The Habits Of Mind By Al Cuoco - 846 Words

Habits of Mind by Al Cuoco was an article based around how traditional ways of mathematics may not be the most suitable method in this ever-changing world. Cuoco expresses how traditional ways of math such as, memorizing a formula and getting an answer or looking at math as results and methods, isn’t preparing students for real-world math applications. This article is more about defining what math is, and then exploring it, instead of just working a formula to get an answer. â€Å"Habits of mind† is about developing a deeper way of thinking. Teachers should be guiding students to experiment with problems, look for patterns that may help you come to a conclusion, they should experiment then try it a different way, and they should describe their work, not at the end but during the process of working something out. There’s many different techniques listed in this article of what student’s should be, including visualizers, inventors, tinkerers, conjecturers, a nd guessers. These are the habits students need to be in when it comes to mathematics, Cuoco explains different points regarding each of the techniques, all of the points lead students to really comprehending what they are doing in math and how they formulated an answer. Teaching students to have these mind habits of taking a problem and analyzing every piece of it, then reworking it, or trying different rules will prepare them for the unknown math that will come in the future. My initial reactions to this article were that itShow MoreRelatedArticle Analysis of Habits of Mind706 Words   |  3 PagesIn an article titled Habits of Mind: An Organizing Principle for Mathematics Curriculum (n.d.), Cuoco, Goldenberg and Mark call for a new approach to designing mathematics curricula for the future. As they point out, it is impossible to know all that the future holds: Past experience tells us that todays first graders will graduate high school most likely facing problems that do not yet exist (Cuoco et al., p. 1). Students have been taught mathematics in the same way for a long time, the authors

An Argument Essay About Discrimination - 1635 Words

Argument Essay Some may say discrimination in America is a thing in the past, but is this a true statement? Are men and women always seen and treated as equals in our new and reformed nation? I am sure there are many debates out there proving or disproving this potential issue, but one in particular has caught my eye. Our military is made up of many different sections, and the men and women who were brave enough to raise their right hand and enlist in the service were given a skill to master resulting in a job to perform up to the highest standard. The military has many job offerings, ranging from supply specialist, which would be someone doing paper work and giving the other soldiers what they need to get their job done, all the way to infantry, those who are trained to engage, fight, and defeat the enemy in combat. Both men and women are authorized to enlist in the service, but both are not allowed to train in all job positions. It is no secret that when high controversy topics arise in the media, people have their personal opinions, each one believing they are â€Å"right.† Is there always a â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong† answer, or can the morally correct answer be a combination of both sides of the argument? Should women be allowed to earn an infantry job in the military? When questioning those concerned with this topic the answers will be mixed with yes and no, each having their own opinions to back up their argument. If a woman wants and is able to perform to the trainingShow MoreRelated The Virtue of Discrimination Essay1065 Words   |  5 PagesThe Virtue of Discrimination Discrimination is a word that has taken on a negative connotation in todays society. Since the beginning of the equal rights movement, the perceived meaning of the word discrimination has shifted from that of a useful virtue to one of an insulting, derogatory word. 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When the two essays are considered as responses to each other, Steeles logical explanationsRead MoreGender, Gender And Gender Equality1391 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay will look at Gender discrimination in an Australian prospective with some overseas perspectives overlapping this essay will look at gender deference’s in pay in Australia and discuss the ideas and arguments surrounding gender equality in the work place. Gender equity in work place is still a heavily understudied in Australia and as is more or less worldwide. 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She utilizes a compelling, matter-of-fact tone to optimize the effect her words will have on her readers, both male and female. â€Å"The Longest War† by Rebecca Solnit employs the rhetorical strategies of substance and context toRead MoreThe State Should Stay Out of the Employment Relationship1504 Words   |  7 Pages2007 Federal election, the Rudd Labor Government began work on its promises to re-shape Australia’s industrial relations system.† (Riley amp; Sheldon 2008) However, some people think that the state should stay out the employment relationship. This essay will argue that the state should stay in the employment relationship because it makes the roles and has the rights and res ponsibilities for the employee and employer in working environment. 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He also gives suggestions on ways to prevent or decrease the amount of racism that goes on. The title of Bissoondaths essay gives hint as to what his argument is about. People of all kind constantly use theRead MoreRhetorical Essay : I Want A Wife By Judy Brady1120 Words   |  5 PagesIn an essay by Judy Brady titled â€Å"I Want a Wife†, Brady discusses the typical gender dynamics of her time period (the 1970s) and challenges them. She essentially says that women are treated like they are inferior to men and so she says that she wishes or wants someone to fulfill her duties for her just like she does for her husband. This essay shows the struggle to gain equality in this time period and also represents the thoughts that a woman in this time period might have. Not only is the meaning

Breaking Up Essay Research Paper Cause and free essay sample

Interrupting Up Essay, Research Paper Cause and Consequence In maintaining with my research subject I chose to Wright my cause and consequence paper over interrupting up. There are many causes why people break up. In everyone life at that place comes a point and clip when they finds one individual whom they fall frantically in love with. Real life relationships are different what we see in the films where two people fall in love and travel on to populate merrily of all time after. In # 8220 ; The Real World # 8221 ; instead than # 8220 ; The Movie World it is a fact of life that couples do interrupt up, and there are many grounds why. There are many grounds, runing from rip offing to deficiency of sex to mistreat, that make people want to breakup . One ground why twosomes might interrupt up is money or a deficiency of money. If one individual in a relationship is ever paying for everything, their spouse merely might turn tired of it and make up ones mind that it is a good ground to divide. We will write a custom essay sample on Breaking Up Essay Research Paper Cause and or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For illustration, a adult female who is ever giving her fellow money for his rent, auto note, and other disbursals will likely finally acquire tired of it and go forth him. Turning apart, an case in which two people merely do non experience attractive force towards each other anymore is really commonplace, ensuing in an terminal of a relationship. Some twosomes merely # 8220 ; fall out of love # 8221 ; . Some people can merely stand so much of another individual before they grow tired of them. Sometimes a individual finds another individual besides their boy/girlfriend who they are attracted to. Finding person # 8220 ; better # 8221 ; will stop a relationship rapidly, and get down a new relationship as good. If a individual finds person more attractive than the individual they are presently with, they might hold to weigh their options and make up ones mind that they want to travel another way. Besides, interrupting up it could be as a consequence to distance. For illustration, when I was in high school I met a nice lady friend and we went together for most of that clip. As clip came and went the both of decided travel ain ways in choosi ng colleges. This consequences in a twosome interrupting up. A long distance relationship merely does non work out really frequently. Besides, when a individual finds person they like merely as they are attracted to the individual they are with, this could ensue in cheating, another ground why twosomes break up. If guy gimmicks his girlfriend is rip offing on him, or the other manner around, this could really good be a good ground to stop that relationship. Finding person rip offing leads to do one or the other individual in the relationship to lose trust in the other. Besides, another really serious ground ensuing in a break-up is abuse. When person abuses his or her girlfriend, partner, or kids so. Person who is taking maltreatment is playing with a laden gum by allowing it travel on. They are merely put on the lining their lives and the people around them. However, no affair what sort of maltreatments it is, none of it is healthy, and all are good grounds for a break-up. The most common of all grounds for break-ups are differences. This can include different life ends ; differences in faith ; different race ; incompatible personalities, and households that don # 8217 ; t O.K. . When it comes to race, households, and faith, it is apparent facts that some people merely value these things greatly and take them earnestly. The same consequence with race, some people merely do non desire their kid to stop up individual. That s different colour than they are. In decision the most common of all grounds for break-ups are differences. This can include different ends in life ; faith ; race ; personalities ; and households that don # 8217 ; t O.K. . Besides from merely turning apart to happening your spouse cheating or merely being excessively different to be together. These break-ups and grounds for them are non meant to frighten person off from relationships. The simple fact is, one should bask relationships, but at the same clip, be alert to the warning marks so one can see when a dissolution is coming or is nessacery

Utility An Impartial And Equitable Standpoint Essays -

Utility: An Impartial And Equitable Standpoint Utility: An Impartial and Equitable Standpoint Mackey- Philosophy 318 Section Wednesday 12:00- 1:00 Tu Phan Phliosophy 318- Mackey The foundation of Utility is based on John Stuart Mills notion that one must strive to act in such a way to produce the greatest good of the greatest number. Utility itself relies on the responsibility of the individual to remain impartial in his endeavor to produce the greatest good, looking past such extrinsic influences that may render the individual to seek a biased sense of satisfaction. In order for Utility to function as Mill wanted it to, honest judgment and objectivity must be an essential part of ones drive for the acquisition of the greatest good. In order for the insistence that equity and impartiality to hold true to Mills Utility, we must find a foundation from within his argumentation that will support it. Thus we turn to Mills sanctions, or incentives that he proposes to drive one towards the path of Utility. Mills first sanction, the internal sanction, leads one to act ethically because of the fear of displeasure that might arise from other people if one does not act in this manner. Mill justifies that individuals desire the warmness of others as an incentive to acting unselfishly in the attempt to acquire the greatest good, and fear the dissatisfaction of others. Mills second sanction, the internal sanction, is in essence an individuals inner conscience. With the assumption that the conscience is pure and free from corruption, Mill implies that satisfaction is brought forth to the conscience when one successfully and ethically commits to ones duties, the duty of Utility. What is undesired is the feeling of dissatisfacti on that spawns when one does not act dutifully. In order for this rationale to make sense, one must do what is almost unavoidable when propositioning such an enormous concept such as the ethical standard of morality, and that is to presuppose, In almost all forms and interpretations of morality, there has been the presupposition that takes place to initialize the concept. Mills Utilitarianism presupposes that human beings do have a concept for general well being, and that is genuinely by nature good and willfully ethical. It is this generalization that spawns for these sanctions that he has addressed, and it is the role of the good nature of man that determines the worth of his actions. This is also the pivot in Mills mechanics that is probably most argued upon. Kant, Neibhor, and Plato would have had much to say on Mills assumption of the natural goodness of mankind and his given instinct to do good. If impartiality and equity are what good will and duty bring forth, Mill has provi ded a basis within utilitarianism that reinforces this. Aside from distinct sanctions, many other aspects of Utility lead to the notion that impartiality and equity are set boldly within the framework of Mills interpretation. According to Mill, all people are, ethically speaking, equal in all situations. When considering the value of happiness from one individual to another, the issue is proposed to be a straight line representing the equality the value from individual to individual. One persons happiness is just as important as anothers. With this in mind, there is no such reason to even consider a biased view on the distribution of happiness, for in the beholders eyes, it is nothing but equal. Utility also states that the greater number that acquires happiness is most desired, so there is no real reason to consider any other way to distribute it but evenly. A biased approach would prove inefficient, and with the concept in mind that Mill is only concerned with the results of ones actions, not the intention, it would only make sense to b e impartial. How is impartiality and equity in utility possible? First and foremost, are no ethical principles that are agreed on by everyone, but there is a distinct level of agreement as to what is right and what is wrong. Among the obvious are the notions that generosity, equality, and truthfulness are right, and this supports the presupposition that Mill makes about the good -nature of human morality. Thus impartiality and equity can be argued to pervade Utility. Second, the

Free Essays on Prepare For Takeoff

Prepare For Take-Off Since the tragedy of September 11th, our nation’s airports have undergone several security changes to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. Some of the changes are more obvious than others, like the presence of the National Guard in our airports. However, there are some changes that are not seen nor felt by the public until they are presented with them, like not being allowed to bring drinking containers down into the terminal. Because most people are not aware of the changes, things tend to run a little slower now in our airports than normal. Louis Armstrong International Airport, formerly New Orleans International Airport, has been no exception. For 2 and a half years I was employed at Armstrong Airport by one of the venders and witnessed first hand the affects of September 11th. Because of the new security regulations, passengers had to wait longer to board their planes, which made my job more of a hassle. The best way to make a flight experience more enjoyable starts before one boards the plane. It is now suggested that passengers arrive two hours before their flight’s departure time. Do arrive early as suggested. When arriving at the airport, there will always be men and women with uniforms on asking â€Å"Do you need a skycap?† These ladies and gentlemen are there to be at a passengers service to help them check in their luggage, receive their boarding confirmation without the hassle of having to go to the ticket counter. This service is called â€Å"Curb-Side Check In†. It is quick and allows the passenger to head straight down to the terminal. However, this service is for domestic flights only. International flights have to go to the ticket counter but can use the service to help with the luggage. Don’t forget to tip the skycaps because they can be out there up to twelve hours a day and they are only paid minimum wage. If one has to go to their airline’s ticket counter, th... Free Essays on Prepare For Takeoff Free Essays on Prepare For Takeoff Prepare For Take-Off Since the tragedy of September 11th, our nation’s airports have undergone several security changes to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. Some of the changes are more obvious than others, like the presence of the National Guard in our airports. However, there are some changes that are not seen nor felt by the public until they are presented with them, like not being allowed to bring drinking containers down into the terminal. Because most people are not aware of the changes, things tend to run a little slower now in our airports than normal. Louis Armstrong International Airport, formerly New Orleans International Airport, has been no exception. For 2 and a half years I was employed at Armstrong Airport by one of the venders and witnessed first hand the affects of September 11th. Because of the new security regulations, passengers had to wait longer to board their planes, which made my job more of a hassle. The best way to make a flight experience more enjoyable starts before one boards the plane. It is now suggested that passengers arrive two hours before their flight’s departure time. Do arrive early as suggested. When arriving at the airport, there will always be men and women with uniforms on asking â€Å"Do you need a skycap?† These ladies and gentlemen are there to be at a passengers service to help them check in their luggage, receive their boarding confirmation without the hassle of having to go to the ticket counter. This service is called â€Å"Curb-Side Check In†. It is quick and allows the passenger to head straight down to the terminal. However, this service is for domestic flights only. International flights have to go to the ticket counter but can use the service to help with the luggage. Don’t forget to tip the skycaps because they can be out there up to twelve hours a day and they are only paid minimum wage. If one has to go to their airline’s ticket counter, th...

10 Points About Possessives

10 Points About Possessives 10 Points About Possessives 10 Points About Possessives By Mark Nichol Writers are often challenged by the details of producing singular and possessive forms, but dealing with less common possessive variations can be downright vexing. Here are guidelines about additional possessive constructions. 1. Absolute Possessives His, hers, its, theirs, ours, mine, and yours, which are termed absolute possessives because, unlike their simple possessive versions (for example, their and my), they require no subsequent noun, should never be followed by an apostrophe. (Note that his and its, which can precede a noun or noun phrase or can stand alone, do not change form depending on whether they are simple or absolute possessives.) 2. Compound Possessives The possessive form in compound nouns and in noun phrases is generally expressed only in the final element for example, â€Å"The student teachers’ experiences varied†; â€Å"Her brothers-in-law’s attitudes differed dramatically.† (It might be better to relax the syntax: â€Å"The experiences of the student teachers varied†; â€Å"The attitudes of her brothers-in-law differed dramatically.†) 3. Genitive Possessives The genitive form, also known as the possessive form although most phrases formed this way refer to relationship, not to possession is most often problematic when the apostrophe implies of, as in â€Å"a hundred dollars’ worth† or â€Å"three months’ time.† (See this post for a discussion of the various types of genitive.) 4. Phrasal Possessives The spontaneity of speech often results in statements such as â€Å"The family down the street’s RV was hit by a car,† but because writing enables more thoughtful composition, writers should avoid such awkward constructions; instead, write, â€Å"The RV belonging to the family down the street was hit by a car.† 5. Possessives Attached to Italicized Terms An apostrophe and an s following an italicized term should not be italicized for example, â€Å"Did you read the Washington Post’s editorial today?† If the style calls for quotation marks instead of italics, avoid constructions like â€Å"Did you read the ‘Washington Post’’s editorial today?† Instead, revise the sentence, for example, to â€Å"Did you read the editorial in today’s ‘Washington Post’?† 6. Possessive with Gerund In a sentence in which a gerund (a verb functioning as a noun), not the proper noun or the pronoun preceding it, is understood to be the subject of the sentence as in â€Å"Jane’s yelling had put us all in a bad mood† the proper noun or pronoun (a modifying part of speech known as a determiner) should be in the possessive form. The sentence is expressing that the yelling caused the bad moods, and the genitive form Jane’s identifies the yeller. In â€Å"Jane yelling had put us all in a bad mood,† by contrast, Jane is the subject and yelling is a verb; the implied subject is â€Å"The act of Jane.† This construction, however, is awkward; either use the construction with the gerund, or relax the sentence to something like, â€Å"When Jane yelled, it put us all in a bad mood.† 7. Possessive Forms vs. Attributive Forms Organizations, businesses, and government agencies often refer to themselves attributively, meaning that one noun modifies another for example, respectively, note the names of the California Teachers Association, the Diners Club, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The key noun in each name takes the plural s but not the genitive apostrophe, because the entities are intended for the referenced groups rather than established by them. However, similarly constructed generic terms such as â€Å"farmers’ market† and â€Å"girls’ soccer team† are genitive phrases and should feature an apostrophe after the plural s. Similarly, a name used as an adjective is attributive, not possessive: Write â€Å"the Jones Mansion,† not â€Å"the Jones’s Mansion,† as, for example, a designation for a historical landmark (though â€Å"the Jones’s mansion† is correct for a simple description of, for example, a neighbor’s house), or â€Å"the Vikings game† (but â€Å"the Vikings’ win-loss record†). 8. Possessive of Inanimate Objects Generally, constructions such as â€Å"The jar’s lid is cracked† is more efficient than, for example, â€Å"The lid of the jar is cracked,† but avoid rendering such set phrases as â€Å"the head of the class† unidiomatic. (â€Å"Go to the class’s head† fumbles the idiom.) 9. Possessive Preceded by Of When a phrase describing a relationship includes the preposition of, as in â€Å"a neighbor of Dad’s† or â€Å"that statement of Smith’s,† note that the presence of the preposition does not preclude the need for the genitive apostrophe. (A construction omitting the apostrophe doesn’t necessarily look wrong, but consider the example â€Å"the book of John†; this phrase suggests a book about John, not one belong to or written by John.) However, consider simplifying the phrase to, for example, â€Å"Dad’s neighbor† or â€Å"Smith’s statement† when doing so does not change the meaning. (â€Å"A neighbor of Dad’s,† for example, implies one of two or more neighbors more strongly than â€Å"Dad’s neighbor† does, and â€Å"that statement of Smith’s,† for example, more clearly specifies a particular statement than â€Å"Smith’s statement† does.) 10. Shared and Separate Possession When two closely related nouns refer to as a single entity, as in a statement about a comedy team’s best-known routine (â€Å"She’s never heard Abbott and Costello’s ‘Who’s on First’ bit†), only the second item is assigned a possessive form. But when the component entities are discussed as separate things, both items should have the possessive form, as in â€Å"Abbott’s and Costello’s off-screen personalities were consistent with their on-screen personas.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:36 Adjectives Describing Light25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be)Drama vs. Melodrama

Assignment 1. Apex Training Company Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assignment 1. Apex Training Company - Coursework Example Thirdly, formation of a sole-proprietorship firm helped Martha to save taxes related to business and professional revenues. Fourthly, setting up a sole-proprietorship business helped Martha gain on profits and revenue solely. She was not obliged here to share the revenues and profits earned with other business partners (Madura 160). Concerns about Sole-proprietorship Sole-proprietorship business, although it does have the above advantages, also has certain grave shortcomings, for which Martha’s accountant related his concerns. The salient disadvantages or shortcomings emanating from sole-proprietorship business can be underlined as follows. Firstly, it would be difficult for Martha, operating as a sole proprietor, to obtain loans from banks and financial institutions. Thus continual stress is imposed on personal finances of the sole proprietor. Moreover, the accountant was further concerned wit that the corporate investors tend to abstain from investing in sole-proprietorship firms owing to a greater fear of loss than in a partnership or other limited liability ventures. Thirdly, the clause of taking decisions in an autonomous fashion by the sole proprietor, though acting as an encouraging factor, can happen to create separate risks owing to possibility of different emergencies. Fourthly, the accountant was also concerned that running a sole-proprietorship firm, though encouraging, invites a large number of uncertainties owing to the possibility of an accident happening to the sole proprietor. At that time it would become difficult to carry on the business operations of the firm in an effective fashion (Williams and Murray 45). Advantages and Disadvantages of Partnership and LLC form of Business Formation of partnership form of business would relate the following advantages for Martha. Firstly, partnerships, being based on the mutual understanding of two or more people, are easy to form and are also supported by state legislation. Secondly, unlike sole-p roprietorship, the partnership form of business has the applicability for gaining loans from financial corporations. Thirdly, the business being formed with the help of two or more people would help Martha in gaining due help pertaining to business and operational expertise. Fourthly, the operation of the firm based on the decision of two or more members would help the business operate flexibly in changing external conditions. Fifthly, partnership form of business is exempted from income tax. The only tax levied is on the personal income of the partnership members. However, the partnership form of business also suffers from certain pitfalls like it makes the individual members liable for the total debt and malpractices irrespective of the conduct. Secondly, loss of mutual consent leads to conflicts among the members. Thirdly, profit sharing in partnership is a difficult affair owing to difference in time and capital rendered. Finally, calculation of a share of a member during his or her exit is a tedious affair in partnership business (Gitman and McDaniel 103-104). Again formation of a Limited Liability Company or LLC would help Martha in defining the limit of liability of the different members in the firm thus reducing the threat of bearing total losses. Secondly, a LLC company has the potential to perpetually exist unlike a partnership or

Factors and criteria of choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Factors and criteria of choice - Essay Example It has happened in 14 years that the mobile phone giant Nokia is not toping the annual cell phone sales chart, whereas it is Samsung which has replaced Nokia and has become the world’s number one mobile phone selling brand in the world (LAM). The technology advances on everyday basis. New features are added everyday in mobile phones to make them more attractive. The total revenue generate annually by the mobile company is $100 billion. However the profitably of the mobile phones companies depend on their ability to develop more innovative product, with offering higher quality and affordability to the consumers. This research paper highlights the features that the mobile phones need, in order to maintain their present and future position in the mobile phone market. Explanation The advancements in technology have helped in the development of several significant and useful features in the mobile phones. These features provided by the mobile phone companies’ help in deciding that which phones will occupy the market share. The mobile phone tour guide present in some of the phones help people in finding a place. This can be a useful feature for tourist who visits other places. This phone technology is more appropriate than the paper guide. Near field communication technology allows the mobile phone to connect to other wireless device present at some distance and transfer data, which ranges from pictures and songs to payment and other important information. Phones embedded with NFC chips can be used as electronic identity cards or debit cards. The phones with NFC chips can be quite effective in futures. The NFC devices manufactures must work in collaboration with VISA to come up with technology that would make life easier for customers. Mobiles programmed to allow users to download different application are the one that users prefer the most. These application may consist of Skype which allow users to make call to other people having Skype application in their phones, present anywhere in the world. The phones supporting downloadable application also support large amount of data as the size of the application can be as large as 550 KB (Sen). Camera is the key factor that costumers consider while purchasing a mobile phone. Phone with the ability of capturing pictures; occupy almost 40 percent of the market share. However the camera feature of mobile phone is not enough for customers. They want camera with high definition and several other features that are present in advance digital cameras. The mobile market is now saturated with camera phones, people nowadays prefer to have a picture capturing device in their pockets. The other significant feature that people prefer in camera phones include 3G network. This advance form of network s upport the highly advance feature of mobile phones providing more storage to the customers. The 3G networks not only allow the users to captures memorable moments but it also allow users to share it with their family and friends. Other important characteristics of the 3G networks includes the transmission of data at 38 K bps, improving image quality up to 330,000 pixels and it allows the internal storage of mobile phone to grow so that the users can save a dozen photos at a single time (Garside and Arthur). The major complaints that are faced by the telephone companies are mostly related

How to Solve a Problem Essay Example for Free

How to Solve a Problem Essay After reading up on the â€Å"Art of Thinking† e-book, chapter 5 explains the 4 stages of the critical thinking process. The first stage of critical thinking is to search for challenges. It explains that not all challenges are obvious and on how you should make it a habit to look out for challenges that comes your way. The second stage of critical thinking is expressing the problem or issue. The e-book explains in more detail the difference between a problem and an issue. The third stage of critical thinking is to investigate the problem or issue. Last but not least, the fourth stage of critical thinking is producing ideas. I think that this is also the critical stage of what makes a critical thinker. When I was in the Navy during my first year, I noticed that it was very difficult to advance in the occupational specialty that I was in compared to the other military occupation. One of the things that I’ve noticed was that the reason why the advancement was difficult was because there were too many people who were in the field rating. The air department field rating was a difficult and dangerous job to be in; especially if you didn’t know what you were doing. There was long 18 hour work days that I had to do whenever there were out to sea deployments to the Persian Gulf. I also had to worry about equipment malfunction and the risk of falling over board from the flight deck. I was very dissatisfied with working with the air department division, so I decided to take the exam for a different rate when I was up for advancement. I was curious to find out what other military occupations were out there for me with less danger on the field and better advancement opportunity. Fortunately for me, the advancement exam that I took was 100% advancement and 18 hours less than what I had to work compared to the air department. Based from my reading of chapter 7, the problem for me was working long hours in a hazardous environment. I asked myself, how can I get out of a hazardous work environment such as working on the flight deck? How can I advance myself to a rate that has less competition? There were also some issues for me that I had to address. One of the questions I had to ask myself regarding the issue was if I should notify my supervisor that I plan on taking the advancement exam for another rate? Is he going to single me out and make me work harder in the division? In order to resolve my problem, I decided to take the advancement exam that focused on operating the radar systems and it was 100% advancement. The working hours were 6 hours on and 18 hours off rotations at the work center. The work environment was also less hazardous and more relaxed compared to the air department. For my issues to get resolved, I decided not to tell any of my supervisors that I plan to leave the division by taking the exam for another rate. I figured that if I don’t tell them what I plan to doing, then they will not single me out or make me work harder compared to the other people in the division. I believe that it was the best decision that I made during my time in the military. Before I decided to take the advancement exam, I noticed that one of my co-workers had also taken the same exam before me. According to chapter 8 of the â€Å"Art of Thinking,† I investigated the problems and issues that relate to working with the operations department compared to working in the air department. I took an eyewitness testimony from my former co-worker who used to work for the air department division, but later switch to the operations department division after taking the advancement exam. He provided the information to me regarding the pros and cons of working with the operations department. The con part of working with operations was that you were working around a lot of high ranking officers and always had to practice for certain drills, but the pro side to it was good advancement and less work hours compared to working with the air department. In conclusion, I think that one of the best ways for me to solve this problem was to avoid going into the air department in the first place. I should have weighed out my options in regards to finding out what other good department divisions that I could benefit from by working with them for the 4 years that I was with the Navy. I noticed that some fields such as working as an electrician has its benefits. I could have been able to transfer all of my work experience into the civilian side and done a similar job like that with more salary pay. I also now understood that the person who recruited me into the Navy had a quote to me in order for him to keep his job as a recruiter, but I should have done a better job in regards to thinking things out more critically in regards to how I was going to benefit from joining the Navy besides getting the educational benefits after successfully completing my contract of serving my country.

Essay --

In September of 2000, the leaders of 189 nations across the globe met at the United Nations headquarters in New York to participate in the UN Millennium summit. The leaders and members at this summit agreed to the UN Millennium declaration, which contained the eight-millennium development goals (MDGs). The purpose of these goals was to help remove poverty, improve the development, society and governance structure in these countries in order to help these countries fully develop without any lag. The deadline to achieve these goals is 2015. The eight-millennium development goals contain: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child morality rates, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDs, malaria and other universal diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and to develop a global partnership for development. The republic of Maldives is an island nation off the coast of India. It consists of 26 chain islands surrounded by the Indian Ocean. For the most part, the Maldives Islands have been independent until other countries invaded. The invasion only lasted several years at a time throughout history. In 2010 the Maldives Country Report to the United Nations stated that, â€Å"it was the first country in South Asia to make the most progress, evidently achieving five of the eight goal millennium development goals† (Maldives Country Report). Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger: Poverty reduction is one of the main goals the countries government focused on throughout the development process. The targets the country set to eliminate extreme poverty were to reduce the population who lived on less than $1 a day to less than 1%, achieve full and produ... ...arly in the atolls, through deeper economic diversification and corporatization/privatization of public services† (Maldives Country Report). Due the size of the country, gross domestic production (GDP) and population being very small compared to other countries, the government of Maldives is enrolled in far to many sectors. Currently, the nation is receiving $300 million in annual funding and all of this money is going in to education, healthcare, transport and harbor development. The country still has a lot more to achieve economically. The government now wants to develop new policies to improve public finance management, give an upper hand to the private sector, reach out to more tourism and vitally â€Å"deal comprehensively with the debt problem through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term† (Maldives Country Report).

Workplace Problems

A: Britani Franklin, Kellie Johnson, Jennifer Vendura, & Rob Vendura PSY/435 August 7,2013 Carla Kuhiman I/O Psychology and Workplace Problems Many individuals struggle with feeling overworked on the job. Unbalanced workloads lead to several negative aspects that can hurt an organization’s ability to function as a cohesive unit. In this analysis, Team A will relate Kellie’s issue of feeling overworked. Team A will then choose a research method that will best solve the issue, while applying more specific methods to gain the clearest picture possible of the problem at hand.Finally, Team A will relate the ethical considerations that must be iincluded in providing an applicable solution. Work Related Problem: Unbalanced Workload- Kellie Speaks Working in one of the largest school districts in Colorado, one would think the communications department would be at the top of the priority list when it comes to the number of people they would have to keep those gears moving. Being a five-year veteran of the establishment, I have seen people come and go. I am what you call the utility player.I spend my day trying to figure out what everyone else needs to be happy. My technical job title is ‘Community Relations Coordinator. ’ I spend 40 to 50 hours a week supporting the public information officer and the community relations officer- setting their meetings, filling their calendars, and reminding them of what they need to do and where they need to be. I need to make them look good. A great deal of my job consists of answering the phone for them and the Superintendent of Schools.These phone calls usually are upset parent's that want to talk about why little Johnny didn’t get into the special art class they requested or, ‘did you realize there is 3 inches of snow on the ground and why didn’t we cancel school today? ’ I also have two videographers that I have to send out to shoots at locations tthroughout our 900 mile distric t. We have over 84 schools. The Superintendent runs the district like a Fortune 500 company. This can have its positives and negatives. I understand that having over 6,000 employees could compel an individual to run things like this- but ometimes it can also make it very impersonal. I am the only support staff these people have. I do, however, get a 3o minute lunch that I usually take at my desk. This is usually a delicious frozen entree or leftovers of some sort that I bring from home. Even when I skip lunch I still cannot find enough time in the day to finish my tasks, which mearns they get pushed back to the next day. This can be very frustrating as the tasks pile up. By the end of the week, sometimes I have more than I started with and I end up taking work home.For these reasons, my case is relevant to the study of I/O psychology; unbalanced workloads are not limited to my job and solutions to this will be welcomed by individuals in every employment sector. Analyzing the Issue: Research Method(s) If Team A was composed of Industrial/Organizational psychologists, we would begin our analysis of Kellie’s workplace problem with a research question. Research questions can be general or specific, but to ascertain a better understanding of the problem a specific question is of greater benefit (Spector, 2012).To this end, our research question would likely be ‘What is causing employees to feel overburdened by an unbalanced workload? ’ In this way, Team A has defined the objective of the study and identified the specific problem at issue (Spector, 2012). Our next step is to decide what research method is most appropriate in addressing the issue. Although a thoroughly balanced study generally includes qualitative and quantitative research methods- with quantitative methods used to garner empirical support for qualitative findings- Team A will opt to employ only qualitative methods at this point (Mahoney ; Goertz, 2006).We must also take into acco unt that the issue will be perceived differently by employees, supervisors, and ourselves as the psychologists researching the issue (Stagner, 1982). Our research question has a high degree of subjeactivity; what is considered too much work by one employee can be considered entirely manageable by another. For these reasons, Team A will use more than one method of qualitative research with the goal of reaching a realistic and applicable solution. Qualitative methods involve several mearns of studying organizational issues.Among these are observational studies, case studies, interviews (Spector, 2012). Team A will begin by conducting structured oral interviews of employees and supervisors. In this way, we will begin to paint a broad picture of the issue with the goal of identifying different employee perspectives to be reconciled through other research methods in the future (Rojon, McDowell, ; Saunders, 2011). Conducted face to face with staff members, Team A will pose specific questi ons in the interviews.Likely questions include: What is your hourly wage or salary? How many hours per week do you work? What are your specific tasks and duties? Do you have support staff? Does your company have an employee break/lunch ppolicy and if so, is it enforced? Do you have one supervisor, or do you report to several? Do you feel you have adequate technological resources and/or support? How well do you get along with your fellow employees? How many, if any, tasks are left incomplete each day? Why are those tasks left unfinished?Although the above list of questions is hardly exhaustive, Team A will get an idea of the varying perspectives bound to be held by different employees in this manner. Following the collection of interviews, Team A will attempt to interpret the results through content analysis (an evaluation of the details and implications of the aanswers received) and thematic analysis in which recurring themes among responses will be identified (â€Å"Siop. org†, 2013). Because Team A wants to get the clearest picture of the issue possible, observational research methods will also be used.Team A will rely on the participant observation method whereby we will become members of the workplace group by conforming to the collective culture of the cohort. In this way, sharper insight will be gained into the cohort’s methods, group and individual motivation, behavior, and emotions (Mahoney ; Goertz, 2006). This method has inherent problems Team A will try to avoid. For example, observer bias can come into play; events are often interpreted through the lens of an individual’s unique experiences and are not always objective in relation to solving problems.Team A is also aware of the problem of reaactivity- a phenomenon by which an observer inadvertently influences the environment he or she is observing (â€Å"Ucdavis. edu†, n. d. ). Team A hopes that by utilizing structured oral interviews and participant observation enough d ata will be gathered in relation to the problem of an unbalanced workload. The data gathered will then be subjected to more quantitative methods to garner empirical support for our findings (Mahoney ; Goertz, 2006). Tthroughout the process, Team A will remain cognizant of the ethical considerations to be taken into ccount. Ethical Considerations When considering the problem of unbalanced workloads in the workplace, Team A came across some ethical considerations. According to Industrial and Organization Psychology, there are six ethical codes an I/O psychologist must consider when researching an issue (Spector, 2012). These are competence, integrity, professional and scientific responsibility, respect for others and dignity, concern for others’ welfare, and social responsibility. Competence describes the work an I/O psychologist has the ability to perform.Integrity describes that an I/O psychologist is fair and honest when he or she deals with others. Professional and scientif ic responsibility describes an I/O psychologist’s ability to maintain professional behavior. Respect for rights and dignity describes that an I/O psychologist respects the confidentiality of other’s privacy. Concern for others’ welfare describes an I/O psychologist’s attempt in helping others through professionalism. Social responsibility describes that an I/O psychologist uses his or her professionalism to benefit society (Spector, 2012).In studying these principals, Team A decided that the ethical considerations most important in this research case are competence, professional and scientific responsibility, and concern for others’ welfare. Competence in this research case is the most important ethical consideration. To begin, Team A has to make sure that they are all willing and able to carry out this study. In being competent, one shows that he or she is able and ready to carry out tasks necessary to complete and carry out the goal- which is in this case how to remedy an unbalanced workload in Kellie’s workplace.The second consideration, professional and scientific responsibility, is important because in researching this case it may be easy to gain biased opinions of views. It may be hard to remain unbiased and consider how the people being overworked can benefit from figuring out how to give the people being underworked more tasks. Team A could easily gain a biased opinion of those not carrying their weight and slant the research unfairly. In remaining professional, all parties will be heard and spoken for, and professionalism can help to make sure that happens.The last element, concern for others’ welfare, is the best way to describe how Team A can come to a conclusion in this case study. The main goal is to make life easier for those in the workplace. Team A believes that helping those who do not carry their weight mearns to show them the value of hard work and how they can continue this lesson in life to better themselves. That is what this last ethical consideration entails. Team A, as professionals, commits to the ethical consideration of using their professionalism to help and better others.In this case study, the end goal is to help and improve others by taking some pressure off those who have been given heavy loads of work and giving more work to those individuals deemed underutilized. In conclusion, Kellie is hardly alone in feeling overworked on the job. Although Kellie’s story is a common one, solutions need to be found. In this analysis, Team A related in detail the ways in which Kellie feels overburdened at her place of employment. Team A then went on to choose qualitative research methods, including structured oral interviews and participant observation, to further analyze the issue.Finally, Team A highlighted specific ethical considerations- competence, professional and scientific responsibility, and concern for others’ welfare- to take into account while c onducting research on the issue. References Mahoney, J. , ; Goertz, G. (2006). A tale of two cultures: Contrasting quantitative and qualitative research. Political Analysis, 14, 227-249. Rojon, C. , McDowell, A. , ; Saunders, M. N. (2011). On the experience of conducting a systematic review in industrial, work, and organizational psychology: Yes, it is worthwhile.

Biblical Worldview Essay

Biblical worldview which can also be Christian worldview refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which a Christian individual, group or culture interprets the world and interacts with it. It is how one perceives the world through their Christian view. The world view impact the choices one may make throughout life and is based on our principles and ideas. Leadership for transformation: The impact of a Christian worldview states that â€Å"But worldviews are also ways of life, for beliefs direct us, values guide us, and principles motivate us to certain kinds of action and behavior.† There are many things in life that helps us shape our worldview in today’s society. Romans chapters 1-8 gives us vital information regarding identity, relationships, culture, and about the natural world. Natural world was created by God through his words. I believe and feel in my heart that God is the creator of heaven and earth and all things that exist. The article states that God is Creator, unseen but not without witness, beyond comprehension but not unknowable, powerful but not impersonal, and freedom granting but not controlling. In Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. God created day and night, he is responsible for the sun that shines in the day and the moon that is bight at night. He created men and women in the image of his likeness and with a purpose and plan. He created us so that we can form an intimate relationship with him. I also, believe that God created us in the natural world as sinners, and his son Jesus Christ was sent here to save us from our sins. Human Identity is based on our relationship that we form with God. Jeremiah 1:5 – Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. From the day that we were created it was for Gods purpose and plan for our lives. Once you accept Christ into your life you can then began to see your identity, it is based on our calling from the Lord. With Christ in your life you will see life in a whole different perspective. In Romans it talks about how our identity is rooted deeply in our commitment to God. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God† (Romans 8:14, KJV). So with that being said our identity is based on our relationship we have with God, not by our environment or surroundings. Romans teaches us  about how we should treat our human relationships. Sometimes human relationships are the most difficult and hardest to keep in order. In Romans the first chapter 29th verse. It explains how we are filled with unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, deceit, malignity; whispers. Romans shows us that we are all full of sin and we must turn to God and have a relationship with him, before we can have form human relationships. When you have a relationship with God you can learn how to treat others and respect others. Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another. When you help and be a blessing to others, God will bless you abundantly. When we are unfaithful to God we run the risk of affecting our human relationships. Being that we were created in God’s image it is only right that we love each other as God loves us. According to John Valk article all humans are to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their situation or station in life. Romans also had messages containing culture in its scriptures. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. God is not a God of color, or culture it is for anyone who believes in God and follow his commandments. D. Kim article states that we assume that morality is culturally relative, that ideas and beliefs emerge historically by cultural forces, and are not right or wrong in any final sense. Different cultures have different beliefs, but in Romans it speaks of only believing in the word of God. Romans tells us the God does not save according to cultures, he saves by people believing and having faith. So, now after the knowledge I received from reading Romans is that I have to trust and believe in God, no matter what culture I’m from. In conclusion after we have learned that Romans Is immense and detailed. It gives us information for our salvation. That nothing in our lives or without God or by accident. It teaches us that we must believe in God to know and understand or identity, to form our human relationships, and understand that culture does not exist when you believe in God. I am so glad that God saw fit to send his only begotten so that we can be saved from our sins. BIBLIOGRAPHY Kim, David. & McCalman, David. (2012). Journal of business ethics: The sacred/secular divide and the Christian worldview, Vol. 109 2: 203-208 Valk, J. (2010), Leadership for transformation: The impact of a Christian worldview. J Leadership Studies, 4: 83-86. doi: 10. 1002

50 Writing Prompts for Elementary School Children

50 Writing Prompts for Elementary School Children Writing is a skill that every person needs in life, and developing that skill in children is an important part of elementary school studies. However, writing inspiration is not something that every student comes by easily. Like adults, many children tend to get stuck when it comes to thinking of writing ideas on their own. Weve all had writers block at one point or another in our lives, so its easy to understand the frustration students may experience. Just as athletes need to warm up their muscles, writers need to warm up their minds and creativity. Giving students writing prompts, or ideas and inspiration for writing topics, will ease their anxiety and allow them to write more freely. Elementary School Writing Prompts Allowing your students to choose a writing idea each day or each week from the 50 that are listed can provide inspiration for their creative writing.  To make this activity more challenging, encourage them to write without stopping for at least five minutes, increasing the number of minutes that they devote to writing over time. Remind your students that there is no wrong way to respond to the prompts and that they should simply have fun and let their creative minds wander. With prompts that pertain to writing about people, you might encourage students to write about multiple people, considering people in their lives and people they dont know personally. This encourages children to think more critically and consider unknown factors in the creation of their stories. You might also encourage students to think in terms of either the realistic or the fantastic. When the confines of realism are eliminated, students are free to think more creatively, which can encourage them to become more engaged in the project at hand. The person I admire the most is...  My biggest goal in life is...The best book I ever read was...The happiest moment in my life was when...When I grow up, I want to...The most interesting place I have ever been to was...Name three things you dont like about school and why.The strangest dream I ever had was...When I turn 16, I will...Who is the funniest member of your family and why?I get scared when...Five things I would do if I had more money are...What is your favorite sport and why?What would you do if you could change the world?Dear teacher, I would like to know...Dear President Washington, what was it like to be the first president?My happiest day was...My saddest day was...If I had three wishes, I would wish for...Describe your best friend, how you met, and why you are friends.Describe your favorite animal and why.Three things I like to do with my pet elephant are...The time a bat was in my house...When I become an adult, the first thing I want to do is...My best vacation was when I went to... The top three reasons that people argue are...Describe five reasons that going to school is important.What is your favorite television show and why?The time I found a dinosaur in my backyard...Describe the best present you ever received.Describe your most unusual talent.My most embarrassing moment was when...Describe your favorite food and why.Describe your least favorite food and why.The top three qualities of a best friend are...Write about what you would cook for an enemy.Use these words in a story: scared, angry, Sunday, bugs.Whats your idea of a perfect vacation?Write about why someone might be afraid of snakes.List five rules that you have broken and why you broke them.What is your favorite video game and why?I wish someone had told me that...Describe the hottest day you can remember.Write about the best decision youve ever made.I opened the door, saw a clown, and then...The last time the power went out, I...Write about five things you can do if the power goes out.If I were pre sident, I would... Create a poem using the words: love, happy, smart, sunny. The time my teacher forgot to wear shoes... If youre looking for more writing ideas, experiment with journal prompts  or ideas for writing about important people in history like Martin Luther King Jr.

The Life and Works of Honoré de Balzac, French Novelist

The Life and Works of Honorà © de Balzac, French Novelist Honorà © de Balzac (born Honorà ©Ã‚  Balssa, May 20, 1799 – August 18, 1850) was a novelist and playwright in nineteenth-century France. His work formed part of the foundation of the realist tradition in European literature, with particular focus on his remarkably complex characters. Fast Facts: Honorà © de Balzac Occupation: WriterBorn: May 20, 1799 in Tours, FranceDied: August 18, 1850 in Paris, FranceKey Accomplishments: Groundbreaking French novelist whose realist style and complex characters shaped the modern novelSelected Work: Les Chouans  (1829), Eugà ©nie Grandet (1833), La Pà ¨re Goriot (1835), La Comà ©die humaine (collected works)Quote: There is no such thing as a great talent without great will power.† Family and Early Life Honorà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s father, Bernard-Francois Balssa, was from a large lower-class family. As a young man, he worked hard to climb up the social ladder and eventually did so, working for the governments of both Louis XVI and, later, Napoleon. He changed his name to Francois Balzac to sound more like the aristocrats he now interacted with, and eventually married the daughter of a wealthy family, Anne-Charlotte-Laure Sallambier. The age gap was considerable – thirty-two years – and was arranged in gratitude for Francois’s assistance to the family. It never was a love match. Despite this, the couple had five children. Honorà © was the eldest to survive infancy, and was closest in age and affection to his sister Laure, born a year later. Honorà © attended the local grammar school, but struggled with the rigid structure and consequently was a poor student, even once he was returned to the care of his family and private tutors. It was not until he entered university at the Sorbonne that he began to thrive, studying history, literature, and philosophy under some of the great minds of the day. After college, Honorà © began a career as a law clerk on the advice of his father. He was intensely dissatisfied with the work, but it did provide him with the opportunity to come into contact with and observe people of all walks of life and the moral dilemmas inherent in the practice of the law. Leaving his law career caused some discord with his family, but Honorà © held firm. Early Career Honorà © began his attempts at a literary career as a playwright, then, under a pseudonym, as a co-writer of â€Å"potboiler† novels: quickly-written, often scandalous novels, the equivalent of modern-day â€Å"trashy† paperbacks. He tried his hand at journalism, commenting on the political and cultural state of the post-Napoleon era in France, and failed miserably at his business venture when he tried to make a living as a publisher and printer. In this literary era, two specific subgenres of novels were in vogue both critically and popularly: historical novels and personal novels (that is, those which narrate a specific person’s life in detail). Honorà © embraced this style of writing, bringing his own experiences with debtors, the printing industry, and the law into his novels. This experience set him apart from the bourgeois novelists of the past and many of his contemporaries, whose knowledge of other ways of life was entirely gleaned from previous writers’ depictions. La Comedie Humaine In 1829, he wrote Les Chouans, the first novel he published under his own name. This would become the first entry into his career-defining work: a series of intertwined stories depicting various facets of French life during the Restoration and July Monarchy periods (that is, from about 1815 to 1848). When he published his next novel, El Verdugo, he again used a new name: Honorà © de Balzac, rather than just â€Å"Honorà © Balzac.† The â€Å"de† was used to denote noble origins, so Honorà © adopted it in order to better fit into respected circles of society. In many of the novels that make up La Comedie Humaine, Honorà © moved between sweeping portraits of French society as a whole and the small, intimate details of individual lives. Among his most successful works were La Duchesse de Langeais, Eugenie Grandet, and Pere Goriot. The novels ranged hugely in length, from the thousand-page epic Illusions Perdues to the novella La Fille aux yeux d’or. The novels in this series were notable for their realism, particularly when it came to their characters. Rather than writing characters who were paragons of good or evil, Honorà © depicted people in a much more realistic, nuanced light; even his minor characters were shaded with different layers. He also gained a reputation for his naturalistic depictions of time and place, as well as driving narratives and intricate relationships. Honorà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s writing habits were the stuff of legend. He could write for fifteen or sixteen hours a day, with copious amounts of coffee to fuel his concentration and energy. In many instances, he became obsessed with perfecting the smallest details, often making change after change. This didn’t necessarily stop when the books were sent off to the printers, either: he frustrated many a printer by rewriting and editing even after the proofs were sent to him. Social and Family Life Despite his obsessive work life, Honorà © managed to have a thriving social life. He was popular in society circles for his storytelling prowess, and he counted other famous figures of the day – including fellow novelist Victor Hugo – among his acquaintance. His first love was Maria Du Fresnay, a fellow writer who was unhappily married to a much older man. She bore Honorà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s daughter, Marie-Caroline Du Fresnay, in 1834. He had also had an earlier mistress, an older woman by the name of Madame de Berny, who had saved him from financial ruin prior to his novelistic success. Honorà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s great love story, though, began in a way that seems like something from a novel. He received an anonymous letter in 1832 that criticized the cynical depictions of faith and of women in one of his novels. In response, he posted an advertisement in a newspaper to attract his critic’s attention, and the pair began a correspondence that lasted fifteen years. The person on the other side of these letters was Ewelina Hanska, a Polish countess. Honorà © and Ewelina were both highly intelligent, passionate people, and their letters were full of such topics. They first met in person in 1833. Her much-older husband died in 1841, and Honorà © traveled to St. Petersburg, where she was staying, in 1843 to meet her again. Because they both had complicated finances, and Ewelina’s family was mistrusted by the Russian tsar, they were unable to marry until 1850, by which time they were both suffering health issues. Honorà © had no children with Ewelina, although he did father children from other earlier affairs. Death and Literary Legacy Honorà © only enjoyed his marriage for a few months before he fell ill. His mother arrived in time to say goodbye, and his friend Victor Hugo visited him on the day before his death. Honorà © de Balzac died quietly on August 18, 1850. He is buried in Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, and a statue of him, the Balzac Monument, sits at a nearby intersection. The greatest legacy Honorà © de Balzac left behind was the use of realism in the novel. The structure of his novels, in which the plot is presented in sequential order by an omniscient narrator and one event causes another, was influential for many later writers. Literary scholars have also focused on his exploration of the links between social standing and character development, as well as a belief in the strength of the human spirit that has endured to this day. Sources Brunetiere, Ferdinand. Honorà © de Balzac. J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, 1906.â€Å"Honore de Balzac.† New World Encyclopedia, 13 January 2018, newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Honore_de_Balzac.â€Å"Honore de Balzac.† Encyclopaedia Brittanica, 14 August 2018, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Honore-de-Balzac.Robb, Graham. Balzac: A Biography. W. W. Norton Company, New York, 1994.

I want you to do a literature review about how to bring and Essay

I want you to do a literature review about how to bring and maintaining a recruiting a staff of savvy and highly skilled - Essay Example Achieving the satisfaction of the business owners would mean that the best performers are rewarded for their efforts, and management efforts are appreciated as well. This is unfortunately, easier said than done. An organization has to compete with others in the marketplace and in the same or different industry, in order to attract, retain and keep the best employees on their payroll. At the same time, achieving the best fit for positions in different departments and at different levels of the organization is important. A good employee must not only have the proper skills and attributes for the job, he must be able and willing to perform his duties with responsibility and confidence, whether individually or as a member of a team. He must be a self starter but also willing to follow the instructions, dictates and policies of the organization. Where problems arise, he must be able to approach his supervisors and take their advice. In fact an open culture and collaborative friendly appro ach to problem solving have been the hallmarks of the best organizations (Peters & Waterman, 2004). Management by objectives and providing valuable feedback and guidance during interim and annual performance reviews can help the willing and able employee succeed and earn the respect of his peers as well as his superiors (Crosby, 1992). In today’s recessionary environment, organizations are cautious about hiring too many employees. Business has dwindled and consumer confidence is scarce. College and university graduates are having an increasingly difficult time finding and keeping jobs. It seems that the workplace is full of doom and gloom too, with a lot of directives to follow if one is to hold onto his or her job and make it up the career ladder. More and more of the work population are disenchanted with this state of affairs and the result is that the national unemployment rate of 10 percent in the USA is almost constant. The combination of consumer inertia and loss of con fidence in the system means that it will be some time before we overcome this crisis. This review will focus on how to attract and retain the best staff for the longest possible time by making HR a strategic partner in their lives as well as in promoting the objectives of the enterprise. We will be focusing especially on employee retention, workforce turnover, retaining recent graduates and young worker turnover. Employee Retention: How to Retain Employees in a Downturn   The effects of the financial crisis that occurred in the sub-prime mortgage sector in 2007 had spilled over and affected the rest of the world by 2008. It was really disastrous for most of the world’s economies, given that our financial and economic and trade systems are inexorably linked to one another like compartments in a beehive. Any problem that spills out of control can affect and contaminate the world’s economies in a matter of days or weeks. Since the USA is one of the world’s bigges t economies, its links through economic and trade relations would affect all of its trading partners in some measure, and that is exactly what happened. With the world’s major markets in a nosedive, the situation looked gloomy for a lot of world economies. Even now, most of the EU nations are looking

Pack Journalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pack Journalism - Essay Example And this, makes the journalist work never be the same again. Sometimes, the government that should have been protecting its citizen, including journalists, is the one allegedly involved in the killings of people in the media. Moreover, it is surprising to know that this is happening all around the world. Each country has its own stories of murdered journalist. What we can read in the news are American tank fired at the Reuters office, journalist abducted allegedly by Philippine Army, brutal murder of a journalist in Indonesia condemned, an American aircraft fired a missile at the al-Jazeera office, to mention a few. This situation is getting serious and must be stopped. Journalists are here to provide independent reporting and to deliver documentation of realities in life to the society. As years go by, the journalist work is getting riskier and scarier. From a mere observer who just re-tell stories from those involve, first hand sources, they are now largely moving into the limelight, but not for any better. Instead, the future of journalist anywhere in the world is getting dimmer and dimmer as what we can see unfolding through this rising incidence of media killings. The phrase "being read" is slowly changing its real meaning. Journalists are being read because of the news about other people or current events they wrote, which they have no involvement totally. This time they are still being read and that is only because they themselves are what the news story is all about. They are being harassed, threatened, and arrested. Just like the recent report from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Two French TV journalists were arrested in Northern Cyprus, which believed the incident overshadowed plans of the Turkish authorities to reform press freedom laws. Journalists once again are becoming the victim of outworn laws and their practitioners. Moreover, this time it is more frequent, worldwide, and fatal. Locale and international organizations, like the IFJ, European Federation of Journalist (EFJ), The Union of Cyprus Journalists, continuously condemn such cases of violation of the journalists' rights and of the press freedom. The rights and freedom being blatantly violated today includes, In pursuance of this duty, the journalist shall at all times defend the principles of freedom in the honest collection and publication of news, and of the right to fair comment and criticism. Journalists worthy of the name shall deem it their duty to observe faithfully the principles stated above. Within the general law of each country the journalist shall recognise in matters of professional matters the jurisdiction of colleagues only, to the exclusion of any kind of interference by governments or others. There is no more freedom in the collection of publication of news. In many countries, they are being threatened in the reports being collected and in the news being printed. One female radio broadcast journalist after giving her comments and criticism on a particular government official, she was gunned down right outside the station. Previous to this incident, another radio broadcast journalist was shot and killed in his house. These two journalists happen to be husband and wife. Moreover, in the country they were is a democratic country with laws assuring freedom of speech and of the press. They need not to be in the midst of war to be hit by a bullet. There is enough bullet really intended for them and not

ACD-IP PBX Request for Proposal (RFP) Research Paper

ACD-IP PBX Request for Proposal (RFP) - Research Paper Example This paper will focus on comparison and assessment of different vendors for IP PBX. It will focus on the requirements of the organization. PBX is a VoIP phone system that is used to manage communications and phone calls. There are many SIP phones which have been connected and working together to achieve the desired results. It is a private branch exchange that is used to switch private calls between different VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) users that are using local lines. The users are allowed to share a certain number of external phone lines. It also has the possibility of switching calls between a VoIP users and a local user who is using local telephone lines. It can also switch two users who are using traditional lines to communicate. It does this switching in the same manner that a conventional PBX would have done. In a PBX, there would be a need to have several networks that would be used to handle voice and data communications. One of the advantages of using IP PBX is that it does not have to have different networks in order to handle voice and data communications. With IP PBX, there is converged data and voice networks. It means that it is possible to have internet access and at the same time have someone using VoIP using one line. With the use of IP PBX, there is reduced operation costs and decreased cost of maintenance. The IP PBX is owned by the enterprise. There are SIP phones, an IP PBX server, and a VoIP Gateway. In this case, the VoIP Gateway is optional. The IP PBX is the same as that of Proxy Server. The SIP clients can either be soft telephones to hardware based phones. These phones will be used in the entire process and will have the required aspects that will be used in the communication. The SIP clients will have to be registered with IP PBX server. When they want to make a call, they will have to establish a connection with the IP PBX server. The IP PBX

Positive Effects Of Globalization Economics Essay

Positive Effects Of Globalization Economics Essay To date, the concept of globalization still sparks mixed reactions in the public domain. Skeptics of globalization believe that globalization is bad for economies, and that should be controlled. However, others maintain that it is a great thing to have happened to the worlds nations as thus should be seen as a positive move in the right direction. This essay acknowledges that although there are costs associated with globalization, the resultant benefits clearly outweigh the costs to society. Therefore, this paper contends that efforts to increase globalization should be promoted. Globalization, according to Schmidt and Weitzel, results from increased international integration (Schmidt and and Weitzel). According to them, globalization results from a host of factors, amongst them technological advancement, political changes, and choice of economic policies. Technological advancement makes production, communication, and logistics and transport much cheaper and faster than before. Economic policies encouraging liberalization and open economies to FDIs also encourages globalization (Schmidt and and Weitzel). Political changes expose economies that were previously isolated into the international market, promote regional blocs, and support reforms that support the rule of law thus, encouraging investments in infrastructural sector. Globalization brings with it both positive and negative effects. Positive effects of globalization The gains from globalization are as a result of its effect on the flow of ideas, information, technologies, capital, finances, goods, services and people. The gains are normally triggered by cross border integrations resulting from globalization, which have several dimensions-economic, social, cultural and political (Nistor). Thus, in the analysis of the benefits from globalization, there are three channels through which the benefits accrue. The channels include (a) movement of capital; (b) trade in goods and services and (c) financial flows. Besides, there is also a channel through movement of people. Movement of capital Technological advancement and the resultant infrastructural development, globalization has opened up nations to carry out international trade. The net effect of the economic integration and liberalization has enhanced capital flows between different nations. The capital flows across these countries has served the important role of enhancing the capital base. This was very much evident in the 19th and the 20th centuries. With capital flows, it is possible to distribute the total world savings among countries with high investment potential. The ease of capital flows ensures that growth and development of a country is not constrained by its own domestic savings. For instance, most of the East Asian countries are beneficiaries of foreign capital inflow. Capital flow can take either the form of foreign direct investments (FDI) or portfolio investments. For developing countries, they benefit more from the FDIs than from portfolio investments and thus, most of them will place restriction to portfolio investments due to their volatile nature. Capital flows increases the rate of growth of countries beyond their domestic potential, a condition that would not otherwise be achieved, except with globalization. Increased trade in goods and services Globalization opens up economies to international trade in goods and services, which results in the allocation of resources consistent with their respective comparative advantages. Globalization therefore, promotes specialization thus, enhancing the countries productivity. Globalization facilitates the removal of restrictive trade that impedes growth. Technological advancements from globalization allows countries to produce what they are best endowed, in terms of resources, technology and labor. In turn, these countries will benefit from what they cannot produce from elsewhere. Specialization enhances productivity, efficiency and promotes good relations across borders. Financial flows One of the major characteristics of the globalization process is a rapidly growing capital market. The growth in both foreign exchange and capital market facilitates the transfer of resources across countries. The most significant outcome of the growth in the flows of capital and foreign exchange markets is the gross turnover in the foreign exchange markets. According to Frankel, the gross turnover is estimated to be about $ 1.5 trillion worldwide, per day (Frankel). The turnover is in the order of 100 times greater than the volume of goods and services traded. Therefore, currency trade has become an end in itself. However, an expansion of the capital markets and foreign exchange markets is a vital prerequisite for effective capital transfer. Negative effects of globalization Concerning the impacts of globalization, two major concerns arise on the mention of the phenomena (Nistor). This are often described as fears of globalization. The first and major concern of globalization is that it leads to unequal distribution of income and other resources amongst countries. Secondly, is that globalization infringes on the sovereignty. That globalization makes it difficult for countries to follow their domestic policies (Centre for Economic Policy Research). Most of the explanations given for these concerns are genuine while others are farfetched. Iniquitous income distribution This argument is premised on the fact that since globalization places more emphasis on efficiency, the phenomena will in most cases benefit countries that are favorably endowed. Skeptics, though justified to some extent, globalization benefits, as much as they accrue on the most endowed countries as claimed, these countries have had their own fair share of benefits. Developed countries have a head start in terms of technological base, natural as well human resources as compared with the developing nations. The skewed advantage relatively eats away the benefits of developing countries from trade, capital flows, and financial flows as well as specialization benefits. While the benefits from trade benefits all countries, much of the gains accrue to the advanced economies. This is perhaps one of the reasons while provisions for preferential treatment are catered for in todays trade agreements. The loss of state autonomy in pursuit of economic policies is another concern raised in regard to globalization. With the increased degree of economic integration, it is true that one country cannot pursue autonomously, policies which are not in consonance with the general worldwide trends. With globalization, some level of sacrifice with regards to national sovereignty becomes inevitable. Hus, with regard to globalization issues, constraints to pursuing domestic policies should be acknowledged. Further concerns over increased globalization, involve the fear of deteriorating national and international security, cultural erosion, drug trafficking, and other social evils. There is loss of craftsmanship as a result of increased use of technology. Globalization has served to increase dependence of states on other states over essential products that enhancing the economic vulnerability. Conclusion The contributions of globalization to the developments witnessed today cannot be ignored. Globalization has led to increased development of the world economies, diffused technological advancements and improved people lives. Its role, in enhancing production, productivity and efficiency as well lowering production costs of economies is well clear. These developments, besides having greater benefits, they have their own negatives. However, a succinct review of the benefits against the costs, it is without a doubt that globalization has made the world a better place. With the relevant measures being put in place to mitigate the costs arising from globalization, this essay concludes that, although there are costs to Globalization, the benefits clearly outweigh the Costs to Society. Therefore, efforts to increase Globalization should be promoted.

2 Samuel 12 1-31 Essay -- Scripture Analysis

2 Samuel 12 1-31 The story line begins with God sending Nathan the prophet. Who is Nathan the prophet. He is described as a messenger, a courtroom advisor a man of great integrity. A man firm in his faith to God, his social status Places him in the position to know the inner working of the royal household and with revelation from God. Nathan is skilled, faithful and willing to serve a powerful Prophetic message from God. In today’s account Nathan would be looked upon as a role model. Nathan techniques would describe him to be a great storyteller. The bible tells us Nathan, served King David and his son King Solomon. There are three major revelation accounts Nathan was involved in expressing God’s message. 1. "A House For My Name† 2 Samuel 7:4-7,12-13 2. "You Are The Man!"2 Samuel 12:1-9 3. Adonijah's Attempt To Take The Throne 1 Kings 1:9-14 More information concerning Nathan reigns of both King David and King Solomon? 2 Chronicles 29:29 and 2 Chronicles 9:29 Scripture verse 2 Samuel 12 1-4 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him 4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him." The confrontational m... ...on my face and I hung on to every word my Pastor preaching because God had told me my deliverance was at hand. What kind of fried was Nathan He was not a friend who Gossip He was not a friend who pointed his finger He was not a friend who discredit his friend He was not a friend to make fun of the situation Nathan was a real friend to King David The bible gives us instruction on how to be a real friend and how to seek Godly counsel. God often uses other believer to strengthen, encourage and enrich our lives regardless of the negative situation or circumstances. Gal. 6:2 "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. John 15: 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John. 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his Master’s business. Instead I have called

Great Divergence primary themes and main arguments by Timothy Noah Essay

Great Divergence: primary themes and main arguments by Timothy Noah Introduction            The most striking change in American society in the past generation roughly since Ronald Reagan was elected President has been the increase in the inequality of income and wealth. Timothy Noah’s â€Å"The Great Divergence: America’s Growing Inequality Crisis and What We Can Do About It†, a good general guide to the subject, tells us that in 1979 members of the much discussed â€Å"one per cent† got nine per cent of all personal income. Now they get a quarter of it. The gains have increased the farther up you go. The top tenth of one per cent get about ten per cent of income, and the top hundredth of one per cent about five per cent. While the Great Recession was felt most severely by those at the bottom, the recovery has hardly benefitted them. In 2010, ninety-three per cent of the year’s gains went to the top one per cent.            Since rich people are poorer in votes than they are in dollars, you’d think that, in an election year, the ninety-nine per cent would look to politics to get back some of what they’ve lost, and that inequality would be a big issue. So far, it hasn’t been. Occupy Wall Street and its companion movements briefly spurred President Obama to become more populist in his rhetoric, but there’s no sign that Occupy is going to turn into the kind of political force that the Tea Party movement has been. There was a period during the Republican primary campaign when Romney rivals like Newt Gingrich tried to take votes from the front-runner by bashing Wall Street and private equity, but that didn’t last long, either. Politics does feel sour and contentious in ways that seem to flow from the country’s economic distress. Yet much of the ambient discontent is directed toward government the government that kept the recession from turning into a depression. Why isn’t politics about what you’d expect it to be about?            Traditionally, class figured less in politics in America than in most other Western countries, supposedly because the United States, though more economically unequal, and rougher in tone, was more socially equal, more diverse, more democratic, and better at giving ordinary people the opportunity to rise. That’s what Alexis de Tocqueville found in the eighteen-thirties, and the argument has had staying power. It has also been wearing thin. During the five decades from 1930 to 1980, economic inequality decreased significantly, without imperiling â€Å"American exceptionalism.† So it’s especially hard to put a good face on the way inequality has soared in the decades since. Even if you think that all a good society requires is according to the debatable conservative mantra equal opportunity for every citizen, you ought to be a little shaken right now. Opportunity is increasingly tied to education, and educational performance is tied to income and wealth, when it comes to social mobility between generations, the United States ranks near the bottom of developed nations.            Noah writes from what might be called a neo-progressive standpoint. Like the original progressives, he seeks to blend an emotional and moral commitment to the causes of the left with the intellectual rigor of the best available economic and social science research. As in the case of the original progressives, the result is a powerful, if sometimes flawed, perspective that is likely to influence the course of American debates on issues of economic policy and justice. Noah’s central contention is that government policy can and should do more to reverse the trend toward greater income inequality that has developed in the United States since 1979. Some of his policy prescriptions, such as substituting carbon taxes and value-added taxes for the deeply regressive payroll tax, could win bipartisan support; others would have to await much larger Democratic majorities than currently exist in Congress. Still, although the analysis in this relatively short and very acc essible book is necessarily incomplete, and some of its contentions are more powerfully stated than convincingly argued, The Great Divergence is an excellent guide to the emerging center-left economic policy consensus likely to inform Democratic Party thinking and policymaking for some time to come.            In â€Å"The Great Divergence,† the journalist Timothy Noah gives us as fair and comprehensive a summary as we are likely to get of what economists have learned about our growing inequality. Noah is concerned about why inequality has widened so markedly over the last three to four decades, what it means for American society and what the country can and, he argues, urgently should do about it. As he makes clear, what has mostly grown is the gap between those at the top and those in the middle. The principal influences on inequality that Noah examines include the failure of America’s schools to keep pace with the step-up in skills that advancing technology demands from our labor force; America’s skewed immigration policy, which inadvertently brings in more unskilled than skilled immigrants and thereby subjects already lower-income workers to greater competition for jobs; rising competition with China, India and other low-wage countries, as changi ng technology enables Americans to buy ever more goods and even services produced overseas; the failure of the federally mandated minimum wage to keep up with inflation; the decline of labor unions, especially among employees of private-sector firms; and what he sees as an anti-worker and anti-poor attitude among American politicians in general and Republicans in particular. Along the way, he enlivens what might otherwise be a dry recounting of research findings with fast-paced historical vignettes featuring colorful characters like the novelist Horatio Alger, the labor leader Walter Reuther and the business lobbyist Bryce Harlow.            What’s to blame, then, for America’s widening inequality? Leaving aside the politicians, Noah reviews economic research supporting the familiar hypotheses. Indeed, each of them is probably part of the explanation. But the goal of research in a policy-oriented inquiry like this one is quantitative establishing just how much of the explanation to assign to separate influences one by one, even if all of them contribute to the story. We want not merely to portion out the blame but to know what to do, and different explanations call for different remedies. It would make little sense, for example, to invest huge sums in reforming K-12 education and reducing the cost of college if the mismatch between graduates’ skills and what the economy requires accounts for only a small part of the problem. By contrast, if my Harvard colleagues Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz are right that education is the core of the issue (Noah draws extensively on their recen t research, especially their aptly titled book â€Å"The Race Between Education and Technology†), then what and how we teach young Americans should be at the top of the agenda.            It is not Noah’s fault that economic research has yet to reach consensus on how much of the blame for inequality to place on which explanation, and it is to his credit that he does not try to portray a consensus that is not there. His summary of what we know from the relevant research is faithful to what the researchers have found. Part of the problem here, which â€Å"The Great Divergence† also accurately conveys, is the tension inherent in concentrating on the American facet of a worldwide phenomenon. As Noah makes clear, inequality is increasing almost everywhere in the industrialized and postindustrial world, even if the increase has been much greater in the United States. We need to know how much weight to give to America-centric explanations like the shortcomings of our schools or our immigration system or the demise of unions. But to understand a global trend, we would like a more universal explanation.            Noah’s own explanation is, in effect, â€Å"all of the above,† and his policy recommendation is therefore to take action on all fronts. His chief concern is the fear that ever widening inequality will undermine our democracy: â€Å"Americans believe fervently in the value of social equality, and social equality is at risk when incomes become too dramatically unequal growing income inequality makes it especially difficult to maintain any spirit of e pluribus unum.† He rightly emphasizes that while the potential for individuals to move up is essential to what makes inequality acceptable, at least to most Americans, economic mobility in the United States is now more limited than it appears to have been in earlier times and contrary to the popular image more limited than in many other countries. (It also matters that in America today incomes are becoming more unequal at the same time that most families’ incomes have been stagnant for more th an a decade after allowing for inflation a point that Noah notes but does not emphasize.)            How much inequality can the Republic stand before the social and political fabric frays? Noah does not answer the question, in part because he doesn’t know, but mostly because he feels he doesn’t need to. â€Å"You’d have to be blind,† he writes, â€Å"not to see that we are headed in the wrong direction, and we’ve been heading that way for too long. The worst thing we could do to the Great Divergence is get used to it.† What economics terms â€Å"the Great Divergence† has until now been treated as little more than a talking point, a club to be wielded in ideological battles. But it may be the most important change in this country during our lifetimes-a sharp, fundamental shift in the character of American society, and not at all for the better.            The income gap has been blamed on everything from computers to immigration, but its causes and consequences call for a patient, non-partisan exploration. In The Great Divergence, Timothy Noah delivers this urgently needed inquiry, ignoring political rhetoric and drawing on the best work of contemporary researchers to peer beyond conventional wisdom. Noah explains not only how the Great Divergence has come about, but why it threatens American democracy-and most important, how we can begin to reverse it.            Fortunately, however, we might comfort ourselves by knowing that the United States remains a land rich in opportunity much as it was in the past, unique among nations in its lack of a rigid class structure and its social mobility. But we’d be deceiving ourselves. In The Great Divergence, Timothy Noah of The New Republic posits that, since 1979, there has been a â€Å"particularly extreme† divergence in income inequality in the United States. Noah synthesizes the work of economists, political scientists, and sociologists to argue that income inequality has increased, and that this is not good for American society. In the book’s final chapter, he advocates specific actions and policies that he believes would help reverse this trend. His suggestions are largely politically progressive proposals, including increasing taxes on the super-rich, bolstering the federal workforce, and breaking up the too-large-to-fail banks. While there are likely some c onservative-libertarian policy wonks that would be amenable to his proposal to break up the large banks, few would likely support Noah’s proposal to revive organized labor.            The author takes the title of the work comes from a phrase used by Paul Krugman, an outspoken advocate for Keynesian stimulus, in his 2007 book, The Conscience of a Liberal. Noah defines the Great Divergence as a socio-economic phenomenon as one not primarily involving the poor. Rather, it â€Å"is about the difference between how people lived during the half century preceding 1979 and how they lived during the three decades after 1979.† The story he tells, however, is not just about income inequality; it is about diminishing access to the top. According to Noah, over the past several decades, opportunities for upward social mobility have not increased.            Unlike some pundits who rehash talking points, Noah commendably cites ample scholarship to support his claim. In The Great Divergence, the reader learns that the United States now offers its citizens less intergenerational economic mobility than northern and western European nations. (I would venture, however, that the United States still allows for greater social mobility for children of first-generation immigrants than do Scandinavian and other western European countries.) Noah also highlights an intriguing sociological finding which indicates that Americans tend to overestimate the degree to which American society fosters upward socio-economic mobility.            Notable within the pages of The Great Divergence then is the fact that Noah challenges Paul Ryan for an October 2011 speech in which the Wisconsin Congressman contrasted what he perceived to be American social mobility with a rigid European welfare state class structure. Ryan, according to Noah, â€Å"had it exactly backward.† In truth, European countries now offer more social mobility than the United States. While Noah penned his study of income inequality prior to Mitt Romney’s choosing Ryan as his running mate, The Great Divergence takes on a more salient political implication in this new found context.            So what caused the Great Divergence? According to Noah, the Great Divergence did not result from prejudice against African-Americans or women. The failure of the American educational system to meet the demand for higher skilled workers is part of the story, as is trade with low-wage nations such as China and the increase of business lobbying in Washington. The decline of organized labor also played a role. Noah also refers to the rise of extremely wealthy (â€Å"stinking rich,† in his parlance) as a â€Å"separate and distinct phenomenon† that can be thought of as â€Å"the Great Divergence, Part 2.† The last several decades have been witness to the emergence of what are, in essence, new social classes within the top 1%, namely the top 0.1% and the top 0.01%. Wall Street, according to Noah, played a substantial role in the emergence of these extremely wealthy individuals. Top income shares are rising faster in the United States than in other de veloped countries.            Overall, Noah may succeed in persuading the reader in that income inequality not only is on the rise and that it is problematic for society. He is less convincing in his policy proposals to remedy the situation. To be fair, he does rightly acknowledge that many of his proposals, many of which are further to the left than President Obama, are not â€Å"politically salable today.† Noah could have bolstered his work, and perhaps the reception to it, had he offered a list of concrete and specific policies that would both reverse income inequality and be palatable to a large slice of the American electorate. The work also suffers from the fact that it is largely a summary of other scholars’ work, much of it very technical; making it less accessible to a general audience that it deserves to be.            In conclusion, one can think of The Great Divergence as a plea to the American public to recognize that income inequality is a problem. It is also to acknowledge that social mobility is no longer operating the way in which it used to. I would contend that the frustration that many Americans feel with Washington in many ways reflects the fact that the system is not producing the same results as it did for people’s parents and grandparents. Income inequality currently is a topic of concern among the country’s economists, political activists, and pundits. Whether it will be a broadly discussed national concern remains to be seen. It would be heartening to see at least one moderator in the upcoming presidential debates ask each of the candidates where they stood on the topic of income inequality. References Noah, Timothy. The great divergence: America’s growing inequality crisis and what we can do about it. New York, NY: Bloomsbury, 2012. Print. Bottom of Form Source document