“Back to China”: the Reverse Brain Drain in China

â€Å"Back to China†: the Reverse Brain Drain in China Every autumn, American students are busy with applying for undergraduate or graduate schools, so are an increasing number of Chinese students. Chinese get to realize the significance of being transnational. â€Å"Transnational† means involving in many countries. Now, human capital, especially those who have international experience, is significant to the development of a country in the internationalized world. However, plenty of overseas students from developing country tend to stay abroad for a better future, which is a great loss of developing countries.But, recently, more and more Chinese students go back to China after they complete their study, which is a good news to China. Looking through this new trend, there are three main factors that may drive overseas scholars to come back to China: the growth of economy in China, the support from the government to overseas scholars, and the bond between overseas scholar s and home land. Reverse brain drain is a term of migration. The definition of this term is the phenomenon that talented people who once studied or worked in developed country go to a less developed country which is developing in high pace.Recently, this has been common in developing countries, such as India, Brazil, and China (Llana, Ford, Marquand, Pflanz, & Ibukun, 2012). Conversely, in the past, People’s Republic of China (PRC) was not as open as it is now. PRC even ceased the communication in education with other countries once because of the Chinese Culture Revolution which lasted from 1966 to 1976 (Liu, & Li, 2010). Not until 1978 when China renewed the policy of international academic communication did China send students to go abroad (Yao, 2004).As China’s policy became looser, â€Å"outgoing tide† and â€Å"incoming tide† appeared (Zhang, 1997). â€Å"Outgoing tide† is a description of the phenomenon that plenty of students go abroad and the â€Å"incoming tide† means those students go back. Since 1978, according to China statistical yearbook 2011, more than 632,000 Chinese, or 33 percent of those who studied abroad, have returned home and both the rate of increase of overseas Chinese students and the rate of increase of returning Chinese scholars have grown sharply in recent years. For instance, in 1989, 3,329 went abroad to study.In 1990, the number of students who went abroad even decreased to 2,950 , only 1,593 scholars went back to China. In contrast, the total of students who studied abroad in 2010 increased to 284,700. In the same year, 134,800 students return after their study in foreign country, up 24. 7 percent from 2009 (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2011, 20-10). Statistics show that the reverse brain drain to China has already begun. In the past, the reason why the majority of overseas scholars chose staying abroad instead of returning was that they found there were obstacles blocking t heir way back to China.Those scholars were concerned about the factors linked with money, especially the living condition and career. Compared with working in China, it would be easier for scholars to have convenient places to live and earn relatively high salary when working abroad (Li, 1998). As for career, in China, when some young scholars applied for research funds, they were not able to get funded, which means they could only be assisted by institutions and companies abroad or study further overseas. Ruizhang Guan is one of the scholars who went abroad because of lack of fund.He did not have a Ph. D. at that time. He said, â€Å"It was difficult to get any funds without a Ph. D. , and without funding it was very hard to produce any results† (Yan, 1998, p. 59). Furthermore, Zweig, the chair professor of Social Science of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology who is known for his research on Chinese politics and political economy, pointed out in his paper â⠂¬Å"Competing for talent† (2006) that the economy of China was in poor condition, most of the institutes and research centers did not have enough money to update the facilities.Then scholars believed that they could not develop further in their fields with the deficient equipment in Chinese institutes. To have promising future, these scholars were willing to develop their careers in developed countries. It is undoubtedly true that there were many factors motivating the migration of scholar in that period. However, two decades have passed, and the living and working environment in China has changed dramatically, owing to the development in economy. The growing economy has given China opportunities to improve Chinese people’s living condition.And now when scholars consider the question whether to stay abroad or to go back to homeland, better living condition there can make life abroad less attractive. To illustrate the changes in living condition, Engel's coefficient is o ne of the index numbers. Engel's coefficient means the proportion of spending on food in total spending. A decreasing Engel's coefficient shows the average income has increased and life is getting better for a population. According to China statistical yearbook 2011 (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2011), Engel's coefficient there dropped from 54. in urban areas and 58. 8 in rural areas to 35. 7 and 41. 1 relatively (10-1). Also, the housing condition has been improved, for the rates of population with access to tap water and gas have increased to nearly 100% respectively and the per capita living space has been enlarged (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2011, 10-1). Although the living condition in China is still not comparable to that in developed countries, it is much better than what it was 20 years ago, and this is acceptable to returnees.When compared with the rapid growth of China’s economy, the financial crisis in other parts of the world has disappoint ed overseas students recently, in terms of employment and advancement opportunities. In developed countries, scholars’ work and life seemed the same as before, and hardly can the pattern of life and work be changed. Whereas, China usually presented a better appearance to overseas scholars every time they came back to China (Liu & Li, 2010). Usually, opportunities appear in changes. Therefore, scholars believe there are better and more opportunities in their career in China.For example, in the report on October 21st, 2012, Sophie Tao, an ex-fund manager in New York who went back to China to promote her career further, states, â€Å"China is one of the few bright spots in the world economy† (Ford, 2012). In China, many academic fields have not been explored enough yet, and some are even virgin lands. For this reason, those returnees, equipped with the experience and knowledge gained from abroad, can lay foundations in their own field in China. The possibility of success attracts scholar to do research in China (Engardio, & Engardio, 2009).In fact, the 2008-2009 financial crisis tested the economic stability worldwide and the harm caused by the global economic crisis still affects the economics of the rich nations (Llana et al. , 2012). Moreover, it increased the unemployment rate of immigrants in developed countries and it became difficult for overseas students to find a job there. According to Stephen Castle, a Research Chair at the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Sydney, the unemployment rate for immigrants increased by 3. 4% in the European Union in 2008. And that rate in the USA has increased by 4. % (2012, p1847). Chinese students found out that it was difficult for them to find a suitable job overseas. Then, they started to think about whether the developed countries were their only choice of destination, or whether their homeland would be a feasible choice. And China did not disappoint them. China entered World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. And in 2002-2009 international companies have invested 683. 5 billion in China (Wang, 2012). The main method of their investment is to start their branch offices in China. Furthermore, China had to compete with other countries in the world.As a consequence, the â€Å"golden time† for overseas students to go back to China began (Ye, 2000, p. 20). Returnees believe that they can have their own contribution to the development of China. Ma Jianghe, who gained his doctorate of Law in the United States, chose to develop his career in China after the agreement on China’s accession to WTO was signed. He believed: â€Å"After China joins the WTO, I will have a big advantage in China’s law service market. My good understanding of Chinese and American laws will convince businessmen from both countries to trust me. † ( Ye, 2000, p. 1) As Ma said, the abilities that returnees possess are what a country or a company needs to succeed i n international competition. Their multi-cultural background, their communication skills and their ability of adaptation in their own field make them outstanding among employees. Besides the economic factors, in the past, another reason that would stop overseas scholars from returning was the strict control of scholars made by the government. Because of the control, the most violent issue happened in 4 June 1989. Students died, for their political status went against the government.Scholars were afraid of being deprived of freedom, both physically and politically (Zweig, 2006). They thought once they went back to China, they could never go abroad again and hardly could they communicate with international scholars. Considering of the life in future, many scholars refused to return home. Indeed, policies at that time were not open enough. Chinese government noticed that China was confronted with a serious problem that plenty of overseas talents chose to stay abroad. Only 20% of Chines e overseas scholars thought they might go back home according to Zweig’s survey which was done in 1993 (Zweig, 2006).Facing this obstacle, the authorities decided to support overseas scholars to come back to home and began to create friendly environment to welcome scholars. To encourage returning, the government has provides financial support to scholars through plenty of programs in recent 20 years. To illustrate how those programs work, the â€Å"thousand talents program† that was launched in 2008 is an appropriate example. The aim of this plan is to lure overseas scholars to go back to China and help their homeland to â€Å"raise its global competitiveness† and become â€Å"an innovative society† (Ford, 2012, para. 0). The Chinese government launched it to bring top scientists and high-tech entrepreneurs back home in the next five to 10 years. In this plan, the government is going to grant 1 million Yuan (about $146,000) per person as salary and resear ch fund. Then the government offers them insurance, housing and pensions, too. Thanks to this plan, over 2000 experts in varied field have gone back to China to start a new career during the last three years(Zhang, 2012,para. 1).The financial supports make the returnees’ road back to China easier. Not only the central government but also the local government attempts to attract overseas scholars. â€Å"Enterprise incubators† have been set up to offer opportunity to returnees to start their own business since 1994 (Zweig, 2006, & Liu, & Li, 2010). An â€Å"Enterprise incubator† is a special zone that provides preferential policies and service for overseas entrepreneurs, which makes it an appropriate zone for overseas scholars to begin from.According to the statistics cited in â€Å"Zhongguo liu xue tong shi† (The history of Chinese student studying abroad, Liu, & Li, 2010), in 2003, there were over 110 such zones in China, more than 6000 companies were fou nded in those zones, and over 15,000 overseas entrepreneurs were attracted to those zones. The annual output value of 2003 was 32. 7 billion Yuan (about $5. 24 billion). The success in these enterprise incubators may lure more overseas scholars to go home. Cultural binding with homeland also lures overseas scholars to go back to China.In a foreign country, it is probable for someone to suffer from nostalgia, discrimination, and other problems. And they would miss home and return to their familiar culture to avoid those problems. Family is an essential part of one’s cultural background. As a consequence, it acts as a firm bond between overseas scholars and their homeland. First, Kellogg, a researcher working on international migration at UCLA, did a survey on the future plans of Chinese students in America in 2012. According to the survey, the top one reason why they want to return home is family (Kellogg, 2012).It is suffering to stay far away from relatives and friends for a long period of time. Furthermore, because of one-child policy, the only child is what parents can rely on except for the welfare and pension when parents get old. In Chinese traditional convention, children should take care of the elder family members (Smith, 1973). So parents and children would like to live together, at least live nearby each other (Settles, Sheng, Zang, & Zhao, 2008). This will lead to an increasing number of overseas students to come back to China.Moreover, China, a familiar environment, may comfort these scholars and give them confidence in their career, which is an attraction to scholars who stays abroad. Integration into the local society is a troublesome problem to Chinese students. In a survey done by a website named deyi which is a popular website among Chinese students in Germany (2007) about the students’ situation in the local society, only seven percent of students assert that they have no problem to join the main stream. Others encountered prob lems more or less (as cited in Liu & Li, 2010, p. 88-491) To evade this, some of them tend to limit their social contact to a small group of Chinese people and confine their career to lab when they graduate, which lead to the result that they have less communication with the main stream and it becomes more troublesome for them to integrate into the society (Miller, 1992 & Liu & Li, 2010). On the other hand, their situation in China is different from that abroad. An overseas scholar has both a native knowledge of his or her homeland and the ability to use Chinese fluently.That is the basis of overseas scholars’ confidence. When they strike root in their homeland, they gain confidence. Chaoyang Zhang, the CEO of sohu (Sohu is one of the most successful Internet companies in China. )and a returnee, shares his experience: â€Å" When I was an official at MIT, I met Zhangliang Chen (He is a famous experts of tropical botany in China and he studied in Washington University in St. Louis. ) once. From his expression and the look in his eyes, I could see the authority and firmness that he gained during the years when he was in China.His confidence and pride are what overseas students and successful overseas scholars do not have. That is result of striking root in homeland. The difference is so enormous to make me shocked, which strengthen my determination to go back to China. † ( Liu & Li, 2010, p. 587) The confidence based on living in homeland cannot usually be gained elsewhere. On the other hand, the cultural binding with homeland may be a disadvantage of Chinese scholars when they live abroad. Chinese scholars and those who have already mmigrated to foreign country may experience discrimination from others. The glass ceiling exists, which according to Joseph Tsien, a American neuroscientist from China, is â€Å"an unspoken truth† (Mervis, 2005, p. 607). A glass ceiling means that a certain barrier blocks the advancement to a relatively high pos ition faced by minority in a society. Because of culture gap and language barrier, most of the scholars from China find they can not totally understand the foreign culture (Liu, & Li, 2010).As a result, many of them can have fame and achievement in their own field as scientists but only a few of them can get a job of senior management in their field (Mervis, 2005). Alice Huang, a successful virologist who came from mainland China to America when she was 10 years old, encountered the barrier in her application to a high- level job in New York University in 1991. During her interview, she found out that what the committee was searching for is a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) candidate and the committee set barriers to make Huang give up that position. In the end, she lost that position (Miller, 1992).Since evaluation, which may be subjective, is a key step in process of promotion, one, not belonging to the main stream, may be afraid of the unequal judgment done by the evaluating committee which consists of the majority. Scholars want to prove their value and be accepted by the society. But the existed barriers prevent scholars from getting higher positions and realize their plans. Under this condition, scholars would believe that they will be minority and nearly impossible to be integrated to mainstream, which may hurt scholars and drive them to go home (Liu, & Li, 2010).However, the racial discrimination to those overseas scholars will be eliminated in their homeland. They will be honored in China. Experiences of studying and working abroad are called â€Å"paint a little gold† (du jin) in Chinese (Zweig, Chen, & Rosen, 2004, p. 736), which means returnees are regarded precious in China. To conclude, the three keys to Chinese reverse brain drain are dramatic growth in the economics, proper policies that encourage overseas scholars to return and a cultural environment that can give returnees a sense of belonging.Through the success of China’s alluring scholars back, power plays a significant role. To encourage more overseas scholars to go back, the authorities should concentrate on developing the economy to gain more hard power. Moreover, an open political environment is necessary, for overseas scholars have experienced freedom in political status. Furthermore, for moving the trend of returning further, the government should not only concentrate on the quantity of the returnees but also the quality of the returnees. Reference: Alsop, R. (2007). TRACK: More Chinese Graduates Return Home.The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://online. wsj. com/article/SB11737448221373 4773. html Castles, S. (2012). Cosmopolitanism and freedom? Lessons of the global economic crisis. Ethnic & Racial Studies, 35(11), 1843-1852. doi:10. 1080/01419870. 2012. 715662 Confucius, C. (2006). â€Å"Lun yu† ming yan =: Aphorisms From LUNYU. Di 1 ban. Jinan: Qi lu shu she. Engardio, P. ,& Engardio, P. (2009). China's Rev erse Brain Drain. BloomberBusinessweek. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/ 09_48/b4157058821350. tm Ford, P. (2012). Reverse brain drain: China engineers incentives for â€Å"brain gain†. Christian Science Monitor, Retrieved from http://www. csmonitor. com/World/Global-Issues /2012/1021/Reverse-brain-drain-China-engineers-incentives-for-brain-gain International Rankings and Chinese Higher Education Reform. (2006). World Education News and Reviews. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://www. wes. org/ ewenr/06oct/ practical. htm. Jianshu, Z. (2000). Students Returned from Abroad in the 1990s. Chinese Education & Society, 33(5), 8. Kellogg, R. (2012).China's Brain Gain? : Attitudes and Future Plans of Overseas Chinese Students in the US. Journal Of Chinese Overseas, 8(1), 83-104. doi:10. 1163/179325412X634319 Liu, J. , & Li, X. (2010). Zhongguo liu xue tong shi: Zhongguo liuxue tongshi. Di 1 ban. Guangzhou: Guangdong jiao yu chu ba n she Llana, S. , Ford, P. , Marquand, R. , Pflanz, M. , & Ibukun, Y. (2012). Reverse brain drain: Economic shifts lure migrants home. Christian Science Monitor, N. PAG. National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2011). China statistical yearbook 2011. Beijing: China Statistics Press.Settles, B. , Sheng, X. , Zang, Y. & Zhao, J. (2008). The one child policy and its impacts on Chinese families. Research Committee on Family, 12-13. Smith, D. (1973). Confucius. London: Temple Smith. Wang, Z. (2012). Ten years of international companies since China entered WTO. International Financing. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://www. zcom. com/ article/51886/ Yan, J. (1998). My heart turns toward the homeland. Chinese Education & Society,31(2), 57. Ye, L. (2000). Overseas students coming back at a golden time. Beijing Review, 43(6/7), 20. Zhang, Y. (2012).Thousand Talent Program brings more pros. China Daily, Retrieved from http://www. chinadaily. com. cn/bizchina/2012-04/28/content_15168335. htm. Zweig, D. , Changgui, C. , & Rosen, S. (2004). Globalization and transnational human capital: Overseas and returnee scholars to china. The China Quarterly, 735-757. Zweig, D. (2006). Competing for talent: China's strategies to reverse the brain drain. International Labour Review,145(1), 65-0_6. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. library. wisc. edu/docview/224008850? accountid=465 ———————– 1 â€Å"Back to China†: the Reverse Brain Drain in China â€Å"Back to China†: the Reverse Brain Drain in China Every autumn, American students are busy with applying for undergraduate or graduate schools, so are an increasing number of Chinese students. Chinese get to realize the significance of being transnational. â€Å"Transnational† means involving in many countries. Now, human capital, especially those who have international experience, is significant to the development of a country in the internationalized world. However, plenty of overseas students from developing country tend to stay abroad for a better future, which is a great loss of developing countries.But, recently, more and more Chinese students go back to China after they complete their study, which is a good news to China. Looking through this new trend, there are three main factors that may drive overseas scholars to come back to China: the growth of economy in China, the support from the government to overseas scholars, and the bond between overseas scholar s and home land. Reverse brain drain is a term of migration. The definition of this term is the phenomenon that talented people who once studied or worked in developed country go to a less developed country which is developing in high pace.Recently, this has been common in developing countries, such as India, Brazil, and China (Llana, Ford, Marquand, Pflanz, & Ibukun, 2012). Conversely, in the past, People’s Republic of China (PRC) was not as open as it is now. PRC even ceased the communication in education with other countries once because of the Chinese Culture Revolution which lasted from 1966 to 1976 (Liu, & Li, 2010). Not until 1978 when China renewed the policy of international academic communication did China send students to go abroad (Yao, 2004).As China’s policy became looser, â€Å"outgoing tide† and â€Å"incoming tide† appeared (Zhang, 1997). â€Å"Outgoing tide† is a description of the phenomenon that plenty of students go abroad and the â€Å"incoming tide† means those students go back. Since 1978, according to China statistical yearbook 2011, more than 632,000 Chinese, or 33 percent of those who studied abroad, have returned home and both the rate of increase of overseas Chinese students and the rate of increase of returning Chinese scholars have grown sharply in recent years. For instance, in 1989, 3,329 went abroad to study.In 1990, the number of students who went abroad even decreased to 2,950 , only 1,593 scholars went back to China. In contrast, the total of students who studied abroad in 2010 increased to 284,700. In the same year, 134,800 students return after their study in foreign country, up 24. 7 percent from 2009 (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2011, 20-10). Statistics show that the reverse brain drain to China has already begun. In the past, the reason why the majority of overseas scholars chose staying abroad instead of returning was that they found there were obstacles blocking t heir way back to China.Those scholars were concerned about the factors linked with money, especially the living condition and career. Compared with working in China, it would be easier for scholars to have convenient places to live and earn relatively high salary when working abroad (Li, 1998). As for career, in China, when some young scholars applied for research funds, they were not able to get funded, which means they could only be assisted by institutions and companies abroad or study further overseas. Ruizhang Guan is one of the scholars who went abroad because of lack of fund.He did not have a Ph. D. at that time. He said, â€Å"It was difficult to get any funds without a Ph. D. , and without funding it was very hard to produce any results† (Yan, 1998, p. 59). Furthermore, Zweig, the chair professor of Social Science of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology who is known for his research on Chinese politics and political economy, pointed out in his paper â⠂¬Å"Competing for talent† (2006) that the economy of China was in poor condition, most of the institutes and research centers did not have enough money to update the facilities.Then scholars believed that they could not develop further in their fields with the deficient equipment in Chinese institutes. To have promising future, these scholars were willing to develop their careers in developed countries. It is undoubtedly true that there were many factors motivating the migration of scholar in that period. However, two decades have passed, and the living and working environment in China has changed dramatically, owing to the development in economy. The growing economy has given China opportunities to improve Chinese people’s living condition.And now when scholars consider the question whether to stay abroad or to go back to homeland, better living condition there can make life abroad less attractive. To illustrate the changes in living condition, Engel's coefficient is o ne of the index numbers. Engel's coefficient means the proportion of spending on food in total spending. A decreasing Engel's coefficient shows the average income has increased and life is getting better for a population. According to China statistical yearbook 2011 (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2011), Engel's coefficient there dropped from 54. in urban areas and 58. 8 in rural areas to 35. 7 and 41. 1 relatively (10-1). Also, the housing condition has been improved, for the rates of population with access to tap water and gas have increased to nearly 100% respectively and the per capita living space has been enlarged (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2011, 10-1). Although the living condition in China is still not comparable to that in developed countries, it is much better than what it was 20 years ago, and this is acceptable to returnees.When compared with the rapid growth of China’s economy, the financial crisis in other parts of the world has disappoint ed overseas students recently, in terms of employment and advancement opportunities. In developed countries, scholars’ work and life seemed the same as before, and hardly can the pattern of life and work be changed. Whereas, China usually presented a better appearance to overseas scholars every time they came back to China (Liu & Li, 2010). Usually, opportunities appear in changes. Therefore, scholars believe there are better and more opportunities in their career in China.For example, in the report on October 21st, 2012, Sophie Tao, an ex-fund manager in New York who went back to China to promote her career further, states, â€Å"China is one of the few bright spots in the world economy† (Ford, 2012). In China, many academic fields have not been explored enough yet, and some are even virgin lands. For this reason, those returnees, equipped with the experience and knowledge gained from abroad, can lay foundations in their own field in China. The possibility of success attracts scholar to do research in China (Engardio, & Engardio, 2009).In fact, the 2008-2009 financial crisis tested the economic stability worldwide and the harm caused by the global economic crisis still affects the economics of the rich nations (Llana et al. , 2012). Moreover, it increased the unemployment rate of immigrants in developed countries and it became difficult for overseas students to find a job there. According to Stephen Castle, a Research Chair at the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Sydney, the unemployment rate for immigrants increased by 3. 4% in the European Union in 2008. And that rate in the USA has increased by 4. % (2012, p1847). Chinese students found out that it was difficult for them to find a suitable job overseas. Then, they started to think about whether the developed countries were their only choice of destination, or whether their homeland would be a feasible choice. And China did not disappoint them. China entered World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. And in 2002-2009 international companies have invested 683. 5 billion in China (Wang, 2012). The main method of their investment is to start their branch offices in China. Furthermore, China had to compete with other countries in the world.As a consequence, the â€Å"golden time† for overseas students to go back to China began (Ye, 2000, p. 20). Returnees believe that they can have their own contribution to the development of China. Ma Jianghe, who gained his doctorate of Law in the United States, chose to develop his career in China after the agreement on China’s accession to WTO was signed. He believed: â€Å"After China joins the WTO, I will have a big advantage in China’s law service market. My good understanding of Chinese and American laws will convince businessmen from both countries to trust me. † ( Ye, 2000, p. 1) As Ma said, the abilities that returnees possess are what a country or a company needs to succeed i n international competition. Their multi-cultural background, their communication skills and their ability of adaptation in their own field make them outstanding among employees. Besides the economic factors, in the past, another reason that would stop overseas scholars from returning was the strict control of scholars made by the government. Because of the control, the most violent issue happened in 4 June 1989. Students died, for their political status went against the government.Scholars were afraid of being deprived of freedom, both physically and politically (Zweig, 2006). They thought once they went back to China, they could never go abroad again and hardly could they communicate with international scholars. Considering of the life in future, many scholars refused to return home. Indeed, policies at that time were not open enough. Chinese government noticed that China was confronted with a serious problem that plenty of overseas talents chose to stay abroad. Only 20% of Chines e overseas scholars thought they might go back home according to Zweig’s survey which was done in 1993 (Zweig, 2006).Facing this obstacle, the authorities decided to support overseas scholars to come back to home and began to create friendly environment to welcome scholars. To encourage returning, the government has provides financial support to scholars through plenty of programs in recent 20 years. To illustrate how those programs work, the â€Å"thousand talents program† that was launched in 2008 is an appropriate example. The aim of this plan is to lure overseas scholars to go back to China and help their homeland to â€Å"raise its global competitiveness† and become â€Å"an innovative society† (Ford, 2012, para. 0). The Chinese government launched it to bring top scientists and high-tech entrepreneurs back home in the next five to 10 years. In this plan, the government is going to grant 1 million Yuan (about $146,000) per person as salary and resear ch fund. Then the government offers them insurance, housing and pensions, too. Thanks to this plan, over 2000 experts in varied field have gone back to China to start a new career during the last three years(Zhang, 2012,para. 1).The financial supports make the returnees’ road back to China easier. Not only the central government but also the local government attempts to attract overseas scholars. â€Å"Enterprise incubators† have been set up to offer opportunity to returnees to start their own business since 1994 (Zweig, 2006, & Liu, & Li, 2010). An â€Å"Enterprise incubator† is a special zone that provides preferential policies and service for overseas entrepreneurs, which makes it an appropriate zone for overseas scholars to begin from.According to the statistics cited in â€Å"Zhongguo liu xue tong shi† (The history of Chinese student studying abroad, Liu, & Li, 2010), in 2003, there were over 110 such zones in China, more than 6000 companies were fou nded in those zones, and over 15,000 overseas entrepreneurs were attracted to those zones. The annual output value of 2003 was 32. 7 billion Yuan (about $5. 24 billion). The success in these enterprise incubators may lure more overseas scholars to go home. Cultural binding with homeland also lures overseas scholars to go back to China.In a foreign country, it is probable for someone to suffer from nostalgia, discrimination, and other problems. And they would miss home and return to their familiar culture to avoid those problems. Family is an essential part of one’s cultural background. As a consequence, it acts as a firm bond between overseas scholars and their homeland. First, Kellogg, a researcher working on international migration at UCLA, did a survey on the future plans of Chinese students in America in 2012. According to the survey, the top one reason why they want to return home is family (Kellogg, 2012).It is suffering to stay far away from relatives and friends for a long period of time. Furthermore, because of one-child policy, the only child is what parents can rely on except for the welfare and pension when parents get old. In Chinese traditional convention, children should take care of the elder family members (Smith, 1973). So parents and children would like to live together, at least live nearby each other (Settles, Sheng, Zang, & Zhao, 2008). This will lead to an increasing number of overseas students to come back to China.Moreover, China, a familiar environment, may comfort these scholars and give them confidence in their career, which is an attraction to scholars who stays abroad. Integration into the local society is a troublesome problem to Chinese students. In a survey done by a website named deyi which is a popular website among Chinese students in Germany (2007) about the students’ situation in the local society, only seven percent of students assert that they have no problem to join the main stream. Others encountered prob lems more or less (as cited in Liu & Li, 2010, p. 88-491) To evade this, some of them tend to limit their social contact to a small group of Chinese people and confine their career to lab when they graduate, which lead to the result that they have less communication with the main stream and it becomes more troublesome for them to integrate into the society (Miller, 1992 & Liu & Li, 2010). On the other hand, their situation in China is different from that abroad. An overseas scholar has both a native knowledge of his or her homeland and the ability to use Chinese fluently.That is the basis of overseas scholars’ confidence. When they strike root in their homeland, they gain confidence. Chaoyang Zhang, the CEO of sohu (Sohu is one of the most successful Internet companies in China. )and a returnee, shares his experience: â€Å" When I was an official at MIT, I met Zhangliang Chen (He is a famous experts of tropical botany in China and he studied in Washington University in St. Louis. ) once. From his expression and the look in his eyes, I could see the authority and firmness that he gained during the years when he was in China.His confidence and pride are what overseas students and successful overseas scholars do not have. That is result of striking root in homeland. The difference is so enormous to make me shocked, which strengthen my determination to go back to China. † ( Liu & Li, 2010, p. 587) The confidence based on living in homeland cannot usually be gained elsewhere. On the other hand, the cultural binding with homeland may be a disadvantage of Chinese scholars when they live abroad. Chinese scholars and those who have already mmigrated to foreign country may experience discrimination from others. The glass ceiling exists, which according to Joseph Tsien, a American neuroscientist from China, is â€Å"an unspoken truth† (Mervis, 2005, p. 607). A glass ceiling means that a certain barrier blocks the advancement to a relatively high pos ition faced by minority in a society. Because of culture gap and language barrier, most of the scholars from China find they can not totally understand the foreign culture (Liu, & Li, 2010).As a result, many of them can have fame and achievement in their own field as scientists but only a few of them can get a job of senior management in their field (Mervis, 2005). Alice Huang, a successful virologist who came from mainland China to America when she was 10 years old, encountered the barrier in her application to a high- level job in New York University in 1991. During her interview, she found out that what the committee was searching for is a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) candidate and the committee set barriers to make Huang give up that position. In the end, she lost that position (Miller, 1992).Since evaluation, which may be subjective, is a key step in process of promotion, one, not belonging to the main stream, may be afraid of the unequal judgment done by the evaluating committee which consists of the majority. Scholars want to prove their value and be accepted by the society. But the existed barriers prevent scholars from getting higher positions and realize their plans. Under this condition, scholars would believe that they will be minority and nearly impossible to be integrated to mainstream, which may hurt scholars and drive them to go home (Liu, & Li, 2010).However, the racial discrimination to those overseas scholars will be eliminated in their homeland. They will be honored in China. Experiences of studying and working abroad are called â€Å"paint a little gold† (du jin) in Chinese (Zweig, Chen, & Rosen, 2004, p. 736), which means returnees are regarded precious in China. To conclude, the three keys to Chinese reverse brain drain are dramatic growth in the economics, proper policies that encourage overseas scholars to return and a cultural environment that can give returnees a sense of belonging.Through the success of China’s alluring scholars back, power plays a significant role. To encourage more overseas scholars to go back, the authorities should concentrate on developing the economy to gain more hard power. Moreover, an open political environment is necessary, for overseas scholars have experienced freedom in political status. Furthermore, for moving the trend of returning further, the government should not only concentrate on the quantity of the returnees but also the quality of the returnees. Reference: Alsop, R. (2007). TRACK: More Chinese Graduates Return Home.The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://online. wsj. com/article/SB11737448221373 4773. html Castles, S. (2012). Cosmopolitanism and freedom? Lessons of the global economic crisis. Ethnic & Racial Studies, 35(11), 1843-1852. doi:10. 1080/01419870. 2012. 715662 Confucius, C. (2006). â€Å"Lun yu† ming yan =: Aphorisms From LUNYU. Di 1 ban. Jinan: Qi lu shu she. Engardio, P. ,& Engardio, P. (2009). China's Rev erse Brain Drain. BloomberBusinessweek. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/ 09_48/b4157058821350. tm Ford, P. (2012). Reverse brain drain: China engineers incentives for â€Å"brain gain†. Christian Science Monitor, Retrieved from http://www. csmonitor. com/World/Global-Issues /2012/1021/Reverse-brain-drain-China-engineers-incentives-for-brain-gain International Rankings and Chinese Higher Education Reform. (2006). World Education News and Reviews. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://www. wes. org/ ewenr/06oct/ practical. htm. Jianshu, Z. (2000). Students Returned from Abroad in the 1990s. Chinese Education & Society, 33(5), 8. Kellogg, R. (2012).China's Brain Gain? : Attitudes and Future Plans of Overseas Chinese Students in the US. Journal Of Chinese Overseas, 8(1), 83-104. doi:10. 1163/179325412X634319 Liu, J. , & Li, X. (2010). Zhongguo liu xue tong shi: Zhongguo liuxue tongshi. Di 1 ban. Guangzhou: Guangdong jiao yu chu ba n she Llana, S. , Ford, P. , Marquand, R. , Pflanz, M. , & Ibukun, Y. (2012). Reverse brain drain: Economic shifts lure migrants home. Christian Science Monitor, N. PAG. National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2011). China statistical yearbook 2011. Beijing: China Statistics Press.Settles, B. , Sheng, X. , Zang, Y. & Zhao, J. (2008). The one child policy and its impacts on Chinese families. Research Committee on Family, 12-13. Smith, D. (1973). Confucius. London: Temple Smith. Wang, Z. (2012). Ten years of international companies since China entered WTO. International Financing. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://www. zcom. com/ article/51886/ Yan, J. (1998). My heart turns toward the homeland. Chinese Education & Society,31(2), 57. Ye, L. (2000). Overseas students coming back at a golden time. Beijing Review, 43(6/7), 20. Zhang, Y. (2012).Thousand Talent Program brings more pros. China Daily, Retrieved from http://www. chinadaily. com. cn/bizchina/2012-04/28/content_15168335. htm. Zweig, D. , Changgui, C. , & Rosen, S. (2004). Globalization and transnational human capital: Overseas and returnee scholars to china. The China Quarterly, 735-757. Zweig, D. (2006). Competing for talent: China's strategies to reverse the brain drain. International Labour Review,145(1), 65-0_6. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. library. wisc. edu/docview/224008850? accountid=465 ———————– 1

Gattaca Essay Writing Notes

‘Gattaca presents a world destroyed by the pursuit of perfection. ‘ Do you agree? * What is the pursuit of perfection? * How is the world destroyed? * What is gattaca? 1) Everyone is the same there are no individuals – the people are sexless, no personality 2) The pursuit of perfection leaves people believing that their genetic make up is what lets them achieve their ambitions, they have low self esteem.People who fail to achieve perfectionism can suffer from a lot of mental pressure; also difficult to seek the much needed help from other people as people dislike to be seen as imperfect 3) Segregates the valids from the in-valids because valids are seen as perfection and in-valids, vermin. – lack of empathy and compassion. People who are not perfect are disadvantagd eg. Kids wanting to go to kinder Gattaca, the â€Å"not too distant† future world of Andrew Niccol, is a world that is destroyed by the pursuit of perfection due to the science of genetic selection.This is often resembled by the fact that there are no individuals, the beings in this movie are almost sexless, have a limited personality and behave in a uniform manner. It also leaves people believing that their genetic makeup is what allows them to achieve their ambitions, or in the case of Irene and Vincent, prevent them from achieving their life goals. Genetic selection also segregates the valids, people who have had their genetics chosen, and the in-valids, children from ‘faith births’ where their genetic selection was left up to fate.In today’s world, everyone is accepted as an individual and is nurtured; however in Gattaca, individuality almost ceases to exist. Society may be perceived as sexless and uniform, physically and emotionally. The people also lack personality and emotion; everyone acts the same, dresses the same and rarely show emotion. Throughout the movie whilst inside the world of Gattaca the true colours of various characters are r arely revealed.It isn’t until Vincent and Irene’s date that we see the real personality of both of these characters as they let loose and accept eachother for who they are despite the fact that both have imperfections, which often prevent them from being themselves and achieving their goals. The pursuit of perfection leaves the people of Gattaca believing that their genetic makeup is what can allow, or prevent them from achieving their ambitions. In this futuristic world, your blood is your resume â€Å"Blood has no nationality.As long as it has got what they’re looking for it’s the only passport you need†. As long as you have no imperfections and obtain the qualities that are required for a certain job you are almost guaranteed to get it. However in the case of Vincent, his genetics were determined by fate and the people around him always said that he would never be able to achieve his ambition of one day going into space because of his imperfecti ons as an in-valid. Early on he was told by one of the head’s of Gattaca â€Å"‘Look, the only way you will see the inside of a spaceship is if you’re cleaning it. . This quote only fuelled Vincent to strive until he won his battle. Vincent was strong and determined, even as a young child, and he went to massive lengths to ensure that he could live his life to the full, â€Å"So began the process of becoming Jerome† despite the fact that the pursuit of perfection caused his kind, in-valids, and valids to become strongly segregated and he suffered from a large amount of mental pressure. Genetic selection also causes a segregation issue in Gattaca.Valids, the people in society who have had their imperfections eliminated from their bodies, and In-valids, people who were born what is known today as â€Å"naturally† where their genetics are left up to fate. â€Å"We now have discrimination down to a science†. In-valids are treated as vermin and a re not accepted as a part of society. When the members of Gattaca are onto the fact that there is an in-valid working at the space station, * ‘We now have discrimination down to a science. ’ Intro must include:  Text/film title author/director, your response to the topic/contention (response to the question) Eg.In Niccol’s â€Å"not too distant† future world of Gattaca, your genetic make-up often makes it impossible for many to live their dreams. However, Vincent Freeman shows us that with determination and luck, ti is possible to achieve your ambitions. Other more genetically, able characters such as Anton, Irene and Jerome show that genes don’t always guarantee success. Para 1:  In the world of Gattaca, those with inferior genetic makeup generally find it close to impossible to control their destinies.Para 2:  Even those with superior genetic make-up sometimes struggle to achieve their goals in such a ‘perfect’ world. Eg. Irene, Anton, Jerome. (Lamars son) Para 3:  Genetic make-up can be overcome with determination and an element of luck. Eg. Vincent once he finds Jerome. Conclusion:  Sum up your contention – Avoid word for word re-stating it. Relate back to the question/essay topic and do not bring up new topics. *conclusion, not the same as contention, 40-50 words maximum *avoid saying â€Å"its impossible† and being too overpowering

A Day in the Life of a STEM Major

For a high school student who hasn’t experienced life on a college campus, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect. How busy will you be on a daily basis? How much time will there be for extracurricular clubs or socializing? And how many hours can you expect to spend in the library? It’s hard to foresee exactly what your daily life will look like, and that can be an intimidating uncertainty. There are many factors not yet determined that will affect your routine. What college you ultimately attend, what major you pursue, and which extracurriculars you choose to participate in will all play integral roles in your day-to-day routine.   If you’re considering a STEM major, you might have heard that there’s a lot of work ahead of you. Indeed, STEM courses are known as time-consuming and intensive. Will it be overwhelming? Will you still have time for the other commitments that are important in your life? A little bit of insight can go a long way, and here at we have a team of experts who have been in your shoes. Read through our breakdown of a STEM major’s daily life, and then check out our Mentor Program . You’ll have access to the insights of peer mentors who have been through a competitive STEM program and are ready to share with you all the ins and outs of life on the STEM path. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math, and it encompasses some of the quickest growing career industries. In 2010, there were estimated to be 7.6 million STEM workers in the United States, accounting for about 1 in 18 workers. STEM occupations were projected to grow by 17% from 2008 to 2018, compared to a projected 9.8% growth for non-STEM occupations. STEM workers also earn more than their non-STEM counterparts—26% more on average. Furthermore, STEM degree holders continue to earn more regardless of whether they work in STEM or non-STEM occupations. STEM careers also tend to require higher levels of education, with more than two-thirds of STEM workers holding a college degree, compared to less than one-third of non-STEM workers.       While it’s clear that a degree in STEM will serve you well, it’s also known that it won’t be easy. A 2014 study by the National Center for Education Statistics revealed that nearly half of all college students who pursue STEM degrees leave the field or drop out. While this attrition rate is roughly the same as other fields, it is being targeted for improvement by colleges, based on the steep rate of job growth demanded by the STEM industry. Basically, in order to meet the growing demand, colleges need to graduate more STEM majors. In response to this quickly increasing demand, more and more colleges and universities are identifying risk factors for leaving STEM fields and implementing support systems to help STEM majors stay on track. Students are more likely to drop out of a STEM program if they take lighter credit loads in STEM courses in the first year, take less challenging math courses in the first year, or perform more poorly in STEM classes than non-STEM classes. To support these students, many colleges and universities are providing increased office hours and tutoring sessions during entry-level STEM classes. With such a quickly growing industry, it’s important that students interested in pursuing STEM are supported as much as possible.       Like any degree, pursuing a STEM degree is a significant commitment. In fact, many sources point to it being a more rigorous and time-intensive commitment than other majors. There are many factors that will weigh into how busy you are as a STEM major. Here are the biggest ones: In order to be considered a full-time student at most colleges and universities, you will need to take at least 12 credit hours each semester. This means spending 12 hours in class on a weekly basis. While this is the minimum course load to be considered full-time, most students need to take 15 credit hours to be on track to graduate in four years. The course load is impacted by required coursework. Each major has specific course requirements and students who are considering graduate school or med school will have even more courses to consider in order to qualify for these postgraduate programs. Furthermore, many colleges and universities have specific graduation requirements that include broader coursework than that prescribed by a single major. These requirements are intended to expose students to a variety of content areas and produce more well-rounded graduates. If you’re considering a STEM major, it’s important to realize that it’s not uncommon to be required to take classes in other disciplines as well. Sometimes, students who are enrolled in STEM majors will select classes widely perceived as â€Å"easy† in order to fulfill non-STEM requirements. This makes sense due to the often more intensive time commitment required in STEM courses. There are usually many interesting choices to fill course requirements in the humanities or social sciences, and these classes don’t necessarily have to take time away from your STEM studies. Our Early Advising Program helps students in 9th and 10th grade discover their passions and build strong academic and extracurricular profiles to succeed in high school. STEM majors put in a lot of work outside of their regular class hours. If you’re considering a STEM major, you can plan on spending about 20 hours studying each week, according to a 2011 study by the National Survey of Student Engagement . Furthermore, these study hours do not include any time that you might spend attending your professor’s office hours or even discussing your coursework amongst friends, both of which are regular occurrences for STEM majors. Many college students hold jobs in addition to their coursework. These jobs are sometimes required through work-study programs or are financially necessary. In 2011, 71 percent of the nation’s 19.7 million college undergrads held jobs. Of that number, one in five students worked at least 35 hours per week. More commonly, though, students work 10-15 hours in the average week. Students in STEM fields might be able to find a paid research position through their school to fulfill their work requirements, but if this isn’t the case, sometimes STEM majors volunteer as research assistants or interns. In other cases, students might be able to receive course credit for their research. Extracurriculars are a valuable component of any college education and have been associated with a positive impact on the academic experience of students ranging in age from middle school to undergrads. On average, undergraduate engineering majors spend about the same amount of time on extracurriculars as students in other majors. This averages about eight hours per week and includes things like sports, clubs, and student government or volunteer associations. As you can see, there are a number of factors that influence how busy you will be as a STEM major. Although no two student experiences are exactly alike, using the studies and statistics available, it’s easy to get a picture of what the average STEM student can expect in college. Keeping all of this in mind, here is what you can expect on an average day as a STEM major: 8:00 AM: Wake Up! You have a full day ahead of you and you’ll need to grab a quick bite of breakfast before you get started. Take a quick shower and get moving. 8:30 AM: Head to the dining hall or a local cafe to grab some coffee and a bite to eat on your way to your first class. 9:00 AM: Your first class of the day begins. Maybe it’s organic chemistry or calculus II. Either way, don’t forget your notebook! 10:30 AM: You’re done with your first class of the day. Time to squeeze in some studying and maybe pick up another coffee. 12:00 PM: With a solid hour plus of studying under your belt, now is time to grab some lunch before your afternoon classes begin. 1:00 PM: Class again. Maybe this time it’s a lab or a school-required humanities class. 2:30 PM: You’re done with classes for the day! Before you rush out though, you might stop in for office hours to ask some questions or get a little guidance on your newest problem set. 3:00 PM: After you hit office hours, it’s time to rush to soccer practice. Don’t be late! 5:00 PM: Practice is done, have a quick shower and squeeze in some study time before dinner. 6:30 PM: You have a little time to get dinner before you go to work. 7:00 PM:   Work. Maybe you’re in the lab with a professor, or maybe you’re serving coffee at the campus cafe. Either way, it’s money in your pocket. 9:00 PM: Your shift is over, phew! Maybe you can squeeze in a little more study time. 10:00 PM: Have you finished your homework? If so, now you get some time to catch up with friends, relax, and get ready for the day ahead. 11:00 PM: Hit the sack! You’ve got to do it all again tomorrow. This day sounds busy, but if you break it down, it’s actually pretty well-rounded. You’ve spent three hours in class. You’ve studied or done homework for three or four hours, worked for two hours, and gone to soccer practice. You had some time to enjoy meals with friends, touch base with a professor during office hours, and even hang out and socialize a little before bed. Does it sound busy? Sure! Does it sound impossible? No way! Of course, no matter what major you pursue, there will be some days that do seem impossibly busy, while others will seem luxuriously slow. Life as a STEM major might be busier than the average college student’s life, but it isn’t crazily so. If you’re genuinely interested in STEM industries and you’re willing to invest some time and energy into getting yourself there, you may ultimately be rewarded with job security and a solid paycheck. If you’re interested in hearing more about life as a STEM major, don’t forget to contact ’s Mentoring Program , which provides practical advice on topics from high school activities and college applications to career aspirations, all from successful college students who have been in your shoes.

Sustainability Corporate Social Responsibility Report for a person who Assignment

Sustainability Corporate Social Responsibility Report for a person who wants to invest in a business - Assignment Example Large companies are dedicating real time and cash to programs geared towards environmental sustainability, alternative clean sources of energy and a variety of social welfare projects that benefit customers, employees and the community at large. The corporate social responsibility is a self-regulatory mechanism that has been incorporated in modern businesses. Critics suggest that corporate social responsibility diverts the attention of businesses from economic duty, while the proponents claim that companies benefit in terms of profit in the long run. However, research has indicated that corporate social responsibility has had a neutral effect on financial outcomes (Kao 2010). The management and coordination of social, environmental and financial obligations such that there is responsible, ethical and progressive success is referred to as corporate sustainability. Environmental, social and economic expectations are regarded as the major cornerstones of sustainability. Traditionally corporate cultures, social and environmental issues were considered to interfere with financial objectives. However, this has evolved over time and today there is harmony among the four. In order to invest wisely in a certain corporation, it is critical to analyze the corporate social responsibility and sustainability of the business (Kao 2010). Let us consider the case of a multi-national corporation known as Adidas. This corporation creates and produces sporting equipment’s like shoes and jerseys. It is the multinational for the Adidas Corporation and it is based in Bavaria, Germany. (Borowski 2013) By holding, it means the company owns other companies’ major stock and does not produce the goods or services, instead, its role is to own shares of other companies to form a group. The Adidas Group comprises of the following companies; Reebok sportswear, Adidas Golf that consists Ashworth, Rockport and a

Individual analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Individual analysis - Essay Example Working on my weaknesses and drawbacks would be another key goal that I would like to set for enabling me to achieve my desired career objectives within the speculated time period (DeVol, Shen, Bedroussian and Zhang, 2013). The first goal that I would set in the process of achieving my desired career is to gain an entry level position in a reputed company that works in the investment banking domain. From there on, I would like to keep on learning new skills and enhancing my efficiency in the related area to ensure that I reach a higher position in the company. Moving up the management and corporate ladder can only be done by enforcing suitable discipline and motivation in my daily job role. Thus, the short term career goals would be to enhance my skills and capabilities, the medium term goal would be to look for a proper job in the investment banking sector and the long term goal would be to create a strong position for myself in the company that I would work in (Breannan, 2013). The current competencies and skills that I already possess are strong knowledge in finance and financial management. Also, my background of commerce studies is likely to help me in understanding the basic requirements related to investment banking in any company. I am good at crunching numbers, have sufficient interest in the domain of finance and investment and also possess much relevant knowledge of the banking industry through my college projects and internship experiences. Additionally, the fact that I have sufficient leadership skills, motivational skills and the ability to work in a group makes me a team player as well as a motivator (Schreuder, 2006). This can help me to gain entry into a company and subsequently create an influential position for myself in the same. I am also bestowed with good communication skills, fluency in multiple languages and public speaking, all of which I think would be useful for me at different phases of my career. While I am

Philosophy on Dreaming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy on Dreaming - Essay Example The central nervous system, which is active even in sleep, can pay full attention to a dreamer's intrapsychic processes only when it is not distracted by environmental stimuli. If these stimuli exceed a certain intensity, they interrupt dreams, just as acute anxiety associated with fears of a dreamed conflict stops the process of dreaming. Mild, subliminally perceived environmental distractions are usually incorporated into dream events without misrepresentation of the main dream message. Analysts also look for any allusions to the manner in which dreamers guide, control, or curb their overt social behavior. When dreamers' behaviors and personalities change, dreams change also. Personality means the function a character plays, intentionally or unconsciously, in psychosocial relationships; role encompasses the intrapsychic processes and the conscious or unconscious overt behavior of the individual. One's mental states like values, desires, intentions are functions determined by the brain states. Brain states depends upon the state of affairs and events one is through with or going through at the same instant.

Comparison and Contrast Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparison and Contrast Assignment - Essay Example With the references to real events, the aforementioned story and â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker will be compared and contrasted in this paper. â€Å"The Lottery† revolves around the theme of being in a difficult state. Sometimes, it is not only the consequences of a person’s actions that bring them in difficult situations but also includes other factors like one’s environment. Sometimes, one may feel he has been hand-picked to be in a difficult situation like Tessie Hutchinson in the story who unfortunately got the marked paper that led to her being stoned to death. â€Å"Everyday Use† on the other hand, takes on the theme of the importance of legacy against necessity. To the protagonist, the old hand-sewn quilts are considered sentimental while to the antagonist, they are potential valuables that could make her a fortune. The stories both revolve around observable real-life events. The second story though could be taken quite ambiguously because it is so realistic it could be understood literally but it could also be understood symbolically. Jackson’s characters include the whole village while Walker limits her characters to only four people. Both authors reveal their characteristics of their role players by describing them and quoting their words. Other attributes of the characters are shown through how they acted and their facial expressions and emotions. Jackson’s protagonist is a developing character who first appeared in the story as an excited character who just came from her dishes with her apron, talking and explaining her day to Mrs. Delacroix. Then, she turned to be a fearful character who became hysterical when her family was chosen from the crowd and became more so when she took the marked paper indicating she was to be the one stoned to death. Walker’s protagonist is also a developing character who is shown in most of the story as a

Poetry explication paper ( literture ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poetry explication paper ( literture ) - Essay Example Both the mother and the baby are anonymous throughout the poem. Going along with the rest of the poem, the father of the baby is also seldom mentioned, only in passing as the mother points out that he has no part in either of their lives. The mother spends much of the poem dwelling on the fact that her child is a bastard child, as is evident in the line â€Å"I hold you and name you bastard in my arms.† It is also made clear throughout the poem that the responding doctors and nurses do not approve of the fact that no father is being named for the child. Judging by the fact that the mother gets to spend only certain amounts of time with the infant, it can be assumed that there is an underlying medical factor with the mother, whether it be physical or mental. It seems that the mother only gets the child when the child needs feeding, a task the only the mother can perform. After the feeding is over with, the child is taken from its mother and is brought to another room until it n eeds feeding again. There are numerous dramatic situations taking place throughout the poem. The absence of a father for the infant seems to be the situation that the rest of the situations are formed and gathered around. As the tone of the poem is that of anger and sadness, it is clear that the father just decided that he wanted no part in raising a child, therefore abandoning both mother and child. It may be due to this abandonment that the mother does not seem too attached to her newborn child, which may also be the reason that the mother does not get to spend all of her time with the baby. Abandonment is the main theme in this poem, and it seems to be coming from every direction. The father abandoned the mother and his baby, the mother is losing touch with the baby, and the nurses and doctors are not getting too close to the mother in her time of need and confusion. It can even be said that the mother was

Economic Modelling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Economic Modelling - Essay Example Moreover, most employed individuals may opt do drop out of employment in the event they perceive employment benefits to be more viable than their income (Lalive, Vanours & Zweimà ¼ller, 2011). As a result, it is essential to verify the validity of these perceptions based on evidence from empirical data. The United Kingdom has over the years between 2004 and 2014 been experiencing a consistent rate of unemployment (Statista, 2014). As a result, it is evident that there are significant factors that have contributed to the level of the unemployment during the period. On the other hand, one of the consistent trends that have been witnessed in the United Kingdom labour market during the period is the allocation of unemployment benefits by the United Kingdom government (Office for National statistics, 2014). As a result, there are major possibilities that there is a correlation between the allocations of unemployment benefits in the United Kingdom and the rate of unemployment. The study is based on empirical data gathered from the United Kingdom’s labour market. In order to verify the effect of unemployment benefits on unemployment information regarding unemployment and unemployment data was gathered for a ten year period ranging between 2004 and 2014. Thus, in order to evaluate the reliability unemployment and unemployment another set of data that correlates with unemployment will be used. Hence, the relevant alternative set of data for the study will be based on inflation data for the relevant period of the study. This is due to the fact that most of the major unemployment levels in any labour market are caused by requirement of market forces to sustain optimum levels of inflation (Arnold, 2010 pp. 382). Whereas the rate of inflation will be necessary for this study it will be essential in outlining any other potential indicators of increase in the levels of employment in United Kingdom. Therefore, the study will be aimed

Police science College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Police science College - Essay Example 42). Police discretion has been further addressed and defined at the highest levels of the American criminal justice system. The United States Supreme Court, the ultimate arbiter of the reasonableness of police procedure, has sanctioned the use of police discretion in 4th Amendment search and seizure cases. Indeed, "There are many other intrusive activities that the Court leaves solely to the discretion of the police on the grounds that the individual has no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in the place or premises targeted by the police" (Maclin, 1996: np). In short, even from a constitutional point of view, there are situations when the use of police discretion is not only allowed, but necessary. Police discretion, therefore, can best be characterized as the use of judgment in fluid situations and settings. O'Connor presents a four-part framework for defining police discretion for a particular community: (1) discretion as judgment, (2) discretion as choice, (3) discretion as discernment, and (4) discretion as license (2005, np.). A police officer's judgment, for example, ought to be based on his experience, his particular area of expertise, and his insight into different situations as defined by that community. ... Discretion is therefore highly individualistic. Discretion one community might be exercised differently than in a different community. Choice means trying to find alternative solutions to problems. This aspect of discretion involves a weighing of the costs and the benefits of alternative courses of action. Discernment refers to an examination of the underlying merits of a situation. The police officer must use discretion, for instance to determine whether someone is being scapegoated or unfairly accused. Perhaps there is some excuse that, while not legally recognized as a defense, nevertheless is a very reasonable reason for employing discretion. Finally, the notion of discretion as license reflects the fact that there are times when it might be wiser to disobey standard operating procedures and rules. This is an area where the possibility for the abuse of discretion is the highest. In short, discretion is a multifaceted concept and it tends to be applied on an individualistic basis. Question 3: What is it about YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE POLICE Why is there so much conflict and animosity It has been established that police discretion exists, that police discretion is defined in various ways, and that there are many inaccuracies or myths surrounding the application of police discretion. The sources of police discretion regarding young people, however, are more definitely categorized and defined. O'Connor, citing the extensive research summaries presented by Gaines et al, breaks the causes of police discretion down into three main categories. The first category focuses on the age and the history of the offender and deals mostly with age-related factors. Does the offender, for example resist or respond

Infant and Child Development Essay Example for Free

Infant and Child Development Essay This assignment will critically review Howlett, Kirk and Pine’s (2011) study, which aims to investigate whether attendance of gesturing classes affects parental stress. Howlett et al. , (2011) attempt to examine claims, advertised by commercial products, that believe attending gesturing classes can improve child-parent communications, thus reducing parental stress. Participants gave demographic information and completed a Parenting Stress Index (PSI) questionnaire. ANCOVA was used to look at whether attending gesturing classes affected parental stress, mothers attending a gesture group and mothers attending a non gesture group were compared; with ‘sibling status’ and ‘birth order’ controlled. Researchers found that mothers who attended infant gesture classes had higher stress scores than mothers who had attended non-gesturing classes. From these findings the following claims are made: that mothers in the gesture group had higher pre-existing stress than in the non gesture group, * that mothers attended gesturing classes in an attempt to alleviate their pre-existing stress, * that gesturing classes may cause mothers to view their child negatively. This critique will firstly provide an overall evaluation of the article with reference to strengths and weaknesses found. Flaws will also be highlighted with suggestion to how these could be rectified. Points of detail in the evaluation will then be expanded and conclusions discussed. Overall evaluation First and foremost, the overall presentation of the article appears to lack in structure and organisation; this results in a lack of flow and clarity. In the introduction, the research question and key definitions of interest (i. e. ‘gesture, ‘non gesture’ and ‘stress’) are not discussed at the beginning. Characteristics of non gesturing mothers are instead firstly mentioned in the discussion section. The outline of categories in the background demographic questionnaire should have been made aware to readers in the methodology. Furthermore, in the results, findings from the study should have been stated in the opening paragraph. A fundamental flaw consistent throughout the article regards its lack of sufficient detail in ensuring strength of argument. In the introduction and discussion more research is needed in relation to how and why parental stresses occur to support findings. Furthermore unjustified claims are used to sustain argument which questions the validity of the research. The lack of detail regarding the direction of study also instigates ambiguity. More information is also needed about the procedure of the study so as to allow for replication. Further details as to how these flaws can be rectified are discussed later. Fundamental flaws are apparent regarding the non-random sample used and the lack of baseline stress measures. As no baseline pre-test has been conducted authors’ claims, as stated previously, can only be based on speculation. More information is provided on these flaws in the latter section. Strengths highlighted in the article include the demographic information provided. This information is useful as it allows for generalisation of results by ensuring groups are appropriately matched and offers useful information for future research in the region. (Keith, 2010). Furthermore the PSI questionnaire used, is well validated (Colver, 2006); using a creditable measuring instrument like this increases the reliability of the study. Moreover, the correct statistical test has been used, ANCOVA, and results are also provided with appropriate information. Abstract and Introduction The abstract fails to provide a rationale for the study; as this is unclear, readers may misjudge the subject matter. There is also no description of the stimuli used; the meaning of ‘gesturing’ is unexplained. Authors should elaborate upon what they mean by ‘gesturing’ so as to avoid misinterpretation. However, principal findings and design measures used in the study are stated. The introduction appears to lack in structure and organisation. No initial description of research question with reference to what it attempts to demonstrate is present; this is firstly mentioned in the third paragraph. Furthermore, authors first provide a definition of ‘gesturing’ in midpoint of this section. Considering this topic is the phenomenon of the study it would have been more appropriate to be stated at the beginning, rather than after the discussion of the benefits of gesturing; this may prevent misinterpretation. Although an explanation of ‘non-gesturing’ is provided in the discussion section, it would also be helpful for readers if it were included in the introduction; this enables differentiation between the two conditions. Similarly, a definition of the authors’ interpretation of ‘stress’ could have been stated at the start in ensuring readers’ clarity of terms. There is also no statement of hypothesis. nd authors do not provide a rationale or historical backdrop, therefore it lacks in significance and does not substantially contribute to the literature. Moreover, research discussed appears to be framed as a general review of literature and set out in list form with a lack of evaluation. For example, research has been described in relation to a study that has found no relationship between gesturing and linguistic benefits in infants (Kirk, Howlett, Pine and Fletcher), however it has not been evaluated or linked to the aims of the study. Furthermore, there are limited findings provided relating to the negative aspects of gesturing. Considering the paper is directed towards whether these classes affect parental stress, more research should be discussed in relation to the disapproval of gesturing classes, to support findings in the article. In addition, the article has included different research examples to support their view that parental stress can inhibit parent-child relationships, however there is no development in argument of how or why these stresses occur. To rectify, in ensuring clarity, more detail should be provided whereby these examples should be put in context with direct reference to the research question. Moreover, unjustified claims have been used in an attempt to sustain argument; for example, Howlett et al. , (2011) highlight ‘‘advertising claims that baby sign will reduce parental frustration and stress have little empirical foundation’. As this statement is not explained, it may seem misleading and as an ineffective use of argument. There is also no valid reference provided. In improving the structure and validity of their argument, authors should use evidence from influential papers to provide further detail in supporting their claims. The direction of study also appears ambiguous as authors switch between terms when stating the aim of the research. It is unclear whether authors are focusing on gesturing affecting stress or gesturing reducing stress. Howlett et al. , (2011) firstly state, ‘there are valid reasons to suggest that gesturing with an infant could reduce parental stress, this paper evaluates that claim’, (p. 438) they continue by stating, ‘this research investigates whether gesturing with an infant affects parenting stress’ (p438). One clear statement of what is being intended to measure needs to be used throughout the article so as to avoid confusion. The final paragraph includes a vague definition of variables whereby readers are left to determine their own assumptions. For example, it is stated that the frequency and duration of gesture use was used to measure the relationship between gesture use and stress, however it is unclear at this stage whether authors are implying ‘gesturing’ in terms of when mothers’ attended gesturing classes or their general use of gesturing; in and out of classes. The PSI is outlined, however researchers have not explained its benefits or why it have been use; this may leave readers questioning its credibility. Furthermore, it is important for researchers to include a statement of predictions, however this is not present. Methodology The authors recruited 178 participants (mothers) from the south-east of England; the sample size represents regional bias as mothers’ solely attending gesturing classes in this region is not representative of the whole country. Age range of infants used in the study is firstly mention in this section. It is stated infants ranged between 3 and 36months; however research discussed in the introduction only refers to the importance of gesturing from 9 months. Therefore authors have not justified the relevance of focusing on infants younger than 9 months; in certifying readers understanding, this could have been mentioned in the introduction. Authors have stated the measuring instruments used in the study. A strength regards the sufficient detail provided about the PSI booklet; examples of typical features such as the subscales of both the child and parent domains have been described. However no further details are provided about the background demographics questionnaire; categories are presented in the results section, however, it would be helpful for readers if details were included in this section. The potential confounding effects of using self-report questionnaires should also be noted. Social desirability bias may be apparent whereby participants may respond in a favourable light; mothers may not want to admit they are experiencing difficulties and respond untruthfully. Furthermore, as questionnaires are standardised, ambiguous questions cannot be explained; this may lead participants to misinterpret questions. Motivation for parents to complete questionnaires may also be scarce, resulting in superficial responses. In helping overcome these difficulties, authors could have stated whether participants were informed about why the information was collected and how the results will be beneficial; if participants knew the importance of their responses and were informed that negative responses were equally as helpful as positive, it may have made them want to answer more honestly. A fundamental flaw in methodology regards the fact that authors have not measured parental stress levels before conducting study. As there is no baseline stress measures prior to class attendance, there is no way of knowing if gesturing classes caused an increase in stress or what would have happened regardless of the implementation of the program; to rectify, researchers should use a pre-test methodology. Furthermore, another weakness in the methodology regards the fact that no ethic considerations are discussed. For example, authors could have included whether participant confidentiality was taken into account and whether de-briefing was offered subsequent to the study to respondents who may have expressed signs of upset. Description of procedures appears to lack in detail whereby there is no sequential pattern to how the research was carried out. There is also no precision in relation to what is investigated, to whom, and under what conditions. For example, Howlett et al. , (2011) state ‘contact was made with the infant groups’ (p. 39); more information should be provided such as how and when participants were contacted. Furthermore, no information is provided on how many classes parents had attended before the study or when the questionnaires took place; more sufficient detail is needed so as to allow replication and in ensuring consistency. There are also issues surrounding the amount of time participants were given to complete the PSI; it is stated the questionnaire takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, however, the procedure of collection differed between participants. Some gave completed questionnaires to a group leader, others were returned by post; the same conditions should be applied to all participants in ensuring standardisation. In addition, authors have not provided details of data collection or analysis undergone in the study; to avoid ambiguity it is important to include where the scores used in the analyses have derived from. An apparent fundamental flaw in the procedure relates to the fact that participants were not randomly allocated to the two groups in the study; randomisation is important as it eliminates sources of bias and ensures unpredictability. To rectify, random selection of mothers from a population could participate in the study. Results The beginning paragraph of the results is too vague; the hypothesis is not stated and no information on what statistical tests were used is provided. Furthermore, what the study found has not been not stated; it is firstly mentioned half way through this section. However, a strength in the article regards the demographic information provided for the two groups of mothers. Hours a week mothers’ work, maternal education, family income and siblings were included. It also highlights the similarities and equivalence between the two groups, making the interpretation of results valid. Another strength to this study regards the fact that researchers have applied the correct statistical tests. Two analyses of ANCOVA were conducted to measure the differences between the gesturing and non gesturing groups’ PSI scores. ANCOVA is appropriate to use as it allows to compare one variable (PSI stress scores) in two or more groups (gesture group and non gesture group) ith consideration for variability of other variables; covariates (‘sibling status’ was used as a covariate in the first ANCOVA and ‘birth order’; in the second). Controlling ‘sibling status’ and ‘birth order’ stops these conditions being confounding variables and ensures validity. As ‘sibling status’ and ‘birth control’ covariates have been controlled, it may have been more beneficial for readers if authors ma de aware of these strategies used prior to the results section as there is no discussion relating to siblings until this point. Results found from ANCOVA also confirm to readers exactly what the researchers were intending to measure; after confusion from the introduction, uncertainties are clarified and findings explain that the focus is upon whether attending gesturing classes affects parental stress. Results are also provided with adequate information whereby the obtained F value, df and level of significance have been stated. Furthermore researchers are correct in using a Pearson’s r correlation in confirming results which is used to see if there is a correlation between at two continuous variables. By doing so, it was found that there was no relationship between how long or often gesture groups mothers had been gesturing with their infant, and the mothers’ total stress scores. Therefore mothers stress levels were unrelated to frequency and duration. Furthermore, in this section descriptive statistics have been provided in two separate tables. In ‘Table One’, which shows the ‘mean (S. D) stress scores for each item on the PSI by group’, data does not seem to be explained in full. The scale used is unclear and readers have not been informed on the system used whereby there is confusion as to what the numbers mean. Tables 2 which shows the ‘summary of two ANCOVA results’, is more coherent as a brief description is displayed underneath describing the covariates. Discussion In this section, yet again, the aim of the research remains unclear; it is stated ‘the aim of the study was to investigate the impact of gesturing with an infant upon parental stress’ (p442), authors need to be more specific in their interpretation of ‘gesturing’, whether they are referring to attendance of gesturing classes or general use of gesturing is uncertain. Possible explanations for findings have been discussed, such as the view that there may have been a difference between gesturing and non gesturing mothers due to gesturing mothers feeling more stressed prior to the study. Authors continue by suggesting these mothers chose to attend gesturing classes because of these feelings of stress in hope that they would help. However, authors’ claims can only be seen as speculation as no baseline measurement was used. It should be noted that researchers have evaluated their findings and acknowledged that as baseline measures are not present, no assumptions can be made as to why mothers who attended gesturing classes had increased stress levels compared to non gesturing mothers or whether they were more stressed before attending the classes. Due to the lack of solid findings, like in the introduction, groundless claims have been used in an effort to uphold argument in explaining mothers’ cause of stress. For example, it is stated ‘mothers have high aspirations for their child and the parenting industry may, albeit unwittingly, foster maternal insecurities’(p443); no justification has been provided for this claim. Moreover, additional research is needed to support the authors’ concluding claims that attending gesturing classes may be detrimental and effect mothers’ perception of their infant in a negative light. Only Hyson’s (1991) study relating to mothers who induced academically focused activities on preschool children has been used as evidence to back up this claim, this does not justify the authors’ inflated claims. To conclude, even though this article has used creditable measuring instruments and appropriate statistical tests, Howlett et al’s claims can only be seen as speculation as no pre-test baseline is used. No findings can be validated without measuring the stress levels of mothers prior to class attendance, whether increase in stress has occurred due to attending gesturing classes in unknown. For future recommendations, authors could use a baseline measures to test mothers’ stress scores prior to the study.

Hot and Cold Essay Example for Free

Hot and Cold Essay Since time immemorial, Indians have been bombarded with snacks-to-go by street vendors; fastfood is neither a modern phenomenon, nor a western innovation. But as increasing numbers of international players enter the domestic market, there are bitter lessons to learn about what local consumers will and will not welcome. just-food.coms Debasish Ganguly reports from India on the evolving sector and the challenges facing new entrants into the fastfood market. Fastfood is not an alien concept to Indians; roadside shops have offered snacks-to-go since time immemorial and the country has a long tradition of indigenous fastfood served by a variety of street vendors. Whether the southern Dosas or the Phulkas in the north, the Vada, Samosas or Bhelpuri, this inexpensive cuisine is still going strong, and street selling is a low-cost method of food distribution. However, since the arrival of established fastfood chains such as McDonalds, marketing savvy and dollar power have given fastfood a very western orientation. The weekend stampedes outside any McDonalds restaurant are standing testimony to this fact. But the burger behemoths still have a long way to go. Local fastfood is not easily undermined by these interlopers, since methods of mass production have not been perfected and, in any case, they would have to compete with low cost artisan production. On the other hand, the reality is that established local fastfood chains, like Nirulas, Wimpys or Haldiram, are sensing competition by the growing popularity of McDonalds and other international chains. Though Nirulas does not admit to any drop in sales overtly, industry sources reveal that they have lost 18% of their original market share. So far, the fastfood chains have gained their popularity among the major metropolitan cities of India and some smaller cities, such as Pune or Baroda. Before the arrival of these fastfood chains, Nirulas was the market leaderin Delhi. In fact, Nirulas taught Delhi-dwellers what pizzas and burgers were all about. Nirulas was commanding a monopoly until western chains arrived in India.

What Makes You Happy Philosophy Essay

What Makes You Happy Philosophy Essay Happiness is being content with what you have in your life. It comes down to two different types of contentment. The first type is a materialistic happiness that comes from objects such as food, money, clothes, cars, technology and everything else that that physically exists in this world and is an object of desire. The second type of happiness is a much more spiritual view; it is a natural happiness. It is achieved from being at peace or from reaching a state of inner contentment. It is in my belief that through a balance of these two sources of happiness that only true happiness can be found. The fourteenth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso speaks of happiness in much the same way. When asked by Howard Cutler to speak about desire, the Dalai Lama replies, I think there are two kinds of desire (Cutler 1000). The Dalai Lama says of the material desire I previously identified: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I think that this kind of excessive desire leads to greed-an exaggerated form of desire, based on over expectation. He goes on to say, When it comes to dealing with greed, one thing that is quite characteristic is that although it arrives by the desire to obtain something, it is not satisfied by obtaining (Cutler 1001). I completely agree with him on this point, that material desire can become excessive and lead to insatiable greed. However, it is my belief that happiness comes from fulfilling desire, which is, in part, fulfilling superficial material desire. But that is not all that constitutes happiness. As the Dalai Lama says, The true antidote of greed is contentment. If you have a strong sen se of contentment, it doesnt matter whether you obtain the object or not; either way, you are still content (Cutler 1002). This kind of inner contentment comes about through the second type of happiness I spoke of, the spiritual or natural happiness. Natural happiness or inner contentment is a rather difficult thing to explain, as it is a very abstract idea. Inner contentment cannot be found through material things. It comes from oneself, from one making peace with what they have and understanding that they cannot have everything. Howard Cutler, the Dalai Lamas companion, asks à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦How can we achieve inner contentment? There are two methods. One method is to obtain everything we want and desireà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The second, and more reliable, method is not to have what we want but rather to want and appreciate what we have (Cutler 1002). It would seem that Cutler, the Dalai Lama, and I share many of the same views. Inner contentment itself comes from making peace with what we already have, moving past the desire of wanting material things. However, it should be made clear that we are discussing happiness, not contentment. Contentment, inner contentment, certainly comes from achieving a peace with what one has and accepting that one cant have everything. But that is only contentment. True happiness comes from a balance of both contentment and desire. It comes from striking a balance between the two methods of achieving inner contentment. But this is only one persons happiness. Philosophers such as Epictetus would argue that happiness does not come about through these methods. Epictetus taught that: The goal of life is happiness or flourishing life. The way to achieve this condition is to understand the nature of the good (Barnet and Bedau 995). He argued that The only true good is virtue. Yes, wealth can be useful, but it is not good or badà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Povertyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is not bad but is morally indifferent (just as wealth is morally indifferent)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The life that is happy or fruitful is the virtuous life (Barnet and Bedau 995). Epictetus was likely speaking about happiness as a whole or happiness for the greater good. One persons happiness may not be the same as anothers, but I agree with Epictetus that happiness comes about through living a virtuous life. I would call this version of happiness a worldly contentment. This is, of course, different from the inner contentment previously discussed. Daniel Gilbert adds onto this idea of contentment. In his essay Does Fatherhood Make You Happy? he explains that having children generally makes a parent happy. Psychologists have measured how people feel as they go about their daily activities, and have found that people are less happy when they are interacting with their children than when they are eating, exercising, shopping or watching television (Gilbert 985). He starts off by stating how studies have shown that parents become less happy when they have children around them and how they would rather be spending time doing other things to make them happy, but later counters this idea with his reasons from personal experience. First, when something makes us happy we are willing to pay a lot for it, which is why the worst Belgian chocolate is more expensive than the best Belgian tofu. But that process can work in reverse: when we pay a lot for something, we assume it makes us happy, which is why we swear to the wonders of bottled water and Armani socks (Gilbert 985). Gilbert brings toward a materialistic view very similar to the Dalai Lamas. We are willing to sacrifice for material wants and desires but only true happiness lies in contentment. Gilbert compares children to heroin, while it may seem irrational his points are made clear. Children give parents a feeling of pleasure that makes them forget everything else around them. The analogy to children is all too clear. Even if their company were an unremitting pleasure, the fact that they require so much company means that other sources of pleasure will all but disappear (Gilbert 986). I interpret this as another form of contentment. Because of how satisfying it is to have children, it makes a parent content that they dont need anything else. Lewis suggests a countercultural idea, that we actually have no right to happiness. There are some people who truly believe that happiness is a right that is supposed to be given out from the government like any other right. While in reality this may be true to some extent, we have the right to pursue happiness more so than the right to happiness. Every person is provided with the opportunity and resources to do so. Similarly with other rights there are some boundaries. If we establish a right to (sexual) happiness which supersedes all the ordinary rules of behavior, we do so not because of what our passion shows itself to be in experience but because of what it professes to be while we are in the grip of it (Lewis 1006). Lewis would say that pursuing happiness is alright as long as you are within legal and moral laws. In other words, living a good life is a means to pursue happiness. Thus the question of what is happiness can be defined in multiple ways. For one person, it is through achieving a state of inner contentment through finding a balance between material desire of what one does not have and a desire of what one already has. In the context of worldly or societal happiness, happiness is found through living a life of virtue and thus being fulfilled, or finding contentment, in that manner. Happiness is all of these things. Happiness, however, isnt a destination to reach. Its a perception, a mindset. There are those that believe that people are born with this mindset. There are others who believe that each of us can achieve this perception merely by redirecting our thoughts. Both are true. Sometimes it takes a really stressful event to make us realize how grateful we are for what we have rather than desiring what we dont have. The secret to happiness is contentment; a still point of realization that happiness is found within, not through external measures and possessions. Contentment is more than being grateful for the small things in life, it is being grateful for simply being. Contentment is a song the heart sings in the quiet moments of the day. Can you hear it?