Technology in the Mathematics Classroom Essay -- Computer Technology

Technology in the Mathematics Classroom While reading the NCTM summary on Technology, it is to my understanding that use of technology is at the teacher’s discretion. Therefore, the teacher is charged with the responsibility of preparing students before venturing into the field of technology. Essentially, students should be able to grasp and understand basic concepts and ideas, before intertwining computers or calculators into a lesson to further explore the concepts in said lesson. When visiting the U.S. Department of Education’s National Education Technology Plan website, I did not find any information on how technology should or could be integrated with mathematics. Their entire site was devoted to integrating technology but simply left an open forum for ideas. Now the ideas submitted by teachers were interesting, however, the matter still remains on whether a teacher feels that their students are prepared and receptive to integrate technology with a lesson or idea. I believe a teacher would be less inclined to use technology especially given that no ideas have b... Technology in the Mathematics Classroom Essay -- Computer Technology Technology in the Mathematics Classroom While reading the NCTM summary on Technology, it is to my understanding that use of technology is at the teacher’s discretion. Therefore, the teacher is charged with the responsibility of preparing students before venturing into the field of technology. Essentially, students should be able to grasp and understand basic concepts and ideas, before intertwining computers or calculators into a lesson to further explore the concepts in said lesson. When visiting the U.S. Department of Education’s National Education Technology Plan website, I did not find any information on how technology should or could be integrated with mathematics. Their entire site was devoted to integrating technology but simply left an open forum for ideas. Now the ideas submitted by teachers were interesting, however, the matter still remains on whether a teacher feels that their students are prepared and receptive to integrate technology with a lesson or idea. I believe a teacher would be less inclined to use technology especially given that no ideas have b...

Final Study Guide for Livanis Intl 1101

INTL 1101 Final Exam Study Guide Americanization – Consumerism, individualism – American products and values – Cultural imperialism? Trying to homogenize world? McDonaldization – Fast-food principles dominant in American and other societies – Uniform standards – Lack of human creativity – Dehumanization of social relations Infantilization – Benjamin Barber â€Å"consumed† – Against â€Å"ethos of infantilization† that sustains global capitalism – Turning of adults into children through dumbed down advertising and consumer goods – Targeting children as consumers Homogeneous global products for young and wealthy, and for children => soulless and unethical global consumerism in pursuit of profit Cultural homogenization – â€Å"More alike† theory of effects of globalization – Western culture industry – Homogenization of popular culture – Can be within western soci eties (McDonaldization) Market for loyalties – Regulation of communications to organize cartels of imagery – Domestic broadcast regulation maintains distribution of power – National identity reframed to political views and cultural attitudes that maintain existing power structure Facilitates predominance of one ideology Cultural imperialism – World patterns of cultural flow, mirror the system of domination in world economic and political order – Not confined to the west: see Mexico, Brazil (Latin America), India (East Asia), Hong Kong, Taiwan (China) Sustainable development – Long-term economic growth depends on careful stewardship of the natural environment – Environmentalists – Liberalization= unequal economic growth, resources for debt, competition (race to the bottom), increased pollution, unsustainable consumption of resources, political unrest – Free Trade Trade promotes growth and alleviates poverty= environmental benefits – Elimination of trade barriers= increased value of resources – Environmental progress is easier to achieve under conditions of prosperity Deterritiorlization of religion – Primarily caused by migration – The case of Islam: – Muslim Ummah – Re-islamisation as deculturalisation of Islam (not linked to a particular pristine culture, global Islam) – Quest for definition: Islam to fit every culture – By bridging the gap between secularism and religiosity, Fundamentalism overstretches religion to the point that it cannot become embedded in real cultureFree trade and the environment Technological Change and Disease – Transportation – Short term travel: 940 million tourists – Meningitis: 70,000 pilgrims to Mecca every year, secondary pandemics upon return – Expensive diseases in developing countries and eradicated diseases in developed countries – Medical technologies – Greater colla boration, more information – BUT, new technologies can be badly used – Ebola in DRC, AIDS epidemics in China from unsterilized needles Demographic Change and Disease – Population mobility Conditions that lead people to move are the same that favor the emergence of infections (poverty, overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, state failure) – Refugees: sanitation, food, healthcare – 50,000 dead in a month (Rwanda, 1994) – Haiti: cholera from Nepal? (4,800 mortalities) – Long-term migration – Disease to non-immune populations, and transfer of new disease back home – Eradicated diseases re-introduced – Migrant workers in Africa (AIDS epidemics) – Urbanization – Megacities=megaspread Global economy and disease – Global trade IMF/structural adjustments and liberalization reduces the role of governments (mostly in providing healthcare) – Trade in food – Change in dietary habits, convergenc e of tastes – Demand for year-round availability of fresh fruit and vegetables – Products from less expensive labor markets, worldwide ingredients and transport – Food may be contaminated – Unhygienic irrigation, packaging practices, storage, non-indigenous crops more susceptible to indigenous pathogens – E-coli in Germany: 2,800 affected, 26 dead (91 in EU) – Mad Cow Disease Environmental change and disease Climate change-global warming – Higher ambient air temperature, precipitation/humidity (mosquitoes) – Water supply-dams etc – Profound ecological changes that affects disease vectors-most dams associated with increase in malaria – Deforestation – Increases contact between humans and pathogens – Decreases natural predators of disease vectors – Increases in malaria (runoff water stagnant in pools) – Loss of biodiversity Jihad and McWorld – Dialectical nature: one cannot exist w ithout the other – Babel: retribalization – Global jihad against globalization – Disneyland Globalizations – Jihad and McWorld make war on the sovereign nation state – Indifference to civil liberty – McWorld, focus on consumption and â€Å"invisible hand† for common good (rather than democratic institutions), repeal government regulations – Jihad, bloody politics of identity, exclusion and hatred, paternalism and tribalism – Neither global markets nor blood communities service public goods or pursue equality and justice – Future? – In the short run – Jihad likely to dominate? – In the long run – McWorld dominates? – Convergence of political ideologies? Triumph of liberalism? Convergence of political cultures? Triumph of Western individualism? – Or greater divergence and even conflict? Ethnicity – High ethnic solidarity: willing to redistribute resources within the g roup – No â€Å"master list†; what differentiates groups in one place may not be important in another – Example: in Serbia, common language and culture, but religion divides (Hutu and Tutsi) – Ethnicity as a â€Å"social construction†Ã¢â‚¬â€not inherently political Ethnic identity – Any specific attributes and societal institutions that make one group of people culturally different from others Language, religion, geography, customs, history, and others – Ascription—an identity assigned at birth – Largely fixed during our lives Clash of civilizations – Samuel Huntington: â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations† – â€Å"The next world war, if there is one, will be a war between civilizations† – De-Westernization and indigenization of societies – Hinduization of India and Islamic fundamentalism (Iran, Algeria, Egypt, Turkey) – The Confucian-Islamic connection – Kin-country s yndrome (Bosnia, Iraq) – Civilizations do not control states; states control civilizations Interpreted the same events as Fukuyama, but made very different conclusions †¦ — Outlined 7 main cultures (and a possible 8th); equates â€Å"culture† with â€Å"religion†: â€Å"people who share ethnicity and language but differ in religion may slaughter each other, as happened in Lebanon, the former Yugoslavia, and the Subcontinent. † 1. Western 2. Confucian 3. Japanese 4. Islamic 5. Hindu 6. Slavic-Orthodox 7. Latin American 8. Possibly African – Why will they clash? – Differences are both real and basic (â€Å"fundamental†) – World smaller due to globalization – Nation-state as source of identity grows weaker Fundamentalist religion grows stronger – Backlash against West enhances civilization consciousness – Cultural differences less easily compromised than political and economic ones (can you be both Catholic and Muslim? ) – Economic regionalism is growing – Result: unable to mobilize support for governments based on ideology, turn to religion and civilization identity Environmentalism and the developing south Collectivity Irreducibility Characteristics of environmental issues – Complexity – Interpenetration, pollution down the road. – Temporal and spatial uncertainty – What will happen in the future, how much is it going to affect us. Irreducibility – Holistic in nature, we cannot approach only one part, we have to consider them as a whole. – Spontaneity – Things tend to happen fast especially in environmental disasters. – Collectivity – Collective action problems, common pool resources, shirking/free-riding Chinese triad Food security – All people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, self-nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active an d healthy life. (UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization) – Peak oil, peak water, peak phosphorus, peak grain, and peak fish Green revolution Problems in beginning of 20th c: not producing enough food to feed expanding population – Green Revolution: 1950-1984 – Development of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains – Expansion of irrigation infrastructure – Hybridized seeds & – Synthetic fertilizers & – Pesticides to farmers in developing countries – Transformed agriculture around the globe – World agricultural production more than doubled (world grain production increased by 250%) – Increased fossil fuel-based energy use: – Natural gas (for production of synthetic fertilizers) – Oil (for development of pesticides) – Hydrocarbon fuelled irrigation Unsustainable? (Malthusian argument) – May not necessarily increase food security (other political causes) – Promotion of monoc ultures, hunger vs malnutrition – Benefited wealthier farmers at the expense of poorer ones => urban migration – Extensive use and abuse of pesticides and fertilizers associated with negative health effects (cancer) – Land degradation, soil nutrients depletion Earth’s carrying capacity – No one knows!!! The Future of Food – Film watched in class, google if can’t remember GMOs Montreal Protocol – The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer mandated that industrialized countries reduce their production and use of the five most widely used CFCs by 50 percent. – Delegates agree to give developing countries a ten-year grace period, allowing them to increase their use of CFCs before taking on commitments – Without the Montreal Protocol, global CFC consumption would have reached about 3 million tons in 2010 and 8 million tons in 2060, resulting in a 50 percent depletion of the ozone layer by 203 5 – Montreal Protocol currently calls for a complete phaseout of HCFCs by 2030 (does not place any restriction on HFCs)Arms Trade Treaty – 2003, Control Arms Campaign was launched (Controlarms. org) – 2006, Control Arms handed over a global petition called â€Å"Million Faces† to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan 2006 – 2006, 153 states vote resolution 61/89 requesting the UN Secretary-General to seek the views of Member States (U. S. votes against, national controls better) – 2009, UN General Assembly launches a time frame for the negotiation of the Arms Trade Treaty. U. S. osition overturned – 2-27 July, 2012 (New York) – Currently under final negotiations – Require states to have national mechanisms for express authorization of international transfers of arms – Prohibit transfers of arms that could violate human rights and international law – Treaty Failure: – United States said it â€Å"needed more time† to review the short, 11-page treaty text (Obama administration torpedoed the treaty exactly one week after the massacre in Aurora, Colorado) Not to export weapons to countries that are under an arms embargo, or to export weapons that would facilitate â€Å"the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes† or other violations of international humanitarian law. – Exports of arms are banned if they will facilitate â€Å"gender-based violence or violence against children† or be used for â€Å"transnational organized crime. † – The sides, now: – Nearly 120 countries, led by Mexico, issued a joint statement on Monday saying â€Å"the overwhelming majority of (U. N. ) Member States agree with us on the necessity and the urgency of adopting a strong Arms Trade Treaty.Our voice must be heard. † – The five permanent Security Council members – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia â⠂¬â€œ issued their own joint statement of support for a treaty that â€Å"sets the highest possible common standards by which states will regulate the international transfer of conventional arms. † – Important Points: – Ammunition. – Exports of ammunition are covered in the draft treaty but not imports. – Self-defense. – Some major arms-importing states (Middle East), expressed concern that their ability to import weapons could suffer if the treaty comes into force. Exemptions. – There are a number of scenarios under which arms deals would be exempt in the current draft, such as defense cooperation agreements (India) – and gifts, loans and leases of weapons. – Reporting. – Current draft says countries will send reports to the U. N. on their international arms trade but does not call for them to be made public. China, Iran and others do not want that information disseminated openly. – The NRA says the treaty would undermine gun ownership rights under the Second Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. MalnourishmentObstacles to cooperation on environmental issues (regime, actor, general) National Identity – National identity is inherently political – Defined as a sense of belonging to a nation and a belief in its political aspirations – Often, but not always, develops from existing ethnic identity – Sense enhancers: – Common history, territory, culture, economy, rights – Why form? – Ethnic group may feel oppressed – Ethnic group may form a minority population – These conditions may call for self-government Boat people Ozone success – The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer mandated that industrialized countries reduce their production and use of the five most widely used CFCs by 50 percent. – Delegates agree to give developing countries a ten-year grace period, allowing them to increa se their use of CFCs before taking on commitments – New scientific evidence late 1987 – scientists announced that CFCs probably were responsible for the ozone hole – 1988, satellite data revealed that stratospheric ozone above the heavily populated Northern Hemisphere had begun to thin – Changes in the pattern of economic interests Du Pont announced that they would soon be able to produce CFC substitutes – Followed the next year by other large chemical manufacturers, including several in Europe – Major producers no longer opposed a CFC phase-out – Lobbied for extended transition periods and against controls on potential substitutes – Particularly hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)—a class of CFC substitutes that deplete ozone but at a significantly reduced rate. – The ozone regime stands as the strongest and most effective global environmental regime. – The worldwide consumption of CFCs, which was about 1. m illion tons in 1986, was approximately 100,000 tons in 2010. – Without the Montreal Protocol, global CFC consumption would have reached about 3 million tons in 2010 and 8 million tons in 2060, resulting in a 50 percent depletion of the ozone layer by 2035 – HCFCs, and HFCs, are now thought to contribute to anthropogenic global warming – Up to 10,000 times more potent greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide – Montreal Protocol currently calls for a complete phaseout of HCFCs by 2030 (does not place any restriction on HFCs) Restaveks (or stay-withs) 300,000 children in domestic bondage in Haiti – Forced – Unpaid Overcropping – Deplete soil by continuously growing crops on it Overpopulation – Carrying capacity – Estimates vary widely – Inadequate fresh water – Depletion of natural resources, especially fossil fuels – Increased levels of air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination – Deforestat ion and loss of ecosystems – Changes in atmospheric composition and consequent global warming – Irreversible loss of arable land and increases in desertification – Mass species extinctions from reduced habitat in tropical forests due to lash-and-burn techniques (140,000 species lost per year – High infant and child mortality. – Intensive industrial farming: evolution and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria diseases – Increased chance of the emergence of new epidemics and pandemics. – Low life expectancy in countries with fastest growing populations. – Unhygienic living conditions – Increased levels of warfare – Elevated crime rate – Less Personal Freedom / More Restrictive Laws. Demographic Transition – If standard of living and life expectancy increase, family sizes and birth rates decline Later ages of marriage, careers outside child rearing and domestic work, decreased need of children in indu strialized settings – Led to increased worry about aging populations and decreased worry about future impact of population growth – BUT, after a certain level of development the fertility increases again! – Fertility-opportunity hypothesis Food vs. fuel Precision farming – Soil erosion dropped, no-till seed planting – Drip irrigation, level fields (eliminate runoff) – Global positioning: efficient harvest, less chemicals Citizenship Citizenship: individual’s or group’s relationship to the state – Swear allegiance to the state – State provides benefits – People have obligations in return – Ethnicity is fixed but citizenship is not – Can be changed by individual or state – Potentially more inclusive concept than ethnicity or national identity – Three (ethnicity, citizenship, national identity) are often connected—an ethnic group forms the nation, and they represent the citiz ens of a country Nationalism – Nationalism as a pride in one’s people and belief in sovereign destiny Seek to create or preserve one’s own nation (political group) through an independent state – Sovereignty is thus key – Example: Great Britain – Governments determine nationality – 1707 – The United Kingdom came into existence – Yet there was no British nation since the people of the English isles were thinking of themselves as English, Welsh, Scots, or Irish. – Propagation of the dominant English culture and language through the years created a sense of English identity. – During the 19th century non-English cultures were suffocated. Global fundamentalism Return to traditional religious values as a reaction to modernity and global culture – Restoration of sacred tradition as basis for society – Cultural authenticity vs universalizing global culture – Global phenomenon – Modern ph enomenon – Fundamentalism vs globalization or fundamentalism as part of globalization? AIDS – Peaked in 2005 with 3. 4 million deaths – ~35 million infected – 14,500 new infections daily – Approximately 8000 deaths daily (3million/year) – > 90% new infections in Global South – Global responses – Millennium Development Goal 6 – Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Government-subsidized antiretroviral medications (Brazil, Argentina etc) – Samaritan’s Purse – The importance of Global Health Partnerships – Improving access to medicines – Financing health activities – BUT, primarily â€Å"vertical† (focus on specific diseases, and development/distribution of medicines) – Retroactive: does not focus on improving health care systems and primary care – Multiplicity of donors and actors: not aligned with government priorities International Organized Crime †“ Effort to exploit mechanisms of globalization – Transportation and communications technology Aided by deregulation – Possible through corruption of authorities, unethical practices of individuals and corporations – Extremely large profits (and high risk) – Global cities are main areas of activity (New York, London, Tokyo, etc. ) – Using financial services to disguise criminal activities – Defy the state, offer parallel black market structure Deforestation – Increases contact between humans and pathogens – Decreases natural predators of diseases vectors – Increases in malaria (runoff water stagnant in pools) (mosquitos) – Loss of biodiversity Arms Trafficking Lack of international treaty regulating legal arms trade – Illegal arms trade – Arms fuel conflict and crime – $60 billion a year industry – Lack of transparent data – UN: attempt to â€Å"crush illicit trade of small ar ms† – Cold War – Preoccupation with nuclear arms control – Small arms were not as widely disseminated – End of Cold War – Small arms â€Å"surplus† – Warsaw Pact/NATO upgrades – Difficulty in negotiations? – U. S. position – Nuclear weapons easier to negotiate Human trafficking – Labor trafficking – Sex trafficking – Victims are primarily women and children – Organ trafficking Trafficking of babies and pregnant women – Baby farm in Nigeria: sold for illegal adoption or for use in ritual witchcraft Child Soldiers Slavery – â€Å"A slave is a human being forced to work through fraud or threat of violence for no pay beyond subsistence. † (Benjamin Skinner) – â€Å"Do you want a job? † – Modern slavery: – More slaves now than ever before in history, 27 million – Each year 50,000 children and teenagers enter the US against their w ill for purposes of sexual slavery (CIA est. ) – Over 2 million trafficked slaves forced into prostitution and labor around the world 10 million slaves in South Asia (many through more than one generations) until they pay off their â€Å"debt† – 300,000 children in domestic bondage in Haiti Small arms – Over half a million people are killed each year with small arms across the world – In the United States 34,000 people are killed per year by small arms – The cost of small arms on public health, in Latin America at 14% of GDP, 10% of GDP in Brazil, and 25% of GDP in Colombia. – Registered homicide rates for Colombia, the United States, Brazil, and Venezuela among males aged 15–24 have doubled in the last ten yearsMonocultures – The agricultural practice of producing or growing a single crop or plant species over a wide area and for a large number of consecutive years. – It is widely used in modern industrial agricu lture and its implementation has allowed for large harvests from minimal labor. – Monocultures can lead to the quicker spread of diseases, where a uniform crop is susceptible to a pathogen Sustainable agriculture – http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sustainable_agriculture Environmental change and conflict – http://www. accord. org. za/downloads/ct/ct_2011_2. pdf Environmental security Environmental change is an important source of social conflict – Many societies face more dangers from environmental change than from traditional military threats – Security policies must be redefined to take account of these new realities – Only by framing the environmental problem in security terms can the necessary level of governmental attention and social mobilization be ensured – Security institutions could contribute directly to environmental protection, given their financial resources, monitoring and intelligence-gathering capabilities, and scientif ic and technological expertise – Is there enough evidence to support the claim that ecological change is, or will be, a major new source of conflict? – Proponents: – Environmental scarcities are already contributing to violent conflicts in many parts of the developing world. These conflicts are probably the early signs of an upsurge of violence in the coming decades that will be induced or aggravated by scarcity – Opponents – Environmental problems are a symptom of conflict-prone social systems rather than a root cause of conflict – Are the advantages of linking environmental problems to security concerns worth the risk of militarizing a society's responses to environmental problems? Risks undercutting the globalist and common fate understanding that may be necessary to solve the problem – If pollution a national security problem, then pollution by other countries worse than home born – It is analytically misleading to think of environmental degradation as a national security threat. – Environmental degradation and violence are very different types of threats – Organizations that provide protection from violence differ greatly from those in environmental protection – Military organizations are secretive, extremely hierarchical and centralized, and normally deploy vastly expensive, highly specialized and advanced technologies – Is environmental security an idea with more appeal in the North than the South? An excuse to continue the North's longstanding practice of military and economic intervention – Focus on the South is a way for the North to deny its own responsibility – Calls to link the environment with security raise deep suspicions about ulterior motives Concern, contractual environment, capacity – da fuk? Fertility opportunity hypothesis – Fertility follows perceived economic opportunity – Against food aid, and development Transnational organized crime groups – Operate above and below the state – Create demand – Reach to the marginalized, impoverished and other â€Å"losers† of globalization – Use market strategies: – Hierarchically structured – Strategic alliances – investing/laundering capital – New growth areas (ex. umping toxic waste in developing countries and then negotiating lucrative contracts for the cleanup industry) – R&D – Modern accounting systems, information technologies, insuring against risk Global health partnerships Global food crisis – Enough food in the world to feed everyone but†¦ – 925 million people experience hunger – 2/3 of these people are in Asia and the Pacific region – Highest concentrations in India, China, DRC, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia – 5 million children under 5 die of hunger in developing countries – Charity may help immediate problem but is no long-term sustainable solution – Causes for food crisis 1: Natural disasters – Floods, tropical storms, and, especially, long droughts – More common and more intense (global warming) – Wars – Population displacement – Famine used as a weapon – Fields and water wells mined or contaminated – Poverty trap – Lack of seed money, land and agricultural education – Trapped in poverty by hunger – Causes for food crisis 2: – Lack of agricultural infrastructure – Lack of roads, irrigation systems, warehouses – Emphasis on urban development – Overexploitation of the environment – Poor farming practices – Deforestation – Overcropping – Overgrazing – Economic downturns FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Policy and technical assistance to developing countries for food security, nutrition and agriculture – Forum for negotiation of a greements and debate on policies Fukuyama (the end of history) – Francis Fukuyama, â€Å"The End of History† – â€Å"The triumph of the West†¦an unabashed victory of economic & political liberalism†¦& the total exhaustion of viable systematic alternatives to Western liberalism. † – Liberal democracy will make the world safer – Democracies do not go to war against each other – Globalization – interdependence – Great faith in International Organizations – Washington Consensus – Critics: – Environmentalists – Marxists – Anarco-capitalism – Etc.

Police Brutality Essay

Philadelphia is located in New Jersey on the eastern sea board of the United States. This makes it an ideal location for immigrants from Nigeria to choose as an entry point into the US. This inflows has led to an over stretch in the social amenities. In so far as Nigerians perform the jobs Americans do not want, the fact that they do not pay taxes means they cannot contribute to the growth of Philadelphia. The police force on their part is predominantly white. They are not trained on how to deal with the new population. How to be sensitive to their culture and beliefs. Since the arrivals are also not very at par with the American culture, this breeds a society that coexists but does not know how to interact and appreciate each other. This has led to an increase in police brutality especially among Nigerian males of ages 15-70. Both sides feel they are mis-understood-the police are trying to keep the peace, while the Nigerians are trying to make ends meet. While there are more obvious signs of harassments against people deemed black (African-Americans and Native Americans) as opposed to whites to begin with, xenophobia (undue fear or contempt of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or foreign peoples) is more prominent against those foreigners who also happen to have darker skins which naturally includes Africans, Mexicans, Jamaicans, Carib-Africans, Haitians, Indians (from India), So. Americans, etc. nd other non-Caucasian races. Africans, who naturally fit into the black quota, therefore get a double-whammy should they encounter a police officer who has xenophobia, and Nigerians who have encountered harassment incidences have noted this as a prevailing factor in the course of their being harassed. Distinct accents are a dead give away and a xenophobic officer would have a field day should he encounter one whom he fears and thus portrays hatred towards (www. igeriansinamerica. com). There is need to train the police force on the necessity to overcome Xenophobia amongst its officers. Also, more black offices must be employed and an effort be made to assign them to work in black communities and neighborhoods, to increase the acceptance of the police as a law enforcement agency.

Northern Perspectives

It is prudent at this juncture to define the northern territory as a way of introduction. The northern territory (NT) is much of a political territory, which shares geographical location with north Australia. This is the main distinctive feature. However there are several differences In terms of the social and cultural orientation within the geographical region of north Australia.The northern territory exists as a self-government territory. However the territory derives its right to govern from the federal parliament. This means that the supreme authority is still the federal parliament. If follows that the decision reached at the northern territory legislative assembly is subject to the approval of the federal parliament. This happens to be what separates the self-governing territory of the Northern Territory from the rest of Australia. The political structure in the larger Australia is such that the states are sovereign and only come together under the federal government.The northe rn territory self-government act of 1978 gave a new status to the northern territory. In this act the northern territory was granted authority that could help it become a self-autonomous entity, usurping a few roles from the commonwealth. A few of responsibilities and duties initially carried out by the common wealth were transferred to the northern territory. A superficial glance at the territory and comparison with the other states indicates almost a complete similarity. However, the territory suits a shoulder below the rest in terms of authority and the structure of the government. It leaves more towards being a self-autonomous territory as opposed to the usual states in the common wealth.Although all the states in the common wealth are independent and value sovereignty, the 1978 act to self-given presents the biggest difference between these and the northern territory. The government in northern territory can make and enforce its own laws, but should the federal government wish to overturn or override it, it can achieve this through the parliament. An example in point is the euthanasia legislation passed by northern treaty but overridden by the national parliament ().In the place of a governor, the northern territory has administrator who wields executives’ power. He leads with the help of an executive council. The territory too has its representative in the federal legislature comprising of two representatives and two people in the senate.The territory has a legislative assembly consisting of members that are elected to speaker and the member of the executive council or the ministers. The northern territory also has local governments and authorities with some full administrative powers in Darwin, the capital city as well as in other large towns, these administrative centers provide essential services to the people ranging from housing to health among others.  Northern territories have a fully-fledged legal system with the Supreme Court as the hig hest court in the land.There is a chief minister who leads the self-autonomous government while the premier leads the state government. These two are appointed by the administrator who in turn is appointed by the governor-general of Australia.  In the national scene, the parliament is made up of the senate and the house of representative it deals with matters affecting almost all the states like foreign affair or the issue of protecting the nation as is the case in the United States. The territory’s representation in these two organs is a bit lower to make up for special status that it enjoys with an autonomous government.Broad responsibilityThe northern territory government is charged with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the territory save for those that are national in nature like the world heritage areas and national parks located within the territory (Strelein L (2000). This is done to avoid conflicts between the two levels of government. Areas that fall w ithin the northern territory government share of responsibility include but not limited to; education, health, and issues, administrative matters, infrastructure and local government. In order to perform these duties the NT government receives funds from the federal government.Relationship with federal governmentIt is clear that the two levels of government are mutually dependent. The federal government looks up to the territorial government to facilitate the implementation of laws and policies. Additionally the federal government expects to receive money remitted by the territorial government in order to reach its own objectives. On the other hand, the territorial government receives funds from the federal government to meet its budgetary obligations. This has for long time been a subject of much debate and controversy not only in the northern territory but also elsewhere in Australia and also in the world.The federal government in Australia has to perform a balancing act in order to achieve some kind of equity. Equitable distribution of resources is a thorny issue here. This balance is important for stability of any nation. An example of inequality is between the State of California in the US and the Mississippi between which a huge economic disparity exists. There has existed a general discontent especially from richer states in the way the national government distributes money contributed by these states.One of the important areas of development that lie within the responsibility of the NT government is cultural development. Culture is a very important composite of any society. However, in the modern world, rarely would any society share in all aspects of a common culture. According to Martin C (1995), this is mainly because of the historical backgrounds that are as varied as the trends of the modern lifestyle. It is therefore important to understand the basics of cultural dynamics before any form of cultural development can be contemplated.Cultural develo pment can be defined as the process through which the full potential of cultural diversity can be achieved for the common good. Culture is a most valuable symbol of identity and should not be lost either through assimilation or neglect. Cultural diversity brings out the uniqueness of the northern territory community (CUC107 Northern Perspectives. Cultural expansion and change (2007). One of the unique characteristics of the responsibility that the territorial government has in conserving and developing cultural diversity springs from the history of the people of the Northern Territory.The earliest inhabitants of the northern territory were the indigenous people. These people had and still have a rich culture and customs by which they lived. However, when the European immigrants settled in Australia, they sought to undermine this culture terming it as backwards. They also sought to force their own ways, which they viewed as superior. For many years this opinion has dictated the natur e of interaction between the indigenous people and the settlers. It has also influenced public opinion as well as dominant ideologies (Eckerman T. et al 1992).Upon this background, the territorial government must work to alter this perception and opinion that is based against the culture and custom of the aboriginal people as well as the Torres-strait islander people. The long enduring opinion is narrow and ill informed. It is full assumptions and biases that view some cultures and practices as more superior than others. Cultural development begins with the understanding of the uniqueness of the self. It is the responsibility of the Northern Territory government to promote understanding, acceptance interest and most of all harmonious existence among people of different cultural affiliations. The goal should be for the entire population to appreciate other cultures and to nurture rather than to kill diversity. The goal should also be to create a strong sense of belonging through cult ure where the population is proud of being who they are.Killing cultural diversity is tantamount to killing own individual identity. The study of culture has somehow increased awareness among those who take time to give thought to the wisdom those studies. However the world is still at a point where the western definition of what is superior and what is mediocre is widely embraced. Against this background many cultures have lost invaluable parts that were part of the whole thus becoming diluted (Hunter, E. (1993). This presents the main challenge to the Northern Territory government in its management and development of culture.The Northern Territory government must work from a seemingly â€Å"point of weakness† because many of the cultural practice and customs have lost so much already which cannot be recovered. Elements of culture such as language have also changed greatly. The way people talked as well as the content of these talks has changed overtime. Among the indigenous people for instance, folk tales were used to impart knowledge as well as to pass traditions from one generation to next. However folk tales have today found replacement in technology and the consequences are a lost method of passing culture to generations (CUC107 Northern Perspectives. Cultural expansion and change (2007).These are among the challenges that the Northern Territory government faces. Capitalistic ideologies and economic power has placed some countries at a position where they can dictate the direction the rest of the world takes. This includes dominating cultures. The disadvantaged, minorities and marginalized population have little choice but to tow the line appropriately (Alder, C. 1999). Economic development in the Northern Territory, which ironically must be encouraged, can only serve to diminish any gains on the cultural diversity front. This is a challenge to the Northern Territory government cultural development plans. It is easy to see here that the sacrifices that must be made are economic prosperity or the conservation of culture. With the world being the way it is today the Northern Territory government is hard pressed to make a decision to promote economic prosperity at the expense of culture.The Northern Territory government can however produce a win-win situation, by embracing innovative thinking to ensure sustainable development both economically and culturally.It is unfortunate that despite the fact that an opportunity clearly exists in the northern territory to develop ways of achieving sustainable cultural development, not much good seems be coming out of the processes. This can be attributed to the fact that the focus of the main stakeholders is wrong. The Northern Territory government has loudly cited scarcity of funds as the main obstacle in achievement of sustainable cultural development.This has denied these stakeholders from seeing the other methods and avenues open to them to exploit the opportunity (Ames, R et al 1989). The Northern Territory government has tried to develop a framework upon which to build its plans. One has been the involvement of women and the aboriginal people in decision-making process. Their representation has however not always adequate which has worked against this plan.The NT government has also sought to promote culture by supporting cultural activities like road shows and festivals especially in Darwin. These attractions have served to showcase some of the diverse cultures that exist in Northern Territory. The events are increasingly becoming popular though at a very slow pace.  The budget for cultural development has also been increasing steadily over the past few years (Christie, M. 2000).While the efforts of the NT government to involve the local communities especially the aboriginal and Torres-strait islander people together with women and other minority groups are laudable. This paper suggests that more can be done in order to speed up the process and consolidate g ains achieved so far. Wide consultations have a way of fostering ownership. It is therefore important that the NT government seek to improve participation of the local communities in decision-making.Representation should be increased in the decision-making organ. Additionally, in order to increase coercion the NT government should develop a holistic approach that includes educating the people at all levels of the society to appreciate their cultures as well as other cultures within this society. This can be done formally in small community groups as well as through other contemporary media.Another laudable gesture that should be developed further is use of cultural events and festivals. Cultural events have succeeded elsewhere as tourist attraction and consequently served to preserve the practice. In Spain bullfighting is a cultural even that is unique to this part of the world. It has gained a cult like following and has also been used as a tourist attraction. In Brazil, street car nival where people showcase there cultural dances such as samba have also become an eye catching event that is widely accepted all over the world. Similarly events could be organized regularly to showcase the NT diverse cultures.The Northern Territory should also explore the use of cultural ambassadors in other parts of Australia and the world in order to advertise the culture and to promote cultural tourism.ConclusionWhile plans are underway to confer full powers of statehood in the Northern Territory, the territorial government must increase ensure sustainable development in all areas of development. It is the responsibility of the Northern Territory government to promote understanding, acceptance interest and most of all harmonious existence among people of different cultural affiliations. The goal should be for the entire population to appreciate other cultures and to nurture rather than to kill diversity. Cultural diversity must never be sacrificed in the altar of economic deve lopment.ReferencesAlder C (1999) The Aboriginal art market: challenges to authenticity, on-line at:http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/resources/articles6.php, (Accessed: 3/2/05)Ames, R. Don Axford, Peter J. Usher, Ed Weick, George Wenzel, and John Merritt. (1989)Keeping on the land: A study of the feasibility of a comprehensive wildlife harvestsupport programme in the Northwest Territories. Ottawa ON: Canadian Arctic ResourcesCommittee.Christie M 2000 ‘Greek Migration to Darwin, Australia, 1914-1921' Journal of NorthernTerritory History, 71, pp 1 -14.Eckerman T. Dowd, M. Martin, L, Nixon R. Gray E. Chong, Binan Goonj (1992). BudgingCultures In Aboriginal Health, . Armidale NSW: Printery, University Of England.. 23-58.Hunter, E. (1993). Aboriginal Health and History. Power and prejudice in remoteAustralia. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York, Melbourne.38Strelein L (2000) Aboriginal land rights in Australia, Native Title Research Unit, AustralianInstitute of Aborigi nal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra.

Environmental Factors Essay

There are many environmental factors that affect the global and domestic marketing strategies of organizations. What is necessary is an assessment of the company’s attempts at positioning its product to meet the needs of an undisclosed market. Environmental factors always affect the domestic and international marketing performance of companies in many environments. What environmental factors do is that they shape and set targets on the entry and operational decisions of Coca Cola Limited. Established in 1886, Coca Cola owns four of the world’s top five nonalcoholic beverages, operates in over two hundred countries and serves over one point five billion consumers locally and international. The environmental factors that Coca Cola has to battle with include the level of competition, cultural attributes, consumer characteristics, political and legal concerns. These factors have an impact on both the potential local and international marketing functions of the company. One factor affecting the marketing decisions of Coca Cola is competition among alcoholic beverages. These competitive factors include pricing, advertising, production innovation and brand and trademark development and protection. Of interest to us is the fact that one of Coca Cola’s major competitors is PepsiCo. The marketing decisions of the company have to be guided strategically because it impacts on the actual sales levels of the firm. Coca Cola continues to maintain a cutting edge in the industry because it continues to uphold its hallmarked values of refresh the world, inspiring moments of optimism and creating value through making a difference. Cultural also has a part to play in the marketing decisions of Coca Cola. Of later, governments across the world have been placing pressure on beverage companies to regulate alcohol content because they affect consumer’s thinking. While Coca Cola does not have to fight up with this cultural implication, it may have to attend to means of re-establishing consumer loyalty. For example, Marketing Coca-Cola in China has been a long and trying road. Firstly opening bottling plants in Shanghai and Tianjin in 1927 and then a third plant opened in Qingdao in 1930, Coca had a fight gaining a solid marketing lead. After a 30-year absence from the country, The Coca-Cola Company re-entered China in 1979, following the re-establishment of relations between China and the United States. Coca-Cola was the first American consumer product to return to China and is doing very well today. Another environmental factor affecting Coca Cola’s development of effective marketing tools and campaigns across the world is legal requirements for entry and set up. All multinational companies are forced to abide by laws requiring high tax entries although maximum profits are to be repatriated. It is Coca Cola’s policy to comply to consumer protection laws, occupational, health and safety acts, and local statues and regulations concerning advertising, transportation, distribution and food and safety laws. Additionally, Coca Cola’s principle challenge was is water resource management which in some countries is bound by legalities. In 2004, the company was forced to take a major step in reducing the potential impact of climatic damage via the use of coolers and vending machines. So that dealing with legal implications enabled Coca Cola to adapt a marketing strategy that considers its social responsibility. The end result of that was Coca Cola, partnering with the United Nations Environment Programme and Greenpeace International as a means of finding natural refrigerants. Explain how technology impacts the organizations marketing decisions. Coca Cola decisions have been affected by the impact of technology. In an interview done by a researcher, he commented that â€Å"as industry leaders it is Coca Cola’s responsibility to invest in the research and development necessary to develop economically viable and commercially available refrigeration solutions to take us toward an HFC-free, climate-friendly future. We hope that other companies will join our commitment to sustainable refrigeration. By working together, we can continue to reduce the impact of commercial equipment on the environment. † It is obvious that Inorder for Coca Cola to remain a leader in the beverage industry there was the need to re-examine its products and production processes; its packaging, design, equipment and quality assurance. Coca Cola attempts to strike a balance between the use of modern and traditional technologies depending on the marketing initiative and project location. Interestingly, with the launch of eKOfreshment, Coca Cola used more than ten different technological options to improve its environmental performance, regulatory compliance and overall price and operational costs. The end result of using technology as a point of reference for marketing is the winning of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Protection Award for their joint efforts in promoting the development of environmentally friendly commercial refrigeration technology through the creation of the refrigerants naturally coalition. So that as Coca Cola evolves with technology its marketing habits and values change to accommodate consumer characteristics and behaviours. Of great importance to Coca Cola is their social responsibility and ethical considerations of which its management has found to be a contributing factor to the development of a strong marketing campaign globally. In analyzing its importance, we must consider the company’s priority; its marketplace, workplace, environment and community. To us, this is a key side; Coca Cola has opted to have social responsibility as a sub heading to their website. In the marketplace, they take pride in quality, marketing more than 450 brands and over 2,800 beverage products, just still living up to giving our consumers a choice of still or sparking beverages that refresh, hydrate, energize or nourish. Our ethical value is that each of those products must be of the highest quality and must meet consumers’ changing tastes, needs and expectations. In each of the more than 200 countries where we operate, Coca Cola is an active member of the business community, working hand in hand with local individuals, merchants and governments to improve the health and prosperity of the local economy and environment. We know that the continued health and sustainable growth of our business depends on the long-term health of the communities that surround it. After all, we need healthy consumers, communities, environments and economies for our business to thrive. So we encourage human right laws in the workplace as our business ultimately depends on the combined talents, skills, knowledge, experience and passion make Coca Cola who it is. Wherever Coca Cola operates, it seeks to get involved in the work of communities, governmental organizations and NGOs to create and support projects most relevant to them. Marketing is a critical step in the success or failure of a company. For Coca Cola, an international company operating in years of integrity and business sense, today they have stood to repeat the rewards of their actions. Together with many other partners, this company continues to forge it way to be a continued leader in the beverage industry. Reference Blythe, Jim. (2004). Canada. Financial Times – Prentice Hall.

Light and a Long Day’s Journey Into Night

For many directors, a LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT remains a cross collateral character study. That is to say, since the play is punctuated with a number of dysfunctional characters the emphasis on the drama of the play should be on the performance of the characters. If the actors are not properly presenting the uniqueness of these characters then the play will fall apart. This is not an inaccurate assessment nor would it be a flawed approach to directing. But, if casting and character examination were the only aspect of this play to be fleshed out then the approach would be single focused. This is because the very title of the play stresses that it takes place during the day and this would evoke the notion that the greater and brighter the lighting of the play the more potential for serious drama will be the result. While â€Å"playing† with lighting has often been employed as a strategy for evoking mood it is almost a clichà © of a clichà © that shadows are employed to create a certain mood. Then again, why would they not be? The use of shadows can often be employed to create a unique environment that can stress fear, confusion, foreboding, et al. With LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, however, this would be downright impossible. After all, how many shadows can you create during the day? Well, yes, there are a number of ways you could integrate shadows into a daylight scenario but this would not be my particular approach. Instead, I would prefer an approach where daylight literally â€Å"burns† non-stop through the proceedings. The reason for this is that such an approach would create a heighten sense of realism by pushing the character flaws of the cast to the  forefront. In other words, it becomes difficult to hide in broad daylight and this would be the approach taken to strip the characters somewhat bare. The cast of characters are literally â€Å"loaded† with flaws. There are alcoholics, drug addicts, the grievously ill, etc. Now, this is not to condemn the characters for their problems as much as it is to point out they are characters battling demons. The problems that these characters much contend with are very real. As such, there should be no attempt made to hide the characters flaws and that means a symbolic and literal light needs to be shined upon them. So, when there are scenes presented which are designed to highlight these flaws the scenes should be very brightly lit in the manner of shinning daylight. This will create make any masking of their problems difficult as it creates a subtext of the problems being out in the open. Again, this is not to say that the use of shadows and intermingling dark lighting into the proceedings will not work. Any attempt at manipulating the lighting in a motivated and effective manner has the potential to be successful. But, this would not be the approach I would intend to take when directing the play. As such, the use of shadows would be limited to as minimal as possible. To do otherwise would harm a major aspect of the play: it is intended to take place in daylight and to hide daylight through generic or uninspired lighting would undermine critical subtexts that make it a powerful work. Daylight brings the play and its themes into the â€Å"real world† and this concept is an important one. The play embraces the daylight and so should the play's director.   

Research Report Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Report - Research Paper Example But its first real passenger run was made on May 24th 1855, Queen Victoria's birthday, in itself significant of the period it represented. At the time, the transportation of merchandise was problematic, mostly because although explorers opened new ways throughout the land, the roads were built in a very rough way, with consequent increase in the time and cost of transportation, for both goods and people. This was, however, also the time in which railway expansion was being hailed as the best possible solution for fast and cost-effective transportation, a reliable alternative to those crudely made roads, something which held even more true in new territories such as Australia. Thoughts of a railway in New South Wales started as early as 1830s, but it was to take another 20 years for the dream to become a reality. The railway met with many problems, most conspicuously the cost of its making and the New South Wales Government had to take over in September 1855. The line opened officiall y on September 26th of that same year, although on that day another two engines run and not Locomotive 1. The line was then 14 miles long with five stops: Newtown, Ashfield, Burwood, Homebush and Parramatta. Over 3500 passengers were carried in that day, and the fact that they all dressed in their finest is witness to the importance of the event in the society of the time. With time lighter locomotives were designed for passenger transportation, while the heavier original ones remained in service for goods. By October 1859 the line had evolved to the point of having six trains per day during the week going to Paramatta, and the trip took 50 minutes to complete. Locomotive No. 1, the initiator of it all, run for 22 years of service and was withdrawn on March 15th 1877. Although it was at some point refitted with some parts from other engines, it is still the only surviving specimen of its kind. It seems also a kind of poetic justice that during its conservation process it was found t o include parts of locomotives 2, 3 and 4, as if in just he one engine all four of the original team somehow survived. The Victorian era was certainly concerned with progress and efficiency as witnessed by the Great Exhibition of 1851, showcasing the greatest inventions of the world at the time in the famous Crystal Palace. It was also the time for the Industrial Revolution and the consequent changes it brought socially. It is no wonder then, that in this Renaissance-like atmosphere the railway took such an important place in both industry and imagination alike, being a harbinger of power, speed, efficiency and comfort. Related designs: The first road steam engine was invented in 1801 by Robert Trevithick, a small vehicle that managed to take four men up the Camborne Hill in Cornwall. This was the beginning, with a newer and improved version he called the London Steam Carriage, which ran from Holborn to Paddington and back, a reproduction of the Puffing Devil but still uncomfortable for passengers and expensive to run. Here is a drawing of the London Steam Carriage: However, the locomotive's true ancestor can be said to be the Pen-y-Darren Locomotive, which became famous in 1804 for successfully pulling 10 tons of iron. This is a replica of Trevithick's railway locomotive hosted at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea. Trevithick's 1804 locomotive, full-scale replica 1) 2) Motivations and effect of the design: Although the study of steam as a source of power goes back