Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Globalization - Essay Example The problem today is not that there is too much globalization, but that there is far too little† (Wolf 2005, p: 17). The citation was taken from Wolf’s book, which I downloaded from rapidshare. I can’t find the link now. But it is very famous and can be found in many articles. Check, for instance http://www.up.ac.za/dspace/bitstream/2263/5186/1/Bedford-Strohm_Public(2007).pdf Briefly, in this paper globalization is considered as a â€Å"process fuelled by, and resulting in, growing cross-border flows of goods, services, money, people, information, and culture† (Taylor 2004, p: 24). The article was taken from www.questia.com Here is full text of it: The truth about globalization. by Timothy Taylor To keep my economist union card, I am required every morning when I arise to place my hand on the leather-bound family heirloom copy of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations and swear a mighty oath of allegiance to globalization. I hereby do asseverate my solemn belie f that globalization, taken as a whole, is a positive economic force and well worth defending. I also believe that the economic and social effects of globalization are exaggerated by both its detractors and supporters. In media coverage of anti-globalization protests, "globalization" often becomes a catch-all term for capitalism and injustice. (Indeed, for some protestors, referring to capitalism and injustice would be redundant.) But economic globalization in fact describes a specific phenomenon: the growth in flows of trade and financial capital across national borders. The trend has consequences in many areas, including sovereignty, prosperity, jobs, wages, and social legislation. Globalization is too important to be consigned to buzzword status. One world? The degree to which national economies are integrated is not at all obvious. It depends on your choice of perspective. During the last few decades, international flows of goods and financial capital have certainly increased dr amatically. One snap measure of globalization is the share of economic production destined for sale in other countries. In the U.S. economy, exports of goods and services were 4.9 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 1965, but 10.8 percent of GDP in 2000. From a global perspective, exports rose from 12 percent of world GDP in 1965 to 22 percent of world GDP in 2000. In round numbers, international trade of goods and services has doubled in about four decades. International financial markets are not tracked as easily as cross-border flows of goods and services. But by a variety of measures, they have also expanded considerably, especially in the last decade. Total assets held by U.S. investors in other nations nearly tripled from $2.3 trillion in 1991 to $6.2 trillion in 2000. Conversely, total foreign-owned assets in the U.S. economy quadrupled from $2 trillion in 1991 to $8 trillion in 2000. Annual global flows of "foreign direct investment"--that is, investment that crea tes a lasting management interest, often defined as more than 10 percent of voting stock in a company--rose from $200 billion in 1990 to nearly $900 billion in 1999. A 1998 survey by the Bank of International Settlements found that $1.5 trillion per day was traded on foreign-exchange markets. Since foreign-exchange trading has been growing at double-digit rates, its volume now must exceed $2 trillion per day. For many countries, international finan

Stereotypes and Prejudices Essay Example for Free

Stereotypes and Prejudices Essay Everyone uses stereotypes in one way or another. (CX) People tend to judge from their first impressions, but prejudices do not get very dangerous until they lead to stereotyping and discrimination. The victims of prejudices and stereotypes may lose their own individual personalities, and they retreat into their own groups. Both Chopin, in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby,† and Piercy, who writes â€Å"Barbie Doll,† bring up this problem in their writings. Chopin and Piercy write about stereotypes and prejudices because they want people to think about the devastating effects of stereotypes and prejudices. To develop their theme, they write about the victims of prejudice, how they are treated differently, and how they end up in life. (S) Appearances influence many people. One day, when Desiree stands â€Å"against the stone pillar,† Armand â€Å"ride[s] by and see[s] her there,† and he soon falls in love with her (Chopin 346). (CC) Not knowing much about her characteristics, Armand falls in love with Desiree, and he marries her not long after that, which can be seen by the fast transition in Chopin’s story. Similarly, the â€Å"girl child† in â€Å"Barbie Doll† is described by her classmate as having â€Å"a great big nose and fat legs† (Piercy 352). Piercy writes that although she â€Å"[is] healthy and tests intelligent,† she keeps â€Å"[going] to and fro apologizing† for her body (352). People care about how she looks more than what she has in her heart. Being victims of prejudices, the characters in Chopin’s and Piercy’s works are treated differently. The way that Desiree, her baby, and the girl child have to face prejudice is not identical. While talking to her daughter, Madame Valmonde does not stop looking at the child; in addition, she â€Å"[lifts] it and [walks] with it over the window that [is] lightest,† and she â€Å"[replaces] it beside its mother† (Chopin 346). No one uses â€Å"it† to call a baby, and Desiree’s son is regarded as an animal because he is not white. From being the â€Å"proudest father in the parish†, Armand turns cruel as he discovers that his child â€Å"is not white; it means that [his wife is] not white† (Chopin 347). (CC) Chopin brings readers back to the age of slavery, which is a shame in humans’ history; the slaves cannot live as humans because they are distinct from the majority of the Whites. (S) Obviously, being different is the end of their life. (CX) On the other hand, the girl child in â€Å"Barbie Doll† has a chance to live if she gives up her personality. The author writes that she â€Å"[is] advised to play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile and wheedle† (Piercy 352). She is given a chance to live the life of a machine, not a human, which is programmed according to the social standards. â€Å"Her good nature [wears] out like a fan. So she [cuts] off her nose and her legs, and [offers] them up,† writes Piercy (352). The fact that she has a choice is ironic. Chopin and Piercy also come to the same ending for their characters. Desiree and the girl child finish their lives in the same way. Desiree does not take the â€Å"broad beaten road which [leads] to the far-off plantation of Valmonde,† but she walks â€Å"across a deserted field† (Chopin 348). Readers may ask themselves whether Desiree does not take or is not allowed to take the broad road. She disappears among the â€Å"reeds and willows†, and she never comes back (Chopin 348). Likewise, the girl child ends up her life â€Å"in the casket displayed on the satin she [lies] with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on, a turned-up putty nose† (Piercy 352). â€Å"Is everyone satisfied? † asks Piercy. (CP) The victims of prejudice are not happy, so they choose the death to cease their misery. It is the time that people have to be aware of stereotypes and prejudices. Both Chopin and Piercy signify that stereotypes and prejudices are destructive. â€Å"Consummation at last† is a sarcastic way of Piercy to tell the truth (352). It is the consummation of people who judge others through appearances. (CP) Prejudice is no longer accepted in modern societies; however, it still exists in the nature of humans. Stereotyping prevents people from learning the real facts about themselves, and it allows them to discriminate and commit various crimes against all kinds of people. In pursuit of a better society, everyone should patiently fight against the unfairness of stereotypes and prejudices.

Effect of Low Income School on Parent Involvement Article

Effect of Low Income School on Parent Involvement Article (Smith 2006, p. 43) in her article has tried to measure the impact of strategies undertaken to involve parent in child education at a low income school using qualitative research methods. Aims of Article The main aims of this article are to: Define how a low-income school defines intentional parental involvement strategies Define effects of those strategies The Methodology The above article is done as a qualitative research. Qualitative research is done to gain a deep understanding of a specific event, rather than a description of a large sample of a population. It is also called ethnomethodology or field research. It helps create information about human groups in social settings. Qualitative research aims to provide a better understanding of a phenomenon through experience, correct reporting, and quotations of actual conversations. It aims to provide an understanding about how participants tend to interpret their surroundings, and how their interpretations influence their behaviors. The main methodology for conducting this research was conducting a study at a low income school whose new structure was replacing an outdated structure in 2002. During the planning stage of the school community members, parents and agency professionals were involved in development of the new school structure to cater for the needs of low income families and of programs to involve parents in students education at the school. The efforts were then measured using qualitative data collection methods such as participant observation, interviews and document reviews. Participant observation is a period of intensive social interaction between the researcher and the subjects, in the latter's environment. It becomes the full-time occupation of the researcher. Participant observers are trained in techniques of observation, which distinguishes them from regular participants. Interviewing is one of the most commonly used methods for gathering data in qualitative research. Qualitative interviewing is usually different from quantitative interviewing in a number of ways. Interviewing tends to be much less structured in qualitative research. In quantitative research, interviews are usually kept much more structured in order to provide a valid measurement of key concepts that can answer some specific research questions. In qualitative interviewing, deviating is encouraged to give insight into what the interviewee sees as important. This is however discouraged in quantitative research. In qualitative interviewing, interviewers can significantly change the schedule and guide of the interview. In qualitative interviewing, The questions of interview get detailed answers; in quantitative research the interview generates answers that can be processed and statistically analyzed quickly. Researchers supplement qualitative research methods such as interviewing and observation with gathering and analyzing documents produced specifically for the research at hand . As such, the review of documents is an unobtrusive method, rich in portraying the values and beliefs of participants in the setting. Sampling was done using snowball sampling technique. A snowball sample is anon-probability sampling techniquethat is appropriate to use in research when the members of a population are difficult to locate. A snowball sample is a sample in which the researcher collects data from the few members of the target population they can find, then they ask those members from whom the data is collected to provide information on the location of other members of that population whom they know. Snowball sampling hardly leads to a representative sample, but sometimes it may be the best option available. For instance, if you are studying people smoking cannabis, you are not likely to find a list of all the people smoking cannabis in your city. However, if you identify one or two people smoking cannabis that are willing to participate in your study, it is likely that they know other cannabis smoking people in their area. However snowball sampling can be avoided if data about something is readily available. Source: http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/static/images/schoolimages/ar_images/cetl/gilldavisondiagram1.jpg The Setting The setting for this research was Clark Elementary School which was situated beside a city park in a small community surrounded by large industrial complexes. Most of the residents in neighborhood were low income. During the 2003-2004 school year, 5% of the students were American Indian, 3% of the students were Asian, 7% were Black, 19% were Hispanic, and 67% were White. According to the Clark Elementary School website, as of October 1, 2003, the languages spoken were 79% English, 11% Spanish, 6% Russian, 3% Ukrainian, 1% Vietnamese, and 2% other. In 1998 the district began to build a new school in order to replace the old one. A advisory group was formed consisting of members from community organizations, government agencies, the local church, the neighborhood association, the Clark Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), educators from Elementary School, and school district personnel to provide input for development of new school. The school was finally completed in 2002. Data Collection This research was qualitative in nature. Data was collected from the participants in three ways: Observation Interviews Document Reviews Observation:The author acted like a participant observer for before and after school programs, Read and play programs and awards assembly to which all families had been invited. Interviews: Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with educators, family workers, and parents from Clark Elementary School. 4 administrators were interviewed including the principal, the district consultant, The family Liaison coordinator and the Family Services coordinator. 6 teachers were interviewed, 6 parents were interviewed. For interviews snowball sampling was used. Source:http://www.featurepics.com/FI/Thumb300/20090704/Interview-1236952.jpg Document Reviews: Documents reviewed pertained mostly to the development process for the new school. All materials collected during the design process were examined and all references to the school in the local paper were reviewed. In addition, the school website and monthly newsletters were reviewed. source:http://blogs.adobe.com/acrolaw/files/2011/01/00_quick_review_illustration.png Findings A Foundation of Understanding: Since the school architecture and its programs were developed keeping the opinions of the communities, parents and members of community associations. After the school opened teachers and staff were made to understand the life circumstances of school families. This helped teachers understand parents more and reduced the probability of teachers blaming parents when their children faced academic difficulties and instead has increased the desire for teachers to assist the children. A Broad Definition: A definition of parental involvement emerged at the school which recognized a wide array of behaviors of involvement such as receipt of social services or picking up food or clothing at Family Resource centre. These behaviors also included the learning activities families engaged in while at home. Creating Intentional Parental Involvement Strategies: The intentional parental involvement strategies were designed in two distinct ways: Strategies to Provide Services: During initial meetings after considering the needs of neighborhood families it was decided to make the school in a community center style so as to provide services for low income families. The family resource center in the school helped connect parents with the various activities in school and also provide them with many facilities including computers, free food and clothing provided by government agencies. Strategies to Enhance Parental Involvement: The Clark Committee had designed parental involvement plans based on broad definition of parent involvement and on foundation of understanding. These strategies included inviting parents to school conferences, family nights and access resources offered by Family Resource Centers. All these services were found to have a positive impact of parent involvement and hence positively impacted Clark Elementary School. Benefits of Parental Involvement: Interviewers described better parent involvement leading to academic success. Teachers found that students were more motivated and had better self confidence as a result of parent involvement. Parents also were found to have other benefits of involvement other than academic ones and they could feel themselves part of a community. Recommendations Following things are recommended in this study: In order to develop strategies for parent involvement in low income schools it would be better to input the advice of neighbors and interested agency representatives in order to understand the lives of people the school shall serve. If we can get a clear understanding of the lives of their school families, we ought to encourage definition of parental involvement which would acknowledge a wide list of parental behaviors that lead to academic success. Educators serving low-income populations must consider offering services to the families of their students, thereby bringing parents into the school buildings. Full-service schools can provide services based on the understanding of the needs of the neighborhood, intended to meet the needs of low-income school families. Educators should invite the input and participation of community agencies, businesses, and faith-based groups in any efforts to meet the needs of school families. Offering the opportunity to provide input can encourage them to own the process and make them have a long term participation in the process Educators need to accept that parents may not choose to be involved in education in commonly accepted ways. Conclusion The main point of the article is that a better understanding of the community needs is a must for forming a better definition of parent involvement for the community. Hence, Educators working in low-income communities need a willingness to learn about their student populations and a high degree of commitment to school families in order to better formulate parent involvement strategies in schools. The author has used qualitative research methods to show a relationship between better understanding of the community by the school for introducing steps to increase parent involvement at the college. However, the main problem lies here in the sampling for interviews. Here snowball sampling is being used. This should have been avoided as snowball samples are hardly representatives of target populations and are just used for exploratory purposes. Since data for teachers and parents could have been made available by the school I this case, Using that data could have lead to a better sample cou ld have been prepared that would have been more representative of the population at hand. As it stands the study can be considered a good starting point of research for introducing steps for parent involvement in low income schools. Bibliography Smith, J. G. (2006). Parental Involvement in Education Among Low-Income Families: A Case Study. School Community Journal , 43.

Lenzs Law And Faradays Law Of Induction :: essays research papers

Lenz's Law and Faraday's Law of Induction 1. With this definition of the flux being , we can now return to Faraday's investigations. He found that the magnitude of the emf produced depends on the rate at which the magnetic flux changes. Faraday found that if the flux through N loops of wire changes by an amount , during a time delta t, the average induced emf during this time is This fundamental result is known as Faraday's law of induction. The minus sign is placed there to remind us in which direction the induced emf acts. Experiment shows that an induced emf always gives rise to a current whose magnetic field opposes the original change in flux. This is known a Lenz's law. Let us apply it to the case of relative motion between a magnet and a coil. The changing flux induces an emf, which produces a current in the coil; and this induced current produces its own magnet field. If the distance between the coil and the magnet decreases; so the magnetic field, and therefore the flux, through the coil increases. The magnetic field of the magnet points upward. To oppose this upward increase, the field produced by the induced current must point downward. Thus Lenz's law tells us that the current must move by the use of the use of the right hand rule. If the flux decreases, so the induced current produces an upward magnetic field that is "trying" to maintain the status quo. Let us consider what would happen if Lenz's law were just the reverse. The induced current would produce a flux in the same direction as the original change; this greater change in flux would produce an even larger current, followed by a still larger change in flux, and so on. The current would continue to grow indefinitely, producing power (=) even after the original stimulus ended. This would violate the conservation of energy. Such "perpetual - motion" devices do not exist. It is important to note, which I believe was forgotten in the class lecture, is that Faraday's investigation, as summarized in Faraday's law, says that an emf is induced whenever there is a change in flux. Thus an emf can be induced in two ways: (1) by changing the magnetic field B; or (2) by changing the area A of the loop or its orientation theta with respect to the field. A motor turns and produces mechanical energy when a current is made to flow in it. You might expect that the armature would accelerate indefinitely as a result of applied torque. Lenzs Law And Faradays Law Of Induction :: essays research papers Lenz's Law and Faraday's Law of Induction 1. With this definition of the flux being , we can now return to Faraday's investigations. He found that the magnitude of the emf produced depends on the rate at which the magnetic flux changes. Faraday found that if the flux through N loops of wire changes by an amount , during a time delta t, the average induced emf during this time is This fundamental result is known as Faraday's law of induction. The minus sign is placed there to remind us in which direction the induced emf acts. Experiment shows that an induced emf always gives rise to a current whose magnetic field opposes the original change in flux. This is known a Lenz's law. Let us apply it to the case of relative motion between a magnet and a coil. The changing flux induces an emf, which produces a current in the coil; and this induced current produces its own magnet field. If the distance between the coil and the magnet decreases; so the magnetic field, and therefore the flux, through the coil increases. The magnetic field of the magnet points upward. To oppose this upward increase, the field produced by the induced current must point downward. Thus Lenz's law tells us that the current must move by the use of the use of the right hand rule. If the flux decreases, so the induced current produces an upward magnetic field that is "trying" to maintain the status quo. Let us consider what would happen if Lenz's law were just the reverse. The induced current would produce a flux in the same direction as the original change; this greater change in flux would produce an even larger current, followed by a still larger change in flux, and so on. The current would continue to grow indefinitely, producing power (=) even after the original stimulus ended. This would violate the conservation of energy. Such "perpetual - motion" devices do not exist. It is important to note, which I believe was forgotten in the class lecture, is that Faraday's investigation, as summarized in Faraday's law, says that an emf is induced whenever there is a change in flux. Thus an emf can be induced in two ways: (1) by changing the magnetic field B; or (2) by changing the area A of the loop or its orientation theta with respect to the field. A motor turns and produces mechanical energy when a current is made to flow in it. You might expect that the armature would accelerate indefinitely as a result of applied torque.

Internet and Our Social Life Essay

For a few decades now, the internet has been an important gear in the ticking clock we like to call everyday life. Its significance and usage is ever growing, as well as the number of areas in which it has crept in. The phenomenon that is the internet brought power at the click of a mouse, but as it goes with power, consequences are inevitable. The internet is, undoubtedly, the largest source of information today. It is also a practical tool for managing bank accounts, staying in touch with friends and communicating with people all over the world, with technology that enables you to simultaneously talk while looking at the person on screen and even hold video conferences. But practicality and availability of information are not the only things that attract internet users. In online social communities, forums and game rooms people are given the opportunity to be whoever they want to be. The internet gives us virtual clay which we can use to mold our identities in any way we want. Especially in game rooms, people tend to fantasize and invent characters in order to compensate for the lack of their own. That is how a regular John Doe can go to his boring work every morning, but come back home, turn his computer on and become Zyborg, the hero from outer space. The cyber space can be used as a resort when real life is difficult to deal with. For example, people with low self-esteem or people who lack social skills will probably find online chatting much easier than talking to the person face to face. Such use of internet can make one’s life more interesting or less stressful, but too much time and dedication to it can lead to serious social and psychological consequences. If a person spends too much time on the computer, with its virtual character and virtual friends, he develops a virtual life which he may prefer more than the real one. Consequently, even though he might feel satisfied and safe, he does more damage than good by neglecting some important parts of his regular life such as time with his family, health, responsibilities and productivity. Lately, a diagnosis called Internet addiction disorder has been introduced for people who are thought to spend too much time on the internet. This issue is facing its beginning and it i s still disputed whether it is a real disorder. But according to Dr. Maressa Orzack between 5% and 10% of internet users suffer some form of internet dependency and she lists withdrawal, loss of control, and compulsive behavior as some of the effects. Online dating sites, which people visit in order to find a partner for romantic or sexual relationship, have made courtship easier, but, paradoxically, there have been many cases in which the internet was the prime cause of ending a relationship, marriage or even filing lawsuits. With internet becoming more and more integrated into our lifestyles it is only normal that the effects, both positive and negative, be visible in all aspects of our lives, including socializing. It is nice to be able to see your sister who lives miles away smile for you on screen as if she were in the room with you, or exchange e-mails with a person who you normally wouldn’t have the courage to come up to, but it would be a scary thing if cafes would become empty and internet networks overloaded with Zyborgs.

Should Marriage Preparation Classes Be Required for Engaged Couples?

Many contemporary couples have problems in their houses because they were not prepared to get married. Furthermore, couples who were prepared have problems. In the last decade more and more couples are taking marriage classes before they get married. Many people reject the classes because for them it is a ridiculous thing. Also, they believe that a couple has to learn from its own problems, not with classes. Nevertheless, marriage preparation classes should be required for engaged couples because those classes teach the couples how to prepared for what is in store for them, deal with marriage troubles, and have confidence in their partner.These days, couples are marrying without the knowledge that you will get more responsibilities if you get married, and those couples must get more trouble at home. Therefore, marriage preparation classes prepare those couples who want to avoid those kinds of problems. All those classes prepare the couples and teach them about what is in store for th em. When someone gets married he or she has to acknowledge what kind of responsibilities he or she is getting.When people get married they lose many things that they used to do. They have to forgot too many hobbies, things they used to do and also friends. Moreover, they have to prepare themselves for children and all the responsibilities that a child give to someone. Furthermore, they have to support a family; they have to work, get a job, and so on. Those problems are taught by a marriage preparation class.There is another thing that a marriage preparation class teaches: how to deal with marriage problems. In the first or second year for a couple after they get married, maybe they will not have an encountered with any problems. However, when the responsibilities are increasing more and more the problems start to appear. Maybe those problems are: the husband is not at home too much time, the husband or wife’s salary is not enough to pay bills, they have a lack of time to be together and to share sentiments, and so on. When those problems appear, the couples start to be desperate and probably they will divorce. However, those couples who take the class know how to deal with those problems. They will know how to make a conversation with the partner without an argument.Marriage preparation classes make a kind of confidence in the couple. Those classes teach how to have confidence with the partner, and how to create confidence. The most common case of unconfidence is when he or she is thinking â€Å"My partner is having an affair†. The confidence in a relationship is the most important thing because it creates security and also love. Moreover, the confidence that a couple has in each other is important to make a stronger relationship. As a result, the husband or wife will not have any doubt about his or her husband or wife.In conclusion, the marriage preparation classes are very important to have a successful relationship in the future. Therefore, t hose classes should be required for engaged couples. When you will get married remember to be assisted by those classes, they will make you a better husband or wife. If you be assisted by those classes, your relationship will be better and comfortable.