The Reason of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions free essay sample

This monograph addresses some common questions about academic dishonesty in higher education and reviews issues affecting these institutions in light of existing research. The extent of academic dishonesty and the perception that it is increasing is examined. Three studies cited indicate that cheating is chronic and that 60 to 75 percent of students do cheat. A look at causes of cheating include ignorance of concepts such as collaboration, fair- use, and plagiarism, and also stress, and competition for jobs, scholarships, and admission to post-college programs. Research indicates that cheating upends significantly on situational characteristics of the classroom or institutions and that cheating is less likely to occur when there are threats of detection or sanctions. Faculty reaction research suggests that despite concerns, faculty rarely discuss rules on academic dishonesty in their classrooms. Findings also indicate that faculty often bypass university policy and handle cheating incidents on an individual basis.Is there an epidemic of cheating on college campuses? Talking about the high incidence of cheating in college during the sass, a college admissions advisor pleaded to a group of high school teachers to send them to us honest. For more than 50 years, we have been warned of a problem that threatens the foundation of higher education: students lack of appreciation for integrity in the quest for truth and knowledge. Today, nearly every published article on academic dishonesty concludes that student cheating on U.S. Campuses is both rampant and on the rise. How accurate is this perception? Reported percentages of cheating among college students range anywhere from 9 percents to 95 percent. 3 This variation may be caused by several factors, most importantly, sampling techniques and sample sizes, design strategies (survey questionnaires versus true experiments), types of cheating measures, the institution from which respondents were sampled, and doctorates of cheating included in the study.Cheating takes many performs simply copying another students paper to stealing an exam paper to forging an official university transcript (table 1). Since most researchers have focused their attention on cheating during examinations or plagiarism of term papers, little is known about incidences of other forms of cheating. Findings from recent, large-scale, national surveys are consistent with an earlier study conducted 30 years ago by Bowers (1964) who found that over 75 percent of the 5,000 students surveyed i n 99 institutions admitted cheating in college.Davis et al. 1992) surveyed a sample of 6,000 students from 35 institutions and reported cheating rates from 9 to 64 percent. Using a survey of 31 highly selective Institutions and a sample of 6,097 students, McCabe (1992) found that 67 percent of the students admitted some form of academia dishonesty. Although we cannot determine the actual rates, these studies suggest that academic dishonesty is a chronic problem. Table 1 .Examples of cheating activities found in questionnaires and surveys Copied from another students exam Took an exam for someone else Purchased term papers and turned in as own work Copied materials without tooting Padded items on a bibliography Feigned illness to avoid a test Submitted same term paper to another class without permission Studied copy Of exam prior to taking make-up Gave another student answers during an exam Reviewed previous copies of an instructors test Used notes or books during exam when prohibited Reviewed a stolen copy of an exam Turned in a dry lab repo rt without doing the experiment Sabotaged someone elses work (on a disk, in a lab, etc. Failed to report grading errors Collaborated on homework or take-home exams when instructions called for independent ark Gave test questions to students in another class Shared answers during an exam by using a system of signals Developed a relationship with an instructor to get test information Plagiarism Studied tests or used term papers from fraternity or sorority files Engaged in bribery or blackmail Attempted to bias instructors grading after an exam Wrote term paper for another student Hired a ghostwriter Altered or forged an official university document 4 Why do students cheat? The causes of student cheating are complex. Common temptresses and competition two major factors that have been identified across enervation of students. Specifically, competition for admission into graduate schools, for scholarships, and for jobs after graduation are influences driving todays students to cheat. Some researchers believe students may be indifferent toward cheating because of a social climate of cheating by authority figures (parents, teachers, business executives, and government officials). Although many students admit that cheating is morally wrong, they rarely report another students cheating. Research indicates that some students view cheating as a legitimate means for getting ahead and coping w.. Stress, and this perception may be reinforced by minor or nonexistent sanctions for cheating. Researchers have also suggested that some students cheat because of ignorance, uncertainty, or confusion regarding what behaviors constitute dishonesty. For example, concepts such as collaboration, fair-use, and especially plagiarism, are routinely misunderstood by students. What kinds of students cheat and when? Some researchers advocate that cheating and other forms of deception involve complex interactions of situations and the individuals own unique characteristics and experiences. This may explain their difficulty in addressing why some students cheat and others do not. Frequently examined student background variables such as sex, intelligence, previous academic standing, academic major, anxiety, and fraternity membership have yielded inconsistent if endings.Instead, cheating seems to depend more on situational characteristics Of the classroom or institution such as exam seating arrangements, the relative importance of the exam, or the difficulty level of exams. Studies examining other situational factors, such as the use of sanctions, suggest that cheating is less likely to occur when there are threats of detection or sanc tions. Thus, administering multiple choice tests in large, inadequately proctored lecture halls or administering the same test to different classes, both situations where the chances of getting caught are minimal, increase the likelihood of cheating. 5 7 How does the faculty react?Although studies on faculty variables are limited, research to date reveals that despite concerns about student cheating, faculty rarely discuss rules on academic dishonesty in their classrooms. Research findings also indicate that faculty often bypass university policy and handle cheating incidents on an individual basis. Nuns (1984) reported 39 percent of the faculty surveyed at a large public university would report a cheating incident at the administrative level. Similar findings, reported by Shanghai (1982), revealed that of the 65 percent of students who were caught cheating, only 21 percent were referred to the campus judicial system.In examine inning actual compliance with university procedures, Kindred (1986) noted that Of the 60 percent Of faculty who observed cheating activities, 33 percent reported cheating incidents at the administrative level, but only 20 percent of those faculty actually complied tit university policy in the process of reporting. The following reasons have been cited to explain facultys reluctance to report academic dishonesty: Lack of knowledge of institutional procedures;21 Cases are difficult to prove; Sanctions are inappropriate for offense; and Fear of litigation. In addition, faculty may resist reporting a cheating incident if it is likely to damage the students reputation or career or reflect negatively on their teaching skills. Few studies have examined faculty alternatives to handling individual cheating cases. Results of one study indicated that common faculty options ere either to confront the student and lower the students grade or simply issue a warning. Most faculty indicated, however, that the nature and severity of the offense dictated how each case would be handled. How do institutions handle academic dishonesty cases? Three major issues affect the institutions role: how academic dishonesty is defined, how cases are assessed, and how cheating is monitored. Research study results have helped us gain insight on these issues. 6 Defining academic dishonesty.Colleges and universities vary in their methods of communicating standards and violations of academic onsets. Definitions vary across college campuses and may also differ among disciplines within institutions. However, most colleges include little information about academic dishonesty in their handbooks. Fast (1990) speculates that one reason for this omission is that obvious forms of cheating do not require description or elaboration. Interpreting the gray areas of cheating activities, such as recycling excerpts from ones own paper to use in other courses or determining what is fair-use of a tutor or resource person, however, has been a problem for both faculty and institutions.Problems with functions often lead to inconsistent application of penalties (ranging from reprimand to expulsion) leaving students confused about what specific activities constitute cheating or believing that less serious forms of cheating are acceptable. Fast submits that a comprehensive definition of cheating must, at minimum, cover several areas including the ethics of examinations, use of sources in papers and projects, writing assistance and other tutoring collection and reporting of data, use of academic resources, respect for the work of others, computer ethics, assistance to others, and adherence to academic regulations. Academic evaluation versus disciplinary procedures. Confusion also exists among administrators as to whether cheating should be treated as part of disciplinary misconduct procedures or in the context of academic evaluation. A preference for handling academic dishonesty as a disciplinary issue is growing since student due process is assured, thus reducing the likelihood of faculty liability. Disciplinary procedures also may be more effective than merely reducing a students grade, as students are unlikely to explain to parents, graduate schools, and employers that they achieve a failing grade for cheating. Faculty proctors versus honor codes. Evidence on the effectiveness of honor codes versus faculty or proctored monitoring systems in reducing the frequency or seriousness of cheating activities has been inconsistent. Honor codes, which are student monitored and under which exams are unprotected, typically require students to sign a pledge of academic integrity and report those in violation of the code. Codes appear to well at militar y and small schools because Of a shared allegiance to the school and values. How useful codes are at larger schools, with more diverse detent bodies, has caused considerable discussion. One recent article suggests that few institutions use Linton codes. According to McCabe (in press), however, there has been renewed interest in the honor code system. In his analyses of 31 institutions, McCabe found that those with honor codes had the lowest cheating rates. He also found a greater willingness by faculty to use established judicial procedures to prosecute cheating offenders.An increase in modified honor systems at larger institutions is being reported, as well as use of these codes within specified units, such as within colleges or disciplines. Conclusions and recommendations Cheating among college students remains a serious issue for educators. To ensure that it is neither ignored nor tolerated, institutions must take a proactive stance. They should consider the following issues and proposals: unclear definitions, vague policies, and poorly imp. Emended detection strategies may send messages to students that cheating is not serious enough to warrant enforcement of the institutions position against dishonesty. Universities must enforce a solid policy on academic dishonesty. A report sponsored by the National Association of Student PersonnelAdministrators, Issues and Perspectives on Academic Integrity (Gearing et al. , 1986) is a practical guide institutions can use to stimulate discussion of academic dishonesty on their campuses and subsequently develop policy. More researchers are saying grade penalties are no longer adequate and proposing stronger sanctions appropriate to the severity of the offense. The University of Maryland, for example, imposes a transcript notation called an EX grade penalty. Since punishment through grade reductions or expulsions may not reform behavior, institutions are advocating programs to specifically dress dishonest behavior, such as required counseling or attendance at a seminar about cheating. At the university of Maryland, the X notation can be removed from the transcript after one year if the student completes a seminar on academic integrity. 8 10 Students will not internalize ethical values if they believe faculty are apathetic or uninformed about the process of detecting and sanctioning offenders. Faculty must clearly understand institutional policies on academic dishonesty for students to understand what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Administrators must ensure clear policies and guidelines are in place to purport faculty. More research is needed to help faculty and institutions to handle dishonesty cases appropriately and effecti vely.

Luxury travels to Taiwan from China

The Changing Economic fortunes of mainland China has brought vast benefits to its people and the world in general. China has now become one of the major tourist source countries. Several companies are positioning themselves to take advantage of the surge in luxury travels by the Chinese. These include companies like Taimei group based in Hong Kong and the Ctrip.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Luxury travels to Taiwan from China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A recent study revealed that there are close to 3 million people in China who have personal assets that are worth of 6 million yuan (approximately one million US dollars). Many of these people are taking part in luxury travels or have expressed the willingness to do so. Taiwan needs to use a proper marketing mix to tap into the opportunities provided by China. The island already enjoys certain advantages such as being in close proximity to China and posse ssing a similar culture. The marketing mix to be adopted can consist of components such as pricing, promotion, product, place and programming. Research indicates that Chinese travellers like viewing attractive sites and also prefer popular luxury accommodation facilities. Chinese luxury travellers also crave for safe destinations that offer quality shopping facilities. Taiwan has several tourist attractions and offers quality infrastructure that includes well known luxury hotels. The country should however improve the services offered at most of its facilities to meet the quality expectations (Global Travel industry, 2012). The improvement should include proper employ training to ensure the provision of quality services. The country should also boost its image as a quality shopping destination to tap into the opportunities provided by China. Taiwan is located in region prone to natural hazards and therefore should take the necessary steps to ensure safety measures are in place for C hinese luxury travellers. Proper pricing is required to maximize revenue from the Chinese luxury market. Usually, luxury tourists demand quality and usually ready to pay higher fees to get the desired quality in terms of products and services. Taiwan should therefore adopt a premium pricing strategy that is backed with the desired quality to benefit from the growing Chinese millionaires (Global Travel industry, 2012).Advertising Looking for report on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More â€Å"Place† is one of the most important components of a marketing mix (Mei, 2012). Chinese travellers often book their flights or accommodations through local agents and other professional websites. Taiwan should therefore liaise with such agents or website administrators to ensure that knowledge regarding the services they offer and tourist attraction sites is passed to the Chinese luxury traveller (Want China Times, 2012). Proper packaging will also be an essential element in ensuring increased revenues from Chinese luxury travellers. Taiwan should package its tourism services in the most appealing manner. For instance, a tour package can consist of accommodation, park viewing, rafting and shopping in the neon lights night market (Understanding the Chinese Travel Market:Articles in Luxury Category, 2012). Generally, a tourism package should consist of accommodation and a variety of leisure activities. In order to properly position itself as a luxury tourist destination, Taiwan should borrow a leaf from well established tourist destinations such as France. In summary, the country should improve its services, put in place the necessary infrastructure and conduct aggressive marketing activities. Existing Taiwanese marketing organizations should aggressively seek to enter into partnerships with Chinese travel agents to successfully reach out to the Chinese luxury travellers (Understanding the Chin ese Travel Market:Articles in Luxury Category, 2012). References Global Travel industry. (2012). Chinese Visitors Spending more in Taiwan. Web. Mei, Y. (2012). Travel over Tomb Sweeping Holiday. Web. Understanding the Chinese Travel Market:Articles in Luxury Category. (2012). Web.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Luxury travels to Taiwan from China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Want China Times. (2012). Ctrip targets 50% share of China’s luxury travel market. Web. This report on Luxury travels to Taiwan from China was written and submitted by user Lilith Q. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Caimito Decoction to Antiseptic Mouthwash Essays

Caimito Decoction to Antiseptic Mouthwash Essays Caimito Decoction to Antiseptic Mouthwash Essay Caimito Decoction to Antiseptic Mouthwash Essay Common problem of people orally are: bad breath, gum diseases and many more. It is usually prevented by brushing the teeth several times as prescribed, some uses mouthwash after they brush their teeth, some uses tongue scrapers to help clean their mouth and more. But as time passes and researches are done, companies have come up of an idea that helped them to sell more and let us people be more interested diseases which is adding flavours to their products particularly the mouthwash.Caimito has spread to the low lands of Central America and now grow in the tropics of Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines. Provinces have grown trees and mostly one of them is Caimito. And now because of its sweet fruit that the citizens love it is now often cultured. If you thought that Caimito (Chrysophyllum cainito) is used only for its sweet fruit, you are wrong. Its leaves and barks are useful as its fruit by being herbals. Its decoction is or can be used as an alt ernative for high pricing mouthwash. PURPOSE: a. )To clean the mouth as an antiseptic mouthwash. b. Prevent inflammation within the gum areas. RESULT: a. )Antiseptic Mouthwash made with decoction of Caimito leaves and other chemicals. INGREDIENTS AND CHEMICALS USED: 4 ounces (120 ml) peppermint hydrosol (flower water) 4 ounces (120 ml) strong herbal infusion made with Caimito leaves decoction 1 teaspoon (5 ml) thyme extract 2 teaspoons (10 ml) myrrh gum extract 5-10 drops 100% wild-crafted mint flavor extract PROCEDURE: 1. Mix all the ingredients together in a glass or a jar (as preferred). 2. Shake well to blend the ingredients together. 3. Best to store for about 24 hours before use. CONCLUSION:Herbal mouthwash can be as effective as a chemical induced, factory produced mouthwashes. III. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Cherry Baay IV. INTRODUCTION: We conducted some research over the internet and made an experiment. We are finding an alternative to over pricing mouthwash which can be made at ho me finding organic ingredients in your or your neighbours’ backyard. V. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY: An effective mouthwash is one that does not only make the breath fresh but also serves as an antiseptic. It should not simply mask the effective mouth odour caused by excessive activity of anaerobic bacteria inhabiting the mouth.There is a need to prevent the increase in the population. VI. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: A mouthwash is a solution in addition to regular oral hygiene methods such as brushing and flossing. Alternative mouth gargles can be prepared from locally available plants such as herbs and fruit bearing ones. Certain plant parts may have active ingredients that have antimicrobial activity. An example is the peppermint that contains essential oils found to be efficient in neutralizing mouth conditions and in freshening breath. This study aims to answer following questions: 1. Is Caimito leaves decoction can be effective mouthwash? . Is the peppermint that contains ess ential oils can be effective in neutralizing mouth conditions and in freshening breath? VII. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: In this study the people will benefit because they can use it in the prevention of dental diseases and maintenance of the oral health and it can be used for preventing gums and oral infections. VIII. SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY: This study only tested the feasibility of using decoction prepared from Caimito leaves as mouthwash. Not much money is used in the experiment. It can take for about 30 minutes to an hour.

World Demographic Characteristics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Demographic Characteristics - Assignment Example Better health and educational outcomes are obtained since parents are allowed to invest more resources per child. Increasing domestic demand is the fourth mechanism that results from decreasing dependency ratio and increasing GDP per capita. Fertility that is small leads to low youth dependency and high working-age ratio to the total population. Apart from global issues, demographics has an important role in the day-to-day decision making of the local and national government The demographic baseline models that can be used include the demographic stochasticity which describes the randomness that would result from the inherently discrete nature of the gender and race demographic features. The stochastic model can handle the uncertainty in the in the inputs built into it. For producing the kind of results the politician is asking for the stochastic model, is absolutely necessary, since it will present the result as a probability or when the variance is significant. A methodological consequence of the adaptation of such techniques is that forecast uncertainty can be handled probabilistically.   An enormous dataset of the gender and race demographic features will tend towards this model, only because the model allows for a greater variety of variables. The second demographic baseline model that can be used is the deterministic model since it does a better job of identifying conditions that are sufficient and necessary. In gender and race demographic features, the sufficient and necessary variables would be dropped from the model since it would predict the outcome perfectly. This model does not include randomness elements; every time the model will be run with the same initial condition the same results will be obtained. Another demographic model that can be used is macroeconomic.

Womens Contribution during World War I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Womens Contribution during World War I - Essay Example As far back as 1880, women had worked in textile and a few other industries but were kept away from heavy industries or those positions which involved real responsibility and power. These were the traditional roles they played from which they broke away just before the war started. Women replaced the men, when these men left their jobs to serve their country in war overseas. They filled many jobs which were brought into existence by wartime needs due to which the number of women employed increased greatly in many industries. In U.S, about eight million women had paid occupations before the war but after the war began, the number of women working increased in common lines of work as a newspaper stated, â€Å"There has been a sudden influx of women into such unusual occupations as bank clerks, ticket sellers, elevator operator, chauffeur, street car conductor, railroad trackwalker, section hand, locomotive wiper and oiler, locomotive dispatcher, block operator, draw bridge attendant, and employment in machine shops, steel mills, powder and ammunition factories, airplane works, boot blacking and farming.†(â€Å"Protecting the working mothers† Seattle Union Record) ... )  were very easy to find in all the newspapers ‘help wanted’ sections, which were a good evidence to prove that women of that time were willing to work at any cost, regardless of age or status, to help the nation win the war.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2. Increase in war emergency jobs There was high increase in jobs due to World War I as more and more men were leaving jobs to move to the front for the war, the industries had to look for female workers who could replace their men’s jobs. During 1917 and 1918, demands of female stenographers, telegraphers and phone operators were increasing rapidly. In the field of telegraphing, a newspaper wrote, â€Å"Women are more apt than men in this line of work.† (â€Å"Find women are apt† Seattle Post-Intelligencer.) The railroad companies also employed about hundred of capable woman operators, because not only were these woman known to be skillful but also dependable. There was an extreme high demand of femal e stenographers at one point of time too that almost two thirds of the total ads in newspaper were looking for stenographers, an example being, â€Å"Thoroughly competent book keeper, cashier, and stenographer, six years with last firm in charge of books and collections, desire position of responsibility.† (â€Å"Situation Wanted Ad† Seattle Post-Intelligencer). The women in that era wanted to take more responsible jobs did not wanted to be just a substitute labor force. 3. Military auxiliary jobs Nursing During World War  1, young women and girls worked as nurses. There was a high demand of nurses in the newspapers with headlines like,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Girl: 16 years, wants a position as a nurse.† (â€Å"Help Wanted Ads† Seattle Post-Intelligencer. June 16, 1917.) In April 1917, when United States entered World War I, the Navy had 160 nurses on

Billy Elliot Film Summary

Billy Elliot Film Summary The background of the film Billy Elliot was set in the context of the 1984 Miners Strike in England, where both Billy s father and older brother were miners participating in the strike. In the history of England, this was an important event for the governing party of England at that time, the Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher. The event set a strong political and ideological standing for the United Kingdom (UK) with regards to the ideas accepted by the people today. The 1984 Miners Strike was an intense period for the miners, who made up a significant proportion of the working class in England at that time. The reason behind the strike was the intended shutting down of twenty coal mines by the government, which would in turn result in the massive loss of jobs by as many as twenty thousand people. This led to the uproar by the miners in opposition to such a decision. Billy s family was heavily involved in this strike, with his brother Tony as the union leader. Essentially, this was somewhat a symbolism of a class struggle because such a decision affected mainly the working class only in terms of employment. In the film, Mr. Wilkinson, the husband of Billy s ballet teacher, was a figure representing the upper middle class with a rather cynical attitude towards the lower middle class i.e. the miners as well as the strike. Similarly, at the end of Billy s audition and interview together with Billy s father, the panel of judges, a representation of t he upper class, offered his father a patronizing and perhaps sarcastic, good luck with the strike (Blandford, 2007). Despite all the heavy-hearted circumstances Billy and his family were going through, the beginning of the film, together with the dancing along the way, was a surprisingly light-hearted scene. With upbeat rock music playing, Billy s jumping revealed a certain uncontained and unrestrained soul that seemed free. As the story developed however, the contradiction was the fact that Billy s life, at the age of 11, was hardly so. This somewhat likened to the period after the French Revolution, stepping into the Romantic Ages, where light-hearted, happy and fun ballets, often fairytales, were seen as a form of escapism from the harsh reality of people s lives. In another segment of the film, when Billy s father finds him dancing on Christmas night at the gymnasium with his friend, instead of succumbing to his father s objections, Billy bursts into a powerful segment of dancing, which was strong, uplifted, together with jumps and turns. This was almost like an open confrontation between Billy and his father, except not verbally. That dance segment portrayed a two-sided representation of Billy s emotions, one of frustration, with the circumstances and with not being able to dance fr eely, and at the same time, one that seemed to help him express what he could not through words, his love for dance. This was shown through his movements which were heavier and more grounded than when he was dancing to I love to boogie , his inspiration for the audition piece. Though there were jumps in the sequence, they were executed with a strong intention of frustration and desired release from being bound to his father s expectations of carrying on family traditions as a boxer and objections of being a ballet dancer. The unwillingness of Billy s father also revealed something intriguing about the situation, in relation to the political climate at that time. The governing party of England at that time was the Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher. The ideology that followed with such a leadership was conservatism. Conservatism is a political and social ideology that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions as well as to limit change, or at its best, allow minimal and gradual change in society. This ideology could be seen to have set its roots in the lives of the characters in the film. The strike was an obvious resistance to a significant impending change, the closing down of 20 coal mines and causing the massive loss of jobs. This philosophical idea also had its social impacts on the characters in the story. One of the core reasons for the objection of Billy s father to him dancing was the notion that male dancers were poofs , or simply put, homosexual. Billy s friend Michael w as such a representation, who began showing signs of cross-dressing and homosexuality at a young age. However, the important thing to note was that Michael was not a dancer, placing an immediate call to relook this so-called social phenomenon. This phenomenon, or rather, broad generalization of male dancers, had painted a negative image of males doing this art form and coming back to the ideology of conservatism, Billy s father was simply not ready for a change in mindset about such a phenomenon that had already been etched in his mind. The influence of Fred Astaire was another aspect that had an impact on the choreography of Billy Elliot s dance segments in the film. Rock was the main genre of music popular at that time but Billy Elliot was influenced more by Fred Astaire, who was popular among Billy s mother and grandmother s generation. Fred Astaire was a broadway dancer and choreographer. Though there were no details about how Billy Elliot knew how to tap dance, in many segments where he was dancing, whether out of frustration, happiness or the desire for freedom, his steps incorporated a certain jazzy and broadway style to it. The film, Billy Elliot, was put in the context of many issues that would have surrounded someone who lived in a middle class family, even more so if they were miners and involved the 1984 Miners Strike. The governing party of England at that time played an important role in shaping the mindset of people with the ideology of conservatism, the social and cultural influences revealed its impact on Billy Elliot s dancing as a young boy and ultimately, Billy was motivated by a desire for freedom, breaking away from social norms and standing out as an individual. All of these ideas displayed in Billy s behaviour were formed and passed on from predecessors such as Aristotle, who believed in a society open to ideas and disagreements, as well as John Locke, who was an important figure in the history of freedom. It is through the embodiment of such ideas through the characters in the film, including Billy s father, his brother and even his ballet teacher s family, that gives us a glimpse of th e life and thoughts of those living during the Miners Strike.

Enviromnetal Degradation as a Result of Overpopulation :: Environment Pollution Research Papers

Enviromnetal Degradation as a Result of Overpopulation Introduction There are simply too many people on our planet, and the population is not showing any signs of slowing down. This is having disastrous effects on our environment. There are too many implications and interrelationships to discuss in this paper, but the three substances that our earth consists of: land, water and air, are being destroyed. Our forests are being cut down at an alarming rate, bearing enormous impacts on the health of earth. Our oceans and seas are being polluted and overfished. Our atmosphere is injected with increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, which hurts the entire planet. All of these problems can be traced to our vast, rapidly expanding population, which has stressed our world far too greatly. Our Population In 1994, the world population was 5 602 800 000. This population had a doubling time of only forty-one years (De Blij and Muller, 1994, p.527). The massive amount of people has had highly destructive impacts on the earth’s environment. These impacts occur on two levels: global and local. On the global level, there is the accumulation of green house gases that deplete the ozone layer, the extinction of species, and a global food shortage. On the local level, there is erosion of soils (and the loss of vegetation), the depletion of water supply, and toxification of the air and water. The earth is dynamic though, all of these aspects are interrelated, and no one impact is completely isolated. All of these destructive elements can be traced to our enormous population. As the population increases, so do all of the economic, social, and technological impacts. The concept of momentum of population growth is one that must be considered. It states that areas with traditionally high fertility rates will have a very young structure age. Thus, a decrease in the fertility rate will still result in a greater absolute number of births, as there are more potential mothers. Populations are very slow in adjusting to decreases in fertility rates. This is especially frightening when considering that South Asia has a population of 1 204 600 000 (and a doubling time of thirty two years), Subsaharan Africa has 528 000 000 (doubling time: thirty one years), and North Africa/Southwest Asia has 448 100 000 (doubling time: twenty seven years) (De Blij and Muller, 1994, p. 529-531)and all of these areas have traditionally high fertility rates.