The Chinese Cultural Revolution Essay -- China History Chinese Red Gua

The Chinese Cultural Revolution The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, beginning as a campaign targeted at removing Chairman Mao Zedong's political opponents, was a time when practically every aspect of Chinese society was in pandemonium. From 1966 through 1969, Mao encouraged revolutionary committees, including the red guards, to take power from the Chinese Communist party authorities of the state. The Red Guards, the majority being young adults, rose up against their teachers, parents, and neighbors. Following Mao and his ideas, The Red Guard's main goal was to eliminate all remnants of the old culture in China. They were the 'frontline implementers' who produced havoc, used bloody force, punished supposed 'counter revolutionists', and overthrew government officials, all in order to support their 'beloved leader'.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Red Guards? was a title given to people belonging to many different social groups: workers, peasants, demobilized soldiers and students. A vast majority of the people in this group were youngsters in their mid-teens, who were summoned at their middle schools by Mao. The Red Guard youth soon turned from obedient to rebellious students. Red Scarf Girl is a novel based on truth, terror and courage during the Cultural Revolution. The following excerpt discusses about the hundreds of wall posters the young Red Guard?s wrote, which discriminated against teachers, and members of their community. ?Sheet after sheet, article after article, each da-zi-bao was a bitter accusation. One was titled, ?Teacher Li, Abuser of the Young.? The student had failed to hand in her homework on time, and Teacher Li had told her to copy the assignment over five times as punishment. Another student said his teacher had deliberately ruined his students? eyesight by making them read a lot, so they could not join the Liberation Army. Still another accused Teacher Wang of attempting to corrupt a young revolutionary by buying her some bread when he learned that she had not eaten lunch.? (42) With the incentive of being promoted, the youth set out to change the whole educational system. The students denounced the old curriculum and lessons, which taught abstract ideas not pertaining to the revolution. They vilified respectable administrators, whose only intentions were to educate children and turn them into intelligent young adults. This disruption in the ... ...ng the time of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, mayhem was a part of everyday life. Mao Zedong encouraged rebellious actions from the Red Guards, and rewarded those who shone as leaders. He also targeted his political rivals by provoking the Red Guards to follow his ideas, and annihilate all remnants of china?s old culture. After the revolution ended, the Red guards received the disciplinary actions they deserved, and the tortured victims finally inadvertently received the vengeance they deserved. Works Cited Cheng, Nien. Life and Death in Shanghai. New York, New York: The Penguin Group, 1986. Hoobler, Dorothy, Thomas Hoobler, and Michael Kort, comps. China: Regional Studies Series. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Globe Fearon, 1993. 174-177. Interview Mr. Nien with His Daughter. The Harbinger. 27 Mar. 2001. 21 May 2004 . Jiang, Ji Li. Red Scarf Girl. N.p.: HarperTrophy, n.d. Mr, Nie. Interview with His Daughter. The Harbinger. 27 Mar. 2001. 21 May 2004 . Nie, Mr.. Interview with His Daughter. The Harbinger. 27 Mar. 2001. 21 May 2004 . "Red Guards." Brittanica. "Red Guards." Wikipedia. 20 May 2004 . "Red Guard." tiscali.reference. 21 May 2004 .

Beyond Good and Evil: Nietzsches Philosophy on Good and Evil Essay exa

Friedrich Nietzsche was a philosopher in the 1800’s. His work has since influenced, impacted, and brought forth new questions for many philosophers to follow. One of Nietzsche’s famous writings Beyond Good and Evil expresses his views on society and the two different classes it holds, slave and master. He expresses his belief that the two are in warfare with one another, the strong (master) fighting for the will to power, while the weak (slave) tries to pull the master down to their level using clandestine forms of revenge. Nietzsche believed the slave morality was one that included humility, obedience, and submission, and was the destructive choice and attribute of Christianity, while the master morality was full of arrogance and pride and that power of man himself is what needs to be attained. Nietzsche sought to prove that the master morality was the only true way to success in life and this was to come at any cost, even the cost of another weaker individual. Nietzsc he’s theories do not hold true against the ultimate truth of the Bible, where in which all has been tried and proven true, time and time again. Master Morality To Nietzsche the master morality was the attribute of the ultimate race, a race not of color or ethnicity, but one that fought for power. The masters were those who by force and power sought after what was good, which included anything that would be helpful. Not concerning them selves with society as a whole, only with rising to power and the responsibility of self. The masters he believed were to dominate the slaves and the slaves should just willingly submit. The master morality was often attributed with qualities such as power, nobility, and independence, placing them beyond good and evil. Striving t... ...God came to give us life but that the enemy comes to kill steal and destroy, so it appears in Nietzsche’s case the enemy won. God made His choices clear and told us what choice to make in Deuteronomy 30:19 where He says chose Him, choose life! Choosing life is choosing God’s way, and His way includes nothing of the master morality Nietzsche claimed so much passion about. I am however saddened about the choice Nietzsche made and angry about the deception of the devil, but I am happy about one thing, that is that I do not have to choose a master or slave morality, rather I choose God, who is the Author and perfector of my faith and we be the Ruler of me and my house for evermore. Work Cited The New Oxford Annotated Bible: With the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, New Revised Standard Version. Michael D. Coogan, editor. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Fourteen

Matt hunched his shoulders miserably. He had come to the pledge meeting because he didn't want to stay in his room alone, but now he wished he hadn't. He'd been avoiding Elena, Meredith, and Bonnie – it wasn't their fault, but so much violence had happened around al four of them in the past year, so much death. He'd thought it might be better being around other people, people who hadn't seen how much darkness there was in the world, but it wasn't. He felt almost like he was swathed in bubble wrap, thick and cloudy. As the other pledges moved and talked, he could watch them and hear them, but he felt separated from them; everything seemed muffled and dim. He felt fragile, too, as if removing the protective layer might make him fal apart. As he stood in the crowd of pledges, Chloe came over and stood next to him, touching his arm reassuringly with her smal , strong hand. A gap appeared in the bubble wrap, and he could real y feel her with him. He put his hand over hers and squeezed it grateful y. The pledge meeting was in the wood-paneled underground room where they'd first met. Ethan assured them this was just one of many secret hideouts – the others were only open to ful y initiated members. Matt had discovered by now that even this pledge room had several entrances: one through an old house just outside campus, which must have been the one they brought them through that first time, one through a shed near the playing fields, and one through the basement of the library. The ground beneath the campus must be honeycombed with tunnels for so many entrances to end up in one place, he thought, and he had an unsettling picture of students walking on the sun-warmed grass while, a few inches below, endless dark tunnels opened underneath them. Ethan was talking, and Matt knew that usual y he would have been hanging on his every word. Today, Ethan's voice washed over Matt almost unheard, and Matt let his eyes fol ow the black-clad, masked figures of the Vitale members who paced the room behind Ethan. Dul y, he wondered about them, about how the masks disguised them Wellenough that he was never sure if he recognized any of them around campus. Any of them except Ethan, that is. Matt wondered curiously what made the leader immune to such restrictions. Like the tunnels beneath the campus, the anonymity of the Vitales was slightly unsettling. Eventual y, the meeting ended, and the pledges started to trickle out of the room. A few patted Matt on the back or murmured sympathetic words to him, and he warmed as he realized that they cared, that somehow they'd come to feel like friends through al the sil y pledge bonding activities. â€Å"Hold up a minute, Matt?† Ethan was next to him suddenly. At Ethan's glance, Chloe squeezed Matt's arm again and let go. â€Å"I'l see you later,† she murmured. Matt watched as she crossed the room and went out the door, her hair bouncing against the back of her neck. When he looked back at Ethan, Ethan's head was cocked to one side, his golden-brown eyes considering. â€Å"It's good to see you and Chloe getting so close,† Ethan declared, and Matt shrugged awkwardly. â€Å"Yeah, Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said. â€Å"You'l find that the other Vitales are the ones who can understand you best,† Ethan said. â€Å"They'l be the ones who wil stand by you al through col ege, and for the rest of your life.† He smiled. â€Å"At least, that's what's happened to me. I've been watching you, Matt,† he went on. Matt tensed. Something about Ethan cut through the bubble-wrap feeling, but not in the comforting way Chloe did. Now Matt felt exposed instead of protected. The sharpness of his gaze, maybe, or the way Ethan always seemed to believe so strongly in whatever he was saying. â€Å"Yeah?† Matt said warily. Ethan grinned. â€Å"Don't look so paranoid. It's a good thing. Every Vitale pledge is special, that's why they're chosen, but every year there's one who's even more special, who's a leader among leaders. I can see that, in this group, it's you, Matt.† Matt cleared his throat. â€Å"Real y?† he said, flattered, not knowing quite what to say. No one had ever cal ed him a leader before. â€Å"I've got big plans for the Vitale Society this year,† Ethan said, his eyes shining. â€Å"We're going to go down in history. We're going to be more powerful than we've ever been. Our futures are bright.† Matt gave a half smile and nodded. When Ethan talked, his voice warm and persuasive, those golden eyes steady on Matt's, Matt could see it, too. The Vitales leading not just the campus but, someday, the world. Matt himself would be transformed from the ordinary guy he knew he had always been into someone confident and clear-eyed, a leader among leaders, like Ethan said. He could picture it al . â€Å"I want you to be my right-hand man here, Matt,† Ethan said. â€Å"You can help me lead these pledges into greatness.† Matt nodded again and, Ethan's eyes on his, felt a flush of pride, the first good thing he'd felt since Chris's death. He would lead the Vitales, standing by Ethan's side. Everything would be better. The path was clear ahead. Indeed, Keynes posited that economic activity was determined by aggregate demand. For the fifteenth time in half an hour, Stefan read the sentence without beginning to comprehend it. It al just seemed so pointless. He'd tried to distract himself by investigating the murder on campus, but it had only made him more anxious that he couldn't be by Elena's side, seeing to it himself that she was safe. He closed the book and dropped his head into his hands. Without Elena, what was he doing here? He would have fol owed her anywhere. She was so beautiful it hurt him to look at her sometimes, like it hurt to stare into the sun. She shone like that sun with her golden hair and lapis lazuli eyes, her delicate creamy skin that held just the faintest touch of pink. But there was more to Elena than beauty. Her beauty alone wouldn't have held Stefan's attention for long. In fact, her resemblance to Katherine had nearly driven him away. But under her cool y beautiful exterior was a quicksilver mind that was always working, making plans, and a heart that was fiercely protective of everyone she loved. Stefan had spent centuries searching for something to make him feel alive again, and he'd never felt as certain of anything as he did about Elena. She was it, the only one for him. Why couldn't she be as sure of him? No matter what Elena said about Stefan being the one, the fact remained: the only two girls he'd loved in his long, long life both loved not just Stefan but his brother, too. Stefan closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers, then shoved himself away from the desk. Maybe he was hungry. In a few quick strides, he crossed his white-painted room, through the mix of his own elegant possessions and the cheap school-issued furniture, and was out on the balcony. Outside, the night smel ed of jasmine and car exhaust. Stefan reached tendrils of Power gently into the night, questing, feeling for †¦ something †¦ there. A tiny mind quickened in response to his. His hearing, sharper than a human's, picked up the faint whine of sonar, and a smal , furry bat landed on the balcony railing, drawn in by his Power. Stefan picked it up, keeping up a gentle thrum of Power between his mind and the bat's, and it gazed at him tamely, its little fox face alert. Stefan lowered his head and drank, careful not to take too much from the little creature. He grimaced at the taste and then released the bat, which flapped tentatively, a little dazed, then picked up speed and was lost again in the night. He hadn't been terribly hungry, but the blood cleared his mind. Elena was so young. He had to remember that. She was stil younger than he'd been when he became a vampire, and she needed time to experience life, for her path to lead her back to Stefan. He could wait. He had al the time in the world. But he missed her so much. Gathering his strength, he leaped from the balcony and landed lightly on the ground below. There was a flower bed there, and he reached into it, feeling petals as soft as silk. A daisy, fresh and innocent. He plucked it and went back inside the dorm, using the front entrance this time. Outside Elena's door, he hesitated. He could hear the slight sounds of her moving around in there, smel her distinctive, intoxicating scent. She was alone, and he was tempted to just knock. Maybe she was longing for him, just as he longed for her. If they were alone, would she melt into his arms despite herself? Stefan shook his head, his mouth tight. He had to respect Elena's wishes. If she needed time apart, he could give her that. Looking at the white daisy, he slowly balanced it on top of Elena's doorknob. She would find the flower and know that it was from him. Stefan wanted Elena to know that he could wait for her, if that was what she needed, but that he was thinking of her, always.

An Analysis of How Mass Media Affects the Youth

AN ANALYSIS OF HOW MASS MEDIA AFFECTS THE YOUTH Imagine a world without media. Can limiting the amount of media in today's society, decrease the affects it has on the young minds of today or not? Can their minds develop an intellectual way of thinking and behaving under a restricted amount of media? Being so, media everywhere has both negative and positive influence on the youth. This essay will discuss such influences of the media on the youth as well as how they can be addressed. First, the mass media affect young people’s fashion sense.Simply take a glance at the way young people around you dress nowadays, it is probably something they have picked up over the internet or magazines. What they are wearing may look similar to what famous actors or singers have worn recently. When choosing what to wear, most of young people have a tendency to choose what is said or shown to be fashionable by famous people. We cannot deny that the mass media have a great contribution to shaping the young people’s way of thinking. What they watch on TV, radio and what they read in newspaper and magazines affect, without their awareness, a great deal to their thinking.Does what His Majesty the king or the honorable prime minister say on TV mean anything to you? Does what your music idols wear affect your taste of fashion? I definitely believe the answer will be â€Å"yes†. (Berger, Gilda. Violence and the Media. United States of America: Moffa Press, 1989) Although most of our media appears to be superficial and meaningless fluff, violence and chit chat, it is also a source of education, wit and non-violent entertainment. Both salesmen and individuals wishing to promote various things have at some point made use of the different forms of the media.They have used the media to promote what people should wear, eat, do and even value. The effects of media will vary with a child’s age and stage of development. (McQuail, D. , 2008. McQuail’s Mass Commun ication Theory. 5th ed. London: SAGE Publications Ltd) Another positive side of mass media is that it keep the people updated with the happenings in the world, the internet brings so much knowledge at our disposal, television entertains us, there are so many informative channels like discovery, national geographic, the history channel to name but a few.In brief, it can be said that if the media plays negatively, it can be disastrous, but when it plays positively, it can bring satisfaction, happiness and a feeling of awakening among the masses and the youth in particular as it informs the society about what is occurring around the world and even acts as the surveillance part of the society by giving advices, how-to’s, warning the people about oncoming natural disasters like storms, earthquakes to name but a few. (http://www. cps. ca/english/statements/PP/pp03-01. df) Although it is good that young people have such a variety of choices, some of the ideals in our culture are pre ssed upon them so heavily and are sometimes even demanded of them that they could leave them with no choice at all but to turn to the media. Magazines, television programs, movies and advertising are very well known forms of media and are used constantly in our society to influence young people’s lives. Some people complained that the youth nowadays tends to be lazier and more violent and want to come in for a share of social's product as much as possible.This is simply the result of bad programs shown on the media, incontrollable websites and even the carelessness of parents. To be free from their children, some people allow the children to surf the webs, without noticing that there are plenty of disasters on Internet which the young have little experience to deal with. People, especially teenagers, always have an idol and they tend to follow what their idols do and say no matter these things are good or bad. (Ruddock, A. , 2001.Understanding Audiences: Theory and Method. Lo ndon: Sage Publications Ltd. ) Media is a large part of the lifestyle of young people. The negative effects of the media in television, internet and magazines are problems that need to be dealt with promptly. The only solutions that can be given to minimize these problems are parental and school involvement. To address these problems, schools have programs that promote media awareness. These programs would allow teenagers to understand how media has an impact on them socially.Parents also have the ability to enforce media awareness on their children. It is their duty to control and monitor their child's viewing habits. If parents do not influence their children, the media will do it for them. If these problems are not dealt with, young people are going to be less confident, more violent and possible drug abusers. In conclusion, we have absolutely no control over the media. However, we do have the final decision on the path we choose to take. The extent of the power mass media s able to influence us only reaches this far; the rest is really still within our control. As individuals, young people also must control their actions and learn to grow safely and healthy in the changing environment. REFERENCES 1. Berger, Gilda. Violence and the Media. United States of America: Moffa Press, 1989 2. http://www. cps. ca/english/statements/PP/pp03-01. pdf 3. McQuail, D. , McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory. 5th ed. London: SAGE Publications Ltd,2008 4. Ruddock, A. , Understanding Audiences: Theory and Method. London: Sage Publications Ltd,2001

Single Sex Classrooms

Single sex classrooms create opportunities that do not really exist in a coed classroom for students. Teachers can create learning strategies in all girl classrooms, and in all boy classrooms, which do not work as well in coed classrooms. Many public schools are beginning to adopt the single sex classroom ideas and seeing dramatic improvement with grades and test scores. The strongest proof yet, that separating boys and girls works, is the drastic improvement in grades for both sexes. But to simply place girls in a classroom and boys in another classroom is not going to work.Teachers should have special training for practical gender-specific classroom strategies and learn the best practices for these gender-separate classrooms. In the book â€Å"Gender and Education† the authors Barbara Banks, Sara Delamont, and Catherine Marshall specifically state: â€Å"Teacher interactions with students are at the heart of the hidden curriculum and are important means by which informal le ssons about gender are transmitted in schools† (Banks571). Single sex classrooms simply create more opportunities and a better learning environment for our children that coed classrooms do not create.Girls in all girl classrooms and boys in all boy classrooms are more likely to study subjects that they would not necessarily choose if the class was coed. It also expands ideas of educational opportunities and core values for both boys and girls, and the classes generate custom created learning strategies and instructions to better learning. Girls in all girl classrooms and boys in all boy classrooms are more likely to study subjects that they wouldn’t necessarily choose if the class was coeducational, in my opinion. Single sex classrooms bring a broader horizon for our students more so than coeducational classrooms.Kenneth Jost the author of Single Sex Education quotes in his book â€Å"Sex segregation and discrimination persists in high school programs around the countr y, 30 years after Congress passed a law barring such discrimination in education† (Jost1). Single sex education advocates say the solution is quite easy just let boys be boys and girls be girls. Leonard Sax states in his book â€Å"Boys Adrift† that â€Å"the solution is to let boys and girls attend separate classes, so that you can take advantage of the ‘sex differences’ in learning styles†(Sax,174).You breakdown stereotypes by letting the sexes be separate. When you put boys and girls together, it just increases the gender roles. The boys do things that are thought of as typical for boys, and girls do things that are thought of as typical for girls. You do not see many girls wanting to take classes such as welding class, building workshop, weight room, architect design, and sports education. There definitely would not be many boys wanting to take classes such as drama, art, home economics, sewing class, and foreign languages.So if you eliminate the gender bias and the need to impress the opposite sex, you would possibly begin to see boys' willingness to engage in what would be considered â€Å"feminine activities,† such as choir or drama club. Girls’ willingness to engage in â€Å"manly activities†, such as welding and building workshops, and pro-dominantly male sports may increase also. Single sex classrooms expand ideas, educational opportunities, and core values for both sexes. Leonard Sax states in his book â€Å"Boys Adrift†, â€Å"A boy does not naturally become a gentleman-by whom I mean, a man who is courteous, kind, and unselfish.That behavior is not hardwired. It has to be taught† (Sax163). Most boy schools make a point of teaching boys to be gentlemen, to have self-discipline, and how to be a leader. This may be more important to learn than their actual school work. â€Å"Teenage boys without strong leadership can easily become barbarians† (Sax165). Sax was correct when he stated this, and this is exactly what is wrong with our male population today. This is why I feel so strongly about these single sex teaching atmospheres.In coed schools, boys tend to adopt a masculine attitude because girls are there. They feel they have to demonstrate their masculinity by gross macho over-reaction. Boys in single-sex schools become more sensitive men, and they are more polite. All girl schools focus entirely on girls, to improve their learning and self-esteem. It also motivates girls to try and reach goals, that they normally may find unattainable, because it is a â€Å"guy thing†. If there are no guys around, there is nothing to hold them back.Single sex education helps girls overcome the male sexism that still exist in public schools, and girls are at center stage at all girl schools with only girls in the audience. Educational opportunities such as less sex bias in teacher-student interactions. Reducing sex differences in curricula and more successful ro le models for girls. Girls at single sex schools are more likely to take nontraditional classes such as physics and advanced math because they have the opportunity to excel in them.This is mostly related to smaller classes and there being no gender bias. Also, it installs values such as, to work for and achieve excellent grades, create greater self-esteem, good character development, responsibility, and leadership. â€Å"Girls receive less teacher attention than boys, feel less comfortable speaking out in class, and face threats of sexual harassment in school†(Barbara1), as Santa Barbara states in her article. If that is true, why would you not want your child in single sex classrooms, so they could learn without fear or embarrassment?The single sex organizational arrangement spared students the interruptions and distractive aspects that are normally in coeducational classrooms. If these classes are offered, maybe girls would focus more on their studies and grades, instead of their looks and clothing. Not having to worry or be afraid of harassment from boys. Also by separating the classes, the overall population would decrease, giving students smaller learning environments. Other opportunities that come from these classes are lessons that students relate to and want to learn.No girl wants to read a science fiction book, and no boy wants to read a love story. This causes teachers to have a tough time finding lessons to teach the class that both genders can relate to. But with single gender classes the teachers’ lesson can be more suitable for each gender. This makes learning experience more interesting and fun. Giving students more educational opportunities. Single Sex classrooms generate custom created learning strategies and instructions to better student learning. Teachers have to customize what they do, to the needs and abilities of each individual student.In single-sex schools, teachers are free to choose materials that fit the interests of t heir students. In coed schools, the females are often held back or held down to the abilities and interests of the males. Teachers should have special training for practical gender-specific classroom strategies and learn the best practices for the gender-separate classroom. Boys perceive the coed school as an institution run largely by women, and run largely according to women's rules: (examples: â€Å" sit still†, â€Å"don't make too much noise†, â€Å"don't be disruptive†, etc. ).They see that the majority of the top students are girls, and the â€Å"teacher's pet† is either a female or a geek. So, many boys may devalue academic excellence. If you're a male at a coed school, being an â€Å"A† student does not raise your status with other guys. At many coed schools, being an â€Å"A† student may actually lower your status with other boys. Girls and boys that attend same sex schools tend to have higher test scores and high grades in general , rather than their counterparts that go to coeducational schools. Boys' and girls' brains develop differently.These differences are especially significant for learning in the early years. Then, as they get older, girls and boys distract each other from academics because of normal social and sexual development. The needs of each sex are completely opposite therefor the emphasis of a school for boys should not be required to be the same as a school for girls. These classes and schools also benefit kids with learning disabilities. It gives them more time with a teacher and less distractions. Also, teachers are able to create lesson plans that help focus their attention on what they need to be learning.Statistics show that girls excel in reading and writing while boys excel more so in science and math. With single gender classrooms boys could excel in English because teachers could give them topics to write about that interest them. Unlike the topic the teacher would have to pick to go with a coeducational class. Boys could write about gladiators or soldiers, and the teacher not discourage them. But encourage them to become more detailed, even if it is not sweet or nice, because there are no girls in the class to compare it to.The issue to often is boys think writing stories is for girls and geeks. Real boys play games and sports. That is the message which many coed schools today are unintentionally giving to males. Teachers in all-boys schools can send a different message. â€Å"Girls are more likely to be excessively critical in evaluating their own academic performance. Conversely, boys tend to have unrealistically high estimates of their own academic abilities and accomplishments† (Pomerantz396). So with that statement I think teachers who teach single gender classes should focus on promoting girls to believe in themselves.These teachers should help boys to really focus on their academics, rather than let them think unrealistically and challenge them t o do better. Psychologists have found fundamental differences in what motivates females, compared to males. â€Å"Researchers have consistently found that girls are more concerned than boys are with pleasing adults, such as parents and teachers. Most boys, on the other hand, will be less motivated to study, unless the material itself interest them† (Pomerantz, Altermatt, & Saxon, 2002, p. 397). Boys and girls experience different academic difficulties.Therefore, maybe the best thing to do is separate the genders and have teachers who are qualified in teaching single gender classrooms teach them. Single sex classes and schools strive to help improve students’ achievement. Single sex schools are no longer limited to providing an alternative educational route for girls. Today, boys also need this type of school environment, in order to learn effectively and be productive young men. Single sex classes and schools can help bring about greater race and social-class equality. This has become the final frontier in creating true equality of educational opportunity for all. Studies have shown when public schools have tried the single gender classrooms the results are: a decrease in disciplinary problems, higher scores on standardized test, and over all educational achievement. The benefits of single-sex schools are not only just academics. Single-sex education has been shown to expand the students' outlook on life. Allowing freedom to explore one’s own strengths and interests in life. With no fear of gender stereotypes holding them back.

Hydration in Sport Essay

Boxing is a sport renowned for it’s propensity for dehydration in â€Å"making weight†. This document is written as an informative aid for boxers and coaches and discusses the impact of hydration and dehydration on physiology and performance. Although written with boxing in mind it has equal relevance to the wider sporting community. Hydration is the process by which water is ingested and absorbed into the body and the term euhydration synonymous with describing normal body water content (Wenhold, and Faber 2009). Water is the most abundant substance in the human body and vital to overall health and wellbeing. The muscles comprise over 70% water, as does the brain, blood plasma is 92% water and even bones consist of over 22% water. Water is essential in maintaining body temperature and blood volume, digestion for absorption/excretion and has a major impact on physical performance. Hydration studies demonstrate positive proof that a precise ratio of protein and carbohydrates promotes cellular rehydration and supports muscle recovery (Kalaman and Lepely 2010).The sports supplement industry is driving current research in this area of hydration, with (http://thorne-performance.tumblr.com 2009) stating: â€Å"Water is absorbed relatively slowly however, this type of hydration is really only extracellular (fluid outside the cell and collectively equates to 20% of the body’s water). Intracellular fluid inside the cell represents 40% of body weight and equates to 70% of the body’s water. True cellular hydration (intracellular) for sports performance is far more complicated than drinking water or a â€Å"sports hydration beverage† that is simply electrolytes and carbohydrate. Drinking water will improve your overall hydration status, but it will not significantly alter the ratio of intracellular to extracellular fluid†. Electrolytes help regulate the distribution of water throughout the body and are required for nerve conduction and muscle contraction. The major electrolytes are sodium, potassium, chloride and magnesium. Electrolytes are lost as the athlete sweats but there is an adaptive response to this; as a boxer acclimatises over multiple training sessions to their environment, and increases his or her fitness, there is a decrease in the amount of water and electrolytes lost during exercise. Adding electrolytes to the fluids a boxer drinks can decrease urine output and help the fluids empty more rapidly from the stomach to become available for tissue hydration (Douglas et al 2000). Hyperhydration refers to an increase in body fluid above the euhydrated state. This can be achieved by ingesting excess water, often combined with glycerol which has a â€Å"sponge like† effect and aids water retention. The current scientific consensus however is that hyperhydration does not provide a meaningf ul physiological or performance advantage over simply remaining well hydrated during exercise (Murray 2007). The contribution of food to hydration levels is something that is often overlooked, numerous studies reveal that between 20% – 25% of total fluid intake comes from food, (fruit and vegetables having a high water content). Food intake also assists hydration through water binding to the carbohydrate content to form glycogen (1 part carbohydrate: 3 parts water). Dehydration refers to the process of uncompensated water loss via urine, sweat, feces, and respiration and is defined as a dynamic loss of body water or transition from euhydration to hypohydration (Armstrong 2007). During most sports, more fluid is lost (via sweating and breathing) than can be replaced (by drinking), and some degree of dehydration is therefore inevitable in sport. Dehydration provokes changes in cardiovascular, thermoregulatory, metabolic, and central nervous function that increase as dehydration worsens. Dehydration of 1% – 2% of body weight begins to compromise physiologic function and negatively influences performance. Dehydration of >3% of body weight further disturbs physiologic function and increases an athlete’s risk of developing a heat illness (Murray 2007). Taken to the extreme, rapid weight loss when achieved through dehydration can be fatal. Excessive dehydration can harm bodily functions, leading to kidney failure, heat stroke or heart attack, indeed in 1997 three young American wrestlers tragically died whilst trying to â€Å"make their weight† (Viscardi,1998).There is increasing evidence that even small levels of dehydration can negatively affect exercise performance. This is reflected in a 2005 scientific consensus statement issued by the American College of Sports Medicine: â€Å"Dehydration of >2% of body mass can compromise physiological function and impair exercise performance capacity†. Measuring Hydration. The best approach involves comparing 2 or more hydration indicators as single measurements lack accuracy. Cheuvront et al 2005 describes the following indicators as requiring minimal technical proficiency and can be used easily to evaluate hydration status during training: Body Weight Difference. The change of body weight represents a straightforward, effective assessment of hydration status and is especially appropriate for measuring dehydration that occurs over a period of 1 – 4 hours, (very simply, body weight lost during activity = sweat loss). Urine. If kidney function is normal, urine is concentrated and output is low when the body is dehydrated. When a temporary excess of body water exists, urine is dilute and plentiful. This offers 3 options to evaluate human hydration status using urine: 24 Hour Urine Volume. Urine volume can be used as an indicator of hydration status. Urine output varies inversely with body hydration status, urine output generally averaging 1 – 2 litres per day, but can reach 20 litres per day in those consuming large quantities of fluid. The minimum urine output is approximately 500 ml per day, although for dehydrated subjects living in hot weather, minimum daily urine outputs can be less. Physical activity and climate affect urine output. Exercise and heat strain will reduce urine output by 20% – 60%, while cold and hypoxia will increase urine output. Urine Specific Gravity. The density (mass per volume) of a urine sample relative to water can be measured using a handheld refractometer. Any fluid that is denser than water has a specific gravity greater than 1.000. Normal urine specimens usually range from 1.013 – 1.029 in healthy adults. When serious dehydration or hypohydration exists, urine specific gravity exceeds 1.030 Conversely, excess water consumption show values range from 1.001 – 1.012. Urine Color. A numbered scale has been developed that includes colors ranging from very pale yellow (1) to brownish green (8). Urine color does not offer the same precision and accuracy as urine specific gravity but provides a useful estimate of hydration state during everyday activities. Note that vitamin supplements can drastically alter the colour of urine via the excretion of excess water soluble vitamins. Thirst. As a physiological response to dehydration, thirst is a reliable indicator of 1% – 2% dehydration. Although thirst offers an estimate of mild dehydration, it better serves to remind individuals to drink more fluids as dehydration has already occurred by the time the thirst mechanism functions. http://drdietright.com/my-blog/water-for-weight-loss/ Hyponatremia (water intoxication) is a disorder in fluid-electrolyte balance that results in an abnormally low plasma sodium concentration. A sustained decrease in plasma sodium concentration disrupts the dynamics of water exchange across the blood-brain barrier, resulting in a rapid influx of water into the brain. This can cause swelling in the brain, leading to a series of increasingly severe responses, such as confusion, seizure, coma & even death. Hyponatraemia in athletes is often, although not always, caused by excessive drinking. During exercise, urine production is decreased, reducing the body’s ability to excrete excess water, while at the same time sodium losses are increased through sweating. The combined effect makes it much more likely that the body’s sodium content will be significantly diluted. Hypernatremia is defined by the Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine as â€Å"The presence of an abnormally high sodium concentration in the blood plasma. It may occur as a result of excessive sweating and inadequate fluid intake†. Hypernatremia is generally not caused by an excess of sodium, but rather by a relative deficit of free water in the body. For this reason, hypernatremia is often synonymous with the less precise term, dehydration. Re-hydration. After weigh-in, fighters typically try to replace lost body fluids in an attempt to return to a normal state of hydration. However, the fighter is unlikely to eat and drink sufficiently because of the negative effects of fighting on a full stomach. Also the time between weigh-in and fight is usually insufficient for fluid and electrolyte balance to be fully restored, or for rehydration and replenishment of muscle and liver glycogen (ACSM, 1996; Yankanich et al) This is supported by Foster (1995, p.66) who identified that â€Å"The body takes from 4 – 48 hours to fully recover from moderate dehydration, meaning there isn’t enough time between weigh-in and the match to ensure peak performance and health.† Effect of Ambient Temperature. The impact of dehydration on performance is less under cooler environmental conditions than under hot conditions and exercise in heat itself, even with no dehydration, impairs performance .(Sawka & Pandolf, 1990). Although the majority of scientific evidence illustrates that dehydration impairs physical performance, exercise in cold weather (Cheuvront et al) showed that dehydration (

Managing for Organizational Integrity Essay

This article by Lynn Sharp Paine addresses the necessary and often overlooked relationship between business management and ethics. With most managers focused on bottom line results, the concept of ethics is often lost in rushed daily decisions or is not considered at all. But as the article suggests, a clear commitment to integrity-based management can not only avoid unnecessary legal complications in the courts but can strengthen business operations in times of stress and uncertainty, precisely the occasions where ethics are tested by exigent circumstances. Some CEOs and business models concentrate their ethics evaluations on the most obvious parts of the organization, such as departments like compensation committees where individuals with poor integrity can cause great harm. However, greater attention should be placed to all parts of the organization from executive management down to the retail sales floor. As was noted during the analysis of the Beech-Nut apple juice case study, many individuals within the organization knew of substantial problems with the product but were afraid of being considered â€Å"Chicken Littles† if concerns were raised within the firm. The subsequent legal settlements and damage to the reputation of the company only reinforces the rule that ethics should be universally viewed as important within all parts of the organization chain and not merely a quaint or outdated theoretical consideration. The framework of an integrity compliance program cannot merely ask the simple question â€Å"If it’s legal, it’s ethical† and move on. Many professional actions and business procedures are lawful but not in the company’s best interests to perform since they are viewed as either unethical or intentionally negligent. An excellent illustration of this principle in action is the Solomon Brothers case study outlined in the text where four top officials of the firm failed to report wrongdoing by others. There was no law, regulation, or internal company policy that required this disclosure, suggesting that the behavior itself was not considered â€Å"unethical† in any way by society, the legislature, or even the firm’s own ethics committee. Nevertheless, the actions were considered as such by the  investing public and the Wall Street community that penalized the firm for its inaction in the face of misconduct. This case sets a clear standard that relying upon written ethics policies does not provide a clear safe harbor in case of potential misconduct. Put another way, just because an action is not expressly unethical according to some objective guide or measure does not make any specific behavior either ethical or even correct. An ethics compliance plan sounds like a reasonable solution to the problem of business ethics, but the issues are not that simple to solve with merely a board’s review of potential conflicts. Legal compliance, of course, is not the issue since all firms must comply with the law. A standard of ethical compliance suggests there is one ethical standard by which one can comply, a fact that is more true in the exception than the rule. A personal commitment to the highest ethics possible by visible business leaders and managers certainly is a prerequisite to any compliance plan. Another important goal should be the integration of ethics into the daily business model as seamlessly as possible to make these rules a constant reminder, in other words, not some distant academic rule to be avoided if possible but a clear path that guides retail decisions at all levels of the organization. A commitment to ethics management within a firm can reduce internal criminal misconduct and also provide a company with an added boost of public confidence and reliability. Moving away from lawyers making ethics decisions to having them assist in the formation of ethics consistent with legal practice is a superior solution because it changes the scope of the business decision process. By concentrating on ethics instead of legality makes the decision-making process fuzzier and more cumbersome since ethics are subjective and not bright light tested like most statutes which clearly delineate acceptable conduct from illegal ones. But a focus on ethics, especially through a visible and vocally supported ethics compliance program, can broaden the executive decision-making process from what is merely legal to what is morally correct. The public (and all judges and juries) expect business executives to have higher moral considerations that what is legal or what is not prohibited in a company employee handbook.