Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The Psychology Of Cognitive Theory - 1069 Words

The history of Cognitive behavior therapy was theorized or developed, by Dr. Aaron T Beck. To clarify, Dr. Beck theorized CBT as a form of psychotherapy, the therapists and the client working together as a team, in efforts of developing a therapeutic solution. Next, the CBT therapeutic model is conclusive to studies aiding in seeking solutions which mirror psychiatric disorders such as anxiety disorders, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, PTSD, and other personality disorders still being conducted or tested. In the end, the purpose is to open the client s mind as to their thought process, so that he/she can reflect on their way of thinking, behaviors, and the emotional direction as to the issues or problems. Next, the†¦show more content†¦403). By the same token, the goal is to improve the behaviors leading connected to disorders, by incorporating treatment options and strategies for a positive outcome for the client. Equally important, to change the way a person thinks are motivating the mind to right and as of today, motivational interviewing increase the chances to change addictive behaviors† (Wiers, Stacy, 2006, p.295). Nevertheless, medication and behavior therapy can improve the status of the individuals thought process and desire for drugs. â€Å"Therefore, effective treatment options are possible for multiple addictions such as collecting evidence to address the client’s needs perchance, using pharmacological or behavioral interventions, which boost executive inhibitory control in addicts† (Sofuoglu, DeVito, Waters, Carroll, (n.d), p.452). Fourth, the populations suited for treatment using cognitive interventions are adolescents, couple’s, children, and families the main goal with the use of cognitive therapy. For the most part, cognitive therapy is there to help an individual achieve remission from their disorder to prevent future relapse or pain within their circle assisting in their journey. Last, the CBT model is a helping aid for the therapist and positive reinforcement, for the client being treated. Therefore, creating and open the door for another therapist expertise to address the concerns of the client and help themShow MoreRelatedThe Theory Of Cognitive Psychology947 Words   |  4 Pagesunderstand how information is stored and recalled was thought not so widely followed through until the concept of cognitive psychology came along. Cognitive Psychology is broadly known as the study to understand the deep complexity of processing and recalling information which can determine our behaviors and feelings. There are three main focuses which contribute to the study of cognitive psychology. The first is a memory which can be looked at as the storage of information, both immediately and storedRead MoreThe Theory Of Cognitive Psychology928 Words   |  4 Pagesprocesses, memory and communication. This new direction received the name of cognitive psychology. One of the pioneers, who established this path in psychology science, was Swiss biologist, Jean Piaget. Piaget’s discoveries and principles have made a significant contribution in expansion of cognitive psychology ideas. His research and concepts that were based on kids learning and progressing helped him to form his famous theory of four developmental stages, which later found supporters and critics amongRead MoreCognitive Theories And Theories Of Psychology1526 Words   |  7 Pagesdeveloped in order to understand certain behavior. The most common approaches in psychology are psychodynamic, behavior, cognitive, humanistic, and biological approaches. The ultimate goal of each method is to help individuals change unhealthy thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. However, these different approaches use different techniques to form assumptions and explanations about abnormality. In this essay, cognitive and psychodynamic are the two approaches that will be discussed. Even though theseRead Mo reThe Theory Of Cognitive Psychology892 Words   |  4 PagesThe theory of Cognitive psychology looks at any individual as the source of processing the information just any computer which perceives the input in the form of information and then processing it with the help of already installed information related to it and then it is given out as an output by following the program. It is still possible to study the mental position of the mind through meditational processes involving attention, perception and memory. These are the stages in processing the informationRead MoreThe Theory Of Cognitive Psychology Essay2350 Words   |  10 Pagesyou are constantly employing cognitive processes in order to function throughout the day. The term for the study of these cognitive processes is cognitive psychology. Rutgers University defines cognitive psychology as â€Å"the scientific study of mind and mental function, including learning, memory, attention, perception, reasoning, language, co nceptual development, and decision making†. One area of these cognitive processes is called wayfinding. It contains several cognitive processes such as knowing theRead MoreCognitive Behavioral Theory Of Psychology Essay1764 Words   |  8 PagesYosef Friedman Professor E Cohen History and System of Psychology (11280 LPSN 332) December 8, 2016 Final Cognitive Behavioral Theory: Cognitive Behavioral Theory can be divided into three parts, or â€Å"waves† of development. The first of the three is Behaviorism. In 1913 Watson launched the behavioral school of psychology, publishing an article, Psychology as the Behaviorist Views it. A few years later, in 1920 Watson and Rayner conditioned an orphan known as Little Albert to fear a white rat. In 1936Read MorePsychology : Cognitive Behavioral Theory840 Words   |  4 PagesCognitive-Behavioral Theory Presenting Concerns Catalina came to counseling seeking help in dealing with traumatic events from her past, which has led her to problems in her marriage, mistrust in others, and high levels of anxiety. She is having a difficult time letting go of the past. Catalina was physically abused by her aunt from the age for 10-14. The only male figure ever present in her life was her aunt’s son Roberto, who attempted to sexually abuse her when she was 14 years old. Although herRead MoreClassical Financial Theory : Cognitive Psychology And Economics952 Words   |  4 Pagesof the stock market. Classical financial theory assumes investors behave with rational expectations in order to maintain an efficient market. Yet as we know, the idiosyncrasies in human behavior vary and financial markets tend to fluctuate up and down as a result. Recently, economics has begun to adopt the insights of behavioral science as a more realistic interpretation of financial markets. Behavioral economics incorporates aspects of cognitive psychology with conventional finance in order to provideRead MoreJean Piaget s Theory Of Cognitive Psychology1187 Words   |  5 Pagesof the Cognitive Psychology movement and one of the most influential developmental psychologists of the 20th century. His work on schemas, adaptation, and his development theory are still being used today in most professional settings as a way to understand the development of the child. His work on schemas led to a new understanding of mental illness, paving the way for Cognitive-Behavioral therapies and other therapeutic methods that are based off faulty thinking. Before the Cognitive movementRead MoreThe Theory Of Psychology, Humanistic, Social Cognitive And Trait Perspective1235 Words   |  5 Pagespatterns of thinking1. In psychology, personality is utilized to sum up all the ways of an individual’s thinking, feeling and acting that based on the environment and experience. Various personality theories exist and are categ orized into four major perspectives—Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, Social Cognitive and trait perspective. These four major perspectives on personality help to describe the numerous patterns in each individual’s personality. The first major theory in psychology is Psychoanalytic perspective

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Analysing Invisible Man Essay - 1109 Words

Analysing Invisible Man After reading this book I wondered what it would be like to be blind then gain sight, but realize you cannot see yourself because you are invisible. It seems like a cruel joke that once you can see you realize that you still cannot see who you are. Even though this seems like a very depressing event Ellison makes it seem like a positive thing. While, at the end of the story, the narrator still does not know his place in the world he seems to be glad that he is no longer blindfolded. He even questions the readers ability to see, Who knows but that, on some lower frequencies, I speak for you? What Ellison does well is the evolution of the narrators blindness. The blindness motif seems to first show†¦show more content†¦Now at this point the narrator is still blindfolded, and he seems to be moved by the speech and still have some faith in Bledsoe. I mean, he obviously trusts him with the letters. If he did not he would have opened them before he gave them to the prospectiv e employers. One of the first times the narrator removes a blindfold (I say a blindfold because he wears many) is when he eats the yams in the street. Yes this act gives him a sense of freedom, but it gives him an even greater realization. He believes that he can judge a good yam by merely looking at it. You dont have to convince me...I can look at it and see its good. He is making a blind assumption at this point, and on top of that he is doing the very thing that others do to him. He is making a judgment on something based on its outward appearance. When he eats the frostbitten yam he realizes that he cannot make a clear judgment on things based on that appearance only. This can even be brought back to his original assessment of Dr. Bledsoe. The removal of the blindfolds help in the discovery of the narrators own identity. However, when he joins the Brotherhood he is once again blinded. This is shown during the speeches in chapter sixteen. He is afraid that he will become someone else, and the spotlight then blinds him. The Brotherhood hinders his search for who he is. He is trying to find his place in history, but he believes that only through the Brotherhood, who places no value on theShow MoreRelatedThe Theory Of Moral Sentiments987 Words   |  4 Pageswas not suitable for that society anymore, and it needed to build another new theory system to suit the developing society. He wrote two masterpieces that proposed his ideas: The Theory of Moral Sentiments, which discusses the human development by analysing the human emotion, and The Wealth of Nations, which summarises the development of capitalism and it is also a foundation for today’s economy. This essay will analyse the self-interest, plays as a motivator role in morality and economy field, andRead MoreMultimodal Vs. Multimodal Mode1541 Words   |  7 Pagesstories focus on specific populations, and are collected in countries from all over the globe. Once the stories are uploaded to the Humans of New York site, they are classified into series. To be exact the series currently featured on the site are, Invisible Wounds, Pediatric Cancer, Inmate Stories, Syrian Americans, and Refugee Stories. Within the series, are stories examining the experiences and challenges that the people who fall under these classifications faced. As previously stated, Humans ofRead More The Importance of Adam Smiths Work to Economic Thought Essay1595 Words   |  7 Pages From a social point of view, I believe Smiths concept of an ‘invisible hand’ to be a crucial step in economic development under capitalism. This concept states that in order to best benefit his community within a free market environment, an individual must rely heavily upon self interest. Smith recognised that in doing this, however selfish it seems, the individual will, as a result, benefit the community as a whole. The ‘invisible hand’ would have such an effect if every individual acts in orderRead MoreAdam Smith Influence on Economic Theory Essay1655 Words   |  7 Pages From a social point of view, I believe Smiths concept of an ‘invisible hand’ to be a crucial step in economic development under capitalism. This concept states that in order to best benefit his community within a free market environment, an individual must rely heavily upon self interest. Smith recognised that in doing this, however selfish it seems, the individual will, as a result, benefit the community as a whole. The ‘invisible hand’ would have such an effect if every individual acts in orderRead MoreEssay about The Theory of Dark Flow847 Words   |  4 PagesImagine a mystical, invisible influential power, pulling our galaxy far, far away from where it should be. Imagine the milky way being pulled millions and millions of km away. The planets pulled far apart from each other. This would ensure a certain demise of current life forms, forever changing our world. This is the effect of dark flow. Fortunately this appears to be occurring in distant galaxi es, however observations have concluding our galaxy is too being pulled away in a specific directionRead MoreComparing A Case of Identity and The Stolen Cigar Case Essays1107 Words   |  5 Pagesas a very precise, eccentric detective. In the original story, we are told of how Miss Mary Sunderland goes to S.H to find Mr Hosmer Angel-her missing bridegroom-who disappeared on the day of their wedding. S.H manages to find this man, so uncovering the fact that it is her step-father in disguise! In the parody; The Stolen Cigar Case, Hemlock Jones (H.J) accuses Watson of stealing his cigar case and constructs an elaborate/exaggerated story to prove his pointRead MoreSemantics Pragmatics1497 Words   |  6 Pagesdescribe and explain a human language; these aspects include semantics and pragmatics. Semantics can be defined as the study of meaning of lexical words and expressions independently of context. Where pragmatics is the process of recognising the invisible meaning of lexical items and expressions; taking into account the speakers/ addressees intention, the status of hearer/ receiver and the actual situation. This paper will explain the process we, as humans usually follow to understand a certainRead MoreThomas has a very distinctive eye for the miniature of nature, often overlooked by others. Explore his appreciation of the natural world in the poem ‘But These Things Also.’1169 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Ã¢â‚¬ËœAll the white things man mistakes/For earliest violets’ Thomas has a very distinctive eye for the miniature of nature, often overlooked by others. Explore his appreciation of the natural world in the poem ‘But These Things Also.’ But These Things Also is a poem that presents us with an alternative view of Winter and Spring. Similarities are drawn between the two seasons, and Thomas explains how the two are not separate entities, but instead merge into one another until they are inseparable. ThomasRead MoreThe Vietnam War Era Of American History1700 Words   |  7 Pageshas been â€Å"unanimously described as a ‘television’ war fought in images and body counts before Congress and the American public†10, its socio-political and cultural resonance can be most felt in a number of iconic, black and white, still images. Analysing three of these images will provide an insight into the agenda behind, and the processes of the construction of American cultural memory post-Vietnam. The first image under scrutiny is the immolation of the Buddhist monk. The fundamental constructionRead MoreRationalization As The Development Of Western Society And Modern Culture1671 Words   |  7 Pagesrationalization and transition to modernity. Another negative consequence of rationalization, apart from the declining in religious beliefs is what Weber refers to as the ‘iron cage’. By that, he means that social order is traps individuals â€Å"inside an invisible prison† as social order becomes too organized and rational. Too much rationalization prohibits individual freedom. (Study.com) For Weber, the transition to modernity is triggered by the development of cultural rationalization. This accompanied with

Monday, December 9, 2019

Performance Management Omega Inc Case Study

Question: Discuss about thePerformance Managementfor Omega Inc Case Study. Answer: Introduction Prerequisite forms the basis of performance planning(Gruman Saks, 2011). However, Omega Inc. lacks proper prerequisite for appropriate performance planning. There is no direct link between the company top management and sales representatives who are crucial determinants of the company success. Besides, there is no clear definition of the sales representative roles. To overcome this top management should focus on building the performance among the franchisees and also have transparent communication whereby goals, mission and vision of the company will be well defined and understood by all the employees of the company. If performance planning is not proper performance execution will be a challenge(Toppo Prusty, 2012). Omega Inc. seems to lack proper performance planning to the extent that the plans arrived at by the management are not documented. This contributes to the lack of a clear link between the established performance plans and implementation of the anticipated performance. Omega will get rid of this by ensuring that all the performance plans are documented and executed accordingly. Alternatively, any deviation from the laid down performance plans should be corrected. Performance execution provides a prerequisite for performance assessment (Pulakos, 2009). Even though Omega Inc. was able to carry out performance assessment it has been evidently found that the performance plans were never achieved. Therefore, the paper argues that there has been a link between performance execution and performance assessment. Performance assessment drives the management to carry out performance review(Toppo Prusty, 2012). Upon assessment of Omega Inc. performance the paper finds that the performance of the sales representatives has declined. This has forced the company to review the performance and network of the franchise managers. Performance review acts the decision-making foundation for the management to either renew the performance or carry out performance re-contracting (Pulakos, 2009). The performance review of Omega Inc. shows that the performance of the company has declined. Therefore. The best option for the company is to do away with performance renewal and re-contracting. Performance renewal and re-contracting are much linked with performance perquisites(Gruman Saks, 2011). The performance of the sales representatives skills and their services to customers clearly shows that the company should not go for performance renewal or re-contracting. However, if the company opts to continue working with the same franchises, it should compel them to acquire sales persons who are highly competent and qualified. References Pulakos, E. (2009). Performance Management: A roadmap for developing, implementing and evaluating performance management systems. The United States of America.: SHRM Foundation. Gruman, J. A., Saks, A. M. (2011). Performance Management and Employee Engagement. Human Resource Management Review, 2(1), 121-136. Toppo, L., Prusty , T. (2012). From Performance Appraisal to Performance Management. Journal of Business and Management, 3(5), 1-6.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Nyu Essay Essays (516 words) - Capitalism, Stock Market, Bank

Nyu Essay ?Experience is what you receive when you don't get what you want. I remembered my father's words as I tried to postpone the coming massacre. Like during the fall of the Roman Empire, my allies became enemies and my foes turned into partners. In fast and furious action with property changing hands again and again, I rested my fate on the words of one man, hoping he would rescue me from this dangerous tailspin. Don't these experts realize the heartbreak they're inflicting on my young life? While the uncertainty of tomorrow's attire is the most pressing concern for many seventeen-year-olds, I must worry about much greater issues! It's August 31,the market is down over 300 points and the value of my stock portfolio is falling fast. Usually, whenever I mention the words stockbroker or investment other students snicker that I'm actually interested in ?that stock market stuff. My interest in investing began when as a na?ve freshmen I learned that my assistant JV basketball coach Tom Wingfield worked with Dean Witter as a stockbroker. Over the course of the season, I expressed interest in his job, and we became inseparable. Tom became my mentor, and I absorbed every word he spoke. Almost immediately, I became infatuated with the market and wanted to invest every penny I have. To the delight of my fifteen-year old brother, before school I even found myself opening the newspaper directly to the business section, giving my brother first rights to the sports page for the first time in his life. Hoping to soon enter the market, I worked at a nearby retirement home for several months and earned a little money. To help me buy more stock, my father agreed to match any amount of money I invested. I told Tom about the plan, and he thought it was fantastic. The next day, I had a stock portfolio and dreams of retiring by age 30. Three years have elapsed since that fateful November morning, and every two weeks I religiously place part of my retirement home paycheck into the market. Every small-time investor probably dreams of making a million dollars; I was no different. I pictured my meager investments taking off and my becoming a professional trader. August 31 quickly jolted me back to reality, and I was reminded of that infamous expression my father told me. No one really plays the market for experience; that's just what people say after losing money. Nevertheless, even though I'm not a multimillionaire, the experience and knowledge that I gained investing in stocks and following the financial markets is priceless and helped me define my career ambitions. Living in Charlotte has exposed me to the single largest banking merger in history, which made the city one of the world's major banking centers. The combination of my personal financial involvement, late night conversations with my dad, and observing first hand the sheer magnitude of the banking industry inspires me to turn my current hobby into something much greater! I've decided to become an investment banker. Acceptance Essays

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Robber Baron and Business Men Essays

Robber Baron and Business Men Essays Robber Baron and Business Men Essay Robber Baron and Business Men Essay During this Gilded Age business men have been creating large business organizations known as trusts, this ingenuity of these entrepreneurs has been earning them the title Captains of Industry yet their ruthlessness in the building of their industries and wealth at the expense of their competitors has been earning some of these men the title of Robber Barons. I personally believe that these business men have negatively affected the people around them, making them titled as Robber Barons. I chose to talk about documents A, D, E because they show / describe the Robber Barons the best. In document A it shows the picture named Puck. In this picture it shows the workers on the bottom, putting all this work into holding up this company up, or in the picture the ship and the owners or the business men do nothing but make all the money. This truly shows that the owners should be counted as Robber Barons mostly because they arent helping anyone but themselves by making other people to do their Job, and not paying them even close to what he could pay them. In document D it demonstrates the picture The Great Race for the Western Stakes 1870. In this comment these two men are competing to build off the railroad, but the difference is, Vanderbilt, the person on the left of this picture, with the two R. Ors is very successful and rich and Just not giving anyone else the chance to have any success, while the one to the right Just wants to try and expand his R. R company, but Vanderbilt, isnt letting that happen. In document E this cartoon is titled The Trust Giants Point of View. This document shows Rockefeller looking down upon the Whitehorse, making a point that hes bigger and better than everyone with his oil industry. All three document show these men showing that they are Robber Barons by how badly they treat society and how they look down on everyone else. I believe that this Gilded Age has been negatively affected by the actions of these business men mostly to the fact that they are taking advantage of something they should be privileged to have. These men have showed no remorse for people who are not as privileged or even people coming from poverty and the middle class, they will do anything to make as much money as they possibly can, making it unfair for anyone else. Robber Baron and Business Men By reincarnations

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Mark Twain Quotes on Religion

Mark Twain Quotes on Religion Mark Twain had strong opinions on religion. He was not one to be swayed by religious propaganda or sermons. However, Mark Twain was not considered an atheist. He was evidently against conventional religion; and the traditions and dogma that prevail within religion. Religious Intolerance Man is a Religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isnt straight. So much blood has been shed by the Church because of an omission from the Gospel: Ye shall be indifferent as to what your neighbors religion is. Not merely tolerant of it, but indifferent to it. Divinity is claimed for many  religions; but  no religion is great enough or divine enough to add that new law to its code. The higher animals have no religion. And we are told that they are going to be left out in the Hereafter. The Christians Bible is a drug store. Its contents remain the same, but the medical practice changes. Religious Training In religion and politics peoples beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination. A religion that comes of thought, and study, and deliberate conviction, sticks best. It aint those parts of the Bible that I cant understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand. No God and no religion can survive ridicule. No political church, no nobility, no royalty or other fraud, can face ridicule in a fair field, and live. Church No sinner is ever saved after the first twenty minutes of a sermon. Satan hasnt a single salaried helper; the Opposition  employ  a million. Zeal and sincerity can carry a new religion further than any other missionary except fire and sword. India has 2,000,000 gods, and worships them all. In religion, other countries are paupers; India is the only millionaire. Morality and Human Nature Man is kind enough when he is not excited by religion. It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them. By temperament, which is the real law of God, many men are goats and cant help committing adultery when they get a chance; whereas there are numbers of men who, by temperament, can keep their purity and let an opportunity go by if the woman lacks in attractiveness. If God had meant for us to be naked, wed have been born that way. God puts something good and lovable in every man His hands create. But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most? God pours out love upon all with a lavish hand but He reserves vengeance for His very own.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Slap Stick Comedy and American Novelists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Slap Stick Comedy and American Novelists - Essay Example Cartman, mocking the hungry by showing his desire only for the sports watch and not for helping a hungry nation, finds himself lost in a third world country. Another similarity between Grandmother and Cartman is that neither of them are more concerned about others or their surroundings than they are with themselves. Grandmother has her own reasons for not wanting to go to Florida. She uses her family’s safety as an excuse not to go, claiming that there was the chance that the Misfit might catch up with them. However, the safety of her family is the least of her worries. Furthermore, when the Misfit is having his men carry off her family into the woods to meet their end, the Grandmother can do nothing but plead for her own life. She only displays the slightest bit of concern that her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren are not being returned to her. Cartman could not care less about the conditions of starving people in third world countries, even one of their occupants is d elivered to his doorstep. He is more concerned with getting his watch. Then, when he is starving along with the other Ethiopians, he is still more concerned with his own welfare than of those around him. Grandmother and Cartman both rely on the help of God when all else has failed.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Business environment Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business environment Report - Essay Example The changing business strategies to cope with the fast transforming socio-economical paradigms of the times have become crucial factors that enable the businesses to compete against their rivals. The external factors are often the major proponents that necessitate organizational changes. The world economy is presently undergoing tremendous turmoil. In the recent past, the American economy has been under tremendous strain with its deteriorating job market and dismal performance of its various public private companies. Its offshore business has also suffered as a result of bad economic policies of the current republican government, headed by George Bush. The bankruptcy of few of its major financial institutions has resulted in the financial meltdown that has created a serious crisis situation in the American economy that has cascaded down to the rest of the world. The recessive trend in the American economy has forced the businesses to meet the challenges with creative business strategies and embrace the changing business compulsions with vigour and vitality. In a news report in the ‘Guardian’ on 3 December 2008, it was reported that UK’s top retailer, Tesco was really struggling against ‘Morrisons’ to maintain its position. While Tesco had registered its worst sales in 14 years during the Christmas, Morrisons had surged ahead towards the position of top retailer! The article was succinct in describing the cause and effects of the current recessive trend in the retail industry and the various ways through which they were trying to meet the challenges and attract customers to increase their sales. In yet another news item in the same issue, Christ Hirst had highlighted the ‘Christmas supermarket advertisements’. Hirst has revealed that the advertisements play a significant role in the boosting the sales figure and Morrisons’ ‘The campaign is about freshness and provenance,

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Effects of Social Networking on Our Society Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Social Networking on Our Society Essay The use of electronic and social media has become a staple in our society. No matter where one travels one can have access to this great resource. But has this accessibility and dependence upon electronic and social media gone too far? Is this passion for instant gratification affecting our ability to communicate with those around us on a personal level? Another question to ask is whether or not this constant access to technology will help our children develop the necessary skills to succeed in life; whether through multitasking or being able to adapt to new situations. There have been many studies that argue both sides of this issue. Some say these new technologies will improve the quality of life for our children and others argue that instead of helping, it will hinder their ability to effectively communicate. The impact of the internet and social media has permanently altered the lives of all who participate in its web. Kevin Cain’s article, â€Å"The Negative Effects of Facebook on Communication† argues that Facebook is completely changing how we communicate with one other. He says it is creating a society that values, â€Å"†¦frequent communication more than meaningful communication,† (Cain). He believes this has caused us to have shrinking attention spans and has made us want to share more personal information that we normally would not be comfortable sharing with others. â€Å"[We] overshare a variety of information that was once unthinkable for public consumption,† (Cain). On the other hand, Lori Takeuchi’s more researched article, â€Å"How Tweens Use Digital Media to Develop Their Identities† is not quite sure what kind of consequences our overexposure to the internet will have. She believes it can have both positive and negative effects based on a child’s exposure to the internet and the parental involvement surrounding its use. Takeuchi writes, â€Å"†¦reading Club Penguin’s newspaper, for example, can help foster children’s reading comprehension skill and negotiate, collaborate, and evaluate,† (Takeuchi). Even though Takeuchi believes these can be important aids to our children’s learning curve, she does not think that it should completely replace the non-technological part of our lives. She states, â€Å"Rather than replacing or eliminating activities, digital media represent an additional layer of their everyday lives,† (Takeuchi). Takeuchi is very clear in stating family and outdoor activities are still very important and necessary. Although it is clear that electronic and social media is having a powerful impact on our society, it still is not entirely clear whether this influence is for the betterment of the society as a whole. It is however, unquestionable that the internet has changed our lives forever. Although the long term effect of electronic and social me dia has not been thoroughly vetted, it seems as if the misuse of this resource can leave us with undesirable results. Electronic and social media has positive functionality in our everyday life. It can enable a person to research a wide range of topics including, searching medical diagnoses or treatments on sites like WebMD for injuries or illnesses, collecting material for school projects, or it can reconnect you with old friends through Facebook and Twitter. Although communication through Facebook and Twitter can be entertaining and fun, it consumes untold hours each month. Surprising, most users are unaware of this fact. A study in August of 2011 showed that Facebook usage alone accounted for nearly eight hours of online time per person. Twitter did not register quite as high on the scale of online time usage, but it is believed to be because Twitter, like most other websites, does not track the time spent using mobile phones. So, â€Å"these numbers only track visits to Twitter.com, and do not take into account mobile usage,† (Konrardy). That means that the total time spent on these websites is actually much higher. If one takes into account how much time one observes people on cell phones checking their social media, the total time wasted on these sites would be much higher. Not only are people spending an exorbitant amount of time on social networking sites, they are also developing a tendency to be more comfortable having serious conversations through social media or some other form of non-personal communication. This is especially prevalent amongst children ages thirteen to eighteen, â€Å"young Facebook users are relying less on interpersonal communication skills and more on technology to communicate for them,† (Konrardy). This can be a huge detriment to their development of interpersonal skills. If children do not learn how to communicate effectively at a young age, it can hinder them in the future whether in job interviews or when dealing with personal conflict in relationships. Communication is necessary to live peaceably in our society. If children are taught that Facebook and other social networking sites are acceptable forms of serious conversation, they will be less likely to succeed in their personal and public lives. Susan Tardanico said in an article that, â€Å"†¦these generations – which will comprise more than 50% of the workforce by 2020 – would prefer to use instant messaging or other social media than stop by an office and talk with someone,† (Tardanico 1). This change in communication styles has made it difficult for employers to build trust and employee loyalty which then, in turn, can negatively impact productivity. Cell phones and social networking sites cannot offer true communication because â€Å"A whopping 93% [of communication] is based on nonverbal body language,† (Tardanico 1). This makes it extremely difficult for an individual to discern what another person might be meaning through words alone. In October of 2011 Sharon Seline was texting her daughter, who was off at college, asking how her life was going at school. Her daughter continually responded with positive responses, smiley faces, and hearts. This made Seline believe her daughter was quite happy and having a wonderful time at college. In reality, she never left her dorm room and showed tales tell signs of depression, a fact that did not come across in her texts and social networking posts. Later in the same night while she was ‘talking’ with her mother, she tried to commit suicide. Because the daughter’s non-verbal communication was absent from their conversations, her mother was unable to decipher the seriousness of the situation. She had to take her daughter’s written word as fact because she was, unable to â€Å"hear [her] tone of voice or look into [her] eyes†¦ [and] know when â€Å"I’m fine† doesn’t mean [she’s] fine at all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Tardanico 1). If Seline would have been able to see her daughter’s body language, she would have easily recognized, through non-verbal communication that she was not okay and needed help. In this case, face-to-face communication might have been able to keep a young lady from attempting suicide. There is also a direct correlation between the usage of Facebook and other social media sites to a person’s shyness. A study showed that those who have a tendency to be shy, generally have less ‘friends’ but spend more time on these sites. â€Å"†¦although shy individuals do not have as many contacts on their Facebook profiles, they still regard this tool as an appealing method of communication and spend more time on Facebook than do nonshy individuals,† (Liebert 339). Although it may be appealing to those who have a hard time meeting others, what it really does is immobilize them from entering into meaning relationships with others. It reinforces their shyness and perpetuates their lack of social ability in the ‘real’ world. They use it as a means of communication, so they do not have to go out into the world to overcome their shyness. It is easy to see that this study’s, â€Å"†¦findings might be explained by the anonymity afforded by online communication, specifically, the removal of many of the verbal and nonverbal cues associated with face-to-face interactions,† (Liebert 339). Again, this ability to hide in an online community does nothing to help an individual overcome their shyness. In fact this behavior hurts them by creating a false connection and an altered reality by inhibiting them from actual interpersonal relationships’. Without practice, a shy individual will have limited exposure to verbal and nonverbal cues that could in turn negatively impact them in job interviews or other â€Å"real† life situations. Unadulterated social networking has also been observed to negatively impact college student’s grades. Megan Puglisi says that, â€Å"According to Northern Michigan University, college students who used Facebook while studying, even just having it in the background, earned grades 20 percent lower on average than non-users in 2010,† (Puglisi). The impact of lower grades in college could adversely affect ones future life and well-being. For example, if a student can achieve a 20 percent improvement in their GPA simply by removing the constant interruption of social media sites from their environment, this could result in not only better grades, but scholarship opportunities. This in turn could improve that student’s financial burden. If, however, ones grades drop by 20 percent, because of the constant interruption from social media sites, at the extreme end of the spectrum, one could get kicked out of college which would hinder one’s ability to acquire future employment. So sacrificing a little time on Facebook could greatly affect ones present and future life. Puglisi also found that college students’ tendencies to use social media reduced their relationship with their professors. In her article, she quoted Dr. Kelley Crowley, a professor who â€Å"teaches public relations writing and principles of advertising at West Virginia University,† (Puglisi). According to Crowley, students should be pursuing real relationships. She believes that, â€Å"‘Avoiding personal interactions harms the competency of young professionals (Its difficult for students) to speak to respected professionals during interviews because they lack the necessary nonverbal behaviors, like eye contact,’† (Puglisi). Again, this directly relates to how social media can adversely affect college age students when applying to the work force. By not developing proper communication skills necessary for success, these students are affecting their life in a negative way. Puglisi is also a strong advocate for writing correctly on social networking sites. She believes making poor grammatical mistakes can make one look bad. She believes if one proof reads what one says before one posts it, one can â€Å"prevent looking like a fool in front of professors, friends and future colleagues,† (Puglisi). Employers now search out a person’s social media site to see what type of individual they really are. If one used poor grammar and made careless mistakes, the company would be much less likely to hire them. The many articles and researched opinions on this matter coincide with everyday observable behaviors. On any given day, one can walk down the street and see someone on their phone, texting, on Facebook, or looking at different internet sites. People are simply occupied with their electronic devices rather than with the world around them. This lack of interaction with the outside world can cause chronic electronic users to make stupid and sometimes irreparable mistakes. The other day my friend was riding his bike to class. A girl distracted while looking at her phone, walked out in front of him. He had to swerve out of the way so he would not hit her. He ended up crashing his bike, and spraining his ankle; a relatively small injury compared to what could have happened. In this instance, if the girl would not have been checking her phone, she would not have stepped out in front of him, and he would not have been injured. Another more personal incident occurred while I was driving my parent’s car. I only had my permit and my brother and I were heading to my swim practice when I w ent to turn left at a green light. A young lady was texting on her cell phone and went through her red light and nearly hit us. That young lady was tremendously lucky because had she hit us, I would have, in all likely hood, been killed. Two seconds separated me from life and death. This distraction of electronic media can sometimes have very tragic results. In 2012, a Philadelphia man was walking while using his cell phone. Because he was distracted, he fell onto a set of train tracks. Luckily, no train was coming and he was able to recover and get himself out before being crushed. In this case, distracted walking almost cost a man his life. More and more reports of injuries due to distracted walkers are being reported. A study showed that, â€Å"[All]though overall traffic deaths were lower in 2012 than the year before, pedestrian fatalities rose by 4.2 percent and injuries by 19 percent,† (Lowy). This shows a direct correlation between the use of social media and pedestrian deaths. This is no surprise to researchers, â€Å"‘I see students as soon as they break from a class, they have their cellphones out and theyre texting to one another. Theyre walking through the door and bumping into one another, said Jack Nasar, an Ohio State University professor and expert on environmental psychology,† (Lowy). This distraction can easily turn into something much bigger and cause serious injuries. â€Å"A study Nasar conducted at intersections on campus found that people talking on cellphones were significantly more likely to walk in front of cars than pedestrians not using phones†¦ reports of injuries to distracted walkers treated at hospital emergency rooms have more than quadrupled in the past seven years† (Lowry). These studies and reports show how social media and networking sites can greatly harm an individual when undivided attention is not given to the task at hand. Social media has also completely changed the way we read and process information. Nicholas Carr in is article, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid† talks about how the internet has made it more difficult for people to stay focused. â€Å"The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing,† (Carr). This can greatly affect your studying and work ability. By having this inability to be focused, you may have trouble gathering information you may need for a class or work project. This can negatively affect your performance and cause you to do poorer than you originally would. Carr also states that, â€Å"Our ability to interpret text, to make the rich mental connections that form when we read deeply and without distraction, remains largely disengaged.† (Carr). Again, this inability to make connections and interpret the written text can make us less marketable, which in turn damages our quality of life. Carr, when researching his article, came across a five-year long research program. The scientists studied the behaviors of visitors to two different research sites, both offering any different forms of written information. In the study, â€Å"They found that people using the sites exhibited â€Å"a form of skimming activity,† hopping from one source to another†¦ They typically read no more than one or two pages of an article or book before they would â€Å"bounce† out to another site,† (Carr). This type of skimming and non-ability to analyze written word has become a great drawback of social media. Social media and networking sites have had a great impact on our society. It has given us the ability to access any information we want, whenever we want. But this gift has taken us to a level we could never have imagined , and it has not always been in a good way. Through continually having access to social media, we have created many dangerous side effects. By not being able to read one’s body language, we can have a difficult time discerning what they really mean. By hiding behind a computer screen, we can lose many of the abilities to communicate effectively. By constantly having our faces glued to our cell phones, we can cause bodily harm to ourselves and to others. All of these negative ramifications can greatly hinder our capacity to find a decent job, do well in school, and communicate in an effective manner. If people do not become conscience of our misuse of this great resource, we may see even worse side effects than we have already encountered. Works Cited Cane, Kevin. The Negative Effects of Facebook on Communication. Social Media Today RSS. Social Media Today, 29 June 2012. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. . Carr, Nicholas. â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† The Atlantic July-Aug. 2008. Web, 16 Nov. 2012. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/. Konrardy, Nate. Face-to-Facebook Communication. The Northern Iowan. The Northern Iowan, 3 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. . Lowry, Joan. Distracted Walking: Smartphone-wielding Pedestrians Stumble into Danger. The Christian Science Monitor, 30 July 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. Orr, Robert R. et al. The Influence Of Shyness On The Use Of Facebook In An Undergraduate Sample. Cyberpsychology Behavior 12.3 (2009): 337-340. Puglisi, Megan. Social Networking Hurts the Communication Skills of College Students. The Daily Athenaeum. The DA Online, 13 Oct. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. . Takeuchi, Lori. MindShift. MindShift RSS. Mind Shift, 29 Feb. 2012. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. .

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Corruption in Hamlet :: Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

Corruption in Hamlet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   An incidental comment from a minor character lays down, in the opening moments of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the theme which is to pin together all its aspects. Francisco the guard says, 'I am sick at heart.' [Act I. Sc. I, 29]. Francisco's sick melancholy is in keeping with the atmosphere of corruption and decay which permeates the play; unexplained, difficult to define, but with a clear component of dread. And, typically, his expression of misgivings is misinterpreted, perhaps even underestimated. Barnardo, seeking palpable reasons for Francisco's distraction, asks whether Francisco has had a quiet watch. Perhaps he wonders if the ghost has disturbed Francisco, but whatever is ailing Franciso remains secret, simply becoming a part of the anxious atmosphere.       We are constantly reminded of the pervading atmosphere of decay through the imagery used in the play. It is a significant point that the ghost, the only character that could arguably be termed an outside observer, and who is certainly qualified to make some form of prophetic judgement, should be one of the prime sources of imagery of decay, poison and rotting.    Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole With juice of cursed hebona in a vial, And in the porches of my ears did pour The leperous distilment . . . . . . doth posset And curd, like eager droppings into milk, the thin and wholesome blood. So did it mine. And a most instant tetter barked about, Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust All my smooth body [Act I, Sc. v, 66 - 78]    A graphic description, especially since only moments before the ghost had instructed Hamlet not to pity it!    Throughout the play we can trace a progression of corruption, that leads to death, through 'disease' in the characters of Polonius, Claudius and Hamlet.       Polonius is perhaps the most obviously corrupt character in Hamlet. His corruption has occurred long before the play begins; the progression is in the extent to which it is revealed to us. From this courteous, almost comically long-winded member of the court, emerges a personality that is first dominating (as he instructs Laertes: 'These few precepts in thy memory/ Look thou character.' [Act I, Sc. iii, 63]), clearly abusive towards Ophelia:    Affection? Pooh! You speak like a green girl, Unsifted in such perilous circumstance,

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Children Rights for Education

In John Holts essay, â€Å"Freedom for Children† he discusses how children should have their own right to decide how much, when, and what to learn. Holt states that by taking children†s right to learn, we are taking a fundamental right away from them. He also states that, to adults, the right to decide what does and does not interest us is taken for granted and that we are unknowingly taking this right away from children. Holt also states that by sending children to school six hours a day, 180 days a year, for about 10 years we are limiting them. Holt concludes that children are no longer learning, but rather are taught what adults think they should know. I personally disagree with Holts on this matter. If children had the right to control their education, what would stop them from even going or learning things that could be damaging to society? I feel the have plenty of rights as it is. Children today have many rights already in the field of education. In elementary school, no one forces them to stop learning. They can always choose to further their education, by reading perhaps. In high school, there are a variety of classes a student can choose from. All these classes can be selected to fit an individual student. Classes ranging from art and drama all the way up to advanced placement physics are at the disposal of those who want to learn. No one forces children to take these classes. Students take these classes of their own free will. Once in college, a student has the right to choose whatever major they feel fit to be in. If they don†t like that major, they can always change it. What would happen if students were allowed to come and go as they please? All too often, students would never go to class. They would abuse their right and spend their days having fun. I have personally seen friends leave school because they don†t want to be there. If they didn†t have to be there they would not have come in the first place. There are certain things that students should know. Basic math and English skills are required jus to get by in today†s society. If these basic skills are never learned, we risk having an underdeveloped society full of uneducated people. Our world would literally crumble because we run the chance of people not knowing anything. Limiting what children learn today is not the way we want to have them grow up. If we did that, we would have them grow up with a natural tendency to learn what is harmful or wrong to society. What we are trying to do is guide them in life so what they can make the right decisions in life. Exposing them to what is right in the world will help them open up to new opportunities and experiences. As we can see, we are not limiting on what a person can learn, but only protecting that person from abusing it. So many things can go wrong if a person were allowed to take control of their own education. Abuse and neglect are only a few possibilities. The way education is now was designed to be the best for those willing and even unwilling to learn. Those willing can receive the best education their mind is able to give them. The unwilling receive the basics and don†t become a burden on society. Holts† idea of unhindered learning may be an idealistic one, but in the end there are too many flaws and loopholes. An education like that could be societies downfall when our system is extremely efficient now.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Coin

I was born in the fires of an ancient forge in the hilss of the Hindu Kush. Amid the clatter of hammers and the chatter of Greek, I paused on a battered anvil for the final pangs of my creation. Beneath me lay a hardened die bearing the image of my king; atop me pressed another, etched with horsemen and some mirror-image words. Then the hammer struck, hard and heavy, ringing out the news of my nativity. With each belo the dies dug deeper into my flesh, stamping their images as father and mother of a freshly minted coin.As I look back across two millennia for these earliest memories, I marbel at my long, now legendary, journey from mine to mint to market to museum. I remeber Rome as a rising power, a century before the first Caesars; I recall the early days of Emperor Asoka's moral conquests and the builing of China's Great Wall. I have outlived six of the seven wonders of the ancient world. (I am told the Great Pyramid still stands) Yet I am no mute ruin: money talks. Mine is the voi ce of history, recorded by numismatists trained to hear my ancient stories of art, industry, worship, and war.My eloquence youth, when legends traced my origins to a colony of giant ants. Most gold in ancient times was mined by condemned criminals and slaves whose lives meant little to their taskmasters. In my days, the mines of Egypt were legendary hives of human misery. But it was said that gold in great abundance could be found near India, where giant ants piled gold-bearing dust at the entrances of their tunnels. These ants–nearly the size of dogs, the legend said–defended their burrows fiercely against men who dared to steal the spoils of their digging.But such danger was trivial given the normal costs of ancient mining, and so the legend spread as far as Greece. When Alexander the Great invaded the Indus Valley in the fourth century BC, his Greek soldiers eagerly searched for this legendary lode. Local guides displayed for them the dappled skins of the ants thems elves, but the invaders could not find a single mound of precious gold Only a few generations later, however, Greek settlers were gathering large quantities of gold in this very region.These descendants of Alexander's warriors created a wealthy kingdom called Bactria, famous for its beautiful silver and gold coins like me. (See Aramco World, May/June 1994) Where, scholars have long wondered, did the Greek kings of Bactria find so much precious metal? International trade constitutes one obvious source, but giant â€Å"ants† might be another. Two thousand years after I was born, explorers discovered that burrowing marmots on the remote Dansar Plateau, near the borders of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China, do indeed heap mounds of gold-bearing earth at the mouths of their burrows.These stocky rodents, called â€Å"mountain ants† by the Persians who passed the legend on to the Greeks, grow to the size of small dogs and pitch up meter-high hills of auriferous subsoil. Even in modern times, local tribes harvest this gold in an age-old tradition that recalls the legends of my youth. It is possible, after all, that inhuman marmots, rather than inhuman misery, brought my gold to the forges of man. From the moment I left the royal mint of my king Eucratides, eager hands grasped for me. I was a beauty then, the envy of every monarch and merchant from the Indus to the Euphrates.Great artists had carved my parent dies in mirror-image, etching tiny Greek words and figures backward so that these negative forms would produce positive impressions on my two faces. The result, when smashed into 8. 5 grams (0. 3 oz) of gold, is a splendid coin called a stater — a treasure of art as well as riches. My obserse (the â€Å"heads† face produced by the lower, anvil die) boasts a once-brilliant portrait of King Eucratides, framed in a circle of small dots. Behind the king's neck trails the royal diadem, a ribbon tied around his head as the unmistakble em blem of his office.His cloak, engraved in high relief, is that of a cavalry commander, and his great crested helmet resembles a Boeotian design lauded by the historian Xenophon as the best headgear for cavalrymen. Attached to my king's helmet is a frontlet that sweeps back and ends in bull's horns and ears. Some consider this a symbolic evocation of Alexander the Great's war-horse Bucephalus (â€Å"Ox-head†), who had horns according to some accounts, and who had been buried by Alexander near my own birthplace. Like Alexander, my king rode with valor at the head of his elite cavalry and conquered with an aggressive Greek spirit.In fact, Eucratides called himself â€Å"the Great† long before that title was given to Alexander by the Romans. On my reverse (the â€Å"tails† side produced by the upper, punch die), you can still read the exalted caption â€Å"King Eucratides the Great. † No Greek had ever put such words on his coinage before, but modesty was nev er my king's style. The armed horsemen who gallop within the inscription are Castor and Pollux. In Greek mythology, they were the sons of Zeus who would suddenly appear in a crisis to save the day, much like Eucratides himself, who wrestled the Bactrian throne from a faltering dynasty.These twins carry palms, brandish spears, and wear felt caps topped with stars. Behind the rear legs of the trailing horse, you can discern a Greek monogram, W. This mark identifies either the mint or the magistrate responsible for my creation. Nearly every gold and silver coin minted in Bactria carries such a birthmark, but the exact meaning of the many symbols has long been lost. For example, some scholars think that my monogram indicates the city of Balkh or Aornus; others see only the initials of some unknown Greek official who served a few months as midwife in the delivery of my king's new money.If you look past the scars of my long life, I am as beautifully Greek as the Parthenon itself, though I was born 5000 kilometers (3000 mi) east of Athens. I am the mind of the West imprinted on the precious metal of the East. The implications haunt me. Am I propaganda etched on plunder, or the product of a peaceful integration? Do I personify apartheid or a partnership? The design and distribution of currency are deliberate, official acts, so money can never be neutral in the struggles of any society.Look at a nation's coins and you will see the scatter-shot of its cultural canon: even a melting-pot like America has a partisan coinage, its message overwhelmingly white, male, European, and Christian. In ancient Bactria, I was no less biased. My milieu is entirely Mediterranean, and my intrinsic value kept me beyond reach of the marginalized poor of the non-Greek population. Gold circulated over the heads of these farmers and servants, who relied upon small denominations of bronze of silver for their meager purchases.My king minted for them some square, bilingual issues struck on an In dian weight standard, but I belonged to colonial Greek aristocrats, the ruling elite of Bactria. Unlike small bronze and silver coins which travel swiftly but never far, my gold brothers and I ranged into territories quite distant from our monarch's own marketplaces. Throughout the Middle East, Hellenistic states were quick to accept gold coins struck on a common Greek standard with recognizable types. I, for example, would be recognized in any market from the Balkans to Bactria.I had no restrictive local features, as did my square bilingual cousins, and my denomination conformed to the Attic Greek system used nearly everywhere in Alexander's old empire. The range of my travels can be easily documented: In Mesopotamia, for example, another Greek king so admired my design that he shamelessly stole every detail for his own coinage. But globe-trotting gold cannot be too careful, for everywhere, insatiable melting pots stand ready. My parent dies produced as many as 20,000 siblings iden tical to me; now, of them all, only I have survived the gauntlet that gold runs.The most critical moment in any money's life is the day it ceases to be currency. Once a coin can no longer circulate in a given place or time, human hands are quick to convert it into some more useful form. Most of my brothers became bullion again, their identities soon lost in the issues of other, less ancient kings. Some may exist still as a statue's thumb or a goblet's lip, but I would not recognize them. I carry the last known imprint of our shared dies because an unusual circumstance spared my life. Painful and defacing though it was, that occasion added 2000 years to my story and gave me an unexpected career.A sturdy loop of my metal was fused to my reverse side, right across my galloping horsemen. The attachment was sized to fit a finger, and I became a sinet ring. This ancient operation changed the whole pattern of my life. My surfaces no longer wore evenly; instead my obverse suffered horribly as it rode that band exposed to daily bumps and bruises, while my reverse design was now shielded from the whold. I lived a strange new life on the wrong side of the humand hand, banished from the palm where coins enjoy the camaraderie of active currency. Who had done this to me?The Greeks, as far as I could determine, were gone. Shortly after my king's reign, Bactria fell to successive waves of nomadic invaders. Some of them later settled in the region and created the Kushan empire, astride the famous Silk Roads that linked the empires of Rome and China. One Kushan ruler so exceeded my own king's ambitions that he proclaimed himself not only â€Å"the Great†, but also â€Å"King of Kings, Son of Heaven, Caesar† — a title that is simultaneously Iranian, Indian, Chinese, and Roman. Although I finally found myself outside the closed world of my Greek makers, I felt welcome among these eclectic Kushans.They borrowed freely from my past. One of their graves containe d a magnificent cameo imitating my design, and signet rings of Greek style were common elements in their elaborate gold-spangled costumes. Eventually lost or interred — I cannot recall which — I reluctantly returned beneath the soil of Central Asia. For twenty centuries I slept; you cannot imagine the burden of time. My gold kept its luster while all around me the corrosive poisons of earth ate away the baser metals. Above me, kings gave way to caliphs and khans as new realms dawned and died.Other gold shone for the civilizations of Muslims, Mongols, and Mughals while I lay undiscovered, underground, my fame forgotten. Neither man or marmot rescued me — until modern times. Then, I suddenly awoke and saw myself reflected in the wide dark eyes of a jubilant discoverer. My new guardian considered the expedient of the melting pot, but my unusual appearance gave him pause. Not just another antique coin, I was a warrior's signet, well-suited to his own station. He was an Afghan officer, and I found a new home on his hand. There I was schooled in the long history I had missed.I learned that Bactria had become Afghanistan, where the weapons were new but the wars unchanged. Great powers still converged upon this rugged and remote bastion in order to control the gateways between Europe, Asia and India. Now, however, this struggle was called â€Å"the Great Game. † Intrepid spies from czarist Russia and imperial Britain crept along the snow-filled passes of Central Asia, and tired armies clashed in places called Kabul, Kandahar and the Khyber Pass. Rudyard Kipling and others romanticized the struggle, but brave men did not bleed the less for all this talk of games. I saw the fight firsthand

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Human Emotion and Foreign Policy Essays

Human Emotion and Foreign Policy Essays Human Emotion and Foreign Policy Essay Human Emotion and Foreign Policy Essay In this essay, I will argue that we should consider the role of human emotions as an important factor in foreign policy decision-making. Over the last three decades, research has found substantial evidence of the influence of emotions in several areas of political science and international relations. Studies have shown that emotions affect political attitudes (Redlawsk 2006), political preferences (Brader, Valentino, and Suhay 2008), and policy decisions (Marcus, Neuman, and MacKuen 2000). These robust findings show that we cannot contest that emotions significantly influence political decision-making. Over the last few decades, International Relations and Political Science scholars have worked to understand how emotions, such as compassion, fear, hate, embarrassment, anger, revenge, and ‘saving-face, have played a major role in foreign policy decision-making. However, one has to note that these studies have assumed that a person or a group of collective identity drives the perception, interpretation, evaluation, and response to international political events (Snyder, Bruck, and Sapin 2002). To bring my point closer to ‘home, recent newspaper headlines describe world events using emotions such as ‘anger, ‘rage’ and ‘hatred. The undercurrent of emotional rancor and bitterness are displayed at varying levels within the domestic and international affairs of India and Pakistan, Jews and Palestine, Albania and Serbia, and the United States and China, to name only a few. Against these events and happenings, it is clear that emotions play a significant role in foreign policy and foreign policy decision-making. This paper is written in three main sections. Firstly, it will introduce the theory of emotions, in particular, integral and incidental. Secondly, I have used two case studies to showcase the play of emotions in foreign policy decision-making by unpacking and analyzing the significant role of emotions in the foreign po

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Herman Hollerith, the Inventor of Computer Punch Cards

Herman Hollerith, the Inventor of Computer Punch Cards A  punch card  is a piece of  stiff paper  that contains digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. The information might be data for data processing applications or, as in earlier times, used to directly control  automated machinery. The terms  IBM card, or  Hollerith card,  specifically refer to punch cards used in semiautomatic data processing. Punch cards were widely used through much of the 20th century in what became known as the data processing industry, where specialized and increasingly complex  unit record machines, organized into  data processing systems, used punched cards for data input, output, and storage.  Many early  digital computers  used punched cards, often prepared using  keypunch  machines, as the primary medium for input of both  computer programs  and  data. Punched cards are now obsolete as a  recording medium, as the last election in which they were used was the 2014 midterms, according to the Pew Research Center. Semen Korsakov  was the first to use punch cards in informatics for information store and search. Korsakov announced his new method and machines in September 1832; rather than seeking patents, he offered the machines for public use. Herman Hollerith In 1881, Herman Hollerith began designing a machine to tabulate census data more efficiently than by traditional hand methods. The U.S. Census Bureau had taken eight years to complete the 1880 census, and it was feared that the 1890 census would take even longer. Hollerith invented and used a punched card device to help analyze the 1890 U.S. census data. His great breakthrough was his use of electricity to read, count and sort punched cards whose holes represented data gathered by the census-takers. His machines were used for the 1890 census and accomplished in one year what would have taken nearly 10 years of hand tabulating. In 1896, Hollerith founded the Tabulating Machine Company to sell his invention, the Company became part of  IBM  in 1924. Hollerith first got his idea for the punch-card tabulation machine from watching a train conductor punch tickets. For his tabulation machine, he used the punch card invented in the early 1800s, by a French silk weaver called  Joseph-Marie Jacquard. Jacquard invented a way of automatically controlling the warp and weft threads on a silk loom by recording patterns of holes in a string of cards. Holleriths punch cards and tabulating machines were a step toward automated computation. His device could automatically read information which had been punched onto a card. He got the idea and then saw Jacquards punchcard. Punch card technology was used in computers up until the late 1970s. Computer punched cards were read electronically, the cards moved between brass rods, and the holes in the cards created an electric current where the rods would touch. What Is a Chad? A chad is a small piece of paper or cardboard produced in punching paper tape or data cards; also can be called a piece of chad. The term originated in 1947 and is of unknown origin. In laymens terms, chad is the punched out parts of the card - the holes.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

World War 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

World War 2 - Essay Example The latter seriously wanted to put a full stop to their expansionism. Unfortunately, the growth of fascist attitudes in these nations had stemmed as a chain reaction from the wounded feelings and humiliation meted out to Germany by the US and its friendly nations at the end of the First World War. The First World War had resulted in wounded feelings among Germany and its friendly nations. The greatest combine of US, Britain and France had forced on Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria several peace treaties as soon as the first global war ended. At the height of anti-German hatred in 1919, the Big Three 1 had forced the wounded Germany to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Finding no alternative, Germany had obliged bowing to the dictates of the Big Three. Neither America nor its friendly countries had imagined that the Germany’s humiliation at their hands would arouse in course of time national feelings in that country leading to the emergence of dictatorial, highly powerful and ambitious leadership. As per the treaty, Germany had agreed to the principle of self-determination of different nationalities. Under the famous 14-point formula 2 proposed by Woodrow Wilson and ably supported by Clemenceau and George, old pre-war European empires were broken, and the map of Europe was redrawn to ensure that each nationality lived with in its own borders, independent of foreign powers. It had resulted in Germany losing 13.5% of its land and 12.5% of its population (1). This was the main reason for much of the heart- burn caused to the Germans. Obviously and ironically, US had never abided by the 14 p oints proposed by its President Woodrow Wilson. Later it became clear that the US proposed this formula with a view to cornering Germany only. As the years went by, Germany had come to know of the tricks of trade adopted by the US and thought that the latter proposed this 14-point formula to

Thursday, October 31, 2019

DDT and malaria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

DDT and malaria - Essay Example The disease is common in subtropical and tropical regions including a lot of Americas, Asia, and the Sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is very common in these regions since they have reliable hot temperatures and large amounts of rainfall. Since mosquitos live in a warm environment with consistent temperatures, they breed continuously in the aforementioned areas. Significance of Malaria Malaria is one of the major contagious diseases in tropical environments and a huge public health disaster. It has been ranked the leading cause of death in the world where almost five million new cases are identified, with deaths of two point seven million annually according to Glaser and Knight (2007). Historically, malaria has infected humans since the creation of mankind. Malaria has not spared is victims despite of their status and position, the American President John Adams for example nearly succumbed to malaria while on a diplomatic mission in Amsterdam. It was until the nineteenth century that fact s about the real cause of malaria became known. So far despite this knowledge, malaria continues to grossly affect the populations of south East Asia, sub-Saharan, and Latin America its victims manly comprising pregnant women and young children (McConnell, 2006). Malaria causing mosquitoes are known to breed in swamy areas or areas that have stagnant waters where they lay their eggs. The Plasmodium parasite apart from infecting humans, also affects reptiles, birds, rodents, chimpanzees and monkeys. Plasmodium enters the bloodstream and damages the red blood cells as well as affecting the spleen, kidney, liver, and other vital body organs. Malaria has other names like falcipurum malaria, quartan malaria, black water fever, plasmodium, and tertian malaria. Thus malaria parasites are transmitted by female anopheles mosquitoes (Capinera, 2008). Information on the economic workload of malaria is needed to focus interventions equitably and efficiently, and to establish investment in contr ol and research of how to combat the disease. Treatment of malaria is costly its asociated expenses a burden to the victims. Many institutions use weak data to estimate indirect costs, which fail to account for seasonal variations, the difference between the marginal and average product of labour, and the means firms and households survive in response to the illness period. Impact of DDT There are several measures used in combating malaria including use of insecticides, mosquito nets and medication that fight the disease. One product that has been used for a long to in fighting malaria is DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). DDT is a synthetic pesticide invented in 1874. DDT opens sodium ion paths in the neurons of insects enabling them to fire suddenly which results to eventual deaths spasms. However, in humans it affects the health through endocrine disruption or genotoxicity. Genotoxic substances are recognized to be potentially carcinogenic or mutagenic, particularly those cap able of causing genetic mutation and of contributing to the growth of swellings as noted by Miller and Spoolman (2008). DDT may be directly genotoxic, although it may also make enzymes generate other genotoxic intermediates. It is also an endocrine disruptor in that it act as an ant androgen. According to Roberts and Tren (2010), the remains of DDT on the walls of the houses can change the transmission mode of mosquitoes. The non contact repellant action of DDT remains can stop a malaria mosquito from entering the house. In

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Pragmatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Pragmatics - Essay Example But there has been an inclination to use pragmatics as a division of linguistic semiotics instead of pertaining it generally as sign systems. Another philosopher and logician named Carnap have made his own narrowing version of Morris' three branches of semiotics. It is within the field of pragmatics when the speaker receives open reference in an investigation. It is within the field of semantics when we extract from the user of the language and examine the expressions and their meanings. Finally, it is within the field of syntax when we extract from their meanings and analyze only the relations between the expressions. This trichotomy version of Morris' was the most influential (Levinson, 1983:3). Pragmatics was thought to be "the study of aspects of language that required reference to the users of the language that led to a very natural, further restriction of the term in analytical philosophy (Levinson, 1983:4). The study of deictic or indexical words such as I and you is one aspect that requires that kind of reference. There is also a view that pragmatics is the study of languages, both natural and artificial that contained indexical and deictic terms. However, an implicit version of Carnap's definition in 1960s was embraced by the movement of the generative semantics which means the investigations requiring reference to the users of a language. The history of that movement expects a historian of ideas concerning pragmatics that involves the rebirth of interest in meaning. In this period, the range of pragmatics was completely restricted to investigations that contain at least potential linguistic inferences. Definitions of pragmatics Pragmatics is the "study of language usage" while syntax is the "study of the combinatorial properties of words and their parts" and semantics is the "study of meaning" (Levinson, 1983:5). But the term pragmatics covers both context-dependent aspects of language structure and principles of language usage and understanding. There are actually various definitions of pragmatics that has continuously been improved. The first definition states that "Pragmatics is the study of those relations between language and context that are grammaticalized, or encoded in the structure of a language" (Levinson, 1983:9). In other words, pragmatics is the study of the aspects of the relationship between language and context that are useful in writing grammar. But the problem with this definition is that it excludes the principles of language usage and the very significant implications called conversational implicatures (Levinson, 1983:10). This means that the related fields such as sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics are also excluded from pragmatics. However, the only main strength of this definition is that it restricted the field to entirely linguistic matters. It handled the feature of pragmatics concerned with language usage but not the part about the principles of

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Case Study On Firstgroup Plc Information Technology Essay

Case Study On Firstgroup Plc Information Technology Essay This paper outlines the benefits of environment influence on business. The paper specifically discusses about the FirstGroup Plc and environment influence of PESTEL analysis. what is the impact on the business of the stakeholder such as, Governments, customers and communities. The paper concludes the FirstGroup Plc strategy to overcome the demand of the customers risen above the pack because of its extremely ethical and highly exposed business practices, both in regard to its sourcing and its treatment of its employee. Here I have use the case study of FirstGroup and some web site to have clear idea about the company. The operation of FirstGroup Plc is make good strategy to control the external influence factors. PESTLE Analysis is an analyzing of the external influence factor of the business environment. It show the big picture of the company in which area they are working. These are ingredients which are over and over again outside the control or influence of a company, and that is why it is very significant to be aware of them to compact with in the approach of the business. First Group is the leading face of the transportation service in the UK. So here we are reviewing external factors which have influence on internal environment of the business for understanding market growth or decline, in comparable to the situation, possible to lead to good direction for transportation business. The number of employee working with FirstGroup is more than 137,000 in the UK and the USA. Total numbers of people using the rail service are 275 million a year. There are leading transportation service providers in UK. They also provide school transportation service in USA to more than 4 million students a day. What is PESTEL? Now ear days the business is a not only influence by the internal factor but the external factor also play a more importance role while running a business. PESTEL is mainly use to examine the external environment that has an impact on the business. The main point of the PESTEL is to recognize the major environmental tools by considering external factors that business has to face. The PESTLE covers all the external influences factors affecting a business. PESTLE analysis one of the useful tool which help the business to have very close look of large image of the environment in which we are functioning the business, and what are the new probabilities and what harm a business has to face. By knowing more about the environment surrounding the business in which we have to function, it is an external influence to the business or sector. One can also take benefit of the new technology and reduce the harm.  Ã‚  PESTEL stand for Political, Economic, Social, technological, Environment, Legal analysing tools has more major impact on the business. So the business is trying to identify the external influence that has an effect on the operation of the business. Here in this case of the First Group is one the good example of PESTEL analysis. PESTEL is one type of a business tool where all the letters of the word itself describes what impact it would have on the business environment.  PESTLE analysing tool is use for knowing the risk which is linked with market ups and downs , and also with the situation, prospective and path of a business or industry. The PESTLE Analysis is generally use as point of reference tool, see to the area where the company stand or what is demand of product in the situation, which carries more impotence outside the business and what effect will it have on the oppression, what is going inside an business. It is describe in web site that A PESTLE analysis is a business measurement tool, looking at factors external to the organization. It is often u sed within a strategic SWOT analysis Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis (Morrison, 2010). Links and factors affecting business Political There is a good example of influences factor use in the case study of First Group. The Political elements mainly is that, the people should use the public transport more than their personal cars and vehicle to reducing CO2 emissions from the environment which one of the major issue faced by the UK government. So for that FirstGroup need to provide safe and dependable services that will give more confidence to the people for using their bus and trains. If more people decide to make use of the public transportation service then their cars and personal vehicle it would automatically helps the environment. Legal The Legal factor which also has an effect on the FirstGroup is mostly link with the political factor. Most of the time Legal ingredients are separated from the political ingredients mostly because of the growing legal influences external in the national political system, such as European and regional legislation (Strategy Survival Guide) All the legal needs of the UK government is easily full by FirstGroup, they also try to give more than their best and more than the demand of law. For example, they are trying to take steps which are related to take action to reduce CO2 emissions from their vehicle, to mach Europe-wide standards in advance from the governments 2010 targets. Transport companies should also buy carbon credits to reduce their CO2emissions. In advance they have built a budget for this. Environmental Social Even environmental and social link in this case study of PESTLE Analysis factors. For the example of CO2 emissions, is an Environmental ingredient which has Political Legal influence, it has an Social impact in the UK culture where the customer is more Green consumers they like to use the goods and services which are more eco-friendly which also have less impact on the environment study case added. Political, Social Technological Another example is that FirstGroup has invested huge amount to meet up the government objectives for the condition of low down floor so it easy to get in bus for wheelchair users and pushchair responsive in buses which is the most appropriate technology for aged handicapped persons, so we can see the new technology use for them by the FirstGroup it also demands by Political influence to satisfy Social needs. An Economics A Socials Economic factors include changes in demand, like the demand for safer school transport has led to research into the introduction of Yellow Buses, based on the US experience. Another economic factor is high fuel taxation. This encourages people to use public transport more. These are customers demands a Social factor influence the Economic one. (Managing external influences) Benefit of working with government The benefit to work very closely with government is that they will encourage people to use the transportation service provide by FirstGroup to reduce CO2 emission in the environment which is one of the step to make environment eco-friendly. It is said that we are responsible to protect an environment. Working with government is not only the reason to make a profit but it also provides a good service to people. The strategy use by FirstGroup is to improve the fuel efficiency in their vehicles, buy new vehicles which are fuel efficient green vehicles, use of other fuel resource like biodiesel, also by giving training to the divers and use of new technology to keep an eye on performance of the divers. Their main aim is to reduce the CO2 emission form their bus up to 25% and from rails up to 20 % by end of 2020. They also make easy for the people how wish to change from the car to public transport by give them schemes in Parking Ride schemes. It is very difficult to find a parking space in a big city like London. That data itself show the importance of transportation services in the case study. That there is 8% rise in usage of the services to 1.2 billion people have use transportation last year. The FirstGroup has increased their reputation with government and they also has vision like this transform travel, they also enlarged their network with the government circles by the buses were used during the Olympic Committees visit in February 2005 as well as the knowledge to win expectations of new bus contracts to set free hydrogen fuel transport to the public. Their driver does therefore make good business sense. First Response toward the Changes in demand First Group plc is the largest, convenient and safer transportation service in the UK. They are becoming popular because the change that has been made in response to customer and government in the First group. When we analyzed the change made by the First then that gives 100% satisfaction to us. Here I am going to represent some of the change made by the First bus services. The FirstGroup has the potential and resources that allow them to connect their actions to create economic importance and possibly to be ready for action and its reward. The strengths of their business is that they have an ability to create a unique products and services according to demand of the consumers, they believe that customer services should be of high levels. Their strengths as a good business unit are their culture, its employment and teaching method, or the quality of its managers. The change in transportation service in UK is due to the political change and new change in the policy of the government i n transportation business. FirstGroup has invested heavily in new technologies and providing buses that lower the floor for easy entry for the older and handicap people Political Change First is operating throughout UK. The state show that UK has more than 62,113,205 by 2010, and it has been increasing dramatically. In the beginning, the government was worried about the population and usages of private cars by the people that are reasoning Co2 emission was increased and made climate change. However, in 1980, when they made transport service private than First has made a good Climate change Strategy for providing more efficient, novel and sustainable bus service to the people so they like to use more bus service than own cars. FirstGroup main goal is to decrease Co2 emission by 25% till 2020 that is reasoning they implemented different strategy like improving the fuel efficiency, using biodiesel, new technology for driver performance. Economic Change In order to exits in the market, everyone has to the response to change, which needs to meet customers demands. In order to meet customer response, FirstGroup works very closely with the Neath Port Talbat Council for improving the service. Second most striking features of a first group were that they have started the yellow school transportation services. They have designed special pilot service to the students where students can feel safe and friendly in the bus. Additionally, first has an increased Vehicle safety issue like pad seating, included seat belts, additional escape window and CCTV camera. Another economical response done by First was that in major cities like London, FirstGroup made public transportation so easily by providing park and ride schemes to avoid parking problems and high taxation on fuel paid by using own car. Social and technological change In the UK, people are believed that old people are assets of the cultures, so they need to have special care and attention all the time so First has lunched citizen pass where elderly people do not need to pay any money for their transportation. Mostly the old people like to use FirstGroup bus service because they provide easy and safe service. Technological The First are very responsive to new technology. The new technological use by FirstGroup is to low down the floor for the old and handicap people so that they can easy enter in the bus. E.g. as see this daily while using the treanslink service that bus derive low down the floor so that handicap people can come in bus. They provide good convenience service for handicap and old people. Moreover, FirstGroup provide good transportation environment such as new road layout and bus shelters. Environmental and Legal Factors change High CO2 emission is the biggest problems in the UK that is reasoning climate has been changed drastically so first has developed Climate Change Strategy. Furthermore, many of the legal laws have been changed for transportation because of certain issues. The first has prepared all buses that meet all required by new laws. Even they have been preparing a budget to this. Overall, First group has been responding all time to meet customer and government demand. They have made a lot of change during its whole journey, so they can survive in this competitive market and give 100% satisfaction to all their stakeholders. Evaluation of Effectiveness FirstGroup provide dependable, secure, novel and sustainable transport service. When we go through change that has done by First group then we will come to know that they are always targeting customers demand and satisfaction, and they respond quickly to change that is the reason that is successful. When we observe the changes made by First group then we will realize that every time they come up with new strategy and innovation to any type of issues like. Climate Change Strategy Increasing in the CO2 emission, they adopted Climate Change strategy in which they encourage the people to use more bus or rail service by giving more convenient, reliable and safe service. Yellow School Transportation and Pilot Service By providing the yellow school transportation service, they make up student mind to use more school bus service where they can feel the good, reliable and safe way to reach to school and home every day. Also they are focusing more on the safety issue, so they implemented new things like padded seating, seat belts and CCTV. Green Consumers People are more aware about global warming and environmental issues so Green consumers are preferring to use bus and rail services than air or big cars so First has designed their service in the such ways that they can reach to each corner and give more convenient services to all people. Over all, first has made lot of changes to improve their services in order to meet customer and government demands. First group not only takes care about transportation issues, but they do care about social and environmental issues they are reasoning they are a leader in the transportation services. Conclusion SWOT analysis is use to analysis a business sector and whereas a PESTLE analysis the current market demand and situation, mainly demonstrating the growth or the fail back and by this means they try to find out way for demand in market, business possible, and also find out way of market possible. FirstGroup analyses the threats identify the risks take an excellent choose to flop them to an opportunities. Planning scenarios for the future take no chance make FirstGroup a Blue-chip firm in London stokes market. Many factors where Firsts control. Change can from this factor- Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental .The challenge now turned threats into opportunities by looking at feedback of the consumers and to the external influences of the business in order give the consumers best service to their value. FirstGroup make good strategy for the demand of changing environment.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Lord of the flies :: essays research papers

In the exciting novel, Lord of the Flies, there are many symbols. Some more important and more observed than others. One of these more important and more thoroughly observed symbols is Piggy’s specs. Piggy’s specs are crucial to the boys’ survival on the island because they made the fire that they so badly needed for survival. His specs help in there survival because without the specs to make the fire they wouldn’t have been able to keep warm, cook food, or signal the ship that rescued them. The specs were so important that they argued and fought over who got them. One time Jack’s gang stole them and broke them because they wanted them and needed them so badly. So many people desired them because they are needed to survive on the Island. Lastly, the specs represent many things in the book such as power, leadership, and differences between Jack and Ralph.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Piggy’s specs are used for lighting the fire in the beginning of this novel. This is a huge accomplishment because without the fire the kids would have died a long, long time ago. The fire enabled them to eat, keep warm, and signal planes of boats for rescue. His specs are essential to their survival.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The specs help in their survival because the fire is the main priority on the Island. It cooked the food that the hunters kill. Without cooking the food they can’t eat anything except berries and plants. These things run out and are not as nutritional. The kids need meat to survive. The fire kept the kids warm during the nighttime. At night it gets cold out and the kids could get sick if they are exposed to extremely hot or cold temperatures. This would cause the kids to get sick and maybe even die. Also, the fire was used as a signal. The fire signaled the boat that rescued them from the Island. The boat wouldn’t have come to save them if it didn’t see the smoke made by the fire. The fire is an absolute necessity on the Island. The kids would have had no chance of living without the fire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One time, the specs got broken because Ralph and Jack separated and Jacks gang wanted the spec. Therefore, Jack’s gang tried stealing them in the night from Piggy. They didn’t steal them but the specs were broken. Another time, they ambushed Piggy and stole them from him.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Beautiful Boy by David Shelf

Beautiful Boy by David Sheff 1. Sheff intrigued me with his story just by the back of the book. The entire story is about his eldest son, Nic, who is an amazing student as a child; however, his childhood begins to fade when he gets into the life of drugs and alcohol. The experiences and hardships that the author goes through is very emotional which really kept me reading. 2. The setting affects the author and his story. The book takes place in modern day times as in 2008.This impacts the author and his experiences because this is the time where drugs became more known and they were easy to get which made it harder for Nic, David Sheff’s son, to stop the drug abuse. 3. The themes in this book are patience and faith. David must be patient towards the recovery of his son’s drug addiction. He knows that this process cannot happen over-night no matter how hard he wishes it could be that easy. He waits patiently for Nic to get better. Nic, however, goes through rough patches while on this journey to succession, but his father always has faith in him.I think that David and Nic’s experiences were incredibly traumatic. Sheff felt the pain that his son went through while being an addict and felt the need to share it with others. Another reason Sheff might have wanted to share this experience is because he wanted to show the difficulty and how bad it is to take drugs. 4. â€Å"When Nic was growing up, I thought I would be content with whatever choices he made in his life†¦ Now I live with the knowledge that, never mind the most modest definition of a normal or healthy life, my son may not make it to twenty-one†(195-196).This proves the understanding that David has over his son’s life and that even though he believed at one point that Nic’s decisions will be made by himself, Nic has not made all the right decisions. This proved to David that his son needs guidance through out his whole life because once you are a father you ar e always a father. I chose this passage because this to me is David Sheff’s entire understanding of his son and this memoir. It shows that he understands what it means to be a father and what his role is 5.If I could meet the author I would feel a little nervous. I would feel uncomfortable asking him any questions because I wouldn’t know how he would react: would he get emotional? Would he get annoyed? Would he act fine because he gets questions all the time. A hypothetical meeting with David Sheff is if he came to my school to talk about drug and alcohol addiction and how it impacted his life and others around him. A question I might ask is when did you realize that your son was not a casual user, but was an addict?What was your immediate reaction? I would talk about the impact on his family, siblings and friends. I would ask about whom his friends were and if they were older because of the drug use. I would ask how he had the money for the drugs. A story of my own th at I would share with the author is about a kid that I know that ended up not being able to go to college. All of a sudden he began going to rehab and no one knew why. As time went on people began to realize that he did drugs and drank a lot.He became banned form school grounds for a certain amount of time. He was supposed to go off to college, but ended up not because he got in trouble with the law and had separation anxiety. His younger sister had to deal with the fights at home and her brother that she loved very much. I would share this story with Sheff to show that even though this story is not about my family or me, my family was one of the people impacted by this child’s actions.