An Essay about its Interpretation through Connotations Essay Example for Free

An Essay about its Interpretation through Connotations Essay In this essay we are tasked to interpret the Eskimo song/poem written above through connotations. We are also tasked to examine the given poem through the following questions: What feelings come to you as you read it? What overall sense do the various words and images create? As I was reading the poem, I felt a deep sense of sadness and regret in the writer’s choice of words. It was as if he was writing while reminiscing about the better life he had before where problems were small and Life itself was simple.    He was regretting what has become of his life and has expressed a desire to go back to that simple life.   The choice of words create images of making hard choices, doing things not on one’s own will and of deep sadness of what has become of one’s life. Now I would interpret the poem per line based on the connotation that I got from them. The lines â€Å"Into my head rose the nothings, my life day after day† connoted that he was reminiscing and memories of his life before were coming back into his mind.   The next lines â€Å"But I am leaving the shore in my skin boat† is that he had to leave the life he had been used to. The next lines â€Å"it came to me that I was in danger† may be pertaining to the grave reason that he had to decide to leave even if he does not want to or a big decision he had to make.   The next lines ‘and now the small troubles look big and the ache that comes from the things I have to do every day, big† may mean that now that he had decided or left, things will not be as simple as they were before because every decision have consequences and thus involves certain responsibilities and risks that we have to take. The next lines â€Å"But only one thing is great only one.   This, in the hut by the path to see the day coming out of its mother and the light filling the world† means that the writer still yearns to go back to his simple life before, where everything he wanted was to see the sunrise in the morning in his humble home.

The Water Droplets Journey :: Water Cycle Essays

Day 1 Once upon a time high above the earth, fluffy white clouds drifted through the atmosphere. In the clouds lived a family Droplet of water, round and content with life. For as long as I could remember, I spent my days lying on my back, relaxing and soaking up the sun's warm rays. One day, I took my usual place in the sun but the light didn't seem to be as bright. In fact, as the day went on, it grew darker and darker, loud claps of thunder shook the cloud, and the Droplet felt as if he were getting so heavy he could hardly move. This is called precipitation. Suddenly, I felt myself falling from the cloud. Down, down, down he fell, farther and father from home. At last I landed on the earth, in the dark green foliage of the rainforest. Around me as far as I could see were tall trees, dense green leaves, red mushrooms and multicolored insects of every shape and size. Strange creatures surrounded him, and the sounds and sights were like nothing I had ever seen or heard before. All I was sure of was that I wanted to go back home. But how? Day 2 It is now day 2 3:00 am and I am going to be out of the ocean at 12:00 pm. I have changed from an infant into a primary. I am having so much fun sailing across the ocean. It is now 12: am and I am 12hrs away from being on land. It is now 3:00 pm and I am tired of sailing but I have to keep pushing. I am having so much fun. It is now 5:00 pm and I?m rushing hoping I will get finish early I can see the land and I?m almost there. All I have to do is reach the land. I?m there finally all sweaty and wet. Day 3 I?m on the step to soaking in the ground and I?m draining in the ground. I?m waiting to get cleaned all of a sudden a worm comes and eat me. I guest the worm didn?t see me there so I bang on his yelling ?Hey you umm wormy can I get out of here pl-ease?

Money Does Not Bring Happiness

There’s an opinion which says that money brings happiness. Some people agree with it, others not. The discussion has lasted for a long time and still there are different points of view about it. Nowadays, we can divide our society into two groups of people: those whose life is centered around money and others who know that there are more important things than being rich. The latter are aware that wealthy people often aren’t able to have a real friend.People who surround the wealthy, are only expecting for themselves. Moreover, there are people who believe that money can be a medicine for everything. But they make a mistake, as no sum of cash can prevent us from old age, loneliness, diseases, accidents, death or stuff like this. And it’s useful to remember that money is a fragile thing, which we can lose at any time. In addition, wealth makes people less sensitive. They aren’t able to notice both poverty, which is around them, and needs of others.However, m oney is the basic means, which lets people make their dreams come true – the dreams, which have been unavailable since one’s childhood, like travelling all over the world or buying a villa, that’s all to compensate a misery of someone’s childhood. Thanks to having money it’s easier in our life to establish ourselves. Cash can be helpful in achieving many goals like finishing our education. What’s more, money lets us buy basic products which are essential to our daily existence.Human can’t live without eating. We have to be able to earn some money to dress up properly. To sum up the issue is far from solving but it seems that even though money is useful to life we can’t buy the most important things – love or friendship. I think that human has to use money in proper way, without harming others. However, I presume that words: â€Å"Money doesn’t bring happiness† can’t exist in present world, because ev erything circles around money.

4 MAT Book Review Essay

Summary In Dr. H. Norman Wrights book â€Å"The Complete Guide to Crisis & Trauma Counseling: What to Do and Say when it Matters Most†, which was published in 2011 focuses on how to counsel those in a crisis situation. The book begins by Dr. Wright discussing his personal life story of dealing with loss, crisis, and trauma. His story is the foundation of the subject in how to counsel someone and knowing when to refer a person to someone with more experience. The book aims at helping those who are experiencing life’s daily struggles with biblical principles and to encourage the individual to persevere through the hard times. Dr. Wright’s strongest point in the reading is stating the ability to be a good counselor is to hold his or her tongue. He expresses the need of talking more than 25 percent of the time, you’re talking too much. Listening is a key component when communicating with others. Listening means your focusing and understanding the feelings of the person expressing their feelings. Dr. Wright discusses when you allow your mind to be busy, you’re not concentrating on what is being said. A good counselor will listen openly with their eyes, body and showing there empathy towards the crisis or trauma. The book then unfolds on demonstrating a strong understanding of the individual’s feelings and emotions. He empathizes that counselors should be aware of themselves before counseling others on any situation. Since Dr. Wright uses biblical passages as examples in ministering others, he recommends that ministers use Jesus as an example on treating a crisis or trauma victim. He teaches to ministers that once the advice is given, it cannot be taken back. The individual is going through a traumatic event and if the words aren’t chosen correctly, it could have a drastic impact on their life. Counseling those in need require one to provide the individual  with unconditional love and hope. Showing compassion towards the individual gives them strength to get through their past trauma or crisis. The book reminds counselors that a crisis can occur at any given moment in their client’s life. Dr. Wright acknowledges that ministers and other church personal will work with the same client plenty of times. Those in crisis situations can be in a devastating circumstances such as being diagnosed with cancer; which can reoccur and develop as time passes by. Another key component in the reading is the Crisis of Suicide. Ministering those who wish to commit suicide can be difficult. As these individuals need intervention right away because their life is at stake. Dr. Wright focuses on taking the initial help to keep the person alive and to help them gain insight on how he or she came to this current place. Ministering a suicidal individual is to simply be as much help as possible but to remember this person’s life is not on your shoulders (Wright, 2011). Dr. Wright focuses on the deaths one will encounter and how to deal with the loss of a loved one, friend or pet. He lets the reader know that deaths can be predictable, and eve expected but to know you will encounter one situation. Dr. Wrights tells when ministering the person in crisis, that you have to help the individual sort out his or her issues. Working with someone through the process of grieving takes the appropriate time to be addressed. He states how children cope through their losses in childhood, can potentially impact their lives as adults (Wright, 2011). Children experiencing a crisis need counseling immediately because they can become emotionally impaired. Overall Dr. Wright’s book is providing the best advice to minsters, counselors and lay counselors. His book is very detailed on providing the best advice to those in any kind of crisis, trauma or loss. It is a must read book! Concrete Responses Dr. Wright’s book reminds me of a personal life episode I went through years ago. The chapter that caught my attention was Chapter 14 â€Å"The Crisis of Suicide†. It proved to be a story telling chapter for my own personal life. I never in my life imagined that I would go through something traumatic as suicide. I say that because I am a very happy person but sometimes even the happiest person is also hurting on the inside. I remember the day and time  when the whole scenario occurred. I was home alone and very distraught with where my life was headed. I was in a mentally draining relationship and I felt absolutely low of myself. This was rare for me because I am a very outgoing individual, who barely cares about what others think about me. I was feeling excessively lonely, angry, tired, misused and drained from my current situation. It was like I felt all these emotions at once but nothing I would do could ease the pain. Suicide played in my mind all the time in this difficult period. Death seem so much easier to deal with but I was terribly wrong. I remember talking to my father before he passed and told him my intentions of not wanting to live anymore. My dad was very hurt by my words but at that moment I didn’t really care what others thought. I recall when he sat me down and asked me why I would want to end my life at such a young age. My mind wasn’t mentally prepared for that question because all I could think about was not being here anymore. I never gave him the answers, I just wanted to end the hurt and pain. I couldn’t tell him I wanted to kill myself over a boyfriend. He would have looked at me in such a daze and probably would have been confused by my actions. My father never really liked my boyfriend from the beginning so to lose his daughter over him would be heartbreaking. In the reading, Dr. Wright states that a person who wants to commit suicide sees it as their only solution and that those around should help the individual to discover other solutions (Wright, 2011). As I begin to think back on this encounter, I never had another solution to help me with my problems. Dr. Wright focuses on how suicide hides behind many faces. This is beyond true because you can never judge a book by its cover. Even the happiest individuals are suffering. Depression is a key factor when it comes to suicide. As I went through my daily schedule, I pretended to be just fine but I wasn’t. If I never had that conversation with my father, I probably would have ended my own life. It’s amazing how life works because it made me think should I end my life over a boy? Are my issues that severe that I want to die? Dr. Wright explains how suicide is waiting to happen and that you don’t recognize it because the individual has repress their depressive symptoms into rage (Wright, 2011). I enjoyed reading about how to deal with the crisis of suicide because everything he stated, I replayed in my mind and gained insight on how far I have come. Reflection Dr. Wright’s book showed me how to handle any crisis situation. His book discussed a variety of crisis situations and how you can approach the individual in need. It is not easy to minster or counsel someone, so to have read Dr. Wright’s book gave me great insight for my future. I strongly agreed on his discussion about listening and being quiet while the individual is speaking. This is imperative because you can’t fully understand the person speaking if your consuming thoughts while their talking. This area is something I am working on because although I don’t mean to do it I find myself brainstorming as the individual is speaking. As I read on, Dr. Wright states how you are not really listening to person who is speaking. As I began to read, certain questions came across my mind. I asked myself, â€Å"What would information would I like to further on†? I started with this question because after reading, I realized I grew attached with counseling ch ildren and adolescents. Children go through numerous amounts of grief and trauma. Since they are continuing to grow, they hold onto their grief differently than adults. I would have liked to see how the crisis of suicide intertwines with children. As suicide is continuing to grow in the United States. I would have liked to seen more on the younger age to counsel them. Counseling children is very complex but when you include suicide, I would of liked to seen how to counsel children when there contemplating suicide. Teenagers are committing suicide more often now due to social media and bullying. Not all teens will speak of suicide but for the ones who do, I would like to see how to discuss this topic with them. In the reading it did discuss how to help a suicidal individual but I feel like working with a child or adolescent should be communicated differently. What challenged me in this content was reading chapter 10, â€Å"When Time Doesn’t Heal All Wounds†. This chapter speaks volumes for my own life because we all go through something. I often wonder how I can assist someone if I don’t heal my own wounds. This chapter opened my eyes as to what trauma really is and how it has affected my own personal life. I agree strongly with Dr. Wright on how it affects who we are. Another limitation that I would have liked to have seen is how to deal with confrontation in a biblical perspective. Dr. Wright discusses using empathy and other skill behaviors related to the word of God but what about when confrontation individual in helping them make better choices. I think it’s important to know how to confront clients and being  able to determine the correct time for a confrontation. Application The most crucial element after reading this amazing book is learning to incorporate this material into your daily life. Helping others in difficult times is my greatest mission in life. I am committed to helping those entering any crisis stage of their life. It is important to be able to comprehend visually and to be helpful to those in any crisis state of mind. I love how Dr. Wright uses biblical passages and verses within his counseling skills. This is a great way to help minister your clients effectively. I learned that when ministering it is vital to remember the root in the work of serving others, God’s word. The compassion in helping those is the greatest ability one can have. A key area I want to work on is ministering to children. Children need all the tender love and care when there is a loss, crisis or trauma situation. It can be a scary point, and I want to take the words from Dr. Wright to assist them effectively. Talking to children is completely different then ta lking to an adult. Children perceive information differently than adults do. They grieve in a different manner as well. Dr. Wright taught me it is critical to communicate with a child because it helps to solve many issues. This will be excellent for my personal growth in aiding those children who need help. Children have a harder time but so do adolescents. When adolescents transition into a teenager this can be tough when a loss has occurs. I believe dealing with adolescents is tougher then young children because not many teenagers want to converse with you. There more hesitant and indirect with their responses. This book influence my personal growth with teenagers as well because teenagers are reluctant to talk to a counselor or minister. When it comes to my life, I plan to make initial changes. I want to communicate effectively when counseling those in a crisis or trauma need. Dr. Wright’s book taught me to listen so I can understand what the individual is saying to me. I want to take the time to learn who I am so I can help those suffering. My task is to help others, and I want the individual seeking help to believe I can encourage them to change and have faith in them. One thing I tend to do is be afraid. Mark 5:36 tell us to not be afraid just believe. I believe I can make the initial improvements in my words and how I speak to those in need to give them a proper perspective. I plan to be quiet and  clear my thoughts when someone is telling me their problem. Listening means that I am trying to understand the feelings of the other person speaking (Wright, 2011). As I continue to read, I am influenced by his biblical passages integrated into his concepts. I am a genuine person but sometimes I don’t know how to speak to those when there grieving. It’s kind of weird because I love helping others but sometimes I am at lost for words. I want to continue to work on when saying the right words in a right manner. When an individual is in a crisis, the way one speaks sets the tone on how the person takes the information. I just want to continue to lead people to Christ and help those suffering with grief in their life. By making changings in my life through Dr. Wright’s book, I can integrate the Word of God and assist individuals in having a healthy life. It is vital to make the person feel safe and build trust. Reference Wright, H. Norman (2011). The Complete Guide to Crisis & Trauma Counseling: What to Do and Say When It Matters Most! (p. 251). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Free Essays on Review Of “Powder“ By Tobias Wolff

In the short story Powder by Tobias Wolff there is an irrefutable relationship that is quite dissimilar. In these two characters of father and son we see a reflection of many modern day â€Å"broken home† situations. The standard role of father and son has been reversed in this story. Reversed in a way that real life and many modern day family situations have been replicated. The development of the father character begins with his son’s flashback of being brought to a nightclub against the will of his mother. He wanted to bring his son to see jazz great Thelonious Monk. With this passage it was possibly Wolff’s intent to portray the father as a reckless parent with no regard for the welfare of his child. In the father’s defense we are left with a disclaimer that the father is only trying to institute a foundation of culture upon his son. The boy was not thrust into this environment with the intent of exposing him to the tribulations of a nightclub atmosphere. It becomes easy for the father to not hold back in the presence of his son. He does not have custody of the boy so he isn’t burdened with the role of disciplinarian. So when receiving time to spend with his son he is able to have fun and not worry about the effects of his teachings. The boy who is our narrator throughout the story becomes Wolff’s opposition to the father character. Right through the story the boy demonstrates qualities of restraint and level headedness. Almost everything that the father lacks in values the son has made up for with nervous anticipation. The development of the boy’s cautious personality is initiated early in the story when him and his father are making their last run. He is depicted as â€Å"sticking to his father like white on rice.† This was an establishment of his tense but well aware personality. He seems to always be thinking ahead and calculating the dangers of his actions and the unpredictable measures of his fathe... Free Essays on Review Of â€Å"Powderâ€Å" By Tobias Wolff Free Essays on Review Of â€Å"Powderâ€Å" By Tobias Wolff In the short story Powder by Tobias Wolff there is an irrefutable relationship that is quite dissimilar. In these two characters of father and son we see a reflection of many modern day â€Å"broken home† situations. The standard role of father and son has been reversed in this story. Reversed in a way that real life and many modern day family situations have been replicated. The development of the father character begins with his son’s flashback of being brought to a nightclub against the will of his mother. He wanted to bring his son to see jazz great Thelonious Monk. With this passage it was possibly Wolff’s intent to portray the father as a reckless parent with no regard for the welfare of his child. In the father’s defense we are left with a disclaimer that the father is only trying to institute a foundation of culture upon his son. The boy was not thrust into this environment with the intent of exposing him to the tribulations of a nightclub atmosphere. It becomes easy for the father to not hold back in the presence of his son. He does not have custody of the boy so he isn’t burdened with the role of disciplinarian. So when receiving time to spend with his son he is able to have fun and not worry about the effects of his teachings. The boy who is our narrator throughout the story becomes Wolff’s opposition to the father character. Right through the story the boy demonstrates qualities of restraint and level headedness. Almost everything that the father lacks in values the son has made up for with nervous anticipation. The development of the boy’s cautious personality is initiated early in the story when him and his father are making their last run. He is depicted as â€Å"sticking to his father like white on rice.† This was an establishment of his tense but well aware personality. He seems to always be thinking ahead and calculating the dangers of his actions and the unpredictable measures of his fathe...

Global Poverty Trends and Global Trade Challenges The WritePass Journal

Global Poverty Trends and Global Trade Challenges Introduction Global Poverty Trends and Global Trade Challenges ) defines poverty as a deprivation of basic human needs. These comprise of material and non-material needs that are required to facilitate a comfortable life. High levels of poverty lead to social exclusion, which limits the capability of individuals or groups to actively contribute towards community or national development as a result of limited resources (Nolan Whelan, 2010). Several efforts have been made to increase the income of people across the globe to enable them afford basic needs. Most of the people that have affected by poverty are from developing countries in Africa, Asia, and South America (World Bank, 2013). There have also been efforts aimed at increasing the affordability of these basic items. Such efforts include placing subsidies on basic commodities, which have been successfully implemented in countries like Egypt   (Reuters, 2013). Even with these efforts in place, there are several other factors that limit the success of these efforts, especially in developin g countries (Alkire Foster, 2011). Some of these factors include corruption, brain drain of educated professionals and unequal price distribution, which often creates a wide gap between the rich and poor. According to statistics from the World Bank, a total population of 1.22 billion across the globe lived under the poverty line (spending $1.25 per day). Comparing this to 1990 where the statistics were at 1.91 billion living under the poverty line, an improvement has been made (World Bank, 2013). This is a clear indication of the effectiveness of strategies that have been implemented to fight poverty. This paper intends to present an in-depth discussion of poverty and transformations that have taken place within the past four decades. It also seeks to examine the social, political and economic challenges that result from global trade and inequality. Poverty and its Causes As mentioned in the previous section of this report, poverty is the deprivation of basic material and non-material needs. It is classified into absolute and relative poverty. The present-day absolute poverty line has been set by the Word Bank at $1.5 and $2.5 a day (Couch et al., 2010). Relative poverty is referred to as an estimate of inequalities in income. It is usually calculated as the percentage of people that live below a certain income median (Couch et al., 2010). Given that economic conditions vary from one country to another, the causes of poverty in different countries also differ. Pointers of poverty include unemployment, homelessness, famine, poor sanitation, high infant mortality rates and illiteracy (Gilder, 2012). With reference to developing countries, one of the key causes is the rapid increase in population. A good example of this is India, where the annual population increase for the last 45 years has been at an average of 2.2% (Karuna, 2012). This translates to a n addition of 17 million people annually, which causes a strain on the available resources, making it difficult to sufficiently cater for their basic needs.   Governments have the responsibility of ensuring that the livelihoods of their citizens are improved. However, vices, such as corruption, limit the possibility of attaining the poverty reduction objectives. According to (Johnston, 2009), corruption diverts, distorts and delays growth in economy. As a result of corruption, the elite or wealthy in the country continue progressing while the poor or less privileged plunge deeper into poverty.   The poor are also denied access to health, education and other social services that are needed to empower them to effectively contribute towards national building (Fisman Miguel, 2008). Illiteracy also contributes towards an increase in poverty because it limits the capability of individuals to be innovative or entrepreneurial, resulting in an overdependence on natural resources or fore ign aid (Teal, 2011). Other factors that contribute to the poverty statistics include unemployment, inflation, lack of capital to support entrepreneurship and a general lack effective policies that are meant to eliminate poverty. Khan and Bashir (2012) argue that poverty is a complicated phenomenon, which makes it quite challenging to exhaustively explain its causes. Some of the theorists in this field, such as Furnham   and Gunter (1984) are of the view that people who are prone to poverty are those who have little or no regard for the future. Instead, they use up their resources to â€Å"live for the moment† (Andersen Taylor, 2007). Other theorists argue that the poor have feelings of inferiority, hopelessness and powerlessness, which are passed on from generation to generation. As a result, it becomes difficult for their economic predicaments to be solved. Whilst these views are based on the notion that the poor have themselves to blame for their situations, other are of the view that among the poor, there are those who have the will to work hard if they are given the chance. However, they are limited by their inability to access education that is a prerequisite for obtaining well-paying jobs (Gi lder, 2012). Poverty Trends over the last 40 years Even though it is challenging to get accurate statistics on the actual changes that have taken place in poverty statistics over the last ten decades, a general improvement has been recorded in poverty eradication efforts (World Bank, 2013). In a report by the UN that explored poverty trends between 1981 and 2005, the findings indicated that even though the developing world still has the highest poverty levels, there has been a significant reduction in the severity and depth of extreme poverty, 0.5 billion less people living under the poverty line in 2005 than in 1981 (United Nations, 2010). This is arguably a positive move, given that these are the regions that record the highest levels of population growth. One of the factors that are responsible for these trends is expansion in the global economy, which has resulted in higher average per capita income levels, both in developing ad developed nations (Collier Dollar, 2002). Comparing the current income with the 1960s, there has been an average growth in GDP levels at an average annual rate of 4.1%, while the high and middle income countries have had their GDPs increase by averages of 3.2% and 4.2% per annum respectively. The chart below represents the global poverty trends between 1981 and 2005 (United Nations, 2010). Despite the improvements indicated in Fig. 1 above, a projected increase in populations of developing countries points out the necessity of their governing bodies to ensure that they formulate appropriate policies that will ensure sustenance in economic growth (World Bank, 2012). This is a prerequisite for poverty eradication. Even though it is a general view of the majority that poverty affects developing countries, developed nations are also directly affected by it. For instance, the United States of America has a total population of 46 million living in poverty (Povertyusa.org, 2013). Unlike the general poverty line that is set for the global statistics, a family of four with an annual income of less than the set threshold of $23,050 can be referred to as living in poverty (HHS, 2012). In the UK, the threshold is at  £100 per week for an adult,  £183 per week for a household with two adults and  £268 for a household of four, which comprises of two adults and two children (Cl ay et al., 2012). Poverty trends within the past few decades also indicate the notable differences in economic growth in different countries. For instance, between 1999 and 2005, there was a significant general decline in the population living on under $1.25 a day (United Nations, 2010). However, the highest decline occurred in the Pacific and East Asia, which were then characterized by explosive growths in the economy and improved living standards, especially in China. The chart below represents the trends of people living under $1.25 a day in different world regions (United Nations, 2010). From the trends on the chart above, it is evident that while the overall number of people living below $1.25 a day is reducing, Sub-Saharan African countries are among those facing challenges in attaining this poverty reduction goal. On the other hand, countries from East Asia and the Pacific are among those that have managed to register a significant reduction of the number of people living below this poverty line (United Nations, 2010).The Effects of Poverty on Business There are several effects that poverty has on the business environment. The most direct impact of poverty on business is that there is a minimal potential of growth. This is especially the case for businesses that deal in products or services that are not basic. The reason for this is that the majority of the target market lacks the disposable income to purchase products out of their basic needs. This explains the concentration of businesses in urban centres, where the average income is usually the highest. One of the main outcomes of poverty is crime, where the poor engage in different criminal activities to get themselves out of poverty. Some of the main crimes include robbery and corruption. According to kipo, any crime that results from poverty has a significantly adverse impact on business. For instance, violent robbery scares potential clients and a result, limits the levels sales. In addition to the potential reduction of business sales, businesses are also at a risk of losing their revenue to insecurity. From the findings presented in fig. 2 above that indicate a drop in the levels of poverty, it can be inferred that the consequences for the business environment is also positive. This is exhibited by the overall growth in the number of businesses across the world. Challenges Arising from International Trade and Global Inequality As globalization gradually increases in the present-day business environment, there are different opportunities and challenges that are presented as a result of this (Bigman, 2002). Some of the opportunities that globalization has presented include elimination of national barriers to facilitate trade between nations and increased foreign direct investments in developing and emerging economies to capture the available market opportunities (Foskett Maringe, 2010). This has also contributed to an overall increase in the average per-capita income across the world. However, with these opportunities come underlying challenges that mainly result from global inequalities and international trade (Apple, 2013). The implications that the international trade and global inequality have on business are discussed in this section. Social Challenges As the effects of globalization continue to be felt across the world, one of the key challenges that occur as a result of this is brain drain. Often referred to as capital flight, this is the movement or immigration or people with high levels of skills, knowledge and intelligence from a particular country to another (Agrawal et al., 2011). This mainly affects developing countries, where their academic elite immigrate to developing nations in pursuance of better opportunities. Even though it can be argued as a positive move for the individuals who are moving out, the cumulative impact on the home nation is adverse (Docquier Rapoport, 2012).   The World Bank estimates that by 1990, the human capital that had moved from Africa to other developed countries could be equated to 40% of its wealth (approximately $360 billion) (Ndulu, 2004). Developing countries are usually characterized by capital scarcity and therefore, further loss of this scarce resource to developed countries undermin es the sustainability and development potentials of these developing nations. Professionals that move to developed countries could otherwise positively contribute towards the long-term improvement of the business and socio-economic statuses of these countries. However, their moves can be justified because of the limited opportunities presented in the developing countries (Agrawal et al., 2011).   Another challenge lies in the diversity of cultures, religions and other social frameworks (Collier Dollar, 2002). Globalization has been characterized by increased diversities that have brought about tensions in several business aspects, especially human resource management (Docquier Rapoport, 2012). Currently, one of the most sensitive challenges in human resource management is cultural diversity. Thus, it is vital for human resource managers to ensure that the business environment is balanced enough to accommodate people from different economic backgrounds (Crane Matten, 2004). Othe r social challenges include racial discrimination, human trafficking and threatening of family units as members move into other nations in search of better lives. Global inequality can also refer to the unequal distribution of professional or entrepreneurial skills across the globe. The effect of this on business is that it makes it difficult for businesses operating in some regions to get employees with the desired skills locally. As a result of this, companies spend more money either training employees or hiring expatriates from other countries. Economic Challenges The inequalities that exist in different nations also pose economic challenges on the countries, their citizens and companies that invest in those countries (Nolan Whelan, 2010). One of the economic challenges is because of the different currencies that are used in different countries across the world. Fluctuations in these currency exchange rates have a wide range of repercussions on the company revenues (Bigman, 2002). Global trade has also resulted in the rise of new international powers, commonly referred to as emerging economies. These include Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICS) (Collier Dollar, 2002). Whilst this can be considered as a move in the right direction for these economies, the fact that they are recording faster economic growth rates that other economies has an effect on the international trade structures, the flow of human capital and natural resource-consumption patterns (Bigman, 2002). Another economic challenge is brought about by the inequalities in income levels of different countries, which may cause multinationals to take advantage of this to pay workers in developing countries poorly and overwork them as they seek cheap labour (Collier Dollar, 2002). An example of this was highlighted by (Chamberlain, 2011) that   in South China, workers at Apple work for excessive hours to meet the international demands of the company’s   products. Foxconn   is also another example of companies that provide workers, especially in developing countries with draconian working conditions, which occasionally lead to employee suicides (Chamberlain, 2011). Political Challenges Political challenges that affect global trade comprise of those that are outside the control of governments and those perpetrated by the government or the political elite (Henry Springborg, 2010). One of the challenges is created by governments is corruption, especially in developing countries. Countries that are known to be corrupt often have political leaders who require favours from companies in form of bribes or job positions before being allowed to operate smoothly (Reuters, 2013). One key disadvantage of this is that companies that stick to their ethical codes of conduct may either be denied investment opportunities or may have their operations disrupted by rogue government officials. This results into an imbalanced competitive environment in favour of corrupt businesses. Some of the most corrupt countries in the world are North Korea, Libya, Iraq, Syria and Somalia, which are all developing countries (Reuters, 2013). High tax tariffs and interest rates on loans are also polit ical challenges that increase capital expenditures of investors and a result, reduce their profit margins (McGrew, 2000). Political challenges that are caused by factors out of the government’s influence include revolutions, wars, strikes and terrorism (Campante Chor, 2012). One of the most recent events that paused challenges to businesses in Arab countries was the Arab spring that started in 2010, which affected many Arab countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East (Willis, 2012). Others include constant terrorism activities that take place, perpetrated by extremist movements. For instance, Nigeria is among the countries that, regardless of the rich oil reserves that they have, are accustomed to high levels of corruption, and terrorism. As a result if this, large oil companies like Agip, Shell and Mobil have had challenges operating in the country (Shah, 2014). Conclusion There are several definitions of poverty that have been given by different researchers. However, as earlier presented in the paper, it is a complicated issue whose causes cannot be exhaustively established. This paper has provided an overview of the global poverty by providing an in-depth definition of absolute and relative poverty. It has also outlined some of the key causes of poverty across the globe. Global poverty trends over the past few decades have also been discussed in this paper. Even though the trend indicates a reasonable decline in global poverty levels, some countries have not managed to eliminate poverty as much as others. Some of the countries that have effectively managed to reduce poverty significantly include those in East Asia and the Pacific. On the other hand, poverty still remains a challenge in several countries in regions like Sub Sahara Africa. With a high anticipated population growth by 2050 that is likely to increase the strain on available resources, go vernments ought to implement strategies that will contribute towards economic growth so as to sustain these growing populations. Whereas globalization has provided several opportunities for global business, it has also posed several social, political and economic challenges, especially due to the existent global inequality. 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Test Taking Tips for Parents to Help Your Kids

Test Taking Tips for Parents to Help Your Kids With increased emphasis on standardized tests in todays schools, helping a child navigate the demands of taking tests is a necessary task almost every parent has to face. It may be your child taking all the tests, but youre the one who needs to help him through it. Here are some test-taking tips for parents to help you get your child ready. Test Taking Tips For Children Tip #1: Make attendance a priority, especially on days that you know standardized testing will be administered or there is a test in the classroom. Though its important for your child to be in school as many days as possible, making sure hes there when the test is taken helps to ensure he wont lose more learning time because he has to make up a test during school. Tip #2: Make a note of test days on the calendar from spelling quizzes to big high-stakes tests. That way both you and your child know whats coming and will be prepared.​​ Tip #3: Look over your childs homework daily and check for understanding. Subjects like science, social studies and math often have cumulative exams at the end of units or chapters. If your child is struggling with something now, it wont be easy for her to have time to try again to learn it just before the test. Tip #4: Avoid pressuring your child and provide him with encouragement. Few children want to fail, and most will try their hardest to do well. Being afraid of your reaction to a bad test grade can increase anxiety, which makes careless mistakes more likely. Tip #5: Confirm that your child will be receiving any pre-determined accommodations during tests. These accommodations are detailed in his IEP or 504 plan. If he doesnt have one but needs some assistance, make sure youve communicated with his teacher about his needs. Tip #6: Set a reasonable bedtime and stick to it. Many parents underestimate the importance of a rested mind and body. Tired children have difficulty focusing and are easily flustered by challenges. Tip #7: Make sure your child has enough time to wake up fully before he has to go to school. Just as rest is important, so is having enough time to get his brain engaged and in gear. If his test is first thing in the morning, he cant afford to spend the first hour of school groggy and unfocused. Tip #8: Provide a high-protein, healthy, low-sugar breakfast for your child. Kids learn better on full stomachs, but if their stomachs are full of sugary, heavy foods that will make them sleepy or slightly queasy, its not much better than an empty stomach. Tip #9: Talk to your child about how the test went, what he did well and what he would have done differently. Think of it as a mini-debriefing or brainstorming session. You can talk about test-taking strategies after the fact as easily as beforehand. Tip #10: Go over the test with your child when he gets it back or when you receive the scores. Together you can look at any mistakes he made and correct them so he knows the information for the next test. After all, just because the test is done doesnt mean he can forget everything he learned! And perhaps most important, watch your child for signs of stress and anxiety, which is an all-too-common occurrence among children today. The stress can be caused not just by tests and test-taking, but by increased academic demands in elementary school as well as increased amounts of homework and decreased time spent on stress-relieving activities and recess. Parents can help by keeping a close eye on their children and stepping in when they see signs of stress.