The Issue Of Gun Control Essay - 1499 Words

In the United States, more people die from guns than from car accidents. In 2016 alone, there have been 1,622 accidental shootings and 515 of those shootings have involved children (Barone 1). As of 2009, there has been 310 million handguns circulating the United States (Barone 1). This is why the topic of gun rights has slowly become one of the most popular and controversial topics in today s society. The big problem regarding gun rights is that the nation is split when it comes to wehter or not gun control should be enforced. Some believe that it is a constitutional right to be able to bear guns in order to protect themselves and their loved ones. Others believe that citizens shouldn t be able to carry weapons because it just leads to problems. We must take action and enforce gun control in order to help solve this country’s gun dilemma. In the United States, 11 states allow open carry without requiring any type of permit or license. 13 other states allow open carry, but with restrictions. So in 24 states citizens are able to carry guns in public (NRA-ILA 1). It s not surprising that over 20,000 deaths have come from a result from these relaxed gun laws. In contrast, a country like Japan who has stricter gun control laws, has only had 11 gun related deaths in 2008 (Fisher 2). Think about that, a country that prides itself in being one of the safest countries in the world has more than 10 times the amount of gun related deaths when compared to Japan. In Japan youShow MoreRelatedGun Issue And Gun Control1401 Words   |  6 PagesUniversity, Gun Politics has been a course I have aspired to take. While many enroll in such a course looking for an escape from the â€Å"collegiate liberal echo chamber† or as an outlet for their conservative agendas, I saw the class as an â€Å"entrance to the dark side.† My views on guns prior to the class were, I would call, polarized yet uninformed. In most of my discussions, I would cite the Australian 1996 National Firearms Agreement as precedent for how American politicians should approach the gun issueRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control Essay1646 Words   |  7 Pagessomebody who wants to inflict harm on other people to get his or her hands on a gun.† (Simple Minded Gun Control). Gun control is a controversial issue worldwide. The reason why this has attracted so much attention is because not everyone is in favor of gun control and each side brings up excellent points about th e issue. Research related to this issue strongly supports the claim that there SHOULD be more gun control laws. Three arguments that prove this position are (1) Incidents like Sandy HookRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1489 Words   |  6 Pagessplit on the issue of gun control. We have seen many violent shootings and innocent people dying because of gun violence. Some Americans believe we need strict gun laws to protect our children and ourselves from these horrific tragedies. Other Americans believes it is our rights as Americans to posses’ guns and we are entitled to that right in our constitution. There are also some Americans that are stuck in the middle and can see both sides but recent events have definitely caused this issue to be inRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1031 Words   |  5 Pagesintegrate them in a way that will trigger a new viewpoint on the subject. Gun control is something that should be enforced across the world in order to save lives. In the United States there is a ratio of 88.8 guns per one hundred persons (GunPolicy.org). Those numbers award us with the highest total per capita number in the world. With that amount of firepower there needs to be an efficient way to regulate who exactly can purchase a gun. Since 1791 when the second amendment was ratified there have beenRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1705 Words   |  7 Pagesaway without preface or reason. All someone needs to do is pull the trigger. In today’s world, guns are far too accessible to the people of society. We hear in the news, stories of mass shootings, homicides, and suicides; most of which are caused by the activation of a gun. A hot-button issue, gun control is one of the most debated topics in American politics. Should we, or should we not, be able to own guns? Although it infringes on the Second Amendment that provides the right to bear arms, this amendmentRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control951 Words   |  4 PagesGun control has been a big top ic for the past decade in the united states. These debates will rise and fall time in and time out after something horrific happens in the state. Anti-Gun supporters do not realize that it is extremely difficult to regulate something in the states that is a big portion of our economy.Would stricter gun laws change anything? So far statistically It has been proven otherwise one must consider how a citizen would defend themselves when they are faced with terror. How willRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control929 Words   |  4 PagesGun Control Getting arrested yesterday was not the highlight of my week. I was hungry; so I went to Wal-Mart get some charcoal, lighter fluid, and steak. I put the charcoal in the grill and the lighter fluid on the coals. I got a little lighter fluid on my arm, but I didn’t pay it much attention. I lit the match and threw it on the coals. I looked down and my sleeve was on fire. I was waving my arm in the air, trying to put it out. Then here they come the police pulled in and tackled me to theRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1552 Words   |  7 PagesThe issue of gun is always controversial. Firearm can be used as defending or an assaulting weapon. In United States, firearm increase the rate of homicide, suicide and gun violence, which can harm and murder people. Moreover, taking away people’s gun will not work effectively because the murder and criminal will find another ways to get guns. Also, the black market will appear for the people who cannot get guns from regulated market s. In addition, if regulated guns are banned, murderers may useRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1678 Words   |  7 PagesJanuary 2014 The 2nd Amendment Over the past few years, the issue of gun control has been widely discussed. You surely have heard the phrase, â€Å"Guns don’t kill people, people kill people† uttered and i wholeheartedly support this statement. It is important to treat guns responsibly so they do not end up in the wrong hands. I believe gun control violates our inalienable rights. Another piece of our liberty will surely be taken away if guns are banned, and socialism and totalitarianism will be rightRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1208 Words   |  5 PagesWill Christopherson Traverson English 2 1 March 2017 Gun Control The United States has 88.8 guns per 100 people, or about 270,000,000 guns, which is the highest total and per capita number across the globe. The current public gun control debate in the United States seems to be placed on standby until it is sparked up by a major mass shooting. There were at least 126 mass shootings between January 2000 and July 2014.(pro). Opponents of more gun laws accuse supporters of using a horrific event to further

Biography of Sandra Cisneros - 1459 Words

The role of strong female roles in literature is both frightening to some and enlightening to others. Although times have changed, Sandra Cisneros’ stories about Mexican-American women provide a cultural division within itself that reflects in a recent time. The cultural themes in Cisneros’s stories highlight the struggle of women who identify with Mexican-American heritage and the struggle in terms of living up to Mexican culture – as a separate ethnic body. The women in Sandra Cisneros’ stories are struggling with living up to identities assigned to them, while trying to create their own as women without an ethnic landscape. In Sandra Cisneros’ stories â€Å"Woman Hollering Creek: and â€Å"Never Marry a Mexican† the role of female identities that†¦show more content†¦Cleofila was brought into the United States from Mexico not speaking English and living only as a house wife and a dedicated fan of her novelas – soap operas. She is mistreated by her husband, and Cisneros writes the following about her: â€Å"Cleà ³Ã¯ ¬ las thought her life would have to be like that, like a telenovela, only now the episodes got sadder and sadder. And there were no commercials in between for comic relief. And no happy ending in sight. Everything happened to women with names like jewels. But what happened to a Cleà ³Ã¯ ¬ las? Nothing. But a crack in the face† (Cisneros, 396). This story centers on two characters, Cleofilas and Felice, a Mexican-American – a strong woman who drives her own truck and isn’t married. This is duly noted because it means that she is independent of a man. This is the key difference between Cleofilas and Felice: Felice embraces her freedom as a woman, and can go freely from Mexican and Anglo/American culture. Cleofilas is stuck under the abusive thumb of her husband and struggles to be free behind the fantasies of her novellas. â€Å"‘Woman Hollering Creek’ thus opens up gender definitions on all sides to the fluidity of border existence† (Wyatt, 244). The story explores both the strained role on Mexican and Chicano women, as well as the freedom that she can experience as a woman – as a woman in any place. Woman is newly defined between Felice and Cleofilas, because Cleofilas learns that there is life beyond her abuse and her fantasies. SheShow MoreRelatedEssay on Sandra Ciseneros563 Words   |  3 PagesSandra Ciseneros It was a cold and windy day, a perfect day to uncover secrets and truths about writers I had heard of, but new little about. I entered the library to escape the weather and lose myself in books about Sandra Ciseneros and the characters she creates in her poems and stories. I began my search at a computer resource station, and then absorbed myself in the materials it provided, which were biographies, criticisms, and the works of Cisneros. Initially, the computer resourceRead MoreSandra Cisneros and Hughes Analysis1575 Words   |  7 Pageswill always be around. Writer inspiration seems to come from firsthand accounts and experiences, at least that is the case with Sandra Cisneros, a Chicana writer, and Langston Hughes, and African American poet. When reading their stories the reader can identify how different life experiences have influenced and inspired them to write the way they do. Analyzing Sandra Cisneros and Langston Hughes, and pieces of their writing will demonstrate how similar their writing is, how minority discrimination,Read More A Comparison of Bless Me Ultima and The House on Mango Street2154 Words   |  9 PagesRudolfo Anayas Bless Me Ultima(1972) and Sandra Cisneros The House on Mango Street(1984) explore syncretism and how it enhances and exemplifies the issue of ambivalent behavior in regards to the combined use of Native and Christian religions. In Bless Me Ultima and The House on Mango Street, syncretism is displayed through the actions of both novels to show that syncretism is the bridge of ambivalence. Syncretism in context of Anaya and Cisneros novels, merge Christianity and Native AmericanRead MoreThe House On Mango Street By Sandra Cisneros1854 Words   |  8 Pages The Street That Changed a Life The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, displays a great emphasis on culture and people helping form a young girl into a young lady. The main character, Esperanza, has to navigate a mentally and physically challenging life growing up in a poor, Hispanic neighborhood while still learning how to mature and rise above the poverty that surrounds her. Thus, the question arises: in what way and to what extent does close human interaction change Esperanza’s life

Gender Issues In Antigone Essay Example For Students

Gender Issues In Antigone Essay Gender Issues in AntigoneOne of the most devastating problems forthe Classical Greeks was the womens issue. Women in Classical Greece werenot citizens, held no property, and indeed were not even allowed out ofthe house except under guard. Their status differed from that of the slavesof Greece only in name. This alone, however was not a problem the problemwas that the Greeks knew, in their hearts, that this was wrong. Indeed,their playwrights harangued them about it from the stage of Athens continually. All of the great Grecian playwrights Sophocles, Euripedes, Aristophenes dealt with the womens issue. All of them argued, in their various ways,that the women of Greece were not nearly as incapable and weak as the culturebelieved them to be. All of them created female characters of strengthand intelligence. But in Antigone, the discussion reached its peak. Antigoneherself, as she stands upon the Grecian stage, represents the highest idealsof human life courage and respect for the gods. A woman, she is neverthelessthe exemplum for her society. But how are we to know this? Does the authorlet the audience know that it is Antigone herself, not Creon, the noble-eyedimperator (453), who is to be believed? It is almost inconceivable thatthe audience would be meant to ignore Creons apparently skillful arguments,for he appears to represent all that the Athenian should strive for. Hestands for obedience to the State. Surely it is his voice we should obey. Sophocles does let us know where the truthlies, and he does this, amazingly, partly through his characterizationof Creon. Though Creon seemingly says intelligent things, there are cluesthat he is not to be trusted. One would be his discussion of incest withIsmene. Torn between her duty to God and her duty to the State, Ismene,in the third act, has run to Creon, planning to tell him of Antigonesactions in the graveyard: O, not for me the dusty hair of youth, / Butlet us now unto the palace go (465), she cries. But Creon, ignoring thesupposedly important information she has to tell he has, after all,emptied the Theban coffers, spending money on his advanced spy networkin search of the miscreant asks her, instead, to come home with him. How long, O Princess, O! How long! he states, suggesting a time for theirnext meeting: Upon the hour of noon, or / Not upon the hour of six. Tosuch a pass has the doomed line of Oedipus come. It is clearly his faultthat Ismene throws herself into the sea outside Thrace. Of course, it is Ismenes suicide thatis the springboard for the rest of the action. She has shown herself tobe all that the Athenian society desires her to be: obedient, pretty, sweet-tempered, and dead but it is not enough. Obedience has gotten the statenowhere, and women nowhere, and outside the walls of the city, the deadare still being buried at alarmingly fast rates, quicker, almost, thanCreon can dig them up. Antigone solves the whole problem. Thoughshe is, indeed, like Ismene, both pretty and dead at the end, she neverthelessprovides a clear example of what women can do when they are trusted withpower, rather than kept at home. For it is her newly formed womens rightsgroup, based on the Lysistratan model, which creates the only solutionto the Theban problem. Though Antigone herself is dead by the time thegroup comes up with their stunningly simple plan, it it her legacy whichinforms the decision. Not upon the dead nor yet / Upon the living basethy worth (521), the Theban women cry, and upon their creation of a newburial ground, neither within the city, nor without, but within the wallsof the city itself, they alone stop the civil war which threatens Thebes. .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 , .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 .postImageUrl , .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 , .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5:hover , .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5:visited , .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5:active { border:0!important; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5:active , .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5 .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u806d1384065be536d82a4c65c63262a5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Simon birtch EssayTheir ingenious solution provides a liminal space for the disgraced familyof the late king, Oedipus. And the final scene, wherein the entire familyjoins Antigone, buried within the walls of Thebes, creates a physical metaphorof bonding and solidity. The traitor brother Polynices, the depressed sisterIsmene, the political firebrand Antigone, joined with their uncle Creonand their hot-tempered cousin and his mother, all are together at lastin harmony, united in the purpose of the defense of their beloved cityagainst the Spartan onslaught, a sort of spiritual and physical mortarto the defensive structure. It is no wonder that Antigone, the prizewinner of the Athenian festival in which it was performed, captured notonly the prize but also the hearts of the Athenians. Clearly, they recognizedthemselves in the stage city of Thebes, and recognized as well the importanceof the message of the play, and its relevance to their own situation. Andindeed, had it not been for the movement which followed the productionof the play, in which the Athenian women were liberated from their near-slavestatus, Athens would most probably have lost the war with Sparta. Onlythe newly liberated women of Athens, bedecked with citizen status, womanningthe walls of Athens, kept the Spartans out, in the last battle of the war,in a stirring reproduction of the end scene of Antigone, this time withlive, rather than dead, defenders. The play provides us with a useful exampleof the importance of literature to society, and an important message forour own time.

Poly

Abstract It is projected that poly-substance abuse is the major cause of depression because there are high chances that a depressed individual is a frequent user of poly-substances. Poly-substance abuse forces people to abandon their social roles, which lead to depression. This paper looks at the ways in which poly-substance abuse is related to depression.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Poly-Substance Abuse in Adolescent Males with Depression specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The paper looks at the way in which poly-substance abuse brings about depression in adolescent males. The essay suggests a quantitative study that would be critical in gathering relevant data related to the relationship between depression and drug abuse. In the subsequent section, the proposal suggests a data analysis method that uses statistics Introduction Poly-substance abuse in adolescent males with depression is common in many societies. Winters and Latimer (2004) conducted a study, which established that poly-substance abuse affects all ethnic groups meaning that it does not affect only certain cultural groupings. This quantitative study focuses on the relationship between poly-substance abuse in adolescent males and depression. By definition, poly-substance abuse refers to the patterned intake of a substance (drug) that is usually taken either in large or small quantities. The substance has the ability to affect the behavior and actions of individuals. The substance is usually used illegally using unapproved methods meaning that it would definitely change the attitude of the individual. It should be noted that poly-substance abuse is not restricted to those that change the mood of the individual or those that activate the psychological processes. Athletes are usually reported to using drugs that stimulate their muscles and give them additional energy. This is also considered drug abuse because it change s the functioning of the body and the brain, which affects the psychological processes. Ksir (2002) observed that the use of illicit drugs such as narcotics, stimulants, and depressants are some of the examples of poly-substance abuse. Poly-substance abuse is directly related to depression because those who use drugs are always miserable as compared to non-users of drugs. People suffer emotionally due to the intake of illicit drugs. For instance, athletes are usually snatched their medals due to suspicion of poly-substance abuse. Research gaps in literature, which is related to the relationship between substance abuse and depression, exist. Problem Statement In human life, there are moments that an individual feels confused and sad. This is a normal feeling, but its persistence is considered a sign of depression. Depression occurs when a male adolescent loses something that he values so much in his life. Sometimes, an adolescent could be depressed after going through a stressful eve nt or event.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More At times, depression affects the normal life of the adolescent male because he cannot execute his duties in a way that befits him. This may lead to a psychological disorder referred to as the major depressive disorder (MDD), also referred to as clinical depression. Therefore, there is need of establishing the extent at which poly-substance abuse is related to depression. It is clear that adolescent males engage in poly-substance abuse because of a number of reasons. Depression is the major cause because many feel frustrated to an extent of engaging in poly-substance abuse as a way of reducing stress. Statement of Purpose A number of studies have been conducted to ascertain the relationship between poly-substance abuse and depression. Each study has been focusing on particular groups, depending on the choice of the researcher. In t his proposal, the effects of poly-substance abuse in adolescent males would be evaluated. The main purpose of the proposal is to suggest a relevant method that would achieve desired results. The proposal gives some of the articles that would be critical in understanding the relationship between poly-substance abuse and depression in adolescent males. Apart from suggesting some of the articles in the literature review section, the proposal suggests a quantitative method that will utilize the questionnaires in gathering relevant data. The use of questionnaire enables the researcher to collect adequate information that is relevant to the study. In doing this, the proposal seeks to answer a number of questions, including the following: Is poly-substance abuse the only cause of depression among male adolescents? To what extent does substance abuse influence the behavior of an individual What are some of the substances that the adolescent males frequently abuse Hypothesis Male adolescen ts go through various challenges, one of them being poly-substance abuse, which affects their behavior and mood. Poly-substance abuse is a major cause of depression in adolescent males because it affects their psychological and social processes. This causes depression because the adolescent might not be able to achieve the expected results owing to poly-substance abuse. Literature review Depression is the most crucial aspect that makes young males to indulge in poly-substance abuse. Male adolescents express their depression in various ways. Poly- substance abuse lowers an individual’s level of judgment making him or her to indulge in risky behaviors such as premarital sex or even becoming homosexual an aspect that increases their risk to diseases such as HIV/AIDS among others.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Poly-Substance Abuse in Adolescent Males with Depression specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the studies that Boys, Marsden, and Strang conducted in 2000 concluded that poly-substance abuse has a tremendous effect on the life of young males. The study utilized a snowball sampling technique to reach at the conclusion. The respondents noted that some of the commonly abused substances include alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine. The majority of the participants confirmed that they had actually utilized the above substances to fulfill their measured substance use functions. In another study conducted by Huba and Lisa (2000), it was established that poly-substance abuse increases the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. In their study, young Hispanic males were more likely to abuse poly-substances while the Native American females were prone to poly-substance abuse. Moreover, the study established that those who abuse drugs are likely to engage in unprotected sex, which predisposes them to the risks of contracting HIV. It is noteworthy that their research results are representative of findings in clinical gay-bisexual male adolescents and may not hold for the same group of male adolescents in the general societal setting. Additionally, different ethnic groups exhibit varying frequencies of the involvement of depressed adolescent boys in poly-substance abuse. This was established through a study carried out by Winters and Latimer (2004) in their attempt to find the relationship between Alcohol and other drugs abused in adolescent boys from different ethnic groups in the U.S. Poulin (2004) and other scholars investigated the relationship between depression and poly-substance abuse in male adolescents in the four Atlantic provinces of Canada as far as gender is concerned. Poulin’s sample consisted of 12,771 students in both junior and high schools of the public schools in the four provinces. They found out that adolescent males were consistently at a higher risk of depressive symptoms, depressive disorders since they tend to internalize their problems more than others do. According to their study, the prevalence of very elevated symptoms among male adolescents was 8.6% while that of the males was 2.6%. However, male adolescents are at a greater risk of substance use disorders than the adolescent females. Poulin (2004) found out that different substances are used at different rates among male adolescents with depression. The findings were similar to those of Nolen-Hoeksema’s (2001) who carried out a study to describe how the different genders have different experiences as far as stress in male adolescents is concerned. They identified most of the abused substances among male adolescents. They include alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They associated the increased use of these substances with an increasing probability of depressive disorder. They also noted that smoking was the least controllable substance among the males. They established that depressive symptoms and disorder are the major predictors of smoking uptake not only in adolescence but also in adulthood. Early onset smoking poses a greater risk for severe depression symptoms than later onset smoking. On the other hand, cannabis abuse was associated with males with had a history of depression disorder. An approximated 16% of those who had used cannabis at least once in their life were diagnosed with depression compared to 6% of the male adolescents who had never used cannabis. They also found out that most of the students had depression symptoms while others already had depression disorder but they had not received much help form the society. Only 10.3% reported that they had received help for depression. Their findings show that for the different level s of depression only 12% of the students with somewhat elevated depressive symptoms had received help so was 22% of the students who had very elevated depressive symptoms. Major depression is one of the most common and serious disorders among male adolescents. The estimated prevalence of the disorder is between 2.8% and 8.2%. Depressed adolescents are highly vulnerable to poly substance abuse such as engagement in multiple illegal activities (Poulin 2004). No study proves that defective genes cause major depressive disorder. However, a relationship between genetic makeup and susceptibility to major depression disorder exits. This is based on the idea that some families are known to commit suicide while others have the ability of handling stress very well. In one of the studies performed on twins, a relationship between genetics and major depression disorder was eminent (Smoller, Sheidley, Tsuang, 2008). It is anticipated that the genetic code will soon link substitutions of persona l bases to an individual’s DNA. So far, at least five studies have proved that the etiology of major depressive disorder is genetic. The studies show that heritability is prevalent in women as compared to men. Moreover, heritability level is high for individuals who are exposed to similar conditions as their parents. Individuals who are exposed to diverse experiences have high chances of suffering from depression as compared to those who live under stable conditions. In the family system, the behavior of parents affect heritability of depression since one of the studies established that an approximated 38% of individuals suffered from depression inherited from their parents (Zeanah, 2009). The study further found out that the behavior of parents, as well as their genes could influence the rate at which an individual suffers from depression. Methodology Sampling This study will obtain its sample from three schools in the United States. Those sampled would be 102 male adolescen ts aged between 14 and 19. A sample of approximately 102 adult males will be recruited for this study. To recruit young adolescents with different levels of depression, the researcher would obtain membership information from community based organizations and the school administration located in the three schools selected for this study. The eligibility criteria would include individuals who are over the age fourteen, but below 19 years, English speakers, adolescent males, and not currently engaging in effective stress management programs. The participants would be recruited through a process of practical mail (Hughes, 1997). Therefore, a convenience sampling technique would be the most applicable sampling method since the participation in the study will be voluntarily. After completion of the baseline assessment, participants will be assigned to a group that demonstrates very frequent poly-substance abuse, frequent depression, and frequent underperformance, indicated by the school a uthorities (Krathwohl, 2004). Assessment/Survey PCL-M will be used in this study. It is a self-report measure, which is easy to use given the fact that it can be completed within a short time. The assessment instrument is so effective when it comes to establishing the emotional states of individuals. The reactions of the respondents would be measured on a Linkert scale whereby scores would be compared with those in the scale (Hunter, Leahey, 2008). The survey instrument will have a number of questions that would be aiming at collecting critical information regarding the emotional states of male poly-substance users. The Linkert scale will run from 0-20, with scores of 10-20 indicting high rate of depression while scores of 0-10 will indicate low depression rates among respondents (Diriwà ¤chter, Valsiner, 2006). Respondents with high depression rates according to the Linkert scale will be cross-examined to establish the factors with relevant correlation to poly-substance abuse. M easures Independent Varibale In this study, young male adolecent’s demographic characteristics such as age and education were identified as the major control varibales. Age is a very important control variable because it helps in explaining the rationality of the response. The level of education plays a critical role in determining the skills and specialization of an individual, which encourages him to engage in poly-substance abuse (Andrzej, Buchaman, 2007). Physical health will be one of other independent variable to be measured in this study, which will be measured using the self-rated health meaning that respondents would be requested to rate their health. Some of the options will include excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor. A model variable will be formed to stand for fair/poor self rated physical health. This model variable will also be included in data analysis. Mental health will be captured using the yes/no question. Dependent Variables Poly-substance use wil l be one of the dependent varibales that the study will be seeking to measure. It is a contnuous varibale consiting of various substabces such as alcohol and other illicit drugs. However, it does not include tobbaco. The variable will be constructed by first dichotomizing substances through reviewing the regularity of use in the last thirty days. These dichotomous measures would then be summed to generate a count of the number of substances abused by the male adolescents over thirty days. The response series for this variable will be from 0-7. Data Analysis Data analysis refers to the process of transforming raw data into refined useful information that can be of use to people. Before settling on a method of data analysis, it is important that a clear data analysis approach be developed. The research can take quantitative, qualitative, or categorical approach. This research took a quantitative approach. Depending on the type and accuracy needed, data analysis can take a simple descr iptive form or a more complex statistical inference. The technique used in the analysis can be univariate analysis, bivariate analysis or multivariate analysis. In selecting the appropriate method, a researcher should ensure that assumptions relating to the method are satisfied. In analyzing the collected data, the researcher will use appropriate statistical data analysis tools such as descriptive and inferential statistics in analyzing quantitative data. In relation to the quantitative analysis, the most commonly used sets of statistics include mean, frequencies, standard deviation, median, and percentages. The researcher will code and enter the quantitative data into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). Using SPSS, the researcher will use cross tabulation to present the information. The tabulation would help give a clear picture of the impact of drug abuse on the psychological health of an individual. The researcher will also use descriptive statistics such a s mean, standard deviation, percentage, and frequencies to describe the properties of the target population. Further, the researcher will use tables, figures, and charts to present the findings of the study. Because the research entails determination of the impact of drug abuse on the emotional wellbeing, there will be some form of comparison. The comparison will be done on how depression changes the attitudes of individuals. Correlation analysis would be important to make this a success. Consequently, chi-square tests would be utilized to evaluate the hypotheses. Inferential statistics like chi-square tests help to test whether the observed relationships between the variables are genuine. The statistical significance level used in the research is 0.05 indicating whether the observed association occurred by chance in 5 out of 100 results. Chi-square is the mainly utilized measure of association in social science investigation, being appropriate for utilization on ostensible, ordinal , hiatus, and relational data. In this study, the hypothesis would be proved through data analysis. It would be prudent to show that a group with very high level of poly-substance abuse has higher level of depression while the group with low level of poly-substance abuse has low level of depression. Data analysis process would follow data assessment and organization of scores. An average score of perceived depression for each group would be provided by calculating the central tendency. In this regard, the mean would be calculated. Moreover, the median would also be calculated just in case there would be outliers in the data collected. Once the results of the central tendency are obtained for each group, the correlations between the frequency of poly-substance abuse and perceived depression level would be obtained. The most common graph used to show the relationship between pairs of data is a scatter plot (Warren, Denley, Atchley, 2008). There would be need to identify the variables in order to create the scatter plot. Therefore, the independent variable in the case of this study would be frequency of poly-substance abuse. The dependent variable is the perceived level of depression. After creating a scatter plot for each group, the researcher would be able to determine whether he follows the positive slope pattern, negative slope pattern, or a straight line. Furthermore, the researcher would measure the strength of a linear relationship by calculating the correlation coefficient (r). In order to compute r, the researcher will utilize the formula NÃŽ £XY – (ÃŽ £X) (ÃŽ £Y) √ ([NÃŽ £X2 – (ÃŽ £X) 2] [NÃŽ £Y2 – (ÃŽ £Y) 2]) or TI -84 Finally, the researcher would determine the statistical significance for the two variables for each group. The level of significance of 5% (0.05) would be used since it is normally utilized in psychology (Warren, Denley, Atchley, 2008). Expected Analysis This study will utilize the questionnaire in collecting information from respondents regarding poly-substance in adolescent males with depression. Analysis is expected to confirm the alternative hypothesis that a positive relationship between poly-substance abuse and depression exist. References Andrzej, A. Buchaman, A. (2007). Organizational Behavior. London: Prentice Hall. Boys, A., Marsden, J., Strang, J. (2000). Understanding reasons for drug use amongst young people: a functional perspective. Health Education Research Journal, 16(4), 457-469. Diriwà ¤chter, R. Valsiner, J. (2006). Quantitative Developmental Research Methods in Their Historical and Epistemological Contexts. FQS, 17(1), 8–26. Huba, G., Lisa, A. (2000). Predicting Substance Abuse among Youth With, or at High Risk for HIV. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 14(2), 197-205. Hughes, J. (1997). The philosophy of social research (3rded.). London: Longman. Hunter, L. Leahey, E (2008). Collaborative Research in Sociology: Trends and Contributing Factors. American Sociologist, 39(1), 290–306. Krathwohl, D. (2004). Methods of educational and social science research: an integrated approach (2nd ed.). Long Grove, Waveland Press. Ksir, O. (2002). Drugs, society, and human behavior (9th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2001). Gender Differences in Depression. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10(5), 173-176 Poulin, C. (2004). Gender Differences in the Association between Substance Use and Elevated Depressive Symptoms in General Adolescent Population. Addiction, 100(1), 525-535. Smoller, J. W., Sheidley, B. R., Tsuang, M. T. (2008). Psychiatric genetics: Applications in clinical practice. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publication. Warren, C., Denley, K. Atchley, E. (2008). Beginning statistics. Charleston, SC: Hawkes Learning Systems. Winters, K.C., Latimer, W.W. (2004). Measuring Adolescent Drug Abuse and Psychosocial Factors in Four Ethnic Groups of Drug-Abusing Boys. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharm acology, 12(4), 227-236. Zeanah, C. H. (2009). Handbook of infant mental health. New York: Guilford Press. This research paper on Poly-Substance Abuse in Adolescent Males with Depression was written and submitted by user Jaydin J. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Most Powerful CoSchedule Calendar For Solopreneurs

The Most Powerful Calendar For Solopreneurs Attention solopreneurs, freelancers, and bloggers! I’d like to introduce you to the brand NEW Essential + ReQueue Plan†¦ the last editorial calendar you’ll ever need ðŸ™Å' get the deets We’ve added some great new features + slashed prices on some of our most powerful features. We’re calling it the Essential + ReQueue Plan, and it’s the most powerful plan we’ve ever offered  and it costs less than ever before.The Most Powerful Calendar For SolopreneursWith our NEW Essential + ReQueue plan, you get: ReQueue (for FREE).  No need for add-on expenses. With our new Essential + ReQueue plan, you instantly get ReQueue! That means you’re gettin’ a $150 social automation toolfor FREE. Our best integrations package (yup, literally all of them). Every  pricing plans now includes our best integrations: Google Docs, Evernote, Google Analytics, Bit.ly, every social networketc. All your WordPress sites on ONE calendar (w/ one price).  No more jumping from calendar to calendar to keep track of every WordPress site. Quickly access all your sites  (and every associated task, piece of content, and deadline) in the same calendar. 😎 Built-in social message analytics.  Our built-in social message analytics are included with the Essential plan, plus (coming soon) a new series of Social Network Reports. AND saved calendar views (by default). With the new Essential plan, you can create multiple calendar views, save em, and quickly access your content whenever you need it. Why it’s the BEST plan for Solopreneurs, Bloggers Freelancers: You get WAY more for less.  Before our Essential plan, it took $79/month to gain access to ReQueue feature. We’ve cut the price by $30. Now, you can get ReQueue plus a ton of other features for only $49/month. You can add users + social profiles whenever you want. You will never need to pay for users or profiles that you don’t need. Now you can add additional users for only $9/month or social profiles in packs of 5 for only $2 per profile. You have ONE bill (for everything).  With our old plan, many users were required to pay for multiple calendars with multiple bills. This was hassle and could get expensive quickly. We’ve fixed that. Now you’ll have one subscription and one bill to manage. Huzzah! And there’s MORE! Of course, we’ve updated all our pricing plans. Creating custom plans focused on flexibility (and giving your the features that MATTER MOST to you!). This update has simplified our pricing tiersfrom 10to 4 easy-to-understand  pricing options. We also have a lot of NEW features on the roadmapincluding  Social Network Reports (scheduled to release late Fall 2017). These reports will be accessible at every plan level  and will give you a glimpse into your social activity on a per network basis. In addition, we’ve got some exciting improvements to a few of your favorite features! NEW + improved mobile app  for social scheduling Updates to your favorite content curation tool: Chrome Extension NEW ReQueue 2.0:  the only social automation tool with  built-in intelligence is getting an update! Stay tuned! We’ve got a lot on the docket AND its all focused on making you the best kick-a$$ blogger, solopreneur, and freelancer out there! Check out the Essential + ReQueue plan today.

Balanced Budget Amendment - Pros and Cons in Budgeting

Balanced Budget Amendment - Pros and Cons in Budgeting The balanced budget amendment is a proposal introduced in Congress almost every two years, without success, that would limit the federal governments spending to no more than it generates in revenue from taxes in any fiscal year. While almost every state is prohibit from running deficits, federal lawmakers have never gotten  a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution signed by the president, and the government continues to run deficits in the hundreds of billions and trillions of dollars every year.   One of the milestones in the modern debate over the balanced budget amendment came in 1995, when the House of Representatives led by Speaker Newt Gingrich passed legislation that would have banned the federal government from running deficits as part of the Republican Partys Contract With America. It truly has been, I think, an historic moment for the country. We kept our promise. We worked hard. We produced a real change, Gingrich said at the time. But the victory was short-lived, and the balanced budget amendment championed by Gingrich and fiscal conservatives who had been swept into power was defeated  in the Senate by two votes. The same battle has been waged for decades and the concept is often raised during congressional and presidential campaigns because the notion of keep a balanced budget is popular among voters, particularly conservative Republicans.   What Is the Balanced Budget Amendment? Most years, the federal government spends more money than it takes in through taxes. That’s why there is a budget deficit. The government borrows the additional money it needs. That’s why the national  debt is near $20 trillion. The balanced budget amendment would prohibit the federal government from spending more than it takes in each year unless Congress specifically authorizes the additional spending through a three-fifths or two-thirds vote. It would require the president to submit a balanced budget each year. And it would allow Congress to waive the balanced budget requirement when there is a declaration of war. Amending the Constitution is more complicated than simply passing a law. Passing an amendment to the Constitution requires a two-thirds vote in each House. It is not submitted to the President for his signature. Instead, three-fourths of the state legislatures must approve it to be added to the Constitution. The only other way to amend the Constitution is to convene a Constitutional Convention at the request of two-thirds of the states. The convention method has never been used to amend the Constitution. Arguments for the Balanced Budget Amendment Advocates of a balanced budget amendment say  the federal government spends too much every year. They say that Congress has been unable to control spending without some kind of restraint and that, if spending is not controlled, our economy will suffer and our standard of living will drop. The federal government will continue to borrow until investors no longer will purchase bonds. The federal government will default and our economy will collapse. If Congress is required to balance the budget, it would figure out what programs are wasteful and would spend money more wisely, advocates say. â€Å"It’s simple math: The federal government should not be spending more taxpayer money that it brings in,† said Republican U.S. Sen. Grassley of Iowa, a longtime supporter of a balanced budget amendment.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Almost every state has adopted some form of a balanced budget requirement, and it’s past time that the federal government follows suit.† Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, a cosponsor with Grassley on a balanced budget amendment, added: Hardworking Americans have been forced to bear the burden of Congress’ inability and unwillingness to control federal overspending. As our federal debt continues to rise at an alarming rate, the least we can do is require the federal government to not spend more money than it has at its disposal.† Arguments Against a Balanced Budget Amendment Those opposed to a constitutional amendment say that it is too simplistic. Even with the amendment, balancing the budget will have to be done each year by legislation. This would require Congress to coordinate a large number of pieces of legislation – twelve appropriation bills, tax legislation, and any supplemental appropriations to name just a few of them. To balance the budget right now, Congress would have to eliminate many programs. In addition, when there is an economic downturn, the amount of taxes the federal government takes in usually drops. Spending often must be increased during those times or the economy can get worse. Under the balanced budget amendment, Congress would be unable to increase the needed spending. This is not a problem for states because they don’t control fiscal policy, but Congress needs the ability to stimulate the economy. By requiring a balanced budget every year, no matter the state of the economy, such an amendment would raise serious risks of tipping weak economies into recession and making recessions longer and deeper, causing very large job losses. That’s because the amendment would force policymakers to cut spending, raise taxes, or both just when the economy is weak or already in recession - the exact opposite of what good economic policy would advise, wrote Richard Kogan of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Outlook Amending the Constitution is a rare and daunting task. It takes a great deal of time to adopt an amendment. The House may pass the constitutional amendment, but the outlook is much more uncertain in the Senate. If it passes there, it still needs to be ratified by three-fourths of the states. Because of the legitimate opposition to a balanced budget amendment among some economists and policymakers, Congress is unlikely to undertake the cumbersome process of even considering the amendment barring a significant debt crisis.

Spirituality in Therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Spirituality in Therapy - Essay Example Through the years, Psychoanalytic Therapy has evolved dramatically, seeking more effective ways to bring reconstruction to patients from personality conflicts. Among these is Humanistic Therapy which sees the patient as a human being with an innate positive drive for a better life. Dolto and Olthuis adopt humanistic therapy with the addition of Christian spirituality concepts which this paper attempts to discuss. As practicing Christian, Francoise Dolto brought ideas from Christianity into her clinical practice. Dolto was influenced by the Humanism of French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, who stressed the need for psychologists to recognize the religious depths of personality in the human person. Adopting Lacan’s insights on the religious personality, Dolto gave importance to the spiritual-psychological dialectic of the â€Å"I† and the â€Å"me† of the human person (Slattery,2002). Beyond Lacan, however, Dolto focused more on the spiritual dialectic with the clien t finding joy and desire to strive for meaning in his life through Gospel truths. In her clinical practice, Dolto worked along an ethics of desire for a loving relationship in the patient. Her therapeutic process consisted in freeing an innate frozen human desire—structured by the Creator-- to rise up towards relational cohesion with all created beings. During the spiritual dialectic, Dolto the therapist helped the patient to project this innate desire onto others consonant with a capacity to love. For Dolto, the Gospel can be instrumental to this spiritual dialectic since it is the seat of Christ’s teachings on compassionate love and openness to others, exemplified by Jesus’ story about the Good Samaritan. Dolto believes that if compassionate love fills the world, man can free its innate desire for the cohesion of all of humankind. Meanwhile, James Olthuis in his writings harps on a Christian way of therapy through a relational dialectic between therapist and c lient. Understandably reflective of his career as a philosophical theologian, Olthuis chose Christian Love as the basic theme of his book the Beautiful Risk (Oltuis, 2001). His actual therapeutic methodology is scientific and objective, since he as an analyst related to his clients with clinical skills, but at the same time he filled himself with sensitivity and honesty sourced from Christian compassion. Through the dimension of his Christian faith, Olthuis has enriched the humanist’s view of self-actualization mediated by Christian care, connection, partnership and love. Impact of spirituality in therapy Given the relational spiritual dialectic of Dolto, my therapeutic practice can gain a deeper dimension by including God in my therapy work. To reflect on my education, I was taught therapeutic practice mainly along scientific concepts and procedures. Faith is understandably not within the purview of psychological education and training. I have even observed, for example, tha t clinicians remove from patients all items of faith like crucifixes, rosaries and prayer books prior to treatment or confinement. Dolto, however, makes a radical move as she showed that the path to cure is a deeper dialectic, the spiritual one encompassing the scientific efforts in helping a patient. Complementing this is Olthuis’ idea of professional practice that is imbued with Christian care, connection, partnership and love. Given Dolto’s and Olthuis’ religious perspectives, I believe I can now see my patients in a new light, specifically as seekers of meaning and cohesion within themselves and harmony with life. On their part, clients will see freedom at the end of the tunnel of their entrapment with complex biological, psychic and social forces that complicate their lives. As a therapist, I am both a

Better Place Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Better Place Company - Essay Example In essence, the objective of this company was to reduce and eventual riddance of automobile industry’s over dependence on oil. The mission of Better Place Company is to make the world a better place by 2020 through successful adoption of electrical vehicles use. The intended change will create a significant difference in the environment by reducing the amount of emissions. The automobile industry stands to gains from Better Place Company in numerous ways, which include providing flexible and readily available products for the consumers such as service plans, accessible charge spots and switching stations. Moreover, the absence of Better Place Company in the automobile industry will significantly reduce and weaken the inter connections amongst the primary players in the industry. 1.3 Stakeholders Better Place Company enjoys an intensive niche of stakeholders in the electric vehicle manufacture and marketing environment across numerous countries, which include Israel, United States, Denmark, Canada, Australia, and Japan. Some of the Better Places’ stakeholders include diverse governments, national electric utility, and venture capital and battery firms. In addition, the car manufacturers and the corporate sector forms part of the Better Place Company’s stakeholders base. 1.3.1Significance of the Stakeholders The company depends on the stakeholders to run its activities. Running financial activities of any company requires capital and from the case study, Better Place Company gets its capital from the stakeholders. For instance, in 2007, the company raised $200 million from venture capital funding and $350 million in 2010 from different governments across the globe. The amount summed up to $1.25 billion making it the second largest start-up in th e history of company venture capital funding. On equal measure, stakeholders such as utility, battery and manufacturer companies play a significant role in helping Better Place in achieving its objective of widespread of Electric Vehicle adoption. The companies link the consumers with the car companies consequently reducing the hurdle of limited mobility, which undermines the adoption of electric vehicles. This linkage influences the consumers’ mindset to adopt the electric vehicles (JOHNSON, SCHOLES, & WHITTINGTON, 2008). Moreover, the linkage creates easy platform of improving services offered to consumers due to the competition amongst the firms. The healthy interdependence between the company and the stakeholders propels the growth of the company factors such as competition from other small companies motivate Better Place to offer exemplary services to maintain its market niche. Consider the following diagram indicating the interdependence between the stakeholders and the Better Place Company. Better Place Stakeholders On the other hand, the government through its policies influenced the standards and incentives, which enhanced provision of the bulky of increased activity in both the hybrid and EVs markets. In other words, the governmental incentives to the service companies such as Better Place expanded the respective market niches, consequently market competition. This move enabled the Better Place company to achieve its objective of wide spread adoption of EVs. 2.0 Industry and scenario analyses The steam engine technology, initially developed and adopted for industrial applications was progressively tailored to personal vehicles by middle of 18th century into the automobile industry due to increased population in cities. Increased demand for

Qualitative Methods Essay Example for Free

Qualitative Methods Essay One of the primary goals of qualitative case study research is in bringing clearness and excellence to knowledge obtained thru previously made researches. Case study methods envisage the analysis of limited number of events in certain context at certain time frame in order to track the existing relationships between them and regarding the surroundings. Nowadays, case study research is a popular and widely used method in social science because its ability to examine the real life situations in the frame of existing theories and methods. Robert K. Yin is one of the biggest contributors into the case research study science, he stresses on the importance of bounding the contemporary studies with its real contexts and the great role case study research leads in this deal (Yin, 1994, p. 22). Case study research procedures always generate the large amount of data, that’s why it is necessary to bring it into order, for getting the information sorted on data, category, history, items, etc. Creating the comprehensive a well organized case study database prevents the researcher from losing the main point and value of his research, at the end the analysis of data is simplified and clarified within the systematization used in database. One the main peculiarities in building and maintaining the efficient database are in ability to maintain the relationship between the particular event and the evidence appropriately. At the time, when data can be physically entered and stored in the database with the capability to bring several data at the same time to be stored in the database, there are the procedures, which should be kept orderly and in certain time frame. The list of these procedures includes documents classification, cross referencing and documentation of important evidences and facts. There are six major steps to be performed for getting the substantial and procedural case study research. They include: 1. Determination and identification of research goals and questions; 2. Selection of targeted cases in the terms of research purposes and identification of research techniques to be used; 3. Preparations to data collection, and building the comprehensive database of collected data; 4. Data evaluation and analysis; 5. Reporting Case study report is an expected outcome of research procedures, its quality and comprehensiveness depends on the quality of database the researcher afforded to build. Going thru all the steps required to be performed in order to gain the main goals of case study research, there is a necessity to stress that case study report is a method to structure and order the all research procedures, which predominate at the earliest stages of investigation. There is a direct link between determination of goals and questions and the report quality. The same relevant boundaries are to be mentioned between case study report and research techniques chosen and preparation for database creation. Preparation of report envisages the creation of procedure, which will allow transforming the complex issues into the comprehensive form, which can be understood by the reader and the questions on the particular research case can be set up. In other words case study research is a method to build a bridge between investigators with massive data stores and the reader, who is surfing for some valuable comprehensive study. Case study report maintains the reader’s ability to use the most complex database created by researches in the way, which is clear and efficiently useful for gaining required knowledge on particular case. Technically case study report deliveries a value of all the cases gathered in research study database have been analyzed and communicated in order to browse the pure outcome acceptable by reader in terms of his/her real life situations. There are various ways to represent a case study report including the ability to review the each case in separate modules or chapter or putting the facts chronologically. One of the methods used for accomplishing the qualified case study report includes the usage of representative audience group in order to receive and independent and sufficient opinion on the draft report document. It is easier to write the revisions afterwards. There is a dilemma. Some researches prefer the study participants to have the access to draft document only, the others underline the efficiency of audience group. The relevancy of data gathered in report achieved by the both methods depends on the accuracy of database accomplishment and evaluation and analysis procedure and the personality of researcher. Case study report is a document structured in a way that makes all the information highlighted and combined in accordance with the different cases reviewed. Case study report is a tool for further construction of the account, thus it should contain the most substantial information along with its deep analysis. Technically database should contain all the available information about case study including meetings protocols, various project documentation, interviews data, surveys, etc. The peculiarity of case study database is in its ability to store collected, documented and classified data, which is easy to be generated into required form of case study report. References: 1. Yin R. K. (1994), Case Study Research Design and Methods, 2nd ed. Newbury Park, Sage Publications

The Future Of Currency Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Future of Currency In the present day, the world's economy is ever-changing and adjusting. Many different reasons control the reasons for this. The future of currency is something that can only be predicted and is not guaranteed. However, there are many determing factors behind the changes that can take place. Asia and North America are two continents that have economies that have recently changed or are in the midst of change. World War 2 drew a hard blow and left a serious and lasting effect to many Asian countries. This however, did not hamper the growth of countries such as China, Japan and Vietnam as their governments were taking serious steps to recover economically. Thus, the global market cannot deny a place for these 'Asian Dragons', because these countries are growing at a tremendous pace to the extent of being capable in emerging as global market leaders. China's capitalism and boom was born when their president, Deng Xiaoping permitted the provinces to dismantle their communes and collective farms. This led China to venture into free-market economics, although they were still under the communist political system. When President Deng announced that they needed Western money and expertise, China flung their trade doors wide open and China went on a capitalist drive without ever looking back. By mid 1960's, the Chinese Revolution settled down to the job of ruling China. Its main goal was essentially nationalist: a prosperous modern economy. While there continued to exist substantially economic inequalities, distribution of wealth was probably a bit more equal than in most Western countries. (Moise 171) While there were great variations in income between different villages, and between different jobs in the urban sector, the overall averages showed a clear pattern: the cities were much richer than the countryside. Most capital investments were going into urban industries. The urban workers, using considerable amount of heavy machinery, had a much higher average level of productivity compared to the rural workers. The natural consequence was, for the city people, an average income level twice as high as that of the people in the countryside. The most obvious way to attack this poverty problem was to increase production, in all sectors of the economy. Though the easiest way to increase ... ... Works Cited Anderson, Sarah. et al. "NAFTA: Trinational Fiasco." The Nation July 15, 1996: 26-29 Carbaugh, Richard G. International Economics. U.S.A.: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1989. Dentzer, Susan. "The Pain and Gain of Trade." U.S. News Sept. 1992: 62+. Harbrecht, Douglas. et al. "What Has NAFTA Wrought? Plenty Of Trade." Business Week Nov. 21, 1994: 48-49 Lewis, Charles, and Margaret Ebrahim. "Can Mexico and Big Business USA Buy NAFTA?" The Nation June 14, 1993.hout the world. Gibney, Frank. "Vietnam: Back In Business." Time. April 24, 1995 Volume 145. No 17: 47-49 Mcgeary, Johanna. "The Next China." Time. March 3,1997. Vol. 149. No. 9. Moise, Edwin E. Moise "Modern China, A History." The Economic Growth. New York: Longman, Inc., 1986: 165-181. Prager, Karsten. "China: Waking Up To The Next Superpower." Time. March 25, 1996. Volume 147. No 13: 51-54. Rich, Joe. "Japan Since The Occupation." Asia's Modern Culture. 2nd Ed. Sydney: Longman Inc., 1980: 190-193 "The World of Information.Asia & Pacific Review,1995." 14th Ed. London: Kogan Page Publishing: 153-256

The Anti-bilingual Education Measure

The result of California election on June 4th, 1998 was predicted all along. Proposition 227, also known as the anti-bilingual education measure, won in 61% favorable to 39% unfavorable contest. In a seemingly routine contest, the proposition brought out one of the most disparaging groups of supporters and critics, displaying passion for their causes in rallies, forums, debates and TV ads. This paper examines proposition 227 and its controversy. Then, it proposes what might have been a compromise that satisfied the supporters and the critics alike. After a small protest by some dissatisfied Hispanic American parents on their children†s bilingual education, Ron Unz, the Chairman of English for the Children wrote and spearheaded a movement for Proposition 227. Under the premise that bilingual education had not relieved high dropout rates and low English literacy of many immigrant children in last 20 years, Proposition 227 advocated a new way of education for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) children. It mandated a uniform solution for all LEP children in that all children will be placed in English language classrooms where â€Å"the language of instruction used by the teaching personnel is overwhelmingly the English language, and in which such teaching personnel possess a good knowledge of the English language. † Children who are English learners will be educated through sheltered English immersion during maximum of 1 year. The sheltered English immersion program meant â€Å"nearly all classroom instruction is in English but with the curriculum and presentation designed for children who are learning the curriculum and presentation designed for children who are learning the language. † Passing of such proposal meant virtual elimination of bilingual education in California. The biggest critics of proposition 227 are teachers. They claim that the premise of Proposition 227 epitomizes ignorance. First example is a clause in the measure that allows maximum of a year for sheltered English immersion. The critics dismiss it as confusion over speech fluency and academic fluency in English. They claim that, â€Å"academic fluency in a second language requires 5 to 7 years† instruction. † Therefore, a year of special education is inadequate for preparing LEP children for English language classrooms. Second example is that only 6. 5 percent of the students who are re-classified as fluent in English come from a group of students, only a third of whom are in bilingual programs and most of whom are in the kind of English-only programs mandated by Proposition 227. Hence, concluding bilingual education as a failure is shortcoming. In fact, many bilingual programs work better than other programs in both English acquisition and core subjects . Since, Proposition 227 mandates a single, untested program for all school districts, it fails to address the quality of instruction in core subjects like science and math. Other critics of proposition include the proponents of bilingual education. They claim that benefits of bilingual education include appreciation for cultures. Because language is most fundamental part of any culture, allowing bilingual education is allowing â€Å"the field in which language meets language, culture meets culture, values meet values. † Hence, bilingual education has its own educational merits rather than just assisting education in other subjects. Some proponents take a step further and claim that denying bilingual education is discrimination against minority students. First, the minority students are denied of the â€Å"fundamental tools for reflection, critical thinking, and social interaction. Second, denying bilingual education is an act of affirming white supremacy and English supremacy. Declaring English as the valid language and pointing to critical aspect of knowing English as a requirement for success are two instances where English is pushed as the supreme language. The critics claim that the US is a nation built upon immigration and diversity of races makes it impossible to embrace â€Å"so-called ‘common culture† and ‘common language. â€Å"† One of the prominent supporters of proposition 227 is the general population. According to the poll taken by the Los Angeles Times, 64% of registered white voters and 62% of registered Latino voters favored Proposition 227. Their reasons for the support are echoed in the content of the proposition. First, for the last two decades, bilingual education has not alleviated â€Å"the current high drop-out rates and low English literacy levels of many immigrant children. † They believe that bilingual education has failed because only 6. 5 percent of children with limited English language skills moved into regular classes last year. They site the research that shows that sheltered English immersion is the most effective method of helping non-English speaking children learn English. Also, schools cannot teach all children in their home language because more than 50 languages are spoken in student's homes. Hence, it is only fair that unified program be offered to all students, allowing all students to equally cultivate their English fluency. The supporters believe in two broad assumptions about education. First, the proposition claims that for â€Å"productive members of our society, literacy in English language is among the most important. Second the proposition claims that â€Å"young immigrant children can easily acquire full fluency in a new language, such as English, if they are heavily exposed to that language in the classroom at an early age. † Hence, the proposition can promote sheltered English immersion for maximum of one year. The criticisms for such claims are rather obvious. First, research shows that if anything can be blamed for high illiteracy rate, it is education in whole since â€Å"over 60 million Americans are illiterate or functionally illiterate. Also, full literacy in English language may not be necessary for productive members of our society since immigrants from Asia and Europe are succeeding quite nicely in America while it is black Americans, â€Å"whose ancestors have been speaking English for over 200 years, find themselves still relegated to ghettos. † Hence, even with conflicting research data, criticisms for bilingual education are exaggerations. Even as such, my own experience with bilingual education makes ending bilingual education attractive. I came to the US only knowing my alphabet. And, I do not remember bilingual classes offered to a Korean kid at my junior high school. Yet, I remember stepping into honors English class by the sophomore year of my high school when Latino and Latina kids I knew from ESL classes in junior high school were still in ESL classes and in bilingual classes. While I am not entirely convinced that bilingual education is a failure, I am convinced that public schools need greater emphasis on academic achievements of students rather then simply graduating them on time. If getting rid of bilingual education means unifying standards for all students, hence challenging all students equally, I must favor getting rid of bilingual education. I trust the much the same sentiment was shared by the voters of Proposition 227. Since I could not decide to amend or not to amend the proposition, I looked to the gaps between the supporters and the critics of the proposition. Then, being the cynic that I am, I found the gaps to be political: both parties were looking out for their own interest, not so much for better education. Therefore, I decided to amend the proposition and to offer both parties their share of satisfaction. In researching for this paper, I kept wondering about substantial reasons for the teachers to oppose Proposition 227. If voters were convinced that something had to change, why were teachers not convinced? Overall, school budgets will not be cut, if anything it will be increased slightly. Then I thought of some reasons for teachers† opposition. First, some of the bilingual education teachers, who earn more than the regular teachers would be in jeopardy from the proposition. Also, funding would be redirected to community members who agree to tutor English learners. I had no reason to see that supporters of the proposition were any better. I did not see the biggest supporter, Ron Unz, the co-author of the proposition and the premier fund contributor of the proposition with $650,000, as either philanthropist or as philosopher who believes in helping out in a worthy cause against the status quo in education. I did see his intentions to be politically charged since, he has 1) challenged Governor Pete Wilson for the 1994 GOP nomination, 2) volunteered to appropriate $50 million per year for 10 years to fund English instruction for individuals who pledge to tutor children in their community, which ensures him a long public exposure and favorable light among employment seekers, and 3) mobilized Latino voters in his side in light of the popular proposition. Hence, instead of choosing the better of two evils, I decided that the best proposition is a compromise between the two. First, basic spirit of the proposition is kept since it won in the election. Hence, LEP children are still mandated to enter English language classrooms. Also, English learners are placed in English immersion program for no more than a year. Second, to satisfy the teachers, some of $50 million will be spent to train current teachers for English language classrooms with LEP children and tutoring LEP children. In addition, current bilingual teachers will be allowed to tutor both LEP children and English learners as many years as assessed as appropriate by both the teacher and the school. Satisfying both the teachers and the parents through amending the proposition should lead to a better education, which is an unintended positive outcome.

Business Communications reflection Essay

Communication can be seen as the most important part of our life because living without communication, we cannot express our wants or understand the others’ needs, then there is no development at all. However, communication, particularly speaking, is not my strong point. That is the reason why I took Business Communications course. After ten weeks studying this course, I realize that my speaking skill have improved a lot. Surprisingly, the remarkable improvement is not only in Vietnamese but also in English speaking skill. Before studying at university environment, I used to think that there would be jobs that suitable for people that are not good at communication like me. Therefore, I did not work hard to improve that hindrance. I am afraid that what I say is stupid, then, people will laugh at me. I am also not sense of humour, so things I say usually are not interest. If I talk too much people will get bored and then, they will get away from me. Especially, when someone that talks a lot to me, I will definitely feel dizzy, even headache. I afraid people are the same as me. I do not want to drive them crazy. That is why I prefer listen people talk to speak to them. When I started learning English, I hoped that one day I could speak English as excellent as native people. However, although I can hear people speak English very well, I cannot speak fluently. When I practice by myself, I do not feel depressed because there is no one around me. Not being observed by anyone else helps I talk out loud what I think inside naturally and confidently. However, when I stand in front of people, I cannot open my mouth, and just smile stupidly instead. I am scared of pronouncing wrongly and using incorrect words. If I want to say something, I have to spend time on remembering vocabularies and arranging words following correct grammars. It takes me long time, so I just say keywords. Of course, people cannot understand clearly want I want to convey. Things going that way make me stressed. I wonder why after eight years studying English, I still cannot speak as well as 4 years old American children. However, after four semesters being at RMIT university and ten weeks taking Business Communications course, I have learned many helpful things. From comparing between what active students have achieved and silent ones, I now have to state that no matter the position we are, communication is still play a  crucial role; and if we want to develop as well as promote, we must learn how to communicate nicely. Furthermore, in the Business Communication course, though my teacher talk a lot, the class are not bored, but are attracted. The reason is that what they said is very useful. Therefore, I now would claim that talking too much is not always annoying other people. It is just up to the topics chosen. Not only the teacher but my classmates are also very professional. Although some of them are smaller than me, they communicate and present perfectly. One interesting thing I found out is that they always smile nicely when talking. Smiling helps they look more friendly and attractive. Comparison between their speech and my speech helps me I discover the reasons that prevent me from speaking fluently, particularly English. Firstly, I am so shy or in other words, I am lack of confidence. Although many people do not believe in Horoscope, I do. In Horoscope theory, people who are Virgo always pursuit perfectionism. I am a Virgo and that is why I am usually not satisfied with what I have done. For that reason, I am so inferiority complex. The second reason is that I have not practice speaking enough. People can do one thing well only when they do it frequently. I usua lly stay at home and use the computer as the main way to contact other people, instead of face to face chatting. Thirdly, when speaking English, I always bear in mind that I have to follow grammars. Each word must be in its correct order. As a result, it prevents me from speaking English naturally. The last reason is lacking of vocabulary. After discovering the reasons, I think I can improve that issue by applying the following things. I have to stop being shy all the time. I need to think optimistically about myself. My English pronunciation is not very bad. I also have adequate knowledge to join in any conversation of friends. Additionally, I should not view conversations in a serious perspective. No one could skill me when a say something wrongly because no one can be right all the time. Thus, I just need to speak out loud, not only think in mind. Moreover, I will smile when I talk for the purpose of increasing confidence and comforting people joining the conversation. Additionally, I will learn more vocabularies, but word by word separately. In a website I read before, it is said that the best way help us speaking English fluently is learning whole sentences. I suppose this method will help me skip time spend on arranging words to form sentences. Lastly, one of my classmates told me that  reading books about communication art would help me improve speaking skill. She recommended the book â€Å"How to Win fri ends and Influence people† written by Dale Carnegie. This book teaches readers how to have effective speeches. I have applied these solutions for several weeks and the result is quite surprising, at least for me. Now, with smiles and the feeling of being free to say anything, I see that my friends are more comfortable when chatting with me. I can also use English to express what I thought more clearly than before. I am very happy about that. I also read the book that my friend recommended, and I feel like â€Å"Oh my gods, how shortage of knowledge I am†. The book shows me lots of simple technique that I might apply immediately. In conclusion, the Business Communication has brought me lots of significant experience helping I improve the most important part of life – communication. The solutions I discovered seem to be very helpful for me. Hence, I will continue to uphold these useful methods. Imaging one day I can talk in front of many people confidently, naturally and effectively makes me excited and it also gives me mor e motivation to continue my improvement.

Freelance Editors for Indie Authors

Freelance Editors for Indie Authors Do you want to make your book the best it can be? Of course you do. But how do you do that? If you are an indie author, as so many of us are these days, it is essential that you work with both a professional editor and an experienced cover designer. The process for finding these pros is pretty similar but today we are going to take a look at how to find the perfect-fit editor for you and your book. Editors come in two general categories: a.) developmental editors who work with you right out of the gate to help you understand your market, conceptualize your book, organize the material, avoid repetition, keep it moving, engaging, fresh and original, and b.) copyeditors and proofreaders who make sure your completed manuscript is error-free and professionally designed. How Do You Find A Good Developmental Editor? Good is the key word here. A good editor is likely to be a professional editor who has had lots of experience in the traditional book publishing world. Once you have located an editor you feel may be right for your book, find out where she has worked and what published books she has worked on. Make sure she has had experience editing the kind of book you are writing. This is very important. And where do you find this person? = Get a referral. Check around, ask other writers, your friends, agents at writers conferences. = Look online. Go to Google and type in Freelance Editors.   Of course, you can type in Freelance Copyeditors and Proofreaders or Freelance Book Designers, too, if thats what you happen to be looking for. Also, you can check out our recently published guide The Self-Publishers Ultimate Resource Guide www.bookdocs.com The Independent Editors Group (full disclosure, Im a member of this group. www.bookworks.com The Self-Publishers Association www.bibliocrunch.com Bibliocrunch www.consulting-editors.com Consulting Editors Alliance www.digitalbookworld.com Digital Book World www.elance.com Elance www.the-efa.org Editorial Freelancers Association www.mediabistro.com Media Bistro www.publishersmarketplace.com Publishers Market Place = Chat with the editor. Define your goals. Feel free to ask him for his credentials and for the titles of a few of the published books he has worked on. If he has not worked on any books that have been published = Be clear about the fee structure. Does she charge = Ask about the time line. How long does she expect the editing process to take? This depends on how quickly you get the revisions back to her, but make sure you both agree on what is a reasonable amount of time for this project to take. = Ask if he has had experience with self-publishing. This is not essential, but sometimes an editor who knows his way around self-publishing, or who can at least refer you to others who do, can be a big help for first time indie authors. Always remember, this is your book. You are the creator, the artist, and your name is on the cover. When you disagree with your editors suggestions, trust your instincts and go with what you feel is right. You are the boss and thats as it should be.

How to Sustain Positive Changes In Your Marketing Team - CoSchedule

How to Sustain Positive Changes In Your Marketing Team Leading a marketing team to win feels amazing. Smashing goals is gratifying. But sustaining change in organizations thats the hard part. We marketers face a tall order. Not only do we have to make hyper growth happen, we have to do it every day. Every time we reach the summit of one goal, a taller one is just around the bend. Your boss: Did your team get 100 new leads last week? You: Yes! ðŸ˜Æ' Your boss: Nice work! But are you on track for 125 this week? You: Well, that escalated quickly 😠³ In short, our job is to start from zero and soar past last week. So, in this post Im going to share with you how to to sustain those positive changes (and results) in your marketing team. Youll learn: The key to putting your teams success on cruise control. How to develop a built-in mechanism for sustained results. Exactly why (and how) to keep your team hungry to win. PLUS, because youre awesome, Ive got something extra special for you If you wanna learn why over 8,000 marketing teams across the world choose to organize and execute their entire marketing strategy in one place Schedule a 30 minute marketing demo of right now. Youll see exactly how teams like Convince Convert, Smart Passive Income, and Campaign Monitor get amazing results with . Now, pick a time for your 1-on-1 marketing demo and lets get to it. How To Sustain Positive Changes In Your Marketing Team by @jordan_loftis via @Develop Smart Marketing Habits As A Team Riffing on Aristotle, former Patriots offensive linemen, Matt Light, said in his retirement remarks: â€Å"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.† We hear it here five thousand times a week. Just worry about yourself, not others, make it part of your routine. Keep striving to do it better and better. The excellence we all shared as an organization, teammates, friends, everyone else. It’s not just as an act, it’s a habit, it’s how we live our lives, what we try to do day-in and day-out. These words are wonderfully portable for anyone who cares about sustaining change in organizations. Whether youre a manager or team member, your teams success is your success. And thats where positive, team-based habits come in. How Habits Work (And Why It Matters) According to a study in the British Journal of General Practice, the wild world of healthcare shows us this, as well. Furthermore, even when patients successfully initiate the recommended changes, the gains are often transient because few of the traditional behaviour change strategies have built-in mechanisms for maintenance. Unless positive changes become engrained habits, achieving goals will become the exception rather than the rule. Unless positive changes become engrained habits, achieving goals will become the exception ratherThat same psychological study defines habits this way: actions that are triggered automatically in response to contextual cues that have been associated with their performance. For a marketer, this habit loop might look like this #1. Your Contextual Cue Your team is planning a new campaign. And you need to get everything organized 📠Ã‚  creative brief, 📄  landing pages, âÅ"‰ï ¸ Ã‚  email copy, âÅ" Ã¯ ¸ Ã‚  blog posts, 🙋†Ã¢â„¢â‚¬Ã¯ ¸  social media messages, 🎉  press releases, ðŸÅ' Ã‚  design assets, 🎠¯Ã‚  target metrics, 📈  analytics reports, 😠«Ã‚  and more Thats a lot of stuff. (And Im probably missing plenty of other things you do.) #2. Your Engrained Action So, be honest. Whats your go-to action given the contextual cue of planning a new marketing campaign? For tons of marketers, its pulling out ye olde spreadsheet! Everything gets a tab. Everyone gets access on your internal drive or Dropbox account. And in short order, chaos ensues. ^^^These are actual screenshots of spreadsheets, calendars, and systems customers have transitioned from over the years! Here at , we call this a symptom of makeshift marketing. Simply defined, makeshift marketing happens when disconnected tools and apps are mashed into one martech stack. In our experience, this is one of the most difficult traps (and series of habits) to break for marketers. But theres good news ahead! This step is complete when your automatic action (read habit) is completed. Then, one more thing happens. #3. Your Reward In his best-selling book,  The Power of Habit, author Charles Duhigg outlines a third piece to the habit puzzle: reward. The reward reinforces the habit loop. With every completion, the habit gets more powerful. In this case, the spreadsheet gives a sense of control, organization, and peace of mind. The problem is that it quickly becomes messy. Often, youll end up with spreadsheets to manage your spreadsheets! Your Habits Become Your Teams Habits The linchpin to sustaining changes in your organization, then, is leading the right habits so you get the right results consistently. Just imagine if your team smashed your marketing goals with the same frequency as brushing your teeth? ^^^ Thats habit 101. Lets talk about how to move from marketing mess To marketing mastery. According to research at UCL Epidemiology and Public Health, it takes an average of 21 – 66 days to lock a habit in place. To help your team, I suggest this 3-step approach. Begin with your teams goal and reverse engineer actions to achieve it. Establish a rhythm of accountability. Build out *at least* a 21-day habit roadmap for your team. #1. Begin With Your Teams Goal First things first, pull a Stephen Covey Begin with the end in mind. Start with your teams goal (or goals). Then reverse engineer the consistent actions your team must habitually take to get there. For example, lets imagine your team needs to grow social media engagement by 25% month-over-month across all channels. If I pull our Social Engagement Report in , I can get a quick overview of where we stand. Both for an aggregate average  and individual networks. From this baseline, you can reverse engineer your ideas, tests, and tactics to grow your engagement. But just as important, you can learn what your team must be doing  every week to keep engagement going up and to the right. Intense sprints will give your key metrics a lift in the near term. But its turning your highest-value actions into habits that help you win in the long term. For instance, if you learn that social images get a higher engagement on your social channels, the new habit should be that everything your team does has 3 – 5 promo images. (You can use visual storytelling frameworks like microcontent to do this with great results, by the way.) Or perhaps video does really well with your tribe. The new behavior to automate might become a Facebook live video promoting every new post you publish. Heres the anatomy: Contextual cue: Your team publishes new content. Action: The creator of the piece streams a Facebook live video sharing a short TL;DR version and a CTA. Reward: More social media engagement + referral traffic. Next Step For Sustaining Change In Your Organization: You might be wondering, How is this different than simply adding an item to your teams workflow? Its distinct because of its emphasis on engraining a behavior versus checking a box. For you, as the team leader, leveraging the power of habits  means automating behaviors. When you put the  right  things on autopilot, they move themselves ahead with little (or no) friction. #2. Build Accountability Into Your Teams Weekly Rhythm To do this means using the A word accountability. Accountability gets a bad rap. And thats because inherent is the threat of punishment. If youre accountable for your actions, youre responsible for their outcomes. If youre accountable for your actions, youre responsible for their outcomes.A multi-year study involving over 40,000 participants found: Accountability is incorrectly perceived as strictly consequential and almost entirely after-the-fact- 80% of those surveyed say feedback is something that happens to them only when things go wrong or not at all. Ouch. But what if accountability could be more positive than negative? It can. And it starts with ditching the word while leveraging the essence. Accountability is about: clarity, alignment of actions with goals, and enablement of the right behaviors. Sustaining Change In Your Organization With Clarity Another alarming stat from the accountability study is: 85% of survey participants indicated they werent even sure what their organizations are trying to achieve The quickest path to a homerun here is simple: be ultra clear with what results your team is after. Is there one overarching goal youre hell bent on achieving? Then talk about that. Every. Dang. Day. Is there a long-term goal supported by smaller, short-term goals? ^^^ This is the case for nearly every team Ive ever worked on. If this is true, then keep your short-term goals in perspective. Help your team see how they accomplish your overall mission. One of the best ways to do this is through twice-per-week numbers check in. Automating Clarity With Strategic Reporting If we stick with our social engagement example, heres what it could look like. With , you can automate key reports. So lets automate the social engagement report. (If you dont use , totally okay. You can still do this.) Navigate to your analytics tab, then choose  Social Engagement Report. Next, simply click on  the  Schedule Report button. Then add any team members or stakeholders who should see this report. Your progress will be automatically reported to everyone involved without you having to pull numbers yourself 🠤“ The key here is to keep your team focused on the goal even amidst the deluge of modern marketing. Keep your team focused on the goal even amidst the deluge of modern marketing.Sustaining Change In Your Organization With Alignment Of Actions And Goals Now comes the supercharging power of habits. By consistently performing the right actions, your team will move the needle in the right direction. As you keep the mission in front of your team, help them understand the best actions to take them there. One of the best places to do this is in your team meetings. And you can begin by having everyone answer this simple question: If you could only do one thing every day to achieve [team goal], what would it be? Have everyone answer the question. Then, ask them to explain why that action is so powerful. If you could only do one thing every day to achieve your goal, what would it be?Sustaining Change In Your Organization By Enabling The Right Behaviors And now, enable those positive behaviors with a third question: What roadblocks are there between you and consistently [taking desired action]? This is where you come in. As a team leader, you should be an obstacle bulldozer. Its tough enough to form new, positive habits. (And break negative ones while youre at it.) So clear the debris and get the crap out of the way. Clear the clutter between your team and their most critical actions. Then keep doing this. If your team is supposed to increase social engagement, and creating short promo videos to promote a piece is their desired activity, youd better make sure they arent stacked with a bunch of stuff that makes it impossible to get it done. Once your team is assigned a goal, make sure they arent stacked with a bunch of stuff that makes#3. Build Your 21-Day Habits Roadmap For Your Team To bring this all together, the best way forward is for you to get clear on what the next 21 working days should look like. Scientifically, it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days to establish a new habit, with the average being 66 days. So, you can go for the hail mary and push your team for 66 days Or 100 Or 254 if youd like. However, I suggest a quicker win: build a 21-day habits roadmap for your team. In one of my favorite startup books,  Lean Analytics,  authors Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz  explain the rationale for setting goal metrics, saying: [I]f you want to change behavior, your metric must be tied to the behavioral change you want. So focus the roadmap on the singular, most important behavior youd like to download into each team member. This can be super simple. They key here is to show your team that youre committed to helping them build this habit just as much as they should be. Create a Projects Checklist. Assign it to the right team member and set its completion date 21 days from now. Then, assign the appropriate actions. A clever way to start is by having each team member outline their own habit loop. How will they engrain this new high-value activity? They should define a cue, routine, and reward. Then, they should run through the habit loop  every day for the next 21 working days. This might look like: A 21-day video promotion campaign, Logging into, and using, a new software tool every day (HUGE win for onboarding your team to new tools), Or even writing a fresh social post every single day. Whatever it is, make sure you empower your team to make time each day.