Research Paper Is Hip Hop Culture Detrimental to the Youth

Research Paper: Is Hip Hop Culture Detrimental to the Youth? Hip hop is one of the urban culture branches comprised of hip hop music, break dancing and graffiti art, which has greatly influenced street slang, fashion and other elements. Many people claim it has a negative impact on the younger generation, as it instils improper moral values. But is it actually as harmful as it seems at the first sight? On the one hand, there is a grain of truth in the allegations that hip hop music focuses on shallow life aspects. Many hip hop songs promote violence, crime, sex and drugs and are full of curse words. What is more, there is a category of rap performers that praise to the skies the expensive possessions, such as cars, clothes and jewellery. In other words, they set the pursuit of materialistic values on a pedestal, which certainly is not an appropriate ideal for the young minds. On the other hand, hip hop culture has helped many young people to avoid taking up the wrong path in their lives. It has shown the youngsters in poor areas that they can develop their talent in music, dancing or painting instead of joining one of their local criminal gangs. For them hip hop is like a guiding star and the lyrics are just a form of giving vent to their feelings of anger or frustration. Moreover, hip hop culture implicitly promotes the healthy lifestyle. Obviously, you cannot rap or dance well when you are a heavy smoker or addicted to drugs.

Archetypes in Siddhartha - 889 Words

In analyzing the novel Siddhartha, we find that Herman Hesse has incorporated many literary techniques to relay his message to the reader. By using various writing approaches to convey the theme of the novel, Hesse appeals to the readers senses and aides them in grasping the novel. Included in these techniques are symbolism, metaphor, allusion, and archetypes. He compares many issues that Siddhartha faces to everyday objects and forces, making the novel easier to understand. Three of the main archetypes Hesse uses to get his point across are trees, rivers, and sleep. One of the more obvious symbols used in the novel is a tree. Cross-culturally, it is extremely common for trees to represent wisdom. In Hebrew literature, when†¦show more content†¦In several instances is the novel, Siddhartha falls asleep (the reader should also note that this usually occurs under a tree) and wakes up anewed with a new outlook on life. Then he had fallen asleep, and on awakening he looked at the world like a new man.... Never had a sleep so refreshed him, so renewed him, so rejuvenated him! (76) Just as in the traditional English story A Christmas Carol, where Scrooge goes to bed and wakes up a new man after a series of nightmares, many authors have used the metaphor of sleep to show emotional growth in their characters. Another case in point is Kate Chopins book on a womans self-discovery appropriately titled The Awakening. Just like these authors, Hesse proves to be no stranger to this choice of symbolism. He illustrates quite effectively and allows the reader to notice and reflect on Siddharthas personal development on more than one level. It is easy to see that many cross-cultural themes were brought into Siddhartha. Through writing on more than one level, Hesse has created a literary masterpiece that is extremely deep and meaningful. The application of the symbols he chose makes some of the themes in the novel easier to see and decipher. Using the archetypes that he did makes the novel one that many civilizations will read and understand for generations to come. Works Cited Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1951.Show MoreRelatedEssay on Archetypes In Siddhartha860 Words   |  4 Pagesthe novel Siddhartha, we find that Herman Hesse has incorporated many literary techniques to relay his message to the reader. By using various writing approaches to convey the theme of the novel, Hesse appeals to the readers senses and aides them in grasping the novel. Included in these techniques are symbolism, metaphor, allusion, and archetypes. He compares many issues that Siddhartha faces to everyday objects and forces, making the novel easier to understand. Three of the main archetypes Hesse usesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Millionaire Miser 1311 Words   |  6 Pagesgenerous and they celebrated by making sweet rice dumplings for the entire town. Buddhism In the 6th to 4th century BCE in Nepal a prince by the name of Siddhartha Gautama was born. However soon after he was kept in a palace forbidden to leave by his father. This was because of a prophecy which stated that the family would lose their fortune if Siddhartha were to leave. Despite this he was still able to live a good life within palace walls with good food and entertainment. However he believed that thereRead MoreEssay Meaning of the River in Siddhartha1199 Words   |  5 Pages Meaning of the River in Siddhartha nbsp; Siddhartha, in Herman Hesses novel, Siddhartha, is a young, beautiful, and intelligent Brahmin, a member of the highest and most spiritual castes of the Hindu religion, and has studied the teachings and rituals of his religion with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Inevitably, with his tremendous yearning for the truth and desire to discover the Atman within himself he leaves his birthplace to join the Samanas. With the Samanas he seeks toRead MoreCharacters And Characterization Of Siddhartha2001 Words   |  9 PagesCharacter Descriptions: Vasudeva: Vasudeva is the ferryman. He once took Siddhartha across the river with Siddhartha was still a samana. He teaches Siddhartha how to listen to the river s voice. He is a great and helpful man as he allows Siddhartha to live with him and eventually Siddhartha takes over being the Ferryman of the river. Govinda: Govinda is the friend of Siddhartha, he loved everything about Siddhartha from his eyes and clear voice to the way he walked and what he said. But mostRead MoreBuddhism And Its Impact On Buddhism1381 Words   |  6 PagesOn one hand, Buddhism was founded in northeastern India from the teachings and doctrines taught in the VI and V centuries BC by Siddhartha Gautama, better known as Buddha or the Enlightened One. Although originally emerged as a monastic movement within the dominant Brahmin tradition at that time, Buddhism developed quickly in another direction and acquired characteristics. Buddha not only rejected some important aspects of the philosophy of Hinduism, but also challenged the authority of their leaders

Culture Of Intimidation And Failure Of Law â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Questions: What Are The Impacts Of Sex Scandals To Ubers Culture? What Are The Mitigation Of The Sex Scandals In The Organization? What Are The Causes Of Such Scandals In The Organization? How The Scandals Affect The Employee Relations In The Organization? Answers: Introducation Whenever scandals such as sexual harassments fill business companies, many of them lose track of their cultures. This results in increased likelihood of failing to achieve the set goals of such organization. Leaders of such organization are filled with fear which impacts negatively to the profound extent in the way they implement outlined programs that are major determinants of realizing success(Adkins, 2006). Sexual harassment scandals have immensely affected people in various ways from different cultures. The scandal has resulted in a shift in the way Uber delivers its services. Due to the act in the organization, research reveals that the organization started to provide its services in a pattern of arrogance neglecting the ethical standards governing the organization. It is due to this that has made the company remain stunted in development. Other companies have also shifted in their cultures due to the dominance of sex scandals in them. Corporations neglect their ways of delivering their services objectively immediately the scam bedevils the organization. Ethics of such organizations and legal standards are things of the past, and therefore the organization fails to meet its objectives(Stephen, 2000). The management in such scenarios has little to correct since as per publications made, they are the primary carriers of the scam. In the operation of many companies, such as Uber, success can only be realized if the corporate image of the organization is right in the minds of the public. Clients will only be attracted to the organizations if the reputation right. An excellent reputation is built according to the way the organization delivers services to the customers as well as good management that ensures free from scandals in the organization. A good reputation is, therefore, an added advantage for the success of the team. Whenever a scandal is in the organization, sincerity in approaching to the issue is the only way to go in killing such scenarios. The project, therefore, targets in giving the analysis of sexual scandals impacts on the cultures of the organizations citing the case being on the culture of Uber.In addition, various literature has been employed in order to ensure th at the information reached at is the most suiting to the conclusions yet to be drawn(Gerhard, 2001). Problem Statement The issue of sexual harassment has existed in many companies for a long period of time. In Uber Company, the organization had constantly ignored reports presented by one of the employees in the organization Susan Fowler. She gave allegations that the Human resource manager had severally neglected her complains on the way she was harassed sexually at the time she was working for the company. Furthermore, the organization had fired over 20 employees due to the case related to sexual harassment. The number is believed to be too low in comparison to many cases of sexual harassment handled by the organization. Studies reveal that a total of 215 cases had been conducted. It is therefore concluded that the company did not pay reasonable attention to these scandals. It therefore resulted to evolution that made many customers to shun the organization(Maya, 2017). The organization therefore has made minimum profits. Many of the employees also could not concentrate especially those who were affected directly by sex scandals hence failure to deliver affecting the organization negatively hence set goals could not be realized. Some of the employees decided to quit looking for descent jobs governed by ethics and codes of conduct of employees. Organizations in such cases tend to divert their attention to getting solutions to such scandals, and therefore the culture of the organization is less valued. Leaders with crucial abilities lose concentration of performance because of fear especially when they are the ones involved in such scandals. The problem over the decades has existed for so long in many corporate worlds. In the Uber, women have been talking about frustrations over an extended period, and therefore there is need to research as to know how the culture of the organization is affected in turn(Peter, 2005). The goals of the project are to explore the impacts of sexual harassment scandals on the culture of Uber as an organization. It will also focus on the cause of these sexual scandals as well as mitigation of the scandals. To be specific, the research aim in answering the following questions: The above fundamental questions will help to address the concerns raised by many (Harold, 2003) They will also help the upcoming firms to be vigilant of this problem laying out strategies targeting to avoid the problem as early as possible before the organization is burned to ashes. Keeping in mind the above concerns in the contemporary world will help organizations to survive despite the extent at which the scandal could have affected its operation. The leaders since are the most victims in the organization, and the women will always be on the watch(Project Management Institute, 2004). Justification Of The Project Sex scandals have been on many occasions the cause of collapsing of many business organizations. For every business to succeed, respect to its culture is so paramount. Companies tend to suffer since the appropriate approach to this problem is not followed to the latter. It is because they do not know the extent at which the problem impact on the culture of the organization. Carrying out this research project will enable more light to be shade pertaining this issue hence many organizations in this and the next generations will be saved. The response given will help to identify ways to be put in place in order to help the organization to cover up such messes whenever they are encountered(Jones Reginald., 2010). The research is also crucial in helping the leaders and the entire employees of the organizations to embrace teamwork, togetherness and being concerned whenever one of them has got an issue. Such good relations will help in destroying harmful behaviors such as sexual scandals that are major setbacks of a culture embracing by the organization. Such spirits will ensure that every organization is exercising this succeeds. The proposal is therefore important since the following benefits will be outlaid: It will help those who need to know in the contemporary society as to the impact of sexual harassment scandals in the cultures of organizations. ? This research project will assist in sharpening the minds of young entrepreneurs to be aware of the damage that can be caused by sexual scandals in their organization and therefore making them to be always keen in ensuring that the problem is dealt with as early as possible.? Leaders of the organizations will employ the strategies laid down in the project in dealing with the current sexual scandals in the organization that otherwise would define the cultures of the organization. Applying the knowledge laid down in the project will help managers always to stay on the course of ensuring that the business succeeds. The knowledge gained from the research will be able to be utilized by many entrepreneurs, researchers and policymakers in improving the corporate world. ? The study will ensure that small business starters can understand the causes, effects, and impacts of sexual scandals in the culture of the organizations. They will, therefore, have a sharper focus when setting up their businesses ensuring such problem is a thing of the past.? expected research output/outcome The results of this study will provide an analytical framework for investigating the impact of sexual scandals in the cultures of various organizations. The outcomes will always help in ensuring that every organization will remain focused on achieving their set goals despite the challenges they encounter not even sexual scandals. The success of every business depends on the culture adherence; the project is meant to confirm the truth after giving out the outcomes of the research hence a crucial tool to be employed by many organizations. In the case, a business has got such challenge, togetherness of employees supporting each other is the way to go in eradicating the problem. The mentioned instances will have a profound impact on the outcome to be realized at the end of the project(Levin, 2017). The approaches employed for instance the research questions used as identified in the study will be responded to basing on the methods used to collect data, results analysis that will be conducted for the same project. These results will be employed in various academic research platforms to provide students of research with more relevant knowledge helping them in carrying out research. Those who plan to establish businesses in future will be able to employ the knowledge gathered in the research to ensure that sex scandals are dealt with appropriately in case they arise in their organization providing that they little or no impact on the set culture of the organization. Their businesses, therefore, are more likely to succeed(Lee, 2000). Conceptual Framework Various publications have been made on sexual harassment scandals in the organization or workplace. Such papers will help us be able to employ such knowledge in relating to the topic under study and making such improvements on them. Studies show that firms progressively lack direction on their course whenever matters of sex, love, and relationships come at their place of work. Individual achieve excellence whenever they do their activities to their best of their merits, but sex is a major distractor of this according to the studies made. People involved tent to forget the operation of the organization and therefore ignoring the cultures of the organization. Sexual harassment in the organization results to downplaying the ubiquity of consensual sex in the place of work. A recent study conducted by the law firm of Carlton Field Jorden pertaining sexual harassment scandals gave an approach of discouraging the ladies not to speak up whenever they are got up in a mess(Richman, Judith, Ken neth, Kathleen, Rospenda., 2006). The rights of the workers according to the studies is as well undermined which interferes with the way they deliver services to the organization. Employees in these scenarios they are forced to believe that they are legally bound not to complain whenever instances such as those happen in the organization. They are therefore not at peace and therefore cannot deliver as expected of them hence such organizations fail to realize the set goals(Hansen, Ase, Hogh, 2006). Studies show that many employees are being continually harassed sexually due to the fact they do not want to expose them. Exposing them according to them tarnishes the image of the organization, and therefore those affected continue to suffer. In this regard, putting the problem to an end is very difficult(Anderson Katherine., 2013). Methodology The research aims to employ the following research methods in order to realize its objectives: Literature Review whereby in-depth analysis of various literature from different sources will be analyzed. The research employed in this case relate to the topic under study. The Knowledge acquired will provide a framework guide will handling the study(Strossen Nadine., 2014). Information from surveys carried out to be scrutinized providing more information on the cause of sexual scandals, its effect on the culture of the organization and the outcomes of such scandals on the performance of the organization(Lewis:Jacquline Diane, 2002). Questions will be provided to various business operators to ensure that they provide relevant information that will be of profound help in ensuring that the project is successful. Analyzing data immediately respondents finished filling in the questionnaires to ease the process, It was done through suggesting questions to be included in the surveys so that relevant data is collected, suggesting what to focus on, the specific information one was looking into making the research a success by ensuring that the questions utilized remained on course. The questionnaires were analyzed through the following approaches: Checking the explanations given out analyzing them appropriately. Looking for various contradictions realized and then evading them out Getting uniform responses from the respondents in order to compare the responses given, meaningful conclusions can be then be made. Weighing the evidence presented so that conclusions can be made accordingly. Checking out for the outliners directions(Rokonuzzanman, Radman, Mizanur., 2011). The study will employ the methodologies mentioned above to ensure that the primary aim of the research gets achieved. The findings will later be analyzed, and meaningful conclusions will be reached at(Tehrani, 2004). Organization Of The Study The study will be organized in various chapters to ensure that the aim at the end is realized as follows: Chapter one will deal with the proposal of the research as the assignment outlines comprehensively. The project, in this case, is a preparation process that initiates the research itself. Chapter Two will describe the research outlining the impacts caused by sexual scandals in Uber's culture. Mitigations to reasons of this problem will also be outlaid in this section Chapter Three will deal with the research approaches employed or the methodologies of the research project. Data analysis methods will also be well covered in this section. Chapter Four deals with the research findings and also the analysis of the same findings done comprehensively. Chapter Five will give a summary of the significant conclusions and also out layout the discussion on the extent at which sexual scandals impacted the cultures of Uber(Williams Hellen., 2012). Search Schedule The following table represents a Gantt chart showing the timeline for the entire project under study and its completion requirements. Task Name Start Day End Day Duration (Days) Project Proposal 24/09/2017 9/10/2017 15 Literature Review 10/10/2017 22/10/2017 12 Data Collection 23/10/2017 7/11/2017 15 Data Analysis 8/11/2017 4/12/2017 27 Report Submission 5/12/2017 21/12/2017 16 Milestones and Deliverables Time in Months 9/2017/ 10/2017/ 11/2017/ 12/2017 Project Proposal 9/24 15 Literature Review 10/10 12 Data Collection 11/7 15 Data Analysis 11/8 27 Report Submission 12/5 16 Oject Budget And Justification Of The Project The estimated budget for the research project is about $5000 in order to complete the study within the given time frame adequately in order to realize the success of the project. The budget has been broken down into the following subsections: Conducting literature reviews need intensive research, buying of books, online journals of which they are to some extent costly. This exercise will, therefore, cost about $1500. Collection of data particularly employing the concept of simple surveys, questions administering, printing of the questionnaires, carrying them to the field as well as collected them back for analysis is an expensive approach. The process, therefore, needs about $2500. ? In addition, the budget has to be allocated for expenses such as access to the charts, figures for the analysis. Tables too need money for them to be made. The entire exercise regarding this will consume about 1000(Christine Platti, 2009). To give a budgetary summary for the task, the table below gives a simple summary as shown: ? Purpose Estimated Amount to be Spent Review Related Literatures $1500 Collection of Data $2500 Analysis of Data $1000 Total of the budget $5000 References Adkins, L. ( 2006). Gender Work:Sexuality Family ,and the labor market review. Bristol: Open University Press. Anderson, Katherine. (2013). Employer Liability under title for sexual harassment after meritor savings bank. Colombia Law Review journal, 87(6), 1258-1279. Christine, W., Platti, G. (2009). Sexyuality at the workplace :Organizatiobnal control ,sexual harassment and the pursuit of pleasure. New York: Annual Reviews. Gerhard, J. (2001). Desiring revolution :second wave feminism and the wreting of American sexual thougght . New York: Colombia Universiyu press. Hansen, Ase, M., Hogh, A. (2006). Bullying at work ,health outcomes,phychological stress response . Journal of Phychosomatic research, 63-72. Harold, K. (2003). Project Management :A system approach to planning scheduling and controlling . London: Wiley and Sons. Jones, Reginald. (2010). Issues :Looking beyond categories ,policy practice in the Health and social Care. New york: Dunedin Academic. Lee, D. (2000). Hegemonice masculinity and male feminisation :the sexual harassment of men at workplace. Journal of Gender studies, 9(2), 141-155. Levin, S. (2017). Uber's sexual harassmnet case shines light on startups culture of defiance . New York: San Francisco. Lewis:Jacquline, Diane, C. (2002). Addressing issues of workplace harassmnet :Counselling the target . Journal of employment counselling., 109-116. Maya, K. (2017, June 6). Mass Firings at Uber sexual harassment scandal Grows. Washington: James Warren. Paul, D. (2005). The right projects done right. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Peter, S. (2005). Integrating Agile Development in the Real world. ebrary: Wiley and Sons. Piece, Aguinis. (2014). Bridging the gap between romantic relationships and sexual harassment in organizations. New YORK: Havard. Project Management Institute. (2004). A guide project of management body of knowlege guide. Pennsyvania: project mgnt insitute. Richman, Judith, Kenneth, Kathleen, Rospenda. (2006). Lingering effects of workplace. Elsevier Review journal, 767-776. Rokonuzzanman, Radman, Mizanur. (2011). Workplace Harassment and productivity:a comprehensive role of strategic leadreship. Journals of general education, 41-49. Stephen, S. .. (2000). Unwanted sex :the culture of intimidation and the failure of law . Harvard : Havard University press. Strossen, Nadine. (2014). Regulating workplace sexual harrasment and upholding first amendment . Villanova Review Journal, 757-785. Tehrani, N. (2004). Bullying:A souece of chronic post traumatic stress. British journal of guidance and counselling, special issue, 32(3), 357-366. Williams, Hellen. (2012). Mntaining a harrasment free work place. Austra: Australian Public srvice commision .

Judging The Veracity Of CSA Memories 1. Essays -

Judging the Veracity of CSA Memories 1. In October of 1996 a group of Psychologist at Stanford University began conducting a study funded by an award from the Institute on Women and Gender located also at Stanford University. This study centered on examining factors associated with therapist's judgements and treatment decisions regarding patients with memories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and how these personal judgements affected treatment strategies. The researchers implemented a detailed questionnaire and surveyed five hundred four male and five hundred four female therapists and then compiled the results obtaining some very contradictory results when compared with previously held beliefs. The study identified three primary goals: to examine the relationship between characteristics of sexual abuse memories and the therapists' ability to judge the credibility of the allegations, to review the link between the therapists' determination of truthfulness of the sexual abuse memory and the treatment decisions made, and to examine the effect of the therapists' beliefs on clinical judgement and treatment decisions. The researchers noted that there is a growing body of empirical evidence that shows a large number of adults reporting sexual abuse also report forgetting some or all of their abuse. Problems have been feared though if a therapist does not believe their client and navigates a course of treatment that will not benefit the patient's actual needs. They also mention a growing fear among therapists of being accused in criminal court of planting false memories of CSA. The fourth goal of this study, not outlined by the researchers, was interpreted as finding and establishi ng a strong guideline to assist therapist when reviewing patients reporting memories of CSA or presenting symptoms relating to those memories. Judging the Veracity of CSA Memories 2. The research group implemented a detailed and original National Psychologist Survey that included a varying case vignette and a questionnaire. The case vignette consisted of two paragraphs with the first paragraph describing a 32-year-old male or female patient with seven psychological symptoms that have been associated with CSA including specific instances of acting out for men and women. The second paragraph then contained specific information of five different characteristics of abuse. These varied in a ratio to conceive 48 different vignettes and each participant was randomly given one of the 48 vignettes. Also included were four separate sections to the questionnaire, the Abuse Credibility Rating, Abuse-Focused Treatment Scale (AFTS), Prevalence of Sexual Abuse Scale (PSABS), and demographics. The research group utilized five focus groups and one panel of experts to develop the questionnaire and vignettes. The participants were 1008 randomly chosen members of the APA. Sixty eight percent of the participants responded with one percent refusing to participate. Five percent of the questionnaires had too much missing data to be useful. This created a pool of 64% of 984 usable questionnaires. The participants represented an ethnic breakdown that was consistent with the APA as a whole with the majority being doctoral level therapist. Twelve percent of the respondents reported a history of sexual abuse with two percent refusing to answer the question and three percent not being sure These efforts revealed some expected and some surprising results concerning how therapist interpret the type of recollection a patient presents. The article cited a study by Ofshe and Watters (1994) which stated that therapists rely on vague memories as evidence of sexual abuse. Whereas the results of this study showed therapists tend to Judging the Veracity of CSA Memories 3. hold vivid memories as proof of CSA. The study also showed therapists tend to disbelieve the truthfulness of previously forgotten memories as portraying actual events. However, there is a large volume of studies present, employing varying methodologies, which show a portion of CSA survivors experience periods of forgetting all or part of their ordeal such as those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Despite strong evidence proving a CSA survivor may well forget portions of their trauma, this study showed therapists tend to believe vivid and complete memories as opposed to vague, partial, or previously forgotten memories. Therapists also take into account the age of the patient at the time they experienced the abuse. They are prone to believe the patients who remember the abuse occurring after age 4. The therapists were not affected by the

8th Grade L to J Flashcard

8th Grade L to J

Three Ravens Essays

Three Ravens Essays Three Ravens Paper Three Ravens Paper Compare the Twa Corbies and the Three Ravens considering language, content and techique The ballads of the Twa Corbies and the Three Ravens arte versions of what once may have been the same poem, but time and geographical movement may have been the main contributions to the change of language, style and even content. The titles are perhaps the first significant contrast; the Scottish implying older, more primitive undertones whilst the English is presumably more modern with a certain sophistication within the use of language. Despite having this primarily differing feature, they are both about three birds -the mythological number having different implications. The darker, Twa Corbies maybe relating it to more mystical, black magical concepts whilst the Three Ravens concentrates on the Christian values of loyalty and hope -reflected within the symbolic reference of Ravens being representative of good luck. This heavily contrasts with the birds of prey that crows or corbies are. The opening line also suggests the juxtaposing themes, the English version ending with the word tree whilst the Scottish ending with alane (alone). The contrast between natures bounty and loneliness, desolation and desertion is already apparent. ` The twa corbies looks towards the prospects of death, and what they may gain by scavenging through the remains of a body. A man killed in his prime; bonny blue een and gowden hair the features of a recently killed, young man almost described like part of the treasures that they may take. The crows spy from the trees, gossiping and plotting their next moves. There even seem to be undertones reminiscent of William Shakespeares Macbeth, as the birds hear the character of Macbeth remind himself that it was he that murdered Duncan. The mythical undertones would also contribute to that of Macbeth. The poem is slightly dismissive of the theme if death which would generally dominate such a ballad; ironically the dark perceptions and interpretations of death contribute to the removal of the negative theme and reinforce the positive through what can be gained from the death. It closely follows throughout the poem that death is not the end, other than for that which has ceased. The English appears less primitive than the twa corbies, with a positive theme which clearly contrasts the corbies, focusing on the Christian virtues and loyalties and completely juxtaposing the other with opposing outlook on life and of death. The pathos of the knights loved ones within the ravens is contrasted by the knights Lady within the Twa Corbies finding a new lover, and the hounds do not lie at the feet of their deceased owner, so well they can with their master keep. The fallow doe refers to a type of dear, whom despite being pregnant, buries the body risking her own life and resulting in being dead herself. The aspects of these lines may not in fact be literal. The dear may be a reference to the personality to the lover, and the death may be the tragedy of the event and the emotional pain and grief which she must bear. The ending notes highlight the importance of loyalty, whilst one considers that life is futile and the world will not cease to continue, the other is not dismissive of the knights life, but how lucky he was, sentimentalising the theme. The imagery of the Twa Corbies seems to have a gross detachment, even refering to the corpse of the knight to an auld fail dike meaning no more than a turfed mound whilst the Three Ravens notes the body down in yonder greene field. And whilst the crows talk about picking out the eyes of the corpse for treasure, the fallow doe kissed the wounds that were so red. The compassionate words disntinctly contrast the Twa Corbies in gentler action. The repetition of His three times within the third stanza of the Twa Corbies attributes to the sense of the poem being comparable to a chant, or spell; with the mystical undertones of Macbeth. The rhyming couplets are similar to the Three Ravens although the actual rhyme is very concise compared to the half rhymes of the english version, leaving one usure of whether this is due to the softening of the tone or a confused version of the original. One may consider that some words may be pronounced differently to the time in which they were written, however, such rhymes as mate and take clearly did not. The punctuation of the Twa Corbies is regular, the shorter sentences almost making it more matter-of-fact, quickly moving without the consideration of what has been. One should perhaps also take note of the question mark within the first verse adds to the air of mystery throughout -we do not know the circumstances in which the knight has died. The use of animals within the poem is suggestive of the nature, the twa corbies referring to hounds in the sense of hunting and the ravens referring to the birds of prey that are hawks even being protective of the body. For the ravens, the death of a noble man is clearly enough for nature to reverse its ways. Both appear to be written to be accessible with varying attributes to this appeal. The nihilistic attitude of the dark humour within the twa ironically makes it more light-hearted. This unusual manner of observing and even appreciating death involves looking to what can instead be found and recycled. As opposed to grieving what has been lost, it clearly looks to what can be gained. The amoral attitude neutralises the theme and makes the primarily tragic theme into the dismissal of trivial events. A man may have died, but the world continues to move, and The wind sall blaw for evermair. The English leans towards the more obvious approach of how one may be positive throughout a tragic event. The three ravens follows the route of loyalty, sincerity and the Christian values intrinsically virtuous action. The daintily appearing manuscript is gentler and more civilised version of the brutality within the Scottish version. The techniques contribute to the type of audience that it would appeal to. The English would probably be aimed at the aristocratic audience, with the possible intervention of the English folk singing of with a derry down between the lines. It also conveys a sense of naturalness and one should not the high proportion of monosyllabic and easily accessible words. This may have contributed to the accessibility to children; tales of morality and virtuous teachings may have been projected through ballads and poems such as this. The language of the Scottish immediately strikes one as being more working-class based, with the clear dialect and abbreviations. It would perhaps have been sung by the less privileged; reminding themselves of what they have and how to make the best of a potentially disasterous situation.

Team conflict x 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Team conflict x 2 - Essay Example Personal level conflicts arise due to temperamental differences, competitive attitude, egocentric bias etc. While in the case of peer to peer relations, personal interests get involved, in the case of boss to subordinate relations, conflicts would lead to underperformance and disobedience. Relational conflicts are easy to foresee as individual attitudes get easily noted as potential threats; failure to meet milestones in a time-bound manner is a sure sign of team conflict, arising mainly out of differences in goal interpretation and ways to achieve same. Conflicts play an important role in generating new ideas and hence all conflicts are not necessarily undesirable. A task may be performed in different ways and if a team member believes that there is scope for improvement in the way it is being done at present and hence voices his/her opinion, even though it may lead to conflict with colleagues or the team leader, such conflicts are to be assessed for the overall benefit to an organization, setting aside individual ego problems. Thus it is not appropriate to create an entirely sterile atmosphere that The issue here is the insecurity and jealousy of the team mates vis-Ã  -vis Vladimir and his superlative achievements. A reading of the case history clearly points to the fact that Vladimir is not averse to adjust himself to his work situation, his colleagues are not unappreciative of his talents and that given a helping hand, the situation can be brought under control. As the team leader, first task would be to settle the dispute before it escalates any further. I would call for a group meeting of my team in which Vladimir and his distracters take part. In the meeting, I will unequivocally condemn the incident and elaborate on the dire consequences that would follow if the issue is taken to its logical conclusion through a police complaint etc. Following this

Hollywood Mellodrama module Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hollywood Mellodrama module - Essay Example ry workers widow with that of the bourgeois Communist couple in the former is more redundant than revealing; and the somewhat strained antic behavior of the characters in the latter virtually demolishes any sense of form. While that form keeps pretending that the film is melodrama, the action and acting often border on The Three Stooges. Still, Margit Carstensens remarkable incarnation of the ultimate, twisted groupie--to Kurt Raabs impotent poet who "only murders those he loves"--resonates with perverse gusto within the dynamics of the Fassbinder troupe. In yet another sense, style almost supplants content altogether in Chinese Roulette (1976), as a delirious use of camera movement and eccentrically composed shots become ends in themselves. If there is a point to the upper-class shenanigans in the film, it may be that the venalities to which parents expose their children will be visited upon them in turn. At the center of the film there is a "truth" game conducted by a crippled child (Andrea Schober) who seeks to humiliate her parents, particularly her mother (Carstensen), by associating her behavior with that of a commandant of a concentration camp. The films excessive stylization barely disguises its similarity to Fassbinders interrogation of his own mother in Germany in Autumn. Mise-en-scà ¨ne aside, Mother Kà ¼sters provides an important clue to Fassbinders politics, which were hardly either left or right. In the silent German film Mother Krausens Journey to Happiness (d. Piel Jutzin, 1929), on which Fassbinders is based, the mother bemoans her miserable life in the slums, and after her son is arrested, turns on the gas and escapes into the fantasized "happiness" of the title--although the film ends with a strong socialist message as her daughter marches with the masses to the "Internationale." Living in a time that has absorbed the failures of one ideology after another, Fassbinder debunks such idealized solutions and implies that the only way social

International accounting group Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International accounting group - Coursework Example One of the benefits also include the access to the wide market when Toyota manufactures and assembles in these countries and the access to the market is cheaper as compared to the situation where Toyota manufacture in Japan and export it. The cost effectiveness for Toyota by manufacturing and assembling outside Japan is one of the major reason as the manufacturing cost in Japan is much higher than other countries and especially from developing countries. Toyota is considering to setup the manufacturing and assembly operations in under developed countries where the costs are cheap and is much beneficial for the company. Competing against General Motors in North America and with high financial stability along with the target of covering most of the markets it is beneficial for Toyota to get advantage from every opportunity that seams feasible and cut down costs and cover most of the markets. Solution 2 Toyota has been known for its quality control that it has thrived to provide keeping low costs for its products and its target customers. Like every large company it has made efforts to expand its operations and shown the great presence in markets like US. The basic purpose of expansion is to capture the market and increase its share it has always been strategic decision for the corporates as they ample opportunities for growth. However along with the opportunities management also has to focus on the risks that they might face that would have the potential to undermine their current status. Toyota has focused on TQM (total quality management) and along with processes have been sharp that enable just in time inventory. At overseas the quality of production facility might not be as that Toyota requires along with that it is would be burden and challenge for management while in headquarters in Japan to ensure the standards of facility and production raw material that they receive. Toyota’s policy of learn local might not prevail in every region that they plan t o operate as initial access would be to local markets that might not provide quality material. It’s design and technology that really matters in the automobile industry and in overseas it becomes even harder for company to ensure secrecy of its designs. Every region has different culture, requirements and most important of all government regulations that create a huge risk. Being a multinational Toyota always faces a threat regarding the foreign exchange. Solution 3 The recommended plant citation within North America is in the United States because as per the clause when 62% of the cost is covered in United States then the company shall be allowed to the free movement of its products within United States, Canada and Mexico. Toyota should consider the market conditions as to what type of facility should be considered best whether manufacturing or assembly and the demand of its products that is within the United States, Canada and Mexico as this will give Toyota the access to t he markets of these three countries as they are the members of North American Free Trade Agreement. The environmental and legal laws should be considered as Toyota has to comply with the legislations of United States in order to be operative. The cost that Toyota will bear should be less than the other

Genetic Problems Of The Cousin Marriages Sociology Essay

Genetic Problems Of The Cousin Marriages Sociology Essay Scientists working on the genetic issues of inbreeding argued that autosomal recessive gene increases homozygosity and produce malformations which are a common cause of cardiovascular, central nervous system, urogenital, ophthalmic, gastrointestinal, skeletal, cutaneous, and also multiple malformations (5 page 14). Similarly, Bundey and Alam found postneonatal mortality and childhood morbidity in the offspring of consanguineous Pakistani parents (6). Ahmed, et al (1) identified hemoglobinopathies as a major genetic problem among Pakistani cousin couples. The research- team studied 15 families carrying hemoglobin and eight control families without the history of a hemoglobin disorders. The scientists in this study found that the cousin couples carry -thalassemia and 0.5 to 1 percent carry hemoglobin S or hemoglobin E. The infants of the cousin couples affected ratio is 1.3 per 1000 live births, and according to the study infants present -thalassemia. The ratio of genetic disorders amo ng the children of the control couple was lower than the cousin marriages couple. Bullock and Khalid (4) found increased risk of low intelligence, mental instability, sickle-cell anaemia and cystic fibrosis among the children of the cousin couples. Bittles (2) argued that various types of genetic disorders have been reported to be more common among consanguineous children. For example congenital disorders including neural tube and congenital heart defects were reported. According to Bittles Autosomal recessive hearing loss disorders and visual defects such as early-onset retinal dystrophies, primary congenital glaucoma and anophthalmos also are present at increased prevalence (2 page 95) among the children of the consanguineous spouses. These inbreeding studies are conducted among the Pakistani ethnic diaspora communities living in the Western countries. However, there is a dearth of inbreeding studies within the Pakistani society. However, second perspective (8, 9) argued that the chances of the genetic disorders are low and exaggerated. This perspective claimed that there are lower chances of the genetic disorders and that the media has stigmatized ethnic minority groups which alienated the community from mainstream Western society  [1]  . Socio- Genetic Problems Genetic Problems Social Problems Congenital malformations Learning difficulties, hearing impairment, infant mortality, morbidity, long term disability, increase birth prevalence, blindness Cardiovascular disease Asthma/ eczema Single-gene disorders (neurological disorders) Cerebral palsy Down syndrome Metabolic disorders Spontaneous abortion or infertility Cystic fibrosis Urogenital Ophthalmic Gastrointestinal Skeletal Cutaneous Hemoglobin Thalassaemia Fig 1 Genetic and social issues found in relevant literature Hence, it is claimed (10) that the chances of a 4 % health risk are possible among the non-relative marriages. The chances of unrelated cousins are also high and there is nothing significant on cousin marriage offsprings (11). Genetic effects appear in later age and are overtly emphasized on the basis of medical justification (9). Thus, it can be seen from the above debate on genetics that the problem exists and the main cause is the consanguineous marriages. This is accelerating debate among medical healers, geneticists and other health professionals within the Western countries about populations carrying genetic disorders and being stigmatized on medical grounds. However, this debate is nor prevalent within the countries where cousin marriages occur on a large scale. 1.2 Cultural traditions of the cousin marriages Consanguineous marriages constitute from 20 to 60 % of all marriages (9, 12). Worldwide 8.5% of child births are from consanguineous couples (9,12 ). Ten percent of worldwide congenital and genetic disorders are due to these marriages. In the Middle East and parts of Japan, and South Asia the marriages are dominant. Nevertheless, the majority ratio is in the Middle East (30 %) and in Pakistan (40 %) (1). Such marriages are under criticism in Europe and America; get on common in Asia, Africa and Middle East (4, 7). A number of factors are listed in favour of cousin marriages; for instance property preservation within the similar social group, socio-cultural concerns of the cousins, blood ties maintenance, purification of family and association among the similar group (5). The marriages are a closed network of relatives, and they form socio-political alliances. The marriages are a source of social welfare and strong ties between the cousins that forms a kinship structure (12, 13). This pattern of marriage is customary in the Middle East and pre-dominantly in Muslim societies, especially Pakistan. There is growing argument and debate over the issues, caused by the genetics problems which are originating mainly through cousin marriages. The perceptions of genetic problems are over- emphasized in the developed nations (due to the technology, medical treatment available and awareness of the genetic issues) and with less serious concern in the developing countries which could not afford the technolog y and cost of medicine. Therefore, there is a need to know, how and where the problem lies and what impact it has on child health care. 1.3 Cosmopolitanism and indigenous knowledge of cousin marriages Cosmopolitanism is the notion that all human beings share a similar moral and scientific normative system (14, 15). The cosmopolitan knowledge is the common body of knowledge across the discipline and geographical boundaries. In this paper cosmopolitan knowledge I used as scientific debate on the cousin marriages. The term indigenous knowledge refers to ethnic and cultural perceptions of the people in a particular region which share origins and a common belief system. Cosmopolitan knowledge is a lesser debated issue among the common man in developing countries, like Pakistan, where cousin marriages prevail on a large scale. Does the cosmopolitan knowledge of congenital disorders undermine the indigenous perspectives of the belief system in the community of Kabirwala (Pakistan)? The study is aims to understand the genetic problems due to cousin marriages and the peoples perceptions of cousin marriages (daughter/ sister exchange for spouse selection) and the impact on congenital diseas es. This is an effort to know how cosmopolitan knowledge differs with the indigenous perceptions of congenital diseases among the families who are living under a woman exchange system (among cousins) and how the system is affecting child health care and why health services are unable to handle the issue within the cultural context. 2. Research design I was working on my research project exchange marriage system in Kabirwala, a town in Pakistan. During the fieldwork, I found the blind and disabled persons whose parents were married on the basis of the exchange marriage. Fig 2 Respondents level of the education  [2]   I conducted interviews in a village of Kabirwala with the spouses who were married with cousins, their children to know the issue of genetic and their perceptions about the issue. The data was analyzed in line with Grounded Theory Method. This method develops the categories from the data (19, 20, 21). I developed the concepts and categories from the interviews. I interpreted and elaborated the data relevant to genetic problems for understanding the issue and categorized the data according to the themes. Relevant reports, articles were used to strengthen the findings of the primary data (16, 17, 18).   3. Results I categories the results into below categories: 2.1 Destiny and Luck: cousin marriages and congenital diseases Mehboob  [3]  57 year old male is married with his cousin Rubia, 42 years. Rubia has nominal education. The couple have 11 children (3 sons and 8 daughters), and one child (Rakha in Fig 3) died one month after birth. Among the 11 children, two (Tahir and Najma) are blind and one child (Mehwi) has a hearing problem. The couple called it a matter of taqdeer (destiny) and argued that two children are blind due to their sin and one had died because us kay din poray ho gaye thay (he has finished his life: means he has only this life given by God). Fig 3 Family of Mehboob When I asked, was this not a genetic problem?, the respondents replied that it was Gods will and this was the reason for his sons death. It is a matter of luck, destiny and genetics has minor role to play, explained the respondents. 2.2 Religious authority and genetic problems Aslam, a 57- year old man has different views about the genetic issues and he argues that genetic issues are not real ones, and that the Prophets daughter was married with Ali (the cousin of Prophet Muhammad). He explains: it is not possible that cousin marriage has problems and that the Prophet did not forbid it. People believe that the religious interpretation is the real one, and it is Allah who gives and solves genetic problems. The family has authority to arrange the marriages and enjoy in return obedience of the son/daughter. It encourages the elders to be conformist with the local traditions and follow the traditional norms to regulate cousin network. However, a 29-year, Kalsoom a female, argued that parents control the decision-making authority because they want to rule their offspring. She tells that religion has given authority to parents but they should use this authority in a careful manner. She explains that genetics has no link with cousin marriage. The respondent claimed it is God who does whatever HE wants. Nevertheless, Kabir, a 33- year male believes that cousin marriages are as a source of security, stability, strength and unity. 2.3 Consanguineous marriages and formation of social capital Cousin marriages determined the level of the kinship involvement in the Kabirwala community. Marriage with nearest relative is preferred. The relationship between in-laws extends beyond the couple. If a marriage is successful, it will be followed by others between the two families. Fig 4 indicates the few ratios of alternatives. Fig 4 Marriage patterns Cousin links, formed through marriages persist and are reinforced through the generations.  The foremost source of the marriage proposal is within the lineage (22). It is found in this study (see Fig 5). Fig 5 Marriage trends The cousin marriages form a kind of social capital because the relatives are responsible to provide for a person in need. These cousins help, support and maintain the social security of a person in Pakistan. 2.4 Public health problem: the gaps between knowledge and indigenous belief system Akram, a 50- year male respondent elaborated his account and said, his children are more beautiful than his brothers because he was married with his cousin and his brother was married with someone other than cousins. He mentioned that it was due to his own genes that his (spouse) gave birth to beautiful children. However, Kalim a 30-year, male disagreed with the above argument and he said it was marriage of his cousins that has given a blind child. Akram is a single case so whose generalization is not possible. Some young and educated respondents have awareness about the cousin marriages and genetics problems. Rabia, 25 years, a single, female respondent mentioned that cousin marriages creates zahanat ki kami (less intellect), kamzori (physical-weakness), zahni bemari (abnormality), and apas main gharello jahgrey (domestic conflicts). Although there is evidence of blind and disabled children from cousin marriages. This appears to be with medical research on the subjects. There is nom inal awareness among the people of the genetic issues. The community is not aware about role of the genetic disorders. If anybody in the community has knowledge they negate it due to the belief system. Cultural opportunities and constraints Opportunities Constraints Purification of the family Family conflict, less knowledge of congenital disorders, lack of research, lack of awareness, lack of medical treatment infrastructure availability in the community of Kabirwala, lack of counseling opportunities, paternal authority, superstitions Strengthen kinship ties Availability of the spouses within family Support for woman status Better relations with in-laws Old age care Stable marriages Property preservation Preservation of land fragmentation Less stigma Loosening ties brings social problems Political alliances Fig 6 Comparison of opportunities and constraints 2.5 Policy steps to handle the issue of consanguineous marriages There is a dearth of the research in the community of Kabirwala with reference to the cousin marriages and the probability of genetic diseases. The scientists working in the field of inbreeding have an opportunity to study the community which has a chain of cross-cousin marriages from generations. The inbreeding scientists may be able to find some significant results about the chain of genetic diseases; the following policy steps are suggested. 1) Genetic problems are considered an important issue among the scientists and less concern among the people as the present study shows. The people in the community of Kabirwala believe that disease is a matter of destiny and luck. They do not know that there is a possibility of positive relationship between the genetic disorders and the marriages. It is possible to provide education to the people. It would be helpful to add the issue to the school syllabus. 2) The local imam (religious preacher) could spread awareness of the issue in their Friday-sermons. The imam is a person who may effectively convince the people, because the majority of the people could not read and write. The people believe the religious teachings. These illiterate people could be influenced through the cultural specific ways and means. This is an easy way for the health professional to convince the local imam about the possible inherited diseases so that he is a catalyst of social change. Short run measures are also possible to sensitize the people through media and stage-drama. However, these measure are likely not sustainable because the media is either restricted or without due credibility to spread such kind of information. 3) Counselling services create awareness if they can be delivered to the remote communities like Kabirwala. However, there is no counselling service available in the community of Kabirwala yet. 4) Legislation is a last step to ban the cousin marriages. But the ban on cousin marriage will be counter productive in this cultural context where breaking the law is considered as fashion and symbol of superiority. Non-conformity indicates a high social status in this community. 3. Discussion and conclusion Cosmopolitan knowledge has diagnosed two distinctive problems among the Pakistani cousin marriage couples, hemoglobin and thalassaemia. However, the hemoglobin is the main genetic trouble among Pakistani ethnic people (1, 4, 23, 25, 26). Human biological diseases are crucial one and need proper attention from health professionals and policy makers within the cultural and religious setting. A significant factor of cousin marriage is protection of property, to avoid land fragmentation and to maintain the close family ties and reassurance of the bride (5 page 13). This is similar to work by Shaw (24) which argues that social environment and religious belief has affected the prenatal diagnosis. Cousin marriages are stable and have a low divorce rate among first cousins (10) and have a strong socio-economic impact on the traditional family system in Pakistan. These traditional marriages are cousin, caste and endogamy marriages. The marriages form a single fabric, and if violated can harm marriage patterns with serious moral-decay consequently emerging (5, 25, 26). Thus, the present debate has a strong affect on the exchange marriages, which are overwhelmingly cousin marriages and has a negative affect on the public health. In my data, despite of the fact that respondents have education they have less knowledge about this issue. The community is lacking lively debate on the problem. Genetically disorders, visible from the health conditions, are likely to happen among the community. Cosmopolitan perspective Indigenous perspective Physical incapacity Exaggerated issue, stigmatized issue, qismat (luck) and taqdeer (destiny), child beauty, children are integrated Mental incapacity Harmful Chronic disorder Fatwa (an authoritative ruling on a point of Islamic law) Fig 7 Cosmopolitan and indigenous perspective Contrary, indigenous belief and attitudes have pointed to a few concerns: less awareness of the genetic issues, knowledge and facilities availability. The people in the community of Kabirwala believe that genetics problems have a negative relationship with the cousin marriages. This is the issue of a Western society and has less validity in Pakistani society. It is matter of destiny and luck and not a medical concern. Kabir explains: does western medicine ever stop a person to dying? This indicates apathy towards the genetic phenomenon where has less validity in the community. Therefore, the study found the evidence that cosmopolitan knowledge has no relevance with the indigenous belief system based on the above data. Culture centred techniques to cope with these problems reduce chances of cousin marriages. For example, if a local imam/ molvi or the school syllabus stresses these. There are chances to reduce the possibility of the cousin marriages in coming generations. However, this is the turning point to convince the community to tackle and handle the issue with proper strategy. This is an open choice for the public and the health professional able where with proper facilitation and information can attract the public effectively. A failure to tackle the issue in a culturally specific manner could betray the health professional. The current study found that community knowledge, belief and indigenous practices are the main causes responsible for the prevalence of cousin marriages in Kabirwala. These factors are also the stumbling-blocks in making the indigenous knowledge compatible with the cosmopolitan knowledge. Therefore, there are few concerns among the Kabirwala community about the genetic problems which way occur. They feel protected by their system of beliefs. Notion of luck and destiny is dominant in indigenous knowledge.

Corrie Ten Boom: a Feisty Christian Soldier Essay

The Holocaust is modernly viewed as one of the greatest examples of human suppression and discrimination. However, many heroes and defenders against the Holocaust remain largely uncredited by the general public. One of the unacknowledged heroes, Corrie Ten Boom, is â€Å"[an] indomitable spirit.. , not just a ‘sweet little grandmother’, but a two-fisted old Dutch soldier for Christ† (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† U*X*L). Through her unshakable faith in God, Corrie Ten Boom was able to valiantly aid the Holocaust victims in their most dire time of need despite the constant danger of being captured. Ten Boom’s generosity was cultured from her religious background and loving family, who was always supportive and equally charitable (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia). As Ten Boom was growing up, her family participated in various charitable aid projects and their home, as well as their family business, served as a hub of activity in their neighborhood, where they frequently provided meals to the homeless and took in several foster children (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia). Additionally, Corrie and her siblings, being raised as devout Christians, knew many Jewish families in the neighborhood and even ran the Dutch Reformed church’s outreach program for Jews (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia). Later on, Corrie took over her family’s watchmaking business and also began to make contributions of her own (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† U*X*L). She began to conduct Bible classes in public schools and Sunday schools, making a special effort to reach out to the mentally disabled, and also establish youth clubs for teenage girls, providing religious guidance and fine arts lessons (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† U*X*L). As a result, the community social work she had done for many years evolved into the Ten Boom’s participation in Haarlem’s underground resistance movement (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia). When Chancellor Adolf Hitler rose to power, the Ten Booms began to worry for the freedom and safety of their Jewish neighbors after the rumored reports of harassment of Jews surfaced, and they selflessly sacrificed their own well-being in order to protect them (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia). Soon, on May 10, 1940, when the Nazi armies invaded the Netherlands, Corrie decided it was time to step in and live her faith (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia; â€Å"Extraordinary Bravery†). And so, throughout the years, Ten Boom became a key figure in the Haarlem underground movement as she kept a hidden refuge quarters above the watch shop and provided for the hideaways, using her connections she acquired from her previous charity works (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia). Soon, the German occupation grew harsher and the restrictions tighter, but Ten Boom, along with her family, never considered wavering from their course of action because they believed that the Jews were God’s people and that saving them was the right thing to do (â€Å"Extraordinary Bravery†; â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia). In 1944, the Ten Boom family was arrested for suspicion of hiding Jewish refugees and Corrie plus her sisters were later sent to Ravensbruck, a notorious concentration camp in Germany (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia). However, they remained defensive of the Jews and managed to smuggle them out of their shelter through hidden secret messages (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia). During her stay in Ravensbruck, Corrie withstood horrible living conditions of near-starvation, extreme manual labor, and vermin infestation (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia). Even so, Corrie refused to despair and instead devoted her time to bringing hope back into the inmate’s lives, speaking and praying with them (Higgins). Corrie kept her faith in God and was released on Christmas Day of 1944, by the lucky mistake of a clerical error (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† U*X*L). After her release, Ten Boom remained thankful towards God and began speaking about her experiences, spreading recognition of the terrible ordeals of the Jewish people through her books and funding of missionary work (â€Å"Extraordinary Bravery†). Characterized by her actions, Corrie Ten Boom fits the definition of a hero. Throughout her life, Corrie Ten Boom made an influential impact on the people around her (â€Å"Extraordinary Bravery†). Despite the constant rising dangers of being persecuted by the German Nazis, Ten Boom remained sympathetic towards the Jews, believing that they were God’s people and that she needed to save them (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† Encyclopedia). Because of her undeniable assurance in God, Corrie Ten Boom was able to make many charitable contributions, helping many people around her and bringing them hope (â€Å"Corrie Ten Boom† U*X*L).

Identifying Emerging Issues in Mobile Learning Essay

The workshop series was funded by the UK’s Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) as part of the Emerge Community within JISC’s own Users and Innovation research programme. This exploration focused on identifying emerging issues for the sector arising from the increasingly likely large scale use of Smartphones, PDAs and camera phones by learners in HE and FE, both on campus and in the workplace. This was carried out through scenario generation using three different futures prediction tools in three workshops. The following issues were identified as being the most likely to appear in the future of mobile learning five years from now: the increasing use of ‘just in time’ and ‘as and when necessary’ training. the need for always on affordable connectivity and power. increased support for an approach to teaching and learning that is more collaborative than didactic. concerns over scalability; learning communities are divided over whether there is a role for mobile devices in formal teaching, especially in large groups and lectures. oncerns over the merging of personal and vocational information and practice. The strong match between affordances of mobile devices and learning opportunities in work based and experiential learning across the board. increased peer to peer networking and collaboration. the need for design specifications for a secure online all-purpose data repository accessible by different browsers according to device at hand. Other emerging issues for mobile learning in HE and FE include both ethical and practical implications. These include cultural barriers and resistance to change amongst lecturers and associated teaching professionals. Examples are: fears for the erosion of lecturers’ personal time; concerns over security related to the increasing amount of information and number of images to be stored and privacy issues related to the ease with information can be captured in a range of locations. There is also the opportunity to reconsider assessment practices, recording the process of developing an assignment rather than simply marking the product. One last issue, one that is in need of urgent attention, is the need for the development by students and staff of agreed practice, establishing how mobile devices are to be used responsibly in institutions before inconsiderate use or ignorance of their potential to enhance learning results in banning a valuable learning tool. Acknowledgements The authors wish to gratefully acknowledge the contributions made by members of the Adding a Mobile Dimension to Teaching and Learning network who played a major part both in the scenario development activities at the workshops on which this paper is based and to the review of the scenarios generated. We are also grateful for the financial support from JISC via the Emerge community for this project. 1 Introduction This report details the scenarios developed in a series of discussion workshops exploring visions of how mobile technologies and devices will influence the practice of users in Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) in the future five years hence. The workshop series was funded by the UK’s Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) as part of the Emerge Community within JISC’s own Users and Innovation research programme. This current exploration focuses on identifying emerging issues for the sector arising with the increasingly likely large scale use of Smartphones and mobile phones with the capability to record both video and audio by learners both on campus and in the workplace in HE and FE. These devices have become well established throughout the student community, a survey of 177 students at the University of Southampton found that 94% were regular users and owners of mobile phones (Davidson and Lutman 2007). This dovetails with data from Ofcom (2008) which shows that mobile phone ownership in the 15-24 age group of the UK population is stabilising at around 95% and students to come will be even more experienced in their use. For example, older students in schools that ostensibly ban mobile phones are now regularly being allowed to use the cameras on their ‘phones to record special events or experiments in lessons to help them revise. What is mobile learning? The field of mobile learning has been developing fast as a research topic over the past eight years and accordingly ideas of what exactly mobile learning is have also developed. Winters (2006) noted how various groups researching mobile learning have used definitions that fall into four categories: one – mobile learning as technocentric, where learning is seen as something that makes use of mobile devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones; two – defined by its relationship to e-learning, where mobile learning is seen as an extension of elearning; three – as augmenting formal education and four – as learner centred, enabling the possibility of lifelong learning. These does not address the unique selling point of mobile learning which is closely linked to the capability of the mobile learner moving between traditionally separate contexts such as the work place and the teaching base supported by handheld technology that they can work with interactively to capture, access and store quantities of information in different multimedia formats. Thus mobile learning can be best described as â€Å"the processes (both personal and public) of coming to know through exploration and conversation across multiple contexts amongst people and interactive technologies† (Sharples, Arnedillo Sanchez, Milrad & Vavoula 2007). Mobile learning in post-compulsory education in the UK A presentation from Traxler & Sugden (2007) places the current state of mobile learning in the UK as consisting of considerable numbers of small scale trials and pilots taking place over fixed periods of time. Confirmation that the practice of using mobile technology to support learning in post-compulsory education is not yet embedded in current practice within institutions was demonstrated during the search for previous research for this paper, where no ongoing large scale uses were found. From currently available sources there is little or no indication as to the extent to which mobile devices are being used in Higher and Further Education. Findings from interviews conducted by Bird and Stubbs (2008) with mobile learning innovators in ten Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were surprisingly consistent with most respondents reporting that they experienced or expect to experience the same kind of issues. These were mostly in the form of barriers to establishing and sustaining an m-learning innovation in a university 2 environment. Issues which dominated were: skills gaps (in IT support and especially academic staff and somewhat unexpectedly students who despite being heavy users ), lack of technical support (IT services provision), procurement and accounting policies based around PC usage, inclusion issues due to cost of devices and/or data, ethical and legal issues, quality assurance especially with respect to data ownership, sustainability (all projects were based on external funding), device limitations, standards churn, privacy and security, and lack of a ‘killer application’ for the context. Interviews with users trialling PDAs at the Open University (Pettit and Kukulska-Hulme, 2008) indicated that the wireless infrastructure was widely regarded as a critical factor in influencing adoption of the device. Most papers reviewed for the current investigation referred to theoretical speculation about future potential, others discussed projects outside of the UK in Europe or East Asia, however, in the remaining 20%, an impressive range of pilots with different handheld devices was described. These indicate that there is considerable potential for engaging and supporting learners via mobile technologies. These pilots point to greater use of context relevant information especially images and video in learning and to greater collaboration enabled by easily portable, handheld devices connected to the internet via wi-fi or broadband. The following examples indicate the range of activities tested and are included by sector. Higher education Lecturers have evaluated a range of devices from multi-function PDAs and Smartphones to simple texti messaging (SMS). In one of the first examples of the use of PDA’s in an undergraduate setting Ramsden (2005) successfully tested giving undergraduate Economics students at the University of Bristol access to VLE’s and course materials via internet-enabled PDAs. As well as enabling access to course resources any time, anywhere, having the PDA allowed the students to hold question and answer sessions via the online discussion board during lectures which they found this particularly helpful. The University of Birmingham has evaluated the use of PocketPC handheld computers to offer multiple mobile applications to university students in the form of a ‘mobile learning organiser’. The main uses were for issues of time and course management and access to course materials. Other functions included the ability to communicate via email and instant messaging and to organise notes. The participating students made good use of the calendar and timetable facilities as well as communication tools and were keen for more content to be delivered in this manner. (Corlett et al, 2005) At London Metropolitan University the Reusable Learning Objects (RLO) Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) works on the design, development and use of learning objects many of which run on mobile phones. Smith et al (2007) discuss the motivation they have seen in students (sports science in this case) to learn via subject specific learning objects (programs) such as Flash animations of muscle groupings and movements that run on their own or loaned mobile phones. Other animated tutorials, language learning for example, include multiple choice quizzes (Tschirhart et al, 2008). In another study Cook, Pachler and Bradley (2008) found that loaning postgraduate students Nokia N91 phones to make notes and take images for upload to web based media board such as Lifeblog and tribal’s Mediaboard led to blurring the boundaries between study, work, and personal time and between formal and informal practice. In the Spatial Literacy in Teaching (SPLINT) CETL at the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester applications aimed at Geography students are being developed for PDAs and tablet PCs where the PDA screen is held up towards the real scene to offer additional information about that scene, ‘augmenting’ reality for the user (Priestnall and Polmear, 2007). For example, trials of a PDA application designed to teach the geomorphology of the Lake District, NW England showed that students the students learned to appreciate the power of geocontextualised visualisation to support their understanding of landscape processes (Jarvis et al, 2008). The University of Nottingham has used mobile phones and similar software to enable group blogging as a tool to support Chinese students in the process of enculturation as they get used to a new society and to enter the local community. The â€Å"learners showed a obvious interest in flexibility of time and space that potentially extends ‘antennas’ of the group blog to deeper insight of local culture. † (Shao, Crook & Koleva, 2007). Other examples used simpler devices and text messaging. The Mobiles Enhancing Learning and Support (MELaS) project saw the University of Wolverhampton test using text messaging with first year undergraduates in five departments aiming to enhance the student learning experience. In all 27 staff successfully interacted with 938 different students through at least one of: one way (staff to learner) communication, formative assessment with feedback, and a collaborative learning discursive tool (Brett, 2008). In another study sports education students at the University of Bath reported that SMS messages to their mobile phones from faculty were found welcome in assisting them to learn time management skills and as an extension of the tutor’s voice beyond the traditional lecture environment. This helped to reduce the perceived psychological distance between students, their peers and tutors (Jones, Edwards & Reid, 2008). SMS messaging has been trialled in lecture theatres too. Elliman (2006) reports successfully using a system that allowed students to provide feedback by SMS on their level of comprehension during a lecture. The system displays a histogram showing understanding level which is continually updated during the lecture together with comments and question in a scrolling area of the screen. At Brunel University, first year undergraduate Information and Communications Technology (ICT) students found that revision podcasts, downloaded to their personal digital media players were popular and perceived as more effective than revising from traditional textbooks (Evans 2008). In a review of podcasting to support distance learning in the Open University, UK Minocha and Booth (2008) conclude that audio technologies such as podcasts can not only support mobile learning but also entice, motivate, inform and reinforce. Further Education Mobile technology has been used in a number of colleges as a means to bring new learning opportunities to students who might otherwise not have access to college education. Many of these projects have been funded by the Learning and Skills Council under the MoleNET initiative or by the JISC e-Learning Programme. At Pembrokeshire College, an mlearning trial project was carried out from 2005-7 to support NEET students (NEET – not in education, employment or training) with reentry to education, training or work. Giving students access to PDA’s helped to engage them and improve communication with a difficult to reach group. The use of SMS messaging enabled the teachers to keep in touch with this very transient group of learners and helped identify opportunities for learning as when they occurred. (Pembrokeshire College 2007). Similar projects working with NEET learners have also been carried out at Accrington and Rossendale College, Tower Hamlets College and Weston College (MoLeNET 2008). 4 Having the capability to learn anywhere by means of handheld PDAs allowed Dewsbury College and Bishop Burton College, West Yorkshire to provide learners in outreach centres and workplace learning environments with similar access to learning resources as their peers on the main college campus (JISC 2005a). Mobile phones have also been found useful to help in location based learning. The City of Southampton College has been assisting ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) students to improve their opportunities for meaningful language interactions. Visiting locations within the city to help get to know their locality, students were asked location specific questions answered through SMS messaging and posting images to an interactive website. The project found that such techniques enhanced the students’ literacy and numeracy skills and helped to engage hard to reach learners such as those from the multiethnic Southampton community where many students have English as a second language (JISC 2005b). As in Higher Education bulk text messaging services to support managing learning have proved popular with most students. There are those for whom this sort of service is particularly useful. Derwen College (JISC, 2008a) found that their students who have varying degrees of physical disabilities and learning difficulties responded well to reminders to students for things like surgery and other appointments, dinner times and class notifications. Simple text based interaction was also used at Lakes College West Cumbria (JISC, 2008b) who piloted the use of iPod nanos to provide multiple choice revision quizzes for Construction students, many of whom have learning difficulties and struggle with paper-based revision processes. The iPod quizzes proved popular with every student in the cohort making use of the iPods during the revision period. The use of handheld devices to record or view multimedia to support learning is also proving popular. At Southwark College students are using low-priced, pocket-sized camcorders to overcome some of the technical and organisational barriers to using video in the classroom and for recording evidence of learning (JISC, 2008c). Examples included recording students’ oral presentations in English which were then used by the students for practice and reviewing with each other and Level 2 students in Art and Design recording technique demos and talking about their work to inform Level 1 students hoping to progress. Other projects, such as My Podcast at New College, Swindon (Warren, 2008), involve podcasting with lecturers creating both audio and video podcasts that students can download and play on handheld PDA’s or MP3 players for revision or extra support with a topic wherever they happen to be, in the workplace, at home or in college or moving between the two. Work Based Learning Both HE and FE institutions place students training for professions, whether medicine, building, teaching or hairdressing etc. in the workplace for a significant proportion of their course. Students, often at considerable distance from their teaching bases, need online access to course materials and other context specific information, to communicate with their tutors and to produce records of their progress and assignments for assessment. Mentors in the workplace need to authenticate and support this student learning. A number of pilots have been set up to test how mobile technologies can successfully be used to support students on work placements. For instance, mobile devices have been used to give instant hands on access to information that would be difficult to carry around on the job. At the James Cook University Hospital in 5 Middlesborough, 5th year medical students tested the use of PDA’s providing access to formulae, clinical guidelines, electronic portfolios and other web-based materials. They found portable access to these facilities useful, as was the ability for supervisors to ‘sign-off’ log books using their normal signatures on the PDA. (Cotterill et al, 2008). Reynolds et al (2007) found that a PDA proved to be a convenient and versatile mode of access to online education for dentistry students at King’s College, London. The 12 students were most positive about being able to make notes for individual study, to keep a diary of their commitments to teaching sessions and to having on the spot access to online support materials, particularly videos. Teaching is another profession where students need access to a wealth of information. Wishart et al (2007) found that when student teachers trialled the use of PDA’s in school they deemed the calendar or diary to be articularly supportive. Email was also used, primarily to maintain contact with other students and the university tutor, and the web browser was used to access information both in class and for personal reasons. Some students used spreadsheets to record pupils’ attendance and grades and most, in this pilot involving 14 trainees, used the word processor to make notes from meetings and on lesson observations for essays. However, the prevailing sociocultural climate where mobile phones are often banned and PDA’s a rarity meant that trainees often felt uncomfortable using their device on school premises. In FE mobile technology has been used in the work place for just in time problem solving, such as through the Hairdressing Training programme developed by the University of Manchester’s data centre, Mimas, and now used by 500 students at Stockport College, which offers step-by step guides to hairdressing techniques for styling, colouring and cutting (Smith, 2008) Also PDA’s have been found to be useful in connecting work based learners in FE who may otherwise be isolated from learning opportunities. Such devices have been used to assist apprentices in remote rural locations in Lincolnshire to give flexible learning options and to build achievement and self-esteem (Lambourne, 2008) and to provide learning and social networking opportunities to care workers in schools and nursing establishments in the Bourneville area of Birmingham (Brown, 2008). Finally, one of the largest trials of mobile technology in the workplace, currently ongoing with around a 1000 students in five universities in Yorkshire, is that being run by the Assessment of Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) CETL1, a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning that focuses on assessment and learning in practice settings and involving nursing and allied health care practitioner trainees. Initial indications (Dearnley et al, 2008) showed that both students and lecturers were positive about a range of benefits having a PDA enables however, introducing mobile technology into the clinical setting will require a significant shift in culture and a significant level of training and support. 1 http://www. alps-cetl. ac. uk/ 6 Summary While the above mentioned projects demonstrate the range of learning activities that have been trialled in UK institutions, recent advances in the abilities of the mobile devices themselves offer the chance to deliver new services to learners that have not yet been tested. The 2009 Horizon Report notes how the adoption of novel interfaces (like the iPhone), the new ability of mobile devices to download applications and to be location aware through GPS signals, all offer new opportunities for learning. With the addition of broadband-like data connections, the boundary between what is a mobile phone and a portable computer are being ever more blurred (New Media Consortium 2009). It is in this technology context that the workshop participants came together to imagine future scenarios for the use of mobile technology in learning, drawing on their wide experiences of previous research projects and contemplating how developing mobile technologies could open up new opportunities for connecting learners and teachers. 7 Methods: Developing Future Scenarios In this project three different tools were used to support future predictions. The first used for the workshop focusing on the practice of users in Higher Education (HE) in the future five years from today was the Cognitive Foresight toolkit available from the UK Government Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (Office of Science and Technology, 2005). It was developed for strategic futures planning and provides guidance on different techniques that can be used in the different stages of developing future scenarios and the ways they can be combined. This first workshop employed driver analysis to build internally consistent future scenarios from an assessment of the way current trends and drivers are influencing the present use of mobile technologies in HE. First the workshop participants ‘brainstorm’ a range of drivers for the currently observable trends. Next scenarios are produced by taking the drivers identified as having the highest importance and highest impact as orthogonal pairs of axes and visualising up to four scenarios that match the chosen combinations. This method is illustrated in the example below. More of †¦ Scenario Decrease in †¦ Increase in †¦ Less of †¦ The second used the Futures Technology Workshop method (Vavoula and Sharples, 2007) to look at future scenarios in work based learning. This is a structured method whereby people, in this case with experience in the specific area of the use of mobile technologies in education, envision and design the interactions between current and future technologies and an activity. Through a series of structured workshop sessions they collaborate to envisage future activities related to technology design, build models of the contexts of use for future technologies, act out scenarios of use for their models, re-conceive their scenarios in relation to present-day technologies, list problems with implementing the scenarios exploring the gap between current and future technology and activity. The workshop method was edited slightly within the time constraints of the day so that the structured sessions comprised: i. i. Imagineering: brainstorm on desired future learning activities. Modelling: in groups, producing models that demonstrate the envisioned activities, complete with related props. 8 iii. iv. Retrofit: developing a role play for another group’s scenario using only current technologies. Futurefit Requirements: listing requirements for the future technologies that have to be in place for the scenario to be realised. The third workshop on future scenarios in Further Education (FE) followed a method devised by FutureLab, an educational thinktank aimed at transforming the way people learn that focuses on the potential offered by digital and other technologies. This method for developing scenarios uses non-specific images of people of different ages in different locations printed on cards as a stimulus to thinking. The workshop used cards such as these shown below from the Building Visions for Learning Spaces sequence of cards. The workshop participants are then asked to envision first a range of learning activities that could be happening within the image and the people involved in them, then the anticipated outcomes and the technological resources that will be needed. One of these activities is then chosen by each of the groups for fuller development into a future scenario. In each of the above three cases the workshop was set up to start with two initial keynote presentations designed to stimulate thought and discussion from recognised experts. These keynotes (found under workshops 8-10) are available from the Adding a Mobile Dimension to Teaching and Learning web site2. These were followed by a series of discussion activities informed by the futures prediction method being used and facilitated by the research team. A discussion workshop is a recognised method of collaborative knowledge construction through discussion and debate amongst peers or experts. The workshops were run as focus groups with the facilitator encouraging discussion and debate and following a qualitative, phenomenological research approach.

The Ethanol Subsidy and How Biofuel Tax Incentives Work

The Ethanol Subsidy and How Biofuel Tax Incentives Work The primary ethanol subsidy offered by the federal government is a tax incentive called the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2004. It took effect in 2005. The ethanol subsidy, which is commonly referred to as the blenders credit, offers ethanol blenders registered with the Internal Revenue Service a tax credit of 45 cents for every gallon of pure ethanol they blend with gasoline. That particular ethanol subsidy cost taxpayers $5.7 billion in foregone revenues in 2011, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan congressional watchdog agency. Debate Over the Ethanol Subsidy Supporters of the federal ethanol subsidy argue that it encourages production and use of the biofuel and thereby reduces the amount of foreign oil needed to produce gasoline, a step toward energy independence. But critics argue that ethanol burns far less efficiently than gasoline, driving up fuel consumption and that it increases demand for corn for fuel and artificially boosts the cost of farm commodities and retail prices of food. They also say such an incentive is unnecessary because legislation enacted in 2007 requires oil companies to produce 36 billion gallons of biofuels such as ethanol by 2022. While born of good intentions, federal subsidies for ethanol have failed to achieve their intended goals of energy independence, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma and leading critic of the ethanol subsidy, said in 2011. The effort to Kill the Ethanol Subsidy Coburn led an effort to repeal the ethanol subsidy in June of 2011, saying it was a waste of taxpayer money - he said the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit cost $30.5 billion from 2005 through 2011 - because consumption remained only a small part of the countrys fuel use. His effort to repeal the ethanol subsidy failed in the Senate by a vote of 59 to 40. While Im disappointed my amendment did not pass, taxpayers should remember that when I offered an amendment to defund the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska in 2005 we lost that vote 82 to 15, Coburn said in a statement. Over time, however, the will of the people prevailed and Congress was forced to scale back this wasteful and corrupting practice. Today, the earmark favor factory is mostly closed. Only the tax division remains open. Im confident this debate, and many more ahead, will expose the tax code for what it is - an abomination that favors the well-connected over working families and small businesses. History of the Ethanol Subsidy The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit ethanol subsidy became law on Oct. 22, 2004, when President George W. Bush signed the American Jobs Creation Act into law. Included in that piece of legislation was the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit. The initial bill gave ethanol blenders a tax credit of 51 cents for every gallon of ethanol they mixed with gasoline. Congress reduced the tax incentive by 6 cents per gallon as part of the 2008 Farm Bill. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, gasoline refiners and marketers are required to pay the full rate of tax, which is 18.4 cents per gallon on the total gasoline-ethanol mixture but can claim the 45 cents per gallon tax credit or refund for each gallon of ethanol used in the mixture. The ethanol subsidy benefits multibillion-dollar integrated oil companies such as BP, Exxon, and Chevron. The First Ethanol Subsidy The Energy Policy Act of 1978 was the first federal legislative ethanol subsidy. It allowed for a 40-cent tax exemption per gallon of ethanol, according to Purdue University.The Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 increased the tax exemption to 50 cents per gallon of ethanol.The 1990 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act extended the ethanol subsidy to 2000 but decreased the amount to 54 cents a gallon.The 1998 Transportation Efficiency Act of the 21st Century extended the ethanol subsidy through 2007 but reduced it to 51 cents per gallon by 2005.Bushs signature on the Jobs Creation Act changed the way the modern ethanol subsidy worked. Instead, it offered a straight tax credit to producers, the legislation allowed for the blenders credit. President Trump Protects the Ethanol Subsidy During his 2016 campaign, President Donald Trump came out as one of the ethanol subsidy’s strongest supporters. Speaking in Iowa, where corn is king, on January 21, 2016, he said, â€Å"The EPA should ensure that biofuel . . . blend levels match the statutory level set by Congress,† adding that he was â€Å"was â€Å"there with you [farmers] 100 percent† on continuing federal subsidy for ethanol. â€Å"You’re going to get a really fair shake from me.† After Trump took office in January 2017, all seemed well with the ethanol subsidy until early October, when his own EPA administrator Scott Pruitt announced that the agency was considering lowering the EPA-mandated subsidy payment level for ethanol â€Å"slightly† in 2018. The suggestion sent shockwaves through the Corn Belt and its Republican congressional protectors. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley accused Trump of a â€Å"bait and switch,† in reference to his empathic campaign promise. Grassley and Iowa’s other Republican senator, Joni Ernst, threatened to block all of Trump’s future EPA appointments. The governors of most Corn Belt states joined in sending Trump warning him than any cutback in the Renewable Fuel Standard program’s subsidies would be â€Å"highly disruptive, unprecedented and potentially catastrophic.† Faced with the potential loss of influence over some of his strongest congressional backers, Trump quickly told Pruitt to back off any future talk of cutting the ethanol subsidy. On July 5, 2018, Pruitt resigned amid multiple accusations of ethics violations involving his excessive and unauthorized personal use of government funds. He was replace within hours by EPA deputy director Andrew Wheeler, a former lobbyist for the coal industry.