Malcom X “My First Conk” Essay

Through the years African Americans have been growing their roots in the United States. It wasn’t too long ago that they weren’t accepted as a part of society. Since then the gap between them and the Caucasian community has begun to close. As both populations blend together we start to think of them as one nation with more similarities than differences. What happens when one society bleeds out its culture more than the other? African Americans have increasingly opted to ditch their natural selves and instead take on the task of manipulating themselves in order to appeal to the white man’s idea of beauty. Rather than revolt against the insults thrown at blacks they seem to have adopted them as true. Why is it that instead of defending their natural kinks they cover them up with wigs or chemically alter them? Although some beauty practices are commonplace throughout most African American communities engaging in these activities is the equivalent of validating the notion that blacks aren’t good enough. Malcom X illustrates for us in his piece titled â€Å"My first Conk† how his first conking went. For those unfamiliar with the term conking is a procedure in which black males concoct a gel, using mainly household ingredients, then apply it to the hair in order to straighten it. The incorporation of lye in the gel is what causes the bearer to feel as though the scalp burns. Malcom was at first a devoted conker but through the years has come to regret his old habit. At first he explains how good the conk made him feel, later in his life he mentions that conking was his first step towards self-degradation. He calls out all those who have or still sport a conk and urges them to stop. He even goes as far as saying it makes blacks look foolish. He also concludes that hair unimportant and it’s a shame that so much time has already been wasted on this. A compelling story I stumbled upon tells the drastic measures some are willing to take in order to shed themselves of the image they have come to associate as inferior. A woman around 35 years old willingly admitted that she bleached not only herself but her children. She wet cloths with store-bought Clorox and placed the on her and the kids’ faces for about a couple of minutes. This woman openly acknowledged that she was ashamed of being black. Alongside with her there were other testimonies who felt the same. They all mentioned how they were looked down upon for being black. They told some of the insults they faced on a day to day for being who they were. They felt the measures they took to appeal to the white community was  necessary. It was necessary if they wanted to feel good, if they wanted to be seen as equals, and if they wanted to stop the mental abuse . When I first came upon these people I was shocked. How could someone be so insensible as to literally bleach their skin? What would compel people to undergo such painful procedures as the one mentioned by Malcom? I was shocked but little did I know I too was just as guilty of caving in to society’s ideals of what I should look like. Just last year, my senior year in high school, I would have a morning ritual. At 5:00 a.m. sharp I would stumble out of bed and turn on the coffee machine. The energy from the coffee was to help me stay awake so I could complete the lengthy task of straighten my hair. 2 long hours it took for me to do only my hair! As is probably imaginable I was often late to school. I was late so many times in fact that I nearly didn’t graduate on stage. How then did I dare judge poor lady who bleached herself when in reality I was no different? I too unnecessarily took it upon myself to change the way I was because the pressure I felt to be just a bit sim ilar to white people. Consciously I did not notice this was what I was getting across, as I presume many black people that do things such as perming or wearing wigs are also unaware, but ultimately we have been brainwashed so much that this behavior is reasonable. Many may argue that we have the right to express ourselves any which way we want. This is true but why then are blacks ridiculed when they defy the expectations and take pride in their true selves. Why must wearing their natural selves take courage? We as a blended society should know better than to judge. Oppressing people has to be a thing of the past. The oppressor is not the only one to blame here. The oppressed are guilty of not fighting back. No change will come until we try to change ourselves. Too many have suffered and continue to suffer. Both mentally and physically these people are abused but to no avail. Society will not let up. Instead of conforming to society, as we have done for so long, we must pave a different path. Comparing ag ainst another race is futile. Blacks will never be the same as whites, they shouldn’t try to be. Each a culture rich in its own way. Teach ourselves and our peers to take pride in our appearance once again. Dig back into a culture once covered up and exhume it. Let it breathe for when it does so will we.

Haier: What is technological change? Essay

Technological change (TC) is a term that is used to describe the overall process of invention, innovation and diffusion of technology or processes.[1][2] The term is synonymous with technological development, technological achievement, and technological progress. In essence TC is the invention of a technology (or a process), the continuous process of improving a technology (in which it often becomes cheaper) and its diffusion throughout industry or society. In short, technological change is based on both better and more technology. Haier as a manufactural group and technologic change also impact them deeply. For example after Haier established they faces on fridge and air condition unit 1997 its entering color TV industry as the initiative, and it went into the industries of black household appliances and information household appliances. In 21st centry with the development of technologic Haier also expand their product range. For instance Haier Digital and Personal Product Group is a good example. They are engaged in multiple fields such as home appliances, computers and mobile phones. It is the only manufacturer in China that is able to produce big screens of TV, mid-sized screens of computer as well as small mobile screens. Haier takes personalized entertainment to another level by offering a brand new and unique smart home life solution through â€Å"cloud family† plan. Centered by Cloud Smart TV, cloud family integrates computers, mobile phones and home appliances to comprehensive interconnection and interaction. In recent month Haier digital developed DV- WF10 intelligent cloud camera. It can connect with terminal equipment (intelligent mobile phone, computer, PAD, etc.) in the wireless network. So customers can use wireless uploading the pictures or videos to phones or computer directly. With the development of biology mapped the entire sequence of human genes which improves our ability to treat a wide range of diseases and illnesses that are linked to the genes.

Media and the Vietnam and Iraq Wars

Despite the differences in American culture from the time of the Vietnam war to the Iraq war, similarities exist in the way Americans perceived both wars. Vietnam and Iraq both raised questions about the appropriateness of U.S. involvement in foreign affairs and, in some cases, resulted in negative perceptions of the U.S. military. As the link between those fighting the war and those at home watching and reading about the events of the war, the media played an important role in both cases.Relationship between the media and the militaryDuring the beginning of Vietnam there was no official policy of censorship. Censorship would have been difficult to manage because as a guest of South Vietnam, the U.S. would have had to allow the South Vietnamese to control the censorship. Additionally, according to Daniel Hallin, the U.S. administration wanted to deny that there was a war happening there, and to impose censorship is one of the signs that a country is really going to war. 1By 1963, rep orters in Vietnam had begun receiving increasingly contradictory information about the war. Military officials in Saigon maintained that the war was going well, while personnel in the field told a different story. One glaring example was the defeat of the South Vietnamese at Ap Bac. Eight days after the incident, military officials declared the operation a success. Reporter Mal Browne recalls that when the astonished press challenged this statement, they were told by the Commander in Chief of U.S. forces to â€Å"get on the team.†1 This was the beginning of a more strained relationship between the media and the military.It was in 1963 also that news programs were extended to a half hour and began showing footage of the war. This was the first time American viewers were able to experience the war right in their living rooms. In 1965, Morley Safer brought the Cam Ne report to viewers. The Cam Ne incident marked the first time the average American was exposed to images of their soldiers engaged in activities that were less than noble – burning huts in a small village as women and children ran away screaming. Though not officially tied to the report, shortly after it aired the government issued new rules of engagement designed to protect South Vietnamese civilians.By the time the U.S. engaged in war with Iraq, the world had become a different place. The military had learned the value of public perception and the need to manage it. Restrictions were placed on the press limiting where they were allowed to go and what they were allowed to report. Unfortunately for the administration, what they couldn’t manage was the amount of amateur footage that made its way into the public eye.Digital cameras and the internet made it possible for anyone to post photos and other footage in front of a broad audience. Some of the most sensational stories reported during the war – including the Abu Ghraib incident – were the result of amateur photogr aphy that found its way into professional media outlets. While of questionable value as a news source, this footage showing graphic scenes intrigued viewers and affected their perception of the U.S. military and their mission in Iraq.Another effect of technology was that reporters were able to feed information to networks â€Å"real time.† This to-the-second coverage allowed viewers to experience the war as it happened, but the information they received was not always accurate. When the military unit in which a reporter was embedded came under attack, the reporter could only report what he was experiencing without the benefit of objectivity or the â€Å"big picture† view. While they did provide some provocative footage, these reports did not increase understanding of the situation. Morley Safer stated this eloquently when he said, â€Å"Live coverage†¦only adds heat, it does not add light.†1Accuracy of reportingNorman Solomon, syndicated columnist on media and politics, suggests that the media has been fundamental in making war possible for the U.S. through fraudulent reporting. He cites reporting of the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam and of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq as examples.2Tim Ryan, Army Lieutenant Colonel, has also expressed concern about the accuracy of reporting and its effect on public perception during the Iraq war. He has suggested that the media intentionally focused on negatives or failures during the war and ignored positives for the sake of a more sensational report. He stated that â€Å"even the Arab media was more willing to show positives,† such as school renovations or the creation of a youth center, than were American journalists.3During both wars, questions have been raised about the absence of reporting on U.S. interests in the countries in which they were fighting. In Vietnam, manganese, rubber and minerals were of economic interest to the U.S. In Iraq, of course, it was oil. The possibility that t he U.S. had less than noble reasons for entering into these wars was rarely addressed in mainstream media.Media influenceThere are differing opinions on whether the media actually influenced the Vietnam or Iraq wars or whether they simply provided documentation of what was happening. As the above examples show, some commentators believe that the media did affect events by making it easier for the government to wage war through fraudulent reporting, or by negatively affecting the morale of American soldiers and citizens.Contrarily, the organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) claims that the media has been falsely accused of affecting the war.4 According to FAIR, reporters merely reflect the opinions and concerns of the public. As reporter Chris Hedges stated â€Å"when everyone's waving a flag, the media waves a flag. When middle class families start wondering why their boy is coming home in a rubber bag, then the media starts asking questions too.†1Regardless o f whether they merely presented or actually influenced the Vietnam and Iraq wars, it’s clear that the media encountered similar challenges during both wars. Despite all the changes that occurred in the 40-plus years between the two wars and the fact that confidence in mainstream media waned in that time, the public still looked to the media to help them understand the facts and to represent their interests when they were concerned about the actions being taken.Works Cited1) â€Å"Which side are you on?† Episode 2, Reporting America at War. PBS, November, 2003. Online transcript www.pbs.org/weta/reportingamericaatwar/about/ep02_transcript.html2) Solomon, Norman. Adapted from keynote speech at annual awards ceremony of Project Censored at Sonoma State University, CA, October 22, 2005. Online source3) Ryan, Tim. â€Å"Media and the Iraq War.† Editorial, San Diego Union-Tribune, January 30, 2005.4) Cohen, Jeff. â€Å"The Myth of the Media’s Role in Vietnam.à ¢â‚¬  May 6, 2001. http://www.fair.org/indexAphp?page=2526

Sociology written assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sociology written assignment - Essay Example People often said that Josie had a bad reputation. Personally, I found Josie to be a nice person. I was in many of her classes and would often have conversations. I thought she was an interesting and curious person. She never made fun of me and always seemed to generally be respectful. However, other people felt that she had a bad reputation. They didn't know her well, but that was their superficial impression. They heard rumours about her which often were not true. Her reputation, which spread quickly in the school, seemed to precede her wherever she want. She became a character that people would talk about even though they didn't actually know her in person. People who had never had a conversation felt that they knew everything about her. They felt they were in a position to judge her because there was a kind of story being told by everyone about her. In a sense her reputation made her a public commodity. It is clear from the research that bad reputations are created when people de viate from social norms. In Josie's case it was clear that a lot of her behaviour set her apart from the other students in the school. She experimented with alcohol before other students and had friends who were a fair amount older. She also took part in a number of disturbance, further marking her out from the social group.

Solar Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Solar Energy - Essay Example Solar energy is energy that is obtained from the sun. The sun is known as a big ball of heat and light that results from the nuclear fusion at is core. This process releases energy that travels in an outward direction to the surface of the sun. A long distance is covered to the surface as the energy transforms and is released as its primarily light energy, sunlight. The two forms of solar energy that make it to the earth are light and heat. Solar energy is often termed as alternative energy to the fossil fuel energy sources like oil and coal Every hour the sun beams on the earth’s surface a lot of energy that can sustain it for a long period. On the surface of the earths orbit, the solar radiation is at a rate of about 1,333 per meter Squared. This is known as the solar constant. Solar energy is a technology that is used with the goal of harnessing sun energy and making it useable. Currently, the technology produces energy that can cater for a major portion of the global energ y demand. The various types of solar power include solar photovoltaic power, solar thermal energy and passive solar energy. Solar photovoltaic power is harnessed when the sun rays are converted to electricity. The quantity produced is reliant of the intensity of sun rays. Solar thermal energy uses the sun rays to heat water and the inside of homes. Passive solar energy is the heating of a building or home depending on the architectural design. The design of the window placement and the sunroom structure helps to keep the house warm. Since non renewable energy like oil and gas continue to become limited resources, people are now seeking to explore the alternative sources of energy that are available. Among the available sources energy, solar energy comes highly recommended. As oil continues to become depleted, the majority of people believe that solar energy systems will be the next source of energy in the future. An advantage of solar energy systems is that it offers people the oppo rtunity of being of self sufficient (Foster 38). People can take advantage of the energy that is produced by the sun as heat from the sun is guaranteed. This energy is converted instantly and can be used for a myriad of purposes. The fact of the matter is the this type of energy is under utilized as we continue to over utilized fossil fuels and risk the danger of it being depleted. On the other hand, solar energy is renewable and is environmentally friendly but we fail to capitalize on it. Solar energy has been confirmed as being efficient in industrial and resident setting and is used for cooking, lighting, space technology, cooling and communication among other uses. It is also deemed that fossil fuel is a form of solar energy that has been stored in organic form. However, since fossil fuels have been deduced to make a major negative impact on the environment and has raised concerns of global warming and pollution, solar energy is steadily increasing its importance in homes and in dustries. As opposed to the restrictions placed on the fossil fuels, there is no limitations place on solar energy availability as the sun produces heat on a daily basis that can be tapped and converted to other forms of energy. There has been a major improvement in solar energy technology and it is making solar energy more affordable (Hough 48). Once the solar panel has been set up, there are no additional costs that are incurred. It is resonated that in the near future, people will be fully dependent on renewable energy, more specifically, solar energy. Background of solar energy Many people have the assumption that solar power is a relatively new form of energy but, this is far the truth. The sun has been a source of energy since the ancient times. The Native American and the ancient Greek were the first to explore solar energy back in 400 BC. They build their houses on the hill sides to take advantage of the heat that was released by the Sun during the day to cool their houses d uring the cold nights. The

Evaluating the Effects of Regulatory Agencies on the LIMS ( Laboratory Essay

Evaluating the Effects of Regulatory Agencies on the LIMS ( Laboratory Information Management System ) - Essay Example tion, meets the standards set, notably CMS Regulations Part 493 Sub-part K, Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA), and OSE Manual of Policies and Procedures (MAPP) 6700.2. In terms of information security, both agencies will be expecting to be satisfied that the requirements of CMS Regulations Part 170, regarding Information Security, have been met. In practice, Part 170 simply reflects ICT industry standard practice, so providing that the laboratory meets these industry standards, both agencies will be satisfied. In areas specifically involving pathology, a given LIMS implementation will also need to be approved by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). CAP regulators will expect that the LIMS implementation will meet their approval in four key areas: discipline, equipment manufacturer, specimen type and method of analysis. CAP inspections must be regarded as additional to the CMS and OSE inspections and compliance defined below. When examining the exchange of electronic health data, the Federal Regulators will be looking for the use of logical observation identifiers names and codes (LOINC) naming conventions. In order to facilitate the exchange of electronic clinical data between the LIMS being examined and other LIMS implementations, the Regulators will be checking for the use of systematized nomenclature of medicine clinical terms (SNOMED), as defined for specific U.S. applications by the CMS, FDA and, where relevant, CAP. All LIMS Implementations must meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Regulations Part 493 Subpart K - Quality System for Nonwaived Testing. This means each LIMS implementation must include as a minimum the following. Establishing and following policies and procedures for monitoring, assessing, and, when indicated, correcting problems identified in the general laboratory systems requirements specified in CMS Regulations Part 493 Subpart K that apply to the laboratory in

Business Ethics in the Business World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Ethics in the Business World - Essay Example The codes of ethics are meant to measure the extent to which organizations can go in term of looking for money. The lack of a monitoring system can lead to many organizations spiralling out of control, making society feel the extent of shrewd business people. The growth and expansion of the global community is not helping matters. It becomes harder to monitor businesses that operate across the international border lines. However, government agencies are in place to ensure the safe operation of businesses to reduce crimes that arise through business operations. As humans, it is easy to come by ethical dilemmas. In order to rise above the challenges, it is critical to make split-second decisions to protect the integrity of one’s business. This will ensure that society benefits from business conducted in an ethical manner. Business Ethics in the Business World Every business organization must have a code of ethics that it adheres to, to form a conducive surrounding for its employ ees and clients. This behaviour is what regulates the manner in which the organization deals with groups in its midst. Business ethics dictate how a business, not only deals with international groups, but also, its single clients. Many individuals, the world over believe that businesses are only out to make a profit for themselves. This gives businesses a poor reputation among the people they intend to serve. To some extent, this may be true. However, not every business is out for their interests (Flynn, 2008). It is the manner in which they go about getting money that questions their behaviour with regards to ethics. This paper will examine ethics in the world of business, and how they may work in favour of growing businesses. For business to be considered good business, it must adhere to the code of ethics that binds every field in the world. These ethics must be part of the business. This is to allow individuals to associate themselves with something that is legitimate and honest . Business ethics that are in place should eliminate the exploitation of poor people. These are individuals who might not have a choice as to the work they do to make ends meet. The public has a tremendous role to play in ensuring organizations play their part in following business ethics (Ghillyer, 2010). They should advocate for the growth of monitoring groups that may monitor the large corporations present. As the competitive markets expand, it is becoming harder and harder to know which corporation is following correct ethics in their business dealings (Flynn, 2008). It has become a common occurrence to hear of the hefty amounts of fines companies are paying. They are paying these fines because they violate the codes that are in place to ensure a healthy competitive market. Soft drink companies usually face the full brunt of these fines. Honesty, in today’s business world, is the farthest thing from people’s minds. Insider trading in some of the top companies allow s for individuals to trade and make a killing through information provided. This is at the cost of other, less fortunate people. Many folks believe that the standards in business are no longer present. There might be some truth to these claims. There is no reliable source of information about what goes on in these businesses. Corporations want to cover up and protect their own dealings so as to make more money from innocent, hardworking

Ethical dilemmas teachers face Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethical dilemmas teachers face - Essay Example He came from a financially well-off family. His parents were always very concerned about Joseph’s progress in studies and had left no stone unturned in the way of making Joseph take interest in studies, but all went in vain. One day, the school had arranged the parents-teachers’ meeting. Joseph’s parents approached me and asked me about Joseph. I wished there was some improvement in Joseph’s studies but there wasn’t any. Caught in distress, his father, Henry asked me to give Joseph extra time. I told Henry that Joseph to me was like my own child and that I was trying my best, but there were time constraints. I could not attend Joseph beyond a fixed duration, and there were other students that equally required my attention as well. Henry told me that he had arranged a number of tutors before, but nobody managed to do his job successfully. Henry also told me that Joseph had told him that he understood nobody’s lecture better than mine. I also k new that because whenever I told Joseph something, he seemed to have got that there and then. Henry asked me if I could give Joseph time after the classes. He also asked me if the school forbade me as a teacher to see some student after the school. I told Henry that although there was no such rule in the school, but it would be very difficult for me to do justice to my job as a teacher. However, I did not refuse him, though it was no less than an ethical dilemma for me. On one hand, I had the potential to save a child’s future from getting spoiled because Joseph understood what I taught him and just required a little more time from me. On the other hand, paying more attention towards Joseph alone might be an injustice to other students who were studying with him. â€Å"It is important to remember that your job entails keeping the entire class engaged† (Wood, 2009). But I decided to accept the offer because by giving Joseph tuition after the school, I would not have don e as much

Operation management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Operation management - Assignment Example It is situated close to the road but with a great accessibility that is leveled by a wider opening based on its position (Ruffa, 2008). There are two gates that allow for exit and entrance without inconveniencing the other. It is spacious and the loading areas are well marked out to avoid any delays or confusions during delivery or loading. The zoning schemes in this particular area are also conducive for the establishment of such a high-powered delivery and loading of the tires which imply that we can maximize the 5000 kg average load per day and become the best supplier in the area. Qn 2: This is a Chevrolet car matrix 400 (also known as Chevrolet Nova) that was manufactured in 1964 after the major companies during this era began restructuring and changing their trends. This car was one of the best at the time with its features being unrivalled by other competitors. It was considered an executive car with four doors and a sedan style to complement its features. It has a front engin e with rear-wheel drive. Its engine has a capacity 3179 cc with a 106 horsepower capacity. It has a three gear manual gear-box and a single barrel carburetor (Huntimer, 2009). This can be contrasted with 2009 Tata Nano Car from India which can be said to be of a higher quality. The car, pictured below, has been in production since 2008 to the present with improvements being made on a daily basis to make sure it attracts as many buyers as possible outdoing other competitors in the market. It is classified as a city car with a four-door one-box body style. Its engine is a 2 cylinder SOHC petrol Bosch multipoint fuel injection with a 624 cc capacity. Its trunk is accessible only from the inside with one windscreen wiper compared to Chevrolet’s pair. Its engine is in the rear compared to the Chevrolet’s which is at the front. It has a 38-metric horse power with two valves per cylinder overhead camshaft. It is similar to the Chevrolet in the fact that it has a rear wheel dr ive but differs in the fact that it has a 4-speed manual transmission. It is also more advanced in its options in the area of the engine compartment with the compressed air engine offering more avenues through which the user will save (Witzel, 2010). Further, the rear suspension has an independent coil spring that allows for safety all the time. It is fuel efficient, making it a car that one can operate comfortably within the city. Its small body makes it easier to maneuver within the city center with the traffic jams being considered. Qn 3: To calculate EMV, given the probabilities, total cost is worked from both the fixed costs, quantities and variable cost. This approach would give the best approach to use. It is should therefore, be the approach that gives us the  ­lowest total costs. Total cost = fixed costs + quantity x variable cost: Method probability Fixed cost($) quantity Variable cost($) Total cost($) Low tech 0.2 45,000 200,000 0.55 45,000+(200,000*0.55)=155,000 Low te ch 0.5 45,000 200,000 0.50 45,000+(200,000*0.50)=145,000 Low tech 0.3 45,000 200,000 0.45 45,000+(200,000*0.45)=135,000 Medium tech 0.7 65,000 200,000 0.45 65,000+(200,000*0.45)=155,000 Medium tech 0.2 65,000 200,000 0.40 65,000+(200,000*0.40)=145,000 Medium tech 0.1 65,000 200,000 0.35 65,000+(200,000*0.35)=135,000 High tech 0.9 75,000 200,000 0.40 75,000+(200,000*0.4

Changes in curriculum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Changes in curriculum - Essay Example 79). Not only that, but at the level of the school, it can be particularly difficult for faculty to agree on what the curriculum should be. According to Keating (2010), â€Å"[I]nstitutional approvals [must be] obtained for nursing program curriculum†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp. 40). Healthcare is becoming increasingly difficult to manage, in terms of payers, payees, and billers. According to Smyth (2005), â€Å"[P]olicy makers [should] better appreciate the complexity of health care† (pp. 156). People are struggling to pay for their medications, and this is one area that nursing curricula often overlooks: medication management. Changes and demands in health care continue to skyrocket, as curricula change in response. Apparently, the numbers of people who use healthcare services is increasing. According to Tucker (2010), one of â€Å"†¦of the nonprice determinants that can change the demand for health care†¦Ã¢â‚¬  are the number of buyers (pp. 127). Health care curricula in nursing programs are constantly changing due to government regulations, the healthcare industry becoming much, much more complex, and the changes and increasing demands in health

SLA Position Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

SLA Position Paper - Assignment Example Human nature prompts one to deal with whatever is mysterious and restless. Researchers continue to knock at one theory after another, state all kinds of hypotheses and strive to prove them. Based on an overview of research in the nature of language and pedagogical systems, and with a few additions from my own experience, I shall make some observations about these issues in this position paper. Normally, man as a social being, has a desire to know more and more people and associate with them. This process begins with introduction and can proceed to all kinds of relationships ranging from mere acquaintance to wedlock. Knowing the new person does not stop with knowing his name, background and a few other details. Knowing him better means knowing everything about him, including his past life, future ambitions etc. He has his own social identity; he is a part of his culture, belongs to some religious community and shares some beliefs and attitudes. He speaks a mother tongue which is part and parcel of his personality. I believe that a person’s character is shaped by the place and community where he is born, his religion, culture, socio-economic background, and of course, his mother tongue. Just as all these factors shape his perception of the world and the people around him, his first language or MT also influences his personality. The language, its nature, the thoughts and concepts expressed in it, the lexis and structure, phonological structure, all shape his views, attitudes and insights into the world and human life. Thus, indirectly and to a significant extent, language has a contribution in the formation of character and personality. Language is embedded in culture. Culture implies a number of things and language is one of them. In other words, language is one of the elements of culture. Language and culture are firmly bound to each other. A human being is a product of his culture. His thoughts and attitudes are fostered by it. Culture nourishes the cha racter of an individual. If language is a part of culture, it follows logically that language lends social identity to the individual. An individual speaking a particular dialect is immediately identified as belonging to a certain geographical region, a social stratum, a cultural and linguistic community. One’s social status is decided by one’s language. I can thus say with some degree of conviction that personality of an individual revolves around two factors, language and culture. It is this understanding of the nature and importance of language that has led me to make a statement about language learning. Let us look at the whole issue of language learning from a different angle. An individual in the modern world is to be considered as a sum total of his character, views, opinions, beliefs, attitudes, socio-economic status, educational background and all other factors that make up his personality. This is chiefly shaped by his culture and language, which is his MT. I n changing times, he does not (and cannot afford to) restrict himself to his MT. Just as he tries to know, understand and acquire the new global culture, he simultaneously comes in contact with the individuals representing social identities of their own, speaking and using other languages which are their MTs. An entire understanding and acceptance of new culture implies contact, understanding and

Virtue Theory Essay Example for Free

Virtue Theory Essay Aristotle studied and explained a wide range of subjects ranging from science to politics and is widely recognized as one of the greatest philosophers of all time. One of his most important contributions to the study of humanities is his exploration and definition of moral virtue. In his book, The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explains different views about the nature of life in order to allow the reader to find what the main function of life is and how to successfully perform that function. For example, Aristotle states in his first book, in article one, â€Å"every art and every investigation, and similarly every action and pursuit is considered to aim at some good. † Hence, Aristotle defines the â€Å"good† as that which all things should aim. However, what separates humans from other â€Å"things† is the fact that humans seek the good in order to achieve eudemonia, or happiness. In order to achieve this result, a human must function well, and would therefore be acting with rational activity. So, if a person performs the function of rational activity well, they have acted with moral reasoning, acting virtuously to achieve eudemonia. In summary, Aristotle believes the good, or virtue, is in a human’s self-interest because of the results it produces. However, I strongly believe that, to classical philosophers, achieving virtue was a broader concept that its modern connotation suggests. It is commonly known that certain theories can be considered obsolete over time if not restated in a modern day context, because as society advances, there is a need for theories and ideas to accommodate and make room for such changes in order to maintain their relevance So, in order to adapt Aristotle’s theory of the good, also known as Aristotle’s virtue theory, into modern day life, different theorists and philosophers became interested in reevaluating the theory and adding to it in order to achieve a successful and newer theory for humans to consider. I want to discuss the most popular theories recreated from Aristotle’s virtue theory to prove that there is, in fact, a need to modernize and restate his original concept, there is not a need to disregard it or substantially add to it. I believe that his theory must simply be presented through a modern outlook to be used as a guideline as to how humans should act instead of a set group of rules that could possible contradict each other. There are many different theories to consider when trying to find the best adaptation of Aristotle’s virtue theory, they range from supplementary views to non-supplementary and non-criterialists. For example, Supplementalists such as James Rachels believe in supplementing Aristotle’s theory of the good with an independent theory of right action. Whereas, non-Supplementalists can be further split into criterialists such as Rosalind Hursthouse, who believes that happiness can be objective, and non-criterialists such as Julia Annas, who believes that virtue theory does not need any criteria of right action because a truly virtuous person would never get into a situation where a criteria of right action would be needed. These theories differ on core principles and methods of adaptation, some even disagree with parts of Aristotle’s theory; however, they all have some form of agreement with respect to Aristotle’s theory of the good and can be used to enhance it for its adaptation into modern day context. After my evaluations of each philosopher’s view points, I have found the most practical and least contradicting theory in Julia Annas’ essay, â€Å"Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Thing. † Her essay delves into not only the original concept of Aristotle’s virtue theory, but also discusses the consequences of abiding by those guidelines in modern day. Her theory allows Aristotle’s theory to remain intact, however she refreshes it to the modern connotation it needed to be more commonly accepted by today’s society. However, when looking at the other popular views, James Rachels’ provides a detailed argument vouching for his supplementalist view point on the theory of the good in his essay â€Å"The Ethics of Virtue. † In his opinion, Aristotle’s theory shows an excellent motivation for moral action and gives us a better perspective of our decisions by enabling a different method of weighing our action. Yet, he also states that through Aristotle’s theory alone, there would be no reason for individuals to think that characteristics are virtues rather than vices. For example, courage could be a vice because there is no basis for asserting that courage is a virtue. Second, he adds â€Å"it is difficult to see how unsupplemented virtue theory could handle cases of moral conflict† (Rachels 2). For example, honesty can conflict with kindness if a certain circumstance presents itself. According to Rachels, a purely virtue-based morality must always be incomplete, since it could not by itself explain why certain character traits are not morally good and therefore, humans could never decipher if they are truly acting virtuously and experiencing eudemonia. In order to make such a distinction between what is and is not morally good, he concludes that a combined approach, supplementing Aristotle’s theory with an independent theory of right action, such as Kantianism or Utilitarianism, will allow for an adequate moral philosophy in modern day. However, there can be problems with supplementation because moral theories, such as Kantianism for example, suffer from the same problem of deciphering the conflict of virtues. Rachels evaluates a list of virtues such as benevolence, civility, fairness, justice and so on, describing them as traits of character that should be fostered in human beings. By doing so, he conveys to the reader the need for an independent theory of right action such as Kantianism to help distinguish whether or not it is a virtue or vice. However, he does not go into detail of the problems such independent theories of right action can run into. Say Rachels wants to supplement the virtue theory with kantianism, and a person posses the virtue of honesty, however, if that person were to be conflicted by Nazis asking where hidden refugees are, that person would have to tell the truth because that is what the â€Å"categorical imperative† deems. Therefore, supplementing the virtue theory proves unnecessary and contradicting when trying to maintain using the virtue theory in modern day. Next, I chose to compare a theory opposing the supplementalist view such as the non-supplementalist view that Rosalind Hursthouse agrees with in her essay â€Å"Virtue Theory and Abortion. † However, she also adds a criterialist view point in that â€Å"an action is right, if and only if, it is what the virtuous agent would do in the circumstance† (Hursthouse 225). In her paper, she primarily uses the example of abortion to demonstrate her criticism of the virtue theory and discuss what is needed to be applied to the theory for it to promote the correct virtuous answer in modern circumstances. She states that â€Å"virtue theory can’t get us anywhere in real moral issues because it’s bound to be all assertion and no argument. (Hursthouse 226),† therefore, she addresses the need for clear, virtuous guidance about what ought and ought not to be done when a person is stuck in a conflicting decision of virtues. In her example of a woman’s decision of whether or not to have an abortion, she emphasizes the necessity of that guidance. However, in the evaluation of Hursthouse’s paper, she states nine separate criticisms of virtue theory, demonstrating what she believes to be an inadequate grasp either of the structure of virtue theory or what would be involved in thinking about a real moral issue in its terms. She clearly makes the point that Aristotle’s theory of the good does not allow for a blatant answer in circumstances in which a person could either only do wrong or face the decision of acting for the good of human kind or for their own self interest. But, what she does not grasp is the simple fact that a virtuous person would never be in such situations to begin with, as Julia Annas later states. Hursthouse’s example of abortion becomes invalid with the realization that a virtuous person would not have irresponsible sex to land herself in a situation of whether or not to have an abortion. She mostly disagrees with Aristotle’s overall concept; therefore, her need to recreate it in a more understandable method is diluted and consumed by her overall goal of asserting the need of a virtuous guidance for those stuck in unvirtuous situations. Julia Annas further addresses the contradictions Hursthouse makes in her essay â€Å"Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Things,† in that she does not follow the criterialist belief that Hursthouse believes is necessary to make the virtuous decision. As stated before, she uses the main contradiction that the circumstances where there is no right answer a virtuous person wouldn’t be in to begin with. Also, she believes that â€Å"we are not blank slates; we already have a firm views about right and wrong ways to act, worthy and unworthy ways to be (Annas 66),† and we become knowledgeable of what is right and wrong through a developmental process, not through some technical method of deciphering right from wrong. She believes that you become good at being virtuous the same way you become good in everything else, for example, in order be good at playing the piano, you must practice. Her statements help relate Aristotle’s virtue theory to those confused about how to apply it in everyday life. She is providing the excuse of instinct and development for the vagueness of his original theory in order to make it more practical and achievable for those wanting to act with virtue. Overall, Annas proves her view deliberately and assertively throughout her paper. It becomes apparent that becoming a virtuous person requires a developmental process much like other activities in life. Also, through defying other theories, such as Hursthouse’s, she shows how uncomplicated making a virtuous decision can be, instead of making such a decision seem unachievable and complicated in modern context. I agree with her statement that it is wrong to â€Å"force our everyday moral thoughts into a system of one-size-fits all kind, virtue ethics tells us to look elsewhere at what happens when we try to become a builder or pianist (Annas 73),† because I believe that is how I came to learn what was morally good, and how I am still learning what is right or wrong in today’s society. She revives Aristotle’s virtue theory for modern day by allowing its original vagueness to remain intact and not trying to rewrite the theory’s initial context, while at the same time describing it as more of a guideline for humans to live by and a way to improve practical judgment in everyday life. In conclusion, Annas’ non-supplementalist, non-criterialist outlook on Aristotle’s virtue theory provokes thought and consideration, but also relates to a reader, because if looked at closely, the virtuous developmental process can be easily recognizable in any reader’s childhood. Also, her analytical methods of revealing the problems in other theories help the reader to comprehend her theory easier. Annas leaves the reader stating â€Å"When it comes to working to find the right thing to do, we cannot shift the work to a theory, because we, unlike theories, are always learning, and so we are always learning and aspiring to do better (Annas 74). † Overall, Annas provides the best adaptation to Aristotle’s theory of the good and provides a positive outlook on the methods of becoming virtuous without constraining the reader to believe that there is exact and deliberate steps a human must make in order to gain eudemonia. Her revision allows Aristotle’s concept to live on into modern day, and thus provides a well-rounded and current guideline to the betterment of today’s society. Works Cited Annas, Julia. Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Thing. Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association (2004): 61-75. Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics. 325 B. C. Hursthouse, Rosalind. Virtue Theory and Abortion. Philosophy and Public Affairs 20. 3 (1991): 223-246. Rachel, James. The Ethics of Virtue. 1996. Norman R. Shultz. November 2010 http://www. normanrschultz. org/Courses/Ethics/Rachels_virtueethics. pdf.

A history of social policy changes

A history of social policy changes With reference to changes in government policy and ideologies of welfare, debate the significance of the shift from Victorian Pauper to 21st century service user and its impact on social work practice and values. This assignment has used a timeline of government changes and policies as a background to debate the shift from Victorian pauper to the 21st century service user. The divide between poor and rich has always been an issue that all governments have tried to diminish using different policies and laws. However there is still that divide that seems to be increasing. Has much changed since the Poor Law was implemented? Are individuals given more choice and rights now? Will there always be stigma attached and social exclusion that comes from using these words, do they still have the same meaning? This assignment will attempt to answer these questions using references to policy and ideologies of welfare. The definition of a Pauper according to the Collins dictionary is someone who is extremely poor or historically eligible for public charity. The definition of a service user is someone who uses or receives health or social care services. (General social care council) According to Sen, 1999 the term service user was introduced because of gained strength of powerless people during the 1980s. This term indicates an acknowledgement of the government and public, understanding that service users have a positive role. They still have capabilities and can realise their potential, they are not just individuals who are entitled to help via the services we offer. Although this term was produced by the individuals who use the services it still highlights that they work with professionals and that the power still resides with them. (Adams, Dominelli and Payne, 2009) The National network of service users: Shaping our lives believe that the term service user is positive, its an individual who uses the services, they confer power creating a stronger voice and having a greater ability to shape services. (Levin 2004) The changes in policy from Pauper to service user have been vast. British social policys foundation is from the Poor Laws, the first one passed in 1598 the last 1948. The Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 provided a compulsory poor rate and helped set the poor onto work. However as the Parish was the basic area of administration laws were enforced differently in that area, meaning the operation of the Poor Law was inconsistent between areas, the beginning of the postcode lottery. The Poor Law amendment act of 1834 modified the existing system that was in place, it was implemented at a higher stage not just at Parish level ,Poor Law unions were introduced the development of the workhouses was encouraged, one workhouse in each union to give poor relief. This act stated that no able bodied person was to receive any other help other than in the workhouse. This laws primary problem was to make life inside as bad as outside of the workhouse, this was difficult as some would have had to be starved to meet what they met outside. There was a stigma attached though and it was that reputation that stopped everyone from using a workhouse, they produced jail style segregation men and women and even families had to be separated. As the government thought this was the best way to help the neediest families they saw no problems with this Act. In fact the neediest families still werent using the help and going into a workhouse because they didnt want to be separated. Not unlike families today that still dont ask for help because of the stigma or because they dont know or understand the system implemented to help them as much as possible. It was in 1869 that The Charitable Organisation Society was formed to make charities more effective, they understood that charitable assistance was needed but believed that their aim was to reach all families, they were also unsure of how the money from charities had previously been spent. They set out financial help introducing local committees, these then raised funds and distributed to families in need. Also very similar to many charities today, there are still many families who dont ask for help because of religion, language, pride or just werent told. (Family action) COS found that it wasnt just financial help that people needed, so they started to offer emotional and practical help too. When they had many families needing help they knew there volunteers would need training, this became the pioneer in the profession of social work, something that our foundations are based on today. The main foundation of COS was to change policy to help the people suffering the effects of poverty, something that social workers do now, the general council of social workers are still working to help those suffering the most and work towards giving help to those who have unable to find help elsewhere and give social work support as well as signpost to other services that may help them further. From this time more acts were introduced including the Public health act of 1872. During this time poverty was never really defined they understood what brought it about like unemployment or illness, if they had defined poverty it may have helped introduced different acts to prevent it. In the 1900s poverty was ever increasing, the settlement movement started its idea was to establish settlement houses in poor areas with the idea that the middle class would volunteer to live with them, sharing their knowledge and help alleviate the poverty of their poor neighbours. From this movement many initiatives emerged and helped to improve conditions of all poor areas of society and help all individuals. This movement focused on the causes of poverty providing a number of services including education and health services. This settlement movement is another foundation of social work practice today, no we dont live with the individuals in need, but the whole reason of social work is to use our education and knowledge to alleviate the problems they have and help them emotionally, practically and financially, which is just what these volunteers did. Although some argued that this was normative because some wanted the divide between the poor and higher classes. (Laybourn, 1995) Al though this movement was important the more powerful COS submerged as the controversial nature of social work, there was individuals that were not eligible for help these were still at the workhouse, and most of these individuals were women who bore children out of wedlock. Although the settlement movement was also necessary in society in focusing on poverty, it focused on a more structured analyses of poverty and its impact on human behaviour by practising interventions at a community level, which is needed now to help small communities help each other as well as individually. The nature of social work practice then focused on individuals and a significant element of this time is the elimination of hearing clients voices and the incomparable knowledge of the professionals working with them. Only now is the service users voice being recognised again. (Adams et al, 2009) The Poor Law was the basis of the development of services for the 20th century, including the national insurance act, these new services were introduced to avoid having to rely on the Poor Laws. (Alcock, 2003) The government laid the basis of the future social services, the major concern was that all areas should be given the same services, these new services were provided away from The Poor Law to evade the association. Even though these new ideologies were introduced to provide services to all individuals there was still a stigma attached, even now there is still a stigma attached to the term service user, although governments have changed their policies to use different terms some still have the same meaning. A major report produced regarding the welfare of individuals was the Beveridge report. This report focused on how Britain could be rebuilt after the war. In 1945 labour was elected and promised to introduce a welfare state. The welfare state involved introducing new services these included family allowances, the national health services and housing acts to name a few. The welfare state was produced to encourage the provision of services for the public not as a response to poverty. (Laybourn, 1995) this is where a major criticism lies within debates regarding the welfare state within current governments. In the 1950s the provision of welfare state services became problematic, government interventions at the time didnt help and caused further problems so the Conservative government took over and cut the help given to the poor and sick. This then made the distribution of income more imbalanced and although attempted to make the poor more hardworking and self sufficient it didnt work. One report that impacted policy and practice during the 1960s was the Seabohm report 1968, this report re-introduced poverty. This paper was tasked to review the organisation and responsibilities of the local authority personal social services in England and to consider what changes are desirable to secure an effective family service. (Seebohm, 1968, pg11.) Prior to this report social work was spread across various local authorities and different government sections, because of this the report found that there was inadequacies in the quality of provision and access was very difficult. The report recommended a new local authority department providing a community based and family orientated service, which will be available for all When this recommendation was brought into action new social services department were formed. Seebohm did foresee problems which were highlighted in the report, it stated that having separate departments for children and adults would make it difficult to treat the familys needs as a whole. Another important Report was the Barclay Report, 1982 that looked into the role of a social worker, in its opening line it states that too much is expected of social workers. It found that it was a profession that was confused about its role and because of intense media scrutiny was struggling with its work load. It found that there was an ongoing need for social workers to fulfil many functions including promoting community networks, working with other services and acting on clients behalf and to act as resources for all individual who need help. The report did criticise social work departments for taking a reactive stance towards social problems, dealing with those needs which are forced upon their attention but failing to develop overall plans which link the voluntary, volunteer, statutory and private services in an area into a coherent plan (p.38) which is still a problem today. Although these reports have all highlighted how good social work is and how much its needed there are so many problems involved in the profession. Firstly because every government have changed the way the work as soon as they get used to it, it changes again, yes the changes could be for the better but are these just changes for changes sake? The labour government have imposed new policies and directives for social work but after 8 years there are still problems within social work some which could be easily acted upon. We will only know if these new policies and new social work task force works over time. As its been highlighted earlier in this assignment there is still an implication involved in being a service user just as there was being a pauper. Whilst researching the different acts and welfare ideologies that have been introduced throughout the timeline Ive used Ive realised that there are more similarities than comparisons between a services user and pauper. They still have problems accessing help and there are many families who still dont ask for help because of the stigma. However new approaches have introduced service user involvement by defining what help they want and defining the quality of help they receive. A recent report by Beresford, Shamash, Forrest and Turner, 2007 research service users vision for adult service they found that the process of accessing social care was frequently negative for service users, the assessments were very dependent on the quality of the staff carrying it out, which shouldnt be happening all social workers should work to one high standard it shouldnt be a lottery of if you get a good one or not. Access to communicating with the social worker was low and that many of the service users questioned had gaps in their services making them feel insecure. A major problem through history has been a struggle to get good support for these individuals. Whilst researching this topic I realised that service users know what they want and can easily highlight the problems at the minute one report found while welfare bureaucracy has been condemned by governments for a long while service users still identify problems. One individual said that we shouldnt have to fill out forms to be made to feel like beggars, not unlike The Poor Law and paupers opinions. There is still social exclusion, the poor will stay poor because they have just enough to get by so they wont stop, think and revolt. But do social workers maintain this, because they help them just enough, finding the quickest thing they can do to help them not necessarily the best way in the long run. New Labour has had so much time to make improvements and rectify social exclusion but child poverty is getting worst. How much have rights helped service users, many reports have found that they feel more responsible and confident about the help they are receiving when they have been more involved in the decision processes. Although some still feel like they are hidden away from society and when they have more experience of their disability they need to be acknowledged. The report by Beresford et al, 2007 also found that service users would like a watchdog with service users and professionals and they should be the judges of quality. One dilemma that social workers face is working towards anti discriminatory practice, equality should be the core of provisions of service, and it needs to take into account religion and backgrounds. Yes some progress has been made involving diversity for example the race equality act, still lots of progress needs to be made. There are many barriers when considering the major historical events that brought about social work and the values it has now. We see that welfare state is a necessary condition of social work flourishing and to defend it or is it temporary in which internationally social work will then erupt from something else. One barrier when understanding which major events affected what social work is today is our understanding of the history of social work, the history isnt concrete it changes daily. Most of the history of social work comes from COS as its origin and its methods are still used today. However Laybourn, 1997 has found other methods that were used that have yet to be examined this may have been because COS was used in London and this would have an effect on the history, power will always influence history. To conclude social work has changed significantly and is still very important and we will progress to help all individuals, we need a larger voice though to talk about the problems we face as a profession to ensure that service users and pauper have fewer similarities. I believe that service users have shifted from paupers as they have much more freedom and rights now, yes there are still similarities which need to be focused on to improve our system and we could probably be a better service if problems hadnt occurred along the way to affect how we work, we also need to refuse to let policies be imposed on us when they dont improve on what were already doing. Rights are now benefiting service users but we need to ensure it stays like this. Whilst working towards anti discriminatory practice and equality for all we need to ensure our values are the same that we contribute to a fairer society by reducing disadvantage and exclusion and promoting fair access to resources. Many policies a nd acts have been the bedrock of what social work is today and without them social work would be very different.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Smart Antenna

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Smart Antenna The Direction of Arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm which may take various forms generally follows from the homogeneous solution of the wave equation. The models of interest in this dissertation may equally apply to an EM wave as well as to an acoustic wave. Assuming that the propagation model is fundamentally the same, we will, for analytical expediency, show that it can follow from the solution of Maxwells equations, which clearly are only valid for EM waves. In empty space the equation can be written as: =0 (3.1) =0 (3.2) (3.3) (3.4) where . and ÃÆ'-, respectively, denote the divergence and curl. Furthermore, B is the magnetic induction. E denotes the electric field, whereas and are the magnetic and dielectric constants respectively. Invoking 3.1 the following curl property results as: (3.5) (3.6) (3.7) The constant c is generally referred to as the speed of propagation. For EM waves in free space, it follows from the derivation c = 1 / = 3 x m / s. The homogeneous wave equation (3.7) constitutes the physical motivation for our assumed data model, regardless of the type of wave or medium. In some applications, the underlying physics are irrelevant, and it is merely the mathematical structure of the data model that counts. 3.2 Plane wave In the physics of wave propagation, a plane wave is a constant-frequency wave whose wave fronts are infinite parallel planes of constant peak-to-peak amplitude normal to the phase velocity vector[]. Actually, it is impossible to have a rare plane wave in practice, and only a plane wave of infinite extent can propagate as a plane wave. Actually, many waves are approximately regarded as plane waves in a localized region of space, e.g., a localized source such as an antenna produces a field which is approximately a plane wave far enough from the antenna in its far-field region. Likely, we can treat the waves as light rays which correspond locally to plane waves, when the length scales are much longer than the waves wavelength, as is often appearing of light in the field of optics. 3.2.1 Mathematical definition Two functions which meet the criteria of having a constant frequency and constant amplitude are defined as the sine or cosine functions. One of the simplest ways to use such a sinusoid involves defining it along the direction of the x axis. As the equation shown below, it uses the cosine function to express a plane wave travelling in the positive x direction. (3.8) Where A(x,t) is the magnitude of the shown wave at a given point in space and time. is the amplitude of the wave which is the peak magnitude of the oscillation. k is the waves wave number or more specifically the angular wave number and equals 2à Ã¢â€š ¬/ÃŽÂ », where ÃŽÂ » is the wavelength of the wave. k has the units of radians per unit distance and is a standard of how rapidly the disturbance changes over a given distance at a particular point in time. x is a point along the x axis. y and z are not considered in the equation because the waves magnitude and phase are the same at every point on any given y-z plane. This equation defines what that magnitude and phase are. is the waves angular frequency which equals 2à Ã¢â€š ¬/T, and T is the period of the wave. In detail, omega, has the units of radians per unit time and is also a standard of how rapid the disturbance changing in a given length of time at a particular point in space. is a given particular point in time, and varphi , is the wave phase shift with the units of radians. It must make clear that a positive phase shift will shifts the wave along the negative x axis direction at a given point of time. A phase shift of 2à Ã¢â€š ¬ radians means shifting it one wavelength exactly. Other formulations which directly use the waves wavelength, period T, frequency f and velocity c, are shown as follows: A=A_o cos[2pi(x/lambda- t/T) + varphi], (3.9) A=A_o cos[2pi(x/lambda- ft) + varphi], (3.10) A=A_o cos[(2pi/lambda)(x- ct) + varphi], (3.11) To appreciate the equivalence of the above set of equations denote that f=1/T,! and c=lambda/T=omega/k,! 3.2.2 Application Plane waves are solutions for a scalar wave equation in the homogeneous medium. As for vector wave equations, e.g., waves in an elastic solid or the ones describing electromagnetic radiation, the solution for the homogeneous medium is similar. In vector wave equations, the scalar amplitude is replaced by a constant vector. e.g., in electromagnetism is the vector of the electric field, magnetic field, or vector potential. The transverse wave is a kind of wave in which the amplitude vector is perpendicular to k, which is the case for electromagnetic waves in an isotropic space. On the contrast, the longitudinal wave is a kind of wave in which the amplitude vector is parallel to k, typically, such as for acoustic waves in a gas or fluid. The plane wave equation is true for arbitrary combinations of à Ã¢â‚¬ ° and k. However, all real physical mediums will only allow such waves to propagate for these combinations of à Ã¢â‚¬ ° and k that satisfy the dispersion relation of the mediums. The dispersion relation is often demonstrated as a function, à Ã¢â‚¬ °(k), where ratio à Ã¢â‚¬ °/|k| gives the magnitude of the phase velocity and dà Ã¢â‚¬ °/dk denotes the group velocity. As for electromagnetism in an isotropic case with index of refraction coefficient n, the phase velocity is c/n, which equals the group velocity on condition that the index is frequency independent. In linear uniform case, a wave equation solution can be demonstrated as a superposition of plane waves. This method is known as the Angular Spectrum method. Actually, the solution form of the plane wave is the general consequence of translational symmetry. And in the more general case, for periodic structures with discrete translational symmetry, the solution takes the form of Bloch waves, which is most famous in crystalline atomic materials, in the photonic crystals and other periodic wave equations. 3.3 Propagation Many physical phenomena are either a result of waves propagating through a medium or exhibit a wave like physical manifestation. Though 3.7 is a vector equation, we only consider one of its components, say E(r,t) where r is the radius vector. It will later be assumed that the measured sensor outputs are proportional to E(r,t). Interestingly enough, any field of the form E(r,t) = , which satisfies 3.7, provided with T denoting transposition. Through its dependence on only, the solution can be interpreted as a wave traveling in the direction, with the speed of propagation. For the latter reason, ÃŽÂ ± is referred to as the slowness vector. The chief interest herein is in narrowband forcing functions. The details of generating such a forcing function can be found in the classic book by Jordan [59]. In complex notation [63] and taking the origin as a reference, a narrowband transmitted waveform can be expressed as: (3.12) where s(t) is slowly time varying compared to the carrier . For, where B is the bandwidth of s(t), we can write: (3.13) In the last equation 3.13, the so-called wave vector was introduced, and its magnitude is the wavenumber. One can also write, where is the wavelength. Make sure that k also points in the direction of propagation, e.g., in the x-y plane we can get: (3.14) where is the direction of propagation, defined counter clockwise relative the x axis. It should be noted that 3.12 implicitly assumed far-field conditions, since an isotropic, which refers to uniform propagation/transmission in all directions, point source gives rise to a spherical traveling wave whose amplitude is inversely proportional to the distance to the source. All points lying on the surface of a sphere of radius R will then share a common phase and are referred to as a wave front. This indicates that the distance between the emitters and the receiving antenna array determines whether the spherical degree of the wave should be taken into account. The reader is referred to e.g., [10, 24] for treatments of near field reception. Far field receiving conditions imply that the radius of propagation is so large that a flat plane of constant phase can be considered, thus resulting in a plane wave as indicated in Eq. 8. Though not necessary, the latter will be our assumed working mode l for convenience of exposition. Note that a linear medium implies the validity of the superposition principle, and thus allows for more than one traveling wave. Equation 8 carries both spatial and temporal information and represents an adequate model for distinguishing signals with distinct spatial-temporal parameters. These may come in various forms, such as DOA, in general azimuth and elevation, signal polarization, transmitted waveforms, temporal frequency etc. Each emitter is generally associated with a set of such characteristics. The interest in unfolding the signal parameters forms the essence of sensor array signal processing as presented herein, and continues to be an important and active topic of research. 3.4 Smart antenna Smart antennas are devices which adapt their radiation pattern to achieve improved performance either range or capacity or some combination of these [1]. The rapid growth in demand for mobile communications services has encouraged research into the design of wireless systems to improve spectrum efficiency, and increase link quality [7]. Using existing methods more effective, the smart antenna technology has the potential to significantly increase the wireless. With intelligent control of signal transmission and reception, capacity and coverage of the mobile wireless network, communications applications can be significantly improved [2]. In the communication system, the ability to distinguish different users is essential. The smart antenna can be used to add increased spatial diversity, which is referred to as Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA). Conventionally, employment of the most common multiple access scheme is a frequency division multiple access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). These independent users of the program, frequency, time and code domain were given three different levels of diversity. Potential benefits of the smart antenna show in many ways, such as anti-multipath fading, reducing the delay extended to support smart antenna holding high data rate, interference suppression, reducing the distance effect, reducing the outage probability, to improve the BER (Bit Error Rate)performance, increasing system capacity, to improve spectral efficiency, supporting flexible and efficient handoff to expand cell coverage, flexible management of the district, to extend the battery life of mobile station, as well as lower maintenance and operating costs. 3.4.1 Types of Smart Antennas The environment and the systems requirements decide the type of Smart Antennas. There are two main types of Smart Antennas. They are as follows: Phased Array Antenna In this type of smart antenna, there will be a number of fixed beams between which the beam will be turned on or steered to the target signal. This can be done, only in the first stage of adjustment to help. In other words, as wanted by the moving target, the beam will be the Steering [2]. Adaptive Array Antenna Integrated with adaptive digital signal processing technology, the smart antenna uses digital signal processing algorithm to measure the signal strength of the beam, so that the antenna can dynamically change the beam which transmit power concentrated, as figure 3.2 shows. The application of spatial processing can enhance the signal capacity, so that multiple users share a channel. Adaptive antenna array is a closed-loop feedback control system consisting of an antenna array and real-time adaptive signal receiver processor, which uses the feedback control method for automatic alignment of the antenna array pattern. It formed nulling interference signal offset in the direction of the interference, and can strengthen a useful signal, so as to achieve the purpose of anti-jamming [3]. Figure 2 click for text version Figure 3.2 3.4.2 Advantages and disadvantages of smart antenna Advantages First of all, a high level of efficiency and power are provided by the smart antenna for the target signal. Smart antennas generate narrow pencil beams, when a big number of antenna elements are used in a high frequency condition. Thus, in the direction of the target signal, the efficiency is significantly high. With the help of adaptive array antennas, the same amount times the power gain will be produce, on condition that a fixed number of antenna elements are used. Another improvement is in the amount of interference which is suppressed. Phased array antennas suppress the interference with the narrow beam and adaptive array antennas suppress by adjusting the beam pattern [2]. Disadvantages The main disadvantage is the cost. Actually, the cost of such devices will be more than before, not only in the electronics section, but in the energy. That is to say the device is too expensive, and will also decrease the life of other devices. The receiver chains which are used must be decreased in order to reduce the cost. Also, because of the use of the RF electronics and A/D converter for each antenna, the costs are increasing. Moreover, the size of the antenna is another problem. Large base stations are needed to make this method to be efficient and it will increase the size, apart from this multiple external antennas needed on each terminal. Then, when the diversity is concerned, disadvantages are occurred. When mitigation is needed, diversity becomes a serious problem. The terminals and base stations must equip with multiple antennas. 3.5 White noise White noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density []. In another word, the signal contains the equal power within a particular bandwidth at the centre frequency. White noise draws its name from white light where the power spectral density of the light is distributed in the visible band. In this way, the eyes three colour receptors are approximately equally stimulated []. In statistical case, a time series can be characterized as having weak white noise on condition that {} is a sequence of serially uncorrelated random vibrations with zero mean and finite variance. Especially, strong white noise has the quality to be independent and identically distributed, which means no autocorrelation. In particular, the series is called the Gaussian white noise [1], if is normally distributed and it has zero mean and standard deviation. Actually, an infinite bandwidth white noise signal is just a theoretical construction which cannot be reached. In practice, the bandwidth of white noise is restricted by the transmission medium, the mechanism of noise generation, and finite observation capabilities. If a random signal is observed with a flat spectrum in a mediums widest possible bandwidth, we will refer it as white noise. 3.5.1 Mathematical definition White random vector A random vector W is a white random vector only if its mean vector and autocorrelation matrix are corresponding to the follows: mu_w = mathbb{E}{ mathbf{w} } = 0 (3.15) R_{ww} = mathbb{E}{ mathbf{w} mathbf{w}^T} = sigma^2 mathbf{I} . (3.16) That is to say, it is a zero mean random vector, and its autocorrelation matrix is a multiple of the identity matrix. When the autocorrelation matrix is a multiple of the identity, we can regard it as spherical correlation. White random process A time continuous random process where is a white noise signal only if its mean function and autocorrelation function satisfy the following equation: mu_w(t) = mathbb{E}{ w(t)} = 0 (3.17) R_{ww}(t_1, t_2) = mathbb{E}{ w(t_1) w(t_2)} = (N_{0}/2)delta(t_1 t_2). (3.18) That is to say, it is zero mean for all time and has infinite power at zero time shift since its autocorrelation function is the Dirac delta function. The above autocorrelation function implies the following power spectral density. Since the Fourier transform of the delta function is equal to 1, we can imply: S_{ww}(omega) = N_{0}/2 ,! (3.19) Since this power spectral density is the same at all frequencies, we define it white as an analogy to the frequency spectrum of white light. A generalization to random elements on infinite dimensional spaces, e.g. random fields, is the white noise measure. 3.5.2 Statistical properties The white noise is uncorrelated in time and does not restrict the values a signal can take. Any distribution of values about the white noise is possible. Even a so-called binary signal that can only take the values of 1 or -1 will be white on condition that the sequence is statistically uncorrelated. Any noise with a continuous distribution, like a normal distribution, can be white noise certainly. It is often incorrectly assumed that Gaussian noise is necessarily white noise, yet neither property implies the other. Gaussianity refers to the probability distribution with respect to the value, in this context the probability of the signal reaching amplitude, while the term white refers to the way the signal power is distributed over time or among frequencies. Spectrogram of pink noise (left) and white noise (right), showed with linear frequency axis (vertical). We can therefore find Gaussian white noise, but also Poisson, Cauchy, etc. white noises. Thus, the two words Gaussian and white are often both specified in mathematical models of systems. Gaussian white noise is a good approximation of many real-world situations and generates mathematically tractable models. These models are used so frequently that the term additive white Gaussian noise has a standard abbreviation: AWGN. White noise is the generalized mean-square derivative of the Wiener process or Brownian motion. 3.6 Normal Distribution In probability theory, the normal (or Gaussian) distribution is a continuous probability distribution that has a bell-shaped probability density function, known as the Gaussian function or informally as the bell curve[1]. f(x;mu,sigma^2) = frac{1}{sigmasqrt{2pi}} e^{ -frac{1}{2}left(frac{x-mu}{sigma}right)^2 } The parameter ÃŽÂ ¼ is the mean or expectation (location of the peak) and à Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °2 is the variance. à Ã†â€™ is known as the standard deviation. The distribution with ÃŽÂ ¼ = 0 and à Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °2 = 1 is called the standard normal distribution or the unit normal distribution. A normal distribution is often used as a first approximation to describe real-valued random variables that cluster around a single mean value. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Standard_deviation_diagram.svg/325px-Standard_deviation_diagram.svg.png The normal distribution is considered the most prominent probability distribution in statistics. There are several reasons for this:[1] First, the normal distribution arises from the central limit theorem, which states that under mild conditions, the mean of a large number of random variables drawn from the same distribution is distributed approximately normally, irrespective of the form of the original distribution. This gives it exceptionally wide application in, for example, sampling. Secondly, the normal distribution is very tractable analytically, that is, a large number of results involving this distribution can be derived in explicit form. For these reasons, the normal distribution is commonly encountered in practice, and is used throughout statistics, natural sciences, and social sciences [2] as a simple model for complex phenomena. For example, the observational error in an experiment is usually assumed to follow a normal distribution, and the propagation of uncertainty is computed using this assumption. Note that a normally distributed variable has a symmetric distribution about its mean. Quantities that grow exponentially, such as prices, incomes or populations, are often skewed to the right, and hence may be better described by other distributions, such as the log-normal distribution or Pareto distribution. In addition, the probability of seeing a normally distributed value that is far (i.e. more than a few standard deviations) from the mean drops off extremely rapidly. As a result, statistical inference using a normal distribution is not robust to the presence of outliers (data that are unexpectedly far from the mean, due to exceptional circumstances, observational error, etc.). When outliers are expected, data may be better described using a heavy-tailed distribution such as the Students t-distribution. 3.6.1 Mathematical Definition The simplest case of a normal distribution is known as the standard normal distribution, described by the probability density function phi(x) = frac{1}{sqrt{2pi}}, e^{- frac{scriptscriptstyle 1}{scriptscriptstyle 2} x^2}. The factor scriptstyle 1/sqrt{2pi} in this expression ensures that the total area under the curve à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢(x) is equal to one[proof], and 12 in the exponent makes the width of the curve (measured as half the distance between the inflection points) also equal to one. It is traditional in statistics to denote this function with the Greek letter à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ (phi), whereas density functions for all other distributions are usually denoted with letters f or p.[5] The alternative glyph à Ã¢â‚¬   is also used quite often, however within this article à Ã¢â‚¬   is reserved to denote characteristic functions. Every normal distribution is the result of exponentiating a quadratic function (just as an exponential distribution results from exponentiating a linear function): f(x) = e^{a x^2 + b x + c}. , This yields the classic bell curve shape, provided that a 0 everywhere. One can adjust a to control the width of the bell, then adjust b to move the central peak of the bell along the x-axis, and finally one must choose c such that scriptstyleint_{-infty}^infty f(x),dx = 1 (which is only possible when a Rather than using a, b, and c, it is far more common to describe a normal distribution by its mean ÃŽÂ ¼ = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °b2a and variance à Ã†â€™2 = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °12a. Changing to these new parameters allows one to rewrite the probability density function in a convenient standard form, f(x) = frac{1}{sqrt{2pisigma^2}}, e^{frac{-(x-mu)^2}{2sigma^2}} = frac{1}{sigma}, phi!left(frac{x-mu}{sigma}right). For a standard normal distribution, ÃŽÂ ¼ = 0 and à Ã†â€™2 = 1. The last part of the equation above shows that any other normal distribution can be regarded as a version of the standard normal distribution that has been stretched horizontally by a factor à Ã†â€™ and then translated rightward by a distance ÃŽÂ ¼. Thus, ÃŽÂ ¼ specifies the position of the bell curves central peak, and à Ã†â€™ specifies the width of the bell curve. The parameter ÃŽÂ ¼ is at the same time the mean, the median and the mode of the normal distribution. The parameter à Ã†â€™2 is called the variance; as for any random variable, it describes how concentrated the distribution is around its mean. The square root of à Ã†â€™2 is called the standard deviation and is the width of the density function. The normal distribution is usually denoted by N(ÃŽÂ ¼,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ Ã†â€™2).[6] Thus when a random variable X is distributed normally with mean ÃŽÂ ¼ and variance à Ã†â€™2, we write X sim mathcal{N}(mu,,sigma^2). , 3.6.2 Alternative formulations Some authors advocate using the precision instead of the variance. The precision is normally defined as the reciprocal of the variance (à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ = à Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢2), although it is occasionally defined as the reciprocal of the standard deviation (à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ = à Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1).[7] This parameterization has an advantage in numerical applications where à Ã†â€™2 is very close to zero and is more convenient to work with in analysis as à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ is a natural parameter of the normal distribution. This parameterization is common in Bayesian statistics, as it simplifies the Bayesian analysis of the normal distribution. Another advantage of using this parameterization is in the study of conditional distributions in the multivariate normal case. The form of the normal distribution with the more common definition à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ = à Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢2 is as follows: f(x;,mu,tau) = sqrt{frac{tau}{2pi}}, e^{frac{-tau(x-mu)^2}{2}}. The question of which normal distribution should be called the standard one is also answered differently by various authors. Starting from the works of Gauss the standard normal was considered to be the one with variance à Ã†â€™2 = 12 : f(x) = frac{1}{sqrtpi},e^{-x^2} Stigler (1982) goes even further and insists the standard normal to be with the variance à Ã†â€™2 = 12à Ã¢â€š ¬ : f(x) = e^{-pi x^2} According to the author, this formulation is advantageous because of a much simpler and easier-to-remember formula, the fact that the pdf has unit height at zero, and simple approximate formulas for the quintiles of the distribution. 3.7 Cramer-Rao Bound In estimation theory and statistics, the Cramà ©r-Rao bound (CRB) or Cramà ©r-Rao lower bound (CRLB), named in honor of Harald Cramer and Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao who were among the first to derive it,[1][2][3] expresses a lower bound on the variance of estimators of a deterministic parameter. The bound is also known as the Cramà ©r-Rao inequality or the information inequality. In its simplest form, the bound states that the variance of any unbiased estimator is at least as high as the inverse of the Fisher information. An unbiased estimator which achieves this lower bound is said to be (fully) efficient. Such a solution achieves the lowest possible mean squared error among all unbiased methods, and is therefore the minimum variance unbiased (MVU) estimator. However, in some cases, no unbiased technique exists which achieves the bound. This may occur even when an MVU estimator exists. The Cramà ©r-Rao bound can also be used to bound the variance of biased estimators of given bias. In some cases, a biased approach can result in both a variance and a mean squared error that are below the unbiased Cramà ©r-Rao lower bound; see estimator bias. statement The Cramà ©r-Rao bound is stated in this section for several increasingly general cases, beginning with the case in which the parameter is a scalar and its estimator is unbiased. All versions of the bound require certain regularity conditions, which hold for most well-behaved distributions. These conditions are listed later in this section. Scalar unbiased case Suppose theta is an unknown deterministic parameter which is to be estimated from measurements x, distributed according to some probability density function f(x;theta). The variance of any unbiased estimator hat{theta} of theta is then bounded by the reciprocal of the Fisher information I(theta): mathrm{var}(hat{theta}) geq frac{1}{I(theta)} where the Fisher information I(theta) is defined by I(theta) = mathrm{E} left[ left( frac{partial ell(x;theta)}{partialtheta} right)^2 right] = -mathrm{E}left[ frac{partial^2 ell(x;theta)}{partialtheta^2} right] and ell(x;theta)=log f(x;theta) is the natural logarithm of the likelihood function and mathrm{E} denotes the expected value. The efficiency of an unbiased estimator hat{theta} measures how close this estimators variance comes to this lower bound; estimator efficiency is defined as e(hat{theta}) = frac{I(theta)^{-1}}{{rm var}(hat{theta})} or the minimum possible variance for an unbiased estimator divided by its actual variance. The Cramà ©r-Rao lower bound thus gives e(hat{theta}) le 1. General scalar case A more general form of the bound can be obtained by considering an unbiased estimator T(X) of a function psi(theta) of the parameter theta. Here, unbiasedness is understood as stating that E{T(X)} = psi(theta). In this case, the bound is given by mathrm{var}(T) geq frac{[psi'(theta)]^2}{I(theta)} where psi'(theta) is the derivative of psi(theta) (by theta), and I(theta) is the Fisher information defined above. Bound on the variance of biased estimators Apart from being a bound on estimators of functions of the parameter, this approach can be used to derive a bound on the variance of biased estimators with a given bias, as follows. Consider an estimator hat{theta} with biasb(theta) = E{hat{theta}} theta, and let psi(theta) = b(theta) + theta. By the result above, any unbiased estimator whose expectation is psi(theta) has variance greater than or equal to (psi'(theta))^2/I(theta). Thus, any estimator hat{theta} whose bias is given by a function b(theta) satisfies mathrm{var} left(hat{theta}right) geq frac{[1+b'(theta)]^2}{I(theta)}. The unbiased version of the bound is a special case of this result, with b(theta)=0. Its trivial to have a small variance à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ an estimator that is constant has a variance of zero. But from the above equation we find that the mean squared errorof a biased estimator is bounded by mathrm{E}left((hat{theta}-theta)^2right)geqfrac{[1+b'(theta)]^2}{I(theta)}+b(theta)^2, using the standard decomposition of the MSE. Note, however, that this bound can be less than the unbiased Cramà ©r-Rao bound 1/I(ÃŽÂ ¸). See the example of estimating variance below. Multivariate case Extending the Cramà ©r-Rao bound to multiple parameters, define a parameter column vector boldsymbol{theta} = left[ theta_1, theta_2, dots, theta_d right]^T in mathbb{R}^d with probability density function f(x; boldsymbol{theta}) which satisfies the two regularity conditions below. The Fisher information matrix is a d times d matrix with element I_{m, k} defined as I_{m, k} = mathrm{E} left[ frac{d}{dtheta_m} log fleft(x; boldsymbol{theta}right) frac{d}{dtheta_k} log fleft(x; boldsymbol{theta}right) right]. Let boldsymbol{T}(X) be an estimator of any vector function of parameters, boldsymbol{T}(X) = (T_1(X), ldots, T_n(X))^T, and denote its expectation vector mathrm{E}[boldsymbol{T}(X)] by boldsymbol{psi}(boldsymbol{theta}). The Cramà ©r-Rao bound then states that the covariance matrix of boldsymbol{T}(X) satisfies mathrm{cov}_{boldsymbol{theta}}left(boldsymbol{T}(X)right) geq frac {partial boldsymbol{psi} left(boldsymbol{theta}right)} {partial boldsymbol{theta}} [Ileft(boldsymbol{theta}right)]^{-1} left( frac {partial boldsymbol{psi}left(boldsymbol{theta}right)} {partial boldsymbol{theta}} right)^T where The matrix inequality A ge B is understood to mean that the matrix A-B is positive semi definite, and partial boldsymbol{psi}(boldsymbol{theta})/partial boldsymbol{theta} is the Jacobian matrix whose ijth element is given by partial psi_i(boldsymbol{theta})/partial theta_j. If boldsymbol{T}(X) is an unbiased estimator of boldsymbol{theta} (i.e., boldsymbol{psi}left(boldsymbol{theta}rig

Essay --

â€Å"Courage is fire and bullying is smoke.†--Benjamin Disraeli. Bullying is more connected to smoke than just as aftermath. Bullying, compared to smoke, is widespread and causes destruction in every life it touches. The tormentor envelopes their victim in fear and a sense of uneasiness that cannot be divided into categories--such as some websites claim--but instead, one because all the bully can do is connected to his or her victim in one way or another. Bullying touches many people in close proximity to one another . In fact, recent surveys have found that approximately 60 percent of students enrolled in middle school have been bullied in some form (Statistics: Is Bullying). The facts show that once started, bullying is incredibly difficult to stop, and wreaks havoc in every life it touches. Bullying affects middle school students in numerous ways. Some of the most common being physically, emotionally, and academically. Bullying, such as smoke, can cause serious health problems to students in middle school. Many bullies choose to physically harm their victims in a form of bullying called physical bullying. â€Å"Physical bullying involves real bodily contact between a bully and his or her victim for the express purpose of intimidation or control over the victim† (What Is Physical). This interaction develops into a feeling of satisfaction for the bully because their have done what they intended to accomplish--establish anxiety into the life of the suffer. However, the pain does not end there for some students. Many students suffer from imperfections in their bodies due to the physical contact. Some of which includes bruises, cuts, and scars, leaving a constant reminder of middle school for the rest of their lives. Physical bullyi... ... who are repeatedly bullied receive poorer grades and participate less in class discussions. Some students may get labeled as low achievers because they do not want to speak up in class for fear of getting bullied. Teachers can misinterpret their silence, thinking that these students are not motivated to learn† (Wolpert). Without doing well in school, many students are hurting their chances to be successful in life. Bullying causes a students to feel like they do not have fulfillment in their lives. Because of bullying, many students suffer. Because of bullying, many middle school students suffer in more than one area, just as smoke can affect a persons health in more than one area. It affect student’s body, mind, and school work. To help correct this, peers need to step up if they see someone being bullied, for the health of the bully, victim, and community.

Sociology of Racial and Cultural Groups Essay -- Sociology and Race

Three sociological perspectives used in the study of minorities are: Structural functionalism, symbolic interactionalism and conflict theory. These perspectives offer "theoretical paradigms" for explaining how society influences people, taking into account the social factors that impact on human behavior. However, different theories, ideas, and prejudices can influence a sociologist's conclusions. Each of these theories has a contribution to make with a distinct focus. Functional theory was influenced by Emile Durkheim. Adherents of this theory emphasize, "Various parts of society have functions or positive effects that promote solidarity and maintain the stability of the whole." (Parrillo 11) Thus a society is held together by "social consensus," or cohesion whereby members of the society agree upon and work together to achieve what is best for society as a whole. The social structure consists of status positions, roles and institutions (family, education and religion), and members that share common values. It is a system of interrelated and independent parts, and each of these parts plays an important role in fulfilling certain functions for a smooth operation of society. Functionalists think that all elements of society should function together to maintain order and stability, and under ideal conditions, a society would be in a state of balance with all parts interacting harmoniously. Problems come about when the social system is no longer functional offsetting society's balance. . The most frequent cause for this disorganization is rapid social change, which causes conflicts. Because the focus is on societal stability an important issue in this analysis of societal disorganization is `whether to restore the ... ...to attain socioeconomic growth, educational and job opportunities, and also maintain ethnic solidarity. Alba and Nee indicate that we will have a better understanding of ethnic and racial differences if we refine the assimilation theory to address differences in settlement, language acquisition, and mobility patterns. REFERENCES Janzen, Rod. "Melting Pot or Mosaic." Educational Leadership 79:9-11 Ruane, Janet M. and Karen A. Cerulo. 1997. " Education is the Great Equalizer." Pp156-162 in Seeing Conventional Wisdom through the Sociological Eye. California. Pine Forge Press. Parrillo, Vincent J. 2003. Strangers to These Shores. New York: Allyn and Bacon. Dzgourides, George and Christeie S. Zgourides. 2012. Cliffs Quick Review Sociology New York. IDG Books Worldwide Inc. Samuelson, Robert J. 2014 "Can America Assimilate." Time, April 9, pp42