Inclusion of Students with Disabilities into Regular Education Classrooms

The American Community Survey (ACS), which is conducted by the Census Bureau, estimated that about 6. 3% of the children between the age of 5 and 15 years had some form of disability in 2007. 1 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which was legislated in 1975, requires all public schools in the U. S. to provide ‘all eligible children with disabilities a free public education in the least restrictive environment appropriate for their needs. ‘According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, about 6. 7 million children  and youth, between the ages of 3 and 21, received services under IDEA in 2006 – 2007. 2 The issue of inclusion and mainstreaming of children with disabilities has always been controversial. While it is wrong to differentiate and isolate children based on their abilities, most regular schools are ill equipped to take care of children with certain disabilities and that can be disadvantageous to the disabled child as well as the regular children in the class. So, although every eligible child should have a right to go to any educational institution that he  or she wants to, it is important to make individualized decisions about inclusion.Teachers, doctors, therapists, parents and students should work together and decide what is best for all the children in the classroom. The National Dissemination Center for children with disabilities has defined inclusion as the philosophy, process, and practice of educating students with disabilities in general education classrooms in neighborhood schools with the supports and accommodations needed by those students.However, different researchers and educators have different opinions about what ‘inclusion' can actually mean. Some researchers like Lewis and Doorlang consider a child with disabilities ‘included' if he spends any part of the school day with general class peers in â€Å"common instructional or social activities with additional instructio n and support from a special educator† while Friend & Bursuck believed that inclusion generally occurs when a student with disabilities can meet â€Å"traditional academic expectations with minimal assistance.†Until the late 1960s, there was no help for children with disabilities at public schools. In fact, most schools had the right to refuse admission if the child was severely disabled while children with mild problems had struggle by themselves to cope with the school curriculum. All of that changed in 1969, with the passage of the Children with Specific Learning Disabilities Act, when it became mandatory for public schools to provide support services for students with learning disabilities.The Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 which intended to support states and localities in meeting the individual needs of children and youths with disabilities. This law was later renamed as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or ID EA. 2 As more and more kids started receiving special education, it was observed that such children were not taught the general curriculum at the schools. This led to the reauthorization of IDEA in 1997 and access to the general curriculum  was added to the statute.Ever since its formation, IDEA and the concept of inclusion were contentious. The supporters of the act believed that since disabled children have to live in the same society as the general population when they grow up, it is better to start early. This will help the general children also to develop into more understanding and compassionate individuals. The opponents of inclusion, on the other hand, believe that if the handicapped children are sent to  regular classrooms, they would be denied the ‘small-group, multi-sensory, carefully sequenced instruction, integrated with their various physical therapies, now provided by skilled certified teachers' while the non-handicapped children may miss their regular lesso ns.Some critics of inclusion believe that mainstreaming is a better option. Mainstreaming refers to selective placement of special education students in one or more â€Å"regular† education classes. The students are introduced to few regular classes based on each student's individual potential  and they follow a Individualized Education Plan (IEP) under the guidance of a specialist. The students are thus, exposed to the outside world but at a slower pace. The purpose of mainstreaming is specialized academic learning while the purpose of inclusion is to prepare for an independent life as an adult. Inclusion is less restrictive and allows a child with disabilities to be a part of a regular classroom and follow the regular curriculum with assistance of a specialist.Full inclusion, on the other hand, refers to elimination of special education  altogether and instructing all students in the same classroom with same curriculum. The proponents of full inclusion believe that all children are equally worth and hence, should be treated equally. Several models have been proposed to implement inclusion in classrooms across the United States. Some of these models include the Consultant model, the Teaming model and the Collaborative or Co-teaching model. In the Consultant model a special education teacher is made available to the students and will help to reteach a difficult concept or skillThis non- intrusive approach is effective in case of low incidence of special needs students and overall low student population. In the Teaming model special education teacher is assigned to a team and the teacher provides student several strategies to deal with assignments and tests. The team meets on a regular basis, establishing consistent communication among the team members. All team members work together and broaden their knowledge in various areas, whether they are from general education or special education.On the other hand, the Collaborative model involves general ed ucation and special education teachers working together to teach students with or without disabilities in a shared classroom. Students receive age-appropriate academics, support services, and possible modified instruction. Collaborative teaching can be organized in a number of ways like one teacher and one support, parallel teaching design, team teaching, alternative teaching design etc.The kind of model that a classroom might adopt depends on a variety of factors like the  requirements of the students and the number of resources that the teachers have at their disposal. Whichever model it adopts, an inclusive classroom is student-centered and students have a major role to play in deciding the academic and social activities of the day. There is a lot of social interaction with each student doing their own individualized curriculum under the guidance of a special education teacher. The classroom may have different centers that focus on different skills like language, math etc.Child ren are allowed to use many different kind of learning tools like books, computers, taped stories and music. One of the major advantages of a inclusion classroom for regular students is that it helps them develop compassion and sensitivity at a young age. Children get an opportunity to experience diversity in a small classroom setting and it also boosts their self-confidence as they develop an ability to make a difference and to help others. All students have the benefit of having two teachers in the class.Also, inclusion classrooms focus on peer learning and that can have immense impact on most children. Inclusion classrooms can also be beneficial to the teachers as it gives them an opportunity to be a part of a multi-disciplinary team that faces new challenges everyday. The teachers also learn to appreciate the fact that each child has his own strengths and weaknesses and get an opportunity to understand the benefits of direct individualized instruction. Children with special need s can benefit immensely by going to regular schools.It gives them a sense of belongingness in the community. It enhances their self-respect and enables them to develop friendships with same-age peers. A regular school exposes the child to a more stimulating environment and may make it easier for them adjust to the outside world. Thus, the supporters of inclusion believe that all students will benefit from being in an inclusion classrooms in the long run. In spite of all these advantages, inclusion classrooms are controversial and that is because  these classrooms can often be disruptive and under productive. In practice, children pursuing individualized curricula with aides, under the supervision of the teacher who is attempting to teach the whole class may lead to commotion and confusion.The critics also believe that there is no scientific basis for the belief that handicapped children benefit by being placed with non-handicapped children. In fact, some research shows that handic apped children feel more isolated in the regular class, as it imposes greater psychological pressure on them and  they become more aware of what their peers can do and what they cannot. Some research has shown that in Texas, Missouri and Minnesota, special-education students are suspended at roughly twice the rate of regular students, state reports indicate.Also, for children with disabilities in a regular environment, socialization becomes more important than academics and hence, can be detrimental to student's education. Some school districts have reported higher teacher turnover and classroom commotion due to mainstreaming.Many teachers are often uncomfortable with an unorganized classroom. Most teachers lack special training and support to deal with inclusion and can lead to frustration. Inclusion can also be viewed unfavorably by regular students. They may find it disruptive to their own education. Also, if not implemented properly, it can lead to resentment among regular stu dents towards their disabled peers and can lead to unpleasant atmosphere in the classrooms. Even the proponents of inclusion have to agree that it is not for everyone.â€Å"Inclusion without resources, without support, without teacher preparation time, without commitment, without a vision statement, without restructuring, without staff development, won't work. † says Mara Sapon-Shevin, professor of inclusive education at Syracuse University. So, before starting any new inclusion program, it is important to analyze the situation and check for all the available resources. Every body involved in the education system including students, teachers, special  education teachers and parents should be involved in the decision.It is also important to make a smooth transition in a gradual step by step manner that is not overwhelming to the handicapped children as well as their non-handicapped peers. Also, good communication between the teachers, students and the parents is key to the s uccess of inclusion education and thus, schools should have clear strategies and plans before introducing inclusive classrooms to their system.Inclusion is a disputable issue and proponents on both sides of the theory are equally passionate about their cause. It a great concept of education that is based upon the principle of compassion and equality for all. If implemented properly, the inclusion classrooms can be great models for an ideal society. However, it is a difficult concept to implement. Most teachers lack the appropriate training and resources to manage an inclusion classroom and that can be overwhelming to all the individuals involved.

Relapse Prevention Plan Essay

Jed. a 38 – twelvemonth old welder. enrolled in the intervention centre after his apprehension ensuing from drunken drive ( DUI/DWI ) ( National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. n. d. ) . His attorney has advised him to halt imbibing and acquire intervention until his test day of the month. which is in approximative two months. Jed does non believe that he will function any gaol clip. but feels that intervention could assist beef up his tribunal instance ( National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. n. d. ) . In this paper. I will make a backsliding bar program that will help Jed as he enters into his intervention plan. This paper will besides demo ways to place the warning marks of backsliding. A backsliding begins long before the individual really picks up a drink or drug ( Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ) -Department of Health and Human Services. 2007 ) . Most adept gradual warning marks that revive denial and consequence into intense hurting calls for self-medication with intoxicant or other drugs or both which is fundamentally a baronial thought. It is non a witting undertaking. The warning marks in this instance are known to develop spontaneously and instinctively. Owing to that fact that non many retrieving people are ever taught on the best ways to acknowledge and mange backsliding warning marks. they are non able to place them up to the point when they start experiencing intolerable hurting. Measure 1: Stabilization Relapse bar planning will most likely non work if the relapser is non sober and in control of himself ( Addiction in adult females. 2010 ) . Detoxification and soberness are really critical for the backsliding bar program to work successfully. Having in head that most people who relapse are toxic. even if they are sober. it will still be really hard for them to believe clearly retrieve things and pull off their emotions. The symptoms would declinein any instance the individual gets isolated from the society or when he undergoes stress. It is advisable to travel easy and concentrate on the rudimentss and in this instance. the inquiry here should be â€Å"What is it that you need to make to avoid imbibing today? † Measure 2: Appraisal This measure aims at placing the progressive form of jobs that did ensue into the past backslidings and so happen solutions to the hurting ensuing from such jobs. This would be accompanied by the Reconstruction of the current jobs. the intoxicant and substance usage history. life history and retrieval backsliding history. Through the Reconstruction and presentation of jobs. the now and here issues that stand to do immediate menace to sobriety can be pinpointed and crisis programs developed to decide such issues. Measure 3: Backsliding Education Relapsers have to be familiar with the backsliding procedure and the best ways to pull off it. Involving the household and other patrons is a great thought. The instruction should endeavor to stress four chief messages: First. backsliding is an ordinary and a natural procedure in the recovery out of the chemical dependance. One should non be ashamed of it like in the instance of Jed who â€Å"gets jumpy† when he tries to remain off from imbibing. experiencing â€Å"closed in or like he is suffocating† . He besides can non conceive of how to explicate to his brothers why he is non fall ining them in the bars. Second. people are non all of a sudden taken rummy. There are gradual warning mark patterns that indicate they are easy cropping in once more. Such marks can merely be recognized when one is sober. Third. after they are identified. the retrieving persons can acquire to larn how to pull off such backsliding warning marks when sober. And the last 1 is that hope is existent. Jed one time attended a few AA meetings. but did non experience that AA was helpful: â€Å"It was listening to a batch of cats whining†¦ . † This should and will most likely alteration if he attends a talk that describes the typical warning marks that precede backsliding to chemical usage. Measure 4: Warning Sign Identification Relapsers should be able to find the jobs that resulted into backsliding. The chief aim here is to name personal warning marks that made them travel from a province of stable recovery all the manner back to chemical usage. There is barely of all time merely a individual warning mark. Normally a series of warning marks develop one after the other to make backsliding. The cumulative consequence is what wears them down. The ultimate warning mark is fundamentally last blow. Unfortunately most relapsers think it is the last warning mark that caused it all. For this ground. they tend to presume the early and more delicate warning marks that leads to the concluding catastrophe. Measure 5: Follow-up The warning marks are unbound to alter with advancement in recovery ( Field. Caetano. Harris. Frankowski & A ; Roudsari. 2009 ) . Each of the phases involved in the recovery procedure has typical warning marks. The ability to cover with the warning marks of one phase of recovery does non warranty that one will cognize how to pull off the warning marks of the following phase. The backsliding bar program hence has to be updated more frequently which should be ; monthly for the first three months. quarterly for the first two old ages. and yearly thenceforth. Name now for immediate backsliding bar aid. MentionsAddiction in adult females. . ( 2010 ) . Harvard Mental Health Letter. 26 ( 7 ) . 1–3. Field. C. A. . Caetano. R. . Harris. T. R. . Frankowski. R. . and Roudsari. B. . ( 2009 ) . Cultural differences in imbibing results following a brief intoxicant intercession in the injury attention puting. Society for the Study of Addiction. 105. 62–73. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. ( n. d. ) . Case examples. Retrieved March 28. 2010. from hypertext transfer protocol: //pubs. niaaa. National Institutes of Health. gov/publications/Social/Teaching % 20Case % 20Examples/Case % 20Examples. hypertext markup language Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ) -Department of Health and Human Services. ( 2007 ) . Retrieved October 31. 2010 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. Organization of American States. samhsa. gov/nsduh/2k7nsduh/2k7results. cfm # 2. 7 Class: Essay Alcoholic Anonymous. ( 2014 ) . About AA meetings [ Newsgroup remark ] . Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. aa. org. au/new-to-aa/about-aa-meetings. php Capuzzi. D. . & A ; Stauffer. M. D. ( 2012 ) . Foundations of dependence guidance ( 2nd ed. ) . hypertext transfer protocol: //dx. Department of the Interior. org/1009-0001-1763-00001764 National Institute on Alcohol

Assessment of polity and aristocracy

Assessment of polity and aristocracy Compare Aristotle’s relative assessments of polity and aristocracy. Which regime does he prefer? On what basis does he prefer one over the other? Is his preference convincingly defended?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Different types of politics are exercised in countries all over the world. It is widely discussed, studied, and practiced in different forms of administration all over the world today. Many influential philosophers and political scientists of the modern day world base their knowledge of politics on the studies, books and thoughts written by respectable philosophical scholars of the past. Aristotle, a renowned Greek philosopher discusses politics in a sequence of books called Politics. In Politics, Aristotle establishes an importance of human excellence by setting out causal principles for a clear understanding of nature of all political philosophy. Throughout his observation in the books in Politics, Aristotle sets out the conditions of a perfect state in order to fulfill the best way of life. He states in Books VII of Politics that investigating to find the best regime is essential to one’s life and emphasizes the importance preserving merits of virtue as an essential goal of politics to maintain freedom, stability and happiness. To investigate the regime Aristotle values, it is important to interrelate Aristotle’s â€Å"way of life† with the characteristics of a regime that he would prefer. This essay will introduce the six different types of constitutions that Aristotle examines in Politics, and will compare the common practices of the regimes polity and aristocracy. The analysis of the two regimes, polity and aristocracy will further reveal Aristotle’s preference of the political system, polity. Aristotle adapts Plato’s â€Å"six-fold classification† chart from his book Statesmen and categorizes the six possible types of constitutions into two groups; the correct constitution, and the deviant. Under the â€Å"deviant† constitution lies tyranny, oligarchy and democracy; and underneath the possible â€Å"correct† constitution, kingship, aristocracy and polity remains. Aristotle creates the notion of two types of humans; individuals that were of â€Å"nature free† and of â€Å"nature slaves†. He then separates the naturally free persons into two types; the prosperous oligarchs and the democrats.With the three â€Å"deviant† types of constitutions evident, Aristotle sought to find a superlative regime by taking the good traits of the erroneous regimes. An analysis of Polity and Aristocracy Polity is among one of the constitutions that Aristotle believes it to be one of the correct forms of ruling. Polity is â€Å"a mixture of oligarchy and democracy.†Oligarchy is the rule of the few, in general consisting of the wealthy citizens and democracy, rule of the people, whereas the ruling class of the poor. In polity, power between the olig archs and democrats is shared among the rich and the poor creating a balance of power among the different types of classes. It is viewed as the most stable and practical regime to Aristotle. Polity takes out the best qualities of oligarchy and democracy creating a regime in which the interests of the poor and the rich are balanced. For example, the mixture of the two constitutions is made by including some of the characteristics usually related with democracy, such as a legislative body open to all citizens, with other qualities generally linked with oligarchy such as election to high bureaus.

The Influences of Culture On Learning and Assessment Among Native Article

The Influences of Culture On Learning and Assessment Among Native American Students - Article Example The author cites information from the national data sources regarding the achievement of the Native American students, and he discusses the principles of assessment and the cultural aspects of assessment. He further uses personal experience to assist others in the reflection of cultural aspects of assessment. Assessment information, data gathered nationally on Native America and educational research is seriously limited. There is a lot to be learned about the Native Americans and other minority students’ assessment and external influences such as environment, context, perspectives culture, and attitudes. Priorities differ in different societies and they influence what the children learn and take as important; there is plenty of opinions and limited research that support this argument. The author concludes by giving several considerations that have to be taken into account in the assessment of a Native American student. An example of such a consideration is the language of inst ruction and the language of home. The article is important because it provides information about the culturally-based curriculum for the Native American students. Three points of relevance; (a) it provides limelight into the present assessment of native students, (b) it attempts to show that the current assessment may be biased because it fails to take into account the influence of culture on the understanding of the world, variety of intelligence we possess, the learning context and the individual’s experiences and, (c) few studies have shown that culturally-based curriculum actually increases the achievement of native students.

Xavier Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Xavier - Assignment Example ome information regarding these people from the local sources close to them, I have come to know that these men have come from the Goa region of India, which happens to be a colony of the Portuguese King (Moran 7). Not only these men have converted a large section of the natives in this far flung Indian land to their religion, but in achieving this purpose, they received ample political and financial help from the King of Portugal (Moran 7). As per my information, they are accompanied here by a Japanese man whom they call Paul, who not only practices their religion but is actively helping them spread their religion, as they are not conversant with our language (Ross 29). With the help of this man Paul, they have converted hundreds of Japanese people to their religion at Kagoshima (Xavier 327). This Japanese man Paul is helping these foreign men by conveying their message to the Japanese people and by translating the scriptures of their religion into the Japanese Language (Xavier 327) . These white men were extended a warm welcome in Kagoshima by the family of this Paul. I got all this information from one of the relatives of Paul. His Royal Highness, going by this information, if these so called Portuguese priests of the true religion are strongly backed by the Portuguese King, who rules over many parts of India, it would be really practical to conclude that their intention in coming to this part of Japan may not be merely to spread their religion, but also to help the Portuguese Empire spread its sway in this part of Japan. Converting our local people will really help them in achieving this purpose. Once our people get converted to their religion, it will get easier for the Portuguese people to make them rebel against His Highness and his army. In fact as per my information, they have already started taking steps at gaining influence over the Japanese people, by targeting their places of learning and worship. As per my knowledge, some of these white men have

Questions on Syntax Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Questions on Syntax - Coursework Example Meanwhile, [15Max remains in a critical condition], and [16Tanya has been incarcerated]. [17The audience must have been sitting on the edge of their seats]! (a) Group together instances of each clause type, and identify the grammatical features that characterise each type. (b) Next, consider the verb strings in clauses 8, 13, 16 and 17 and describe their constituent parts both in terms of the category of each verb (lexical, auxiliary, etc.) and its form (finite, non-finite, etc.). This first section of the exercise concerns clause types. The clause, according to Borjars and Burridge (2001: 212) is a unit formed an optional bits the speaker has chosen to include. Almost it is agreed among linguists that a clause is a unit larger than a phrase but smaller than a sentence. In some cases, a clause functions as a sentence provided that it has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. Crystal (1988: 277) identifies four types of clauses. These are declarative, Imperative, explanative and interrogative clauses. The short text above contains declarative, interrogative and explanative clauses. As the exercise requires, we are going to group the clauses that belong to each type together. Next, we are going to identify the grammatical features characterizing each type. First, we are going to start with declarative clauses. The declarative clauses in the text are listed below: In a declarative clause, the speaker or writer is simply making a statement, opinion, fact or an arrangement. Its structure is analogous to the simple English sentence. That is, The noun phrase (henceforth NP) precedes the predicate verb phrase (henceforth VP): Mick ate the sandwich. An interesting trait of declaratives is that a statement, whose key function is to notify the hearer or reader something, can also be used to pose a yes-no question. This could be done via a raising

Effective Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Effective Management - Essay Example The party- the core principal which may be the local city may decide to give contracts to the contractors to do the work in accordance to the stipulated guidelines. The contracts may invoke agency problems since the contractors may fail to deliver what their principle requires. For example schools with the help of school boards may decide to contract unqualified teachers on behave of the teachers unions because of the low price that the teacher has offered. Often, the contractors will do will always do their tasks to save costs at the expense of quality of the work that they have been contracted to do. They may also fail to finish the work or do the work at their interests. Normaly, recognision of the incentives is pivotal in the effectiveness of the management. The incentives that are given to the contractors should be increased so as to act as a motivation to the contractors. This will enable them to do the work without the desire to minimize costs thus compromising the quality of the work. In class most students rated others with high and perfect score, this was an agency problem since many revealed conflict of interest as per the requirements. I think the incentive should be changed and that the perfect score should only be given when there zero

Financial System and Intermediaries Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial System and Intermediaries - Coursework Example Financial System and Intermediaries As our example, a commercial bank will take my 100,000 as my savings and on-lend to a loan borrower who will pay interest and commission from the loan. The bank will pay me a portion of this interest as my deposit interest. Private equity funds are funds from investors intended to be invested in a private company over a specific time and agreed returns. Mutual funds are collected from many investors as a collective pool to be invested and venture capital have a similarity with either mutual funds or private only that they are invested in small and medium entities or start-ups with high potential for growth. According to Harhoff and Lossen, 2007, Pension and provident funds are funds invested with an intention to earn the investor income after leaving employment and retirement. Modern day insurance firms do what has been explained above alongside traditional insurance coverage. Micro-credits provide micro-loans to small business people who might not afford big amounts of loans or have no security for loans. Members or a micro-loan working group often co-guarantee each other. All the financial intermediaries can take my 100,000 and trade with it in the ways just explained. A financial intermediary can still act as an intermediary to another financial intermediary if it acts as a collecting agent to on-lend to another financial intermediary. A good example is a bank collecting savings from the public and going ahead to invest in a mutual fund with portfolio investments.

Cultural Diversity and Economic Performance in Belgium Essay - 1

Cultural Diversity and Economic Performance in Belgium - Essay Example The projections for the year were indicative that the year 2013 would be the possible year of recovery for the region. This recovery would have a significant effect on the development of new jobs and reduction of inflation. However, the projections made for the year also indicates that there will be a new form of uncertainty that would affect the Belgian economy. The GDP of the area would grow in a significant manner despite the fall in the rate of development that was manifested in the Eurozone where the gross domestic product for the Eurozone went down by 0.2 percent. Despite the performance of the peripheral economies such as Nederlands and France that are the main trading partners for Belgium the economy in 2013 indicated a significant inclination for growth (Bellini and Ottaviano et al., 2013, pp. 121--141). In the normal circumstances, the economy of the employment sector takes a lot of time so that it can recover. The cyclical downturn that manifested itself in the middle of 2012 and the gloomy outlook on the economy in 2013 has the implication on the employment sector being a slow growth in the rate of employment (Bellini and Ottaviano et al., 2013, pp. 121--141). The downturn of 2012 was a major blow to the prospects of employment. This downturn meant that the people could not have the right employment since the economy is still struggling. The slow growth in the economy manifested in the areas will not be significant to cover the growth of the employment needs of the people. This means that the rate of real unemployment will remain in the regions that are has been playing at. In fact, the unemployment rates may go higher with the slow development of the economy and the general fall in the levels of production in the major trading partners.

Community policing and Traditional policing Essay Example for Free

Community policing and Traditional policing Essay History reveals that crime an awful act that people would not like to be a victim of. Police, therefore, play a significant role in ensuring that crime rates are reduced. Community policing and traditional policing are important aspects when it comes to issues of security and dealing with criminals (Kappeler Gaines, 201, p. 89). Community policing requires that approaches to serious crimes be done in creative and innovative ways to ensure that there is long-term improvement in terms of security. In community policing, all crimes are treated as serious social problems and are dealt with accordingly. This kind of policing is not concerned about eradicating crime. Furthermore, the number of arrests or the crime rates is not the measure of success (Kappeler Gaines, 201, p. 89). Community policing is concerned about ensuring that society provides opportunities for people to engage in meaningful business. Young people are often targeted because they are prone to becoming victims. Therefore, this is aimed at ensuring that future crimes rates reduce. On the other hand, traditional policing dictates rules and law to the public but are not on the ground to work with the community. They ensure that they respond quickly in case of a crime and this is a measure of their success. They also focus on identification of criminals, apprehending and prosecuting them. Traditional policing apprehends the criminals using the evidence that is collected at the crime scene. Both community and traditional policing complement each other. Community policing is aimed at ensuring that crimes rates are reduced through engaging the society to enter into gainful employment. Their work is to ensure that people live well with one another, while traditional policing is able to come in and assist in areas where crimes have been done by gathering evidence to assist them to apprehend criminals and take them to court to answer charges. The strategy of community policing is a design that may displace traditional policing. The role of the community policing is to ensure that there is law  and order and to deter any criminal activities from happening. Further, community policing is aimed at ensuring that people engage in constructive work. This strategy is aimed at reducing the rates of crimes hence slowly doing away with the traditional policing. Once the rate of crime reduces, traditional policing will have no role to play. Community policing strategy is constructed to help in creating organizational ethical behaviors. Ethics helps an organization to engage in activities that are in tandem with the moral obligation and the expectations of the society (Ortmeier Meese, 2009, p. 254). Community policing is a force that does not cause anxiety in the community, but perform their duties diligently by relating well with the members of the community. Therefore, they assist the community members especially the youths with ideas and this makes them shun away from involvement in criminal activities. The major role of community policing is to ensure that society upholds to positive behaviors and moral standards. It helps to foster moral behaviors among the people. People should be able to live well with others and also show respect. Community policing is not concerned about the number of arrests they make but the magnitude at which they are able to change and transform the society into a better society. Therefore, this policing organization is built and performs its functions based on ethical standards. References: Gaines, L.. Kappeler, V. (2001). Policing in America (p. 640). Anderson Publishing. Ortmeier, PJ and Edwin Meese (2010). Leadership, Ethics and Policing; 2nd edition. Prentice Hall, New Jersey.

Calvinism Was Founded By John Calvin Religion Essay

Calvinism Was Founded By John Calvin Religion Essay Calvinism was founded by a man named John Calvin (Theopedia, par. 1). John Calvin was born on July 10, 1509 in France and died on May 27, 1564 at the age of 54 (Rieske, par. 1). John Calvin was brought up Roman Catholic by his mother, Jeanne Le Franc (Rieske, par. 1). John Calvins father, Gerard, was an attorney, raised by seafaring men (Rieske, par. 1). At the age of eighteen, Johns education process was complete (Rieske, par. 2). After John Calvins education and studies were complete, John became a humanist and a reformer, instead of following Roman Catholicism (Rieske, par. 2). To know about a religion or a denomination, one should study also about the founder and the background to his or her life, so that we can know where they came from and where the process of their doctrine beliefs came from. The five main points to Calvinism are: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election (Predestination), Limited Atonement, Irrisistable Grace, and also the Perseverance of the Saints (Humphreys, par. 13). The First of the five points of Calvinism is Total Depravity (Calvinism, par. 4). Every man deserves Hell and is worthless without the presence of God in their lives (Calvinism, par. 4). Adam and Eve and everyone after them were censured by a just God because of original sin (Calvinism, par. 4). The second point is Unconditional Election or Predestination (Humphreys, par. 13). God felt sorry for mankind and sent Jesus to save some sinners, but not all (Calvinism, par. 5). These are known as the Elect and their fate was decided by God before they were born (Calvinism, par. 5). This is not a matter of choice, for the person, but a decision of God (Calvinism, par. 5). Calvinist seem to determine among themselves who is likely to be elected by a persons behavior (Calvinism, par. 6). The points of Limited Atonement and Irrisistable Grace fall with this as well (Humphreys, par. 14-18). The point of Perseverance of the Saints means that once God saves someone, they will always be saved (Humphreys, par. 19). Calvinism teaches that believers dont need priests (Calvinism, par. 8). Calvinists observe both communion and baptism (Calvinism, par. 8). Our God does not need to check the time for anything because He knows when, where, and how everything will happen (Theopedia, par. 5). God keeps himself hidden from non-believers but reveals Himself to those who already know Him, or will know Him (Theopedia, par.5). In the later history of Calvinism, people have modified John Calvins teachings to serve their own purposes and the beliefs of the Reformed Tradition of Protestant Christianity, which Calvinism was the most prominent in (Theopedia, par. 5). When Calvinism first started it suddenly became very popular all around the world (Calvinism, par. 3). John Calvin and many more of his co-pastors were originally from France but left because of their religion, so they moved to Geneva which became a trading city of about 10,000 people (Grell, par. 8). The Old Testament is mainly where Calvin got his inspirations from (Grell, par. 10). Calvinism is not comprehensible without remembering the persecution of Christians (Grell, par. 10). Som e people thought that the idea of Predestination produced anxiety from asceticism and capitalism (German, par. 11). Calvinism was a large part of the Great Awakening Movement in American History, which influenced American culture and disinterested benevolence (German, par. 4). People could give to others without sacrifice (German, par. 4). Jonathan Edwards was the main teacher of this view (German, par. 4). It also included caring for the needs of the many instead of the individual (German, par. 6). Calvinists share many beliefs with Baptists, but they hold some beliefs that we do not share (Humphreys, par. 2). God determines all things in detail, including who will, and who will not be saved (Humphreys, par. 2). Most of the founders of the Southern Baptist Convention were Calvinists, but today most Southern Baptists are not (Humphreys, par. 7). Calvinists believe that mankind is completely corrupt (Theopedia, par. 6). Calvinists also teach that Christ died for a lot of people, but not for everyone (Theopedia, par. 8). Calvinists differed from Lutheranism in that Luther taught a salvation based on faith of the individual and disputed Calvins idea of Predestination (Calvinism, par. 9). However, they do share a belief that we can depend on Gods word (Calvinism, par. 9). In his song, Wholly Yours, David Crowder sings I am full of earth/You are heavens worth/I am stained with dirt/Prone to depravity (Van Biema, par. 1). Songs like this are becoming more and more popular as Calvinism makes a comeback (Burek, par. 6). This comeback challenges Prosperity Gospel that has been so popular in recent years by renewing a focus on God first (Burek, par. 6). More than ten percent of Southern Baptist pastors call themselves Calvinists (Burek, par. 7). Calvinist pastors like John Piper and Mark Dever are at the forefront of the movement, which is especially with young professional people (Burek, par. 8). They point to John Calvin as one of the minds that created our modern culture and the culture of America in general (Burek, par. 18). American ideals of democracy, our open market economy, and equal opportunity all came from John Calvin (Burek, par. 18). The New Calvinism is an effort to put focus back on God and off of ourself (Burek, par. 28). These young people have grown up in an immoral culture and want more than a God who will just be their buddy (Van Biema, par. 5). They want a God who is God (Van Biema, par. 5). They want a God who is bigger and better than they are (Burek, par. 36). These people would rebuke the idea that the Jesus wants to be our friend approach (Burek, par. 13). On the surface, one would think that Calvinism would not be accepted in todays culture (Burek, par. 20). Much of Christianity today concerns a Prosperity Gospel that is centered around the individual (Burek, par. 20). Consider a recent Barna Group survey to determine how many Americans believe that the Bible is completely true, and in salvation by works and not grace (Burek, par. 21). Only nine percent of people surveyed, believed in salvation by grace and among eighteen to twenty-three year olds, it was less than one percent (Burek, par. 22). Many Christians say that they pick and choose from their churchs teachings what they themselves want to believe (Burek, par. 23). This by necessity seems to reveal the need for people to believe that God is God and that He is over everything (Burek, par. 28). They need to know not that man can be improved, but that God is praised (Burek, par. 28). John Calvins teachings had wide exceptance over his lifetime and the centuries to come (Bouwsma, par. 3). People from every cultural background and economic status, were drawn to Calvinism (Bouwsma, par. 3). Calvinisms attraction then, as it is now, comes from how it seemingly explains social problems existing in culture and how it encourages its followers to do good works in Christs name (Bouwsma, par. 3). Calvinism is expertly illustrated in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes (Fact-Index, par. 4). In fact, the character Calvin is named for John Calvin, and the character Hobbes is named after Thomas Hobbes, who was a seventeenth century philosopher who had what the strips creator called a dim view of human nature (Fact-Index, par. 4). Their witty banter satirizes Calvinisms world view in a fresh and appealing way (Fact-Index, par. 3). The strip, and the teachings of pastors such as John Piper, have wide appeal to people who are searching for meaning in todays world (Burek, par. 8). I t is important that one would show grace towards those that do not agree with ones doctrinal views, but that one would teach and share that the salvation God offers is for everyone, not just Calvins chosen elect.

Character Eric Draven:A Hero with Faults in the Film, The Crow :: Movies

Character Eric Draven:A Hero with Faults in the Film, The Crow The story of "The Crow" (a graphic novel turned movie) is the story of Eric Draven, a handsome young musician living in the dark gloom of a gothic-industrialized city plagued by continual rain. He is set to wed a beautiful girl when she is raped and left to die by a gang of criminals. Upon arriving to witness it in progress (taking place at his own home), Draven is killed as well; pushed out of a window as high as a skyscraper. The story then chronicles his resurrection from the dead in order to avenge their murders. His only lifeline (or shall we say deathline) is through a black crow. The crow is the connection between the dead and the living, providing Draven with the means to be immortal for one night only. If the crow is harmed then Draven will lose his immortality and assume mortality, putting an end to his plans for revenge. The conflict of the story comes as Draven attempts to execute the criminals one by one, but is cut short by the harming of the crow. He fights to overcome this and prove successful in his journey. There is a strange duality between the character of Eric Draven as a cultural legend and the actor who played him, Brandon Lee. While Draven became a legend of the story, Lee became a legend in reality. Lee was accidentally shot and killed while filming "The Crow"; the product of a gun and a scene gone awry. Lee's death came at the verge of a rising career and coincidentally, occurred at the exact age of his father's death. Lee, as many people do, became legendary not for his deeds so much as his death. Eric Draven became a legend, or legendary figure, more from the qualities he possesses as a character. Draven is portrayed as strong, powerful, and in control, fueled by his angry death. Lurched out of the living world, the love he felt while alive has propelled him back into a heightened mortality--a supernatural state of being. He is not the average man anymore, he has risen above that level of mundaneness to fulfill his purpose. But the twist comes in the fact that he still has human characteristics, and suffers because of them. He is burdened with memories of the past, and memories of his previous life.

Obtaining a Competitive Advantage Through Cost Leadership and Different

This assignment will cover how a business can gain a competitive advantage over similar businesses in the same market using sources such as cost advantage and differentiation. What will also be discussed is the value chain model made by Porter, and this assignment will explain what the model was actually designed for. Furthermore, it will be explained how a business can use methods of competitive advantage through various stages of Porter’s Value Chain in order to help it maintain and increase the competitiveness of the business, and this will be done through assessing the operations of the business and locating exactly where any competitive advantage can be gained. Lastly, Porter’s value chain features 9 activities which can each be identified as being either a primary or support activity and what will then be explained will be how these primary and support activities can add value to a business, and whether or not support activities can be considered as being any more or any less important than a primary activity. It is suggested by many that there are two ways for a business to gain competitive advantage; this is done through either cost advantage or differentiation. Porter (2004, p.64) claims that cost advantage is when a â€Å"firm achieves a lower cumulative cost of performing value activities than its competitors†. A good example of this would be ASDA within the food retailer industry. ASDA (ASDA beats its full year sales and profit plan, 2009), known for their â€Å"commitment to everyday low prices†, are very much a cost-leading competitor in the food retailer industry and they stated that they beat their â€Å"full year sales and profit plan† for the fourth consecutive quarter in 2009 by introducing a â€Å"significant cost reduction prog... ...l Group (2008) Annual Report 2008: Our key strengths. [Online] Available at: http://www.homeretailgroup.com/ar/2008/review/keystrengths/p2.shtml (Accessed: 19/11/2011) Johnson, G., Scholes, K. (2002) Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases. 6th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. McGeary, R. (2011) Anatomy of Market Research [Online] Available at: http://www.remnet.com/porter.html (Accessed: 14/11/2011) Millar, V., Porter, M. (1985) ‘How Information Gives You Competitive Advantage’, Harvard Business Review pp. 18-36. [Online] Available at: http://zaphod.mindlab.umd.edu/docSeminar/pdfs/Porter85.pdf (Accessed: 17/11/2011) Needle, D. (2000) Business in Context: An introduction to business and its environment. Third edition. London: Thomson Learning Porter, M. (2004) Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. New York: FREE PRESS.

Essay --

In Limbo reside the unbaptized and the virtuous pagans, who, though not sinful, did not accept Christ. Limbo shares many characteristics with the Asphodel Meadows; thus the guiltless damned are punished by living in a deficient form of Heaven. Without baptism ("the portal of the faith that you embrace")[6] they lacked the hope for something greater than rational minds can conceive. Limbo includes green fields and a castle with seven gates to represent the seven virtues. The castle is the dwelling place of the wisest men of antiquity, including Virgil himself, as well as the Persian polymath Avicenna. In the castle Dante meets the poets Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan; the Amazon queen Penthesilea; the mathematician Euclid; the scientist Pedanius Dioscorides; the statesman Cicero; the first doctor Hippocrates; the philosophers Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Averroes; the historical figures Lucretia, Lucius Junius Brutus, and Julius Caesar in his role as Roman general ("in his armor, f alcon-eyed");[7] mythological characters Hector, Electra, Camilla, Latinus, and Orpheus; and many othe...

The Rational Choice Approach

Whilst people all around the world debate over which political system is the most effective, social scientists are still in debate over which is the best way to analyse politics. Without the correct analysis of political objects how is one supposed to decide which political system or party is the most effective? It is for this reason that the way in which we analyse political objects is so important. There are many different ways to go about analysing politics. One main distinction to be noted is how in America the subject is called political science, whereas many European universities just call it politics.European scholars would suggest that the name political science is flawed in the sense that you cannot conduct certain political experiments. Rational choice theorists would suggest otherwise as I will explain later on in the essay. In a lecture delivered by Professor Mark Franklin at the European University Institute, he stated; â€Å"We cannot take a random sample of people and give them a new political system to see what happens† (Franklin, 2006). Debates such as these go far further than just cross-national. In this essay I intend to give a brief background to the various approaches to studying politics.I will then go on to outline the strengths and weaknesses of the rational choice approach to understanding the political, paying close attention to the definition of self-interest, using various scholars work to form a critique of the rational choice theory. The studying of politics can be dated back to the ‘Platonic era’ of ancient Greece, as early as 420 B. C. However, the departments of politics came much later. Within these departments one of the earliest forms of analysing politics was through the method of institutionalism. This involved the studying of institutions.Institutionalists looked at how institutions were formed, what they did and how they were structured. Rather than looking at philosophical questions, institutionalist s concentrated on normative questions. Institutionalism was criticised for its lack of rigour as it was mainly a descriptive process. Others called it elitist and described it as â€Å"clever people telling others about their own system† (Parvin, 2013). The 1930s saw the American way of thinking revised as a result of the increasing numbers of European scholars entering America.As a result of this, and with the growing criticisms of the conventional approach, analysis took a behavioural standpoint. At the same time of behaviouralism, rational choice theorists were in writing. However, it only flourished in the 1980s. Rational choice theory involves more questioning of peoples decisions and political objectives and was a lot less descriptive. Rational choice theory, first used in the field of economics, suggests individuals are rational and therefore act in their own self-interest. They do this by weighing up the costs and benefits of a situation.It also assumes individuals ar e rational meaning they do not act outside the norm. Another assumption is that individuals make their decisions whilst taking into account what other individuals do, or what they believe the other individuals will do. The first weakness of the rational choice theory I wish to analyse is the assumption that all individuals are self-interested. To tackle this it is important to define being self-interested. It is often defined as one gaining pleasure from an act. However, is an act still self-interested if the person gains pleasure from helping others?If your answer is no, then what if an act pleasures one’s self whilst helping others, but also putting others at a disadvantage. Is this now self-interested again? For example, when a pressure group member of ‘fathers 4 justice’ climbs a building to encourage politicians to allow him to see his child he would be seen as self-interested. On the other hand, he is doing it in order to care for his child and give him the correct up-bringing he needs. In this instance he may not be considered self-interested. On a further note, by climbing up said building police and other services would be called out to resolve the situation.This could lead to a delayed call-out for police to attend another crime scene, putting others at a disadvantage. Does this now make the act self-interested again? From this series example it is evident that there are usually several parties affected by a particular political movement or decision. It is also evident that upon making political decisions people often have multiple incentives which may involve benefiting ones self and benefiting others, making it extremely difficult to give determine if an act is self-interested or not.Furthermore, assuming it was possible to narrow down an act to being self-interested or not, it is  impossible to say every single person is self-interested. This is outlined by the ‘black swan theory’. This theory suggests that no ma tter how many white swans you see, you can never rule out the possibility of there being a black swan. One strength of the rational choice theory is that it offers an explanation as to why there has been a a dramatic decrease in political participation since the middle of the 20th century, as outlined in Colin Hay’s book ‘Why we hate politics’. For example, between 1950 and 2001 electoral turnout in the UK has decreased by 24.2% (Hay, 2008: 49).Decreases in electoral turnout doesn’t stop at the UK, since the middle of the 20th century lots of countries including of the OECD countries, bar two. This decrease in political participation may be as a result of voters weighing up the costs and benefits of voting and then coming to the conclusion the costs outweigh the benefits. People feel as if their vote would count for nothing and that one vote is highly unlikely to change who forms the government. Hay goes on to deliver this point of view in the equation of [Uchosen – Uother] p > Cvoting.In this equation [Uchosen – Uother] p represents the utility the voter receives if the party they vote for goes into power minus the utility received if the other party goes into power. Cvoting represents the cost of voting and the cost is always greater than the benefits to a rational individual (Hay, 2008: 50). This is further examined by Mancur Oslon in his book ‘The logic of Collective Action’. Oslon highlights how individuals do not participate, letting others put in the work and then reaping the rewards of having a strong government (Oslon, 1971).This has also been linked to the power of the minority and how they can choose to opt out of a trade union but still get the benefits, for example; an increasing wage rate. Both theories presented are easy to accept as they suggest strong explanations as to why there has been a decrease in participation. However, on a closer examination to the voting system, it may appear that there are more benefits to be earned from voting. Many people experience a feeling of pleasure from participating as they feel as if they have done a good deed.Which arguably, they have. Moreover, some people may experience a sense of pride as a result of doing something to help their country. Another point to take into account when weighing up the benefits of voting is that some people may genuinely enjoy the process. On the contrary, when weighing the costs it must be noted that the effort and inconvenience of voting isn’t the only cost in certain cases. Some individuals choose not to vote as they believe by voting they are accepting a certain party’s policies, whereas some people do not agree with any party.Others are anarchists who do not believe governments should exist. In this instance the cost would be far greater, providing further support for the rational choice theory. The rational choice theory has also allowed us to predict behaviour through its vigorous m ethodology. In the introduction I briefly mentioned the various views on whether or not politics can be viewed as a science. Although we may not be able to conduct experiments which involve observing people in different political systems, we can put them in situations to observe their decision making and relate it to the political.One experiment involving offering two bank robbers the opportunity to either stay quiet or hand over their accomplice saw individuals being rational. The best outcome was if they both stayed quiet and saw them both have reduced sentences, whilst if one stays quiet and the other hands the accomplice over, the accomplice will be sentenced with the one who handed him over going free. However, if they both handed each other over they would both have an increased sentence. This is part of game theory and is known as the prisoner’s dilemma. Being rational, the prisoners near enough always handed over their partner.Rational choice theorists would suggest t his can be transferred to the political arena by explaining that they would act with this level of self-interest in all situations, including within the political arena. Nonetheless, it is important to note that choosing between imprisonment and who governs are two completely different scenarios. To say that individuals would act the same in both situations with little evidence to show this is somewhat illogical. For example when confronted by a woman asking you for your wallet you may decide to refuse, but when she is holding a gun to your head your answer may change.The game show whereby similar outcomes are offered to two people but instead of prison sentences, the outcome is how much money they receive is evidence of how the answer depends on what is at stake. Within this show there were always different combinations of answers with both self-interested people and people willing to share. From this essay it is clear that there are many weaknesses. However, it should not go un-no ticed that one of the most influential factors that caused the increasing use of the rational choice approach was its vigour. Whilst other approaches offer mere descriptions, rational choice theory goes into deep questioning.Furthermore, the methodology is greater than any other with the use of experiments to allow for more precise, qualitative data to be recorded. On the other hand it could be argued that the use of rational choice approach ignores the study of institutions by focusing solely on the individual. All theories possess strengths and weaknesses. It is also apparent that different approaches may offer more concise measurements in different areas so it is important not to rely on one particular approach, but instead use a variety to allow for a more reliable analysis.Despite the outlined weaknesses, it has had much success in the field of economics. Some may argue that this means we should stick with it as a way of analysing politics. However, I fear that it is not plausi ble to simply transfer a theory from one subject to another, despite both being social sciences. This is due to the nature of politics being focused on equal distribution and fairness (in the vast majority of countries due to the democratic values resulting in a government for all the people).If people were as self-interested as the rational choice approach suggests then there would be a lot more extreme right-wing and left-wing parties present where the rich want to keep all of their money and the poor want as many benefits as possible. Instead we find a middle ground such as the liberal democrats in England. For this reason, it appears that the methodology does not compliment the ontology as no matter what experiments are carried out, none can be related to the political, as the European University Institute outlined. The Rational Choice Approach Whilst people all around the world debate over which political system is the most effective, social scientists are still in debate over which is the best way to analyse politics. Without the correct analysis of political objects how is one supposed to decide which political system or party is the most effective? It is for this reason that the way in which we analyse political objects is so important. There are many different ways to go about analysing politics. One main distinction to be noted is how in America the subject is called political science, whereas many European universities just call it politics.European scholars would suggest that the name political science is flawed in the sense that you cannot conduct certain political experiments. Rational choice theorists would suggest otherwise as I will explain later on in the essay. In a lecture delivered by Professor Mark Franklin at the European University Institute, he stated; â€Å"We cannot take a random sample of people and give them a new political system to see what happens† (Franklin, 2006). Debates such as these go far further than just cross-national. In this essay I intend to give a brief background to the various approaches to studying politics.I will then go on to outline the strengths and weaknesses of the rational choice approach to understanding the political, paying close attention to the definition of self-interest, using various scholars work to form a critique of the rational choice theory. The studying of politics can be dated back to the ‘Platonic era’ of ancient Greece, as early as 420 B. C. However, the departments of politics came much later. Within these departments one of the earliest forms of analysing politics was through the method of institutionalism. This involved the studying of institutions.Institutionalists looked at how institutions were formed, what they did and how they were structured. Rather than looking at philosophical questions, institutionalist s concentrated on normative questions. Institutionalism was criticised for its lack of rigour as it was mainly a descriptive process. Others called it elitist and described it as â€Å"clever people telling others about their own system† (Parvin, 2013). The 1930s saw the American way of thinking revised as a result of the increasing numbers of European scholars entering America.As a result of this, and with the growing criticisms of the conventional approach, analysis took a behavioural standpoint. At the same time of behaviouralism, rational choice theorists were in writing. However, it only flourished in the 1980s. Rational choice theory involves more questioning of peoples decisions and political objectives and was a lot less descriptive. Rational choice theory, first used in the field of economics, suggests individuals are rational and therefore act in their own self-interest. They do this by weighing up the costs and benefits of a situation.It also assumes individuals ar e rational meaning they do not act outside the norm. Another assumption is that individuals make their decisions whilst taking into account what other individuals do, or what they believe the other individuals will do. The first weakness of the rational choice theory I wish to analyse is the assumption that all individuals are self-interested. To tackle this it is important to define being self-interested. It is often defined as one gaining pleasure from an act. However, is an act still self-interested if the person gains pleasure from helping others?If your answer is no, then what if an act pleasures one’s self whilst helping others, but also putting others at a disadvantage. Is this now self-interested again? For example, when a pressure group member of ‘fathers 4 justice’ climbs a building to encourage politicians to allow him to see his child he would be seen as self-interested. On the other hand, he is doing it in order to care for his child and give him the correct up-bringing he needs. In this instance he may not be considered self-interested. On a further note, by climbing up said building police and other services would be called out to resolve the situation.This could lead to a delayed call-out for police to attend another crime scene, putting others at a disadvantage. Does this now make the act self-interested again? From this series example it is evident that there are usually several parties affected by a particular political movement or decision. It is also evident that upon making political decisions people often have multiple incentives which may involve benefiting ones self and benefiting others, making it extremely difficult to give determine if an act is self-interested or not.Furthermore, assuming it was possible to narrow down an act to being self-interested or not, it is  impossible to say every single person is self-interested. This is outlined by the ‘black swan theory’. This theory suggests that no ma tter how many white swans you see, you can never rule out the possibility of there being a black swan. One strength of the rational choice theory is that it offers an explanation as to why there has been a a dramatic decrease in political participation since the middle of the 20th century, as outlined in Colin Hay’s book ‘Why we hate politics’.For example, between 1950 and 2001 electoral turnout in the UK has decreased by 24.2% (Hay, 2008: 49). Decreases in electoral turnout doesn’t stop at the UK, since the middle of the 20th century lots of countries including of the OECD countries, bar two. This decrease in political participation may be as a result of voters weighing up the costs and benefits of voting and then coming to the conclusion the costs outweigh the benefits. People feel as if their vote would count for nothing and that one vote is highly unlikely to change who forms the government. Hay goes on to deliver this point of view in the equation of [Uchosen – Uother] p > Cvoting.In this equation [Uchosen – Uother] p represents the utility the voter receives if the party they vote for goes into power minus the utility received if the other party goes into power. Cvoting represents the cost of voting and the cost is always greater than the benefits to a rational individual (Hay, 2008: 50). This is further examined by Mancur Oslon in his book ‘The logic of Collective Action’. Oslon highlights how individuals do not participate, letting others put in the work and then reaping the rewards of having a strong government (Oslon, 1971).This has also been linked to the power of the minority and how they can choose to opt out of a trade union but still get the benefits, for example; an increasing wage rate. Both theories presented are easy to accept as they suggest strong explanations as to why there has been a decrease in participation. However, on a closer examination to the voting system, it may appear that there are more benefits to be earned from voting. Many people experience a feeling of pleasure from participating as they feel as if they have done a good deed.Which arguably, they have. Moreover, some people may experience a sense of pride as a result of doing something to help their country. Another point to take into account when weighing up the benefits of voting is that some people may genuinely enjoy the process. On the contrary, when weighing the costs it must be noted that the effort and inconvenience of voting isn’t the only cost in certain cases. Some individuals choose not to vote as they believe by voting they are accepting a certain party’s policies, whereas some people do not agree with any party.Others are anarchists who do not believe governments should exist. In this instance the cost would be far greater, providing further support for the rational choice theory. The rational choice theory has also allowed us to predict behaviour through its vigorous m ethodology. In the introduction I briefly mentioned the various views on whether or not politics can be viewed as a science. Although we may not be able to conduct experiments which involve observing people in different political systems, we can put them in situations to observe their decision making and relate it to the political.One experiment involving offering two bank robbers the opportunity to either stay quiet or hand over their accomplice saw individuals being rational. The best outcome was if they both stayed quiet and saw them both have reduced sentences, whilst if one stays quiet and the other hands the accomplice over, the accomplice will be sentenced with the one who handed him over going free. However, if they both handed each other over they would both have an increased sentence. This is part of game theory and is known as the prisoner’s dilemma. Being rational, the prisoners near enough always handed over their partner.Rational choice theorists would suggest t his can be transferred to the political arena by explaining that they would act with this level of self-interest in all situations, including within the political arena. Nonetheless, it is important to note that choosing between imprisonment and who governs are two completely different scenarios. To say that individuals would act the same in both situations with little evidence to show this is somewhat illogical. For example when confronted by a woman asking you for your wallet you may decide to refuse, but when she is holding a gun to your head your answer may change.The game show whereby similar outcomes are offered to two people but instead of prison sentences, the outcome is how much money they receive is evidence of how the answer depends on what is at stake. Within this show there were always different combinations of answers with both self-interested people and people willing to share. From this essay it is clear that there are many weaknesses. However, it should not go un-no ticed that one of the most influential factors that caused the increasing use of the rational choice approach was its vigour. Whilst other approaches offer mere descriptions, rational choice theory goes into deep questioning.Furthermore, the methodology is greater than any other with the use of experiments to allow for more precise, qualitative data to be recorded. On the other hand it could be argued that the use of rational choice approach ignores the study of institutions by focusing solely on the individual. All theories possess strengths and weaknesses. It is also apparent that different approaches may offer more concise measurements in different areas so it is important not to rely on one particular approach, but instead use a variety to allow for a more reliable analysis.Despite the outlined weaknesses, it has had much success in the field of economics. Some may argue that this means we should stick with it as a way of analysing politics. However, I fear that it is not plausi ble to simply transfer a theory from one subject to another, despite both being social sciences. This is due to the nature of politics being focused on equal distribution and fairness (in the vast majority of countries due to the democratic values resulting in a government for all the people).If people were as self-interested as the rational choice approach suggests then there would be a lot more extreme right-wing and left-wing parties present where the rich want to keep all of their money and the poor want as many benefits as possible. Instead we find a middle ground such as the liberal democrats in England. For this reason, it appears that the methodology does not compliment the ontology as no matter what experiments are carried out, none can be related to the political, as the European University Institute outlined.

Case Study Critique

Through the years the news has reported on several cases similar to the Jackson case. Each time this kind of neglect case is brought to light the public often wonders what happened. The most difficult part of this case is that the children were so malnourished they were not even growing at an average rate for children of their age. How could this have gone on for so long? With the amount of cases that social workers have it is a wonder that they catch any of these neglect cases.The social services system is bogged down with ark that each social worker carries a heavy case load and, unfortunately, this means that things go unnoticed. I feel that it is entirely possible that the case workers were asking the right questions however; maybe the parents had all of the right answers as well. When there was no food in the refrigerator maybe they simply explained that they needed to go grocery shopping and had not had time yet. A social worker does not have enough time to figure out who is ly ing and who is not.Although a social workers main concern is the welfare of the children, they also have to ensure that all of their families are seen in a timely manner. Whether we like to believe it or not our social workers may not have the time to ensure that the children in our system are being properly cared for. I do believe that the nine social services workers that spent time in the Jackson home should have been fired. These people had a duty to those children to protect them and I find it hard to believe that nine people were unaware of the circumstances in that home.They are trained to see when something is amiss and they all failed those boys. Justice was served as well as it could be. Am sure the boys will have horrible memories of their time in that home and it will forever haunt them. The amount of money they received probably did not make them feel any better about it but it probably helped them build a better life elsewhere. As for the time that was served in jail b y the mother, I do not feel it was long enough.

Things Fall Apart and Distinctive World

The distinctive world in which the character abides by creates the distinctive voice. Each character is portrayed by their voice and actions. The characteristic of the distinctive world in which he or she inhabits shapes the character. Good_______ Mr turner and fellow students; I have chosen the text â€Å"Things fall apart† by Chinua Achebe to relate to our class text â€Å"The life and crimes of Harry Lavender† by Marele Day. By doing so, I will convey through my perception, the various types and functions of a distinctive voice and how language affects interpretation and shapes the meaning of both the distinctive voice and world.In our class text â€Å"The life and crimes of Harry Lavender† Claudia Valentine, is a private detective of the 1960’s who symbolises women liberation. The deceiving facade of Sydney which she lives in portrays the values of corruption, addiction and crime. This distinctive world created depicts the distinctive voices of Claudia and Harry Lavender, the antagonist of this novel. While describing Harry’s power, domination and concealment over Sydney. Claudia decodes the mysteries and understands more about herself and the distinctive world she resides in.There are two distinctive voices, Claudia Valentine and Harry Lavender. Claudia valentine is shaped to be a strong character, who is not inhibited by traditions. Her independent nature and â€Å"hard bitten† experiences make her more observant and resourceful. However as we keep reading; we understand her insecurities and the subtle heart all women have. Harry Lavender the antagonist of this novel is a man of strong power who is metaphorically illustrated to be the heart, the veins, and the blood of Sydney. He is a man of corruption and crime, and a symbol of the calamitous facade of Sydney.Both voices are created by the world of Sydney or how the author has quoted â€Å"the sewage of Sydney†. Similarly, in the novel â€Å"Things fall a part† by Chinua Achebe; a world is created with the recurring theme beliefs and customs portrayed through contrasts between the Pagan and African cultures. The novel is about an African tribe’s man’s life set in the early 19th century around the time of colonisation in Nigeria. Since childhood he has embarked on a journey to become a successful man in his tribe as he had not been from a respected family by decent.The many differences clash when cultural imperialism takes place and Christianity is imposed. His arrogance and cultural disposition makes him want to take revenge but ends up in a situation of despair, ending his life in shame and misery. The distinctive voice of this novel is the character Okonkwo, the society he lives in reins his thoughts and actions. In an African tribe a man was considered successful by the masculinity, strength, brutality, polygamy; numerous numbers of wives, vengeance is justice and the suppression of â€Å"feminine† emoti ons such as compassion and love.Quoted in the text, â€Å"As a young man of eighteen he had brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the cat† by describing Okonkwo’s victory against Amalinze, the author illustrates that honour and fame is only valued through strength. From both the novels there may be a contrast of values, setting and beliefs however both use techniques to convey the world which characterises each distinctive voice. Marele Day distinguishes the voices in â€Å"The life and Crimes of Harry Lavender†. Claudia’s thoughts are in first person and her conversations are expressed in colloquial language, this engages the reader to become more personal with Claudia.However Harry’s voice is portrayed in a formal way, making the character more distant from the reader, expressing less commiseration. To express themes of the distinctive world, Marele uses truncated sentences. â€Å"Close by the bed was a bottle of Jack Daniels: empty . And an ash tray: full. †This quote conveys the addiction present in the distinctive world and Claudia. To express this on a whole the author uses the technique of subvert convention. At the beginning she has awaken next to a blonde which we believe to be a women.Her sardonic humour also indicate the stereotypical male role of a private eye, however we soon realise that she is a women, giving a new perception to the distinctive world created as being sexually liberated. Harry Lavender is portrayed to be the world himself. Through the use of imagery Marele Day characterises Harry Lavender to be the god of the deceiving facade of Sydney. â€Å"Up there is a postcard view of Sydney† this quote describes Sydney to be at his fingertips. The world Marele creates is a world of corruption, addiction, murder and mystery all of which is present in Harry’s character.Likewise in the novel â€Å"Things fall apart†, Culture is the distinctive world created. Okonkwo, st rongly believes in his culture where importance is based on masculinity, strength, and revenge in disparity to the pagan culture where importance is given to profession, wealth and the law of justice. This contrast is a technique which the author uses to express both the distinctive worlds. Simple folk tales are used to express the culture further, giving us a more indepth explanation of Okonkwo’s distinctive world and character. Another technique which the author uses to portray the world is the detailed description of everyday life.An example is the way the author describes the preparation of Okonkwo’s food by his three wives. Overall techniques are strongly used to allow the reader to analyse the distinctive world and voice. Both texts â€Å"the life and crimes of Harry Lavender† and â€Å"things fall apart† demonstrate various types of distinctive voices which use language to shape the meaning of both the distinctive voice and world. Now we learn that distinctive voices not only serve the purpose of communication but create and represent the distinctive world itself.

History of film in Latin America Essay

Film is a medium of entertainment where sequence of images is projected on a screen creating an illusion of movement (Parkinson, 24). Film industry started in 19th century as a tool of entertainment, communication and mass media. The motion pictures technology had a great impact on politics and society at large (Ibid, 45). Latin America is the region in Central and South America. The region has 21 countries with the main languages being Spanish, French and Portuguese. Main races that occupy the regions are Amevidians, who are majority in Bolivia and Peru African, Asians, Caucasians, Mestizos, Mulletoes and Zambos. Most of Latin Americans are Christian and mostly catholic Christian . Latin America has a diverse culture, but generally, the Latin America culture is influenced by Africa culture especially in Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, Haiti, Cuba and Costa Rica. Europe culture which were mainly brought by Spanish, Portuguese and French. And the native culture of people who inhabited the continent prior to arrival of Europeans (Parkinson, 61). Latin America has rich and diverse film industry. The industry started in mid 20th century as entertainment tool. Mexicans, Brazilian, Cubans and Argentineans have rich history in filming. They have also made significant step in development of film industry. In Argentina, cinema become prominent in first half of 20th C, however, it suffered during the 1976- 83 military dictatorship (Parkinson, 36). But the industry re-emerged and even produced the academy award winner, the official story in 1985. In Brazil, cinemas and movies become important tools in the society, in mid 20th century. Cuban cinema also developed tremendously especially after it enjoyed government support since the Cuban revolution. They have produced important film-makers like Tomas Gutierrez Alea. Mexican cinema in the golden era of 1940s greatly boasted the film industry. Mexican films have received recognition world over (Ibid, 54). Beside film being used as an entertainment tool, it has also been used as mass media tool to shape the political order in many Latin America countries. Political struggle to have government respect the citizen rights were mainly carried through the film medium. Latin America experienced many coups and revolution in first half of 20th century as people struggle for freedom and right which they were denied by the repressive regimes (Missing). Cinema and print media was used to call people to demand for their human rights and speak against cruelty by the repressive governments. Repression is control by holding the subject down. It amounts to forced subjugation (The Official Story). Human rights and freedom are basic rights to which all human beings are entitled to. They include civil, political, cultural, and economic rights. Examples of human rights and freedom includes right to life, right to liberty, freedom of expression, freedom from discrimination on any basis, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of worship and right of owning property etc. Many of political regimes in Latin America countries in early 20th century denied their citizen their basic rights. This precipitated revolution and social-political struggles most of which were met with crude repression (Men with Guns). Artist and film-maker, used cinemas, movies to express the people’s call for their civil rights. Literature artist also used their skills and knowledge to express the people’s call for their rights. One of the best film work set is Latin America that depict the political situation that was in 20th century is ‘Missing’. The movie was first released in 1987 in US and was directed by Costa-Gavras. It is a powerful political drama that revolve around the life before and after a 1973 coup is a south American – country (even though the movies does not reveal it refers to the Chile) which was very volatile the movie capture the who whole situation as it was, strict curfews, armed police terrosing people, many people close to 30,000 being killed, mass kidnapping, torture and ‘disappearance’ of people who were considered leaning to former regime (Missing). The movie is based on a true story of an America-activist and writer Charles Horman who disappeared in Chile at the height of America-backed violent military coup in 1978 (). This story was also in a book by Thomas Hauser. The film focuses on struggle of Horman wife Beth (Sissy Spacek) and conservative father End Horman (Jack Lemman) as they search for Charles. The film vividly show how the oppressive ruling junta oppressed people in the streets, both Sissy speak and her farther-in-law were stonewalled not only as the ruling military but also the America consulate (Missing). They only leant later that the American government had been betraying their effort to find Charles and that America government was friendly to the South America tyrant. Violation of human rights and repression is clearly present where the military dictator impose curfew and torture to all those who speak against the civil strife which was perpetuated by the ruling junta (Ibid,) The US government which also played key role in the coup also is keen to muffle all voices that were against the forced takeover. This is seen as the American embassy betrayed Ed (jack) and Beth (Sissy)’s effort to find and reconcile with Charles. Media and press freedom was suppressed as the writers and journalists were not allowed to cover the killings, torture, raping and kidnapping. Freedom of movement was denied as 24 hours curfew are enforced, there was gross violation of human right as people were butchered, kidnapped, jailed and women raped (). Violence existed as there was military and tyranny regime which disposed the civil government led by twice-elected Salvador Allende. President Salvador Allende led a leftist regime which the US government was keen to topple so on to reduce the spread of communism in the western world. The effort of CIA to block president Allende to vie for the second term by spreading propagandas and supporting dissidents to oppose Allende’s government also was a major driver that plugged Chile to civil strife. Violence is perpetrated by corrupt political regimes which are just out to fulfill their selfish interests (). Military machine is used to enforce cruel order and untold suffering to the citizen and mostly for those who are perceived as opposing the ruling power (). In this movie we have seen that, in civil strife, many citizens usually dies, other maimed and the survivors have to live with fear, and in a suppressed political environment (). Many who survive these ordeals use films and other mass media tools to express what they are going through and call for need to address their plight. Victims are the citizens while victimizers are politicians who fight to retain or get into power (). The film was an eye opener to what victims of coup have to undergo as selfish power hungry dictators fight to access or cling on power. It also pointed how influence from interested foreign government can bring hell on the life especially in politically volatile countries. The ‘Missing’ film describe how a south-America country goes through change of political regime from civil to military regime led by ruthless junta which caused gross human right violation (). The film explains well what civilians underwent in the 1973 coup the curfews, torture, kidnappings and ‘disappearance’ of those who voice out the suffering of the civilians (). The visual effects of events during and after the coup as shown in the movie has a strong emotional impact to the viewer that best explain and communicates human right violations and repression enforced by military. ‘Men with guns’ is an American political drama film written and directed by John Sayles. Set is unrevealed South American country it’s a story about a man who discovers political events that were going on in his country (Men with guns). It was first released in Canada in 1997 and was filmed in Mexico. The plot of the movie start as Dr. Fuentes (Federico Huppi) an old medical profession who had been teaching young people to provide health care to poverty-stricken citizen in a country where small-scale agricultural communities struggle to make end meet (Ibid). He is described as being ignorant of political event in his country. After Dr. Fuentes heard rumors that his former students are lost and possibly dead he decides to go and investigate the issue. Later Dr Fuentes discover that his student have been killed by ‘men with gun’ indicating that there has been people executing people who oppose them and damp them in the jungle (Men with guns). This was done to repress the guerillas who where opposing the junta rule, as Dr Fuentes moved deeper into the hill, he teams up with Padre porillo ( a defrocked priest who lost his faith), Domingo (a deserter from the army), conejo (a boy who survive by stealing) and Graciela (a woman who turned mute after she was raped). Dr Fuentes discovered that army officer were killing, torturing and raping those who were opposed to the military regime, especially young activist. Dr Fuentes’s journey describes clearly the weight of price to pay to bridge between not knowing and knowing, silence and acknowledgement assumption and truth (Men with guns). Just like ‘Missing’, this film exposes repression and human right violation meted out to civilians by military regimes. The victims are still citizens who struggle for their life and standing for their rights, freedoms and beliefs. The film depicts political process during 1960 – 80 where most Latin America countries experience revolution and military coups. Unlike the other, this film describes and emphasis the needs to find out what others in a country are going through. ‘Men with guns’ teaches us that although we are alone in our personal struggle to find information, freedom and right we are never alone in our common humanity struggle to freedom and rights. This is so on the doctor, the priest, the soldier, and the mute woman found themselves in same mission to get the truth and acknowledge it (Ibid). ‘The official story’ is another political thriller that revolves around story of a single family. Directed by Roger Ebert, it was first released in 1985 (The Official story). In the movie, Alicia is married to Robert, wealthy, powerful man with government connection. They have adopted a girl. Alicia is ignorant of political situation in Argentina until Anna an old high school friend enters in her life (Ibid). Anna narrated to Alicia how her lover a leftist ‘disappeared’ and she was kidnapped and tortured. She later discovers what was going on when she came across demonstration by family member of a missing person (). She began to realize that her husband was part of repressive government and their adopted child may be stolen from a mother who was a political prisoner (The Official story). Alicia meets an old woman who may be the grandmother of the adopted daughter and they become close (Ibid). They found strength in each other. Like the ‘Men with guns’ the movie demonstrates that there could be crimes being inflicted on other while certain class or group of people are innocently unaware. In this film, army officer are killing leftists and those who are opposed to the government. There is a gross violation of human rights and repression by government. The victims are the citizens who stand for their right. The movie clearly demonstrates how repressive regimes commit civil crime and mass murder without awareness, acknowledgement from the internal community. It vividly captures the political process that many Latin America counties went through in late 20h century (The Official story). ‘Of Love and Shadows’ is a political drama novel written by Isabel Allende. Isabel is a Chilean writer who is president Salvador Allende’s niece (Isabel, 42). The book is a story of love and shadows of political commitment. The story centers on a daughter of a wealthy family and son of a Spanish exile with whom she becomes involved (Ibid, 32). Both of them, as a reporter and photographer, uncovered a hideout crime that puts not only their love but also their life at risk. The book is set in a country under military dictatorship where arrest, disappearance and executions are rampant. Irene a reporter and Francisco a photographer are prepared to risk everything for the sake of truth and justice. They discovered crimes by the ruling military to those who opposed or undermine the military regime. At the end Irene, a daughter of a wealthy family which was backing the military regime and Francisco, son of a Marxist professor who was opposed to junta rule, are caught up in terror and violence (Ibid, 46). Like the three films, this book is about repressive regimes that was common in many South American countries in the late 20th century . The victim are citizens who stand against the repression and human right violation. This book demonstrates what majority of Latin American went through during revolution and political regimes coups. The novel helped to create awareness of crimes that military regime and political tyrant inflicted on citizens and hence call for intervention. The book vividly describes physical, mental and psychological effects of crime and human right violation to individual and society as whole. It shows that love can overcome hate as the two passionate lovers marshal on despite what they go through (Isabel, 76). ‘Child of dark’ is a diary written by Carolina Maria de Jesus in 1960. The diary contains what Carolina went through in her life in a slum of Sao Paulo, Brazil (Lavine, 24). The dairy contains what Carolina faced in her life as a fevelado (slum dweller) and political and social facts which were present during Carolina life. She writes how poverty and desperation caused people to compromise their dignity to get food (Ibid, 35). Carolina vividly describe the dreadful life around her life, but despite these she forget to have better life and gave her three children the best through writing (Lavine, 45). Her writing drew attention of politician who tried to involve agencies to give relief to the poor, however these projected faded. This diary shows how government avoided the social welfare obligations to the poor citizens as they focus on upper income class welfare (Ibid, 84). In conclusion, the three films and the literature works where very important in advocating for the writes of the citizen and exposing violation by some government. The films demonstrated the political history of Latin America countries and political process they underwent to achieve democracy and political freedom.

Film Analysis (choose 1 form 7 questions) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Film Analysis (choose 1 form 7 questions) - Essay Example Yimou’s Hero depicts certain sociopolitical issues notable in the contemporary China. In the film, the protagonist named Nameless desires to kill the emperor of China. The main reason why Nameless wants to assassinate the emperor is because his family was murdered by the imperial soldiers. In this narrative, the film reflects particular issues or problems marked in today’s China: the state as more powerful than the people. When the kins of Nameless were murdered, it had certain political â€Å"objective† motive. In parallel to contemporary China, the state exercises particular actions in order to ensure the stability of the nation. In implementing its program, the Chinese Government has to use force, at certain point in time, in order to obtain the state’s plans and goals. The individual citizen is merely viewed as inferior in comparison to the state’s superior role. In contrast to democracy -- at least to the Western perspective -- China stresses t he importance of state power over people power. Moreover, the Hero film reflects, at certain degree, the national cinema in China. In Yimou’s movie, the narrative somehow depicts the minds or visions of particular Chinese directors and other people characterized in the Chinese movie-making: unity or nationalism.

Religion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Religion - Assignment Example The weight is very much dependant on the experiential dimension of the religion. The experience that one has with a given religion can decide the way the religion is perceived. Even non believers have a time in their life when they have a spiritual experience. The more experiences that happen will amount to a higher belief. Humans have the tendency to believe what they see or experience. The ability to experience can fill the need one may have. A strong relationship allows the one seeking the relationship to focus their life around the experience. This can allow the weight of the rational side of religion to be equal to the experience. Being conscious allows humans to see and believe. Seeing and believing are very important parts of being able to feel while being conscious. When it comes to religion, it is important to be able to consciously know that there is something there that the individual can have a relationship with. This relationship can change one’s life and be obtained consciously and

Week5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week5 - Essay Example The slowdown is further aggravated by their internal challenges associated with structural problems as well as the massive uncertainty surrounding the fiscal policy cliff in the United States to boost the global economy after an almost fatal trap in the 2008 crisis (Bluford and Samantha 1). The BRIC countries combined have been a dynamic growth powerhouse with a sizeable contributory effect to the world economic expansion over the past decade. The combined share of the BRIC’s input to the global GDP was at 8 percent in the year 2000. By 2010, their influence hit a new level high of 25 percent; a clear pointer that their slowdown now will obviously be more detrimental to the global turnaround than it would have been years back, more so after the 2008 financial meltdown followed by another credit crunch in Europe. With an average weighted real GDP growth of 8.1 percent in 2010 slipping to a respectable 6.5 percent in 2011 and a further expectation of a downward trend of 4.87 and 4.70 in 2012 and 2013 respectively, it is admittedly clear that the severity of the economic slowdown in the BRICs to the global economy is greater than the previous projections (Bluford and Samantha 1-4). However, coming to the point of a complete halt would be an exaggerated scenario. Th e BRIC nations are simply on the verge of coping with the global slowdown, which seem to have caught up with them late than expected. Notably, 2009/2010 growth elements in the BRICs were driven by economic woes elsewhere. The latest statistics are but confirmations of a reshaping economic growth towards sustainable