Philosophy of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophy of Education - Essay Example The teacher develops a philosophy of education from both the theoretical sources of historical philosophies which discuss the idealism that underlies the teaching process and also from practical experience by testing these theories in classroom instructional practice. From philosophers such as Rousseau, Piaget, Thoreau, and Montessori, the teacher may learn about human nature and the stages of childhood development, as well as the goal of education. The teacher needs to build practical strategies for teaching on the foundation of the idealism of human nature, focusing on social skills growth, mental patterns of learning, physical training, and personality development. From the foundation of openness and the exchange of information through communication, the teacher must also implement a broader teaching structure in a Third Grade class that will lead to well-rounded development of students in all subjects of science, reading, writing, research, recreation, and physical growth. Becaus e of this, I have decided to adopt what is called an â€Å"essentialist† theory of education that believes that the teacher should prepare according to a path of gradual development of the childhood subject, where a wide variety of course materials and instruction leads to the broad development of minds and character through the classroom activities. (Phillips, 2008) 1. Curricular and Instructional Practice For curriculum development in the Third Grade, the teacher will be following a broad curriculum in general education focusing on the development of fundamental learning skills for further progression in education. This curriculum is based upon reading and writing most importantly at this stage, with also basic mathematics being important. The students should improve in reading skills across all subjects, as well as using their writing skills in all classes for essays, tests, note-taking, etc. Math is integrated into science and arithmetic classes to impart basic skills thr ough repetition of practice and homework. Oral communication will be an integral part of the students’ in-class responsibilities. The teacher will be implementing Ohio Teaching Standards and preparing students for the display of knowledge apprehension in standardized tests that will assess cumulative knowledge. The classroom will be on a â€Å"one-room† standard, with both male and female students mixed in the class, and uniforms will not be used as part of the dress codes. My teaching will take place in a Public School district, and as such there will be further responsibilities in the application of the teaching method with regard to keeping the parents as part of the process, engaged and informed in the child’s development, as well as satisfying administrative responsibilities at the local school and district levels. In this environment, the teacher must be well-rounded in knowledge, and prepared in advance for lessons in order to anticipate problems or issue s and have adequate response techniques available for implementation in the lesson. (Atherton, 2011) 2. Diversity of Learners Multiculturalism is the basis for the current paradigm in public education where the students come from a wide range of backgrounds both culturally and socio-economically. Part of the teacher’s responsibility is to provide the students with the basic of good citizenship, which includes tolerance for others, respect for views, openness, helpfulness, etc. Because of this the teacher should always make sure to maintain fairness in teaching methods, recognizing that girls and boys must be taught equally, and that the student’s must learn to understand and appreciate each other’s own cultural diversity and heritage. While the history classes allow for cultural dimensions to be discussed, holidays, class parties, special events, and seminars can be implemented by the teacher and organized in a way that they promote multiculturalism. The teacher should assist the students in building cultural identity and individual awareness within the

Contamination and Remediation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Contamination and Remediation - Essay Example Jackson and Lesage (1992) found that risks and threats to the environment and human health include corrosiveness, explosiveness, toxicity, combustibility and carcinogenicity. A site can also be called contaminated if an identified part of land has a higher identified contaminant in concentrations compared to the level of concentrations in a land that is non-contaminated. In the present era, site contamination has become a real issue as it produces various critical impacts regarding environment, water, human health, and economy of any specific country. Contamination of sites has become a problem due to increased redevelopment of agricultural and industrial land. Assessment of a contaminated site is usually done by using a five-staged approach. The five stages include preliminary site assessment, detailed site assessment, remedial action plan, remediation of the site, and validation of the remediation process. In preliminary site assessment, inspection of the site is conducted in collaboration with the site management staff including owner of the land. Site history review is done by the inspection team and some samples of soil of the suspected site are also taken by the team in order to prepare an initial report which comes in use if symptoms of site contamination are found in the results of the report. Then in the next stage, comprehensive and detailed assessment of the collected soil samples is done in order to know the extent of presence of hazardous substances in the soil. The results of the assessed samples indicate whether the site actually needs a remediation process or not. If the results are positive, the inspection team moves towar ds the third stage which is remedial action plan stage. In this stage, planning is done regarding the suitable remediation process by analyzing the site remediation strategies and actual contaminated area of the site. Human

Psychological research indicating criminals are different from non criminals

Psychological research indicating criminals are different from non criminals Discuss the extent to which psychological research convincingly indicates that criminals are different from non-criminals. The causation of criminality is a prominent concern for our entire society. As a collective society we have what could be described as a vested interest in determining causation. Collectively, as a society we endeavour to live within societial norms and expectations, believing it to be for the common good, we are in possession of a social conscience. But how does the majority of society arrive at such a point? From a societal point of view, we develop our social conscience through the process of socialisation, from primary sources such as our families, secondary, such as schools, a school of thought endorsed by social learning theorists, whereby our behaviour is determined by our environment, we conform to the expectations of our surrounding, by conforming we are participants of the group to which we belong, As a group we believe that how we live is the right and those who do not conform are somehow living beyond the realm of society; That their behaviour is wrong and we who abide by the expected norms are right. But what of the individual within society? What of the individual who develops socially and psychologically to a point that is at odds with societal norms? Can socialisation adequately explain such an occurrence. Indeed what of the individual who arrives at a point whereby they adapt and behave according to society rules and regulations? Is it possible to say one is right and the other is wrong when considering individuality? Social rules and expectations are applied collectively at an individual level. As a society we define laws and regulations and in doing so we define what is deviant, we establish a difference between those who abide and those who do not. These individuals who do not abide by societys rules and regulations are considered abnormal, and those of us who conform and follow are normal. Criminality in this context is considered an abnormality. The idea that criminals are different from non criminals is for some an accepted fact. Early criminology research was based on the belief that the criminal was a separate being from the normal law abiding individual, that criminals where born, as opposed to being made. Cesare Lombroso (1835 1909) an Italian physicist with positivist leanings, hypothesised that criminals where in fact a throwback to earlier stages of the evolutionary process, he described individuals afflicted with this condition as atavistic, claiming that criminals where in possession of physical features which indicated their criminality, such as smaller brains, heavy fleshy jaws, abnormal and asymmetrical skulls. However Lombroso was criticised for studying only convicted criminals and making no comparative research with a control group of non-criminals, it was also suggested that perhaps he was confusing the line between criminality and psychopathology. Whilst these apparent findings hold little stead in modern theories concerning causal factors of criminality, Lombrosos contribution is important as the forerunner for scientific investigation of criminals and their criminality as well as moving away from the idea of humans functioning solely as social beings and drawing attention to human behaviour at the level of the individual. An area of importance to this belief of criminality as a consequence of biological factors is genetics research. Psychologists in Britain during the 1960s purported to have discovered a specific cause of criminality in chromosome abnormalities. Normally, Women are in possession of two X chromosomes while men will have one X and one Y, however research in this area found a high level of convicted criminals had a XYY chromosome, a condition commonly known as XYY syndrome(Sandberg et al 1961). However a subsequent review of these findings by Owen (1972) found that people from all walks of life had this so called abnormality and did not engage in criminal behaviours, it was also found that criminals with this abnormality engaged more so in sexual offences than other offences. Further research conducted in 1976 by Witkin et al did however discover findings which go some way to supporting the hypothesis of the chromosome abnormalities as a causation for criminality; the results of a study of 12 men with the condition found that these men where more likely to engage in criminal behaviours. But the fact remains that members of the general public with this condition do not commit crime and also on the flip side there is a majority proportion of offenders who do not have this condition. The exploration of genetics as a predisposing factor of criminality has three main areas of investigation; family, twin and adoption studies. Family studies are employed based on the idea that family members share the same gene pool and in turn inherit similar characteristics. Osborn and West (1979) conducted research which looked at the sons of men with criminal convictions as well as the sons of men with no criminal convictions, it was found that 40% of the sons of criminals were criminals as opposed to only 13% for the sons of non criminals. However these findings are not definitive in their attempt to establish a genetic predisposition to criminality considering that the children grew up with their fathers, in the same environment, the sons of criminals who themselves engaged in criminality may in fact simply be acting out learned behaviours. However one must also consider why 13% of the sons of non criminals engage in criminality at all, if criminality was determined by genes su rely the rate of criminality in this control group would in fact be zero. While research using family studies has found some significant information indicating that criminality may run in families, it is difficult to ascertain whether the tendency towards criminality is a genetic, environmental or indeed cultural transmission. Twin studies compare monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins, the reasoning being that if MZ twins, who share 100% of the same genes, show a high rate of concordance in behaviours or traits, as opposed to FZ twins ,who only share 50% of the same genes, then one could deduce that genetic factors have influenced this outcome. In the case of criminality it could be assumed that there is a genetic basis to criminal behaviour. Mednick and Volavka in 1980 reviewed research conducted using twin studies during the period of 1929 to 1961 and found that approximately 60% of MZ had a high concordance of criminal behaviours as opposed to only 30% of FZ twins.)(Sage dictionary of criminology). In 1977 a study was carried out in Denmark on 3586 twins which found a rate of 52% concordance for MZ twins in comparison to only 22 % for FZ twins (Christiansens as cited in sage dictionary of criminology). However, research and findings using the classical twin study method has met with many criticisms, such as the fact that twins tend to grow up in the same environment and that people tend to treat identical twins in a similar manner to each other due to their physical similarities. Adoption studies was proposed as a more deterministic method of establishing genetic inheritiability of criminality(Mednick, Gabrielli and Hutchings(1987). This method is quite an important, critical method of exploring the effects of nature and nurture, the idea being that if there is a genetic basis for criminality then the adopted away child with a criminal biological parent would be more inclined to engage in criminal behaviours, research conducted by mednick et al in 1983 seemed to back up this hypothesis, the findings of a study of 14500 adopted children found that an adopted male child whose biological parent was a criminal was more likely to engage in criminal behaviour regardless of having grown up in an environment different to that of the biological parent. A review of data collected from over 14,000 adoptions between the years of 1924 to 1947 in Denmark found that some genetic transmission of criminality does exist, however these findings did not extend to all types of cr iminality, in particular violent crime, instead it was found to be operating at the level of crimes against property (Joseph, 2001). Research has also indicated that having a biological criminal mother predisposes adopted away sons to a 50% chance of engaging in crime in comparison to only 5% if the adopted childs biological mother is not a criminal. (Crowe, 1974). The findings of research into biological explanations of criminality does raise some interesting and insightful information, and the possibility that criminality is inherited through ones genes has some validity, it may be that criminals are born with predisposed tendencies which at a biological level does make them different from non criminals, however one can argue where is the explanation for those born with such tendencies who do not engage in criminal behaviour? It could be that each individual differs at the level of personality, it could be that those who do not go on to offend may have a different personality type from those who do. There is some debate about whether personality is something we are born with, i.e. we inherit or if it is something that develops as we grow and mature. Personality differences or individual differences are thought to counter an affect on an individuals propensity towards criminality. It is thought that particular types of personalities are more inclined to engage in criminal behaviour. In relation to criminality Hans Eysencks personality theory posits three personality types; extroversion (E), Neuroticism (N) and Psychoticism (P) ,an element of Eysencks theory which was added at a later point, after further research (Mc LaughlinLaughlin Muncie 2006). The three personality types can be considered as scales with the E scale ranging from High extrovert to low introvert, and the N scale ranging from high neuroticism to low stability. According to Eysenck each individual is capable of engaging in criminal behaviour, but whether one does engage in such behaviour is determined by the cortical and autonomic nervous systems we are born with. These genetic factors affect how an individual will respond to environmental conditioning (Mc Laughl in Muncie 2006). Extroverts, according to Eysenck, are cortically under-aroused, and therefore engage in pleasure and excitement inducing behaviour to increase arousal levels, often displaying traits such as aggressiveness and impulsivity, both traits strongly correlated to criminality. Introverts on the other hand are cortically over aroused and in turn avoid situations and behaviours that over stimulate them. Introverts tend to be more passive and calm. Eysencks theory proposes that extroverts do not condition as effectively as introverts. Neuroticism is connected to the individuals Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), and those individuals who experience high neuroticism tend to be moody and anxious and those who are low on the scale tend to display calm and stable behaviour. Eysenck again links high neuroticism to conditioning, the precept being that the anxiety caused by high neuroticism limits conditioning effects on the individual. The third personality type psychoticism is defin ed to a lesser extent by Eysenck as traits possessed by the individual; high P traits consist of a lack of empathy or feelings for others, sensation seeking, toughmindedness and aggression. The findings of Eysencks research found that offenders scored high on P, and N, but displayed mixed results for E, Eysenck reaction to this was dvelop E into 2 subcategories of Sociability and Impulsiveness, subsequent research found that offenders scored higher on impulsiveness than sociability (Mc Laughlin Muncie 2006). Impulsiveness has often been cited as a causal factor of criminality; in 2001 Lynam Whiteside conceptualised the occurrence of Impulsivity in relation to criminality as a four factor model; Urgency, Lack of Premeditation, Lack of perseverance and sensation seeking. Eysneck defined impulsivity in terms of a causal factor as dysfunctional impulsivity Dysfunctional impulsivity propels the individual to engage in behaviours that are of no benefit to the individual. It is thought t hat dysfunctional impulsive individuals do not process information as effectively as functional impulsive individuals. Cognitive processes are another area in which criminals are thought to differ from non criminals, The Cognitive Dysfunction theory posits that crime is a result of an error in the individuals thinking patterns. Kohlbergs Moral Development theory is also concerned with the cognitive abilities of the criminal, suggesting that the cognitive functions of the criminal are less developed than those of the non criminal. Kohlberg outlines three stages of development in relation to individual moral reasoning; Pre-conventional, Conventional and Post conventional, he believed that criminals tend to stagnate at the pre-conventional stage whereby individuals engage in basic thinking and acting on instinct. All such theories wherein the causation of criminality is attributed to internal aspects and functioning of the individual raise questions and indeed does suggest compelling evidence that would appear to indicate that criminals are inherently different at a biological level to non criminals. But as individuals we interact as social beings, we are hugely influenced by our environment and any conclusions regarding the causal factors of criminality must consider such influences; Social learning theory posits that criminality is in fact a learned response. There is much research findings which support social learning, the most well known example being Albert Banduras Bobo Doll experiment, wherein three groups of children where put into different experimental groups. Group one saw an adult play nicely with the doll, group two saw just the doll and group three saw an adult be aggressive to the doll. Afterwards the children where allowed to play with the doll, the group who saw the adult ac t aggressively to the doll replicated the behaviours while the other two groups played nicely (Ainsworth, P, B 200:83). Such a strong finding as this shows us the high impact ones environment will have on behaviour and that biological factors alone simply cannot account for all criminality. To grow up in an environment where criminality prevails incites a different learned response to the idea of criminality. However there is certainly evidence to suggest that at a biological level criminals are indeed different from non criminals, but it is not and should not be considered a deterministic fact of criminality, many individuals with such predispositions as discussed do not go on to engage in criminal behaviours, indeed many individuals who grow up in a criminal environment do not go on to offend and some criminals do not have the genetic predisposition or indeed the environmental influence and yet they have engaged in criminality. Criminality, as with most phenomenas in modern psycho logy must be considered as an interaction of such factors. Word Count 2410

The legalization of Hemp has significant medicinal and industrial value. :: essays research papers fc

The legalization of Hemp has significant medicinal and industrial value. From high schools to college campuses, marijuana can be seen just about everywhere. It is quite easy for a parent to jump to horrid conclusions upon hearing the word â€Å"marijuana.† What is unfortunate is that the majority lack true knowledge of marijuana for its practical purposes and the relevance it has had in ancient history. There are far more constructive and legal uses for marijuana other than for experiencing euphoria. For the past forty decades, many have protested for marijuana to be legalized as a drug for its medicinal uses and strength as an industrial product. Marijuana is formulated from a seed known as Hemp (cannabis sativa) which is a widely cultivated Asian herb of the mulberry family (Merriam-Webster). Hemp was an integral part of earlier lifestyles treating such ailments as gout, malaria, gas pains and nausea. Page 2 Hemp fibers and oils were used to make different kinds of fabric including clothing, rope and sails. There is no disputing that hemp is extremely versatile in its uses and it’s hard not to question why society cannot "milk it for what it's worth." With our country’s economy and natural resources suffering, it is imperative that alternate industrial solutions be found. Politicians and society love to keep the petty discussions of getting "high† floating around to keep hemp from being legalized. The argument being if it were legalized there would be a highly significant increase in use, especially among the younger generations. However, alcohol, another horribly misused substance, is perfectly legal (to those of appropriate age), has no significant industrial value and showed a decrease in use upon legalization. It has also been proven to cause more damage than hemp giving the conclusion that there are far more benefits from hemp than alcohol. The only legal use of hemp found today is medicinal. Hemp is used in cases of terminally ill cancer and glaucoma patients who suffer from chronic pain. Although far from being a cure, it helps relieve eye pressure caused by glaucoma. Research also indicates that hemp eases the nausea and vomiting cancer patients experience during chemotherapy.

Starry Night Over the Rhone

Starry Night Over the Rhine was painted along the banks of the Rhine River. What I first see when I look at this painting is the city lights reflecting off the water while a couple takes a walk on the nearby shore. The sky is filled with stars, including the Great Bear, commonly known as the Big Dipper. Van Gogh shifted the sky around in order to create an even more extraordinary display of stars. From his point of view the town of Arles lay to the south west; the Big Dipper he painted in the sky was actually in the north behind him.Towards the left you can see the towers of Saint Julienne and Saint Trophies, and the bridge connecting Arles to Tranquiller on the right. In the far horizon, a church steeple is shown. Starry Night Over the Rhine was described in a letter from Vincent Van Gogh as a cheerful piece, but when the painting was finished almost a year later, it had a revised mood and meaning. The work is dark, but serene. Many believe that the swelling depression in Van Gogh d istorted the original sketch's romantic charm.This painting is a reflection of inner torment and mental distress. The animated strokes, the bright, vivacious colors of the stars contrasting against the dark blues and blacks of the night reveal his cry for hope, light and love. The focal point of Starry Night Over the Rhine is the constellation of the Big Dipper. Vincent Van Gogh brings attention to the Big Dipper by using color and value. The sky is the lightest shade of blue around the Big Dipper. The bright yellow stars in the constellation contrast with the blue to bring focus to them.Van Gogh uses the lines in the ground under the couple and around the edge f the water to make a circular motion that brings the eyes back to the focal point of the Big Dipper. Van Gogh also uses contrasting directional lines in the sky to make the stars stand out. The texture of the entire painting is very thick because of the method of impasto that Van Gogh used. A closer look at the Starry Night Over the Rhine reveals that Vincent Van Gogh gave equal visual weight to all the things that he painted. In this painting there is no visual distinction between the earth and the sky.Van Gogh shows unity throughout the piece with the lights, both natural and an-made. For every star or group of stars there is a city light or group of lights, which then has a reflection in the water. At the waters' edge near the couple, it is nearly impossible to see the distinction between land and water. The low contrast makes it hard to tell whether the ship is sinking in the water, or merely Just docked. The bright lights have a high contrast to the dark blue-black sky and water. The way the water is depicted creates a rhythm that gives the illusion of waves rippling.The Starry Night Over the Rhine is an oil painting on canvas and the technique is broad ND sweeping brushstrokes. Vincent Van Gogh also used the technique of impasto in this painting. Impasto is very thick application of paint, usuall y wet on wet. This technique gives the painting texture and movement. Van Gogh painted rapidly, with a sense of urgency, using the paint straight from the tube. Van Gogh painted emotionally, trying to â€Å"throw his heart onto the canvas† and evoke feeling. (http:// www. Ratable. Com/artists/Vincent_van_Gogh/paintings/starry_night_over_the_Rhine) When I look at The Starry Night Over the Rhine, I feel infinite.This painting makes me feel at peace, like I could Just look at it forever. It reminds me of the song â€Å"Bella Note† from Lady and the Tramp. A quote I particularly like from Vincent Van Gogh is â€Å"l don't know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream. † This painting truly exhibits this quote. The Starry Night Over the Rhine is magical and beautiful. It is one of very few pieces of artwork that I feel this way about, which is why I selected it for this assignment. I can not imagine a better piece of art to own.

Evaluate the Usefulness of a Range of Criteria Available for Measuring

Development is ‘the use of resources and the application of available technology in order to bring about an increased standard of living within a country'. *1 There are variations in the economic development of different countries; this has lead to the formation of the ‘Development Gap'. In 1980, the Brandt Report divided the world into rich (North) and poor (South) sectors and found that in developing countries more than 800 million are impoverished and 17 million die needlessly before they are five years old. 25 per cent of the world's population live in the north but consume 80 per cent of all the goods made. Over the years there has been a wide range of criteria used for measuring development. These measures have included GNP which is used when looking at the wealth of a country and GNP per capita which looks at the wealth of a country when divided by the number of people. There are specific measures, for example number of people per doctor, adult literacy, food intake and birth & death rates. These are useful measures when looking at specific areas of development but are too specific when dealing with development as a whole. HDI is also used to bridge the gap between GNP and the other specific measures. It is made up by using a range of data. This report will investigate which measures are the most useful at giving a true and fair view of how fast development is taking place in a sample of countries and the reasons for this. The countries used (as shown on appendix 2: a world map) were selected by choosing every seventh country from appendix 1, The World: Social and Economic Statistics) *1 Source: Letts, A2 in a week: Geography. Analysis The Gross National Product (GNP) of a country is one of the most recognisable measures of development. It is an estimate of the value of the countries production and measures the value of goods and services provided in a country, plus the balance of income from abroad. Until it is split by the population of the country (creating GNP per capita) GNP it is not an accurate measure of development. This is because one country with 7 million people could have the same output as a poorer country with 700 million people. HDI was devised by the United Nations and ranks all countries, taking into account their national income, life expectancy, adult literacy and year's people spend in education, which in themselves could be used as measures of development. It is a measure of national human progress. It is measured on a scale of between 0 and 1 with the more developed countries near 1 and the least developed countries nearer 0. Food Intake is the average number of calories a person consumes per day. The more developed a country is the more calories are person is likely to intake, as food is more readily available. Adult Literacy is the percentage of males and females that are unable to read or write a simple sentence. Again, the more developed a country is the lower this figure will be. In more developed countries there tend to be more doctors per a smaller section of society, so health care tends to be better, this could lengthen life expectancy of a country. The semi-log graph shows that countries with a high GNP per capita tend to have a low doctors per population figure but for those countries with a low GNP there is no pattern for doctors per population, with Burkina Faso having a GNP of US$ 180 and having 34804 people per doctor where as the Gambia has a GNP per capita of US$ 320 but Gambians have 1400 people per doctor. The only apparent anomaly on this graph was for the data for Mozambique that has a GNP of US$ 2000 and 36225 people per doctor. In relation to Togo, they have fewer doctors per person but a higher GNP. This could have been because in 1975 the government, nationalized health services and so doctors that were practicing for profit may have stopped practicing as they did not want to practice in a nationalized health service. In 1985 Mozambique, was effected by drought leading to a loss of 25% of all grain produced, leading to mass starvation, so people with specialist qualifications such as doctors may have found employment in other countries in order to keep their families from starving. This is likely to have been similar in 1991 when the country was affected by drought again. The Gambia The Gambia is a LEDC in West Africa. The Gambia has a GNP of US$ 354 million, this is extremely low when compared to US$ 1094734 million but when split between the 1.2 million inhabitants equaling a GNP per capital of US$ 320 million, where as Britain's GNP per capita when split between its 268 million inhabitants is US$ 18700 million, so Gambia's GNP per Capita is relatively very low as well. The Gambia's GNP is split, 1.8% spent on health (Britain sends 2.5 times this amount on health care), 2.7% spent on education (half of what Britain spends) and 3.8% spent on the military (which is 0.7% more than Britain, but of a smaller figure so Britain is spending more money on its military, just a lesser percentage). Gambians take in approximately 2360 calories per day and have 1400 people per doctor. This compares to 3732 calories per day and 421 people per doctor in Britain. In the 1980's there was a sudden drop in the production of agricultural exports due to several severe drought. This led to an increase in unemployment, migration to the capital and an increase in foreign dept to import food. In 1993 agriculture and tourism was hit by the consequences of the European economic crisis. The Gambia's trade with Senegal was also damaged when the Central Bank of Western African States decided to stop financing trade. The economy is now improving due to a developing tourist industry with new hotels being built to capitalize on the European tourist. Cuba Cuba has a GNP of US$ 13700 million but with a population of 11.3 million its GNP per capita is US$ 1250 million. Although Cuba has a higher GNP than Gambia, it also has a larger population to share it between, although Cuba's GNP per capita is still high. Cuba's GNP until 1990 relied on highly upon the former Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries and so with the fall of communism, Cuba's GNP will have fallen. Its 1994 Cuba's HDI position was 0.723, this in relation to The Gambia is high because the Gambia's HDI is only 0.281, but in comparison to Sweden Cuba has a low HDI as Sweden's HDI is 0.936; while Cuba's population food intake (in calories per day) is 2833. There are 275 people per doctor; this could be because Cuba spends 7.9% of its GNP on health services. In the 1960's the Cuban government, under their leader Castro, ran campaigns to free Cuba of illiteracy and improve health services and by 1964 the illiteracy campaign was complete and Cuba was free of illiteracy. Cuba could remain free of illiteracy today because they spend 6.6% of their GNP on education. The military budget will have been gradually reduced over recent years after the threat from the United States of America had subsided after the Cold Was finished, and now only 2.8% of the GNP is spent on the military. Now Cuba is been advertised as a tourist destination, this will help to raise their GNP as there will be more money coming into the country, which can then go into services such as health, benefiting the whole of the country. Ethiopia Ethiopia (an LEDC in Africa) has a GNP of US$ 5722 million, this figure is lower than that for Cuba but higher than that for the Gambia (another LEDC in Africa) and a GNP per capita of US$ 100 million when split between the 58.5 million inhabitants. The Gross National Product has been split 1.1% on health, 6.4% on education and 2.1% on their military. Ethiopians take in approximately 1610 calories per day, this shows that many people in Ethiopia suffer from malnutrition. There are 32499 people per doctor, which is very high compared to Cuba, which only has 275 people per doctor; this is possibly because not much of the GNP is spent on health care. In 1984 Ethiopia was badly affected by drought and famine, this had started 2 years earlier and caused hundreds of thousands of people to die from starvation. It also caused the crops for those years to fail and so there was nothing to sell causing GNP to fall dramatically. In the late 80's Ethiopia was involved in a civil war that consumed more than 60% of Ethiopia's national budget and agriculture was still slumping. United States With a GNP of US$ 7100007 million, the United States of America has the largest GNP of all countries (22187 that of The Gambia's) but when split between its 268 million nationals its GNP per capita equates to US$ 26980 million, this is lower than that of Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Japan. This GNP is then split down into 14.3% on health services, 5.5% on education and 3.8% on its military forces. The US has a HDI rating of 0.942 and the American people consume 3732 calories per day, which is the most after Ireland and Cyprus. American's have 421 people per doctor, which is double the number of people per doctor in Austria. A high GNP could be as a result of American Transnational companies which spread around the world in the post Second World War period. In 1991, 15% of the US population lived below the poverty line. Those most affected were those citizens from African and Latin American origins. In January 1994, the US joined with Mexico and Canada to form The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which reduced trade with Europe as Americans found it cheaper to buy and sell to Canada and Mexico. Tourism is the biggest industry in the US but after the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, visitor numbers fell dramatically, having a significant effect on the American economy as people were scared to travel in case of reprisals. More recently, visitor numbers have fallen as a result of the conflict in Iraq as people feared more terrorist attacks to revenge the invasion of Iraq.