What are the worlds most important population problems?

The discussion of the world’s most important population problems is extremely necessary and timely. The essay correctly observes that the two most important population problems are population growth and international migration. The first problem endangers the environmental balance of our planet and puts excessive strength on resources. The second problem contributes to conflicts and tensions in many societies around the globe. The essay argues that social structures in poor countries are the cause of exponential population growth. It is true that industrialization makes labor more automated, thus decreasing the need for a constant supply of labor. However, no clear link is drawn between social structures and desire to have more children. The essay notes that poor countries lack essential social services, such as education, and families lack their own economic resources to equip children with necessary skills and knowledge. Paradoxically, this does not lead to a decrease in the number of births; the essay fails to explain this phenomenon. As concerns international migration, few reasons are given to support the claim that it is one of the world’s most pressing problems. The only reason cited is that immigrants are the burden on a country’s social service sector, resulting in increased costs for medical care, education, and other costs. Other negative developments associated with the influx of immigrants are left without attention. These developments include higher crime rates, interethnic tensions, and increased costs of providing multilingual services to immigrants from different ethnic backgrounds. More far-reaching implications, such as the danger to national identity and unity, are also not discussed.

The Forest

Forests are precious national resource whim not only play significant role in national condor but help in pollution control and maintaining logical balance. These offer a number of direct indirect advantages which have been realised sin time immemorial. Direct Advantages 1. Forests provide valuable timber for dome tic and commercial use. Industries like paper, matt making, plywood, sports goods, lakh and furniture at directly based on raw materials derived from forest 2.Forests supply a number of minor produce which are utilised in different industries and domes* tic uses. These include lakh, gum and resins, tannin material, medicines, herbs, honey, spices, etc. 3. Forests offer employment to about 4 mil ­lion people to earn their livelihood in forest based occupations, i. e. , lumbering, sawing, furniture mak ­ing, forest produce collecting, etc. 4. Auction of forests for commercial use fetches annual income to state exchequer. 5. Export of forest products earns valuable foreign exchange to the country. 6.Grazing of cattle in the forests helps in dairy farming and cattle rising. 7. Forests are the natural habitat for wild life and birds which attract tourists, holiday makers and hunters. These may be developed as very good picnic or tourist centers in the form of wild life sanctuaries and national parks which have good employment and income generating potential. Indirect Advantages 1. Forests are the moderators of climate. These have effective role in controlling humidity and tem ­perature and precipitation. 2. Forests play dominant role in carbon cycle.These absorb atmospheric carbon-di-oxide and help in maintaining the purity of air and controlling atmospheric pollution. 3. Forests help in controlling soil erosion, soil degradation and floods. That is why these are very helpful in land reclamation and flood control. 4. Forests help in water percolation and thereby maintain underground water table. 5. Decay of plant leaves provides humus to the soils an d increases their fertility. 6. Indian forests are rich in wild life housing about 500 species of animals. 7.Forests help in maintaining natural scenic beauty which every year attract a number of tourists and nature lovers. 8. Forests provide natural habitat to a number of primitive tribes which are part of our rich cultural heritage. Their mode of living, economy and cul ­tural traits are based on forest environment. 9. Forests provide recluse to rashes, saints and hermits who have enriched our religious and cultural thoughts. Mere a visit of such quiet serene environment relieves physical and mental strains and refurbishes new vitality and vigor.

U.S. Federal Reserve Monetary Policy

The United States is one of the few industrialized country in the world.   It is a country that is admired by many. The Americans have managed their finances quite well. The Federal Reserves system of the United States is one institution that handles financial fraction of the United States of America. It is the central bank of this developed country that was created by the Congress in 1913 to aid in having a safe, flexible and stable monetary and financial system (http//www.federalreserve.gov). To keep up with the mission of the Federal Reserve, they have created Monetary Policy. This policy is about all the actions taken by the Federal Reserve System regarding the cost and availability of money as well as in promoting economic goals. The Monetary policy is a very powerful tool; it can make or break the status of economic variables like employment and prices of goods and services. This is a responsibility is very crucial for the economic status of the country since their decisions dictates the would be trend. The task of handling monetary policy lies in the hand of able team members of the Federal System, the Federal Open Market Committee. This committee includes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Reserve Bank presidents (http//www.federalreserve.gov). Making monetary policies is a task that requires close scrutiny and careful examinations of data at hand. The Federal Open Market Committee has tools that aid them in making sound decisions about the policies that will be made by them and implemented country-wide. These three tools are open market operations, discount rate and reserve requirements. An open market operation is one tool used for monetary policies. This tool of monetary policy concerns controlling the supply of money by a buy and sell of U.S. Treasury and federal agency securities. They guide their decisions from the current status of the country’s economy regarding exchange rates or interest rates. The decisions are also based on an objective that is set by the Federal System. This objective is stipulated by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The objective that is set by Federal Open Market Committee each economic year varies accordingly (http//www.federalreserve.gov). Though there is one thing that is constant is that they base their assessment on how to maintain the stability of prices in the market to encompass a sustainable growth. An open market operation has also change through time. Nowadays, it can also be done electronically. The discount rate is the second tool of monetary policy. The federal system has regional banks and they also give loans to other commercial banks and institutions. The interest rate charged to these intuitions is the discount rate (http//www.federalreserve.gov). This is not given to just any bank or any depository institution though. They have to still meet a specific set of requirements to be able to loan and on what level of credit scoring from the federal system. Reserve requirements are the third tool in creating a monetary policy. The Board of Governors has the exclusive right to amend a change regarding these requirements (http//www.federalreserve.gov). This dictates the minimum reserve regarding customers’ deposits and notes. This year, the recorded reserve requirements in America is ten percent on transaction deposits and zero on time deposits and all other deposits. The booming field of information technology has helped lift the economic conditions in the country. In 2005, it has recorded 12.41 trillion dollars as its gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is one of the measures used to indicate how good the economy of a country is doing. This rate will include the measures of all finished products created and services produced (Wikipedia). It is wise that companies and businesses in the United States have the flexibility to adapt innovations in the field of information technology to make them more profitable. Koznar (2005) has said in his speech that the current stability in the economy is also because of the labor markets contribution. He has attributed some qualities of the American economy that makes it successful. These qualities include flexibility,  Ã‚   trade liberalization, and The monetary policy of the United States has been into ups and downs but the Federal Reserve team members are determined to succeed and to maintain a high standard. They are aiming on a more efficient and effective operation by having just a few locations. Federal Reserve is an independent entity, it is neither under the government’s jurisdiction nor is it to be called a private institution. They make sure that the monetary policies that they implement are in accordance to what the economy needs to succeed by careful deliberating the information presented and analyzing diverse views of the team members. Each of the monetary policy council member also its own team help them in formulating their positions for the economy. The team is complete from an economist and a financial analyst to translate the trends in the market, a payments system expert to check if the policies will an advantage, to an attorney to make sure that every policy is in accordance with the law thus it will not be questioned. Success is nothing if you can not measure it. In an international trade scene, economies of scale will play a critical role in determining the unit cost that will increase returns. Better organizational skills are needed by a management team that is gearing towards success. These factors include how we perceive the environment, time, power, structures and space; the emphasis we place on relationships or tasks, on individuals or the collective; how we think and communicate. Productivity within a team needs to be established for this is critical regarding the success of a company or an institution. Each component contributes to the behavior of the system. No component has an independent effect on the system. The behavior of the system is changed if any component is removed or changed. Reference: Krozner, Randall S. â€Å"Remarks by Governor Randall S. Kroszner   At The Forecasters Club of New York†, September 27, 2006. Federal Reserve. Retrieved November 04, 2006 from http://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2006/20060927/default.htm Federal Reserve System. Monetary Policy. Retrieved November 04, 2006 from Wikipedia. Economy of the United States. Retrieved November 04, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_States

Compare and contrast the idea of Descartes and Kant on epistemology Essay

Compare and contrast the idea of Descartes and Kant on epistemology - Essay Example Descrates’ definition of knowledge is, however, specific to scientific knowledge and certainty is defined, in the theorist’s perspective, as absence of doubt. With cognition as the fundamental to scientific knowledge, two levels of certainty on cognition are identified to define knowledge. With absolute level of certainty, no single doubt exists that an alternative idea or subject can be found while moral level of certainty involves conviction on a subject even with the knowledge that the subject could be false. Moral certainty however identifies possible doubt and according to Descrates, does not therefore define knowledge.1 Kant’s idea on epistemology is based on three factors that further identify opinion and faith. People’s affirmative decisions exist in three levels that distinguish between knowledge, faith, and opinion. There is a subjective basis to affirmation and an objective cause. Affirmation that is devoid of conviction, when conviction is not sufficient, is based on opinion. however, subjective factors to affirmation may be sufficient but a person lacks objective basis. Under the circumstance, affirmation is based on faith and not on opinion. Sufficiency of both subjective and objective factors into affirmation defines existence of knowledge. Opinion and faith are therefore, and according to Kant, elements of knowledge in which sufficient objectivity defines opinion while sufficient subjectivity defines faith and existence of both opinion and faith defines knowledge.2 Theories of Kant and Descrates identify both similarities and differences. The two ideas converge to existence of knowledge beyond definitions because experiences and observations inform certainty. In addition, Kant discusses sufficiency of subjectivity and objectivity as essentials of knowledge and such sufficiency are consistent with Descrates’ ideas of levels of

Strategy and key discourses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Strategy and key discourses - Essay Example A well-deciphered strategic initiative can facilitate an organisation in ascertaining its supremacy and gaining significant competitive advantage in the marketplace. The overall direction of a business entity is largely dependent on the decisions and strategies taken by the company. Strategies are also crucial in responding successfully to the uncertainties, complexities and competitiveness prevailing in the business market scenario. Different companies have their own set of rules and methods to create strategies for their business. Moreover, the formation of strategic initiatives significantly depends on the core competencies of an organisation (John et al., 1996). The paper aims at constructing an essay plan based on the key discourses concerning the illustration in detail the different horizons for making strategies. It would also provide an elaborative explanation of the different levels of strategy. Discourse Analysis Discourse analysis is a research method. It is a mode of appr oaching and making an assessment of a particular problem. This method is neither a qualitative nor a quantitative move to research but is a conduct of questioning the basic hypothesis of quantitative as well as qualitative approaches in the research process (The University of Texas at Austin, n.d.). Three Horizons for Strategy Different companies all over the world now-a-days are very much focused on enhancing their profitability of their business operations. Owing to this reason, they aim to develop various distinctive strategies. The process of developing a strategy involves a particular framework, i.e. the ‘three horizons for strategy’. The significance of a long-term-based viewpoint upon the formulated strategies is emphasised by the three horizons framework. The three horizon framework suggests that each and every organisation should visualise itself as comprising three different kinds of business or activity (Johnson & et. al., 2010). The three horizons framework is exemplified below: Horizon 1 This horizon involves â€Å"Short Jump† initiative that would strengthen and expand a company’s position in the existing market. In this step, the company essentially focuses on adding new products to its existing product line. This step also engages the expansion of the company in terms of geographical area and reaching fresh marketplaces where it is yet to have its presence. In this approach, the company can capture a significant portion of the market share of its competitors. The main objective of this horizon is to capitalise largely on its growth potential in the present business market (Thompson et al., 2006). Horizon 2 This step of the horizon is called the medium jump. In this step, the company acquires strategic proposals to influence the present resources and potentials by entering into a new business with a considerable prospective of growth. The companies in the modern-day context need to always be aware of emerging opportuni ties in the market. Whenever there is a prospect where there is an assurance for rapid growth with the incorporation of enormous prevailing experience and rational capital influx and technological knowledge that could be helpful for rapid market access, the company should jump in to leverage that prospect with full strength. When the second demarcated horizon takes a restrain, the first horizon takes the initiative as long as there is enough unexploited growth present in the company’s business perspective (Thompson et al., 2006). Horizon 3 This step is called long jump. In this horizon, the company takes strategic decisions to

Movie review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Movie Review Example One of the aspects of the Iranian society that has been shown in the documentary is the anti-U.S protests. The highly-educated society has demonstrated against the U.S government on several occasions. It is vital to note that the anti-U.S protests are not aimed against the U.S people, but against the U.S policies on the Middle East and Iran. In addition to the anti-U.S protests, the film show the functioning of Iranian propaganda (Omaar, 2012). Iranian propaganda is different from the U.S propaganda because it is strict. Iran has blatant censorship of media content. This differs from the subtle censorship used by U.S media. The BBC documentary on Iran highlights the misrepresentation and misunderstanding of the Iranian society and Islamic culture. The aim of the documentary is to use local Iranians to give their stories and perceptions about different issues. The documentary helps in the understanding that Iranians are picking up elements of Western societies. Most of the people outside Iran think that Iranians are against American citizens. All the same, the documentary succeeds in showing that they are against the policies of the American

Can Abortion be a Morally Acceptable Choice Essay

Can Abortion be a Morally Acceptable Choice - Essay Example The fact that a majority of the people are in fact somewhere between the two positions is often lost in the vitriol of the debate. Pro-life groups state that human life begins at conception, and thus an abortion is the killing of a human being. There are some differences within the pro-life position however. Many people who say they are pro-life agree that abortions should be allowed in the case of incest , rape or to save the woman's life. This seems a somewhat odd position as, if a person believes that human life begins at conception, should it matter how the baby was conceived Is the baby any less human because its father was a rapist Is it any less human because its mother may die because of the pregnancy The answer to both these questions would seem to be 'no'. The two positions have been set out and logic, practically and ethics falls on the side that some abortions are indeed morally acceptable. Perhaps the 'easiest' types of abortion to defend are those in which the mother's life is being saved. These can be defended on a number of bases. First, the practical fact is that if the mother's life is at risk so is the baby's. If the mother dies, the baby will as well. So in this case, even if a person believes that life begins at conception, it is surely better to have a situation in which one person lives and one dies, rather than both dying. Second, the legal principle of 'self-defense' might be applied here. If the baby is a human being, then it (albeit unintentionally) is killing the mother. The mother has a perfect right to defend herself against this attack. The abortion is an example of self-defense. In cases of incest and rape, a less certain ground exists for those who believe life begins at conception. Incest may lead to genetic problems and diseases for generations to come, indeed, this is the reason that incest is taboo in most societies in the world. It seems logical that a pregnancy produced in this way, which might have hazardous effects for generations to come, should be terminated. Rape is a more difficult issue. Here the argument moves into the territory of when a fertilized egg 'becomes human'. An abortion that occurs because the mother is raped essentially falls into the 'choice' category. The pro-choice side says that a woman has the right to self-determination guaranteed by the US Constitution, specifically "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness", and that any attempt to tell her what to do with her own body directly contradicts this right. Pro-choice groups maintain that a baby is only a 'human life' when it is able to exist independent of its mother. Thus abortions up until about six months are morally legitimate as until this time the baby cannot survive outside the mother's body. These are not abortions of independent human life but merely medical procedures undertaken by a woman and her doctor, and as such should be no one's business but the individual woman and her doctor. If a person believes the "independent of its mother" of human life then any abortion up until that time is morally justifiable. The question of rape, incest, or saving the mother's life does not come into play because the mother is just having something done to herself. This position essentially

HR management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

HR management - Essay Example The human resource function is centralized but adequate scope for accommodating local needs and environmental pressures is present. Recruitment and selection is based on local market needs and product offerings in accordance with the policies of the Delegates. Training, development, reward and performance appraisal, and employee engagement initiatives at branches are also designed locally but in accordance with the broad policy shaped by the Delegates. The Press should grant greater autonomy to branches so that the HR function can be more responsive to urgent international pressures. Campbell, C. (2013). Nelson Thornes could make up to 50 redundancies before Christmas. [Online]. Available at: http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Nelson-Thornes-make-50-redundancies-Christmas/story-20320403-detail/story.html. Retrieved on 2 August 2014. 14 The Guardian. (2012). Oxford University Press fined  £1.9m over bribery by African subsidiary firms. [Online]. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/law/2012/jul/03/oxford-university-press-fined-bribery. Retrieved on 2 August 2014. 15 The multinational organisation selected for this analysis is the Oxford University Press. The OUP is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the world and has been publishing scholarly works since 1478 (OUP, 2014). The international growth and expansion of the press began with the establishment of the first international office in New York in 1896 and in Canada in 1904. The OUP serves a global market serving 100 countries with offices in 50 countries of the world. In response to globalization, the Press is following a product development strategy where technology-enabled educational materials are being developed for culturally and linguistically diverse markets around the world. The most recent version of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary was

The Human-Computer Interface Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Human-Computer Interface - Assignment Example There are various types of the human memory, and human have limited capability to process the information. This information is stored in the different types of memory.†¢Ã‚  Short term or working memory: The short term memory is the capacity and store situated in the frontal lobes. Its function is to manipulate and update the representation, dividing and switching towards the tasks, and selection for the appropriate information. The retention time of the information in the short term memory is from seconds to minutes.†¢Ã‚  Sensory Memory: It corresponds to the perception of an item, and some of the information goes to sensory store, which is actually called as the short term memory. The retention time in sensory memory is in milliseconds to seconds. †¢Ã‚   Long term memory: Cognitive theory is also known as the theory of long term working memory in HCI. This is a long term memory, and requires practice as a prerequisite. Long term theory supposes that information is enc oded in the long term memory, and pace of encoding enlarges with the practice. Information in the long term memory, is encoded in a very organized system. Contrary to Short term memory, the long term memory is not inferred by the secondary task. (Oulasvirta and Saariluomas, 2004).A design team does not know the people behavior about the use of a product. A designer pays a conscious attention for the designing of the internal consistency. Consistency is more required in graphics and layout, dialogue forms and selection techniques.... ensory Memory: It corresponds to the perception of an item, and some of the information goes to sensory store, which is actually called as the short term memory. The retention time in sensory memory is in milliseconds to seconds. Long term memory: Cognitive theory is also known as the theory of long term working memory in HCI. This is a long term memory, and requires practice as a prerequisite. Long term theory supposes that information is encoded in the long term memory, and pace of encoding enlarges with the practice. Information in the long term memory, is encoded in a very organized system. Contrary to Short term memory, the long term memory is not inferred by the secondary task. (Oulasvirta and Saariluomas, 2004). 3. Describe the potential outcomes of not using consistency in the human-computer interface. A design team does not know the people behavior about the use of a product. A designer pays a conscious attention for the designing of the internal consistency. Consistency is more required in graphics and layout, dialogue forms and selection techniques. Each domain of the interface has a set of consistent dimensions. Inconsistency in color, size, style and shapes may create issues for the user. For example, Move forward is consistent with Move backward, but reverse, Go backward is not consistent. Inconsistency in HCI also fosters the level of confusion and frustration for the user as a user may access or generalize the other menu. In case of the inconsistent information, a user takes more time to answer the question on the screen. 4. Summarize and explain the steps of the user-centric design process. An engineer only operates the system to construct the design. System is developed on the need of the users. The users’ involvement for the design process is

Stockholm Syndrome Essay Example for Free

Stockholm Syndrome Essay Throughout the semester our class has discussed various types of deviant behavior and what kind of acts might be considered as deviant. Analyzing the motives behind deviant behavior has been very interesting to learn about and has opened my eyes to various reasons why someone might act deviant. Learning and thinking about the numerous kinds of criminal acts that occur in the world not only make me wonder about the criminals themselves, but also about the individuals that are victims in criminal acts. Hearing about various crimes where people are injured, murdered, raped, etc, have made me interesting in learning about the thoughts and feelings that victims experience in these kinds of harmful situations. The cases that I find the most interesting are ones of kidnapping and child abduction. The events that take place when someone is held captive are unspeakable and many question why abductees would not try to escape. When individuals are placed in a situation where they no longer have any control over their fate, feel intense fear of physical harm, and believe all control is in the hands of their tormentor; a threat for survival can result. This fear for survival can develop into a psychological response that can leads to having sympathy and support for their captor. This kind of psychological response is referred to as Stockholm syndrome. Stockholm syndrome refers to a group of psychological symptoms that some individuals face when they are held in captive or hostage situations. The name ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ was derived from a 1973 bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, where four hostages were held for six days. When they were in captivity, each hostage seemed to defend the actions of the robbers and even resisted efforts by the police to rescue them. Months after their ordeal had ended, the hostages continued to show loyalty to their captors to the point of refusing to testify against them, as well as helping the criminals raise funds for legal representation. The hostages appeared to have formed a paradoxical emotional bond with the captors. Psychologist and criminologist, Nils Berjerot, described this phenomenon as ‘Stockholm syndrome’. Stockholm syndrome is the feelings of trust or affection felt by a victim toward a captor in certain cases of kidnapping or hostage. This paradoxical psychological phenomenon, where a positive bond between hostage and captor forms, appears irrational because of the frightening ordeals that victims endure. So what causes it to happen and why? These positive feelings between hostages and hostage takers develop when a captor threatens a victim’s life and decides not to kill them. The victim forms a survival instinct that overpowers the instinct to hate the captor who caused the life-threatening situation. The victim is so concerned with saving their life that they would not jeopardize it with showing hatred or anger toward their captor. It is a basic survival instinct, and it occurs when a number of factors are present in a traumatic situation. The first factor that seems to cultivate the presence of Stockholm syndrome is when the person in control is perceived as having the power to kill the victims and threatens to do so. Second, the situation must be one where the victim cannot escape. Since the captor threatens to kill the victim and gives the perception of having the capability to do so, it leads the victim to align with the captor, endure hardship of captivity, and comply with the captor to resist getting killed. Thirdly, the traumatic situation must put the victim in an isolative state. This creates an environment where the victim is dependent on the captor for information. The victim is prevented from knowing about the world news and the public search for them. This causes feelings of abandonment and isolation, which makes the victim feel as if they have no choice but to bond with the captor. The victim gets mentally involved in the captor’s problems and views, and often the victim starts helping to achieve t he captor’s goals. This behavior creates positive bonding between the victim and captor, which increases the chances of survival for the victim. Finally, the abuser must show some form of kindness. The victim seeing the perpetrator as showing some degree of kindness is the most important factor for causing Stockholm syndrome. The syndrome will not develop unless the captor shows compassion in some form toward the victim. For example, lack of abuse may be misinterpreted as kindness, leading to the development of feelings of appreciation. When a victim is under extreme stress and fearing for their life, they see the smallest act of kindness as proof of the abusers compassion. Seeing the abuser as kind helps to lower stress levels and gives the victim a false security that they are safe. There are three characteristics that seem to be apparent in individuals in situations resulting in Stockholm syndrome. One is that the victim has positive feelings for the captor. This often results from the thankfulness of the victim towards the captor for giving life by simply not taking it. The second characteristic usually shown is that the victim shows fear, distrust, and anger towards the authorities. This occurs because the victim feels as if the authorities can only mishandle the situation, therefore putting their life in danger. Viewing authorities as the enemy stimulates a positive bond between victim and captor. This leads to the last characteristic, which is when the captor displays positive feelings towards the victim. Positive feelings from the shown toward the victim are seen as essential for the victim’s survival. Stockholm syndrome has received considerable media publicity over the years because it has been used to explain the behavior of some notorious kidnapping victims. One famous case of Stockholm syndrome was when the Symbionese Liberation Army kidnapped actress, Patty He arst, in 1974. After two months in captivity, she actively took part in a robbery that they planned. Another well-known case was that of Elizebeth Smart. She fell victim to Stockholm syndrome after her nine months of captivity and abuse by her captives, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. Lastly, the case of Jaycee Lee Dugard was a very prominent story of Stockholm syndrome. Phillip Garrido abducted her for 18 years. Garrido fathered two girls with Jaycee during her captivity. When Jacyee was questioned by investigators, she did not reveal her identity, instead she told them that she was a battered wife who was hiding from her abusive husband. She described Garrido as a good person who she trusted. It was clear that she formed an emotional bond over the years she was held captive by Garrido. While many people will survive such encounters, it does not mean that they do so mentally unharmed. The psychological effects are numerous and victims of Stockholm syndrome are left with mental anguish that can last a lifetime. There are many side effects that are cause by Stockholm syndrome. The main effects that seem to have been shown in many victims are depression, self-blame, social isolation, self-destructive behavior, flashbacks, guilt, and anger. With so many side effects it is extremely important for sufferers to receive treatment. Treatment of Stockholm syndrome entails a combination of medications and psychotherapy. It is unfortunate to see what the effects of someone’s criminal behavior can have on others. It is frightening that there are people out there in this world that are capable of committing such terrible actions. The many who have lost their lives and have to deal with life long memories and scars of traumatizing events is horrifying.

Issues in Altering Historical Buildings

Issues in Altering Historical Buildings Interventions, the contemporary versus the historic, timeless or trend, sympathetic or callous? An investigation into the relationship between historic architecture and contemporary interventions, An insight into Britishness and the controversy of altering historical buildings. There are currently a lot of high profile builds which involve an old building gaining a new addition, an example being the plans for the Tate Modern art gallery extension, (FIG)which has been very controversial and created a split in opinions, but why? Is it due to the proposed structure being such a contrast to the existing ex-industrial palette of brick and masonry or is it due to people not liking the aesthetic of the new design, or is it something different all together. Why are these type of projects so controversial? What is it about the deliberate contrast of styles that separates traditionalists from modernist thinkers so strongly? Are these old buildings being utilised better with their new additions or is it simply a fad, which like Modernism will mean the buildings may be seen as useless or ineffective structures that will be demolished and replaced in a matter of decades. Understanding this theory better involves looking at why these buildings have had Contemporary additions added to the existing structure, whether they have been re purposed, saved from demolition, been given a new lease of life, or have simply been enlarged. Looking at specific examples will determine whether or not the additions have been successful or unsuccessful and whether the modification has truly been in the buildings best interests or is simply part of a trend which is just an architectural gimmick, which may or may not stand the test of time. The junction between historic and Contemporary materials is also an important factor of this merging of styles, for example the architect behind the Public Library in Landau, Germany, Lamott Architekten commented that the point of which the former outer wall has been perforated are rendered as wounds., Does the delicacy of the conjunction between materials effect negative outcry in relation to the historic building, does the new design have respect for the existing structure, whether or not there is any major displacement of any historic stone work, or any original features which are covered up or overshadowed by the new development. Are these additions part of the constant extension of buildings that has occurred for hundreds of years, or is there something about contemporary architecture that makes it different to styles of the past. Is it what some people see as the building organically changing and growing, or is this movement a reaction to the recent environmental stance to arch itectural design, and simply a way to reuse old building rather than demolishing them, and altering them to be more energy efficient. Is there need for a more restrictive or a more accepting approach to planning for these kind of projects, or do the restrictions mean that only the best designs are put forward, and if regulations were not in place would many historic buildings would be ruined by badly designed or poorly planned interventions or is there simply too much bureaucracy and petty regulations keeping progress to the bare minimum and standing in the way of landmark projects. Would it be better for a building to be transformed into a contemporary usable building, when the alternative is for it be left to degrade and to be forgotten. In concern with Britain in particular is the collective reservedness holding contemporary architecture and progress in the designed environment back? Will this phenomena ruin our historical buildings stock and confuse our countrys heritage, or is there a more positive impact on society that can be sought from well designed contemporary architecture. The use of the word statement plays a big part of this debate, is this movement solely about creating a statement piece of contemporary design just to make an impact, or will it prove to have more depth, and become something more permanent in the architectural world. Is the fact that projects such as the Reichtag and the Ontario museum even exist suggest that despite the controversy that there is an overall gradually changing opinion as to how historic buildings are modified. The contrast between a landmark and an iconic building, is great, can they ever be combined to create something timeless. Chapter 1: How did the idea of preservation in architecture come into being. How has the movement of adding to existing evolved over time. In the debate of which method is better conversion restoration or extension. The more sensible option of restoration, (to use historically accurate building methods and materials to create a mimic of the existing), can be seen as more sympathetic to the building. In a conversion of a medieval public library in Spain (FiG) it was commented that Through simple repair measures, carefully fitted to match the building, and only a few new additions, the atmosphere and splendour of the original building substance pervades (Cramer and Breitling 2007, p.33) To understand the idealism behind the preservation of old buildings, in particular in the United Kingdom, It must first be understood how and why the idea of buildings being protected came to pass. Phil Venning from the Society for the protection of ancient buildings explained that the beginning of historical building preservation stems from what the Victorians were doing Between 1840 to 1870 there was a huge process of restoring churches and cathedrals. Half or all medieval churches were restored and the problem was the nature of that restoration. Take St Alburns church, not one single stone from the original building was reused. It was a complete Victorian makeover, a complete invention that bore no relation to anything historical that existed before, so hundreds of years of genuine history were wiped away for the sake of something fantastical and completely unnecessary.(Venning 09) Historical buildings often have a long and complicated past, many things that happened within the b uilding are unknown, this mystery and wonder create a sort of affection for the historic, architectural or otherwise. There is a contradiction in feeling about historic things, Most peoples opinion of old artefacts is contradictory. For many the old often represents stagnation and decay. On the other hand, the old is also treated with a certain respect, recognising the fact that the ageing process involves survival in the face of difficulties. The very fact that something has been conserved can stimulate wonder and reflection. Perhaps it is the familiarity of old things that one values, and the experiences which have contributed to their survival over time. The traces of ageing can be perceived as a form of cultural identity.(Cramer, Breiltlig, 2007) Looking back on particular examples of buildings that were added to or restored in the past clearly shows why certain protection was needed to preserve historic buildings. Longleat house in Wiltshire is a very extreme example of how Victorian style additions could be unsympathetic to the original structure. Within Longleats interior are numerous hidden voids, where new additions and interior layout changes are fitted within the existing structure often leaving huge voids which can only be accessed through tiny service doors and are totally blocked off. One of the biggest voids in the building contains a beautiful clock face. It is still maintained, and is in perfect working order, but very few people ever see it, as in order to view the clock face an angled mirror and a torch are needed. This type of loss of history lead to the creation of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877. One of the main concerns of those opposed to this movement is the preservation of historical culture, not being a priority and how through these ultra modern additions it is being lost in order to create more of an universal style, with less emphasis on a specific culture as, due to technology and its effect on communication it is more international rather than national. Architects can now work with buildings thousands of miles away, and may have never personally visited the site in question, this fact alone, along with many other factors, including globalisation means that it is inevitable that some form of universal style is to develop. However, on the contrary to this it is seen that each building is developed based on its site, its context, including its past and historical value and its use, meaning that no two buildings could ever be developed in the exact same way.(quote) This means that utilising a universal style can never be a generic scenario as it was during the Modernist period. Historically new styles were developed through travel and exploration. The grand tour for example that took place during the 19th century involved English noblemen and architects exploring Europe, in order to be inspired by existing architecture and bring them back to Britain, hence the birth of the Renaissance style. The grand tourists were very destructive in their exploration, many chipping of details from the buildings to keep as mementos and carving their names in the walls of ancient temples. Renaissance architecture was formed through the misunderstandings and reinterpretations of Greek and Roman architecture. An example of this being that many grand homes in Britain were inspired by Greek and Roman temples. Temples were built for certain gods to seek shelter, so the interior was never meant to be seen by the average townspeople. Creating homes based on the design changes the concept behind the original form altogether. This is one of many examples of how the British reinterpr eted another cultures style of architecture to create a new style that is seen as quintessentially British. The idea of adding to existing in a current style has been occurring for centuries. Many precious buildings have been added to in different periods, for example Chillham Castle in Canterbury in which Major alterations were made in the late 18th century by Thomas Heron and his Wildman successors, in the 1860s by Charles Hardy and finally in the 1920s by Sir Edmund Davis.(Peters 08). This was before William Morris introduced laws to protect old buildings, and there was obviously not the same feeling of preciousness that is felt with concern of old buildings as there is today. Chillham castle is an excellent example of how the whole building was changed depending on the style that was in fashion, In 1775-76, Heron refitted the Jacobean house almost throughout in Georgian style.(Peters 08) This was not necessarily always the best for the building, however, In what has been termed an evil afterthought Brandon put a replacement oriel window over the front door, roughly resembling the origi nal but using his own heavy design. (Peters 08). In the 1920s Chillham castle was restored to its previous Jacobean state as much as possible, which while maybe benefiting the building in its layout and overall coherence, had erased hundreds of years of history. Thus the fenestration changes of the 18th and 19th centuries have been largely swept away, and the external elevations must look today substantially as they were originally in 1616 (Peters 08) This is a different approach to current renovation methods, in that in contemporary additions seek to enhance the historic, rather than replace the historic in order to achieve the illusion of a historic building. During the 60s the movement of altering the historic, became more familiar to what contemporary additions try to do today. Architects such as by Carlo Scarpa, Pierre Chareau and Ignazio Gardella, bridged the gap with innovative solution to reuse of old buildings, which is looked at further in Chapter 4. (need to bridge gap between these paragraphs) These ideas could be used with contemporary interventions where by instead of feeling frightened or intimidated by change of precious historic building stock the British should embrace this new trend, because if we do not then we will not develop a contemporary British style, and that is what frightens us most. Chapter 2: How does the collective British psyche affect projects trying to contrast old and new? Does the planning system have to change to keep the UK at the forefront of current design? As discussed in chapter 1, the introduction of restrictions in altering old buildings has changed the way in which they are preserved, and how architectural fashion affects the previous history. Planning laws can be restrictive in the renovation process. Many historical buildings are listed which mean that certain criteria concerning structural changes and material use have to be obeyed. It is difficult to determine whether or not these restrictions are not changing enough to keep up with current demands of modern living such as open plan spaces and environmental efficiency. It is interesting how the opinion about implementation of contemporary additions between planning authorities differ. In Alain De Bottons book The architecture of happiness and his accompanying television programme The perfect home not only does he give examples of projects that strived to create a addition, and fought a battle with planning laws over the idea of contemporary being more appropriate that mock or p astiche, but he also looks into why pastiche may be the preferred choice, not just by the planners but of Britains general public. Public opinion plays a big part in a buildings success. Does the publics opinion truly reflects the merits of the building and the design, or is the public view still tainted with a lack of distrust of Contemporary style design after the failings of the Modernist movement. Is it still the safe but pastiche option that the general public favours? Is the idea of fitting in still deep set into the minds of people as being the more acceptable and therefore the best option? In order to understand this ideal we must look to the modern housing stock. Pastiche has been able to run riot with the UKs housing. Mock Tudor and Elizabethan houses are everywhere, many are built by developers without even a consultation with an architect. These buildings are familiar, they are safe, they are seen to involve less risk. In this country in particular the conservative minds et appears to be holding back the contemporary in architecture but not in technology or communication or amenities, what does this say about how we feel about the spaces we occupy. Alain De Botton refers to Vilhelm Worringer a 20th Century philosopher that argued that people fell in love with specific types or styles of architecture because it contained or symbolised something that that person, or that persons society was lacking, hence Alain De Botton links this to the theory that pastiche fake Tudor and Georgian new build homes are favoured as a parallel to the ugly landscapes of factories and industrial units that a technologically advanced society produces. This could be seen as an underlying reason for the infusion of Historical and Contemporary architecture being so controversial, it evokes confusion with feeling of wanting to retreat to the past away from technology and advancement. The idea of the modern bringing the Historical into the new millennium may frighten people into a dislike for these projects. One paticular example Alain De Botton pick out is one that challenges this theory and suggests that individuals are now starting to realise the positi ve aspects of Contemporary architecture and how it can be more sympathetic to the genuine historic than make believe pastiche. Wakelins is a Tudor mansion that was refurbished and extended by James Gorst architects as a private home for James Gorst himself. The striking contemporary extension can be seen to have more in common to the original structure as it is also timber framed, where as a pastiche mock Tudor extension would be a masonry structure. James Gorst commented that styles can co-exist without conflict and that you can be respectful of the past but in your own era (Gorst 08) Another example Botton uses is a small subtle contemporary extension to a Georgian terraced house in East London (FIG). This extension was specifically designed by Henning Stummel architects to house toilet facilities on each floor of the house. The reasoning for this is to create a more accurate Edwardian layout. As the Edwardians did not have bathrooms one was created at a later date on the top floo r causing disruption to the flow of the house. The new extension allowed the flow of the house to be restored to the original. These two example defends the theory that A true homage rarely looks like one (Botton 08) that something can be historically sensitive with out aesthetically matching anything from the past. This extension could be seen as beneficial to the house by some, and beautiful with its timber panelling and block like windows, but it involved a long and arduous battle with the local planning committee, which in its entirety took two years, as the council favoured a mock Edwardian extension. This is contrasting evidence to opinions of the likes of Peter Vennning from the society for the protection of ancient buildings who would always rather something that is innovative and well designed that simply copying what was there already (Venning 09) This constant struggle with opinions of the council and planning with individuals creates a barrier between the success and th e compromise of contemporary additions to Historic buildings. This could suggest that there is a problem in this country about accepting contemporary architecture, however there is the issue that it is only in the residential sector that this is apparent. In the United Kingdom there are some award winning contemporary buildings, and they are common place for projects such as theatres, libraries and universities. People obviously appreciate their public and commercial buildings to be contemporary, and in custom built projects the building layout to best reflect its purpose. This theory is then reversed when we look at the modern British home, which only seeks to replicate the old. There is a British trait to be very proud of our homes, but it is questionable why this has manifested itself in such a way in this country and differently in most other countries. It is a view that British people take pride in their home, in particular with aspects such as DIY or do it yourself being seen as quintessentially British DIY is something of a national pastime on Bank Holidays in the UK (unknown, 09) This however is an aspect in itself that leads the public to believe that homes are a personal thing. This, in the past has lead to disagreements between architects and home owners, one example being Le Corbusier and the villa Savoye, and the client being told not to put curtains up as it would spoil the inside outside effect created by the curtain glass. This posed the problem of creating a compromise between good design and an aesthetically pleasing building, and tak ing into consideration client needs and the practical every day functioning of the building. All this evidence suggests that the gap between the public opinion and the architects opinion needs to be bridged. The planning department can be seen as the people to bridge the gap, however they seen to subconsciously be reinforcing the distrust the public have with contemporary design with the favour of pastiche and mock, rather than championing the projects that if built could start to change the publics perception of contemporary architecture. This outlines the main issue that if well designed contemporary projects are not built they will still be seen as the abnormal. It is already outlined that the British public find a sense of security in older style buildings as they are well known, vast in number and familiar. Therefore it seems that it is impossible to bridge this gap without upsetting the British public at some stage. The planning committee have the power to change the publics p erception however they are part of the British public in themselves and their preferences for mock can be seen as a reserved or scared move on their behalf. Architects have an understanding of how contemporary architecture works, and how it can be beneficial in a modern society. This could be seen to suggest that there must be a form of making the public aware of contemporary architecture and how it works, for this fear is based on a lack of understanding, or simply refusing to understand. The current debate on this issue is fore fronted by Prince Charles. In a very British manner he is opposing many architects work in defence of preservation of historical buildings in the UK. Prince Charles, Royal, although with no official authority for building regulations, has become the spokesperson for this debate. However his very traditional views have been controversial even to those who support the cause. Philosophically the princes claim to be the protector of tradition does not bear scrutiny. He recently resigned as patron of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) because he does not understand or subscribe to its manifesto, as set down by its founder, William Morris. The key SPAB principle is that no adaptation or extension to an historic building should seek to imitate the original, but be distinct and of its own time. To quote: a feeble and lifeless forgery is the final result of all the wasted labour. That one of the princes advisers also designs for Disneyland is symptomatic of a preference for a sanitised version of the past, stripped of the authentic vitality Morris sought to defend. (Macintosh 09) This difference in opinion reflects the much wider debate of whether to adapt buildings in a contemporary way or as traditionally as possible. Prince Charles can be seen as a typically British example. Part of the Monarchy but with effectively with no authority in matters including architecture, he feels his opinion more valid than that of William Morris and the entire staff at the Society for the protection of Ancient Buildings But the prince is understood to have particularly objected to the suggestion that restoring old houses in their original style often results in a pastiche an unflattering hotchpotch of materials and forms taken from different sources -and took pains to say as much.(English 09) With figure heads such as these portraying their opinion of the correct practice, as archaic mimicking, is it no wonder that the British public, that which is still in admiration of its monarchy, something which is very uniquely British, can the lesser known faces of this debate, such as the SPAB be considered within public consideration. However there are points raised by prince Charles that defend the idea that there is a difference in opinion or a gap of understanding between architects and the general public that must be addressed A gulf is continuing to divide architects from the rest of society because of their obsession with forms (Hurst 09). However even Prince Charles admitted that the planning system needed reform, which means that there is proof that the planning system does not even benefit those traditionalist ideas concerning architecture. There is recent contraversay about Prince Charles position within this architectural debate. The recent withdrawl of foreign funding for a high end contemporary development in London due to the Princes interfearence has angered many. It could be seen that Charles should be trying to urge foreign developers to invest in housing, to benefit the country as a whole, especially in a time of economic crisis. Many others challenged the design of the building, mainly those of a certain authority and age range Palace officials are likely to argue that the prince was only one voice against the Candys plans for Chelsea Barracks. Lord Stockton, grandson of Harold MacMillan, the former prime minister (Chittenden,09) The Prince also stated his views on his prefered alternative He proposed a classical alternative that mirrored the 17th-century Royal Hospital, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, across the street. (Chittenden,09) This comment is an example of how people are afraid of something new, a nd prefere the security of something that already exists, the pastiche. If the Prince becomes king in the future then the debate will become increasingly intense, which poses the possibility that more and more pastiche will find its was to the buildings sites, rather than something more exciting and innovative. The idea of recreating a like the Royal hospital, means that the newer building will only ever be a lesser building than the original, due to the fact that mimicking something with contemporary techniques will ultimatly compromise the overall integrity of the building, particularly when the original is as close as Prince Charles proposed. In esscence pastiche architecture is putting style out of context, in respect of time. Is it then not that different from structures in theme parks and museums? This can be epitimised by the fact that as discussed prevoisuly one of prince Charles advisors also designs for Disneyland. This could be seen as Prince Charles prioritising style ov er substance, whcih is surely not how successful buildings are designed. The idea of replicating an old building is never doing the original building justice, as it will always be compromised by contemporary requirements as well as contemporary building codes and planning regulations.. This could, in extreme circumstances in the future, lead to old buildings being demolished in favour of pastiche, as mock buildings are created in the relevant period and are therefore more suitable for current use.It could be said that to truly appreciate old buildings they muse have a contrast, in order to keep the rarety and preciousness of its design. Another aspect of architecture that Prince Charles has been talking about is sustainability. In a recent talk he was considered to come across as an intellectual Luddite, whose only solution is to retreat into a Hobbit-like world of organic earthy buildings and no cars. (Baillieu, 09) This is linked in Prince Charles speech with the idea that he is w ary or afraid of experimentation within the architectural genre. its his belief that the challenge of climate change can be solved without experimentation. This is where the speech unravelled for in making out experimentation to be a terrifying leap in the dark rather than something good based on hypotheses and a body of knowledge (Baillieu, 09). It is easy to see how these two aspects come together to form this overall opinion. This is again relating back to the idea of being afraid of the unknown and the security of the familiar which is known to have existed and survived for a period of time. However it is clear that without experimentation it will be impossible to combat the climate changing effects of our current architectural stock without stepping into the unknown and experimenting to create new technology and contemporary design. This supports the idea of moving on from historical design and designing in a more intellegent way in order to combat this problem, and start developing ideas for architecture that the future requires. This point in argued by those who support the science and technology of this debate In his famous two cultures lecture, the novelist and scientist CP Snow warned that if people wanted to turn their backs on science and the benefits of industrialisation they were free to make that choice. I respect you for the strength of your aesthetic revulsion, he said. But I dont respect you in the slightest if, even passively, you try to impose the same choice on others who are not free to choose.(Baillieu, 09). This also supports the idea that some part of the population are not nessessarily lead by their own choice but rather the choice of figureheads in their society. This directly relates to Prince Charles and the negative impact he could have on the populations views concerning architecture. It is easy to see how people become patriotic about this countries old buildings, but surely opposing anything contemporary in architecture at all is hindering the progress of the country as a whole. The destruction of old buildings during the first and second world wars helped to create the feeling of preciousness for the old buildings that survived. Modernism that took advantage of the loss of historical buildings to create something new, which even involved demolishing old buildings that survived the air raids. This was admired by young architectural minds but disliked by older more traditionalist architects as well as the public. This Modern style of building was very much a duplicating style with certain design rules that had to be followed by every building, which lead them to have a very generic quality. This strict code of aesthetic design lead to many of the buildings being demolished as little as ten to thirty years later, due to the fact that the buildings were deemed to have no soul and were considered ugly and harsh aesthetically. The destructive qualities of Modernism and the architects ideas of town planning, showed not only the public but also the architectural wo rld how important it was to create structures that were not only functional but iconic, and to create something the public could enjoy, not just the architectural elite. Modernism as a movement angered many people who were dedicated to preserving history, and ever since then they have been fiercely protective of old buildings and the work that is done with them. Many people however who have acquired old buildings with the intent on restoring them, have to wait months and deal with infuriating, bureaucracy before they can start work,. In a lot of cases until the necessary permissions are granted the owners are powerless and must watch as the building they own deteriorates further putting the building itself at risk. An example of this is the work carried out on a folly in Monmouth(FIG)(Gillilan 09) to restore the original building which is from the 16th century but was rebuilt after being struck by lightening in the late 1890s. They also wanted to include a modern extension and to te ar down the 20th century additions that were not appropriate for the building, trying to mimic the original with rendered concrete that were causing damage to the existing structure. This project included an equal amount of restoration and extension, designed by architects with thoughtful and delicate conjunction between modern and historic materials shows how with better technology and more sympathetic building materials our views to restoring old buildings is slowly changing. The planning committee of a local council however is not the only opposition an individual with Contemporary taste must face. Public approval is vital for a successful planning application, and neighbours opposition can stop a project even beginning. In Ling, a small historical village in Norfolk a resident wished to build a contemporary house on the site of his old pottery shed. He has been trying to get permission for his dwelling for years, and his biggest obstacle is the villagers themselves, who think the building is ugly and doesnt fit in The question is why did this matter so much, and why exactly did the new building not fit in? The building is proposed to be made from traditional methods with local materials so it is the contemporary style of the building the villagers find so offensive. The resident in question commented that there is something peculiarly British about this putting the past on a pedestal and that everything old is sacrosanct and you touch it at your peril. But is it just the British who feel this way, or is it something that is part of any country with a long history and a wealth of historical buildings. A contrast to this would be to look at a country where this is not the case. Dubai is mostly desert, but due to

Learning about spelling strategy

Learning about spelling strategy Introduction Spelling strategies in the primary curriculum have consistently provoked criticism and debate amongst teachers, Ofsted and the Government.[1] Standards continue to decline highlighting that the present strategy is failing.[2] A central criticism is that teachers do not have the necessary knowledge of the relationship between word structure and spelling, and rely on techniques they learnt at school, specifically the use of memorized spelling tests. (Spear-Swerling, Brucker Alfano 2005). The major concerns are that this approach hinders the teachers ability to identify the correct spelling instructional level of individual pupils, and produces a trend where pupils who score high in tests will subsequently misspell the same words during written exercises; this is the case at my chosen school.[3] The Key Stage 2 curriculum is similarly criticized both at the school and in general, because it fails to consistently describe how word lists are selected or base selection on current linguistic spelling principles and developmental research. (Scott 2007). This may or may not be developmentally appropriate for the class as a whole or for individual pupils, especially in the area of creative writing (Stone et al. 2005 p662). It will be the purpose of this study to analyse and evaluate current theories and case studies for teaching spelling and writing at Key Stage 2 that could be utilized by the school. There are three dominant strands to teaching that will be investigated here, Developmental Stage Theory, Incidental Inventive Spelling theory and the Multi-sensory approach.[4] Spelling Strategies: An Investigation Developmental Stage Theory identifies 5 stages of spelling development; Prephonetic, Phonetic, Patterns with Words, Syllable Juncture and Meaning-Derivation. (Henderson in Bear et al. 2004).[5] Studies have discovered that pupils who experience significant difficulty with spelling will still follow the same developmental course as other pupils, but at a slower pace. (Worthy Invernizzi 1990). The approach therefore promotes a move away from memorization skills to supporting a pupils natural developing awareness of language with practice in wide reading and writing, and be based on the pupils developmental level as opposed to unitary placement in the grade level based spelling book. (Schlagel 2002 p.47). A developmental spelling analysis (DSA) such as the Qualitative Inventory of Word Knowledge (QIWK) technique is used to initially identify and analyse a pupils current stage through scoring, inventive spellings and error patterns relating to writing and word sorting activities. Word sorts of increasingly difficult levels using words from the 5 DTS stages are used because they provide an interactive means of helping pupils understand spelling concepts on an increasingly abstract level (Bear et al. 2004). Subsequent teaching, spelling and writing exercises are tailored to both stage and development strategies by focusing on fewer words in word sorts at a time, teaching spelling patterns and providing numerous practice writing sessions and self/peer review strategies.[6] Together they allow for a systematic observation of higher-level processes and improve metacognitive abilities. (Seifert-Kessell in Fresch 2000). This approach moves away from the reliance of pupil memorization of words that is said to produce effective performance in spelling tests but poor performance in writing, and over time, as pupils forget the words they have memorized. (Seifert-Kessell in Fresch 2000) The case study Beyond Memorisation, Lists and Trial Tests by Hillal Scharer is an excellent example of the DTS process. Using QIWK teachers were able to expand their understanding of KS1 KS2 equivalent pupils as spellers. One teacher discovered that her class ability ranged from levels 2-8 on the QIWK scale, another commented I need to get better at recognizing what levels they are at. It only makes sense that if kids are at different reading levels, they will be at different levels in their spelling. I dont know why I didnt recognize this before. (Hilal Scharer 1993). The strategy does not just allow for effective grouping and targeted learning at the instructional level, it also provides a detailed method for qualitative data analysis in pupil errors over time. One teacher documented a concern that score levels had not improved between May and January, however, when the error data was analysed using the QIWK method she discovered that over half were moving from the letter name stage to the within-word stagethis is so much more pleasant, you can see growth, what more could you ask for? (Hillal Scharer 1993). A third and perhaps the most significant development was that teachers noticed changes in spelling errors in written assignments. Rather than circling errors they cross-referenced with a QIWK analysis and systematically documented them. This inferred weekly selections of word lists that were chosen from misspelled written work rather than the curriculum textbooks. This facilitated mini-spelling lessons linked to written work through observed errors and provided an environment for coaching in self-editing and peer editing strategies using QIWK word sorts as a base. Peer marking and discussions have, themselves, provided an additional strategy here that has been documented to benefit pupils learning. By grouping pupils of similar spelling ability they learn at the same pace, feel empowered and by judging the work of others, students gain insight into their own performance (and language)peer and self-assessment help pupils develop the ability to make judgments, a necessary skills for le arning.'( Brown, Rust Gibbs 1994). It will be seen throughout this chapter that peer work and assessment strategies lend themselves to the majority of spelling strategies discussed, this will be discussed in more depth in the conclusion. The headteacher summarized; theres been a move away from memorization activities to active tasks such as creative writing, word hunts and word study notebooks (this) extends and records development of word knowledge. (Hillal Scharer 1993). All the teachers involved in the study stated they would continue but required support strategies from the school to implement, this a recurring theme for all researched case studies and will be therefore be discussed in the conclusion. A subsequent developmental case study entitled Using Think-Alouds During Word Sorts (Fresch 2000) encouraged KS2 level pupils to put your brain in your throat and tell us what you are thinkingkeep talking. The study was determined to open a window into the decision-making process because information stored in the short-term memory is vocalized and caters for systematic observations of higher-level processes. (Olson, Duffy Mack in Fresch 2000). The results showed that think-alouds enable pupils to demonstrate the extent to which they rely on auditory or visual informationstudents develop knowledge about language through active engagement. (Fresch 2000). [7] This in turn can be incorporated into the strategies pupils use while writing; rather than rely on writing and proof reading, the pupils can incorporate a vocal strategy linked to their experience of vocalizing words during DST word sort exercises. While Stage Theory provides a basic template for describing student growth in spelling and writing it is criticized for a repeated emphasis of placing pupils in concrete groups with the assumption pupils progress sequentially without moving back and forth when they encounter unfamiliar words. (Scott 2007). Studies by Siegler (1995) and Varnhagen (1997) have identified an Overlapping Wave Theory that incorporate stage development but allow for fluid movement between stages as they develop. This theory believes pupils possess and are able to use knowledge of phonology, orthography and morphology from an early age, but rely more strongly on strategies at different points in time. (Kwong Varnhagen 2005). Varnhagens case study examined pupil spelling for a KS 1-2 equivalent and identified the same strategies throughout.[8] Their conclusion was that spelling progressed from errors representing the phonetic stage directly to correct spelling. (Scott 2007). The authors themselves are unsure of how this would compliment writing strategies but identify a link to the two strategies that would allow for a better understanding of spelling stage development that would influence spelling strategies as a whole. (Kwong Varnhagen 2005 p.154). In opposition to DST is the Incidental Inventive Spelling approach developed by Montessori (1964) and Chomsky (1979). They observed that children write from an early age and in some cases before they begin to read. They inferred that an invented spelling approach to writing benefits learning because children learn best if they construct a system of their own rather than having it handed to them by an adult.'(Chomsky in Metasala Ehri 1998 p.300). Treimann (1993) echoed Chomsky and Montessori by conducting a year long study where pupils used invented spelling in their writing, then recopying it with standard spelling and finally using for reading practice. It was discovered that the pupils spelling and writing both improved. (Treimann in Metasala Ehri 1998). In a case study by Clarke (1988) pupils at an early KS2 level using inventive spelling out performed fellow pupils in two separate spelling tests, one involving low-frequency words. These results suggest encouraging children to invent spelling while engaged in creative writing helps them to appreciate language comprehension. (Clarke in Metasala Ehri 1998 p.305). Ehri continues to argue that it does not hurt children to misspell words and they do not become locked into misspelling behaviour. An additional discovery was that pupils often do not proof read their own writing and even when they do it takes multiple readings to learn its spelling. By using inventive spelling techniques the inventive group correctly spelled a larger variety of words than the control group. (Metasala Ehri 1998 p.305). Further studies by Ehri, Gibbs and Underwood (1988) and Bradley and King (1992) discovered that pupils beginning Key Stage 2 who were exposed to inventive spelling techniques were more accura te than their counterparts. (Metasala Ehri 1998). Although pupils in these studies were beginning a Key Stage 2 level of education the strength of the study focuses on the ability of pupils to maintain ownership of their creative writing. The teacher remains a facilitator rather than a director. Read (1986) believes writing is part of a childs play with language and the specific activities must grow out of a childs interestshe is likely to direct herself rather than march to an adult drummer. (Read 1986 p.125). The inventive studies have highlighted two areas of interest, firstly is the level of play pupils maintain through writing which could lead to better performance. A study by Gerritz in Read confirms that there was a distinct improvement in pupils writing ability. They were clearly at ease and eager to write. They didnt show any more bad spelling habits than had been experienced throughout years of teaching. (Gerritz in Read 1986 p.125). An enjoyment of writing is perhaps viewed as secondary to spelling performance in the KS 2 strategy and there could be a link between poor spelling performance in writing and the rigidity of spelling strategies. Secondly, the studies have highlighted the in-ability of pupils at this level to identify spelling mistakes in writing. A possible link could be made to the peer-support strategies outlined in the DST studies where-by pupils creatively write first and then, together in QIWK determined groups, analyse the mistakes. There is a third approach relating to a learning styles strategy. Though a combination of neurology, Gardners multiple intelligence and subsequent learning styles theories there are numerous teaching strategies that focus on multi-sensory learning techniques that can build on the traditional spelling lessons. Using neurological evidence Ott (2007) suggests a distinction between dominant left and right brain learning styles. Left brain learners could focus on speech and language through learning word patterns through sound and rhyme, using mnemonics in analysis, logic and language skills, counting syllables and using word derivatives.[9] Right brain learners would focus on visual and spatial skills such as clapping to count syllables, using colour when they identify words, using a computer keyboard and graphic packages, and using mnemonics with illustrations.[10] Gardners theory of multiple intelligences expounds the techniques to include three dominant learning styles that can be incorporated into the classroom.[11] Visual learners could benefit from learning to spell through images, diagrams, mindmaps, media and spelling through analogy and word patterns. The traditional Fernald Method of pronunciation, identification, the tracing of difficult spellings, and writing from memory would especially suite these types of learners. (Ott 2007). Auditory learners could benefit from listening, song, poem, music, rhythm and oral testing. This directly relates to The Simultaneous Oral Spelling (SOS) method that involves pupils sounding out letters, whilst an other pupil asks them to give the letter names as he/she spells the word. Although a basic phonographic technique there is potential for auditory learners to benefit. (Westwood 2005). There is an opportunity to combine with the ARROW method (Aural-Read-Response-Aural-Written). The pupil listens to a recording of single words while simultaneously reading the same words. Oral and written responses via testing allow for a multi-sensory approach to learning words that enhance the traditional memorization technique with a better-suited learning style. (Westwood 2005). Kinesthetic learners could utilise note-taking and physical activities such as model building and play to further enhance the learning experience. (Ott 2007). Although there is a lack of definite case studies relat ing these methods to the relationship of spelling and writing, they do provide a framework for multi-sensory learning that have the potential to be incorporated into the other methods discussed. Pupils (and teachers) could benefit from the awareness of their learning styles and the multi-faceted approaches to learning offered here. The Directed Spelling Thinking Activity (DSTA) developed by Dr Zutell (1989-1991) provides a detailed lesson format utilizing multi-sensory techniques and a process-orientated cycle of instruction that especially suits language learning. (Zutell 1996). This strategy is aimed at systematically connecting to the writing process with a child-centered, active approach to learning.'(Zutell 1996). An initial pretest with contrasting words is given, followed by a group discussion focusing on strategic problem-solving activities. The next day a word sort is initiated that aids pupils to discover the relationships between contrasting word patterns. Throughout the week pupils make connections to their own experiences and take greater control of their learning as they hunt for words, sort words with partners and individually, and use a pupil-chosen selection of practice written activities centered upon identifying patterns and relationships. (Zutell 1996). Word sorts are again utilized providing a link to the DTS strategy. In this case they are based on teacher and student selected single words and multiple sorts of semantic and orthographic definitions. To enhance learning they are sorted both visually and blind, where decisions are made after each word is said, but before it is seen. They are also initiated through group, partner and individual practices to facilitate pupil relationships. The benefits stated here are that pupils notice important features of words being studied, and it can contribute significantly to proofreading abilities. (Zutell Compton 1993). Zutell Compton go to great lengths to describe the positives of word sorting activities. To summarise, they identify the manipulative strengths of movement and rearrangement, the ability to respond to emergent patterns, to facilitate peer support and learning, identify conceptual categories and word memberships and to move beyond individual pronunciation, pattern and meanin g to the interconnectedness of words. Once accuracy is established they can sort on their own and speed sort to ensure internalized, automatic control. (Zutell Compton 1993). Word hunting activities are also identified as effective in creating a sense of ownership in decision-making and to recognize the relevance of what is being studied to their own reading and writing. It is documented to aid the individualization of word lists from the pupils own writing and to the instructional level of the pupil that once more forms a link to the DTS method. (Zutell 2005). Other strategies advised are Flip Folders for independent spelling strategies, specifically the Look-Say-Cover-See strategy discussed earlier in relation to multi-sensory learning. Word Study Notebooks are identified as a writing alternative to the traditional Word Journal because they are conceptually challengingpupils enter words by patterns, such as ch words or vowel-consonant-silent e words. New words and pages are added as new patterns are studies. (Zutell 2005). Games, and specifically board games (i.e. Scrabble), are determined to keep interest high and allow for pupils of all spelling ranges to compete against each other on an equal footing. This provides an anti-thesis to the DTS theory and creates a space for settings and grades to be negotiated in favour of a whole class approach that could build confidence and motivate peer-support. An additional benefit is that pupils must check the accuracy of each others spelling which creates an opportunity for higher learning through an active and fun setting. (Zutell 2005). A final weekly test provides information for both the teacher and for self-evaluation, serves as a guide for journal building, and leads to choices of words for future studies. (Zutell 1996). The benefit of the entire strategy is that it is a child-centered, active, multi-sensored and personalized yet peer-supported strategy that benefits spelling, reading and writing. (Zutell 2005).[12] In addition Zutell claims that this strategy greatly enhances Vygotskys understandings of social engagement by facilitating learning through creative collaboration and learning, mutual appropriation and the enhancement of learning through the zone of proximinal development.'(Zutell 2005). This could be said to be true for any of the group-orientated strategies here pointing to a belief that rote memorization should be exchanged for a creative group approach that facilitates both ownership and peer supporting strategies, especially in creative writing exercises. Conclusion: Considerations for curriculum implementation Any change to teaching practices will have an impact on a myriad of sources. Teachers and subject coordinators will face the challenge of additional training and the procurement of new resources, pupils will require greater initial scaffolding and parents will require educating themselves of the new approach and there may be resistance. This combined effort is traditionally perceived by many teachers as too expensive and time consuming. There are, however, documented strategies that can work. INSET opportunities provide staff with the opportunity to develop new skills and focused teamwork. The subject coordinator can simultaneously create new teaching strategies. Together they can navigate the criticisms that have been documented in the introduction by focusing on learning language structure, perhaps even through the same active techniques as their pupils as they construct the scheme-of-work. During research for this study there were numerous websites identified that provided free lesson-plans and schemes-of-work relating to all methods discussed here, especially the DTS and DSTA. The classroom resources required for creative writing exercises, word sorts, games, folders and word charts, could also be created by the pupils themselves, facilitating coordinated teamwork between Art and English departments. This would allow for an active approach to learning for the pupils and increase a sense of ownership. It also provides a space for simultaneous scaffolding and creative learning across the curriculum, providing a more whole-school approach to spelling in general and the language arts as a whole. The use of free resources and pupil created teaching aids can, therefore, successfully navigate any budgetary requirements. Included in Appendix D is an example of a marking rubric that was designed by a spelling teacher during the move away from memorized spelling tests. She admits the creation of a new rubric was time-consuming but her response to the effort is positive, inspiring and particularly effective in creative writing exercises. (Loeffler 2009). This highlights that committed teachers cannot only achieve success but that there is support available via the Internet. Also included in Appendix E are teacher/parent responses to new marking rubrics and the shift to the DTS method during the case study Beyond Memorisation. The case study exemplifies and clarifies how concerns by both parties were successfully navigated with positive results. There is a particular focus on the impact of a move from traditional weekly grading scores given to parents to a more detailed progressive report that is produced through a combination of DTS and writing strategies. What all of these strategies have discovered is that there are numerous alternatives to the traditionally memorization technique. The DTS, DSTA and Incidental Writing strategies have especially identified working practices that aid the pupil in correct spelling during creative writing exercises. Throughout this research it has become apparent that my chosen school is not an isolated case in the difficulty of producing correct spelling in both tests and creative writing. It is a nationwide problem that clearly identifies that current spelling strategies are not sufficient and that there is a need for more active, creative, multi-sensory teaching techniques and practices within the KS2 curriculum. There is no technique that has been identified as superior, however, throughout this study there were numerous instances where strategies overlap and compensate for each other. It is clear that used together strategically they can enhance both a pupils spelling in all areas and enhance the cr eative writing experience. The additional use of peer-support structures provide a chance for a move away from grading and sets to a whole-class teamwork based learning experience. References Bear, D. Invernizzi, M. Templeton, S. Johnston, F. (2004) Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary and Spelling Instruction: New Jersey: Pearson Education Brown, S., Rust, C. and Gibbs, G. (1994) Involving students in the assessment process, in Strategies for Diversifying Assessments in Higher Education: Oxford: Oxford Centre for Staff Development Claire, J. (2004) 200,000 pupils cannot read at seven. @ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3304750/200000-pupils-cannot-read-at-seven.html Clark, L. (2009) Why Childrens Spelling is Going Downhill @ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-98156/Why-childrens-spelling-going-downhill.html Fresch, M. ((2000/2001) Using think-alouds to analyze decision making during spelling word sorts: Reading Online, 4(6) @ http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=/articles/fresch/index.html Hillal, G. Scharer, P. (1993) Beyond Memorisation, Lists and Trial Tests: Exploring the Influence of Teacher Knowledge of Developmental Spelling on Pedagogical Decisions. @ http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true_ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED364870ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=noaccno=ED364870 Hinds, D. (2004) SATS thrown back over Hadrians wall @ http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=2054617 Kwong, T. Varnhagen, C. (2005) Strategy Development and Learning to Spell New Words: Developmental Psychology No.41 pp.148-159 @ literacyencyclopedia.ca/index.php?fa=items.show228 Loeffler, K. (2009) No More Friday Spelling Tests: Council for Exceptional Children @ www.teachingld.org/pdf/teaching_how-tos/spelling_tests.pdf Metsala, J. Ehri, L. (1998) Word Recognition in Literacy: Philadelphia: Lawrence Eribaum Ott,P. (2007) How to Manage Spelling Successfully: London: Routledge Read, C. (1986) Childrens Creative Spelling: London: Routledge Schlagel, R.C. (2002) Classroom Spelling Instruction: History, research and Practice: Reading, Research and Instruction Vol.1 Issue 42 pp.44-57 Scott, C. (2000) Principles and Methods of Spelling Instruction: Topics in Language Disorders Vol.3 Issue 20 pp.66-82 Scott, R. (2007) Spelling research: Classroom Implications: Encyclopedia of Language and Literacy Development @ http://literacyencyclopedia.ca/index.php?fa=items.showtopicId=230 Smith, M. (2008) Howard Gardner and Multiple Intelligences @ http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm Spear-Swelling, L. Brucker, P. Alfano, M. (2005) Teachers literacy-related knowledge about English word structure: Annals of Dyslexia Vol.53 pp72-103 @ http://www.southernct.edu/publications/facbib/S/spear-swerling.htm Stone, C. Silliman, E. Ehren, B. Apel, K. (2005) The Handbook of Language and Literacy: Development and Disorders: Guilford: Guilford Press Templeton, S. Morris, D. (1999) Questions Teachers Ask About Spelling: Reading Research Quarterly Vol.34, No.1 pp.102-112 Westwood, P. (2005) Spelling: Approaches to Teaching and Assessment: Camberwell : ACER Worthy, M. Invernizzi, J. (1990) Spelling Errors of Normal and Disabled Students on the Achievement Levels One Through Four: Instructional Implications: Annals of Dyslexia Issue 40 pp.138-151: Springer Science Business Media Zutell, J. (1996) The Directed Spelling Thinking Activity: Providing an Effective Balance in Word Study Instruction: The Reading Teacher Vol.2 Issue 50 pp.98-108 @ http://www.reading.org/General/Publications/Journals/rt.aspx?mode=redirect Zutell, J. (2005) A Student-Active Learning Approach to Spelling Instruction @ http://www.zaner-bloser.com/educator/products/spelling/index.aspx?id=4820view=article Zutell, J. C. Compton. (1993) Learning to spell in the elementary grades: The knowledge base for effective teaching Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Reading Association, San Antonio, TX. @ journals.cambridge.org/production/action/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid [1] David Bell, chief inspector of Ofsted was interviewed by The Telegraph in 2004 and stated the governments programme for literacy teaching at primary level is confused.many teachers are given virtually no training in teaching children how to spell. (Claire 2004). [2] A 2002 review of Key Stage 2 statistics stated accuracy in spelling has declined. (Driscoll in Hinds 2004). A 2009 review of national tests stated the ability of children to spell has declined. Pupils aged between 11-14 made more spelling errors than they did in 2000, four years into a scheme to ensure primary pupils have daily literacy hour lessons among 7 year olds spelling tests improved slightly even though heads complained the spelling tests were too hard. (Daily Mail 2009) [3] The school is still reliant on spelling lessons characterized by the use of Basel published weekly lists of words, written exercises focusing on menorisation and two weekly tests at the beginning and end of each week. [4] Developmental stage theory recommends spelling be taught systematically in relation to individual development. Instruction is based on identified student needs as they progress through the developmental stages. The incidental inventive writing approach, which advocates teaching spelling as the need arises in student writing throughout the school day. The multi-sensory approach focuses on the theory of learning styles and multiple intelligences to identify the best strategy to teach individual pupils. (Schlagel 2002) [5] Phonetic is the true beginning of alphabetic writing and reflects some understanding of phoneme-grapheme correspondences), Patterns Within Words (deeper understanding of orthography (the visual written form). Syllable Juncture (the abstract conceptualization of the spelling system, focuses on the place within words where syllables meet, and an understanding of spelling changes when inflectional endings are added to root/base words (plurals, past tense marker, present progressive verb endings, other spelling concepts that are grasped at this stage include possessive forms and contractions). Meaning-Derivation (concentrates on the morphological connections (coding words by the parts of words that signal meaning and grammar) in English orthography. Students learn that in written English, words that are related in meaning (sharing a common root) are usually spelled similarly, even if they are pronounced differently. (Scott 2007). Please see Appendix B for a complete explanation of the 5 stages. [6] QIWK itself consists of eight progressively complex stages of word lists and spelling patterns relating to DST. Word lists and word sorts match the developmental stage with later stages (Syllable Juncture Meaning Derivative stages) involving morphological principles such as base and derived forms and word origins. [7] This aspect of think-aloud strategies form an interesting link to the multi-sensory approach that will be explored later in the chapter. (See Appendix C for detailed examples of word sorts and pupil responses.) [8] The study analyzed childrens spelling of silent -e long vowels and different types of -ed past tense words for signs of a strong developmental progression of qualitatively distinct stages from semi phonetic to phonetic to transitional to correct spelling over time. (Scott 2007). [9] Ott offers the following examples; sounding word patterns such as the ight sequence in light, bright, fright and might. Mnemonics such as our dear mother uses great rigour and vigour for every Endeavour. Syllable counting such as /mag/ni/fi/cent and /won/der/ful. Word derivations such as signature derived from sign or automatic derived from auto. (Ott 2007 p.106) [10] Ott explains the use of a computer keyboard will aid learning because they can utilise motor memory to remember finger placement and visual memory to memorise patterns. Graphics packages will help remember pictures and associate letter patterns with pictures. (Ott 2007 p.106). [11] Gardners multiple intelligence theory identifies 7 intelligence types; linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal and intrapersonal. (Smith 2008) [12] Case Study results were difficult to obtain but Zutells work has been endorsed by The International Reading Association, The National Council of Teachers of English and The Language Arts and Reading Company. This highlights the perceived effectiveness of his approach and justifies inclusion here.

aALCOHOL SHOULD BE BANNED Essay -- essays research papers

ALCOHOL SHOULD BE BANNED Alcohol in the form of alcoholic beverages has been consumed by humans since pre-historic times, for a variety of hygienic, dietary, medicinal, religious, and recreational reasons. While infrequent consumption of alcohol in small quantities may be harmless or even beneficial, larger doses result in a state known as drunkenness or intoxication and, depending on the dose and regularity of use, can cause acute respiratory failure or death and with chronic use can cause severe health problems, such as liver and brain damage. As stated earlier, alcohol in small doses is harmless and can even be beneficial, but how many people can consume alcohol â€Å"responsibly† and â€Å"sensibly†? Very few I must say. It can be argued however, that some of the benefits of drinking alcohol can be harnessed when drank moderately, for example alcohol has been known to induce a relaxed feeling due to its central nervous system depressant qualities. Secondly, alcohol has carbohydrates in large quantities which are digested to produce energy and therefore has some health value. Thirdly, it reduces tension in the muscles thereby, heightening the feeling of relaxation. Finally, alcohol has been known to lower inhibitions giving the user the feeling of bravery and reducing shyness. However, Alcohol in large doses can be very detrimental to not only the user but to people around him/her. For instance alcohol has been known to damage the brain especially the frontal lobes. It also caus...

The River Warren and the Struggling Farmer :: Warren

The River Warren and the Struggling Farmer    The alarm clock sounds every morning at five o'clock, not a Sony or any other form of electrical device, but the sounds of the roosters crowing and horses scurrying around the dew filled pasture eagerly awaiting their morning grain. One can hardly ignore crashing and banging sounds that the hogs make as they lift their feeder covers with their noses and bounce them up and down to alert their owner he is late for breakfast again. As the farmer stumbles out of bed, he is greeted by tantalizing aroma of fresh coffee and his wife's award winning biscuits. He quickly throws on a pair of pants and heads to the table with his shirt halfway unbuttoned and his boots untied. He quickly scarves down his breakfast and is out the door ready for another day of work, with out so as thank you to his wife for meal that she was up at four o'clock to prepare.    For most Americans a life like this only exits in their memories of Little House on the Prairie, and it is hard for them to imagine what it would be like if they had to do so much as squeeze their own orange juice. But for the average family of the early nineteenth century it was a way of life. There were no supermarkets or grocery stores where food could be easily purchased. The choices were easy, farm or starve! For the most part people choice to farm.    Means and methods of farming have changed greatly in the last hundred years. The small time farmers are a thing of the past. Every year many farms are going under do to a fall crop market. The price of equipment and farmland has also increased a great deal, and the market is far from keeping up. If this does not change the supermarkets may not have a produce section. A hundred years ago this would problem would never been for seen.    Back then means of farming were very difficult and each member of the family played an important role if the farm was going to survive. The women would always arise about an hour before the men and get breakfast started.