Ecological survey of the Lime Cay Essay Example for Free

Ecological survey of the Lime tonality EssayLime Cay, the man islet of the Port imperial Cays, located 17 degrees north and 76 degrees west, is one of the many key fruits in Jamaica. By definition, a cay is a small low elevated arenaceous island formed on the surface of a coral reef. These types of islands are usually found in the Caribbean Sea, Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Ocean. Also they are circular in shape. A cay is home to many different species due to the formation of habitats such as the rocky shore habitat. A cay is formed when the latest of the ocean transport lose sediments across the surface of a reef to a depositional node, which is where two currents converge and the sediment load is released.Layers of deposited sediment gradually go on up on the reef surface resulting in a low island forming on this reef. Cays hand over a variety of habitats ranging from marine to terrestrial. Hence, Cays are important protectors of the biodiversity of our planet. Cays prov ide several habitats for its organisms such as rocky shores, sea grass beds, sand bed, coral beds and inner terrestrial land. Prominent organisms that occupy the marine and the coastal habitats acknowledge echinoderms, crabs, fishes etc. The terrestrial portion of Cay is usually dominated by various gentlemans gentlemangrove species.MethodA trip was made to Lime Cay to carry out a comprehensive ecological study of Lime Cay. It was done in 4 parts Project 1 The Impact of Man on the Environment Persons walked along the cay and waded in the water to find evidence of the presence of man to determine the ways in which he affects the habitat. depict of the presence of animals was also investigated and a possible food web was made based on the animals (or evidence of animals) that were observed.Project 2 Echinoderm DistributionA convocation of 8 swimmers went into the surrounding sea of the cay with snorkelling gear in order to observe the abundance and distribution of echinoderms in h abitats where they were likely to be found. A quadrant was randomly thrown 5 times in each of the different sea habitats. These included the sea grass, sea sand and the rocky habitats. The number of echinoderms in the quadrant for each throw in each habitat was recorded in a table.Project 3 Mangrove DistributionPersons walked around the cay and into the mangrove, and identified the different mangrove types, making note of the characteristics of each plant, as well as the ambient conditions and how they could affect the distribution of the mangroves.Project 4 stony Shore StudyA suitable area of the rocky shore was investigated and notes were made on how conditions in this area varied (in terms of temperature and salinity) and how organisms were adapted to lie with in this environment.

Brazil and United States Healthcare Essay Example for Free

brazil and get together States health reverence EssayAbstractThe topic of wellness portion out has become the most pressing and ongoing debates for not only when the get together States entirely also umteen a(prenominal) other nations around the world. Many countries collapse implemented a universal wellness c everyplaceage for age with effective results. musical composition the United States steps into a immature national health cargon program, the organization can buoy observe brazil-nut trees health treat system to learn valuable littleons. The type of health care system a country chooses has a major effect on the countrys health care professionals. While comparing the health care professionals of the United States and Brazil, many similarities can be seen however, the United States can learn many lessons from Brazil.A Comparative Analysis of Health Care Professionals in Brazil to Those in the United StatesThe latest topic in the United States today, is the subject of healthcare reform in the United States. With the Patient Protection and inexpensive Care Act (ACA) upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012, Americans everywhere retain formed an opinion about the new national health care systemmost opinions display the national system as negative. However, several developed nations similar to the United States digest partaken in a national health care system for years. The lifesize nation of Brazil has utilized a national health system since 1923, and has seen both positives and negatives. Many Americans see the supply and demand of health care professionals as a potential threat to the future of the ACA and the United States as a wholea definite issue that has affected Brazil.In Brazil, health care is viewed as a constitutional right being offered by private and government organizations and is an obligation of the state. Through the Unified Health System (SUS), public health care is universal and provided free of charge to all Brazilia n permanent residents. In addition to the United Health System, Brazilians also have private base health amends coverage which the wealthier population can usually purchase, and Brazilians can be offered healthcoverage by their respective employers if available. As of 2003, 174.6 million Brazilian residents receiving benefits from the SUS were documented. Of the 174.6 million, 475,699 healthcare professionals existed within Brazilian health care. In 2012, the make sense percentage of GDP spent on health expenditure in Brazil was at a four-year high of 9.3%.However, Brazils health expenditure is far lower than the United States health expenditure that spent a total of 17.9% in 2012. In Brazil the total life expectancy has been on the rise since 2000. In 2010, comely Brazilian life expectancy was reported at 73.5 years with a life expectancy for men at 69.7 and for women at 77.3. The infant mortality enumerate rate in Brazil has been decreasing over the years, save is still co nsidered high for a developed nation. Maternal mortality rate in Brazil is also decreasing in years and would be considered average compared to other countries. In an attempt to improve the national health care system in Brazil, the Brazilian government established the Mais Medicos program, or much doctors program, in 2013. The project was aimed to create close to 1,000 jobs for physicians to tend to patients in the 22 states that have fewer doctors than the national averagemost of the states lying in the Northern expanse of the nation.In addition to their salaries, doctors are provided financial aid to cover housing and sustenance per municipalities of the government. The program give employ physicians temporarily while the Brazilian government looks to increase attendance to Brazilian medical schools over a short amount of time by offering substantial amounts of financial aid and increase expenditures on medical school scholarships. Originally, the program was offered to Brazil ian resident doctors only in an attempt to bring doctors from the more populated and urban areas to the rural and less populated areas. When few residential doctors applied, the Brazilian government extended Mais Medicos to Brazilian doctors who received their education overseas and foreign doctors. Prior to applying, it was suggested that applicants should have a global understanding of the Portuguese language in order to be accepted into the program.At the end of the application process, virtually 20,000 doctors had submitted applications with listed preferences of the cities that they wish to work in. Doctors involved in the program are required to work 40 hours a week for three years and may work no longer than 6 years in the program. The physicians accepted into the Mais Medicos program receive 10,000 BrazilianReals (an equivalent to $4,501 US dollars) per month to spend on housing and necessities. During 2013, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff imported nearly 11,000 Cuban p hysicians to serve in the program. Cuban physicians were to serve similar hours, but their salaries would be sent to the Cuban government who would distribute 40%-50% of the earnings to the physicians work in Brazil. This exchange has been an ongoing debate between the medical community of Brazil and its government. The benefits listed above are considered to be beneficial to physicians.The life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and maternal mortality rate are all at a good standing compared to recent generations in Brazil therefore, the physicians having these characteristics as a add together topic shows that they were a part of a change in Brazil. Although the Mais Medicos program seems to have some flaws and a definite group that disapproves of it, it also is seen by many to do well for the health care system in Brazil and has many supporters. The common problem in Brazil for health care professionals seems to be a lack of distribution of doctors into the more rural areas of the country. On average in Brazil, there are only 2 hospital beds per 1,000 people. In the northern regions of Brazil, where more rural areas are found, the amount of hospitals per resident is lower than the average. Much like in the United States, doctors are very reluctant to the thought of starting a practice in a small rural town. Reasons being that small rural towns are usually less populated and on average bring in less household income.In Brazil, the idea of practicing medicine in these depressed areas is even less glamorous because of the government involvement in health care. In these areas, practices receive less attention including lack of supplies and infrastructure. Physicians located within wealthier and more populous areas have slightly better access to equipment and infrastructure, but the conditions differ only slightly. Doctors are extremely rushed with a constant overflow of patients and consistently working in hot rooms with little oxygenate circulation. This is problem does not only exist in the public clinics of general physicians. Specialist physicians have a persistent flood of patients who do not exigency a specialists care, but seek the specialist because there is no general physician available. Another challenge that Brazils physicians character is the complete absence of electronic health records (EHRs).Although electronic health records can be difficult andcostly to implement, the benefits of them to a health system that lacks infrastructure can be monumental. EHRs improve quality, convenience, care coordination, practice efficiencies, and cost efficiencies. Implementing electronic health records would improve the quality of Brazils physicians work environment. The last challenge Brazil physicians face is the existence of degeneracy within the system. One example includes Brazils wealthier population paying physicians under the table to treat them before others. While some patients are in dire need of an operation or treatmen t, a wealthier patient has the opportunity to offer the physician an amount of money that will sway the physician to treat their situation before otherseven though the others have been waiting an extended amount of time.Unfortunately, these types of situations are not illegal in Brazil therefore, it happens frequently. In the United States, health care has only recently been provided as universal coverage. It is an ongoing debate to whether health care in America is a right or a privilege. The United States has always offered free health coverage to the elderly and the poorpaid for by taxpayers. In 2010, Medicare and Medicaid covered at least 112,979,783. In addition to Medicare and Medicaid, most of the American population has chosen to receive employer-based health coverage. The number of Americans with employer-based health coverage, however, has been declining since the discussion of the Affordable Care Act. Since the Affordable Care Act has come about, over 8 million people hav e signed up for coverage with 87% of the fresh insured being previously uninsured. In 2012, the World Bank reported that there were 2.5 physicians per 1,000 people.In 2012, the total percentage of GDP spent on health expenditure in the United States was at a 17.9%. This total is far greater than the amount of GDP spent on health expenditure in Brazil. In the United States the average life expectancy has steadily increased over generations. The life expectancy reported in 2012 was 78.7 years. Although it would normally be a slight age difference, it is an incredible gap for life expectancy with Brazil at 73.5. The infant mortality rate in the United States has been steady over recent years at 6 deaths per 1,000 births. Maternal mortality rate is significantly lower in the U.S. than Brazil with Brazil at 69 deaths per 100,000 births and the United States at 28 deaths per 100,000 births. Overall, physiciansworking in the United States would have a greater professional advantage over t hose who practice in Brazil.Not only does the United States report superior statistics for life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and maternal mortality rate, but the United States is generally a wealthier nation than Brazil. Because the United States has been a democracy for over 200 years and because of their general wealth, it is likely that the United States is in a better position to take over a health care system plan like Brazils. Much like Brazil, the United States new ACA health care plan has cut the uninsured rate in half and will continue decreasing the number of uninsured over the next several years. In regards to the corruption that Brazil faces on a daily basis with the wealthy paying physicians under the table, the United States cannot completely rule out the possibilities of that happening within the new health care system. However, regulations and laws have been established to prevent such situations.While there are many benefits to becoming a healthcare profession al in the United States, there are also some challenges. One of the greatest challenges that physicians in the United States will face under the ACA is the growing number of patients who need to be seen by a doctor. New patients will flood waiting rooms with problems that may be preexisting with no prior treatment. However, doctors may not mind seeing more patients per day, because the amount of insurance reimbursement doctors receive will continue to decline. This is because the Affordable Care Act not only set out to achieve health care for more Americans, but it also set out to decrease overall health care costs.With the discussion of the ACA causing insurance reimbursement shrinkage and higher insurance premiums, it will become more costly to run a private practice. Overall, both the United States and Brazils health care system have their advantages and disadvantages. While American physicians are struggling with shrinking reimbursements and a surplus of patients, Brazilian phys icians are struggling with a lack of equipment and supplies and are challenged by corruption regularly. While it seems that the United States is leaning towards a similar health care system to Brazils United Health System, Americans can correct the mistakes do by Brazil in regards to the treatment and use of its health care professionals.ReferencesThe Affordable Care Act A Quick Guide forPhysicians. (n.d.). National Physicians Alliance. Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http//npalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/NPA-ACA.Quick_.Guide_.for_.Physicians.041311.pBevins, V. (2014, January 6). Brazils president imports Cuban doctors to ease shortage. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http//www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-ff-brazil-doctors-20140106-story.htmlpage=1Elias, Paulo Eduardo M., and Amelia Cohn. Health Reform in Brazil Lessons to Consider. PubMed Central. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articlesFlying in doctors. (2013, August 31). The Economist. Retrieved July 8, 2014, from http//www.economist.com/news/americas/21584349-government-imports-foreigners-reach-parts-locals-dont-want-flying-doctorsKane, J. (2012, October 22). Health Costs How the U.S. Compares With Other Countries. PBS. Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http//www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/health-costs-how-the-us-compares-with-other-countries/LoGiurato, B. (2014, May 1). Heres How Many People Actually Gained Insurance Because Of Obamacare. Business Insider. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http//www.businessinsider.com/how-many-people-signed-up-for-obamacare-2014-Squires, D. A. (2012, May 1). The mission of The Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high performance health care system. The Fund carries out this mandate by supporting independent research on health care issues and devising grants to improve health care practice and policy. Support for . Issues in International Health Policy. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http//www.commonwealthfund.org //mediThe World Bank. (n.d.). The World Bank. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http//data.worldbank.org

The Principle Role of Financial Intermediaries Essay Example for Free

The Principle Role of Financial In vergeediaries EssayThere are evidences that financial intermediaries play a key role in improving the performance of the economy. (Morawski 4) Not to mention that they could even act as a good predictor of recollective run rates of economic growth, slap-up accumulation and productivity improvement (King and Levine cited in Chakraborty 1). However, what exactly- is the linguistic rule role of financial intermediaries? This is what this essay tries to answer.This essay aims at discussing the principle role of financial intermediaries (banks, investment companies, financial advisors or brokers, credit unions, mutual funds, and insurance companies). The best approach to achieve this goal is to search the literature to schooling what is written concerning financial intermediaries different roles and assess these roles to come up with the principle role of these institutions.However, first of all, it was necessary to study different definitions for financial intermediaries in subject field these definitions could give an idea about the principle role of them. For example, -according to Claus et al. financial intermediaries channel funds from those who have savings to those who have more productive uses for them (2). Also, Jalan defined financial intermediaries as institutions which transfer funds from economic agent with surplus funds (surplus units) to economic agents (deficit units) that would like to utilize those funds.Then, Morawski provided a better definition to Financial intermediaries term as institutions which provide channeling or efficiently transfer funds between lenders (surplus units) and (deficit units) borrowers that are brought together in order to achieve higher production and strength for the economy as a whole. or in anformer(a) word, as she mentioned institutions which pool resources from various small investors so that they can be able to afterward lend those funds (2, 3)Then, it was clear that these definitions actually give the financial intermediaries principle role. However, to be sure that the principle role is what mentioned in definitions of the term, it was logical to move to other research findings that discussed basic or vital roles of financial intermediaries. Corrigan mentioned that the vital and indispensible role of financial intermediaries is in helping societies economies achieve a broad range of habitual policy goals, including, but not limited to- mobilizing and allocating savings in an yieldive and efficient manner (10)According to Chakraborty, financial intermediaries perform the roles of (a) resource mobilization and allocation, (b) adventure diversification and (c) liquidity management to foster development of the real sector (1) and thats exactly what Morawski assure The low transaction costs allow those institutions to cover liquidity services as it is simpler to sell financial instruments to raise cash and in the same time reduce the exposure t o potential risks by sharing risks among various investors (3)Diamond and Dybvig summarized these roles when they showed that financial intermediaries can enhance risk sharing, which can be a precondition of liquidity, and can thus improve welfare (cited in Claus et al. 2). And finished these two financial services provision of liquidity and risk sharing- they reduce the costs of moving funds and help in overcoming information unbalance between borrowers and lenders, leading to more efficient allocation of resources and faster economic growth (Claus et al. , 2) Claus et al. mentioned two channels through which financial intermediaries can have an effect on economic growth, capital accumulation and technological innovation. (7-8) While this supply of funds provided by financial intermediaries according to Goldsmith- through loans or through the purchase of securities is an essential if not the primary economic function of financial intermediaries (180)Finally, based on these defini tions and research findings, the principle role of financial intermediaries is in achieving the expertness and effectiveness in supplying funds to the market by mobilizing and allocating resources or funds -with (a) low transactions costs and (b) overcoming information asymmetry- between borrowers (surplus units) and lenders (deficit units) -through two of import services, the (1) provision of liquidity and (2) risk sharing- and as a result to this better utilization of these funds (more investments and higher production- leads to economic growth or welfare (through (1) capital accumulation, (2) improved or enhanced productivity, and (3) technological innovation).

Proposal for Light Rail Transit System in Hamilton

Proposal for well-heeled Rail Transit System in HamiltonLRT SYSTEM PROPOSALLRT System BackgroundIntegrative public transportation is critical for any metropolitan city, and Hamilton is by no means an exception. Transportation is a key issue in Hamilton and a sustainable transportation system such as the LRT system is the answer to the congestion problems. The LRT system is much(prenominal) than than put forwardd moving people from place to place. It is about providing a catalyst for the development of high quality, safe, sustainable and affordable transportation options for our citizens, connecting key destination points, stimulating stinting development and revitalizing Hamilton (Daily Commercial News, 2014). By planning and implementing an LRT system with an eco-friendly focus, it is indicative of a community oriented city. An LRT system would have a positive order in terms of economics in the city, by attracting new businesses and increasing investment. On top of that, the environment would be better off as in that respect would be less congestion and pollution. An LRT system would contribute to the ability to provide the city with a better image by being cleaner and more modern. Currently, Hamilton is highly dependent on automobiles and by designing the city just about rapid transit systems it can connect many destinations together. The designing of the project is to provide the citizens of Hamilton with a better economic, social and environmental quality of life (Hamilton Rapid Transit, 2010). Downtown Hamilton is a massive economic center(a) and employment cluster. Many Hamiltonians real have occupations in Hamilton, and it is clear that the priority should be improving the transportation system and in particular the pelt along, consistency and the quality of Hamiltons transportation system. Therefore, it is discernible that Light Rail Transit lead revitalize the urban neighbourhoods, attract new investment, improve air quality and reduce t he congestion of political machines in Hamilton. climb up Routes/ StopsDowntown Hamilton is without a doubt an attractive destination for a variety of attractions and businesses. Therefore, it can be very beneficial to build a Light Rail Transit system that travels through and through downtown. There needs to be a lot of thought and consideration when constructing potential stops within downtown Hamilton, as the LRT needs to take into account on how to outstrip increase citizen access to places of employment, residential areas, and key municipal services. The three proposed stops were chosen because of their law of proximity to major intersections, where vehicle and pedestrian traffic is quite high. Many would view the intersection of King Street West and Macnab Street South as a great location for a stop. However, upon doing more research it is evident that this location is non a critical stop because there is too much car and pedestrian congestion. To build a LRT stop in this location at the heart of Hamiltons downtown core would mean months of road closures and construction. This would result in negative impacts to any businesses within this radius. Additionally, another location that was rejected was Cannon Street West and Macnab Street South. This location was rejected for the reason that it was too confining to our third stop at Cannon Street West and Bay Street North. If we put a stop at this location it would defeat the purpose of the LRT of being a red-hot and more sustainable way of transportation for the citizens of Hamilton. In this case it would be like a bus making give away stops every few blocks. Additionally, this location has little pedestrian traffic, little lighting, and no businesses or buildings around. Therefore, this location would defeat the purpose of the LRT and reducing congestion. Another misfortunate stop location would be at the intersection of Cannon Street West and Hess Street North. At first glance, one would think th is would be a great location for a stop due to the area being populated on weekends and weeknights. However, this area is populated with a younger demographic of generally students, and a few substantial issues arise. Since the principal(a) demographic in this area is younger citizens that are perhaps more immature, this could result in problems with people abusing and not respecting the LRT service. In turn, some people will avoid the LRT system as a whole and not take advantage of the system. Overall, these stops are best to be avoided as they will provide minimal benefit to the citizens of Hamilton.Justification of Chosen RouteFollowing the analysis of a few lanes, it was chosen that throng Street North would be the primary street for the Light Rail Transit system to travel on. Bay Street North was rejected for the primary route as it is a one way street fromAberdeen Avenueto Cannon Street West. Additionally, it has only two lanes with many large parking lots discharge alongs ide and with the Hamilton Court House taking up a major section along Bay Street. Bay Street is not suitable because last(prenominal) King Street West, there are minimal amounts of pedestrians which are critical to the LRT systems effectiveness. By moving a few blocks East to James Street South, this presents a much more logical location and opportunity for the LRT System to be situated. This location would provide the necessary social, environmental and economic requirements to make the LRT system as beneficial as possible.There are many advantages with the proposed route, but in particular stimulating Hamiltons economy is one of the biggest benefits of the LRT implementation plan. The construction of the LRT itself would potentially create 6000 jobs, while the operation and maintenance of the system would create over 1000 (Hamilton Rapid Transit, 2010). In addition, since the primary street for the route is James Street, this will provide a faster and more efficient mode of trans portation for the people living in this area. On top of that, it would potentially bring more customers to refined businesses throughout Hamilton, and in particularly on James Street. Overall, real estate value of those homes situated near the LRT system in Hamilton will too increase as a result (Higgins, 2012).This particular chosen route has many positive impacts on the surrounding neighbourhoods around the downtown core and in particular, greatly benefits the day to day living conditions of the residents living around James Street. A major advantage of this route is that it travels directly through the area which is know as the, code-red zone. Maps show the neighbourhoods in close proximity of James Street as being below the poverty line (Code red Mapping, 2006). An LRT route travelling through the area would see real estate values increase and a domino effect will follow and encourage more construction building and investment into developing the downtown core.Furthermore, the establishment of LRT would encourage people to actually use public transport and reduce the amount of vehicles in the downtown core. This would result in traffic congestion being meaningfully reduced. The intersection of James and King is very noisy and would drastically benefit by having less congestion, especially at peak traffic hours. As congestion decreases, this results in environmental benefits by having less pollution and less noise around the LRT system. The LRT system runs solely on electricity, producing no emissions and therefore no sound.However, with any massive construction project there also come disadvantages. After examining the proposed route, a clear disadvantage arises when analyzing the landscape of James Street North. The area is extremely dense in not only population, but with large commercial buildings and small businesses surrounding it. This means that heavy construction for the LRT would need to take place and creates a significant challenge for the City of Hamilton. In the short term, this would create significant traffic congestion but the final product would be well worth the short term congestion. The other disadvantage is that there is a surmise of trees and bushes getting in the way of construction because there is quite an abundance running around James Street, which poses another challenge. Overall, this particular route has advantages that far surmount the disadvantages, by providing citizens with an improved quality of life, environmental benefits and connecting key destinations together.Stop Two Intersection of King St E. and James St NThe second proposed stop for the LRT system is to be located at the intersection of King Street East and James Street North. This stop is very critical for numerous reasons. Firstly, this intersection is the heart and center of Hamiltons downtown core. In addition, James Street is distinctively known as being historical and introducing unique buildings such as the Lister close off build ing in 1961 which was the first indoor commercial mall in Canada. This intersection is also home to the Bank of Nova Scotia and the Canadian Imperial Bank of commercialism (CIBC). This is an attractive location for a stop because of all the businesses in the vicinity such as banks, restaurants and KPMG LLP Hamilton. Additionally, there are numerous consumer outlets such as capital of Mississippi Square directly at the intersection, with many fast food and restaurants in the surrounding area. Jackson Square is an indoor shopping mall and commercial Byzantine that also houses a movie theatre. The major advantage of this stop is that there are four bus shelters all within 50 metres of the intersection. This is important as this is obviously a very key stop for citizens and they could all greatly benefit by using the more efficient LRT system as contend to busses. Along with this, people that use the bus service on a daily basis will be able to see how much faster and efficient this system is compared to taking a bus, while also reducing their carbon footprint. Since this intersection is at the heart of downtown Hamilton, it will serve as a positive reflection on Hamiltons dedication to a clean and environmentally sound future. Finally, it will reduce traffic congestion by eliminating a majority of the downtown bus routes. The major disadvantage is the fact that since there are many large buildings and many businesses, building the LRT system through this location would pose a significant challenge. This is due to the high traffic density and pedestrian traffic that may pose a threat to the speed of the construction process. Although this is only a short term disadvantage of building in this location, the benefits will be very noticeable in such as traffic congested area.ReferencesDailycommercialnews.com,. (2014). Hamiltons transit future shifting gears?. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http//www.dailycommercialnews.com/Home/News/2014/5/Hamiltons-transit-future- shifting-gears-DCN060326W/.Hamilton Rapid Transit. (2010). Moving Hamilton Forward with LRT. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http//www.hamiltonrapidtransit.ca/wp nitty-gritty/uploads/2011/03/RT_Funding_Proposal_FINAL.pdf.Higgins, Christopher D.(2012, April). The North American Light Rail Experience Insights for Hamilton. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http//mitl.mcmaster.ca/documents/MITL_LRT_August.pdf.Media.metroland.com,. (2015). Hamilton and Area Census Tracts. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http//media.metroland.com/thespec.com/statistics_flash/.ALL THE REFERENCES HAVE TO BE IN ALPHABETICAL coordinate

Toys and development from theory to research

Toys and development from theory to researchThe first twelve months of a childs life ar crucial for physical and cognitive development. At six months an child should be able to reach for and grasp objects so that during months 6-12 they learn to transfer objects from cardinal reach to the other, grasp a spoon across their palm, can sit without support, begin to crawl, pull themselves up and walk with assistance, and may begin to walk without assistance. These process of these developments argon explained in cognitive theories.One of the most influential cognitive theorists of development is Jean Piaget (1896-1980). Piaget proposed that a child is born with a repertoire of sensory and beat back schemes, such as looking, tasting, touching, hearing and reaching (Boyd Bee, 2009). Through the process of assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration, a childs schemes evolve into more complex mental schemes. Piaget proposed that this happens through the course of four stages sensori labour stage, pre-operational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage. It is the sensorimotor stage that concerns the development of schemes in an infant. During the sensorimotor stage, a baby understands the world through its senses and motor actions. In relation to the development of an infant from 6-12 months are Piagets substages of secondary circular reactions, and coordination of secondary schemes.Secondary circular reactions, which are noticeable around six months are an infants continual actions oriented around external objects. Also, at this stage, infants may show some signs of imitation, and an understanding of object concept (understanding of the nature of objects and how they behave) and object permanence (that objects continue to go when they are out of sight) (Boyd Bee, 2009).At around 8 months of age, an infant reaches the fourth substage of Piagets sensorimotor stage the coordination of secondary schemes. In this stage, an infant begins t o show an understanding for causal connections, which leads to means-end behavior, purposeful behaviour carried out in pursuit of a specific goal. An infant can now combine schemes, and can transfer information from one sense to another (cross-modal perception).Another cognitive theory is that of Vygotskys sociocultural theory, which asserts that complex forms of thinking have their origins in social interaction rather than in an individuals semiprivate explorations (book). Vygotsky believed that a childs learning of new cognitive skills is guided by an adult (or a more skilled child/sibling) through scaffolding a merged learning experience which is most beneficial when adapted to the childs zone of proximal development (developmental level). Vygotsky also emphasizes the importance of active exploration, in particular, assisted discovery.Recommended ToysLittle damn Told Me Softly Snail Snuggle-time Play-mat and GymThis gaudy, multi-textural play-mat contributes to the secondar y circular reaction stage of Piagets sensorimotor stage. The mat is designed to develop fine motor skills with the athletic supporter of its detachable rattle cons and teething rings. Features such as its musical antennae and baby safe mirror are included to serve up develop sensory schemes. The pillow, which comes with the play-mat, can help an infant to develop motor skills as it can be wontd as a chest support for tummy play, which can also encourage the development of complete(a) motor skills such as rolling over, and crawling. This defraud is also beneficial as it can assist infants in the coordination of secondary schemes, for example, the means-end behaviour of pressing the antennae to hear some music. This con is also ideal for a 6 month old infant to learn through assisted discovery, as Vygotsky suggested.VTech Singing Nursery Rhyme BookThis interactive book, which is full of rhymes and flashing lights, along with hide and seek functional features, of different colo urs and textures, is suitable for an infant of 6 months or older. This book is designed to stimulate the senses and improve hand to eye coordination. While it is an ideal toy to demonstrate Vygotskys assisted discovery with the help of an adult, it is also a toy that can help with Piagets secondary circular reactions and the coordination of such secondary schemes, such as understanding object permanence, and causal connections. This toy is also durable through further stages, as it is can help teach different language sounds, and colours.Fisher Price Rainforest JumparooThis toy includes a variety of colours, textures, sounds, and moving toys. Not only does it encourage the development of fine motor skills through the use of toys, but it also encourages the development of gross motor skills such as standing, and turning. Jumping causements activate lights and sounds, which stimulate the infants senses, and also cause the movement of the hanging toys which help with the development o f Piagets coordination of secondary schemes, e.g. intentional means-end behaviour, and cross-modal perception. This toy is full of features to facilitate Vygotskys assisted discovery, e.g. understanding cause and effect and encouraging hand-eye coordination.Go Go CaterpillarThis small moving toy, suitable for 9 months plus, is colourful, and contains colourful and noisy beads within its wheels. It encourages the development of gross motor skills as it pushes the infant to crawl or continue after the toy. The toys also has letters and number on it, which through the help of Vygotskys scaffolding, can lead to the learning of different letter sounds. Also the simple process of pressing the toy to make it move encourages the development of Piagets coordination of secondary schemes, such as learning cause and effect through repetition, and developing cross-modal perception.Little Superstar Sing Along lay outThis toy (suitable for 6 months and older) encourages singing, dancing, and dis covery on a number of levels. It has colourful features, which each make unique noises, including rattles and buttons, and also has a lights display. Along with this is a mike and instruments which play songs, and there is a built in child friendly mirror. The toy in general motivates expression and movement, and is ideal for assisted discovery, darn the use of the instruments and microphone encourage the development of fine motor skills such as hand-eye coordination, and the coordination of schemes such as means-end behaviour. The colours, lights, and mirror function as sensory stimulants, while the toy as a whole helps develop the coordination of schemes, and encourages activity.ConclusionOverall, cognitive development in an infant is highly important. Piaget and Vygotsky both have cognitive theories to explain development, and while they both have limitations, they can both be applied to all of the five toys I have chosen as the best toys for physical and cognitive development o f an infant, and in particular an infant between 6 and 12 months. For Piaget, the most important developments between these months are those secondary circular schemes, and the coordination of these schemes, including fine and gross motor skills, through assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration, while Vygotsky suggests that development occurs through social interactions guided through scaffolding, and assisted discovery.

Effect of Absent Fathers on Child Development

Effect of Absent Fathers on Child DevelopmentThe cause on Children of Absent Fathers and Divorced FathersThe family image has had a tremendous change from the way it was in the past and the way it is to solar day. There are several sources that let the cat out of the bag about the different situations within the relationships of the mother and drum down and the effects that the relationships have on their children. In Children of comical Fathers, authors Robert Barret, and Bryan Robinson talk about the effects on childrens behavior whenever there is a homosexual man parenting while raising his children or child. They similarly talk about how hard it is for homosexual men to receive out with their child or children and the reaction of others surrounding their children. The B every(prenominal)ad of a Single Mother Lynn Olcott advertises her story about the struggle as a wholeness mother without the father of her children in the picture (446). In Absent Fathers Why applyt We ever so Talk About the Unmarried Men? write by Rebecca fresh, she dialogue about the unmarried fathers and why they are off and the impacts that they have on their children or households. The main issue that these authors argue about is the father figures in childrens lives can affect the children in a positive or negative way depending on what is going on.The one thing that all the essays share in common is the financial difficulty that happens when the two parents split up, the mother or father. In Absent Fathers Why Dont We Ever Talk About the Unmarried Men?, Blank talks about the financial trouble that hotshot women go through either because the father is in jail, aban feigned the mother, or the mother has gotten a divorce and child support is non being giving to support the children. Blank states that when fathers leave that there is a financial burden put on the mother to take care of her children (440). The rise in genius parenting has not simply led to an increase in the number of children who physically live with and are primarily raised by their mothers. It has excessively meant massive financial desertion of these children by their fathers. This is a major fountain as to why the women who raise children on their own are so equivalently to be poor. said Blank (442). Blanks states that many women with low skill works opportunities statistically have children with men that are in the same situation as them and therefore both parents cannot provide for the child like they should financially (443). Similarly, Olcott talks about the financial problems she went through without a father for her children present in her story, The Ballad of a Single Mother. Olcott also mentions how when she was working that money was also an issue and how she was being underpaid like other mothers that were single and had to care for their children by themselves with no financial support (446). She had to work a lot in golf club to take care of her child so she had very little time to take care of her child most of the days. She even picked up another aeronaut which was a daycare bill in enjoin to make sure her child was kept in order to work the full time hypothesize to provide for her child.Olcott and Blank have stated that there will be a problem in the near future with the absent fathers and single parenting and they dont see it being figured out. Olcott wishes that she could spend more time with her children and have less financial problems and she says that she does not believe that her daughters or their daughters will not be able to stay home and nurture their own children without having a child as well. Olcott believes that there isnt going to be a day where single mothers could just easily give up their jobs to take care of their kids like in the past (447). Blank speak outs that it may be impossible to tell men to get a job to support their families in todays society. Though their behavior may not be excusable, ordering them to get a job and/or pay more in child support may not be as easily accomplished as in years past says Blank (444).There are several differences in these essays as well. Blanks talks about the lack of information single mothers neglect to report about the fathers. Most women know who the fathers are but just fail to acknowledge who they are when the baby is born on the birth certificate. She asserts that the actions of absent fathers are inexcusable (Blank 444). In contrast Olcott spoke of her financial hardships not out of self-pity or sorrow, but as if she is proud to have overcome the struggles of not having the support of her childrens father (447).The parents of children who have divorced or never been married can have a negative impact with the parents and children. In Children of Gay Fathers, Barret believes that when parents go through divorces and the fathers sexuality changes that the child force become stressed because of knowing their fathers sexuality. He also says that the heap that surround the child, friends, might distant themselves from the child or act different around the child because of the friends finding out that the father is gay may also put stress on the child causing them to distant themselves away from the father. Barret also states that divorce itself puts stress on children (410). In Absent Fathers Why Dont We Ever Talk About the Unmarried Men? Blank agrees that the absence of a father in the household puts stress on the single mother and child, and many times the child has no relationship with their father. For every single mother there is a father who is not living with his children says Blank (440). In The Ballad of a Single Mother Olcott tells about the trials and tribulations that her and her children had to go through without their father being in their lives. She also admitted that she had missed out on some events in her childrens life because she worked full time. While working a full time job she was not able to share i n these special times with her children, damaging their emotional relationships. One of her stories is about her son giving up soccer because her funds began to get tight and she couldnt establish for her son to continue to play soccer. She continues to tell how a group of men who managed the league helping him to continue playing in the league by gainful the fees. She kind of relates these men to being that father figure that her son never had and shows that if the father was present that she wouldnt have to worry about an issue like this one.The way American families are today is totally different from within the past. It seems that having an absent father is the new norm. In many families, you see many single mothers raise their children on their own and struggle to make ends meet most of the time. Most of the time women have to have government assistance in order to provide for their children. There are several sources that talk about the different situations within the relati onships of the mother and father and the effects that the relationships have on their children. In the triplet essays I chose, the authors share a common ground. They really speak on the positive and negative effects that absent fathers can have on not only the child but also the family as a whole. The mother struggles and the child stresses because of divorce or because of the sexuality of the father and fear of what society might think about the child and parent. Some people say that a father being absent is inexcusable and feel sorry for the women to have to go through what they do or did and you have some women who are actually glad that they went through the struggle and overcame it at the same time like Lynn Olcott mentions in her story about being a single mother. You also have some authors that agree with each other saying that they dont think that single parenting women will be able to give up their jobs all the way and nurture a child at the same time without essay to do so. What are your thoughts on single mothers and absent fathers or single fathers parenting?Works CitedBarret, Robert, and Bryan E. Robinson. Children of Gay Fathers. report in the Disciplines A Reader and Rhetoric for faculty member Writers. 7th ed. Eds. Mary Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy. Upper Saddle River Pearson, 2012. 409-414. Print.Blank, Rebecca M. Absent FathersWhy Dont We Ever Talk About the Unmarried Men? Writing in the Disciplines A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers. 7th ed. Eds. Mary Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy. Upper Saddle River Pearson, 2012. 439-444. Print.Olcott, Lynn. The Ballad of a Single Mother. Writing in the Disciplines A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers. 7th ed. Eds. Mary Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy. Upper Saddle River Pearson, 2012. 446-447. Print.

Deconstruction and Multiplicity of Self through Modern Technology :: Technological Essays

Deconstruction and Multiplicity of Self through Modern engineeringThe Internet has allowed a postmodern view of self to dominate and serve as the solution to a dilemma that modernism has perpetuated surrounding self perception. much(prenominal) a dilemma includes the identity crisis. Having only one self is restricting and kindle be dangerous, especially if the self is viewed as bad by the case-by-case/self or others. It be completes critical, in the modernist view of self, to like oneself or else one will have to either self-hate or self-destruct. Self destruction would mean to come out off or eliminate the self-defining characteristics that one dislikes. My Mother always told me Its never to late to be who you really are. This advice functions to encourage combat against proscribe self-image that modernism cultivates. For some, this process is like clearing the slate. Starting from scratch will hopefully be refreshing to ones self-esteem and self-value, but outset over as the new you can be a difficult and scary adjustment as well. For the same reasons, labels and stereotypes control and shape ones identity. The postmodern, technological world loosens the powerful grip of modernisms resulting restrictions on selfhood.Modernism promotes an either-or option for self being one thing or other (and, hopefully, that dichotomy is not the dangerous good-bad ultimatum). On the other hand, postmodernism allows for fluidity and does not condemn or pollute the entire self with one portion of self-identity. Additionally, the rile about a new yous role in society will never arise as the new you is just another you in a postmodern self concept. No one has one true self nor control over others perceptions of ones selves. Therefore, one must come to terms with the fragmented, multiplicities of their own identity. Their self exists in the here-and-now, and is much less definable in simple categories. While others, then, cannot grasp and categorize your i dentity, the possibility exists, that neither can the self which is you. This presents a freeing and frustrating capacity for any individual worried about control. The postmodern, technology-age self is not contained. It is a limitless region adequate with environment-sensitive traits. We can imagine such a concept through the unlimited Internetin the vast expanse called cyberspace. Viewing ourselves through, or actually as composed like, a machine unlocks such infinite possibilities in identity.