What Is Unschooling Strengths and Weaknesses

Because there are now over two million homeschooled children in the United States, most people are familiar with the idea of homeschooling even if they dont quite understand it. However, even some homeschooling families are confused about the concept of unschooling. What Is Unschooling? While often considered a homeschooling style, it is more accurate to view unschooling as an overall mindset and approach to how  to educate a child. Often referred to as child-led learning, interest-based learning, or delight-directed learning, unschooling is a term coined by author and educator John Holt. Holt (1923-1985) is the author of education books such as  How Children Learn and How Children Fail. He was also the editor of the first magazine dedicated exclusively to homeschooling, Growing Without Schooling, published from 1977 to 2001. John Holt believed that the compulsory schooling model was a hindrance to the way children learn. He believed that humans are born with an innate curiosity and the desire and ability to learn and that the traditional school model, which attempts to control and regulate how children learn, was a detriment to the natural learning process. Holt thought that schools should be a resource for education, similar to a library, rather than the primary source of education. He felt that children learn best when they are with their parents and are  engaged in everyday life and learning through their surroundings and circumstances. As with any philosophy of education, unschooling families vary as far as their adherence to unschooling principals is concerned. On one end of the spectrum, you’ll find â€Å"relaxed homeschoolers.† They prefer to follow their students’ lead with interest-led learning for the most part, but also have some subjects that they teach in more traditional ways. At the other end of the spectrum are â€Å"radical unschoolers† for whom educational activities are relatively indistinguishable from everyday life. Their children fully direct their own learning, and nothing is considered a â€Å"must teach† subject. Radical unschoolers are confident that children will acquire the skills they need when they need them through natural processes. There are some things that unschoolers usually have in common regardless of where they fall on the spectrum. All have a strong desire to instill in their children a lifelong love of learning – a realization that learning never stops. Most like to employ the art of â€Å"strewing.† This term refers to ensuring that  interesting and engaging materials are readily available in a child’s environment. The practice of strewing creates a learning-rich atmosphere that encourages and facilitates natural curiosity. Benefits of Unschooling This educational philosphy has many advantages. At its core, unschooling is natural learning based on pursuing passions, satisfying one’s natural curiosity, and learning through hands-on experimentation and modeling. Stronger Retention Adults and children alike tend to retain more learned information on topics that interest them. We stay sharp in the skills that we use every day. Unschooling capitalizes on that fact. Instead of being forced to  memorize random facts long enough to pass a test, an unschooled student  has a vested interest in learning the facts and skills that pique their interest. An unschooled student may pick up geometry skills while working on a building project. He learns grammar and spelling skills while reading and writing. For example, while reading he notices that dialogue is set apart by quote marks, so he begins applying that technique to the story hes writing. Builds on Natural Gifts and Talents Unschooling can prove to be the ideal learning environment for children who might be labeled struggling learners in a traditional school setting. A student who struggles with dyslexia, for example, may prove to be a creative, talented writer when he can write without worrying about having his spelling and grammar  critiqued. That doesn’t mean that unschooling parents ignore vital skills. Instead, they allow their children  to focus on their strengths and help them discover tools to overcome their weaknesses. This shift in focus allows children to reach their full potential based on their unique skill set without feeling inadequate because they process information differently than their peers. Strong Self-motivation Because unschooling is self-directed, unschoolers tend to be very self-motivated learners. One child may learn to read because he wants to be able to decipher the directions on a video game. Another may learn because she’s tired of waiting for someone to read aloud to her and, instead, wants to be able to pick up a book and read for herself. Unschooled students tackle even subjects that they don’t like when they see the validity in learning them. For example, a student who doesn’t care for math will dive into lessons because the subject is necessary for his chosen field,  college entrance exams, or successful completion of core classes. I have seen this scenario played out in multiple unschooling families that I know. Teens who had previously balked at learning algebra or geometry jumped in and progressed rapidly and successfully through the lessons once they saw a legitimate reason for and need to master those skills. What  Unschooling Looks Like Many people - even other homeschoolers -  don’t understand the concept of unschooling. They picture kids sleeping, watching TV, and playing video games all day. This scenario may be the case for some unschooling families some of the time. There are those who find inherent educational value in all activities. They are confident that their children will self-regulate and pursue learning the topics and skills that ignite their passions. In most unschooling families, however, lack of formal learning and curriculum does not mean lack of structure. Children still have routine and responsibilities. As with any other home education philosophy, a day in the life of one unschooling family will look drastically different than that of another. The most significant difference most people would note between an unschooling family and a more traditional homeschooling family is that learning happens naturally through life experiences for unschoolers. For example,  one unschooling family gets up and does household chores together before heading out to the grocery store. On the way to the store, they hear the news on the radio. The news story sparks a discussion about current events, geography, and politics. Upon returning home from the store, the children head off to different corners of the house  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ one to read, another  to write a letter to a friend, a third to his laptop to research how to care for  the pet ferret he’s hoping to  acquire. The ferret research leads to making plans for a ferret pen.  The child looks up various enclosure plans online and begins drawing out plans for  his  future ferret’s home, including measurements and a supply list. It’s important to note that unschooling isnt always done without homeschool curriculum. However, it usually means that the use of curriculum is  student-directed. For example, the unschooled teen who decides that he needs to learn algebra and geometry for college entrance exams may determine that a specific math curriculum is the best way to learn what he needs to know. The letter-writing student may decide she’d like to learn cursive because it’s pretty and would fun to use for writing letters. Or, perhaps she received a handwritten note from Grandma that she’s having trouble deciphering. She decides that a  cursive workbook will help her achieve her goals. Other parents may feel more comfortable unschooling some aspects of their children’s education while taking a more traditional approach to others. These families may choose to use homeschool curriculum or online classes for math and science, for example, while opting to allow their children to study history through books, documentaries, and family discussions. When I asked unschooling families what they most wanted others to understand about unschooling, they worded their answers a bit differently, but the idea was the same. Unschooling does not mean unparenting and it doesnt mean unteaching. It doesnt mean that education is not taking place. Unschooling is just a different, holistic way of looking at how to educate a child.

Child Development Scaffolding - 1444 Words

Choosing a child to interact with is a complicated process; however I have decided that my niece, Paige, with whom I spend a comfortable amount of time is a great candidate for this assignment. She is at ease in my presence and I can accurately assess her developmental level without too much bias. At two years old, Paige is in Piaget’s preoperational stage of development, which is characterized by the ability to use symbols and language to â€Å"represent objects in the environment.† Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development include the abilities: â€Å"visual acuity, hand-eye coordination, planning ahead, and caution.† Developmentally, Paige is not exceptionally advanced in the preoperational stage, as her language skills are not fully†¦show more content†¦She will imitate my actions and ideally successfully make up the bed. Before beginning the task I took the time to explain to Paige exactly what it was she and I would be doing. I engaged h er attention by first modeling the task. As stated earlier, I wanted to be as engaging as possible, thus I exhibited a lot of enthusiasm about making the bed, which proved to elicit the reaction I had hoped for. I tugged the fitted sheet on the bed as if it were physically strenuous, to which she laughed. I then tossed the blanket on the bed in a lofty manner, and meticulously arranged the pillows. I had her attention, and as I predicted she seemed eager to engage in the task. I was able to gauge her interests by her smile and attentiveness. I asked Paige to try and make the bed on her own, putting the Zone of Optimal development theory into practice. Although I had previously assessed her abilities, I needed to see how accurate my assessment was in order to see how I might assist her. Fortunately, my assessment was fairly accurate. Paige approached the bed with an exciting, yet skeptical look. She used imitation, gross and fine motor skills to try and put on the fitted sheet, howev er she struggled to secure it on the mattress. I asked Paige if she needed my help and she responded with a nod of her head. I approached the bed and decided to (as I suggested earlier) make up one side while she did the other,Show MoreRelatedSocio-cultural Assessment1369 Words   |  5 Pagesunderstanding the way a child responds to challenges and change. Their responses and perceptions are based on the world in which they live. Their understanding of the world comes from the values and beliefs of the adults, community, socio-economic status, education and culture that surround them. (Mooney, 2000). When making an assessment on an individual child it is necessary to consider the background and culture in which they exist. 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More and more researchers suggest that through engagement in The Vygotskian theory of make-believe play, young children will be on the right track o f cognitive development, then master necessary prerequisites of academic skills. During the past decades, many types of research have addressed that the children intelligence significantly develops in the critical period from birth to six years old; and the impact ofRead MoreTheoretical Perspectives On Language Development1590 Words   |  7 PagesThis essay will consist of three theoretical perspectives on language development Burner, Vygotsky and Piaget. Each theory has key features that will be explained they are all opposing theories on language development; the main framework throughout this essay will be discussing the social interaction and cognitive development. In addition the essay will argue the main contrast and comparison using the key features that have been explained. Language is what separates mankind from any other species;Read MoreVygotsky And Vygotsky s Impact On The Early Childhood Sector Essay1302 Words   |  6 Pagessocial and cognitive development work simultaneously to build and evolve on one another. He believed that social, cultural and personal experience cannot be detached from each other and many things influence the way children learn and develop, not just their own experiences, thus Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. Vygotsky’s ideas were and remain controversial as he had no specific training in psychology or children’s development. His preeminent contribution to children’s development is his recognitionRead MoreMale Aged Four Years ( 48 Months )1224 Words   |  5 Pagesnursery each child is assigned a key worker, who works with the child on a one to one basis and performs in partnership with parents or/carers to assist their child’s learning and development. There are about 17 children to 6 adults. Child A (as he will be known) has no special educational needs, is an only child and English is his original dialect. Physical There was a specific observation of mention when Child A was in the indoor environment drawing/writing on the whiteboard. Child A representedRead MoreObservation of Child Growth Essay1435 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction red - Development blue – Conclusion orange Individualism– Giving priority to one’s own goals over group          goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes          rather than group identification.       For the first time in my life I am being an individualist. I am giving greater priority to my own personal goals. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking changing careers at the age of 42 but I am determined to get my nursing degree. For the next 2 years it will beRead MoreThe White Boy - Original Writing Essay1503 Words   |  7 Pagessure, but with his features already defined. His height was about 46 inches tall, and should have weighted around 45 to 47 pounds. The child was wearing dark skinny jeans, and a red t-shirt with lettering on its side. He also had a sort of necklace tucked inside his t-shirt, and a black digital watch. After five minutes of being seated and the mom on the phone, the child stands up and holds his mom’s leg. As he grasps harder he says— â€Å"Mom, can we go home now?†. To which the mom replies— â€Å"We only have

Locker Room Talk Essay Example For Students

Locker Room Talk Essay Page 1 Locker Room Talk Ethical Case April 18, 2010 Page 2 The Locker Room Talk Ethical Case outlines a situation that is an ethical dilemma for CPA Albert Gable who has performed personal financial planning for Larry and Susan Wilson. The Wilson’s, in their discussions with Mr. Gable regarding their personal finances, mentioned that in the past they have had marriage problems but have worked through the problems and are not seeking a divorce. Gable and the Wilson’s became personal friends due to the relationship built during their personal financial planning. Mr. Gable also performs the annual audit for one of the largest banks in the town where they all live. The sample pulled for the audit at the bank included the Wilson’s loan information. While performing the audit, Mr. Gable discovers information on the Wilson’s loan that does not coincide with the information given to him during the personal financial planning. Mr. Gable is concerned and addresses the discrepancy with a loan officer but did not confide to the loan officer that he was also their personal financial planner. The loan officer confided in Mr. We will write a custom essay on Locker Room Talk specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Gable that Mr. Wilson was setting up his business to divorce his wife without any compensation. This situation puts Albert Gable in a situation with a conflict of interests. His personal financial client is also a client of the bank where he performs the annual audit. The information the Wilson’s provided to him during their personal financial planning conflicts with the information provided on loan documentation at the bank. Albert Gable needs to determine the best course of action to take in this situation. The Stakeholders The stakeholders involved are: Page 3 1. Albert Gable As the CPA, his professional business ethics are at risk and his personal reputation is on the line. He also has a large bonus weighing on his decision. 2. Mrs. Wilson – She has the understanding that her marriage is not at risk and the financial planning is for the benefit of her and her husband for their future. 3. Mr. Wilson – If he is not being honest with his wife and is planning on divorcing her, the information that Albert has uncovered during the audit could create problems for him. . The loan officer – the loan officer that shared Mr. Wilson’s personal information with Mr. Gable. 5. The bank – the relationship Mr. Gable had with the Wilson’s as personal financial planner was not disclosed to the bank and is a conflict of interest. Course of Action The best course of action that Mr. Gable should take is to meet with the Wilson’s and explain that he cannot continue with thei r personal financial planning. He should have them seek out another financial planning firm to complete their personal financial plans. He should explain to them that he completes the annual audit for the bank and during the audit he discovered discrepancies with the loan information and the bank statements provided to him to prepare their personal finances and due to the discrepancies he feels it is necessary to remove himself as their personal planner. By removing himself as the Wilson’s personal financial planner, this eliminates the conflict of interest with the bank audit. By informing the Wilson’s they need to locate another Page 4 irm and cannot use the CPA firm he is partner with for financial planning removes all conflict business and personal and maintains business and personal ethics. Furthermore, he needs to notify the bank of the conflict with the Wilson account and that he will not be able to conduct an audit of their accounts due the relationship that was initially formed with the personal finance planning. By following the above steps he protects the clients, the bank and upholds his pro fessionalism and his business ethics. Impact to Stakeholder The deontology approach was used to determine the course of action. .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b , .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b .postImageUrl , .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b , .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b:hover , .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b:visited , .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b:active { border:0!important; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b:active , .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1b042ea9d2f641a57bcf536a8388378b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Stuck In The Middle EssayThis approach to ethics emphasizes doing what one should do in accordance with rules, obligations and/or ethical principles of the profession. The impact of the decision could cost Mr. Gable the banks account but if he would have acknowledge upfront his knowledge of the Wilsons prior to beginning the audit on their loan documents the situation could have been diverted. He is also losing a client, the Wilson’s due to the bank audit and the review he completed of their loan documents. If he would have acknowledged to the bank and had the file removed from the audit all of this could have been avoided. Mr. Gable will need to take the time and explain to his client the Wilson’s but he needs to keep it at a professional level and not discuss what was discovered only that it is conflict of interest. Conclusion Mr. Gable used poor judgment in his decision making process and has violated the ethic rules of the accounting profession. During the audit of the bank documentation he should have immediately notified the bank of the conflict with the Wilson file. He needed to be upfront with the bank and explain the Wilson’s were also a client of his for personal financial planning Page 5 nd have the file removed from the sample audit or bring in a third party to complete the audit on the Wilson documents. The loan officer should not have shared the personal information with Mr. Gable and Mr. Gable should have ended the conversation before it began. Sharing with the Wilson’s that discrepancies were noted between bank statements and loan documentation will allow the Wilsonà ¢â‚¬â„¢s to clear up the discrepancies at the bank in regards to their accounts. Page 6 References Brooks, L. J. , 2007. Business professional ethics for directors, executives accountants (4th ed). Mason, OH: Thomas South-Western.

The things they carried Research Paper Example

The things they carried Paper In the short story The Things They Carried, written by Tim OBrien, there is a lot of symbolism in each specific object that was mentioned. According to Dictionary. Com, a symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of Investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. A symbol Is something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign. The things each soldier carried defined each individual soldier. The story was very detailed in the objects the soldiers carried which tied into the emotional things the soldiers carried. Most of the items each soldier had were very important for survival. The things they carried were largely determined by necessity. (Ernie 596) They had their water, medical gear, foods, and most importantly weapons. Each soldier was locked and loaded with a specific war Item. For example, Henry Dobbins, being the big guy, automatically made him the gunner, which led him to carry the 26 pounds of machinery called the M-60. The medic, Rat Killed, was in charge of carrying the deiced gear, including morphine, plasma, malaria tablets and surgical tape. The radio and telephone operator, Mitchell Sanders was in charge of carrying the PRE-25 Radio. This Is just some of the things that were specialized to an individual according to their size or skill. But the soldiers also carried things that werent so necessary, yet they would bring It along anyways for certain reasons. We will write a custom essay sample on The things they carried specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The things they carried specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The things they carried specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters, two photos, and a pebble sent to him by a woman named Martha. His decision to carry these items represented how much Martha meant to Cross. These objects symbolize his love for Martha because throughout the story, he often fantasize about her instead of leading his soldiers. For example, In the story he fantasize about when he went to the movies with her, touched her knee, and was sadly rejected. Lieutenant Cross remembered touching that left knee. A dark theater, he remembered, and the movie was Bonnie and Clyde, and Martha wore a tweed skirt, and during the final scene, when he touched her knee, she turned and looked at him in a sad, sober way that made him pull his hand back, but he would always remember that feel of the tweed skirt and the knee uneaten it and the sound of the gunfire that killed Bonnie and Clyde, how embarrassing It was, how slow and oppressive. (OBrien 597) Martha however didnt seem to have this same love for Cross, because none of the letters she sent him acknowledged the fact that he was in war. Due to his lack of attention to his soldiers and multiple daydreams of Martha, this showed that he wasnt ready to be a leader, but was probably forced to his position because he was drafted. He didnt have the mindset to be a successful leader, he was still young, and in love. His constant daydreams showed how mesmerisms Cross Is over this woman, and how unfocused The big soldier, Henry Dobbins, carried extra rations of food. This was because he was a big guy, and had a fast metabolism, and much of his food would be processed quicker than the others. He would also carry a panty hose around his neck. This was a way of him to boast and show off that he had a girl at home and was sexually active on his breaks. A soldier named Ted Lavender was the guy who carried tranquilizer, 6-7 ounces of dope, and extra rounds of ammo. This symbolized that he was frightened by the reality of war. He would smoke the dope and take the tranquilizer to calm his nerves. He wasnt in the war by choice, most of the soldiers werent. He felt safer by carrying extra amounts of ammunition. All of the soldiers needed a sense of security, something to make them feel that everything was okay, even though they were in the Jungle. The radio and telephone operator (ROOT) named Mitchell Sanders carried condoms. This was an odd item to carry, however, came in handy when it would rain, to keep the guns from getting wet. He carried brass knuckles, which was very interesting because it showed how even in a time of war with plenty of ammo and weapons, he was thinking of last resort situations. In the case of war, there seems no need to wear brass knuckles when the soldiers carry bazookas, grenades, and machine guns. But his mentality to having brass knuckles was so that he could have a sense of security. If he were to ever run out of ammo, and had to go one on one with an enemy, he would have an advantage. So basically, the brass knuckles symbolized safety. All the soldiers needed a sense of security. A soldier similar was Lee Struck. He carried a sling shot. This too gave him the feeling of protection. As silly as it may have seemed to have a sling shot when other people had guns, it worked for Struck. A soldier similar to Sanders and Struck thoughts was Kiowa. He too had a last resort weapon, a hatchet. He would have it to feel safe in case of an emergency, but the reality was that he probably never even used it. The point of carrying it wasnt for use, but simply for a sense of security. Kiowa said some things in the text after someone got shot, that showed a sense of how the soldiers minds were. Kiowa, who saw it happen, said it was like watching a rock fall, or a big sandbag or something? just boom, then down?not like the movies where the dead guy rolls around and does Nancy spins and goes ass over teakettle?not like that, Kiowa said, the poor bastard just flat-buck fell. Boom. Down. Nothing else. (OBrien 598) By this text, we can see that the soldiers were in a horrible reality. Not like things in movies, but real hard times in war. The medic Rat Killed carried his medical gear, and on top of that comic books and a liquor drink named Brandy. The fact that he carried comic books showed a couple of things. It showed that he was still a little kid. The draft caused many teenage boys who werent ready to grow up and be men to have no choice but to be an adult. The books also gave Killed a sense of hope. This was because comic books have super heroes, who never die. To him, he was a hero for the United States, which in a way meant he couldnt die. It made him feel safe. Also, the Brandy drink made him feel grown up. At the time, this was a drink only real men drank, older men. So by him having this, it proved that Killed was a man. One of the oddest items that were carried was by a soldier named Norman Booker. Along with a diary, he would carry a thumb. Now, the diary was pretty on during the war. However, the thumb had a sick representation. It was a thumb cut if from a dead enemys hand. A thumb symbolizes humanity, because thumbs are something unique that only humans have. By chopping off the thumb of another person, this action meant that there was no humanity at war, no rules, no morals, Just life and death. According to the text, the following happened when Mitchell cut off the thumb; You want my opinion, Mitchell Sanders said, theres a definite moral here. He put his hand on the dead boys wrist. He was quiet for a time, as if counting a pulse, then he patted the stomach, almost affectionately, and used Kiosks hunting hatchet to remove the thumb. Henry Dobbins asked what the moral was. Moral? You know. Moral. Sanders wrapped the thumb in toilet paper and handed it across to Norman Booker. There was no blood. Smiling, he kicked the boys head, watched the flies scatter, and said, Its like with that old TV show?paladin. Have gun, will travel. Henry Dobbins thought about it. Yeah, well, he finally said. I dont see no moral. There it is, man. Buck off. (OBrien 601) There were no morals. This thumb was a reminder to Booker that there were only two choices in war, to live, or to die. And this motivated him to stay alive and keep on humping through, which means to carry on. One of the most unique symbolisms in the story was towards the end, which was a Silver Bird.. To the soldiers, whenever injuries were to occur, there would be a silver plane that would come and rescue the soldier and take them to the hospital. This led to freedom, once the soldier was done at the hospital, they would go on home and be free. This was what all the soldiers wanted to do, Just go back home to their families. Many of the soldiers envisioned themselves on this Silver Bird, flying with no worries of being shot, no worries of suffering through the blazing sun, and no worries of not seeing their loved ones. In all, The Things They Carried is about soldiers who would carry symbolic objects, some were necessities, however there were a lot of things that werent so necessary, yet they would carry it along anyways. In this story, much was learned about each individual soldier simply by the possessions they would hold on to. The things the soldiers carried defined each individual soldier in a specific way.

List of Works by Writer Henrik Ibsen

List of Works by Writer Henrik Ibsen Henrik Ibsen is one of the most famous and controversial writers in world literature. Born in Norway in 1828, his plays would make him a household name. Ibsen is a founder of the Modernist theater movement. His plays broke new ground and earned him the nickname the father of realism, a style of theater that focused on domestic interactions. The goal of realism was to create theater that resembled real life and had dialogue that sounded more natural. Ibsen is best known for the play A Dolls House, which deals with the limitations and harsh expectations of women at the time. Henrik Ibsen List of Works 1850 - Catiline (Catilina)1850 - The Burial Mound also known as The Warriors Barrow (Kjà ¦mpehà ¸jen)1851 - Norma (Norma)1852 - St. Johns Eve (Sancthansnatten)1854 - Lady Inger of Oestraat (Fru Inger til Østeraad)1855 - The Feast at Solhaug (Gildet paa Solhoug)1856 - Olaf Liljekrans (Olaf Liljekrans)1857 - The Vikings at Helgeland (Hà ¦rmà ¦ndene paa Helgeland)1862 - Digte - only released collection of poetry1862 - Loves Comedy (Kjà ¦rlighedens Komedie)1863 - The Pretenders (Kongs-Emnerne)1866 - Brand (Brand)1867 - Peer Gynt (Peer Gynt)1869 - The League of Youth (De unges Forbund)1873 - Emperor and Galilean (Kejser og Galilà ¦er)1877 - Pillars of Society (Samfundets Stà ¸tter)1879 - A Dolls House (Et Dukkehjem)1881 - Ghosts (Gengangere)1882 - An Enemy of the People (En Folkefiende)1884 - The Wild Duck (Vildanden)1886 - Rosmersholm (Rosmersholm)1888 - The Lady from the Sea (Fruen fra Havet)1890 - Hedda Gabler (Hedda Gabler)1892 - The Master Builder (Bygmester Solness)1896 - John Gabriel Borkman (John Gabriel Borkman) 1899 - When We Dead Awaken (Nà ¥r vi dà ¸de vaagner) Inspiration for A Dolls House Ibsens most famous work, which is often considered an early feminist masterpiece, was based on the life of Laura Kieler, a friend of the authors. Kieler had a rocky relationship with her husband. She asked Isben to help her find a publisher for her work, but the author refused. Kieler needed money to pay for her husbands medical bills. With no way to earn money, she decided to forge a loan. Her husband divorced her and had her committed to an asylum upon learning of her crime. Ibsen was deeply disturbed by what had happened and his role in it. Ibsen felt inspired to write A Dolls House, much of the protagonists plight is taken from Kielers ordeal. She served two years in the asylum before returning to her ex-husband and children. She would go on to become a successful Norwegian author but, to her dismay, was forever linked to Ibsens play.

10 Reasons You Should Be Using Blog Comments

10 Reasons You Should Be Using Blog Comments Ask anyone how they promote their blog, and chances are pretty good that commenting on other blogs wont top the list. Most of us turn to social media to promote our blogs  because it works, and works quickly and measurably. With all of the social media outlets available, and a recent startling movement by a few large blogs to close blog comment sections, its easy to dismiss the idea of using your precious time going to blogs and leaving comments. Often, the comments you see are either great post, thanks!, blatant link spam, or (horrors) like something youd find in YouTube. Why Are Blog Comments Losing Favor? Bloggers have a love-hate relationship with their own blog comment section, too, for several reasons. Blog comments are not great for measurement. Judging your blog by the comments section can be disheartening. Though the number of comments helps towards your social proof, it is often less an indicator of actual readership and more an indicator of how controversial your post is. The truth is, blog comment numbers arent an accurate indicator of actual readership. Most readers dont participate on your blog, a phenomenon known as participation inequality. This means that 90% of the people lurk and dont participate, while 1% account for most of the participation. (Nielsen Norman Group) This means, as Nielsen pointed out, that blog comment sections arent a good place to get feedback because 1% of the people doing the talking might not be the most ideal percentage to base changes on. You might have nine readers that love what youre writing, but if you only hear from the one that doesnt (and more often than not, people are spurred on by a negative reaction to leave a comment), it is disheartening. Blog comments are tempting for spammers. Incessant spamming is one of the reasons Copyblogger decided to close the comment section on their blog. The amount of time it took to police spam comments, and the sheer volume, was a tipping point. In a little over eight years, Copyblogger has published more than 130,000 approved comments. Which is pretty amazing, right? But over that period, that’s only about 4% of the comments that were left on the site. The remaining 96% were pointless, time-wasting spam. Thats over 3 million spam comments that Copyblogger has had thrown their direction!  On my low-traffic personal WordPress blog, I am frequently blown away by the amount of spam I receive in the comments. In just a few months, the numbers climb high. Granted, I have a plugin in place to catch nearly all of it (as does Copyblogger), but there are still a handful each day that gets by and end up in my email asking for moderation. I can only imagine how much Copyblogger had to deal with. Numbers that big are terrifying to some degree when I realize how quickly, without a simple spam plugin, my blogs comment section would a disaster. Spammers are incredibly sneaky. Ever get one of those comments that you just cant be sure if its spam or not, its that real? Spammers know that many bloggers require moderation only on the first comment made on a site. Once theyve been approved, they have free rein. So they leave a comment that you decide is real, and open the door to them. The threat of spammers, and the wasted time dealing with them, is exhausting. Blog comments have to be moderated. When it comes to comments on my personal blog, I have my WordPress settings as tight as they can be and a strict policy in place as to what kinds of comments Ill allow (no insulting me or other readers, stay on topic, no excessively foul language, etc.).  Spammers and the bad behavior of netizens  have forced me to moderate my comments when in the early days of blogging I took pride in letting the discussion unfold in real time sans moderation. I regret that I have to moderate, but without moderation, conversation can turn ugly. Bloggers are responsible for what appears on their blog; it is their property. You do not want to allow questionable comments that insult, attack, threaten or suggest harm to another person. While logical fallacies, overused memes, and trolls are probably inevitable even in legitimate comments, most of the truly awful you can head off at the pass by simply keeping it from being published. Moderation of blog comments means comments dont appear right away. It means some commenters dont understand why their comments dont appear and they submit multiple similar comments. It means some folks get upset when they dont see their legitimate comment right away and get after you for censoring   them (yep, its happened to me). But without moderation of comments, your blog will be spam central. Long and short of it? Because of spammers and people who cant behave, your comment section is going to take some effort to maintain and protect. Moderation will be required. Bloggers are afraid of Google. The idea of your comments section somehow bringing a penalty to your site is terrifying to bloggers. Though Matt Cutts has reassured bloggers that taking part in blog comments in a legitimate way is perfectly fine, recent penalty action taken by Google has bloggers a bit on edge. With good moderation and spam controls, and making sure that links in the comments section are no follow (which WordPress now does) you can protect yourself somewhat. It is important to take a serious rein on your comments section and be purposeful about it. You dont have to be afraid of SEO penalties as long as you protect your own comments section and dont use other blogs comments sections as a way to spam for your own site. Conversation is on the social networks, not the blog. Another reason Copyblogger provided for ending their comments was that the discussion was happening elsewhere, on social media.  This is discouraging if you are trying to build social proof on your actual blog, and see social media comment streams as a form of sharecropping your content off of your blog property. A blog comments section might seem antiquated in the face of this new conversation. If youve been blogging a while, youve probably noticed that social media has meant two things for your blog comments: They have dwindled considerably as people go to social media. The comments are shorter as social media shortens attention spans or gives people a place to write their own thoughts. (In the early days of blogging, some blog commenters had no blogs; they used blog commenting as the way they built their online reputation and authority.) Comment systems, though, are evolving. Plugins that support social media integration, or a comment system like Disqus, help tie your blogs comments into that social pulse. In that sense, you can bring that outside conversation back onto your own property. People are doing it wrong. Yes, some people (as in, you and me an others) arent doing the whole blog commenting thing the right way. Its hard to have purely altruistic motives, sometimes. What is it were doing? Well We participate in blog comments for linking purposes.  If you head into it at all thinking that youll get a link back to your site, youre doing it wrong. Youll be moderated, spammed, and possibly penalized. All we have to say is nice post, good job.  A comment section is for conversation. While Im familiar with the feeling of enjoying a post, having nothing to say, but wanting to let the blogger know, it would be better to share the post on social media and say this was a good post rather than create acres of comments that say good job. Anyone else roll their eyes when trying to sift through good job! and I agree! comments to get to something meatier? Were trolls. Were just there to argue and be jerks. Lets admit it. Weve all lost it in a blog comments section somewhere, and hang our heads in shame at who we became. We dont understand our comment is in the wrong place. How many times have you read a blog post where the author helpfully suggested a tech fix of some sort, just to be kind, and the comment section quickly fills with people (of all temperaments) wanting help from the author troubleshooting why it didnt work?   Sometimes we mistake a blog post on a particular topic as the place to go for help on that topic, and it isnt. Blog comments are for the strong. New to blogging? You may or may not be ready for the emotional toll some blog comments can take on you, depending upon what kind of posts you write and how much of a flashpoint your topics are. Blog comments can be hurtful and discouraging if you let them get to you. Even if you moderate them, you are still going to read them whether you publish them or not. It can be an open door to letting people shred or mock what was a very important thing to write about. If you are prone to taking things personally or are unable to distance yourself from what random strangers say to you, blog comments can be a real drag on your motivation to keep blogging. On the other hand, if you stick with it, you learn a very valuable skill: how to ignore people who are insignificant in your life. Comments on your blog will either give you a thick skin or cause you to give up.Why Blog Comments Are Important After reading all of that–practically an entire blog post on why you should abandon blog comments ASAP!–you might be convinced to do just that. Surely they arent worth the hassle or the threat of your innocent blog commenting activity creating a penalty for your blog. Hold on just a minute. Most of us arent Copyblogger, and arent experiencing the level of spam they were. Most of us dont have the volume of conversation happening elsewhere that they do; our social media conversations are smaller and need a home base on the blog. And, most importantly, participating in the comment sections of blogs does have a positive impact. All of the negatives aside, I love blog comments on a carefully moderated blog. Why? 1. Discover new blogs. I have probably found more useful sites, links, information, and downloads not through online searches but by people in blog comment sections sharing a relevant source. Plus, a well-written comment with a thoughtful take on the topic will often cause me to visit the website of the commenter. That comment is a preview of how their blog posts will be. I have found a huge chunk of the blogs I load into my RSS reader through blog comments sections, and where do you suppose I turn when I want to find content to share? That RSS reader. Taking time and leaving a relevant, useful comment is a way to bring people over to your website. Plugging yourself shamelessly in every post is a turn-off. 2. Learn more about the topic. A well-researched blog post isnt all there is to say on a topic. Word count or time restrictions can keep your ultimate guide blog post from not quite being the ultimate guide. The experience, knowledge, and resources commenters can bring to your post in the comment section add to the understanding of the topic. Im fairly certain, for example, that when you get to the end of this post, youll be thinking she forgot to mention this important thing and youll take it upon yourself to mention it (hint hint). Thats the beauty of blog comments: readers get to help build on the original post, helping the author and other readers learn more about the topic. Whether opposing view or adding to the supporting view, theres more to be said about most topics, and readers can help each other by commenting. 3. The enjoyment of being a regular. A coffee shop near where I work knows what Im going to order before I order it. I love that. I love going in and having them pick up the conversation where we left off. Its the joy of being a regular. The comment section of your blog is where the regulars (or the usual suspects, if its that kind of blog :-) gather. They know each other, they know your blog and can link back to old posts or other specific comments from the past. Regulars help turn your blog from being a sequential posting of articles into something organic that references itself. Plus, theres the ownership issue. I have had a handful of people who have read and commented on my personal blog for more than ten years, some of whom Ive met and weve become real-life friends. When you comment (and get response) regularly on a blog, you almost feel like you have ownership there, that its important you stay involved. Thats exactly the kind of reader and commenter you want.  Heck, some regulars even police the comments section and help you, as if they were forum moderators. They feel like its partly their place, too, and they want to help keep it clean. Blog comment sections are like the coffee house of the internet, where you introduce the discussion and let the regulars get busy discussing it. 4. Networking that works. Taking part in your own blog comment section shows the world youre not a hermit.  It says that you   are not just a one-way street, blasting your content out to them but unwilling to hear them back. (This is especially important if you are trying to build your blog traffic and get a bigger audience.) Being a one-way content pusher is sort of the equivalent of handing out business cards en masse and not bothering to do much listening as you turn around and walk away. It doesnt work. The back and forth conversation in blog comments, and and honest willingness to listen, is good networking. Just like you find new blogs to read, you make connections with the other regulars and break free of the limited circles of your social media. Blog comment sections bring in people you might not have discovered, otherwise, and truly expand your networking circles. One-sided networking never works. In order to make connections that matter, we have to be willing to give and take, and meet people outside of our usual social groups. 5. People link to where theyre being talked about. Ive found that if I have written a post that is getting some serious comment action, involving other bloggers and asking questions often leads to them writing a post about the conversation, and linking to my original post.  When Ive had a long run in a comment section and been actively participating, and I think Ive left some pretty good comments, you know what I do? I link to the post and often blog about it. It functions on the same principle as why small town newspapers run so many photos of the local sports team. I learned early on as a small town newspaper reporter that mentioning the names of people in the community in stories, and featuring their kids in school activities, was how you sold papers. Its the same reason people buy that expensive Whos Who book: theyre listed in it. We like to promote whats promoting us. 6. Easier-to-follow conversations. A lot of conversation happens on social media, sure, but it isnt always easy to follow. Some might be on Twitter (where following a discussion is like chasing the tail of a kite on a windy day), others on Google+. Different people saying interesting things, but because those multiple conversations are on different platforms? Never the two shall meet. And, conversation on social media fades away as the news feeds change. Its always been a frustration of mine that this happens. Admittedly, some of the social features of some comment systems that adjust the order of the comments according to votes by readers can be confusing, as they arent a threaded in-order conversation. While that technique helps commenters police out bad comments (in theory) it does add to confusion, too. But, at least all of the discussion is in one place. Taking part in blog comment sections makes it easier for readers who find the post to follow along and make sense of how the discussion goes. Latecomers can see what has already been said. 7. Social proof for your blog. If you see a listing of four blog posts, three with 6 comments listed, and one with 145 comments listed, which post are you going to dive into? Probably the 145-comment post. Clearly there is something going on there and lots of people are actively talking. We like to see what others are talking about, and we are more likely to join in because there are enough others in the conversation that it wont be too terrifying (this is especially true for lurkers who dont participate much). This is social proof in action, the idea that where we see a crowd, there must be something good.  Asking questions in your own comments is a good way to keep the ball rolling. Comments help encourage other comments; its a very good reason to respond to comments in your blog posts. Blog comments are great social proof. The more you have, the more you get.8. Get new ideas for fresh content. Has this ever happened to you? You write a post about topic. The discussion is active, and you find yourself leaving long comments. Pretty soon you think its probably best to write a whole new blog post because the topic has expanded and given you a lot to talk about, all thanks to the blog comments section. At the very least, youve probably found yourself realizing that there were questions or directions your readers have suggested that would make a great new blog post (or two or three). Thats happened here on this blog, even. It was in our blog comments where a reader brought up the need for social proof. It was a comment that piqued my curiosity and got me doing some research. I eventually wrote a blog post. Ive also written blog posts based on comments found on other blogs, too. Inevitably, I link back to the other blog (win for them), and I get a great post idea (win for me). Plus, I have a legitimate reason to leave a comment and say I wrote a post about this here and perhaps get some new readers. The comment section is a great place for idea generation. Its a group of people, batting ideas around.

Sport and the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sport and the Media - Essay Example Furthermore, because of the evolution of the mass media, there is an emergence of sports stars (Raney, 2006). Examples include Tiger Woods, Christiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, etc. These people normally occupy the front pages of newspaper organizations, and other forms of mass media. They are popular because of the media, and as a result, they are able to earn a lot of money from sponsorship deals and agreements. Without such kind of reporting, these sports personalities cannot get the popularity that they have. Furthermore, sports organizations normally get a lot of money, by charging media rights. These are fees that the media pay to sports organizations, for airing their matches. Billings (2011) explains that this money is usually huge, when compared to the gate collections that these sports organizations are able to collect. Based on this fact, sports heavily rely on the media, as sources of revenues, and for advertisements. Without the media, it is impossible for sports to become a multi-billion dollar industry. In as much as sports rely heavily on the media, the media also relies on sports. This is because they are able to attract male viewers, who love sports. Furthermore, newspaper organizations have sports sections, and this helps them to increase circulation, hence revenues (Raney, 2006). Despite the importance of the media, in the industry, there are numerous issues that have arisen. Some of these issues include the quality of reporting by journalists, and their professionalism. Furthermore, controversy exists, on whether journalists are serious about their reporting, or they are motivated by the fun, of being sportsmen. In conclusion therefore, the media plays an influential role in sports management, and it is a source of revenue for sports team. On the other hand, the media also benefits from sports, and this is because it relies on it, for increased sales, and circulation. It is therefore prudent to

Fire service administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Fire service administration - Essay Example he company has various departments such as the exploration department, the FrPD department that is responsible for providing protection against fire in the company and the training department that is responsible to offer the employees training in order to ensure that they are effective in carrying out their duties. It has fire advanced training center where the employees undergo rigorous training before they are given the responsibility to protect its facilities and also the people. In my essay, I will look at the training department that came up with ‘the all innovativeness program.’ I will use the systems approach in analyzing how the organization implemented the program, the problems it faced and how the management is involved in implementation of the program. This is a program that was started when the company discovered that the people had great potential. In the program, the management welcomed the employee’s ideas and encouraged them to submit ideas for improving the company performance. The vice-president told the management committee that the subordinates had the ability to run the organization. The submission of their ideas was made possible through the web management system where the employees were to post their ideas. 3,500 ideas were submitted in the year 2002 and they kept on increasing and by the year 2009, 80,000 ideas were submitted. The company took their ideas into consideration and this saved the organization a great deal. The company also appreciated the synergy value in the program that comes due to the interaction between people. The company thought, planned and coordinated various employees from various departments and took their ideas into consideration when they trained them because of the realization that the people they were dealing with were professionals who had a lot of experience. It has a well-organized and efficient way of decision making that is clear to all the employees. It kept in mind the potential of each

Analyzing Pro forma Statements Essay Example for Free

Analyzing Pro forma Statements Essay This financial analysis will define an initiative of what to implement, that would increase sales over the next five years. It can either be, another market, product, or a corporate expansion. A pro forma will be created and used for the XYZ Manufacturing Company of a five year projections. Assumptions will be made to support each line item, to increase or decrease the forecasted statements. There will also be interpretation of the financials, in relation to the initiative. Recommendations are to made on the potential discretionary financing needs. This word analysis is the company’s short term and long term financing needs, and strategies to help the company manage their working capital (University of Phoenix, 2014). Pro forma statements are created by, forecasting and combining the income and balance into a financial statement format. This will determine how the account balances are forecasted by acquiring forces that will influence and project how the accounts will be influenced. These forces are recognizable as restrictive debt agreements, sales, and company policies The following illustrations below is the Pro forma’s process for a five-year projection. This information is based on historical data collected from the sample provide (UOPX, 2014)..There is acquired information of a increase in sales new product as the result of a new product introduction also an increase in the production capacity. The increase in sales will acquire fixed assets with the excess cash (Parrino, Kidwell, Bates, 2012) Pro forma Balance Sheet for XYZ Company, INC. Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity-$559,608 $649,251 $848,766 $1,,037,172 $1,183,541 In the above balance sheet the current assets and current liabilities has increased in the ratio of sales (Parrino,Kidwell, Bates, 2012, p90,91. 92) There is also an additional increase in the fixed assets. The company to take out an additional loan to meet the capital expansion, and the working capital needs (Parrino, Kidwell, Bates, 2012) I would recommend that the company The first step in this pro forma financial statements is the forecasting of sales. Sales always influence the current asset and current liability account balances. For example: the account receivable balances would need to become larger increased if the firm needs to carry more inventory. Through the profit margin, and the dividend payout ratio. There is much difficult in forecasting sales, but it is an essential, it only depend on the season of the year, economy and the industry There could also be many other fa ctors as well. Reference Parrino, R., Kidwell, D. S., Bates, T. W. (2012). Fundamentals of corporate finance (2nd ed.). Hoboken, N. J.: John Wiley Sons. University of Phoenix material, (2013) â€Å"Analyzing Pro Forma Statements† retrieved from https://newclassroom3.phoenix.edu/Classroom/#/contextid/OSIRIS:44656217/context/co/view/activityDetails/activity/53c06956-87e9-4050-8ecc-815e914705e0/expanded/False/focus-cmt/none/tab/Instructions

Creating Morals in Victorian Short Stories Essay -- The House of Eld T

Creating Morals in Victorian Short Stories I have read recently several Victorian short stories I noticed that many had similar styles and contents. But the three stories that I found most interesting were: The Persons of the tale and The House of Eld both by R L Stevenson and The Superstitious Man’s Story by Thomas Hardy. In these three stories I found that they were linked by the use of a narrator to tell the story of what had happened to the main characters through their fear, heroism and morality. The House of Eld and The Persons of the Tale both have a moral to them. They are both written by the same author and although the moral in The House of Eld is shown at the end and The Persons of the Tale is a little harder to find both need to be worked out with great thought. The moral of the Persons of the Tale is that people although they are all different they are all needed in one way or another to complete life and the moral at the end of The House of Eld relates to the story. In the story the boy Jack thinks that everything will be perfect if he gets rid of the Sorcerer and therefore the gyve, but in fact in the process he kills his uncle, his father and his mother. The moral puts across the point that if you get rid of something important to your family you get rid of them too. R L Stevenson has written these short stories in the style of Aesop’s Fables, each with their own meaning and moral. He has done this in an updated version for their time to help the readers and listeners understand the meaning of life. In both the R L Stevenson stories there is a hero. In the House of Eld, the hero is Jack. He shows heroic characteristics like braveness, the will to win and determination. In the Perso... ...ting. This is scary in itself but the moral to the story scares the people more. It is telling people that if you get rid of something very important and something you have never lived without you will get rid of the most important things to you. This implies that if you reject God then you can lose everything important to you and your family. And finally in the Persons of the Tale the message that God has no favourites and that everyone is important teaches the Victorians to love each other as everyone is just as important as anybody else. Overall these three stories are enjoyable, thought provoking and educational for the readers and listeners. The authors have written with great language and techniques and have produced good short stories. They have considered the interests and views of readers in the Victorian times and they are enjoyable to read. Creating Morals in Victorian Short Stories Essay -- The House of Eld T Creating Morals in Victorian Short Stories I have read recently several Victorian short stories I noticed that many had similar styles and contents. But the three stories that I found most interesting were: The Persons of the tale and The House of Eld both by R L Stevenson and The Superstitious Man’s Story by Thomas Hardy. In these three stories I found that they were linked by the use of a narrator to tell the story of what had happened to the main characters through their fear, heroism and morality. The House of Eld and The Persons of the Tale both have a moral to them. They are both written by the same author and although the moral in The House of Eld is shown at the end and The Persons of the Tale is a little harder to find both need to be worked out with great thought. The moral of the Persons of the Tale is that people although they are all different they are all needed in one way or another to complete life and the moral at the end of The House of Eld relates to the story. In the story the boy Jack thinks that everything will be perfect if he gets rid of the Sorcerer and therefore the gyve, but in fact in the process he kills his uncle, his father and his mother. The moral puts across the point that if you get rid of something important to your family you get rid of them too. R L Stevenson has written these short stories in the style of Aesop’s Fables, each with their own meaning and moral. He has done this in an updated version for their time to help the readers and listeners understand the meaning of life. In both the R L Stevenson stories there is a hero. In the House of Eld, the hero is Jack. He shows heroic characteristics like braveness, the will to win and determination. In the Perso... ...ting. This is scary in itself but the moral to the story scares the people more. It is telling people that if you get rid of something very important and something you have never lived without you will get rid of the most important things to you. This implies that if you reject God then you can lose everything important to you and your family. And finally in the Persons of the Tale the message that God has no favourites and that everyone is important teaches the Victorians to love each other as everyone is just as important as anybody else. Overall these three stories are enjoyable, thought provoking and educational for the readers and listeners. The authors have written with great language and techniques and have produced good short stories. They have considered the interests and views of readers in the Victorian times and they are enjoyable to read.

Christinan/Musliim responses to black plague

It was a deadly disease that was causing destruction throughout the middle Ages. It devastated many people as well as killed many people. It had many names such as the Black Death, the great plague, and even the great pestilence. None of these names can describe the amount of struggle and devastation this disease brought upon the people living during the medieval times. This deadly disease killed about 25 million people in Europe in the Late 1340s.The plague followed trade routes throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. Not much knowledge of cleanliness and how sickness was caused was known during the Middle Ages but most believe that the plague was caused by bacterial strains. How was the way the Christian and Muslims’ way of handling the plague different? the meaning of responses mean a way of handling a situation. The first way that Christian and Muslim responses to the Black Death were different was their causes and preventions, which means their beliefs of wh at caused the plague and also what they believed could prevent it. In Europe people believed cause for the plague (document 5) that had nothing to do with religion were miasma carried by warm southern winds, excessive clothing, march 20 1345, and outrageous fashion.Near East people believed that causes for the plague were miasma due to wind carrying stench of Mongol bodies from Crimea, miasma due to overpopulation causing â€Å"evil monsters†, war ovens, demons, sin; alcohol and prostitution. People in Europe believed that some ways to prevent themselves from getting the plague were to build fires to purify contaminated air, reside in a house facing north to avoid southerly winds, fill house with sweet smelling plants, drink liquefied Armenian clay, rose water, peppermint, avoid sleeping on back, and breathe in latrine vapors.Near East people believed that some ways of preventing themselves from getting this disease was to consume pickled  onions, pumpkin seeds, and sour ju ices, build fires and fumigate, drink in a solution of Armenian clay, pass severe laws against alcohol and prostitution, stay indoors, avoid sad talk, and use letter magic. Causes and  preventions points to a difference in Christian and Muslim responses to The Black Death because both religions thought differently about the causes of the black plague and the way they should prevent it. It shows that the two religions had a different way of approaching the plague.The second way that the Christian and Muslim responses to the Black Death were different was the role of God, which means the part that God took in the lives of both the Christians and Muslims during the black plague epidemic. The plague was described as (document 4) a blessing from God and something that a Muslim should accept as a divine act. However, the Christians say â€Å"I am overwhelmed, I can’t go on!† Everywhere one turns there is death and bitterness†. The role of God points to a difference i n Christian and Muslim responses to the Black Death because it shows that the Muslims saw the plague as a gift from God while the Christians saw it as overwhelming. This demonstrates that both religions looked at how the plague affected them differently from one another.The way the Christians and Muslims handled the great plague epidemic were different from each other was their beliefs of what caused and how the plague could be prevented and the role God took in their lived during the spread of the disease. The difference between Christian and Muslim responses to the Black Plague is important because it demonstrates the differences between the ways the two religions decided to go about handling the plague. It is important for u to know these differences today because it shows us how the two religions lived their lives during the time that this disease was a huge part of their lives.

Integrity: Core Issues in Ethics and Person Essay

Integrity is not just one of the seven army values a soldier should live by, it is the basis and foundation of trust, responsibility, respect, and honesty. If a soldier or anyone for that matter does not have integrity they will not be able to succeed in their profession, relationships, and in life. The more honest choices a person makes the more he can be trusted, but not just his word will be trusted, that person will gain more responsibility, better leadership positions, and more importantly more respect that person will gain. The more you lead your life by integrity the better and easier it will be. When asked a question you should be honest and you should think about your answer so that you are relaying correct information. Integrity has many meanings, doing what’s right legally and morally, being honest, upright, and decent in our dealings with others. When we are guided by integrity, our thoughts, actions, and words are in line with each other, our actions align with ou r principles. Our conduct speaks for us, better than words ever could. It becomes the basis for both reputation and self-respect. Integrity demands courage. No matter who you are talking to you should be honest not untruthful, even if it makes someone upset. You should live with integrity everyday of your life no matter what. Developing integrity requires internal honesty, because we can’t be honest with others unless we are honest with ourselves. It requires self-awareness, since we cannot accurately communicate what we do not know. Integrity is not just a word, it’s a code to live by to lead a life of honesty and respect. If everyone in the world were to live with integrity the world would be a much better place to live in. people would be honest, respectful, and they would do the right thing no matter what. If a person with integrity were to find a wallet for instance, that person would try to find the rightful owner of the wallet. If the owner was not found they would turn the wallet into the police station or to a lost and found where they had found it. Having integrity means you don’t do anything or say anything that deceives anyone. You do not lie, you don’t cheat, and you do not even bend the truth. Having integrity can also mean you having personal courage. Having the personal courage to stand up for what is right no matter the circumstances is very important to one’s integrity, if you see someone doing something wrong it is important to correct them politely so now they know what’s wrong and they can fix it before the problem gets to bad or out of control. A person should be straight and honest about everything no matter the consequences. You should never try to even deceive someone because they will find the truth about it. People of integrity can be counted on to stand up for what it right, even if it is unpopular, and to do the right thing even when there is no one around to see. Integrity allows other people to trust you because they know that we value our commitments and seek to live by them. Every soldier in the military should live with integrity because we are all a brotherhood, everyone is a family in the military. We should all be true to ourselves, civilians, and especially our fellow service members. Integrity does not discriminate either. It does not matter who asks the question, who is looking, or who is not looking you should always be truthful, and do the right thing no matter what. If a person alone and they know or even think they’re doing something wrong they shouldn’t do it, that is showing integrity and showing others who you think may not be looking that you can do the right thing and be trusted when someone might need it most. Without integrity no one can trust you, e ven if you are telling the truth, no one will believe you because you have already broken their trust in you. They will not only check up on you constantly but they will also not believe you until they confirm it for themselves. When you show the lack of integrity to someone they have to take time out of their day and away from their families to either square you away or find out the truth, which makes it much worse on you if you did lie about something. It is always best to tell the truth the first time though you may be punished for messing up it will be a lot easier to tell the truth than to lie about it and have to make up more lies to cover up the lies you already made. You must have the courage and honor to tell the truth the first time. Not only is lying morally wrong but it will break the bond of a man’s word and it will take a very long time to make it up and rebuild that trust again. You cannot have responsibility without having integrity either. No one will trust you to do anything or to put you in charge of anything because not only can they not trust you because you lied to them but because you have failed them at what they expected out of you. At a first impression people will have trust in you unless you lie to them or show you a reason not to trust you. If you lie to someone you show them not only that you are a liar but you have no respect for that person. Everyone deserves respect but the level of respect they deserve determines on the level of respect they show for other people and the amount of responsibility they can show a person. You must also have self-respect to have integrity if you don’t respect yourself you cannot respect anyone else in this world. If someone put you in charge of other men you are responsible for their well-being, they should be able to come to you with any problem that might arise in their lives Honesty is the biggest factor of integrity in my opinion, to have integrity you MUST have honesty. You must be able to show a person that you can be trusted, but first you must have honesty in yourself. Without having honesty in yourself it is impossible to be honest to other people. it is much easier to tell someone the truth first off than to lie to them because you will not only have lied once but you will have to make up more lies to cover up the first lie and more lies to cover up those and when someone finds out the truth it will be much worse on you than it would’ve been if you had just told the truth in the first place. If you lie to someone once you will continually lie to them unless you stop the lying and come forth with the truth and stand there take your punishment and learn from your mistakes right away and not have to keep making them. your reputation also depends on integrity because if you show a constant lack of integrity you show not only the person who is dealing with you but you show the others around you that you cannot be trusted and they will not want to do anything for you because you will have burned your bridges with them. Your integrity is now gone and your reputation is ruined. Your reputation is something that take a very long time to rebuild much like someone’s trust. It all depends on the persons trust that you lost on how long it takes you to rebuild that trust. Once you finally do regain someone’s trust it is important to keep that persons trust because if you break their trust again you become a habitual liar and you will lose their trust again and possibly forever. Integrity is also a major factor in deal making. If you make a deal or make a commitment you must stick to that deal. Having integrity is like having a contract, though it may not be in writing or an actual legal document it is however like a handshake. When you say you will do something you will do it if you have integrity because it is the morally right thing to do, it is a man’s word and he must have the intestinal fortitude to stick to his word as if it was a contract. A person’s word is all they have in this world because if someone word cannot be trusted they will not make it anywhere in life especially if you make the lack of integrity a habit. Having integrity shows a person you can be trusted with just about any task you are put in charge of. You will do that task and not only do it right you will exceed that person’s expectation. When you are assigned a task it is important to do it right the first time because not only will you have to go back a second time and do the task over again but in the military it could mean someone’s life at stake. A person must give every task they are assigned with over one hundred percent so that not only are the expectations met but they are exceeded by far. The army value integrity is put in place for a reason. That reason is to make an honest, trustworthy, responsible, and honorable soldier. All seven army values tie in together so that if you follow all seven you will be a trustworthy, honest, responsible, and respectable soldier. It is important to have integrity for many reasons because without it you cannot be trusted, responsible and squared away. Once you live your life with integrity you will be trusted more, be able to take on more responsibility, but you will build your reputation in other people. References http://www.army.mil/values/

A Woman Scorned essays

A Woman Scorned essays The Cook, the Thief, his Wife, and her Lover by Peter Greenway is an astounding tale of sex, deceit, corruption, and abuse. This movie is partial about a woman named Georgina and the relationship she holds between her and the two men in her life, Michael and Albert. Michael is her lover and Albert, her husband, is a head gangster. Albert both physically and psychologically abuses Georgina throughout their whole relationship. As many women in abusive relationships, Georgina does nothing to stop him. It is only when her lover is killed that Georgina finally takes a stand against Albert. As the old saying goes: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. The most obvious way that Georgina is abused is physically. There are the smaller things like when Albert hits her in the face with a menu when she corrects him in his French pronunciation. And the time that Albert hits Georgina on the hand with a spoon at the dinner table because she was not paying attention to him. Grabbing Georginas breast at the dinner table is another prime example. Of course there are the most obvious ways Albert abuses her. Dragging her around, twisting her arm, and punching her in the stomach when she makes him mad. When Albert rapes Georgina in the car in the back of the restaurant it gives very strong evidence of just how horrible this man really is. There are also those things that blur the line between physical and psychological abuse. These things could be considered both physical and psychological. Albert forces Georgina to wipe his ass with a warm cloth every night after dinner. There are also instruments that he uses on his wife, such as wooden spo ons, tooth brushes, and bottles; Georgina tells a dead Michael that it didnt hurt as bad when she did it herself. Actually, there is no such a thing as physical abuse that isnt also psychologically damaging. However, of all the physical abuse that Georgina received, the two last things, and th...

Absolutely!

Absolutely! Absolutely! Absolutely! By Maeve Maddox Not a month goes by that someone doesn’t write to complain about the ubiquity of the word absolutely. The following objections to this word are typical: Please answer a question without starting with the word absolutely. Its driving me mad, please please stop. What’s wrong with responding, â€Å"without a doubt,† â€Å"you bet,† â€Å"of course,† â€Å"for sure,† or simply â€Å"yes†? It [strikes] me as ironic that perfectly good English words and phrases like thats correct and yes [are] being usurped by the invasive absolutely. Complaints about absolutely have been circling the Web for at least 18 years. It was on the Lake Superior State University’s list of banished words in 1996. It continues to be the object of wrath on many blog sites, and it made another appearance on the LSSU list in 2014. Perceptions that absolutely as a synonym for â€Å"yes† is a recent tic have led people to speculate as to what or whom to blame for introducing it into popular speech. In 1996, a critic put the blame on the movie Rocky (1976). However, the citations in the OED indicate that absolutely has been used as an affirmation since 1825: Is it permitted me to ask your majesty whether the opinion of the queen is conformable to that of your majesty? Yes, absolutely; she will tell you so herself. (1825) Is such really the state of matters between you and Rivers? Absolutely, sir! (1847) Do you mean to say that if he was all right and proper otherwise youd be indifferent about the earl part of the business? Absolutely. (1892) Absolutely is not confined to use as a word for â€Å"yes.† It is also used to modify words in every type of context, from baby clothes to wartime atrocities: Fifteen Absolutely Darling Onesies Pablo Hernandez scored an absolutely outrageous no-look back-heel against Atletico Madrid this evening. The Absolutely Most Delicious Wrap and Sandwich Recipes Cookbook Killing reporters during battles in southeastern  Ukraine  is  absolutely unacceptable. In each of these examples, absolutely is being used as an empty intensifier, the way awesome is so often used. Sometimes absolutely is used functionally, as in this household tip: Get all the  clothes  that you want to store  absolutely clean and dry. Here the meaning is, â€Å"to the fullest extent.† In a 2009 article on the CNN website, Rex Bossert, an assistant dean at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, is quoted as blaming O.J. Simpson for introducing absolutely as the ultimate modifier. Bossert points out that when Simpson was arraigned in 1994 and was asked how he pled, he didn’t say simply â€Å"not guilty†; he said, â€Å"Absolutely, 100 percent not guilty.† Why does a word that ranks so high among verba non grata continue to remain so popular? The CNN article also quotes an account executive who has embraced absolutely as her word for â€Å"yes† because it sounds reassuring: Absolutely sounds confident and sure. In times of ambivalence, people could use a bit of semantic surety. When you use it, you just feel more confident. Unfortunately, many speakers perceive absolutely as the contrary of reassuring. In the view of one college student at the University of Oregon, [Absolutely] now means â€Å"a lot of bull.† It’s like â€Å"whatever,† or â€Å"sure.† It grates on me when a professor or another student says â€Å"absolutely† because saying it means they’re a phony (2010). Bottom line: Absolutely as both a synonym for â€Å"yes† and a meaningless intensifier will probably be with us for some time. Professionals need to be aware that promiscuous use of the word is annoying, and that many speakers view such use as evidence of insincerity, untrustworthiness, and mental vacuity. vacuity (noun): complete absence of ideas; vacancy of mind or thought. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?Ten Yiddish Expressions You Should KnowA "Diploma" is not a "Degree"

Interactions of hazardous materials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interactions of hazardous materials - Essay Example However, putting water on the liquid brings the liquid to behave aggressively and the mixture of the water and the liquid will explode (â€Å"NFPA Labeling Guide†). The most important step that should be taken before proceeding to the incident is to call the emergency service to reach immediately at the spot. As, the emergency service lacks the suitable equipment to treat such chemical, it is better to contact the company’s emergency team giving then information what type of chemical they should take with them. The second step is to keep an eye on the driver of the tanker. The most significant step is to help the driver to leave the tanker (United States Department of Labor, n.d.). However, as the equipment I have are only bricks, bags of cement and sand and different prices if wood. Before proceeding, I will check that there is no sigh of flame of spark coming out of tanker. The second step it will take is to have a close look the driver and then ensure that the driver is safe. The next step is to reach the driver of the tanker and then making him fairly enough away from the spot of the incident. The next step that should be done is to advice the people not to gather at the spot of accident, as the liquid dripping out of the tanker is flammable and can catch fire easily (United States Department of Labor, n.d). There is a need to take serious steps to avoid any further accident at the spot. The equipment that I have bought for the backyard project can be utilized making the traffic away from the spot. The blocks and the pieces of the wood and limber can be utilized to on the road to stop the traffic from to the spot of the accident. The concrete blocks and timber pieces can be placed vertically on the road to identify that there is some reason for closing the road. On the other hand, police department should be contacted to take control of the situation and properly close the road (United States Department of Labor, n.d). The more

Social learning theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Social learning theories - Essay Example At the time when populations were expansively diffused, the implications of any particular aggressive act were primarily restricted to individuals whom the act was aimed at. Under circumstances of modernised life, in which the wellbeing of groups of inhabitants depends upon harmonious functioning of complex mutually supporting systems, aggressive behaviour that can be effortlessly carried out without demanding complicated mechanism immediately damages enormous numbers of people (Geen, 2001). Interest over the destructive implications of aggression confuses the reality that such behaviour normally has purposeful importance for the user. Certainly, there is a characteristic distinct to aggression that commonly generates circumstances cultivating its incidence. Dissimilar to social behaviours that are not useful without a degree of reciprocity satisfactory to the partakers, aggression does not necessitate eager receptiveness from others for its effectiveness (Moeller, 2001). An individual can harm and destroy to self-benefit despite of whether the victim agrees to it or not. Through destructive behaviour, or authority through verbal and physical coercion, individuals can gain important resources, modify rules to suit their personal desires, acquire power over and haul out compliableness from others, get rid of circumstances that negatively influence their wellbeing, and break down barriers that hamper or interrupt realisation of desired objectives. Hence, actions that are harsh for the victim can be gratifying for the one committing the aggressive act. Though aggression has several various roots its practical value certainly contributes greatly to the occurrence of such behaviour in the dealings of everyday existence (Moeller, 2001). Throughout the years several theories have been suggested to clarify why individuals act

Differences in Assessing and Managing Credit Risk in Investment Essay

Differences in Assessing and Managing Credit Risk in Investment Banking and Commercial Banking - Essay Example Credit risk represents the possibility of loss due to the inability of the obligor to fulfill the terms in the financial obligation (bond, note, lease, installment debt etc.). The credit risk is known by slightly different terms in investment and commercial backings. Counterparty credit risk is important for investment banking mainly in trading operations and loan credit risk is crucial in commercial banking. Though both may be caused by the same reason, default, they are managed differently. Credit risk becomes a very serious issue if accompanied by poor banking operations. Proper systems and controls should be in place for effectively assessing and managing credit risks in both type of banking operations. Credit risk arises when a borrower of a loan fails to repay it (in commercial banking) or when an issuer of a security or a bond fails to fulfill his financial obligation (a corporate who issued a bond may go bankrupt) to the borrower . For assessment of credit risks in the financial products the investment banking firms (which is more complex compared to assessment in commercial banking) rely on the credit rating assigned to the issuer by the major credit rating companies. To arrive at the credit rating, the agencies carry out a research and an assessment of the account statements (income and expenditure, balance sheet), quality of the management, previous business and financial track records, the potential business and financial risks and the ability of the management to mitigate them effectively. ... Proper systems and controls should be in place for effectively assessing and managing credit risks in both type of banking operations. Assessing Credit risk in Investment Banking and Commercial Banking Credit risk arises when a borrower of a loan fails to repay it (in commercial banking) or when an issuer of a security or a bond fails to fulfill his financial obligation (a corporate who issued a bond may go bankrupt) to the borrower (in investment banking). For assessment of credit risks in the financial products the investment banking firms (which is more complex compared to assessment in commercial banking) rely on the credit rating (considered as the representation of the financial strength of the issuer or the product that is issued to meet its financial obligations) assigned to the issuer by the major credit rating companies. To arrive at the credit rating, the agencies carry out a research and an assessment of the account statements (income and expenditure, balance sheet), quality of the management, previous business and financial track records, the potential business and financial risks and the ability of the management to mitigate them effectively. Based on the data collec ted and analysis of the same, the agencies issue a credit rating, which is a qualitative judgment of the ability of the issuer to meet his financial obligations. Standard & Poor, Moody's (US) and Fitch-IBCA (UK) are some of the leading and reputed credit rating agencies whose ratings carry more value in the financial market. The companies/products who exhibit least risk are given investment grades and with increasing possibilities of risk, the rating is graded down to the ones with definite possibility for default are

Sexual Selection and Human Evolution Theories

Sexual Selection and Human Evolution Theories Miller, G.F. A review of sexual selection and human evolution: How mate choice shaped human nature Natural selection shapes species to adapt to their environments and arises from individual differences in survival ability- cannot favour ornamental traits that decrease survivorship. However, it is not sufficient to account for male traits such as peacocks tail that do not enhance survivorship but rather jeopardize it. Darwin argued that in species with sexual reproduction traits that improved ones chances in mate competition were selected for regardless of their negative effects for survival. Furthermore, Darwin emphasized the importance of female choice and male competition within the sexual selection because the former evokes the latter. However, Darwin does not investigate the origins of female preference (Ridley, M). Sexual selection was neglected for a long time because it implied the major evolutionary importance of female choice and it was not well accepted by the contemporaries of Darwin. Darwin: evolution is differential reproduction rather than differential reproduction. Novel concept. Hard to do mathematical analysis. Alfred Russell Wallace who wrote about natural selection at the same time with Darwin believed that exaggerated male ornaments and traits did not have an adaptive purpose and did not result from female choice but from good health and genes that allowed males to spend resources on display. He suggested that females are under stronger natural selection to have less ornamentation to avoid attention from predators because they spend lot of time near their offspring (Miller, 2000). Fisher (1930) believed that mate selection criteria were biological and thus, under natural selection. He suggested that male sexual ornaments served as indicators of high fitness and good genetic quality and would be selected by females (Miller, 2000). Furthermore, he coined the term runaway sexual selection, which suggests an evolutionary feedback mechanism where female preferences reinforce and perpetuate the traits selected for in males. In the case of runaway selection females choose to mate with males who display a certain trait, subsequently, it will be passed on to the offspring who will then have the trait that makes them more attractive mates. This ultimately leads to phenomenon such as peacocks tail. In Fishers model the male trait was not deleterious at the start but with females preferring a particular characteristic it passed its optimum cost-benefit ratio, and ultimately, costly traits arise as the outcome of runaway sexual selection (Ridley). Zahavi. Trivers (1972) was the first to explain the different intensity of sexual selection in males and females through unequal amount of parental investment. The production of gametes is more costly and time-consuming than that of sperm. Also, females invest more resources into offspring, therefore, they must be choosy and by mating with high-quality male they enhance the quality of their offspring. Since the number of available females limits male reproduction success males have to court and compete for the females. Trivers suggested that the level of competition among males is correlated with the imbalance of parental investment. For example, there is a great difference in body size between male and female elephant seals where one male can guard 40 females, resulting in strong male-male competition. (Le Boeuf, 1974). Trivers theory can be applied to bird species like pharalorpes and wading birds where it is the females who are bigger, more colourful and aggressive compete with each other for males and males take care of the offspring (Jenni, 1974). Importance of sexual selection theory: it was disregarded for the most part of 20th century and many science and humanities subjects were advanced without taking sexual selection into account, thus, many theories may need to be revised. Ridley, M., 1993, Evolution, Ch12 Adaptations in sexual reproduction Traits that reduce survivorship are deleterious and are mainly present in males as secondary sexual characteristics that are not actually necessary for reproduction; however, they may give an advantage in mate competition with other males. The most famous example of secondary sexual characteristics is peacocks tail but also colourful plumage of birds, big antlers in elks etc. Although these traits are costly they have not been eliminated by natural selection. Darwins sexual selection theory suggests that the disadvantages in having elaborate secondary sexual characteristics are evened out because they convey a benefit in gaining access to females and increasing reproductive success. Darwin distributes sexual selection into two categories: male competition and female choice. Darwin argued that secondary sexual characteristics would be more developed in polygamous species where typically one male mates with several females because the selection for male traits that enhance reproduction will be greater. He provided evidence for sexual selection by comparing polygamous and monogamous species and showed that in the former males tend to have brighter colouring, ornaments and larger bodies whereas in the latter males and females differ less. Another theory that tries to explain mate choice criteria is Zahavis handicap theory (Zahavi, 1975). According to this, only males with good genes can survive with a handicapping trait, such as peacocks tail and females will prefer to mate with them. Selection will favour males with handicap traits if their good genes outweigh the cost of the trait. The high cost of handicapping character makes it an honest indicator of males quality. In his model the preferred male trait was costly to begin with and the expense did not change as the trait became more desired in females. Archer,J, Lloyd, B, 2002, Sex and gender, Ch 3 Origins Sexual selection entails female choice and females should choose mates according to their ability to provide the female and her offspring with resources and protection. Buss (1989) studied human mate preferences in 37 cultures and concluded that there is a strong trend for females valuing mates with greater financial capacity, ambition and sense of entrepreneurship. Archer and Lloyd suggest that this is consistent with Triverss theory where females are interested in finding a partner who would be able to invest more parental care into offspring by providing resources. Males preferred physical attractiveness and youth, which are traits correlated with reproductive capacity (Buss, 1989). Miller, G.F., 2000, The mating mind: How sexual choice shaped the evolution of human nature Darwin became interested in different animal ornamentation that he encountered on his around-the-world-trip on the board of the Beagle. In 1871 he published The decent of man, and selection in relation to sex where amongst other topics he wrote about sexual selection. Sexual selection shapes each sex in relation to the other sex. Many of Darwins ideas were attacked but after a century it was rediscovered. Dawkins, R., 1989, The selfish gene, Battle of the sexes One of the main female strategies of reproduction is that instead of expecting help from the male to raise the offspring the female prefers good genes instead. If a female can detect good quality males by using visual cues than her offspring will receive on better genetic material. By doing so the likelihood of her genes to survive increases too. Emlen, S.T., Oring, L.W., 1977, Ecology, sexual selection and the evolution of mating systems Environmental factors affect the development of mating systems and ultimately the intensity of sexual selection. Fitness is a measure for individuals reproductive success in relation to that of other individuals. Male reproductive success is limited by the access to females, whereas female reproductive success is determined by the available resources. Subsequently, if females limit the reproduction of males then the competition and sexual selection will intensify in males. The ability of a male to protect territory or other resources attracts more females and causes differences in the mating success of other males. The presence of polygamous and monogamous mating systems depends on environmental factors such as the availability of receptive mates and the distribution of resources in time and space, which affects their defensibility. Polygamy is more common in species where one sex is does not invest parental care, and thus, can spend time and energy on defending resources and competi ng for mates. Emlen and Oring (1977) suggest that sexual selection is stronger in polygamous species than in monogamous species. They point out that the more one sex manages to monopolize resources the stronger becomes sexual selection and the more likely is the development of polygamous mating system. Moreover, the mating system can differ between populations of the same species due to variations in environmental setting, population structure and density, amount and distribution of resources that all change the potential of monopolization. Andersson, M., Iwasa, Y., 1996, Sexual selection Sexual selection occurs through competition over mates, which is also the underlying factor of different mechanisms of sexual selection. Andersson and Iwasa (1996) list these different mechanisms: firstly, female and male choice of mate that has been demonstrated in numerous studies acts to favour traits that attract mates from the opposite sex; secondly, contests that can take the form of direct fighting and favour traits such as large body size, physical stamina, weaponry and other characteristics that enhance fighting ability in the competing sex; thirdly, endurance rivalry that promotes traits to retain reproductive activeness for longer to increase the possibility of mating. Furthermore, they also suggest scramble competition that promotes traits that help in finding the mate before others, such as earlier maturation or better locomotion skills. In addition, other mechanisms are infanticide, coercion and sperm competition. As Andersson and Iwasa (1996) point out, the majority of research has concerned mate choice and mate competition, whereas other mechanisms of sexual selection remain poorly examined. Owens and Thompson (1994) suggest that optimal mate choice is a trade-off between the number of mates and their quality. They argue that both males and females can be picky; however, the selection will be greater in the sex with higher reproductive rate. Batemans gradient explains the differential intensity of sexual selection in males and females. In his studies with Drosophila, Bateman showed that sexual selection is typically stronger in males because the number of offspring fathered by a male increases proportionally with the number of males, whereas the number of offspring remains the same for the female regardless of the amount of males she mates. Male secondary sexual characteristics may become more pronounced if they increase their reproductive success, although if it reduces the overall viability. The costs of these characteristics include higher threat of predation; large bodies pose higher energetic demands and increase the likelihood of starvation during the growth period; competition may lead to injuries and death. Thus, the extent of secondary sexual characteristics is limited by their costliness and by sexual selection itself if one favoured trait starts to compromise another selected trait. Sexual selection affects the genetic make-up of the offspring and thus, is an important factor in evolution. It is currently very difficult to discriminate between the different mechanisms of sexual selection and their importance.