Sunday, November 10, 2019

Why Women Should Not Be Assigned to Combat Positions

Throughout history, women have played a role in the defense of their nations. In 1429, Joan of Arc successfully led the French Army into battle against the English at age 17. In 1588, Queen Elizabeth I traveled to Tilbury, Essex to fight beside her Army during the Spanish raid. And in 1788 at the Battle of Monmouth, Mary Ludwig Hayes, also known as â€Å"Molly Pitcher†, took over her husband’s cannon position and continued to engage the enemy after he had fallen in battle. While these are extraordinary accomplishments made by these most admirable women, should this level of close combat be expected, or possibly even required of women in the military? Many will argue that the ban on women in combat is a discrimination issue, and that it creates a structural barrier that can hurt their chances of promotion or advancement. The Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services actually found that â€Å"women serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have had a positive impact on mission accomplishment. But these women were not assigned to an actual combat position in a unit that has a primary mission of direct ground combat engagement of the enemy. They were either assigned to a combat support unit that was engaged by the enemy, or they were attached to the combat arms unit. There is a vast difference, and this essay will explore why placing women in direct combat roles in the military would have a negative impact on combat readiness. All male units in the field experience bonding that enhances readiness and cohesion. When women are introduced, men stop relating to each other and begin trying to attract the women. This puts them in direct competition with each other and becomes a severe distraction from the mission at hand. Morale cannot be maintained if accusations of harassment are a threat, and Commanders are unable to keep the males focused on the mission when they are at war with each other over a female unit member. â€Å"Helen of Sparta was perhaps the most inspired character in all literature, ancient or modern. A whole war, one which lasted for ten years, was fought over her† (Bell, 1991, p. ). King David of Israel ordered Uriah the Hittite into battle to fight in order to commit adultery with Uriah’s wife in his absence. He would even wage war against another nation in order to eliminate any competition for his women. But a relationship with a supervisor or a co-worker is detrimental to teamwork and fairness in the workplace. A lack of trust or possible resentment toward another soldier can possibly result in poor judgment in the heat of battle when someone decides they are mad at the man that got the girl. Disrespect among the ranks, mistreatment of fellow unit members, and destruction of professional reputations will surely affect the career progression of everyone involved. And what happens to the effectiveness of the unit when a female combat soldier gets pregnant? Naval ships at war must return to shore because of the pregnancy of female sailors, thus hindering the combat mission. Infantry units must evacuate the female soldier out of the war zone and reassign her to a support position back in the States. The disruption to combat readiness is extreme and can be costly. Chivalry is not dead. The basic, instinctual nature of males is to protect females. This is true of any species of animal. Parents raise their sons to protect women, and to ensure their safety because they are less capable of protecting themselves. While this may not be true of all women, it is certainly true of all men. In the New York Times article, Female POW is Abused, Kindling Debate, by Ellaine Sciolino, Army Major Rhonda Cornum was interviewed regarding her captivity during the Persian Gulf War. She said â€Å"Everyone's made such a big deal about this indecent assault,† she said, in her first interview since the war. But the only thing that makes it indecent is that it was nonconsensual. I asked myself, ‘Is it going to prevent me from getting out of here? Is there a risk of death attached to it? Is it permanently disabling? Is it permanently disfiguring? Lastly, is it excruciating? ‘ If it doesn't fit one of those five categories, then it isn't important. † But the male so ldier that was with her had a different opinion. The 22-year-old specialist from Fort Rucker whom Iraqis slapped and beat during interrogations said he had not changed his opinion that omen should not be in combat, despite what he described as Major Cornum's stoicism. â€Å"I worried about her all the time,† he said, â€Å"and being a P. O. W. and going through the torture, the pain, you shouldn't also have to worry about what's happening to the female soldier all the time. † While the women may be able to endure such atrocities that come with war, the men are not psychologically prepared to deal with listening to the screams of their women being raped, sodomized, and tortured by the enemy. Then there is the moral question behind women in combat units. The question isn’t necessarily whether a woman can do it, but whether she should do it. Assigning them into these positions would â€Å"require training men and women to regard the brutalization of women, and a woman’s brutalization of others, as normal and acceptable† (Kirkwood, 2003, p. 1). According to Vietnam War hero Ron Ray, â€Å"Women should only be used in combat if national security depends on it. † This means that all of our men have been killed or captured, and the only possibility of survival is left with the women and children. Even then it should be a last resort. There is something unsavory in the mouths of society in turning a woman into the kind of person that is capable of performing such heinous actions that are required in close ground combat against another human being, while being expected to nurture our children once she returns from such brutal actions. Women by nature are the nurturing gender. What will this do to our society of civilized humans if we turn our women into barbaric warriors? Women certainly play a significant role in today’s armed forces. On a grand scale they have been instrumental in improving the readiness of their organizations, better enabling them to perform on the asymmetrical battlefield. But placing them into close ground combat positions will not improve the readiness or performance of the armed forces. The presence of women in combat units creates sexual tension that eventually puts one man against another in direct competition for her, thus affecting morale and cohesion. As prisoners of war, women will put their male counterparts at risk because a man’s instinct is to protect the woman rather than complete his mission and overcome the enemy. As a civilized society, it is morally wrong to place a woman into a position where she could be brutalized, or where she would have to brutalize another. They simply are not emotionally or psychologically equipped to do that, and nor should they be. But in the quest for equality of the sexes, placing women in combat units isn’t the answer. It should still remain more important to maintain military tradition and combat effectiveness than it is for social experimentation.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Burrhus Frederic Skinner essays

Burrhus Frederic Skinner essays Burrhus Frederic Skinner was born on March 20, 1904. His parents were the typical lawyer and housewife. As Skinner went off to college, he received his Bachelors Art Degree in English from Hamilton College. He didnt fit in very well there and decided to write for the school paper. By doing so, he came to the conclusion that his ultimate goal in life would be a writer. He sent off many examples of his poetry and short stories to newspaper articles, which landed him in Greenwich Village in New York City. After some traveling there, he decided to go back to school, this time at Harvard. He got his masters in psychology in 1930 and his doctorate in 1931, and stayed there to do research until 1936. (C. George Boeree, 1998) That same year, Skinner moved to the University of Minnesota and taught there. He met his wife, Yvonne Blue. Together they had two daughters; the second daughter became famous as the first infant in Skinners inventions. This invention was a combination crib/pl aypen with glass sides and air conditioning; some referred to it as a baby in an aquarium. In 1945, Indiana University welcomed the new chairman of the psychology department, Burrhus Skinner. Three years later, he accepted his invitation to Harvard where he stayed the rest of his life. During his stay in Harvard, he wrote many psychology books, including Walden II and Beyond Freedom and Dignity. Skinner had many theories, though his entire system was based on operant conditioning. During this operating, the organism encounters a reinforcing stimulus. This stimulus has the effect of increasing the operant the behavior occurring just before the reinforcer. The behavior is followed by a consequence, and the nature of the consequence modifies the organisms tendency to repeat the behavior in the future. (C. George Boeree, 1998) Skinner is very famous for his Skinner box. He kept a rat...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

10 Fun 5th Grade Math Games to Help You Learn

10 Fun 5th Grade Math Games to Help You Learn SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Looking for a fun and effective way to reinforce the math skills learned in 5th grade? Try playing a game! Games are a great way to solidify the key lessons fifth graders learn in the classroom while also having fun. In this article, we'll talk about the key skills students learn in fifth grade, why games are so important for mastering those skills, and give you a list of 10 games you can start playing right now. Key Math Skills Learned in 5th Grade Fifth graders put together the skills they've learned throughout elementary school to solve complex problems using complex numbers. While they work on building their fluency for these skills, they also learn how to apply them to real-world problems about time, measurement, and money. Most states in the United States have their own unique educational standards, but the basic fifth grade math curriculum and the skills fifth graders learn are fairly standard. Fifth graders learn: How to divide whole numbers with and without remainders How to make connections between decimals, fractions, and percentages How to multiply and divide fractions How to compute the area and volume of basic geometric shapes like rectangles and squares Fifth graders will also start to investigate basic algebraic equations, as well as the relationship between circumference and diameter. Each of these skills can be reinforced with games to help students master them. How 5th Grade Math Games Can Help Master Key Skills Games are a great way to help students learn key skills. There has been tons of research about how effective games are in helping students not only learn how to master a concept, but also have a safe space to explore and fail. Here are a few reasons why 5th grade math games should be an important part of your student's practice: Games are a fun way to practice. Fun math games for 5th grade students help them practice needed skills in a way that feels fun, not frustrating. Students won't feel like they're wasting their time learning, they'll feel engaged and excited about their practice. Games teach important skills. Games are a great way to introduce new skills to students. A 5th grade math game about basketball, for instance, can be a good way to get students to think about diameter or circumference before actually teaching them the skill. Likewise, once students have learned about a skill in the classroom, games can help them apply the skill in a real world setting. Aside from the educational skills students learn, games also teach students how to deal with failure, work together, and overcome obstacles. Games form positive memories of learning. Learning math can be frustrating for a lot of kids. If they experience failure or frustration learning in the classroom, games are a great way to reclaim their sense of worth and help them actually have while learning. 5 Fun Math Games for 5th Grade You Can Play in the Classroom There are tons of fun math games for 5th grade students that you can play in the classroom. Here are ten of the best. #1: Multiplication/Division War Students will build fluency with multiplication and division problems by working to figure out which student has the highest sum or product quickly. This is a great way to reinforce the basic skills students need for other 5th grade math problems. All you need for this game is a few sets of math fact flash cards. For fifth graders, use multiplication or division cards. Link to detailed instructions: here #2: The Amazing Equation Game This game helps students become more familiar with basic algebraic in a fun, competitive way. Students will learn to get comfortable with variables like letters standing in for numbers, as well as figuring out how to manipulate equations. For this game, you'll need scrap paper and pencils for your students and white paper (or index cards) and markers to prepare the game. Link to detailed instructions: here #3: Percent Flash Students will learn how to easily calculate percentages. They'll pull a card and add a "0" to the end. For instance, if they pull a "2" card, they'll be working with 20%. Then, they'll roll the dice and calculate the percentage of the numbers they rolled. This game will help students become more excited about percents. For this game, you'll need a deck of cards, dice, one calculator per player, paper, and pencils. Link to detailed instructions: here #4: Graph Puzzles Geometric shapes can make many students uneasy. This 5th grade math game can help students become more confident with their graphing skills. Students will learn to draw shapes using positive and negative numbers and ordered pairs to create fun shapes- just like solving a puzzle. For this game, you'll need graph paper, pencils, and rulers. Link to detailed instructions: here #5: Lego Area and Perimeter This skill teaches students the basics of figuring out area and perimeter for rectangular shapes. You'll have students to figure out area and perimeter by placing the legos on the graph paper and counting the squares. For this game, you'll need small legos, graph paper, a pencil, and paper. Link to detailed instructions: here 5 5th Grade Math Games Online There are tons of 5th grade math games online that your student can play. Here are five 5th grade math games online that cover a wide variety of 5th grade math skills. #1: Multiplying Fractions Soccer Game This game has student solve fraction problems in order to have the chance to score a goal for their soccer team. The game has students interpret the products of different fraction multiplication problems. The game is great because it can be played on computers and tablets without installation and can be played alone or in teams. It's fun for students to kick the soccer goals, but the game is more about the math than the soccer. #2: Papa's CupCakeria This game helps students persevere in the face of problems, as well as manipulate fractions. The student has to fulfill cupcake orders and work quickly to staunch the flow of customers in a shop. This game is fun, with brightly colored graphics and a fun soundtrack. It can only be played on a computer, which limits the number of students that can interact with it, and it's focused more on real-world problem solving than fractions, with students spending more energy balancing fulfilling order than actually figuring out the fractions. #3: Math Games This online math game database has tons of different practice problems built into an online platform. You can practice basically every skill your fifth grader will need to master during the year, broken down into standards. This database is great because it has hundreds of problems for every single 5th grade math skill. Unfortunately, the skills are more drills than games - they're really just straight practice. Still, this is a great way to get lots of practice on lots of skills in quickly. #4: Boat Coordinates This fun and simple online math game has you help navigate a boat down a river full of obstacles by selecting the proper coordinates to steer to in four quadrants. This game is great because it can be customized to a single quadrant or four quadrants to help students master the skills at different levels. This is a solid game for many students, with the one caveat that it has to be played on a desktop, not an app. #5: Algebra Meltdown The game starts simple but gets increasingly difficult as it progresses. Unfortunately, the game isn't responsive to student progress, so it gets more difficult whether or not your student is ready for it. However, a student who does well at linear equations will find this game fun and challenging. Go Play! There are thousands of 5th grade math games that you can use to reinforce math skills for your student. You can play games online or in-person- either way, the games will help them learn while having fun. What's Next? Before you play some of these games, you'll need to know some basics about graphing. Learn about the four graph quadrants (and where numbers are positive/negative) here! Want to know the fastest and easiest ways to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? We've got you covered! Check out our guide to the best ways to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa). Are you learning about logarithms and natural logs in math class? We have a guide on all the natural log rules you need to know. Did you know that water has a very special density? Check out our guide to learn what the density of water is and how the density can change.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Social policy development for the aged in the modern day context Dissertation

Social policy development for the aged in the modern day context - Dissertation Example Over the past couple of decades, the senior citizens have become contributing members of the society in their own way (Chung, McLarney and Gillen, 2008). The complete change in the perception about the elderly in the past few decades warranted for a change in the way policy makers devised policies to meet their meets. In 2002, under the aegis of United Nations, the Second World Assembly was conducted in Madrid and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging was declared. The conference proposed a strong plan for providing social care and social development for the elderly, and for providing supportive environments for the same (DESA, 2002). This plan forms the basis of several countries own policies. Though the awareness regarding the need for a social policy for the elders is a recent development, many nations have already formulated policies regarding this. For most developed nations, these policies for the elderly revolve around improving the social status that the senior cit izens have and ensuring that they continue to function at their optimum (Voit and Vickers, 2012). Policies continue to focus on their safety and healthcare, but also endeavor to enhance participation in cultural and social activities. The overall aim is therefore to improve the quality of life for the elderly members of the society. Most nations like the United States and Canada have active Elderly Assistance Programs that function with the help of the government and the non-governmental organizations and help provide a supportive environment to the elderly citizens (Litwin, 2000).On the other hand, in the developing nations, such policies are in a nascent stage only. However, much of the policymaking related to the aged is undertaken in a normative manner with the government paving the way to develop new benefits or incentives for the elderly in a bid to make their life more comfortable. There appears to be little focus on understanding the perceptions of the elderly and their opin ions on what social policies related to them need to imbibe. The current research therefore endeavors to fill this gap by exploring the perceptions and opinions of the elderly and hence to present an assessment of their needs from their perspectives. The following research questions will guide the research: Research Questions 1. Are the senior citizens of XYZ satisfied with the quality of social policy aimed at them? 2. What are some of the changes that are needed for social policy so that the needs of the older citizens are adequately met? Literature Review A review of the available literature has highlighted the fact that The Elderly Assistance Programs of several countries are found to have become more and more responsive to the needs of the overall development of the seniors (Everard et al 2000). For example, in the European Union (EU), several innovative policies have been implemented that provide for the elderly to engage themselves more with their lives. Countries in the EU p rovide facilities that enable the elderly to have free or subsidized access to the cultural institutions. Also, there are several initiatives and programs that the elderly can participate in or lead, like the EU environment care programs that

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Fire in the Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper Essay

Fire in the Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper - Essay Example He artistically finds and positions fire strategically amidst the conflict thereby portraying his artistic prodigy. Forest fires in the novel epitomize the conflict between humans in the civilized society and the nature. In the several scenes, Cooper uses forest fires specifically to portray he role of humans in the destruction of massive forestlands thereby perpetuating environmental pollution. The forest fires spread fast and consume hundreds of hectares annihilating both animals and vegetation throughout the entire region. Most of the fires are results of human carelessness since malicious individuals who spark the fires simply to torment the rest of the society instigate some of the fires. Other forest fires on the other hand begin because of carelessness such as smokers and famers burning refuse in their gardens. Such shows of carelessness result in the destruction of the ecosystem as hundreds of hectares of forest cover burns away killing all the animals in such ecosystems (Cooper 54). The portrayal of the forest fires is tactical as Cooper uses such to build the extent and effects of environmental degradation. As the fires spread, the forests sustain the flow as massive bush land go up in flame owing to human laxity. The inability of the people to orchestrate timely response to the forest fires result in the loss of both the ecosystem and human life at times. Cooper uses the forest fires to sustain his sardonic criticism of the society and the relationship between humans in the civilized society and the natural wilderness thereby depicting the priorities of the humans. Apparently, the humans fail to recognize the position and role of the environment despite their technological advancement a feature that contributes to the people’s inability to curb forest fires before they destroy large tracts of

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Personnel Selection and Assessment Research Paper

Personnel Selection and Assessment - Research Paper Example According to Field (2009) when testing for validity, one is effectively testing for ‘evidence that a study allows correct inferences about the question it was aimed to answer or that at test measures what it set out to measure conceptually’ (p. 795). There are three main types of validity. Construct validity refers to whether a test correlates to the theorized construct that it purports to measure. For example, an intelligence test is a test which requires strong evidence for construct validity, since researchers need to be sensitive to the extent to which they are measuring intelligence rather than language or culture differences (Mertens, 2009). The second type of validity is content validity, which is relevant to test which aims to evaluate a specific body of knowledge. For example, a depression scale may lack content validity if it does not represent the entire range of possible items, such as the behavioral dimension. Finally, criterion-related validity is a measure of how well a test is effective at predicting of a construct. This type of validity testing is divided into two types, namely concurrent and predictive validity, where concurrent validity is assessed by correlating a test with another test that has been previously validated. These two tests are taken at the same time. Predictive validity differs in that the one test is taken earlier and is meant as a predictor to a later measure (Mertens, 2009). The utility of selection methods refers to the value it has in the process of selection.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Family Support in Mental Illness

Family Support in Mental Illness Family is an important and inevitable part of an individual and its uninterrupted presence gives us a psychological support and courage to courageously deal with any kind of trouble.It provides a strong and long lasting shelter to a person and every one looks toward his family for primary care. Although family’s role is necessary in physical illness but in psychiatric illness it has an undeniable and imperative part in treatment exercise and it is indeed one of the mental health promoting practice. So we can say that family plays an integral role in alleviating the significance of mental illness because only medical intervention is ineffective. The support of family for an individual with mental illness is crucial in Asian Indian culture. The involvement of the family is so imperative, that often it becomes a prerequisite of seeking help for psychiatric illness (Stanhope, 2002 as cited in Cook Tarnovetskaia, 2008). Studies have concluded that the rate of recovery from schizophrenia is greater and mortality of people with schizophrenia is lower in the developing world than in the developed countries and the key positive factor that bring that change is the involvement of families in the course of treatment (Warner, 2009). Let’s view this aspect in a sense that what difference it will make if family is not involved in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses in cases where people living alone without any family support during the course of their illness. Maladaptive parental behavior is associated with an increased risk in offspring for anxiety, depression, disruptive personality, and substance use disorders during late adolescence and early adulthood. (Ajit Avasthi,2010) Childhood exposure to parental verbal aggression is associated, by itself, with moderate to large effects on measures of dissociation, irritability, depression and anger-hostility.According to studies, lack of family and social relationship cause homelessness and badly effect the quality of life (Pinikahana, Happell, Hope Keks,2009). . This causes too much frustration to the patient and instead of reducing mental illness it enhances much pain and suffering to the patient. Thus it has been found that when family support is absent the severity in the mental disorder keep increasing and any sort of medication often failed to produce good result. Resultantly family support is very vital and has a big impact to a patient suffering from mental illness.. Families have valuable information and knowledge about their relatives. They also have expertise, acquired through sometimes painful experience.They know about approaches that work and those that do not. Consumers, service providers and families beneà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ t greatly when family members are involved as full partners in the care and support of people with mental health and addiction problems. When family support is not provided to an individual suffering from a mental illness, he endures a lot of setbacks and it has a direct impact on him. Mostly he confused about his parents changed behavior and feels embarrassing for being in the affected persons company. A 50 years old male patient Noor Ali Hussain was in Nizari Senior Citizen, suffering from mental illness for the last ten years. The patient has a history of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and odd behavior. On clinical day, I interviewed him about his family history. He told me that his family leaves in America and they have left him in senior citizen. Moreover, he explained that his family doesn’t come to meet him, they just call him only on some special occasion. He stated that he feels happy when he talk to family and he want to live with them. However his family doesn’t take him with them to America because he is illiterate and aged.Further stated family told him that we are busy in our work no one is here to take care of you and left me in senior citizen. After carefully assessing this pathetic situation I decided to choose this topic that is family support in mental illness. In my patient multiple disorders were present and in such cases family suppor t is very important in rehabilitation and recovery of mental illness. But, in my patient case, unfortunately the family support ceased to exist. Care giving literature has illustrated that the prominent role in the provision of support for individuals with mental illness falls on family members, especially on women (Saunders 2003, Zauszniewski et al. 2008, Huang et al. 2009). Evidence linking caring for a member with mental illness to increased levels of burden for the family caregiver is compelling and consistent. Family caregivers have widely identified burden as ‘any individual whose presence and performance aroused either fear or shame must be burdensome and could not be living within a supportive environment’ (Thompson Doll 1982, p. 380). Studies have concluded that mostly people consider taking care of a mentally ill person as a burden. The family care giving burden framework best define my patient case because it distinguishes between the objective and subjective burden (Hoening and Hamilton,1996). Objective burden emerge in the form of disruption in everyday life in the household, financial constraint, breakdown in daily activities and social interaction and these are observe by the caregiver. Subjective burden are the caregivers feelings, attitude and emotions that reflects that he carries a burden(Bull, 1990; Hoening Hamilton,1966; MaurinBoyd, 1990; Reinhard, 1994). Therefore it is necessary to minimize the sense of burden felt by caregivers. Some strategies and interventions that could be help when families are involved in order to promote mental health are discussed briefly. Skilled Training and Health Management(STHM) intervention was developed with the aim of enhancing independent functioning and health care outcomes for older adults with SMI (primarily schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and bipolar disorder) (Bartels et al., 2004).moreover HM consisted of health care preventive measures to identify and monitor acute and chronic medical problems. Moreover family interventions should focus on expanding training to patient and key relatives about mental illness recovery, skills training, task sharing of household and self-care. A positive change in these areas is likely to improve the quality of life of people with mental illness and their families. Other effective strategies include discussion, debriefing session and family therapy that are good practices to involve family in care. Family therapy is also useful Psychotherapy that teaches families and their members to resolve the issue effectively and improve their understanding. According to psychiatric mental health nursing book(2006) Psychoeducation family therapy has been more successful in treatment of patient with schizophrenia and it reduces long term hospitalization as well(Dixon, 2001). According to psychiatric mental nursing book(2006),Self-help group are best position to help clients and families find additional support and information. Family support in mental illness can’t be ignored and it has a lasting role in the recovery of a mentally disorder individual. But sometime family considers burden and feels embarrassed and frustrated. In such crucial time, I think nurse can play a positive role by educating and counseling the family and his close relative about the intensity of the case and teach them strategies and skill to tackle the issue. By concluding, it can be said that family is an important source in promoting mental health but at the same time it is also necessary for the care professional to avoid commenting any mistake which may restrain the family from their beloved one who suffer from mental illness.Lastly, through assessing the identified framework and effective strategies we can play a role in alleviating the burden of mental illness that may bring a positive change in the patient who is diagnosed with mental illness. The prerequisite to promote mental health is to deal the patient holisticall y and make family involvement in treatment an integral part.