Title of your paper

It feels like such a long time since I last saw you. I know I've only been away for only a few weeks, but so far my vacation here at Greece has been great! I'm currently staying at the Academy.I found a friend who shares the same passion with me in philosophy and he asked me to come with him to this place to meet other people. I'm very glad to stay here, I've learned a lot from various people.Anyways, yesterday I was walking along Agora or the city market and found some really great stuffs to buy and take home. In this place I found many people who are trading and talking about gossip (for women) and politics (for men). After hours of walking, I was able to get to the Hephaisteion.   I stayed for a while and witness the beauty of the temple.At noon, the heat at Athens   is topnotch so I stayed at the Stoa for cover. There are two kinds of Stoa, the one I stayed at was the Painted Stoa. It is a long covered hall that is open in one side and is decorated with many beautiful paintin gs.I spent almost an hour there and spent the whole time talking to people who get to engage in a conversation with me. It's really funny though for they will just come up to me and ask me something all of a sudden.I was so dumbstruck. At the right of Agora are the sacred places that can be found in the city like the Theatre of Dionysos, the Askelpieion, and most of all the Acropolis.After a while of wandering around, my attention got caught by a group of man loudly arguing among one another. I happened to ask someone about what's going on and he told me that the male citizen are debating about big decisions that affect the city.This place that I got into was called the Pnyx, the home of the assembly of people. However, I want to go to some quiet place instead and got interested in following young children each carrying small vases. I noticed I was back at the entrance of the city which was the Karameikos for I used the potteries as a landmark.By the end of the day, I decided to spe nd my time at the cemetery and stayed there till sunset. The cemetery was great for it really depicts the culture of the Athenians with their pottery and carvings.But what interests me most is the people's daily activities on the city. By what I've observed, they're almost routinary. Different kinds of people have specific type of jobs to finish each day. Even before the day starts people can be seen from all over the place.I came to ask a man why he was up so early and he said he had a trial and he have to prepare. Women get water from the fountains and traders are up for early trading. By mid-morning, servants are already working on their respective jobs. And by noon, the Agora and almost every plac ein Athens is so busy with people talking, doing business and many more.By mid afternoon, the place starts to quiet down and shops are preparing to close, this is my favorite part of the day in Athens for it is very peaceful and relaxing. And at last by midnight, servants start to rela x and even play games with their friends.I somehow got used to the busy and loud environment here at Greece. Though I'm not quite used to talking about politics all the time, or even some serious or religious topics like religion and life. Athens is a very economic centered city and almost all people has something to trade and has something to offer as livelihood. All over Greece, the people grew olives, grapes, and figs. They kept goats, for milk and cheese. In the plains, where the soil was more rich, they also grew wheat to make bread. Making it smell like a combination of vegetables and farm animals at the same time.I really liked it here so far. I wanted to explore the city more but I guess need to have more time. Nevertheless, today I was invited to go to a friend's house and spend the night there. I'm gonna have to take a look at a Greek house and be amazed once again.I'll write to you again very soon. Take care always. See you!

Choosing a Career Path Can Be a Difficult Decision

Finishing school is the beginning of the independent life for millions of school graduates. Many roads are open before them: technical schools, colleges, universities. But it’s not an easy thing to choose a profession out of more than 2,000 existing in the world. That’s why the topic of choosing the career path becomes one of the major questions for many students. Some people know ride away what they want to do in life, for others it’s an extremely difficult decision.Selecting the right career path, you need to be proactive about your decision because this choice will change your entire life! Sometimes it’s difficult to establish career goals if you’re not really sure what you’d like to do. A good place to start is some self examination. First of all you should decide what are your or could be your talents. These are the things that you are naturally good at. They can be discovered and developed, but not taught. Secondly, concentrate on your skills – these are how you do something. They can be learnt and are transferable.The extent to which you can develop your skills can be influenced by your talents. Finally, determine your character traits – whether you like dealing with people, what mental stimulation you need, whether you like physical work, your emotional make-up, how you handle stress and other emotions, what sort of environment you would like to work in. You might also want to look at what sorts of roles, industries, or areas interest you. Make sure you’re honest, keep an open mind so you consider all options before you make your decision.You also should be careful not to pursue ideas or careers that seem attractive in some way (well paid), but that aren’t actually suitable for you or in which you don’t have the natural strengths or personality type. Everyone of us has a unique set of skills and talents, so you should focus on them, and then think about where and how to apply t hem. To narrow your search down, you may like to create a list of the careers that you like and you are suitable for. You could also examine people who you know, and consider what their strengths are, and what sorts of roles and industries that they work in are.It might be worth asking your friends and family what they think as well. In the modern society family support is extremely valuable. That’s why you can be more confident and do the things you think you should. This way, there is the lower chance of having hard times in your life – you can totally rely on them. In this situation, I believe, is it fair to choose a job that gives you personal satisfaction even if the salary is lower than other available jobs. However, if you don’t have a family support, you shouldn’t concentrate just on making money.It’s very important to enjoy yourself. The job you do, makes a big difference in your everyday life. Who wants to be nervous and irritated every s ingle day after a boring day at work? This can be caused by the wrong decision in choosing the career path. That’s why, on one hand you should be sensitive to your family members’ suggestions, but on the other – â€Å"Listen to your dreams – those are the sounds no one else can hear. † (Kobi Yamada) Another key to happiness and satisfaction in your life is balance. Finding it can be a bit challenge to a lot of people.But if you know how to balance your professional and personal lives, you will have more time to do the things that you want to do! First of all, you should prioritize (decide what things are the most important to you). Do your best to improve your personal skills. Secondly, manage your time and divide your day into smaller parts to create some sort of schedule. This will also put more limits and make you work more productively. In addition to all of this, you should enjoy yourself. If you do, then you will not feel stressed and burned out.This way, you can get out of your office happy and ready to face your personal life. The balance in your professional and personal lives is a mental state that is reached, when you do not have the need to separate these two worlds. All in all, planning your own future is one of the most difficult things to do. That’s why, you ought to think about it carefully and remember that your choice of the career path will determine your status in society, satisfaction of your needs, income and even your circle of friends!

Preventing accidents to children Essay

One of the hazards in the nursery is wires. To minimize the risk of children tripping over wires, wires should be tidied away out of the areas where the children are to prevent them from tripping up over them. Also, cable management systems such as cord covers could be used to cover the wires which make it less likely that the children could trip over them. The Healthy Working Lives website advises to ‘try to place equipment to avoid cables crossing pedestrian routes and use cable guards to cover cables where required’ (Healthy Working Lives, 2013). Slips/ Trips and fall is another hazard in a nursery and to minimise it so that service users are not at risk you can make sure that such hazards are put onto a side where it is not in the way of children. For e.g. if toys are in the walkway then tidy them away to a side. The Safety and Health website says that to prevent slips trips and falls you should ‘clean up spills immediately. If a spill can’t be cleaned up right away, place â€Å"wet floor† warning signs for workers. Keeps walkways and hallways free of debris, clutter and obstacles. Keep filing cabinets and desk drawers shut when not in use. Cover cables or cords in walkways. Replace burnt-out light bulbs promptly. Consider installing abrasive floor mats or replacing worn flooring. Encourage workers to wear comfortable, properly fitted shoes’. (Safety and Health, 2016) Another hazard in a nursery Weather/ Room temperature. To minimise the risk of children professionals and other in the setting suffering from hyper/hypothermia the nursery should ensure that the setting is suitable for service users to be in. This can be done by nursery staff making sure that the setting has an appropriate temperature for e.g. if its cold outside then they should ensure that the nursery is nice and warm for the service users’ and others who work or maybe visiting the nursery. If the temperature outside is too hot then The Nursery World advises to ‘avoid physical activities on very hot days to minimise the risks of heat stress, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.’ (Nursery World, 2015) Hazardous substances – cleaning products, beach etc. is one of the major hazards in a nursery as the harms and severity are very critical. In order to minimise the risk of this hazard substances and cleaning products should be placed out of children’s reach or placed in a locked cleaning cupboard. The Health and Safety Executive website advises to ‘Use good work techniques that avoid or minimise contact with harmful substances and minimise leaks and spills. Store cleaning products safely.’ (The Health and Safety Executive, No Date) In a nursery Doors/ stairs is also another hazard. In order to ensure that no service users are harmed by this hazard and the risk of potentially being harmed to be reduced the nursery should place some control measure to prevent them and they could be things such as door-slam stoppers or jammer. The Safe Kid website advises to fit hinges with protection strips ‘these devices cover the hinge where the door is joined to the wall. They are a long strip of plastic, easily fitted, that bend with the door when it opens, preventing children from slotting their fingers in.’ (Safe Kids, 2015) Open windows can be hazardous for service users as well as other people in the setting. The risk can also be very severe for this the nursery should try to minimise the risk of children being harmed. This can be done by placing some barriers such as gates around the window so children can jump out, this can also help safeguarding as no intruders will be able to enter. The Baby Centre website advises to ‘fit locks to prevent your child from opening them from the bottom. Fix low windows so that they don’t open more than 12.5cm.’ (Baby Centre, 2017) Faulty electrical equipment’s are another hazard in a nursery. This hazards has an overall rating of 12 but it can severely affect service users, professionals and others in the setting. In order to minimise this risk all electrical equipment’s should be regularly tested, any electric’s that are broken or can be hazardous to people should be disposed of or put out of use. This is supported by The Nursery World website that says ‘All electrical and gas equipment to be maintained and subject to annual inspections. The service histories of appliances should be recorded in a log book.’ (Nursery World, 2017) Medication or drugs lying around in the nursery is another hazard. To minimise professionals should keep an eye on service users to ensure that they don’t do anything that could place them in harm. This can be done by professionals making sure that the setting is safe for the children. Any medication that are in the premises should be authorised by the nursery nurse or it should be a prescribed by doctors. These medication should be kept by professionals and given to service users as prescribed. The Kids Health website advises to ‘Store all medicines, prescription and non-prescription, out of sight and out of reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet. Even items that seem harmless, such as mouthwash, can be extremely dangerous if ingested in large quantities by children. Just because cabinets are up high doesn’t mean kids can’t get their hands on what’s in them, they’ll climb up (using the toilet and countertops) to get to items in the medicine cabinet.’ (The kids Health, 2017) Climbing frames/ broken toys can also be hazard in a nursery as service users can be harmed during playtime or when doing activities. To minimise this risk the nursery should make sure that all their equipment’s have a risk assessment done, make sure that the toys in the nursery aren’t harmful to the children, broken toys can be a hazard as service users may fall of them and gets hurt or it may drop on them depending on what toy it is. When children are playing on the climbing frames a professional should keep an eye on them or help them on this activity as they may fall from it and get injured. Toys with sharp edges should be avoided and the nursery should have age-appropriate toys. The safe Kids website says that ‘Useful points to consider include what to look for when buying toys, understanding safety marks and labelling, ensure that the right safety checks have been carried out, and considerations when giving and receiving used toys.’ (Safe Kids, 2011) Another potential hazard in a nursery is the event of a fire. If the nursery have control measures in place then the likelihood of a fire can be reduced. Control measure could be equipment’s that may cause a fire being checked and tested regularly, cookers and gas check should also be up to date and recorded on a logbook. The Kids Health website supports this by saying that making sure all electrical appliances are tested, making sure that wires are in good condition and sockets are safe to use. Fire alarms, fire doors etc. should be installed in the case of a fire and the Safety website says that the three P’s are recommended, they are: †¢ ‘PREPARE – Reduce the risk of fires by eliminating hazards. †¢ PRACTICE – Practice a fire evacuation plan and general fire safety practices. †¢ PREVENT – The Unthinkable’

The Jamestown Fiasco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Jamestown Fiasco - Essay Example Following the way the Spanish had dealt with the Indians, Smith used force to make Powhatan leave the lands, and he actually achieved that. Smith saw Indians in the English Virginia as slaves. Smith tried his best to encourage the English settlers to grow their own, but the settlers fancied the way Indians lived without much work, and many escaped to join the Indians. Smith had limited authority until the end of 1608 when most of the influential council members had either resumed for England or had died. Using the added authority that he gained after that, he forced the settlers to work by proposing that those of them that only those of them would get food that worked. Smith continued assaults on the Indians, but did not feel like killing them. Smith’s treatment of Indians was not consistent with the type of relationship the Virginia Company had aspired to develop with them, so the returning council members claimed that Smith had been unnecessarily rude towards the Indians. Th e council members were also granted a charter because the conciliar government had not been able to adequately control the settlers. Therefore, the company chose a governor that gained advice from the council but made independent decision. This improved the government in Virginia and the laws for all kinds of corruption were well-defined. The military discipline made the colonists work in an organized manner. The Lawes also formulated special rules that defined how the Indians were to be dealt with. The company aspired to make certain Indians part of the company, though they had generally even become more ruthless towards the Indians than Smith had been. Despite that, the colonists were short of corn and continued to retrieve it from the Indians even after ten years of military government. Lack of equal distribution of profits among the shareholders and private enterprises generated a disincentive for the colonists to work hard enough to grow the corn. The trend of independent farmi ng surfaced between 1609 and 1614. Meanwhile, Gates and Dale proceeded to develop the land all through James up to Henrico. Virginia was being rapidly developed. Gentlemen in Virgina became six times as many as they were in England. Gentlemen were knowledgeable people meant for strategic planning, not for menial jobs. Gentlemen were much more in number than the laborers, due to which the productivity suffered. Virginia needed more craftsmen than gentlemen. The company thought that there was a lot of steel, gold and silver to be found in Virginia, so it demanded workers skilled in their exploration. But the author thinks that the settlers would have faced an increasingly challenging time had the company received workers belonging to diverse vocations as it aspired. Having little to do in their respective professions in Virginia, many would resort to becoming gentlemen rather than joining the laborers in the fields. The company wanted the colonists not to spend their whole effort and time on farming, because it wanted precious things like silk, sugar and wine to be sent to England rather than grains, but there were hardly any riches to be transported to England in the early years. This discouraged both the leaders and the workers. Finally, the Virginia Company was able to cultivate tobacco and send it to England, but the original goal remained unachieved. I was convinced by the author’s arguments since most of them are supported with the original pieces of

Strategic planning and contro Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strategic planning and contro - Assignment Example Finally, an action plan will be provided, which will reflect my way of enhancing mu abilities for accomplishing the task objectives in future. From the overall project, I have developed an in-depth idea about Mobile Inc. By means of conducting the market research, the position of the company among the competitors as well as in the global economy was also understood. As per my understanding, it was necessary to conduct a SWOT analysis of the company in order to identify the external opportunities and threats to the entity as well as recognise its internal strengths and weaknesses. There are many external threats to the organization including fear of the competitors and various economical factors that might have further increased risks for the company in the global context. Moreover, various opportunities were also identified that would have helped the company to prosper and develop a competitive advantage over the competitors. However, the internal strength of the company revealed the efficiency of its human resource management and the workforce that led the company further to run effectively. Certain strategies were also r ecommended in order to achieve the long-term objectives of the company and an estimated cost was provided for the implementation of recommended strategies in the projected year. Moreover, in order to prepare the forecasted ratios and group financial statements, I had to analyze the financial report of the company as well as conduct a thorough market research in order to collect the relevant data. An in-depth research was conducted as well as the lecture notes were followed in order to prepare the project. Accordingly, I had to conduct a SWOT analysis of the company i.e. of Mobile Inc. in order to find out the external opportunities and threats as well as relate those with its internal strengths and weaknesses. In subsequence, detailed

Expansion On Authur Millers Death Of A salesman Essay

Expansion On Authur Millers Death Of A salesman - Essay Example man, such as an ancient version of Willy Loman from Arthur Miller’s play â€Å"Death of a Salesman,† would be no more shocking or dramatic than fish going bad. However, a modern audience has a much more difficult time relating to the sanctity of the mighty. It is much easier for them to expect downfalls of their leaders and more shocking to them when they see someone more like them, a common man, fail due to his own mistaken beliefs. Thus, in modern times, Miller’s ‘low man’ Willy is the quintessential classic tragic hero of the modern age. Although the tragic hero was a character in ancient Greek plays long before Aristotle codified the term, they all shared these same characteristics that Aristotle identified. As has been mentioned, in ancient times, these ideas were reserved for men who had the potential to reach greatness of some kind – usually men with a claim to nobility. Despite their greatness, they become destined to fail because of some tragic flaw in their character. This tragic flaw is typically, but not always, the flaw of excessive pride in one’s own abilities. No matter what the flaw is, it is always tied strongly to the reasons for their success and is therefore something the individual is justifiably proud to exercise (Aristotle, 1998). According to Zarro (2001), â€Å"the tragic effect will be stronger if the hero is ‘better than we are’, in that he is of higher than ordinary moral worth. Such a man is shown as suffering a change in fortune from happiness to misery because of a mistaken act, to which he is led by his hamartia (his ‘effort of judgment’) or, as it is often literally translated, his tragic flaw.† Society has shifted since then in such a way that today, we consider the common man as having a greater chance of higher than ordinary moral worth in his dedication to making an honest living for modest goals. Today’s tragic hero cycle focuses more on the three events than the noble status. The social

Barfing as Identity Development and Expression in Myles Everyday Barf Essay

Barfing as Identity Development and Expression in Myles Everyday Barf - Essay Example These reasons seem to be mundane, but in reality, they say something about the real feelings and ideas of those who barf, who will be called barfers in this essay. Nothing is random in Myles’ prose poem because events, actions, and characters are all interconnected. Myles provides different events and conditions that make her and other people barf, thereby showing that barfing is both an individual and collective process. Myles argues that to puke is a metaphor of developing and expressing one’s true identity because it is a process of spilling what is inside, so that the barfers can understand who they are and for others to recognize and to accept their identities too. Myles’ troubled relationship with her mother is the center of her barfing because as her mother, she affects her fundamental process of becoming. Myles admits the complex relationship she has with the woman who gave birth to her. On the one hand, she wants to be near her mother again, as she tries to convince her to â€Å"come back† and live with her at â€Å"P-town† (Myles 75). This paper believes that she might be craving for comfort from the original woman of her life because of her failed relationships in the past. On the other hand, Myles show hesitation. She thinks that â€Å"maybe [she] didn’t really want that† (Myles 75) and her mother may not have wanted it either. Still, the feeling that she â€Å"failed† affects her (Myles 75). ... No place† (Myles 75). Myles wants her mother to come along, but she realizes that it might not be good. It might not be good for her to be close to her real identity- a woman and a lesbian. She might be disgusted and that the revelation will harm their relationship further. She is conscious, nonetheless, that her identity cannot be suppressed. Identity smells like puke. If people do not want to see it, they can smell it. They â€Å"could smell the stuff,† the real stuff inside others (Myles 76). Despite the restless emotions, Myles understands that her mother has not completely destroyed her, although the latter continues to affect how she sees herself as a person. Living with her mother has turned her into a puke hater: â€Å"[she hates] puking† (Myles 75). She must have wanted to puke because she has a hard time being who she is with her mother. Myles cannot directly express her identity to her mother, so puking is her release. It is her way of expressing her â €Å"being.† But she cannot puke with her mother around. She cannot â€Å"become† without feeling the judgment of others. Her mother does not fully accept her lesbian identity yet. The â€Å"tipping† of the boat relates to the tip of the iceberg. The iceberg is an individual’s entire identity, where the submerged part is the subconscious. It is also often what is hidden from others. Myles has a hard time being herself because she thinks of what her mother will think about her. But she wants to tip it, to rock the boat and barf. Tipping is the word she likes for it represents a catalyst for revelations, the un-hiding of the hidden self. Myles knows that her mother cannot accept a boat of puking adults, or adults who are openly gay or bisexual. Her mother will leave- as she had

Modern Arabic Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Modern Arabic Media - Essay Example We have to carefully access each belief by keeping in mind these different criteria's, which will help us, give our responses and will result in a well orientated research from which actions will take place. In short, we can say that culture can be known as the identity of a person, which varies from person to person. (Traditional beliefs and health problems, 1, n.d) When we talk about Arab culture, there are many cultures because of which we can not say that the Arab culture comprises of only one culture, but this comprises of many cultures which is vary vast and rich in communities, groups and cultures. Within the countries there exist many different cultures due to which there are differences amongst themselves, which is not amongst the countries but within the countries as well. Arab is territory which ranges from Morocco across Northern Africa and then to the Persian Gulf. Arab countries are also being termed as Middle East and North Africa. The key component of Arab countries is that they are religious and culturally different having Islam as their most dominant religion. They include different races such as Muslims, Christians and Jews. Religion does play a vital role in the Arab countries and their politics. It has been observed that all Muslims are Arabs and all the Arabs are Muslims which is a wrong conception. Their culture is a civil ized one in which the modern cities combine with the ancient cities. Religion plays a vital role in politics of the country. In the Arab countries women are subordinates of men in the society, which is being varied from country to country. Arabian Peninsula have the most restricted condition over women as compared to other countries such as Egypt and Lebanon, the women have less restrictions and are able to work with men in the society. They respect their families and friends and they act as a center for the Arabs in which Men are always the head of the family. (Arab Cultural Awareness, 1, 2006) Problems faced by Arab Media Today the Arab media is facing problems which include political, social, and cultural problems. It all began after the disastrous tragedy of 9/11, when the US government was shocked by attacks on them and Arab media played a major role to expose all the related information of the environment. The Arab media displayed the entire real picture of the on screen events as well as behind the scene. At that time, the US government was of the point of view that how the Arab media was showing and informing the people's mind. They launched an investigation into this matter to find out the real picture. Americans deeply investigated into the matters at how they are revealing information which has not been revealed before. All this started to cause problems for the Arab media which was researching deep analysis into the matters and providing information against the US Government. (Arab Media, 1, 2005) Cultural problems faced by Arab Media In the Arab countries companies are of the point of view not to leak out any sort of information which can be processed by the journalists. They try and keep things to themselves and do not share their internal information. The companies do not want themselves to

Financial management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Financial management - Essay Example Spencer PLC has more than 703 branches across UK in retail parks and in high streets in addition to the airports, stations and other places ranging from the flagship store and out of town over square feet of 100,000 to conventional Food Stores of 7 thousand square feet. The operating activities cash flow, the net cash gotten from the operations has been inconsistent from 666.5 M in 2009, 1601.80 M in 2010, 1197.50 M in 2011, 1443.30M in 2012, and 1236Min 2013. There was little impact of the currency movements on the sale and to the operating profit (Focardi & Fabozzi, 2004). Since the increase of the amortization the income tax reduced but this did not have any impact on the operating cash flow. The reduction in the net cash that the company earns means that the firm has less money to invest. This will subsequently lead to reduction in acquiring the assets and thus fewer dividends are declared to the investors. The cash adequacy ratio shows that the firm operating activities produces insufficient funds to meet the needed business obligations. The Spencer business has since reduced over the years which are evident from the reduction trend of the operating cash flows (â€Å"Foundations of Finance The Logic and Practice of Financial Management, Stude nt Value Edition + Myfinancelab Package†. 2010). This means that the subsidiaries are deteriorating over the years. With the above data it is clear that the net cash flow has been reducing over the last three years which is not a good sign for the company. The net investing cash flows from the investing activities have has unfavorable data which are in negative since 2009.. As outlined in the table the figures from 2009 shows a deficit of 251.7 M, 2010 showed a surplus of 253M, a deficit of 253.4 M for 2011, a deficit of 650.8 in 2012, and a deficit of 966.2 was reported in 2013. The company acquired properties, investments, equipment and

What is Joyces perception Essay Example for Free

What is Joyces perception Essay In the Dubliners Joyce trails the children in his stories from childhood to maturity gradually increasing in age from one story to the next. The characters in the first three stories are young enough to still entertain hopes and dreams of their adult lives and the adventures and experiences that they might have. These first three stories The Sisters, An Encounter and Araby are all set in the childhood stages of life. In all three of these stories the children come across as young, innocent and very nai ve. Each one of the children in each of the stories learns or discovers at least one thing about the adult world that they live in. There are three words that describe the childhood world in Dublin at this time perfectly and they are isolation, paralysis and entrapment. In The Sisters the boy discovers the reality of death when a close adult friend of his dies. At the beginning of the story he is intrigued by the world paralysis, It filled me with fear, and yet I longed to be nearer it and to look upon its deadly work. This boy had not come across the idea of confinement to one particular place or room like the dying priest was on his deathbed and the idea was a strange one for him. He wanted to understand it and when the priest dies the child grows to understand the idea a bit better. The priest is said to have taught him a great deal, mind you; and they say he had a great wish for him. The priest assumed that the boy would want to go into the church without any discussion or ideas from the boy, this shows that during this time in Dublin the youth were guided by the adults around them, they followed on doing the same job as them. The children of this time just thought that this is what happened and they didnt have the choice of what they wanted to do as they entered adulthood, this is an example of entrapment in childhood. In An Encounter the boy discovers the corruption of the adult world. As a child the boy believes that all adults are trusted. The boy meets this stranger and the man takes an unusual liking to the boy and pays a strange amount of attention to him. There seems to be a sexual nature about the attention that he is paying to the boy and the boy does not see this at the beginning and speaks to the man about literature and school punishments but then the boy seem to understand that this is not the way that most adults have spoken to him before and he sees that something is strange about this and so tries to get away from the man. He had not seen this side of the adult world before and he then did not know how to react towards the people around him, he understands that not everyone is to be trusted. The boy in Araby has just discovered a girl that he has strong feelings for. He wants to please the girl and so he agrees that he will go to the bazaar on the other side of Dublin and buy her a present. From the story it seems that she is a bit older than the boy and seems to have had more experience of people of the other sex and knows how to manipulate the boy and enjoys how much she knows the boy likes her. In this story the boy discovers the opposite sex and the circulation that relationships and the opposite sex themselves can lead you into. The boy was so determined to go to the bazaar just to impress this girl, maybe he wouldnt have gone if the girl didnt want some thing from there. There are lots of ideas of circulation in the three stories about childhood. At the time that Joyce has set these stories there was a lot of circulation in Dublin, the children would have found it very hard to get out of the way that people wanted them to react and behave. They would have found it hard to find a job for themselves most families had generations of their families in the same job and workplace it would even have been hard for them to leave Dublin and Ireland as there were not great opportunities at that time for these people. All of the children in Dubliners live with their aunt and uncle whether this is because the children have been abandoned by their parents of have left with them due to professional or any other reason is not known, but this shows that there is a great sense of family based groups in Dublin at this time and there may not be a way of getting out of this again, the idea of entrapment and circulation. I believe that children at the time that Joyce wrote the stories of children in the Dubliners were not aware of the dangers of the adult world around them. I think that they are very nai ve and innocent and they have a lot to learn about themselves and those around them. In these particular stories these children discover death, the corruption of adulthood and the opposite sex. These are all very important this in the development towards adolescence and then adulthood. I think that Joyce was very aware of the development of children at this time and I believe that he conveys their youth and naivety very well in the stories that he wrote.

Self awareness in persons with brain injury

Self awareness in persons with brain injury Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a major medical issue which can affect anyone regardless of class, race, ethnicity, gender, or age. It can be defined as damage to the brain, which occurs after birth and is not related to a congenital or a degenerative disease. These impairments may be temporary or permanent and cause partial functional disability or psychosocial maladjustment (Brain Injury Association, 2009). People who have sustained an acquired brain injury are not easily pinpointed in society due to the lack of external symptomology, and therefore ABI is usually referred to as the hidden disability. This title, named accordingly, is due to the extensive damage to their cognitive and social functioning and less to do with their physical appearance, which in many cases remained unchanged. So what causes ABI, and who can be affected by it? This type of injury can occur due to a series of incidents, and anyone can be affected by it. Some possible incidents include a road traffic accident, a fall, an assault, a stroke which causes damage to the brain, complications during brain surgery, tumours, viral infections, or lack of oxygen to the brain (a possible result of a heart attack, hypoxia, or anoxia). ABI can be split into two types traumatic and non-traumatic. A traumatic brain injury can occur due to a closed or open injury. The more common type, closed injury, occurs when the brain is bounced around in the skull due to a blow to the head, such as the impact from a road traffic accident. What this impact results in is damage to the brain tissue. An open injury, on the other hand, occurs when an object such as a bullet, fractures the skull and enters the brain (Headway, 2009). This type of injury is less common and usually damages a specific part of the brain, therefor e resulting in specific problems. The other type, non-traumatic injury, is simply one that does not occur as a result of a trauma, such as a stroke or a tumour. Prevalence of ABI is unknown within Ireland, however Headway (2009), an Irish organisation specialising in brain injury rehabilitation, accumulated ABI data from various countries and applied this to an Irish population in order to estimate the prevalence. With this information they suggested that between 9,000 and 11,000 people sustain a traumatic brain injury each year in Ireland. They estimated that there are approximately 30,000 people in Ireland between the ages of 16-65 with long term problems following trauma to the brain, and that the 15-29 year old group are three times more likely to sustain a brain injury than any other group. Another Irish study, OBrien Phillips (1994), recorded individual patient details for all head injury admissions to the Neurosurgical Unit at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. They estimated a prevalence of head injury among patients in Ireland to be approximately 13,441 per year, which is just slightly higher than Headways (2009) estimation. Results from t he 225 patients they studied portrayed that road traffic accidents accounted for 48% of injuries sustained (the largest proportion), and falls accounted for 36%. The researchers also found that between 1987 and 1993 there were 3,154 people killed and 64,971 injured on Irish roads. Alcohol consumption prior to the injury was also found in 31% of cases. In a larger study, Tagliaferri et al. (2006) attempted to locate the prevalence rate of brain injury, this time in Europe. They claimed that the absence of prevalence data hampers the full assessment of medical treatment and rehabilitation needs (p. 265) and that prevalence studies in Europe are essential, and should be undertaken extensively. With this in mind they suggest that brain injury patients will increase by 775,500 each year in the EU, and that 6,246,400 people are alive with some degree of TBI [traumatic brain injury] (p. 260). Thus we can conclude from these studies that Ireland has a prevalence rate of ABI from about 9,000 to 13,5000, a slight impingement upon Europes figures, but a worryingly high statistic for Ireland alone. There are three levels of brain injury, which indicate the severity of the neurological injury mild, moderate, and severe brain injury. To qualify for a mild brain injury, one must score between 13 15 on the Glascow Coma Scale, which records the conscious state of a person. This type of brain injury can occur due to a brief loss of consciousness, and the patient may present himself or herself as confused, and suffering from a concussion. Symptoms that occur within this severity of brain injury are predominantly headaches, fatigue, irritability, sensitivity to noise or light, balance and memory problems, nausea, decreased speed of thinking, depression, and mood swings. A moderate traumatic brain injury can be diagnosed when the patient scores a 9 12 on the Glascow Coma Scale. This injury occurs when there is a loss of consciousness that lasts from a few minutes to a few hours, and confusion lasts from days to weeks. Patients in this category usually make a good recovery with treatm ent. The last level of brain injury is severe brain injury, and this occurs when there is a prolonged unconscious state or coma that lasts days, weeks, or months. This category can be categorized into subgroups of coma, vegetative state, persistent vegetative state, minimally responsive state, akinetic mutism, and locked-in syndrome. (Brain Injury Association, 2009). There are many changes and consequences that affect a person after they have suffered from an acquired brain injury, whether mild, moderate, or severe. These changes may be temporary, improving in time, or permanent, dictating the way they live the rest of their lives. Not only do the changes affect the victim, but they also affect the victims support system (i.e. their surrounding family and community). Each brain injury is unique and subject to change, and depending on the severity of the injury, a patient will witness cognitive changes shifts in the ability to think and learn, affecting memory, concentration, flexibility, communication, insight, and responses. Physical changes will also be apparent in the form of fatigue, headaches, chronic pain, visual and hearing problems, and sexual function. Behavioural changes may include impulsivity, irritability, inappropriate behaviour, self-centredness, depression, lack of initiative, and sexual behaviour. Challenging Behaviour As stated earlier, most people who have a head injury are left with a change in the form of their emotional or behavioural pattern. This is inevitable as the brain is the seat and control centre of all our emotions and behaviour (Powell, 1994, p.96). With this in mind, challenging behaviour alone has become synonymous with ABI as one of the main behavioural deficits that occur following injury. The literature of ABI has accentuated that challenging behaviour presents the most significant behavioural disturbance within this diagnosis, and can pose serious problems for their recovery, their family, and also their community. Kelly et al. (2008) provided evidence that challenging behaviours have often been associated with risks such as family disintegration, loss of accommodation, reduced access to rehabilitation or community facilities and legal charges (p.457). Results of their study indicated that 94% of the patients they studied showed broad behavioural disturbance, with 60% engaging in four or more behaviour problems (p.463). However, due to convergent opinions on what constitutes a challenging behaviour, defining such behaviour has become difficult. However, Headway Ireland (2009) have made one such attempt to define challenging behaviour: any behaviour, or lack of behaviour of such intensity, frequency and/or duration that has the potential to cause distress or harm to clients/carers/staff or one which creates feelings of discomfort, powerlessness, frustration, fear or anxiety. It is also behaviour, which delays or limits access to ordinary community facilities and is outside socially acceptable norms. As mentioned earlier, types of behavioural problems that may occur following an acquired brain injury include agitation, depression, anxiety, self-centredness, withdrawal, physical aggression, increased/decreased libido, impulsivity, self harm, restlessness, paranoia, and many others. As each brain injury is unique, some patients may suffer with some symptoms, whereas others may not. Each person is entirely unique, with severities and symptoms being completely individual. So why exactly do patients suffering from an ABI present with challenging behaviours? Powell (1994) suggests that there seems to be four main reasons why these challenging behaviours exist: (a) direct neurological damage; (b) exaggeration of previous personality; (c) the stresses of adjustment; and (d) the environment the person lives in (p.97). With regards to direct neurological damage, the challenging behaviour results directly from the damage done to the certain area of the brain. Many of the challenging behaviours stem from damage done to the frontal lobes, which are important for the regulation of emotions, motivation, sexual libido, self-control and self-awareness. Following a brain injury, the patients existing personality traits, tendencies, and problems may be exaggerated, it is as if the controls or brakes which modify and regulate the personality have been loosened, and traits and mannerisms become distorted and exaggerated (p.97). It is highly important for the professio nals working along side the patient to be aware of the patients previous personality when attempting to understand their challenging behaviour. Thirdly, stress of adjustment can also be a major contributor to the challenging behaviour that persists in patients with ABI. Finding out that one can no longer do the simple things in life anymore, such as play their favourite sport or instrument, can be extremely frustrating and stressful for the patient. It is more likely that under these extreme conditions of stress that one would become more angry and irritable, and become more preoccupied with their problems than before. Finally, the social and physical environment can also contribute to the onset of behavioural problems. The social environment relates to the natural supports surrounding the patient such as family, friends, neighbours, and professional staff, whereas the physical environment depicts the patients setting, whether its an institutional setting or a family home. Taking in to consideration both the social and physical environment, if the person suffering from ABI is not understood, and communication and support is poor, then their behaviour is likely to deteriorate as a result. It is crucial for the patient to be in the correct environment to reap the best opportunities possible. How others respond to the challenging behaviour of a person with an ABI plays a crucial role in the rehabilitation process, as well as the quality of life of family and friends surrounding the patient. Of concern is the setting in which the patient is located these behaviours can endure and worsen over time, particularly in unstructured settings where there is often little control over the environmental contingencies that govern behaviour (Kelly et al., 2006). Alderman (2001) has stated how behaviour modification programmes can create profound changes within the neurorehabilitation setting. There exists an amalgamation of research conducted in this area with some very mentionable results. Watson et al. (2000) conducted a case study on patient, JH, who had sustained a brain injury as a result of a gunshot wound, and developed severe behavioural problems. A differential reinforcement of low rates of responding (DRL) intervention was devised for 85 weeks, which allowed JH the opportunity to gain stars at the end of the day if he had absolved from aggressive behaviour to a created limit. This treatment resulted in JHs level of Clopixol being reduced from three times a day, down to two without any side effects on his challenging behaviour. DRL has demonstrated the effectiveness in reducing both the frequency and severity of aggressive behaviour 10 years after a very severe TBI had been sustained (p.1011). Other studies stress different approaches to treatment of challenging behaviours, such as remedial behaviour therapy approaches, or Rothwell et al. (1999) who suggest the main emphasis in treating challenging behaviours should be upon behavioural assessment as it engenders an empathic understanding of what is often offensive behaviour, which helps reduce the stress experienced by the people affected by the behaviour and leads to respectful, individualized and holistic interventions (p.530). Self-Awareness As mentioned earlier, challenging behaviour is synonymous with ABI, however deficits in self-awareness have also been well established in the literature to be evident in patients with brain injury. Impaired self-awareness poses great challenges for rehabilitation, and also for the safety of the patient suffering from the ABI. Self-awareness can be defined as the capacity to perceive the self in relatively objective terms while maintaining a sense of subjectivity (Prigtano Schacter, 1991, p. 13). The ability to think subjectively and objectively of ourselves, and to adjust our behaviours accordingly, are abilities that are often overlooked, but are none-the-less crucial for daily living, and integration into society. These skills are commonly impaired following a brain injury, as both are constructs associated with executive functions and related to frontal-executive systems dysfunction (Goverover et al. 2007, p. 913). Oddy et al. (1985) undertook a study in a bid to portray the implications of a decreased level of self-awareness (specifically behavioural limitations) after traumatic brain injury. The researchers asked patients and their surrounding families to describe the behavioural problems that prevailed seven years following the brain injuries occurrence. The results noted that patients tended to underestimate their problems in comparison to their families reports. For example, 53% of patients noted that memory problems were the most common long term difficulty, whereas 79% of the families noted memory problems as significant sequelae. Also, patients failed to report two problems that the families reported. 40% of the families noted that the patient behaved in a much more childlike manner, and also that the patients refused to admit to their difficulties. This study brought to light the issue of self-awareness impairment. We have so far spoken of self awareness deficits and its prevalence within people who have ABI, but what exactly are the implications of such a deficit? It is widely suggested that an increased impairment of self-awareness is associated with increased problems in most other areas of the patients life. For example, Larn et al. (1998) studied that ABI patients with poor self-awareness show less compliance and participation during treatment in rehabilitation. Malec Degiorgio (2002) found that ABI patients with decreased level of self-awareness are considerably more at risk of being referred for more intensive rehabilitation. Malec et al. (2000) found that such patients require longer lengths of stay in rehabilitation; Sherer et al. (2003) found that patients are more likely to be associated with a poorer functional status at time of discharge from rehabilitation. Ezrachi et al. (1991) found that deficits in a patients level of self-awareness is foretelling of a low rate of return to em ployment following a brain injury. And finally, Ergh et al. (2002) found that a high level of impairment of self-awareness with the ABI patient is reflective of higher distress among caregivers (as cited in High, 2005). With regards to treatment of impaired self-awareness in individuals with ABI, there is a vast range of methods which have been studied. Crosson et al. (1989) have shown that group therapy programmes can be beneficial in increasing intellectual awareness. Zhou et al. (1996) studied three adult males who were trained in knowledge of ABI residuals using a game format to present training information (p. 1). Results suggested that all participants increased their knowledge relating to areas of behaviour, emotion, cognition, communication, physical, and sensory residuals. Many studies have exemplified the role of observation and feedback to improve individuals level of self-awareness. For example, Schlund (1999) undertook a case study of a 21-year-old male who was a TBI survivor and was 5 years post-injury. Results of this study showed that report-performance measurement, feedback and review, positively altered the patients awareness deficit. However, observation and feedback are not witho ut its faults as Bieman-Copland Dywan (2000) point out. Their study suggested that direct feedback becomes confrontational and can lead to agitation among patients with severe brain injury. This study highlights the need for each treatment to be individualised to ensure the best possible outcomes of treatment. Fleming et al. (2006) evaluated the usefulness of an individualised occupation-based approach for participants dealing with ABI, specifically with regards to the level of self-awareness and emotional status. The unique focus of the program was the use of meaningful occupations to provide the individuals with experiential feedback of their current level of ability through the use of self-monitoring and supportive therapist feedback (p. 51). The results supported the use of this type of therapy in increasing self-awareness, and that occupational performance may be highly important in increasing the self-awareness of people with ABI. Finally, Goverover et al. (2007) conducted a randomised controlled study on the self-awareness treatment model, stipulated upon Toglia and Kirks model (2000). Their study provided evidence for experiencing different tasks and everyday activities for enhancing self-awareness and self-regulation. Although treatment of impaired self-awareness is crucial for the patients full recovery, it has been studied that increasing the level of self-awareness in ABI patients can also have some negative consequences. Fleming Strong (1995) suggested that the belief that increased self-awareness is essential for positive outcomes in rehabilitation and needs to undergo further investigation, as a literature review suggests that the development of self-awareness can be associated with emotional distress in the individual (p. 55). This study further exemplifies the necessity to create individual treatment plans when in rehabilitation. Interventions With technology constantly advancing in the medical sector, it is evident that sustaining a brain injury no longer suggests a death sentence. With this in consideration, the emphasis has shifted towards rehabilitation of those who have sustained such an injury in order to help them attain the best quality of life possible. Many interventions have been conducted and researched for improving self-awareness, and also for managing challenging behaviours, which directly improve the life of the patient. There are limited studies focusing on the effectiveness of interventions in reducing self-awareness deficits, and whether these interventions contribute to positive outcomes in rehabilitation. However, in a literature review, Lucas Fleming (2005) suggest that interventions in self-awareness can be broken into two categories restorative/facilitatory, or compensatory. Within the restorative/facilitatory category, education, direct feedback, and experiential feedback [are] the most frequently recommended (p.163), with others such as behavioural therapy, psychotherapy and rating of task performance also being recommended. Education relates to ensuring the patient understands his or her injury and the impairments that this injury brings. This can be delivered through a variety of ways such as group therapy, visual aids, and support groups. Direct feedback following a task performance can be used to facilitate intellectual, emergency, and anticipatory awareness (p.164), whereas experient ial feedback allows the patient to go through difficulty in a real-life situation and is useful in emergent and anticipatory awareness (p.164). Compensatory strategies then As noted earlier, challenging behaviours and problematic social interaction have been liked to individuals with brain injury, which result in an amelioration of difficulties in areas such as family life, integration into the community and employment, to name but a few. Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) works with environmental stimuli that impede on the challenging behaviour, and it is behavioral [sic] research in the field of brain injury rehabilitation [that] is an effective means of identifying techniques for reducing challenging behaviours and improving adaptive skills (Selznick Gurdin, Huber Cochran, 2005, p.15). This research is extensive and incorporates many different behavioural interventions, all of which have been proven to be successful. Within schools and residential programs, intervention procedures have been undertaken to reduce challenging behaviours that disrupt academic behaviour. Feeney Ylvisaker (1995) incorporated antecedent treatment using graphic organizers, curing, plan-do-review routines, and inclusion of the participant in decision-making. This treatment reduced the intensity and frequency of aggressive behaviour evident in three males with TBI. Gardner, Bird, Maguire, Carrario, Abenaim (2003) also reduced challenging behaviours using antecedent control procedures, however their success was due to interspersal and fading techniques. Selznick Savage (2000) examined self-monitoring methods for individuals who had sustained a brain injury. These methods proved to be effective for increasing attending, academic responding, and task accuracy as well as for improving social skills with individuals with behaviour disorders, mental retardation, and learning disabilities (p.243 ). This study found that on-tas k behaviour increased to 89 100% for three boys with brain injury when these self monitoring procedures were undertaken. Consequence-based interventions have also been studied extensively in this area and prove to have significant positive results. Peck, Potoczny-Gray, and Luiselli (1999) used instructional motor activities when a 15 year old boy with ABI showed signs of stereotypy in the classroom. This intervention reduced stereotypy and maintained its reduction when treatment was faded. Within the rehabilitation area, there has been extensive research depicting behavioural procedures that reduce challenging behaviour. Hegel (1988) implemented a token economy system to an 18 year old boy with a brain injury during therapy session in order to reduce his disruptive vocalizations and his noncompliance. As a result of the token economy system, his vocalizations decreased and his achieved goals increased. On a similar note, Silver et al. (1994) used a monetary reward system on a 12 year old girl with an anoxic brain injury. This was incorporated in a bid to improve her performance of morning tasks. She was reinforced with one penny for each step that she correctly completed. Reinforcement was gradually faded, and by the end of the intervention her verbal cues and physical assistance had decreased by 70 92%. Differential reinforcement of alternative behaviour (DRA) has also been proven to be successful in reducing challenging behaviour. Slifer et al. (1993) used this tech nique with extinction, response cost, and a token economy, to reduce disruptive behaviour. In most cases, DRA reduced disruptive behaviour and also increased compliance. From examining these studies, it suggests that various reinforcement procedures may facilitate more efficient therapeutic goal attainment and subsequent home and community reintegration (Gurdin et al. 2005, p.12). Purpose of current study The purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of self-awareness and challenging behaviours in persons with acquired brain injury, intervention types, and success ratings. This study will incorporate a sample of Irish patients who have ABI, which is presently absence in the research conducted to date. It will also provide information on what intervention types are most regularly used among persons with ABI, and the success ratings of such intervention types.

Main Differences Between Realism And Liberalism Politics Essay

Main Differences Between Realism And Liberalism Politics Essay Thinking about the number of high-stake political issues and the wide variety of aspects in which people have tried to understand these issues and come up with effective ways of resolving them are all packaged in different intellectual traditions and worldviews. This essay approaches the question from fundamental assumptions and theories of international relations built on a distinctive set of arguments put forward by realist and liberalist theories, each trying to understand and get a clear view of international politics. The first part of this essay introduces realism and liberalism as theories of international relations showing the claims made by each theorist in defend of their traditions. The assumptions and implications are shown in the second part. Finally, the conclusion is drawn from the contradictions seen during the arguments. Realism is a paradigm based on the premise that the world is essentially and unchangeably a struggle among self-interested states for power and position under anarchy, with each competing state pursuing its own national interests. Realists believe in state security and as such cannot afford credibility in terms of securing a state to international governing body such as the United Nations. Rather, major powers such as the United States manipulate other states with their military and economic strengths. The game of international politics revolves around the pursuit of power: acquiring it; increasing it; projecting it, and using it to bring others to ones will (Kegley, 2007: p 29). Among the principal prophets of this worldview were E.H Carr, George F. Kennan, Thomas Hobbes, and Niccolo Machiavelli. At the risk of oversimplification, realisms message as summarized by Kegley (2007) is in the form of ten assumptions and related propositions: People are by nature narrowly selfish and ethically flawed and cannot free themselves from the sinful fact that they are driven to watch out for themselves and compete with others for self-advantage. Of all peoples evil ways, none are more prevalent, inexolerable, or dangerous than their instinctive lust for power and their desire to dominate others. The possibility of eradicating the instinct for power is a utopian aspiration. International politics is- as Thomas Hobbes put it a struggle for power, a war of all against all. The primary obligation of every state the goal to which all other national objectives should be surbodinated is to promote national interest and to acquire power for this purpose. The anarchical nature of the international system dictates that states acquire sufficient military capabilities to deter attack by potential enemies and to exercise influence over others. Economics is less relevant to national security than its military might; economic growth is important primarily as a means of acquiring and expanding state power and prestige. Allies might increase a states ability to defend itself, but their loyalty and reliability should not be assumed. States should never entrust the task of self-protection to international security organizations or international law and should resist efforts to regulate international behavior through global governance. If all states seek to maximize power, stability will result by maintaining a balance of power, lubricated by shifts in the formation and decay of opposing alliances that counters each other expansion motive (Kegley, 2007: p 31). Liberalism on the other hand, is a paradigm predicated on the hope that the application of reason and universal ethics to international relations can lead to a more orderly, just, and cooperative world, and that international anarchy and war can be policed by institutional reforms that empower international organizations and laws. At the core of liberalism is an empahsis on the impact ideas have on behavior, equality, dignity and liberty of the individual, and the need to protect people from excessive state regulation. Liberalism views the individual as the seat of moral value and virtue and asserts that human beings should be treated as ends rather than means. It emphasizes ethical principle over the pursuit of power, and institutions over capabilities as forces shaping interstate relations. It defines politics at the international level more as a struggle for consensus rather than a struggle for power and prestige. Pioneers of Liberalism include David Hume, Jean Jacques Rosseau, Im manuel Kant (Kegley, 2007: p 31). Collectively, the post-World War 1 liberalists embraced a worldview that emphasized the power of ideas in controlling global destiny, based on the following beliefs as postulated by Kegley (2007). Human nature is essentially good or altruistic, and people are therefore capable of mutual aid and collaboration through reason and ethically inspired education. The fundamental human concern for others welfare makes progress possible. Sinful or wicked human behavior, such as violence, is the product not of flawed people but of evil institutions that encourage people to act selfishly and to harm others. War and international anarchy are not inevitable and wars frequency can be reduced by strenghtening the institutional arrangements that encourage its disappearance. War is a global problem requiring collective or multilateral, rather than national, efforts to control it. Reforms must be inspired by a compassionate ethical concern for the welfare and security of all people, and this humanitarian motive requires the inclusion of morality in statecraft. International society must recognize itself in order to eliminate the institutions that make war likely, and states must reform their political systems so that democratic governance and civil liberties within states can protect human rights and help pacify relations among states (Kegley, 2007: p 26-27). Even with the emergence of liberalism and the rapid rate with which it is being accepted, realism is more convincing. Realism is a perspective of international relations that treat issues from a practical point of view. Following this notion, realists draw a sharp distinction between domestic and international politics (Baylis et al., 2008: p 93). Realism has being influential in explaining international politics and it is clearly seen in historical conflicts when states struggle for the same goal. The relative power position of each state becomes the most reliable option. One can argue that the main distinctive feature of liberalism is its assertation that peace is possible and can result from a properly coordinated peace managed process by institutions such as the United Nations. For liberals, peace is the normal state of affairs: in Kants words, peace can be perpetual. War is therefore both unnatural and irrational, an artificial contrivance and not a product of some peculiarity o f human nature (Burchill et al., 2009: p 58). Accordingly, liberals also reject the realist notion that war is the natural condition of International politics. They also question the idea of state being the main actor on the world political stage. Liberals stress the possibilities for corporation and the key issue becomes devising an international setting in which corporation can be achieved (Baylis et al., 2008: p 5). Several instances which can be classified as realist act in response to the liberalist argument includes the beliefs that human being are naturally fixed, deeply flawed, and crucially selfish. To think otherwise is to make a mistake and it such a mistake that the realist accused the liberalist of making (Baylis et al., 2008: p 5). This viewpoint presents a systematic arrangement. If the assumption by realist is that human nature is naturally fixed and crucially selfish, then the whole idea of human generating an ideally perfect state is absurd. No institution can be s uperior to the qualities of the parties constituting it. Hence international peace becomes an objective beyond the limitation of any individual state party. Just as an individuals decision cannot be controlled by another, ones state integral disposition cannot be decided by another. Influence can be a compelling force sometimes, but the authority to make the decision always lies with the unitary entity. In words of Cranmer (2005), liberals also begin with the assumption that states are unitary and rational actors. However, liberals do not share the realist assumption that power is the means by which a states security is guaranteed, that states are the primary units of international politics. Liberal institutionalists, however, insist that the realist perspective does not exhaust the list of constraints on war over which states can and do exercise some control. States do not fight all others at all times and places where the realist constraints are weak (Dunne et al., 2010: p 96). In argument to this, defensive realist such as Waltz argues that states are profoundly defensive actors and will not seek greater amount of power if that means jeopardizing their own security. An aspect of this realist theory was clearly seen at the end of the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union. The actions of the United States under President Ronald Reagan exemplified defensive realism, wh ile the actions of the USSR under Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev exemplified offensive realism. At some point during the Cold War, it became clear that the United States was in a relative power position when President Reagan started making concessions to the Soviet Union. Defensive realism accounts for this action. The behavior of the Soviet Union on the other hand, can be linked to offensive realism (Costa, 1998). Offensive realist such as Mearsheimer argues that the ultimate goal of a state is to achieve a hegemonic position in the international arena. States, according to this view, always desire more power and are willing, if the opportunity arises, to alter the existing distribution of power even if such an action may jeopardize their own security (Baylis et al., 2008: p 101). The proposition to this theory is the expectation of a state to decline in seeking power to gain greater amount of power if that means jeopardizing their own state security. The introduction of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) by the United State president out-spaced the Soviets and the reaction of the Soviets Union leader in recalling the Red Army from Eastern Europe conforms to the expectations of offensive realism (Costa, 1998). The Cold War, in this account was not caused by anyone but was the natural result of bipolarity. Soviet expansion into Central and Eastern Europe arose from neither vicious rulers in the Kremin nor rabid anti-communists in Washington. The War in Vietnam was criticized by leading realists such as Niebuhr and Morgenthau. Robert Tucker (1985) opposed the Reagan administrations support of armed counter revolution in Nicaragua. And not a single prominent realist supported the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. These examples suggest a very important interpretation point. There are number of Quaker realist-as well as for War. Reality provides a theoretical account of how the world works. It can be used for peaceful purposes. For example, hundreds of thousand s of lives might have been saved, and millions of injuries avoided had the United States pursued a realist bipolar rivalry with the Soviet Union rather than ideological Cold War (Burchill et al., 2009: p 36). Liberals believe international laws and institutions reduce War frequency and create a more orderly and just global system. Realists are of the opinion that the task of self -protection must not be entrusted to either international institutions or international laws. Realist critiques of international institutions, however, do raise two important questions. How much of an impact can international institutions have in principle? And what effects do they in fact have in contemporary international relations? John Mearsheimer (1994/95) in a well-known provocative essay, The False Promise of International Institutions develops a strong and uncompromising argument that institutions have minimal influence on the state behavior. Institutions, according to this argument, can easily be ignored because they rarely exert a significant influence on the interest or interactions of states in anarchy (Donnelly, 2000: p 132). It is largely on the basis on how realists depict the international environ ment that they conclude that the first priority for state leaders is to ensure the survival of their own state. International politics is one of anarchy, and for this reason, the survival of a state cannot be guaranteed by any form of international arrangement. Self-help is the principle of action in an anarchical system where there is no global government. Realists do not believe that it is prudent for a state to entrust its safety and survival on another actor or international institution. Unlike in domestic politics, there is no emergency number that states can dial when they are in mortal danger (Baylis et al., 2008: p 93). It was commonplace during the 1990s for pundits and scholars to proclaim that the world was rapidly becoming peaceful and that realism was dead. International politics was said to be transformed with the end of the Cold War. Many argued that democracy was spreading across the globe and, because democracies do not fight each other, we have reached the end of history. Though international institutions have been proved to be useful in terms of reducing War and it frequencies and, despite the opinion expressed by its critics, that optimism was faded with the wake of September 11, if not disappeared altogether and realism has made a stunning comeback and has continued to be the dominant theory used to explain the nature of international relations throughout history. Its resurrection is due to the fact that almost every realist opposed the Iraq War, which has turned to a strategic disaster for the USA and the UK. But, more importantly, there is little reason to think that globalization and international institutions have crippled the state. Indeed, the state appears to have a bright future, mainly because of nationalism, which glorifies the state, remains a powerful political ideology (Dunne et al., 2010: p 92). As evidenced by most recent behavior of the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq, powerful states are able to overturn the non-intervention principle on the ground of national security and world order (Baylis et al., 2008: p 100). What was the position of the United Nations in Rwanda when 800,000 Tutsi were slaughtered by the Hutus? In Bosnia, the U.N. declared safe areas for Muslims but did nothing to secure them, letting the Serbs slaughter thousands in Srebrenica. The organizations meddling was worse than useless, its blue-helmeted troops were used as hostages by the Serbs to deter a military response from the West (Boot, 2000). These illustrations has assumptions of realism, in that states ensure its security and survival of its own, even if it has to go to war to achieve it. It does not seem realism has lost its esteem the way many proponents of liberalism argue. In the review of the theory that works best, realism seems to give a better explanation than liberalism. As argued above, it is likely that the 21st century will be a realistic century. Despite efforts of federalists to rekindle the idealist flame, Europe continues to be as divided by different national interest as it is united by a common good. History already foretold how the US policy-makers will react in the event that China maintains its economic growth by 2020 (Baylis et al., 2008: p 105). If powerful states such as the US could adopt a realistic posture, my opinion remains that realism, should be seen as a good manual for understanding international politics.

A Burning Intellect in Fahrenheit 451 :: Fahrenheit 451 Essays

A Burning Intellect in Fahrenheit 451 In the 1950 novel Fahrenheit 451, AUTHOR Ray Bradbury presents the now familiar images of mind controlING worlds. People now live in a world where they are blinded from the truth of the present and the past. The novel is set in the, perhaps near, future where the world is AT war, and firemen set fires instead of putting them out. Books and written knowledge ARE banned from the people, and it is the firemen's job to burn books. Firemen are the policemen of THE FUTURE. Some people have rebelled by hiding books, but have not been very successful. Most people have conformed to THE FUTURE world. Guy Montag, a fireman, is a part of the majority who have conformed. BUT throughout the novel Montag goes through a transformation, where he changes from a Conformist to a Revolutionary. Guy Montag has never questioned his job before the day he met Clarisse McClellan. FOR ONCE Montag is confronted with the idea that, he does NOT understand the whole truth about books.<WHAT DO YOU MEAN?> Montag meets Clarisse one day, as he is walking home from work, and they BEGIN A conversation. During their conversation Montag is questioned why books are illegal and why firemen burn the books. CLARISSE also asks him if he had ever read any of the books that he burned. His reply was that it is against the law. Clarisse even asks, "... long ago [did] firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?"(Fahrenheit 451, page 38) Montag replies by telling her that that is nonsense, and that "Houses have always been fireproof,..."(Fahrenheit 451, page 38) Here you can see how brainwashed and blinded the truth is for the people. Clarisse says good night to Montag, and right before she leaves she asks him, "Are you happy?"(Fahrenheit 451, page39) Before Montag can rep ly Clarisse is gone, and she leaves Montag pondering her question. As he tells himself that her question was nonsense, he starts to realize that he is not happy with his life. Someone else who changed Montag's thinking, changed it by their actions not by tell him anything.<YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN MORE SO THE READER KNOWS WHAT YOU MEAN.> One day the firemen got a call with an address of someone who was hiding books. The firemen, doing their job like always, went to the house to find the books and burn them.

Carolyn Forche and The Country Between Us :: Country Between Us Essays

Carolyn Forche and The Country Between Us      Ã‚   While reading Carolyn Forche's poetry in her book The Country Between Us, I often wondered what this woman has gone through while spending her time in El Salvador. She lived in El Salvador during an ugly state: a time when this country was in the middle of a civil war and bloodshed. All those acts of cruelty that she faced and so clearly wrote about must have been troublesome on her heart. And now thanks to her we can understand a piece of history and the cruelty of mankind through her poems. These poems that strike interest in our minds, would seem as if they would still strike fear in hers. That is, to overcome those terrible memories would take a lifetime, if that were even conceivable. But in her final poem of this book she suggests that these unforgettable details can possibly be put aside. This poem she dedicates to Terrence Des Pres, someone who also has gone through similar tragedies and titles it "Ourselves Or Nothing." The experiences they had and endu red, Terrence Des Pres and Carolyn Forche, in turn, allowed Forche the stamina and fortitude which she encouraged within Des Pres, and thus dedicated her writing to him.    Terrence Des Pres was a friend of Carolyn Forche's. He too was an author that wrote great contemporary poetry, the most significantly a poetic work called The Survivor: An Anatomy of Life in the Death Camps. He had written this literary novel upon witnessing the tragedies occurring during the Holocaust of World War II, an event that we understand to be one of the most inhumane and gruesome events of human recollection. The Holocaust intrigued him and captured his mind and soul. Besides completion of his novel he taught at Colgate University a literature course on the Holocaust. And from his experiences, as summarized of Des Pres in the Triquarterly Fall 1996, he taught students of what he repeatedly called the "dark times" of 20th-century political life. But all these experiences he faced, and the constant reminder of them carried a great price. He drank a lot, especially as his work on the Holocaust grew more harrowing. It is noted, once while writing his book he thought he was having a heart attack, but he was medically fine; instead his memories of the Holocaust had been squeezing at his chest causing psychosomatic symptoms.

The Brady Act: Inconsistent but Served a Purpose

The Brady Law which is technically known as The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 was signed as a law under the presidency of Bill Clinton on November 30, 1993. The law requires that whenever someone purchases a gun, he/ she should wait up to five days for a background check. As long as the Federal Bureau of Investigation has undergone the background check and for so long as the Federal Firearm License has not been issued, then a person can never obtain or own a gun (Bowling et al. , 2006).At the same time, it also required the gun dealers in each of the state should begin conducting and submitting background check requirements on their prospective buyers to the authorities to aid the process of authenticating that buyer’s capability and reliability in owning a gun (Ludwig and Cook, 2003). All states should have similar disqualifications for their applicants. These are fugitive status, court restraining orders, mental illness, and other violence convictions. Becaus e of these, of the 12 million applications that were subjected to background check by the National Bureau of Investigation, there were around 1.4 million that were rejected. However, there are also several rejections done by State and local agency background checks which were argued to be a little inconsistent to the FBI requirements (Bowling et al. , 2006). For instance, most state statutes would require firearm purchasers to have a permit or a license or an identification number right after background check to be presented to the seller before they are allowed to buy a firearm. Within these said statute laws, the background check would require around 7 to 30 days.This is inconvenient and inconsistent with the original Brady Bill because it only mandated a background check for only less than a week and 30 days is way too far from that requirement. Other state laws and agencies require that a seller should convey buyer’s information to the authorities either through mail, tel ephone, or e-mail. Accordingly, the local agencies would respond in about 7 to 10 days. The same as already mentioned, this is also a little bit inconvenient because it is only by then that they start their background check.Other than these, there were also instances were the agencies will have to encounter incomplete records of applicants in their databases which will test the capability of the buyer to purchase a firearm. There is also a discrepancy between the state and the local agencies’ reason on rejection. Federal laws would likely to applicants with domestic violence conviction or indictment. On one hand, local agencies would likely to reject applicants that are drug addicts and mentally ill. Moreover, other states provide for appeals, but only seventeen of them.All of these prove that there is discrepancy and inconsistencies in the implementation of this law (Bowling et al. , 2006). However, despite this, I think the law is still very useful in the maintenance of pea ce and security of the country. This is because the law even when it has been implemented inconsistently by the federal and the state government, it still outlines very concrete requirements and methodology in granting and denying the right of every citizen to possess firearms.This law is obviously concerned on the circumstances that would entail the irresponsible handling and owning of a dangerous weapon like the firearm. It mainly aims to secure the safety of very citizen in the United States and to prevent ruthless assassinations. References Bowling, M and Hickman, J. (2006). â€Å"Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2005†. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. US: US Department of Justice. Ludwig, J and Cook, P. (2003). Evaluating gun policy: effect on crime and violence. USA: Brookings Institution Press.

Fate Symbolism Essay

Some people believe that each step steps on the way of life is predetermined through the beginning to the end, and people are powerless to resist it. The main character who is the narrator of the short novel, â€Å"A Woman Like Me† by Xi Xi, is trying to convey to us the same concept which is called the fate. She has been an orphan since she was very young, and she and her brother were raised by her Aunt Yifen. Her aunt has so much pressure that she pays less attention on their education, so when the narrator grows up, she lets her inherit their familial skill which is making up for dead. All of these elements lead her life into a miserable fate. From the psychological description of herself, I found that in the depth of her heart, she actually doesn’t want to surrender to her fate, but wants to have friendship and love. In my opinion, our life, whatever love or death, are seem arranged by fate, but we can try our best to alter it and change it. As in the story, althoug h the narrator considers that all the things happened in her life is arranged by fate and she is â€Å"totally powerless to resist Fate† (152), I think most of the misfortunes happened in her life are root in her timidity. The reasons that makes her lacks of courage are her self-abased and doesn’t want to violate her family’s custom. In my opinion, our fate is in our own hand. When she faces the point of transition of fate, she doesn’t have enough courage to change her own fate because of her self-abased, but in the depth of her heart, she is really want to change her destiny. In story she describes herself, â€Å"I’m a person who has no concept of self-protection, and my words and deeds will always conspire to make me a laughing stock in the eyes of others† (152). Her character make people around her can’t accept her and laugh at her. It makes her who originally is self-abased because of low education become more self-abased. Her despaired emotion is expressed many times in the story, â€Å"A woman like me is actually unsuitable for any man’s love† (152). The word, â€Å"actually†, was said with her realistic helpless. She has no confidence to fall in love with a man. She thinks her fate is decided that she can do nothing for it. However, when the narrator who originally surrenders to the fate sees the boy suicide for love, she unexpectedly feels shame of him and refuses to make up for him. She thinks that â€Å"his had been act of extreme weakness: †¦ I should have nothing to do with anyone who lacked the courage to resist the forces of fate.† (157) Her view of other’s fate reflect the real idea in her depth heart. When she face the situation of other people, she is very clear that people should have courage to resist the force of fate. As a Chinese proverb said: â€Å"The spectators understand the chess game better than the players.† When she faces that boy, she is feels humiliating with his weakness. We can find her aspire and insist of love. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the courage to ins ist her own love. Thus, it is her self-abased make her yell of fate can only leave in the depth of her heart and can’t let it into action. Another reason that makes her hesitates on the edge of fighting to change her fate is she asserted Chinese traditional ideology by family. In one hand, she wants to control her life, but on the other hand some traditional ideas are still leave in her mind. At that time in Hong Kong, because of the Colonization of Britain, many people were influenced by the concept of western culture which was that people could control their life and changed their fate by themselves, but the concept of her family was quite different. The narrator’s family is from the main land of China. Her father and her aunt are all cosmeticians that make up for dead which is the skill that handed down from their ancestors, so in the traditional concept, it must have a person in the family to inherit this skill and her Aunt Yifen choose her as the successor. However, the society also influences her so much. She describes the society as a â€Å"greed-consumed, dog-eat-dog world† (154). From how she describes the society, we can find out most people in that society are all struggling to survive in that competitive world. They don’t follow the fate but create and change it by themselves. Under the influence of the surrounding, she once has thought about many other works she can do, such as â€Å"work as saleswoman in a shop, or sell bakery products, or even be a maid in someone’s home† (160), but finally, she still afraid of to compete with others in that cruel society and follow her fate that decided by her family. On the contrary, I don’t believe that fate is not changeable. I think the destiny is in my hand. In the story, the narrator is so weak that she predicts her fate is predetermined and yields to her fate. She and her Aunt Yifen have the same occupation, and she has already seen her aunt’s miserable fate, so she pessimistically thinks that her â€Å"fate and Aunt Yifen’s are one and same.† (159) She is still young and nobody know what will happen in the future, but she give up at first. I believe that opportunities are for the people who are prepared. If she gives up trying and working hard, she won’t grasp the opportunity to change her fate, even the opportunity has coming. As we know that America is country that full of opportunities for people who work hard to change their fate. That is the reason I came to study in America. As an international student whose first language isn’t English is real tough to success in academic. However, like most of other international students, I know that I need to keep studying hard and never stop. Once I hesitate, I will fall behind of others because everyone keeps fighting and struggling in this competitive society. Therefore, I believe that fate is in my own hand. In conclusion, I really feel regressive for her. If she cares less about other’s view of her, she will have courage to save her love; if she put away her traditional idea, she will have courage to find a new job; if she becomes more confidence, she will against her miserable fate and start a new life. To me, I will have the courage. Stand up from where I fall down and keep working hard, I believe my fate will be different.

Part-Time Job While Studying Essay

The modern world now provides students with the best condition for studying. Therefore, some people suppose that they need not to have a part-time job any more but try to focus on their study. On the other hand, the rest of them argue that a part-time job still plays an important role in forming the necessary experience for students. To the best of my knowledge, despite the current comfort in education, it is still essential that students should take part in a particular part-time job for many reasons. To begin with, many peoples present the reasons for the unnecessity of having a part-time job among students. The first point is that a part-time job can make students spend less time on their study, thereby harming their study result. Another reason is that the part-time job environment is often not professional and safe, which can put students at the risk of being defrauded. The final reason is that taking part in a part-time job will cause more pressure to students, consequently affecting badly their health. However, in my opinion, such reasons above are still one-sided and not so persuasive. Coming back to the first point above, we can agree that the completive world now makes students become more sensible that they used to be. In fact, most of the students know that their study in school must be the main means of providing them with a good future, not their part-time jobs. In the second reason presented above, the unsafe environment of part-time jobs, on one hand, maybe make students defrauded, on the other hand, give the students valuable experience about real life. Therefore, they will certain the more successful people in the future than the ones who do not participate in a part-time job. Finally, suffering from the part-time jobs for a certain time can help students find the best way of reconciling between their study and working. Surely they will know how to draw an effective schedule for their lives. Finally, in favor of the people arguing the necessity of having a part-time job, I can give some reasons for my point of view. To begin with, a part-time job will give students more experience about life which they cannot earn at school such as the skills of communication, how to be a confident person. This can help them become more mature and easier to be successful in future. The second reason is that students can widen their relationship by participating in a part-time job. In fact, the more friends they have, the more probably they will deal successfully with the obstacles in life. Last but not least, taking part in a part-time job can help students earn more to support their study. Consequently, they will be less dependent on their parents and believe more in their own ability. To sum up, it is quite essential that students should have a part-time job while studying. This will give them many valuable lessons which they cannot find in any academic school. In fact, we just study in school in the first twenty years of life, but we study in real life during the rest of our lifetime.

Software Customization

Business software was fabricated to intentionally make the company processes much easier, efficient, accurate and more convenient for the users. Today, these software are now ready for modifications to suit the business needs of a particular company. Apparently, software customization is considered to be a social modification process (Clement) which affects many segments of people’s day to day activities The customization of a business software is applicable only if it can justify the reasons for such modification. As examples, it would only be more ideal to customize a software if the company has found a more productive way of doing business or if the company is protecting any of its intellectual property rights for a particular product. The main benefit of software customization in a newly discovered mode of production is that the software can minimize possible delays and errors in doing the said procedure because of the fact that its function will directly support the task. On the other hand, a customized software can also provide a form of security for intellectual product rights because the customized program will only be useful for a particular segment of the company’s production line. Although software customization provides a larger scale of benefits, there are also some related concerns. For one, customizing a pre-defined program may require the company to invest in hiring an expert programmer to initiate the customization. Also, it is a necessary thing to train the in-house programmers for the customization so that the procedure can be maintained. These factors may all involve additional financial investments for the company. Moreover, customization also carries a certain amount of risks for it my not readily identify some erroneous procedures the software my induce in other unidentified company processes. On a personal note, it seems that the most fundamental advancement in personal computing is the introduction of the internet. Previously, anything that needs to be done using a machine assistant was only confined in a limited area of computing. However, today’s capacity of the computers to transmit and receive data in split second speeds has allowed many individuals, organizations and industries to exchange information which primarily drives today’s social development. Basically, the advanced capability of PCs and the internet have definitely improved how business, education and communication are being implemented. References Clement, A. N.D. Customization of Software Systems. University of Limerick. Retrieved February 27, 2008 from

American muscle cars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American muscle cars - Essay Example For instance, Joe Oldham has written several books about muscle cars since 1964 when he started as an editor for Magnum-Royal Publications. Popularly known as the Godfather of the GTO’, Jim Wangers is a specialist car-marketing executive that has in various capacities within the motor industry. On the other hand, the other writers have earned credentials in various fields related to the motor industry. When it comes to the focus of the topic, it is unquestionable that the book addresses the topic appropriately and in a helpful way. This is especially so because the both the title The All-American Muscle Car and the subtitle The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Detroits Greatest Performance Cars, put greater emphasis on the American muscle car in terms of its conception and evolution. Perhaps this book is more specific because it narrows down on the American muscle cars that are found within Detroit. Additionally, the authors examine the details of the all-American muscle car in the sense that they look at the inception, collapse, and resurrection of such cars in Detroit. This gives an in-depth analysis of the cars in terms of evolution, performance and the underlying factors behind the cars’ success and failure. Although it may appear general from the cover, one will agree that the book covers the topic sufficiently especially after perusing the table of contents. Fundamentally, the table of content lists the birth of the muscle car, the birth of the pony car, when they were just cars, muscle car enhancers, modern muscle DeJaVu sort of, and Blue-chip muscle. Perhaps one remarkable feature about this book and its table of contents is that one individual, each according to their areas of specialization, wrote the various chapters within the books. This gives the topic ‘American Muscle Cars’ sufficient coverage in terms of scope, evolution, and marketing are concerned. Furthermore, the authors are very