Thursday, October 31, 2019

Social anxiety Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social anxiety - Research Paper Example People experiencing from social phobia are not afraid of fear, rather they are afraid of what people think about them and how people perceive them. This fear is mostly associated with the negative perception or the belief that people perceive negatively about the person being evaluated. Due to this fear, individuals believe that they are going to be negatively assessed by others, will not be acceptable by others, will be bullied and people might disapprove them. Due to these perceptions, an individual may face the problem of social anxiety. Individuals living in US aging between 18 and 54 are most commonly affected by this disorder, around 3.7% of the total population which accounts for 5.3 million Americans are said to be experiencing this disease (Kahn, 2001, p.51). Twice the number of women are said to be effected by this disorder as compared to men but higher number of men seek assistance to solve this issue (Kahn, 2001, p.51). Mostly an individual is affected by this disease dur ing childhood; individuals who cross the age of 25 have less chances of developing this disorder. Social anxiety is one of the top most common forms of disorders experienced by US. Body During the 1980s, social anxiety was realized as a mental disposition by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder; this realization took place much later than other forms of mental issues (Kearney, 2005, p.11). Heavy amount of research and study has not focused on this disease but quite a lot of physicians and researchers are working towards this social and mental problem. Researchers have been able to identify two forms of social phobia, though it is unclear whether both these problems are similar or distinct. The first kind of social phobia is one in which people are afraid of conducting one of the several forms of social actions such as speaking in front of the public and working or eating while around people. The second division of social phobia is recognized as generalized social phobia, people experiencing this form of social phobia are afraid of conducting all sorts of social activities (Kearney, 2005, p.12). Media has paid attention to social phobia and has stated that pharmaceutical companies are trying to sell medication that is used to solve the issue of shyness and they believe that shyness is not a medical condition (Gambrill, 2012, p.67). The issue of pharmaceutical companies operating in an unethical way to make profits should not be mixed with the issue of social phobia as everyday several individuals throughout the world along with US experience this metal disorder and are not able to complete their social obligations. An individual should not be labeled as someone who is experiencing any disease if they are going through emotional changes that are important for their life. But proper importance needs to be assigned to someone who is actually experiencing certain mental issues. Social phobia or social anxiety itself is a label given to those who are actually suffering from these issues and these labeling aids them in obtaining help from physicians and gain support from others who are experiencing the same challenge. Experiencing social anxiety is not a huge issue, thus others need to accept such people and provide support to them and people suffering from this disorder want to alter the way they are living their lives. It is a myth that socially anxious people do not prefer to be social or are against

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Constitutional law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Constitutional law - Essay Example It does not establish nor constitute the system of government. It does not involve constituent power. Its form of law is not superior to other laws; and it is not entrenched. All these characteristics are an integral part of a written constitution. One of the major differences of the British constitution from that of other countries is that it is not composed, written or set out in any single document like for example, that of the United States of America. Rather, it is made up of statute law, common law and conventions. Thomas Payne stated that the United Kingdom does not have a constitution. Against this background one can agree with Payne in saying that the United Kingdom does not have a constitution because there is no official written document. Since the United Kingdom does not have a written constitution there are several elements that are lacking which would give the people more autonomy. Amendments cannot be made to a constitution if there are no written documents to refer to. Even if amendments are attempted at times these are not seen as having far reaching effects because they are not legally binding. The United Kingdom is not seen as having a constitution because having a constitution hinges on the rights of the people. One of the earliest documents to form a central element of the constitution, the Magna Carta, was drawn up by the rich landowners so the rights of the common man were not provided for. It would therefore seem more difficult for the common man to clarify his rights and protect himself against the state. The Justice Secretary Jack Straw in a visit to Washington of February 2008 commented well on the British Constitution when he said that, "Most people might struggle to put their finger on where their rights are." It is difficult sometimes to know what the constitution really say because of the many

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Psychoanalytic Theory And Reading Of Cultural Products Film Studies Essay

Psychoanalytic Theory And Reading Of Cultural Products Film Studies Essay The main concept of this essay is to point out how psychoanalytic theory could be used as a method of understanding and analyzing cultural products. The most valid approach for this is to observe how the cinema integrates psychoanalytical theories into specific film concepts. For this reason a Hitchcock film is used as an example, for it a common fact that there are many Freudian aspects in his movies. Specifically, Psycho is regarded by many film theorists and historians as the first psychoanalytic thriller (Kaganski as cited in Boulton, 2010). As implied by the title of the film, it is a movie whose plot is based on the Freudian Oedipus complex theory. First of all, it is noteworthy how the cinema developed a strong connection to psychoanalytic theories over the years. What is also interesting is the way in which a movie could be interpreted as a desire or a dreaming process. Moreover, in the second part of the essay, the correlation which Psycho has with psychoanalytical procedure is explored, in an effort to discover its kind and if it is actually the first psychoanalytic movie. Following a short presentation of the main plot, it is necessary to examine the nature of the Oedipus complex and how it is applied to the movie. Despite the fact that it remains the central psychoanalytic idea in the film, is not the only Freudian reference; the movie could also be interpreted through ego, superego and id psychoanalytic aspect. Finally, it is imperative to dissect the two protagonist characters and the famous murder scenes under the psychoanalytic perspective. CINEMA AND PSYCHOANALYSIS Cinema is considered to be among the most important institutions of the post modern society, one which serves numerous sociological purposes, through the use of art. The sociological perspective of cinema is but one side of the coin; the other side represents a more personal, more intimate psychoanalytical procedure. It is true that Freudian psychoanalysis is not a process concerned only with psychological models and consciousness. In modern society, psychoanalysis also constitutes a means of understanding works of great artistic and cultural values, such as cinematic films (Mertz, 1976). A movie could be experienced through the psychoanalytical lens in variety of diverse ways, such as the Freudian dream interpretation or as an object of our fantasy-desire (Lacan) or even as our identification through voyeurism (ibid). Freud characterizes the dream as the expression of a wish fulfilled; a movie could, conceivably, be seen as a dream, because on the screen we witness some of our desires being visualized. Spellbound and Marnie are two of Hitchcocks films that could be approached through the method of dream interpretation (Sandis, 2009). The history of the relation between psychoanalysis and cinema is divided into three periods. During the 30s, psychoanalysis became a familiar point of interest for the movie industry, although it was still somewhat superficial and had little to do with actual human behavior. After the Second World War, the references to psychoanalysis became even more apparent, because of the appearance of psychological problems. The Wars cinematic demonstration followed this optimistic evolution (Gale Dictionary of Psychoanalysis). Hitchcocks movies had a great impact in this certain period, mainly due to their deep connection with psychoanalytic concepts. Psycho (1960), North by Northwest (1959) or The birds (1963) are cultural works with oedipal themes in them. More recently psychoanalysis has been integrated in certain cinematic aspects as an objective cognitive method or even ridiculed method (for example in Woody Allens movie characters) (Gale Dictionary of Psychoanalysis). PSYCHO AND PSYCHOANALYSIS The movie is directed by Alfred Hitchcock and scripted by Joseph Stefano, who adapted the screenplay from the homonymous novel written by Robert Bloch. Blochs 1959 novel was based on the true story of a notorious psychotic serial killer, named Edward Gein. His murderous character has inspired many other serial killers such as Jame Gumb (Buffalo Bill) in the Silence of the Lambs (1991) (Dirks). The movie had a great impact in the 60s and since then Hitchcock is considered as the original creator of suspense. Psycho is so multilayered and complex a movie, that it reveals more and more of its essence with each viewing. This explains why there is such a controversy about what genre of movie it is. The main theme is mystery and Hitchcock promotes it with his unique direction technique. When the film was aired in theaters, he insisted that no one would have a seat after the film had started. Thus, the audiences speculated that something terrible was happening in the first few minutes (Dirks). Psycho is considered a film noir because it shares some common characteristics with those films but, at the same time, remains very peculiar. Through the perspective that a film noir conjures a universe where human desire fails to be fulfilled, Psycho could be regarded as one of those films (Palmer, 1986). Lacans object petite a theory is referred to an unattainable desire, such as Normans desire for Marion (Laplanche, Pontalis, 1986). There is also another theory which makes Psycho the first psychoanalytical movie (Kaganski as cited in Boulton). Specifically, it starts as a whodunit, then it is transformed into a horror film and then into a suspense film with elements of very dark, black comedy. However, if one digs deeper, it inevitably becomes apparent that the film is undoubtedly psychological with specific Freudian interpretations. Francois Truffaut has said: If Psycho had been intended as a serious picture, it would have been shown as a clinical case with no mystery or suspense. The material would have been used as a documentation of a case history (Truffaut as cited in Sandis, 2009:69). In addition to this aspect, Hitchcock has mentioned Probably the real Psycho story wouldnt have been emotional at all; it wouldve been terribly clinical (Hitchcock as cited in Sandis, 2009:70). He was referring to the real incident of mother obsessed Ed Gein, who used to dress up like his dead mother and had murdered about a dozen women (Sandis, 2009). The psychoanalytical view of the movie is illustrated as a parallel between Lila Cranes exploration of the gothic mothers house and the exploration of Bates divided mind. The Freudian element, which explains the construction of Normans personality, defines the concept of the story. First of all, there is a traumatic incident (matricide) causing a transfer of guilt (translated on this occasion into the Oedipus complex). This, in turn, causes a partial loss of the self and a deep identification with the victim (ibid). The story unfolds from this Freudian perspective. Thus, it is evident that Psycho is structured according to the psychoanalytic procedure. THE STORY Marion Crane is a Phoenix office worker, whose life falls short of her expectations. She cant get married with her boyfriend, Sam because he has to provide most of his money in alimony. One Friday her employer confided to her to deposit $40,000. Thinking that this is a good opportunity to take the money and start a new life, Marion leaves town, headed towards Sams store in California. A heavy rainstorm forces her to spend the night at Bates motel. The motel is managed by Norman Bates, a young man who has a very domineering mother. During the night Marion decides to return the money the next morning. Unfortunately, while she is taking a shower, an anonymous figure enters and stabs her to death. After extensive research, it is revealed that Norman has kept his mother to life through his split personality. Dominated by his mothers personality, Norman kills anyone he feels attracted to. In the final scene, we find Norman in prison, haunted by his mothers persona, thinking of how to prove her/his innocence. OEDIPUS COMPLEX Oedipus was the son of Laius and Jocasta, who was exiled from his homeland by his father because of a prophecy. The prophecy foretold that Oedipus would murder his own father. After many years Oedipus decided to discover his origins and returned to Thebes, where he met his father and, unwittingly fulfilling the prophecy, killed him. Then he was made king of the Thebans and was rewarded with the hand of Jocasta, who was his mother. When Oedipus realized that he had fulfilled the prophecy by killing his own father and having children with his mother, he blinded himself (Willner, 1982). Oedipus Rex is a famous Sophocles ancient Greek tragedy, which has been interpreted by Freud as nothing more or less than a wish fulfillment- the fulfillment of the wish of our childhood (Freud as cited in Willner, 1982). Specifically, Freud believes that boys are all destined to direct their first sexual impulse toward their mothers and their violent impulses toward their father. Under the, so called, positive form the complex is appeared as Oedipus story: death wish for the opponent who is the person of the same sex, the father and sexual desire for the person of the opposite sex, the mother. The Oedipus complex is experienced from 3 to 5 years old and is revived during the adolescent period. The liberation from this complex has to do with the healthy structuring of the personality (Laplanche, Pontalis, 1986). If the boy does not repress his sexual desire toward the Mother and does not identify himself with the Father, he cannot develop a normal personality. It is considered that the Oedipus complex is the main psychoanalytic idea of the movie and Norman Bates is its modern atypical version (Boulton, 2010). According to the films ending psychiatric speech: Now he was already dangerously disturbed, had been ever since his father died. His mother was a clinging, demanding woman, and for years the two of them lived as if there was no one else in the world. Then she met a manà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and it seemed to Norman that she threw him over. Now that pushed him over the line and he killed them both (Boulton, 2010). Norman Bates did not manage to overcome his unconscious sexual desire toward his mother and acted out his also unconscious drive of killing the Father. That explains why the mother half of Normans mind has won (Boulton, 2010: 2). Psychiatrist Dr. Richmond illustrates that Norman has sexual desires for an attractive woman as normal men have, but his split personality does not allow him to develop a normal sexual intercourse. He explains to Lila (Marions sister) that When he (Norman) met your sister, he was touched by herà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦aroused by her. He wanted her. That set off the jealous mother and mother killed the girl! Now after the murder, Norman returned as if from a deep sleep. And like a dutiful son, covered up all traces of the crime he was convinced his mother had committed! (ibid: 2) Norman, driven by envy, killed his mother and her lover. In other words, he committed the crime of matricide, which is considered the most heinous and unpardonable crime and is especially unbearable for the son who commits it (Dirks). Trying to erase the crime in his own mind, he developed a split personality. As a result, he created an illusion that his mother was still alive. To make this illusion a physical reality, he stole her dead body and preserved it, using his taxidermist skills. In his delusional mind he played-acted and imagined that he was his mother and that she was as pathologically jealous of him as he was of her (ibid). In this way, he was acting as his mother and committed murders due to her jealousy. It is evident that he chose this horrific way to redeem himself from the matricide. EGO, SUPEREGO, ID Freud divided the human mind into three conflicting parts: the ego, the superego and the id. The ego rests between the id and the superego and provides us with a sense of self. It has to build a balanced relationship of dependency between the demands of the id and the imperatives of the superego (Laplanche, Pontalis, 1986). The id is comprised of innate biological drives, emotional impulses, instincts and dispositions. On the contrary, the ego is made up of those mental phenomena related to whatever environmental considerations constrain the id (Freud calls these the reality principle). For example, the basic id drive is hunger and it is constrained by ego beliefs about what food is available where (Sandis, 2009). Finally, the superego plays a role similar to that of a judge. Freud considers the moral consciousness, self-observation and the development of moral values and ideals as expressions of the superego. The superego is defined as the heir of the Oedipus complex in terms of par ental demands and prohibitions (Laplanche, Pontalis, 1986). Observing Norman Bates character through this theory, it is evident that he does not develop a strong enough ego in order to keep under control the powerful urges of both the id and the superego. Subsequently, the id and the superego manifest themselves as completely different personalities (Boulton, 2010). His sexual desire for Marion represents his id and her murder (murder of the sexual desire for Marion) represents an extreme expression of his superego. Norman Bates never detached himself from his mother and identified himself with the Father. Therefore he did not assimilate into what Lacan terms the symbolic order, the interconnected system of signs that every society constructs meaning and order around (Zizek as cited in Boulton 2010:2). Normans symbolic level is psychotic, so the superego acts in different ways. As Zizek (cited in Boulton, 2010:2) emphasized, it is the maternal superego that acts and dominates his mind. At times he can become both personalities. But most of the times the mother half put his mind under control. Freud compared the human mind to an iceberg. The tiny part of the iceberg, which appears above the water surface possibly, represents human perception. Below the surface lies a much darker, larger part of the iceberg representing the unconscious. There is no evidence if Hitchcock has ever come across the iceberg metaphor but he would have found it inspiring. Like Freud Hitchcock present us a certain familiar and ordinary picture that we are prepared to see (like the pick of the iceberg- conscious) but whose precise shape is always novel (the other part of the iceberg-unconscious). He also chose for his movies, ladies that appear cold as ice in order to reveal their oppressed thoughts and desires (Sandis, 2009). It is charming in terms of cinema suspense, for secret or repressed thoughts to rise to the surface. (Sandis, 2009) Furthermore, Slavoj Zizek (2005) compares the old, gothic house to the segmented personality of Norman Bates. The ground floor represents the ego and there he behaves as a normal son. The first flour represents the superego, where Norman is governed by the moral constrains of his mother. Finally the basement represents the id, the reservoir of the illicit drives of the psyche thats why his mothers skeleton is transferred there. The transfer of his mothers dead body from the first flour to the basement illustrates the deep connection of the id and the superego in Normans split personality. The exploration of the house is like a psychoanalytic process. Lila entered Normans bedroom and observed his personal items, which were a combination of childrens (boys and girls items) and adults things (signifying his disturbed personality) (Dirks). CHARACTERS Marion symbolizes the repressed woman of the modern America of the 60s, who tries to be emancipated. Judging from her sexual intercourses with her lover during lunch times in secret hotel rooms, one could say that she appears as an independent woman. On the other hand, she gets the money and leaves town, which means that she wants a different life, maybe more conventional, having a successful marriage. Normans character is the mirror-negative of Marion. She operates in the Name of the Father; Norman on the other hand, has not submitted to this paternal law and is entrapped in the desire of the mother' (Zizek as cited in Boulton, 2010). This theory is supported in terms of direction. As they stand together on the porch, the camera photographs the scene as if they were the two sides of the same coin, but Norman is also reflected in the glass window behind him (symbolizes his split personality) (Dirks). Norman Bates could be considered as a good looking, boyishly version of Sam (Marions boyfriend). As their encounter develops, however, this possibility is eradicated because it becomes obvious that he is not capable of adult sexuality, being held in sexual bondage with his mother (Palmer, 1986). As he mentions: -Norman: Do you know what I think? I think that were all in our private traps. Clamped in them. And none of us can ever get out. We scratch and claw, but only at the air, only at each other. And for all of it we never budge an inch. -Marion: Sometimes we deliberately step into those traps. (Psycho, 1960) Each of them gives different meaning to the word trap. Trap for Marion is the theft of the money or maybe her relationship with Sam. For a moment Norman seems that he speaks frankly, being conscious of his fragmented psyche. Unfortunately, after the discourse only Marion is capable of being subject to moral self-examination, deciding to return the money next morning. MURDER SCENES The shower murder scene is among the most famous in the history of cinema. The major film star-Marion- is stabbed to death after the first 47 minutes of the movies start. Even if someone has not seen the movie, he has undoubtedly seen this specific scene. It took a fully week to complete, using 70 cameras, fast cut editing of 78 film pieces and a naked stand in model (Marli Renfo) (Dirks). Despite the fact that it is one of the most jargonistic and violent scenes there is only implied violence because at no time does the knife penetrate into her body. In only instant one the knife touches her belly (ibid). However, it is the scene that made females, including Janet Leigh (Marion) not being able to take a shower for a very long time (Sullivan, 2006). Murdering Marion while she was taking a shower with a knife is not a coincidental choice. On the contrary it has a deeper meaning in terms of direction and psychoanalysis. Until that moment, Marion was the main protagonist of the film and the epicenter of the plot was her feeling guilty for thieving the money. Taking a shower, the water washes away her guilt and rejuvenates her (Dirks). There is an irony here, at the moment she was relieved someone entered and took her life violently. Moreover, the knife in Freudian terms is a phallic symbol. In this weird and abnormal way, Norman satisfied both his desires: the jealousy of his mother and his own desire, penetrating into the female body, using his knife. Marions dead body is standing on the cold floor, mixed with ejaculatory spurts of blood dripping down her legs from various gashes, which symbolizes a violent and deadly rape (ibid). Zizek with his documentary The Perverts Guide to Cinema (2005) underlines that after Marions murder the spectator identifies with Norman Bates persona. Suddenly the spectator is anxious of cleaning up Marions blood from the bathroom and of getting rid of her car in the swamp, relating to our satisfaction with a job well done. Suspense is generated when, whilst Norman Bates is disposing of Marions car (containing her body) in a nearby swamp, the car momentarily stops sinking, an anxiety arises in the viewer (Zizek as cited in Boulton, 2010). The suspense here deals with the spectators unconscious identification with Bates. This identification has to do with Hitchcocks use of gaze, the Hippolytuss gaze. This gaze is not a seen gaze, but a gaze visualized by the Self in the field of the Others idiosyncrasy. Everything is not observed just through the others eyes but through the others personal feelings. The gaze is not the Others glance as such, but the way this glance concerns me, the way the subject sees him/herself affected by it as to his/her desire (Zizek,1992:214). The second murder scene, the murder of detective Arbogast is more predictable. The fascination of the first murder diverts our attention from the second murder. Everything that happens before the murder act seems to announce it. When Arbogast enters the mothers house and stands at the staircase, the audience immediately feel that something terrible is going to happen. However, the suspense here has to do again with this weird immoral identification of the audience with Norman. The spectator desires Arbogast to be killed (Zizek as cited in Boulton, 2010). There is a noticeable aesthetic differentiation between the two murders, which is related to the symbolic split of the movies narrative (ibid). Marions murder still being in the Name-of-the father symbolic realm, it takes place in a motel room, which highlights the aesthetic of an anonymous modern America. On the other hand, Arbogasts death takes place in mothers house which represents American tradition, in the desire of the mother symbolic space (ibid). CONCLUSIONS It is evident that psychoanalytic theory is strongly related to the cinema. Specifically, in Hitchcocks films the Freudian theoretical models are considered as a main pattern of his movies structure. Hitchcock himself has admitted when he was interviewed by Francois Truffaut: -F.T.: I saw Spellbound again recently and I must admit that I didnt care very much for the scenario. -A.H.: Well, its just another manhunt story wrapped up in pseudo-psychoanalysisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Sandis, 2009:65) He might not have taken the subconscious too seriously and in his personal life he avoided doctors of the mind, as he had admitted, however, it is known that the famous director was not unfamiliar with psychoanalytic Freudian theories (Sandis, 2009). Nowadays the use of psychoanalytic theoretical models in cinema is the norm. It is not just a specialized knowledge that concerns a particular audience anymore; it is also used as a method of creating artistic, cultural products. On the other hand, not only cinema uses psychoanalytical procedure as a tool of creativity, but also cinema could be used through psychoanalytical process as a method of manipulation and control (Tania, 1968). There is a strong interaction between cinema and psychoanalysis. Members of the Frankfurt School believe that cinema is used through psychoanalysis in order to create various forms of easy, false pleasure as a way to keep the audience unaware of the real major social existing problems (ibid). This argument has some truth to a limited extent but there are also many examples which underline that cinema, using the psychoanalytical process, emphasizes serious sociological problems. However, whatever the purpose of using the psychoanalysis, the point is tha t psychoanalytical theories have a strong connection with the creation of literary or cinematic products.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Cycle of Slavery in The Tempest Essays -- Tempest essays

The Cycle of Slavery in The Tempest  Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s The Tempest blends elements of adventure and intellectual inquiry. The plot of Shakespeare’s last work contains comedy, romance, and action enough to sustain the interest of his common audience. However, there lies beneath the eloquent language and exciting plot an intelligent political commentary. Shakespeare uses the setting of a virtually uninhabited island as an experimental testing ground for the institution of slavery. Shakespeare shows through his island experiment that subjugation, once instituted, seems to perpetuate itself. While the most automatic explanation of this cyclical nature of slavery would be to say that this political rule is continued by the subjugators, the surprising reality is that it is the victim of colonialism who continues the cycle of slavery. Caliban, the native "islander"(2.2.36), despises his condition as a slave. However, in his attempt to disrupt and overthrow the political order instituted on the island by Prosp ero, Caliban actually provides evidence of the power of slavery over both man and mind. Caliban’s initial attempt to defy Prospero’s power via a verbal curse actually gives Prospero more authority as master in that the curse acknowledges the duke’s ultimate power. Caliban begins his speech with the vengeful request that all the evil "infections"(2.2.1) under the sun "fall"(2.2.2) upon the "tyrant"(2.2.160) Prospero. While Caliban wishes for Prospero to be so harmed by sickness, the slave does not have the power to make this happen. Instead, he must request that these evils "fall"(2.2.2) of their own accord upon Prospero. Caliban’s lack of authority because of his condition as a slave is immediately contrasted to that... ...tly subjugate Trinculo. This brilliant strategic move on Caliban’s part further perpetuates the cycle of subjugation. Once again it is the victim of slavery who acts as the agent in establishing and perpetuating slavery. In trying to benefit himself by breaking free of slavery, Caliban instead benefits the very practice he so despises. Slavery exerts its power in every aspect of Caliban’s life. In his speech, in his actions, in his thoughts, and even in his attempts to break free of slavery, Caliban cannot escape the powerful effects of subjugation. Caliban does not succeed in breaking the cycle of slavery. Its power and tendency to perpetuate itself are too great. Instead, the slave’s attempt to end his servitude actually propagates rather than abolishes the practice of slavery. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Mineloa, NY: Drover, 1999.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Advanced When Live in Big Cities

ADVANCED WHEN LIVE IN BIG CITIES Big cities are often more exciting and they also have a quicker pace. Living in large cities means that you have to become more active so that you can adapt to a variety of situations. Another aspect of the exciting of city life is the variety of cultural activities available. Big cities are cultural centers where there are social activies, sports events, concerts, trade shows, fashion shows, ect†¦In big cities, there are a lot of places for you to relax at weekends and go on vacatons such as theatres, cinemas, parks and zoos, and centers of recreation. Big cities are aslo economical centers with a lot of big companies, both national and international. It means that you have many chances to get a good job. These are rare in small towns or the countryside. In addition, there are many facilities for our life and health care. For example, you can find plenty of shops and supermarkets around places where you are living.Therefore, you can buy everyday neccessities quickly. Furthermore, people concern more about their health and safety than other things in their lifes. In big cities, medical facilities and emergency services are easily accessibe than in the countryside. Big cities also have convinient transportation and utility systems. They also offer faster internet connections. These all make our life easier. To summazire, I think that living in big cities is much better than living in the countryside because of advanced facilities and social activities.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Current State of Education in Nigeria

CURRENT STATE OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: Education can be referred to as an act or process of developing and cultivating, whether physically, mentally or mortally, ones mental activities or senses; the expansion, strengthening and discipline of ones mind, faculty etc; the forming and regulation of principles and character in order to prepare and fit for any calling or business by systematic instruction.The result of these is determine by the knowledge/’skill acquired, the discipline of character acquired, the act/process of training by a prescribed or customary course of study discipline. Education is also seen as a means towards understanding, awareness creation, enlightenment, controlling, altering and re-designing human destiny and environment with a view to achieving and sustaining a better quality of life for the individual and towards the full integration of the individual into his environment in particular and then his nation in general; making rea sonable contributions towards national developments.The nation’s view on education is government’s way of realizing that part of the national goals that can be achieved by using education as a tool. No views on education can however be formulated without first identifying the overall philosophy and goals of the nation viz: I. To live in unity and harmony as one indivisible, indissoluble, democratic and Sovereign nation founded on the principles of understanding. Freedom, equality and justice. II. To promote inter-African solidarity and world peace through mutual understandings and interactions.The main goals of education in Nigeria which have even been endorsed As the necessary foundation for the National policy on education are towards the building of: i. A fair, equitable and democratic society ii. A just and egalitarian society iii. A united, strong and self- reliant nation iv. A great and dynamic economy and v. A land full of bright opportunities for all citizens. In Nigeria’s own philosophy of education, we collectively believe that: i. Education is an instrument for national development and to this end, the formulation f ideas, their integration for national development and the interaction of persons and ideas are all aspects of education. ii. Education fosters the worth and development of the individual, for each individuals sake and for the general development of the society/nation iii. Every Nigerian child shall have a right to equal educational opportunities irrespective of any real or imagined disabilities and each according to his/her own ability. iv. There is the need for functional education for the promotion of a progressive and United Nigeria.To this end therefore, school programmes need to be relevant, practical, comprehensive and research oriented while interests and ability should determine the individual’s direction in education, which is an aspect of sustainability. STAGES OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: EARLY CHILDHOO D/ PRE PRIMARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: Early childhood/Pre-primary education refers to the education given in an educational refers to the education given in an educational institution to children prior to their entering the primary school. It includes: the creche, the nursery and the kindergarten stages.In Nigeria, the purpose of pre-primary education shall be to: i. Effect a smooth transition from the home to the school. ii. Prepare the child for the primary level of education. iii. Provide adequate care and supervision for the children while their parents are at work iv. Inculcate social norms into the children even from the earliest stages v. Inculcate into the child, the spirit of enquiry and creativity through the exploration of nature, the environment, art, music and playing with toys etc. vi. Develop a sense of co-operation and team spirit ii. Learn good habits, especially good health habits and viii. Teach the rudiments of numbers, letter, colours, shapes, forms etc through p lay. The responsibilities of government and other stakeholders for pre-primary education in Nigeria shall be to promote the training of qualified pre-primary school teachers in adequate number; contribute to the development of suitable curriculum, supervise and control the quality of such institutions as well as establish pre-primary sections in all existing public schools.In specific terms therefore, government shall: i. Establish pre-primary sections in all existing public schools and encourage both community and private/corporate efforts in the provision of pre-primary education. ii. Make provision in teacher education programmes for specialization in early childhood education. iii. Ensure that the medium of instruction is principally the mother-tongue or the language of the immediate community. And to this end, develop the orthography of many more Nigerians languages and produce textbooks in Nigerian languages. v. Ensure that the main methods/medium of teaching play and that the curriculum of teacher education is oriented to achieve thuis. v. Regulate and control the operation of pre-primary education in Nigeria by setting and monitoring minimum standards for early childcare centres in the country. vi. Ensure full participation of government corporate organizations, entrepreneurs communities and teachers associations in the running and maintenance of early childhood education and educational facilities throughout the country BASIC EDUCATION:In Nigeria, basi education shall be of 9- years duration comprising 6-years of primary education and 3-years of junior secondary education. It shall be free and compulsory. It shall also include adult and non-formal education programmes at primary and junior secondary education levels for the adults and out-of-school youths. The specific objectives of basic education in Nigeria shall be the same as the goals of the levels of education to which it applies (ie primary education, junior secondary education and adult /non à ¢â‚¬â€œ formal education). 1) PRIMARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIAPrimary education in nigeria as referred to on this document is the education given in institutions for children between the ages of 6 – 11 years and above. Pupils spend six years in the primary school level in Nigeria and graduate with a school-leaving certificate. And since the rest of the education system is built upon it, primary level is the key to the success or failure of the whole system. This being the case, the goals and objectives of primary education in Nigeria are to: i. Inculcate permanent literacy and numeracy as well as the ability to communicate effectively. i. Lay a sound foundation for scientific and reflective thinking iii. Give citizenship education as a basis for effective participation in and contribution to the life of the people in the society. iv. Mould the character and develop sounds attitude as well as morals in the child. v. Develop in the child, the ability to adopt the child’s cha nging environment. vi. Give the child opportunities foe developing manipulative skills that will enable the child function effectively in the society within the limits of his capacity and capability. vii.Provide the child with basic tools for further educational advancement, including preparation for trades and crafts of the locality. these goals from the basis of primary education in all the states of the federation and, in pursuance of the above goals, primary education in Nigeria shall be tuition free and compulsory. The curriculum for primary education therefore include: language (language of the environment, English, French and Health Education, Religious Knowledge, Agriculture/Home Economics, Social Studies/citizenship Education, Culture and Creative arts (ie Drawing, Handicraft, music and cultural activities), Computer Education etc.Teaching at the primary level shall be by practical, explanatory and experimental methods and the following educational services are expected to be provided: school library, basic health scheme, counseling, educational resource centre, specialist teachers of particular subjects like: mathematics, science, physical Education, language Arts (in relation to English, French, Sign language and Nigerian languages), librarians, music, Fine Arts and Home Economics. Primary school students are required to take a Common Entrance Examination to qualify for admission into the Federal and State Government Secondary Schools.The UBE came as a replacement for Nigeria’s universal primary education scheme of the 6-3-3-4 system of primary Education. The 9 – 3 – 3 – 4 system of primary education. The 9 – 3 – 4 system of education was designed in conformity with the MDG’s and education for all. The UBE involves 6years of primary school and 3 years of junior secondary school. Culminating into 9 years of uninterrupted schooling. Transition from one class to another is automatic but assessed through continuous assessment.This scheme is however monitored by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and has been made free as well as a right of every child in Nigeria. To law stipulates a 9 –years formal schooling, adult literacy and non-formal education, skill acquisition programmes as well as the education of special groups such as: nomads and migrants, girl-child and women, Al-majiri, street children and the physically challenged. SUSTAINABILITY OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: To these effects, i. Special efforts shall be made by all appropriate agencies to encourage parents to send their children, especially, their daughters to school ii.Everything possible shall be done to discourage the incidence of dropping out at the primary level of education. But where this occurs, provisions shall be made in the context of adult and non-formal education to enable such early leavers to continue with their education. iii. Government therefore welcomes the contributions of vol untary agencies, communities and private individuals in the establishment and management of primary schools alongside those provided by the states and local governments as long as they meet the minimum standards laid down by the federal government. v. In recognition of the prominent role of Information and Communication Technology in advancing knowledge and skills necessary for effective functioning in the modern world, there is therefore urgent needs to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into education in Nigeria even at the primary level. v. Government shall therefore strive to provide basic infrastructure enabling environment and training facilities for the realization of all these goals at the primary school level. SECONDARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA:Secondary education in Nigeria is the education children receive after primary education but before the tertiary stage. The Federal Republic of Nigeria is made up of thirty six states and the federal capital territo ry. There are about two federal government colleges in each state and these schools are funded and managed directly by the Federal Government through the ministry of Education. Teachers and staff of these schools are Federal Government employees and they possess at least, a bachelors degree in Education and/or in any particular subject area such as mathematics, physics etc. hese schools are supposed to be model schools carrying and maintaining the ideals of secondary education for Nigerian students. Admission is based on merit and determined by the national Common Entrance Examination taken by all final year elementary school pupils tuition and fees are very low, appropriately one hundred dollars ($100. ), because funding comes from the Federal Government State owned cesondary schools are funded by each state government and are not comparable to the Federal Government colleges.Although education Is supposed to be free in the majority of the state owned institutions, students are req uired to purchase books and uniforms costing them an average of two hundred dollars ($200). Teachers in state owned institutions usually have a National Certificate if Education or a Bachelor’s degree. Often, these schools are understaffed due to low state budgets, lack of incentives and irregularities in the payment of staff salaries Private secondary schools in Nigeria tend to be more expensive with average annual fees averaging from one to two thousand dollars ($100 – $200).These schools however have smaller classes, modern equipment cand better environments. Teachers n these schools all posses at least, a Bachelors degree in specific course areas and are sent for workshops or short – term programmes on a regular basis. The broad include the preparation of the student for: i. Useful living within the society ii. Higher education IN SPECIFIC TERMS HOWEVER, SECONDARY EDUCATION SHALL: i. Provide all primary school leavers with the opportunity fo education of a h igher level, irrespective of sex, social states religious and /or ethnic background. i. Offer diversified curriculum to cater for the differences in talents, opportunities and future roles. iii. Provide trained manpower in the applied science, technology and commerce at sub-professional grades. iv. Develop and promote Nigerian languages, art and culture in the content of world’s cultural heritage. v. Inspire students with a desire for self improvement and achievement of excellence. vi. Foster National unity with an emphasis on the common things that unite us in our diversity. vii.Raise a generation og people who can think for themselves, respect the views and feelings of others, respect the dignity of labour, appreciate those values specified under our THE PLANNING AND GUIDING EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. Educational research and development in this context refers to all efforts aimed at facilitating the implementation of educational polices in the country, the attai nment of policy goals the promotion of effectiveness as well as the broadening of the entire educational system.STRATEGIES AND SUSTAINABILITY OF PLANNING AND GUIDING EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA. The strategies for the planning and guiding of educational research will include the following: i. Develop, assess, improve and expand educational programmes in line with what is obtained in the developed economies. ii. Enhancement of the teaching and then, improve the competence of teachers with state of the art equipments. iii. Making education more cost-effective. iv. Promoting in-service education v. Development and promoting effective use of innovative materials in schools and vi.Making learning experience more pragmatic and more meaningful for students so that the entire economy will be served with a more focused and committed labour force. In terms of sustainability, we suggest the following: i. State and local governments shall establish Teacher’s Resource centres where teachers will meet for discussions, investigations, study workshops, short courses and conferences. ii. Federal and state governments shall establish Educational Resource cntres whose activities would be multi-disciplinary. iii. Federal, state and local governments hall set aside a pre-determined percentage of their allocations to support research and development in line with UN resolutions. iv. Federal, state and local governments shall establish more public/mobile libraries as well as actively promote readership. v. Private establishments and proprietors shall also support research and development efforts in education especially in the establishment of state of the art libraries with established standards. They shall also provide for the training of librarians and library assistants for this service. i.MONITORING PROGRESS IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AMONG THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITIES/ESTABLISHMENTS. This concerns itself with all efforts by the concerned authorities in the education ministries in ensuring that R/D efforts are strictly adhered to by educational establishments and even industrial organizations. STRATEGIES AND SUSTAINABILITY: All educational authorities in the country from the local to the federal levels should be held responsible for: I. Enunciating a National Policy on Education II. Setting-up and maintaining uniform standardsIII. Co-ordinating sound educational practices in Nigeria IV. Establishing a federal Inspectorate services would responsibities amongst others would include: to encourage the dissemination of information on innovations and progressive educational and research principles practices in the school system through publications, workshops, meetings, seminars, conferences and other means of interactions between and among the industrial and educational communities. V. Planning and organizing educational research on a national scale. VI.Acquiring storing and disseminating national educational data and ag encies research finding to communities, and industrial organizations. VII. Co –ordinating non-formal education including adult education, vocational improvement centres, correspondence cources etc etc. VIII. Co-ordinationg international co-operation in educational researches. For all the above strategies to be sustained, I. Special and adequate inducement shall be provided for all teachers and researchers even in the rural areas so as to make them stay on their jobs.II. Government must establish efficient services at federal, state and local government levels for the monitoring and maintaining standards at all levels of education and research III. Government must also establish an efficient research control and monitoring body to ensure that the findings of quality researches are dessimated to all desening communities agencies institutes and industrial organizations ii. ENSURING THAT PUBLIC AND EDUCATIONAL (R/D) EFFORTS WITH THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENTAL PLANNING OF THE NATION.It has already been stated that Nigeria’s philosophy of education believes that education is an instrument for national development. And to this end, the formulation of researches towards the development of ideas, their integration for national development and the interaction of persons/ideas are all aspects of effective education. STRATEGIES AND SUSTAINABILITY: The recommended strategies here would be to align our educational system so as to: i. Foster the worth and development of the individual for each individual’s sake and for the general development of our society. i. Ensure that every Nigerian child has a right to equal educational opportunities irrespective of any real or imagined disabilities, hindrances and shortcomings, each according to his/her ability. iii. Foster functional education for the promotion of a progressive and united Nigeria. And, to this end, school programmes need to be made relevant, practical and comprehensive while interest and ability shoul d determine the individual’s direction in his/her educational pursuit.For the above aim/objective to be sustainable in view with proper alignment with the overall development al planning of the nation as well as to be in harmony with Nigeria’s national goals, educational research and development has to be geared towards self realization of the students, better human relationship, individual and national efficiency, effective citizenship, national consciousness, national unity as well as towards social, cultural, economic, political, scientific and technological progress. All these will involve the following: i.Thorough inculcation of national consciousness and national unity into the students. ii. Through the inculcation of the right type of values and attitudes for the survival of the individual and the Nigerian society. iii. Through the training and re- training of the mind in the understanding of the world around and iv. Through the acquisition of appropriate and re quisite skills as well as the development of mental, physical and social abilities and competencies as equipment for the individual to live in and contribute to the development of the society. iii.LINKING RESEARCHERS WITH ENTREPRENEURS FOR THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF R/D RESULTS. Academic institutions the world over, are set up to provide an environment for teaching, research, community participation and the moulding of characters. Unfortunately, they have failed, in the case of Nigeria to meet the needs of the individuals in the promotion of economic self-reliance and self sufficiency. The starting point of research here would be on such educational services that would offer a range of educational experiences which would depend on the needs of the individual and the requirements of potential work places.Also, it must emphasize on the development of the job skills and work behaviours directed towards specific occupational requirements. Having done the above, a rapport would have been e stablished between researchers , their finding/ results and industrialists/entrepreneurs with a view towards the commercialization of R&D results. It is however expected that the concept of entrepreneurial skill development recently introduced by the NUC will be imbibed by all institutions of learning in Nigeria. Some of the mandates of the entrepreneurship section of the NUC is to: i.Promote linkage between academic institutions researches on the one hand and industrial/financial institutions on the other hand. ii. Promote the exhibitions of commercialized researches in Nigerian institutions of learning and. iii. Promote Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Nigerian Universities and the individual, manufacturing and service sectors etc. For sustainability, the following are proposed: i. A serious partnership between our institutions of learning industrialists, entrepreneurs etc so that the findings of the volumes of researches conducted in our institutions will definitely g et to the end users. i. Findings/results of researches in our institutions should be collected and published periodically so that individuals, organizations and the government at all its tiers, levels and agencies would study and where necessary adopt such findings in their policy making processes iii. Our institutions of learning should be upgraded to become more research oriented. And to the effect, government and the organized private sector should advance more funds in upgrading our libraries, laboratories and research institutions across the country. iv.NURTURING PROJECTS BY THE USE OF FACILITIES OF TECHNOLOGY INCUBATION AND EDUCATIONAL PARKS. A project by definition is an optimum set of investment oriented activates by means of which a defined combination of human and material resources are expected to bring about a determined amount of economic and developmental benefits. It is also, an agreed fact in both private and government/public circles that a project involves the use of one or more scare resources within a specific period of time snd for the purpose of yielding some economic and social benefits/returns at a much later time.Projects are usually classified into: i. Current and/or capital projects ii. Private sector and /or public sector projects Men invest for the purpose of profit maximization, share holders wealth maximization, stock value maximization, market share maximization, capital gains and other intrinsic ownership/personal reason. Government on the other hand invests so as to improve peoples standard of living, provision of security, protection, social welfare, employment provision, health, education etc. No matter the type or form of a project, it involves the covering of several tages, each involving a different set of decisional processes too. While the starting point of any project is known as its â€Å"operation stage†. However, the entire series of activities that must be covered for the idea to the operation stage is refer red to as the â€Å"project Cycle†. Projects, either of the private or of the public sector type are most inevitable for the growth and development of any nation. It is also said that ideas rule the world, and this is the reason why our educational institutions are veritable breeding grounds for fresh ideas via technology incubation and educational parks.Technology education however incorporates post secondary education in technology offered in polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Education Technical. And the strategy here shall include: i. The provision of full-time and part time courses of instruction and training in engineering, other technologies, applied sciences business and management, leading to the production of trained manpower. ii. The provision of technical knowledge and skills necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic development in Nigeria. iii.Giving training and imparting the necessary skills for the production of technicians, techn ologists and other skilled personnel who shall be enterprising and self – reliant. iv. Training people who can apply scientific knowledge to solve environment problems for the convenience of man and v. Giving exposure on professional studies in the technologies. In the pursuance of the above goals and for the purpose of sustainability, Government shall adopt the following measures: In the pursuance of the above goals and for the purposes of sustainability, government shall adopt the following measures: i.Develop and encourage the ideas of polytechnic education through student’s industrial work experiences. ii. Improve upon immediate and long term prospects of polytechnic graduates and other professionals with respect to their status and remuneration. iii. At the very early phase of the education system, efforts shall be made to include an attitude of respect for and appreciation of the role of technology in society iv. Students shall be made to appreciate the dignity o f labour by using their hands in making repairing and assembling things. v.Polytechnics shall be encourage to conduct applied research relevant to the needs and aspirations of the nation. vi. polytechnics shall continue to maintain a two-tier programme of the National Diploma (ND) and the Higher National Diploma (HND) with one year period of Industrial experience. Serving as one of the pre-requisites for entry into the HND programmes. vii. Polytechnics that meet the requirement above shall be allowed to run post professional HND programmes. viii. The modes and operations of polytechnics shall be the same as in the monotechnics 6.PROMOTING STRATEGIC PROJECTS THROUGH DIRECT INTERVENTION WOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BODIES: INTERACTION We had previously and comprehensively explained what public and private projects are. However, Strategic projects are those that expected to have far reaching effects on the life of the ordinary man, Corporate organizations and even the government. These proj ects are also those that are expected to impart positively on the development processes of the nation. Some of them would include: health educational, Transport, Aviation, Military and para-military, Information, Telecommunication and even space related projects.The importance of these projects permeated both the private and public sectprs of any nation and the need to promote and facilitate such projects require the simultaneous interation of our educational/research –based institutions with both the organized private sector and appropriate government agencies. Strategies for the achievement of the above would include the following: i. The government to understand that the success of any system of education research institute is hinged upon proper planning, efficient administration and adequate financing. ii.That administration is a function of organization and structure, proprietorship and control as well as inspection/ supervision. iii. School systems and research institut es as well as their management and administration shall grow out of the life and social ethos of the communities which they serve. iv. Shared responsibility for the funding and management of all educational research facilities by the three tires of government. v. Close participation and corporate organization at even he local levels in the administration and management of all educational research facilities. vi. Effective line of ommunication between local communities and government on the one hand and then educational/ research institutes and corporate organizations on the other hand vii. The integration of educational and research development policies with national objectives and programmes especially, as it concerns the evolution of strategic national projects. Sustainability here will require the following: i. Ensuring adequate and effective planning management and monitoring of educational/research services ii. Provide efficient administrative and management control for the mai ntenance and improvement of the entire systems. ii. Ensuring quality control through regular and continuous of supervision of instructional and other research related services. iv. Providing adequate and balanced financial support for all educational/research related services. v. Ensuring that the findings of all these research instituted are disseminated to the necessary public and private institutes that would need them. vi. The organized private sector to be more responsible to the needs of our academic/research institutes in partnership with government. 7. ADVISING THE GOVERNMENT ON EDUCATIONAL MATTERS AND IMPLEMENTING THESE POLICIES AND PROJECTSEducation all over the world is an expensive social services that require adequate financial provision from all tiers of government and even the private sector for the successful implementation of all the educational programmes and for the expected end results to be achieved. Government ultimate goal is to make education free at all leve ls and for the dividends of education to permeate across the strata of the entire society. The financing of education should be a joint responsibility of the faderal, state and local governments on the one hand, and the organized private sector, communities and even religious organizations on the other.In this vain and while government welcomes and encourages the participation of local communities, individuals and other organization. She must be adviced along the following lines: I. That the curricula of all the academic programmes taught in all our educational institutions need to be updated in order to reposition Nigeria’s manpower requirements to be able to keep-up with the constant dynamics of technological advances globally. II. There hould be an inclusion of a course on â€Å"entrepreneurship development† in allour institutions of higher learning so as to encourage corporate sector participation, encourage corporate sector participation, encourage corporate secto r participation, encourage self-employment and boost the ability of graduates to create jobs. III. Institutions should adhere to the quaota assigned to them for admission so as to portray national policy prescription with regards to the science/Arts ratio of 60% for science and 40% for Arts. IV.Youths and fresh graduates should be empowered primarily through the development of new government and corporate development of new governmental and corporate strategies/policies to teach, mentor, monitor and create new platforms for adequate self-expression and socio-economic mental alertness. V. Higher institution should strengthen their practical training programmes and skills acquisition through industrial attachment, field/practical training, university – industry interaction forum and adequate supervision of students on industrial attachment.VI. There should be a strong linkage between entrepreneurship and technology so that entrepreneurs can benefits form research and developmen t (R/D) outputs of our educational and research institutes VII. Research must be intensified on the various aspects of entrepreneurship such as educational, training, new ventures, finance, marketing, organizational strategies, technology, entrepreneurship characteristics and behavior, citizenship education etc. VIII.The public and private sectors should establish an effective feedback mechanism with graduates and their prospective employers so as to monitor graduate performance at work/industrial attachments in terms of knowledge, skills and adaptability that are needed in addition to the provision of adequate funding for institutions so as to enable them revitalize their academic and physical facilities/laboratories and equipments on a continuous basis in order to maintain high academic/research standards.IX. Finally and for all the above to be both possible and feasible, government should adhere strictly to the 25% of annual budgetary allocation to the educational sector of the e conomy. This however is in line with the UN budgetary prescription for educational. The will ensure adequate availability of funds for education at all levels and will also ensure that our educational institutions would bounce back to the days of glory when they were the veritable centres for urturing private and public projects with the use of the facilities of improved facilities of technology incubation and educational parks. This is exactly how it is in the developed countries of the world. Government must stop destroying itself will inconsequential issues of tenure elongation and financial indiscipline/corruption and set the pace for our technological breakthrough via spiritual ad serious improvements in our educational sector in all ramifications.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

nervous system essays

nervous system essays Cell- smallest unit of living organism Tissue- group of same kinds of cells Organs- group of same kinds of tissue System- group of organs with specific function There are many functions of the nervous system. The nervous system integrates simple responses to certain types of stimuli, and it carries information to and from the brain. It also coordinates the functions of internal organs brining in stimuli from the external environment and monitoring the status of the internal environment. The nervous system responds to types of stimuli like chemical and physical things. The nervous system can also release chemical regulators and it can conduct impulses. These are the functions of the nervous system. There are many organs in the nervous system. The main organ of the nervous system is the brain. The brain is the information center of your body. Some of the other organs in the nervous system are eyes, nerves, many glands, and the spinal cord. Your eyes bring in information. The nerves carry the information. These are some different organs in the nervous system The nervous system is a very complex system. The nervous system primarily works by nerves reacting with stimulants from a persons external and internal environments. The nerves are like a complex messaging system that carries information to and from the brain. The brain then registers this information and then it send a reaction back through the nerves to a body part. The brain could send information to a gland to release a chemical if your body needs it. The nerves use your 5 senses (touch, taste, hear, smell, and sight) to send messages to the brain. This is basically how the nervous system works. Diseases and cures or controls of the nervous system One disease you can get that affects the nervous system is a brain tumor. A brain tumor is a l ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Word Choice Exhort vs. Extort - Proofread My Paper

Word Choice Exhort vs. Extort - Proofread My Paper Word Choice: Exhort vs. Extort â€Å"Exhort† and â€Å"extort† are both verbs (i.e., action words) and similarly spelled, but neither is a word often used on a daily basis. This makes it easy to confuse them if you’re not careful. But these terms also have very different meanings, so using the wrong one in your written work would be unfortunate. To make sure this doesn’t happen, keep the following in mind. Exhort (Encourage or Urge) If you â€Å"exhort† someone to do something, you’re encouraging or urging them to follow a particular course of action. For instance, as proofreaders, we might say: Typos can look very bad to recruiters, so we exhort you to proofread your resume carefully! A passionate attempt to persuade someone in this way is known as an â€Å"exhortation.† Extort (Obtain via Force or Threats) To â€Å"extort† something is to obtain it via force, coercion, intimidation or threats. For example, we might say that a school bully â€Å"extorts† lunch money from the other children. Extortion is the slippery slope that leads from bullying to organized crime. The adjectival form of this word (i.e., used to describe actions or people that obtain something via force) is â€Å"extortive.† We’d use this term in a sentence like the following: The school bully’s extortive behavior meant she was given detention. The term â€Å"extort† is most commonly used in relation to â€Å"extortion,† which is the crime of using force or threats to extract money from a person or business. Thus, we might say that a gangster or corrupt official has â€Å"extorted† money from his or her victims. Exhort or Extort? As you can see, there’s a big difference between â€Å"exhorting† someone to do something, which implies offering advice, and â€Å"extorting† something, which implies threatening someone. Although extortion could involve exhorting someone to hand over their wallet, if you want to get technical. If you’re still not sure which term is which, it can help to think that â€Å"extortion† is â€Å"extracting† money from someone, and that both of these start with the letters â€Å"ext.† Remember: Exhort = Passionately advise or urge something Extort = Gain something using threats or intimidation

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Battle of Kwajalein in World War II

Battle of Kwajalein in World War II The Battle of Kwajalein occurred January 31 to February 3, 1944 in the Pacific Theater of World War II (1939-1945). Moving forward from victories in the Solomons and Gilbert Islands in 1943, Allied forces sought to penetrate the next ring of Japanese defenses in the central Pacific. Attacking into the Marshall Islands, the Allies occupied Majuro and then commenced operations against Kwajalein. Striking at both ends of the atoll, they succeeded in eliminating the Japanese opposition after brief but fierce battles. The triumph opened the way for the subsequent capture of Eniwetok and a campaign against the Marianas.   Background In the wake of the American victories at Tarawa and Makin in November 1943, Allied forces continued their island-hopping campaign by moving against Japanese positions in Marshall Islands. Part of the Eastern Mandates, the Marshalls were originally a German possession and were awarded to Japan after World War I. Considered part of the outer ring of Japanese territory, planners in Tokyo decided after the loss of the Solomons and New Guinea that the islands were expendable. With this in mind, what troops were available were shifted to the area to make the islands capture as costly as possible. Japanese Preparations Led by Rear Admiral Monzo Akiyama, Japanese forces in the Marshalls consisted of the 6th Base Force which initially numbered approximately 8,100 men and 110 aircraft. While a sizable force, Akiyamas strength was diluted by the need to spread his command over the entirety of the Marshalls. In addition, many of Akiyamas troops were labor/construction details or naval forces with little ground combat training. As a result, Akiyama could only muster around 4,000 effectives. Believing the assault would strike one of the outlying islands first, he positioned the bulk of his men on Jaluit, Mili, Maloelap, and Wotje. In November 1943, American airstrikes began whittling down Akiyamas air power, destroying 71 aircraft. These were partially replaced over the next several weeks by reinforcements flown in from Truk. On the Allied side, Admiral Chester Nimitz originally planned a series of assaults on the outer islands of the Marshalls, but upon learning of Japanese troop dispositions through ULTRA radio intercepts altered his approach. Rather than strike where Akiyamas defenses were strongest, Nimitz directed his forces to move against Kwajalein Atoll in the central Marshalls. Armies Commanders Allies Rear Admiral Richmond K. TurnerMajor General Holland M. Smithapprox. 42,000 men (2 divisions) Japanese Rear Admiral Monzo Akiyamaapprox. 8,100 men Allied Plans Designated Operation Flintlock, the Allied plan called for Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turners 5th Amphibious Force to deliver Major General Holland M. Smiths V Amphibious Corps to the atoll where Major General Harry Schmidts 4th Marine Division would assault the linked islands of Roi-Namur while Major General Charles Corletts 7th Infantry Division attacked Kwajalein Island. To prepare for the operation, Allied aircraft repeatedly struck Japanese airbases in the Marshalls through December. This saw B-24 Liberators stage through Baker Island to bomb a variety of strategic targets including the airfield on Mili. Subsequent strikes saw A-24 Banshees and B-25 Mitchells mount several raids across the Marshalls. Moving into position, US carriers began a concerted air offensive against Kwajalein on January 29, 1944. Two days later, US troops captured the small island of Majuro, 220 miles to the southeast, without a fight. This operation was conducted by the V Amphibious Corps Marine Reconnaissance Company and 2nd Battalion, 106th Infantry.    Coming Ashore That same day, members of the 7th Infantry Division landed on small islands, dubbed Carlos, Carter, Cecil, and Carlson, near Kwajalein to establish artillery positions for the assault on the island. The next day, the artillery, with additional fire from US warships, including USS Tennessee (BB-43), opened fire on Kwajalein Island. Pummeling the island, the bombardment allowed the 7th Infantry to land and easily overcome the Japanese resistance. The attack was also aided by the weak nature of the Japanese defenses which could not be built in depth due to the islands narrowness.   Fighting continued for four day with the Japanese mounting nightly counterattacks. On February 3, Kwajalein Island was declared secure. Roi-Namur At the north end of the atoll, elements of the 4th Marines followed a similar strategy and established fire bases on islands dubbed Ivan, Jacob, Albert, Allen, and Abraham. Attacking Roi-Namur on February 1, they succeeded in securing the airfield on Roi that day and eliminated Japanese resistance on Namur the next day. The largest single loss of life in the battle occurred when a Marine threw a satchel charge into a bunker containing torpedo warheads. The resulting blast killed 20 Marines and wounded several others. Aftermath The victory at Kwajalein broke a hole through the Japanese outer defenses and was a key step in the Allies island-hopping campaign. Allied losses in the battle numbered 372 killed and 1,592 wounded. Japanese casualties are estimated at 7,870 killed/wounded and 105 captured. In assessing the outcome at Kwajalein, Allied planners were pleased to find that the tactical changes made after the bloody assault on Tarawa had bore fruit and plans were made to attack Eniwetok Atoll on February 17. For the Japanese, the battle demonstrated that beachline defenses were too vulnerable to attack and that defense in-depth was necessary if they hoped to stop Allied assaults.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Individualized Education Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Individualized Education Program - Essay Example From the report it is clear that  the program depicts and portrays the aims and objectives along with the exceptional assistance that a child may need during the school curriculum. When a child necessitates with special care as he faces complexity and trouble in learning, implementing and executing task or activity, he is likely to fall under the category where a child needs IE program.As the discussion highlights  when the child’s unique and distinctive needs come under inimitable observation by the parents, teachers, school team and even the child himself, the productive and persuasive IE program is probable to develop that plays a great deal of assistance for the student to progress rapidly. The plan and the structure of the program entail deep awareness and understanding, practice and familiarity, and dedication from the declared people that will make the student engage, engross, improve and grow from the designed course of action. The goal setting come under preparati on as a foundation stone of IE program and has an aim to have targets that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time restricted.  The reflection and the picture that a person views, is created by the lens on the retina that gathers, assemble, concentrates, examine, consign and disseminate the light into the lens of the human eyes.  In other words, eyesight or the vision is one of the unique and beautiful gifts from God that a person has. The retina transforms the light that enters into the eyes of the humans into signals that travels to the brain via the optic nerve. When the signals do not reach up to the brains to communicate with the eye or a part of them come under damage, the person falls in the visual impairment disease. With the advancement of technologies, several medical treatments and surgeries come under performance to repair or bring back the vision of a person. The severe congenital visual impairment refers to the loss of eyesight that is present from birth; however, there can be various reasons that can cause this disease that may include inheritance or may have originated via some infection that the fetus catches during the mother’s pregnancy (Moore &  Graves & Patterson, 1997). The visual impairment transports few disabilities as well. Inadequate and narrow leaning skill or the incapability of learning from the surroundings is one of the side  effects and distinctive attribute that the children with visual impairment administer and experience. According to the studies, the evidence has come under the fact that much of the learning of students come under occurrence through their vision and the students who are disable with this gift gain knowledge through the signals of image (Roman-Lantzy, 2007). However, this impairment encompasses several complications to the children as an outcome of the injury. Students may have hindrance and interruptions in their growth and progress due to the reason that their brain may have had some injury. They may demonstrate signs of lacking in their concentrations to sight stimulus. These students when examine, search and seek for any material entity or things, their top priority changes to the sense of touch and feel over their sight. The consequence of the congenital visual impairment may have oscillation to the general health of the child, and may experience and may affect by the diseases

Friday, October 18, 2019

Electoral College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Electoral College - Essay Example This system of giving a voice to the smaller states was a system designed by the Founding Fathers at the beginning of America’s history, when only a few states stood in existence (Hardaway 76). Just like many decisions of the federal government today, the Electoral College system was built from a compromise that gave greater strength to the union. The attempt to disassemble the Electoral College system undermines the ability of the country to provide effective leadership to elected officials, which in turn would make the country weaker in the end. Although the United States is commonly described as a democracy, it is in fact not a pure popular democracy like Ancient Greece, in which each citizen was invited to make decisions in the legislature (Diamond 7). Rather, the Constitution of the United States strictly limits power between individual citizens and the federal government. The Electoral College is one such limitation placed on the power of the people, and it must be under stood properly within this historical (or Constitutional) context. Namely, while the United States is a democracy, the interests of the people are upheld by the representatives that take on that power. The electoral vote shares this power between the people and the government in a way that incorporates the interests of states, the people, and the federal government. With respect to the states, the Electoral College provides protection to the interests of smaller states, just as the Founding Fathers originally intended. At that time, the critical issue on everyone’s mind could not be avoided—namely, how the small and large states would share power in both the legislative and executive branches† (Hardaway 76). That is because the current system provides for the protection of all states’ rights. Remembering that the United States is a federation of states, and not one single state, each state is deserving of its own individual say in the election of the presi dent to preside over that union. A popular vote undermines the concept of a federal system of states, causing candidates to focus only on the most populous, urban areas of the country. â€Å"Elections are as freely and democratically contested as elections can be—but in the states†¦ Democracy thus is not the question regarding the electoral college; federalism is† (Gregg 7). There also appears to be a practical problem with changing the electoral vote system to a system of popular vote, which is its primary competitor. Fears surrounding the Electoral College deal with the possibility that the popular vote does not match the electoral vote. However, this is a nonexistent problem, considering â€Å"the fact that the electoral and popular vote winners have been the same in every presidential election conducted in the past 100 years† (Hardaway 11). In fact, because inconsistency between the two methods of measuring vote legitimacy is so rare in history, it seem s practically irrelevant to implement the changes need to switch to a popular vote. Changing the electoral system would require an Amendment to the Constitution, which also poses a practical problem for Congressmen. Members of the House and Senate from large states, like California and Texas, will be unlikely to surrender their power over smaller states in return for a system that

Internaional Business Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Internaional Business - Article Example Normally, it is the last stage of the distribution process. Understanding the customer perceptions will help retailers to know about the nuances of marketing. Every retailer has to primarily identify his target market and the needs and expectations of that market and subsequently try to meet those expectations with efficient service. This is what exactly Costco is doing. Promotional strategies that are adopted by a retailer include different forms of communication to attract customer to the retail outlet. For example, in the case of Costco, the 'buy-in' strategy that the company adopted is a promotional strategy. The company bought as much inventory as possible after Procter and Gamble announced a price hike of 6%. This would help the company to hold stock for the future when other players would buy the same stock at a higher price. The face of the retailing industry has undergone significant global changes over the past two decades. Retailing has always focused on offering the best quality products to customers. Every retailer wants to offer the customers the right products at the right time at the right place and at the right price. Pricing the products and services might be a routine hob for most producers and retailers, but it involves a thorough and a deep understanding of the principles and practices governing the business environment. Adopting the right pricing strategy helps a company achieve its objective. To sustain and achieve its objectives in the competitive market, a company should adopt the most effective pricing mechanism. Thus, pricing is very important to a marketer. Before adopting a pricing strategy, certain factors like the demand for the product or service in the market, customers' perception, the sustainable margin, the image of the company in the market etc. Pricing is a very important aspect of the firms' existence and hence, firms must develop proper pricing strategies and convert them into effective competitive advantages. Pricing is the biggest challenge that marketers face, and quite often, they may feel that they have not set the right price. This may be due to several reasons. One of the most important is that prices are dependent on market factors. The sales of a product have an impact on the pricing mechanism. However, the sales of a product can increase because it has been priced too low and not because it has been priced right. Setting the right price can have a substantial impact on the profits of the firm. Costco is using the market penetration pricing strategy to attract customers. It is only a few products that can be called truly innovative products. Such products come into the market infrequently. Most of the times products introduced are copies of existing products with slight modifications. /firms try new approaches to attract customers who have many similar products to choose from. They employ sales promotions, membership cards, sponsorships, etc. to attract customers. Costco admits that more than half of its revenue is form membership fees. Firms resort to price cuts, and offer products below their competitors' prices to take away a large number of customers form their competitors. This is the strategy that Costco has adopted. The expectation in offering products at low prices is that one customers use the product, they will develop an interest in the product

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Knowledge Management - managing knowledge Essay

Knowledge Management - managing knowledge - Essay Example According to Dimitris Karagiannis (2005), knowledge is a combination of many factors which together makes up strategies that helps in making decisions. It includes aspects of understanding of the organization and its people and the experience with the organization or others in the same line. It includes organized information from documents and other artefacts in the organization or outside. It is a difficult task to organize knowledge and get the best value from it. There must be highly organized initiative in the aspects of organization itself, its people and the enabling environment. According to Sanchez Ron (2001), knowledge management is a technology by itself which helps in assessing the actual and potential contribution to the process of creating and sharing of new ideas and decisions in an organization. It is good to understand that knowledge management is more of a process than a product. It represents a process in which ideas and facts are gathered, carefully analyzed and considered before arriving at any strategy. It forms the bases for effective planning and understanding of a strategy. It provides a way in which unstructured data is processed to become a more useful data that can form basis of strategizing for the benefit of the organization. The process consists of some components that are important and cannot be ignored. It requires consulted effort or collaboration from all quarters of the organization. It is important for all to contribute to the process in order to have diverse knowledge about a subject matter. In requires the aspect of content ma nagement and taxonomy management. Hence any effective organizational management must put into practice the knowledge management process in order to have effective strategies that work for the organization. According to Chun Choo and Nick Bontis, (2007), there are two broadly recognized approaches or technologies to management that are currently practiced in many companies and which are being advocated by many consultant firms. Sound management strategies require an extremely creating synthesis of the two approaches as each helps to offset the limitations of the other. The two approaches that are being advocated in company strategy are tacit and explicit forms of knowledge are being used in organizational management. The two approaches are merely forms of organized knowledge that can be applied in management. They are knowledge approaches which are fundamental in making decision. In the process of codification or articulation, tacit knowledge can be transformed to explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge approach in strategies As the name suggest, this is the knowledge that cannot be easily shared with other people. It is the knowledge that is possessed inside and which is difficult to communicate to the organization unless through an enhanced process of knowledge management. This is the kind of knowledge that people carry in their minds. It is a form of knowledge that is difficult to access unless one is willing to contribute it to the organizatio

Business Ethics Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Ethics Position Paper - Essay Example The first issue is regarding the working hours of employees in our supply chains. The study indicates that three of our supply chains allow their employees to work for more than 60 hours a week, thus allowing the employees not to utilize their day off. However, I would like to point out here that this is in blatant violation of the Supplier Requirements of the company. The Supplier Requirements point out that the maximum number of hours that can be allowed for an employee in a week is 40 hours (Article 25, Supplier Requirements). Yet another serious issue observed in the assessment was the compulsory overtime enforced by our suppliers. I would like to mention here that this is against the human right policies followed by the company in its entire operation. In addition, it is pointed out in the Supplier Requirements that all kinds of overtime should be strictly voluntary (Article 33, Supplier Requirements). The company has decided to take strict corrective steps in this regard. As yo u rightly know, Motorola is committed to the principles of the United Nations Global Compact in its labor issues. So, the company always upholds the principle that businesses should uphold the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor (Motorola Corporate Responsibility Report 2011). Seeing these violations despite the company’s best efforts to ensure human rights in its entire operations is highly disappointing. ... OTOVOICE’ and it will provide the employees of the supplier chains a chance to raise their concerns and grievances in the workplace keeping anonymity. Most important of all, all the supply chains are required to take corrective measure within 2 months from hereof and duly inform the company. An additional inspection will be conducted by the company on receipt of this intimation. I would like to inform here that failure to meet this deadline would lead to the cancellation of the contract with the respective suppliers. I’m sure that you will take necessary steps in this regard to uphold the values and working culture of Motorola. Expecting your continuing cooperation, To : All the supply chain employee unions of Motorola From : (Name) Date : March 15, 2011 Re : The work environment in supplier chains – STR-CSCC assessment 2011 I am profoundly happy to see your support and cooperation in the company operations making the company a huge success in its operations. How ever, we are seriously saddened to see that some of our employees are denied the basic human rights as evident from the findings by the Specialized Technology Resources (STR) Cal-Safety Compliance (CSCC) in its 2011 assessment in our major supply chains. The issues found in the STR-CC assessment were as follows. The first issue is regarding the working hours of employees in our supply chains. The study indicates that three of our supply chains allow their employees to work for more than 60 hours a week, thus forcing the employees not to utilize their day off, in blatant violation of the Supplier Requirements of the company. The Supplier Requirements point out that the maximum number of hours that can be allowed for an employee in a week is 40 hours (Article 25, Supplier Requirements). Yet another serious

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Strategic Planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategic Planning - Assignment Example It is based on this knowledge that a health care organization may decide on the best approach to use, in competing with their competitors. Another type of competitor identified by Moseley are potential competitors. These are companies that are operating in other industries, but they are showing a high likelihood of wanting to invest in the health care industry. These are always referred to as new entrants (Zuckerman, 2012). It is important to explain that investing in the health care industry is a very costly process, and on this basis, new entrants are normally business organizations that have the capability of raising the necessary capital. Furthermore, it is important to explain that new entrants could be firms operating the same line of business, but operating in a different geographical location (Harrison, 2010). Other possible new entrants include organizations that offer related services, suppliers who are interested in integrating forward in the chain, with the intention of forming a hospital organization, organizations that seek to diversify their portfolios, because of increased competition, etc. Another type of competitors is indirect competitors. These are health care institutions that offer substitute products. It is important to explain that this is competition, because these organizations have the capability of satisfying the customers of a health organization, in a similar manner, as the organization under consideration (Stahl, 2004). In gathering data, concerning the threats that direct competitors pose, there is a need of carrying out market research, through surveys, and observations. Surveys would enable the health care organization to collect data, based on the quality of service it offers, in comparison to the quality of service offered by its competitors. This type of information is very important because it

Business Ethics Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Ethics Position Paper - Essay Example The first issue is regarding the working hours of employees in our supply chains. The study indicates that three of our supply chains allow their employees to work for more than 60 hours a week, thus allowing the employees not to utilize their day off. However, I would like to point out here that this is in blatant violation of the Supplier Requirements of the company. The Supplier Requirements point out that the maximum number of hours that can be allowed for an employee in a week is 40 hours (Article 25, Supplier Requirements). Yet another serious issue observed in the assessment was the compulsory overtime enforced by our suppliers. I would like to mention here that this is against the human right policies followed by the company in its entire operation. In addition, it is pointed out in the Supplier Requirements that all kinds of overtime should be strictly voluntary (Article 33, Supplier Requirements). The company has decided to take strict corrective steps in this regard. As yo u rightly know, Motorola is committed to the principles of the United Nations Global Compact in its labor issues. So, the company always upholds the principle that businesses should uphold the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor (Motorola Corporate Responsibility Report 2011). Seeing these violations despite the company’s best efforts to ensure human rights in its entire operations is highly disappointing. ... OTOVOICE’ and it will provide the employees of the supplier chains a chance to raise their concerns and grievances in the workplace keeping anonymity. Most important of all, all the supply chains are required to take corrective measure within 2 months from hereof and duly inform the company. An additional inspection will be conducted by the company on receipt of this intimation. I would like to inform here that failure to meet this deadline would lead to the cancellation of the contract with the respective suppliers. I’m sure that you will take necessary steps in this regard to uphold the values and working culture of Motorola. Expecting your continuing cooperation, To : All the supply chain employee unions of Motorola From : (Name) Date : March 15, 2011 Re : The work environment in supplier chains – STR-CSCC assessment 2011 I am profoundly happy to see your support and cooperation in the company operations making the company a huge success in its operations. How ever, we are seriously saddened to see that some of our employees are denied the basic human rights as evident from the findings by the Specialized Technology Resources (STR) Cal-Safety Compliance (CSCC) in its 2011 assessment in our major supply chains. The issues found in the STR-CC assessment were as follows. The first issue is regarding the working hours of employees in our supply chains. The study indicates that three of our supply chains allow their employees to work for more than 60 hours a week, thus forcing the employees not to utilize their day off, in blatant violation of the Supplier Requirements of the company. The Supplier Requirements point out that the maximum number of hours that can be allowed for an employee in a week is 40 hours (Article 25, Supplier Requirements). Yet another serious

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

History of Vehicles Essay Example for Free

History of Vehicles Essay Vehicles had provided humans a means of transportation and vehicles had been a great help in building early civilizations such as of Mesopotamia with its chariots, Egypt with its reed boats, and China with its wheelbarrow. The old had been improved; the new had been invented; and the future had been conceptualized. These had been the cycle of vehicles through the change of time. Looking ahead†¦ The Wheel and the Ship (3500 BC) The oldest wheel discovered was in Mesopotamia and is believed to be over fifty-five hundred years old. Rock drawings of ships were found in Egypt and are believed to have been drawn around 6000 BC. These thus proved that wheel and ships are known by man at that very early time and were used as a part of their trading and technology. Wheels are taught to had been conceptualized when â€Å"humans realized that heavy objects could be moved easier if something round, for example a fallen tree log, was placed under it and the object rolled over it† (Bellis, â€Å"The Invention of the Wheel†). First boats then were usually built of wood while animal skins, clay pots, and reeds had served as an alternative. The Wheelbarrow (181 234 AD) The wheelbarrow is believed to have originated from China and was invented by a general named Chuko Liang to transport supplies to injured soldiers. It is believed that â€Å"wheelbarrows do not exist in Europe before the 11th or 12th century (the earliest known Western depiction is in a window at Chartres Cathedral, dated around 1220 AD). Descriptions of the wheelbarrow in China refer to first century BC, and the oldest surviving picture, a frieze relief from a tomb-shrine in Szechuan province, dates from about 118 AD† (â€Å"Wheelbarrow†). The Early Triumphs to Fly (400 BC-1850s) Kite flying started by the Chinese had been the pioneer of man on how he could fly. Different thoughts as to how man could meet this objective had undergone. These included the experiment to imitate a bird by attaching feathers or light weight wood to arms which had been proven disastrous since human arms’ muscles are not like of birds and cannot move with a strength like of a bird. Other experiments though were not originally intended so as man could fly included the work of Hero of Alexandria on Aeolipile. â€Å"Hero mounted a sphere on top of a water kettle. A fire below the kettle turned the water into steam, and the gas traveled through pipes to the sphere. Two L-shaped tubes on opposite sides of the sphere allowed the gas to escape, which gave a thrust to the sphere that caused it to rotate. Aeolipile must be included in the history of vehicles because it gave the principle for engine created movement† (Bellis, â€Å"Early history of Flight†). In the 1480s, with over 100 drawings that illustrated theories on bird and mechanical flight, Leonardo da Vinci had also entered this search to man’s mean to fly (Bellis, Early history of Flight). Leonardo’s Ornithopter concept had been the basis to the invention of the modern day helicopter. In 1783, Jacques Etienne and Joseph Michel Montgolfier invented the first hot air balloon (â€Å"How Did We Learn to Fly Like the Birds? †). Using the smoke from a fire to blow hot air into a silk bag that was attached to a basket, they had been able to fly aboard the hot air balloons’ first passengers, a sheep, a rooster, and a duck. On November 21, 1783, the first ever successful manned flight took place sending Francois Laurent and Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier up in the air (Bellis, Early history of Flight). Further studies then went on. In the 1850’s, George Cayley, the considered founder of Aerodynamics, had made his contribution through his gliders wherein a young boy had been the first to fly. The Submarine (1578 – 1620) Designs for underwater boats or submarines date back to the 1500s and ideas for underwater travel date back even further but only in the year 1578 did appear a record of a craft for underwater navigation. â€Å"William Bourne, a former Royal Navy gunner, designed a completely enclosed boat that could be submerged and rowed beneath the surface (Bellis, â€Å"History of the Submarine 2†). Bourne’s idea had never been implemented but a similar apparatus was launched in 1605 (Bellis, History of the Submarine 2). The apparatus didn’t get farther as its designers did not considered the tenacity of underwater mud which caused the craft to stick in the river bottom in its first underwater trial. But in the year 1620, Cornelius Van Drebbel had invented the first â€Å"practical† submarine which was a rowboat covered with greased leather (Bellis, History of the Submarine 2). His submarine had successfully maneuvered at depths of 12 to 15 ft. below the surface of Thames River. He had then further made revisions of his first submarine and legends says that after repeated tests, King James I of England rode to one of his later models (â€Å"The Saga of the Submarine†). Despite success, Drebbel’s invention did not quickly amaze the British Navy that made submarine warfare infeasible during that time. Steam Powered Automobiles (1600 1700) Steam power had been known for the past centuries but it was only in the 1600’s where it had been in practical use. â€Å"Ferdinand Verbiest created a model steam carriage in 1678, that moved by using a principle that is used in the modern day turbine. In the 17th century the Dutch physicist, Christiaan Huygens built an engine that uses air pressure. About 1750, the French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson gave a demonstration of a carriage propelled by a large clockwork engine. The steam engine had then developed the motorized land transport by the 1760s† (Brainard). The first built automobile is attributed to Nicolas Joseph Cugnot in the year 1769. He made his three wheeled steam driven tractor intending to help the French army to move its heavy artillery pieces in and around Paris (Brainard). His being the first had made also his automobile to be also the first to be involved in an automobile accident in 1771. Steamboat (1783 1787) After a century of steam power exploration used in automobiles, development of steam powered boats then took place. In 1783, the first practical steamboat was demonstrated by Marquis Claude Francois de Jouffroy d’Abbans – a paddle wheel steamboat. â€Å"The era of the steamboat then began in America in 1787 when John Fitch (1743-1798) made the first successful trial of a forty-five-foot steamboat on the Delaware River on August 22, 1787, in the presence of members of the Constitutional Convention. Fitch later built a larger vessel that carried passengers and freight between Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey. † (Bellis, â€Å"History of Steamboats†). Modern Bicycles (1790) The next notable improvement in the history of vehicles is the invention of modern day bicycles which is disputed on whether the invention of Pierre and Ernest Michaux were the first ever built or not. â€Å"Some history books states that Pierre and Ernest Michaux, the French father and son team of carriage-makers, invented the first bicycle during the 1860s. Historians now disagree and there is supporting evidence that the bicycle is already known before. However, historians all agree that Pierre and Ernest Michaux invent the modern bicycle pedal and cranks in 1861. † (Bellis, â€Å"Bicycle History†, â€Å"Bicycle History in Debate†). Steam Powered Locomotives (1801) Locomotives were designed first by Richard Trevithick but not originally for railroad tracks but for roads while George Stephenson is regarded as the inventor of the first steam locomotive engine for railroads. â€Å"Richard Trevithicks invention is considered the first tramway locomotive, however, it was designed for a road, not for a railroad. † (Bellis, â€Å"Richard Trevithick†). The Motorcycles (1867) The mechanical version of the bicycles had been born with the invention of motorcycles in 1867. â€Å"American, Sylvester Howard Roper (1823-1896) invented a two-cylinder, steam-engine motorcycle (powered by coal) in 1867. This can be considered the first motorcycle, if you allow your description of a motorcycle to include a steam engine. † (Bellis, â€Å"Motorcycle†).