Drafting & Process Analysis

According to the ‘Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English’ a ‘Process’ is defined as a ‘continued set of actions performed intentionally in order to reach some result’ If making anything constitutes a process then I decided one fine day to indulge myself in some kind of activity the fruits of whose labour I can thoroughly enjoy later on. I decided to brew beer at my home. Other than the obvious highs that it gives you even the csting is very less, so it wont be a burden on the pocket too. It was taught to me by one of my closest chums and involves a number of steps before embarking on the real process.The right kind of equipment is a must for the successful completion of this kind of task. The quality of beer depends a lot upon the kind of equipment that you are using and the ingredients. Lets first start with lining up the equipment. The basic equipment you need is readily available on any of the hardware stores and includes One 10 Gallon fe rmenter with lid, Brew Pot, Spoon, Siphon Hose, Vinyl Tubing, Hose Clamp for siphon, some plastic pop bottles with lid, Hydrometer, Thermometer and a measuring cup.The main ingredients that one will need are the Malt Extract in size according to the quantity of beer you wish to make. It can be taken in a flavour of your liking i. e. light or dark. Yeast is a important ingredient in the process of brewing beer, so you will need around 50gms of Yeast also. Other than that you will require around 5-6 cups of white sugar. After getting ready with your things the all the equipments needed in the beer making process should be cleaned thoroughly for hygienic reasons. In the large pot boil around 10 litres of water.Also pour about the same quantity of cold water in to the fermenter. Add around 1 – 1. 5 kg of malt in the boiling water and let it cook on low to medium flame for about 30 minutes. Cooking on medium to low flame helps cooking in a better manner. Add some sugar to the boil ing mixture. The moment the sugar dissolves in the hot mixture, pour all the contents inside the fermenter with yeast. Add some cold water to bring down the temperature to room level. After that cover the lid and let the beer brew. Normally it will take around a week for the beer to brew completely at room temperature.After a week test the quality of beer with the help of an hydrometer or otherwise seasoned beer makers can tell its quality just by tasting it manually. After that comes the stage of taking the beer if its ready out of the fermenter and poring it inside the bottles. Do it carefully without spilling the precious liquid on the floor. Pour the beer from the fermenter inside the bottles with the help of a funnel. Frothing should also be avoided while filling and the bottles should also not be filled completely.Store the bottles in a warm dark area for few days and then make them cool. The beer is ready to drink but if you want to improve the quality then they should be sto red for a bit longer period. Though it cannot be said that this kind of product and process is only for tipplers. Anybody can make and then enjoy a homemade beer in just a few simple steps as explained above. The biggest advantage of making beer at home is that it is sans any kind of preservatives and chemicals and is very pure. So, pals go ahead and make your first lot of Home made Beer and Enjoy. Cheers†¦.

Got Milk Essay

In the fast paced world of today, advertisers have to keep up with the times. One of the best ways they do this is through the â€Å"Got Milk† advertisements. Milk is a part of everyday life. The â€Å"Got Milk† campaign is seen in all types of magazines from sports to beauty, featuring many different kinds of celebrities selling their product. By putting familiar faces on magazine advertisements and using interesting television commercials, the company sell their products. It also gets people to drink more milk and it is a very effective campaign. They are trying to reinforce that the calcium in milk keeps bones strong and helps prevent osteoporosis but is that the way everyone views the ads and commercial advertisements? The first Got Milk advertisement ran on October 29, 1993, and featured an extreme history buff receiving a call to answer a radio station’s $10,000 trivia question , â€Å"Who shot Alexander Hamilton in that famous duel? † The man’s apartment is shown to be a sort of museum to the duel, packed with artefacts. He answers the question correctly, but because his mouth is full of peanut butter and he has no milk to wash it down, the radio station couldn’t make out his answer and he ran out of time. For most, this commercial would have been just funny and comical but others weren’t so amused. Some history buffs said this was a disgrace to the Alexander Hamilton and said that it was mocking him. This just goes to show we all see things differently. Irony is the secret weapon to get the point across for this advertisement. There is a green eyed blonde with a low cut â€Å"little black dress† caressing her flawless body with her arm around a martini glass filled with milk. She is seductively leaning against a glass covered wooden bar with a luring gleam in her eyes. Her and the milk are the main focus of this advertisement. In the background is faded liquor and wine bottles. While looking at her you cannot take your eyes off of her milk mustache and the milk martini glass that got to touch her full pink lips. The irony of this advertisement is that out of all the handsome tall liquor bottles, she chose the thin lean martini with milk in it. Now maybe next time the viewer of this advertisement is consuming alcohol they will think about having a nice cold refreshing glass of milk when they get home. Even though that’s what the message of this cosmopolitan magazine was, some mothers made complaints saying that their daughters read their magazines and that it was promoting drinking alcoholic beverages with the martini and wine glasses all over the advertisement. Surely not all people have the same views and opinion. Another â€Å"Got Milk advertisement I would like to examine is the Superman advertisement. When you think of superman what comes to mind? Do you think of his ability to fly? Maybe, you think of his attractive face? Or possibly, you think of his rocking physique? Superman is a heroic icon known by people of all different types. They see him as a credible character that devotes his life to saving the damsels in distress. At one moment or another in most people’s lifetime, they dream to be the hero in some situation. They hope to be recognized for their good deeds and give credit to those that they look up to. Whether they are young or old, people do their best to imitate the actions of their icon, superman, every day. In this advertisement, the author is trying to get people to drink more milk by making them believe that in order to be like superman they have to drink milk. The advertisement depicts superman floating high in the crystal blue sky surrounded by fluffy white clouds. Superman is made to be the center of this picture because he is enlarged compared to the background. Although his tights and the sky are a similar shade of blue, the bold red makes him stand out. Superman also makes a statement because of the body language he displays. In the midst of this calm and serene background superman stands with his arms crossed, looking powerful and bold with a milk mustache. Although he looks a little silly with the milk mustache he has a very serious look on his face. The underlying message is that if you want to be as powerful and strong as superman you have to get down to business and drink your milk. In the depicted advertisement the author is trying to persuade everyday people by making it seem as though the only reason superman has strong bones is because he drinks milk. The point of the advertisement is to make people think that if they drink milk they will feel great and have super strong bones like superman. This is exactly why comic book fanatics were furious over this ad. They said his strong bones and super powers came from his home planet â€Å"Krypton† and not from drinking milk. We see this as silly but when someone is passionate about something they stick to it and don’t let it go. Even something so fictional can have an effect on how a person takes an ad. In conclusion the â€Å"got milk† campaign is a very well organized and structured campaign that makes others want to drink milk from seeing their role models with their milk mustaches. Eighteen years ago this campaign started and it is still grasping the attention of viewers. The population is getting healthier from drinking more milk therefore these got milk advertisements must be working. The â€Å"Got Milk† campaign and there white mustaches will be around for a very long time encouraging people to drink more milk but if people see the innocent â€Å"Got Milk† campaign as offensive then there will always be people that don’t like what their lo.

Dbq Analysis

* ————————————————- Madison Markey * ————————————————- AP US History, P. 2 * ————————————————- 30 September 2012 * ————————————————- DBQ Homework #1 * ————————————————- * ————————————————- Question Analysis: The question is asking to explain how the French and Indian War affected the three main principles that were important during the time frame of 1740-1766.The writer could include both positive and negative sides of the war through each of the three categories. They could also list the causes and effects of the war. The question is also asking to highlight/paraphrase the provided documents as well as outside facts to support the well developed thesis. The question is telling the writer to describe the outcome of the relationship between Britain and it’s American colonies through the political, economic, and ideological relations. A potential problem could be forgetting to include the outcome of the war while strictly focusing on the issues and battles during the war.Another problem could be discluding the events preceding the war which is extremely vital, not only for support of thesis, but also to lay down an array of background information in the intro paragraph, in order to create the funnel affect. * ———————————à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- * ————————————————- Intro: Before the French and Indian War, four other colonial wars were fought between French and British forces during the time period of 1689 and 1763.However, the French and Indian War, later known as the Seven Year’s War was the most pivotal because it ultimately destroyed the relationship between Britain and the American colonies. The main conflict aroused during the 1600’s and early 1700’s when the British began their pursuit of Salutary Neglect which provided each of Britain’s American colonies with an overabundance of freedom. Later, Britain tried to regulate the colonists lifestyle and trade routine with the Navigation Law yet, they never truly administered any of the correlating rules.The colonists enjoyed the lack of limitation midst the Salutary Neglect and when Britain bega n imposing laws and taxes, it infuriated them. From 1740-1766, amid the French & Indian War, Britain’s greed for land, control, and restriction against the American colonies eventually caused major debt in England, harsh treatment toward their own British soldiers, and a negative aftermath of political, economic, and ideological crisis involving the American colonists * ————————————————- * ————————————————-Essay #1: The first sample essay completely deserves their score. The introduction paragraph supplies a nice background and setting. The thesis is very strong and clear. It provides a specific example of each of the three categories from the prompt. There is nothing that I would not include in this essay because everything is relevant to the topic. For t he intro, they organized it by utilizing the funnel method. In the first sentence of each body paragraph, she refers back to a piece of her thesis. The anonymous states the opinion of both sides: Britain and the American colonies.She provides each of their perspectives while including her own opinion. She includes the documents by lightly referencing them and not incorporating too much of the source or not enough. While effectively utilizing the documents, anonymous fully supports the detail with her own information. Other information involving the church and state relationship could have been included because as the war progressed, the Great Awakening occurred and because of political and religious leaders, the separation of church and state was desired in many of the colonies.The anonymous restated the reference that they already used and they made the simple mistake of writing document C when it was actually a different document. Besides that, there is not much more I would have included because the essay was close to perfect and the anon completely nailed the prompt right down to a nice conclusion. Hence, the writer deserves the score of a 9. * ————————————————- * ————————————————-Essay#2: In the opening sentence, anonymous wrote that there were exactly three wars fought between the British and their rival French forces yet, there were actually a total of four wars fought. The introduction paragraph does not provide a well-developed thesis. It is very vague and unclear however, it does address the prompt. The parenthesis that they use within the first body paragraph do not fit well and they appear awkward but they do not interfere with comprehension of the essay. They provide a decent setting but not enough detail about specific events that precede the war in order to spark the war.Next, anonymous squeezes three different documents into one small paragraph with about five sentences. They should have spaced out the sources and actually explained the documents to show their understanding of the point of view and the significance. They did attempt to organize it by specifically talking about the economic aspect and how it affected the political and ideological aspects together. They begin a sentence by using a reference which I would not have included because it sounded like the paragraph was being written around the document.I would have started with a topic sentence to build up to the reference. They include a lot of minor and superficial events which are irrelevant therefore, unnecessary to include. However they do attempt to mention that of the three categories, ideological relations were the least important which is a nice way to include the category. Overall, I believe the essay deserves a little under a seven. * ————————————————- * ————————————————- Essay#3 The intro in the third essay does not include much background preceding the thesis.It strictly states that â€Å"the war had great effects† on each of the three categories it does not say whether they were positive or negative effects. The thesis is limited and poorly written and only restates the question without any other specific facts or examples. I would not have included so many [sic] symbols in my prompt because they interrupt the flow of the essay. The essay resembles a standard english essay because it is organized with an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each body paragraph is about one of the three categories from the thesis.In the political paragraph anonymous states very br oad information and fails to cite the information about Braddock or any information at all. She contains little understanding of the documents and merely tells what events happened in each of the paragraphs but does not describe them with appropriate outside information. She also fails to include a time frame and dates for the events. In the economy paragraph she talked about unity yet failed to mention the severe debt that britain faced which was a huge economic crisis. Anonymous should have thought of the questions such as why and how while she was writing.They could have arranged their essay a little differently instead of organizing it so that with each new category comes a different time period they should have just put the events in chronological order and wrote about how it affected each of the three categories during and after the was. Anonymous also had a few conventional errors such as commas. They also use first person point of view in the third to last sentence of the th ird paragraph. The third paragraph is confusing and presents a lack of understanding of history because it just lists vague facts.It does not include a lead-in or transition to the conclusion. The anonymous nearly ignored the documents and failed to include 50/50 ratio. The conclusion simply restates the thesis and ends with an unspecific sentence of how the war caused change but they never argued whether it was for the worse or the better. Nor did they summarize their essay or show the reader they know that there is additional significance. In my opinion, the errors in the third essay seriously detract from the quality of the prompt ergo, the essay does deserves less than a five. ————————————————- * ————————————————- By reading the essays, I learned that mistake s are easily made when writing in a constricted time period so it is important to utilize the given time wisely. I found that some of the documents are probably tough to use but it is important to have a 50%-50% ratio of information because that is what truly proves your knowledge of history and sometimes the documents will help you recall information. Also, one should always cite the document because it looks and sounds horrible if otherwise.I learned that all information must go toward improving the case or it should not be included. Lastly, I found that developing a thesis is not that hard especially if you take a moment to analyze the question but it could ruin your entire essay if you get on the wrong track and it is extremely vital in determining the score that you end up with. I now understand that by following the strategies in the book and practicing more often, writing a DBQ will begin to come natural. * ————————†”———————- * ————————————————- * ————————————————-

Conducting an environmental analysis Research Paper

Conducting an environmental analysis - Research Paper Example Since employer-assisted medical insurance, like, the Social Security Income fund, is collected from the monthly income of US citizens, it has led to a falling number of contributors and a rising number of claimants. As per a market research, the government expenditure on insurance programs, such as, Medicaid, has increased by around $3.5 billion in the year 2008 alone, owing to increasing number of claimants. This has led to many of the states opting out of the PPACA program that mandates them to increase spending on health insurance of citizens (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2008). The economic crisis has also had adverse impact on the financial performance of private insurance companies, in the form of less number of citizens opting for private insurers and higher operational costs due to rising inflation. This has also led them to take severe measures such as, initiating reductions in the extent of coverage and reimbursement of health expenses. Another major factor to be considered, during strategic planning of Jim’s Care Center, is the health care policy of the government. There has been a significant shift in the federal policy since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Under this act, both insured and uninsured American citizens are guaranteed rights to receive treatment and medical attention at lower rates. This has created a stir in the medical industry, since operational costs are incrementally rising, amidst an economic crisis. The PPACA act has also mandated state governments to increase spending towards medical care of citizens, who belong to the lower income bracket and cannot afford to bear personal health expenditures (Odom, Owen, Valley and Burrell, 2011). Since the implementation of the PPACA act, it has created a huge uproar among states as they are already cash-starved due to increasing unemployment and decreasing income. It led to participating in PPACA

Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Entrepreneurship - Essay Example About London Eye London Eye is a hotel and restaurant that will operate in London. The main reason for opening this hotel is that London has always been one of the most attractive tourist destinations for visitors in the United Kingdom. There are several places that attract the attention of tourists, such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Madame Tussauds and many more. The hotel will be easily affordable to every type of visitor irrespective of their purpose, such as individual tourists, tourists in groups and visitors on business purposes. The hotel will have five floors with ten rooms in each. It will also provide restaurant facilities where not only hotel guests but also outside visitors can come in order to dine. The hotel will have conference halls for official meetings, conferences and seminars, as well as banquet halls for parties, marriage ceremonies and other family functions. The hotel will also have its own swimming pool, shopping mall, gym and other entertainment amenities f or kids. This total project is expected to incur a cost of ?2 million. Mission of London Eye The main aim of the hotel is to provide their customers with a warm and friendly ambience where they can enjoy alone or with their family. It is a place where the customers can expect to get everything of an optimum quality and at affordable prices. The hotel will attract its customers with its warm, soothing tone and elegant decor. The rooms, along with the restaurant, will have comfortable furnishing. The warm and friendly behaviour of employees as well as the environment of the hotel are expected to offer a pleasant and memorable experience to the customers. Overview of the Whole Plan The construction of the hotel will begin in March 2014. For building the hotel, a renowned construction company has been hired and deals have been finalised. It has prior experience in constructing resorts and shopping malls, and has assured to use quality raw material, advanced technology and skilled labour with sufficient expertise in this field. Its architect has designed the outlay of the hotel considering the preferences and favours of both local and international customers. For the interior of London Eye, professional designers have been hired with prior experiences in designing interiors of hotels of international standards. The hotel will have different categories of rooms for different types of customers. Business suites are rooms with one bed, especially for customers on business trips. Family suites are specially designed for large families who are generally on vacation, mainly consisting of large size beds and special facilities for kids. Honeymoon suites are designed for honeymoon couples with facilities such as a candle light dinner, which is offered to them free of cost for a day. Apart from this, the hotel will have other facilities such as conference rooms, a bowling alley, banquet halls, a swimming pool and a restaurant. The interiors will be designed keeping the purp ose of the room in mind. All sorts of modern amenities will be installed for the comfort and pleasure of the customers. The restaurant of London Eye will comprise cuisines of various countries. This is made in order to ensure that international customers visiting the hotel are able to choose from a variety of dishes as per their tastes. This will provide customers with lot of choices under one roof from where they

Free Will Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Free Will - Essay Example This leads to the realization that in deed power inflicts corruption of the mind and absolute power corrupts the mind completely (Blaug 67). The statement that power has the ability to corrupt the mind has been vividly observed in almost every part of the world. Individuals in the opposition have proven to be some of the best leaders before assuming the throne. They articulate people’s grievances and would convince that they are the best to be mandated to lead the people, ironically, when they are eventually elected to power they change to be the known despots of the world (Curra 97). In support of these, the history of Adolf Hitler can serve as an example. Hitler was German who was incarcerated for many years allegedly for castigating the regime that was in power then, after serving his sentence, Hitler was unanimously endorsed to be the Germans king on premise that he had vehemently articulated people’s voices and out rightly was the best bet then (Lewis 56). Upon ass uming the office, Hitler turn to be driven by the ever-growing need to conquer the world by claiming every part of it to be German’s territory. ... This is a clear illustration that power can corrupt the mind to an extent that it insulates critical analysis of one’s actions and impact negatively to the society or a nation at large. With reference to power as a way of corrupting the mind Hitler is not the only culprit, there are other world’s leaders who have acquired the title ‘despots’ by the way they managed power, the long list includes people like Pol Pot (Cambodian dictator) and Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia (Lewis 204). At the helm of power, all these leaders demonstrated radical change in perception thus enabling us to construe that they were corrupted by power The notion that power corrupts the mind is a blanket accusation that cannot be used to include every leader who has been at the helm of power. We have very many leaders starting from grassroots level to the national level who have served in their capacities diligently with honesty and the rule of the law negating the fact that with the onset of power what follows is the corruption of the mind (Lewis 215). Again, when enumerating leaders who have shown deviance while in power, the proportion of the leaders who perfect this is negligible compared to the entire population. It is becoming necessary that we critically understand the relation between power and individuality, power itself cannot corrupt the mind, but the mind can corrupt power (Curra 198). It should then be construed the other way round. Before we relate power to the corruption of the mind, we should first have all the fundamentals of power that directly influences leader in power to depict contrary behaviors and without these, it will be elusive to admit that power affects leaders negatively. The other

Islamaphobia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islamaphobia - Essay Example The belief in Christianity as a Western civilization and culture resulted in the anti-Islam discourse. Muslims were regarded as different and radical as their religion was incompatible with the European culture (Konrad 31). People saw Islam as an element of threat to the spread and existence of Christianity in Europe. The viewpoint culminated into the position that Islam will conquer Europe through immigration and birth rates. Defenders of this notion believed that because of the growing Muslim community, Europe faces the danger of losing its Christian-based civilization and cultural identity. Another common discourse on Islam was its monolithic presentation. A reflection of this discourse is evident in the use of the terms â€Å"them† and â€Å"us† to ascertain that Islam was compatible with major European ideals. Europeans viewed Islam as tool for opposing European ideals such as democracy, sexual equality, and rejection of violence. The 19th century marked the age of Europe’s Enlightenment. Anti-Islam groups used every possible method to fight Islam because they believed it was a threat to the European age of enlightenment. Anti-Islamic contents and articles were found in various politically oriented newspapers and journals. The European media used showed particular differences in issues of gender power and politics. It showed the differences between the European culture and the Islamic culture. There was a biased representation of Islam because the arguments presented by the European community only demonstrated the incompatibility between Islam an d the western society (Konrad 30). Anti-Islam discourses in Europe began in the 17th and 18th centuries. Islam and societies influenced by Islam were regarded as inferior. Most of the anti-Islam discourse in Europe were based on stereotypes consisting of cultural prejudices against Islam. The cultural prejudices that developed a distinction between the Muslim Orient

Week #7 Learning Activities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week #7 Learning Activities - Essay Example Sex† should not only be about the biological differences between male and female because of instances where such differences are not clearly determined. An example would be people who have Gender Identity Disorder, where people feel â€Å"a disjunction between ones sexual organs and sexual identity† (Bible 3) and people who are born with two or no sex organs, so they are free to choose between the two. With the existence of vague sexual identity because of biology, the law must consider gender identity and sexual orientation as part of â€Å"sex† too. Gender is based on the belief that sex is socially produced. Gender identity, in addition, even sexual orientation, can also be seen as a process for people who are undergoing sex changes or experiencing sexual identity confusion. If people are unsure of their gender or sex, then they must be free to determine it, or even be free to have an open gender, if that is acceptable to them. Society, in turn, should not limit their rights and freedoms, simply because their gender identity is floating or more fluid than the fixed notions of masculinity and femininity (which should not be fixed at all). Finally, â€Å"sex† should also be a decision for one’s gender identity outcomes. As in the case of Eastern Airline pilot, Ulane should not be discharged because of changes in her gender identity. She deserves to work and to be respected and accepted by society like others, whatever her gender identity is. Nonetheless, since such an open interpretation of â€Å"sex† is not yet socially or legally accepted and applied, I believe that Ulane can still use same-sex discrimination as a basis for her claims, like what happened to Smith V. City of Salem. Ulane can claim sexual discrimination for not fitting into gender stereotypes, where she can argue that she experienced sexual discrimination, since only male pilots are more accepted in Eastern than female pilots, and where, by being transsexual, he is discriminated because he is

Aspects in Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Aspects in Human Resource Management - Essay Example "Its focus has been traditionally disadvantaged 'group' categories of gender, race/ethnicity, disability and sexuality, and its basis has been seen as one of 'social Managing Diversity which has its roots in the US and has been considered as a "backlash against the promotion of ideas of social justice based on minority group advantage, is explicitly based on the 'business case' and emphasises multiple, individual difference, potentially applicable to all employees" (e.g. Kandola and Fullerton 1998) The basic argument that the gathering and utilising all available talents will greatly benefit the organization has also been found to the basis for the concept of equal opportunities policy. (Liff 1999; Liff and Dickens 2000) However diversity management is viewed more as an organizational imperative. Though the objective of diversity management is also the utilization of all available talents it is said that there is a shift in the orientation of this policy from the concept of equal opportunities. Nevertheless the concepts of equal opportunities and diversity management as emerging aspects of Human Resources Management (HRM) are occupying a central place in the recent periods. In this context this paper presents an overview of the conceptualization of both the HRM aspects and also presents an evaluation of some of the ways in which the present day organizations can improve upon their policies on managing diversity and equal opportunities to make them more effective. 2.0 Concepts of Equal Opportunities and Diversity Management - An Overview: "Managing diversity effectively follows on from, and expands on equal opportunities"(NCVO) Equal opportunities is about keeping within the law and the decisions about the payment of wages, recruitment and promotional policies are to be framed on the basis of the capabilities of the individuals to perform their functions effectively. This requires a systematic policy approach to all facets of personnel management and such policies are framed by a pre-empting discrimination. "Diversity is a more wide-reaching approach to equal opportunities work. It incorporates the principle that all workers should receive equal rights but, rather than ignoring the differences between people in terms of their gender and race, this diversity should be recognised and respected." (NCVO) Diversity management works on the basis of a valuation of the varying aptitudes and skills that different workers bring along with them to be utilized by the organizations. Under this concept the managers arrive at a working environment where all the workers are valued on the basis of their individual skills and expertise and also such skills and expertise are utilized to the fullest extent. Cooper and White (1995) suggested that one reason that equal opportunities had not really made an impact was because those who had the power to change the inequalities - white, able-bodied males - had never really experienced discrimination in employment. This was the possible reason that the interests of the minority group was never focused nor there any empathy with the issue. Research by the Equal

Democracy and the news Essay Example for Free

Democracy and the news Essay This paper will look at the different ways the media reflects and affects society by examining the various relationships that exists between the media, the state and the citizens. It will firstly define key terms, allowing for controversial words to have a specific and continuing definition throughout the paper. Three key ideas, centering around the relationships between the media and the state, will make up the major part of this paper; namely how the media affects the state, how the state affects the media and failed attempts by the media to affect the state. Examples of each concept being discussed will be included, showing the notion in practice. Relationships between the media and citizens will also be examined and discussed, again using examples to show each in action. The relationship between the media and citizens will be discussed, examining the ability of the media to influence the public, the publics ability to influence the media and failed attempts of the media to influence the public. The conclusion of this paper will detail the role of the media within society, how it operates and different functions it both performs, and attempts to perform. The media is a constantly changing medium. It includes television, newspapers, magazines, journals, radio, cinema, advertisements, and interactive multi-media. It can also include the Internet, video games, mobile phones and computers ( OShaughnessy Stadler, 2002 ). No undisputable definition of the term media exists, however, for the purpose of this paper the following definition given by OShaughnessy and Stadler ( 2002 ), will be understood as conclusive. The media are technologically developed and economically profitable forms of human communication, held either in public or private ownership, which can transmit information and entertainment across time and space to large groups of people ( OShaughnessy Stadler, 2002; Pg 4 ). A democracy is the notion that power and authority is vested in the people,   ( Singleton et al, 2000; Pg 4 ). In Australia, citizens vote for representatives that make up the parliament, and the party holding the majority form Government. Government operates at three levels; Commonwealth, state and local. Parliamentary members are held accountable and responsible for their actions, and numerous institutions designed to check and balance power exists to ensure this occurs. Citizen is defined in The Macquarie Dictionary ( 1994 ) as being a member, native or naturalized, of a state or nation, ( Pg 187 ) and will adopt this definition throughout this paper. The print and electronic medias ability to broadcast information both quickly and widely across society allows the media to successfully enact the role of public watchdog ( Wheeler, 1997; Pg 238 ). The media feeds citizens information. The public is informed of what occurs around them and abroad, who their politicians are, how they look and sound and important issues being suggested, debated and implemented within government. Politician journalist relationships are inherently collusive. Each needs the other to achieve their objectives ( Franklin 1998 ). Politicians require the services of journalists for their messages to reach the general public and journalists need politicians in order to cover politics ( Ward 2002 ). The relationship between the state and the mass media can quickly become vulnerable. The media holds a particular power, which can see it become an agenda setter for society. Not only politicians realise the importance of the media as a platform from which to speak. Pressure groups seek out the media in order to publicize their objectives. Those that successfully use the media acquire a community status, which has the potential to morph into a political status, from which opposition to political ideals, occurrences or similar can be passed on to citizens. Examples of such groups include Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and Amnesty. These groups can become oppositional spokesmen to government policy, sources of information and social commentators on legislation or policy ( Negrine, 1989; Pg 163 ). The media uses these groups as an official  authority, as they are recognized and respected organisations within the greater community, a status gained through use of the media itself. Examples exist where journalists can be seen as propaganda agents for politicians. The term manufacturing consent is described by Robinson ( 2002 ) as the power of the government to set the news media agendas, ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 12 ). Entman ( 1991 ), examines an example of this with two incidents from the 1980s. The medias contradictory handling of two aircraft shoot-downs, the Korean Airline and Iran Air, despite case similarities, proved the presence of political persuasiveness. Both resulted in a large loss of civilian life, and both were the result of military mistakes. The Iran Air shoot-down for which the US was answerable, was described in terms of a technical failure, ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 13 ). The Korean Airline shoot-down, effected by the USSR, was framed as a moral outrage, ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 13 ). The US media covered these two incidents as instructed to by US administrations and, says Entman ( 1991 ), chose to neither challenge nor criticize the facts presented to them by the state ( Robinson, 2002 ). The combination of Western governments intervening during humanitarian crises, and the considerable media attention given to dire circumstances abroad, saw the relationship between the media and the state linked as contributing factors, namely with the media encouraging the state to intervene ( Robinson, 2002 ). This trend became known as the CNN effect ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 1 ). Media coverage was proclaimed to influence policy-makers, resulting as either a necessary or sufficient factor in producing a particular outcome, ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 37 ). The CNN effect ( Robinson, 2002 ) adheres to the fact that definitive policy decisions lie with the policy makers, but media coverage can encourage policy makers to see that a decision is attained ( Robinson, 2002 ). An example of media coverage contributing to humanitarian intervention is that which became known as Operation Deliberate Force , an action led progressively by the US into Bosnia between 1992 and 1995. The war in Bosnia was the biggest conflict resulting from the dissolution of the Federal  Republic of Yugoslavia ( FRY ). Bosnia broke away from the undermined FRY and fighting began in 1991 between Bosnian government forces on one hand, and Bosnian Serb nationalists and Yugoslav army on the other. The latter two intent on creating ethnically pure regions in Bosnia ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 73 ). Pressure mounted in the US for intervention and as the war continued, US involvement increased, culminating in 1995 when the US became directly involved with the Bosnia war. This occurred after the 1994 Sarajevo market place bombing. The media expelled a do something ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 82 ) attitude and it came at a time when US policy-makers were unsure of just how much force they should exude. Holbrooke ( 1999 ) believes a CNN effect ultimately persuaded the US to act. The eventual response that came from the US was a threatened use of massive force, should the Serb nationalists fail to cease actions against civilians. The reason the West finally, belatedly intervened was heavily related to news media coverage, ( Holbrooke, 1999; Pg 20 ). Media influence, however, cannot entirely be held responsible for the US intervention. Avoidance of a humiliating UN withdrawal, along with the credibility and competence of the US can also be considered contributing factors. ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 85 ) The media can also attempt to set an agenda and fail. When politicians are certain of their policy, media coverage can have virtually no influence in encouraging a policy change ( Robinson, 2002 ). The war in Kosovo, also a result of the FRY dissolution, proved an area of much controversy between US administrations and the media. Albanian Kosovars, disheartened with a lack of international support, supported a Kosovo Liberation Army ( KLA ). KLA attacks on Serb forces were answered with considerable force, which included civilian targets ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 94 ). Two contingency plans were decided upon; the deployment of ground troops, and the use of air strikes, and were to go ahead should Serb forces continue attacks against Albanian civilians. US air strikes prevailed, but appeared to have little affect on the Serbian military. The US media became critical of the actions undertaken, and it became clear that the general community consensus lent toward a group campaign into Kosovo. It was concluded by Robinson, ( 2002 ) that although a large section of media coverage in the US encouraged the deployment of ground troops, it added little pressure on the government to  do so ( Robinson, 2002 ). Not all media outlets chose to criticize the policy-makers however, and a minority were seen supporting air attacks, ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 109 ). This example shows that although a CNN effect was clearly present, it failed in its attempt to influence policy change. Two theories suggest ways of understanding the relationship between the media and society. Firstly, it is suggested the media reflect the realities, values, and norms of a society. The media act as a mirror of society ( OShaughnessy Stadler, 2002; Pg 28 ). Secondly, it can be said that the media affect how people think, believe, and behave. The media construct our values for us and have a direct effect on our actions ( OShaughnessy Stadler, 2002 ). Both theories will be discussed. The media role includes both identifying issues of public concern, as well as acting as check on the abuse of power, this generally being political power. Journalists describe society to itself. They seek truth. They convey  information, ideas and opinions They search, disclose, record,  question, entertain, suggest and remember. They inform citizens and  animate democracy ( White, 1996; Pg 288 ). It is important to note that journalists, similarly to politicians, are held accountable for what they report. Accountability engenders trust, ( White, 1996; Pg 288 ). Journalists in Australia are answerable to a self-regulatory and industry funded board known as the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance. The media often influences and reflects the priorities of communities or societies. The media is reliant on advertisements for revenue. In order to attract businesses to advertise, the outlet must attract consumers. This sees media  outlets selling the news, opinions and human-interest pieces that appeal to the values, opinions and sense of the greater market, namely, the readers and viewers. Increasingly, it is impossible to discuss the media without broaching the subject of public relations. Public relations professionals are most apt at using the media to suit their needs. They create the stories and feed the media with them, highlighting those facts they wish known, and keeping the undesirable ones hidden. If a cause requires the attention of the general public, it is possible to entice the media to cover it by creating newsworthy conditions. Politicians employ public relations professionals, who are often professional journalists, to liaise with the media. Obligations of the media to the citizen are to represent, interpret and evaluate ( OShaughnessy Stadler, 2002 ). The majority of citizens receive their knowledge of global issues through media outlets. The media explains these occurrences to the general public, giving them an understanding of what they may not otherwise know. The media can be seen as an educational tool, giving understanding of the norms, values and realities of society to citizens ( OShaughnessy Stadler, 2002 ). The real power of the media lies in its ability to agenda set ( Ward, 2002; Pg 404 ). The media may not be able to tell people what to think but .. they are remarkably successful in telling audiences what issues to think about, ( Cohen, 1963; Pg 13 ). The media can act as societys definer, giving meaning and understanding to situations and occurrences. Although the definitions and explanations may not necessarily reflect the attitudes of the subject experts , the power of the media can quickly see misinformation become the general consensus. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the term terrorism has been misinterpreted within the media, and used to describe what academics in the field would not label as terrorism. Debate is strong regarding the issues of media censorship, with allegations, arising more and more frequently, regarding violent, sexually explicit and disturbing films, comics, song lyrics, Internet sites and books. Misdemeanor behaviour is often said to have been motivated and inspired by such mediums. In Australias republic referendum held in 1999, 18 of Australias 20 daily newspapers supported a Yes vote, ( Ward, 2002; Pg 404 ). Despite this, the majority of Australians voted against Australia becoming a republic. Media scholars are aware that media campaigns will not alter political views of those with existing political opinion and loyalties. An increasing minority however, are influenced by media propaganda and media content may prove valuable during elections in the more marginal seats ( Ward, 2002; Pg 404 ). The example of the republic referendum could be seen as an attempted, and ultimately failed, use of the CNN effect on society. _________________________________________________ The above discussion is in reference to situations within western democracies. Other political systems, including dictatorships and less democratic regimes, eg. Zwimbabe, USSR, and China use the media differently, tending to control opinion and political views, and thereby dictating public viewpoints. Prior to the recent elections in Russia, many of the non-government television stations were taken over or shut down, and had to change their influence and affiliations before being allowed to broadcast again. This saw the public denied access to media that presents a point of view different to that which the government wants citizens to have. Hitler shut down all newspapers during his leadership and produced his own, preaching his messages to the masses, this undoubtedly contributing to the large number of Germans that became Nazis. Media ownership is an essential element in this debate, and it is vital to recognize the regulations regarding media ownership in Australia. The federal government of 1986 sought to ensure that media ownership remained as diverse as possible. A person owning a television license cannot at the same time own more than 15 per cent of a newspaper published in the same city ( Singleton et al, 2000: Pg 308 ). 1992, however, saw legislation altered to allow more than 15 per ownership, provided the owner is deemed not to be in control ( Singleton et al, 2000: Pg 308 ). In a democratic society it is always possible for the alternative point of view to be presented, and for the most part, all sides of debates are considered. The media affects and reflects. It can act as an agent of propaganda and it can set the agenda. It can influence, or be influenced. The media, the state and the citizens are interdependent, each needing and using the other to inform and be informed. Western democracies will continue to see a balance within the media and the information it contains, as media ownership laws ensure the media remains democratic. BIBLIOGRAPHY Cohen, B. 1963. The Press and Foreign Policy. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Entman, R. 1991. Framing US Coverage of International News: Contrasts in Narratives of the KAL and Iran Air Incidents . Journal of Communication 41(4):6 27. Holbrooke, R. 1999. No Media No War. Index on Censorship, 28(3): 20-1. Negrine, Ralph. 1989. Politics and the Mass Media in Britain. London: Routledge. OShaughnessy, Michael Stadler, Jane. 2002. Media and Society, An Introduction. 2nd Edition. Victoria: Oxford University Press. Robinson, Piers. 2002. The CNN Effect: The myth of news, foreign policy and intervention. London: Routledge. Singleton, Aitkin, Jinks Warhurst. 2000. Australian Political Institutions. 6th Edition. Malaysia: Pearson Education Australia Pty Limited / Longman. Ward, Ian. 2002. Media Power. Government, Politics, Power and Policy in Australia. Summers, John ( Ed ). NSW: Pearson Education Australia Pty Limited / Longman. Wheeler, Mark. 1997. Politics and the Mass Media. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd. White, Sally. 1996. Reporting in Australia. 2nd Edition. South Yarra: MacMillan Publishers Australia Pty Limited.

Causes And Effects Of Water Shortage Environmental Sciences Essay

Causes And Effects Of Water Shortage Environmental Sciences Essay Water crises have focused peoples attention on water shortage and degradation. Scarce water resources have had negative impacts on the world. Dubale states that water shortage and water degradation are causing serious problems for international security and for peoples health. Rozelle, Huang and Zhang (1997) explain that people face water shortages do not have enough water to meet their daily needs, while water degradation causes a decrease in the quality of peoples lives. One cause of water shortage is mismanagement of water resources, and one cause of water degradation is pollution. Water degradation affects people by causing health problems, and water shortage affects international security by causing regional controversies and conflicts. This essay will discuss two main causes of water shortage and water degradation and their effects on people and international security. One main cause of water shortage is mismanagement of water resources. Jiang (2009) states that as water become a limited and scarce resource relative to the dramatically growing human needs, effective management of the limited available water resources becomes critical. However, People have no incentive to save or use water efficiently, so effective management to deal with the externality of water use and market failure is needed. Over the past decades, Chinas water resource management, unfortunately, has been dominated by engineering projects to satisfy water demands rather than improving water use efficiency. The institutional system of water resource management is fragmented and ineffective. Lack of effective coordination and cooperation among water agencies has led to fragmented water resource institutions which prevent effective management of water resources. In addition, water rights system is the foundation of effective water resource management. Unfortunately, Chinas institut ional system of water rights has not been well developed and is not strictly enforced. Managing water resources based on water rights has not been successful. Much of the water use inefficiency and the current water scarcity in China can be attributed to an underdeveloped system of water rights. Pereira, Oweis and Zairi (2002) assume that mismanagement of water resources has increased Chinas vulnerability to increasingly severe water shortages. Farmers are also mismanagement water in China. Hu, Moiwo, Yang, Han, Yang (2010) explain that farmers are usually over irrigating their farms because they forget to turn off the water on time, and over irrigating the farms too often. These irresponsible behaviors waste a large amount of limited water resources, because less irrigation could yield similar productivity (Fan et al., 2012).Therefore, improper management of water causes the shortage of water. One main cause of water degradation is pollution from industry and agriculture. Wang (1989) state that water pollution started with industrial development in the 1950s and had become more serious since the 1970s in China. The major contribution to water pollution is industrial discharges, about 75 per cent of total wastewater being from industry. At present, only 20 per cent of factories have wastewater treatment facilities. Pollutants of wastewater include organic and toxic chemicals, such as phenols, oils, cyanides and heavy metals, they may flow into the rivers to cause hyper-eutrophic and fishless phenomenon for years. In addition, wastewater in industrial production also causes the water degradation. For instance, wastewater produced by some manufacturing activities, such as pulp and paper production, printing and dyeing, leather tanning and coal gasification, have very high concentrations of pollutants which are difficult to biodegrade. Ordinary treatment techniques are difficult to clean these kinds of wastewater. Some effective techniques are known but are too expensive to be acceptable to the factories. This type of pollution is diff icult to control in China. Qadir et al. (2009) state that excessive irrigation, which combined with overuse of chemical pesticides, have caused large scale of water quality deterioration, particularly in downstream areas of the Aral Sea Basin in Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, Central Asia. Therefore, water degradation mainly comes from industry and agricultures pollution. Having discussed the causes of water shortage and degradation, this essay will continue to discuss two main effects of water shortage and degradation in relation to international security and to peoples health in developing and developed countries. One main effect of water shortage is that it causes regional conflicts for water resources. Frà ¶hlich (2012) states that the water conflict in Middle East become one of the serious international security problems in the world. The Middle East region is primarily relying on agriculture, water is a highly scare resource in this region and there have been conflicts over the ownership and use of water resources. Water supplies in Middle East are limited, unequal used and overused. Israel has controlled Jordan River and its aquifers, and sells little water to Palestine and Jordan. The current Palestine water supply is restricted and limited by Israel. Israel rejects to acknowledge Palestines water rights, while water consumption of Israel is four to six times higher than Palestinians. These unequal consumption of water caused conflicts among these countries which around the Jordan River. Aliewi (2009) argues that it is necessary to negotiate between the Palestine and Israel in which the International Law will be used to solve the conflict over water. The Palestinians should recover their water rights and fair share in water resources. Haftendorn (2000) also claim that in South America, a long term debate about building the Brazilian-Paraguay dam project on the Parana River caused international conflict between Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The project was prevented by countries located at lower basin region, who were afraid that the Parana River might be cut off by the dam and would threat their access to this water resource. Therefore, water shortage has affected the regional conflicts among many countries. One main effect of water degradation is that it causes health problems. Pimentel et al. (2007) state that diseases are spreading by polluted water, such as diarrhea, malaria, tuberculosis, and measles, threating the peoples health. Tarrass and Benjelloun (2012) maintained that forty per cent of peoples deaths are attributed to organic and chemical pollutants. Gleick (2002) conclude that more than two million of infants and children die each year from diarrhea, which is caused largely by contaminated water. Epstein, Ford, Puccia, and Possas (2006) state that polluted water led 80 per cent of the diseases around the world, while 90 per cent of these diseases are spreading in developing countries. Pimentel et al. (2007) also maintain that even in developed countries, diseases caused by water degradation have also had an impact on peoples health. For example, in the USA, diseases caused by water degradation lead to 900 deaths each year (Pimentel et al. 2007). Tarrass and Benjelloun (2012 ) state that polluted water is closely linked diseases. According to Bartram, Lewis, Lenton, and Wright (2005), diseases related to unsafe water is the most common cause of illness and death among the poor people in developing countries. For example, 1.6 million deaths each year can be attributed to health problems caused by water pollution (Bartram, Lewis, Lenton, and Wright, 2005). Therefore, water degradation has affected peoples health. In conclusion, water shortage and water degradation have two main negative effects on people and international security. The main cause of water shortage is mismanagement of water for industrial production, irrigation and leading to regional conflicts on water resources. And the main cause of water degradation is water pollution caused by chemicals which are difficult to biodegrade. Water degradation causes serious diseases for peoples health around the world. In order to solve these problems, all the countries should cooperate together to solve the water crises, distribute water resources rationally, reduce water pollution effectively and purify polluted water rapidly. People around the world should also take responsibility to save water in their daily lives.

Overview of Mood Disorders Essay -- Diagnosis of Mood Disorders

The Mood Disorders category of the DSM-IV-TR, is one of the most dense categories and probably one of the most commonly talked about categories. People often make comments about being depressed or having bipolar disorder; however, they might not truly meet the diagnostic criteria to receive the diagnosis. There are several diagnoses in the Mood Disorders category which have been organized into the following subsections: Major Depressive Disorder, Dysthymic Disorder, Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder, Cylcothymic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Mood Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition, Substance-Induced Mood Disorder and Mood Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. There diagnostic differences between Mood Disorders and the other categories typically revolve around that Mood Disorders affect a patient’s mood versus mood and psychosis or mood and dissociation or mood and impulse control. The mood disorders typically do not involve any other facets of a person’s mental health with the exception of a major depressive disorder severe with psychotic features. A person who is depressed may have difficulties with their sleep; however, if the person is depressed then they would not receive a sleep disorder diagnosis and instead would receive a mood disorder diagnosis which encompasses the person’s struggles with mood and sleep. For example, the diagnosis major depressive episode or manic episode might be appropriate for the aforementioned person. Moreover, if a person’s mood struggles are related to a substance disorder or a general medical condition, then the diagnostician would need to determine which diagnosis is primary and which if any is a secondary diagnosis... ... when ruling out diagnoses from other categories. Once the diagnosis has been determined, the diagnostician needs to select any relevant specifiers. Following the diagnosis, the practitioner should determine a route of therapy for the patient. There are several routes and factors to consider and while one route might be to refer the patient to a psychiatrist or another provider who can prescribe medication, another route might be to provide therapy, such as IPT, for the patient. References Corsini, R. J., & Wedding, D. (2011). Current Psychotherapies, 9th Ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. Stuart, S., & Robertson, M. (2003). Interpersonal psychotherapy: A clinician’s guide. New York: Arnold Publishers. Weissman, M. M., Markowitz, J. C., & Klerman, G. L. (2000). Comprehensive guide to interpersonal psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.

Middle Ages vs Renaissance Essay -- European Renaissance Essays

Life during the middle ages (1066-1485) was dictated by how much money you had. Were you a noble? Or were you a peasant. Your quality of life was in direct proportion to your status. Lords of the Noble class ruled territories, also known as villages. These villages mainly consisted of one room houses, with maybe a church and a blacksmith shop. Peasants or serfs lived in these villages and worked under said Lord. Daily life was all about survival. The days were spent planting and growing food, harvesting the crop, sewing clothes, and making any supplies that were needed to survive. Trading between different villages was something that was only done as a last resort. People in each village worked together to make their own village successful. Life also depended on what kind of Lord you had. If he was a fair Lord, they were treated reasonably well, and didn’t suffer. As long as the crop was good, they would have plenty to eat, and work was shared equally. If he was an unjust Lord the villagers were subject to his whims. If he demanded money or product from them they must give it, whether it would hurt their own survival or not. Likewise, if he was a Lord that liked to pick fights with neighboring Lords, the villagers would be subject to pillage and plunder by the other Lords that were trying to get back at their particular Lord. Any revenge sought out against a Lord by another Lord would mean that the people of said Lord’s village paid the price. Crops would be destroyed, houses burned and sometimes the villagers were killed. This was known as the Feudal System. The Feudal System was based on the rights of the Nobles, not the serfs. Nobles had preferred seating in the churches, and special hunting privileges. They h... ...done. Giotto used tempera to paint this one. There are senses of desperation of the apostles, but it is not as compelling or moving as Leonardo’s. Giotto has bright colors, especially considering the era it was painted in. However, he doesn’t use landscape, there is no symmetry. When you look at it, you can tell who Christ is due to the golden halo around his head. However to decipher which one of the apostles is Judas, would be in vain. He used no symbolism, there is no depth. The background is done in a golden hue, not a natural life like version. The faces of the apostles do show a questioning gaze, but the diverse emotions are not there. Everyone is also sitting straight up around a table, there is no movement. I would have to say that while for its era this was a great painting, it is not a memorable one for me. Leonardo’s version is so much more.

Ernesto Che Guevara Essay -- Biography Ernesto Che Guevara Essays

Ernesto Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara has undeniably been one of the most powerful icons of the past fourty years. The Argentine revolutionary has had his picture widely printed on shirts and posters and has become a symbol for the (often young) anarchist. Yet, how many of us really understand or know what "Che" stood for? Do we know what his philosophy was about? Very few of us have taken the time to understand the goals and principles of Guevara and what he fought for - to death. Dr. Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna (May 14, 1928 ? October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara, was an Argentine-born revolutionary and Cuban guerrilla leader. Guevara was a member of Fidel Castro's "26th of July Movement", which seized power in Cuba in 1959. After serving various important posts in the new government, Guevara left Cuba in 1966 with the hope of fomenting revolutions in other countries, first in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and later in Bolivia, where he was captured in a CIA-organized military operation. The CIA wanted to keep him alive for interrogation, but he was executed by the Bolivian army. After his death, Guevara became a hero of Third World socialist revolutionary movements, as a theorist and tactician of asymmetric warfare. It's in 1952, during a journey Ernesto made with his motorbike around South America, that he became harshly aware of the ravages of capitalism through the situation of the Native Americans. Influenced by the works of Jean-Paul Sartre, Pablo Neruda, Ciro Alegrà ­a and Karl Marx, Che Guevara devoted his life to fighting the "capitalist octopuses" to establish a socialist system that would be fairer to the people. As a young medical student Che set out on a motorcycle to travel around South America. The poverty and oppression and the impact of imperialism aroused his political awareness. In 1954 the Guatemalan government of Jacobo Arbenz attempted to nationalise the vast landholdings of the massive US multinational the United Fruit Company. The US government (which included two executive directors of United Fruit) organised an armed coup to overthrow Arbenz. Guevara who was in Guatemala at the time was appalled. He believed that well organised armed resistance could have defeated the coup and saved the Arbenz government. Escaping to Mexico he met a group of Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro, ... ...onary, humanist and extremely charismatic, Ernesto "Che" Guevara surely appeared as dangerous to many political leaders of the time, and still today, no one knows for sure who was behind his execution, in 1967. Two sides have particularly been designated as possible culprits: the CIA and Fidel Castro, who could have both felt threatened by the growing influence and determination of the revolutionary. Authentic to the extreme, Guevara dedicated his life, his existence to the cause he believed in, even if it implied sacrifices: "Our sacrifice is a conscious one; it is in payment for the freedom we are building." Today, "Che" has become a popular symbol while his image is too often dissociated from the philosophy that built it. Che Guevara remains, to many, a modern time hero, whose struggle and devotion made him one of the greatest revolutionary figures of all times. Maybe this incredible popularity is due to the humanist, sincere personality of a man who never stepped back, never sold out and fought passionately, to death ("Patria o muerte"). Maybe it is also due to the fact that, in today's world, many people feel that his fight is still necessary.  ¡Hasta siempre, Comandante!

Cognitive Development

Abstract This report looks at cognitive development of an adolescent through the use of Piaget’s pendulum task, and aims to assess the level of cognitive development with comparison to literature in the field and furthermore provide suggestions of how a teacher could enhance the subjects learning in one key learning area. Pieget’s studies have been based around cognitive development. The development has 4 major stages. Each stage enables the person to develop ways of knowing. This report concentrates on the fourth stage, the formal operational stage. Critics of Piaget’s work are looked at and ideas such as learning, mentors and structures are looked at. It was found that while the results of previous Piaget’s tests were replicated, the observations suggest that the results can not be assessed through Piaget’s work alone. Furthermore, to enhance the learning of the subject it was found that the NSW geography curriculum has the potential with appropriate teacher stimulus to adequately provide for the student, although literacy could be focused upon. Introduction This report looks at cognitive development through the use of Piaget’s pendulum task. The pendulum task asks a person to figure out the variable that makes the pendulum swing faster, that is, increase the frequency. The way in which someone goes about the task is supposed to give an insight into the person’s level of cognitive development. Fundamental to Piaget’s work is that the brain and the environment interact in producing cognitive development, and that this development can be broken up into four major stages (Gleitman, 1995). Berger (1998) in review of Pieget (1952, 1970) states that these stages are age related, in that children generally reach each stage within a particular age range in sequence. As a child enters into each stage they develop new ways of knowing and understanding (new ways of gathering intelligence) as defined by the boundaries of that stage. In respect to the age of the student that undertook the pendulum task it is the fourth stage (the last stage) of Piaget’s cognitive development (Inhelder, B. Piaget, J 1958) that will be looked at. Berger (1998) summarises the fourth stage, the ‘formal operational stage’, as developing from 11-12 years old through to adulthood and is ‘characterised by hypothetical, logical, and abstract thought’ (Berger, 1998, p. 1). Piaget’s studies by focusing on mental processors and structures of thought has led to a large body of work which has provided insight into the way that we understand certain aspects of human behaviour, for ‘we now have a greater appreciation of the capacities and limitations of the types of thinking that are possible at various ages’ (Berger, 1998, p. 41) . As such this has greatly influenced educators in seeking â€Å"explanations for the difficulties encountered by the students in learning and as a basis for the design of more effective instruction’ (Adey, Shayer, 1993, p. 1). For example, a major research topic was whether or not the development of cognition could be accelerated. Adey and Shayer, (1993) found that cognitive development could be accelerated and that the effects could be long term (Adey and Shayer, 1993, pp. 26-27). Furthermore, Adey and Shayer (1993) cite work by Hallam, (1967) and Jurd (1973) who found the notion of concrete (the third stage) and formal operations can be applied to history, and that Fusco (1983) found that it could be fully applied in the context of English comprehension and social studies (Adey, Shayer, 1993, pp. 26-27). Thus, while Piaget’s studies on cognitive development have made a major contribution to knowledge in the field, his work has also led to a large body of criticism. Berger (1998, p. 45) suggests that many people think Piaget ‘underestimated the importance of external motivation and instruction†¦the role of society and home in fostering cognitive development (Berger, 1998, p. 45). Whereas socio-cultural theory ‘seeks to explain the growth of individual knowledge and competencies in terms of guidance, support, and structure provided by the broader cultural context’ (Berger, 1998, p. 6). For instance, Vygotsky, (1978) (cited in Bergman, 1998) thought that the development of cognitive competencies was from ‘the interaction between novices and more skilled members of the society, acting as tutors or mentors, in a process called an (Berger, 1998, p. 47) â€Å"apprenticeship in thinking† (Rogoff, 1990 cited in Berger, 1998). In addition, Flavell (1 985 cited in Gleitman, 1995, p. 521) suggests that evidence shows a child’s mental growth is more a sequence rather then proceeding in simple stages. Thus, this report through the use of the pendulum task will aim to: †¢ identify one students level of cognitive development who is 11-14 years old †¢ to compare and contrast the results with existing theory and research †¢ suggest how a teacher can best meet this child’s developmental needs in one key learning area. Method Participant There was only one person studied for the purpose of this report. The subject was male. He was 12 years and 4 months old. The subject was born in China in moved to Australia when he was 2. The subject speaks a Chinese language at home and English would be classed as the subjects second language. The subject is in year 7 at school and attends a school in the Sydney metropolitan area. He is not from a disadvantaged background. The subject was nervous before the task but settled down reasonably quickly. Procedure The study was carried out in the subject’s parent’s home. Informed consent was asked from the mother of the subject, a consent form was signed. At this stage confidentiality was ensured to both the mother and the subject and the reasons for the research were explained. A pendulum was made out of varying lengths of string and different weights. A frame supported the pendulum. There were 3 different sizes and lengths of weights and strings. The height and the force at which the pendulum could be released could also be varied by the subject. A pen, paper and stop-watch was provided to the subject. A video camera was placed a few meters away from the pendulum to record the procedure. The subject was asked to use the pendulum to find out what makes it swing faster, that is swing more times in a shorter space of time. The subject was told that they could use the different lengths of string or different weights and could use the pen, paper and watch. The subject then proceeds to go on with the experiment until they are happy with their results. A transcript of the recording is in appendix A Results To assess the subjects level of cognitive development the subjects actions were observed and analysised to see if they correspond with any of Piaget’s stages of development. Perhaps the most fundamental aspect of the analysis was that the subject already knew the answer to the problem, for example: Researcher: â€Å"Your job is to figure out what makes it swing faster† Subject: â€Å"The length of the string† Researcher: â€Å"How do you know that? † Subject: â€Å"I don’t really know, don’t know† Researcher: â€Å"Do you want to test it anyway† Subject: â€Å"Yes† Thus, the subject started with the longest string, heaviest weight and recorded the findings on a piece of paper. Then proceeded to use the same weight but the middle length string and then the shortest string, recording the results and time each swing (see table below). Longest 0. 86 Middle 0. 54 Shortest 0. 16 The subject was asked if he wanted to try different weights and the subject said â€Å"no, because it is the same, it is the same with any weight†. The subject was asked if he had learnt that at school and he was not sure. From analysis of these results it can be seen that the subject had some prior knowledge. Due to this he used logically experimentation through the use of isolating the variable to the length of string to determine whether he was right or not. The subject did not want to check the other variable of weight or height as he was sure it was length of string. As such hypothetical reasoning was also shown in the subject’s assurance that it was the string and not the weights that affected the frequency of the string. Discussion and Conclusion The aim of this report was to determine the level of cognitive development of a child between the ages of 11 and 14 years using Piaget’s pendulum task and then suggest how a teacher can best meet this child’s developmental needs in one key learning area. It was found that the subject displayed signs of hypothetical and logical thinking, both are attributes of a person of his age and at the fourth stage of cognitive development, the ‘formal operations stage’. Thus, the results of Inhelder and Piaget’s (1958) studies and later studies were replicated. In relation to whether the development was in sequence as Flavell (1985 cited in Gleitman, 1995, p. 521) suggests, the fact that there was prior knowledge could cast doubt on the stages theory as it would suggest that performance in these tasks are made up of more then the ability to logically reason. Furthermore, the experiment being greatly influenced by the fact that the subject already thought he new the answer to the problem when the task was initiated opens up ideas on accelerated cognitive development and the debate between Piaget and his theories and the social and instructional theorists. For example, Siegler, Liebert and Liebert (1973) found that concrete operational attributes could be taught to younger adolescences. Thus, the subject being of boarder-line age could have had his cognitive development accelerated during primary school either intentionally or unintentionally, this would be unknown. This raises the question of whether the curriculum today has been developed with these issues in mind. As such, further studies with the same task with a larger sample could answer these issues. In addition, the subject’s sister questioned whether it was all the time spent on the computer, internet or watching the ABC that the subject gained the prior knowledge, sense of logic and hypothetical reasoning. Perkins, Jay and Tishman (1983) cited in Adey (1997) put it down to psychological disposition, the tendency to behave in a certain way, that what matters is a person tendency invest themselves energetically in areas that cause development, that question the person. This psychological disposition could be inherited or could be developed through ways described in Vygotsky theories. That is through mentors, guidance and structure. In today’s technologically advanced society Vygotsky’s (1978) (cited in Bergman, 1998) theories may include the television and internet as providing instruction and guidance and basic learning. As Adey (2002) puts it ‘simple learning is relatively independent of maturation. Learning has no sense of direction’ (Adey, 2002, p. 19). Thus, it could be seen that the level of cognitive development obtained could be said to have been obtained through a process of development as described by Piaget in combination with a social process as described by Vygotsky (1978) and a simple learning process as described by Adey (2002). In suggesting how a teacher could best meet the subject’s educational needs in one key learning area, geography, the analysis of the subject was examined in reference to current junior geography curriculum. The NSW junior geography curriculum contains specified geography skills, tools and values that enable the teacher to integrate a range of teaching strategies that would enhance all areas of cognitive development, whether it be restrained to areas focused on by Piaget (1952, 1970) that Berger (1997) discusses or a broader range of areas as discussed by Vygotsky. As such, in suggesting that the subject is well catered for in these areas, the one area in which the subject may need help is literacy, in voicing his opinions. The NSW geography curriculum does specify an oral component, it is just that this could be emphasised. In addition, in relation to the study it has been found that acceleration programs in science have contributed to gains that are long lasting in English tests (Adey, Shayer, 1993). Consequently, continued tasks to develop the formal operations stage such as orally describing variable orientated tasks may have long lasting improvements. References Adey, P. Robertson, A & Venville, G. (2002). Effects of a cognitive acceleration program on Year 1 pupils. British Journal of Educational Psychology. 72, pp. 1-25. Adey, P. (1997). It All Depends on the context, Doesn’t It? Searching for General Educable Dragons. Studies in Science Education. (29), pp. 45-92. Adey, P. Shayer, M. (1993). An Exploration of Long-Term Far-Transfer Effects Following an Extended Intervention Program in High School Science Curriculum. Cognition and Instruction. 11(1), pp. 1-29. Berger, K. S. (1998). The Developing Person Through the Life Span. New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Gleitman, H. (1995). Psychology. 4th ed. New York, London: W. W. Norton & Company. Hallam, R. N. (1967). Logical thinking in history. Educational Review, 119, pp. 182-202. Inhelder , B. & Piaget, J. (1958). The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolenscence: An essay on the construction of formal operational structures. New York: Basic books. Siegler, R. Liebert, D. & Liebert, R (1973). Inhelder and Piaget’s Pendulum Problem: Teaching Preadolescents to Act as Scientists. Developmental Pschology. 9(1), pp. 97-101. Appendix Transcript of interview between researcher and subject. Researcher: What we are going to do is called a pendulum task. There is no right or wrong answer, what ever you do is Ok because it is just research. Subject: Ok Researcher: You can use the pen, paper and watch if you like. Subject: Ok Researcher: Do you know what a pendulum is? Subject: Yes! Researcher: So what we are trying to do is find out what makes it swing faster, that is make it swing more times more quickly. Subject: Ok. Researcher: Ok so there are a few things that it could be, it could be the weight, the length of the string, the height you drop it from or how hard you push it. Your job is to figure out what makes it swing faster. Subject: The length of the string. Researcher: Ok, so take this. (handing subject paper, pen and watch). You said that it was the length of the string that made it go faster, why did you say that? Subject: I don’t know, don’t know. Researcher: Do you want to test it anyway? Subject: Yes. Researcher: What do you want to start with? Subject: Longer string and heavy weight. Researcher: ok, so this is your longest string and heaviest weight. Subject: (drops the weight and times the swing and records results). Researcher: Do you want another look? Subject: No, its Ok. Researcher: Which one do you want use now? Subject: Same weight on a smaller string. Researcher: The medium string or the smallest string? Subject: the medium string. (Subject, performs task and records results). Researcher: Which one do you now want to try? Subject: The shortest string. Subject performs task again and records result) The shortest one is the quickest! Researcher: Do you want to try different weights to see if they do anything? Subject: No. Researcher: So you think it is just the length that affects it? Subject: Yes. Researcher: How come you don’t want to try different weights? Subject: because it is the same, the same with any weight. Researcher: did you learn that at school? Subject: I don’t know. Researcher: Ok, well i t was the string that affected it, your too smart, thanks very much for your help. Cognitive Development Abstract This report looks at cognitive development of an adolescent through the use of Piaget’s pendulum task, and aims to assess the level of cognitive development with comparison to literature in the field and furthermore provide suggestions of how a teacher could enhance the subjects learning in one key learning area. Pieget’s studies have been based around cognitive development. The development has 4 major stages. Each stage enables the person to develop ways of knowing. This report concentrates on the fourth stage, the formal operational stage. Critics of Piaget’s work are looked at and ideas such as learning, mentors and structures are looked at. It was found that while the results of previous Piaget’s tests were replicated, the observations suggest that the results can not be assessed through Piaget’s work alone. Furthermore, to enhance the learning of the subject it was found that the NSW geography curriculum has the potential with appropriate teacher stimulus to adequately provide for the student, although literacy could be focused upon. Introduction This report looks at cognitive development through the use of Piaget’s pendulum task. The pendulum task asks a person to figure out the variable that makes the pendulum swing faster, that is, increase the frequency. The way in which someone goes about the task is supposed to give an insight into the person’s level of cognitive development. Fundamental to Piaget’s work is that the brain and the environment interact in producing cognitive development, and that this development can be broken up into four major stages (Gleitman, 1995). Berger (1998) in review of Pieget (1952, 1970) states that these stages are age related, in that children generally reach each stage within a particular age range in sequence. As a child enters into each stage they develop new ways of knowing and understanding (new ways of gathering intelligence) as defined by the boundaries of that stage. In respect to the age of the student that undertook the pendulum task it is the fourth stage (the last stage) of Piaget’s cognitive development (Inhelder, B. Piaget, J 1958) that will be looked at. Berger (1998) summarises the fourth stage, the ‘formal operational stage’, as developing from 11-12 years old through to adulthood and is ‘characterised by hypothetical, logical, and abstract thought’ (Berger, 1998, p. 1). Piaget’s studies by focusing on mental processors and structures of thought has led to a large body of work which has provided insight into the way that we understand certain aspects of human behaviour, for ‘we now have a greater appreciation of the capacities and limitations of the types of thinking that are possible at various ages’ (Berger, 1998, p. 41) . As such this has greatly influenced educators in seeking â€Å"explanations for the difficulties encountered by the students in learning and as a basis for the design of more effective instruction’ (Adey, Shayer, 1993, p. 1). For example, a major research topic was whether or not the development of cognition could be accelerated. Adey and Shayer, (1993) found that cognitive development could be accelerated and that the effects could be long term (Adey and Shayer, 1993, pp. 26-27). Furthermore, Adey and Shayer (1993) cite work by Hallam, (1967) and Jurd (1973) who found the notion of concrete (the third stage) and formal operations can be applied to history, and that Fusco (1983) found that it could be fully applied in the context of English comprehension and social studies (Adey, Shayer, 1993, pp. 26-27). Thus, while Piaget’s studies on cognitive development have made a major contribution to knowledge in the field, his work has also led to a large body of criticism. Berger (1998, p. 45) suggests that many people think Piaget ‘underestimated the importance of external motivation and instruction†¦the role of society and home in fostering cognitive development (Berger, 1998, p. 45). Whereas socio-cultural theory ‘seeks to explain the growth of individual knowledge and competencies in terms of guidance, support, and structure provided by the broader cultural context’ (Berger, 1998, p. 6). For instance, Vygotsky, (1978) (cited in Bergman, 1998) thought that the development of cognitive competencies was from ‘the interaction between novices and more skilled members of the society, acting as tutors or mentors, in a process called an (Berger, 1998, p. 47) â€Å"apprenticeship in thinking† (Rogoff, 1990 cited in Berger, 1998). In addition, Flavell (1 985 cited in Gleitman, 1995, p. 521) suggests that evidence shows a child’s mental growth is more a sequence rather then proceeding in simple stages. Thus, this report through the use of the pendulum task will aim to: †¢ identify one students level of cognitive development who is 11-14 years old †¢ to compare and contrast the results with existing theory and research †¢ suggest how a teacher can best meet this child’s developmental needs in one key learning area. Method Participant There was only one person studied for the purpose of this report. The subject was male. He was 12 years and 4 months old. The subject was born in China in moved to Australia when he was 2. The subject speaks a Chinese language at home and English would be classed as the subjects second language. The subject is in year 7 at school and attends a school in the Sydney metropolitan area. He is not from a disadvantaged background. The subject was nervous before the task but settled down reasonably quickly. Procedure The study was carried out in the subject’s parent’s home. Informed consent was asked from the mother of the subject, a consent form was signed. At this stage confidentiality was ensured to both the mother and the subject and the reasons for the research were explained. A pendulum was made out of varying lengths of string and different weights. A frame supported the pendulum. There were 3 different sizes and lengths of weights and strings. The height and the force at which the pendulum could be released could also be varied by the subject. A pen, paper and stop-watch was provided to the subject. A video camera was placed a few meters away from the pendulum to record the procedure. The subject was asked to use the pendulum to find out what makes it swing faster, that is swing more times in a shorter space of time. The subject was told that they could use the different lengths of string or different weights and could use the pen, paper and watch. The subject then proceeds to go on with the experiment until they are happy with their results. A transcript of the recording is in appendix A Results To assess the subjects level of cognitive development the subjects actions were observed and analysised to see if they correspond with any of Piaget’s stages of development. Perhaps the most fundamental aspect of the analysis was that the subject already knew the answer to the problem, for example: Researcher: â€Å"Your job is to figure out what makes it swing faster† Subject: â€Å"The length of the string† Researcher: â€Å"How do you know that? † Subject: â€Å"I don’t really know, don’t know† Researcher: â€Å"Do you want to test it anyway† Subject: â€Å"Yes† Thus, the subject started with the longest string, heaviest weight and recorded the findings on a piece of paper. Then proceeded to use the same weight but the middle length string and then the shortest string, recording the results and time each swing (see table below). Longest 0. 86 Middle 0. 54 Shortest 0. 16 The subject was asked if he wanted to try different weights and the subject said â€Å"no, because it is the same, it is the same with any weight†. The subject was asked if he had learnt that at school and he was not sure. From analysis of these results it can be seen that the subject had some prior knowledge. Due to this he used logically experimentation through the use of isolating the variable to the length of string to determine whether he was right or not. The subject did not want to check the other variable of weight or height as he was sure it was length of string. As such hypothetical reasoning was also shown in the subject’s assurance that it was the string and not the weights that affected the frequency of the string. Discussion and Conclusion The aim of this report was to determine the level of cognitive development of a child between the ages of 11 and 14 years using Piaget’s pendulum task and then suggest how a teacher can best meet this child’s developmental needs in one key learning area. It was found that the subject displayed signs of hypothetical and logical thinking, both are attributes of a person of his age and at the fourth stage of cognitive development, the ‘formal operations stage’. Thus, the results of Inhelder and Piaget’s (1958) studies and later studies were replicated. In relation to whether the development was in sequence as Flavell (1985 cited in Gleitman, 1995, p. 521) suggests, the fact that there was prior knowledge could cast doubt on the stages theory as it would suggest that performance in these tasks are made up of more then the ability to logically reason. Furthermore, the experiment being greatly influenced by the fact that the subject already thought he new the answer to the problem when the task was initiated opens up ideas on accelerated cognitive development and the debate between Piaget and his theories and the social and instructional theorists. For example, Siegler, Liebert and Liebert (1973) found that concrete operational attributes could be taught to younger adolescences. Thus, the subject being of boarder-line age could have had his cognitive development accelerated during primary school either intentionally or unintentionally, this would be unknown. This raises the question of whether the curriculum today has been developed with these issues in mind. As such, further studies with the same task with a larger sample could answer these issues. In addition, the subject’s sister questioned whether it was all the time spent on the computer, internet or watching the ABC that the subject gained the prior knowledge, sense of logic and hypothetical reasoning. Perkins, Jay and Tishman (1983) cited in Adey (1997) put it down to psychological disposition, the tendency to behave in a certain way, that what matters is a person tendency invest themselves energetically in areas that cause development, that question the person. This psychological disposition could be inherited or could be developed through ways described in Vygotsky theories. That is through mentors, guidance and structure. In today’s technologically advanced society Vygotsky’s (1978) (cited in Bergman, 1998) theories may include the television and internet as providing instruction and guidance and basic learning. As Adey (2002) puts it ‘simple learning is relatively independent of maturation. Learning has no sense of direction’ (Adey, 2002, p. 19). Thus, it could be seen that the level of cognitive development obtained could be said to have been obtained through a process of development as described by Piaget in combination with a social process as described by Vygotsky (1978) and a simple learning process as described by Adey (2002). In suggesting how a teacher could best meet the subject’s educational needs in one key learning area, geography, the analysis of the subject was examined in reference to current junior geography curriculum. The NSW junior geography curriculum contains specified geography skills, tools and values that enable the teacher to integrate a range of teaching strategies that would enhance all areas of cognitive development, whether it be restrained to areas focused on by Piaget (1952, 1970) that Berger (1997) discusses or a broader range of areas as discussed by Vygotsky. As such, in suggesting that the subject is well catered for in these areas, the one area in which the subject may need help is literacy, in voicing his opinions. The NSW geography curriculum does specify an oral component, it is just that this could be emphasised. In addition, in relation to the study it has been found that acceleration programs in science have contributed to gains that are long lasting in English tests (Adey, Shayer, 1993). Consequently, continued tasks to develop the formal operations stage such as orally describing variable orientated tasks may have long lasting improvements. References Adey, P. Robertson, A & Venville, G. (2002). Effects of a cognitive acceleration program on Year 1 pupils. British Journal of Educational Psychology. 72, pp. 1-25. Adey, P. (1997). It All Depends on the context, Doesn’t It? Searching for General Educable Dragons. Studies in Science Education. (29), pp. 45-92. Adey, P. Shayer, M. (1993). An Exploration of Long-Term Far-Transfer Effects Following an Extended Intervention Program in High School Science Curriculum. Cognition and Instruction. 11(1), pp. 1-29. Berger, K. S. (1998). The Developing Person Through the Life Span. New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Gleitman, H. (1995). Psychology. 4th ed. New York, London: W. W. Norton & Company. Hallam, R. N. (1967). Logical thinking in history. Educational Review, 119, pp. 182-202. Inhelder , B. & Piaget, J. (1958). The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolenscence: An essay on the construction of formal operational structures. New York: Basic books. Siegler, R. Liebert, D. & Liebert, R (1973). Inhelder and Piaget’s Pendulum Problem: Teaching Preadolescents to Act as Scientists. Developmental Pschology. 9(1), pp. 97-101. Appendix Transcript of interview between researcher and subject. Researcher: What we are going to do is called a pendulum task. There is no right or wrong answer, what ever you do is Ok because it is just research. Subject: Ok Researcher: You can use the pen, paper and watch if you like. Subject: Ok Researcher: Do you know what a pendulum is? Subject: Yes! Researcher: So what we are trying to do is find out what makes it swing faster, that is make it swing more times more quickly. Subject: Ok. Researcher: Ok so there are a few things that it could be, it could be the weight, the length of the string, the height you drop it from or how hard you push it. Your job is to figure out what makes it swing faster. Subject: The length of the string. Researcher: Ok, so take this. (handing subject paper, pen and watch). You said that it was the length of the string that made it go faster, why did you say that? Subject: I don’t know, don’t know. Researcher: Do you want to test it anyway? Subject: Yes. Researcher: What do you want to start with? Subject: Longer string and heavy weight. Researcher: ok, so this is your longest string and heaviest weight. Subject: (drops the weight and times the swing and records results). Researcher: Do you want another look? Subject: No, its Ok. Researcher: Which one do you want use now? Subject: Same weight on a smaller string. Researcher: The medium string or the smallest string? Subject: the medium string. (Subject, performs task and records results). Researcher: Which one do you now want to try? Subject: The shortest string. Subject performs task again and records result) The shortest one is the quickest! Researcher: Do you want to try different weights to see if they do anything? Subject: No. Researcher: So you think it is just the length that affects it? Subject: Yes. Researcher: How come you don’t want to try different weights? Subject: because it is the same, the same with any weight. Researcher: did you learn that at school? Subject: I don’t know. Researcher: Ok, well i t was the string that affected it, your too smart, thanks very much for your help.