Peter Careys American Dreams Analysis

Peter Careys American Dreams Analysis Option 2 Short Stories Through a close critical reading of Peter Careys story American Dreams on pp. 147-62 in the Anthology, A World of Difference, consider how the storys focus on themes of cultural dependency has particular consequences for a sense of place. The overall aim of this essay is to explore some of the literary devices that Peter Carey has used in American Dreams to convey the themes of cultural dependency, and the costs it might have on ones cultural identity. It will also attempt to show what the consequences were, for the townspeople, when their quest for living the American dream became a sort of reality. The essay will first look at the authors choice of title, and its meaning in relation to cultural dependency, it will then go on to the use of narrative technique, structure, as well as how the author has used art and reality. It will also consider other literary elements used to write this short story. The title of a book has one primary objective and that is to create that much of an interest and incentive to convince the potential reader to read further. So, what could be the purpose for Carey to choose this particular title? Peter Careys title American Dreams, conveys a sense of the books subject matter. It signposts the direction towards the expression most of us have heard; The American dream, of which The Oxford Dictionary for example defining it as: The ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity †¦ (Oxford Dictionaries I English, 2007). However, this short story by Carey is showing another side of the American dream, exploring the dangers and costs of cultural dependency might have on a small community. The consequences of cultural dependency can arise when a society is strongly influenced and idealised by another, and subsequently trying to adopt its culture, values and lifestyle, not on purpose maybe, but in their qu est to live a prosperous life. Like in this story for example, the American dream, that has been glorified and sentimentalised as a utopian goal, and as a consequence, the townspeople lost somehow their cultural identity and sense of place. The peoples illusion of the American dream is running like a red thread throughout the story. They all watch American films and dream of wealth, and big smooth cars. Meanwhile, the peoples negative view of their home town and their unsatisfying lives grow bigger. The town in itself, is so insignificant, that it is not worth mentioning the name. The father of the narrator says; nothing more than a stopping place. Somewhere on the way to somewhere else. (p. 151). American Dreams (Prescott, 2008, pp. 147-62) is narrated from the perspective of a man recalling events when growing up in his childhood town, thus told in the past tense. The boys voice is the story, and seems to be giving a truthful account of his opinion and inner thoughts which makes the reader feel included and therefore becomes a shared experience. The narrator also seems to recognise the thoughts and feelings of the townspeople, and especially his father; My father, †¦, still believes that Gleason meant to do us well, that he loved the town more than anyone of us. My father says we have treated the town badly in our minds. (p.151). However, the narrator fails when it comes to understand Mr. Gleason, and why he built the wall on Bald Hill, as written in the opening paragraph of the story; No one can, to this day, remember what we did to offend him. (p.151). For that reason, the narrator is not able to give the reader a full understanding of what is going on in Mr Gleasons mind, which is typical for a non-omniscient first-person narrator.   Although the narrator mostly presents the story from a first-person point of view, in relation to his own experiences, he is also using the collective voice of the townspeople and himself in; we all, all eight hundred of us †¦ For years we watched the films at Roxy and dreamed, if not of America, †¦ (p.151), which gives the reader the impression that they are all in unison, because their dreams, hopes and frustrations are the same, or similar at least. Careys writing style is characterised by the use of simple structured sentences and colloquial language. He is making use of the narrators childhood memories of events from the past to move the story forward in time, beginning with; when I was a small boy I often stole apples†¦ (p.151), †¦ between my twelfth and seventeenth birthdays †¦ (p. 155). Carey is also making use of imagery to show the reader how slow the time passes in the tiny remote town, describing frequently how the townspeople pedalling and pushing their bicycles up and down the lanes. They were as much a burden, as a means of transport. the narrator says. (p. 152) and another attempt to describe the slow progress of the building of the wall is, when the narrator says; I watched it for two years, while I was waiting for customers who rarely came†¦ the agonizing progress of Mr Gleasons wall. (p.153). To highlight it even more, how uninteresting and dull the town is, the author is making use of simile in; It was as painful as a clock. (p. 153).   It is not until the leading up to the climax, that the impression of time seems to move faster in the story, as the pace finally increases with the narrator saying; And then, during my seventeenth birthday, Mr Gleason died. (p.156). Mr Gleason, the main character, is the outsider of the town and is described as; so quiet and grey, that we ignored him. (p.151). Everything was normal in the town until Mr Gleason retired and all went wrong. (p.153). It was the day when he began to build the ten-foot high wall on Bald Hill. Nor the people or the reader knows what is behind the wall, until the day, when Mr Gleason dies, and the wall comes down. With this unusual concept of a wall being built and later demolished, and both, for no known reason, Carey has made use of magic realism to create a sense of immediate curiosity for the readers. As soon as the wall comes down, the pace and the mood changes in the story. The pace increases, and the mood of the townspeople changes too. When they realised Mr Gleason had built an exact replica of their home town, as well as of themselves, there was first a sudden sense of pride and joy between them all. Admiring the reflection of themselves, running their lives in the little miniature town. The narrator himself was laughing, when he found himself posing as an American against the petrol pump, and then, the look of his fathers face marked with grease and hope. (p. 158). Is it possible Mr Gleason was having fun of the people, seeing them as superficial and trying to wake them up? Because later, when the people started to look deeper into each others houses, they went in for a surprise and their mood changes to fear, as they realised they had underestimated Mr Gleason. If he knew all their little secrets, he must have known what they used to think about him as well. Nothing but a fool. (p.151). It is not mentioned where this provincial quiet town is set. It is not relevant for the story itself. Nevertheless, the reader gets the feeling for the sense of place Carey is trying to show. A non-significant place, where the townspeople would rather not be, if they had the choice. However, there are some clues in the story that indicates it is set in rural Australia. First, the story is written in British English, second, the narrator speaks of; the minister for tourism (p.159) which is an Australian title created in 1959, (which also gives a hint about the time frame). As well, is the specific mentioning of the American dollars (p. 159), suggesting that the towns currency is also dollars.   Another considerable fact is that Peter Carey himself, was born in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, and that Parwan Railway Station (p. 156), is an actual station located in Bacchus Marsh. Bald Hill (p.153), is interestingly and according to Wikipedia: The most well-known and popular lookouts in Aust ralia, and in New York One of the highest points on Long Island. (En.m.wikipedia.org, 2017). This can be seen as the authors creative way of using figurative language as well as magic realism, as it offers a sense of hidden meaning, as both places do exist alongside the fictional Bald Hill, and all three having the same purpose of being lookouts, using telescopes to spy on the towns people. In the story, the narrator describes Bald Hill such as; On Bald Hill are half a dozen telescopes through which the Americans can spy on the town and reassure themselves that it is the same down there as it is on Bald Hill. (p.161). This example of situational irony links it also back to the beginning of the story, when the narrator is describing the townspeople at the Roxy, watching American films; for years we have watched films and dreamed of†¦America†¦ (p.151), showing that the situation now has changed; now it is the townspeople that are being watched and observed by the Americans. This essay has focused on themes of cultural dependency and the consequences it might have on a culture. We have been looking at Peter Careys short story American Dreams as an example, which suggests that, although, the town was remote and isolated, the townspeople still became influenced by the concept of living the American dream, and as a result of trying to conform to the American ways, they lost their identity. As the story goes on, when the town finally gain prosperity, it is ironically thanks to the Americans tourists. However, the townspeople are still not content, as unconsciously they are still not free of the American dream, unknowingly of the fact it is just a dream. (words 1648) Bibliography En.m.wikipedia.org. (2017). Bald Hill. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Hill  Ã‚  Ã‚   [Accessed 30 Mar. 2017]. Prescott, L. (2008). A world of difference. New York: Palgrave Macmillan

Financial Services Report Essay -- essays research papers

Financial Services Industry Report In order to succeed in the global market, it is imperative to know the various global financial institutions and the sources of funds for international operations. This paper will identify the role of financial institutions in the global economy and explore changes this industry will be experiencing during the next decade. In addition, this paper will demonstrate the impact these changes will have on Campbell Soup Company. Financial institutions have the ability to serve as agents for its clients providing financial services. These services include, but are not limited to the facilitation of money, such as credit; investments-related services; stock exchange; and any other accounting or finance services. The global financial system (GFS) refers to those financial institutions and regulations that act on the international level, as opposed to those that act on a national or regional level (Global financial system, 2005, p1). The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Bank are considered to be the most important international institutions. The Internal Monetary Fund acts as a lender of last resort to governments in financial distress, e.g. balance of payments crisis, currency crisis and debt default. Decisions are based on quotas, or the amount of money a country provides to the fund (IMF at a glance, 2005, p1). The World Bank aims to provide funding, take up credit risk or offer favorable terms to development projects mostly in developing countries that could not be obtained by the private sector (What is the World Bank, 2005, p1). The only global international organization that deals with the regulations of trade between nations and settles trade disputes and negotiates international trade agreements is the World Trade Organization (What is the WTO, 2005, p1). An important area of international finance is the financing international trade and investments. This area must be understood in order to raise funds at the lowest cost possible. There are some organizations that deal with international trade and have access to both the domestic and foreign capital markets. For example, the Eximbank (Export-Import Bank) finances exports from the United States to foreign countries. It facilitates the financing of U.S. exports through landing money to foreign purchasers of U.S. goods and... ...ed the importance of global financial institutions, and as globalization proceeds, the magnitude of this industry is expected to grow. References Basic facts about IFC. 2005. Retrieved on April 2, 2005 from (http://www.ifc.org). Campbell Soup Company 2004 Annual Report. Eurobond Online. Retrieved April 2, 2005 from www.eurobondonline.com/euro.htm Eximbank Mission. 2005. Retrieved on April 2, 2005 from (www.exim.gov). Financial Services Fact Sheet. (2004). Hoover’s Database. Retrieved April 2, 2005 from University of Phoenix Online Library. Financial Services Trends and Market Analysis (2004). Plunkett Research Online Database. Retrieved April 2, 2005 from University of Phoenix Online Library. Global Financial Systems. 2005. Retrieved on April 2, 2005 from (http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Global_financial_system International Finance Corporation Online. Retrieved April 2, 2005 from http://www.ifc.org IMF at a glance. 2005 Retrieved on April 2, 2005 from (http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/glance.htm). What is the World Bank. 2005. Retrieved on April 2, 2005 from (http://www.worldbank.org). What is the WTO? 2005. Retrieved on April 2, 2005 from (http://www.wto.org).

Asian Americans in the Classroom Essay -- Asia Education Stereotypes P

Asian Americans in the Classroom Asians are one of fastest growing minority groups in America today. During this century, various factors at home and abroad have caused people from Asia to immigrate to the United States for better or for worse. Due to these factors, Americans and American teachers, in particular, need to educate themselves and become aware of the Asian American students’ needs in terms of success and happiness. Before beginning my research, I felt I had an easy subject: studying Asian Americans in relation to their education in public schools. How simple! Everyone knows they are smart, hard working, driven to succeed in spite of their nerdish, geeky, non-athletic, broken-English stereotype. Of course they are successful and happy! Why wouldn’t they be? In this research paper, I hope to enlightened those who thought the I did. Like any other minority group, the Asian American has been stereotyped, discriminated, commercialised, propagandised, and packaged in a box with a pretty ribbon around it bearing the tag: Model Minority. Closely related to this concept is the Panethnic Identity. These two issues were indeed the strongest images of the Asian Americans today. How we came about it and how it is affecting student’s will be discussed in detail. A word of caution: It is neither simple nor pretty, as many of the reasons both a result of the Asian and American cultures. First some technicalities: Most of my research focused on the Japanese Americans and Japanese culture. There will be examples that are specific to this particular ethnic group and race. However, due to the lack of articles specifically on Japanese American students and the tendency to study Asian Americans as a group, I ... .... Japanese Americans: The Evolution of a Subculture, Prentice-Hall, 1969. 9. Lee, Robert G. Orientals: Asian Americans in Popular Culture, Temple University Press, 1999. 10. Okimoto, Daniel I. American In Disguise, John Weatherhill Inc, 1971. 11. Nakano, Mei T. Japanese American Women: Three Generations 1890-1990, Mina Press, 1990. 12. Spickard, Paul R. Japanese Americans: The Formation and Transformations of an Ethnic Group, Twayne, 1996. 13. Strong Jr., Edward K. Vocational Aptitudes of Second Generation Japanese in the United States, Stanford University Press, 1933. 14. Yanagisaka, Sylvia Junko Transforming the Past: Tradition and Kinship Among Japanese Americans, Stanford University Press, 1985. 15. Egami, Hatsuye The Evacuation Diary of Hatsuye Egami, Intentional Productions, 1995. 16. Lee, Gus China Boy, Plume, 1994.

Inflation: Definitions Essay

Inflation: A persistent increase in the price level, measures how much more expensive a set of goods and services has become over a certain period, usually a year. Consumers believe that low stable and predictable inflation is best for economy, too high and too low are not good. Measuring Inflation: To measure the average consumers cost of living, government agencies conduct household surveys to identify a basket of commonly purchase items and then track the cost of purchasing this basket over time. Consumer Price Index: (CPI) The cost of the basket when measuring inflation at a given time expressed relative to a base year. Consumer Price Inflation: The percentage change in the CPI over a certain period, most widely used measure of inflation. Ex: base year CPI is 100 and the current CPI is 110 inflation is 10 percent over the period. Core Consumer Inflation: Excludes prices set by the government and the more volatile prices of products such as food and energy that are most affected by seasonal factors or temporary supply conditions focuses on the underlying and persistent trends in inflation and is also watched closely by policymakers. Deflation: A persistent decline in the price level GDP Deflator: A measure comparing the prices of all goods and services produced in the economy during a given year to the prices of those goods and services purchased in a base year. Gross Domestic Product Deflator: (GDP) The overall inflation rate for not just consumption good but all goods produced in an economy, more broader coverage than the CPI. Inflation Rate: The percentage increase in the price level from one year to the next. Inflation Targeting: A policy used to maintain low and stable inflation used by many central bankers. Introduction of New Goods: Increase variety, allows consumers to find products that more closely meet their needs. In effect, dollars become more valuable, which lowers the cost of, maintain the same level of economic well-being. The CPI misses this effect because it uses a fixed basket of goods, thus the CPI overstates increases in the cost of living. Nominal GDP: Values output using current prices. It is not corrected for inflation. GDP measured in terms of current market prices, value of all final goods and services produced in the economy during a given  year, calculated using the prices current in the year in which the output is produced. Price Indices: Are designed to remove the effect of price changes. Price Level: A measure of the average prices of goods and services in the economy. Quantity Theory of Money: The relationship between money supply and the size of the economy. Real GDP: Values output using the prices of a base year. Real GDP is correct for inflation. GDP measured using constant base year prices. It is the total value of the final goods and services produced in the economy during a given year, calculated using the prices of a selected base year. Real Income: A proxy for the standard of living, when real incomes are rising, so is the standard of living and vice versa. Real Interest Rate: The nominal rate minus the inflation rate. Substitution Bias: Over time some prices rise faster than others, consumers substitute towards goods that become relatively cheaper, the CPI misses the substitution because it uses a fixed basket of goods. Thus, the CPI overstate increase in the cost of living. Supply shocks: Disrupt production, such as natural disasters or raise production costs such as high oil prices. Can reduce overall supply and lead to cost push inflation in which the impetus for price increases comes from disruption in supply. Unmeasured Quality Change: Improvements in the quality of goods in the basket also increase the value of a dollar. The BLS tires to account for quality changes but probably misses some, as quality is hard to measure. Thus, the CPI overstates increases in the cost of living.

Literature Review on Autism Spectrum Disorders Essay

Abstract Autism has become an increasing subject of interest, especially to researchers and medical professionals. This increase in interest is most likely due to the fact that autism is becoming an increasing problem in children, with the number of diagnoses doubling in just a four year period. In order to discover what may cause this disorder as well as finding effective ways to treat it, people must be informed and knowledgeable about autism. The current study discusses what ASD is, symptoms of this disorder, possible causes and risk factors, and methods of treatments and therapy, such as early intervention and sensory integration therapy. This study hypothesizes that sensory integration therapy will significantly improve grades and school performance in children with autism. Recently, it seems as if autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been receiving a great deal of attention by those who work in the medical field, researchers, education providers, and parents as well. This is due to the fact that the number of diagnoses has increased significantly. In just a four year period, the number of recorded diagnoses for these types of disorders has doubled (Keen & Ward, 2004). This substantial increase in the diagnoses of ASDs could be due to the fact that doctors and other health professionals are becoming more aware of the criteria for these disorders, and are beginning to have greater recognition of ASD in more able, high functioning children. In the past, there have been several cases where high functioning children were first diagnosed with ADHD, and later received an ASD diagnoses (Keen & Ward, 2004). With the recent awareness of autism spectrum disorders, a more clear criteria has developed for the diagnoses of these disorders. In broad terms, autism spectrum disorders is a group of developmental brain disorders, collectively called ASD. It is called autism spectrum disorder because the symptoms and levels of impairment for these disorders ranges  widely in each individual with an ASD. (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2011). In fact, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2011), some higher functioning children may only be mildly impaired by his or hers symptoms, while other children who are low functioning may have more severely impaired by his or hers symptoms, causing them to be severely disabled. To diagnose an individual with ASD, one must meet the criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition – Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Currently, there are five defined disorders that fall under the category of ASD. These disorders include autistic disorder (classic autism), Asperger’s disorder (Asperger’s syndrome), pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), Rett’s disorder (Rett’s syndrome), and childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) (NIMH, 2011). However, this review will focus mostly on the more common disorders, classic autism and Asperger’s syndrome. The NIMH (2011) has identified some key symptoms seen in individuals with ASD. While symptoms do vary from one child to the next, the symptoms tend to fall into three main areas. These three areas include social impairment, communication difficulties, and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. Children with autism have trouble with social interactions and find it difficult to engage in everyday social interactions. Some of these problems with social interactions may include having trouble with making eye contact, have trouble listening to and responding to other people in their environment, and having trouble picking up on social cues and reading peoples emotions. Children with ASD may respond unusually or inappropriately when others show feelings of anger, sadness, distress, or affection (Kamps, Leonard, Vernon, Dugan, & Delquadri, 1992). Children with autism also suffer from several communication issues, such as failing or being slow to respond to verbal attempts to get their attention, developing language at a slower pace than others, repeating words or phrases that they hear, and using words that are strange or out of place, that do not really make sense to people other than the child and those close to the child whom are familiar with the child’s communication style. The last important symptom seen in children  with ASD is repetitive and stereotyped behavior. Many children with ASD tend to have odd, repetitive actions and behaviors that may be referred to as stereotyped behaviors. An example of a stereotyped behavior might be a simple gesture of the arm that is repeatedly done by the child. Children with autism often have one subject or interest that they tend to overly focus on. They tend to become obsessed with one particular subject, and will learn everything they can about the subject of interest. Because autistic children seem to display several repetitive behaviors and thoughts, a set routine is usually the best environment for a child with ASD (NIMH, 2011). While there have been many theories and suggestions of what may cause autism spectrum disorders, there is not one particular known cause of these disorders. A great deal of research has been done to examine possible causes of and risk factors for this disorder. Recently, there has been research on the hypotheses that maternal early life factors associated with hormone levels may have some correlation with being at risk of having a child with ASD. Ascherio, Lyall, Pauls, Santangelo, and Spiegelman (2011) conducted a study to see if they could find any relationships between certain maternal early life factors associated with hormone levels and the risk of having a child with an ASD. This study focuses on maternal early life factors, and how some of these reproductive and hormonal factors of mothers could put them at risk of having a child with ASD (Ascherio, Lyall, Pauls, Santangelo, & Spiegelman, 2011). The methods of this study included a cohort study with 61,596 women. Data was collected from these women, which included age of menarche (first menstrual cycle), characteristics of menstrual cycle during adolescence, use of birth control, specifically oral contraceptives, prior to have given birth, body shape, and body mass index (BMI). The results of this study showed relationships between higher BMI’s at age 18, early age at menarche, and longer use of oral contraceptives prior to first birth, and being at risk for having a child with ASD (Ascherio et al., 2011). Other risk factors for having a child with an ASD that have been studied include prenatal, or the period of time before the child is born, perinatal, or the period of delivery and immediately before and after delivery, and parental, or characteristics of the parents, factors. In a study done by  Hertz-Piccottio et al. (2010), the authors examine possible parental, prenatal and perinatal factors associated with ASD. The methods of this study was a case-control study, using a cohort of children in China. Cases came from six special education schools and two Preschool Autistic Children Special Education Institutions in Tianjin, China (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010). The parental risk factors that were studied included parental ages at delivery, ethnicity, occupation, education, marriage of a close relative, exposure to toxins, personality, and family medical history of different illnesses (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1313). The prenatal risk factors that were examined in this study included maternal characteristics and behaviors during pregnancy, alcohol consumption, smoking and second hand smoke exposure, exposure to X-rays, attempt to terminate pregnancy, contact with toxins, emotional state, disease history, and medication history (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1313). Some perinatal factors that were examined include infant gestational age at birth, fetal nuchal chord (umbilical chord wrapped around neck), cesarean delivery, and breech birth. Also included were newborn complications such as birth weight, delayed crying, and abnormal skin color due to an array of conditions such a hypoxia, apnoea, neonatal jaundice, and several other conditions (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1313). The results of this study showed relationships between several of the factors examined and the risk of having a child with ASD. In relation to the prenatal risk factors studied, seven conditions during gestation were significantly associated with the risk of having a child with ASD, four of which showed the strongest relationship. The four prenatal risk factors that showed the strongest relationship included frequent maternal second-hand smoke exposure, chronic and acute medical conditions unrelated to pregnancy, maternal unhappy emotional state, and one or more gestational complications (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1314). For the perinatal risk factors that were studied, seven characteristics at the time of delivery were significantly associated with autism. These characteristics include abnormal gestational age, including preterm and post-term, nuchal chord, cesarean delivery, delayed crying, newborn complications, apnoea, and neonatal jaundice (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1314). For the parental characteristics studied, results showed that gravidity > 1 and advanced paternal age at delivery were  significantly associated with autism (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1314). Other studies have also done research on possible perinatal, prenatal, and parental risk factors for autism. In a study done by Agerbo et al. (2005), the authors created a study in Denmark of children with ASD. This study focused on possible perinatal risk factors for autism, as well as the associations between parental psychiatric history and socioeconomic status and the risk of having a child with autism. The following perinatal factors were investigated in this study: birth weight, gestational at birth, weight for gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score at 5 minutes, fetal presentation, mode of delivery, pregnancy characteristics such as multiple gestation, and parental characteristics such as maternal smoking, maternal and paternal ages, maternal citizenship, and number of previous pregnancies. Other factors considered were parental psychiatric history, that is, if the parent had been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder prior to the date the child was diagnosed with autism, and socioeconomic factors, including maternal education and parental wealth (Agerbo et al., 2005). As we begin to understand more about what exactly autism spectrum disorders are, what may cause these disorders, and how to diagnose children more accurately and sooner, the next step in being proactive with ASD is studying different treatment methods and developing new methods of treatment that may be more effective. The biggest impairment for most children with ASD is the social impairments caused by these disorders. Developing treatments that may help children with an ASD learn how to better interact in social situations could possibly be the most useful type of treatment for these children. Researchers have been working on several different treatment methods for children with autism, especially treatments to help develop and improve social skills. In a study done by Koegel, Koegel, Hurley, and Frea (1992), the authors seek out to find a treatment to improve social skills in children with an ASD. This study assessed whether self-management could be used as a technique to improve extended responsiveness to verbal initiations from others, without the presence of a treatment provider. The methods of this study included four children, all of whom were diagnosed with autism.  The results of the study showed that children with autism who displayed severe deficits in social skills could learn to self-manage responsivity to others in multiple community settings (Koegel, Koegel, Hurley, & Frea, 1992). Another method of treatment that is being explored is the use of social robots for the therapy of children with ASD. In a study done by Werry, Dautenhahn, Ogden, and Harwin (2001) , the researchers developed a robotic agent that could help with therapy in children with autism. This study was called the AURORA project, which started in 1998. The results so far have been quite promising, and the social robot has proven to be a very useful tool for children with autism. It gives them the opportunity to practice social interactions and serves as a social mediator (Werry, Dautenhan, Ogden, & Harwin, 2001). The treatment of autism is not a simple process. There is no single therapy or method of treatment that can completely cure an individual with autism. However, there are an assortment of treatments and therapies that have proven to be effective in treating children with autism. Quite often, children with autism combine different treatment methods and therapies to improve different skills. Some of the more common approaches at treating autism in children include behavioral procedures, such as early intervention and discrete trial trainings, speech therapy, dietary approaches, and occupational therapy ( Watling, Deitz, Kanny, & McLaughlin, 1999). Early intervention, a behavioral analytic treatment for autism, is an intensive behavioral therapy that is started as soon as a child is diagnosed with autism, usually before age 5. This type of therapy is based on the principles of operant conditioning. In this type of treatment, therapists simplify children’s environment in order to maximize successes and minimize failures. For example, the therapist might break a behavior down into smaller units and teach each unit individually, eventually linking all of the units together, which may also be called chaining. Another method of simplification that a therapist may use is discrete trial format. Discrete trial format involves a one on one interaction with a therapist that is carefully planned out, in which the child receives short and clear instructions from the therapist, and is immediately reinforced for every  correct response. Another type of treatment for children with autism that is becoming more popular is occupational therapy. Occupational therapists are trained in teaching every day skills to help the individual being treated live as independently as possible. These skills can be very helpful to children with an ASD. One of the most well-known types of therapy occupational therapists use to help treat autism is sensory integration therapy. Those who practice this type of therapy hypothesize that the primary symptoms of autism are disturbances in sensory modulation. Consequently, children with autism have difficulties in social relating, communication, and language. Because children with autism have these disturbances in regulating sensory input appropriately, they suffer from several social and communication problems (Case-Smith & Bryan, 1999). The sensory integration approach attempts to stimulate and challenge the senses of the individual being treated (Cohn, 2001). A common symptom in individuals w ith autism is being either over stimulated under-stimulated by their environment. They often have trouble learning to combine and integrating their different senses. These sensory difficulties may be a cause of communication problems and social interaction problems in children with autism. Because they have such difficulty regulating their sensory systems, they tend to have trouble socializing and interacting with others. Some individuals with autism practice certain stereotyped behaviors, such as lining up toys or moving a toy back and forth on a table. This may be an attempt to try and regulate their sensory systems. The sensory integration approach aims to help children with autism improve their sensory processing and modulation. There are three elements typically included in this approach: helping parents better understand their child’s behavior, helping parents/teachers modify the child’s environment in order to meet his or hers sensory needs, and helping children organize responses to sensory input. However, each sensory integration therapy session is unique to the individual being treated. Occupational therapists must conside r different individuals’ unique needs and goals (Case-Smith & Bryan, 1999). Sensory integration therapy is the most used technique in occupational  therapy for the treatment of children with autism, with 95% of occupational therapists using this approach at least some of the time. The reason for its popularity in the treatment of autism is because of its proven efficacy in helping improve social interactions and communications. In a study done by Case-Smith and Bryan (1999) the authors found that sensory integration therapy can significantly increase mastery play, or the child’s interactions with the physical environment. They also found that sensory integration therapy significantly decreases non-engaged behaviors, or behaviors where the child is not interacting or minimally interacting with their environment. Examples of these behaviors include unfocused staring or aimless wandering. In a study by Cohn (2001), the author is concerned with parents’ perspectives of the sensory integration approach used in the treatment of their children. In t his study, the author found that sensory integration was successful in helping parents understand their children’s problems. While there is a great deal of research that has been done on the sensory integration approach as a treatment for children with autism and the efficacy of this treatment in improving certain social behaviors, there is not much literature on the effects of sensory integration therapy on grades and school performance of children with autism. In consideration to prior research in relation to autism and the treatment methods, the current study hypothesizes that sensory integration therapy will significantly improves grades and school performance in children with autism. Methods Participants Participants of this study will consist of young children with autism or another type of ASD, attending some type of day care or school for children with disabilities. Participants will be in the age group of 3 years old to 7 years old. There will be about 10-15 total participants. Materials This study will be a single-subject design, where each participant serves as his or hers own control group. The study will be conducted right after a break in school, such as winter break or summer break. When the students return from the break in school, they will attend school for three to four weeks without receiving any therapy or treatment. At the end of this period, grades will be assessed as well as general school performance such has  participation and behavior. After the three week period of no therapy, intervention will be initiated and children will all receive sensory integration therapy. Children will receive this therapy within the school for six to eight weeks. At the end of this intervention period, grades and school performance will be assessed again. Procedure The therapy sessions will take place in the day care or school building. Observations of the participants will be made in the classroom, both before the intervention period and during the intervention period. These observations will assess each child’s individual school performance, including things such as participation and class behaviors. Grades will also be assessed both before the intervention and during the intervention period. Students will return to school after their break and will not receive any therapy for three weeks. After the first three weeks, the intervention will be initiated and the children will each participate individually in a form of sensory integration therapy under the supervision of a trained occupational therapist. Each therapy session will be unique to the individual and his or hers unique needs or goals. At the end of the intervention period, grades will be assessed again. The grades and school performance of each child before the therapy was star ted will be compared with the grades and school performance assessed during and at the end of the therapy, using SPSS or some sort of statistical analysis program, to determine whether or not sensory integration therapy significantly improves grades and school performance in children with autism. References Agerbo, E., Eaton, W. W., Larsson, H. J., Madsen, K. M., Mortensen, P. B., Oleson, A. V., †¦Vestergaard, M. (2005). Risk factors for autism: Perinatal factors, parental psychiatric history, and socioeconomic status. American Journal of Epidemiology. 161(10), 916-925. doi:10.1093/aje/kwi123 Ascherio, A., Lyall, K., Pauls, D. L., Santangelo, S., & Spiegelman, D. (2011). Maternal early life factors associated with hormone levels and the risk of having a child with an autism spectrum disorder in the nurses health study II. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,41, 618- 627. doi:10.1007/s10803-010-1079-7 Case – Smith, J., & Bryan, T. (1999). The effects of occupational therapy with sensory integration emphasis on preschool-age children with autism. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 53, 489 – 497. Cohn, E. S. (2001). Parent perspectives of occupational therapy using a sensory integration approach. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 55, 285-294. Hertz- Picciotto, I., Lv, C. C., Miao, R. J., Qi, L., Tian, J., Xi, W., & Zhang, X. (2010) Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for autism in china. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40, 1311-1321. doi: 10.1007/s10803-010-0992-0 Kamps, D. M., Leonard, B. R., Vernon, S., Dugan, E. P., Delquadri, J. C., Gershon, B.,†¦Folk, L. (1992). Journal of Applied and Behavior Analysis, 25 (2), 281-288. Keen, D. & Ward, S. (2004). Autistic spectrum disorder a child population profile. The National Autistic Society, 8 (1), 39-48. Koegel, L. K., Koegel, R. L., Hurley, C., & Frea, W. (1992). Improving social skills and disruptive behavior in children with autism through self-management. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25, 341-353. Smith, Tristram. (1999). Outcome of early intervention for children with autism. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice,6, (1), 33-49. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health. (2011). A parent’s guide to autism spectrum disorder (NIH Publication No. 11-5511). Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/a-parents-guide-to-autism-spectrum-disorder/complete-index.shtml#pub6 Watling, R., Deitz, J., Kanny, E. M., & McLaughlin, J. F. (1999). Current practice of occupational therapy for children with autism. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 53, 498–505. Werry, I., Dautenhahn, K., Ogden, B., & Harwin, W. (2001). Can social interaction skills be taught by a social agent? The role of a robotic mediator in autism therapy.

Perception of Organized Crime Essay

Organized crime has been defined as illegal acts committed by a criminal organization or group. The NCIS (2005) described organized crime as having 4 salient attributes: (1) organized crime group contains at least three people; (2) the criminal activity the group engages in is ongoing and indefinite in duration; (3) the group is motivated by a desire for profit or power; and, (4) the group commits serious criminal offenses (Lynman & Potter, 2007). There are different categories of organized criminal behavior. They include the provision of illicit services, provision of illicit goods, conspiracy to commit crime, penetration of legitimate business, extortion, and corruption. Illicit services are services that legitimate business do not provide. These services include but are not limited to gambling that is illegal, protection rackets, loan sharking, and prostitution. Illicit goods are also not available not available from legitimate businesses. Illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin are examples of illicit goods. Unregistered guns and stolen property are also examples of illicit goods. Conspiracy is an agreement between two or more people to violate the law. Conspiracy is a vital category of organized criminal behavior. Organized crime members often work together for the purpose of making money. They work together to sell drugs, stolen property, loan sharking, gambling, prostitution and other illegal activities they have going on within their organization. Organized crime organizations have no legal way to spend their profits so they must hide their revenue. They do this by penetrating legal businesses. Many of these crime organizations have businesses such as construction and contractors. Extortion is another category of organized crime. Many organized crime organizations use extortion to infiltrate legitimate businesses. Extortion is the use or threatened use of violence or force to achieve a criminal end (Lynman & Potter, 2007). Corruption is also a category of organized crime. Many of these organized crime groups could not  flourish if it wasn’t for for the aid of pubic and private figures such as police officers, judges, prosecutors, mayors, bankers, attorneys, and elected and appointed officials. Organized crime groups have different hierarchies. There is the standard hierarchy in which there is a single organized crime group which is led by a single powerful individual. These organizations have clearly defined roles, a readily identified chain of command, and a hierarchy that is designed to provide a strong system of internal discipline. Then there is the regional hierarchy. These hierarchies are tightly controlled groups with strong systems of internal discipline and clearly defined roles and lines of authority. Next there’s the clustered hierarchy. This is an organized crime group that involves a number of smaller organized crime groups that coordinate their activities and enterprises. There is also a core group. This is an unstructured group of organized criminal surrounded by a larger network of individuals engaged in serious criminal activity. Finally, there’s the criminal network. Criminal networks are loosely organized, highly adaptable, very fluid of networks of individual participants who organize themselves around ongoing criminal enterprise (Lynman & Potter, 2007). The perception I had of organized crime is different from what I read in week one. Before this week, I always associated the Mob or the Mafia with organized crime. I think this comes from the movies and television shows that I have watched. I described organized crime as a group of people working for a â€Å"boss† to break the law. I thought that there was one head and people reported to him. I did not know that there were different categories of organized crime. I always associated drug trafficking and murder for hire as organized crimes. The readings have helped me to understand what organized crime really is and who is or can be involved. Before now, I would have never associated corruption or extortion with organized crime. I ultimately believed that this was something that was made up for movies and TV shows such as The Godfather, Scarface, The Sopranos, and The Wire. Before watching The Wire, I only associated Italians with organized crime. The characteristics I believe are associated  with organized criminal behavior varies. First, all members of the organization are expected to live by a certain set of rules or a code. They should protect the organization and do what is asked of them by the leaders. I thought the characteristics of organized criminal behavior were similar to that of a gang. The people involved in organized crime may not wear a certain color or live in a certain area but they have the same goal in mind. Protect the group by any means necessary. They have to be loyal to the group, do what they are told by someone else, and do what it takes to make money or a profit for the group. After this first week of class my views on organized crime has changed drastically. I now have a better understanding of what organized crime is and a more knowledge on organized criminal groups. I can let go of all of the stereotypes I may have had and now understand that organized criminal organizations have one goal in mind, make a profit for the organization no matter if it is financial or political. References Lyman, M., & Potter, G. (2007). Understanding Organized Crime. Organized Crime (Fourth ed., pp. 1-38). New York: Pearson Education.

Is college For Everyone Essay

Since the first GI Bill was passed after World War II universities have been steadily increasing. Currently there are more than 4000 college like institutions in the United States. Public policy has been making higher education more reachable for example by creating federal student loan programs so everyone has a chance to attend college. But recently we have seen the cost of a four year degree drastically increase because Americans are seeing college as an obligation. â€Å"On â€Å"Real Education†Ã¢â‚¬  Robert T. Perry argues that we need more university and community college graduates. â€Å"Is College for Everyone† Pharinet is arguing that college is not for everyone. He states that there is too many students enrolled in school that don’t belong there. Roberts’s essay â€Å"On â€Å"Real Education†Ã¢â‚¬  is more persuasive because, not only did his writing appear on InsideHigherEd. com making him a more credible author but also because he argues his stance on college is for everyone using statistics and a believable explanation to back them up. The US Department of Labor has reported that America needs more college graduates to keep up with all the other nations in the global economy. Robert states that by the end of the presidents first term, which is already over, that The US will have 3 million more jobs that require bachelor’s degree and we don’t have enough college graduates to fill them. We need more health care workers, teachers, software engineers and manufacturing jobs, all of which require college. Those whom choose not to go to college have much fewer employment options. Robert makes a strong point when he says that American companies are looking for new ways to compete, and because of this without some sort of secondary degree you will have consistent struggle to pay for just the basic to live. Robert grabs the reader’s consideration through the use of pathos, saying that additionally people with postsecondary degrees tend to be more healthy, more engaged in their community, a decreased chance of being involved in crime, more productive throughout there working life, and even more philanthropic. Pharinet thinks that the most common issue with college is that students are not yet ready for the academic and financial challenges. He claims that students find themselves trying to work full time and do to school full time and before long students decide they need to work and drop their status to a part time student. Through the use of pathos Pharinet asks his readers to consider a very valid point, if college is for everyone then why do we rely on SAT scores and high school transcripts? And why doesn’t every school have an admissions policy? Then followed those questions with the answer that college is not for everyone. There is no real desire for learning. Individuals just go to college to earn a degree to settle down into a job with decent pay. Using pathos again Pharinet explains that when this kind of person enters the work force are they going to lack motivation in there career because of the only reason for wanting the career was for the money. When comparing these to essays, you can clearly see that there are two completely different beliefs. Robert believes that college is for everyone where Pharinet believes that college is not for everyone. Robert had a more persuasive argument because he established a good ethos, Robert uses facts and professional opinions to back his argument, whereas Pharinet uses his own personal opinions to create his blog. Robert uses much more logos then he does pathos, Pharinet used much more pathos then he did logos. Neither of the writings use firsthand experience, we don’t know whether or not Pharinet and Robert went to college. I found both the organization and use of evidence effective in both essays. Both essays use good strong points to back up their arguments and both essays were persuasive.