Imprint

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be, but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way. Some people come into our lives and quickly go, while others move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave Imprints in our hearts,  and we are never, ever the same. These are the people who enter our lives with a unique lesson to teach us. And it is only through these lessons that we learn about life, people, relationships, and ourselves. So appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Look beyond the masks people wear if you want to know their heart, and remove your own masks to let people know yours. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself; it will be hard for others to believe in you. Everything is possible with heart and dedication. Try every thing once, there are times when we must quit something, but call it â€Å"letting go of loose ends. Communication is key, love with all your heart. Live the life that makes you feel complete, makes you happy, and makes you wake up every morning with a smile. There's always something to learn, someone to meet, and something extraordinary to tell. It's about finding a meaning and sharing a story. Create the person you want to be in this world and in this life, and share the experiences and lessons with others. Because you know, it’s never too late to have a life, and it’s never too late to change one.

The Epidemic Of Heroin Health And Social Care Essay

Because of the huge handiness of drugs and its impact on many aspects of health care and the economic system, it is imperative that wellness attention suppliers and policy shapers understand what drugs are being abused, who uses these drugs, where the drugs come from, and the wellness and economic load on the United States. It is going extremely of import for those straight involved with substance maltreaters to understand the physiological effects, psychosocial effects and backdown effects of drugs. Opiates and opiate derived functions in peculiar, whether illicit ( such as diacetylmorphine ) or prescription ( such as Oxycontin ) are being to a great extent abused across the state. These drugs can hold serious wellness deductions during usage and during disconnected surcease ( detoxification or backdown ) . This paper will show a reappraisal of the literature on the epidemic of diacetylmorphine and prescription opiate maltreatment. Through a critical reappraisal, constructs such as the prevalence of the job, the physiologic effects of maltreatment, the current tendencies in direction of the job and deductions for nursing and health care will be explored.BackgroundBefore proceeding, it is of import to briefly discourse the basic pharmacological medicine of opiate drugs. Opiates, otherwise known as narcotics, include the drugs diacetylmorphine, morphia, codeine, oxycontin, hydrocodone, dolophine hydrochloride and other chemically-related derived functions. All opiates are considered dispensable merely by prescription in the United States with the exclusion of diacetylmorphine, which is illegal in all fortunes. Opiates wield their effects by triping pleasance centres in the encephalon. The neurobiochemical theoretical account of dependence suggests that over clip, the encephalon ‘s c hemical science alterations so that it yearns for the substance when it is non at that place and can bring forth physiologic effects of backdown when stopped. Heroin for illustration, which is chemically-related to morphine ( the chemical name for diacetylmorphine is diamorphine ) readily crosses the blood-brain barrier to do a rapid spilling of Dopastat into the dopaminergic receptors of the encephalon ‘s nerve cells. For this ground, the drug is easy habit-forming and absence of the drug causes a esthesis of hungering and can do feelings of unwellness, such as sickness and diarrhoea, when stopped suddenly. .Prevalence of the ProblemSeveral research workers in the nursing, allied wellness and economic sciences subjects have explored and discussed the prevalence of prescription opiate maltreatment and hypotheses of the beginning of the job. However, there is a big spread in the literature related to the prevalence of illicit drug maltreatment ( diacetylmorphine ) among differe nt populations. The prevalence informations for diacetylmorphine maltreatment in the US is mostly reported by national study tendencies, such as the National Institute of Drug Abuse ( portion of the National Institutes of Health ) Survey on Drug Use and Health ( NSDUH ) . Even so, the monolithic study papers pays small attending to the job of diacetylmorphine maltreatment and studies merely two per centum of the 67,500 study respondents utilizing diacetylmorphine in the month predating the study ( National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2009 ) . The etiology of prescription drug abuse and maltreatment is discussed more to a great extent in the literature than is heroin maltreatment. Harmonizing to the NSDUH, in 2009 4.8 % of the study respondents aged 12 and older reported utilizing prescription opiates for non-medical grounds. Of those, over 55 % reported obtaining the drug for free from a friend or comparative, and 4.8 % reported buying the drug from a trader on the streets ( National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2009 ) . Research workers at Columbia University surveyed striplings aged 12 to 17 in 2005 and found that 9.3 % reported the abuse of prescription opiates over the past month. In researching the striplings ‘ motivations for maltreatment, the research workers found that the most normally reported motivations were easiness of attainment and affordability. Among immature grownup college pupils, prevalence of non-medical prescription opiate maltreatment has been reported between seven and nine per centum in the past month to twelve to fourteen per centum life-time prevalence. One of the most at-risk groups for abuse of and dependence to prescription opiates is the chronic hurting population. When used suitably, opiate hurting medicines are a gilded criterion of attention for serious pain-related conditions ( such as post-operative hurting, neuropathic hurting and so on ) . In an attempt to better manage hurting, the figure of prescriptions for opiate medicines increased 154 % in the ten-year period from 1992 to 2002, even though the population of the United States increased by merely 13 % . Although prescription opiates have been used to handle hurting and better the quality of life among acute and chronic hurting patients, the coming of the drugs ‘ abuse has led to a broad organic structure of literature on normative patterns and monitoring of opiate drugs. There delicate balance between pull offing hurting adequately and the hazard for abuse, dependence and recreation has been discussed in the literature late, mostly among the adolescent/young grownup and chronic hurting populations. Although there is a general deficiency in the literature of the figure of people prescribed opiates for chronic hurting. There is a big organic structure of literature which suggests that the increased figure of prescription opiates for chronic hurting patients has contributed significantly to the drug maltreatment job. In surveies to look into the usage of prescription opiates for chronic hurting, it has been found that hurting intervention programs are thin, good certification on the patient ‘s wellness history and history of substance maltreatment is rare, and opiates are sometimes improperly utilised or non indicated at all.Health Consequences of Opiate AbuseBoth prescription and illicit opiates have the possible to exercise a myriad of ague and chronic negative wellness effects for the user. Neurological diminution, vision alterations, cardiac abnormalcies, vascular complications, pneumonic upsets and mortality have been studied and reported. In a survey of over 500 opiate nuts, electrocardiographic alterations were documented in 61 % of the sample. These ECG alterations included ST-segment lift, which may bespeak ischaemic bosom harm ( or deficiency of oxygen-rich blood to the myocardium ) and QTc protraction ( seen largely with dolophine hydrochloride nuts ) . Prolonged QTc intervals may take to inappropriate triggering of the ventricles and may take to potentially deadly ventricular tachycardia. The usage of diacetylmorphine and other drugs by injection with non-sterile or reused acerate leafs may bring forth powerful toxins in the blood stream taking to endocarditis, left ventricular bleeding and decease. Research workers in Ireland reviewed the autopsy findings from eight instances of diacetylmorphine users and found rapid fatal unwellness caused by the endotoxin Clostridium novyi which caused fatal subendocardial bleeding, spleen expansion and pneumonic hydrops in all of the topics studied. Heroin can do important acute peripheral and cardinal nervous system complications such as neuropathy and hearing loss. In a survey six of endovenous and intranasal diacetylmorphine users admitted to the infirmary for acute unwellness, five had documented rhabdomyolysis between three and 36 hours after disposal of the drug. In each of the five instances, there was no documented injury. Typically rhabdomyolysis occurs after a traumatic, compression-type hurt where enzymes slop into the muscular structure and cause rapid neurological diminution, loss of musculus tone and coma. In each of the topics studied, no injury or compaction hurt occurred. In a group of patients with a reported history of â€Å" speedballing † ( or blending diacetylmorphine and cocaine ) , 2 of the 16 studied experient sudden, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss four hours after â€Å" speedballing † which resolved within three yearss. One extra participant experienced sudden hearing loss after â⠂¬Å" speedballing † but one-sidedly. The mechanism by which the hearing loss occurred was described as a possible cochlear toxicity or autoimmune reaction related straight to the drugs. Injection of drugs of any type can do vascular complications, tegument and soft tissue infections and infective diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. In the most terrible instances, opiate maltreatment may take to decease, by and large from overdose. Heroin has been related to 1.65 deceases per 100,000 people in the Florida population entirely over the last decennary and in Alabama between 1986 and 2003, a reappraisal of medical tester ‘s studies revealed those who ‘s cause of sudden decease was undermined were 5.3 times more likely to hold a history of drug maltreatment. Research workers in the United Kingdom have farther investigated heroin deceases and concluded that overdose related to heroin seldom occurs after the usage of heroin alone- in 50 % of the instances they reviewed, intoxicant was besides involved. Although surveies have been published on the wellness effects of maltreatment itself, a reappraisal of nursing, medical and allied wellness literature shows a important deficiency of surveies on the wellness effects of backdown ( disconnected surcease ) of opiate drugs. Several surveies have been found associating to the usage of pharmacotherapy to handle opiate dependence ( such as dolophine hydrochloride and similar plans ) but no surveies have explored the physiologic effects of backdown without medicine aid. Searching on-line databases for relevant articles on opiate backdown does non give any surveies other than those utilizing medication-assisted backdown therapies ( such as dolophine hydrochloride and buprenorphine ) . This is of import to populations such as inmates in a correctional installation where pharmacotherapy is non by and large used during detoxification and requires farther attending. In amount, the possible health-related effects of opiate maltreatment can negatively impact a myriad of organic structure systems. The hazard of potentially fatal infective disease, neurological and cardiovascular complications and decease by overdose creates a public wellness job that demands attending. Health attention suppliers in all spheres must be able to quickly and suitably place those at hazard.Deductions for Advanced Nursing PracticeNurse practicians are allowed normative authorization in about any province across the state. Depending on the pattern scene, they may order opiates to handle hurting. Opiates are the gilded criterion for handling moderate to severe hurting in both ague and chronic hurting syndromes. There has been some discourse in the literature on the quandary to handle or non to handle hurting with opiates. On the one manus, effectual hurting direction is non merely ethical but besides opiates are effectual for many patients for hurting direction – an d on the other manus there is a fright of abuse, dependance and dependence issues. The ability for advanced pattern nurses to place drug-seeking behaviour, issues with dependence and possible recreation of opiates is important to the job of opiate maltreatment. As it has been documented in the literature, recreation of prescription opiates by and large occurs with the patient merchandising, trading or giving away the medicine to another. Harmonizing to Annie Gerhardt, exigency room nurse practician, â€Å" drug searchers become victims of their ain disease † , going involved in a tangled web of dependence, drug-seeking, drug recreation and condemnable behaviour that escalates over clip with increased drug usage. Gerhardt ( 2004 ) suggests supervising patients treated with opiates for replenishing Master of Educations before their follow up assignments, patient studies of â€Å" losing † medicines, trying to see different suppliers for hurting medicines ( which can norm ally be identified by pharmaceuticss ) , and â€Å" scamming † suppliers for more medicines by congratulating the supplier or the office staff or displaying increased degrees of hurting in order to secure more medicine. When ordering opiates to handle hurting in patients already known to hold dependence issues, utilizing sustained-released preparations may cut down dependence while adequately handling hurting. Sustained-release preparations normally have a reduced street value and are less likely to be sold and diverted, and the backdown from sustained-release opiates is typically non as terrible. In footings of advanced pattern nursing, prescribers have the alone ability to screen for possible dependence issues, monitor those who are prescribed habit-forming medicines and potentially control recreation of those medicines to others for whom they are non prescribed. Ultimately, the cognition of drugs of maltreatment and health-related effects is of import for nurses at all degrees to possess.Deductions for ResearchTo further add to the organic structure of literature on the topic of opiate drug maltreatment, dependence and backdown, several countries still need to be explored. First, forms of drug usage in single populations and communities should be investigated. The types of drugs most normally used, the paths of disposal of these drugs and their negative health-related effects should be studied in a assortment of communities, both urban and rural, to derive a better apprehension of the forms of usage across the state. More research is needed beyond simple prevalence surveies on the figure of people who use to spread out on the existent forms of maltreatment. Similarly, the psychosocial effect of drug usage across different populations needs farther probe in order to joint the negative impact on persons and communities. Because the disconnected surcease of opiate drugs without medicine aid occurs often in specific scenes, more research needs to be done on the physiological effects of non-assisted detoxification. The forms of symptoms of backdown and negative wellness effects among populations such as the incarcerated and the hospitalized demand to be explored. The potency for the development of evidence-based protocols for the direction of maltreatment and backdown in these scenes can happen one time the forms of symptoms and wellness effects are documented.DecisionIn amount, the job of drug maltreatment ( which extends far beyond even opiate drugs ) has been reported in multiple beginnings, and prevalence surveies seem rampant in the literature. However, much more work demands to be done on the effects of drug maltreatment from a health care position across a assortment of populations in different scenes to get down to understand the impact of drugs on communities.

“Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn Essay

In the book Ishmael, Daniel Quinn argues claims about our culture and beliefs through Ishmael, the gorilla. He somewhat effectively argues his claim, I say somewhat because he doesn’t adequately use all three parts of an argument: ethos, pathos and logos. Quinn’s intended audience is very clearly every Taker/human that is living everyday without really realizing the destruction of the environment and society around them. His rhetorical purpose is to show these people what they’re doing wrong and not necessarily tell them how to fix it, but telling them how they should inform everyone and essentially start a revolution. He does this because the world is very quickly being destroyed by humans because of our lack of energy to do something about it. Quinn puts into perspective how the world is slowly being ruined through the character of Ishmael. The reason I don’t think Quinn’s argument was extremely effective is because he didn’t use very much ethos. In the beginning he used Ishmael’s captivity in the zoo then the menagerie to give Ishmael some credibility with being able to observe humans from the outside of our world. Ishmael also taught himself how to understand humans which gives him some credibility as being very smart. Quinn does mention a few books Ishmael read to further his knowledge about humans, one being the Bible, but that is about all the ethos he uses. He doesn’t use any ethos while arguing throughout the book to back up his claims which is where I see most of his faults. Daniel Quinn mostly uses logos to support his claims throughout the book. On almost every page there was logical evidence to back up his claim he was currently making. He did this a lot through stories he told that put many things we see every day in a different perspective hence making us think about it in a very different way. For example, my favorite story was the one about the creation of man and he ends with â€Å"then man appeared† (Quinn 53). Ishmael says the same thing with â€Å"finally jellyfish appeared† (Quinn 56). He did this to show that creation did not end with man like we previously thought. Throughout the book Quinn uses very few examples of pathos. He mostly tells stories that made me feel guilty, for example on page 80 he discusses how we’ve â€Å"poured our poisons into the world† (Quinn 80) and he goes on to say there is almost no way for the world to recover because we’ve damaged it so much. This makes me feel very guilty and angry to the CEO’s and people that have come before me because they haven’t done anything to stop it. There have been people to try but no one has ever stopped drilling for oil and driving giant semi-trucks that are destroying the earth. Quinn doesn’t use pathos often, but the few times he did it was very effectively used. Daniel Quinn presents Ishmaels arguments in a very philosophical style and it feels as though the student, who is never named in the story is the reader. I could really see myself as the student, when he was confused I was often confused as well and I think that is why Quinn never gave him a name because it made it easier to put yourself in that position since we are essentially learning as the student is. I think Quinn’s argument needed more pathos and ethos to be truly effective. He uses mostly logos which is very effective for this type of argument, but there is not much emotion or credibility to back up the logical statements he is making. At times I was angry at society and humans in general because of the destruction and I think if there was more of that pathos it would have been much more effective of an argument for me.

Scottish culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Scottish culture - Essay Example Scotland which has a good agricultural land for keeping animals and crop cultivation lacks enough food supply to feed its growing population (Sakamoto, 2003, p. 133). For this reason, it is depending on imported food products. Fishing which is one of the economic activities in Scotland is facing problems as the fish stock has been depleted. This has led to closure of some of the fishing grounds, thus making it difficult for the fishermen to survive. Due to poor performance of some of the economic activities in Scotland, it has resulted to poor performance of the whole economy (Sakamoto, 2003, p. 133). The economy of Scotland has not been strong compared to the United Kingdom economy (Young, & Hood, 1994, p. 67). Since the Scottish economy is not autonomous; it uses the United Kingdom monetary policies. The official currency used in Scotland is the British pound sterling. The economy of Scotland has shifted from heavy industries to service and technology based economy (Young, & Hood, 1994, p. 69). After the industrial revolution, Scotland relied most on heavy industries such as steel and coal mining, and shipbuilding. However, currently the country has taken a new move towards investing in information and technology activities so as to create more employment opportunities (Young, & Hood, 1994, p. 68) The economy of Scotland has a fast growing and dynamic development industries and electronic design (Sakamoto, 2003, p. 135). There are also strong multinational companies which have established technological firms in other countries. Some of these companies include the Motorola which offers communication electronics (Sakamoto, 2003, p. 135). Scotland is well endowed with a number of resources that form firm basis for its economy. Some of these resources include: crude oil, barley for making wine, rich cultural heritage & landscape for tourist attraction. Scotland has the

Labor Market Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Labor Market - Research Paper Example It is evident that the effect of selecting candidates from international culture is going to affect the corporate culture of the hotel. The cross-culture in the hotel can bring in positive responses in terms of drawing more customers or pleasing international customers who visit the hotel from all parts of the world. It can be stated that US is largely lagging in keeping up with its ethnic candidates. Due to this mixed-cultural foray of candidates, sometimes misunderstandings or communication problems may take place. The youth is also considered eligible for these jobs. Candidates who possessed an advanced bachelor’s degree were more preferred for higher posts such as in the managerial position of the hotel. For entry level positions, a minimum of bachelor’s degree was essential for the candidate to have. Those who were college graduates they got more jobs but not the specialized jobs. People who are proficient in languages are given more preferences. â€Å"According t o the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute, 21.8 percent of hotel workers in 2000 were Hispanic, compared with only 11.3 percent of all U.S. workers. Other target populations include older workers and individuals with disabilities, which are currently underutilized in the workforce.† (U.S. Department of Labor, 2006, p10). ... The United States is a high receiver of immigrants who possess low-skills and are fit to work in hotels. It can be found that the hotel industry represents the highest absorber of immigrants than any other industry in US. The majority of working population in the hotel are generally low-wage workers, do not possess high qualification and thus come from a multitude of migrant workers group who are mainly Asians or Hispanics. (Lerman and Schmidt, n.d) Demographics: Immigrants are almost half of the population which have selected for the jobs. The Asian and Hispanic people are found to be coming more in the hotel industry. The main age group of 25 to 54 years old has been mainly absorbed in the hotel. The ethnicity of the US people fails to reflect in the hotel industry. A distressing factor about the shifting ethnicity is the prospective blow to the structure of education of the workers. Hispanic workers have little educational qualifications of any major ethnic group.   Thus, unless Hispanic youth and immigrants raise their educational attainment, their growing presence in the job market will lower the educational base of the labor force at the very time when the demand for skills is continuing to increase. But the growing share of Asians in the labor force will moderate this trend, since their educational attainment is higher than the rest of the workforce   (Lerman and Schmidt, n.d). Educational Background: The positions that are open in the hotel for the candidates, call for varying education and training necessities, starting from on-the-job training to bachelor’s degree programs. The candidates who have been selected to work in the hotel are mostly young people. The people who have been appointed for the front desk or other clerical positions,

Analyse how an organisation can remain competitive and still implement Research Paper

Analyse how an organisation can remain competitive and still implement WLB(Work -Life-Balance)practices - Research Paper Example As a result, the issue of parental leave has received a lot of attention within the Australian society and work environments. In the light of these reflections it is therefore evident that an organization or a company would adopt ad implement attractive parental leave agreements with their employees as a way of promoting the company image in the market. This will consequently lead to a competitive advantage of such companies over their business rivals. In accordance to Shortland and Cummins (2007, p. 28), there are several costs which are associated with work places which are less flexible. For example when employees are not provided with parental leave, they often get disengaged and distracted. This leads to demotivation and attrition of a company’s employees and the resulted drop in the productivity (Guthrie, 2001, p. 180). Reduction of employee productivity also causes overall poor performance of a company within its market of operation. This reflects that the company loses its competitive advantage (Holland, Pyman, Cooper and Teicher, 2011, p. 98). Therefore, flexibility of work environment through WLB practices which are designed to offer parental leave causes companies to be more competitive. The legal system in Australia protects the rights of employees including their rights for parental leave. However, the laws as postulated by the legal system have not been enforced effectively which leads to companies failing to implement parental leave in their work agreements (De Cieri, Holmes, Abbott and Pettit, 2008, p. 98). A competitive advantage strategy can therefore be employed by a company through the parental leave employment agreement which leads to highly productive, creative and motivated workforce. This would however be achieved if a paid parental leave is provided to employees as an employee benefits form of motivation. The implementation of WLB

SUBARANOIDAL hemorrhage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SUBARANOIDAL hemorrhage - Essay Example A patient suffering from vasculitis may also experience symptoms related to this disorder. The blood vessels inside the brain of such a patient becomes inflamed which when not treated in time causes bursting of the vessels (Porth, 2011). Subaranoidal hemorrhage impairs the ability of the cerebral circulation to sustain a steady cerebral blood flow within the brain by unbalancing the regulation of cerebral blood flow by the small arteries and arterioles located in the brain (Porth, 2011). SAH can further cause blood to leak into the cerebrospinal fluid forming a clot which blocks cerebrospinal circulation. This blocking of CSF causes the fluid to buildup, a condition which can lead to hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus causes the ventricles within the CSF to increase in size making it difficult for patients to coordinate body functions. However, this fluid swelling can be intervened by putting a drain in the ventricles. When this condition is not treated in time, blood leaking from a torn aneurysm can damage nearby brain cells leading to mental complications and physical

Research Paper about Divorce Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

About Divorce - Research Paper Example There are various factors that can be attributed to the growing number of divorces including social, financial, religious and psychological elements. According to a survey report, 43 to 46 percent of all marriages that have taken place in the US in the year 2000 will eventually end in divorce (Smith et al., 1453). This paper explores the reasons behind divorce and its impact on children. Getting a divorce is not a simple task and cannot be obtained on the day the concerned couple decides to separate. It is a prolonged process that needs to go through various legal formalities. The initial phase of decision making can take several months or years, and even after final decision is taken the end process may not be a fast one. In many cases, couples attempt to reconcile failing which they again separate. Throughout the entire process, the partners make important decisions regarding rebuilding separate lives. Often a couple takes the decision to separate after weighing the advantages and disadvantages of staying together. A marriage becomes difficult to sustain when personalities clash and no one is eager to compromise. The aggrieved partner often finds multiple issues to deal with before making the final decision to divorce like â€Å"religious constrictions, obligations to children, the financial costs and consequences of divorce, and social pressure to stay marriedâ €  (Clarke-Stewart & Brenatno, 52). Divorce is always perceived as a curse on modern society. One major cause has been identified as early marriage. In general, people who marry early have high probability of divorce than those who marry after completing their education and stabilizing their career. Records have shown that the probability of divorce is twice for women who get married in their teens than women who get married after the age of 22. Most of the times, young people are emotionally and socially inexperienced for entering into a

Statement of Goals, Research Interests, and Experiences Personal

Of Goals, Research Interests, and Experiences - Personal Statement Example In the current environment of advancing technology, GIS plays an important role in the development of nations, which is especially true for the UAE, where expertise in this area is the need of the hour. Pursuing a master’s degree in GIS would equip me with the necessary knowledge and skills to help develop various aspects of the UAE, like building infrastructure, developing crime analysis database to reduce crime etc. Bringing this essential knowledge back to my country would enable us to advance and improve our current security systems and the quality of life for citizens in UAE. UMD University is renowned for its value based academic programs that offer opportunities of personal and professional growth. The myriad modules of course curricula are essential ingredients that provide students with a strong learning experience. Moreover, the learning platform offered by the university caters to the needs and requirements of diverse populace thus facilitating greater understanding of cross-cultural values and preparing students to meet the challenges of time. As a foreign student from Abu Dhabi, UAE, the invigorating environment and the academic program of the university not only meet my expectations but also represent my ideals. Participating in the UMD GIS Master program would help me realize my dream of improving the GIS Field in my country. I therefore strongly believe that the state of the art technology and innovative curricula of the UMD university program would help me meet the changing demands of the times, and allow me to make important contributions to my community. It would equip me with excellent academic qualifications and skills that could be judiciously exploited for the advancement of my country. My interest in studying GIS sparked when I was growing up in Abu Dhabi where I used to admire those who supervised construction sites near my home place. It intrigued me how they could go to places that were bare,

Supply chain relationship management Research Proposal

Supply chain relationship management - Research Proposal Example The first benefit is that it results in job creation. Such kind of jobs results in various roles for the employees like managers, sales, distributors, warehousing etc. There are mainly two classification of retailing depending on the identification of products. It was necessary to allow grouping of the products on the basis of the forecast methods, replenishment methods, planning system etc. The two classifications are Functional or staple products and Innovative Products. There are many challenges in retail supply chain. One challenge is that it can be very costly if the supply chain is not properly designed. There are many other glitches which are both external and internal to the business. Another major problem facing them is Suppler Reliability. If any supplier fails to do any of his function then there will be no product for them to sell (Coyle, Langley, Gibson, Novack and Bardi, 2008, p. 211). This can result in result in loss of consumers, lost profits and declining sales turn over. Hence in the process of selection of supplier it is very important to choose any reliable supplier. In today’s scenario, potential markets and outsourcing can have a major impact on the way a retail supply chain is structured. Presence of low cost for innovative products from Asian and China countries has resulted in paradigm shift to global manufacturing from local manufacturing. Hence this affects the supply chain in terms of cost and complexity. Bullying happens in retail sector where the companies like Wal-Mart have been accused of bullying small retail outlets. Retail stores are now taking full potential of the technology by carrying out many of their activities online. Hence such devices have increased the efficiency of small and medium retail business. But the main point of contention is that it could take forever for the company to generate returns on their investment (Mentzer, 2001, p. 186). The data

To Compare the Financial Aspirations and Dealings of Gutenberg with Essay

To Compare the Financial Aspirations and Dealings of Gutenberg with those of Garamond - Essay Example The new ideas that Fussel (2005) notes were not new ideas at all, but ancient ones – humanism, which was based upon classical ideals. The humanistic ideals, which includes an emphasis upon the individual, were, however, merged with the prevailing doctrine of the church, so that the church morality teachings were infused in the classical ideology, making the ideology more mature. These were not the only ideas which were broadly disseminated – other ideas which focused upon solving societal problems were also widely read in the Europe after the printing press, and, since intellectuals and scholars had access to others’ ideas, debate on these topics was made easier. This, in turn, led to intellectual ideas and debates being widely held throughout Europe (Abel, 2011). That said, according to Norman (2005), these new ideas were threatening to the church, as they often conflicted with the church’s teaching. Therefore, the church instituted greater censorship, wh ile also using the Gutenberg press as a tool to better disseminate its own information to the mass. Another important development was that businesspeople were able to afford manuscripts which helped them run their business. Before the printing press, only the richest could afford manuscripts, as these manuscripts were painstakingly made by religious clerics, therefore the production was very expensive (Abel, 2011). This led to greater economic development, and, as Dittmar (2010) notes, cities flourished because of this greater capacity for economic development. This, in turn, led to greater macroeconomic growth patterns throughout Europe, as businesspeople were better able to expand their business and individuals throughout Europe became better educated and better able to take advantage of economic growth. Therefore, Europe changed dramatically after the printing press was invented. This essay details these socioeconomic and religious changes. Discussion According to Fussel (2005), one of the ways that the Gutenberg printing press changed Europe was that it essentially enabled a merge of the classical tradition of the Greeks and the Romans with the prevailing ethos of society. Before the printing press, there was not a way to spread the message of the classical societies. After the printing press, Latin studies flourished, as did different ideas from what the church had been teaching. These ideas include the belief in the individual, and Fussel (2005) explains that the Gutenberg press allowed Europe to merge the classical ethos with the current ethos of the church. This merging was known, according to Fussel (2005) as â€Å"humanistic theology,† which refers to the merging of the classical tradition with medieval theology. Thus, the Gutenberg press allowed a re-emergence of humanism and intellectualism, yet still recognizing the teachings of the church, which was that man is fundamentally flawed and must seek grace. What essentially occurred, according to Fussel (2005) was that the Europeans took the lessons of the classical societies, the humanistic traditions, and brought it â€Å"closer to God† (Fussel, 2005, p. 73). According to Abel (2011), the merging of the classical and humanist traditions with the church teachings was not the only intellectual revolution which was enabled by the Gutenberg press – Abel (2011) states that intellectuals were able, through the Gutenberg invention, to formulate and disseminate theories which were

The Hull House and Other Achievements Essay Example for Free

The Hull House and Other Achievements Essay The Hull house was constructed in 1856 for Charles Hull. It originally had a factory, furniture store, and home for the elderly. Despite rumors that part of the house is haunted, Jane, together with her friend Ellen Starr, rented it â€Å"to provide a center for higher civic and social life, to institute and maintain education and philanthropic enterprises, and to investigate and improve the conditions in the individual districts of Chicago. † (Lundblad, 1995) In an aim to make the house a â€Å"place where idealism ran high† (Addams, 1910, p. 101) Addams devoted the place to educating lowly people—those who worked in factories, who essentially came from different cultural backgrounds. In the house, the teachers read Hawthorne, George Eliot, and other literary works. Additionally, they taught the neighborhood music and theater, so as to provide the workers an escape from the daily hardships encountered. Later on, the house included an employment bureau, and was designed to be a center not just for the poor but also for the rich to gather together. At first, Addams was mainly in charge of everything, but later on, she delegated the work to others in order to raise more funds. Because of her strong influence among the higher class, she gained the support of the three wealthy women in Chicago, who did not only believe in what she promoted, but also took interest in her projects. Thus, by 1910, about seventy people lived in the house and it was said that at a time, more than two thousand people came everyday. Even though Addams’ motives were primarily for the benefit of the people, there were those who criticized her for her strong belief in peace. She was considered a deviant during the World War I and was expelled from an organization called the Daughters of American Revolution because of her protest against war and America’s participation to it. In addition, she supported the American Union Against Militarism, and attended the Women’s Peace Party where she was elected as its national chairman. She also took part in International Woman’s Conference in Hague where she was chosen to head the commission that sought to put an end to war. In this undertaking, she met with ten leaders of other countries, and their effort was recognized as â€Å"the first international effort by women against war. † (Johnson, ed. , 1960, XI) In 1919, Addams was chosen as the American delegate for the second Women’s Peace Conference, from which the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom began. She was elected as the first president of this league, and served as its president until her death. Among other services she rendered was supplying food and other needs to the women and children of the opposing side—a work she wrote about in Peace and Bread in Time of War (1922). Moreover, she also worked for the welfare of the poor, fought for factory inspection, working hours for women workers, schooling for children, and establishment of labor unions. Furthermore, she also helped establish the juvenile court in 1899, thus by 1920, there were only three states which did not have juvenile courts.

Sophies World Philosophical Question

Sophies World Philosophical Question All he knew was that he knew nothing and it troubled him (70). Socrates once proclaimed that he himself had very little knowledge. The statement is ironic and yet it became the foundation for Socrates and, in fact, the philosophers pursuit for wisdom. In truth, Socrates did know something, and that is he knew very little. For him, it was not how a person knows; thats merely knowledge. Instead, wisdom is the realization of how much one still doesnt know; its the realization of the range of ones own ignorance. Socrates interpretation of wisdom is one of the fundamental first steps on the path to philosophical understanding; uncertainty was what made him inquire and contemplate to achieve a fuller understanding of the truth. Human knowledge has rapidly advanced during past centuries and yet there are still questions left unanswered. Over time, a great multitude of people have assumed that they have found meaning and wisdom, but in reality they have simply accepted norms and knowledge handed down to them by society itself. Human wisdom has been dangerously close to stagnation and it would be a tragedy if one would cease to ponder the questions of life due to the perceive notion that the questions of life have been answered. Yes, science has presented the theorems to explain the processes of life and the inanimate, on the other hand theology has illuminated the path with countless parables, and nevertheless they cannot be accepted as the one truth, one must still question beyond the explanations, beyond the parables the true nature of Socratic wisdom lies in the never-ending quest for truth. Socrates himself was troubled that he knew so little (69), and that became the drive to know and understand more not to surrender or blindly submit to other ideas. Socrates questioned many people thought to be wise, and time after time, he discovered the fallacies in their logic, thus exposing their true lack of understanding. Socrates determined that the only reason he was wiser than anyone else was because, unlike all the other wise people he questioned, he didnt lay claim to knowledge he didnt actually possess. He recognized his ignorance while the rest did not; therefore, he assumed the path to wisdom by attaining the process to achieve it not necessarily having all the answers in the world. In retrospect humanity has lost the drive to accept its true lack of knowledge and has failed to rise above the uncertainties and pursue the truth. For centuries science and theology have fulfilled the basic needs of the human curiosity and yet man himself has turned a blind eye to inquire beyond the explanations of theorems, beyond the ancient scrolls of holy books and most importantly beyond ones own curiosity. The sense of satisfaction has been one of mans flaws; mankind has become comfortable in its place in knowledge and has slowed his desire for the truth. Like Socrates shouldnt mankind be troubled for knowing so little and at the same time overlook the pursuit for true wisdom? The beginning of wisdom and true knowledge is to admit ignorance. Humanitys stubborn way of obsessing with knowledge that they thought they fully grasp, has led them into thinking they have mastered every field, when in fact, the most knowledge that someone had acquired was usually only in one thing, not many things, or not any true knowledge about ones place in the world, and of the true meaning of life.

An investigation in the phenomenon of humour

An investigation in the phenomenon of humour Humor is a universal phenomenon which shows in the tribal and industrialized societies (Apte, 1985). In the Oxford English Dictionary, humor is defined as that quality of actions, speech, or writing which excites amusement; oddity, jocularity, facetiousness, comicality, fun (Simpson Weiner, 1989). From the psychology perspective, humor is stated as a cognitive, emotional and motivational stance toward incongruity, as inherent in funny artifacts, but also in inadvertently amusing situation, our fellow behaviour and attitudes, in fate and life and human nature and existence in general (Ruch, 2002). The term sense of humor will be more specific which refer to a personality trait or individual-differences variable (Ruch, 1998). In addition, Schmidt-Hidding (1963) and Ruch (1998) pointed out that humor has changed rapidly throughout history and during different epochs which has been viewed as predominant mood, talent virtue, style, philosophical attitude or world view. According to Marti n, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray and Weir (2003), the different facets of sense of humour lend themselves to different measurement approaches, including maximal performance tests (eg. Humour as cognitive ability), funniest ratings (eg. Humour as aesthetic response), observer ratings and self-reported scale. Furthermore, Tamaoka Takashima (1994) stated that humor actually is grounded in a cultural and social context as understanding humor should requires some knowledge of the language which humor was written. From past research, humor is often to be tested in different dimensions which include how it deals with stress and depression (Thornson, Powell, Sarmany-Schuller Hampes, 1997). Lefcourt (2001) stated that people with great sense of humor are easily get well with others, have better ability to cope with stress and also have a better mental and physical health. Martin (2000) explained that humor has become a broad and multi-faceted construct in current psychological research which refers to mental processing in creating, perceiving, understanding and appreciating humor, to characteristics of a stimulus or to the responses of the individual. Nowadays, there are lots of approaches to measure humor, which includes the self-report scales, ability tests, behavioural observation techniques and human appreciation measures. Among all the measurements, there are a few well-known measurements which are frequently used by researchers in their studies. These measurements include Coping Humor Scale (CHS; Matin Lefcourt, 1983), Situational Humor Response Questionnaire (SHRQ; Matin Lefcourt, 1984), The Sense of Humor Questionnaire (SHQ; Svebak, 1974), Multidimensional Sense of Humor (MHSH; Thorson Powell, 1993), and Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ; Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Gray Weir, 2003). Coping Humor Scale was a 7 items scale which designed to report individuals on the humor in coping with stress and the association between sense of humor and both mental and physical health. Besides that, Coping Humour Scale inquires participants used humour to alter difficult situation (Ruch, 1998). Following that, Situational Humor Response Questionnaire was a 21 items scale which has been used in research on sense of humor as a stress-moderator and also the association between sense of humor and both mental and physical health. Thorson (1990) critic SHRQ is a measurement that defines sense of humor purely in terms of laughter frequency. Kuiper and Martin (1993) stated that individuals who score higher marks in both the Coping humour Scale and Situational Humour Response Questionnaire had higher level of self esteem, less discrepancy between their actual and ideal self-concepts, and greater stability in their self concepts over time. Sense of Humor Questionnaire was a 21 items measured with 3 dimensions (Metamessage sensitivity, liking of humor, and emotional expressiveness. SHQ used for investigating relationship between sense of humor and other personality dimensions as well as measures of psychological and physical health and well being. Then, Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale was a 24 items scale with 4 factors (humor creativity and uses of humor for social purposes, uses of coping humor, appreciation of humorous people and appreciation of humor) comparing groups on sense of humor for determining correlates between sense of humor and other personality variables. Humor Styles Questionnaire was a 32 items scale which used to measure 4 humor styles (affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive and self-defending) in accessing both positive and negative styles of humor in correlational research on the role of humor in psychological and physical health, etc. Lefcourt (2001) described that humor has always been found to occur in everyone across many different cultures around the world. Three different categories of research area in cross cultural differences or national differences in humor were suggested by Goldstein (1976): cross cultural comparisons, cross national replications, and intracultural research of Western and non-Western cultures. Other than that, Nevo, Nevo Yin (2001) stated that cross cultural studies are valuable because they help assess the generality of empirical phenomena and highlights the effects of specific cultural influences which show in Castell and Goldstein (1976) research. They compared different culture group like Belgium, Hong Kong and US, and found out that US unlike others nations, they preferred jokes which related to sexual and aggressive content. In addition, humor tends to be interpreting in different way by various cultures which results of cultural and linguistics differences (Thorson, Brdar and Pow ell, 1997). Besides that, Hofstede (1983) found out that cultures could be differentiated on two dimensions: individualism-collectivism andpower-distance. There are several studies using Multidimensional Sense of Humor to measures humor in cultural differences with the finding which culture score higher in creativity. In Nevo, Nevo Yin (2001) studies, there is a significant cross cultural difference found in the structured questionnaires was the tendency of Singaporean students to rely less on humor when coping with difficulty which concludes (Crawford Gressley, 1991) that they are tendency to produce humor rather than to appreciate it. The relationship of humor and gender are being discussed over year and year. According to Lampert Tripp (1998), men are more likely to joke, tease and kid, whereas women are more likely to act as an appreciative audience than to produce humor of their own. Powell, Sarmany-Schuller and Hampes (1997) stated that there are pretty much gender neutral in using the MSHS questionnaire, however, there are still some differences between male and women in the sense of humor. A past research which done by Thorson and Powell (1996) using the MSHS questionnaires showing that males tended to respond with higher score on the humor production and the social uses of humor, while woman respond with higher score in the coping mechanism. The study of Ho Chik (2010) have examines there is a gender differences in association with the moderating effects of coping humor on environmental mastery. The present study is interested in investigating the humour responses in both Malaysian and British cultures, cross gender comparison and also the interaction between the culture differences and the gender in humour. There are few studies in humour using Western countries culture like British, Canadian and Eastern countries culture such as Singaporean, Hong Konger and Japanese but they arent studies done on Malaysian humour. There wasnt any research have been done between Malaysian and British but there were researches done between western and eastern culture which the hypothesis was made accordingly to the results done by previous cultural studies. In the support of the past research, two hypotheses were made for this study. The first hypothesis were that male participants will be more humorous than female which based on the finding of past research like Thornson Powell (1996) which shows men will score higher in the humour production and humour creativity of Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale. Additionally, the second hypothesis was British tend to be funnier, hilarious comparing to Malaysian due to the cultural differences. Acordingly to the studies of humour in most of the eastern culture showed that they are not humourous as western cultures because of their own cultural bias. Method Participants There were 100 participants (28 female Malaysian, 28 male Malaysian, 22 female British, 22 male British) were recruited for this study. 75% of British and Malaysian participants were recruited Middlesex University and Malaysia, the remaining 25% were recruited through email within Middlesex database and Malaysias friends. All the participants were required to respond to a demographic form and 4 sets of questionnaires (Coping Humour Scale, Situational Humour Response Questionnaire, Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale, Humour Scale Questionnaire). For this experiment, participants were between 16 to 57 years of age, the average mean of the age was 24.44 (SD= 6.76). All of them were English literate, able to do their questionnaire without others help. Design The present study carried out had an independent groups design. There were two independent variables which the first independent variable was the nationality of the participants and the second independent variable was the gender of the participants. The dependant variables are participants humour responses, which measured through 4 sets of questionnaires. These dependent variables include the Coping Humour Scale questionnaires, Situational Humour Responses Questionnaires, the affiliative humour, self-enhancing humour, aggressive humour and self-defeating humour of Humour Scale Questionnaires, the humour creativity, coping humour, attitude towards humorous people and facility of social uses of humour of Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale. Materials Participants are required to complete a demographical form with few questions, eg.Gender, nationality, age etc. (appendix 3) and 4 sets of Humour questionnaires which they were Coping Humour Scale (appendix 4), Situational Humour Response Questionnaire (appendix 5), Multidimensional Sense of Humour (appendix 6), and Humour Styles Questionnaire (appendix 7). The Coping Humour Scale (CHS; Martin Lefcourt, 1983) is a 7-item scale which designed to measure participants tendency to make use of humour as a strategy for coping with stress and also the association between sense of humor and both mental and physical health. The CHS (Coping Humour Scale) is a 4-point Likert scale which ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (4). Eg 1. extract from appendix 4 Strongly disagree Mildly disagree Mildly agree Strongly agree 1. I often lose my sense of humour when I am having problems. 2. I have often found that my problems have been greatly reduced when I try to find something funny in them. Example 1 The Situational Humour Response Questionnaire (SHRQ; Martin Lefcourt, 1984) is designed to assess participants sense of humour as the tendency to laugh and smile in a wide range of situations. The SHRQ includes 18 situational items that describe a possible life situation. Participants were asked to respond to the situation by imaging or recalling it, which they could be as irritating or they might be amusing. These questionnaires will be rated in a 5-point Guttman-type scale ranging from I wouldnt have found it particularly amusing (1) to I would have laughed heartily (5) (Martin 2006). Besides that, Martin (2006) also explain that the SHRQ correlated significantly with peer ratings of participants laughter, and tendency to use humour in stressful situations . Eg 2. Extract from appendix 5. 1. If you were shopping by yourself in a distant city and you unexpectedly saw an acquaintance from school (or work), how have you responded or how would you respond? (a.) I would probably not have bothered to speak to the person (b.)I would have talked to the person but wouldnt have shown much humor (c.) I would have found something to smile about in talking with him or her (d.)I would have found something to laugh about with this person (e.) I would have laughed heartily with the person Example 2 Humour Style Questionnaires (HSQ; Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Gray Weir, 2003) is a 32 items scale which consists of 4 humour style (each humour style contains of 8 items). The four humour style includes affiliative humour ( I enjoy making people laugh), self-enhancing humour (If I am feeling depressed, I can usually cheer myself up with humour), aggressive humour (if someone make mistake, I will often tease them about it) and finally the self-defeating humour (I let people laugh at me or make fun at my expense more than I should). Humour Style Questionnaires consists of 21 positively- phrased item and 11 negatively-phrased items which the 11 negatively-phrased items will be reversed in scoring. All questions are answered by participants on a seven-point scale ranging from totally disagree (1) to totally agree (7). Eg 4. Extract from appendix 7 Totally Disagree = 1 Moderately Disagree = 2 Slightly Disagree = 3 Neither Agree nor Disagree = 4 Slightly Agree = 5 Moderately Agree = 6 Totally Agree = 7 1. ______ I usually dont laugh or joke around much with other people. 2. ______ If I am feeling depressed, I can usually cheer myself up with humor. Example 4 The Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale (MHSH; Thorson Powell, 1993) contains 24 self descriptive Likert item testing for the four factors which assess individual aspects of the sense of humour. These four factors includes humour creativity (sometimes I think up jokes and funny stories), use of humour as a coping mechanism (Uses of humour help to put me at ease), attitudes towards humour itself (people who tell jokes are a pain in the neck) and appreciation of humour (I appreciate those who generate humour). Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale consist of 18 positively- phrased item and 6 negatively-phrased item. The 6 negatively-phrased items are reversed in scoring. In this questionnaire, participants with higer scores indicate higher sense of humour (Thorson, Powell and Samuel, 2001). Participants were required to indicate their choices on every question on a Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). Eg3.extract from appendix 6 Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree 1. I can often crack people up with the things I say. 1 2 3 4 5 2. Other people tell me that I say funny things. 1 2 3 4 5 Example 3 Procedure Participants were invited to participant in the study as they will be given an information sheet (appendix 1) which explained about the study. After finished reading the information sheet, they will be given the informed consent form (appendix 2) to sign if they willing to participate the experiment. After signing the consent form, they will require to fill in the demographic form (appendix 3) which consists of gender, age, nationality etc. Then, four sets of questionnaires which include the Multidimensional Sense of Humour Questionnaire, Humour Styles Questionnaire, Coping Humour Scale and Situational Humour Response Questionnaire will be given to them to fill in. After finishing all the questionnaires, participants were given a debriefing sheet (Appendix 8) and dismissed from the study. For participants recruited through email, they had also received the information sheet by email before they agreed to do the experiment. Then, they will receive a consent form to sign and together with the demographic form and four sets of questionnaires to fill in. After finished filling in all the answer, the consent form, demographic form and four sets of questionnaires will be given back through email. After receiving the questionnaires set, a debriefing sheet will be emailed to them. Results Descriptive statistics The means and standard deviations (S.D) for each of the measures are shown in table one to table two, by splitting gender (male, female) and nationality (British, Malaysian) respectively. From the table 1 shown below, British male had higher mean than Malaysian Male in all of the measures except Coping Humour scale. In the other hand, Malaysian female had higher mean compare to the British Female except Multidimensional sense of Humour Sense which shown in table 2. To be more specified, descriptive tables for both four subscale of Humour Style Questionnaires and Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale are shown in table three to table six. The Mean and Standard Deviation (S.D) of the dependent variables of Male Participants (50) were shown below as table 1. British Male Sample size = 22 Malaysian Male sample size= 28 Total Sample size =50 Mean S.D Mean S.D Mean S.D Coping Humour Scale 2.89 0.43 2.96 0.40 Situational Humour Response Questionnaire 2.70 0.62 2.47 0.45 Humour Style Questionnaire 5.44 4.33 4.09 0.50 Multidimensional sense of Humour Sense 4.01 3.17 3.22 0.24 Table 1 The Mean and Standard Deviation (S.D) of the dependent variables of Female Participants (50) were shown below as table 2. British Female Sample size = 22 Malaysian Female sample size= 28 Total Sample size =50 Mean S.D Mean S.D Mean S.D Coping Humour Scale 2.60 0.37 2.90 0.32 Situational Humour Response Questionnaire 2.34 0.43 2.46 0.39 Humor Style Questionnaire 4.05 0.46 4.09 0.67 Multidimensional sense of Humour Sense 3.30 0.29 3.16 0.26 Table 2 The Mean and Standard Deviation (S.D) of the Humour Style Questionnaires sub-factors (dependent variables) of Female Participants (50) were shown below as table 3. Humor Style Questionnaire British Male Sample size = 22 Malaysian Male sample size= 28 Total Sample size =50 Mean S.D Mean S.D Mean S.D Affiliative humour (HSQ) 5.41 1.23 5.18 0.79 5.29 1.00 Self-enhancing humour (HSQ) 4.70 1.10 4.00 0.89 4.28 1.04 Aggressive humour (HSQ) 3.50 1.04 3.50 0.68 3.49 0.85 Self-defeating humour (HSQ) 3.75 1.03 3.73 0.86 3.74 0.93 Table 3 The Mean and Standard Deviation (S.D) of the Humour Style Questionnaires sub-factors (dependent variables) of Female Participants (50) were shown below as table 4. Humor Style Questionnaire British Female Sample size = 22 Malaysian Female sample size= 28 Total Sample size =50 Mean S.D Mean S.D Mean S.D Affiliative humour (HSQ) 5.58 0.96 5.28 0.82 5.41 0.89 Self-enhancing humour (HSQ) 4.05 0.82 3.88 0.77 4.00 0.79 Aggressive humour (HSQ) 3.55 0.83 3.47 0.71 3.50 0.76 Self-defeating humour (HSQ) 3.03 0.90 3.72 1.05 3.42 1.04 Table 4 The Mean and Standard Deviation (S.D) of the Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale Questionnaires sub-factors (dependent variables) of Male Participants (50) were shown below as table 5. Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale British Male Sample size = 22 Malaysian Male sample size= 28 Total Sample size=50 Mean S.D Mean S.D Mean S.D Humour creativity 3.48 0.94 3.49 0.61 3.46 0.76 Coping humour 3.63 0.48 3.62 0.51 3.62 0.49 Attitude towards humorous people 3.89 0.65 3.91 0.55 3.90 0.59 Appreciation of humour 4.25 0.65 4.29 0.63 4.27 0.63 Table 5 The Mean and Standard Deviation (S.D) of the Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale Questionnaires sub-factors (dependent variables) of Female Participants (50) were shown below as table 6. Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale British Females Sample size = 22 Malaysian Females sample size= 28 Total Sample size= 50 Mean S.D Mean S.D Mean S.D Humour creativity 3.36 0.61 3.32 0.76 3.29 0.70 Coping humour 3.56 0.67 3.53 0.43 3.54 0.54 Attitude towards humorous people 4.31 0.63 3.95 0.72 4.11 0.70 Appreciation of humour 4.57 0.44 4.52 0.59 4.54 0.52 Table 6 Factor Analysis Factor analysis was carried out in order to test the validity of the sub-scales in two measures (Humour Style Questionnaires and Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale). It was expected that the four factors of each measure would emerge from this analysis. Both Humour Style Questionnaires and Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale used Principal Component Analysis (PCA) as the analysis. Table seven and table eight showed both of the results of the PCA of Humour Style Questionnaires and Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale using the Varimax rotation and Kaiser-Meyer-Oblin test. The results showed that the expected factors loading in previous studies did not emerge from the current sample. For the Humour Style Questionnaires, five items (questions 6, 22, 26, 27, 28) load in different factors comparing to Martins (2003) original questionnaires, which looks a bit confusing. In addition, four items (questions 7, 13, 16, 30) did not load significantly (at above .3), therefore, there were excluded from the tables 7. For the Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale, table 8 showed messy values load in each factors. Two factors can not be identified due to the messy items comparing with Thornson Powells (1993) original scale. Only one item did not load significantly (at above .3) on any factors. The overall results of the factor analysis were not satisfied, because the analysis came out in a mess. One of the reasons which contribute the following table 7 and table 8 might because of the small sample size (100) comparing with the large sample size (>1000) in Martins (2003) and Thornson Powells (1993) studies. Therefore, the following reliability test and ANOVA will adopt past researchs scale. Table 7: Factor loadings of the 32 items of Humour Style Questionnaires (Principal Componenet Analysis using Varimax Rotation, N=100) Items Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4 I usually dont like to tell jokes or amuse people. .765 I dont often joke around with my friends. .711 I usually dont laugh or joke around much with other people. .654 I enjoy making people laugh. .650 I usually cant think of witty things to say when I m with other people. .640 Even when Im by myself, Im often amused by the absurdities of life. .564 I rarely make other people laugh by telling funny stories about myself. .557 I dont have to work very hard at making other people laugh I seem to be a naturally humorous person. .468 I often go overboard in putting myself down when I am making jokes or trying to be funny .767 Letting others laugh at me is my way of keeping my friends and family in good spirits. .716 I often try to make people like or accept me more by saying something funny about my own weaknesses, blunders, or faults. .618 I will often get carried away in putting myself down if it makes my family or friends laugh. .598 If I dont like someone, I often use humor or teasing to put them down .554 I let people laugh at me or make fun at my expense more than I should .517 When I am with friends or family, I often seem to be the one that other people make fun of or joke about. .479 It is my experience that thinking about some amusing aspect of a situation is often a very effective way of coping with problems. .391 -.311 If I am feeling upset or unhappy I usually try to think of something funny about the situation to make myself feel better. .775 If Im by myself and Im feeling unhappy, I make an effort to think of something funny to cheer myself up. .755 If I am feeling depressed, I can usually cheer myself up with humor. .703 My humorous outlook on life keeps me from getting overly upset or depressed about things. .357 .322 .360 If I am having problems or feeling unhappy, I often cover it up by joking around, so that even my closest friends dont know how I really feel. .344 I do not like it when people use humor as a way of criticizing or putting someone down. .654 If I am feeling sad or upset, I usually lose my sense of humor. .393 .579 Even if something is really funny to me, I will not laugh or joke about it if someone will be offended .506 If someone makes a mistake, I will often tease them about it. .487 Sometimes I think of something that is so funny that I cant stop myself from saying it, even if it is not appropriate for the situation. .443 I never participate in laughing at others even if all my friends are doing it. -.334 .336 Eigenvalue 4.73 3.21 2.41 2.02 % of Variance 14.80 10.04 7.53 6.34 * Only Coefficient above .3 were shown Table 8: Factor loadings of the 24 items of Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale (Principal Componenet Analysis using Varimax Rotation, N=100) Items Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4 I can say things in such a way as to make people laugh. .837 Other people tell me that I say funny things. .825 Im confident that I can make other people laugh .793 My clever sayings amuse others. .785 I use humour to entertain my friends .779 Im regarded as something of a wit by my friends. .779 People look to me to say amusing things .773 I can often crack people up with the things I say. .755 Sometimes I think up jokes or funny stories .699 I can actually have some control over a group by my uses of humour .643 .324 I can use wit to help adapt to many situations. .545 .337 Trying to master situations through uses of humour is really dumb. .704 .333 Humour is a lousy coping mechanism .697 Calling somebody a comedian is a real insult. .695 I like a good joke .592 People who tell jokes are a pain in the neck. .581 Humour helps me cope .814 Uses of wit or humour help me master difficult situations .798 Coping by using humour is an elegant way of adapting. .750 I appreciate those who generate humour .774 Uses of humour to put me at ease. .523 .641 I dislike comics .566 Im uncomfortable when everyone is cracking jokes .372 .447 Eigenvalue 6.67 3.41 2.26 1.13 % of Variance 27.82 14.19 9.40 5.61 * Only Coefficient above .3 were shown Reliability Test The internal consistencies (Cronbach Alpha) were run in order to check the reliability of the test. The Cronbach Alpha for the Coping Humour Scale was low, .50 but still acceptable and it was lower than the value .61 found in Martin and Lefecourts (1983) studies in Canada. The corrected item-total correlation for the 7 item of Coping Humour Scale fall between .199 to .483, with an exception of Item 1 ( I often lose my sense of humour when I am having problems), which the corrected item-total correlation was -.22. This means that item 1 is not consistent with other items, if item 1 was deleted, the Cronbach Alpha of Coping Humour Scale will become .58, higher than current value .50. The Cronbach Alpha of the Situational Humour Response Questionnaire was high, .78 which was a reliable measure although it only consists of 18 items comparing to 21 items. The corrected item-total correlation for the 18 items of Situational Humour Response Questionnaire falls between .151 and .519. Given its comparability to previous study of 21 items, Cronbach Alpha ranging from .70 to .85 and test-retest correlation of around .70 was presented (Lefcourt Martin, 1986; Martin Lefcourt, 1984). The Cronbach Alphas of the four sub-scales (affiliative humour, self-enhancing humour, aggressive humour and self-defeating humour) of the Humor Style Questionnaire were .77, .68, .47 and .69 respectively. The Cronbach alpha of aggressive humour was low .47, if the item 27 (If I dont like someone, I often use humor or teasing to put them down) was deleted, the Cronbach alpha will rise to an acceptable value .50. Comparing with Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Gray and Weirs research(2002), reliabilit

Against Making Flag Burning Illegal Essay -- Patriotism Freedom essays

Flag Burning There is a great travesty going on in America right now. Everyday, people are fighting to stop one of America’s greatest freedoms, the freedom of speech. Even this way of exercising America’s greatest amendment, freedom of speech, is not liked by all people it is still protected under our nation’s law. The act of publicly burning an American flag is something that is deemed disgraceful by many Americans, but it should not be outlawed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people are offended by the act of publicly burning an American flag and feel it should be outlawed based on the fact that it is offensive to the citizens of this country. Although this may be true, people still have the right to protest. This was upheld in a Supreme Court case Texas v. Johnson, where the defendant Mr. Johnson was arrested for publicly burning a flag outside the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas. After being arrested Mr. Johnson was convicted of setting fire to a flag during a protest and chanting with other protesters; â€Å"America, the red, white, and blue, we spit on you†(Texas v. Johnson). He appealed his claim to the Texas Supreme Court of Appeals where they overturned the conviction based on the fact that he was exercising his first amendment right. One of the Supreme Court justices went on to say, â€Å"If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the e xpression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive o... Against Making Flag Burning Illegal Essay -- Patriotism Freedom essays Flag Burning There is a great travesty going on in America right now. Everyday, people are fighting to stop one of America’s greatest freedoms, the freedom of speech. Even this way of exercising America’s greatest amendment, freedom of speech, is not liked by all people it is still protected under our nation’s law. The act of publicly burning an American flag is something that is deemed disgraceful by many Americans, but it should not be outlawed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people are offended by the act of publicly burning an American flag and feel it should be outlawed based on the fact that it is offensive to the citizens of this country. Although this may be true, people still have the right to protest. This was upheld in a Supreme Court case Texas v. Johnson, where the defendant Mr. Johnson was arrested for publicly burning a flag outside the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas. After being arrested Mr. Johnson was convicted of setting fire to a flag during a protest and chanting with other protesters; â€Å"America, the red, white, and blue, we spit on you†(Texas v. Johnson). He appealed his claim to the Texas Supreme Court of Appeals where they overturned the conviction based on the fact that he was exercising his first amendment right. One of the Supreme Court justices went on to say, â€Å"If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the e xpression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive o...

History of Cloning and the Future Prospect of Cloning Humans :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

History of Cloning and the Future Prospect of Cloning Humans In the first article, the author describes cloning as the process of creating a cell, tissue line or even a complete organism from a single cell. He says that the concept of cloning was introduced in 1903 and plants were the first living organisms to be cloned. He gives examples such as trees sending up runners, worms dividing into smaller worms and says that all these are clones. He then explains the various threads and experiments used over the years and how they have contributed to the field of cloning. The author states that the first research thread leading to experimental cloning involved laboratory stimulation of development through artificial fertilization. This was proven when artificial parthenogenesis of sea urchin eggs showed that fertilization was not necessary to make larval urchins. Transplantation was the second experimental manipulation of development. Nuclear transplantation was used to produce a clone from embryonic or adult cells. The third line of development was cell line and gene cloning. In this process, the scientists recombine the genetic material. Using nuclear transplantation, the first frog was cloned. After nuclear transplantation came recombinant DNA. This revolutionized the field of genetics presenting new techniques for cloning. Recombinant DNA showed that pieces of DNA could be transplanted from animals into bacteria. And after all this came the major breakthrough in the field of genetics and cloning. That was the cloning of the firs t sheep, Dolly. Dolly was a result of reproductive technology. It is a fact that living wombs are required as incubators and they are available because of advances in reproductive technologies and agriculture. Implantation techniques were not new in Dolly, but this step is essential for the process to work. Ian Wilmut and his team used these various established research threads to produce Dolly. There was one detail new in Dolly in a technical fact. That the nucleus came from an adult somatic rather than embryonic cell was not sufficiently radical scientifically that it should have evoked such strong reactions. The production of Dolly has raised mixed reactions all over the world.

Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock There have been many artists throughout history. Jackson Pollock was one that was known for more than Just his art. Pollock came to fame in New York City during the sass. He lived in a small apartment, filled with cigarette smoke and the smell of paint. The news of war played over the radio. It was dark and barely furnished. His paintings were prominent throughout the rooms. It looked more like an art studio than a home. Pollock seemed to have no sense of time. Every day was the same as the one before. He drank to get drunk, most of the time to the point where he could to walk.He became belligerent, screaming his opinions angrily, or not making any sense at all, Just mumbling, or crying, like a madman. Pollock's brother, Sandy, knew the routine all too well, caring for his brother during these dark, lonely, drunken episodes. These episodes would last a night or sometimes days, and when Pollock awoke, he'd have no recollection. His head would pound like a drum, his mem ory of the night before blurry. He'd feel embarrassed and sorry, although not knowing exactly what for. Pollock's mother was the type of person that could say so much thou saying anything at all.He felt inadequate towards her and always craved for her approval. This relationship with her, led him to anger and childlike behavior. His sister in law, Sandy wife, was pregnant and uncomfortable with Pollock's behavior and constant need of Sandy care. Sandy and his wife eventually moved out of the city to Connecticut to start their own family, taking Pollock's mother along with them and leaving Pollock behind, alone in the city. This, like all difficult feelings, led to more drinking and depression for Pollock. Pollock began to spend more and more time with a girl named Lee.Lee, a fellow artist, first met Pollock five years earlier at a party. Pollock approached her there for a dance, only to fall all over her, drunk and unable to express his attraction for her. Lee had recently sought Po llock out in the city, using their love of painting as a way to spend time together. Lee found his art fascinating. She was confident in her own art, but knew it was not as good as his. What fascinated Lee the most, was the way Pollock's paintings were the result of whatever he was feeling at that time and not the result of some study of art, like her own work was.They eventually moved in together and pursued their passion of painting, but Lee took his art career and well-being more serious than Pollock himself. Lee was almost like a mother, more than a lover, and Pollock seemed fine with that. He continued his binges with alcohol, usually when he got together with friends, new and old. Lee used her connections in the art world to present his work to others. Slowly thou, the people close to Pollock began to move away or Just move n with their lives, leaving him to rely even more on Lee as his only companion.After one particular drunken episode, where Pollock returned home filthy, re eking of booze, and resembling a homeless man, Lee gives him an ultimatum. She wants a commitment, she wants to marry. While visiting friends in Long Island, he agrees to marry. Lee also takes this opportunity to suggest they move there, where it's quiet, and distant from his past. She realizes the more they are alone, the more vulnerable Pollock is to such changes. Lee and Pollock purchase an old house in a secluded part f Long Island, far away from the city life, and its tempting ways.They spent their days fixing up the place, cleaning out the old, broken, dusty belongings of the previous owners. They enjoyed the nature that surrounded them; the animals, the streams, the trees, and all the sounds. They relaxed too much slower pace of life. Pollock started to focus on his painting. There was another structure on the property that he cleaned out and made into his studio. Lee's plan seemed to be working. She had removed him from the world he'd known, secluded him, and all he had was her ND his art. Pollock occasionally had a drink, mostly with her though, after a long day around the house and in the studio.It was almost like Pollock was a ship and Lee its captain, trying to steer him to his destination, while avoiding any obstacles. Lee thought as long as she kept him from the alcohol and most people of his past, that they would reach success. One day, by accident, Pollock discovered a new way of painting his thoughts. Paint dripped of his brush and onto his canvass that was on the floor of his studio. He paused and looked at the accident, not with anger, but tit fascination. He waved the brush slowly around the canvass, never touching it, but letting the paint drip from the brush onto it.Both Lee and Pollock found these new paintings original and brilliant, and soon the art world did too. Life magazine came to their home. The magazine interviewed, photographed and did a story on Pollock and his new work. Pollock's career was at its peak. His art shows were a s uccess, his drinking was non-existent, and Lee believed she had done what she set forth to do, but Just as fast as it came, the stability and success, went. With all the retreat reviews and shows, Pollock was still the same insecure person, looking for approval from friends and family, Just like he had before.Slowly Pollock realized he was living a lie. He was never really in control of himself. He wanted the booze all along. All the success came with pressure, something he was never comfortable with, and he gave in. He began to drink hard, harder than ever. He let himself go; his looks, his work, his relationship with Lee. Pollock started having an affair with a young girl, a girl more in awe of being with a famous artist, than the artist himself. He believed he was in love, but soon came to the realization he was not.Lee traveled to Venice alone after asking Pollock to go with her. He declined, thinking with her away, he could have his booze and girlfriend without any distractions . What he didn't predict was the guilt that he would feel. He realized he owed his life to Lee. Without her, he would have drank himself to death by now. A deep, dark, depression set in Pollock. Nothing mattered to him, not his girlfriend, not himself, nothing at all. He drove home from a party with his girlfriend and one of her friends, drunk and uselessly speeding on the dark winding roads.With the young girls screaming and pleading with him to slow down and stop the car, Pollock leaned his head back and gave up on life. The car went off the road and crashed, killing Pollock and his girlfriend, her friend survived. Ironically, Lee did find success in the art world, but with her own paintings, that she created in his studio over the next 30 years. Jackson Pollock is known as one of the many great painters in history, but he may be more known for his tragic life and dark struggle with alcoholism then his work.

My Ántonia, Individualism Essay

(Individualism: Its Influence over Lena, Jim and à ntonia During Their Childhood, Adolescence and Adulthood) â€Å"The longest journey is the journey inwards. Of him who has chosen his destiny, Who has started upon his quest for the source of his being†Ã¢â‚¬â€ Dag Hammarskjold.1 This individualist journey, Hammarskjold refers to, consists of two very important elements which contribute to individualism: (1) having the awareness of personal accountability before the Lord and Savior and (2) having a self-sufficient nature as a fountainhead of a person’s individuality which was required to settle the American frontier. These key ingredients mixed with an untamed land tempered the settlers into what we know them today as Americans which may be observed within Willa Cather’s My Antonia as the reader follows the lives of three key characters: Lena, Jimmy, and Antonia. Cather herself searched for her own individualism which she juxtaposed in this 1918 literary work with the character Jimmy. Both he and the author of the story were born in Virginia and at an early age were sent to Nebraska to join their grandparents. And much like the author, he had the pleasure of growing up with a variety of immigrants and stories. Such narratives inspired the author throughout her writing career. My Antonia follows the endeavors of the female protagonist, Antonia, and her foil, Lena, as they struggle in a new country, language, and culture seeking happiness and fulfillment in their lives which Cather so often observed in her childhood immigrant neighbors. Likewise, the reader learns about Jimmy with his own personal struggles as he strives for autonomy in a rugged territory with strict moral codes. Willa Cather’s My à ntonia addresses the notion of individualism which is best seen through direct and indirect characterization of three dynamic characters: Lena, Jimmy, and à ntonia by means of analyzing three stages of life: childhood, youth, and adulthood. A remarkable example of individualistic growth is depicted in Lena Lingard who lived in the countryside with her newly transplanted Norwegian family outside Black Hawk, Nebraska. The reader first encounters Lena through direct characterization as she is described as being â€Å"bareheaded and barefooted, scantily dressed in tattered clothing† (106)2 when she was just a child looking after her family’s herd. In the first part of the book she is introduced as a wild, poorly dressed working girl in charge of farm tasks much like other foreign girls: â€Å"Lena lived in the Norwegian settlement west of Squaw Creek, and she used to herd her father’s cattle in the open country between his place and the Shimerdas† (106). Further along in the novel, there is a clear change in this character’s life. She grows-up and changes her worn out rags for dressmaker quality clothing with hat and gloves as she begins a new phase in her life as a dressmaker’s apprentice in the town of Black Hawk: â€Å"’So you have come to town,’ said Mrs. Harling, her eyes still fixed on Lena.  ´Where are you working?’  ´For Mrs. Thomas, the dressmaker. She is going to teach me to sew. She says I have quite a knack’† (104). As a young adult, Lena strikes-out on her own to the city of Lincoln in a supreme final exhibition of the independence she has forged for herself throughout her life through hard work and determination. â€Å"‘I live in Lincoln now, too, Jim. I’m in business for myself. I have a dressmaking shop in the Raleigh Block, out on O Street. I’ve made a real good start’† (170-171). The path Lena has walked since her childhood, through her adolescence, and then adulthood has illustrated a noticeable achievement in becoming a self-sufficient young woman who quested for her destiny in an untamed land far from her native home. Lena’s personal accountability should also be explored, being one of the key elements of individualism, as she never turned her back on her family but always sent them money from her sewing work: â€Å"’After I learn to do sewing, I can make money and help . . . [my mother]’† (104). These individualistic elements were key in developing her character as she was noted in taking care of herself as well as her parents and siblings which was required of those immigrants who founded America and became a new breed of people known as Americans. Individualism was also reached by two other primary characters within this classic American literature novel: Jimmy and Antonia. Jim Burden, the narrator of the story and also one of the major characters of Willa Cather ´s My Antonia, is as well and important example of how a human being can evolve trough his life to find completeness and self-sufficiency. At the beginning of the book, Jim had just suffered the loss of his parents; and sent to his grandparents. While he was in the train on his way to Nebraska he was in deep grieve and uncertain about his future. â€Å" ´ I don’t think I was homesick. If we never arrived anywhere, it did not matter. Between that earth and that sky I felt erased, blotted out. I did not say my prayers that night: here, I felt, what would be would be ´Ã¢â‚¬ . Nevertheless, that sad passage in his life did not let Jim down. In the same train that he was travelling there was a Bohemian family. One of the members of that family was à ntonia Shimerda, who would become his best friend in the near future. When Jim had enough age to start studying at School, coincidentally his grandparents also had to move to Black Hawk due to Mrs. Burden health situation. There he met new friends, worked hard on his studies, and also had fun. Despite being sad and scared in the past, Jim managed to overcome these difficulties and successfully improve at school. So much so, that soon he would move to Lincoln to start his college career. There he met Gaston Cleric who joined him in his new adventure, and helped Jim to get over some obstacles that he had to face while living in Lincoln. â€Å"At the university I had the good fortune to come immediately under the influence of a brilliant and inspiring young scholar. Gaston Cleric had arrived in Lincoln only a few weeks earlier than I . . .† (165). Cleric also convinced him to move to Boston to finish his career, where Jim would finally reach his goal of becoming a professional. â€Å"Two years after I left Lincoln I completed my academic course at Harvard. Before I entered the Law School I went home for the summer vacation.† (191) Just after getting his college degree, Jim travelled back to Black Hawk where he would find everything different, his friends either dead or gone, the kids were not the same, and even the town itself was all changed. He left Black Hawk being an adolescent with dreams and now he had returned as a professional. He felt he was complete, despite of the fact that he still had very present that sorrowful night in which he was moving from Virginia to Nebraska. â€Å" ´I had only to close my eyes to hear the rumbling of the wagons in the dark, and to be again overcome by that obliterating strangeness. The feelings of that night were so near that I could reach out and touch them with my hand. I had the sense of coming home to myself, and of having found out what a little circle man’s experience is ´. (238)† By the time he came back to Black Hawk he knew that he had seized the opportunities he had and felt that his life had been worthy living. While back in town, he went to visit his beloved friend à ntonia, which also was happy. The happenings in Antonia’s life, and how she evolved from being a little girl in a foreign country to the women she became will be thoroughly developed next. à ntonia Shimerda is the main character that we find in Willa Cather’s My à ntonia. As well as Lena and Jim she is characterized during different stages of her life (childhood, adolescence and adulthood). One example of this characterization is portrayed in how à ntonia was developing her new language (English) and how it was influenced by the different periods of time she went through, as well as the places she moved to. At the beginning of the story we find à ntonia and her family moving from Bohemia to the prairie of Nebraska. In the prairie and as a child she met Lena Lingard and Jim Burden who would become one of the most important persons in her life. Jim was going to be the one in charge of teaching English to à ntonia who did not speak much English before the arrival to the prairie; â€Å" ´Ãƒ ntonia had opinions about everything, and she was soon able to make them known. Almost every day she came running across the prairie to have her reading lesson with me. Mrs. Shimerda grumbled, but realized it was important that one member of the family should learn English’† (24). It is evident that Mrs. Shimerda did not like the idea of à ntonia learning English. But, she understood it was important for à ntonia to learn the language in order to adapt herself and to find herself in her new country and home, also this would help à ntonia to take care of her family as she felt it as an obligation. As à ntonia was evolving her English was growing with her and with this some traits of her personality too. As explained before in the paper, Jim had to move to Black Hawk due to study reasons, but it was not going to be a long time before à ntonia also moved to Black Hawk, but with different intentions from one’s of Jim. à ntonia moved to Black Hawk to get a job, here she runs into Jim and Lena again. Now in her adolescence Jim says that à ntonia has very good English, â€Å"Tony learned English so quickly that by the time school began she could speak as well as any of us† (107). This shows that à ntonia kept practicing English to improve herself, as she felt that was one way to become better to help her family, and now in Black Hawk and with her job it was evident how the improvement in her English helped her. However, à ntonia would began to attend to dances with her friend Lena and this would carry a lot of problems with it for her, including losing her job because she did not want to quit attending to dances as requested by her bosses. The story carried on and further ahead in the story, when Jim comes back from Lincoln and the time he spent at Harvard to finish his studies, he finds a happily married grown-up à ntonia with children. à ntonia had married a bohemian guy called Anton and now she has a family, and she is very happy with them. While Jim is talking with à ntonia, he notices that her English has become bad as it used to be when she was a child and she was learning it. à ntonia tells him that now she has many troubles with English because at home they speak almost only in Bohemian, â€Å" ´I can’t think of what I want to say, you’ve got me so stirred up. And then, I’ve forgot my English so. I don’t often talk it any more. I tell the children I used to speak real well. She said they always spoke Bohemian at home. The little ones could not speak English at all—didn’t learn it until they went to school† (224). Now in her adulthood à ntonia was really worried and a good mother as well as a good wife who take care of her family. Here is where the change that à ntonia suffered from childhood to adolescence to adulthood is characterized, how she passed from a little girl to a loving mother. Throughout this essay three fundamental characters that we find in the novel My à ntonia by the author Willa Cather have been characterized, these characters are: Lena Lingard, Jim Burden and à ntonia Shimerda. The characterization of these characters has been done under the perception of individualism that is represented with each one of them. This perception of individualism of the characters has been shown based on the pursuit for autonomy that each character went through. At the same time three different moments in characters lives’ were chosen to describe them; the childhood, adolescence and adulthood. These moments in character’s lives’ were chosen because they are prior important stages in a person’s life. So, it was important to illustrate how the notion of individualism of each character could be characterized in these stages, taking into account crucial aspects that the characters faced in the search for themselves. Examples of these important aspects faced by the characters are a new country, language and culture in the case of Lena and à ntonia. Another example is the personal struggles of Jim as he attempts for autonomy in a rugged territory with strict moral codes.

Journal Writing: Declaration of Independence Essay

The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson plays an important role to the lives of the American people. Gaining liberty from the authority of the British colonizers signaled the right of the Americans to decide their own fate when it comes to the way by which they can lead themselves as one nation. In relation to this, the Declaration of Independence was able to touch to the sentiments of the people and also connect to the very ideals and values of the American nation because of Thomas Jefferson’s use of the art of rhetoric. The use of rhetoric devices allows Thomas Jefferson to create an effect upon its audience during the time of the very affirmation of freedom for the American people and even at the present time with the readers of the Declaration of Independence. The persuasive appeal of the Declaration of Independence is rooted from the use of ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos or the standing of the writer is clearly seen at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, which discusses the course of human events that paved the way for Americans to achieved freedom. Pathos or the appeal to the emotion is seen in the first sentence of the second paragraph wherein the rhetoric device of repetition is applied in the use of the word â€Å"that†. By using the word â€Å"that†, Thomas Jefferson was able to enunciate among the audience and readers with great clarity the fundamental beliefs of the American people. In addition, the use of â€Å"that† also emphasizes the rights of the American people which should be bestowed upon them. Logos or the appeal of the writer to reasoning is greatly observable in the second and fourth paragraph, wherein the writer used deductive and inductive reasoning in order to pint out the importance of independence (Jefferson, 1776). Furthermore, anaphora and parallelism is also employed by Thomas Jefferson in listing the grievances of the American people towards the British rule. The concluding paragraph also relies on parallelism and repetition in asserting the decline of the colonies and the need for the establishment of free and independent states. Lastly, ethos is once again observed in emphasizing that the signers of the Declaration of Independence are heroes who will willingly risk everything to fight for the rights of humans that are established by God (Jefferson, 1776).