Monday, September 30, 2019

Acquisition of a Good Education

Education is defined as acquiring skills. There are many different ways to be educated and many subjects that can be studied. A good education is one that teaches a student to think. This is proven by Edith Hamilton, Malcolm X, and Adrian Rich in their works to define what they believe about learning and its importance to our world. In Edith Hamilton's essay, The Ever-present Past, she described a good education as one that is modeled after the ancient Greek's ideas. She defines being educated as being â€Å"able to be caught up into a world of thought† (752). The Greeks were taught to think. They were cultivated on an individual level so that they knew how to conceive ideas on their own. During the times of the ancient Greeks students were shown how to appreciate poetry, music, arts, and mathematics. They carried their education of thought into their government and their ways of life. The era of the ancient Greeks was laid by the teachings of their schools and therefore helped make them into a notable civilization. Today, Hamilton believes that with our set way of teaching we are not encouraging individuals to think. She concludes that we are â€Å"headed towards a standardization of minds† (756). Hamilton believes that we need to challenge our society to shape our educational goals after those of the Greeks. With the problems our world faces we should study how the Greeks triumphed in a savage world and how they were educated to do so. Then maybe we can learn how to prevent the â€Å"standardization of the minds† in our society and avoid repeating the ill-fated history of the ancient Greeks (754). In Malcolm X's, â€Å"Freedom Through Learning To Read†, a chapter of his autobiography, he describes a good education as being able to understand life. He wrote of how he desired to acquire more knowledge. This inner struggle began when he envied his friend's intelligence and when he was unable to express himself eloquently in letters. From that point he began to read everything. Malcolm X started by copying a dictionary to learn all the words he could. From there he never spent fifteen minutes free time without a book (48). As he studied the works of Mr. Elijah Muhammad he realized how the history of the black Americans were not included in most books. He searched to find a book to learn the history of the African-Americans and finally found a few that taught him about slavery (49). Malcolm X said that through his domestic education a new world had been opened up to him. He achieved his goal of learning to read and through that obtain what is considered by many a good education. He was able to read, understand, and form ideas and opinions based on what he had read (53). Through reading Malcolm X was capable of expressing his own views and our society benefited greatly from this self-educated man. In Adrienne Rich's, â€Å"Claiming An Education†, a speech given at Douglass College, she describes a good or serious education as the study of languages, ideas, methods, and values (58). Part of being educated is â€Å"refusing to let others do your thinking, naming, or talking for you†(59). Some of the most important things needed to fulfill intellectual independence are to learn the ways of rationalizing, deep discussions, and writing. Rich writes about how it is our own responsibility to claim an education and how we should not sell ourselves short (59). In order to learn we first need to assess what we hear and read in our courses to form an opinion (57). In order to form an opinion, Rich says that we have to first commit ourselves to our studies and expect others to show us respect. Rich describes an education as a commitment and a responsibility (59). Throughout these essays the main ideas were that to be educated a student has to be an individual and be able to think. There are many arguments over what we should study and how we should be taught. There is no wrong or right way to teach or certain subjects that need to be studied. As long as the students are taught to think for themselves and have the desire to learn, they will be able to obtain a good education.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Energy Drinks Essay

Introduction Sir Isaac Newton was right when he saidâ€Å"what goes up must come down† . This rings true when talking about energy drinks. These products promise to provide heightened awareness, more energy, more endurance some even reference to the consumer you will have wings. So when consuming these products what are you really drinking? Do they provide the energy boost they promise? Are they harmful? Should the FDA do more investigating into the safety of these so-called energy drinks? These are questions I had going into this as a consumer of energy drinks myself, I was interested in how harmful they are too the consumer. In this paper I hope to provide a better insight to a product that is popular and in demand; but little is known about. What Are You Drinking? Energy drinks contain most of the same major ingredients caffeine, taurine, glucronolactone, niacin and panax ginseng just to list a few. Let’s start with caffeine it is a central nervous system stimulant that has the effect of temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. As of studies done by (Lovett, Richard) 90% of adults consume caffeine daily in different ways. Most of the energy from these drinks comes from the sugar and caffeine not the unnecessary extras (Suzanne Farrell MS, RD). Taurine another main ingredient is actually an amino acid that is found in the human body it is a natural substance that our bodily systems encounter every day. However in these energy drinks it is a synthetic element. Then there is Ginseng is known as an adaptogen, which means it increases resistance to physical, chemical, and biological stress and builds energy and general vitality. These are just a couple of the things in what seems to be in a lot of the energy drinks. The rest of the scientific sounding ingredients came up to be not relevant to the effects these drinks promise. |Beverage (250 ml) |Caffeine content | |Cocaine energy drink |280mg | |Full Throttle |144mg | |Monster |160mg | |Impulse |88 mg | |Red Bull |80 mg | |Naughty Boy |80mg | |’V’ |78 mg | |Coca-Cola |48. 75 mg | Do These Drinks Provide The Effects They Promise? Most drinks provide some combination of B vitamins (which help convert sugar to energy and help regulate red blood cells, which deliver oxygen), amino acids (e. g. , taurine), antioxidants(milk thisle, vitamin C), and stimulants, ranging from the reliable (caffeine, guarana) to the alleged (horny goat weed). Yes, they do. Smit and colleagues found that energy drinks, as compared to placebo, had energizing effects among 18 to 55 year old participants, with effects being strongest 30 to 60 minutes after consumption and sustained at least 90 minutes. Caffeine was found to be the primary constituent responsible for these effects. Although there is no human requirement for caffeine, even low doses of caffeine (12. 5 to 100 mg) improve cognitive performance and mood (Smit HJ). Because this is still such an understudied topic it is hard to say that these drinks provide the effect they promise. The fact is caffeine affects everyone different due to age, size, tolerance, consumption and lack of sleep all these things contribute to how these drinks will affect you. Are They Harmful? This question was the one I was most interested in there is so much controversy around this question. Many energy drinks have a very high percentage of carbohydrates that can make it more difficult for food and nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream from the intestines. In some cases, gastrointestinal problems and distress are a possibility. When an energy drink has a high sugar content, it can have a laxative effect, as well as causing a sudden â€Å"crash† when the sugar leaves the bloodstream and the energy high disappears. Researchers found that within four hours of drinking various energy drinks, the 15 participants’ blood pressure rates increased approximately 10 percent for the systolic rate, 8 percent for the diastolic rate and heart rates increased 11 percent (Wayne state university study). When given to test rats in an experimental laboratory, it was found that the taurine caused anxiety, irritability, high sensitivity to noise, and self-mutilations. However, this data does not mean that the same effects will occur in humans the differences between rats and people are obviously substantial. That to me seems sort of scary. The Australian Consumers’ Association advises that while energy drinks may be scientifically safe, young people especially need to be aware of their contents. Research shows that children and young people who consume energy drinks may suffer sleep problems, bed-wetting and anxiety. Children who consume two or more cans of energy drinks a day may become irritable and anxious. Women who are pregnant are advised to avoid energy drinks (especially during the first three months of pregnancy), as high amounts of caffeine can increase the risk of miscarriage, difficult birth and delivery of low-weight babies. (Australian Consumers Association) Drinking these drinks while consuming alcohol can also be very harmful there have been reports of young people dying, possibly as a result of mixing of alcohol and energy drinks. Also Since the absorption of nutrients is slower; there is a large chance that the fluid absorption rate of the body is also slower. Difficulty in natural re-hydration of the body during workouts can cause danger to the person’s health. Athletes, who lose great quantities of fluids during games and practices, should be aware of this circumstance for they are one of the target markets of energy drinks. Should The FDA Do More Investigating As To The Safety Of Energy Drinks? Regulation of foods and drugs in the United States falls under the guidance of the Food and Drug Administration under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). Functional foods, like energy drinks, may be regulated as foods, dietary supplements, drugs, medical foods or food for special dietary use. Though energy drinks have many of the same qualities as soft drinks, which are regulated as foods, they are regulated differently because the functional beverage industry is part of the trend of â€Å"nutraceutical foods† that occupies the gray area between food and dietary supplements. Dietary supplements are generally characterized as foods, despite their drug-like properties and their lack of testing on the market. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration have not conducted any serious investigations into the safety of energy drinks. As dietary supplements, energy drinks are subject to much less stringent regulations than other foodstuffs. However certain nations limit the locations that can sell energy drinks. Other countries require warning labels on individual cans of energy drinks. Still other countries have issued national statements regarding their safety. Some countries, such as Canada, have not yet approved certain energy drinks for sale. So shouldn’t the FDA take a closer look as to how these drinks are labeled and marketed and shouldn’t there be more investigating as to its effects on their consumer. Conclusion As a consumer of at least two if not more monster energy drinks a day I found the information was good to know. I do think that the FDA needs to make it where they do inform the consumer of the risks on the label especially because these drinks are very popular in teens. After all that I found I find it interesting that the public is so misinformed about all the ingredients in these drinks because really the caffeine is what is giving them the boost not all the scientific sounding ingredients. I think that it is most important for consumers to know that when taking in such high levels of caffeine you will go up but you must come down. Bibliography Lovett, Richard (24 September 2005). â€Å"Coffee: The demon drink? † (Fee required). New Scientist (2518). http://www. newscientist. com/article. ns? id=mg18725181. 700. Retrieved 2009-08-03. Suzanne Farrell, MS, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Webmd. com Smit HJ, Rogers PJ: Effects of low doses of caffeine on cognitive performance, mood and thirst in low and higher caffeine consumers. Psychopharmacology 2000, 152:167-173. William J. McGuire, the Communication-Persuasion Model and Health-Risk Labeling, in Product Labeling and Health Risks Bichler A, Swenson A, Harris MA: A combination of caffeine and taurine has no effect on short term memory but induces changes in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure. Amino Acids 2006 http://www. naturalhealthontheweb. com Australian Drug Foundation’s Druginfo Clearinghouse. http://www. redbull. com/faq/index. html. http://www. safefoodonline. com/news/n_190302. asp. Monster energy [http://www. monsterenergy. com/product/energy. php www. fda. gov wellnessandnutrition. com edrinks. net Smit HJ, Rogers PJ: Effects of low doses of caffeine on cognitive performance, mood and thirst in low and higher caffeine consumers. Psychopharmacology 2000, 152:167-173. http://www. naturalhealthontheweb. com Australian Drug Foundation’s Druginfo Clearinghouse. http://www. redbull. com/faq/index. html. http://www. safefoodonline. com/news/n_190302. asp Monster energy [http://www. monsterenergy. com/product/energy. php] Introduction Sir Isaac Newton was right when he saidâ€Å"what goes up must come down† . This rings true when talking about energy drinks. These products promise to provide heightened awareness, more energy, more endurance some even reference to the consumer you will have wings. So when consuming these products what are you really drinking? Do they provide the energy boost they promise? Are they harmful? Should the FDA do more investigating into the safety of these so-called energy drinks? These are questions I had going into this as a consumer of energy drinks myself, I was interested in how harmful they are too the consumer. In this paper I hope to provide a better insight to a product that is popular and in demand; but little is known about. What Are You Drinking? Energy drinks contain most of the same major ingredients caffeine, taurine, glucronolactone, niacin and panax ginseng just to list a few. Let’s start with caffeine it is a central nervous system stimulant that has the effect of temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. As of studies done by (Lovett, Richard) 90% of adults consume caffeine daily in different ways. Most of the energy from these drinks comes from the sugar and caffeine not the unnecessary extras (Suzanne Farrell MS, RD). Taurine another main ingredient is actually an amino acid that is found in the human body it is a natural substance that our bodily systems encounter every day. However in these energy drinks it is a synthetic element. Then there is Ginseng is known as an adaptogen, which means it increases resistance to physical, chemical, and biological stress and builds energy and general vitality. These are just a couple of the things in what seems to be in a lot of the energy drinks. The rest of the scientific sounding ingredients came up to be not relevant to the effects these drinks promise. |Beverage (250 ml) |Caffeine content | |Cocaine energy drink |280mg | |Full Throttle |144mg | |Monster |160mg | |Impulse |88 mg | |Red Bull |80 mg | |Naughty Boy |80mg | |’V’ |78 mg | |Coca-Cola |48. 75 mg | Do These Drinks Provide The Effects They Promise? Most drinks provide some combination of B vitamins (which help convert sugar to energy and help regulate red blood cells, which deliver oxygen), amino acids (e. g. , taurine), antioxidants(milk thisle, vitamin C), and stimulants, ranging from the reliable (caffeine, guarana) to the alleged (horny goat weed). Yes, they do. Smit and colleagues found that energy drinks, as compared to placebo, had energizing effects among 18 to 55 year old participants, with effects being strongest 30 to 60 minutes after consumption and sustained at least 90 minutes. Caffeine was found to be the primary constituent responsible for these effects. Although there is no human requirement for caffeine, even low doses of caffeine (12. 5 to 100 mg) improve cognitive performance and mood (Smit HJ). Because this is still such an understudied topic it is hard to say that these drinks provide the effect they promise. The fact is caffeine affects everyone different due to age, size, tolerance, consumption and lack of sleep all these things contribute to how these drinks will affect you. Are They Harmful? This question was the one I was most interested in there is so much controversy around this question. Many energy drinks have a very high percentage of carbohydrates that can make it more difficult for food and nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream from the intestines. In some cases, gastrointestinal problems and distress are a possibility. When an energy drink has a high sugar content, it can have a laxative effect, as well as causing a sudden â€Å"crash† when the sugar leaves the bloodstream and the energy high disappears. Researchers found that within four hours of drinking various energy drinks, the 15 participants’ blood pressure rates increased approximately 10 percent for the systolic rate, 8 percent for the diastolic rate and heart rates increased 11 percent (Wayne state university study). When given to test rats in an experimental laboratory, it was found that the taurine caused anxiety, irritability, high sensitivity to noise, and self-mutilations. However, this data does not mean that the same effects will occur in humans the differences between rats and people are obviously substantial. That to me seems sort of scary. The Australian Consumers’ Association advises that while energy drinks may be scientifically safe, young people especially need to be aware of their contents. Research shows that children and young people who consume energy drinks may suffer sleep problems, bed-wetting and anxiety. Children who consume two or more cans of energy drinks a day may become irritable and anxious. Women who are pregnant are advised to avoid energy drinks (especially during the first three months of pregnancy), as high amounts of caffeine can increase the risk of miscarriage, difficult birth and delivery of low-weight babies. (Australian Consumers Association) Drinking these drinks while consuming alcohol can also be very harmful there have been reports of young people dying, possibly as a result of mixing of alcohol and energy drinks. Also Since the absorption of nutrients is slower; there is a large chance that the fluid absorption rate of the body is also slower. Difficulty in natural re-hydration of the body during workouts can cause danger to the person’s health. Athletes, who lose great quantities of fluids during games and practices, should be aware of this circumstance for they are one of the target markets of energy drinks. Should The FDA Do More Investigating As To The Safety Of Energy Drinks? Regulation of foods and drugs in the United States falls under the guidance of the Food and Drug Administration under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). Functional foods, like energy drinks, may be regulated as foods, dietary supplements, drugs, medical foods or food for special dietary use. Though energy drinks have many of the same qualities as soft drinks, which are regulated as foods, they are regulated differently because the functional beverage industry is part of the trend of â€Å"nutraceutical foods† that occupies the gray area between food and dietary supplements. Dietary supplements are generally characterized as foods, despite their drug-like properties and their lack of testing on the market. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration have not conducted any serious investigations into the safety of energy drinks. As dietary supplements, energy drinks are subject to much less stringent regulations than other foodstuffs. However certain nations limit the locations that can sell energy drinks. Other countries require warning labels on individual cans of energy drinks. Still other countries have issued national statements regarding their safety. Some countries, such as Canada, have not yet approved certain energy drinks for sale. So shouldn’t the FDA take a closer look as to how these drinks are labeled and marketed and shouldn’t there be more investigating as to its effects on their consumer. Conclusion As a consumer of at least two if not more monster energy drinks a day I found the information was good to know. I do think that the FDA needs to make it where they do inform the consumer of the risks on the label especially because these drinks are very popular in teens. After all that I found I find it interesting that the public is so misinformed about all the ingredients in these drinks because really the caffeine is what is giving them the boost not all the scientific sounding ingredients. I think that it is most important for consumers to know that when taking in such high levels of caffeine you will go up but you must come down. Bibliography Lovett, Richard (24 September 2005). â€Å"Coffee: The demon drink? † (Fee required). New Scientist (2518). http://www. newscientist. com/article. ns? id=mg18725181. 700. Retrieved 2009-08-03. Suzanne Farrell, MS, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Webmd. com Smit HJ, Rogers PJ: Effects of low doses of caffeine on cognitive performance, mood and thirst in low and higher caffeine consumers. Psychopharmacology 2000, 152:167-173. William J. McGuire, the Communication-Persuasion Model and Health-Risk Labeling, in Product Labeling and Health Risks Bichler A, Swenson A, Harris MA: A combination of caffeine and taurine has no effect on short term memory but induces changes in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure. Amino Acids 2006 http://www. naturalhealthontheweb. com Australian Drug Foundation’s Druginfo Clearinghouse. http://www. redbull. com/faq/index. html. http://www. safefoodonline. com/news/n_190302. asp Monster energy [http://www. monsterenergy. com/product/energy. php www. fda. gov wellnessandnutrition. com edrinks. net Smit HJ, Rogers PJ: Effects of low doses of caffeine on cognitive performance, mood and thirst in low and higher caffeine consumers. Psychopharmacology 2000, 152:167-173. http://www. naturalhealthontheweb. com Australian Drug Foundation’s Druginfo Clearinghouse. http://www. redbull. com/faq/index. html. http://www. safefoodonline. com/news/n_190302. asp Monster energy [http://www. monsterenergy. com/product/energy. php] www. fda. gov. . Energy drinks Essay Energy drinks are beverages that can be used to supplement energy and concentration. It contains several ingredients, some good others bad. They contain ingredients such as caffeine, guarana, taurine and many more. Usually they are beneficial, but when taken in large amounts; some ingredients can cause unwelcome side effects. Many people consume energy drinks for enjoyment and the extra kick of energy for the day, but they are not aware of the hidden ingredients that can cause illness. In my opinion I believe that energy drinks are dangerous because they can cause illness, children and teenagers will be affected by the drink and the horrible side effects. The packaging of energy drink might convince you that it is are fine to drink but most of us are unaware of the hidden dangers. Those dangers can put anyone at risk of illness. Energy drinks contain high amounts of sugar similar to soft drink but energy drinks also contain high amounts of caffeine and taurine. Taurine is an amino acid that your body naturally produces. It helps regulate heartbeat, muscle contractions, and energy levels. But when there is too much taurine in our bodies, it can make some body parts overactive, like platelets. Platelets are found in the blood stream and they are very important to the body. They help to clot blood when there is a cut. The sugar makes the platelets overactive which makes them stick together and cause blood clots. This increase risk of heart related disease. In the US a small was conducted, they found that there is a link between the consumption of energy drinks and heart disease or high blood pressure. The researchers found healthy adults who drank two cans of a popular energy drink a day had above normal blood pressure and heart rate. Not only does it affect us both physical and mentally, it can affect children and teens who consume energy drinks. Children and teenagers don’t know what they are consuming and the affect it has on the body. You may see children or teens consuming energy drinks at sporting events instead of sport drinks, to boost energy levels. We may think that energy drinks and sports drinks are the same, but they’re not. Sport drinks provide only carbohydrate and salts to replace those lost in sweat, whilst energy drinks give temporary boost of energy. This may not sound bad but it will affect them over the long term. Like a child suffering with diabetes should not continue drinking energy drinks because the sugars in them can cause an imbalance of insulin. Even the Daily Telegraph thinks that energy drinks are unsafe because it can link to severe illness. The Daily Telegraph has reported â€Å"Energy drinks could be dangerous for children and teenagers,† The newspaper said that the use of high-caffeine drinks has been linked to â€Å"seizures, mania, stroke and sudden death†. Energy drinks can effect children and teenagers and also give people terrible side effects. Some people are not aware that energy drinks can give awful side effects after consumption. There are many side effects that can occur after drinking like vomiting, nausea, and hallucinations. Many ingredients inside energy drinks cause some people allergy reactions. There are many effects that can make people gain weight like people who don’t exercise. The mayo clinic says â€Å"that sugar intake has a direct correlation with weight gain, especially for people who don’t exercise. † But it can get worse, if energy drinks are drank with alcohol, it can make you pass out or get seriously hurt. Energy can drinks can make people sick from the dreadful side effects. However energy drinks create enjoyment among people, it has good taste and contains some good vitamins and herbs like vitamin B, ginseng, ginkgo Biloba and Antioxidants which are good for the body. To finish like to say that we should reconsider drinking energy because they can cause illness, young people will be affected and they can give people terrible side effects.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

An Introduction to the Breach of Contract

An Introduction to the Breach of Contract Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work produced by our Law Essay Writing Service . You can view samples of our professional work here . An Introduction to the Breach of Contract A breach of contract is also in a contract. Breach of Contract is the existence of agreement where there is a failure to keep the promises or agreement or failure to live up to his or her responsibilities of a contract. The whole contract or part of the contract may be breached. There are three important remedies available in a contract which is damages, specific performance and injunction. 2.1.1 Damages The remedy that is available in a contract which is damages is due to the losses or costs which incurred because of another party wrongful act. Damages are the payment in one form or a remedy which is provided by the common law to provide financial compensation or loss or debt where there has been a breach of contract. The main purpose there is damages in a breach of contract is because there is a need to protect the promisee s expectation interest and in the promisor s performance. There are also contractual damages in a breach of contract. It is a loss suffered when there is a breach of contract. Contractual damages are not mean to be a punishment for the party who has fails to perform the agreements which are in the contract. The defendant s ability to pay in ensuring the measure of damages does not consider by the court. When there are cases which make the party unable to perform the agreements made in a contract, the plaintiff who is the person who brings suit in the court which is opposed to the defendant would have expectation interest which is measured by difference – money damages. The difference between the contract price and the cost of construction by another builder would be the general measure of damages 2.1.2 Specific Performance Specific performance is a court order which requires the defendant to perform his act which is promised in the contract. It is a remedy commonly used in the form of a judicial process or order requiring the person or the persons to whom it is directed to do a particular a ct or to refrain from doing a particular act concerning information or real property. Specific performance is usually used to complete a previously established transaction and it is also the most effective remedy in protecting the expectation interest of the innocent party in the contract. The court will practice its act according to its own judgement not to decree specific performance where damages provide an adequate remedy. If the terms of the contract are uncertain, specific performance will be refused. The court also has the discretion to refuse specific performance where the granting of specific performance would cause undue hardship to the defendant. The court of equity developed the remedy of specific performance since damages often cannot adequately compensate someone for the inability to own a specific piece of real property, land being regarded as unique. The remedy which is specific performance is often guaranteed through the remedy of a right of possession which gives t he plaintiff the right to take possession of the property in dispute. The orders of specific performance are granted when damages are not a suitable remedy. The availability of specific performance remedy will depend on whether it is appropriate in the circumstances of the case. For example, when company A wants to build another restaurant in another location has made an agreement with the franchisor but was later been told that he will not grant the franchise because the franchisor would want to build and operate the restaurant at another location. Company A could take action towards the franchisor for breach of contract. This would eventually force the franchisor to keep up with the agreement to the terms of a contract

Friday, September 27, 2019

Extra Cridets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Extra Cridets - Essay Example The code stipulates that anyone in violation of the law shall be liable to a fine of upto$500. The law affects individuals in the sense that, they make them aware of other pedestrians and motorists using the read; hence, ensuring that they protect them from any harm that may arise from dangerous driving. The law affects the business in Indiana in a positive way in that, in case people are not violating the law then it means that people get to their work places on time. Therefore, these creates a productive economic society; hence, improving the business in Indiana. In case, an individual was accused of violating the law the case would be a state case because the violation falls under the state laws of Indiana. The violation would also fall under public law, as it is a criminal offence to violate Indiana Code 9-21-8. In my opinion, I think the statute is a good law because it ensures motorist are aware of the laws; thus, making them careful about how they drive their vehicles. The law to some extent is effective although it has some loopholes, especially in the Indiana Code 9-21-8-59 when it comes to the confiscation or retaining of the cell phone. This is because besides texting there are many things that one can do with their

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Medical Billing and Coding Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Medical Billing and Coding - Research Paper Example In healthcare systems, there are also regulations that govern the way in which the institutions bill their goods and services. In an argument by Kavaler & Spiegel (2003) prior to the creation of billing strategies a healthcare institution should ensure the specifications provided for by the both the W.T.O and legal laws in the country are adhered to. For instance, in some nations all public healthcare institutions are required to give free Tuberculosis funds. In these nations, such a law must be adhered to by all institutions regardless of the preferred billing strategy by an organization. This is different from other business entities which have the freedom to price their commodities. It is a democratic country, business entities are given the freedom to decide on their preferred pricing decisions (Lucas, 2008). However, health institutions are not independent because of their function in the environment. The influence of medical institutions should be regulated in order to promote equality in the provision of the service. Different in the healthcare system pricing is the fact that there are specific quoted prices for drugs. This makes the market an equal opportunity for success for all institutions. Additionally, this fact reduces the competition level of the market. Healthcare institution cannot use the pricing strategy to gain a greatest competitive advantage. However, health care institutions have the opportunity to alter this disadvantage when providing services for patients. The pricing of services is not regulated by any healthy body. Healthcare  institutions only rely on pricing services to satisfy their billing objectives. For this reason, many organizations invest mostly in providing quality services. Additionally, the quality of services provided is directly proportional to the pricing of the service. However, a significant number of healthcare organizations alter the quoted market price by a slim margin to incorporate cost incurred through processes like logistics. Apart from altering the market price, healthcare institutions offer specific purchasing packages.

What Intergenerational Communicationand Aging means for my own life, Essay

What Intergenerational Communicationand Aging means for my own life, now, and in the future - Essay Example h this course and analyzing related materials, I learned the importance of changing mindsets and communication and relationship goals, so that I can treat and interact with the elderly with respect and recognize and respond to their needs for autonomy and social support, and so that I can pursue a model for successful aging that balances physical and psychological needs and aspirations. Through Comm 119 lectures and various other reading materials, as well as my analysis of my own interactions with the elderly, I realized that social stereotypes about aging and the elderly contribute to the self-fulfilling prophesy of these ageist stereotypes. Cuddy and Fiske (2002) described the various stereotypes of older people that I also practiced in the past, including the grandmotherly and severely impaired stereotypes. I am quite ashamed that I thought that older adults are like babies by focusing on their childish behavior, such as being hard-headed when instructing them to follow proper nutrition practices. I realize now that they are childish (if they are) because of how society treats them. In one of our lectures, the Dallas Morning News (2002) reported that people’s attitudes, and not aging per se, present obstacles to feeling fulfilled during old age (as cited in Giles, 2014a). I agree because I also had the mindset that the elderly, though not all, are the on es making health and social problems by being aggressive in opposing lifestyle or emotional and attitudinal changes that can improve health and social conditions. I would say: â€Å"They can be so hard-headed because they are already old.† By saying this, I frame aging in terms of blaming older people of their health and social issues and aging as the worst phase of mental and psychological development. This kind of framing under-analyzes the needs and goals of the elderly and perpetuates ageism. Besides personal ageist stereotypes, I learned about social institutions that promote ageism and that I must

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Integrated academic report-the innovation and change of Apple.Inc Essay

Integrated academic report-the innovation and change of Apple.Inc - Essay Example Apple has faced lots of ups and downs their corporate history; however, they were able to overcome all the challenges with the help of carefully planned business strategies. During the latter part of 1990 and at the beginning of 2000, Apple has introduced many innovative products like iPhone, iMac, iPad, iPod, iTunes etc in the market. All these products helped Apple to regain its lost place in the market. Apple delivers more than what they promise which is the major reason for the popularity of Apple brand all over the world. Even though Apple succeeded in grabbing the spot from Microsoft as the most valued technology company in the world, they need to continue their innovation and change management process in order to sustain their top place in the market. Apple’s current business strategies are rotating around their charismatic leader Steve Jobs and once Steve decides to quit, Apple may face lot of leadership troubles. This report briefly analyses the innovation and change management process implemented in Apple which helped Apple to attain the top spot in the market. Introduction â€Å"Apple was founded in Cupertino, California on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne† (Apple Inc. History, 2008). The 35 years of Apple’s history is mixed with ups and downs. The company faced major challenges in the 1990’s when their major competitor Microsoft introduced their Window based operating system in the market. However, Apple was able to bounce back in the beginning of the twenty first century with the help of innovation and change management principles implemented in the organization. Apple Inc caught the attention of the public recently when they surpass Microsoft in market capitalization. Apple Company is currently operating internationally and has more than 200 retail stores in different countries. Apple’s need for innovation General imperatives in computer industry sector Computer industry is mainly dominated by some big players like Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Motorola, Linux etc. The operating system industry is monopolized by the Microsoft whereas the personal computer manufacturing is controlled by the IBM. The tie up between IBM and Microsoft helped both the companies immensely in controlling a substantial

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Christians should take more interest in ethics Assignment

Christians should take more interest in ethics - Assignment Example According to Brit Hume, the recent financial crisis was a result of unethical behavior that was conducted with regard to the functioning of the financial markets, government, lending banks and lastly the public. It becomes imperative to be stated in this regard that the proper pursuance of the commandments in bible by the Christians would have checked such an occurrence. It has been stated by Exodus 20:15 under the eighth commandment that one should not steal. This implies that one should not earn by stealing from others or in an unethical way (Long, â€Å"Christian Ethics: A Very Short Introduction†). According to the laws stated under the deuteronomic code, 25:13-16 laid down the need of ordering just weights as well as measures. This implies that there needs to exist an honest and ethical relationship between the trader and the customers focusing on a fair policy of pricing (Hall, â€Å"Deuteronomy†). It has also been stated by Luke 19:1 in this regard that salvation is deserved by all the individuals even in case of unethical conducts as all individuals are considered to be equal in the eyes of god (Alexander, â€Å"Christianity and Ethics†). The above teachings as stated in the bible evidently focus on the aspect of ethics and the way it should guide and direct the behavior of the individuals. Therefore, the practice of the teachings of Jesus or the Christian ethics is believed to ensure the practice of ethics even in case of economic activities which would further prevent the occurrences of such financial crises in the

Monday, September 23, 2019

Gender differentiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Gender differentiation - Essay Example Throughout the years, gender is a sensitive and controversial topic of discussion as it borders from its political correctness to the personal opinions of different people. Gender is part of everyone’s lives, it is an important concept that everyone can relate to.One of the most promising aspects of sociological studies is in the realm of gender. Every other person is affected by this concept, whatever the gender of the person may be. Throughout the years, gender is a sensitive and controversial topic of discussion as it borders from its political correctness to the personal opinions of different people. Gender is part of everyone’s lives, it is an important concept that everyone can relate to. With this, gender has been associated with different aspects of differentiation within the society, whether it be on a micro-level, such as family responsibilities, to a more macro-level that impacts the society, like employment. This paper will explore the different relations of gender with the society. Gender plays an important role in the different aspects of the society. Gender, in fact, can direct changes to the norms of the society. Gender is not only significant in one’s personal identification but also an important aspect in one’s relation with the society, based mainly on cultural differences. Gender is related to the concept of sex although it is to be emphasized that they are not interchangeable with each other. Sex is more of a biological concept while gender is more of a social concept. The issue of gender identity has been more prominent nowadays as the world faces different social transformations. This can be seen through employment patterns and parenthood (Diaz-Andreu & Lucy, 10). Social identification and personal point of view on identity are important aspects of living. It becomes our mark on the world, and it becomes how we are known for. Although social identification is largely associated with the society, it has a bearin g in one’s personal view of identity. Knowing one’s gender or being identified in such manner is important on how one lives his life. Social acceptance of gender identities is also significant in the personal and social growth of an individual. This is where identity starts, on how one sees himself as seen by his community. This is an important aspect of developing personal growth, and since one’s personal growth affects the society, then it becomes an important aspect in the growth (or stagnation) of the social views of the community. Gender is an important concept in the social world. It shapes identities, not only of the individual but of the society as well. Gender affects how one views himself and other people. It is an important aspect in social interaction. Gender, in fact, shapes social interaction, depending on how one individual sees other people and how one behaves towards another. Gender also impacts social institutions as it creates new concepts and new social rules and practices significant enough to change the society’s perspective. Society and gender cannot be discussed without one another as one concept affects the other. This is an important note to be remembered as the study of gender develops. As one understands gender, one needs to understand the social world and vice versa. Both concepts develop within one another’s changes. Unlike before, gender is related more on the cultural perceptions rather than biological setup of an individual. Sexuality has evolved to a socially constructed concept. Gender is defined to be the psychological, social and cultural aspect of maleness and femaleness (Wharton, 6). This implies that socialization has a big impact on gender identification. The concept of gender is a process, it changes between the years of its study. Prior to recent developments, gender is closely related to the biological and social concept of sexuality. This shows that gender is not a fixed concept. I t varies from the cultural and social perspectives of its study. As it encompasses all individuals of all social structures, gender is a multilevel phenomenon (Wharton, 7). Social processes and social institutions both shape and are shaped by gender. The study of gender has opened the roads to the study of feminism. In fact, most gender studies are about females than males. But gender is not only

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Influence of Pop Art Essay Example for Free

Influence of Pop Art Essay The Influence of Pop Art Illustration Essay To be someone who goes ‘against the crowd’, you must have a lot of courage. Well, back in the late 1950’s, pop artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and many others did exactly that. During this time period, pop art was a challenge to the traditions of fine art by using images of pop culture. You may be asking yourself, what is pop art? Pop art consists of objects that are removed from their original context and combined with unrelated material. In her article from Design Magazine, Adriana Marinica has a great explanation of how pop art appeals to us Americans and how pop art has it’s own style, â€Å"This art derives its style from the visual activities and pleasures of people: television, magazines and comics. † (Marinica) Pop art influenced American culture greatly while influencing the art culture as well. It created a different perspective for art, rather than fine art. Most people have seen Andy Warhol’s work, the most famous being the campbells soup cans, he is the most known pop artist. Not only did pop art influence American culture but it also influenced British culture, but in a different way. In 1952 was the beginning of the pop art movement known as â€Å"The Independent Group† who represented young artists of that time. Even today, pop art is still seen around the media and even street art. Back in it’s time, pop art was much different than anything anyone has seen. It has been the most â€Å"popular† art movements of the modern era. This movement was supposed to be a rebellion towards the ‘Abstraction Expressionists’, or artists who were perceived to be pretentious and over-intense. Fine art was popular from the 17th century on, it had much detail and focused on being realistic including paintings and drawings, while compared to pop art which has bright colors and it is more cartoony and not very realistic. Pop artists took images from popular media which made it easy to relate to the works. With the images from popular media, they would combined it with a background or other objects that had nothing to do with the media images. On the other end of the spectrum, most fine artists used a contemporary style while pop artists were more focused on the  attitudes rather than the art itself, such as irony and parody styles. Most pop artists prefer to use colors such as red, yellow, and blue since they are so vivid and are sure to grab your attention. Marilyn Diptych (1962). Campbells Soup (1968). Just a few of Andy Warhol’s most known pieces of pop art. You’ve seen the multi-colored soup can picture in your high school art class, and maybe you’ve seen the oddly colored portrait of Marilyn Monroe. Warhol had many other different styles and pieces, but he was very popular with his pop art works. Warhol seemed to have a great interest in creating images of well known actors and actresses. Not only is the iconic Andy Warhol famous for his pop art, we need to recognize that there are many other artists who have adopted the pop art culture. Some of those artists include Crash, Jim Dine, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, and Tom Wesselmann. Pop art became very popular in the late 1950’s in North American culture. The term ‘pop art’ was officially introduced in December of 1962. Origins of pop art in North America emerged as a way of expression for artists at a time where the world was lacking any interest or excitement. This movement was to emphasise that pop art could take images from mass-media from popular culture and can still be considered fine art. At this time advertising had used many elements of modern art, which had artists searching for more clever ways to advertise to keep up with the changing world. American artists found their inspirations by living within our culture. In the United States, pop art was made as a representational art as an ironic response by artists to subdue the personal symbolism. Mass produced imagery was very popular in America, these works of art had more bold and aggressive overtones. Back in the 1950’s and 60’s pop art was associated with pop music which includes swinging and covers of the Beatles’ and Elvis Presley’s cover albums designed by the pop artist Peter Blake. In contrast, Great Britain viewed American pop art from a different perspective. Great Britain adopted romantic, sentimental, and even humorous overtones. Early pop art in Britain was inspired by American pop culture, but they did not experience this culture as Americans had. During the time of post-war, pop art culture improved the prosperity of their society. English pop was considered to be more of a metaphor or to have a theme. Introduced in the United Kingdom, the Independent Group was formed in London, 1952. This was a group of young painters, sculptors, architects, writers, and critics who were challenging modernist approaches to the culture and traditions of the fine arts. The group was mainly about popular culture implications from mass advertising, movies, product design, comic strips, science fiction, and technologies. Even with origins early as the 1950’s, pop art culture is still very alive to this day. Pop art has a very strong influence on today’s top fashion designers. As Marylou Luther of the Cleveland, Northeast Ohio News states, â€Å"To me, the most important art force that has popped back into fashion and the one most likely to have a trickle-down effect to the streets is Pop art. The art movement has been so iconic and profound that it is still featured, studied, and produced to this day. Some inspirations are helpful towards interior architecture, fashion, fabric, and something even as simple as packaging. A popular way pop art is used is the well known comic style that is based on American animations. While searching for how pop art is used today, I found a quote on a website that I felt should be included in this essay, â€Å"This type of fine art is so popular nowadays that we recognize its potential to continue growing and attracting more followers all around the world. As you can see, pop art has had a very big impact on our culture that we still see to this day. Not only has it inspired our culture and our artists, but even other countries’ culture and artists as well. I can say that I’ve been inspired by pop artist Andy Warhol with his amazing works of art. As we see daily; Hollywood, magazines, television, and newspapers are all producing different images which is enlarging popular culture majorly. Without the pop art movement, our culture would not be the same. Marinica’s point of view may better help how pop art has influenced our culture and how it is still very much alive today; she states, â€Å"Pop Art continues to be hailed as a success to this day, whether we’re talking about original pieces selling for big money, or prints selling in huge numbers. It became clear that pop art was much more than just a statement and it’s hard to ignore it. You can see it wherever you go. It’s in public places and even advertising, as it was used initially in the 1950s.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Aims And Objectives Of The Internet Information Technology Essay

The Aims And Objectives Of The Internet Information Technology Essay In this part of the world the Internet in its essence is a directory, where the user can access information and buy goods and services.The internet provides a key asset for communication in this century. As a company or as an organization it is   important for existence to have a web contact. Global Marketing is a place where users can sell new and old sports items and where companies can advertise them selves and place their goods for selling. Global   Marketings aim is to provide a facility where any one can access, upload and purchase goods in different styles where they can buy as in auction or instantly without staying in long queues. Once they have bought they can amend their quantities in shopping cartridge.Global Marketing use Internet technologies to enable users to sit at home and buy sports items from Global Marketings website. The functional richness and rapid responsiveness of the desktop application have always been the goal of   human by designing the desktop application in java by one site compiling and multi site running, but Ajax has invented the powerful features where we can design a website with the help of ASP.NET which would work as a desktop application, where new generation of the Internet can interact rapidly. 2.1 Problems: 2.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Creating a user friendly website based on ASP+ Ajax technologies. 2.2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Enabling the clients to participate in the real time auctions through the web. 2.3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Creating Shopping cart for the customers where they can buy and add as many things   as they want, depending on availability. 2.4   Ã‚  Ã‚  There are thousands of websites which are made by humans but they are not responsive as quick as desktop applications. Aims and objectives: To develop a front end system that is both user friendly and easy to use or navigate, The front end system will be linked to a back end database which can be update online and have some functionality: Add, Delete Edit Display Search Specific functions: Allow user to suggest recommendations. Message service ( user can ask any thing about the product for instance if they are in-trusted in any other colour or something they can email to the owner of the shop or website). Deliverable : The deliverable of this project will be as following: Project report Front end, user friendly sports items website. 3.1- Life-cycle Models: There are so many life-cycles models for to producing any website or that can be used to aid the development of any software or any website, They are playing a role model to control the coast of the whole project either it is a time consuming project or costly with that people can control the coast as well as their precious time, errors are minimised and so forth that is way I have decided to use the waterfall model in my project as its name suggests it is powerful and easy to understand to develop any software or any website. 1. The Waterfall Model The waterfall model derived from engineering models, to be consistent in the development of large software in the market. It has some stages which process linear fashion, in order to compare with other software models, it is more rigid and controlled or we can say that this is manageable.https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/QWuLYgIxvFZlqXCJSMud1UF_sN9u7hOHzjnZCiwF0Hkpsxvd8Bd1O2lpI9oMbJD2ugKKg3ljaHjdAtiB5_kgT6p_XQpEJ-bYfddscxIFxrXsc8Uw8g http://rajeevprabhakaran.wordpress.com/tag/v-model/ [Online accessed 15/10/10] Requirement analysis and definition,   In this very first stage we just establish the requirements then we check the requirements of the developed software: which includes the constraints and the developing goals of the software or website and those include the services which they are going to provide; once these are established then those should be defined in such a way that they are usable in the next stage. some time these may be preceded by the feasibility study. feasibility study should pose the questions such as: should we develop the software? and what are the alternatives? System and software design. In this stage the established requirement are same as first stage, but difference is only that   these requirements are suitable for the hardware and the software which we have in our use, for instance Asp.net, java etc. Basically, we identify the software and the hardware requirements, and transfer these information into the readable form of the software. Implementation and unit design. In this stage where they create the computer programme and each programme is collection of small units stage and the unit testing is the verification of the system requirements it means, they meat the requirements or not of the user? System testing. All of the systems units are combined and all of them are need to be tested when the combine programme is successful or has been tested then the software product is finished. Operation and maintenance. Most computer programmes have developed programmes in stages, and every stage has some errors which have gone undetected before; in the case of any need of improvement or any kind of support   beeing recorded, This recorded information can be helpful in the future for operation and maintenance of the software. However, this is the part of the life-cycle and which is strict development, although improvement and fixes of any software can be considered as the word development. There are plenty of models in the market, such as Code and Fix model, exploratory model, Evolutionary Model or prototyping Model and the name with spiral model, The spiral model has also have the qualities of waterfall model and the reason for using the waterfall model are as follows ; It is cost effective. The requirement which are already known. The is no chance of   requirements to be changed in near future. Background Studies What is E-Commerce? and Role in our life. E-commerce is like doing business online over the Internet; selling and buying thing on the Internet. Products may be traded physical, such as using cars or any services to deliver the products but selling goods to the buyer through the word wide web. over the Internet they may be in digital form for instance they may look like audio video or in the form of news or may be in the form of software and all types of knowledge base products. Market and E-commerce : Without a website, a local store is going to be always a local store they can not promote them-salves for the world, if same local stores have a websites for their-selves and find the world on their doorstep, therefore , this will be good for the same local store where millions of people visit the same store or where a one customer comes after one hour and he can sell million of things in one second to millions   of customers. But they need to think about the competitors and how they are going to tackle all of these competitions either these are related to sale or products, that is why these online partners need change all the time, actually, this is not only a for searching products, buying products and selling the products, it is also leading to words exchanging and distributing products and the way consumers search and bargain for the products. Turban etal. (1999) note that e-commerce is still an emerging concept for the people who works in IT that there are so many applications of e-world for instance shopping banking provides the infrastructure to drive the world from home The Internet is the best know technology and most used technology of the e-commerce and networking (Key Note ( Internet usage in business 1998)). Dave Chaffey munitioned in his book, The history summarises to Tesco supermarkets efforts in this electronics world trading with there suppliers from EDI to Internet-base purchasing. The advantages and disadvantages are explored. Tesco is Uks largest grocery chain in the market they have 4,811 (Feb 2010) retail places in a Uk. and due to the largest network they used electronic data interchange (EDI) to order the goods from suppliers which are more then 2000, representing around more then 96 % by volume of goods sold in tesco stores. That system started in 1980 to stream line the stores replenishment first it was limited but after 1989 Tesco took initial to sport their store in better way to think about the forecasting the goods for the future so Tesco capture the market in start after some time so many other superstore join the race as well and they are doing very well.One is well know is E-bay which is the icon of the e-commerce or The e-Business. Dave Chaffey (E-business and e-commerce management: strategy, implementation, and practice   2007 (Page 292)).

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Julius Caesar: Comparison of the Eulogies of Mark Antony and Brutus Ess

Eulogy, noun. – A well versed, powerful speech which praises someone after their death. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, there are two of the most famous, and repeated eulogies ever spoken. These eulogies are very powerful and speak to everyone. They are both written very eloquently, but very different at the same time. One is written as a sadness for Caesar, while the other is written as a man who wants to make others feel guilty for his doing. Both speeches seem to tug on the heart strings of Rome’s public. They both use different techniques of drawing the crowd into their thinking. In the speeches we can see notes of verbal irony, speech structure, and repetition of words that help to persuade the crowds of plebeians. The first way that the speeches differed is the use of verbal irony. Antony’s use of irony comes close to bordering on sarcasm. â€Å"Friends, Romans, countryman, lend me your ears, I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.† (III.II.80-84) says Antony when making his opening statement to the crowd. He addresses the crowd as â€Å"friends†, so as to put them on a...

The Role of the Narrator in Blood Brothers Essay -- Blood Brothers Nar

The Role of the Narrator in Blood Brothers The play, Blood Brothers, written by Willy Russell, is a very interesting play. It is about a mother with seven children and twins nearly due. Her employer cannot have kids and the mother is worried about financial support for her self and children(((((did they have child support in 1986)))))))), she has trouble supporting seven as it is never mind eight, but nine is too much for her. She gives one of them away to her employer. Before the twins are born they makes a pack that the two boys will never know the truth and they will be kept apart. She gives one of her new babies to her employer. The boys do meet and become ‘Blood Brothers’ at the age of seven. They were friends until they were adults, until they found out the truth, that they were real brothers, they were twins, which leads to their tragic death. The play is mainly about the two boys, but it is also about how poverty, single painting, education, and discipline can effect an upbringing of a child and how it effect them when they are older in what type of lifestyle they live in. Willy Russell wanted this play to be different to all of the anther basic plays, the wanted his to have a reality to it, he wanted the audience to be thinking what actually was meant by a scent while still watching the play, he wanted the audience to always be thinking about the pla and what is going to happen next. Russell’s aim was achieved by the character that he put to take part in certain times of the play, this character wasn’t a normal character, and this character was the narrator. He is so different to any other character in the play because he is a non-character, he commentates on action rather thanpartici... ...ew pins, How one was kept how one was giving away They were born and they died on the self same day.† When the audience hears the beat to the speech they pay more attention to it and become more active with the play. Some times when the narrator speaks to the audience, he is commenting on a character. â€Å"Then bring her on, come let see The author of such cruelty And judge for ourselves this terrible sin Bring on the mother and let the story begin† The narrator again is speaking in a poetic form. When he has said this about a character he automatically sets the next scene and also again sets the audience in a peculiar mood. The mood the narrator wants the audience to be in is a judgmental one, when in the quote; he is inviting the audience to judge the character. When inviting the audience, he is making the audience active in the play.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Criminals and Society: The Battle Between Reintegration and Recidivism

ABSTRACT: This research paper is focused on released convicts and the struggles they face to become active, progressive members of society. Sadly, these released offenders regularly face discrimination in their job searches, in attempts to secure housing for themselves and their families, and to be accepted by their communities. Without the right support structures in place upon their release, these former prisoners may very well fall back into lives of crime. Without a suitable place to stay, these released offenders may become recidivists, falling back into their familiar roles as law breakers, if only to provide the basic necessities for themselves and their families. Statistically, more than one third of released offenders end up back in jail within a year of their initial release. Through this study, I hoped to shed light on some of the main causes of criminal recidivism using Labeling Theory and Social Learning Theory. INTRODUCTION: More than 600,000 prisoners are released into the main population of the United States every year. Of that 600,000, 30 percent end up back behind bars within six months of their release, and 70 percent end up returning to jail within three years (Reisig, 409). Upon release, many criminals find that life on the outside is harder on them than it was when they were convicted, sentenced, and locked away. People who know them may become just as prejudiced as the interviewers and landlords who deny them the chance to earn a living or a place to stay. Through the continued use of labels like criminal, thug, crook, and felon, many released offenders feel ostracized and isolated. Their friends and families may turn their backs on them, taking away the few things they have left... ... database. MacKenzie, Doris Layton. (2006, May) Aftercare Following A Correctional Bootcamp May Reduce Recidivism. Criminology & Public Policy, 5(2), 359. Retrieved from Criminal Justice Periodicals Database. Visher, Christy A. (2006, May) Effective Reentry Programs. Criminology & Public Policy, 5(2), 299. Retrieved from Criminal Justice Periodicals Database. Listwan, Shelley J., Cullen, Francis T., Latessa, Edward J. (2006, December) How to Prevent Prisoner Re-entry Programs From Failing: Insights From Evidence-Based Corrections. Federal Probation, 70(3), 19. Retrieved from Criminal Justice Periodicals. Leighninger, L., & Popple, Phillip R. (1996). Social Work, Social Welfare, and American Society (3rd. ed.). Allyn and Bacon: Needham Heights, MA. Calhoun, C., Light, D., & Keller, S. (1989). Sociology (5th. ed.). Alfred A. Knopf: New York.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Bullying and Cyberbullying Essay

Introduction Each day school children learn valuable skills and lessons from their teachers as well as through interactions with their peers. Although school, undoubtedly, is beneficial to America’s youth, there are some experiences, such as bullying, that may negatively affect and stick with these children for the rest of their lives. Certain children find an outlet for their frustrations through bullying others. In the past, these actions could be better controlled because they were limited to face-to-face interactions. However, in recent years, this age-old conflict has matched the pace of technological evolutions, making it more dangerous and harder to contain. Cell phones, social media sites, chat rooms, and other forms of technology have allowed bullying to expand into cyberspace. This new form of abuse is known as cyberbullying. The following research paper focuses on both traditional bullying and cyberbullying. The paper provides background information about bullying, defines the p roblem and where it is focused, looks at the clinical and legal issues that surround both forms of bullying, and discusses possible preventative programs. II. History of Bullying Bullying, a definition The word â€Å"bully† can be traced back as far as the 1530s. (Harper, 2008). In its most basic sense bullying involves two people, a bully or intimidator and a victim. The bully abuses the victim through physical, * Keywords: bullying, cyber bullying, law, statistics, preventio Abstract Bullying has been engrained in American society since the country’s founding. Bred from a capitalistic economy and competitive social hierarchy, bullying has remained a relevant issue through the years. Technological bullying, known today as cyberbullying, has allowed the problem to expand, become more elusive, and even harder to define. A thorough analysis of various case studies, statistical research, law cases, and news articles was conducted to understand the issue of cyberbullying and to find preventative measures that should be taken. This paper illuminates the background situation, current legal struggles, clinical implications, and potential preventative steps concerning bullying and cyberbullying alike. II. History of Bullying Bullying, a definition The word â€Å"bully† can be traced back as far as the 1530s. (Harper, 2008). In its most basic sense bullying involves two people, a bully or intimidator and a victim. The bully abuses the victim through physical, * Keywords: bullying, cyber bullying, law, statistics, prevention Email: rdonegan 34 — The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications †¢ Vol. 3, No. 1 †¢ Spring 2012 verbal, or other means in order to gain a sense of superiority and power. These actions may be direct (i.e. hitting, verbally assaulting face-to-face, etc.) or indirect (i.e. rumors, gossip, etc.). Origins of bullying The desire to survive is instinctual and common among all living things. Survival is associated directly with competition due to the multitude of species and limited natural resources on the planet. Since the beginning of time there has been a constant drive to out-perform others and overcome obstacles. This survival instinct, along with a competitive atmosphere, has remained the same as the human race has evolved. Both of these forces have flowed over into the educational, social, and economic realms. This competitive hierarchy, though prevalent in most societies, varies across cultures depending on their ethical systems, traditions, and the type of control exerted by the government. Unfortunately, the U.S. capitalistic society inadvertently pushes the belief that success and wealth go hand in hand. This ideology has shaped a nation where bullying is unintentionally instilled as a survival tactic from a very young age. From the time an American child enters grade school, he or she is taught to be the best he or she can. This seemingly innocent lesson can morph as a child develops throughout his or her education. Students often learn corrupt ways to get ahead in the highly competitive educational and social environments that grade school presents. These bullying tactics may include pressuring others for answers on assignments to attain higher grades, which leads toward better college opportunities, or spreading social rumors about fellow students. These tactics are dangerous because once a student realizes their effectiveness, he or she may construct a life style from them. Developing a habitual use of bullying tactics can lead to negatively affecting a countless number of people as well as corruption in the workplace. Traditional bullying vs. cyberbullying Technology’s progression is often equated with the advancement of human societies. Pivotal innovations, such as the Internet, have forever changed how people interact. Though these developments have allowed the human race to make great strides in many fields, they have also allowed forms of transgression to become more rampant and widespread. This is evident when considering how traditional bullying has evolved into an issue today known as cyberbullying. While bullying and cyberbullying are often similar in terms of form and technique they also have many differences. Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying allows the offender to mask his or her identity behind a computer. This anonymity makes it easier for the offender to strike blows against a victim without having to see the victim’s physical response. The distancing effect that technological devices have on today’s youth often leads them to say and do crueler things compared to what is typical in a traditio nal face-to-face bullying situation. A technological evolution As technology has evolved, bullying has proliferated. With the advent of the Internet, chat rooms soon followed. Online forums provided a communal breeding ground for youth to assault one another (Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 2008). Chat rooms were supplemented by AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), an online communication program that allowed teens to spend hours talking to one another in private, one-on-one conversations or in public chat rooms. The program further allowed youth to create group-specific chat rooms. This exclusive forum allowed for youth to get together with select groups of friends and talk about the latest gossip. Online innovations have continued due to telecommunication advances. The advent of cell phones in the late 1960s and early 1970s changed the way people communicated (Shiels, 2003). However, these portable communication devices did not become widespread, or make it into a majority of youth’s hands, until the appearance of the second generation of digital network phones in the 1990s. After that, they spread like wildfire. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 75% of 12-17 year-olds own cell phones, which increased from 45% in 2004 and one-in-three teens sends 3,000 text messages per month (Lenhart, 2010). Though many parents believe that they are purchasing a cell phone for their child for protective reasons, the opposite may be true as many youths admit to utilizing their phones as an instrument for cyberbullying. Further progress on the Internet brought about more and more websites and with this came the advent of social media. The site MySpace is often considered the pioneer of social media. MySpace allows individual users to create their own unique profiles and interact in cyberspace with friends and foes alike Bullying and Cyberbullying by Richard Donegan — 35 III. Status of cyberbullying as â€Å"when someone repeatedly makes fun of another person online or repeatedly picks onanother person through email or text message or when someone posts something online about another person that they don’t like† (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010c, p. 1). Victimization According to their results, cyberbullying victimization rates have varied in the past few years, ranging between 18.8 percent in May 2007 and 28.7 percent in Nov. 2009 with a mean of 27.32 percent based on 7 different studies from May 2007-Feb. 2010. Cyberbullying offending rates have varied in a broader spectrum than victimization rates, ranging between 20.1 percent in June 2004 and 11.5 percent in Nov. 2009 with a mean of 16.76 percent based on 7 different studies from June 2004 to February 2010 (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010g, p. 1). Several specific types of victimization and cyberbullying were discovered through a survey taken in 2010. The survey discovered that the highest concentration of victimizations and cyberbullying offenses occurred in the following areas respectively: mean or hurtful comments posted online (14.3%, 8.8%), rumors online (13.3%, 6.8%), threats through a cell phone text message (8.4%, 5.4%) (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010e, p. 1). Another important factor that Hinduja and Patchin brought to light was what type of technology a teen primarily uses. According to a 2010 study, which asked teens what role technology played in their daily lives, cell phones were used the most (83%), followed by the Internet for school work (50.8%), and then Facebook (50.1%) (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010h, p. 1). This points to cell phones and the Internet as the two primary mediums used for cyberbullying. Cyberbullying proved to vary by gender as well. Based on a 2010 study involving a random sample of 2,212 teen males and 2,162 teen females, the male to female ratio varied the most in the following three areas: victimization within a person’s lifetime (16.6% for males vs. 25.1% for females), admitted to a cyberbullying offense within a person’s lifetime (17.5% for males vs. 21.3% for females), and had a hurtful comment posted about oneself online (10.5% for males vs. 18.2% for females) (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010b, p. 1). This information may be biased due to the reticence among males about admitting a past bullying experience. Nevertheless, it is interesting that females reported a higher percentage in all categories. Bullying hierarchy As with most competitive atmospheres, the social struggle among today’s youth has an evident hierarchy. Bullying is a component of this hierarchy and has its own structure. According to Dr. Dan Olweus, there 36 — The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications †¢ Vol. 3, No. 1 †¢ Spring 2012 are seven different levels within the bullying ladder: the students who want to bully and initiate the action, their followers or henchmen, supporters or passive bullies, passive supporters or possible bullies, disengaged onlookers, possible defenders, and defenders who dislike the action of bullying and help those that are victimized (Olweus, 2001). Dismantling the aggressive portion of this ladder and shifting students to a deterring mindset must be a fundamental part of any prevention program. IV. Clinical Perspective/Repercussions At first, one may believe that the effects of bullying is limited to initial responses that tend to fade within a few days or a week, at most. However, research indicates that the harm inflicted by bullying, whether physical or psychological, has many implications and can result in a snowball effect of lasting painful emotions and negative impacts. Gender and bullying Though many students tend to deny the emotional harm caused by bullying tactics such as namecalling, rumor spreading, and teasing, research suggests the opposite. In a study that utilized a sample of over 3,000 students, researchers found that â€Å"38 percent of bully victims felt vengeful, 37 percent were angry and 24 percent felt helpless.† Furthermore, in a study conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center involving a sample size of 468 students revealed that females are typically more emotionally affected by cyberbullying than males. The females in the study reported being frustrated (39.6%), angry (36%), and sad (25.2%) more often than males who reported lower percentages in each category (27.5%, 24.3%, 17.9% respectively). This is not surprising due to the fact, as mentioned earlier, that males have a reluctance to admit weaknesses especially from an emotional standpoint. In reality, one would expect males to be at least equal if not higher in emotional response conc erning anger and frustration. (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009c, p.1). Age and bullying In another study conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center, the emotional repercussions of cyberbullying across age groups were observed. The study discovered that anger and frustration remain the dominant responses among senior and junior high students, but students at the elementary level are more likely to feel sad as a result of being bullied (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009c, p.1). This is likely because at a younger age children are not battling with the same kind of competitive social hierarchy typically found within upper level schools. So, rather than feeling the need to prove themselves among their peers, students at the elementary level tend to well-up within the initial emotional responses to bullying. This points to the idea that younger children may keep their initial emotional responses to themselves rather than acting out. Unfortunately, regardless of the initial emotional reaction to bullying, these emotions have the ability to continue to develop, with serious clinical implications. A 2003 intensive survey study, which focused on the clinical effects of cyberbullying, reported an increase in emotional distress specifically related to cyberbullying. The study involving 512 professionals coming from psychology, psychiatry and social work backgrounds reported that for â€Å"one-third (34%) of these youth, the Internet problem played a primary role in the client’s treatment† (Mitchell, Finelhot & Becker-Blease, 2007, p. 48). This evidence proves that cyberbullying is having noticeable clinical effects on today’s youth. In his â€Å"General Strain Theory,† sociologist Robert Agnew hypothesized that the strain and stress exerted on an individual as a result of bullying â€Å"can manifest itself in problematic emotions that lead to deviant behavior,† possibly leading to delinquency (Agnew, 2006, pp. 659-660). This theory stresses the vicious cycle that many teens may go through while being victimized. The cyclical repercussions of this process are particularly alarming if it leads a victim to antisocial behaviors when they try to find an outlet for their emotions. In 2001, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reported that â€Å"60 percent of males who were bullies in grades 6 through 9 were convicted of at least one crime as adults, compared with 23 percent who did not bully; 35 to 40 percent of these former bullies had three or more convictions by the age of 24, compared with 10 percent of those who did not bully† (Ericson, 2001). Offenders are likely to utilize bullying tactics as an outlet for other insecurities or problems in their lives. This utilization of bullying as a coping mechanism contributes to the cyclical nature that the process evidently has on victims and offenders Bullying and Cyberbullying by Richard Donegan — 37 alike. Not only do these flawed coping mechanisms fail to resolve the emotional distress caused by bullying, they also expand the overall problem of deviant behavior. This inability for bullied victims and offenders to find adequate relief for emotional wounds, coupled with the fact that youth are unlikely to seek relief though a mentor, explains why some youth begin to feel helpless. Feeling lost in emotional distress with seemingly no way for relief allows suicidal or even thoughts of violent response to creep in to a youth’s consciousness (Ericson, 2001). So, what does this all mean? Research confirms that both bully victims as well as offenders are emotionally harmed by the act of cyberbullying. In a fact sheet produced by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, loneliness, humiliation, and insecurity were each reported as further manifestations of the initial emotional responses to the bullying process. These feelings have the potential to cause students to fear going to school. This constant instability makes it difficult for bully victims to adjust socially and emotionally, focus on their studies, and develop in a healthy mental fashion. These responses can lead to more serious clinical implications, such as depression, which can continue to develop into even worse problems (Ericson, 2001, pp. 1-2). The extreme consequences of bullying are suicidal thoughts or thoughts of violent revenge. According to a National Vital Statistics Report, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among youth ranging in age from 15 to 24 (Anderson & Smith, 2003). Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported â€Å"substantial increases in both homicide and suicide rates among males from 2000 to 2003† (Fraizer, 2005). This statistic becomes chillingly relevant as more information is uncovered concerning the link between cyberbullying and suicidal ideation or action. According to Rigby and Slee, â€Å"Youth who are bullied or who bully others, are at an elevated risk for suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completed suicides† (Rigby & Slee, 1999, p. 119). Statistically both victims of cyberbullying as well as offenders proved to be much more likely to have attempted â€Å"bullycide,† the act of committing suicide due to the effects of bullying, than youth wh o had not been affected (High, 2007). Online publication of personal information is dangerous because it allows many people to see a side of a person more often kept private in a face-to-face interaction. This vulnerability puts many teens in a position as either the victim or active offender partaking in cyberbullying actions. Another aspect of social media that can be misleading and hazardous is the ability to create alias profiles. The ability for teens to mask their identities provides them with an opportunity to say anything to another individual without the worry of any repercussions. Social media sites, such as Facebook and Google+, are prone to abuses like cyberbullying. Anonymous blogging is another technological advancement that has fostered cyberbullying activity and fueled ethical debate. On sites, such as College ACB and Juicy Campus, which have both recently faced tightened regulations due to their verbally abusive nature, youth (typically of college age) were able to login and comment anonymously in an open forum. The forum included harsh topics ranging from â€Å"Most Attractive† to â€Å"Worst Hookup.† The sites even included certain topic headings that were simply a person’s name under which people could post insulting comments. These blogging sites are illustrative of the most dramatic forms of cyberbullying thus far. V. Case Law and Legislation Although all of the evidence illustrates the effects of cyberbullying on today’s youth, lawmakers at both the state and federal levels continue to wrestle with the issue. Unfortunately, it has taken a number of cases to force lawmakers to come to terms with the harsh reality of the situation and attempt to mold laws to deal with such issues. The infringement on student’s 1st Amendment rights is what originally sparked heated controversies concerning schools limiting what students could do or say on or off school grounds. Throughout history, the United States has been shaped by the public’s right to freely express their opinions. Inevitably, when a case arises attempting to limit these rights, the plaintiff’s side is often hard to argue due to such a strong tradition. Without limiting constitutional rights, lawmakers must grapple with the difficult task of defining cyberbullying, as well as determining proper sanctions for committing the act. Because of this, many cases dealing with freedom of speech on and off school grounds have worked their way up to the United States Supreme Court in the past. Federal law One of the earliest cases that dealt with this issue on a public school campus was Tinker vs. Des Moines in 1969 (Tedford & Herbeck, 2009, pp. 1-4). In this case, three high school students arrived on campus wearing black armbands, symbolically protesting the Vietnam War. The school’s administration told the students that they must remove the armbands, and if they refused to do so they would be suspended. The students refused and were sent home. They took the case to court, arguing that their 1st Amendment rights had been violated by the school. The case eventually made it to the United States Supreme Court. The court ruled that any school preventing the expression of opinion must prove that the prohibition was enforced â€Å"to avoid substantial interference with school discipline or the rights of others† (Hinduja & Patchin, 2011, p. 2). Because the school was unable to prove either of these factors, the suspensions were considered unconstitutional and the court ruled in favor of the students. This case set the first guidelines for what forms of expression public schools could and could not limit. As time has continued and technology has progressed, this issue has expanded to whether or not schools can interfere with student’s actions off-campus. J.S. v. Bethlehem Area School (2000) involved a student who was expelled from school for creating 38 — The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications †¢ Vol. 3, No. 1 †¢ Spring 2012 a page on the Internet that included threatening and derogatory comments about members of the administration. The court ruled that the school was justified in taking action due to its ability to prove that the public information fostered an evident disruption of the school environment. In its closing statements, the U.S. Supreme Court stated the following: â€Å"Regrettably, in this day and age where school violence is becoming more commonplace, school officials are justified in taking very seriously threats against faculty and other students† (Herbeck, 2010). Such schoolyard violence had reached this level at Columbine High School in 1999. Through this and more recent cases, the federal government has defined the requirements for offcampus behavior, such as cyberbullying, to be regulated by the school. For a school to take action, there must be a clear disruption to the educational process or a representation of true threat. To determine whether or not an expression is representative of a true threat, the court must determine â€Å"whether a reasonable person [in the speaker’s position] would foresee that the statement would be interpreted by those to whom the maker communicates the statement as a serious expression of intent to harm or assault† (Herbeck, 2010). The idea of public schools limiting student’s speech off campus is highly relevant as cyberbullying becomes a more recognized problem nationally. School administrations and communities must take past cases into account as well as current legal definitions of what constitutes a disruption of the educational process or a true threat when deve loping an effective preventative program. State level Similar to speech and harassment laws at the federal level, individual states continue to wrestle with defining the problem and what legal actions to take when a violation occurs. Unfortunately, it took a number of high-profile cases, and even some suicides, to bring the issue to the attention of many states’ courts and legislatures. One such case revolved around an incident in Missouri during 2006. This case, formally known as United States vs. Lori Drew, involved Drew and her daughter creating a false MySpace account under the alias name â€Å"Josh.† The defendants used the account to become friends with the victim, 13-year-old Megan Meier, whom Drew’s daughter attended school with. After becoming friends with Meier, Drew and her daughter started sending hateful comments to her. Meier took these comments to heart and committed suicide. The Missouri district court determined that they could not hold Drew directly accountable for the harassment leading to Meier’s death due to extraneous circumstances and lack of legal encompassment. However, due to public outcry, federal prosecutors took charge by applying the Computer Fraud and Abuse act to the case. This act is typically used to prosecute electronic theft, but in this instance was used to apply the Myspace terms of service. The terms require users to abide by a host of regulations, which â€Å"required truthful and accurate registration, refraining from using information from MySpace to harass others [and] refraining from promoting false or misleading information† (â€Å"Unites states of America v. Lori Drew,† 2009). Based on MySpace’s terms of service, the jury found Drew guilty of one felony count for conspiracy and three misdemeanors counts for unauthorized computer use. This case caused Missouri to modify its state harassment law to encompass acts of cyberbullying like the Lori Drew case. The law now prohibits any electronic communication that â€Å"‘knowingly frightens, intimidates, or causes emotional distress† (Henderson, 2009). VI. Prevention As cyberbullying draws more attention, a universal definition has begun to take shape within the law. Though not acknowledged across all states, a common definition in congruence with a wider recognition of the problem makes addressing the elusive issue a bit easier. The problem is that technology will inevitably continue to advance. So, as technology progresses, local and national anti-bullying policies and laws must continue to evolve at a parallel rate. Many of the issues faced by federal and state governments concerning cyberbullying are avoidable for schools and communities at the local level through the implementation of procedures to limit the effects of cyberbullying. Recognition of the problem One of the most notable issues that need to be addressed is recognition of the problem itself. Many people, whether parents, teachers, or even law enforcement officers, do not know what their specific state Bullying and Cyberbullying by Richard Donegan — 39 laws are in regards to cyberbullying. In a formal survey of approximately 1,000 officers, â€Å"over 85 percent . . . said that cyberbullying was a serious concern that warrants the response of law enforcement. 90 percent of the school’s resource officers had dealt with a cyberbullying case ‘sometimes’ or ‘often.’† Despite this obvious concern, â€Å"25 percent of the school resource officers and over 40 percent of the traditional law enforcement officers did not know if their state had a law specific to cyberbullying† (Patchin, 2011). These statistics are alarming considering that the number of states without some kind of bullying or harassment specific law can be counted on o ne hand (HI,MI,MT,SD) and the number of states with cyberbullying specific laws are increasing. Every person that deals with children (i.e. education, parenting, law enforcement, etc.) should know the bullying or harassment law specific to his or her state, the physical and emotional signs of bullying, and his or her community or school prevention plan, including how to deal with and report a problem. Along with recognizing the problem and being able to identify solutions, it is vital that cyberbullying be addressed in a consistent way. To effectively put a harness on the problem will require â€Å"a concerted and coordinated effort – a partnership if you will – among our families, schools, youth organizations, and communities† (Morino, 1997). If American communities and schools address the issue with a clear preventative program that keeps each level of prohibition on the same page, children will in turn receive a consistent message from a young age, which will presumably resonate effectively. This message should cause children to feel comfortable with confronting and reporting the problem by portraying any form of bullying as unacceptable. Furthermore, this consistency across a given program will change the overall environment rather than just focusing on individual cases. According to Dorothy Espelage and Susan Swearer’s book Bullying in American Schools, â€Å"A comprehensive program . . . is generally more powerful in reducing bullying and increasing school safety than concentrating on individual students† (Espelage & Swearer, 2009). Potential Solutions Credited with initiating the first systematic bullying research in the early 1970s, Dr. Dan Olweus is primarily known for his bullying prevention programs. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, enacted by Norway’s Ministry of Education, develops methods of dealing with bullying on a variety of levels including school-level components, individual-level components, classroom-level components, and community-level components. This all-encompassing structure creates a cohesive plan in which each level reinforces the next. Since its creation, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has been adopted in schools across the world. According to a series of evaluations involving 40,000 students from 42 schools over a two and a half year period, the program proved to be successful. The studies verified the program’s success by reporting â€Å"reductions by 20 to 70 percent in student reports of being bullied and bullying others,† â€Å"reductions in student reports of antis ocial behavior, such as vandalism, fighting, theft, and truancy† and â€Å"clear improvements in the classroom social climate† (Olweus, 2005, pp. 389-402). A mixed-methods research design carried out in Nevada, in which 118 middle school principals were surveyed about cyberbullying, identified components of a successful preventative program. Of those surveyed, 66 responded and 10 agreed to participate in a one-on-one interview. From these ten, three were selected and questioned intensively about cyberbullying and preventative strategies within their school as well as about their thoughts on the issue in general. Based on the interview results, the following six components were identified as essential elements to a preventative cyberbullying program: â€Å"the importance of a reporting procedure; curriculum integration; student-centered productions through mediums such as Broadcast Journalism; a focus on prevention rather than solely on punishment; the importance of punishment as a part of an effective policy; and keeping up with changes in technology† (Wiseman, 2011). VII. Conclusion Bullying is deeply engrained in American culture. Our society illustrates the pinnacle of capitalistic competition. This win-or-die-trying atmosphere, the competitive college acceptance process, and much of the corporate world, contribute to many of the bullying problems that we battle today. The issues of bullying and cyberbullying can only be contained in the short term and not eliminated completely due to how deep-seeded they have become in our competitive society. The clinical repercussions that bullying and cyberbullying have on today’s youth present the most 40 — The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications †¢ Vol. 3, No. 1 †¢ Spring 2012 troubling issue at hand. The permanent mental effects are what both the law and prevention programs are striving to eliminate. The fact that these initial emotional responses to bullying in any form have been proven to escalate to the point of suicidal thoughts and violent response is the primary reason for why this issue has become a matter of pressing public concern. The thought of children getting so caught up in the psychological battery of bullying that they commit suicide is extremely troubling, an issue that must be dealt with. Though the legislative and judicial branches at both the state and federal levels are having a difficult time adapting laws to encompass cyberbullying as technology advances, there is assurance in the fact that the issue is a pressing co ncern. However, it is unsettling that it takes drastic cases such as United States vs. Lori Drew to bring about a direct change in law. Ideally, laws will develop in correspondence with technology to help define the problem itself and establish appropriate judicial repercussions. As more is learned about the reasons behind bullying and the specific tactics utilized, prevention programs are becoming increasingly more effective. As discussed previously, a successful program needs to clearly identify the problem, establish recognition, and formulate consistent ways of dealing with the issue across all platforms. The biggest struggle for cyberbullying prevention in the future is matching the fast pace of technological innovation with effective preventative techniques Acknowledgments I am thankful to Dr. Michael Frontani for his support and guidance during the writing process of this research paper. His wisdom and encouragement acted as the catalyst, which drove me to really dive into the subject. Bibliography Agnew, R. (2006). Pressured into crime: an overview of general strain theory. New York: Oxford University Press. Espelage, D., &. Swearer, S (2009). Bullying in American schools: a social-ecological perspective on prevention and intervention. Retrieved from Berkeley Technology Law Journal, 24(1), 659-660. Ericson, N. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Program. (2001). 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