Monday, September 30, 2019

3 ways HR professionals support line managers and their staff Essay

Recruitment: The process of selection and appointment of suitable candidates for jobs in an organisation, in a short span and cost effectively manner. The process includes analyzing the requirements of a job, attracting employees to that job, screening and selecting candidates, hiring and integrating the new employee to the company. It is a critical activity not only for the HR function but also for the line managers and various departments involved. The most important responsibility of the HR function is to find the right people for the right position. Defining targets and approaching the target with a view to hire does this. An HR professional’s ability to attract new talent that fits the needs of a company, they are trained to be proficient when organising orientation manuals, pre-employment screens and other steps prior to employment of a new hire. Thus the organisation gains the best talents on board be it internally or externally which maximizes the overall growth. â€Å"The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people.† – Bill Gates, 1993 Training and Development: Learning and development strategy articulates workforce capabilities, skills or competencies required and how these can be developed, to ensure the run of a successful organization. The HR function helps in developing the mindset and skills to support the business in its evolution. They ensure that all the employees leave every session with a tangible skill they can  put in place immediately when they return to their desk. This gives a competitive advantage and adapt to economic circumstances. These are achieved by conducting seminars, boot camps, master classes and incorporating social media into content to understanding audience behaviours. The HR team ensures that these are designed and delivered by experts inside business or respected external figures. As key element of an organisation’s learning strategy they will target the long–term development of those identified as exceptionally high-performing individuals, who are critical to long-term business success. Hence this will widen employee’s knowledge and helps drives high performance level for a long-term successful business. â€Å"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.† – Nelson Mandela, 2007 Employee Engagement: Employee engagement is a workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organization’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organizational success, and are able to simultaneously enhance their own sense of well-being. The HR function makes sure that the employees have an engagement with the organization and engagement with their manager, which automatically increases the competency and results in high performance. They are able to analyze the key drivers of engagement and plan activities or initiatives that will have the greatest impact of engaging the employees. The HR team engages the employees by arranging fitness activities, cultural events, mentoring activities, book clubs, family activities, charity run, volunteering activities, visits to other departments, company lunch, etc. This gives an opportunity to a good needed break from their routine, which is essential for employees. Thus this leads to increased productivity, increased quality, greater innovation and better customer service. â€Å"On what high-performing companies should be striving to create: A great place for great people to do great work.† – Marilyn Carlson, former CEO of Carlson Companies, 2014 The following report tells, as to how HR professionals support line managers and staff Communication: Organizational communication refers to the forms and channels of communication among employees of organizations. Studies have found a strong relationship between the levels of communication in an organization and job performance and satisfaction. Organizational communication takes place upward, downward and horizontally. The HR function helps to bridge the gap between the management and direct employees or vice versa. The HR department has the responsibility to encourage management at all levels to communicate with employees regarding all matters of concern, including various company actions such as layoffs, promotions and important subject matters such as benefits, company policies and employment stability. Excellent communication between HR personnel and the company’s employees keeps them constantly well informed. Employees need to be listened at all times so that it will not demotivate them. Hence communication done with the help of HR function has been shown to be linked to good company’s success. â€Å"The art of communication is the language of leadership† – James Humes, 2011 Performance Management: Performance Management encourages the continuous improvement of business processes and of individuals’ skills, behaviour and contributions. This evaluation system is an invaluable tool for all business. An annual performance review places all employees on an equal field and allows the managers to see which employees are creating the most value for the organization. HR function plays an important role, by ensuring that the  process is far, accurate and managed appropriately. It motivates employees and helps in the development of the organization in the right direction. The goals and tasks of managers and employees should be aligned with the business strategy. HR function helps in setting departmental and individual performance targets, evaluates the whole process to improve effectiveness and also encourage business heads to award the right employee. This is like a key delivery mechanism associated with the management behaviours instrumental in driving performance, such as listening, coaching, communicating and creating relationships based on trust and respect. By giving such support, the line managers and organization will be definitely benefited. â€Å"A process, which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organizational performance.† – Armstrong M. and Baron A. (2004), Managing Performance: Performance Management in action, Institute of Personnel and Development. Job Analysis: Detailed examination of the task, that makes up an employee role also what the job requires in terms of aptitudes, attitudes, knowledge and skills of an employee. It is the first step in a thorough understanding of the job and forms the basis of job description. Job analysis is important primarily because of its influence on organisational structure and also the interrelatedness of it and job design. Without detailed information gained from job analysis, structuring an organisation and understanding where potential duplicity occurs in roles and functions will be difficult. Job analysis is used to: Establish and document competencies required for a job. Identify the job-relatedness of the tasks and competencies needed to successfully perform the job Provide a source of legal defensibility of assessment and selection procedures. It allows departments to identify paths of job progression for employees interested in improving their opportunities for career advancement. Thus line managers and heads are encouraged to consult with HR function for guidance at every step in the job analysis process. â€Å"The entrepreneur builds an enterprise; the technician builds a job† – Michael E. Gerber, (2001), The E-Myth Revisited: Why most small business don’t work and what to do about it, Harper Business Hence the HR function would be grateful, if it is still retained in the organisation. As mentioned the above functions and roles will improvise the growth of the company.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

My Ending to Lamb to the Slaughter

Lamb to the Slaughter’s Ending It’s the same nightmare that haunts me every day. I wrapped bed sheet around my fragile frame covering my body, which is drenched with cold drops of sweat. I crawled to the darkest corner in my bedroom trembling of fear as I sank in the darkness. The voices never leave my side; they echo in my head like a drum whether I am awake or asleep. The moon light was tickling my eyes. I felt like an empty shell as I sat there on the freezing-cold ground while my high body temperature was emerging with the coldness of the ground.I leaned my bare back against the cold wall. I closed my eyes, lifted my chin up, and covered my ears very tightly. â€Å" You must find the truth â€Å" the voice said. It’s the same voice in my nightmare. Even though I don’t remember it when I wake up, but I have this feeling bottled inside of me that I have been having the same nightmare over and over every day, and that this voice haunting me is the same voice in my nightmare. I heard the creaking sound of the door opening as I saw my mother, the only person I have left, appearing like a shinning angel reaching out her hand for me in the darkness.She took her steps towards me as her soft brunette hair brushed my face, and her wide crystal emerald green eyes were glued to me. â€Å"Another nightmare? † she looked worried. â€Å" I just feel that there is something I am missing in this world,† I continued, â€Å" That there is something I must discover to put these nightmares and voices to sleep†. â€Å" You have a big day tomorrow , so go back to sleep,† she threw me one of her fake smiles. My name is Jessica Patrick. I got my ghostly-while skin from my father. I mean I totally look like Casper and his ghost buddies!I have a shiny golden hair that falls, beneath my shoulders into a tassel of soft curls. My eyes are lovely midnight blue and around my pupil, I have a silver lining around both of them on my e yes. I am twenty-five years old. My father was murdered before I was even born, but they never find out the murderer; as a result, the case was closed. I only saw my father’s face through pictures, but Mom never really talked about him. I only heard about him from our neighbors. They said that my father was a fine man. He loved my mother a lot, and he was really looking forward to y birth, looking forward to see the face of his very first child. I also heard that he was a police officer, and that he was very serious and passionate toward his work. The wrinkles that filled his face in a young age indeed was just a proof of that. He never skipped work, but he also made sure that his wife doesn’t have to look at the clock for too long. Everyone used to love him because of his consoling, yet serious personality. He just used to be the centre of the attention in his work, but they said he changed before he was killed. He was acting really strange as if something was botheri ng him.Everyone is saying that I look, act, and even think just like him. Today, is an important today in my life because today I will finally graduate from college and can work as a detective. I want to find the one who killed my father. I know that twenty-five years have passed since then, and the possibility of actually finding the murderer is almost impossible. I am sure I can do it though. I barely stood up as I was trying to steady my balance. I stand on my trembling legs wondering how is it that I can keep standing up with my legs shaking like this.I follow the same footsteps I walk on everyday to go to the bathroom. As I was washing my face, I felt hot air on my back. I turned around to see blood covering every inch of the room. I could barely see any color other than red. â€Å" The nightmare has begun. Your life shall be mine. PE PRAPERED! YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE COME HERE TODAY. Your time is running out,† was written by blood. I had no idea what did that mean. It wasn’t good news for sure. I started stepping backward as slowly and as soundlessly as possible until my back touched the sink. I turned around to look at the mirror. There was something wrong!I was there in the reflection, but in a totally different place. I couldn’t help but to touch the mirror. I don’t know what exactly happened but I opened my eyes to find myself in a totally different place. This is my childhood. I was looking at myself being bullied by the other kids at my school. I was always called ‘freak’. It’s not that I am a freak. It’s just that unlike other children. I didn’t want a doll. I wanted to buy a DVD of Detective Conan. I always wanted to be a detective. I was always jealous of the other kids in my school when their fathers used to pick them up.They just looked so happy. Why is it that they can be happy, and I can’t? Why did my father have to die? I wanted to take their happiness away. I wanted to be wrapped by my father’s hands. I wanted to be hugged by his warmth and never have to feel this coldness. I always thought that maybe if I found the murderer maybe then I can be happy. â€Å" Guilt is something we humans always feel. It is guilt that keeps us awake in the night. We always think that if we only could go back in time we would have done that and this. Don’t you agree with me Jessica Patrick? I heard as everything disappeared leaving nothing but me. â€Å" Who are you? How do you know my name? † I demanded. â€Å" You should find the answers yourself. How about we play a game of fate and destiny? † He questioned. â€Å" A game? † I raised an eyebrow. â€Å" Jessica Patrick. You’re twenty- five years old. You want to be a detective, and find the murderer that killed your father. When you used to be a child, you used to be envious of everyone because they all had fathers, and you didn’t. Is that correct? † He sound ed as if he was smirking. â€Å" Wait! How do you know all that? I panicked. â€Å" in front of you there are two door. The one on your right shall take you back to the real world. You would wake up normally and won’t remember a thing; however, you won’t have any another chance. The door on your left might change your life. If you choose the left door, you can discover the one who killed your father and even stop the death of your father; however, be warned changing the future is extremely dangerous. Which door will you choose? † He asked for my decision. So basically if I chose the door on my left, I will go back to my life.I can to my life, but there is big chance that I won’t find the murderer. Though I won’t remember this, but still I don’t want to have an opportunity like this and let it fly away. The door on the left side can change my whole life. I don’t know If it can kill me, but I guess the only way to find out for sure is to give a try. â€Å" I choose the left door,† I said with a slight hesitation hidden in my voice. â€Å" Very well, I shall give you an advice. The future can change by the simplest changes. The one you are looking for is someone you know.Beware of your enemy. No one is to be trusted but yourself. Before you start, you must know a few things,† he pointed out. â€Å" What kind of things? † I asked. â€Å" You only have two chances. If you father gets killed again, your soul will be mine; in other words, you will be nothing but an empty doll in the real world, and a clock will appear on your left shoulder the moment you walk into that door,† he cleared out. â€Å" I get it,† I said trying to look unshaken by his words. I finally saw everything. It left me awed-struck at the beauty of it.The fountains are covered in diamonds from head to toe. The water inside shimmered brightly. I saw an endless amount of doors wondering what existed behind them. Exo tic lamps made of pure gold. Statues were everywhere. The door on my left was huge and silver with black swirls all over it as twine does. The door opened as I took my steps cautiously towards it. I opened my eyes to find myself in a house that kind of looked similar to me. I had a feeling inside of me that I’ve been to this house. I suddenly saw my father sitting in the living room along with my mother.He looked bothered by something He sounded as if he was breaking up with my mother. I looked at the clock. I just understood. I only have one hour to solve this and change the future. I have to find the truth no matter what. I followed them to find mom swinging a big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on dad’s head. I can never believe that my mother was the one who killed my father. I went back the moment my father entered the house, but the time I have left is only thirty minutes now. I have to do the right thing, but what is i t?I quickly ran down and closed the door so that my mother won’t be able to open it that way she can never take the leg of the lamb, and my dad will leave her. The clock was shinning. I know that by doing this I’ve made a choice, which means I have to go back to my time and find if I made the right decision. â€Å" I see you’ve stopped your mother. Very simple way, yet very effective. You listened and understood my advice carefully as I said the future can be changed by simple changes. You do realize that you trying to have another chance to save your father costs you something right? † He asked me straightforwardly. Yes,† I closed my eyes. â€Å" You shall forget everything. When you wake up, you will be blind and you won’t remember ever coming to this place,† he said. It appeared that my father was having a dangerous case that’s why he had to leave my mother. He didn’t know when can he go back to her; as a result, he di dn’t explain it to her. After a year, he came back to her side. I believe that she was happy that she couldn’t open the door at that time and killed my father. I may have become blind, but at least now I can feel warmth. I always know that my parents are there by my side, and I never had nightmares again. The End.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Architecture That Constitute To The Mood Philosophy Essay

Architecture That Constitute To The Mood Philosophy Essay The character of a space or place is not simply a visual perceptual quality, as is usually assumed. The judgement of the character of an environment is a complex combination of numerous factors which are immediately understood as an overall mood, feeling, ambiance, or atmosphere. Peter Zumthor, who is one of the architects who has acknowledged the significance of architectural mood, says â€Å"I enter a building, see a room, and in a fraction of a second have this feeling about it†. The experience is multi-sensory in its very essence; however it also involves judgements beyond the five Aristotelian senses. The immediate judgement of the character of a space calls for our entire, embodied and existential sense. It could be perceived in a subtle and peripheral manner, rather than through precise and conscious observation. The aim of this dissertation is to identify the factors in architecture that constitute to the mood of a place or space; and also if the factors are universal to all the arts such as music, film, paintings and sculpture. The question sought to be answered is: What are the constituents in a space or place that contribute to the creation of a mood? The majority of the work produced by the three architects selected revolves around this phenomenological field of study. By assessing their individual relevant literary and architectural works, and extracting the common and overlapping qualities, a more profound understanding of this mood is expected to be acquired. Acknowledgments Introduction John Dewey a visionary American philosopher, who already eight decades ago grasped the immediate, embodied, emotive and subconscious essence of experience, articulates the nature of this existential encounter: â€Å"The total overwhelming impression comes first, perhaps in a seizure by a sudden glory of the landscape or by the effect upon us of entrance into a cathedral when dim light, incense, stained glass and majestic proportions fuse in one indisting uishable whole. We say with truth that a painting strikes us. There is an impact that precedes all definite recognition of what it is about.† (Dewey, Art As Experience, page 151) In ancient environmental moods there exist interpersonal moods such as cultural, social, family, work place, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The mood of a social situation can be supportive or discouraging, liberating or repressing, inspiring or dull. We can even speak of specific moods in the scale of cultural, regional or national entities. We can indeed speak of the mood of the place, which gives it its unique perceptual character and identity. Dewey explains this unifying character as a specific quality as he writes: â€Å"An experience has a unity that gives it its name; that meal, that storm, that rupture of friendship. The existence of the unity is constituted by a single quality that pervades the entire experience in spite of the variations of its constituent parts. This unity is neither emotional, pract ical, nor intellectual, for these terms name distinctions that reflection can make within it.† (Dewey, Art and Its Significance: An Anthology of Aesthetic Theory, page 206) In another context the philosopher reemphasises the reintegrating power of this experiential quality when he writes â€Å"The quality of the whole permits, affects and controls every detail.† As we enter a space the space enters us, and the experience is essentially an exchange and fusion of the object and the subject. Robert Pogue Harrison, the American literary scholar states â€Å"In the fusion of place and soul, the soul is as much of a container of place as place is a container of soul, both are susceptible to the same forces of destruction.†

Friday, September 27, 2019

Ecology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ecology - Essay Example such as inorganic aspects (carbon, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water), organic compounds (protein, carbohydrates, lipids), climatic factors (temperature, moisture, light, topography), producers (plants), macro consumers and micro consumers (Unit 3: Ecosystems, 2004, p.56). Ecosystem is maintained by cycling nutrients and energy derived from the external sources. There are three levels in the ecosystem, where the first trophic level consists of the primary producers, that is, some bacteria, algae and plants. The herbivores that feed on the primary source like plants comprise the second trophic level and the third trophic level consists of the predators that consume the herbivores. Furthermore, the ecosystem also consists of another group called decomposers, which include worms, insects, bacteria, fungi, molds etc that â€Å"breakdown† the dead decaying substances, thus returning the nutrients to the soil (Unit 4: Ecosystems, n.d., p. 8). The gross primary productivity (GPP) of an ecosystem is the total amount of organic matter produced through photosynthesis, whereas the net primary productivity (NPP) refers to the energy that is present for plant growth â€Å"subtracting’ the amount that plant uses for respiration (9). In order to conduct detailed analysis of the ecosystem, one must first have a clear idea about ecosystem boundaries. The whole earth can be considered as an ecosystem because all things interact with each on earth. The ecosystem â€Å"distributed† regionally and globally can be identified by the common basic structural form (2 – Ecosystems and Their Services, n.d., p. 51). According to the analysis done by MA (Mill ennium Ecosystem Assessment), â€Å"10 categories† were made, namely, forest, island, dryland, polar, coastal, marine, inland water, mountain, cultivated and urban. These categories on their own cannot be considered as an ecosystem, but each category consists of many ecosystems, and the characteristic feature of all ecosystems are highly

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Cause-Effect essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cause-Effect - Essay Example For couples in the countryside, a little leeway is given. They are allowed two children. Any succeeding child though is equivalent to heavy fines. This restriction has resulted into mass abortions, abusive behavior from officials and a lot of male children. In China, it is customary for the sons to take care of their parents in their old age. Between having a son or a daughter, the obvious choice then is to have a male child. The girls are married off, implying a transfer of responsibilities to the girls’ in-laws. Daniela Deane writes â€Å"in the absence of a social security system, having a son is the difference between starving and eating when one is old†. (80) Because of China’s one-child policy, this has brought in a generation of male children who are obese, lazy and rude. As Deane continues, there exists a 4-2-1syndrome – four grandparents and two parents who zealously ensure that their son has a comfortable life. (78) They feed him anything he wants. They lavish him with attention. They spend hard-earned money on extra-curricular lessons for him. They act like he’s the most precious thing in the world and he is. He is their ticket to a secure life as senior citizens. One example in Deaneâ€⠄¢s essay would be the woman who wanted an operation to revert a previous ligation she had just to have another child as her only son had perished in a car accident. (83) This obsession with male children has other effects than only spoiled male offsprings. For those who are capable of paying fines for another child, their daughters are often neglected. For some who are not so fortunate, daughters are abandoned, neglected or worse, killed. Some moms give birth in seclusion. Baby girls are left in hospitals or in empty lots and open fields, sometimes even on sidewalks. Those who belong to families are not given as much love or attention as the male children. As Deane reported in her essay, the number of missing

Career Opportunities in Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Career Opportunities in Health Care - Essay Example This seemed to my source of inspiration to take Optometry and other factors like passion in the medical field and interest in helping other people. Moreover, I love the program involved in Optometry since one can balance between work and family. This paper will seek to describe the reasons behind my interest in Optometry as a career. An optometrist is one of those fields that give people hope through professional practices to improve and treat patients who suffer from the vision ailments and diseases. This acts as one of the main factors that inspired me to Optometry. When I was a kid, I suffered from amblyopia which is a common eye problem that affects the children and especially the infants and it threatened my vision for life. When I was taken to an Optometrist, my condition was corrected and I regained my vision due to the professionalism of my doctor. This experience changed my life and inspired me to a level that I only considered Optometry as the only career option. It has inspired me to study and research more about vision health since I was a child and I have been passionately interested in attending or helping people suffering from vision challenges. It is also a fulfilling professional sense, there is a decent salary and one gets time to work and rest thus can balance on family time and work (Gordon, 2 011). Optometry is one of the most interesting and desirable jobs in the world today. It has flexible working schedules, a rewarding career, personal gratification, and is in high demand in the job market. It is ranked among the top jobs in America. One is allowed to work for only 37 hours a week and this gives the doctor time to balance his time. It is rewarding because a professional Optometrist earns up to $130,000 monthly salary (Field, 2007).

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

NASCAR Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

NASCAR Diversity - Essay Example For more than a decade now, the company still lacks the proper policies and strategies that can adequately enhance diversity. According to Kusz (81) NASCAL has been using a â€Å"Southern Strategy† in its undertakings. According to Canas and Sondak (134) â€Å"NASCAL was born in a time when racial segregation and discrimination was being experienced in every part of the American culture.† This means that the problem of racial discrimination in NASCAL was likely to be experienced in the organization from day one. The organization was initially founded by the southerners in a very racial diverse region. However, this did not help solve the diversity problem since in a seventy year history of NASCAL; only one African American driver ever gained victory in a racing event. Wendell Scott was that driver. Even though Scott had won several other races he was declared to have won just once in his entire career. This is because some of the track owners â€Å"did not want a black man kissing the track queen in victory Lane† (Canas and Sondak 134). Diversity problem in NASCAL therefore is a problem right from the founding of the company. The management of the company, sponsors as well as the aud ience formed the basis of discrimination of the African American drivers as well as the women drivers. Scott as the first African American driver â€Å"was booed by fans when his car broke down in his first race for NASCAL† (Canas and Sondak 134). It is from such incidences that the sponsors would not want anything to do with the African American drivers since they are despised by the fans. The company would therefore be forced not to involve the African American drivers in major leagues. Today, there are still very few African American drivers in NASCAL with â€Å"only five blacks to have started a handful of races since 1986† (Canas and Sondak 134). This has been attributed by different scholars of the world to the insufficient funding following the fact that the NASCAL team

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Injection Using Moldflow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Injection Using Moldflow - Essay Example The process resulted in the production of a failed part and the chair factory requested support to solve this problem from a plastics’ manufacturing company. Deep investigation and analysis with the help of Moldflow software were conducted and the conclusion was that the machine used for the production of this chair was incapacitated to produce parts identical to the target grade due to low tonnage capacity (Shoemaker, 2006). Not all plastic have identical physical and rheology properties. As a result, selecting a suitable grade for an application is an essential step in designing molds. Each mold can run only a few ranges of plastic grade within same properties (Shoemaker, 2006). In general, high viscose material like PC need large machine tonnage capacity, unlike low viscose material that requires lesser machine tonnage. The speaker had a clear objective and his findings were presented with lots of confidence as evident in the constant eye contact kept with the audience. In addition, the speaker confidently verified and ensured that the audience understood his results while retaining an audible voice. Furthermore, the speaker also allowed the audience to express their opinion while taking feedback and questions arising from the presentation. As for discussions and knowledge exchange, the presenter used a presentation perspective that encouraged brainstorming amongst participants in the audience. The presentation slides had a background that perfectly contrasted the font causing clear and legible slide contents. In addition, the presenter used a font type and size that was uniform through all slides, while the additional or supporting visuals aids like pictures, graph, and animation slides were characterized by high-quality resolution.  

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Adult nursing scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Adult nursing scenario - Essay Example Mrs. Taylor, 68 is admitted with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) She is breathless and anxious.She has limited mobility due to a painful left hip.Using the Reflective Cycle of G. Gibbs (1988) I will reflect on the learning and developmental needs identified in the scenario described. The six 'stopping points' provide a helpful personal insight and are followed, in order, throughout this essay.Description: When Mrs. Taylor was admitted in the condition earlier described, I was working with a senior colleague, a ward sister experienced in adult nursing. The patient was in pain, greatly distressed and with some cyanosis.She had been handling her condition at home with the help of oxygen and drug therapy, so her present state indicated that some triggers must have exacerbated the condition.These could be bronchitis, pneumonia, allergy or too many cigarettes.Feelings: I felt a sense of urgency and the need to get medication started to alleviate the symptoms. I fe lt concern for her physical well-being and some frustration that it could be helped 'at once.'When I observed how sister spoke softly and reassuringly to Mrs. Taylor, touching her hand and smoothing her forehead, I felt slightly ashamed.At sister's suggestion, Mrs.Taylor breathed more slowly and her anxiety diminished. I then sat with her, asking how she was feeling, really listening carefully to her responses.I thought how much more difficult this would be with a child or mentally disabled adult,recognising the need for a more psychological approach... These could be bronchitis, pneumonia, allergy or too many cigarettes. NICE Guideline (2004) conclude ' The disease is predominantly caused by smoking and nearly all sufferers are over 35.' 2. The painful left hip was another major cause for concern. We got her settled in bed, nebuliser mask on and bed head raised, promising pain relief for the hip. Feelings: I felt a sense of urgency and the need to get medication started to alleviate the symptoms. I felt concern for her physical well-being and some frustration that it could be helped 'at once.' When I observed how sister spoke softly and reassuringly to Mrs. Taylor, touching her hand and smoothing her forehead, I felt slightly ashamed. At sister's suggestion, Mrs. Taylor breathed more slowly and her anxiety diminished. I then sat with her, asking how she was feeling, really listening carefully to her responses. 'Attending is the act of really focusing on the person who needs help. We need to make ourselves deliberately aware of what the other person is saying and of what he or she is trying to tell us.' Morrison and Burnard (1991) I thought how much more difficult this would be with a child or mentally disabled adult, recognising the need for a more psychological approach, more reassurances and a 'person-focused' nursing style. Adults like Mrs. Taylor appear more able to contribute to their own improvement, being both knowledgeable and aware. I thought that no matter which nursing domain I was involved in, I would recognise that the same requirements of reassurance, administration of medication and accurate record keeping would apply. I would also adhere to the principles of respect for any cultural or social background.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Explain Erich Fromm’s twofold meaning of human freedom Essay Example for Free

Explain Erich Fromm’s twofold meaning of human freedom Essay Erich Fromm is a German psychologist explored human freedom. He wrote about the two folds of human freedom, which are, the freedom â€Å"from† traditional authorities such as the state and (2) the freedom â€Å"for† actualizing one’s individual destiny. In his work about the Freedom in History, Fromm argues that the people came to understand the real meaning of freedom in the 20th century. They thus fight to defend it. This is because it brings a lot of joy to the people, therefore prompting them to devise ways of maintaining it. Through his work, he tries to explain the main cause leading to the fall of the previous social order. In addition, it has led to the rise of a new generation of independent beings who are fighting for direct high-quality future. This development makes them to have a feeling of not just fulfilling their socioeconomic role in the society, but also contemplating their future Secondly, Fromm tries to explain the way the people are Escaping freedom through his suggestions that people are successively attempting to lessen negative effects although expanded thoughts and behaviors provide them with security. He explains three forms of escaping freedom whereby he suggests that the dictatorial personality contains a sad and masochist element which gains control over the other people. Such control imposes order in the world. The ambiguity of human freedom is especially evident when making important life choices, for example, who we want to be and how we want to live our lives. Fromm holds that although people in advanced societies have been freed from the bonds of preindividualistic society, which gave them both security and limitations, they have not gained freedom in the positive sense of realizing their individual selves. That is, they have not found an outlet for the optimal expression of their intellectual, emotional, and social potential. We have freedom to direct our lives—from the details of daily life to the more crucial choices such as our careers. Karen Grover Duffy and Eastwood Atwater (2008). Psychology For Living: Adjustment, Growth, and Behavior Today (9 ed. ). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Causes Of Over Sleeping English Language Essay

The Causes Of Over Sleeping English Language Essay What causes over sleeping you ask? Over sleeping is caused by many different factors. Things such as not getting enough sleep and not setting your alarm clock to wake you up can contribute to you not waking up from your sleep when it is time to. Many people contribute this to factors that may be deemed medical related and may actually not be medical related illnesses. While many people suffer from sleep deprivation or sleep loss, occasionally there are those who suffer from getting too much rest. Normally this would not be a problem but you have to think about this issue from the perspective of how it affects your career or your home life. Lets take for instance if you are a working person and you have a career or just a job where your employer depends on you being to work on time. A pattern of being late may get you reprimanded or even worse fired. A case of oversleeping on added to an already pattern of tardiness and or lateness for other reasons can be disastrous. Or take for exam ple you drop off your kid at your parents house and they have somewhere important to be and you dont wake up on time. This will cause a real problem for you with your parents. So this can be a problem beyond just getting way too much rest. Having a good alarm clock is essential to keeping yourself from over sleeping. You need on that is loud or audible enough to wake you up on those mornings where you just dont feel like getting out of the bed. You will need to develop a pattern of checking and double checking your alarm to make sure it is properly set to wake you up in the mornings. There is another issue with alarm clocks with making sure they are set properly and that is to ensure you have a backup battery in your alarm clock. A back up battery will give you about an hour of time to get the power back on in case of a power failure to keep your settings saved in the alarm clock. This is something that will happen from time to time that you will have no control over so in order to avoid the problem just make sure that a battery is present in the clock and that it is fully functional. http://hubpages.com/hub/what-causes-over-sleeping Problems Linked to Oversleeping Diabetes. In a study of almost 9,000 Americans, researchers found a relationship between sleep and the risk of diabetes. People who slept more than nine hours each night had a 50% greater risk of diabetes than people who slept seven hours per night. This increased risk was also seen in people who slept less than five hours per night. The researchers did not draw conclusions about the physiological link between long sleep and diabetes. But they did suggest that oversleeping could be indicative of underlying medical problems that increase the likelihood of diabetes. Obesity. Sleeping too much could make you weigh too much, as well. One recent study showed that people who slept for nine or 10 hours every night were 21% more likely to become obese over a six-year period than were people who slept between seven and eight hours. This association between sleep and obesity remained the same even when food intake and exercise were taken into account. Headaches. For some people prone to headaches, sleeping longer than usual on a weekend or vacation can cause head pain. Researchers believe this is due to the effect oversleeping has on certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin. People who sleep too much during the day and disrupt their nighttime sleep may also find themselves suffering from headaches in the morning. Back pain. There was a time when doctors told people suffering from back pain to head straight to bed. But those days are long gone. You do need to curtail your regular exercise program when you are experiencing back pain. But doctors now realize the health benefits of maintaining a certain level of activity. And they recommend against sleeping more than usual, when possible. Depression. Although insomnia is more commonly linked to depression than oversleeping, roughly 15% of people with depression sleep too much. This may in turn make their depression worse. Thats because regular sleep habits are important to the recovery process. Need another reason not to overdo the ZZZs when youre blue? In certain instances, sleep deprivation can be an effective treatment for depression. Heart disease. The Nurses Health Study involved nearly 72,000 women. A careful analysis of the data from that study showed that women who slept nine to 11 hours per night were 38% more likely to have coronary heart disease than women who slept eight hours. Researchers have not yet identified a reason for the connection between oversleeping and heart disease. Death. Multiple studies have found that people who sleep nine or more hours a night have significantly higher death rates than people sleeping seven to eight hours a night. No specific reason for this correlation has been determined. But researchers found that depression and low socioeconomic status are also associated with longer sleep. They speculate these factors could be related to the observed increase in mortality for people who sleep too much http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/physical-side-effects-oversleeping Heres How to Stop Oversleeping: Step 1: Decide to Wake Upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Theres no easier way to say it Oversleeping is an escape  mechanism. If you want to stop oversleeping, youd have to figure out why some part of you chooses to stay in bed. Confront it. Then decide to deal with it,  instead  of running away from it by oversleeping. Step 2: Get Motivated to Stop Oversleeping Come up with at least one strong reason WHY you want to stop oversleeping. Be as specific as you can.  It might help to write it down and read it to yourself daily. Change your attitude toward sleep. If you love to sleep, you have to start thinking about sleep as something you must do in order to survive. Nothing more. Stop making excuses like I need more sleep than the average person. You should be convinced that you can sleep less and have more energy than you have now, which is most likely true. Step 3: Commit to a Steady Sleep Schedule Its best if you can go to sleep and wake up at the same times every day. At least do you best to wake up at the same time, no matter how long you had sleptà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Put the clock away from bed, set a wake up call, ask someone to throw you out of bed, whatever you need to do to make sure you wake up on time. Step 4: Improve your sleep There are many simple things you can do to get high quality sleep, which will allow you to get  more energy from less sleep. Step 5: Reduce sleep gradually If you sleep 10 hours every night, dont move to 7 hours all at once. Reduce 30-60 minutes every week or so. Dont beat yourself up when you fail, because it might only make things worse. Just learn from your mistakes and come up with a plan for the next day. Step 6: Raise your physical and mental energy Its good to stop oversleeping. Its better to be a highly energetic person.  Start working on changing your habits, lifestyle and mindset eat well, exercise, think more positively and so onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ http://a-sleep.com/1563/how-to-stop-oversleeping/

Thursday, September 19, 2019

confant Pride and Conflict of Law in Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

Antigone - Pride and Conflict of Law Sophocles' Antigone, in its later phases is no longer about the conflict of law; It is about stubbornness and self will, about the sin of refusing to listen; about a man who has never been told. Conflict of law, presents the initial disturbance within Thebes. Creon, King of Thebes, refuses to bury the body of Polynices, for in his eyes Polynices is 'his country's enemy' Antigone pg.131. Thus, despite breaking the laws of the gods, Creon holds his power higher than that of God and heavens and enforces his law. As the story follows, Sophocles expands on the ignorance presented by Creon and Antigone, and it is also found that it is impossible to defeat an ignorant man, or woman in argument. It is this ignorance, that establishes the notion of the sin and punishment that both Creon and Antigone face due to their stubbornness and self will. Antigone holds her love of family, and respect to the dead, elevated beyond the laws of Creon, whom she believes, has no righteous justification to close his eyes to the honor of the deceased. In her determination to fulfill Polynices' rights, she runs directly into Creon's attempts to re-establish order. This leads to encounters of severe conflict between the dissimilarities of the two, creating a situation whereby both Creon and Antigone expose their stubbornness and self will. It is Antigone's morals, which drive her to betray the laws of man, in order to honor the laws of God. Knowing and comprehending the consequences of defying Creon's ruling do not restrain the intensity of Antigone's self will, yet it feeds her hunger to achieve her principles. Losing sight of her future, Antigone allows her stubbornness to consume her life, taking with it, the prospect of marriage, motherhood and friendship. As the story continues, we find that Antigone focuses more on the need to establish her human ethics in spite of Creon, rather than proving the incorrectness of man defying god's laws. Following the unlawful burial of Polynices, Antigone openly admits to Creon the knowledge of the following punishment by carrying out such a defying act. "I knew it naturally, It was plain enough." Antigone pg.138. With the intention of gratifying the laws of the gods, Antigone holds neither guilt nor regret as she feels that she has brought justice to the eternal rest of her brother.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Euthanasia: The Right Choice for America Essay -- Argumentative Persua

Euthanasia: The Right Choice for America The ethical debate of euthanasia continues while Oregon remains the only state in which it is legalized in. Based on the success of the Oregon euthanasia law, this law should serve as a model to the rest of the nation and it should be implemented all across the U.S. The success and effectiveness of this law can be seen through many case studies and statistics. Of course, there is a line that is often crossed with doctors who euthanize under unlawful conditions; however, under the right circumstances euthanasia can work. Should the United States of America continue to overlook a patent’s wishes and desires and instead primarily focus on doing everything possible to keep a person alive when there is no need? Where is the rationality in letting a person who is suffering die a slow painful death? Granted physicians are obliged to preserve life at all costs, under many circumstances, there is no need for this effort. If a patient requests death, his wish should be respected and approved. Why must the right to die be taken away? If there is no justifiable reason to preserve someone’s life, there should be no need to do it. One example reflects the experiences of a man named David Miller’s grandmother. He shares a story of her after she was diagnosed with emphysema. The disease contributed to her inability to use her neck muscles, to breath, and to speak. Many question such a doctors’ judgment in keeping such a person, who’s both suffering and serving no purpose to the world, alive. (Miller, 27) Sometimes, doctors need to focus on the quality of life of a patient, especially if the patient is suffering. Terms such as passive euthanasia and active euthanasia are often tos... ...ide Largely Shunned.† The Christian Century Dec 2000: 1267 Buckley, William F. â€Å"Killer Doc.† National Review Dec 1998: 70 Kavanaugh, John F. â€Å"Euthanizing Life† America May 2001: 28 MacQueen, Ken. â€Å"Choosing Suicide† Maclean’s v. 115 no31 (August 5 2002) p. 40-1 Miller, David. â€Å"From Life in Death in a Peaceful Instant.† The Humanist (May/ June 2000) 27 Nichols, Mark. â€Å"Offering a Helping Hand to Those Who Long to Die.† Maclean’s March 1998: 52 Rayner, Clair. â€Å"You Say Murder, I Say Euthanasia.† New Statesman June 2000: 31 Richardson, Andrea E. â€Å"Death with Dignity: The Ultimate Human Right?† The Humanist (July/ Aug 2002) p. 42-43 Sarasohn, David. â€Å"No Last Rights† The Nation v.273 no19 (December 10 2001) p. 8 Welie, Jos V. M. â€Å"Why Physicians? Reflections on the Netherlands’ New Euthanasia Law.† The Hastings Center Report Jan/Feb 2002: 42-44

Florence by Alice Childress Essays -- Florence Alice Childress Essays

Florence by Alice Childress This 1950 play by Alice Childress takes place in a train station waiting room in a very small town in the south. The play describes how Miss Whitney, an old black woman, discovers that her premonition of the success of her daughter, Florence, as a black actress is undesirably similar to that of a racist, white society. This troubling discovery has just as strong an impact on the reader as it does on Miss Whitney. This drama teaches the reader how the views and opinions of individuals or groups can influence other individuals or groups to approach situations with the same reaction, although their views and opinions may be opposite. Marge, Miss Whitney's other daughter, first introduces this frame of mind to as she accompanies Miss Whitney at the train station. They sit in the "colored" section of the train station while Miss Whitney awaits a train to Harlem to convince Florence to come back home to the south. Florence fled to Harlem with ambition of being an actress. After she calls home to ask for money, Marge is convinced that Florence will fail because she is a black woman attempting to make it in a business dominated by whites in a racially segregated society. Although Miss Whitney seems to have a little bit more faith in Florence, she still wants to convince Florence to come back home. They even have a check ready to pay for her trip home, which is causing them to be late on their rent. This reveals to us that they are willing to sacrifice a little in order to prevent Florence from possibly failing in her quest for success. As Marge speaks to her mother she reveals her mentality in regards to Florence's situation, "She ain't gonna get rich up there and we can't afford t... ...a powerful message. Before Miss Whitney's conversation with Mrs. Carter, she felt Florence wouldn't make it as an actress. After realizing that a racist white woman felt the same way, Miss Whitney reevaluated her reasons for wanting Florence to come home. Realizing her reason's weren't much different, she felt the best thing to do is to encourage Florence to follow her dream no matter how hard it may be to achieve, rather than make her believe it was impossible, just as the white society wanted her to believe. Once this message is conveyed to the reader you can't help but look upon your own past and wonder if you've ever been guilty of letting somebody else's opinions influence what you believe is or isn't possible. This play teaches us to be more open-minded as well as not being a hypocrite. This play is a masterpiece by Alice Childress to say the least.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Non-Art in Popular Culture Essay

When discussing art in popular culture there are very few boundaries to adhere to. Almost any form of media can be considered as art. But not all works are good examples of art and there are several determining factors that help to decide on the artistic quality of a piece. This essay will discuss in response to the above quote the identifiable characteristics of what could be considered art in contemporary pop culture. It will deconstruct the some of the most prominent types of art in popular culture including street art, music video and advertisements or commercial art. And under which circumstances are they considered to be art whether this is the intention of the piece, or the creative process that surrounds it or simply the aesthetic values that it holds. It will also discuss if works produced solely for commercial propaganda are still considered art. And if the artistic values of the work are influenced on the environment in which it resides. These three determining factors will help distinguish between art and non art in contemporary pop culture. Art in popular culture varies widely in a range of creative forms and media. Popular culture or ‘pop’ culture has a heavy influence on much of the works that are created by artists today. (Gibbons, 2005, p. 1) These include all forms of street and public art including graffiti and stencil art that often make statements on pop culture. And also in a more formal environment including galleries and art museums where there is a large array of contemporary works which reflect on these elements of consumerism. There are numerous well recognised artists that have concentrated much of their practice on consumerism and culture. Andy Warhol, is a founder in bringing consumerism to the high art scene in the 1960’s (Livingstone 1992), something that had not being done before. A more recent take on this concept is Takashi Murakami and the art movement ‘Super Flat’ which concentrates on Japanese pop culture and particularly anime and manga. (n. a 2009 Superflat art) Art is not only influenced by popular culture but it makes up a large part of influential media for popular culture. This form of art can be recognised directly in advertising, music, music videos, cartoons and any other form of media that creatively puts forth a message, more often that not for commercial propaganda. This is not always the case but this lower form of more accessible art is completely open to the public because it is not hemmed in by the confines or â€Å"laws† of the gallery system or the museum. (Stowers 1997) And it quite often forced into peoples lives, by occurring in a public space society are forced into viewing these creative works that promote popular culture through advertisements billboards television radio and generally in any public space just as they are exposed to graffiti art and vandalism. More often than not the environment in which the artwork resides in impacts the values that people give the piece but this is not the only thing that should be considered when depicting the piece as several factors impact the merit of the work. These can include the creative process involved, the purpose of the work and the aesthetic values of the final piece. (Johnstone 2006) The creative process that is involved in creating an art piece may have huge effects on the final outcome. In some cases it’s the process that is the work, in others cases it can be just important in developing the meanings and values behind the work and also some pieces may not be understood fully until the intentional processes are understood. The creative process has being described in four steps these are Preparation, Incubation, Illumination and Implementation. (Charlie, 2008) Going through this four step process is not always occur consciously but has an impact on the outcomes. (Konradsson 1999) Pieces that do not have a creative intention or process behind them can be severely limited in creative outcome and therefore have limited merit as art. In this case it severely relies on the aesthetic values that other people then place on the work. And if it has little appeal in terms of colour, line, balance, rhythm and other principles and elements and no creative meaning then is generally not considered to be art. The purpose of the work can also impact the process of how a piece is created. Depending on whether it is for commercial use or purely artistic intentions there can be a lengthy design process which is very calculated in terms of design. The final impact the work is strongly controlled through the elements and principles of design. This is generally used in commercial art such as illustration, graphic design, and advertising and communication media. All these forms of creative work hold artistic value but are not necessarily considered art to the general public as it is not presented as art but takes on a different primary form, advertising. (Gibbons 2005) This is a similar concept as street art or graffiti as it generally seen as a form of vandalism and can be considered as an eyesore. Though people are more likely to see graffiti for its artistic values and intentions as it dose not generally hold the same connotation as advertising. The reasons and values for why one might engage in graffiti art are as varied as the artists who produce it. A chief reason is the â€Å"prospect of fame and recognition of one’s artistic talent. Graffiti is also a form of self expression. The art as â€Å"writing† is a creative method of communicating with other writers and the general public. † (Stowers 1997) What it communicates is the artist’s identity, expression, and ideas like all other art forms but is forced into the public eye unlike art in a gallery. Graffiti is fast becoming popular as a preferred art form of many contemporary artists and hold the same fundamental artistic intentions as any other art form. As art we see in galleries have purely the intentions of being art we are more likely to consider that it is art. (Hester 2007) And we find some way of connecting to it via feeling and aesthetic value or the appreciation of the process. The placement of a piece in relation to its surroundings also impacts on the effect it has for example seeing an advertising piece in a gallery we would assume it to be art and created to make a statement about advertising. Where as if it were to be place on a billboard we would consider the primary reason is the promotion of a particular product. It is very difficult to define what art is exactly. According to many artistic directors and critics there is not one single definition of art. Art historian Robert Rosenblum believes that â€Å"the idea of defining art is so  remote [today]† that he doesn’t think â€Å"anyone would dare to do it. † (Witcombe n. d)And that more or less anything can be considered as art. † (Witcombe n. d) Goldman’s aesthetic theory (2005, 345) is of use to clarify the problem of location and presentation in relation to graffiti art. Goldman ( 2005, 346) claims that ‘art takes us to other worlds in a manner that is quite fulfilling sensually and aesthetically’ The are many determining factors that help us see the artistic values in works how we as individuals read and interpret these through out the work is a matter of pure personal opinion. Some personal factors that establish our opinions on creative works are our knowledge and understanding of art or a piece in particular, likes and dislikes and how we relate to the piece. This combined with the values of the piece that include; the process, the intention, the environment in which it is placed and the visual aesthetic values of the work determine how we personally consider the impact of the work. Many people consider art as something appealing to the eye or ear but much of contemporary art is not like this and a greater understanding of the work is needed to gain an insight to the values is holds. (n. a. 2009) For most people when art becomes hard or impossible to understand right away we tend to question its merit. This is particularly the case for graffiti as some may argue (Stowers 1997) even when it is in a gallery environment it is too hard to understand, though this should not be a determining factor to deciding whether is considered art as many art work considers deeper intrinsic values. Most of the opposition to graffiti art is due to ‘its location and bold, unexpected, and unconventional presentation,’ (Stowers 1997) but its presentation and often illegal location does not necessarily disqualify it as art either. The major determining factor is the creative value â€Å"the ability to produce complicated pieces is what separates the tagger from the graffiti artist; graffitist for short. Taggers scribble and graffitists do art. † (Stowers 1997) So as we can see there are many different forms of art in contemporary pop culture including those that are influenced by pop culture and those that influence pop culture. These can be all forms of Digital Media, advertising, illustration and music as well as art we see in galleries and street art. Not all have the primary purpose of being art but all hold artistic and creative values that can be seen through the process the intention the aesthetic qualities and the surrounding of the work. Some seem to have the primary purpose of being only art while others are created for commercial propaganda. While the pieces that are generally considered art by the public, have a better aesthetic quality and are initially easier to understand there can not be any set connotations as to what it to be determined as art or non art. And that it is purely what importance, feelings and values the individual viewing the work sees. Reference List Charlie, 2008. Demystifying the Creative Process http://www. productiveflourishing. com/demystifying-the-creative-process/ (accessed 28/04/2010) Gibbons,J. 2005 Art and Advertising. P. 1-12 New York: I. B Tauris & co Ltd Goldman, A. 2005. Aesthetic Qualities and Aesthetic Value . in Aesthetics critical concept in philosophy J. O Young, p. 345-349 Oxon: Routledge. Hester, N 2007. Low and High: What is Art Anyhow  http://www.monstersandcritics.com/

Monday, September 16, 2019

Part IV: Condensed Version

As an overview, Cleanthes is described as a philosopher that has a calm disposition. Demea is the one more concerned in the cause of religion. Philo is the arbiter or mediator between the ideas presented by Cleanthes and Demea. Cleanthes was wondering why Demea was insisting that the Deity had no resemblance to humans in terms of human mind and understanding. For Cleanthes, the Deity has powers that humans cannot comprehend, for that is its nature––unexplainable. Though incomprehensible, Cleanthes recognized the Deity as a supreme being.Cleanthes also questioned Demea what was the difference of those who believed in the Deity and those who were Sceptics or Atheists. Atheists believed that the first cause of all was an unknown being. Atheists do not recognize the existence of a Deity. Atheists have boldness. Not only they had rejected the production by a mind, they also pretend to assign intelligible cause. Demea replied and commented that Cleanthes had presented his tho ughts concerning the Deity with criticism instead of reasoning.Demea presented the comparison between the Deity and humans since Cleanthes said that the Deity is similar to the way humans think and understand. A human mind is filled with ideas, feelings, passions, and different faculties. And the human mind varies from one person to another. Though they vary from one another, the ideas they presented have form or order. The Deity has a perfect nature. He is able to see into the past, into the present, and into the future. Also, unlike the human mind that can change from one instance to another, the Deity has a fixed and firmed decision.The presence of the Deity is felt by those who believe in it. He is present everywhere, unlike humans who can only exist in one place at a certain point in time. Cleanthes again commented based on Demea’s words. With the way Demea explained, Cleanthes said that those â€Å"who maintain the perfect simplicity of the Supreme Being† were co nsidered Atheists, yet they were unaware of it. For if we recognized the existence of the Deity, and since we know that his characteristics are incomprehensible, humans must give the Deity the respect he deserves.As humans, it is but natural to give due respect to the Deity. However, humans who do not give due respect to the Deity are diverging to the accustomed way of the Deity’s nature. It all bois down to human mind and the way it perceives things. Those who do not respect the Deity have restricted their minds to think of ways to give glory to the Deity. A mind that thinks with simplicity cannot think of creative reasoning and normally inclined to what is common, or to something that has no uniqueness at all.Demea chose to believe in the â€Å"perfect simplicity† of the Deity. The way we defined simplicity does not describe the true nature of the Deity, for the Deity’s mind definitely does not think simply. Same with humans, the Deity’s way of thinking is complicated yet creative. Philo, upon hearing the exchange of ideas between Cleanthes and Demea, argued that in order to know â€Å"the cause of that Being whom you suppose the Author of Nature,† they could judge the matter by reason or by experience. With reasoning we are able to explain the cause of every idea we thought of.We explain things based on reasoning that involves a whole lot of mind thinking. With experience we are able to explain the cause based on what we had experienced or what others had experienced. And because experience differs from one person to another, no two individual can think exactly alike. In reasoning, the mental world and the material world both need a cause. In experience, the material world is much easier to comprehend than the mental world because the material world is tangible unlike the mental world or the world of ideas.Philo continued to argue that in order to understand the cause of the Author of Nature why not consider focusing on th e present material world. What is beyond the material world is vague and unknown. It is like saying to be contended on what we presently know about the Deity or God and do not worry ourselves on what is incomprehensible to us. The most important is that we know that there is a God. Philo added that some philosophers were ignorant and yet they disguised to know explanation to some matters.Such philosophers were called Peripatetics they would reason out and yet they were not really knowledgeable of the matter. They took advantage of those who were unaware of the matter. The matter on having an order in the ideas of the Supreme Being was an example. Some philosophers explained that having order is just one of the natures of the Deity. Cleanthes commented that Philo’s arguments were easy to answer. Cleanthes gave an example that if he were assigned cause for an event, would there be a problem if he could not tell the cause of that cause?For Cleanthes, knowing the Deity is the mos t important. He had stopped his inquiries and settled on the fact that there is a Deity. He did not push to knowing the cause or the order of the ideas of the Deity. For him, the existence of the Deity is what is more important. Believing on this fact is already enough. He would not busy himself on discovering what else should be known about the Deity. However, Cleanthes also said that those who would want to know what is beyond the existence of a Deity may do so.Philo said that he pretended not to be like Cleanthes who stopped thinking what lies ahead or what is beyond the existence of the Deity. Philo also pretended not to be like those who go and explore beyond to inquiry more of the existence of the Deity. Philo said he should have not attempted to expound on his arguments. Philo stressed that naturalists, with regard to the matter about the Deity, normally explain their ideas by giving out general causes.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Driving Distractions

Dupreme Cannie English III Mrs. Bailey 22 March 2013 Driving Distractions Have you ever been driving down the road and saw someone texting and driving? What about reading and driving? Or even applying make-up and driving? Driving distractions are plentiful, but it is up to the driver to focus on the task at hand. â€Å"Distractions cause many accidents for both new and experienced drivers. Taking your eyes off the road for even a few seconds, could have disastrous results† (â€Å"Teendriving. com†).Whether an individual has been driving for many years, or mere days, they are still at risk for distractions. Regardless of age or experience, if a person takes their eyes off the road, the results could be fatal. As previously mentioned, â€Å"Laws restricting cell phone use by drivers may be fashionable, but it is not the best way for the government to make roads safer. Eating, leaning over to change the radio station, talking and reading while driving are bigger culprits than cell phones when it comes to causing accidents, yet, no one is clamoring for legislation outlawing these distractions.To solve the problem of cell phone users disobeying traffic laws, government officials must insist on personal responsibility, rather than ban cell phone use behind the wheel. Those insisting drivers have the right to talk on their phones should be applauded for recognizing that, while people are annoyed by drivers who are distracted by telephone conversations, prohibition of cell phones is needless† (Wilson). Cell phone use is not the only issue. While texting and talking on the phone while driving are dangerous, eating, drinking, reading, and many other activities are still just as dangerous.Compare and Contrast Driving in the Winter and Driving in the SummerIf laws are going to be passed to prevent cell phone use while driving, then they must prevent the other distracting activities. Even though some people think driving and cell phone use is acceptable , people shouldn’t be texting or talking on the phone while driving because distractions can kill a person without noticing it and turning off your cell phone wouldn’t be a distraction. To keep people from being distracted while driving, the government needs to make the laws stricter. The Pennsylvania cell phone texting ban does not extend to situations where the vehicle is not moving, such as at a stop light or while you are stopped in traffic. It also allows for using a phone hands-free through integration with Bluetooth (such as using Siri on the iPhone to compose and send texts). Interestingly, since the ban overrides any local ordinances already in place, it will actually reduce cell phone restrictions in cities such as Philadelphia, where a local law bans all handheld cell phone use†(Chittom).

Saturday, September 14, 2019

The Snow Man by Wallace Stevens

Afterlife: the complete emptiness Wallace Stevens (1879–1955) wrote most of his poems during the world wars period, which took the lives of millions of people. As a result, Wallace Stevens started to question the importance of religion in the modern era, and felt that you should enjoy your life in the present and not waste time living for an afterlife. In his poem â€Å"The Snow Man†, Stevens describes a harsh winter environment creating a unique dramatic situation through an effective imagery. He leads the reader from a relatively objective description of a winter scene to a subjective emotional response. Roberts Pack’s essay on â€Å"The Snow Man† discusses the idea of perception, while David Perkins while focuses on the relationship between imagination and reality through the perspective of the snow man. Is Wallace Steven concerned with imagination and reality, or perception? In â€Å"The Snow Man†, the atypical syntax and logic of the poem, as well as the usage of imagery, compels the reader to perceive the poem from an untraditional in order to both understand the role of nature and realize its very theme is death. The title of the poem â€Å"The Snow Man† is very confusing for the reader. At first we â€Å"visualize balls of snow placed on top of each other, coals for eyes, a carrot nose† as Perkins implies, and don’t see the relation with the poem. But after a few readings we discover the snow man and the listener are one individual. The lines â€Å"One must have a mind of winter† (1. 1) and â€Å"And have been cold a long time†(2. 1) indicate in my opinion the listener is dead. Why so? Winter implies cold, and cold equals death. So if the snow man has a mind of winter, it means he is dead. The snow man is indeed an image to describe this dead body, which is recovered by ice and snow. It is also a symbol of the cycle of life, which always ends with death. Once spring is here, the snow man will melt, it won't last forever. Just like a dead body would decompose, and turn into dust. In fact, we get the sense that we are reading through the listener’s mind. The first thing that is noticeable about the poem is that it is actually just one long, complex sentence, there is no rhyme, and each line has a different length. One question that may arise with is this: if the poem really was meant to imitate the mind's flow of thought, then why did Stevens write it in just one line instead of dividing it into five tercets? Without this specific structure the poem would lose in mood and tone. The dramatic situation is set on a cold and quiet winter day, with very little movement in the surroundings. The poem itself should be the same, gentle and unhurried. This is achieved with the use of pauses after lines and stanzas. Because when someone dies his soul is liberated from the burdens of life. The fourth line of the poem gives it this mood and tone too. It provides a further slowing down with the use of one syllable words, and of assonance with the long â€Å"o† sound â€Å"cold/long†, reinforcing the idea of the time passing and death. We can divide the poem into two distinctive parts. The first part (from the beginning to half of the seventh line â€Å"Of the January sun†), correlates with the dead man losing all sorts of feelings because of the cold. The speaker describes the harshness off the environment surrounding the dead man. The words employed are very particular, achieving nuances which contribute to the vividness of the picture. For instance, the word â€Å"crusted†(1. 3) is used instead of â€Å"covered,† suggesting not only that it covers, but also the snow's firmness and roughness. We can assimilate the snow to the roots of a tree. It is obvious that there is an accumulation of the â€Å"r† sound, as in â€Å"regard,† â€Å"frost,† â€Å"pine-trees†, â€Å"crusted†, â€Å"junipers†, spruces†, â€Å"rough†, â€Å"glitter†, and â€Å"January†, adding vividness to the description. One particular image contained in these lines is that of the â€Å"distant glitter/ of the January sun† (2. 3/3. 1). The use of the sound â€Å"i† in assonance, support the idea that the sun is so distant, it has no effect. The enjambment and the separation of the phrase â€Å"of the January sun† into the next stanza, also relates this idea of distance. So even if the sun is visible in the sky, it doesn’t play its true role: provide heat. The speaker is almost saying he prefers darkness. The dead man losing his mind is the main subject of the second part (from and â€Å"not to think† to the end). The listener considers his self a snow man, enabling him to view the world through different eyes, and thus enables him to see the vivid little details of the scene, which he would not normally see. The dead man is leaving behind his own mind and assuming the snow man’s mind, liberating him from any sufferance. This idea is supported by the word â€Å"think†, emphasized by the enjambment â€Å"and not to think / of any misery†(3. -2). Therefore, it is clear these lines aim to appeal to the reader's sense of hearing. It contains multiple instances of the word â€Å"sound,† as well as the words â€Å"listener† and â€Å"listen. † In addition, there also is a prevailing use of the sound â€Å"s† – â€Å"misery,† â€Å"sound,† â€Å"leaves,† †Å"same,† â€Å"listener,† â€Å"listens,† and â€Å"snow†, which mimics the hissing â€Å"sound of the wind†(3. 2). On top of this, it is known that the absence of one sense contributes to the acuteness of another. In this instance, the dead man gives up his sense of sight, and tries listening instead of looking. He is able to hear the normally soft, quiet â€Å"sound the wind†, and â€Å"the sound of a few leaves†(3. 3). I think the speaker addresses the use of sound, because sound tells us a lot about our surroundings even if we don’t use our vision. In our society sound enables us to communicate, and to lose this sense indirectly signifies we are as good dead. Another aspect of this process is the movement from something particular and small to something more vague and vast. The â€Å"boughs of pine-trees,† â€Å"the junipers,† and â€Å"the spruces† disappear to become â€Å"the same bare place†, and â€Å"the sound of a few leaves† becomes â€Å"the sound of the land†. Along the poem, the dead man disregards his self. Slowly he loses his thought (death of the mind) and feelings (death of the body), then his sense’s from sight to hearing are reduced, and finally loses his distinctiveness by assuming the snow man’s mind. And, since the mind of a snow man is lifeless, the listener would ultimately become nothing, as stated in the 14th line â€Å"And, nothing himself†. This idea of â€Å"being nothing† is, given importance by putting the phrase, â€Å"nothing himself† in the middle of the line instead of the beginning or end, and by the repetition of the word â€Å"nothing† in the last two lines. The last line of the poem â€Å"Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is†(5. 3), the longest of it, is given more importance because it holds the key to Steven’s message. The fricative â€Å"th† gives it an echoing sound. The line starts with the word â€Å"behold† (it means to see) due to the use of the enjambment in line 14, which emphasises the message of this particular word. By combining the words â€Å"Behold† and â€Å"nothing†, Stevens is saying the dead man, aka the â€Å"listener†, is just sitting there dead and there is nothing, nothing to think about and nothing to do. Even if the speaker does a concession in by opposing â€Å"is not there† vs â€Å"that is†. The speaker is inducing there is nothing in the afterlife. In conclusion, â€Å"The Snow Man† is a poem about death, and the emptiness of the world. The dead man or the listener gradually loses his body, and then his mind to a snow man. The snow man is an image of the body in this cold environment. By assuming the mind of a snow man, he is condemning himself to disappear physically and mentally. Wrapping it up can be argued Wallace Stevens message is that there is no afterlife and there is no point in believing in religion. It would be interesting to study how Stevens personal and professional life shaped his opinion on religion. Work Cited †¢ Wallace, Stevens. â€Å"The Snow Man†. The Columbia Anthology of American Poetry. Jay Parini. New York. Columbia University Press. Page 310. Print. †¢ Pack Robert. Wallace Stevens: An approach to his poetry and thought. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1958. Copyright  © 1958 by Rutgers, The State University. †¢ Perkins, David. A History of Modern Poetry: From the 1890s to the High Modernist Mode (Cambridge: Harvard U P, 1976), 542-544

Friday, September 13, 2019

Jane Austen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jane Austen - Essay Example In the society in which Jane lived, the only aspiration of a young girl is to get married. So Jane Austen selects the theme of marriage in all her novels. Even Emma ends in the celebration of three marriages. Jane Austen's novels are called drawing room novels. Emma is a typical drawing room novel. Almost all incidents in the novel take a place in the drawing room of Emma. Emma Woodhouse is the daughter of a valetudinarian. Her governess Miss Taylor assumes the role of a guide and friend to her in moments of loneliness. Jane Austen's 1816 novel, Emma reflects the detail of nineteenth century England and therefore the values of the context in which it was written. The setting of Emma is that of the world in which Austen lived. The text explores the themes and values of romance and marriage, social order, feminism and moral dimension. Austen has employed several techniques in order to convey these, such as literary context and social microcosm, satire and a number of narrative techniqu es. Austen provides exploits the contrast between how things seem to be and how they really are through these literary techniques. Austen typically writes novels that focus on social conventions. Her societies demonstrate these conventions are collapsing as the world is evolving and that what people believe to be conventional is really eroding. Characters of fortune and education who speak in accordance with the rules of pragmatics and social decorum are, in turn, rewarded through matrimonial bonds with characters of similar communicative merit. Gubar notes, â€Å"There is always the sense too that we owe to her narrator's art the significance with which such scenes are invested:

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Alternative cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Alternative cinema - Essay Example The film Stranger Than Paradise can be subdivided into three parts namely; present or ‘new world’, ‘a year later’ and ‘paradise.’ The film is a depiction of America through a foreign perspective see image 1. Willie the main character in the film speaks in English while responding to Aunt Lotte, who speaks in Hungarian (Andrew, 1999). He persuades Lotte to speak in English an indication that foreigners are not yet ready to give up their identity. Each part of the film can be said to reflect the stages that a foreigner undergoes in America. The film is shot in black and white backgrounds making the film unique since it seems to break away from the normal rule in filming see image 2. Each scene of the film is one take and after every take the screen cuts to black for a moment prior to the commencement of another take. The ‘takes are static shots, and other follows the characters. Each ‘take’ exhibits repeated emotionless sensatio n. The film can clearly bring out the emotions of the character. The film devises a new way whereby real lives and emotions of the characters are observed without confusing the audience. The ambient sounds in the scenes that persist even after the cuts to black and the beginning of ‘takes with silence do not deter the in bringing out the emotions of the characters. In the film Stranger Than Paradise, the effect of simplification is applied in the formal way the story is narrated as opposed to applying the idea to physical objects (Blume & Forster, 2006). The scenes are presented in a simple manner but chronological presentation and frequently independent from each other. The presentation involves the selected moments eliminating the bigger part of the theatrical action. The acting part of the film is very critical. In this order, every shot becomes a masterpiece. Selection or elimination through cutting cannot improve the performance. If a mistake

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

How has the concept of individual liberty changed throughout the Essay

How has the concept of individual liberty changed throughout the history of political thought Discuss and develop an argument based on the works of authors discussed throughout the course - Essay Example It also includes the state of indifference towards others’ political, social, economic, cultural, personal and religious activities. International politics, international law, state organisations, social justice, equality, liberty and social movements also come into the fold of liberalism. By critically examining the philosophies of all the great personalities, it becomes evident that all these personalities support individual liberty provided it is observed out of sound reasoning on the one hand, and is exercised with a good intention on the other. Individual liberty has always been the subject of great interest for the philosophers and political thinkers, and they strived for winning freedom of thought and action for all citizens on the foundation of equality and without any discrimination of caste, class, creed, community, race, region, religion, ethnicity and gender. Since thinkers and philosophers serve as the brain of a society, they do not accept inequalities and injustices committed by the rulers and powerful stratum of society on the suppressed masses. Consequently, they rebel against the man-made bonds and shackles and present the intellectual framework which offers a complete and just system to lead a happy and peaceful life. Since the foundations of their philosophy rests on human welfare, they awake the society from the sleep of ignorance and encourage them struggle to win their rights. Before the mighty French Revolution it were philosophers like Voltaire, Rousseau and others who awoke the sleeping nation and foug ht for the noble cause of equality and justice by their wonderful writings. The philosophical theme behind the literature of that time paved the way towards equal distribution of power, pelf, possession and prestige for all strata of French Society. Thus unjust measures enforced by the French laws came to an end. The philosophers belonging to ancient Greece played the most formidable role in respect of obtaining individual

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Research Topics in Insurance Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Topics in Insurance - Research Paper Example At the same time, it can also cover those who are bellow this specified age, but have special needs- the disabled or those suffering from the end stage renal disease. Under this scheme, one is eligible to be covered for the hospital bills under the umbrella of category ‘A’ at the same time, one can enjoy insurance coverage under part ‘B’ or be covered for the prescription of drugs under the scheme’s part ‘B’ This scheme however differs from the Medicaid programme because it mainly focuses on the elderly people at the age of 65 years and above. On the other hand, the Medicaid programme is open to any person in any age group. Similarly, the Medicare scheme solely relies on the federal government for funds while the Medicaid does not entirely depend on the federal government for funding. Part of its budget is footed by the respective semi- autonomous state governments. Medicaid insurance on the other hand relies on the federal government to offer health coverage or to provide home nursing for a specified category of people in the United States of America (US General Accountability Office, 2000). Such categories of people eligible for coverage under this noble programme are the low income earning people in the American society. They include the children, parents of eligible children, the elderly, pregnant women and the disabled who may be in a dire need for home nursing. Ideally, this programme was designed to help the categories of people to afford medical bills under the Medicaid programme, an eligible person is entitled to be wholly or partly be assisted to settle their medical bills. Generally, there are two distinct types of Medicaid- Community Medicaid and the Medicaid nursing. Community Medicaid in its part was designed to assist people who a little or no medical insurance schemes at all. However, medical nursing home scheme on the other hand, is meant for

Monday, September 9, 2019

Seminar Paper of BOOTS (now Alliance Boots) Case Study

Seminar Paper of BOOTS (now Alliance Boots) - Case Study Example The concept of merger immediately took notice because of the inevitable benefits provided by the strategy. Most mergers have expanded their operations and surpassed the achievements that the observers have predicted. Primarily, Alliance Boots is wholesaler and retailer of pharmaceutical goods. The company controls a wide chain of pharmacy spread all across Europe. At present, the company maintains 17% of its total target market (BBC News, 2005). Moreover, Alliance Boots is the largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in UK covering 40% of the market. Its wholesaling and retailing activities are undertaken by subsidiary UniChem. With its vast operations, the company employs approximately 100,000 workers in more that 3,000 retail stores in which 2,700 have pharmacies. In addition, the firm has established 380 retail depots to boost its operations. This has made Alliance Boots one of the largest retailers in terms of retail space (Alliance Boots, 2006). Boots Group Prior to the merger, Boots is bannered by Boots the Chemist, which was regarded as a dominant retail pharmacy operating in UK. Most of the company's outlets are situated in high streets and in highly urbanised areas. From a traditional pharmacist, the company has expanded its business portfolio and ventured to photo processing, opticians, and selling of home appliances. The increasing pressure caused by competition has limited the chances of Boots to improve its performance. It was evident that the company illustrated signs of stagnation and such weak showing eventually created the drawing board that led to the inevitable merger with Alliance UniChem. Alliance UniChem In terms of operational scope, UniChem was bigger and its more established reputation has enabled the firm to occupy markets in Europe. Its major aim is to deliver healthcare service and improve the health situation in most of the locations. The business primarily thrives on retailing and wholesaling pharmaceutical products. UniChem has been relying on its core strategies built on the aspects of expansion, innovation and performance enhancement. Aside from these concepts, the company valued the satisfaction of the customers and other stakeholders. The Merger Because of Boots' financial conditions, it was speculated by financial analysts that the merger with Alliance UniChem is already at work. It was surprisingly announced in October 2005 that the merger was officially created. Part of the announcement was the financial considerations made by both parties. Both companies were valued at 7 billion British Pounds and a split of 50.2 and 49.8 were divided among Boots and Alliance respectively. Basically, the merger was undertaken with the expected intervention of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). It was reported that 96 stores were sold to comply with the requirements of OFT. In truth, the merger was pictured as a takeover by Boots, which acquire the whole share capital of Alliance UniChem. This was manifested through the issuance 1,332 Boots Group PLC shares for each Alliance UniChem shares held. After this process, the merging firms adopted the name of Alliance Boots PLC. This was done, accordingly, to reduce the time and paper works needed because of the merger. Most important, both firms remained intact only under the supervision of the parent company (OFT, 2001). Objectives Essentially, the purpose of the merger is to combine a supplier in Alliance UniChem and a customer in Boots. The strategy was

Sunday, September 8, 2019

CONTEMPORARY CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ISSUES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CONTEMPORARY CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ISSUES - Essay Example It is an institutional arrangement for various corporate participants having direct or indirect interests in corporation like shareholders, managers/directors, creditors, customers, suppliers, employees, local communities, general public and government (Figure 1). Figure 1: Corporate Governance Relationships Source: (Letza, Sun & Kirkbride, 2004, p.243) The importance of corporate governance in 21st century has been highlight by series of corporate frauds like Enron, WorldCom and Tyco whose managers engaged in illegal reporting leading to loss of shareholder wealth. As shareholders in many countries are absentee owners and managers have the control and power over the organization’s activities, these managers can place their own interest before the interests of shareholders, therefore generating the principal-agent conflict. There are certain views regarding the convergence of corporate governance systems however such possibility is least likely to happen due to difference in c orporate culture and ownership structures. In recent years many influential proposals have been made in UK regarding corporate governance such as Higgs 2003, Turnbull Committee 1999, Hampel Committee 1998, Greenbury Committee 1995 etc (Letza, Sun & Kirkbride, 2004, p.242). The legislative strategies place importance to the need of a single governance structure for the corporate world. However no single model of corporate governance has worked at all times. Presently there are four main perspectives on corporate governance that are discussed in the following sections. The Principal-Agent Model Considering a sole-proprietorship organization where the owner-manager is considering sale of a part of his interest to outsiders. As the owner-manager’s share will fall the incentive to... According to the research findings the field of corporate governance is relatively new to the theory of organization. Although the issues of corporate frauds, social irresponsibility and abuse of managerial power that have led to corporate governance mechanisms are not new to the corporate world. The corporate fraud case of Enron, WorldCom and Barings bank has made the investors realize the governance issues of ownership and control. However the theories which form the theoretical framework of corporate governance have not been fully developed to provide a uniform solution to address agency problems. Based on the review paper by Letza, Sun and Kirkbride on corporate governance this project has been an attempt to critically analyze the models of corporate governance which have been categorized into two perspectives- Shareholder and Stakeholder. These models have been the much debated due their different approach towards the governing mechanisms and the changing relationship of managem ent and shareholders and/or stakeholders. The principal-agent model has been the theoretical basis of the other three models however due to widely accepted flaw of equating wealth maximization with share price maximization has led economists to look beyond the shareholder wealth maximization objective. The myopic market model is similar to principal-agent model but is oriented more towards the internal mechanisms built on long-term relationship and corporate performance.

Politics and culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Politics and culture - Essay Example The comparison will be between ‘Five Faces of Oppression, by Iris Young and ‘The Creation of Patriarchy’ By Gerda Lerner. Iris Young’s article explains the five types of abuse that include; exploitation, violence marginalization, cultural imperialism, and powerlessness (Lerner, 1993).1 However, Gerda Lerner’s mainly explores the origin of women’s subsidiary roles to men in society. Learner’s article mainly focuses on the Neolithic period. During this period, women were exchanged between tribes for pragmatism purposes. However, for the purposes of this essay and argument, this paper will discuss and focus on the aspect and issues of cultural imperialism and exploitation as put forth by Gerda Young comparatively against Iris Young opinions. In the natural and conventional wisdom, it refers to the fact that section or part of the society would feel superior and domineering or overbearing over and above the others. This happens in the instances where a part of the world would feel that their lifestyle and the way in which they live is the best, and the cultures of other people are inferior. Thus, in the tail end, it follows that the people who feel that their culture or in principle their way of life is the superior start to impose on the others. In so doing, they would start to coerce and intimidate others whom they consider culturally inferior to change and embrace their lifestyle and method of lifestyle. The same also extends to the gender roles where the males domineer or pose an overbearing approach to the lives of women. This happens since the men in most cases seek to define and control what ought to constitute the gender performance and role of the women (Lerner, 2005).2 For instance the men may seek to define the roles or women relative to domestic and office duties. This is where the men may seek to dominate or use their conventional masculine ability to control and impose

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Transformation Of American Psyche Through Bush Essay Example for Free

Transformation Of American Psyche Through Bush Essay Very few leaders today cause as many strong feelings as President Bush.   It seems that in his years leading the United States, people either view his leadership with reverence or repulsion, but very few view him with indifference.   In a December 2006 Associated Poll, Americans showed how divisive the president’s leadership is by not only voting him the hero of the year, but also its top villain. Political division is seen as a major cause of the contradiction, as Bush was the choice of 43 percent of Democrats for villain, and 27 percent of Republicans for hero, but 25 percent of all people chose Bush, the leader of the free world, as the top villain over both Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein (â€Å"‘Hero and Villain’: President Bush Sweeps AP Poll†).    The divisiveness he causes in the country, as well as the unilateral action he takes in foreign policy, which has squandered all of the international sympathy towards the United States after 9-11, are some of his biggest shortcomings, though only a few of many.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cited by supporters and critics alike is the president’s refusal to bend on certain issues, including his religious beliefs that have continuously blurred the line between church and state.   According to former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch, â€Å"He sticks with his beliefs, no matter how intense the criticism and invective that are directed against him every day† (Koch).   While Christian conservatives support him, his personal beliefs have seriously held up scientific discoveries in the way of stem cell research by refusing to support federal funding; he has denied social advancements to gays wishing for equal rights to marry; he has spearheaded a renewed campaign to take away women’s right to choose; he has also been instrumental in creating a new paranoia over immigration, despite being the president of a country made of immigrants; and, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow, as the country finds itself poised on the brink of recession.   But, his greatest shortcomings are concerning the war on terror, which needlessly expanded, and his flippant abuse of federal power concerning the privacy of U.S. citizens.   For a president that uses the word â€Å"freedom† so frequently, he has done more than most presidents to take it away from his fellow countrymen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bush’s accomplishments are more difficult to ascertain.   The country has not had a significant terrorist attack on U.S. soil, which could be attributed to U.S. soldiers in the Middle East becoming the new terrorist targets.   The prescription drug benefit has also benefited some senior citizens, but health care reform still needs to take place.    While it would be nice to be able to list the accomplishments of President Bush, his presidency has largely been marked by war, with one necessary and one misleading. He has divided the country and relied only on his religious faith to curry favor with his base, and his performance in office is best reflected by his record low approval ratings, his fellow party members abandoning him, and the country’s fervent desire to elect a new leader that will be the complete opposite of him and usher in a new era of unity, honesty, and true freedom. The American public has loudly started to voice its opposition to the protracted war in Iraq, as recent polls and presidential approval ratings show that the public is increasingly upset with the direction the war has taken, even though support for the troops continues to remain high.   As it stands, opposition to the war also continues to grow and the polarization that marked the early days of the war is diminishing, as citizens, politicians, members of the armed forces, and even those in the Bush administration are realizing the errant decisions that led to and sustained the war have cost far too muchin billions of taxpayers’ dollars, international economic and political status, and most importantly the lives of tens thousands of Americans and many more Iraqis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Few issues have polarized the political community and general population in the United States as the sustained war in Iraq.   While most of the country agreed that invading Afghanistan was necessary to combat terrorism, the decision to invade Iraq was met with mixed feelings at best.   At the time, the Bush administration used everything in its power to convince the American public and the world of the righteousness in attacking Iraq. The many reasons, with varying degrees of honesty and accuracy, ranged from the threat of weapons of mass destruction to Iraq’s participation in terrorism to the plain fact that Saddam Hussein was a bad man.   Unfortunately, many Americans who would normally be in the middle of the road on such issues were blinded by the administration’s continued propaganda about having to support a president during wartime, regardless of the terrible decisions or unexplained actions he takes, and many also believed that Iraq was involved in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.    A Washington Post poll of 1,003 adults taken in August of 2003 found that nearly 70% of Americans polled believed that Saddam Hussein was personally involved in Al Qeada’s attacks on the United States; a Time/CNN poll conducted around the same time found Americans more closely split on whether the military action in Iraq was worth the price in America lives, taxpayer dollars and other costs — 49% said yes, 43% no and 8% were unsure (â€Å"Poll: 70% Believe Saddam, 9-11 Link†).   With its aims justified in the eyes of the misinformed American public, in March of 2003 the Bush administration got its wish to expand the war in the Middle East to include Iraq. This initial invasion was a showcase for the massive military industrial complex that provided scores of new technological advances in recent years designed to maximize death.   Memorable images from the invasion include the â€Å"shock and awe† campaign of large bombs and missiles tearing up Baghdad, the famous toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue by Iraqi civilians, and President George Bush landing in a fighter jet upon an aircraft carrier, only to give a speech in front of a large banner that read â€Å"Mission Accomplished!† The tragically comedic irony of that banner can only be understood in hindsight, and only by those fortunate enough not to have been in Iraq.   Over four years later, the mission has not been accomplished, unless the mission was to create the highest possible revenues for international oil companies at the expense of young American lives. Additionally, the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq eroded much of the international good will created by the September 11 attacks.   Many countries that supported the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan see the invasion of Iraq as unnecessary and nothing more than the act of a bully, the world’s lone superpower.   However, most Americans chose to dismiss the loud opinions of the international community as being shortsighted and not relatable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The economic impact of the war in Iraq is felt by all Americans each time they pump gas.   In the four years since the U.S. invaded Iraq, Iraqi oilfields and associated infrastructure have sustained 400 attacks, and oil production in the country has fallen from 1.95 barrels per day during the first quarter of 2007, short of the U.S. goal of 2.5 million barrels per day and the previous mark of 3.7 million under Saddam Hussein (Miller). It is also highly reported in the media and amongst citizens that companies like Haliburton, associated with Vice President Dick Cheney, have benefited immensely from the reconstruction contracts in Iraq, leading many to believe that the war is solely for oil.   The fact that oil companies are now making record profits seem to reinforce these ideas. But, another consequence of U.S. action in Iraq is that the dollar is losing its international value.   The dollar has weakened against the euro, gold, copper, and other assets, and when Bush came in to office, a dollar equated to .987 euros while now it is at .75 (Miller).   While oil gets more expensive, the dollar weakens, in large part due America’s overwhelming dependence on it and the massive expenditures of oil, resources, and money on the war in Iraq.   The business side of the war in Iraq seems to have little benefit for common Americans, who are really the ones paying the most for it in terms of dollars. Works Cited: â€Å"‘Hero and Villain’: President Bush Sweeps AP Poll.† Editor Publisher. 28 Dec 2006. 9 Jul http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id= 1003525882. Koch, Ed. George Bush is my hero. The Jerusalem Post. 31 Dec 2006. 9 Jul 2008. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFullcid=1167467631671. Miller, Ken. â€Å"Wall Street, Iraq and the Declining Dollar.† The Nation. 12 Jun 2007. 9 Jul http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070625/miller. â€Å"Poll: 70% Believe Saddam, 9-11 Link.† USA Today. 6 Sep 2003. 9 Jul 2008. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-09-06-poll-iraq_x.htm.