Dream Deferred Essay Example for Free

Dream Deferred Essay In a dream, a man was walking amidst a seemingly endless desert in the Middle East. At a distance, he saw a patch of land abundant with date nuts olives and a fountain-a mysterious oasis in the middle of the dessert. In his desperation to save his life from hunger and thirst, he walked towards the place. However, he was horrified with what he saw when he came closer. The land was destroyed before his very eyes. At the same time, he heard screams of anguish and death from the place. The man woke up from his nightmare- but could not shake the image out of his memory. It is once said that visionaries were born in dreams, and dreams are born out of visions. But so many dreams are deferred by the sudden awakening, in which awakened to visualize the bareness of facts and trace from the threshold of dreams. In today’s world, many have told about fragilities of society and frailties in life. Would there be enough reasons to find an answer in a society that has been divided by conflicts and the dogma of deceit? Could there be enough rationality to justify conflict of ideas being worsened by war? These questions may be meaningless but in a sense explains the obsessions of a dreaming man. This paper will discuss the typical American dream—of what can be done to visualize orderliness and reach out a dreamed legacy for the Middle East. Partnership for Reform Would qualifying the partnership for reform mean apolitical to the socio-religious-political life of the Middle Eastern people? Could apolitical be defined as maintaining the neutrality to the societal condition and cultural beliefs? How partnership for reform be then achieved without prejudice? The partnership for reform may be determined by recognizing and exposing a public interest—the interest where people enjoy the way of life; a life without fear and misery but peace, harmony and prosperity—that is not vindicated by the plagues of war. At a glimpse of the dailies between the consciousness, the partnership for reform is a day of celebration for the American families for the homecoming of their loved ones serving the Armed Forces; as the US Congress called the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, and as the President held its intrastate policies to foster diplomatic ties in the interstate political-religious affairs in the Middle East. What future can bring by this development may recoil to the governmental reform on fostering diplomatic ties. The Middle East governments has opened its cultural exchange as the rest of the Arab states [to include Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Palestine and Lebanon] paved its way to a unified democratic processes, and the leaders of these Arab states convened to political and economic planning that resembles with the creation of the European Union. Reflective of the partnership for reform is the unification of the Arab States that brought about subsequent political change. First, when the Islamic fundamentalism was supplanted with a neo-Islamism that isolates the Islamist paganism in Iraq and Afghanistan, in which many members of the Al-Qaeda has renewed their Muslim faith and intensely abhorred the doctrine of Bin Laden who is now in exile somewhere in Africa. Second, the leaders of the Arab States vowed to bring justice to the people of the world by eliminating and disarming themselves with weapons of mass destructions, and prosecute the individuals and government personalities that conspire and condone terrorism. The US-Middle East partnership for reform is jointly envisioned by the people and governments to reach out legacy of peace and world order. One of the first 100-day plans is the institutionalization of welfare and services to revitalize the rehabilitation process on the effects of war. This â€Å"healing of wound† of the war is likewise appealing to the member countries of the United Nations to spur the reform in Middle East by supporting the creation of livelihood projects for displaced families and generate employment opportunities by restructuring the economic base. The program of â€Å"re-education for all† is being established in order to improve the level of literacy and social awareness of people who once denied with the right to education as brought about by war. On the other hand, the democratic processes are being renewed by holding an Islamic Convention that will study the promulgation of Constitutional Assemblies in Islamic States. The constitutional assembly thus far takes into effect the modification and reforming of political-religious rights of Middle Eastern people to restore its cultural heritage and obliterate the stigma of jihad (holy war) with its Judeo-Christian brethren. It is then the partnership for reform harnesses the well-being of the people and rekindles its Islamic faith for the life of the world. Thus, the partnership for reform may be a dreamed legacy in 2012. Conclusion The dream for Middle East may not only be a mock article but everybody’s dream specifically by the progressive minds of the Middle Eastern people, and likewise the typical American dream. It may be said that the plagues of war in the Middle East has its in-depth origin from the socio-religious-political-economic perspective. But what is much been said about is the macabre tales of economic interest patterned by deceit and political overpowering. What

House Of Flying Daggers Analysis

House Of Flying Daggers Analysis Chinese film-director Zhang Yimou is member of the Fifth Generation. The Fifth Generation itself is famous for its cinematography, specifically for the use of visual images, unusual camera movement, vivid contrasts, unusual framing and montages. The films of Fifth Generation have their ways of telling stories and narration, which is mostly done through allegory. Zhang Yimou himself emphasizes visual imagery and metaphors to convey the messages of his films to the audience. In his films one can observe the emphasis on the shot composition and color symbolism e.g. in Raise the Red Lantern bright red colored lantern is used to represent the wife which husband chooses to spend the night with , and the new wife which is wearing red wedding dress. (Lent, J.A. , Yin, X. n.d.) Zhangs films often deal with the stories of peasant or common people (To live, 1994), (Ju Dou, 1990) He often touches the themes of love, betrayal and unhappiness (Raise the Red Lantern, 1991). In his late 50s Zhang Yimou turned to action movies, Wuxia genre, and directed (Hero, 2002) and (House of Flying Daggers, 2004). House of Flying Daggers has won awards for Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, Outstanding Production Design and many more, reaching total worldwide box office gross of 92 million Dollars. Although Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, by Ang Lee), also an international success, still remains the highest-grossing foreign language film. (Wikipedia) Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004) directed by Zhang Yimou and Crouching Tiger, Hidden dragon (2000) directed by Ang Lee are the most famous and internationally renowned Wuxia films. Wuxia genre directly implies that film incorporates martial arts but if analyzed further word wuxia is composed of two characters. First Wu which describes the abovementioned martial arts action, and Xia which describes the protagonist of the film. Xia characters can be both from aristocratic or humble background. Generally these are martial arts masters who seek adventure and who fight for justice. Xia characters, just like knights, have their code of conduct which is guiding their beliefs, behavior and lifestyle. (An Introduction to Wuxia. n.d.) House of Flying Daggers, if literally translated from Mandarin to English means ambushed from ten directions which perfectly describes the tension building up in the film when watching incredible fighting techniques, daggers flying through air and complicated combat scenes. (Brenner, J. n.d.) The film tells a story of three main characters whose lives get entangled with one another. The element that unifies all three of them is the torment for love, their sorrow and devotion. The film shows that love cannot be based on time- span. One can find the love of his life during three days. The aim of the film is to show how the journey of love unfolds, what kind of sacrifices characters make for it and how tremendously the experience of love changes their inner self and their worldview. The story takes place in china 859 AD during the reign of the Tang dynasty. The film portrays a corrupted and weak political situation in response to which an alliance called house of the flying daggers forms to overthrow the corrupted government. The Flying Daggers are a secret alliance composed of excellent martial-art warriors. Members of Flying Daggers are present everywhere in entertainment houses, even in the government system. Police Captain Leo (Andy Lau) also a member of Flying Daggers and Captain Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) receive an order to find and destroy the new leader of the Flying Daggers in ten days. They start their quest by visiting Peyony Pavillion to take a closer look at the blind dancer Mei (Zhang Ziyi) who is suspected to be the member of the Flying Daggers. The dramatic structure starts to evolve right after Captain Leo suggests Captain Jin rescues imprisoned Mei , gains her trust and by escorting her leads them to the bigger reward- the trail of the Flying Daggers. The undercover plan only lasts three days but these three days are what leads to the culmination of the film. During these days Captain Leo suffers immensely and endures sleepless nights as he witnesses the love of his life flirting and bonding with another man. Captain Jin faces dilemma of choosing sides. As due to Generals order he is forced to kill his own soldiers. The idea of killing his own people tortures him while love for Mei grows. He reaches the point of no return when he returns for her in the bamboo forest, knowing he will have to combat his own side again, but he does so for her. Mei, on the other hand, is struggling between love and gratitude toward Captain Leo who has saved her life multiple times and new growing affection toward Jin. For intensifying the dramatic structure symbolism is used as a tool. One of the first symbols viewer witnesses is the song sung by Mei in the Peyony Pavillion. A rare beauty in the North, Shes the finest lady on earth, A glance from her,  the whole city goes down. A second glance leaves the whole nation in ruins This is a metaphorical foreshadowing of the entire tragic love triangle. The Beauty in the North is Mei, whose beauty and love is destructive, ironically even for her. The song is sung in the beginning of the film as in the end, during the combat in the snow between three main characters, when Mei is dying. One of the most impressive moments is the last scene in the snow. According to the director Zhing Yimou it was just a coincidence that it started snowing in October but it truly did make a wonderful addition to the visual aesthetics of the film. The last scene of snow can be perceived as a symbol. As the viewer sees how the forest of yellow, purple, green and red trees suddenly gets covered under a thick layer of pure white snow, it unfolds the culminating events to come. The pure white snow symbolizes the end and the new beginning. It is the end, as the snow gets covered with blood of three main characters. But it also symbolizes a new page, as that is the day of the great battle between the Flying Daggers and the government. Its a fresh start for all the others but its the end for Leo, Jin and Mei. In order to underline Zhang Yimous techniques of symbolism and metaphorical portrayal of messages one must also discuss the form of dialogue in the film. From the dialogue in the Peyony Pavillion about Meis name audience learns that the showgirls have taken the names of the flowers while Mei didnt. The reason for this according to Mei is that the showgirls are fake flowers, as real flowers grow in the wilderness. This is very interesting if one takes into consideration that Jin calls himself the Wind. So the two main characters are metaphorically referred to as a flower and the wind. The flower and wind metaphor follows the progress of Meis and Jins relationship and is recurring several times. First instance is when Jin takes Mei to the flower field where the real flowers grow, makes her a flower bouquet and calls her the most beautiful flower among the field. The metaphor of the wind is recurring in the conversation which Mei initiates in order to understand the intentions and feelings of Jin toward her. Jin tries to explain his feelings to her by referring to winds attributes, that wind is playful and carefree, moves around and leaves no traces and doesnt stay in one place. Reference to the wind once more emerges in the most dramatic moment of the film, when Leo stabs Mei lethally. Mei answers Leos question and says that she wanted to be free as a wind, metaphorically referring to Jin and freedom of being with him. The symbolism for Mei and Jin, as a flower and a wind, helps to communicate the traits of the characters to the audience. Mei, a flower that grows in the wilderness portrays that her beauty, as her excellent martial arts skills are a deadly weapon for seduction and destruction. The fact that she is portrayed as sightless person elevates her importance and uniqueness. The best example of this is the scene of the echo game. When Captain Leo tosses single beans she flawlessly repeats the echoes of the drums by banging the sleeves of her dress onto the drums. After Captain Leo tosses entire bowl of beans onto the drums she demonstrates her exceptional skills in martial arts, and therefore is revealed to be a lot more than just a talented blind dancer. Jin is the playful or carefree wind. He moves around and leaves no trace. His character is portrayed as a ladies men , who likes drinking, is playful, enjoys going to entertainment houses and is thus unable or not willing to commit. His character progresses as he settles, the wind will stop at his will and transforms into a devoted lover. Leo is an undercover character who has endured much of the suffering. In his speech to Mei he reveals his feelings and sufferings saying he has been surviving day by day by the thought of Mei. He is a reliable and cautious character, who looks after Mei and saves her during the combat in the flower field. When his character progresses he turns mad with jealousy, partially blaming himself but the feeling of betrayal is so strong and pain so deep he just loses his mind, leading him to aggressively force Mei into making love to him, and later taking her life. These three characters are unified by one more trait. All three of them are full of deceit. None of them appear to be what they have led the audience or each other to be. When analyzing the characters themselves there is a certain context that these characters should be put into to fully understand the reasoning behind their behavior. All the three main characters are Xia warriors. Eight common attributes of Xia warriors are altruism, justice, individualism, loyalty, courage, truthfulness, disregard for wealth and desire for glory. These elements are very important to take into consideration as the characters of the Wuxia movies often display these traits. (An Introduction to Wuxia. n.d.) The example of loyalty and betrayal in the warrior world is portrayed by the relationship of Mei and Leo. Mei could not allow herself to love Jin as she felt she would betray Leo, and due to high respect and gratitude for what he has done for her she rejects Jin in the forest. But as it becomes obvious that she fell in love with Jin , Leo becomes coldhearted and Mei has to pay the cost of her betrayal, her life. Also what seems to be very interesting is according to what values and attributes do warriors establish trust among each other. When did Mei actually feels trust toward Jin and starts truly falling in love with him? Was it after he saved her life in the forest, or rescued her from the prison? The trust and love come to may after the fighting scene on the flower field, when Generals soldiers attack Mei and Jin. This being a true, unforeseen and tense combat of dozen soldiers against two, Jin gets stabbed and this seems to be the point of him gaining Meis trust and love. A perfect explanation of this situation is given by Shu-lien in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The experiences and the hard times partners face together brings them closer. Shu-lien fell in love with Li-Mu Bai as they have gone through many different hard times and fought together, apparently this is what warriors value and what brings them closer being there for each other through hard times and surviving them toget her as one. In addition to that Shu-liens and Li-Mu bais love story can also serve as a perfect example of warriors code of conduct . Shu-lien and Li-Mu Bai are in love but they didnt have a chance to be together and be happy. The reason for this is revealed by Shu-lien who states that the men she loved , who was also Li-Mu bais brother, died and not to disrespect him and betray him they cannot allow themselves to be together. This is one of the examples of deep loyalty, friendship and self-control that warriors display as they deeply believe and let their principles guide them. When mentioning these two films together, one should discuss two particular scenes which are of great importance and interest. The first scene is the fighting scene in the bamboo forest. First of all when seeing a bamboo forest in the martial art movie, it is like a foreshadowing of the upcoming battle. Bamboo forest has been used in House of the Flying Daggers where Mei and Jin are attacked by the Generals troops, and also in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon where Li-Mu bai and Jen are fighting. There is an obvious similarity in these two scenes. Characters fight with their armor but also use the bamboo forest as tool to jump, walk on the thin branches, escape each other by bending the tree tops, flying from one tree to another or standing on / between two bamboo trees preserving composure and balance. In spite of the fact that audience anticipates the fighting style and techniques to be used, these scenes are still breathtaking due to the mastery of the actors, also due to the amazin g colors and the lighting of the forest. Another scene which will also be discussed is the bathing scene of Mei. Jin, while in the forest, constructs a little pond of fresh water, gathers leaves and suggests Mei take a bath. Mei decides to take a bath, and to make her let her guard down Jin proposes that he will let Mei keep track of where he is by making sounds by his sword. And in the end he offers her fresh men clothing. In Crouching Tiger there is also a bathing scene where Lo bandit from the desert suggests Jen to take a bath and to assure her of his good intentions he tells her he will sing so that she knows where he is. He too in the end offers her his fresh clothing. Of course the two scenes unfold in different directions but still there are several elements worth mentioning which unite the two except for the basic similarities mentioned above. In these two movies both bathing scenes suggest and lead to a new kind of intimacy level and lead to a romantic affection between two characters Jin and Mei, and Jen and Lo. The beginning of new emotions and affection is seen right away in the Crouching Tiger as the characters make love and reveal their feelings soon after. In the House of Flying Daggers there is an attempt of intimacy though in this case Mei is faced with the burden of loyalty that she has toward Leo and therefore rejects Jin by being cold as water. But beginning of the upcoming love between the two characters is starting from the bathing scene in both of the films. Except for the beautiful landscapes and nature, setting in House of Flying Daggers is also one of the elements contributing to the visual aesthetics of the film. As the time frame of the film is during ancient times, Tang dynasty, every detail in the film is meticulously chosen to match the replica of the old times. The swords, the lather hand bracelets male characters wore, the pottery, the instruments played in the entertainment house and even the torture devices gave the impression of being made exactly during the ancient Tang dynasty by a handy craftsman. The scene at the Payony Pavillion perfectly illustrated and set the mood of ancient China. There are interiors of elaborate richness, beautiful costumes, landscapes of mountain ranges, meadows and fields of snow. Spectacular  Costumes designed by Emi Wada depicted women of Tang dynasty very well. Entertainment House is filled with high-class courtesans who are great singers, performers, know the rules of entertaining games and have respectable table manners. The costumes are fashionable, colorful, with beautiful ornaments. Courtesans have their hair brushed up with an edifice above the forehead, hair decorated with extravagant head combs and jewelry. In addition to visual aesthetics of the film there are different sounds used in the movie to achieve the effect of tension, excitement and make the viewer listen and watch the film in absolute silence. The example of this is the sounds of water droplets and crystalline curtains in the Peyony Pavillion. Also sounds of flying bamboos, falling leaves, sound of sword cutting the air all these elements are mostly used when Mei is in the epicenter of the fight. As during the half of the film she is perceived and portrayed as a sightless warrior every above mentioned sound is perceived as a clue of what she listens to and notices in order to coordinate, and how she perceives the environment in order to defend herself against the enemy. Zhang Yimou has his way of storytelling through visual imagery, which can be also observed in his early works. He uses de-centered compositions, sometimes also obscure angles, utilizes little details such as lighting, sound, strong and beautiful scenery to portray minimal plot and strengthen the dramatic effect. His stories can be perceived as fables which are in a sense enigmatic and have ambiguous endings. He uses color and composition to bring out the oriental mood of ancient china. His intention with House of Flying Daggers was to show the fate of three main characters who sacrificed everything beginning with their loyalty to their duties, their roles in society, their beliefs, and in the end their lives for love. He showed how the inner world of these characters changed and crashed in misery. As he says : People in misery have deep meanings, People in misery is what is most important in art (Zhang Yimou Interview, 2002). Their misery is depicted in very powerful way which brings out empathy in audience. After the analysis of various elements I can say that Zhang Yimou successfully conveyed his films message and anguish of the characters very skillfully and in a very touching manner. The actors excellent performance made it very authentic to feel empathy and sorrow. And the overall aesthetical part of the film made a striking and long lasting and impression.

US Education Budget Cuts Analysis

US Education Budget Cuts Analysis Introduction/Background Every year in the United States, we have a budget that we must adhere by. This is called the United States Federal Budget, with this title it is the budget that is used to fund and oversee governmental operations in our country over a fiscal year. Another budget process that we must note come from the state and local budget process. Federal budgets and state budgets have similarities but they also have a major difference. The major idea that separates the two is a fiscal deficit, states budgets are required by law to make certain that their budgets are balanced, whereas the federal government is allowed to run a deficit and can also request to borrow money to meet the needs and efforts congress has put forth. No matter what level of government is being discussed, the budget is always an issue that never looses saliency because there is always an area that needs more money, whether it be healthcare, defense, public safety, or education. The federal budget has three areas that seem to aid the most when gaining revenue, these three include income tax, capital gains, and other taxes such as social security or excise taxes. The state and local budget seems to gain revenue in a wider variety of ways, some of these including but not limited to taxes such as sales, fuel, and property along with other fees such as licensing (drivers), and casino gambling. Citizens often question where the money the government is robbing them of is ending up when operations such as medicaid and public assistance seem to be lacking. Speaking in the area of state and local budgeting, an area that raises a large amount of speculation is our K-12 education system. Although we all seem to take primary and secondary education seriously, it often slides through the cracks. We as citizens and taxpayers know how important the education of the young people in our country is, however it is often the first institute to have budget cuts inflicted. It has been recorded that the nation and the state of Alabama specifically have been fighting the battle of saving the budget allocated for primary and secondary public education for years now. Some believe that schools have enough of the budget directed in areas of education while others feel as though the extreme cuts are only hurting our children and the education they are receiving. In Support of Educational Budget Cuts in the United States It is understood that there is a large quantity of money that goes toward education on all levels. Primary and secondary public education specifically are allocated millions of dollars to use to their disposal to better the learning and teaching environment at these schools. There are many factors that go into making the educational system successful. Bill Gates agrees that cutting the budget it does not have to have negative effects or be detrimental to education or students. He actually states that it could have positive outcomes for students and teachers to benefit from these cuts. In an article written by Kevin Freking titled, Bill Gates: Education Budget Cuts Don’t Have to Hurt Learning, Gates states â€Å"that schools can improve the performance of students if they put more emphasis on rewarding excellent teaching and less emphasis on paying teachers based on seniority and graduate degrees† (Freking 2011). Gates also feels that there are definite do’s and d on’t when it comes to attempting to close the $125 billion deficit that we face. On top of the do’s list, Gates feels as though if we were to â€Å"lift caps on class sizes and get more students in front of the very best teachers. Those teachers would get paid more with the savings generated from having fewer personnel overall (Freking 2011). Class size is a variable that always comes up in the discussion of quality K-12 education. This is often the only factor people discuss when in reality, it is also in big part to do with the quality of teachers that we have inside the classroom teaching our students. Another mistake that is often made is paying teachers based on advanced degrees they have achieved or the â€Å"veteran status† they have obtained (meaning years of experience). Instead we need to redirect our focus in the direction of under what teachers have students learned the most knowledge and how well they learned. Other statistics show that 38% of the state tax revenues fund education (25% K-12, 13% higher education). States are obviously one of the main funders of primary and secondary schools available. Inside of these schools, 50 million students are learning and gaining knowledge. Research conducted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities states that, â€Å"One-fourth of state spending on average, or about $280 billion, goes toward public education. The federal government provides only about 10 percent of public school revenues† (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 2015). Any citizen can read that number and think there must be a way to cut down on such intense government spending, the key is finding how do enhance the quality of teachers while also continuing to control the teacher to student ratio. Why Educational Budget Cuts Are a Bad Idea In Alabama alone, we have made a per-pupil cut of 17.8% since 2008. Madison Underwood writes in his article titled, Alabama’s cuts to K-12 education since 2008 are second highest in the nation, study finds Underwood claims, â€Å"When it comes to dollars spent per student, Alabama is spending $1,128 less per student in fiscal year 2015 than it was in 2008 thats the largest deficit in per-student spending in the nation, according to CBPP (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)† (Underwood 2014). There have been multiple nonprofit organizations set up to help with the budget cuts because it is becoming an ongoing problem. The Alabama-based Arise Citizens Policy Project, a nonprofit with the goal of helping low income Alabamians that are suffering from the poor decisions of our state policy makers. This group of individuals feels as though the cuts that have been applied to education are not only hurting the schools but also impacting the economy presently and also in th e future. Teach For America is another nonprofit that has the goal of bringing in qualified teachers to low income communities that are in need of assistance. Underwood was able to speak to ACPP executive director, Kimble Forrister to find out that she feels â€Å"underfunding education today will leave our state with fewer highly skilled workers tomorrow. We cant strengthen Alabamas economy by eroding our foundation for economic growth† (Underwood 2014). Most states are facing cuts that are far worse then they were experiencing during the 2008 recession. Since many states did not have time to recuperate from the backlash of the recession, it has only made things much worse. Gabriel Thompson writes a compelling article titles A Thousand Cuts. In this article Thompson explains the challenges that have been brought to Navy Airbase, outside Lemoore, California through the budget cuts that have recently taken place. After reading this article, it goes back to letting students just slip between the cracks. These students have parents that are being deployed to fight for the country they live in but these men and women can’t even be certain that their children will be getting an adequate education because of the cuts the government are initiating at these schools. Thompson met with principle Heiko Sweeney of one of the schools in the district. In their meeting, Thompson asked what he thought would happen if the cuts became even more permanent and his answer was, â€Å" I wouldn’t even want to think what could happen, it would bedevastating. Cutting the teachers at Akers woould also result in a reduction in the number of adults available to help students deal with nonacademic challenges, such as the deployment of their parents. Some of these kids go through a lot of stress. When a parent is deployed, its not uncommon for a student to try to take over to many responsibilities at home to fill in as a missing parent to a younger brother or sister, it can start to be a lot on these children† (Thompson 2013). Michael Leachman and Chris Mai are the authors of Most States Funding Schools Less Than Before the Recession, put out by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. In this article they go into great detail about educational budget cuts prior to the recession and post-recession. The decline in state investment in educational systems has reason to cause a significant concern. While we are a nation focused on producing workers that are applicable to new technologies and skills necessary to do jobs having to do with the global economy, these budget cuts are only going to make it harder for citizens and children to gain the education they need to reach these levels. Restoring the funding made available to these schools should be extremely high on government officials list of priorities. Evaluation of the two sides: These arguments both have valid points and reasoning when defending why we should or should not be in favor of educational budget cuts. Supporting the cuts could force districts to find high quality teachers that aren’t paid based on how much school they have attended or years they have taught but more on how well their students learn and preform under their guidance. Another tactic that teachers are experimenting with is called â€Å"flipping classrooms†. In this practice, teachers flip time spent in the classroom and time for homework. What this means is that students are sent home with lectures from their teachers to learn and grasp a concept at home. When they return to school, they use the time that would have been spent on the lecture doing the homework together. This tightens the gap on the disconnect between the teachers and students that go home and don’t understand their homework, and also makes it easier for teachers to see what students are truly stru ggling and what students understand the concepts being taught.078 However, I do believe that the argument of not supporting the continuous cuts to our education reigns superior. City Schools alone were forced to cut $1.2 million from their budget just last year. This will not allow City Schools to purchase new textbooks for new students, nor will it allow them to replace textbooks that are out of date. The district is growing rapidly with High School projected to be the largest high school in the state of Alabama within the next ten years. With public school districts exploding with new students all over the country it is necessary that they are continued to be allocated with sufficient budgets to cover the public education of these children. Conclusion Having a stance in favor of the K-12 educational budget cuts is only hurting the future of our country. Although there is a large sum of money allocated in the direction of education in our country, it is forgotten just how important it is for the younger generations that will eventually be the young leaders of the free world. Public administrators need to make it their top priority to get these funds back on track. When these cuts happen at the state level, it means that the school districts then have to begin to figure out how they are going to raise more local tax revenue so that they don’t have to back track on the high quality educational services they are providing. Levy’s should be prepared for citizens of cities and towns to vote on these issues in their local elections to ensure that everyone is having a fair say in what money is or is not going into their local education system. The primary and secondary education in this country and considerably important, an d I know that we can all agree on that. References Flipping Classrooms. Phi Delta Kappan 93.4 (2011): 6-7. Web. Freking, Kevin. Bill Gates: Education Budget Cuts Dont Have To Hurt Learning. Huffington Post [Washington] 28 Feb. 2011: n. pag. Print. Hubbell, Annie. Auburn City Schools Cut $1.2 Million in 2014 Budget. Toledo News Now 17 Feb. 2014: n. pag. Print. Leachman, Michael, and Chris Mai. Most States Funding Schools Less Than Before the Recession. Center on Budget and Policy Priority (2014): n. pag. Ebscohost. Web. 19 May 2015. Policy Basics: Where Do Our State Tax Dollars Go. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (2015): n. pag. Ebscohost. Web. Thompson, Gabriel. A Thousand Cuts. The Nation 13 May 2013: 20-24. Print. Underwood, Madison. Alabamas Cuts to K-12 Education since 2008 Are Second Highest in the Nation, Study Finds. Al.com 16 Oct. 2014: n. pag. Print.

The Most Important Thing To ME :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The very first practice together was the most intimidating experience I have ever had. A group of freshman, including myself, were waiting in the Chorus room and then it was time. We walked into the double doors and the whole West Haven High School band was standing up and clapping. I thought to myself, â€Å"Why are they clapping?† After everyone was seated, our director, Mr. Crabtree said, â€Å"This is your family for the next four years.† It wasn’t until my senior year in high school that I found out how much that really meant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I’ve been in band for seven years now and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The band director now, Ms. Marcella, says, â€Å"This is YOUR band, get involved!† because there is just so many things to get involved with. I thought that band just during school was exciting, but there was so much more to that. There is Band Council, Ensembles, Pep Band, Jazz Band, Leadership Positions, local performances, and much more I had missed out on during my freshman and sophomore year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my junior year I joined Band Council, Clarinet Ensemble, and ran for Field Leader and Office Assistant for the Leadership Team. I did not receive the position of Field Leader, but did receive the position of Office Assistant. I was very grateful for this position because in order to try out for this position, I had to attend 5 meetings, write an essay on why I wanted these positions, and make a 3 minute marching performance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Office Assistant means that I have responsibility to ensure all music in use is fully stocked at all times, fill music orders 24 hours of submission, spend at least one day a week after school or during a free period working in the Band Library, assist Section Leaders in handing out music, work to keep the rooms clean and keep rehearsals productive, and in my opinion, the most important responsibility, is to set an example for the Band to follow. There are 200 members in the band and once someone sees someone joking around and not follow the rules, others will follow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most important thing to me is band.

Reforestation :: essays research papers

Reforestation The purpose of this written report is to inform the reader about the concerns and facts involved with reforestation. Reforestation began in Ontario after World War II. What happened was, professional foresters were assigned to an area and became responsible for its well being. Under the Crown Timber Act, long term management was prepared. Then the many steps needed to rebuild a forest began. Included in this report will be information on the effects of cutting and replanting, such as Carbon Dioxide, and Global Warming. Following this will be methods for planning a forest, and how they are conveyed before planting in a forest begins. There are many reasons why forests are cut down. One is to benefit economically, with furniture and home building. But there is also another reason. Arguments say "the United States could help slow the atmospheric accumulation of carbon dioxide by replacing old-growth forests with faster-growing young trees". A new study of young and old forests says how this is in fact not true. Loggers have said that new trees pull the carbon dioxide better than old trees, and this may seem true, but it is not. There is one point being overlooked from all of this. The older, larger trees can store much, much more carbon dioxide than a new tree could. By cutting and burning these magnificent seasoned trees, the CO2 is being released back into the atmosphere. These releases of carbon dioxide add up in our surroundings, only to intensify Global Warming. Although this shows what happens when one burns and cuts down old forests, one must still plant new trees for long term plans, not letting them grow for a few years, to then cut them down. There are many methods for planning a forest. The simplest method of replanting a forest is to leave it to nature. A suitable seed bed in which trees will readily take root is integral for successful regeneration. Reducing competition by eliminating grass, weed or shrubs is another requirement in securing a new crop of trees. These will sprout to produce seedlings. Though the weeds were eliminated before, they still grow back, and because of this poor, quality trees will grow. Another method though, is to create a planned forest, where new conifers are grown from seed in a special nursery. Seeding is a reforestation technique used mainly in the Boreal forest area where fire or logging tends to leave no or very little seeds for growth. In specific cases, Ministry staff seed the area with treated tree seeds. Following this is the planting. In many

College Students and Suicide

College Students and Suicide College Students and Suicide By contrast, only 15. 3 percent of Americans overall have had such thoughts, the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Survey Initiative reported last February. The survey, part of a wider-ranging continuing study on student suicidal behaviors being conducted by David Drum, a professor of education psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, questioned 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students at 70 U. S. institutions. The results raise the startling suggestion that suicidal thoughts could be a common experience on par with substance abuse, depression and eating disorders, Drum said. The survey defined considering suicide as having at least one episode of suicidal thinking at some point. Slightly more than half of students said they fit that category, which is known as suicide ideation. When researchers asked about more serious episodes, 15 percent said they had â€Å"seriously considered† attempting suicide. More than 5 percent of students said they had actually attempted suicide, which is the second-leading cause of death for college students, compared to its ranking of ninth among the U. S. population at large, according to the National Alliance on Mental Health. 2 â€Å"Relief from emotional or physical pain† was the top reason students cited for suicidal thinking, followed by problems with romantic relationships. A generalized desire to end their lives was next, followed by problems with school or academics. The study extrapolated that at an average college with 18,000 undergraduate students, 1,080 of them would seriously contemplate taking their lives in any year, numbers that pose troubling issues for college administrators. The survey identified growing levels of distress among college students and diminishing resources to handle the consequences. They found that half of students who had had suicidal thoughts never sought counseling or treatment. We know only a quarter of suicide patients are our clients, which means 75 percent of them never come through our doors,† said Chris Brownson, director of the Counseling and Mental Health Center at the University of Texas. Drum and other researchers said colleges needed a new model, shifting the emphasis from narrowly focused treatments involving suicidal students and a small number of mental health professionals, to one hat involved the entire campus in addressing student stresses. Suicide is a public and mental issue. The focus on dec reasing the numbers needs to be on prevention, building resilience in students and creating supportive communities. In college students, the warning signs of depression which ultimately leads to suicide are, a previous suicide attempt, talking about suicide, and drug or alcohol abuse

Margaret Floy Washburn

Margaret floy Washburn was a strong intellectual woman, the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in psychology, was born on July 25th in Harlem in New York City to parents who strongly encouraged intellectual pursuits. Washburn was notably a teacher, however she worked in many areas of psychology and it well-known for her contributions in theory development (including her motor theory), experimental work, animal behavior and professional service. Besides publishing over 200 scientific articles and reviews, she translated Wundt's Ethical Systems, 1897, and wrote two books: The Animal Mind, 1908; and Movement and Mental Imagery, 1916. Between 1905 and 1938, she published sixty-eight studies from the Vassar Psychological Laboratory-an undergraduate laboratory with 117 students as joint authors. The summers of 1913-1917 she taught psychology in the summer sessions at Columbia University; the spring of 1928 when, on her only sabbatical leave, she took a Mediterranean cruise; and the summers of 1929 and 1932 during which she traveled to England and Copenhagen. She was cooperating editor of the Psychological Bulletin, 1909-1915; associate editor of the Journal of Animal Behavior, 1911-1917; advisory editor of the Psychological Review, 1916-1930; and associate editor of the Journal of Comparative Psychology, 1921-1935. In 1921, she was president of the American Psychological Association; that same year, she was awarded a prize of $500 by the Edison Phonograph Company for the best research on the effects of music–a study of â€Å"The Emotional Effects of Instrumental Music† in collaboration with a colleague in the Department of Music at Vassar. In 1932, she was the U.S. delegate to the International Congress of Psychology in Copenhagen.