How is tension created in ‘The tell tale hearts’ and ‘The black cat’? Essay

In this essay I am going to study the short stories ‘the black cat’ and ‘the tell tale heart’ written by famous writer Edgar Allen Poe and see how tension is created in the two tales. Both tales are written in a gothic horror genre and Poe’s intention for this was to chill and unsettle the reader, to make them anticipate what was going to happen next, as if it was really happening. Poe succeeds in doing this by the content of the tales, partly being the supernatural and the tension he creates, which plays a major role in both. He creates this tension by using several different techniques including plot, characterisation and many stylistic devices. One way that Poe creates tension is the plot of the story and where is it set. ‘The tell tale heart’ is set in the middle of nowhere and late at night, when it is dark outside. This automatically makes the reader uneasy, as nighttime and darkness is symbolic of dark and bad deeds. Poe mentions more than once that it is set ‘about midnight’ and that it is dark, ‘black as pitch’, he keeps reminding the reader of this, as he knows it is symbolic and the reader will be wary of this. Criminals will often act upon this time, as they are more likely to get away with the crime, as they cannot be seen as easily. People are most wary of little things, sounds and sights like shadows in the dark and will be on edge. Darkness and nighttime are famously scary and unsafe, portrayed in novels and films as when everything bad happens and now is the stereotypical view. The darkness seems like a disability, vision is not fully available, and the brain starts so wander as to if anything could be round the corner, lurking, waiting because almost certainly people will feel that something bad is going to happen. The stories are written in first person narrative, which makes the reader feel as though they are in the story, involved personally, and is made to feel what the narrator feels. From the very beginning of the tales the reader gets an idea of what kind of stories they are going to be and may feel uneasy as Poe makes it clear that the narrator is mad. The narrator speaks informally and repeatedly says things that make it obvious he is not sane. Firstly, they start by telling you that they are not mad, no matter what we may think. In ‘The tell tale heart’ Poe writes ‘You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing’ and in ‘The black cat’, ‘Mad indeed would I be to expect it†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ‘Yet mad I am not’ this is affective, as it seems as though the narrator doesn’t quite believe it himself, and is trying to convince himself that he is not mad, and will put the reader on edge as they don’t know what to expect from this kind of character. Also, in ‘The black cat’ it says ‘yes, even in this felon’s cell’ which means that he is in jail, awaiting trial and prosecution. This will reinforce the reader’s doubts about the man as it informs them once again that he has done wrong. ‘The black cat’ is the story of the murder of a defenceless animal, which was killed by the person who once loved it more than anything. The cat was the narrators ‘favourite pet and playmate’ he says and he loved having pets, ‘never was so happy as when feeding and caressing them’. So it comes as a shock to the reader when he starts to mis-treat them, ‘not only neglected, but ill-used them’ spurred on by his irrational behaviour and mood swings, caused by his addiction to alcohol ‘for what disease is like Alcohol!’. ‘deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket!’ shows the extent of how the alcohol has affected him, and the reader will feel as though they cannot trust his actions because of this which causes tension and they will be on edge as they don’t know what to expect next. Just before he kills his cat he says ‘And then came, as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the spirit of PERVERSENESS.’ This shows that he is aware that he is not himself, which adds more tension to the story, as he did nothing to stop it. Poe wrote the word perverseness in bold, capital letters on purpose, to show the reader that it is important in the story, he is doing all these bad things because he isn’t completely sane, so the reader will anticipate the mans every move. ‘The tell tale heart’ is the story of how a man murders another, and the only motive we are given for this is the old mans eye. The narrator describes this eye as ‘the eye of a vulture’, which is not normal and projects an image into the readers mind. He keeps referring to the eye, ‘Evil Eye’ so the reader is aware how much it troubles him, like he is obsessed with it, which is not the sign of a sane man. The narrator then continues to say how he carefully planned the man’s murder, all the precision involved, ‘I opened it- you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily- until, at length a simple dim ray’, yet again this shows the reader that he is not normal, and will cause the reader to feel not trust his actions and to see that he is unpredictable. Most tension is built towards the end of the tale, when the police arrive and the man seems surprisingly calm. ‘I smiled, – for what had I to fear?’ shows us that he is mad, any normal person would be very nervous and on edge when the police came. Tension is built here, as the reader doesn’t know what is going to happen, whether he will continue his act and get away with the murder, or he will trip up somehow and all will be revealed, whatever happens the reader will anxiously await. Once again we are reminded that the narrator is mad when he starts hearing a noise, ‘a low, dull, quick sound’ which only he could hear. Clearly he was imagining it, perhaps spurred on by a secret guilty conscience, the reader knows that he is struggling with mental instability and may feel tense as they don’t know what his next actions will be, he is unpredictable, but also the reader may feel sorry for him. In both tales tension is built because of the killing of the vulnerable, ‘The black cat’ looks at the killing of a cat and ‘The tell tale heart’ is the murder of a man. Neither of them did anything wrong to deserve what they got so it seems inhumane and unfair for the narrator to have done it. It shows that the killer is not a nice person, as no normal person would kill innocent animals/people so the reader doesn’t have many expectations of the man and would wonder what else could possibly happen in the two tales. I think however, that Poe’s stylistic devices add the most tension to the tales, the combination of punctuation and sentence length. He uses dashes in the middle of sentences in his work to add tension, to make them moment’s stand out from the rest of the text. ‘There was noting to wash out- no stain of any kind -no blood spot whatever’ is an example of this in ‘The tell tale heart’, where Poe is trying to emphasise the point, so the reader will take more notice of it. ‘It was a black cat -a very large one -fully as large as Pluto’ is an example of this from ‘The black cat’; yet again it shows that Poe is trying to get the reader to notice the point he is making. Poe also uses explanation marks to describe the tone and when the narrator in ‘The black cat’ says, ‘so much of insufferable wo! Alas!’ it shows clearly that he is hysterical and is in growing discomfort. The pace of the tales change. Poe uses short sentences to speed up the pace, which adds a considerable amount of tension. ‘There was no pulsation, he was stone dead his eye would trouble me no more.’ Poe writes in ‘The tell tale hearts’ which is very affective to the reader. They stand out from the long descriptive ones and therefore make more of a mark on the reader. They are also easier to take in as they are very short, and more then two short sentences in a row makes the pace increase which, yet again builds more tension. Poe’s use of dashes and commas also break up the long sentences, which makes it easier to digest what is written and readers await what is going to happen, as it is building up a picture gradually. ‘In the black cat’ Poe writes ‘from within the tomb!- by a cry, at first muffled and broken, like the sobbing of a child, and then quickly†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ which is very effective. When reading, the reader will have read it faster and faster rushing to get to the end of the sentence, to reach its climax. In conclusion, Poe succeeds in his aim, to chill and unsettle the reader, by building tension in different aspects. He does this by writing the tales in first person narrative, where the man is obviously mad, therefore untrustworthy, although the reader is inclined to feel what he feels. Also the content of the stories creates tension, the killing of defenceless and vulnerable mammals is clearly a bad thing to do so the reader know the narrator isn’t very nice. It is also discomforting to the reader to know that a human is capable of doing such things. Setting ‘The tell tale hearts’ in the nighttimes is stereotypical for bad things happening so the reader will automatically be aware that something bad is going to happen and introducing witchcraft in ‘The black cat’ adds to the tension as witchcraft is very mysterious and un natural. Poe’s use of short sentences, commas and dashes also build up tension as they break up the story, make it easier to take in and build up the pace in which the story is read. I think that Poe’s unique writing style make both the stories very affective and compliment the genre he writes to. I think that if his work were ever transferred onto screen then it wouldn’t be as effective, as stories leave more to the imagination and I don’t think that anyone would be able to create the same tense atmosphere as Poe does in his stories, which would discredit his name. Both the stories were written more than 100 years ago, in 1843. They are so old that when they were written no other genre of story like it was around at the time. They were original for the time they were written and set the standard for future writers. Poe invented this new genre and his writing skills and techniques form scratch and were the first chilling, gothic horror stories ever written, which adds to the reason of why they are so effective. Because no one had ever read anything like it before, and in a scense the stories were ahead of the time because of the effect they had. Poe’s work is popular worldwide and still his stories of this genre appear chilling as they are written in a old style that is not used as much today, but this is effective and one knows that they would have had even more impact at the time they were written.

British Colonialism & the Kikuyu Resistance

Colonisation appears to invariably cause conflict. Even where the proto-indigenous population is totally eliminated or absorbed, as in South Africa and Canada, and supplanted by new aboriginals (Canada) or settlers (South Africa), conflict will ensue as either new colonists arrive (Canada) or another wave of settlement arrives and collides (South Africa). The point might be, colonialism ends in violence. It enervates one group to fight the other, no matter the odds. Colonialism must adapt to a new reality for peace to arrive.Much like the North American aboriginal experience, two major shifts occurred in the late 19th century Kikuyu area of Africa. First, a mass outbreak of epidemics took a catastrophic toll its the indigenous population. Then, the ensuing famine forced the devastated populations to vacate the areas they had traditionally farmed. These favourably fertile lands, coined as the White Highlands, became the focal point for British colonialism in Kenya. Parliament then enc ouraged its subjects (i. e.British citizens, East-European Jews, and United South African Boers) to settle the recently acquired land, marketing it as a â€Å"paradise lost†. This marked the second, more influential and important shift in Kenyan society: an influx of white-foreigners. Kikuyu resistance was limited and sporadic, as they ‘lacked a cohesive organized administration’, suppressed by the British colonials as ‘an assault on public order. Violence was sporadic and limited. The East African Protectorate did not command sufficient importance in London politics, and thus received little attention.In 1902, the East African Protectorate acquired fertile lands around Lake Victoria marking the beginning of railway expansion. The completion of the Mombasa-Victoria railway in 1903 shifted London’s perception on the importance of its newly acquired African land. Subsequently, with significant Parliamentary encouragement, European settlement surged int o the East African Protectorate. Although seemingly a principle tenet of colonialism, the last priority of the settlers seemed to be the working of the land that they had acquired.Rather, they opted for cheap local labour, namely the Kikuyu, to work their plantation ‘cash crops’. Soon, London issued a sequence of edicts, laws, and policies to â€Å"encourage local support†. This ‘general policy’ removed the native Kikuyu from their traditionally perceived lands, and forced them either into remote and infertile reservations or semi-urban communities where they constituted a source of inexpensive labour. Such repressive policies were regarded as appropriate actions on the basis of racial supremacy, and therefore justifiable in the eyes of white-settlers, if executed within that perception of fairness.The locals were black, and perceived by whites as un-equal humans. In their eyes, the natives had no inherent right to the land and certainly it was widel y-held by the colonists that they, the kikuyu, didn’t utilize it efficiently anyway. During the 1920s, Kenya’s white society reached a politically critical mass. British administration recognized its increasing affluence and influence. Consequently, London decisively established Kenya (named after the great mountain) as a colony, thereby trapping its indigenous population within a colonial system.They could not get rid of it and instead faced two options: be put to work as virtually another domestic animal, or be forced into a remote reservation. *Despite social repression, a relatively small number of Kikuyu were educated through established Missionary schools. Soon enough, this educated minority realized that the people were being ruled for and by European settlers. Natives were prohibited from cultivating the colony’s primary cash crop, or able to own land in ancestrally-farmed areas. Administratively held to low-wages, natives required ‘settler-control led passbooks’ to travel freely.In light of these, and other, discriminatory state-sponsored practices, the Kikuyu Central Organization was formed. However, the evolution of the Kikuyu’s political and intellectual state was fought and opposed at every turn. During a 1920 peaceful protest over the arrest and exile of one of its leaders, uniformed police and settlers fired upon the Kikuyu Central Organization’s street gathering. This incident cemented the white’s discriminatory view of the natives, and further exacerbated the fear amongst the Kikuyu people. In 1925, London ruled that 150,000 Kikuyu â€Å"squatters† had no traditional ownership rights in settler areas, effectively eliminating the Kikuyu’s surviving economic and legal defenses. *Furthermore, the Kenya Land Commission of 1934 affirmed European title rights to virtually all fertile land within the colony. While the consequences were not immediate, they became increasingly visible as the Kikuyu population’s growth surged, creating severe overcrowding within reserve confines. The inverse relationship between power and population became apparent during the Second World War; when Kenya’s native opulation numbered 4. 3 million, while the white-settlers remained at around 25,000. There was no real cohesive political structure – a British appointee governed the colony. Despite a native population of over four million Kikuyu, the white minority completely dominated all colonial life. Aside from serving in the British Colonial Army and as reservation ‘chiefs’ and administrators appointed to enforce British rule, the natives were completely exempt from all colonial practices. In this context, the colonial administration justified the expulsion of close to one hundred thousand local Kikuyu from the â€Å"white areas†.With nearly every acre of fertile land expropriated for whites-only usage, the Kikuyu had only the overcrowded re servations, or equally destitute urban center ‘shantytowns’. Increasingly, the Kikuyu suffered economic and social deprivation, creating a politically explosive situation. The ensuing, increasing dissidence amongst the Kikuyu prompted the British authorities to criminalize the Kikuyu Central Association in 1940. Under the ruse of â€Å"a wartime security measure†, British colonialism destroyed the Kikuyu’s only peaceful means of expressing grievances, further exacerbating racial tensions within the colony.The collapse of Hitler’s Third Reich brought to light the ultimate horrors of ethnic supremacy. International revulsion at Nazi Germany’s actions subsequently evoked condemnation for the colonial repression of blacks. Consequently, colonial authorities decriminalized Kikuyu representation, allowing for the creation of the Kenyan African Union. This new organization sought recognition as a real political party, advocating the removal of discr iminatory state practices. With only a handful of committed men as its primary leadership, it’s beginning was unpromising.Changing the names, locations, and dates in this sequence would probably read as any other generic history of African colonial resistance. Similar to other African insurgencies, the violence was scattered and sporadic, with a notable vendetta against the white-foreign oppression. What happened in Kenya, however, was distinctively a Kikuyu issue. Increasingly, large numbers of Kikuyu sought methods to organize themselves for strong political advocacy. ( The Kikuyu found neither justice nor substance in nationalism, religion, or Communism.Instead, the Kikuyu linked cultural traditions with the symbolism of ceremonial oath-taking, to encourage social and political unity. Unbeknownst to its membership, this practice effectively gave rise to an informal sense of nationhood within the Kikuyu people. Like all insurgencies The Emergency began modestly, starting in 1950 with only a group of a dozen young activists from the Kenyan African Union. Increasingly frustrated with ineffective bargaining with the whites, this group, the self-proclaimed Kiambaa Parliament, took the baby steps of resistance organization.The ensuing war between the natives, settlers and colonial authorities, which engulfed Kenyan society from 1952-1960, was indisputably brutal, archaic, and oppressive, during which only thirty-two European settlers and less than two hundred police and militia were killed. Why, then, did such a relatively small number of colonial deaths prompt such a blood-chilling rhetoric? Firstly, many of the insurgents were former ‘employees’ of the white-settlers who, while considering the majority of colonial settlers to be severe and even cruel, also considered many as kindly and caring, and were therefore loyal to their previous employers.In the eyes of the whites, â€Å"Jeeves had taken to the Jungle†. That these apparently lo yal employees should revolt against their employers represented â€Å"the ultimate treachery; biting the hand that fed you†. To settlers, this act was all the evidence they needed to vilify the natives, cementing the racial stereotypes in mind. Secondly, the white settlers lacked a thorough understanding of the Kikuyu insurgent’s cohesion. The movement’s lack of nationalism or commitment to a religion or ideology, which gave other insurgencies a unity, evoked fury from the settlers.The Kikuyu’s leaders created unity through cultural traditions (i. e. ceremonial oath-taking), which was perceived by the settlers as ‘black magic’ or ‘witchcraft’. While the terms used would have been very different to the locals, the natives agreed with the resulting terror. The aforementioned ceremonial ‘oathing’ was designed to vilify normal behavioural codes, and psychologically ‘mark’ its taker. Participants transcended normative mental barriers that had constricted their actions, presumably making the participant emerge as a new person, a revolutionary; an itungati.New members were forced to commit acts, sometimes brutal and disturbing acts, to solidify commitment to the cause and the rebel brotherhood. Militants were thus altered into a different person, associated with other, similarly-changed members, within an organization from which it was extremely difficult, if not suicidal, to withdraw membership. The Mau Mau revolt certainly had grounds to take root. The South African and European settlers had appropriated all the land, land that the 1. 5 million Kikuyu perceived as their national patrimony.Converted into cheap market labour to work the lands, the Kikuyu were no more valuable to settlers than serfs to a lord. They had no civil rights to speak of, and were subjected to arbitrary state violence at the hands of militia and police. No effective say was allocated to Kikuyu in their own tribal affairs, let alone Kenyan affairs. Furthermore, while other African countries were moving closer towards freedom, Kenya was seemingly slipping further into white-minority control, as was happening in South African and Southern Rhodesia.Even when British authorities loosened the reigns on their colonies, it was only the white settlers who benefitted, not the natives. Therefore, the Kikuyu felt alienated in their cause and had no hope for improvement; instead, they feared the some twenty-five thousand whites who dominated them. Settlers were horrified to see their standard of living challenged, and demanded massive and indiscriminate suppression of â€Å"the savages†. The response was certainly to their liking. Sir Evelyn Baring, the newly-appointed colonial governor, found that his staff knew little to nothing about what had disaffected those Kikuyu who joined the Mau Mau revolt.Consultation with the British appointed Kikuyu chiefs served little purpose and, in a sense, exacer bated the situation. The chiefs simply vocalized what they felt that the British authorities wanted to hear, maintaining and protecting their own positions. However, Baring accepted uncritically the notion of illegitimacy behind the Kikuyu movement, concluding that â€Å"if you don’t get Kenyatta and those around him and shut them up somehow or other we are in a terrible, hopeless position†* Initially, it seemed as though the British government had fallen into the ‘counterinsurgency trap’, meeting increasing danger with increasing force.However, it was soon realized that force alone would ultimately fail, co-incidentally around the same time London parliament found the conflict â€Å"prohibitively expensive†. A new strategy focused on ‘rehabilitation’ that would not rely entirely on violence and oppression, but which nevertheless failed to recognize the key issue, the rule of Kenya by foreigners. British authorities looked over at Malay a for a ready â€Å"school† of â€Å"proper counterinsurgency†. Its colony had been combatting against a mainly ethnic Chinese rebellion since 1948*.However much other colonial models of counterinsurgency taught lessons, the Malaysian principle would fail in Kenya. Regarded as â€Å"irredeemable Communists†, British Malaysian authorities deported thousands of ethnic Chinese detainees as â€Å"foreigners†. It was impossible, however, to exile even the most committed Mau Mau Kikuyu as a â€Å"non-Kenyan foreigner†. Furthermore, the fervent hate of the Malays for the Chinese, who were far more intrusive and oppressive than the British, could not be replicated in Kenya since everyone was Kikuyu.Instead, Kenyan colonial policy reflected tactics deemed suitable to the local issues, internment camps coupled with robust grilling. British authorities decided that, above all else, information was needed on the Kikuyu resistance. Strategically, authorities so ught an understanding as to why the Kikuyu supported the Mau Mau resistance; tactically, they sought who supported and supplied them. The process of grilling (i. e. interrogation under torture) provided authorities with information that was extorted through force.Once all they could glean was gathered from them, the remaining guerrillas (many died under examination) were placed within the internment camps, out of touch with the active resistance movement. Purely out of luck rather than strategy, did colonial authorities managed to apprehend the charismatic figurehead of the guerrilla movement, in January 1945: Waruhiu Itote. Intensive interrogation revealed all that the authorities wanted to know. Itote revealed everything from his headquarters location, to the support organization, to the size and structure of his guerrilla army.They were revealed to have less than half the fighting capability that the British had thought (i. e. around several thousand fighters, only), and seriousl y underequipped with a pitiful arsenal of weapons (e. g. 361 bolt action rifles/shotguns, 1 hand grenade, & 1,230 ‘homemade weapons’). Surprisingly, much like Tito’s partisans, the Mau Mau had constructed a factory to manufacture and repair the rudimentary weapons they had stolen or created, all while receiving absolutely no external support. Despite the new-found intelligence, the British authorities were at a loss.Like all sensible guerrillas, Mau Maus fighters fled when at a disadvantage. The advantages of advanced aircraft and highly mobilized ground forces were negated by the Mau Mau ability to hide in the forests around Mount Kenya. Lacking progress, authorities pushed Itote to pursue peace negotiations, but gained no ground as neither party trusted the other. Instead colonial authorities utilized the hiatus to identify supporters, arresting over a thousand Kikuyu and beginning a massive detention campaign immediately after talks broke down. Effectively, Br itish authorities imprisoned the entire Kikuyu urban population.Entire villages were de-populated; virtually every Kikuyu male was separated from his wife and children. Over thirty thousand people were plucked from their homes. Ultimately, the British authorities â€Å"packed up† close to 150,000 Kikuyu into interment camps. On a more ‘practical’ level colonial authority sought to encourage loyalty to the state by promising land to those who fought against the Mau Mau. Yet the insurgency did not cease. It became clear to the British authorities that two main problems had been greatly overlooked: the issue of land, and the ceremonial oath.In response, authorities created three separate answers for, what they perceived, as three separate problems. Firstly, to find a way to release the Kikuyu from their oaths of resistance, secondly, to meet the desperate hunger for land amongst the Kikuyu, and finally, to bring forward an acceptable leader to replace the militant I tote. The bitterest issue amongst the Kikuyu was the appropriation of tribal land. Coupled with the post-First World War population explosion, it turned large numbers of Kikuyu into landless labourers.Furthermore, the social policy implemented during the 1930s swelled the population. Those unlucky â€Å"white highlanders† would have no hope of finding land anywhere in the already overcrowded â€Å"cultivable leftovers†. Indeed with such bleak options available, large numbers flocked into urban centers. The surge of slums, particularly in Nairobi, housed the idle landless farmers who had no skill or trade to sustain their living. If Kenya wanted to achieve a lasting peace, this problem had to be addressed promptly.However, ruling authorities (under settler pressure) adamantly refused to â€Å"reward† Kikuyu rebels by the appropriation of land for them from the colonists, and instead proposed increasing current land productivity. Given contemporary fiscal, technol ogical, and social restraints, the proposed policy had the effect of furthering the wealth of the white landowners without addressing the problem of the landless poor. As a result of colonial resistance to large-scale land distribution, over one million Kikuyu were packed into, Kenya’s version of, government-run villages. An improvisation on the ontemporary fortified village program run by the British in Malaya, the inhabitants regarded them as vile prison camps, almost a step down from the internment camps. Even assuming that these villages were acceptable, the land assigned to them was of poor quality, leaving the only source of fertile farming land within the white community. Ultimately, however, reluctant colonial authorities agreed on the repurchase of settler land for native use. From a more military perspective, colonial authorities agreed the second step would be to stop, or at the very least diminish, the impact of the ceremonial-oaths being taken.Seeking to remedy t he issue of zealous commitment, the colonial government commissioned Louis Leakey to create â€Å"un-oathing ceremony†. Renowned for his anthropological work, Leakey’s perception was that Christianity was the greatest counterinsurgency tactic available. He promptly created a program for rehabilitation. With a strong understanding of the Kikuyu’s culture, Leakey knew full well that such a ceremony could remove the moral commitment of many Mau Mau rank –and-file. For the time it was certainly a radical approach to counterinsurgency strategy, and was the most effective application devised.Under this program of rehabilitation over repression, colonial authorities encouraged defection. However this program was far from infallible. Those who opted out were left with long-term imprisonment, or hanging. Ultimately, after a token trial for the suspected Mau Mau sympathizers, colonial authorities hanged a gruesome tally of 1,090 Kikuyu. Such a number reflects upon its oppressive implementers, that justice under British colonial rule in Kenya â€Å"was a blunt, brutal and unsophisticated instrument of oppression†. (p. 122) Conclusively, the white settlers lost their ‘dirty war’.Ultimately, no military or security forces can recreate the pre-insurgency situation. Killing sympathizers and soldiers, hanging the leadership, and interning masses of innocent people creates an uncontrollable socio-political situation. London would no longer condone the actions of the Kenyan white minority. Parliament only saw a dwindling treasury, diminishing international prestige, and no substantial progress towards a solution. So, in 1959, the conservative government sought a tabla-rasa and began dismantling the legal framework of the Kenyan police-state.Finally, the tables had turned, and the white supremacists’ world shattered. The white settlers would be forced to sell their lands now that Kenyans had been given majority rule and open land franchise. The 1961 national reconciliation begun by Jomo Kenyatta, paved the way for independence in 1963. It was the actions of Kenyatta which subdued the Mau Mau rebels. With strong support from London, Kenyatta was able to give the people what they cried for, what the Mau Mau fought for, and what all nations ultimately desire: independence.

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Financing and Structuring Health care - Research Paper Example how the patents will pay for the healthcare extended to them, what they will pay for the healthcare services consumed by them, and the range of options and innovations that could be facilitated to the ailing in the sphere of healthcare payments (Walshe, 2006, p. 34). In that context, a thorough understanding of the American healthcare system will be partial, if it is devoid of an understanding of the related financing mechanisms. Health insurance, health coverage, or healthcare coverage is the term used in the United States of America to refer to any program that helps the patients pay for the healthcare services and products used by them during the course of their treatment. Considering the fact that USA is a land of diversity, there exist varied types of health insurance types to suit the needs and aspirations of diverse types of individuals and groups. For what is health insurance but a risk coverage mechanism to assure that individuals and their families have access to quality and timely healthcare. The three main types of health insurance prevalent in the United States of America are individual health insurance, group health insurance and state sponsored health insurance (Green & Rowell, 2010). Individual health insurance covers the healthcare needs of the primary policy holder and one’s family (Green & Rowell, 2010). As the policy holder is required is required to pay for such type of insurance, it happens to be the costliest type of health insurance. Some of the benefits offered by the individual health insurance policies are personalized healthcare, tax exemptions, and a smooth continuation of the insurance plan, as long as the premiums are paid without default (Green & Rowell, 2010). Group health insurance happens to be the most preferred type of insurance. It is also known as the employer sponsored health insurance. In group health insurance, an individual and one’s family accrues the insurance benefits by the virtue of one’s employment (Green &

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Law - Essay Example dents being used human shields, â€Å"collateral damage† that may be wreaked on them as a consequence of the military initiative, would put the attacking forces at a disadvantage in the court of public opinion. 5. Such a ploy has been condemned by some groups such as Amnesty International as murder, inasmuch as death is meted out summarily without trial, and the â€Å"war on terror† is not really a war governed by the law on armed conflict, that the term is but rhetoric, and what should prevail is civil law that is applicable during times of peace. 1. Chiozza (2004) determined that the effect of conflict on the tenure of leaders is not ex post inefficient; i.e., defeat is costly for leaders of autocracies and mixed regimes, but not in democratic regimes where political institutions fundamentally mediate the costs and benefits of conflict and its outcome. Research also supports the finding that victory in war does not bring benefits, in terms of enhanced status or longer tenure for the incumbent leader. However, â€Å"popular† conflict may enhance the prospects of an office-seeking political leader, but as to how precisely and what factors are involved should still be a matter of further inquiry. The study asserts that a study focusing on the qualities of leaders may provide important new rationalist explanations for war. 2. Gartzke (2001) examined the effect of interdependence among countries as a deterrent to the outbreak of armed hostilities between them. The study found that it is likely that economic integration facilitates a reduction in the frequency of disputes by making it easier for states to engage in signalling short of military violence. Linkages among countries promote non-violent competition and peaceful conflict resolution, and this study has shown evidence that such a prospect is no longer merely utopian, but occurs in actuality. 3. Jones, Bremer and Singer (1996) examine militarized interstate disputes through empirical patterns in the

Context of Advanced Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Context of Advanced Practice - Essay Example h Authority), Greater Manchester, and Cumbria and Lancashire to focus on the learning curve at a professional level while achieving academic skills (Advanced Practice Framework, 2005). This is a part of the NHS plan to create a patient led NHS aiming toward client focus and their choice of primary care (Cross et al. 2004). North West NHS has developed a workforce strategy to ensure a sufficient workforce capacity in all health organizations by shifting the current roles of the workforce (Advanced Nursing Practice, 2009). The role of the advanced practice nurses especially is undergoing a lot of changes due to the increased rules and regulations of NHS and NMC (Geest et al. 2008). A measure for efficiency has been developed called productive time which measures the time spent by professionals and nurses on core activities of advanced practices (Cross et al. 2004). By implementing such strategy the Department of Health and the NHS is expected to achieve  £6.5bn by 2008 out of which à ‚ £3.8bn is due to productive time (Burgess, 2007). Still enormous progress needs to be made that can make the service more improved (The future: A mini Prospectus, 2002). The HPC is also stepping in to regulate the practice and training of the professionals and to protect the people (HPC, 2007; Guthrie, 2009). On the national level, the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) driver has been seen to create different reactions from medical professionals (Little & Bluck, 2006). The main problem that arises is due to the work hour limit defined by the EWTD (Bates & Slade, 2007). The shift in the time limit from the previous 58 hour per week to 48 hour per week is been felt severely by the education and training medical institutions as well as in the delivery of service (Little & Bluck, 2006). The most effect is on the training of new juniors. According to Bates and Slade (2007), the time constraint has had many implications on the operative experience of the surgical trainees making the level

Microeconomics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Microeconomics - Term Paper Example However, since the buying and selling is common to all participants of economy, therefore microeconomics plays an important role in determining the supply and demand of goods. As this factor is responsible for price fixation of goods and services, the change in supply vs. demand position can lead to change in price. As resources become limited, microeconomics tries to analyze the relationship between market conditions, product prices, as well as the market mechanism which establishes this relationship. Such mechanism has a great role to play in the allocation of resources, in such scenario. Therefore, microeconomics has a significant role in determining the conditions required for a perfect competition. It also studies the conditions which may have led to market failure, when results are not produced efficiently. However, microeconomics can only establish the theoretical conditions, while actually market behavior may be different, sometimes. Accordingly, studies in this field of econ omy would include decision making ability under uncertain market condition. It also includes the study of market, which may not follow any pattern. This term paper would discuss about the principles of microeconomics, along with its fundamentals, in the following pages. Principles of microeconomics As there is a great relationship between a household and economy; Greek ancestors have correctly named the manager of a household as ‘economy’. Looking at the wider scenario, the household is an economic entity within a larger society. The society must ensure the allocation of funds and jobs to different members, while managing the available limited resources. Therefore the decisions need to be taken, keeping in view certain fundamentals, which are considered as the principles of microeconomics, which help people in making their decisions. Supply and demand In economic terms, demand means willingness, need and ability to purchase certain goods or services. However, desire to purchase may meet the requirement of willingness, but same only cannot generate demand. The purchaser must be able to pay for the specific good or service. The payment method can vary, as sellers except cash, credit cards, deferred payment or lease payments, nowadays. The capacity to purchase the good determines the ability for generating the demand. Readiness to purchase the good, right now, comes after the above two requirements of demand have been met. Once the immediate purchase willingness is confirmed the demand gets generated. (beggs 1) Supply relates to the available quantity of a particular good or service at a point in time, in a particular location. Supply would primarily comprise of two elements. One is the quantity of goods produced by a firm, while other is the combined quantity of same goods produced and offered for sale by different firms, involved in manufacture and trading of that particular item. However, total availability of such goods in market refers to the su pply of the same. Supply would relate with the profit to be generated by offering such goods for sale. As companies prefer to sell their products at maximum profit level, this would determine the quantity and quality of goods that the firm can offer at any particular point. Maximum profit is calculated, based on the cost inputs, production costs, marketing costs and other variables. Therefore, all these factors would ultimately determine the supply position a

Overview of the Development of Education in the UAE and the UK Essay

Overview of the Development of Education in the UAE and the UK - Essay Example Learning processes that use media and methodology have been found to benefit most from ICT use in education. Information Communication Technology is also useful in familirising learners with the installation and the use of IT equipment such as computers (Hsi, 2006). Furthermore, ICT is important for addressing technological ethical and social issues encountered in educational institutions (Bagley et al., 2010). Additionally, educational ICT instills multiple intelligences in learners by simulation, thus promoting learning by all senses (Andrews, 2004). This paper explores the educational ICT networking availability and circumstances in the UK and the UAE. For both countries, educational ICT is categorised as subject, tool/support for other subjects, administrative tool and as a medium for the exchange of knowledge and information (NAEYC, 2008). Educational ICT in the United Kingdom For a long time in the UK, ICT has not only been taught by individual schools as a subject but has also been part of the national curriculum. In fact, most UK students are free to study ICT at the GCSE level (Department of Education, 2011). Among the ICT initiatives that have promoted the growth of educational ICT networking in the UK was the Curriculum Online scheme which unfortunately closed in 2008 (Computer Aid International, 2009). The main purpose of this scheme was to accelerate the uptake of ICT in UK schools (Leask & Pachler, 1999). The agency mandated to oversee the development of educational ICT networking in the UK until April 2011 was Becta (Vanderlinde et al., 2010). In the execution of its mandate, Becta worked closely with the Joint Information Systems Committee to develop the necessary ICT strategies (Young, 2008). With the government cutting its spending on Becta, a major shake-up occurred in UK’s state schools’ ICT networking, with stakeholders giving divergent opinions on the future role and effects of ICT in the educational sector. As a result of th e spending cuts and the feeling that it had become redundant, Becta was abolished in April 2011 (Driscoll et al., 2011). Some stakeholders such as Bernadette Brooks of the Educational ICT Association asserted that the UK government lacked the emphasis that UK’s competitors laid on the need to invest on educational skills in its educational system. In fact, Brooks cited the policy statements of countries such as the United States, UAE and Hong Kong as those in which educational ICT has been identified as central for 21st century growth and development (Harlen &, James, 1996). Brooks also asserted that although it was a positive step for the government to promote ‘free’ schools and freedom for schools to invest in ICT, cutting funding and abolishing advisory agencies such as Becta created new types of challenges for the inclusion and growth of ICT in the education system. For example, it has been a big challenge to harness grants for ICT developments in UK schools since the abolition of Becta (Wray, 2005). Similarly, the abolition of the Building Schools for the Future programme has also considerably reduced the funds available for educational ICT (Fraline, 2011). Holding similar thoughts to Brooks is the National Association of Head Teachers which believes that the spending cuts impose long- and short-term limitations on UK schools’

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 98

Assignment Example This scenario may, however, fail to materialize. One of the factors that may lead to the failure of this mechanism is loss of fluorescence. The exact origin of signal loss has not been established, but tentative explanations have been given. A mechanism that could explain this is the slow degradation of surface ligands and coatings, when they are in body fluids (Gao, Cui and Levenson). This issue may be resolved by continuous laser excitation which corrects the surface defects. The process of imaging using CdSe quantum dots capped with ZnS may also fail due to the light type used during imaging. The orange/red emitting QDs used are not optimized for tissue penetration. The QDs are also not optimized for imaging sensitivity. The mechanism associated with failure in this manner is the lack of capability of deep tissue imaging by this kind of light. To prevent failure in this manner, it is advisable to use far-red and near-infrared light. This light should be in the spectral range of 650-900 nm. This wavelength is separated from the absorbing peaks of water and blood. For this reason, the tumor imaging sensitivity will be improved y at least tenfold (Gao, Cui and Levenson). Another factor that may cause the failure of this process is the toxic nature of CdSe QDs under extended periods of illumination by UV radiation. Radiation by UV dissolves the semiconductor particles causing the release of cadmium ions into the medium. Cadmium ions are toxic in nature. This may be avoided by the use of QDs with a stable polymer protection layer (Gao, Cui and Levenson). The stably protected QDs are non-toxic to cells; they affect neither cell division, nor ATP production. Certain issues have to be addressed for the CdSe quantum dot-based cancer imaging to be successful. The researcher has to ask questions that include: Is the mode of imaging economically viable basing on the

Critical Reflection on Assessment Process Assignment

Critical Reflection on Assessment Process - Assignment Example For the second assignment, I extended what I had done for the first one by adding further assessment techniques (such as the group discussions, portfolio and self assessment rubrics) and taking a more critical look at their advantages and disadvantages. I reached my conclusions by simulating or projecting mentally the outcomes of using these assessment methods in the light of the specific objectives chosen. I also extended my application of the information on the assessment methods beyond the simpler learning objectives of the first assignment, to focus on more diverse objectives and the acquisition of various capabilities.Critical reflections in terms of usefulnessE. The most useful parts for my learning on this course were the discussions among students, sometimes facilitated by a member of the teaching staff, concerning the material, its usefulness and how it should be applied. I would encourage the systematic inclusion of a debate (or "mini-debate") in each lecture or class where possible. This ensures a real-life aspect to what we are doing.The least useful parts for my learning were certain lectures that lacked interactivity. This is linked to my comments above. Being spoon-fed theory does not allow you to test and apply the information so easily for what is after all a practically oriented subject.F. The most useful parts for my products were that the first product (first assignment) was a good way for me to benefit from the mistakes that I made. The products helped each other. as I could then do more with the second one, thanks to the first one. The first assignment allowed me to really understand the main questions of this course: what is assessment; why do we assess people, either students or teachers; and what allows us to do a successful assessment. In the second one I learnt more on designing and planning for good assessments. The least useful parts for my products were some of the academic texts that were cited. Although it is important for logical arguments to be well grounded in established data, assessment is a practical science as well. As such, once the underlying theory is established, the value (in my opinion) is in applying it and making it perform in real life, rather than taking one more step "backward" into the realms of academia. Recommendations that I would make and the reasons for making them. G. For future students regarding the assignment preparation, I would recommend consulting the assessment experiences of different educational organizations, for example, by visiting their websites. They often have relevant and focused comments on what works and what doesn't work in specific environments which adds a practical dimension to the theory discussed in the course. If a student has some weakness in English, like me, then I suggest revising the particular

Martin Luther King Essay Example for Free

Martin Luther King Essay The history of this two great men dates back to the 1920s when both of them were born (Malcolm x -19th may 1925, King Luther-15th Jan 1929). Their fame, fulfillment of dreams and influence was however, felt in the 1960s. Although, brought up at different capacities their history and influence has lots of similarity. Their remarkable contribution was almost at the same period of time(between 1957-1968). This is such a time when there was a lot of radical debate on racism in America in terms of the rights of both the blacks and whites. Such a debate was due to the different priorities given to the two races in America. For example the blacks were not allowed to vote thus, need for constitutional amendment which Martin King Luther advocated for(Howard pp 8). There was also an aspect of inequality in the sense that black American schools could not offer chances for career advancement and the blacks lacked proper hospital facilities as in the story of Malcolm X. He highlights in his bibliography that his desire to be a lawyer could not be achieved in the Negro school he attended thus killing his dream and determination to continue schooling. The inequality is also seen in the reason for the boycott of the Montgomery bus system (where blacks were to seat at the back sits of the bus while front seats were reserved for the whites) organized by Martin King Luther (Luthers bibliography). The two men spearheaded very critical campaigns on their different believes on the position of all the Americans in political, economical and social standards. Their approaches were quite different although they both had remarkable speeches and quotations pulling a large crowd of followers to themselves. Martin Luther King was born of a Baptist minister and his mother was a school teacher. He attended school to a post graduate attaining a PhD in systematic theology in Boston. He later became a clergyman in the Baptist church. His early life before getting into politics was that of a preacher living upright according to the moral standards of the society. It is during his ministration work that he discovered that, though his faith talks of all men been equal, with same need for respect accorded to them; this was not so in America because the whites here were treated with a higher esteem than the blacks. He sort to dig deep into the history of the two races and thus, got the determination to fight for equality in the two races. He also got some inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi of India who had led his country to independence from the British rule. It is from Gandhi that he adopted the idea of non violent protests. His approach was non violent though with different touch to various principles for example; he used the non partisan principle when he refused to en dose for any particular candidate in presidential run up. (Howard pp 57). It is through ecumenism that he brought people together in his civil movement activities. He also incorporated mass protest, mobilization of bus boycotts and enlightenment through speeches. The boycotts lasted for 382 days leading to bombing of his house and his imprisonment. In prison he resorted into writing. He wrote letters and this advanced to five books namely: The measure of a man, Strength to love, Stride towards freedom, Trumpet of conscience and why we cant wait. From jail Martin Luther King founded the Southern Christians Leaders Congress from which he could carry out his civil reform protest and the Student Non violent Coordinating Committee to help black students from violent protests but this was to no avail as the students turned his ideas down posing a great challenge to his campaigns. He was received the Nobel peace price in 1964 as the youngest person to this award at an age of 35. His campaigns were successful because in 1965 the US congress passes a voting right act so that the blacks could now be allowed to vote. He also managed to prevent violent attacks by the blacks who had lost their children when their church was attacked by some whites through a great expressive and advisory e urology presented at the burial ceremony but it is his speech â€Å"I have a dream† that have accorded him more fame. This speech was delivered at Washington DC where he had an audience of 250 000 people (Bennet pp64). Among his successes was the award of the man of the year as the first black to this title by the Time magazine of America. The civil right movement which he founded continued but pressure by the youth to engage in violent campaigns against discrimination led him to a new turn in his career and life yet again, where he now turned to protest against poverty and war. He greatly complained against Vietnam war and in the process of organizing a march in protest of the problems that poor garbage collectors in Memphis, Tennessee were undergoing, he was assassinated. This was in April 1968. Although dead his great words are echoed to date. His works are also remembered by many as the man behind the civil rights and reforms in America. Malcolm X on the other side was a son to an outspoken Baptist minister who followed a Black Nationalist leader called Marcus Garvey. His mother was a house wife. He went to school up to secondary level and later dropped as he could not see possibilities of achieving his dreams as a black. His father was found dead and the neighbors thought this was a plan by the whites to silence the blacks. This was quite early as Malcolm was only six and it led the family to poverty hence the mother got mental breakdown and was sent to an asylum for 26 years. (Lomax pp 12). Malcolm together with his brothers was taken to foster homes. This got him into petty crimes like gambling and burglary later moved to New York and advanced his criminal life to prostitution and sell of drugs. He was later arrested during which he converted to Islam from the influence of his brother who used to visit him. This was demonstrated by change of his name from Malcolm little to Malcolm X, because he now believed Little was a slavery name. In prison he also joined some classes to continue with his schooling which he had stopped in earlier years this was a great boost to his later writings and speeches although he was not a professional in any particular field. When released from jail he was now a reformed man and so he joined the Nation of Islam and became one of the leaders. Here he advocated for the teachings learn t from jail which included: a believe that evil men would face the wrath of Allah, blacks should get away from the lifestyle of the whites both in financial conditions, social integration, their structure of leadership, their way of thinking and in the art of worship. As a religious leader he built up mosques at Pennsylvania and Philadelphia where he had captured a massive following. There were some disagreements with the main leader of the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X; due to the statement he made following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (saw the assassination as a case of â€Å"the chicken coming home to roost†) and so was accorded a 90 day suspension with orders to remain silent without presenting any speeches. (Lomax pp 32). He found this slightly unbearable and although some people argue that he had some misunderstandings with the leader of Nation of Islam, over his conduct and moral uprightness, one thing was clear: it was time for Malcolm to call it quits. He then formed his own Muslim Mosque Inc. His idea of racial segregation was not to coexist peacefully with King Luthers idea of constitutional amendment peaceful intermingled living. He did not want any mixing of the blacks and whites at any degree so his solution was that; blacks have their own state even if through war. His followers were to use armed self defense against violence from the whites. He also criticized Christianity as a religion that copied the whites way of life thus due to poverty, the blacks ended up in crime in attempt to imitate this lifestyles. It is during this time that he went on pilgrimage to Mecca and got some inspiration from other cultures changing his focus from the black Muslims to all races and religions. His ideology on all whites as bad people responsible for all the misery that the blacks faced was also changed and now considered the whites as individuals with personal opinions rather than stereotyping them to a bunch of demons. Claiming to have found the more and profound truths about Islam as a religion and lifestyle, Malcolm changed his name yet again to El Hajj El Shabazz. His mission was not left out in this wave of change as now he considered in cooperating all blacks despite their religion affiliation in his founded Organization of Afro-American Unity. Its through this organization that he led the first ever greatest black American rally. Malcolm now set out to discussion with groups belonging to the whites and wanted to present the grievances of the black Americans in the US to UN. He also urged his followers to register in for voting process and sort for a change in the management of public facilities within the black communities from the whites who dominated every field of management and administration, to be done by the blacks. His charismatic speeches and influence was mainly through media (he had a program covered on the television and in the radio and wrote articles to be published in the dailies). His debates seamed to be outrightly remarkable giving a very strong essence of what he believed in, thus captured very large number of audience. Malcolm X was assassinated in February1965 at New York as he was addressing a rally. He left a very significant contribution to black power movements as the Nation of Islam, the Muslim Mosque Inc and the Organization of Afro-American still went on in the believes he had taught them. His believes got more momentum after his autobiography was published in 1965. (Howard pp116). The Malcolm X societies is a product of what he established. Similarities among this two men start from their birth to their death. This is because the blacks had equally similar lifestyles and opportunities as they were the marginalized group in America. Both of them were born in the same year and their impact was felt within the same period of time. They had equally same faith in their upbringing as their fathers were ministers in the Baptist church. They had a first hand experience of the brutality of the whites as their homes were burnt, underwent imprisonment and finally were assassinated. The two men changed their names at one point of their lives (Martins name was changed while he was still young from his previous name: Michael to his current name: Martin). Their lives took different phases changing from school life to religious leaders to politics and finally to human right activist. The pulpit was used as a way to spread their beliefs and influence the community. In both incidences, there was some inspiration from communities outside America which marked the start of a new phase of their lives. Both of them spoke strongly against racial discrimination. Their speeches and charisma has also lived long after their death and they all died through assassination in the 1960s. They equally had a large crowd of followers. Their writings are considered inspirational and great by both the black and white Americans. In the last phase of their lives and career, they had a great focus on poverty and empowerment of the blacks. The differences between this two individuals is not much they basically had almost the same kind of background and they all fought for discrimination on the lines of race. Martins way of fighting was non violent but Malcolms way was by use of armed defense and rejecting cooperation to the whites ideas. The King got into his fathers line of career and maintained his religion while Malcolm diverted into Islam. Though both of them were charismatic and great speakers; Malcolm had a lower level of education. Luther led a straight life all along but Malcolm was once involved in crime before his reform and conversion to Islam. King Luthers tool of communication was mainly his pulpit, crusades and campaign meetings unlike Malcolms which involved the media. Martin Luther was accorded the international award of the Nobel Peace Price and the man of the year title in the times magazine while Malcolm only got recognition with no award except for the blacks having some societies named after him. Martins campaigns of non violent protests were met with criticisms from fellow blacks unlike Malcolms. It is out of this two figures that others like Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Martin Luther King Junior, have found a base to stand on and fight against discrimination of whatever form. The world today remembers this two dear people as heroes (especially America). They made a remarkable spirit toward racial segregation which has continued up to today. Their stand as spiritual leaders on what they believed is an example to be followed by most leaders today who see lawfully practices and shun from condemning them. Work Cited: Bennet Lerone Jn, â€Å"What manner of man: a biography of Martin Luther King† Chicago Johnson publishers (1964). pp 5-112 Brief History with Documents. ISBN 0312395051, 9780312395056; Bedford/SMartins 2004 Lomax Louise, â€Å"To kill a black man† Los Angels , CA:Hollooway House Publishing Company (1968) pp 12-86 Man of the year Time 1983 (January 3, 1964). pp 13-16 ; 25-27. Pitney,Howard and David Martin Luther King , Malcolm X and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. (1978) 8-122 Russel Adam, â€Å"Great Negroes Past and present†Chicago. Afro-american publishers. (1963)pp 64-246. Russel Adam, â€Å"Great Negroes Past and present†Chicago. Afro-american publishers. (1963)pp 64-246.

TV Effects on Children Essay Example for Free

TV Effects on Children Essay When researching on the effects of television towards Americans, I found quite a few published studies, articles and books that were helpful in educating me on this epidemic. The average child will spend 1,500 hours a year watching television and in those 1,500 hours they will view an average of 200,000 acts of violence by the time they graduated high school (Norman Herr, Ph.D.). By the time a person turns 18 years old they will have watched 3 years worth of television. Television has been seen to have many effects on people such as alcohol use, violence, health issues, lower moral and lack of intelligence. My goal in this paper is to show how the effects of televisions have caused a life threating epidemic in today’s generation of Americans. To achieve this goal I have organized my paper into three sections. In the first section I will discuss how the effects of too much television can be detrimental to ones health. In the second section I will reflect on the cause and effect of behavior in today’s generations of children due to the amounts of television time. Lastly, I will conclude on how television has effected and changed the overall intelligence and morality of everyday American’s. see more:essay on influence of television on students Television has carried out a great deal of impact on health over the last decade. The many appealing topics and one-sided advertisements airing daily across American’s television are luring more and more children and adults to the limitation of their living room couch. In result inactivity, health issues and obesity are a much seen statistic of this decision. â€Å"The American Medical Association, researchers combined data from eight such studies and found that for every additional two hours people spend glued to the tube on a typical day, their risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases by 20% and their risk of heart disease increases by 15%.† In addition people who were more likely to spend three hours or more a day in front of the TV, their risk of dying at a younger age jumped 13%, on average. Hours spent watching TV causes the amount of time you are unable to spend on physical activities. Lack of these activities can lead to lack of blood flow and circulation, muscle development and or lower metabolism rates. If a person were to take just half of the leisure time they spent on watching TV and replaced it with physical activities they would see a great deal of change in their health. A large amount of studies have been administrated on the effects of behavior and violence on adults and young viewers. On a child’s behavior according to the AAP, Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed. A child is more receptive of what they see on television rather than adults because they are more likely to mimic those actions. An adult simply has the ability to change the channel or turn the TV off. As well the mindset of an adult is far beyond a child, most know what right from wrong, and what a wise judgment is. But for a child who has been subjected to a violent program, they are more likely to act out with an aggressive behavior. The negative influence of television is causing children to absorb and retaliate what they see on a daily basis, which in part causes that same child to believe that behaving badly is justified and/or appropriate. This in the long run can cause a child to become more violent, use drugs, drink alcohol, and become more sexually active. Television in today generation has had terrible impact on emotional and intellectual wellbeing. According to reports from International Child and Youth Care Network, â€Å"the more time you spend passively watching television and receiving sensory input in a relaxed, passive and semi-hypnotic state, the more your brain will be trained to receive information that way.† It’s hard to be able to quantify the exact amount of damage and effect that this has had on today’s generation of children, but you can defiantly see the lack of creativeness and imagination in one’s mind set. Once a brain is trained to receive and respond information this way, it is then harder for a child to be inattentive in a class. A child’s attention span becomes at an all-time low and then fails them to be able to socially and emotionally be able to involve themselves with other on a personal level. Other effects have also been said to be linked such as ADHD, but no studied have directly proven television go hand in hand. â€Å"The quick pace of television shows actually rewires the brain to accept information only in short chunks, thus reducing an individuals attention span.† Finally, touching basis on morality and its influence on today’s television, it can play out in a moral way just as much as an immoral way. There are networks out there that chose to create shows on television that can still convey moral messages such as the importance of honesty, kindness, and fairness. For example some of these shows are The Cosby Show, Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street, 7th Heaven and Mister Rogers Neighborhood, but sadly to say a majority of today generation do not partake in these show any longer. Today’s children and teens prefer to partake in those shows that chose to create an immoral conveyed message that shows you drugs, violence, excessive drinking, and sexual content amongst many other negative things. The world today has become a reality TV generation and the shows only continue to get worse as the years go on. I have attempted to provide solutions for problems that exist within the realm of television viewing. The solutions lie at the heart of the viewer. It is up to them to decide what they will watch, how often they will watch, and why they will watch. Television viewers must have reasonable judgment when it comes down to their viewing habits, or else they will become a hostage of their set. Television does not act alone, but must comply with broadcasting rules, time limits, and especially advertisers that buy air time. Once TV reaches the viewer, the viewer must be aware that they are responsible for the effect that they allow television to have on them, and how they relay these effects into their personal lives. Sure, not everything on the air is one big bed of roses as I’ve pointed out, but the majority of programming affects viewers in a positive way if they permit it to. Broadcasters can shove almost anything they want through the airwaves, but the viewer must be intelligent enough to decide what programming is beneficial to himself, his family, and his children. Work Cited Herr, Norman, PhD. Television Health. Www.csun.edu. N.p., Feb. 2006. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . Gardner, Amanda. TV Watching Raises Risk of Health Problems, Dying Young. CNN. Cable News Network, 14 June 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2012. . TV Linked to Aggressive Behavior in Children | Psych Central News. PsychCentral.com. Ed. Rick Nauert, PhD. Psych Central, 03 Nov. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. . Boyse, Kyla, RN. University of Michigan Health System. Television (TV) and Children: Your Child:. University of Michigan Health System, Aug. 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. . Langholt, Alice. Negative Health Effects of Television. Life123. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. . TVs Effects on the Developing Brain. TVs Effects on the Developing Brain. INTERNATIONAL CHILD AND YOUTH CARE NETWORK, 7 Sept. 2001. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. . The Tube Attack. Song of the Sirens. N.p., 27 June 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. . Davies, Taryn. The Effects of Childhood Obesity. The Effects of Childhood Obesity. N.p., 06 July 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. .

Sustainable Architecture And Passive Housing Construction Essay

Sustainable Architecture And Passive Housing Construction Essay In the daily life, a lot of people past by some of these words: sustainable architecture or green buildings; however, they dont the meaning of it. For that reason, Ive decided to write about passive housing, which is a type of sustainable architecture. But before starting discussing the topic, a brief introduction to sustainable architecture will be given. There are a lot of definitions for sustainable architecture; nevertheless, there are two definitions that simple and exact idea about it. The first one is Environmentally-friendly houses and commercial buildings that are designed and built using sustainable building technologies, sustainable building materials, and sustainable energy systems, that dont burden future generations with environmental and financial debts. (Sustainable Architecture) And other defection was defined by architect Robert Berkebile, Sustainable Architecture is a design that improves the quality of life today, without diminishing it for the next generation. (Sustainable Architecture) In short, sustainable architecture is a way of building house and commercial buildings to save the environment for the future. Sustainable architecture isnt a new technology. It started developing in Europe since almost 500 years ago. It started by simple idea, which indicates how houses can be cool in summer and warm in winter by using minimum energy. Now days, they have more complicated ideas such as: producing their own electricity and recycling waste. That is because of the new technological advances, human has been developing over the years. There are three types of sustainable architecture mostly common and they are: zero energy buildings, passive housing and law energy housing. Is sustainable architecture that important to be developing for all of these years? In fact, its an important factor of saving the environment from depletion. According to the National American Homebuilders Association, a typical, (non-sustainable) stick-built or wood-frame home was 2,085 square feet and required  more than one acre of trees/forest; moreover, the waste created during the construction of this typical home averages between 3 tons to 7 tons, for every new house built. It only saves construction materials, but also reduces the consumption of energy and water. Passive house have one main principle which is reduce the energy lost in the house. But how can it be done. Its done by isolating the building and using the energy of people and the households. Passive house is very energy efficient because it use only 10% of energy that regular house use. This amount of energy is used for heating, hot water, and household electricity. In May 1988, Professors Bo Adamson of Lund University, Sweden, and Dr. Wolfgang Feist of the Institut fà ¼r Wohnen und Umwelt (Institute for Housing and the Environment) had a conversation about the Passive House standard originated. As result of the conversation, they developed the concept of passive housing by doing many research projects which have been supported financially by the German state of Hesse. The first passive house buildings were built in 1990 in Darmstadt, Germany. The Passivhaus Institut (the passive house institute) was established in September 1996. The concept of passive housing became more commercialized and following the  European Union  sponsored  CEPHEUS  project in winter of 2000-2001. Moreover, in 2003 the first passive house was built in North America, Urbana, Illinois. Since the institute was founded, 15,000 passive houses were built worldwide. Most of these houses were built in Germany andAustria. Figure Time Line of the History of Passive Housing The Design of Passive Housing There are mainly two key elements from designing a passive house, which are the orientation of the building and the construction material. The Orientation of the Building: The first feature that should be considered before building a passive house is the orientation of the house that is because it is the key of the utmost energy production. Since the solar energy is the most reliable energy for the house, the house should be directed to the sun. On the other hand, the wind also should be considered because it can cool the house during winter. For these reasons, the house is directed to the east-west axis and most of the windows are ought to be on the south wall of the house. In this way, the house will get maximum of sunlight and minimum of wind entering the house. Although, these conditions work perfectly in winter, there is other condition should be thought of in summer which is shading. Shading is important because it reduces the sunlight getting into the house. This is the main technique that passive house uses to heat and cool itself. The Construction Material: Figure How passive house works? As any ordinary house, passive house has the same basic building material, but it is only enhanced to maximize the energy gained and minimize the lost. Concrete, bricks and stone are the basic material for building a passive house because they can absorb the energy from the sun fully and gradually. As result of the long period of energy absorbing, a phenomenon which is called lag happens. Lag is the warm sunlight which was absorbed during the day then released slowly during the night. There three types of windows glass and they are: one pane, two pane and three pane windows. One pane and two pane windows are commonly used in normal houses; however, three pane windows are used in passive house. Moreover, they are made from three glass panes which are split by air or Argon gas. This makes the window more insulated that prevents cold air getting in and decreasing the heat getting out. Because of the house is insulated, Mechanical Ventilation is used in the house to proved fresh air and heat. It gets fresh air from and takes out the polluted air from the house while it heat the fresh air by absorbing the heat from the polluted air. Also, all passive houses have solar panels that convert the sun light to electricity that serves the house. Moreover, some of the houses have wind tribunes which also provide it with electricity. The wind tribunes are installed only if the area where the house is built has sufficient amount of wind. There are many advantages of building house passively. The cost of electricity is very low which is about 100à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ a year. Also, it is eco-friendly because it uses less electricity and that lead to less consumption of petroleum product, nature gas, coal and wood. These products release a lot Carbon Dioxide (CO2) that pollute the air which leads to global warming. In addition, it improved the sustainability of the house. Furthermore, it helps people who have allergies by reducing their symptoms. It is reduced because the air ventilation system cleans the air from dust are pollution. However, there is one disadvantage of passive housing that is air tightness, so without an efficient air ventilation system that keep the air clean and preserve an excellent humidity percentage in the house. Conclusion To summarize, sustainable architecture is the way of building without harming the environment. There are many ways of sustainable architecture, and one of them is passive housing. It has one key principle which is minimizing the energy lost from the house. Passive housing is new trend which started in 1988. The standards of passive housing are set by Professors Bo Adamson and Dr. Wolfgang Feist. The standards of passive housing have two main ideas which are the orientation of the building and the construction material. The cost of passive housing is higher than a normal house by 5-15%. Eco friendly and cost efficiency are advantages of passive housing, but air tightness is a disadvantage.

Deregulation Of The Airline Industry :: essays research papers

Deregulation of the Airline Industry The airline industry has been subject of intense price competition since it was deregulated, and the result has been a number of new carriers which specialize in regional service and no-frills operations. These carriers typically purchase older aircraft and often operate outside the industry-wide computerized reservations system. In exchange for these inconveniences, passengers receive low fares relative to the industry as a whole. This research examines two low fare air carriers, ValuJet and Southwest Airlines. By investigating these air carriers, we can better understand the economic impacts of price versus service in the airline industry as a whole, as well as, the impacts on passenger and investor confidence. Until 1978, air transport rates were approved by the government, which meant that price was not a primary competitive factor. Instead, airlines would compete on service and image. The airline industry was dominated by giants (American, United, TWA) which offered nationwide and some international service, and by regional carriers, such as Southwest, which offered short trips between airports not served by the nationals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deregulation of the airline industry brought about in 1978 introduced a situation in which the national and regional carriers were suddenly able to compete in an environment that resembled a free market. Rate schedules were lifted, price fixing was eliminated and route management was removed. The main factors that affected whether an airline could serve a particular city was whether or not that city had enough gates for the new carrier, and whether the carrier was able to afford to purchase them. Companies such as Southwest recognized potential for low fares, and began building a niche for themselves by offering low fares with equivalent low levels of service. Southwest's success gave rise to a new generation of low fare airlines, with ValuJet entering the market in the early 1990's. Unfortunately, ValuJet suffered a string of accidents which brought the future of this air carrier into question. ValuJet is a low-priced airline that offers inexpensive tickets for regional travel. Based in Atlanta, the airline serves the Southeastern United States and competes with Continental Airlines as well as with other small regional carriers. It serves 31 cities primarily in the southeastern United States. The airline began its service with flights to Tampa and Orlando from Atlanta in 1993. The no-frills strategy paid off for the fledgling airline, which posted half again as many revenue passenger miles in April 1996 as it did in April 1995. However, the company announced that it was slowing the expansion of its services, voluntarily, at the same time that it posted this impressive revenue mark (Cole & Pasztor, 1996, p. Deregulation Of The Airline Industry :: essays research papers Deregulation of the Airline Industry The airline industry has been subject of intense price competition since it was deregulated, and the result has been a number of new carriers which specialize in regional service and no-frills operations. These carriers typically purchase older aircraft and often operate outside the industry-wide computerized reservations system. In exchange for these inconveniences, passengers receive low fares relative to the industry as a whole. This research examines two low fare air carriers, ValuJet and Southwest Airlines. By investigating these air carriers, we can better understand the economic impacts of price versus service in the airline industry as a whole, as well as, the impacts on passenger and investor confidence. Until 1978, air transport rates were approved by the government, which meant that price was not a primary competitive factor. Instead, airlines would compete on service and image. The airline industry was dominated by giants (American, United, TWA) which offered nationwide and some international service, and by regional carriers, such as Southwest, which offered short trips between airports not served by the nationals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deregulation of the airline industry brought about in 1978 introduced a situation in which the national and regional carriers were suddenly able to compete in an environment that resembled a free market. Rate schedules were lifted, price fixing was eliminated and route management was removed. The main factors that affected whether an airline could serve a particular city was whether or not that city had enough gates for the new carrier, and whether the carrier was able to afford to purchase them. Companies such as Southwest recognized potential for low fares, and began building a niche for themselves by offering low fares with equivalent low levels of service. Southwest's success gave rise to a new generation of low fare airlines, with ValuJet entering the market in the early 1990's. Unfortunately, ValuJet suffered a string of accidents which brought the future of this air carrier into question. ValuJet is a low-priced airline that offers inexpensive tickets for regional travel. Based in Atlanta, the airline serves the Southeastern United States and competes with Continental Airlines as well as with other small regional carriers. It serves 31 cities primarily in the southeastern United States. The airline began its service with flights to Tampa and Orlando from Atlanta in 1993. The no-frills strategy paid off for the fledgling airline, which posted half again as many revenue passenger miles in April 1996 as it did in April 1995. However, the company announced that it was slowing the expansion of its services, voluntarily, at the same time that it posted this impressive revenue mark (Cole & Pasztor, 1996, p.

Gender Quota Policies Essay -- Law, Women Behavior in Hearing Debate

In general, every country has two choices when it comes to getting women involved in politics; they can either encourage women’s participation in politics or implement policies that require parties and parliament to have a certain proportion of women holding elected offices (Stokes, 2005: 78). The second option requires that the party adopts the gender quota system which is a number of seats reserved for women (Stokes, 2005:77). Ever since quotas have been adopted and diffused across nations, the proportion of women in national legislature has increased from the period of 1975 to 1995 (Caul; 2001:1214). This goes to show that the adoption of quota policies have facilitated women’s entrance into politics. However, the road to adoption of the quotas policies has been influenced by several factors: political and societal (Caul; 2001), as well as parties’ culture and characteristics (Stokes 2005, Chapter 1). The rationale behind using quota policies is that the more women are present in legislative politics, the more chances women will have the chance to influence policy (Lyn: 1994: 560). Lyn Kathlene examines women’s presence and behaviours in a Colorado state in legislature hearing committees to test for their input in policy making and debates. The question that this paper seeks to answer if whether or not women get to influence policy making once in office, like advocates hoped for? We will see that to a certain extent it is possible to observe women’s impact in the decision making process. Although other pressures such cultural, negative conversational dynamics between men and women are present it does not decrease the rate of women’s participation in political decision making process. Instead it exposes the negative response ... ... on issues that directly affect them such as family issues. Their presence in national legislature means that they were elected by the population, they not only acting on behalf of all women but also standing in these hearing committees as their duty as a delegate of those who have elected her. The grounds for their interventions are based on their ability to position themselves as women but also as an elected official. Being present at hearing debates, shows that their presence is aligned with their ability to influence policy, regardless of the times they get interrupted. Male’s behaviours towards women expose a reality that is more related to their characters and behaviours. The findings that we have looked do not show any connection male’s behaviours towards women in hearing debate that discourage them from participating and voicing their opinions in debates.

Acid Base Extraction Essay -- essays research papers

Acid Base Extraction The purpose of this laboratory assignment was two-fold, first, we were to demonstrate the extraction of acids and bases, finally, determining what unknowns were present. Second, we were to extract caffeine from tea. These two assignment will be documented in two separate entities. Introduction: Acid/base extraction involves carrying out simple acid/base reactions in order to separate strong organic acids, weak organic acids neutral organic compounds and basic organic substances. The procedure for this laboratory assignment are on the following pages. 3) Separation of Carboxylic Acid, a Phenol and a Neutral Substance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The purpose of this acid/base extraction is to separate a mixture of equal parts of benzoic acid(strong acid) and 2-naphthanol(weak base) and 1,4- dimethoxybenzene(neutral) by extracting from tert-butylmethyl ether(very volatile).The goal of this experiment was to identify the three components in the mixture and to determine the percent recovery of each from the mixture. 4) Separation of a Neutral and Basic Substance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A mixture of equal parts of a neutral substance containing either naphthalene or benzoin and a basic substance containing either 4-chloroaniline or ethyl 4-aminobenzoate were to be separated by extraction from an ether solution. Once the separation took place, and crystallization was carried out, it became possible to determine what components were in the unknown mixture, by means of a melting point determination. Results Procedure Observations Inference Dissolve 3.05g Phenol Mixture was a golden-Neutral acid in 30ml brown/yellow color t-butyl methyl ether in Erlenmeyer flask and transfer mixture to 125ml separatory funnel using little ether to complete the transfer Add 10 ml of water  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Organic layer=mixture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  aqueous layer=water(clear) Add 10 ml saturated aqueous   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sodium bicarbonate  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NaHCO3 dissolves in solution sodium bicarbonate  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ... ...sp;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Caffeine salicylate is a Pasteur pipette while the  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  isolated(white color)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  formed. beaker is in the ice bath then vacuum filter. Caffeine beaker:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  51.61g   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   -51.56g   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  .05g = 50mg % yield = .05g x 100% = 20%   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .25g Caffeine salicylate:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  17.198g   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   -17.036g   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .062g % yield = .062g x 100% = 25%   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .25g Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the HPLC graph that follows, my product was very pure. The actual melting point of caffeine salicylate is 137 degree(C), my product was found to have a melting point of 138 degrees (C). As before, of course this experiment was not done completely error-free, the error is due almost entirely on human error.

Early Childhood Services Norway Essay

Government goal – â€Å"all children whose parents wish it should have a place in a barnehage, full-time or part-time. † (OECD, 1999:12) â€Å"All municipalities must offer an ECEC place to all parents †¦ who want to enrol their child. As yet, corresponding legislation has not been drafted to give a legal right to all parents to a place for their child. † (OECD, 2006: 399) Two separate traditions brought together in Barnehage – * Educationally focused barnehage (19th century – Froebel) * Daghem – (translates as day home) Precursor was barneasyl (children’s asylum 1837) – more social , focused on poor families. Norways approach to Early Childhood Care and Education Barnehage – viewed as having â€Å"an integrated care and educational role† †¦ â€Å"care and learning are seen as inseparable activities. † (OECD, 199: 12) Provision grew slowly – 1970’s increase in service (1970 attendance – 5% of 3/4 yrs olds to 1990’s – attendance rates for 1 – 5 yr olds = 47-60% and increase since then) Very few children under 12mths in barnehage (well developed parental leave system) Barnehage – vary in terms of ownership, management, and funding. 47% – public, owned and managed by local authorities (kommune). Remainder are private – owned and managed in a variety of ways (parent groups, non-profit organisations). All receive state subsidy – all parents make payments – all local authorities subsidise public barnehager that they own and manage. Local authorities vary re policy subsidising private barnehager. Consequence – 3 types of barnehage in relation to funding (public, private – receive local authority funding & private – who do not receive local authority funding). Variations in public funding – parental fees higher in private barnehage – (except those who fall under the local authority funding). Variations in parental fees in local authority barnehage – some cases fees the same for all families. Norwegian System – 4 other types of provision; 1. ‘open kindergarten’ – children attend with parent/carer. 2. Family Day care divided into two groups – Private (a) offer totally private service; 3. Family day carers (b) networks (familiebarnehager) – can be public/private managed & supervised by one trained pre-school teacher per 30 children. 4. SFO – care and recreation for school aged children (6yrs was 7yrs) outside school hours. School in first 4 grades – from 6 yrs = 20 hours per week – child spends rest of time in SFO. SFO – may be located at school, or separate accommodation. Attendance rates vary. Education system overall dominated by groups care in a particular type of centre. Staff in Barnehager 3 types of staff†¦ 1. Styrere (leader) – management. 2. Pedagogiske (trained teacher). 3. Assistents . Remaining staff†¦ * Bilingual assistants (ethnic minority groups) * Other teaching staff (special needs) * Other persons (chefs/cleaners) All styrere & pedagogiske – have to have qualified as ECEC teacher (both types of staff have the same training). Training in ECEC Norway  3 years full time study – possible to do 4 year distance learning training (mature students with some experience avail of this). In service training available. Admission to pre-school training – 3 year study in general subjects at upper secondary. No special requirements for assistents (recently introduction of 2 years of school and 2 years in workplace = can choose health & social care /child & youth workers option to cover work in the barnehager, SFO, clubs and other services. Salaries – depends on training & position. (OECD,1999: 16) Most staff in barnehager are female. Men 8% of all staff direct contact with children. (OECD 2006) Emphasis on men in childcare – two main motives: 1. gender equality 2. right of children to meet both men and women. Male workers seen as important to boys. Childhood institutionalised (role models mainly women – concern from Norwegian Government) (Research into this needed †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ) Children with diverse needs (OECD 2006) Children with disabilities: Children with disabilities have a priority right to services provided it is deemed by an expert that the child will be able to benefit from attending the day care institution. Children from low-income families: The child poverty rate in Norway is 3. 4% after taxes and transfers, compared to the OECD average of 11. 2%. The barnehage is considered to play an important role in terms of preventive child welfare. Children living in at-risk circumstances, places are fully funded by municipalities. Supports are provided also to enable barnehager accommodate children with disabilities, children from low-income families and bilingual children. Ethnic and bilingual children: An indigenous ethnic group, the Sami, constitute 1. 7% of the Norwegian population. Sami language kindergartens are funded generously whenever there is a concentration of Sami families. Curriculum and pedagogy: The first national curriculum plan, called a Framework Plan, came into force in 1996. The curriculum, which must be used by all barnehager, is based on the Nordic tradition of combining education and care. A Sami supplement is integrated in the plan. All barnehager, including familiebarnehager and open barnehager, must base their annual plans on this Framework, which is the National Curriculum. The Framework Plan emphasises that both local cultural values and the national cultural heritage, as reflected in the childhood environment, must be represented in the activity of the barnehage (Background Report for Norway, 1999). A revised Framework Plan enters into force on 1st August 2006. The main principles are the same, with the new Kindergarten Act giving children a legal right to participate in all questions concerning their daily lives in ECEC. The Norwegian Child (OECD, 1999:21) â€Å"strong idea of how the Norwegian child should be and what it means to live a good childhood† (OECD, 1999:21). â€Å"Important to protect childhood from too much adult control† (OECD, 1999:21). â€Å"Adults should not take childhood away from children, but bring it back to them. † (OECDm 1999:21) Value of childhood & children seen as a social group within society.