Joseph J. Campbell 'The Hero with a Thousand Faces' Essay

Joseph J. Campbell 'The Hero with a Thousand Faces' - Essay Example Campbell’s monomyth (also known as a hero’s journey) is an essential pattern that a person who is to become a hero must take, in order to become a hero. It is a matter of great interest that most people who are fit being regarded as hero, have led a life that is commensurate with Campbell’s monomyth and this includes the life, times and achievements of Martin Luther, the German monk, professor of theology, the head figure of the Great Reformation of the 16th century Christianity (Protestant Reformation) and former Catholic priest. This element of consistency between the two shall be seen in the discussion that ensues forthwith. According to Campbell, the first stage that the potential hero has to experience is the experiencing of the ordinary world. Herein, the individual becomes uncomfortable, unaware or uneasy as he is introduced to the audience, so as to identify with his situation or dilemma. The individual may be depicted against a background of personal his tory, heredity and environmental background. Particularly, there is a strong element of polarity in the life of the individual and thereby pulling him in different diametric directions, causing him stress. The immediately foregoing can also be seen in the life of Martin Luther (November 10, 1483- February 18, 1546), a man of German nationality who grew up to be a monk, a priest, a theologian and the professor who authored the 95 theses. Having been born into the Holy Roman Empire, Luther rose up to be a Catholic priest. At the time, the religious environment in which Luther operated and lived was putrid with complacency, since the Roman Catholic Church: was practicing the selling of indulgences; suffered covertly the popes and members of the clergy to keep mistresses; continued to operate as an integral part of the state; neither regard the teachings of Biblical Scriptures nor taught the same to the laity; and had amassed a vast pool of wealth illegitimately, through these means. Even life outside the Church was not any better. The raunchy lifestyle that had suffused the rest of Germany is underscored by Luther referring to University of Erfurt which he had attended as a beerhouse and a whorehouse (Maritain, 75). Secondly, there is a call to adventure. Herein, there is an element that shakes up the situation. These elements may emanate either from external pressures, or from internal pressure. This pressure compels the hero to face the beginnings of change. One of the events that clearly served as a call to adventure for Martin Luther was the July 2, 1505 incident. Herein, Luther was riding on a horseback on his way to the university when a lightning bolt struck near him. He made a cry for help and promised to become a monk- a development that seriously infuriated his father who had invested heavily in Luther’s education. Later, after he had become a priest, Luther’s encounter with St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (especially Romans 1:17) seriously woke him up to the spiritual reality that was contradictory to the Catholic Church’s teachings and practices. This encounter compelled Luther to read more and to begin questioning the practi ces pertinent to Catholicism, until he was convinced that Catholicism was not in line with Scriptural teachings. The foregoing may be succeeded by the refusal to call. This refusal may be underpinned by the fear of the unknown and any danger that may lie ahead, and thereby dissuading the individual from embarking on the adventure. This usually happens briefly. It is a fact that even after the lightning bolt incident, Luther was somewhat reluctant to join the monastery, even though he answered the call almost immediately. Secondly, even after the

A Brief History of Economics Essay Example for Free

A Brief History of Economics Essay Through his use of dialectical materialism, Marx not only changed the history of economic thought, but found great illumination for himself regarding the bonds of human society. The concept that seems relatively simple in today’s complex economic world was utterly revolutionary in the time of Marx: people develop their ideas about the world (and thereby, their ideas for how society should be organized and stratified) based on the material aspects of their lives. It was an elegant extension of basic Marxist theory: capitalism, according to Marx, is interested in offering naked materialism as a kind of booby prize to make up for the means of production being taken away from the people. If the people can no longer work for themselves and no longer work at perfecting their own craft as individuals, then, as Marx correctly deduced, people would require something to validate their work. This became the center of capitalism, as Marx understood it: materialism exists as a kind of justification for capitalism, and since materialism has permeated our culture to such an extreme degree, eventually social orders began to revolve around it. Hence, what capitalism serves as the cause of what Marx saw as nothing less than ongoing class warfare. It is interesting to note that Marx believed a violent revolution on the part of the proletariat was not simply a possible method of changing things, but actually served as the only method of changing things. This is because materialism was so embedded into class structures (which, in turn, was so embedded in power structures), and the only way for society to functionally survive was for it to become overturned completely. It is also interesting to note the ongoing effect that Marx has had on philosophic thought: materialism had previously been dislodged by Descartes and the famous declaration â€Å"I think, therefore I am;† as far as most people who pondered these things could conclude, thought preceded matter. However, Marx not only brought materialism to the philosophic forefront—the then-controversial idea that material preceded thought—but illustrated the notion that the abstractions of materialism had been concretized by capitalism into purchasable goods. 2: Marx and the Secret Source of Profit Perhaps the most enduring notion of Marx’s is the so-called secret of the source of profit under a capitalistic society†¦though such is Marx’s legacy of intellectual thought, a great many people simply accept this notion as reality: the source of profit is the surplus value that an employer gains from laborers. After all, the means of production have been taken from the people: skilled artisan cobblers have been replaced by factory line workers churning out shoe after shoe after shoe. The money saved by employing this assembly-line method of industrial production becomes pure profit for the employer. Interestingly, Marx tethered this to his own theories on circulating capital—that is, something that does not last, and is used up in the production of other goods and services, in direct opposition to fixed capital, which is traditionally held for over a year by a business or institution. Marx astutely deduced that the distinction between these concepts is not only relative, but arbitrary: the idea that capital held for 365 days is circulating and that capital held for 366 days is fixed is absurd. However, it allows the proletariat to essentially gloss over their own necessity to the entire institution of capitalism: they are led to believe that society is held up by the fixed capital of major investors and their long-term investments. In reality, society is held aloft by the ongoing purchases of the common man (and woman): their disposable income is burned off to provide them a sense that capitalism is worth it†¦it turn, their disposable income is used to make the rich richer, as the cliche goes, all the way up the capitalist pyramid. In Marx’s view, this is one of many ways that those in power forestall the seemingly unavoidable class war that he advocates: those with power—the purchasing power of the common man—are convinced they have none, and are bought off with trinkets. It is interesting to note that this echoes the master/slave morality inversion of Nietzsche. 3: Marginalists and the Economy In the evolution of economic theory, the impact of marginalism cannot be overstated. Once one had accepted the blunt realities of Marx—specifically, that society was organized based on the perceived value of items—the logical question remained: how does one quantify the value of an item? Marginalism illustrated the diminishing returns on the marginal utility of resold products, which dramatically impacted analysis of capitalist economy, the focus of economic analysis, and theories of value and distribution. Regarding the analysis of capitalist economy, marginalism helped solidify the supply and demand notion of economics as that of mainstream economic thought, as opposed to the labor theory of value espoused by Karl Marx. To put it mildly, this has had ongoing economic effects for the last century and a half. The focus of economic analysis shifted accordingly, as marginalism interacted with price theory: this allowed economics to project demand curves utilizing marginal rates of substitution as a means of determining not only when, but why a seller is willing to relinquish a product for a particular price. Perhaps one of the most lasting effects of marginalism on economic thought has been its effect on theories of value and distribution. With the previous measures in place, economists (as well as common people) now had a more-or-less accurate measure of determining the value of any given product in any given social context. Of course, this also effects the ongoing distribution of certain products to certain demographics in order to maximize profitability. Interestingly, this is one of the chief criticisms of marginalism as well: that it is a vague pseudoscience whose intent is to maintain not only the economic status quo, but the appearance of the status quo. It is no surprise, then, that Marxists continue to grapple with marginalist theory: they see it as a means of keeping the proletariat in check, and preventing any uprisings from them. 4: Thorstein Veblen: Survival of the Fattest Thorstein Veblen, for better or worse, specialized in bringing the human element into economic theory. Specifically, he theorized that the institution of the leisure class was a parasite feeding upon America: upon the backs of workers who are actually productive are a class who seek only profit and produce nothing but waste. He essentially created and popularized the notion of conspicuous consumption as the epitome of this theory: that wealthy individuals spend large amounts of money on ostentatious goods whose sole benefit is to publicly display their wealth to the world. Unfortunately, this has become an integral part of the economy: although an engineer might weep at the man spending over a hundred thousand dollars for a car, the American economy would be crippled if conspicuous consumption vanished overnight. Hence, the parasite metaphor: conspicuous consumption and naked profit helps the wealthy to bloat themselves on the backs of the poor until the entire enterprise inevitably crumbles under its own weight. Veblen perceived quite clearly that human notions about the world are social constructs created by individuals, and as time went on, those notions would change, necessitating a change in economic thought as well. He makes frequent comparisons to evolution to further this end: idle curiosity spurs innovation, innovation spurs conflict between the old guard and the innovators, and an economic Darwinism is born. The advent of industry and technological revolutions merely expanded his original point: the parasitic relationship continued unabated, as the innovations of the productive engineer class were inevitably utilized as means of conspicuous consumption and waste on the part of the leisure class. Planes are developed as a result of idle curiosity, for instance, but it is the leisure class that necessitates the invention of first class as a way of displaying their own status in the social hierarchy.

Freedom of Expression in Canada :: Freedom of Speech

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The right to freedom of expression can be described as a war. It is a war that has lasted for centuries and may last for centuries more. It is a war between freedom of expression and social intolerance. In this war there are many battles. The battle on which this brief essay centers itself is the battle between freedom of speech and laws limiting that freedom; more specifically the ability to spread hate propaganda and the "hate laws". Included in the essay is a brief outline of one skirmish that has taken place (Keegstra). Those who fight on the side supporting freedom of speech do so for several reasons. Braun declares that it is a basic democratic right to voice your own opinion . Douglas Christie has gained notoriety for his vigorous representation of high- profile, controversial clients, charged under the hate laws. He advocates freedom of speech for two main reasons: a) he finds it abhorrent that the state can legislate thoughts and words, and b) he often agrees with the views held by his clients. Others such as Noam Chomsky, a brilliant intellectual, argue not for the views expressed, but the ability to express them. Lining up on the other side of the battle you have: Derek Raymaker, David Kilgour, Victor Ramraj, and Bruce Elman. They argue that there is definitely a moral place for laws regarding hate speech, whether they are criminal or not. There was recently a new development in the Canadian war for freedom of expression. Introduced in April 1982 was a new and important strategic battleground.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the Charter of Rights and Freedoms the war could be won or lost by either side. It was not long before the Charter saw battle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1984, Jim Keegstra was charged with violating section 281 of the Criminal Code of Canada (now covered under section 318-320). Keegstra was a respected school teacher and mayor of the small town of Eckville, Alberta. This was no borderline fanatic; this was an elected official charged with promoting hate. However by the time Keegstra's trial rolled around he was no longer the mayor Eckville and his teaching license, revoked. The problem was, the very nature of s. 281 lent itself to legal debate under section 2 of the relatively new Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The defense counsel Doug Christie lost no time in challenging the legislation's constitutionality. In response, Crown prosecutor, Bruce Fraser, stated that Keegstra was being charged with promoting hatred; not expressing it. The Crown also stated that freedom of speech is not

The Common Traits of Successful Websites Essay -- Sell Websites Buy We

The Common Traits of Successful Websites A website is a new way to communicate without direct personal interaction. It is a place on the internet where one can post anything from personal information to commercial advertising. The major advantage of websites is the fact that they are accessible to anyone in the world. The only restriction is that the person must have a computer and a modem. From that point on, the options are immeasurable. One can read different personal homepages, visit commercial sites and do valuable research. All of these sites can be created by anyone who wishes to take the time to learn the necessary computer language. The creator of any type of website must take into account certain important guidelines in order to create an effective and successful page. The most common type of website is a personal homepage. Homepages make it possible for an internet surfer to learn about someone s/he does not even know. It is almost an invitation to one's personal home without any direct personal contact. All homepages differ greatly in their content. However, they all must have specific, necessary facets in order to be successful websites. Firstly, and most importantly, a homepage must serve a purpose. Whether this purpose is to have fun, to display artwork, or to produce an on-line resume, is irrelevant, as long as the page serves a purpose. I have visited numerous websites, and they all serve some sort of function. Three specific pages to which I will refer are Jeff Seiden's personal homepage, Emily Reith's personal page and Sarah Borcher's homepage. These three pages are all examples which represent different college students. They are of different ages: Jeff, a freshman; Emily, a sophomore; and Sarah, a s... ...commercial, must have are purpose, focus, coherence and links. Without these four necessary factors, it is nearly impossible to have a successful homepage. Works Cited Burgess, John. "Glitch Reveals the Power of the Internet." _The Washington Post_ 31 Jan. 1994, WB17. Donlin, Dennis. "Scaling New Media Mountains". _Advertising Age_ 27 March 1995: 22. Dyer, Gillian. "Advertising As Communication". New York: Routledge, 1982. Holiday Inns, Inc. Homepage Hotchkiss, George Burton, M.A. _An Outline of Advertising_. New York: The Macmilan Company, 1933. "Internet Ads: The Debate Goes On." Advertising Age 2 May 1994: 23. Rotzoll, Kim B., James E. Haefner, and Charles H. Sandage. _Advertising in Contemporary Society_. Cincinnati: South-western Publishing Co., 1990. "Web Sites Top List of Internet Advertisers." _Los Angeles Times_ 11 Dec. 1995, D3.

Book Review on Urban Poverty Essay

Urban poverty is the outcome of urban-bias development projects being predominantly financed by the external capital, either in the form of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) or Aid. The urban-bias industrialization strategy performed as a pull factor for the rural unemployed. This strategy contributed to the expanding of urban informal sectors where unskilled as well as highly unorganized day labours remain concentrated in the urban and semi-urban areas. It is also debated that the redistribution of capital investment towards the rural based agricultural activities including plantation sectors through the coordinated efforts of both public and private sectors such as civil and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can go a long way to break the growing negative effects of over urbanization on poverty, moral and social crimes as consequent of unequal economic growth. The author, Pramanik discusses urban poverty in Malaysia cases. He begins with the overview of the poverty scenario followed by research methods and research findings along with summarization & policy suggestions. This book contented five chapters including appendices, references and index. In the introductory chapter (pp. 1-5), Pramanik says poverty is a multi-dimensional phenomenon that is hard to come up with a universally acceptable definition of poverty. Most commonly argued issue on poverty is whether poverty should be looked at from absolute or relative perspective. Absolute poverty based on specific income level called poverty line income (PLI) that can be calculated either using the market value of a basket full of goods and services considered essential for reasonably acceptable standard of living. On the contrary, relative poverty arises when we talk about how good or bad one member is doing in relation to another member living in the same society. According to O’Boyle, poverty is a concept that is both absolute and relative because human beings are at the same time individual and social (O’Boyle E.  J, 1990). In chapter two (pp. 7-20), Pramanik talks about poverty scenario in Malaysia. He argues that the income poverty using official poverty line income seems near to the absolute poverty whereas the human poverty based on the degree of human deprivation resembles relative poverty, which is ensuing of unequal access to income earning opportunity. Because of this, the author focuses more on human aspect of poverty in terms of its long term implications of social factors. Micro level study (Pramanik, 2004) do suggest that family size either in urban or rural areas of the four concentrated states namely, Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perak is quite above the family size used for the national level. Pramanik (1997 & 2000) examined that rural poverty in the four poverty-concentrated states on multi dimensional aspects of the problem such as, social, economic, demographic, psychological, political, moral, historical, attitudinal, and natural factors. In chapter three (pp. 5-20), the author discusses regarding research methodology. The study is based on the primary data as well as secondary information. The primary data collected through the administration of well-structured questionnaire in the middle of 2006. The sampling technique used is purposive as well as random and based on participatory observation method. Around 3112 households from 8 major cities living in poverty concentrated areas classified by squatters, low-cost buildings, longhouses etc. were selected for data collection. He defined â€Å"household† as an entity of those living under the same roof as well as eating from the same kitchen. In chapter four (pp. 21-97), he talks about the research findings. The author uses purposive and collecting sampling technique to identify the level of poverty suffered by those living in the squatters and in the area/blocks/buildings designed for the lower income groups in the major cities of Malaysia. This is because those who are living in these areas suffer different degrees and types of poverty measured by the level of deprivations. The household having less than RM 398(less than half of the poverty line) is called hardcore poor, household earning equal to RM 398 but less than 663 is called overall poor and more than RM 663 is called non-poor. The best performing state in terms of lowest incidence of overall poverty (0. 9) with no hardcore poor followed by KL (2. 6) and JB (8. 1) inclusive of hardcore and overall poor. While less developed states- KB, KT, and AS, KB experiences the highest incidence of poverty hardcore poor and overall poor of 33. 7 followed by KT (23. 4) and AS (14). On the other hand, Sabah and Sarawak are worst performing states reported in 9MP and his survey data. The author suggests that as far as poverty reduction is concerned Sabah and Sarawak are still the worst among all other regions states in Malaysia in 2007. The poverty is gender bias is a universal when hardcore poverty is concerned. In terms of hardcore and overall poverty, the female –headed households are more likely to be poorer by 50 percent compared the male-headed households. The higher dependency of more members on a few incomes of earners in the households also creates a constraint on resources allocation by the poor households. Approximately 60 percent of poor household’s more than two members depend on the income of one earner. The lower dependency has implication for the ability of the poor households to hold out poverty at times of economic recession or downturn since higher dependency manifest through the lower dependency ratio is positively related to higher unemployment. Pramanik found on the distribution of households based on the dependency ratio and cities seem to suggest that the relatively higher percentages of households (68. 8) from LDS are associated with higher dependency as emerged through the lower coefficients of DR (

Old Men essays

Old Men essays Ernest J. Gaines was the brilliant author of the novel, A Gathering of Old Men. This book mainly is a fictional story about the real life prejudices whites had against blacks in the 1970's. Earnest displays these prejudices through carefully thought out characters. The main protagonist of the story is a white woman known as Candy. She is an orphan who was raised by neighbors near a plantation in the Deep South where the story takes place. At the time of the story, Candy is around 18 years old. Another main character is a white sheriff known as Mapes. He is also a protagonist in the story but is more of a neutral character than Candy. Many antagonists appear throughout the book, but the only one who takes any action is Luke Will. He is a huge young man who appears to be bull headed and never backs down from a fight. Also, Luke has a great dislike for the blacks in the area, and feels that whites are superior to blacks. In all these are the major characters that appear throughout the n ovel. The story begins with a young boy, known as Snookum, running from house to house telling all the "old men" in the area to meet at Mathu's house with a twelve gauge shotgun and an empty number five shell. Each old timer is rounded up one by one and many come from towns far away from the Marshall Quarters, the small town in which Mathu's house lies. In this part of the novel the reader is introduced to all the abused black folks who are fed up with being picked on by the whites. Each and every man has a different story about how the white folks, especially the plantation owner Fix and his son Beau, had abused him or his family. Around this time, the reader learns that Beau has been shot in Mathu's yard. Also, the reader is lead to believe that Mathu did indeed shoot him but Candy, being like Mathu's daughter was going to protect him by having all the old fed up men around the plantation come down and say that they had shot Beau. Even Candy her self clai...

Prop, Props, and Props To

Prop, Props, and Props To Prop, Props, and Props To Prop, Props, and Props To By Maeve Maddox Facebook postings often educate me in current usage. A recent discovery comes from this comment about a television show called Shark Tank: Georges’ caring nature steals the show and the hearts of the judges.   It goes to show that character can never be undervalued or underestimated†¦Props to Paul Mitchell cofounder John Paul DeJoria for recognizing that. I was familiar with props as a shortening of several different English words, but this usage left me bewildered. NOTE: This post is for readers who, like me, have managed to remain ignorant of the expression â€Å"props to† until now. It is also for ESL learners who may not be familiar with other uses of prop. First of all, the word prop exists as a complete word in its own right, both as a noun and as a verb. The noun came first: prop noun: A stick, rod, pole, stake, or beam used as a temporary support or to keep something in position; in extended use, anything that serves to support something or keep it in place. A fruit-laden plant may need a wooden prop to hold its branches off the ground. Shakespeare used prop in its figurative sense in The Merchant of Venice. When the character Gobbo is told that his son is dead, the old man exclaims, â€Å"Oh no, God forbid! the boy was the staff of my old age, my prop!† From the noun came the verb: prop verb: To support or keep from falling by or as if by a prop; to keep in position with a prop, or with something used as a prop. A gardening site advises, â€Å"Learn to prop up your plants before they flop.† An op-ed writer asserts, â€Å"Government should not prop up greyhound racing.† The verb is often used with the particle up, but not always: â€Å"1 Billion IMF Loan Props British Pound.† The clipped form prop is used to represent different words. Proposition In the context of political writing, a proposed law, called a proposition, is often referred to as â€Å"a Prop†: â€Å"Opponents argue that Prop 47 will put thousands of criminals back on our streets without first ensuring they have been rehabilitated.† â€Å"Proposition betting† is a wagering term. A â€Å"prop bet† is placed on some contingency related to the game but it has nothing to do with which side wins or loses. Here are some prop bets that were made on the Super Bowl XLIX: Will Idina Menzel forget or omit at least one word of the official US national anthem? What will Katy Perry be wearing when she begins the halftime show? What color will Bill Belichick’s hoodie be? Proprietor An old-fashioned way to display the name of a shop owner on a sign or business card was to precede or follow the name with the abbreviation Prop. for proprietor: â€Å"H. W. Jones, Prop.† The abbreviation came to be used as a word to mean owner, as in â€Å"Who is the prop of this establishment?† Proprietary This is a Wall Street idiom. When a trader uses the firm’s own money to trade for currencies and commodities- as opposed to using depositors’ money- the operation is called â€Å"proprietary trading.† The term is often shortened to â€Å"prop trading† and the agent who does it is a â€Å"prop trader.† Here’s a recent headline from Business Insider: â€Å"A Prop Trader Explains His Work, His Salary, And Why Everyone Is Wrong About His Profession.† Propeller The word propeller to mean a device for propelling a machine dates from the 18th century, but the shortening prop for propeller dates to World War I when pilots started referring to airplane propellers as props. Nowadays, the word is more frequently used attributively to describe a certain kind of plane: â€Å"Angelina Jolie is well known for her love of aviation. And the mother-of-six indulged in her favourite pastime on Friday with a trip in the pilot seat of a small prop plane.† Property In the context of putting on a play, a prop is â€Å"an object used in a performance. Prop and props in the context of theater derives from property and properties. A prop usually seen in a performance of Macbeth is a cauldron. By extension, a prop can be any kind of accessory, as in this example from the OED: â€Å"Interspersedwere the other props of a traditional Jewish homea Purim megillah.† The props in the expression â€Å"props to† differs from all of these shortenings in that it telescopes a phrase: proper respects. In the quotation that introduced me to this expression, â€Å"Props to Paul Mitchell† means is â€Å"Congratulations to Paul Mitchell,† or â€Å"Good for Paul Mitchell.† The use of props in the sense of â€Å"due respect† appears suddenly on the Ngram Viewer in 1992 and shoots upward in a vertical line on the graph. The OED labels this use of props as slang, â€Å"originally in African-American usage,† and provides a citation from 1990: â€Å"I was one of the first female rappers, but Ive always gotten my props.†- Chicago Tribune Merriam-Webster defines props as â€Å"something that is said to publicly thank and give special attention to someone for doing something; credit or recognition.† Although props in the sense of recognition seems to have moved up from slang to colloquial, it is still not considered to be standard. In time, however, it may replace worn-out kudos. Related posts Word Clipping Kudo vs Kudos Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Types of Language50 Types of PropagandaA "Diploma" is not a "Degree"

N.B. Meaning

N.B. Meaning Now, pay attention! Thats the basic meaning of N.B.  -   the abbreviated form of the Latin phrase nota bene (literally, note well). N.B. still appears in some forms of academic writing as a way of steering readers attention toward something particularly important. Two or three centuries ago, when classical Latin was widely taught in British and American schools, it wasnt unusual for Latin expressions to appear in English prose. For proof, pick up an American dollar bill and look at the Great Seal of the United States on the reverse (or greenback) side. There on the left, just above the floating eye and the unfinished pyramid, is the Latin phrase Annuit Coeptis, loosely translated as Providence has approved our undertaking. At the base of the pyramid is MDCCLXXVI (1776 in Roman numerals) and below that the motto Novus Ordo Seclorum (a new order of the ages). To the right, on the ribbon in the eagles beak, is the countrys first motto, E Pluribus Unum, or one out of many. Now thats a lot of Latin for a buck! But keep in mind that the Great Seal was approved by Congress way back in 1782. Since 1956 the official motto of the U.S. has been In God We Trust -   in English. As the Romans used to say, Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis (Times change, and we change with them). Nowadays, with a few exceptions (such as A.D., a.m., and p.m.), abbreviations for Latin words and phrases have become rare in ordinary writing. And so our advice regarding most Latin abbreviations (including e.g., etc., et al., and i.e.) is generally to avoid using them when an English word or phrase would do just as well. If you must use them (say in footnotes, bibliographies, and technical lists), consider these guidelines on how to tell them apart and use them correctly.

Are Management Information Systems needed in youth work Literature review

Are Management Information Systems needed in youth work - Literature review Example I feel the change required for the implementation of a new system is one of the biggest challenges I will face as a manager and that the youth service must research seriously from the beginning. There will be a significant amount of change over the coming years therefore I am very interested to explore whether MIS systems will actually help youth work upon implementation of the new system after managing the huge changes required by the system. How is this relevant to my professional practice? Change is thrust upon youth workers on a regular basis and my dissertation topic, in my opinion, is very relevant to my professional practice as it will test my ability or inability as a manager of managing change. I plan to devise a strategy for innovation and change regarding the way information is collected, evaluated and presented within the youth service covering a two year period based upon my research findings and not on the approach of –a system has been bought we must change ever ything in order to use it immediately. LITERATURE Three course books of Master of Computer Science, Information Technology, were referred most. Internet was also searched for appropriate materials and following result was found. An advance search for â€Å"Research methods† produced about 84,800,000 references, search for â€Å"Management Theories† produced about 36,200,000 references, â€Å"Leadership Styles† produced about 15,400,000 references, â€Å"Change Management† produced about 288,000,000 references, â€Å"Management Information System† produced about 283,000,000 references, and â€Å"Organizational Development† produced about 26,500,000 references. A look up was made in each of the above search one by one and the best from the top was selected. A total number of eleven publications were chosen for reading and collecting further information. FINDINGS I have identified six themes in this section for effective implementation of Manag ement Information System: understanding concepts and deliverables; assessing values and functionalities; methodologies for successful deployment; managing resources; and benefiting from intensive usage; leading staff and managing change. Understanding Concepts and Deliverables A set of components combined together to bring out or produce a desired whole is known as a system. There are many types of systems (Pidwirny 2006). Most systems share many common characteristics but there are three most important components which when integrated together forms a system: Inputs; Process; and Outputs. A system receives inputs; process them with some functionalities; and produces outputs. Information is a processed data, the one which a human mind can easily understand. If a set of numbers are given in a row and column grid as shown in figure 1, it is not possible to understand what this data means and to whom it belongs until the data is processed. If the same data is processed and produced as shown in figure 2, it becomes now possible for every one to understand what this data means and to whom it belongs. This processed data is called Information. â€Å"Data represents facts of any kind. In the process of recording important particulars of any event, it is the discretion of the management, what should be recorded and how it should be presented. When this data is processed or reformatted, it becomes Information. Information is a subset of data which adds to the knowledge.† (Mujaheed 2009) The original source from which information comes or its

Same sex marriage vs heterosexual marriage Essay

Same sex marriage vs heterosexual marriage - Essay Example r inclusive of gay or lesbian partners which means there will be no children from either of the partners, and hence the marriage that takes place looks flawed in entirety. This is the reason why heterosexual marriages are considered the natural process to keep the ecosystem growing in a normal manner. There are no issues that the people find with heterosexual marriages since they are fundamentally based on the premise of bringing in individuals under the institution of marriage with the objective of giving birth to children. Another aspect why heterosexual marriages are deemed as successful is because they are openly accepted by the societal manifestations and hence there are no issues that are encountered by the people at large. The same sex marriages do not give this kind of liberty since they are marred by immense issues of non-acceptance even by the most immediate family members of the gay and lesbian partners. Hence acceptance is a much significant phenomenon that needs to be understood in a proper manner here. Without acceptance, the society will not come about usually as it would in a heterosexual marriage which gives more respect and dignity to the partners than a same sex marriage would do. One more aspect that is deemed as quintessential here is the fact that heterosexual marriages bank on the premise of understanding that people have an equal chance to make use of the resources present in this earth and hence they must do all that they can to interact with the society to keep the cycle growing. By this, what one means to suggest is that the childbirth aspect should not come down at any stage. The same sex marriages are dependent on just the lust factor where as the heterosexual marriages ensure more than lust alone – they are the entire code of life and should be seen as such (Allen 2006). Essentially speaking, the heterosexual and the same sex marriages have a huge amount of differences which need to be properly gauged. The heterosexual marriage is

Criminal Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 13

Criminal Law - Essay Example Such a duty of care arises as a result of the law. The question whether the facts of a case establish the existence of the duty of care is to be determined by the jury. If the duty’s existence is disputed, the jury ought to be directed that if certain facts are established, then in law a duty would arise. Existence of other facts would negative the duty ( Husak,1987). The Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by Gemma Evans against her conviction at Swansea Crown Court. The Lord Chief Justice, giving the judgment of the court, upheld the conviction of the appellant. The court found that the appellant, together with her mother, was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence following the death of her half-sister, Carly, who was aged 16, who had injected herself with heroin which was supplied by the appellant. Carly developed symptoms similar to those of heroin overdose but the appellant and the mother failed to seek medical assistance as they feared that they themselves would all get into trouble. They thus decided to put Carly to bed, hoping that she would somehow recover which she never did and was found dead the following morning due to heroin poisoning. The appellant had remained at the house from the time when her half sister injected herself, throughout the evening and night. She had also witnessed the signs of the effect of the drug injected by Carly and that she realized that her half sister’s condition was dire. The appellant and her mother also thought that they were responsible for the care of Carly after her taking heroin. The question was whether the appellant was under a duty to take reasonable steps for the safety of Carly once she realized that the drug she had procured for her was having a potentially deadly impact on her health. This was despite the fact that their relationship lacked the features of familial duty or responsibility which marked her mother’s relationship with Carly, when omission

Appearance and Reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Appearance and Reality - Essay Example To start with, he considers light falling on the table and its distribution. He suggests that different people looking at the same table will actually see a different thing altogether depending on the angle of look and position with which they stand. He explains further that the two people will have different account of what they see, and the initial table will have a different â€Å"meaning† altogether. He continues by outlining other characteristics of the same and claims that the texture, when observed with the unaided eye, will be much different than when observed with microscopes of different powers. He alleges that more details will be revealed whenever the latter will be used, making him wonder of what more is yet to be found on this rather cool and smooth table. He elaborates that, if what can be perceived with the naked eye is questionable, then how true is that which can be observed with aids? Russell claims that a real shape will maintain its shape regardless of the angle with which it is looked at. He alleges that a circular shape will appear oval like when viewed from a distance and thus deviating from the initial theory of â€Å"real shapes,† hence concludes that there is no such thing as a real shape. Briefly, Russell Bertrand, an acclaimed theorist, suggests that there is no such thing as â€Å"Reality.† From the examples given, he brings out the possibility of reasoning and challenging even the most of basic things in life that we consider common sense. Physics teaches that light travels from the object to the eye, so whatever we perceive depends upon the light on the same object to our eyes. Therefore, whatever our eyes see depends on the property of light. Thereby we can justify that whatever our eyes see is the real object. Considering his example on texture, where he was torn in between on what exactly he was to take as the real feel for the same. He actually overlooks a lot in his reason for even considering the micros copic view as part of the â€Å"real† view. One thing he forgets to understand is that the microscopic view, whether in low or high power is actually giving the hidden structural arrangement and combination of grains, which are the building blocks for the table, which will otherwise not have been seen with the naked eye. This example is the equivalent of considering a house where the basic are bricks. When the bricks are analyzed on their own, they exhibit a different property, which the otherwise finished house will not have. Thus, the house cannot be described using such property. The human eyesight is limited to a number of things. His claim that shapes look different from a given point of view can also be challenged critically. Perspective angle causes shapes to appear different, but that does not mean that they really are. In my view, people will see whatever they want to see and interpret them in whatever manner they deem fit, making each person to have a different opin ion and account concerning what they perceive depending on their current physical and psychological condition. However, if the different people were given the same â€Å"viewing† ground and if they all had perfect eyesight, all of them would give the same answer and description of what they saw. Russell’s claim that two people will give different accounts when viewing the same from different places is actually true. Were the same people given

Disciplines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Disciplines - Essay Example Web development uses system development process. The phases in both software development process and system engineering have some similarities in that they are sequential. These process/phases have to be followed step by step. System engineering is taken to be the first process in the software development life cycle. This is where the requirements of the larger system where the software will be functioning under are considered (Mishra, 2011). Security systems can use the SecSDLC (security system development life cycle) which happens to follow the same methodology as the commonly known SDLC (system development life cycle). Both do consist of the same phases but SecSDLC involves the identification of specific threats as well as the risks that they represent (Charles K., 2013). Sage A. P. (1992). System Engineering, Volume 6 of Wiley series in systems engineering and management. Wiley series in systems engineering, Technology & Engineering Wiley inter-science publication, John Wiley &

Appearance and Reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Appearance and Reality - Essay Example To start with, he considers light falling on the table and its distribution. He suggests that different people looking at the same table will actually see a different thing altogether depending on the angle of look and position with which they stand. He explains further that the two people will have different account of what they see, and the initial table will have a different â€Å"meaning† altogether. He continues by outlining other characteristics of the same and claims that the texture, when observed with the unaided eye, will be much different than when observed with microscopes of different powers. He alleges that more details will be revealed whenever the latter will be used, making him wonder of what more is yet to be found on this rather cool and smooth table. He elaborates that, if what can be perceived with the naked eye is questionable, then how true is that which can be observed with aids? Russell claims that a real shape will maintain its shape regardless of the angle with which it is looked at. He alleges that a circular shape will appear oval like when viewed from a distance and thus deviating from the initial theory of â€Å"real shapes,† hence concludes that there is no such thing as a real shape. Briefly, Russell Bertrand, an acclaimed theorist, suggests that there is no such thing as â€Å"Reality.† From the examples given, he brings out the possibility of reasoning and challenging even the most of basic things in life that we consider common sense. Physics teaches that light travels from the object to the eye, so whatever we perceive depends upon the light on the same object to our eyes. Therefore, whatever our eyes see depends on the property of light. Thereby we can justify that whatever our eyes see is the real object. Considering his example on texture, where he was torn in between on what exactly he was to take as the real feel for the same. He actually overlooks a lot in his reason for even considering the micros copic view as part of the â€Å"real† view. One thing he forgets to understand is that the microscopic view, whether in low or high power is actually giving the hidden structural arrangement and combination of grains, which are the building blocks for the table, which will otherwise not have been seen with the naked eye. This example is the equivalent of considering a house where the basic are bricks. When the bricks are analyzed on their own, they exhibit a different property, which the otherwise finished house will not have. Thus, the house cannot be described using such property. The human eyesight is limited to a number of things. His claim that shapes look different from a given point of view can also be challenged critically. Perspective angle causes shapes to appear different, but that does not mean that they really are. In my view, people will see whatever they want to see and interpret them in whatever manner they deem fit, making each person to have a different opin ion and account concerning what they perceive depending on their current physical and psychological condition. However, if the different people were given the same â€Å"viewing† ground and if they all had perfect eyesight, all of them would give the same answer and description of what they saw. Russell’s claim that two people will give different accounts when viewing the same from different places is actually true. Were the same people given

Financial Market and Institutions (Assignment ) Assignment

Financial Market and Institutions ( ) - Assignment Example Liquidity: Fast and flexible liquidity of the asset market enhances demand for the assets. Conversely, increased liquidity of the alternative asset markets (like the stock market) lowers the demand for bonds. Wealth is the factor that impact on the total asset demand and that influence investors to demand one asset over another. Equilibrium interest rate is determined when the money supply and the interest are balanced. The interest rate moves towards equilibrium when the temporarily above or below the below or above the rate of equilibrium because of excess or extreme supply, which in turn rises the interest rate. The transparent analysis of the Fisher effects is that if the expected inflation rises by 5% and above, the expected return on interest rate falls as a result of fall in the demand for the bond. Fisher effects occur because when expected inflation increases or rises, the nominal interest rates rise in return (Mishkin and Eakins 140). The rise in expected inflation is a transparent proves that the real cost of borrowing or lending has declined, causing increase in the quantity of bonds supplied. Equilibrium bonds with fall in demand and increase in supply. The decreased riskiness of bonds increases the demand for bonds. The demand curve shifts to the right and the equilibrium bond price rises and the interest rate falls. Higher federal government deficits increase the supply of bonds Expected Profitability of Investment Opportunities; in a business cycle expansion, the supply bond falls when there are fewer expected profitable investment opportunities. Expected Inflation; supply of bond increase when there is an increase in expected inflation. Government Activities; higher federal government deficits increase the supply of bonds, conversely, government surpluses reduces the supply of bonds. Liquidity premium theory elaborates all the facts of the term

Lack of Communication Essay Example for Free

Lack of Communication Essay Lack of communication is the number one cause in divorces in the United States, while there are marriages that work out there are many that don’t. For every two marriages there has been one divorce in the 21st century. (Britannica) Often in a relationship we don’t consider the small things and we move to quickly not thinking about the opinion of the people we interact with. In this article by Aziza Shumba she gives very clear, concise details on why communication is important in a relationship. An interesting fact I happened to stumble upon while reading was that a lack of communication can affect all aspects of life, from what you like to wear to what color paint you paint your home. Some couples feel like they communicate but the key is communicating effectively. Communicating effectively means communicating thoroughly, being optimistic, keeping an open mind and having a listening ear to new opinions. This is very important when it comes to using it in the work place, considering many people just go along with what they are told and never speak unless spoken to. In the work place many people have usually one of three issues: they never speak their opinion, the person who is overbearing, or the person who rides both sides of the fence, it doesn’t make a situation easier but it does make it easier when you can talk to someone and they can keep a conversation without criticism, ignorance or pessimistic attitudes. This is also a great way to build a better relationship with the ones you work with by giving you a stronger confidence when speaking and communicating. Although effective communication is very important, planning and time management is very important when communicating with people. I figured out this is very important once I got to college because if you don’t have good time management it will disrupt your whole life schedule and those around you. For example if I decide to wait until the last minute to turn in homework at 11:55 at night, and then my computer cord blows and catches my computer on fire, what would I do? I would have to wait until I could get access to another computer, and by the time I get to another computer the assignment would be late. Planning in a marriage can definitely be a â€Å"killer† when it comes to marriages, the wife may unexpectedly become pregnant or he/she may decide to get a dog/cat without the other partners consent. If communication is not laid down in the beginning these things may come to be a surprise to the other partner which will lead to divorce and strife. In a marriage getting a life plan is important, even if it is not set in stone it is considerably useful in the progression of a stable marriage to have an outline of what the couple wants together. In conclusion, a lack of communication can lead to the building of other skills if it is caught early on, as long as communication is effective and you have a plan for life and use effective time management you should be able to build STRONG communication skills to help you in everyday life.

The Movement Of German Expressionism Film Studies Essay

The Movement Of German Expressionism Film Studies Essay German expressionism occurred during the attempt of a liberal democratic republic after the so called March revolution in 1848. The revolution lead to the Weimar republic until 1933 where the NSDAP rose in power and brought with it a totalitarian dictatorship. Although this is the nearest estimate to how it happened, the theory that many where unhappy during the Weimar republic since it was democracy without democrats is also supported. German Expressionism is an artistic movement of the 1910s and 1920s that involved theatre, photography, painting, sculpture, and architecture and of course film. We will acclaim the German expressionist film time period from 1918 and 1930, at this time the aftermaths of world war one and the troubled Weimar republic overshadowed the films that were being made. The Weimar democracy had to face many difficulties such as: rampant inflation, strikes, street fighting, armed revolt, mass unemployment and political rivalry. This gave expressionism the perfect start to create an art based on the illusion of reality, and this since film is being watched as a sort of avoidance towards ones own life. Making cinema be a medium of escapism, where reality is put on hold for an hour or two as the viewer sits in a darkened room and consumes the images projected onto the screen. This is why adventure films were the most popular in the beginnings. Considerably like in the classical Hollywood cinema al so known as the golden age of Hollywood, era between roughly 1910 and 1960. Which the Films from Germany at that time, tried competing with. The style of German expressionism is what turned it to an influence in the end. The world of German expressionism is an artificial world a world of light and shadow, it created a unique Mise-en-scà ¨ne German Expressionist films look different, but they have a lot in common with each other. The directors created atmosphere by means of strange camera angles, lighting and contrasts between black and white. Shadows and silhouettes were frequently displayed; sometimes they were even painted on to the sets. The stories that were told in the German expressionist cinema were often dark and sombre, matching the visuals. Crime, madness and paranoia were frequently addressed and the claustrophobic atmosphere created by the shadows and dark lighting served to heighten the drama Many modern films such as Blade Runner, Batman demonstrate the influence of German expressionism. The style is ideal for portraying macabre subject matters. Devices such as low key lighting are used to convey mystery, and monsters lurking in shadows. Distortion is also commonly used in both expressionism and later horror films, employed through make-up, camera angles, costumes and strange backdrops But these arent the only attributes that German expressionist films hold. Broadly spoken the films welled together an entire film crew, and none of the films at that time can be left unaccredited of the entire crew, whereas nowadays a director gains the acknowledgements. Also, the desire of combining box-office success and artistic touch is rarely seen in todays world, but was fundamental to Weimar film. They include thematic negations like: Dream vs. reality, Blindness Vs. vision, Insanity vs. Sanity Which symbolically reflected the political fears of society From the perspective of style, Metropolisis an avant garde science fiction film. The mad scientist returns, this time to create a robot double of Maria, the heroine. The robot is able to break away from the control of its master and in the end the whole city is destroyed. A lot of films haven dissected its themes. There can be no doubt that Metropolis is one of the greatest films ever made, regularly appearing on all-time-best lists. Considering when it was made, it is an extraordinary achievement and it has created lasting visual impressions on audiences since its release in 1927. But it is not only for its wealth of cinematic innovation that it is rightly hailed as a classic. Its themes of social injustice, the relationship between man and machine and the growth of the industrial society have had a huge influence on the work of subsequent film-makers, especially those working in the field of science-fiction. Thousands of slaves work on gigantic machines in a huge underground city. The rich live above ground, in an Eden-like garden paradise. One day Maria inadvertently escapes out of the underground city and with a few poor children reaches the luxury life of those above ground. The son of the all-powerful factory boss falls in love with her and follows her into the underworld, where he learns how miserably the proletariat has to live. The inventor, Rotwang, builds a robot, an artificial worker, who can make no mistake. He drags Maria into his laboratory and, with the help of electric energy succeeds in transferring her looks onto the robot. In doing this, he creates an evil Maria. This figure is then sent to the workers to spur them to revolt. The underground city is flooded at the end Lang presents this very vividly. The rising water threatens the children who have been left to fend for themselves by the rampaging workers. The evil Maria is burnt, the real Maria is abducted by Rotwang. Finally, a fight between Fredersen, the son of the boss, and Rotwang leads to the latter falling to his death. At the end the social classes are reconciled, life continues in a socio-political utopia, the machines are destroyed. The word Utopia, derives from greek literally meaning: Not-Place. An ideal state or community. For the whole film Metropolis is locked inside a sealed frame; an inner world which purports to be an outside world. The monumentalism of this Lang film creates claustrophobia, but has left its tracks in countless science-fiction films, not least of which is Blade Runner I wanted to explore future germany so Metropolis brings the audience into the year 2026. You can see Gothic skyscrapers,and the society in this city or state consists of two groups. On one hand the plannersand thinkers, who live an unbelievable comfortable life, and on the other hand the workers who live in the underground working hard to serve the privileged. Johann Joh Fredersen rules over Metropolis. In Blade Runner, these two groups are the humans and robots which are called the replicants. Dr. Eldon Tyrell built an empire, that without slaves would never work like Johann Fredersen in Metropolis. In Metropolis a monument is built which stands for the greatness of humanity and the creator of the world. This monument is very high, actually it reaches the stars. In Blade Runner you can also see this elevated lifestyle (for example Dr.Tyrell himself is living in one of these high-tech skyscrapers), but elsewhere it is not gleaming at all, it is dark and cold. The workers in Metropolis revolt and destroy the monument because of their overwhelming anger. In Blade Runner, Roy Batty leads a revolt of the replicants against their creator Dr.Tyrell. Finally Roy kills the doctor. Blade Runner presents a dystopian Los Angeles in the year 2019 in which human beings were genetically manufactured (called the replicants). These replicants have to do all the hard and dangerous work. In Metropolis, the workers also live a poor live and have to work underground and under very dangerous conditions. A very interesting detail is that a robot is one of the main female characters in both of the movies. Maria (in Metropolis) has a duplicate robot of herself just as Rachael (in Blade Runner) is a robot that is modeled after Tyrells niece. the tower of Babel amazed me, a hierarchical social status symbol in the form of the centered most highest building in town, when I was thinking about set-design They were built from a variety of haunting images: Edward Hoppers painting Nighthawks, the skyline of Hong Kong at night, the fiery industrial landscape of Tyneside and Teesside of My childhood, the French comic-book: Mà ©tal Hurlant [Heavy Metal], and, quite clearly, Metropolis Both Metropolis and Blade Runner have similar set designs, because one thing influenced the other, when it comes to the architecture of the cities, being the tower of Babel. In Blade Runner the opening sequence is shot by a huge pan, this enables a threatening feeling, all the smoke and fire. It is a magnificent but also a very disturbing picture of the Tower of Babel, showing the headquarters of the humanoid replicants factory, where the dirty work for human beings is done. Based on Metropolis Jerry Siegel und Joe Shuster decided to name their base in the film Superman after the famous film. The architectural design of Tim Burtons Gotham City in Batman is strongly based on the art deco of Metropolis by using for example the tower of Babel thanks to Anton Fursts openly creative transformation. There is no doubt about it. People always try to find what makes you tick as a designer and I think in this respect there is no doubt that I was influenced by German expressionism or so later. Kenneth worked together with Kubrick to construct a metropolis like set-design set at futuristic standards for 2001: a space odyssey. The 1940s Hollywood film noir films were hugely influenced by German expressionism and many of the motifs and images can be seen in films such as The Big Sleep. Indeed, Fritz Lang even directed some films of this genre himself. But How did the Expressionism influence the film noir? The opportunities offered by the booming Hollywood film industry and, later, the threat of growing Nazipower led to the emigration of many important film artists working in Germany who had either been directly involved in the Expressionist movement or studied with its practitioners Directorssuch as Fritz Lang, Robert Siodmak, and Michael Curtizbrought a dramatically shadowed lighting style and a psychologically expressive approach to visual composition, or MHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_scà ¨neise-en-scà ¨ne, with them to Hollywood, where they would make some of the most famous of classic noirs. Langs magnum opus, M-released in 1931, two years before his departure from Germany-is among the first major crime films of the sound erato join a characteristically nourish visual style with a noir-type plot, one in which the protagonistis a criminal (as are his most successful pursuers)

Free Essays: Comparing the Themes of Antigone and Oedipus the King :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Themes of Antigone and Oedipus  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Antigone and Oedipus, written by Sophocles, are dramatic plays with a tragic ending. The main theme for Antigone is that people sometimes have to learn the hard way from their mistakes. This theme is expressed in the final four lines of the play. They read, There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; No wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished, And proud men in old age learn to be wise. These lines are an important part of the play. They symbolize Creon's bad decisions he made, his defiance to the gods, the punishment he went through because of his edict, and the wisdom he gained because of all his mistakes. "There is no happiness where there is no wisdom" demonstrates how Creon not using wisdom in his decision affected him. By declaring that Polyneices could not have a proper burial, he went against the gods and the other citizens of Thebes's beliefs. This was not a wise decision on his part, and because of it he lost his wife, his son, and his happine ss. Creon also defied the laws of the gods. This is what is expressed in the line, "No wisdom but in submission to the gods." In Antigone, the edict and decisions that Creon made demonstrated that his law was more important then the gods laws. His defiance of the laws eventually made him believe, by talking to Teirisias, that something bad would happen to him, so he gave in to his decision. When he gave into the gods he gained wisdom and learned that his actions would be punished. Creons edict is considered his big words. In the third line it says, "Big words are always punished." Creons edict was punished by his loss of happiness. He proclaimed to his city that Polyneices may not be buried, when he did this he was very proud and demanding about his decision. He was determined not to change his mind for anything. These big words that he proclaimed would bring his downfall. Because Creon locked Antigone up, for burying Polyneices, she killed herself. Creon's son Haimon, who was engag ed to Antigone, also committed suicide upon seeing his beloved Antigone dead. Also Creon's wife took her own life. If Creon hadn't gone against what was right, by making his laws more important then the god's laws, and issuing his edict, he would not have suffered the way he did.

The Greatest Of These Is Love Essay -- Gods Love for Mankind

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13) No matter how anointed we are in our preaching, teaching, evangelizing, ministering, etc ... there is no greater evidence of our knowledge of God than how we LOVE one another. Love comes from God and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows Him. (1 John 4:7) The indwelling of God's love in us perfects our human character. Without it, we have no foundation on which to build our Christian lives. Love is not just an attribute of God's character ... It IS God! (1 John 4:16) It is the very essence of God's being. In John 13:34-35, we are commanded to love one another. This command is not referring to a physical affection or emotion, but a purposeful, voluntary SPIRITUAL affection; an unselfish concern for the well-being of others whether or not we feel they are deserving of our love. Even our enemies are to receive our love despite their attitude, or behavior toward us. (Luke 6:27-28) For despite our unworthiness, God loved us and made the greatest sacrifice to prove it. God's Love for Mankind "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) God loves us so intensely that He purposed His Son to be unmercifully tortured, beaten, scorned, scrutinized and murdered ... all in the name of Love. He has bestowed His perfect love upon us, seeking those who are deemed the most wretched and alienated from Him that they may be saved. His is a redeeming love manifested in mercy and grace, for He cares for and help us when we are in need, and He accepts us and loves us even though we don't deserve it. "But be... ...adulthood, our spouses can turn away from us in anger or frustration, our friends and relatives turn away for a multitude of reasons. But we can rejoice in the fact that there is ONE relationship where we will always find love ... our relationship with God. There is nothing that can separate us from God's love -- His love endureth forever! (Psalms 118) Thanking God: Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your mercy, grace and above all ... Your love. Without it we have no hope ... we have no future ... we have no life! We thank You for Your ability to look beyond our faults, and see our needs. We rejoice in Your mercy, for it has "made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions"; Your grace, for "it is by grace that we have been saved"; and Your love, for in love You "sent Your one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him."

America and the world in the years to come

Alternate fuels refer to energy sources, which are not based on the burning of fossil fuels or nuclear fusion. Sustainable energy strategies are essential at this point if there has to be a security in energy supply for America and the world in the years to come. This is compounded by the fact that every effort is being made to reduce the greenhouse effect. Fossil fuels are becoming and will continue to be less favourable as advance in the 21st century (Wells 2005) Growing technology in alternate fuels includes alternate fuel vehicles, fuel cells.Much of the efforts in â€Å"clean energy† have focused on hydrogen applications in the transportation sector. Stationary power and electricity has attracted little focus, or even a combination of the two (Lipman and Brooks 2006) United States is ready for the use of alternate fuels as energy sources. The call for America now is working towards an energy security ensuring a sustainable future in energy needs. The needs for energy and power in the time come forecasted to keep growing (Holilian and Mayes 2003)America and all developed and developing nations need now more than ever before to ensure and secure their freedom from overseas oil dependence. Measures to get there should take an all-out, no bounds approach as the faster we get there the better for the country. Millions of US dollars will be saved by reducing petroleum imports to the country. The economy will also be strengthened (Jim Wells 2005). Countries like Brazil are already able to fuel nearly seventy percent (70%) of their vehicles in the country with ethanol, replacing oil as the primary fuel.That means that it is indeed possible to achieve freedom from foreign oil dependence. Nations all over the world are running for the same energy resources. With tensions in Iraq, Iran and Venezuela growing, accelerated by the equally growing demand for fossil oils, the strain cannot be trusted. Oil prices have been too unstable, hitting records highs per barr el in the recent past. Due to this factor, America can not help but be ready for alternate fuel sources or else it might have a hard time fuelling its economy in the near future.America is also ready for alternate fuel because the technology for utilization of alternate sources already exists. Whether it is fuel cells, or ethanol production plants or solar panels in different specifications, or wind mills of various sizes or even cars meeting specifications for use of alternate fuels, all these and various other technologies beg to be exploited maximally in order to achieve energy efficiently general motors alone has built more than 1. 5 million ethanol compliant vehicles (Giney Lee, Holilian and Mayes 2003)America is ready because, use of alternate sources means a better economy and employment opportunities for the American people. Exploiting use of alternate energy sources means the products produced locally gain added value. Businesses in the energy sector get to do more business . Expatriates in renewable energy get to do more. Research and development efforts by the department of energy get more engaged and provide more energy solutions. The rural America gets cheaper energy sources. In essence it is a plus for the economy. Finally, America is ready because, the world trend is moving towards a cleaner, greener environment.Insisting on use of fossil fuels provide no opportunities for the reduction of the green-house effort (Gordon 2001 . Use of alternate fuel sources means a cleaner environment, reduced carbon emissions and less toxic waste in our environment. A look at the various optious available for the US economy is inorder. Petrol, diesel and natural gas engines can be replaced by hydrogen-fuel cells. Hydrogen energy stations or power parks are becoming a consistent development within the United States. These energy stations would use fuel cells for electricity. Production by a stream of pure hydrogen (Lipman and Brooks 2006)Normally hydrogen is simpl y delivered or produced at a station using a fuel â€Å"reformer†, then compressed and supplied. Energy stations have the advantage that they can combine integrated systems for electricity production such that there is some for use within the precincts or supplies to the local grid, it can use any â€Å"waste-heat† for warming or cooling the building and use the purified hydrogen to fuel cars. There is potential for the growth of hydrogen as an alternative source. Various states are developing and others already finished their plans for the hydrogen revolution.State plans have completed in California, Ohio, New York, Florida, Massachusetts and Connectient are in their planning stages. Incorporating hydrogen stations into these plans would help to get there faster. Opportunities exist too for fleet based agreements with the state authorities such that hydrogen stations become feasible projects. There is potential in both private and public investment in hydrogen energy. Ethanol can be blended directly in petrol. Blends of up to 20% can be done without engine modifications. Dependant on the ethanol quality, ethanol blended diesels fuels need the use of emulsifiers and stabilizers.Ethanol is easily guaranteed from corn or even other grains like sorghum or other biomass like corn cobs, cornstalks, wheat, straw, rice straw, switch grass, vegetable and forestry waste. It is very ideal as a gasoline mixture for its ability to increase the near-complete combustion of gasoline, which means it is environmentally friendly. It can be produced in large quantities and of course its capital outlay is quite reasonable, it ends up benefiting the corn and other grain farmers by giving them right value for their product.Especially in rural America, ethanol is fast becoming highly demanded fuel. With a higher demand, has come also a high production. More plants are coming up and existing ones expanding capacity. Some farmers have together to put up ethanol productio n plants too. Ethanol has attracted investment from quarters like Bill Gates of Microsoft, Sir Richard Branson of the virgin Atlantic group, Vinold Khosla of the Silicon Valley wal-mart stores and also Shell and Exxon Mobil. This is bound to have a positive impact on the ethanol industry in the US.Wind energy is another available alternate energy source. It is clean and hence very attractive as an environmental friendly source of energy. The department of energy has increasingly invested in wind-generated power. In 2005, America improved its wind capacity more any other single nation in the world, bringing its overall national wind energy capacity to 9,149 megawatts. In the year that followed 2,454 megawatts of power were added totaling to a capacity of 11,603 megawatts. With initiatives like â€Å"wind powering America† the use of wind as an alternate wind source is bound to keep growing.Solar energy is another alternative and renewable source of energy. Also clean and it ca n be defined as heat or electricity from the sun when it hits a solar cell, when it hits an absorber surface and gives heat energy, when it hits a solar sail in a space craft, causing motion, when it hits a light causing it to rotate or when carried through fibre optic cables to give lighting in a building. Wave and fidal power are also used at the ocean frouts. Waves yield more energy than tides.America is yet to seriously experiment with this kind of energy source. Another biofuel that is available is the use of biogas that uses biomass from cows. It is still relatively used in small areas in America unlike countries like Sweden and Finland which 17% and 19% of their demand with biofuels. Looking at the various alternatives available to us, it appears like hydrogen would be the best for the reasons that it offers a unique combination of electricity generation, thermal energy and hydrogen production within an energy station (Lipman and Brooks).This co-generation ability means a muc h higher efficiently in energy conversion. Eventually that means lowered fuel costs, improved economics and increased energy security. The energy stations, due ability in different designs have various functional and economic trade-offs. How and medium temperature fuel cell design come in three varieties. The proton exchange membrane alkaline (PEM), and the phosphonic acid one. Current estimates for all three ranges from two thousand five hundred ($2, 5000) dollars to four thousand dollars ($4,000) per kilowatt of energy.The high temperature fuel cell design comes in two varieties namely molten carbon and solid oxide. Current estimates for the same are three thousand dollars ($3,000) to four thousand dollars ($4,000) per kilowatts. The hydrogen engine generation set which features a generator estimates currently at about three thousand dollars ($3,000) per kilowatt. Future estimates for the low and medium temperature fuel cell design oscillate between two thousand and fifty dollars to one thousand five hundred dollars ($250-$ 1, 5000) per kilowatt of energy.The high temperature fuel cell design future estimates for molten carbon and solid oxide averages two hundred and fifty dollars to one thousand dollars ($250-1, 000) per kilowatt. The hydrogen engine generator set’s estimate for the future is five hundred dollars ($500) per kilowatt (Lipman and Brooks 2006). The costs refer to the initial capital costs to enable an energy station to start operations. The costs associated will of course vary in solve areas depending on availability of facilities and the operating and maintenance costs.Economically the stations end up as more attractive options than sets that are dedicated entirely as hydrogen refueling systems. The transportation department seems to have a critical role in all this. It is by default, that the transport sector consumes the bulk of the fuel. Transport has a critical role to play in fictionalizing all sectors. Due to this factor, it is p ossible to use the transport department in organizations, government agencies and commercial fleets as change agents in introducing the new fuels.The use of hydrogen cells for example, require a considerably big fleet to make it commercially viable (Lipman and Brooks 2006) State projects could enter into memorandum of understanding with shuttle fleets and pools of cars owned jointly to have, them as stakeholders in implementation of energy blue prints. Beginning from here, the change can then spread to other people within the society. It is imperative for the federal government and individual state government to focus on the introduction of sustainace and development use of alternate energy source if America has to remain able to supply its energy needs in the long run.Hydrogen and ethanol are all attractive options for the America economy and further research and development efforts need to be initiated. Funding is also necessary as well as building cooperation between public and p rivate sectors. The states should be ready to offer funding, information and other incentives to take stakeholders to attract investment. In the face of all this, regulatory mechanisms are crucial to ensure that the public actually benefit from the emerging technologies. References Jeffrey M Gordon 2001 solar energy: issues position papersJames and James/Earthscan. Pp. 23-56. Lipman E Timothy and Brooks Cameron 2006: hydrogen energy statious: poly-production of electricity, hydrogen and thermal energy pp 5-23 Jim Wells 2005. University of California. Meeting energy demand in the 21st century many challenges and key questions: testimony before the subcommittee on energy and resource, committee on government reform, House of Representatives. Diane publishing Louise Gieny-lee, Peter Holilian and Fred Mayer. Renewable energy annual 2002 with preliminary data fro 2002 – 2003. Diane publishers’ pp 13-20

Islam and the West Essay

The Clash of Civilizations? : Islam and the West When taking another glance at Huntington’s â€Å"Clash of Civilizations? †, the provocative nature of his arguments and the fervent scholarly debate that followed are hardly surprising. Although, for myself, I remain troubled by one important question. Is Huntington completely wrong, as many propose, about a rising conflict between the nations of Islam and those of the West in the post cold war era? Huntington contends that the future will boast conflicts between and within civilizations. More so, cultural issues will bring on these conflicts with a particularly divisive role being played by religion. With that said, it is my contention that Huntington is not completely wrong about the evolution of conflict between these two. Though I feel his groupings of civilizations into eight defining entities to be arbitrary and over generalized. My research and focus will be strictly on the aforementioned conflict between Islam and the West, for which I feel are appropriately categorized, though further research should be done on the capacity of violence between sects within religions. Eric Neumayer and Thomas Plumper (2009). International Terrorism and the Clash of Civilizations. British Journal of Political Science, 39, pp 711-734 doi:10. 1017/S0007123409000751 From,http://journals. cambridge. org. proxy. lib. pdx. edu/abstract_S0007123409000751 The authors examine the elements of conflict through the means of terrorism and root causes that can be drawn from these. They examine Huntington’s claims of increased international terrorism against foreign and domestic civilizations in the post-Cold War era. Drawing from data they identify key components in the underlying causes/provocations for international terrorism. Huntington, S. P. (1993). The Clash of Civilizations?. Foreign Affairs, 72(3), 22-49. The primary concept is that, after the Cold War, there will be a fundamental shift in the dynamics of conflict on a global level. No longer primarily influenced by nations and economics, the proceeding conflicts will be hedged on the fundamental cultural differences that exist within civilizations.

The Freedom 'of', and the Freedom 'to' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Freedom 'of', and the Freedom 'to' - Essay Example Yet, he would live his life abusing his new found freedom and turned it from a freedom 'from' enslavement to a freedom 'to' abuse. As Americans, we have also been endowed with a freedom that has come with the price tag of a great responsibility. Freedom is charged with exercising the tolerance, compassion, and dignity that must be afforded to all individuals in the world. In exercising our right to be free, we must insure that our national freedom from bondage does not become a freedom to oppress. Exercising freedom is a process of practicing great restraint. America has a national heritage of economic wealth, mobility, and the freedom of expression. Yet, these basic freedoms, that are often taken for granted, come with an obligation to act responsibly. Wealth cannot be used to exploit a people that are struggling to climb from a history of poverty and into the developing community of nations. Our freedom of mobility does not grant us the right to travel to distant lands only to be occupied for the purpose of greed and political convenience. Freedom of expression requires that we speak honestly and with dignity for the purpose of promoting truth. We have the freedom of speech and movement, but we do not have the freedom to abuse these fundamental rights. Being granted our freedom has given us the inalienable right to be treated with respect and dignity.

What attributes of eco-labels are important to consumers Essay

What attributes of eco-labels are important to consumers - Essay Example The authors used an online discrete choice/ choice-based conjoint to investigate the drivers that influence consumer preference on over eco-labels (Delmas & Lessem, 2014). Consumers cannot assess the environmental qualities of a product until it arrives at the market. The presence of eco-labels seeks to bridge this information gap between manufacturers and consumers by presenting the ingredients and environmental qualities of a certified product. The environmental attributes of a product are essential to consumers since they influence their purchasing decisions. Eco-labels influence consumers’ preferences on products. A research that used a discrete choice experiment and a latent class choice model to investigate the significance of consumers’ preference for wine back labels and identify the correlation of these labels relative to price confirmed this (Mueller, Lockshin, Saltman, & Blanford, 2010). The research established that simple eco-labels statements derive positive customer response while eco-labels with difficult messages like the chemical ingredients of a product derives negative responses (Mueller, Lockshin, Saltman, & Blanford, 2010). More so, the presence of private benefits in eco-labeled products derives positive consumer responses (Delmas & Lessem, 2014). Such benefits may include health benefits, increased durability, and high quality. In this context, such factors will affect consumer’s willingness to buy cleaning products. Health attribute influences consumer preferences for eco-labeled products. Developed countries like America offer eco-labels health claims through independent agencies. Various studies derive that most consumers always prefer healthier products. The increased customers’ demand for healthier food products has led to the use of eco-labeling (McCluskey & Loureiro, 2003). The authors conducted an empirical study on consumer preferences and willingness to buy various types of food

How can we blame fast food for obesity When it is individual Research Paper

How can we blame fast food for obesity When it is individual responsibility - Research Paper Example Obesity has the cause of many problems that deal with the heart and blood circulation. The results of the same issue are because of personal choice. Many awareness campaigns have been run across the societies on the impacts or advantages of certain foods yet people indulge in foods that lead to accumulation of fats and obesity. Obesity can be through by different factors like; economic factors, social factors and personal factors. Economically, the cost of fast foods is lower as compared to the cost of healthier foods. Socially, many people are lazier, and they hope for the rapid foods instead of food that take longer to cook. In personal perception, an individual should be core owner of his/ her health and must be discipline and choose the right food for a healthier body not only choosing what tastes sweet. As a matter of concern, obesity has been on the rise, especially in the low-class households in the country. These families live in the suburbs where getting fresh fruits or vegetables is outdated, or if they happen to come by, they are sold at a very high cost. It has forced these people depend on fast foods at a larger ratio since they are cheap and easily found around. In addition, parents who work extra hours tend to feed their children on the fast foods as they reach home exhausted and have no tim e to prepare healthy meals (Scholar). Availability of unhealthy foods in the supermarkets and fast food industries is evident due to increased cases of increased waistlines, weight gain and obesity. Making the blame on the food production faithful, because it makes its products cheap and readily available (Steven). Also advertise their products in almost all corners of the media, be it audio or in video. The blame has not stopped the fast food industry from their line of duty because they said that they supply what their clients demand, and they believe that your health your responsibility. No one forces you to

Book Reports for Rabbi School Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Book Reports for Rabbi School - Research Paper Example need for humans to be conversant with the conditions that face humanity; thus, devise strategies that will allow for the attainment of self-awareness and spiritual restoration in human beings (Buber, 2002). The book also gives details on various forms of rungs of life that eventually seek to arouse humans towards leading a righteous life. The work of Buber (2002) gives the lesson that human life needs to be driven by aims of existence. The author is keen to explain that humans needs to make sure that they realize the meaning of their times on earth. True life, therefore, involves the humans being devoted to their life in God if they have to understand what is required of their future life. I also learn that devotion to God is not complete on its own. One must love God’s creation, love their fellow beings, and it is through this deviation that one can be of great importance to their fellow men (Buber, 2002). True life is, therefore, not baseless, but includes the virtue of justice, righteousness, love and even devotion to the life’s wants. I also learnt that one ought to desist from activities that may led to evil and guilt, but make as much effort as possible to overcome the evils of life. Awareness of sin is also crucial to good life, since it helps humans overcome the challenges that they may encounte r in life (Buber, 2002). With contemporary rabbis being faced with lots of challenges, the book has major on me as a Modern Rabbi. First, I have learnt and decided not to mix the good and the bad. I choose to go with goodness since this virtue goes a long way towards attaining holiness. It is through doing good that purity, religious fervor and righteousness is achieved (Buber, 2002). As a modern rabbi, humility goes a long way. I believe that I am a servant and that I am in no way greater than others simply because I am a rabbi. In contrast, this work has led to service to God with humility and steadfastness that it required. The book has also seen to my great

Mainstream Conceptions of Gender and Development Term Paper

Mainstream Conceptions of Gender and Development - Term Paper Example However, this is not the case as gender approaches and issues cover both men and women and the relationships between men and women. The emergence of gender and developed has taken shape over the past decades and it has evolved from issues of women to encompass both gender. To understand better the conception and development of gender and development, it is important to trace the history of gender and the emergence of gender and development as a concept. This paper critically examines the mainstream conceptions of gender and development by exploring the evolution of gender and development from feminist development approaches and the integration frameworks that led to its uptake. Conceptions of Gender and Development The emergence and conception of gender and development is pegged on the issue of gender and the relationships between men and women. Gender can be viewed on two aspects, namely, the social construction perspective and the relationship between sexes. As a socially construct ed aspect, gender refers to the social design of a biological sex that is determined and influenced by the tasks, functions and roles that are attributed to women and men in society (Council of Europe, 2004). Gender also refers the social construction of the relationship between the sexes and it often revolves around unequal power relationship where male dominate while female act in subordination. Gender therefore refers to the range of socially constructed roles of males and females and the relationships between them. According to UNESCO, gender refers to the roles and responsibilities of men and women that are created in our families, societies, and cultures and it entails the expectations held on characteristics, aptitudes and likely behaviours of femininity and masculinity (Jimenez & World Bank, 2007). Due to prior pre-defined gender roles, men and women usually undertake various productive and reproductive roles in development. Gender and development evolved as a sequence of we stern feminism theories and ideologies. Indeed, the history of gender and development issues requires thorough and comprehensive understanding of development and feminists theoretical frameworks and concepts. The evolution of gender and development can be attributed to the intensified global awareness of women and gender issues. During the pre-war days, women and gender issues were marginalized from development issues and processes. This period was characterized by a development phase where women were conspicuously absent and invisible and their experiences were ignored. However, there were little progress that was made in relation to the recognition and acknowledgement of experiences of prominent women in the society. This phase recognized the experience and contribution of prominent and unusual women but their activities were judged majorly from male perspectives (Parpart & Barriteau, 2000). The phase was also dominated by the societal emphasis on the differences between sexes and there roles in the roles. During the pre-world war period, development approaches and initiatives ignored women. The post world war period re-oriented the world perspective on gender issues as it gave rise to feminist approaches that underscored the experiences of women in the society. The initial feminist approach to gender aspect were women centered as they often neglected

Story About a Disabled Person Essay Example for Free

Story About a Disabled Person Essay What is a disabled person? A disabled person is classified as any person who is unable to obtain for himself or herself, fully or partially, the normal requirements of an individual and /or is unable to participate fully in the community due to shortcomings either physically or mentally which may have occurred since birth or later in life. There are people who have overcome these shortcomings and achieved great success through self-reliance and diligence. One such person that comes to mind is none other than my Uncle John. Uncle John is my mother’s youngest brother. He was born on June 12, 1970, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Uncle John was not born deaf and blind. According to my grandmother, when Uncle John was 16 months old he came down with meningitis, which robbed him of both his sight and hearing. The sad thing about this was that my grandparents were not aware about this and only realized my uncle’s disability when he was only two years old. By then the damage to the nerves in his eyes were too severe to be rectified and there was nothing that could be done for his ears. With great determination my grandmother tutored my uncle at home in Mathematics, Language, Music and Art. My uncle was a fast learner and picked up well in all the subjects. But he showed tremendous improvement and excellence in Music. My grandmother decided to get him a music tutor although it took a toll on their livelihood as my grandfather was the only wage earner in the house and he had a family of five young kids to feed and educate. My grandmother decided to sell cakes to make extra money. My uncle progressed so well that he had completed all the 8 levels of music in just 5 years. When he was 15 years old my uncle decided to lift the burden of my grandparents by teaching music to earn a living. He was such a patient and caring music teacher that parents were waiting at the doorstep to enrol their children in his music classes. He had been teaching for about five years when he decided to further his studies in music. At the age of 21 he asked for his parents blessings to allow him to pursue his ambition of being a concert pianist in America. My grandmother was reluctant to let him go as she was worried that he would not be able to cope on his own. By then all his older siblings including my mother had graduated and were doing well in their respective fields. They talked their parents into allowing my uncle to follow his dream. With a heavy heart my grandmother gave in and my uncle left for America. While there, my uncle enrolled in the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York City. Although he had saved enough money to see him through only the first year of college, that did not deter him. He gave his most and his disability was not an obstacle. He excelled in all his classes and was well liked by both his peers and lecturers. He was voted into all the committees as he was someone that could be depended on. At the end of the first year my uncle scored distinctions in all his subjects and was placed on the Dean’s list. He was given a full scholarship to continue his studies for the next year. He excelled for the next three years and was given a full scholarship for the rest of his college studies. At the end of his four year study he was invited to take part in a concert for budding concert pianists. At the tender age of 24 he played in front of an audience of 7,000. The audience was awed by his skills. He appeared in the newspapers and everyone was talking about this young talent. After this he was invited on many premier shows such as The David Letterman Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and even The Oprah Winfrey Show. He travelled all over the world giving concerts. He became a world renowned concert pianist earning a lot of money. After being away for 10 whole years my Uncle decided to return to Malaysia. Throughout the ten years away he never forgot the sacrifices his parents made for him. He set them up in a beautiful house with a maid to look after them. He made sure his parents and siblings were well taken care off. He also made sure that his parents travelled to all his concerts all over the world. Today he is happily married with two healthy children – my cousins Deidre and Antoine. He will always be my inspiration because he did not let his disability bring him down. He has taught me that one can excel in anything if one is determined.

Infant Observation: 10 Month old Baby

Infant Observation: 10 Month old Baby Infant Observation Ivan Mitsko Less than a year ago my close family friend delivered a second baby. And since we lived close to each other and the couple already had an experience with infants I realized that it was a perfect place for my observation paper. I decided to observe the child three times at different dates and time of day because it could help me better distinguish infant’s psychological behavior. The baby’s name was Alex and at the time of the observation he was ten months old. He was born healthy and without any complications. At the first day of his life he weighted 7.5 pounds and was 19 inches tall which is considered a normal range (Zinsser, 2015). The parents are very diligent and hardworking people and take care of their children very well. The behavior of the new born baby reminds me of a chain of reactions in response to new sensations which surrounds the infant during first year of life. When I observed Alex it was almost impossible not to notice his reflexes, senses, and natural instincts. When the mother tried to touch his lip with a finger the baby immediately opened his mouth and was prepared to suck. However, I noticed that he more prefers to suck his own fingers rather than someone else’s. When the mother put something sweet on her finger the baby used to start sucking it and in response to something sour or bitter he immediately wrinkled his face and tried to clean his mouth. This phenomenon can be explained by research conducted by scientist who claimed that humans’ affinity to sweet taste over any other taste corresponds to human genetics (Tatter, Schubert, Timischl, Simbruner, 1986). Another very interesting response I observed was a reaction to the loud noise. The sudden loud TV sound made hi m to furrow his brow, he looked very aware, and at the same time very scared. It seems that all of these reflexes are involuntary and the infant doesn’t have a knowledge or experience to realize that he is a baby and that he is the part of the world. All of the infant’s natural reflexes and instincts were very well described by Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist who is known for his studies with children. According to Piaget’s cognitive stage theory, the babies have an innate schema which is developed before they have any experience with surrounding environment. These cognitive structures are responsible for innate reflexes which are genetically programmed inside of us (Huitt, Hummel, 2003). For instance, most of the infants have sucking reflex which can be triggered by touching baby’s lips and based on these observations Piaget came up with the idea that infants have a sucking schema. Paget’s schema development can be applied to many other innate reflexes. For example, when something touches baby’s palm he will experience the grasping reflex, or similarly, the rooting reflex in which the child will turn his head in direction of the cheek you touched. For instance, during my observation I realized that rooting reflex works much better when the baby is hungry. Once the mother touched his cheek the infant turned his head right away and slightly open his mouth. It was very interesting to follow this process because it helped me to visualize how the schema works in real life situations. Moreover, I felt like the baby was waiting for the next signal which is food consumption. Both of these actions are nothing more than a reaction to touch which makes the life itself a very unique phenomenon. The overall baby’s physical appearance is very similar when he is still in the womb. His body, arms, and legs tend to take position in the way in which they were occupied in mother’s belly. When I asked my friend to hold a baby, the first thing I noticed was how the musculoskeletal system was undeveloped. Newborn babies tend to have very weak muscles which don’t allow them to hold the head or anything in hands. On the other hand, I noticed that when the infant grasped my finger I felt quiet bit of a power produced by the muscles. This interesting observation made me think how the voluntary and involuntary muscular contractions developed and their role in adaptation with surrounding environment. An innate reflex is the specific response to external stimuli. The study of reflexes is mainly used to assess the state of the nervous system and all of the related pathologies. There can be some exception but in most cases children are born with grasp reflex. In order to activate it the parents should simply touch the palm of baby’s hand and he will immediately flex his digits. Usually, some of the reflexes can be noticed from the birth and it is very important for young parents to distinguish any abnormalities in infants. (Futagi, Toribe, Suzuki, 2012). During the first month of the life the baby spends most of his time lying down either on a bed or in the mother’s hands. Also, it was very obvious to see that the baby liked being rocked, and when the parents surrounded him. I believe that most of the baby’s behavior is strictly automatic rather than deliberate. All of the actions are meant to evoke a sense of attachment. For example, when the infant starts crying he is probably hungry or wants to be held. During the infancy period most of the babies are far away from language/speech development. However, I realized that communication does exist between parents and the child. All of the babies tend to cry a lot and this is one of the main sign for a caregiver that something is wrong. During my observation I realized that babies cry because they feel some sort of discomfort which requires immediate attention. For young parents it might be often difficult to understand what happened and why the baby is crying. However, over some period of time caregivers begin to distinguish main concerns. As a future parent this observational experience was very educational for me. I learned that it takes a lot of compassion and hard work to take care of the baby. This a very demanding job which requires a lot of time and hard work and the knowledge of developmental psychology is a good way to understand scientifically what is like to be a baby. Paget’s cognitive stage theory is a great way for new parents to get familiar with the environment and psychological behavior of the new born baby which can be applied in order to establish connection between caregiver and child. References Futagi, Y., Toribe, Y., Suzuki, Y. (2012, June 11). The Grasp Reflex and Moro Reflex in Infants: Hierarchy of Primitive Reflex Responses. Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3384944/ Huitt, W., Hummel, J. (2003). Piagets theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved February 4,2015 from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cognition/piaget.html Tatzer, E., Schubert, M., Timischl, W., Simbruner, G. (1985, October 12). Discrimination of taste and preference for sweet in premature babies. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4064994 Zissner, K. Physical development in infancy [PowerPoint slide]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes https://uic.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_87219_1content_id=_4081122_1 Is Memory a Constructive Process? Is Memory a Constructive Process? Gemma L Sobah ‘Memory is a constructive and active process’ Psychology To be able to successfully evaluate this claim, it is important that some research is done. A lot of relevant research supports this claim but what information we process and store is actually being actively processes by our conscious and how much of this is being stored in a more automatic, passive manner? Before we can delve any further into memory, we need to find a way to break it down into what memory consists of. This essay will look at the research conducted on memory and evaluate to what extent the memory is a constructive and active system. As we know already, memory is a part of our everyday lives. It enables us to carry out daily tasks and skills from knowledge and gives us access to information we may need at a later date, but has been stored in our memory for the mean time. It is an essential part of our lives, and this makes it important for psychologists to be able to understand how it works and its functions. Over time research has been done that breaks memory down in to three component processors. Encoding Putting information into memory Storage Retaining information into memory Retrieval Getting information back out of memory (Brace et al, 2007) Encoding is putting information into code and then inserting it into our memory to then be stored. Storage is when information is retained and is kept in the form or visual, physical or other depictions. Retrieval is when we try and retrieve information out of our memory, into our conscious mind. The memory is not only broken down into processes but also has subsystems that work parallel to and include sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory. William James (cited in Brace et al, 2007) was one of the first psychologists to make this connect and present memory as having these three subsystems. His theory also included the idea that the brain used a primary memory permitting conscious mental activity and a secondary memory responsible for storing knowledge. (Brace and Roth, 2007, p.g 115) This alone supports the claim that memory is a constructive and active process, for it not only receives stores and retrieves information, but it also sorts the information we receive into sections. If the brain was a passive process, we could believe that all information processed would be generically stored. It would take a conscious and active memory to be able to decide which information will be logged as short term, and which should be logged as long term. We will look at th is more later. Memory is an ability that we as humans and also animals to some extent, depend upon to be able to recall different events, relate to experiences, and connect with people. It is a very important system that allows the brain to acknowledge and receive information from our surroundings and from our own bodies, (also known as stimuli), store it, (in either short or long term memory, depending on the information), and then allow it to be accessed in future occasions (known as retrieval). It allows us to continually live one day after the next, without having to relearn everything, giving us the ability to learn from our past actions, relive experiences in different times of our life’s and use all the information we have stored, to carry on and grow. If you think about the first time you read a book or tried roller-skates; those are memories formed, either short or long or term. If we have no memory from the past, you would never learn; thus unable to process and understand. Without memory we would constantly be faced with new and unfamiliar things. This alone and cause us distress. We only have to look at someone with dementia to understand how fragile and vulnerable we would be without the capacity to remember, our everyday lives and actions would be affected and so would our survival. More and more research is being uncovered that suggests that the brain works as a whole, integrating with all areas of its self and aren’t small separate sections doing independent work. When processing a new memory the brain sends information to the Papez circuit which involves many parts of the brain. Research on the brain shows that forming a memory causes physical changes to the organisation of neurons and maybe even the neurons in a process called brain plasticity. (Brace et al. 2007, p.g 146) Ever since William James (1890) first revealed his theories on memory, a substantial body of research has followed. Many other psychologists have shared approaches that conce ptualize memory as a flow of information through a sequence of sub-systems. It is believed information is recoded as and when it is carried from one sub-system to the next. Let’s look at the short term memory. Some research suggests that this form of memory is just a temporary store. But Baddeley and Hitch (1974) (as cited in Brace et al, 2007, p.g 117) allows us to understand it better. They believe that to be able to really understand the functions of short term memory we have to first understand what we use it for. They suggest it has several functions. Brace, 2007 puts it like this: One key function is to concentrate on processing new inputs, and rehearse and code them for transfer to long term memory. Another function is to retrieve information relevant stored knowledge to assist in making sense of these inputs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..STM is an active store holding information that we are consciously thinking about- it is attention-limited ‘work-bench’ system of memory. (Brace et al, 2007 page p.g 117) Here memory is described as active, and the reason for this is simple. Memory is constantly working or organise its information for the purpose of our life. We are constantly learning and developing, and our memory processes are constantly sorting through all the information we receive, to make sure the everyday things we need to remember, such as how to tie our shoes are stored in the right place, the information we only need temporary, such as the number we are typed into our phone, can be stored for the appropriate length of time, then discarded to utilise the space. We interact with many things in our everyday life’s and our brain are aware of that, and is constantly on standby to help us live, so to speak. Another reason we can say memory is active and not passive is for the simple fact that we are able to consciously control what we want to retrieve from our memories and what information we would rather no remember, at that present time. For example, a young has lost her house keys, and in order to help her find them, she decides to try and remember when she last seen them, this is her consciously selecting memories from a specific time. She hasn’t decided to try and remember the colour of the keys, or when she very first came to own the keys, she has consciously tried to recall a specific moment in her life when she had the keys. This is her memory actively working to select the relevant memory and disregard any memory that is not currently needed that may be related to the keys. If our memory were passive, maybe it would automatically recall every memory she has had with the keys, which wouldn’t help the woman find the keys, it would just create confusion and possible frustration. Memory might for this reason be seen as a perceptually active process of the brain that derives from three key components. As we can see memory isn’t a simple matter. It is very complex and there are still many aspects of it under research and not yet understood, and because memory cannot be directly monitored, psychologists have found ways to analyse it enough to be able to have some understanding of how our memory works and why. Our memory serves a crucial purpose and without it, we cannot evolve, and learn and although it does more good than harm, it can from time to time cause us distress and many other things. Our memories are key to making us who we are and there are times that some people’s bad memories impact their lives greatly. Nevertheless, our memory is active, and we can us this to our advantage. We can change our memories, we can implant some memories deeper than others, and we have found ways to hide or keep some memories dormant. We can actively strengthen and challenge our memories daily and find ways to get the most out of the memory process, because without memory, we can not survive. Word count:1444 References: Brace, N., Ilona, R. (2007) ‘Memory: structures, processes and skills’ in Miell, D., Phoenix, A., and Thomas, K. (eds) Mapping Psychology, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Psychology18th March 2014