Proposal Sample Essay

Childhood obesity is a prevalent problem in the United States today. As of 2008, 20% of children aged 6-11 are considered obese. This is due to lack of fresh and healthy food alternatives, lack of education on nutrition and disease and the decrease in physical activity in today’s youth are the defining factors that contributed to this now nationwide epidemic. H.Y.F.R, with the help of local community grocers, is geared to defeat the issue of obesity in youths of low-income families. Families at or below poverty level have little to no access to healthy foods to feed their children. H.Y.F.R knows the battle with obesity will be a long and hard one, but with the support of our allies, community members and parents, we can stop our children from getting bigger and bigger, sicker and sicker. Research Findings As per the research conducted in this proposal, there are many health risks associated with obesity in children. There are chronic diseases known to plague adults such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, joint pain or pressure, various types of cancers and high cholesterol are starting to be diagnosed in our youth. Lack of involvement on the parts of parents is the most influential factor as to why we are seeing obesity in children. Parents who lack education on what’s nutritious are a detriment to the health of their children. Factors like socioeconomic status and cultural issues also play a role. First lady Michelle Obama has taken a firm stand in opposition to childhood obesity. Visiting grammar schools in the capital have made a resounding impact on the importance of a healthy diet. Project Description The goal of H.Y.F.R is to decrease obesity and promote healthy youth’s for the future. H.Y.F.R has created four objectives that focus on achieving the goal of the organization. The first of these objectives is to set the foundation for health in today’s youth. Fostering a positive attitude, and reinforcing new healthy behaviors and alternatives will make the chance of permanent change more likely. Second, H.Y.F.R knows that healthy choices and behaviors must be continued in the household. Educating parents is paramount. Providing literature and information for parents to continue the healthy lifestyle for their child will also increase the likelihood for permanent change. The third objective would be to involve the community in our efforts to reduce obesity in our youth. Organizing fitness events and utilizing farmers markets will increase the odds that children will respond to these initiatives. Our last objective is to have a recreational center to call our own. Havin g open green space and an enclosed gymnasium will allow a safe haven for these inner city youths to exercise and get healthy in a clean and safe environment. Methodology There is a list of activities that we will implement to help achieve our goal. Sports like volleyball, tennis, baseball and softball are just a few of the activities the youths will engage in to help shed their excess weight and jump start their healthy lifestyles. Interactive classes like dance and Zumba will make losing weight fun for children who are heavily distracted otherwise. Separating the youths by age will allow for a comfortable environment in which to exercise and interact which promotes comfort. Staff/Administration Properly trained and credentialed staffing is crucial to any organization. H.Y.F.R knows this and has listed the necessary personnel that will help keep the organization running at its maximum potential. Project manager, project administrator, program coordinator, nurse, health educator, nutritionist, counselor, lifeguard (volunteer/intern), dance instructor (volunteer/intern) and maintenance personnel are essential to the smooth operation of the various projects. Budget H.Y.F.R is a not for profit organization. With this in mind, the budget total is estimated to be 957,740.00 dollars including the salaries and other expenses. Sustainability H.Y.F.R can only continue operating with the contributions of local philanthropists and other charities. Hosting bake sales (organic and healthy items) and other types of fundraisers will generate funds to keep this program moving forward. Michelle Obama also as headed an initiative towards this goal and if this organization could utilize that, there could be other funds to be gained. Evaluation Quarterly evaluation of the success of H.Y.F. R is vital. Knowing where the organization stands is essential. The program would benefit form a constant learning processes. Evaluating strengths and weaknesses can help determine what improvements can be made to improve its efficacy. Evaluating also generates knew knowledge. Things not known before can come about and inspire new aspects of the program. Parts such as the budget and the allotment of the granted funds will also be evaluated in the expectation to reduce costs and put the money back into the program where it is needed. H.Y.F.R’s partners, methodological ordinations and feedback from the community will all help to evaluate. The opinions of all are important. Evaluations from external sources do cost a sizable amount of money. Conducting a standard evaluation would account for 5% to 10% of the total budget. Evaluations would be done via surveys, database reports and minutes taken from the meetings. The length of time it takes the targeted population to lose weight and start their healthier lifestyles will determine the success or failure of the organization. Variables like culture and ethnicity will be considered. Statement of Need The prevalence of Childhood Obesity is a rising issue in America. Moreover, in order for us to control this issue it is imperative for us to implement a program designed to prevent, reduce and eliminate obesity in the New York City area. Lately, youths dealing with obesity have developed diseases that are prevalent in older adults such as; high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre-diabetes, and joint problems. Other diseases include sleep apnea and various types of cancers. Obese children often get teased and bullied by schoolmates because of their weight, which can result in social and psychological problems. Also, stigmatization and poor self-esteem can occur after dealing with bullying and teasing (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The population targeted for H.Y.F.R (Healthy Youths For Real) includes boys, girls, young men, and young women in New York City. We would also like to target all five boroughs by uniting them together to overcome obesity in our young people. Obese children that stem from low-income families often reside in the most impoverished communities in NYC. These communities lack adequate facilities designed for physical recreation. The availability of healthier food choices in the neighborhood is an ongoing issue, especially with the high prevalence of fast food restaurants in the area. Some of the under privileged areas also have high-crime rates, making whatever nearby parks available a safety issue. It is proven that the most effective way to defeat obesity is through a healthy diet and exercise. In addition, there are other factors used to help facilitate this change of behavior in our youths, such as the involvement of the parents. At H.Y.F.R we believe, if the parents are involved in their children’s lifestyle they will be very influential on their child’s healthier eating habits. If H.Y.F.R were not able to implement a non-profit program in the community, youths of low-income families would not have access to a recreation center designed to educate, prevent, and reduce childhood obesity. It is essential that H.Y.F.R. create a recreation center for today’s youths because of the rising costs of gyms, parks and recreation centers in our communities today. Research Findings Childhood obesity is becoming an issue in our communities instantaneously and long term. â€Å"Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Whereas for the long term effect of childhood obesity lead to: â€Å"Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.† â€Å"Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). These statistics speaks volumes and provide valuable information of what is occurring and will occur with our youths of the future and yet the childhood obesity rates continue to rise. Childhood obesity is categorized by age groups 10-17 & 18-24: â€Å"adolescents† as individuals in the 10-19 years of age group and â€Å"youth† as the 15-24 year age group. These two overlapping age groups are combined in the group â€Å"young people† covering the age range 10-24 years (World Health Organization). Body Mass Index The following are Body Mass Index Charts (BMI) one for girls and the other for boys, these BMI charts are used as an assessment to identify any potential weight problems such as obesity, overweight, underweight, or simply determine if the child has a healthy weight. The child’s weight and height are calculated in order to determine the BMI. â€Å"Children are not considered obese until their weight is at least 10 percent higher than what is recommended for their height and body type (American Academy Child& Adolescent Psychiarty). Weight ranges goes the following: Underweight- Less than the 5th percentile, Healthy Weight-5th percentile to less than 85th percentile, Overweight-85th to less than the 95th percentile, Obese- equal to or greater than the 95th percentile.

Case Study †Motivation Essay

Introduction In this brief introduction, advice for James on how to motivate his Year 5 teachers will be framed by explaining the nature of goal, the dimension of the goal and how it should be set. Secondly, suggestions of the selection of Year 5 teacher will be given. Furthermore, various ways of rewarding the goal achievement will be mentioned while evaluating the role of James during the academic year and the application of goal setting. In addition, unintended consequences of the goal setting methods will be discussed and follow by a conclusion. Nature of goal, Dimension of the goal and how it should be set Refers to Locke (1990 and 1996), goal is an object or aim for an action is the definition of goal and it is something consciously want. Goal can be explained by internal and external factors , goals are thoughts with desired end internally and object or conditions sought externally while a job to be completed is as known as task (Locke 1990 and 1996). In this case, the goal of James is to boost his school average result in NAPLAN test (i.e. the 5 reporting sector ) therefore it is above the national average while the task is to select an appropriate teacher that is able to improve the results of the 5 reporting factors. Dimension of goals can be divided content and intensity and they are not easily separated (Locke 1990). Goal content means the actual object sought and psychological goal that an individual have (Locke 1990 and 1996). Content differs in qualitatively and quantitatively and degree of specificity (Locke 1990). A positive relationship between goal difficulties and performance is founded, the harder the goal is, the better the achievement (Locke 1996). The second factor is intensity. Intensity refers to the depth of the goal, such as scope and integration of the goal setting process and the importance of the goal, etc (Locke1990). Goals can be set according to S.M.A.R.T. which means that goals must be specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-related (Rouillard 2003). A specific goal should be details enough to mention what is to be achieved and accomplished, too general statement is insufficient to motive workers (Rouillard 2003).A goal should be measurable which is quantifiable and provide a standard for comparison while indicate whether the goal is reached (Rouillard 2003). Thirdly, an attainable goal should be able to achievable while challenging, a goal with extreme low and  high expectation is insufficient to motivate (Rouillard 2003). Realistic goal means it is practical, possible and achievable (Rouillard 2003). Time-related means to frame the goal with a given period, an out-dated goal has no effect on motivat ion (Rouillard 2003). In this case, James can set a goal like ‘improve 75% of year 5 students results with a grade improvement in the factors of reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy within one semester (6 months)’. Access of candidates In this case, the aim is to improve the students’ results therefore teacher effectiveness is the main consideration. Teacher effectiveness is a measure of teacher’s ability to produce an academic growth in a given context and situation (Stronge and Hindman 2006 and Bailey 2006). Various sectors are needed for evaluation. (i) Knowledge/ Teaching certification Richard has the highest degree compare to others and Richard is passionate about upgrading himself to a higher level. Moreover, Richard is familiar with the updated education syllabus as he has completed his bachelor degree few years ago. No specific information about Janice’s educational background is mentioned; it is assumed she has the lowest degree among candidates. Although Janice had attended some teacher training, she is not familiar and active about the updated educational changes and practices which makes her less competitive. Ivar has deep knowledge about psychology and enjoy high degree of reputation and he is a high achieving student which shows Ivar has adequate intelligence level. Refers to Mandeville and Liu cited in Campbell et al (2012), students who are taught by higher levels of teacher certification have better thinking skills and performance than the lower level of knowledge. From the above evaluation, Richard and Ivar are more knowledgeable. (ii) Personal ity Richard is young, enthusiastic, active, ambitious and competitive; Janice is mature, sociable with good personal skills, passionate but less active than Richard and Ivar is logical and rational but not good at communication. Personality is not suggested as a standard for selection as there is no direct relationship between personality and achievement of pupils (Borich cited in Campbell et al 2012 ). More factors should be considered. (iii)  Experience Richard has few years of teaching year 2 and 3 but lack of experience on teaching year 5 and 6; Janice has the most experience among 3 of them and she has 5 years experience on Year 5. Comparing to others, Ivar has the least experience in teaching. Teaching experience is a valuable access however there is no direct relationship between experience and student achievement and teaching experience is only a predictor of student outcomes occasionally (Anderson and Doresett cited in Campbell et al 2012). More factors should be concern. (iv) Self –efficacy ‘A belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the course of action required to produce given attainment ‘is called self efficacy (Bandura cited in Campbell et al 2012). Richard and Ivar are very confident about teaching year 5 while Janice is less confident about her skills. It is suggested that students that taught by higher self –efficacy perform better on standardized test and teachers with low self-efficacy have lower expectation of students (Moore and Esselman cited in Campbell et al 2012) . To improve the grade of NAPLAN, advancement of languages and maths are necessary and a teacher with higher self-efficacy is critical as there is positive relationship between self efficacy and the performance of languages and maths of the students (Anderson et al cited in Campbell et al 2012). From the perspective of goal setting theory, an individual with high self efficacy is more willing to set and accept a harder goal while commit to the goals with eff ort (Locke 1996). Richard and Ivar are the better choice. After accessing the above criteria, Richard and Ivar are the better choice since both of them are highly educated and with high self efficacy but Richard is the best choice. Ivar is not specialist in education which shows concern of insufficient knowledge of educational practices while Richard has a better educational knowledge. Refers to Darling-Hammond cited in Campbell et al (2012) , the strongest forecaster of relative achievement compared to others is teacher’s certification therefore Richard will be a better choice based on the element of knowledge. Methods to reward goal achievement The goal cannot be reached by one party’s effort therefore Richard and students should be rewarded. Financial rewards and non-financial rewards are suggested and James should integrate them as a complete reward process in order to work more effectively (Armstrong and Murlis 2007). (i) Financial rewards Merit pay program can be used once Richard reaches the goal. Merit pay is a system that increases the base salary of the employee who achieves the objectives of the business (Snell and Bohlander 2012). James should raise Richard‘s salary with a range of 7 to 9% in order to be motivate (Snell and Bohlander 2012). Financial rewards have no significant in students’ achievement thus financial reward is more appropriate for teachers (Robin 2012). From individual aspect, the increased salary allows Richard to satisfy various needs, such as; help his school fee for his master degree. Richard is competitive, while the financial reward is a tangible form of achievement recognition that satisfies his needs of ego and self- actualization (Armstrong and Murlis 2007). For school, the financial rewards enhance motivation, Richard is more willing to stay in the school and this benefits the school from retaining talents to teach Year 5 students (Armstrong and Murlis 2007). (ii) Non fina ncial rewards Non financial rewards are more effective in motivating (Armstrong and Murlis 2007). James can reward Richard by providing recognition, such as verbally reward with positive feedback, promotion and training and development. James can reward the students by praising the classes and providing extra-circular activities for students to relax and learn. Richard has his own mind in career progression, rewards such as promotion, allows him to reach his individual goal (to have a better career).If Richard is rewarded with training, more knowledge will be received and allow him to have a well preparation for his master degree. Non financial rewards shows recognition which reinforce Richard’s self esteem and self actualization. For the school, non financial rewards bring lasting motivation which maintains Richard’s motivation to work in the school and dedicate more effort for his teaching of Year 5 students. (Armstrong and Murlis 2007) The rewards  motivate the Year 5 students t o study hard in order to get a better result in NAPLAN. James’s role According to managerial competency framework by Quinn, several roles from the framework are selected for James in the application of this case. James is a director, he has to develop a vision and set a clear goal and objectives for his teachers moreover he has to organize and design the whole plan to achieve the goal (Quinn et al 2003). Secondly, James is a mentor, he has to communicate effectively and share his knowledge of NAPLAN with Richard to develop his ability in teaching Year 5 students (Quinn et al 2003). James has to think creatively as he may have to draft new teaching strategies with Richard therefore he has to live and mange the change and his role in this process is innovator (Quinn et al 2003). James is also a co-coordinator, new ideas may suggested by Richard and James has to manage the projects and across the functions to ensure the Richard’s works can run smoothly (Quinn et al 2003).Finally, James is a monitor, performances of students should be reviewed regu larly to keep the process on track while teaching styles should be monitored, for example, James can be a guest teacher in Richard’s class to see how the class runs and provides feedback to Richard (Quinn et al 2003, Mitchell, Ortiz, and Mitchell 1987). Feedback drives performance and motivation therefore feedback should be given frequently, James is able to check the progress of the goal while Richard is able to improve his limitations or retain his advantages (Latham 2007). Unintended consequences  Harder goals drive performance therefore James may set a harder goal for Richard and his year 5 students to achieve (Latham 2007). A harder goal is associated higher risk which may lead to worse performance compare to lower goals, for instance, a harsher teaching style is adopted by Richard but students may face extra pressure and lost their motivation in learning (Latham 2007). Secondly, goal conflicts may happen, such as, the school’s goal is vary from Richard’s individual goal which reduce the motivation and worsen the performance (Latham 2007). In order to reach the goal, James has to co-ordinate with other teachers with the class arrangement, this may lead to disagreement about the decision and conflicts between colleagues may result. With the new class arrangement, other classes need to adopt a new  teacher or teaching style; it influences the academic results and motivation. Others teachers also need to cope with the new goal and assi st Richard and principal in some points yet they do not get any reward, it leads to the problem of unfairness and inequality. Conclusion To conclude, goal and task are strongly linked and dimension of goal is divided into content and intensity. A successful goal should be set according to S.M.A.R.T. After evaluation, Richard is chosen as the teacher. James could motive Richard and students by financial and non financial rewards. Within the process, James has multiple roles as mention before to ensure the goal is achieved. However, unexpected results may happen therefore James should consider more theories application solve the problem and achieve synergy. Reference list Armstrong, M. and Murlis, H. 2007, Reward Management: A Handbook of Remuneration Strategy and Practice, 5th ed., Kogan Page Publishers, U.K. Bailey, K. 2006, Language Teacher Supervision: A case Based Approach, Cambridge University Press, U.K. Campbell, J., Kyriakides, L., Nuijis, D. and Robinson, W. 2012, Assessing Teacher Effectiveness: Different Models, Routledge, Canada. Latham, G. 2007, Work Motivation. History.Theory.Research and Practice, Thousand Oaks, U.K. Locke, E. 1996, ‘Motivation through conscious goal setting’, Applied and Preventative Psychology, vol.5, pp. 117-124. Locke, E. and Latham, G. 1990, A theory of Goal setting and Task Performance, Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Mitchell, D., Ortiz, F. and Mitchell, T. 1987, Work Orientation and Job Performance: The Cultural Basis of Teaching Rewards and Incentives, Suny Press, U.S.A. Robin, G. 2012, Praise, Motivation, and the Child, Routledge, U.S.A. Rouillard,L. 2003, Goals and Goal Setting: Achieving Measured Ob jectives, 3rd ed., Cengage Learning, U.S.A. Snell, S. and Bohlander,G. 2012, Managing Human Resources, Cengage Learning, U.S.A. Stronge, J. and Hindman, J. 2006, The Teacher Quality Index: A Protocol for Teacher Selection, ASCD, U.S.A. Quinn, R.E., Faerman,S.R., Thompson,M.P. and McGrath,M. 2003, Becoming a master manager: A competency framework, 3rd ed., Wiley, New York.

Annotated Bibliogrophy

Thomas Aguiar WRT391 11/18/2012 Al-Fadili, M, Hussain. , & Singuh, Madlu. (2010). Unequal moving to Being Equal: Impact of â€Å"No Child Left Behind† in the Mississippi Delta. (91),. pp. 18-32. This article looks at 3 specific elementary schools tracking the achievement level index of said schools in the Mississippi Delta from 2003 to 2007. They analyzed the teachers of these schools and looked at what is needed to make the NCLB work. Upon further research of the authors they have written a plethora of scholarly articles many concerning education; furthermore, the data published in this article if very clear and informative.Although this article is based on a very small sample group it gives a look at the educator’s point of view on how to make the NBCL work better. Also the data was collected very recently. Again being that this article is a very small sample size I would conclude that it is bias toward these three specific school’s needs but they do represent a larger population of lower income schools all across America. This will not be a main source for my research but this article will be useful in that the NBCL is criticized for hurting smaller, low income school systems in which this article was written.Dee, S,Thomas. , & Jacob, A,Brian. (2010). The Impact of No Child Left Behind on Students, Teachers, and Schools. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, (2),:pp. 149-207. This article studies how the NCLB act has changed accountability in our school systems with new testing. Furthermore their studies indicate that at lower grades we are finding gains but at higher grades there are little to no gains. Both Thomas and Jacob are affiliated with two major universities making this article both scholarly and relevant.With over 5 pages of graphs and other forms of research this article is broadly based and the statements made have sufficient research to back up said statements. Because of the recent data that this article provides I will u se the studies as a major research in the NCLB act and testing in general. Hoikkala, T. , Rahkonen, O. , Tigerstedt, C. , & Tuormaa, J. (1987) Wait a Minute, Mr Postman! -Some Critical Remarks on Neil Postman’s Childhood Theory. Acta Sociologica, (30),. 1: pp. 87-99. In this critique the authors assess Neil Postman’s views and theories on how children learn in a technologically driven society.The author’s points out in many instances were Postman contradicts himself throughout his works as time and technology changes. The leading authors of this scholarly article both hold major positions at a University levels making this critique a worthy article to cite. Written in 1987 I feel this article was written at a time in America were technology was changing from television to computers making this an interesting view on how children in America are learning and growing up in a different world than the birth of television.While the article feels bias towards Postman i t still has very worthy points on education, testing in America, and how children in our society grow up with new forms of technology. This article while helping my research on the effects of the NCLB act and testing in general will not be a primary source but will provide me with a view on our society concerning this subject at the time right before computers were in every household and therefore I find it very useful. Lohmeier, L, Keri. (2009).Aligning State Standards and the Expanded Core Curriculum: Balancing the Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, (103),. 1:pp. 44-47. This article addresses the vision impaired learning process concerning the NCLB act and how law makers can merge laws concerning the teaching the vision impaired to better work with the NCLB. Keri L. Lohmeier, Ed. D. , sits as a cochairman of National Agenda Goal 8, board of directors, Division on Visual Impairments making her more than qualified on the subject at hand .The charts and tables she sites are well organized and easy to follow giving the reader an idea why her ideas on changing the way we teach the vision impaired at a governmental level. Written in 2009 this article is recent and relevant. The subject of vision impaired education points out how major acts such as the NCLB have difficulty in helping all of our students and although this article will not be a major part of my research on testing the fact stated above proves how general testing has major problems reaching all students. Mayers, M, Camille. (2006).Public Law 107-110 No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Support or Threat to Education as a Fundamental Right?. Education, (126),. 3:pp. 449-461. The article looks at the goal of the NCLB concerning helping lower income students having the opportunity to the right of a fair education. Camille is works as an Educational Guidance and Counseling at the California State University making this article scholarly and or worth in my researc h for testing and NCLB. I would deem his research trustworthy as his points and statistics backing them up are up to date and relevant.His conclusion is one that I share in that the NCLB does not help lower income students as intended so I may be bias but his sources are scholarly and his arguments are not biased. If this article covered more than just lower income students I would defiantly consider this as a main source of research but unfortunately it is not. Pederson, V, Patrica. (2007). What is Measured is Treasured: The Impact of The No Child Left Behind Act On Nonassessed Subjects. Clearing House. , (80),. 1:pp. 287-291. In this article the author studies the impact that the NCLB act has played on the arts and humanities subjects in our school systems.Upon further research of Pederson she has many published scholarly articles concerning education making this article worthy or research. The tables and data shown in this article are gathered from 2001 to 2005 and are well detai led and comprehensive. As with most of my previous articles chosen for this research it is written our current times this one being 2007. The article is very clear in that it does not delve in subjects that the NCLB was intended for but how it takes away from other important subjects that law makers overlooked in the act.This article will not serve as my primary source of evaluating the NCLB act but it is very important to understand how this act effects studies in subject in which it was not intended and why law makers feel they are not as important. Postman, N. (1992). Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. New York: Knopf. In this book author Neil Postman analyzes technology from the viewpoint not often looked upon, the negative effects it has on society. From the mid 60’s to present day Neil Postman has been writing and teaching his views on technology making any of his works a worthy topic in this field.Technology is changing every day. Being that this book was published over 20 years ago one would infer that it is out of date but on the contrary many of his theories on the subject are still being analyzed. The author’s thoughts on testing in an educational form make this book very useful for analyzing and critiquing the NCLB. Postman, N. , & Weingartner, C. (1969). Teaching as a subversive activity. New York: Delta Books. In this book the authors take a look at the problems as they seem them with the education system in America and propose solutions to this problem.As I have already stated in this bibliography Postman is more than a worthy source to analyze concerning education and testing. This book has theories and opinions stated by the authors that some may agree or disagree with but in my humble opinion it is the problems that are pointed out in this book that are most concerning especially considering that it was written in 1969 and we still have many of these problems. While the authors are very opinionated in their idea s they promote a new way of thinking about our problems with education in America.Even though this book was written in 1969 I feel the ideas and solutions to education make this book worthy of a main resource. Powell, Deborah. , Higgins, J, Heidi. , Aram, Roberta. , & Freed, Andrea. (2009). Impact of No Child Left Behind Act on Curriculum and Instruction in Rural Schools. Rural Education, (30),. 1:pp. 19-28. This article examines a number of rural elementary schools concerning how the NCLB has affected their curriculum and how it will further shape what is taught in rural schools in order to help students pass tests created by said act.While the authors are unknown to myself the journal in which it is published concentrates on specific government acts concerning education. The data portrayed in this article varies from negative to positive making this source unbiased and being that this article was published in 2009 makes this data up to date and useful. While still up in the air in which role this article will play in my research the article directly delves into a topic that hits home as a future educator in a rural school system; furthermore, what and why the NCLB act changes what we teach our youth.Ross, M, S. (2009). Postman, Media Ecology, and Education: From Teaching as a Subversive Activity through Amusing Ourselves to Death to Technopoly. The Review of Communication, (9),. 2: pp. 146-156 The purpose of this review of three of Neil Postman’s major works concerning Education is to point out Postman and his sometimes co-author Weingartner’s theories, concerns and solutions to education and teaching. Susan Ross, an educator herself, writes this review while providing examples of how these books helped shape her career as an educator.Susan is an assistant professor and the Gulf Coast Speaking Center Director in the Speech Communication Department at the University of Southern Mississippi therefore giving her readers a valuable view at the subj ect at hand. This article was published in 2009 making it relevant to today’s standards. While this will not be my primary research on Neil Postman and his impact on education concerning The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and the use of conventional testing Ross does delve into Postman’s ideas and concerns on testing and furthermore the article was written during the era of the NCLB.Tavakolian, Hamid. , & Howell, Nancy. (2012). The Impact of the No Child Left Behind Act. Franklin Business and Law Journal, (1),:pp. 70-77. This article is a direct look at the NCLB and its impact on the graduation rates of the American school system and how that in turn relates to young adults enrolling into a higher learning institution. The authors are concerned with how the NCLB impact on today’s demanding job market and whether or not our education system promotes an environment where children can compete in said market.The leading author is a Professor of Management at Califo rnia State, Fullerton making this work a scholarly. I find this article to be of worth because the overall objective of education should giving our youth the best opportunity possible at competing in the job market. Published this year, this article gives a very fresh look at the NCLB act and its impact on our educational institutions. Because of the articles specific purpose this will be a major resource in which I will use in writing about the NCLB act.

Compare and contrast high involvement and low involvement processing Essay

Compare and contrast high involvement and low involvement processing. Discuss how and when consumers go through these different - Essay Example What is Consumer Involvement? The study of decision-making behavior reflected by the customers is known as the customer involvement. The buying pattern of consumers varies from product to product based on the perception of consumers towards a product pertaining to its importance or relevance for the customer. In this manner, the study of purchasing behavior of customers enables businesses to understand the level of involvement each consumer has towards a product or service. The literature for consumer behavior is not considered in the modern business world as complete, without discussing customers’ involvement. For this reason, marketers have carried out extensive research in the area and have asserted that for understanding involvement, it is also important to consider the socio-psychological aspects as well. Although, researchers and marketers have fallen short of prescribing a comprehensive definition for the term â€Å"involvement†, but Kapferer and Laurent (1985) h ave suggested that there are five types of involvements. First level of involvement is for interest in the product, then involvement because of risk importance, risk probability, sign value or involvement due to hedonic value of the product. Other researchers like Schiffman and Kanuk (1991) perceives involvement as the reaction to ego’s call, perceived risk of the product or the importance of purchase of the product. Another perspective of consumer involvement is presented by Hansen (1981). He views involvement as: "Variations in the extent to which the individual is more or less motivated toward a specific piece of information, product, or the like. With high involvement, more psychic energy is released for handling incoming information, sorting it out, and making choices" (Hansen, 1981). The definition presented by Hansen (1981) is also supported by researchers like Mitchell (1981) who also suggested that consumers are motivated by businesses to commit high involvement in t he purchasing decision so that they can close study the product, its attributes and its benefits. Moreover, Hensen’s (1981) definition is also close to perfect as it defines involvement on the basis of motivation that a marketing strategy of a business produces amongst consumers. To summaries the various definitions of involvement found with the review of literature, it can be asserted that involvement refers to the degree of attraction and the level of individual experiences an individual feels towards a product at the time of making a purchasing decision. The next section of the report would discuss the most important aspect of marketing studies, i.e. consumer behavior and its relevance to consumer involvement. Consumer Behavior and Consumer Involvement Consumer behavior is a wide area of marketing studies, which deals with the understanding of patterns depicted by individual or group of customers towards a particular product or service. It consists of a purchasing process, which includes the selection of a product, securing the product, disposing the product and experiencing the performance of the product. Therefore; consumer behavior is the study of attitude shown by consumers while purchasing and using a product or service. The study of consumer behavior requires marketers and

Discuss the claim that the press in the 20th century became a medium Essay

Discuss the claim that the press in the 20th century became a medium of advertising, whereas the press was free in the 19th century - Essay Example However what is currently the case has never been like the one which used to be so in the 19th century. The press of modern times relies more on placing the advertisements rather than giving the readers something to read about. In other words, it is more interested in propagating advertisements than the news and reports on which the readers are focused. There is now an aspect of compromise when it comes to putting a news report and the newspaper editor thinks of placing an advertisement on the specified place for the report so that he could earn more and bring more revenues for his newspaper or magazine. This means that the unethical attitudes are pretty much apparent in the whole contexts of press and these need to be adjusted in a manner which could balance the benefits as well as make the news reports and analyzes visible in between the pages of the newspaper or magazine. With the advent of advertising trends with expensive placements in between the pages and inserts coming into the whole equation, visibility of these advertisements is a significant feature of their placement. Thus there is a greater amount of concentration as far as these advertisements are concerned when one compares the same with the case that was applicable in the 19th century. Back in those days, press used to be fair, without the tension of placing any advertisements or paid notices. But now the case has totally changed since the press is bent upon making more money out of their media vehicle and thus it knows it can play with its advertising strategies and exploitation means in order to usurp money and the like from the advertisers but what it forgets at the end of the day is that the readers generally do not appreciate these efforts. It is also a fact that the routine stuff is absorbed in a manner by the readers so that they become used to the very same kind of

Pinciples of Assesment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pinciples of Assesment - Essay Example The idea here is to ensure the complete transfer of knowledge to the learner and the purpose of assessment is to deduce the level of success that has been achieved in this transfer of facts, for e.g. a history teacher tested students on the topic of American Revolution in order to find the amount of information grasped by the students on the subject, an obvious affect of this assessment would be a feedback and a possible repetition of the lecture for students who scored poorly on the test. It leaves no ambiguity in the fact that The Victorian standards aim at helping out the appraisee rather than the appraiser. In comparison to this the Griffin & Gills principles of assessment aim to measure the collective affect on a group i.e. the person being evaluated and the group which is being affected by his/her performance. Moreover the Griffin & Gills methods can be utilized in the selection and recruitment or in case of students for admitting them into an institution as implied by the following principle "able to be used for purposes of selection and recognition; encourage learning of higher order skills", though the second part of the statement refers to the case of individuals who already a part of the institution or an organization the first piece is in contradiction to Victoria standards which intend to evaluate existing pupil. Victoria principles for assessment stress on the evaluation procedure to be an ongoing process i.e. students should be tested throughout the semester to use the test result attained throughout the period to be used as a basis for assessment. In contrast to this the Griffin & Gills seem to be referring to an episodic process of testing. Victoria's principles are open to moderation in times of need whereas the Griffin & Gills are based on fixed measures and these are beyond the influence of the appraiser unlike the Victorian standards. Assumptions Victorian Essential Learning Standards It has been assumed that assessments affect the students and parents and the outcome of assessment on the institutional goals and standards has been ignored. It can be seen throughout the course of points none of which relate to the effect on the teacher or the institution in the event of an unreliable or biased assessment. One major assumption made is that teachers could moderate their evaluation procedure if they cite the need for it. One should not forget that individuals have different personalities and thus they set different goals for the subject they teach moreover no two courses in the curriculum are exactly similar to have same goals. For e.g. History and Mathematics are in no way similar and the instructors in these courses might not have identical plans for assessing students. Under these circumstances the protocols of an institution would press on conformity in the procedure of assessment and hence the idea of moderation in techniques by individual teacher is rarely functional. Griffin & Gills set of principles It has been assumed that there exists a possibility of drafting plans that would completely reliable and would eliminate alternative explanation for results. This principle is a mere hypothesis which on test might not hold to be true. External influences always exist in the evaluation and research has proved that

The Stag Hunt Game Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Stag Hunt Game Models - Essay Example Mainly, games such as Battle of Sexes, Prisoners Dilemma, and so on have been investigated by researchers. However, there have been very few mentions and applications of the Stag Hunt game. The Star Hunt game was a story told briefly by Rousseau. In its sense, it represents a social contract prototype (Skyrms, 2004). According to Rousseau’s story, the Star Hunt Game raises many questions such as an individual’s share of a successful deer hunt and values of a hare, will the hunt be successful if all those participating in the deer hunt remained faithful, and is there a chance that two hunters would opt to chase the hare? (Skyrms, 2004). In this paper, we look at the choices provided by the Stag Hunt game where each player can either choose to act on their own, or, to collaborate with the other party. This being an example of the games in game theory, we will try to find out whether it would be possible, through game theory, to predict a unique result of which everybody w ould choose. Discussion Game theory represents a very good way of analyzing the type of interdependence and relationship between firms in an oligopoly market. This type of market contains various small numbers of large enterprises practicing competition. Normally, when one firm in this market setting undertakes an action, other firms may be prompted to counter. For instance, if one firm rebrands its packaging and lowers it price, a competing firm is also prompted to do the same (Amos Web LLC, 2012). If one of the firms in the market decides to advertise a given product and launches an advertising campaign, the other firms in the market also prompted to make plans of stepping up their advertising campaigns. Game theory tries to explain these kinds of moves, and the counter moves that firms in an oligopolistic market make in trying to outdo each other for financial and market share gains. John Nash, the person who came up with game theory, was a Nobel Prize winning mathematician and e conomist (Shafer & Pearl, 1990). In the application of game theory in the moves and counter moves of firms in an oligopolistic market, analysis of standard game theory is on the basis of the alternative outcomes which arise when offered the choices that every one of the two players in the game face. It is worthy to note that when a player makes a choice, it definitely affects the result that the other or both of the players get in the end (Colman, 1995). In a game theory, if a player decides to cooperate with another player, the results they get form the endeavor definitely favors both of them (Shafer & Pearl, 1990). The rewards of cooperation are good. Nonetheless, there are times when cooperation is part of the game yet the individual interests are not the same as those of the team or the cooperating unit, like in the case of a soccer match. People form a team to get a favorable result at the end of the game. However, an individual may agree to be part of the team to get the resul ts but at the same time aim for personal glory. These are some of the choices that game theory offers the players or the playing teams as in the case of a soccer match (Bacharach, 1987). Experts have suggested that, it might be in the best interests of the players, in a game like the stag hunt to agree to cooperate with each other and go for the stag; as it gives more rewards in the end. However, there are times when the players wish to have outcomes that favor each of them in their own right without the

Prospective Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Prospective Analysis - Assignment Example The random walk model outlines that the stock price or earnings change have same distributions and are independent of each other thus past movements of stock price or earnings cannot be used to predict the future stock price movement. I disagree with John’s forecast strategy since the assumption of unchanging mean and variance is debatable. b. A merger or acquisition is will increase the future net income due to higher sales growth and more revenue generation from the acquisition. The merger or acquisition will reduce competition thus enhance the future net income. The best model that describes a better pattern of the earnings per share is the mean-reversion model since competition in the market will drive abnormal levels of profits to mean while reinvestment of the earnings will likely earn more levels of earnings. According to many analysts, the Earnings Factory is a ‘darling’ of the ASX. Its current market price $ 15 per share and its book value is $ 5 per share. Analysts forecast that the organisation’s book value will grow by 10 per cent per year indefinitely and the cost of equity is 15 per cent. The market’s expectation of the organisation’s long-term average ROE is calculated as follows; Companies with a high ROE can have a low PE ratio when the investors expect the firm will continue generate positive abnormal ROEs. The PE ratio is the market price per share divided by the earnings per

Granite South Carolina Train Disater Term Paper

Granite South Carolina Train Disater - Term Paper Example ion was train number 192 of the Norfolk southern train while the other stationary one was also a Norfolk Southern train number P22 and was effectively stationed on a siding adjacent to the Avondale Mills factory. One of the most probable causes that could have fundamentally fueled this particular event was the fact that the train number 192 was potentially misdirected using switching of train lanes from the main one to a subsidiary track into the region of where the train number 192 was directed and hence this accredited to the collision near the Avondale Mills plant. Norfolk southern train number 192 was also scheduled to carry and in effect was carrying bulk amounts of chlorine, sodium hydroxide, and cresol while when the incident took place one of the containers loaded with latter chemicals punctured on site and the surrounding block of topography was potentially exposed to hazardous elements in these course of events. The non-static locomotive was carrying forty two cars from which sixteen were derailed at the point of impact. Further to this the stationary engine labeled train number P22 had two cars docked from which one of them fell out at the point of impact. It may also be imperative to note that one of the freight cars loaded on train number 192 had ninety tons on chlorine from which sixty ton of the gas was emitted again during the crash. It was established later in a NTSB (National transport safety board) that the leak was due to a puncture in the chlorine container and hence this was the particular reason the hazardous gas was emitte d into the atmosphere. The NTSB report also showcased that three emergency calls were made right after the crash with potential eyewitness claiming to have seen and heard a train wreck in the area. The report also stressed that one of the three callers claimed to have smelled bleach near the crash site after which the call was abruptly ended. The fact again signifies that the chlorine containers did in actuality break from

Death in the laboratory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Death in the laboratory - Essay Example Due to the nature of the evidence, it is most likely that the Count who was discovered dead in a laboratory on 21 September died as a result of the injury caused to his body through the assault of his disease. Upon entering the scene, the body of the Count was displayed in such a way to suggest that he had fallen at the point of his death. One leg was at an awkward angle and his arm was thrown behind his back. Initial point of view suggested that he his death had been caused in such a way that he was surprised and not prepared for the fall. Since there was no evidence of bodily injury, the initial overview of the laboratory suggested that perhaps he had suffered from some sort of poisoning, either through the still open food that sat near his body or the cigarette that still had some length to it, but was no longer burning as if it had been snubbed out previous to consuming the meal. In addition, a video on safety and health was in the DVD player, along with research on the effects of the drug therapy cisplatin for use in ovarian and blood cancers. Chloroform and liquid nitrogen were also found on the scene. Further investigation into the meaning of the research revealed that it was cente red on the manipulation of DNA towards the goal of creating a successful type of gene therapy. The initial investigation into the Count’s financial life revealed that he had become near to bankruptcy, his bank account drained of what had originally been a significant savings only a short time ago, now overdrawn. Near his body was found a series of pharmaceuticals that have a specific purpose that was identified. Cisplatin, oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and folinic acid were all found arranged on a surface near the body. Oxaliplatin is used in combination with cisplatin when innate or acquired resistance to the cisplatin therapy exists (International Symposium on Platinum Coordination Compounds in Cancer Chemotherapy, and

Executive Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Executive Summary - Essay Example The graph below shows the increase in illegal apartments in New York between 1983 and 2013. Despite the opposing views on illegal housing units and its impact to New York, reforms are key to ensure that people access affordable safe habitable housing, as opposed to expensive and luxurious housing. The DOB issues annually more than 4,440 violations for illegal conversion of basements, cellars, and attics: - which are not fit for human occupancy due to health and safety risks. These violations can end only by adjusting the The New York City Building or Housing Maintenance code, Article 5- Occupancy of cellars and basements. Amending the policy will guarantee that the priority of the city council to ensure safety for its tenants is achieved. City officials mandated to provide proper and affordable housing are required to consider this proposal to make sure that no city dweller dies or falls sick due to the pathetic unsafe conditions of the illegal housing units. Suggested opinions to warrant safe housing units include introducing policies on; Asthma free housing, issuing of rental permits, yearly remodeling to maintain policies, and provision of adequate finances for building safe units. These measures ensure equality and safety for all the tenants who are inconvenienced by the existing policy regulations. Stakeholders’ decision to permit these changes will effect change and eradicate conflict with authorities Political and financial constraints may delay the achievement of the above suggestions. However, it is necessary to consider these options to increase the sustainability of the reforms. Political goodwill towards this policy will guarantee fairness and equity for the tenants and give room for other amendments of this nature to ensure a comfortable nation. With this effect, institutions have the responsibility to address

Google the Best Company Essay Example for Free

Google the Best Company Essay The competition is steep for any company seeking to become one of the Best, and certainly for any company that shows up in the #1 slot. Yet Google chose a great role model to help them create the special culture that has supported their success. While definitely creating and following their own path, leaders at Google also turned to Genentech (#1 on the Best Companies list in 2006) as a source of ideas and wisdom to guide their growth as a company. And they have grown well, with confidence that their unique culture and approach to work life have contributed to the overall suc- cess of the organization. In their Culture Audit (a key component of the Best Com- panies evaluation process) they state, There is no hard data that can ever prove that a free lunch and a multicultural, campus-like environment con- tribute to the organizations success and profit. What can be proven is that Google is growing at an immense pace retention of employees is high, attrition is low and revenues are strong ($6. 1B in 2005). People are eager to work at Google and applications to our job openings are exceedingly high (approximately 1,300 resumes a day). Googles employees confirm what is reported in the Culture Audit, with 95% of the employees who responded to the employee survey part of the Best Companies evaluation process saying, Taking everything into account Id say this is a great place to work. Thats an extraordinary sentiment for a fast paced, stressful yet exhilarating work environment. Even people who leave Google to try something different do so reluctantly (SF Chronicle, 1/7/07). Googles leaders have figured out the formula that works for them by treating people with respect, supporting their creative endeavors, and working hard to adhere to their motto of Dont be evil. Its not magic, or rocket science or paternalism or entitlement. In some ways it is plain common sense. As they explain in their Culture Audit: Our employees, who call themselves Googlers, are everything. Google is organized around the ability to attract and leverage the talent of exceptional technolo- gists and business people. We have been lucky to recruit many creative, principled and hard working stars. We hope to recruit many more in the future. As we have from the start, we will reward and treat them well.

Impact of Alcohol Misuse on Parenting Capacity

Impact of Alcohol Misuse on Parenting Capacity Introduction: Alcohol and substance abuse has been found to adversely affect the ability of parents to attend to the emotional, developmental and physical necessities of children. Several governmental and health policies have provisions of services to support parents who engage in substance misuse or neglect children (NHS, 2005). Most research focus on the implications of mothers using drugs and the usual treatment method is counselling or residential programmes. Very few research studies have evaluated the impact of substance misuse on parenting capacity along with other disadvantageous conditions such as poverty and unemployment. For parental support services confidentiality is maintained about the parental condition although children often get to know of their parents’ misuse and may feel a sense of shame at their parents condition and at the same time have a fear of being separated from their parents (Barnard, 1999). A recent government framework document has defined parenting capacity as ‘the ability of parents or caregivers to ensure that the child’s developmental needs are being appropriately and adequately responded to, to be able to adapt to the child’s changing needs over time.’ The child’s needs include providing the basic physical needs as well as ‘ensuring the child’s emotional needs are met and giving the child a sense of being specially valued’. According to the Department of Health, ‘Securing the wellbeing of children by protecting them from all forms of harm and ensuring their developmental needs are responded to appropriately are primary aims of Government policy. Local authority social services departments working with other local authority departments and health authorities have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their area who are in need and to promote the upbringing of such children, wherever po ssible by their families, through providing an appropriate range of services’(Department of Health, 2000). Promoting the child’s intellectual development is also an important aspect of parenting as the child can develop only through encouragement and stimulation and through demonstrating and modelling control of inappropriate emotions and showing acceptable social behaviour providing a stable family environment. Thus adequate parenting capacity involves attending to the emotional, intellectual and physical needs of a child and promoting a healthy and supportive family environment (Children Act, 1989) Substance misuse, as identified by governmental health department covers both drug and alcohol misuse which is considered to have an adverse impact on the health and behaviour of parents and also on the lives and emotions of the children (Sher 1991). Excessive alcohol consumption severely affects the behaviour of the person who engages in drinking although there are differences in social perception of drug and alcohol use. Drug abuse carries with it more social stigma than alcohol misuse and may be consequently concealed from the family. In this essay we would give a statistical report on the nature and extent of substance misuse especially in Scotland and provide Scottish executive guidelines for child care in cases of parental substance misuse. The impact of parental alcohol misuse has been discussed in detail along with protective measures and social care policies that can provide adequate care to the vulnerable children. The Problem of Alcohol Misuse Alcohol misuse however causes substantial deaths, injuries and health problems and rates of drinking are high in the UK, within Wales and Scotland as well (NHS, 2005). In 1996, an estimated 27% male and 14% females drank beyond limits. 6% of men and 2% of women drink at levels which are considered dangerous. The age at which young people begin drinking is also decreasing rapidly (Department of Health, 2000). Alcohol consumption is the major factor in causing injuries and has been associated with most accidents and drowning deaths. Alcohol also causes significant health problems associated with hypertension, haemorrhages, stroke, cardiovascular disease, liver cirrhosis, alcohol dependence as well as social and behavioural problems. Is has been reported that in Accidents and Emergency departments, 80% of people admitted have alcohol related problems (NHS, 2005). Educational messages, informational campaigns and personal behavioural-change interventions are important in raising awarenes s on the potential dangers of alcohol and the importance of maintaining safe limits in alcohol consumption. Minimal or brief interventions are given at a primary care level and trained nurses provide care and support which are sometimes quite effective in reducing drinking. Family social learning and family social processes are an important influence on adolescent alcohol misuse and more research may be necessary to understand the effectiveness of including family members in group alcohol prevention programmes and the role of parenting skills in prevention of alcohol misuse (Kroll, 2004). The workplace can be another influential factor in reducing or increasing alcohol consumption. Interventions for behavioural modification have to be related to workplace alcohol consumption policy. The UK home office suggests that Rights and responsibilities in relation to alcohol are important in a Government’s approach to alcohol. Although most people drink responsibly but there is general agreement that the scale of disorder fuelled by alcohol is also quite high. According to the Home Office, in 2002/03, 1.2million violent crimes were alcohol related and 44% of all violent crime was fuelled by alcohol. 35% of all attendances at hospital accident and emergency departments are related to alcohol as are 70% of those which occur between midnight and 5 am (Home Office report, 2005). One in five violent incidents due to over-consumption of alcohol takes place around pubs or clubs. All this involves a high cost with crime and disorder resulting in losses of up to  £7.3 billion in a year. According to the NHS – Alcohol Misuse, Chief Nursing Officer Bulletin, 2005. According to Scottish executive 2001, there may be certain differences between alcohol misuse, alcohol problems and alcoholism. The term ‘alcohol misuse’ might refer to a less serious or frequent problem than alcoholism as it may not refer to any addiction but on having alcohol for the sake of it. Alcohol misuse has been largely associated with over-consumption or binge drinking which may be different from habitual consumption. Social or medical services related to alcohol consumption are perceived as curative rather than preventative and people generally seek help after becoming dependent on alcohol and not prior to this. Alcohol problems are associated with daily life problems that begin to take over a person’s life and begin to affect personal behaviour. Alcohol dependency is sometimes seen as an alcohol problem although alcohol problem is more defined not by the amount of alcohol being consumed but by the impact it has on the lives of people around a person wh o engages in such habits. However alcohol physical and emotional dependency is related to alcoholism rather than alcohol misuse or alcohol problems and alcoholics are usually the ones who tend to hide their problems and their dependency which is usually marked by physical helplessness. Extreme misuse of alcohol is again seen as alcoholism although some service providers use the term ‘alcoholic’ with some discretion as some patients may be less comfortable with the term which may even be harmful and detrimental to treatment. Statistics on Alcohol Misuse – The following interesting statistics have been provided by Scottish Executive Publications on Alcohol Misuse: Source: Scottish Executive Publications – Statistics on Alcohol Misuse. Table 1 Casualties which involved motor vehicle drivers or riders with illegal alcohol levels by severity of accident, Scotland *above current drink-drive limit of 80mg alcohol per 100ml of blood [Road Accidents Scotland 2000 SE 2001] The severity of the problem of alcohol consumption could be seen from the report presented which indicates that alcohol related deaths, violence, mental illness, emergency admissions and road accidents have all gone up in the last few years with the UK alcohol consumption also showing a steep rise in the late 90s and early 2000. These problems are especially reflected in parental alcohol consumption cases which have severe adverse impacts on children. Promoting Child Welfare – The Perspective from Scottish Executive The Scottish Executive documents provide the following vision for the welfare of Scottish children: ‘A Scotland in which every child matters, where every child, regardless of his or her family background, has the best possible start in life’. Two important documents have been released for these purposes. ‘For Scotland’s Children’, which was published in 2001, gave advice on how better to integrate children’s services and the ‘Report of the Child Protection Audit and Review 2002’, aimed to improve services for children who experience abuse or neglect at home or elsewhere. The Child Protection Review (2002) states: â€Å"The problems of neglect and problem drug or alcohol use are often related, particularly where household finances are spent on drink or drugs, or the behaviour of the parents or their associates impact on the child’s welfare. Some problems are intergenerational, particularly neglect. We have concerns about the future well being of a large number of children who are now being born into drug misusing families, and ensuring their better protection must be a priority.† Child Protection Committees, Drug/Alcohol Action Teams, and agencies involved in preparing Children’s Service Plans should ensure that all agencies agree on how they will work together to protect children, support families and provide appropriate services (Daniel, 2004). Tackling all kinds of substance misuse is a high priority for the people of Scotland and the Scottish Executive and all methods need to be developed according to Scottish National strategies. One such strategy is Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership and the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems. Scottish Executive Committee recognises that although not every family with substance misuse experience difficulties, parental substance misuse can have significant and damaging consequences for children at home. The Committee proposes that such children are entitled to help, support and protection even within their own families although sometimes help from agencies are necessary for their safety and security. Parents are also required to support their children and help children to overcome their problems by promoting children’s full potential. The national drugs strategy calls for agencies to assess the needs of children who are neglected by parents on drug misuse and help provide services to these children for their safety and welfare. The Scottish executive has provided guidance to all Drug Action Teams and Child Protection Committees and encouraged these organisations to have local policies on support to help children of drug misusing parents. Within the specified Alcohol Plan for action, children of problem drinkers are also identified as a group with specific needs. Drug and Alcohol Action Teams look at the needs of children whose parents misuse alcohol. The main tenets of the Scottish Executive are given as follows: 1. Children’s welfare is the most important consideration; 2. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that children are protected from harm; 3. We should help children early and not wait for crises – or tragedies – to occur; and 4. We must work together, in planning and delivering services, in assessment and care planning with families, and in multi-disciplinary training. According to the Scottish executive, as there is currently, no national database of problem alcohol users in Scotland, data on alcohol use come from a number of sources: †¢ in 2000, 26% of all women and 44% of all men drank more than twice the daily benchmark on their heaviest drinking day †¢ the proportion of women aged 16-64 drinking more than the weekly recommended limits increased from 13% to 15% from 1995 to 1998 †¢ young people, aged 16-24, in Scotland are drinking more; average weekly consumption in young people aged 16-24 has risen from 1995-1998 for both sexes †¢ men living in the most deprived areas of Scotland are seven times more likely to die an alcohol-related death than those in the least deprived areas †¢ 72% of victims of violent crime reported that their assailant was under the influence of alcohol Recent estimates has also suggested that 40,000-60,000 children in Scotland are affected by their parents’ drug use and 80,000-100,000 are affected by parental alcohol misuse. The following examples give data from two urban areas – Glasgow and Dundee – I A local study of children’s cases, in which Glasgow City Council had sought Child Protection Orders between 1998 and 1999, found that of 111 Orders made on children in 62 families, 44 (40%) cited drug-related risk. 47 of the children were named on the local child protection register, 27 because of concerns about neglect and 16 for physical injury (Quinlan, 2000 cited in Scottish Executive 2002). Source: Scottish Executive II- In Dundee the proportion of children subject to child protection case conferences whose parents were recorded as having problems with alcohol and/or drug misuse, rose from 37% in 1998/1999 to 70% in 2000. Of the 30 children on the child protection register in October 2000, 53% had parents with problems associated with drug and/or alcohol misuse. Source: Scottish Executive The Impact of Parent’s Substance Misuse on Children According to Mountenay (1998) parental substance misuse is neither a necessary nor a sufficient cause of problems in children. However, alcohol and substance misuse greatly increases the risks of family problems and substance misuse in parents can become a focal issue of life and social behaviour of children at home. Mountenay (1998) has further claimed that long term drug or alcohol misuse in parents lead to deteriorating mental health and permanent mental problems for children. Alcohol dependence causes severe problems in households and the fact that drug use is illegal can cause similar problems among children who perceive the problems of their parents with considerable shame and disgust. The problem of children is however mainly ill-researched and less known and they are seen as hidden tragedies or unseen casualties (Wilson, 1982) Due to parental substance misuse, children may be at high risks of maltreatment, emotional and physical neglect, family conflict and inappropriate parental behaviour (Barlow, 1996). Children may be exposed to or get associated with drug or alcohol related crimes and as a consequence they are more likely to show behavioural problems and experience social stigma and isolation and may also themselves become substance mis-users as adults. Since parents on drugs and alcohol spend a lot of time on buying, assessing or obtaining these substances, their emotional or social relationships with their children are hampered as they do not have much time or availability for their children. This problem is especially acute in single parent household and in economically deprived areas, especially when there is no support from relatives or family members. Households in which drug or alcohol abuse is common is characterised by violence, criminal activity and poor or unstable environments. Drug or alcohol dependent parents ultimately make poor relationships and have strained and conflictual relationships with their children. Parents may fail to keep up or perform their parental duties and provide ineffective supervision, inconsistent care or overly punitive or strict discipline which may strain their relations with the children. There may be deficiencies in parenting skills of parents which may in turn have been imbibed from the parents of the drug users who served as poor role models. Barlow (1996) claimed that children of drug using parents may in the long term show serve social and motional difficulties, and may show strong reactions against change, isolation, with difficulty in learning, problems with social humour and estrangement and isolation from family and peers. However the impact of parental alcohol or drug misuse varies according to the age of children and according to which developmental stage they are in. The impact also depends on abilities of children. Children with physical or learning disabilities or with some health problems may be more vulnerable to emotional difficulties due to their parents’ conditions and parents involved in substance misuse may have difficulties in understanding these especially sensitive children or meeting their needs. Thus assessment of care quality and parental support should always consider each child individually. Infants in their pre-school years and babies in general are particularly vulnerable to effects of physical and emotional injury and neglect and this can have damaging effects on their long term development and social adjustment. Neglect can happen when the parent in care is in an alcoholic or drugged condition and unaware of the child’s needs or reactions. Parental commitment to care for children is severely affected when in drugged or alcoholic condition and can lead to inappropriate responses to the questions or concerns of the child. The parents in drugged or alcoholic state may be unhappy, tensed or irritated and can even injure or harm the child under the influence of such conditions (Forrester, 2000). Poor and inconsistent parenting damages the attachment process and unpredictable parental behaviour hinders the child’s cognitive and emotional development. Substance misuse is usually an expensive vice and there may be financial demands on the parents which mean mon ey would be wasted and not used appropriately to improve a child’s material environment. Physical or emotional rejection in such household can prevent children from developing a positive sense of self esteem or even a sense of identity and children may have their physical needs neglected and tend to remain unwashed, uncared and unfed (Sher, 1991). Children may be beaten up and be subjected to direct physical violence and by witnessing direct domestic abuse, they may themselves learn inappropriate behaviour which may take the form of post traumatic stress disorder in which they display emotional symptoms if parental behaviour becomes unpredictable and frightening. Older or primary school children are at increased risks of injury and they may show symptoms of fear of hostility with parents and also anxiety. The gender of the children play an important role and girls may show different reactions to such parental behaviour than boys. Although boys tend to show behavioural problems like aggressiveness, girls can be equally affected. At this stage, poor parental supervision and parental neglect or disinterest can lead to failure in academic attainment and children’s attendance to school can become irregular or erratic. Separation from parents can also cause distress and disrupt social behaviour and academic achievement (Kroll, 2004). Parental behaviour can lead to feelings of embarrassment and shame in these individuals and may be responsible for making children socially isolated for fear of humiliation by friends. Children can also start taking responsibilities for themselves and their younger siblings and may become too independent trying to move away from home and family life. Children and adolescent with drug or alcohol problems at home may not attend school and become delinquent. They may become isolated with no friends, may reject family altogether and experience significant disruption in their education (McKeganey et al, 2002). Without parental support children at adolescence and puberty may have to face increased problems although they may become increasingly beyond parental control. Sexual aggression, bullying tendencies and emotional disturbances may accompany concerns of shame and embarrassment in children to compensate physical neglect by parents. Children with parental substance misuse might develop an early problem of drug and alcohol abuse themselves. Chandy et al (1993) discuss that children of alcoholics constitute an at-risk population and their study attempted to understand the impact of parental alcohol misuse on school performance of children. They used a sample of 838 teenagers from alcohol misusing parents and found that these teenagers performed significantly poorer in all the six measurements of school performance. The study identified that the teenagers who did perform well in school said that their parents have high expectations of them and these teenagers rated themselves highly in terms of health and also claimed to be religious and thus religiousness and parental expectations could be considered as protective factors as identified in this study. In another study by CoSandra et al. (2000) the effects of parental alcohol use on African American and White adults were studied. The study results indic

Planning and Compulsory Act 2004 | Evaluation

Planning and Compulsory Act 2004 | Evaluation The Planning and Compulsory Act 2004 was enacted  as a response to criticism of the Compulsory Purchase system in England and Wales. Identify the key issues  of statute and analyse the likely reaction to the legislation. Introduction The Planning and Compulsory Act 2004 represents the first new Planning Act in over a decade and took in excess of eighteen months for the negotiation of its passage in the Palace of Westminster as well as special dispensation to enable the Act to be carried from one session of Parliament to the next. The Compulsory Purchase system that was in force in England and Wales that it overhauls is in keeping with reforms under the United Kingdom’s Sustainable Communities programme which was enacted to reverse the tide of empty and abandoned properties throughout the region as a result of the mass migration of the middle and upper middle class to suburban communities (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2005). In essence, the Compulsory Purchase system is what is termed in the United States as the law of eminent domain, compulsory acquisition in Australia, or expropriation in Canada as well as South Africa and represents the government’s authority to appropriate property, priva tely held, for its utilization in keeping with programs or reasons that represent the good of the general public (European Convention on Human Rights, 1950). As part of the United Kingdom’s far reaching ‘Sustainable Communities’ programme, which was launched by the Deputy Prime Minister on 5 February 2003, the Planning and Compulsory Act 2004 has been enacted to introduce more efficiency as well as speed and simplicity into local, regional and the U.K. government’s ability to work under as well as with the interlocking communities plans that include these three levels government cooperation and interaction (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2005). The legal term ‘compulsory purchase’ is an adaptation of ‘eminent domain’ which was derived from a legal treatise that was written by Huo Grotius in 1625 (Chen, 2003) and represents the means via which government can acquire real property that is required for the completion of a public project that is seen as beneficial for the public in general and where the owner of said property has been or is unwilling to negotiate the terms for the sal e. It is important to understand that the power of ‘compulsory purchase’ under English law is derived from real property. The truth is that private property ownership is not absolute but rather that a governmental authority grants what is termed a ‘fee simple’, which is an allodial title that is reserved for government. Under this, the landowner assumes the right to own property within that government’s borders as a result of the payment of taxation and the powers of compulsory purchase, police power and escheat (thepaperadvantage.com. 2005). The preceding is part of the feudal system whereby the holder of the land, termed ‘estate’, could not sell said land but rather was entitled to grant subordinate ‘fee simple’ estate rights to other parties in a system that was known as subinfueddation. Blackstone (Cousin, 1910) explains that in the instance of land under English law, fee simple conveys that it, land, can be transferred and held, owned, by whomever the original holder so pleases. The present system of property ownership evolved from this foundation and thus the government’s power to re-acquire land under compulsory purchase, or eminent domain, has thus been and is an established facet of law. The Compulsory Purchase system that existed in England and Wales operated under a structure whereby local authorities, without a linkage to regional or national planning forums, made the planning policies for their areas and as such a broader and more encompassing system for the integration of these plans into a coherent regional and national policy did not exist. The new Planning and Compulsory Act 2004 has been designed to streamline the planning process through a system that is more centralized thus replacing the local development plans and the corresponding delays and red tape which developers and landowners faced (Brand, 1968). The aforementioned flight of the middle and upper middle class to suburban developments has created a crisis throughout England and Wales whereby older communities now lack the middle and upper income tax base that was sustaining community services. In addition, a real housing shortage has and does exist throughout the country. It is estimated that there are approximately 220,000 to 230,000 new households entering the economy on a yearly basis (English House Condition Survey, 2003) and that there are just 170,000, estimated, new homes being built. The resulting high demand and low supply has created an imbalance in the housing market and driven the cost of home ownership out of the range of young adults thus creating an economic situation whereby older home owners of limited income find that their properties no longer have equity value as a result of the deteriorated neighborhoods caused by suburban flight. This imbalance has created a serious lack of affordable housing, thus resulti ng in the United Kingdom’s sweeping Sustainable Communities plan (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2005). The developers state that the imbalance has been and is a result of the red tape involved in obtaining planning approvals from local authorities, which is countered by claims from consumer groups such as the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England that state developers and landowners have been hoarding land in an effort to drive up prices. The overall affect of the preceding, regardless of final blame, has been a severe economic condition that has crippled the UK’s housing market, driven down house prices in older neighborhoods and created an abandoned house situation whereby the mortgage costs of older homes exceeds their market value. This is the economic climate that has fostered the development of the Planning and Compulsory Act 2004, and the ramification of it with respect to the Compulsory Purchase system it replaces shall be examined herein from the context of criticisms leveled at the latter. The preceding summary of the economic and governmental aspects which prompted the adoption of the Planning and Compulsory Act 2004 have been undertaken to provide the background information necessary by which to understand the underlying developments which led to the enactment and passage of the Act. The Act seeks to eliminate the delay bottlenecks and red tape encountered through a redesign of the structure of the planning system from the local level onto the national level as called for under the Sustainable Communities initiative (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2005). It replaces the planning policies made by local authorities with one that considers the ramifications and effects of varied building and development programs on a national basis. Under the old structure County Councils implement the preparation of planning policies as contained in structure plans, and these are further refined at the District Council level which forms the plans for the are development (planning sanity.com). The Act abolishes the Regional Planning Guidance and Structure Plans and replaces them with Regional Spatial Strategies that thus forms the basis for new plan development (Brand, 1968). The Regional Spatial Strategies under the new system will be prepared via appointed Regional Planning Bodies and will have some assistance from the existing County Councils. As the proceeding has raised concerns over accountability, a process of public consultation with respect to the Regional Spatial Councils shall be provided at examinations (uk-legislation, 2004). The new framework also eliminates local plans which now will fall under the auspices of Local Development Documents that are overseen and prepared by District Councils. Given the massive restructuring involved, the Act has a period of three years in which these transitions will be made. The preceding broad summary of the overall process contains the following improvements, modifications and changes that the Act introduces: Broad Scale Act Overview The Act has been designed to create a more flexible as well as responsive system for the planning of building programs in England and Wales, as is summarized as follows (uk-legislation, 2004): Provides for a streamlined, simpler and more flexible system at the local and regional level; provides for increased community involvement at the local and regional levels and includes the provision for financial assistance with respect to Planning Aid; Introduces powers for application forms that thus improve control over the developmental process as well as new provisions changing the length of time it takes for planning permissions. It also permits local planning authorities to bring up development rights in the local development orders; Introduces speed to the administrative handling of large infrastructure projects through the process of concurrent rather than consecutive hearings; Removes the immunity that the English Crown had in the planning process; Proves a system whereby the compulsory purchase plan is fairer, faster and easier to understand and work within on regeneration as well as major infrastructure projects. Part 1 and 2 of the Act Under these provisions of the Act a change in the way developmental plan making is conducted in the United Kingdom abolishes the cumbersome Compulsory Purchase system in the following manner(s) (uk-legislation, 2004): Under the new Act each region will have its own spatial strategy. In those instances where it is feasible as well as relevant, the existing regional planning guidance agency shall become the new regional spatial strategy unit. The regional spatial strategy units will be kept under review by the Regional Planning Bodies to monitor their implementation and as an oversight contingency. The Regional Planning Bodies must prepare a written draft of the revised Regional Spatial Strategy when such is expedient or required. The important manner of housing numbers and allocations will be arrived at in the foregoing level and where appropriate in sub-regional plans. The Regional Planning Bodies will take advice from county councils as well as other bodies that have expertise on strategic planning to aid in the planning of revisions of plans and drafts of the Regional Spatial Strategy agencies. The foregoing brings local and specialized expertise into the planning structure and provides monitoring of actions to ensure that the developed plans are in the best interests of all concerned. And most importantly, the public will be involved in the preparation of Regional Spatial Strategies. These changes from the Compulsory Purchase system spread out the planning expertise in a manner whereby there are cross checks and balances in the new system as well as expedient processing that is responsible to a higher level thus ensuring compliance. The multi faceted nature of the preceding has been streamlined into a system that processes planning rather than bogs it down and as a result removes the incidence of special interests steam rolling plans through given the public involvement as well as review by the Regional Planning Bodies. The Act does call for some changes in England that are not a part of the Wales plan with regard to the local plan regime below the Regional Spatial Strategy level. The following summarizes these modifications and changes (uk-legislation, 2004): The Local Planning Authorities will now prepare the Local Development Documents which will now replace all local plans, as well as unitary development and structure plans The Local Planning Authorities will now prepare as well as be responsible to maintain the local development scheme, and win the absence of a District Council, the County Councils shall prepare as well as maintain the mineral and waste development plans. The County Councils under this new arrangement will lose structure plans however they do participate in the preparation of the Local development Documents as well as related aspects other than comprising mineral or waste as a result of being part of a joint committee under the Local Planning Authorities. The Local Development Plans will be in conformity with the Regional Spatial Strategy, or with the RSS for London. Part 3 of the Act (uk-legislation, 2004) Under this provision, the definition of the development plan is updated and takes account of the modification and changes that are made to the planning system as a result of the Act. The foregoing includes the requirement whereby it is the duty of plan makers to perform their functions in consort with the overall objective of adding to the attainment and achievement of sustainable development. Part 4 of the Act This segment of the Act provides for a series of developmental control measures, one of which permits the Local Planning Authorities to introduce permitted development rights on a local level through local development orders. Development orders as well as regulations will be made by the Secretary of State through detailing the procedures entailed in making applications with respect to permission and consents. In addition, the Secretary of State will have the power to determine fees and charges along with the setting of timetables for what are termed ‘call-ins’ as well as ‘recovered appeals’. Part 4 also contains new provisions entailing the simplification of planning zones (uk-legislation, 2004). Part 5 of the Act This segment of the Act permits the Secretary of State as well as planning inspectors to make corrections concerning errors found in decision letters as well as in decision documents (uk-legislation, 2004). Part 6 of the Act Part 6 makes reforms to the Welsh development system plan (uk-legislation, 2004). Part 7 of the Act This part of the Act ends the Crown Immunity with respect to the planning system and contains a special provision concerning specific planning applications made by as well as on behalf of the Crown (uk-legislation, 2004). Part 8 of the Act The reform of the existing regime is contained in this part of the Act whereby it details the new plan to make it easier for Local Planning Authorities, the National Park authorities and joint planning boards to submit a case for Cop’s in terms of an economic, environmental or social benefit to the area in question. This segment of the Act also broadens the categories regarding individuals with an interest in the land who can bring forward objections. And finally, this part of the Act covers compensation and ownership issues (uk-legislation, 2004). Part 9 of the Act The last segment of the Act contains general issues. Given the sweeping nature of the Act, it is impossible to gauge the potential reaction to what still is in some aspects a work in progress. The preceding statement is made as a result of the amendment of some measures which occurred during the process of approving the original Act. These changes included retaining of the planning permissions as the development industry was not pleased with losing that aspect of control as well as the dropping of the Statements of Development Principles. The modifications also included strengthening the segments regarding sustainable development as a result of the view that saw the Act leaning too strongly in favor of landowners and developers. In addition, other changes included the amendment of provision concerning major infrastructure provisions whereby it is required to submit an economic impact report. The other major change was to allow for the inclusion of temporary stop notices and the provision to provide for appeals with respect to second no tices (uk-legislation, 2004). Conclusion The new legislation provides for more influence on the part of County Councils as a result of modifications contained in Part 4 as well as the regional public participation segment. The broader inclusion of the public in the process is likely to be received positively this segment, however since the Act was designed with developers and landowners in mind the question of whether the new system will effectively see to the broad mandates of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Sustainable Communities plan must be first put to the test of time. There is no question that a streamlined as well as modernized system was needed as well as required to overhaul the process that had been in place. The overall housing shortage situation has become a national priority and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Sustainable Communities plan is a long term legislation aimed at correcting the procedural as well as economic conditions which have led to the high prices housing segment and deterioration of inn er cities. There will undoubtedly be other modifications and changes to the Act as practical use uncovers minor shortcomings whereby certain aspects were unforeseen or accounted for. There already has been what can be termed reaction to the new legislation as evidenced by the preceding and the fact that the system is now more flexible as well as responsive helps to minimize potential dissatisfaction of any provisions as they can be amended when warranted. The inclusion of the foregoing minimizes the potential for any long term negative reaction as each segment with a stake in the process has a means to see modifications or potential modifications are heard. Bibliography Brand, Clive, M. 1968. Encyclopaedia of Compulsory Purchase and Compensation. Sweet Maxwell. ISBN: 0421007508 Chen, Wei. 2003. On the Law of War and Peace (De Jure Belli ac Pacis, Translation of the Latin works of Hugo Grotius. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Thebes/8098/ Cousion, John. 1910. A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. J.M. Dent Sons, London, The United Kingdom English House Condition Survey. 2003. English House Condition Survey: Review of Survey Design. National Center for Social Research. London, The United Kingdom European Convention on Human Rights. 1950. Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, as amended by Protocol No. 11. http://conventions.coe.int/treaty/en/Treaties/Html/005.htm Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. 2005. The Communities Plan. http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1139868 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. 2005. Sustainable Communities. http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1139865 Plannngsanity.com. 2003. Compulsory Purchase Forum. http://www.planningsanity.co.uk/forums/cp/compurch.htm Thepaperadvantage.com.2005 Allodial Title. http://www.paperadvantage.org/allodial.html Uklegislation.com. 2004. Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. http://www.uk-legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2004/20040005.htm

Chaucers The Canterbury Tales Essay -- Chaucer Canterbury Tales Essay

Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales Critics interpreting Chaucerian depictions of drunkenness have traditionally focused on the state as an unalloyed vice, citing variously as justification the poet’s Christian conservatism, his intimate association with the disreputable London vintner community, and even possible firsthand familiarity with alcoholism. While we must always remain vigilant to the evils of excessive inebriation, to portray Chaucer’s images of drink and revelry in The Canterbury Tales as an unqualified denunciation is to oversimplify the poet’s work and to profane his art. By fusing his portrayals of drunkenness with the revelation of truth and philosophical insight, Chaucer demonstrates the capacity of wine and ale to evoke the funky earthiness of humanity that we so desperately seek to avoid and that is so fundamental to our corporeal experience. On the surface, drunkenness in The Canterbury Tales seems to be a force of disruption. The belligerent Miller churlishly demands to tell his tale before the Monk and thus violates the Host’s intended order of tale-telling. Indeed, the Miller’s interruption violates the very structure of the medieval social order by having member of the third estate of commoners interrupt the representative of the nobility embodied in the Knight. In another example of disruption, the intoxicated Cook falls off his horse as the party finally approaches Canterbury. He, too, causes a weighty disturbance as the stronger pilgrims are forced to remount â€Å"his hevy dronken cors† (IX. 67). For its tendency to disrupt the tales, commentators have traditionally portrayed drunkenness in an unfavorable light. Yet, such an interpretation is misguided. The eruptions of drunken... ...enness is â€Å"hard-wired into the structure as a whole.† But drunkenness in the Tales is not â€Å"a symptom of some pervasive spiritual malaise,† as Bowers argues; drunkenness is a sign of a vibrant spiritual vitality. Drunkenness realigns the pilgrims with the inescapable earthy creatureliness that constitutes the fundamental paradox of the human condition. We assiduously endeavor to transcend our material world and use myriad euphemisms to avoid the truth, but we inevitably come crashing down into the filthy, funky, moist humus. We are ever burying our dead, ever reconstituting our humando. No, the answer lies not in Bowers’s teetotalism; Criseyde holds the truth. â€Å"In every thing, I woot, ther lith mesure,† she says. Everything must come in moderation, including moderation itself. According to Chaucer, a few drams of whiskey will be just fine. In vino veritas.