Education and Awareness Will Promote Environmental Justice Essay

Education and Awareness Will Promote Environmental Justice The goals of this environmental justice conference are stated simply: firstly, to explore whether racial minorities and the poor are being environmentally victimized, and secondly, to evaluate public policies that promote environmental fairness. Each speaker provided insight and information from their respective area of expertise. Led by keynote speaker Dr. Bunyan Bryant, they drew upon the realms of academic investigation, government and public policy, sociology, healthcare, and philosophy to unite the environmental movement with the quest for social justice. After absorbing so much information concerning the current state of environmental justice, one leaves the conference with an overwhelming sense of responsibility to promote awareness and fairness when dealing with issues of environmental quality. Dr. Bunyan Bryant of the University of Michigan began by addressing the history, issues, dilemmas, and central premises of the environmental justice movement. Dr. Bryant distinguishes environmental racism, or the targeting of certain communities for undesirable land use, from environmental equity. The movement is characterized by a complexity of cultural norms, rules, regulations, behaviors, values, policies, and decisions. These influences either lead to the promotion of sustainable communities and the realization of high potentials, or contribute to the degradation of environments by impeding communities from enjoying social, political, and environmental health. Dr. Bryant notes the importance of key events, ranging from the effects of the 1990 Michigan Conference to the earlier convergence of the civil rights and environmental movements around the time of the as... ...s from diverse areas in order to achieve an integrated perspective of the issues, successes, and common goals characterizing the environmental justice movement. The conference was bound together by a common message - the need for education and awareness of issues of environmental quality. Environmental justice corresponds directly to human health and quality of life throughout the world. Regardless of whether or not an environmental hazard exists in one's community or backyard, it is necessary to be informed of the issues that affect us all. The goals of the conference were thus met by clarifying that environmental injustice is indeed occurring, thereby instilling in each participant the need for continued education and involvement in the quest for safe and healthy environments for all. This is the way in which environmental justice will prevail in future societies.

Asian Literature Essay

Asia, the world’s largest continent, expands from the area formerly known as the U.S.S.R. to the Bering Strait and as far south as the Indian Ocean. Scholars limit the areas of Asia to focus predominantly on the Eastern Asian area in regard to Asian American literary guidelines. Asian American literature allows a further exploration of the past and traditional Asian philosophies like Confucianism and Buddhism. Asian American literature also provides a voice to a culture generally ignored allowing Asian American authors to dispel stereotypes and explain cultural traditions. Asian American literature contains numerous originating nationalities, religions, languages, and philosophies for a monolithic philosophical definition. Asian Philosophy The basis of Eastern Asian philosophy finds roots in the principle of awareness of the relationship between all things and events. This principle explains the idea of the concept of the unification of an individual with the universe or a sense of oneness. Eastern philosophy encompasses the principles of Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Taoism. Buddhists believe in the principle of the Middle Way or to seek moderation and avoid self-indulgence or extravagance (Ling, n.d.). Buddhists accept the impermanence of nature and an interconnection of all things. Confucianism encompasses the principles of personal and governmental morality, appropriateness of social relationships, sincerity, and justice (Ling, n.d.). Hinduism in India and Taoism in China are two other philosophies reigning from Eastern Asia. Hinduism expresses a belief in the idea of the Absolute. This principle explains the accepted human reality as an illusion because the spirit lives infinitely. Hinduism preaches the idea of meditation to connect with the environment and reach self-realization. Taoism expresses the principle of Nature. Taoists believe the principle of Nature flows throughout life and connects all things (Ling, n.d.). Taoists seek to find harmony with Nature to find a happy and virtuous life. Limited exposure to Asian philosophy in America through literature cause a stereotypical and limited opinion of Asian American culture and philosophy. Typically Americans find exposure to Asian and Asian American culture and philosophy through movies and television shows creating specific stereotypes of Asian culture. The inadequate availability of Asian and Asian American literature in the United States to explain the principles of the Asian philosophies Asian Americans believe does not provide a strong voice in the Asian American community for change. The literature available explains the experience of Asian Americans in the United States. Asian Literature The experiences of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans in modern society typify Asian American literature. Scholars generally recognized Asian American literature written beginning in the 1970s as part of the Asian American canon. Asian American literature depicts the immigrant experience in America and in later generation assimilation. Asian American literature illustrates how language created stereotypes difficult to overcome. Asian American literature also explores the feelings of Asian Americans living in internment camps during WWII and how Asian Americans incorporate Asian culture with American culture to fit into the American cultural scheme. In the essay â€Å"Mother Tongue† by Amy Tan explains how all people speak in different languages and the subsequent categorization based on speech. Tan explains the different types of English she uses to write and the kind of English she uses when she speak with her mother. When Tan speaks to her mother she speaks broken English so that her mother understands rather than grammatically correct English. â€Å"I heard myself saying this: not waste money that way,† (Wong, 1996, p. 40). Tan explains she uses this type of English when speaking with her family even though her mother understands more English than speaking in a broken up pattern denotes. Tan later says, â€Å"When I was growing up, my mother’s â€Å"limited† English limited my perception of her,† (Wong, 1996, p. 43). Tan explains how in generally American’s view Asians who speak with fractured English as limited in knowledge or intelligence and how she herself was a victim of viewing her own mother through this stereotype. Tan uses the experience of her Asian mother to explain cultural racism in America and how English as her second language speakers makes daily communications difficult. In â€Å"No Name Woman† by Maxine Hong Kingston explains how a Chinese mother explained life lessons and warnings to her children through the same stories she grew up being told. The mother in the story tells a bloody tale of a woman who disgraced herself by becoming pregnant and how the villagers destroyed the woman’s belongings and the family’s home as well as killing animals and taking items to bless themselves after cleansing the house. The story ends with the pregnant woman killing herself and her baby and is never mentioned by the family again as if she never existed. â€Å"Don’t let your father know I that I told you. He denies her. Now that you have started to menstruate, what happened to her could happen to you. Don’t humiliate us,† (Maxine Hong Kingston, n.d., para. 9). Kingston’s mother embraces traditional storytelling from over the top examples to discourage behavior in the younger generations. Garrett Hongo’s â€Å"Kubota† tells the story of Hongo’s grandfather and how after the attacks on Pearl Harbor by Japan he and his family feared for their lives. Hongo’s grandfather, a Japanese American citizen, gathered for questioning by the FBI because of being part Japanese. It did not matter that he was born an American citizen as were the other Japanese Americans gathered it only mattered that he was Asian. â€Å"Many of these men–it was exclusively the Japanese American men suspected of ties to Japan who were initially rounded up–did not see their families again for over four years,† (Hongo, 1995, para. 7). Hongo explores the political prejudices endured by Japanese American’s during the war and how this treatment changed people. Hongo explained, â€Å"I am Kubota’s eldest grandchild, and I remember him as a lonely, habitually silent old man who lived with us in our home near Los Angeles for most of my childhood a nd adolescence,† (Hongo, 1995, para. 8). Conclusion Asian American literature encompasses the philosophical and cultural traditions of the area in Asia known as Eastern Asia. The generally accepted principle throughout different Asian philosophies is self-actualization and oneness with the nature. In the United States Asian immigrants struggled to find work and cultural identity while assimilating to American culture. Often Americans stereotype older Asian Americans as not intelligent because of a fractured way of speaking English rather than speaking with proper grammar. Asians in America faced political racism during the war Asian Americans loyalty came into question because of the physical appearance of Asian descent. Asian American literature includes the colorful and dramatic storytelling style of Asian culture when explaining the importance of accepting and continuing traditional Asian values to younger Asian American generations.

1984 by George Orwell: Challenging Relationships and Power Play

1984 by George Orwell explores the challenging relationships between different sets of powerplay. It ultimately maneuvers subordinates into positions where it is able to hold power against them, shaping the wants and desires of the powerless. The public awareness of this use of power is nil, as everyone struggles to be the perfect party member, yet as individuals, the desire to hold what is beyond their grasp calls them, and members of the public strive to find the pieces of their independence. Orwell places a normal character into a world where every aspect of life is dominated by a power so indestructible, hope created is scarce. The protagonist, Winston, is concerned with individual freedom and expression, and these two issues control his journey through the book. Winston struggles to discover his individuality, with the knowledge that the moment he began to separate from the public thought, he was a dead man. Winston holds onto hope, writing in his journal towards the beginning of the text, † If there is hope, it lies in the proles. The unsatisfying reality hits Winston the moment he realises the proles (short for proletarians, the lowest class in this society) are of no hope at all. The statement, that the proles † can be granted intellectual liberty because they have no intellect„ , brings the truth to light. If we view the entire lower class in 1984 as one individual, it portrays the helplessness of the proles against the Party, against Big Brother, the larger powers of society. The manner in which Winston describes the lower classes, it is not difficult to view them as one whole, one more character in the text. Another failed idea of hope is that of the younger generation. Often used in other texts as a positive change in regime, 1984 turns the children into the armours of betrayal, abandoning even their own families to the Thought Police, as Parson#s children do to their father while he sleeps. By creating a situation which mocks reasonable hopes, 1984 alludes to the issue of vulnerability of the individual once again. This irony is similar to that in the poem † Ozy Mandias„ by Percy Bysshe Shellie, who creates an irony through change in history. The persona declares † I am Ozy Mandias, king of kings/ look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair! „ These two lines juxtapose the next, which simply states † Nothing else remains„ . Just when a power thinks it can survive even God, shown through the capatilisation of the †M„ in † Mighty„, time destroys his works, leaving † Two vast and trunkless legs of stone„ standing † in the desertâ€Å" . Although the irony is cutely different in technique, the emphasis remains in the power driven manners they are obtained. Through the systematic indoctrination of the children in 1984 to preserve Big Brother for the future, leaving no hope of change, so too does Shellie through writing this poem preserve the legacy of OzyMandias. And so sure is Ozy Mandias that his image will survive that of God#s, so too is modern society#s hope in their children. This irony leads the individual on, leaving the reality of the situation too late to escape it.

Types of Writing Classes

Types of Writing Classes There is no better way to become a better writer than to sign up for and take some basic writing classes.   These classes can be found all over the place, at local park districts or community colleges, to online clubs, or a local group that meets weekly at a cafe to discuss their work. I strongly believe that anyone who has any serious desires towards becoming a writer, or simply to improve their style and tone should be signed up for these classes and meeting with other writers.   They will critique your work and help you learn how to more effectively communicate your ideas in writing, which, of course, will help you grow as a writer and as a person. In my experience, the best classes are offered through colleges, though they are typically much more expensive there than anywhere else.   Try to find a community college where you can take some classes at a significant discount rather than a major state university or a private school.   In general, the classes will be significantly less money, and there will be fewer people in class, so you get more of a one-on-one with the teacher. Another option is to start, or to find a local group to meet with and discuss your writing with.   This is difficult for many people who aren’t sure where to look.   Indeed, these little clubs are a little hard to find, and many do not actively look for new members, so it is difficult to get into even if you can find one. The other option, which is often the best option for most people, is to enroll in an online writing class.   These classes are offered all over the place, often through colleges (again, expensive), but they do not require you to meet regularly or discuss in person, since everything is done through an online forum. Other times, there are types of writing classes which focus on giving you exercises and practice activities to engage your mind in writing on things that you normally wouldn’t consider writing about.   I personally think that these are more helpful to you than writing critique groups because they take you out of your element and force you to try something totally new.   This can help people who write only in one style by helping them realize new techniques that they can take from the new discipline and apply to their own. No matter what kind of class you decide on, make sure you take the time to go out and sign up for one right away.

Asking Better Questions with Blooms Taxonomy

Asking Better Questions with Bloom's Taxonomy Benjamin Bloom is known for developing the taxonomy of higher level thinking questions. The taxonomy provides categories of thinking skills that help educators formulate questions. The taxonomy begins with the lowest level thinking skill and moves to the highest level of thinking skill. The six thinking skills from lowest level to highest level are KnowledgeComprehensionApplicationAnalysisSynthesisEvaluation To really understand what this means, lets take Goldilocks and the 3 Bears and apply Blooms taxonomy. Knowledge Who was the biggest bear? What food was too hot? Comprehension Why didnt the bears eat the porridge?Why did the bears leave their house? Application List the sequence of events in the story.Draw 3 pictures showing the beginning, middle and ending of the story. Analysis Why do you think Goldilocks went for a sleep?How would you feel if you were Baby Bear?What kind of person do you think Goldilocks is and why? Synthesis How could you re-write this story with a city setting?Write a set of rules to prevent what happened in the story. Evaluation Write a review for the story and specify the type of audience that would enjoy this book.Why has this story been told over and over again throughout the years?Act out a mock court case as though the bears are taking Goldilocks to court. Blooms taxonomy helps you to ask questions that make learners think. Always remember that higher level thinking occurs with higher level questioning. Here are the types of activities to support each of the categories in Blooms Taxonomy: Knowledge LabelListNameStateOutlineDefineLocateRepeatIdentifyRecite Comprehension DiscussExplainProvide proof ofProvide an outlineDiagramMake a posterMake a collageMake a cartoon stripAnswer who, what, when, where, why questions Application ReportConstructSolveIllustrateConstructDesign Analysis SortAnalyzeInvestigateClassifySurveyDebateGraphCompare Synthesis InventExamineDesignFormulateHypothesizeRe-tell differentlyReportDevelop a gameSongExperimentGenerateCompose Evaluation SolveJustifySelf-evaluateConcludeDo an editorialWeight the pros/consMock trialGroup discussionJustifyJudgeCriticizeAppraiseJudgeRecommendation backed with informed opinionsWhy do you think.... The more you move toward higher level questioning techniques, the easier it gets. Remind yourself to ask open ended questions, ask questions that stimulate why do you think type answers. The goal is to get them thinking. What color  hat was he wearing? is a low-level thinking question, Why do you think he wore that color? is better. Always look to questioning and activities that make learners think. Blooms taxonomy provides an excellent framework to help with this.

Radical Behaviorist Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Radical Behaviorist Critique - Essay Example For the purpose of ensuring that the learner meets the learning outcome described above, it is of essence to use the constructivism radical approach during instruction. Constructivist approach Constructivism involves allowing the learner to solve problems on their own based on the experience they have gained over time. A constructivist classroom does not consider the learner as a passive recipient of information. Rather, the learner is actively involved in discovering knowledge by themselves and not necessarily depending on the instructor. In constructivist learning, the role of the teacher is simply to facilitate learning activities, then leaving the learner to acquire knowledge on their own. According to Seel (2011) constructivist theorists believe that the acquisition of knowledge is determinant on prior knowledge. Therefore, a learner only builds up upon previous knowledge while learning. Accordingly, in my mathematics class, the learners will be required to use the knowledge the y have acquired over time coupled with new ideas to find solutions to the algebraic problems. More importantly, the learners will use the mathematical knowledge they have acquired previously to achieve the set learning outcomes. ... This means that as a learner continues to perceive external information, they continually blend it with what they already know about the topic and make a meaning out of it. The process of acquiring external information may be through reading a book or viewing images. In the process of doing either, the learner stores the information in the short-term memory then later on, after they are through reading or viewing, the information is transferred into the long-term memory (Seel, 2011). From the long-term memory, the information can now be retrieved as knowledge. Using this information processing theory, I would change the view of constructivists that the teacher does not have a very important role to play in learner-centered learning. It is obvious that the learner needs the teacher to simplify some of the concepts for easier encoding and decoding. Therefore, in as much as the learner should be left to solve the problem on their own, the teacher needs to guide the learner in perceiving the instructions and solving the problem. Some algebraic equations may be too complex for the learner and they may need the teacher’s intervention. Schema theory of meaningful learning According to the schema theory, meaningful learning can only occur if the learner is able to use their schema to interpret their experiences. Schema in this case refers to a learner’s existing knowledge. This theory is somehow similar to the constructivist theory, in that it emphasizes on the role played by prior experiences in determining how a learner acquires knowledge. The constructivist and schema theories belong to a group of learning approaches that emphasize on discovery learning. Here, the learner is left to discover concepts on their own,

Marketing Plan for the Next Year for Atlantic Quench Assignment

Marketing Plan for the Next Year for Atlantic Quench - Assignment Example Atlantic Quench aims at availing the highest quality of juice and non-juice drink to the UK market at affordable prices. The juice drinks include: Cranberry Original Juice and Cranberry Mixed Juice Drinks, which are the main drink. They also offer Juice Max – pure Juice and Grab ‘n’ Go – Single Serve, among many others. The non-juice products include Cranberry Sauces and Cranberry Cordial Juice Drinks, as listed by Katsigris & Thomas (2012) as well as Fresh Cranberries, and New Dried Cranberries. The company also aims at introducing a new drink within the next one year.EconomicGiven the fact that the company always make sure that their products are as affordable as possible, it has been seen that the products are doing well in the UK market. Furthermore, the income per capita of the UK population is high enough for them to afford these products by Atlantic Quench (Lamb 2012, p. 197). Socio-culturalThe people of UK also like drinking juice. This is the reaso n as to why the brand has been able to do well in the UK. The new product being a tropical juice drink is likely to do well given the fact that UK residents consume juices in large quantities.TechnologyTechnology has also been a very important factor in the performance of the brand in the UK. The company has the latest production technologies that enable them to get the most from the fruits and make sure that they are preserved in a manner that the consumers are not affected in any way.