Back to the Moon

More than thirty years after America’s first landed on the moon, the current President of the United States, George W. Bush, recently announced his plan of sending American astronauts back to the moon (BBC News). The President’s target is to accomplish this goal by the year 2015 (Lane, 2004). The project can be said to be merely preliminary to Bush’s more flamboyant plan, which is to prepare the exploration to Mars. Moreover, the program also intends to make up for the setbacks experienced by the United States space program, such as the Columbia shuttle disaster (BBC News).The Columbia disaster prompted Bush and a group of administration officials to develop a new plan that would use the existing space shuttles to â€Å"complete assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) by 2010† (Lane, 2004). Bush revealed his new vision for the United States human space program in a speech delivered at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) headq uarters. He called for the retirement of the space shuttle to give way for building new space vehicles that would, in the future, allow travel to Mars (Lane, 2004).The space shuttle is expected to fly in about 13 or 14 more missions before its expected retirement in 2010 (Hunt, 2007; BBC News). Bush’s vision also calls for the use of robots and human manpower in the exploration of the moon. The ultimate aim of the vision is to prepare the moon as a living base and to develop means for explorations to Mars (BBC News). The Space Shuttle The space shuttle is a brainchild of improvements and inventions in rocketry. The craft contains three main engines that provide huge amounts of force compared to previous spacecrafts.It also boasts of a reusable engine and engines that weighs quite lightly considering their power (The History of Moon Exploration). Considering its characteristics, it is no wonder that Boeing boasts of it as the â€Å"most sophisticated human-rated launch vehicl e in the history of space flight† (Boeing). The space shuttle had its first flight in 1981, and since then it was able to aid more than a hundred missions involving hundreds of astronauts (Boeing). Boeing claims that the spacecraft still has 75 percent of its design life to spare (Boeing).The space shuttle plays a major role in sustaining the International Space Station, being the ISS’ heavy-lift cargo vehicle. The space shuttle is responsible for having lifted the now existing structure in orbit, which comprises two-thirds of the ISS (Boeing). Bush wants to retire the space shuttle by 2010 at the earliest, hoping that by then the International Space Station is already complete (Hunt, 2007; BBC News). Bush also hopes that by the said time, the Crew Exploration Vehicle already becomes operational (Hunt, 2007; BBC News).However, before such goals are realized and as long as the shuttle remains safe to carry on its tasks, it shall remain as the primary spacecraft aiding th e United States’ projects towards space (Boeing). Picture 2. The Space Shuttle. Photo retrieved March 6, 2007, from www. boeing. com/†¦ / hsfe_shuttle/what_is. html The Crew Exploration Vehicle Bush’s vision is an echo of a similar dream by his father in 1989, which did not come to fruition because the cost estimates ballooned up to $400 billion (Lane, 2004).Working on the premise that the desire to explore is part of human character, Bush said that his dream is to build space vehicles that could travel far beyond the capacity of the space shuttle, which only reaches 386 miles (Lane, 2004). Bush thus announced his plans to develop a new spacecraft called the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). This vehicle would be the first to take man to outer space since the Apollo spaceships (BBC News). The CEV is expected to be a versatile crewed vehicle that could carry American teams in a mission projected to be undertaken in 2014 or 2015.The CEV is expected to begin flight tes ts by the year 2008 (Lane, 2004). The CEV’s look is designed to look similarly with the bullet-like style of the Apollo-style command module (Lane, 2004). Aside from the design, however, NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe says that no design has yet been approved regarding the way of keeping the CEV boosted in the air (Lane, 2004). Robots in Space It is believed by some that robotic exploration is more beneficial than human exploration, since the former is less expensive (The Washington Post Writers Group, 2007).Moreover, Professor Robert Park of the University of Maryland claim that robots have less physical limitations than humans, which means robots have better chances of discovering scientific finds over humans (BBC News). Even other countries that spend resources on space explorations, such as China and Russia, are encouraged to use robots in such ventures (BBC News). There are current efforts using robots in space exploration. Just recently, the United States celebrated th e successful landing of its robot rover Spirit on Mars (BBC News). Budgetary ConstraintsSince the previous space plans formulated by Bush’s father failed because of budgetary constraints (Lane, 2004), Bush is careful to get around the same drawback. Naturally, huge projects such as space explorations would cost loads of money and other resources. Thus, Bush’s ambitious new vision would entail modifications on the current budget of the NASA. The NASA currently has a five-year budget plan. However, Bush requests a $1 billion boost on this budget (Lane, 2004). This means that additional $200 million per year would be allotted for the project (Lane, 2004).This amounts to a 5% yearly increase to NASA’s current budget, which amounts to $15. 4 billion per year (BBC News). A rise of another 1% after the first three years is also requested by the U. S. President (BBC News). It is reported that Bush wants that $11 billion from the existing budget be earmarked for his new vision (Lane, 2004). The exact cost of the vision was not given (BBC News), but one thing is certain: the budget would have to be approved by Congress. (Lane, 2004). The White House, however, maintains that a â€Å"sustained focus over time† would help keep the budget for the exploration in check (Lane, 2004).There is also a need to reorient the current programs of NASA, so that NASA would not exceed its current spending, which only amounts to less than 1 percent of the federal budget, despite the additional goal (Lane, 2004). The Orion Currently, a ship has been built to carry humans to the moon. This spacecraft, called the Orion, is scheduled to debut in 2014 (Hunt, 2007). However, budgetary constraints will cause a delay of about four to six months. The Orion is now set to fly in 2015 (Hunt, 2007).NASA administrator Michael Griffin stated that Congress only approved the amount in NASA’s budget in 2006, which means that the approved budget is $545 million short of Bu sh’s request (Hunt, 2007). NASA does not welcome this lack of funding and the concomitant delay in the project, as strategic and practical concerns such as the degradation of equipment and facilities, besiege the institution (Hunt, 2007). A Brief History of Explorations to the Moon A brief review of the development of moon exploration is in order, so that a clear perspective can be had as to the propriety and utility of Bush’s proposed space exploration.Chinese astronomers were perhaps the first people to notice the Moon. For thousands of years, man has been captivated by the Moon, and man’s curiosity for it has been first assuaged by the invention of the telescope in 1609 (The History of Moon Exploration). The telescope, invented by Leppershey, made thorough observations possible despite the immense distance between the Earth and the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). However, this invention was a double-edged sword: man developed an even more intense curi osity for the moon, leading man to dream of someday setting foot on the distant place (The History of Moon Exploration).Because of the enormous distance of the Moon from the Earth, reaching it would only be possible through flight. Unfortunately, air transportation took quite a while to be fully developed. The groundbreaking invention of the Wright brothers can be considered the first step towards space travel, because they invented the aeroplane, which allowed man to fly (The History of Moon Exploration). In 1943, another milestone in space exploration occurred with the development of rocketry by Von Braun. Braun was responsible for the A 4, which was the first successful ballistic rocket (The History of Moon Exploration).Despite the United States’ exposure to the latest technology at the time, such as the rocketry of Braun, it was Russia that made one of the most significant developments in space exploration. 1957 witnessed the launch of Sputnik I, which was the first artif icial satellite in space (The History of Moon Exploration). Russia was also the first to take pictures of the Moon. In 1959, its Luna satellites were able to obtain pictures of the far side of the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). In 1963, the United States followed in the affair of obtaining pictures in space.Its Mariner Series satellites were able to acquire detailed pictures of Venus, and a year later, of Mars (The History of Moon Exploration). Saturn rockers were the next to be developed by the United States; these rockets were later used to power the Apollo Missions (The History of Moon Exploration). The country also ventured into designing moon landing vehicles, and was successful with Surveyor 6 and the Lunar Module, which proved that rocketry could bring man to the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration).The United States is also responsible for the Command and Service Module, a vehicle designed for the trip back to Earth from the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). Man’s First Walk on the Moon The United States has the credit for sending the first man to walk on the Moon. On 21 July 1969, the whole world watched in awe as clips of Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon were aired in international television (BBC News). The video clips were taken by television cameras installed on the Eagle landing craft (BBC News).

The English Patient

Max Cembalest SYA English, 6th Period March 7th, 2013 The Villa is Alive, But the Sand is Forever Barren. Lifeless. Considered one of the most hostile environments on the planet, the Sahara Desert takes away all meaning and identity and covers it with sand. Amalsy, the so-called English Patient and one of the central characters of our story, thrusts himself into this empty land to dispose of the idea of nations. In this way the desert is an escape; a common void for those who wish to cede into the past rather than survive in the present. Lush. Alive.Arguably the nation with the richest history in the world, the Italian countryside encompasses a feeling of togetherness that brings our four main characters together. The villa they live in recovering from the atrocities of world war two not only gives them space to heal, but also itself exhibits the characteristics of healing through nature. In this way the villa exists among our four protagonists, and is one of the fragmented victims o f war along with them. Michael Ondaatje, author of our novel The English Patient, focuses most of our front story in the Italian villa.Holes line the inner and outer walls, creating voids in the frescoes of outdoor landscapes. At first glance, war has reduced it to a fraction of its former grace and beauty. â€Å"The Villa San Girolamo, built to protect inhabitants from the flesh of the devil, had the look of a besieged fortress, the limbs of most of the statues blown off during the first days of shelling. † But as is a representative of a war victim healing with time, we see how nature slowly replaces the man made structures, eventually causing the villa to fade into the land. There seemed little demarcation between house and landscape, between damaged building and the burned and shelled remnants of the earth. To Hana the wild gardens were further rooms†¦ In spite of the burned earth, in spite of the lack of water. someday there would be a bower of limes, rooms of green light,† (p. 45). Ondaatje uses this beautiful image of a broken, fragmented house being consumed and reborn anew to show the process of healing from war. The villa represents the hope Hana sees in the future; that even though everything is here life is burned, broken, and dead, someday she will recover just as the villa has.Then there is the desert. Despite being just across the Mediterranean, the Sahara Desert could not be more of a different environment then the countryside surrounding the Italian villa. It is arid, harsh, unforgiving. But even with the physical difference between the desert and Italy, the greater contrast lies in the history of each place. Italy, for thousands of years, has been owned and claimed over and over, by the Estrucans, Greeks, Romans, Barbarians, and Italians. But the desert belongs to no one, no single nation.All boundaries, all sense of difference between people that exists solely because of nations get swept away by oceans of sand. It is this aspect of the desert that draws Amalsy in. As he narrates to Hana, he says, â€Å"The desert could not be claimed or owned—it was a piece of cloth carried by winds, never held down by stones, and given a hundred shifting names before Canterbury existed, long before battles and treaties quilted Europe and the East†¦. All of us, even those with European homes and children in the distance, wished to remove the clothing of our countries.It was a place of faith. We disappeared into landscape,† (p. 147-148). Amalsy praises the desert for being sovereign, just as he himself strives to remain neutral and uninvolved during the chaos of World War II. The desert endures for centuries unharmed by human squabbling, since it is never contained or ‘held down by stones’. Amalsy flees to the desert to escape the ruthlessness of reality and to connect with the past contained in his books. Instead of a place of healing, for Amalsy the desert is a denial of the real worl d entirely.He is able to purge himself of his past life and leap into a new world in which the past and the present are no different. He steps in the same sand, traverses the same dune, embraces the very same realm that Herodotus so admired. In this environment, Amalsy and the other explorers can deny the war and remove the notion that one’s nation has any significance. The desert is stagnant. Any and all attempts to claim ownership are swiftly swept aside. The endurance represents the foolishness of war, how nothing that happens between nations has any meaning there. But Italy is change. It is life, death, and then rebirth.Italy is hugely affected by the war, but we see the recovery of its wounds and hope for the future. Each of these settings in The English Patient is a way for Ondaatje to communicate to us the drastic toll of war on our characters and the different way each person handles themselves. Hana remains in the thick of the war and is shattered by grief, but come the end of the novel we see the beginning of recovery and the hope for a happier life. Amalsy, however, escapes entirely in the hopes of avoiding the war and the pointless differences among nations. Even up to his death his mind is still among the sand. The English Patient Max Cembalest SYA English, 6th Period March 7th, 2013 The Villa is Alive, But the Sand is Forever Barren. Lifeless. Considered one of the most hostile environments on the planet, the Sahara Desert takes away all meaning and identity and covers it with sand. Amalsy, the so-called English Patient and one of the central characters of our story, thrusts himself into this empty land to dispose of the idea of nations. In this way the desert is an escape; a common void for those who wish to cede into the past rather than survive in the present. Lush. Alive.Arguably the nation with the richest history in the world, the Italian countryside encompasses a feeling of togetherness that brings our four main characters together. The villa they live in recovering from the atrocities of world war two not only gives them space to heal, but also itself exhibits the characteristics of healing through nature. In this way the villa exists among our four protagonists, and is one of the fragmented victims o f war along with them. Michael Ondaatje, author of our novel The English Patient, focuses most of our front story in the Italian villa.Holes line the inner and outer walls, creating voids in the frescoes of outdoor landscapes. At first glance, war has reduced it to a fraction of its former grace and beauty. â€Å"The Villa San Girolamo, built to protect inhabitants from the flesh of the devil, had the look of a besieged fortress, the limbs of most of the statues blown off during the first days of shelling. † But as is a representative of a war victim healing with time, we see how nature slowly replaces the man made structures, eventually causing the villa to fade into the land. There seemed little demarcation between house and landscape, between damaged building and the burned and shelled remnants of the earth. To Hana the wild gardens were further rooms†¦ In spite of the burned earth, in spite of the lack of water. someday there would be a bower of limes, rooms of green light,† (p. 45). Ondaatje uses this beautiful image of a broken, fragmented house being consumed and reborn anew to show the process of healing from war. The villa represents the hope Hana sees in the future; that even though everything is here life is burned, broken, and dead, someday she will recover just as the villa has.Then there is the desert. Despite being just across the Mediterranean, the Sahara Desert could not be more of a different environment then the countryside surrounding the Italian villa. It is arid, harsh, unforgiving. But even with the physical difference between the desert and Italy, the greater contrast lies in the history of each place. Italy, for thousands of years, has been owned and claimed over and over, by the Estrucans, Greeks, Romans, Barbarians, and Italians. But the desert belongs to no one, no single nation.All boundaries, all sense of difference between people that exists solely because of nations get swept away by oceans of sand. It is this aspect of the desert that draws Amalsy in. As he narrates to Hana, he says, â€Å"The desert could not be claimed or owned—it was a piece of cloth carried by winds, never held down by stones, and given a hundred shifting names before Canterbury existed, long before battles and treaties quilted Europe and the East†¦. All of us, even those with European homes and children in the distance, wished to remove the clothing of our countries.It was a place of faith. We disappeared into landscape,† (p. 147-148). Amalsy praises the desert for being sovereign, just as he himself strives to remain neutral and uninvolved during the chaos of World War II. The desert endures for centuries unharmed by human squabbling, since it is never contained or ‘held down by stones’. Amalsy flees to the desert to escape the ruthlessness of reality and to connect with the past contained in his books. Instead of a place of healing, for Amalsy the desert is a denial of the real worl d entirely.He is able to purge himself of his past life and leap into a new world in which the past and the present are no different. He steps in the same sand, traverses the same dune, embraces the very same realm that Herodotus so admired. In this environment, Amalsy and the other explorers can deny the war and remove the notion that one’s nation has any significance. The desert is stagnant. Any and all attempts to claim ownership are swiftly swept aside. The endurance represents the foolishness of war, how nothing that happens between nations has any meaning there. But Italy is change. It is life, death, and then rebirth.Italy is hugely affected by the war, but we see the recovery of its wounds and hope for the future. Each of these settings in The English Patient is a way for Ondaatje to communicate to us the drastic toll of war on our characters and the different way each person handles themselves. Hana remains in the thick of the war and is shattered by grief, but come the end of the novel we see the beginning of recovery and the hope for a happier life. Amalsy, however, escapes entirely in the hopes of avoiding the war and the pointless differences among nations. Even up to his death his mind is still among the sand.

History and Influences of Mexican Americans and the United States Essay

Looking around the United States, it is not hard to see the influence that Spanish-speaking nations, namely Mexico, have had on us. Every day we see signs in Spanish. We hear it as we walk through the streets of Madison and Milwaukee. We feel the impact it has on us in our public school system. We also see the controversy it causes on the news. What I will be attempting to explore in this paper is the origins of Mexican Americans and their continuing influence on the United States. I believe it is important to first understand the history of the relationship between Americans and Mexicans to understand the preconceived notions many Americans have towards Mexico. Although both nations are technically â€Å"Americas†, for the duration of the paper I will refer to the United States as America. After winning its independence from Spain, Mexico first had large-scale contact with Americans during the early 1800s when Americans were migrating farther west to what is present day Texas. Mexico allowed these citizens to reside despite the tension and friction that was building between Whites, Indians and Mexicans in these territories. Texas citizens declared themselves an independent nation, and due to the United States recognition of such, a war was prompted between the United States and Mexico. Mexico lost the war as well as its territories in North America. Mexican citizens who stayed behind in the lost territories became American citizens (Marger, 2012). One of the things that always confounded me about racism in the south, and states like Arizona, is the complete indifference or ignorance of this fact. I have always wondered how the White Supremacist mindset works when Mexican Americans have a natural ancestry in these states and were the first citizens of these states. How can we still see bumper stickers that say â€Å"Learn English or Go Home†, or â€Å"Go back to your own country† when the first citizens of these states were Mexicans? I believe that a cause for this is the lack of emphasis of early Mexican American history taught in schools. I I believe that if this were emphasized, these specific ethnocentric arguments would be dispelled sooner. Immigration of Mexicans and other Hispanics to America is not going to stop, so to ignore their political influence would be foolish. Demographics are showing that the Hispanic population is on the rise. There are an estimated 6. 6 million illegal immigrants from Mexico alone residing in the United States (Marger, 2012). The European American population, although still the largest in size, declining. (Marger, 2012). Since there are an increasing amount of people in the United States who are a mixed race, such as myself who is part Mexican American, true numbers of those who identify as part Hispanic are not yet known. (Marger, 2012). I believe that due to this, it is more crucial than ever to understand what kind of influence Mexican Americans will have on the socioeconomic and political structure of the future America. As much as certain groups of people would want to deny the influence of Mexican culture, as well as that of other Spanish-speaking ethnicities on the United States, the population statistics, (as well as the 2012 Election results, in my opinion) prove otherwise. Hispanics are the largest minority group (Naumann, Benet-Martinez, Espinoza 2013), and it is estimated that by 2050, 46% of the United States population will be Hispanic. (Marger, 2012). Insofar as political influence is concerned, 2008 held 19. 5 million registered Hispanic voters, and it is estimated that 23. 7 million registered voters were Hispanic in the 2012 election. To more specifically cite the influence of Mexican Americans in today’s voting world, there are 33 million Mexican Americans in the United States and 73% of them were born in America (Naumann, et al 2013). Despite attempts of the Republican Party to capture the vote of Hispanic Americans, 70% of them are still voting Democratic. (Naumann, et al 2013). Although Cubans tend to vote primarily more for Republicans, the larger population of Mexican Americans is still voting for Democrats. (Naumann, et al 2013). By analyzing these data, I can only conclude that the dire need for the Hispanic vote from the GOP is the sole purpose of the existence of Marco Rubio in modern politics. A question arises, as much as Mexican Americans influence us, how much do we influence them? The answer would have to depend on how in favor they are of assimilation. Studies have shown that most Mexican American youth would prefer a â€Å"biculturism† form of acculturation, preferring to hold on to their ethnic customs but also to embrace new American ones (Naumann, et al 2013). It was also shown in these studies that the more deep-routed Mexican Americans tend to be in their ethnicity, that the likelier they are to vote liberally (Naumann, et al 2013). Understanding Mexican Americans role in the workplace currently will also help explain motivations as to how they vote and continue to influence the rest of America. A study published in 2005 showed that Mexicans, while living in Mexico, have fewer expectations for advancement in the workplace, including to upper-management positions. This leads them to believe there are less forms of discrimination based on age, sex and ethnicity (Bennington, Wagman, Stallone, 2005). Although these studies were done for Mexicans, not Mexican Americans, I believe that during the newest wave of immigration this attitude could carry over, which could explain at least one reason that despite the large population, there are not heaping amounts of Mexican Americans in upper-level positions. For work life itself, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mexican Americans have at large suffered the same impact of the recession other ethnicities have suffered, having Unemployment peaking strongly in the 2009-2011 years and just now in 2013 starting to make a recovery (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013). I believe this relates to the influence Mexican Americans have on us because since newer immigrants do not seek power as quickly as other ethnic groups, it can lead to certain prejudices of them being unmotivated, which in turn would influence behavior of White Americans to treat them as subordinates. In summation, I believe that educating the true history of Mexican Americans (such as their origin as joining the US as citizens after the Mexican War), can help stop certain forms of prejudice, as well as helping Americans to realize that they are an ever-increasing demographic that is not going away anytime soon. Their influence is growing in US Politics, and this will have to be recognized if certain political groups wish to survive in the new century. I believe that if there is more respect given to them while they are a minority group, the more respect they will give to White America once Whites lose their status as the dominant ethnic group.

Big Tobacco Sues Feds over Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Labels Research Paper

Big Tobacco Sues Feds over Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Labels - Research Paper Example Congress, 2009). Till 1996, the FDA has no vital role to play as far as the regulation of tobacco products is concerned. It was then controlled through an array of state and congressional legislation. In most of the US States, statues deal with the issue of selling the tobacco products to minors and licensing for its distributions to retailers. In the year 1950, all states had put the ban on sale of tobacco products to minors at that time purchase age varied from state to state (U.S. Congress, 2009). The law in vogue impressed upon the large size tobacco manufacturing companies to disclose publically all the ingredients used in the cigarette manufacturing process. It should also highlight the poisonous contents used in it. The company should refrain from using the mild words just as light or ultra light to dispel the impression of its harm on human body. The bill in force makes the cigarette manufacturers accountable on wooing the adults and children to become addiction of smoking (U .S. Congress, 2009). In the eyes of critics, the promulgated act is effectuate in the sense that it can reduce the nicotine level in the cigarette to some extend rather than wipe it out completely. The affordable level of nicotine may encourage smokers to smoke more. Market restrictions definitely put the hurdles to find out the smoking alternatives to smoke cigarette. In FDA v Brown & Williamson case, the Supreme Court of United States of America held that since the congress had not delegated the authority to FDA to control the damages arising out of the use of tobacco products, therefore to fill the gap and to ensure effective control, Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act came into being. Secondly the former American Administration over acted the delegated power of congress in this respect. As per the Senate bill, health-warning label should cover fifty percent of front and back portions of the package. The word warning thereon should be in capital letter. The number of opposition members in the Senate largely hailing from tobacco cultivating states, supported the ongoing move to discourage the smoking in spite of the facts that they have deep roots in the tobacco industry. In the larger national interest they are ready to afford the financial losses to keep away their children and adults from the bad habits of smoking (Gifford, 2010). In order to have an effective control over the damages of human health they have suggested the following measures to be implemented (U.S. Congress, 2009): 1. FDA should have tobacco control centers at its disposal to regulate the substance, marketing and sale of tobacco products. 2. Importers and tobacco companies should reveal the ingredients of their existing products and get approval from FDA. Approval for any new tobacco product should also be sought from the same authority. 3. FDA should have the authority to change the tobacco substance in any product to lessen could be damages on the body of its users. 4. I t should shun the application of sugar coated definition cigarette, which is contrary to section 3(1) of the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act (Connolly, 2004). New rules are to be introduced to prevent sales through direct channel or to conduct between retailer and consumer in order to curb the eye catching advertising campaign,

Power point Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Power point - Essay Example ort can disrupt the functioning of the entire set up at the airport, cause tensions and insecurity of thousands of passengers, and millions of newspaper readers and electronic media read such news reports. As for one’s health and the health of family members, the concern is greatest, as never before. One needs to go the root causes. To illustrate this by an example, look at the mosquito issue and how it is tackled. Mosquitoes thrive on the blood of human beings and hundreds of pesticide manufacturing companies thrive on the blood of mosquitoes. Some of them are big multinationals. Flashy advertisements of their product take of the mosquitoes. Take care how and how long? If you kill the mosquitoes today in your home or office premises, a new batch of mosquitoes is waiting to take over the blood-sucking operations. To find the tangible solutions, one needs to go to the root cause. The root cause of the breeding of mosquitoes is filth. Remove the filth, and give priority to the cleanliness of the premises. The mosquitoes will say farewell to such clean premises for ever. I am giving this fairly long introduction to set your mind thinking, as to how we miss the basics and entertain the superficial details. One month from today, our company will be reaching an important milestone to address to the basic causes of many types of diseases that afflict humanity. The detailed research your company has been doing over this product has resulted in stunning and sterling facts. I am telling you about a product, which you know already, but the merits of which you actually you do not know. The product which we are gong to launch is FAME Honey: Now, let us quickly move to the brass track of business and look up some slides as to how we go about the exercise of launching FAME Honey. All these qualities make honey a great product, the importance of which has come to the notice of the researchers and the medical fraternity. Honey is known to increase the resistance power of the

Design principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Design principles - Essay Example The establishment of perception of Practical systems was also a task the learning of which was an enormous milestone that we achieved in this course. I thank my instructor and friends for their guidance and for the knowledge that I gained during this course that, of course, immensely assisted me in the formulation of this final report to the project. In the end I also thank the Anglia Ruskin University for providing me with a platform for learning and implementation of the required skills. PROJECT INITIATION DOCUMENTS The purpose of the new system The reasons why the current information system was required to be prepared can be narrated as follows: The problems faced by the management and other personnel at educational institute regarding the institute’s transport facility were numerous. The basic problem lay in the fact that no computerized record of the personnel availing the institute’s transport system existed. Whenever any transport related decision was required to be made at runtime it was solely dependent on human skills. Very few records relating to the passengers were stored in different files. The entire system being manual was very difficult to maintain. Performance wise this system was very poor and would take very long time in providing the results. Anyone who wanted to have information about any transport management related issue would have to go through many files before getting the desired information. Though this system was very cheap economically but the time factor and lack in efficiency was over shadowing its advantages. This situation became the root cause of all the problems eventually resulting in the arousal of a dire need to construct an efficient system that would cater to the vehicle management related issues. This was absolutely necessary as due to the lack of such a proposed system it was absolutely impossible to make complicated management related decisions at runtime especially when new students were enrolled into th e institute and each one of them wanted to start availing the transport facility right away. For the proposed vehicle management system to function efficiently it was absolutely necessary to maintain a constantly updated database at its backend that enabled interaction of users with it via a user friendly interface. Objectives of the new system The objectives of the system were thus the making of an information system that would be linked to the student record database. It would separately store the students that would be opting for the vehicle management system that is run under the supervision of the educational institute itself. The objective it would thus achieve would be as follows: The computerized record keeping of all students/ staff availing the transport facility. The allotment of vehicle number to each student with respect to the desired pick up point and drop off point specified by him. The computerized collection of monthly fee. The assigning of specific routes to vehic les. The assigning of specific routes and vehicles to drivers. The registration and record keeping of vehicles running in the system. The record of revenue being used in maintenance of the vehicles and for fuel consumption. Stakeholders The stakeholders of the system include: Students and staff members availing the facility of transport provided by the educational i

Macro12.13 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Macro12.13 - Essay Example There have been more investments and more growth of GDP (Pethokoukis 2012). The rise in OPEC oil prices as a result of fall in supply leads to a fall in demand for oil. The import of oil reduces by the oil importing countries. The prices of goods in the economy rise, and the rise depends upon the economy’s dependence on oil imports. Hence the rate of inflation soars high causing a macroeconomic slowdown (See figure below). The rate at which the economies recover from the recession depends upon the monetary policies adopted by the government. If the money supply curve is more elastic, the government targets to put control upon the interest rate. At lower interest rates the investors would be encouraged to make investments and the economy would recover faster. 3. Adaptive expectation is based on the principle that economic agents build their expectation of any macroeconomic variable, as the inflation rate or price level, as a weighted average of their past observations regarding that variable. Adaptive expectations are used in forecasting figures taking into consideration the interest and inflation rates. In this formation the agents ignore the changes taking place in the monetary and fiscal policies and only base their expectations on the past observations. One of the components of the rational expectation hypothesis, Robert E. Lucas, has emphasized upon the fact that the economic agents exhibit rational behavior by making a forecast of the economic variables taking into consideration the past as well as the present information available. If the government announces an inflation rate and chooses a different rate and increases the money supply, producers would increase output following the increase in prices. In the short run, this would increase output level in the economy, but with rational expectations, the agents would endogenize the discretionary policy of the government, at which point output

Generic relating to the issue of risk and social work Essay

Generic relating to the issue of risk and social work - Essay Example Risk in the current setting, according to Culpitt is no longer a random matter but is much wider, and it covers matters like terrorism, global warming, and pollution among other national issues. This article will be seeking to look at how risk and social work interact for social workers working with older people. Many-a-times, the old members of the society are neglected by their family as well as the society in general. Due to the fact that they are not highly productive, most family members out of lack of financial capacity will tend to abandon their older family members. At the same time, some of these people may have outlived all their family members and are, therefore, alone in every sense of the world. As a result, some of them end up suffering due to the fact that they cannot take care of themselves and, therefore, death is not uncommon for most of them. When working with older people, the social worker has to surmount a number of challenges that come along their way. They have to; for example, look at the health insurance of the person to know what the person can afford in terms of health coverage. According to Mythen and Walklate (2006), the society has moved from the early modernity where the industrial process shaped lifestyles of people. This has moved on to a modernity in which dangers and hazards have permeated into the society due to the effects of urbanization, globalization and industrialization. This means that the older generations have had to be left behind by their family members because of the lean times that have come to characterise the world. At the same time, other effects like those of the coming up of urban centres has meant that the people who are old are left in the rural areas where they are alone. This is because people who have the capacity to look after them are in the urban centres looking for work. According to Beck and

Fannie Mae Accounting Scandal Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fannie Mae Accounting Scandal - Case Study Example In 2004, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) found out that the firm Fannie Mae was violating the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). This practice, as per the government investigation took place from 1998-2004, while in the year 1998, the management over stated revenues and understated the expenses. In accordance with a report that has been recently presented by OFHEO, there was involvement of high level executives that led to the misinterpretation and violation of accounting standards, which was a massive scale 'organized-accounting-robbery' mounting the dollar amount to 11 billion. The director of OFHEO took an immediate note and directed correction, which was turned down by Fannie Mae making an excuse that it could have been an end-user issue as the company is not fully automated. What truly went improper was the fact that loans and mortgage are fairly risky games and there are always chances of customers defaulting, alongside the interest rate risk makes the venture further riskier. For securing their investment and giving better return to stakeholders, Fannie Mae undertook risky ventures and investment for better returns and compensating the main stream line of business. When there were phenomenal profits, the shareholders and executives remain satisfied due to income (dividend yield and capital gains) and bonuses respectively. Violation of GAAP In the recently presented report by OFHEO, after three years of extensive investigations, there was a major accounting flaws in the accounting practices of Fannie Mae noticed and marked. The major ones are highlighted as the violation of the following GAAP standards: 1. SFAS-91: Accounting for Nonrefundable Fees and Costs Associated with Originating or Acquiring Loans and Initial Direct Costs of Leases 2. SFAS-133: Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities As mentioned previously, that there was too much over-estimation of income and underestimated expenses that mainly contributed to increased bottom-line of the financial statements. The excess income was mainly recorded by means of non-refundable fees. Alongside, the future in-flows of cash were adjusted by using hedging and futures counters that introduced lesser risk with fluctuating interest rates, however, these also increased the risk by means of gambling over the same counters with excess money. Official Involvement & Auditors The major player/official involved in this scandal was the Chief Executive of Fannie Mae i.e. Franklin Raines. He always defended the company in good terms by making others responsible by tarnishing the repute of the company. The CFO (Chief Financial Officer) also defended the company in good terms by stating that the financial statements were as per the GAAP requirements. The audit of this firm was KPMG who backed out after sometime. The denial of having the firm involved in such a violation gave a view of KPMG being involved them in the issue but it could have been a case of negligence as well as the auditors drew their hands from this case soon. OFHEO

Patrol Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Patrol Operations - Essay Example This tool of law enforcement is poised to bring huge results for the interaction between law enforcement and its citizenry. As aforementioned among the most recent technologies available for security operations are body-worn-cameras (Manjoo 1). Body-worn cameras are small gadgets that are usually attached to the upper body of a security or police officers (Manjoo 1). Law enforcement agencies across nations are increasingly adopting the body-worn cameras. The resolution to adopt the use of body cameras is an addition of the use of dash-attached audio recorder and video cameras, which have been in use. The possible areas of wearing the camera include the head, shoulders neck, or chest. Some of the cameras are also hand held. The cameras are also fitted with microphones and are capable of recording the police officers’ daily work in both audio and picture (Goold 40). The proponents of usage of body cameras argue that the cameras they can hold police officers accountable for their actions (Manjoo 1). In addition, they can protect the police officers who might false accusation of wrongdoing (Goold 64). The body-cameras could also inspire police or security officers, who would recognize that the cameras are recording their actions, to behave in better and diligent ways (A Primer on Body-Worn Cameras for Law Enforcement). According to Manjoo (1), in New York City, a citys public advocate reported that outfitting the whole New York Police Department with the body cameras would cost about $33 million. The body cameras mostly cost $200 to $1,000 each depending on the type. However, in 2013, New York City paid $152 million because of claims of misconduct the police. Therefore, if these body cameras could help reduce the cost of those claims, then the gadgets would pay for or buy themselves. Some cameras are designed with enough battery life for a few hours of recording both audio and visual while others can last for as long as 12working hours

Is Osama Bin Laden Killing Legal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Is Osama Bin Laden Killing Legal - Assignment Example According to international humanitarian law, the killing of Laden seems justifiable as there was armed conflict involved. In addition, as the law indicates, there was intense conflict and the actor was an organized group. Thus, it becomes evident that the killing of Laden is legal according to humanitarian law. Now, when the human rights law is considered, it is pointed out that one can be targeted as far as that person directly participates in hostilities. Thus, planning terrorist attacks from hideout can be considered as direct involvement in terror. However, a look into the international law as evident from the UN Charter reveals that America violated the international law by entering the Pakistan soil without the permission or authorization of the UN Security Council, and even without the knowledge of Pakistan officials. Though Pakistan declared that their sovereignty had not been violated by the US operation, it is evident that it is the embarrassment of being caught red-handed with their malicious motives that made Pakistan respond that way. In fact, Article 2 of the UN Charter declare that all member nations should refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations. In addition, America violates international law in the fact that it did not seek the permission of UN Security Council. To illustrate, Article 39, Chapter VII of the UN Charter states that the Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42 to maintain or restore international peace and security.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine Essay Example for Free

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine Essay The conflict between Russia and Ukraine over the annual gas transactions and dealings has been mostly intermittent. This presents the gravity of the matter, alongside the fact that the conflict has mainly been seen to transcend the two parties so as to largely affect European countries that heavily rely on this gas. The negative effect of the war stems from the fact that the gas is clearly seen to be Russian, and the transiting route for this gas is Ukraine. Substantial lists of those countries that are hurting as a result of this state of affair are the actual EU member states and the potential EU member states. The situation at the moment continues to aggravate, given the fact that these countries are in the verge of facing an acute disruption of oil supply, a situation that experts such as Adamski, Johnson and Schweiss (2006)[1] say is likely to culminate into a dearth in security in energy supply. This state of affair only means that European Union is to undergo a lot of repercussions and has a lot of vested interests in the ongoing discussions on the common energy policy. At the moment, it is true that the incumbent conflict has placed the issue of solidarity among the EU member states into the limelight. Herein, there is a rush being made at a full throttle by EU nations to ensure a steady supply of gas individually so as to ward off cases of disruptions. Similarly, these countries in Europe are trying to ensure redistribution from non affected member states, to those that are affected. However, the tenability of this rule is called to questions severally, owing to the diversity of interests that the member states have. Apart from the above effects, sundry types of effects the gas clamor has wrought on European countries are addressed heretofore. Bilateral and Multilateral suspicion among European nations and the plummeting of Gas Supply It can be said with some degree of lucidity that the Russian- Ukrainian conflict has taken a new twist into this affair that is causing spiraling degree of tension in the entire Europe. January 6th 2008 marked a new phase in this affair as the chief Ukrainian gas company, Naftogaz accused publicly, the Russian gas giant, Gazprom of making cuts to Europe by at least two-thirds.   As a rebuttal to this, the deputy Chief Executive Officer of Gazprom Alexander Medvedev, made stark indictments of the Ukrainian government for having shut down, at least three fourths of its export pipelines (Carr, 2007)[2]. At the moment, the underlying issue is that Russia has assuaged the level of supply for her natural gas, meaning that two-fifths of EU’s total gas imports have been extirpated. Because of this, predominantly Eastern European countries remaining dependent on Russian imports have remained consistently susceptible to questionings over energy dependence. Similarly, EU has been grilled too, on the account that its policy makers have always talked of finding and securing recourse to Russian gas continually without any achievement to show for it. On a domestic front, since January 6th, Eastern Europe countries have remained subjected to gas rationing, following announcements by the OMV, an Austrian energy company that its daily supply of natural gas had plummeted by 10%. According to LeCoq and Paltseva (2008)[3], this was followed by Romania reporting a reduction in natural gas supplies by 75%, followed by Hungary’s 25%, and Bulgaria’s 15%.   In the same vein, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Poland reported diminishing amounts of gas supply, albeit on a smaller scale. Stalling Growth of the European Countries’ Economy It is pointed out by political scientists and economists such as Scott (2009)[4] that the present standoff over gas between Ukraine and Russia is only bound aggravate the economic crunch in countries of Eastern Europe. This is because; many of these countries are presently facing exorbitant prices in fuel commodities too: a situation that means that even the cost of electric power has skyrocketed of late. The above state of affair, leading to high cost of production, only means that commodity prices are also likely to take a nosedive. These glaring facts are well underscored by the fact that Slovakia announced on January 7th 2009, that it was facing a state of emergency, due to dwindling reserves. Similarly, whereas Hungary can barely breathe due to stifled gas consumption by industrial users, Croatia, Turkey and Slovenia now have their gas supplies totally severed.   Nonetheless, according to Pierre Noel’s calculations, the most affected countries are: Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia and Hungary (Scott, Ibid). Stunted Development in the Industrial Sector It is pointed out by economists such as Lacolizado (2003)[5] that the current situation is also likely to subject a lot of Eastern European countries to industrial stagnation. This development comes in the wake of the revelation that smaller countries in Eastern Europe are witnessing foreclosures in the industrial sector, following two reasons: the minimal and deficient supply of gas in the oil- dependent industrial sector; and the rising prices in gas and gas products, owing to the miniscule supply and the increased demand. As a state, Slovakia remains the most express epitome of the above scenario, as it is making indictments over the dwindling reserves that has entrenched a state of emergency in this country.   Hungary also reports inefficient industrial supply of gas in the industrial sector, as a factor that has inculcated retrogressive tendencies in the industrial sector. Loss of Credibility by the EU One of the issues that undercut the continual standoff between Russia and Ukraine is the fact that EU itself cannot come to the rescue of many nations in this situation, given the fact that although having a clear grasp on what the oil war portends, yet, EU lacks the moral authority to â€Å"correct† either side. Neither can EU simply coerce Ukraine to resume transportation, nor can it side with Ukraine against Russia. In 2006, EU which has been supporting Ukraine traditionally as a fledgling democracy; accused Russia of political patronage and espionage towards Ukraine (Scott, Op ct). Apart from the fact that pushing Russia to resume oil transportation and supply would confirm fears of EU’s lopsidedness against Russia, EU knows so well that the current impasse is not due to Russia’s machinations. Compelling Ukraine to resume her gas transit obligations would hurt her as a democratic and economic youngling.   The only recourse left for EU is to keep issuing general statements and to keep calling sides for negotiations. It is by the virtue of this EU’s apparent failure that it scored a mere 33% in 2008 in votes from citizens in EU member countries, as far as its credibility is concerned. Conclusion By extension of the above Eastern Europe gas crises, researches point out that in the next decade, the world is going to witness an intensified wave of dependency on major powers in Eastern Europe by relatively smaller economies such as Lithuania, Latvia, Turkey, Slovenia and Poland. These major powers in the Eastern block are bound to be only two- Germany and Russia. This is because, Russia herself monopolizes the supply of gas, while Germany on the other hand, has a separate energy deal with Russia. Apart from the fact that these two countries are the most developed in Eastern Europe, their accessibility to gas while their neighbors suffer lack, is bound to widen the industrial chasm between these two sides. References Adamski, J., Johnson, M. and Schweiss, C. (2006). The Evolution of Europe and New Security Threat. Colorado: Ashgate Publishing. Carr, A. (2007). The Gas Conflict in Europe. California: University of California. Europa Publications. (1999). The Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe. Europa Publications. Lacolizado, A., et al (2003). The Position of Russia in Eastern Europe. New York: Rutledge. LeCoq, A. and Paltseva, P. (2008). Ascertaining Security and External Supplies in the EU. Retrieved From: http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:LZaiqxBpVawJ:www2.hhs.se/site/policybriefs/Russia_Ukraine%2520comment.pdf+HOW+THE+GAS+CONFLICT+IN+RUSSIA+AND+NEAR+COUNTRIES+AFFECTED+EUROPEcd=2hl=enct=clnkgl=ke Scott, M. (Jan 6th 2009). Russian-Ukrainian Conflict Besets Europe: Business Week. Retrieved From: http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:MM8_mTzwy2QJ:www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/europeinsight/archives/2009/01/russia-ukraine.html+HOW+THE+GAS+CONFLICT+IN+RUSSIA+AND+NEAR+COUNTRIES+AFFECTED+EUROPEcd=1hl=enct=clnkgl=ke

Evaluation Of Four Different Learning Theories And Models

Evaluation Of Four Different Learning Theories And Models In this section of the essay I will describe and critically evaluate four broad theories of learning in the context of my subject areas. I have a numerate background with undergraduate degree in Physics and an MSc in Software Engineering. I have a PhD in Ecological modelling and my research is focussed on the simulation and visualisation of complex systems. The subject areas I teach are numerate based, and range from mathematics, statistics, computer programming and visualisation and my teaching activities are across three schools: SCS, CES and IAGM. Learning theories/models The first learning theory to be researched in the 19XXX, based on the work of Pavlov and Skinner, is known as the behaviourist theory. In behaviourist theory learning is a mechanical process of habit formation, by means of frequent reinforcement of a stimuli response sequence, this can be thought of as conditioning. Behaviourist learning has been traditionally used in the teaching of languages. Pavlovs behaviourist theory (Ref) underpinned the Audiolingual Method of the 50s and 60s. Some features of the audiolingual method that align well with the behaviourist theory include: the sequence of learning a new language is rigid and involves, hear, speak, read and write, frequent repetition essential for effective learning and all errors immediately corrected. Other discplines such as Chemistry and Physics have used behaviourist methodologies for practical laboratories. Behaviourist learning is still used in universities today as part of the whole teaching and learning process. In fact i t can be argued that we do indeed reward our students by allocating good grades as a consequence of their demonstration of their learning. In this way good learners get rewarded with good grades. Behaviourist theory was criticised in the 1960s when Chomsky questioned how the mind was able to transfer what it had learned in one stimulus-response sequence to other novel situations. Chomsky (1964) proposed that if thinking was rule governed a small, set of finite rules enabled the mind to deal with potentially an infinite range of experiences it may encounter. The obvious implication of this was to consider learning as the acquiring of rules and not habits as with the behaviourist model. This is stated more recently in Stevick (1992) when he considers that learning is much more than imitatic habit formation. This was the rise of cognitive theory and one of the key features is the process of acquiring new rules i.e. expanding the cognitive network, drawing on the individuals experiences. This way the individual is an active processor of information (Auszibel et al XXXX) rather than passive receiver of information. Cognitive learning is exemplified in basic teaching activities suc h as problem solving which is used, albeit to varying degrees, in most disciplines. The next development in learning theories was constructivist approach, led by Jean Piaget and Bruner. Unlike the cognitive approach which encourages learners to use mental powers, to distill a workable rule from information provided but was teacher centric, the Constructivist approach is very much learner centric and led to the learner-centred educational paradigm. This is highlighted in the Learning Theories text Experiential learning a recent learning models and depending on the teaching activity can be categorised as a cognitivist or a constructivist approach. Kolb (1984) matched types of cognitive processes with specific types of instructional design strategies that encompass four learning styles: Reflector, Activist, Pragmatist and Theorist. In this respect, Kolbs model differs from others since it offers both a way to understand individual learning styles, which he named the Learning Styles Inventory (LSI), and also an explanation of a cycle of experiential learning that applies to all learners. Kolb states learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it. This is illustrated in the diagram below. Depending upon the situation or environment, the learners may enter the learning cycle at any point and will best learn the new task if they practice all four modes. Science uses mainly constructivist approach but different models will be used at different. Different domains use different approaches to varying degrees, in order to be a good scientist a degree of curiosity is required which explores ideas and possible solutions, applying the process of science to open minded enquiry and combining new experiences with information already acquired as a personally constructed meaning is formed . Extyensions of Kolbs work include that of Honey and Mumford (1986). The main difference being XXXXXXXX I will now discuss the application of each of the models in my subject areas and describe personal encounters with these models. Within my subject areas behaviourist theory is still applied for example rote memorization, drill and practice. Also the use of a token system to reinforce positive academic performance and student behaviour. A classroom application of using drill and practice includes using computer software, such as Math Blasters. These types of software provide positive and negative reinforcements for answering math problems correctly or incorrectly. A final example highlighting the behaviourist theory is rote memorization. Rote memorization may include memorizing addition or multiplication facts or memorizing state capitals (Woolfolk XXXX).. The behaviourist approach to teaching has practical applications in education. In particular, understanding basic skills and core subject knowledge. The approach of using positive and negative reinforcements to elicit desired behavi ours of students is also useful in establishing and maintaining classroom management. Cognitive theories however move beyond the habit formation process of behaviourism and when teaching mathematics or programming the learner should be provided with the opportunity to spot patterns and infer relationships between concepts in order to construct their own understanding. With cognitive approaches they are usually teacher directed I use this approach in practical classes for both statistics and 3D graphics programming where the first half of the lab is directed to help learners apply the concepts of the lecture and to ensure coverage of specific material. Typical classroom instruction, consistent with the constructivist learning theory that are used in my subject area include: problem-based approach to teaching, hands-on activities, experimentation, and simulations. Hands-on activities are also used in the constructivist model. This example is taken from Bruner (1973): The concept of pr ime numbers appears to be more readily grasped when the child, through construction, discovers that certain handfuls of beans cannot be laid out in completed rows and columns. Such quantities have either to be laid out in a single file or in an incomplete row-column design in which there is always one extra or one too few to fill the pattern. These patterns, the child learns, happen to be called prime. It is easy for the child to go from this step to the recognition that a multiple table , so called, is a record sheet of quantities in completed mutiple rows and columns. Here is factoring, multiplication and primes in a construction that can be visualized. Overall, the constructivist approach to teaching allows students to actively be involved in decision-making and problem-solving scenarios. In 3D graphics students are often given simulations and demo programs of a particular technique i.e. the Phong lighting model that they can manipulate and change to see the effect. The students task would then be to implement their own version of a Phong lighting model. .Prior knowledge and past experiences help shape student connections to new material. Students use higher level processing skills and apply that knowledge to the world in which they live. The use of Kolbs model has been applied in at least two of my reaching activities, teaching computer programming for visualization and the mathematics of 3D graphics. Kolbs model applied to learning a software program: Active experimentation Jumping in and doing it. Reflective observation Thinking about what you just performed. Abstract conceptualization Reading the manual to get a clearer grasp on what was performed. Concrete experience Using the help feature to get some expert tip Kolbs model applied to learning algebra: Abstract conceptualization Listening to explanations on what it is. Concrete experience Going step-by-step through an equation. Active experimentation Practicing. Reflective observation Recording your thoughts about algebraic equations in a learning log. Now when I teach these topics I introduce Kolbs model and encourage student to use it to in order have a more effective approach to learning. In conclusion, I have described the 3 main learning theories and how they can be used in my subject areas. From this it can be concluded that a single core learning theory can not be used in HE alone, even in one specific discipline. It is clear that each of these models has its own strengths and limitations. I hope I have shown that teachers have to adopt a balance between each of the learn ring models paying particular attention to satisfying individual preferences of approaches by developing inclusive teaching materials. Bruner, J. (1973). Going Beyond the Information Given. New York: Norton. Critique the development of a major educational policy and practice in UK Higher Education since 1950 Higher Education has evolved during the last half a century in terms of provision availability and participation and this is partly due to changing policies, practice and the rise of technology. I will describe in this essay the key policy drivers that have been introduced in HE and discuss how they have changed the face of Higher Education. In the 1960s the government (Labour at the time) set up a working committee to identify solutions to the lack of participation in Higher Education and to encourage lifelong learning to cater for the postwar bulge. This committee was chaired by Lord Robbins and were defined with a clear task: to review the pattern of full-time education in Great Britain and in the light of national needs and resources to advise Her Majestys government on what principles its long-term development should be based. In particular, to advise, in the light of these principles, whether any new types of institution are desirable and whether any modifications should be made in the present arrangements for planning and co-ordinating the development of the various types of institution. The committees findings were set out by 180 recommendations that can be summarised into three categories: 1) Courses of higher education should be available for all those who are qualified by ability and attainment to pursue them and who wish to do so: 2)The expansion should be carried out mainly by development of existing kinds of institutions-existing universities, the creation of new ones, the granting of university status to Colleges of Advanced Technology (CATs) and later to some Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) and Regional Technical Colleges; 3) should be self-governing and financed by grants distributed through an independent Committee like the present. After the recommendations of the report that coincided with the 1960s saw the rise of plate glass universities, incidentally Robbins was not responsible for their foundation, the rates of participation in higher education soared ahead of most expectations. The speed and the scale of the expansion have been unprecedented within the UK and some outstanding achievements deserve to be recorded and celebrated. For example, the statistics show that within one generation the UK has achieved equal proportions of women and men in undergraduate HE. (Edwards 1997, Williams 1977) This was achieved by expanding the university network from the well known ancient and redbrick universities to include the plate glass universities. The number of institutions subsequently rose from 20 to 43 in a X year time frame. The success of the Robins report is much debated, it contributed to the expansion of universities, although it was theUniversity Grants Committee in the later 1950s/early 1960s that was responsible for the emergence of the Plate Glass universities, known as Plate Glass due to architectural style. Moreover, the system has still to develop a strategy for lifelong learning.(Tight 2009), this was later addressed in the Dearing report. Others state the recommendations based on evidence presented was biased and incomplete. And if other statistics and figures had been used that it could have trumpeted the achievements of the British system (Tooley 1996). To address wider access issues in 1969 the UK government founded the Open University on the belief that communications technology could bring high quality degree-level learning to people who had not had the opportunity to attend campus universities. This was a unique and innovative approach to HE in several aspects: its open admissions poli cy and distance learning strategy. There was little major policy renewals and recommendations in the 1970s 80s .Since the Robbins report powerful forces, technological and political, were driving the economies of the world towards greater integration and the Dearing report was commissioned in the 1990s, tasked to make recommendations on how the purposes, shape, structure, size and funding of higher education, including support for students, should develop to meet the needs of the United Kingdom over the next 20 years. In the report titled Higher Education in a Learning Society there were a total of 93 recommendations made and perhaps the most notable change in funding was a shift from undergraduate tuition being funded entirely by grants from the government to a mixed system in which tuition fees were supported by low interest government loans. Those that benefit from HE should pay for it, as it is assumed that better paid jobs will be attainable with a higher degree. This was not b aulked at as in the 90s there had been a lot of uncertaintly in Higher Education and plolicies had lurched from contracting the number of students to increasing them. Underfunding had left universities so stretched they were about to snap (Sheppard and Crace 2007 ) . The amount universities had to spend on teaching had halved, and funding for infrastructure and research had been reduced. The crisis in 1996 was the result of a period of very fast growth in student numbers, financed in very substantial part by severe reductions in the unit of resource [the amount a university spends on each student] for teaching, and massive decay in research infrastructure. Other key issues raised were pursuing quality in our teaching and research and a commitment to high standards and as a result the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) was set up to monitor standards of education in HE institutions in the UK in all teaching activities. The Research Assessment Exercise initiative was established to assess institutions quality of research. Each institution department receives a score on the quality and impact of their research and mapped to the score are research funds from the UK Research Councils. The RAE is now superseded by the REF which is deemed to be fairer. The Dearing review has been deemed successful and there have been quantitative figfures published by Watson that calculated that 28% of Dearings recommendations have made a difference, 16% have been overtaken by events, 11% were rejected, 29% happened slowly and 16% have seen no specific progress. Since the Dearing report there have been political drivers to ensure that the UK skill market for 2020 can maximise economic growth, productivity and social justice. In 2006 the Leitch report was tasked to consider this and to consider the policy framework required to support it. It reports on skills from level 1 4, level 1, 2, 3, and 4 maps to numeracy and literacy, GCSEs, A levels and higher degrees respectively. One of its goals is that more than 40% of adults should be qualified to Level 4 and above in 2020 (equivalent to degree-level qualifications), up from 29% in 2005. Another issue linked to the Leitch report is tat of graduate employability. There is no debating that a major responsibility for the smooth integration of graduates into professional life and hence society, lies with the HEIs. (Pukelis et al 2007). This is changing the shape of Universities and requires universities to be more outward looking. Recognition of this responsibility has prompted considerable debate within educational, employer and political spheres about the skills and attributes expected of graduates, and how these might be fostered. Universities are devising strategies for ensuring that their graduates possess a set of graduate attributes that can be linked to employability and managing rapid socio-cultural, political, economic and technological change. To summarize HE has changed significantly from the 1960s. The increase and projected further increase in student numbers is one important change. Concurrent with this has been the greater equality and diversity in the profile of HE. students. The advancement of technology and methods for distance learning have evolved, devolving the notion of a central University to a distributed University, aiding the increase in student numbers. As student numbers increased there was a strong focus on maintaining quality via the QAA policies and strategies for ensuring quality of research and teaching have been overhauled and change the manner in which Universitys teaching and research are assessed. There has been a move for universities to be more skill oriented where level 4 generic skills, also termed graduate attributes, can be engendered in students and potentially measured. Finally there is a move for to become more outward looking. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=92887sectioncode=26 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/jul/24/highereducation.tuitionfees Edwards T (1997) Educating leaders and training followers?. In Edwards, T et al Separate but Equal? A Levels and GNVQs, London: Routledge. Williams G (1977) Editorial, Higher Education Quarterly, Vol 51, No 1, January, 1-5. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=92887sectioncode=26 Tight, M. 2009. Higher Education in the United Kingdom since 1945. Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press 288pp. Leitch Review Index, HM Treasury, 2006-12-05 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/jul/24/highereducation.tuitionfees Pukelis, K, PileiÄ ikienÄ-, N, Allan, A and DailidienÄ-, E (2007) European and National Level Strategies for Competency-Based Curriculum Development: summary, HEGESCO, available at: www.decowe.com/static/uploaded/htmlarea/finalreportshegesco/European_National_and_Universities_Strategies_-_Summary.pdf Plan, deliver and reflect on learning and teaching sessions within a particular subject discipline The purpose of a curriculum design methodology is to try and increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning process based on current knowledge of how people learn. There are several methodologies available to curriculum design but a basic methodology that can be applied in the design of all types of teaching/learning scenarios is the Systems Approach. The systems approach tries to mould the input of a course/module in such a way to enable the optimal assimilation of knowledge and skills to take place during the learning process and hence maximise the quality output, [Ross TLA guide 3]. A diagram of the systems approach can be found in Appendix A. For the purpose of this report theories must be analysed with respect to the lecturers subject discipline. As an example the curriculum design of SE216 Operating systems and Networks will be discussed. The author ran this module last session but did not write the original module descriptor. The first stage in the systems approach is to consider the target population characteristics and the topic area. The 2nd year cohort will mostly consist of continuing students with a few direct entrants. It is important to profile the different educational backgrounds in terms of their previous knowledge to achieve a balanced approach to the planning of SE216. Another example of this which is indirectly related to the authors experience, is in the design of first year curricula to accommodate changes in the pre university curricula and to provide a smooth transition to higher education in the face of an increasingly diverse student population, (Cox, B. Ingleby, A., 1997). The next stage is to estimate the relevant existing skills and knowledge of learners. Students upon entering University possess a variety of skills all to varying degrees. The 1st year Dip HE Computing and IT, (replaces the HND) students are a mixture of school leavers and direct entrants. These students are given a series of study skill seminars so that they all know what is expected of them and to bring them to a common level. Another example of students bringing different histories to university is apparent in the teaching of first year programming SE111. These students encompass a vast range of abilities from those who have never programmed to the expert programmer. The teaching approach cannot be tailored to meet every students needs however the tutorials/labs were streamed to be aware of the vast individual differences and to ensure that the students received quality teaching, whether they needed to be taught from a beginners level or their knowledge reinforced. After taking these issues into account the next stage is the formulation of objectives/Learning Outcomes. It is the learning outcomes that encapsulate the new skills, knowledge or attitude that the new students will acquire. Listed below are the current objectives and suggested content of SE216 not written by the author: Objectives Understand the role and features of an operating system. Utilise at least one operating system to perform common tasks. Understand network topologies and protocols. On studying these the author felt that the objectives are ambiguous and vague using expressions such as understand and concept which are too illdefined to convey the exact nature of the behaviour being sought. It is extremely important that the objectives and learning outcomes are clear and concise to the student. Learning outcomes should be written in future tense and conveyed by verbs, which describe exactly what the student is, expected to be able to do after completing the learning process. More importantly the LOs should be written in such a manner that the students can easily understand them. A good educational objective is one, which contains an action verb describing an observable measurable performance, (Gronlund 1978, Mayer 1990). Taking this into account the previous objectives were rewritten by the author and are as below: Learning outcomes By the end of this module the student will be able to: Define the role and main features of an operating system. Demonstate the use of at least one operating system to perform simple tasks. Describe various network types, protocols and topologies. Outline the OSI Interconnection model and compare with existing operating system implementations. Once the LOs have been formulated the appropriate teaching method must be selected. There are numerous teaching methods available but one is confined by institutional constraints. The teaching methods must be selected with the appropriate LO/objective in mind and a combination of teaching methods can be used for a particular course. In SE216 a lecture is given which is the practical and most common way to convey information to a large group. The students also participate in a tutorial and lab group. Since one of the LOs is to be able to utilise an operating System it was felt that this learning process was best suited to an active laboratory. In the tutorials group discussions were encouraged also providing the students with an active part in learning the content of the module. It has been researched that group learning and discussions improves the quality of learning, (MCB, 1990). Directed study of material in textbooks is also used however well structured handouts were given out at each lecture which link the content of the lecture to the LOs more closely than the directed study. However it was felt that the directed reading was an important part in developing a culture of independent and deep learning. Students adopting a deep learning approach to their normal studies related new material to their own knowledge and experience, stressing the importance of reorganising new information in terms of existing knowledge structure, (Svennsson, 1977). Independent learning is encouraged as it leads to increased responsibility and autonomy on the part of the learner, (Richardson, J., 2000). There is a multitude of teaching approaches and it is important that the educator must feel comfortable with his/her choice of teaching methods or it will not be successful. Once the teaching methods have been decided the course must be assessed. The aim of assessment is to provide feedback and guidance to the learner and to judge the extent of learning. The assessment should test each LO and it has been found that varied assessment leads to improved learning, (Cox, B. and Ingleby, A., 1997). In the case of SE216 it was felt that the learning outcomes were attainable to two distinct areas the cognitive and the physchomotor domain. The cognitive domain applied to LO 2,3, and 4, which required the acquisition and application of knowledge and understanding. Learning outcome 3 belongs to the physchomotor domain and deals with the development of manipulative or physical skills. The physcomotor LO1 was assessed by a logbook which recorded the students actions and experiences whilst carrying out specific lab sheets. The second part of the assessment dealt with LO 2, 3 and 4, which involved knowledge and understanding of the content, (lower cognitive skills) and was tested in an exam. The exam was structured such that the student had to develop higher cognitive skills in the synthesis and processing of their knowledge i.e the first part of the question was knowledge based and the second part was application of this knowledge in a particular context. It is vital to realise that the systems approach is a cyclic procedure. Poorly achieved objectives/LO lead to a course designer to examine the entire system to see where improvements can be made. In SE216 less ambiguous statements of LO/objectives may improve student learning. Also a prior knowledge of Computer Architecture, SE215 was wrongly assumed even though it is a prerequisite on the module descriptor. A small collaborative group has been set up within the SE division to ensure that a consistent stream of Computing Infrastructure/Networks runs through the 1st 4th year BSc Computing course. The module descriptors of modules have been modified to reflect this. This will ensure that the students upon undertaking SE216 have the relevant background knowledge to do so. As an extra precaution the lectures will be modified this session to include a revision of computer architecture. On evaluation, (via questionnaires) of the module some students felt the module was biased with the bul k of the content on Operating Systems. The updated module descriptor aims to get a more balanced content with respect to Operating Systems and Networks. Finally there are disadvantages associated with the systems model. The main disadvantages being that the course/module may become too prescribed and lack spontaneity with an over emphasis on the LOs, REF. I felt that these disadvantages can be overcome by the educator bearing these points in mind and remembering that the LOs are only a guide to give the student an idea of the content of the module. Evaluation and Reflection The TLA principle, which is the focus of this narrative, is a lecture given to 2nd year BSc Computing students. The lecture is from SE216 Operating Systems and Networks. The module is split into two sections, part one being Operating systems and part two being Networks. This narrative pertains to one lecture given out of seven on Operating Systems. The aim of the series of lectures is to provide the students with the theoretical foundation relating to O/S. Each lecture is not treated independently or in isolation of other lectures but rather each lecture provides the basis for future lectures in the series ultimately building a coherent picture of Operating Systems. The delivery method chosen for this particular module was the traditional approach. This was found to be the most practical considering the large number of students, the type of material being taught and the environmental and staff constraints. The lectures were well structured always stating the aims and objectives of that particular lecture and providing a summary at the end. The lecture was always introduced so that the students were aware of that particular lectures relevance and how it fitted in with the previous lectures and future lectures. The author feels that this encourages effective learning, Bligh 1998. REF holistic approach. The lectures were always written in simple English, which is also thought to help students synthesise the material. It was also felt appropriate to involve the students in the lecture, which encourages active learning stimulating deep learning. Stalling the lectures and providing discussion questions based on important and fundamental issues achiev ed this. The students were also expected to sketch their own diagrams and carry out their own calculations. At the lecture handouts were also given out. It was felt that these were necessary to allow the students to listen and synthesise the material rather than spending most their time writing notes. Writing their own notes has disadvantages such as slow writers are penalised. However on evaluation next session a full set of lecture notes will not be provided. Instead a partial set of notes providing the students with the bullet points will be provided. The students will then be expected to add any details they felt were important which will again provide a more active learning experience. Directed reading was also given to the students to encourage deep learning. The main disadvantage of directed reading is that the student may not be able to relate the information to the LOs. It was felt that the directed reading was necessary so that the student would engage in independent learning which is the main aim of learning. REF Although the traditional approach was utilised it was felt by the author that it incorporated modern flavours making the lectures more interactive, fun and interesting. This hopefully encouraged the students to learn independently and deeply. It was felt that on the whole this was achieved. It is however vital to remember that this did not just depend on the mode of delivery and style of teaching but also on many uncontrollable factors. These include amount of reading, prepar

Standards for Moral Conduct in Criminal Justice

Standards for Moral Conduct in Criminal Justice I have become in fascinated with the way that the criminal justice field works. There are so many different career opportunities that one can get apply to. The field of work that I feel would be best for me will be a juvenile probationer officer. I do feel that being in this line of work will benefit me as well as the juveniles that I can work with. I will be able to help those individuals that have gotten into trouble and help them turn their life around and do positive things that will benefit them in the long run. Job Description To begin, a juvenile probation officer (JPO) is an individual who has the authority to supervise youth who have been delinquent or undisciplined in court and who are placed on probation or protective supervision by the presiding judge and being able work closely with law enforcement, social services, schools, and parents to help juveniles become successful. In this field of work, the probation officers primary task is to supervise the youth on their caseloads for compliance with the courts orders. Normally the tasks involved are regular visits to the juveniles home, school, work, and other areas of the community in which the juvenile frequents. This is a way for the officer to see inside the world of the juvenile. They are able to see where they live and what factors are playing a role in their behavior. These visits could possibly range from weekly as well as monthly visits. This will be determined based off of the supervision level given by the court. These visits can also include unannounced visits to check compliance with curfew, to conduct random drug screens, and to monitor the whereabouts of the juveniles. During this time, the officer will give referral information that will assist with the intervention plan for the juvenile and his or her parents. And if for some reason the juvenile is placed on electric monitoring, the JPO will also install the equipment, attach the monitor, and track the juveniles activities. Stakeholders When it comes to the stakeholders that are involved with this career, there are a few. The stakeholders are individuals that stay on the local system for the adoption of new reforms. The stakeholders can be district attorneys, judges, directors of child welfare agencies, as well as probation officers or chiefs. These individuals along, have sessions to discuss what is the best way to handle the juvenile system. The overall goal is to decrease crime and lower the costs of juvenile defendants. Ethical Decision Making Moral Action In the field of juvenile probation officers, there are many types of issues that could possibly come about. First, one has to understand that they are dealing with a child. Second, this child belongs to someone that most likely cares for them and want them to get the proper help. And third, one has to have some form of understanding when dealing with the different types of juveniles that come before them. So one scenario would be how to handle a juvenile that is quite disrespectable and out of control. Another scenario can be how could I handle a juvenile that thinks they know everything and we as authority figures cant tell them anything. They are right and everyone is wrong. And a third scenario can be how to deal with a juvenile that has gotten their first offense and is not sure of the rules and regulations. As we know, working with juveniles can be a task. With the fact that they are somewhat of age but have managed to follow the wrong crowd, can be difficult at times to get the m to understand they are making very bad decisions. So being a probationer officer, this becomes a task of almost trying to re-raise an individual that has been taught all wrong. Ethical Theories Due to the fact that probation officers deal with many types of individuals, one has to have some ethical theories in place to follow. There are times when one theory might not be compatible with the type of individual you are dealing with. Probation officers have to be prepared at all times. One theory that I could apply to this line of work would be the deontological theory. This theory judges the morality of an action based on the actions adherence to a rule or rules. Basically this is an ethics of duty or obligation. With this theory, I am very well capable of informing juveniles the rules and regulations. There will be a clear understanding that the rules provided will be followed or there will be consequences. Now as always, there are advantages and disadvantages to using certain methods. Now a few of the pros of deontological theory is that the information given is straightforward. That basically means there will be no cutting of the corners. There is simply one principal as the moral test of all actions. The rules will be followed. Another pro is that it carries an intuitive appeal. We feel that we should be respected at all times. Regardless of the situation, the respect has to be acknowledged. There are also cons to this theory as well. One con is the act-to-produce-the-best-consequences. This simply means that no matter what, the outcome must have a great consequence. That means that if a juvenile has violated probation a certain number of times, the consequence for that action has to be the best. This could simply mean jail time for that juvenile. Another con would be that this theory has to deal with conflict that seem to exist between duties and between certain rights. This basically means that conflict of ones duties is inconceivable. There is not a chance th at the rules laid out would be broken. Getting more into the theories, I would also use the virtue theory. Virtue theory judges a person by his/her character rather than by the action that may deviate from his/her normal behavior  It takes the persons morals, reputation and motivation into account when rating an unusual and irregular behavior that is considered unethical. Overall, one would be able to look into the past of the juvenile to see how this person normally acts. One might also be able to determine the cause of why the juvenile ended up going down the path he or she did. The advantage for this theory is that the focus will switch for moral value rather than from the act. Simply put, I would rather judge on what I know about the behavior of the individual than the crime that was committed. Another advantage is that there is an opportunity to learn and improve ones moral life. I am sure that there is a way to help this juvenile get on the right track and to avoid breaking the law in the future. Well, unfortunately, there are also disadvantages or cons to this theory. One of these disadvantages is that it does not take into consideration a persons change in moral character. We know that once we know a character of a person, we want to believe that person will always maintain that character. But there are times when a person can get caught up with the wrong crowd and their whole demeanor will change forever. Another disadvantage would be that virtue ethics does not seem to have room for basic concepts such as rights and obligations. One will seem very inadequate in dealing with big issues. Well in this case, a person would have a difficult time with giving the consequence of the offenders actions. They can only see the good and not the bad. Code of Ethics When it comes to creating a code of ethics, I would want to make sure that it will cover exactly how my organization will be defined. A code of ethics is an overview of what the organization stands for and what the organization as a whole is trying to achieve. It will detail how professionals are supposed to approach problems, the ethical principles based on the organizations core values and the standards to which the professional is held. One of code of ethics would be that professional service will be rendered to the justice system and to the community assuring the social adjustment for an offender. Another code will be that we must abide by all federal laws, federal guidelines and rules, and state laws. I would want to make sure that all officers follow rules to avoid misconduct. A third code would be that we as an organization will uphold the law with dignity, displaying an awareness of our responsibility to offenders while recognizing the right of the public to be safeguarded fr om criminal activity. We will also respect and protect the legal rights of all juveniles and their parents and/or guardians. Regardless of the offenders reason for being there, they should always be respected as well as their rights protected. One has to remember that we are dealing with young individuals. I will also want to enforce to serve each child with concern for their welfare with no expectation of personal gain. Simply put, do what is best for that child without wanting to be recognized for the work you pledged to do. And a final code would be to treat all juveniles and their families with courtesy, consideration, and dignity. We must remember that we are all human, we are not perfect. There will come a time when we all will make a mistake so we should not judge. Best Practices Overall, I would want to make sure that everyone involved with the juveniles are following the same rules and regulation. I would want to make sure that there is a best-practice checklist that one will familiarize themselves with on a daily basis. So to begin, the first on the checklist would be to concentrate on having juveniles being able to understand and relate to the thinking process that warrant negative behavior. Second, we want to promote strong bonds with, and respect for, the other member of his or her family, peers, school, and any other individuals that deal with them on a daily basis. Third, have a comprehensive and understandable path for the juveniles progression towards completion. Fourth, have constant rules in place in the event of misbehavior and rewards for good behavior. Fifth, provide an assortment of highly structured programming activities, including education and/or hands-on vocational training and skill development. Sixth, facilitate discussions that promote family problem solving. Last but not least, integrate delinquent and at-risk youth into generally prosocial groups to prevent the development of delinquent peer groups. Implications The goal with this checklist is to make sure that we can get these juveniles on the right path. They need individuals that can understand and relate to them. They are also looking to be able to trust the individual they are dealing with. When you are able to have compassion and understanding with these juveniles, you will have a better outcome of them opening up to you. And by giving them positive options rather than being in the street, they might also feel a sort of security with you. They will start to put their trust in you. Having positive outlets will always lead to more getting out of the delinquent life style and trying to better them in a positive way. Conclusion In the end, I am sure that my code of ethics will have a positive impact on all the stakeholders. With the fact that all times, we as a whole will always render a professional service. That means at all times, attitudes will be professional regardless of the situation at hand. Also with the fact that all laws, federal and state, will be followed. There will be no corner cutting when it comes to following the rules. And if for some reason any wants not to abide by those rules, there will be consequences. Also, when it comes to the juveniles, we will make sure that their legal rights are protected. Just because they have broken the law, we will treat them with respect and make sure they are protected. But most importantly, we will always be concerned for the welfare of that child. One can appreciate the fact that these children will be taken care of and treated with respect. As I stated earlier, we all make mistakes and dealing with probation system is a way to get that second chance o n life. Regardless of what has transpired, the juvenile will be able to start making better decisions to improve a healthy and positive lifestyle. I do believe that these codes will greatly please the stakeholders. They will have a complete understanding of the goals that we as an organization are trying to fulfil. There will also be an understanding that these juveniles will be treated with the upmost respect and that there wellbeing is our number one concern. But most of all, we are here for them to be able to acknowledge their wrong doings and understand the consequences of their actions. This will be the first step to getting them back on the right track and understanding that there are more positive things you can do with your life besides being in trouble with the law. References Juvenile Probation Officer Career Guide (2016). Criminal Justice Degree Schools. Retrieved  from http://www.criminaljusticedegreeschools.com/criminal-justice-careers/juvenile-probation-officer/ Davis, A., Irvine, A., Ziedenberg, J. (2014). Stakeholders Views on the Movement to  Reduce Youth Incarceration. National Council on Crime Delinquency. Retrieved from  http://www.nccdglobal.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdf/deincarceration-summary-report.pdf Alexander, L., Moore, M. (2012). Deontological Ethics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.  Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-deontological/ Banks, Cyndi (2013). Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA.  Sage Publications, Inc. Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Standards. Juvenile Justice Professional Code of Ethics for  Certified Officers. Retrieved from https://www.tjjd.texas.gov/publications/Standards/TAC345STAN.pdf American Probation and Parole Association (2009). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from  https://www.appa-net.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?WebCode=IA_CodeEthics Rainbow, Catherine (2002). Descriptions of Ethical Theories and Principles. Department of  Biology. Retrieved from http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/kabernd/indep/carainbow/theories.htm Investopedia (2016). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from www.investopedia.com/terms/c/code-of-ethics.asp Pros and Cons of Virtue Ethics: Philosophy. Retrieved from  http://www.sevenoaksphilosophy.org/downloads/virtueprocon.pdf Bilchik, Shay (1999). Focus on Accountability: Best Practices for Juvenile Court and Probation. Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants Program. Retrieved from  https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/177611.pdf