Man-made environment issue- Eutrophication Essay Example for Free

Man-made environment issue- Eutrophication Essay Eutrophication is the ecosystem response to the addition of artificial or natural substances to an aquatic system. (Schindler, David and Vallentyne, John R. 2004)Most people don’ t really know about it, so I’m writing this essay to tell some facts about two major causes, the bad effect in my country – China and the prevention and reversal and how can the algae be used to make more benefit to the world and people who live on it. The two major causes of eutrophication are excess nitrates and excess phosphates in water. (e-How Jul 05, 2012)Many farmers use fertilizers to make their plants grow better, but one of the most frequently-used fertilizers is the fertilizer which contain nitrates and phosphates. Once fertilizer is applied, the nitrates, which are water soluble, will leach into groundwater or erode and end up in surface runoff. Phosphates will adhere to soil articles, and often accumulate in soil and erode, along with soil, into aquatic environments. ( Smith, V. H. ; Tilman, G. D. ; Nekola, J. C. 1999. ) Meanwhile, nitrates can also vaporize into the atmosphere, where they become a major source of acid rain. When the raindrops drop into lakes or rivers and streams, there are nitrates that come into water and cause the eutrophication. The bad effect of eutrophication in China is really serious. One of the most famous ones is the Tai River blue-green algae in 2007. Because of the eruption of blue-green algae, the water can’t be used at all. It smells like something is becoming putrid. Also some algal blooms are toxic to plants and animals. It has affected the citizen’s lives; they can just drink and use the water which was brought in shops. The urgent demand of the water has caused the price of the water to became more and more expensive. (Face to the Tai River blue-green algae 2007) It has not only brought people a lot of inconvenience but it also causes ecological consequences. â€Å"The general types of ecological consequences include: reduction in biodiversity, die-off of certain organisms, reduction in visibility and mobility functions due to biotic overgrowth. † (Eutrophication December 18, 2007) Because it causes a lot of biont to die, it breaks the balance of the natural world. Once the balance is broke, it’ll take a lot of time and plenty of human interference to fix it. In addition, it also affects the pocketbook of fishermen. There was less fish so fishermen could not catch many fish. (Face to the Tai River blue-green algae 2007) Even though eutrophication is just like an evil, there are still some ways to make it better. First of all, people can solve it by using biont that can remove or eat the nitrates or algae. â€Å"One proposed solution to eutrophication in estuaries is to restore shellfish populations, such as oysters. Oyster reefs remove nitrogen from the water column and filter out suspended solids, subsequently reducing the likelihood or extent of harmful algal blooms or anoxic conditions. †(Kroeger, Timm, 2012) And some plants, such as water hyacinth, Alternanthera sessilis, Zizania aquatica and plants like them are also helpful. ( No data,2008). The second one is a future work: minimizing nonpoint pollution. People can make riparian buffer zones which are interfaces between a flowing body of water and land. Creating riparian buffer zones nearby farms and roads is an efficient way to manage the eutrophication problem goes further. ( Angold P. G. 1997) At the mean time, government can manage this problem by promulgating policy. The policy can be broken into four major sectors: technologies, public participation, economic instruments, and cooperation. Technologies include all kinds of technologies that can prevent the eutrophication or can make it within a region. (Oglesby, R. T. and Edmondson, W. T. 1966. ) For example, the treatment of sewage is one of them. Public participation is used to make sure people do something to help reverse the eutrophication so that the policy will be effective. The economic instruments are used to give incentives to those who are eco-friendly. (Planning and Management of Lakes and Reservoirs: An Integrated Approach to Eutrophication. 2000) The cooperation between different organizations is really necessary to prevent it spreading further. Lastly, sponsoring people to use algae is also a good idea. China is a good example. The supply of crabs in China is always less than demand because Chinese love eating crabs. But the same crabs in Germany were so much that cause a lot of problems. The reason is Chinese eat them but German don’t eat them. This means Chinese know how to use them, but Germans don’t. However, how to use eutrophication? I’ll talk about it in next paragraph. Although there are lots of bad effects of eutrophication, it is also possible to use the algae. First, they are used as fertilizers, soil conditioners and are a source of livestock feed. People can also eat them. â€Å"It is a complete protein with essential amino acids and it contains high amounts of simple and complex carbohydrates which provide the body with a source of additional fuel. † (Uses of Algae as Energy source, Fertilizer, 2013) From this we can see, the algae not only can be eaten but it also has a high level of nutrition. They are good for humans, animals and land. As they are crude, it won’t hurt the environment and they don’t use a lot of energy. As a result, the eutrophication also has a good aspect. To conclude, although there are a lot of causes of eutrophication, there are still ways to solve the problem. By these solutions, people can be successes in managing the eutrophication and even use it as a kind of resource. This can be helpful to the short of resources and the environment. At last, I hope after reading my essay, you can learn more about eutrophication! Reference list Angold P. G. (1997). The Impact of a Road Upon Adjacent Heathland Vegetation: Effects on Plant Species Composition. The Journal of Applied Ecology 34 (2): 409–417. Doi:10. 2307/2404886. JSTOR 2404886. [Accessed 13 April 2013] eHOW, (2012) Causes Effect of Eutrophication [online] Available at: http://www. ehow. com/info_8387377_causes-effects-eutrophication. html [Accessed 13 April 2013] Face to the Tai River blue-green algae (2007) [online] Available at: http://news. sina. com. cn/c/2007-06-11/172513203878. shtml [Accessed 13 April 2013] How to manage eutrophication (2007) [online] Available at: http://www. goootech. com/solutions/detail/73015891. html [Accessed 13 April 2013] Schindler, David and Vallentyne, John R. (2004) Over fertilization of the Worlds Freshwaters and Estuaries, University of Alberta Press, p. 1 [Accessed 13 April 2013] Uses of Algae as Energy source, Fertilizer, Food and Pollution control (2013) [online] Available at: http://www. oilgae. com/algae/use/use. html [Accessed 13 April 2013]

The Investigation Of Police Corruption

The Investigation Of Police Corruption One cannot separate police corruption from police abuse of force. Whenever an officer uses force, that officer needs to be able to justify the use of force. Law enforcement ethics go far beyond an officer choice to accept a cup of coffee, or a free car wash. The fact remains that whenever an officer lowers the ethical, and morals standards it affects every area of police operations and adversely affects the ability of law enforcement agencies to perform the mission that the community has entrusted them to do. When police misuse their power, and authority it lowers the departments professional competence; and at worse it spreads corruption through the department. Tract: The job of a law enforcement officer can be tough. Law enforcement officer are sometimes plagued with situation that test their ability to enforce the law and maintain order. Law enforcement officers today face a constant battle to establish and maintain higher ethical standards for police personnel. This mission becomes tougher each day when one considers the importance of fighting terrorism, drugs, human trafficking, and many other major issues. In the last few years, ethical issues in law enforcement have been affected by three critical factors-the growing level of temptation stemming from the illicit drug trade, the challenges posed by decentralization, and the potentially compromising nature of the police organizational culture. These factors make managing for ethics today far more different and demanding than it was in the past. How can law enforcement fight the war on crime and maintain personal liberties? One can examine the social stigmas and stereotypes that either further or reduce police corruption to help develop a better understanding of police corruption. Finally what is the solution to effectively control police corruption, enforce proper ethics, and ensure law and order? Terrorism is a new issue for law enforcement personnel today. Terrorism has had a great impact on the police mission here in the United States. Experts now are debating the proper way to address terrorism in America without creating ethical dilemmas. Can federal law enforcement hold all suspected terrorist within the United States in jail until they are cleared? Not legally. Would it be ethically okay to arrested terrorist, and allow them to be tried within the United States without legal counsel? No. Can the federal Government issue wire tapes on citizens phones without creditable evidence. No. What is the correct way to handle the issues on terrorism? The Police Executive Research Forum has outlined key ways to handle the war on terrorism. First, in order to prevent terrorist acts on U.S. soil the public must understand that Federal Law enforcement cannot do it alone. State, and Local law enforcement along with the general public must work together to gather intelligence on suspect ed terrorist. Local Law enforcement can use the community policing method to establish citizen engagement, partnership, trust, information sharing, and collaborative problem solving. With a relationship developed with the community, police can better identify potential suspects, and become proactive in the war on terrorism. Law enforcement can ethically address the war on terrorism. The problem is that social stigmas can play a key role in either furthering police corruption or reducing it. Social stigmas impact the way police perform because police sometimes use social stigmas to be proactive rather than being reactive to crime. For example, an officer may approach a young man walking around a suburban community with his hat turned to one side, and his pants below his knees. The office may see the social stigma of a thug, someone who is considered to be up to no good. When police use social stigmas in this way, the community will view it as good police work. However the use of social stigmas can also bring on police corruption. Some officer may violate human rights, with racial profiling, or just mistreating someone because of their outer characteristic. For example, whenever an officer sees someone with big rims and loud music he assumes they sell drugs. So the officer pulls the young man over and treats him like he is a criminal. First the officer ask for identification, then removes the young man from the car and performs an illegal search of the car and finds drugs . Now the officer will be forced to falsify reports, which is a form of police corruption. Social stigmas are no better than stereotypes; one person may fit the stereotype or social stigma, but one should never conclude that a stereotype or social stigma applies to everyone. When officer begin to apply a social stigma to everyone, they can easily fall into police corruption. With that being said, citizens should not apply social stigmas to all police officer. One can conclude that some police officers are involved in police corruption but not all. The ethical issues seen in police corruption can also be seen in police abuse of force. One cannot separate police corruption from police abuse of force. Whenever an officer uses force, that officer needs to be able to justify the use of force. Law enforcement ethics go far beyond an officer choice to accept a cup of coffee, or a free car wash. The fact remains that whenever an officer lowers the ethical, and morals standards it affects every area of police operations and adversely affects the ability of law enforcement agencies to perform the mission that the community has entrusted them to do. When police misuse their power, and authority it lowers the departments professional competence; and at worse it spreads corruption through the department. Although only a few officers may be involved in an act or corruption or abuse of force; the community will perceive all members of that department as incompetent, corrupt, or brutal. It is important to know that a few incidents of corrupt or brutal police behavior can overshadow or even negate years of efficient and honest po lice service, and cause long-term damage to an agencys reputation. Illegal and unethical acts by police officers, create community increased antagonism toward what appears to be an unappreciative or even hostile public, less citizen cooperation, more friction in police-citizen interactions, more invitations to corruption, and more confrontations that may lead to the use of excessive force. It is a classic vicious cycle, with worsening community relations, an increase in hostility between police and citizenry, and a concomitant growth of public contempt for the police all generating a downward spiral that far too often ends in tragedy. Many ethical factors that are behind police corruption can be found in police abuse of powers, and excessive force. Police corruption is sometimes motivated by an officers desires for money, respect, and power. Likewise, the use of excessive force can be used to ensure and officer receives money, maintains power, and respect from the community. Many officers who are involved in corrupt activities will often use force to maintain and protect their corrupt activities from reaching the public or media. In addition to that, officers who are under a lot of stress can fall into corruption, and are more likely to use excessive force. When police use excessive force, or fall into police corruptions it only hinders the overall mission or law enforcement. The only way to prevent corruption and police abuse is to train officer in ethical standards to strengthen the foundation of police ethics. To strengthen ethical standards officers need to be trained in the correct ways to change moral standards of contemporary society. The world today has lowered the moral and ethical standards of citizens, and police alike. The lack of moral standards, has allowed the community, and law enforcement to take justice in their own hands. Secondly, police need to know and respect the organizational expectations of the police. Society has certain perceptions, images, and expectations of the police. Some of the expectations that the community have of police may not be accurate or realistic. Misinformed or conflicting perceptions of the proper role of the police and conflicting expectations about what is or should be expected from the police often contribute to an environment of confusing built on mixed or even conflicting goals and objectives. As a result , the working environment of police, their morals, and their susceptibility to corruption and brutality are closely watched by the public and the media. With this in mind, police can better handle situation that propose ethical dilemmas. For example, officer now know that the community expects police to be corrupt, and to abuse their powers, so if a officer does the complete opposite, he or she can help raise the standard, and avoid some of those ethical factors that are behind police corruption, and police abuse of powers, and excessive force . Formal training programs can help to ensure that officers understand their departments code of ethics and related expectations Elevate the importance of ethics throughout an agency Underscore top managements support, and Provide specific assistance in areas directly related to ethical behavior (e.g., stress management, use of force, violence reduction, and behavioral science classes). Although more study is need- ed in this area, some empirical evidence supports the contention that formal ethics training fosters improved ethical behavior. One recent study found that officers specifically trained in anger management had fewer incidents of excessive force in making arrests. A distinct but related topic is whether higher education promotes ethical behavior. Clearly, advanced formal education enhances the maturity and professionalism of police officers. The question is whether those positive attributes spill over into the ethical arena.Some research suggests a positive relationship. Adva nced formal education appears to reinforce previously established ethical values in individuals. At the organizational level, one study identified a commitment to learning as one of the three most prominent characteristics common to highly ethical organizations. In conclusion, police corruption anywhere, hurts police everywhere. Police are held to a higher standard by the citizens, and the media. Police officers need to be aware of the social stigmas working against them. Law enforcement Officer need to be trained, and educated on how to hand ethical situation. If the law enforcement community seeks to change the image of police in American they must first become aware the ethical problems and avoid them. Secondly, Police with the help of education one maybe able to avoid the use of excessive force, and corruption. Lastly, law enforcement must correct, their attitude toward those who may fit a certain social stigma. Resource Page

The Human Impact On Environment

The Human Impact On Environment In many peoples opinions mans impact on the environment is a big issue in our life which is easily neglected, as humans are responsible for a staggering amount of damage on the earth. Nature manages its own components. Since the outbreak of technology and industrialisation humans have greatly had a negative impact on the environment, such as; air pollution, habitat destruction, water pollution, the burning of rainforests and land pollution. In this essay I intend to give facts and discuss the effects and causes on these topics and discuss the solutions being carried out to improve the conditions. Air pollution effects people in areas of emission sources, such as, power plants, local industry and major roads. Humans contribute to pollution by the use of machinery in industry causing pollution to the environment. More effects of air pollution on the environment involve using diesel fuel for vehicles and coal for power along with the lack of emission controls for vehicles and industry. Another cause of air pollution is the greenhouse gas CO2, this gas warms the earth through living things as they emit CO2 when breathing which contributes to humans also, as we add to this statistic through breathing also. CO2 is usually thought to be involved with cars, aeroplanes and power plants, in the past 150 years , CO2 has been polluting our atmosphere through the sources mentioned, this is the highest CO2 emissions recorded for a long time. More causes of air pollution is methane gas which comes from swamps which are contributed to man through flooding. Cfcs are another major cause of air pollution by man through the use of fridges and deodorants (aerosols) which harms the earths ozone layer. Solutions to Air Pollution Solutions to air pollution include driving and flying less, recycling, and conservation. Governmentsare limitting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases through the Kyoto Protocol;this is an agreement between countries that they will cut back on carbon dioxide emissions. Another method being put into practice is to put taxes on carbon emissions or higher taxes on gasoline. ( http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview.html ) Acid Rain Acid rain has a big effect on the environment and is caused through men by the emission if nitrogen oxides through road transport, power stations and industry, over 2000 tonnes of nitrogen oxide was polluted into the air in 1990 along with over 3000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide through power stations and industry. Sulfur dioxide is known primarily as a cause of acid rain. But they also reflect light when released in the atmosphere, which keeps sunlight out and causes Earth to cool. Another adverse effect of these gases being emitted into the atmosphere by humans is the weathering of buildings, particularly those made from limestone, marble and sandstone. For example sulphate-rich precipitation reacts with limestone and is easily eroded. Many method have been used to reduce the effects of acid rain, one is to add powdered limestone to lakes to increase their pH values, however the only real effective and practical solution is to reduce fossil fuel consumption by using alternate energy so urces that do not produce nitrate or sulphate gases (hydropower or nuclear power). Water Pollution Asian rivers are the most polluted in the world. They have three times as many bacteria from human waste as the global average and 20 times more lead than rivers in industrialized countries. Thirty percent of Irelands rivers are polluted with sewage or fertilizer. The King River is Australias most polluted river, suffering from a severe acidic condition related to mining operations.100, 000 marine mammals, 1 million sea birds and other aquatic lives are killed due to plastic waste in water and coastal area. Bangladesh has some of the most polluted groundwater in the world. In this case, the contaminant is arsenic, which occurs naturally in the sediments. Around 85% of the total area of the country has contaminated groundwater, with at least 1.2 million Bangladeshis exposed to arsenic poisoning and with millions more at risk. Pollution of freshwater is a problem for about half of the worlds population. Each year there are about 250 million cases of water-related diseases, with roughly 5 to 10 million deaths. The main problem of water pollution is that it kills life; Dead fish, birds, dolphins, and many other animals often wind up on beaches, killed by pollutants. Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well. Pollutants such as lead and cadmium are eaten by tiny animals. Later, these animals are consumed by fish and shellfish, and the food chain continues to be disrupted at all higher levels. humans are affected by this process as well. People can get diseases such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned. Ecosystems can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution. Many areas are now being affected by careless human pollution, Solutions to Water Pollution  · stabilising wetlands to act as a buffer zone to runoff and to assist in filtering pollutants  · Drive less to reduce the amount of air pollution being emitted into the environment and minimize the amount of nitrogen deposition.  · Improve the sewage treatment system to stop the leaks in the pipes.  · Conserve water  · Improve storm water management.  · Monitor watershed  · Stop deforestation to soak up the rain water and prevent runoff from occurring. Land Pollution The human impacts related with land pollution involves the Increase in urbanization as Construction uses up forestland. More constructions means increase in demand for raw materials like timber. This leads to the exploitation and destruction of forests, the Increase in agricultural land As the human population grew there was a greater demand for food. This caused more land allocated to agriculture. Forests were cut down for this purpose, Agricultural activities Besides domestic waste, pesticides and herbicides used by farmers to increase crop yields also pollute the land when they are washed into the soil and Industrial activities are also a contributing factor to land pollution. For example, in open cast mining, huge holes are dug in the ground and these form dangerously deep mining pools. Heaps of mining waste are left behind and these waste often contain several poisonous substances that will contaminate the soil. The effects on humans is that the Pollution is likely to affect over a billion people around the world, with millions poisoned and killed each year.The World Health Organization estimates that 25 percent of all deaths in the developing world are directly attributable to environmental factor. Some researchers estimate that exposure to pollution causes 40 percent of deaths annually. Many people are not aware of the impact that such industrial pollution can have on the earth. By helping to make it known, you can be one of the voices that will draw attention to the issue thus helping to inspire change. Solutions to Land Pollution New laws and regulations such as, reduce use of plastic, recycle and reuse have greatly reduced the amount of commercial and industrial pollution, Habitat Destruction/Deforestation Habitat destruction is happening all over the world and closer to your home than you might think. Tropical rain forests in Central and South America and in Southeast Asia and Oceania are being threatened. Rainforests now occupy less then  ½ of the land that they did 100 years ago (thats less than 2% of the earths surface). Humans are a major cause of habitat destruction. The causes include, logging, agriculture, the building of roads and cities, and forest fires. Logging involves Humans cutting down the forests and rain forests for wood and wood products. Usually, only large prime trees are cut down, such as mahogany. However, smaller trees can be destroyed in the process and never replaced. Logging can cause soil erosion, and the logging roads that are built can damage rivers and streams. Agriculture involves Wild lands being cleared for crops and domestic animals. The single biggest cause of deforestation is farming. Animals that are used to living in a biodiverse habitat cannot survive in an area with one crop. Humans impact on habitat destruction is majorly involved in the building of roads and cities, although essential for life, this still causes a problem for biodiversity as Humans are clearing trees and wild lands to make room for roads and cities. Cities replace the natural habitat of many species of plants and animals. Highways and freeways can destroy plants and also keep animals from safely travelling through their natural habitat. Recent effects of humans on the environment Humans have recently had a massive impact on the environment with the nuclear power plant disaster in Japan following the biggest earthquake/tsunami ever recorded cooling systems failures that led to radiation escaping from a reactor at one location. The emergency declarations, which include five reactors at the two plants, followed Fridays 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the countrys northeast coast. In a troubling announcement, Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency official Ryohei Shiomi said a monitoring device outside the plant detected radiation that is eight times higher than normal and an evacuation zone has been expanded from three kilometres around the plant to 10 kilometres. ( http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/03/12/038218/Nuclear-Emergency-Declared-At-2-Plants-In-Japan?from=rss ) The impact this had on the environment was really frightening as fears of people being exposed with radiation which was life threatening and people were even evacuated from their homes and told not to go outside, there is now fears that the food produced there may be contaminated with radiation and they are stopping all exports. This radiation from Japan has the potential to cause worldwide biological disruption Referencing/Sources Buz/ed Causes and effects of land pollution [Online] Available: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/causes-and-effects-of-land-pollution.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Biodiversity lectures [Online] Available: www.uws.ac.uk National Geographic Air pollution [Online] Available: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Goudie, A. and Viles, H.(1997) The Earth Transformed An introduction to human impacts on the environment Images Radioactive waste [Online] Available: http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/u0852279/Docs/Radioactive.html Picture (accessed 20th march) Air pollution [Online] Available: http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/u0852279/Docs/Air.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Land Pollution [Online] Available: http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/u0852279/Docs/Land.html (accessed 20th march 2011 Water Pollution [Online] Available: http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/u0852279/Docs/Water.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Image [Online] Available: www.imagesfrom.co.cc (accessed 20th march 2011) Water Pollution [Online] Available: http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Environmental_Problems/water_pollution_-_effects.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Habitat Destruction [Online] Available: http://www.library.thinkquest.org/08aug/00473/habitatdestruction.html (accessed 20th march 2011) Japan Earth Quake [Online] Available: http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/03/12/038218/Nuclear-Emergency-Declared-At-2-Plants-In-Japan?from=rss (accessed 21th march 2011) Water Pollution [Online] Available: www.peakwater.org (accessed 22nd march 2011) University of the West of Scotland (n.d.) Student Services Mini Guide: Hamilton Campus. s.l.: UWS

Computer Languages :: essays research papers

Computer Languages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Differences in computer languages is a topic that many people are not familiar with. I was one of those kinds of people before I started researching on this topic. There many different computer languages and each one of them are similar in some ways, but are also different in other ways, such as: program syntax, the format of the language, and the limitations of the language.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most computer programmers start programming in languages such as turbo pascal or one of the various types of basic. Turbo pascal, Basic, and Fortran are some of the oldest computer languages. Many of today's modern languages have been a result of one of these three languages, but are greatly improved. Both turbo pascal and basic are languages that are easy to understand and the syntax is very easy and straightforward. In Basic when printing to the screen you simply type the word 'print', in turbo pascal you would type 'writeln'. These are very simple commands that the computer executes. To execute a line of code in a language such as C, or C++, you would have to type in much more sophisticated lines of code that are much more confusing than the previous two.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The format and layout of the various languages are very diverse between some, and between others are somewhat similar. When programming in Basic the user has to type in line numbers before each new line of code. In an updated version of Basic called QBasic, numbers are optional. Turbo pascal does not allow the user to input numbers, it has preset commands that seperate each part of the program. This is similar to QBasic, but is much more sophisticated. Instead of using the command gosub in Basic, the user would make a procedure call.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another new language is C. C is a spinoff of turbo pascal but is capable of doing more things than turbo. The format and layout are similar, but the syntax is much more complex than turbo is. When C first came out, there were many major flaws in the language so a new version had to be put out, C++. The main addition from C to C++ is the concept of classes and templates. Many other small flaws were fixed when this new version of C came out also.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many of the languages have different limitations on the tasks that they

Standardized Tests Do Not Measure Student Achievement Essay example --

Standardized testing has been around since the mid 1800’s. Even though testing has been around for a long time it is still debated whether or not it should precisely â€Å"score† students. Students have been subjected to standardized tests frequently through their years in school due to laws which have been passed by Congress. Decisions about the evaluation of schools and students are recurrently made by government authority and are often not in the best interest of teachers, students, or their classroom environments. What do students achieve from standardized testing? Achievement means something that somebody has succeeded in doing. â€Å"Achievement is more than just test scores but also includes class participation, students’ course-taking patterns, and teachers’ professional development patterns†(Harris, Harris, Smith). How can a test score show someone’s satisfaction or what they believe success is? The tests aren’t that advanced in today’s technology. The tests do prepare students for more important tests such as the ACT, SAT, ASVAB, ect†¦Testing patterns have also been disputed such as drawing a Christmas tree, or limit a letter choice to a certain number of blanks filled in. This does not help the students or the educators in this essence. It does not test the students’ full potential to what they have learned from their educator, it just simply tests the students’ ability to guess quickly under pressure (Walberg). These tests a re usually briefly timed. Depending on how the student paces his or herself depends on how well he or she can take the test, because the student still needs to think logically. Under these circumstances students rush to finish the test forcing them to think illogically, resulting in a low score ul... ...8 Nov. 2013. Popham, W.James. "Why Standardized Tests Don't Measure Educational Quality." Educational Leadership. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov 2013. www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar99/vol56/num06/Why- standardized-tests-don't-measure-educational-quality/ "Standardized Tests." procon.org. N.p., 01 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Nov 2013. . "Standardized Testing: No Child Left Behind." Lawserver. N.p.. Web. 13 Nov 2013. Walberg, Herbert J. "Standardized Tests Effectively Measure Student Achievement." Standardized Testing. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Stop the War Against Standardized Tests." Defining Ideas: A Hoover Institution Journal (20 May 2011). Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.

Violent Tv Programs

violent tv programs have been blamed for causing crime rates to rise in many countries. but many people dont agree that violence is related to TV viewing. Discuss the possible reasons for both opinions. give your opinion as to wether or not violent programs should be taken off the air. It has long been asserted that watching crime on television or playing violent video games contributes to violent behavior. In other words, it is what a person watches that allegedly influences and desensitizes him. Thus he becomes violent. Consider the absurdity of such a thesis! . People who are fascinated and excited by violence and other crimes gravitate to particular types of programs and games and immerse themselves in them, some for hours each day. Their absorption with violence reflects their personality. 2. Millions of people view violence in television programming†¦ It is entertainment or news. That's it! The viewers do not consider for a moment enacting what they see. The same is true w ith playing video games. They are solely for recreation. 3. There is such a thing as a â€Å"copycat† crime.A person watches a crime enacted in detail on television and then does the same thing. His decision to do so reflects a mind that has long been fascinated and excited by crime and violence. For every person who might fantasize about, then replicate the crime, millions of people who saw the very same thing reject it, are repulsed by it, and never would be tempted to enact what they watched. Related Articles Massacre for the Media One-Way Trip to Davy Jones' Locker Porn For Pedophiles: ‘Sexy Children' On Parade â€Å"Forced† to Kill You FirstCasey Anthony Is Found Not Guilty Of Killing Her Daughter Find a Therapist Search for a mental health professional near you. Critical is not what is on the screen or in the game but what already resides in the mind of the viewer, reader, game player, or listener. A â€Å"not guilty by reason of television† defense failed many years ago in a Florida courtroom. Violent tendencies reside within the personality, whether or not the person watches programming depicting violence. The television program, the movie, or the videogame do not turn him into something alien to his basic personality.

City of Bones Essay

The novel City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare follows the main character 15 year-old Clary Fray in her journey to find her missing mother. Clare takes the typical Fairy Tail and turns it upside down. The main ideas that stick out to me in this film is Love, Jealousy and prejudice. An important idea for me in the novel City Of Bones is the idea of love. In the book Clary falls the handsome Shadowhunter (half angel, half human) Jace Wayland. In the middle of all the chaos and fight they find time to fall for each other and form a powerful bond. I found it interesting how Clare wrote about love. She perceived it to be very powerful and absolute. Which i don’t disagree with, but for teenagers its very different. When she wrote of their love with such power it confused me, it also made the writing more captivating as the story unraveled and left me wanting to know what happened next. This idea made me think of societies view on young love, how society thinks young relationships don’t last and aren’t serious. It also challenged my view on the subject and made me think that it’s possible to find the one you love when you are young. â€Å"The most terrible things men do, they do in the name of love. – I think this quote shows the power that love has in this novel. I found the idea of love important because it is a clear motivator throughout the novel. An aspect I found intriguing in this novel was the requiring theme of jealously. As Clary and Jace are falling for each other Clary’s childhood best friend, Simon, gets extremely jealous. â€Å"I was trying to make you jealous! † Simon screamed at one point when he couldn’t hold it in any longer. â€Å"You’re so stupid, Clary. You’re so stupid, can’t you see anything? † Clary is oblivious to Simon’s feeling towards her. This theme made me reconsider famous love stories that also had themes of jealously, for example Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Darcy was jealous of Mr Wickham. Also in Jane Eyre where Jane was Jealous of Rochester’s wife. It made me think of the writing and how jealously contributes to the love in the story. I found this requiring theme intriguing because it showed the unrequited love between Clary and Simon which I found really contributed to the novel and gave it that extra plot twist. Another aspect in the novel that I found important was the idea of prejudice. In the novel prejudice is shown against Downworlders (half demon, half human for example vampires, werewolves, warlocks etc), women and gay people. The Shadowhunters see Downworlders as scum because they are half demon, which are their natural enemy, but not all of them are bad. Prejudice is seen against women because it was only recently that women were aloud to fight against demons and even now they are seen not to be as good as the men. Being gay in the shadow world is also frowned because Shadowhunters are very proud of family and the family name so being gay won’t carry on the bloodline. So they’re good enough to let live, good enough to make your food for you, good enough to flirt with—but not really good enough? I mean, not as good as people? † – This quote is referring to Downworlders and how they are only good for somethings. I think this idea links to our society today and also parts in history because women use to not be aloud to vote and were seen as housewives just like in City of Bones. Also in the novel Downworlders are kind of treated like coloured people were in the early 18-century, expect not to the extend that the coloured people were treated. The idea of prejudice against gay people links to our society because our society is prejudice against gays. I found this idea important because it helped me see the links between the novel and real-life situations. The novel City of Bones by Cassandra Clare challenged my thinking about love, jealously and prejudice and helped me understand more about them and how they like to other novels and our society. I would definitely recommend this novel to other people so they can enjoy it as much as i did.