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To Kill a Mockingbird Project – Yen Vo and Eve Chen Foreshadowing – One form of foreshadowing in this novel is when Scout finds the bubble gum in the tree (page 44) . This event foreshadows the interaction between Jem, Scout and Boo, as Boo is putting those presents in the tree for Jem and Scout to find. Another instance of foreshadowing is when Jem finds his pants mended for him when he goes back to get them on page 76. We find out they were fixed for him afterwards on page 78 and when Jem states that â€Å"They’d been sewed up. Not like a lady sewed ‘em. -â€Å" ; this foreshadows the care of Boo Radley for Jem and Scout . We see later on, during the fire, that Boo cares for Scout when he places the blanket upon her. The last instance of foreshadowing would be when Scout is eavesdropping on one of Atticus’s conversations. Atticus was aware that she was listening and allowed for it to happen for quite some time before he calls her out and tells her to go to bed (page 117). This foreshadows the trial plot. Initial Incident – Boo Radley plot: I found that the initial incident within the Boo Radley plot was when Dill was curious about Boo, as it leads to further interactions with the Radley place and the climax (when the children are interacting physically with the Radley place). Trial plot: The initial incident within the trial plot would be when Atticus and Uncle Jack are conversing. This leads to the conviction of Tom and the tension between him and Bob. In Medias Res- I believe that the novel does not begin in medias res, because it does not begin in the middle of a significant event. It begins, however, with Scout explaining to us the situation and thus moving into a flashback of prior events. Motivation – I think that, in this novel, Scout’s biggest motivation is her Father. You really see her character develop as Atticus begins to tell her more. At the beginning, she was very blunt. She didn’t have much care for others or realization of her effect on others. This gradually changes throughout the book as Atticus begins to imply more about what’s right and what’s wrong. He tells her to often be mindful of others and their way of living as well as what they provide for her. For example, he tells Scout to â€Å"think about what Cal does for [her], and mind her,† which has an effect on Scout later as she no longer treats Calpurnia with disrespect or in a rude, ill-mannered way. This, among other implications, leads to a great development of Scout and thus shows the reader that Atticus is, indeed, her biggest form of motivation. Indeterminate resolution – I believe that in the Boo Radley plot there is an indeterminate resolution. I think this, because Boo Radley eventually â€Å"came out† after all that Scout, Jem, and Dill had done. Regardless to the fact that all three of these children were responsible for him coming out, Scout had been the only person to have met Boo Radley, but never saw him again afterwards. It was pleasing to see that Scout had finally been able to meet him, but will never see again nor will Jem or Dill ever meet, and this makes the resolution indeterminate and thus, the reader must decide on their own whether is was a sad, or a happy ending. Resolution – In my opinion, the resolution is satisfying, because after the development of the plot and the issues and questions that had risen from the story were resolved. Also, the solutions were realistic, regardless that they were not as expected or to my preference, but the realistic ideas enhance the story. For example, when Bob was trying to harm Jem and Scout, Scout was able to meet Boo Radley and that links the two storylines and resolves the Boo Radley plot. Setting – There are two passages in which I saw that the setting was significant to more than the physical aspect. One was : Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum. because it reveals much more to us about the area, rather than just what eyes might see. We get a feeling of isolation and dreariness from the description. The other would be: The back of the Radley house was less inviting than the front: a ramshackle porch ran the width of the house; there were two doors and two dark windows between the doors. Instead of a column, a rough two-by-four supported one end of the roof. An old Franklin stove sat in a corner of the porch; above it a hat-rack mirror caught the moon and shone eerily. because it evokes a sense of darkness and fear, which is represented further as the children are leaving. Suspense – Three suspenseful moments, I believe, would include when Scout states â€Å" There was more to it than he knew, but I ecided not to tell him. † (page 50) This is suspenseful, because it leaves the reader wondering what could Scout be talking about. What was it that she wouldn’t tell him? And what was its significance? Another moment would be when Scout says â€Å"Then I saw the shadow. † This leaves a very tense and suspenseful feeling, because it raises many questions on what might happen next. The last moment would be this passage: But I must have been reasonably awake, or I would not have received the impression that was creeping into me. It was not unlike one I had last winter, and I shivered, though the night was hot. The feeling grew until the atmosphere in the courtroom was exactly the same as a cold February morning, when the mockingbirds were still, and the carpenters had stopped hammering on Miss Maudie’s new house, and every wood door in the neighborhood was shut as tight as the doors of the Radley Place. A deserted, waiting, empty street, and the courtroom was packed with people. A steaming summer night was no different from a winter morning. Mr. Heck Tate, who had entered the courtroom and was talking to Atticus, might have been wearing his high boots and lumber jacket. Atticus had stopped his tranquil journey and had put his foot onto the bottom rung of a chair; as he listened to what Mr. Tate was saying, he ran his hand slowly up and down his thigh. because it leaves questionable results within the reader and it’s a bit of a cliffhanger in which we can’t determine entirely what will happen next. Symbol – Three symbols within the novel would be mockingbirds, Boo Radley, and the snowman. The mockingbird holds a lot of symbolic meaning within the book. The mockingbird in the book represents the idea of innocence, and when killing the mockingbird it is killing the innocence. Boo Radley helps symbolize the development of Jem and Scout’s innocence into a grown-up moral perspective. The snowman, being black on the inside and white on the outside, symbolizes how the whites need the blacks even in a society in which the white people seem to be predominant. Theme – I believe that a main theme in this novel is the existence of social inequality, in which there is a growing prejudice towards various groups of people. This relates to several human conditions, such as isolation. When there is the inequality mentioned in this novel, it creates isolation to those certain individuals. Another human condition, in which it may relate, is risk-taking. As those individuals in whom the prejudice is against, they constantly take risks whenever they may do something of their will, because the spectators around them will not accept it and might do whatever is needed to stop it. The last human condition would be the commitment to values. This is major, because no matter the effects of others, these people within the book will fight until the end and will stay true to their beliefs. Tone – Narrated action: â€Å"Jem leaped off the porch and galloped toward us. He flung open the gate, danced Dill and me through, and shooed us between two rows of swishing collards. Halfway through the collards I tripped; as I tripped the roar of a shotgun shattered the neighborhood† This narrated action of the kids leaving the Radley house on page 71 creates a very urgent tone, as the use of the words â€Å"galloped† and â€Å"flung† are fast-action paced movements in which a reader would feel the urgency of the situation. Also the intensity of the tone is described in the last sentence, because in a situation such as that one the moment begins to get very tense and suspenseful as to what will happen next. Description: â€Å"The back of the Radley house was less inviting than the front: a ramshackle porch ran the width of the house; there were two doors and two dark windows between the doors. Instead of a column, a rough two-by-four supported on end of the roof. And old Franklin stove sat in the corner of the porch; above it a hat-rack mirror caught the moon and shone eerily† This is a description of the Radley house on page 70 when Scout, Jem, and Dill decide to try to see into it. The tone of this passage is an eerie, frightening one. It’s description is vivd and describes a place in which most people would run from, and thus creates the tone as states before. Dialogue: â€Å"Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’comp’ny, and you don’t let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em – if you can’t act fit to eat the table you can just set here and eat in the kitchen! This is dialogue in which Calpurnia is speaking to Scout about her behaviour around Walter Cunningham. The tone this creates is very fierce and strong, because it states that she â€Å"whispered fiercely† in which a reader can imagine the anger and the strong tone that she would be addressing to Scout in. Verisimiltude – I find that a moment when Harper Lee demonstrates verisimilitude is when Cecil Jones is beckoning that Atticus defends â€Å"niggers† in a tone that it would be almost shameful of Atticus to do. This reates a feeling in which it seems realistic, because during that time, people would accuse black persons as guilty, no matter what. It shows a prejudice against different coloured persons in which readers would know was present in that time. We understand that during this era it was practically impossible for a black man to win any sort of fight against an unjust accusation, and thus, helps make the novel seem more realistic. Antagonist – Right off the bat, in Part 1, Scout seems to meet a whole range of antagonists. While some are less memorable and less significant; such as Scout’s fights on the playground, misunderstandings between her and Miss Caroline, her bickers with Jem and her utter dislike towards her cousin Francis, there are some that represent a turning point for the characters or last throughout the whole story. One antagonist I think was a turning point for Scout and Jem was Mrs. Dubose. From Scout’s point of view, Mrs. Dubose is depicted as a rather vicious woman, who likes verbally abuse the Finch family, which is no concern to their father. She is more of an antagonist for Jem rather than Scout, as her words seem to wear Jem down more than it has an effect on Scout. The other ones in Part 1 are not as strong of antagonists but their opposition with the protagonists do last throughout the story. They are Aunt Alexandra and Nathan Radley. Nathan Radley, just wants to keep the children away from his brother Boo, but in the process he appears many times to have a slight dislike for the kids. While Aunt Alexandra is someone Scout dislikes due to the attitude her aunt poses towards her. The main antagonist that appears in the trial plot is the main theme of hatred against black people. This theme is represented in many characters but is most noticeable in Bob Ewell. I think this hatred is largely evident to have affected Jem the most because he had felt the most confident that Tom would not be convicted, and starts to cry when the opposite decision is made. He then tries to shut out the memory of the trial from his mind in order to grow up in hopes of fixing this hatred. Antecedent action – 1. During the first five years in Maycomb, Atticus practiced economy more than anything; for several years thereafter he invested his earnings in his brother’s education. 2. †Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired town when I first knew it. 3. â€Å"Our mother died when I was two, so I never felt her absence. † Caricature – Scout: She is described by the adults as a girl who always wears overalls, never skirts. In the time of the story she c an be mocked for not acting the way a normal girl of her age should act. Characterization – Choleric: Scout is someone I would consider choleric. She has a restless nature as a kid and has the impulse to act on her feelings not fully aware of what the consequences will be. She can be described with having the tendency of being physically aggressive when nothing else works out due to her playground fights she constantly has with her classmates earlier on in the book. Melancholic: Mayella Ewell is a girl I feel is rather moody as she seems confused and shy. She does not want to talk much in court anxious that her words can have consequences. She also seems rather unsociable as she does not speak to anyone outside of her household except for Tom. Phlegmatic: Atticus is a lawyer who understands how to keep his calm. He is sensitive to the people around him and acts the same manner towards everyone no matter who the person may be. Sanguine: A character that I find quite lively would be Dill. Although he expresses to Scout how he feels lonely at home, he is one not to let the issue make him depressed. He finds a way to narrate it in a creative way to Jem and Scout before he reveals the truth. He is very easy going with his words as he tells Scout he hopes to marry her when he grows up, not caring about the problems that come along with his words. Direct: – Walter Cunningham (â€Å"If Walter had owned any shoes he would have worn them the first day of school and discarded them until mid-winter. He did have a clean shirt and neatly mended overalls. †) In this sentence alone, Walter doesn’t seem to be able to afford another pair of shoes or he would have not had to wait until it was cold to reuse them. Scout later in provides evidence towards this statement when she tells Miss Caroline about how the Cunningham family â€Å"never took anything they can’t pay back – no church baskets and no script stamps. She also explains to the teacher â€Å"They don’t have much, but they get along on it. † -â€Å"Burris† Ewell (â€Å"The boy stood up. He was the filthiest human I had ever seen. †) This sentence gives us detail on Burris’ physical character as previously mentioned in this chapter, the reason they children stopped to look at Burris in the first place was becau se something had crawled out of his hair. – Mrs. Dubose (â€Å"She was vicious. Once she heard Jem refer to our father as â€Å"Atticus† and her reaction was apoplectic. †) The writer does not waste time in pointing out to us that Mrs. Dubose is a vicious character. Also as many children do not refer to their fathers by their first name, she may have found this as the children growing up with disobedient manners. Indirect: – Dill (â€Å"The Radley Place fascinated Dill. In spite of our warnings and explanations it drew him as the moon draws water, but drew him no nearer than the light-pole on the corner, a safe distance from the Radley gate. †) This quote is conveniently placed at the beginning, to give us hints of Dill’s character right of the bat. He, like most children, is curious and has a desire to cure his curiosity no matter the cause, but is threatened by the thought of encountering something horrific or disappointing. This characterization is again used later on in the story when he goes with the Finch children to the trial, but later ends up crying when the trial ends up leaving him confused and short of words. -Calpurnia (â€Å"Again I thought her voice strange: she was talking like the rest of them. †) Calpurnia when is first heard by Scout talking to a fellow black person, she finds it odd how she changes her dialogue and grammar to match theirs. This hints that Calpurnia, even though she is well educated I too ashamed or embarrassed to be different from the rest of her community. – Atticus (â€Å"He put the newspaper down very carefully, adjusting its creases with lingering fingers. They were trembling a little. †) In the part of the story Atticus is confronted by several men from Maycomb, somewhat threatening him for taking action on defending Tom Robinson. We can tell that Atticus must have felt some fear making his fingers tremble, but still remains calm trying to remove the children from the scene. Dynamic: I do not find Atticus as an overly dynamic character. Throughout the book, his attitude towards the people of Maycomb does not change as well his actions are not compromised. He has some instances of disbelief and confusion towards the ending of the book, but these instances do not have much effect on Attticus’ psychological thinking. Realistic: Jem is a boy with very realistic feelings. He tries to hide his problems from the people around him, as he recognizes their problems and does not want to add to the issue. He reminds me of a teenager wanting to be left alone to think of their future or to sort out their thoughts. Stock: Burris Ewell to me is considered as a stock character. He portrays what people typically think of as â€Å"hill-billys†. He is too poor and his family too corrupted for him to attend school, therefore he drops out after a few days of it. Static: Bob Ewell to me has not changed in any way throughout the story. He is a person many people disrespect dues to his attitude and actions, and he proves it by having the trial against Tom Robinson, assuming he would be a hero for treating a black person like trash. He is deeply angered though, when people do not approve of his action and threatens not only adults but having the will to kill children in the end, proving to us that his personality does not change one bit. Climax – I think the climatic event of the trial plot was when Tom was convicted of rape. In the trial the tension between the two parties, being Tom and Bob, heat up as the plot is explained more with every testimony given. The information is accumulated to a point where the jury has to make a decision. This decision would then give us the climax and the result of everything that occurs afterward. The climax of the Boo Radley plot would for me be when the children sneak into the Radley house, although they see nothing, they are chased out of the house with fear. This fear I would consider to be the climax as afterwards the children seems to gradually stop thinking about Boo Radley, resulting in a denouement. Complication- In the trial plot, Scout’s main goal is to understand the trial and the changes it brought to the people around her. This is complicated by the fact that many of the people in Maycomb whom she thought she understood are suddenly opposed to Atticus’ actions. Some significant ones are the whispers of parents towards their children to treat the Finch children well, as Scout does not understand why they needed to be treated any differently. Another would be the how the adults in the story try to get Scout and the other children to leave the court, as she feels as she needs to be there to feel at ease with what’s been happening around her. In the Boo Radley Plot, the children’s main goal is to get Boo out of his house. They are stopped however, by many adults in hopes that they would stop pestering the Radley family. To these adults dismay, they continue though until one day they attempt to sneak into the Radley house and Jem loses his pants. After this, Jem is terrified enough that they stop these attempts. They then start finding odd objects in the tree near their house that start up their goal again, but this is quickly stopped when Nathan Radley presumably fills the tree hole. Conflict- Scout: Although Scout has to deal with the problem of the aftereffects of the trial towards the ending of her story, I think her conflict is how her peers and kin try to train her to be a lady as she is aware of their attempts and reasons but feel that they re unreasonable. Jem: Jem unlike Scout has a better understanding of why the adults want him to grow up to be a gentleman, but this is complicated when the trial of Tom Robinson comes into his life. He feels confused and rather that the trial ws unjust that he tries to erase every memory of this moment, leaving his emotions with nowhere to go. Dill: Dill de als with the problem of being a lonely child. He initially is sent to Maycomb to spend time with his aunt. Miss Rachel but Maycomb later on becomes his place of refuge when he runs away from home. He explains that he left because he felt as if his parents have no interest in him and he has no siblings to share this feeling with. Atticus: Atticus may be a confident lawyer, but he seems to be self-concious when it comes to being a father. He always tries to help his children follow the correct path in life but sometimes doubts himself in the process. This happens more frequently after the trial has taken place, as Atticus hopes that his children are not outcasted in the town due to his actions and beliefs in the trial plot. Crisis- When the Boo Radley and trial plot interlock, a crisis occurs as Scout and Jem who struggle to escape from Bob Ewell are rescued by Boo, this comes as a turning point as Scout had always thought Boo would never come out of his house, even though she had moments when she wishes he does. Deux ex Machina- Bob Ewell’s death would be something I would consider as deux ex machina, as it was very unlikely that anything was going to happen to Bob Ewell after the trial, however his death was placed in there will the people of Maycomb believing he fell on his knife. I think the author had placed this in the story to give us closure being that the narrator of the story was a child that would have slept uneasy knowing that Bob Ewell was still alive. Dialogue- The dialogue in the novel I felt was well written. It was very clear in the dialogue who was speaking and who they were speaking to most of the time according to their tone of voice and the emotions they express. Discovery- Scout throughout the book, her perceptions of Boo Radley changes as it goes from believing he was a dangerous man, to someone that save her and Jem’s lives. Exposition – 1. â€Å"He liked Maycomb, he was Maycomb Country born and bred; he knew his people, they knew him and because Simon Finch’s industry, Atticus was related by blood or marriage to nearly every family in the town. † This background info at the beginning doesn’t seem like much, as it just explains to us how close the Finch family is to the people of the town. However later on, we find out that due to Atticus being family to almost everyone in Maycomb, it is harder for them to deal with him defending a black person accused of a despicable crime. 2. † First Purchase Africa M. E. Church was in the Quarters outside the southern town limits, across the old sawmill tracks. It was an ancient paint-peeled frame building, the only church in Maycomb with a steeple and bell, called First Purchase because it was paid for from the first earnings of freed slaves. Negroes worshiped in it on Sundays and white men gambled in it on weekdays. † This gives us insight on how the black people of the time were disrespected, that a house of worship for the people is regarded as a house of sin for a white man. Flashback- In one flashback, when Scout explains to us once when Uncle Jack helped her with an injury when she was younger. For me, I would consider the whole story a flashback. The story starts off with telling us about when Jem was thirteen, but on the next page it tells us Jem is only eleven. Foil- Bob Ewell can be considered a foil to Atticus as Atticus does not seem to view him as an enemy but someone rather with opposite values. Bob Ewell is what the people in Maycomb would consider a no-good, and being careless towards his children. While Atticus is seen as the opposite as a man who takes good care of his children and is focused on his job. Hero- the hero in this book would be Atticus. Atticus being a lawyer, to the children it seems like he is defending â€Å"innocent† people no matter who it is as to them he seems like a hero. Jem idolizes his dad, as he shows many instances of wanting to grow up and be a lawyer like his dad. Many people around Scout also praise Atticus as being a hero for being able to stand up for his beliefs and not giving up no matter the situation. Narrator- I believe Scout is a combination of a naive and reliable narrator. She is naive being that she only a child and have not developed a complete understanding about the situations around them. We catch her not understanding the trial as much as we thought when Jem accuses Scout of not being able to comprehend the situation. This is later proven when the results from the jury are shown yet she does not feel as sentimental as her family does towards the situation. Protagonist – the protagonist in this book would be Scout. It is Scout because she is narrating the story in first person, meaning the story is about problems and situations revolving her she is the only person that all the situations in the entire book could be about. Subplot – I think the Boo Radley plot would be considered as a subplot, as this plot I feel does not impact the reader as much as the trial plot. The Boo Radley part gives us an introduction to the children and their lives, but they do not give us a clear problem that the children deal with. The Boo Radley plot does not seem to have much effect on the children when they are grown enough to accept that Boo Radley will not come out of his house as they seem to accept Boo they way he is.

Technology is Killing Humanity

Today, our world is a lot quieter than it used to be. As a student and as a passenger of public transport, I now barely see people smiling, talking or making eye contact at schools and in public places. Finally, I realize why people rarely communicate with others now, and this kind of big issue is caused by a tiny thing that we all carry in our pockets every single day: smartphone. In conclusion, the excessive use of mobile Internet devices is killing humanity by destroying the meaningfulness of communication and human interaction.The eyes are the windows to the soul as the popular phrase. According to Quantified Impressions, a Texas-based communications analytics company, a normal adult makes eye contact between 30 and 60 percent of the time in a daily conversation, however, emotional connection is built when eye contact is made during 60-70 percent of the conversation. (Gregoire) In other words, the more eye contact, the more of a connection is made. Unfortunately, people now tend to avoid or reduce eye-contact with others because their eyes are glued to their mobile devices most of the time.According to recent estimates, the average American spends more than five hours per day using digital devices on computers and mobile devices (the number is relatively higher for those who work in front of computer screens), and another four and a half hours watching television. (Gregoire) If we assume that an average person everyday spends eight hours on sleeping, one and a half hours on transportation, eight hours on work, and four and a half hours on watching television (as the research above suggests), that person only has two hours left to do whatever he or she wants to do.Would that person spend two hours on communicating with others face to face? Seemingly, the answer is â€Å"No. † Some people may argue that mobile Internet devices actually provide more opportunities for us to communicate with our family, friends or potential friends which can bring people all over the world closer, because people now can use those social Apps such as Facebook, Tweeter and Instagram to interact with others through their smartphones anytime anywhere. Nevertheless, their opinion is totally contradictory to the fact.Instead of bringing people together, social Apps are now changing the human society into a world that is full of narcissism. Today, most people only care about the number of likes, comments and followers they have on their accounts instead of truly sharing their life experience. Unfortunately, none of us are as popular as pop stars. Therefore, people need to do extra work to earn more likes and comments, and the only way to satisfy their vanity is to keep commenting on others' posts. This kind of act can cause a vicious circle as people cannot stop making meaningless comments.Indeed, most of us are not truly interacting with others but throwing garbage to them as well as receiving garbage from them anytime anywhere. Besides using social Apps to get those so-called happiness, people have been falling in love with text messages for a long long time and there is no sign this phenomenon is fading. Even though texting is a little bit more similar to the traditional forms of communication such as writing letters or emailing, its impact to human communication is extremely negative and destructive.â€Å"Miscommunication is perhaps one of the most common, if not the most frustrating problems with Smartphones and relationships, especially when it comes to text message,† says Lindsey Chadwick, an online editorial staff. When we actually talk to a person no matter face to face or through a phone call, we can clearly understand the tone and the meaning that the person tries to express; however, a text message can confuse us or perhaps it can cause some problems between us and our friends, and this is exactly what miscommunication is.The worst thing that is caused by text messages is that our young generation's literacy is get ting worse. According to Studentfirst. com, on the 2009 NAEP Reading Test, about 26 percent of eighth graders and 27 percent of twelfth graders scored below the â€Å"basic† level, and only 32 percent of eighth graders and 38 percent of twelfth graders are at or above grade level. (Report 1) If you pay attention to the way that our teenagers text, you can find a huge difference between their own language and the normal English.Plus, a recent report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, texting ranks as the number one mode of communication among them. Kids between the ages of 12 and 17 text a median of 60 times a day — up from 50 in 2009. (Samakow) As we can see, texting has becoming a teens' daily routine. Therefore, when they get used to the way they text their friends, they will tend to apply the same thing at school. In my opinion, the only way to make people do not excessively use mobile Internet devices is to lessen or limit their opportunity to reach the I nternet. Today, we have seen more and more mobile companies offer various â€Å"unlimited†package to the mobile users in order to let them access the Internet without any constriction. However, the mobile companies should stop promoting or offering this kind of service, and they should only provide â€Å"unlimited data† package to those who really have a strong need to text or to access the Internet, such as I. T. professionals or international businessman. Moreover, if someone applies an â€Å"unlimited† package, he or she will need to provide some specific and significant information to the mobile company in order to prove that his or her case is qualified to use the package.Canceling â€Å"unlimited† package isn't enough to lessen people's opportunity to connect to the Internet because wireless signals are everywhere. Therefore, hotels, large-scale business quarter, restaurants, entertainment centers, beauty centers, gyms and information consultation s hould not provide unrestricted wifi to their customers. Instead, they could set a time limit to restrict their customers to connect to wifi network. For example, if a person's device has been connecting to wifi for 15 minutes, he or she will not be able to connect to it for the next 10 minutes.At this point, we do not have to worry too much about the mobile game addiction because nowadays most of the mobile-game companies have set an access limitation for their games to prevent their users from addiction. Lastly and most importantly, schools and guardians should spend more time on teaching their children the true meaningfulness of communication and human interaction, and teaching them how to talk or communicate with others at the same time, instead of just letting them stick with the computers and make â€Å"connection† to the â€Å"real† world. Technology is Killing Humanity Today, our world is a lot quieter than it used to be. As a student and as a passenger of public transport, I now barely see people smiling, talking or making eye contact at schools and in public places. Finally, I realize why people rarely communicate with others now, and this kind of big issue is caused by a tiny thing that we all carry in our pockets every single day: smartphone. In conclusion, the excessive use of mobile Internet devices is killing humanity by destroying the meaningfulness of communication and human interaction.The eyes are the windows to the soul as the popular phrase. According to Quantified Impressions, a Texas-based communications analytics company, a normal adult makes eye contact between 30 and 60 percent of the time in a daily conversation, however, emotional connection is built when eye contact is made during 60-70 percent of the conversation. (Gregoire) In other words, the more eye contact, the more of a connection is made. Unfortunately, people now tend to avoid or reduce eye-contact with others because their eyes are glued to their mobile devices most of the time.According to recent estimates, the average American spends more than five hours per day using digital devices on computers and mobile devices (the number is relatively higher for those who work in front of computer screens), and another four and a half hours watching television. (Gregoire) If we assume that an average person everyday spends eight hours on sleeping, one and a half hours on transportation, eight hours on work, and four and a half hours on watching television (as the research above suggests), that person only has two hours left to do whatever he or she wants to do.Would that person spend two hours on communicating with others face to face? Seemingly, the answer is â€Å"No. † Some people may argue that mobile Internet devices actually provide more opportunities for us to communicate with our family, friends or potential friends which can bring people all over the world closer, because people now can use those social Apps such as Facebook, Tweeter and Instagram to interact with others through their smartphones anytime anywhere. Nevertheless, their opinion is totally contradictory to the fact.Instead of bringing people together, social Apps are now changing the human society into a world that is full of narcissism. Today, most people only care about the number of likes, comments and followers they have on their accounts instead of truly sharing their life experience. Unfortunately, none of us are as popular as pop stars. Therefore, people need to do extra work to earn more likes and comments, and the only way to satisfy their vanity is to keep commenting on others' posts. This kind of act can cause a vicious circle as people cannot stop making meaningless comments.Indeed, most of us are not truly interacting with others but throwing garbage to them as well as receiving garbage from them anytime anywhere. Besides using social Apps to get those so-called happiness, people have been falling in love with text messages for a long long time and there is no sign this phenomenon is fading. Even though texting is a little bit more similar to the traditional forms of communication such as writing letters or emailing, its impact to human communication is extremely negative and destructive.â€Å"Miscommunication is perhaps one of the most common, if not the most frustrating problems with Smartphones and relationships, especially when it comes to text message,† says Lindsey Chadwick, an online editorial staff. When we actually talk to a person no matter face to face or through a phone call, we can clearly understand the tone and the meaning that the person tries to express; however, a text message can confuse us or perhaps it can cause some problems between us and our friends, and this is exactly what miscommunication is.The worst thing that is caused by text messages is that our young generation's literacy is get ting worse. According to Studentfirst. com, on the 2009 NAEP Reading Test, about 26 percent of eighth graders and 27 percent of twelfth graders scored below the â€Å"basic† level, and only 32 percent of eighth graders and 38 percent of twelfth graders are at or above grade level. (Report 1) If you pay attention to the way that our teenagers text, you can find a huge difference between their own language and the normal English.Plus, a recent report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, texting ranks as the number one mode of communication among them. Kids between the ages of 12 and 17 text a median of 60 times a day — up from 50 in 2009. (Samakow) As we can see, texting has becoming a teens' daily routine. Therefore, when they get used to the way they text their friends, they will tend to apply the same thing at school. In my opinion, the only way to make people do not excessively use mobile Internet devices is to lessen or limit their opportunity to reach the I nternet. Today, we have seen more and more mobile companies offer various â€Å"unlimited†package to the mobile users in order to let them access the Internet without any constriction. However, the mobile companies should stop promoting or offering this kind of service, and they should only provide â€Å"unlimited data† package to those who really have a strong need to text or to access the Internet, such as I. T. professionals or international businessman. Moreover, if someone applies an â€Å"unlimited† package, he or she will need to provide some specific and significant information to the mobile company in order to prove that his or her case is qualified to use the package.Canceling â€Å"unlimited† package isn't enough to lessen people's opportunity to connect to the Internet because wireless signals are everywhere. Therefore, hotels, large-scale business quarter, restaurants, entertainment centers, beauty centers, gyms and information consultation s hould not provide unrestricted wifi to their customers. Instead, they could set a time limit to restrict their customers to connect to wifi network. For example, if a person's device has been connecting to wifi for 15 minutes, he or she will not be able to connect to it for the next 10 minutes.At this point, we do not have to worry too much about the mobile game addiction because nowadays most of the mobile-game companies have set an access limitation for their games to prevent their users from addiction. Lastly and most importantly, schools and guardians should spend more time on teaching their children the true meaningfulness of communication and human interaction, and teaching them how to talk or communicate with others at the same time, instead of just letting them stick with the computers and make â€Å"connection† to the â€Å"real† world.

Health Care Reform

Basic overview of health care reform (3 articles):The Health Care Reform is making a huge economic impact as it has very important  insinuations when it comes to the US economy. Hence it is important to understand what is going on with this topic. In  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Health care reform stands: How it impacts your coverage† by Parija Kavilanz, it states that the Supreme Court supported the health care reform meaning that it is obligatory for people to purchase coverage by 2014 and if not they will have to be fined.Hence by 2014, this will affect uninsured persons because they will have to purchase coverage by either doing it personally, by their employer's offered health plans or by a health insurance exchange. If they decide not to purchase coverage then a tax penalty would apply, for example when 2014 arrives, if an individual has not purchased coverage than the penalty fee will be $285 per family or 1% of their revenue (they will have to pay the higher one). By 2016, the penalty f ee will increase drastically to $2,085 per family or 2. 5% of their revenue, paying the higher one.In the intervening time, the people that are insured will still benefit from the significant things that are offered by the law. This includes things such as full coverage for preventive care and for grownup dependents of up to 26 year of age. However, this is possible because of the personal greater expenditure. Today in the US, greater than 50% of everyone (about 160 million people) acquire their health insurance straight from the company they work for and with this law in place by 2014, employers with greater than 50 full-time workers will be obligated to offer health insurance and if not they will have to pay fines.For the remaining people, 50 million of them don’t have coverage and the other millions purchase coverage personally through a private insurance or obtain coverage from the government though plans like Medicaid or Medicare. In  Ã¢â‚¬Å"How health reform may help †¦ or hurt,†Ã‚  by Jeanne Sahadi, it explains how this reform in  health care can have huge impacts. Citizens in the US are being informed that this health reform is a correct objective and that it will help the economy. Obama had stated that this reform does not pertain to the problems when discussing the fiscal future but that it is part of resolving issues.However, the issuer is that the US health care expenditures are way more than other established countries and yet the cost and what get out of it does not match up. Temporarily, many citizens don’t have enough money for coverage or their coverage that they do have does not cover sufficiently their medical charges. In Washington discussions are often raised to talk about the possible outcomes and options for this issue. In the past 40 years, the cost for health care expenditures has gone up quicker than inflation and incomes.Currently, the US’s government, companies and people, devote greater than 16% of its GDP on health care, which according to Kaiser Foundation is about $7,421 per individual. Furthermore, the US’s high debt is also because of the growing health care costs, which increases federal expenditure on Medicare and Medicaid. However, if the health reform does work, as time goes by it would cover its own cost as well as decrease health spending without conceding quality and deliver inexpensive, accessible care for everyone.Lastly, they have to think about if the health reform fails. All these  Ã¢â‚¬Å"what ifs† are essential because one key point of why complete health reform has been an indecisive process is  that  it is very hard to  uncover how to do it well. In â€Å"What the Supreme Court ruled on health care ‘tax'†Ã‚  by  Josh Levs, it discussed how the Supreme Court finds that consequences that the law puts on individuals that do not purchase health insurance amount as a constitutional tax protection while Obama claimed that th e fees should be reflected as a penalty.Meanwhile, the high court did not agree with Obamas view point. The court said that the law does not require other penalties for negation to purchase health coverage and hence there will be about 4 million individuals per year that will rather have the IRS fee instead of purchasing coverage. Furthermore, the court highlighted that it was not upon if this command was the right thing to do but because the Constitution allows this type of tax, hence it is not the courts part to prohibit it.In summation, it is important to understand the health care reform as discussed in these articles, as it has a huge impact on the country. Health Care Reform's Effect on Business  (http://www. accountingtoday. com/news/):  Ã‚  Ã‚  This article explains the opinions that very influential accountants have towards the health care reform and its effect on the economy as it’s  becoming a very important topic in the elections as well as to every day busi nesses that have considered this issue and because of it have hindered business decisions. One of these influencers is Mark Albrecht, CEO of XCM Solutions.He explained that every business will now have to see if it is convenient to keep providing health coverage for their employees or to pay the fine while the employees buy their coverage from a private insurance company. He believes that since the fines are not that high, that there can be many companies that will prefer not offering health insurance, which is the opposite of the objective of the health care reform law. Hence, insurers have a lot of work ahead of themselves because of the fact that customarily they do not sell coverages to individuals and being that health insurance exchanges are a new notion.As for health care providers, the impacts to them of this reform will fluctuate since they will have to demonstrate that they are providing superior care and if not it is likely that they will get a compensation cut. For state governments, almost all of the weight of this reform implementation will be on the states. The states will be responsible for arranging the health insurance exchanges as well as management for the programs. Therefore, a lot of states are questioning the constitutionality of this reform as it interjects the states' rights.As for the taxpayers, this new reform doesn’t have an established or authorized method to monitoring the increasing health care costs. Health care expenditures are anticipated to keep on growing and hence will become a worry for many citizens in the US and for businesses as well. With no regulatory system of this increase in health care costs, it will be very challenging for the federal government to reduce the deficit and diminish the national debt liability; hence there will still be a huge economic crisis. Why Reform Health  Care (http://useconomy. about. com):The U. S. devotes $2. 5 trillion to its health care system, which is the highest contribution within other developed nations. This is because the majority of the expense derives from the first and last days of a lifetime. A huge progress and a lot of research has been conducted in order to save premature infants and very ill seniors and this has been very expensive. Also there is an increase of malpractice lawsuits, as doctors sometimes rather prefer to conduct unnecessary expensive tests instead of getting sued later because they had not conducted the test.Furthermore, it is very expensive in the US because there is less price competition than in other industries as people simply have a fixed charge (co-pay). Health care costs keep on increasing and hence there is a need for a reform. Other reasons for a reform is to increase the superiority of care and to cover the 25% of citizens that have minimum or no health coverage to refuge their medical expenditure as each year more than 101,000 Americans pass away for not having coverage. This threatens the economy as half of all b ankruptcies are of medical expenses.Furthermore, a reform would be needed to stop the  financial expenditures of health care fraud. In 2010, when the  Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act  law came about, it gave coverage to individuals with present illnesses, kids, and individuals who had lost their jobs. It offered  aid  to  small businesses, elders with high medicine expenditures, and capital to help the scarcity of doctors. The overheads of this was planned to be balanced by having greater payroll taxes, greater charges to medicine companies, and less expenses to infirmaries and clinics.With this act, greater than 600,000 young individuals are now covered, as individuals of up to 26 years of age are insured under their parents' coverage, which benefits the insurance companies. Also a Kaiser survey found that greater than 46% of small businesses, compared to 2010, had health care benefits. With an increase in small business with coverage for their employees, the re are less bankruptcies as well as improved credit scores and greater consumer  demand which permit greater spending, hence stimulating economic growth. Opposing Views: Voices on Health-Care Reform:Eric Ries, in â€Å"Why the New Health-Care Law May Encourage Entrepreneurship,† explains that as an entrepreneur, he was aware that if his company didn’t succeed , he could always attempt something else. Hence, he always thought the actual risk of financial loss would be from the probability of a severe sickness that wouldn’t be covered by his insurance. However, these fears were overcome because at the time he began as an entrepreneur, he was young, healthy, and with no family to provide. Most successful entrepreneurs are in their forty’s and need to provid their families to health insurance.Hence, the Kauffman-RAND Institute for Entrepreneurship Public Policy conducted a study indicating that entrepreneurship increases as prospective entrepreneurs become capable of getting Medicare. He believes that for there to be greater entrepreneurship, there has to be policies that decrease the price of failure so that more individuals are capable to be â€Å"start-up founders† and that the Health care reform is part of the answer to make this happen. On the other hand, Rose Corona in â€Å"Why the Health Care Law May Be a Harmful Prescription for Entrepreneurs† emphasis that ObamaCare is a catastrophe for small businesses.She believes that this tedious, unclear and costly law will not help the economy. As a small businesses owner that doesn’t provide insurance to her employees, she doesn’t see the fairness of proposing her 30 employees a coverage if it means her business would go bankrupt. Also, she believes that with this reform, small businesses will maintain their employee count below the 50 employee minimum prerequisite to remain excused from offering health insurance hence this will create less jobs and expansi on of businesses.So this will have small businesses considering to either increasing their prices to be able to offer health care to their workers or to reduce benefits to hence maintain competitive prices. Rosa clearly does not agree with this reform. Businesses Ponder Impact of Health-Care Reform: The Supreme Court has been dealing with opinions over the topic of obligating all Americans to buy health coverage because the reform states that in 2014 businesses with greater than or equal to 50 employees will have to offer health insurance or pay a fee of $2,000 per employee. About 96% of all U. S. Small Business have less than 50 employees.Many questions have risen such as are part-time or seasonal employees part of this reform, is it less costly to pay for health coverage or the fee and what is the minimum of coverage that has to be provided? David Keiter, the owner of Yellow Van Cleaning, a carpet cleaning business with currently 48 workers is putting off hiring more employees unt il he sees what happens to this reform and many businesses are going through the same. He says that prosperous small businesses are about performing in â€Å"better, faster and more efficiently† ways and that with â€Å"complicated regulations,† it is just â€Å"an obstacle† in the way of achieving this goal.The Economic Effect of Health Care Reform on Small Business and their Employees:Small businesses in the US compromise a great part of the country’s economic world. However, small businesses are strictly underprivileged with the existing health care system. The Council of Economic Advisers conducted a study that showed that small businesses are very important to the economy and are a huge foundation of the US job evolution as they are the mainstream of business start-ups, hence very crucial when it comes to the topics of innovation and fiscal progress.Also, it showed that the health care now does not function very well these small companies as well as their employees as there are hefty taxes enforced. The health care reform would help small businesses to buy health insurance through an insurance exchange which offers a huge amount of coverage options at a lower price and for small businesses that offer health coverage to their workers, they will get a tax credit to ease the excessively costs and therefore make them want to offer coverage.This establishment of the insurance exchange will deliver improved and lower price alternatives for employees that currently do not receive insurance from their job. Moreover, health insurances will not be able to judge who to give insurance because of present illnesses. The reform can also help grow the entrepreneurial movement by potentially increase the amount of workers that would want to work for a small business and can decrease â€Å"job lock† of when employees are scared to quit their job because of terror of finding inexpensive health insurance.Only the small business that cannot or will refuse to offer health insurance will endure a huge cost. Papa John's CEO Says Health Care Reform Law Will Increase Price of Pizza:Papa John's CEO John Schnatter stated that people should anticipate for pizza orders to be more expensive by 2014 because of the health care reform. The estimate for this reform per pizza is about an additional 11 to 14 cents. In a company meeting, he informed the company that its approach would be to impose the additional expense onto customers in order to keep the shareholders of the company at their best benefit.They also commented about how this reform might have a undesirable influence as the company and its franchises might have to offer health insurance to their part-time employees which is something they don’t always do for certain part time workers. This also applies to other employers and a study by Mercer L. L. C. said that about 46 percent of hospitality businesses will experience greater health insurance costs by about 3 perce nt by 2014. Cogent statement:After reading the articles summarized above and getting a better understanding of the health care reform, even though many of the articles oppose this reform, it might not be such a negative approach for the country but instead in the long run, I think that it will have a positive change. A lot of thought has been put in this reform and there are reasons of why it includes specific details. With the study conducted by the Council of Economic Adviser, we can have an idea of the economic influences that this health care reform will have on the US economy as a whole.They approximated that by reducing the yearly increase in health care costs by 1. 5 percent, then this would give rise to the real GDP. Hence, with a decrease in the growing rate of health care expenditures, the revenue gains are slightly minor, but still significant. Also, decelerating the growing percentage of health care expenditures will avert the devastating increases that we see in the Fed eral budget deficit as well as decrease the unemployment levels. Furthermore, offering health insurance to those without coverage would increase the net financial welfare by approximately $100 billion per year.The health care reform will possibly also rise employment and eliminate preventable obstacles to work mobility. In the article â€Å"Health Care Reform Bill Summary: A Look At What's in the Bill† on CBS News, it informed that the cost of this reform would be about $940 billion in ten years, but that the deficit would decrease by $143 billion in ten years after implementing it. This reform would offer health insurance to about 32 million people in the US, who presently do not have coverage. For the people with no insurance or for those who are self-employed, they will be capable of obtaining insurance by going to their state insurance exchanges.There will also be subsidies accessible to people as well as their families if their revenue falls in the 133 percent through 40 0 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. For small businesses, distinct exchanges would be formed to buy insurance which will be in live in 2014. As for small businesses, with the present health care system of the country, they spend significantly more to offer coverage to their employees. Normally, small businesses spend about 18 percent extra on health insurance than bigger businesses. Hence, Health Care Reform The present healthcare system compared with other developed nations is currently spending more for healthcare. In 2005, the U. S. spent 15. 3% of its GDP for healthcare compared to the average 9% of others in the first world (ACP, 2008). However, despite greater spending and a wealthier economy, the number of uninsured and underinsured is still high with 47 million at present. Not a few hospitals have complained that the rising number of uninsured they serve is leading to greater financial struggles to maintain operations.The greater national spending can be attributed to the more frequent use of technologies in the U. S. that other countries may regard as luxury (ACP, 2008). In addition, there is a marked shortage of healthcare workers. The aging healthcare workforce attests to this. There seems to be no incentive given for individuals to gain education in this field and current workers face a lot of difficulties as they perform their jobs. They are not rewarded for conducting preve ntive services but are greatly remunerated if the number of people seeking medical services increase.These problems exist because of the lack of regulation on healthcare and its related industry. Other countries exert more effort to regulate this area which has a great impact on the health and well-being of their citizens. The greatly market-oriented and profit-based healthcare system in the U. S. leads to the benefit of pharmaceutical companies and greater individual expenses for those who can afford it while denying access to the underprivileged (ACP).Clinton, McCain and Obama have presented their own versions of healthcare reform which are mainly anchored in increasing the access of the uninsured to healthcare. However, none have gone to a detailed outline of how exactly they can implement these once elected. This may be because garnering the most votes is more important than presenting a definite and concrete stand on such a complex issue which may turn off some sectors of socie ty. Health Care Reform Basic overview of health care reform (3 articles):The Health Care Reform is making a huge economic impact as it has very important  insinuations when it comes to the US economy. Hence it is important to understand what is going on with this topic. In  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Health care reform stands: How it impacts your coverage† by Parija Kavilanz, it states that the Supreme Court supported the health care reform meaning that it is obligatory for people to purchase coverage by 2014 and if not they will have to be fined.Hence by 2014, this will affect uninsured persons because they will have to purchase coverage by either doing it personally, by their employer's offered health plans or by a health insurance exchange. If they decide not to purchase coverage then a tax penalty would apply, for example when 2014 arrives, if an individual has not purchased coverage than the penalty fee will be $285 per family or 1% of their revenue (they will have to pay the higher one). By 2016, the penalty f ee will increase drastically to $2,085 per family or 2. 5% of their revenue, paying the higher one.In the intervening time, the people that are insured will still benefit from the significant things that are offered by the law. This includes things such as full coverage for preventive care and for grownup dependents of up to 26 year of age. However, this is possible because of the personal greater expenditure. Today in the US, greater than 50% of everyone (about 160 million people) acquire their health insurance straight from the company they work for and with this law in place by 2014, employers with greater than 50 full-time workers will be obligated to offer health insurance and if not they will have to pay fines.For the remaining people, 50 million of them don’t have coverage and the other millions purchase coverage personally through a private insurance or obtain coverage from the government though plans like Medicaid or Medicare. In  Ã¢â‚¬Å"How health reform may help †¦ or hurt,†Ã‚  by Jeanne Sahadi, it explains how this reform in  health care can have huge impacts. Citizens in the US are being informed that this health reform is a correct objective and that it will help the economy. Obama had stated that this reform does not pertain to the problems when discussing the fiscal future but that it is part of resolving issues.However, the issuer is that the US health care expenditures are way more than other established countries and yet the cost and what get out of it does not match up. Temporarily, many citizens don’t have enough money for coverage or their coverage that they do have does not cover sufficiently their medical charges. In Washington discussions are often raised to talk about the possible outcomes and options for this issue. In the past 40 years, the cost for health care expenditures has gone up quicker than inflation and incomes.Currently, the US’s government, companies and people, devote greater than 16% of its GDP on health care, which according to Kaiser Foundation is about $7,421 per individual. Furthermore, the US’s high debt is also because of the growing health care costs, which increases federal expenditure on Medicare and Medicaid. However, if the health reform does work, as time goes by it would cover its own cost as well as decrease health spending without conceding quality and deliver inexpensive, accessible care for everyone.Lastly, they have to think about if the health reform fails. All these  Ã¢â‚¬Å"what ifs† are essential because one key point of why complete health reform has been an indecisive process is  that  it is very hard to  uncover how to do it well. In â€Å"What the Supreme Court ruled on health care ‘tax'†Ã‚  by  Josh Levs, it discussed how the Supreme Court finds that consequences that the law puts on individuals that do not purchase health insurance amount as a constitutional tax protection while Obama claimed that th e fees should be reflected as a penalty.Meanwhile, the high court did not agree with Obamas view point. The court said that the law does not require other penalties for negation to purchase health coverage and hence there will be about 4 million individuals per year that will rather have the IRS fee instead of purchasing coverage. Furthermore, the court highlighted that it was not upon if this command was the right thing to do but because the Constitution allows this type of tax, hence it is not the courts part to prohibit it.In summation, it is important to understand the health care reform as discussed in these articles, as it has a huge impact on the country. Health Care Reform's Effect on Business  (http://www. accountingtoday. com/news/):  Ã‚  Ã‚  This article explains the opinions that very influential accountants have towards the health care reform and its effect on the economy as it’s  becoming a very important topic in the elections as well as to every day busi nesses that have considered this issue and because of it have hindered business decisions. One of these influencers is Mark Albrecht, CEO of XCM Solutions.He explained that every business will now have to see if it is convenient to keep providing health coverage for their employees or to pay the fine while the employees buy their coverage from a private insurance company. He believes that since the fines are not that high, that there can be many companies that will prefer not offering health insurance, which is the opposite of the objective of the health care reform law. Hence, insurers have a lot of work ahead of themselves because of the fact that customarily they do not sell coverages to individuals and being that health insurance exchanges are a new notion.As for health care providers, the impacts to them of this reform will fluctuate since they will have to demonstrate that they are providing superior care and if not it is likely that they will get a compensation cut. For state governments, almost all of the weight of this reform implementation will be on the states. The states will be responsible for arranging the health insurance exchanges as well as management for the programs. Therefore, a lot of states are questioning the constitutionality of this reform as it interjects the states' rights.As for the taxpayers, this new reform doesn’t have an established or authorized method to monitoring the increasing health care costs. Health care expenditures are anticipated to keep on growing and hence will become a worry for many citizens in the US and for businesses as well. With no regulatory system of this increase in health care costs, it will be very challenging for the federal government to reduce the deficit and diminish the national debt liability; hence there will still be a huge economic crisis. Why Reform Health  Care (http://useconomy. about. com):The U. S. devotes $2. 5 trillion to its health care system, which is the highest contribution within other developed nations. This is because the majority of the expense derives from the first and last days of a lifetime. A huge progress and a lot of research has been conducted in order to save premature infants and very ill seniors and this has been very expensive. Also there is an increase of malpractice lawsuits, as doctors sometimes rather prefer to conduct unnecessary expensive tests instead of getting sued later because they had not conducted the test.Furthermore, it is very expensive in the US because there is less price competition than in other industries as people simply have a fixed charge (co-pay). Health care costs keep on increasing and hence there is a need for a reform. Other reasons for a reform is to increase the superiority of care and to cover the 25% of citizens that have minimum or no health coverage to refuge their medical expenditure as each year more than 101,000 Americans pass away for not having coverage. This threatens the economy as half of all b ankruptcies are of medical expenses.Furthermore, a reform would be needed to stop the  financial expenditures of health care fraud. In 2010, when the  Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act  law came about, it gave coverage to individuals with present illnesses, kids, and individuals who had lost their jobs. It offered  aid  to  small businesses, elders with high medicine expenditures, and capital to help the scarcity of doctors. The overheads of this was planned to be balanced by having greater payroll taxes, greater charges to medicine companies, and less expenses to infirmaries and clinics.With this act, greater than 600,000 young individuals are now covered, as individuals of up to 26 years of age are insured under their parents' coverage, which benefits the insurance companies. Also a Kaiser survey found that greater than 46% of small businesses, compared to 2010, had health care benefits. With an increase in small business with coverage for their employees, the re are less bankruptcies as well as improved credit scores and greater consumer  demand which permit greater spending, hence stimulating economic growth. Opposing Views: Voices on Health-Care Reform:Eric Ries, in â€Å"Why the New Health-Care Law May Encourage Entrepreneurship,† explains that as an entrepreneur, he was aware that if his company didn’t succeed , he could always attempt something else. Hence, he always thought the actual risk of financial loss would be from the probability of a severe sickness that wouldn’t be covered by his insurance. However, these fears were overcome because at the time he began as an entrepreneur, he was young, healthy, and with no family to provide. Most successful entrepreneurs are in their forty’s and need to provid their families to health insurance.Hence, the Kauffman-RAND Institute for Entrepreneurship Public Policy conducted a study indicating that entrepreneurship increases as prospective entrepreneurs become capable of getting Medicare. He believes that for there to be greater entrepreneurship, there has to be policies that decrease the price of failure so that more individuals are capable to be â€Å"start-up founders† and that the Health care reform is part of the answer to make this happen. On the other hand, Rose Corona in â€Å"Why the Health Care Law May Be a Harmful Prescription for Entrepreneurs† emphasis that ObamaCare is a catastrophe for small businesses.She believes that this tedious, unclear and costly law will not help the economy. As a small businesses owner that doesn’t provide insurance to her employees, she doesn’t see the fairness of proposing her 30 employees a coverage if it means her business would go bankrupt. Also, she believes that with this reform, small businesses will maintain their employee count below the 50 employee minimum prerequisite to remain excused from offering health insurance hence this will create less jobs and expansi on of businesses.So this will have small businesses considering to either increasing their prices to be able to offer health care to their workers or to reduce benefits to hence maintain competitive prices. Rosa clearly does not agree with this reform. Businesses Ponder Impact of Health-Care Reform: The Supreme Court has been dealing with opinions over the topic of obligating all Americans to buy health coverage because the reform states that in 2014 businesses with greater than or equal to 50 employees will have to offer health insurance or pay a fee of $2,000 per employee. About 96% of all U. S. Small Business have less than 50 employees.Many questions have risen such as are part-time or seasonal employees part of this reform, is it less costly to pay for health coverage or the fee and what is the minimum of coverage that has to be provided? David Keiter, the owner of Yellow Van Cleaning, a carpet cleaning business with currently 48 workers is putting off hiring more employees unt il he sees what happens to this reform and many businesses are going through the same. He says that prosperous small businesses are about performing in â€Å"better, faster and more efficiently† ways and that with â€Å"complicated regulations,† it is just â€Å"an obstacle† in the way of achieving this goal.The Economic Effect of Health Care Reform on Small Business and their Employees:Small businesses in the US compromise a great part of the country’s economic world. However, small businesses are strictly underprivileged with the existing health care system. The Council of Economic Advisers conducted a study that showed that small businesses are very important to the economy and are a huge foundation of the US job evolution as they are the mainstream of business start-ups, hence very crucial when it comes to the topics of innovation and fiscal progress.Also, it showed that the health care now does not function very well these small companies as well as their employees as there are hefty taxes enforced. The health care reform would help small businesses to buy health insurance through an insurance exchange which offers a huge amount of coverage options at a lower price and for small businesses that offer health coverage to their workers, they will get a tax credit to ease the excessively costs and therefore make them want to offer coverage.This establishment of the insurance exchange will deliver improved and lower price alternatives for employees that currently do not receive insurance from their job. Moreover, health insurances will not be able to judge who to give insurance because of present illnesses. The reform can also help grow the entrepreneurial movement by potentially increase the amount of workers that would want to work for a small business and can decrease â€Å"job lock† of when employees are scared to quit their job because of terror of finding inexpensive health insurance.Only the small business that cannot or will refuse to offer health insurance will endure a huge cost. Papa John's CEO Says Health Care Reform Law Will Increase Price of Pizza:Papa John's CEO John Schnatter stated that people should anticipate for pizza orders to be more expensive by 2014 because of the health care reform. The estimate for this reform per pizza is about an additional 11 to 14 cents. In a company meeting, he informed the company that its approach would be to impose the additional expense onto customers in order to keep the shareholders of the company at their best benefit.They also commented about how this reform might have a undesirable influence as the company and its franchises might have to offer health insurance to their part-time employees which is something they don’t always do for certain part time workers. This also applies to other employers and a study by Mercer L. L. C. said that about 46 percent of hospitality businesses will experience greater health insurance costs by about 3 perce nt by 2014. Cogent statement:After reading the articles summarized above and getting a better understanding of the health care reform, even though many of the articles oppose this reform, it might not be such a negative approach for the country but instead in the long run, I think that it will have a positive change. A lot of thought has been put in this reform and there are reasons of why it includes specific details. With the study conducted by the Council of Economic Adviser, we can have an idea of the economic influences that this health care reform will have on the US economy as a whole.They approximated that by reducing the yearly increase in health care costs by 1. 5 percent, then this would give rise to the real GDP. Hence, with a decrease in the growing rate of health care expenditures, the revenue gains are slightly minor, but still significant. Also, decelerating the growing percentage of health care expenditures will avert the devastating increases that we see in the Fed eral budget deficit as well as decrease the unemployment levels. Furthermore, offering health insurance to those without coverage would increase the net financial welfare by approximately $100 billion per year.The health care reform will possibly also rise employment and eliminate preventable obstacles to work mobility. In the article â€Å"Health Care Reform Bill Summary: A Look At What's in the Bill† on CBS News, it informed that the cost of this reform would be about $940 billion in ten years, but that the deficit would decrease by $143 billion in ten years after implementing it. This reform would offer health insurance to about 32 million people in the US, who presently do not have coverage. For the people with no insurance or for those who are self-employed, they will be capable of obtaining insurance by going to their state insurance exchanges.There will also be subsidies accessible to people as well as their families if their revenue falls in the 133 percent through 40 0 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. For small businesses, distinct exchanges would be formed to buy insurance which will be in live in 2014. As for small businesses, with the present health care system of the country, they spend significantly more to offer coverage to their employees. Normally, small businesses spend about 18 percent extra on health insurance than bigger businesses. Hence,

Intercultural Communication Gap Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Intercultural Communication Gap - Assignment Example Canadian people do not like any exaggeration in their discussion and that is why they do not like people who do not discuss the point matter. The Communication styles of African people are quite relaxing, just as if these Mozambican may not start their meeting at the particular fix time. It does not mean that they are not punctual rather they are not that much strict in the professional matters. The Mozambican people love to talk to each other irrespective of the fact that they know him or her or not. It is an obligation for them to greet any person whom they meet during their daytime. The discussions and the meetings always start with the formal talks and end with the informal and family conversation. Socializing and building relationships is most important and top priority fact for the Mozambican people. For this reason, they can even negotiate the formal and professional matters. According to the research of different cultures, it is clear that there are many points of differences between the Canadian and the Mozambican cultures. There are many of the theories, which can explain these intercultural conflicting issues and the differences. Power Distance: the theory of power distance means that the people living in any society are not at all equal to each other with respect to different factors and elements. Therefore, the power distance means the gap between the people having different levels of authority. By comparing two cultures, it is quite evident that Mozambican is a highly hierarchal society where people are treated according to their individuality and the status. On the other side, Canadian society has less power distance, which means that people are more dependent upon each other. If we talk about the failure of the dinner party, then this power distance conflict can be one of the main reasons.

Relevance of Palliative Care Training in Nursing Practice Literature review

Relevance of Palliative Care Training in Nursing Practice - Literature review Example Palliative care has generally been linked with end-of-life care of cancer patients, but considering its effectiveness in reducing the suffering of patients and their family the concept has now been extended to include non-cancer population as well. "Dying patients need to be assured that their destiny lies in the hands of well trained, multi-disciplinary, professional team because often the death is no longer capable of caring for themselves and their rights." (Gronemeyer, et al 2005, p.1). Hence, effective implementation of palliative care will be possible only through adequate training and grooming of health care providers. Since nurses interact most with patients and act as intermediaries between other health care providers and patients and their family members it is imperative that addressing the training needs of nurses is crucial for the success of palliative care program. As such, an attempt has been made to analyze select articles related to experimental models of palliative care and training strategies relevant to nursing practice. University of Wollongong Library's electronic resources was searched for locating relevant articles. Though Google scholar has larger volumes of articles, considering the fact that Proquest database covers specific nursing-related peer-reviewed journal articles, the search was limited to Proquest database only. The basic search question used was 'Palliative care', which retrieved 7982 articles from Proquest. A further search of the database for 'medical sciences-Nursing and allied health sources' shortlisted number of articles to 130. When the results were limited to full-text documents of scholarly journals 23 articles have been retrieved. Five articles with different area of coverage, such as (1) Nurses' perceptions around providing palliative care for long-term care residents with dementia; (2) Providing pediatric palliative care through a pediatric supportive care team; (3) Using high-fidelity simulation to educate nursing students about end-of-life care; (4) Enhancing meaning i n palliative care practice: A meaning-centred intervention to promote job satisfaction; and (5) Spiritual development of nursing students: Developing competence to provide spiritual care to patients at the end of life. Since large volumes of research articles (303,000) have been retrieved from Google Scholar using the catchphrase 'Palliative care' and only 5 articles have to be selected for the literature review it has been decided to search Proquest database and cover palliative care experiences in two challenging areas, such as pediatrics and geriatrics (dementia), and three articles covering innovative training approaches; Nurses' perceptions around providing palliative care for long-term care residents with dementia. The study conducted by Kaasalainen et al (2007) explores nurses' perceptions around providing palliative care for long-term care (LTC) residents with dementia, using a qualitative descriptive design. The inspiration for this study was the unprecedented increase in a ged care population with cognitive impairment and identification of 'many barriers to optimal palliative care in LTC homes' in Canada. Dementia is a progressively degenerating physical condition leading to gradual loss of cognitive abilities.

HISTORY OF HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HISTORY OF HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS - Essay Example Health informatics is defined as â€Å"a combination of computer science, information science and health science designed to assist in the management and processing of data, information and knowledge to support healthcare and healthcare delivery† (Conrick, 2006, p. 4). Meanwhile, the health information system (HIS) is a subsystem of a health care organization (e.g. hospital, healthcare network) that is responsible in the processing and storing of information (Winter, 2011, p. 1). Healthcare system and health informatics are influenced by several factors. Three of the most influential factors are ongoing cost control pressure, more data on patients and treatments, and new information technologies. The ongoing cost control pressure involves cost containment and is driven primarily by concerns about escalating costs spent on information processing. In 2006, the annual budget healthcare institutions spend on information and communication technology ranges between 2.5% to 3.3%, dep ending on the number of beds (Winter, 2011, p. 5). In comparison with the non-computer-based institution, hospitals with computer-based system have to invest a large portion of their budget for maintenance of the system.

Key Needs of Lithonia High School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Key Needs of Lithonia High School - Essay Example The researcher states that from Danielson and Jensen, he acquired an appreciation of the need for educational institutions to develop the capability to make regular assessments as well as the necessity for academic institutions to build a â€Å"culture of assessment.† Lithonia High School is in Lithonia, Georgia, a lower to the middle-class suburban community about 20 miles east of Atlanta. Lithonia High School covers grades 9-12. Latest figures indicate that school enrollment was 1,692 in 2009, almost equally distributed between males or females, or boys and girls. Lithonia is a predominantly Black or African-American community with a median household income of $23,397 in 2009. In contrast, the median income for the entire United States was $49,777. As we all know, the concept of the median income means that 50% of the population has an income level below the median while the other 50% of the population has an income level above the median. Thus, data indicate that Lithonia i s one of the communities in the United States in which at least half of the population belong to the lowest income groups of the United States. Lithonia’s population characteristics are reflected in the enrollment of Lithonia High School. More than 96% of the student population is composed of Blacks or African-Americans, about 1.5% are Hispanics, less than 1% is composed of Whites, and less than 1% is composed of American Indians. Lithonia High school has about a hundred teachers and teacher-student ratio stands at about 1:15. The 9th grade composes around 36% of the student population; 10th grade around 25%;11th grade around 21%; and 12th grade about 17%. The sum does not add up to 100% because of rounding operation. Lithonia High School is qualified under the Title I program and this means that the school can access government programs assisting low-income students and those at risks. At least half of the student population is qualified to get lunch for free or lunch at red uced costs.

The Development of the American Public School Essay

The Development of the American Public School - Essay Example During early colonial years several laws were passed in favor of making education more common in society. The Massachusetts Education Law of 1647 was amongst those laws passed, requiring towns of fifty families to hire a schoolmaster who would teach their children to read and write (History, 2004). Additionally, towns of a hundred families were required to have a grammar schoolmaster, which created consistency in quality of education (History, 2004). It was at this point in our nation's educational history that formal schooling as we know it became more valuable, as well as desirable. Author Robin Cook stated, "Education is more than a luxury; it is a responsibility that society owes to itself" (Inspirational, 2003). Education became more of a social responsibility and educators were formally hired for the sole purpose of teaching the youth of a budding nation. Perhaps even more surprising, considering previous practice, is that they were paid to do so, either by the government or in dividual families (History, 2004). Formal schooling was becoming more of a personal responsibility and a priority taken seriously (History, 2004). The years following the new legislative direction, some families sent their children to "Dame" Schools, which were set up in the homes of women in the community. Dame schools were widely popular for those who were unable to send their children to the one room schoolhouses. These women had both the time and inclination to teach students of all ages and levels and worked in exchange for a meager allowance, such as food, miniscule stipends, or practical supplies (History, 2004). Also, traveling Schoolmasters traversed across states to various towns to educate the children in an effort to contribute to the dream of social harmony via knowledge and literacy. Usually, families of the community would take turns housing and feeding their schoolmaster for the duration of his stay. During the late 1700s and early 1800s, Thomas Jefferson's influence on American public education was astronomical. Though Jefferson is well known for the Declaration of Independence and his presidency, he also played a very large role in laying the ground work for the Public Schools system that we are fortunate to have today (Conant, 1962). According to Jefferson, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and will never be" (Inspirational, 2003). In the late 1770s Jefferson served in the House of Delegates as part of the General Assembly of Virginia (History, 2004). While in the Assembly, he introduced a bill that would create a free system of tax-supported elementary education for all except slaves (History, 2004). He proposed the idea of free public education to take place over a period of at least 3 years for every white child. If parents wished to continue their child's education beyond 3 years time, they could then begin paying for it themselves (Conant, 1962). In September of 1817 Jefferson proposed the "Act for Establishing Elementary Schools". His plan was to have schools which were locally controlled and supported largely by local taxes. In a speech he gave Jefferson explained: At

Dignity in Elderly care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 20000 words

Dignity in Elderly care - Essay Example The notion of dignity was evaluated from the elders’ perspective and experiences, the latter was backed up by reviews of all current literature thus ensuring a comprehensive view. Moreover, exclusive sets of international code of standards safeguard human dignity within all societies. The basic notions of human dignity were initially conceived within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.Furthur the promotion of dignity within healthcare conduces to a better quality of life. The notion of dignity was evaluated from the elders’ perspective and experiences, the latter was backed up by reviews of all current literature thus ensuring a comprehensive view. A global aging population entails specific requirements. Human rights have gained a strong focus on bioethics whilst it transpires that human dignity and rights are complimentary to each other. Various international conventions on human rights are inadequate in fulfilling elderly needs. Picker institute outlined dignity indicators that optimise care for elderly patients whilst giving them their basic human rights. Data collection included intervews, books, journals and websites, reflecting qualitative research methods. The perspectives of aging people concerning the quality of health services were investigated in the data interpretation. Within this setting, the elderly patients’ autonomy and dignity resulted to be moderated. Recommendations stressing provisions in the legal and health care systems target the reduction of practices that undermine dignity. Complimentary recommendations include holistic training and education to health care workers to avoid negative attitudes towards the elderly, supported by a Commissioner of old people. Finally, more effective resource logistics are imperative to arrest limitations in the health care system. Dedicated to my Husband and Children, Jeanette, Peter and Norma Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 17 Literature review 17 Health Ethics 20 Human dignity in philosophy and religion 20 Elderly People’s Rights 26 The Power/Vulnerability Paradox (Megret’s theory) 42 Indicators of dignity for the elderly 44 CHAPTER 2 53 Methodology 53 Introduction 53 Methods 58 Target population 59 Process 60 CHAPTER 3 67 Analysis and Discussion 67 CHAPTER 4 83 Conclusion 83 Appendix 1: 86 Transcripts of patients interviewed: 86 Appendix 2: 113 Interview with Ministry of Foreign Af fairs 113 Appendix 3: 115 Consent Form 120 Bibliography 129 UN programme on ageing, The Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging, 2002. 138 Report of the Second World Assembly on Ageing, Madrid, 8-12 April 2002, United 138 Nations,  New York, 2002. Retrieved from, 138 http://www.un.org/ageing/madrid_intlplanaction.html 138 I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Rev.Professor George Grima B.A.,M.A.(Louv.),S.TH.D.(Louv) For, his excellent guidance, constant support and assistance throughout the opus of this thesis. I also wish to thank all those who made the completion of this course possible, especially my Family and Friends who have patiently supported me throughout my years of study. Introduction   Background study â€Å"No one can make you feel inferior without your permission† - Eleanor Roosevelt. The term ‘dignity’ derived from the Latin word dignitas or dignus that means worthy, can be defined as â€Å"quality of being worthy of honour† or â€Å"a sense of self-importance† (Collins Language. com, 2011). One can view dignity as an individual’s personal characteristic, recognised by self and others. From a broader perspective, dignity is â€Å"an umbrella concept...which makes it at once inclusive and comprehensive, and yet raises issues of scope and precision... [While creating an] awareness of the gulf separating humans from all other species can sensitize us to our potential for dignity†

Google Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Google - Essay Example Ideas such as Google books and Adsense had humble beginnings turning into the most amazing inventions ever (Bry, 2011). Third, the company believes in continuous innovation rather than immediate perfection. The company has been observed to test their models often until they reach perfection. Fourth, Google looks for innovative ideas all over. The ideas come from users, advertisers, partners and employees. This explains why the company’s comes up with exciting ideas aimed at improving our daily lives. Fifth, there is effective communication and sharing of knowledge at Google. All employees are fully aware of the decisions that are made. Through discussion, there is exchange of ideas which results to innovative outcomes. For instance, Google talk as invented from a conversation between two employees. Sixth, the company takes that have turned to be million dollar ventures (Shaughnessy, 2013). Additionally, the company has a diverse work force that has contributed immensely to its innovative capabilities. Seventh, the company acts as a platform for creativity thus enabling innovation from all over the world. Lastly, the company supports all innovation by providing the relevant insight, data and resource to ensure success. Shaughnessy, H. (2013, July 3). Who Has The Winning Innovation Model, Google, Apple, or Samsung? Retrieved from

Network Security Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Network Security - Outline Example Network security has advanced from a fascinating curiosity to a vital rather essential part of the network management activity for potential corporate users in all sectors of the economy. Successful test projects are helping an increasing number of institutions to make the shift towards incorporating security measures in their organizations. In the recent past, last decade, network security implementations have shifted the focus from the relatively small early adopters to a much larger group of organizations that use the network security to expand and comprehensively cover the networking capabilities and enhance their solicitation to their clientele. This report examines the state security implementation on an organization’s network based on the success stories and perceived benefits. It examines the objectives, background and level of detail into implementing the service. Further, the report incisively looks at the motivation for making the technological shift from wired infrastructure to wireless networking solutions and nature of the expected implementation Majority of the existing organizations, commercial and non commercial, have in the very least installed a certain security mechanism in their organizations. This comes in the form of simple firewall to a complex layered network of switches, routers etc. in a single room to rolling out large campus areas and few metropolitan area networks. Granted the continuing forecasts and advances for network technology and the pervasive use of network applications., the era for implementing tight network security in an organization is at hand. Organizations are growing increasingly concerned about security of their data, especially as the very value of their data continues to increase. This value refers to what strategic and planning information that the data can be used for. Network security has been overlooked in this rising awareness about security. It is often not possible to put a price tag on the stored data but the organization knows that it is its most valuable asset. Compromising or expo sing the information can cause them pervasive damage of their brand and reputation. Organizations ought to adopt security strategies, for instance, tagging data with a level of confidentiality to make sure only those permitted have access to such data (Connolly and Begg 2009). Security strategies are designed as the overall plans to mitigate risk. As mentioned earlier, most organizations have security strategies, but miss out on network security or do not adequately address the issue. A comprehensive security strategy must lessen the overall possibility of loss or harm to an organization’s data. Furthermore, the strategy must focus on the business data concerns from a statutory, contractual and legal perspective. There exist multiple regulatory standards and requirements that have imposed on the organization to address information security risks. Contracts are making it necessary to organizations to consider security of their data at all levels. Proactive network security man agement and planning can save organizations significant amounts of money and reduce the overall exposure to risk. Striking a balance between the organizational objectives and security requirements is a task that squarely falls on the IT department. They are charged with developing the ICT policy for companies in consultation with

Sustainable Design and Its Place in my Pedagogy Essay Example for Free

Sustainable Design and Its Place in my Pedagogy Essay I believe that a person needs to know how to make (they need an understanding of the theories of manufacture at very least). They need to have that skill before they can become an accomplished designer. Equally, I believe that a maker needs to have a good understanding of the design process (they need a concept of design at least). This conceptual understanding will in turn inform the manufacture of designs. This maybe a bold statement to make, but my prior experiences have led me to stand by this assertion. My BA (Hons) in Furniture Design Craftsmanship was a fifty per cent design based course with a fifty per cent making aspect. This meant that with my understanding of how furniture was constructed, this informed my designing. But by the same token, not a complete compromise was ever made on the design. We were encouraged to stick by our guns with regards to form and function, and to whichever way our particular project was slanted. From that, when I entered the world of employment, realisations hit me thick and fast. It was evident when working with some interior designers, as well as some architects, that there was clearly no real concept of how their designs were going to be brought to three-dimensional life. This put a lot of pressure on me as a maker, to work through the problems of the designs. Now, if I was unfamiliar with the processes and concepts of design at this stage, I could have (as many in the same workshop did), said that it was not possible and not offered much in terms of alternatives or solutions (even though the designer seems to take a larger chunk of the commission and never pays for that problem solving that a manufacture has to deal with). If however, the designer is more familiar with the processes of manufacture, many problems could be resolved at the drawing board. I have also experienced levels of craftsmanship that are not worthy of that title. I am strong in my belief, that in Britain (or at least in the South-East and London areas); there is a distinct lack of practical ability regarding manufacturing expertise. Great Britain was once famed for its remarkable craftsmen and women of all fields, but working on building sites over the last three or so years has led me to ask; what happened to them? I believe, important hand skills are being lost and that design technology in schools is one of the only tools to try to reintroduce a revival. This could be done through a series of Focused Practical Tasks (FPTs); this will inform later Design Make Assignments (DMAs). However; Ofsted has reported consistently that designing skills lag behind making skills. In 2002 Ofsted reported that in some schools, there is insufficient attention to the processes of designing, particularly in Key Stage 3 where pupils experience of design and technology is merely a sequence of short focused practical tasks with no opportunity to apply their own ideas in a longer design task. (ITE, 2009) I personally have a pet dislike towards the current linear style project folder. An ADDIE model (Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate) these processes are considered to be sequential but also iterative. (Molenda, 2003) This is present in most schools and has been for a number of years, certainly during my education. It wasnt until I started my higher education that I realised that design is not linear at all. Design practice in Technology education in high schools context is not a representation of the professional realm of design. (Leahy, 2009, p. 25) We dont write a brief, research, write a specification, design, develop and make on after the other. In reality, we are constantly researching all along the way, we are then testing at a number of different stages and that advises our designs, developments require another level of research and so on. I understand the ease that a linear style can prove to be in school practice, but it is an artificial way of design. Both Linear process and assessment are stifling creative design outcomes. (Leahy, 2009, p. 25) I would like to build into my teaching a way of a addressing the folder design, so that it becomes more natural and closer to real industry approach. I also feel that as designers or makers, we have a conscience role and obligation to making a sustainable planet. On my degree course an emphasis towards sustainability was always implied, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was one of many governing bodies spoken about. We were always encouraged to be as least wasteful as possible and very conscience of selecting the right timber or other materials. I gained a great amount of respect for the importance of sustainability from two key sources. One was that in Native American Indian culture, that when a buffalo or bison was slain, not one piece of its body was ever wasted, all flesh became foo d, organs we delicacies, hides became clothing and shelters and bones became tools. The second was a book One Tree. The book shows the workings of a number of artists, sculptors, furniture makers and other craftsmen and women, that all used material from one oak tree. Every single bit of the tree was used, so that one persons waste was the next persons to manipulate. (Olson, 2001) Sustainable Design is a focus towards elements of social, environmental, developmental and ethical concerns. When going through the processes of designing physical objects and built environments; Questioning the need for a product; achieving more for less; a concern for quality of life instead of material standard of living; a focus on causes of environmental problems rather than their symptoms; and an onus on service as opposed to ownership (Goggin, 2002), all need to be considered along the design journey. This relates directly to my topic regarding the 6 Rs. The intention of sustainable design is to eliminate negative environmental impact completely through skillful, sensitive design (McLennan, 2004). This can only be achieved by: empowering people (children as well as adults) with the knowledge, ideas and tools that not only address current needs but also those of future generations (United Nations, 1992). Sustainable design will naturally lend itself to sustainable development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet the needs of their own (Goggin, 2002, p. 257). Two biologists Anne and Paul Ehrlich (1990) proposed that environmental impact (E) equates to population (P), multiplied by material consumption, or affluence (A), multiplied by the environmental impact of technology used to produce goods (T). This is shown as: E = P x A x T. Goggin and Lawler (2002) then explained that as a benchmark of today we can show it as 1 = 1 x 1 x 1. The United nations International Panel on Climate Change have called for a sixty per cent cut in green house gases. Population is set to double in the next forty years and the affluence mark is supposed to increase four times. This means to balance the equation: 0.4 (E) = 2 (P) x 4 (A) x ? (T), Technological Impact needs to be 0.05. That is a ninety-five per cent reduction. Clearly sustainability cannot be achieved through design alone and in the absence of a Draconian population control, we are left with affluence. (Goggin, 2002, p. 258) Does this then mean that the task of simply reducing the amount of products we manufacture is not enough, we then have to consume a lot less as well? We can consume far a smaller amount by addressing the six Rs, or in particular; Repair, Reuse and Recycle, and on a deeper level Refuse products that are not fit for purpose or/and non-sustainable. We can also address the issues of material consumption and technologies environmental impacts, through adopting an Ecodesign methodology or even a consideration for Life Cycles. These approaches look at every impact in every stage of the products life span towards the environment, as well as looking to improve the products function, appearance and quality (or Fit for Purpose). I have written into my topic of work an analysis task which in turn leads on to a redesign task or a development task, where a somewhat non-sustainable product is evaluated and redeveloped sensitively, in order to reduce the environmental impact of that product. Even if this is only on a basic introductory level, it will provide and use some, if not all, the relevant skills that are required for sustainable design. I believe if an element of sustainability is written into all design briefs, whether it is a small FPT, or a full DMA, then a thought at least to sustainability will be second nature. When walking around classrooms on my placement (also of my own schooling experience), challenging a pupils design folders for their inclusion of sustainable thought, seemed to receive a strained after-thought explanation. I have found myself trying to question further their intentions for material choices and production techniques. In doing this, sometimes the answers are good and seem well informed as if the knowledge is present in their understanding, but not applied in their designing. On other occasions, they simply do not have the knowledge and depth of understanding to inform their designing. That then puts the responsibility on us as design technology educators, to deliver not only the knowledge for their understanding, but also to write into project briefs and assessment criteria an aspect of environment consideration. There are a number of natural areas where sustainability fits neatly into the current ADDIE project folder style. I know I have mentioned my dislike for this unnatural linear way of designing, but maybe small steps are in order. In a full DMA project folder, for example a KS4 GCSE or A-Level controlled assessment folder, research, analyses and design developments are all areas to include sustainability, at very least. Most projects require an element of researching a current market product. While researching an analysis can be carried out to outline its level of sustainability and in this analysis evaluation, suggestions can be made to how to improve these levels. This subsequently leads onto writing in to a specification these findings and that will inform the design stages of the project. This is then revisited at the modification stage as well as the evaluation. This is not a new concept by any means. It was included in the 1995 National Curriculum frameworks. The approach to pupils understanding the issues of sustainability take three forms: eco-logging, eco-choice points and life-cycle design. (Goggin, 2002) Although I am suggesting that we ensure that sustainability is featured in design technology lessons, it is actually a statutory requirement. It is mentioned on a number of occasions throughout the 2008 National Curriculum and could also be interpreted into the Every Child Matters policy, under Making a Positive Contribution. Sustainability was also one of the buzz words at a recent AQA Teacher Standardising Meeting I attended. The AQAs controlled assessments guidance are pushing for an emphasis in pupils folders to be on sustainable design. (AQA, 2009) My chosen topic of sustainability fits into my personal pedagogy, as the importance of sustaining our environment is a not only crucial, but more of an obligation of a designer. The theory delivered over the 3 lessons maybe a bit intense for Key Stage 3, but as I am aiming at year 10 (Key Stage 4), it would do well to inform their GCSE controlled assessment folder and ultimately their design practice. I believe that it would be better used as part of a scheme of work, in which the theory would enlighten a full DMA project. Sustainability is one area of design technology amongst others, that if its knowledge is put into action/context then it enables creative problem-solving. (Lunn, 2008) The 2008 National Curriculum calls for creative problem solvers. The link between problem-solving and creativity also has two aspects: perceiving a problem is a creative act of an agentive mind; and seeking solutions, students improve their own practice. (Lunn, 2008) Sustainability is an ever-developing subject area, it develops with science, with new materials and will keep doing so, therefore the three lessons are very relevant and up to date now, and the main concepts will be as well for some time, but the content and examples will need to be revised regularly to still keep the lessons significant. The ability to be creative and flexible is critical in the face of a rapidly changing world. (Mishra, 2008) Bibliography AQA. (2009). AQA Controlled Assessment Teacher Standardising Meeting: GCSE Design Technology: Resistant Materials Technology delivered by Smith, R. Maidstone, Kent: AQA. Campbell, R.J., Robinson, W., Neelands, J., Huston, R. and Mazzoli, L. (2007). Personalised Learning: Ambiguities In Theory and Practice. British Journal of Educational Studies, 55 (2), P. 135-154 Chester, I. (2008). 3D-CAD: Modern Technology Outdated Pedagogy?. Design and Technology Education: An International Journal, 12 (1), P. 8-10 Ehrlich, P. and Ehrlich, A. (1990). The Population Explosion. New York: Simon and Schuster. Goggin, P. and Lawler, T. (2002). Sustainability and Design and Technology in Schools. In Owen-Jackson, G. (Ed.), Aspects of Teaching Secondary Design Technology Perspectives on Practice (2002 ed., pp. 257 266). London: Routeledge Falmer and The Open University. ITE. (2009). Pedagogy: Secondary Induction Subject Resources Network. Aspects of Secondary DT teaching, [Online] , Available: URL:http://www.data.org.uk/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=592Itemid=539 [Access date 7 November 2009]. Leahy, K., Gaughran, W. and Seery, N. (2009). Preferential Learning Styles as an Influencing Factor in design Pedagogy. (E. Norman, Ed.) Design and Technology Education: An International Journal , 14 (2), P. 25-44. Learning-Theories.com. (2009, November). Constructivism at Learning-Theories.com. Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2009, November) , Available URL:http://www.learning-theories.com/constructivism.html[Access date 9th November 2009]. Lunn, S., Davidson, M. and Murphy, P. (2008). Developing an effective Pedagogy for Creative Problem-Solving in Design and Technology. Centre for Curriculum and Teaching Studies, Faculty of Education and Language Studies, The Open University , Available: URLhttp://kn.open.ac.uk/public/getfile.cfm?documentfileid=4186 [Access date 9th November 2009]. McLennan, J. F. (2004). The Philosophy of Sustainable Design. Kansas City, Missouri: Ecotone LLC. Mishra, P. a. (2008). Teachers, Creativity TPACK: SITE Keynote. Michigan State University, USA. Molenda, M. (2003). The ADDIE Model (Draft). In A. . Kovalchick, Eds, Educational Technology: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: Copyright by ABC-Clio. National Curriculum. (2009), London: QCA Olson, G. and Toaig, P. (2001). One Tree, London: Merrell Publishers Oxford Dictionaries. (revised 2008). Concise Oxford English Dictionary (11th ed.). Oxford: Oxford Dictionaries. Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. (2009). Sustainable Development in Action: A Curriculum Planning Guide for Schools. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency. (2008). National Curriculum. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). United Nations. (1992). Conference on Environment Development, Agenda 21, Promoting Environmental Awareness. Agenda 21: United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (p. Chapter 36). Rio De Janeiro, Brazil: United Nations.