Dog Fighting Essay Example for Free

Dog Fighting Essay Fights between two or more animals have always been popular spectacles. Dog fighting is one of the most in-humane types of animal cruelty out there today; unfortunately pit bulls have been caught in the wrath of it all. Dog fighting is an animal abuse issue. Pit Bulls happen to be the breed most used in dog fights. But if Pit Bulls did not exist, dog fighting would still take place. There is no quenching the blood lust of human ‘kind’. Brutality against animals in the form of staged matches or fights between animals or even between man and animal is an activity almost as old as man himself – it was in existence long before the Pit Bull. History The original, old-time bulldog was used for all manner of stock-related work, particularly as a catch dog: used by the butcher to manage unruly bulls, and by the hunter for help in catching and holding wild boar and other game. The sport of bull baiting became popular in England, having arisen from these functional jobs that the bulldog performed for humans. The modern bulldog breeds descended from these dogs and those re-created through breeding programs include: alapaha blue blood bulldog, American bulldog, aussie bulldog, banter bulldogge, English Bulldog, French bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge, Olde Boston Bulldogge, and Victorian Bulldog. All of these breeds have kept close to the original type and traits of the ancient bulldogs, even when adapting to their local living conditions (Luca, 2010). Pit Bulls are descendants of the original English bull-baiting dog—a dog that was bred to bite and hold bulls, bears and other large animals around the face and head. Bulldogs were bred to hang on without releasing their grip, until the animal was exhausted from fighting and from loss of blood. When baiting large animals was banned in the 1800s, people then started to fight their dogs against each other instead (ASPCA, 2013). Treatment. With fighting Pit Bulls, they are raised in an environment that reinforces and maintains fighting behavior. All fighting dogs are conditioned from a very early age to develop what dog-fighters refer to as â€Å"gameness. † The scope and method of training varies dramatically depending on the level and experience of the dog-fighter. Dogs are run on the treadmills to increase cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Dogs are put on a manmade machine is called a cat mill or jenny also. Jenny: Apparatus that looks like a carnival horse walker with several beams jetting out from a central rotating pole. The dogs are chained to one beam and another small animal like a cat, small dog, or rabbit, is harnessed to or hung from another beam. The dogs run in circles, chasing the bait. Once the exercise sessions are over, the dogs are usually rewarded with the bait they had been pursuing (Gibson, 2005). People that so called train pit pulls for fighting will also have a spring hanging down from a pole to which a rope, tire, or animal hide is affixed that the dogs jump to and dangle from for extended periods of time. This strengthens the jaw muscles and back legs. The same effect is achieved with a simpler spring loaded apparatus hanging from tree limbs. A variation of the spring pole is a hanging cage, into which bait animals are placed. The dogs repeatedly lunge up toward the cage (Gibson, 2005). Granted these people think they are real dog trainers, they will take care of the dog’s health to a certain extent. Dogs are given vitamins, supplements and drugs to condition them for or to incite them to fight. Commonly utilized vitamins, supplements, and drugs include: iron/liver extract; vitamin B-12; Magnum supplement; hormones; weight-gain supplements; speed; steroids and cocaine. The dogs are trained against one another and against older, more experienced dogs. In the early stages of training, the dogs are incited to lunge at each other without touching and engage in quick, controlled fights called â€Å"rolls† or â€Å"bumps. † Once the dogs appear match ready, they are pitted against stronger dogs to test their â€Å"gameness† or tenacity in the face of exhaustion and impending defeat. If the dogs pass the test, they are deemed ready to fight. Types of Dog Fights All across the country, humans abuse dogs in heinous ways. From nonchalant, impromptu ‘street fights’ to the large-scale organized matches held on a regular schedule at set locations, dog fighting still occurs every day. Most law enforcement experts divide dog fight activity into three categories: street fighting, hobbyist fighting and professional activity. Street fighters engage in dog fights that are informal street corner, back alley and playground activities. Stripped of the rules and formality of the traditional pit fight, these are spontaneous events triggered by insults, turf invasions or the simple taunt, My dog can kill yours. Street fights are often associated with gang activities. The fights may be conducted with money, drugs or bragging rights as the primary payoff. There is often no attempt to care for animals injured in the fight (ASPCA, 2013). Some of the dogs are thrown out the car on the side of the road, left to die. Worst case scenario the dogs are killed immediately with a close range shot from a gun to the head. Hobbyist fighters are more organized, with one or more dogs participating in several organized fights a year as a sideline for both entertainment and to attempt to supplement income. They pay more attention to care and breeding of their dogs and are more likely to travel across state lines for event (ASPCA, 2013). Last but not least Professional fighters. Who would even label themselves as a Professional dog figh ter? People do; Professional dogfighters often have large numbers of animals (as many as 50 or more) and earn money from breeding, selling and fighting dogs at a central location and on the road. They often pay particular attention to promoting established winning bloodlines and to long-term conditioning of animals. (ASPCA, 2013) Punishment and Prevention Dog fighting, despite its felony status in all 50 states, is still a grave concern to animal advocates. Although the Michael Vick dogfighting case, and his recent release from home detention, have focused the national spotlight on dogfighting cruelties, dogfighting has long been a thriving underground industry across the country in both urban and rural areas (society, 2011). Those who make dog fighting a pit bull issue do the dogs a grave disservice. A new bill in the Senate would outlaw spectators’ willful attendance at organized animal fights and impose penalties for bringing a minor to an animal fight. This bill has bipartisan support (society, 2011). The Federal Animal Welfare Act prohibits the interstate transportation of dogs for fighting purposes. A pending federal bill, S. 382, would create the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2005. The Act would amend the United States Code, making it a crime for any person to knowingly sponsor or exhibit an animal in an animal fighting venture if any animal in the venture was moved in interstate or foreign commerce. Additionally, it would be unlawful for any person to knowingly sell, buy, transport, or deliver, or receive for purposes of transportation, in interstate or foreign commerce, any dog or other animal for purposes of having the dog or other animal participate in an animal fighting venture. Finally, it would be a crime for any person to knowingly use the mail service of the United States Postal Service or any instrumentality of interstate commerce for commercial speech promoting an animal fighting venture except as performed outside the limits of the states of the United States. Penalties for violations of the Act would include a fine, up to two years imprisonment, or both. The Act would repeal any conflicting provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (Gibson, 2005). If a person see’s or suspect dog fighting they should not hesitate to report the owner to the authority. Conclusion These dogs are VICTIMS in every sense of the word. Exploited, abused, and tortured for human gain, Pit Bulls are innocent beings caught up in a tragic societal issue. The American pit bull has two powerful enemies: the humane groups working for his extinction, and the modern dog fighter who are producing dogs of dubious genetics and characteristics while keeping them in negative headlines. Dogfighting is tremendously widespread and has reached epidemic levels in America’s urban communities. The devastating impact of social, economic and racial injustice in these communities that are exposed to such cruelty to animals. Are just the tip of the ice berg? America’s finest legal minds, political activists and social advocates have painstakingly dissected the culture of poverty in an attempt to understand the disproportionately high rates of crime, drug use, and social deviance in inner-city communities (Gibson, 2005).

University and Research Essay Example for Free

University and Research Essay Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Having spent 40 years in universities, I have had sufficient time to consider some of the idiosyncrasies, foibles and problems of these academic institutions. The purpose of this editorial is to discuss the current state of university research and explain why I find some aspects of the current situation disturbing. Changes that started during the second half of the 20th century and that have continued into the 21st threaten to bring about fundamental changes in the nature of universities. Some of the changes are commendable, for example, the large expansion in the proportion of the population attending universities, at least in the richer nations. Other trends are disturbing, especially the increasing tendency of governments and industry to view universities as engines for short-term economic gain. While universities certainly cannot ignore the context in which they function and the needs of society, responding purely to short-term economic considerations threatens to subvert the very nature of universities and some of the benefits they provide to society. So what exactly is a university and what is its purpose? I much prefer the Oxford English Dictionary definition of the word â€Å"university† to some of the more utilitarian definitions in other dictionaries. The Oxford definition reads, in part, â€Å"whole body of teachers and scholars engaged in the higher branches of learning. † Thus, it is the community of faculty and students that is the essence of a university. The higher branches of learning in which teachers and scholars engage have 2 important products: the educated minds that are essential for the well-being of society, and new knowledge and ideas. Some of that new knowledge will enrich society by producing economic growth, directly or indirectly, but the benefits of new knowledge go far beyond economic gain. Universities have always been subjected to outside influences. The oldest European university, the University of Bologna, has existed at least since the 1080s. Some time before 1222, about 1000 students left Bologna and founded a new university in Padua because of â€Å"the grievous offence that was brought to bear on their academic liberties and the failure to acknowledge the privileges solemnly granted to teachers and students. †1 The outside interference came from the Roman Catholic Church, and, for several centuries, Padua was home to the only university in Europe where non-Catholics could get a university education. Both Bologna and Padua were student-controlled universities with students electing the professors and fixing their salaries. However, in spite of marked differences, there are similarities between what happened then and what is happening today, with important outside influences — then the dogma of religion, now the dogma of business — threatening to change the activities of the community of teachers and scholars. The seeds of what is happening now were sown in the years following World War II. Before the war the most important influence on a faculty member was probably the departmental chair, who in those days had power to influence in an important way what went on in the department. Nonetheless, a faculty member would have had access to departmental resources and would not necessarily have required outside research funding (although such funding was sometimes available from private foundations). The mechanism of funding research, and the amount of money available for research, changed greatly in the postwar years. In 1945, Vannevar Bushs landmark report to President Harry Truman, Science the Endless Frontier,2 had an important influence on university research. In this report, Bush stated, â€Å"The publicly and privately supported colleges, universities, and research institutes are the centers of basic research. They are the wellsprings of knowledge and understanding. As long as they are vigorous and healthy and their scientists are free to pursue the truth wherever it may lead, there will be a flow of new scientific knowledge to those who can apply it to practical problems in Government, in industry, or elsewhere. † Bush supported the idea that the US government should provide strong financial support for university research, but also supported the idea that the individual investigator should be the main determinant of the topics for investigation, with statements such as â€Å"Scientific progress on a broad front results from the free play of free intellects, working on subjects of their own choice, in the manner dictated by their curiosity for exploration of the unknown. †2 In the latter half of the last century, many countries adopted the model of granting councils, which used a system based on peer review to distribute money for investigator-initiated research. This model has been a great success, but it has also contributed to important changes in universities. Much more money has been available to support medical research, basic science research and engineering research than has been available for the social sciences or arts. Thus, decisions about support for different disciplines devolved from the universities to governments, who decided on the budgets of their various grant-giving bodies. Also, individual researchers who were successful in obtaining grants no longer depended as much on departmental facilities. In my opinion, this not only weakened the power of departmental chairs but also decreased collegiality within departments. With increased enrolments, as a university education became accessible to a greater proportion of the population, and an increased need for infrastructure for the larger student population and for complex research equipment, administrators became more concerned about sources of funding and consequently more detached from the faculty. There is always a tendency for senior academic administrators to speak and behave as though they were the university (when of course they are there to serve the community of teachers and scholars). This is of course a normal human trait, no different from the tendency of politicians to forget that they are elected to serve the people. However, this increasing detachment of senior university administrators from the faculty has facilitated the erosion of collegiality within departments and universities. The individual personalities of university faculty probably also facilitated this change. I learned recently, when looking at the literature on personality, that an inverse correlation between intelligence and conscientiousness has been demonstrated in a number of studies (see, for example, Moutafi et al3). Thus, it might be more than just my paranoia leading me to believe that the small proportion of university faculty who lack conscientiousness and collegiality is larger than in some other walks of life. The erosion of collegiality is not a matter of great significance, except that it probably played a role in making researchers more open to the efforts of governments to transform them into entrepreneurs. The most recent and possibly the most important change in university research resulted from the push by governments to commercialize the results of such research. In the United States, the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 encouraged universities to license to private industry discoveries made with federal funds. 4 The push by governments for commercialization of new knowledge grew during the 1980s and 1990s and continues to have an important influence on universities. Recently, Lord Sainsbury, the science and innovation minister in the United Kingdom, boasted that there had been a cultural change in universities there, which has resulted in a substantial increase in university spin-offs. 5 In 2002 the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada entered an agreement with the government to double the amount of research performed by these institutions and to triple their commercialization performance by 2010. 6 Although this agreement was reached in the absence of any broad consultation with the faculty who are supposed to commercialize their work, the universities seem to be well on track to achieve this objective, with a 126% increase in revenues from licence royalties between 1999 and 2001. 7Most major universities now have a technology transfer office, and at many universities success in commercialization is taken into account when faculty are considered for tenure. Will there come a time when success in commercialization carries the same weight as (or more weight than) teaching and research in the awarding of tenure? The end result of all the changes discussed above is that individual faculty members have become much more like entrepreneurs whose main allegiance is to the maintenance or growth of their own research programs and not infrequently to the commercialization of their research. The researcher exploring Vannevar Bushs â€Å"endless frontier† could be considered the modern equivalent of the homesteader taming the seemingly endless frontier of the 19th century American West. 8 This is not necessarily detrimental if a new generation of university research entrepreneurs provides the new knowledge that will benefit patients and society. However, the change in culture that made university faculty more like entrepreneurs also made them more open to the desire of governments to make them entrepreneurs in the economic sense. Although the nature of universities has been changing, there was no threat to the fundamental nature of universities until the drive for commercialization began. A recent report of the Canadian Association of University Teachers9 states that university administrators have been â€Å"building increasingly hierarchical management structures† that â€Å"place the future of academic medicine in danger. † The reports main concern is that â€Å"incentives to create commercializable products push economic concerns, rather than scientific and ethical considerations, to the forefront. †9In the fields of biologic psychiatry and behavioural neuroscience the emphasis on  commercial applications has already, to some extent, moved research priorities away from an emphasis on mental well-being to an emphasis on commercial products. There are many examples of this shift. For example, more research is being carried out on antidepressant drugs than on psychotherapy, even though in mild to moderate depression (the majority of cases) drugs and psychotherapy are approximately equal in efficacy. There is increasing evidence for the efficacy of exercise10,11 and fish oils12,13 in the treatment and prevention of depression. However, these strategies receive much less attention than antidepressant drugs. Even an established antidepressant treatment such as S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe)14 receives little attention. Searching the abstracts of the 2004 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, I found 179 with the key word â€Å"antidepressant† and only 4 with the key word â€Å"S-adenosylmethionine,† and none of those 4 was concerned with the antidepressant action of SAMe. SAMe is a major methyl donor and seems to work in a fundamentally different way from any product being investigated by drug companies. Surely we could expect that an antidepressant acting through a different mechanism would be a popular topic of investigation. However, SAMe is a natural product and not of commercial interest. Similarly, insights into what exercise or fish oils do to the brain may provide important insights into the pathophysiology of depression and its treatment, but these subjects receive little attention. Many basic science researchers investigating the mechanisms of antidepressants produced by drug companies do not receive funding from those companies. However, enough are lured by drug company research funds into working on topics of interest to the companies to significantly influence what are fashionable topics of research. Laboratories with funding from industry can often afford more trainees, who may then adopt a more industry-centred approach in their own research. While the availability of funds from industry has certainly influenced research, the pressure on university faculty to commercialize the results of their research will undoubtedly cause even greater distortion in the areas of research that are most popular. Granting agencies have increasingly tried to foster research in neglected areas by allocating funds to specific areas of research and requesting applications in those areas. Although this approach is certainly necessary, it has not done much to alter the effects of drug company money on research output. Also, in some ways it moves research even further away from the ideal in Vannevar Bushs report that â€Å"Scientific progress on a broad front results from the free play of free intellects, working on subjects of their own choice, in the manner dictated by their curiosity for exploration of the unknown. †2 This model was notably successful in the last half of the 20th century, but it may not survive the pressure to commercialize. While there is still much scope for curiosity-driven research, the curiosity of researchers is likely to be aligned increasingly with the interests of drug companies. As mentioned above, a cultural change has accompanied the increasing commercialization of university research. The pressure to commercialize has been critiqued in some quarters, but many university faculty have nonetheless embraced commercialization, or at least remained unconcerned about it. Are we far from a time when a researcher without a patent that is being commercialized will be regarded in the same way as those who do not publish regularly in the top journals? And how long will it be before governments make commercialization a mandate of granting councils and a requirement for the majority of grants? A fascination with the workings of the brain and how it can malfunction in mental illness is the usual motivator for researchers in neuroscience and psychiatry research. As a result, curiosity-driven research will always tend to serve the best interests of patients. Although research driven by commercial interests will certainly benefit psychiatric patients in some ways, it cannot serve their overall needs, as it is much too narrowly focused. The designation of funds by granting agencies for specific neglected topics will help but is unlikely to produce any large changes in the direction of research. Thus, the biggest losers from the pressure to commercialize will be psychiatric patients. In addition I am concerned whether students who are trained to focus on the short-term commercial implications of their research will be able to maintain the breadth of vision that is a characteristic of the majority of creative researchers. Changes due to pressure from governments to commercialize are not limited to researchers. The increased emphasis on commercialization in universities has in some ways distorted the perceptions of senior university administrators about the purpose of the institutions. For example, there seems to be a lack of concern about some of the sources of funds that universities receive. Universities now hold patents on many life-saving drugs. These patents sometimes limit access to the drugs, particularly in low-income countries. 15 In Canada, one-quarter of the faculties of medicine receive funding from the tobacco industry. 16 Perhaps a suitable future definition of a university will be a â€Å"whole body of teachers and scholars engaged in turning ideas into profit. † In 13th century Italy the response to interference by the Roman Catholic Church in the work of scholars was a move to another location to escape the interference. In the 21st century that option is not available even to the minority who are concerned about the drive to commercialize. However, the picture is not entirely bleak. Charitable foundations will remain immune to commercial interests. In addition, even though charitable foundations will probably remain relatively small players in the funding of research, there are promising signs. For example, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, created in 2000, has an endowment of about US$27 billion and is striving to use its money for the benefit of humankind in areas neglected by governments. This foundation is not involved in psychiatric research, but its focus on preventive approaches may help to direct interest to that important area. Research on prevention in psychiatry is still in its infancy and will certainly remain that way if short-term commercial considerations stay paramount. However, charitable foundations cannot be expected to have any large effect on the change in university culture brought about by the drive to commercialize. Although I would like to be able to end this editorial on a more hopeful note, I am concerned about these cultural changes, and I do not see any solution. Still, one lesson from history is that the communities of teachers and scholars making up universities have adapted to many changes over the centuries without changing the fundamental nature of universities, and they will surely continue to do so. I am just not sure how. Go to: - Footnotes Competing interests: None declared. Correspondence to: Dr. Simon N. Young, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033 Pine Ave. W, Montreal QC H3A 1A1; fax 514 398-4370; simon. [emailprotected] ca Go to: - References 1. History. Padua (Italy): Universita Degli Studi di Padova. Available:www. unipd. it/en/university/history. htm (accessed 2004 Dec 13). 2. Bush V. Science the endless frontier. A report to the President by Vannevar Bush, Director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, July 1945. Washington: US Government Printing Office; 1945. Available: www. nsf. gov/od/lpa/nsf50/vbush1945. htm (accessed 2004 Dec 13). 3. Moutafi J, Furnham A, Paltiel L. Why is conscientiousness negatively correlated with intelligence? Pers Individ Differ 2004;37:1013-22. 4. Thursby JG, Thursby MC. Intellectual property. University licensing and the Bayh-Dole Act. Science2003;301:1052. [PubMed] 5. Sainsbury L. A cultural change in UK universities [editorial]. Science2002;296:1929. [PubMed] 6. Allan Rock welcomes framework on federally funded university research [press release]. Toronto: Industry Canada; 2002 Nov 19 [modified 2003 Jun 16]. Available:www. ic. gc. ca/cmb/welcomeic. nsf/558d636590992942852564880052155b/85256a220056c2a485256c76004c7d44 (accessed 2004 Dec 13). 7. Berkowitz P. Spinning off research: AUCC sets new tool to measure universities commercialization performance. Univ Aff [serial online] 2004;June/July. Available:www. universityaffairs. ca/issues/2004/junejuly/print/spinningoff. html (accessed 2004 Dec 13). 8. Kennedy D. Enclosing the research commons [editorial]. Science2001;294:2249. [PubMed] 9. Welch P, Cass CE, Guyatt G, Jackson AC, Smith D. Defending medicine: clinical faculty and academic freedom. Report of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) Task Force on Academic Freedom for Faculty at University-Affiliated Health Care Institutions. Ottawa: Canadian Association of University Teachers; 2004 Nov. Available:www. caut. ca/en/issues/academicfreedom/DefendingMedicine. pdf (accessed 2004 Dec 21). 10. Salmon P. Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress: a unifying theory. Clin Psychol Rev2001;21:33-61. [PubMed] 11. Depression: management of depression in primary and secondary care. Clinical guideline 23. London (UK): National Institute for Clinical Excellence; 2004 Dec. Available:http://www. nice. org. uk/pdf/CG023NICEguideline. pdf (accessed 2005 Mar 8). 12. Nemets B, Stahl Z, Belmaker RH. Addition of omega-3 fatty acid.

Holes Book Report Essay

Holes Book Report Essay Louis Sachar was born march 20, 1954 in New York. He is an American author of childrens books. He has written twenty-four books. Louis Sachar is best known for the Sideways Stories From Wayside School book series and the novel Holes. For the novel Holes Sachar won a National Book Award and the Newbery Medal. Holes sold in five millions copies, and it became a movie in 2003. Plot: The book is about a boy named Stanley Yelnats IV, who is supposedly a very unlucky person because of a family curse. He was sent to Camp Green Lake, after being falsely accused of stealing a pair of sneakers that belonged to a famous baseball player, Clyde Livingstone, from a charity auction to benefit the homeless. At camp Green Lake, Stanley was assigned a bed and given two pairs of clothes and a shovel. Stanley and the other boys who stayed there had to dig one hole each day which was supposed to build character. He later found out that the Warden was making them dig holes in order to find a treasure. One day Stanley agreed to teach his new friend Zero how to read and write and in exchange Zero would dig Stanleys hole for one hour everyday. The other boys got jealous of watching Stanley do nothing, and a fight broke out between the other boys and Stanley. Zero got angry and then ran away into the desert. Stanley decided to go after him the next day. After running deep into the desert he finally found Zero. They decided to climb to the mountaintop called Gods thumb in hopes of finding refuge. Stanley found a field of onions and water. For many days they survived on the onions and water. They planned to find the treasure that was hidden at the camp and so decided to make their way back. They returned to the camp to dig out the treasure. What they did not know was that they dig in a yellow-spotted-lizard-nest, and before trying to leave they were surrounded by the lizards. Setting: The story takes place at a juvenile detention facility called Camp Green Lake. The camp is located in a barren and desolate desert. There are only some rundown buildings and some tents. There is also no plant life except for two trees. Also, the lake is completely dry, and in daytime the sun is burning hot. The fact that there is no water in the desert plays a role in the story because it makes it difficult for the boys to escape from the camp. One hundred and ten years ago Camp Green Lake was the largest lake in Texas. The lake was full of clear blue water, and it was lined with peach trees. We do not get to know the exact time and year that the story takes place in, but I think the story takes place around thirty years ago, in 1981. This is because they used cellphones and cars and also, the book was released in 1998. The story takes place in the months May and June, because on the 8th of June it was Zeros birthday and then Stanley had been at camp for fifty-six days. The book is a mix of fantasy and realistic fiction. This is because a lot of the events in the book could also happen in reality, and for many people some of the situations in the book could be for real. The book is also fantasy because his family is cursed with bad luck. The story is told by the narrator in third person point of view. Stanley Yelnats: Stanley is the protagonist of the book. He is fifteen-years old, he doesnt have friends and he is overweighed. He has constant bad luck that was brought to his family by his great-great-grandfather. While he is at Camp Green Lake he loses weight and develops physical strength. The other boys gave him the nickname Caveman. At first Stanley only looks at the negative sides of himself, but when he becomes friends with Zero, the least popular boy, he finds strength. His friendship with Zero helps Stanley to discover his own courage, happiness and self-confidence. By the time he is released, Stanley gets a new positive sense of himself. Zero: Zero is an African American boy. He is fifteen-years old. He is illiterate, but Stanley teaches him how to read and write. He had a mother but he doesnt know what happen to her, and the rest of his life he had been homeless. He is intelligent and very good at math. Zero was sent to Camp Green Lake after stealing a pair of sneakers. He tells that he used to steal, but he only stole what he needed. Theme: Friendship is an important theme in the book. When Stanley comes to Camp Green Lake he is insecure and dont have self-confidante. After he becomes friends with the other boys he becomes more self-confidante. Its important to have good friends and someone to talk with. Also when Stanley carries Zero in the desert, because zero was too weak its a symbol of friendship. The theme is how fate and history impact everyday life. We can say that destinys shoes landed on Stanley, because his life became much better after staying at Camp Green Lake. The curse is broken, or maybe never had been there. Stanley was finally at the right place at the right time. My opinion: I liked the book because it was exciting. In the beginning of the book it was kind of boring, but at the same time I wanted to continue reading. This was because they only dug holes and that was kind of boring, but I wanted to know why they dug all those holes and thats what made it exciting. Recommendation: I recommend this book for girls and boys between twelve and sixteen years. Both girls and boys who like to read an exciting, and mystery book could read Holes.

The Subtleties of Men and Women :: essays research papers

There are many things to be said about men and women. No one can pretend they know everything about the two. A vast majority of people want to study the relationship between men and their counterparts. One could say that it is made too complicated when it starts when it starts getting into the psychoanalytical studies. Men are put out there as more dominant leaders, and women and women start to feel like they have something to prove to society by proving they too can do just as well. Being that by nature human beings are subject to their own greed, thus women will go to great lengths to prove they can do as men do. The Civil Rights Act was extended towards women too. As a result of that it opened the door for women for women to participate in more things only men were allowed. Some men and women do not even get along. Perhaps to see and understand, certain differences should be looked at such as interest, hobbies, and habits. If the interests are looked at one would see they are clearly not the same. A typical male will have a favorite sports team in which he watches every game. There are many other interests like hunting, fishing, and just about any outdoor activity. A weekend well planned would consist of camping, fishing, and a nice fire at the end of the day. Generally, women would rather not watch football or basketball games. They would rather go to the mall and see what sales are going on. However there are some girls who would rather get dirty with the boys, as opposed to doing hair or having a sleepover. Men and women also have different hobbies. A man will get real involved with his car. He will want to modify the engine to make it faster. It is in a way competitive to do it on one’s own. Coming from man’s nature it is an exhilarating feeling to brag about what he has done with it. Also a man likes to brag about the deer he shot or the fish he caught. On the other side of the road man’s counterpart typically likes to plant flowers or do some sort of crafts. They would rather stay cleaner and engage in something that will not get them greasy. Maybe it is due to women having more patience or just that men do not see that as very masculine.

schools and scheduling Essay -- essays research papers

I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Title Page: Running head: OUTCOMES USING THREE SCHEDULING METHODS Which Schedule? Learning and Behavior Outcomes of At-Risk, Ninth Grade, Math and Science Students Using Three Scheduling Methods: Parallel Block Alternate-Day Block and Traditional Name University Name Name of Class / Title of Project / Name of Professor and his/her title Abstract Page: (State the Purpose of the Study) Abstract For many generations, high school students have had a schedule of six to eight periods a day with each class meeting every day for forty-five to sixty minutes. To better utilize the time spent with students, many schools have begun to reform scheduling practices. Many schools have chosen to change to block scheduling with the purpose of improving the outcomes of student learning and student behavior. There are many variations of block schedule in use. This study examines the effect of this reform in scheduling practices by comparing the learning and behavior outcomes of parallel block, alternate-day block, and traditional scheduling over an eighteen week period. Learning outcomes were obtained from pre-test and post-test measures and behavior outcomes were measured through absences, tardies, and office referrals for suspensions and detentions. II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Review of Research Literature including Definition of Terms: Review all literature that supports the importance of the study (what has been done and what needs to be done.) Also review literature related to your independent variables in each arm and dependent variables (measures and instrumentation). Which Schedule? Learning and Behavior Outcomes of At-Risk Ninth Grade Math and Science Students Using Three Scheduling Methods: Parallel Block, Alternate-Day Block, and Traditional   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Secondary schools were originally designed very much like factories. Classrooms were designed as isolated work stations that could be used only by specific persons at specific times of day and students moved from room to room to receive instruction from the teacher assigned to that room, controlling the four critical facets of the school day: time, the use of space, the grouping of students, and the role of staff members in the use of space (Khazzaka & DeLeon, 1997). To better use these critical facets, educators have been... ... scheduling and traditional scheduling on academic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  achievement. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 27, 178-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  183. Marchant, G.J. & Paulson, S.B. (2001). Differential school   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  functioning in a block schedule: a comparison of academic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  profiles. High School Journal, 84, 12-21. Meister, D.G., and Nolan, Jr., J. (2001). Out on a limb on our   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  own: uncertainty and doubt in moving from subject-centered   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  to interdisciplinary teaching. Teachers College Record,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  103, 608-631. Queen, J.A. (2000). Block scheduling revisited. Phi Delta   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kappan, 82, 214-223. Santos, K.E. & Rettig, M.D. (1999). Going on the block meeting   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the needs of students with disabilities in high schools   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  with block scheduling. Teaching Exceptional Children, 31,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  54-59. Veal, W.R. (1999). What could define block scheduling as a fad?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American Secondary Education, 27, 3-12.

Euthanasia of Pretamture Babies :: Free Euthanasia Essay

Amy gave birth to a baby boy after only 24 weeks gestation. The premature child weighed only 1 1/4 lbs and was only 13 inches. Statistically, the child has between a 5% and a 20% chance of survival and over a 50% chance of growing up with intellegence disabilities, cerebral palsy, blindness, and deafness. Should money be continually spent on medical treatment or should the parents and/ or doctor be given the rigt to take away the life support? What is euthanasia? Is it just a murder, or is it a helpful procedure to end people's suffering? It is the "act of helping a person end his or her life in a painless fashion to relieve unbearable suffering". It is the taking of a human life by another person to prevent further pain and misery. There are four types of euthanasia: Active, Passive, Voluntary and Involuntary. Active Euthanasia is when a second party, whether is be a doctor or someone else, discretely introduces a lethal amount of medication into the sick or dying person. Passive Euthanasia involves the removal of medical treatment from the suffering individual. Voluntary Euthanasia is when the patient asks his or her doctor to assist in the procedures to ensure the end of the patient's life. Involuntary Euthanasia is present in Amy's case, along with Passive Euthanasia. It is when the individual who is suffering is either in a coma, incompitent, or a premature child that cannot speak for itself, and instea d of the patient making the decision, the family and/ or doctor does. Prematurity is when a child is born within less than 36 weeks gestation. The child is usually born with low birth weight, some type of physical deformity and / or any kind of mental problems that can all lead to a future of being outcatsed. Around half the babies born at 24 weeks are at risk of growing up with severe disabilities. Minor disabilities dont usually occur until further in the child's life, approximately once the child begins attending school. Reading and learning problems may occur. Obviously, the earlier the child is born the less chance of survival and health there is. This is because the babies have not yet fully developed the lungs, causing sudden collapses with every breath the child takes. "Matters involving the most intimate and personal choices a person may take in a lifetime...are central to the liberty protected by the 14th amendment.

Evaluating Employee Retention Essay

High employee turnover rate has been considered as one of the highest drivers for direct and opportunity cost to rise for companies. In the Coca Cola Retailing Research, Blake (2000) estimates that about US$5. 8 billion annually are lost in the supermarket sector alone due to employee turnover. More importantly, this figure significantly reduces the profitability of firms to as much as 40%. Hence, the mantra that human resources or people are still the most important factor of production considering the improvements in technology is still a prevalent notion among scholars and businessmen alike (Buckingham and Vosburgh, 2001). With this in mind, human resources management is driven to attract and retain employees that have proved valuable in the company over periods of time. Essentially, employee retention and the reduction of employee turnover rate had been studied in the literature and in company case studies. However, despite the numerous studies provided to us, there are still debates that need to be resolved on the most potent factors that would make employees stay. This paper presents a case study of Coca Cola Company particularly its program on employee retention, the issues and challenges that it faces in terms of employee turnover, its impact on the company both financially and operationally, and the improvements that can be made in order to enhance the employee retention program and reduce turnover rates. Employee Retention: Factors and Drivers Employee retention on a macro-scale had generally been impacted by the external economy in general and the trends in the business sector (Frank and Taylor, 2004). On a micro-scale however, employee retention are affected by programs/policies of the company, wages and benefits in relation to its competitors, skills, training and promotion, employee motivation and satisfaction as well as other factors that are internal to the company. For instance, while the US economy had been considered at a low level in recent years, employee turnover had been maximal in the periods 2002-2003 because of the downsizing that had been prevalent in US companies. Add to this factor, employee discontent according to the survey of the Conference Board (2003) had been highest since 1995 and that employees are only waiting for a market recovery to look for other jobs (Kaihla, 2003). Hence, aside from these factors that needs to be considered by companies, employee turnover affects the cost of the US economy by at least US$5 trillion annually (Journal of Business Strategy, 2003) and reduces stock prices and earnings to about 38% (Sibson, 2000). Consequently, aside from the financial impact of employee turnover, employee retention has been directly correlated by Dresang (2002) to increase productivity as well as customer loyalty. Employee retention had been attributed to several factors; let us first analyze the factors identified in the literature to contribute employee retention and reduction of turnover. In Coca Cola, the top retention drivers between hourly employees and management employees were identified as follows. For the hourly employees, providing directions, availability of equipment and supplies and immediate supervision were identified as drivers for retention while for managers, it would be organizational direction, training and advancement (Frank, 2000). These factors validate earlier studies that front-line leaders play a critical role in the retention of employees (SHRM Retention Survey, 2000). This is because poor management would drive employees away because of their perceived lack of importance accorded to them by the company. Consequently, this result implies that managers being critical factors in employee retention would need to be improved in terms of training and professional development programs by the company (Gantz Wiley Research, 2004). Hence, Frank (2000) asserted that organizational and management practices as drivers for retention have specific and identifiable goals. First, for employees working by the hour, tactical practices in accomplishing their jobs effectively are considered to be important. This is because these employees derive their satisfaction and motivation from the feedback that they receive from their immediate supervisors. Hence, their execution of their specific tasks is important in order to make them feel important in the company. However, management retention had been attributed to the strategic direction of the company as well as their professional training and advancement. This implies that managers are more likely to stay in a company with a training program that would encourage professional growth as well as a program with concrete promotion guidelines. Coca Cola Employee Retention Program Coca Cola, the leading manufacturer of carbonated drinks had been considered as one of the top employers not only in terms of providing hundreds of jobs worldwide but also in strategically managing its employees turn over rate. The advocacy of Coca Cola rests on the productivity and skills of its employees in providing quality products and assuring quality control of its merchandise. In return, Coca Cola incorporates in its core policies the Workplace Rights Policies which includes a holistic view of its workers ensuring that its policies serves up to the promotion of a holistic employee growth (The Coca Cola Company, 2008). Unlike PepsiCo, Coca Cola allows unions and provides for a collective bargaining in order to protect the rights of its employees. This has led to the unorganization of the employees of PepsiCo compared to that of Coca Cola- while there is a high level of collective bargaining in Coca Cola, PepsiCo has not provided its employees the venue to air its grievances. However, compared to PepsiCo’s Taste to Success employment brand statement and its numerous programs for employee retention such as â€Å"Culture of Shared Principles†, â€Å"Ability to Make an Impact†, â€Å"Quality People† and â€Å"Passion for Growth†, Coca Cola’s campaign for employee retention is still in the process of evolving. For one, the 2000 research employed by Coca Cola to determine the cost and the opportunities for employee retention, the company had redeveloped its corporate strategy to specifically address its management and rank and file retention issues by changing its strategy. For instance, Coca Cola has the â€Å"talent magnets† program in celebration of managers who are able to attract outstanding talents in their team. This is done by Coca Cola in order to provide advancement not only for managers but for rank and file employees as well. Consequently, Coca Cola in its mission statement includes four components indicating the responsibility of managers to develop the rank and file employees. For example, in Coca Cola’s Competency/Success Model, it targets the self and others, rank and file employees would provide the necessary feedback on their manager regarding their development success and compensation based on their skills. Based on these criteria, the managers are then judged by upper management (Olian, et al, 1998). Hence, the focus of Coca Cola is on teams and not on individuals alone. This is similar to the practices in PepsiCo but to a lesser extent. For instance, PepsiCo still values individual achievement and skills in its promotion and advancement. In terms of compensation and pay, both PepsiCo and Coca Cola had been criticized by foreign countries by providing below level compensation for employees. In the United States, typically, the wage of same level employees is the same for both. Consequently, the benefits for regular and part time employees are comparable with one another. Moreover, both companies provide training and development programs, diversity and multi-cultural work environment as well as programs for advancement. However, the primary difference is that Coca Cola had been considered to fundamentally more sound strategically than that of PepsiCo. For instance, while PepsiCo offers different variety of products in the beverage and snack sector and have declared bankruptcy in the past, Coca Cola’s sound management fundamentals have prevented it from investing in risky ventures. While both PepsiCo and Coca Cola had been fraught with workers issues particularly in low salaries and wages as well as the issues of better rights for workers, Coca Cola had fared well better in retaining its employees because it is more stable than PepsiCo (which had closed 4 plants in New Jersey) and because of the presence and tolerance of unions. To a large extent, unions in Coca Cola had perennially protected the rights of its workers and hence, led to lower employee turnover in Coca Cola. Valid and Effective Employee Retention Program Employee retention programs while it should consider external aspects of its operations such as the economic performance of the country, the wages and salary in that specific country as well as competition, internal factors within the human resource sector would also needed to be re-examined particularly in determining the means to retain employees. It should be noted that skillful employees and managers are considered to be precious and scarce commodities in today’s employment world. This is the reason why companies such as Coca Cola reserves rewards for its top performers in selling and marketing its products. For instance, those who have shown superior performance than others are given career advancements readily, trainings and professional development growths are available and they have better bargaining power. Hence, these workers can demand for better work conditions particularly in balancing their work-family life. This however, does not only apply for managers but also for rank and file employees. While priorities would differ for the two classes, the need to be valued by the organization is important. This is manifested in terms of pay and wages, benefits, promotions, advancement, work condition as well as the need to know their role in the organizational mission. Hence, employee retention programs should focus on the internal and external factors of employees: pay, benefits and promotion as well as the working relations of the employees on their immediate superiors and co-workers as well as in providing a better consideration for themselves as a person and not just a worker. For instance, feedback from the manager are important considerations from rank and file employees (Frank, 2000) implying that it is no longer the salary and compensation that matters for retention but also on the relationship of subordinates to superiors. Hence, programs on employee retention should focus on managers’ ability to improve their subordinates and drive their team to achieve. This would imply that advancements would also focus on the ability of the managers to train and improve the position and compensation of their employees. Finally, the ability of companies such as Coca Cola to provide a better balance in the life of the employees by providing opportunities for better working conditions such as work-life balance can improve the loyalty of the employees as well as enhance their productivity (Younger, Smallwood and Ulrich, 2007). Method in Determining Effective Employee Retention Program The Coca Cola Study had proposed thirteen (13) scales for management and organizational practices that can serve as a benchmark in evaluating the employee retention program: 1) organizational direction; 2) immediate supervision; 3) providing directions; 4) providing feedback; 5) equipment and supplies; 6) working conditions; 7) work organization; 8) pay administration; 9) pay and benefits; 10) advancement; 11) impact; 12) training; and 13) capacity (Frank, 2000). These scales serve as a benchmark in evaluating current employee retention programs in Coca Cola. Accordingly, these factors would be critically assessed in the next section using the Coca Cola study in order to determine the areas where Coca Cola had improved since the study was completed in 2000 and the areas that would need improvement. It should be noted that this scale system is specific to supermarket products and may not reflect with other companies. Discussion and Recommendations for Effective Employee Retention Program in Coca Cola Traditional conception on employee retention had been that: increase the pay and employees will stay. However, in current business environment where skilled workers are offered with numerous job offers, the scope of employee retention had also broadened. First, employees now consider the organizational direction of the company. As shown in the survey of Coca Cola, organizational direction is important for managers in order to determine their goals in line with that of the company. A company with good fundamental organizational goals is more likely to retain managers who align themselves within the organizational direction. However, this is not only the case for managers as implied in the second factor which is immediate supervision. Managers and supervisors are tasked with the need to improve on the quality of its supervisory capacity in order to retain rank and file employees. In Coca Cola, managers who are in charge of a team are judged not on their individual performance but on how the team had performed. Hence, effective supervision and management are critical in determining the success of employees both in the managerial as well as the rank and file level. The principle is no longer that managers will rise alone but rather, rank and file employees will rise alongside their manager. This is also the core policy of Coca Cola’s self and others program wherein one is not only responsible for his or her self but for the team as well. Third, providing directions is no longer the monopoly of supervisors and managers. Typically, the vertical or line hierarchy within business firms had been replaced by horizontal and a more interactive workplace. Rank and file employees now have the freedom for better independence as well as in providing input to the management. In Coca Cola, this is no longer prohibited but is encouraged in order to gain fresh and better insights to improve on performance. The principle behind this is that those who do the work are better equipped with the knowledge on how to improve it. Along this line is the recognition that rank and file employees can provide direction to the organization as well which is the fourth factor in the item- providing feedback. The feedback system in Coca Cola does not rest solely on the discretion of the managers but also on the records of the employee. However, the feedback given by the immediate supervisors are important in determining the capacity and skills as well as the importance accorded to an employee. At Coca Cola, since teams are driven to produce, supervisors and managers can provide immediate feedback. Positive feedback gives the sense of accomplishment for employees as well as the feeling that they are valued members of the organization. This in essence, increases employee motivation and satisfaction. The fifth and sixth factors include availability of equipments and supplies as well as working conditions of the employees. It should be noted that in order to accomplish a task, materials necessary would have to be available. For rank and file employees, the management that ensures that these materials are available is tantamount to the perception that the work they accomplish is important in the organization. This leads us to the sixth factor which is working condition. The work environment has been considered as one of the more important determinant of employee motivation and hence, employee retention and turnover. Those employees whose work is not recognized are more likely to be unmotivated. Coca Cola for its part has better working conditions than PepsiCo. However, working conditions outside of the United States would need to be improved because of their poor managerial and plant support. In the United States, these issues are less pressing. Thus, it is the responsibility of the top management to ensure that despite the need of workers in third world countries of work, its improvement would cut the rate of employee turnover and increase the possibility of retention. Seventh, one good way to improve employee retention is for the Coca Cola management to use a slogan that will serve as the company’s goal similar to that of PepsiCo. Many corporations use the slogan, â€Å"People are our most important asset. † Similarly, many companies contend that their values support teamwork, integrity, respect, and dignity. While this may sound good, it takes hard, consistent work in policies, statements and actions for employees to believe it. Eight, the classic pay philosophy is to provide wages that will attract and retain qualified employees. Being aware of the wage rates in an organization’s external market place is critical to Coca Cola’s success for retaining employees. The case of the Coca Cola’s wage scale is low; the company has already lost employees to other sectors that pay a higher rate. Hence, there is a need for improvements in the compensation by improving on performance pays. For instance, lump sum merit awards on the other hand provide financial recognition for an individual’s job performance in lieu of merit-based salary increases. This is an effective way to provide financial recognition, especially to those individuals whose base salary is already relatively high.