The controversial issue of animal testing

The controversial issue of animal testing Animal testing is categorized into three main groups which are chemical testing, medical testing and research testing. Using non-human animals for such tests is a controversial issue that may lead several opinions whether on experts and non-expert views. Experts might say it is beneficial to human because without the non-human animals, where would science be now? Aristotle (384-322 BCE) and Erasistratus (304-258 BCE) were among the first to perform experiments on living animals. The physician operates and testing surgical procedures on to the animals before implementing on to human. Long ago, research in animal testing had helped people in curing their illness and seemed like the animals died for a good cause. On the other hand, people who stand up for animal rights would see this as cruel and injustice act for the animals. They claimed that animals have feelings and they can feel pain too. The pros and cons are still in consideration by most animal-testing industry in order to keep the consumer needs. But, is it morally acceptable to experiment on non-human animals to develop products and medicines that benefit human beings? No, it is morally unacceptable. In Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary 5th edition, moral is based on ones sense of what is right and just, not on legal rights and obligation; able to understand the differences between right and wrong. Billions of animals have died to advance science. To test one chemical whether or not it is carcinogenic which means any substance that produces cancer, it takes 500 to 1000 animals to be tested and to make sure that the chemical is free from cancer -causal. We rather let the animals die because of expected cancer from the chemicals just to satisfy human needs in cosmetics, household compound and pharmacy. Not that on the other hand it meant that we rather see human died because the chemicals are not tested but logically, the scientists should have known the cause of cancer, why would they put the chemicals in the product at first place? If science is advance enough, why use the innocent animals? Humanity should speak by itself. From the definition itself and the question asked, the answers would be a definite no because it is wrong to experiment on animals because animals are living things that have emotions. Animals do not just suffer from physical pain but also mental pain. We can notice a persons emotions without him saying anything because of non-verbal language or body language he expressed. If we can examine body language in human, then we are also able to observe non-verbal language of animals. Love an animal, it will love you, hurt the animal, it will hurt you. Pictures of vivisections of animals (Appendix 1), their eyes were filled with pain and innocent faces are enough to upset us human. When we experiencing on animals, it is likely to experience on humans, the difference is just animals do not speak human and we cannot understand them. We might as well pictured the animals being tortured, in great pains, yelling for help and trying their very hard to escape from that evil experiment. Experiment is what we called a scientific test done carefully in order to study what happens and to gain new knowledge, quoted from the dictionary. Any side effects will result in failure and poor animals, another hundreds or thousands of them will be used in the experiment to get better results. Consider yourself being experimented by another form of species and they treat you the same way as human did to non-human animals (Appendix 2). Allegedly, there is animal euthanasia which means the act of unpainful killing. How can we ever know that it is not painful? How can we know that the animals used in so-called painless death tests died peacefully? Before a new aftermath shown in your local stores, the goods have gone through a complicated and long process which leaves millions of tested animals damaged, poisoned, undergo mutation, and other unnecessary tests. Animal testing is cruelty to them, forcing them to endure the frightful side effects just so a new product can be released. Chemical testing on animals are not 100% accurate because animals do not respond the same as human does. In reality, animal research and scientists never guarantee that medication, cosmetics and other products will be safe and effective for human. There are products that have been pulled out of the market because of consumer complaints of irritancy on skins and some were severe illness and death but were previously tested on animals. Although the tests on medicine seemed safe for consumer use, two million Americans become seriously ill and approximately 100,000 people die every year because of reactions to medicines they were prescribed extracted from Nexus Magazine, Volume 8, Number 2. The statistics occurred because of the inaccurate animal experimentation which results inadequate evaluation the effects of chemicals on humans. Different animals have different body system and it reacts differently. Animals and human obviously have different condition of body system and it is the ent ire issue of the failure. Biologically speaking, different body system would result in different drug metabolism and thus dissimilar effects take place. Innumerous animals have been sacrificed and suffering from animal abuse during medicine testing. This situation is very unfair. While humans are cured, animals are slaughtered. The alternatives would be computer simulations and modeling which have the entire database from previous animal testing subjects. Millions of animals were used onto the same type of product. Researchers should file the report of the experiment and if it is proven safe to human, other industry that wants to do the same product, they should use the same chemicals or whatever materials they required but not the animals testing. The software can be used in major research centre to do such test with any chemical involve in creating a product that benefit human. Such synthetic skin would be great to test products on skin. Besides that, government and non-government could create great awareness by advertising such ads that directs the realization to the consumer (Appendix 3). Advertisement that has subtle messages creates no awareness among people because somehow it did not touch their heart. When the main point of the advertisement is being straight-forward, people would realize and immedi ately take effect. As for closure, animal testing is an immoral act. Animal suffering is a cruel act. Yes, it benefits humans to be beautiful and healthy but not to kill them in return. The scientists and researchers should have other way that is more humane. Animals are living things create by God and they can respond the same as human do. The effectiveness of the products tested on animals can never be guaranteed 100% because the products still harm the consumer even though it has been proven safe. Even the effects only affect small number of people, still we are putting the humans in danger. There are other possible options as alternatives for animal testing. Any industry can be science-advance without animal testing. If animal-testing is being prolong, will our future generations still be able to learn about the animals? Do you think the animals-tested will extinct? References Darshini Kandasamy Animal-testing centre to be set up in Malaysia. Malay Mail Friday, April 2nd, 2010 No to animal testing lab plan. The Star Online Thursday June 10, 2010 Pete Harrison Great apes protected as EU restricts animal testing. The Star Online Wednesday September 8, 2010 Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 16 September 2010 S.O.S at the University of Georgia Animals used in experiments Janet Babin Taking the animals out of testing Thursday, May 24, 2007 Nun Adilah 6 Animal Testing June 8, 2010 The National Anti-Vivisection Society Animals in Product Testing http://www.animaltestingfacts.zoomshare.com/> The Human Cost of Animal Experiments Nexus Magazine, Volume 8, Number 2 http://www.sourcewatch.org Animal testing 7 April 2010 Doris Lin Why Its Wrong to Test on Animals Haris Amin Animal Testing: Is Animal Testing Ethically Incorrect Haris Amin Animal Testing: Are there any alternatives Nun Adilah 7 BMJ Where is the evidence that animal research benefits humans? 28 February, 2004 http://www.lad.org.hk/bmjfeb2004.htm Oxford advanced learners dictionary 5th edition, International Student Nun Adilah 8 APPENDICES

The Principles of Green Design in Architecture

The Principles of Green Design in Architecture In modern communities, healthy environment is the foundation of our daily lives. However, environmental problems are becoming serious. Much research illustrate that the pollution from architecture, from construction to operation, is one of the main contributors of these problems. The world famous design theorist Victor Papanek claimed in the 1960s, that designers should consider the limited resources around the world to protect the planet. This was the first announcement globally promoting the set of principals of green design. This assignment will firstly explain the principles of green design, then show several applications of these principles and finally evaluate the contribution of these principles to society . According to Yeang and Spector, green design is based on four principles, the green principle, the grey principle, the blue principle and the red principle, which aim to reduce contamination to the environment, recycle waste and reuse energy. The green principle is the principle about interconnecting natural areas and buildings. The grey principle refers to the circular systems in the buildings, such as energy or electric power systems. The blue principle is about the water cycle which should be designed to close the loop, which means that try best to reduce or reuse waste water. Finally, the red principle suggest designers should meet the requirements of customers.When applying these principles in architecture, it means sustainable design to comply with economic, social and ecological sustainability. The green principle states that whenever and wherever possible, the existent natural eco-system should be reserved to a great extent during the period of designing. This has been highlighted by Yeang and Spector (2011), â€Å"having an eco-infrastructure in the master plan is vital†. The obvious benefit, such as providing cleaner air and improving water supply, of designing under the green principle is significant. However, a hidden potential, for instance, being a conditioner of climate change and keeping water from washing away, is also meaningful. As will be illustrated later, designing under green principle bring citizens better lives. The grey principle is the principle which is frequently used in urban engineering. Applying it into architecture aims to regard buildings as a small city. Therefore, buildings should produce parts of energy by themselves, which can lighten the burden of government as numerous pressing global social issues have been caused by limitation of resource. The best explaination of this is the application of solar energy. The third principle of green design is the blue principle, which can also be called the water principle. This principle claims that â€Å"new technological trajectories for the water infrastructure should be applied (Hiessl et al 2001)†. As the predicament of global shortage, it should be used in cyclic way. â€Å"Water used in the built environment needs to be recovered and re-used wherever possible†(Yeang and Spector). As a result, blue principle is an additional built-up principle for green design. The last principle of green design is the red principle, which is a principle of serving human communities directly. Applying this principle, designer should realize what citizens really require, whether they are satisfied with your design. It is important for a designer to remind themselves as a service provider. â€Å"What we do not know can hurt us†(Bondan Sosnowchik, 2007). â€Å"This is the social and human dimension that is often missing in the work of green designers† (Yeang and Spector). As the environmental problems become more and more serious, green design principles have been applied more frequently. Modern buildings always contain element of green design more or less. Designers usually apply principles of green design in their design in order to improve the quality of them. The particular examples below cover the application of the four fundamental principles of green design and demonstrate evidences of the principles of green design that should be used more widely. With the speedy construction, increasing population and rapid-developing transportations, the phenomenon of urban heat island effect become significant, which lead to the environmental deterioration of life quality. Therefore, the applying of green principle require action imperatively. According to this, vertical planting have been utilized in common design. Vertical planting is a technique that uses different resources to allow plants to extend upward rather than grow along the surface of city. In some cases, no support frame of any kind is needed as the plants naturally grows upwards. The plants outside the building provide a layer to protect buildings from sunshine, which is benefit for preserving the temperature inside the buildings. Research demonstrate that buildings with vertical planting would keep the temperature 3-9 degrees lower than without that. With the help of vertical planting, the burden of air- conditioners could reduce 12.7% approximately. It can be seen in some o f modern constructions that green roofs, walls and facades are some of the City of Melbourne’s latest tools in the work to adapt city to climate change. As the rapidly developing of green design, in order to applying the grey principle more effectively, the Building Information Modifying technology, based on the 3D technology, a new building design model collecting and managing effectively all kinds of information in the entire building life circle, have been exploited to assist architects to design recycle systems of buildings(Liu Liu 2013).Applying this new technology, designers could be able to design the circular energy or electric systems inside the buildings, such as solar energy system, to decline the negative effects to environment and to achieve sustainable building design. Furthermore, wind catcher, a suitable ventilation means for houses to creates pleasant airflow in rooms, hall and basement, is another latest technology to reduce the energy of a building requiring to function normally. In addition, while hot water is the largest component of residential energy costs after heating and cooling, a solar domestic water heat ing system that is well designed will provide 50-80% of hot water needs, depending on the building’s geographical location and the time of year. Water, often called the source of life, provides a valuable resource to be celebrated in the process of green design. According to Art Ludwig, only about 6 per cent of water people use for drinking. Consequently, potable water should not use for irrigation or sewage. The Monterey Bay Shores approach to water management is a representative example show how blue principle working. In Monterey Bay Shores’ water systems, main water sources is from the rain, which is collected by a storage and used in swimming pools, toilets, spa, laundry and bath after different processes of treatment. An additional water supplying line is municipal water supply, which provides potable water for drinking and cooking. Finally, all the graywater( used water) after treatments will be irrigated for the plants of green roofs and green walls. Furthermore, the recycling system in Bird’s Nest is another example. With the help of six water collection and storage tanks with a capacity of 12,000 cu m over 70 per cent of the water supply at Bird’s Nest is recycled water, while 23 per cent is recycled rainwater, which will be used for washing the stadium, road, toilet, garage and irrigating the land around the venue. Recent years, residents in modern cities complain more frequently about the crowded sky scrapes. The grim tall buildings bring them the felling of choking. As the quality of people’s lives improved, a place for living is not the basic requirement of customers. The happiness and comfort taken by the style of space have been regard as more important. It tends to be a tendency that applying the red principle in modern design of architecture to satisfied the customers. Bauhaus Design School, the origin of modern design, for some, is synonymous with the greater term modernism. For others, the Bauhaus is a type of font or an architectural design style. â€Å"Architecture is designed for human† is one of the most prominent view of Bauhaus. Architecture is service for people and should be combined with environment to become a gorgeous place for living. In German and Sweden, numerous buildings are designed with large dimensions but amiable, moderate and comfortable. The architec ture to people is what human to nature. While nature never change following the human’s minds, building designers should consider more about the suggests from residents. Otherwise, a eye-attractive design without suitableness for people could not be treat as a successful design. The four principles of green design described above have being applied successfully in many parts of the world and have produced a significant reduction in environmental damage. To be more specific, the mainly benefits of applying principles of green design could be divided into three parts: economic benefits, environmental benefits and social benefits. Firstly, for the economic aspect, green buildings typically have lower annual cost for energy, water, maintenance and other operating expenses. Although the first costs may be higher, the payback would be worthy as the time goes by. Secondly, as original buildings use the energy and produce waste, green buildings could produce energy by themselves and reuse the waste to minimize the pollutant. Furthermore, in social respect, the principles using in green design bring the improvement in the quality of life, health and well-being. Residents in modern community would feel more health, comfortable and satisfactory to live in a green build ing. In conclusion, green design is helpful to relieve the pressing global environmental problems while the situation become increasing serious, such as the urban heat island effect and greenhouse effect. Applying the principles in design, the cost of operating buildings would reduce by a margin, for instance, the expenditure of using air-conditioners will decrease sharply. Furthermore, applying principles of green design could take numerous benefits to people’s health lives. For instance, plants can produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, which suits for human that need oxygen every second particularly. Principles of green design enable people to live in a more comfortable and sustainable environment, which could improve their work efficience and bring them a safer and more environmental friendly future. References Panaek, V 1970, Design for the real world, Sweden. Yeang, K Spector, A(ed) 2011, Green design: from theory to practice, black dog publishing, London, UK. Bondan, P Sosnowchik, K 2007, Sustainable Commercial Interiors, Spain. Henry, Y 2010, An Introduction to Green Building Information Modeling (BIM). http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/SUSTAINABILITY/COUNCILACTIONS/Pages/GreenRoofsWallsandFacades.aspx http://bckievning.iweb.bsu.edu/Site/Historical_Movement.html http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-05/19/content_6695589_2.htm Hiessl, H, Walz, R Toussaint, D, Design and Sustainability Assessment of Scenarios of Urban Water Infrastructure Systems, ISI, Germany.

Terrorism and Technology :: September 11 Essays 9/11

Terrorism and Technology It wasn’t until the morning of September 11th that America began to question just how safe we really are. As the world watched the devastation on the news, everyone was looking for comfort. However, often times when something as horrific as this happens, the ones you look to for comfort are looking back at you for comfort. Many people found what piece of mind they could, through technology during this horrible time. The September 11th terrorist attacks have had both positive and negative impacts on the use of computers and technology. It is hard for many to believe that good things can come from bad situations. In this case it took a terrorist attack to make us realize that there is room for improvement in the quality of our technology that we rely so much on today. On September 11, 2001 so many people tried to log onto the internet to get information about the terrorist attacks, that there was a huge jam. No one could get online. Modern technology, televisions, radios and scanners rescued our curious minds. Most everyone found himself or herself glued to the television, watching the gruesome scenes over and over again, after the computers had failed us. Computers were not the only devices that let us down on that tragic day. In New York cell phone connections even went out. Too many people were trying to use their cell phones at once, that there was an overload, making it extremely difficult for anyone to get through the lines. Another technological advance that we entrust our safety to, that failed us was airport security system. Those men managed to get past out high tech security systems and onto those planes. Thousands of innocent people lost their lives because some men out smarted out fool proof system. The creators of airport security must have been unfamiliar with the saying, "where there’s a will, there’s a way". No one wants to admit to himself or herself, or anyone else for that matter, that sick people who thrive on pain and suffering, really do exist. Because airport security creators didn’t think about this fact, or they thought about it and chose to ignore it, innocent people lost their lives. This horrible act of terrorism has opened the doors to many necessary changes. Terrorism and Technology :: September 11 Essays 9/11 Terrorism and Technology It wasn’t until the morning of September 11th that America began to question just how safe we really are. As the world watched the devastation on the news, everyone was looking for comfort. However, often times when something as horrific as this happens, the ones you look to for comfort are looking back at you for comfort. Many people found what piece of mind they could, through technology during this horrible time. The September 11th terrorist attacks have had both positive and negative impacts on the use of computers and technology. It is hard for many to believe that good things can come from bad situations. In this case it took a terrorist attack to make us realize that there is room for improvement in the quality of our technology that we rely so much on today. On September 11, 2001 so many people tried to log onto the internet to get information about the terrorist attacks, that there was a huge jam. No one could get online. Modern technology, televisions, radios and scanners rescued our curious minds. Most everyone found himself or herself glued to the television, watching the gruesome scenes over and over again, after the computers had failed us. Computers were not the only devices that let us down on that tragic day. In New York cell phone connections even went out. Too many people were trying to use their cell phones at once, that there was an overload, making it extremely difficult for anyone to get through the lines. Another technological advance that we entrust our safety to, that failed us was airport security system. Those men managed to get past out high tech security systems and onto those planes. Thousands of innocent people lost their lives because some men out smarted out fool proof system. The creators of airport security must have been unfamiliar with the saying, "where there’s a will, there’s a way". No one wants to admit to himself or herself, or anyone else for that matter, that sick people who thrive on pain and suffering, really do exist. Because airport security creators didn’t think about this fact, or they thought about it and chose to ignore it, innocent people lost their lives. This horrible act of terrorism has opened the doors to many necessary changes.

Responsibility To Protect Essay -- Political Science

Since its adoption by world leaders at the World Summit in 2005, the Responsibility to Protect (herein R2P) has been hailed as a major achievement in protecting populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, or ethnic cleansing that would be committed by rulers. However, some see the R2P not as an effective human right instrument for civilians’ protection as it appears to be another tool for imperialism. My position in this essay is that I believe the R2P doctrine is a considerable achievement in world politics as it signals to potential perpetrators of mass atrocities that the world would no longer stand by, but will use force when necessary to protect innocent civilians. My position is articulated as follows. First, I will present the content/principles of the R2P doctrine . Second, I will point out the legal and moral argument underpinning the R2P, particularly its military aspect. Finally I will evoke some cases where the R2P has been critical in protectin g populations from mass killing and show the shortcoming of those who argue against the R2P. First of all, the R2P clearly states that: i) the State has the primary responsibility to protect its population from heinous human rights abuses such as genocide, war crimes, crime against humanity and ethnic cleansing; ii) the international community has the responsibility to assist States in fulfilling their primary responsibility as indicated in point i) and as such, it should use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means to protect populations from those crimes; iii) however, when a State fails to protect its own populations or is the actual perpetrator of such crimes against its populations, the international community must be prepared to ta... ...international humanitarian and human rights laws as well as international customary laws. There are convincing legal and moral arguments in favor of the use of military intervention as the last resort to protect populations from actual or imminent acts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity or ethnic cleansing. The NATO intervention in Libya in 2011 is a good illustration of the importance of the R2P for the protection of populations from atrocities. The argument of opponents to the R2P is not convincing at all as it only covers one part of the three responsibilities of the R2P. Works Cited 1. World Summit Outcome Document 2. Roland Paris, â€Å"R2P Is Not a License for Military Recklessness†, in the Centre for International Policy Study’s blog (March 12, 2012), retrieved online at http://cips.uottawa.ca/r2p-is-not-a-license-for-military-recklessness/

History of Israel and the Holy Land 332 B.C. to 70 A.D. Essay

The Period from 332 B. C. to 70 A. D. refers to the age of Hellenism under the rule of Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia. The period 332 B. C. marked the conquest of Judea by the Greeks, which subsequently imposed the dissemination of the Greek way of life, taxation, and economic activities designed to acquire economic gains. After the death of Alexander, his generals divided the empire and consequently fought over his empire. Judah fell under direct control of Ptolemy 1 of Egypt, but he did not seriously interfered in its religious affairs (Chapin, H. 988, Paragraph 1 Hellenism and the Roman conquest). However, after Ptolemy 1’s death, his successor was supplanted by the Seleucids of Syria, and in 175 B. C. Antiochus IV grabbed power. He then orchestrated a campaign against Judaism and in 167 B. C. he went and sacked the temple, (which was built in 520 B. C. ) of all its precious belongings. This utter desecration and gross violation of the temple motivated a successful Jewish uprising under the able leadership of Judas Maccabaeus. He then established a theocratic government, which saw the rise of the Hasmonean Dynasty under the leadership of Simon Maccabaeus who was at the same time the spiritual leader,being the High Priest, and the commander-in-chief of the military. The coming of the Romans more than half a century later saw the rise of the chief priests to power and the eventual destruction of the temple in 70 A. D. in the hands of the Romans. The Second Temple 332 B. C. to 70 A. D.  The Jewish society rose to power comparable in scope to the ancient Davidic Kingdom under Hasmonean Dynasty, although both religious and political discord is soaring between the Pharisees, who were the interpreters of the written law and the Sadducees, the aristocratic priestly class who implements strict obedience to the written law. However, with the coming of the Romans in 65 B. C. Jerusalem fell in the hands of the Romans, which ended the eighty years of independent Jewish sovereignty and heralded the period of Roman domination of Israel, which began just the same period. The Romans appointed Herod, an Idumaean, as a puppet king of Judah. His appointment as king of the Jews was subsequently confirmed by the Roman Senate in 37 B. C. He then rebuilt and magnified the platform of the temple and constructed many important buildings such as palaces, theater, citadel, hippodrome, and agora modeled after both the Hellenistic and Roman architecture. An internet article published by Planet Ware . com entitled Jerusalem, Israel cited that after Herod’s death in 4 B.  C. Jerusalem was under the care of the high priests, which was under Roman Procurators (Planet Ware, Par. 2). Chapin noted that Rome granted the Jew religious autonomy as well as some legislative and judicial rights through the Sanhedrin (Chapin, par. 5, Hellenism and the Roman Conquest). The second temple played a great role in the so-called â€Å"city of the high priest† that is, referring to the prominence of the Jewish religious leaders during this time. The Great Sanhedrin made the temple mount in Jerusalem the seat of both the religious and judicial powers vested upon them by the Roman Procurators. Their scope of authority includes religious, political, and legal authority such as trying a high priest, supervising certain rituals, and even declaring war (Chapin). This religious and judicial body was primarily composed of priestly Sadducees, which may be numbering of about seventy-one sages. The Sanhedrin’s control and judicial authority ended with the rise to power of Agrippa 1 in 41 to 44 B. C. The grand son of Herod 1 the Great, Agrippa 1 extended the city northward by constructing the third wall. However, the fanatical sect of the Jewish nationalist movement known as the zealot challenged the Roman control of Judah in A. D. 66. This uprising brought the Roman legions to a protracted siege, which was carried out by Vespasian, the Roman commander in Judah. The revolt however was crushed by his son Titus in A. D. 70 and Jerusalem and the second temple was destroyed by the Romans (Chapin) Hellenism and the Jews (Evaluations and Commendations) Hellenization, according to an internet article entitled â€Å"Celtic† and Medeterranean Interaction is the process by which non-Greeks were made more or less Greeks, assimilated into Greek culture if not acculturated. The article noted that the extent of Hellenization during the time of Alexander reach even further to the lands of the Barbarians (Celtic and Mideterranean Interaction). The article cited that Greeks abroad carried with them any thing that could help in advancing Greekness and they were more emphatically consciously Greeks and built cities and towns introducing urban structures and new ideas. Chapin pointed out that despite of the strong emphasis on priestly rule and Judaism, Jewish society was greatly influenced by the Greek Hellenism, particularly cities like Jerusalem, except in their adherence to monotheistic faith. However, life in the provinces and rural areas was comparatively unchanged (Chapin). Jerusalem subtly yet speedily adopted the Greek culture particularly the Greek language, games and sports, and even the early literature of the new faith, Christianity (Chapin, Par. ). According to an internet article entitled The Impact of Hellenism on the Jews, though Hellenism was neither offensive nor beneficial yet it poses serious challenge to Judaism (Old Testament History, Par. 1). The article noted that Hellenistic culture presents serious threats to Judaism in the same way that idolatry of the Canaanites neighbor of the Pre-Exilic Israel served as a great temptation, which had caused their nation’s destruction and later Diasporas. The impact of Hellenism on Post Exilic Israel was difficult them to resist in remaining true to their faith as Hellenism offers relief from laborious struggle for existence. Hellenism viewed life as a continuous series of social festivities, comforts, and ease. It was under Hellenistic period that public places for eating and bathing was offered to the public with customary music of strings such as the harp (O. T. History, par. 7) which today may be characterized by the restaurants and public swimming pools. Great public libraries, potential economic opportunities, and sophisticated Greek education would have strong appeal to may nobler Jews and merchants, which made the Hellenistic way of life easily acceptable. On the other hand, conservative Jews particularly Palestinian Jews were not impressed by the social and cultural advances brought about by Hellenism, courtesy of the Greeks. These conservatives despised the Hellenized Jews on the grounds that they had compromised their religion. An internet article entitled The Church History cited that the Hellenized Jews were forbidden in the temple rather they were directed to attend Greek-speaking synagogues to hear and understand the Torah being read in Greek as they could no longer speak nor understand Hebrew. The purpose therefore, of Hellenization was to assimilate every culture, or the acculturation of every nation’s culture under one culture, the Greek culture, is not only a brilliant idea or military strategy if indeed it can be categorized in that way, rather, it is highly advance idea designed to rule the world in utmost peace and economic prosperity. This impact could have changed the course of history had Alexander livelonger than he had lived. It cannot be denied that the influence of Hellenism still benefits today’s generations and the idea of hellenization still dominates the society in many ways. Interpretation Hellenism was a subtle way of conquering the world. Alexander may have conquered much of the known world during his time but his military and political leadership did not live long enough to achieve what he desired, to conquer the world. Perhaps Hellenism was intended by Alexander for a peaceful conquest. Indeed, his model Hellenistic community in Alexandria, Egypt was meant to attract the known civilizations of the benefit of Hellenization. True to his intention, the world was conquered by the Greeks not by swords and spears or by sheer military force but by festivities, by cultural and educational advancement, and by economic opportunities Hellenism offers. Today, the Greek influence still remains after thousands of years in many aspects of the social and cultural life, including arts. Hellenization can be compared to the idea of the democracy promoted by the remaining super power of the world today. By Hellenizing the known world, Alexander can build an alliance with many countries just like the idea of democracy. In other words the same concept in promoting democracy lies in the Hellenization. It symbolized the hegemonic power of Greece under the leadership of Alexander the Great. Conclusions The history of Israel from 332 B. C. up to 70 A. D. as a monument of Greece’ rise to power, and dominance of the world, at the height of their glory, as well as the marks of Israel’s resurgence to power which they so longed, under the Hasmonean dynasty, although this period marks both rise and fall of the three nations involve, its most important contribution in human civilizations was the spread of Hellenism, which truly brought not only economic benefits, but also culturally and socially, and the developments of sports. Hellenism has brought much contribution that even the generation of today is benefiting. The many borrowed words that help us understand meanings of the fast events are just one of the many benefits of Hellenization. Hellenization therefore symbolizes the hegemony of the Greek nation as well as Alexander’s desire to rule the world in peace and in prosperity as by acculturation and assimilation, it would have mean no boundaries or no enemies, rather it promotes unity and cooperation among nations. The blessings of democracy that we now enjoy may be compare to the blessings of Hellenism had Alexander livelonger.

Vygotsky and Paigets Perspective of Learning

The theorists, Piaget and Vygotsky both had views on the significance of learning and the role of play, which they considered being a crucial part of a child’s development. Although they had similar views, they differed in terms of what children do when they play (Drewery & Bird, 2004). This essay supports learning opportunities and examples of children’s play through experience, events and interactions with people, places and things. Piaget explained the importance of learning through play, in which children explored and experimented for themselves with minimal adult interactions. He considered development went through four stages: sensori-motor, pre-operational, concrete operational and the formal operational stage. (Papalia, Olds & Feldman, 2004). The sensori-motor period (0-2 years) is the 1st stage, as the infant’s interactions are based on exploring their environment through their senses and abilities to practice schemas, such as grasping and sucking, this also included practice play as the infant is able to repeat actions continuously but with no intention. This stage follows on to the pre-operational stage (2-7) where children’s language is developing rapidly, allowing them to express themselves. They are starting to use pretend play and parallel play which means children are talking but it is not directed to others. This also means that they only see the world in their terms, they are egocentric (Drewery and Bird, 2004). The concrete operation (7-11) and the formal operational (11-adult) periods are the third and fourth stages. These are not considered in early childhood education but are still important as they can think realistically and logically about situations and understand their world (Pulaski, 1980). However, Vygotsky argued differently. He proposed that children are social learners and like to explore and discover new things with the help of adults and peers. This was scaffolding and the zone of proximal development (ZPD). He also considered culture surroundings, language and thinking (Whitebread, 2003 cited in Beaumont, 2002). He thought children could perform better with others than on their own. This is shown through the ZPD, the difference between what children can do alone and with help. Like Piaget, Vygotsky believed there were things that children couldn’t understand. However, Vygotsky believed that given proper help children could perform what Piaget would consider, not possible. Scaffolding however, meant that in order for a child to learn, a more competent adult or peer can help support and guide the child’s learning through the ZPD until the child is able to do the task alone which helps the child use private speech, a way of understanding is to talk to themselves and also to reason, problem solve, extend memory and imagination skills (Woolfolk, 2004 cited by Educational Psychology, n. d. ). Vygotsky considered cultural surroundings, language and thinking to be important. He said for children to learn, they need to interact through communication with others. This was explained through cultural influences and what was important within each setting. Language is part of culture, which is the key to communication about customs and knowledge of people. Through cultural tools, such as books and television, we could help extend children’s communication skills with others in their environment (Tauranga Regional Free Kindergarten Association, 2003). These theorists can support learning opportunities within Aotearoa through experiences, events, and interactions with people, places and things. For Piaget however, his first two stages are only considered in early childhood education (Nuttall, 2003). Piaget considers that children learn best when their left to discover their world by themselves through hands-on involvement but adults need to provide stimulating activities within their environment (Hedges, 2003). The Aotearoa context gives children the independence to experience and learn about what they enjoy on their own through experiences, events and interactions, with little supervision. It also encourages them to explore and develop knowledge and skills at their own pace. Ministry of Education (1998) states that, ‘Educators should enhance children’s learning and development through extending children’s thinking and actions through sensitive and informed guidance, interventions and support (p. 19). Piaget’s practice play and pretend play are supported in Aotearoa. These are concepts used to explain the child’s use of creativity and spontaneous play which provides great interactions with people, places and things. Each child brings experiences from their own environment which builds knowledge and skills amongst children but this can be slightly difficult, as children naturally parallel play (Drewery & Bird, 2004). A way to enhance their interests could be a dress-up day. The Ministry of Education (1996) explains that ‘Children experience an environment where their play is valued as meaningful learning and the importance of spontaneous play is recognised’ (p. 84) Vygotsky’s theory is well acknowledged in Aotearoa. He believed that children learn best through social environments which lead to powerful and competent learners. Children learn better through the ZPD with the support of an adult or peer. This provides the use of private speech for the child, which creates better understanding and extends skills such as problem solving and imagination (Connor & Diggins, 2002). According to Royal Tangaere’s theory of learning, some of Vygotsky’s ideas related to hers. She believed in the Tuakana/Teina concept which was related to the ZPD and scaffolding. The Tuakana (older sibling) contributes to the Teina’s (younger sibling) learning and vise versa. This provides both siblings the responsibility of ako (learning as well as teaching (Te Whaiki, McCarthy & Durie, 1997). Secondly, Vygotsky believed that each child brings with them, their own cultural experiences from their environment as a way of communicating. As a multi-cultural nation, it is important to consider each child’s culture; therefore part of culture is language and the values and beliefs that influence them. As teachers we are encouraged to be aware of other cultures. When we learn about the culture of children we are able to understand and help them learn and experience more about culture through communication such as books or music (Tauranga Regional Free Kindergarten, 2003). We could also organize cultural outings to Museum’s which is a great place for learning. As Ministry of Education (1996) states, ‘Children experience an environment where there are equitable opportunities for learning, irrespective of gender, ability, age, ethnicity, or background (p. 66). Examples of these theories are shown throughout children’s play. Piaget’s idea of the sensori-motor stage and the pre-opertional stage can be put into practice as follows: Infant: A is lying down on her stomach, where toys are placed in front of her. She picks up a soft ball, looks at it then puts it in her mouth, drops it then picks up a rattle and turns on to her back. She lifts it up and shakes and listens to the noise. She then puts it in her mouth then continues the enjoyment of shaking the rattle. Toddler: The wiggles come on and children start dancing, B gets up and begins to dance. As he listens to the sounds of a car, he pretends to drive going, ‘Brum brum! , and then drives around the room saying, ‘I’m driving my car! ’ Young Child: A is in the sandpit with children surrounding her. She picks up a frying pan and pretends to make a cake with sand. A then picks up a spoon and pretends to mix the cake, then places it down saying, â€Å"Cook for 2 minutes† using her fingers to count. She pulls it out straight after and says, â€Å"Mmm, smells good! That will be for me and mummy†. Vygotsky’s views can be shown in practice through an infant as: M is learning to walk, he can stand up while holding onto the couch, he wants to let go, but does not have the balance or coordination. A teacher comes over and M reaches out his hands, gesturing that he needs help. She takes his hands and walks with him saying, â€Å"Good boy, you’re doing so well! † She then lets go to see if he can stand on his own, he stands for a few seconds then falls. He crawls back to the couch, stands up and gestures to the teacher to help. She stands three feet away, puts out her hands and says, â€Å"Try again†. He takes a few steps then falls again. Toddler: L wants to climb up the plank. The teacher recognises that he is not confident enough on his own. She takes his hand nd helps him, he turns around and repeats this a few times, the teacher lets go of his hand half way up, he stops and says, â€Å"Help! † Teacher says, â€Å"You can do it, have a go, I’ll stay with you†. Looking unsure, he has a go while the teacher encourages him. In being successful, L is overjoyed, and the teacher supports the accomplishment. Young Child: H is learning literacy, he seems to be frustrated and is struggling. The teacher approaches him, and asks if he wants help. H replies, â€Å"Yeah, I can’t do it†. Firstly, the teacher writes his name at the top and says, ‘H, copy over your name with a pen†. â€Å"Yep†, H says. In doing so, the teacher encourages him and supports his learning. The teacher helps H do his literacy activity until he is able to do it himself. He shows her when he is finished then she gets him to put a smiley face on the page, to show what a great job he did. There are many more theories that could be acknowledged throughout this discussion but Piaget and Vygotsky will always provide teachers with a solid understanding of how children learn and the role of play which provides great learning opportunities for experiences, events and interactions with people, places and things within New Zealand.

Observational Essay Essay

Its Monday a rainy evening, I am sitting in the library waiting for my friend to come, so we could study for our sociology test. The library is humongous; it reminds me of my high school library. This place is silent. In the kids section I hear a little boy crying for a book he wants to read but his mom will not let him read, a baby babbling, and the mother trying to make him quiet. There are two dark skinned boys playing marble drop with their mom’s. There are two cute little girls coloring. There is tall teen looking girl reading stories to kids. There does not seem to be many kids in this section. Therefore, I go back to the main room. I see a girl, who looks like a high school freshman doing her homework quietly. A couple of blocks from her, there are group of blonde girls texting and talking in low voices and teenage girls checking their facebook and chatting about guys. In the main desk, area toward the right of the girls there is a frustrated woman who is trying to swipe the library card but perhaps her card is not working and is asking for help to a librarian. In the non-fiction book, area there is a short woman with brown hair, stacking up the books. Towards her left, there is a tall thin college looking girl arranging the books working a part time job to her college expenses. In the front of the library there are middle school kids waiting for their parents to pick them up. There is staircase next to the main door that leads to the computer room. I take glance over the computer room and it is packed with teens and adults. Some are doing homework while some are chatting in myspace and facebook. It seems like this library is always filled with people. From my observation, I see that some people come to library to study quietly and while others come to check facebook and myspace and it seems like library is a great hangout place for some kids.