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Saturday, December 28, 2019

Analysis Of Frost s Poem Frost - 1212 Words

This was not a coincidence. The irony utilized by Frost clearly contributes to the overall theme of design governing situations on earth. Frost also utilizes tone to emphasize the horrific nature of the scene while speaking in a seemingly light manner. Frost’s diction can be divided into two major categories: whimsical and light, and dark. This contrast contributes to the irony of the scene as well. Specific word choices in the octave show this clearly. Frost employs light, pleasant, and whimsical words like â€Å"dimpled,† â€Å"fat,† â€Å"snow-drop,† â€Å"froth,† and â€Å"kite† (7). These seem to set a tone reminiscent of a nursery rhyme; however, these are combined with other words that have dark and evil connotations. These include â€Å"rigid,† â€Å"death,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦The narrator begins to analyze and question the scene that he is viewing, and begins to relate it to concepts like fate, design and supernatural control. The tone of the sestet can be identified through the questions the narrator asks. The first question is of annoyance and slight confusion. The flower is the subject of this confusion. As a heal-all, its proper color is blue, and should not have been white. This is the first clue that suggests the involvement of something other than random chance. The blue had been cast aside and forgotten, and the narrator views the flower as innocent. It had been implicated in such an awful event by no fault of its own. This raises the question of whose fault it actually was. The next seems harsh and sinister, questioning what force or chance brought the spider to the top of the flower, and then why the moth flew straight into its grasps. Height normally shows superiority, but in this context, it is negative. The evil spider is high up on a mutated flower, in the perfect place at the perfect time to catch dinner. It seems hard to believe that random chance brought the spider to that particular flower. The next part of the question concerns the moth and what force caused it to come into contact with the spider and flower. The identical color of the flower, moth, and spider further contributes evidence to the conclusion that this situation

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Essay on Legal and Ethical Issues in School Counseling

The topic of this paper focuses on the battles school counselors face as the law and ethical standards collide. School counselors face a number of legal and ethical issues and recognizing a clear decision isn’t always easy. School counselors have to work with a large number of students, parents, and administrators while conforming to ethical codes, state laws, and school board guidelines. This topic is of great relevance to me as I will be going into the school counseling profession. It is also a meaningful topic to me because life-changing decisions are made every day in reference to legal and ethical issues. Researching this topic has shed some light on the difficulty for school counselors to fulfill both legal and ethical†¦show more content†¦N.W. eventually resigned and filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court stating that the administrations actions resulted in her forced resignation, violating her First Amendment right. After a two year process of legal proceedings, N.W. lost the case in the Supreme Court. The ruling was â€Å"First Amendment freedom of expression does not protect statements that public employees make pursuant to their official duties, as compared with those they make as citizens on matters of public concern† (Stone, Zirkel 2010). N.W. was excluded from First Amendment protection due to the court concluding that she was performing the duties she was paid to perform while reporting her concerns. This particular case illustrates a court trend in favor of school districts when involving educational litigation against professional educators, including school counselors (Stone, Zirkel 2010). This trend suggests that school counselors should think carefully before exercising their personal or professional beliefs, unless they estimate no employment discipline by their superiors. The point is that there is a very fine line between performing your duties without legal ramifications. On a more ethical standpoint, when should a school counselor break confidentiality? There is much debate and ambiguity concerning the issue of confidentiality. The 2010 ASCA ethical code, states that school counselors are to keep information confidential (ASCA Sec.Show MoreRelatedBecoming An Addictions Counselor Is Not Easy1215 Words   |  5 Pagesclients within your scope of practice can present its challenges as well as the ultimate goal of the helping profession to do no harm. There are requirements to developing a helping professional, key legal and ethical issues in counseling, and the role of the counselor in developing and maintaining ethical boundaries in clinical relationships. 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(CoreyRead MoreEthical Ethics And Ethical Issues1311 Words   |  6 Pagesprovides readers with an in-depth analysis of ethical theories, legal and ethical issues which gives them an opportunity to practice real life ethical issues that are frequently complex and thought provoking. Readers are further implored to examine their personal, moral and ethical value systems and codes they work from in an attempt to assist them in developing an informed ethical conscience for making sound moral and ethical judgments. The author presents ethic al dilemmas throughout the book which readersRead MoreI Am A High School1356 Words   |  6 PagesI am a high school school counselor. My supervisor, the school principal has requested that I provide him with a list of all the student clients and their parents/guardians that I counsel on a weekly basis and the presenting concerns discussed in sessions. I have been told that this information will be used to complete a report for the district. I am concerned about disclosing this information because it is my ethical responsibility to protect my clients confidentiality. I am also hesitant and concernedRead MoreIntercultural Competence, Cultural, Religious, And World Views ( Crw )846 Words   |  4 Pagesintercultural competence, specifically cultural, religious, and world views (CRW), at each step in the ethical decision-making process (Luke, Goodrich, Gilbride, 2013). For example, a counselor using this model, with the same dilemma of breaching student confidentiality, would recogn ize that within an ethical dilemma CRW elements exist, would identify CRW factors, such as a student’s cultural view, identify school policies and procedures, such as reporting of student drug use, consult with cultural expertsRead MoreEthical And Legal Considerations Scenario921 Words   |  4 PagesThere will be many scenarios that can challenge a counselor. However, when there are specific cases that involve harm to the clients’ person or another a counselor must follow the processes outlined in the bylaws of the American School Counselor Association. These outlined processes serve two important purposes, the purpose of protecting the client and the purpose of protecting the counselor. This paper will answer questions in response to the scenario of Angela. Scenario: Angela is a 16-year-oldRead MoreThe Importance Of Supervision And Being A Culturally Competent Counselor981 Words   |  4 Pagesan important topic in counseling. Counselors provide a service to ev eryone, regardless their nationality, gender, sexual preference or ethnical background. All counselors are held to a high ethical standard, rather they are school, family, and marriage, mental or spiritual counselors. Counselors must be competent to work effectively with members of society who are culturally different from themselves in order to avoid risk engaging in unethical conduct. Legal and Ethical Expectations StudentRead MoreThe Advocacy For Lgbt Community1380 Words   |  6 PagesLGBT community in schools among the student community is very important. In most cases the advocates of LGBTs have tried to persuade schools to improve their environment. Usually the school environment significantly determines whether the climate in the school is healthy and appropriate for LGBT students to learn in (Goldberg and Allen, 2013). Advocating for this community therefore means that school administrators are likely to adopt ignored programs that may concern the issues of sexual orientation

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Financial Position Comparison of AGL Energy and Genesis Energy

Question: Discuss the Financial Position Comparison of AGL Energy and Genesis Energy. Answer: Introduction About AGL Energy AGL Energy Ltd. is based out of Sydney, Australia and majorly operates as an integrated renewable energy provider. The company provides gas, electricity, related products and solar PV in Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. The company is involved in buying and selling of the above products, along which it also has power generation facilities, explores and extracts natural gas and has gas storage facilities. The power generation includes thermal power generation and other renewable resources like hydro, solar, wind and biomass. The company caters to both homes and businesses. About Genesis Energy Genesis Energy Ltd. is also an energy and gas provider. The company operates majorly in New Zealand and provides energy solutions and services. The company is involved in buying and selling of electricity and gas and generation of electricity which include the traditional thermal and other renewable resources. The company also explores produces and sells LPG, gas and light oil. It caters to both residential and commercial customers providing customised electricity and LPG pricing solutions to the business houses. Financial Statements Review The financial statements include balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statements which indicate the financial position of the company. The major items of the statements have been analysed to ascertain the financial position. AGL Energy % change Genesis % change Amount in $ million 2014 2015 2014 2015 Revenue 10445 10678 2.2% 2005 2097.6 4.6% Net Profit 570 218 -61.8% 49.2 104.8 113.0% Total Assets 14134 15833 12.0% 3629.4 3528 -2.8% Total Liabilities 6546 7018 7.2% 1748.7 1702.6 -2.6% Equity 7588 8815 16.2% 1880.7 1825.4 -2.9% Cash from Operation 699 1044 49.4% 303.9 318.5 4.8% The revenue of AGL Energy has increased by a mere 2.2% which is on account of low revenue from natural gas. The energy industry is very competitive and hence it is difficult to garner a higher market share. The net profit has reduced considerably in 2015 but that is due to extraordinary expenses like impairment of assets for $600 million and transaction costs of acquiring Macquarie Generation assets for $153 million. This has increased the operating expenses. If we look at the underlying profit, it has increased by 12% to $630 million. The total assets of the company have increased by 12% as the company has acquired new plant and equipment and also oil and gas assets in 2015. The total liabilities increased a as a result of borrowings for acquiring Macquarie assets and pay for other capital expenditures. However, the company also repaid some part of its long term loans. The total equity has increased due to issue of equity. There is an increase in cash from operation by almost 50% on account of lower payments as compared to receipts as the creditors have increased thus increasing the cash flow. The total revenue of Genesis Energy has also increased by a meagre 4.6%. This is due to lower international oil prices and lower electricity customers than expected. However, we see that the profit has increased by more than 100%. This is due to the unexpected gains on fair value of financial instruments resulting from low wholesale electricity prices and a reduction in finance expense. If we look at the EBIDTAF, the net profit has increased by 12%. The total assets has reduced by 3% whereas the total assets have fallen by 2.6% due to repayment of long term loan, however the company has taken additional short term loan. The cash from operation has increased by approx 5% due to lower capital expenditure and reduced finance expenses. Ratio Analysis AGL Energy Genesis Energy 2014 2015 2014 2015 Profitability Return on Assets =570/14134 4.1% =218/15833 1.5% =49/3629 1.3% =104/3528 2.9% Net Profit Margin =570/10445 5.5% =218/10678 2.0% =49/2005 2.5% =104/2097 5% Liquidity Current Ratio =3411/2166 1.6 =3459/2373 1.5 =357/246 1.4 =-346/309 1.1 Quick Ratio =(3411-191)/2166 1.5 =(3459-396)/2373 1.3 =(357-93)/246 1.1 =(346-80)/309 0.9 Capital Structure Debt to Equity =6546/7588 86.3% =7018/8815 79.6% =1748/1880 93% =1702/1825 93.3% Equity ratio =7588/14134 53.7% =8815/15833 55.7% =1880/3629 51.8% =1825/3528 51.7% Market Performance Earnings per share =570/580.2 0.98 =218/653.7 0.33 =49.2/999.9 0.05 =104.8/999.5 0.1 Dividend per share =269/580.2 0.46 =344/653.7 0.53 =121/999.9 0.12 =145.9/999.5 0.15 Profitability The return on assets of AGL has gone down in 2015 due to a decrease in net profits. The profits are low due to high asset impairment costs. Also the profit margin has reduced in 2015 for the same reason. The total assets and revenue have increased but the decrease in profits is higher as such the profitability of the company has gone down. Both the net profit margin and return on assets has increased for Genesis in 2015 due to abnormal profits arising from gains on fair value of financial instruments. The profits are not as a result of regular business operations. Since AGL Energy has seen abnormal loss and Genesis has experienced abnormal profits, the profitability of Genesis seems higher, but if EBIDTAF were to be taken into consideration, AGL Energy would have higher profitability. AGL has higher revenue and total assets in absolute terms. Liquidity The current ratio has decreased very slightly for AGL Energy in 2015. This is due to an increase in current liabilities in the form of borrowings. However, the ratio is within the ideal limits. Even the quick ratio is more than 1 which means the company does not have much funds tied in inventory and can be said to be quite liquid. Both current ratio and quick ratio have decreased for Genesis. This is due to an increase in current liabilities and a decrease in current assets. The company has undertaken short term loan to repay its long term debts. AGL energy has a better liquidity than Genesis. Capital Structure The debt to equity ratio of AGL has reduced by approx 6% to 80%. This is due to an increase in equity and decrease in long term borrowings. However, the company has more debt than equity and can be considered to have a risky capital structure. The equity ratio has increased in 2015 to 55.7% signifying more than 50% of the assets being financed by equity. The company has reduced its dependence on debt to some extent. The debt to equity ratio for Genesis is as high as 93%. The company is highly risky with more debt than equity. 50% of its total assets are financed by equity and 50% by debt. However, the total debt is 93% of the total capital structure. The capital structure has not changed from 2014 to 2015. AGL is more stable than Genesis. Market Performance The EPS for AGL Energy has reduced considerably in 2015 owing to very low profits. Also the total outstanding shares have increased in 2015 resulting in a lower EPS. The dividend per share has increased due to increase in dividends paid. Even though the company has experienced low profits, but due to strong cash flow, it has been able to pay higher dividends, thus increasing the return of shareholder. The EPS for Genesis is very low at 5 cents in 2014 has increased in 2015 to 10 cents as a result of extraordinary profits earned. The number of outstanding shares has remained the same. The dividend per share has increased slightly to 15 cents in 2015 due to an increase in dividends paid. AGL has a better market performance as it has higher EPS and dividend per share in spite of lower profits as compared to Genesis Energy. Conclusion The ratios calculated above provide a clear picture of the financial performance of both the companies for the years 2014 and 2015 and how the companies have improved or worsened in 2015 as compared to the previous years. However, one cannot depend entirely on the ratios calculated from the annual reports because AGL has prepared the accounts on the basis of AASB whereas Genesis has prepared the accounts on the basis of New Zealand GAAP so the accounting policies used may be different. The qualitative aspects like environment and social responsibility have not been considered in the analysis. Recommendation On the basis of the ratio analysis conducted above, it is clearly advisable to a potential investor to invest in AGL Energy Limited as the company has better liquidity, stability in the capital structure and a better market performance. The profitability of Genesis may seem better on the face of it, however the profits are extraordinary and not from the normal business operations, hence on the basis of EBIDTAF, AGL has a better profitability. The investor can expect to have higher returns from AGL since it pays higher dividends. Reference AGL Energy, (2015), AGL Annual Report 2015 Genesis Energy, (2015), Genesis Energy Annual Report 2015 Finance.yahoo, (2016), AGL Energy Limited, accessed online on 22nd August, 2015, available at https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/AGL.AX/profile?p=AGL.AX Finance.yahoo, (2016), Genesis Energy LP, accessed online on 22nd August, 2015, available at https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/GEL/profile?p=GEL

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

School Violence free essay sample

This paper delves into the issues of school violence which has been plaguing our society for a number of years, causing detrimental effects to the development of our country, the improved lives of our citizens and the well-being of children. Moral development of individuals is closely related to conforming to certain norms and standards of society, and control of antisocial or negative behavior is absolutely necessary in preventing delinquent behavior. The stages of moral development should be understood to delineate the positive or negative impact of non-conformity. After complete moral development, individuals may choose to not conform to social standards and try to move beyond norms. This is not always negative and would be associated with novelty and creativity. However when moral development is hindered at an early stage of life when children ignore moral values and ethics of society for their own selfish pursuits and there is a complete lack of external control, the moral development is truncated and lead to criminal behavior in later life. We will write a custom essay sample on School Violence or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A restraining factor in violent acts of crime is rational thinking and if individuals can rationalize, reflect and understand the seriousness of crimes, they would be deterred from engaging in crimes and would thus in turn aid their own moral and personal development. Moral development of children would be dependent on several factors and according to psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg, the first stage of moral reasoning is of obedience and avoiding punishment, the second stage is keeping up to expectations of family members and the final stage is moving beyond social conventions. Students that commit violent acts of crime have incomplete moral development as their behavior may be motivated by a desire to break the law and challenge obedience and punishment. There are different categories of violent behaviours that take place in the school context, including those directly directed towards objects or school material and those directly directed towards individuals such as teachers and peers. The first one would refer to acts of vandalism such as breaking desks or doors, painting names, messages and graffiti’s on the school walls, And the second  type would include verbal and physical aggressions towards the teachers or peers, and serious problems of discipline in the class such as disobeying the school internal regulations. Out of all these behaviours, fights between peers are the most frequent ones, whether it is one to one or between groups. In today’s society, the influence of media, the glorification of money and power, the portrayal of aggression as socially more valued than nurturing, the acceptance of condemnation instead of caring have cultivated in the cognitive schema of our students the perception that any attempt to weigh matters against ethical positions is light and soft – attributes that are asynchronous with the rough and ravenous disposition of those perceived to be successful, wealthy and socially elitist. Parents and teachers are very influential in a child’s development. We have to be very conscientious and methodical in the way we model behaviours and attitudes regarding students’ growth and development. Around the world, newspapers and the broadcast media report daily on violence by gangs in schools. Of all acts of crime and violence committed among children, those that take place within schools are the most frequent. Students that commit violent acts of crime generally lack the ability to control their emotions and are incapable of expressing their rage without hurting someone in the process. Students that display these behavioural problems usually have very low self-esteem and self-worth and they seek to take out their frustration on uninvolved victims, blaming them for their misfortunes. Youth violence has plagued our society for a substantial amount of years and there are several ways in which it can develop. Some children exhibit these behavioural patterns in ear ly childhood that gradually escalates to more severe forms of aggression before and during adolescence. Violent students have a jaded, often cavalier attitude toward education and its importance to their future success or personal development. Studies have shown that low intelligence and low levels of achievement in school have consistently been found to be associated with youth violence. Students are in most cases, labeled or stigmatized by other peers regarding their status in society, their background and their academic abilities. This has been an issue for quite some time where students worth, their perceptions of themselves and their inability to conform to what is deemed as socially acceptable behaviour has been questioned by both the individuals and society at large. . Students who  feel threatened by their peers have an unquenchable thirst for revenge on anyone who they believe has had a â€Å"gold spoon† placed in their mouth since birth. They view students whose parents are high up the social ladder in society as the reasons for their adversities and they seek revenge on what they believe they are being deprived off. They often lash out in ways that are not considered acceptable behaviour by law but is â€Å"fair game â€Å"in their eyes. The home environment is thought to contribute immensely to school violence. Parental behaviour and the family environment are central factors in the development of violent behaviour in young people. Long-term exposure to gun violence, parental alcoholism, domestic violence, physical abuse of the child, poor monitoring and supervision of children by parents and child sexual abuse, teaches children that criminal and violent activities are acceptable. These factors are strong predictors of violence during adolescence. Harsh parental discipline is clearly associated with higher levels of aggressiveness in youths. Violence in adolescence has been strongly linked to parental conflict in early childhood and to poor attachment between parents and children. Single parent families are also indicators that contribute to violent behaviours in students where they often blame themselves for their parent’s separation. The feeling of inadequacy toward their parents and failure to prevent the separation may have detrimental effects on a child thus leading them to commit violent acts. A low level of family cohesion and the absence of other social support, can vastly affect children’s social and emotional functioning and behaviour. This factor contributes to the behaviours that are apparent in schools where violence stems from the home and is then transferred into the schools resulting in unfavorable outcomes. Another indicator influencing student violence is peer influences. During adolescence, building these relationships with peers is generally considered positive and important in shaping interpersonal connections, but they can also have negative effects. Having delinquent friends in school is associated with violence in young people. The presence of gangs in schools, guns and drugs in a locality is a potent mixture, increasing the likelihood of violence. Students often feel intimidated by their peers who are higher academic achievers than themselves and come from families that are social elites, and in order for them to feel superior; they commit violent acts that they know they have full control  over in order to replace any feelings of inferiority. Violence in school is often committed by gangs rather than an individual where a gang would fully support their actions regardless of the consequences. There is often a sense of superiority felt by those individuals who commit such unnecessary crimes where their actions are praised by their peers and that in turn, boost their ego. The communities in which young people live is an important influence on their families, the nature of their peer groups, and the way they may be exposed to situations that lead to violence. Generally speaking, boys in urban areas are more likely to be involved in violent behaviour than those living in rural areas. Within urban areas, those living in neighborhoods with high levels of crime are more likely to be involved in violent behaviour than those living in other neighborhoods. Students that live in communities that are prone to having criminal activity and gangs will continue to portray an unfavourable bahaviour in the school as well. The tactics they learn outside the school from persons much older and experienced than they are will be used in the school to bully students, hurt them physically as well as emotionally and possibly end their lives because to the perpetrators, everything is seen as a game to them and they are incapable of showing remorse. This is the unfortunate reality that we live in where students are being bullied for their money, food or jewellery in schools. Granted that there were never any killings in schools, that does not make the students behaviour acceptable. In the Caribbean, there have not been any killings in schools thus far but with violent acts, there is no limit to what a person can do because if the students can commit these acts with a clear conscious, there is no telling what these children are really capable of. Culture, which is reflected in the inherited norms and values of society, helps determine how people respond to a changing environment. One important means through which violent images, norms and values are propagated is the media. Exposure of children and young people to the various forms of the media has increased dramatically in recent years. New forms of media – such as exposure to television violence and, to a lesser extent, violent video games are related to increased aggressiveness in children, which, in turn, may carry over into school. These factors have multiplied opportunities for young people to be exposed to violence. It is essential that we understand that students model behaviour, therefore  whatever they are exposed too, directly influences their behaviour, their thinking, their actions and their beliefs. If students grow up in a stable environment that is conducive to learning and developing intellectually as well as socially their behavioural patterns would conform to what is socially acceptable by law. Students need to have instilled in them, proper religious beliefs, values, practices and principles so that they are able to differentiate right from wrong. This starts at the home but it is essential that it continues at school so that the practices imparted to them would allow them to understand that violent acts toward peers are wrong and are regarded as unfair and unjust treatment of students. Participating in physical fights, bullying and carrying of weapons are important risk behaviours for youth violence. Involvement in physical fighting is very common among students in many parts of the world. Forms of aggression, bullying and physical fighting in schools lead to very serious forms of violence. The carrying of weapons is predominantly a male activity among young students in today’s society. There are, however, major variations in the prevalence of weapon carrying as reported by adolescents in different countries. If we were to look at the U.S, the severity of criminal activity that takes place in those schools would surpass the violent acts of crime carried out in Caribbean schools. In the U.S, there were episodes of shootings and stabbings with knives, killing a number of students in the process. The extent to which students would orchestrate their crimes in the U.S would appear to be premeditated as appose to Caribbean crimes where students randomly choose their victims to have a fight with. Whether the crimes are premeditated or random, that could never justify such actions. Violent acts in schools not only affect the individual, but the entire family of the victim. Parent- and family-based interventions are designed to improve family relations. There is growing evidence that these interventions, especially those that start early and recognize the diverse factors that influence a family, can have substantial, long-term effects in reducing violent behavior at home as well as in schools. Strategies should be focused on modifying community characteristics, including school settings that either promote or inhibit violence. Strategies to change the social and cultural climate to  reduce youth violence are often difficult and infrequently used. Approaches that may facilitate lasting change include addressing social norms via public information campaigns; reducing media violence; and reforming educational systems at the institutional level. According to philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, each individual is born with innate goodness.