Addiction as A Lifestyle

For several decades, health issues have increased by more than 8.5% each year. According to a recent study conducted by the center for Disease Control and Prevention, 65% of US adults are either overweight or obese. The rate of diabetes are increasing in the United States, with a 27 percent increase seen in the last five years. The high cost of health care also poses a major threat to the nation's economy. However, health problems can be prevented to a large extent by controlling people's lifestyle. Group discussions and conversations may help people to adopt a healthy way of living. Therefore, Cybernetics which is the study of conversation/communication and control/regulation can be used to help solve this problems. This study aims at using cybernetics as a model for controlling health problems.AddictionIn developed countries of the world like USA, where the literacy rate is above 95%, people know that leading a healthy lifestyle removes the risk of chronic health issues to a considerable margin. However they most times do not adopt a healthy way of living.   Why? Addiction has ruined the healthy life style of people. For example- people may be addicted to sleeping and do not exercise, addicted to eating foods with high calories that causes them obesity and make them prone to heart problems. Addiction is a condition in which a consistent desire/craving to repeat an addicted behavior exceeds the ability to rationally stop doing so. When the more you have, the more you seem to need to achieve the same effect or result. This effect can be displayed as a positive feedback loop where the want continues expanding within the loop.Some background about feedback loops – Feedback loops are of two forms: negative feedback loop and positive feedback loop. Negative feedback loops strives towards balance and stasis by subtracting error with each cycle. A good example of negative feedback loop is homeostasis, the body's system for keeping itself chemically and temperature balanced. Positive feedback loops, by comparison, add the variations of each cycle. As a result they can become potentially dangerous as their effect mount with each event. Hypothermia, shock, heatstroke are examples of positive feedback.Figure-1 models addiction (nicotine addiction) as a positive feedback. The desire for smoking continues to increase in the loop for achieving the same level of satisfaction. The first day, Bob needs to smoke once and get satisfied. The second day, he needs to smoke twice to get the same level of satisfaction. Gradually, his cravings and urge to smoke increases along with the frequency.Controlling the Uncontrollable(addiction)The graph above (Figure-1) indicates how the addiction continue to expand in a positive feedback loop. Also, Bateson's examination of alcohol addiction contended that the very attempt to regain discretion, to be a â€Å"commander of one's own spirit†, added to the heightening of the alcoholism. Moreover, the Twelve Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous-which has been effectively adjusted to a huge number of addictive practices, offers recuperation by â€Å"surrendering† that is, by stopping to deliberately try to stop the addiction. Subsequently, the person who is addicted does not have an essential variety to control addiction. At the point when Addiction becomes uncontrollable, how can it be controlled? Ludwig's research on Alcoholics mind demonstrates that â€Å"developing the right mind frame† (sufficient inspiration) for sobriety improves the probability that an individual can figure out how to resist his addiction .Sufficient inspiration or adequate motivation can solve the puzzle of addiction as an uncontrollable event. The diagram beneath demonstrates the cybernetic approach to deal with controlling health issues by inspiring individuals to follow a sound way of life (work out, yoga, healthy food and so on.), that is abstaining from an unhealthy way of life. Reward/Incentive SystemPeople have various needs including monetary needs, physiological needs, safety needs and esteem needs. An individual can be motivated for performing an activity using proper incentives which may help in fulfilling some of his needs. A reward system could be a web application like Weight Watchers or an organization such as a health club. Below is a model of an incentive system used in motivating a person to exercise regularly. The model also shows that the system can keep refining or modifying the incentive system to make sure that the user is always motivated.Group Affiliation/FriendsGroups, friends and circle of relatives assist in controlling addictions and regulating the manner people live. People develop trust, care and similarity in a group that offer intellectual strength for controlling their cravings. It has additionally been proved that the group association programs offer long- term remedy for addiction in comparison to short-term remedy provided through medication therapy. Self-assist programs like Alcoholics anonymous, rational healing or women for Sobriety, assist in gaining control over addiction through assisting the affected person to integrate into a self-assist group. TrustTrust is a system-related concept and that is a constantly evolving state of information acquisition, processing and feedback. Figure-4 demonstrates the system model of trust between two actors (trustor and trustee). The trustor continually accesses the behavior of the trustee against his mental model of trustworthiness, which results in increased trust if the behavior matches with his mental model otherwise decreased trust. Trustworthiness relies on three variables which relate to perception about the person to be relied on: competence, integrity and benevolence. ‘Competence' is the perceived potential of the trustee, as measured through indicators which includes training or credentials, experience, and reliable past performance. ‘Integrity' is the degree to which the trustee is considered to perform with honesty, fairness, and consistency of actions and words. ‘Benevolence' concerns the extent to which the trustee demonstrates care and consideration for people he or she interacts directly or indirectly.In addition to the above-recognized antecedent variables, trust also relies on the ‘context' within which the trustor and trustee are embedded. It could affect the extent to which the trustee is rated on antecedent variables particularly competence. For instance, a person may be perceived as competent in one context but no longer in another. Furthermore, it is essential to differe ntiate between Interactions among unfamiliar others and ongoing interactions among familiar others for trust. In a social system, trust could be unidirectional or bi-directional. Also, trust may be commutative.After the developement of trust, the trustor (Alice) feels confident and becomes willing to take actions based on the suggestions, actions and decisions of the trustee (Bob) to an extent proportional to the trust level in the trustee. Now, when Bob says that he controlled his blood sugar level by following the recipes from the diabetic cook-book, Alice feels confident the same recipes in the diabetic cook-book works and she is now motivated to follow them too. It also gives her a social proof of the reliability of the recipes from the diabetic cook-book. Figure-6 is the conversation model of this trust and social proof scenario between Alice and Bob.CareCare is also a continously evolving state of information aquisition, processing and feedback.Similarity, trust, understanding and reciprocity make the important variables. It is also dependent on context and familiarity/relationship between individuals. Below is a figure which shows a model of care between Alice and Bob and how care helps them for abstinence. Bob's behavior is matched to Alice's mental model of a person she would like to care for. If there is a positive match,then the care for Bob increases otherwise it decreases. When there is a match, she cares about what Bob's expectations are from her. She feels a sense of responsibility/accountability for Bob's expectations because she does not want to disappoint him. Similarly, Bob also does a behavior assessment of Alice against a mental model of a person she would like to care for. Its also important to note that both may have different perceptions or mental models of the persons they may like to care for. Also, care may be unidirectional as well. Now when Bob makes a suggestion to Alice about losing weight, she feels responsible/ accountable for losing weight as she cares about Bob. Similarly, Bob feels responsible/accountable for not smoking when Alice asks him to quit smoking.

Leadership and Management Paper Essay

Ursula M. Burns is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Xerox. She has held this position for the last five years. She started out as a summer intern in 1980, and signed on in 1981. From then until she became CEO she has led several business teams and positions within Xerox, all along growing within the company. According to Fortune, she is the 22nd most powerful woman in the world. In addition to the Xerox board, she is a board director of the American Express Corporation and Exxon Mobil Corporation. Burns also provides leadership counsel to community, educational and non-profit organizations including FIRST – (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), National Academy Foundation, MIT, and the U.S. Olympic Committee, among others. She is a founding board director of Change the Equation, and President Barack Obama appointed Burns vice chair of the President’s Export Council (â€Å"Xerox: Ursula Burns, CEO†, 2014). Leadership and Management Holding a management title does not necessarily equate to holding leadership skills. Leadership is defined in many ways, and depending on who you ask can simply be â€Å"coordinating the work of others†. However that is taking a very limited view on leadership. Leadership is a combination of rationale, inspiration, science, and art. It is said, â€Å"Leaders are thought to do the right thing, while managers do things right† (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2009). Not all leaders are managers, look at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is argumentatively the most important Civil Rights leader, however many would not look to him as a manager. According to Forbes, Ursula has made Xerox a profitable and viable company, this past year, Burns helped Xerox generate adjusted earnings per share of $1.09, up from $1.02 in 2012, and  post $21.4 billion in full-year revenue (Forbes, 2014). Her skills as a manager aided in building Xerox to the power-house they are today. Burns is responsible for the largest acquisition in Xerox history, and has allowed them to invest in business services, which is a $600 billion industry. Making these decisions requires hard decisions, including outsourcing, closing offices that are not performing well, and adopting a work from home culture. Because of this Burns has found herself on the 2014 Worst CEO list put together by 24/7 Wall Street and Glassdoor. Burns received a positive review from fewer that the 140,000 employees Xerox gained in the business services acquisition. Only 30% approved of her performance (Brown, 2014). Also something that does not help Burns gain leadership approval is the fact that she was paid on average $13 million dollars for 2010 – 2012, while over 500 people were laid off. While Burns has made moves in hopes of ensuring the stability of Xerox there are some that are calling for her to be fired. Burns’ recent letter to shareholders showed just how badly the transaction had go ne. Over the course of 2010 to 2013, revenue, net income and operating margins are flat to down. In particular, revenue fell 1% to $21.4 billion in 2013. In the fourth quarter, revenue dropped 3% to $5.7 billion. Net income was down 1% to $1.2 billion last year. In the fourth quarter, the drop was 4% to $311 million (McIntyre, 2014). When measuring success of a leader, there are many ways to do that and depending on which way is chosen could render different results. Using unit performance indices, Burns appears to be very successful as a leader. Unit performance indices can be used to examine what impact leaders have on the â€Å"bottom lines† of their organizations. Since she has taken over as CEO, Xerox shares have gone up 50% and the S & P is higher by nearly 100% (Brown, 2014). Based on this information and her average salary the board must be happy with how she is performing. However, another way to measure success is by subordinates ratings of effectiveness. Subordinates may be relatively satisfied or dissatisfied, may be motivated or unmotivated, may feel relatively committed or uncommitted to the organization, or may believe their leader is relatively effective or ineffective. Because Burns has found herself on the worst CEO’s list of 2014 it can be said that she has been unsuccessful as a leader (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2009). Conclusion Overall it is important to remember that there are many dynamics to measuring leadership and management. Leadership and management can have many different meanings. Burns is a prime example of this. I believe she is an effective manager, because businesses are in the business of making money and her shareholders are happy. She also sits on the board of several inspirational companies like FIRST and Change the Equation, which could have many people looking at her leadership abilities. However, when it comes to Xerox her primary focus is making the shareholders happy, when could indicate she is not being a true leader in a way that motivates, inspires, encourages, or simply speaks to their employees. Refrences Hughes, R.L., Ginnett, R.C., &e Curphy, G.J. (2009). Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hills. Xerox: Ursula Burns, CEO. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.xerox.com/about-xerox/executive-leadership/ceo/enus.html McIntyre, D.A. (2014). Time for Xerox Board to Fire CEO Burns. Retrieved from http://247wallst.com/investing/2014/03/20/time-for-xerox-board-to-fire-ceo-burns/ Brown, A. (2014). Xerox’s Ursula Burns Named One of Worst CEO’s in Corporate America. Retrieved from http://madamenoire.com/418058/xeroxs-ursula-burns-named-one-worst-ceos-corporate-america/ Forbes: #22 Ursula Burns. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/profile/ursula-burns/

ADHD Medications Essay

With the tremendous increase in ADHD diagnosis, altercations have been emerging about whether or not ADHD medications are being overprescribed. Many people feel as though ADHD medications are needed for the condition, but are doctors just â€Å"handing† them out? Medications may be necessary depending on how severe the case is, but some people take advantage of it. As a community, we need to limit the amount of ADHD medications being prescribed by doctors. ADHD medications have been praised drastically for the enhancement of mental performance that is shown. People who have a more severe case of ADHD are generally more motivated to do things once they are put on the medication. â€Å"Some two-thirds of all children currently diagnosed with the condition receive prescriptions for stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall, which have been linked to addiction and psychosis† (Swaine). The effects of ADHD medication vary depending on how large or small the dosage is. â€Å"There’s a very small difference between the right dose and too little or too much medication, so resist the temptation to experiment on your own† (Adult ADD/ADHD). The medication will keep one focused on a task without getting distracted as easily. See more: Distinguish between problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping Essay With ADHD medication, tasks can be completed a lot faster than usual because of the extra focus the medication pushes on someone. â€Å"Research by the Centers for Disease Control also found that more than one in ten school-age children in the US has now received an ADHD diagnosis, amid a sharp rise in reported instances of the condition†(Swaine). Although ADHD medications have positive effects, it also has negative effects. These medications can cause slowing of growth, not  only physically but mentally too. The mind may not develop as well as it usually would. Another negative effect is impaired judgment. This usually occurs when someone is unable to make correct and or right choices in real-life decisions. ADHD medications can control mood swings, but can also cause someone to be more irritable. Emotions can be controlled by ADHD medications, but can also influence someone to act out. Generally, the effects of the medications can help one control the urge to blurt out. This makes it easier to think and process words before actually saying them. â€Å"In fact, there are many signs that your medication is working. They include being better able to pay attention†¦ tending to think before you speak instead of blurting things out†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Adult ADD/ADHD). The sudden urge of kindness can make it so much easier to make and or keep friends. The way our minds think causes us to say things we don’t necessarily mean. This will begin to push people away from one another. Although medication can control many things related to emotional effects, it can also add on negative effects. The use of ADHD medication can cause one to become very irritable towards family and friends. â€Å"The majority of adults who take stimulants experience rebound effects of moodiness, irritability, and restlessness as the level of medication in their bloodstream decreases† (Adult ADD/ADHD). Irritability can then lead to a negative personality change. â€Å"If you’re normally sunny and upbeat and you suddenly become all doom and gloom, it may be time to switch to another medication† (Adult ADD/ADHD). These medications can affect the hyperactivity of an individual not only positively but also negatively. Hyperactivity within individuals who suffer from the condition can generally change, depending on the case. If one is diagnosed wrongly, there is a possibility that the hyperactivity of an individual can increase. In these cases, ADHD is mistaken for immaturity. Some people just never grow up and the immaturity rate they have makes it look like they have a hyperactivity condition. â€Å"Some 6.4 million American children aged between 4 and 17 have received an ADHD diagnosis at some point in their lives, the US government scientists found† (Swaine). Not all individuals diagnosed have the actual condition, but rather act as if the medication is a necessity for everyday  life. â€Å"Dr. Graf said that it was now clear that American parents were encouraging the medication of their children merely to enhance their mental performance rather than to cure an illness† (Swaine). The effects of ADHD medication can be very beneficial. Generally, one who actually has the condition can be less disruptive if they are put on the right medication. An individual can also be less distracted with the use of ADHD medication. Being less distracted and less disruptive can make it easier to get certain tasks completed. The use of ADHD medications continue to increase throughout the years. As a community, we must limit the intake of these medications. We need to be stricter on the behavior of individuals, but we need to decrease the amount of prescriptions being used for the condition. Looking at the positive and negative effects of these medications may cause people to stop taking the medications prescribed by doctors. Works Cited â€Å"Adult ADD / ADHD.† _Positive and Negative Effects of Medication_. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. . Swaine, Jon. â€Å"Fears American Children Are Being Over-medicated as ADHD Rates Soar.† _The Telegraph_. Telegraph Media Group, 02 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. .

High end wedding Business Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

High end wedding Business Plan - Assignment Example The proposed business is unique in terms of meeting the needs of its clients. The proposed business firmly ensures to provide unwavering attention to its clients. The proposed business further focuses on the needs and expectations of the clients and work according to the requirements of the clients so that highest level of customer satisfaction is provided. The services of the proposed business include weddings, honeymoons, receptions, anniversary, wedding hair makeup, special event make up, musicians, entertainers and budget planning. The proposed business aims at providing the best service to each time to the clients of Houston, Texas. The objective of the proposed business is to provide top class services to clients whether it is wedding, anniversary or any other special events in order to make the experience of the clients pleasurable and memorable. Thus, the proposed business is committed towards offering services that are specially tailored according to the needs of respective couples and their families. In order to achieve the broad objectives of the proposed business, special attention will be focused upon the quality and timeliness of the services offered to the clients. The proposed business will thus, ensure that services are promptly and efficiently offered in accordance with the needs and expectations of the clients. ... The wedding industry in the United States can be recognized as an important industry that has a major impact on almost 100 other industries. The portion of contribution made by the wedding industry to the national economy is constantly increasing. Over the last few decades, the industry has witnessed significant growth in the country. However, the recent economic crisis situation in the US has dramatically influenced the growth rate of the industry. It is expected that the wedding industry in the coming years will again be able to touch new heights with rising revenue. Nonetheless, it is firmly advocated that the proposed business is required to formulate and implement suitable strategies in order to efficiently meet the rising demands of the customers. It has been ascertained that despite the recessionary situation, there has been slight increase in the number of couples getting married. It has been projected that this increasing pattern will continue in the coming years thereby pro viding significant opportunity for the wedding industry to earn and expand the proposed business. At the same time, it has been observed that the guest attending the wedding has also affected by the recession which has caused a slight reduction in their numbers. However, it is estimated that in the future years the figure shall improve. The spending of couples is also estimated to increase in the coming years. During the year 2011, it had been reported that there was slight positive shift of 1% in the total spending made by the customers in the wedding industry of the USA. At the same time, it has been ascertained that the couples in the recent times are inclined towards planed weddings as well as more couples are observed to prefer outdoor ceremonies rather than indoor

Science Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Science Education - Research Paper Example From this paper it is clear that  although it is difficult to link the beginning of modern scientific thought to a single idea or individual, one of the most foundational thinkers of modern science education is Galileo Galilei. Indeed, Galileo has been referred to as the Father of Modern Science. Galileo emerged during the Renaissance when European culture began to question many of the long-entrenched beliefs that were accepted throughout the Middle Ages. Indeed, the Renaissance refers to a return to earlier times, namely Greek antiquity when intellectual culture and philosophy flourished.  As the report declares  the most significant contribution to science education after Galileo’s discoveries, were those made by Isaac Newton. Newton was a truly astonishing person. While most famous scientists are recognized for developing a single idea, Newton is credited with discoveries in physics, mathematics, and astronomy. Today Newton is recognized most prominently for the disco veries he articulated in his book Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.  This book is perhaps the single most important book in the history of science as it established the way we viewed the world and the universe until Albert Einstein would amend many of these ideas in the early 20th century. In this book Newton established the three laws of motion, which would constitute foundational modes of understanding in both astronomy and physics.... 230). With the development of the telescope Galileo could view and record aspects of the universe that had eluded scientists and astronomers for centuries. It was not long before Galileo developed a revolutionary change in the way modern science education views the universe. Specifically, Galileo came to realize that rather than the planets and Sun revolving around the Earth, it was the Earth that revolved around the Sun. Galileo’s discovery was so astounding and revolutionary that it was violently rejected by many individuals and institutions. Perhaps most notably the Catholic Church condemned Galileo for heresy (Cole 1986, p. 30). This resulted in him being forced to recant his statements and live his life under house arrest (Cole 1986, p. 30). Ultimately, however, Galileo’s ideas would last the test of time and now are implemented in science textbooks everywhere. Perhaps the most significant contribution to science education after Galileo’s discoveries, were t hose made by Isaac Newton. Newton was a truly astonishing person. While most famous scientists are recognized for developing a single idea, Newton is credited with discoveries in physics, mathematics, and astronomy. Today Newton is recognized most prominently for the discoveries he articulated in his book Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. This book is perhaps the single most important book in the history of science as it established the way we viewed the world and the universe until Albert Einstein would amend many of these ideas in the early 20th century. In this book Newton established the three laws of motion, which would constitute foundational modes of understanding in both astronomy and physics (Gaukroger 2006, p. 270). These laws of motions would

Questions 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Questions 2 - Essay Example It also gets funds from monthly premiums deducted from social security checks (Jennie, 2012). The process of applying this service is by visiting the social security and filling in the registration forms. Other exceptions of achieving Medicare is when one is a widow or a widower between the ages of 60-65 years of age, but have not applied for disability benefits because of security social fund. Also one is allowed to get Medicare if you are an employee of the government and became disabled before the age of 65. Another case that one gets Medicare is when a whole family is affected by permanent kidney failure. Also by consulting the social security you can be allowed to get Medicare if you had Medicare medical insurance in the past but dropped the coverage. Before the baby reaches the age of Medicare many of the resources will have been used and much will have been used on insurances and health (Jonathan, 2013) The Medicare coverage prevents the gaps, the law provides for this service to be randomly assigned to plans if the people eligible do not choose a plan on their own. Random assignments benefit the plans by promising them an equal portion of the enrollment of the dually-entitled population without inconveniencing them with too large options. Different Medicare beneficiaries, dually entitled beneficiaries are allowed to change plans whenever they want to, with their new treatment effective the month following their action to change. Changing plans, however, is difficult and has no risks.   First, the number of average cost plans in each region ranges from six to eighteen and the systems available to help beneficiaries know what each plan covers require access to high speed internet service and a printer.   Little dual-eligible use the internet, so to make use of these decision supports, a beneficiary must generally get help from someone

Current ethical issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current ethical issues - Essay Example ilemma lies in the fact that even a pharmaceutical company is a business and it is there in the market to earn money however if such a company starts to give free away free medicine to everybody in need, the company would go bankrupt in a short time and then it there would be no more of that drug in any case. This problem becomes more serious when a company tests its drugs in the general market, give free samples, monitors the patients, set up offices and markets for patients etc. but when the testing ends, the company takes drug away from the people who were depending on it. Everyone cannot afford the real price of the product when it is approved by the FDA and launched because the company has to acquire patients and rights for their products thus raising their costs as well. Something that can be done is to involve the government and the charity organizations in these cases where testing, free medicines are involved so that the company producing them can continue doing their business but the government and the philanthropists can give the poor drugs on their expense for the sake of social heath

Creative & Critical Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Creative & Critical - Assignment Example However consistent the effects of that approach to achieving peace is, the fact remains that nobody wants to be involved in a war. No man would willingly become a soldier, ready to kill nameless others who have not done him personal harm but rather harmed his nation or a weaker one that needed protection. While numerous articles and opinion papers in the 21st century have condemned war and its outcomes to the best of the writers abilities, the most scathing condemnation of war was not done during our most recent times. Rather, it was written during the events unfolding within World War I by Wilfred Owen in his sonnet â€Å"Dulce Et Decorum Est†. The gravity of the poem can only be attributed to the fact that Owen wrote the poem while recovering from shell shock or in modern lingo â€Å"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder† more commonly known as PTSD in 1917, having served as a British war soldier. Writing many a war related poems during this time including â€Å"Strange Meeting†, â€Å"Insensibility†, and â€Å"S.I.W.†, this practice was actually one of the methods that he employed in order to help him deal with the trauma of the war and its lifelong effects upon him (Williamson, Andrew â€Å"Dulce Et Decorum Est†). It is from this highly graphic recall of his involvement in the war that led to the highly creative and almost 3-D like depiction of the war within his writing. While published posthumously in 1920 the sonnet translates into English as â€Å"It is sweet and honorable to die for ones country† (Williamson, Andrew â€Å"Dulce Et Decorum Est†). However, nothing about the lines from the sonnet depict war and the soldier experiences as being such. For example, the first stanza of the sonnet describes: Anybody who reads the above stanza without being told of the era that it was written it would absolutely swear that it was written by a modern day soldier coming home from

Collaborative Learning in E-learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Collaborative Learning in E-learning - Essay Example In order to ensure that collaborative learning is effective, asynchronous online discussions have been perceived as an efficient way for learners to participate in high quality discussion and intrinsic cognitive collaboration. This is because asynchronous online discussion gives learners enough time to reflect on their friend’s findings and contribution and reason about their own contributions before sending them off to their friends. Collaborative learning looks forward in fostering the argumentative quality discussions among learners in order to improve personal knowledge acquisition. In order to ensure efficiency of the collaborative learning, it is significant to apply additional instructional direction, which may assist learners to use the advantages of asynchronous communication or interaction for argumentative knowledge acquisition. For instance, knowledge construction via collaborative discussion is vital since collaboration methods sequence, define, and assign learnin g activities to distinct learners and can in turn facilitate activities such as construction of arguments during discussions. Collaborative learning in E-learning is rooted in constructivism. It intensively focuses on how productive peer collaboration can be stimulated and sustained in computer-mediated environments and how these collaborative activities facilitate learning. The use of Computers in learning will aid in providing sentence openers to ESL students, software-embedded collaboration scripts and representational guidance in order to improve the quality of online argumentation or moderation among students. In order to make collaborative learning effective, ESL students are encouraged to meet in groups. This increase explicitness due to persistence of textual messages on computer screen, more defined in expressing arguments due to lack of nonverbal communication

Presocratic Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Presocratic Philosophy Essay Although Aristotle’s statement is too slight to serve as a sure foundation for judgment, it seems more likely that Thales was arguing for the broader presence of life forces in the world than most people imagined, rather than that the real in its totality is alive. Anaximander Thales’ younger contemporary from Miletus, Anaximander, born toward the end of the seventh century B. C. E. , found the explanatory principle of things in what he called ‘‘the apeiron,’’ a word that might be translated as ‘‘the indefinite,’’ ‘‘the boundless,’’ or both. This opens up the possibility that the apeiron is both immeasurably large in its temporal and physical extent and also qualitatively indefinite in that it is without measurable inner boundaries. The apeiron is further described, according to Aristotle, as being ‘‘without beginning,’’ ‘‘surrounding all things,’’ ‘‘steering all things,’’ ‘‘divine,’’ ‘‘immortal,’’ and ‘‘indestructible. ’’ Some have inferred that Anaximander’s barely concealed purpose was Western philosophy’s first attempt at demythologization. Equally striking is Anaximander’s description of the universe as a closed, concentric system, the outer spheres of which, by their everlasting motion, account for the stability of our earth, a drum-shaped body held everlastingly in a state of equipoise at the center. Whatever the inadequacy in certain details (the stars are placed nearer to the earth than the moon), with Anaximander the science of cosmological speculation took a giant step forward. As far as life on earth is concerned, Anaximander offered another striking hypothesis. The first living things, according to him, were ‘‘born in moisture, enclosed in thorny barks’’ (like sea urchins), and ‘‘as their age increased, they came forth onto the drier part’’ (as phrased by Aetius [first to second century C. E. ]). Pythagoras Although we know that Pythagoras was a historical figure, it is difficult to determine exactly what Pythagoras himself taught. He wrote nothing, and the ideas of other members of the community were attributed to him as a sign of respect and as a way of lending weight to the ideas. Plato and Aristotle rarely assign ideas to Pythagoras himself, although Pythagorean ideas seem to have influenced Plato’s philosophy. Pythagoreans asserted that number is the first principle of all things. They were the first systematic developers of mathematics in the West and discovered that natural events could be described in mathematical terms, especially as ratios. To the Pythagoreans, the â€Å"principle of number† accounted for everything. Number was a real thing. Somehow, numbers existed in space, not just as mental constructs. According to Pythagorean doctrine, the entire universe is an ordered whole consisting of harmonies of contrasting elements. The Greek for â€Å"ordered whole† is cosmos. The Pythagoreans were the first philosophers to use the term cosmos to refer to the universe in this way. The â€Å"celestial music of the spheres† is the hauntingly beautiful phrase the Pythagoreans coined to describe the sound of the heavens as they rotate according to cosmic number and harmony. Xenophanes A fourth Ionian philosopher, Xenophanes of Colophon, born around 580 B. C. E. , s the first we know of to overtly attack the anthropomorphism of popular religious belief, in a series of brilliant reductio ad absurdum arguments. His own view has been understood, ever since Aristotle, as pantheistic. Xenophanes was also the first philosopher we know of to ask what degree of knowledge is attainable. In B34 we read: ‘‘the clear and certain truth no man has seen, nor will there be anyone who knows about the gods and what I say about all things. ’’ Several ancient critics took this to be an indication of Xenophanes’ total scepticism. On this basis of moderate empiricism and scepticism, Xenophanes offered a number of opinions of varying plausibility about the natural world, one of which—a strong, evolutionary interpretation of the discovery on various islands of fossils of marine animals—is enough to constitute a major claim to fame in natural philosophy and ranks with his other significant steps in epistemology (the theory of knowledge dealing with what we know, how we know it, and how reliable our knowledge is), logic (the study of rational inquiry and argumentation), and natural theology (the attempt to understand God from natural knowledge). Heraclitus One of the most important and enigmatic of the Presocratics, Heraclitus (fl . 500 b. c. e. , d. 510–480 b. c. e. ), said that ignorance is bound to result when we try to understand the cosmos when we do not even comprehend the basic structure of the human psyche (soul) and its relationship to the Logos. The complex Greek word logos is intriguing. It could and at times did mean all of the following: â€Å"intelligence,† â€Å"speech,† â€Å"discourse,† â€Å"thought,† â€Å"reason,† â€Å"word,† â€Å"meaning,† â€Å"study of,† â€Å"the record of,† â€Å"the science of,† â€Å"the fundamental principles of,† â€Å"the basic principles and procedures of a particular discipline,† â€Å"those features of a thing that make it intelligible to us,† and â€Å"the rationale for a thing. † The Heraclitean capital L Logos is like God, only without the anthropomorphizing (humanizing) of the earlier philosophers and poets who attributed human qualities to the gods. According to Heraclitus’s impersonal view of God, the Logos is a process, not an entity. As such, the Logos is unconcerned with individuals and human affairs, in much the same way that gravity affects us but is unconcerned with us. More radically yet, Heraclitus asserted that even though things appear to remain the same, â€Å"Change alone is unchanging. † Traditionally, it has been held that Heraclitus went so far as to claim that everything is always changing all the time. But whether he really meant that everything is always changing, or that individual things are held together by energy (change), remains unclear. Anaximenes Anaximander’s younger contemporary, Anaximenes, who lived during the sixth century B. C. E. appears to revert to a prior and less sophisticated vision in claiming that the earth, far from being a drum-shaped body held in equipoise at the center, is flat and ‘‘rides on,’’ supported by air. The same might be said of his contention that the basic, ‘‘divine’’ principle of things was not some indefinite entity but something very much part of our experience; namely, air. Anaximenes’ view would also no doubt have seemed to be corroborated by the fact that the universe, commonly understood as a living thing and hence needing a soul to vivify it, possessed in air that very ‘‘breath’’ that for most Greeks constituted the essence of such a soul. Parmenides Parmenides of Elea (fift h century b. c. e. ) radically transformed the early philosophers’ interest in cosmology, the study of the universe as a rationally ordered system (cosmos), into ontology, the study of being. By common agreement he was the giant among the pre-Socratics. According to Parmenides, none of his predecessors adequately accounted for the process by which the one basic stuff of the cosmos changes into the many individual things we experience every day. In his search for a solution to the problem of â€Å"the one and the many,† Parmenides turned to a reasoned analysis of the process of change itself. According to Parmenides, all sensations occur in the realm of appearance. This means that reality cannot be apprehended by the senses. Change and variety (the many) are only appearances; they are not real. If this is true, then our most commonly held beliefs about reality are mere opinions. The senses cannot recognize â€Å"what is,† much less can they discover—observe—it, ever. In other words, whatever we see, touch, taste, hear, or smell is not real, does not exist. Perhaps most unsettling of all, Parmenides â€Å"solved† the problem of the appearance of change by concluding—in direct opposition to Heraclitus’s insistence that everything is always changing—that the very concept of change is self-contradictory. What we think of as change is merely an illusion. The logic runs as follows: â€Å"Change† equals transformation into something else. When a thing becomes â€Å"something else,† it becomes what it is not. But since it is impossible for â€Å"nothing† (what is not) to exist, there is no â€Å"nothing† into which the old thing can disappear. (There is no â€Å"no place† for the thing to go into. ) Therefore, change cannot occur. Empedocles posited, against Parmenides, change and plurality as features of reality, but affirmed the eternality of anything that is real; the sphere-like nature of the real when looked at as a totality and the fact that the real is a plenum, containing no ‘‘nothingness’’ or ‘‘emptiness’’. Anaxagoras likewise posited change, plurality, and divisibility as features of reality, yet also affirmed the eternality of the real (understood by him as an eternally existent ‘‘mixture’’ of the ‘‘seeds’’ of the things currently constituting the world, rather than the eternal combinings and recombinings, according to certain ratios of admixture, of four eternally existent ‘‘roots’’ or elemental masses). Leucippus Leucippus of Miletus (c. fi ft h century b. c. e. ) and Democritus of Abdera (c. 460–370 b. . e. ) argued that reality consists entirely of empty space and ultimately simple entities that combine to form objects. T is materialistic view is known as atomism. Leucippus is credited with being the originator of atomism and Democritus with developing it. Rather than reject Parmenides’ assertion that change is an illusion, Leucippus argued that reality consists of many discrete â€Å"ones ,† or beings. Zeno Zeno, who was born early in the fifth century B. C. E. , was a friend and pupil of Parmenides. In his famous paradoxes he attempted to show by a series of reductio ad absurdum arguments, of which the best known is perhaps that of Achilles and the tortoise, the self-contradictory consequences of maintaining that there is a real plurality of things or that motion or place are real. The prima facie brilliance of many of the arguments continues to impress people, though it soon becomes clear that the paradoxes turn largely on the failure or unwillingness of Zeno, like so many Pythagoreans of the day, to distinguish between the concepts of physical and geometrical space. Zeno’s way of constructing the problem makes it seem that his primary object is to defame pluralists by attacking the logical possibility of explaining how there can be motion in the world. Gorgias Gorgias has achieved fame for the stress he laid upon the art of persuasion (‘‘rhetoric’’), although whether he wrote the baffling On What Is Not as a serious piece of persuasive reasoning or as some sort of spoof of the Eleatic philosophy of Parmenides and others remains disputed. Its basic, and remarkable, claim is prima facie, that nothing in fact is (exists /is the case [esti] or is knowable or conceivable. Any exiguous plausibility that the arguments supporting this claim possess turns on our overlooking Gorgias’s failure, witting or unwitting, to distinguish carefully between knowing and thinking, along with his various uses of the verb ‘‘to be. ’’ If the failure was witting, the document can be seen as a skillful device for the spotting of fallacies as part of training in rhetoric and basic reasoning. If it was unwitting, Gorgias still emerges as what he was claimed to be—a deft rhetorical wordsmith on any topic proposed to him. Protagoras Perhaps the greatest of the Sophists was Protagoras of Abdera (481– 411 b. c. e. ). Protagoras was an archetypal Sophist: an active traveler and first-rate observer of other cultures who noted that although there are a variety of customs and beliefs, each culture believes unquestioningly that its own ways are right—and roundly condemns (or at least criticizes) views that differ from its own. Based on his observations and travels, Protagoras concluded that morals are nothing more than the social traditions, or mores, of a society or group. The details of Protagoras’s beliefs remain disputed. When he said, for example, that ‘‘anthropos [humanity] is a/the measure for all things, of things that are, that they are, and of things that are not, that they are not,’’ it is unclear whether he is talking about one person or the sum total of persons; about ‘‘a’’ measure or ‘‘the’’ measure (there is no definite article in Greek); or about existence or states of affairs or both. The Platonic reading in the Theaetetus, which takes ‘‘anthropos’’ as generic and ‘‘measure’’ as exclusive, led to the assertion that the logical consequence was total (and absurd) relativism. ______________________________ References: The Columbia History of Western Philosophy. Richard H. Popkin. Columbia University Press. 1999. Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy. 7th ed. Douglas J. Soccio. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 2010.

Issues And Challenges Facing Nurses Nursing Essay

Issues And Challenges Facing Nurses Nursing Essay Mary Seacole gained her reputation after the Crimean War (1853-1856). Florence Nightingale needed 40 nurses to work in a hospital in London. Although Mary Seacole went to London and brought many letters of recommendation from doctors with whom she had worked, she was told her services were not needed. In 1855, Mary Seacole went back to London anyway, funding her own way there. To pay for the long sea journey, she took food and other useful things with her. She established the British Hotel where soldiers were able to buy food and drinks. Mary cared for the soldiers and helped the wounded soldiers on the battlefield. She gained the name Mother Seacole. She was honored with many awards and medals for her dedication to helping soldiers. Mary Elizabeth Carnegie Mary Elizabeth Carnegie Carnegie graduated with a diploma from Lincoln School of Nurses in New York in 1937. Carnegie earned a BA degree from West Virginia State College; a certificate from the University of Toronto; an MA from Syracuse University and a DPA from New York University. Carnegie initiated the BSN program at Hampton University in Virginia. She also started the BSN program while assuming the position of Dean of Florida AM University School of Nursing in Tallahassee, which became the first National League for Nursing accredited program in the state of Florida. In 1942, the Florida State Nurses Association (FSNA) voted to admit black nurses to membership. Although they paid dues, black nurses were not allowed to speak or participate in meetings. Carnegies contributions as a nurse scholar and leader helped break down racial barriers. She became a full member of FSNA in 1948, and by 1949, was elected to the board of directors. Carnegie was inducted into the FNA Hall of Fame. She served as the editor of Nursing Research and served on the editorial staff of the American Journal of Nursing from 1953 to 1978. Carnegie also authored three books: Disadvantaged Students in RN Programs, Historical Perspectives of Nursing Research, and The Path We Tread: Blacks in Nursing, 1854-1994. Rhetaugh Graves Dumas Rhetaugh Graves Dumas was a pioneer and vibrant leader in nursing. She was a graduate of Dillard University School of Nursing in 1951. She was the first African American woman and the first nurse to be officially selected as deputy director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Rhetaugh received her MSN from Yale and was the first nurse to perform a randomized experimental design to study clinical nursing problems. She was the Vice Provost of Health Affairs at UM and the Lucille Cole Professor of Nursing. In 1997, she was named Dean Emerita and Vice Provost Emerita of the University of Michigan. She was a founding member and former president of the American Academy of Nursing, and wrote an influential research paper, The Effect of Nursing Care on Postoperative Vomiting. She also wrote the oft-cited Dilemmas of Black Females in Leadership in 1980. Mary Mahoney Mary Mahoney was admitted to the New England Hospital for Women and Children nursing program at the age of thirty-three. The program was sixteen months and included lectures and hands-on patient care. Of the forty-two students admitted to the program, only four graduated and Mary Mahoney was one of those four graduates. She received her nursing certification on August 1, 1879, making her the first African-American in history to earn a professional nursing license. Mary was most noted for her hard work to improve the status of African-American nurses and encourage the expansion of intercultural relations. Mary was the co-founder of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses in 1908. Mary Mahoney helped open the doors of opportunity for the African-American nurses. Beverly Malone Dr. Beverly Malone PhD, RN, FAAN has been since July 2001, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing. She is also a board member of HEFCE. While working as dean and professor of the School of Nursing at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University at Greensboro, she also served on the Governors Task Force on the Nursing Shortage and was a commissioner of the North Carolina Commission on Health Services. Dr. Malone held the positions of president of the American Nurses Association (ANA) (1996-2000) and Deputy Assistant Secretary at the United States Department of Health and Human Services for a one year term. Dr. Malone also served as the representative of the U.S. International Council of Nurses. Dr. Malone has also served on former President HYPERLINK http://en.nursingwiki.org/index.php?title=President_Clintonaction=editredlink=1Bill Clintons Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry. Dr. Malone was later appointed as a member of the U.S. delegation to the World Health Assembly, by former President Clinton and was a part of the presidents table discussion on the Patients Bill of Rights. Dr. Malone also served on the board of directors of the National Patient Safety Partnership, a collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the American Medical Association and other national health care organizations. She was the second African-American to serve as president of the ANA. Interview 1 nurse who was employed in nursing prior to 1980s I interviewed Kathleen Venable who graduated from Alcorn State University with an ASN. Kathleen also received a BSN from Loyola University and a Masters of Science from Southeastern Louisiana University. I asked her about a typical day shift, beginning and ending salary and similarities and differences with contemporary nursing prior to the 1980s. Typical day/shift Mrs. Venable worked at Catahoula hospital, a sixty-four bed hospital in Jonesville, LA. The hospital is split into east and west wings. She worked on a thirty-four bed hall. The unit consisted of two RNs (one head nurse), a LPN and 2 Certified Nursing Assistants. The head nurse was in charge of documenting all orders from doctors and any stat orders that needed to be brought other places someone off the unit had to bring it. The other floor RN was responsible for starting all IVs and administering all IV push medications. If the unit was full the nurses were assigned 15 patients a piece. Beginning and ending salary Mrs. Venable beginning salary was 8.25 and when she left a year later and went to Our Lady of the Lake she was offered 8.25 with shift differential. Now the average starting salary in Louisiana is 19.25-20.00 an hour with shift differentials. Similarities and differences with contemporary nursing There were many differences with nursing compared to now there was no set limit to nurse to patient ratio, there werent any Braden or pain scales. There were no resources to help the patients after being discharged from the hospital such as social workers, home health, Council on Aging or rehabilitation services. Nurses were unable to challenge a doctors decision and be the best patient advocate they could be because whatever the doctor said no one could question it for fear of losing their job. Similarities the nursing process was around and the typical working shift is still the same (12 hour shifts). She stated that there is much advancement in medicine today but the amount of time and energy is still the same in patient care. Review 1 prominent nursing journal published in early 1900s What are the similarities and differences with the same journal in the early 1990s compared to the 2000s Emphasize nursing roles and responsibilities The American Journal of nursing is the oldest nursing journal around. In the 1990s the journal wrote about mandating nursing caps, how to keep up with your staff after retirement and Faculty as relief staff to palliative care, and responding to disasters. The focus is still improving patient care but with all the recent tragedies America has had, the journal has shifted to teaching nurses how to care for patient after catastrophes. The Present Which nurses or nurse educators serve as role models to you? What are some of that persons characteristics that attract you? The nurses that serve as my role model are London Lewis (sister-in-law) and Mrs. Lois Bridgewater. London Lewis graduated from William Carey University. She is married with a child, but she didnt allow that to stop her. She is now in a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist program and is scheduled to graduate in May 2011. London was a full time wife and mother all while receiving a BSN and working on her current degree. London graduated from William Carey and her professors continue to speak highly of her motivation and dedication to becoming a nurse. Mrs. Lois Bridgewater is also one of my role models. She was my clinical instructor in nursing 310. What amazes me about her is the drive she has to accomplish everything she set out to do. She is an expert in her field and while at North Oaks Hospital, the staff respected her decisions and work ethics. Mrs. Bridgewater is not only a nurse but also a Certified Midwife, and shes working on her Family Nurse Practitioner. Respond to the following questions: What types of software skills are critical for new nurses entering the workforce? The type of software skills needed for new nurses entering the workforce are Microsoft Office which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook. Why is it important for new nurses to be able to search the Internet for information? It is important for new nurses to be able to search the Internet for information, in the event they have a question about something and there arent any resources available to you at that moment. The nurse can always get on the computer and find the information needed at that moment. The Future What are some of the challenges you see facing the nursing profession in the The challenges I see facing the nursing profession is patient healthcare due to nursing shortage. With the shortage of nurses, there is an increase in the patient to nurse ratio. With more patients, a nurse has less time to spend with each patient, which causes a decrease in the quality of care to all patients.

Interpretation And Appreciation Of The Floral Motif Arts Essay

Interpretation And Appreciation Of The Floral Motif Arts Essay Since this is a historical based paper focusing on the way in which wallpaper designers communicate through the use of visual language, different interpretations of the subject of botanical forms, historical background information must be provided to make a fuller understanding possible. This chapter is vital to the study of two dimensional surface design as it will explore the history of wallpaper and the reason one desires to decorate ones surroundings. 2.2. Literature review As well as the research carried out exploring the innovations of 20th century wallpaper design and the exploration of different interpretations of the floral motif, some considerable time was also dedicated to investigate the early history of wallpaper. The basic intention of undertaking this research was to examine the way in which wallpaper appeals to society and to provide a more in depth understanding of the sophistication of wallpaper design, which is a vital element of this study. Questions that are deriving the construction of the historical chapter include: Where did the concept of wallpaper originate from? What was the function of wallpaper? When were flowers and botanical forms first used as a form of decoration? The above objectives were explored by the study of literature surrounding the topic of the history of wallpaper, combing knowledge from books, journals, interior design magazines, and the information from internet sources. The final dissertation will answer these questions and draw relevant conclusions concerning the innovations of two dimensional surface design. The literature review in this section is intended to name the sources used and does not attempt to evaluate the categorised research which underlies them. For this historical chapter a number of sources have been thoroughly researched however some of the sources were more informative than others. Wall Papers of France 1800-1850 by Odile Nouvel (1981) gives a comprehensive narration of the history of wallpaper dating back to wallpapers before the nineteenth century and also refers to British wallpaper design. A similar book in terms historical background information which was also studied, Wallpaper in America From The Seventeenth Century to World War 1 by Catherine Lynn(1980) concentrates more on the styles of wallpaper and refers to British and French influences on American Wallpaper design. Chapter three Eighteenth-Century English wallpaper styles devotes 36 pages of typical wallpaper styles, motifs and patterns from this century including an in depth section on floral patterns. Whether printed in distemper or varnish colours, or whether flocked, floral motifs derived from textile prototypes form the largest category of repeating pa tterns in this relatively large group of wallpapers known to have been used. (Catherine Lynn 1980 p52) this chapter will be more relevant to later sections of this paper due to the specific information on the interpretation of the floral motif and also the detailed annotations of the provided images which clearly demonstrate the style as well as the predominant characteristics of wallpaper from the 18th century. The Floral home Introduction by Leslie Geddes-Brown (1992) is a very good informative source referring to the history of the floral motif which was a more difficult subject to track down using internet sources. More up to date sources which were looked at closely include Lesley Jacksons Twentieth Century Pattern Design and Off The Wall by Lena Lencek and Gideon Bosker which both examine pattern as a quintessential part of the 20th Century design history. Both authors provide a brief, informative history of wall coverings since the 15th century and suggest that wallpaper often reflects the cultural climate of the era of which it was produced. Timothy Brittain-Catlins A Papered History states that wallpaper was for, who chooses it, who pays for it, who it applies to and who appreciates it are all questions that have had different answers at different times. (A Papered History p7) The three books mentioned above will be very useful in terms of putting into context how wallpaper designers, historic and contemporary, are influenced by their social surroundings which in result affect the aesthetic qualities of their designs. The most valuable source however has been the wallpaper history website which lists and allows access to online articles which provide a very detailed insight to the history of wallpaper. The most relevant articles relating to this chapter have been by Alan Benjamin (2009) and Babara Krasner Khait (2001) where both texts are designed as an aid in comprehending the many facets of todays products. Benjamin in particular refers to evidence of wall coverings which dates back to thousands of years B.C, with the use of cave drawings and although this does not resemble wallpaper as we know it today it does signify mans earliest desire to decorate ones surroundings. The history of wallpaper chapter in his article provides a very specific and technical overview referring to the development of wallpaper and how it was used functionally as well as aesthetic purposes in the 16th century to keep out the cold and damp. Both articles are very well written, being short yet adequate and objective his torical accounts which are essential for this paper. Where did the concept of wall coverings originate from? According to archaeologists, the tradition of decorating walls dates back to several thousand years B.C in the form of cave drawings and still to this day it is uncertain as why ancient ancestors chose to decorate their surroundings. The two major theories concerning the reasons behind these graphics are explained as wish fulfilment and aesthetics of art. Although this does not resemble wallpaper as known today, it does signify mans earliest desire to decorate his surroundings. (Benjamin 2009) The ancient Egyptian and Roman civilization are also noted in history to have painted their living environment in a highly individual manner expressing two dimensional portrayals of visible and invisible worlds Earth and the domain of the Gods. (Benjamin 2009) Wallpaper actually begun in ancient China, first because the Chinese invented paper, and secondly because they glued rice paper onto their walls as early as 200 B.C What is the function of wallpaper? The use of wallpaper initially began as a cheap substitute for tapestry and panelling. Some historians believe that the use of wallpaper dates back to the 1400s. (Krasner-Khait 2001) The first wallpapers in England were individual sheets, decorated with geometrical woodcut patterns and printed in black ink on pale paper by a hand operated press. These papers could have been used for anything from covering up an unfortunate space, concealing uneven plasterwork or as an innovative alternative to hanging pictures on the wall. (Brittain-Catlin p7) Homes were built of stone during this period so the main function and practicality of these hangings was used to keep out the cold and damp. Wallpaper was soon to become the poor mans tapestry, an imitation of the expensive textiles used in royal households. Elizabethan England saw a higher demand for wallpaper as its popularity increased. The elite of society were accustomed to hanging large tapestries on the walls of their homes, a tradition from the middle ages. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia) These tapestries added colour as well as providing an insulating layer between the stone walls and the room, thus retaining heat in the room. However, tapestries were very expensive and therefore only the very rich could afford them. For the not so rich members of the elite, they turned to wallpaper to brighten up their rooms as they were unable to but tapestries due to price or wars preventing international trade. Throughout Europe, a fascination began with these papers that offered protection against dampness and improved ability to handle fireplace smoke. In the twentieth century, when mass production, innovated materials, and printing techniques cross pollinated with an unprecedented fluidity of traditions and designs, wallpaper leapt from its privileged position as a covering for the elite to become the truly democratized and democratizing purveyor of domestic elegance refinement and in some cases, downright kitsch. (Lencek and Bosker, 2004, p9) When were flowers first used as a form of decoration? It is extraordinary how floral art crops up in every century and civilization. There is evidence of a detailed wall painting from ancient Egypt that depicts geese grazing from grasses and tiny red flowers which dates back from 2550B.C. Indeed if a tribe or nation does not respect and recreate the beauties of nature, it has little claim to be called civilized. (Geddes-Brown 1992 p8) The flower was used as a symbol and sometimes reflected religious beliefs. The Iris and Lily were both symbols of royalty and the Virgin Mary and were popular subjects of renaissance painters. It is a mistake to identify floral art and decoration only with the chintzy, the countrified and the cosy though all these styles have tremendous charm. Flowers can be architectural (the Greeks used palm and acanthus leaves for their capital), political (roses and thistles were secret Jacobite signs) and perhaps even sinister (the blood thirsty cultivated dahlias and zinnias). (Geddes-Brown 1991 p8) SUMMARY!!!! 3 Victorian wallpapers Introduction Being noted as important era in the history of wallpaper design, a considerable amount of time was dedicated thoroughly researching Victorian wallpaper. This is an important chapter in the study of the floral motif as this period not only put British design on the map but also redesigned wallpaper all over the world and is still, to this day, popular within the interior market. As well as the typical characteristics of Victorian wallpaper, much attention will be given to the research of British designer William Morris, who not only was a one- man pattern-making phenomenon, but was also the founding father of the arts and crafts movement. The overall aims and objectives of this chapter will draw conclusions as to why this period of design was so revolutionary and why Morriss designs are still used to influence todays designers. It will put into perspective how wallpaper has developed with the ever changing society and how the subject of the floral motif has morphed from a realistic representation to a more abstract and simplistic form throughout the centuries. Literature review The Victorian era, was a grand time for wallpaper featuring over embellished designs. Floral Prints were very popular in Victorian England. Print upon print lined the interior walls of rooms, mostly in a rich and heavy colour palette. Dark red, bottle green, chocolate brown, maroon and deep glowing blue were predominant in a great profusion of pattern and ornament. The advent of mass production of wallpaper put the cabbage rose and arabesque patterns within the budget range of practicality of every home. Designers such as William Morris and his lyrical interpretations of nature, hand-printed by the wood block method, came to symbolize Art Nouveau. William Morriss first wallpaper designs started to appear in the 1860s. They came as a slightly later edition to the textile designs. Morris himself was not a big fan of wallpaper for interiors. He much preferred the idea of using hung textile work, such as tapestry or heavy fabrics framed as panels, which he saw as more traditional for interiors than the fairly recent wallpaper industry. Another reason was the difficulty in achieving a good and faithful reproduction of initial design work. Morris was a definite perfectionist and was not prepared to take on a medium if the results were to be less than perfect. William Morris maintained that beautiful surroundings improve the quality of life, and that all of the elements which play a part in the overall style of an interior, textiles and wall coverings are among the most important. Whatever you have in your room, think first of your walls, for they are that which makes your house a home William Morris (1834-1896). William Morris Floral wallpaper designs. Naturalistic flowers and fruit were characteristics of early Victorian wallpapers; initially, they were superimposed on classical architectural backgrounds but in the 1840s they were intertwined with elaborate scrolls and cartouches. By the 1850s, however, design innovators such as Owen Jones and AWN Pugin had rejected this naturalism in favour of flat, formalised patterns. John Ruskin whose theories on design had a big effect during the second half of the nineteenth century, rejected the whole repertory of Renaissance-Classical decorative motifs as prefabricated. William Morris, the guiding light of the arts and crafts movement of the 1870s and 1880s generally shared the views of Pugin, Jones and Ruskin. He believed however that flowers used in textiles and wallpaper designs should be seen to be growing naturally. Motifs from nature, though flattened and stylised, were clearly outlined and recognisable in is patterns. They retained their fundamental characteristics, yet their style was so emphasised. Morris and other Arts and Crafts artists were drawn to the natural world for their imagery. Morris himself dismissed the exotic hothouse plants so popular with the Victorians and instead drew his floral motifs from his garden and the English countryside. Marigolds, honeysuckle, jasmine and lilies were among the flowers depicted in his wallpaper designs. Morris believed that the structure of patterns was of crucial importance, as he explained à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦if the lines of them grow strongly and grow gracefully, I think they are decidedly helped by the structure not being elaborately concealed. His designs were rigorously constructed, on either a symmetrical diamond design framework or a branch framework that created a bower effect. Willow boughs or scrolling acanthus leaves were used as a structural background in a number of Morris designs. Many of his designs also included complex, subsidiary patterns of small flower growing from meandering stems. His insistence on the highest standards of design is apparent in this quotations: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ no amount of delicacy is too great in the drawing of the curves of a pattern, no amount of care in getting the leading lines right from the first. Remember that a pattern is either right or wrong. It cannot be forgiven for blundering. A failure forever recurring torments the eye. William Morris (1834-1896). (images) Wallpaper analysis Morriss first commercial wallpaper designs, as can be seen in the first two images here, Daisy and Pomegranate, were very much a case of stamped motifs on a fairly simple and plain background. Some of the motifs were actually reproduced from Morriss medieval style tapestry work, usually from incidental backgrounds or lower foregrounds where they were used to fill in spaces around the more important human figures. Both Daisy and Pomegranate were produced in the mid-1860s and reflect very much the simplicity of much of Morriss early textile work. In fact, many of the designs initially produced for textiles did end up as wallpaper patterns, with very few changes in the design, if any. By the 1870s Morris wallpaper design work had become much more accomplished, and therefore much more complex. There is very little, if any plain background to be seen, and whereas the earlier examples were largely independently stamped on to a surface, the later examples are clearly intertwined with each other, making it difficult to see any obvious motifs. The three designs shown, Larkspar, Pimpernel and Chrysanthemum were all produced in the 1870s. They clearly show the confidence in the design work and the medium, and are therefore much more fluid and free form than the earlier, more tentative work of the 1860s. It would be tempting to see some of the fluid and meandering flower stems, rich, full flowers and languid leaves, as an indication of the roots of Art Nouveau, and while there is a certain similarity in some of Morris work, it is also firmly rooted within both the British Arts Craft movement and the styles and fashions of the mid-Victorian design world. What makes Morris wallpaper design work stand out from others of the same era is the intensity of the compositions. There is a real observational passion for the natural world that is missing from so much of Victorian floral derived work. To Morris, these designs could not just be interpreted as pretty, or attractive, they were much more. They were indeed part of his lifes work and passion. They were a record of the British traditional rural landscape, one of nature and human in a harmonic symbiosis. The intertwining of much of his floral work could be interpreted as a framework in which we are all a part, which is one of the reasons that Morris disliked geometry as a design tool, as he interpreted it as a man-made system for trying to quantify the natural world, rather than allowing the natural world to quantify itself. The Acanthus wallpaper The Acanthus has been widely used since early times. A plant with boldly indented and scrolled leaves; it was a common element in Greek and Roman architectural ornament as noted in chapter 1 and a widely used Renaissance Motif. It has appeared in textiles over and over again, from Italian velvets to Arts and Crafts prints. William Morris said of it, No form of ornament has gone so far or lasted so long as this; it has been infinitely varied, used by almost all following styles in one shape or another, and performed many other office besides its original one. Large lead verdure tapestries, employing foliage in soft greens, tans and browns on a dark blue background were manufactures in France and Flanders in the Sixteenth century and greatly influenced William Morris designs for wallpaper. Many designs of the 1890s including a number of William Morris prints incorporated the large swirling patterns of Acanthus scrolls or other classical floral motifs from the sixteenth and seventeenth century. (type up literature review) British Wallpaper in the 1970s The Revival of Art Nouveau in the 1970s Over half a century after the initial movement of Art Nouveau, it re-emerged for a second time in the 1970s. This however was not the only art movement that was rediscovered and re-energised in 1970s wallpaper design. The Art Deco movement was of particular interest which influenced two dimensional surface design, but also aesthetic qualities from a number of Victorian art styles were reincorporated including the works of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. What where the reasons for the re-emergence of the Art Nouveau movement? However, the generation that came after the Modernist outlook the 1950s and 1960s, started to trawl through the ephemera that had been left behind by nearly a century of Victorianism. A new generation of textile and wallpaper designer, who had little if any of the prejudice against nineteenth century design that was shown by previous generations, were keen to examine the design work and if possible produce work that was inspired by the original, but with a contemporary twist. There was a wide range of work produced in this neo-Art Nouveau style. Some was close to the original idea of using florals and incorporating the sinuous line that was present in the original style. Interestingly however, although this seemed like a kick against the ideas of modernist design, many of the ideas and philosophies of twentieth century design were incorporated into these new Art Nouveau inspired patterns. Many of the colour schemes for example, were heightened and changed altogether to fit in with interior schemes that were based on an entirely different set of parameters than the turn of the century originals. There was also less of an emphasis on the portrayal of floral design and much more on a vaguer, even abstract quality to the design work, which placed the emphasis firmly on pattern and shape, rather than any form of representational design. Much of the design work reproduced here (refer to images) is interesting as, although it does represent a re-emergence of interest in past styles, it does not descend into pastiche or plagiarism of the original decorative style. This is not the Laura Ashley style of design, which was more or less a slavishly faithful copy of the period; it is more an interpretation of a design style as seen over the gulf of the twentieth century. Designers saw no point in reproducing faithful copies of the Art Nouveau style, as reproductions were already available. However, they also saw no point in producing new work that copied the style exactly as no one could pretend, as Laura Ashley did, that seventy years of the twentieth century had not happened. These Art Nouveau revival wallpapers give a fascinating opportunity to picture two points in the history of design, the gap between them and how that gap affected the process of design and interpretation. Wallpaper design was still popular in the 1970s, though beginning to lose out to painted walls. However, it was still a mainstay in many homes and would continue to be so for the rest of the decade. This popularity meant that the choice and range of design work available was fairly large compared to todays choices. Geometrically derived patterns, as the ones shown here, were still popular throughout the decade, as were all forms of floral, from the traditional realistically looking flower patterns, to popular graphic interpretations. All of the patterns shown here are of wallpaper designs from around the 1970s. They all take the flower as their source of inspiration and its subsequent decorative effect. All are basically flat pattern designs, some more abstract than others, but all still using the flower as a standard motif. Wallpaper Analysis Taking a flower down to its basic components, you are left with four petals and a circular centre. There are of course endless variations on this theme, with the petals multiplying or decreasing, though four tends to be the lower limit. The centres can also range from a fairly complex pattern with a number of different centres, to a very simple but effective circle. Some of the flower motifs in these examples have become little more than geometric shapes with the flower becoming so abstract that it is barely recognisable as such. However, that does mean that the design is not a floral, no matter how far removed it has become from the original inspiration, it could still justifiably be classed as a floral decoration pattern. Often, by including more than one type of flower motif, the pattern can take on a more complex appearance. In this way patterns can then sit within patterns, so while the petals and centre of the flower can produce a decorative effect within its own right, a self contained pattern, these can then be used as multiples, creating another pattern. If a different flower motif is then introduced, that flower has a decorative effect of its own and if juxtaposed with the original flower motif, they contrast with each other, thus creating yet another pattern effect. This can go on so that a number of more complex layers are added, though care should be taken not to overload the design, which can become confusing the more elements that are added. This can be a particular problem with wallpaper design whereby a pattern effect has to be able to be interpreted easily from a distance, but must also be effective when seen close up. Another interesting effect that can be used is when flower motifs overlap each other, creating an opportunity to produce yet another flower motif, and by changing the colour tone slightly, this new flower design will appear as if still connected to the overlapping decorative flower motifs, while retaining some independence from them at the same time. Colour and tone is an important element, particularly within flat pattern where it is sometimes difficult to give the design elements that make up the pattern enough differentiation for it to have any effect, particularly from a distance. By using similar colours or one colour with different tones, it becomes much easier to see separate elements of the pattern while still maintaining a balanced piece that appears to be both harmonious and effective. The art world has introduced countless ideas and methods that have been reinterpreted by both textile and wallpaper designers. Abstraction and colour and paint techniques in all their modernist facets, have been used repeatedly and constantly by designers who were keen to add to the repertoire of the industry. Large bold patterns, still with the flower as its centre of inspiration, have been part of the wallpaper industry for a long time. By interpreting and often reinterpreting for the medium concerned, effective large repeat patterns have been produced that seem to have little to do with a mass production industry, but are still mass produced nonetheless. These patterns often appear to be less constructed and less precise, often giving the illusion of spontaneity and creativity, the hallmarks or at least the common interpretation of much of the twentieth centurys fine art output. This is by no means a comprehensive interpretation of flat design. It only gives a few ideas as to the complex nature of this style of design and the number of variations that are easily achievable. In Conclusion flat design appears to be much more creative and inspiring than traditional floral realism for example, with endless opportunities to both simplify and complicate the same pattern motif. (Images of 1970s wallpaper) Methodology Introduction When embarking on a topic of research, all of the possible methodological factors must be taken into account as sources of information are of great importance. Decisions ave o be made into which method of data collection to use to achieve the greatest information specific to the question at hand. In order to try and find out as much information about the topic and area being disgussed, a variety of acedemic sources were needed, such as books, journals and the internet. These academic sources wer all accesed in a selection of different places. Despite a wide variety of ways to find all of this information, the information did not come without its problems. Finding the information There are many ways of findng the information that is needed. Most of the information in relation to this study was found in the university library in the textiles department. This was done by searching for and looking through relevant literature in the books that were available in the library. Finding books for relevant information was one of the first things that had to be done in order in order to find background inforation on the topic, such as what work had already been done in the area. Books were also then found in order to find informaton in relation to the question being asked through the use of search engines, which produces a list of books/journals with relevance to keys words, authors etc. The internet was also used as a method of secondary resourcing. This was used to find websites such as the Wallpaper History website which provides links of online aricles referring to the history of wallpaper and the innovations of wallpaper design. The internet also allowed journals to be found online, this allowed access to more up to date literature which was not provided by the available books in the library. Journals are also quick and easy to find, simply using the search engine tool online, a large number of journals become available to read. These journals were used in the same way as books, to find background knowledge and to help find information towards the question. The books and journals especially, helped to find vital information on the topics of the innovations of wallpaper design and how designers have put their own stamp on the very popular floral motif which has developed with te ever changing society. This is all acedemic wock which was needed in order to answer the question as thoroughly as possible. Interviews Interviews give a ricj insight to peoples biographies, experience, opinions, values, aspirations, attitudes and feelings. Interviews were taken place in The Temple Newsome Museum which is celebrated for its wonderful collections of fine and decorative arts, especially paintings, furniture, silver, ceramics, textiles and most importantly wallpapers. James Lomax the exhibition curator who specialises in the 17th 18th and 9th century was interviewd. This was to obtain an insight of a professionals view on the matter. Using interviews as methods of colecting data proved to be a reliable source of researc. This is because of the specific questions are asked with a reliable reply relating to the subject matter. Data can be obtained easily and resourcefully using certain questions. Interviews can be delivered in a structured or unstructures form. Consideration was given to the type of interview that was carried out to gain the best results. There are both advantages to consider when chossing the most appropirate one. Structured interviews are seen as having set questions. These questions are asked and recorded on a standardised schedule. The question cannot be modified during or after the interview. In contrast an unstrctured interview is less formal, where the interviewer has a greater flexibility and freedom. It was thougt that an interview towards the less structured theory would be more effective as the researcher did not want to domain the interview. Planning was essential for the process. Limitations Limitations include trying to find books that were relevant and that were also up to date. As a way of traking this because the university library only had a limited amount of books available on the floral motif, inter library loans were used, this is when books can be loaned form other university libraries. This however can be very time consuming because people may already have the books out and even if they havent it can take a few days before the ooks arrive to be collected. Another disadvantage of using the library which proved to be a problem in the stages of research was the opportunity for others to put a reserve on books which were already loaned out. This not only adds pressure to the researcher but limts the time available to read through the books and to thoroughly digest and understand the information provided.

History of Special Education Essay -- Special Education

History of Special Education Introduction Special education has faced many changes during the last century. During this time there have been many opinions on the way students with differences should be taught and treated. This paper will discuss the history of special education during the twentieth century. We will also discuss the laws associated with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Finally we will discuss the current and future challenges that the laws have on special education. History of Special Education For most of our nation's history, children with special needs or disabilities were shunted aside. In spite of mandated education laws that had been in place since 1918, many students were denied education and forced to learn at home or be institutionalized. For the few mild or moderate disabilities students who were allowed to enroll in special programs in public school, they were often placed in classrooms separated from other students and denied a proper education. William (2008), points out, â€Å"Rarely was there anything 'special' about these programs. American society largely continued to view many people with disabilities as being crippled, feeble-minded, mentally defective, or diseased, under a medical model of disability.† These views and ideas often led many students with disabilities to drop out before graduating from high school.One of the first movements of special education in the United States started after World War ll, when several parents organized advocacy g roups surfaced in the states. The American Association on Mental Deficiency was one of the first groups to form and held its first conference in 1947 to address the needs of Special Education in the U.S.Several landmark cases also ha... ...ualized to the students’ needs, in an environment which best service the child. However, more is still needed to ensure that all students are being identified and served earlier, and that these service are more widely available to the students and their parents. As educators we should take steps to ensure that we are prepared to teach all students, and to help those students make a smooth transition into adulthood. Works Cited Heward, W. L. (2009). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education (9thed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Myhill, W. (2008). The First One Hundred Years of Special Education in America? 1817 to 1925. Retrieved December 9, 2010 from http://knol.google.com/k/william-myhill/ Pardini, P. (2002), The History of Special Education. Retrieved December 9, 2010 from http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/16_03/Hist163.shtml

A Nightmare On Elm Street :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At a time when the stalker movie had been exploited to all ends and the image of mute, staggering, vicious killers had been etched into society’s consciousness to the point of exhaustion, a new kid entered the block. The year was 1984 and it was time for a new villain to enter into the horror genre. A villain that was agile, intelligent, almost inviolable yet viscous, and by all means deadly. A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced the distinctive presence of Fred Krueger to the horror industry and to the audience. Freddy Krueger took the center stage and with him a new era of horror films began. This horribly scarred man who wore a ragged slouch hat, dirty red-and-green striped sweater, and a glove outfitted with knives at the fingers reinvented the stalker genre like no other film had. Fred Krueger breathed new life into the dying horror genre of the early 1980’s. Horror films are designed to frighten the audience and engage them in their worst fears, while captivating and entertaining at the same time. Horror films often center on the darker side of life, on what is forbidden and strange. These films play with society’s fears, its nightmare’s and vulnerability, the terror of the unknown, the fear of death, the loss of identity, and the fear of sexuality. Horror films are generally set in spooky old mansions, fog-ridden areas, or dark locales with unknown human, supernatural or grotesque creatures lurking about. These creatures can range from vampires, madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists, demons, zombies, evil spirits, satanic villains, the possessed, werewolves and freaks to the unseen and even the mere presence of evil. Within the genre of horror films falls the sub-genre of teen slasher/stalker films. These teen slasher/stalker films take the horror genre film characteristics into account, however they add more to the formula. More violence, sadism, brutality, and graphic blood and gore are used to increase the terror factor. Sexuality and gratuitous nudity are also key characteristic of many of these films. Imitations and numerous sequels are also a common characteristic of teen slasher/stalker films as well. A Nightmare on Elm Street and all of the following six sequels fall into its own sub-genre of the teen slasher/stalker sub-genre as well, know as the Nightmare on Elm Street Series. This series of films adds a new dimension to the typical teen slasher/stalker film, depth of character and story.

Illegal trade in animals and animal parts in south east asia Essay

The illegal trade in exotic fauna and animal parts is the third largest illegal business globally: second only to narcotics trafficking and human trafficking. South East Asia is increasingly becoming the centre of the animal trade both in the procurement stage and as a transit point, where deals are brokered and sales are made. This trade has had a significant impact on a fragile ecosystem already threatened by human-environment conflict. Most tropical forests are already experiencing ‘empty forest’  syndrome, characterised by the absence of fauna. South East Asia has a culinary tradition of consuming exotic animals. Animal parts are also used in traditional Chinese and South Asian medicine. The already dwindling animal population is under further pressure by the trade in protected species and animal parts. Bangkok has gained the dubious reputation as the leading city in this illegal trade. The markets of the city are teeming with numerous pet shops selling everything from puppies, avian fauna and marine life. Most of these shops are front shops where unscrupulous deals are brokered for trade in protected species. Chatuchak weekend market displays various forms of exotic animals, ranging from Burmese pythons, birds of paradise, red pandas and freshwater turtles, all of them protected species. This paper aims to explore the magnitude of the problem, by analysing expert opinions on the issue. In addition the laws involved in regulating the trade in the region will be scrutinised. Lastly the paper will suggest possible solutions to this heinuous problem. In the process the paper aims to highlight the environmental concerns of conservationist groups and global bodies like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), TRAFFICK and the Environmental Investigation Agency. The trade is also of a global nature as a lot of animal parts are sourced from Africa. These products eventually make their way to affluent households in South East Asia and China. This paper also aims to highlight the hunter, trafficker, political patrons and trader nexus. For example ivory trade is legal in Thailand; however, most of the ivory that is traded is sourced directly from Africa. Once a key source for the exotic pet trade itself, today Thailand is more important as a major hub in the global network of suppliers and dealers. Between 2003 and 2005, US$165 million worth of illegally traded wildlife and plants were confiscated in Thailand, including more than 55,000 live animals. The driving factor of this illegal trade is customer demand for exotic animals, with buyers often lacking an understanding of the price that nature pays for collecting exotic species. In many cases, buyers do not know or care about the well being of the animals, and are indifferent to their suffering and inhumane treatment. The trade can only be countered by vigilant monitoring of the porous borders of South East Asian nations and by increasing human awareness about the issue. If this problem is not addressed, future generations will suffer due to the  skewed ecosystem that they inherited from previous generations. RESEARCH QUESTIONS While acknowledging the highly serious nature of the illegal wildlife trade, prevalent across Southeast Asia, this paper focuses on the scale, magnitude and threat this trade can cause to the ecological balance of the region. To what extent this trade has caused pressure on the social and economic balance of the region? Has economic disparity caused this catastrophe? What are the driving factors behind the trade? Are the reasons primarily cultural or are they mainly economic, driven by the massive profits? Are the preventive laws in place effective in curbing the menace? The answers to these questions will require an understanding of the myriad actors involved in this trade. An understanding of the history and cultural motivations of the people of the region is also imperative. METHODOLOGY Various articles published by conservationists well-versed in the wildlife trade are utilised in compiling this paper. Case studies pertaining to the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam and Laos have also been used as points of research. Most of the articles used in this paper have been retrieved from the Internet. However a number of articles have been extracted from newspaper archives and also from books on conservation. Research was also combined with conversations and discussions with wildlife conservation experts in Thailand, Vietnam and Nepal LIMITATIONS OF THE PAPER The lack of accurate data due to the illegal nature of the trade is the biggest hindrance in figuring out the magnitude of the trade. Due to the covert nature of the trade it is near impossible to get first-hand accounts of people involved. The lack of access to libraries and inaccurate information by Thailand’s forest department are other setbacks. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE The primary source reviewed is a study prepared by the Rural Development, Natural Resources and Environment Sector unit of East Asia (EASRE) in collaboration with TRAFFIC, which was funded by The World Bank-Netherlands Partnership Fund (BNPP) (October, 2008). The study involves questionnaires prepared by 89 experts on the wildlife trade. The study states that the wildlife trade is of significant importance in South East Asia involving wide and complex networks for both sourcing and marketing and involves a diverse range of actors, including rural harvesters, professional hunters, a wide variety of intermediate traders, wholesalers and retailers, up to the final consumers of wildlife many of whom live thousands of miles away from the product source. The wildlife trade may also undermine efforts to achieve sustainable development and poverty alleviation in the region due to depleting valuable natural resources on which millions of people depend. The Singapore book of International Law and Contributors (Lin, 2005) gives a detailed description of the preventive laws and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) to which ASEAN is a signatory of. Lin argues that illegal trade is not just an environmental problem, but its impact spills over to other social concerns. Further, illegal trade in animals goes hand in hand with other transnational crimes such as narcotic and human trafficking. The creation of a permit system to regulate the international trade in species has also created opportunities for evasion of the system as criminal entities seek to exploit loopholes in the regulatory system. Engelsberg, (2007) writes of the inability of the authorities to monitor the wildlife trade in Chatuchak market. This is due to the presence of a strong network of informers who tip off the traders. Engelsberg details the connection between legitimate pet shops and the behind the scenes vehicles where the protected species to be traded are hidden. According to Wild Aid Thailand, up to one million native and exotic birds are sold every  year in Chatuchak. Sullivan (November, 2003) says that the magnitude of the problem of illicit trafficking in exotic species is huge, because forests are like an unguarded bank. Every single product in the forest is of value, particularly the wildlife because they command a high price. Accessibility to the forests has led to an increase in wildlife trade. The focus of Social Implications of the Wildlife Trade by Singh (2004) is on Laos. This source writes about contrasting views among policy makers and law enforcement agencies, and their unwillingness to apprehend individuals involved in the protected species trade which has led to a constant decline in wildlife in Laotian forests. This lax enforcement has also led to an erosion in moral values with hunters looking for illegal and alternative means to traffic wildlife, thus causing social conflicts and leading to the formation of illegal trafficking gangs. This has seriously threatened the social fabric of Laotian society. Felbab-Brown (June, 2011) highlights the importance of providing alternative livelihood to hunters and poachers. As most hunters are highly marginalised and often desperately poor, focusing on finding legal livelihoods can be an important component of policy interventions to reduce the wildlife trade. Previous efforts of appointing ex-poachers as forest rangers have failed because the economic profits of the wildlife trade are far greater than a forest ranger’s salary. Thus, some rangers continue to operate as poachers. Felbab-Brown concludes that the only solution lies in tackling demand for endangered species. This underscores the added urgency to engage the Chinese government to reining demand in the domestic market. A TRAFFIC Report (2011) found that many of the interventions that have been employed to control illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam are believed to have been at least partially successful, although beliefs on the level of effectiveness varied among experts. However, based on survey responses and information from the literature, assumptions made about economic and social drivers in the design  of intervention approaches may in some cases be misplaced. The report also suggested that there are needs both to improve available data and knowledge about the wildlife trade, and to make this information more practical, policy relevant and more accessible to planners and decision makers. The report also urges governments across South East Asia to take a proactive stand towards the conservation efforts. The Teaching Ecology Newsletter (Fall, 2011) highlights the plight of pangolins. This article states that Chinese pangolins were once the primary target of smugglers but because population density is so low the smugglers have switched to the Malayan pangolin. This shy mammal is largely caught by smugglers in Malaysia and Indonesia then shipped back to tthe black market in China where they are eaten or used in traditional medicine. This article highlights the perceived medicinal value of the animal. Pangolin scales are a popular herbal remedy in China, Vietnam and Korea. The scales are believed to cure toxins, inflammation, rheumatic pain and are also used as an aphrodisiac. Furthermore, pangolins are also stuffed and sold for decoration. An article in chm.asean.biodiversity.org (2010) talks about the extent of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. In addition to threats brought about by known and quantifiable stresses, illegal-unreported-and-unregulated fishing is an blatant aggravating impediment to all attempts to manage fisheries resources and fish stocks in the region. Fish populations tend to remain constant under normal conditions and decline, in most cases, due to overfishing. The article focuses on the growing demand for fisheries resources, the increase in the numbers of fishers and vessels, and the efficiency of modern fishing gear, all of which contributes to the inability of these resources to recover. Moreover, the reduced availability of fisheries resources increases competition, and prods players to resort to illegal, and more efficient forms of fishing. The lack of capacity of the ASEAN to monitor highly mobile fishing vessels and deliberate poaching from both in-country and those coming from neighbouring countries makes it next to impossible to quantify the level and extent of  IUU fishing. A recent report estimated the value of IUU fishing at the global scale to be between US$ 10 to 23.5 billion annually. Information in the same report attributes Philippine losses in 2008 to the amount of US$ 600 million to poaching by foreign vessels and blast- and cyanide-fishing. The bushmeat crisis is highlighted in chm.biodiversity.org (2010). The Bushmeat Crisis Task Force reported that while habitat loss is often cited as the primary threat to wildlife, commercial hunting for the meat of wild animals has become the most significant immediate threat to the future of wildlife all over the world. The task force refers to bushmeat hunting as a crisis because it is rapidly expanding. Species which were previously not at risk are now threatened due largely to an increase in commercial logging, opening up an infrastructure of roads and trucks that links forests and hunters to cities and consumers. Drury (2009) states that wildlife depletion has serious implications for world food security and contributes directly to human livelihoods, healthcare and economics, particularly important for the poorest households. Over exploitation of wildlife threatens not only biodiversity but also those who depend on it for upholding water security, maintaining forest structure and increasing agricultural productivity. Drury also argues that wildlife trade encourages novel zoonotic infections through â€Å"unnatural cross exposure of species through human intervention†. HIV is one such case which has reached epic proportions among the human population. The SARS epidemic of 2003 is also believed to have originated in the wildlife conflicts of South China. The article not only emphasises the need to influence public values to stigmatise consumption behaviour but also argues that the process of altering human behavioural psychology is a tedious and time consuming process. Newer (2011), speaks about the exploitation of animal ingredients in traditional Chinese medicines especially about the use of tiger bones and other tiger parts in the cure of various diseases ranging from impotency  to asthma. Newer also speaks about the global nexus of Chinese medicine highlighting the capture of 469 seizures of tiger products in the US between 2000-2009. A report published in the Science Daily (March,2010) gives a description of the role of the porous borders between Myanmar and China in the facilitation of the wildlife trade. The article says that due to the large and unmanned nature of the China-Myanmar border, poachers in Myanmar are increasingly exporting wildlife products into China. Another report published in the Science Daily (July, 2008) highlights a research conducted in seven major cities across China to gauge attitudes of the Chinese towards the consumption of tiger parts as medicine or otherwise. A whopping 43% of the respondents admitted to consuming products they believe contained tiger parts. However, another study by the same group found that 88% of the respondents were aware that buying tiger products is illegal and 93% agreed that China’s ban was necessary to ensure a future for wild tigers. Nijman (2009) reports on the trade of orangutans, gibbons and other primates in Sumatra, Indonesia and highlights the attention given to primates by animal welfare groups and conservationists vis-a vis the animal trade. Orangutans and gibbons are being transported over large distances to other areas while waiting in transit at docks or warehouses. Nijman states that the population of gibbons had reduced by 50% between 1980 and 2005 and that of orangutans by nearly 35% during the same period. The study talks of the continuous human pressure on female orangutans with babies. The normal procedure is to kill the female to get a baby. A safe estimate is that for every one orangutan brought out and sold to a dealer, three more have been killed. NARRATIVE The single greatest threat to the ecological balance of the planet  is the illegal trade in wildlife and animal parts. Habitat loss has been pushed to a distant second due to the indiscriminate and ruthless nature of the illegal species trade. Today the illicit trade is valued at anywhere between US$ 6 to 10 billion annually. According to conservationists the problem is most acute in South East Asia. There is no single reason that one can pinpoint for this phenomena. Instead there exists a complex combination of socio-economic, cultural and political motivations that drive the animal trade in South East Asia. In the last five years, the World Bank has approved nearly 50 projects directly or indirectly related to biodiversity conservation in East and Southeast Asia, accounting for some US$310 million of financing (Sanghvi,2009). However, there is a growing realization that these investments are being seriously compromised by the illegal wildlife trade, and that as a result the region’s forests are increasingly empty of the wildlife that makes them so unique. The effectiveness of these projects is threatened by the absence of binding wildlife regulations and implementing bodies. The region is a centre for the consumption of wildlife derivatives. In terms of export of wildlife the region is the largest exporter of wildlife to the international market as well. Kashmira Kakati of WWF (November,2011), Nepal says that the illegal wildlife trade consists of a complex web of trade routes and traders that form a chain which passes via South East Asia through Burma, Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet to mainland China where demand is optimum. As head of rhino and elephant conservation in Nepal, Kakati is most concerned about the illegal ivory that is being traded. Ivory is sourced from as far as nations like Malawi and Botswana and is integrated to the ivory market in Thailand where the trade is legal. Often the ivory is transported in private chartered aircraft and which is an indicator of the profits that the illegal ivory trade provides. In Africa, poaching helicopters fly above the wildlife reserves owing to the lack of forest guards, these swoop down, shoot elephants and saw the tusks off. In an instant the helicopters fly away making it very difficult for law enforcement agencies to track the offenders and punish them. South East Asia surpassing habitat loss as the number one danger. South east asia has been experiencing an economic boom. Households have experienced greater buying power and lifestyles have increased dramatically. As a result, this rapid economic growth has led to an increase in the illegal wildlife trade. The culinary traditions of the region include eating a number of protected species. Traditional medicine which includes those that consist of tiger and bear parts is extremely popular in the region. In addition, a large number of animals are traded to be kept as pets or trophies. As a result of rapid economic growth, the demand for natural resources such as land, timber and nontimber forest resources has exploded across Asia. Moreover, the East and Southeast Asia region is a center for the consumption of wildlife derivatives, ranging from tiger bone medicines to shark fin cuisine. The region is also a key supplier to the international wildlife market, both legal and illegal. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the biggest driver of the illegal wildlife trade. It is a 3000 year old tradition and is used by a large population in China as well as elsewhere in south east Asia. Tiger parts are used extensively to produce medicines for impotency, heart pain and congestion in the lungs, while bear bile is used to produce medicines for delusional diseases and to reduce pregnancy pains. TCM is also popular in the United States as is evident from the capture of more than 3000 medicines consisting of tiger derivatives in Seattle in 2007 (TRAFFIC, 2007). This goes to show the increasing global network of the illegal wildlife trade. This has led to unsustainable levels of exploitation for many of the region’s most charismatic and endangered species. The region’s forests are increasingly silent, empty of the wildlife that makes them so unique. Vivek Menon of TRAFFIC (November,2011), says that the trade in Thailand is generally conducted in legitimate pet shops and otherwise through a network of mobile suppliers. As such animals are sourced primarily from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam making their way to the wildlife markets in Thailand from where they are transported into China. In the case of the illegal trade in tiger parts, most of the parts are sourced from India and Nepal from where they are transported via Myanmar into Thailand and eventually traded in southern China. The transportation is made possible  due to the presence of long and porous borders where law enforcement is negligible. Government authorities are frequently involved in the illegal wildlife trade. The poachers often bribe the authorities enabling the safe passage of the cache of animal parts across borders. The wildlife trade in Sout Eeast Asia has a long history. Plants and animals were traded in Cambodia from as long back as the 10th century(Martin and Phipps, 1996). Most of the animals were traded to the rulers of Burma and Thailand. In Vietnam wildlife was presented as pets to the emperors of China (Nash, 1997). The French explorer Garnier, on his travels to Laos in the 1960s, observed a flourishing wildlife trade in the country which included elephant ivory, rhinoceros horn, peafowl feathers, and animal bone (Garnier, 1869-85). In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge come to power in Cambodia. Along with human rights abuses the regime traded nearly US$25 million worth of wild animal parts to the Chinese for weapons and supplies (Nooren and Claridge, 2001) The Greater Mekong region which consists of the countries of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao PDR and China has witnessed the most intensive wildlife trade anywhere in the world (Nooren and Claridge, 2003). The reasons include cultural motivations as well as economic drivers. It is estimated that the wildlife trade is more profitable than the illicit narcotics trade. This is primarily because there are no production costs involved in the wildlife trade. This makes it highly viable to racketeers and also to the economically challenged population that is looking to make quick profits. The motivations might differ but the volume of the wildlife trade is threatening the ecological diversity of the region on an unprecedented scale. For example, Lao PDR saw a massive increase in the population of rats. Wildlife conservationists stated the cause to be the drastic reduction in the number of snakes in the country. In Vietnam the large scale trade in illicit timber has caused an increase in the amount and regularity of floods in the country. The increase in the poaching of predators in Myanmar has increased the number of deer in the country. As a result the people in the rural areas of the country have made deer meat a staple in their diet. In the early 1990s, the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam was conservatively estimated at $24 million annually. In 2002, it was estimated at US$66.5 million. In 1999 and 2000, approximately 25 tons of wild freshwater turtles and tortoises were caught and exported each week from northern Sumatra to China (Shepherd, 2000). Despite continued demand, as turtles become harder to find, this trade has dropped to seven to ten tons per week. This is a clear indicator of the near extinction of many species of freshwater turtles. Although exact numbers are not available it is estimated that nearly a ton of freshwater turtles are traded even today. At this rate conservationists say that every species of freshwater turtles will be extinct by the year 2025. In Thailand in 2003, a one day raid on Bangkok’s Chatuchak market seized 1,000 protected species worth $1.25 million. In early 2004, Chinese law enforcement seized the skins of 31 tigers—today there are only 50 tigers estimated to be left in the wild in China. THAILAND AS THE PRIMARY PLAYER Thailand’s wildlife resources are all but extinct. Whatever little exists lives in protected forests. Due to the boom in tourism in Thailand, the centre has emerged as one of the wealthiest nations in the area. The increase in purchasing power has contributed to Thai nationals being among the largest consumers of wildlife and wildlife products in the world. Most of the key actors in the illegal wildlife trade in South East Asia are also Thai, wheather it be the trafficker, the trader or the front agencies. Wildlife trade surveys conducted along the border areas between Thailand and Myanmar, Lao PDR,, and Cambodia since 1990, for example, identified Thai nationals as among the principal consumers of those countries’ wildlife products (Srikosamatara et al., 1992; Nooren and Claridge, 2001). In 1991, Thailand was considered by international conservation organizations as the center of Southeast Asia’s illegal wildlife trade (Srikosamatara et al,1992). Thailand’s topography is extremely diverse. Northern Thailand is dominated by the Dawna Tasserim mountain range which is an extension of the southern Himalayan range and borders Myanmar. The central part of the country is fed by the Chao Phraya river and is dominated by paddy plantations. The egrets that dot the rice fields are practically the last surviving wild creatures in this part of the region. The north and northeast are dominated by the Mekong river which links the country to its neighbouring countries. The south of the country is primarily a coastal region. Thailand is home to six species of venomous snakes: common cobra, king cobra, banded krait, Malayan viper, green viper and Russell’s pit viper. The black monitor, which looks like a miniature dinosaur live in some jungles of southern Thailand. In the 1990s it was estimated that more than 500 tigers roamed the jungles of Thailand. According to the forest department less than 200 remain. Extensive poaching and lack of law enforcement lead to the drastic decrease in the numbers. The fine for killing a tiger is 15,000 Bhat with or punishment up to two years. Well-connected poachers and traders are not deterred by the weak fines and often are let out on bail, if and when they are caught. The trade of ivory is legal in Thailand though it is banned in China, this makes poaching elephants an extremely lucrative business. The failure of the government to ban the ivory trade has ensured the number of wild elephants has more than halved from an estimated 5000 in 1992 to about a couple of thousand today (TRAFFIC, 2008). Nearly 15% of Thailand is marked as protected area with over 100 national parks and nearly 1000 â€Å"non-hunting† sanctuaries. Despite this Thailand remains the world’s hotspot for the illegal wildlife trade. The primary reason remains the weak wildlife conservation laws and deterrents. NGO’S like TRAFFIC, Overland, WWF and Bird Conservation Society of Thailand work at conservation of Thailand’s diverse flora and and fauna and also work towards influencing government policy on safeguarding wildlife. Recently more than 50 airport staff from the Hat Yai and Suvarnabhumi airport (including check-in counter attendants, baggage handlers, customs and immigration officers, police and security officers) received intensive training in detecting and illegal wildlife being transported from those airports. TRAFFIC and government officials provided the training over a period of four days on topics such as CITES, illegal wildlife trade relevant national laws, identifying plant and  animal species and ways to detect smuggling operations. This shows a strong intent on behalf of the Thai government to curb the illegal wildlife trade. If a species has a marketable value that is greater than the marginal cost of harvesting that species, it is traded. The most significant trade is in the bushmeat area. In rural Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia, bushmeat is an integral part of everyday cuisine. Deer meat, pangolin meat and mongoose meat are extremely popular in the region. Today, as the number of large animals has dwindled almost to nothing, the most visible trade flows are in smaller mammals, reptiles, fish, and plants. While information on the exact numbers of these species is difficult to obtain, available evidence suggests that even these relatively abundant species are beginning to be seriously affected by the trade. This poses a challenge to conservationists and government forest departments to enforce wildlife protection laws. Tigers. In Sumatra, approximately 51 tigers were killed each year between 1998 and 2002 (Shepherd and Magnus, 2004)—out of a total population of approximately 800 individuals before 1998. The majority of the parts were traded in China. Between June 2003 and April 2004, seven tigers were killed in north eastern Lao PDR; their bones reportedly were traded for over $50,000 (WCS/TRAFFIC August 2004). It is estimated that less than 400 wild tigers remain across the region. A majority of them live in wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. The number of wild tigers in the non-protected forests of the region is negligible Pangolins. According to CITES trade data, between 1993 and 2003 over 80,000 pangolin skins were illegally exported from Lao PDR to international markets, primarily in the United States and Mexico. Over 15,000 pangolins were confiscated in Thailand in 2002, brought from Indonesia to Lao PDR and eventually China. Pangolin skins continue to be seized regularly in Malaysia, Thailand, Lao PDR, and Vietnam. Arriving by air from Malaysia,  more than four tons of wildlife, including water monitor lizards and over 600 pangolins, were seized in Hanoi, Vietnam, from March to April 2003 alone (C. Shepherd, TRAFFIC, September 2004). All available evidence suggests that they are disappearing throughout their natural range in Asia—largely as a result of the trade. There are nearly no pangolins in the wild in China and Thailand. Pangolins are highly in demand as trophy animals as well as for their meat. Freshwater turtles. Over 50 percent of Asia’s freshwater turtles (45 species) are now considered in danger of extinction in the immediate or near future as a direct result of over-exploitation for  trade that 10 million freshwater turtles (or 10,000 tons) are traded annually in East Asia for use in food and traditional medicine (TRAFFIC Southeast Asia,2008). Six tons of wild-caught freshwater turtles were seized in Hanoi, Vietnam in March 2003. They had been exported by air using false permits from Malaysia (C. Shepherd, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, September 2004). In 1999 and 2000, approximately 25 tons of wild freshwater turtles and tortoises were caught and exported each week from northern Sumatra to China (Shepherd, 2000). Marine turtles. Due to the lack of available data on marine turtles they have become a favourable target of poachers. Fishermen lay nets in specific areas in the sea and harvest nearly 5 tons of these turtles every week. These turtles are then sold either as pets or for their meat Almost 30,000 items made from the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle were found on sale in Vietnam in 2002 (TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Indochina, 2004), signalling the death of thousands of these marine creatures. Water snakes. From 1999 to 2000, over 8,500 water snakes representing five different species were estimated harvested per day from Cambodia’s Tonle Sap, primarily for local subsistence and trade, possibly representing the greatest commercial exploitation of snakes in the world (Stuart et al., 2000). Water snakes are highly in demand to be showcased as pets in aquariums. Their non-venomous nature has also contributed to their value as pets. Seahorses. An estimated 20 million seahorses are taken annually from the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand, of which 95 percent are destined for China for use in the traditional medicine industry, according to Project Seahorse (Gray, 2004). These adorable animals are also used as pets and for their meat. Characteristics of the Trade Illegal domestic and international wildlife trade is a commodity business driven by a wide variety of socioeconomic and cultural forces. The primary reasons are the increase in connectivity, the increase in access to markets and the rise in purchasing power and economic development in the region. The relationship between the different actors in the trade keeps changing. The harvestors are often marginal farmers operating in the rural areas of the region. At other times professional hunters armed with sophisticated weapons and efficient means of transport play the role of procurers. Traders rapidly adapt to changing circumstances to maintain their substantial income. When supplies become depleted or access restrictions are imposed, they respond by: †¢Targeting new source areas or countries for a particular species or group of species. Since the pangolin is nearly extinct in the GMS region today, they are imported from Malaysia and Indonesia.(TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, 2004). This shift is a clear indicator of the complexity and sophisticated planning of the poachers. †¢Developing new smuggling methods and routes to avoid detection. During the boom in prices of bear bile and bear parts in Vietnam in the early 2000s, smuggling of bears was accomplished by fake army vehicles, fake funerals, and even fake ambulances complete with the bear dressed as a patient and surrounded by concerned relatives (SFNC, 2003). Leopard skins are sewn inside carpets when they are transported from Burma to the wild life markets of Thailand. †¢ Exploiting weak wildlife law enforcement. Wildlife is relabelled to convince customs officials that rare species are actually common species that are legal to trade and that only when they are actually caught in possession of wildlife. Law enforcement authorities are often bribed or are part other smuggling teams themselves. Many politicians patronize the poachers and the traders. Even when caught, fines and other penalties are generally much less than the risk premiums gained from the trade, negating their effectiveness as disincentives. †¢Targeting new species within a commodity group.  The dip in the availability of pangolins brought up a massive increase in the number of mongoose traded. The scarcity of boa constrictors instigated the number of Burmese pythons that are hunted. The scarcity of langur (leaf monkey) bones for the medicinal trade has led to a rise in the collection and sale of macaque bones; although the latter are considered less effective in traditional remedies (SFNC, 2003), the similarities between the bones are enough to either at best deceive or at least satisfy customers and in so doing, maintain the market. As wildlife law enforcement efforts increase, the illegal trade moves underground. It becomes more difficult to monitor activity, or determine the quantities, value, or number of species involved. Roles Played by Nations in South East Asia CHINA China is the region’s largest consumer, particularly of animal and plant products used as food and ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine. Demand for the illegal wildlife trade is mainly driven by traditional Chinese medicine. CAMBODIA Cambodia is primarily a source country, particularly for reptiles, primates, and plants, and formerly for timber. VIETNAM Vietnam was primarily a source nation but due to its rapid economic developments it is increasingly becoming a consumer nation. It is also an important link in the trade route to China THAILAND Thailand is particularly a consumer of high-value pets, trophies, and food products, while also playing an important role as a regional and transit point for the international market. MYANMAR AND LAO PDR Lao PDR and Myanmar are the biggest source for the procurement of wildlife. Both countries are important transit points ; Myanmar for wildlife products coming Thailand from the Indian subcontinent, and Lao PDR to international markets in neighboring nations (China, Vietnam, and Thailand). The illegal wildlife trade goes hand in hand with the illegal drug trade.The report issued by the US Drug Enforcement Agency states that narcotics were being transported across the US-Mexico border hidden in the bellies and body parts of animals. This gives further leverage to the traffickers who are armed with more money and resources provided by the drug cartels. This provides a dual threat for enforcement agencies. Often the animals are fed  miniature packets of drugs and are killed on arrival after which the drugs are retrieved. This has created specialised gangs that operate in many different stages. Preventive Laws and Regulations CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is an international multiparty treaty drafted in 1963 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The primary objective of CITES is the conservation of animals and plants that are threatened by the illegal wildlife trade. It provides varied degrees of protection to 33,000 species of plants and animals. It is one of the largest conservation agreements in existence. Countries are not bound to sign it, however, those that have ratified it are bound to follow the regulations of CITES. It, however does not replace national laws that are already in existence. It provides a framework to nations for the formulation of national laws. Often regulatory laws are non-existent or the penalty does not match the gravity of the crime. Most nations do not have significant laws pertaining to wildlife trade. About 5000 species of animals and 28000 species of plants are protected by various degrees and are listed in three categories that are called Appendices (TRAFFIC,2009). Amendments to the agreement must be supported by a two thirds majority. There are various criticisms of CITES. Foremost among those is that it does not address other core concerns like habitat loss. It focuses primarily on trade and ignores other factors that can cause the extinction of a certain species. Another criticism is that it allows trade of species if the requisite permits and licenses are acquired. That being said only one species that was listed in CITES, the Spix’s Macaw has become extinct (CITES. (n.d.). http://www.cites.org). Recommendations and Conclusion The largest driver of the illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia is the nearly insatiable demand for exotic fauna as culinary items, in  traditional Chinese medicine and as trophies. A sea change in attitudes towards wildlife consumption is possibly the only probable solution to stop the illicit trade in protected species. Educational campaigns aimed at stigmatizing wildlife consumption need to be enforced at different levels of society, including at schools, workplaces and at public forums. When demand exists there is bound to be a supply. The illicit wildlife trade is primarily a transnational crime which is being facilitated by greater connectivity among the nations in the GMS region and the lack of any form law enforcement pertaining to wildlife across the borders. A multipronged international vigilance agency which can monitor illicit wildlife trade at different levels will help curb the trade by significant numbers. For the unique wildlife of Southeast Asia to survive, it is imperative to engage poachers, hunters and gatherers, who are often from the margins of society and the lowest in the hierarchy among the many actors of the wildlife trade, to disengage their illegal activities. A need to provide them with alternative and economically sustainable livelihoods that directly affect the number of species available in the illegal wildlife market. Another good idea would be to focus on the value that wildlife has in its natural surroundings. Opening up of sanctuaries and national parks where the villagers, indigenous people, hunters and gatherers are appointed as rangers and tourist guides can provide economic benefits to this section of people, thus making them responsible for the preservation of the forests and the wildlife in it even if merely for economic reasons. Like in the case of the environment and carbon credits monetary incentives have proved to be the best way to prevent illegal activity. The unique biodiversity if Southeast Asia is under severe threat from the large magnitude of illegal wildlife trade taking place in the region. Unless preventive laws are strengthened and greater co-operation among states is achieved, the ecological imbalance caused may prove to be irreversible. This paper briefly examined the cultural and historical reasons that drive the demand for the illicit species trade. It also examined the roles played by different states involved in wildlife trade while also focusing on the hierarchy of the different actors involved in the trade. While examining different factors and aspects of the trade, it is easy to determine the eventual harm this menace can cause to the lives and livelihoods of the poorest inhabitants of the region. In the absence of strong monitoring and vigilance this trade could forever alter the topography of the region. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which all ten member states of ASEAN have ratified, is a good starting point and is growing in effectiveness. However for greater efficiency in curbing the illicit wildlife trade, individual nations should increase monitoring of wildlife related activity within their borders. Furthermore nations should increase co-operation in curbing the illicit wildlife trade. The stakes are far too high to not proceed in a cautious and responsible manner. LIST OF ACRONYMS ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nation CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CoP13 The Thirteenth Conference of the Parties (CITES) GMS Greater Mekong Sub-Region FAO Food and Agriculture Organization IUCN The World Conservation Union UNDP United Nations Development Program WCS Wildlife Conservation Society WWF World Wildlife Fund Bibliography Felbab-Brown (June,2011) Foreign Policy. London: Brookings. Drury.R( 2009) University of Westminster, London’CITES. (n.d.). Engelsberg. P (2007),TRAFFIC http://www.cites.org. Retrieved December 7, 2011 http://chm.asean.com Gray, D. (2004, April 6). Retrieved November 7, 2011, from http://msnbc.msn.com: Kakati,K, Interview (December,2011) Martin, E.B and M.Phipps, A Review of the Wild Animal Trade in Cambodia. TRAFFIC Bulletin 16(2): pgs 45-60, 1996 Menon.J, Interview, WWF (Decber,2011) Nash, S. Fin, Feather, Scale and Skin: Observations on the Wildlife Trade in Vietnam and Lao PDR, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia report, 1997 Nijaman, V. (2009). TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Report. Nooren and Claridge, TRAFFIC,2001 Nooren and Claridge, TRAFFIC,2003 R Newer, R. E. (2011). Eluciadata. Seidensticker, J. Riding the tiger: tiger conservation in human-dominated landscapes. Shepherd, C. R. Export of live freshwater turtles and tortoises from Northern Sumatra and Riau, Indonesia. A case study. pp. 112-199. IN: Asian Turtle Trade: Proceedings of a Workshop on Conservation and Trade of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises in Asia. Van Dijk, P.P., B. Stuart, and A.G.J. Rhodin eds. Chelonian Research Monographs.Number 2, 2000 Shepherd and Magnus, TRAFFIC, 2004 Shepherd (September,2004), TRAFFICSingh, V. (2009). Curbing Wildlife Trade. Hindustan Times . Singh, V. (2004). Social Implications of the Wildlife Trade. Sullivan.S (June,2003), WWF Report TRAFFIC. (2008). http://www.traffic.org. Retrieved December 11, 2011, from http://www.traffic.org/general-reports/traffic_pub_gen24.pdf TRAFFIC. (2004). TRAFFIC and WCS Annual Report. London. World Conservation Society. (2003). Lao Program. Stuart.J, (2000) ,TRAFFIC Report