Challenges for Poverty Reduction in Malaysia Essay

One of the challenges for poverty reduction in Malaysia is migrant worker’s issue. The current development policies of Malaysia are influenced by globalisation and liberalization which leads to the implications on activities related to poverty. The decrease in employment opportunities affects the urban poor and migrant workers. The demand for skilled human resources in capital intensive activities are huge since Malaysia is restructuring its economy. An increase in the number of overseas employees has caused a bad effect towards the IOP in the post world repercussion of 2008. The contribution of overseas employees for local economy, remittance for their country origin, expected competition in the local labor market between local and migrant workers and the potential of massive amount of overseas labours contribute to major concerns about the issue. Ethnic issues would be the second challenge for poverty reduction in Malaysia due to the educational and achievements of Bumiputera students in major disciplines of the economy are lower than the non Bumiputera students. This led to an academic lacuna between the two sectors. Turmoil between ethnic groups would become worse if the policy makers refuse to create promising agreements. Therefore, the expected gap between poor and non poor will be widened. The Malays are dominant in the rural poverty which reminded the policy makers to figure out the national level concept of poverty. NEP 2010 poverty eradication is mainly focused on Malay rural population. The third challenge of poverty reduction in Malaysia is rural and urban poor with more than half of the family units are poor, rural and urban poor poverty have constantly been identified as a problem confined to rural. The effects of poverty are devastating among urban communities as most of the new poor family units are settled in urban areas. Innovative strategies and policies should be implemented with strong responsibility in programs planning and inner city development expenses allocation are required.

Financial assets are made up of securities

Financial assets are made up of securities, stocks and derivatives. These are claims to the cash flow generated by real, tangible assets which are the lands, buildings and machineries we use. These pieces of paper are how citizens of highly developed countries increase their wealth. Wealth generation involves risk, for no business activity is certain to provide returns. Financial markets allow investors to participate in money-making ventures without being physically present in the project site.Most risk tolerant individuals prefer stocks, for it has the potential to yield very high returns, while conservative ones go for bonds which provides a steady, fixed income. In this activity, stock trading is the main focus. Objectives Just like any investor, generating cash flow was the primary goal. The amount of cash to be gained from trading should compensate the risk undertaken. The goal was to achieve steady growth. The expected was return is 40%. After setting the required return, a po rtfolio strategy was chosen.Assets were then selected which would comprise the efficient portfolio– provides the highest return for a given level of risk. Fundamental analysis was the method used to pick the stocks. Diversification was another tactic used to maximize return while spreading the risk. Construct a portfolio Portfolio construction was a tedious task. I had to weigh the risk and returns, and sometimes, to trust my gut feel. Stock prices, as studies have shown follow a random walk movement. The approach used was a top-down portfolio construction. A portfolio is basically a collection of investment assets.The type of assets to be held was first determined. It was then followed by security analysis to pick out the stocks deemed profitable. Diversification was one principle used in choosing the stocks. It simply meant that equities from different industries were held in the portfolio so that risk exposure was limited. Shares from the software industry (RIMM, JAVA), ar ms(SWHC), pharmaceutical (GERN), computer (PALM), insurance (HUM), health care(HMA), power (FL), SAM, metals and mining(AUY, AA) ,oil and gas(IEO), index fund(SWPIX), cement(CX),AXP Asset Analysis Fundamental analysis was mainly used in the decisions undertaken.This approach uses earnings and dividend prospects of the firm, expectations of future interest rates, and risk evaluation of the firm to determine proper stock prices. It relies on the company's financial health indicators. The stocks’ annual growth rate, quarterly earnings records, and P/E (price-to-earnings) ratios were measured. Historical data was also used. One such statistic is the EPS, or earnings-per-share ranking. PALM stocks were bought since the firm’s return on investment was stated at 2470. 70%. Also, on the day that it was traded, it was lower priced. Smith and Weson, SWHC had a P/E ratio of 5. 50%, an ROE of 19.7%. Thus, a total of 4000 shares of SWCH were bought. Alcoa, or AA’s ROE was 16 . 20%. Its EBITDA was 5. 45 B. Meanwhile, its P/E ratio was 11. 60 and its annual dividend was at . 68 per share. Alcoa looks financially healthy, but was expensive, so only 1000 shares were purchased. Similarly, FPL’s ROE was 14. 6%. Its P/E ratio was 12. 7%. Its EBITDA was 4. 47 B. The market values FPL shares highly. But, I found it unsmart to invest in highly valued stocks, because market perceptions fluctuate wildly. Thus, I only acquired 700 shares of FPL. RIMM had an ROE of 30. 60%. Its P/E ratio was 50%. For me, RIMM shares were really costly.In fact, it was has the highest cost per share in my portfolio. But I was attracted to its financial forecast. Furthermore, its 52 week high was at $148 so I found the $80 per share enticing. I thus bought 1000 shares from RIMM. HUM had an ROE of 19. 9% and a P/E ratio of 18. 00. It was quite overpriced, so I only bought 1000 shares. HMA was the lowest priced stock in my portfolio. But, I decided to purchase it believing that dem and for health care services will increase in the near future. CX, compared with its competitor, Heidelberg cement had higher earnings and historically displayed returns higher than the market average.I bought 1000 shares. I also bought SWPIX, an index fund as a comparison for the return of my trading activities. Event Selection One of the most remarkable news was the launching of PALM’s Pre. With the belief that the Pre will be hot in the market, just like Apple’s I-pod, I bought 4,000 shares from PALM. I deem that the future value of PALM will increase more than two-fold once the Pre is introduced. The hype will push the price of its stock. Thereafter, I can sold my shares at a profit. In addition, the popularity of smart phones, or phones which serve more than just talking devices was forecasted to increase steadily in the near future.Aside from purchasing PALM stocks, I decided to buy shares from BlackBerry’s maker, RIMM. News of the global swine flu outbrea k prompted me to purchase HMA shares. HMA , a healthcare provider would have more profits if the flu would become widespread. In addition, Citigroup upgraded HMA shares from hold to buy. Meanwhile, the news on the pending sale of JAVA drove me to sell my 1000 shares. Monster stocks which were identified two weeks in a row included AUY. The information urged me to buy 3000 shares of AUY.

Castration Essay Example for Free

Castration Essay Choose cite format: APA MLA Harvard Chicago ASA IEEE AMA Sexual assault and child molestation are a constant emergent problem in the United States today, the bigger issue is the fact that the pedophiles are being released from prison early due to overcrowding of the prison system. One such famous pedophile is David Wayne Jones, who was convicted of several different charges involving child molestation against more than 40 boys. Mr. Jones, who served only 15 years due toa plea agreement for those charges, underwent voluntary physical castration in lieu of hemical castration (Schmalleger, 2009). He was previously on medicine that was for chemical castration, or testosterone blocking medicine. This opens up the discussion for castration and if it is a viable option for sexual predators. Castration is best described as removing the reproductive organs of an individual to prevent virility Oennett & Blakemore, 2012). While in the past castration was only in the physical for, in todays society there are two types of castration, chemical and physical. Both hysical castration and chemical castration have the prospective to decrease the recidivism rates of sex offenders by lowering testosterone hormone levels, weaken sexual impulses, and making erotic urges more manageable if the sexual urges are encouraged by amplified testosterone hormone levels. Chemical castration is intended to be less invasive and a temporary fix, while physical castration is permanent. In relation to sexual predators, some see castration as an easy answer to an appalling and intricate problem. Given that the current penitentiary systems does not seem to be successfully functioning to decrease the rates of recidivism. It is even failing to be a deterrent to future sexual offenders. As with castration is supposed to lower the different hormones that are needed to become aroused, it is not always 100 percent. I believe that there are some cases where the Judge should have the option of surgical or chemical castration. I strongly believe that surgical and chemical castration should not be an option for first time offenders. If the Judge sentenced castration on a first time offender, how would that give the offender possibilities of rehabilitation. The statics show that majority of all sex offenders was once a victim of the same crime. While this does not mean let the offender get away with a crime because of their history, it basically means give the offender a chance to go through therapy. Also, I believe that all first time sex offenders should be mandated to take a psychiatric evaluation. This evaluation would distinguish a mental illness from a sick ndividual. As for second time offenders, I believe this should most definitely be an option for a Judge. After the first offense and having the resources of rehabilitation, the offender should have learned a lesson. Obviously, if it is a second offense, that shows the offender may not be able to control themselves or not care about the harm he is doing to others or the consequences of his actions. If the second time offender is sentenced to castration, I believe this offender should be eligible for early parole or early release. For the third time offenders, I believe there should be Justice served for this individual. A third time sex offender should be mandated to chemical and surgical castration when at their sentencing hearing. An offender who commits the Instead using castration as a method to release sex offenders because of the problem of overcrowding of the prison system; castration should be used as a punishment. If the prison system wants to reduce any offenders sentence due to overcrowding, it should be those offenders that have committed a non-sexual abuse offense. Castration. (2018, Oct 15).

Effect of Color Vision on Foraging and predatoe detection skills in Research Paper

Effect of Color Vision on Foraging and predatoe detection skills in New World Monkey - Research Paper Example 657) and has been attributed to be influenced by chromatic signals which are usually produced by the leaves (Dominy and Lucas 363) and fruits (Regan et al. 229). Research has also revealed that trichromatics have the capability of identifying fruits from a background that is leafy and that though fruits have the ability to protect themselves especially during their ripening process, the trichromatics are also able to tell apart the ripe from unripe fruits. Majority of research has been conducted to investigate the foraging ability of trichromatics but less research has been done illustrating the effect of color vision on predator skills. This evidences a loop hole in research that this research proposal seeks to answer by investigating the effect of color vision not only as pertains to foraging but also on predator detection skills and especially among New World Monkey. Proposed research hypothesis There is a positive correlation between color visions among trichromatic species and t heir preference for predator detection and foraging. Methods used for collecting genetic and other types of data Genetic data will be collected using amplification and sequencing of the opsin X linked gene which is responsible for the trichomatic genotype hence the vision phenotype. This will include extracting DNA from the monkeys by using their hair strands, saliva or blood samples for evaluation. Sequence analysis and PCR will also be used so as to identify the four amino acids that are present in the heterozygous females that present with the trichromatic vision allele as evidence in other studies (Surridge and Mundy 2157). Behavioral method of collecting data will be employed where the behavior of monkeys will be observed so as to distinguish trichromatics from dichromatic behavior in feeding. This will be aimed at assessing if there is a positive link between the behavior of trichromatics in feeding on ripe fruits and in their predation, compared to dichromatic monkeys. Moreov er behavior of dichromatic and monochromatic monkeys that make them unable to distinguish the ripe from unripe fruits will also be assessed (Smith, et al. 3162). Morphological method of data collection will be used at evaluating the morphology of ripe fruits that makes them more predisposed to foraging by trichromatic compared to dichromatic. Consequently, the morphology of leaves will also be used to assess the role played in camouflaging the unripe fruits and the effect on color vision it has on trichromatics compared to dichromatic monkeys (Smith, et al. 3162). Methods of analyzing the data Data will be analyzed by use of software by the name SPSS: Statistical Package for Social Sciences where raw data will be collected, cleaned and coded. After coding into dichromatic and trichomatic as the independent variables and foraging and predator detection as the dependent variables, data will be entered into the computer and analyzed. Results will be presented in the form of tables, cha rts and figures for easier interpretation and discussion. Justification Color vision discrimination is important for the survival of any animal especially in the wild. Not only do the animals benefit from the study, results generated pertaining to foraging will aid enhancing the growth of fruits to maturity. This is since it will ensure that the unripe fruits

Are Criminals Born with More Y Chromosomes Research Paper

Are Criminals Born with More Y Chromosomes - Research Paper Example However, it becomes something of interest to know that some individual are not moved by such sights. An individual can withstand the act of butchering a fellow human being to death. Some of the criminals always perform ugly operations on their victims. They cut off the body into pieces, as though the person were some kind of an animal being slaughtered for a meal. Others cannot just stop committing crimes. A person would be arrested and imprisoned for a long time only to be released to go back to the same crimes. Others would continue with their criminal acts even when in prison. Goldstein (34) says that it is more often that a person would murder another without the intent to do so. It could be a situation where the two are fighting (for such physical fights are very common and a normal way of expressing the utmost anger) and one hits the other in a delicate part and kills him in the process. This would be considered as an accident and a court of law may charge it as manslaughter in stead of murder. However, cold blood murderers are just beyond normal human beings. This paper seeks to investigate the claim that criminals are born with more Y chromosomes which is the cause for their behavior. After a scholarly research, Goldstein (57) notes that some people are born with more Y chromosomes. This chromosome is always the determinant of the male sex. There are occasions where an individual would be born with more of this chromosome, causing some form of disorder. Male are naturally the more aggressive gender. They have the urge to be the best and they would use any means, including such aggressive acts as forcing their way against the set laws, to achieve what they feels they feel they should achieve. This characteristic is associated with the Y chromosome. Ciba Foundation Symposium (44) reports that Carl Panzram, one of the most dreaded serial killers, had an extra Y chromosome. Scientists agree that an extra Y chromosome contributes to innate aggressiveness. Thi s is a condition that may be hard to control in some instances. Such individuals would easily find themselves in physical fights especially when another individual tries to challenge a position they feel is rightfully theirs. This scholar notes that at times this action is always by impulse. Just like someone would not prevent a sneeze, and it happens even when we would want to restrain it, serial killers and other serial criminals find themselves committing crimes against their wishes. A study by Ciba Foundation Symposium (47) shows that prisons around the world have more men than women. It is would therefore be true to give such a hypothesis as, ‘men have more tendency to commit crime than women do.’ Genetically, a man has an X and a Y chromosome and a woman an X and X chromosome. When one sex proves to be more aggressive than the other, then it would be due to this difference in chromosomal composition. As researchers universally agree that the Y chromosome cause som e tendency of aggression in man, it would be probable that their aggression is caused by the presence of the extra Y chromosome. If men with a normal chromosomal composition of one Y chromosome tend to be more aggressive than a woman, then the extra chromosome in some men (two Y chromosomes instead of one) would make them act in a manner that would be considered criminal within the society. The justification of criminal acts as being caused by genetic composition of an

Strategic and Tactical Goals of Memorandum Assignment

Strategic and Tactical Goals of Memorandum - Assignment Example The first tactical goal involves having all divisional leadership examine their current employee volumes and determine which positions do not require the use of current office space. This tactical goal would involve assessing the current job design and job responsibilities of each employee and then reporting on these functions via a formal report. This goal is designed to give the senior managers an opportunity to understand what is specifically behind each employee’s job description and determine whether they actually need ongoing use of limited office space. A secondary tactical goal in order to meet the restructuring strategic goal is to conduct a technology audit in order to determine which jobs could benefit from telecommuting without causing disruption to the current productivity outputs. Currently, the BRP and SAP software in the business allows for flexible, off-site job function if the employee is equipped with a remote software and computer package in their own homes. Divisional managers would need to evaluate which employees are the most likely to benefit from an autonomous working environment and would produce the largest, most motivated job outputs. It is the responsibility of managers looking for potential employees to move to a telecommuting environment to address their past history of attendance, performance, or ability to work with others in a large corporate environment. Those employees with the best track record should be considered first and discussions held with the information support desk to assist in getting the ri ght technology and supplies to the worker’s homes for immediate transfer through telecommuting. The largest issue with the tactical goal of assessing job roles is that employees might be resistant to being examined in this way, fearing that they may have future issues of job security as though the business may be  attempting to phase them out.

Child Labor and Economic Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Child Labor and Economic Development - Essay Example As the paper declares children who were supposed to be inside the classroom learning and preparing themselves to have better tomorrow, or that they are enjoying their natural rights to play with other children or helping family chores at home by their own sense of responsibility and initiative, are now being laden with works which and most of the time beyond their capacity. Their young bodies are not prepared yet for such burden. This essay stresses that the irony is that, we adults or the society in general seems to tolerate this malpractice of child labor. There are even business establishments that deliberately hire young children, sending them to work in factories often with very poorly working conditions. Ventilations are not sufficient giving more hazard to these young laborers. In the third world countries, this is common, and children who are working at their young age are usually considered lucky or privilege since employment is difficult for adults. Thus, when one member of the family gets a job, regardless of age, it is an opportunity. But what does this reflect the society? This paper aims to answer what child labor reflects on economic development. It will also attempt to answer three things: the rise of child labor, the economic consequences of child labor, and, policies that can help put an end to child labor. Professor Glen Perusek reported a case of child labor in the Strait of Malacca which is known as Jermals. This report is one of the extreme cases of child labor that was recorded (Child Labor in the World Economy). "Conditions on the jermals are abysmal. The structures are flexible, to be able to absorb the shock of the sea during storms. Nausea is a common complaint. Not only do children haul in the nets, sort and boil fish, they must also cook their own meals. Children, the report says, "are given little food, of poor quality" and no variety to speak of. Nearly every meal consists of rice with fish. Only once every two months are there fresh vegetables. Children are so desperate for food that they will "submit to (homo)sexual relations with one of the older workers" for extra rations. The working hours leave children chronically short of sleep. "Worse than almost anything else is the misery caused by lack of sleep. Some foremen pour boiling water on children who inadvertently doze at their post or fail to wake promptly when summoned." There are no beds for the children on the Jermals -- this privilege is reserved for the foremen, often the only adults on board. Instead, children sleep on damp board floors or in makeshift shelters on the shanty roof, or on beds of brown paper. Causes of Child Labor Child labor has many causes but the main driving force of child labor is poverty due to unemployment. According to Basu and Tzannatos, "the role of poverty has been the cornerstone of a lot of thinking regarding child labor"(Basu and Tzannatos, p.15). This is best explained through the two crucial assumptions such as the luxury axiom and the substitution axiom wherein child labor is connected with poverty although there are some distinctions between the two as the level of poverty is to be measured. Luxury axiom "asserts that household sends their

How stress leads to injuries on the job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How stress leads to injuries on the job - Essay Example 516) For example, conflict may arise between the individual and the world of work because a transition is called for. To illustrate: for the beginning worker we have the self-centredness of adolescence to the disciplined subordination of personal needs to the demands of the workplace. (p. 516) This is the reason why many workers need to learn and adapt to the reality those personal feelings and values are often of little importance or relevance to the workplace. The dilemma is underscored by the fact that the work environment is becoming more complex, ever changing and technologically sophisticated. The impact of stress in the field of occupational safety engineering is tied to the fact that exposure to stressful working conditions can have a direct influence on a worker’s safety or the risk of illness and injury. The study of occupational stress was given impetus in the early 1970s by the establishment in the US of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), whose goal is to conduct research to reduce work-related illnesses and injuries. From then on, research and studies conducted by the agency would help shape the course of job-stress research in the United States. One of the most important findings of NIOSH is that job stress is viewed as a situation in which job stressors – alone or in combination with other stressors – interact with individual worker characteristics and result in acute disruption of psychological or physiological homeostasis. Levy, Baron and Sokas (2006) elaborated on this study further, citing that: This disruption (often called job strain) can be psychological (disruption in effect or cognition); physiological; or behavioral. Job strain, if prolonged, is thought to lead to a variety disorders, including cardiovascular disease, psychological disorders and musculoskeletal disorders. (p. 383) Cary Cooper conducted an early

Feed Resources Recovery Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Feed Resources Recovery - Case Study Example He moved on to the Laurence Candle where he invented a renewable wax candle, a strategy that increased the organization's profitability. At this time, he realized his weakness in Accounting and he enrolled for a master in business administration. His experience and knowledge seems to be the driving force towards creation of his anaerobic digester. After market research, he identifies the marketability and the economic feasibility of his product in the country. He finds it quite difficult to meet an investor to fund his project and when he is able to speak with a potential investor, Wal-Mart, he is turned down for his project’s long payback period. Finally, when he is able to win a grant, he finds it difficult to implement his design. Resultantly, he is forced to engage a partnership with Ryan, an engineer, who develops the prototype for product share of 20%. From the financial report generated, the project is expected to have a payback period of two years and net earnings of 1 4% by the end of the fourth year. Although the market is dominated by another multi-million company, Ryan feels that accessing local raw material for his digester plan will help him to differentiate from the big organization and hence remain profitable in the long run. Critical Issues Market Problems Shane’s project is subject to numerous forces that are threatening his survival in the market. Although his project is a solution to the problems of the people, the project is suited for profit-constrained market. Consequently, he expects lean profits in the project and hence the project is expected to have a long payback period. Secondly, it is a big challenge to convince his customers that the project is viable unless he is able to build his prototype. This is bound to pose challenges to the business after its launch and the product can only gain customers in the long run. Additionally, has a dominant competitor, Waste Management Company, who has invested over $13billion dollar s in a central plant and supplies gas to consumers over long distances (Blank 12). Financial Problems In Shane’s Plan, the project cannot take off until he is able to garner $250, 000 required to build the prototype (Blank 11). While he was won a few awards, the money cannot suffice the capital demanded by the project. The alternative of confronting friends and relatives has been viable yet a very slow process that would delay the project along its projected path. Investors are not willing to fund the project until the team is able to build a prototype and to define the feasibility of the project. Consequently, Ryan and Shane need to identify alternative sources of finance in order to be able to build their prototype without altering the critical path of the project. Strategic problems The project plan laid down by Shane indicates a number of strategic planning weaknesses that are likely to create problems along the implementation process. There is evidence of a drawback in t he viability of the project as measured by its output power. When Shane conducts a feasibility study, he finds that the project is not eligible for the Grant that Massachusetts Technology Collaborative offers to a company that would produce over 50KW of power (Blank 13). This points out that the projects need to target more raw

Gantt chart Essay Example for Free

Gantt chart Essay The phenomena of calendar effects in stock markets seem to be a center of curiosity for many researchers across the world. Following many studies about the significance of calendar anomalies, testing the presence of Monday effect and January effect appears to be an area of interest. The aim of this study is to discuss about calendar anomalies and its significance. It should be noted that the study will focus mainly on Monday effect and January effect on the stock returns of companies listed on SEM-7. The research proposal will consist mainly of the literature review part and the methodology part. 2.LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1DEFINITON OF BASIC CONCEPTS Calendar anomalies are effects which include apparently different behavior of stock markets on different days of the week, month and year. Calendar effect may also be defined as a collection of theories that state that certain days or month are subject to above price changes in stock market and can therefore represent good or bad times to invest. Brooks and Persand (2001) defined calendar effects as the tendency of stock returns â€Å"to display systematic patterns at certain times of the day, week, month or year †. As mentioned above, the study will discuss mainly on Monday effect and January effect. The day of the week effect also called Monday effect indicates that the average daily return of the market is not the same for all days of the week as we would expect on basis of Efficient Market theory. Monday effect is a theory which states that return of the last trading day is the highest and return on the first trading day is the lowest across the days of the week. January effect is a phenomenon whereby stocks claim higher rates of returns during January compared to any other month. Smaller stocks tend to beat bigger stocks during this period. The January effect also known as â€Å"year-end effect† indicates rise in price during the period starting on the last day of December and ending on the fifth trading day of January . The Stock Exchange of Mauritius was incorporated in Mauritius on March 30, 1989 as a private limited company responsible for the operation and promotion of an efficient and regulated securities market in Mauritius. The SEM operates two markets namely the official market and the Development Enterprise Market (DEM). The study will focus only on the official market. On 31 March 1998, the Stock Exchange of Mauritius launched the index SEM-7, comprising companies listed on its official market. The SEM-7 comprises the seven largest qualified companies of the official market measured in terms of market capitalization, liquidity and investibility criteria. Therefore, the study will be based on the 7 companies in the SEM-7. 2.2Theoretical Explanation on Calendar effects EFFICIENT MARKET THEORY The growing number of studies proving the significance of calendar anomalies has led to doubts on â€Å"Efficient Market Hypothesis†. According to Fama (1970), â€Å"a capital market is efficient if all the information set is fully reflected in securities prices†. Efficient market hypothesis is one of the theories which states that, in whichever form, all the information is completely integrated in the share prices and therefore no one can beat the market. There are three form of market efficiency; weak form, semi-strong form and strong form based on set of information. The weak form efficiency states that no one can outperform the market based on past information while in the semi-strong form, despite using public information, the market cannot be beaten. The strong form efficiency states that no one can beat the market despite using past, public and private information. As a result, according to the efficient market theory, the calendar anomalies have no effect on the share prices and that no one can use this anomaly to gain abnormal returns. MONDAY EFFECT As already mentioned above, Monday effect, also known as weekend effect, is a theory according to which returns on Monday is less than the other trading days. Two hypotheses that have been formulated to explain Monday effect are Calendar Time Hypothesis and Trading Time Hypothesis. According to the Calendar Time Hypothesis, Monday’s average return will be different from the other days’ average returns. A reason for this difference is that Monday’s average return will be three times higher than the average returns of the other working days. According to Trading Time Hypothesis, the returns on stock are generated during a transaction. This indicates that average returns will be the same for all weekdays including Monday. JANUARY EFFECT January effect occurs when there is a general rise in stock prices during the month of January. January effect is also known as small firm in January effect because it is most frequently observed in small cap stocks . The nature of this anomaly suggests that the market is not efficient as market efficiency would suggest that this effect would disappear. The theories which explain January effect are: †¢Tax-Loss Selling Hypothesis This hypothesis was first suggested by Branch (1997) . In order to reduce tax liabilities, investors sell their loser stocks in December and create capital losses which they offset with the capital gain. Due to excessive selling of shares in December, stock prices are decreased and then investors purchase it again in early January which forces stock prices to rise. However, it is noteworthy of the fact that since in Mauritius, capital gains is not liable for tax purposes, this hypothesis cannot be used to explain January effect. †¢Window-dressing Hypothesis Some portfolio managers also do window dressing to their portfolio by creating January effect. Since they have to report their portfolio holding as at 31 December, they just sell riskier stocks before 31 December in order to make their portfolio look less risky on Annual Report. Later on, they just purchase the risky securities again in a view to earn high profits. †¢Information Release Hypothesis According to this hypothesis, also known as differential information effect, the excess January returns are the effect of significant information releases that occur in the first few days of January. This hypothesis relies on how discrepancy in the quantity of information available for different companies may result in different returns. According to Rozeff and Kinney (1976), distribution of year-end information may have a greater effect on the prices of small firms’ securities relative to large firms because the market for small firm stock is less efficient . 2.3Empirical evidences on Calendar effects In order to investigate on the existence of calendar anomalies, there have been several studies conducted obtaining different results. In a recent paper by Haug and Hirshcey (2005) on January effect, evidence is found that the anomaly is significant for small cap stocks and continues to be consistent over time . Moreover, Fountas and Segredakis (2002) investigate about the significance of the monthly seasonality in the Amman Stock Exchange and find very significant January effects in this market.

Linking Modern Technology To Global Pollution Environmental Sciences Essay

Linking Modern Technology To Global Pollution Environmental Sciences Essay The 21st century, often referred to the era of globalization, we are expecting to make tremendous advancements in the field of science, technology and telecommunication. The rapid change of technology over the past thirty years has brought the many innovative changes and as a result of advancement in technology and increasing the standard of living. Scientists are producing new modern technology for the welfare of human results in new luxuries being produced. We enjoy an assortment of new consumer products that have enriched our lives and provide luxuries benefit to us all. For example such as computer, iphone, satellite networks and so on. However, a newly industrializing country and the rapid industrialization along with greater consumerism by adoption modern technology has led to increased levels of global pollution, such as air pollution, green house gasses, acid rain, global warming, toxic chemical usage, ozone depletion and so on. As we know, in today modern life of living, modern technology manufacturing operation has generated an increasing demand for the use of industrial chemicals. The use of these chemicals has resulted in great benefit in the advancement of technology and the standard of living but at the same time, they are generating the pollution and waste into the environment. Pollution can reduce the quality of life, impacts negatively on socio-economic conditions and harms to the environment. And waste can cause to lose destroy and become physically worn to an unusable or unwanted substance or material, such as a waste product. Today, there are many of environmental problems, all with unique causes and consequences and the primary causes is because of the adoption of modern technology that make to the degradation of the environment. For an example, the heavy industrial use of chemicals can cause air pollution. Air pollution is including all the contaminants found in the atmosphere. And these dangerous substances can be either in the form of gases or particles. Every time we breathing, we also are taking risk in inhaling the dangerous chemicals As a result, the health of human can have serious consequences and also severely affects natural ecosystems. Many diseases could be caused by air pollution unconsciously such as bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart disease and so on. This is because air is located in the atmosphere, which it can able to travel far off places easily. Besides that, the ozone layer, which protects the environment from dangerous UV radiation, is being destroyed by the release of chlorfluorocarbons (CFCs), which is allowing the penetration of UV radiation to the lower atmosphere (Wark et al.,1998; Sharma and Kaur, 1994). The burning of fossil fuels as an energy source creates CO2, which along methane and CFCs is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Fossil fuels, since the beginning of the industrial revolution, have been the dominant energy source throughout our economies, but is has bring to the pollution. The global pollution of the release of CFCs into the atmosphere has caused major health hazards such as global warming and acid rain. Actually, as a manufacturer must bear the responsibility of declining the level of air pollution to dangerous levels. But unfortunately, they are like to use instruments such as fridges and air conditioners that release CFCs in the environment which in turn deplete the oz one layer. This can increase the incidence of skin cancer and affects plant growth. Aside, land pollution and water pollution which by the increasing use of plastic bags was lead to the pollution of the land and the sea. They can kill plants and trees by destroying their leaves, and can kill animals, especially fish in highly polluted rivers. Meanwhile, because of the manufacturing operation, harmful chemicals are discharged into the seas and rivers by irresponsibility factory. For example, oil spills, can kill fish, marine birds and other marine life, as well as destroy critical habitats such as mangroves and coral reefs. It has a negative impact on fisheries affecting local livelihoods. In the other hand, tropical forest, a variety of plant species and the animal or insect life that inhabit in the forests act to conserve soil, water resources and provide food to people living in these lands. But because of industrialization and modernization, these resources are decrease. The felling of trees for construction purpose is reducing the forest areas in Malaysia. This reduction in the forest area has not only reduced the natural green cover which acts as a sinking base for the polluting carbon dioxide in the air, but has also led to the extinction of plants and animal species leading to loss in bio-diversity. (Purba Rao, 2004). In addition, the uncontrolled deforestation to built buildings for the accommodation is increasing the oxygen content in the atmosphere, which is leading to global warming. Global warming has resulted in increase in the earthà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s surface temperatures, which has terrific effect on human health. The rapid melting of snow in the attic, rising of sea levels and erratic climate variations because of global warming can cause serious alterations to the eco system, as there would be changes in the vegetation. Moreover, the rain forests, which hold water, are shrinking due to frequent forest fires. And the ocean is getting warmer that until the storms can pick up more energy from them due to global warming. These all will increases the temperature of that place as well as the global temperature. b) The need for sustainability in terms of raw materials and energy in manufacturing. Because all of the industrialization and modernization activities, it is force a need to take some proactive action to solve and protect the environment. And if this trend of modernization activities is continuously sure will ultimately make the change of earth into a new place, which will be full of pollution and unsuitable for flora and fauna. Therefore was born the sustainability concept such as cleaner production, lean production, eco-efficiency, total quality environment management, and preventive environmental management, which are involved in industrial manufacturing. Besides that, there are a lot of possibilities action to reduce the environmental problem exist. For example: optimization of the environmental performance through good housekeeping, total quality management, application of end-of-pipe techniques, recycling of wastes, non-renewable products substitution or adaptation cleaner technologies. Nowadays, a broad and worldwide consensus has been reached on the great importance of striving for sustainable development (Qinghua Zhu, Raymond P. Cote, 2004). Sustainable development is a dynamic process which enables all people to realize their potential and improve their quality of life in ways which simultaneously protect and enhance the Earths life support systems Forum for the Future, 2000. It has been increasing consciousness of the environment. These issues are not only of concern to the general public, but are serious problem for the manufacturing industry. All of these environmental issues are because of the modern technology adoption. Without doubt, in this age of industrial progress, there is an improvement in the quality of life but at the same time, they will lead to environment degradation and it has become a serious problem that must to handle. If not, it could lead to a serious threat to the environment. There are many approaches and concepts can use for the environment protection, for example the use of environmental friendly raw material to achieve the efficient use of the natural resources, the way to conservation of water and energy in a save way to reduce the pollution and waste. Among the famous concepts being implement are clear production, total quality environmental, eco-efficiency, green engineering and lean manufacturing and so on. The effect of environmental pollution has put the governments, industries and communities on alert to take an appropriate action to protect the environment for our future and better generation. Worldwide concern about the environment, people are becoming aware of this problem. They start realize the environmental damages and the important of environment. With the increasing awareness in global pollution and sustainable development, all the governments, corporations and also industries are seeking more cost-effective ways to manage their manufacturing operation to ensure a cleaner and safer environment. There are some new technologies that can help in prevent global pollution like recourse depletion, ground water and air pollution global warming and many others facets of ecological degradation. To built sustainable economy in 21st century, It is require breakthrough technologies that are cleaner and can help produce on mass scale to cater to the needs of teeming millions that would have added to the population of the world by the end of this century, advanced batteries and fuel cells to build non-polluting automobiles, genetically engineered plants that actually can grow biodegradable plastic, fundamental changes in manufacturing science and engineering to achieve the goal of conservation of material and energy requirement and to have cleaner production. Sustainability in terms of raw materials is the process to choose of raw material or by improvement materials to reduce waste and for environment protection. Example of improvement materials is the efficiency in gasification of coal and biomass can be improve by hot gas clean up and filters fabricated by high rate chemical vapour infiltration of low cost fiber. Furthermore, Materials management is very important in sustainable development. Material management is involves making a materials useful while minimizing the amount of added processing needed to effect recovery. There are 3 categories of materials managementà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s activities, which are design for recycle, design for assembly, and toxics management. Design for recycling is applies to the cost-effective reuse of materials and whole components. Because the current design practice is ignore the need to support the product disposal stage or the potential for reusing. While design for assembly is applie s to the use of assembly methods and configurations that allow foe cost-effective separation and recovery of reusable components and materials. Lastly the toxic management is applies to the elimination or control of toxic materials that are an intrinsic part of the product. Example is the cadmium in batteries or lead solder in printed circuit boards. And the sustainability in terms of energy is by the efficient energy generation. Efficient energy generation is high-efficiency natural gas conversion, in which less fuel would be required to produce the same amount of electricity, while containing the amount of emissions per unit of electricity. Presently power plants convert fuel to electricity at about 32-38% efficiency, the existing gas turbine power plants are up to 40% efficient. With improvements in technology, it is possible to raise the efficiency to 50-60%. Besides, there are some several ways of saving energy through efficient use. For example, the technology of high compact fluorescent light, dimmable ballasts, electronically corrected systems, some of which have already become available. As we know the earth is the place we live, the environment is a source of raw materials, energy, food, clean air, water, and soil for useful human purposes, so we must preserve it for our future and better generation. Thus, according to W. Burton Hamner (1996). Sustainable development is to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development integrates economic development and environmental sustainability. Thus the goals of economic and environmental development must be defined in terms of sustainability in all countries by developed or developing, market-oriented or centrally planned. For example, manufacturer must ensure that products have as beneficial an impact as possible throughout the whole life. Manufacturer must source sustainable raw materials, use energy efficient processes, develop long-life and low maintenance products, and make recycle, reclaim and re-use products at the end of the initial life. In order to working toward sustainability, many industries are starting do all this commitment into their company for a part of their responsibility. By broadening the responsibility, company should try to integrate all the manufacturing considerations in their production strategies for example the product design, choice of raw material, energy and technology, or even their worker, supplier and business partners. Not only manufacturer industries, the governments, or even communities also have responsibilities towards the environment. After that, only can make sustainability in reality.

Gender Stereotypes :: essays papers

Gender Stereotypes Today, every one of us is spending more of his leisure time watching TV, listening to the radio or reading newspapers and magazines. The shows on the TV and the articles in the newspapers influence our decision process, shaping our perceptions for the world. Besides the positive fact that we are better informed and in touch with the latest news, we should be aware that accepting this enormous flow of information and allowing it to make our mind can be dangerous. The TVs infiltrate our lives, guiding us what are we supposed to wear, how are we supposed to look and act. Children, because of lack of mature judging values, are more susceptible to the influence of the television. They tend to accept everything they see on TV as real. Kids often identify with movie characters and comics figures much more than the elder generation does. It is the role of the parents to teach them that not everythink that glitters is gold and to give them a better perception of the world. That of course does not mean that parents are affected less by the TV. On the contrary, they are often more affected than their kids, of course not by cartoons, but by shows that contain information about serious subjects such as parenthood. Concerned with being good parents, people are accumulating a lot of information on the subject. As the information can be very helpful, sometimes it can be destructive. That is the case when it comes to the problem of "tomboys" and "sissies." What are these two terms used for? The term "tomboy" is used when referring to a girl who is masculine, and the term "sissy" is used when referring to a boy who is feminine. We need to state what we consider feminine and what is masculine. According to the established sense in the society, femininity and masculinity are tightly bound to gender. Men are supposed to be masculine. They are expected to be strong, rough, to have high stamina. They are not supposed to wear skirts(the Scots are an exception) but trousers, and should avoid colors like pink and violet. These are "feminine" colors. The man in the family is usually the person who should provide money and build a career. On the othere hand, women are supposed to be tender and loving mothers and wives, to wear skirts and to walk on higheels.

Social and Medical Disability Models Essay -- Disability

Introduction In this assignment, I aim to provide the reader with an overview of two prominent models of disability: the medical model and the social model. More specifically, I intend to outline the differences between these models, especially their theory and practice. Firstly, I will note the definition of what a model of disability is and point to its relevance in disability studies. I will also briefly examine the origins of both the medical and social models, but mainly outlining the contributions of their respective theoretical content and influence in society. Overall, the main aim of the assignment is to be achieved by providing a general outline of the social and medical disability models, which can be used to highlight the differences in the theoretical basis and practice methods. This will serve the reader with an overview of both disability models, which acknowledges the differences to how disability can be defined and approached in society. Outlining the differences of the medical and social models of disability, giving detail of their respective theory and practice Impairment, disability and the use of models of disability A clear definition of the term disability, it can be widely presumed, has never been universally agreed upon by any lay or in-depth study. This can be due to disability pertaining to different viewpoints; ultimately, the person who experiences the impairment and the person who does not. Another factor can be the norms found in various world cultures (Thomas, 2002). There is also conflicting discussion on the contextual nature of impairment, which is vital to denoting disability. Usually when signifying dysfunction of a bodily organ or appendage, examples of impairment woul... ...dine, M. & Dukelow, F. 2009. Irish Social Policy: A Critical Introduction. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan Hammell, K. 2006. Perspectives on disability & rehabilitation: Contesting Assumptions; Challenging Practice. Philidelphia: Churchill Livingstone McClaren, N. 1998. ‘A Critical Review of the Biopsychosocial Model’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Vol 32, No. 1: pp. 86 - 92 Oliver, M. 1990. The Politics of Disablement. London: The MacMillan Press Ltd Oliver, M. 1996. Understanding Disability: From Theory to Practice. Hampshire: Palgrave Royal Association for Disability Rights (RADAR). 2010. Accessed from http://www.radar.org.uk/radarwebsite on the 6th November 2010 Thomas, C. (2002). ‘Disability Theory: Key ideas, Issues and Thinkers’, In: Barnes, C., Barton, L. & Oliver, M. Disability Studies Today. Cambridge: Polity Press. pp: 38 - 57

The Impact of Immigration on The United States Essay -- American Econo

The United States is a country that was built on immigration. The first settlers, Native Americans, represent less than 2% of the total population; the remaining 98% of the population are immigrants or decedents of immigrants. Today, the US still has the highest immigration rate in the world with 757,434 naturalizations in the 2012 fiscal year only (US Naturalizations 2012, Department of Homeland security). People try to immigrate to the United States for many reasons. Some people immigrate because they have been granted a refugee status or asylum and other people immigrate to fulfill their dreams. Immigration has an effect on the American society and economy. The US cannot survive without immigrants. Every year, many people immigrate to the US for several reasons. There are those who come to look for a safe place to stay because their countries are in war. Some immigrants have left their home countries to escape war or fear of persecution. They are refugees and have a legal right to remain the United States. Others come to the US to seek protection; they are granted an asylum and are also lawful residents. Besides that, most immigrants leave their countries and come to the US to fulfill their dreams. More so, the majority of the immigrants are unauthorized immigrants who are all foreign born nonresidents. According to Population Estimates, Office of Immigration Statistics, Department of Homeland Security (2011): 4. The number of unauthorized immigrants in US was estimated to 11,510,000.Regarding only to this large number of the unauthorized immigrants we can think about an eventual impact of immigration on US. First of all immigration has a huge impact on demography and social change because it raises the US population. M... ...ates: January 2010." Population Estimates, Office of Immigration Statistics, Department of Homeland Security (2011): 4. Kica, Matos. "13 years is too long for people to wait." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Laura Parker ‘’US just wouldn’t work without immigrant labor’’USATODAY’’7/22/2001 updated 11:21 PM ET http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/july01/2001-07-23-immigrant.htm Melanie Oubre Population ‘’Growth Fueled by Immigration Puts U.S. on Fast-Track to Depletion of Natural Resources’’Number USA Friday, December 28, 2012, 11:40 AM EST https://www.numbersusa.com/content/nusablog/moubre/december-28-2012/population-growth-fueled-immigration-puts-us-fast-track-depletion-n Murphy,Dean E ``Imagining Life Without Illegal Immigrants’’ New York Times January 11,2004 http://www.wright.edu/~tdung/ Immigrants.htm

Types of Sensors

Types of Sensors Sensor technology is a growing form of technology that has caught everyone’s attention in the recent times engineers have been continuously working on new forms of sensors for incorporating different features into a technology. A sensor is nothing but a special converter that helps in measuring the physical quantity of an object and then converts the same into a special signal to be sent to the technological devices. Sensors facilitate the sending and receiving of these special signals for carrying out different activities.If you look at some of the major technologies these days including the mobile phones or the laptops, you would find out that they all are making use of some form of sensor in order to do their job. We would here discuss some of the major types of sensors usually used. There are special sensors that are devised and used especially for acoustic, sound and vibration purposes. There are numerous devices like the hydrophone and microphone which a ct as sensors and are mainly used for the purpose of transmitting sound and vibrations from one object to another.These sensors are usually employed in devices that need to transmit and transfer sound and other vibrations. Sensors are not only used for sound or vibrations but they are also commonly used for different automotive and transportation devices and mechanisms. Some of the commonly used automotive sensors include defect detector, mass flow sensor, oxygen sensor, parking sensor and speed sensor. The names of these sensors clearly define their purposes and applications.The chemical industry is also full of innumerable sensors, which are used for different applications. There are special carbon dioxide sensors that help in detecting the presence of carbon dioxide in a given space. Other than that, holographic sensor, infrared point sensor, olfactometer, oxygen sensor and smoke detectors are some of the common types of sensors that are used for industrial and other technologica l applications making use of different chemicals.Electric current and magnetic sensors are also commonly used at different places and for different purposes. There are special sensors installed for detecting radio directions and even voltage fluctuations and changes at times. Engineers are trying to monitor the environmental changes and developments all over the world right now. And hence the environment and weather sensors have also become so popular and common. Not only can the environmental sensors detect rain, snow or soil oisture they can even be used for making people aware and precautious of the forthcoming events. In addition to these sensors, there are several other types of sensors like velocity, navigation instruments and optical light and pressure sensors. These sensors make technologies much more beneficial and more useful for the people in all ways, giving them better use of the devices. Reference link: http://classof1. com/homework-help/engineering-homework-help

Normative Theories

It means that an action Is ethical correct If the consequences of the action are more favorable than unfavorable to most people (Foot, 1985). In this case, the hostile take- over on Foster's has a widespread effect on entire Foster organization, both external and internal stakeholders: * Shareholders: The shareholders of Foster will acquire higher margin than selling their share on stock market. If the Gabrielle want to buy their shares, the company has to offer higher bold than the market value. As a result, the share will benefit from the takeover. The Management: If Gabrielle successfully takes over Foster, it may prefer bring its own staff members to manage the newly acquired business. As a result, the original Foster management may be dismissed or downgrade. Even they still control, original management may find themselves have to adjust to the practices in order to adapt to Gabrielle corporate culture. * Employees: Employees may be impacted a lot. Generally, when company control s change, lot of Jobs will be cut in the old company. Sometimes, every old staff will have to go.Other times, the new company will keep some employees in order to rain their own people. No matter what the decision on the employee, the takeover will have serious impact on the Foster employee morale. * Suppliers: Gabrielle may change the suppliers, however, the impact extent will be depends on the new company policy. Generally, the impacts on suppliers are not serious. * Customers: If the acquisition is successful, the new company may be diversified and cost-saving. The customers will get more cheap beers than before. As result, the customers will benefit.But It does Impact the old company loyal customers. From the above analysis, Foster's shareholders and customers will benefit from the hostile takeover. The original management and employee will suffer. As the amounts of shareholders and customer are obviously more than management and employee, the hostile takeover consequences are m ore favorable than unfavorable to most people. Therefore, It Is ethical base on teleological theory. Deontological ethical theories focus primarily on complying with independent ethical rules or duties. Generally, there are Right theory and Justice theory.When following hose duties, the actions are ethical (Brook, R. , 2007). When failing to follow these duties, the action is unethical. It does not focus on the consequence of action compared with teleological theory. In this case, the hostile takeover will not treat Foster's shareholders, management and employee equitably and fairly, It also deontological theories. Virtue-based ethical theories did not emphasis on which rules the decision maker should follow, which are action-based theories. It primarily helps people to develop good character traits, such as kindness and generosity.

James Weldon Johnson

Janice Warriner November 29, 2012 Composition 1030 Nowak James Weldon Johnson From the preface to The Book of American Negro Poetry (1921) During the 1920’s, the country was still segregated, and black people were denied the right to vote, attend schools where they would be intermixing with white people, and often lived without the same standard of living embraced by white people. They often did not have electricity, their clothes were in poor condition and books were often discarded books from the white schools.Black males were automatically suspects in crimes, and often did not have a fair trial. White people wanted order and perfection. During the film, Birth of a Nation :The Civil War Films of DW Griffith The black, slave woman in the show reminded me of Mammy. Mammy is a well-recognized racial caricature. She was created with the idea to claim that slaves were happy, and thus, slavery was humane. Mammy is pictured with very dark skin and a bandana, signaling that she is a hard worker and is sweaty.She is an extremely heavy set, older woman and the message was that the white men found the black slave woman unattractive and there was no sexual contact between them. This was a complete lie, because rape and sexual exploitation was happening as a result of the master-slave relationship. She was also considered to be the property of the white family. During this time, the Harlem Renaissance was also taking place. During the 1920-1930’s this was referred to as the â€Å"New Negro Movement†.Because of the â€Å"radio†, black authors, poets, painters, playwrights, actors and musicians gained exposure and were brought to a national audience. An indication that things would change. Has it? Stereotyping always will be a part of society because of the different life experiences and ideas that we develop about ourselves and other people. It becomes a problem with it turns to violence or dangerous ideas or behavior. It is up to each individua l person to break stereotypes by trying to represent himself or herself in a positive light.

Adult Learning and Learning Styles Essay

When one thinks about education thoughts are naturally turned toward adolescents. In today’s society the media is quick to expose flaws in the educational system. One rarely thinks about the educational needs of adults, but for many adults there is a large need for continuing their education. One might venture to ask the question what is adult learning? According to Malcolm Knowles adult learning is a process of self-directed inquiry (Urological Nursing, 2006). Although there are many adults that are driven to continue their education, the idea can be overwhelming for most. It is best for the adult learner to prepare for the journey by knowing the process of adult learning, identifying the types of learning styles, and identifying one’s personal learning style. Assessing the level of the above traits and the readiness to learn will equip the adult learner with an arsenal of tools. Learning is defined as, a relatively permanent change in an organisms behavior (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner 2004). There are a multiple theories as to how people learn. The more popular theory is the Learning Theory. The learning theory encompasses five orientations to learning: Behaviorist, Humanist, Cognitivist, Social Cognitive, and Constructivist (Merriam et al. , 2007). This paper will focus on the behaviorist aspect of learning, the permanent change in behavior. Understanding how and why adults learn will increase the chances of teaching success. The reason most adults enter any learning experience is to create change. This could encompass a change in (a. ) their skills, (b. ) behavior, (c. ) knowledge level, or (d. ) even their attitudes about things (Adult Education Center, 2005). The degree of motivation is what separate adult learners from school age children, previous experience, engagement in the learning process, and applied learning. Adults learn best when convinced of the need for knowing the information (Urologic Nursing, 2006). For example, an employee who is offered a training opportunity that will directly impact one’s job will be more likely to take advantage of the opportunity, as compared to an employee whose training opportunity is not directly related to the employee’s job description. Adults have a greater depth, breath, and variation in the quality of previous life experiences than younger people (O’Brien, 2004). Former experiences can lead the adult learner to connect current learning to something learned in the past. For example, if an adult learner is taking an advance course in Accounting. One might be able to recall a mathematical strategy used previously in a basic course that can apply to the current accounting class. Utilizing experience in this fashion can lead to making the learning experience more meaningful. In a classic study, Rogers (1969) illustrated that when an adult learner has control over the nature, timing, and direction of the learning process, the entire experience is facilitated. Adults tend to be self-directed and decide what they want to learn. For instance, in today’s economy many adults have decided to return to school in order to become more marketable in the current economic slowdown. The website for the Higher Education Statistics Agency ( HESA) states that 24% of undergraduate students are now classified as mature students (i. e.21 years of age), many of whom have arrived in university after completing a foundation-level access course at a further education college. Choosing to return to school allows learners to have more control over the educational process. It allows the adult learner to choose which program to enroll, and the level of commitment towards the program the learner is willing to give. It is important to remember that in order to engage the adult learner and facilitate the transfer of knowledge, patience and time on the part of the teacher and learner are needed (Urologic Nursing, 2006). As skills and knowledge are acquired, it is paramount to include return demonstrations by the learner (Urologic Nursing, 2006). It is important for the teachers to observe the learned skills in the learner, and for the learner to experience the progress in their understanding, and application of the education. Seeing progress and realizing a tangible movement forward in the learning process may increase the learner’s motivation to learn even more. Table 1. Characteristics of Adult Learners * Autonomous and self- directed. * Accumulated a foundation of experiences and knowledge * Goal oriented * Relevancy oriented * Practical * Need to be shown respect Characteristics of Adult Learners Source: Knowles, 1970 Table 2. Sources of Motivation for Adult Learning * Social Relationships * External Expectations * Social Welfare * Personal Advancement * Escape/Simulation * Cognitive Interest Source: Lieb, 1991 Learning styles refers to the consistent way in which a learner responds to or interacts with stimuli in the learning context (Robert Loo, 2002). Learning styles are related to cognitive styles of the learner’s personality, temperament, and motivation. According to Riding and Cheema (1991) the concept of learning styles seem to emerge in the 1970’s as a replacement for the cognitive styles. Activity in the learning styles field has been so strong that some 21 different models have been developed (Curry, 1983). Kolb’s Experimental Learning Model (ELM) is one of the most popular and utilized learning models today. ELM has attracted a wide audience as well as application. His model is founded on Jung’s concept of types or styles through which the individual develops by using higher level of integration and expression of non-dominant modes of dealing with the world (Kolb, 1994). Experience is formed into concepts that guide the choice of new experiences. Kolb’s model reflects two dimensions based on (a) perceiving , which involves concrete experience (feeling) and abstract conceptualization (thinking), and (b) processing, which involves active experimentation (doing) and reflective observation (watching) (Robert Loo, 2002). These two dimensions form the following four quadrants reflecting four learning styles: accommodator, diverger, assimilator, and converger (Robert Loo, 2002). FIGURE 1. Kolb’s Two–Dimensional Learning Model and Four Learning Styles Accommodator Diverger Converger Assimilator Concrete Experience Active Experimentation Reflective Observation Abstract Conceptualization Accommodators are described as â€Å"hands on† or â€Å"gut feelings, divergers deal best with concrete situations, assimilators understand a wide range of information, and convergers are best at finding practical uses for ideas (Kolb, 1994). As more adults are participating in learning activities, adults are beginning to seek ways to improve their learning experiences. One way in which adult learners are achieving these goals is to familiarize themselves with their individual learning styles. How do adult learners identify their personal learning style? Many have been interested in how one learns. Even before the 1970’s, scholars have known that matching teaching styles and learning styles would result in improved grades, which logically reflect greater learning. Understanding ones learning style can lead to successful learning for all learners. Over the past fifty years researchers have learned a great deal about learning styles and how to identify them. Adult learners can improve test scores and increase content knowledge by identifying styles. Dunn and Dunn (1992) demonstrate that when students are taught using their preferred learning styles, the show increased academic achievement and improved attitudes toward instruction than when they are taught using their non-preferred style (Joseph Pitts, 2009). The problem has been that instruments are often time consuming in administering, scoring, and implementing. Research on learning and cognitive styles evolved from psychological research on individual differences (Curry, 1987). In the process, scholars began to develop inventories and other measures to identify the learning styles they discovered (Joseph Pitts, 2009). In the early 90’s more than thirty published instruments that assess the dimensions of learning styles were in use. In order for adult learners to identify their learning style they most use a valid learning style inventory. There is a multitude of learning inventories. Many are composed of self-report rank ordered questions. For example, Curry (1987) organized a three-layer system composed of twenty one learning styles. The first level focuses on learning behavior, the second level centers on information-processing dimensions, and the third presents instructional preferences. TABLE 1. Curry’s Classification System of Learning Styles Instruments| Level| Author| Instrument| 1. Instructional and environmental preferences| Canfield and LaffertyDunn, Dunn, and PriceFriedman and Stricter| Learning Styles InventoryLeaning Style InventoryInstructional Preferences| 2. Information-processing preferences| BiggsEndwise and RamsdenHuntKolb| Study Process QuestionnaireApproaches to StudyingParagraph Completion MethodLearning Styles Inventory| 3. Personality-related preferences| KaganMyersWitkin| Matching Familiar Figures TestMyer-Briggs Type IndicatorEmbedded Figures Test| Source: Curry 1987 Dunn et al. (1992) classified individuals as analytical or global learners that analytical learners are more successful when information is presented step-by-step in a cumulative, sequential pattern that builds towards conceptual understanding (i. e. , a part-to-whole pattern of learning). These individuals prefer to learn in a quiet, well-illuminated, formal setting: often have a strong emotional need to complete tasks; like to learn alone or one-on-one with a teacher; prefer highly structured assignments; and rarely eat, drink, smoke, chew, or bite on objects while learning. Global learners have the opposite set of characteristics, learning more easily when they master a concept first and then concentrate better with distractors such as sound, soft lighting, and informal seating arrangement and some form of intake (e. g. eating or drinking). They take frequent breaks by studying and often work on several tasks simultaneously. Global learners prefer to work with their peers and structure tasks in their own way. In conclusion, many adults for different reasons are choosing to return to some form of educational activity. Some are motivated because of social relationships, personal advancement, or cognitive interest, but whatever the reasons, adults should be prepared for the journey. Adults can prepare by knowing the process of adult learning, identifying the types of learning styles, and identifying one’s own style. Reference Page Londell D. Jackson (2006). Revisiting Adult Learning Theory through the Lens of an Adult Learner. Harold Pashler, Mark McDaniel, Doug Rohrer, and Robert Bjork (2009). Learning Styles, Concepts and Evidence. University of California, San Diego, Washington University in St Louis, University of South Florida, and University of California, Las Angeles. Joseph Pitts (2009). Identifying and Using a Teacher Friendly Learning-Styles Instrument. Sally Russell (2006). An Overview of Adult-Learning Processes. Urological Nursing.

How Does a Person Live a Meaningful Life Assignment

How Does a Person Live a Meaningful Life - Assignment Example A meaningful life is a life lived in kindness both on the inside and on the outside, and more than anything, should be a person not only of contemplation but also of action. The one quality that makes someone live a meaningful life is the life of kindness. Unless someone is kind, he will never be able to fully understand another person. When one is kind, he will be able to help other people not only through his acts of kindness but just by being a kind person to them. There are three advantages to being kind. First, through his example, he can inspire others to be also kind to their neighbors. Whenever there is a natural disaster that strikes a particular place, we cannot help but be inspired by people who lend a helping hand to the victims and we are then filled with their inspiring kindness, and then we then help these people. Had it not been for the kindness of some people, not many other people would decide to make donations to a particular charitable organization. A second advan tage of kindness is that it is its own reward, which means that the moment one shows kindness, he must already be happy with what he is doing. Moreover, in a supernatural point of view, those people who do acts of kindness sincerely are actually even rewarded more by God. Although a truly kind person does not expect any reward for what he has done, somehow God rewards him in secret. A third reason for why kindness defines meaning in life is that when one is kind, he will be able to get to know so many people whose lives he will touch and who can help fill his happiness. Also, in the realm of the supernatural, perhaps this is where one can find someone who he can love for the rest of his life, or he may be able to help. Indeed, with kindness nothing can go wrong. The saint is an example of someone who acts with kindness. He exemplifies kindness through his work and through his actions. The saint touches people’s lives only through her kindness. It is actually not his or her fa ith that moves the congregation but her kindness, and this kindness cannot be without action. The reason is that kindness cannot be the kindness that we know if it does not involve sincere giving of oneself and of one’s time and resources. In short, the action aspect of kindness is already embedded in its name and in its definition. You cannot therefore define, explain or talk about kindness without demonstrating it. This is also the reason why it is just natural for the saint to be kind and to exemplify kindness. The saint is actually the living example of kindness. Aside from kindness, another factor that makes life a meaningful one is that of sincerity, for without sincerity, there is no desire to be kind. Sincerity therefore is the one thing that determines the degree of kindness that one wants to express to someone who needs it. How then can sincerity be attained? As Plato taught us, we need to constantly contemplate our lives and we need to continue asking questions. As long as we contemplate our lives, we then try to understand how different or how similar our actions are to our true intentions. Thus, through contemplation we will at least have an idea whether what we are doing is sincere or not. The philosopher Plato has once asked the Greeks to contemplate on their lives and to keep asking questions in order to find out whether what they were doing were still moral or not anymore. From this, one would like to think that Plato was asking the Greeks also the question of finding out whether what they were doing on the outside were still in synch with what they had been wanting to do on the inside. For if these two things are similar, then that is a powerful combination that yields fruitful action and that if

Labour market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Labour market - Essay Example mployees as well as maximizing their profits, have resorted to transferring a lot of risks to their employees which makes then to feel more insecure about their positions in employment. Owing to the fact that employees are the most essential requirement of an organization, human resources are becoming de-motivated as well as disturbed. As a result of such disturbance, their rate of performance and devotion towards the assigned duties are reducing thereby declining the total productivity of the organization. Therefore, in order to mitigate such negative impacts of jobs flexibilities, maximum extent of the organizations are now trying to implement the strategy of restructuring and reorganization at the workplace. The statement thus portrays a true picture of what is taking place in the current set up in the labor market. A strategy aimed at reducing rate of employee turnover which is as a result of increased flexibility is thus necessary to be introduced and implemented in organizations. Otherwise, it might result in bankruptcy as well as enhancement of termination or attrition of the workers from the organization thereby declining its brand image and portfolio in the market among many other rival contenders. However, due to attrition, the rate of living standard and life style of the employee. As a result of which, the rate of unemployment and poverty is increasing that make hinder the economic prosperity of a nation or country as compared to others (Kalleberg, 2001, pp. 479-504). Organizations thus need to adopt an approach that is geared towards addressing the various forms of flexibilities that is being witnessed in current times. This essay mainly tries to highlight, the fact that due t o various labour market flexibilities, the rate of job insecurity is increasing and may lead into serious consequences in the labor market. Flexibility in the labor market can be described as the ability of an organization to make amendment to its labor force in regard to the

Macbeth, compare and contrast with someone current Essay

Macbeth, compare and contrast with someone current - Essay Example She persuades Macbeth to kill the king so that he can ascend the throne. However, Macbeth is troubled by the fact that the Witches had also predicted that Banquo, Thane of Lochaber, would become the father of kings. So, one murder leads to others, and Banquo is also killed. Macduff-the Thane of Fife's-family is then murdered by Macbeth. Ultimately, Macbeth teeters on the edge of insanity, being haunted by Banquo's ghost, and his Lady has bouts of sleepwalking in which she talks of having blood on her hands. Macbeth is finally defeated and killed, a victim of his own unbridled ambition and refusal to temper it with ethicality. His unethical acts also arise as a result of his wife's collusion and open encouragement. Bill and Hillary are one of the most powerful couples of modern times. He was the President of the US for eight years (1993- 2001), and she the First Lady; if her attempt to become the President in 2008 meets with success, this would give them an indelible place in the history books-a couple who were at the helm of affairs in a country that plays a leading part in controlling world events-for 12 years or even more. Bill Clinton has had a successful political career, having been the Governor of Arkansas and later on the President of the US.

Teaching and learning support (critical reflection from education in Essay

Teaching and learning support (critical reflection from education in action module) - Essay Example One of the key points was about recognizing that teaching is individual and how important is to reflect and maintain reflection as a tool for doing so as proposed by Biggs (1999). Every teacher has some kind of implicit theory of teaching (Marland 1997). From this perspective this module has provided a new sight to start with a reflection as a theory which proposed by Biggs (2003) that reflection is a theory of teaching to reflect with and context of experiences as the object of reflection seen in action learning paradigm. Different students with different abilities and personality types learn more with varying techniques. Students low in authoritarianism, low in tendency to dichotomize, low in the need for structure, and high in the ability to tolerate frustrations have been found to learn more when the Socratic questions and answer method is used while children of different reasoning skills learn more with the discovery and expository methods. The setting under which teaching and learning takes place has different effects on students with different aptitudes, personalities, and motivations. Those who are high in need affiliation prefer to work with others; those low in affiliation need prefer to work alone. A twin of interest is patience. The teacher’s multi-roles compounded by his exposure to various personalities in the classroom, in the school bureaucracy, and in the community demand his patience. As a teacher I should accept the fact that even while preparing for a teaching career that I must be patient not only with my pupils who is the easiest to bear with but also with my colleagues with whom I get can more knowledge regarding the performance and personality of my students. Through reflection I was able to identify the gaps of teaching and learning process in my teaching session for nursing student. Actually I had the opportunity to evaluate my experience in

Maternal and New born care Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Maternal and New born care - Research Proposal Example During the pregnancy, proper care should be taken to ensure no complications are encountered and in case of any problems, they should be handled with urgency. After childbirth, the issue of newborn care then comes into play concern about the newborn health, nutrition and development. In rural and peri-urban populations in India, proper maternal healthcare is not adhered to during pregnancy. Due to this, children are born with numerous health complications. The mother may die or lose the child. Majority of these take place because of the lack of access to adequate information on proper maternal health. There also exist a lot of cultural beliefs and practices that hinder the women from accessing heath services and information from health care providers. There is also the problem of high level of poverty that limits the amount of disposable income that can be spent on medical care. Matters concerning health need to be handled with a certain level of urgency especially those involving maternal health and newborn health. Most of the problems encountered have very simple solution but the absence of adequate information among folks in rural and peri-urban settlements is causing devastating health effects. Knowledge particularly on proper maternal nutrition is lacking. Folic acid is an important variety of the vitamin B9. Extremely water-soluble and in occurs in the natural state as folate. In fortified foods, folate occurs as folic acid. Folic acid is important for a pregnant woman it aids in proper growth and development during pregnancy (World Health Organization, 2003). It significantly diminishes the probability of a baby being born with any defects. These defects always mainly occur to the brain and the spinal code. Folic acid achieves this through the development of the neural tube. Consuming a diet-containing vitamin B9 reduces the chances of getting any de fects by up to seventy

Risk and its Importance Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Risk and its Importance - Coursework Example Essentially a company is indulging into risk management if it is actively analyzing and attempting to quantify the possible losses in a business decision or an investment and then is taking appropriate action to mitigate the possibility of those losses occurring. It is fairly important to manage risk in an investment appraisal process as it helps the organization in protecting itself from all kinds of risks; it helps the organization’s customers from large non-market related losses such as a firm failure or fraud. A strong risk management process does not only help the organization, but it also provides security to the overall industry. Importance of risk management can also be gauged by some recent crisis that has happened due to loopholes present in risk management strategies of a few companies. The financial meltdown of 2008 is a key example. b) Measuring risk and incorporating risk in an investment opportunity Risk management is now an essential part in all the businesses as more and more businessmen are facing the repercussions of a poorly managed business decision in terms of risk. With the financial crisis slowly recovering, it is harder for people to now ignore the importance of risk. Predominantly, risk is considered to be a negative term. It is the probability of a result deviating from its forecast, usually towards the negative side. Therefore, it is predominantly considered negative. However, in investment and financial terms, risk is always associated with return. The more risk a person or an entity is willing to take, the more the return is expected. Understanding risk today is perhaps one of the most important things in financial education and financial market. Its importance cannot be stressed more. A deviation from expected outcome can both be negative as well as positive. Therefore, the idea of ‘no pain, no gain’ works in harmony with this situation. If one is willing to undertake a certain amount of losses to ensure that t hey are the winner in the end in terms of returns, they are effectively managing their risk. Measuring risk in absolute terms is done through standard deviation. It is the basic tool for understanding the deviation of an outcome from a central tendency. A lot of other techniques are used; tools are incorporated in order to measure risk of an investment opportunity. There are a number of models through which firms decide upon the nature of risk that an investment opportunity might have. VaR is another tool; value at risk defines how bad things can go and its probability giving a certain level of confidence for a given amount of time. This helps to identify the potential losses that an investing entity might have if they take a certain decision, taking time and confidence of calculations into account. Incorporating risk in an investment opportunity is through taking into account the impact of risk on the outcome of the investment. Critical questions should be answered as the start of the investment appraisal such as the time, the expected return on investment or if the money invested could be used better in another investment opportunity. Beta is another measure through which risk associated with two different investment opportunities is measured. It is specific for a specific kind of project (Jackson, 2008).

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Business Law - Essay Example Most tribunals deal with cases that involve the rights of private citizens against the State. Many of these tribunals deal with issues that are central to the fight against social exclusion like for example, social security, child support and mental health. Tribunals are a large and important part of the justice system, that have, hitherto fore, not received the attention and recognition that they deserve. The progress of equal pay cases can be normally slow and complicated. Cases pertaining to jobs of equal value involve enormous number of claimants with a wide range of implications. Tribunals face a lot of difficulty in dealing with complex cases which involve expertise, because they will be forced to appoint an independent expert to prepare a detailed case study and evaluation report and this causes inordinate delays. Further these independent experts are not supplied with sufficient information and further, they do not possess the required authority to demand such information from the claimants. The tribunal cannot enforce any sanction on the experts in the case of delays and the availability and appointment of such independent experts also involves time. In addition, tribunals conceal the identity of the independent experts and this has the effect of discouraging claimants, to some extent, in providing complete information. In order to mitigate these problems, section 8(5) of the... d in order to streamline case management by making the rules easier and by engendering the early exchange of information, engagement of independent experts and by ensuring that information is given to them at the early stage of the proceedings1. Another problem consists of the fact that there are no plans to extend legal aid to people whose incomes are low and who are involved in the complex tribunal procedures. The situation obtaining at present is such that many people have to meet their own costs, and have to represent themselves, whilst many employers are represented by experienced barristers. This practice enables employers or their legal representatives to use the threat of costs to intimidate and deter those making an application to an employment tribunal. Tribunals cover a very wide range of important issues like health, employment, benefits, housing and immigration and people depend on them to protect their important basic rights. If tribunals are to provide effective justice then people bringing and defending cases before it must have access to low cost and informed legal aid. The government had initiated steps to ensure that tribunals meet the standards of independence and impartiality as required by the Human Rights Act. In Starrs and Chalmers v Procurator Fiscal2 the court decisions have confirmed that Employment Tribunals3 and School Admission and Exclusion Appeal Panels4 meet the required standards. Therefore, the government is of the firm belief that tribunals fully meet all the requirements of the populace and that no further changes should be required on that account. However, the government will take all necessary steps wherever the arrangements in any particular tribunal are found to be insufficient. Apart from the considerations of human rights,

Business Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Business Information Systems - Essay Example Decision support system is an approach based on which information is accumulated and disseminated through computerized system. In this context, decision support system is helpful for managers to select more than one solution for a problem. The integration of decision support system in an organisation is effective for retrieving as well as dissemination of information in different departments of an organisation (Nizeti & et. al., n.d.). In this regard, the essay intends to explain about the importance as well as impact of decision support system on organizations and their management. In addition, the key system applications of decision support system of organizations are to be discussed. Discussion is made regarding the procedure based on which decision support system is helpful for enhancing the decision making in organizations. Decision support system is important for managers to select the best solution of the problem. This system provides several alternative solutions of a problem to the organizations as well as management, which is one of the significance of decision support system. The system comprises three systems that include ‘passive decision support system’, ‘active decision support system’ and ‘cooperative decision support system’. Passive decision support system is identified to supports the process of decision making, but this system cannot provide explicit solutions of decision. Active decision support system provides explicit solutions of decision. Cooperative decision support system permits the decision makers to change or make decisions by considering the viewpoints of the decision making group. It supports various levels of decision-making process along with strategic level, tactical level and operational level of decision. The three parts of this sys tem are essential for selecting and modifying the solutions of a problem, which are provided by the decision support system (Nizeti & et. al., n.d.). It is a computerized system

Bullying Speech Essay Example for Free

Bullying Speech Essay Hello I’m Maddi Beeson as many of you know and I wanted to talk to you about a very important issue at our school. There is the problem of bullying and I would like to say something about it which will hopefully change things. Starting off with this poem I had found on the internet which is a very inspiring poem about bullying. It is called: To This Day- for the bullied and the beautiful by Shane Koyczan. When I was a kid I used to think that pork chops and karate chops Were the same thing I thought they were both pork chops And because my grandmother thought it was cute And because they were my favorite She let me keep doing it Not really a big deal One day Before I realized fat kids are not designed to climb trees I fell out of a tree And bruised the right side of my body I didn’t want to tell my grandmother about it Because I was afraid I’d get in trouble For playing somewhere that I shouldn’t have been A few days later the gym teacher noticed the bruise And I got sent to the principal’s office From there I was sent to another small room With a really nice lady Who asked me all kinds of questions About my life at home I saw no reason to lie As far as I was concerned. Life was pretty good I told her, â€Å"Whenever I’m sad My grandmother gives me karate chops† This led to a full scale investigation And I was removed from the house for three days Until they finally decided to ask how I got the bruises News of this silly little story quickly spread through the school And I earned my first nickname Pork Chop To this day I hate pork chops I’m not the only kid Who grew up this way Surrounded by people who used to say That rhyme about sticks and stones As if broken bones Hurt more than the names we got called And we got called them all So we grew up believing no one Would ever fall in love with us That we’d be lonely forever That we’d never meet someone To make us feel like the sun Was something they built for us In their tool shed So broken heart strings bled the blues As we tried to empty ourselves. So we would feel nothing Don’t tell me that hurts less than a broken bone That an ingrown life Is something surgeons can cut away That there’s no way for it to metastasize It does She was eight years old Our first day of grade three When she got called ugly We both got moved to the back of the class So we would stop get bombarded by spit balls But the school halls were a battleground Where we found ourselves outnumbered day after wretched day We used to stay inside for recess Because outside was worse Outside we’d have to rehearse running away Or learn to stay still like statues giving no clues that we were there In grade five they taped a sign to her desk That read beware of dog To this day Despite a loving husband She doesn’t think she’s beautiful Because of a birthmark That takes up a little less than half of her face Kids used to say she looks like a wrong answer That someone tried to erase But couldn’t quite get the job done And they’ll never understand That she’s raising two kids Whose definition of beauty Begins with the word mom Because they see her heart Before they see her skin Because she’s only ever always been amazing He Was a broken branch Grafted onto a different family tree Adopted Not because his parents opted for a different destiny He was three when he became a mixed drink Of one part left alone And two parts tragedy Started therapy in 8th grade Had a personality made up of tests and pills Lived like the up hills were mountains And the down hills were cliffs Four fifths suicidal A tidal wave of anti depressants And an adolescence of being called popper One part because of the pills Ninety nine parts because of the cruelty He tried to kill himself in grade ten When a kid who could still go home to mom and dad Had the audacity to tell him â€Å"get over it† as if depression Is something that can be remedied By any of the contents found in a first aid kit To this day He is a stick of TNT lit from both ends Could describe to you in detail the way the sky bends In the moments before it’s about to fall And despite an army of friends Who all call him an inspiration He remains a conversation piece between pe ople Who can’t understand Sometimes becoming drug free Has less to do with addiction And more to do with sanity We weren’t the only kids who grew up this way To this day Kids are still being called names The classics were Hey stupid Hey spaz Seems like each school has an arsenal of names Getting updated every year And if a kid breaks in a school And no one around chooses to hear Do they make a sound? Are they just the background noise Of a soundtrack stuck on repeat When people say things like Kids can be cruel? Every school was a big top circus tent And the pecking order went From acrobats to lion tamers From clowns to carnies All of these were miles ahead of who we were We were freaks Lobster claw boys and bearded ladies Oddities Juggling depression and loneliness playing solitaire spin the bottle Trying to kiss the wounded parts of ourselves and heal But at night While the others slept We kept