Wedding Superstitions

Weddings have been celebrated since the beginning of time. So have wedding day superstitions. It is traditionally believed that weddings are susceptible to evil spirits and bad luck. Over time, wedding traditions and customs have been preserved to promote a happy, long, fertile and wealthy marriage. Here are some customs that the bride and groom might consider to ensure a successful marriage. The Engagement †¢So as not to endanger the marriage, the future bride may only propose marriage during a leap year. †¢It is a change for the worse if a future bride is to marry a man whose surname begins with the same letter as the future bride's first name. †¢In the past, it was believed that the vein on the forth finger of the left hand leads directly to the heart. An obvious finger of choice for the engagement and wedding rings. †¢The future bride must not remove the engagement ring prior to the wedding day. The Wedding Dress †¢To borrow a wedding gown brings good luck for the bride, but the lender is in for some bad luck. †¢Wedding superstitions suggest it is bad luck for the bride to make the wedding dress but the last few stitches should be completed by the bride moments before dressing. †¢It is an old tradition that the bride wears a veil. This wedding superstition helps to disguise the bride from any evil spirits. †¢A spider found in the wedding dress is particularly good luck. †¢The bride may also add a horse shoe to the wedding costume to promote good luck, with the open end up to keep the luck in. The Wedding Ceremony †¢English folklore insists that Saturday is the unluckiest day of the week to be married. The groom's birthday is the luckiest day to tie the knot. †¢For good luck, the groom must arrive at the wedding ceremony first. †¢To ensure this luck continues the bride must not be on time and should enter the ceremony with the right foot. †¢The timing of the wedding ceremony and the saying of the vows must be considered to ensure that the couple work together in the marriage. After the half hour and prior to the hour is considered lucky. †¢It is extremely unlucky if the wedding ring is dropped by the groom or the best man.

Сase of Microsoft

External factors are considered to be extrinsic to an organization, those over which it has limited or no control. These affect the industry in which the organization is operating. Such as the technological environment in the case of Microsoft which would affect the entire information technology sector. At the same time very powerful and leveraged players in a sector such as Microsoft would be able to shape the external environment to a certain degree by exercising leverages of control such as monopoly over software codes. Despite this it is not possible for companies to affect other major external factors such as the social and political environment. An increasingly important external factor emerging today is environmental protection including laws, policies and stipulations which have to meet international standards. Frequently the most significant external factor is competition. In the embryonic stage of growth of an industry, a company may not encounter competition and would not feel the impact of the same. However an industry which is reaching maturity will be posed greater threat from competition and this factor would have to be considered by the management as it would impinge on growth or even survival. Toyota Motor Co is a salient example wherein its entry into the American as well as the global market has become a major external consideration for all automobile manufacturers in the World, particularly legacy brands as General Motors and Ford in the United States. The political environment of a country also has a major role to play in the growth of any industry. China is the most prominent example of the same. Opening of the Chinese markets to external players has been one of the greatest factors which have contributed to Chinese growth in the past two decades. Internal factors on the other hand can be shaped by the management by providing it positive or negative inputs. These factors could include diverse issues ranging from human resources, branding, financial resources, product development, research, information technology and labor relations. There is a frequent conflict between the inter se priorities of the internal factors. Human resources assume a significant factorial value in many companies today and when linked with research and development will determine on how the company operates in a knowledge economy. IBM thus focuses its attention on a strong human resource base which can contribute to normal operations as well as research and development. Management of financial resources is an important facet which has to be considered deliberately by any company. This will determine a company’s financial viability at a given time. Mismanagement can ruin a company as indicated by the example of Enron which had to go into liquidity due to unethical financial practices of its management. Traditionally it is felt that the management has an overriding control over the internal factors as opposed to external factors, though at times there is a powerful influence of issues such as the social environment on say branding. Many multi nationals find this quite difficult to absorb and even retail giants as Wal-Mart had to adapt their brand to conditions obtained in an external market as France before they could develop their chain in Europe. Information technology absorption has become a powerful internal factor which is affecting expansion of many companies. With development of concepts such as e commerce or e business and enterprise resource planning, it has become increasingly important for an organization to place all its operations on line. While this is clearly an internal factor, its external linkage cannot be ignored. The primary difference as would be seen from the examples above is the degree of control that a management has on factors affecting business. Where the controlling factors are located externally, these are considered as external factors and need to be evaluated accordingly. However where based internally these will be considered within the ambit of internal factors. b. Discuss an example where an organization might be able to increase its control/influence over an external factor. To increase its control over an external factor, management would have to take into consideration a number of factors including at times reviewing the core product profile of the company without sacrificing its overall brand image. Companies as Coca Cola and Pepsi have through their deep penetration in developing countries created conditions where they are able to control the entire soft drinks market in many locations in South and South East Asia altering social preferences and tastes of people. McDonald has been the most leveraged player in altering food and social habits which are external factors in developing countries. It has achieved this by a judicious mix of local products even introducing vegetarian burgers in India along with its traditional Burgers. Having changed its product profile, the company has been able to penetrate many traditionally hostile markets to American food industry. c. Since external factors can impact the profitability of an organization, why do we have financial performance as an internal factor? In determining whether a factor is to be considered as an internal or an external one, the key attribute to be considered is the ability of an organization to develop strategies and responses for growth and the control it has over the same. Applying this parameter would indicate that financial performance is an internal factor. Profitability is just one aspect of financial performance of a company. Profitability not only depends on the external environment including competition, economic factors, money markets and currencies but has greater linkage with internal factors such as liquidity, activity and growth of capital. Profitability of a company is determined by gross and net profit margins, returns on assets and equity which are all considered as a part of internal factors. The structuring of the company finances to include debt and equity ratio which is a purely internal function also has an important role to play in profitability thereby leading to its consideration as an internal factor. d. How does misclassifying an internal factor as an external factor in the EFE impact the analysis? The EFE is a comparative analysis of various factors which affect the external environment of an organization. The evaluation is based on weight age given to each factor based on relative importance. Generally 10 opportunities or threats are considered in an EFE Matrix with each provided a weight age between 0 and 1 out of a sum total of 1 based on impact on profitability. Â  There after ratings are also provided to each factor based on a scale of 1 to 4 with 4 being the best. The weight distribution will be balanced between threats and opportunities and will finally represent the strengths and opportunities in an organization. By including an internal factor the entire evaluation matrix is likely to be skewed by a minimum of 5 to 10 % which would emerge as a major flaw in the EFE, thereby resulting in neglect of other more important external factors. Based on the EFE the management will determine that the internal factor placed in EFE matrix can be controlled only in a limited way through internal inputs, thereby neglecting it to a large extent, resulting in a drop in performance in the particular field. Thus if labor relations has been placed wrongly in the EFE, the management will only consider external inputs that are likely to affect it such as legal statutes and central memorandums and neglect internal management possibly resulting in poor labor relations in the company. References David, Fred R. (1999) STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT. Electronically reproduced

History of American Education Aed/201 Essay

3 Major Periods; 1: The Colonial Period (1607-1775) 1642- Massachusetts Bay Colony Law requires proper teaching of children. 2: The Early National Period (1175-1820) 1819- Emma Hart Willard helps New York State open education for women. 3: The common school movement (1820-1865) 1823- First Teacher-Training college in the U.S. 2 Major Eras 1: The Progressive Era 1900- Pencil and paper replace slates. 2: The Modern Era 1964-Cival Rights act of 1964 supports school desegregation. There are so many events that have taken place over time that it is hard to narrow it down to the ones that I have. To pick one that has made such an impact on the way that schools have changed I would say the 1642 Massachusetts Bay Colony Law. This law was the first education law to ever be passed. It was created by the English Puritans and the law required that children be taught to read and to write. Without this law I have no clue where we would be today. This was the foundation for our education system and still plays a role today in the classroom. School is more complex now and does not only consist of learning to read and to write. It was only five years after this law was written that another law was passed that required each town to establish and maintain public schools. Public schools took a while to establish and it took time before they were made available to students all over the country. This was just the beginning of where we are now. References Kauchak & Eggen. (2005). Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional, Second Edition Mass Moments. (2006). Massachusetts Passes First Education Law. Retrieved from http://massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=113

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Journal - Essay Example base is a valid excuse for safeguarding the crops, nonetheless the critique feels that this is no excuse for resorting to harsh and rigid punishments for these acts. Solomon’s main contention is that the rigidity of the laws that are in vogue does not leave any room for mitigating circumstances and hence there should be some sort of balance in the way the social structure in the village is maintained as well as enforced. In my opinion, condemning the practices in the village as backward or tribal misses the point of the book. The book is mostly about how the pastoral communities live and work together as a unit along with the necessary conditions for social cohesion that are needed for the village to exist as a unit. Solomon’s critique overlooks this aspect of the story as well as ignores the way in which the village needs to sustain itself. Of course, the critique is definitely strong on the point of the medieval spirit that pervades the village. However, it is to be understood as describing a place in another period rather than an anachronism. The critique should have explored how the lives of the peasants and the farmers were dependant on the vagaries of the weather and hence the appeasement of the same can be understood from this perspective. The book is mostly about how the codes of conduct that are necessary for the social mores to be enforced are laid down and the behavior of the people in the village made to conform to these traditions and customs. However, as the critique points out, some of these laws seem barbaric. My point in the preceding paragraph was about how the critique betrays ignorance about how life in the tribal societies was and the way in which the pastoral communities went about their work and life. To take this further, the communities described in the book exist as a set of interdependent units and are closely knit. Hence, there needs to be some sort of balance between the way they live and work. Division of duties needs to be

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay

Differentiating Between Market Structures - Essay Example The attraction of the consumers is ensured through high quality products. The products where the company specializes in are not available easily in the market and therefore the company has the opportunity to cement the consumer base. The company can thus control the bargaining power of the consumers. The needs of the consumers can be readily analyzed and they are assisted in taking the advantage of the buying opportunities. The customers are driven towards the shops with the help of the discounts offer. The supply chain managers of the company can recognize the importance of the customers in their business. They are aware that attracting more customers will involve more sales which in turn mean more revenue and profits. The customers are retained through the modes of product variety and low costs. The services offered are efficient and ensures that customers do not queue up in the shops of the competitors. The customer loyalty has been gained by the company through the modes of custo mer retention and widening up more opportunities for the customers which increases the customer sovereignty and the customers have the option to choose the products that suit their preferences. Competitors never got the chance to drive away consumers from Kedler Fine Foods. In order to compete effectively the competitors are forced to make additional expenses in terms of marketing and advertisements. Competitive strategies Branding ensures that the customers associated with the company believe in innovation and quality. The customers want value for money and so the company engages in providing top quality support to them. The efficient delivery system has paved the way for higher profits while the lack in innovation can lead to reduced sales and revenue. The company has been able to invent new product styles and effective delivery system upon placement of orders. Internet marketing is the strategy that was adopted by the company to promote the products. The website offers informatio n on a variety of products, details on delivery system and some other information that may be necessary for the customers (Porter, 1985). The online customer relationship is an effective way of managing the business and to deal with the customers in prompt fashion. Positioning is a strategy that tends to increase profits. The company enjoys the top position in offering fine quality products to the customers who demand quality with competitive prices. The company targets the middle class customers and focuses to cement the customers’ base with time. Market Structure The company operates in the market of perfect competition. A large number of small firms comprise the market for perfect competition. Each firm is small compared to the entire market. The comprising firms set the identical products. The customers as well as the firms are well informed about the prices. In the short run the firms can change only the variable factor namely labor. The other decisions are predetermined . In the long run the firms have the potential to change their scale. In the short run when the existing price is less than the average cost curve it is better for the firm to close down. Several buyers are present in this market. The market offers products that are substitutable. There are no barriers to entry and therefore provides a level playing field for the new entrants (Etro, 2009). The forces of demand and supply determine the prices of the products and since the company under

The number one phobia on earth is fear of public speaking Research Paper

The number one phobia on earth is fear of public speaking - Research Paper Example The reason public speaking is the world’s number one phobia is that it gravely affects the social and private life of an individual and can even destroy his personality (Varrel Smith. Phobia). The phobia of public speaking is categorized in social phobia therefore the preliminary impact of this phobia is on the individual’s social life. Being a social phobia, it is a fear that arises with people and social gatherings. The phobia of pubic speaking refers the fear of speaking or expressing when in a gathering of people. The phobic person may be able to talk and express when there are a few well acquainted people around him and a normal communications is in progress. The fear automatically arises when he has to address a few people, maybe even more than just two. The person suffering from phobia of public speaking feels that someone is pulling him down, or others will not accept what he says. He knows what to say and how to express but his voice is lost somewhere in the dark. Sometimes this may also happen that he curses himself later that he should of have spoken or expressed. This fear gradually develops deep inside him and becomes a phobia called the phobia of publ ic speaking (John R. Marshall. Social Phobia: From Shyness to Stage Fright). The phobia of public speaking is not something that sprouts overnight. There have been discovered many causes that lead the victim towards the higher phases of this problem. One of the major causes of phobia is fear of embarrassment in the public. This major cause contributes primarily towards making the phobia of public speaking the number one phobia in the world because the roots lie in the childhood and parenting. It is usual for many parents that a child is snubbed in front of some other people, teachers, siblings or relatives for any mischief or folly. This develops a fear of public activity in the

Benefits, impediments and critical success factors in B2C Annotated Bibliography

Benefits, impediments and critical success factors in B2C - Annotated Bibliography Example instead it provides insight that may be important for conducting future studies and development of theories while paying emphasis to obstacles and success faced by thousands of companies that have adopted and are adopting e-business techniques. In this study, the case study approach was used in which eight case studies were studied and analyzed while focusing on the benefits that a company expects to gain from e-business system and the benefits that the company actually gains and secondly the focus was on what are the issues experienced by those who implement e-business solutions and thirdly, the focus was on locating the critical reason that leads to the success of businesses that adopt e-business solutions (Dubelaar, 2005, p.1254). A total of eight companies were studied by the researchers, six of these companies had online existence and two of these companies were those who operated mainly through physical outlet, but they even had limited online existence. The study concluded that the major obstacles for companies in adopting an e-business solution were issues in operations, technology, leadership and lack of effective design for their business. The reasons that led to the successful application of e-business solutions were: application of doing business online and offline combined, delivering high value, customer retention and satisfaction, keep a bird’s eye on the activities of the competitors and lastly trust building. The researchers believe that if an e-business solution is to work in the factor of the company, the adoption of the solution should be relevant to the business, value adding to customers and should provide ease of operation for the organization. Since various businesses are adopting various e-business solutions such as selling over the internet and advertising, this journal article helps students learn what they have to do as managers to ensure that their business experience success as they adopt one of the e-business strategies and how

Differences between bourbon, scotch, and whiskey Research Paper

Differences between bourbon, scotch, and whiskey - Research Paper Example With the increased popularity, there was major attention from the Scottish parliament which led to major taxes on malt and the end products by the 17th century. These taxes led to the distillers to go underground for their operations. Even so, the business was high. The name ‘Whisky’ has been derived from the word gaelic uisge (usky, which went on to be mispronounced as whisky) – meaning ‘water of life’ (Heart of Scotland). Scotch Whisky is renowned for the fact that they are made only in Scotland. Whisky that is made in Scotland alone have the patented right to be referred to as ‘Scotch’. Also, the Scotch Whiskies are single malt and these are known for the smoothness and the style of distillation. The development process of Scotch Whisky is labor oriented and generally involves a high level of craftsmanship for the development of the end product (Whiskey.com). Whiskey links back to the migration of Moors in Western Europe however Bourbon Whiskey is relatively a much more recent version of Whiskey. This originates from Pennsylvania and the key ingredient here is ‘rye’. The drink started using corn as the primary ingredient once the brewery was moved to Kentucky. This was the birth of bourbon. It is important to realize that all bourbons are whiskeys however not all whiskeys are bourbons (Denison). There are a number of different variations that are used for the production of Bourbon. Of these the most commonly sold in United States includes sixty to seventy percent corn mash. However in most of the processes a little rye is added as well, as it provides the distinct flavor and spice. One of the most well known brands across the world, i.e. Jack Daniels has always been confused with bourbon; however there is a vast difference in the ingredients and the development process . The main differences is owing to the fact that Jack D aniels is charcoal filtered and goes through sugar – maple charcoal prior to the barreling process

Power and Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Power and Organisations - Essay Example But this management style does not fit other types of employees. Other types of subordinates prefer their heads or supervisors to be more lenient with them and to allow them room to finish assigned tasked in the best way the subordinate thinks he or she could finish the job faster. The employees feel like human beings whenever their opinions or suggestion and even complaints are taken into account by their superiors. Alternative Ways of Behaving. Management should apply different styles of management in order to fit each kind of individual employee. Strictness and penalties can be applied to lazy employees and awards and promotion could be given to employees who love to conquer challenges in return for the awards, citations and promotions given. Management could also implement a mixture of strict management policy for some line employees and also implement a soft management stand of giving the employees a wider room to navigate in order for the employees to better accomplish, in terms of quality and quantity, all tasks assigned beforehand to the subordinates (the sales managers, unit managers and the financial advisors) Less strictness will also lessen the subordinates' resentment or resistance to power imposed on them. Program Evaluation Review Technique. ... in this case, the financial advisors report directly to the unit managers and the unit managers are loyal to the sales managers who has a very harmonious working relationship with the unit managers and the financial advisors, the sale manager who is revolting against the strict management policy of the general manager has won the hearts and minds of the employees and enticed them to leave the company.In economics, some people prefer to be insulted and they are willing to swallow their pride and even their person than to resign from the job where they are not happy. This is because they cannot feed their family with their pride. Other persons prefer to resign from a company when their pride is hurt. Still other persons are so strong willed that they confront the management and ask for leniency or a little more space in order for the employee to move around more freely. This space will result to more happy employees and happy employees do better jobs. (Dilworth, 1993) Some employees, though, will not follow the sales manager's offer to resign from the company because these types of employees love the strictness being implemented by top management. Range and Application of theoriesIn the Critical path management concept, the financial advisor will submit his work to the Unit manger that then does some analysis and interpretation and then gives the final report to the sales manger. The sales manager then gives his sales department's summary report to the general manager who is strict in this case. If the financial advisor is lazy then the work of the unit manager will lag behind resulting to work delays of the sales manager and the general manager. (Raiborn et al., 1993)Using exchange theory, the subordinates (financial advisors, unit managers

What will happen vs what should happen with Government Warrantless Essay

What will happen vs what should happen with Government Warrantless Surveillance - Essay Example Warrantless Surveillance will continue to be a mode of operation by the Federal Government. Things will continue to go pretty much as they have since 2001. There will continue to be court cases which will challenge the right of the government to engage in what some would call an illegal operation. It is hard to argue against the security of our nation as being a reason for this action. Some people will continue to distrust the government and their reasons for gathering certain information and tapping foreign phone calls. When looking at utopia, our country would not need to gather this information because everyone would be doing what is expected of them and not out to harm their neighbor. The government would function as an arm of the people, providing for the common good of all Americans. The court system would be engaged in the enforcement of our laws and not arguing about what is constitutional or unconstitutional. A sad thing that would happen with the disappearance of warrantless surveillance, people would lose their job. The news shows on television would have to find something else to discuss and Senators Kerry and McCain would begin addressing more pressing

Country Risk Ananlysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Country Risk Ananlysis - Research Paper Example Some risks can be diversified away through investing in portfolios of investments which diversify each other’s risk. The risk that can be diversified away is called diversifiable risk or unsystematic risk. On the other hand systematic risk cannot be diversified and is thus also called un-diversifiable risk. Economic and political risk is inherent risks of operating in a country. The economic risk is the risk that economy of that country would change for the worse. This change could be due to bad management or uncomprehend able natural causes, such as reduction in oil prices for a country which has oil as its primary export. Political risk on the other hand points towards the stability in the country. This is the risk that there would be political turmoil in a country which would result in loses on investment. The recent changes in the Arabian Peninsula are changing the shape of Arab politics for ever. There have been major political changes in countries like Egypt, Libya and S yria. These political changes would in due course of time bring positive changes in the region and contribute to the economic stability and wellbeing of local. However these changes have also created a sense and environment of uncertainty in the political environment of the region. There is confusion as to which country would be affected by this political upheaval next. Amongst this political turmoil lies a country of 1.7 million people known as Qatar. The State of Qatar is located in the Middle East and shares its borders with the Gulf and Saudi Arabia. The country is a monarchy controlled by the Al Thani family. Other monarchies in the region are threatened by political upheavals; Qatar is no different due to its political system. However Qatar is still a peaceful country and there have been no apparent signs of any political upheavals. One of the reasons is the sound economic situations of the country. The economy of Qatar is growing rapidly and is considered one of the fasted gr owing economies of the world. The nation has a per capita annual GDP of 97,000 dollars, which is one of the highest in the entire world. The nation is rich with oil and gas reserves. However instead of simply consuming these resources like many other Arab nations, Qatar has strived to build itself as a strong economic power through development of infrastructure and industry. The economic growth is stable due to a strong inflow of foreign capital due to oil exports. This stability plays a primary role in reducing the financial risk of the country. The purchasing power parity of Qatar according to CIA Fact-book is estimated to be $123 billion. This is an increase of approximately 20% from previous years. Due to a rick economy the locals are not an active part of the country’s workforce. However efforts are being made to bring about a change in this department. The main hindrance in these efforts is the availability of an excellent social welfare system, which allows people to l eave lives near 0 % present of poverty. This can be seen by the high per Capita GDP of Qatar which makes it one of the richest nations in the world. The country risk of Qatar has been defined as CRT-3. Risk tier 3 is defined as Developing legal environment, legal system and business environment with developing capital markets; developing insurance regulatory structure. This means that the country has very low economic risk. This low risk is due to the rapid growth of GDP

The Holeâ€A look into the prisons within the prisons Essay Example for Free

The Hole—A look into the prisons within the prisons Essay In the United States today at least 80,000 prisoners are being held in some sort of isolation unit, commonly called solitary confinement. Prisoners in solitary are isolated in a 6X8 foot concrete room for 23 hours a day. This is how the United States government chooses to regulate the prisons, by locking prisoners in this cell for weeks, months or even years on end. Most prisoners are allowed 1 hour a day for â€Å"recreation† where they are allowed to go outside, alone, in a fenced area about the size of their cell. It is a dirty, cold, concrete room with only a metal slot in the door that they receive meals through. The room contains a bed, shower, and toilet, as well as a very small amount of personal items. They receive no educational classes, rehabilitative programs or other transitional services to help them prepare for their return to society, even when they are going to be released soon. They have absolutely no structure to their day. Since I was a child I have always been interested in the Criminal Justice System. I have long hoped to become a prosecutor and have always been curious about prisons and criminals. My original curiosity with solitary confinement specifically came from a Law and Order episode I saw. The main detective asked to be put in solitary confinement for a weekend to prove that the criminal’s defense was fake (the criminal was claiming he pushed the detective off the roof because of the psychological suffering he endured in solitary confinement). Throughout the episode I watched, as the detective slowly started hallucinating and got very anxious and angry. I assumed that the show was exaggerating for entertainment value however I wanted to find out whether that was true. Throughout my research process I have found that the symptoms the detective displayed are the same symptoms that thousands of real prisoners have. Through out my quest to learn more about the practice of Solitary confinement, my opinion has changed dramatically. At the beginning of this project I thought of this topic the same way I think about almost everything else, very black and white. I had little sympathy for prisoners, even those held in solitary confinement. I didn’t think of it as torture and didn’t understand what the problem was. Throughout my research my opinion has started becoming grayer, creating an internal tension for me between two conflicting views. I have a strong held belief that prisons provide justice and safety. I hope to become a prosecutor to execute law and order. However, I have become conflicted throughout this assignment because I have found that this way of punishment has been clearly shown to be immoral and inhuman. For my â€Å"site visit† I visited the Valhalla county jail. I was struck by the number of wives, parents, teenagers and young children who were there to visit loved ones. I listened in on defense attorney KL’s conversations with two of his clients and was shocked to find that I really did feel that one of them was being charged too harshly. I am of course not defending what the prisoners did, and many of them deserve to be locked up, but the thought these people are treated so inhumanly, I feel disgraces our country and what it stands for. America, which supposedly stands for freedom, justice and the pursuit of happiness, locks up thousands and thousands of men, women, and teenagers sometimes as young as 14, in a cage. How could America, the land of freedom and opportunity, take part in such an appalling practice? Most of us wouldn’t treat our dogs the way the prisons treat the criminals, especially those in solitary confinement. Solitary Confinement was first used in the Auburn state prison during a two-year experiment in 1821, during which scientists observed people in extreme isolation. They housed a group of prisoners in individual cells â€Å"without any labor or other adequate provisions for physical exercise.† Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont reported, â€Å"This trial, from which a happy result had been anticipated, was fatal to the greater part of the convicts: in order to reform them, they had been submitted to complete isolation; but this absolute solitude, if nothing interrupt it, is beyond the strength of man; it destroys the criminal without intermission and without pity; it does not reform, it kills. The unfortunates, upon whom this experiment was made, fell into a state of depression, so manifest, that their keepers were struck with it; their lives seemed in danger, if they remained longer in this situation.† This experiment was done almost two hundred years ago and although the results were horrendous, solitary is still used today. It is sometimes necessary however. According to solitarywatch.com, Solitary confinement is used for three main reasons: protection, punishment and rehabilitation. Through out my research I have found very little data to suggest solitary confinement is the least bit rehabilitative, so I have come to the conclusion that it is really only used for punishment and as a protective measure. Certain inmates such as former police officers and child molesters are more likely to be attacked by other inmates while in prison and are therefore put there for their own protection. Solitary confinement is also used as a way to regulate the prisons. When a prisoner gets into a fight with another inmate or violates a prison rule, they are put in solitary confinement, or what the guards call, â€Å"the bing†, as punishment. It is called â€Å"the bing† because many of the prisoners start going crazy when placed in solitary confinement. Some common side affects are: hallucinations, hypersensitivity to noise and touch, insomnia, paranoia, feelings of rage and fear, distortions of time and perception, depression, anxiety, PTSD and an increased risk of suicide. When these side affects occur, the prisoners often start screaming and become very incoherent and manic. In 2009, Robert Foor, an Illinois inmate with mental illness, was placed in isolation and â€Å"became more mentally ill, mutilating himself by cutting and biting, and [attempted] to hang himself.† He ultimately died in solitary confinement at Tamms Correctional Center. Another Tamms inmate whose mental health had been notably declining, faced increasing isolation and longer sentences, due to incidents of throwing feces and urine at guards. One study even found that the people held in solitary developed were more likely to become psychopaths than those in the general population (28% vs. 15%). â€Å"The isolation unit at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, Illinois has been described as consisting of â€Å"gray walls, a solid steel door, no window, no clock, and a light that was kept on twenty-four hours a day.† Living in those kinds of conditions, it’s hard to imagine someone not going crazy. Another comparison I made to my own life was that I realized that when I spend even 5 hours in my room alone, I become anxious and sometimes depressed. My room is clean, not made of concrete and has a bed, light, desk, laptop and phone. Although I choose to keep my door closed I could come out at any time I want, I just choose not to. If I become anxious and depressed after only several hours alone in a small room, with conditions much nicer then the solitary cells, then I can’t even begin to imagine how the prisoners in solitary feel. Furthermore, I have found that solitary confinement is not only harmful for the prisoners, but for our society as a whole. It is detrimental for our society for two main reasons. The first is that it is much harder for prisoners who spend a prolonged period in solitary confinement to reintegrate into society. Many of the prisoners suffer from PTSD and other mental conditions because they have very limited human contact for months or even years. This makes it dangerous for them to then be released into the general population, especially when they have very little guidance before being released or after. Many prisoners are released directly into society from solitary confinement. Research done by the human rights watch, show that prisoners in solitary have a much higher rate of re-incarceration because of their anger and depression. With little education, classes or skill training, it is difficult for them to become productive members of society. They are unable to get jobs because of their limited skills and because of their arrest record. People are judgmental; very few people want former criminals working for them. I have found that many people don’t realize that people make mistakes and go to jail only to suffer, probably more then than the suffer they once caused. Prisoners are beaten, raped, and isolated, causing severe physical and psychological damage. Another disadvantage for the society as whole is that housing prisoners in solitary confinement cost approximately three times as much as it does to house a prisoner in the general prison population. According to a news article published by the Daily News, it costs American taxpayers $75,000 per inmate in solitary confinement per year as opposed to $25,000 dollars per inmate in the general population per year. It also came to my attention that solitary confinement has long been called a â€Å"human rights violation†. America is violating the Geneva Convention by putting people in solitary confinement. The psychological harm that the prisoners undergo in solitary is considered torture. Sister Marion Defeis who worked as a Chaplain for 23 years at Rikers Island wrote, â€Å"When I would make visits, walking cell by cell, I was overwhelmed by the lethargy and depression of the inmates. That’s not how our system is supposed to work. We have prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment.† While this is true, no alternative to solitary has so far been put to action. I conducted a phone interview with Marion Defeis who was explaining her work at Rikers as well as her current work at a non-profit organization in Brooklyn for single mothers previously incarcerated. The alternative she proposed was that when there is an altercation in the prison the prisoner should be separated to a different area and should receive psychological help to try to improve their mental state, instead of locking them up which will ultimately worsen the situation. She also felt that the punishments that the prisons use do not always fit the crime committed. The chart below shows how many isolation sentences there were because of different violations. During an interview with Mr. L he explained that a lot of times when there is an altercation it is the victim of the abuse that is put in solitary confinement. Although it is for their own protection, he feels that it is unjust for the victim to have a worse penalty when it was the offenders that committed the violation. A lot of times minors are also put there to protect them from the adult prisoners which he felt was unfair that they should get a worse penalty just because they were younger and therefore more vulnerable. These two instances both dramatically changed my views on solitary confinement and made me more sympathetic to what the prisoners held in solitary go through. Although Mr. Lawrence did feel solitary confinement is overused, he did clearly find it necessary in some situations. This was surprising because as a defense attorney I expected him to be very against it. Another essential moment throughout my research process was during my conversation with former prosecutor Mrs. Levine. She really only dealt with solitary as a protective measure, when there was a witness that was going to be put in jail with the person they were testifying against, they would need to be separated to insure they would not be injured or killed in jail. She explained that when she was going through the training to become a prosecutor she had to visit a solitary cell. She told me that she would really have to feel that she was in serious danger to be willing to be put in those kinds of horrible conditions. One researcher who took part in a report conducted by the New York Civil liberties union stated, â€Å"It doesn’t take half a brain to realize we’re not going to get a good product out of this.† This was a very powerful quote for me that landmarked a shift in my thinking. When a single researcher can so clearly see the affects of solitary confinement after only one study, how can the rest of the country not see the detrimental affects after all the research collected? Not only are thousands of people held in solitary confinement, but so many different kinds of people are put in solitary as well. Prisoners as young as 14 years old to as old as 70, men and women, whites, blacks and Hispanics as well as a lot of times, the mentally ill. According to the American Friends service committee, â€Å"An independent investigation from 2006 reported that as many as 64 percent of prisoners in SHUs were mentally ill, a much higher percentage than is reported by states for their general prison populations.† Frequently, mentally ill prisoners who are placed in the general prison population commit crimes and are put in solitary, which only exacerbates the problem. Once their punishment is over they are put back into the general prison population but at that point they have even more severe mental problems and once again end up in solitary. Furthermore, it has been reported that a disproportionate number of black people are in jail or in solitary compared to the NYS population. This is represented in the chart below. For the community service portion of this project I volunteered at the Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry NY with boys ages 8-12, many of whom have parents currently detained. I spoke with several staff members who explained that incarceration is an everlasting cycle. The staff works hard to break this cycle by helping to teach the boys necessary skills to succeed in life. It was shocking to me to realize that jail and solitary confinement would ever relate so directly to my life. When I found out that many of the parents of these children who I have been tutoring for the last three years are in jail, I thought differently of the children. I became more sympathetic and understanding of what they have lived through and realized that they weren’t just out of control kids who didn’t feel like learning their multiplication table. Their parents were living in cages. That’s why they were so angry and depressed and refused to learn. It also discovered that just 10 minutes away from my house was a maximum-security prison called the Bedford Correctional Facility. Not only are their hundreds of women housed there, but about 25 of them are held in solitary confinement. Their children come to visit them with their foster parents and have to kiss their mothers through glass. My struggle throughout this assignment has been withholding judgment about the topic. If I were not required to keep an open mind, this would have been a very different process. There is still much to be learned about the practice of solitary confinement. I have now recognized how harmful solitary confinement is to the prisoners, country and society as a whole, however it is hard to put an end to solitary confinement without coming up with an alternative solution. This project has also made me wonder why they call prisons â€Å"correctional facilities†. I have found no evidence to show that these â€Å"facilities† help â€Å"correct† anything. Sister Marion Defeis’s alternative is certainly a possibility, however it would require a lot of time, effort and certainly money that I am not sure society would be willing to pay for people who have been found to have committed such horrific offenses.

Education Essays Pupils Special Disabilities

Education Essays Pupils Special Disabilities Pupils Special Disabilities This essay critically evaluates the success of policies to promote the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities since 1997. The essay reflects critically on recent legislation in the field and the implications of this for development, showing an understanding of how to resolve conflicting viewpoints. The essay first outlines the legislation, and policy documents, that have been enacted or published since 1997 and then critically analyses these policies in terms of answering the question of how successful these policies have been in terms of meeting special educational needs and disabilities through a review of the impact of these policies on the teaching of special needs children in mainstream schools, and the impact of this on the pupils with special needs, on the ‘normal’ children being taught alongside special needs pupils and on the teaching staff involved in teaching in classrooms containing mainstreamed special needs pupils. Special education is defined, generally, as education that is modified for students with special needs, whether these be special physical needs due to a disability or special mental needs, such as mental health problems or giftedness. The Education Act 1996 defines special educational needs thus, children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them, and children can be identified as having a learning difficulty if they have a significantly different ability to learn than the majority of children the same age as them and if they have a disability which prevents them from making use of facilities that would normally be used within that setting by children of a similar age. Students with special educational needs and disabilities have been catered for through a number of legislations since the late 1990s. The Education Act 1996 outlines the various roles and responsibilities of all those involved in the process of educating children within the UK: teachers and parents, for example. The Education Act 1996 contains statutes that are directly relevant to the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities, building, as it does, on the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. One of the requirements of the Act is that local authorities publish ‘disability statements’ at regular intervals, detailing the facilities provided by the local authority with regards to accommodating children with special educational needs and disabilities because one of the main requirements of the Act was to identify, assess and meet children’s special educational, or physical, needs in terms of meeting these needs within a mainstream school. Part Four of the Education Act 1996 was revised and was enacted as the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001. The Government launched their publication entitled Excellence for all children: Meeting Special Educational Needs in 1997, which set out a coherent strategy for dealing with students with special educational needs and disabilities. This was enhanced through the 1998 publication of the document Meeting Special Educational Needs – A Programme of Action which, when implemented in conjunction with the 1999 Disability Task Force report entitled From Exclusion to Inclusion, reinforced the necessity of considering the rights of students with special educational needs and disabilities. Essentially, the New Labour Government wanted to extend the educational provisions for students with special educational needs and disability by placing educational provision in the broader agenda of social inclusion, within the framework of rights for individuals with special educational needs and disabled individuals (MacBeath et al., 2006)n. Following these publications, and as has been seen, Part Four of the Education Act 1996 was revised and was enacted as the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 is divided in to three parts, two of which are of particular relevance for those with special educational needs and disability: Part One which made changes to the existing Special Educational Needs section in the Education Act 1996; and Part Two which deals with disability discrimination in education, amending Parts Three and Four of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Part One of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 strengthens the rights of special educational needs children, in particular the right of these individuals to be schooled in mainstream schools. Part Two of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 makes it illegal for schools and Local Authorities to discriminate against disabled people for any reason that is related to their disability: schools and local authorities have a â€Å"reasonable adjustment† duty to provide for the special needs of any individuals under their care. Since the enactment of this Act, a revised Special Educational Needs Code of Practice was developed (in 2002), which provides practical help and advice to all those involved in providing education to students with special educational needs and disabilities. Then, in 2003, a Green Paper was published, entitled Every Child Matters, which outlines the Government’s commitment to partnership with all those involved in educating students with special educational needs and disabilities, under the framework of the Children’s Services proposals. In 2004 a strategy document was published by the Government, entitled Removing Barriers to Achievement – The Government’s Strategy for SEN, which focuses on providing guidelines for early intervention, and for the provision of special educational needs. In terms of the Government’s approach to the education of students with special educational needs and disabilities, as outlined in their 2004 document Removing Barriers to Achievement – The Government’s Strategy for SEN, the Government sees it as important to remove barriers to learning and to raise both expectations and achievements, all within a framework of ensuring the application of the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. In terms of the impact of all of this legislation on the education of students with special educational needs and disability, the proportion of such students being ‘mainstreamed’ (i.e., taught within the framework of a ‘mainstream’ school, not a special school) has not been significantly affected by the legislation as many parents are still choosing to send their children to special schools, although the legislation has increased the awareness and appreciation of mainstreaming (OFSTED, 2004). From 1999 to 2003, for example, the portion of students with special educational needs and disability that were schooled in a mainstream setting remained steady, although reports from the Audit Commission have reported an increase in students with behavioural disorders being mainstreamed; conversely, since 2001, in fact, there has been a 10% increase in the number of students sent to special schools (OFSTED, 2004). Whilst the Government seems to think that mainstreaming is the best possible solution for special needs children, a recent report has suggested that school inclusion can actually be a form of abuse and that the recent policies that have been enacted to cover the education of special needs children are badly failing these children (MacBeath et al. 2006). As reported by the BBC, MacBeath has been quoted as stating, â€Å"Physically sitting in a classroom is not inclusion. Children can be excluded by sitting in a classroom that is not meeting their needs†. As reported in MacBeath et al. (2006), there is massive variability across the country as to how inclusion, and mainstreaming, is accommodated, with many schools having unresolved problems regarding inclusion of students with special educational needs and disabilities. A recent (2004) OFSTED report, which looked at the issues of special educational needs and disability and inclusion in mainstream schools found that the Government’s revised inclusion framework has promoted increased awareness of the benefits of inclusion and has led to some level of improvements in practice, but that the framework of inclusion has had little effect, as yet, on the number of pupils within mainstream schools or on the range of needs for which mainstream schools can cater, even though most mainstream schools are committed to mainstreaming special educational needs and disabled students. However, the report found that only a minority of mainstream schools meet special needs well, with expectations of achievement not well enough defined with progress in learning slower, for a vast majority of pupils, than it should be (OFSTED, 2004). Few schools were found to objectively evaluate their provisions for students with special educational needs and disability with not enough use being made of the potential for adapting the curriculum so that such students have suitable opportunities for improving their education (OFSTED, 2004). In general, classroom teaching of students with special educational needs and disability was of highly variable quality, with many lessons having many shortcomings with teaching assistants, especially, contributing to a lack of organization with regards to students with special educational needs and disability (OFSTED, 2004). Shockingly, over half the schools that were visited during the course of this report had no disability access plans and few schools liaised with special schools in order to develop better educational content for the subsequently mainstreamed pupils (OFSTED, 2004). In sum, the OFSTED (2004) report recommended that the Government and local education authorities start to work together in order to ensure that the ability of mainstream schools to teach pupils with special educational needs and disability in a better way, in terms of working closely together with special schools to forge productive links for mainstreamed special educational needs and disabled pupils, such that pupils with special educational needs and disability are enabled to play a full and active part in school life, receiving a curriculum that is relevant to their needs. Whilst noble in its aim, therefore, in terms of the actual numbers of students with special educational needs and disability being mainstreamed, and the education these children are receiving when mainstreamed, inclusion remains a significant challenge for many mainstream schools, and the education received by students with special educational needs and disability within a mainstream school setting is perhaps not as optimum as it could be in many cases, with provisions for their special educational needs and disabilities also not being as adequate as they could, or should, be (Henry, 2004). MacBeath et al. (2006) identified shortcomings in the issue of inclusion, with schools admitting they often had problems with mainstreaming of special educational needs and disabled pupils, due to issues related to resourcing and financing, admissions and capacity, balance of needs, recruitment and retention and expertise and professional development. This does not mean that inclusion policies do not work, as MacBeath et al. (2006) found that inclusion policies are often seen to work when a number of essential conditions are met, namely that staff are enthusiastic and committed, with strong teamwork across staff at the school. In addition to looking at how mainstreaming affects pupils, MacBeath et al. (2006) also looked at how teaching staff are affected by the mainstreaming of students with special educational needs and disabilities. It was found that teachers, in principle, welcome mainstreaming, but that the realities of mainstreaming in practice are very different, due to the fact that the needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities are very different from those of ‘normal’ children, and that this can cause problems when deciding how to allocate one’s time as a teacher; that often special needs and disabled pupils are allocated to teachers who lack the necessary skills to be able to handle these pupils; that the nature and quality of support for teachers with special needs and disabled pupils is often not present, all of which impact negatively on the ability of the teacher to teach all of their pupils, i.e., those with special needs or disabilities and the ‘normal’ children (MacBeath et al., 2006). Thus not only do policies to promote the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities affect those children with special educational needs and disabilities, when such children are mainstreamed, these policies also affect the ways in teachers are able to carry out their job, in terms of being able to teach all children in their care equally and with equal attention. This has been noted to be of special concern when the pupils with special educational needs are children with behavioural problems (whom, as we have seen, have been steadily increasing in numbers in mainstream school settings), as these children are very demanding of teachers time, which, if the teacher pays a great deal of attention to managing these pupils behaviour can lead to the teacher having less time to dedicate to the ‘normal’ children in their class. This leads to the argument that special educational needs and disabled children should not be educated in mainstream classrooms. Seldom is the level of training sufficient for mainstream teachers to teach these children adequately, and to care for these children well enough, so that the basic care needed for these children is often not present. Conversely, if the teachers are well versed in teaching and managing pupils with special educational needs, and concentrate too much on these pupils within their classroom, this leads to the ‘normal’ children in the class missing out on the teacher’s time and attention. There is, thus, a delicate balance to be struck when a teacher’s classroom includes children with special educational needs or disabilities, between caring for that individual child and accommodating their needs, and also having adequate time for the other pupils in the class. For this reason, many educators, and many parents, argue against the idea of inclusion and mainstreaming, arguing that these policies serve no practical purpose, other than fulfilling the Government’s idea of how inclusion should ideally work. The MacBeath et al. (2006) report addresses this issue, when they ask ‘is inclusion working?’. Whilst inclusion provides social benefits for special educational needs and disabled children, in terms of them feeling more accepted by their peers, the viability of the whole concept of inclusion is brought in to question when one studies what has been happening in classrooms over the period when mainstreaming has become more commonplace. For teachers who have taught special educational needs and disabled pupils in a mainstream setting, it has been found that children with special needs often feel they have a lack of entitlement to learn and develop emotionally; that there are restrictions on learning for ‘normal’ children being educated alongside special needs children because a disproportionate amount of a teacher’s time is given to special needs children; that mainstreaming special needs children can generate feelings of inadequacy in teachers without specialized expertise in dealing with such children; that there is a great increase in the workload of teachers dealing with special needs children within their classroom and that there are massive pressures on teachers in terms of inadequate funding and resourcing by local authorities (MacBeath et al., 2006). The MacBeath et al. (2006) also addressed the impact on pupils of inclusive policies, finding that mainstreamed special needs children can benefit from interactions with their peers, but that, in the majority of cases, lack of training of teachers, and lack of resources mean that special needs pupils are not adequately dealt with and end up struggling in mainstream schools because there is a general and significant lack of expertise on the part of teachers as to how to properly and adequately deal with special needs children in a mainstream school setting. Following these conclusions, the MacBeath et al. (2006) report recommended that the implementation of policies of inclusion should not rely on individual schools to handle all the responsibility of teaching these children, rather that this should be based on a collaborative effort between special schools, mainstream schools and local authorities, and that this enhanced collaboration should ensure the best service for all children, i.e., those with special needs who are being mainstreamed and ‘normal’ children in classrooms containing pupil(s) with special needs who are being mainstreamed. It is clear that policies of inclusion, and mainstreaming, will only work, and will only continue to be suggested and developed, if this collaborative effort is strengthened and if teachers involved in teaching mainstreamed special needs children receive adequate training, allowing them to handle their special needs pupils in a way that is advantageous to those individuals, and also to simultaneously manage their ‘normal’ pupils, so that accommodating pupils with special needs does not come at the detriment of ‘normal’ pupils. For fear of a lack of adequate training and understanding, perhaps, many parents of special needs children still choose to send their children to special schools: as we have seen, the proportion of special needs students being ‘mainstreamed’ (i.e., taught within the framework of a ‘mainstream’ school, not a special school) has not been significantly affected by recent legislation, as the vast majority of parents of special needs children are still choosing to send their children to special schools and not to send them to mainstream schools (OFSTED, 2004). In terms of the success of policies to promote the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities since 1997, then, as has been seen, these policies were introduced as a way in which to further the New Labour Government’s ideas about social inclusion, but have, in practice, been ill thought out, in terms of the actual provision of support and training for teachers and teaching assistants who are actually involved, on a day-to-day basis, with teaching mainstreamed special needs pupils. Thus, whilst there is a case to be made for inclusion with regards to special educational needs and disabled pupils, particularly in terms of the social benefits of this practice for the special needs children, there have been insufficient resources devoted to making these policies work in practice, in terms of generating a collaborative atmosphere which would foster sharing of resources and expertise, between mainstream and special schools, for example. Both MacBeath et al. (2006) and OFSTED (2004) found that when mainstreaming does works, it works only because of the extreme dedication of the individual teachers involved, not because there is a framework in place to ensure that inclusion works in practice. Such was the gravity of the situation as recorded by MacBeath et al. (2006) that their report concluded with an urgent need for inclusive practice, including a â€Å"radical re-appraisal of†¦the contradictions inherent in the interface of standards and inclusion agendas†. References BBC (2006). School inclusion ‘can be abuse’. Tuesday 16th May 2006. DfES (1997). Excellence for All Children – Meeting Special Educational Needs. DfES (1998). Meeting Special Educational Needs – A Programme of Action. DfES (2001). Inclusive Schooling. DfES (2002). Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. DfES (2003a). Every Child Matters. DfES (2003b). Together from the start: practical guidance for professionals working with disabled children and their families (birth to 3 years). DfES (2004). Removing Barriers to Achievement – The Government’s Strategy for SEN. Disability Rights Task Force (1999). From Exclusion to Inclusion. Dyson, A. (2003). Special needs, disability and social inclusion – the end of a beautiful friendship? In Norwich, B. (ed.) (2003). Disability, disadvantage, inclusion and social inclusion. Henry, J. (2004). Inclusion policy fails children with special needs. The Telegraph 25th September 2004. HMSO (1995). Disability Discrimination Act HMSO (1996). Education Act HMSO (2001). Special Educational Needs and Disability Act HMSO (2005). Disability Discrimination Act MacBeath, J. et al. (2006). The Costs of Inclusion. University of Cambridge Faculty of Education. Norwich, B. (ed.) (2003). Disability, disadvantage, inclusion and social inclusion. OFSTED (2004). Special educational needs and disability: towards inclusive schools.

How Do Eye witness Testimonials Affect Jury Decision Making

How Do Eye witness Testimonials Affect Jury Decision Making A mock-jury scenario was conducted to evaluate the effects that eye-witness testimonies had on 139 participants. In order to study the true affects the testimonies have on decision making process, eye-witness testimonies were manipulated into 3 different categories (credible eye-witness, discredited eye-witness and no eye-witness). Evidence by the prosecution and defence sides were also presented and were consistent across the three independent variable groups. In the past many theorist felt that inconsistencies in eye-witnesses testimonies have been the cause of many wrongful convictions (Neufeld, 2008; Wagstaff et al., 2003). These past beliefs have resulted in the development of this study and the hypothesis that, having any sort of eye-witness present would cause a dramatic influence in generating more guilty verdicts by the participants. However the study results were found to be inconclusive in supporting our hypothesis and possible reasons for this, as well as future studies w ere discussed. How Do Eye-witness Testimonials Affect Jury Decision Making? In a courtroom, jury members are presented with many forms of evidence in order to help manipulate the decision making process. A commonly used form of evidence that is presented by the prosecution side is called an eye-witness testimony. An eye-witness testimony is an observation that a third party had to a crime or incident that took place. The eye-witness will testify as to what they saw and also try to identify who committed the crime. As stated by Bradfield and Wells (2000), in 1972 in the case of Neil vs Biggers the court declared that for an eye-witness testimony to be valid, 5 criterias had to be met. These were (1) certainty of suspects identification, (2) quality of view the witnesses reports having of the suspect, (3) attention paid to suspect, (4) the degree to which the witnesses description of suspect match that of defendant and (5) time that has elapsed between witnessing crime and identification of suspect. These 5 criteria were later known as the 5 Biggers criteria. According to Rutledge (2001), eye-witness testimonies in most cases are amongst the most important forms of evidence that is presented. However it must be contrasted that although testimonies are an aid for decision making, there is a wide acceptance that eye-witness evidence is frequently unreliable and inaccurate (Neuschatz et al., 2007; Rutledge, 2001). Scholars have theorised that the acceptances of unreliable testimonies by jury members are largely the result of the high confidence level displayed by eye-witness at correctly identifying the suspect, when in fact they were incorrect (Luss Wells, 1994; Wells, Ferguson Lindsay, 1981). A possible cause to explain how these high confidence levels develop in an eye-witness has been linked to what theorist call the feedback effect. It was shown that feedback comments by police such as, well done or good, you identified him during interviewing process, had dramatic effects on the eye-witnesses confidence (Luss Wells, 1994; Wells Bradfield, 1998). Koriat, Lichtenstein and Fischhoff (1980, as cited in Wells, Ferguson Lindsay, 1981), went further and stated that this feedback led to eye-witnesses thinking of reasons that further supported the decision they have made regarding who they identified and the circumstances of the crime they felt they had observed. Rattner (1988, as cited in Bradfield Wells, 2000), further states that acceptance of mistaken identification is the largest single cause of wrongful conviction. Rattners statement was further demonstrated by mock-jury studies undertaken where it was shown that although there were inconsistencies in eye-witness testimonies, the majority of jury members delivered a verdict that the defendant was guilty (Lindsay, Wells OConnor, 1989; Wagstaff et al., 2003). Therefore because of the ever-increasing debate as to the reliability and validity of the statements made and the consequences it has in the jury decision making process, research into eye-witness testimonies is a valuable area of study. In the study it was hypothesised that firstly, having any sort of eye-witness will incur more guilty verdicts over non guilty verdicts. Secondly, it is hypothesised that with the presentation of a witness, the probability or confidence level that the suspect is guilty should increase over that of having no witness. Therefore the more credible a witness is, the more probability the participants should show of having a guilty verdict. Method Participants The study comprised a total of 139 PYB 102 students from Queensland University of Technology. Participants were recruited for this study by means of a consented volunteering process held during a tutorial session. The total number of students comprised of 107 females and 32 males whose age range varied between 17 to 51 years of age. This equates to an average age of 21.8 years and a standard deviation of 7.5 years. Design All participants were presented with an identical argument by the prosecution and defence lawyers, however the information regarding the eye-witness testimony were altered for participants to form 3 different points of view regarding the eye-witness testimony. Therefore, the independent variables in this study were the 3 different arguments that were presented regarding eye-witness testimonies (no eye-witness, discredited eye-witness and a credible eye-witness). The 2 dependent variables which were the outcomes of this study were the guilty or not guilty verdicts and the participants probability (confidence level) at the suspect committing the crime. Material Participants were given a sheet stating the crime scenario with relevant facts about the crime, suspect, circumstances of the arrest and evidence presented to jury in court. Other materials used in this study were pen and paper questionnaire. The questionnaire required a choice between a guilty or non guilty verdict along with a probability of guilt ranking from 0% to 100%. Procedure Each participant received information regarding a crime scenario. Information given, stated how the crime took place and how the suspect was arrested. Participants were also advised by the prosecution side of the evidence that was found in the suspects possession or on suspects hands and shoes. The defence team also presented their side, stating a counter-reason behind the evidence and possessions being claimed by the prosecution side. Participants were also given information regarding eye-witness testimonies. The information regarding eye-witness testimonies were used as an independent variable in the study and were altered into 3 scenarios which affected the accuracy of the testimonies. Group 1 was presented with information that had no eye-witness statements while group 2 was presented with an eye-witness who had witnessed the crime but was not wearing his glasses at the time and was legally declared blind. Group 3 was presented with an eye-witness who claimed to have seen the incident and had no issues regarding his sight. After being presented with all the information, participants were asked to do two separate tasks. Task 1 was a categorical task whereby participant had to select whether they felt the suspect was guilty or not guilty. The second task was to numerically state the probability that the suspect was guilty. This confidence level had a possible value which ranged from 0% probability (absolutely not confident that suspect committed the crime) to 100% probability (absolutely confident the crime was committed by suspect). Results Table 1 shows the decisions made by participants of guilty vs not guilty, while table 2 shows how probable the participants felt the suspect was guilty based on the eye-witness testimonies they were presented. Table 1. Decisions Made by Participants Based on Eye Witness Testimony. Experimental Condition Guilty Not Guilty No witness 15 (33%) 30(67%) Eye-witness 21(45%) 26(55%) Discredited eye-witness 7(15%) 40(85%) Table 2. Probability that Participants Felt Suspect was Guilty Based on Eye-Witness Testimony. Experimental Probability suspect Standard Condition Is Guilty Deviation No witness 45.22 22.36 Eye-witness 50.10 21.93 Discredited eye-witness 36.38 19.24 Discussion Results found that the percentage differences in guilty verdicts across all three groups were statistically significant using a chi-square test of independence which concluded that p = 0.007 existed ( x2 (2, N=139) = 9.94). Also the only probability or confidence level that was shown to be significant using independent sample t-test was only apparent between the difference in the eye-witness group and discredited eye-witness group. It was found that participants had a higher percentage of not guilty votes when presented with either a credible witness or a discredited witness and therefore the first hypothesis has been found to be inconclusive. As stated by Hosch, Beck, and McIntyre (1980), a majority of not guilty verdicts may have been chosen by jurors not because they felt that the defendant was innocent, rather they may have felt the evidence and eye witness testimonies had not proven guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The second hypothesis was also found to be inconclusive in that although we expected having an eye-witness (discredited or credible) would have a higher probability or confidence level than having no eye-witness, our results contradicted this by showing that the no eye-witness group had more guilty verdicts than the discredited eye-witness group. However, in partial support of the second hypothesis, it must be noted that having a credible eye-witness did produce a higher probability of guilt than having no eye-witness. This outcome could be explained by the fact that participants understood the implications of guilty verdicts based on information which do not prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Another point to note is participants have access to internet websites that highlight information regarding suspects who were originally guilty due to evidence such as eye-witness testimonies, but have been exonerated through DNA testing. As supported on their website by Scheck and Neufeld (2008), eye-witness identification is frequently inaccurate and that eye-witness misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions that were overturned through DNA testing. Another study which supports the second hypothesis is summarised by Kennedy and Haygood (1992), who states the discrediting of an eye-witness will undermine any influence the witness had on the decision making process. Limitations of this study included factors such as the study was a theoretical case and hadnt truly represented all factors that would be presented in a real courtroom, this included the limited evidence presented. Another point to note is that because of the theoretical example, participants couldnt incorporate true emotions that jurors felt when presented with in-depth evidence in real court situations such as the violent nature of crimes. Secondly participants with prior exposure to jury exposure may have a different outlook to decision making compared to participants who havent had previous exposure. These limitations could help devise future studies by comparing studies with only non-exposed jury participants against exposed participants. In summary, it has been found that this study was inconclusive to determine if the hypothesis could truly be rejected. Therefore it would be advisable to perform further studies in the future in order to further develop a better understanding on how eye-witness testimonials affect jury decision making process.

Comparing Ron Howards How the Grinch Stole Christmas to Dr. Seuss Gri

Comparing Ron Howard's How the Grinch Stole Christmas to Dr. Seuss' Grinch Whether or not you consider Ron Howard's version of Dr Seuss's classic How The Grinch Stole Christmas comical, yet disgraceful, there's no ignoring the little green monster's reign over the box office. The movie, How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey, was released in November of 2000, reaching a gross high of over $200 million in the U.S alone (The Numbers). However, I feel that this version has over exaggerated the original story, and I will back this up by showing many examples of how Dr. Seuss’s classic turned into a marketing, franchise frenzy. Dr. Seuss's original fable is a simple story told with a great moral that criticizes the commercialization of Christmas. The original story features an â€Å"Ebenezer Scrooge† type creature that lives up the mountains outside "Whoville." The Grinch indulges himself in the annual ritual of spoiling everyone's festivities with a series of nasty pranks. This particular year however he plans to sabotage the holiday season by dressing as Santa Claus, clim...

The Digestive System Essay -- Anatomy Processes Eating Digestion Essay

The Digestive System The digestive system is a group of organs that perform the process by which food, containing nutrients, is eaten and broken down into different components. This breakdown makes it possible for the digested material to pass through the intestinal wall into the blood stream. The digestive process contains many different steps that take place in many different organs.The first step of digestion begins at the mouth, where the food enters the mouth. Saliva is secreted from the salivary glands. The saliva contains enzymes such as Ptyalin, which starts sugar digestion. The enzymes also provide lubrication to help in the chewing and swallowing of the food. The food then goes down the esophagus and into the stomach, where the next step of digestion takes place. In the stomach, a mixture of hydrochloric acid and Pepsin, which is secreted by the stomach wall, liquefies the food. At the same time, a substance called intrinsic factor binds Vitamin B in food and various gastric enzymes, such as Pepsin (which begins protein digestion), which are secreted by the stomach wall. Secretions of mucus protect the stomach from its digestive enzymes. The food is then mixed in the stomach, turning it into chyme(digested food). The muscular pumping motion called peristalsis churns the chyme around.The chyme then passes through the pyloric valve by peristalsis to the first portion of the small intestine, the duodenum. The duodenum is where most of the chemical digestion takes place. Here, bile from the gallbladder and enzymes from the pancreas and intestinal walls combine with the chyme to begin the final part of digestion.Bile liquid is created in the liver, and stored in the gallbladder. Bile aids in the mechanical digestion of fat. The pancreas and gland cells of the small intestine secrete digestive enzymes that chemically break down complex food molecules into simpler ones. These enzymes include trypsin for protein digestion, amylase for carbohydrate digestion, and lipase for fat digestion. When the food passes through the duodenum, the digestion is complete.From the duodenum, the chyme passes to the jejunum and ileum, where tiny finger-like objects called villi, cover the walls. These villi start the absorption of food. During the absorption, food molecules enter the blood stream through the walls of the intestine. From the small intest... ...um often affects the amount or frequency of one’s bowel movements. People should see a doctor if they experience any change in their bowel movements or pain while having a movement. Most patients whose cancer is confined to the intestine have the growth removed by surgery. They may also receive radiation therapy or chemotherapy. These patients have an excellent chance of being cured. Patients whose cancer has spread beyond the intestine usually have surgery, supplemented by radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Works Cited Broitman, Selwyn A. â€Å"Digestive System.† Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1998. â€Å"Digestive System.† A.D.A.M. The Inside Story. Vers. 2.01. Computer Software. A.D.A.M. Software Inc., 1996 Dubois, Andre. â€Å"Constipation.† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1999 Dubois, Andre. â€Å"Diarrhea.† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1999 Dubois, Andre. â€Å"Digestive System.† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1999 Franklin, James L. â€Å"Ulcer.† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1999 Lindsay, Mary. The Visual Dictionary of the Human Body. New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc., 1991. Plaut, Andrew G. â€Å"Appendicitis.† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1999 The Digestive System Essay -- Anatomy Processes Eating Digestion Essay The Digestive System The digestive system is a group of organs that perform the process by which food, containing nutrients, is eaten and broken down into different components. This breakdown makes it possible for the digested material to pass through the intestinal wall into the blood stream. The digestive process contains many different steps that take place in many different organs.The first step of digestion begins at the mouth, where the food enters the mouth. Saliva is secreted from the salivary glands. The saliva contains enzymes such as Ptyalin, which starts sugar digestion. The enzymes also provide lubrication to help in the chewing and swallowing of the food. The food then goes down the esophagus and into the stomach, where the next step of digestion takes place. In the stomach, a mixture of hydrochloric acid and Pepsin, which is secreted by the stomach wall, liquefies the food. At the same time, a substance called intrinsic factor binds Vitamin B in food and various gastric enzymes, such as Pepsin (which begins protein digestion), which are secreted by the stomach wall. Secretions of mucus protect the stomach from its digestive enzymes. The food is then mixed in the stomach, turning it into chyme(digested food). The muscular pumping motion called peristalsis churns the chyme around.The chyme then passes through the pyloric valve by peristalsis to the first portion of the small intestine, the duodenum. The duodenum is where most of the chemical digestion takes place. Here, bile from the gallbladder and enzymes from the pancreas and intestinal walls combine with the chyme to begin the final part of digestion.Bile liquid is created in the liver, and stored in the gallbladder. Bile aids in the mechanical digestion of fat. The pancreas and gland cells of the small intestine secrete digestive enzymes that chemically break down complex food molecules into simpler ones. These enzymes include trypsin for protein digestion, amylase for carbohydrate digestion, and lipase for fat digestion. When the food passes through the duodenum, the digestion is complete.From the duodenum, the chyme passes to the jejunum and ileum, where tiny finger-like objects called villi, cover the walls. These villi start the absorption of food. During the absorption, food molecules enter the blood stream through the walls of the intestine. From the small intest... ...um often affects the amount or frequency of one’s bowel movements. People should see a doctor if they experience any change in their bowel movements or pain while having a movement. Most patients whose cancer is confined to the intestine have the growth removed by surgery. They may also receive radiation therapy or chemotherapy. These patients have an excellent chance of being cured. Patients whose cancer has spread beyond the intestine usually have surgery, supplemented by radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Works Cited Broitman, Selwyn A. â€Å"Digestive System.† Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1998. â€Å"Digestive System.† A.D.A.M. The Inside Story. Vers. 2.01. Computer Software. A.D.A.M. Software Inc., 1996 Dubois, Andre. â€Å"Constipation.† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1999 Dubois, Andre. â€Å"Diarrhea.† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1999 Dubois, Andre. â€Å"Digestive System.† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1999 Franklin, James L. â€Å"Ulcer.† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1999 Lindsay, Mary. The Visual Dictionary of the Human Body. New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc., 1991. Plaut, Andrew G. â€Å"Appendicitis.† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1999

Galileo Galilei :: Biography Biographies

Galileo Galilei Galileo Galilei was born at Pisa on the 18th of February in 1564. His father, Vincenzo Galilei, belonged to a noble family and had gained some distinction as a musician and a mathematician. At an early age, Galileo manifested his ability to learn both mathematical and mechanical types of things, but his parents, wishing to turn him aside from studies which promised no substantial return, steered him toward some sort of medical profession. But this had no effect on Galileo. During his youth he was allowed to follow the path that he wished to. Although in the popular mind Galileo is remembered chiefly as an astronomer, however, the science of mechanics and dynamics pretty much owe their existence to his findings. Before he was twenty, observation of the oscillations of a swinging lamp in the cathedral of Pisa led him to the discovery of the isochronism of the pendulum, which theory he utilized fifty years later in the construction of an astronomical clock. In 1588, an essay on the center of gravity in solids obtained for him the title of the Archimedes of his time, and secured him a teaching spot in the University of Pisa. During the years immediately following, taking advantage of the celebrated leaning tower, he laid the foundation experimentally of the theory of falling bodies and demonstrated the falsity of the peripatetic maxim, which is that an objects rate of descent is proportional to its weight. When he challenged this it made all of the followers of Aristotle extremely angry, they would not except the fact that t heir leader could have been wrong. Galileo, in result of this and other troubles, found it prudent to quit Pisa and move to Florence, the original home of his family. In Florence he was nominated by the Venetian Senate in 1592 to the chair of mathematics in the University of Padua, which he occupied for eighteen years, with ever-increasing fame. After that he was appointed philosopher and mathematician to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. During the whole of this period, and to the close of his life, his investigation of Nature, in all her fields, was never stopped. Following up his experiments at Pisa with others upon inclined planes, Galileo established the laws of falling bodies as they are still formulated. He likewise demonstrated the laws of projectiles, and largely anticipated the laws of motion as finally established by Newton.

Food Production

This essay will explain about farming today, and how it affects our environment, also ways in which we can help to protect our environment, our health and animal welfare. Farming is the production of food and other materials by raising plants and animals. Many people buy their food in supermarkets close to their homes, but the food is imported from many different countries, and many products are farmed in a number of different ways. The way food is farmed affects the environment. It also affects people's health and the treatment of animals. Some farming methods are more harmful than others. Over 11,000 years ago, people got all their food by gathering wild plants, hunting and also from fishing. They travelled around constantly in search for food. But then people learned how to grow plants from seeds. They learned how to raise animals, and then began to settle in one place. Now they could wait for their plants and crops to grow, and begin to harvest them when they were ripe. Then about 250 years ago farmers in much wealthier countries started using machines. Machinery did most of the work for people, so people could make food for many more people and sell it to their community. Scientists then developed chemicals to produce more food, and developed new plants and different breeds of animals. Many more farmers now use more chemicals such as fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides to grow more crops. Fertilisers make the soil more fertile. Pesticides kill insects that harm crops and herbicides kill weeds among the crops. Today in wealthy countries such as Britain and the USA people live in cities rely on fewer farmers in the countryside to grow their food. But many people are worried about how their food is produced, chemicals are sprayed onto the crops and they can stay on the food. They can also run into rivers and the water underground. New kinds of plants and new breads of animals may upset the natural environment. Valuable soil is also being lost or damaged. There is a lot of reduction in land and one of the causes for this is farming Farming methods, including overgrazing, incorrect farming methods and the overstocking of land, remove essential nutrients from the soil. This results in the denudation of the land. As no vegetation is available to retain the soil, it is washed away. Soil erosion further lessens the amount of land available for natural plants and animals. As the number of people grows daily, more food is needed and more land is being utilised for farming, decreasing the amount of land used by animals and plants, especially in the case of rainforests in tropical countries. As the rainforest are destroyed to make way for more farming land. Nature, insect and vegetation. In other countries hedge rows and trees are lost also killing that which resides there. Modern farming results include: 1) The hybridisation of plant species 2) improvements from animal breeding 3) the use of fertilisers and insecticides There are two types of insecticide found: 1) Organic: from plants and animals, e.g. manure and compost 2) inorganic: from non-living materials, e.g. rocks, minerals (these can disrupt ecosystems) When inorganic fertilisers are dissolved in rainwater, they run off into water sources. This is called Eutrophication. Eutrophication is the over growth of algae in water ecosystems where nutrients are usually limiting. Many fresh water systems are ‘oligotrophic', meaning that the growth of primary producers (algae) is limited not by dissolved gas or light, but by nutrients such as nitrates and minerals. The organisms in these environments have evolved to be optimally suited to these conditions, and everything works fairly well. But when someone builds something next to a lake (e.g. golf course), and the fertilizer being used on the grass runs off into the lake, the algae grows too fast for the rest of the ecosystem to keep up, and overgrows the lake, killing everything in it. That's one example, there are many other the solutions generally involve not washing lots of nutrients into lakes and streams (or the ocean, which, although generally full of nutrients, can also be locally overwhelmed with runoff, especially in coral reef environments). Farmers use pesticides and insecticides to kill organisms that damage their crops. The following methods are used: 1) Chemical: a poison is introduced, e.g. herbicides and DDT 2) biological: a natural predator is introduced, e.g. snakes to kill rats 3) mechanical: people and machines are used, e.g. rat traps Side effects of these methods can include: 1) The death of animals that are not pests 2) DDT entering and moving up the food chain DDT is an effective but dangerous pesticide. Below is a diagram to show how DDT is moved up the food chain. Farming produces much pollution, mainly water pollution through chemicals, and air pollution through machinery used in the farming process, the consequences of fumes being given off lead to, the green house effect which leads to global warming. Detrimental effects on human health and vegetation. This also causes acid rain. Water pollution was mentioned earlier. And how the chemicals being used travel through the lakes and rivers. This disrupts our ecosystems. So now you basically know what effects food production has on our environment, so how can we prevent this from happening? Well for a start we could all begin to eat more organic foods. Organic agriculture bars the use of synthetic pesticides and artificial fertilizers, and instead relies on ecological interactions to raise yields, reduce pests and build soil fertility. Diverse planting patterns, frequent rotations and attraction of beneficial insects, for instance, would all be organic means of pest control. Organic meat and dairy farming is the raising of animals without hormones, antibiotics or other artificial chemicals; it also includes using organic feed and allowing animals sufficient range of movement and sunlight. Genetic engineering of plants and animals is not considered organic. Organic farming is definitely a way forward. Lets hope in the future more people see it this way.

Birth Control Psychological Research Essay

The article written by Edward Pohlman in October of 1966 brought up interesting points in relation to psychologist and nascence control. It pictured twain single-handed changeables and mutualist variables that cooperateed to show wherefore individuals reconcile on contraceptive method, or decide non to use them. He pushed to show why psychologist rendernt done oftentimes interrogation in the ara of stomach control and their cogitate topics, by suggesting that non-psychologist are the researchers that boast interest in analyze the topic because of potential overpopulation problems. I recollect the decisiveness to treat in reliant and restricted variables about psychological effects of victimisation put up control is relevant to exclusively people that lot part in intercourse and having children because these decisions are critical choices in life that decide whether future children go out be able to thrive on our orbiter, and live without psychological damag es from paternal neglect.Some variables include, further are not limited to the number of children wanted, contraceptions, and thrifty personality. (Pohlman, Eugenics Quarterly.). Some psychological factors that were pointed out to be some major independent variables were rack up family size, mothers age at first birth, duration of marriage, spacing in the midst of births, sex of the children, inability to have children, acceptance and celibacy. (Polhman, Eugenics.). Psychologist do not visualize fall upon roles in whether or not countries field of battle in extensive use of birth control supply, or to control their population, quite a private companies are relied upon to handle expert assistance and procedures. (Journal of Social Issues.). This is the problem that needs to be addressed and accounted for however, the designer doesnt provide evidence or preeminence of where, who, what, and how the study is taking place. He continues with, psychologists play an importa nt role in contraception because they have the intelligence and know-how (Pohlman, Edwards.). to intervene with a patients and help the people decide if birth control is something that is an option or not. one time again the generator is providing a statement rather than actual facts to lead on his arguments, but the argument is just. Some studies that psychologist participated in were promoting the stem of contraception to both lower families and that of larger families. The idea was to provide the idea that contraception wasnt necessarily a problem and that they had to deal with, rather to a greater extent of an option. The problem with this particular independent variable is that relationships with one culture could be all different with relationships with other cultures. Population densities take psychological effects, so studies institute that since the reality population was a major upkeep then they would target high be areas to conduct their research.These studies are important because of the food for thought supply that would rapidly decline as the population increased. (Pohlman, Journal of Social Issues.). The author could have researched a graph and include it in his argument for a more than frontal approach to help the course session see the truth in which he is attempting to provide. Psychologists found that the same psychological effects squirt be played in reverse when giving birth to a child. In a large chance sample of American wifes in 1960, 17% were willing to subscribe to that their latest conception had not sincerely been wanted by both spouses. (Whelpton,Cambell, &Patterson, 1966, Pp.235-239.). As a parent, you have responsibility to your child, but having a psychologist discuss the precautions involved both positive and negatives, can make you foreland ones desirability and how you feel about having some other child or not. According to Edward Pohlman its more profitable for a psychologist to study the effects on psyc hological dependent variables such as, contraception and birth planning procedures, births of circumstances in the family, and population characteristics.This is why psychologist wait to conduct their research as opposed to taking the study from the start. Studies have shown that that any psychological factors that could influence anyone in a given culture towards having children, or having more children would not show up for the testing. (The Psychology of turn out Planning.). Psychologist also found that social class or change surface ghostly preferences tend to play a key role in decision making time that can be psychological in its self. Every take of contraception has psychological effects on the person using them sexually. (Edward Pohlman.). The article didnt provide any data on psychological effects sexually, but it can be justified through the research of sterilization, abortion, infanticide, and abstinence. (Whelpton, P. K., Campbell, A. A., & Patterson.).in Edwards res earch he didnt provide examples. Another form of dependent variable that was acknowledged was the effects of guilt. offense has been found to be one of the biggest issues when regarding to religious beliefs, rationalization and other phenomena related instances. (The Psycology of Birth Planning). Once again Edward Pohlman doesnt provide proof to justify his statements which is disappointing. In conclusion, the author leaves the reader questioning his argument because of the overlook of data that he is able to crush out from psychological studies. In my opinion, his sources are sound sources however, to complete his argument that psychologist havent done enough research in the area of birth control and related topics, he needs to dig deeper and find sources that can find a give way to link the psychological factors on birth control and psychologists studies.This will help him complete his argument that without contraception our planet will be doomed do to over population. I also depend he needs to find more information on the experiment only when in its self. The studies took place in small and large populated areas, ok? As the reader, I want detail as to how the study was conducted? How many participants were involved? He gives examples of problems that could potentially be a injustice for psychologist. Edward Pohlman was correct that not enough studies are being conducted by psychologist. His argument is sound and on point.