Melting of the Arctic Glaciers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Melting of the Arctic Glaciers - Essay Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 B. Adaptation Efforts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 C. Examples of Adaptation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 4. Works Cited (Bibliography) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Introduction People had previously dismissed warnings about global warming because of claims a group of scientists tasked to study its effects had fudged or manipulated their data. But today, there is no more doubt on this topic as the glaciers in the Arctic region of the world (located in the northernmost part of the Earth) are melting away fast due to the greenhouse gases caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Oil and coal are used to produce energy and electricity but they also produce by-products which are mainly carbon dioxide and methane that trap the sun heat energy. It is su pposed to be reflected back to outer space in a process called as Albedo effect. A warmer Earth has changed the ocean's surface temperatures and also its salinity with serious effects on marine life (Ehrlich 1) and caused rising sea levels. This brief paper examines all its effects on the populations of low-lying areas of the world and what can be done about it. Discussion Even the skeptics are now convinced that global warming really exists as manifested by weather that has gone haywire, as mentioned in an article by Mr. Hertsgaard like a â€Å"fiercer heat wave, harsher droughts, heavier rains and rising sea levels† (1). The top three polluters of the world are China, America and India, in this order of magnitude. â€Å"The world pumped about 564 million more tons (512 million metric tons) of carbon into the air in 2010 than it did in 2009. That's an increase of 6 percent. That amount of extra pollution eclipses the individual emissions of all but three countries - China, the United States and India, world's top producers of greenhouse gases. It is a "monster" increase that is likely unheard of, said Gregg Marland, a professor of geology who has helped calculate Department of Energy figures in the past. This extra pollution in China and the U.S. account for more than half the increase in emissions last year.† (Borenstein 1). What is even more alarming is the observation that even if all emissions are stopped or discontinued today, global temperatures will still keep rising for 25 years. There are basically two ways or approaches by which people can deal with the global warming phenomenon: first is mitigation and the second is adaptation. Mitigation pertains to a front-end approach of reducing gas emissions to slow down the warming trend and it includes using renewable and clean energy sources, such as wind power or solar power. The other end of the equation is adaptation which are actions intended to safeguard a community or country from the il l effects of global warming, such as rising sea levels that can inundate low areas. Mitigation – everybody can contribute to reducing greenhouse gases by living simple lifestyles. The idea is to reduce a person's carbon footprint by using less fuel in daily living. It entails, for example, using the car less and walking more often, or using a bicycle for moving around. There are many ways by which one can accomplish this, such as reducing the use of manufactured products or consumer items that use a lot of energy, reducing use of electricity, or by patronizing more

What has happened in Great Britains economy over the last two years Essay

What has happened in Great Britains economy over the last two years - Essay Example The ability of the British Government and Bank of England to manage the British economy can be closely monitored by carefully observing and analyzing the historical trend of UK’s unemployment rate, gross domestic product (GDP), balance of payment, and price stability. Between 2011 and 2012, the unemployment rate in UK remains as high as 8.02% and 8.13% respectively (Statista, 2013a). The fact that the unemployment rate in this country has increased by 0.11% is already a sign that the economy of UK has not really been good after all. (See Appendix I – Historical Trend: Unemployment Rate in UK on page 13) produced within a country in a given period of time† (Mankiw, 2012, p. 494). It means that UK’s yearly GDP can be used to closely monitor the actual economic activities that had taken place in this country (Office for National Statistics, 2013a). Based on the current market prices, GDP in UK has somehow been showing a flat trend between the 1st and 2nd quarter of 2011 and the 3rd quarter of 2011 to the 2nd quarter of 2012. During the 4th quarter of 2012, the GDP of UK has declined by 0.3% as compared to the previous quarter (Bank of England, 2013; Office for National Statistics, 2013b). Basically, the sudden decrease in domestic demand, the presence of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the sudden reduction of the North Sea oil output explains why the GDP fell by 0.3% during the last quarter of 2012 (Bank of England, 2013; Office for National Statistics, 2013b). (See Appendix II – Historical Trend: GDP on page 14) Balance of payment provides the â€Å"summary of transactions between domestic and foreign residents for a specific country over a specified period of time† (Madura, 2010, p. 27). It means that the balance of payments would show the summary of import and export of goods and services including the financial transfers between UK and other countries (Sloman, 2004, pp. 516 –

History of Electrocardiography Machine Essay Example for Free

History of Electrocardiography Machine Essay History of electrocardiography prevails over two centuries as an intellectual exercise as the process of inventing an electrocardiogram started with the Galvani’s idea of animal electricity. In 1842 this idea was further reinforced by Italian physicist Carlo Matteucci who illustrated by his experiments that electric current could be quantified from inactive heart muscle. German physiologist Emil Dubois-Reymond further explored this phenomenon and confirmed Carlo Matteucci’s conclusion and labeled this changing current in the resting muscle as â€Å"action potential†. He further developed a device that could deliver stimulation pulses to the muscles and was capable of computing discharge current of muscles at short intervals. In 1856 Rudolph von Koelliker and Heinrich Muller recorded an â€Å"action potentialâ€Å"on the spotaneous beating heart. But the major development came in 1872 when French physicist Gabriel Lippmann introduced a capillary electrometer. This capillary electrometer was based on the principle of â€Å"polarization† and â€Å"surface tension†. Structurally it was a slender glass tube with mercury-sulphuric acid base. The mercury meniscus stirred with the influx of electrical potential and was observable by a microscope. In 1893, Willem Einthoven who is considered as the inventor of modern electric cardiogram and its various principles used the term electrocardiogram at a conference of the Dutch Medical Association. But major development occurred during the three years staring from 1901 when Einthoven dissatisfied with capillary electrometer and it slow response, designed a string galvanometer. This galvanometer contained a string eletromagnet to produce a magnetic flux, two piece poles, a quartz string between the two piece poles, peepholes in the two piece poles to observe the position of string. It further contained a lamp and timing systen to examine the shadow of string at different time intervals. The weight of this whole apparatus was about 600 pounds. He further modified the string galvanometer to invent a more effective electrocardiograms. However in 1902, Einthoven brought out the first electrocardiogram that was recorded on his string galvanometer. This was a giant’s leap in the history of bio-medical. In order to produce string galvanometer on commercial level, Einthoven discussed the possibilities with Horace Darwin of Cambridge Scientific Instruments Company of London. So this event made the electrocardiogram to come out of experimentation and to be used in medical profession. Einthoven, in 1906, circulated the first presentation electrocardiograms recorded with a string galvanometer. These electrocardiograms included the specimen of left and right ventricular and atrial, atrial flutter, ventricular premature beats etc. In 1910, Horatio Williams who was professor at Cornell University Medical College, New York issued electrocardiograms of patient that manifest atrial and ventricular ectopics, ventricular hypertrophy, atrial fibrillation and ventricular fibrillation that were recorded in hospital using a complex system of cables. This was first large-scale use of electrocardiograms in the hospitals. With the advent and introduction of vacuum tubes, the electric galvanometer was further modified and improved. In 1926, Ernestine and Levine used these vacuum tubes to produce enlarged images. Cathode rays tube further helped to produce portable electrocardiograms. Today electrocardiograms works on the same principles that were devised Einthoven in the first decade of 20th century. References Burchell HB. A centennial note on Waller and the first human electrocardiogram. Am J Cardiol 1987; 59:979-983 Burch, G.E. A History of Electrocardiography. Chicago. Year Book Medical. 1964. Burnett J. The origins of the electrocardiograph as a clinical instrument. Medical History Supplement 5: 1985, 53-76. Published as a monograph. The emergence of modern cardiology. Bynum WF, Lawrence C, Nutton V, eds. Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine:1985. Fye WB. A history of the origin, evolution, and impact of electrocardiography. Am J Cardiol 1994;73:937-949 Plonsey, R. Bioelectric Phenomenon. New York. McGraw-Hill. 1972.

Characteristics of Renaissance Art in the Last Supper

Characteristics of Renaissance Art in the Last Supper It is agreed that the Renaissance was a period of great art and architectural feats and ingenuity, during which artists looked back to the classical art of Greece and Rome from which to draw inspiration. This influence can easily be seen in the many paintings and sculpture that came out of the Renaissance. However, the conservative nature of the period, the subject matter, and the restrictions imposed upon artists of that time kept the Renaissance from truly becoming a return to the classics of Greece and Rome. The most obvious factor in the difference between the two artistic periods is the predominant subject matter the artists of the time chose. In ancient Greece and Rome, the subject matter most popular among artists were depictions of myths, war, or intellectual figures: statues of the gods decorated nearly every significant architectural landmark of the time. Being a Christian society, the art of the Renaissance did not simply depict various bible stories, but also moral stories permeated with religious allusions and symbolism. The Sistine Chapel is just one example among the many depictions of the creation, Madonna figures, and religious icons that existed in that era. However, there were some artists, such as Botticelli who depicted mythological figures as religious icons such as Botticellis Birth of Venus, which put the Greek goddess into a Christian context. Artists from both periods experienced problem with completing and preserving works. In Ancient Greece and later Rome, because of frequent war and the threat of invasion, many of the bronze sculptures that existed were melted down so that the metal could be used for weaponry. In addition to that, the construction of the pieces was often so weak that they would break, usually at joints such as the ankles because they couldnt support the weight of the piece indefinitely, or other limbs that were too fragile to withstand any kinds of damages. Because artists of the Renaissance were often commissioned by wealthy patrons or the church, they had to work within the guidelines given by the patrons which limited the freedom with which they could compose a piece. Even for artists such as Michaelangelo, often times, funding for commissions would be limited or discontinued altogether, forcing the artist to either leave the piece unfinished or scale down the size of the original project. Although Renaissance art was based on Greek and Roman schools of thought and art, the subtle stylistic differences between the two periods are reflective of the ideals of beauty at the time. Greek sculpture often depicted highly idealized figures- usually young, athletic men and women- in extremely melodramatic poses, while figures of the Renaissance were more realistically rendered- such as van Eycks which even showed the flaws of those who posed for the pieces instead of beautifying them- but still remained slightly melodramatic in at least facial expression if not posture. Though it attempted to revive the classical art of Ancient Greece and Rome, the Renaissance instead simply modified the style and applied it to its own tastes. Artists of both times sought to appeal to the general public with what was popular at the time- war, myth and melodrama in Ancient Greece and Rome, religious icons and pleasing the patron in the Renaissance. Leonardos Last Supper is a priceless piece of art with much hidden meaning and obvious talents bestowed upon a wall. Under the study of Verrocchio as a painter and a sculptor, he was able to use his skills in creating a very detailed and a very naturalistic piece of work that would be remembered for hundreds of years. He was also able to create characters with amazing individuality. Not only was his portrayal of the characters magnificent, but the symbolism he used which emphasized the story being told in the Last Supper. Lodovico Sforza chose Leonardo to create The Last Supper in the refectory of the Dominican Church of S. Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The Abate of the S. Maria delle Grazie saw Leonardo work from morning until night on The Last Supper without eating. Although, there were times he would stop painting for days at a time; or, he would work on a specific character for just a few moments and then leave to continue working on it later. He worked on it from 1495 thru 1498 (Strauss, 27). Before Leonardo began painting the actual portrait, he put down a substance which was suppose to absorb the tempora and protect the tempora from the moisture on the wall. Unfortunately, the substance was proved unsuccessful, and by 1517 it began to deteriorate. In May 1556 a painter Giovanni Batista Armenini said that the painting was so badly affected that nothing is visible but a mass of blots'(Heydenreich, 18). The painting has continued to decay in the following centuries. It was further damaged by restorations made by careless artists and by the addition of a doorway put in the lower part of the painting. Yet even to this day his painting The Last Supper is widely known and visited by many tourists each year. The remembrance of the Last Supper could be due to the sacredness of the parting meal. It is quite obvious that the skill used in the creation of the Last Supper was magnificent. Although, the way Leonardo allows its viewers to depict the scene from a specific point in the Bible adds to the importance and significance of the painting in which no other artist could even compare. He does allow the viewer to recognize this scene by the gestures of both the Lord and the Apostles. The Lord sits ever so quietly while the Apostles rise in reaction to what the Lord had just announced. It is rather obvious that Leonardo chose the critical moment after the Lord had stated, Verily I say unto you that one of you shall betray me, because of the emotions that evolve in this specific scene (Matt. 26.21). He took much time to express every detail of each Apostle and the Lord. Leonardo had even wrote in one of his notebooks that A good painter has two chief objects to paint man and the intention of his soul. The former is easy, the latter hard because he has to represent it by the attitude and movement of the limbs(Heydenreich, 27). For example, the Lord is very relaxed with his arms resting on the table which adds to the portrayal of His greatness. He also emphasized the Lords greatness by giving Him a serious attitude and by presenting Him as untouchable with the space between Himself and the Apostles. The distance put between them is called the spacial perspective, which is one of the techniques Leonardo feels is important in naturalistic art. Although, the Apostles are painted in a more restless fashion. They are all facing different ways and seem to be jumping out of their seats. Even the grouping of the apostles in three was done intentionally. He used four groups of three Apostles in each group in order to symbolize the Holy Trinity which means three, and the  four groups were used to symbolize the Gospels and the Cardinal Virtues . He was very cautious in every aspect of his painting from the placement of the figures to the movement they each possessed. Leonardo had to create actions and various postures which would be appropriate for each figure in order to keep them from looking as if they were brothers. Monica Strauss stated that in her research she had found that for the first time in the history of the subject, Leonardo had distinguished each one by appearance and gesture(Strauss, 27). For each of the twelve Apostles he had to not only resort to the historical information on their names and on their appearances but also by the portrayal of their specific qualities as they are known to us from the Gospels. For instance, Judas was put outside the circle of the innocent Apostles and only his shadowed  profile can be found. He is the only one to be found sitting in the shadows and in solitude. This allows the viewer to see the guilt he had, for he knew he was the one who would betray the Lord Jesus. He is also frozen in shock, and he is an outcast in the group. The significance of the portrayal of Judas is very important because in earlier pictures of the Last Supper, no one had ever been able to show this (Heydenreich, 57). Peter and John, located at the sides of Judas, were both painted with bright heads and with outstretched hands to the Lord Jesus which signify their fateful connection with Him. Yet, he distinguishes their differences by showing Peter to be more stubborn and argumentative and John to be more gentle and submissive as the Bible has thoroughly explained. Philip, on the other hand, stands up in excitement; and, he puts his hands on his chest to express a tender loyalty towards Christ. Andrew is found next to his brother Peter. Then, there is James the Greater, the older brother of John, who  touches Peters shoulder and forms a link with Peter and John. These three are those who witnessed the Transfiguration and who accompanied Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 17.1; 26.36-37). Leonardo continued to distinguish each of the Apostles as he felt necessary. He placed James the Less, the Lords brother (Gal. 1.19), to the Lord Jesuss right where he is like Him in feature and with outstretched arms; but, his gesture is only a reaction and not an expression of a completed action like the Lord Jesuss. Behind James the Less stands the doubting Thomas who is known to share a common feast day . St. Matthew is next and finally comes St. Jude, who is the brother of James the Less and St.  Simon. James the Less and St. Simon were martyred together so they too have a common feast day. Leonardo not only arranged the Apostles in four groups according to kinship and the personal links they shared, but each of the twelve Apostles exhibit an emotional and temperamental reaction appropriate to the character attributed to him in the Gospels. Each disciple reacted in his own way, as men. Leonardo had said, Emotions move the face of man in different ways, for o! ne laughs, another weeps, one becomes gay, another sad, one shows anger, another pity, some are amazed, others reflective. In these the hands and the whole person should follow the expression of the face, (Heydenreich, 57). He made sure he portrayed this in his Last Supper. The Lord Jesus was also given qualities that distinguished Him from everyone else. The Lord Jesuss hands are laid in a resting fashion on the table. His hands lie between the filled cup and the unbroken bread, the symbols of sacrifice, as if pointing in a silent gesture towards them. He seems to relay a message that His business has not yet been completed. Only the objects in front of Him remain in order, as does He remain calm, unlike the objects in front of the Apostles which are in disarray, as are the Apostles also in an unorderly emotional state of confusion. Leonardo uses the description of the  table to symbolize the state in which the Apostles and the Lord Jesus are in. For this reason, Leonardo not only uses the characters to portray the story but also the objects and the structures which encampeth around them. Leonardo used the beautiful background motif of the pedimented doorway, which was centered behind the Lord Jesus, in order to emphasize the Lord Jesuss greatness. It acted as a crown of glory hovering over His head. The surrounding walls and ceiling, where tapestries hung, were not in natural perspective but in an idealized one. The surroundings were unrelated to any spectator in the room. The same can be said of the characters in the portrait. Their scale and grandeur is other worldly, but their emotional distress is obviously human. He created the characters as if they were each on their own frontal plane. He also put a painted border around the painting which cut off most of the ceiling and the walls. These two modifying factors caused the characters to seem to leap out of the portrait. The Last Supper portrayed very individualistic characters which have made Leonardos piece of work stand out from all the others who also have tried to create the Last Supper; but, talented Leonardo was able to perfect his creation with his perspective of atmosphere and color. Leonardo had said, If we see that the true quality of colours is known through light, it is to be concluded that where there is more light, the true quality of the illuminated colour is better seen; and where there is more darkness, the colour is tinged with the colour of that darkness, (Heydenreich, 65). Later he concluded with, Nothing ever looks to be its real colour, if the light which strikes it is not all of that colour, (Heydenreich, 65). He used his theory in his painting to make it more realistic. He used two sources of light which came from the last gleams of the dying day which entered from behind the window with its charming view of the countryside and from the window in the refectory itself. He claimed to have painted in tones of light, when he created his Last Supper (Heydenreich, 66). Rosci had said that it is possible that he may have given the advice on the construction of the rectangular refectory because of the illusion the light gives the paint! ing (108). The two zones of light make it possible for Leonardo to give his characters a very finely graduated relief (Heydenreich, 70). Leonardo caused the colors of Christs garments, a red tunic and a blue cloak, to reflect in the pewter plate in front of him; and, similarly the plate in front of Philip reflects the red of his cloak. The colors of the Apostles robes are distributed across the painting in a wonderful array of colors. To the right of the Lord, the pale green tunic of James the Less forms a transition between the Lords blue cloak and the red robe of Philip, whose blue sleeves are just a shade brighter than the tone of Christs cloak. There is also a mixture of colors in the second group on the right of the Lord. Matthew is clothed in bright blue, which together with Judes ochre tunic and Simons violet cloak forms a perfect three note chord. Even in the group to the left of the Lord, consisting of John, Peter, and Judas; emphasizes the blending of colors. Judass greyish blue garment is the only one whose tone remains indefinite and dull which was formed from Johns dark, rust red cloak and bluish green tunic and Peters dark blue sleeve. In the outer left hand group, which stands in the darker background, Andrews green cloak over a yellow garment, James the Greaters reddish clothing, and Bartholomews violet blue tunic and dark olive cloak form a carefully equivalent to the outer right hand group, which stands in bright light. From one side of the Lord Jesus to the other the colors go from light primary tones to dark subtle blends. All of this coloration is due to the effect that light has o!n colors. Leonardo really believed that the perspective of light was important because it ensured to make the Last Supper as realistic as possible. Leonardo believed that naturalization was harmony between mental and physical motion. He accomplished the correspondence between physical movement and mental emotion by the pause between two great emotions which are the momentarily stiffening at an extreme point of excitement and at the horror of being startled out of tranquility (Heydenreich, 67). The painting portrays both expression and emotion. This combination complements each other. The expressions allow the viewers to see the emotions the characters are feeling. Their frozen movement allows one to see they are human. We can see both their outward and inward reactions. It is as if Leonardo had been there, and he had taken a picture of the marvelous meal. He definitely accomplished his goal in portraying his Last Supper as a realistic piece of art. The symbolism, the individualized personalities of the characters, and the skills such as the light perspective and spacial perspective blended together to fo!rm a photograph-like pai nting.

Essay --

Introductory paragraph Nigeria has the largest population of any African country and it is the 6th in the world. Population Growth is the change in population overtime. Nigeria is also the most densely populated country in Africa, that means, nearly one in six Africans is a Nigerian. Nigeria’s population is unevenly distributed across the country and the world. In July 2001, Nigeria’s population was estimated at more than 123 million people about 345 people per square mile. The population growth rate is influenced by the interplay of the three main demographic processes of fertility, mortality and migration. The population growth of Nigeria can be analysed through the Antiquity of the population of Nigeria, the Current population, the Trends and the Future Predictions of the population of Nigeria. History The population growth of people in Nigeria started from the antiquity of Slavery, Tribes and Culture. Slavery was common in Nigeria long before the Europeans arrived. Slavery also known as â€Å"slave trade† started in Badagry, the second largest commercial town in Lagos, Nigeria. In the early 1500’s, people were being transported from Nigeria through Badagry, to North and South America. Slaves were brought from all corners and crannies of Nigeria mostly from raided villages and captives of war, who were also brought to Badagry for auctioning. Some of the main slavery countries from Europe that engaged in the slavery of Nigerians were England, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands. The slave trade became a major source of income for the Europeans. It is reported that Badagry conveyed no fewer than 550,000 Africans slaves to America during the period of the American Independence in 1787. The exact number of people taken from Nigeria ... ...lation but also its composition† (2001). Migration could cause a numerical decrease and increase in the population of Nigeria. At the same time, people also move into Nigeria to explore the natural resources such as Zinc, Gold, Tin, Ignite, Oil and Gas etcetera. Nigeria is also free from natural disasters like hurricane, typhoon and so on. Nigeria has a lot tourist attractions, and offers job opportunities to people. This makes people move into Nigeria, and therefore brings an increase in the population growth of Nigeria. The current population of Nigeria is 173,611,131. The Migration, Immigration and Causes are some of the things that influences the population growth of Nigeria. Figure 1/Nigerian Current Population. Source: www.tradingeconomics.com As seen from the table, Nigeria’s current population is 13.61 million. Nigeria has a growing population.

Show how these poets illustrate different aspects of love in their Essa

Show how these poets illustrate different aspects of love in their poems. How do the poets communicate thoughts and feelings by the words and the images they use? The poems I have read are: Porphyria's Lover; by Robert Browning, The Lady Of Shalott; by Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Eve Of St. Agnes; by John Keats, A Trampwoman's Tragedy; by Thomas Hardy. A. - It is evident that in the four poems I have read, there are different aspects of love shown in each. In 'Porphyria's Lover', Browning puts across some rather dark kinds of love; obsessive, jealous and possessive love. I use the word dark, because in the poem, a clearly insane man kills his lover Porphyria, to secure all her love for himself, "And give herself to me forever". The man is besotted with Porphyria, but in an extremely selfish way. He thinks that she is seeing someone else, so he kills her to preserve her love for him forever, "That moment she was mine, mine, fair, Perfectly pure and good: I found A thing to do, and all her hair In one long yellow string I wound Three times her little throat around, And strangled her." This theme of tainted love is continued in 'A Trampwoman's Tragedy', with jealous love also occurring in this poem. The trampwoman's boyfriend became jealous after she started to flirt with 'jeering' John. Consequently, the boyfriend stabbed and killed John. "Then up he sprung, and with his knife - And with his knife He let out jeering Johnny's life," In this poem, the jealous love is basically the same as in the last. A character is worried about their lover betraying them for someone else. In 'A T. 's Tragedy', this is shown by the line, "my lover's dark distress." Teasing about love is also addressed... ..., "Burned like one burning flame together". Keats, in 'The E. Of St. A.', uses a metaphor, "Music's golden tongue", to describe how loud and far reaching the music is to the beadsman. You can tell he feels sad that he is out in the cold, and people nearby are dancing and having fun. Keats also uses alliteration in describing the food Porphyro gets for Madeline, making it sound tasty, "jellies soother than the creamy curd". In 'A T.'s T.', Hardy blends in some symbolism, which adds an extra sense of sadness to the end of the poem. It helps to describe the trampwoman's unhappiness and loneliness, after losing all of her friends, "The red moon low declined". Although all the poems are based around love, and most have this linked with death, they are all subtly different. Each highlights a different aspect of love, which affect people in different ways.

Can Retention Be Good for a Student Essay

In today’s society, there is a large debate of what is best for a child’s learning development when they are below level in learning. Educators debate the fact about whether grade retention is good for a student, or is it more appropriate to advance them with their peers, and there is research available to support what is being said. What is meant by retention or non-promotion is having a child repeat a particular grade or requiring a child of appropriate age to postpone entry to the next grade. In doing research I have found some interesting facts, and one of the biggest impacts I have found was by using the search engine to research positive effects of grade retention, the results that were found showed that there is not much available to support the facts. By retaining a child can be extremely hurtful to their self-esteem, risk ridicule and bullying from other children and may also increase behaviors caused by retention. Other things to consider would be at what cost will a child be retained, and what are the results as the child grows older. There are different options that could be considered as opposed to retention. The cost of retaining a child varies from on an average of $5,000 per year and the cost of the child’s shame and embarrassment should also be considered. So why not take this money and apply it to meeting the needs of a student in the areas where he or she might require the help as opposed to causing any shame and embarrassment one might experience. As a mother of two classified children who were faced with learning disabilities and one who just had difficulty learning. I was always told the worst thing you can do to a child who has difficulty learning is retained them, let alone if they were classified. For the simple fact that a child already beats themselves up by thinking they are stupid that they cannot learn what all their friends seem to be learning, and by doing this they are killing whatever self-esteem they have left. I found it helpful to know there was more than one option out there for my children. I made the choice not to have my children retained based on what I researched and what I thought was best for my children. My children stayed with their peers, obtained extra help by attending pull out service and in class support, and whatever other services were available by which was provided by my school district. I also had the advantage of the government on my side because my children were classified; the school district received extra money for my children’s education. If a child is retained, it might give them the opportunity to relearn, refresh and acquire the skills that were missed the first time around and might help them move to the next grade level (Malone, 2005). But what happens when these children who get â€Å"caught up† in the skills and are not with their own peers? The ridicule that they receive from their new set of peers begins to set in and their self-esteem becomes crushed. In addition, what happens after that first year of retention, when the child is caught up on that level and then begins to fall behind in the years to come? Does this child keep getting retained? Or does someone come up with new ideas? The intentions of the educators, I am sure, think they are doing what is best for the child, but in reality is seems to be more of a gamble. When a child does not meet the standards of the school district to continue with his or her peers, some feel it makes sense to retain them and let them repeat the grade. The hope is that these children will pass the grade the second time around. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, as a nation we fail to promote 13% of our students (Bowser, 1998). According to Philip Bowser (NEA Today, 1998), a district-wide school psychology, who had followed children who were retained over the years, the results might have seemed good after the first year, but as time went on things with these children did not appear to be particular pretty. He witnessed children who did not make the academic progress as others had wished, and at the same time, these children developed measurable deficits in mental health problems. He also observed that the â€Å"Old for grade† adolescents increase the risk for substance abuse, earlier age of sexual introduction, behavioral problems and emotional distress (including suicidal thoughts). Comparing retained students with similar students who were socially promoted frequently shows that most students do not catch up when they are held back; even though they seem to do better at first, they tend to fall behind again in future grades. The results are most likely to become alienation from school and eventually drop out and these finding are just as much for kindergarten and first-graders held back because they were alleged to lack maturity or readiness as they do for older students. By using retention as an option it provides either no achievement benefit or only a short lived advantage comparative to social promotion, and the inflict cost on the retained students, their teachers, and the school system. According to the studies, the children most likely to be retained are small in physique or youngest in their grade, more boys than girls, who often moved around from home to home and or from low-income families whose parents are not involved in their schooling and also have a lower educational achievement. These students who are often retained have a lower achievement in reading and language arts compared to most students in the classroom; however, there are often peers who are equally low-achieving but promoted (Jimerson, Carlson, Rotert, Egeland, & Sroufe 1997; Sandoval, 1998). Educators feel by retaining children they are offering them the gift of time to store up on learning and prepare for the future. When in reality school districts are just trying to improve on the standardize tests. In researching this subject, I have found mixed emotions on the topic of retention, and it has seemed to me that although some might think one is better than the other, I feel the answer lies in the other options that are out there for children besides retention. If a child or children can be promoted with their peers and offered other solutions to their academic issues then why not help these children the best way we know how? If we start at an early age helping these children by offering preschool intervention programs, we could be getting a jump on the problems. According to Casto & Mastropieri, 1986; Zigler & Styfco, 2000 A primary purpose of preschool intervention programs is generally to assist at-risk students before they experience academic challenges, through enhancing foundation skills necessary for subsequent academic success. Basic literacy skills, pro social behaviors, and socio emotional development are often emphasized in pre-school programs. By enhancing skills for academic success through preschool programs, retention maybe prevented (p.52) Other solutions might consist of comprehensive program to help promote a child’s social and academic development such as that help integrate strategies to promote children’s academics by having after school programs and or summer school programs where children can seek extra help in the academic areas that need reinforcing. Another idea that can be offered is Looping and Multi-Age classrooms. Looping is a classroom in which a child can spend more than one year with one teacher so this teacher can provide the instruction that is needed and embrace a child’s strength in the process of learning. Multi-Age classrooms allow students of different ages and abilities to move ahead at his or her own pace and the possibility to learn from one another (May, Kundert, & Brent, 1995) By districts offering other solutions to retention such as parent involvement, early reading programs and effective strategies with academics and behavior modification programs it will be making long term goals for these children as opposed to the short term objective of a child being retained. Parents need to be aware of their rights and their children’s right and realize that sometimes we do know what is best for our children and just because someone says or thinks retention is in your child’s best interest, just do not agree, they should know the facts and know what is available for their children. By educating themselves as parents is the best defense they have to protect their children and their right to an education that meets their needs. These solutions are clear that by assisting children and helping them gaining the knowledge and self-esteem to learn it will help reduce the rate of children wanting to drop out in the long run. It will allow for them to get the education they want, let alone deserve. The success rate will be higher and the educators and parents can be proud of the choices they made to help children progress and succeed in life. So to use the words of social promotion is not exactly fair because it sounds like a child only gets promoted for social reasons. In fact, it is the right of these children to go to school with other children their own age. Then the educators can provide the help these children need and deserve when falling behind in their academics and cognitive skills, and not just to say retention is the only way they have to go. Reference Bowser, P. B. Can Retention Be Good for a Student?. Retrieved February 1, 2008, Web site: http://www. roseburg. k12. or. us/sec/handouts/GRADRETE. htm Casto, G. , & Mastropieri, M. A. (1986). The efficacy of early intervention programs: A meta-analysis. Exceptional Children,52, 417– 424. Jimerson, S. R. , Carlson, E. , Rotert, M. , Egeland, B. , & Sroufe, L. A. (1997). A prospective, longitudinal study of the correlates and consequences of early grade retention. Journal of School Psychology, 35, 3–25. May, D. C. , Kundert, D. K. , & Brent, D. (1995). Does delayed entry reduce later grade retentions and use of special education services? Remedial and Special Education, 16, 288–294. Sandoval, J. (1984). Repeating the first grade: How the decision is made. Psychology in the Schools, 21, 457– 462. Social Promotion – In Comparison to Grade Retention, Advantage and Disadvantages, Different Perspectives. In Education Encyclopedia – StateUniversity. com: Education Encyclopedia [Web]. Retrieved 1/31/2008, from http://education. stateuniversity. com/pages/2431/Social-Promotion. html†>Social Promotion – In Comparison to Grade Retention, Advantages and Disadvantages, Different Perspectives.