Singapore education system Essay Example for Free

Singapore education system Essay Singapore’s education system is one of the top among the world. I am glad to grow up in such system whereby we are trained since young to try and achieve the best of both worlds balancing academic and non-academic achievements like CCAs. I would like to know the views on looking into various â€Å"loopholes† in the education systems. Ministry of Education (MOE) is offering new paths for students, who did well for their GCE ‘N’ Level, to further their studies at Institute of Technical Education (ITE) or even local Polytechnics without taking the GCE ‘O’ Level, yet at the same time do not have any plans to further support these students such that most of them could not enter the local universities due to lack of qualifications. Singapore’s education system is one of the top among the world. I am glad to grow up in such system whereby we are trained since young to try and achieve the best of both worlds balancing academic and non-academic achievements like CCAs. I would ask the Prime Minister for his views on looking into various â€Å"loopholes† in the education systems. Ministry of Education (MOE) is offering new paths for students, who did well for their GCE ‘N’ Level, to further their studies at Institute of Technical Education (ITE) or even local Polytechnics without taking the GCE ‘O’ Level, yet at the same time do not have any plans to further support these students such that most of them could not enter the local universities due to lack of qualifications. Singapore’s education system is one of the top among the world. I am glad to grow up in such system whereby we are trained since young to try and achieve the best of both worlds balancing academic and non-academic achievements like CCAs. I would ask the Prime Minister for his views on looking into various â€Å"loopholes† in the education systems. Ministry of Education (MOE) is offering new paths for students, who did well for their GCE ‘N’ Level, to further their studies at Institute of Technical Education (ITE) or even local Polytechnics without taking the GCE ‘O’ Level, yet at the same time do not have any plans to further support these students such that most of them could not enter the local universities due to lack of qualifications. Singapore’s education system is one of the top among the world. I am glad to grow up in such system whereby we are trained since young to try and achieve  the best of both worlds balancing academic and non-academic achievements like CCAs. I would ask the Prime Minister for his views on looking into various â€Å"loopholes† in the education systems. Ministry of Education (MOE) is offering new paths for students, who did well for their GCE ‘N’ Level, to further their studies at Institute of Technical Education (ITE) or even local Polytech nics without taking the GCE ‘O’ Level, yet at the same time do not have any plans to further support these students such that most of them could not enter the local universities due to lack of qualifications.

Bumper Stickers to Express Views

Bumper Stickers to Express Views Sticking It to Bumper Stickers Think for a second about how social media has changed the way people interact with one another; websites like Facebook and Twitter have provided a highway of free expression. People can express their views openly and confidently without much concern about what someone with an opposing view might think. As a result, said websites are teeming with opinions. Sure, there are some benefits to having means to express ones values freely and openly, however this becomes problematic when the act of expression closes off the possibility for conversation. When people are flooded with personal opinions, as seen on the likes of Facebook and Twitter, there is no conversation or even a healthy debate. There is only opinion. This phenomenon is not limited, nor began, with social media. Yet, there is another medium for the use of language to convey peoples values and identities: the bumper sticker. As much as social media plays a central role in the lives of many Americans, the bumper sticker has become a vehicle for strong public expression. Almost nowhere else in this society can people show their feelings to such a large audience with so little effort. Partisan politics may have once been the basis of bumper sticker content, especially after World War II and at the height of the Cold War when propaganda was so pertinent. Yet nowadays, just a quick glance at parked cars shows that a broad range of themes exist (Newbagen). Whether it be advice on driving etiquette Brighten my day, get off the road existential commentary A bad day at the beach beats a good day at the office or comments about U.S. foreign policy -, bumper stickers provide a window into a persons political, philosophical, and socioeconomic ideologies. Bumper stickers themselves are not problematic for society. However, similar to social media, bumper stickers dont elicit conversation and instead spark controv ersy, society grows more and more divided. Expressing opinions publicly has become a gauntlet of disaster. Societys problem with public display of opinion is growing because bumper stickers spark controversy and contribute to an argumentative environment. Since the definition of success in this environment is based on one-upmanship and/or criticism, the path to bringing people back together starts with using value in oneself as a means of expression rather than expressing ones values. The controversy created by bumper stickers is rooted in the philosophy behind bumper stickers. First, the motivation behind using bumper stickers must be uncovered. People are always trying to make their beliefs and values known. Somehow, by projecting ones beliefs and values to the outside world an identity crisis is averted. A person needs the world to know what he stands for in order to reach a self-understanding. Bumper stickers allow for this expression. Have a kid on the honor roll? Great! Put on that bumper sticker and tell the world. Fan of sports team X? Perfect! Theres a bumper sticker for that. Voting Democrat in the next election? Might as well use the back of the car to show exactly that. These stickers represent a unique paradox. On the one hand, they are distinctly personal, attached to the owners car for friends to see. On the other hand, they are anonymous. The vast majority of readers are unknown to the bearer of the sticker. This allows for the expression of highly personal opinions about strongly held views to a large audience without any commitment to interact with them. This combination of personal statement and anonymity provides the opportunity for the expression of public emotion not usually available to ordinary people in their daily routine, ultimately giving way to create controversy. Yes, bumper stickers are short, catchy, and seemingly harmless, but because of their nature they contribute to a growing problem in society. This can be seen through the concept known as bumper sticker philosophy, (Haussmen). Basically, the bumper sticker philosophy is that because bumper stickers are such short messages, it is impossible to fit an entire philosophy or ideology on the back of your car. It is simply not possible to tell the entire story. The ideology shown is only superficial. Going along this line of reasoning, this allows bumper stickers to oversimplify social issues. People see them in a hurry and theres no time to digest the argument . Bumper stickers dont bring forth conversation, but rather end the conversation with a cursory position on any given issue. This controversy has created a hostile, argumentative environment which is dividing society more and more. Because the ideology shown on a bumper sticker is superficial, the reaction to seeing a bumper sticker is most likely also superficial. After all, how can an onlooker derive an entire ideology or philosophy from such a short message. The reactions are knee-jerk, pure gut instinct. Take for example a story from Denise Grier. Her son was threatened jail time for not removing a bumper sticker that read Bush sucks. Dick Cheney too (Haynsworth). Clearly, Griers son was expressing his political beliefs and the police had an alternative opinion. There is nothing wrong or problematic with having different viewpoints, especially when it comes to politics. There was no conflict until the bumper sticker evoked a knee-jerk reaction. Because there was only a bumper sticker and a reaction, and no discussion, a conflict was created. People display bumper stickers to either connect to a communi ty or to argue against one, but because there isnt a complete ideology which causes an instinctive violent, judgmental reaction, a connection cant be formed and society slips farther apart. There are, however, benefits to having an argumentative environment; one that fosters conversation and debate. Society needs opposing viewpoints in order to progress. The world was flat until someone questioned it. Furthermore, there is a connection between expression and identity. Hilde Lindemann, in her book Holding and Letting Go: The Social Practice of Personal Identities, articulates, To have livedas a person is to have taken my proper place in the social world that lets us make selves of each other, (159). Lindemann here identifies why being an individual with personal beliefs matters morally, why it deserves closer philosophical attention, and also why it is so dependent on the many interpersonal practices of empathetic recognition through which people can see each other as their own person. Individuality and personhood are not qualities that one can seek and find within a particular human specimen. Instead, personhood is something people reify through actions, attitudes, and attunements toward others. Both socially and morally, people judge others and hold them in certain lights. Identities are maintained through stories about what matters most to a given person; his loves, hates, commitments, and so on. The moral personhood of individuals is then very different from the one envisioned by supporters of the view that personhood is just a collection of qualities or attributes that add up to something more than the sum of their parts; or, as a designation that does not refer to much of anything in particular, other than a desire for moral, social, and political recognition. Lindemann suggests that missing the background conditions of how people become persons is precisely where philosophy has taken a wrong turn. In a non-trivial way, what and who people are is not constituted solely by a collection of reasoned positions or endorsed choices, but by moral communities that work to create, or to undo, themselves and their individual members. Lindemann describe s the personal identity of individuals, To describe a moral practice we engage in constantly, but that has not received much recognition as a moral practice: it is the practice of initiating human beings into personhood and then holding them there, (ix). Lindemann is asserting that the acts of conversing and listening is fundamentally moral work that has the capacity to create the objects of its practices; but perhaps more relevant, also has the power to destroy. The need to criticize or out-preform someone diminishes personal beliefs and values, however people need personal beliefs. Control over the ideas, symbols, and meanings within society are central to the control of society itself. In a scientific study, Charles Case notes, The ruling ideas of each age have been the ideas of its ruling class. This classical analysis of the role of ideology in the struggle for domination over society has evolved into the more recent concept of hegemony. Hegemony theory asserts that the ruling elite control all institutions which disseminate ideas and values. Schools, churches, youth organization, the mass media, among others, all produce false consciousness to facilitate the maintenance of political and economic control by the ruling elite. Attempts are often made to limit or eliminate means for self expression. These attempts are typically met with creative innovations and use of non-conventional vehicles for communication. Jail inmates, for example, w ho are stripped of most normal roles, statues, and means for interaction make heavy an effective use of tattoos to display affiliations, personal uniqueness, perspectives, and philosophies. Modern urban society is characterized by interactions among anonymous strangers and communications received through mass media sources. Within this environment, very few opportunities exist for individuals to contribute to the cultural store of ideas, symbols, and perspectives. This perspective of symbolic interaction describes how the display of symbols and relationships create social and self identity. Through the acquisition and demonstration of desirable roles, values, and qualities, individuals seek to create and maintain an esteemed and acceptable self. Those whose abilities to define themselves are impaired by a predefinition imposed by society and are described as stigmatized. However, as seen in prison tattoos, public personal expression can also be used as a unifying power. The unifying factor of personal beliefs lie in both the motivation behind and in the act of expression. In the modern age of mass communication and urban life, the means and methods available to influence the discourse of ideology and symbols have proliferated. Prison tattoos, underground newspapers, pirate radio stations, and graffiti are examples of opportunities for common citizens to affect their cultural environment. The perspectives of conflict and symbolic interaction suggest that people have a need or desire to communicate symbolic messages to the persons who share the same social environment. The history of human cultural development is intimately tied to the accumulated development of symbols, meanings, and ways to share these symbolic meanings among a growing range of sources and recipients. Therefore, the possibility exists that people use these symbols, such as bumper stickers, to progress society. However, within modern urban environments, most of the symbolic meanings encountered by individuals come from commercial mass-mediated sources (Case). This means face-to-face sources of interactions and ideas such as schools and churches allow relatively little opportunity for individuals to offer their unique perspectives. People are not really expressing their own beliefs, but rather beliefs from a marketplace. The bumper sticker is, after all, a product that is bought and sold. Bumper stickers show the influence of marketing language, with its colloquial, pseudo-informality. Public expression of opinions is thus part of the shifting relationship between culture and commerce that puts the consumer in a seemingly new position. This is where change can occur. Its not possible to find ones own personhood when one is buying his values and beliefs from a marketplace. The conundrum is that people find their identity by expressing their values and their beliefs; however, the values and beliefs that people are currently expressing are not coming from themselves. How does that make sense? How can someone realistically make their own identity from an ideology that is not his own? Quite literally, people are getting value from the wrong place. People have become reflections of what society wants them to be. This is why society is breaking down. A collection of individuals creates society. But when there are no individuals, there isnt much of a society either. Creating more individuals is a step on the path to bringing people back together. Individuality can be formed when people recognize what they themselves believe in, not what something like a bumper sticker tells them to believe in. Therefore, this change must c ome from people. This is an issue about expression and identity. Something like outlawing bumper stickers wouldnt really do much good not to mention its not feasible either. No, this change will start with people looking inward for something to believe in, rather than outward for validation. When people look outward for validation, they are really looking for judgement; to be able to say that they fit in. However, if society was built by people who understand their personhood and believe in their own identity, they would be able to create their own society and thus eliminate the need to fit in. This in turn would stop people from expressing commercialized ideologies and would bring people closer together. The term express yourself might sound clichà ©, but it should be taken seriously. People just need to be themselves and understand who they really are. Creating a society of more individualized people is a solid foundation to start bringing people back together, but change probably wont be realized until people also change how they view others. People can have the same blood, brains, and emotions, but act hostile because they have different thoughts and opinions. People think being an individual means embracing what makes you different from society. While this can be an empowering thought for some, it has created a tear in society. Individuality should really lead to a path of connecting with others, not winning or losing or validation. Real personhood and individuality extends beyond valuing ones own opinions. Society cant come back together unless individuals are allowed to share their opinions without creating controversy. Works Cited Newhagen, John E., and Michael Ancell. The Expression of Emotion and Social Status in the Language of Bumper Stickers. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 14.3 (1995): 312-23. ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. Case, Charles E. Bumper Stickers and Car Signs Ideology and Identity. Journal of Popular Culture 26.3 (1992): 107. ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. Haussamen, Brock. PUNS, PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND POSTMODERNISM. Visible Language 31.1 (1997): 52. ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. Lindemann, Hilde. Holding and Letting Go: The Social Practice of Personal Identities. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2014. Print. Haynsworth, Leslie. My Volvo, My Self: The (Largely Unintended) Existential Implications of Bumper Stickers. Fourth Genre 10.1 (2008): 21,34,200. ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Rate of Diffusion of Potassium permanganate, Potassium dichromate, and Methylene blue1

Rate of Diffusion of Potassium permanganate, Potassium dichromate, and Methylene blue1 1 The Effect of Molecular Weight and Time on the Rate of Diffusion of Potassium permanganate, Potassium dichromate, and Methylene blue1 scientific paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements in General Biology I laboratory under Prof. Diana Rose Gonzales, 1st sem., 2013 2014 _ 2 ABSTRACT The effect of molecular weight and time on the rate of diffusion of potassium permanganate, potassium dichromate, and methylene blue was tested using a petri dish of agar water gel with three wells. The three substances were dropped simultaneously in the petri dish. Potassium permanganate (MW 158g/mole) increased rapidly (14.50 mm) while Methylene blue (MW 374 g/mole) gradually increased (9.50 mm) only. Thus, molecular weight and time affects the rate of diffusion. INTRODUCTION Diffusion is a movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. The particles will fuse when they are evenly distributed and have reached equilibrium. Potassium permanganate, potassium dichromate, and methylene blue are substances used as indicators and oxidizing agents. Potassium permanganate is used in organic compounds and used commercially to purify water and sanitizer. It is chemically used to regulate certain reducing compounds. Potassium dichromate is used to determine ethanol concentrations in solutions and determine the presence and purity of silver. Researches also suggest that potassium dichromate functions as an agent that cause genetic mutation against DNA repair deficient strains of Escherichia coli. Lastly, methylene blue is used as dye to identify bacteria and nucleic acids. The dye will have the deepest shade of blue when in contact with acids. As indicators and oxidizing agents, the substances stated above must prove that their diffusion must be fast in order to do their functions. Due to their difference in molecular weight, a test was conducted to prove what substance is more recommendable _ 3 to be used in getting the rate of diffusion. To further verify the experiment rate of diffusion was also tested with time. To test this, agar water gel is one of the materials was used. Agar water gel is a substance that functions as a thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier since it do not melt at room temperature until it is heated to 85oC and more. Also, with a stopwatch the substances were measured (mm) at a regular three minute interval for thirty minutes. The study aims to determine the effect of molecular weight and time on the rate diffusion of potassium permanganate, potassium dichromate, and methylene blue. The specific objectives are 1. to prove that molecular weight affects the rate of diffusion; and 2. to explain why molecular weight must also be observed with time MATERIALS AND METHODS In testing the effect of molecular weight and time on the rate of diffusion of potassium permanganate, potassium dichromate, and methylene blue, agar water gel was used. Three bottles with dropper containing the substances and a petri dish with agar water gel were given to each group. As three members of the group dropped all substances together in the wells of the agar water gel, the stopwatch started simultaneously with it. One member measured each wells of the agar water gel with a ruler to get the initial measurement (mm) of the wells. The group then drew the initial appearance of the experiment (Figure 4.1.). One member was assigned to signal the group if three minutes have passed and the member of the group who is assigned to _ 4 measure the wells will immediately but carefully measure the area with the ruler. There was a regular three minute interval for thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, the group then drew the final appearance of the experiment Figure 4.2. Also, the group computed for the average of the substances by adding all the data that were gathered divided by number of time intervals. To test the effect of time on the rate of diffusion the data gathered were computed by partial rate. Partial rate is computed by subtracting the diameter of colored area immediately (di-1) before the diameter of colored area at a given time (d1) divided by the time when d1 was measured (t1) minus the time immediately before t1 (ti 1). Again, the average of each substances were computed by adding all the date divided by the number of time intervals. A graph comparing the average rate of diffusion of each substance was plotted against its molecular weight in Figure 4.3. Also, a graph comparing the partial rate of diffusion of each substance was plotted against the time elapsed in Figure 4.4 _ 5 Potassium dichromate Methylene blue Potassium permanganate Figure 4.1. Initial appearance of the substances in the agar water gel wells. Potassium dichromate Methylene blue Potassium permanganate Figure 4.2. Final appearance of the substances in the agar water gel wells. _ 6 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS As seen in Table 4.2, potassium permanganate (MW 158 g/mole) has the highest average rate of diffusion with 11.32 mm/min, followed by potassium dichromate (MW 294 g/mole) with 10.86 mm/min, and methylene blue (MW 374 g/mole) with 7.95 mm/min. In Table 4.3, potassium permanganate has the highest partial rates of diffusion with 0.35 mm/min, followed by potassium dichromate with 0.32 mm/min, and methylene blue with 0.19 mm/min. This results shows that molecular weight has an effect in the rate of diffusion. When the molecular weight is lower then the rate of diffusion will be higher meaning they have an indirect relationship. Also, with time the rate of diffusion of the substances decreased, meaning time and the rate of diffusion has an indirect relationship. _ 7 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION The effect of molecular weight and time on the rate of diffusion of potassium permanganate, potassium dichromate, and methylene blue was determined. Each substance was dropped simultaneously with each other into the petri dish with agar water gel. With a stopwatch the time was observed with an interval of three minuets in thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, the average of the circumference and the partial rates of diffusion were computed. Results showed that potassium permanganate (MW 158 g/mole) which has the least molecular weight had the highest average rate of diffusion compared to methylene blue (MW 374 g/mole), which has the greatest molecular weight among the three. In time, the circumference (mm/min) of each substance increased since there was diffusion in the agar water gel wells. Hence, molecular weight and time has an effect in the increase, decrease, slowness, and fastness of the diffusion of substances. Nevertheless, further experimentation must be done to improve the results of the experiment. It is recommended to use other substances, a different medium other than the agar water gel, a longer time period to test the diffusion, a more stable environment, and have more trials to observe better results. _ 11 LITERATURE CITED Dean, John A. Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, 12th ed.; McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York, NY, 1979; p 9:4-9:94. Ebbing, Darrell D. General Chemistry 3rd ed.; Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, MA, 1990; p 137. Andrew Mills, David Hazafy, John A. Parkinson, Tell Tuttle and Michael G. Hutchings The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 2009, 113 (34), 9575-9576 Chongmok Lee, Yoo Wha Sung, and Joon Woo ParkThe Journal of Physical Chemistry B1999, 103 (5), 893-898 _

Genetic Engineering and Developing Countries Essays -- Biotechnology S

The genetic engineering of foods has been the subject of much controversy since its first appearance in the mid 1980’s. As scientists began to learn more about genetically engineered foods and the benefits of such foods, their potential also began to be realized. Developing countries, because of poor nutrition, would benefit the most from modified foods. Millions of people in developing countries die each year form lack of nutrition and hundreds of thousands go blind. Overpopulation is another problem facing developing countries and without food and nutrients survival will be tough. Alternately, there exist genetically modified foods, which can supply these poor nations with the proper nutrients and agricultural knowledge to prevent any nutritional and overpopulation problems from occurring. Many benefits can come from genetically engineered foods on top of aiding developing countries. Humans need to get over the fear f genetically engineered foods and start to utilize biot echnology in everyday life. One suggested use of genetically engineered foods would be to aid developing countries that are struggling because of a lack of proper nutrients in their diets and overpopulation. A shocking statistic is that over 13% of the worlds population does not receive enough nutrients to prevent malnutrition and vitamin A deficiencies. Another horrifying statistic is that by the year 2020 the world population will exceed 7.5 billion people with 98% of the increase coming from less developed countries (Mary Arends-Kuenning and Flora Makundi â€Å"Agricultural biotechnology†). Supplying enough food to not only feed the growing number of people but to also provide tem with enough nutrients might seem impossible, but with the use of genetic en... ...esistant genes, scientists can enable farmers to flourish on land considered to be not farmable. Humans need to embrace biotechnology in order to secure their future. By implementing this policy an effort will be made to ensure that all future food and nutrition needs will be met. Also, healthier, faster growing foods will benefit, not only less developed countries, but also the developed world. This technology has not yet been introduced to most crops but hundreds of millions of people need this technology now and can no longer wait for regulations and speculations. As Neal C. Stewart et. al. state, â€Å"the key is to determine the importance of the risks as weighed against the benefits†(836). Undeniably, the benefits certainly outweigh the risks. Humans must not fear genetics and must also embrace this technology, which is the future of all food production.

Euripides Medea Essay -- Papers Medea Euripides Essays Papers

Euripides' Medea I see Medea as a woman who took a chance and stood up for herself. The kind of behavior that Medea displays was very rare for these times: she doesn?t accept the dramatic change in her life; she does something about it. On the other hand, Medea becomes so obsessed she loses herself to revenge. Medea is only heroic to an extent. Medea?s thirst for revenge begins when she finds out about her husbands unfaithfulness. Medea?s husband Jason decides to marry the princess Glauce to establish a position of power in Corinth. Jason claims he did it so Medea and their two sons could have better lives. Jason fails to tell Medea of his plans. Medea, who has committed her life to Jason, is enraged when she finds out. Rather than accept Jason?s betrayal and her own humiliation, she vows revenge. Here is where Medea is heroic and clever. Medea says just the right words to plead her case to Creon. Medea set her plan for revenge in motion when King Creon comes to exile her from Corinth. Medea: This one day...

Critical Analysis of Drugs Essay

Drugs and alcohol use has been a common and consistent problem in the United States for quite a long time. From the prohibition era in the 1920’s to the common drug use seen in the 1970’s, we have always seen a problem that needs to be addressed. An array of scholars, from all the disciplines, have each experimented and researched this topic in their own unique ways. The natural sciences take a purely scientific approach by hypothesizing and using the scientific method to research and made evaluative claims based on experiment and observation as shown in the article â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students†. Social Science is similar because it also uses hypotheses and the scientific method to observe and evaluate experiments, but at the same time uses theory critique and discussion methods as seen in the article â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking†. The Humanities take a very difference approach to experiments and research than the natural or social sciences. The Humanities utilize analysis and interpretation in their approach and provide very subjective results to their studies as seen in, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students†. All of these techniques give us a better understand of the subject as a whole by exposing us to all the different views of a single topic. See more: how to write a critical analysis outline Drugs and alcohol use, particularly in college students, in a continuously rising issue in our current society and is gaining more notice in recent years because of the rise in college student awareness. It is a pressing issue that affects people’s health, lifestyle, and general well being and needs to be treated with attention and an open mind to help resolve its current issues. Part I. From the scholarly point of view, drug and alcohol use in the college setting is covered by all the disciplines with different attention on certain aspects by each respective discipline. A social science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking,† by Dr. Morgen delves into college students drinking habits, and why they act as they do. The articles purpose is to show the relationship between how students perceive their drinking and how bad it actually is. Dr. Morgen focuses on identifying the problem and evaluating it. This isn’t far off from the approach the Natural Science article, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† by Dr.Moore and Dr. Werch. Their focus is to compare exercise habits among self identified drinkers and to come up with scientific explanations for their habits. Like Dr. Morgen, the study included asking questions about the students drinking habits and perceptions of their actions. But, unlike Dr. Morgen there is a more objective approach to the results and less room for interpretation. The Humanities article compares more with the Social Science article and contrasts with the Natural Science take on the subject. The article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† focuses strictly on discussion and results to questions they presented to the women in their study. When comparing the Humanities article to the other two, you can see a difference in the materials covered and analyzed. The Humanities support its findings through their discussion and thoughts on the results, while the two science articles find support from empirical data. When looking at all three sources it is easy to realize how complex and broad drugs and alcohol are among the three disciplines. When we view the Natural Science article is it clear that the use of scientific sources are more prevalent than in the Humanities article. The Humanities utilize primary sources, where the Social Sciences use a mixture of methods found in both the Humanities and the Natural Sciences. All of these scholarly discussions demonstrate the complexity of the subject, while also exposing it from many different angles. Each article seems to approach the topic of drugs and alcohol by exhibiting several different opportunities for argument. Given that all three articles deal with three different disciplines it’s no surprise that each article comes to its respective conclusion by different rhetorical means. â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students,† by Moore and Werch, works to indentify factors in college students drinking and exercise habits and link them together. Moore and Werch rely on logos to convey their results, given that the article is in the Natural Sciences it uses facts, statistics, and experiments to argue its results. This differs greatly from, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† by VonDras et al. because VonDras et al. make up the framework of their approach and argument by using credibility and reliable sources (ethos). The Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† by Dr. Morgen, is a combination of both approaches. The use of logical reasoning and experiments yield to logos, but at the same time the exploitation of reliable sources and trustworthiness demonstrate ethos as its rhetorical choice. The point of view of the three articles is first person because the authors are directly explaining the experiments methods, process, and discussion to the reader. Throughout the three sources there is a certain ethos connection because of the experimenters relying on honest input from their subjects in each experiment. Overall, all three articles state the importance of the positions they take, and relate their topics to some degree. All have in common a kind of moderation in how they appeal to an audience rhetorically. Each source uniquely represents its particular discipline through textual evidence, and its take on the subject at hand. The Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† by VonDras et al. represents humanities perfectly because of its strong use of interpretation and analysis. This approach differs greatly from the â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† article, which uses more observation and the scientific method, which is very representative of the Natural Sciences. Once again incorporating some of both of the disciplines to represent its take is the Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking†. There is clear use of scientific method and experiment, but you can also see interpretation and analysis in the conclusion discussion which talks about the students drinking habits and perceived benefits from consuming alcohol. The Natural Science article strays from its disciplines approach at times and seems to come across as a Social Science article. Its uses analysis and observation along with its hypothesis. The Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† is most typical to its specific discipline. It exemplifies traditional Social Science approaches to the experiment and discussion more wholly than the Natural Science and Humanities articles represent their topic. The least typical to its discipline is the Natural Science article, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students†. Though, as stated, it does use scientific approaches which represent the Natural Sciences, it also incorporates some Social Science attributes in its structure. This is dissimilar to the Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† because as previously stated, VonDras et al. stuck to the proper methods in their research and represented the Humanities in a proper fashion. Taken as a whole, these three scholarly sources predominantly stick to their discipline and properly represent their respective disciplines. Part II. The importance of drug and alcohol use in the college setting has never been more important and relevant than it is now. Drug and alcohol use at the college level can have many detrimental effects on the future of our society. We, the college students in America, are the future of this country, and if we cannot be responsible enough to drink not in excess then how can we be trusted to continue to run this country smoothly. The three sources used from the three different disciplines all touch on important ideas related to the topic at hand. As stated in the Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† by Dr. Morgen, most of the college students that claim they have their drinking habits in control and receive lots of benefits from drinking fall into the DSM-IV-TR category for alcoholism. This is a relevant issue because it shows that college students who think they are responsible for their actions could easily have a disease and not even know it. We must strive to fix or at least help the issue that is in front of us by going straight to the matter. In the Natural Science article, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† it states college students who exercise more are more likely to drink heavily. That seems highly counterproductive, but from the student’s point of view, they feel that if they work out and exercise they can drink as a reward for their efforts. This is a skewed way to look at it and should also be addressed. We don’t need to promote no drinking because that will simply not work, but we can push to inform people of the health risks and harm they do to their bodies by drinking heavily on a regular basis. This is a very relevant take on the subject because it alerts the reader of the things they found and provides unbiased, correct information on the topic of drinking amongst college students. The Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students† approaches the subject from a different angle but still covers useful and relevant material to use and discuss. Its main idea is talking about how religion and spirituality effect their views and habits of drinking. The study found that religious affiliation and aspects of spiritual well being are moderators of behavior that lead to alcohol prevention. The level of awareness of the issue of alcohol use of all three scholarly sources seems to be very high. They all selected their topic of research to find definitive results about the use of alcohol and its effects on the people who abuse it. There seems to be a suitable amount of attention given, which is good because it seems that a large group of people are unaware of the negative aspects on their lifestyle and health of heavy drinking and drug use. We should be focused strongly on the issue more than the discipline we are reading it from. All the disciplines have unique approaches to their discussions but they still head towards the same issue that we should be focused on. All three of the sources seem to stay focused and never stray from alcohol use as their main topic. The Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking† seems to be most relevant because of its practical explanations. It includes input and thoughts from the Natural Sciences and the Humanities, and that’s what makes it a Social Science article. The practicality of its subject, why students drink, is easy to understand, but at the same time is very in-depth. We learn so much from it such as, why people drink, how much they drink, their perceived benefits from consumption, and the effects of all those things added up. As stated earlier, this issue is very important in our society at this moment. College should be fun, but at the same time we must learn to be responsible and focus on what we are in college to do. That is learn and get an education so that we can later because the leaders and innovators that push this country to greatness. Only so much can be done, but the first step to changing anything is raising awareness on college campuses. Overall, drug and alcohol abuse is portrayed in all the disciplines with each one having an important input on the matter as a whole. It is a pressing issue that affects people’s health, lifestyle, and general well being and needs to be treated with attention and an open mind to help resolve its current issues. We cannot stray from this pressing issue in the near future and must continue to research and experiment so that we may better understand drug and alcohol use from all different points of view. As stated in the Social Science article, â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking†, students who perceive their consumption as normal have in reality worse habits than the average person. We have to strive to expose this issue and correct it as best we can in the future. From the Humanities article, â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students†, we can conclude that religious affiliation and sense of spiritual well-being seem to have a positive effect on drinking habits. Simply put, morals seem to have an effect on if a person abuses alcohol or drugs. Also, as found in the Natural Science source, â€Å"Relationship between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students† people seem to be negatively reinforcing themselves because it was found that people how exercise more reported consuming more alcohol than the average person. That finding is a sad thing because it is so counterproductive to the body. From the sources as a whole you can easily find the connection that this is a pertinent issue today and will continue to be in the future. Its importance cannot be stressed enough but even with that, people will continue to not listen and use substances more than is considered responsible. We will see the consequences of this in the coming years, and determine if the issue really is as big as it seems, or if people finally grow up when they get out of college and realize they can’t have such destructive behaviors and continue to contribute to society in a positive way. In conclusion, we cannon stray from this issue, but we must continue to research it and learn from it to help fix and explain it to coming generations. Moore, Michele Johnson, and Chudley Werch. â€Å"Relationship Between Vigorous Exercise Frequency and Substance Use Among First-Year Drinking College Students. † Journal of American College Health Vol. 56. No. 6 (2008): 686-690. Morgen, Keith, and Lauren Gunneson. â€Å"Decisional Balance and Collegiate Drinking. † Journal of Alcohol & Drug Education (2008): 18-36. VonDras, D. , R. Schmitt, and D. Marx. â€Å"Associations Between Aspects of Spiritual Well-Being, Alcohol Use, and Related Social-Cognitions in Female College Students. † Journal of Religion & Health Vol. 46 (2007): 500-515.

Honor Killings of Women Essay

The question of gender equality has always been one of the most acute in the present day world. In the western world a number of countries are promoting equal rights between men and women. The United Kingdom and the United States have always been known as the countries that gave birth to the suffragette movement, feminist movements and the struggle for female equality has always been one of the most discussed themes in the UK and the USA. It is not surprising that such a significant event as the suffragette movement and other equality organizations provided a he impact on the development of social, political and legal spheres of the United Kingdom: For years the United Kingdom had championed gender equality in public policy, in democratic institutions and through extensive anti-discrimination laws, but erasing disparity between the sexes was an unfinished project that the country’s officials were striving to complete through legislative reform and stronger women’s empowerment policies and programming, a parliamentary Under-Secretary and Minister for the East of England told the Women’s Anti-Discrimination Committee today (Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 2008) . But the threatening signals have appeared already in the Western Countries. The Immigrants find possible for honor killings even it is prohibited by the laws of the country they are living in and it significantly bothers the governmental and international human rights organizations, which assist struggle of women equality. It is not surprising such a significant event as the struggle for equal rights for women (and it should be noted that it is lasting for more than hundred years already) has significantly impacted the social life in the western world and such breaking news have become a real shock for those who participate in gender struggle. There are a number of investigators who provided numerous researches dealing with the question of equality in the Muslim countries as well as in the Western Ones. The burning question which is examined within this essay is honor killings. The problem area is why the civilized countries such as the United States are involved in the Affairs with the countries, which have such Barbarian laws and even observe this among the immigrants, who dwell in the US. Honor Killings in the Western and Islamic Countries: the Reasons, Prevention and Perspectives On February 12, 2009, Muzzammil Hassan informed police that he had beheaded his wife. Hassan had immigrated to the United States 30 years ago and, after a successful banking career, had founded Bridges TV, a Muslim-interest network which aims, according to its website, â€Å"to foster a greater understanding among many cultures and diverse populations. â€Å" Erie County District Attorney Frank A.  Sedita III told The Buffalo News that â€Å"this is the worst form of domestic violence possible,† and Khalid Qazi, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council of Western New York, told the New York Post that Islam forbids such domestic violence. While Muslim advocacy organizations argue that honor killings are a misnomer stigmatizing Muslims for what is simply domestic violence, a problem that has nothing to do with religion, Phyllis Chesler, who just completed a study of more than 50 instances of North American honor killings, says the evidence suggests otherwise (Phyllis Chesler, 2009). It goes without saying that honor killing was a real shock for the both societies Christian and Muslim. The person, who could hardly be expected to violate anyone’s human rights, suddenly killed his wife. It is essential that it significantly undermining of confidence of the Muslim society in the eyes of the neighbors as it is not just domestic violence as it was reported by the Erie County District Attorney, but it is severe crime, which ought to be punished. It is natural that the society would be eager to learn what the reasons for such actions as honor killing are and how this could be explained, by the researches. The cultural background of the honor killings is obvious and it roots go deeply into the Muslim perception and understanding of female nature, their rights and patriarchate, which is observed in the Muslim Countries. It is a well known fact that the Muslim countries have very significant problems with the gender equality and women are not allowed even to wear the clothes they would like to, the punishment for this could be the one and only â€Å"death. Families that kill for honor will threaten girls and women if they refuse to cover their hair, their faces, or their bodies or act as their family’s domestic servant; wear makeup or Western clothing; choose friends from another religion; date; seek to obtain an advanced education; refuse an arranged marriage; seek a divorce from a violent husband; marry against their parents’ wishes; or behave in ways that are considered too independent, which might mean anything from driving a car to spending time or living away from home or family (Phyllis Chesler, 2009). The religious and ethnic prejudice does not let young people to reveal and express them. There were noticed a number of cases, when children, mostly young girls, were killed by their parents (even mothers assisted the fathers) in killing young girls, who did not want to follow the religious dogmas of Islamic culture. Unfortunately some adults do not want to understand that contemporary life goes far beyond the religi on dictates and it is essential that children want to be alike their classmates, do not wear hijab, use make up and other. The same time the parents should be also understood as they want to keep traditions as cultural as well as religious to preserve their ethnic and cultural identity. These honor killing have already become a part of their life for thousand years and they consider that westernizing is a kind of disgrace, which could be cured only by a kill. It is like some kind of ritual. The same time it does not excuse their intention to violate the human rights and kill those who do not want some have viewed honor killings as a logical extension of traditional Islamic gender practices, the natural consequence of system that enforces sex-segregation through veiling and female seclusion and harshly punishes violations of these boundaries. Others have argued that honor killings are the antithesis of Islamic morality. This latter view is essentially correct from the perspective of Qur’an, prophetic traditions (hadith), and Islamic legal thought, as a careful analysis of the relevant texts shows (Kecia Ali, 2003) It is not very hard to define whether the Islamists have a right to kill, the answer is undoubtedly no human rights are still the same for every individual: the nationality, the race, the religious beliefs. In the Muslim countries the situation is worse than in the western ones as the honor killings is majority authoritarian countries is allowed legally. Women in the Muslim Countries are living under the threat of constant death if they would bring shame on the family: Women in Pakistan live in fear. They face death by shooting, burning or killing with axes if they are deemed to have brought shame on the family. They are killed for supposed illicit’ relationships, for marrying men of their choice, for divorcing abusive husbands. They are even murdered by their kin if they are raped as they are thereby deemed to have brought shame on their family. The truth of the suspicion does not matter â€Å"merely the allegation is enough to bring dishonor on the family and therefore justifies the slaying (Amnesty International, 1999) and Pakistan is not the single country, where women live under the total oppression of men. The religious dogmas grew significantly and alongside with religious dogmas there have appeared a number of social dogmas, which does not allow women to get equal education with men, to drive cars and visit public places alone. It is a well known fact that women in Saudi Arabia do not actually participate in business and legislation prohibits a number of activities for women. We should not also forget about the fact that Saudi Arabia is a Monarchy, and Islamist country, where religion provides a significant impact on cultural and social life of people, women as well: Saudi Arabia follows a strict form of Islamic law that does not allow women self-guardianship, mandating a male guardian for women of all ages. A woman cannot travel, appear in court, marry or work without permission from a male guardian, sometimes her own son (Faiza Saleh Ambah, 2008). The female activists consider that life in the countries like Saudi Arabia could be defined as the sexual slavery. It is not surprising that men are using their power to force women doing something and oppress them in different ways. Describing relations between men and women in Islamic countries there should be noted that the women are not protected legally and could be killed according to the current legal implications of Saudi Arabia: Honor killings are justified under Islam in some Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia. For example, tenth-grade textbooks teach Saudi children that it is permissible to kill adulterers. In April 2008, a girl was killed by her father for talking to a boy on Facebook, an online social networking website. A leading Saudi cleric, Sheikh Ali al-Maliki, was outraged that girls had access to such websites where they could post pictures of themselves and otherwise â€Å"behave badly,† but showed no concern over the girl actually killed (Supna Zaidi, 2008). We see that there is no even a slight hint of equality observed within the Islamic world, the foreign activists struggle for the gender equality and it is considered that they succeeded in some areas, especially in the educational on. But the same time the legal implications that let honor killings still exist. Honor killing occurred in Islamic and non-Islamic countries and the poor statistic illustrate the number of victims of religious dogmas. According to the data provided by the United Nations Organizations every year there are up to 5,000 people killed due the honor killings reasons. Should the United States become involved in the affairs of other countries, particularly pertaining to human rights, when they include that country’s traditions, philosophies of religious practices?