Marriage Family Therapy

Abstract Bowen developed a family therapy theory to facilitate the solving of family disputes that were frequently arising. To accomplish his goal, he used his model to intervene a minor problem that had occurred in his own extended family.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Marriage Family Therapy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, it worked so well, giving a positive outcome. This he says was a significant break through for his model implementation. He dedicated his life to family therapy and, as a result, developed this theory that was named after him. Furthermore, has been cited as an excellent theoretical idea ever produced in family therapy. Introduction The individuals who first discovered the concept of family therapy acknowledged that existing social and cultural influences contour ones morals about themselves and their families. Bowen, however, was the first to discover that a familyâ €™s history plays a vital role in determining an individual’s thoughts and principles. Most importantly it facilitated the continuous flow of these thought and principles to the coming generations. Bowen was born in a large and cohesive family where he was the last child. He studied medicine and became a medical doctor by profession. Later on he seized from pursuing dyads and started pursuing triads. He attended a conference that had been convened by one of his students from where he explained his theory. He used his family as a case study in explaining the theory in relation to development and function of a family. It is evident that Bowen’s theory focuses on mutualism and individuality. History of Theory Titelman, (1998) portrays that, in the early years, the occurrence of family disputes triggered the invention of solving techniques. Thus, family therapy is identified to have originated in the 19th century in the United States and England. In the 1950s, some cli nicians started observing and providing therapy to family members through a movement called child guidance and marriage counseling. As a result, these clinicians came up with ideas about theories that relate to the family and depicted that a family is not only about an individual’s perception (Titelman, 1998).Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Gladding, (2002), states that Bowen Murray was born in Tennessee in 1913 and passed on in 1990. In late 1940s, he involved mothers in the treatment and study of patients suffering from schizophrenic at Menninger clinic. In 1954 after moving to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) he shifted his focus from individuals to the family aspect. At NIMH, he involved more members of the family in psychotherapy and research of patients suffering from schizophrenic (Gladding, 2002). Blume (2006) reveals that he founded Georgetown family center in 1959 when he moved to Georgetown University. Most importantly his theory was transformed to emotional tribulations that were less severe. He conducted a detailed research between 1959 and 1962 which involved families in diverse age groups. Bowen’s first orderly presentation was published in 1966, and it highlighted his developing ideas. Most significant is the fact that he used his concepts to intervene an emotional crisis in his family, this yielded positive results (Blume, 2006). Philosophical Underpinnings Triangles Rasheed, Marley and Rasheed, (2010) illustrate that this is a family system that has got a three-person relationship; hence, this can consist of a child, father and mother. Furthermore, it is perceived to be more firm and as the foundation of a vast emotional system that can hold tension devoid of outside interference (Rasheed, Marley and Rasheed, 2010). Differential of self Bowen (1978) depicts that â€Å"Self† is in born but the amount of it developed by an individual in to the family relationship is determined during adolescent and childhood. Hence, if an individual develops less â€Å"self†, he ends up having a superior influence in the family. It is noteworthy that such an individual controls the performance of other family members (Bowen, 1978). Nuclear emotional systems Rassool and Gafoor (1997) depicts that this identifies core issues that govern the on set of family disputes. One issue is the marital conflict whereby it has been noted that an increase in tension results to more anxiety among spouses, thus they are required to drop the anxiety and focus more on the problem without dictating to one another.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Marriage Family Therapy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another issue identified was the dysfunction in one spouse, which majored on, the dictation by one spouse that might lead to sel f control by the other spouse incase of tension. Impairment of one child is a core issue that was identified whereby the parents focus on one child positively or negatively. Hence, the child becomes more reactive to such attention resulting to his disintegration from the other children. A core issue also discovered was the emotional distance where one family member decides to reduce the family relationship intensity by distancing themselves (Rassool and Gafoor, 1997). Family projection According to Falicov, (1991) this illustrates the idea of parents passing on their emotional tribulations to the children and, as a result, prejudice the performance of the child leading to disputes in the family. Multigenerational transmission process Cottrell and Boston (2002) give a picture in which a family’s emotional progression is passed on and upheld over several generations. Thus, the onsets of troubles are generation related. Emotional cut off Reiger (1981) discloses that those indivi duals who have emotional disputes with family members and end up solving these disputes by cutting off emotional contact with them. Sibling positions Skynner*, (1980) divulges that individuals that are raised in similar sibling position most likely have identical characteristics. Hence, elder children settle in the direction of leadership while the young ones have a preference to be followers. Societal emotional process Kog, Vandereycken, and Vertommen (1985) make known that this procedure depicts how emotional system presides over the conduct in any society, encouraging both advancement and suppressive interlude.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More History of Founder Bowen Murray was born in 1913 in Tennessee and was the oldest of five children. In 1934, he attained his Bachelor of Science degree and later a master’s degree in 1937 at the university of Tennessee medical school. He served in the army from where he changed to psychiatry from surgery (Herbert, Castronova, McNeil, and Mossman, 2000). While at National Institute of Mental Health he started to build up his theory, this was in 1954 to 1959. He then moved to Georgetown University where he founded Georgetown family center in 1959. He remained focused and dedicated to family therapy, as a result, producing one of the purest theoretical ideas. In 1978 to 1982, he became the first president of the American family therapy association. He later succumbs to cancer in 1990 (Herbert et al., 2000). Assumptions Boss, Doherty and LaRoss (2008) highlighted that, one of the assumptions of family therapy is that, family relationships are the primary cause of psychological wel l being and psychopathology for people. This means that in order to understand individuals conduct, his relationship with the family should be put in to consideration. Another assumption depicts that family communication models have a tendency to recur across generations. According to Boss et al., (2008), the third assumption stated that Family health entails equilibrium of correlation and individuation. This illustrates that for a family to have a healthy relationship there must be freedom of conduct and togetherness amongst its members. It further states that the triad is the least component for the multifaceted understanding of family relations (Boss et al., 2008). Role of Therapist According to Pernice-Duca, (2010), the role of the therapist is to get involved with problem solving without getting emotionally attached to the family. Furthermore, a therapist is supposed to remain neutral to any issues that come up. Thus, the family will realize it is an emotional system. Bowen inc ulcates the therapists to avoid a situation where a family desperately needs their help, but rather they should make them accept the responsibility to work towards their own change. Bowen cautions therapists against placing themselves in the meditative role, in a family triangle, (Pernice-Duca, 2010). Techniques/Interventions Bentovim, (1979) discloses that, Bowen never considered â€Å"therapeutic bag of tricks†. A Boweian therapist needed to construction a family genogram and questions. The therapist needs to motivate the family members to enlighten themselves with the history of the family. Furthermore, activities like visiting or writing letters to distant family members are encouraged. Some interventions involved in Bowen family therapy theory according to Elizur, (1990) include the following: Joining This is the process of connection between the family and the therapist resulting into a beneficial system. Similarly, it involves trailing, mimesis and substantiation. Refr aming This involves altering a concept by illustrating from a diverse perspective, as a result, altering the meaning but not the fact. Enactment Family members presenting difficult behavioral progression in to the therapy session Working with impulsive interaction Therapists identify the dynamics and series of conducts during therapy sessions and thus deliberate on the course, not the issue. Restructuring This constitutes the alteration of the family structure, for example, rising up against dictatorial behavior of the father. Conclusion Bowen’s theory gives attention to the arrangement and functioning of the emotional system. Furthermore, it involves sessions between individuals and the actions of â€Å"self† in the system. This theory insists on use of outlying factors to solve the current problem. As a result, a solution is achieved within a short time. Devoid of current, noteworthy socio-political accompaniments, this theory decontextualises affiliation models that are strongly conversant with gender, class and ethnicity. Bowen’s theory has been evident to produce positive outcomes everywhere it has been implemented. It is outstanding in the fact that it makes the therapists experience its roles in their own families of origin before acknowledging its practical application. References Bentovim, A. (1979), Theories of family interaction and techniques of intervention. Journal of Family Therapy, 1: 321 Blume, T. (2006). Becoming a family counselor: a bridge to family therapy theory and practice. New Jersey. John Wiley publishers Boss, P. Doherty, W and LaRoss, R. (2008). Sourcebook of Family Theories and Methods: A Contextual Approach. New York. Springer Science + Business media. Bowen, M. (1978). Family therapy in clinical practice. Michigan. Jason Aronson. Cottrell, D. and Boston, P. (2002), Practitioner Review: The effectiveness of systemic family therapy for children and adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43: 57 3–586. Elizur, J. (1990), ‘Stuckness’ in live supervision: Expanding the therapist’s style. Journal of Family Therapy, 12: 267–280 Falicov, C. (1991).Family Transitions: Continuity and Change over the Life Cycle. New York. Guilford Press Gladding, S. (2002). Family therapy: history, theory, and practice. Michigan. Merrill Herbert, M, Castronova, F, McNeil, B and Mossman, J. (2000). Biography and Genealogy Master Index 2000: A Consolidated Index to More Than 300,000 Biographical Sketches in 90 Current and Retrospective Biographical Dictionaries. Michigan. Gale group Kog, E., Vandereycken, W. and Vertommen, H. (1985), the psychosomatic family model. A critical analysis of family interaction concepts. Journal of Family  Therapy, 7: 31–44. Pernice-Duca, F. (2010), Family Network Support and Mental Health Recovery. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 36: 13–27. Rasheed, J, Marley, J and Rasheed, M. (2010). Family Therapy: Models and Te chniques. California. SAGE. Rassool, H and Gafoor, M. (1997). Addiction nursing: perspectives on professional and clinical practice. London. Nelson Thornes. Reiger, K. (1981), Family therapy’s missing question, why the plight of the modern family? Journal of Family Therapy, 3: 293–308. Skynner, A. C. R. (1980), Recent developments in marital therapy. Journal of Family Therapy, 2: 271–296. Titelman, P. (1998). Clinical applications of Bowen family systems theory. New York. Routledge This research paper on Marriage Family Therapy was written and submitted by user Dario Snow to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

George Washingtons First Inauguration

George Washington's First Inauguration The inauguration of George Washington as the first President of the United States on April 30, 1789, was a public event witnessed by a cheering crowd. The celebration in the streets of New York City was also a very serious event, however, as it marked the  beginning of a new era. After struggling with the Articles of Confederation in the years following the Revolutionary War, there had been a need for a more effective federal government and a convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1781 created the Constitution, which established the office of president. George Washington had been selected as president of the Constitutional Convention and, given his great stature as a national hero, it seemed obvious he would be elected as the first President of the United States. Washington  easily won the first presidential election in late 1788 and when he took the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall in lower Manhattan months later, it must have seemed to the citizens of the young nation that a stable government was finally coming together. As Washington stepped out onto the balcony of the building, many precedents would be created. The basic format of that first inauguration more than 225 years ago is essentially repeated every four years. Preparations for the Inauguration After delays in counting votes and certifying the election, Washington was officially informed that he had been elected on April 14, 1789. The secretary of the Congress traveled to Mount Vernon to deliver the news. In an oddly formal meeting, Charles Thomson, the official messenger, and Washington read prepared statements to each other. Washington agreed to serve. He left for New York City two days later. The trip was long, and even with Washingtons carriage (a luxury vehicle of the time) it was arduous. Washington was met by crowds at every stop. On many nights he felt obligated to attend dinners hosted by local dignitaries, during which he was toasted effusively. After a large crowd welcomed him in Philadelphia, Washington was hoping to arrive in New York City (the location of the inauguration as D.C. had not yet become the nations capital) quietly. He didnt get his wish. On April 23, 1789, Washington was ferried to Manhattan from Elizabeth, New Jersey, aboard an elaborately decorated barge.  His arrival in New York was a massive public event. A letter describing the festivities that appeared in newspapers mentioned a cannon salute was fired as Washingtons barge passed the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan. A parade formed consisting of a cavalry troop formed when he landed and also included an artillery unit, military officers, and the Presidents Guard composed of Grenadiers of the First Regiment. Washington, along with city and state officials and followed by hundreds of citizens, marched to the mansion rented as the Presidents House. The letter from New York published in the Boston Independent Chronicle on April 30, 1789, mentioned that flags and banners were displayed from buildings, and bells were rung. Women waved from windows. During the following week, Washington was kept busy holding meetings and organizing his new household on Cherry Street. His wife, Martha Washington, arrived in New York a few days later accompanied by servants which included enslaved people brought from Washingtons Virginia estate at Mount Vernon. The Inauguration The date for the inauguration was set for April 30, 1789, a Thursday morning. At noon a procession began from the Presidents House at Cherry Street. Led by military units, Washington and other dignitaries walked through several streets to Federal Hall. Keenly aware that everything he did that day would be seen as significant, Washington chose his wardrobe carefully. Though he was mostly known as a soldier, Washington wanted to emphasize that the presidency was a civilian position, and he did not wear a uniform. He also knew his clothes for the big event had to be American, not European. He wore a suit made of American fabric, a brown broadcloth made in Connecticut that was described as resembling velvet. In a small nod to his military background, he wore a dress sword. After reaching the building on the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets, Washington passed through a formation of soldiers and entered the building. According to an account in a newspaper called The Gazette of the United States and published on May 2, 1789, he was then introduced to both houses of Congress. That was, of course, a formality, as Washington would have already known many of the members of the House and Senate. Stepping out onto the gallery, a large open porch on the front of the building, Washington was administered the  oath of office by the Chancellor of the State of New York, Robert Livingston. The tradition of presidents being sworn in by the Chief Justice of the United States was still years in the future for a very good reason: the Supreme Court would not exist until September 1789, when John Jay became the first Chief Justice. A report published in a newspaper (The New York Weekly Museum) on May 2, 1789, described the scene which followed the administration of the oath of office: The Chancellor then proclaimed him THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, which was followed by the instant discharge of 13 cannon, and loud repeated shouts; THE PRESIDENT bowing to the people, the air again rang with their acclamations. He then retired with the two Houses [of Congress] to the Senate Chamber... In the Senate chamber, Washington delivered the first inaugural address. He had originally written a very long speech which his friend and adviser, future president James Madison, suggested he replace. Madison drafted a much shorter speech in which Washington expressed typical modesty. Following his speech, Washington along with new vice president John Adams and members of Congress walked to St. Pauls Chapel on Broadway. After a church service, Washington returned to his residence. The citizens of New York, however, continued celebrating. Newspapers reported that illuminations, which would have been elaborate slide shows, were projected on buildings that night. A report in the Gazette of the United States  noted that illuminations at the homes of the French and Spanish ambassadors were particularly elaborate. The report in The Gazette of the United States described the end of the great day: The evening was fine- the company innumerable- every one appeared to enjoy the scene, and no accident cast the smallest cloud upon the retrospect.

Lotteries Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Lotteries - Research Paper Example In the United States, total annual lottery sales have grown into the billions of dollars. Lotteries also provide an excellent opportunity to use elementary financial mathematics, as well as some probability, in a context familiar to students. Most students do not have major financial decisions to make, so the principles of financial mathematics may seem far removed from their lives. However, most of them are familiar with the lottery and the topic readily engages them. The application of these mathematical concepts in the lottery is discussed in this paper. In several USA states and Canada Provinces, the 6/49 lottery operates as an average lottery. To win the lottery grand prize the contestant needs to select all six numbers exactly as drawn in the weekly or monthly contest. This will be used as the model system for the computations in this paper. Starting with a bag of 49 differently-numbered lottery balls, there is clearly a 1 in 49 chance of predicting the number of the first ball selected from the bag. Accordingly, there are 49 different ways of choosing that first number. When the draw comes to the second number, there are now only 48 balls left in the bag (because the balls already drawn are not returned to the bag), so there is now a 1 in 48 chance of predicting this number. Thus, each of the 49 ways of choosing the first number has 48 different ways of choosing the second. ... This continues until the sixth number has been drawn, giving the final calculation, 49 48 47 46 45 44, which can also be written as : . The order of the 6 numbers is not significant. That is, if a ticket has the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, it wins as long as all the numbers 1 through 6 are drawn, no matter what order they come out in. Accordingly, there are 6 5 4 3 2 1 = 6! or 720 ways they could be drawn. Dividing 10,068,347,520 by 720 gives 13,983,816. This can also be written as: . This function is called the combination function, denoted as COMBIN(n, k) in some spreadsheet. Taken as a class, the number of possible combinations for a given lottery can be referred to as the "number space" (n). "Coverage" is the percentage of a lottery's number space that is in play for a given drawing (k). Mathematical concepts can also be applied in making strategies in picking a number. Frequency analysis is a popular strategy that is used. It involves keeping track of the individual numbers that are drawn over a period of time. You might compare it to handicapping a racehorse; rating his past performance to determine what his chances of winning are in the future. The figure below shows how many times each of the numbers has come up in the main National Lottery draw. Here we look at whether the observed distribution of the number of times each of the 49 numbers has come up fits with what would be expected with a truly random draw. Figure 1. Number of occurrences of 1 to 49 in 1240 lottery draws (UK National Lottery, 1997). Numbers that appear often in a certain game are called hot numbers. Some players will play these hot numbers exclusively on the assumption that since they have appeared often in the past, they should appear again in the future.

Human trafficking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human trafficking - Research Paper Example U.S federal law has classified the concept of human trafficking into three sections:- Woman trafficking Labor trafficking Children trafficking (web, n.d., Human Trafficking) Why Woman Trafficking Is Especially Alarming? It is actually a surprising fact that most of the trafficking victims are women. Reports have shown that more than 70 percent women were forced to work as sex slaves or became a part of sex racket. Some of them also work as captive laborers or housekeepers with minimum wage or no wage. What is the major reason of the increasing number of women victims in human trafficking? Is it the soft nature of women which is creating problems for her? Yes, Gender discrimination is one of the main factors which put women in such kind of risks. Still, now in the world where we have Hilary Clinton as Secretary of the United States, many countries still consider women as second class citizens. It’s the male dominated world where women have told to not ask questions when their m an is speaking. With the modern technology, many things have changed but everything has not changed which is an unfortunate fact. Surprisingly, gender discrimination cases still happen in United States. Traffickers always look for a person who will not question and work quietly. Cate Johnson stated that â€Å"When one sells a woman, they can sell her over and over and over again. It is an incredibly lucrative business† (TED Case Studies web, n.d.). Lena, a young girl who was a native of Moldova became a victim of woman trafficking. She was in a relationship with her boyfriend when her boyfriend promised her to give her a good job. But she ended up being a prostitute in Dubai. (Fareell C, Pg 43. 2011). When trafficking of women is becoming a serious issue, it’s very important to make new international and national laws which would put a stop on this dirty business. Laws which have been made should be enacted strictly so that traffickers can’t go unabated or unpun ished. Along with these factors, political cooperation should also be made stronger (TED Case Studies web, n.d.). Children as Sex Toys Gone are the days when children were safe in the hands of neighbor. Nowadays with the Child trafficking cases increasing rapidly, its important train the small children on human trafficking so that they don’t become victims of the traffickers. In Kansas, four local men were found paying money to have sex with children. Among them one man was a naval recruiter which proves that all class of people is involved in this business. ILO, UNICEF and Global initiative to Fight Human Trafficking have come up with a training program on â€Å"Training manual to fight trafficking in children for labor, sexual and other forms of exploitation† on 15th September 2009 (web, n.d., Child Protection From Violence, Exploitation And Abuse). This program mainly intends to which focuses on children of and trained them on the aspects of human trafficking so tha t they can save them from the traffickers. It includes slide show presentations, textbooks on human trafficking and an assignment which gives the options to the trainers to choose from the programs. Trafficking in children is now becoming a global issue which has an impact on the children’s mind. It is not a surprise that more than 1 million children are being trafficked every year. Children are being trafficked for many reasons which includes sexual exploitation, labor

Meaning of life Essay Example for Free

Meaning of life Essay Aristotle’s account of motion can be found in the Physics. By motion, Aristotle (384-322 BCE) understands any kind of change. He defines motion as the actuality of a potentiality. Initially, Aristotle’s definition seems to involve a contradiction. However, commentators on the works of Aristotle, such as St. Thomas Aquinas, maintain that this is the only way to define motion. In order to adequately understand Aristotle’s definition of motion it is necessary to understand what he means by actuality and potentiality. Aristotle uses the words energeia and entelechiainterchangeably to describe a kind of action. A linguistic analysis shows that, by actuality, Aristotle means both energeia, which means being-at-work, and entelechia, which means being-at-an-end. These two words, although they have different meanings, function as synonyms in Aristotle’s scheme. For Aristotle, to be a thing in the world is to be at work, to belong to a particular species, to act for an end and to form material into enduring organized wholes. Actuality, for Aristotle, is therefore close in meaning to what it is to be alive, except it does not carry the implication of mortality. From the Middle Ages to modern times, commentators disagreed on the interpretation of Aristotle’s account of motion. An accurate rendering of Aristotle’s definition must include apparently inconsistent propositions: (a) that motion is rest, and (b) that a potentiality, which must be, if anything, a privation of actuality, is at the same time that actuality of which it is the lack. St. Thomas Aquinas was prepared to take these propositions seriously. St. Thomas observes that to say that something is in motion is just to say that it is both what it is already and something else that it is not yet. Accordingly, motion is the mode in which the future belongs to the present, it is the present absence of just those particular absent things which are about to be. St. Thomas thus resolves the apparent contradiction between potentiality and actuality in Aristotle’s definition of motion by arguing that in every motion actuality and potentiality are mixed or blended. St.Thomas’ interpretation of Aristotle’s definition of motion, however, is not free of difficulties. His interpretation seems to trivialize the meaning of entelechia. One implication of this interpretation is that whatever happens to be the case right now is an entelechia, as though something which is intrinsically unstable as the instantaneous position of an arrow in flight deserved to be described by the word which Aristotle everywhere else reserves for complex organized states which persist, which hold out in being against internal and external causes tending to destroy them. In the Metaphysics, however, Aristotle draws a distinction between two kinds of potentiality. On the one hand, there are latent or inactive potentialities. On the other hand, there are active or at-work potentialities. Accordingly, every motion is a complex whole, an enduring unity which organizes distinct parts. Things have being to the extent that they are or are part of determinate wholes, so that to be means to be something, and change has being because it always is or is part of some determinate potentiality, at work and manifest in the world as change.

Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. :: Marketing Business Plan Essays

COMPANY BACKGROUND SIRIUS Satellite Radio was incorporated on May 17, 1990 as Satellite CD Radio Inc. On November 18th 1999 the company changed their name to SIRIUS Satellite Radio Inc, which is the name under which the FCC license to distribute satellite radio was given to. SIRIUS Satellite radio currently offers over 100 of music, news, sports, talk, entertainment, traffic, weather, and children’s programming to subscribers throughout the United States. Their primary source of revenue is through subscription fees, with most of their customers subscribing to SIRIUS Satellite Radio on either a monthly or a yearly basis. They also derive revenue from activation fees, advertising sales on non-music channels and the direct sale of SIRIUS radios, which are currently sold in over 6,500 retail locations around the nation. As of December 31, 2004, SIRIUS has had over 1.2 million subscribers and 375 employees. MARKETS The overall market for Sirius is any consumer that listens to the radio. The target market that Sirius is aiming for is the 100 million automobiles currently on the road today. Sirius only has to gain a small portion of this market to become a profitable company. COMPETITION Sirius faces competition for both listeners and advertising dollars. In addition to pre-recorded entertainment purchased or paying in cars, homes and using portable players, Sirius competes most directly with the following providers of radio or other audio services: XM Radio. Sirius’s direct competitor in satellite radio service is XM Radio, the only other FCC licensee for satellite radio service in the United States. XM Radio broadcasts certain programming that we do not offer. XM Radio service is also offered as an option on various car model brands, certain of which do not also offer SIRIUS radios. Traditional AM/FM Radio. Sirius’s competition also includes traditional AM/FM radio. Unlike SIRIUS radio, traditional AM/FM radio has had a well established market for its services for many years and generally offers free broadcast reception paid for by commercial advertising rather than by a subscription fee. Also, many radio stations offer information programming of a local nature, such as local news and sports, which Sirius does not offer as effectively as local radio. Some radio stations also have begun reducing the number of commercials per hour, expanding the range of music played on the air and experimenting with new formats in order to compete more directly with satellite radio services. Internet Radio and Downloading Devices. Internet radio broadcasts have no geographic limitations and can provide listeners with radio programming from around the country and the world.

Cell phones should not be allowed in schools Essay

A student with a cell phone is an uninterested student, one with a short attention span who cares more about socializing than education. When I was teaching, all too often I turned around from writing something on the blackboard to find students text-messaging or otherwise playing with their phones. Come the end of the term, a handful of students would fail the class and far too many would drop out of school. The onus for failure should be placed on distractions in the classroom, specifically cell phones. Parents think of cell phones as a connection to their children in an emergency. But I wonder what the last situation was that genuinely called for an immediate phone call to a child. In most cases, contacting the hospital or the police would seem more urgent. And parents can always call the school’s main office to reach their children. Cell phones are status symbols for teenagers because when their phone rings while the teacher is talking, everyone laughs. Because playing vid eo games on their cell makes them look cool. Because text messaging their friend in the next room is more fun than learning about topic sentences. So is listening to the new Three 6 Mafia song they just downloaded onto their cell. And saying students can store their phones in the locker is a joke. If they have cell phones, they’re going to bring them to class. —Jesse Scaccia Former English teacher, Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, Brooklyn, N.Y. NO Schools make rules to facilitate a quality education in a respectful and safe environment. Cell phones are a distraction in classrooms and have no place there. I support rules banning their use—by students and staff—in the classroom. But cell phones should not be banned from students’ possession entirely, because that is, in effect, not allowing students to have cell phones while traveling to and from school. My children’s time before school and after should not be under the school’s control. Making sure my children have cell phones and can contact me during those times is my right as a parent. It’s not just about safety or reassurance. Yes, I want my kids to call each morning when they arrive at school and each afternoon when they leave, and there are so few pay phones anymore on which to do that. But my children’s lives are also enriched by the freedom to travel to a variety of extracurricular activities or social engagements without an adult chaperone. That is only possible because an adult is just a phone call away. If my  children are not allowed to keep their cell phones during the school day—off and in their backpacks or lockers—the school system is governing my parenting and my children’s behavior during non-school time. The school has no such right. Besides, teachers should be teaching, not spending precious time tagging and bagging confiscated electronics. I trust my kids to make responsible and respectful choices, and I trust their teachers and administrators to do the same. —Elizabeth Lorris Ritter Parent, Bronx High School of Science, New York Allowing cellphones to school would be equivalent to giving an open invitation to distraction. This is because with so many activities in a single gadget, students are bound to be tempted to indulge in them, hence deviating from the main objective of coming to school. Their concentration towards studies would deteriorate as they would be busy fiddling with their cellphones. Teachers would also get distracted, as it is likely that the cellphones will ring during class, destroying the tempo of the entire class. Not only this, with a cellphone in everyone’s hands, there would naturally be unhealthy competition to see who has got the latest model and the hottest brand. This would only increase the worries and expenditure of parents as every student would pester their parents to buy them new cellphones. Also it would make students with not so latest cellphones be a victim of inferiority complex. Worse still, it may also create a barrier or ‘cellphone-fuelled class differenceà ¢â‚¬â„¢ between students as cellphones models and brands are now considered a status symbol. Bringing cellphones to school would also pave way for theft. With expensive cellphones in every other person’s bag, anyone could steal a cellphone, disrupting discipline and making school a very unsafe place. Many people argue that a cellphone allows parents to stay in touch with their children and remain informed about their whereabouts and anything that they need to. This, however, is also possible without a cellphone, as schools have phones and any important information can be conveyed through it. Cellphones can be seen as a means employed by students for cheating during examinations. They can simply text anyone and ask for assistance. Not only this, it can give rise to after school gang activities and be misused in many ways, like making prank calls just for fun. This can  lead to serious consequences and cause unnecessary panic as well as waste time. The aforementioned points clearly establish the fact that the reasons for not allowing cellphones in schools are based on clear reservations and not on flimsy grounds, hence cellphones should not be allowed at schools. In recent times, the number of people owning mobile phones has increased dramatically. Now mobile phones are not just for calling, but you can now text, take and send pictures, record videos, access the internet, play games and much more. The variety of functions has increased dramatically. They have also become a lot cheaper. Thus more and more young people now own a mobile. So should they be allowed to bring them to school? Mobile phones can cause a distraction in education. They can disturb teachers and students. For example, if you were working hard on a piece of work, concentrating hard, and a person’s phone rings, it disrupts the whole class. You may become side-tracked or the teacher may be interrupted during speaking to the class. Thus teaching would be constantly disrupted if this kept happening. Thus education standards would deteriorate. Looking then at long term effects, if this was happening every day, you would be wasting five minutes a day, so nearly half an hour a week, and so that would be over ten hours a year of disruption. Also, mobile phones provide a large temptation to cheat in tests. They can communicate to almost anywhere and anyone in the world. Because they are small, students can quietly and discreetly send a text and it can go unnoticed. You got to school to learn, not to waste time playing games or cheating in tests. Research has proven that frequent use of a mobile phone can put the owner at risk of long term health damage. Mobile phones have radiation in them which they send out which can destroy or damage cells. Thus a student who uses a mobile phone regularly is at risk of health damage. With the increase in ownership of mobiles, there is increased usage and so the students are putting themselves at risk more and more of health damage. Also younger students may not be properly educated on phone usage. Most phones nowadays have internet access on them.