Credit & Identity Theft Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Credit & Identity Theft - Research Paper Example You should know all of your payment due dates. Make a list of all your regular due dates and if a bill doesn’t show up, look into it right away. You should always review your medical insurance claims and statements. Medical costs are so high that it would only take one or two fraudulent claims to leave you owing thousands of dollars for treatments someone else received. Another way to protect yourself is to invest in a paper shredder. There is just so much information on so many different bills and statements that can easily fall into the wrong hands. Before you throw away anything with any personal information on it, shred it! Another good idea to take advantage of the three free credit reports that you can access every year. You can space them apart so that you can review a credit report every 4 months. Not only is it important to keep someone from accessing your identity or your credit but it’s just as important that you become aware of it right away. The longer it goes undetected, the longer it will take you to repair your name, your identity and your credit. It’s important to keep in mind that this is a global problem. Last year I got a phone call from my credit card company asking if I had made two charges totally about $1000 in France. They told me that the two charges were actually â€Å"swipes† at two stores in Paris, France which means that someone had actually made up a fake credit card with my credit card number on it and passed it through a credit card machine. Even though they didn’t allow the two charges I felt violated that somehow somebody had gotten my credit card information. Mine was a small case. Some people have been financially ruined with their bank accounts emptied; credit cards â€Å"maxed† out, home and car loans initiated without the victim’s knowledge until it was too late. As I stated earlier, if your identity is stolen it is important that you find out as quickly as

Reflective Practice And The Effect Education Essay

Reflective Practice And The Effect Education Essay This essay aims to examine the extent that secondary school teachers understand and involve themselves in reflective practice and the effect of this for their professional development. I will discuss the term Professional Development in order to demonstrate that a change in practice is an important part of development. In the Literature Review I propose to explore a) teachers understanding of professional development, b) how they partake of reflective practice, c) the changes that can be brought about in their reflective practice and d) the issues that are associated with these changes. I believe that the knowledge that secondary teachers acquire is not sufficient in itself and that they should continually strive for professional development so that they can also encourage effective learning by their pupils. I then propose to look at the methods and questions that teachers should ask themselves so that they can identify any discrepancies between espoused theories and theories in use. This ensures that change and development can be addressed, as this identification plays an important element for professional development in which teachers can monitor any changes in practice. Espoused theories have restrictions in not being able to assess the thinking processes that teachers use to revise and change practice. This is due to the processes which are reinforced in the unconscious (theories in use). A teacher may not be aware of these processes (theories in use), and what we espouse when investigating practice, may not be similar with any actions. Espoused theories provide a structure to engage in professional exchange in order to identify discrepancies between espoused beliefs and theories in use. This applies to a large extent on the expertise in which the teacher can reflect on his or her own abilities and also helps another to reflect, question, understand and analyse classroom behaviour which concerns teaching. Beauchamp and Thomas (2009:178) have found the following statement a useful starting point in the overall perception of teacher development: Developing an identity as a teacher is an important part of securing teachers commitment to their work and adherence to professional normsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the identities teachers develop shape their dispositions, where they place their effort, whether and how they seek out professional development opportunities, and what obligations they see as intrinsic to their role. (Hammerness, Darling-Hammond, Bransford, 2005, pp. 383-384) Professional Development has been defined by Evans (2002:132) as the process whereby teachers professionality and/or professionalism may be considered to be enhanced. She defines professionality as an ideological based stance on the part of an individual in relation to the practice to which she/he belongs, and which influences her/his professional practice(2002:131). Professional Development is about becoming more expert. Stenberg(2010:331) refers to the process as extending self- knowledge. It is about questioning and changing habits that were developed in order to cope in certain situations. Mason (2002:1)notes it is a form of personal enquiry in order to broaden and deepen professional sensitivities to notice and to act. We need to understand, therefore, what constitutes the developmental process what must happen in order for teachers to develop. Evans (2002) further identifies within the term professionality, two elements which can be identified, namely Attitudinal Development and Functional Development. Attitudinal Development is the process where teachers attitudes to their work are modified ( p.132). This features an ability for the professional teacher to be reflective/analytical , and also to show elements of motivation e.g. towards a variety of aspects of their work. Clearly, reflection is at the heart of what it means to be a professional(Goodson, 2007:129) and at its best, I believe, that any outcome of reflection is always at the heart of valid self-reflection. Pollard (2005:15) states that reflective teaching implies an active concern with aims and consequences as well as means and technical competence. It is therefore clear that there are particular skills and dispositions associated with being a reflective practitioner. Reflection is widely regarded as a meaningful way for teachers to achieve a deeper sense of self (Beauchamp Thomas, 2009) Functional Development is where teachers professional performance may be improved (p132). This combines changes in the methods that teachers apply to their teaching and also the changes that teachers make in the process of improving their professional performance and as a result a change in their practice. I would argue that these two developmental features are interconnected with teachers not being able to develop one component in relation to one and not the other. Evans'(2002)definition, nonetheless, refers to both of the processes outlined above for promoting professional development( intellectual features) and to the outcomes which come out of this development (changes in processes and productivity). Days (1999)definition of professional development has considerable breadth and depth and: is the process by which, alone and others, teachers review, renew and extend their commitment as change agents to the moral purposes of teaching; and by which they acquire and develop critically the knowledge, skills and emotional intelligence essential to good professional thinking planning and practice with children young people and colleagues through each phase of their teaching lives.(p.4). All learning experiences, according to Day (1999), contribute to educational quality in the classroom and are part of the professional development of teachers. They are critically reflective professionals in their on-going development throughout their teaching careers. According to Bolam (2002), former Professor of Education at Cardiff Universitys School of Social Sciences, professional development is an on-going process in education, training and support activities which is aimed mainly at promoting learning and development of teachers professional knowledge, skills and values and also to help decide and implement valued changes in their teaching and learning behaviour so that they can educate their students more effectively (p.4). For Bolam, professional development is a process that is on-going whose aim is to encourage professional knowledge, values and skills. Professional development will, therefore, result in valued changes in teaching and pupils being educated more effectively. Clearly, reflection is at the heart of what it means to be a professional, (Goodson, 2007:129) and at its best, I believe, that any outcome of reflection is always at the heart of valid self-reflection. Pollard (2005:15) states that reflective teaching implies an active concern with aims and consequences as well as means and technical competence. It is therefore clear that there are particular skills and dispositions associated with being a reflective practitioner. Reflection is widely regarded as a meaningful way for teachers to achieve a deeper sense of self (Beauchamp Thomas, 2009) Reflective practice is fundamental to teacher professional development as it is a core activity within the profession. Teachers who engage in reflective practice need not only to have competencies but also attitudes. When Dewey defined reflective action as behaviour which involves active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief or practice in light of the grounds that support it and the further consequences to which it leads (1910:9), he believed that the attitudes of a) open-mindedness, b) responsibility and c) wholeheartedness were necessary for suitable reflective action (1910:29,34). These then were adapted by Pollard (2003:17), and accepted as a major component of professional commitment. Wholeheartedness. Aspiring to develop professional development thereby enabling engaging in reflection and aspiration towards reflection in order to progress in our professional capacity. Open-mindedness. This attitude makes us consider different ways of reflective teaching by investigating other practices rather than relying on their own. I would suggest that, however open-minded we are, we should examine critically whether another practice would suit our own educational goal in our teaching. Responsibility. Professionals who accept responsibility of their action also accept accountability for their enhanced performance which produces better outcomes. Together, these three attitudes need to be demonstrated by teachers whose objectives are to be reflective teachers. In the work of Zeichner and Liston(1996:6)this responsibility for professional commitment is clearly linked to reflective practice: When embracing the concepts of reflective teaching, there is often a commitment by teachersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.to take responsibility for their own professional development. This assumption of responsibility is a central feature of the idea of the reflective teacher. Day (1999) constitutes change as part of planning and professional thinking which contribute to changes in practice because teachers planning and thinking will certainly lead to reflection in what they will do in their classrooms. For Calderhead(2012:11) , planning is not a rational or linear process but a much more creative, interactive, problem finding and problem solving process where a teacher might start with an idea and through various multi-faceted strategies of reflexivity, eventually come to form a classroom activity or activities. Consequently, the major outcome of professional developmental planning is change in practice and, I believe, is a direct function of the adeptness of teachers. Any change is founded upon personal ethical values. We are what we do rather than what we say we are (Bolton 2005.) It is difficult to gain clarification regarding ethical issues expressed in practice, its much easier to say what we believe. Argyris and Schà ¶n(1974:6-7) developed theories of action which demonstrate how changes in behaviour could be achieved. They note that there are two types of theories of action, namely espoused theories and theories in use. Espoused theories represent what we say we believe, we mean to do or actually do. In contrast, theories in use describe what we actually do and the beliefs and theories which have determined what we do. Another contribution by Argyris and Schà ¶n(1974:19) is the difference between single loop learning and double loop learning. Single-loop learning involves enabling people to develop knowledge and skills appropriate to and defined by present circumstances while, in contrast double- loop learning involves redefining the nature of problems faced by an individual and learning how to cope with the new understanding. In single loop learning, the teacher will strive to learn more skills to further increase class control but will not address the fundamental problem that his theory in use is not working. He may consider that maintaining such strict control is disadvantageous to his own effectiveness as a teacher. If he does so, he may now strive to acquire skills that allow for the development for more inclusive teaching styles, greater pupil involvement and a deepening of the learning experience. Such a response can be seen as double loop learning learning that the original theory in use was ineffective and then acquiring skills to modify the theory in use to bring it more in line with the espoused theory with a focus that is deeper and broader than they had previously attempted. Tomlinson(1995:72), nonetheless, recommends us to be alert to the possibility of deskilling ourselves when we try to perform consciously and deliberately actions and skill that are intuitive through experience. For Er aut(2004: 51)its reflecting critically upon that evidence, without necessarily having to explain tacit knowledge that is functioning well. However, if that knowledge is ineffective, the situation has to be reviewed and tacit knowledge subjected to scrutiny. Differentiating between the two theories is central to the work of Argyris and Schà ¶n. One of the main factors which moves the individual from single-loop to double-loop is feedback. The teacher who continues to increase classroom control is unlikely to seek feedback but the teacher who changes his theory-in-use is far more likely to seek feedback from colleagues and pupils when he runs into problems. Tomlinson (1995:26) notes that Schà ¶n and Dreyfus and Dreyfus assume that the acquisition of systematic capabilities like teaching must be seen as requiring assistance from others. One outcome of theory in use is that practitioners are not aware of what their experience has taught them about their practice. They may perform their practice with great expertise but not be able to explicitly describe their actions. The reason being is that actions are supported by theories which are in-built in the unconscious and that cannot be expressed. Teachers may not be aware of all that has taken place while in action or the knowledge about how to perform their practice. According to Osterman and Kottkamp(1993:7) a professional colleague can identify behavioural regularities and also the assumptions that lie beneath them. These behavioural regularities refer to our patterns of behaviour which become second nature to us despite perhaps being ineffective. This, I would argue, are the inconsitencies between espoused theories and theories-in-use that we, as reflective educators, are unaware of. Schà ¶n(1987) uses the term knowing in action in order to show that people know what to do while in action and stresses that knowing in action is implicit. The knowing is in the action (1987:25). However, what this model neglects, according to Thompson and Pascal (2012), is what they refer to as reflection-for-action. This is an aspect of reflective practice that Schà ¶n did not discuss. It refers to the process of planning, thinking ahead about what is to come, so that one can draw on experience (and the professional knowledge base implicit within it) in order to make the best use of the time resources available. While discussing reflective practice in Higher Education, Brockbank and McGill (1998:72) have also noted that even if they are clear as regards the process they follow in order to enable students to learn, there may be an entire range of unintended actions on their part as well as their students. Its only when this application of their practice is brought to their attention, that they are aware of it. One outcome of the unconscious existence of theories in use is inconsistencies between theories in use and espoused theories or between actions and outcomes. Many educators have theories in their head (espoused theories) and yet they behave in ways which are quite dissimilar (theories in use). Is this because they are unaware of the theories- in- use in our unconscious? Teachers may have an idea in their conscious about their actions which may differ from their theories-in-use and even though the outcomes of their actions are inadequate, they may keep applying the same approach with the hope that this approach will, at some time in the future, produce desirable outcomes. These theories-in-use are so deep-rooted within peoples unconscious, that they take them for granted and therefore cannot measure them and cannot see the relationship between their actions and the unacceptable outcomes. Awareness of theories-in-use can be realized when people describe their own actions. Osterman and Kottkamp (1993) define reflective practice as a means by which practitioners can develop à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a greater level of self-awareness about the nature and impact of their performance, an awareness that creates opportunities for professional growth and development (1993:19). Personal reflection may not lead to any significant change and as a result theories-in-use run the risk of remaining implicit. Dadds(1993:287) perceives that we are more likely to remain open to further learning and professional development if we have the support of acquaintances that can help us through the potentially dangerous processes of self-evaluation. However, Eraut(2004:49) notes that the purpose of a reflection episode is not always clear, and may differ among the participants. Sometimes an individual can reflect rather vaguely or if other members of the group have very different agendas. Any positive outcome will depend on having sufficient time, the quality of the relationships within the group and the expertise of any facilitators. Educators can also espouse a broad range of beliefs. Teachers beliefs or conceptions about teaching and learning influence strongly how they teach and what pupils achieve. Belief must be inferred and because it can be problematic to uncover teachers beliefs, most of the research in this area has been case studies as quantitative methods would not be able to compare without difficulty. Pajares ( 1992) proposed that beliefs can be defined as : An individuals judgement of the truth or falsity of a proposition, a judgement that can only be inferred from a collective understanding of what human beings, say, intend and do (1992: 316) According to Calderhead (1996:719) there are five main areas in which teachers have significant beliefs. These are : i) Learners and learning. This belief looks at how pupils learn and how likely they are to influence how teachers approach teaching tasks and their interaction with their pupils. ii) Teaching. This belief refers to the learning environment and the purpose of teaching. iii) Subjects or curriculum. This belief refers at the content of the curriculum, the effect of knowledge within these subjects and the aptitude by teachers in carrying out tasks within their subject. iv) Learning to teach. This belief refers to professional development and how educators learn to teach. v) About the self and the nature of teaching. These are the beliefs that teachers have about themselves and their roles in teaching. Calderhead implied,also, that : à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦such areas, however, could well be interconnected, so that beliefs about teaching, for instance, may be closely related to beliefs about learning and the subject(1996:719). There seems to be a recurring theme that what teachers believe in one area of instruction impacts on practices and conceptions in the other domains. My belief of assessment, for example, is shaped by my conceptualisation of learning and teaching and therefore, affect the way that I teach and assess. In order to produce as many espoused beliefs as possible, questions must be asked about beliefs in all of Calderheads five domains. As educators we need to ask questions of a more extensive nature which refer to our beliefs, goals and values. By reflecting on these questions, espoused theories can be elicited. Our responsibilities, therefore, as teachers, is to make the tacit explicit. Shulman (1988:22) also points out that teachers will become better educators when they begin to have explicit answers to certain questions. Osterman and Kottkamp (2004) suggest: Why did events take place as they did? What ideas and feelings prompted my actions? Did my actions correspond with my intentions? Did my actions lead to the outcomes I intended? (2004:49) Shulman(1993:34) says that answering such questions not only makes a teacher become skilled but it also requires a combination of reflection on practical experience as well as theoretical understanding. Ghaye (2011) suggest the use of value statements where information is collected about espoused beliefs and which can begin with the words I believeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ followed by the word becauseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The first half of the statement is concerned with the what, while the second half focuses on why, or the rationale for the what . (2011:102) Convery (2001:139) maintains that reflection can only be developed in social and emotional circumstances. This is in contrast with Schà ¶ns lack of attention to the role of dialogue in teachers learning as reflection is also a social process requiring, what I would emphasise as collaborative discussion, to allow the development of a critical perspective and also that cognitive skills are developed as a means of improving practice. Cognitive skills refer to espoused theories and beliefs, values, actions and attitudes. Emotional aspects denote feelings. Osterman and Kottkamp (1993:20) note that feelings are essential because actions are influenced by feelings as well as actions. Teachers could be asked to describe feelings that encouraged certain action, in order to further explore the theories-in-use where people can become aware of how unconsciously expectations reinforce their actions when they are forced to reflect on their feelings and deliberate how certain feelings make them think and behave. Osterman and Kottkamp (1993) note that only by understanding the personal reaction of ourselves and others can we come to a full understanding of the problem and develop appropriate solutions. (1993:24). This is also endorsed by Brockbank and McGill (1998:85) who maintain that part of the skill in facilitating reflective learning though reflective dialogue is to grapple with that tendency for inter-personal collusion. Any self-reflection needs to be supported and supplemented by dialogue by a professional colleague which will add to the potentiality for reflecting over and above that which one would undertake on his own. Brockbank and McGill suggest that this form of questioning can encourage teachers to look at traits of behaviour that they might be oblivious to. Indeed, asking professionals to explore aspects of their teaching processes, which could have been easily overlooked, can be helpful in their professional development. This is because teachers would be required to express areas of their practice which they would never have reflected on without inspiration from their co-workers or critical friendships'(Day, 1995:123), which increases the possibilities of moving though stages of reflection to confrontation of thinking and practice within professional development to reinforce a sense of responsibility by affirming confidence in teachers professionalism ( Day, 1995: 124) As a result, discrepancies are easily identified between actions and outcomes. Another way of noticing discrepancies between espoused theories and theories-in-use is to question or compare expectations and perceptions held by the person who is describing the practice and those who listen. Loughran (2006:57) notes that working with colleaguesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦provides the opportunity of gaining advice and feedbackà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and of continuing to push to make the tacit explicit. Livingston and Schiach (2010:85-86) note that a collaborative approach will result in better outcomes by bringing together different perspectives and having the opportunity to develop mutual understanding to create new knowledge and meaning. Listening to assumptions of other teachers about what strengthens a particular teachers practice can improve the identification of discrepancies of behaviour. As a result, the teacher can reflect whether what he espouses about practice is similar with others thinking of what is happening in action. As a result of this, any discrepancies between actions and outcomes are revealed and one can ask whether these assumptions are appropriate for what we aim to achieve in our practice or whether we should discuss other alternative interpretations for a different outcome and improvements. Once these improvements in our practice are put in place , once can reflect further on the nature of these improvements(Ghaye and Ghaye, 1998). One can examine whether the method to achieve these improvements has taken place as espoused where there is a discrepancy between beliefs and action, or whether the level of these improvements is the expected where there is a discrepancy between actions and outcome s. Consequently, personal growth and development is possible when an awareness of the nature and influence of an action is developed. As a result, does a teachers action lead to preferred outcomes, or are those actions associated with espoused theories? These discrepancies can be identified either between espoused theories and theories-in use or between actions and outcomes. Academics agree that engaging in reflective practice is neither a direct process nor a process with a predetermined conclusion. It is a process that is recurring (Argyris and Shà ¶n, 1974; Day, 1999; Osterman and Kottkamp, 1993; Pollard, 2002). When educators involve themselves in reflective practice they aim to bring about substantial changes in practice in which they will achieve their long-term goals and their aim of developing professionally. This can only be achieved if they become aware of their underlying theories-in-use and being able to recognize the discrepancies between espoused theories and theories-in-use. This process gives them the opportunity to move between different stages of reflection. They may have taken on board a colleagues recommendations, for example and begun to identify discrepancies of behaviour. This would make them aware of other aspects of their practice before reflection on new ways of action. As a result, the cycle of reflection begins again. To conclude, this essay has attempted to take an overview of professional development through reflective practice in terms of the literature, what is meant by reflection, the key Theorists associated with Reflection, and its practical use in professional practice. Change in practice plays an important part in professional development and, while I believe that self-reflection is important, it can only be achieved by reflecting with other colleagues where espoused theories and theories in use can be identified and developed to further professional development where the objective is to identify discrepancies between espoused theories and theories in use.

Alternative Energy Sources and New Technologies :: War Politics Essays

Alternative Energy Sources and New Technologies Oil may not be the main reason for our military action against Iraq, but the Middle East has the majority of the world’s oil. If the politics of that area were reorganized and we had not taken military action, Saddam Husein could have cut off his supply of oil to our country, shooting our prices to outrageous heights. If we could lessen our dependency on such countries for oil, our country would be much better off. When a crisis hits the U.S. or when conflict arises, we are always in a bind because of our dependency on other countries for oil. It raises our prices, and with a slowing sinking economy, the citizens cannot handle high prices. Cars and factories put off many different poisonous gasses into our air. These can make people very sick, cause plants and animals to die, and causes our atmosphere to become hazardous while depleting the O-zone layer. Another problem is oil spillage. About 1,000 barrels of oil seep per day into our ocean waters. About 11,000 barrels of U.S. oil got spilled from tankers from 1980 to 1998. But this doesn't include the barrels that were spilled outside of U.S. waters, which was about another 72,000 barrels. These numbers are simply too, high. They are improving, but still need to be decrease more. Alternative resources can solve so many of our countries problems. Alternative resources would cause our politicians to be less worried about an oil crisis because of our relations with other countries, but also it would simply decrease our fuel consumption to be saved for later uses, and drastically help clean our environment such as our air, land, and water. As I mentioned before, we have serious political conflict between countries that are major oil exporters and ourselves. These countries have the power to raise and lower our prices by simply be disturbing the relationship between their nation and ours. In addition, because these countries are not always ready to give us the oil we need, we must conserve our oil. In our reserves alone, we have only 599.3 million bbl. (bbl) of oil stored beneath Texas and in the Louisiana Gulf Coast. This is only enough to cover the supply coming from Iraq for 6 months. We need to save it incase of an extreme emergency.

Philosophy, Abortion Essay

Judith Thomson in her article ‘A Defense of Abortion’ the scholar discusses philosophical and psychological issues, outlining the biases of common perception of abortion as a murder. Her primary argument relates to developmental issues, which either directly or implicitly suggest that human ontogenesis begins after the birth, so â€Å"the fetus is not a person from the moment of conception. A newly fertilized ovum, a newly implanted clump of cells, is no more a person than an acorn is an oak tree† (Thomson, 1971, p. 7). In addition, the author positions human right for choice, more precisely, to control physical processes as a redline of the paper. Interestingly, the scholar defends women’s position in the following way: supporting the interests of the prospective child, the members of anti-abortion movement often forget that the mother is also a person, who might feel discomfort or fear when ‘housing’ her child, moreover – might be at health risk, as the lives of pregnant woman are not actually safe. The female therefore is entitled to protect herself from such threats or eliminate them. On the one hand, the unborn individual definitely has the right to live. On the other hand, the woman unquestionably can decide whether to allow the unborn individual to use her organs, as no-one can be forced to allow physical intrusion. The right for life, she continues, relates precisely to the right not to be killed unjustly, but abortion is in reality a murder, providing the eradication of the health threat (pain, at least). The independence of fetus, as Thomson argues, is extremely doubtful, because such prospective children need the women’s physical resources, a house, in Thomson’s words. Finally, the scholar denies the permissibility of abortion and restricts the right for killing the unborn to the presence of health threats, rape or fetus pathology, as Minimally Decent Samaritanism requires of mother safe, sound and healthy reproduction, so the fact of reluctance to bear a child is not enough for abortion, as this phenomenon is viewed as indecent and immoral in the cases behind the three aforementioned conditions.

North and South Growing Together: The Differences It Makes Essay

The Global North and South are in a state of change, that can continue to grow further from a real and loving relationship with God, or become a religion that is closer to what Christ had intended for all us. In the north we see a rise in an individualism, a idea that forgets the evil (SIN) in religion, substitutes God’s grace for self-knowledge, and makes Christ mission about self help instead of global defeat and global salvation. â€Å"Jesus, who became the Christ of faith, suggested that the gospel need some concretization within cultures for it to have a capacity to transform destructive tendencies in them. The evangelizing objective was to seek life-giving elements in cultures which could â€Å"give flesh† to the gospel vision of reconciliation, peace, justice, compassion, and love.† The development of the Christian life and message in context with cultural living is not always clear and can be manifested appropriately in a specific cultural context, however but is not always clear with keeping to the Jesus traditions and Christian traditions at less. Christian traditions are built on Jesus traditions; however, where there is man there is error in caring out Christ’ traditions and teachings without personal characteristics interfering with the inerrant word of God. We are not capable on our own to carry out God’s will without the guidance of the Spirit. Some may ask how the life changing and life giving elements of God’s grace and God’s word determine through culture the true perspective and vision of the gospel? Pedro Arrupe, the former Superior General of the Roman Catholic Jesuit order stated that faith in Christ can be achieved globally if we work to bring the  Gospel needs concretization within cultures for it to have a capacity to transform destructive tendencies in them. Arrupe also stated these words were not his alone but came from Christ. Arrupe stated that inculturation is 1 Thomas Grenham, (2001). Exploring changing religious, cultural, and faith identities in an African context. the â€Å"the incarnation of Christian life and of the Christian message in a particular local cultural context, in such a way that the experience not only finds expression through elements proper to the culture in question (this alone would be no more than a superficial adaptation), but becomes a principle that animates, directs, and unifies a culture, transforming and remaking it so as to bring about ‘a new creation.†3 â€Å"If the Christian life and the Christian message can be embodied in a particular local culture, it seems obvious that a diverse religious way of life and its worldview could be manifested within Christianity, thus ‘a new transformation’ would take place simultaneously for Christianity and a diverse religious worldview.† The changes in some cultural worldviews are changing in a way that incorporates the Gospel of love and relationships into their way of life. This is good as Christ’ missionary work was about relationships, and about restoration of a relationship with God through his sacrifice for all mankind. In the Turkana’s who inhabit Kenya’s northern territories is bringing the good news to everyone including their poor. Traditionally with many of the Southern religions Liberation theology is the normative in their religious beliefs. Where Liberation theology was Pentecostalism has come. But today much of the religious sect in the south are turning to a straight forward reading of the Gospel with a direct interpretation on how to live. We are seeing a beginning of another reformation but not with a idea of some other belief but a reformation back to what we have lost. This is a global influence that is beginning to become a trend amongst many religious sects within the Christ ian worldview. We have lost sight of the Goal but as we begin to emerge from the ashes of sin that we have been living under we begin to be made aware of our transgressions by the Spirit. In is seen more and easily confirmed by this shift in thought by humans that the Triune God is ever so busy in our lives globally as a family imbedded in Christ’ body  that is being made possible by the Spirit. 3 Thomas Grenham, (2001). Exploring changing religious, cultural, and faith identities in an African context. Bibliography Thomas Grenham, (2001). Exploring changing religious, cultural, and faith identities in an African context. Retrieved on August 25, 2013 from Pacifica.org, PDF.

Free Book Promotion Ideas and Services You Shouldnt Miss

Free Book Promotion Ideas and Services You Shouldnt Miss In his 1966 science fiction novel, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, American writer Robert A. Heinlein popularized an acronym as a common expression in the novel- TANSTAAFL! (There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch!)Truly, very few free services provide whats needed and those that are free often come with a catch. This is especially true in the world of self-publishing and book promotion services for indie authors, who often must spend as much time and effort promoting their book after its published as they did writing it in the first place.That being said, weve combed the Internet and found a few free book promotion ideas and services that are worth your time if youre an indie author.There are some book promotional services that are free, allowing you to grow your readership without breaking the bank. Photo by Fabian Blank on Unsplash.Learn about pricing strategyOne of the easiest ways to promote your book doesnt involve payment for a service; rather, its all about pricing strategy. F or example, this article on BookBub discusses some of the most recent statistics in marketing your book after its published. Some of the key points they found by looking at book sales from their own and partner sites include:Pricing low can drive higher unit sales volume. For example, the results of their analysis found that the volume of book sales is over 75% higher at $0.99 than $2.99.Pricing high can yield more revenue during a price promotion. BookBub found that books priced at $2.99 showed an increase of 142% more revenue during their discounts than books priced at $0.99, even though the number of books sold was lower.Shorter price promotions drive more revenue. Their analysis found that discounting a book for five or fewer days results in a 4x higher increase in revenue after the promotion ended.The first book in a series is the best one to discount. Once you get your readers hooked with the first one in a series, its easier to sell the remaining full-priced books that come a fter it. In fact, BookBub found that sales of additional books in the series are 5x higher if you discount the first one.Cross-promotion increases full-priced series sales. If youve published more than one book and use the back cover of your discounted book to cross-promote other titles, youll likely find a 3x higher increase in sales of those other books you cross-promoted.Worldwide promotions can pay off. In fact, youre likely to see a 32% higher increase in sales when you promote internationally.Simply participating in price promotions can increase your author earnings by as much as 196%. And it doesnt cost you a dime!Free promotional servicesWhile there are a lot of sites offering free book promotion services, most require payment for services that would be beneficial for authors. There are multiple websites, eBookStage, for example) that will sell your book for a discount or free if youre looking for ways to promote your novel and find more readers without spending a lot of mon ey, but a few provide more services to help in your book promotion efforts.Indies UnlimitedIndies Unlimited offers multiple free promotional services for writers, including Thrifty Thursday, which takes place on- you guessed it- Thursday of each week.Print Book Party, another promotional opportunity offered by Indies Unlimited, occurs on the first Sunday of every month. It allows authors the opportunity to promote their print books listed at $15 or less, making it an attractive shopping spot for voracious readers looking for their next favorite author at bargain prices.The site also offers Kindle Unlimited Friday, which allows authors to showcase books they offer free within the Kindle Unlimited Program.Authors can also participate in the Guest Post Feature, which is an opportunity to write a guest post for the Indies Unlimited blog. This option allows you to expand your personal blogs readership (if you have one), as well as include a by-line offering information about the book you ve written and are attempting to promote.Book BongoBook Bongo offers both free and paid book marketing services, with book promotion opportunities spanning exposure on Book Bongos social media sites to directing, filming, and editing a 20 to 30- second video montage with soundtrack, professionally created for your book. The latter, of course, isnt free, but this most recent example offers a pretty convincing argument for going with that option.InkittInkitt is a unique approach in book marketing in that they market your unpublished manuscript and offer a book deal if it creates the right buzz among readers. As a boutique publishing house that has published over 30 Amazon Best Sellers, its website claims that it will publish a book every week in upcoming months.Their model is one that starts off free and can mean a book deal if readers like your book enough. They approach it based on the algorithm developed that analyzes crowd wisdom and reading patterns to predict if a book has the p otential to reach a larger readership. You can interact with your readers as a writer and gain exposure among genre enthusiasts looking for a story just like yours.TCK PublishingTCK Publishing is a mass market book publishing company that advertises free publishing and book promotion services. Obviously, its for indie authors who have either not yet published their book or have self-published it and are willing to have it republished while splitting royalties on future sales. For an author who has previously self-published and hasnt had success in book sales, republishing under the TCK Publishing name could be a great way to try again with the same title (with help, this time).The free book promotion services they offer are available only if you publish your book through them, but include:Help with book title ideas and selectionCover designFormatting and publishing for eBooksInterior book design and layout with InDesign for print booksAudiobook narration, editing, mastering, and pub lishingDistributionOngoing marketing campaignsMarketing advice, mentorship, and guidanceTracking sales and royaltiesForeign language rights sales and marketingWebsite design, landing page design, and email marketing systems setupIntroductions to leading bloggers, podcasters, and book reviewers in your marketPR outreach to journalists and media outletsThey guarantee to pay authors 50% of net royalties and 50% of all payments received for subsidiary rights licensing deals, noting that those numbers are three-to-six times more than what you would get with most other traditional publishers.GoodreadsAlthough Goodreads is a kind of social media network for readers, its also an excellent opportunity to promote your book for free. As of April 2016, Goodreads announced that over 50 million user reviews had been posted to its catalogue. And if you have ever searched online for information about a book, you probably already know that Goodreads is one of the first websites that shows up on the search engine results page. It probably doesnt hurt that its owned by Amazon.Even if you already have a Goodreads account as a reader, youll need to join the author program to take advantage of the free book promotion services you can access on the site. When you join the author program, youll need to claim your profile page. After you do so, you can then promote your book and engage with readers across the site. Once verified, your author profile will receive an official Goodreads Author badge, which you can use on your blog, website or other social media accounts to encourage your fans to follow you on Goodreads and leave reviews of your book.Goodreads is a great website for free author and book promotion.Another great feature offered on Goodreads is the Ask the Author option, where readers can interact with you and your work by asking questions. Readers can then use #AskTheAuthor to share some of their favorite responses on Twitter, or authors can post their favorite questions us ing the same hashtag.After you set up your author page, youll have multiple other options for promoting your book, and many require nothing more than time. For example, you can ask your readers to add your book to the Listopia option that helps readers find books in their favorite genre or genres. Readers can then vote for your book and help it rank higher on the Listopia list. Your book can jump from 30th place to 10th place, often with only a few extra votes.Other examples of how you can use Goodreads for free book promotion are leading QA discussions about your book, and integrating your Goodreads page with MyBookTable

Open Boat Theme

Open Boat Theme In the second half of the nineteenth century, Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory exerted such a powerful influence on multiple aspects of human life that its echo could be traced as far as in the literary fiction of the period characterized as literary Naturalism.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Open Boat Theme specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the most innovative writers of his generation, the American novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist Stephen Crane produced a series of works remarkable for their Naturalistic tendencies. Among those literary pieces, Crane’s short story â€Å"The Open Boat† is singled out by its thematic and stylistic correspondence to literary Naturalism. By means of such literary devices as setting, characters, and atmosphere, Crane efficiently develops and supports the main theme of â€Å"The Open Boat† - the impossibility of struggling agains t the eternal and permanent Nature. As it is obvious from the name of the movement, Nature is the central notion that determines the course of events in a Naturalistic story. It is represented as an eternal and impregnable matter that exists independently of the worldly vanity. Natural determinism reveals itself in the fact that despite all the man’s attempts to change the natural course of events, everything happens according to the predefined scheme. Nature is objective and remote from all the earthly suffering of man; it is neither brutal, nor friendly; it simply pursues the eternal order of things. Setting â€Å"The Open Boat† amidst the stormy sea, Crane depicts the objectivity of Nature, exactly following the Naturalistic interpretation of it as an indifferent and impartial matter: â€Å"This tower was a giant, standing with its back to the plight of the ants. It represented in a degree, to the correspondent, the serenity of nature amid the struggles of the ind ividual - nature in the wind, and nature in the vision of men. She did not seem cruel to him then, nor beneficent, nor treacherous, nor wise. But she was indifferent, flatly indifferent.† (Crane 142) In this fragment Crane emphasizes that Nature does not possess any emotional characteristics and only acquires them through human interpretation. Nature per se is an objective course of fixed events, and it is only through man’s vision of them that those events gain some meaning.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Placed in the objective setting of Nature are four men, the only survivors of a shipwreck who are now trying to reach the shore in a tiny dingy boat. All of them - the intellectual correspondent, the comic cook, the strong and industrious oiler, and the remote yet compassionate captain - initially pursue one aim: to survive by way of struggling w ith the nature. They view the sea deep as a hostile enemy who can engulf them in the twinkling of an eye, and therefore their eyes are steadily focused on it in fearful apprehension: â€Å"None of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level, and were fastened upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming white, and all of the men knew the colors of the sea.† (Crane 123) Throughout the whole story Crane comments on those colors of the sea that change in accordance to the mood of the remaining crew: the waves gradually change from dark lead to â€Å"emerald green with amber lights†, to black, to â€Å"carmine and gold† (Crane 123–124, 136–137, 141). Those changes of color correspond to the alteration of the survivors’ mood: from despair and anger at their disastrous state, to the growing feeling of camaraderie towards each other, and finally, to the understan ding of the necessity for cooperation not only among each other but also with the nature for the overall success of their rescue. Mutual support and association with the forces of nature appear to be the key to ultimate survival of men in the seemingly hostile natural environment. It is no mere chance that the injured captain, who has demonstrated a high level of tolerance and encouragement to his team, realizes the dangers of coming too close to the shore and being trapped into a current instead of waiting for help from the rescue station. He demonstrates an insightful understanding of the Nature’s powers from the very start of the misfortune, answering the correspondent’s question on whether they will make it to the shore by the phrase â€Å"If this wind holds and the boat dont swamp, we cant do much else† (Crane 127). It designates his obedience to Nature and destiny and his awareness of the higher powers that guide human existence. Another revealing fact in support of the Nature’s importance for human life is the fate of the oiler. Being the most physically fit and trained for the battle of survival, he ventures to reach the shore swimming without any support from the dinghy and is the only one who perishes. Such is the result of his presumption and conceit in face of the omnipotent Nature which does not forgive petty arrogance and rewards cooperation instead.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Open Boat Theme specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Stephen Crane’s short story reflects such key concepts of literary Naturalism as natural determinism and Nature’s indifference and objectivity as opposed to the vanity and frailty of men. This story of human struggle and survival in a hostile natural environment teaches the lessons of necessity for cooperation and illusiveness of man’s free will in face of the eternal laws of Nature. Crane, Stephen. â⠂¬Å"The Open Boat.† The Red Badge of Courage and Other Stories. Eds. Anthony Matthew Mellors and Fiona Robertson. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998. 123–146. Print.