The Relationship Between Lobbying, Businesses And Political Decisions Essay

The Relationship Between Lobbying, Businesses And Political Decisions - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that lobbying is the process of trying to influence the decisions made by an administration, for example, the government especially the members of legislative assemblies of regulatory agencies. Economic lobbyists represent, educate and advocate on the behalf of their business clients’ interests. Politics and economics affect each other in complex sometimes inexplicable ways. The aim is to make the people in the administrative capacity to look favorably on the side of the business. Politics and economics are tied together with some scholars even arguing that politics is merely an extension of economics. Political economists strongly speak out on the proactive position of governments in economic policy and for their ability to regulate the business cycle. Regulation of the business cycle involves putting in place fiscal and monetary measures in order to mitigate or avoid adverse effects of economic depressions and recessions. These mea sures also pertain to economic policies such as taxation, economic barriers, price fixation et cetera. The aim of the economic lobbyists is to make sure that the policies the government makes favor them and provide a conducive business environment for the success of their businesses. The lobbying involves delivery of data or opinions to a government decision maker at local or national level. They do this by presenting the interest of their company or client in the context of public interests.

Assig.1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Assig.1 - Essay Example s protà ©gà ©, as he takes her under his wing and guide her in decision-making, attitude, behavior and specific tasks related to the field he is mentoring her with. A mentoring relationship then develops over time, during which the mentee’s needs changes as well as the nature of the mentoring relationship. The mentor is aware of such changes and adjusts the kind of attention, advise, assistance and motivation he provides. Mutual respect, trust, understanding and empathy are values embodied by an effective mentoring relationship (http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/mentor/1.html). Good mentors are good listeners, good observers and good problem-solvers. Mentees feel comfortable opening up to them without fear of being chastised for being mistaken in their views. Mentors acknowledge, accept and respect those views and work together with the mentees in correcting what is wrong. This takes a lot of reflection in both mentor and mentee. Both mentor and mentee affects each other in terms of reputation. Since they influence each other, whatever personality or skills the other has will reflect on the other. Should a mentor be inefficient, he will pass this on to his mentee who may not know any better. Likewise, if a mentee continues to perform poorly in spite of the mentor’s great efforts to help him or her out, then such performance may be blamed on the mentor, for he is supposed to be the wiser one. According to Osterman (1990), â€Å"reflection is the essential part of the learning process because it results in making sense of or extracting meaning from the experience†. People often go through their day doing their work as second nature, sometimes without thinking critically if what they are doing is truly meaningful and relevant. Schon (1983) offers the concept of knowing-in-practice to describe such mindless, functional task. An individual needs to reflect, as it can surface and criticize old, reliable ways of doing things. â€Å"Practitioners do reflect

Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Great Expectations Essay Great Expectations, a novel by Charles Dickens, was first published in England as a serial in the years 1860 and 61 then later as a novel. It runs to 448 pages in modern paperback. The work is considered to be autobiographical and told in first person as a memoir of the orphan boy, Pip. Dickens’ thesis is moral in nature, saying that love, loyalty and a clean conscience are more important than wealth, social class and ambition. Pip believes he is in love with the Estella, a ward of the rich Mrs. Havisham and seeks to become a gentleman in order to win her heart. He comes to realize his sister and her husband and the convicted criminal, Magwitch, though low in social class, display more character than those he knows of the upper class. Dickens, through his protagonist, advances the idea that nobility is not noble by nature, and one can advance on his own intelligence and work ethic (183). Mrs. Havisham’s family earned their money in commerce but she still represents wealth. Dickens depicts her as a bitter and vengeful old woman, full of hatred for men. She uses Pip and encourages the like-minded Estella to break his heart (60). Pip comes into money and believes that the upper class Mrs. Havisham is his benefactress, which is not true. His money comes from the convict Magwitch who wants to make Pip a gentleman for his own reasons (335). Bentley Drummle, while a minor character, is used by Dickens to show that nobility does not confer morality on a person. Dickens proves his thesis by the relating the callous behavior of the upper classes, compared and contrasted to the kindness of his poor family and the lower classes represented. He produces a litany of noble scoundrels and lowborn citizens with high moral fiber for the reader to consider.

Portion Control for Weight Management

Portion Control for Weight Management Netan Bhardwaj Lifestyle, social status and frame of mind all depend on your health thus everybody wants a perfect physical appearance, which may vary based on gender and age, and the way people see it is by attaining an ideal weight. But every challenge comes with obstacles e.g. lack of knowledge, resources and many other factors, due to that fact obesity and weight management have become enormous problem amongst individuals of all ages. To a certain extent minor weight loss can alter ones path of life. Whether it’s living life to the fullest or being overweight holding you down. And everyone that is overweight or obese is always looking for the â€Å"easy way out† to lose weight by not doing any exercise and eating anything they please. So can weight reduction really occur without any medications, surgery, or even extensive exercise? To begin with, people who are obese tend to be uneducated about effects of obesity, nutrition, and portion control. Now knowing about the major risk that obesity brings is a major issue such as 29% of all deaths in Canada are because of obesity, where females are at a higher risk of dying than males, and learning about these risks can be an eye opener for some and life changer for others. Obesity causes or is closely linked with a large number of health conditions like heart disease, stroke, diabetes are just to name a few and as many as 11 types of cancer, including leukemia, colon, breast cancer [WHO. 2014]. Not just that but obesity also comes with social and emotional effects including discrimination, lower wages, lower Quality of life and people being effected by obesity are more likely susceptible to depression. The type of diet you eat can have a major impact on your weight i.e. eating a high energy/calorie dense meal (coffee and a doughnut) can cause overeating whereas eating multiple low energy/calorie meals (juice, a piece of toast, and scrambled eggs) can provide an provide array of healthy choices by incorporating more food consumption but less calorie intake and also it can help with optimum weight management. For instance [Rolls. 2014] compiled three systematic studies on various individuals and this is what was conducted. The first trial involved overweight men and overweight women, they were given isocaloric portions of either high or low dense food to be eaten daily into a reduced energy diet for two months and one year later the group that was given low energy dense soup saw a 50% more reduction then the other control group. The second trial only obese women were tested and they were split into two groups. One grope was counseled to portion control and eat more water rich foods (fruits, vegetables) and the other group was asked to eat limited portions (fats and everything else). After a year the group that was told to eat more water rich foods lost 23% more weight, had a reduction in hunger and felt greater gratification. In the final trial, participants from trial one and trial two were monitored for six months. It was found that individuals who eat a low energy diet lost more than 50% of weight and eat 300grams more than the high energy diet group. From these trial it can be concluded that for weight management to occur simply saying â€Å"eat less† is not the best approach to reducing the amount of intake. Therefore large portions of low energy dense foods can be used strategically to encourage their lower consumption and caloric intake. If people lowered the density of energy in their diet, they can eat pleasurable portions while managing as well as maintaining their body weight [Rolls. 2014]. Also through these trials it can be said that a variety of portion control methods can be applied, eating less high energy meals or eating more low energy foods, for exemplary portion management leading to a lower chance of weight gain. Obesity has become a significant problem, it causes more deaths the being underweight, across many regions of multiple countries. Obesity has become such a high risk factor that even minimal weight loss of 5 to 10% seems to be enough to provide a clinically significant health benefit and reduce the risk of death, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and many other [Lagerros. 2013]. But there are limitations to weight loss i.e. physical disabilities, the quality of produce at a supermarket, cultural acceptance (being fat or over weight considered good, shows how healthy you are), neighborhood accessibility (neighborhood around the world tend not to have any sidewalks thus making it difficult for individuals of all ages to be healthy) as well as neighborhood safety (Places where criminal activity is high, People are less likely to leave their residence) and other resources. All these aspects play a tremendous role in weight reduction and or weight management. A study done by [Amanda Reichards et al. 2014] about adults with physical disabilities with a BMI of >25%. So these individuals were randomized into two weight management approaches. One of these was My plate diet (consists of a meal with fruits, vegetables, protein and dairy all in one plate) and the other was Stoplight diet (foods are based on the light consisted in traffic lights such as vegetables/fruits are green, potatoes/ cheese are yellow and fat foods are red) supplemented with portion controlled meals for 6 months. There were 126 enrollees and of those 70% of them completed initial 6 months and 60% of the 70% completed a follow up phase. The Stoplight diet group reduced weight during initial 6 month and lost more weight during the follow up phase whereas the My plate diet group only lost weight during the initial 6 months from the studies done by Amanda Reichards and her colleagues it can be stated that by using portion control, barriers can be overcome for individuals that are overweight and have physical mobility impairments. Consumers are uncovered to many pieces of data such as the media, commercials and promotions. The comparison between two merchandises that are similar in prices or completely buying a product for the first time, â€Å"58% of the consumers said that they used product labels† [Wills et al2009].Furthermore, Canadians believe that labels are the most important way to get nutritional data. â€Å"This source is then shadowed by various forms of media, friends and family, electronic media channels and lastly family physicians or other professionals â€Å"[Willset al.2009]. It is notable that family physicians/medical professionals seem to play such a minimal role in general information. In the past, significant findings have been conducted by researchers to help modern scientist. Lexis, L (2004) conducted multiple studies where 38% of the people’s portions were controlled and the others weren’t. The research shows that 5% of the 38% examined saw a weight reduction from their baseline weight whereas the other control group saw a 5% weight gain from their base line. She also did a study on Elevated waist/hip on men and women this a body mass index (BMI) greater the 27. Being overweight comes at a cost and its â€Å"$656 higher annual medical care costs, and the IV results indicate that obesity raises annual medical costs by $2741 in 2005 dollars.† [Cawley J. 2012]. â€Å"More than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight or obese. More than 0.33% adults are considered to be obese. More than 0.05 adults in North America are considered to have extreme obesity. About 0.33%of children and adolescents from ages 6 to 19 are considered to be overwe ight or obese. More than 16% of children and adolescents from the ages of 6 to 19 are considered to be obese† National Health and Nutrition (2010). â€Å"Obesity can occur one pound at a time. Just like obesity so does prevention. † [National Institutes of Health. 2013] these are just some facts about obesity that can be prevented by portion control. Solutions. Are there any? With so many problem and hardly any solutions. Here are a couple of solutions that can help with implicating portion control, first would be liquid meal replacement (shakes) can be a very useful technique there were small experiments designed to makes many of the studies on the effectiveness of meal replacements were tough to interpret as few were intended to regulate whether meal replacements are closely linked with greater weight reduction than a self-selected consumption of regular foods. They also found that there is a relationship between the intakes of meal replacements in exchange of regular meals in the framework of energy controlled diets and decline in body weight. The second method would be tax increasing and front back trafficking. Increasing the tax on unhealthy food could be a substantial answer to many problems, the Danish government has put a 25% tax on unhealthy foods (sweet based) such as ice cream chocolate and many others and beverages. T hey also banned the use of Trans-fatty acid (increases coronary heart cancer) leading companies to use a different method of production and provide a better fat quality product. There is also Front of Pack traffic light nutrition labeling (this is when the nutritional label is put in the front and the product is labelled as a colour that indicated the type of product which is stated earlier in this paper). There was a randomized-controlled study was conducted to determine different food label formats on consumers’ product choices, the study established that traffic light labels had the most influential on consumers, compared to other methods. Even with time constraint consumers the traffic light labels and logos were more effective and efficient rather than the ordinary label furthermore the likelihood of healthy choices had increased moreover with unlabeled food it is more difficult to classify as whether it’s healthy or unhealthy [Borgmeier and Westenhoefer, 2009]. By making such a major impact, neighboring countries are putting an emphasis on disease deduction methods as well. The third method is Pre-portioned foods it is an alternative approach to liquid meal plan it is a pre-packaged single meal /snack which is bound to reduce weight also temporary studies have found that solid meal substitutes (bars) caused the tendency to feel more full than isocaloric liquid meal substitutes (shakes) [ Tieken et al. 2007]. In an 18-month study conducted by [Wing et al. 1996] where contributors were allocated to one of the four groups: a usual behavioral treatment was given, a behavioral treatment accompanied with financial encouragement for weight reduction, food source, or a combination of food establishment and motivations. The food that was provided to the individuals consisted of pre-portioned conventional foods suitable for five breakfasts and five suppers each week for 18 months. The quantity of weight reduction in the two groups, provided with sufficient food, was significantly superior to the other groups at 6, 12 and 18 months [Wing et al. 1996]. Also in another study, patients were given either a prepackaged, nutritionally complete, organised meal, plan that provided almost all of their diet and the other group was given a macronutrient equivalent usual-care diet. The prepackaged meal was designed to sustain long-term weight loss. This was proven at 1 year when the first group lost 5.8 kilograms while the other group only lost 1.7 kilograms loss [Metz et al. 2000]. A certain study, sought to separate the properties of the portion-controlled diets from other mechanisms of the weight reduction intervention by keeping the additional variables similar across the two study groups. The pre-portioned food group was provided with three starters and one snack daily, which they could substitute with conventional foods by the rules of their program. After 6 months, the pre-portioned food group lost 7.3kg whereas the control group only lost [Foster et al. 2013]. The take away message from these studies is that Portioned food can cause a substantial difference between casual meals in terms of weight reduction thus allowing a greater consumption of food and loss in weight. Another solution is by regulating the advertisements that are shown to adolescents. This will cause children to be less attracted to food which can lead them to gain weight. In Sweden, Norway and Quebec the government has restricted television advertisements for children. More specifically , the Swedish Radio and Television act does not grant commercial television advertisement that is intended to attract or gain the attention of children who are under the age of 12. However, most countries tend not to revise advertisements, to make sure they are meant for children. A comparison of food advertising in 13 countries in different parts of the world, found that children who were watching more than 2 hours would be exposed to between 28 and 84 food advertisements per day [Lagerros. 2013]. Weight management/reduction has been a major problem for decades now. Obesity is something that is increasingly on the rise today and will continue to rise unless we do something about it, food is being pushed on television all the time. Corrupting minds to eat calorie dense food but there is a way to fix that by informing people of how bad it really is and encouraging people to live a health-enhancing lifestyle. The solution is as simple as eating a portioned diet and making it a lifelong diet. Some fat is essential for the body. It uses it for various implications such as heat, padding, insulation, and stored energy. Eating healthy and keeping active is all a part of a lifelong daily routine No diet should be promoted as being a temporary eating plan, but rather a permanent plan for healthy eating and living. References Borgmeier I., Westenhoefer J. (2009)Impact of different food label formats on healthiness evaluation and food choice of consumers: a randomized-controlled study.BMC Public Health9: 184. Cawley, J., Meyerhoefer, C. (2012). The medical care costs of obesity: An instrumental variables approach. J Health Econ. Ello-Martin, J., H Ledikwe, J., Rolls, B. (2005). The Influence of Food Portion Size and Energy Density on Energy Intake: Implications for Weight Management. Foster GD, Wadden TA, Lagrotte CA, Vander Veur SS, Hesson LA, Homko CJ, et al.(2013) A randomized comparison of a commercially available portion-controlled weight-loss intervention with a diabetes self-management education program,Nutr Diabetes, 3:e63. Lagerros, Y., Rà ¶ssner, S. (2013). Obesity management: What brings success? Therap Adv Gastroenterol, 6(1), 77–88. Rolls, B. (2012). Dietary strategies for weight management. Nestlà © Nutrition Institute Workshop (2012), 73, 37-48. Rolls, B. (2014). What is the role of portion control in weight management? International Journal of Obesity (2005). Metz JA, Stern JS, Kris-Etherton P, Reusser ME, Morris CD, Hatton DC, et al.(2000) A randomized trial of improved weight loss with a prepared meal plan in overweight and obese patients: impact on cardiovascular risk reduction, Arch Intern Med, 160:2150–2158 National Institues of Health. (2012). Overweight and Obesity Statistics. Weight-control  Information Network. Reichard, A., D. Saunders, M., R. Saunders, R., Ptomey, L. (2014). A comparison of two weight management programs for adults with mobility impairments, Disability and Health Journal. Tieken SM, Leidy HJ, Stull AJ, Mattes RD, Schuster RA, Campbell WW. (2007). Effects of solid versus liquid meal-replacement products of similar energy content on hunger, satiety, and appetite-regulating hormones in older adults,Horm Metab Res, 39:389–394 Wing RR, Jeffery RW, Burton LR, Thorson C, Nissinoff KS, Baxter JE. (1996). Food provision vs structured meal plans in the behavioral treatment of obesity.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord.;20:56–62 Wills J., Schmidt D., Pillo-Blocka F., Cairns G. (2009)Exploring global consumer attitudes toward nutrition information on food labels.Nutr Rev67(Suppl. 1): S102–S106Frenk, D. (2012, May 1). Obesity Consequences. Retrieved October 22, 2014, from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-consequences/ Obesity and overweight. (2014, August 1). Retrieved October 22, 2014, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/ Statistics Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2014, from http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.3483991/k.34A8/Statistics.htm

Review of Behind the Arch: The Truth about Drinking at BVU :: College Drinking Essays

Review of Behind the Arch: The Truth about Drinking at BVU Behind the Arch: The Truth About Drinking at BVU, by Chris Allen, Alisa Dixson, Jennifer Durham, Shelley Katzer, Max Kenkel, Teri Kramer, Toby Malavong, and Courtney Weller, is a book about drinking at Buena Vista University. It was written because the University of Illinois did a survey on colleges around the county about their drinking habits. When some BVU students read it, some did not think it was accurate, so, they did their own research and got some of their own statistics. By the opinion of the students, the information they found was more accurate than what the University of Illinois found. This book had many things wrong with it. There were many problems with the writing styles and the research in my opinion. It was too long and too detailed, especially with the insignificant ideas in, which should not have been in it, such as the explanation of our campus, an insignificant detail. There was not a good comparison in the national average, Buena Vista University is a small campus in a small town, not similar to, say, the University of Missouri with a large student population and in the city of Columbia. The research was not well done and was unbalanced. This book was about the drinking at BVU found from the survey, not when some of the professors were attending. The book did have some good points. It did have good statistics and were accurate for out campus. I believe that most of the students on campus do drink, but not to get drunk such as the book stated. The personal experiences were well written also. The book does give a bit of reflection on when drinking was not a large problem on campus, but it is insignificant. This book also did do a good job of what is being done on campus to stop the drinking. We now have midnight basketball, and volleyball, and alternative happy hour so the students have something other to do than drink or go to the bar. Many things could have been changed in the book. It was too long. They went off subject with the September, 11 2001 terrorists attacks, that are not significant and way off topic, and made the book last too long. If they had not strayed off the path of where the book was going it would have been shorter and probably kept my interest more, not making me want to sleep. Review of Behind the Arch: The Truth about Drinking at BVU :: College Drinking Essays Review of Behind the Arch: The Truth about Drinking at BVU Behind the Arch: The Truth About Drinking at BVU, by Chris Allen, Alisa Dixson, Jennifer Durham, Shelley Katzer, Max Kenkel, Teri Kramer, Toby Malavong, and Courtney Weller, is a book about drinking at Buena Vista University. It was written because the University of Illinois did a survey on colleges around the county about their drinking habits. When some BVU students read it, some did not think it was accurate, so, they did their own research and got some of their own statistics. By the opinion of the students, the information they found was more accurate than what the University of Illinois found. This book had many things wrong with it. There were many problems with the writing styles and the research in my opinion. It was too long and too detailed, especially with the insignificant ideas in, which should not have been in it, such as the explanation of our campus, an insignificant detail. There was not a good comparison in the national average, Buena Vista University is a small campus in a small town, not similar to, say, the University of Missouri with a large student population and in the city of Columbia. The research was not well done and was unbalanced. This book was about the drinking at BVU found from the survey, not when some of the professors were attending. The book did have some good points. It did have good statistics and were accurate for out campus. I believe that most of the students on campus do drink, but not to get drunk such as the book stated. The personal experiences were well written also. The book does give a bit of reflection on when drinking was not a large problem on campus, but it is insignificant. This book also did do a good job of what is being done on campus to stop the drinking. We now have midnight basketball, and volleyball, and alternative happy hour so the students have something other to do than drink or go to the bar. Many things could have been changed in the book. It was too long. They went off subject with the September, 11 2001 terrorists attacks, that are not significant and way off topic, and made the book last too long. If they had not strayed off the path of where the book was going it would have been shorter and probably kept my interest more, not making me want to sleep.

Effects of Internet on Child Development

180 to learn was reported in 65 cases, to play was reported in 57 cases, to browse in 35 cases, and to communicate in 27 cases. Thus, the five indices of child home Internet use in cluded: 1) the continuous variable years of home Internet access and the dichotomous (report ed-unreported) variables of child home In ternet use to 2) learn, 3) play, 4) browse, and 5) communicate. Family Socioeconomic Characteristics The parent questionnaire assessed five family characteris tics commonly used to determine socioeconomic status (Bradley & Corwyn, 2002; Sirin, 2005).Two items queried father’s and mother’s employment status. Approximately 70% of mothers and 96% of fathers were employed, full-time or part-time. Two questionnaire items requested father’s and mother’s level of education, coded as: elementa ry = 1, junior high school = 2, high school incomplete = 3, high school complete = 4, technical school/college (complete or incomplete) = 5 and university (complet e or incomplete) = 6. The mean educational level of mothers was 4. 79 (SD = 0. 95) suggesting that many mothers had post-secondary education; the mean educational level of fa thers was 4. 45 (SD = 1. 2) suggesting that some fathers had post-secondary education. The final socioeconomic item on the questionnaire asked parents to indicate annual family income by selecting one of the following options: < $20 000 = 1, $20 000 to $40 000 = 2, $40 000 to $60 000 = 3, $60 000 to $80 000 = 4, $80 000 to $100 000 = 5, > $100 000 = 6. Annual income for participating families was approximately $60,000 CD (M = 4. 07, SD = 1. 48). Table 2 presents a summary of measured constructs which includes: four tests of children’s cognitive development, five indices of children’s home Internet use, and five fa ily socioeconomic characteris tics. Which are the better predictors of cognitive development during childhood, — el ements of the microsystem or elements of the techno- subsystem? Two series of stepwise regression analysis we re conducted with the four c ognitive development scores as the dependant variables. In the first regression analyses , family socioeconomic characteristics (elements of the microsystem) were the independent variables. In the second analyses, indices of home Internet use (elements of the techno-subsystem) were the independent variables. Tab le 2 Description of Constructs and Measures Ecological System System Elements Specific Measures Bioecology Cognitive Development Expressive Language Metacognitive Planning Visual Perception Auditory Memory Techno-Subsystem Home Internet Use Years of Internet Access Online Learning Online Playing Online Browsing Online Communication Microsystem Family Characteristics Father Employment Mother Employment Father Education Mother Education Annual Family Income Results Results of analyses revealed that fa mily socioeconomic characteristics (eleme nts of the microsystem) explained a odest (but significant) amount of the variation in children’s cognitive deve lopment scores. As presented in Table 3, adjusted R 2 values indicated that father’s level of education accounted for approximately 7% of the variation in children’s level of expressive language (as measured by the WISC-IV vocabulary subtest), 5% of the variation in children’s visual perception and auditory memory (as measured by the CAS nonverbal matrices subtest and CAS 181 word series subtest, respectively). Whether or not moth ers were employed, part-tim e or full-time, accounted for pproximately 6% of the differences in children’s capacity to execute metacognitive functions such as planning (as measured by the CAS matching numbers subtest). While the other measures of familial socioeconomic status (e. g. , mother’s education and family income) explained some of the variance in children’s cognitive development, such measures did not improve upon the predictive utility of fa ther ’s education or maternal employment; variation is prerequisite to prediction. Almost all fathers were employed and almost all mothers had finished high school. For participating middle-class families, father’s education a d mother’s employment were more sensitive to children’s cognitive development scores than were family income, father’s employment, and mother’s education. Tab le 3 . Stepwise Regression Analysis: Family Characteristics Predicting Child Cognitive Development Cognitive Score Predictor Beta Weight t value R 2 (adj) F value Expressive Language Father Education . 292 2. 70** . 074 (1, 78) = 7. 29** Metacognitive Planning Mother Employed . 270 2. 46* . 061 (1, 77) = 6. 05* Visual Perception Father Education . 244 2. 22* . 047 (1, 78) = 4. 93* Auditory Memory Father Education . 258 2. 6* . 054 (1, 78) = 5. 55* *p < . 05; **p < . 01 Results of analyses further revealed th at indices of home Internet use (elements of the techno-subs ystem), in general, explained more of the variation in children’s cognitive de velopment than did family socioeconomic characteristics (elements of the microsystem). Summarized in Table 4, specific types on online behavior (i. e. , learning, communicating, and playing) and years of home In ternet access combined to predicted child cognitive developmental outcomes. Indicated by adjusted R 2 , children’s online communication, ears of home Internet access, and online learning (as reported by parents) accounted for ap proximately 29% of the varia tion in children’s level of expressive language as measured by the WISC-IV vocabulary subtest. Online learning and communicating (reported- unreported) combined to explain 13. 5% of the variation in children’s metacognitive planning. Online learning and playing (reported-unreported) combined to explain 10. 9% of the variation in children’s auditory memory. Years of home Internet access explained approximately 3% of the diffe rences in children’s visual perception scores. With the xception of visual perception, indices of home Internet use (elements of the techno-subsystem) were better predictors of children’s cognitive development than were family socioeconomic characteristics (elements of the microsystem). Tab le 4 . Stepwise Regression Analysis: Home Internet Use Predicting Child Cognitive Development Cognitive Score Predictor/s Beta Weight t value R 2 (adj) F value Expressive Language Online Communication . 344 4. 00*** Years of Internet Access . 263 3. 12 ** Online Learning . 256 2. 99** . 287 (3, 101) = 14. 97*** Metacognitive Planning Online Learning . 287 3. 03** Online Communication . 201 2. 12* . 35 (2, 101) = 9. 06*** Visual Perception Years of Internet A ccess . 192 1. 99* . 028 (1, 104) = 3. 98* Auditory Memory Online Learning . 242 2. 60* Online Playing . 228 2. 46* . 109 (3, 101) = 14. 97*** *p < . 05; **p < . 01; ***p < . 001 Discussion A variety of mechanism s linking family socioeconomic status to child cognitive development have been proposed including parenting (Petrill, Pike, Price, & Plomin, 2004 ; Mistry, Biesanz, Chien, Howes, & Benner, 2008) and 182 resources (Bradley & Corwyn, 2002). For the current samp le of middle class children, paternal education and maternal employment were associated with measures of hild cognitive development. More educated fathers tended to have offspring who scored high on three of the four cognitive measures (expressive language, visual perception, and auditory memory). Mothers who were employed tended to have children who scored high on the measure of metacognitive planning. Educated fathers and employed mothers may genetically transmit to their offspring some neurological processing advantage (bioecology). Simultaneously, educated fathers may provide enhanced language models and stimulating environments that facilitate the cognitive development of their children (microsystemic influence). Employed mother may provide models of organization and place increased demands on children to self- regulate thereby enhancing the metacognitive planning abilities of their offspring (microsystemic influence). Family socioeconomic status (as measur ed and for the current sample) accounted for 5% to 7% of differences in child cognitive development scores. In contrast, indices of home Internet use (as measured and for the current sample) accounted for 3% to 29% of differences in child cognitive development scores. Me ta-analysis confirms that the impact of socioeconomic status on academic achie vement is eroding over time (Sirin, 2005). Increasingly ffective structures of social equali zation (e. g. , public education, quality daycare, preschool intervention, and prenatal programs) and the expanding middle class create the need for more precise description of home environments. Current results suggest th at indices of home Internet use (i. e. , elements of the ecological techno- subsystem) pro vide more useful information regarding cognitive development than do family socioeconomic characteristics (elements of the microsystem). Only two of five family socioeconom ic characteristics added to the regres sion equation, suggesting that some measures (i. e. , family income father employment, and mother education) did not differ in relation to children’s cognitive development. In contrast, four of the five indices of home Internet use during childhood added to the regression equation, suggesting that these measures differe d in relation to children’s cognitive development. In the context of the current investigation, soci oeconomic status is a crude construct re lative to home Internet use. Internet use includes both organized (e. g. , search) and disorganized (e. g. , browse) interactions with both human (e. g. , chat) and nonhuman (e. g. , database) elements in online environments (Johnson & Kulpa, 2007).Internet use is a complex set of behaviors that vary widel y across individuals and th at is influenced by cognitive and personality characteristics (Joinson, 2003). For the current sample of children, patterns of home Internet use explained more of the variation in cognitive development than did family socioeconomic characteristics. In the context of middle class families, elements in the techno-subsystem (e. g. , Internet access) may not necessarily facilitate child cognitive development; effective use of those elements, highly dependent upon parent behavior, may promote development.For example, Cho and Cheon (2005) surveyed families and found that parents’ perceived control, obtained through shared web activities and family cohesion, reduced children’s exposure to negative Internet content. Lee and Chae (2007) reported a positive relations hip between parental mediation techniques (website recommendation and Internet co-use) and children’s educa tional attainment. In the current investigation, the cognitive experienc es provided to children by employed moth ers may include Internet skills instruction (e. g. , sending email) and models of information management (e. g. acc essing websites for informa tion). Such experiences, over time, may provide children with enhanced opportunities to direct their own cognitive development via increasingly sophisticated uses of the Internet. According to Livingston and Bober (2005), â€Å"a new divide is opening up between those for whom the internet is an increasingly rich, diverse, engaging and stimulating resource and those for whom it remains a narrow, unengaging, if occasionally useful , resource of rather less significance† (p. 2). Bruner (2005) recen tly reiterated that â€Å"our minds ap propriate ways of representing th world from using and relating to the codes or rules of available technology† (p. x). Cognitive abilities prerequisite to utilization of Internet applications constitute an implicit component of contemporary notions of intel ligence (Maynard, Subrahmanyam, & Greenfield, 2005). The ecological techno-s ubsystem furthers our understanding of environmental influences on child development by emphasizing the impact of digital technologies on cognitive growth during childhood. The techno- subsystem provides precise description of microsystemic mechanisms of developmental influence which lead to intervention strategies.According to Livingston and Bober ( 2005), many parents lack the skills to guide and support their children’s Internet use and Intern et-literate parents have Internet-litera te children. Subsequent research may evaluate the effectiveness of techno-subs ystem interventions for elementary school children at-risk, for example, the provision of home Internet access and pa rent Internet literacy training. As stated elsewhere, â€Å"current anxiety surrounding children’s Internet use should be for those whose cognitive processes are not influenced by the cultural tool† (Johnson, 2 006, p. 570).

Protrayal of Australian Landscape and Character

How has the Australian Landscape been used to portray and show the development of Australian Character? Refer to 2 Texts. As a person that calls Australia home, I have seen and heard many criticisms and descriptions of this land that were observed from foreigners. Although there are aspects that create the image of Australia such as the people and the natural fauna, the main and central idea that represents our home are her deadly and awe-inspiring environments and landscape. Australia’s character is built upon first impressions.As most people rely on their sight, their first impressions are from visual perspectives. The environment of which they arrive in or have experienced from media depend largely on what they see, thus making the Australian landscape of vital importance in creating the â€Å"Australian Character. † Due to the fact that we rely on sight, this also includes our limitless imagination; and the key to imaginations are words. Description, tone and the fe elings portrayed through words are the cause of imaginations and perceptions and because the iconic images of Australia are the landscapes we tend to include them in our portrayals.Written languages have been around for centuries, it is a way of communication and as informed so are images. The comparison for the development of Australia flows easily with words and is therefore usually portrayed in texts, other forms of literature and in songs. It goes into more depth. It is a detailed way to represent the character of Australia. There are many text examples, of which use the Australian landscape to portray the development of Australia such as poems like â€Å"My Country† and â€Å"The Fierce Country† and lyrics in the Advance Australian Fair.The poem â€Å"My Country† by Dorothea Mackellar is a famous Australian poem, well-known for the descriptions based upon Australia’s landscape. The poem contains many words related to landform such as â€Å"sweeping plains†, â€Å"ragged mountain ranges† and â€Å"wilful lavish land,† all in which have an adjective to accompany it. This creates allows us to imagine these depictions in the same perspective as the authors, which gives us a clear view to what she is talking about.The way Dorothea used symbolic words to describe Australia’s landscapes, helps us to grasp the concept of Australia’s character. A sample of this would include the contrasting effects in the verse: â€Å"I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, Her beauty and her terror – The wide brown land for me! † Here the words symbolise and infer many characteristics that may bring out feelings. There are many ways to interpret Australia’s character through this.For example, the â€Å"sunburnt† gives me the idea of being durable and tough as well as the c olour of red, the â€Å"land of sweeping plains† keeps me thinking of being broad/wide and productive as plains contain fertile soil and the â€Å"ragged mountains† produces the personality of being persistent and being able to stand her ground through many years. Additionally, â€Å"her far horizons† perceives calmness, the â€Å"jewel sea† shows that Australia is rich, valuable and holds substance still to be discovered and the contrast in the line â€Å"her beauty and her terror† indicates that she is diverse.By reading through this verse of the landscape, it overall gives Australia the characteristics of being strong, durable, dynamic, tenacious, relaxed and unique and therefore portraying Australia’s characteristics. Another poem is Douglas Stewart’s, â€Å"Fierce Country. † In this case, the uses of landscapes are used constantly through the poem, in a way forcing us to think about only landscapes throughout the whole thi ng. He uses many personifications such as â€Å"the sun glares down on the stones and the stones glare back†, â€Å"red stones leap with fire† and â€Å"where the mirage still watches with glittering eyes. This enables us to think of this country as a living organism, which gives us an easier way to create Australia’s character and personality. The use of landscapes mixed along with personification also assists our interpretation as we are human and have experienced or seen these personified actions before, hence strengthening the concept through the whole poem and is a way in which the Australian landscape has been used.