State Funding for California State University

State Funding for California State University Sherry Pickering The state legislators in California play a key role in the funding for the California State University (university). They may also impose new reporting requirements, change the laws and set new rules that directly affect the university at any time. As a university administrator the system-wide conferences that I attend typically feature a speaker from the California State Universitys advocacy team whom will outline the political landscape and discuss content and status of current legislation. A key point that has routinely been made in these presentations in the last several years is that term limits are detrimental to the university. Specifically we are told that term limits mean that the state legislators are constantly campaigning so they cannot be bothered with key issues that are important to the university or, if theyve just entered office, they are too new to be of much help. This leads to the question, are term limited state legislators more or less likely to be responsive to the requests of bureaucratic interests? Term limits were enacted for the California state legislature with the passage of proposition 140 in 1990. â€Å"The law limited state Assembly members to three two-year terms and state senators to two four-year terms.† (California_Term_Limits,_Proposition_140_(1990), 2015) It also imposed â€Å"a lifelong ban against seeking the same office once a member† was termed out and prevented â€Å"new legislators from earning pension benefits.† (California_Term_Limits,_Proposition_140_(1990), 2015) California was among the first in a series of states to adopt term limits. This trend begun in the 1980s and continued throughout the 1990s to the early 2000s that ended with to up to 21 states adopting some term limits. Six states have since repealed these changes in the wake of a 1995 ruling that congressional term limits were unconstitutional, in that states could not place limits on a federal office. The push for term limits in the 1990s seemed to be a grassroots effort. Throughout the 1980s in California incumbents seemed to be impossible to unseat. This was in part due to advantages of name recognition enjoyed by all incumbents. However that effect was reinforced by several redistricting efforts that made it increasingly difficult for the predominantly Democratic members to be challenged by Republicans. These results for the legislative bodies were in stark contrast to the results in the three gubernatorial contests that occurred during this period where a Republican was chosen. The proposition was backed by Republicans whom were interested in the passage of these laws in two way. Ideologically Republicans are in favor of a more limited government. Term limits are generally seen as a way to weaken a legislative body which is alternately used as an argument for or against term limits laws. More importantly in the early 1990s Republicans were in favor of term limits as a way to create more competitive races for seats. Given the make-up of the legislative membership it seemed that the Republicans stood to gain the most with the passage of term limits. Main stakeholders involved with this issue are state legislators. In California there are two legislative bodies, the state assembly and the state senate. Unlike other states such as Texas where legislative appointments are part-time, California legislators have a full time or professional appointment. In the assembly there are 80 members while in the state senate there are 40 members. While several political parties exist, these legislative bodies only have representatives from the Democrat and Republican parties. Presently Democrats hold a majority of the seats in both the assembly and senate. The staffs of these legislative bodies represent another group that would be deeply interested in this issue. This staff is made up of partisan staff, usually represented by those that work for individual legislators, and non-partisan staff such as those that work for the administrative arm of these bodies. For example, non-partisan staffers in the Legislative Analyst’s Office provide analysis for each bill presented in each house. While the non-partisan staff may seem to have more secure positions regardless of the passage of term limits they would be impacted by an increase or decrease in the amount of bills generated by the legislators. Lobbyists and special interests have a stake in the outcomes wrought by term limits. These lobbyists may represent bureaucratic interests like those of other state agencies such as university, prisons and health and human services or external parties such as business and issues groups. These groups would be keenly interested in how term limits have strengthened or weakened their influence on these legislative bodies. Citizens of the state play a key role in shaping law in California. In 1849 referendums or initiatives, which are changes to the state constitution or laws, were referred to the electorate for a popular vote. This law was expanded in 1911 to allow externally sponsored initiatives to be brought to vote. The initiatives process means that the voters are asked to decide if either tiny or sweeping changes to laws should be adopted. While this should result in a more direct style of government as a voter it gives the impression that the legislative bodies aren’t working to come to consensus on decisions that they should be more informed than the average voter to make. Legislators, legislative staff and lobbyists largely opposed the proposed term limits law because of the seemingly detrimental effect that it would have from each of their perspectives. Prior to term limits some legislators served in the same seat for decades. In the face of term limits these legislators had to reimagine how they could perform in office under these new rules. Legislative staff tied to a particular legislator or party faced an uncertain future where they may need to find a new job every few years. Finally, lobbyists could no longer rely on their long relationships with a particular legislator nor could they influence affiliated committees with these relationships. Beyond the rhetoric published as the term limits law was up a vote, there is ample evidence that legislators dislike these laws. For example, in the majority of the states without these laws each state’s legislative house law would have to be passed on a vote to be adopted. Yet these laws have never gained enough support. In the U.S. Congress term limits could only be imposed on senators and representatives by passing a vote in those legislative bodies, but term limits proposals have been brought to vote several times and failed to gain enough support to pass. Therefore the electorate seemed to have the most to gain from adoption of term limits. The expected positive outcomes most frequently citied during the campaign to pass the law were that term limits would lead to a more diverse, citizen legislature that represents the electorate’s interests, and balanced power the between the executive and legislative bodies. While all of these aims may not have materialized, overall likely voters in California seem to be pleased with the results in the last several years. One area where it could be argued that term limits has succeeded is related to the diversity or make up of the legislators. Supporters of the law claimed that it would create new opportunities for women and minorities to become representatives. Generally the number of women in the legislature rose statewide and adjusting for other factors â€Å"term limits opened up nine Assembly seats for women† between 1990 to 2001 (Cain Kousser, 2004). Nationwide the effect of term limits on participation rates for women seems to be virtually flat. (Institutional Change in American Politics: The Case of Term Limits, 2007) California had a long history of electing minority representatives. In the period after term limits laws went into effect minorities were elected to the state legislature in greater numbers. This was in part to seats that became available due to term limits. However, term limits removed long serving minority members such as Willie Brown. So the overall effect of term limits on the make-up of the state legislature in California did show an uptick in the election of minority legislators, specifically Latinos. (Cain Kousser, 2004) One area where term limits seems to have had no effect is on the careerism of legislators. Proponents of the term limits laws were certain that the career politicians would be phased out due to term limits and seats would become available to ‘citizen’ candidates. Instead since term limits have been put into place legislators seem to map out a series of jobs that begin in local government, rise to state legislature and go onto elected state office or back to local government. (Cain Kousser, 2004) Research found that in 1980 â€Å"the share of Senators who had been Assembly members had risen to 65 percent. By 2001, that figure rose to 90 percent.† (Cain Kousser, 2004) Legislative staff concerns about term limits came to pass in a couple of ways. With the downturn and subsequent shortfalls in the state budget non-partisan legislative staffs, namely the staff of the Legislative Analyst’s Office, were cut dramatically. The staff of the Assembly also suffered cuts related to budget shortfalls. So the staff has experienced a greater amount of work, not because of a change in the amount of legislation, but rather from a reduced number of staff to perform the work. Partisan staff also experienced a shift in their jobs in the wake of the adoption of term limits laws in California. As expected with the loss of some job security, the tenure of this staff has decreased. Along with fewer years of service the expectations of the staff in these positions has changed. For example, prior to term limits staff were expected to analyze legislation. After term limits staff must also provide recommendations with their analysis. (Robinson, 2011) An alarming outcome of term limits for the university is that it seems to have strengthened executive branch in certain ways. One key way this has materialized that directly impacts the university is that the legislature is less likely to be effective in altering the governor’s budget. Researchers observed this effect by comparing budgets for certain categories in the budget in years before term limits and after the laws went into effect where economically the state was experiencing similar circumstances. (Cain Kousser, 2004) In a less studied way this effect has been noticeable in the last few years has been on time budgets which is helpful to the university in creating more stability for the transition from one fiscal year to the next. However, this means that there have been fewer objections to the governor’s budget proposal by the legislators. For the university system the governor’s budget has fallen short of the budget requests that were submitted. Additionally, while there have been some increases for the university between the governor’s budget and the May revise that takes tax collections into account, these have only made some progress in replacing the state support that the university lost in the financial downturn. This virtual lockdown in the budget process and insistence by the Governor that tuition fees remain level over the last few years has made it difficult for the university to grow system-wide enrollment. The Governor has also expressed his view that the university should cut cost of course delivery by adopting an online model more rapidly. While this is a fine opinion to have, it does seem that his budget allocations for the university reflect an unwillingness to recognize that making such a drastic change in a large system does not happen overnight. The overall lack of legislative voices disagreeing with the Governor on these points has been very noticeable. One expected outcome of instituting term limits was that the influence of lobbyists would be diminished. This was supposed to occur because the lobbyist would have less time to develop long relationships with any one legislator so lobbyists would have less success in influencing the political process. While if this were true it could mean that the university’s lobbyist’s claims are true, there is some evidence that this outcome has not been realized. When surveyed lobbyists responded with term limits in place the influence of the Governor increased quite dramatically. Additionally, the influence for their firms specifically stayed about the same or increased slightly with the implementation of term limits. (Moncrief Thompson, 2001) In the years after the term limits were enacted under proposition 140 there were four attempts to remove or change the law. The first three attempts, a lawsuit and two ballot propositions, failed. Proposition 28 was passed in a June 2012 election. With this amendment legislators may now serve in either house in any combination of terms up to 12 years. This doubles the time that a member of the Assembly could serve under proposition 140 rules. While the effects of this recent change remain to be seen, it is possible that it will return some balance to the political process and reign in the executive branch. While I can see that the university’s lobbyists are likely working harder than they did in the past, I see no evidence that they have less influence under term limits. Given that the budget is a key issue for the university what may also be the case is that they are putting their efforts into influencing the members of the legislature that worked well under pre-term limits conditions when their efforts would be better spent demonstrating that the university system has value to the executive branch. In light of this analysis, I believe the university’s lobbying group should: Assess their current program to determine how much of their time is allocated to committee support, specific contacts with legislators and the executive branch. Then evaluate the effectiveness of the meetings with specific legislators. If this leads to more effective committee support then they should likely leave their time allocation as it is currently. However, if their meetings yield little results they should assess how that time could be better utilized to up their contact with the executive branch. It is well known that this governor is no fan of higher education; however any improvements that could be made as a result of the renewed efforts on the part of the lobbyists would be helpful. It seems likely that they are well aware of the research underpinning this analysis, but I have been surprised in the past how frequently people do not read about their own professions. So going through this assessment could do them well. Bibliography Basham, P. (2003). Defining Democracy Down: Explaining the Capaign to Repeal Term Limits. Washington D.C.: Cato Institute. Cain, B., Kousser, T. (2004). Adapting to term limits: recent experiences and new directions. San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of California. California_Term_Limits,_Proposition_140_(1990). (2015, 03 07). Retrieved from ballotpedia.org: http://ballotpedia.org/California_Term_Limits,_Proposition_140_(1990) Donovan, T., Snipp, J. (1994). Support for Legislative Term Limitations in California: Group Representation, Partisanship, and Campaign Information. The Journal of Politics, 492-501. Institutional Change in American Politics: The Case of Term Limits. (2007). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Moncrief, G., Thompson, J. (2001). On the outside Looking in: Lobbyists Perspectives on the Effects of State Legislative Term Limits. State Politics Policy Quarterly, 394-411. Robinson, K. (2011). Shifting Power in Sacramento: The Effects of Term Limits on Legislative Staff. California Journal of Politics and Policy 3(1). Walters, D. (2012, 03 30). Changing Term Limits isnt the Answer. Monterey Herald, pp. http://www.montereyherald.com/general-news/20120330/dan-walters-changing-term-limits-isnt-the-answer.

Aldous Huxley :: Biography Biographies

Aldous Huxley Many talented twentieth century writers have been overshadowed by classical writers such as Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare. Novels dealing with classical topics are often more recognized than works that tackle controversial topics. Aldous Huxley defies this stereotype, for his controversial works gained great fame while influencing many people. Huxley was not just a successful writer; he was a complex person whose ideas and novels influenced many people. Aldous Huxley was born July 26, 1894 (It’s Online-Aldous Huxley) in Godalming, Surrey, England (Aldous (Leonard) Huxley). Huxley was born into a prominent family. His grandfather, Thomas Henry Huxley, was a biologist who â€Å"helped develop the theory of evolution.† Huxley’s aunt, Humphrey Ward, was a novelist. His mother was the niece of Matthew Arnold, a poet, and the granddaughter of Thomas Arnold, a famous educator and headmaster of Rugby school (Aldous Huxley-Biography). When Huxley was fourteen years old, his mother died of cancer. He said his mother’s death â€Å"gave him a sense of the transience of human happiness† and â€Å"he felt that heredity made each individual unique, and uniqueness of the individual was essential to freedom† (Aldous Huxley-Biography). From 1908 until 1913, Huxley studied at Eton College (Aldous (Leonard) Huxley). While at Eton, Huxley developed a condition of near blindness that plagued him until hi s death (Philosopher’s Corner Presents: Aldous Huxley). After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in English at Balliol College, Oxford, Huxley worked in the War Office in London and taught at Eton and Repton (Aldous (Leonard) Huxley). While at Oxford, Huxley was introduced to the literary world and became good friends with D.H. Lawrence (Aldous Huxley-Biography). In 1916, Huxley published his first book of poems, The Burning Wheel (Philosopher’s Corner Presents: Aldous Huxley). From 1920-1921, he was a part of the editorial staff of the Athenaeum under Middleton Murray. Through the years, Huxley also worked as a drama critic for the Westminster Gazette, was an assistant at the Chelsea Book Club and worked for Conde Nast Publications (Aldous (Leonard) Huxley). Huxley married Maria Nys in 1919. In 1920 they had a child named Matthew. The family split time between London and Italy and traveled around the world in 1925 and 1926 (Aldous Huxley-Biography). In 1955 Maria died of cancer, and a year later Huxley married Italian violinist and psychotherapist Laura Achera (Brooke 199).

Hardness of Water

INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS HARDNESS OF WATER:It is when water passes through or over deposit such as limestone; the level of Ca ²Ã¢  »and Mg ²Ã¢  ºand HCOâ‚Æ' ions present in the water can greatly increase and cause the water to be classified as hard water. This term results from the fact that cation and magnesium ions in water combine with soap molecules, making it hard to get suds. High level of water ion such as Ca ²Ã¢  » and Mg ²Ã¢  ºÃ‚  can cause scaly deposits in plumbing appliances & boilers.These two ions also combine chemically with soap molecules resulting in decreased cleansing. The American water works Association indicates that the ideal quality water should not contain more than 80mg/l of total hardness as CaCOâ‚Æ'. High levels of total hardness are not considered a health concern. There are two types of Hardness:Temporary hardness: this is due to the presence of bicorbonates of calcium and magnesium. It can be easily removed by boiling. Permanent hardness: this is due to the presence of chlorides & sulphate of calcium & magnesium. This type of hardness cannot be removed by boiling.MOTIVATIONI was bothered that the water in Ilara community doesn’t combine easily with soap leading to excessive consumption of WATER.ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE:Scales are formed as inner coating of the pipelines prevents corrosion Absolute soft waters are corrosive and dissolve metalsMore causes of cardio vascular diseases are reported in soft water areas Hard water is useful to growth of children due to the presence of calcium Hard water cause excessive consumption of soap used for cleaning purpose, sodium soaps react with multivalent metallic cations to form a precipitate, thereby lose their surfactant properties. Lathering doesn’t take place until all hardness ions precipitate out.APPARATUS Conical Flask {250ml} Burette with retort stand Beaker Wash bottles Standard flask PipettesMETHOD Simple titration methodREAGENTS Ammonium chloride Amm onium hydroxide Ilara-Mokin water {Hâ‚‚O} Magnesium sulphate Erichrome black T EDTA (Disodium salt).PREPARATION OF REAGENTS 1. Standard solution of EDTAThe usual reagent is the disodium salt, which is a dehydrate, Mr=372.24; it is available in sufficiently pure form to be used as a primary standard for most purposes. If necessary, it may be dried at 80 ° for four days to remove a small percentage of water that may have been absorbed. The solution should be stored in plastic containers rather than glass bottles. The solution is stable but if stored in glass bottles (particularly if the glass is new), the concentration of a dilute solution will decrease appreciably with time as metal ions are extracted out of the glass. To prepare 2 1 of the reagent, dissolve 7.44g of the salt in enough deionized water to make exactly 2 1 of solution. 2. Buffer solution(pH 10)Add 17.5g of ammonium chloride to 142cm ³ of ammonium chloride to 142cm ³ of 0.88 ammonia solution and make up to 25 0cm ³ with deionized water. 3. Eriochrome Black T indicatorThis indicator can be purchased as a powder. The solid is hygroscopic, and so must be stored in a tightly stoppered container.EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE (testing of the Ilara-mokin water) We Pipetted 200ml of the water sample and transfer it to a clean 250ml conical flask. We Added 2ml of Ammonia buffer solution to the water sample so that the pH will be maintained between 9 & 10. We added few drops of EBT indicator to the conical flask and the sample turns to wine red in color. Before we started the titration; we rinsed the burette with few ml of EDTA  then Filled the burette with 0.02m EDTA solution & adjusted to zero then fixed it in retort stand. We titrated the sample against the EDTA solution in the burette till all calcium and magnesium ions present in the sample reacted with the EDTA.The appearance of blue color indicated that all Ca and Mg ions were complex with EDTA and forms a metal EDTA complex. i.e. the end poin t of the titration We Noted down the burette reading and repeated titration two more times.RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENTSAMPLE A FINAL READINNGS 1.50 1.40 1.40 INITIAL READINGS 0.00 0.00 0.00 TITRE VALUES 1.50 1.40 1.40Average titre value= 1.50 +1.40+1.40 =4.3 3 3  =1.43cm ³Ã‚  =1.43 x 20= 28.6 cm ³SAMPLE B FINAL READINGS 2.90 3.10 2.90 INITIAL READINGS 0.00 0.00 0.00 TITRE VALUES 2.90 3.10 2.90Average titre value=2.90+3.10+2.90 = 8.90 3 3  =2.97cm ³Ã‚  =2.97 x 20= 59.4cm ³

Iraw essays

Iraw essays 1. In the aftermath of a war in Iraq, the possibilities of creating a stable post-Saddam state will depend on managing Iraqs multiple social cleavages. Describe and evaluate Iraqs primary social cleavages. How have they impacted Iraqi politics until now? The history of Iraq has been dominated by two factors the wealth of its oil fields and the turbulence of its politics. The countrys oil and its key strategic position in the world made it a focus of Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. In its ancient past it was the home to various empires: Sumer, Mesopotamia, Assyria, as well as the Babylonian Empire. During the spread of the Islamic influence under the Prophet Mohammed, Baghdad became a center of art, science, and literature. With the coming of the Turkish Ottoman Empire the area of Iraq again was assimilated. With the coming of the First World War and the defeat of the Turks, England acquired Iraq as a protectorate and utilized for oil exploration. In each of these circumstances, the rule by a singular individual with ultimate authority was the norm. The right to rule was by conquest and not by local consensus. Therefore, the tradition of singular rule by force continued to be the norm. Indeed, the very formation of Iraqs boundaries failed to take into account the diverse backgrounds of the various peoples living there. Even though grateful that the Ottoman forces were removed, the victorious Allies didnt take into account their wishes for any autonomy or sovereignty of tribal regions. Oil exploration and not cultural considerations remained the primary focus. With Iraq gaining its independence from the British, a weak monarchy was toppled by a Pan-Arab group known as the Baath Party. Under this nationalist organization, the call went forward to other Arab nations to break with their differences and form a new identity through a...

Theory of knowledge essay Essays

Theory of knowledge essay Essays Theory of knowledge essay Essay Theory of knowledge essay Essay Facts and theories are terms often used alongside one another, which imply the existence of a nexus between them, especially in the pursuit and ascertainment of truth. However, the correlation between facts and theories varies according to the area of knowledge in question. It is unclear whether facts help in establishing theories or theories help make facts sensible in the pertinent area of knowledge. Theories may be an antecedent to facts in one field, but the nature of another area of knowledge may dispense with the need to formulate a theory first. The purpose of this essay is to examine the nexus between the two aspects with reference to natural sciences and history. The analysis uses practical examples derived from the two areas of knowledge to demonstrate how the nexus between facts and theories takes shape differently in each field. Knowledge facts Facts are essentially what establish the veracity of a synthetic proposition. They are mind-independent states that render an assertion true or false. On the other hand, a theory simply refers to a wider framework that gives meaning to the facts derived from a pursuit of truth. A theory has to be backed by facts to be credible. That means that ones convictions about a phenomenon would not be deemed a theory unless there were facts that back the position. Particularly in natural science, any theory, no matter how it is elaborate, is incomplete and suffers from confirmation bias in the absence of germane factors that prove its truth. The integration of evidence and facts derived from credible experiments as well as reality help in weighing and ascertaining the veracity of a theory. It also helps in the alteration and modification of the theory on trial. Theories play a critical part in explaining the facts whose existence would otherwise be confounding. For instance, as regards human i mmunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), it does not suffice to say that it is simply an incurable disease. Leaving the statement at that would be disconcerting and unsatisfactory. For this reason, scientists continue to build upon previous research to explain how the HIV supersedes the existing medications. Facts help establish true theories about phenomena witnessed across the world, but there needs to be a distinction between pure facts and said facts. Said facts refer to declarations even in spite of all evidence to the contrary that something is an indisputable fact. The essence of facts is that there is no requirement to make a declaration to assert its truth. There is no theory that can be said to establish the veracity of a fact as it is not a synthetic proposition. Thus, the assertion that theories can help make facts understandable does not mean that theories can disprove facts. Unlike theories, facts are independent of extrinsic manipulation, but theorists need to apply their mind to explain them. There are myriads of facts out there in the world all of which are not a linguistic expression of an idea and are mind-independent and therefore not meaningful. The facts just exist, such as the absence of a cure for HIV/AIDS. Interpreting such a fact entails borrowing from a theoret ical model in relation to something else through a comparative analysis that provides meaning to the fact. Knowledge theories Aristotle once suggested that theories are inherently digests of facts. The implication of this statement was that people simply go out and collect massive data, without formulating any theory. The theory is then derived from the facts obtained from the search as a way of explaining the discovered phenomenon. It is quite interesting that Aristotle suggested this as an explanation of what happens in science. Indeed, this would make the discovery of knowledge in natural science quite problematic, as scientists would have to go through the exigencies of gathering numerous data prior to sifting through it to discover where the theories lie. One good example of how Aristotles suggestion would work would be examining populations across the United States, gathering vast data in order to notice that the incremental use of depleted uranium (DU) has an adverse impact on the environment and humans. DU is principally a radioactive heavy metal that has high toxicity levels that can invoke multipl e health conditions. Afterward, from a series of deductions that lead back to this hypothesis, one would have formulated the theory that people exposed to DU in one way or another will suffer from a suite of health conditions. This, however, is not the way the scientific discovery of knowledge works. In natural science, facts are not an antecedent to theories. Unlike Aristotle, facts are by their essence digests of theories in science. For instance, a scientific study into the impact of DU on humans stems from a hypothesis that DU, as a radioactive material, is injurious to human health. Afterward, the scientific researcher will initiate an empirical study to prove or disprove this tentative position. The outcome of the study, whether it proves the hypothesis correct or incorrect, is a truth that is unaffected by the theory being tested. That means that the hypothesis is not a determinant of the research result. In this example, the impact of DU usage on the human body persists in spite of the existence or absence of any theory that links the two variables. In essence, this shows that the fact, which is the outcome of this study, is entirely autonomous from the hypothesis. If the study demonstrates that there is a positive nexus between the utilization of DU in the United States and negative health outcomes, then this vindicates the hypoth esis. However, where the study demonstrates that there is no relationship between the incremental application of DU and health issues, then this will result in the abandonment of the hypothesis. It may be very well that the outcome of the study prompts the researcher to modify the hypothesis. Rather than repeating the original hypothesis, the researcher may assert that if DU is deployed at existing levels, then it cannot lead to negative health outcomes. Areas of Knowledge The discovery of knowledge in history sometimes takes a different pathway than in natural science. In fact, the model applied in this area of knowledge is reminiscent of Aristotles proposal. It is possible for archaeologists to go out into a historical site in search of unspecified artifacts and uncover information about a historical era. Afterward, this discovery will enable them to arrive at deductions that lead back to a specific theory. However, this does not necessarily mean that predictive hypotheses are impossible in history. Indeed, an archaeologist seeking to uncover a pyramid pretty much has a preconceived idea and hypothesis of what one would find. The existence of the pyramid or the nature of the artifacts discovered in the search will help to either prove or disprove their initial hypothesis. If the historian finds the site in one way or the other, then it would be necessary to draw from existing theories or formulate new ones to explain the discovery. For instance, the existence of additional bodies alongside the Pharaoh is an indication of the Egyptian custom where nobles were buried with all their servants to cater to them in the afterlife. In this way, theories will help an archaeologist to make sense of the artifacts and bodies in the newly uncovered tomb. From the preceding discussion, it is decipherable that facts are critical in establishing theories in both history and natural science areas of knowledge. Alternatively, theorists are necessary to make sense of facts. Facts are innately mind-independent phenomena that are not meaningful in the absence of a theoretical framework that would help explain them. Without theories, facts would simply lie out there in the world as immutable truths, but they would neither be meaningful or useful to people. For instance, the lack of an HIV/AIDS cure is an indisputable fact, but the absence of theories that explain how existing and emergent treatments cannot eliminate HIV would render this fact entirely confounding. Likewise, uncovering a tomb in Egypt with additional bodies without alluding to knowledge about ancient Egyptian customs would make the discovery confusing to archaeologists. Fortunately, there are existing and emergent theories that help explain different phenomena, even as facts h elp to prove and disprove theories.

Covey essays

Covey essays The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Dr. Stephen R. Covey published a book that was all the rage a few years ago. His book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People outline seven traits found in all effective people. In order to see these habits one must undergo a paradigm shift, which is seeing through the eyes of others. A perfect example of a paradigm shift is the story of a subway ride. Covey told the lecture group to Picture yourself on a quiet subway ride home. Everyone is quiet there are several people sleeping while others are reading. At the next stop a man gets on with some children. The children are very disruptive throwing things running into people, just kids behaving rottenly. You turn and say to the man your children are being disruptive maybe you could do something to control them. Then the man turns and says we just came from the hospital their mother just died and I guess they dont know how to handle it, neither do I. and right away you feel bad for the man. Most people would want to know what they could do to help. In order to improve on the seven habits one must undergo a paradigm shift. When you first look at the title you might ask what is meant by effective? Well Covey defines by using the P/PC balance. The PC in this fraction stands for production capability of something that one desires while P stands for what is actually produced. In order for one to be effective one must be very mature, and develop. People develop from dependence, to independence, and finally to interdependence. Also one can ask what exactly is a habit? A habit is a principle that is internalized where attitude, knowledge, and skill overlap. Covey said that all the literature dealt with character ethics or personality ethics separately. Coveys theory deals with both types of ethics at the same time. He uses the iceberg analogy to describe the relation between c...

Unit Length Mix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unit Length Mix - Essay Example Furthermore, more and more studies were conducted to find out the effectiveness of the :15s in comparison to the :30s. This situation resulted from the rumors in 1983 as an effect of the Burke Research report that said 15-seconder commercials are 91% as effective as the 30-seconder ads. (Pre-Testing Co., 2004) Industries are continuously considering the use of :15s for introducing new products. According to the ARS Group's integrated database, 18% of the top 50 new product ads of 2000 were :15s, and had risen to 24% in 2001. (Better Practices in Advertising, 2002) And recently, according to the Media IQ evaluation, :15s now account for more than 36% of all commercial inventory sold by the broadcast networks for which the range increases to nearly two-thirds of all units sold in some dayparts - particularly the daytime. (Bergantini-Grillo, 2005) However, 15-seconder advertisements are not yet the shortest of commercials aired over the television. Ten-seconder, as well as 5-seconder ads are at the same time attracting the attention of the advertisers and the industries, such that of the General Motors Corporation's Cadillac. But along with these changes in the pod length, pod position is also considered as it is found significant in attaining the goals of the advertisers - an increase in the product recall and especially an increase in the product sales. (Steinberg, 2005) Automotive indus... are becoming more involved in developing the most effective advertising techniques in increasing recall and revenue such that the products they sell are not as easily purchased as other products. Moreover, other industries follow suit which includes even the fast foods and restaurants, retail and wireless that were as well attracted to considering shorter pod length and the use of cable televisions as advertising medium in order to reach more of its target audience. (Bergantini-Grillo, 2005) Studies showed that there is an expected 60% of televiewers fast-forward commercials with DVRs. (Haugsted, 2005) Resulting from this technological shift among the viewers and attitudes toward pre-recorded programs, advertisers are becoming more interested in producing and sponsoring mini-movies and cable programs. (Stanley, 2004; Bergantini-Grillo, 2005 & "Media Firm") The rising prices for the traditional 30-second ads led companies in looking for other alternatives in producing equally effective TV commercials as the :30s. (Friedman, 2005) Thus, researches and studies are conducted concerning the effectiveness of pods - its length and its proper positioning. Results showed that the effectiveness of advertisements decreases as the number of commercials in the break increases. (Pre-Testing Co., Inc., 2004) The recent result of the CAB/Nielsen study that showed a recall of :15s having half that of :30s, with the same difference in price had set industries into an inclination in shorter ads considering the big difference in its expenditures in producing and airing of the commercial. (Ephron, n.d.) Moreover, as this trend continues to develop, ten-second commercials has become more attractive for the advertising agencies. But the hope is for a more long-lasting business. The current