Freedom and Slavery in “Huckleberry Finn” Essay

â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†, by Mark Twain, is a classic American novel, considered by some to be the finest example of American literature. It follows Huck and Jim, a poor Southern white boy and a runaway slave, as they travel down the Mississippi River in a quest for freedom. Sometimes regarded as a simple children’s story, â€Å"Huckleberry Finn†, while still existing on that level, also has an abundance of symbolism and meaning that’s not immediately apparent. The novel contains ideas and observations that Twain felt were significant to the culture and the people he was writing to. The primary theme of the book (most appropriate considering the time period in which it was written) is the struggle between freedom and slavery. Huckleberry Finn experiences this struggle as the adults around him attempt to â€Å"sivilize† him and force him to conform to their ideas of appropriate behavior. Witnessing their hypocrisy, their interest in being SEEN as good respectable people over actually BEING good respectable people, Huck instinctively dismisses and rebels against their teachings. He resists being molded into something that’s pleasing to others but not himself, against becoming a slave to the person everyone else wants him to be, forever prevented from expressing who he truly is. Perhaps more literally, Jim also must struggle for freedom. A slave all his life, he becomes a runaway, forced to rely on a white boy whose attitudes and ideas have been molded all his life to view blacks as inferior. He’s struggling against society, which literally attempts to enslave him as someone whose only purpose is to serve his superiors (whites), whose life means nothing more than to serve as a piece of property. Both Jim and Huck fight for their own forms of freedom when all outside forces are trying to enslave them. Both merely want to be the masters of their own lives and persons, without external control. Not only is this concept a key theme in the novel, but in the South throughout it’s history.

Cyber Crime Narrative Report Essay

On the 23rd day of November at the Auditorium of Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology Main Campus Sumacab Este, Cabanatuan City, 4th year students of College of Information and Communication Technology held a seminar about Cyber Crime Law and Ethics for IT Professionals. At 12:00 o’clock noon, I and my classmates were met at the gate of the school. When they come all, simultaneously we went to the auditorium and sat in our seats. When the time comes where we start the seminar, Ma’am Ruth thought us a very simple action song. And after that Ma’am Ruth called Ma’am Gloria Alcantara to introduce our first speaker at our seminar. Our Speaker is also a product of our school Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, he was an Engineering student in their time, in his college life he received many awards, he is also a product of Nueva Ecija High School and as expected he received many awards like his college life. After he graduated in our School at he decide to be a Law Students At Aurollio University after that as expected he passed the bar examination, he was the legal consultant of Municipality of Laur and Municipalty of Gen. Natividad Nueva Ecija.His name is Engr. Atty. Bembol D. Castillo. Atty Bembol asked us many questions like â€Å" Pagkatapos nyo makagradute Saan Kayo pupunta? â€Å" and also he joked us and he said â€Å" Magiging manager po ako ng computer shop†. Many of us laughed when he said that, Then he still have many question to us, he told us â€Å" bkit Kayo nag IT bkit hindi nursing,?†. He also asked us â€Å" Sino gusto magturo? Sino gusto maging Teacher?. And lots of questions to follow. Atty Bembol also tells story about his life after he graduated in NUEST.after all of this question he start to discuss our topic about Cyber Crime Law. This is the first law in the Philippines which specifically criminalizes computer crime, which prior to the passage of the law had no strong legal precedent in Philippine jurisprudence. The Act, divided into 31 sections split across eight chapters, criminalizes several types of offenses, including illegal access hacking, data interference, device misuse, cyber squatting, computer-related offenses such as computer fraud, content-related offenses such as cybersex and spam, and other offenses. The law also reaffirms existing laws against child pornography, an offense under Republic Act No. 9779 the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, and libel, an offense under Section 355 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines, also criminalizing them when committed using a computer system. Finally, the Act provides for a â€Å"catch-all† clause, wherein all offenses currently punishable under the Revised Penal Code are likewise punishable under the Act when committed using a computer, with corresponding stricter penalties than if the crimes were punishable under the Revised Penal Code alone. The Act has universal jurisdiction: its provisions apply to all Filipino nationals regardless of the place of commission. Jurisdiction also lies when a punishable act is either committed within the Philippines, whether the erring device is wholly or partly situated in the Philippines, or whether damage was done to any natural or juridical person who at the time of commission was within the Philippines. Regional Trial Courts shall have jurisdiction over cases involving violations of the Act. A takedown clause is included in the Act, empowering the Department of Justice to restrict and/or demand the removal of content found to be contrary to the provisions of the Act, without the need for a court order. This provision, originally not included in earlier iterations of the Act as it was being deliberated through Congress, was inserted during Senate deliberations on May 31, 2012.[4]Complementary to the takedown clause is a clause mandating the retention of data on computer servers for six months after the date of transaction, which may be extended for another six months should law enforcement authorities request it. The Act also mandates the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Na,tional Police to organize a cybercrime unit, staffed by special investigators whose responsibility will be to exclusively handle cases pertaining to violations of the Act, under the supervision of the Department of Justice. The unit is empowered to, among others, collect real-time traffic data from Internet service providers with due cause, require the disclosure of computer data within 72 hours after receipt of a court warrant from a service provider, and conduct searches and seizures of computer data and equipment. It also mandates the establishment of special â€Å"cybercrime courts† which will handle cases involving cybercrime offenses, Atty Bembol explained more about Cyber Crime Law, the Preliminary Provision, Declaration of Policy (The State recognizes the vital role of information and communications industries such as content production, telecommunications, broadcasting electronic commerce , and data processing, in the nation’s overall social and economic development. The State also recognizes the importance of providing an environment conducive to the development, acceleration, and rational application and exploitation of information and communications technology (ICT) to attain free, easy, and intelligible access to exchange and/or delivery of information; and the need to protect and safeguard the integrity of computer, computer and communications systems, networks, and databases, and the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and data stored therein, from all forms of misuse, abuse, and illegal access by making punishable under the law such conduct or conducts. In this light, the State shall adopt sufficient powers to effectively prevent and combat such offenses by facilitating their detection, investigation, and prosecution at both the domestic and international levels, and by providing arrangements for fast and reliable international cooperation.) Punishable Acts, the Cyber Crime Offenses (Offenses against the confidentia lity, integrity and availability of computer data and systems) this contains Illegal Access, Illegal Interception, Data Interference, System Interference, Misuse of Devices, Cyber-squatting. He discusses also Computer-related Forgery, Computer-related Fraud, and Computer-related Identity Theft. Content-related Offenses like Cybersex. The willful engagement, maintenance, control, or operation, directly or indirectly, of any lascivious exhibition of sexual organs or sexual activity, with the aid of a computer system, for favor or consideration. Child Pornography. The unlawful or prohibited acts defined and punishable by Republic Act No. 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, committed through a computer system: Provided, that the penalty to be imposed shall be one degree higher than that provided for in Republic Act No. 9775. Unsolicited Commercial Communications. The transmission of commercial electronic communication with the use of computer system which seeks to advertise, sells, or offer for sale products and services are prohibited unless. Libel. The unlawful or prohibited acts of libel as defined in Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended, committe d through a computer system or any other similar means which may be devised in the future. He also discusses Penalties, Enforcement and Implementation, Law Enforcement Authorities, Duties of Law Enforcement Authorities, Real-Time Collection of Traffic Data, Preservation of Computer Data, Disclosure of Computer Data, Search, Seizure and Examination of Computer Data, Jurisdiction, Competent Authorities, Department of Justice (DOJ), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, Composition, Powers and Functions. After explaining those things about Cyber Crime, I learned much about this law, and even deploy my mind to understand the things that bother my mind about cyber crime law. In my opinion, it is for the good of everybody that social media will now be controlled. All of us will be protected and once bullied; we have justice within our reach. All of us, especially the teenagers among us, will learn how to handle and regulate their postings, comments and tweets. We still can comment anything in the social media, but the law now prompts us to first ask ourselves whether or not our post will hurt people before clicking it into the Internet world. And after that discussion I realized that the cybercrime law does not curtail our freedom of expression or any of our rights, it teaches us how to be well-disciplined and how to respect other people’s privacy and rights.after the discussion some students in other section asked their question to atty bembol and their question as expected was answered by Atty Bembol very well. And lots of question cannot answered because the time is out, but Atty Bembol Said That he answered those question in out of the seminar.and When the forum was ended Prof.Lourdes Soro our dean give a plaque to atty. Bembol, they take some photos as a remembrance maybe. When Atty Bembol Castillo ended his Discussion and after some picture taking ma’am sally sison introduced our next speaker Dr. Emmanuel S. San Juan, he is also a product of our School and just like atty Bembol in his high school and college days he received many awards, he is a good professor of many schools and universities in our province. He is a administrator of the municipality of gen.mamerto natividad,he said that he is a good friend of Atty. Bembol, and in Ethics for IT Professional is our second topic for our afternoon seminar,Dr. San Juan is a great and exciting speaker, you will not be bored he speaks because he is a witty, often laugh and he really say he’s funny but really much you can learn.he taught us how to be a good person, He taught us to be good employees if we can work, he often jokes about the story of his students, the group of sir Cerin, he tells many inspiring story to us. While the discussion continues, our snacks had come, and even other students was disappointed because the snacks was late they not too lose their attention they are told by Dr. San Juan, while we eat our snacks Dr. San Juan continue inspiring us and told us many inspiring Story. And he discusses to us the different good habit that we should remember when we are employed. Dr. San Juan also tell story about his problem that he had in the first day of our seminar, and he thanks god because his future problem was solve after he go to Pampanga after the first batch of seminar that he was able to speak and share some inspiring stories to other fourth year students of NEUST. After Dr San Juan Speaks to us, similar happened after Atty. Bembol Castillo Speak to us there will be a Short forum where some of students asked question to Dr. San Juan and also like Atty Bembol, he answered those question very well. And after that Prof.Lourdes Soro our dean give a plaque to Dr. Emmanuel San Juan and they take some photos as remembrance, and ma’am ruth asked us to take some picture to our speaker. And the seminar was ended, end we went home with full of inspiration and knowledge about Cyber Crime Law and Ethics for IT Professional†¦

Chapter 11 The Firebolt

Harry didn't have a very clear idea of how he had managed to get back into the Honeydukes cellar, through the tunnel, and into the castle once more. All he knew was that the return trip seemed to take no time at all, and that he hardly noticed what he was doing, because his head was still pounding with the conversation he had just heard. Why had nobody ever told him? Dumbledore, Hagrid, Mr. Weasley, Cornelius Fudge†¦why hadn't anyone ever mentioned the fact that Harry's parents had died because their best friend had betrayed them? Ron and Hermione watched Harry nervously all through dinner, not daring to talk about what they'd overheard, because Percy was sitting close by them. When they went upstairs to the crowded common room, it was to find Fred and George had set off half a dozen Dungbombs in a fit of end-of-term high spirits. Harry, who didn't want Fred and George asking him whether he'd reached Hogsmeade or not, sneaked quietly up to the empty dormitory and headed straight for his bedside cabinet. He pushed his books aside and quickly found what he was looking for — the leather-bound photo album Hagrid had given him two years ago, which was full of wizard pictures of his mother and father. He sat down on his bed, drew the hangings around him, and started turning the pages, searching, until †¦ He stopped on a picture of his parents' wedding day. There was his father waving up at him, beaming, the untidy black hair Harry had inherited standing up in all directions. There was his mother, alight with happiness, arm in arm with his dad. And there†¦that must be him. Their best man†¦Harry had never given him a thought before. If he hadn't known it was the same person, he would never have guessed it was Black in this old photograph. His face wasn't sunken and waxy, but handsome, full of laughter. Had he already been working for Voldemort when this picture had been taken? Was he already planning the deaths of the two people next to him? Did he realize he was facing twelve years in Azkaban, twelve years that would make him unrecognizable? But the Dementors don't affect him, Harry thought, staring into the handsome, laughing face. He doesn't have to hear my Mum screaming if they get too close — Harry slammed the album shut, reached over and stuffed it back into his cabinet, took off his robe and glasses and got into bed, making sure the hangings were hiding him from view. The dormitory door opened. â€Å"Harry?† said Ron's voice uncertainly. But Harry lay still, pretending to be asleep. He heard Ron leave again, and rolled over on his back, his eyes wide open. A hatred such as he had never known before was coursing through Harry like poison. He could see Black laughing at him through the darkness, as though somebody had pasted the picture from the album over his eyes. He watched, as though somebody was playing him a piece of film, Sirius Black blasting Peter Pettigrew (who resembled Neville Longbottom) into a thousand pieces. He could hear (though having no idea what Black's voice might sound like) a low, excited mutter. â€Å"It has happened, My Lord†¦the Potters have made me their Secret-Keeper† and then came another voice, laughing shrilly, the same laugh that Harry heard inside his head whenever the Dementors drew near†¦. â€Å"Harry, you — you look terrible.† Harry hadn't gotten to sleep until daybreak. He had awoken to find the dormitory deserted, dressed, and gone down the spiral staircase to a common room that was completely empty except for Ron, who was eating a Peppermint Toad and massaging his stomach, and Hermione, who had spread her homework over three tables. â€Å"Where is everyone?† said Harry. â€Å"Gone! It's the first day of the holidays, remember?† said Ron, watching Harry closely. â€Å"It's nearly lunchtime; I was going to come and wake you up in a minute.† Harry slumped into a chair next to the fire. Snow was still falling outside the windows. Crookshanks was spread out in front of the fire like a large, ginger rug. â€Å"You really don't look well, you know,† Hermione said, peering anxiously into his face. â€Å"I'm fine,† said Harry. â€Å"Harry, listen,† said Hermione, exchanging a look with Ron, â€Å"you must be really upset about what we heard yesterday. But the thing is, you mustn't go doing anything stupid.† â€Å"Like what?† said Harry. â€Å"Like trying to go after Black,† said Ron sharply. Harry could tell they had rehearsed this conversation while he had been asleep. He didn't say anything. â€Å"You won't, will you, Harry?† said Hermione. â€Å"Because Black's not worth dying for,† said Ron. Harry looked at them. They didn't seem to understand at all. â€Å"D'you know what I see and hear every time a Dementor gets too near me?† Ron and Hermione shook their heads, looking apprehensive. â€Å"I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her –â€Å" â€Å"There's nothing you can do!† said Hermione, looking stricken. â€Å"The Dementors will catch Black and he'll go back to Azkaban and — and serve him right!† â€Å"You heard what Fudge said. Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal people are. It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others.† â€Å"So what are you saying?† said Ron, looking very tense. â€Å"You want to — to kill Black or something?† â€Å"Don't be silly,† said Hermione in a panicky voice. â€Å"Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, do you, Harry?† Again, Harry didn't answer. He didn't know what he wanted to do. All he knew was that the idea of doing nothing, while Black was at liberty, was almost more than he could stand. â€Å"Malfoy knows,† he said abruptly. â€Å"Remember what he said to me in Potions? ‘If it was me, I'd hunt him down myself†¦I'd want revenge.'† â€Å"You're going to take Malfoy's advice instead of ours?† said Ron furiously. â€Å"Listen†¦you know what Pettigrew's mother got back after Black had finished with him? Dad told me — the Order of Merlin, First Class, and Pettigrew's finger in a box. That was the biggest bit of him they could find. Black's a madman, Harry, and he's dangerous –â€Å" â€Å"Malfoy's dad must have told him,† said Harry, ignoring Ron. â€Å"He was right in Voldemort's inner circle –â€Å" â€Å"Say You-Know-Who, will you?† interjected Ron angrily. â€Å"– so obviously, the Malfoys knew Black was working for Voldemort –â€Å" â€Å"– and Malfoy'd love to see you blown into about a million pieces, like Pettigrew! Get a grip. Malfoy's just hoping you'll get yourself killed before he has to play you at Quidditch.† â€Å"Harry, please,† said Hermione, her eyes now shining with tears, â€Å"Please be sensible. Black did a terrible, terrible thing, but d-don't put yourself in danger, it's what Black wants†¦Oh, Harry, you'd be playing right into Black's hands if you went looking for him. Your mum and dad wouldn't want you to get hurt, would they? They'd never want you to go looking for Black!† â€Å"I'll never know what they'd have wanted, because thanks to Black, I've never spoken to them,† said Harry shortly. There was a silence in which Crookshanks stretched luxuriously flexing his claws. Ron's pocket quivered. â€Å"Look,† said Ron, obviously casting around for a change of subject, â€Å"it's the holidays! It's nearly Christmas! Let's — let's go down and see Hagrid. We haven't visited him for ages!† â€Å"No!† said Hermione quickly. â€Å"Harry isn't supposed to leave the castle, Ron –â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, let's go,† said Harry, sitting up, â€Å"and I can ask him how come he never mentioned Black when he told me all about my parents!† Further discussion of Sirius Black plainly wasn't what Ron had had in mind. â€Å"Or we could have a game of chess,† he said hastily, â€Å"or Gobstones. Percy left a set –â€Å" â€Å"No, let's visit Hagrid,† said Harry firmly. So they got their cloaks from their dormitories and set off through the portrait hole (â€Å"Stand and fight, you yellow-bellied mongrels!†), down through the empty castle and out through the oak front doors. They made their way slowly down the lawn, making a shallow trench in the glittering, powdery snow, their socks and the hems of their cloaks soaked and freezing. The Forbidden Forest looked as though it had been enchanted, each tree smattered with silver, and Hagrid's cabin looked like an iced cake. Ron knocked, but there was no answer. â€Å"He's not out, is he?† said Hermione, who was shivering under her cloak. Ron had his ear to the door. â€Å"There's a weird noise,† he said. â€Å"Listen — is that Fang?† Harry and Hermione put their ears to the door too. From inside the cabin came a series of low, throbbing moans. â€Å"Think we'd better go and get someone?† said Ron nervously. â€Å"Hagrid!† called Harry, thumping the door. â€Å"Hagrid, are you in there?† There was a sound of heavy footsteps, then the door creaked open. Hagrid stood there with his eyes red and swollen, tears splashing down the front of his leather vest. â€Å"You've heard?† he bellowed, and he flung himself onto Harry's neck. Hagrid being at least twice the size of a normal man, this was no laughing matter. Harry, about to collapse under Hagrid's weight, was rescued by Ron and Hermione, who each seized Hagrid under an arm and heaved him back into the cabin. Hagrid allowed himself to be steered into a chair and slumped over the table, sobbing uncontrollably, his face glazed with tears that dripped down into his tangled beard. â€Å"Hagrid, what is it?† said Hermione, aghast. Harry spotted an official-looking letter lying open on the table. â€Å"What's this, Hagrid?† Hagrid's sobs redoubled, but he shoved the letter toward Harry, who picked it up and read aloud: Dear Mr. Hagrid, Further to our inquiry into the attack by a Hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident. â€Å"Well, that's okay then, Hagrid!† said Ron, clapping Hagrid on the shoulder. But Hagrid continued to sob, and waved one of his gigantic hands, inviting Harry to read on. However, we must register our concern about the Hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your Hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the Hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated. Yours in fellowship †¦ There followed a list of the school governors. â€Å"Oh,† said Ron. â€Å"But you said Buckbeak isn't a bad Hippogriff, Hagrid. I bet he'll get off.† â€Å"Yeh don' know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!† choked Hagrid, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. â€Å"They've got it in fer interestin' creatures!† A sudden sound from the corner of Hagrid's cabin made Harry, Ron, and Hermione whip around. Buckbeak the Hippogriff was lying in the corner, chomping on something that was oozing blood all over the floor. â€Å"I couldn' leave him tied up out there in the snow!† choked Hagrid. â€Å"All on his own! At Christmas.† Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another. They had never seen eye to eye with Hagrid about what he called ‘interesting creatures' and other people called ‘terrifying monsters.' On the other hand, there didn't seem to be any particular harm in Buckbeak. In fact, by Hagrid's usual standards, he was positively cute. â€Å"You'll have to put up a good strong defense, Hagrid,† said Hermione, sitting down and laying a hand on Hagrid's massive forearm. â€Å"I'm sure you can prove Buckbeak is safe.† â€Å"Won' make no diff'rence!† sobbed Hagrid. â€Å"Them Disposal devils, they're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him! Ad if I lose the case, Buckbeak –â€Å" Hagrid drew his finger swiftly across his throat, then gave a great wail and lurched forward, his face in his arms. â€Å"What about Dumbledore, Hagrid?† said Harry. â€Å"He's done more'n enough fer me already,† groaned Hagrid. â€Å"Got enough on his plate what with keepin' them Dementors outta the castle, an' Sirius Black lurkin' around.† Ron and Hermione looked quickly at Harry, as though expecting him to start berating Hagrid for not telling him the truth about Black. But Harry couldn't bring himself to do it, not now that he saw Hagrid so miserable and scared. â€Å"Listen, Hagrid,† he said, â€Å"you can't give up. Hermione's right, You just need a good defense. You can call us as witnesses –â€Å" â€Å"I'm sure I've read about a case of Hippogriff-baiting,† said Hermione thoughtfully, â€Å"where the Hippogriff got off. I'll look it up for you, Hagrid, and see exactly what happened.† Hagrid howled still more loudly. Harry and Hermione looked at Ron to help them. â€Å"Er — shall I make a cup of tea?† said Ron. Harry stared at him. â€Å"It's what my mum does whenever someone's upset,† Ron muttered, shrugging. At last, after many more assurances of help, with a steaming mug of tea in front of him, Hagrid blew his nose on a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth and said, â€Å"Yer right. I can' afford to go ter pieces. Gotta pull meself together†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Fang the boarhound came timidly out from under the table and laid his head on Hagrid's knee. â€Å"I've not bin meself lately,† said Hagrid, stroking Fang with one hand and mopping his face with the other. â€Å"Worried abou' Buckbeak, an' no one likin' me classes –â€Å" â€Å"We do like them!† lied Hermione at once. â€Å"Yeah, they're great!† said Ron, crossing his fingers under the table. â€Å"Er — how are the flobberworms?† â€Å"Dead,† said Hagrid gloomily. â€Å"Too much lettuce.† â€Å"Oh no!† said Ron, his lip twitching. â€Å"An' them Dementors make me feel ruddy terrible an' all,† said Hagrid, with a sudden shudder. â€Å"Gotta walk past 'em ev'ry time I want a drink in the Three Broomsticks. ‘S like bein' back in Azkaban –â€Å" He fell silent, gulping his tea. Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched him breathlessly. They had never heard Hagrid talk about his brief spell in Azkaban before. After a pause, Hermione said timidly, â€Å"Is it awful in there, Hagrid?† â€Å"Yeh've no idea,† said Hagrid quietly. â€Å"Never bin anywhere like it. Thought I was goin' mad. Kep' goin' over horrible stuff in me mind†¦the day I got expelled from Hogwarts†¦day me dad died†¦day I had ter let Norbert go †¦Ã¢â‚¬  His eyes filled with tears. Norbert was the baby dragon Hagrid had once won in a game of cards. â€Å"Yeh can' really remember who yeh are after a while. An' yeh can' really see the point o' livin' at all. I used ter hope I'd jus' die in me sleep. When they let me out, it was like bein' born again, ev'rythin' came floodin' back, it was the bes' feelin' in the world. Mind, the Dementors weren't keen on lettin' me go.† â€Å"But you were innocent!† said Hermione. Hagrid snorted. â€Å"Think that matters to them? They don' care. Long as they've got a couple o' hundred humans stuck there with 'em, so they can leech all the happiness out of 'em, they don' give a damn who's guilty an' who's not.† Hagrid went quiet for a moment, staring into his tea. Then he said quietly, â€Å"Thought o' jus' letting Buckbeak go †¦tryin' ter make him fly away†¦but how d'yeh explain ter a Hippogriff it's gotta go inter hidin'? An' — an' I'm scared o' breakin' the law†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He looked up at them, tears leaking down his face again. â€Å"I don' ever want ter go back ter Azkaban.† ****** The trip to Hagrid's, though far from fun, had nevertheless had the effect Ron and Hermione had hoped. Though Harry had by no means forgotten about Black, he couldn't brood constantly on revenge if he wanted to help Hagrid win his case against the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. He, Ron, and Hermione went to the library the next day and returned to the empty common room laden with books that might help prepare a defense for Buckbeak. The three of them sat in front of the roaring fire, slowly turning the pages of dusty volumes about famous cases of marauding beasts, speaking occasionally when they ran across something relevant. â€Å"Here's something†¦there was a case in 1722†¦but the Hippogriff was convicted — ugh, look what they did to it, that's disgusting –â€Å" â€Å"This might help, look — a Manticore savaged someone in 1296, and they let the Manticore off — oh — no, that was only because everyone was too scared to go near it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Meanwhile, in the rest of the castle, the usual magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, despite the fact that hardly any of the students remained to enjoy them. Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with its usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors, and by Christmas Eve, it had grown so strong that even Scabbers poked his nose out of the shelter of Ron's pocket to sniff hopefully at the air. On Christmas morning, Harry was woken by Ron throwing his pillow at him. â€Å"Oy! Presents!† Harry reached for his glasses and put them on, squinting through the semi-darkness to the foot of his bed, where a small heap of parcels had appeared. Ron was already ripping the paper off his own presents. â€Å"Another sweater from Mum†¦maroon again†¦see if you've got one.† Harry had. Mrs. Weasley had sent him a scarlet sweater with the Gryffindor lion knitted on the front, also a dozen home-baked mince pies, some Christmas cake, and a box of nut brittle. As he moved all these things aside, he saw a long, thin package lying underneath. â€Å"What's that?† said Ron, looking over, a freshly unwrapped pair of maroon socks in his hand. â€Å"Dunno†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry ripped the parcel open and gasped as a magnificent, gleaming broomstick rolled out onto his bedspread. Ron dropped his socks and jumped off his bed for a closer look. â€Å"I don't believe it,† he said hoarsely. It was a Firebolt, identical to the dream broom Harry had gone to see every day in Diagon Alley. Its handle glittered as he picked it up. He could feel it vibrating and let go; it hung in midair, unsupported, at exactly the right height for him to mount it. His eyes moved from the golden registration number at the top of the handle, right down to the perfectly smooth, streamlined birch twigs that made up the tail. â€Å"Who sent it to you?† said Ron in a hushed voice. â€Å"Look and see if there's a card,† said Harry. Ron ripped apart the Firebolt's wrappings. â€Å"Nothing! Blimey, who'd spend that much on you?† â€Å"Well,† said Harry, feeling stunned, â€Å"I'm betting it wasn't the Dursleys.† â€Å"I bet it was Dumbledore,† said Ron, now walking around and around the Firebolt, taking in every glorious inch. â€Å"He sent you the Invisibility Cloak anonymously†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"That was my dad's, though,† said Harry. â€Å"Dumbledore was just passing it on to me. He wouldn't spend hundreds of Galleons on me. He can't go giving students stuff like this –â€Å" â€Å"That's why he wouldn't say it was from him!† said Ron. â€Å"In case some git like Malfoy said it was favoritism. Hey, Harry –† Ron gave a great whoop of laughter — â€Å"Malfoy! Wait 'til he sees you on this! He'll be sick as a pig! This is an international standard broom, this is!† â€Å"I can't believe this,† Harry muttered, running a hand along the Firebolt, while Ron sank onto Harry's bed, laughing his head off at the thought of Malfoy. â€Å"Who–?† â€Å"I know,† said Ron, controlling himself, â€Å"I know who it could've been — Lupin!† â€Å"What?† said Harry, now starting to laugh himself â€Å"Lupin? Listen, if he had this much gold, he'd be able to buy himself some new robes.† â€Å"Yeah, but he likes you,† said Ron. â€Å"And he was away when your Nimbus got smashed, and he might've heard about it and decided to visit Diagon Alley and get this for you –â€Å" â€Å"What d'you mean, he was away?† said Harry. â€Å"He was ill when I was playing in that match.† â€Å"Well, he wasn't in the hospital wing,† said Ron. â€Å"I was there, cleaning out the bedpans on that detention from Snape, remember?† Harry frowned at Ron. â€Å"I can't see Lupin affording something like this.† â€Å"What're you two laughing about?† Hermione had just come in, wearing her dressing gown and carrying Crookshanks, who was looking very grumpy, with a string of tinsel tied around his neck. â€Å"Don't bring him in here!† said Ron, hurriedly snatching Scabbers from the depths of his bed and stowing him in his pajama pocket. But Hermione wasn't listening. She dropped Crookshanks onto Seamus's empty bed and stared, open-mouthed, at the Firebolt. â€Å"Oh, Harry! Who sent you that?† â€Å"No idea,† said Harry. â€Å"There wasn't a card or anything with it.† To his great surprise, Hermione did not appear either excited or intrigued by the news. On the contrary, her face fell, and she bit her lip. â€Å"What's the matter with you?† said Ron. â€Å"I don't know,† said Hermione slowly, â€Å"but it's a bit odd, isn't it? I mean, this is supposed to be quite a good broom, isn't it?† Ron sighed exasperatedly. â€Å"It's the best broom there is, Hermione,† he said. â€Å"So it must've been really expensive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Probably cost more than all the Slytherins' brooms put together,† said Ron happily. â€Å"Well†¦who'd send Harry something as expensive as that, and not even tell him they'd sent it?† said Hermione. â€Å"Who cares?† said Ron impatiently. â€Å"Listen, Harry, can I have a go on it? Can I?† â€Å"I don't think anyone should ride that broom just yet!† said Hermione shrilly. Harry and Ron looked at her. â€Å"What d'you think Harry's going to do with it — sweep the floor?† said Ron. But before Hermione could answer, Crookshanks sprang from Seamus's bed, right at Ron's chest. â€Å"GET — HIM — OUT — OF — HERE!† Ron bellowed as Crookshanks's claws ripped his pajamas and Scabbers attempted a wild escape over his shoulder. Ron seized Scabbers by the tail and aimed a misjudged kick at Crookshanks that hit the trunk at the end of Harry's bed, knocking it over and causing Ron to hop up and down, howling with pain. Crookshanks's fur suddenly stood on end. A shrill, tinny, whistling was filling the room. The Pocket Sneakoscope had become dislodged from Uncle Vernon's old socks and was whirling and gleaming on the floor. â€Å"I forgot about that!† Harry said, bending down and picking up the Sneakoscope. â€Å"I never wear those socks if I can help it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Sneakoscope whirled and whistled in his palm. Crookshanks was hissing and spitting at it. â€Å"You'd better take that cat out of here, Hermione,† said Ron furiously, sitting on Harry's bed nursing his toe. â€Å"Can't you shut that thing up?† he added to Harry as Hermione strode out of the room, Crookshanks's yellow eyes still fixed maliciously on Ron. Harry stuffed the Sneakoscope back inside the socks and threw it back into his trunk. All that could be heard now were Ron's stifled moans of pain and rage. Scabbers was huddled in Ron's hands. It had been a while since Harry had seen him out of Ron's pocket, and he was unpleasantly surprised to see that Scabbers, once so fat, was now very skinny; patches of fur seemed to have fallen out too. â€Å"He's not looking too good, is he?† Harry said. â€Å"It's stress!† said Ron. â€Å"He'd be fine if that big stupid furball left him alone!† But Harry, remembering what the woman at the Magical Menagerie had said about rats living only three years, couldn't help feeling that unless Scabbers had powers he had never revealed, he was reaching the end of his life. And despite Ron's frequent complaints that Scabbers was both boring and useless, he was sure Ron would be very miserable if Scabbers died. Christmas spirit was definitely thin on the ground in the Gryffindor common room that morning. Hermione had shut Crookshanks in her dormitory, but was furious with Ron for trying to kick him; Ron was still fuming about Crookshanks's fresh attempt to eat Scabbers. Harry gave up trying to make them talk to each other and devoted himself to examining the Firebolt, which he had brought down to the common room with him. For some reason this seemed to annoy Hermione as well; she didn't say anything, but she kept looking darkly at the broom as though it too had been criticizing her cat. At lunchtime they went down to the Great Hall, to find that the House tables had been moved against the walls again, and that a single table, set for twelve, stood in the middle of the room. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick were there, along with Filch, the caretaker, who had taken off his usual brown coat and was wearing a very old and rather moldy-looking tailcoat. There were only three other students, two extremely nervous-looking first years and a sullen-faced Slytherin fifth year. â€Å"Merry Christmas!† said Dumbledore as Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached the table. â€Å"As there are so few of us, it seemed foolish to use the House tables†¦Sit down, sit down!† Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down side by side at the end of the table. â€Å"Crackers!† said Dumbledore enthusiastically, offering the end of a large silver noisemaker to Snape, who took it reluctantly and tugged. With a bang like a gunshot, the cracker flew apart to reveal a large, pointed witches hat topped with a stuffed vulture. Harry, remembering the Boggart, caught Ron's eye and they both grinned; Snape's mouth thinned and he pushed the hat toward Dumbledore, who swapped it for his wizard's hat at once. â€Å"Dig in!† he advised the table, beaming around. As Harry was helping himself to roast potatoes, the doors of the Great Hall opened again. It was Professor Trelawney, gliding toward them as though on wheels. She had put on a green sequined dress in honor of the occasion, making her look more than ever like a glittering, oversized dragonfly. â€Å"Sibyll, this is a pleasant surprise!† said Dumbledore, standing up. â€Å"I have been crystal gazing, Headmaster,† said Professor Trelawney in her mistiest, most faraway voice, â€Å"and to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings of fate? I at once hastened from my tower, and I do beg you to forgive my lateness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Certainly, certainly,† said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. â€Å"Let me draw you up a chair –â€Å" And he did indeed draw a chair in midair with his wand, which revolved for a few seconds before falling with a thud between Professors Snape and McGonagall. Professor Trelawney, however, did not sit down; her enormous eyes had been roving around the table, and she suddenly uttered a kind of soft scream. â€Å"I dare not, Headmaster! If I join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die!† â€Å"We'll risk it, Sibyll,† said Professor McGonagall impatiently. â€Å"Do sit down, the turkey's getting stone cold.† Professor Trelawney hesitated, then lowered herself into the empty chair, eyes shut and mouth clenched tight, as though expecting a thunderbolt to hit the table. Professor McGonagall poked a large spoon into the nearest tureen. â€Å"Tripe, Sibyll?† Professor Trelawney ignored her. Eyes open again, she looked around once more and said, â€Å"But where is dear Professor Lupin?† â€Å"I'm afraid the poor fellow is ill again,† said Dumbledore, indicating that everybody should start serving themselves. â€Å"Most unfortunate that it should happen on Christmas Day.† â€Å"But surely you already knew that, Sibyll?† said Professor McGonagall, her eyebrows raised. Professor Trelawney gave Professor McGonagall a very cold look. â€Å"Certainly I knew, Minerva,† she said quietly. â€Å"But one does not parade the fact that one is All-Knowing. I frequently act as though I am not possessed of the Inner Eye, so as not to make others nervous.† â€Å"That explains a great deal,† said Professor McGonagall tartly. Professor Trelawney's voice suddenly became a good deal less misty. â€Å"If you must know, Minerva, I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware, himself, that his time is short. He positively fled when I offered to crystal gaze for him –â€Å" â€Å"Imagine that,† said Professor McGonagall dryly. â€Å"I doubt,† said Dumbledore, in a cheerful but slightly raised voice, which put an end to Professor McGonagall and Professor Trelawney's conversation, â€Å"that Professor Lupin is in any immediate danger. Severus, you've made the potion for him again?† â€Å"Yes, Headmaster,† said Snape. â€Å"Good,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"Then he should be up and about in no time†¦Derek, have you had any of the chipolatas? They're excellent.† The first-year boy went furiously red on being addressed directly by Dumbledore, and took the platter of sausages with trembling hands. Professor Trelawney behaved almost normally until the very end of Christmas dinner, two hours later. Full to bursting with Christmas dinner and still wearing their cracker hats, Harry and Ron got up first from the table and she shrieked loudly. â€Å"My dears! Which of you left his seat first? Which?† â€Å"Dunno,† said Ron, looking uneasily at Harry. â€Å"I doubt it will make much difference,† said Professor McGonagall coldly, â€Å"unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the Entrance Hall.† Even Ron laughed. Professor Trelawney looked highly affronted. â€Å"Coming?† Harry said to Hermione. â€Å"No,† Hermione muttered. â€Å"I want a quick word with Professor McGonagall.† â€Å"Probably trying to see if she can take any more classes,† yawned Ron as they make their way into the Entrance Hall, which was completely devoid of mad axe-men. When they reached the portrait hole they found Sir Cadogan enjoying a Christmas part with a couple of monks, several previous headmasters of Hogwarts and his fat pony. He pushed up his visor toasted them with a flagon of mead. â€Å"Merry — hic — Christmas! Password?† â€Å"Scurvy cur,† said Ron. â€Å"And the same to you, sir! roared Sir Cadogan, as the painting swung forward to admit them. Harry went straight up to the dormitory, collected his Firebolt and the Broomstick Servicing Kit Hermione had given him for his birthday, brought them downstairs and tried to find something to do with the Firebolt; however, there where no bent twigs to clip, and the handle was so shiny already it seemed pointless to polish it. He and Ron simply sat admiring it from every angle, until the portrait hole opened, and Hermione came in, accompanied by Professor McGonagall. Though Professor McGonagall was Head of Gryffindor House, Harry had only seen her in the common room once before, and that had been to make a very grave announcement. He and Ron stared at her, both holding the Firebolt. Hermione walked around them, sat down, picked up the nearest book and hid her face behind it. â€Å"So that's it, is it?† said Professor McGonagall beadily, walking over to the fireside and staring at the Firebolt. â€Å"Miss Granger has just informed me that you have been sent a broomstick, Potter.† Harry and Ron looked around at Hermione. They could see her forehead reddening over the top of her book, which was upside-down. â€Å"May I?† said Professor McGonagall, but she didn't wait for an answer before pulling the Firebolt out of their hands. She examined it carefully from handle to twig-ends. â€Å"Hmm. And there was no note at all, Potter? No card? No message of any kind?† â€Å"No,† said Harry blankly. â€Å"I see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"Well, I'm afraid I will have to take this, Potter.† â€Å"W — what?† said Harry, scrambling to his feet. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"It will need to be checked for jinxes,† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"Of course, I'm no expert, but I daresay Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will strip it down –â€Å" â€Å"Strip it down?† repeated Ron, as though Professor McGonagall was mad. â€Å"It shouldn't take more than a few weeks,† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"You will have it back if we are sure it is jinx-free.† â€Å"There's nothing wrong with it!† said Harry, his voice shaking slightly. â€Å"Honestly, Professor –â€Å" â€Å"You can't know that, Potter,† said Professor McGonagall, quite kindly, â€Å"not until you've flown it, at any rate, and I'm afraid that is out of the question until we are certain that it has not been tampered with. I shall keep you informed.† Professor McGonagall turned on her heel and carried the Firebolt out of the portrait hole, which closed behind her. Harry stood staring after her, the tin of High-Finish Polish still clutched in his hands. Ron, however, rounded on Hermione. â€Å"What did you go running to McGonagall for?† Hermione threw her book aside. She was still pink in the face, but stood up and faced Ron defiantly. â€Å"Because I thought — and Professor McGonagall agrees with me — that that broom was probably sent to Harry by Sirius Black!†

The Enlightenment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Enlightenment - Essay Example With the development of scientific societies and academies, there has been considerable progression in science which has aided the contemporary world. Furthermore, the popularity of science increased in the educated population. People became aware of the philosophies, knowledge and theories. There were advancements in terms of medicine, physics and mathematics which have extended till now and ministered to the advent of various technologies today that were once only seen as a far sighted notion. There had been advancements in the fields of electronics, chemistry which then evolved into modern chemistry. Enlightenment science paved ways for rationality and empiricism. Enlightenment ideas educated people all over Europe. It also spread the knowledge of art and literature which changed the styles into more ‘neo-classical’ themes. However, there was some criticism that argued that the development of science made man secluded from nature and it contributed to unhappiness in m ankind. The era of enlightenment and its impacts on science are very vast. The enlightenment was a stepping stone between the medieval world and the world we live in today. Many institutions were developed and more importantly, the mindset of the people was changed. The age of enlightenment focused on the power of reason and the attainability of the Truth. (Mulder) Works Cited Mulder, H.

Critical Discussion Papers 6088 Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Critical Discussion Papers 6088 - Dissertation Example Second, this type of learning approach is also modifiable, as it can be augmented by both sophisticated (photonic wands) and simple (drawings and pictures) communicative supports, allowing a differentiated learning experience based on the initial individual abilities of the students. In addition, this approach is apt for heterogeneous classes, which is usually the case, because they provide high quantity and quality communicative interactions. In the study of Arthur-Kelly et al. (2008) observing classes with disabled students, spontaneous interactive communication in heterogeneous classes occurred 17% of the time, as opposed to 4% in special classes composed of disabled students only. It was likewise observed that communication among disabled students and peers without disability is the best social forum for simple communication tasks such as turn-taking, greeting and requesting. However, as Arthur-Kelly et al. (2010) as well as Maheady and Gard (2010) suggested, the downside of coop erative learning and peer tutoring is that it relies heavily on the response of the students on the interactive set-up of learning. In teaching disabled students, for example, the partner without disabilities should be sensitive to the needs of their more-challenged counterpart. The understanding and acceptance of what is given communicatively is central to the effectiveness of the teaching approach. Thus, cooperative learning and peer tutoring, as they are currently used, are impossible to standardize. Students may thus receive different levels of information, depending on how much they can process. In the future, studies may look into means of standardizing the information received by all the students. One way this can be done is alternating between big class discussions and small group or paired discussions so that the information shared in between partners are also shared to the whole class. Developing teacher intuition, reflection and responsiveness may be one of the ways by wh ich standardization can be achieved. In addition, The extensive use of augmentative and alternative communication resources may also be looked into for the improvement of the quantity of knowledge and skills built up through this learning approach. Title: The Impractical Research-Based Teaching Practices There are reasons already recognized why implementation of research practices in real-life setting cannot be done over long periods of time (Mastropieri and Scroogs, 1998). One of the most common causes pointed at is that the methods used by research studies do not reflect the true classroom setting. In addition, researchers use curriculum-based measurements to draw their conclusions regarding the effectiveness of their approach, when in fact teachers observe attitudinal and behavioral changes in students to assess the effectiveness of their teaching method. Previous studies have also suggested that teacher individualism is compromised by these research-based practices. As such, tea chers are reluctant in adapting them for effective teaching. In addition, researchers do not properly train the teachers of the methods they deem beneficial for teaching. They also fail to communicate with the teachers in developing novel teaching approaches. Thus, problems such as the narrow or overly broad scope of some of the most common research-based teaching approache

Jury System of UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jury System of UK - Essay Example But considering the complexity of many trials today - especially with the advances made in forensic science and the complexity of many civil trials, severe doubts regarding the efficacy of the jury system have been made. First of all, it is correct to consider whether a jury can in fact be "objective", especially when there has been a lot of pretrial publicity. Many studies have documented adverse effects of pre-trial publicity on juror decision making (Linz & Penrod, 1992; Otto, Penrod & Dexter, 1994; Ogloff & Vidmar, 1994; Studebaker & Penrod, 1997). These studies point out that jurors do not exist in a vacuum and are likely to have some opinion of a well-known case before they enter the courtroom. In many ways this can be linked to the ideas of groupthink. Just as the jury may be influenced by what the public outside supposedly 'thinks' regarding a case - usually influenced by the media - so as a whole they may come to conclusions based upon a kind of consensus feeling rather than rational thought. This type of situation has been called "groupthink". Janis Irving has created a perhaps more sober definition in which she describes groupthink as "a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action" (Irving, 1972). There are various interpretations and analyses of the practical results of groupthink that have occurred over the years. In the original article in which the term groupthink was postulated, Whyte described group think in the following way: We are not talking about mere instinctive conformity - it is, after all, a perennial failing of all mankind. What we are talking about is a rationalized conformity - an open, articulate philosophy which holds that group values are not only expedient but right and good as well. (Whyte, 1952) (emphasis added) One way of improving jury decisions, and thus making them more reliable, would be to actively educate juries on the dangers of groupthink before a trial starts. Just as their knowledge of the case, predisposition towards certain verdicts, experience of this type of crime/action are often tested through the process of voir-dire, so juries could be taught in a short workshop on the problems of groupthink and how to avoid them before the trial begins. There are various interpretations and analyses of the practical results of groupthink that have occurred over the years. Some, such as McCauley (1987) have concentrated on some of the more ominous sides of the tendency in which individuals may be swayed into ways of behaving that they would not otherwise consider. For example, extreme cases of groupthink can often be found within various religious cults, sometimes leading to disastrous and tragic consequences such as the mass suicides at Jonestown or of the Heaven's Gate group. These are thankfully rare examples of an extreme example of groupthink in which what may be a powerful good is turned into a destructive negativity because of the pathological nature of those who are leading the groupthink. Other cases of groupthink have been found within organizations of some of the most intellectual and highly educated people (who would not be expected to be easy 'followers' as were the mostly uneducated

Convergence the use of bothTechnology and Physical Security Research Paper

Convergence the use of bothTechnology and Physical Security - Research Paper Example Unlike in the past, corporate assets are now information-based. This has prompted corporations to integrate both physical and information security measures to prevent unauthorized access to the corporate assets. In addition, the rapid advancements in the technology sector has brought into question the effectiveness of security functions in preventing criminal attacks in organizations. Explored in the research are the implications of adopting security convergence within an organization, analysis of trends affecting security and loss prevention, and evaluation of non-traditional approaches to crime prevention from a multi-disciplinary approach. As mentioned, physical security deters unauthorized individuals from accessing facilities. There are several types of deterrence methods, which function by convincing attackers that imminent attacks on a facility are futile due to the presence of strong defenses. They include physical barriers, security lighting, natural surveillance, intrusion detectors/ electronic surveillance, access control among others. Physical barriers represent the outermost layers of security measures, which include fences, warning signs, and vehicle barriers. Their sole purpose is to delay attacks by acting as psychological deterrents. Security lighting installed at entrance points such as gates and doors deter unauthorized entrants, as guards can clearly see the well-lit areas. Natural surveillance entails altering the design or architecture of a facility’s perimeter to prevent unauthorized entry; for example, the vegetative cover between the fence and the facility’s walls is less dense givi ng guards a clear line of sight. Intrusion detectors/ electronic surveillance comprise of alarm systems, which function by alerting security personnel when unauthorized entrants attempt to trespass a secured area. Without prompt response from security personnel, alarm systems prove futile in preventing unauthorized

Human resources internal and external recruitment Essay

Human resources internal and external recruitment - Essay Example An example of an internal recruitment is that if an employee X is working as personnel manager in an organization, and there is a vacancy for a post of senior personnel manager, the employee X can be selected to fill the vacancy. The significance of internal recruitment to the organization is that it is cheap. Persons within the organization do not require training for the job, since they are already accustomed to the processes and procedures inside an organization. A further significance is that the employee will require minimal time to adapt in the new office compared to a person from a different organization. An example is when one applies for a job position in a different company that offers an opportunity. The person is transferred from the company he/she was working initially, and moves to a completely new environment. The significance of external recruitment to the organization is that it equips the organization with new skills. The skills are brought along by the new employees employed in the organization. An example of these skills can be efficient management coordination by the individual employed in the organization. External recruitment also increases the reputation of the institute in the job market. The increased popularity of the organization in the job market leads to growth of the organization (Byrnes, 2009). Recruitment is a crucial process that involves the cooperation of both parties in an organization. Internal and external recruitments are both methods of choosing and hiring employees to work in an

Managing Employee Retention and Absenteeism Essay

Managing Employee Retention and Absenteeism - Essay Example Retention of employees has become one of the main challenges for human resources professionals. Employment opportunities have sky rocketed in the recent years and employees today have numerous choices. There is a great demand for skilled and experienced labour. Therefore, it has become very hard for organizations not just to attract the best talent but also to retain them. Studies in the recent years have shown that managing employee retention has become a top priority to HR professionals leaving behind employee relations issues, performance management issues, etc (Taylor, 2002).Top most priority when it comes to managing employee retention is to understand why employees quit. It is only when HR professional understand the intrinsic motivators of the employees that they can effectively manage employee retention. There are various challenges or issues that HR managers face with respect to employee retention and following are few important ones:Theoretically, numerous reasons can be po inted out for employees quitting the company. But studies and researches have shown that the number one reason that employees leave their job is the relationship they have with their immediate supervisors or managers. Whatever are the policies, culture or human resource strategies of a company, at the end of the day employees communicate and deal with their immediate supervisor or manager (Halpern & Lubar, 2003). Employees’ perception of the company depends on the interaction with their supervisor or manager.

Marriage and children Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marriage and children - Research Paper Example One of the most fundamental reasons for people to get married is to have children. Although babies can be made outside a marital relationship, that is a heinous crime and sin from the religious perspective as well as unacceptable and unethical form the social perspective. This can be estimated from the fact that kids that are born to parents that do not have a marital bond between them are termed as â€Å"bastards†. This is frequently used as an abuse in several societies which speaks of their hatred for the act of fornication outside of marriage. Children are provided with a perfect environment for their moral and ethical nurturing and psychological well-being in a nuclear family system. They can approach their mother and father whenever they need either or both of them. In the nuclear family system, both mother and father have well-defined roles and responsibilities. Fathers earn the money and mothers manage the domestic works. The roles and responsibilities of father and mo ther remain the same in blending families, though children may take some time to adjust with the biological parent’s new marital partner. Children see their fathers as social role models and mothers as domestic role models. On the other hand, children adopted by homosexual couples are exposed to a lot of risks. The sacred institution of marriage forms the basis of a civilized society. It enables the marital partners to make love with each other without offending any rule of the society and most importantly, the religion.

Criminal Law Will Never Be an Adequate Response for Dealing with Essay

Criminal Law Will Never Be an Adequate Response for Dealing with Complexities of Gendered, Sexualised and Racialised Violence - Essay Example The other objective of criminal law is to make it possible for individuals to coexist in the society1. Other objectives include to define the procedures of recognizing innocence or guilt and to choose the form of treatment or punishment after the individual is convicted for violating society’s laws2. The main aim of the criminal law is to protect the society so that its members can be reasonably secure as they carry out their constructive activities. Behaviours that are considered to be detrimental to the society’s welfare are made criminal. At all times, a balanced has to be attained between protecting the society and the individual rights. There are three types of harm or dangers that the criminal protects the individual against, and they include protection of the societal morals, protection from harm caused by others, and protection from harm emanating from ourselves. The most common protection that criminal law offers include protection from harm caused by others. T he obvious protection offered is found in laws against arson, rape, theft, and homicide. Individuals feel reasonably secure when majority of the people, â€Å"most of the time, will not harm us in these or other ways, and that if we are harmed, the offender will be caught and punished.†3 Criminal Law Will Never Be an Adequate Response for Dealing with the Complexities of Gendered, Sexualized and Racialised Violence Criminal Law Will Never Be an Adequate Response for Dealing with the Complexities of Gendered Violence In the majority of the countries in the world, criminal law is the conventional legal strategy utilized in addressing issues of violence against women. The laws are usually contained in general statutes like the penal codes that create the national criminal justice system. The penal codes apply to all individuals and in all areas within the nation. At times, the special statutes tackle certain types of violence such as torture and dowry violence. This form of legi slation supplements penal codes, basic law, thus offering for a more focussed regulatory control. However, in most cases, there gaps in special laws and penal codes, and this results in the inadequacies, and inefficiencies in the criminal justice system. It is important to note that the laws are not in place and thus, they are supposed to be reformed, expanded, and revised4. Due to ineffective enforcement, inefficiency in investigation, undue influence, and corruption, the criminal justice systems are said to be against women who are victims of violence. Thus, the procedural and substantive criminal laws and the law enforcement culture, lack gender sensitivity and they reflect an entrenched prejudice against women5. The criminal law alone cannot effectively deal with the problem of domestic violence. Majority of the aspects in domestic violence cannot be described as crime\, and they do not into any classes of assault under the criminal law. For instance, a woman who is under infreq uent sexual or physical assaults from her partner or husband may find that her day-to-day life is controlled by measures such as seeking permission on a daily basis to see her friends or family, take up education or employment, or even to go out. These women may generally feel incapable of doing so for fear of reaction. Thus, most of the women will not have the option of using criminal law. It is worth noting that criminal law will not effectively recognize the possible danger or escalation of the abuse when it attempts to challenge

Problems and flaws in the American Education Essay Example for Free

Problems and flaws in the American Education Essay In this class we have read many articles related to the problems and flaws in the American Education. Many people in the United States believe our educational system is in crisis. In this essay, I will be comparing and contrasting the differences and similarities between two articles. The author of Idiot Nation takes us on a tour of failings of America’s schools. He touches on topics of cultural illiteracy and the relationships between schools and corporations. In another article, the author of In the Basement of the Ivory Tower confirms some of the suspicions about the policies and standards of American higher education. These articles share similarities and differences as well. Professor X, the author of In the Basement of the Ivory Tower, is a part-time instructor of English in a college. The author describes how many of his students need serious work in â€Å"basic skills†. Few of his students can do well in his classes. Other students may never pass, because they cannot write a coherent sentence. The Professor has encountered many students lacking the capacity to succeed in his English classes. Similarly, the author of Idiot Nation, explains how many of the students attending college are ignorant. They have serious problems in learning and knowing facts that they should know for fact. These two articles demonstrate the problems that college students have when it comes down to education. In contrast, Professor X relates to the students and has sympathy towards their problems, but the author of Idiot Nation, does not seem to relate to these students. Michael Moore is aggressive and does not justify the idiocy of the students. Professor X talks about how he wishes to help his students write more intelligent essays. He understands the students’ difficulties in learning and frustrations. Furthermore, he tries to find solutions, such as relating the literacy techniques they will have to study to novels that the students may have already read. As we can see, the United States faces major problems in today’s education. Many attempts have been made to establish and demonstrate these problems to the public. We may be able to read and view these problems in newspapers, advertisements, and book articles. Michael Moore and Professor X are authors of articles which depict and give a better understanding of the issues that are found in education throughout the country. Today many college students face problems because of their lack of intelligence.

Policies for Child Protection

Policies for Child Protection Introduction and Overview The concept of children having specific rights is of comparatively recent origin. Traditional perceptions of society towards children have for centuries held them to be emotionally, physically and intellectually immature, incapable of looking after their own selves and inadequately equipped to make their own decisions (Bronfrenbrenner, 1979). With children furthermore being regarded as little more than possessions of parents, (with no personal rights of their own), the law has historically also granted unquestionable rights for chastisement and corporal punishment to parents (Bronfrenbrenner, 1979). The subservient status of children in British society even a hundred years ago can be gauged from the fact that whilst the prevalence of child cruelty was common knowledge in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals came into being, in 1840, practically half a century earlier than the creation of the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (Bronfrenbrenner, 1979). Such was the widespread social and political agreement on the rights of parents to do as they willed with their children. Even in the days of the industrial revolution the penalty for seriously harming an animal was far more severe than for causing grievous injury to a defenceless child (Bronfrenbrenner, 1979). Although preliminary work on enhancement of children’s rights started haltingly in 19th century Victorian England, the perceived need to take better care of children grew and received concrete legislative backing only in the first half of the 20th century (Maier, 1979). Initial work in the area however focussed primarily on health, safety and education of children, and stopped well short of intruding upon the foundational rights of parents, or the patriarchal rights of fathers with regard to ownership and control (Maier, 1979). Legislative inroads into the all encompassing rights of parents, vis-à  -vis their children, grew rapidly only after the Second World War, and resulted in (a) the rising legal authority of social workers to protect children, and (b) the establishment of rights of children for primary and secondary education, as well as for comprehensive health facilities (Prout, 2000). Whilst the interventionist policy of the British welfare state reached its apex during the late 1970s, (and was based upon the idea that the state had every right to step in for the protection of children, if those caring for them failed to do so), this approach was toned down significantly in the wake of the dismantling of the welfare infrastructure in the mid 1980s (Prout, 2000). The enactment of the Children’s Act 1989, in the wake of the 1987 Cleveland Report, (Therapy with Children) brought about a sea change in the practice of service delivery, and the state and agency relationship for social work practice was subsequently recast by New Labour into today’s working partnership approach (Prout, 2000). Partnership working, a process that is at the heart of current initiatives of service delivery in community and social work, involves, as per the Audit Commission of 1998, a â€Å"joint working arrangements where parties, (which) are otherwise independent bodies, †¦ agree to co-operate to achieve common goals, create a new organisational structure on process to achieve these goals, plan and implement a joint programme and share relevant information, tasks and rewards† (Aldgate Statham, 2001, p 36). Whilst partnership working in social work is not a brand new concept and was in fact taken up during the years of the welfare state, (in various urban and community development partnerships in the 1970s, as also in the regeneration partnerships in the 1980s), its use in service delivery became widespread only after New Labour, which had previously announced its intention of shifting from a culture of contracting to one of partnership, came to power in 1997 (Aldgate Statham, 2 001). The working partnership model for service delivery can be considered to be significantly different, both from the bureaucratic functioning of Old Labour and the market orientation of conservatives; it is based on trust and communication, rather than on command or on price mechanisms (Aldgate Statham, 2001). Debate over the growing authority of social workers with regard to the protection of children, especially in the context of their staying with their parents or being entrusted to care, reached significant proportions for the first time in 1975, in the case of seven year old Maria Caldwell, where the social worker misrepresented the actual position of the case to the court and forced the child to return to her natural parents, despite the child having formed close bonds with her foster parents (Bullock Others, 1993). With little heed having been paid to the wishes of the child, (who used to repeatedly run back to her foster home), the decision of the court, on the recommendation of the social worker, led to the tragic death of Maria. The conviction of her father for manslaughter was followed by public outrage and debate that resulted in the enactment of the Children Act 1975, which in turn called (a) for taking the feelings of children into account in care decisions and (b) for their right for representation by a court appointed social worker, rather than by the social services department of the local authority (Bullock Others, 1993). Whilst media and public debate continued to focus on the need for interdisciplinary working between health, education, social services, and the police, in issues relating to child protection, the next watershed occurred only in 1987 when 121 children in Cleveland were taken into care by social service authorities on concerns of physical and sexual abuse at their natural homes. With opinion on the issue being sharply divided with the social workers and the medical fraternity on one side and the media and the police on the other, the Cleveland Report, (prepared by a committee set up to specifically investigate the matter), commented adversely on the breakdown of communication between agencies and the dominant tendencies of agencies to act without considering the feelings of children; it also discussed the possibility that parents might well act against the interests of their children and recommended the need to involve children in the decision making process (Prout, 2003). The Children Act 1989, which was influenced by the findings of the Cleveland Report, caused a major shift in child care policy; away from state intervention in family life; towards partnership with families and caregivers; and with an emphasis on child intervention in decision making (Prout, 2003). Despite the introduction of such legal and policy safeguards, the tragic affair of young Victoria Climbie, who was abused, tortured, and ultimately killed, in April 2000, by her aunt and the man with whom she lived, under the eye of social service agencies, revealed that true partnership in working, and consideration of the wishes of the child, was yet to take place (Prout, 2003). Commentary The report that followed the death of Victoria Climbie was accompanied with the publication of a green paper called Every Child Matters, which focussed on four key themes, (a) increasing the focus on supporting families and carers, the most critical influence on children’s lives (b) ensuring necessary intervention takes place before children reach crisis point and protecting children from falling through the net, (c) addressing the underlying problems identified in the report into the death of Victoria Climbie, namely weak accountability and poor integration, and (d) ensuring that the people working with children are valued, rewarded and trained (Background to †¦, 2008). The green paper was followed by intense debate and consultation with people working in children’s services, parents, children, young people and other members of society, and led to the publication of Every Child Matters: the Next Steps, and the enactment of the Children Act 2004 (Background to †¦, 2008), steps that provided legislative support for developing more effective and accessible services directed around the needs of children, young people and families, and the use of partnership working in child protection, the focus of this essay. The rights of children in present day Britain are legally protected by laws that deal especially with the protection and well being of children, as well as by laws on health care, education, and social security (Prout, 2003). Children’s rights are protected by family law, education law and employment law. The United Nations Convention on Human Rights, ratified by the UK in 1991, not only gives children over 40 specific social, economic, cultural/civil and political rights, but also provides guidance on how governments should enumerate and protect these rights (Prout, 2003). Whilst the British legal framework provides a robust support system for safeguarding children’s rights, New Labour has, over the last decade also worked at establishing the concept of working in partnership by all bodies, schools, local authorities, medical relief agencies, carers, and parents, for protecting children; it is a concept that calls for active involvement of parents and consultation with children as well as for their participation in the decision making process (Milligan Stevens, 2006). With participation with children also being a key tenet of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the practice of service delivery is shifting to include the views, opinions and experiences of children and young people in care, as well as in their natural homes (Milligan Stevens, 2006). This principle, that of enabling children to participate in the decision making process, however continues to be a topic of intense debate, with many individuals still remaining unconvinced of the ability of children to rise above their emotional predilections and take logical decisions. As the recent case of Baby P, the 17 year old infant who was tortured and murdered by her mother and her boyfriend in Haringey Council of North London shows, it clearly does not apply to children who are too young to express their feelings or to develop opinions. Whilst the benefits of allowing children to participate actively in decisions that concern their emotional and physical well being have been underlined time and again and indeed are integral to the modern partnership working model, it is difficult to apply the same yardstick, as is normal with adults, to all children (Milligan Stevens, 2006). The maturity and learning of children, child psychiatrists confirm, are strongly influenced by their life experiences, which include their natural home or care environments and their access to health services, as well as by care and learning programmes (Emond, 2003). A number of research studies reveal that the quality of early childhood life and programmes can significantly improve the ability of children to do well in education, work and in life; this being especially true of children who are experiencing disadvantage (Emond, 2003). Whilst such studies do point towards the existence of sharp differences in the abilities of children from diffe rent backgrounds to participate in decision making, such issues are accentuated for children in care or in disturbed domestic situations, because of the absence of the democratic process in their everyday lives (Emond, 2003). Extant research also points to the fact that notwithstanding governmental initiatives and instructions to social workers to involve children in decision making, the views of children or youth are seldom considered, not just by administrators but also by researchers. Two recent research exercises one by Berridge and Brodie, in 1998, and Thomas, in 2005, on children’s homes, whilst delving in depth on views of managers and social workers, give scant attention to the views of children (Stevens, 2006). Such attitudes, which are too ingrained to be removed by recent legislation, dampen cognitive evolution and the ability and confidence of children to participate in decision making. â€Å"Residential child care units may be seen as sites where these micro-political processes can be seen at work. Children in residential child care tend to be among the most powerless in social terms and reports of their opinions rarely contain their actual views† (Stevens, 2006). The extent to which children can participate, experts argue, can also be linked to the way they are perceived in society. Children in care are by and large perceived with ambivalence, either as possible victims who require to be taken care of, or as potential threats who need controlling; â€Å"one of the consequences of this ambivalence is that they are seen as passive recipients of services, and not as â€Å"active and creative actors, as a subject and citizen with potentials† (Stevens, 2006). Osborne and Bromfield (2007) concluded on the basis of an extensive study on children in care that the decision making facilities of such children can be affected in small and large ways by a multitude of developments. â€Å"Even small oversights can have a lasting and negative impact on the child or young person; for example, not being told why workers had moved on, or not being able to bring a pet to a new placement. Such occurrences can compound feelings of loss, grief, sadness and the feeling of being ‘different’ from other children and young people† (Osborne and Bromfield, 2007) A â€Å"CREATE† Foundation report (2004) found that children were also affected by negative care experiences that arose from systemic defects like the ones elaborated below: â€Å"(a) slow systemic procedures that prevented timely and adequate response, (b) court processes that did not adequately consult with children and young people, (c) lack of resources, support and training for carers and caseworkers, (d) inadequate early intervention strategies to support families to stay together and prevent entry into care (e) inadequate entry into care support, (f) inadequate support and preparation for young people preparing to leave car, and (g) inadequate post-care support.† (CREATE Foundation, 2004) Similar issues come up when children live in disturbed natural homes and feelings of insecurity and attachment could well make them cling on to oppressive natural parents or opt to remain in distressful conditions. Issues of culture and overall family environment also play a large part in shaping the response of children in disturbed homes, and partnership agencies and parents need to understand this phenomenon and respond accordingly. Children from ethnic backgrounds often face specific challenges on account of the different cultural environment of their homes, their inadequate English language skills, and the exclusion of their families from mainstream society. â€Å"There is apparent under-reporting of child sexual abuse in Britain’s Asian communities and a varied capacity amongst professionals to respond with cultural competence. Professional approaches originate in cultural contexts, which are often different from those of most British Asians. If the proportion of children and non-abusing carers from Asian communities who access relevant services is to increase, professionals need to develop better understandings of cultural imperatives which determine behaviour in those communities. Consultations with Asian women in Bradford reinforce the view that culturally competent practice and respectful dialogue are essential to the protection of children. They also highlight a number of recurring themes. Members of Asian communities are aware of child sexual abuse, they recognize that the issue needs to be addressed by all communities and they report that many of those affected within their own communities have found it difficult to acces s relevant services† (Gilligan, Akhtar, 2005). Decisions regarding removal of children from natural homes also need to take account of the influence of grandparents and fathers upon children and not be swayed totally by considerations of maternal ability and circumstance. With the role of grandparents in the lives of children reducing steadily, the role of fathers in child development, welfare and protection has never been more important. Fathers play critical roles in child development that often go much beyond that of providers of economic security, and incorporate nurturing, caring and supporting activities. Fathers play strong roles in (a) healthy child development in the home and school context, (b) creation of gender identity for both male and female children, (c) responsible sexuality and reduction of teen pregnancy, (d) emotional and social commitment, and (e) financial security. Whilst current service methodologies are women focussed, with social workers feeling more comfortable working with mothers, partnership working calls for much greater involvement of fathers, where possible, as well as consideration of the feelings of children about being separated from their fathers. â€Å"Mothers are the gate keepers to the father’s participation. Mothers have to believe that the family will benefit from the father’s participation. Furthermore, this discussion implies a systemic bias for excluding fathers. It is easier to manage the ongoing interactions over the course of a case by working only with one parent, the mother. In frontline practice, the potential for a compliant relationship with the mother takes precedence over a comprehensive working relationship with all the family.† (Father Involvement †¦, 2005) Mothers and social workers need to involve fathers as much as possible for partnership working to be more responsive towards child needs. Involvement of fathers by agencies could however lead to complications where relationships between parents are strained or in case of divorced and single mothers. Maternal grandparents can play significant roles in such conditions in creating conducive environments for protection and welfare of children and their involvement in partnership working could prove to be immensely beneficial. Conclusion The building of effective partnerships for protecting children is dependent upon involving all relevant agencies, namely the local authorities, social work agencies, schools, medical providers, police, community organisations, parents, and children. The recent episode, involving the horrific murder of the 17 month old child, known as Baby P, at the hands of her young mother and her boyfriend, despite the active engagement of social workers and medical practitioners, (Hyland, 2008) should not be seen as an aberration but as an indicator of the potential dangers faced by children in extremely different conditions and the individual and collective responsibilities that need to be exercised by all partnership members. The incident also reveals the vulnerability and limitations of methodologies that depend upon taking the opinion of children in cases where they are too young to express themselves. The extent of cooperation between social workers and parents also plays a critical role in the success of working partnerships. Whilst the barriers that come about because of cultural differences between social workers and members of Britain’s ethnic communities, especially from concepts of shame and honour, have already been elaborated earlier, barriers of class, income and education can also lead to lack of communication between social workers and parents and affect the appropriateness of decisions that concern child protection. In such cases, where unintended and invisible power differences work against the establishment of an equal working partnership, it is the paramount responsibility of social work agencies and social workers to build the foundation of a stable, democratic and equal working partnerships, take special pains to find out the wishes of affected children, and involve them as far as possible in the decision making process. The problems associated with knowing the wishes of children are complex; they differ from individual to individual, can be applied only to children over a certain age, and can even otherwise be solved only with patience, open mindedness, respect for children, and understanding. Working in partnership with parents for the protection of children, whilst a desirable objective, has numerous limitations and needs to be approached with care and caution. The adoption of a one shoe fits all approach in such cases is inherently fallible and can lead to horrific tragedy, as was evidenced by the Baby P tragedy, where the social workers kept the child with the mother despite numerous indicators of the dangers of doing so. Policy makers and social workers need to realise that all methodologies have their advantages and limitations. Social workers need to work with empathy; they need to scrutinise the working of all involved agencies, as well as parents, and refrain from being blinkered or authoritative in their approach, if they are to protect today’s beleaguered children from the fate that befell Maria Caldwell, Victoria Climbie, and Baby P. Words: 3290 References Ainsworth, F, (1997), Family-Centred Group Care: Model Building. Aldershot: Ashgate. Aldgate, J, Statham, J, (2001), The Children Act Now: Messages for Research. London: The Stationery Office. Background to Every Child Matters, (2008), Every Child Matters: Change for Children, Retrieved December 18, 2008 from www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/aims/background Badham, B, Wade, H, (2005), Hear by Right: Standards for the Active Involvement of Children and Young People. Swindon: NYA/LGA. Barber, J. G., Delfabbro, P. H., Cooper, L. (2001). The predictors of unsuccessful transition to foster care, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 42(6), 785–790. Bowes, J. M. and Hayes, A. (2004), Contexts and Consequences: Impacts on Children, Families and Communities, in J. M. Bowes (ed) Children, Families and Communities: Contexts and Consequences, Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Bowlby, J. 1951 Maternal Care and Mental Health, London: World Health Organization. Bronfrenbrenner, U, (1979) The Ecology of Human Development, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Bullock, R, Little, M, Millham, S, (1993), Going Home, Aldershot: Dartmouth. Berridge, D, Brodie, I, (1998), Children’s Homes Revisited, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Cashmore, J, (2004), Child Protection and Substitute Care: The Responsibility of Families, Community and State’, in J. M. Bowes (ed) Children, Families and Communities: Contexts and Consequences, Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Colton, M., Sanders, R. and Williams, M, (2001) An Introduction to Working with Children: a Guide for Social Workers, Houndmills: Palgrave. CREATE Foundation, (2004). In their own words: Experience of ACT children and young people in care. Canberra: Office of the Community Advocate, Delfabbro, P. H., Barber, J. G., Bentham, Y, (2002), Children’s satisfaction with out-of-home care in South Australia, Journal of Adolescence, 25, 523–533 DeLeon, P, (1997), Democracy and the Policy Sciences, New York: State University of New York Press. Dryzek, J. S, (1990), Discursive Democracy: Politics, Policy and Political Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Emond, R, (2003), Putting the Care into Residential Care: The Role of Young People, Journal of Social Work 3(3): 321-337. Father Involvement in Child Welfare, (2005), Jordan Institute for Families, 11, 1 Fulcher, L. C, (1985), Group Care Practice with Children, London: Tavistock. Gardner, H. (2004a). Perceptions of family: Complexities introduced by foster care. Part 1: Childhood perspectives. Journal of Family Studies, 10, 170–187. Gibbs, I, Sinclair, I, (1999), Treatment and Treatment Outcomes in Children’s Homes, Child and Family Social Work, 4: 1-8 Gilbertson, R., Barber, J. G, (2002), Obstacles to involving children and young people in foster care research, Child and Family Social Work, 7, 253–258. Gilligan, P Akhtar, S, (2005), Cultural Barriers to the Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse in Asian Communities: Listening to What Women Say, British Journal of Social Work, 36(8):1361-1377 Hyland, J, (2008), The tragic death of Baby P, WsWs, Retrieved December 18, 2008 from http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/dec2008/baby-d04.shtml Maier, H, (1979), The Core of Care: Essential Ingredients for the Development of Children at Home or away from Home, Child Care Quarterly 8(4): 161-173. Milligan, I, Stevens, I, (2006) Residential Child Care: Collaborative Practice, London: Sage. Milner, J. (2001), Women and Social Work, Basingstoke: Palgrave. O’Neill, C, (2004), I remember the first time I went into Foster care—It’s a long story†¦ Children, permanent parents, and other supportive adults talk about the experience of moving from one family to another. Journal of Family Studies, 10, 205–219. Osborne, A Bromfield, L, (2007), Participation of children and young people in care in decisions affecting their lives, Australian Institute of Studies, 6 Prout, A, (2000), Children’s Participation: Control and Self-Realisation in British Late Modernity, Children and Society, 14(4): 304-315. Sinclair, R, (1998), Involving Children in the Planning of their Care, Child and Family Social Work 3: 137-142. Stevens, I, (2006), Consulting Youth about Residential Care Environments in Scotland, Children, Youth and Environments 16(2): 51-74. Retrieved December 18, 2008 from http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye Thomas, N, (2005), Has Anything Really Changed? Managers’ Views of Looked after Children’s Participation from 1997-2004, Adoption and Fostering, 29(1): 67-77. United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, full text version. Retrieved on December 18, 2008 from www.unicef.at/kinderrechte/download/crceng.pdf Ward, H, Skuse, T Munro, E.R, (2005), The Best of Times, the Worst of Times: Young People’s Views of Care and Accommodation, Adoption and Fostering, 29(1): 8-17.

The Maritime Education And Training Education Essay

The Maritime Education And Training Education Essay E-learning systems have several names which basically mean the same: Virtual Learning Environment, Learning Management System, Course Management System, Learning Content Management System (LCMS), Managed Learning Environment (MLE), Learning Support System (LSS) and Learning Platform (LP). In Europe the term VLE is mostly used, but in United States the term CMS is favored over others (Kanninen, 2009). Todays learners can use some different ways to learn. One of them is technology based environments is inclusive of using of computers and Internet. Online learning is one of these type environments. An attractive side of online learning is that education service to come to the learner itself and flexible usage of it. In online learning, to perform effective instructional design is being difficult because of the learners characteristics that are related to learning are not being known. As a matter of fact, to bring into existence of effective learning for the learners in online learning environments, needs and expectations of the learners that are in these environments are comprehended and development of convenient environments which are adequate for different learning styles are required. Technology density environments cause a change of learning styles of the learners and bring up a concept that is online learning style to the agenda (DaÄÅ ¸ Geà §er, 2009). In the literature, the explanation of the online learning has been used different terminologies. Because of this, makes it difficult to develop a generic definition. Terms that are commonly used include e-learning, Internet learning, distributed learning, networked learning, tele-learning, virtual learning, computer-assisted learning, Web- based learning, and distance teaching (Anderson Elloumi, 2004). In the literature, there are many definitions which are reflect the diversity of practice and associated technologies of online learning. For example, while some researchers define online learning as educational material that is presented on a computer, the others defines online instruction as an innovative approach for delivering instruction to a remote audience, using the Web as the medium (Anderson Elloumi, 2004). Kanninen (2009) online learning is learning which takes place in a network; it could be the Internet or just a schools internal/closed net. Ally (2004) wrote that there are at least the 6 following synonyms used for online learning: e-learning, Internet learning, distributed learning, networked learning, tele-learning, virtual learning, computer-assisted learning, web-based learning, and distance learning. So it can be said that in online learning the learner is at a distance from the tutor or instructor and the learner uses some form of technology to access the learning materials. (Ally 2004) Online learning can be divided into three classes: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Contact learning supported by the net à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Multiform learning in the net à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Self studying in the net Online learning (sometimes referred to as e-learning or distance learning). In this study, online learning adopted the ASTD (American Society for Training Development) definition, which describes it as education which is facilitated and supported via information and communications technology (ICT). ASTD states that e- learning is: A broad set of applications and processes which include web-based learning, computer- based learning, virtual classrooms, and digital media. Much of this is delivered via the Internet, intranet, audio and videotape, satellite broadcast, interactive TV, and CD- ROM. The definition of e-learning varies depending on the organization and how it is used, but basically it involves electronic means of communication, education, and training (Franetovic, 2011). McGill Hobbs (2007) mentioned that a virtual learning environment (VLE) is an information system that facilitates e-learning. VLEs process, store and disseminate educational material and support communication associated with teaching and learning. Virtual learning environments (VLEs) are widespread in higher education today, typically used to deliver instructional materials and facilitate communication within a course. Briefly, we can define online learning in this thesis as an approach to a TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning), in a self regulated method, which utilizes information and communication technology to maximize the acquisition and processing of the knowledge in a VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) as a learner centered educational framework. Our conception of education is that it should help students to develop their personalities and to cope with the tasks and challenges that arise from their environments. More formally, education should assist young people in developing meaningful goals and provide them with the knowledge and skills to achieve these. To the extent that they manage to monitor and control the activities to reach their goals, they are said to self-regulate these activities (Steffens, 2006). The online environment calls for students to demonstrate self-regulated learning (Ally, 2004). Dabbagh (2007) characterized successful online learners as those who exhibited self-directed learning skills. Self-regulated learning has been framed in the online education context by Carson (2012) research as an active, constructive process whereby learners set goals for their learning and then attempt to monitor, regulate and control their cognition, motivation and behavior, guided and constrained by their goals and the contextual features in their environments (Bandura, 2001; Pintrich De Groot, 1990; Schunk, 2005; Zimmerman, 2002). the processes of self- regulation as a reciprocal cycle consisting of forethought, performance and self-reflection (Figure 2-2). Each of the phases consists of sub processes that play a greater or lesser part in learning depending on the task, the learner, and the environment (Carson, 2012). Figure (2-2): Phases and sub processes of self-regulation. From Zimmerman, B., Campillo, M. (2003). Motivating self-regulated problem solvers. Manochehr (2006) has made a study where he compared the effects on e-learning versus those on traditional instructor-based learning, on student learning, based on students learning styles. The result was that the learning style in traditional learning was irrelevant but in e-learning it was very important. The study showed that learners with an assimilating or converging learning style achieved better learning results in e-learning. DaÄÅ ¸ Geà §er (2009) stated that recent developments of the online learning are also related to Adaptive educational Hypermedia Systems (AEHS). An AEHS aims to build a model of the goals, preferences and knowledge of each learner and use this model throughout the interaction with the leaner, in order to adapt learning content to the needs of that learner that is adapted specifically to the learners (Brusilovsky, 1996). For example, in an AEHS, learning content knowledge of the subject is given to the learner. In addition, AEHS can support learners in their navigation by limiting browsing space, suggesting most relevant links to follow, or providing adaptive comments to visible links (Brusilovsky, 2003). AEHS researches are centered on learning style based personalization researches (Brown, 2006; Paredes Rodriguez, 2004; Piombo, Batatia Ayache, 2003; Graf, 2007).