagogy is utterly challenging. As mentioned above, there are multiple approaches to critical pedagogy, and there are also variables from other disciplines that are easily accommodated in this literature. All this results in creating critical pedagogies rather than one definite and universally- accepted form of critical pedagogy. These critical pedagogies are always involved in a constant process of redefinition and change, thus imposing great challenge on pedagogues in this regard. Despite these variations and challenges, teachers are always urged to go beyond the mere theoretical background of critical pedagogy. The process of theorizing without action creates no change and goes against the objectives of critical pedagogy. Teachers must promote an integrated approach of theory and practice, or what Freire called praxis. In other words, they should seriously consider the potential for implementing the premises of critical pedagogy in the teaching process. This implementation should go beyond the mere adherence to an essentialist view of a critical pedagogical methodology. Teachers should attempt, to the best of their abilities, to locate the teaching process within the realities of students lives. They should take into account the various variables, realities and experiences pertinent to students lives. Hence, they should adapt their techniques according to the specific variables pertinent to the context in which they work. The critique directed against critical pedagogy maximizes the need for this constant action on the part of teachers. In addition to adapting their educational tools to the classroom context, teachers are exhorted to encourage the involvement and empowerment of the students. Without putting the assumptions, principles and paradigms of critical pedagogy into practice, teachers run the risk of going within the traditional mainstream models of education. As Bahruth and Steiner beautifully put it: in our profession we have two choices; we can succumb to the mainstream and become programmed toward deskilling our intellect, or we can become critical pedagogues and liberate ourselves and those who choose to join in the dialogue (143).