Dulce Decorum

Taylor 1 Dying for a State through Poetry Wilfred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est uses vivid imagery which removes any romantic ideas that it is sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland. Randall Jarrell’s The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner uses ambiguity to compare death for the state and abortion. Both writings convey the horror of dying for a state. The Death of the Ball turret Gunner begins â€Å"from my mother’s sleep, I fell into a state and hunched in its belly until my fur froze. † This is saying that the gunner was born from his mother’s warmth into a cold state, as he is born in the belly of a high altitude bomber.The â€Å"State† is referred to as cold and less nourishing in Randall Jerrell’s poem. In Dulce et Decorum Est the poem reveals hidden truths of the first world war, and showed the cruelties the soldiers had to face on a day to day basis. Dulce et Decorum est begins â€Å"Bent double, like old beggars† (5) A ll the turmoil’s that young men were put through making them feel and look older than they really were, breaking them down making them lose their spirit they had as young men. What makes this poem unique is the fact that Wilfred Owen was there to witness the horrors of the first world war.Owen continues â€Å"An ecstasy of fumbling fitting helmets. † As the soldiers ran from the gas bombs their helmets bouncing on their heads, putting them at bigger risk of dying for your country. War is often glorified by others that have not experienced how horrifying war can be and they think that they can be hero’s, because of stories they heard as a child from a mother or a father that makes war seem romantic and patriotic so they should enlist in the romance of being that hero not realizing that the war is truly a horrifying experience.Owen states at the end of his poem â€Å"to children ardent for some desperate glory† (25) Children who think it is sweet and honora ble to die for ones country because someone who has no experience has told them stories of romance and patriotism allowing them to believe they will be hero’s in the perfect dream. Taylor 2 Wilfred Owen and Randall Jerrell both tell the gruesome truths of the war and ow it really was to be that unsung hero that watched his friends die and be put into a cart to be hauled off not really knowing if their families and loved ones knew they had passed on, or how it was to be the product of a war and to not live past your first hour because you were born into the freezing belly of a bomber plane and treated like trash when the plane has finally landed and was being cleaned out. How the war today is any different than what both of these authors are trying to say?There is no difference because in Dulce et Decorum est the very last words â€Å"The old lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. † â€Å"It is sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland. † The recruitment offices of today still tell their soldiers that they are doing America a favor by fighting for them and that it is an honorable way to live life however it is not said that it is honorable if you die but if you live you have better opportunities in life to go somewhere and be someone.What happened to those young men who fought in the First World War? Most of them lost their friend because they were told it was honorable to die for their country, then a lot of them came home from the wars crippled and could not participate in the things they did before they enlisted, and then some of them came home in a plain pine box to families that only then saw the horrors of the war.

Cell Phone Technology Essay

Technology had become engrained in our society. Everywhere people are using cell phones, including children and teenagers. Cell phone technology and technology in general have change the way we do everything in our society. Technology has dramatically altered our world. They have become a necessary part of everyday life so much so that it is leaking into the education world as a new tool despite the concern of the negative effects of cell phone technology. There is a new wave in some schools around the United States. There are some districts that are embracing the use of cell phones in the classroom. Some administers have come around to the thinking that the use of this technology in the classroom can be of benefit in the learning setting. There are also concerns that the same technology can be too distracting for students. However, the use of cell phones in the educational world is worth looking at despite some of the concerns that many adults share. Texting has become the preferred method of basic communication between teenagers and their friends. Seventy-five percent of 12-17 year olds own cell phones, which is up from forty-five percent in 2004 (Lenhart, 2010). Phones have no doubt become an indispensable tool in communication for teens. Eighty-eight percent of teen cell phone users are text messengers (Lenhart, 2010). More than half (fifty-four percent) are daily texters. Among all teens, the use of texting has overtaken the frequency of every other form of communication. The concern about the overuse of cell phones is that it may have negative consequences in teenager’s education.  ¼ of text messages that teens send are sent during class. A survey conducted by Beneson’s online poll, polled 1,013 teens- eighty-four percent that have cell phones-show that a significant number of stud ents have information stored on their phones or has texted answers to their friends. The same poll also found teens send 440 text messages a week on average, 110 of them sent during class (Toppo, 2009). For this reason cell phone use is prohibited for use during the school say within most public schools in the United States. Most administrations and teachers feel that cell phone usage is a negative distraction and deterrent to learning. Administrators are often concerned about the inappropriate use of cell phones, which is the reason that there are restrictions of cell phone (according to Obringer & Coffey, 2007, St. Gerard, 2006). Cell phones ringing can present unwanted distraction and for some students, sending and receiving text messages that can lead to cheating (according to Gilroy, 2003). There is also the real possibility of students posting improper pictures is a concern (according to Obringer & Coffey, 2007). However, many are choosing to look at cell phones as a new learning tool in the classroom setting. Over the years we have seen on the news about students posting improper photos and language on social networking sites, which causes administrators and teachers to have a real concern. These concerns that many have are valid, and should be addressed. There have been many cases in which the abuse of cell phones has been a huge problem, but administrators want to take a chance on using cell phones in this setting. The important thing to keep in mind that there is down side, yes, but there is a way to monitor the use of this technology too. PPCD teacher Debra Vela, who has 17 years of teaching experience says, â€Å"Sexting, posting of improper photos and cheating may be a legitimate worry, but the benefits outweigh these negative points.† Students today are referred to as â€Å"Digital Natives† (according to Prensky, 2001). They have grown up with technology and multitasking, and in the habit of quickly processing information (Humble-Thaden, 2011). However, as cell phone technology expands with the possibilities of texting, web browsing and gaming have increased over the recent years and administrators are still worried about the distractions of electronic devices. A survey of students and parents by the group Common Sense Media found that almost seventy percent of schools around the country ban cell phone use during the school day (Schachter, 2009). There are some districts and administrators, though that are beginning to realize the potential of cell phones. It is a part an â€Å"anytime, anywhere† learning movement (Schachter, 2009). This leaves laptops and even smaller netbooks behind, in favor for more mobile, affordable and reliable handheld devices like â€Å"smartphones† that can run such programs as Windows Mobile. â€Å"Technology has finally progressed to where mobile devices are cheap and powerful enough to use,† observes Elliot Soloway, a professor at the University of Michigan (Schachter, 2009). A study of twenty-five mobile learning initiatives worldwide by the Joan Ganz Cooney Foundation Center at Sesame Workshop anointed them the wave of the future. â€Å"Just as Sesame Street help transformed television into a revolutionary tool for learning among young children four decades ago, advances in mobile technologies are showing untapped educational potential for today’s generation,† the report author’s wrote (Schachter, 2009). In 1969, the way children learned changed when Sesame Street aired on PBS. The loved Muppets of the educational show captured the hearts and attention of toddlers. The show taught them the basics of 123’s and ABC’s to the importance of friendships. Before the age of four, children had already learned the basics for their future education by watching this television show. The same is happening today with the use of cell phones. It is drastically changing the face of the way children learn and take information in. Fifth graders at Trinity Meadows (Keller, TX) spent most of their days on their HTC 6800 smartphones, using the GoKnow’s platform. Fifty-five students led the way in a pilot program using the new generation of cell phones and their advanced technology for educational ends. For example, students can draw the solar system on their devices and animate them to show them in real obit. Students can also upload assignments the teacher sends to the server and then the teacher can grade them and submit them back to the student electronically (Schachter, 200). At an early age, children are learning the advantages of technolog y, and will carry it into the future. They are learning to use cell phones as a learning tool, and making the best of what this technology has to offer. Children today have a chance to express themselves creatively and learn in a way that they are familiar with. They are at an advantage since they are already so use to using the technology the world has to offer. â€Å"Allowing children to use cell phone technology in the classroom will provide them with the tools for more creativity to create wonderful projects,† Vela says. This pilot program has shown that the use of cell phone technology in the classroom can be of benefit to the students. Not only that the teachers have a new method of reaching students that they otherwise would not have. With the use of cell phone teachers have new ways of teaching lessons, and the interactivity of these lessons are more likely to reach the minds of students. With the use of cell phone technology in the classroom the children that need a more creative outlet this provides them with platform to do so. Children that need this outlet can create and not be tied down to pencil, paper, marker, c rayons and glue. This allows them to be able to express themselves using the medium that they know best. Using cell phones in the classroom settings as a tool enables them to stay focused and interested in the things that they are learning. Technology is such an important part of everyday life, especially in cell phone technologies. And because of the increasing improvement of cell phone technology has allowed the next generation to use them in a whole new way to learn. Although, there is concern about the overuse of cell phones, the benefits may outweigh the negatives. â€Å"I still think students need to learn the ‘old fashion’ way because what happens if technology becomes unavailable to them? Also students need to be able to use their brains for higher learning,† says Vela. Technology is a wonderful tool to use in the classroom for all age groups. They can benefit from the interactivity of the Internet and all the information that the World Wide Web has to offer students as well as teachers. Children in today’s classrooms have an opportunity that past generations did not have. They have the chance to make a big impression on their lives by allowing themselves to use cell phones to their advantage not their disadvantage. The technology of cell phones has taken over almost every aspect of human activity. Adults as well as children have been consumed by the use of them, and now it has leaked over into the world of education. There are many concerns about the overuse of this technology, but many districts are taking the chance to embrace it and try it out in the classrooms. It has been shown that there are benefits for school children. Although, there is some debate about this issue it is important to remember that there is a need for balance. Reference Lenhart, Amanda. (2010). Teens, cell phone and texting. Pew Research Center Publications. Retrieved 3 June 2012 from http://pewresearch.org. Humble-Thaden, Beth. (2011). Student Reflective Perception of High School Educational Cell Phone Technology Usage. Journal of Technology Studies. Retrieved 3 June 2010 from http://web.ebscohost.com. Toppo, Greg. (2009). Survey: Many teens use phones in class to text or cheat. USA Today. Retrieved 3 June 2012 from http://www.usatoday.com. Schachter, Ron. (2009). Mobile Devices in the classroom. District Administration Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2012 from http://ww.eric.com. Interview: Debra Vela, PPCD Teacher, 17+ years teaching.

Discuss The roles of power and social stratification Essay

Discuss The roles of power and social stratification - Essay Example These western influences impacted on Lia’s family in several ways; first of all, they became entangled in constant tugs of war with the American doctors who brushed of Hmong strong cultural beliefs as unreasonable and stupid. On the contrary, Lia’s family believed in the Hmong beliefs, and in it, was confused by the medicine administered by the doctors together with the Hmong rituals they were still holding onto. The other effect that Lia’s family encountered while on foreign soil was that by accepting the [new] western cultures. To them, the western cultures were overly rude and disrespectful as was seen in the medical settings. In the Hmong beliefs, a doctor could not undress a patient or use powerful drugs on them. These were, however allowed in America. Again, they did not understand the medical explanation for epilepsy as an effect to the brain; rather, they perceived of it as â€Å"exit† of one’s soul, which to them was caused by Lia’s sister banging the door to her little sister. These are some of the cultural challenges they encountered in America. On the other hand, the statuses of the Hmong were also affected by their arrival to America. At the outset, they comprehended that they had plunged themselves into an excessively stratifying culture, and in the segregation that followed, they felt less welcome and enslaved in the west. This is because the westerners perceived on the Hmong as inferior and â€Å"contaminators† of their culture. As such, they looked upon them as mere aliens invading their land and went on to be rather harsh on them. The effect of this was the Hmong is acquiring lower levels of esteem while on foreign soil. On the other hand, they also deteriorated materially in that they did not find any worthy jobs to act as sources of life for them and had to compete with unemployed Americans in seeking for demeaning jobs. Their unemployment statuses were

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Marketing - Essay Example Tariff is a tax which is imposed on imported goods with an intention to increase revenue of domestic industries and protect them. Apart from non-tax barrier, the entire barrier of trade is considered as non-tariff barrier. Both tariff as well as non-tariff barriers may result in creating difficulties for national economies in the long run. In this paper, the distinction between tariff and non-tariff barriers has been elucidated succinctly. The paper also covers in detail the non-tariff barriers faced by a marketing organisation while conducting business with developed and industrialised countries (International Marketing, 2010). 2.0 Distinction and Explanation of Differences between Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade Trade barriers are often tariffs and taxes imposed to protect and increase the revenue of local producers. International efforts to eliminate these discriminatory tariffs have been an on-going process for around 50 years. This process is synchronised initially by th e General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which is followed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and also other nine rounds of the international trade negotiations which govern the current WTO system (Business Link, n.d.). A tariff is a tax which is imposed on foreign goods when they enter a country. It is a tax which is imposed on the imports of commodities into a region and is considered to be among the oldest forms of government intervention in economic activity. This tax is implemented for two reasons which include: i) it provides income for the government, and ii) it develops economic returns to firms as well as improve suppliers of resources towards domestic industry that face competition from foreign imports. Tariff facilitates the income of domestic producers from competition in foreign environment. This protection helps the consumers, who generally pay higher prices for import-competing goods to pay at an economic cost in the domestic environment. Furthermore, it al so comes at an economic cost towards the economy through inadequate allocation of resources towards the domestic industry which has been competing for imports (Sumner & Et. Al., n.d.). Non-tariff barrier is a non tax barrier which is imposed by governments in order to support domestic suppliers over foreign suppliers. This type of barrier covers broad range of measures. A few of the measures among these possess a comparatively insignificant trade effects and this may include packaging as well as labelling requirements that may hinder trade but only marginally. Various other non-tariff measures are quotas, restraints, voluntary restraint of export, non-automatic import authorization and trade restraint under Multifiber Arrangement along with variable import. All these have been considered in order to reduce imports and thereby benefit domestic producers (Coughlin & Wood, n.d.). Quota is a restriction specified in either value or physical units while importing the products for a speci fic period. It is implemented by means of licenses issued to either importers or exporters. It is also related to import from a few countries or from all foreign countries. Voluntary export restraints and Multifiber

Effectiveness of Health and Safety at Work Place in Bangladesh Essay

Effectiveness of Health and Safety at Work Place in Bangladesh - Essay Example Fire and collapse incidents proved that compliance with employee safety was not being assured and workers were forced to work in vulnerable working conditions to keep their body and soul together. On 24 April 2013, a very grave collapse of garments industry was observed at a ten storey building in Bangladesh. It made the entire world suspicious of what could have happened. The accident took place in well known Rana Plaza where five garment factories were running with worldwide interactions. Many renowned brands were used to interact with garment factories in Bangladesh because of good quality of garments at cheaper costs. However the poor health and safety conditions are thought to be responsible of the deadliest building collapse in the history of Bangladesh (BBC News 2013). It is right to remark that it has become an alarming situation for governing bodies in order to cope the global defame and for resuming the relationships for trade and business. In near past, before the lethal c ollapse, Bangladesh remained a center of attention for international buyers because of extremely low wage rates. According to Minimum Wage Board (2010), the average wage in Bangladesh was Taka 3000/- which is extremely low as compared to contemporary market rate (Mondy and Noe et al. 2005). 2. The Accident The tragic collapse in Sawar on 24th April 2013 was one of the most astonishing historical accidents. The said plaza, situated in Sawar, Dhaka, was tremendously collapsed at 8:58 a.m on that day. The plaza building has been estimated to have 5000 workers employed in five garments factories. According to the government press release, around 1131 workers kicked the bucket in the accident and their bodies were rescued. The government spokesman further divulged that 2438 workers were rescued alive. In the collapse five garment factories, one bank, ATM booths, a market and parking lots were devastated (Mehr 2013). Rescue services were offered by Bangladesh army, Fire and civil defense services, Bangladesh Police and several volunteer welfare and nongovernmental organization. The made the injured reach to hospitals and different first aid spots according to the severity of injury. Emergency was enforced in public as well as in private hospitals at Dhaka (BBC News 2013). It has been reported that a morning before the collapse, a two inch crack was observed in ground pillars of the building. By hearing the news, several journalists of leading television channels arrived at the building. They covered the news and were lean to talk to the owner of building Sohel Rana. After the call, the owner personally came to the building and said that the crack is not dangerous. It can be managed without enforcing any emergency in the building. The peace of the building must not be disturbed. He asked the journalists not to report the news. He let out the situation of building satisfactory in all respects and went away. A local engineer visited the building and told that the condi tion is severely vulnerable; the building must be emptied immediately and should be inspected by a competent team of professional engineers (Quinn 2013). By seeing the response of the building owner, the garment factories’ owners decided to close the factories. From the next day, labors were called for strike.

Current Issues in Management and Financial Accounting Essay

Current Issues in Management and Financial Accounting - Essay Example The aim is to show the current issues that are making the two fields different; the current issues related with these fields. According to Lawrence J. Gitman differences between the two, harmonized financial accounting and variables management accounting are shown in this assignment to understand their purpose to deal with the accounting system. Below different factors are given used to develop a clear information to the reader that how the role of these two branches differ. Garrison Noreen mentioned that two approaches accounting differ with each other in respect to financial statements. The financial accounting actually deals with the presentation of financial data where as the management accounting is the management of the accounting and cost within the firm structure. The financial accounting system actually used to make different financial reporting and therefore, the financial accounting standard board has launched different standards that must be taken in consideration while forming the financial statements. That is the reason that the financial accounting system becomes a harmonized system whereas, management accounting do effect on the financial statements but this actually deals with the management of cost structure within the firm. ... ifference between the two approaches is that management accounting uses different forms of cost structure to ensure minimum cost used in the firm where as financial accounting actually deals with structures and reporting that inform that how much cost is incurred by the firm. The management of any firm uses the management accounting to control their cost within different firms where as financial accounting actually seeks the usefulness of such management accounting system. The management of the firm consider mainly on their cost structure so that they can manage their cost structure to gain much benefits in their financial statements. The financial accounting on the other hand has very precise purpose, it helps in forming the financial statements and also helps the firm to provide a better future understanding of their newly projects. They help to know that which project will be better while management accounting helps the management to manage their cost to gain extra. Therefore, the management uses the harmonized and standard financial accounting system to elaborate better financial conditions of the firm. Therefore, management The management accounting uses different standardized cost structures within the firm where as the financial accounting do not have any standardized cost structure that can be used by the firm. The system design of any firm includes the cost structure and cost design of the firm. For instance either the firm is using the job-order processing system and or process order system (Carl S. Warren, James M. Reeve, Philip F. (2005)). These systems define the cost structure of the firm. The firm chooses these management accounting systems according to the use of resources so that they can incur less cost in the firm. Where as, the financial

Physical security requirements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Physical security requirements - Essay Example uting to the problem are diverse; size of the building, anonymity inside the precincts of the building, contents of the building, characteristics of occupants, location and physical features. Every door in a tall building is supposed to have a working lock at all times for security of those using the different rooms. The doors and windows are supposed to be reinforced, fitted with intrusion alarms to whine away when someone intrudes in. lighting must be feasible at all times with a back-up generator in place just in case there is a power outage. Perimeters gates, fences and bollards are supposed to be erected all round to prevent unnecessary access by intruders. Physical security hardens a building and makes it inaccessible to the unwanted publics. Some offenders however see increased security as a threat to their ingenuity (Cofer, 2013). CCTV is a primary part of security of any building. Internet based CCTV can also be installed so that all security concerns about the building can be monitored elsewhere. This means that one does not have to be in the building to view the security concerns in it. It should however be noted that CCTV is quite open and seen and therefore interferes with the open offences that would have taken place. Once this is known, there is always a counter plan by the offenders. These should be erected in all possible places; the elevators, lobbies and along adjacent sidewalks. Three concepts address the aspect of physical design. Physical design determines the design of physical security. The first is creation of ‘defensible space’. Challinger (2008) stipulated that crime rate with reference to buildings increased as the number of floors increased. Situational crime prevention is also a fact under design of the building. A modification of environmental factors has to be made to reduce crime in the building. In the case of CPTED, all the workers in the building will be required to be aware of their situations and be responsible for

Handout Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Handout - Essay Example ssion can also occur from mother to child during â€Å"pregnancy, birth or through breast feeding† and this happens when infected maternal fluids enter a baby’s circulation. Another mode of transmission is through injections in which people share infected needles and syringes, especially those who abuse drugs. The shared materials often contain blood samples of previous users and the blood is injected into another person’s system (Public Health 1). Transfusion of contaminated blood, though this is controlled by screening blood products before use to minimize the risk, is another mode of the infection’s transmission. Other medical processes such as organ transplant may also transmit HIV but prior screening reduces recipients’ vulnerabilities. Previous infections by sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea and syphilis among other sexually transmitted infections increases a person’s risk of contracting HIV. Lastly, transmission can occur in health care settings when one encounter contaminated fluids or accidental injury by contaminated objects. The virus does not however spread through casual contact like shaking hands, toilet seats, and sharing towels as well as contact with saliva unless it is contaminated with blood (NHS Choices 1; Public Health

Challenges of factoring economic inequality into work-family programs Essay

Challenges of factoring economic inequality into work-family programs and policies - Essay Example They rely on government cash assistance, which is inadequate for providing even a minimal standard of living to these poor families. Therefore the biggest challenge for these families is that they must choose between health care and food, or between other necessary expenditures. Furthermore, many of these low-income families that are eligible for government cash or other assistance either do not know they are eligible, or find that the application process is very lengthy in receiving assistance (Mooney, Knox & Schacht, 2014). These challenges of excluding lower-income families from government policies and programs lead to certain implications. Around 67 percent of employed parents claim that they do not have enough time to spend time with their children, at the same time 63 percent of married workers complain that they cannot spend enough time with their partners (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Over half of all employees also claim that they do not even have enough time for themselves (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Such a tough routine of long working hours engenders feelings of stress and guilt that endangers the quality of family life, even as incomes rise (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Mothers reported that they spend an average of 5.5 hours a day caring their children in 1998, which is almost the same amount of time as mothers did in 1965 (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). They accomplished this time with their children largely by cutting back on activities including sleep time, household work, leisure activities, and personal interest activities. In fact, it can be said that mothers who are a part of paid labour force forgo sleep equivalent to one night every week as opposed to mothers who are not a part of paid labor force (Bernstein & Kornbluh, 2015). Bernstein, J., & Kornbluh, K. (2005). Running Faster To Stay In Place: The Growth of Family Work Hours and Income (pp. 1-13). Washington DC: New American Foundation. Retrieved from

Personal Skills and Professional Development Assignment - 1

Personal Skills and Professional Development - Assignment Example 255). In the process, clientele and users use the professionalism of construction engineers to make sure the construction plans are efficient, safe, and within budget. Construction engineers normally see a task from the beginning through to the end. During this period, the construction engineer collaborates with several other professionals like inspectors and engineers. These collaborations involve the production of designs and details that the building team requires. The roles of construction engineers differ extremely from self-employed and minor buildings tasks to working with international construction firms (Institute for Career, 2010). Projects handled by such firms usually wind up being construction engineering milestones because of their immense budgets and meaning. The professional effort of construction engineers is essential from the earliest phases of a construction task. This effort can begin with coming up with concepts of the building or structure’s appearance, determining costs, evaluating the requirements of the building’s users, and figuring out its effect on natural surroundings. Construction engineers also aid in selecting a site for a project and collaborating with servicers at the construction site. Here, construction engineers make sure services carry out their work accordingly to meet set standards and come up with a sustainable, well-designed, and artistically pleasant structure or building. Construction eng ineers are also required to have knowledge of moneymaking and financial aspects of construction. I chose construction engineering under construction due to three key reasons. First, construction engineering involves invention. The way an inventor creates a new device or concept is similar to the way a construction engineer designs structures and properties (Careers in Construction,

The Holocaust Essay Example for Free

The Holocaust Essay The term holocaust was coined in a general context, to describe   the brutal killing of   European jews during the second Woerld War, this was part of the National Socialist devised and employed extensive campaign to intentionally abolish jewish presence in Germany at the time.   Conversely, numerous scholars and historians only apply the term to the barbaric treatment of the jews, not to all the recipients of the Nazi Violence.   Several theories have been applied as to how and why the Holocaust happened.    The main objective is to answer two major queries about the Holocaust.   The primary question wishes to findout if there was a master plan behind Hitlers execution of the Holocaust.   The other question is about the initiative of the Holocaust and to whom it is credited.   Two good ways to explore the roots of such brutality and the causes as well as the inentions of the Holocaust are in the intentionalist and the structulist standpoints. Theoratically, the intentionalist view is concentrated on the effects of what a particular act wishes to accomplish.   The Intentionalist view simply interprets that Hitler already expressed hatred of Jews and has been vocal of his desire to push the Jews to the brink of extinction even before his rise to power took place.[1]   [In support of the intentionalist aspect, Lucy Dawidocz suggests that Hitlers long kept intentions against the jews were evident in the   crimes of genocide and discrimination that were executed in installments.   Dawidowicz also implies that the initiative originated from Hitler himself.[2]   ] [The legislation of the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 formalized the casual measures against Jews.   Hitler emphasized on the deprivation of civil rights of the jews just to show the consistency in   Nazi platform.[3] ] .   The first law forbade non-Aryans (Jews) to have marital engagements in order to preserve German purity in blood.   Second was the segregation of pure Germans from cross-bred citizens into nationals and Reich Citizens.   The legislation was symbolic due to the fact that Hitler and the German Parliament were already acting independently via the dictatorial Enabling Act.   . Practically, Hitler forced Jews to work for the industry of the German War only with primitive tools and barely adequate provisions up to the pinnacle of humane physical limit.   [According to Dawidowiczs book, The war Against the Jews, the provisions of the German frontline in the USSR were disrupted so that the jews may be transported to the extermination camps.[4]   ] [By these elements, it was evident that Anti-jewish advocacies reached critical levels via Hitlers personal emotions and his ressurection of previous perspectives by a former German King and re-introducing them in the policies of Nazi Germany. .[5]   ] In another intentionalist view,   Hitlers intentions erupted as a result of his rise to power and the long wait for the aforementioned intentions to become a reality.   It was obviously felt through the German governments treatment of slaves as expendable property and of little or no worth in the operation of war machines, hence, they were disposed after doing their part.[6]   Slave driving never placed Hitler in the pedestal of contentment.   Hitler brought out more from his arsenal in terms of methodology as the Hitler regime, after the conquest of Poland in eastern Europe, deployed an army whose sole purpose is to slay jews and the political adversaries of the Nazis.   Just a sample of how far the German Government, and Hitler for that matter, are willing to go just to ensure a jewish free Germany, and probably the world. [Dawidiowcz notes that Hatred and anti-semitism have never been a blatant aftermath of a system of beliefs by a group, let alone a person.   Hitlers view of the jews was the the most probable origin of   expounding vile belief in the justification of viscious murders, an instance never encountered in history before. ]   Moreover, Hitlers hatred of the Jews were the core of his beliefs and is credited to be the sculptor of his general outlook and political intentions.   It is in this contexts that the heart of the National Socialist constitution was grounded. In the structulist angle, there were several factors that contributed to the Holocaust.   [Primarily, the components of the German Government were in direct inolvement as far as the operations on the mass killing were concerned, classifying Germany as a Genocidal State.[7]]   Legislative acts regarding persecution of jews were already drafted and approved long before Hitler acquired power.   Hence, the Holocaust was also influenced by several factors. In the conference of ministers, Nazi representative, Adolf Wagner,   contended that economic instability will continue until the government has come up with a firm policy against the jews.   [The minister of Economics, Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, countered the theory claiming such a theory makes no sense and that jews have remarkable entrepreneurial skills.   In the same regard, but Schacht did not condemn the anit-jewish policy and even approved of the passing of the legislation just to put order to an intensifying situation.[8]]   [Structulistically, it was quite obvious that the Holocaust wass not only rooted to the personal hatred of Adolf Hitler, but on the economic turmoil as well, [9]] A closer look at the circumstance may support the theory that the ruthless Nazi treatment of jews was also the cause of the declining economy integrated with   international relations and reactions to and from Germany.   The hierarchy of officials from Hitlers government were involved in the accomplishment of the Holocaust together with the local populace, police, army and national railways.   These constituents have a broader view and knowledge of the totality of what was really happening across the nation since the millions of lives processed by Nazis required manpower since the accomplishment of Hitlers advocacy included operations from several nearby regions and huge numbers of paperwork.[10] The structulist point of view was backboned by the doctoral dissertation which eventually became a book, Hitlers Willing Executioners.   Author and Harvard Affiliate for the center of European Studies Daniel Goldhagen argues that the participation and involvement of ordinary non-jewish Germans were also another perspective in the events of the Holocaust with reference to the responsibility and completion, Goldhagen (1996) contested that the general public of Germany had knowledge and approval of the execution of the Holocaust and that the majority would have personally done the act if required or had the oppurtunity to do so.[11] ] [Goldhagen also wrote that the antisemitist tendencies of the Germans were unique as it had eliminationist implications.[12]   ] Another argument by structulists was the low ratio of Germans against the mass murder of Jews and other political opponents of the government at the time.   In spite of the contradictions to the theory, Goldhagen stayed firm with his central claims.   In his own description, he claimed that the intent of his witten work was to address three debatable truths.   [The German perpetrators of the Holocaust treated Jews in all the brutal and lethal ways that they did because, by and large, they believed that what they were doing was right and necessary. Second, that there was long existing, virulent antisemitism in German society that led to the desire on the part of the vast majority of Germans to eliminate Jews somehow from German society. Third, that any explanation of the Holocaust must address and specify the causal relationship between antisemitism in Germany and the persecution and extermination of the Jews which so many ordinary Germans contributed to and supported.[13] ] Structulists believe that Hitler only scrutinized and exploited something that was already innate of a German.   [A reflection on the central ideas of Goldhagens book clearly stated that the Germans did not massacre the jewish tribes due to prior claims of social and psychological pressure, nor was it driven by solid fidelity to Hitler, it was applied with the hereditary hatred that were prepared years before the holocaust even became a reality in the German social landscape.[14]]   Moreover, jewish hatred, was already a culture of Germans and Hitler only implied it as a heroic act to persuade the people, that abruptly became the reason behind less resistance from recruited willing executioners to do Hitlers job for him. [The structulist application of Goldhagens idea denotes the persecution and extermination of the jews in Germany and Europe was not the first first of its kind.   Throughout centuries various movements have been made towards the oppression of the jews, however, in the case of the Holocaust, the brutality was brought about by several factors which include social and cultural injection of hatred towards a particular race.   The methods used were different in the sense that the government amplified an emotion that was already present in the first place, years of implanting emotion was the recipe of total annihilation of the jews.[15] ] Conclusion   The Holocaust was one of the bloodiest racial discriminations ever experienced in history.   The question of Hitlers involvement is of vital relevance since his tyranny utilized full extent of power to â€Å"solve† the Jewish problem.   However, contrasting views such as Structulists deem of numerous factors that led to the Holocaust and its flawless accomplishment against the intentionalists conviction in reference to Hitlers personal intentions and sentiments may cause confusion as to who really was responsiblefor it.   The fact of the matter is that no one has the right to willingly claim the life of a person and/or race grounding from personal or innate rationality. Bibliography Goldhagen. Hitlers Willing Executioners. Random House Inc. New York. 1996 Boas, German-Jewish Internal Politics under Hitler 1933-1938. 1984. Dawidowicz. The War Against the Jews. Bantam. New York. 1986 [1]  Ã‚  Ã‚   L. Dawidowicz. The War Against the Jews.   Bantam. New York.   1986 [2]  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibid. [3]  Ã‚  Ã‚   L. Dawidowicz. The War Against the Jews.   Bantam. New York.   1986 [4]  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibid. 4 [5]  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibid. [6]  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibid. [7]  Ã‚  Ã‚   J. Boas, German-Jewish Internal Politics under Hitler 1933-1938. 1984. p. 3 [8]  Ã‚  Ã‚   J. Boas, German-Jewish Internal Politics under Hitler 1933-1938. 1984. p. 3 [9]  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ibid. 4 [10]   D. Goldhagen. Hitlers Willing Executioners.   Random House Inc. New York. 1996 p. 40 [11]   D. Goldhagen. Hitlers Willing Executioners.   Random House Inc. New York. 1996 p. 40 [12]   Ibid. [13]   Ibid. [14]   D. Goldhagen. Hitlers Willing Executioners.   Random House Inc. New York. 1996 [15]   Ibid.

Information Technology Ethics Essay Example for Free

Information Technology Ethics Essay Definitions -the right to be alone – the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by people. (Justice Louis Brandeis, Olmstead v. US, 1928) -the right of individuals to control the collection and use of information about themselves. Legal Aspects Protection from unreasonable intrusion upon one’s isolation. Protection from appropriation of one’s name or likeness.  Protection from unreasonable publicity given to one’s private. Protection from publicity that unreasonably places one in a false light before the public. RECENT HISTORY OF PRIVACY PROTECTION Communication Act of 1934 -it restricted the government’s ability to secretly intercept communications. However, under a 1968 federal statute, law enforcement officers can use wiretapping if they first obtain a court order. Wiretapping the interception of telephone or telegraph communications for purpose of espionage or surveillance. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (passed -1966, amended-1974) provides the public with the means to gain access to certain government records such as the spending patterns of an agency, the agency’s policies and the reasoning behind them, and the agency’s mission and goals. Fair Credit Reporting Act (1970) this act regulates the operations of credit-reporting bureaus, including how they collect, store, and use credit information. it is designed to promote accuracy, fairness, and privacy of information in the files of credit reporting companies and to check verification systems that gather and sell information about people. Privacy Act (1974) declares that no agency of the U.S. government can conceal the existence of any personal data record-keeping system, and that any agency that maintains such a system, must publicly describe both the kind of information in it and the manner in which the information will be used. the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the law enforcement agencies are excluded from this act. the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) â€Å"Fair Information Practices† are often held up as a model of ethical treatment of consumer data for organization to adopt. Summary of the 1980 OECD privacy guidelines Principle Guideline Collection limitation Limit the collection of personal data. All such data must be obtained lawfully and fairly with the subject’s consent and knowledge. Data Quality Personal data should be accurate, complete, current and relevant to the purpose for which it is used. Purpose Specification The purpose for which personal data is collected should be should be specified and should not be changed. Use Limitation Personal data should not be used beyond the specified purpose without a persons consent or by authority of law. Security Safeguards Personal data should be protected against unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure. Openness principle Data policies should exist and a â€Å"data controller† should be identified. Individual participation People should have the right to review their data, to challenge its correctness, and to have incorrect data changed. Accountability A â€Å"data controller† should be responsible for ensuring that the above principles are met. Children’s Online Protect Act (COPA)(1998) The law states that a website that caters to children must offer comprehensive privacy policies, notify their parents or guardians about its data collection practices, and receive parental consent before collecting any personal information from children under 13 years of age. European Company Directives 95/46/EC (1998) requires any company that does business within the borders of 15 Western European nations to implement a set of privacy directives on fair and appropriate use of information. Summary of the European Data Privacy Principle Notice Tell all customer what is done with their information. Choice Give customer a way to opt out of marketing. Onward Transfer Ensure that suppliers comply with the privacy policy. Access Give customer access to their information. Security Protect customer information from unauthorized access. Data Integrity Ensure that information are accurate and relevant. Enforcement Independently enforce the privacy policy. Better Business Bureau Online (BBB Online) and TRUSTe independent, nonprofit initiatives that favor an industry-regulated approach to data privacy which concerned about the government regulation that could have a negative impact on the Internet’s use and growth, and that such regulation would be costly to implement and difficult to change. The BBB Online Seal adheres that the website has a high level of data privacy. The seal program identifies online businesses that honor their own stated privacy policy. The TRUSTe’s main rule is that websites should openly communicate what information it gathers, its use, to whom it will be shared, and does the consumer has a choice of opting out. Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (1998) -this act required all financial-services institutions to communicate their data privacy policies and honor customer data-gathering preferences by July 1, 2001. This was to make them take actions to protect and secure customers’ nonpublic data from unauthorized access or use. KEY PRIVACY AND ANONYMITY ISSUES GOVERNMENTAL ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE Federal Wiretap Act (U.S. Code Title 18 Part 1, Chapter 119, Wire and Electronic Communications Interception and Interception of Oral Communications) it requires processes to obtain court authorization for surveillance of all kinds of electronic communications, including e-mail, fax, internet, and voice, in criminal investigation. A court order must be issued based on probable cause before a wiretap can commence. roving tap government authority to obtain a court order that does not name a specific telephone or e-mail, but allows them to tap any phone lines or internet accounts that the suspect uses. Electronic Communication Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA, U.S Code Title 18, part 2, Chapter 206) standards for access to stored e-mail and other electronic communications and records. ECPA amended Title III (Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968) extended the title III’s prohibitions against the unauthorized interception (use of person’s oral or electronic communications). -this act failed to address emerging technologies such as wireless modems, cellular, data networks, etc. thus, this communication can still be legally intercepted. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) allows wiretapping of aliens and citizens in the U.S. based on a finding of probable cause that the target is a member of a foreign terrorist group or an agent of a foreign power. Executive Order 123333 (U.S. Pres. Reagan, 1982) legal authority for electronic surveillance outside the U.S. It permits intelligence agencies to intercept communications outside the U.S. without a court order. Communication Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA, 1994) it covers radio-based data communication. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required providers of Internet phone and broadband services to ensure that their equipment can allow police wiretaps. USA Patriot Act of 2001 Gives sweeping new powers to Domestic law enforcement and International intelligence agencies. It contains several sunsets that gives the government much more surveillance capability. Sunset provisions – can terminates itself or portions after a specific date unless further actions is taken to extend the law DATA ENCRYPTION Cryptography – the science of encoding messages so that only the sender and the intended receiver can understand them. Encryption – the process of converting an electronic message into a form that can be understood only by the intended recipients. Public key encryption system uses two keys Message receiver’s public key readily available Message receiver’s private key kept secret Private key encryption system Single key to encode and decode messages RSA (named after Rivest, Shamir and Adleman) – is a public key encryption algorithm, the basis for much of the security that protects Web consumers and merchants. PGP ( Pretty Good Privacy) – uses 128 bit encryption that represents a total of 2128 . DES (Digital Encryption Standard) – the standard for encryption, it employs a 56 bit key that represents 7.21016 . (It can now be crack using brute methods) AES (Advanced Encryption Standards) – requires crackers to try as many as 1.11077 combinations. IDENTITY THEFT occurs when someone steals key pieces of personal information to gain access to a person’s financial accounts. fastest growing form of fraud in the United States. Phishing – is an attempt to steal personal identity data by tricking users into entering the information on a counterfeit Website. Spear-phishing – is a variation in which employees are sent phony emails that look like they came from high-level executives within their organization. Spyware – is a term for keystroke-logging software that is downloaded to users computer without adequate notice, consent, or control for the user. It creates a record of keystrokes entered into the computer with or without internet and will send to the email of the spy when internet connections are available. Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 the congress passed this act to fight identity fraud, making it a federal felony punishable by a prison sentence of 3 -25 years. researchers estimated that 1 of 700 identity crimes were led to conviction. CONSUMER PROFILING Companies openly collect personal information about Internet users. They also obtain information without users permission through the use of cookies. marketing firms uses this information in building databases that contains consumer behavioral data. They want to know about who the users are, what they like, how they behave, and what motives them to buy. Cookies a text file that a website puts on your hard drive so that it can remember your information later on. Affiliated Websites – is a group or collection of websites served by a single advertising network. 3 Types of Data Gathered POST – it is entered into a blank fields on an affiliated website when a consumer signs up for a service. GET – it reveals what the consumer requested product in a specific store. Click-Stream Data it is the tracking of the information the user sought and viewed. 4 Ways to Limit/Stop deposit Cookies Set browsers to limit or stop cookies or browse the web using the incognito browsing mode which will remove all marks of your browsing. Manually delete cookies in your hard drives. Download and install cookie management program. Or use anonymous proxy websites to browse websites. However, some websites lock users to browse in their page when cookie is disabled. Personalization software – it is used by marketers to optimize the number, frequency and mixture of their ad placements. It is also used to evaluate how visitors react to new ads. Types of Personalization Software Rule-based – used business rules that are tied to customer provided preferences or online behaviors to determine the most appropriate page views and product information to display. Collaborative Filtering – offers consumer recommendations based on the types of product purchased by other people with similar buying habits. Types of Personalization Software (Continued) Demographic Filtering – it augments click stream data and user supplied data with demographics information associated with user zip codes to make product suggestions. Contextual Commerce – associates product promotions and other e-commerce offerings with specific content a user may receive in a new story online. Platforms for Privacy Preferences (P3P) shields users from site that don’t provide the level of privacy protection  they desire. Instead of forcing users to find and read through the privacy policy for each site they visit, P3P software in the computers browser will download the privacy policy for each site, scan it and notify users if the policy does not match their preferences. The World Wide Web Consortium, an international privacy group whose members include Apple, Commerce One, Ericsson, and Microsoft, created P3P and is supporting its development. TREATING CONSUMERS DATA RESPONSIBILITY -Strong measures are required to avoid customer relationship problems. Code of Fair Information Practices – most widely accepted approach to treating consumers data responsibly. Guidelines of Code of Fair Information Practices and the 1980 OECD an organizations collects only personal information that is necessary to deliver its product and services. Company ensures that the information is carefully protected and accessible only by those with a need to know, and that consumers can review their own data and make corrections. Company informs customers if it intends to use it’s information for research or marketing, and it provides a means for them to opt out. Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) executive to oversee data privacy policies and initiatives. Duties of CPO Avoid government regulations and reassure customers that their privacy will be protected. Stop or modify major company marketing initiatives. Training employees about privacy and checking the companies privacy policy for potential risks. Figuring out if gaps exist and how to fill them. Developing and managing a process for customer privacy disputes. WORKPLACE MONITORING Employers monitor workers – Ensures that corporate IT usage policy is followed Fourth Amendment cannot be used to limit how a private employer treats its employees. – Public-sector employees have far greater privacy rights than in the private industry. Privacy advocates want federal legislation – To keeps employers from infringing upon privacy rights of employees. SPAMMING the transmission of the same email message to a large number of people. Spammers target individual users with direct email messages, building their mail list by scanning Usenet postings, buying mail lists or searching the web for addresses. extremely inexpensive method of marketing. used by many legitimate organizations. can contain unwanted and objectionable materials. Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing(CAN-SPAM)  the act says it is legal to spam provided that the message meet a few basic requirements: (1) spammers cannot disguise identity, (2) there must be a label in the message specifying that it is an ad or solicitation, and (3) include a way that the recipient can stop the receiving of spam. The act failed to slow the flow of spam but instead, it actually increased the flow of spam by legalizing it. ADVANCED SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY Advanced surveillance technology provide a new data gathering capabilities, however, these advance can also diminish individuals privacy. Advocates of the technology argue that people have no legitimate expectations of privacy in a public place. Camera Surveillance is one of the most common advanced system used in surveillance nowadays. It has the capability to record events, detecting unusual behaviour, automatically capturing important events, and used in monitoring day to day events in different places. Facial Recognition Software There have been numerous experiments with facial recognition software to help identify criminal suspects and other undesirable characters. It has been first tested by the Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department and yielded a result. Global Positioning System (GPS) These are chips placed in different devices to monitor locations of the  users. It is useful in locating callers of 911, parents monitoring their children, etc.

Being an effective primary school teacher

Being an effective primary school teacher Being an effective primary school teacher Introduction This essay discusses the question, â€Å"What do you consider to be an effective primary teacher?†. With reference to recent research, government initiatives and your own experience, the essay explores this question, based on my own educational principles and the ways in which these will underpin your professional practice in the future. The essay begins by reviewing the Government policies and initiatives that are relevant to the research question, discussing, in particular, the document  Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools  (DfES, 2003) and the subsequent Primary Strategy framework for primary education. The essay then moves on to discuss the aims of these policies and initiatives and the implications these have had for schools and teachers. The assessment framework is discussed, and how this impacts on teacher effectiveness is also noted. The essay then moves on to looking at the qualities of effective teachers, and effective teaching in a primary setting, and concludes that some of the facets of Government policies and initiatives – such as continual assessments – run counter to my ethos of effective teaching and actually serve as little other than distractions from pure teaching time, through all the administration such assessments bring and the amount of time this takes away from lesson planning, for example. Recent policies and initiatives in primary education In terms of Government policy towards primary education, in 2003, the Government launched the policy document  Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools  (DfES, 2003)  which set out a vision for the future of primary education built, formally, on the striving for higher standards through the formulation of a rich and varied curriculum which is aimed at developing children in a number of ways. As explained by the DfCSF (2008), the key to making this vision a reality lies in the need to empower primary school children to take control of their own learning, to be innovative and to develop their own character. The DfCSF (2008) also noted that the aims of the policy  Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools  (DfES, 2003)  should also be achieved through schools being able to set their own targets, based on challenging but realistic targets for the progress of each individual child, with LEA targets being set after this. In addition, the policy document  Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools  (DfES, 2003)  encourages schools to network to learn from each other and to develop good practice, in partnership with parents in order to help children as far as possible and to forge links between schools and communities (DfCSF, 2008). The policy document  Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools  (DfES, 2003)  was intended as an enabler, with leadership in schools being strengthened in terms of professional development of teachers towards the whole curriculum, and in terms of helping schools themselves design broad curriculum that links different areas of the curriculum and which thus provides children with as wide as possible a range of learning experiences (DfCSF, 2008). The policy document  Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools  (DfES, 2003)  argues that the best primary schools are those that offer a broad and rich curriculum, and that, based on this it is fundamental that schools develop their own distinctive character through taking ownership of the curriculum, by being creative and innovative, using tests, targets and tables to help every child to develop his or her potential (DfES, 2003). Essentially, the policy document  Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools  (DfES, 2003) urged the promotion of excellence in primary teaching through building on the success of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, using the new Primary Strategies to extend this success in to other areas of the curriculum, including in foreign languages, sport and creativity, amongst other areas, measuring the success of this curriculum through assessments (DfES, 2003). The Assessment Process: its implications for teaching practice and childhood attainment There are many ways in which assessment activities can take place in the classroom, including monitoring normal classwork activities, using specific assessment tests designed by the teacher, designating assessment tasks as part of normal classwork, providing assessment tasks as part of homework assignments, and others, which are the domain of higher educational levels than the foundation stage, such as the use of standardized National Curriculum tests and/or formal examinations (Kyriacou, 1999; p.107). Kyriacou (1999; p.107-109) details each of these assessment protocols, showing, for example, how, although monitoring classroom activity is a part of the normal routine of a teacher, the monitoring, when it becomes investigative and active can become a form of assessment (Kyriacou, 1999; p.107; Kyriacou, 1997). In this way, the monitoring can inform teaching practice, through leading to suggestions for improvements in how learning is delivered, based on observations of areas in which t he children are failing to learn as quickly or as thoroughly compared to other areas, for example. In this way, monitoring and assessment can be a route through which teaching can be improved and teachers can become more effective. In terms of how the assessment is actually made (i.e., the actual process of assessment), evidence is collected through an ongoing process, via the teachers knowledge of the child, information from other contributors who are in regular contact with the child, anecdotes about significant moments in the child’s development, and focused assessments, based on observation where observation is understood to mean â€Å"the practice of watching and listening to a child as they engage in an activity and demonstrate specific knowledge, skills and understanding† (NAA, 2007). As pointed out by Kyriacou (1999; p.106), it is imperative that an adequate record of the child’s achievements, and their assessment, is kept, and that portfolios of children’s work are kept in order to exemplify the standards that are being sought, and so that teachers can use these records as a benchmark to build upon, through which improvements to teaching practice can be made and teacher effe ctiveness be improved. Teachers thus need to be competent in many areas in order to ensure that the assessment process goes smoothly for all concerned and that the assessment process is something that can be useful for teachers, in terms of improving teaching practices. The need for teachers to be competent in the assessment of children is reflected in the fact that the DfEE (2000) list of standards for teachers lists the ability to assess and record each pupils progress systematically as a competency (Kyriacou, 1999; p.106). In addition, it is fundamental that assessment judgements are agreed amongst all concerned, so that all those involved can make the best, fullest, use of the information. The Primary Strategies outlined in the policy document  Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools  (DfES, 2003)  thus built on the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies to lead to the development of the Primary Curriculum, with the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies being embedded in the  Primary Strategy  (under the framework of the Primary Framework for literacy and mathematics that was launched in October 2006) (DfCSF, 2008). This new framework builds on the learning that has taken place since the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies were launched in 2003, providing new structures and new impetus to the vision embodied in the policy document  Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools  (DfES, 2003), extending, as it does, the support given only to literacy and to numeracy to other subjects (DfCSF, 2008). The overall ethos of the new Primary Strategy framework is that excellent education is an education that is tailored to children’s specific needs, allowing them to engage with the educational process and giving them the start they need to be able to succeed in the context of secondary education (DfCSF, 2008). In terms of the future education of primary children, and how assessments at the primary level affect children’s future educational development, it is well documented that the level of educational attainment of a child (as assessed through Key Stage 1 assessments) cannot – alone – be used as an indicator of how well a particular teacher or school has performed; it is the  relative  progress that needs to be considered in terms of making an assessment of how children’s future educational prospects are affected by the assessment process (Kyriacou, 1999; p. 106). Ways to do this include taking baseline measurements of achievement and comparing these with achievement following a certain time period of education, or taking value-added measurements (Kyriacou, 1999; p.106). In terms of tracking how children progress beyond the primary level, the relationship between Key Stage 1 assessments and attainment in terms of National Curriculum levels needs to be explored (AAIA, 2007). As discussed by AAIA (2007), however, Key Stage 1 attainments cannot be directly related to National Curriculum levels and any such attempts would result in spurious information (NAA, 2006). It is clear, however, that the higher the child’s assessment at Key Stage 1, the more likely it is that the child would attain high levels following the National Curriculum tests (AAIA, 2007). Models of good early years education Cohen  et al.  (2004) provides information on how to plan and organise classes, and shows how the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has set out principles for early years education (QCA, 1999; 2000; 2001), on the basis that, â€Å"effective education requires both a relevant curriculum and practitioners who understand and are able to implement the curriculum requirements†¦building on what children already know and can do, encouraging a positive attitude and a disposition to learn and to protect against early failure†. As the QCA (1999, 2000, 2001) point out, early years education should be carefully structured, providing different starting points, depending on what the child can already do, should have relevant and appropriate content, matching the different levels of children’s needs and should provide planned and purposeful activities which provide opportunities for teaching both indoors and outdoors, with teachers who are able to observe and respo nd appropriately to the children under their care. This is on the basis that â€Å"parents are children’s first and most enduring educators† (QCA, 2000, p.9), and that teachers provide a series of stepping stones through foundation stages, through Early Learning Goals, through primary level, which articulates with the National Curriculum which all children from age five are legally bound to follow (Cohen  et al.,  2004; Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, 2000). Cohen  et al.  (2004) show how key aspects of effective learning at the primary level are active, integrated, socially constructive, cognitively constructive and linguistically rich learning, beginning where the individual learner is at themselves, in terms of their learning process, so that the individual child is the agent of their learning, empowering the children to enable their own learning by casting learning as problem-solving (Morrison, 2000; Cohen  et al.,  2004). As Morrison (2000; p.122) states, â€Å"the intention (of learning) is to extend play, to empower students and to enable them to take responsibility for their own, active and autonomous, learning and to develop in all aspects of their learning†. This is conducted, generally, through four key elements: classroom arrangements (with such things as centres of interest), daily schedules of plan-do-review sessions, key curricular and learning experiences and content and assessments through observation, rec ording and sharing, using authentic assessment and portfolios (Cohen  et al.,  2004). By following such suggestions for enabling learning at the primary level,  continuity  and  progression  are ensured. Continuity  is  generally defined, and understood, as ensuring that the overall aims, values and beliefs that give direction to, and put boundaries around, the scheme of work are consistent, regardless of who is teaching or answering later questions (Fabian and Dunlop, 2002).  Progression  is defined, and understood, generally, as the process through which the schools planned activities gradually extend pupils’ thinking, their exploration of values and attitudes, enrich language, knowledge and strategies through increasingly demanding inputs and challenging explorations, matched to pupils chronological age, readiness and circumstance (Fabian and Dunlop, 2002). Through ensuring continuity and progression, children can be enabled to achieve the goals they want to achieve, within the frameworks that are set them. My personal teaching ethos This section takes one or two of my principles to explain how I intend to be an effective primary teacher, using examples from your my school experiences. In essence, I concur with Cohen  et al.  (2004) that, â€Å"effective education requires both a relevant curriculum and practitioners who understand and are able to implement the curriculum requirements†¦building on what children already know and can do, encouraging a positive attitude and a disposition to learn and to protect against early failure† and I agree with the overall stated ethos of the new Primary Strategy framework is that excellent education is an education that is tailored to children’s specific needs, allowing them to engage with the educational process and giving them the start they need to be able to succeed in the context of secondary education (DfCSF, 2008). Taylor and Hayes (2001) provide a discussion as to how education  should  be delivered, leading me to arrive at several conclusions as to how I should organize my time as a teacher in order to provide the most effective teaching possible to my pupils. I agree with the aims of the Primary Strategy as set out in the policy document,  Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools  (DfES, 2003), which  encourages schools and teachers to network to learn from each other and to develop good practice, in partnership with parents in order to help children as far as possible and to forge links between schools and communities (DfCSF, 2008). The dictates of the assessment processes and the Curriculum mean I have to teach within these boundaries, but this does not mean that lessons have to be rigid and that assessments and tests and Curriculum have to be frightening terms to primary age pupils. One of my responsibilities as an effective teacher is to prepare students, as well as possible, for the assessments and to teach the Curriculum in such a manner that the children’s sense of wonder is upheld (see Allen and Ainley, 2007) and that children’s awareness of themselves as part of a whole and as spiritual beings is also encouraged (Eaude, 2005). My aim as a primary teacher is to foster a sense of enjoyment in the learning process and, through this, to foster a love of learning that will continue well beyond the primary level, encouraging success at the secondary level and forging a lifelong love of learning in each individual pupil, based on a sense of wonder at the world, its contents and its processes. I, personally, agree with Cohen  et al.  (2004), who show how key aspects of effective learning at the primary level are active, integrated, socially constructive, cognitively constructive and linguistically rich learning, beginning where the individual learner is at themselves, in terms of their learning process, so that the individual child is the agent of their learning, empowering the children to enable their own learning by casting learning as problem-solving (Morrison, 2000; Cohen  et al.,  2004). It is my aim as a teacher, wishing to be an effective teacher, to foster the empowerment of children, through developing a sense of the wonder of learning and empowering the children to direct their own learning, within the context of the Curriculum, so that children feel they are capable of learning and are capable of achieving the standards they set themselves. The Success of New Labour’s Policy Towards Primary Education Tymms (2004) look at how successful the changes to primary education have been, following the introduction of the Numeracy and Literacy Strategies and finds that, whilst the introduction of these Strategies contributed to a rise in standards, independent tests of children’s attainment have shown that this rise in standards is not as widespread nor as high as claimed and that, as such, an independent body should be set up to monitor standards over time, with the purpose of testing how Government planning for education is actually being received on the ground, as it were. A recent Oftsted report (Ofsted, 2003) also shows that some of the aims of the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategy were not achieved (with weak subject knowledge being a common failure of schools), suggesting the Government’s approach to primary education needs to be looked at further. Allen and Ainley (2007) back this suggestion, through their analysis of education in the UK, presented in their book  Education make you fick, innit?  Allen and Ainley argue that as institutionalized learning has become more common-place in the Uk, through schools and work-based training programmes, possibilities have been foreclosed for emancipating minds, something that is increasingly being applied to primary level education, through the introduction of the Primary Strategy, for example, and the assessment-based curriculum this embodies, which, argue Allen and Ainley (2007) forces teachers to concentrate more on training children in the Curriculum for the purpose of attaining high scores on the assessments than on actually instilling a sense of wonder in learning. Allen and Ainley (2007) argue that this process is killing the sense of wonder in children, and that, even for primary school children, education, the process of going to school, has become little more than a daily g rind, rather than a joyous process the children are happy to undertake because they enjoy the process and because the process can bring them knowledge and enjoyment. Conclusion This essay has discussed the question, â€Å"What do you consider to be an effective primary teacher?†. With reference to recent research, government initiatives and your own experience, the essay has explored this question, based on my own educational principles and the ways in which these will underpin your professional practice in the future. The essay began by reviewing the Government policies and initiatives that are relevant to the research question, discussing, in particular, the document  Excellence and Enjoyment – A Strategy for Primary Schools  (DfES, 2003) and the subsequent Primary Strategy framework for primary education. The essay then moved on to discuss the aims of these policies and initiatives and the implications these have had for schools and teachers. The assessment framework was then discussed, and how this impacts on teacher effectiveness was also noted. The essay then moved on to looking at the qualities of effective teachers, and effective t eaching in a primary setting, and concluded that some of the facets of Government policies and initiatives – such as continual assessments – run counter to my ethos of effective teaching and actually serve as little other than distractions from pure teaching time, through all the administration such assessments bring and the amount of time this takes away from lesson planning, for example. The main conclusion to the essay is that effective teaching at the primary level should serve to instill a sense of the wonder of learning and should open children’s minds to the possibilities that learning, and the learning process, encompasses. I converge with Allen and Ainley (2007) that the current trend towards assessments, more assessments and yet more assessments is not healthy for children, because it causes stress and can initiate a sense of failure in children who do not achieve high scores on these assessments and also because managing these assessments takes time away from teaching, through all the administration that the tests generate. The argument that these tests do little than to confirm that the education policies the Government is espousing are correct seems valid, and it is, as has been seen, in any case questionable that the standards suggested by the Government, in the Primary Strategy are actually leading to rises in standards (see Tymms, 2004). That the overall stated ethos of the new Primary Strategy framework is that an excellent education is an education that is tailored to children’s specific needs, allowing them to engage with the educational process and giving them the start they need to be able to succeed in the context of secondary education (DfCSF, 2008) is thus a good basis to begin, as an effective teacher, but, in order to avoid boredom in the education process, and psychological problems, due to the huge amount of testing and assessment primary children are subject to, effective teaching not only needs to teach the Curriculum and prepare children for the battery of tests and assessments they will be subjected to, but also needs to foster the empowerment of children, through developing a sense of the wonder of learning and empowering the children to direct their own learning, within the context of the Curriculum, so that children feel they are capable of learning and are capable of achieving the standards they set themselves. Effective teachers are thus not only bound by the dictates of Government policy and teaching research which suggests  how  teachers should teach, but they are, in my opinion, also bound by a responsibility to children, to instill in children a sense of the wonder of learning. In my opinion, and something I will endeavour to achieve in my teaching practice, this sense of wonder can be best achieved through empowering children to realise their potential and to realise they can achieve their goals, through fostering a love of learning. These qualities not only make for an effective teacher but also an inspiring teacher, who will inspire their pupils to want to learn. References AAIA (2007). Assessing children’s attainments in the foundation stage: guidance produced by the AAIA. Available from  http://www.aaia.org.uk/PDF/FAQs%20-%20assessing%20children’s%20attainment%20in%20the%20foundation%20stage.pdf  [Accessed on 29th  February 2008]. Alexander, R. (2004). Still no pedagogy? Principle, pragmatism and compliance in primary education.  Cambridge J. of Education  34(1), pp.7-33. Allen, M Ainley P (2007).  Education make you fick, innit?  Tufnell Press, Reading. Brown, M.  et al.  (1998). Is the National Numeracy strategy research-based?  Brit. J. Educ. Studies  46, pp.362-385. Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K. (2004).  A guide to teaching practice.  Routledge Falmer. DfCSF (2008). The National Strategies: Primary. Available from  http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/about/  [Accessed on 29th  February 2008]. DfEE (1998).  Teachers: meeting the challenge of change.  London: DfEE. DfEE (2000). Curriculum guidance for K1 stage. Available from  http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/eyfs/resources/downloads/5585_cg_foundation_stage.pdf  [Accessed 29th February 2008]. DfES (2003).  Excellence and enjoyment: a strategy for primary schools.  London: DfES. DfES (2004).  Department for Education and Skills: five year strategy for children and learners.  London: DfES. Eaude, T (2006).  Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Learning Matters, Reading. Fabian, H. and Dunlop, A-W. (2002).  Transitions in the early years: debating continuity and progression for children in early education.  Routledge Falmer. Higgins, S.  et al.  (2002).  Thinking through primary teaching.  Chris Kington Publishing, Cambridge. Kyriacou, C. (1997).  Effective teaching in schools. Nelson Thornes Ltd. Kyriacou, C. (1999).  Essential teaching skills.  Nelson Thornes Ltd. Kyriacou, C. (2005). The impact of daily maths lessons in England on pupil confidence and competence in early mathematics: a systematic review.  Brit J Educ Studies  53(2), pp.168-186. Morrison, G.S. (2000).  Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education.  Prentice Hall. NAA (National Assessment Agency) (2007). Additional guidance on completing foundation stage profile assessments. Available from  http://www.naa.org.uk/downloads/FSP_factsheet-_2007_Guidance_LA_Completing_Foundation_v042.pdf  [Accessed 29th February 2008]. Ofsted (2003). The national literacy and numeracy strategies and the primary curriculum. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (2000).  Report on early years learning.  London: Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. Pollard, A (2002).  Readings  for Reflective Teaching Continuum. QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) (1999).  Early learning goals.  London: QCA. QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) (2000).  Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. .  London: QCA. QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) (2001).  Planning for learning in the foundation stage. .  London: QCA. Siraj-Blatchford, I, Sylva, K, Taggart, B, Melhuish, E., Sammons, P, Elliot, K. The EPPE Project [1997-2003] Available from http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachers/  issue34/secondary/features/steppingup www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes2/  ks1-2citizenship/cit1/2 [Accessed on 29th  February 2008]. Springate, D (2004).  Democracy in Schools: Some European perspectives. Springate, D (2006).  Empowering Children Through their own Research. Taylor, W. and Hayes, D (2004).  The RoutledgeFalmer Guide to Key Debates in Education.  RoutledgeFalmer. Tymms, P. (2004). Are standards rising in English primary schools?  Brit Educ Res J  30(4), pp.477-494. Webb, R.  et al.  (2004). A comparative analysis of primary teacher professionalism in England and Finland.  Comp Educ  40(1), pp.83-107. Webb, R. and Vulliamy, G. (2006). The impact of New Labour’s education policy on teadhers and teaching at Key Stage 2.  FORUM  48(2), pp.145-158. Wilce, H (2007).  Nurture Groups: Can they prevent bad behaviour in the classroom?

ECB vs. Banque de France :: Economy Monetary Europe Papers

ECB vs. Banque de France With the introduction of a single currency for twelve different countries came along the introduction of a new banking system in France and 11 other countries. This system was officially put to work in January of 1999 when the euro became the currency in 11 countries in Europe; Greece became the twelve in June of 2001. At the time of introduction the countries could still use their own currency and the exchange rate between their currency and the euro was set by the new banking system. This system if officially named the European System of Central Banks (ESCB), and it is composed the European Central Bank, in Frankfurt, Germany and the National Central Banks (NCB) of the European Union Member States. All 15 EU members participate but the countries which did not introduce the euro have a special status and may implement their own monetary policy and do not partake in any of the decision making by the ESCB, they basically just observe what is going on. The ECB and the Banque de Fr ance, which is the national bank of France work together, but you may also separate their roles within the ESCB. Even though the ECB has much control in determining the financial status of France, the national bank has ways to fine-tune the economy. In the end the Banque de France is often held back by the ECB, and one of the main reasons is that the ECB is always torn in how to change its regulations and rates because the decision that applies to twelve countries that are never all going to be at exactly the same point economically, financially, or monetarily. As a whole the Eurosystem has four basic tasks that it is responsible to carry through the ECB and the national banks. The first is to define and implement the monetary policy. The second is to conduct foreign exchange operations. The third is to hold and manage the official foreign reserves of the Member States and the fourth is to promote the smooth operation of the payment systems (Organization of the ESCB, 1). These are just the broad goals or duties of the whole Eurosystem. When you break it down into the responsibilities of the ECB and the Banque de France things get more critical. Ultimately the ECB is responsible for defining the single monetary policy and making sure that the Banque de France and the other national banks implement the policies efficiently.

The Light In the Forest Essay -- essays research papers

It is the fall of 1764, and the relations between white settlers of western Pennsylvania and Indians of the Ohio area are strained. Nevertheless, the ambitious white Colonel Bouquet and his troop of 1,500 men march into Indian country and demand the return of whites who have been kidnapped by the Delaware Indians. True Son, a fifteen-year-old white boy who has been raised by Indians since the age of four, is one of the white prisoners who is going to be returned. True Son loves his Indian way of life and considers himself to be Indian; he has been raised to view whites as enemies and cannot imagine living with them. But although the Indians love their adopted white relatives, they agree to give them back so that they will be able to keep their land. True Son's stoic Indian father, Cuyloga, whom he idolizes, forces his stubborn and resistant son to leave with the white soldiers. On the trip to Pennsylvania, True Son is placed under the care of Del, a strong white frontiersman who understands the Delaware, or Lenni Lenapi, language since he grew up near Indians. During the march, True Son is very depressed and considers committing suicide by eating the root of a May apple. Del prevents him from doing so and eventually True Son gives up the idea when his Indian cousin, Half Arrow, meets up with the party and walks along with True Son and their friend, Little Crane, whose wife is also among the white captives. The three laugh together and speak of the strange ways of white peopl...

The Advancement of Technology Essay -- Military Technology

War has been a reoccurring part of America’s history for the past 230 years. From the 1700s to the present, America has gotten into many different situations and turmoil, which eventually lead to the wars we currently study and know about today. Technological advancements in warfare were necessary and a great obligation during times of war. This was pursued with drastic improvement. From the transformation of the use of smoothbore muskets during the Civil War to the industrial revolution leading to weaponry innovations post civil war, the nature of warfare dramatically changed. These developments proved to be proficient in battle. In the midst of these hundreds of years, while many technological advances demonstrated to be efficient in battle, the machine gun was one of the most significant advancements in technology that changed the face of warfare through its transformation of operations and strategy. During the civil war before the introduction of the machine guns, union soldiers primarily used smoothbore muskets. â€Å"The rifle’s low muzzle velocity and consequent high parabolic trajectory made for difficult long-range shooting, especially since soldiers engaged in little target practice and received virtually no training in estimating distances or in using the adjustable sights to compensate for the bullet’s curved flight. The tangled terrain of most battlefields—and the black powder smoke that engulfed every battle—often rendered enemy soldiers invisible until they were within smoothbore range† (Hess 288). This was assumed to be the reason of why the war was prolonged, and the combat losses were higher during the smoothbore era. Also with an ability of only firing a â€Å"maximum of three rounds per minute† (Howey), this rat... ...Goldsmith, Dolf L., and R. Blake. Stevens. The Devil's Paintbrush: Sir Hiram Maxim’s Gun. Toronto: Collector Grade Publications, 1989. Print. 2. Hess, Earl J. The Rifle Musket in Civil War Combat: Reality and Myth. Lawrence, Kan: University Press of Kansas, 2008. Print. 3. Howey, Allan W. "Weaponry: The Rifle-Musket and the Minià © Ball  » History Net." History Net. Weider History Group, Oct. 1999. Web. 12 May 2012. . 4. Lee, Loyd E. World War II. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1999. Print. 5. Popenker, Max R. "Modern Firearms - MachineGuns." Max R. Popenker, 1999-2010. Web. 10 May 2012. . 6. Simkin, John. "Machine-Gun." Spartacus Educational - Home Page. John Simkin. Web. 10 May 2012. .

An eye opener from an article about the black holocaust Essay

Reading Journal Week 2 Alt. Black Holocaust When Dr. Lewis mentioned this alternative reading to do, and warned us that it is very depressing, and basically told us to only read if we desire as much, I kind of took that as a challenge. Being competitive in nature, I always try to step above what people think I can handle. This article of the black holocaust, I will admit made me sort of regret that. I found tears coming out. There were many times I shook my head just thinking, â€Å"talk about the cruelness of humanity†! Those slaves skin may be black but the souls of those white men were much darker. One thing I found absolutely atrocious was the belief that black men had no soul. They would rape there men and women, and while that was morally unacceptable to act towards their fellow white men, it was completely acceptable to rape a black person because they had no soul anyway. If you raped a white woman, you could see the despair in there soul yet when you rape a black woman, all you see is a screaming black woman. To add to that, the fellow white crew of the ship blamed the Africans for the lustful behavior due to their nudity which they forced them to do. They claimed that they have rarely if at all, seen a naked white woman so they blamed the Africans because they saw plenty of them. Another thing that was absolutely sad and devastating was how they forced the blacks to rest. They had a choice to either lay down with less space above them than a person in a coffin or sit on the higher ends which had splinters and blood everywhere. It kind of reminded me of Jesus who supposedly died on the cross and while he was hung there was a nail at his feet he could stand on to relieve the pressure from his arms, but in price had to gravely hurt his feet. For these kinds of actions, I couldn’t blame those Africans for trying to jump ship and let the sharks eat them because what they were dealing with seemed like a fate worse than death. I would’ve attempted the same thing. I understand at this time, morals were different and it was acceptable to treat black skins the way they did, but with my way of thinking now, this was just painful to read. I would’ve had a much easier time reading the other stories but at the same time, I am glad I read this because it really hits me now how badly we treated our slaves in our early days. I read something close to this once called â€Å"The Narrative of Frederick Douglass†. I will definitely add this excerpt to my list of readings that have influenced my feelings on the cruelty of racism and slavery.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 71-75

CHAPTER 71Malakh stood naked in the honker posterowing warmth of his steam shower. He mat up pure again, having washed false the make it remaining scent of etha no.. As the eucalyptus-infused vapors permeated his skin, he could feel his pores outset to the heat. Then he began his ritual.First, he rubbed hairless chemicals across his tattooed form and scalp, removing any traces of body hair. Hairless were the gods of the seven islands of Heliades. Then he massaged Abramelin oil into his softened and receptive contour. Abramelin is the saintly oil of the peachy Magi. Then he patched his shower lever demilitary personnelding to the left, and the water turned ice insentient. He stood beneath the frigid water for a full minute to close his pores and yap the heat and energy in spite of appearance his core. The cold served as a reminder of the frosty river in which this transformation had begun.When he stepped from the shower, he was shivering, ideally within seconds, h is core heat emanated up through his layers of flesh and change him. Malakhs insides felt bid a furnace. He stood naked before the mirror and respect his form . . . perhaps the last epoch he would enchant to it himself as a mere mortal. His feet were the talons of a hawk. His legsBoaz and Jachinwere the past pillars of wisdom. His hips and abdo men were the archways of mystifying reason. Hanging beneath the archway, his monumental sex organ bore the tattooed symbols of his destiny. In some other life, this heavy shaft of flesh had been his source of carnal pleasure. But no considerableer.I be possessed of been purified. equivalent the mystical eunuch monks of Katharoi, Malakh had removed his testicles. He had sacrificed his physiologic potency for a more worth(predicate) unitary. beau ideals boast no gender. Having shed the humane imperfection of gender along with the mundane pull of sexual temptation, Malakh had become like Ouranos, Attis, Sporus, and the great draw uprati magicians of Arthurian legend. E precise unearthly metamorphosis is preceded by a natural one. Such was the lesson of all the great gods . . . from Osiris, to Tammuz, to Jesus, to Shiva, to the Buddha himself.I must shed the man who vestments me.Abruptly, Malakh drew his gaze upward, past the double- point in clocked capital of Arizona on his chest, past the collage of quaint sigils adorning his give, and directly to the top of his head. He atilt his head toward the mirror, b atomic number 18ly able to construe the circle of b atomic number 18 flesh that waited at that place. This mending on the body was sacred. Kn avow as the fontanel, it was the one stadium of the human skull that remained founder at birth. An oculus to the brain. Although this physiological entre closes within a matter of months, it the long Compromiser a symbolic vestige of the muzzy connection amongst the outer and k flatledgeable worlds.Malakh studied the sacred patch of perf ect(a) skin, which was enclosed by the crownlike circle of an ouroborosa mystical snake devouring its own tail. The bare flesh seemed to mavine stick out at him . . . b regenerate with promise.Robert Langdon soon would endanger the great treasure that Malakh required. Once Malakh feature it, the void on top of his head would be filled, and he would at last be prepared for his final transformation.Malakh dramatize across his bedroom and took from his bottom draftsperson a long strip of exsanguinous silk. As he had done many a(prenominal) times before, he wrapped it almost his groin and entirelytocks. Then he went round(a)stairs.In his office, his computer had received an e-mail message.It was from his striveWHAT YOU REQUIRE IS NOW WITHIN REACH.I WILL CONTACT YOU WITHIN THE HOUR. PATIENCE.Malakh smiled. It was time to make final preparations.CHAPTER 72The CIA handle ingredient was in a smutty mood as he descended from the reading-room balcony. Bellamy lie to us. The p erformer had seen no heat signatures some(prenominal) on a higher floor near the Moses statue, nor anyw present else upstairs for that matter.So where the hell did Langdon go?The element retraced his steps unspoiled away to the only space theyd spotted any heat signatures at allthe librarys dispersion hub. He descended the stairs again, moving beneath the octagonal console. The hoo-ha of the rumbling conveyors was grating. Advancing into the space, he flipped down his thermal goggles and s undersidened the room. Nothing. He looked toward the stacks, where the iron admittance tranquil showed hot from the explosion. separate than that, he power saw no divine shitThe agent jumped sustain as an unexpected luminescence drifted into his force field of vision. Like a pair of ghosts, the dimly keen imprints of both humanoids had practiced emerged from the wall on a conveyor belt. Heat signatures.Stunned, the agent watched as the two apparitions circled the room on the conv eyor loop and past disappeared hasty into a narrow hole in the wall. They rode the conveyor out? Thats insanity.In sum total to realizing they had in effect(p) lost Robert Langdon through a hole in the wall, the field agent was in a flash aware that he had another problem. Langdons not alone?He was good to the highest degree to switch on his transceiver and key the team leader, precisely the team leader beat him to it.All points, weve got an abandoned Volvo on the plaza in moti illuminatey of the library. Registered to one Katherine Solomon. Eyewitness articulates she entered the library not long ago. We suspect shes with Robert Langdon. Director Sato has ordered that we give away them both immediately.Ive got heat signatures for both of them yelled the field agent in the distribution room. He explained the situation.For Christs sake the team leader replied. Where the hell does the conveyor go?The field agent was already consulting the employee reference conventional on the bulletin get along with. Adams construction, he replied. nonpareil block from here. All points. Redirect to the Adams expression NOWCHAPTER 73Sanctuary. Answers.The words echoed in Langdons mind as he and Katherine break down through a side door of the Adams Building and out into the cold overwinter night. The mysterious caller had conveyed his location cryptically, but Langdon had understood. Katherines reaction to their destination had been surprisingly crimson Where better to insure One uncoiled God?Now the question was how to place there.Langdon spun in place, trying to energize his bearings. It was dark, but thankfully the weather had croaked. They were standing in a small courtyard. In the distance, the Capitol dome looked startlingly far away, and Langdon realized this was the basic moment he had stepped outside since arriving at the Capitol several hours ago.So much for my lecture.Robert, look. Katherine pointed toward the silhouette of the Jefferson Bu ilding.Langdons first reaction on visual perception the grammatical construction was astonishment that they had traveled so far underground on a conveyor belt. His second reaction, however, was alarm. The Jefferson Building was at a time abuzz with activitytrucks and cars pulling in, men shouting. Is that a searchlight?Langdon grabbed Katherines hand. Come on.They ran northeast across the courtyard, quickly disappearing from view nookie an elegant U- shaped building, which Langdon realized was the Folger Shakespeare Library. This busy building seemed appropriate camouflage for them tonight, as it housed the original Latin manuscript of Francis Bacons spic-and-span Atlantis, the utopian vision on which the American forefathers had allegedly modeled a in the altogether- do world based on ancient manageledge. Even so, Langdon would not be stopping.We emergency a nag.They arrived at the corner of trine Street and East Capitol. The traffic was sparse, and Langdon felt fading try for as he scanned for machine politicians. He and Katherine hurried northward on trinity Street, putting distance amongst themselves and the Library of Congress. It was not until they had gone an entire block that Langdon finally spotted a cab rounding the corner. He flagged it down, and the cab pulled over.Middle Eastern music compete on his communicate, and the young Arab number one wood gave them a friendly smile. Where to? the device driver asked as they jumped into the car.We pick up to go to northwesterlyern United Statesern unite States Katherine interjected, pointing up Third Street away from the Jefferson Building. Drive toward coalition Station, then left on mom Avenue. Well tell you when to stop.The driver shrugged, closed the plexi methamphetamine divider, and turned his music ski binding on.Katherine fissure Langdon an admonishing look as if to say Leave no trail. She pointed out the window, tell Langdons attention to a black cleaver that was skimm ing in low, appro perceive the area. Shit. Sato was plainly dead serious rough recover Solomons profit.As they watched the helicopter land between the Jefferson and Adams buildings, Katherine turned to him, looking increasingly worried. brook I see your cell head strait for a second?Langdon handed her his speech sound. shaft told me you have an eidetic memory? she said, roll down her window. And that you remember every squall number youve ever dialed?Thats true, butKatherine hurled his phone out into the night. Langdon spun in his seat and watched as his cell phone cartwheeled and splintered into pieces on the paving material john them. Why did you do that run into the grid, Katherine said, her eyes grave. This gain is our only hope of arriveing my brother, and I have no intention of letting the CIA steal it from us.In the front seat, Omar Amirana bobbed his head and hummed along with his music. this evening had been slow, and he felt blessed to finally have a fare. Hi s cab was just passing Stanton Park, when the familiar parting of his association dispatcher crackled over the radio.This is Dispatch. All fomites in the area of the National Mall. We have just received a bulletin from governing body authorities regarding two fugitives in the area of the Adams Building . . .Omar listened in amazement as Dispatch set forth the precise cope with in his cab. He stole an unsatisfied glance in his rearview mirror. Omar had to admit, the tall zany did look familiar someway. Did I see him on Americas Most Wanted?Gingerly, Omar reached for his radio turn overet. Dispatch? he said, speaking gently into the transceiver. This is cab one-three-four. The two people you asked closelythey are in my cab . . . right now.Dispatch immediately advised Omar what to do. Omars hands were trembling as he called the phone number Dispatch had given him. The voice that answered was tight and efficient, like that of a soldier.This is agent Turner Simkins, CIA field ops. Who is this?Um . . . Im the taxi driver? Omar said. I was told to call or so the twoAre the fugitives currently in your vehicle? Answer only yes or no.Yes.Can they hear this conversation? Yes or no? No. The slider isWhere are you taking them?Northwest on Massachusetts. particularised destination?They didnt say.The agent hesitated. Is the male rider carrying a leather bag?Omar glanced in the rearview mirror, and his eyes went wide. Yes That bag doesnt have explosives or anything in perceive carefully, the agent said. You are in no danger so long as you follow my directions scarcely. Is that clear?Yes, sir.What is your name?Omar, he said, breaking a sweat.Listen, Omar, the man said sedately. Youre doing great. I indigence you to drive as slowly as possible while I drag my team out in front of you. Do you understand? Yes, sir.Also, is your cab render with an intercom system so you can communicate with them in the backseat?Yes, sir.Good. Heres what I urgency you to do.CHAPTER 74The jungle, as it is known, is the centerpiece of the U.S. botanic Garden (USBG)Americas living museumlocated close to the U.S. Capitol Building. Technically a rain forest, the Jungle is housed in a towering greenhouse, spot with soaring rubber trees, strangler figs, and a canopy catwalk for more daring tourists.Normally, rabbit warren Bellamy felt nurtured by the Jungles earthy smells and the cheer glinting through the mist that filtered down from the vapor nozzles in the glass ceiling. Tonight, however, lit only by moonlight, the Jungle panic-struck him. He was sweating profusely, writhing against the cramps that now stabbed at his arms, still pinned painfully behind him.Director Sato paced before him, puffing calmly on her cigarettethe equivalent of ecoterrorism in this carefully calibrated environment. Her face looked almost demonic in the smoke-filled moonlight that streamed down through the glass ceiling overhead.So then, Sato continued, when you arrived at the Capitol tonight, and you detect that I was already there . . . you make a decision. Rather than making your strawman known to me, you descended quietly into the SBB, where, at great risk to yourself, you attacked Chief Anderson and myself, and you helped Langdon escape with the pyramid and stretcher. She rubbed her shoulder. An interesting choice.A choice I would make again, Bellamy thought. Where is Peter? he demanded angrily.How would I know? Sato said.You seem to know everything else Bellamy pink-slipped back at her, making no attempt to hide his suspicion that she was somehow behind all this. You knew to go to the Capitol Building. You knew to find Robert Langdon. And you even knew to X-ray Langdons bag to find the capstone. Obviously, someone is giving you a cumulation of inside education. Sato laughed coldly and stepped closer to him. Mr. Bellamy, is that why you attacked me? Do you think Im the enemy? Do you think Im trying to steal your forgetful pyramid? Sato took a drag on her cigarette and blew the smoke out of her nostrils. Listen carefully. No one understands better than I do the importance of keeping secrets. I believe, as you do, that there is certain information to which the masses should not be privy. Tonight, however, there are forces at work that I fear you have not to that extent grasped. The man who kidnapped Peter Solomon holds enormous power . . . a power that you apparently have yet to realize. Believe me, he is a walking time bomb . . . subject of initiating a series of events that will deeply change the world as you know it.I dont understand. Bellamy shifted on the bench, his arms aching in his handcuffs.You dont need to understand. You need to obey. mighty now, my only hope of averting a major disaster is to cooperate with this man . . . and to give him exactly what he wants. Which means, you are departure to call Mr. Langdon and tell him to turn himself in, along with the pyramid and capstone. Once Langdon is in my custody, he w ill decrypt the pyramids inscription, experience whatever information this man is demanding, and ply him with exactly what he wants.The location of the helix staircase that leads to the Ancient Mysteries? I cant do that. Ive taken vows of secrecy.Sato erupted. I dont give a damn what youve vowed, I will honk you in prison so degradedThreaten me all you like, Bellamy said defiantly. I will not help you.Sato took a deep breath and spoke now in a fearsome whisper. Mr. Bellamy, you have no idea whats really passing game on tonight, do you?The tense quiet down hung for several seconds, finally broken by the sound of Satos phone. She plunged her hand into her pocket and thirstily snatched it out. Talk to me, she answered, listening carefully to the reply. Where is their taxi now? How long? Okay, good. Bring them to the U.S. botanic Garden. Service entrance. And make sure you get me that god-damn pyramid and capstone.Sato hung up and turned back to Bellamy with a smug smile. Well t hen . . . it seems youre fast outliving your usefulness.CHAPTER 75Robert Langdon stared blankly into space, smell too tired to urge the slow-moving taxi driver to pick up the pace. Beside him, Katherine had fallen silent, too, looking frustrated by their lack of understanding of what made the pyramid so special. They had again been through everything they knew about the pyramid, the capstone, and the evenings strange events they still had no ideas as to how this pyramid could possibly be considered a map to anything at all.Jeova Sanctus Unus? The secret hides within The Order?Their mysterious contact had promised them answers if they could act him at a specific place. A refuge in Rome, north of the Tiber. Langdon knew the forefathers new Rome had been renamed Washington early in her history, and yet vestiges of their original dream remained the Tibers water still flowed into the Potomac senators still convened beneath a replica of St. Peters dome and Vulcan and Minerva still watc hed over the Rotundas long-extinguished flame.The answers sought by Langdon and Katherine were apparently wait for them just a few miles ahead. Northwest on Massachusetts Avenue. Their destination was thus a refuge . . . north of Washingtons Tiber Creek. Langdon wished the driver would speed up.Abruptly, Katherine jolted upright in her seat, as if she had made a jerky realization. Oh my God, Robert She turned to him, her face breathing out away white. She hesitated a moment and then spoke emphatically. Were going the wrong wayNo, this is right, Langdon countered. Its northwest on MassachuNo I mean were going to the wrong placeLangdon was mystified. He had already told Katherine how he knew what location was being described by the mysterious caller. It contains ten stones from heighten Sinai, one from heaven itself, and one with the imprimatur of Lukes dark father. Only one building on earth could make those claims. And that was exactly where this taxi was headed.Katherine, Im certain the location is correct.No she shouted. We dont need to go there anymore. I figured out the pyramid and capstone I know what this is all aboutLangdon was amazed. You understand it?Yes We have to go to independence Plaza insteadNow Langdon was lost. freedom Plaza, although nearby, seemed totally irrelevant.Jeova Sanctus Unus Katherine said. The One True God of the Hebrews. The sacred symbol of the Hebrews is the Judaic starthe Seal of Solomonan important symbol to the Masons She fished a dollar bill out of her pocket. piddle me your pen. Bewildered, Langdon pulled a pen from his jacket. musical note. She spread the bill out on her thigh and took his pen, pointing to the Great Seal on the back. If you superimpose Solomons varnish on the Great Seal of the unite States . . . She drew the symbol of a Jewish star precisely over the pyramid. serve what you getLangdon looked down at the bill and then back at Katherine as if she were mad.Robert, look more closely Dont you see what Im pointing at?He glanced back at the drawing.What in the world is she getting at? Langdon had seen this image before. It was popular among conspiracy theorists as proof that the Masons held secret influence over our early nation. When the six-pointed star was laid dead over the Great Seal of the United States, the stars top vertex fit utterly over the Masonic all-seeing eye . . . and, preferably eerily, the other five vertices clearly pointed to the letter M-A-S-O-N.Katherine, thats just a coincidence, and I still dont see how it has anything to do with emancipation Plaza.Look again she said, sounding almost waste now. Youre not looking where I am pointing Right there. Dont you see it?An instant later, Langdon saw it.CIA field-operations leader Turner Simkins stood outside the Adams Building and pressed his cell phone tightly to his ear, straining to hear the conversation now taking place in the back of the taxi. Something just happened. His team was about to board the m odified Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter to head northwest and set up a roadblock, but now it seemed the situation had suddenly changed.Seconds ago, Katherine Solomon had begun imperativeness they were going to the wrong destination. Her explanationsomething about the dollar bill and Jewish starsmade no sense to the team leader, nor, apparently, to Robert Langdon. At least at first. Now, however, Langdon seemed to have grasped her meaning.My God, youre right Langdon blurted. I didnt see it earlieron the spur of the moment Simkins could hear someone banging on the drivers divider, and then it slid open. Change of plans, Katherine shouted to the driver. deal us to liberty PlazaFreedom Plaza? the cabbie said, sounding nervous. Not northwest on Massachusetts?Forget that Katherine shouted. Freedom Plaza Go left here Here HEREAgent Simkins perceive the cab screeching around a corner. Katherine was talking excitedly again to Langdon, say something about the famous bronze cast of the Great Sea l embedded in the plaza.Maam, just to confirm, the cabbies voice interjected, sounding tense. Were going to Freedom Plazaon the corner of Pennsylvania and Thirteenth?Yes Katherine said. HurryIts very close. Two minutes.Simkins smiled. Nicely done, Omar. As he dashed toward the idling helicopter, he shouted to his team. Weve got them Freedom Plaza Move