Bilingualism in Children

Bilingualism can be viewed in two different ways. One way of viewing bilingualism is that it is a commendable trait for a person to have, that is alongside the thinking that it is a mark of high intellect. Another way of viewing bilingualism is that it is a negative upshot of Globalism, that it is a degradation of culture. It is undeniable that bilingualism is a prevalent topic in today’s society. Some even consider it as an essential trait for survival in the context of the modern world.This notion of bilingualism is especially prevalent in the US, where immigrants should adopt a second language to be competitive in terms of employment. That is why children from immigrant families are advised by their parents to learn a second language early as early as possible. The problem bilingualism arises when parents fail to consider that children are still in the stage of mastering their first language. Acquiring two language simultaneously is would be difficult for anyone regardless of age. It is a common notion that the children would eventually learn the second language.That is alongside the thinking that, as the children are exposed more to the society speaking the second language, the children would naturally the language. Although, it is observable that children from immigrant families gradually become more and more comfortable with second language through time. But it is also observable that the process that the children have to go through is not an easy one. The difficulty of children’s acquisition of a second language is expressed by Eva Hoffman in her book â€Å"Lost in Translation.† She had thrown in a very helpful query for this discussion: â€Å"†¦how does an individual bend toward another culture without stumbling over? † (Hoffman 209) Hoffman’s semi-autobiographical book is about her struggle to acquire a second language when family had migrated from Poland to Vancouver. The bulk of the book is about her lost of he r sense of place and belonging in her new society. But the fact that the acquisition of the second language would come as natural would not necessarily mean that the children would not be subjected to the consequences of being bilingual.Another book that would be helpful to the discussion at hand is Natasha Lvovich’s â€Å"The Multilingual Self: An inquiry to language learning. † In contrast to Hoffman’s work, Lvovich’s book had taken a more attention-grabbing approach. Lvovich’s work is about the struggles that her daughter had to face when they had moved to America. Although there are some minor differences between the two books, they are both talking the same topic of language acquisition. Both of the books had depicted how a child is subjected to consequences of being bilingual.A common consequence of bilingualism as Lvovich had depicted through the story of her daughter â€Å"†¦she is going through a very difficult period of adjustment a s a teenager growing into adulthood† (Lvovich 101) There was even a point in the book that Lvovich’s daughter became reluctant to speak their first language. Hoffman argued that a reluctance to speak the first language would result to the atrophy of the mother language of the child (Hoffman 98) ConclusionFor children of immigrant families to succeed in being multilingual, their parents should first do careful planning and learning about the nature of language acquisition. The parents should always keep in mind that childhood is already full of challenges as is. They should be aware of the consequence of being bilingual and they should also have at least an idea of how to counter them. Works Cited Hoffman, Eva. (1990). Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language. NY: Penguin Lvovich, N. (1997). The Multilingual Self: An inquiry into language learning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Bilingualism in Children Bilingualism is the production and/or comprehension of two languages by the same individual (Cummins, 1981). Many children of varying nationality, acquire this ability of learning two languages through cultural maintenance and educational enrichment. Furthermore, the media continuously bombards children of stimulation of the other language (Cummins, 1981). Cummins (1981) stated that there is a strong tendency among children of replacing the first language with the other. A series of tests were made by Feldman and Shen (1969) about some language-related cognitive advantages of bilingual five year olds.Three tasks for children were made accordingly to gather information. These tasks of increasing difficulty were (1) object constancy, (2) naming and (3) using labels in sentences, respectively . In object constancy, children were primarily shown with objects such as cups, plates, sponge, match and suction cup soap holder. These objects were later physically transformed in front of them. Crushing the cups, burning the match and painting the plates were some examples of transformation. Transformed objects are placed beside an identical pre-transformed objects.Afterwards, the children were asked to identify which among the two was primarily shown. Naming, on the other hand, purposely tests the child's ability to use verbal labels to name familiar objects. The experimenter tried to confuse the children by switching the names of the familiar object and designating nonsensical names to objects. For example, calling an airplane as â€Å"car† and relabeling the cup as â€Å"wug†. The children were asked which among the objects was really an airplane. They were also asked which one was called a â€Å"wug† and then they were asked what it really was.In the third experiment, the child was requested to show his ability of using three sorts of labels in simple relational sentences such as â€Å" The cup is on the plate. † These labels, as discussed i n naming, were common names, switched common names and nonsense names. The principle for using simple relational sentences was that referential word meaning is the simplest sort of meaning. Words like â€Å"cup†, â€Å"plate† and even the part of the predicate â€Å"on† can all be thought of as referring to things. Results showed that bilinguals perform significantly better in the said three tasks than monolinguals do (Feldman & Shen, 1969).Moreover, bilinguals' advantage over monolinguals was more apparent in comprehension than production measures. These means they execute better where nonverbal pointing responses were required. In addition, functions related to labeling would be more advanced by having two languages. Research by Bialystok (2004), on the other hand, has shown that bilingual children develop control processes more readily than monolinguals do. They respond more rapidly to conditions that placed greater demands on working memory and carry out con trolled processes more effectively (Bialystok, 2004).On the other hand, Macnamara (1966) argued some studies have reported negative effects of bilingualism (as cited in Bialystok, 2004). In Feldman & Shen's (1969) experiment, it was found out that monolinguals do better in the use of either common names alone or nonsense names alone. Furthermore, Fishman (1967) added that disadvantages commonly associated with bilingualism would not appear in bilinguals whose languages were situation specific (as cited in Feldman & Shen, 1969). It was an accepted notion that bilinguals had deficits compared with monolingual peers.Nonetheless, studies show significant cognitive advantages of children with bilingual capacities. These advantages were dominant in comprehending rather than performing verbal actions. Other research pointed out bilingual advantages in the areas of creativity, problem solving and perceptual disembedding (Bialystok, 2004). These advantages of bilinguals can be uniquely attri buted to an early development in association and labeling skills (Feldman & Shen, 1969). Bibliography: Bialystok, E. , Craik, F. I. M. , Klein, R. & Viswanathan, M. (2004) Bilingualism, Aging, and Cognitive Control: Evidence From the Simon Task.Psychology and Aging, 19 (2), 290-303. Feldman, C. & Shen, M. Some Language-Related Cognitive Advantages of Bilingual Five Year Olds. Retrieved from http://eric. ed. gov/ERICWebPortal/custom /portlets/recordDetails/detailmini. jsp_nfpb=true&_&ERICExt Search_SearchValue_0=ED031307&ERICExtSearch _SearchType_0=no&accno=ED031307 Cummins, J. Bilingualism and Minority-Language Children. Retrieved from http://eric. ed. gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini. jsp_ nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED215 557&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED215557

Ban Smoking On College Campuses Essay

For every eight smoker’s tobacco kills, one non-smoker is also killed by second hand smoke. ´(American Lung Association) With a fact like that, it makes one really think about where they have been and how much smoke they have been subjected to. For me, attending college every day and walking through clouds of smoke to get from class to class really begins to put my health into perspective. Should a public place such as a college campus receive more rights than a facility such as a restaurant, department or grocery store? With an individuals health rights, the cleanliness around campus, and overall irritation of some of the students at risk, I believe college campus’ should become America’s new target against smoking and become smoke free. When something starts to validate an individuals health rights, issues will be brought up. Smoking is something that America has discovered more and more about over the years and has found increasing numbers of facts about diseases and problems associated with it and the pollution it emits. Anyone who passes by a smoker can inhale the excess smoke and potentially be affected. Slowly, second hand smoke is something we are starting to become more aware of and businesses around America are starting to crack down on banning smoking in their facilities. College campus’ have not been hit by this new ban, though, and continue to let students crowd around their doors to get a smoke in between classes. Because the students tend to crowd around the doors, students entering or exiting the building inhale the smoke. Personally I am an individual that does not smoke so I really do not have any desire to incur any of the dangers that are associated with it. Also because college campuses are where students spend the majority of their day, avoiding contact with it is almost impossible. According to the US Dept. of Health, second-hand smoke has much higher levels of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide than the direct smoke a smoker inhales. â€Å"The Federal Environmental Protection Agency has classified second-hand smoke as a Group A carcinogen. This category includes only the most dangerous cancer-causing substance, such as asbestos and radon.† (American Lung Association) The potential effects of second hand smoke are a lot more dangerous than people expect, and the build up from inhalation can lead to serious problems for individuals in the future. Just by simply passing by a smoker and taking a  breath in and out, over time can cause damage. If this becomes an everyday routine, as one walks to and from his/her class each day they are at risk for potential problems from second hand smoke. Everyone has the right to smoke once they’ve reached the legal age, and I have no desire to discriminate against them, but if they choose to jeopardize their health it should have nothing to do with a stranger just passing by as they enjoy. A possible drive or smoke before or after they attend school might be a solution just as long as the individual isn’t on campus. Also, with smoking, cleanliness of the campus becomes an issue. For smokers, big cement ashtrays are set up outside to collect the excess cigarette when the individual is done smoking it. These ashtrays often are not given a second glance and the cigarette butts are thrown on the ground around the campus doors. The sight of cigarette butts strewn along the sidewalks around campus is disgusting and does not do much for the lawn attempting to grow along it. When the ashtrays are used, the smell of smoke emanates from them. Pollution from the cigarettes is also an issue, whether it is coming from the cigarette and the individual smoking it outside, or from the ashtrays. Smoke from anything causes damage to our environment and pollutes the air around it, but with cigarette smoke especially, chemicals are being emitted into the atmosphere as well. Persecution against smokers has never been my goal but when the place where I spend the majority of my day becomes a slight dumping ground for smoking, I believe some alternative needs to be made. Possibly, areas set up away from the campus specifically for smokers could be created so as not to punish college smokers but to keep the cigarette pollution in a confined area. From some of the problems that are surrounding smoking on campus, some students have begun to get irritated. Author, Lydia Sax states, â€Å"Smoking is on the rise, physical and emotional self confidence is down, and feelings of stress are up,† for college students. We all understand that smoking relieves stress for some but with the number of smokers on college campuses, non-smokers are starting to become affected. After walking in from outside, clothes tend to smell of smoke and those allergic to the particles become affected. Issues may be minor and tolerable to a point but when instances of  individuals who do not have any desire to be affected by smoke become more and more frequent, students want a change. Second hand smoke is dangerous and the affects of smoke have only disadvantages. I think everyone is aware of the effects of smoking and those who chose to ignore them, choose to ignore them. But for those people that choose not to be affected, second hand smoke can be very irritating. With the awareness of the dangers smoking causes, companies around the world are working to no longer allow it in their buildings. The dangers of second hand smoke and the irritants of it have finally become truly noticed. College campuses are still allowing it, and it is affecting the students. With issues concerning an individuals health rights, the cleanliness of the campus, and irritation of students, I feel that smoking should be banned from campuses. Everyone has a right to choose what or what not to subject themselves to, because second hand smoke has been proven to be just as harmful as first hand, for some people that right has been revoked.

Justify a war Essay

If the character, Agamemnon, was seeking advice, which philosopher would he choose as best advisor and which of these; Socrates, Homer, Aristophanes, would he choose as least advisor? Why? First, it is necessary to remember that Agamemnon was a king. According the Homer, this man had extraordinary power and the highest social position. He had a great authority among his neighbors, which helped him to organize the army. However, Homer described him as a man who always needed the advice. Sometimes Agamemnon allowed his emotions to dominate over his wisdom and experience. He is powerful warrior and good command, but he is imperfect governor for peaceful life. If this character was seeking advice, he’d probably gathered all the wise men in his kingdom. Homer would likely tell him about the god’s will, which determined the actions of rulers. Socrates would call him to be the philosopher king – the wise ruler who thinks about the interests of the state in general and the common people on particular. And Aristophanes would probably be skeptical about the ideas of two previous speakers; he was known as the father of satire and his skepticism as for the issues of the wars, state governing and rulers was well-known all over ancient Greece. However, choosing the best advisor Agamemnon would probably choose Homer. Both Socrates and Aristophanes didn’t approve the idea of the war. Perhaps, their advices as for peaceful life and wise ruling could be useful fir Agamemnon, but he didn’t need such advices. It is known that every person hears what he or she wants to hear. Agamemnon the king seek the â€Å"casus belli†, the event to justify a war. The will of gods was the most appropriate philosophy for him, and the kidnapping of Helen was just the secondary reason. Homer. The Iliad. Richmond Lattimore, translator. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (1951) 2 Compare and contrast Greek comedies and tragedies. Include choice of plays, production, plot subject material, audience participation, and costumes Aristotle was the first who compared Greek comedies and tragedies in his â€Å"Poetics†. â€Å"A tragedy, then, is the imitation of an action that is serious†¦ in a dramatic, not in a narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear, with which to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions† (Poetics, VI. 2) Both these genres had their beginnings in the Greek theater. The tragedy appeared in the middle of 6th century BC, the comedy followed the tragedy fifty years later (though these dates are very rough, we don’t really know much about these times). As for the choice of plays the tragedy is the serious play, which is based on the solemn issue of social, religious or personal nature. The comedy is the play humorous actions of characters solving the same personal, social and religious issues. The plot subject material was also different. â€Å"Tragedies were based largely on the myths or stories of the old narrative epic poems, of which only two main ones, the Iliad and the Odyssey, both written by Homer, survive. (Fornesca, 2010) â€Å" The first comedies were devoted to the god Dionysus, thus the plot of comedy was based on the festivals, the holidays in the wake of Dionysus In the center of tragedy usually was protagonist, the idealized figure who became the victim of fate. The center of the comedy usually is the figure who goes through all the troubles. The tragedies are focused on the feelings of pity and fear in audience; the aim of the comedy is the amusement and laugh. The characters of comedies and tragedies used different masks to show emotions. The clothes of tragic characters showed their social statuc and gender (women weren’t allowed to the stage). The clothes of comic heroes were different, initially they looked like satires, the disciples of Dyonisius. Rehm, R. Greek Tragic Theatre (1992) 3. How did Aristotle’s ideas about government and society differ from those of Plato? Which one fits the United States system of government best and why? Though Aristotle and Plato were closely linked, Aristotle was a pupil of Plato, they had different view, Aristotle criticized the ideas of his teacher. Political theory of Plato includes the description of ideal government for the utopian society. Based on the traditional for ancient Greece ethics of virtue, Plato created the prototype of communist or totalitarian state government. In the Dialogue â€Å"The Republic† he divided the ideal society on three groups: â€Å"rulers, auxiliaries and labourers. † (Gaarder 91) Rulers, according to Plato, should be the guardian class, they had to be educated and intelligent. The children in the guardian class should be learned how to rule from the early childhood. The consequence of this system is the absence of social mobility. This system is totally antidemocratic. However Plato was sure that every member of this utopian society can be happy knowing his in her position in society, as well as social function and the designated role. Aristotle disagreed with his teacher. He believed there is no single system of state government, which could be suitable for every society. The appropriate system of governing depends on the aims of the state. Aristotle described three good system of governing: monarchy, the power of aristocracy and the system he called polity, which corresponds to modern democracy. For every system Aristotle highlighted the weak sides. Thus, the monarch can become the tyrant who oppresses people, and the power of aristocracy can enslave the people they rule. As for polity both Plato and Aristotle both feared that this system of governing might lead to the rule of the ignorant many over the educated few. † It is clear that the modern system if governing in the USA corresponds to the views of Aristotle, and possible the fear of ancient philosopher wasn’t ungrounded. Gaarder, J. Sophie’s World ( Sofies verden Norw). Hardback & Paperback, 1991. 4 Using the play, â€Å"The Apology† define Sophist. According to that definition, was Socrates a Sophist? Give the reasons for your answer. The sophists were the group of philosopher contemporary to Socrates. Their task main was teaching the Athenian youth to create the convincing arguments and to convince the people. They taught their students to argue both sides on the issue. Their philosophy was the kind of relativism; they thought there is no truth, just the different and conflicting opinions. It the negative meaning sophist is the person who plays both sides. Plato in his â€Å"Apology† describes Socrates trying to convince the jury he was not the sophist. Perhaps the rhetoric of Socrates and the sophists had the common features; however sophists charged fees for their teaching, and Socrates stayed poor. The sophists used their knowledge for their own gain. They really taught their students to be prominent and to manipulate the people’s mind, the skills that could be used for political end, but enrichment was their primary aim, according to Plato. Plato thought that trading with the knowledge could be the field of bias and manipulation. He supposed sophists in telling their students the things that weren’t good for them. Unlike them, Socrates didn’t profit from his reaching. That is why Plato set Socrates apart from sophists. In many of Plato’s dialogues Socrates reveals the emptiness of their teachings. At least, the principal difference between Socrates and sophists was in attitude to knowledge. The sophists claimed that they gained access to special knowledge through the investigation and experience, and this knowledge could be taught. Socrates was confessed he knew nothing – he meant the more he learned the more he understood the infinitude of the knowledge. It is no wonder that sophists was among the people who accused Socrates and became the reason of his death. Rowe, C. J. â€Å"Plato on the Sophists as Teachers of Virtue. † History of Political Thought 4 (1983), 409-27.

Journalism and Communication - Black Henna Research Paper

Journalism and Communication - Black Henna - Research Paper Example The media recently has had reports concerning the use of henna and demonizing almost all the types of henna in use presently. But it is worth noting with great concern that not all the henna in circulation today is not harmful to the users. Among the reported side effects of the henna are occurrences of sore skin, the continuous irritation of the skins and to some extents the complete damage and death of skin by drying up due to dehydration. Most of the issues of health safety are majorly common in relation to the black henna which is reported as having a chemical referred to as PPD which contains iron oxide a highly toxic chemical to the human skin with banns in the US and many other countries around the globe. Due to the chemical components of the black henna it offers detrimental ,biological effects to the human skin some of whom use the products without the knowledge of their adverse effects and the possible remedies out of the situations. Historically it is reported that the black henna has been having components of high fecal matter, lead ,bacteria’s and colorants which have been great sources of bad health and to some extent even leading to the loss of lives of humans. The supreme council of health enacted their ban on the use of these beauty products due to their general effects to the human health and the well being of human skin. The effects may be instantaneous, however in certain circumstances the effects are residual and may occur after a long duration of time later on in the lives of an individual. The ban of the use of the black henna is not only in the middle east but the government of the USA also effected a ban on the product ,both the black and the red henna by the customs. Unfortunately some of the products still find their way into the country as imports for use and large scale sales. Some of the elements of the black henna are have oxidants which great affect the red blood cells which do not have G6PD with the inability to fight the effects of these products. Due to the very critical purpose of the red blood cells for the transportation of oxygen in the human body, when the henna becomes extremely high, the ability and the functional ity of the red blood cells become compromised hence can lead to death due to the compromising of the brain of the very necessary and adequate amounts of oxygen to support the functions of glycol sis of the brain. Cases of deaths from the use of black henna in the Emirates have been there ever since the early years. However due to some kind of secrecy within the culture of these people and the high male chauvinism, the cases have not been properly documented or reported for further and in-depth analysis and investigation. However recently there was a wide rumor of a girl who died after the over use of the black henna and the rumors about her death were reported to have been due to the adverse effects of the use of this product for a prolonged time span. Some cases of deaths due to the poisoning from black henna were equally reported in the Qatar and this subsequently lead to directives from the governments for the immediate sanctions and closures of all the salons involved and practi cing similar business. Governments of the most of the middle east countries like Egypt ,The Emirates and Saudi Arabia have had to take drastic measures through their ministries of

Identity and the search for the Self Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Identity and the search for the Self - Essay Example Thus, she realizes that her existence is shaped, not by her own wish, rather by patriarchy-assigned set of action for the women and her own individual existence is severely circumcised by her economic-diminution and dependency on her husband. At the same time, she also realizes that her freedom is choked by both the visible and invisible controls of the patriarchy over the female. In the play, Nora develops from a childlike mental immaturity to a maturated self. At some point of the novel, Nora perceives that her immaturity evolves from doll-like pampered position in Torvald’s as well as her father’s family. Nora lives in a fancy world where she is away from the stern reality of the world. She cannot predict the consequence of forgery that commits in order to save Torvald. Indeed she is motivated by a fancy and romantic loyalty to her husband. She is simply pampered to pacify her husband’s carnal hunger. Readers see that in Torvald’s family, Nora’s role is that of the traditional ones of raising children; maintaining house and hearth; and abiding her husband’s wish and order and simply to remain depended on her husband. Nora tries to be an ideal mother and a perfect wife, as she says that she wants, â€Å"To be able to be free from care, quite free from care; to be able to play and romp with the children; to be able to keep the house beautifully and have everything just as Torvald likes it!" (Ibsen, Act I). She has expected that when Torvald will learn that she has committed the forgery for Torvald’s sake, he will take the responsibility of the crime on his shoulder. Such fancy is evident in her words, as she says, â€Å"Something glorious is going to happen† (Ibsen, Act II). From the beginning of the novel till the revelation of Nora’s forgery of her father’s signature, Nora goes on to take her role as it is. But as soon as Torvald denies taking Nora’s crime on his shoulder, her fancy world shudders into pieces. Indeed right at

Film analysis of Easy Rider Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film analysis of Easy Rider - Movie Review Example The worth of a spiritual journey is emphasized throughout the movie, something that is closely associated with the idea of freedom in the movie. This is important in the context of an increasingly repressive America in which the movie was set in and released. The space of the carnival is invoked here and this makes one aware of the need for freedom in the everyday lives of men and women. This then becomes an important motif in the movie. This paper shall look at different aspects of the movie and also of its production. It shall do so through an examination of the conditions of its production and the people who were involved in the production of the movie. Dennis Hopper is considered to be one of the first of the directors in Hollywood to have broken from tradition and to imbibe in his methods of filmmaking the rebellious air of the 1960s and 1970s (Dennis Hopper, n.d.). This made him a very popular figure, even though the success of Easy Rider could not be replicated until much late r. The movie in that sense depicts his style of filmmaking and his ideology regarding the process of filmmaking very well. Hopper’s ideas of filmmaking were inspired by the counterculture of the United States of America which was at its heights when the movie was released. The movie remains one of the most important contributions to the development of the agency of the youth of America. After this wave of the counterculture, there was hardly any understanding of the need to revolt for a while in America, something that was recovered in the decades to follow. In terms of the genre of the movie, one may say that Easy Rider falls within the genre of a road movie. A road movie provides certain set patterns of moviemaking to the filmmaker and Hopper abided by this during the making of the movie. The angles that were used during the shots were almost always that which enabled a realistic portrait of the main characters. This involved shots that were taken from a close angle that al lowed the illusion of movement to the audience. This is one of the most important aspects of a road movie. The illusion of movement and pace is provided to the audience which is then gripped with suspense as to the next movement of the characters on screen. The importance of this lies in the fact that the pace of the movie is something that led the audience to identify with it and also to turn it into a cult classic. The fact that Peter Fonda was a part of the cast was a very important step in establishing for the audience the genre of the movie. It also established the nature of the movie as one that was opposed to the hegemonic culture of the times. Fonda had acted in a movie called The Wild Angels in 1966. This was a road movie as well and was a path breaking achievement in its own right (The Easy Rider, n.d.). This opposition to the hegemonic culture earned the movie great success despite the lack of a great deal of technical innovation in the body of the movie as such. The genr e of a road movie was something that was popular even before the release of this movie and it incorporated many of the motifs of the road movie. This included a generous dose of machismo that played a great part even in the final denouement of the movie. The plot, in a great way, is driven by these ideas of machismo that also was a large reason

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Proposal - Essay Example It discussed the timing and frequency, as well as tools and sources of information. Forecasting methodologies were also explained with a brief discourse on how to interpret the forecasted data. The goal of the authors in this book is to present accounting as an essential part of the decision making process of various users such as the voter, the taxpayer, the government official, the business manager, and the investor. It discussed relevant issues on the analysis and preparation of financial statements and their utilization to achieve a company’s objectives. Viscione aims to teach the student or the manager to use financial analysis in the decision making process. The book covers topics such as evaluating financial performance, tools for financial planning, cost of capital and capital budgeting techniques, among others. Abstract: The research aims to determine the rationale for managers opting to pad their budgets to address contingencies. It would discuss implications of padding the budget and find out alternative methods to meet financial challenges given the uncertainties in the competitive environment. This chapter clearly showed alternative options available to managers to avoid padding the budget. It also presented concepts in budgeting which would help a decision maker in making plans and strategies for control. The authors presented a concise section on capital budgeting techniques and other aids to managerial decisions. Theories on capital budgets are clearly explained and practical applications are explored through demonstration problems and exercises. Capital budgeting techniques were clearly presented through a discussion of measuring the rate of return of an investment. Topics on the determination of cash flows and other additional considerations to aid in the decision making process are also

Illegal immigrants in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Illegal immigrants in the US - Essay Example Intellectuals, officials from the government, and policy analysts have attempted to find out the social, economic, and political aftermaths of illegal immigration. Specifically, there has been intense argument on whether illegal immigrants have positive impacts on the American society and whether they should be allowed to live in America or be deported to their countries of orign. Since the matter relates very much to the nation’s politics and economy, it has become a subject of study and debate (Kenney 21). While various studies have shown that to some extent, immigrants are bad for the American nation, others have shown that they are good for the nation. I believe that illegal immigrants do benefit the American nation and they should be allowed to live in the United States because they provide cheap labor, do not get any benefits from the system, it is morally wrong to dport them, deporting illegal immigrants will be very costly, and that the United States was built from imm igrants. Numerous surveys show that a consensus exists amongst scores of policy analysts and economists of the fact that both illegal and legal immigration is beneficial to the economy as gives net boost to the economy, provide cheap labor, broaden the market for goods and services, and reduce the cost of goods and services (West 430). Inarguably, illegal immigrants are good mainly for the labor market as they take up low-paying jobs that American citizens and some legal migrants might not want. They supply labor to industries at a cost that is relatively lower. Since many illegal workers are desperate for work, they are prepared to accept lower pay unlike actual citizens and legal immigrants. This is critical because it assists in the reduction of many industries’ labor costs and hence boosts their effectiveness (Kenny 55). Additionally, they increase consumer demand as they broaden the market for goods and services. This is because they lead to an

Wardrobe Reaction Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wardrobe Reaction Paper - Essay Example I believe that remaining cool and cozy is most important and this is the reason why I am at my best with jeans, T-shirt and sneakers, wearing them as and when I need. For bumming around, I am usually in my shorts and spaghetti straps because that is the best time of my day (or even night). I use slippers to go around the house and be at my very best. My wardrobe communicates to me a sense of ease and coziness. I am of what I am and that is depicted easily through my wardrobe which makes me proud of the same. This is clear through my emphasis on a lot of T-shirts and jeans, as specific examples. Others react to certain items of my wardrobe in a very positive way. My friends think that I represent cool-ness from the onset, as I have literally everything that puts me at absolute comfort and ease. This is apparent in the examples of my sneakers, T-shirts and jeans which are branded and thus provide me extra comfort on nearly all occasions whenever I don them. To convey a mood or to wear an impression, I usually find the most apt attire. This could be a T-shirt when I am feeling all good about my own self or even a spaghetti strap when I am in the mood to go for a dinner with my colleagues.

Speed Quality in Apparent Motion Essay Example for Free

Speed Quality in Apparent Motion Essay ABSTRACT Seven participants each viewed two flipbooks of slow and fast speeds of hand-drawn dots and stick figures. By counterbalancing the conditions, each participant watched the flipbooks according to the sequential order. After viewing either the slow or fast flipbooks, a questionnaire was used to collect and calculate raw data of the experience; which concerned realness, enjoy ability, smoothness, and speed quality. Hypothesizing how speed affects the quality of a flipbook supports Gestalt’s theory and dynamic case of apparent motion perceived. However, contradicting and compromising with the low-speed assumption and case first reported by Wallach. Introduction A popular and thorough explanation for brain and visual functioning, perception, and sensation is known as ‘Gestalt Theory.’ Gestalt theory explains that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Individual parts alone cannot conclude to be as great or effective as the whole entirely. This is important to recognize because a better understanding of why and how the world is viewed as a whole picture can be related to real world instances. Such as in motion pictures and in flipbooks, which helps to differentiate between perceiving apparent motion and actual, real motion. For instance, we involuntarily blink our eyes everyday, and although this is an action of real motion, apparent motion plays its part by filling in the blanks of blackness or darkness when blinking occurs. Furthermore, the theory then can translate to: the whole experience of sensation and perception is greater than the sum of individual parts of sensation and perception. The theories of Gestalt help to explain extraordinary circumstances and phenomena’s of perception that are experienced in life, whether that may be visual or auditory illusions as well. In particular,  apparent motion is a more specific area of study in Gestalt theory which touches upon this psychological and perceptual experience. Apparent motion previously studied suggests that it â€Å"may result when stationary stimuli are presented sequentially to different retinal locations. Apparent motion is inferred from information about change in position. (Green, 1983).†The successive presentation elicits an impression of motion (Sato, 1989).† â€Å"The perception of motion depends on the integration of visual information over space and time.(Snowden, 1990).† This information subsequently leads to the research question to pursue of: does speed effect the quality of apparent motion perceived in a flipbook? It may seem like a simple question to ask, but also factoring in a questionnaire, participant feelings, two flipbooks of with two speed settings of slow and fast, and different colored pages can lead to possible, unsuspecting findings about the phenomena of apparent motion; which has mostly been individually considered in previous studies. There has been many studies on dot patterns, biological factors, vision, sound perception, and real motion in relation to apparent motion. So, this experiment is quite different than the usual, although it may be as simple as using a flipbook and participants. However, previous studies helped strengthen the answers of the research question and hypothesis. Therefore, supporting studies reported by Gepshstein and Kubovy (2007) suggest that: for every speed, there â€Å"exists a condition for which contrast sensitivity is maximal.† They also found results that determined speed concludes the regime of motion; which can strengthen the hypothesis of speed effecting apparent motion being perceived. Method Participants. Seven participants from Connecticut participated in an independent research project concerning a class of psychological sensation and perception. There were four males and three females who had normal to corrected vision. Participants ranged from 21 to 52 years of age. Materials. Two hand drawn flipbooks were created by using bamboo paper and binder clips. A Likert rating scale was used as the method of answering questions. Design and Analysis. The experiment was a 2 (sequence: flipbook A and flipbook B or flipbook B and flipbook A) X 2(speed: fast or slow) design with four questions manipulated between subjects. There were two  independent variables in this study, which were the flipbooks and the questions. The flipbooks had two levels of fast and slow; the fast flipbook (A) consisted of all the same colored paper and an image of a ball in different locations on the ascending pages. The slow flipbook (B) had different colored pages of paper on every other page, on every other page there was not any image drawn on it. This flipbook had a drawing of a stick figure walking and bumping into a wall. The dependent variable was the effect of speed quality through the obtained scores from participants from the questionnaire. Since there were not many participants available for this experiment, it was necessary to counterbalance the conditions. The first participant seen the fast flipbook first, then took the Likert scale questionnaire; secondly, the slow flipbook was shown to the first participant afterwards and then answering the questionnaire. The second participant was shown the slow flipbook first, then took the questionnaire, following that the fast flipbook was shown second and then the questionnaire was answered. The questionnaire was made up of four questions. This would continuously go on from participant to participant until the last, seventh participant. From these factors, a two-way, within-subjects ANOVA of within-subjects was the design Procedure Participants were seated at a table and were informed that they would be participating in an experiment and to answer all questions honestly. Then, the first flipbook was presented to the participant by the experimenter whom operated both of the flip books which accurately set the speeds. This happened continuously until the last participant. There were two trials of this experiment, which consisted of showing a fast flipbook (A) and slow flipbook (B). Upon completion of watching each flipbook, participants were questioned about their experience by using the Likert Scale rating. The responses were collected and recorded in Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS 20. The experiment lasted about 35 minutes. Results The main effect of flipbook responses for flipbook A (fast) had a mean of M=3.36. The responses for flipbook B (slow) had a mean of M=2.14 (see table 1 and figure 1). A two-way, within-subjects ANOVA illustrated that the  difference between the mean of flip book A and flipbook B was statistically significant; F(1,6)=12.892, p0.05. The error bars represent the standard error of means (SEM) and flipbook A SEM=0.31 and flipbook B SEM=0.51.The main effect of flipbook was significant due to speed manipulation. Flipbook A had the highest score of the two, which made it the fastest and flipbook B the slowest. The main effect of questions (see table 2 and figure 2) response for question 1 had a mean of M=2.43. Question 2 had a mean of M=2.57, question 3 had a mean of M=2.07, and question 4 had a mean of M=3.93. Based on a two-way, within-subjects ANOVA, the results showed the questions were a statistically significant factor of the experiment; F(3,18)=3.627, p0.05. However, the questions as well differed irrespective of speed quality (Q4A/B). This showed the differences among the four question conditions were impactful in determining other factors such as animation realness (Q1A/B), enjoyment (Q2A/B), and smoothness (Q3A/B). | Table 2: main effect of questions| | | | Q1 Mean| Q2 Mean| Q3 Mean| Q4 Mean| Mean| 2.43| 2.57| 2.07| 3.93| SD| 2.31| 1.87| 2.27| 2.13| SEM| 0.62| 0.50| 0.61| 0.57| The interaction effect between the flipbooks (shown in figure below) and the questions showed that in flipbook A the mean values for the questions were as the following: Question 1 mean M=2.57, question 2 mean M=1.71, question 3 mean M=4.14, question 4 mean M=5.00. In flipbook B the mean values for are as follows: Question 1 mean M=2.29, question 2 mean M=3.43, question 3 mean M=0.00, and question 4 mean M=2.86. This shows that the interaction between the flipbooks and questions were highly significant and falls on a boundary as reported by the two-way, within-subjects ANOVA; F(3,18)=8.144, p=0.001. However, the questions differed irrespective of the speed. The questions received different scores, however not too different to make it insignificant. It had nothing to do with the speed manipulation; rather it showed the differences among the four question conditions were impactful in determining other factors such as realness (Q1A/B), enjoyment (Q2A/B), and smoothness (Q3A/B). Q1 asked about the realness of the animations and they were perceived as real regarding both. The scores show that flipbook A was a little more real than flipbook B by a 0.28 difference of interaction. Q2 asked about the enjoyment of the flipbook and showed that flipbook B was more enjoyable than flipbook A by a 1.72 difference of interaction. Q3 showed that flipbook A was most smooth than flipbook B, and that flipbook B had no perceived smoothness. Q4 showed that speed mattered and affected the quality most in flipbook A, and flipbook B had the slowest speed of the two. The impact of experimental manipulation has shown to be significant between the two independent variables of flipbooks and questions. Discussion The hypothesis in question was to discover if speed affects the quality of apparent motion perceived in a flipbook through research and experimentation. Results indicate that the hypothesis was supported because speed did matter according to the findings. Gepshtein Kubovy (2007) indicated that motion was not always seen along the slower path. It was interesting to find out that the slower flipbook was determined to be most enjoyable in this experiment when interactions were looked at (see figure 3). In Gepshtein Kubovy’s study, they challenged Wallach’s previous study about low-speed assumption, which viewed low speed as prevailing when in competition with faster speeds. However, the results of their existing theory and experiments that challenged Wallach’s found that the ratio of two speeds were always less than unified. Which means motion was not always seen along the slower path. These results may be different because of altering procedures between the two studies, but the most current  research conducted by them indicates what is most rationale when deterring speed effectiveness. In flipbook B, every other page was a different color. The pages that had different colors also did not have any drawings or images on them This was a technique used to find out more through speed manipulation. In a previous study, Giaschi and Anstis (1989) reported that â€Å"apparent motion created by two spots illuminated in alternation looks faster when there is a dark temporal interval between the offset of one spot and the onset of the other than when spots are presented immediately after one another, even though the temporal frequency and spatial seperation spots are held constant.† This helped to support the added feature of flipbook B, which had alternating, darker colored pages. This can be a potential reason as to why the flipbook was most enjoyable than the fast flipbook A; this finding can be a contributing factor for the real world because it can often be assumed that if things move fast (er), then it is better or more enjoyable. On the contrary, it can be more desirable for things to be slowed down, even if by a few seconds, so to give an audience more time to process and comprehend what is happening. It can also aid in exposing people to pay more attention to detail and to be more particular in such a fast paced society. Although slow motion may often be seen as less effective, this does not mean it is less important. Gephstein Kubovy’s study contrasted with Wallach’s theory, but Wallach’s findings occurred between the 1930’s and 1970’s, so in more earlier and previous times his participants may have been more accustomed to slower occurrences; compared to the 21st century’s faster moving conditions. Although the hypothesis was supported by the findings and other scholarly studies, it can as well be assumed that the results could be better and stronger if there were not any major limitations of the experiment. Limitations such as not having a not having the desired facilities and equipment; for instance, in a laboratory designated only for participants or equipment such as MRI machines to factor in brain functioning and perception. It would have also been nice to have more time to conduct this study over months or even years. The use of mathematical equations and  theories might have been important. Being able to have a wide range of participants would be of importance so to look at education level, gender, race, and age to see if those factors bring about any disadvantages, advantages, patterns and/or similarities. Having multiple speeds would have been interesting to add into the experiment. Taking into consideration the amount of pages and certain colors which could effect perception further. Lastly, having considered the son and mother used in the experiment would be interesting to learn if there is some sort of similarities and/or differences between parents and their children. In the future these can be improved so to come across more findings, unsuspecting conditions and/or disregarding current information for a more updated viewpoint. The experiment may have been effected by error, such as by participant misunderstanding or misleading answers that may have been more desirable than another. It may have been an error to counterbalance conditions and control the experiment in that way by manipulating speed and sequence of the flipbooks. There was not much mathematics involved so there were no errors of numbers and data, but the procedure as mentioned potentially could have been. Cumulatively, Gestalt’s theory ties all of this information in to help better understand why we perceive the way we do and how we perceive this, as mentioned in the Introduction. When we see the world as one entire picture rather than one individual part, it assists in humans having an overall pleasurable experience when viewing, perceiving, and sensing the world. Apparent motion strengthens our abilities to think fast and fill in all of the blanks necessary to cumulatively understand any myriad of circumstances. As mentioned in the Introduction, blinking can fill in the blanks that our visual system processes in order to elude an illusionary, motion picture so to view the world as a whole, and not by just parts. This is a concept important to understand and cherish when applied to daily lives because it can help to be appreciative that we view the world so concisely and promptly, when in reality it is not as fast paced as assumed. Concerning flipbook B (slow), it could be advantageous to notice individual parts leading to better comprehension, when noticing entireties. All in all,  there are interrelated factors which tie speed, space, time, apparent motion, real motion, perception, and sensation into many theories of Gestalt. One without the other would not be as effective as when all used wholly. References 1. Gepshtein, S., Kubovy, M. (2007). The lawful perception of apparent motion. Journal of Vision, 7(8), 1-15. 2. Giaschi, D., Anstis, S. (1989). The less you see it, the faster it moves: Shortening the â€Å"on-time† speeds up apparent motion, Vision Research, Volume 29, Issue 3. 3. Green, Marc. Inhibition and facilitation of apparent motion by real motion, Vision Research, Volume 23, Issue 9, 1983, Pages 861-865. 4. Sato, Takao. Reversed apparent motion with random dot patterns, Vision Research, Volume 29, Issue 12, 1989, Pages 1749-1758, ISSN 0042-6989, 10.1016/0042-6989(89)90157-0. 5. Snowden, R. J., Braddick, O., J. (1990) Differences in the processing of short-range apparent motion at small and large displacements, Vision Research, 1211-1222. Volume 30, Issue 8.

Efficient Technology To Save Energy In Construction Environmental Sciences Essay

Efficient Technology To Save Energy In Construction Environmental Sciences Essay The literature review has numerous objectives. These objectives exist to assist the researcher dealing with the relevant problem to give meaning to the findings. The more information the researcher can collect, the more the researcher can undertake the relevant research problem stated (Leedy, 2005:65). This chapter will discuss what importance green energy has on the saving of natural resources and energy in South Africa. The result of previous studies on the related research problem is analysed and discussed. 2.2 The introduction of Green Energy to the environment Green Construction has only been in use since the 1970s, making it a relatively new concept. Green Building is not just for environmentalists, but for all people who like to breathe clean air (Montoya, 2010). Gibberd (2009) stated that Green Energy in South Africa is still a relatively new concept, although awareness has dramatically increased in the last two years (2007-8) due to: Electricity shortages More local awareness of potential water shortages Rising global awareness of climate change issues Demand from international organisations operating in South Africa. Buildings consume a major amount of the worlds energy. Most of the structures that are built and inhabited are highly inefficient in their energy use. For example; Inefficient heating and cooling systems and poorly designed lighting systems can increase a buildings energy use significantly. Energy generation is one of the greatest contributors to global pollution. Inefficient energy use also affects a buildings long-term operational cost (Montoya, 2010). Kibert (1994) explain sustainable construction as creating the environment healthy by utilizing resource efficient, ecologically foundation principles. This highlights the acceptance of construction and design techniques that are resource efficient and that will not compromise the associated health of the residents, builders, public, future generations or the health of the environment. The substantial negative environmental impacts of buildings have lead to the emerging concept of green buildings which are designed to be energy and water efficient, use non hazardous materials and provide healthy productive environments (Kilbert, 1994). 2.3 Discussing the different objectives in the form of a literature review, based on previous research 2.3.1 Different types of Green Energy Technology to be utilize 2.3.1.1 Wind energy Wind energy uses the power of the wind to produce electricity. A wind turbine the modern equivalent of the windmill uses the winds energy to generate electricity. It is the biggest work producer and is required strong winds. Wind turbines are large and, the area below the turbine can be use for farming due to the reason that it use small space, it may be unattractive looking equipment. Wind turbines also make a noise to operate (Hick, 2002). Wind power is possibly the technology with the best potential to provide large amounts of clean, renewable energy in the decades to come. Wind turbines are already a cost-competitive source of electricity in a number of parts of the country. Wind power, like some other forms of renewable energy, is an irregular resource. Wind turbines can only generate electricity when the wind is blowing (Sargent, 2006). Wind energy systems fairly low costs have also helped in decreasing our trust on the traditional natural resources. Use of wind power plants is environmentally friendly, and helps to keep the general environment clean with continuously supply of clean, inexpensive energy, that can be transmitted to many homes and buildings (Habjance, 2010). By using wind energy instead of conventional one based on natural resources, you will be able to not only decrease your electricity bills but youll also help our planet recover from pollution and climate change problem (Habjance, 2010). 2.3.1.2 Hydropower Hydropower use water to produce energy. This is the most constant of green energy sources. Disadvantages that occur are it have an effect on the ecology and lead to downstream problems. The decomposition of soil and vegetation along the riverbed can cause the build-up of methane. Methane is a causal gas to greenhouse effect (Perry, 2002). Hydropower is the cheapest way to generate electricity today. No other energy source, renewable or non-renewable, can match it. Producing electricity from hydropower is cheap because, once a dam has been built and the equipment installed, the energy source which is flowing water is free (McGraw, 2009). Hydropower enjoys several advantages over most resources of electricity power, including reliability, low operating cost, doesnt produce waste products, acid rain or greenhouse gases (Draper, 2003). A dam on the river, which store water in a reservoir, is the most common type of hydropower plant used. Water thats being released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, which leads it to spin, which turn on a generator to generate electricity. Hydroelectric power doesnt require a large dam to operate. Hydropower plants can use a water canal to channel water through a turbine (Konrad, 2010). Hydropower doesnt pollute the air but construction and work of the dams can affect natural water systems and also affect wildlife and fish population Hydropower today provides about 20 % of the worlds electricity and is the main energy source for more than 30 countries (Eastley, 2008). 2.3.1.3 Solar energy Solar Energy uses the sun to generate energy. It is beneficial because the method can be installed in an existing building and it does not use space. The area which the solar energy collectors utilize is large, which lead to more materials used. Solar radiation is controlled by geography, which is dependent on daytime. Solar energy technology is limited to non-cloudy days and daytime hours (Hick, 2002). Solar energy like the other renewable energies available is safe and also environmentally friendly. No emissions occur, due to the fact that the sun is the fuel, unlike coal-powered stations (Draper, 2003). Solar power is electricity generated from the levels of natural energy contained within the suns rays. The sun shines down on our earth, providing solar energy to the surface. This solar energy is usually recognized as solar radiation and contains a large amount of energy we are able to harness (Eastley, 2008). Solar power is the most common form of renewable energy in each region, used by over half (52%) of industry professionals today and expected to grow to 76% in the next five years. The most dramatic growth is expected in wind power use (57% expected in 2013, up from 20% today), followed closely by geothermal power (expected to double from 22% today to 45% in 2013) (McGraw, 2009). Solar energy technologies use the energy and light of the sun to generate heat, cooling, electricity, industry and businesses. A large variety of different technologies have been developed that can take advantage of solar energy (Anselmo, 2003). When solar power technology is in position to transfer it to valuable energy, the fuel is free and will never be affected by the energy market. It symbolize a clean alternative to the fossil fuels which currently pollute the air and water, contribute to global warming and threaten public health. Given the great quantity of solar energy, this will play an important role in the future (Anselmo, 2003). 2.3.1.4 Geothermal Energy Geothermal energy is heat inside the Earth. This heat can be as steam or hot water and can be use to generate electricity and heat buildings. The environmental impact of geothermal energy depends on how it will be utilized (Draper, 2003). Cameron (2005) stated that geothermal energy is a very efficient and powerful manner to obtain renewable energy from earth through natural route. This can be executed on small scale to provide heat for residential unit, or on a large scale for energy production through a geothermal power plant. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source because the heat is constantly generate inside the Earth. Geothermal energy is used around the world to heat homes and to generate electricity by excavating deep holes and pumping steam or hot water to the surface. The use of stable temperatures near the surface of the Earth can heat and cool buildings (Eastley, 2007). Energy in the ground is actually stored energy from the sun. At six feet below the surface, the earths temperature is a constant 10-15Â °C (40-60Â °F) all year round. This latent energy is a steady heat source, even in the coldest winter (Smith, 2002). The pressure of the thermal energy increases with depth, the temperature of the Earth increases when getting to centre. The global average for Earths geothermal gradient is in the region of 30Â °C/km (Smith, 2002). 2.3.1.5 Biomass Energy Biomass is the oldest fuel known to humanity and is still widely used in developing countries, where it accounts for about 35% of primary energy consumption. Biogas can be utilized for electricity production on sewage plants and used conveniently for heating, cooking, space-heating and water heating (Montoya, 2010). Biomass is a clean renewable energy resource produced from waste of natural and human activities. Biomass excludes organic material, which in geological processes transform into material such as coal and petroleum (Draper, 2003). Biomass energy offers an alternative source of energy. The use is environmentally friendly due to the fact that the biological mass is reduced, recycled and the used again (Anselmo, 2003) 2.4 The availability of Green Energy Technology and Resources in South Africa South African designers are aware of Green designing and it is one of the most compelling factors when designing a building, but African professionals have completely different design considerations that instigate constraints in attaining green architecture (Cadrecha, 1997). South Africa has a great quantity of resources for wind, and has large space of open land and infrastructure, which have the potential to become a wind powerhouse. A single province alone, wind has the potential to produce 10 times the national wind energy estimates. Even though is highly favoured by green lobbyists, wind power has problems to conquer. It costs can be up to three to four times as more than a coal-generated power (Lawrence, 2006). Eskom calculated that the reasonable working wind resource on the coasts is approximately 1 000 megawatts. Wind farms can be built fairly quickly; will take a year to build one that will provide 100 megawatts (Gcabashe, 2004). Nations such as Denmark have shown that it is possible to obtain as much as 20 percent of their electricity supplies from the wind. While wind industry analysts suggest it is possible to have up to 40 percent wind power as part of a smoothly functioning electricity grid (Sargent, 2006). According to Eskom (2008) it will use its proposed $3.75-billion World Bank loan to roll out lower carbon technologies, such as important solar-thermal and wind power, as well as to fund construction of the Medupi coal-fired power station. Lemercier (2009) noted that a factor is the lack of ability to move past its coal dependability, and the funding from the government to Eskom and its coal objective. A starting point for this would be dealing with the issues of renewable energy and putting a stop to the monopoly of Eskom. South Africa is in front between the rests of the African countries when it comes to incorporate alternative/renewable energy sources. Wind, biofuels, solar, and potential wave energy are among South Africas growing awareness (Lemercier, 2009). Njobeni (2010) stated that green building is becoming the standard between hotel chains and large companies and while a 34% decrease in carbon emissions is very motivated, if any country can do it, so can South Africa. According to South Africa Wind Energy Statistics 2004, there are approximately 30 000 windmills in our country. Wind energy is the fastest developing of all renewable energy and one of the inexpensive renewable energy sources available. It can be soon the cheapest way to generate energy on large scale, but can be more costly than other energy sources. The benefits for ecology make it a very acceptable energy source, in areas with appropriate climate conditions (Draper, 2006). South Africa has good wind potential, particularly at the coastal areas of Eastern and Western Cape. The Klipheuwel wind farm is operating close to Cape Town and the Darling wind farm is likely to operate early 2007 (Gcabashe, 2004). (Draper, 2009) stated that South Africa has a substantial growth area for green energy. The need to meet growing electricity demand, combined with the need to reduce carbon emissions in response to the pressures of climate change, means there is great potential to use the countrys abundant of wind and solar energy resources. South Africa has fair potential for hydroelectric, and the establishment of small hydroelectric projects can help provide a sustainable future energy contribution. There are 6 000 to 8 000 potential sites in South Africa suitable for small hydropower-utilization under 100 megawatts (Lemercier, 2009). Steiner (2008) stated that with the abundant of natural resources, South Africa is consider as a primary candidate for increased utilization of renewable energy. The country is dependent on coal burning for power generation, although having a number of hydroelectric plants and only one nuclear power station. Every energy source, whether its green or otherwise, it requires energy. The generation of this energy will create pollution during its production. Green energies impact is minimal (Cameron, 2004). Wong (2006) stated that new energy sources are available for almost every one and it is free to use. Energy sources like the wind, water and sunshine are for everybody and are free to use. Technology is just required to convert these sources in to useful energy. The present installed hydropower in South Africa reached a capacity of 2,267 MW, generating on average annually about 4,368 GWh. This represents about 2, 3% of the total energy output in South Africa (Klunne, 2009). Khumalo (2008) stated that the largest hydroelectric power plant, Drakensberg Pumped Storage Facility, in South Africa is 1 000 megawatt, part of a larger design of water management that delivers water from the Tugela River to the Vaal watershed. Earth prevents a large quantity of energy radiated by the sun. After absorption and reflection in the earths atmosphere, the total radiation reaching the land area is roughly 1 kilowatt per square meter at noon on a sunny day. Direct solar energy can heat water or buildings and generate electricity in solar cells (Cameron, 2005). Areas in South Africa average 2Â  500 hours of sunshine per year, and the average solar radiation levels range between 4.5 and 6.5kWh/m2 in one day. The annual 24-hour global solar radiation average is about 220 W/m2, when compared to the USA with about 150 W/m2, and Europe and the United Kingdom about 100 W/m2. South Africas resource is thus one of the highest in the world (Cameron, 2005). McGraw (2004) stated that the utilization of solar energy is the most available resource in South Africa. It provides a number of potential uses and the solar-equipment industry is developing. Biomass is renewable, the making of waste products will always be occurring, plants and trees die and the cycle will always continue. This ensures that sources will always contribute to biomass (Cameron, 2005). South Africas Bio-energy project is established in Durban. The Ethekwini (Greater Durban) Municipality use gas from three of its landfills to produce electricity to the city. New plant such as PetroSA, Mosselbay is also in operations (van Heerden, 2006). Sargent (2006) estimates that there is potentially 1.26 billion GJ of energy available annually from biomass residues. Biomass energy could thus theoretically provide 50 % of the national demand. Several types of alternative energy are easily available, commercially feasible and practically applicable (van Heerden, 2006). 2.5 The importance of Green Energy in modern environment Renewable resources have a lack of ability to make carbon-based warming and polluting the air and water. The cost of the resources is not always cost-effective, however if the environmental costs of utilizing fossil fuels are accounted for, renewable energy is the greatest practice to deal with. The indirect savings on health and there are no harmful emissions (Leipoldt, 2001). Renewable energy does not reduce natural resources nor does it destroy the environment. Renewable energy technologies tap into natural cycles and methods, convert the available and current energy into usable forms, the saving of energy and natural resources is crucial in our country as well as planet (Muller, 2002). Previously studies shown that the concern and awareness of the public about global warming is not only a purpose of logical information. Both sociological and psychological factors have an influence on the enthusiasm of the general public to accept the reality of global warming, and to support the climate policies (Sandvik, 2008). Even though renewable energy sources have energy security characteristic and positive environmental, most renewable technologies are not capable to compete economically with fossil fuels through the projection time outside some of the regions (Battle, 2010). Winkler (2003) invested that renewable energy and energy efficiency is important to reduce the negative economic, social and environmental impacts of energy production and consumption in South Africa. Renewable energy contributes relatively little to primary energy and even less to the consumption of commercial energy. Winkler (2003) stated that the Ethekwini project illuminate 9 000 homes which necessitate 10 Megawatts of electricity to be produced. Amount up to 80 000 tons of coal could be saved annually, which would be burnt and contribute to the greenhouse gasses currently present in the atmosphere. Biomass energy brings abundant environmental benefits; reduce water and air pollution, reducing erosion and increasing the soil quality, and improving wildlife habitat (McGraw, 2005). Renewable energy sources are wonderful options because it is limitless. It wont run out, as fossil fuels will eventually run out on which electricity currently depends upon. Also another great benefit from using renewable energy is that many of them do not pollute our air and water they way burning fossil fuels does (Hick, 2007). Even in view of the scarcity of the supply if fossil fuels as a source of power, it makes important sense to be actively considering using alternative forms of energy (Anaya, 2006). South Africa depends a great deal on fossil fuels and nuclear power stations to generate its electricity supply. The result is a system that lacks diversity and security, threatens the health of people, prevent future generations from clean air, clean water and energy independence and jeopardize the constancy of planets climate, (Winkler, 2003). According to Smith (2002) renewable energy resources is capable of meeting an important proportion of South Africans energy needs, and can help ease the problems of power shortages, power shutdowns and saving on natural resources. A commitment to renewable energy development can: Increase economic development and creates new family wage jobs Create competition to control and prevent fossil fuel prices to increase Protect the economy from fossil fuel price increases and supply shortages or disruptions Reduce a growing reliance on imported electricity ad fuel Protect the natural resources for the future generations Most renewable energy finances are used on workmanship and materials to construct and maintain the facilities, rather than on expensive energy imports. Renewable energy investments are generally in the nation. Meaning that, energy money stays home and creates jobs and fuels the local economies (Cadrecha, 2009). Estimates show that natural resources can only supply our energy demands for another fifthly to seventy years. With the discovery of alternative energy sources, the world has start focusing on renewable energy sources as the answer. There are many disadvantages and advantages to this (Hick, 2002). 2.5.1 Advantages Renewable energy sources have environmental, health, economic and cost advantages over fossil fuels. Environmental No contribution to global warming No polluting emissions We can use it repeatedly without depleting it Health Healthier and safer indoor and outdoor surroundings Personal pleasure Renewable energy sources are vital to sustainable human life on earth Economic and Cost Low cost applications when counting all costs Enhanced asset value and profits Reduced operation costs Require less maintenance on their plants Fit into existing buildings and it does not affect land use 2.5.2 Disadvantages Difficult to produce large quantities of electricity required While it is also new technologies, it is costly to initiate Availability of skills and knowledge The economical benefits United States of America will achieve with utilization of Green Energy by 2025 Job Creation 297,000 new jobs from renewable energy expansion Economic Development $263.4 billion in new capital investment $13.5 billion in income to farmers and ranchers, and $11.5 billion in new local tax revenues. Consumer Saving $64.3 billion in lower electricity and natural gas bills by 2025 Climate Solutions Two percent reduction in power plant global warming pollution from todays levels by 2025-the equivalent of taking 45.3 million cars off the road. The impact of green energy technology from the governments point of view Renewable energy have numerous important points to South Africa, it reduces the demand on the electricity network, put a stop to the need for additional power stations to be built to meet demand for power and keeping electricity cost. Lastly it creates opportunities for the introduction of the creation and funding of incentives for projects and products (Eskom, 2009). The considerable negative environmental impacts of buildings have led to the emerging concept of Green Buildings which are designed to be water and energy efficient, use non hazardous materials and provide healthy productive environments, and also reduce their energy consumption to less than half of what a conventional building uses (CIDB, 2009). South Africa generate approximately 34 000 megawatts of electricity to supply the present requirement, and this figure is increasing annually. The greatest economical method available is to utilize the natural resources supplies of low-quality coal (Eskom, 2009). AGAMA (2003) stated that a study evaluated the role that renewable energy could play in job creation. The projected electricity demand for the year 2020 is expected to be 267 TWh, increasing from the 2000 electricity generation figure of 181 573 GWh. If an additional 62 TWh is to be generated by renewable energy technologies and coal capacity, around 52 000 jobs will be created, which have a good impact on the jobless in South Africa. 2.7 The cost implication involved with Green Energy South Africa lagged behind in the implementation of solar water heating mainly due to the high costs involved. A typical residential solar water heating system reduces the need for conventional water heating by about two-fifths (Gibberd, 2008). Hick (2002) stated that one of the causes there are not a large amount of solar energy technology systems and installations is by reason the cost involved, as the cost of fossil fuels stays lower than the first investment towards the present availability of solar panels, there will not be a large shift towards solar electricity construction. Green energy technologies are a costly action and can be argue if the investments are meaningful. If a person feels that the technology investment is worth it, the technology is available to be used. For corporation, individual and housing there are remarkable technologies on the market. Businesses that concentrate in these energy sources are advancing and new concepts are being develop that are better (Wong, 2008). Wind and solar are intermittent technologies which can only be utilize if the resources are available. When built, the costs of operating wind or solar technologies when there source is available is generally much less than the cost of operating conventional renewable generation. But high construction costs can make the total cost to build and operate renewable generators higher than those for conventional power plants (Cassidy, 2010). What is the cost per kWh for wind/solar/geothermal? Can be difficult to answer (Konrad, 2009). Some of these revenues have been used for public expenses, but usually on social goods such as national electrification rather than environmental benefits. The challenge for renewable electricity is that these factors have enabled Eskom to keep tariffs low Cassidy, 2008). The National Energy Regulator of SA last year announced SAs renewable energy feed-in tariffs, which the renewable industry said were attractive enough to stimulate investment (Njobeni, 2010). The higher the demand for electricity increase, the more power stations are compulsory. This will lead to large requirement of capital in turn, it will increase the consumer energy costs (van Heerden, 2010). With government encouragement to utilize wind and solar technologies, their costs have come down and are now in the same league as the increased costs of fossil fuel technologies due to likely carbon emission charges on electricity generation from them (Cassidy, 2005). Of course it is expensive. Not many energy sources can compete with fossil fuels on a purely economic basis. But we cant go on like this forever. Either we manage to make the difficult decisions required to move away from fossil fuels, or we will simply find ourselves at the mercy of events outside our control. My preference is for a planned transition, even if it is difficult (Rapier, 2004). Alternative energy in all its forms is not so far competitive on the price front for everyday users. It will work with help from the government subsidies or good corporate of the nation who will pay a premium to market them as being green (Muller 2008). Muller (2008) stated solar is more expensive than any other resources, but wind is in fact cheaper than a new gas plant or a new nuke, although it is not cheaper than a coal plant. According to Hansen (2009) its too expensive. At the moment fossil fuels are the cheapest form of energy. Kornevall (2007) stated that solar panels are so expensive at present that it is about 10 times more than fossil fuels when comparing it in terms of cost per unit of energy output which only wealthy people can afford to install them. When utilize the alternative energy technology is required to convert the energy sources into forms that can be used. This technology can be costly, but will save money in the future. Several governments are endorsing it, can profit from tax credits and other benefits. Therefore, at the best price the investment can be valuable for all parties (Young, 2008). Paul (2009) stated energy is becoming very costly and by utilizing it, it has negative side effects, for which the price is paying for. To avoid a condition where only the wealth people can effort it, the course should be change and different route should be taking into account. Although renewable energy is usually more costly than conventionally produced supplies, alternative power reduce pollution and to preserve fossil fuel (Waker, 2004). The price of electricity in South Africa is very low compared to other countries. Numerous countries have also embarked upon large build plans and programs and the gap between South Africa and the rest of the world is expanding (Eskom, 2009). 2.8 The barrier to installation, implementation and utilizing of Green Energy Technology According to Layham (2010) the following factors play a role in the prevention of Implementing Green Construction, in other words these are hindrances which needs to be dealt with in order for Green Construction to be implemented: Construction Products Characteristics of construction products should be optimized towards improving their sustainability performance, with considering the variables such as climate, culture, advancement of industrial development, and others. Manufacturing of Construction components can contribute to improving sustainable performance in various ways, ant typically they are 1) reducing the embodied energy of the components, 2) To alleviate the emissions from producing construction components CIDB (2009) stated, while Green Construction is not yet standard practice, and a relatively new concept, the need for Green Construction has drastically increased from 2007-2008 due to electricity shortages, water shortages, rising global awareness of climate change issues and the demand for international organisations operating in South Africa. Government agency (2009) stated that there is no need to tender but tariff will be required, and other says one must bid to generate renewable energy. This lends itself to investor ambiguity and confusion, which is a barrier to utilize the technology. According to Morris (2008) the entity that has control over the planning process can also influence the degree to which the renewable energy market can be opened, hence the fear that Eskom, if it develops the national plan, will once again dictate. Renewable energy market players believe that the market for renewable energy has major room for expansion, the renewable energy target could be expanded up to 15% rather than the currently predict 4% penetration, which takes us to the bottom of why who is tasked with the development of South Africas future energy plan is such a politically sensitive issue (Fakir, 2009). According to Munnik, AGAMA (2003) there is significant barriers to the further implementation of renewable energy that need to be addressed. The key issues include the following: Many renewable energy technologies remain expensive, on account of higher capital costs, compared to conventional energy supplies for bulk energy supply to cities and large industries. Implementation of renewable energy technologies needs significant initial investment and may need support for relatively long periods before reaching profitability. There is a lack of consumer awareness on benefits and opportunities of renewable energy. Financial, legal, regulatory and organisational barriers need to be overcome in order to implement renewable energy technologies. 2.9 Conclusion The purpose of this chapter was to outline the importance of Green Energy

Who Cares about Student Apathy? :: Personal Narrative Essays

Who Cares about Student Apathy? Over the last several months I have been emerged in the issue of voter apathy. This year only 8.3% of students voted in our Student Government elections. This became an important issue to me since I first came to high school. I watched many of my friends show no interest in what was going on around high school. They did not know any of the candidates and they did not seem to care what happened to the organization that carried the most weight in conveying student interests to the administration. From this discourse, I set out this semester with goals in mind. 1) Increase voter turnout in the SGA election 2) Make voting available on-line 3) Increase student interest in SGA Needless to say I failed at all 3 goals. Our voter turnout went down from the previous year, and I was told voting on-line had already been discussed and the administration had decided that it was not practical. It is hard to measure whether I increased interest in student government, however, based on the previous two, I believe interest has not increased. While at this point in my endeavors I became frustrated. That did not stop me. I started simply talking to people I know about voting. I asked them why they thought students had apathy and what they thought might change that. These discussions changed my outlook completely. I was no longer concerned with just getting everyone to the polls because I realized that it took more than that to get people involved. In order for students to vote, they must strongly believe that what is happening affects them personally and that by voting they are not only taking a stand about something, but also they believe their stand will make a difference. Students who are not voting for these reasons probably should not be voting. This was a turning point in my process, and from here I took two new steps. 1) I developed a survey on voting 2) I created an information sheet to publicize the SGA election The SGA election is not highly publized, and I felt it might be beneficial to post sheets telling students how and where to vote. I particularly liked the "one vote" statistics on the information sheet distributed to students. Who Cares about Student Apathy? :: Personal Narrative Essays Who Cares about Student Apathy? Over the last several months I have been emerged in the issue of voter apathy. This year only 8.3% of students voted in our Student Government elections. This became an important issue to me since I first came to high school. I watched many of my friends show no interest in what was going on around high school. They did not know any of the candidates and they did not seem to care what happened to the organization that carried the most weight in conveying student interests to the administration. From this discourse, I set out this semester with goals in mind. 1) Increase voter turnout in the SGA election 2) Make voting available on-line 3) Increase student interest in SGA Needless to say I failed at all 3 goals. Our voter turnout went down from the previous year, and I was told voting on-line had already been discussed and the administration had decided that it was not practical. It is hard to measure whether I increased interest in student government, however, based on the previous two, I believe interest has not increased. While at this point in my endeavors I became frustrated. That did not stop me. I started simply talking to people I know about voting. I asked them why they thought students had apathy and what they thought might change that. These discussions changed my outlook completely. I was no longer concerned with just getting everyone to the polls because I realized that it took more than that to get people involved. In order for students to vote, they must strongly believe that what is happening affects them personally and that by voting they are not only taking a stand about something, but also they believe their stand will make a difference. Students who are not voting for these reasons probably should not be voting. This was a turning point in my process, and from here I took two new steps. 1) I developed a survey on voting 2) I created an information sheet to publicize the SGA election The SGA election is not highly publized, and I felt it might be beneficial to post sheets telling students how and where to vote. I particularly liked the "one vote" statistics on the information sheet distributed to students.

OLD BLOOD AND GUTS Essay -- essays papers

OLD BLOOD AND GUTS General Patton was a devoted student of history, a poet, a humble man who was very unsure of his own abilities, a man who could bust into tears at any given moment, and could be charming or quite insulting all in the same hour. His reckless, outspoken manner gained him friends and enemies of equal determination. General Patton was not only extrovert of public perception but he also had an intensely private side. He was a man who trained himself for greatness with a determination matched by no other Allied General of World War Two. During the war, Patton led U.S. troops in Morocco, Tunisia, and Sicily, then took command of the Third Army, leading the troops through the German lines at Normandy to traverse France and eventually into the heart of Germany. His toughness on enemies as well as his own forces earned him the name â€Å"Old Blood and Guts.† General George Smith Patton’s leadership and tactics were the best of any Allied general of World War Two. Old Blood and Guts was born in 1885 in San Gabriel, California. He was a man who from a very early age knew he was destine for a life in the military as one can read in his journal â€Å" When I was a little boy at home I used to wear a wooden sword and say to myself: ‘George S. Patton, Jr., Lieutenant General’.†1 He followed his dreams and gained an educated at Virginia Military Institute and the U.S. Military Academy. On his graduation in 1909 Patton was commissioned a second lieutenant; he advanced in rank to full General by 1945. George Patton served as aide-de-camp to the American General John Joseph Pershing on Pershing’s expedition to Mexico in 1917. As a young lieutenant Patton was asked by General Pershing why he should be chosen to go on a dangerous mission The young, cocky Patton replied, â€Å"I want to go more than anyone else.†2 After making a name for himself early in his career, Patton earned a promotion; beginning the practice of many promotions to come. His experiences in Mexico prepared him for the soon to come war in Europe. In France during World War One Patton was offered a position as a tank core commander. In his journals, he wrote, â€Å"I will have to grow and grow a lot. But I will. Here is my chance.†3 soldier’s testimonies added to his reputation of being a tough commander. After a battle, he was quoted by some soldiers as saying â€Å"You are not bea... ... of solace, and the basis of practically every thing he did. Patton’s nephew wrote â€Å"The Bible was his companion and the church his refuge.†11 It was not uncommon to see General Patton weeping at the side of a dead or dying solider during his Army career. General George Smith Patton was a great American leader. His victories for America in Mexico, in World War One, and in World War Two proved his amazing leadership skills to the world. His bold, new tactics in France during World War Two are the basis of the modern military. Throughout his career, General Patton earned the respect of his men, his superiors, and the enemy. General George Smith Patton's leadership and tactics were the best of any Allied general of World War Two. WORKS CITED Blumenson Martin. Patton the man behind the legend. New York.:Berkly Publishing Company, 1984. Desto Carlo. Patton a genius for war. New York.: Harper Collins Company, 1995. Ladisias Fargo. Patton: Ordeal and Triumph. Chicago.: Ivan Obolengres company, 1981. Wallace Brenton. Patton and his Third Army. New York.: Battery Press, 1981. Blumenson Martin. The Patton Papers 1940-1945. Boston.: Houghton Muffin Company, 1974.

Skeptics and True Believers :: Free Essay Writer

Skeptics and True Believers In the first chapter, Raymo, opens with talk of his childhood. He brings to the surface the fact that children will believe just about anything they are told. In this chapter Raymo explains how people grow frm children into grown sdluts, peolpe somehow retain some of a child’s ability to believe in the unbelievable. It is the True Believer that retains â€Å"an absolute in some forms of empirically unverifiable make-belive...† (13), wheras the Skeptic always â€Å"keeps a wary eye even on firmly established facts.†(14) For an example, Raymo uses the Shroud of Turin, which simplly a linen cloth that has the likeness of a man on it ( some belive this man to be Christ). He tells of a time when the Roman Catholic authorities allowed scientists to radiocarbon date the Shroud. Small samples of the Shroud where sent with three samples controls of known age, to three independant labs. All three properly dated the controls and dated the Shroud to medieval time. Raymo conclueded that a Skeptic would have taken the evidence and belived it, while the True Beliver would find no truth in what was found. In fact, he said that the True Beliver would come up with explainations as to why the Shroud seems younger than it really is. In the next chapter, Raymo explains the main difference between Skeptics and True Believers is the opposite of what most people would think. He explains how â€Å"scientific concepts can be extraordinarily bizarre...† (27), wheras the True Believer believe what may seem much more sensible and somewhat down to earth. The example Raymo uses for this is DNA and its ability to reproduce itself. This tiny double-helix somehow manages to spilt and make a copy of its self from chemical components from whatever is surrounding it. It may seem easier for one to believe in a Shroud with a man’s face in it, or the picture of God in the Sistine Chapel, but it is the Skeptics who believe in the hard to concieve DNA. It is this DNA that contains the blueprints of what we are to look, talk, and act like. In chapter four, Raymo again brings up his childhood. He tells how he was forced into religion. The Church would not allow doubts to be spoken. For if it where to be questioned the whole religious system may fall apart. The only sources of information were the nuns, priest, and all other authorities that were ‘chosen’ by God.

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1. Stimulus generalization transfer a response learned to one stimulus to a similar stimulus. The benefit of stimulus generalization outweighs the disadvantage in strategic marketing. In the market today buyers consider perceptions, needs, product loyalty, age and income when purchasing a product. Stimulus generalization allows the market to offer new products with new benefits into an existing brand name product. Thus consumers can have several options to choose from, but some consumers are confused because there are so many different products.Some consumers like to stick to the same brand, some like to try something new and some will experiment from time to time. The advantage is being able to make new products such as: mouthwash, different flavored toothpaste, whiting strip and many more. Some of the disadvantages it has are so many brands and choices to choose from which consumers are not sure what to buy. It is better that there are so many options, but consumer are not sure wha t products are the best and then they have to purchase the product to find out the results.Normally most people will stick to the products that they are used to buy because they know those are going to satisfy their primary needs. 2. The marketers of Pepsodent and Colgate can decrease consumer confusion regarding toothpastes and related oral hygiene products by distinguishing the difference between the products they offer. For this reason, the identity of a particular product in the line should be made to stand out from the rest. Being that when one brand brings out a new product the other brand brings out a new one that is similar, it is basically a matter of personal choice and what works for that consumer and their situation

Quality of Life Essay

Twenty first century is witnessing a world that has become an increasingly diverse and complex place. Changing global trends are causing a paradigm transformation of social and cultural systems. Western societies are experiencing an accelerated aging and people in general have evolved a misconception about today’s elderly. They are perceived as being sick, isolated, self-centred and a burden on society, which is totally false. There is a need to develop social cohesion between generations and within the older generation to understand the matter in correct perspective. An effort has been made in this paper to focus on this key issue and highlight the importance of inter and intragenerational relationships to quality of life to older people. The present demographic profile of the United Kingdom reflects a number of consistent and marked trends. People are living increasingly longer, the birth rate is showing a steady decline and the mean age is increasing steadily. By 2031, the over 80s population is predicted to double to 5 million, according to the Office of National Statistics. If the health of the elderly population follows current trends that will mean people spend more of their lives fighting various illnesses. Since 1981, the amount of time women can expect to live in poor health has increased by 15%. For men, the length of poor health rose by 34% (Triggle, 2004). Besides health, older people face the mobility problems, poor transport and lack of finance. Car usage declines with age and varies by sex. 77 per cent of men and 64 per cent of women aged 65-74 in 2001 in Great Britain had access to automobiles (National Statistics, 2006). Today, we can observe a significant change in family structures. The realignment of family ethos has caused varying degrees of separation between the young and old members of families and affected familial relationships negatively. As people age and their working lives end, they may have more free time available to spend in a social circle. Barriers of older life further enhance the necessity to promote inter and intragenerational relationships. This paper scrutinizes the various dimensions of quality of life at old age. It overviews the factors affecting quality of life and highlight the significance of relationships at old age. Components of Quality of Life  Quality of life is a wide ranging term. The Department for Work and Pensions of UK (2006) identifies five domains as the most relevant to assessing progress in older people’s quality of life: 1) Independence within inclusive communities. 2) Healthy, active living. 3) Fairness in work and later life. 4) Material well-being. 5) Support and care. Independence within inclusive communities necessitates to address issues like exercising independence, exercising choices that give them control over key aspects of their lives, and participation in local community through inter and intragenerational relationships. Health and active living deals with problems like access to healthcare proportionate to older people’s needs. Fairness in work and later life encompasses factors like job opportunities, involvement in decisions that affect their lives, and no age discrimination in access to goods, services and employment. Material wellbeing includes sustaining key elements of their previous lifestyle, and using their resources to best effect. Support and care encompasses the supply of care and support, availability of support in a variety of forms to meet diverse needs, affordable care, and protection to older people from abuse. Factors Affecting Quality of Life of Older People Good quality of life in old age is a realistic ambition for all. Early old age, sometimes called the Third Age, between 55 and 75 years old, is the phase of life between leaving the labour market and the onset of physical dependency. There are a number of factors that affect quality of life at this age. A research study carried out by Dr Blane (2003) concluded that quality of life for the affluent-healthy is higher than for the deprived-sick. Having control over when and when not to work has a significant bearing on quality of life. Then the quality and density of a person’s social network was more important than the number of people in the network. Importance of Intergenerational and Intragenerational Relationships to Quality of Life The term generation has a numerous contemporary meanings, incorporating biological, familial and social factors (Back, 1987). An intergenerational perspective (between and across generations) highlights the reciprocal obligations, rights and influences between different generations. An intragenerational perspective identifies similar age groups and the succession of individuals who are distinguished by the bounds of a society and set apart by time and common experience (Fredriksen, 1993). Historically, within the UK, there had been a strong tradition of the young learning from the old in their role as respected elders or through structures such as apprenticeship schemes and trade guilds (Hatton, 2002). Significance of intergenerational relationships is evident from a survey which reports that to the elderly, welfare of children and grandchildren is twice as more important than their own health and money (Roy, 1999). Older parents have always been providing financial support in the forms of donations, gifts and regular monetary contributions to their children. They are also important sources of instrumental support (shopping, cleaning, home maintenance, childcare) and emotional support (advice, validation) for their children (Bengtson, Rosenthal & Burton, 1990). Many elderly people continue to provide support for adult children and the provision of a home for one’s children can extend well beyond middle age (Evandrou, Falkingham, Rake & Scott, 2001). Living arrangements are a key dimension of quality of life and well-being in old age. Older people living alone are more likely to enter an institution than those living with other people (Breeze, Slogett & Fletcher, 1999). Involvement of older persons in local communities contributes to their quality of life, as well as to the functioning of the community. The relationship between different groups of older persons is therefore very crucial in maintaining the quality of life (UN-Economic and Social Council, 2002). Altered patterns of mortality and fertility have made intergenerational structures in the family more â€Å"top heavy† and vertically extended. While horizontal, intragenerational ties are shrinking, vertical ties across generations are more complex and durable than ever before in history (UN-Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2005). Importance of social groups and networks in later part of life is quite evident from a research study carried out in Scotland (Philip, Gilbert, Mauthner and Phimister, 2003). The participant observations and questionnaires have provided useful insights into the levels and types of participation in social groups among older people in the study area. The report finds that there is high level of participation and involvement in social groups amongst older people (aged over 60). As a whole, respondents attended 68 wide-ranging types of groups including civic participation (e. g. local government), voluntary activities (e. g. Red Cross; Meals on Wheels), friendship, social, leisure, religious, cultural, heritage and special interest groups. Those aged in their seventies and early eighties were the most likely to be involved in social activities Another study summarises that older people preferred the company of others, had a higher level of contact with friends and lower levels of psychological problems (McKee, 2002). In 2002 around three in ten men aged 80 and over and nearly one in five women in England said they owned a mobile phone. Use of mobile phones and the Internet helps older people to remain independent by making it easier for them to communicate with their family and friends or to access public and commercial services (National Statistics, 2006). Conclusion Society in the UK is changing. More people are living longer in greater prosperity. In the next decade, the numbers over 50, over 65 and over 80 will all increase to levels never seen before. We need a coherent strategy to manage that demographic change. Elaborate and diligent plans are required to enable older persons to continue to participate fully in all aspects of life. For a better quality of life, we need to promote the development of a society for all ages through the strengthening of intergenerational and intragenerational solidarity. Young generations have responsibilities and a special role in building a society for all ages. Older generations have equal role to play.