Responding to a Racist Joke

Responding to a Racist Joke Comedians from Chris Rock to Margaret Cho to Jeff Foxworthy have carved out niches by making jokes about people who share their cultural heritage, but just because they play up cultural differences in their stand-up routines doesnt mean the average Joe should follow suit with racist jokes. Unfortunately, people try their hand at racial humor all the time and fail. Unlike the aforementioned comics, these people arent making humorous statements about race and culture. Instead, theyre dredging up racist stereotypes in the name of comedy. So how do you respond if a friend, family member, or colleague makes a racist joke? The goal is to make your point and exit the encounter with your integrity intact. Dont Laugh Say youre at a meeting and your boss makes a crack about an ethnic group being bad drivers. Your boss doesnt know it, but your husband is a member of that ethnic group. You sit in the room simmering with indignation. Youd like to let your boss have it, but you need your job and cant risk alienating him. The best response is to do and say nothing. Dont laugh. Dont tell off your boss. Your silence will let your supervisor know that you dont find his racially-tinged humor funny. If your boss doesnt take the hint and makes another racist joke later, give him the silent treatment again.   The next time he makes a non-racist joke, however, be sure to laugh heartily. Positive reinforcement might teach him the kinds of jokes appropriate to tell. Leave Before the Punch Line Sometimes you can sense a racist joke coming. Perhaps you and your in-laws are watching television. The news features a segment about an ethnic minority. I dont get those people, your father-in-law says. Hey, did you hear the one about the†¦ That is your cue to leave the room. This is arguably the most nonconfrontational move you can make. Youre refusing to be a party to racism, but why take the passive approach? Perhaps youre certain that your father-in-law is prejudiced against certain groups and has no intention of changing, so youd rather not fight with him over the issue. Or perhaps your relationship with your in-law is already tense, and youve decided that this battle is not one worth fighting. Question the Joke-Teller Youre lunching with an old friend when she launches into a joke about a priest, a rabbi, and a black guy entering a bar. You listen to the joke but dont laugh because it played on racial stereotypes, and you dont find such generalizations funny. You care for your friend dearly, though. Rather than make her feel judged, you want her to see why her joke was offensive. Consider this a teachable moment. Do you really think that all black guys are like that? you might ask. Well, a lot of them are, she answers. Really? you say. Actually, thats a stereotype. I read a study that said black guys arent any more likely to do that than others. Remain calm and clear-headed. Keep questioning your friend and offering facts until she sees that the generalization in the joke isnt valid. At the end of the conversation, she might rethink telling that joke again. Turn the Tables Your run into your neighbor at the supermarket. She spots a woman from a certain ethnic group with several children. Your neighbor jokes about how birth control is a dirty word for those people. You dont laugh. Instead, you repeat a stereotypical joke youve heard about your neighbors ethnic group. As soon as you finish, explain that you dont buy into the stereotype; you wanted her to understand what it feels like to be the butt of a racist joke. This is a risky move. The goal is to give the joke-teller a crash course in empathy, but you might end up alienating her if she doubts that your motive was to show her stereotypes hurt. Moreover, this isnt the nicest way to make your point. Try this only with thicker-skinned people you believe will respond well to having the tables turned. For others, youll likely need to be more direct. Confrontation If you have nothing to lose from a direct confrontation, go for it. The next time an acquaintance tells a racist joke, say that you dont find such jokes funny and request that he not repeat them around you. Expect the joke-teller to tell you to lighten up or accuse you of being too PC. Explain to your acquaintance that you think such jokes are beneath him. Break down why the stereotypes used in the joke arent true. Remind him that prejudice hurts. Tell him that a mutual friend who belongs to the group being stereotyped wouldnt appreciate the joke. If the joke-teller still doesnt see why this type of humor isnt appropriate, agree to disagree but make it clear that you wont listen to such jokes in the future. Create a boundary.

Target Market Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Target Market Strategy - Essay Example It’s truly going to be computerized shoes or slippers in everyone’s foots. The microcomputer chips attached to these shoes or slippers can automatically measure one’s walk-distances, count his footsteps, measure his blood-pressure in foots, compute the speed of a sportsman etc. E-Walker will attract indoor players like badminton and tennis because it can electronically track one's footsteps and outdoor players like cricket and football due to that it can help players boost up their sports-ability through the digitized system it has been attached with.E-Walker would offer its products to both sports and footwear suppliers. Sports shoes and other shoes and slippers will be designed and developed differently, and therefore, it will be more economical for the company to use different supply chains to market them. Sports shoes will be supplied to sports suppliers. Other shoes and slippers will be supplied to general footwear suppliers. STP strategy to enter the market s and barrier to itSegmentation strategy of E-WalkerAs Bygrave and Zacharakis (2010, p.170) noted, segmentation is a company's basic marketing dimension for setting the strategic framework and is the key to marketing process of identifying the right customers of the company as well. For effective marketing, it should segment its market by breaking down the total market into sub-groups like geographical, demographic, psychographic and behavioral etc (Lancaster and Reynolds, 2001, p. 68).

Manufacturing Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Manufacturing Strategy - Case Study Example The mining sector belonged to the state sector so as to increase prices of minerals and boost production of minerals The second strategy used by the manufacturing company is precise financial discipline. The company has embraced a shareholder value added that measures the difference between the company’s cost of capital and the operating company’s profit. It approximated cost of productivity by running through an essential analysis to resolve whether it can effectively compete. The Komatsu limited company allowed buying of machines and spare parts including up-front bidding process. The company pays its employees based on the ratio of company’s earning over the investment of the company. That presented the entire company with incentive to cut down costs. This strategy greatly reduced the deployed capital in the mineral mining. It has made the production function produce the right products faster and service to customers at the correct time. The third strategy used is having a balanced approach of investment. The company shifted production offshore and also decided to get resource from different offshore factories. The Komatsu limited company employs use of this strategy that comprised of a considerable reinvestment in the local market. As a way of example, the company built mineral mining in Australia, but shifted mineral production and processing in the Middle East nations to improve efficiency and trap energy sources. The company heavily invested in bringing the most advanced as well as modern productivity tools to the manufacturing factories to boost the operations in the production sector. This is aimed at improving home markets and emerging markets abroad. The fourth manufacturing strategy is having multiple export approaches and home markets. This Komatsu limited company located mineral manufacturing in the Middle East nations not only to satisfy customers’ demand, but also considered

Old Guard or Avant-garde Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Old Guard or Avant-garde - Research Paper Example My first favorite symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich is symphony No 7 which is commonly known as Leningrad. Shostakovich composed this masterpiece in 1941 and it was intended for the extremist Russian government. Shostakovich completed this song at the height of World War I and, therefore, his focus was on the issues happening to the society. Due to the rapidly changing lifestyles, Shostakovich was forced to adopt a musical style that would withstand changes in the society. The symphony can, therefore, be considered as avant-grade music. This consideration is based on the style and the issue addressed by the music. Unlike other music produced in that period, symphony No 7 addressed issues that were not common among musician. Initially, musicians sang about lifestyle issues such as love, happiness, sorrow and prosperity. However, Shostakovich introduced the aspect of musician being critical in the governance of a country. Unlike other musicians, Shostakovich became critical about Russian governance and the oppressive Nazi regime (FIS). All these issues are captured in the lyrics of this piece of music, which Shostakovich created using C sharp major. It was adopted both in the west and in Russia as a symbol for defiance against authoritarian regimes. Shostakovich demonstrated that musicians had a more significant role to play in the society other than been entertainers or philosophers of the society. Through the symphony, the composer demonstrated that artists were essential in influencing. the governance of their country. This is the first aspect that makes it to be classified as avant grade music. Other than the social responsibilities of the artist demonstrated through the symphony, the symphony also had additional stylistic and performance aspect that makes it to be considered as an avant grade creation. Before the creation of this piece of music, long performances were not popular. This resulted from the nature of this musical creation and the intended message contained in it. However, Leningrad is considered as a music peace that had the longest performance. It was unusual to have performance that exceeded thirty minutes. The Leningrad was an exceptional case since its first performance took about one and a half hour (Fay 213). Long performances became a popular trend in music produced after symphony No 7. The length of a musical performance was determined by the content of a piece of music. This piece of music introduced the aspect of creating music with rich

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Essay Example for Free

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Essay The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international comparative assessment about mathematics and science education that is organized by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The survey has been administered periodically in cycles of 4 years since 1995. Initially TIMSS was an acronym for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, which identified its position as the third study following the First and Second International Mathematics and Science Studies (FIMS SIMS) in 1964 and 1982 respectively. A similar study to the 1995 TIMSS (using the same technical framework) was carried out in 1999, and was referred to as the Third International Mathematics and Science Study Repeat (TIMSS-R). The 2003 study was the third cycle of studies based on the 1995 assessment framework, and the acronym TIMSS was redefined to mean Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (http://nces.ed.gov/timss). With funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the TIMSS assessment was to be offered more timely in intervals of 4 years. Table 1 gives an overview on the TIMSS assessment, target populations, and the number of countries that participated in each administration. Table 1. TIMSS assessments and participating countries at the 8th grade level Study Name Acronym Year Number of Countries Target population Grades tested Third International Mathematics and Science Study TIMSS 1994/5 42 3rd /4th, 7th/8th , 12th Third International Mathematics and Science Study Repeat. TIMSS-R 1998/9 40 8th Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study TIMSS 2002/3 46 4th 8th Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study TIMSS 2006/7 Over 60 4th, 8th, (12th rescheduled 2008) TIMSS is considered the largest, most comprehensive, rigorous, and extensive international comparative educational study ever conducted (Alejandro, 2000). It touches on almost every facet of the learning of science and mathematics. The 2003 TIMSS project was comprised of over 360 000 students, over 38 000 teachers, and over 12 000 school principals, and as many as 1 500 contextual variables were included in addition to variables on student achievement scores (Nelson, 2002; TIMSS‟ User guide 2003). TIMSS aims at providing policy makers and educational practitioners with information and indicators about their national educational systems from an international perspective. Alejandro argues that TIMSS serves a â€Å"mirror† function to participating countries to reflect comparatively on their education systems. Martin and Kelly (2004) suggest that TIMSS tests go beyond measuring achievement to including a thorough investigation of curriculum and how it is delivered in classrooms around the world. In a nutshell, the assessment is perceived to be valid and reliable as a measure of student achievement. However, the TIMSS assessments are not without critics. Among the critical voices is that of Wolf (2002) who questions the validity issues of the TIMSS studies. His contention is that TIMSS, being an international assessment, may have testing procedures that are not appropriate for some countries‟ usual testing practices. Related to that, Zuzovsky (2000) specifically questions the reliability of these tests. He argues that the heavily elaborated coding systems inherent in the TIMSS scoring procedures yield lower inter-rater consistency and also that translation of achievement tests into different languages brings the reliability of the assessments into question. The downside of cross-sectional assessments such as the TIMSS projects did not escape the attention of de Lange (2007) who questions the assumption behind international studies that a single test can give comparable measures of curriculum effects across countries. In spite of these criticisms, Alejandro, the chairman of IEA, sees the worth in countries participating in the TIMSS surveys. He argues that â€Å"More than just league tables, the TIMSS data place achievement in an international context where it can be considered from multiple perspectives† (Alejandro, 2000, p. 2). A similar statement was expressed more than 35 years ago by Bock (1970). He perceived the world as shrinking through technology. In support of international studies, he argued that through participation in international studies and by sharing educational reports, countries get a glimpse of each other‟s cultural practices. The TIMSS international reports give an overall impression of the impact that different education factors have on students‟ performance in different countries. It is by further engaging in secondary analysis of the TIMSS data and by conducting further studies related to the findings of TIMSS assessments that countries better understand their schooling system. In particular, it is important to identify areas of concern and address those systematically rather than attempt to replicate another country`s curriculum system simply because the schooling system there seems to be effective. Education indicators are numerous and vary in their effect from country to country. It is possible that each of the 1,500 contextual variables administered in the TIMSS surveys were included because of some supporting literature on their influence on students‟ learning. TIMSS as model of Educational Achievement The literature on models of educational indicators and their performance as a system together with research studies that model student learning achievement as a function of the characteristics of their schools and their family background is extensive (Oakes, 2006; Kaplan Elliott, 2007; Kaplan Kreisman, 2000; Koller, Baumert, Clausen, Hosenfeld, 2001). However, in spite of the extensive literature on the subject of modeling of educational data, no single model of educational performance has gained widespread acceptance (Oakes, 2006; Nelson, 2002). This lack of a global model was noted by Nelson in relation to the TIMSS projects, that, although rigorously executed, and with all its popularity (with more participants than any other IEA study), TIMSS has not attempted to come up with a prescriptive model that relates educational factors to student achievement that can be applicable across nations. Nelson is adamant that any attempt to provide a universal model would not be wise because countries differ in their educational policies and instructional practices so that a one-size fits- all model would not be realistic. That said, though models of educational performance seem diverse as suggested by the literature, in Haertel, Walberg, and Weinstein‟s (2003) view, they have more commonalities than differences. Haertel et al. conducted a meta-analysis of studies that modeled school performance data and found that the presented models had a common structure. Though the models differed in their specifications, their structures were comprised of three categories of pre-existing conditions (cognitive/affective attributes and resources), instructional processes (opportunity to learn, quality of instruction), and outcome measures (achievement, affective behaviors). These models presented student performance as a function of student, teacher, and/or school background variables. Studies of interest to my research are those that modeled students‟ performance as a function of their background variables; the model of interest that informed my variable selection is the Input-Process-Output (IPO) model by Oakes (2006), or Rand Model (Shavelson, McDonnell, Oakes, 2006). The IPO model has similar structural components as the models that were reviewed by Haertel et al. (2003) and models student achievement as a function of some resources. I selected this model for my conceptual framework because of its scope of coverage of educational indicators. The model presents a holistic conception of student learning in a classroom setting and it appears frequently in literature that analyzes large scale data (e.g. Kaplan and Kreisman, 2000; Koller, Baumert, Clausen, Hosenfeld, 2001 analyzing TIMSS data). Additionally, it has been used extensively to guide education researchers in the selection, specification, and analysis of educational variables that correlate with student learning outcomes (Kaplan Elliott, 2007; Kaplan Kreisman, 2000; Koller, Baumert, Clausen, Hosenfeld, 2001). It is taken as one of the influential models in shaping public opinion and policy on how to foster school improvement. TIMSS Input-Process-Output Model The input-process-output (IPO) model by TIMSS is one of the improved versions of the traditional input-output (IO) models of school organizational data (Glasman, Biniaminov, 2001). Glasman and Biniaminov reported that the input-output traditional model employed research strategies that measured changes in the systems‟ outputs brought about by changes in the systems‟ inputs. The IO model was criticized for not taking the academic environment into account and for oversimplifying the schooling process by portraying it as linear. According to Glasman and Biniaminov, â€Å"the input-output analyses [did] not deal with characteristics of the dynamic and ongoing interrelationships between students and teachers or those among students themselves† (p. 509). To overcome the problem, Oakes‟ model added a third component (processes) that mediated the input variables into the output variables and that also provided an educational context for the model. The process component focuses on classroom characteristics such as instructional quality issues (explained in the next section under measures for the model). Oakes‟ model is therefore comprised of three components of an educational system: inputs, processes, and outputs (IPO) (Figure1). Figure 1. A comprehensive Model of an Educational System INPUTS PROCESSES OUTPUTS Fiscal and Curriculum Achievement other quality resources School quality Instructional Participation Quality Dropouts Teacher Characteristics Teaching quality Student Attitudes Background Aspirations Note. The arrows indicate the direction of effect Briefly stated, according to Shavelson, McDonnell, and Oakes, (2001) â€Å"the TIMSS model‟s inputs are the human and financial resources available to education† (p. 13): This includes teacher quality (e.g. certification and experience), student background (e.g. parents‟ education and home possessions), and school quality (e.g. school climate). â€Å"Its processes are what is taught and how it is taught† (p. 13): This includes classroom characteristics such as curriculum quality (e.g. pace and coverage of materials), teaching quality (e.g. integration between teacher, pupil, and materials), and instructional quality (e.g. instructional tasks, teaching methods, and classroom climate) and â€Å"its outputs are the consequences of schooling for students from different backgrounds† (p. 13) such as academic achievement, participation (what percentage graduate versus drop out), and attitudes (e.g. any desires to continue studying math or career goals that are math related). The TIMSS model is complex and provides insight into how the various components of the education system relate to one another. As noted earlier, one of the shortcomings of the traditional input output model was its structure in which nested data was treated as though linear, and the TIMSS model addressed that problem. This was noted by Kaplan and Elliott that â€Å"the TIMSS‟ model, is one instantiation of the organizational structure of schooling that captures its hierarchical nature† (Kaplan, Elliott, 2007; p. 221). The two suggested that the model was multilevel in form and was testable through statistical methodologies that take the multilevel nature of educational data into consideration. Kaplan and Elliot used the model for their framework to propose a model-based approach for validating educational indicators that explicitly took into account the organizational features of schooling. The two contended from their model that it was not necessary for every indicator that has ever been suggested for collection to actually appear in the model. To them, it is the research questions and the goals for the investigations that should determine which indicators to include in a statistical model. Nevertheless, Oakes (2006) advised that a single indicator of each component of the educational system was inadequate. What was needed, in his view, was for each component to have indicators of all its most critical dimensions, and, â€Å"without a series of indicators that assesses all important facets of the schooling processes (the 3 components of the model), we can neither understand the system`s overall health nor determine the conditions under which a particular goal is met† (Oakes, 2006, p. 8). Oakes further observed that each of the three components appeared to be necessary but insufficient by itself to convey full information about school effects. That is, although a system of indicators measures distinct components of the education model, it also provides information about how the individual components work together to produce the overall effect. What can be deduced from Oake`s remarks is that studies that model only one component of the educational system may not be doing an adequate job of conveying the necessary information about the school effects. Conclusions What I considered informative from TIMSS and through the deliberations by Kaplan and Elliott (2007) about TIMSS`s model in general, and its use in particular, was how to utilize its structure to reach the different components of an education system holistically. It was of interest that the TIMSS model has flexible attributes in those variables could be rearranged to reflect the hierarchical nature of classroom data as evidenced in the current study in subsequent chapters. In one study, Kaplan and Kreisman (2000) used the TIMSS` model to validate indicators of mathematics education using its data. Rather than group their variables into the three distinct categories of Input-Process-Output as outlined in the model structure, they contended that since TIMSS` model was inherently multilevel, a subset of the inputs and processes occurred at higher levels of the education system. As a result, they grouped their indicators into three organizational levels: student, teacher, and school. That is to say, although TIMMS` model (Figure 1) groups school resources, teacher quality, and student background as one category of input (or prerequisite) variables, these indicators occur at different hierarchical levels of the school organization. Some of the variables included in the Kaplan and Kreisman model were: †¢Ã¯â‚¬  At student level: mathematics achievement, attitude toward mathematics, utility of mathematics, parents’ education, and mother’s expectations. †¢Ã¯â‚¬  At teacher level: method of instruction, teacher collaboration with colleagues, teacher’s level of education, and teaching experience. †¢Ã¯â‚¬  At school level: opportunities for continuing professional development, good facilities, school climate, level of discipline, and outstanding teacher recognition. Needless to say, Kaplan and Kreisman`s (2000) variables were representative of the three components of the IPO model even though the variables were grouped differently. Some of the variables they used were composite indicators. These were variables such as attitudes and methods of instruction. The two authors ran factor analyses to help group related items into the composite indicators and they had mathematics achievement as their outcome measure. In summary, TIMMS` model is more of a conceptual framework than a prescriptive one. That is, it does not prescribe what variables one should include in a statistical model for testing educational performance, but offers guidance about the components from which to draw the variables. Directions for Future Research TIMSS data have opened extensive avenues for further research work. In conclusion, this paper has evidenced the complexities involved in TIMSS data. It is hoped that this study and other studies that continue to model TIMSS data and pilot TIMSS instruments will help to illuminate the factors that explain student achievement in the us and in many other countries and to direct policy interventions.

Glaciers And Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay

Glaciers And Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay The article is mainly talk about the interaction between glaciers and climate change. Take the Tianshan No.1 Glacier as an example. Glacier produces in climate and by the impact of climate change. The glaciers change is the result of climate fluctuations. And glacier changes in turn acts on the natural environment that contribute to climate change. Tianshan No.1 Glacier has changed significantly in the past five decades, includes glacier surface firn characteristics, ice formation zones, ice temperature, thickness, area and terminus position, etc. These glacier changes related to temperature rise, and respond to recent climate variation. In addition, changes in the global climate and environment caused by glacier change, such as the increase of glacier runoff, sea-level rise, and the reduction of surface albedo caused by area shrinkage etc. The interaction between glacier and climate change not only has important impacts on global climate variation, but also has great significance fo r the study of climate and environment. 1. Introduction Glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation (melting and sublimation) over many years, often centuries. Its movement caused by the action of gravity. Glacier ice is the largest reservoir of freshwater, supporting one third of the worlds population. 11% of the worlds land area is covered by glaciers. The glacier mainly distributed in the Antarctic, the Arctic and high-altitude regions of the middle and low latitudes. It is a product of the climate and a good indicator of climate, also it acts on climate. The glaciers change, especially changes in mountain glaciers, is a barometer of global climate change. Precipitation, temperature is the main climate factors that affecting glaciers. The precipitation decides glacier accumulation, and temperatures decide ablation. Therefore, the amount of precipitation, its distribution during the year, and interannual variability effect glacier recharge and activities. While the temperature impacts ice formation and glacial melt water. The precipitation and temperature codetermine the nature of the glacier, development and evolution. 1.1 Glacier mass balance Glacier mass balance is the key factor that links glacier fluctuations and climate change. Climate change leads to corresponding changes in the material balance state of glacier. While this kind of change in the mass balance of glacier can lead to change in glacier movement characteristics and glacier thermal regime, and thus lead to changes in the glacier terminus position, size and ice reserves. Glacier mass balance formular has two elements: glacier accumulation and ablation. Glacier ice accumulation occurs through accumulation of snow and other frozen precipitations, include rime ice, avalanching from hanging glaciers on cliffs and mountainsides above, and re-freezing of glacier melt water as superimposed ice. The ablation refers to the melting of snow or ice that runs off the glacier, evaporation, sublimation, calving, or erosive removal of snow by wind. Air temperature is typically the dominant control of ablation with precipitation exercising secondary control. With successive years in which accumulation exceeds ablation, a glacier will experience positive mass balance, its terminus will advance and vice versa. 1.2 Research Significance Current glacier recession under the global warming has aroused world-wide attention. The sensitivity of alpine glaciers to temperature change is found to be largely amplified. The number of retreating glaciers has improved significantly. For a number of glaciers, shrinkage rate appears to have accelerated since the 1990s. Increase melting speed of glaciers can lead to sea level rise and submerging of some coastal areas. Moreover, it induces snow and ice related disasters, for example, glacier flood and avalanche, which menace the living environment of human beings and wild animals, as well as change the habits and characteristics of many species. On the other hand, the disappearance of ice-covered regions on the Earth will in turn change the global climate regime significantly. Ice covers, especially those in the Polar Regions, can reflect a great deal of solar energy back to the outer space, which helps to keep the Earth cool. However, with the ice cover melting, the underlain land and the water will expose to the air, and thus certainly absorb much more solar radiation and cause more ice melting. The accelerated glacier recession in China is also very obvious, especially in Northwest China, where glacier melt water runoff increases, area of glacier decreases, terminus retreats, snow line elevates and many small glaciers are disappearing. Glacier is known as the solid reservoir and the cradle of oasis in the arid regions in Northwest China. It is the major water source for human living and development. Study area Tianshan No.1 Glacier(43 °6†²N ¼Ã…’ 86 °49†²E) is located at a height of 3,454 m above sea level, and about 118 km from Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China. It is the headwaters of Urumqi River, approximately 100km from Asia geographic center. In addition, it is considered one of the most important dry land glacier models in Asia, and one of the most famous ten glaciers in the world. It has the longest record of mass balance in the Asian high mountains. The glacial record shows that the glacier has shrunk significantly in last 30 years. The Tianshan No.1 glacier is shrinking at the speed of 3.5 m and 5.9 m every year on its east and west sides respectively. In the past 45 years, its coverage has dropped from 1.94 sq km to 1.68 sq km, a 13.8% loss. The land here is characteristic of alluvial deposits by glaciers, so those conducting geological surveys can explore the development course of the Urumqi River in the past millions of years. Glacier-climate interactions The glaciers change is the inevitable result of climate fluctuations. Atmospheric precipitation and heat status changes, profound impact on the growth and decline of the advance and retreat of the polar ice caps and mountain glaciers. By observing the glacier changes, understanding the glacier dynamic of global or regional, and forecasting global climate change. Glaciers in China are mainly small and medium-sized mountain glaciers in low latitude. They have a good response for climate fluctuations of short cycle. Since the Little Ice Age, the general trend of glaciers around the world is retreat mainly. The Fourth Assessment Report of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) pointed out that impacts of climate warming on many phenomena are remarkable, such as shrinkage of the Arctic ice cap, acceleration of sea level rise, recession of glacier terminus all over the world, thawing of permafrost, earlier breaking up of ice in the rivers and lakes, prolongation of crop growing season in the middle and high latitudes, and changes in the distribution and behavior of animals and plants. Take Tianshan No.1 Glacier as an example, glacier has changed significantly in the past five decades, includes glacier surface firn characteristics, ice formation zones, ice temperature, thickness, area and terminus position, etc. The main drive forces to the glacier change are the heat and water conditions of the glacier covered region. Glacier melting is tightly related to the temperature variation. According to the records of meteorological stations in the headwaters region, the air temperature has been rising since 1985, and the tendency of rise has accelerated since 1995. From 1997 up to present, the average temperature has increased by 1à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™, as the largest rise extent in recent 50 years. The observation of Daxigou Meteorological Station shows that the average annual temperature increased by 0.8à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™(0.017à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™/a) during 1958~2004 with obvious temperature rises especially in autumn and winter. The characteristics of snow-firn stratigraphy and ice formation zone of the glacier are sensitive to the climate change. The climate warming greatly promotes the glacier melting, which consequently alters the properties of snow pack stratigraphy and ice formation zones. According to the analyses of 60 vertical profiles of snow pits obtained from the accumulation zone of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier during the period of 1961~2005, the construction of snowfirn stratigraphy had a remarkable change. The proportion of coarse firn in the snow pits increased from 40% to 65%, and fine firn decreased from 25% to 7%. This indicates that snow pack is severely affected by melt water, which accelerates the process of transformation from fine firn to coarse firn. Compared with the snow-firn stratigraphic constituents and its structure in the 1960s and 1980s, current specimens show remarkable changes, such as reduction of snow-pack depth, simplification of structure, blurred boundaries of snow layers, an d mergence of dust layers within snow pack. The mass balance change is an undelayed response of the glacier to climate change, and it is a sensitive indicator for climate change. For the mass balance of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier, both annual value and cumulative value have shown negative increases since 1958, indicating severe mass losses. In time of 1958-2004, there were 31 negative mass balance years against 15 positive years. From 1997 to today, the negative mass balance has lasted for 10 years, which never happened ever before. The average annual mass balance during 1958-2004 was -233.6 mm water equivalent (weq) and the cumulative mass balance added up to -10746.5 mm weq, which means that the average thickness of the glacier nearly reduced 12 m and the volume loss was about 20.62-106m3 weq. Unlike the glaciers in Europe and mid-America, which accumulate in winter and lose mass in summer, Tianshan No. 1 Glacier has both accumulation and ablation in summer, and there is little snowfall in winter. Previous researches on Tianshan No.1 Glacier have shown that the mass balance was connected with the precipitation, and negatively correlated with air temperature in summer (May to August). However, with the increase in both current temperature and precipitation, mass balance has different responses to them. Retreat of glacier and its impact Under the climate warming, the law of terminus recession and ice thickness reduction are followed by glacier shrinkage. The changes of glacier area and terminus position result from short-term and long-term climate changes. Tianshan No. 1 Glacier has an overall shrinkage since the year 1959 when the observation initiated. The east and west branches of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier separated into two independent glaciers in 1993 due to ablation, during this period (1959~1993) the total terminus retreat was observed as 139.72 m at an average retreat rate of 4.5 m per year. From 1993 to 2004, the east branch of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier retreated at an average rate of 3.5 m per year (a total of 38.7 m), and the west branch retreated at a rate of 5.8 m per year (a total of 64.1 m). The recession rate (the ratio of receded length to the original glacier length) of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier was 7.8% in the period of 1962~2004 for the east branch and 10.5% for the west branch, respectively. The west bra nch terminus retreated 6.92 m in 1999 and 6.95 m in 2000, respectively, which are the highest records in the observation records. Since the ice flow velocities in corresponding years were observed stable at terminus, it is unlikely that the significant retreats were caused by the reduction of ice flux from upper parts of the glacier, and thus, it is clearly due to the intense ice melting. With terminus receding, its altitude simultaneously elevated from 3736 m a.s.l in 1962 to 3746m a.s.l in 1980, and the east branch terminus altitude in 2005 was 3777 m a.s.l, 31 m higher than that in 1980. Glacial ablation will not only lead to floods, landslides and other natural disasters, but also lead glacier runoff also to be reduced, and make the downstream freshwater resources gradually scarcity. Research Cumulative temperature is a major factor affecting glacier ablation. Cumulative temperature, namely, the sum of daily mean air temperature above the melting point during ablation season is closely related to the area of glacier ablation zone. According to the previous studies, the annual cumulative temperature in the headwaters region of Urumqi River rose by 133à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™Ã¢â‚¬ ¢d during 1960~2004. Its tendency is coincident with that of average annual temperature, i.e. since the late 1980s the cumulative temperature has risen remarkably, and meanwhile the climate warming showed a accelerated tendency (see Fig.1). Fig. 1 Mass balance of Tianshan Glacier No. 1, accumulated temperature (T ¼Ã… ¾0à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™) and their trends during 1958~2003 During the period of 1962~2006, the area of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier reduced by 0.27 km2. From 1992 to 2006, the glacier area decreased by 0.16 km2, which is 0.04 km2 more than that from 1962 to 1992. Based on the observation over the past 43 years, glaciologists found that the decrease of glacier area has accelerated since 1986. Figure 2 shows the recession process of the glacier terminus, and Fig. 3 displays the morphological shapes of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier in different years. Fig. 2 Morphological change of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier over time.(Dashed lines represent the glacial boundaries of 1962, 1973,1980, 1984, 1986, 1994 and 2001; solid lines represent the glacial boundary of 2006) Fig. 3 Morphological changes of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier in the years of 1962, 1988, 1993,1996, 2001, and 2005 Glacial temperature, especially the temperature of the ice below active layers, determines many physical characteristics of the glacier. The change of ice temperature indicates the change in the glaciers cold reserve, which can cause the change of the sensitivity of the glacier in answer to climate warming. Comparing with three vertical profiles of ice temperature at the altitude of 3840 m in the years of 1986, 2001 and 2006 (Fig. 4), The glaciologist found that it is about 10m in depth that the lower boundary of the active layer of the glacier, below which the ice temperature is little affected by the seasonal variation of air temperature. If ignoring the change of the ice temperature in active layer, the ice temperature from 10 to 22 m in depth had a remarkable rise during 1986~2001. The rise range decreased with the largest value of 0.9à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ (10%) at 10 m depth below ice surface and a negligible change at 22 m depth. Similarly, compared with the ice temperature in 2001, the ice temperature in 2006 had an obvious rise, with an increase of 0.4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ at 10 m depth. Usually, the ice temperature at the lower boundary of active layer is identical with the annual average air temperature. Therefore, the rise of ice temperature is undoubtedly the result of progressively climate warming. Fig. 4 Comparison of ice temperature profiles obtained in 1986, 2001 and 2006 at a site around 3840 m a.s.l on No. 1 Glacier in Tianshan Mountain Fig. 5 Annual mass balance of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier against summer temperature (May-August), annual temperature and annual precipitation at Daxigou Meteorological Station Figure 5 shows the variations of mass balance, summer temperature, annual temperature and precipitation during1959-2004, from which researcher found that during 1960-1986 the mass balance had a weak negative correlation with temperature, while a clear positive correlation with precipitation, indicating that the mass balance is controlled by both temperature and precipitation, with precipitation as the main factor. During this period, the annual average temperature and precipitation were -5.4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™and 425.8 mm, respectively. However, the correlation has altered since 1986. The mass balance showed a negative correlation with temperature and no correlation with precipitation, indicating that the mass balance was mainly controlled by temperature. During this period, average annual temperature and precipitation were -4.9à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™and 491.6 mm, respectively. The results show that temperature and precipitation are usually control mass balance, but temperature is mainly contr ol mass balance when temperature rises to a certain level, though with high precipitation. Existing policy for climate change adaptation As early as in 2006, the Urumqi municipal government had made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹provisions: from pollution to protect important water source in Urumqi, prohibit visitors in Tianshan Glacier. But the absence of fencing and secure, some tourists into the glacier region through various ways, changed the environment of the glacier. The deputy of autonomous regions, Chunyu Cui, proposed to establish an areas about National Tianshan Glacier nature reserves of Xinjiang in 2012. But the policy had not yet been introduced. Conclusions and recommendations Conclusions Taking Tianshan No. 1 Glacier as an example, this article talk about the response of glacier to current climate warming based on the observation dataset of 50 years. The conclusion was drawn as follows: Since the 1960s, snow firn stratigraphic components and structure have shown remarkable changes, including reducing snow pack depth, simplifying structure, and obscuring boundaries of snow layers with different characteristics. The area of glacier ablation zone keeps expanding, the positions of ice formation zones move upwards, and the top of east branch has already shown the characteristic of ablation zone. During 1962~2006, the area of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier reduced by 0.27 km2 (14%). The shrinking tendency has accelerated in recent years. At the altitude of 3840 m a.s.l, a significant rise in the ice temperature was observed during 1986-2001, with the highest rise value of 0.9à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ at depth of10 m. From 2001 to 2006, the ice temperature rose by 0.4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™at depth of 10 m. Average annual mass balance during 1958-2004 was -233.6 mm weq, with the cumulative mass balance of-10746.5 mm weq, which indicates that the thickness of Tianshan No. 1 Glacier reduced nearly 12 m and loss of volume came to about 20.62-106 m3. Mass balance is controlled by both temperature and precipitation before 1986, with precipitation as the main factor. But after 1986, mass balance is controlled mainly by temperature, though with high precipitation. Recommendations In order to protect the glaciers, many experts hope to take measures as soon as possible to protect the natural environment of the glaciers in Xinjiang in accordance with the law, slow down man-made destruction. On the other hand, encourage and support to use the artificial weather fully developed air water resources, to carry out the artificial water project, in order to increase the glaciers snow. There are some suggestions: Through energy conservation, development of natural gas, hydropower, coal bed methane utilization, bio-energy, wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy. Strengthen the planning and implementation of ecological construction and environmental protection. Strengthening climate change communication and scientific popularization to raise awareness of climate change in the whole society.

Overcoming Fear in Frank O’Connor’s First Confession Essay -- First Co

Overcoming Fear in Frank O’Connor’s â€Å"First Confession† Word Count includes detailed outline David W. Madden believes several of Frank O’Connor’s stories reflect his personal life and goals. Jackie, the young protagonist, in the â€Å"First Confession,† loves his mother as equally as O’Connor loved his mother. Madden also believes O’Connor should have selected a religious calling because the priests mentioned in his stories incorporate the instrumental impact on the â€Å"laity’s lives† (3227). Understanding women, contributed by his mother’s influence, frequently are displayed in O’Connor’s writings. Madden feels that some of O’Connor’s stories focus on â€Å"naà ¯ve, sensitive figures who struggle with what seems to them the insoluble mysteries of existence,† such as children’s journey through life (3227-28). The story reinforces the theme that a child overcoming a fear of the unknown can enhance his sense of confidence. The plot of â€Å"First Confession† is about a young boy, Jackie, trying to conquer the terror of telling his first confession. Jackie’s problems begin when his grandmother comes to live at the house. He detests her for being an alcoholic, slovenly ill-mannered woman. Most of all, Jackie is upset that he is excluded from the penny allowance that his sister, Nora, gets. Because his sister and grandmother side against him, Jackie’s life becomes intolerable. Jackie is preparing to receive his First Penance and First Holy Communion. Mrs. Ryan, the religion education teacher, projects a negative image to Jackie about confessing his sins. She is a woman who only spoke of Hell and mentioned Heaven only by accident. Jackie feels she is a lady where â€Å"Hell had the first place in her heart† (176). Mrs. Ryan entices the children with money to stick their finger in the flame of a candle. She associates this with burning in Hell. An example is a horrid story about a man who makes a bad confession. The man wakes a priest in the middle of the night insisting he make a confession. After the priest is dressed, the man is gone only to leave behind his handprints burned into the sheets. Jackie is forced to go to confession with his wicked sister, Nora. When it is Jackie’s turn to go into the confessional, he is so nervous that he kneels on the armrest. Consequently, he slips and plunges out the door. Nora is embarrassed and begins to s mack him. As soon as the priest sees... ...3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mrs. Ryan is trying to teach the children to live a faithful life, not to be afraid of confessing. VIII.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To defeat the terror of the unknown increases one’s self- assurance Works Cited Bowden, Curtis. â€Å"Synopses and Quick Critiques.† Frank O’Connor: New Perspectives. Eds. Robert C. Evans and Richard Harp. West Cornwall, CT.: Locust Hill, 1988. 297-350. Denio, Megan L. â€Å"The Child In, Around and of Father Fogarty.† Frank O’Connor: New Perspectives. Eds. Robert C. Evans and Richard Harp. West Cornwall, CT.: Locust Hill, 1988. 139-147. Evans, Robert C. and Katie Magaw. â€Å"Irony and Paradox in Frank O’Connor’s Style.† Frank O’Connor: New Perspectives. Eds. Robert C. Evans and Richard Harp. West Cornwall, CT.: Locust Hill, 1988. 149-155. Madden, David W. â€Å"First Confession/ O’Connor.† Masterplots II 8. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Pasadena, CA.: Salem Press, 1996. 3226-3228. O’Connor, Frank. â€Å"First Confession.† Frank O’Connor: Collected Stories. New York: Vintage Books, 1982. 175-182. Werber, Owene. â€Å"A Woman’s Voice Speaking.† Frank O’Connor: New Perspectives. Eds. Robert C. Evans and Richard Harp. West Cornwall, CT.: Locust Hill, 1988. 121-350.