Night World : Witchlight Chapter 7

Keller faced him squarely. â€Å"Yes, sir? Or should I say ‘my lord?† He flinched but tried to hide it. â€Å"I should have told you in the beginning.† Keller wasn't about to get into a discussion of it. â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"Can we go in there?† He nodded toward what looked like a small library-office combination. Keller didn't want to, but she couldn't think of any acceptable reason to refuse. She followed him and crossed her arms when he closed the door. â€Å"You saved my life.† He wasn't quite facing her; he was looking out the window at a cold silver sky. Against it, he had a profile like a young prince on an ancient coin. Keller shrugged. â€Å"Maybe. Maybe not. The bricks didn't kill me; maybe they wouldn't have killed you.† â€Å"But you were trying to save my life. I did something that was probably stupid-again-and you had to cover for me.† â€Å"I did it because it's my job, Galen. That's what I do.† â€Å"You got hurt because of me. When I dug myself out of that rubble, I thought you were dead.† He said it flatly, without any particular intonation. But the hairs on Keller's arms rose. â€Å"I've got to get back to Diana.† â€Å"Keller.† There was something wrong with her. She was facing the door, heading out, but his voice stopped her in her tracks. â€Å"Keller. Please.† She was aware that he was coming up behind her. Her entire skin was up in gooseflesh. She was too aware of him, that was the problem. She could feel the air that he displaced. She could feel his heat. He just stood there. â€Å"Keller. Ever since I first saw you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stopped and tried again. â€Å"You were-gleaming. All that long black hair swirling around you and those silvery eyes. And then you changed. I don't think I ever really understood what it meant to be a shape-shifter until I saw that. You were a girl and then you were a cat, but you were always both.† He let out his breath. Tm putting this badly.† Keller needed to think of something to say-now. But she couldn't, and she couldn't seem to move. â€Å"When I saw that, for the first time, I wanted to shapeshift. Before that, I didn't really care, and everyone was always telling me to be careful, because whatever shape I choose the first time is the one I'm stuck with. But that's not what I'm trying to say. I'm trying†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He reached out. Keller felt the warmth of his hand between her shoulder blades, through her hair, through the fabric of her spare jumpsuit. Keller shivered. She couldn't help it. She felt so strange. Dizzy and supernaturally clear at the same time. Weak. She didn't know what was happening to her, only that it was powerful and terrible. His hand remained on her back, warmth from it soaking into her skin. â€Å"I realize how much you dislike me,† Galen said quietly. There was no self-pity in his voice, but he seemed to be getting the words out painfully. â€Å"And I'm not going to try to change that. But I just wanted you to know, I also realize what you've done for me. I needed to say thank you.† There was something swelling in Keller's chest like a balloon. Bigger and bigger. She clamped her lips together, frightened as she had never been when fighting monsters. â€Å"And†¦ I won't forget it,† Galen was going on, still quiet. â€Å"Someday, I'll find a way to repay you.† Keller felt desperate. What was he doing to her? She wasn't in control of herself; she was trembling and terrified that the thing in her chest was going to escape. All she could imagine doing was turning around and hitting him, like a trapped animal lashing out at someone trying to rescue it. â€Å"It's so strange,† he said, and Keller had the feeling that he had almost forgotten her and was talking to himself. â€Å"When I was growing up, I rejected the Power of my family. All my ancestors, they were supposed to turn into demons when they unleashed it. I thought that it was better not to fight- if that was possible. It seems unrealistic now.† Keller could feel more than warmth now. There were little electrical zings spreading out from his hand, running down the insides of her arms. Not real ones, of course. Not the Power he was talking about, like the Power used by the dragon or Winnie. But it felt awfully close. Her whole body was filled with buzzing. Some people shouldn't have to fight, she thought giddily. But, no, that was insane. Everybody had to fight; that was what life was about. If you didn't fight, you were weak. You were prey. He was still talking in that abstracted tone. â€Å"I know you think-â€Å" Keller's panic hit flashpoint. She whirled around. â€Å"You don't know anything about what I think. You don't know anything about me. I don't know whatever gave you the idea that you did.† He looked startled but not defensive. The silver light behind him lit the edges of his fine hair. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said gently. â€Å"Stop being sorry!† â€Å"Are you saying I'm wrong? You don't think I'm a spoiled and pampered prince who doesn't know anything about real life and has to be baby-sat?† Keller was disconcerted. That was exactly what she thought-but if it were true, then why did she have this strange feeling of falling? â€Å"I think you're like her,† she said, keeping her words short and brutal to keep them under control. She didn't need to specify the her. â€Å"You're like this whole ridiculous family. Happy mommy, happy baby, happy Christmas. They're ready to love everybody who comes along. And they're living in a happy happy idealistic world that has nothing to do with reality.† The corner of his mouth turned up wryly, although his eyes were still serious. â€Å"I think that's what I said.† â€Å"And it sounds harmless, doesn't it? But it isn't. It's blind and destructive. What do you want to bet that Hiana's mother really thinks my name is Kelly now? She can't deal with it being ‘demon,' so she just happily changes the world to fit.† â€Å"You could be right.† He wasn't smiling at all now, and there was something in his eyes, something lost and hopeless that made Keller feel more panicked than ever. She spoke savagely to hold off the fear. â€Å"You want to know what real life is like? My mother left me in a cardboard box in a parking lot. It was fixed up with newspapers inside, like something you'd use for a puppy. That was because I couldn't wear diapers, I was stuck in my halfway form-a baby with a tail and ears like a cat. Maybe that was why she couldn't deal with me, but I'll never know. The only thing I have of hers is a note that was in the box. I kept it† Keller fumbled in the jumpsuit's pocket. She had never meant to show this to anyone, certainly not somebody she'd known for less than twenty-four hours. But she had to convince Galen; she had to make him go away for good. Her wallet was slim-no photos, just money and ID. She pulled out a folded slip of paper, with creases worn smooth by time and writing that had faded from blue ink to pale purple. Its right edge was a ragged tear, but the words were on the left and clear enough. â€Å"It was her legacy to me,† Keller said. â€Å"She was trying to pass on the truth, what she'd learned about life.† Galen took the paper as if it were a hurt bird. Keller watched his eyes move over it. She knew the words by heart, of course, and right now she heard them ringing in her mind. There were only twelve of them-her mother had been a master of succinctness. People die†¦ Beauty fades†¦ Love changes†¦ And you will always be alone. Keller could tell where Galen was by the way his eyes widened in horror. She smiled at him, not nicely, and took the paper back. He looked at her. And despite everything she knew about him, she was surprised at the sheer depth of his shock. He stared at her with those gold-green eyes that went on for miles-and then he stepped forward. ‘You don't believe that,† he said fiercely, and grabbed her by the shoulders. Keller was startled. He'd seen her in action. How could he be so stupid as to grab her? He seemed to be completely unaware of his danger. There was nothing calm or hesitant about him now. He was staring at her with a kind of stricken tenderness, as if she'd just told him she had a terminal disease. It was as if he were trying to pour love and warmth and light into her by a direct connection. â€Å"I won't let you think that,† he said. â€Å"I won't let you.† ‘It's just the truth. If you can accept that, you won't drown in life. Whatever happens, you'll be able to cope.† â€Å"It's not all the truth. If you believe it is, why do you work for Circle Daybreak?† â€Å"They raised me,† Keller said shortly. â€Å"They snatched me out of the hospital nursery when they read the reports about me in the paper. They realized what I was and that humans couldn't take care of me. That's why I work for them-to pay them back. It's my job.† â€Å"That's not the only reason. I've seen you work, Keller.† She could feel warmth spreading from his hands on her shoulders. She knocked them aside and stood tall. There was a core of iciness inside her, and she hung on to that. â€Å"Don't get me wrong,† she said. â€Å"I don't save people out of idealism. I don't risk my neck for just anybody-only the ones I get paid for.† â€Å"You mean if Diana's little brother was in danger, you wouldn't save him. You'd stand there and watch him burn to death in a fire or drown in a riptide.† Keller had a sinking feeling. She held her chin up and said, â€Å"Exactly. If it meant putting myself in danger to save him, I wouldn't do it.† He shook his head, flatly positive. â€Å"No.† The sinking feeling got worse. â€Å"That's a lie,† he said, holding her eyes. â€Å"I've seen you in action. I talked to Nissa and Winnie last night. And I've seen your mind. You're not just doing a job. You're doing what you do because you think it's right. And you are†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused as if to find the words, then spoke deliberately. â€Å"You are the soul of honor.† And you're insane, Keller thought. She realty needed to get away now. The sinking was becoming a terrible weakness spreading through her. And although she knew that what he was saying was complete garbage, she couldn't seem to stop listening. â€Å"You put on a good show,† Galen said, â€Å"but the truth is that you're brave and gallant and decent. You have your own code, and you would never break it. And anybody who knows you sees that Don't you know what your team thinks of you? You should have seen their faces-and Diana's-when they thought you were dead in that rubble. Your soul is straight as a sword, and you have more honor than anyone I've ever known.† His eyes were the color of the first new leaves in spring, the kind you look up to see sunlight pouring through. Keller was a meat-eater and had never cared much about flowers or other vegetation, but now she remembered a line from a poem, and it froze in her mind like lightning: Nature's first green is gold. This w as the color the poet meant. You could drown in eyes like that. He was holding her arms again. He couldn't seem to stop reaching for her, as if she were some soul in danger of being lost forever. â€Å"Your life's been so hard. You deserve to have good things happen to you now-only good things. I wish†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He broke off, and a sort of tremor went through his face. No, Keller thought. I won't let you make me weak. I won't listen to your lies. But the problem was that Galen didn't lie. He was one of those idiot idealist types who said what they believed. And she shouldn't care what he believed, but she found that she did. She cared terribly. Galen just stood there looking at her with tears in his gem-bright eyes. Something ripped inside Keller. And then everything changed. Keller couldn't understand what was happening at first. In panic, all she could think was that she was losing herself. Losing her armor, her hardness, everything she needed to keep alive. Some part of her deep inside was melting, flowing toward Galen. She tried to snatch it back, but it was no good. She couldn't stop it With a distant shock, she realized that she had shut her eyes. She was falling, falling-and she didn't care. Something caught her. She felt the warmth of arms around her, supporting her. And she felt herself lean into it, relaxing, letting him take some of her weight, as if someone else were controlling her body. So warm†¦ That was when Keller discovered something strange. That warmth could give you shivers. Being close like this, feeling Galen warm and solid and there to hang on to-it made a shiver of pleasure go through her. And then she felt the true connection. It wasn't a physical thing. The spark that passed between them connected them mind to mind. It was a riveting flash of complete understanding. Her heart all but exploded. It's you. The voice was in her mind, the same voice she'd heard yesterday when he had tried to save her from the dragon. It was filled with wonder and discovery. It's you†¦ the one I've been looking for. You're the one†¦ And Keller would have told him how insane that was, except that it was just what she was feeling herself. It was as if she had just turned around and unexpectedly found herself facing a figure from one of her dreams. A person she knew instinctively, just as she knew her own mind. I know you, too, Galen's voice in her head said. We're so much alike†¦ We're not, Keller thought. But the protest sounded feeble even to her. And trying to hang on to her anger and cynicism right now seemed silly- pointless. Like a kid insisting that nobody loved her and she was going to go play on the freeway. We belong together, Galen said simply. Like this. Warm tingles. Keller could feel the force of his love like a bright light shining at her. And she couldn't†¦resist†¦ any longer†¦ Her arms came up to hold Galen back. Her face turned up slightly, but not much, because she was tall, and their lips were already only an inch apart. The kiss was shivery, delightful, and very sweet. After an endless time of floating in a golden haze, Keller shivered again. There's something†¦ something I have to remember†¦ I love you, Galen said back. Yes, but there's something I've forgotten†¦ We're together, he said. I don't want to remember anything else. And that was probably true. She couldn't really blame him. Who would want to disturb this warmth and closeness and quiet joy? Still, they had been talking about something-a long time ago, when she had been alone. Something that had made her terribly unhappy. I won't let you be unhappy. I won't let you be alone, either, he said. He stroked her hair with his fingertips. That was all, but it almost short-circuited Keller's thought processes. But not completely. Alone†¦ I remember. Her mother's note. You will always be alone. Galen's arms tightened around her. Don't. Don't think about that. We're together. I love you†¦ No. With a wrench, Keller pulled herself away. She found herself standing in the library on her own two feet, staring at Galen. He looked shocked and stricken, as if he'd just been slapped out of a dream. â€Å"Keller-â€Å" â€Å"No!† she spat. â€Å"Don't touch me!† â€Å"I won't touch you. But I can't let you run away. And I can't pretend I don't love you.† â€Å"Love,† Keller snarled, â€Å"is weakness.† She saw her mother's note lying on the floor where he'd dropped it and snatched it up. â€Å"And nobody is making me sentimental and weak! Nobody!† It wasn't until she was out the door that she remembered she had left out the strongest argument of all. He couldn't love her. It was impossible. He was destined to marry the Witch Child. The fate of the world depended on it.

Functional Areas Of Business Essay

There has been an ongoing debate between enlisted members and commissioned officers of the United States Military about effective leadership and the scope of control. Enlisted Service Personnel are usually the worker bees, are not managerial in nature, with combat and field experience. Commissioned Officers are the leaders of the enlisted members. Commissioned Officers usually are the ones that can be personified as managers, with little to no field or combat experience. This debate stems from Commissioned Officers executing their managerial roles, how it affects the enlisted member, and how it effects the overall mission. Leadership, strategic planning, law, human resources management, will be utilized to analyze the role of a manager within the functional areas of business. Leadership Most employees will follow an effective leader if the manager exudes confidence, is not a hypocrite, and believes in the organization’s mission statement wholeheartedly. The adage, † If a manager has to claim to be a leader, it almost seems as though he or she is trying to convince themselves that they are a leader, instead of showing that the manager is capable of leading. Motivation, inspiration, and being levelheaded are great attributes in being a great leader. Managers do not have to be an efficient leader in order to get things done, however, they should know how to manage those effective and efficient leaders in order to see the project or mission through. Most effective leaders are effective by being prepared and knowledgeable with some strategic planning. Strategic Planning As the adhesive that was so meticulously put there to hold up that model ship which is encased in a glass bottle, there is a plethora of minutia detail that goes into planning. With regards to the military, it takes an almost insurmountable amount of planning just to execute even the smallest of missions. This component is imperative to have in the manager’s toolbox, in order to maintain the survivability of the organization. A person that fails to plan, he or she plans to fail. Managers have to stay on top of planning, even if it means that sometimes coming into the organization on weekends, or coming in earlier than their standard start time. The organization also depends deeply on the legal department to ensure that the organization will not fall privy to legal troubles. Read more:  Functional Areas Of Business Law There are legal boundaries that dictate what can or cannot take place in the business world. Businesses hire witty, educated, and self-starting legal individuals to interpret the laws. There is a ton of small laws that can get an organization in or out of legal calamity. It could be a zoning law issue, or a morality issue, or what is common with big organizations is an environment issue. Managers have to be cognizant and stay on top of these issues in order to be a successful manager. In order a successful manager, there have to be some exceptional employees. Those employees hire through Human Resources. Human Resources Management Filtering out among the mass applicant pool to hire the best employees that are most suited for the position, rectifying current employees pay if needed, ensuring equal opportunity to the employees are all components of what it means to be in the human resources department. Managers have a few components to deal with when it comes to human resources. According to an a Forbes’ article, administrative director at a law-firm wrote that she needed some advice. The administrator’s employee was pregnant and she wanted to find a way to fire her before the employee tells anyone. She further stated that the pregnant woman would cost the organization a temporary hire, adding that after the baby is born the pregnant woman is sure to miss work due to baby illness. (Ryan, 2014) Managers have to be aware that it is illegal to fire someone for pregnancy, and need to have the wherewithal to be firm, but understand that employees have a choice of motherhood as well as having a  career . Managers in human resources can sometimes be the epitome for the managers throughout the entire organization that set the tone for the organization. When a manager from human resources has to fire an individual, if they are not careful the methods that are used can be detrimental to the entire organization. If the manager calls, emails, or texts the individual that in two weeks time that the person will be fired or laid off, that individual now has time to sabotage, slack-off, give trade secrets to competitive organizations or do something physically harmful to himself or the people at the organization. If the manager tells the individual that is to be fired to come into the office and let’s discuss some of the options that a person may have face-to-face, makes that terminated employee somewhat at ease. The terminated employee will not have to tackle this daunting situation alone. Supply Management In order to stay relevant in business, managers understand that they must have quality products at a reasonable rate from their suppliers. However, when the rates are unreasonable, managers should seek out other suppliers that will accommodate the organization’s budget. â€Å"Mooney agrees that managers will usually be keen on a purchasing department that is good at finding savings. But, he warns, even this can be a double-edged sword, because they can be expected to be much less enthusiastic when it is their area of spend that is being touched upon.† (Wheatley, 2005) Managers have to be diligent and understand that the purchasing department, if not fully understood, can break the financial infrastructure of an organization. Conclusion Being a great leader will comprise of attributes such as not being temperamental, inspirational and having the ability to motivate. Being able to strategically plan has to be in the manager’s repertoire, in order to efficiently run the organization. Laws are meant to be interpreted by the legal team to ensure the organization does not end up in legal trouble. Human resource managers have to be careful with the way they handle terminating employees. Finding the best supplier with a quality product, for a reasonable price is what managers should reach for in order to have a thriving organization. References University of Phoenix. MBA Overview Module. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, MGT/521 Website Wheatley, M. (2005, May). Supply Management. 10-11. Ryan, L. (2014, April). You Think Your Manager is Slimy? Check Out These Guys. Forbes, (), . Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2014/04/08/you-think-your-manager-is-slimy-check-out-these-guys/

Michael jackson's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Michael jackson's - Essay Example Three songs that best exemplify Michael Jackson’s work were off of his 1991 Dangerous album of which were Will you be there, Give it to me, and jam. By listening to his virtuosic rhythms as well as rich harmony; the signature bass lines and the detailed layers of unusual sounds, which went beyond the typical classics, as well as song play (Vogel, 2012). In addition, the song transitions made from New Jack Swing, R&B, as well as rock. His music was without barriers or borders, and echoed globally. These three songs although not that great in regards to Jackson’s musical stardom can be viewed as risks songs he took as well as experimental ones of which ended up being huge successes among many others from the dangerous album. The reason behind this is that Jackson wanted songs that were a cleaner, more calculated and colder version of some of the songs that were on the thriller album and partially the bad album as well. The end result of the risk songs were a sharper and h arder song production, which were meant to hit the streets (jam was a street song), as well as touch the hearts of the middle class listeners (with will you be there) and appeal to the rock fans and general fans with the hard hitting fusion of rock and R&B (with give it to me). These three song cut across everybody’s music taste in one way or another. Michael Jackson’s position in a musical pantheon was very opinionated. These entire artist had one thing in common, they were music geniuses in their own right and during their times. But what sets Michael Jackson apart is that his music broke cultural and racial grounds which are something that lacked in the likes of Mozart and Beethoven. Furthermore, he commanded and entertained millions of fans globally. The bottom line of the various opinions was founded on racial grounds especially black artist who were considered to be lacking in substance in

Ethical and Legal Aspects of Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical and Legal Aspects of Healthcare - Essay Example Additionally, the procedure, if widely available, would lessen the urgency to make available new medicines designed to extend life. Those who are against the procedure on religious grounds contend that it is ‘playing God’ consequently sinful. Health care professionals refer to the Hippocratic Oath which prohibits them from performing this procedure. This discussion will examine the moral and legal concerns surrounding euthanasia, explain the meaning of the term, give arguments for the practice and end with a recommendation to solve the issue. Euthanasia describes a circumstance in which an incurably ill patient is given a mortal dose of medication, is detached from a life-support system or is basically allowed to die without active involvement for example by resuscitation. A physician’s involvement in the procedure could be to either intravenously insert a needle into the terminal patient who themselves activate a switch that delivers the fatal dose or to order a lethal dose of drugs with the express intention of ending a life. (Naji et al, 2005). Euthanasia by doctors as well as non-physicians has been lawful in Switzerland since WWII. Additionally, three organizations within the nation have been formed to help terminally ill patients. They supply patient counseling in addition to the medications for use in the procedure. Lethal injections, however, are not permissible. The atypical situation in Switzerland holds that euthanasia is allowed as long as a doctor is not involved in the process (Hurst & Mauron, 2003). Euthanasia has been legally permissible in Belgium since 2002. Each circumstance must be reviewed by two doctors prior to the procedure being performed by either injection or ingestion. In The Netherlands, euthanasia has been legal for seven years but has been tolerated for a quarter century. The directive for physicians stipulated by the government include; â€Å"the patient must be suffering unbearably and have no hope of improv ement, must ask to die and the patient must clearly understand the condition and prognosis (and) a second doctor must agree with the decision to help the patient die† (â€Å"The Fight†, 2004). Advocates of euthanasia are concerned with people suffering. Many diseases such as cancer often result in a protracted and excruciatingly agonizing death. Witnessing a loved one as they slowly wither away from the malady eating away at their bodily organs is rough enough for their family members, but to see them in severe pain even when drugs are given is unbearable not to mention the agony the patient must endure. This physically and emotionally torturous circumstance occurs in every hospital, every day of the year yet serves no good purpose. To many people, it is unthinkable to allow anyone, for instance, a sweet grandmother who has spent her entire adult life caring for other people, to spend the last months of their life suffering from continuous pain, incapable of controlling bodily functions, coughing, vomiting, convulsing, etc. The emotional pain for both the patient and family is unimaginably horrendous as well. If grandma were an animal most all regardless of ideology would agree that the only compassionate choice would be to ‘put her to sleep.’ American citizens are guaranteed certain inalienable rights but not the right to ‘

Proposing the Puchase of a Mac Book Pro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Proposing the Puchase of a Mac Book Pro - Essay Example Mac on the other hand is known to be pricey however the price would be right based from the claims of the reputable company. The Mac is said to have a long, productive life because its engineers and designers spend much time to make sure that every unit is made to perfection, considering every detail from the outside to the inside. To prove this, Apple does not only describe its productivity but also features its software that allows multiple tasks at the same time where speed in retrieving files is greatly considered. In addition, there are other functions the computer can do at a high quality performance like editing pictures, enhanced movie experience, playing musical instruments and many others (apple.com). Furthermore, the Mac claims a fully integrated system because the hardware and software are produced by the same company, making everything work perfectly for the best possible performance (apple.com). These features of the Mac make it the best brand for the organization to bu y, for the best exchange of the amount of money invested on such a machine therefore, the next step would be to look further to the models offered by the company. The Apple Pro Mac, Apple iMac and Mac Book Pro will be well considered for the best purchase to be proposed for the organization. The Apple Pro Mac has two 64 bit 2.66 Gigahertz (GHz) dual core intel Xeon processors which is a great advantage over the iMac because this ensures a fast speed for the functions performed in the computer. The Apple Mac on the other hand has a core 2 duo processor which has a speed of 2.4 GHz only thus, will be slower compared to the first computer. In addition, the two computers have a Random Access Memory (RAM) of 1 Gigabyte (GB) but the Apple Mac’s is expandable to 16GB therefore, the latter is able to save more data as opposed to the iMac. The Apple Mac is far better featuring two firewire 800 ports and two firewire 400 ports against iMac’s only one of each port, enabling acces s to more devices connected to the computer where the speed is still fast despite the various connections. There are also five Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports in the Apple Mac which also allow more devices to be inserted as compared to the three USB ports of the iMac. The two models have the same operating system (OS) considered one of the most advanced, the Leopard, containing core operating system components with improved functions in managing files. Apple Pro Mac has more advantages that have are not featured in iMac like a 250 Gigabytes hard drive which is essential in storing data and other important materials like songs, videos and pictures. There is also a 16x superdrive in the aforementioned model which is an additional storage drive that enables the computer to hold several information, allowing it to store data gathered in a longer period of time as compared to the iMac (Wetzel 2008). The Mac Book Pro on the other hand is a notebook which gives the advantage to the organi zation for easier transport of the machine in case there will be outside activities like concerts, camps or seminars. The

Research Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 9

Research Proposal - Essay Example It is in this way that the dual nature of the data demanded will be taken care of. However, it should be pointed that on the basis of the literature review, it is established that low bone content is associated with sedentary lifestyle. A good number of high school students have been found to suffer from a number of deformities or anomalies. The low bone mineral associated with a number of the school population has been attributed to the nature of lifestyle that these people lead. It is found that sedentary students are more prone to this condition as opposed to athletic students albeit on the basis of this study. Through the use of both quantitative and qualitative approaches of data collection, a research is conducted to confirm the veracity of the statement or deny it. On the basis of the literature review, it is found that indeed sedentary students have less bone mineral concentration when compared to the athletic students. It is also found that low bone formation or content does have an adverse effect on the formation of the body skeleton. In turn, poor skeletal formation is known to lead to overall body malfunctioning. Hoch et al. (2009) claims that a substantial number of high school athletes (78%) and a surprisingly high number of sedentary students (65%) have one of or more components of the female athlete triad. The female athlete triad is a co-morbidity condition which refers to an Eating Disorder (low calorie intake), Amenorrhoea (menstrual abnormality) and Osteoporosis (low bone density) (Shamley, 2005). The scope of this research proposal is to investigate among collegiate females if the decline of bone density is strong correlate to a sedentary life style. It is thus presumed that the more sedate an individual is the more their chances of developing the condition. Hoch et al. (2009) found that sedentary students had a bone density lower than student athletes. The assumption is

School programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

School programs - Essay Example Briefly explain each innovation: one innovation for Pre-School Programs, one for Elementary School Programs, one for Middle School Programs, three for High School Programs and four for College Level Programs One innovation for pre-school programs is smaller classes that are based on a permissive model vs. an authoritarian or inoculation based pre-school program. Smaller classes that permit pre-school learners to explore the environment or educational materials as a preparation for learning can be considered as alternatives to large classes with rote drill learning methods. An example of an innovation in elementary school would be a participative and competitive spelling bee competition in class where all students were required to display and test knowledge vs. a rote, repetition and repeat spelling drill led by the teacher and followed by the class in unison. In Middle School, providing students a three hour period of intense guided instruction in a subject of specialization could be an innovation and reform that is an alternative to the relatively low amount of instructional time in classes and the general, homogenized nature of reproduction of class lectures and course material. In High Schools, increasing the level and quality of education in public schools is an important innovation, as is increasing the degree of personal and family choice in attending institutions. Making the 10th through 12th classes a more intensive time of study and preparation for students for future education and career choices is important. Increasing the student and family participation in school organization and management can lead to more feeling of involvement and ownership in institutions. Widening the areas of specialized studies by decreasing class or group sizes and increasing independent study ad research in subjects also build proficiencies in students. At the College or University level, implementing the reform of universal, free access to education is the most important and needed goal. That knowledge and learning is restricted by economics or socio-economic resources on a personal or family level leads to a divided society and class structure. Furthering student organization of classes and research would also build inclusion on campus. There are many options to cooperate to save costs in housing, food, books, etc. that are not undertaken because of the profit motive in education. Developing a more collective, self-organized, and non-profit approach to education at the university level is an important part of universal education reform practically. Students should have more freedom in designing their own areas of study, in both specialization and cross-disciplinary studies. Essay #2 - Try to chart the ways in which the American educational system (for publically funded schools) has historically attempted to reach its institutional goals. That means for you to sketch the ways our society has approached the process of education. Now try to explain ho w this process is mediated by having to keep attention on funding issues. The main goal of the American education system has been to provide a free or publicly funded educational opportunity from K-12 for all students or citizens of the country. The combinations of State, Local, and Federal taxes are used to this purpose. The higher education is based on student born costs that may be defrayed by the difference between public, or State-sponsored and subsidized schools, or private colleges and universities. The ideal of a broad general education as basis of citizenship developed from basic literacy requirements as a foundation for democratic citizenship. Nevertheless, the American system of education also is focused in producing

Critically evaluate the reasons for the recent global financial crisis Essay

Critically evaluate the reasons for the recent global financial crisis - Essay Example This view has recently been confirmed by an IMF report (2011), that financial crises usually follow "credit or asset price bubbles" (IMF, p. 6). Moshirian (2010) has found that the inability of national regulatory bodies to respond adequately to a global market that has become increasingly interdependent has left these bodies unable to control regulatory arbitrage and the international movement of toxic assets (p. 504). In a way of confirming these last two perspectives Longstaff (2008) has found that lower movements in the ABX Index of credit-default swaps did cause financial contagion in other financial markets. This report will show how in the US, deregulation did serve to encourage market liquidity that could have advantaged banks and homeowners. The report will explain how the lack of appropriate regulation in the financial markets led to both a real estate bubble and the global financial crisis that reached the UK and world markets. ... gulation policy expressed through passage of US federal acts that eventually, though not intentionally, allowed banks to collateralize the assets and to use them, as investment banks, to participate directly in the secondary financial markets. Deregulation was originally intended to finance supply with more liquidity of resources in order to meet an increasing demand in the real estate market. Eventually supply overtook demand while banks and financiers overtook market safeguards in favor of speculative profit. The US housing bubble that occurred in 1983 with the savings-and-loan debacle was amplified to multiple effects in 2008, producing the financial crisis that spread to the UK and the world. The 2011 US Congressional Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Report identified "widespread failures in financial regulation and supervision" producing instability that undermined world markets (p. xviii). Deregulation McClendon (2010) explains how in 1980 the Depository Institutions Deregul ation and Monetary Control act freed banks from usury ceilings held by US states, enabling them to charge conventional high interest rates to appropriate populations for home mortgage loans. This act also raised the deposit insurance limits up to $100,000. The ceiling had previously been $40,000. The Alternative Mortgage Transaction Parity Act of 1982 soon followed and allowed banks to make adjustable rate and interest-only mortgages outside of state restrictions. Both of these measures were intended to help banks and savings and loans institutions spread more liquidity into appropriate markets. The US Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 enabled savings and loans banks to enter the lending market with low loan-to-value ratios (McClendon, 2010). The result was that the

Vancouver Olympic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Vancouver Olympic - Essay Example According to Participation Agreement, the city accepted to be the host city and proceeded with the bid (Larry, Para 1-2). In December 1998, the Canadian Olympic Committee approved the Vancouver bid and agreed upon its representation Canada in the international bidding competition to host the 2010 Olympic Games. The Bid City Agreement was signed by the City, the COA and the bid group. The Bid City Agreement allowed the City to present its bid before the International Olympic Committee and established some roles and the responsibilities for all the parties in presenting the Bid. It also included intellectual property matters like copyright and trademarks, expenses, marketing, community consultation, the signing of the IOC Host City Agreement and operation of the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. The conditions of the Bid City Agreement need the City to work with the COC just to make sure that all features of the bid are covered and they are in compliance with the provisions of the Olympic Charter (Larry, Para 3). Initial Cost of Vancouver's Bid: The budget of the Bid Corporation for this bid was Can$34 million and of this total amount the Province of British Colu... Public corporation contributed 54 percent of the bid and private companies offered 46 percent of the funding. Contributing Factors: Hosting the Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler will affect the economy of the Province of British Columbia. Positive outcomes have been understood more important than the negatives for hosting the games. This point of view became very helpful for BC economy of the period around 2002 when the Canadian Dollar was weaker than the American Dollar. The time when Vancouver was selected as host city it was considered as capable as boosting the economy and increasing the tourism. Since then the Canadian Dollar has become stronger than American Dollar and tourism is expected to be lower as it will be very costly to come to Canada and spend in Canadian Dollars (Jay and Adam, Para 2). Motivation: The BC Government has created a favorable opinion of the games in the public eye. The government has guaranteed an economic boom following the games. It is expected that provincial growth will be approximately in between 0.9 and 1.2% per year from 2005 to 2011 (Derek, 2005, Para 1). Announcements have been made regarding the budget of the games and about its expected overall profit. It also has been claimed that there will be approximately 5600 new full time jobs, which will be created directly by the Games. The problem with the claims is that the government has speculated that Vancouver and Whistler areas would not be visited by the tourists if there were no Olympics and the jobs which are created by the Games would not be filled up by the workers and there would be unemployment, which seems to be wrong because there would certainly be large number of tourists and the unemployment rate in Vancouver area is one of the lowest in the

Motivation Essay Example for Free

Motivation Essay 1. Define and discuss motivation. Which theory of motivation offers the best chance, if handled properly, of increasing productivity in your workplace? Motivation can be described as a process that accounts for an individuals intensity, direction and persisitence of efforts towards attaining a goal (Robbins, 2004). While general motivation is concerned with motivation towards the achievement of any goal, this paper will be discussing motivation in relation to organizational goals, as the focus is on work related behavior (Robbins, 2004). With regards to the definition, there are 3 key elements related to motivation. Intensity is concerned with how hard a person tries to achieve a goal. But in order for intensity to trnaslate into better performance it has to be channeled in the right direction. So, the quality of the intensity is very essential. Persistence is another dimension to motivation. It is a measure of how long a person can maintain his or her efforts. There have been numerous theories on motivation, devised and tested multiple times. But the theory I find most relevant and important to a workplace, the work be of any nature, is the expectacy theory, put forward by Victor Vroom (Robbins, 2004). Expectancy theory focuses on three main relationships. The effort-performance relationship, performance-reward relationship and the reward-personal goal relationship. In more practical terms, expectancy theory says that when an employee puts in effort o his job it is partly because he believes his effort will translate into better performance, but this performance alone would be useless to him, until and unless there are obvious benefits attached to better performance, i.e. rewards. These rewrds may be monetary or non-monetary and may vary from a promotion or pay increment to a pat on the back from the boss and a word or two of appreciation from the supervisor. This would motivate the workforce, as every individual will perceive that with this job he would be able accomplish his personal goals. 2. Define and discuss leadership. Which style is presently used in your own workplace? Which style is needed, or which style do you believe should be used to increase productivity? Leadership theories have great applications in business settings. For example, some organizations look for leadership traits when choosing a candidate for a leadership position.   Most organizations that we normally encounter look for specific personality traits of individuals such as their openness to experience, social behavior, extraversion etc. These are the traits that are associated with good leaders. Extraversion is a trait that is mostly associated with leadership emergence because extraverted people are quick to establish contacts, have usually good communication skills and are emotionally aware of others. Similarly, openness to experience is a good indicator of a leader’s ability to encounter and deal with new situations. Contemporary theories of leadership such as Charismatic leadership and Transformational leadership fit very well in the dynamic situation of the contemporary world. Contemporary leadership theories view leaders as individuals who inspire their followers through their words, ideas and behaviors. And this is so true of today’s successful leaders (Kotter, 1995).   Charismatic leadership theory can be applied to leaders such as New York mayor Rudy Guiliani, African President Nelson Mandela, and African-American leader Martin Luther King. Through his rhetoric, Martin Luther king was able to consolidate the civil rights movement and became one of the most inspiring leaders (Kotter, 1995). Contemporary leadership theories are forward looking as they emphasize on leader’s vision. A clear vision is described as one of the qualities of charismatic leaders because it is their vision that binds their followers and becomes the impetus for change. Moreover, contemporary leadership theories put emphasis on leader-follower relationship as in Leader Exchange Theory (Robbins, 2004). As employees become more empowered, leader-follower relationship becomes even more important and contemporary leadership theories provide valuable information in this regard. So, in essence, leadership has a huge role to play when it comes to the employees’ attitude towards work. Because, if a leader can inspire and motivate his or her followers, it may help bring out a more positive attitude from them, and ultimately this would have a positive impact on the productivity of the company.

Strategies for Effective Learning in the TESL Classroom

Strategies for Effective Learning in the TESL Classroom CHAPTER ONE:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   INTRODUCTION In Malaysian classroom, a teacher had a solid control in the classroom, the interaction pattern where the teacher selects a student to answer her questions is observed by Samuel (1982) in his study in a Malaysian school. This pattern occurred particularly when the teacher employed the questioning strategy during the course of teaching. After answering the teachers question, the student gave the turn back to the teacher (Samuel, 1982, p. 129). Hence if the teacher chooses this pattern of interaction, participation of students will be highly controlled by him or her. When having teachers in monologic interaction, the class instructional practices will be on structured, discipline but it kills the desire to learn from the child instinct and at the same time does not arouse the critical and the creativity of a child. And this is totally different from the knowledge of the policy because in Malaysia Education Policy, it is stated that a teachers jobs is to nurture the childs critical and creative thinking. When a lesson that is supposed to practice on communicative language teaching ends with the teacher instructing and being authoritative in the class, it kills the desire to learn. In his findings, Ruzlan (2007) further found that all the questions posed by the teachers were the closed-ended in nature, where the children were anticipated to arrive at certain answers expected by the teachers only. At the same time, it was found that the majority of questions set by EFL and Science as content taught in English classes were low level and factual, and not designed to encourage critical thinking on the part of learners. Again, there was a mismatch between what is stipulated by the national curriculum and how teachers actually teach in terms of posing questions. While national policy stipulates helping learners become critical thinkers, teachers seems concern with others, short term goal. For instance teachers belief about their students academic needs and what they should do is tailoring their questions to align with examination purposes at a low level factual category (Habsah Hussin, 2006). It is proven that the practice of the policy is more on finishing the structured syllabus prepared by the school curriculum division rather than full filling the philosophy of education that is in building the students with the efforts towards further developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonic, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God. Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards and who are responsible and capable of achieving high level of personal well-being as well as being able to contribute to the harmony and betterment of the family, the society and the nation at large. With this issues, enlighten the researcher to explore the basic of the education teacher training. What has been practiced in schools reflects on the training of the teacher in teacher training institution. Is it the system or the implementation of it that caused the mismatched in the instructional practices? What is supposed to be done? What has been practiced in the teaching institution? The approaches practiced on the trainees. Does the trainees ability to pose questions and interact with the students from the pedagogical aspects and methodological approach being prompt and develop? Do the trainers play their role as the facilitator and the mediator of the knowledge in ensuring the blooming of the beginner teachers? The trainers have to play their important role well in shaping the student teacher in becoming an excellent teacher. They should model the trainees in the instructional practices in college. Being the expertise, the trainers should be well prepared with various approaches in exploring the student teacher ability in learning the English language in order to become a capable and competent English teacher. 1.1 Purpose Of the Study The purpose of this study is to investigate the trainers in implementing their instructional practice in order to help the trainees to become effective second language teacher. As an ESL teacher and a second language learner, the researcher believes that interaction is the key to second language learning. Second language learners need comprehensible input, need to be in situations that provide maximum personal involvement in the communication and need opportunities to use the target language in social interactions. The learning of a language centres on the use of the language for communicative purposes. Alexander (2004) suggests that the basic repertoire of classroom talk is unlikely to offer the types of cognitive challenge required to extend students thinking. In contrast, he characterizes an approach he describes as dialogic teaching which is collective, reciprocal, supportive, cumulative and purposeful. However, these types of talk are less frequently encountered in classrooms (M roz et al., 2000). Dialogic pedagogies aim for classroom interactions that involve more than superficial participation. They are exemplified by the teachers uptake of student ideas, authentic questions and the opportunity for students to change or modify the course of instruction (Nystrand et al., 2003). Teachers relinquish some measure of control of the trajectory of the lesson as pupils are offered a degree of collaborative influence over the co-construction of knowledge. 1.2 Importance of the study This study is important in four ways. First, as an eye opening to the concept of dialogic approach in the training institution and it is focusing on the classroom interaction between the trainees and the trainer in the class from the socio-cultural theory approach. Second, it gives a holistic view on what is happening in the class and what could be done to help the trainees to become competent user of the English Language learner. Third, it will trigger the needs for the trainers to have a series of cascade training organized by the Teacher Education Division, Malaysia in order to share, improve their approaches in class and vary their instructional teaching before they start teaching the trainees. Fourth, it will establish the culture of sharing and collaboration among the lecturers in the training institute. It requires the teachers to work collaboratively, to open their classroom for observation, critical reviews and discussion with peers. Lastly, it is focusing on the professional development of the trainers in providing the best approaches in exploring the best approach and varies their pedagogical approach in a second language learning class. 1.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Research Questions. 1. To what extent do lecturers interact with students to develop their participation in classroom discourse? 2. How are the lecturers developing the English Language competency and critical thinking skills of students through the interaction in class? 3. How do lecturers evaluate their instructional teaching practices? 4. What impact has the Communicative Language Teaching had on the teaching practices to promote a dialogic pedagogy? 5. How useful is a dialogic approach to staff professional development? 1.4   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Objectives of the study were as follows; 1. To measure the ways lecturers interact with the students to develop their participation in class.   2. To identify how lecturers develop English Language competency and critical thinking skills through the interaction in class. 3. To explore the lecturers instructional practices in second language learning class. 4. To explore the impact of the communicative language teaching policy on language learning in teacher training institutions. 5. To explore the usefulness of a dialogic approach to staff development in teacher training institutions. 1.5. Methodology Research design The focus of the study is to look at the quality of classroom interaction between the lecturer and the trainees. The literature has offered a wide array of descriptions and definitions of the case study, for example: a case study is an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context in which multiple sources of evidence are used (Yin, 1984:23), the qualitative case study can be defined as an intensive, holistic description and analysis of a single entity, phenomenon, or social unit (Merriam, 1988:16). Different from other research studies which aim for generalizable findings, case studies aim for an understanding of the particular case, in its idiosyncrasy, in its complexity (Stake, 1988:256). The case study aligns with my research objectives. It is focused on the two TESL lecturers, the researcher and their respective classes. The study is the interactive instructional practices of the two teachers, the researcher and their students. In order to provide a detailed and in-depth analytical description of the interactive features of the two cases, the researcher have to be into the research site and collected data from multiple sources in a naturalistic setting, namely, in a setting where teacher-student interaction occurs as it actually is. The main purpose of the study was not to attempt to generalize the conclusions to a larger population but to gain a thorough and in-depth understanding of the topic at issue. At the same time a combination of sociolinguistic and ethnographic perspectives has been taken to approach the above research questions.   Data was collected using a range of techniques: interviewing, classroom observation, audio- and video-taping, oral report and stimulated reflection. The sample for the researcher came from the teacher training institution that is situated in Ipoh, between the Bachelor of Education Twinning program UK-MOEM (Ministry Of Education, Malaysia) and the English Language lecturers. Many teachers, even experienced ones, are not always aware of the nature of their interactions with individual students. Consequently, one of the most important purposes of systematic classroom observation is to improve teachers classroom instruction. Feedback from individual classroom profiles derived from systematic observations has been found to help teachers understand their own strengths and weaknesses, and have consequently enabled them to significantly improve their instruction. Through feedback, teachers can become aware of how their classroom functions and thus bring about changes they desire. This process typically involves having trained observers systematically observe teachers and their students in their classrooms and later providing teachers with information about their instruction in clinical sessions. This approach is based on the assumption that teachers value accurate information that they can use to improve their instruction. CHAPTER TWO  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   LITERATURE REVIEW. This chapter will be reviewed the discussion on the theoretical ground on second language acquisition, the approach in the classroom, the student teacher interaction and the instructional pattern of communication being implemented in the classroom. 2.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Socio-cultural theory Introduction Vygotsky (1896-1934) is one of the Russian psychologists whose ideas have influenced the field of educational psychology and the field of education as whole. He argues for the uniqueness of the social milieu and regards sociocultural settings as the primary and determining factor in the development of higher forms of human mental activity such as voluntary attention, intentional memory, logical thought, planning, and problem solving. According to Vygotsky (1978 cited Lantolf 2000), the socio-cultural environment presents the child with a variety of tasks and demands, and engages the child in his world through the tools. In the early stages, Vygotsky claims that the child is completely dependent on other people, usually the parents, who initiate the childs actions by instructing him/her as to what to do, how to do it, as well as what not to do. Parents, as representatives of the culture and the conduit through which the culture passes into the child, actualise these instructions primarily through language. On the question of how do children then appropriate these cultural and social heritages, Vygotsky (1978 cited Wertsch 1985) states that the child acquires knowledge through contacts and interactions with people as the first step (inter-psychological plane), then later assimilates and internalises this knowledge adding his personal value to it (intra-psychological plane). This transition from social to personal property according to Vygotsky is not a mere copy, but a transformation of what had been learnt through interaction, into personal values. Vygotsky claims that this is what also happens in schools. Students do not merely copy teachers capabilities; rather they transform what teachers offer them during the processes of appropriation. Lantolf et al. (1994) indicate that the latter understanding of consciousness in the field of teaching is embodied in the concept of meta-cognition, which, according to him, incorporates functions such as planning, voluntary attention, logical memory, problem solving and evaluation. Williams and Burden (1997) claim that socio-cultural theory advocates that education should be concerned not just with theories of instruction, but with learning to learn, developing skills and strategies to continue to learn, with making learning experiences meaningful and relevant to the individual, with developing and growing as a whole person. They claim that the theory asserts that education can never be value-free; it must be underpinned by a set of beliefs about the kind of society that is being constructed and the kinds of explicit and implicit messages that will best convey those beliefs. These beliefs should be manifest also in the ways in which teachers interact with students. Socio-cultural theory has a holistic view about the act of learning. Williams Burden (1997) claim that the theory opposes the idea of the discrete teaching of skills and argues that meaning should constitute the central aspects of any unit of study. Any unit of study should be presented in all its complexity rather than skills and knowledge presented in isolation. The theory emphasizes the importance of what the learner brings to any learning situation as an active meaning-maker and problem-solver. It acknowledges the dynamic nature of the interplay between teachers, learners and tasks and provides a view of learning as arising from interactions with others. According to Ellis (2000), socio-cultural theory assumes that learning arises not through interaction but in interaction. Learners first succeed in performing a new task with the help of another person and then internalise this task so that they can perform it on their own. In this way, social interaction is advocated to mediate learning. According to Ellis, the theory goes further to say interactions that successfully mediate learning are those in which the learners scaffold the new tasks. However, one of the most important contributions of the theory is the distinction Vygotsky made between the childs actual and potential levels of development or what he calls Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) Lantolf (2002), Wertsch (1985) and Shayer (2002) claim that Vygotskys introduction of the notion of the ZPD was due to his dissatisfaction with two practical issues in educational psychology: the first is the assessment of a childs intellectual abilities and the second is the evaluation of the instructional practices. With respect to the first issue, Vygotsky believes that the established techniques of testing only determine the actual level of development, but do not measure the potential ability of the child. In his view, psychology should address the issue of predicting a childs future growth, what he/she not yet is. Because of the value Vygotsky attached to the importance of predicting a childs future capabilities, he formulated the concept of ZPD which he defines as the distance between a childs actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving, and the higher level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in co llaboration with more capable peers Wertsch (1985, P. 60). According to him, ZPD helps in determining a childs mental functions that have not yet matured but are in the process of maturation, functions that are currently in an embryonic state, but will mature tomorrow. Moreover, he claims that the study of ZPD is also important, because it is the dynamic region of sensitivity in which the transition from inter-psychological to intra-psychological functioning takes place. Shayer (2002) claims that a crucial feature of learning according to Vygotsky is that it creates a ZPD, that is to say, learning awakens a variety of internal developmental processes that are able to operate only when the child is interacting with people in his environment and in cooperation with his peers. Once these processes are internalised, they become part of the childs independent developmental achievement. Vygotsky advocates that ZPD is not the role of instruction alone, but developmental (biological) factors do have a role to play. It is jointly determined by the childs level of development and the form of instruction involved. According to him, instruction and development do not directly coincide, but represent two processes that exist in a very complex interrelationship. He argues that the child can operate only within certain limits that are strictly fixed by the state of the childs development and intellectual possibilities. Mediation As in Feuerteins theory (Williams and Burden 1997), mediation is central to Vygotskys socio-cultural theory. Mediation according to Vygotsky refers to the part played by other significant people in the learners lives, people who enhance their learning by selecting and shaping the learning experiences presented to them. Vygotsky (1978 cited Wertsch 1985) claims that the secret of effective learning lies in the nature of the social interaction between two or more people with different levels of skills and knowledge. This involves helping the learner to move into and through the next layer of knowledge or understanding. Vygotsky also regard tools as mediators and one of the important tools is language. The use of language to help learners move into and through their ZPD is of great significance to socio-cultural theory. Kozulin et al. (1995) claim that Vygotsky considers the learning process as not a solitary exploration of the environment by the child on his own, but as a process of the childs appropriation of the methods of actions that exist in a given culture. In the process of appropriation, symbolic tools or artefacts play a crucial role. Kozulin (2002) categorises mediators into two categories: human and symbolic. According to him, human mediation usually tries to answer the question concerning what kind of involvement on the part of the adult is effective in enhancing the childs performance; while symbolic mediation deals with what changes in the childs performance can be brought about by the introduction of the child to symbolic tools-mediators. Scaffolding According to Donato (1994) scaffolding is a concept that derives from cognitive psychology and L1 research. It states that in a social interaction, a knowledgeable participant can create by means of speech and supportive conditions in which the student (novice) can participate in and extend current skills and knowledge to a high level of competence. In an educational context, however, scaffolding is an instructional structure whereby the teacher models the desired learning strategy or task then gradually shifts responsibility to the students. According to McKenzie, (1999) scaffolding provides the following advantages: a) It provides clear directions for students b) It clarifies purpose of the task c) It keeps students on task d) It offers assessment to clarify expectations e) It points students to worthy sources f) It reduces uncertainty, surprise and disappointment g) It delivers efficiency h) It creates momentum According to Rogoff (1990 in Donato, 1994), scaffolding implies the experts active stance towards continual revisions of the scaffolding in response to the emerging capabilities of the learner, and a learners error or limited capabilities can be a signal for the adult to upgrade the scaffolding. As the learner begins to take on more responsibility for the task, the adult dismantles the scaffold indicating that the child has benefited from the assisted performance and internalised the problem-solving processes provided by the previous scaffold episode. Wertsch (1979a cited Donato 1994) claims that scaffold performance is a dialogically constituted inter-psychological mechanism that promotes the learners internalisation of knowledge co-constructed in shared activity. Donato (1994) advocates that in an L2 classroom, collaborative work among language learners provides the same opportunity for scaffold help as in expert-novice relationships in the everyday setting. Van Lier (1988 cited Do nato 1994) states that L2 teaching methodology can benefit from a study of L1 scaffolding to understand how classroom activities already tacitly employ such tactics. The study of scaffolding in L2 research according to Donato has focused exclusively on how language teachers provide guided assistance to learners. 2.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Classroom interaction in socio-cultural theory A socio-cultural theory was pioneered by Vgotsky (1978) and the core of the theory is the proposition that cognitive development originates in social interaction. Vgotsky (1981) formulated the trajectory of cognitive development as from the inter-psychological plane to the intra-psychological plane by saying: Any function in the childs cultural development appears twice, or in two planes: first, it appears on the social plane, and then on the psychological plane; first it appears between people as an inter-psychological category, and then within the child as an intra-psychological category. This is equally true with regard to voluntary attention, logical memory and the formation of concepts and the development of volition (p.163). In other words, learning first takes place between a child and an expert (e.g. the childs parent) when they engage in joint under-taking. The expert assists the young child to appropriate his greater knowledge or skills in relation to the task at hand and gradually hands over the task to the young child. The child internalizes what he gained and transformed it into his own resources that can be used for individual thinking and problem solving. It is mainly mediated by means of talk. 2.3.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Classroom interactions Constructivism Related to Questioning and Conversation Constructivism plays a key role in effective classroom conversations and differs from classrooms filled with traditional conversations. Schulte (1996) argued that Constructivist teachers must observe the students actions and listen to their views without making judgments or trying to correct answers (p. 27). This differs from the traditional classroom where students are passive learners and wait for the teacher to give correct answers (Schulte, 1996). In contrast, constructivist classroom teachers must listen to students and help make connections between what they are thinking and what others are thinking during the same experience (Duckworth, 2006). Teachers must also make connections for learners between the learners understandings and the teachers understandings (Duckworth, 2006). Instead of giving lectures and expecting students to regurgitate what has been lectured, teachers must show students how to listen to others and question ideas when they are unknown (Duckworth, 2006). Teachers must make their actions known to students by using explicit language, modelling the thinking process, and allowing students to think aloud about new ideas (Bodrova Leong, 1996). Lambert, etal. (2002) supported the idea of sharing thoughts and ideas by stating, In a constructivist conversation, each individual comes to understand the purpose of talk, since the relationship is one of reciprocity (p. 65). Constructivist teaching allows students to actively participate in their learning versus the traditional idea of passively receiving information. It allows teachers and students to synthesize their knowledge in order to create new meanings. Classroom discourse based on a constructivists view of learning involves student participation. This was explained by Hartman (1996) when stated, As seen through Vygotskys views, classroom discourse is socially meaningful activity because it creates a situation in which all students can and are encouraged to participate not only by the teacher, but by the other students as well (p. 99). Students are encouraged to share their ideas with others to help clarify their thoughts and make adjustments to their understandings (Schulte, 1996). Student participation means that teachers hand over control of classroom conversations and allow students to express their thinking aloud. This results in the student having the final word at times and helps the student create his or her own understanding instead of receiving the teachers understanding of ideas (Duckworth, 2006). When students are allowed to explain their thinking they must learn to be explicit and clear so others will understand them; t hat results in deeper understanding (Bodrova Leong, 1996). Student participation during classroom discourse allows students to practice problem-solving and decision-making skills that will help improve their leadership ability as adults. In Dantonio and Beisenherz (2001) book Learning to Question, Questioning to Learn, constructivist classroom discussions are referred to as instructional conversations. In an instructional conversation, a teacher is skilful in facilitating talk that promotes student thinking. Students require guided practice in order to respond in a manner that leads to a deeper understanding of subject matter. With guidance, students learn to enhance the quality of their thinking through the teachers effective use of questions. In line with Vygotskys zone of proximal development, instructional conversations provide students with opportunities to do today with help what can be done independently tomorrow. Teachers and students work together to create new meanings and understandings through effective questioning and higher level learner responses. Classroom discourse holds various meanings but definitions found in the literature hold a common ground: classroom discourse is talk between two or more persons that may or may not lead to a new understanding (Cazden, 2001; Mroz, Smith Hardman, 2000). Two definitions of classroom discourse were given by Cazden (1998). She described discourse as conversations where participants are having the same talk. Discourse was also described as an understanding that occurs when participants take different positions in different talks at the same time. In their research findings, Edwards and Mercer (1987) described classroom discourse as the talk that occurs between two or more people that usually consists of a teacher and one or more students. Additional researchers defined classroom discourse in their studies. Skidmore, Perez-Parent, and Arnfield (2003) proclaimed that classroom discourse contrasts to every day conversation because students must wait for their turn while patiently raising their hand. In everyday conversation people speak to one another at will to express their ideas and understandings. Similarly, Townsend and Pace (2005) noted that classroom discourse that is directed by one person, usually the teacher, results in students repeating predetermined ideas or mere facts. It contrasts to classrooms where students are given opportunities to explore higher level questions and engage in meaning making activities (Townsend Pace, 2005). Skidmore (1999) referred to traditional classroom discourse as, pedagogical dialogue, in which someone who knows the truth instructs someone who is in error, and which is characterised by a tendency towards the use of authoritative discourse on the part of the teacher (p. 17). All of these examples of classroom discourse vary from everyday conversations because students are subjected to waiting for a turn to give factual information. Researchers of classroom discourse refer to teacher dictated conversations as a traditional pattern of talk. 2.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Research Studies on Classroom Interaction Many studies on classroom interactions focused on teacher questions, learner responses, or the effect of questions on student achievement. Studies by Redfield and Rousseau (1981), Chin (2006), Wells and Arauz (2006), Boyd and Rubin (2006), Myhill and Dunkin (2005), and Schleppenbach, Perry, and Miller (2007) were reviewed, compared, and contrasted. Redfield and Rousseau (1981) analyzed 20 studies on the effect of teacher questioning on student achievement. Redfield and Rousseau (1981) wanted to create a meta-analysis of data from the studies to determine the impact of program monitoring, experimental validity, and level of teacher questioning. All of the studies were experimental or quasi-experimental in nature. Quantitative tools were used to measure the effect size in each study. Redfield and Rousseau (1981) completed their research by stating, Hence, it may be concluded that small-scale studies of teacher questioning behaviour have allowed for greater experimental control than large-scale studies (p. 242).It was found that teachers that predominately used higher cognitive questions had a positive effect on student achievement, and teachers that were trained in effective questions and used higher cognitive questions greatly affected their students achievement. Chin (2006) conducted a study focused on teacher questions and feedback to learner responses during science lessons. She wanted to analyze the type of talk that occurs during science lessons, find out how teachers use questioning to engage students, and identify the various types of feedback teachers give to learners during an initiation response-feedback exchange of talk. Chin (2006) gathered data from two science classrooms in Singapore during 14 lessons. To explain the data analysis, Chin (2006) explained, A questioning-based discourse analytical framework was developed for the description and analysis of classroom discourse in science, with a focus on questioning based practices (p. 1334). It was found that when the teacher provided feedback in the form of subsequent questions that built upon a students response, acknowledgement of a students response, or a restatement of a students response, students responded at a level beyond recall. Chin (2006) concluded that Students can be stretched mentally throu

tempcolon Confronting Colonialism and Imperialism in Aime Cesaires A

Confronting Colonialism in A Tempest   Ã‚  Ã‚   A Tempest by Aime Cesaire is an attempt to confront and rewrite the idea of colonialism as presented in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.   He is successful at this attempt by changing the point of view of the story.   Cesaire transforms the characters and transposes the scenes to reveal Shakespeare’s Prospero as the exploitative European power and Caliban and Ariel as the exploited natives.   Cesaire’s A Tempest is an effective response to Shakespeare’s The Tempest because he interprets it from the perspective of the colonized and raises a conflict with Shakespeare as an icon of the literary canon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Tempest by William Shakespeare one might argue that colonialism is a reoccurring theme throughout the play because of the slave-master relationship between Ariel and Caliban and Prospero.   It is also noticeable through the major and minor changes in status among the temporary inhabitants of the island like Trinculo and Stephano (Brower 463).   These relationships support the theme that power is not reciprocal and that in a society someone will be exploited.   Shakespeare first introduces the idea of colonialism when he allows Prospero to be ruler over Caliban, the native inhabitant of the island.   This is a direct link to the colonization by the Europeans in the late 1400’s.   Caliban reveals this idea of colonization in Act I Scene 2 when he says, â€Å" This island’s mine by Sycorax, my mother, /Which thou tak’st from me†¦For I am all the subjects that you have, /Which first was my own king; and here you sty me/In this hard rock, while you do keep from me /The rest o’ th’ island† (Shakespeare 37).   Shakespeare’s diction in this dialogue as well as in Prospero’s response that fol... ....2001 http://www.britannica.com /seo/a/aime-fernand-cesaire/>    Becker, Zachery. â€Å"Aime Cesaire’s A Tempest†. (1999) 18 April.2001    Brower, Reuben. Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Ed. Leonard Dean. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967.  Ã‚      Cesaire, Aime. A Tempest. Trans. Richard Miller.   USA: UBU Repertory Theater Publications, 1992.    Hawkes, Terence. That Shakespearean Rag: essays on a critical process. New York: Methuen and Company, 1986.    Mullenix, Elizabeth Reitz. â€Å"The Tempest.† Illinois Shakespeare Festival. (1996) 18 April2001.    â€Å"Negritude.† Encyclopedia Britannica. (1999): 27 April.2001 http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?idxref=283623    Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. London: Washington Square Press, 1994. tempcolon Confronting Colonialism and Imperialism in Aime Cesaire's A Confronting Colonialism in A Tempest   Ã‚  Ã‚   A Tempest by Aime Cesaire is an attempt to confront and rewrite the idea of colonialism as presented in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.   He is successful at this attempt by changing the point of view of the story.   Cesaire transforms the characters and transposes the scenes to reveal Shakespeare’s Prospero as the exploitative European power and Caliban and Ariel as the exploited natives.   Cesaire’s A Tempest is an effective response to Shakespeare’s The Tempest because he interprets it from the perspective of the colonized and raises a conflict with Shakespeare as an icon of the literary canon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Tempest by William Shakespeare one might argue that colonialism is a reoccurring theme throughout the play because of the slave-master relationship between Ariel and Caliban and Prospero.   It is also noticeable through the major and minor changes in status among the temporary inhabitants of the island like Trinculo and Stephano (Brower 463).   These relationships support the theme that power is not reciprocal and that in a society someone will be exploited.   Shakespeare first introduces the idea of colonialism when he allows Prospero to be ruler over Caliban, the native inhabitant of the island.   This is a direct link to the colonization by the Europeans in the late 1400’s.   Caliban reveals this idea of colonization in Act I Scene 2 when he says, â€Å" This island’s mine by Sycorax, my mother, /Which thou tak’st from me†¦For I am all the subjects that you have, /Which first was my own king; and here you sty me/In this hard rock, while you do keep from me /The rest o’ th’ island† (Shakespeare 37).   Shakespeare’s diction in this dialogue as well as in Prospero’s response that fol... ....2001 http://www.britannica.com /seo/a/aime-fernand-cesaire/>    Becker, Zachery. â€Å"Aime Cesaire’s A Tempest†. (1999) 18 April.2001    Brower, Reuben. Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Ed. Leonard Dean. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967.  Ã‚      Cesaire, Aime. A Tempest. Trans. Richard Miller.   USA: UBU Repertory Theater Publications, 1992.    Hawkes, Terence. That Shakespearean Rag: essays on a critical process. New York: Methuen and Company, 1986.    Mullenix, Elizabeth Reitz. â€Å"The Tempest.† Illinois Shakespeare Festival. (1996) 18 April2001.    â€Å"Negritude.† Encyclopedia Britannica. (1999): 27 April.2001 http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?idxref=283623    Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. London: Washington Square Press, 1994.

Charles Dickens :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Charles "David Copperfield" Dickens (1812 - 1870) Charles John Huffam1 Dickens was born 7 February 1812, second child of John and Elizabeth Dickens. The family would eventually number seven children, plus a son who died in infancy, and since neither parent seemed able to economize, things were generally very hard financially for the family. Charles attended school for a time in Kent, where the happiest days of his childhood were spent, but when the family moved to London in 1822, Charles was simply never re-enrolled in school, and was left to wander London largely unattended2. When the oldest child, Fanny, was sent to the Royal Academy of Music for training as a pianist, Charles, then 12, was deemed old enough to work to help pay the family expenses. So, for six months, he worked in a factory pasting labels onto containers of shoe polish. While there, John Dickens was thrown into debtor's prison, and released a few months later under the Insolvency Act3. It was a feud between John Dickens and the factory owner that eventually got Charles out of the factory and back in school, though Elizabeth tried her best to make him go back, which Charles never quite forgave her for. The factory experience will show up again and again in Charles' novels, and it also left him with something of a phobia about being dirty. In 1827, Charles left school again, more voluntarily this time, and took work as a law clerk, and then a parliamentary reporter. Though he also toyed with the idea of taking the stage (he loved amateur theatricals all his life), he eventually starts writing sketches for two of the London newspapers4, publishing them under the name 'Boz'. In 1835, now quite well-established in his sketch-writing, Charles proposed to Catherine Hogarth, daughter of George Hogarth, who had been advisor to Sir Walter Scott. They married in April of 18365, and the sweet-tempered Catherine generally allowed Charles to take charge of everything, including even the eventual naming of their children. That same year, Charles's began writing The Pickwick Papers, and suddenly he was famous. Imitations of Pickwick appeared everywhere. The now firmly upper-middle-class Charles still has many family problems, however. His father is still in debt more often than not, even going so far as to try to borrow money using his son's name, and Charles ends up paying most of John's debts.

Future of North Korea Economy: Politics over Economic Policy

Future of North Korea Economy: Politics Over Economic Policy The terms starvation, isolation, totalitarianism, and nuclear ambitions combined would remind most people the hermit kingdom in East Asia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and its Kim dynasty. After the demise of the aged dictator Kim Jong Il in December 2011, the country went through a period of mourning the death of their â€Å"beloved† Great General and, undergoing a power succession to his 29-year-old son, Kim Jong Un. He has been known to have attended a Swiss school in his childhood years, enjoying playing basketball and video games (Yan & Shubert, 2011).However, even though many outsiders have a hopeful outlook on this young dictator to be somewhat liberal in both economic and political perspectives, analyzing the situation through levels of analysis suggests that he is unlikely to be any different than his predecessors. In fact, because maintaining the nation’s authoritarian Kim dynast y and communist political system is the most important objective for North Korea, he will probably continue to put low priority on economy, defying international norms as a totalitarian nation of a closed, rigidly planned economy.The Three Levels Explained The levels-of-analysis is an approach conceptualized by Kenneth Waltz in his book Man, the State, and War to understand global politics through categorizing different factors shaping states’ behaviors (Ray, 2001). The approach can be categorized in to three levels: the individual level, which emphasizes the roles played by individual leaders, nation-state level, focusing on interaction between various actors under the nation’s political system and culture, and the system level, addressing distribution of power in the international system (Dorff, 2004).Although levels-of-analysis problem, regarding limitation and vagueness of integrating units, is an ongoing issue according to James Lee Ray (2001), the levels can be i ntegrated more simply in to a more structured and comprehensive analysis when they are considered as different explanatory variables of different location as in this case. Individual Level of AnalysisKim’s past actions show that his main goal is consolidating and maintaining ultimate power through an authoritarian, inhumane method that closely resembles his father’s methods. His fondness for Michael Jordan and his chic, stylish wife may give the impression that he would adopt a more â€Å"open† leadership, but since succession, he has been ruthlessly eliminating anyone in his way of solidifying power within the ruling party, while also verbally and physically provoking South Korea.Not long after ascending to the â€Å"throne†, he executed Kim Chol, vice minister of the army, with a mortar round for â€Å"reportedly drinking and carousing during the official mourning period after Kim Jong Il’s death† (Ryall, 2012). Moreover Klug (2012) report ed that Ri Yong Ho, the military chief who was Kim’s mentor during the power transition and one of the key figures that the former leader relied upon, had also been removed from his position, for health reasons, this July.Baek Seung-joo of the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis say that these replacements of influential military officers and purges of over a dozen senior officials are signs that the young dictator is reshuffling the cabinet to appoint people loyal to him, while also keeping check of any possible dissidents (Kim, 2012). In addition, Kim has clearly shown that he is not concerned with international norms when he reportedly played a major role in planning the shelling of South Korea’s territory, Yeonpyeong Island, a couple of years ago (Yang, 2012).Statements threatening to attack South Korea and its key figures have also escalated in a harsher, specific tone after the change of leadership, even out threatening to send revolutionary armed forces to â₠¬Å"reduce all the ratlike groups and the bases for provocations to ashes in three or four minutes, in much shorter time, by unprecedented peculiar means and methods of our own style† in April (Choe, 2012). Byman and Lind (2010) claim that these provocations help Kim to stoke popular nationalism, while strengthening his position within the military.It has been only a few years since Kim entered politics, but these series of eliminating potentially threatening figures, including even those who have helped in smoothing the transition, and continuous provocation to the international society suggest that consolidating power through provocation and purging is the main focus of Kim on the individual level. Even if Kim Jong Un succeeds in gaining stable power, it is unlikely that he would be enthusiastic in bringing forth major economic reforms as expected by some analysts because such extensive reforms could undermine his authority as they would risk loyalty of the military and the p arty.As Ben Ascione (2012) argues, unless the military becomes a major stake holder in economic reforms through generating profit instead of depleting huge amounts of North Korea’s budget, economic reforms will have to be pursued at the cost of the military first policy, which is a guideline his father, prioritizing the military in allocating resources to foster loyalty from the army by strengthening its position. Therefore, Kim would have to face dissatisfied military elites if he were to start expensive economic reforms.He may have vowed to develop the economy, and rumors have spread that he will push through reforms allowing farmers to keep 30% of their yield, eventually replacing the state rationing system, but these reforms have been postponed numerous times, while the state has even officially denied any intent to reform and called the expectation â€Å"a foolish and silly dream† (â€Å"Where the Sun†, 2012). Nuclear aspiration is another major characteris tic of Kim Jong Un that makes economic reforms unlikely in the near future as this deters the possibility of the army profiting from economy growth.Pouring billions of national money into developing nuclear program can be traced back to more than half a century ago, when his grandfather had allegedly became intimidated by the United States placing nuclear-tipped Matador missiles in South Korea (Pincus, 2006). Kim Jong Un shares the same goal for developing nuclear weapons, showed by launching North Korea’s forth rocket, criticized by the international community as a disguise for developing long distance missile, while also declaring to launch once more this December (Ramstad, 2012).North Korea’s drive for nuclearization has been condemned by the international society and resulted in a UN Security sanction that aim to deter North Korea from acquiring goods for its nuclear programs (Albright & Walrond, 2012). Therefore, since profiting from the military sector is nearly impossible without trade, which is difficult under current international sanctions unless Kim gives up nuclearization, heavy economic reform is a dangerous option for Kim if he wishes to heighten loyalty from the military to maintain power.Nation-state Level of Analysis The unique culture and political system of North Korea combined with the military first policy create an environment where opposing the leader is almost impossible, resulting in an ideal political system for sustaining totalitarianism regime. After decades of propaganda, the juche ideology, emphasizing autarky, or self- sufficiency, and suryong ideology, which means â€Å"leader† and which idolizes the Kim family, have now become almost a religion for the North Korean people (Byman & Lind, 2010).These ideologies have permeated every aspects of the closed society to an extent that many North Koreans are xenophobic, feeling strong hatred and disgust toward the United States and South Korea (Byman & Lind, 2010). According to Brian Myers (2010), North Korean math textbooks ask questions of ‘Three People's Army soldiers rubbed out thirty American bastards. What was the ratio of the soldiers who fought? ’, while dictionaries and schoolbooks endorse students to call foreigners â€Å"muzzles† and â€Å"snouts†.Myers continues on to say that these kinds of propaganda leads to form a culture of ethno-centric nationalism, where the North Korean people sincerely believe in their blood’s pureness and superiority over other races, while honoring their ‘great father’. South Koreans were shocked when they heard the news of the modernized looking North Korean cheering squad turning furious with tears when they saw a portrait of their ‘beloved father’ soaked in rain, running out of the bus to protect his face on the banner ad (Kum, 2003).Even if the effects of propaganda might have weakened through the influx of South Korean movies and drama seri es, Ken E. Gause (2012) found that the state constantly conducts surveillance and investigation on ordinary citizens through various overlapping security organizations, which can even lead to execution of those who have been found to violate law and order, thereby effectively blocking the civilian sector from forming any opposition groups.Government and military officials are no exceptions but are rather even more spied upon through organizations such as the Political Bureau and Military Security Command (Gause, 2012). On the other hand, the military first policy favoring the military serves to encourage loyalty from the group most needed to enforce power and stability. These conditions of propaganda, surveillance, and favoritism form a somewhat stable domestic politics, consisting of only the supreme leader and his favored military officials, that has lasted for three generations of dictatorship and seen by some, including Albright and Walrond, to last for ore. Moreover, these dime nsions shaping the domestic cultural and political nature of North Korea act as countervail to economic reform, which cannot be successful if the state does not give up its military first policy and rigid rules. The ethno-centric nationalism promoted by the two ideologies deters many North Koreans from accepting their system to be a failure in comparison with democratic countries such as the United States and South Korea (Myers, 2010).Thus, North Koreans would have greater utility from any minor improvements in standard in living through weak reforms. This would incentivize Kim to focus more on propaganda and security, while maximizing the use of propaganda to indoctrinate people of how successful the economic reforms, if any, were, thanks to the regime. This could be the reason why Kim Jong Un continuously emphasize that he will improve economy, but drags on doing much change.Also, Un-Chul Yang found that momentum of economic reform diminishes because economics is strictly consider ed to be subordinate to politics, which leads to rejection of economic policies, no matter how rational they may be, if they challenge the authority of the supreme leader (2012). The two largest and only players in domestic politics, Kim and the military, due to the unique structure of the society, will thereby choose to continue the military first policy to conserve their power and maintain the totalitarian regime. System Level of AnalysisIt is highly unlikely for North Korea to give up its only mean of leverage in international relations – nuclear weapons. Not only are they significant in building support from the military internally, they bolster North Korea’s stance more than any other weapon in the power and legitimacy struggle with its South Korea (Byman ; Lind, 2010). Moreover, the weapons allow North Korea to have an upper hand in negotiations for food, energy, and other economic assistance with other major powers. They even incentivized its only ally, China, t o bribe the country with cash and energy aids to just sit them down at the negotiating table (Kim, 2006).Because of these power incentives, North Korea will be more unwilling to give its nuclear ambitions up, leading to further economic sanctions from the international society, while North Korea would try to maximize its gains from utilizing the leverage to compensate for the loss from sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council. David Albright and Christina Walrond (2012) says that China continues to be a major loop hole of this international sanction, giving North Korea plenty of opportunities to secure resources for developing its nuclear program.Albright and Walrond (2012) also predicts in their ISIS report that North Korea's nuclear program and uranium enrichment efforts will continue, and succeed in building at least 28 nuclear weapons by 2016. Therefore, as North Korea’s nuclear programs continue rather successfully regardless of international condemn, it is ironically rational for North Korea to keep its economy closed and planned to strengthen its power, stability, and leverage in international relations. Conclusion and Future PerspectivesIn conclusion, Kim Jong Un’s own motivations to hold power, the unique political system and culture of North Korea, and rational choices that the country should make to win the power struggle would all act in favor for a closed, planned economy. Unlike South Korea and other democratic nations where the economic situation greatly influences politics, North Korea have been steered by the regime for so long that everything including economy now depends only on the government.Hence, despite recently being named as the ‘sexiest man’ of the year 2012 by The Onion, Kim Jong Un would also remain an unappealing Kim for his democratic counterparts. The major stakeholders including the Unites States, South Korea, and China should continue to negotiate with North Korea to convince them tha t their gain from opening up is greater than following their traditional acts of provocation. Also, China should not allow North Korea to exploit its weak implementation of export controls and should bind to the U. N.Security Council’s sanction to put greater pressure on North Korea. Even though future prospective is still dark in the current situation, more intimate negotiation and actions of responsibility from Beijing could result in positive news in the future. References Albright, D. , & Walrond, C. (2012, August 16). North Korea’s estimated stocks of plutonium and weapon-grade uranium. Institute for Science and International Studies. Retrieved from http://isis-online. org/uploads/isis-reports/documents/dprk_fissile_material_p