Author: chris

Articles Summary

Issues for DSM-V: Internet Addiction

Block summarizes the internet addiction problem that seems to be raising concern in such states as South Korea, China and the United States. In the studies carried out, the author summarizes four major problems associated with internet addiction. First, there is the excessive use, which is associated with neglect of the basic duties and loss of time. Second, the addict experiences withdrawal. These include depression, tension or anger feelings when they fail to access the computer. Third, the addict is tolerant. This includes the need to have better computer facilities and accessories. Fourth, there are negative repercussions. These include fatigue, social isolation, poor achievement, lying and arguments.

In South Korea, internet addiction is considered as a major issue of public health. According to data collected in 2006, 2.1% (210,000) of the children between the ages of 6 to 9 years are considered afflicted. One million two hundred thousand children are believed to be in danger since the average high school teenager spends an average of 23 hours playing video and computer games. A big number of adults are quitting work in order to be with computers. Many counselors have been trained in order to curb the situation. Schools are also being introduced by these preventive measures.

In China, 13.7% (10 million teenagers) of the adolescents are feared to have this addiction. This propelled the Chinese government to put laws that restrict computer gaming to a limit of three hours per day. Since United States people access the internet via their homes unlike the people in Asia, the statistics may be higher although they have not been confirmed. This internet addiction includes gaming and virtual sex. In my opinion, the internet addiction is rising today more than any other time in history. Internet has become so accessible even via the mobile phones thus raising the addiction risk. The preventive measures should be made public.

Attitudes and Desires Related to Euthanasia and Physician-assisted Suicide Among Ill Patients and Their Caregivers

Emmanuel did a research in order to identify the desires and the attitudes of the patients who have terminal diseases regarding euthanasia or physician assisted suicide. In the research, the author tried to identify whether the terminally ill patients were in serious consideration of euthanasia, the stableness in their desires, the factors associating with them, and the fraction of patients dying from interventions from euthanasia.

A survey was carried out on patients and the primary caregivers between the months of March and July of 1996 and 1997. The settings were outpatient in five metropolitan areas, which were randomly selected and one rural county. The survey engaged 988 patients who were diagnosed to be terminally ill. This was with the exception of the human immunodeficiency virus infection. 89.4% of the patients responded to the survey. It also involved 893 primary caregivers. There was a 97.6% response.

The main outcome measures were that the patients expressed a discussion or consideration for physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. When given a hypothetical situation, 60.2% of the patients supported physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. However, only 10.6% of the participants considered it for themselves. Depressive symptoms were noted as factors associated with the likeliness of euthanasia or PAS consideration. As the survey continued, half of the patients who had considered euthanasia had changed their minds and half who had not considered it had changed their minds. Caregivers responded that 5.6% of the patients had considered enquiring from their physicians about euthanasia.

In my opinion, most of the terminally ill patients have considered or even discussed PAS or euthanasia with their caregivers or physicians, while other consider it as a good way of ending the life. I agree with the statistics and the conclusion found.

References

Block, Jerald J. (2008). Issues for DSM-V: Internet Addiction. American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 165: 306- 307. Retrieved From http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=99602

Emmanuel E. J., Fairclough, D. L. & Emanuel, L. L. (2000). Attitudes and Desires Related to Euthanasia and Physician-assisted Suicide Among Ill Patients and Their Caregivers. JAMA, Vol. 284 (19): 2460-2468. Retrieved From http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/11074775/

Teton dam

The Teton was an earthen dam built by the federal government on Teton River in Idaho. It was built by the bureau of reclamation, which had previously constructed many dams including earth fill dam like the Teton dam. The dam was constructed at a cost of one hundred million U.S. dollars. It was built from nineteen seventy-five and collapse during the initial filling up releasing millions of cubic meters of water into the Snake River. This water flood the farmland below, industries, residences and the towns that were down stream. It resulted to fourteen deaths and property damages estimated to be between four hundred million dollars and one billion U. S. dollars. The quality of the rock surrounding the canyon was fractured hence the engineers found ways to seal these fixtures and ensure no water would seep into the dam resulting to a failure. Teton dam was filled with grout in trenches cut seventy feet deep to seal any cracks in the crayon walls. In addition, grout was pumped into the canyons floor in a single row on the embankment where the dam would be. This resulted to an impermeable barrier that would have prevented water from sipping into the rock and finding its way to the dams face. Despite all this measures, the dam failed the first time it was filled with water when it was about to reach the maximum capacity.

The dam should not have been constructed given the vulnerability of the canyon wall surrounding the dam without further analysis of the canyon. The bureau of reclamation should have taken time to investigate and come up with several measures that would have solved the cracks in the crayons instead of implementing one measure. If enough time were taken different measures would have been incorporated together with grout curtains to offer a stronger impermeable wall. Not all problems can be overcome with more engineering as was the case in the Teton dam but with proper technology employed the problem can be prevented. All problems can be overcome with more technology if the proper measurements and new measures are employed rather than rely on the measures that have been used previously. The bureau should have used other methods or incorporated them with the grout curtains to solve the problem of the fissured rock. This is because the rock was more vulnerable than in other sites that they had encountered.

The engineers should provide ways to ensure that the water that leaks and sips around these structures has a way out to control any damage that may arise in future. The engineers should create outlets to prevent catastrophic damage. The instrumentation should be of the highest quality to ensure that an excellent job is done and the machines should be enough to avoid use of substandard machinery. The monitoring should be carried out every step of the way and should be often to avoid completing a substandard project because enough monitoring was not carried out. The accident should be classified as engineered and procedural since from the beginning the rock was cracked and vulnerable. Procedural because the relevant authority waited till the last hour to notify the people of the serious danger that the dam was about to cause.

 

 

 

 

 

Considerations flowchart

				The type of rock

 

They went wrong in choosing the method of strengthening the cracked rock on the canyon walls that rendered the dam weak. The method they chose lead to the failure of the dam because water managed to leak and sip through the grout curtains.

The dam should not have been constructed without exploring the different methods of strengthening the cracked rock even though the method used had been successful in the past. The bureau of reclamation should have taken the time to explore other methods and should have used quality silt to fill the trenches and cores to prevent erosion. They should have routinely tested the dam throughout construction to avoid a damage of this magnitude, in addition the outlet and the spillways should have been in working conditions before the dam started filling up to avoid an overflow.

Chapter 14

The author offers advice about things concerning credit, explaining how people can get money for their businesses. He notes that it is important for people to have a credit base, since this will assist them when they want to get credit from the bank. The author has established a process, which will ensure that people can increase their credit resource. The process includes ensuring that the business finances are in order by recording the financial statements and ledgers. Business owners should have all the information concerning their business finances, since this will help them in managing their business by being in control. People in businesses should see bankers as partners as partners who will help them in growing their businesses. The authors has outlined some of the important things that people should consider when they are selecting the bank they are going to use for their business. He has reiterated the importance of having a credible financial advisor, who has the same vision for the business as the owner does. The author advices consultants about the procedure they should use, noting that there are obvious advantages of collecting the receivables when they are beginning the work instead of collecting the receivables once the work is completed. The author concludes the chapter by highlighting twelve techniques that people can use to manage their expenses and ensure that they grow their funds. The techniques include maximizing the bills on credit card and business accounts. He notes that contrary to popular belief, it is better for consulting to pay for things on credit instead of cash since this will help them in building a credit base. People should ensure that they pay all the vendors on time. An expense budget is necessary since it will help in calculating the average expenses, which will in turn assist the person in forecasting and managing expenses. Other techniques include using travel agents, paying bills at single settings, buying as an option to leasing or renting, looking for the best deals, and using the envelope approach.

Can I have a retainer arrangement and also charge for projects concurrently in the same account?

Yes, you can. This is because many clients often change their minds concerning the kind of service they want. Sometimes, a client can opt for retainer services yet he or she will call you when the need arises. In other cases, the client will add the work that he or she had initially agreed on, meaning that you will have to take on additional tasks. In this case, a consultant can charge for the additional projects, although he or she might have already agreed on the retainer fees. A consultant has to be flexible. Consultants should make their clients realize that the project might require additional requirements, which had not been foreseen. Although consultants on retainer agreement can charge for the projects, they should ensure that their clients agree to do this, and that they deliver.

Is it wise to invest in certificates of deposits or bonds that deliver a higher return but require minimum investment periods?

I would consider investing in the certificates of deposits or bonds because of their low risks. The main thing to remember is that one cannot withdraw the money before the term ends. This means that they are not a wise option if you will need to use the money in the near future. Certificate of deposits have low returns, and I think that you should take advantage of the high returns when you can. Certificate of deposits and bonds are usually guaranteed and you will not loose money once you decide to invest in them. You can choose to reinvest your money instead of withdrawing it once the term ends. However, this means that you will be taxed for the money that has been reinvested. Weigh all the benefits and risks before deciding to invest in CDs or bonds. Consider other investment options such as mutual funds, which can be an alternative to the CDs, before making your decision.

 

Energy

Energy is defined as the ability to do work. It is neither created nor destroyed but it can be stored and converted into different forms that include electrical, light, mechanical, nuclear and chemical. Potential energy is stored energy while kinetic energy is energy in motion. This report looks into the physics of energy and addresses pertinent energy issues affecting the country.

Electricity is one of the fundamental forms of energy; it occurs naturally as lightning or it is produced by other means. It is formed because of movement current through a medium due to electron charge potential difference. Any matter is made up of atoms that are smallest element of a particle. The atom consists of subatomic particles i.e. electrons, neutrons and protons. The electrons revolve around the nucleus, made up of protons and neutrons, along an orbit. It is important to note that each atom has a specific number of protons, neutrons and electrons. Electrons are negatively charged, protons positively charged and neutrons are neutral. Electrons have the ability to flow from one atom to another altering the charge potential of an atom. A charged atom is known as an atom. The flow of electrons between consecutive atoms creates a current that generates electricity.

Energy is measured in joules and one thousand joules is equal to one British thermal unit. Good conductors are materials that offer limited resistance to the flow of current while insulators resist the flow of current through them. The measure of the ability of a material to conduct electricity is called resistance. An electric circuit is a continuous loop that allows the flow of current. The circuit consists of the energy source that offers the potential difference to facilitate the flow of current, the conductors made up of good conductors and the switch that acts as a current regulator. The force that propels electrons around a circuit is called a volt.

Electrical energy is generated through various ways. Thermal power plants generate electricity by the use of steam. Water is brought to the boiler, which heats it up to steam. Most boilers use coal, oil, natural gas or wood to provide the energy. The steam is transported through pipes from the boiler to the turbine where the heat energy in the steam is converted into mechanical energy by the turbines. Turbines consist of hundreds of blades arranged in a specific angle to facilitate rotary movement once subjected to high-pressure steam. A generator is connected to the turbine to convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy. The steam from the turbines is cooled off to water by cooling towers and then redirected back to the turbines. There are various ways. The shaft from the turbine is connected the generator which generates electricity by cutting the magnetic field to induce voltage into a cupper wire.

From the generator power is transmitted to a transformer that steps up the voltage since it is efficient to transmit power in high voltage. From the power station, high voltage transmission lines transport electricity to substations near the consumers. Substations have transformers that step down the power to a suitable magnitude depending on the needs of the consumer. Every consumer has a meter to bill his consumption, which he pays to the relevant utility company. A circuit box is placed after the meter to regulate the flow of current and to act as a safety device incase of short-circuit.

The major source of energy is fossil fuels; coal, oil and natural gas. They are formed from ancient organic decomposed material subjected under intense temperature and pressure under the earth crust. Another major source of energy is biomass that consists of organic waste, ethanol and firewood. Other sources include geothermal energy, hydropower, nuclear power, ocean energy, solar energy and wind energy. Nuclear energy is achieved through fission and fusion of atoms to produce energy. The sources of energy can be grouped into two major categories; renewable and non-renewable depending on their ability to be regenerated and level of abundance.

As of recent, the energy sector has been under increased criticism due to its role in contributing to global warming and climate change. The main culprit in this debate is continual over reliance on fossil fuels to produce energy. During combustion, fossil fuels produce carbon monoxide, methane and carbon monoxide gases that are major contributors to global warming. On a positive note, renewable energy solutions are being developed to fill this gap especially in the areas of solar power, wind and geothermal power.

However, although nuclear energy offers many prospects to be a leading energy provider its impact on the environment is tainting its image. The wastes from nuclear plants are radioactive exposing the environment to serious damage once disposed. In addition, there are safety concerns on the operations of nuclear power plants and the high risk involved incase an accident occurs.

Another issue of concern is the use of bio-fuels. It is argued that the continued substituting food crops to fuel crops the leading contributor to the current global food crisis. However, proponents to the move claim that only areas with that un-cultivatable are being used.

As the demand for energy grows exponentially, the need for cheaper and clean energy is becoming an area of interest for energy stakeholders. One of the areas being fronted as the energy for the future is the use of hydrogen gas to produce energy. Research shows it is a fuel of high energy and it is carbon neutral. In addition, the use of energy saving appliances and efficient machines will go along way to reduce our energy consumption rates.

Integrative Models Paper

Considering the current dynamic culture and the whole society, there will be need for better family focused integrative therapy to help families stay healthy. In addition, considering changing influences on behavior especially on the adolescent children, there will be need for integrative model that not only centers on the problem, but also the whole family including causes within the family. In addition, to ensure there is progress, there will be need for a scientific model for assessing the effectiveness of models used. Integrative models make use of several approaches to a particular family in order to cover more areas rather than just the problem, while other factors could be contributing (Christensen, Atkins, Berns, Wheeler, Baucom, & Simpson, 2004). This paper looks at one of the models and evaluates its effectiveness in helping families fight issues within their homes using the scientific method.

Therapists to families have been undecided concerning schools of thought that are best fit for family intervention. However, they have recognized that there cannot be one efficient approach to family therapy intervention. It was also recognized that the traditional methods were only half-effective in helping families. However, despite therapists not knowing what makes family and couple therapy work, they have realized that it results from several approaches rather than one. Instead of coming up with another approach to family therapy, Neil Jacobson and Andrew Christensen sought to integrate several elements from the traditional approaches in order to make family and couple therapy more effective (Christensen, et al, 2004).

In their work, they combined elements such as strategic, Bowenian, experiential, as well as object relations approaches with the traditional therapy approaches to come up with an integrated approach. This proved to be quite successful considering it used several approaches. The approach focuses on offering support as well as emotional support and empathy, as opposed to the traditional approaches that only focused on teaching couples what to do theoretically. The integrative couples’ therapy is more practical and ensures guidance and support to the couple as well as the family along the therapy sessions.

The approach follows several steps, which include the first phase concerned with formulating a strategy, the process of polarization, a mutual trap and fostering acceptance. In the formulation stage, couples are encouraged not to pass the blame on each other; rather, they are encouraged to accept issues, as they are in order to allow change to occur. The main issue is then identified, which is considered the focus of the therapy (Jacobson, Christensen, Prince, Cordova, & Eldridge, 2000). The couple’s conflicting or destructive issues are identified and defined. The mutual trap seeks to identify the behavior between the two partners that enhance or maintain the destructive behaviors or keep the conflicting issues. Fostering acceptance or emotional acceptance, where Jacobson and Christensen state that some issues may not be solved with compromise and acceptance, comes in. They further state that a couple’s greatest harm is not the incompatibilities between them; rather, it is the negative response and rigid emotional attitudes towards such issues that could be developed due to lack of solving them (Jacobson, et al, 2000).

The model suggests several ideas that couples can use in order to make their relationship better. They suggest that talking about feelings concerning the problems or focusing on the feelings brought about by the problem makes it worse. Rather, a couple should focus on taking an action to solve the problems, which will eliminate the issues and therefore take away the hard feelings. It also suggests that all partners can be in a position to learn skills of eliminating the bad behaviors that lead to problems in their relationship (Jacobson, et al, 2000). In addition, all couples can learn ways of coming to a compromise in the relationship to solve issues, which would help in making all partners happier. This model is better than the traditional ones that focused on teaching the couples what to do through mere counseling, and focuses on all areas that could help in solving the issue. Through following the steps, a couple can realize their behaviors that contribute to their conflicts. This way, a solution would be easier to find after all causal factors are known and analyzed (Davis, & Piercy, 2007).

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the integrative couples’ therapy has shown a big improvement from the traditional approaches that only instructed rather than giving support that is more crucial. In finding out the effectiveness of the integrative couples’ therapy model, therapists used the scientific model where a comparison of a couple undergoing therapy using the model is compared to one using the traditional approaches (Shadish, & Baldwin, 2005). Through such a comparison, several results that highlight its effectiveness have been found.

It was found that through using the traditional approaches, there was improvement in the couple at the initial stages of the therapy. This was seen to improve only half the number of couples. More research has shown that only a third of the couples using the traditional approach are able to recover from their conflicts completely at the end of the therapy. Others will remain stressed with their problems still hurting them after the therapy is over. Two year after the traditional therapy, almost a third of the couples reported that their relationship was even worse than it was before therapy. Four years after therapy has been done, couples who still find their situation worse after therapy are usually divorced. The reason was identified as lack of communication in the relationship after therapy (Shadish, & Baldwin, 2005).

The integrative couples’ therapy model incorporates the traditional models with enhancing communication skills that couples can learn to use when they have problems. This way, they are able to realize what is causing the problem rather than keeping quiet about it, leaving issues unsolved. Research has shown that using the newly integrative model that enhances communication maintains a lasting effect after therapy is over. The new model helps couples in solving their own issue alone using good communication (Shadish, & Baldwin, 2005). The main idea behind the model that makes it effective is a circular process that assesses the interventions and seeks to maintain the process so that problems will always be solved (Hutchinson, 2007).

 

 

References

Christensen, A. et-al. (2004). Traditional versus Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy for Significantly and Chronically Distressed Married Couples, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 176–191.

Davis, S.D., & Piercy, F. P. (2007). What Clients of Couple Therapy Model Developers and Their Former Students Say about Change, Part Ii: Model-Independent Common Factors and an Integrative Framework. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33 (3): 344-363.

Hutchinson, L. (2007). Integrative Couples Therapy 01. Retrieved from: http://mftexam.ning.com/profiles/blogs/790357:BlogPost:162

Jacobson, N. S., Christensen, A., Prince, S. E., Cordova, J., and Eldridge, K. (2000). Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy an Acceptance-Based, Promising New Treatment for Couple Discord. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 351-355.

Shadish, W.R., & Baldwin, S.A. (2005). The effects of behavioral marital therapy: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(1), 6-14.

 

Case Studies

C.K 4.3 Question 3

Accounting majors have the responsibility of gathering, analyzing, interpreting and communicating information regarding a company or organization’s financial position. This means that they should report any irregularities or areas of concern to the responsible authority so that the necessary arrangements can be done. If the stock turnover is irregularly high or the petty cash cannot be accounted for, the accounting majors have the responsibility of reporting these incidences. Failure to do this will lead to the downfall of the company. However, they do not have a greater ethical responsibility than the other business majors do since the managers, the procurement officers, the clerks, amongst other majors have a great responsibility too. The business is dependent on all these areas.

C.K 4.5 Question 1

The “Arrests and Convictions” question has two or more ways of being answered. I can choose to uphold the truth as the office-managing partner has little to no chances of knowing about the case since it will not be recorded. I also have the other option of writing about the charges since the office managing partner can find out about the truth anyway. It will be worse if he finds out that I lied. Additionally, if the decision has not already been made the judge, he might turn down the advocate’s plea and convict me. This will put me into more trouble as I will have lied to the company. My response to this question will be to say ‘Yes’ to the question. I was in a party and the police found me in possession of alcohol as a minor. However, I was not convicted as it was my first time and I promised to keep off trouble in the next two years.

C.K 4.7 Question 1

According to CPA ethical responsibilities, client confidentiality means that an accountant, auditor or any other member of CPA is not allowed to disclose a client’s information to any parties not consented by the client or any parties unauthorized by the law. In my opinion, David Quinn violated this confidentiality rule. This is because he was talking about a client’s financial position, suggestions/requests to other employees from another firm. He was also revealing this information in a public place. Additionally, any other people within twenty feet of the table could also overhear this conversation. He was allowed to talk to anybody, whether it was Debbie or any other person not on the client’s case, about the client’s information. He had violated the rule.

C.K 6.1 Question 2

In my opinion, Vaughn overreacted to Walker’s admission that she had not been truthful about the CPA exam. Walker did not act with integrity when she lied about the CPA exams. She should have been truthful from the beginning. Similarly, one may not know about what else she might lie about in future or what she has lied about in the past. Integrity is very important at any level of a profession. However, the untruthfulness from Walker did not call for work dismissal. If I was in Vaughn’s position, I would have reprimanded Walker’s actions and taken another disciplinary action such as work suspension for a couple of days. This is because Walker had never been in some other kind of trouble, hardworking and she was apologetic of the incident. If I was in Robert’s position, I would have recommended a more lenient disciplinary action since she hardworking and this was a first time misconduct.

C.K 6.4 Question 1

A staff accountant does the basic work of collecting and reviewing data and information from the client. On the other hand, the audit senior supervises the work done by the staff accountant, ensures that the correct procedures are formed and makes sure visits the client in order to enquire about particular unclear information. The more important role is that of the staff accountant. This is because he is the one engaged in the collecting information and doing the most fundamental part of the work. Hours required to carry out a particular task are allocated to the staff accountant. On the other hand, the role of the audit senior is the most stressful. This is because he supervises all the work done and he is responsible for the mistakes done by the staff accountant. He should know everything regarding the client and the staff accountant.

Korea Silla Kingdom

Silla was among three kingdoms Silla, Goguryeo, and Baekje, in Korea, and was deemed one of the longest surviving dynasties in the history of Asia (Peterson, 5). Originally, the Silla dynasty was founded by king Hyeokgeose Park- who is also viewed as being the originator of the Park Korean family name. However, Park’s dynasty was to see the clan from Gyeongju Kim seized hold of power for the majority of its 992 historical background. Silla initially began as chiefdom in the once allied Samhan confederacies in China. The dynasty’s progress saw the chiefdom conquer the other two kingdoms, Goguryeo, and Baekje in 668 AD (Peterson, 18).

Shifting of Power

The clan from Park’s lineage managed to hold on to the Silla dynasty for three generations before being ousted by an organized coup from members of a clan from the Seok lineage. In the course of the reign of the first Seok king, Talhae of Silla, the presence of Kim’s clan in Silla is identified in form of a tale that describes the birth of Kim Alji in a golden box that is later found Hogong (Kim, 32). The clans from both Seok and Park lineage are in constant warfare as each try to get hold of power but are both overthrown Kim’s clan in the midst of the war. The clan from Kim managed to hold on to power over Silla for many generations through sole rule with the Seok and Park clan deemed as nobility.

Founding   

During the period when the three kingdoms were still proto dynasties, the southern and central city states were segmented into three Samhan confederacies. Silla started out as Saro-guk miniature state with twelve jinham confederacies, six clans and six villages. In accordance with records from Korea, king Park Hyeokgeose is considered Silla’s founder in present day Gyeongju around 57 BC (Peterson, 25). Tales assert that Hyeokgeose hatched from an egg laid by a white horse. When he turned thirteen, six clans established Saro and submitted to Hyeokgeose as king.

Early Period

Silla already existed as chiefdom in the second century in the southeastern Korea as a distinct state. Its influence expanded over to the neighboring chiefdoms in Jinham. However, Sila was probably the greatest loose federation city state by the third century (Kim, 36). In the west, Baekje organized itself to form a kingdom through overtaking the confederacy in Mahan. Towards the southwest of Korea, the confederacy in Gaya was progressively overtaking Byeonhan, and Goguryeowas growing into threatening power by destroying the final commander from China.

Later Period

Silla allied with Tang Dynasty from China later in the seventh century. 660 saw Silla subjugate Baekje and eight years later, Silla conquered northern Goguryeo through General Kim Yu-Shin under the then king Munmu. The following decade saw Silla engage in endless warfare as the dynasty attempted to create Tang colonies by expelling Chinese forces to finally establish its rule throughout Korea as far as modern Pyongyang (Peterson, 42). Silla’s middle period witnessed its end through king Hyegong’s assassination in 780. The remaining years after the kings death saw kingship in Silla reduced to just a figure head as aristocratic families grew independent of central management. Thereafter, it was decided that Kingship would only reside in King Wonseong’s House.

Rise and Fall

Silla’s final hundred and fifty years were ones filled with civil war and threatening upheaval as kingship was only reduced to a mere figurehead as powerful aristocratic families began to dictate proceedings as they began to gain power outside the royal court and capital. The end of this period is referred to as “Later Three Kingdoms” saw brief emergence of kingdoms Goguryeo and Baekj. These two kingdoms characterized military forces that capitalized on their historical backgrounds that led to Silla submitting to Goryeo later on (Peterson, 84).

Culture

With the time at which this civilization existed, it has been hard to establish exactly what their culture involved. However, there are some Silla tombs found in Gyeongju center. These tombs were constructed in stone chambers surrounded by soil mounds suggesting that this civilization practiced sculpturing (Pak, 24). More so, jewels and gold crowns were found in the tombs to suggest Silla had a culture of smelting gold and exonerating high authorities.

 

Works Cited

Kim, Chong-sun. “Silla Economy and Society.” Korean Studies. 28.1 (2005): 75-104. Print.

Pak, Ch’ŏn-su. “Kaya and Silla in Archaeological Perspective.” Early Korea. 1 (2008): 113-153. Print.

Peterson, Mark, and Phillip Margulies. A Brief History of Korea. New York, NY: Facts On File, 2010. Print.

Phonemic Awareness Lesson

One kindergarten age student was identified and the following assessments pertaining to phoneme awareness administered. The first assessment was on phoneme isolating. During this step the student was asked to listen to the beginning of some of the words uttered and identify the first sound of the word. The words uttered to the student were mouse, teeth, bat and goat (Edwards, 1998). The student scored fifty percent. The second test involved phoneme blending assessment. During this stage, the instructor utters all the sounds included in certain words, the student was then asked to put the sounds together and identify the word. The words used during this assessment included dog, nest, man and big (Chapman, 1993). The student scored fairly well on this test. The last test administered on the student involved the Yopp-Singer test of Phonemic Segmentation. During this test, words were uttered for the student and student asked to break the each of the words apart and say the different sounds identified in each of the uttered words (Bynum, 1999).

Lesson plan

Title: Phonological Awareness

Overview/Annotation:         During this lesson, the identified student is expected to expound his comprehensive and cognitive abilities pertaining to phonological awareness. This is achieved by engaging the student in activities that focus on identification of beginning of sounds, Phoneme Blending and Phonemic Segmentation.

Learning goals:

• Exhibit letter-sound association, this is in addition to identifying letters to corresponding spoken sounds and blending letter sounds into one-syllable words with the use of print material.
• Demonstrate phonemic awareness. This is through the recognition and classification of phonemes, verbally blending of phonemes into single-syllable expressions, fragmenting single-syllable expressions into phonemes, and rhyming.
• Exhibit preliminary comprehension of letter-sound relationships.

Duration of the Lesson: The lesson consists of two lessons of forty minutes each.

Equipment and Materials:

Bag of Sounds: small objects representing various words; Scavenger Hunt: small objects representing syllables of various words.

Background/Preparation:

The student should have background knowledge of the letters of the alphabet and how to utter their sounds.

Procedures/Activities:

1.) Lesson one: Bag of Sounds

During this lesson, a collection of words with similar beginning sound are collected. These words include book and ball, pencil and penny. One of the pair of the object words is placed on the tray with the other placed inside a bag. The student is then asked to pull an object from the bag and match it with an object word on the tray.

2.) Lesson two: Scavenger Hunt

During this lesson, the student is asked to guess the word uttered by the instructor when the instructor utters all the sounds included in certain words.

Fork – /f/ /or/ /k/ Juice – /j/ /oo/ /s/ Cup – /k/ /u/ /p/

Chip – /ch/ /i/ /p/ Bread – /b/ /r/ /e/ /d/ Ham – /h/ /a/ /m/

Assessment:

• Identify objects in the tray that are similar to those in the bag.
• Complete the whole words whose syllables are uttered by the instructor.

Phonics (alphabetic principle) activity

Anticipatory Set: The student is asked to recite the various letters of the alphabet.

Objective and Purpose: The lesson is designed to enhance the student’s memory ability in identifying the various upper case letters of the alphabet and match them with their lower counterparts (Lester, 1999).

Input: The student is given flashcards of both uppercase letters and lower case letters. The student is then asked to identify the upper case letters and match them with their lower case counterparts. The student is then asked to identify a word that has that sound.

Guided Practice:

The student attempts the modeled activity under the tutelage of the instructor. The instructor corrects the student when he errs during the activity.

Independent Practice

The student undertakes the modeled activity on his own.

 

References

Bynum, J. (1999). Altoona Baboona. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace & Co. (phoneme substitution)

Chapman, C. (1993). Pass the Fritters, Critters. New York: Scholastic, Inc. (rhyming)

Edwards, P. (1998). Some Smug Slug. Harper Trophy. (alliteration)

Lester, H. (1999). Hooway For Wodney Wat. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. (phoneme substitution)

 

 

 

Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse gases are gases that trap the infrared radiation in the atmosphere. The most common and abundant greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide and water vapor. Oceans and forests are therefore important since they contain the two gases in abundant. Other greenhouse gases include methane and nitrous oxide. The greenhouse gases ensure that not all heat from the sun is deflected back into the atmosphere. The green house gases make it possible for the sunlight to enter the atmosphere, and this causes an increase in temperature. The gases are able to absorb the light because they are transparent to the visible light from the sun, yet they are opaque to the earth’s energy. The natural greenhouse gases are able to maintain and regulate the earth’s temperature. Without these gases, the heat from the sun would be re-radiated, and the temperatures would be low. The temperature would drop from around 57°F to -2.2°F and the earth would have an average temperature of -4°F. Some human activities causes increased emission of green house gases, and this in turn causes global warming.

Greenhouse gases that occur naturally are important and it would not be possible to sustain life on earth without them. However, human activities have contributed to the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to the extent that they have become more dangerous than useful. This is because the gases end up absorbing and trapping more heat than is necessary. Carbon dioxide levels have increased tremendously over the years, especially since the beginning of industrialization. This is because of the burning of fossil fuels, which include oil, gas and coal, which increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Other human activities such as the use of fertilizers and other farming practices also contribute to the increased levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Activities such as deforestation also contribute to global warming because the earth does not have enough trees to absorb the carbon dioxide. Fermentation of livestock waste also increases the levels of methane in the atmosphere.

A runaway greenhouse effect occurs when the greenhouse gases absorbs too much heat from the atmosphere than they are able to radiate back. This means that there is increased heat than the earth can handle. Some scientists believe that it is possible to have a runaway greenhouse effect on the earth by increasing the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They estimate that this will happen in about two billion years. Their belief and assumption is based on the fact that a runaway greenhouse effect happened to the planet Venus a few billion years ago. The increased water vapor in the atmosphere will cause more heat in the earth, and more evaporation, which will in turn cause the ocean to boil. Some scientists however differ with this argument and they argue that it is not possible for the earth to experience a runaway greenhouse effect. They argue that the earth has the capability to sustain itself by constantly renewing its resources.

People can use different methods to ensure that they reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. When the engineers design buildings, they can ensure that they design them in such a way that the buildings use less energy. This will ensure that less fossil energy is burned. Other household equipment and appliances such as refrigerators and water heaters can be manufactured in such a way that they consume less energy, or alternative sources of energy.

Euthanasia

Introduction

An episode in the seventh season of the ongoing television program known as Grey’s Anatomy was very eye-catching. Dr. Hunt (Kelvin Mckidd) had some issues because of an experience he once went through when he was an army doctor. He and his senior were on their way to attend some wounded shoulders when they got an accident. His senior was badly hurt especially on his neck as he had a deep cut. The senior stopped the bleeding by pressing his hand on the wound. After some time, Dr. Hunt held the cut with his hand. After waiting for help for sometime, the senior asked Dr. Hunt to remove the hand from the cut so that he would bleed to death. He said that he was in a lot of pain and help was taking too long to arrive. After pleading with him for a very long time, Dr. Hunt let his senior, who was also his friend bleed to death. After a while, a helicopter arrived. This brings to mind the ongoing debate on whether euthanasia should be ethically allowed. Euthanasia should be seen as a means to an end and not just ending a life for the sake of it.

Euthanasia is the act of ending a life intentionally with the motive of relieving the individual from an agony or pain (Friedman 5). In most cases, this act takes place with the help of a medical doctor. However, there are cases where individuals a forced to make decisions between death and death only that one of the options has an almost zero percent of the individual surviving while the other has a hundred percent death result. The debate on whether euthanasia is ethically and morally right may continue. However, the fact remains that euthanasia, whether physician assisted or assisted by other individuals, is continuing to take place.

In most cases, euthanasia takes place with the help of a physician. In Netherlands, the consent of the patient is not necessary for euthanasia to take place. More than 3100 euthanasia cases were reported by the Dutch government in 2010. This was a 19% increase from the previous results (Friedman 52). A state such as Oregon in the United States, Belgium, Luxembourg, amongst other states have legalized euthanasia.

Those who do not support euthanasia have raised a couple of ethical arguments against it. As these arguments are reviewed, it is objective to view euthanasia as a means and not an end. It is a fact that death is an option as far as sickness and diseases are concerned. When people get sick, the doctors treat them in anticipation that they will get well. However, this is not always the case. There are those who get worse by the day. The health deteriorates, the pain excruciates and the agony becomes unbearable. In some cases, the doctors confirm their inability to do anything more for the patient in order to improve the situation. In such cases, the only facilities keeping the patient alive are the life supporting machines. If the patient were to recover, he would only live a very painful life full of agony. In such cases, what can a person and especially the patient do?

Arguments Against

The BBC website (2012) listed a number of arguments raised by the parties who are against euthanasia or physical assisted suicide. One of the ethical arguments raised is that euthanasia weakens the respect for the sanctity of life offered by the society. This argument looks at euthanasia from one perspective. It views euthanasia as plain murder. It views euthanasia as different from manslaughter where one kills another in the process of defending him/herself. However, is euthanasia different from such an act as manslaughter? After all, the one in defense still killed another human being. If one views manslaughter as an act of defense, where there was no option but view euthanasia as an act of murder where one has the option of letting the patient live despite the consequences, then the two would be different. However, if one views the two acts as an issue of choosing between two ‘evils’, then the two are in the same category.

If one was to look at the two acts independently, one would see the similarities in both yet one act seems to be more unethical than the other. One killing in self-defense has an option of letting the other kill/him or her. The one committing euthanasia has an option of letting the other live in agony, pain and despair, where chances are that the patient will still end up dying. With such similarities, the manslaughter may be considered unethical while euthanasia is considered unethical. It is only fair to view life as one to be enjoyed. Allowing a patient to die at his or her terms in such circumstances is not degrading life but rather appreciating that life will end at some point.

Euthanasia proves that lives have different values, making the lives of the sick worth less than the lives of the healthy (BBC, 2012). This is another argument brought forth by the some anti-euthanasia debaters. The worthiness of a life cannot be determined through the absence or presence of euthanasia. Just as the way sicknesses and diseases do not make lives valueless, so will euthanasia not make lives worthless.

Euthanasia is a means to an end. As earlier mentioned, diseases are present and they make our lives to be uncomfortable. Just as the way amputating an arm or a leg might be a solution to a sickness, euthanasia should also be a solution to a problem. In the above anecdote, Dr. Hunt, in order to get rid of the guilt in him, tried to convince a cancer patient to wait a little longer before undergoing euthanasia. The patient was only left with a few more days to live. Her hair was lost due to the chemotherapy and most of her organs were failing due to the chemotherapy. The cancer did not respond to the treatment and she could only breathe with the help of a gas mask. In a few more days, she would experience failed organs, and many other complications due to the spread of the cancer. When the doctor tried to tell her that a cure could be found the next day, she responded that the next day would be too late for her. Her last request was some wine in proper glasses and not paper cups. Euthanasia would only make such a life meaningful and not worthless.

Other people argue that voluntary euthanasia would only be a starting point for the involuntary euthanasia where the undesirable people would be disposed of (BBC, 2012). Like in any other law, euthanasia has its limitations. There are certain regulations and procedures followed to ensure that the person in question is fit for euthanasia. In most cases, the doctor’s consent is required in order to prove that the patient has the least chance, if any, of recovering from such a health problem. It is not just a window to killing, it a process that has procedures to be followed even though the patient’s consent is the most significant.

Euthanasia may not be administered in an individual’s best interest. Some patients ask for euthanasia prior to the agony period while others ask for it during that period (Hadar 2012). However, in most states, there are processes to be followed in order to make sure that the patient can undergo it. In such cases, a doctor’s consent is required. Women in the labor ward say many things when going through the labor pains. However, some actions cannot be done to such people without their consent. This is because the state they are in and the doctors allowed prevent such actions from being taken. However, those requesting for euthanasia also go through similar or worse pains. In the latter cases, the patients have no hope of getting better. If anything, they will only get worse. In other cases, it will take longer than expected and thus prolong the agony. Such patients should be allowed to make decisions especially with the presence of a doctor.

It has been argued that euthanasia affects the rights of other people apart from the patient’s rights. As mentioned earlier, death is a result just as the way getting better is a result. Although there are patients who go through sudden deaths, patients requesting for euthanasia undergo a slow death. They usually undergo a slow and very painful death. Euthanasia should be viewed as a means in which a loved one was prevented from the agony of experiencing the slow and painful death (Haldar, 2010). Allowing the patient to go through the agony will be violating his/her rights more than it will violate the rights of those surrounding him/her. Whether one dies in a sudden car accident or he/she dies slowly in a hospital bed as a result of failing organs, a loved ones death is still painful. Although euthanasia may be seen as a selfish action in the eyes of those dependent on the patient, seeing a loved one agonize over a situation one can do nothing about is a worse experience.

It is important to appreciate that life is important and that one does not know what will happen in the next minute. A cure might be found before the patient dies, a miracle might happen or help might arrive as in the case in the Grey’s Anatomy program. However, the fact remains that most of the cases considered as hopeless are actually hopeless. It is only fair that one allows the patients to die peacefully without the agony that will result in the same thing, death.

Conclusion

Euthanasia should be viewed as a means to an end and not an end. It does not weaken the sanctity of life, devalue the sick people’s lives, a starting point for involuntary euthanasia and does not affect the rights of others. It is only a means to an since it has been proven that death as well as cure, is a result to a disease or health condition. People go through many things when trying to be cured yet they are allowed to sleep back and wait for the time of their death without doing anything about it. The pain and agony that come along with some diseases and health conditions should not be allowed on people especially if they will end up dying after all. People should be allowed to have their way in the conditions that are considered hopeless.

Works cited

Alters, Sandra. Death and Dying: End-of-life Controversies. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2006. Print.

British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC. Anti-euthanasia Arguments. Web. BBC Ethics Guide, 2012. Web. 21 February, 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/against/against_1.shtml>

Friedman, Lauri S. Euthanasia. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Print.

Haldar, S. “Euthanasia.” Journal of the Indian Medical Association. 108.10 (2010). Print.