Importance Of Voting

Elections form the bedrock of the largest democracy in the world – India. Since Independence, as many as 15 Lok Sabhas have been formed through elections, the first one being held in 1951-52. The methodology of election is through universal adult suffrage, whereby every citizen of India over 18 years of age is an eligible voter in the eyes of the Constitution.The importance of elections in India—and for that matter, in any democracy—is as follows: Choice of leadership: Elections provide a way for the citizens of India to choose their leaders. They do so by casting their vote in favour of the candidate or party whose views appeal to them. This ensures that the will of the people is reflected in the elected candidates. Change of leadership: Elections in India are also a platform for the public to voice their resentment against a ruling party. By voting for other parties and helping elect a different government, citizens demonstrate that they possess ultimate author ity.Political participation: Elections open the door for new issues to be raised in public. If a citizen of India wishes to introduce reforms that are not the agenda of any of the parties, he or she is free to contest the elections either independently or by forming a new political party. Self-corrective system: Because elections are a regular exercise, occurring every five years in India, the ruling parties are kept in check and made to consider the demands of the public. This works as a self-corrective system whereby political parties review their performance and try to appease the voters. With a population of over 1.2 billion (according to the 2011 census) spread across 28 states and 7 union territories, India has a system of elections that is both daunting and praiseworthy.

Tracing the Journey of Madness in Jonathon Swifts Gullivers Travels essays

Tracing the Journey of Madness in Jonathon Swifts Gullivers Travels essays Jonathon Swift is notorious for his satire and nothing illustrates his ability to prove appoint than his novel, Gullivers Travels. In this novel, Gulliver experiences many things on his journeys and is driven to madness in the final segment of his adventure. Gullivers madness stems from the fact that he cannot accept himself for who he is Gulliver wants to be like the Houyhnhnms, a species that he considers to be perfect. Their rejection of him causes Gulliver to break down because he cannot and will not ever see himself as a Yahoo. The first step into madness begins with an inability to control events. Over the course of his stay with the Houyhnhnms, Gulliver is filled with pride and when he is exiled from Houyhnhnm-land, he is distraught. He descends further into madness because he cannot (and does not want to) think clearly. Finally, Gullivers madness is a result of pride. Gulliver refuses to accept the truth about his race because it means accepting the truth about hims elf. He would rather live a lie. Madness begins in small doses and unless it is tempered with rationality, it will reign. Gullivers final adventures illustrate this clearly. Gullivers madness occurs from a series of events of which he cannot control. His madness occurs slowly and only after his interaction with the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos. In a sense, his madness is the result of his inability to accept and discern what he has encountered. He knows what is happening but he cannot make real sense of it other than wants he wants. Gullivers madness becomes evident when he begins to think of his own kind as less than acceptable. Spending time with the Houyhnhnms caused Gulliver to admire them far too much. He tells us that their opinions opened my eyes and enlarged my understanding, that I began to view the actions and passions of man in a very different light (250). He admires the...

Headline after the discovery of the bodies of Holly and Jessica, missing 10 year olds Essays

Headline after the discovery of the bodies of Holly and Jessica, missing 10 year olds Essays Headline after the discovery of the bodies of Holly and Jessica, missing 10 year olds Essay Headline after the discovery of the bodies of Holly and Jessica, missing 10 year olds Essay Essay Topic: Bishop the Fish The Year Of the Flood Wars, earthquakes, racial violence, terrorism crowd our newspapers. No news is good news and in our society this is often the case, as just about every evening the television news brings into our homes reports of senseless murders, great injustice and events that can only be described as evil. At some point in everybodys life they will be subjected to some form of suffering, however much we feel we are familiar of that pain it still shocks and scares us when we are confronted with it. By suffering we generally mean the pain and sorrow caused by sickness, physical handicap, mental handicap, death, poverty etc.Is God really there? If he is, does he care? And if he does, is he helpless to do anything? Why does a God of love permit suffering?The dictionary describes evil as, wickedness, a force doing something which is socially harmful or morally wrong. The word evil tends to denote the baser human emotions such as hatred, prejudice, greed, jealousy, rage etc. The bible teaches us that e vil is the opposite of good and right. It is a destructive force. It is important however to distinguish between two types of evil: natural evil and moral evil. While the two however can often be intertwined, moral evil tends to be the actions of free creatures (theft, rape, murder etc) whereas natural evil is the result of a natural event (earth quake, floods etc).Suffering and evil is unquestionably one of the greatest obstacles to Christian faith. John Stott said, the fact of suffering and evil undoubtedly causes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith. Christianitys very symbol is that of Christ suffering and dying on the cross to save us. To a Christian there is no bigger test of faith than trying to accept the fact that the God who loves them permits them to suffer at times even in excruciating ways. Why does a God allow his creatures, and even his children to suffer? There is so much pain in the world it is hard to see how a fair, kind loving God would create a u niverse with the potential for so much suffering.Where was god when 6 million Jews were slaughtered in the holocaust, when Nazi prison guards threw babies and small children into gutters of boiling human fat rather than waste time gassing them, where was God when the remains of the slaughtered were scavenged- hair cut off to stuff pillows for their killers head rests, skin dried out to make lampshades and gold tooth fillings pulled out and turned into jewellery? Where was he when, in the Ukrainian town of Chernobyl, an explosion occurred that may yet cause up to 300000 deaths and the effects of which could take up to 200 years to remove? Where is he during famines and wars? These are just a few examples of extraordinary human suffering.Christians believe that God is omnipotent. This believe however would imply that, if correct, then he must not be loving enough to use his powers to cease evil and suffering. If God were good, He would wish to make His creatures perfectly happy, and i f God were almighty, He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore, God lacks either goodness, or power, or both C.S. Lewis People often find themselves rejecting the word of God due to suffering.The book of Genesis in the Bible describes to us that the first man (Adam) and the first woman (Eve), lived in the Garden of Eden, a world of happiness, without fear, shame or evil. It is obvious that God did not intent for there to be suffering in the world; it was not part of his created order. He did however give humans what many would describe his greatest gift, Free will. You may eat the fruit from any tree in the garden, but you must never eat from the tree which gives the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat from that tree then you will die! Genesis 2:16-18 As you can see, God lets man decide for himself whether he should obey him, and through giving him this decision, evil entered the world, there was no suffering in the world until humanity reb elled against God. It would be the view of the fundamentalist (literal belief of the bible) and the Old Testament writers that it was due to Adam and Eve that sin entered the world.Iranaeus was the Bishop of Lyons in Gaul and lived about 125-202. His view was that God created evil. He claims that God does indeed exist, yet explains him to be responsible for the occurrence of evil as he created us to be imperfect. He believes this however to be essential as evil is the only method of creating greater good. The earth is a place for the perfection of souls before their entry into blessedness. The trials of this world are like a refiners fire; they temper, strengthen and purify our natures to fit us to dwell with God.He suggests that the reason that we have such difficulties with suffering and evil is largely due to our imbalance between our concepts of good and evil. He felt that if our concepts were more balanced then we would have created the best possible world for soul making. He d oes, however, support Gods morals in that he believes that free will could not (and would not) exist without the perseverance of evil, as many evil occurrences are a result of people acting through their own free will and without. He therefore concludes that humanity is only partially responsible for suffering.John Hick who stresses the developmental nature of life, especially human life, has further developed the iranaean argument more recently. Believing that humans are not born perfect and that perfection comes at the end of the process. Virtue is not given, it has to be achieved.St. Augustine (354-430) would completely disagree with Iranaeus argument. He believed that God did not create evil but its occurrence just serves as a privation of good. He believed that all suffering was due to humanity who had abused Gods gift of free will. He believed that the creation of evil was largely due to the fall. The fall effected all of creation and the gap between man and God was eventually made to be so big that man began to depart from God and this is where the creation of evil arose. If God is good then he is neither the author of evil, nor its helpless victim. Rather, precisely because of His goodness He chooses to co-exist with evil for a time. Augustine eventually came to the conclusion that evil must be a result of soul deciding through human free will. Aristotle (384bc-322bc) supports Augustines view, believing himself that God could not be responsible for the existence of evil. God is an all powerful and good being, and man cannot ever be to his standard, no one will ever have the same moral values as God.This all would imply that human suffering must be a cause of our disobedience. This said, how can we justify innocent suffering, natural disasters. Events in which human interference has no obvious position?Natural disasters. We hear about them often, earthquakes, floods, famines, landslides, they can wipe out thousands of innocent lives. Starvation and its related diseases causes one person per second to die. 75% of them are infants and children under 5. The suffering caused by floods, hurricanes, earthquakes etc cannot largely be blamed on other people. However its sometimes due to the mistakes of others that natural disasters happen as natures laws are stretched to their limit. Natural disasters are often called acts of God. Again many Christians believe that natural disasters are caused by the fall, a consequence of the disruption of the perfection of Gods original creation.Natural disasters are a result of disorder in creation. However, if you take time to think of a recent natural disaster, such as the Earthquake in El Salvador (Feb 2002) a 6.6 magnitude earthquake resulted in at least 315 deaths and around 3,400 people being injured we cannot begin to believe that are loving god is responsible. Nature is often seen, as it is in the New Testament as natural in Gods eyes. Hanson and Hanson would agree with the sentiments that natu ral suffering is inexplicable. The basic theory to be learned is that nature is not moral and humanity is, therefore, as our world is continually changing however much we strive we will never achieve a perfect world as the natural laws will always follow their own course. God neither allows or forbids evil, it is just part of the way the world is, an event which humanity must put up with if they choice to live on this planet.Although most see suffering as something which is painful and not at all enjoyable, some would believe that there is a reason for it, that it is a privilege, that if you are submitted to great suffering and overcome it you are fulfilled in the eyes of God, you are fit to become a disciple. Christ himself undertook great suffering on the cross to save us and many Christians believe that the suffering they undergo themselves is closely linked with the pain suffered by Jesus, We share in many sufferings of Christ. In the same way, much comfort comes to us through C hrist. If we have troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation, and if we have comfort, you also have comfort. This helps you to accept patiently the same sufferings we have 2 Corinthians 1:5Suffering can also been seen as a test of faith. It is felt but those of the Christian faith that those who are subjected to suffering will eventually be brought closer to God. It has once been said that if we as Christians cannot bear the cross then we will not wear the crown. This is in connection with the above theory of suffering being a method of making oneself fit in the eyes of God to be a disciple. There are references in the bible to how suffering my be a test by God, for example in the Old testament Jesus tests Jobs loyalty to him by inflicting suffering upon him. Job overcomes this suffering and is therefore rewarded for the pain he had experienced. The Lord blessed the last part of Jobs life even more than the first part Job 42:12. God had established that Job would stay true to hi m, even through the greatest suffering.This story of Job you would think would go some way to proving that suffering is not a punishment, as with Job, it just brought him a deeper and more meaningful understanding of God. Still however it is often viewed as a punishment, a way for God to retaliate for humanitys sin. It is common belief, especially in the Old Testament, that evil was solely created for use to punish people who went against Gods wishes. A substantial amount of our suffering is due to our own personal sin, for example, if a person abuses drink and then drives a car recklessly and injures himself then their injuries are obviously partially due to their own personal sin. However what can be said when suffering is subjected to a person who has made no obvious sins in theirs life?When pious people suffer from sickness, bereavements etc the question is often raised, what did I do to deserve this? And when children suffer, such as the disappearance of missing 10 year olds Ho lly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who were later found dead in an area near their home, how can it be possible that their deaths were a punishment for there sin? The problem with coping with bereavement also is that people tend to think, why them and not me?Much of the suffering in the world is caused by others sins however. So much suffering is caused by murder, adultery, theft, sexual abuse, unloving parents, reckless or drunken driving, slander, unkindness or selfishness of one kind or another. It has been estimated that 95th percent of the worlds suffering can be accounted for in this way. As was told with the story of Job however, the bible disagrees with this opinion, the story of job recognises that the wicked often prosper and if we are to believe that the way in which we suffer is a direct mirror of the way in which we live our lives we would be much mistaken as this would be an unfair judgement of Jobs life. God shines on good and bad alike.One of the most important counter a rguments to that of suffering being a punishment is to remember that Jesus himself suffered. He led a perfect life, and yet he still suffered an excruciatingly painful death, Our suffering is not worthy of the name off suffering. When I consider my crosses, tribulations and temptations, I shame myself almost to death, thinking what they are in comparison to the sufferings of my blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ. Martin Luther King. God can be seen to work through suffering. Those who nailed Jesus o the cross did so for evil purposes, but God intended it for good. The cross stands ultimately as a victory because it holds the key to salvation. Christians are taught not to be afraid of suffering and death, and to turn to their faith as, let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid for I am with you always even into the end of the world John 14.Many are unsure as to where the suffering will end. Despite all our talk of the great injustice of human suffering many people are unwill ing for it to end, live is something to be enjoyed in many cases. However the spectrum is wide in that respect as some people are faced with great injustices whereas others lead mainly trouble free lives. Will those who deserve to suffer pay for there sins after death and those who suffer innocently in life rejoice? It is the view of the New Testament that those who have not received salvation will continue to suffer after death, have to endure eternal torment. The Roman Catholic Church, however, believes that when death becomes us we will enter a period of purgatory where we will pay for our sins, but eventually will be rewarded with a life with God.It is the feeling by many Christians that whatever suffering we have to endure on this earth will be fully compensated through the resurrection. That our, light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all 2 Corinthians 4:17. This develops the test of faith theory even more strongly as it take s great religious faith to undergo suffering and still be aware that there will be a greater glory waiting. Gavin Reid, the bishop of Maidstone, tells of a boy who shattered his back falling down a flight of stairs at the age of one and consequentially spent the majority of his life in hospital, when asked the question, is that fair, he simply stated that God had all eternity to make it up to him. The New testament is full of promises of how wonderful heaven will be, so with this knowledge, our suffering should only be making us more fit for the reward that we shall receive.So, if we choose to accept that evil does indeed exist what is it, what form does it take? The New Testament gives the impression of God being at War with evil, or more specifically, a war between the Devil and God. This dualist view that is taken by many people and by religions such as the Zoroastrians of ancient Persia, in which states that the lord of light is locked in perpetual combat with the lord of darkne ss Other religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam remain monistic, in that they are of the opinion that the devil is one of Gods creatures, as the Lord created all. There is a very stereotypical view of the devil, which stems from medieval time. This paints the devil as being a humorous creature with read face; horns and pitchfork but the bible would present it very differently. He is referred to often as Satan, the Hebrew word for enemy.Some would say that one of the synopsis of our sin is our desire to be as God; and wanting all the answers. When looking at the situation with suffering and evil I feel it would be a some what naive and narrow minded view to take that, because of the great suffering endured by so many people that there cannot be a god. As this existence of God is unlikely to be proved and is purely based o n faith it would be wrong to strike of any of the points discussed in this essay as invalid to the situation, all or none may be of relevance.

Inheritance Lab Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inheritance Lab - Essay Example 2. Identify and record your possible genotypes based on your phenotypes. Genotypes are represented using two alleles. Identify the alleles using the letters indicated below (capital letter indicates dominant allele, lowercase indicates recessive allele): 3. Using your possible genotypes, identify and record all of the possible pairings of parental genotypes that could have led to your possible genotypes. Crosses are denoted in this form: FF x Ff and indicates the genotypes of both parents. You should list all of the possible crosses that could lead to your phenotype. Use the chart below to record the observations of your phenotypes and to record your inferences regarding your genotype and all of the possible crossings of parental genotypes that can account for your genotype. Phenotypes are expressed with a single letter related to the trait. Genotypes include both alleles and are, thus, expressed with two letters (one for each allele). Possible parental genotypes and crosses consist of two genotypes crossed. For instance, a freckled person will have a phenotype of F and possible genotypes of FF and Ff. One of the possible parental genotype and crosses is (FF x Ff). Be sure to list all possible parental genotypes in terms of possible crosses. Crosses are denoted in this form: FF x Ff and you should list all of the possible crosses that could lead to your phenotype. It was observed that the presence of a dominant gene in the genotype always led to the expression of the dominant trait, which is seen as the phenotype. In addition, the occurrence of a certain genotype could result from the crossing of several possible parental genotypes. This lab provided knowledge that recessive traits were denoted by small letters while dominant traits were denoted by capital letters. One component of my genotype came from each parent due to

The Case of Enron and Arthur Andersen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Case of Enron and Arthur Andersen - Essay Example The greed that was evident did not benefit any one party at all. When the company shares lost ground in trading, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy and the US congress were on hand to instigate reforms that had the aim of ensuring that occurrences like those at Enron could not occur again. Arthur Andersen, the auditor at Enron, could be said to have received what it deserved in terms of being forced out of the market place due to bankruptcy. Additionally, the audit firm became a template of negative audit firms. The US federal government crafted regulatory legislation that is being taken up by other countries to prevent such occurrences in the future. For example, Mexico adopted those regulations in 2006 popularly referred to as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Discussion Enron as a corporate entity was not guilty of any major crimes that were blatantly obvious. On the most part, the company was indicted for misleading the outside forces charged with consulting for it and also misrepresented its financial situation1. These misrepresentations and falsehoods cannot entirely be considered as crimes. On the contrary, fraud can be considered as a crime but the very act of proving a criminal intent to defraud is very difficult. On the other hand, Arthur Andersen was convicted of a repeated single crime which entailed the obstruction of justice. This was largely due to the destruction of Enron documents that the audit firm continuously did. The shredding of those documents, which the accounting firm was well aware could be used in an SEC investigation, was in itself a crime. The case of Enron led to a number of individuals that were charged with different tasks to be charged with serious crimes with some of them pleading guilty to some. Mostly, many pleaded guilty with conspiracy to mislead that they did by presenting unfair reports on the company finances. Both Enron and Andersen had total disregard for any ethical conduc t that was expected of them. There is no need for detailed presentation of the breaches in ethics as they were pretty blatant. This discussion is not focused on ethics despite the fact that legal ethics, financial analysis ethics and banking ethics were totally disregarded. Since the breach of ethics is not a crime, it is not pertinent to dwell on it. Enron is clearly in violation of the guidelines that are laid out in the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)2. There are three instances of the breach of GAAP that are notable in the conduct of Enron. The first is that the Special Purpose Entities? (SPEs) accounts were incorrect. The equity method of accounting was selectively utilized in the SPE accounting as well as the failure of consolidation and failure of the elimination of the impacts associated with the transactions carried among the entities. The second is that there was partial disclosure of accounts and the last is that the financial reporting was not fair. In do ing the above, Enron and Andersen can be thought of having viewed GAAP as being merely rules and not regulations. They also leaned towards the interpretation of GAAP in a more aggressive manner than normally envisaged. Additionally, they disregarded the fairness principle that is central to GAAP and in doing this, they ignored the fact that fairness is emphasized more that rules as well as accounting that focuses on the economic

The Master and the Disciple - Who is Who in the World of the Research Paper

The Master and the Disciple - Who is Who in the World of the Counterintelligence - Research Paper Example The two intelligence communities have been working in close cooperation with each other since the first timid steps of the FBI in counter-espionage, and are still working together, even closer than ever, due to a set of reasons their paths followed in many ways different directions, in the meaning of strategic goals, budgetary constraints with the ensuing structural features, staffing, and efficiency, with all the consequences that stemmed from it. And finally, the paper draws a conclusion that sharing common values and pursuing similar objectives, in particular after the decay of the British Empire, but what is more important, learning from each other’s failures and achievements, the US and the British concepts of intelligence and counterintelligence have quite logically and understandably converged. ‘Counterintelligence means information gathered and activities conducted to protect against espionage, other intelligence activities, sabotage, or assassinations conducted for or on behalf of foreign powers, organizations or persons, or international terrorist activities, but not including personnel, physical, document or communications security programs.’(Executive Order 12333 - United States intelligence activities, Part 3 General Provisions, art. 3.4 Definitions, retrieved on 14 April 2010 < http://www.cia.gov/about-cia/ eo12333.html>) Since the very dawn of the purposeful gathering of information about the plans, capabilities and intentions of foreign powers, it had become essential for a nation not only to keep the powers concerned unaware of that knowledge but also to preserve its own plans, capabilities, and intentions from being revealed. Besides the broad national interest, it’s the ever-growing necessity of effectively detecting and countering the possible threats and hostile activities, which makes any intelligence entity to produce a significant effort in order to safeguard its own operations.

Trustees of Indiana University Essay Example for Free

Trustees of Indiana University Essay Planning and building the landscape of education and the academic community is not an easy task or responsibility. There are various standards or guidelines that the academic institutions, its staff, teachers, communities, parents, and other stakeholders should adhere to in order to develop and provide educational programs and services that exceeds quality and excellence. At the heart of this imposing goal of education is the accomplishment of various research studies for the purpose of formulating, determining, and proving or debunking various theories, models, paradigms, frameworks, strategies, techniques, etc. that respond to various concerns for all the dimensions and aspects of education. For instance, several research studies conducted within the scope of the field of education were designed to address how Educational Philosophies are supposed to be drafted based on diverse viewpoints on learning and education, i. e. idealism, realism, existentialism, and so on. Moreover, theoretical perspectives that are being developed based on research studies and practical experiments lead to the development of various teaching strategies and techniques that address various problems from different angles of the learning situation. Under these pretexts, we realize why learning educational theories and models in different aspects of learning and education is important. The theories and models serve as a guide that helps government institutions, academic institutions, and teachers develop educational standards and guidelines, as well as specific programs, activities, learning content, and so on. In this way, the landscape of learning and education are well-planned and designed to accomplish, in the process, the genuine goals and objectives of education and the responsibilities of the academic institution, its staff, and the teachers, toward the nation, the government, the community, the parents, other stakeholders, and most importantly the learners. Developing an Understanding of Instructional Design One specific aspect or dimension of the teaching-learning process is Instructional Design. According to Jonassen, Tessmer, and Hannum (1999), Instructional Design may be considered initially as a process by which comprehensive information is obtained in order to determine how learning shall be best facilitated. The foundations of the Instructional Design shall be based on the nature of the learners, the features or characteristics of the learning environment, the availability of resources and information, the educational philosophy observed by the academic institution, the goals and objectives of education, rules and laws governing education, new trends or paradigms in education, and so on. These information shall be utilized to identify the processes, strategies, techniques, methods, materials, etc. that are to be used to facilitate learning and transmit knowledge to the learners. (Jonassen, Tessmer, Hannum, 1999) In order to develop sound, efficient, and appropriate practices in Instructional Design, various theories have been formulated to support the planning, implementation, and evaluation process. One of these theories includes the Instructional-Design Theory. The Instructional-Design Theory, according to Reigeluth (1983), is an outline that directs how learning shall be best facilitated. The Instructional-Design Theory constitutes three key concepts which help individuals, particularly teachers, as well as academic institutions, plan and design the content, the methods, strategies, techniques, etc. of instruction for the purpose of enhancing how learning takes place. In developing the landscape of education as the primary concern for the literature, several references, such as books, publications, and journals have been published over the years discussing the Instructional-Design Theory. However, not all information discussed in these references may be considered valid and reliable. Hence, reviewing references that shape the foundations of education, particularly in Instructional Design is important in order to obtain information that are relevant, appropriate, efficient, and advantageous for application to educational processes and operations. All about the Book Charles M. Reigeluth and Alison Carr-Chellman wrote the third volume of the â€Å"Instructional-Design Theories and Models† three-part series. The subtitle for this volume is â€Å"Building a Common Knowledge Base. † The main theme of the book still adheres to the concepts of the Instructional-Design Theory, however, in this third volume, there was much emphasis on solidifying the bases or foundations of Instructional Design founded on the vast scope of information on frameworks, models, paradigms, and so on, that build on how Instructional Design is viewed, planned, implemented and evaluated. Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman’s goals and objectives in coagulating the foundations of Instructional Design were realized through their discussion of the common knowledge or information shared by the variety of archetypes, standards, paradigms, etc. In addition, Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman may be highly regarded as reputable sources of information. Their experiences as members of the academe have made it possible for them to provide fitting contributions to the book. Reigeluth is a professor at Indiana University’s School of Education, Instructional Systems Technology Department. He has obtained a Ph. D. in Instructional Psychology at the Brigham Young University. (Indiana University, 2009) On the other hand, Carr-Chellman is also a professor at the Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Learning and Performance Systems. She has obtained a Ph. D. in Instructional Systems Technology (Indiana University) and a Master and Undergraduate Degree in Education (Syracuse University). (SAGE Publications, 2008) Central to the discussions and arguments in the book is the belief of the importance of establishing a common knowledge base that would fuse the bases and extract the essence of Instructional Design that will be the foundations of other models, theories, strategies, techniques, and planning or designing, implementation, and evaluation of Instructional Design as a process. This review primarily focuses on how Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman’s work is a great contribution to the field of education, particularly in shaping and developing the foundations of Instructional Design despite and even with the diverse changes to learning situations principally caused by concepts in constructivism. A SUMMARY OF THE BOOK The first unit of the book, â€Å"Frameworks for Understanding Instructional Theory,† provides generally common information, represented in specific contexts and structures, about the definition, dimensions, and mechanics of the Instructional Theory, the Instructional Design and Instruction, the philosophies that govern the process of instruction, and how instruction is being applied within various learning situations. This particular unit was developed in order to provide introductory information. It sets the stage for the succeeding discussions on the Instructional-Design Theories and Models by: (1) defining the features, conditions, conceptual framework, and delimitations of the Instructional-Design Theory, (2) discussing the importance of instruction and its role in facilitating learning and the transmission of knowledge, and (3) relating concepts and ideologies on the Instructional Theory and Instructional Design to practical situations that commonly occur within the setting of the teaching-learning process. The second unit of the book, â€Å"Theories of Different Approaches to Instruction,† constitutes five approaches to instruction with varied goals and expected outcomes. Each was written by different authors who contributed to complete the objectives of the book. The five approaches aforementioned are: (1) Direct Approach to Instruction which targets the fast and efficient transmission of knowledge through direct teacher-learner interaction, (2) Discussion Approach to Instruction which facilitates learning through discourse and interaction, (3) Experiential Approach to Instruction within learning environments that allow practical learning or the application of knowledge and skills, (4) Problem-Based Approach to Instruction wherein learning is facilitated by urging students to define problems and develop resolutions, and (5) Simulation Approach to Instruction which places the learners within an environment that represents reality. The third unit of the book, â€Å"Theories for Different Outcomes of Instruction,† addresses problems, challenges, and difficulties in the teaching-learning process as caused by diversity and the complexity of learning and the learners, which necessitates the realization of different outcomes from the learning process in order to promote holistic learning. These four theories, which seek to accomplish varied outcomes from the learners, include (1) Skill Development, (2) Understanding, (3) Affective Development, and (4) Integrated Learning. Apparently, these theories are responses to the need to diversify learning so as not to capitalize excessively on cognitive learning and instruction. These theories are based on the perspectives of holistic learning, which looks into other aspects of the person aside from his cognitive faculties. The fourth unit in the book, â€Å"Tools for Building a Common Knowledge Base,† tackles the practical aspect of developing a framework of Instructional Design, which is based on universal knowledge and information that withstands various changes and transformations in the landscape of education through time. There were various issues discussed in this particular chapter. The first issue has something to do with the conceptual framework of the Instructional Theory – that is the base knowledge or hypothesis for the theory, its goals and objectives, contributions to education, suggestions and recommendations, general points and ideas, and so on. Other issues constituted the design or process by which the academic institution is to undergo reformation. These designs or processes include the successful implementation of a Learner-Centered Education, the dimensions of learning and the Instructional Theory, how the Instructional Theory is to be applied to educational processes and operations appropriately considering the inception of the Information Age, and the necessity to apply common knowledge base to capture the genuine essence of Instructional Design as a process to facilitate the improvement of the educational landscape. ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF THE BOOK This book is the third installment in a three-volume set on Instructional-Design Theories and Models. The first volume of the book was set down by Reigeluth, the editor, with primary issues and concepts focused on narrating, defining, and describing the basic concepts that build on the theory of Instructional Design within the context of the existing landscape of education during that point in time. (Reigeluth, 1983) The second volume develops the major concepts and ideas in the first volume but with additions or contributions from paradigm shifts and newly discovered theories that seek to improve or enhance the framework of the Instructional Design Theory. (Reigeluth, 1999) Based on the concepts and ideas from the first and second volumes of the book, the fundamental features and contributions of the third volume are realized. The essence of this book lies in its undercurrent objectives of fusing the concepts and ideas from the first volume and the second volume in order to provide an improved source of information that builds on the core concepts of the Instructional Design Theory and the current trends integrated into the theory in order to develop or enhance its foundations as well as how it is applied with considerations on the modern issues and concepts. Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman have efficiently worked together in order to collate significant information that contributes to progressive knowledge of Instructional Design as a theory by focusing on how all the major and significant parts of the theory, whether traditional or modern, shall be put together to reconcile rational yet long-established theories with modern constructivist theories. We may consider the process of developing this book as gaining the best of both worlds – that is, the face of Instructional Design in the past and at present time – to provide a new paradigm of the Instructional Design theory that is deep-rooted on a secure and time-tested model but is also appropriate for current learning environments and situations. Under these pretexts, the contributions of this book to human knowledge was realized because it presented something new or innovative that is logical and sensible as well as practical. From the words of Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman (N. D. ), the maturity or development of knowledge in this particular context is only facilitated when theories are built on other theories. Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman’s vision in creating this book embodies innovation and development at the face of the necessity to continually improve one of the primary institutions in society that provides services in education. Delving into one of the many technical aspects of the book, Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman has also succeeded in providing a reputable or reliable and valid source of information based on the list of references used to complete this third volume. Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman were able to obtain information that was integrated into the book from the individuals who developed the various theories discussed in the second, third, and fourth chapters of the book. Gaining the original ideas and perspectives from the theorists themselves establishes its reliability and validity since information were obtained first hand. Moreover, Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman, as the editors of the book, have handpicked a variety of primary and secondary references to back-up their theses or main arguments in the book. This means that both editors made an effort to approach the matter impartially and evenhandedly. The book was consistently structured and organized from start to finish. It was topical in such a way that divisions were planned to categorize all similar ideas together, such that definitions were placed in the first unit, the theories for approaches in the second, and so on. In addition, the book was arranged chronologically in order to relay simple and singular information first before moving on to the complex ideas which have something to do with how the pioneers of education as a process are to synthesize information from the first units to develop a common knowledge base for the design and implementation of the Instructional Design Theory. Overall, the ideas were organized from general to specific and similar concepts or ideas were placed together in a single unit in order to prevent confusion on the part of the readers and to present a clear and concise conceptual structure. However, in the same way, the structure of the book solidified some of its flaws regarding how the main theme was covered and how the readers are expected to synthesize the information provided in order to come up with a common knowledge base to enhance the framework of current theories or models of Instructional Design. Mostly, Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman presented concepts and ideas on the approaches and expected outcomes of instruction. Although introducing new theories is relevant in the quest to develop or improve the structure of Instructional Design or theory, the arrangement of the ideas and the scope of the discussions do not sit well with the primary objectives of the book, let alone its subtitle that was supposed to define its content. I believe that Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman should have published two different books in order to secede the discussions in units two and three, and the fourth chapter, which genuinely captured the essence of the book. Furthermore, Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman should have given more thought on providing comprehensive and sufficient information on how individuals are to develop a common knowledge based on Instructional Design as a theory as it was the fundamental nature of the third volume of the three-part Instructional-Design book series. In terms of the content of the book, the number of sources, from books to journals, magazine articles, etc. that I have read over time has taught me that different types of information made available for readers are not meant to be technically and practically critiqued, but instead digested in order to determine whether they represent rational and exploitable ideas and concepts for the advancement of human knowledge and development of education. Reigeluth and Carr-Chellman decided to contribute something to the field of education by introducing this third volume of the Instructional-Design Theories and Model series and the time and effort placed to do so is entirely commendable. Moreover, the diversity of learning situations and the complexity of the various aspects of the teaching and learning process nowadays justifies the applicability or non-applicability of new theories, approaches, techniques, strategies, etc. being introduced to the academic institution. This means that some ideas presented would turn out to be effective in some learning situations and ineffective in some. The most important thing is to obtain the most important pieces of information that would be valid in all aspects and situations in order to establish a contingency plan that would prevent flaws and failures in education. This ideology represents what this book embodies as a bulk of knowledge. CONCLUSION By and large, the book is a significant piece of reference that contributes to the massive field of education, specifically in developing the foundations of Instructional Design as a response to the diverse changes in the learning situations and environments principally caused by concepts in constructivism. Although there were some flaws evident in the structure and organization of the book, it presents several pieces of information that meets the necessity for additional knowledge that expands Instructional Design. In addition, the book is an excellent reference for individuals who are exploring the variety of theories and models that build up Instructional Design. With the success of the book in fusing conventional ideas with contemporary ones in an attempt to solidify the generally accepted foundations of Instructional Design as a theory and reconcile it with innovative theories and models, the only inquiry that remains is what the future holds for Instructional Design in terms of how it is to be approached and how its current paradigm is to be modified. References Indiana University. (2009). Profile: Charles M. Reigeluth. Retrieved 14 Apr 2009, from The Trustees of Indiana University. Website: https://profile. educ. indiana. edu/Default. aspx? alias=profile. educ. indiana. edu/reigelut Jonassen, D. H. , Tessmer, M. , Hannum, W. H. (1999). Task Analysis Method for Instructional Design. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Reigeluth, C. M. (1983). Instructional-Design Theories and Models: An Overview of their Current Status, Vol. I. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Reigeluth, C. M. (1999). Instructional-Design Theories and Models: A New Paradigm of Instructional Theory, Vol. II. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Reigeluth, C. M. Carr-Chellman, A. A. (N. D). A Common Language and Knowledge Base for ID?. Retrieved 15 Apr 2009, from the University of Georgia. Website: http://it. coe. uga. edu/itforum/paper91/Paper91. html Reigeluth, C. M. Carr-Chellman, A. A. (2009) Instructional-Design Theories and Models: Building a Common Knowledge Base, Vol. III. NY, USA: Routledge. SAGE Publications. (2008). Alison. A. Carr-Chellman. Retrieved 14 Apr 2009, from SAGE Publications. Website: http://www. sagepub. com/authorDetails. nav? contribId=530086 University of North Carolina. (N. D. ). Book Reviews. Retrieved 14 Apr 2009, from Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2. 5 License. Website: http://www. unc. edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/review. html