Government Spending & Budget Essays - Fiscal Policy,

Government Spending & Budget As many Federal departments and agencies lurch into an era of running without funds, the leaders of both parties of Congress are spending less and less time searching for a compromise to balance the budget, and more and more time deciding how to use it to their advantage on the campaign trail. Meanwhile money is easily borrowed to pay for government overhead. In an attempt to change this, on June 29, Congress voted in favor of HConRes67 that called for a 7 year plan to balance the Federal Budget by the year 2002 (Hager 1899). This would be done by incorporating $894 billion in spending cuts by 2002, with a projected 7 year tax cut of $245 billion. If this plan were implemented, in the year 2002, the U.S. Government would have the first balanced budget since 1969. There is doubt by citizens that a balanced budget will become reality. A recent Gallop Poll from January, 1996 showed the budget as the #1 concern among taxpayers, but 4/5 of those interviewed said they doubt the GOP will do the job (Holding 14). Meanwhile, an ABC poll from November reported that over 70% of those polled disapprove of the current performance by Congress, and most blamed politicians for failure to take action (Cloud 3709). These accusations of failure to follow through come with historical proof that Congress and Clinton have failed to compromise and resolve the issue. After all, current budget plans are dependent on somewhat unrealistic predictions of avoiding such catastrophes as recession, national disasters, etc., and include minor loopholes. History has shown that every budget agreement that has failed was too lax. One might remember the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings bill that attempted to balance the budget, but left too many exemptions, and was finally abandoned in 1990 (Weinberger 33). So after a pain-staking trial for GOP Republicans to create, promote, and pass their budget, as promised on campaign trail 94, Clinton rejected the very bill he demanded. This essentially brought the federal budget back to square one. Clinton thought such a demand on Republicans to produce a budget would produce inner-party quarrels and cause the GOP to implode. Instead, they produced a fiscal budget that passed both houses of Congress, only to be stalemated by a stubborn Democratic President Clinton. Meanwhile, Clinton bounced back with a CBO scored plan with lighter, less risky cuts to politically sensitive areas like entitlements. Clinton's plan also saved dollars for education and did not include a tax increase, but most cuts would not take effect until he is out of office, in the year 2001. Although Clinton is sometimes criticized for producing a stalemate in budget talks, the White House points out that the debt has gone down since Clinton took office, with unemployment also falling. Republicans are quick to state that Clinton originally increased taxes in 1993 and cut defense programs, but his overall plan was for an increasing budget without deficit reduction. Startling Facts about the budget: As of 1996, the national debt was at an all time high of $5 trillion dollars, with interest running at a whopping $250 billion per year (Rau M-1). This equals out to an individual responsibility of more than $50,000 per taxpayer. Nearly 90% of that debt has accumulated since 1970, and between 1980 and 1995, the debt grew by 500%. Currently, the debt grows by more than $10,000 per second (Rau M-l), and at current rates, a baby born in 1992 will pay 71% of his or her income in net taxes. At current rates, our government is about to reach its breaking point. If that's not enough to scare a taxpayer, by 2002, 60% of government spending will be for entitlements, and by 2012, these programs are projected to take up all government revenue (Dentzer 32). Not only economic development, but also family income is hurt by debt. With the cost of living going up, it becomes harder to find a job. According to the Concord Coalition, real wages peaked in 1973 and have gone down ever since. If the economy grew as fast as it did in 1950, without a debt, the median family income would be $50,000, compared to the present median

Teenage Drinking Essay

Teenage Drinking Essay Free Online Research Papers Although there has been a decrease in the percent of high school seniors that have used alcohol but still eighty percent of high school seniors have used alcohol. (The setting of adolescent alcohol and drug use. 1) Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) says â€Å"During a typical weekend, an average of one teenager each hour is in a car crash. Just about fifty percent of those crashes involve alcohol (1). A study was conducted with 449 juniors and seniors attending two Midwestern high schools between the ages of sixteen to nineteen. The study came across at all the different settings where adolescents use alcohol and drugs. They also looked at the emphasis gender and peer groups had on the place where consumption of alcohol and drugs occurs and settings where it is most likely to take place (Teenage Drinking in America. 1). Does the setting affect the use of alcohol and drugs by adolescents? Is that setting determined by what kind of an individual you are (i.e. jock, outcast, preps, and geeks)? Alcohol consumption differs universally between male and female but also across different age groups and of social status (Teenage Drinking in America. 2). 81% of boys and 83% of girls admitted to ever using alcohol in their lifetime. On the other hand 46% of boys and 41% of girls admitted to ever using marijuana in their lifetime (6). Social crowd association has been extremely foretelling of drug and alcohol use in adolescence (3). As anticipated the group that they called the â€Å"toughies† was related to a greater substance use than any other group (6). Brown says crowds are â€Å"reputation based collectives of similarly stereotyped individuals who may or may not spend time together (3).† Females were found to most likely report using alcohol at family parties and to a certain extent in their homes than male alcohol users (9). Drinking while driving, before school events, and on streets were more common than at home with parents and or guardians (3). According to MADD, the vast majority of young people (79%) say that being drunk is appealing because it feels good. Amongst the many other reasons given are relaxation and escape. Some teenagers use alcohol as an outlet for all the stress and problems in their life (The setting of adolescent alcohol and drug use. 1). Even though the numbers might be decreasing, the problem still remains. The misconception that alcohol is not a risky drug is only going to continue to increase the numbers of teenagers using alcohol (2). The social morays have changed to be acceptant of teenage drinking. Possibly this is one of the main reasons why alcohol use often turns into alcohol abuse at such an early age (1). Research Papers on Teenage Drinking EssayThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayHip-Hop is ArtStandardized TestingResearch Process Part One

Discuss the ethical issues in the Monsanto case Essay

Discuss the ethical issues in the Monsanto case - Essay Example Most cases, the company owned up its failures and strived to clean up in its attempt to safeguard its stakeholder interests. In its attempt to balance the stakeholder interests, Monsanto has often disregarded a number of ethical issues mostly in health, environmental and moral issues as the discussion below portrays. The company has a poor reputation owing to the number of scandals arising from the unethical techniques it employs in its operations. The debate around the suitability of genetically modified foods continues to jeopardize the activities of the company and its profitability given the fact that the company prides itself in the sale of such products. Genetically modified foods present a number of advantages to the society. Genetically modified substances mature faster and are resistant to both drought and pests. As such, genetic modification of foods is among the surest ways of enhancing the global food security (Gillam, 2009). Such arguments continue to enhance the profitability of the company since the company presents the answer to some of the world’s greatest concern. Food insecurity in Africa is of a major concern. Through consistent research on genetic modification of agricultural products, the company promises to develop plant and animal species that can help improve food security in the continent. While such beliefs continue to improve investor confidence on the company, Monsanto must continue employing ethical practices in order to safeguard the safety of the substances it develops. The company must address all the major concerns and doubts that people have on the safety and suitability of the genetically modified foods (Fraedrich, Ferrell & Ferrell, 2012). Another equally important ethical concern is environmental degradation. Global warming is a real threat to the safety of the earth. As such, the company must enhance the safety of its operations with the view to protecting the environment from such of the pollutant its produces. In

Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector Assignment

Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector - Assignment Example and literacy skills among the learners, educators must create a conducive environment that creates conditions for learning (Avis, Fisher & Thompson, 2009). Since learners are of varying backgrounds ranging from cultural to socio-economic backgrounds, educators must provide adequate support to the learners so as to attain the set standards. Additionally, Avis, Fisher & Thompson (2009), say that teaching numeracy and literacy skills is a complex process, and it is the role of the teachers to come up with methods that will suit the multilingual learners. This involves selecting resources and planning instructions so as to meet the high and low order skills in language learning (Avis, Fisher & Thompson, 2009). For teaching literacy and numeracy classes to be productive, educators must develop deep understanding of the main concepts and principles in literacy and numeracy. Avis, Fisher & Thompson (2009), emphasize on synthesizing, explaining, analyzing, evaluating and hypothesizing in the course of teaching multilingual learners. From the lessons I have been keen on, lessons plans presented by the centre, printed materials and articles, motivation of the learners cannot be ignored (Avis, Fisher & Thompson, 2009). In an event whereby the learners are motivated, they tend to engage in the learning tasks. Teachers can motivate the learners by creating a favourable learning environment through modelling, and in turn the learners take risks in engaging in class activities, so as to learn these skills. Since effectual learning of numeracy and literacy skills is based on evidence based research, educational systems must devise literacy and numeracy programs using reliable techniques (Avis, Fisher & Thompson, 2009). Teachers must always assess and evaluate the programs, so as to understand if the learners acquire the information taught in the classroom setting. Lastly, the educators must inculcate a culture of continuity in the learning process if numeracy and literacy

Digital Image Creation for Interactive Media Assignment

Digital Image Creation for Interactive Media - Assignment Example color, gradients, layers, object, brushes, history, actions, size, resolution; layers, e.g. copying, saving, arranging; flattening; colour selection, e.g. foreground, background, color swatch, eyedropper Advanced tools: effects, e.g. layer effects, filters, channels; image adjustments, e.g. brightness and contrast, hue and saturation, color balance, gradients, transparency, invert; masks; paths, e.g. vector paths, converting text to paths; image slicing 2. To publish gave a name to City Guide Monthly type. The Publication Name is not the same as the Name of the Folio. The Folio Name was visible on web client of Folio producer and Name of publication then was visible on the viewer. 4. Selected the (the Link URL found in the menu, and put address in the field of URL previously used). The URL was http://www.bikeworks.org/. I then deselected the Shared Hyperlink Destination. Selected OK. (Ayoub) 5. In the panel of Folio Builder, clicked twice on the Layout of the Landscape to see the document of Enjoy_h.indd. I copied and pasted object of the hyperlink from the vertical file (‘Enjoy-v.indd’) file to the horizontal file (‘Enjoy_h.indd file’) (Ayoub). I then shifted this object to the log of â€Å"D.I.Y. Meet† . 1. In the horizontal file, selected the File > Place, browsed the CityGuide_Folio > Enjoy Article > Folder links, and clicked twice on the image â€Å"cycling_432x234.mpg† (Ayoub) and shifted this movie file in the right most corner. 2. On the panel of the Media (Window > Interactive > Media), select Chose Poster pop-up menu image. Clicked twice on the Folio of City Guide image â€Å"cyclist.jpg† so that Enjoy Article > Links folder† (Ayoub) In conclusion, the creation of this interactive media was a success as the result was what was expected. The various tools employed in graphics design were applied in the right manner to give the intended

Relevance of mindfulness to developing interpersonal skills

Relevance of mindfulness to developing interpersonal skills Mindfulness as a psychological concept can be conceptualised as a present centred, non elaborative and non judgemental awareness in which all of the individuals sensations, feelings and thoughts that are present in their field of attention is taken account of and accepted (Bishop et al, 2004). Hargie (2006) states that behaviour that an individual pursues consciously can be said to be mindful, while automatic behaviour must be defined as mindless. Bishop et al go on to state that Mindfulness in contemporary psychology has been adopted as an approach for increasing awareness and responding skilfully to mental processes that contribute to emotional distress and maladaptive behaviour. (p.230). they suggest that operationalising the concept requires that the definition have two components, and that previous definitions do not adequately capture the nature of the concept. The first requires the individual to regulate their attentional mechanisms so that they focus on immediate and present experience, which will allow them to recognise internal events that occur in the present. This necessarily involves the individuals conscious awareness of their own feelings and thoughts as well as their surroundings. A result of this can be metacognitive abilities that allow them to control their powers of concentration. The second component of their definition of mindfulness requires the individual to adopt a certain kind of orientation towards their experience as they occur immediately, which will be characterised by openness, curiosity and acceptance. This orientation component requires the individual to accept their mindstream, to maintain a curious and open attitude, and to think in terms of different categories. Wiemann, Greene and Burleson (2003) note that within the context of interpersonal encounters, mindfulness implies increased attention to each individuals characteristics in new encounters. They suggest that this is particularly important in intercultural settings bec ause in these, it is more important to try to be prepared for unexpected behaviour from others. This essay will consider the relationship between mindfulness and interpersonal behaviour, including relationships as well as whether mindfulness can help people to improve their interpersonal skills. With regard to the relationship between mindfulness and interpersonal behaviour, Brown, Ryan and Creswell (2007) point out that research into the influence of mindfulness has only begun relatively recently, and has also focused largely on how it can enhance romantic relationships. For example, Welwood (1996) proposed that mindfulness encourages connection, closeness and attunement in these kinds of relationships. Goleman (2006) found that it can increase the individuals ability to pay attention to the content of their partners communication and also to be aware of their non-verbal behaviour and affective tone. Brown et al conclude that this scholarship suggests that mindfulness may promote interaction styles that support healthy relationship functioning and enhance overall relationship quality. (p. 225). Barnes et al (2007) used the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (Carlson Brown, 2005; Brown Ryan, 2003), a self-report measure of mindfulness, to look at the relationship between mi ndfulness and relationship satisfaction. They found that increased mindfulness on the scale predicted increased satisfaction in relationships as well as more capacity to respond to relationship stress in a constructive manner. The study was carried out in a sample of dating couples who were not distressed. One possible criticism is that the study relied on self report and there was a danger of participants responding to face validity in some of the questions. These concerns were addressed to a certain extent in a second study, using a paradigm of conflict discussion. The authors found that scores on the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale predicted lower scores of emotional stress to conflict. This effect in turn was explained by the fact that they experienced less emotional stress in advance of the discussion, indicating that mindfulness actually helps protect the couple from stress, and does not just have a simple buffering effect. Objective raters also found that mindfulness wa s associated with better quality of communication, which is consistent with Tickle Degnan and Rosenthals (1990) finding that sustained attention in social exchanges is essential for rapport to be established. More generally, Baer et al (2006) fount that there was a positive association between mindfulness and aspects of emotional intelligence, which are related to improved social skills (see also Brown Ryan, 2003). This can lead to better perspective taking, response patterns that are cooperative and increased satisfaction in marital partners (Schutte et al, 2001). Brown and Kasser (2005; see also Brown Ryan, 2003; 2004) found that mindfulness as measured by the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale had a positive association with, or even predicted, a sense of interpersonal closeness and relatedness. This suggests that mindfulness plays a role in supporting social connections, which can be considered a fundamental psychological need (Deci Ryan, 1991). However, this proposition m ust be tested and confirmed by further research. Furthermore, incipient intervention studies also support the notion that mindfulness has a beneficial role in relationships. Carson et al (2004) adapted the extant Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programme (Kabat Zinn, 1982) to a couples based intervention, which was named Mindfulness Based Relationship Enhancement. They found that, compared to control couples, those who undertook the intervention showed significantly increased partner acceptance, autonomy, and relationship satisfaction, and significantly reduces relationship and personal distress. These results held both post-test and at a follow up carried out three months later. All couples in the study were non distressed. This indicates that increased mindfulness can lead to positive outcome in terms of interpersonal behaviour. Burgoon, Berger and Waldron (2000)argue that in order to properly consider how mindfulness can help to address social issues, it is necessary to specify the features that characterise the communication context, the individuals communicating, or the messages being communicated that have the potential to increase mindfulness. Langer (1978) and subsequent authors (e.g. Hewes Graham, 1989; Schul Burnstein, 1998) have identified a number of situations that prompt individuals to exhibit more thoughtful behaviour. These include new situations, new formats for communication, and situations that are uninvolving. Waldron (1997) went on to study conversations and found that some of the proposed mindfulness prompts were indeed manifested therein. Conversations that included this kind of behaviour had associated patterns of behaviour that included more questioning, longer turns taken in the conversation, calls for evidence to be given and more interruption, which all indicate that efforts are b eing made to take control of the situation. However, it should be noted that this approach may not necessarily be considered the best for systematically examining the use of mindfulness prompts due to the fairly small number of conversations that were recorded. Dekeyser et al (2008) also looked at the relationship between mindfulness and interpersonal performance and feelings. Firstly, they looked at the factor structure and reliability of a mindfulness measure, the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (Baer et al, 2004), which is also based on self report. They used a sample of Psychology students and parents, all of whom spoke Dutch. They were able to replicate Baer et als finding in terms of the four factors that underlie mindfulness, which are characterised as Describe, Observe, Accept without Judgement and Act with Awareness. These were invariant through the samples tested, and all of these aspects of mindfulness displayed positive associations with self expression during a variety of social situations. Additionally, an increased tendency towards mindful observation was correlated with higher levels of empathy. The other factors of acting with awareness, acceptance without judgement and mindful description were correlated with more accurate description and identification of emotions and feelings, lowered social anxiety, increased body satisfaction and lowered contagion of distress. Thus, this study indicates that several factors, many of which are highly personal in nature, are associated with aspects of mindfulness. This further strengthens the notion that high levels of mindfulness are associated with a number of positive psychological outcomes, although the nature of this relationship is not clear. It must be remembered that correlation in no way infers causation and it is possible that mindfulness exerts more of a moderating or mediating effect. Furthermore, mindfulness may have some clinical applications, such as the relatively recent use of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, which is a treatment programme that was originally devised in order to help to manage chronic pain (Kabat Zinn, Lipworth et al, 1987; Kabat Zinn, Lipworth Burney, 1985). The treatment programme is presently used in order to help to reduce the psychological morbidity that comes along with chronic illnesses, as well as in the treatment of behavioural and emotional disorders (Kabat Zinn, 1998). Bishop (2002) has pointed out that the use of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction has increased in terms of popularity despite the fact that there has been no rigorous scientific evaluation of the treatment programme. However, clinical trials have begun to be carried out. Reibel, Greenson et al (2001) found significant reductions of psychological morbidity in patients with a medical illness using the programme (see also Carlson, Ursuliak et al, 2001; Speca, Carlso n et al, 2000). Williams, Kolar et al (2001) also found that Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction helped to increase individuals psychological well being and mitigate stress in samples that were not clinical (see also Shapiro, Schwartz Bonner, 1998; Astin, 1997). In conclusion, the nature of mindfulness is complex and appears to have two separate but interconnected components; attention and orientation. Mindfulness is related to interpersonal behaviour because it can promote styles of interaction that lead to improved social behaviour and can also have a positive influence on relationships with others. Indeed, the research indicates that mindfulness can have a protective capacity against social stress, although how it does this is not yet clear. Furthermore, early research indicates that interventions that encourage mindfulness can not only reduce stress following illness, but can also have positive impacts on interpersonal relationships. Although the field is relatively young, research is showing more and more positive aspects of mindfulness for interpersonal skills and behaviour. One possible future direction for research would be the development of a more objective way of measuring mindfulness. At present, most studies rely on self-report, which is influenced by the participants concept of themselves. Exploratory studies looking for other indices of mindfulness, perhaps using galvanic skin response, event related potentials or functional magnetic resonance imaging may be of use.

Patron-Artist Relations in the Renaissance :: essays research papers fc

Patron-Artist Relations in the Renaissance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The subject of artist-patron relations has been a touchy one since the beginning of the phenomenon. Nowadays it does not take such great precedence, as the artist leans more toward a personal, individual type of art typical of freelance. Serious commissions exist only in public art and architecture, where the needs and feelings of a large group are considered. Artist and patron must work out a compromise as to what is acceptable and also respects the aims of the artist. The patron in this case generally has the last word, as demonstrated by Richard Serra’s â€Å"Tilted Arc† controversy in the mid-80s where the artist’s piece was actually removed from its site because of public objection. However, nowadays the artist is insured against such damages, which was not the case in the beginning of the Renaissance, when artists were just starting to make a name for themselves. At this time, artists still depended greatly on patronage for a living and fought to distinguish themselves from the guild system. They still succumbed to religious guidelines and subject matter which generally limited their exploration of more personal means of expression, but with the rise of secular art collectors such as the Medici, we see a more modern artist-patron relationship emerging. By so distinguishing themselves in their field, patrons gave them certain leeway in commissions. Patrons and artists worked together, the patron outlining material, size, and general subject matter, but leaving aesthetic decisions concerning composition up to the best judgment of the artist--- the master--- himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although there is evidence of a lord-servant type of relationship between the patron and artist in several documents--- Domenico Venenziano writes to a lead Florentine patron, speaking of his â€Å"low condition† and how â€Å"duty-bound† he is to the patron ; Matteo de’ Pasti writes to his patron about specific details concerning the subject matter of a work, referring to himself as the patron’s â€Å"least servant† who wishes to obey his â€Å"master† ; Fra Filippo Lippi writes to Cosimo de’ Medici that he is â€Å"here entirely to be a slave to you† --- one must remember that Italy was still working out final kinks in a new middle-class-minded capitalist system, and dredges of the medieval system of feudalism still influenced aristocratic patrons. The artist could be building up trust and good relations so that he may be referred to other commissions and