Sallie Baliunas and the Dangers of Think Tanks :: Global Warming

Sallie Baliunas and the Dangers of Think Tanks Public policy makers increasingly rely on the research of think tank scholars to guide their policy decisions. But who checks the accuracy of think tank scholar research? Unlike academic journal publishing, which follows a rigorous system of peer review and editorial oversight, think tanks publish opinion pieces without regard to the peer review process. Their policy publications are not based on pure academics, but on a complex interaction between academic, political, and economic interests. In Washington, there is no time to focus on the academic details. As Eric Altermann points out in his book What Liberal Media?, think tank scholars â€Å"are expected to spend at least as much time networking with reporters and government staffers as on research.†1 Efficient dissemination of information is as important as the information itself in the think tank business of knowledge. Sallie Baliunas of the Marshall Institute fits Altermann’s think tank scholar profile well. Regarding her involvement in the global warming debate, she has spent less time on the scholarship of global warming and more time advocating the idea that it is simply a myth. She is a senior scientist at the Marshall Institute, which supports her writing of articles against the Kyoto treaty (â€Å"Bush right to oppose [Kyoto] treaty†)2 and the promotion of the idea that global warming is a natural process caused by increased radiation from the sun (â€Å"The Sun Also Warms†).3 Though she has published relatively little in academic journals on the issue, articles such as these are numerous in conservative political forums, such as the website TechCentralStation.com, â€Å"where free markets meet technology.†4 Though she is not considered a global warming expert by professional climate scientists, she is oft quoted by the anti-Kyoto folks as the expert voice that pr oves global warming is a hoax (see any article by Charli Coon of the Heritage Foundation5 or by Chris de Freitas6). Her global warming research has been funded, in part, by corporate oil interests. Think Tanks Baliunas’s association with think tanks does not make her scholarship automatically suspect. However, think tanks dwell in the grey area between scholarship and advocacy, and one must ask in which category Baliunas belongs. Think tanks cannot claim to be completely unbiased, because the majority of their funding comes from corporations, whose interests are not usually only academic, but also economic. Baliunas is an â€Å"Enviro-Sci Host† for TechCentralStation.com, a website sponsored by AT&T, ExxonMobil, General Motors Corporation, Intel, McDonalds, Microsoft, Nasdaq, National Semiconductor, PhRMA, and Qualcomm.

Children and young people developent

There are many transitions a child or young person will have to go through in their lives, this will start from a very early age and continue through to adulthood. The first time away from a main career or parent is a huge transition and can be very traumatic for a child, especially if they are left with someone they don't really know very well. Babies form attachments with mall careers and people they see on a regular basis.It is important for them to realize that their career is going to return, this cannot be explained to a young baby so it is only by the career leaving and then turning that a baby would realize they are going to return. The baby receiving positive attention, cuddles and someone talking to it In a calm manner would help to reassure the baby whilst the career was away. If this was handled negatively within the first few months of a babies' life then it could have a negative impact on their feeling of security and self-worth at a later date.Those children who have e xperienced an Insecure attachment where sensitivity to their needs has not been met or understood respond to challenge with less confidence and face adversity with rater uncertainty. The ability to tolerate and manage change is essential to healthy living and development; however, those children who have experienced an insecure attachment will be less equipped to manage changes than others. (Young minds in school) The birth of a younger sibling is another huge transition for a child and can cause confusion, possible feelings of being pushed out or ignored as oppose to feeling happy and content.When a new baby is born Into a family unit it Is very Important that any existing children are not made to feel left out. If the new baby was to receive instant attention the existing child could begin to feel unimportant, ignored and ultimately unloved which could lead to the child having conflicting feelings about the new sibling and long lasting emotional affects. Although they may be overj oyed at having a younger sibling they could also have conflicting feelings and feel jealous of all the attention the new baby receives.This could cause the child to display anger and Jealousy at times towards the baby which could later lead to problems for the siblings In building a close, positive relationships, fighting to take attention from each there and being overly competitive. It could also have a negative impact on a chills feeling of self-worth and confidence which could cause in-security issues which could last into adult hood. Starting nursery, changing schools, moving house or to a new area can be traumatic and emotional for a child or young person of any age.The feeling of the unknown entity, not knowing what to expect, settling Into a new environment and possibly not knowing anyone and having to make new friends can be a very emotional and upsetting time. It can be very worrying for a child wondering If they are going to fit In, will people like them, are they going t o get bullied. All these Issues can feel overwhelming to a child and If the transition Isn't handled or dealt with sensitively then this could lead to insecurity issues and affect their feelings of self-worth and confidence. Toilet training and completing simple personal tasks like achievement for a young child.Not all children find this as easy to master as others. It is important to praise and encourage any progress the child makes, no matter how small or it could again affect the chills feeling of self-worth and confidence if they re made to feel like a failure or constantly compared with the progress of another child. A child will need constant encouragement in any area they are learning to do things for themselves no matter how small the progress may seem. This will help them to have confidence in their choices and achievements, assist in building security, self-worth and individuality.Choosing study options ready for entering higher education can be a very worrying time for a young person. Support and guidance during this time, choosing what will be relevant to their long term plans ND what they are realistically capable of achieving is very important. This should be handled sensitively so the young person feels they have made their own decisions and confident they are capable of achieving their goals. Negative comments when receiving guidance and support could cause them confusion around how they feel regarding their academic capabilities and leave them feeling unsure and self- conscious.Parental divorce or grief can cause a child or young person huge emotional trauma. It will often cause feelings of blame and maybe even feelings of abandonment. Sometimes when parents become divorced a young person can feel they have to support the parent that is left at home or maybe feel guilty about the parent who has left the family home and maybe lives alone. If a family member has passed away the parents or even siblings may not appear to be coping and the young p erson may again feel responsible for their family members.Their own needs may not be met due to caring for others and their possible feelings of abandonment or blame may not be dealt with. It is crucial a young person feels supported during this transition and receives any help or counseling they may require. If this support is not received then the child could carry feelings of abandonment and blame into adult hood which could have detrimental effects on a young person. They may have issues around trust and struggle building positive relationships.A young person being away from the family home into care is a massive transition and can cause major trauma for a child or young person. The thought of going to live with potential strangers, often only being able to see their family periodically and contact possibly having to be supervised is a huge transition for a child or young person to have to go wrought. They will often have come from homes where there is little or no structure and often no real boundaries for them to follow. This can be very distressing when they are suddenly placed in an environment surrounded by structure, boundaries and routine.If this transition isn't handled sensitively it can have detrimental effects to the young person and their feeling of belonging. Although the home they have left may have been unsafe or unstable it was still their home and what they have been used to. The transition period can often be an unsettled period of time while they lid positive relationships and learn to trust the people caring for them. Building these relationships will hopefully have a positive impact on their future outlook and enable them to have confidence in themselves and any choices they make.It will also help with their self-image and self-esteem and show them that they can rely on someone else to help them with situations they may find difficult. Eventually they will they want does actually matter. Ultimately we aim to not only show a child what is deemed acceptable and appropriate behavior but also that they are as important as anyone else and deserve all the same life chances. Their wishes and feelings are very important and people do care. Along with these changes there are a number of others, such as puberty, sexual awareness and activity.There will be a change in their body and possibly emotionally which isn't always easy for a teenager to understand or deal with. Confusion surrounding sexuality and the unknown entity of sex and discovering who they are can be a very troubling and unsettling for some. Leaving home and adapting to being alone and having to think and do everything for homeless. Budgeting as well as shopping, cooking and cleaning. Not having someone there all the time. The need for developing independent skills such as budgeting and proportioning can be a very traumatic time.Realizing how much things cost when they haven't been used to having to pay for many items within the home. The loss of mobility for some children can be a massive life changing transition. The need to learn new skills in order to complete tasks or even Just to manage getting about, often in a different way to what they have been used to. A number of the above transitions could affect a child's confidence, feelings of security and self-worth if they were consistently handled in a negative way. As we have explored there are many transitions a child or young person will go through.Many can have long lasting effects and if not dealt with appropriately as the transitions arise can be detrimental to a young persons' feelings of self-worth and confidence later in their life. Handling transitions in a positive manner and having support, guidance and someone to turn to they can trust can have a huge positive impact on their future choices in life, giving hem confidence in themselves and hence improving their feelings of self-worth, Many of the children I look after have not been positively supported in many of the above transitions which has resulted in them lacking self-confidence, security and self-worth.They often have very low self-esteem and don't really have the ability to handle emotional situations in an appropriate manner. Instead of being able to discuss feelings they will become abusive or even violent at times. Often seeking comfort by self-harming or running away from any issues and putting themselves in unsafe situations and participating in risk taking activities. We strive to educate the young people and arm them with coping strategies to help them deal with things in a safer, more appropriate manner.By staying firm, not giving up on them and showing them that we care and are there to help them deal with any issues or situations that may arise we will hopefully show them that it is safe for them to trust, build positive relationships and rely on someone else for support. This is often hard for a young person to understand when they have felt constantly let down, unworthy and insecu re. They may have been abused or sexually exploited which has added to their lack of self-respect and self worth.Never really had the chance to build positive, appropriate relationships and don't really understand how to do so. They show promiscuous behavior and can use sex to either get what they want or as a form of personal control or release. The support and secure home base they receive, along with the non-judgmental positive relationships they will be encouraged to build once living in our home will start to equip them with the security and confidence they lions.

Small Objects: a Literary Analysis of Lullabies for Little Criminals

Small Objects: A Literary Analysis of â€Å"Lullabies for Little Criminals† In â€Å"Lullabies for Little Criminals,† there are many small objects that are relevant to Baby’s life. Objects can have remarkably profound effects on a person’s life, whether they are of sentimental value or another form of personal meaning, they have an impact on us. An object can mean many things to different people. An abandoned doll in a trash bin could be seen as old and ugly to an average person, but to the person who originally owned the doll; it could have been particularly special.In the novel, Heather O’Neil illustrates the effects of such objects on Baby and their symbolic meaning. In â€Å"Lullabies for Little Criminals,† there are three objects that represent Baby’s growth and change throughout the novel: the ragdoll, the knee- high socks, and the toy mice. When introducing her new friend Lauren to her room, Baby reflects on her rag doll,  "It was a doll that my mother had bought for me when she was pregnant . . . The doll also made me feel sweet inside, too, because it made me feel that at some point, even before I existed, I had been loved† (O’Neill 97-98).This illustrates Baby’s longing for a loving mother figure, which is a reasonable expectation from a 12 year old girl. Loving care is a critical need of any child. Baby does not have that feeling of being loved; therefore, she finds comfort in the fact that she was once loved. The doll is also representative of her current state of mind. Such as her wishes to be normal: have normal friends, normal parents, normal family; a normal life. When Jules destroys Baby’s rag doll out of anger, it is symbolic of a lost childhood.Her last reminder of the love her mother had for her had been torn away. Baby says, â€Å"Now I was nothing, a real nobody (O’Neill 119). The destruction of her doll meant that her sense of belonging, that she was once part of a family, was now gone. She seems as if she is being pulled into adolescence without having any real sense of true childhood. When the character Alphonse begins to take an interest in Baby, his first attempt to make Baby take an interest in him is to give her a gift. The gift is a pair of dainty knee-high socks.Baby wants nice things, and these socks were, according to baby, â€Å"the first pretty things I’d ever owned† (O’Neill 155). This gift is exhilarating for her. It is an acknowledgment from someone who believed she was attractive, especially coming from Alphonse. According the others in the neighborhood, it was known that Alphonse only looked out for good looking women, so if he took notice of someone, it meant something (O’Neill 148). It is particularly clear to the reader that Alphonse likely has ulterior motives, but to baby Alphonse is simply someone who likes her.The socks remind Baby that she is pretty, and she is proud of the fa ct that an older man found her attractive. In turn, this causes baby to trust Alphonse and fall for his manipulation, leading towards what could be a life of prostitution. The socks are symbolic of Baby being forced into adulthood. Baby is still young and naive; she has no way of understanding what Alphonse is attempting to do. Therefore, the socks may also represent Baby’s vulnerability and lack of ability to judge character.At this point in the novel, Baby has not had a proper childhood or even learned any of what it means to be a teenage person, and now she is already being pushed into adulthood. After Alphonse dies in the hotel room, Baby does not know what to do. She is lost without an adult. She realizes, â€Å"Even though I was making all the money, it seemed that since he was the adult, he was the only one who could get us a place to stay and food to eat† (O’Neill 309). It is clear that Baby is still mentally and physically a child, but has taken on the role of an adult.Since there is no longer an adult in her life, she is immediately overwhelmed. She does not think seeing Jules is a good idea (O’Neill 311), however, for some reason she is compelled to go to the shelter in which he is residing in. It seems that Baby’s situation may be hopeless. Baby’s arrival to the Mission seems to be the crucial turning point in the novel. She is presented with a family of toy mice, which baby believes to be â€Å"by far, the best gift I’d ever gotten† (O’Neill 317). An innocent and beautiful gift, which is exactly what Baby needs, something she has not had in an exceptionally long time.The mice are given along with the knowledge that she will be living Jules’s cousin from now on. The mice represent the possibilities of positive change in Baby’s life. They are symbolic of hope; the possibility that she will find what she needs. In â€Å"Lullabies for Little Criminals,† the use of obje cts to create symbolic meaning is abundantly evident and illustrates the roles Baby assumes as the novel progresses. She does not experience growing up in the same way most children do. She seems to go from child, to adolescent teen, to adult, in approximately a year.The roles she assumes show her growth in a manner that is unnatural to the reader, and the use of symbolism to show how this process is forced onto her is profound. The symbolism of the toy mice representing change shows Baby’s final step towards becoming a â€Å"normal† person. The author’s use of this immediately after the seemingly darkest point in the novel serves to create an emotional uplift for the reader; ultimately allowing the reader to realize that the character is going to be alright. The narrator states, â€Å"Then Janine stepped over to me and squeezed me hard.I could feel my heart beating when she hugged me against her, but now it felt fine . . . Her big blue eyes looked just like Ju les’s, and I guess mine too. Her green winter jacket smelled like rain† (O’Neill 330). The final paragraph of the novel shows that Baby will likely get exactly what she wanted: Love, a caring person, family, belonging, and most importantly, the opportunity to find herself. Work Cited O’Neill, Heather. Lullabies for Little Criminals. 1st ed. Toronto: Harper Perennial, 2006. Print

Are There Advantages to Home Schooling? Essay

â€Å"Many people turn their nose up at me and make a face of disproval when I tell them I home school my children. It really doesn’t bother me though. I feel there are a great number of advantages to home schooling my children.†Ã¢â‚¬â€œMargaret Schiner. Many parents have often pondered on which type of educational setting would be better for their children. The most common way for children to receive their basic K-12 education is by attending a public school. However, there is one very different option, home schooling. The advantages of home schooling are starting to be realized by more and more parents each year, evident by the growing number of children being home schooled. So, are there advantages to home schooling? With today’s society, this seems to be growing truer all the time. Of course, there are disadvantages to just about anything; home schooling is no different. Although, there seems to be many more advantages to teaching children from home, versus s ending them to a public school. The home schooling process seems to be much more efficient than that of public schools. Lawrence Hardy of American School Board Journal asked Yvonne Bunn, a home schooling mom, to comment on her thoughts of how home schooling matched up with that of a public school, academically. Ms. Bunn replied saying, â€Å"Academically, home schooling is like a tutorial, a one-on-one relationship. That is every teacher’s dream† (18). She went on to comment about how she thinks home schooling is â€Å"the quickest, most comprehensive way of covering a subject† (18). Home schooling seems to be the best way to speed up the learning  process because of the lack of other students. Ms. Bunn told of how one of her daughters was able to complete the entire kindergarten curriculum before Christmas, and this was in just two  hours of â€Å"school† a day. She described how this is possible by saying, â€Å"We accomplish the curriculum in two hours a day because we’re not lining up,  we’re not dealing with troublemakers in the classroom† (18). Many people feel as if the sheltered environment of learning in the home will often hurt a child when he or she decides to leave home to pursue a college education. However, this might not necessarily be true. Margaret Schiner has recently sent her home schooled son off to college, and he is now doing very well in the college setting. She said she believed that â€Å"he is at an advantage because he has learned to study independently and not rely on others so much, which is similar to how you learn in college.† Lawrence Hardy also discusses this issue. He indicates that they (home schooled children) â€Å"are naturals for post-secondary work because of their experience with the kind of independent study that college requires† (19). There is another advantage to home schooling; although, this is an advantage that is often debated for moral reasons. Since most parents who home school don’t keep their student’s grades, when asked by a college to assign a grade for such things as dual-enrollment college classes, the parents often assign the highest grade possible. Rebecca Talluto, dean of educational services at Brevard Community College discusses this topic. She tells how when a home schooled student wants to be part of dual-enrolled college classes, he or she do not go to a principal or guidance counselor to get the proper documents signed. â€Å"Instead they must submit a notarized affidavit that says they are at least sophomores. Their parent, in lieu of a high school guidance counselor and principal, sign a form from us stating that the student meets minimum  GPA requirements. And this is where the problem shows up: when we explain this form to the parents, they usually reply that they do not keep grades. Then they go ahead and sign the form, assigning their child a 4.0 GPA† (20). Unfair? Yes, but it’s definitely an advantage for home schooled students. Just about every critic of the home schooling process will use the â€Å"loss of socialization† point when debating why home schooling is a bad choice.  Yvonne Bunn was asked about whether she was worried about socialization. Ms. Bunn had a very interesting reply, almost flip-flopping the question. She stated, â€Å"We had better be concerned with socialization, because socialization is one of the best reasons to home school. Just look at society today† (18). She went on to say that â€Å"home schooled children have lots of opportunities for socialization–from church groups, scouting, 4-H, and community organizations, to name few† (18). Ms. Bunn feels like her children don’t necessarily need school in order to gain the basic, essential socialization skills needed for life. However, Bob Chase, President of the National Education Association, feels differently. He feels as if the socialization skills picked up from interaction with children of your own age while in public schooling is essential. He says, â€Å"Public education represents a slice of reality that goes beyond participation in 4-H activities, ballet classes, and church socials† (qtd. in Hardy 15). Many parents feel as if they should be more concerned about what kind of socialization their child is receiving, rather than how much. By knowing just what activities a child is involved in, for instance a church youth group, there is a better understanding of just who they are interacting with, as well as a little more control over whom they socialize with. In a public school setting there just isn’t this type of knowledge or control. Ms. Bunn agrees with  this type of philosophy stating, â€Å"Parents should be concerned about the quality of social contracts, rather than quantity † (qtd. in Hardy 18). Before really looking into the issue, most people turn their nose up at the idea of home schooling their children because of the negative remarks often made about this alternative to public schools and the common myths that have developed over time such as: the loss of socialization and poor success in post-secondary schooling. However, if one takes the time to really sit and evaluate which choice would be better for their children, receiving an education in a public school or at home, home schooling has a lot of strong advantages that cannot be ignored. A very small percentage of people who  home school their children give the practice up, and either start their children in a public school for the first time or send them back to the public schooling system. The education that home schooled children are receiving today is often better than that of a public education, and is now starting to show up in society more and more. Richard Hardy discusses this by saying, â€Å"It’s hard to argue with the advantages of one-on-one instruction, of extensive parent involvement, and of a curriculum tailored to every child’s needs. Home schooled children are winning spelling and geography bees and going on to top-notch colleges† (19). It’s obvious there are definite advantages to home schooling, just ask an experienced home school mom like Margaret Schiner. Works Cited Hardy, Lawrence. â€Å"Learning Without School.† American School Board Journal 188 (Aug. 2001): 14-19. Schiner, Margaret. Personal interview. 4 April 2004. Talluto, R. â€Å"Accountability for Home Schoolers.† American School Board Journal 188 (Aug. 001): 20-21.

Priyagold History Essay

After the research objectives have been specified (step 1) and the list of needed information has been prepared (step 2), the researcher should determine whether such information is already available, either in company records or in outside sources, certainly, the researcher should not collect data from the field until the appropriate secondary sources of information have been reviewed. If the needed information is not available from secondary sources, the researcher will have to collect data in the field, and so it will be necessary to design a data collection project. Researcher encounter many possible sources of error when designing a data collection project. Some of these include using a poor or inappropriate research design not using experimental designs where possible); using a large scale study instead of a small scale study, or vice versa; using poor experimental designs; and still others. To minimize the possible sources of error associated with designing a data collection project, the following five issues must be given attention first To a great extent, this issue is likely to be determining by the research objective and the situation leading to the request for research. Exploratory research is likely to be used when investigating a potential opportunity or problem and conclusive research is likely to be used when the research is likely to be used when the research findings are expected to result in specific decision being made or specific actions being taken.

English 12 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English 12 - Essay Example experiment, average college students were gathered and placed into a prison environment, where they were quick to take on the roles of guards and prisoners. They acted in the ways that they thought they should have; they understood the situation so much that their personalities were taken over to accompany the situation. In my opinion, I agree with the thoughts of Zimbardo and Buchanan in regards to the fact that people are pitted against the natural forces of negative situations. There are many instances when a person is already familiar with the behaviors of a person or a role, so when they are put in similar situations, they react in a way that they are already aware of. As aforementioned, many people just act how they think they should; it is not so much the fear of judgment by others, but the fact that they should perform in a certain way, that there are expectations already set down for them. When people are put into a bad situation, they act as they see fit. Their behavior changes to help them get through whatever the situation is; oddly enough, it seems that most people resort to negative behaviors and actions than positive ones. An adrenaline rush from the situation may bring on the negative reactions, or perhaps people just feel a certain strength from being tough in a situation, even if it is negative. If the situation they are can be considered bad or evil, the person may act accordingly. In a bad situation, how else should a person act? In accordance to the situation itself. I also believe that conformity plays a large role in how people act in situations that can be deemed bad or negative. In some cases, people follow the behaviors of others that are in the same situation. Zimbardos prison experiment is an example of this - while some of the "prison guards" might have remained true to their personalities and typical behaviors, they noticed that others were strongly taking on the role of real prison guards. These other subjects conformed to the

Sustainable Stakeholder Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sustainable Stakeholder Capitalism - Essay Example This is because employing macro level practical reforms will create a systematic integrity in the financial institutions across the globe. This is essential because it will contribute to responsible risk management for the SSC in the present and future. One of the factors that contributed to unethical economic environment of the Great Global Recession is unregulated capitalism. Unregulated capitalism in the field of economics is one of the risk factors contributing to economic crisis. Petrick argue that the irrational market actors whose aim is to fulfill their self-interest and their unethical behaviors employed in accumulating wealth can be one of the challenges to the economy of a state. This is because it creates economic imbalances in a country and this contributes to other associated problem such as poor resource distribution in an economy. The capitalism nature and ineffective managerial education contributed to the global recession; thus non-market and market stakeholders were unable to prevent capitalism. Secondly, poor market-based regulatory solutions in the global economy contributed to economic crisis. The ineffective fiscal and monetary policies failed to reignite residential investments; thus contributed to financial crisis. The government employs poor fiscal policy in regulation of business activities. Moreover, the unregulated marketing principles contributed to poor price determination in many entities. The managers employed poor managerial theories and practices that affected the marketing activities. For instance, the Wall Street banking and other financial banks employed speculative risks that affected the investors. Lastly, overuse of resources due to need of increasing wealth, and this contributed to resource depletion. The resource overuse resulted due to managerial competences whereby many actors wanted to expand and