Analysis Of James Joyce s Portrait Of An Artist As A...

Hagerty 1 John Hagerty Ms. Brillante Honors English 12 April 10, 2016 Organized Religion: an Impediment to Human Fulfillment In Catholicism, religious beliefs are determined by the sacred scripture and tradition. These beliefs offer a comprehensive and definitive explanation of the nature of God. James Joyce s Portrait of An Artist as a Young Man is a narration of the transition from childhood to adulthood of the protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, who grows up in a Catholic society and family life in Ireland. Because of the nature of his church s role in his life, Stephen faces internal conflict regarding his own thoughts and beliefs about the nature of God. After many trials and tribulations with his faith life, Stephen realizes that the church s unequivocal teachings and beliefs actually hinder his ability to find answers to metaphysical questions that arise in his life. Stephen s religious struggles display how organized religion impedes an individual s ability to find one s own identity and purpose, subsequently contradicting God s purpose for humanity. In his early childhood, Stephen proactively seeks out his own meaning and identity; however, as he gets older and is exposed to organized religion, his ability to consider his own true meaning is hindered. Before being engulfed by the pressures of religious life, Stephen lives with a youthful optimism and curiosity. He actively tries to find out what the purpose of his life will be. This is evident when he sitsShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of James Joyce s A Portrait Of An Artist As A Young Man Essay2057 Words   |  9 PagesJames Joyce and H.G. Wells had different styles of writing and relied on different forms of narration. H.G. Wells was direct and focused on the external environment or situation. He did not give much insight on the thoughts or internal struggle of his characters, while James Joyce did. Joyce supplied his characters with a greater level of internal comprehension than Wells did and was able to provide more human like characters. This difference is especially seen in H.G Well’s Tono-Bungay and JamesRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man2299 Words   |  10 Pagescontrol by the Catholic Church provided structure and stability in their lives, for others it was a source of major struggle and inner conflict. James Joyce found the Catholic Church’s power to be both overwhelming and repressive. In his Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, we see his inner struggle portrayed through the main character Stephen Dedalus. Like Joyce, Stephen struggles throughout his childhood and adolescence with the rigidity and severity of the Catholic Church. Initially, Stephen blindlyRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s A Portrait Of An Artist As A Young Man Essay1953 Words   |  8 PagesJames Joyce and H.G. Welles had different styles of writing and relied on different forms of narration. H.G. Wells was direct and focused on the external environment or situation. He did not give much insight on the thoughts or internal struggle of his characters, while James Joyce did. Joyce supplied his characters with a greater level of internal comprehension than Wells did and was able to provide more human like characters. This difference is especially seen in H.G Well’s Tono-Bungay and JamesRead More The Key Elements of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Essay1853 Words   |  8 PagesKey Elements of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   James Joyces A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man provides an introspective exploration of an Irish Catholic upbringing. To provide the reader with a proper interpretation, Joyce permeates the story with vivid imagery and a variety of linguistic devices. This paper will provide an in-depth of analysis of the work by examining its key elements. The central theme of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is Stephen DedalusRead MoreSmugging in the Square: Homosexuality as a Literary Device in James Joyces A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man.3689 Words   |  15 PagesWhat can be said of the menacing literary masterpiece that is A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is that the gender issues Joyce so surreptitiously weaves into Stephan Dedalus’s character create sizable obstacles for the reader to overcome. Joyce expertly composes a feminine backdrop in which he can mold Stephan to inexplicably become innately homosexual. As Laurie Teal points out â€Å"†¦ Joyce plays with gender inversion as a uniquely powerful tool of characterization.†(63) Stephan’s constant conflictRead More Paralysis in Dubliners Essay2290 Words   |  10 PagesIn his letters, Joyce himself has said that Dubliners was meant â€Å"to betray the soul of that hemiplegia or paralysis which many consider a city† (55). The paralysis he was talking about is the paralysis of action. The characters in Dubliners exemplify paralysis of action in their inability to escape their lives. In another of Joyce’s writings, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce writes of Ireland: â€Å"When the soul of a man is born in this country there are nets flung at it to holdRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pagesnovel is sometimes used interchangeably with Bildungsroman, but its use is usually wider and less technical. The birth of the Bildungsroman is normally dated to the publication of Wilhelm Meister s Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 1795–96,[8] or, sometimes, to Christoph Martin Wieland s Geschichte des Agathon of 1767.[9] Although the Bildungsroman arose in Germany, it has had extensive influence first in Europe and later throughout the world. Thomas Carlyle translated Goethe’s novelRead MoreEssay on Georg Lukacs, quot;the Ideology of Modernismquot;7555 Words   |  31 PagesUnion. In order to champion realism, and specifically an ideologically charged realism, as the only good way to write, Lukacs had to set himself in opposition to the literary movement that had superseded realism in the West, modernism (writers like James Joyce, William Faulkner, Robert Musil, and so on). This essay is his attempt to distinguish the two absolutely, in favor of course of realism. Basically, for Lukacs (and for the Soviet Union), modernism is the last desperate cry of a dying economicRead MoreCleanth Brookss Essay Irony as a Principle of Structure9125 Words   |  37 PagesMarx’s economic theories as such: we shall confine our discussion to their methodological premises and implications. It will in any case be obvious to the reader that the present writer upholds the validity of their content. Secondly, a detailed analysis of Rosa Luxemburg’s thought is necessary because its seminal discoveries no less than its errors have had a decisive influence on the theories of Marxists outside Russia, above all in Germany. To some extent this influence persists to this day. ForRead MorePlace8569 Words   |  35 PagesThey looked so beautiful for me (in their old age and single blessedness), and the kitchen smelled like fresh flowers. The other kitchen I can remember is the kitchen of my grandmother in a far remote place, along the Pacific Ocean. My grandmother s kitchen is a big kitchen built of wood. Imagine how old houses looked. There was firewood, big cooking utensils, as if they re always serving 100 people everyday. There were sacks of rice piled on top of the other. Chickens were roaming in the backyard

Thomas Hobbes And John Locke - 1136 Words

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were both political theorist’s that theorized the way a political society should be. Hobbes was the precursor of modern totalitarianism, and Locke was the precursor for classical liberalism. While both theorist’s shared similar views of justice, they also had disagreements of others. For Hobbes, justice is purely the creation of sovereign, while Locke views justice as setting the limits and providing the direction for civic justice. Lock has the better view for a just society because he prefers a classical liberalism aspect, valuing the freedom of individuals. Hobbes’ political view is that of a modern totalitarianism society. In his work â€Å"On the Citizen†, he tries to understand what is missing from the state of nature. The state of nature for Hobbes is â€Å"solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short†, (Hobbes, Chapter 1 pg. 4) as it is a war of all against all. This is a major weakness. Having a society were everyo ne is fighting and there is a single absolute power does not sound like a just society. For Hobbes, man is not a social creature and society could not exist except by the power of the state. â€Å"The greatest part of those men who have written ought concerning Commonwealths, either suppose, or require us, or beg of us to believe, That Man is a Creature born fit for Society: The Greeks call him Zoon politikon, and on this foundation they so build up the Doctrine of Civil Society†. (Hobbes, Chapter 1 pg. 1) Hobbes wants to instill the fear ofShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke And Thomas Hobbes886 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscuss the differences in political theories expressed by both John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. In, Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes, and in, The Second Treatise of Government, by John Locke different theories of political legitimacy and definitions of the state of nature are described. The following paragraphs analyze multiple different points that are imperative to understa nding these political theories. In the reading, Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes discusses what human existence is in the state of nature andRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke911 Words   |  4 Pagessocial contract theory, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke established many of the founding ideals that contemporary Liberalism is based on. While the shared many similar positions, there are some key distinctions to be made between the arguments Hobbes and Locke make in Leviathan and Second Treatise of Civil Government, respectively. In this paper I will argue the differences between how each of them viewed the right of the subjects to revolt from the sovereign. Thomas Hobbes published his most famousRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke Essay1441 Words   |  6 PagesEifling-Question 4 Hobbes and Locke During and after the English Revolution, a few philosophers expressed different views on their philosophical outlook and life experiences. Some of the most outstanding thinkers include Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. They had opposing views on governance matters, but the two, also, had striking similarities. In addition, the two represented an increasingly modernized European population that despised absolute kingship. Both Hobbes and Locke proposed a conceptionRead MoreJohn Locke And Thomas Hobbes1287 Words   |  6 Pagesknow how to balance and consider the nature of humankind and their rights. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes were both political philosophers who developed theories about how the government should work. They set up their theories around The Natural Law and the Social Contract Theory. Although John Locke and Thomas Hobbes had a similar goal, their beliefs and opinions were definitely not the same. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes both believed in the Natural Law and the Social Contract Theory. They both developedRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke1346 Words   |  6 PagesContracts Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were two English political philosophers, who have had a lasting impact on modern political science. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke both spent much of their lives attempting to identify the best form of government. Locke and Hobbes were among the most prominent of theorists when it came to social contract and human rights. A Social Contract is an agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, are the twoRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke928 Words   |  4 Pagesthere is no formed society, government, laws, safety, etc. both Thomas Hobbes and John Locke take this into perspective while introducing a political view. As illustrated by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels, they proposed political views on how human nature can prosper. Initially, Thomas Hobbes introduces a concept on the state of nature and its effects as well as how peace can be achieved. In Leviathan, Hobbes defines what living in a state of nature would be like and theRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke888 Words   |  4 Pagesare very similar but diverge in the moments that solidify their stance on their opinion. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke is both political scientist who have made strides in the area of social contracts and share being natural law theorist also. Locke and all other natural law theorists assumed that man was by nature a social animal and there fore struck contracts with each other to secure safety among them. Hobbes assumed differently, thus his verdicts are very different from other natural law theoristsRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke1494 Words   |  6 Pages1) Thomas Hobbes and John Locke share the basic assumption that a theory based off of abstract individualism, consent, sovereignty and reason will produce a peaceful and productive society. This theory is the liberal political theory, which is the philosophy of individual rights and a limited government. Both Hobbes and Locke both center the majority of their ideas off of how people’s lives should be based off of nature rights instead of natural law. This being said, people are also subject to theRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke1426 Words   |  6 PagesBy the second half of the 17th Century, England would experience one of the bloodiest conflicts in its history, ultimately serving to influence some of the most phenomenal political philosophers in Europe --Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. England was in constant unrest, choosing new forms of government almost on a whim in desperate attempts to restore order in the Country. The English Civil War in 1642 etched a legacy of drea d in the people of England, and the war only appeared more disastrous andRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke1659 Words   |  7 Pagesmajority. The following pages show how modern social contract theory especially that of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, grew into the divisive issue it is in contemporary political philosophy. Modern social contract theory can trace its roots to prominent thinkers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. It is their thoughts on social contracts that lie at the center of the many spheres we are a part of. For Hobbes and Locke, social contract theory sought to analyze the relationship between rulers and the ruled

Donald Pierce in Between Mouthfuls Essay Example For Students

Donald Pierce in Between Mouthfuls Essay Both plays are styled naturalistically, even more so than most plays; for example, Ayckbourn uses the unique idea of the audience taking on the role of the waiters earshot, and only hearing what hes hearing in Between Mouthfuls. The genre of both plays is comedy, but the comedy in both emerges from rather dark situations, such as marriages falling apart and peoples sanity or happiness crumbling into dust. In Just Between Ourselves, Veras clearly serious mental illness is laughed at by my character, prompting hilarity from the point of view of the audience. My character is not only hugely insensitive to his wifes feelings, but also seemingly oblivious to the severity of her condition. He continues to bully her in this way relentlessly throughout the play. Also, Neil is consistently belching, even though his indigestion seems to be more obviously a potentially life-threatening symptom. But instead of the normal worried reactions youd expect from the people around him, all the others are amused or irritated, completely unaware of the dangerous state of health he could be in. Although nowhere near as dark as our play, Between Mouthfuls also touches on some serious issues, with the comedy coming from the irony that there has been adultery between the two couples, and the first person to pick up on this is the waiter who simply acts entirely normally and professionally as though he hasnt heard a thing. Also, his random little interjections such as potted shrimps sir? put the whole scene into context, and makes the audience wonder to themselves whether or not this is a situation that really does occur in real life to the extent that waiters are simply used to it! The play features very well observed little flickers of dialogue from the couples too, such as the irritation of Donald Pierce as his wife forces him to read out the entire menu before she admits she was never really listening in the first place. Despite all these highly amusing factors, the play manages to highlight some of the great truths about marital relationships. A key point that struck me was the structure of both plays in both cases; Ayckbourn uses some very interesting and unusual devices. In both cases, Ayckbourn uses some very interesting and unusual devices. In Between Mouthfuls he continuously cuts between the two very different conversations of the two couples. Sometimes, the switch between conversations can be ironically clever, from which lots of comedy can stem. In Just Between Ourselves, each scene is set on the birthday of one of the characters, demonstrating how in the non-stop boring lives of Dennis and those around him, life only gets interesting when theyre celebrating a birthday. The writing of the play is incredibly original, with Ayckbourn picking up tremendously accurately the small flickers of small-talk and dull conversation that is the true way people talk he is able to make the conversations sound real, unlike many scripted pieces Ive seen in the past which have just not sounded realistic. As mentioned before, both plays touch on some very serious themes and issues, in particular that of marriage and how ill-matched couples can fall apart so easily. In Denniss case, he is so self-obsessed and solipsistic, living in his own little world; that he doesnt even notice that his wife is completely losing her mind. In the case of Donald Pierce in Between Mouthfuls, he commits adultery foolishly behind his watchful and suspicious wifes back, which results in a violent public outburst from her. .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 , .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 .postImageUrl , .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 , .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687:hover , .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687:visited , .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687:active { border:0!important; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687:active , .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687 .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua95e9e8ffa4b764e7a60ceef108c4687:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The 1930s in Of Mice and Men EssayAlso significant is the way the plays are titled: Just Between Ourselves suggests that Ayckbourn is exploring a private and secret world, behind closed doors; looking into the pain and suffering of apparently ordinary middle-class suburban couples. Between Mouthfuls suggests he is exploring everyday life, but looking into the nooks and crannies of what is a normal situation; what really goes on in those everyday places? It shows that in a public meeting, like a restaurant, couples can no longer hide behind a TV set or a newspaper, but have to face each other and confront the truth between mouthfuls.  By comparing these two plays, I have learnt about how Ayckbourn creates comic drama out of the lives of ordinary couples, and explores the plain beneath the apparently tranquil facade of suburban middle class life.

Moral and Social Impact of Unjust Incarceration among African-American Men Essay Example

Moral and Social Impact of Unjust Incarceration among African-American Men Essay Racism is an edifice like an opera house or a church that humans built as it protects particular cultural principles, demonstrating and sustaining them for the generations by means of morally charged dramas (Miles and Brown 3). The subsistence of racism wants us to see and accept it as an institution that is like a permanent fixture of our cultural landscape as a rock-solid inheritance rather than a comparatively recent and jury-rigged conception more over the truth is that racism is subjected to our own power to act, like all cultural institutions that was made by human beings, we can knock down the walls to clear the way for something fresh.When the United States aims for more territory to display its power and existence, Native Americans were constrained to leave their lands, some were massacred to make room for white settlers thus slavery was born and slaves were utilized to support the economic expansion of the agrarian beyond possible circumstances, missing the decent living co nditions for farm laborers, slave-owners and their elected representatives (Thorton 136).Protecting the Unprotected: Standing Out of NowhereIn contemporary years, policy attention regarding the crisis of the African American male has paid heed on a variety of areas in which African American males have gone through unreasonably from social tribulations and these have included education, housing, employment, and health care, among others (Conrad 144). African Americans have been also affected in two significant areas which regard the realm of crime and the criminal justice system. First, African Americans are more probably persecuted by crime than of other groups therefore creating a set of individual and community problems which hold back upon other areas of productive activity (Hakutani and Butler 54). Second, the gripping rates at which African American males have been involved in criminal or social offenses thus creating a complex set of consequences which affect not only individu al victims and offenders, but families and communities as well.The unwavering protection of civil liberties is what separates the United States from totalitarian nations however unwarranted force, police brutality and deliberate disrespect for civil liberties have magnified the flaws in this democratic society (Leone and Anrig 1). The disparities in the U.S justice system are also a cause of concern revealing 49 percent of African Americans are incarcerated.   Race, in the U.S. criminal justice system, extensively affects the probability that a person will be sentenced and convicted of a crime thus it also determines the sternness of the punishment.In the milieu, we hear a calling for social and racial justice moreover its effects have been life-saving but intermittent. Years later, the modern civil rights movement defeated legalized segregation and this victory by no means restored full human rights and social equality to African Americans, but the world did not perceived it (Ver ney 11). Since then, the movement has remained motionless therefore it doesn’t achieve the significant magnitude necessary to put a stop to racisms most egregious crimes. The road to justice remains as long and as difficult as ever leading us one step forward and two steps back, as a matter of fact the last quarter-century has seen the enormous reversals that may have seemed impossible to reach the end of this road.A pattern has emerged the force of violent, radical racism abated somewhat in the ensuing years as it becomes more localized phenomenon causing waves of racist extremism wash across nations in consequence social forces have enacted setting in motion by imperial designs causing counter-waves of activism while pushing the consensus in the opposite direction (Higham 3).Numerous Native Americans and African-American living in US was prosecuted and imprisoned at a rate as many times as their presence in the population. United States is one of the richest countries in th e world, yet a huge proportion of African-American women and children with their families are living in abject poverty covering a vastly disproportionate share of the total and today, every citizen has the vote and the right of access to public but for many the quality of life is so diminished by social conditions that the wolf named â€Å"Despair† is always at the door waiting for someone to get killed (Sahpiro 37).Second Chance, Second LifeAmerica becomes colour-blind post-racist nation and racial discrimination continues to be a huge problem in the nations prison and criminal justice systems furthermore state the idea that government cant really do anything anymore lacking the strength, the legitimacy, the money, the wherewithal to carry out key objectives and it has no clear objective or assurance to provide funds for meaningful rehabilitation and re-entry services for many millions of very disproportionately black prisoners and ex-prisoners who are marked for life with a criminal record (Davis, et al 104).Large number of African-American who have been incarcerated initially feel the misery of life in their neighbourhoods and it is a common ground to demand for a second chance but the miserable truth is screaming loud that most of them are returning home to communities where they never received much in a way of their first chance (Hattery and Smith 270).It is worth reminiscing that the current president of the United States owes his existence at the seat of world power to the retaliatory and criminally profligately electoral disenfranchisement of black ex-felons in the state of Florida moreover these men serves in his armed forces as they were given the option of joining the military as their only alternative to incarceration as he prepares an unwarranted, penalizing and criminal state-imperialist attack on Iraq, in a similar vein, there is a positive outlook from most African-Americans who have joined the military as they would like their policymak ers to move away from punitive, racially disparate mass incarceration and towards pro-active treatment, rehabilitation and community-based justice and real corrections.A Glimpse of the Silver Lining: Social and Moral SupportNearly a third of African-American men will cross the threshold of state or federal prison during their lives hence countless will be lost in the criminal justice system and finish up in prison, poverty, and unemployment. Incarceration causes closure of employment avenues for ex-offenders in the public sector moreover those who are released could fail to become fully rehabilitated, and may go on to commit more crimes due to lack of job training and support programs (Hepburn 164).Breaking the law should have consequences, there is no question about that and we have to fully understand that violence is always wrong therefore justice must be fair and punishment must fit the crime in addition, the costs of crimes are at high nevertheless failing to break this cycle w ill costs America more. The judicial system seemingly jeopardize certain sentences among African-American citizens while too many young, first-time and non-violent offenders have been locked up for the better part of their lives.It is very impossible for one to nurture and support a family without a high school diploma but a criminal record instead for this reason the prospects for success are next to none.If former prisoners will be given a second chance and support from their community-based organizations they can have a meaningful life working with state and local authorities, likewise it will also promote and ensure that the re-entry programs will help make communities safer.Creating paths for ex-offenders is very crucial and this will lead them to leave the life of crime. Providing jobs, skills, and education they need to get their meaningful life back means so much not just for their selves but for America as a whole.Employment process designs with effective training and mento ring programs will help people to be at ease during transition period from their new jobs accordingly re-assessment of laws will be beneficial in relation to hiring people with a criminal record to avoid foreclosure of effective ways in bringing people out of poverty and preventing them from committing new crimes (Hunt 19).The immense multiplicity in incarcerated individuals resulted in a larger population of ex-convicts offers critical issues for U.S. public policy to address the employment and socialization dilemmas.Various systematic research projects to deal with this important public concern would be well worth the expenditure of public funds and studies shows that stable lives and sustainable employment are the keys to preventing recidivism. Ex-offenders become valuable participants in communities as they enter successfully transition out of the criminal justice system as they begin earning a living wage and contributing to tax base, instead of burdening it.As a society, we ar e in great accordance that work is better than welfare and surely then, work is better than crime and prison. The dark cloud around criminal and social justice issues in incarceration of African-American men is starting to fade a little and hope is being place to reconstruct the gap between the American government with its people.Second chance is all they need to prove that they are still a part of this nation. Let us give them the chance to prove their worth. Not all African-American men or the people behind bars committed a crime or such, some are just unlucky to catch the blows of life and fight back. Life is sometime’s unfair but let us give them a fair game, let us give them the chance to stand up and face the world again.

Rabaul Essay Response

Rabaul Essay Response Rabaul Essay Response ESSAY RESPONSE TO PRACTICE ESSAY Like many places of human settlement, the site of Rabaul (see Fig. 4) is subject to volcanic hazard. This hazard, a consequence of plate subduction processes involving the Pacific and Australian Plate (see Fig. 8) have been responsible for developing the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. The area has a geological history of violent eruptions where Simpson Harbour itself is an explosion crater, or caldera (see Fig. 3) and 500 people died in the 1937 eruption. As a consequence of vulcanism, humans benefit from the provision of a safe harbour as well as the potential for fertile soils to develop for farming. Whilst there are benefits gained from the volcanic activity on Rabaul, activity on the 20th September 1994 (see Fig. 10) resulted in significant social, economic and environmental upheaval. Currently, both Tavurvur and Vulcan are active and producing ash to a depth of 75 metres over the township. Appropriate mitigation by authorities must ensure that potentially dangerous hazards to people are avoided. A decision on whether to abandon or re-establish Rabaul will need to consider balancing the risk to residents with the economic and social upheavals that could result. The explosive eruption of magma, ash, gas and rocks had a significant environmental and socio-economic impact on the Rabaul area. Due to the prevailing South to Southeast winds, ash up to 75 centimetres in depth as well as poisonous gas affected the Rabaul area when Vulcan and Tavuruur erupted explosively (see Fig. 7 & 10). Whilst farmlands to the south [evidenced in the 3-D aspect sketch by Mr Raward] avoided the ash and gas due to the wind direction, had the eruption occurred between November and April, this highly acidic material may well have destroyed these farmlands. The risk of lahar and subsequent flooding is ever present if rain is added to this ash. Collapse of buildings has already occurred as a result of ash build up. The harbour also suffered sedimentation loads from the ash (see Fig. 5). This has a significant impact on the island’s capacity to trade and move its farm stock. Coupled with this impact is the possibility that further destruction of low-lying a reas could occur if tsunami activity is present. There is evidence in Figure 10 that â€Å"tidal waves† have entered the town. Although it is not clear as to what is meant by this, it may well be the flooding from sedimentation in the harbour, local rivers, or even tsunami activity from offshore tremors. Loss of viable farmland, landlessness, job loss, looting of local businesses and the cost to rebuild are just some of the socio-economic impacts of such a disaster. A decision to re-site Rabaul to the western end of New Britain minimises risk to residents but will have a significant impact socially and economically on the community. Residents will face inevitable debt, farmers and the community will have to rebuild their lives in a new place, resulting in significant economic and social stress for the people of Rabaul. International aid cannot be guaranteed so costs could become extreme. Without a protected harbour, the settlement will have limited ability to trade and move produce. Nevertheless, safety of residents can be guaranteed as this area is not volcanic. Re-establishment of damaged sections of Rabaul will result in less socio economic upheaval than a proposal to re-site. Nevertheless, residents will face a greater risk if they remain in Rabaul, as the volcano is in an active phase. A proposal to re-establish is socially sustainable given that it contains safe guards including interest free loans and

Environmental Health and Safety

Environmental Health and Safety Free Online Research Papers The first purpose of this paper is to explain (using the given scenario) which of the following two approaches to enhance food safety would be more effective in the long run; a stronger enforcement program by the local health department or a mandatory food safety training requirement for all restaurants employees. In addition I will describe worker behaviors that may promote or compromise food safety. The scenario is there have been several complaints in your community about dirty restaurants. Several restaurants are no longer in business as a result of a television expose. You are the head of a citizen task force and have been asked to make recommendations for improved food safety. The members of the task force are at odds over which approach to food safety best serves the interests of the community. The second purpose of this paper is to describe the recommendations that I would give (using the given scenario) the public to prevent further spread of the West Nile Virus by mosquitoes and describe the recommendations that I would give the community to control the mosquito population in the community. The scenario is, recently there have been numerous reports on increased mosquito bites in several neighborhoods in your community. Your staff has investigated these reports and has found them to be justified. In fact, there have been an increasing number of complaints that mosquitoes are preventing people from staying out in the early mornings and evenings. Additionally, the local health department has informed you that there has been an increase in reported cases of encephalitis and a few deaths related to West Nile Virus. FOOD SAFETY Enforcement programs have always been required to monitor the safety of the public as a whole and there are plenty of statistics that show an increase in compliance with established regulations as a result of enforcement. However, it is my recommendation to implement a mandatory food safety training requirement for all restaurant employees. Education is always comes before enforcement. If restaurant employees are not educated in the proper food handling, preparation, or even proper cleaning procedures in the kitchen and don’t understand why it is important to follow established protocolsthen they are doomed to fail any type of standards enforcement inspections. Most public health departments have limited resources to perform inspections and therefore establishments may only get inspected one to six times per year depending on certain risk factors associated with the number and type of foods served. Even Texas state schools are only mandated to have inspections twice a ye ar for their kitchens and staff. (DSHS 2007) According to Allison Knezevich, a reporter from the Charleston Gazette in West Virginia, who wrote recent article covering restaurant food safety, â€Å"A critical violation is an infraction that is capable of spreading foodborne illness such as chicken salad that are not kept cold enough, on ice or refrigerated or employees who don’t practice adequate hand hygiene.† She also stated, â€Å"Under the current rules, an establishment can have five uncorrectable critical violations before it is shut down.† (Knezevich 2008) Worker behaviors may promote or compromise food safety. Why don’t food handlers wash their hands? Why are raw meats stored over ready-to-eat foods? Why isn’t that food stored at the required temperatures? These questions address just a couple of worker behaviors that compromise food safety. Why do workers do what they do? Often it is because of one’s opinion of the perception of the seriousness of the impact, one’s opinion of the tangible action or confidence in one’s ability to take action. Most workers will state that they didn’t realize the possible dangers or are a victim of the â€Å"it’s not my job† syndrome. The way to influence behaviors to a achieve an acceptable change is to, specify the consequences, increase awareness of a need for change, promote awareness and employ reminder systems, provide training and guidance in performing the action, use verbal reinforcement, and demonstrate desired behaviors. (Jenk ins-McLean, 2004) How does this get accomplished? Demonstrate proper handwashing, use examples of restaurant foodborne outbreaks, involve the staff in mock inspections, and possibly have weekly meetings to re-emphasize key food protection points. When this occurs you will have a restaurant staff that not only exhibits proper worker behavior, but also understands why. Food safety is an extremely important issue and food preparation is even more complex than ever. We don’t just eat meat and potatoes anymore. Today we are eating more poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables. While this is conducive to a healthier lifestyle it presents greater challenges when it comes to food safety. Mandating educational programs and professional training for restaurant employees is the best way to limit the spread of foodborne illness and will ultimately enhance food safety practices. This in turn will be reflected in a reduction of reportable public health illnesses that occur as a result of improper food preparation or handling and be evident during future enforcement inspections. VECTORS What are vectors? Vectors are insects and rodents that are capable of transmitting an infectious agent by biting, stinging, or depositing the agent either directly on the host or on some object that will come in contact with the host. In some cases, a vector acts as an intermediate host, and other times the vector is simply contaminated. The first thing that I would do is contact the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While the local health is involved, the CDC and the EPA have greater resources to provide and may be able to assist in providing recommendations. The EPA website states, â€Å"The CDC, works closely with state and local health departments and provides public information and develops national strategies to reduce the risk of disease transmission.† The EPA also states, â€Å"The EPA (EPA, 2007) The increased mosquito population in the community represents a serious risk as evident by the deaths related to West Nile Virus. In an effort to control and combat the mosquito population I would contact my local vector control agency and give the following recommendations to the community such as: making sure to limit the amount of free standing water around living areas, treat swimming pools and make sure they are continuously circulating, keep rain gutter s on homes unclogged, and keep screen doors closed tight. Next I would establish a community outreach program to educate users on the proper use of insect repellents and have repellents available at no cost to lower income communities to increase compliance. The West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne disease. People get infected with the virus when they are bitten by an infected mosquito. The mosquitoes become infected with the virus when they feed on infected birds. The infected mosquitoes can spread the virus to humans and animals that they bite. It is important to know that the virus is not spread through the air or by contact. However, there is a â€Å"very† small risk of acquiring the virus through transfusion, transplants or breastfeeding. In an effort to prevent the spread of West Nile, I would recommend to the community to use the same mosquito control measures to reduce the risk of being bit by mosquitoes. In addition, I would inform the community to be on the lookout for dead birds and tree squirrels and report them to local public health departments. This can indicate the presence of the virus and the health departments will want to test the dead animal for the virus. This allows the public health department to use the information for surveillance purposes. Mosquitoes have always been known for their ability to transmit disease to the public. When people think of mosquito bites, they usually just think of the annoyance of scratching the bite area. However, with natural disasters happening more frequently, especially with all of the mid-west flooding, mosquitoes may become a bigger nuisance to the American public. References Jenkins-McLean, T., Skilton, C., Sellers, C. (2004). Engaging Food Service Workers in Behavioral-Change Partnerships. Retrieved on July 30, 2008 from metrokc.gov/health/env_hlth/behavior-change-food.pdf California West Nile Virus Website (2008). West Nile Basics. Retrieved on July 30, 2008 from http://westnile.ca.gov/wnv_faqs_basics.php Department of Health Human Services (1999) Administration Statement on Duplication in Food Safety on Behalf of The Presidents Council on Food Safety. Retrieved on July 30, 2008 from hhs.gov/asl/testify/t990804c.html Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), (2007). School Safety: Changes in the law Creating a Requirement for Two Annual Inspections. Retrieved on July 30, 2008 from dshs.state.tx.us/schoolsafety/food.shtm United States Environmental Protection Agency (2007). Mosquito Control. Retrieved on July 30, 2008 from epa.gov/pesticides/health/mosquitoes/ Research Papers on Environmental Health and SafetyMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductGenetic EngineeringInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseLifes What IfsNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeOpen Architechture a white paperStandardized Testing

Addictive Behaviours Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Addictive Behaviours - Essay Example There is immense research on the mechanisms of addiction as far as substance abuse and alcohol addiction are concerned. As of now, there is very little research into this aspect with reference to addictive behaviors like gambling. Though many researchers argue similar pathogenesis in all addictive behaviours, research into this perspective is warranted. Acute and chronic stress have been incriminated in the mechanism of development of addiction in all types of addictive behaviours. However, it is yet unclear as to what type and extent of stress, timing of stress and coping strategies against stress cause such negative implications towards ones behaviour. In this essay, mechanisms involved in the development of addictive gambling will be elucidated through review of appropriate literature and with reference to pathophysiology of addiction of substances and alcohol. There are several substances which are addictive in nature. Of these, marijuana is the most widely consumed illicit drug in the world (Maxwell, 2003). According to the statistics on drug abuse published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2002 (based on National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 2001), marijuana constituted 33.1% of the illicit drugs ever used. It also constituted 12.9% of the drugs recently used. The mean age of initiation was 18.5 years. The consumption of marijuana overseas was most prevalent in New-Zealand (20%) and least in Canada (8.9%). The prevalence in U.K and U.S was same (9%) (Maxwell 2003). Most often it is consumed with other illicit drugs like cocaine (called ‘blunts’) or tobacco. It is taken in mainly for the mental effects like altered state of consciousness, perceptual changes like hallucinations and heightened sensory experiences. The main active chemical having psycho-activity in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocann abinol) (Astolfi et al, 1998). Other than euphoria and hallucinations, marijuana has other effects

Measurement in Mixed Methods Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Measurement in Mixed Methods Design - Essay Example Research participants are selected randomly from a population. The researcher in this case is independent of the research problems and thus objective. Standardized research tools/instruments are used to collect data from the sample studied. Quantifiable information is gathered and subjected to statistical analysis. Usually predetermined hypotheses on the (cause-effect) relationship between research variables are tested. One of the hypotheses leads for generalizations on the larger population. The ability to reliably quantifiably measures of research variables and generalize observed patterns makes quantitative method very useful in scientific research. Also objectivity of this method implies the results found at the end of the research can be replicated regardless of whoever that conduct the same research using the same manner. The ability to generate reliable population-based data, manipulate it using statistical techniques and inferentially generalize aspects of the population makes this method suitable for establishing cause-and-effect relationships. Unfortunately, quantitative approach is weak in social sciences because it removes the subject of research from natural settings. Thus studying human behaviour out of context makes it benignly weak in social science research. Qualitative research methodologies are on the other hand value-laden and are used to design, collect, analyze and interpret data by observing what people do and say. Qualitative research methodologies are more subjective than quantitative research and uses very different methods of collecting information, mainly individual, in-depth interviews and focus groups. They are used to explain the meanings people assign to social phenomena and human behaviours. The researcher in this case is the instrument of data collection, and results may vary greatly depending upon who conducts the research. Thus, measurement is subjective. The beauty of qualitative methodology is that it generates

Diffusion and Osmosis Essay Example for Free

Diffusion and Osmosis Essay Diffusion and osmosis are very important in biological process. Diffusion is the movement of molecules or ions from a region of their high concentration to a region of their low concentration. Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules across a semipermeable membrane. To gain a better understanding of diffusion and osmosis, we examine multiple experiments to show diffusion and osmosis in animal cell, plant cell and synthetic cell. In our first experiment, we weight a decalcified chicken egg and place 10% NaCl concentration. At every fifteen minutes intervals, we weight the egg and record that the weight decreases. In our second experiment, we use three slices of aquatic plant Elodea and add pond water one leaf, distilled water for the second and 20% NaCl for the third, then observe the cells of each leaf with a compound microscope. Under microscope, chloroplasts (green organelles) in Elodea tend to bound to the cell wall in pond water, spread all over the cell in distilled water, pull away from cell wall in 20% NaCl. In our last experiment, we use a dialysis bag that contains 30% glucose and starch solution then place into a beaker of water and iodine solution. We then remove the bag out of the beaker, and use two test tube which label BAG, BEAKER to perform a Benedict’s test. We place solution in the bag in the BAG tube, and solution in the beaker in the BEAKER tube and add a drop of Benedict’s reagent to each tube, then heat each test tube and observe a color change in each tube. These experiments show that movement of water of chicken egg cell and Elodea cell is â€Å"osmosis† and movement of molecules in dialysis bag and beaker is â€Å"diffusion†. INTRODUCTION Diffusion is involved in many biological processes occurring in single-celled to complex organism (cite this). It is a part in life that we need to know and understand how it works. Diffusion is the process by which molecules move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration (cite this). A branch of diffusion process is osmosis, which is the movement of water across a membrane which is selectively permeable (cite this). We are going to learn and get more information about diffusion osmosis by perform three experiments. We place a shell-less chicken egg in salt solution. We predict that water in the egg will move out the cell because this is a hypertonic solution, a greater concentration of osmotically active substance than the solution on the other side of membrane. Next, we are going have three slices of Elodea in each different solution: hypotonic, isotonic, hypertonic then we observe these reactions in the microscope. We predict that one will have chloroplasts (green organelles) bound to cell wall in hypotonic, one will have chloroplasts move in the cytoplasm, one will have cell wall remain intact and chloroplasts move away from cell wall. Third, we’re going to use a dialysis bag contains starch and glucose and place in water and iodine solution. After a Benedict test, we predict that there will be color change in these solutions. These experiments are easy to perform and they also give people enough information to gain better concepts of how diffusion works in animal cell, plant cell, and synthetic cell. METHODS First, we performed an experiment to show osmosis in animal cell. Our materials in this experiment were a decalcified egg, a 350mL beaker, 10% of NaCl solution, a triple beam balance, and a timer. We used the triple beam balance to weigh the egg. The weight of the egg was 77.3g at this time. Next, we placed the egg in the beaker that was filled with 250mL of 10% NaCl. We waited about fifteen minutes and then remove the egg out of the beaker. We dried off the water from the egg and placed the egg on the triple beam balance. The weight of the egg after fifteen minutes was 76.6g. We then placed the egg back in the beaker and repeated these steps every fifteen minutes intervals. At thirty minutes, the egg’s weight was 76.3g. At forty-five minutes, the weight was 76.2g. At sixty minutes, the weight was 76.1g. We recorded the data and calculated the percent change in egg weight by using the weight at the present time minus the previous weight all over the previous time and all multi ply to one hundred. We then graphed our data to show percent changes in weight of the egg. Next, we performed another experiment to show osmosis in a plant cell. We used leaf of the aquatic plant Elodea, pond water, distilled water, 20% NaCl solution, a compound microscope, a pair of forceps. First, we cut three small pieces from Elodea plant with forceps. We then carefully placed each piece onto the microscope slide glass. We added a small drop of pond water to one piece and labeled it â€Å"pond water†. We added a small drop of distilled water to another piece and labeled it â€Å"distilled water†. Last we added 20% NaCl to the last piece and labeled it â€Å"20% NaCl†. We waited for ten minutes and then we observed the cells of each piece of leaf under the microscope. We then sketched the cells of each piece as seen in the microscope. In our last experiment of diffusion of synthetic cell, we used a 30-cm strip of moist dialysis tubing, a string, 30 % glucose solution, starch solution, iodine solution, Benedict’s reagent, hot plate, 500-mL bea ker one-third filled with water, handled test tube holder, 3 standard test tubes, disposable transfer pipettes, two of 400-mL beakers to hold dialysis bag. First, we soaked the dialysis tubing in water and closed one end with a string, and let the other end open. Then we added four pipettesful of 30% glucose into the bag and four pipettesful of starch solution to the glucose in the bag. We gently mixed the contents and observed the color in the bag. Next, we add 300mL of water to 500mL beaker. We put some drops of iodine solution in the water and it turned into a brown color. After that, we placed the dialysis bag into the beaker and waited for thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, we moved the bag and let it stand in a dry beaker. We then recorded the data. Next, we used two test tube which labeled â€Å"BEAKER† and â€Å"BAG† for the Benedict’s test. We put two pipettesful of the bag solution in the BAG tube and two pipettesful of the beaker solution in the BEAKER tube. We added a drop of benedict’s reagent to each tube and heat them up in hot water for three minutes. After three minutes, we observed the co lor change and recorded our data. RESULTS In our first experiment with decalcified egg in 10% NaCl, we find that the weight of the shell-less egg decreases after every fifteen minutes time interval. At time zero, the egg has 77.3g but after fifteen minutes, the egg has 76.6, a -0.9% change in weight. At thirty minutes, the egg has 76.3g, a -0.4% change in weight. At forty-five minutes, the egg has 76.2g, a -0.1% change in weight. At sixty minutes, the egg has 76.1g, a -0.1% change in weight. In our second experiment with Elodea plant, we find that chloroplasts(green organelles) of Elodea cell in pond water moves close to cell wall. In distilled water, we find that chloroplasts (green organelles) of Elodea cell move freely through out in the cytoplasm but block by cell wall. We also find that chloroplasts (green organelles) of Elodea cell of in 20% NaCl moving away from the cell wall and form tightly in the central of cytoplasm. In our last experiment with dialysis tubing, we observe some color change. The bag solution, which contains glucose and starch, has a transparent original color, turns to transparent with some black dots as final color. After using the Benedicts reagent, the tube which contains the bag solution turns into an orange color.

Essay --

INTRO: state the q; motivate it; history facts A number of EU members have implemented environmental tax reforms (ETRs) which are defined as a reform of the national tax system that shift the tax burden from taxation of labor to taxation of carbon-energy, and the reforms were first introduced in Scandinavian countries since 1990 and then applied in other European countries, such as, Germany and Britain (PTAK, 2010; COMETR, 2007). This project summarizes an assessment of the German ETR and its effect on technological innovation by trying to answer the research question: Did the German ETR increase technological innovation? The question is motivated by general environmental considerations, for instance, slowing down the global warming by reducing energy consumptions and carbon emissions. My paper’s aim is to assess the effect of the German ERTs on technology innovation level specifically, and this is motivated by the following relevant facts. The German ETR was launched in April 1999, and it has been adopted in Germany for m ore than ten years; thus, there are plenty of available data for us to assess the impacts of this ETR regarding to German government’s motivations. This ETR was proposed because the German government wanted to increase technology innovation, to create additional jobs, and to decrease energy consumption (Agnolucci, 2009; Beuermann and Santarius, 2006). Moreover, it is important for us to assess the impacts of ETRs from different angles, for example, the level of technology innovation, rather than assessing the impacts on the level of energy consumption and employment that abundant papers have discussed. The rest of the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 presents a literature review of the related literature ... ...atively; hence, it can be concluded that the ETR in Germany had a positive impact on reducing energy consumption, and the effect on employment is overall small and can be positive (Agnolucci, 2009)†¦..however†¦. Moreover, Agnolucci applied an econometric approach to assess the effect of the environmental tax reforms introduced in Germany and the UK, especially their effects on energy consumptions and employment level†¦. In this paper, the author modelled his data by sorting them into the following various economics subsectors: Textiles and leather (TXT); Pulp, paper and printing (PPP); Rubber and plastics (RP); Non-metallic minerals (NMM); Machinery (MAC); Electrical and optical equipment (ELE); Wholesale and retail trade (TRA) which covered almost the whole spectrum of manufacturing activity. Therefore, I am able to use these subsectors later in my solving process.

Brain Structures Worksheet

Brain Structures and Functions Worksheet PSY/340 Version 3 1 Brain Structures and Functions Worksheet Provide a brief description for each of the following functions: 1. Basal ganglia Controls cognition and movement coordination as well as voluntary movement. It is also a component of the corpus striatum and it consists of the subthalamic nucleus and the substantial nigra (About. com, 2012). 2. Corpus collosum There is a thick band of nerve fibers and these are called the corpus collosum. This is what divides the cerebrum into two hemispheres, a left and a right.It creates communication between the left and the right sides by connecting them. It also transfers motor functions, sensory, and cognitive information between the two hemispheres (About. com, 2012). 3. Temporal lobe The temporal lobe has three general function areas. These are the superior temporal gyrus, the inferior temporal cortex, and the medial temporal cortex. The superior temporal gyrus I where our hearing and languag e come in. The inferior temporal cortex helps us identify complex visual patterns.The medial temporal cortex is what we rely on for memory (Pinel, 2009). 4. Occipital lobe This is what is used to help us analyze the visual input which guides our behavior. Without it we may act differently than what we currently act because we wouldn’t see things the same way (Pinel, 2009). 5. Frontal lobe Each frontal lobe has two very unique functional areas which are the precentral gyrus and the frontal cortex which is right beside it which have motor capabilities. Frontal lobes are also one of the four main regions of the cerebral cortex.This is where all your planning and decision making goes on and how you solve problems (About. com, 2012). 6. Cerebrum Cerebrum means cerebral hemispheres. When comparing the cerebrum to the brain stem it is known to be more complex and have an adaptive process such as your learning capabilities, your perception of things and your motivation towards doing things (Pinel, 2009). 7. Spinal cord The spinal cord combined with the brain is what makes up your central nervous system. It is a bundle of nervous tissue and supporting cells that extend from the medulla oblongata.It starts at the occipital bone and goes down to the area between the first and second lumbar vertebrae (About. com, 2012). 8. Cerebellum The cerebellum is also known as the â€Å"little brain†. It is a large convoluted structure on the brain stem’s dorsal surface and plays an extremely important role in motor control (Pinel, 2009). It is possibly involved in other cognitive functions such as language and attention. 9. Medulla The medulla oblongata is a portion of the hindbrain that would control the functions we know as breathing, heart and blood vessel, digestion, sneezing, and swallowing.The way that we move and the way the we hear are because neurons from the midbrain and the forebrain traveled through the medulla oblongata. The medulla helps the transf erence of messages between several areas of the brain and the spinal cord (About. com, 2012). 10. Pons When ascending and descending tracts and part of the reticular formation happen this can cause a bulge or what is also known as a pons. IT is located on the brain stem’s ventral surface. The pons is one of the major divisions of the Metencephalon and the other is the cerebellum (Pinel, 2009). 11. HippocampusHippocampus is a huge component of the brain of a human. It plays an important role with short-term and long term memory and spatial navigation. There are two hippocampus in each human brain and it is closely associated with the cerebral cortex (About. com, 2012). 12. Amygdala If you were to look at the temporal lobe of the brain you would find an almond shaped mass of a nuclei located very deep. It is a limbic system structure and it is what we would know as what makes us cry and what makes us get motivated to exercise. It is also part of the brain that helps you process fear, anger and pleasure (About. om, 2012). 13. Pituitary gland It is a gland that dangles from the ventral surface of the brain. It exerts hormones and it’s literal meaning is snot gland, how lovely. It is known as the master gland because of how it directs other types of organs and endocrine glands. Those glands would consist of the adrenal glands which in turn can be used to suppress or amp up hormone production (Pinel, 2009). 14. Hypothalamus It is located right below the anterior thalamus and it has a huge role in the regulation of several motivated behaviors.It works with the pituitary gland and is able to be connected to the nervous system and to the endocrine system. It synthesizes and secretes certain types of neurohormones. It controls your body temperature, how hungry you are, how thirsty you are, if you are sleepy or really really tired (Pinel, 2009). 15. Thalamus The thalamus is located under the cerebral cortex in a dual lobed mass of grey matter. It is what is used to have sensory perception and how to regulate your motor functions. It also controls how much you sleep and how much you are awake (About. com, 2012) [pic]

Internal Control Essay

Question 1 a) Select two companies where inadequate internal control have resulted in disastrous effects on the organisation or exposed it to heavy losses. Research the facts of the failure and report on the facts and the losses suffered. In your report, include suggestions for changes to operations (internal controls) that could have prevented the final outcome. Where could you find a list of these internal controls and how are they documented? Examples of companies include: Coles Myer Ltd and the Yannon affair Barings Bank (1995) AWA Case (1992) Integral Energy (2003) Australian Museum-theft of zoological specimens (2003) Argonaut Resources (2011) Each report should be about no longer than 1 page in length. Two reports required. b) Select two companies that have experienced recent corporate governance failures. Research the facts of the failure and report on the facts and the losses suffered. In your report, give suggestions on the Corporate Governance principles that should be implemented and that could have prevented the failure. Examples of companies include: ABC Learning (2008) Storm Financial (2009) Strathfield (2009) One-Tel HIH Independent Insurance (UK) Commander Communications (2008) EzyDVD (2009) Clive Peters Beechwood Homes Australian Discount Retail (Crazy Clarks’, Go-Lo, Sam’s Warehouse) (2009) Queensland Health Department (2011) Parmalat (Italy) Each report should be about no longer than 1 page in length. Two reports required. Question 2 a) In your own words explain Internal Control within an organisation, and state the major objectives of a system of internal control to management? b) List and briefly explain the five components of an entity’s internal control structure. Question 3 a) Define Corporate Governance and its application in the corporate world and discuss the need for Corporate Governance. b) Look up the Annual Reports for two of the following companies and comment on the appearance, structure, content, and usefulness of the Corporate Governance and Sustainability section of the report. How does it meet the current principles of Corporate Governance? Companies include: Banks: ANZ, CBA, NAB, Westpac, Bendigo Resources: BHP, RIO Tinto, Woodside, Santos Financial services: Macquarie Group, Perpetual, QBE Health care: Sonic, Resmed, CSL Retail: Woolworths, Wesfarmers, Metcash, Harvey Norman Property: Centro, Stockland, Westfield Property Trust, WRT Family business: Westfield, Harvey Norman, News Corporation Interesting: Fairfax, James Hardie, Qantas, Telstra Your report should be about no longer than 1 page in length. Two reports required.

Free Essays on E-book Marketing Plan

Section One: Business Overview Executive Summary The purpose of the Sublime Astrological Matches e-book is to inform people in relationships and dating, using the insight of astrology. The book will educate its readers as to the traits and tendencies of each specific astrological sign, which will in turn offer a better understanding of how all the signs deal with love, life and relationships, respectively. The following report will take an in depth look at how Sublime Astrological Matches is orchestrating its plan to manage the business and examine the fundamental factors critical to its success. The e-book will be sold via our website and a listing on E-bay. The plan will serve as a guideline for directive, future goals and objectives during both the initial selling period and when the time comes to expand further into the world of e-business. If implemented properly, Sublime Astrological Matches should be able to methodically monitor the fluctuations in its business and alter them to suit economic conditions. Company Overview Goals: Penetrate the e-book market Establish a niche and grow sales Encourage further purchasing using marketing plan and agenda Create a strong enough presence on E-bay to increase prices and bids Objectives: 1. To grow sales of the e-book by 25% from the time it launches to the end of the first year of business. 2. To increase the memberships of the Sublime Astrological Matches user group on the Yahoo user group by 50% within the first year of business. 3. At the end of a 2-year period, the e-book should be listed online as a purchase item by at least one major retailer. 4. Help educate people on an area of romance that is not always evident when dating. Corporate Philosophy The aim of placing the Sublime Astrological Matches e-book on the e-market is to turn a profit. Although this likely will not happen overnight, it certainly is the primary long term... Free Essays on E-book Marketing Plan Free Essays on E-book Marketing Plan Section One: Business Overview Executive Summary The purpose of the Sublime Astrological Matches e-book is to inform people in relationships and dating, using the insight of astrology. The book will educate its readers as to the traits and tendencies of each specific astrological sign, which will in turn offer a better understanding of how all the signs deal with love, life and relationships, respectively. The following report will take an in depth look at how Sublime Astrological Matches is orchestrating its plan to manage the business and examine the fundamental factors critical to its success. The e-book will be sold via our website and a listing on E-bay. The plan will serve as a guideline for directive, future goals and objectives during both the initial selling period and when the time comes to expand further into the world of e-business. If implemented properly, Sublime Astrological Matches should be able to methodically monitor the fluctuations in its business and alter them to suit economic conditions. Company Overview Goals: Penetrate the e-book market Establish a niche and grow sales Encourage further purchasing using marketing plan and agenda Create a strong enough presence on E-bay to increase prices and bids Objectives: 1. To grow sales of the e-book by 25% from the time it launches to the end of the first year of business. 2. To increase the memberships of the Sublime Astrological Matches user group on the Yahoo user group by 50% within the first year of business. 3. At the end of a 2-year period, the e-book should be listed online as a purchase item by at least one major retailer. 4. Help educate people on an area of romance that is not always evident when dating. Corporate Philosophy The aim of placing the Sublime Astrological Matches e-book on the e-market is to turn a profit. Although this likely will not happen overnight, it certainly is the primary long term...

Analysis Of The Immigration Problem Essays - Demography, Population

Analysis Of The Immigration Problem Essays - Demography, Population Analysis of the Immigration Problem The world has gone through a revolution and it has changed a lot. We have cut the death rates around the world with modern medicine and new farming methods. For example, we sprayed to destroy mosquitoes in Sri Lanka in the 1950s. In one year, the average life of everyone in Sri Lanka was extended by eight years because the number of people dying from malaria suddenly declined. This was a great human achievement. But we cut the death rate without cutting the birth rate. Now population is soaring. There were about one billion people living in the world when the Statue of Liberty was built. There are 4.5 billion today. World population is growing at an enormous rate. The world is going to add a billion people in the next eleven years, that's 224,000 every day! Experts say there will be at least 1.65 billion more people living in the world in the next twenty years. We must underezd what these numbers mean for the U.S. Let's look at the question of jobs. The International Labor organization projects a twenty-year increase of 600 to 700 million people who will be seeking jobs. Eighty-eight percent of the world's population growth takes place in the Third World. More than a billion people today are paid about 150 dollars a year, which is less than the average American earns in a week. And growing numbers of these poorly paid Third World citizens want to come to the United States. In the 1970s, all other countries that accept immigrants started controlling the number of people they would allow into their countries. The United States did not. This means that the huge numbers of immigrants who are turned down elsewhere will turn to the United States. The number of immigrants is staggering. The human suffering they represent is a nightmare. Latin America's population is now 390 million people. It will be 800 million in the year 2025. Mexico's population has tripled since the Second World War. One third of the population of Mexico is under ten years of age, as a result, in just ten years, Mexico's unemployment rate will increase 30 percent, as these children become young adults, in search of work. There were in 1990 an estimated four million illegal aliens in the United States, and about 55 percent of them were from Mexico. These people look to the United States. Human population has always moved, like waves, to fresh lands. But for the first time in human history, there are no fresh lands, no new continents. We will have to think and decide with great care what our policy should be toward immigration. At this point in history, American immigration policies are in a mess. Our borders are totally out of control. Our border patrol arrests 3000 illegal immigrants per day, or 1.2 million per year, and Two illegal immigrants get in for every one caught. And those caught just try again! More than 1 million people are entering the U.S. legally every year. From 1983 through 1992, 8.7 million of these newcomers arrived-the highest number in any 10-year period since 1910. A record 1.8 million were granted permanent residence in 1991. Because present law stresses family unification, these arrivals can bring over their spouses, sons and daughters: some 3.5 million are now in line to come in. Once here, they can bring in their direct relatives. As a result, there exists no visible limit to the number of legal entries. Until a few years ago, immigrants seeking asylum were rare. In 1975, a total of 200 applications were received in the U.S. Suddenly, asylum is the plea of choice in the U.S., and around the world, often as a cover for economic migration. U.S. applications were up to 103,000 last year, and the backlog tops 300,000 cases. Under the present asylum rules, practically anyone who declares that he or she is fleeing political oppression has a good chance to enter the U.S. Chinese are almost always admitted, for example, if they claim that China's birth-control policies have limited the number of children they can have. Right now, once aliens enter the U.S., it is almost impossible to deport

Effect of Political Issues on the Finance and Common Stock in Kuwait Research Paper

Effect of Political Issues on the Finance and Common Stock in Kuwait - Research Paper Example The history, heritage and growing development of the country have allowed Kuwait to become unique in its own way. Along with modernizations being incorporated, the country also maintains its standard traditions and cultures as well (About Kuwait). As far as the economic and financial condition of the country is concerned, Kuwait in the recent years reflected improved results in the macroeconomic issues related to the country. However, there are challenges still existing for the company needing greater developments in the social and physical infrastructure of the country. This development is required for the diversification of the economic foundation of the country. Thus although the country reflected satisfactory results as far as the fiscal and external surpluses of the country are concerned, yet the concerns are in relation to the quality of the infrastructure, health and education that also considers the gross domestic product of Kuwait (Kuwait and the IMF). However, it can be rea lized in this regard that several factors may be responsible for the finance and common stock in Kuwait. The present study focuses on learning about the political factors that may have effects on the finance and common stock in the country. ... This was also followed by the reappointment of the post of Prime Minister in the country. In the present times, the situations have become violent where protestors have been found to break into the parliament and force the Royal Family to suspend the existing legislature allowing space for immediate elections. This has led to the opposition party taking the power of the majority of the parliament and a Prime Minister has been selected from a different background of the Royal Family from that what has been traditional. Disagreements and disputes between the parliament and the Prime Minister had arisen from the time when the government was being formed. There were differences in their choices where the Prime Minister wanted to involve parliamentary members in the deliberations and meetings, and the majority of the parliament had objections to it (Omar). The degree to which members of the parliament and other political performers in Kuwait opposed to each other and struggled in Parliame nt stay put restricted to the limits of the Royal Family, keeping hold of its patrimonial position in the social order. Political disagreements are, consequently, restricted to arguments between Parliament and ministers, the compelling of the Council of Ministers at the powers of the government, and, from time to time, the obligatory resignation of ministers or all the Ministers of the Council. On the other hand, modalities of antagonism in Parliament in the present times are gradually more professed as a righteous opposition to the preferences of the political management as Parliament has turned out to be ever more decisive of the Prime Minister as well and not only for the members of his Cabinet.

Philosophy ( professional and business ethics) Essay

Philosophy ( professional and business ethics) - Essay Example Most likely, Bob is not only self centered but also materialistic in nature causing him to care very little about the benefits or positive aspects of â€Å"being good† or acting morally. One aspect of acting morally is how one is perceived by others. If Bob begins to act in a manner that appears moral and considerate of those around him, he is more likely to be trusted and liked. If Bob is trusted and liked, he will easily be able to convince others to do business with him or even help him out in a time of need, in the spirit of neighborly kinship. As an amoral person, Bob must feel the consequences of his actions in that others around him are repelled by him and avoid a great deal of contact with him. If Bob can be convinced that changing his attitude and actions will yield favorable results for him personally, he will most likely be conducive to such changes. The concept of â€Å"ought† or â€Å"should† may in fact be erroneous to Bob as the idea of what one should or should not do are subjective and void of scientific reason. Additionally, Bob is coming from a place of primal desire or concern as opposed to an ideology that doing the right thing is something that one should do in order to be a good person versus the motivation to do the right thing in order to perpetuate one’s own best interests. In theory, the latter of the two motivations, seems to in essence make the notion of Bob’s doing the right thing amoral because of the motivation behind those actions. This however, may be the only form of morality that Bob is willing to embrace and since it benefits those around him for him to act morally as opposed to amorally, it can be argued that regardless of Bob’s motivation for his moral actions, the actions themselves are moral due to their results all the way across the board. Additionally, if Bob can be convinced that his conversion to moral actions versus continuing in amoral actions will preserve his

Cosmetic Surgery - New Form of Modern Art or Pure Science Essay

Cosmetic Surgery - New Form of Modern Art or Pure Science - Essay Example The essay "Cosmetic Surgery - New Form of Modern Art or Pure Science" analyzes the phenomenon of cosmetic surgery. The issue of cosmetic surgery is probably the most debated within the domain of modern medicine. Within the recent decade it was highly debated not only in the US medical and ethical journals but also on TV and in popular newspapers. One of the most popular theses for such debates is following: is cosmetic surgery an art (as it does not require medical indications for the treatment) or a science (as it is based on profound medical techniques)? Simple â€Å"googling† the Internet gives clear evidence that most surgeons working in this area as well as respective clinics advertise their business as the â€Å"art of plastic / cosmetic surgery† instead of propagating it as a purely scientific and sophisticated activity. Conventionally comparing their business with Pygmalion’s statuary – the mythological Greek sculptor who created his ideal Galatea out of a marble stone – surgeons underline that the ultimate goal of cosmetic surgery is to make people more fit common aesthetic standards and appeal more both to themselves and the others. Not surprisingly, as Blum mentions many of cosmetic surgeons call themselves artists and sculptors. In many aspects comparisons between cosmetic surgery and art are based on the reasonable ground. Dislike the general surgery, cosmetic one does not have the standardized procedures. Contrasting to surgery where the doctor is the one and only who knows the way to successful treatment.

Roman and Byzantine Essay Example for Free

Roman and Byzantine Essay Between 200 B.C.E. and 1100 C.E. some aspects of cultural and political life changed between the Roman and Byzantine Empire while, other aspects continued. The aspects that continued politically are strong centralized political system, with an emperor overseeing. The aspects that changed politically are the way provinces of the empire were ruled. The aspects that continued culturally are the wealth, trade dependence, and pride. The aspects that changed are the religion, language, and military defense. Political aspects continued between the Roman and Byzantine Empire. The aspects that continued are the bureaucratic government and centralized political system with the emperor ruling everything. The Romans started this slightly during the reign of Julius Caesar, Caesar became a dictator and started this type of government in 47 B.C.E. after he was assassinated by his enemies. Julius’s grand-nephew Octavian Caesar rose up, defeated Julius’s enemies, and took over as the first emperor of Rome, renaming himself Augustus Caesar in 27 B.C.E. Augustus continued the type of government his uncle started where he as the emperor oversees all social, political, economic, religious, and military. The Byzantines took this cue from their predecessor and continued it by having such great emperors such as Justinian (527-656 C.E.) or Constantine (306-337 C.E.) who oversaw the whole Byzantine Empire and made decisions that allowed the empire to prosper. Another political aspect the Romans’ started was the standard of law which was continued by the Byzantines. Although the Byzantine Empire continued these political aspects of the Roman Empire, they changed some aspects.

Factors Affecting Euthanasia :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Factors Affecting Euthanasia      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the September 4 issue of the British. medical journal The Lancet, Canadian researchers report on how dying patients' "will to live" is likely to show "substantial fluctuation" due to changes in both physical and mental factors. Dr. Harvey Chochinov of the University of Manitoba and his colleagues assessed the "will to live" twice daily in 168 mentally competent cancer patients admitted to palliative care, and correlated this with a variety of other factors. The patients ranged in age from 31 to 89 years old; they survived an average of 18 days, though one woman lived more than 150 days. The factors with the most impact on the will to live were "depression, anxiety, shortness of breath, and sense of well-being." Which factor was most important varied with the stage of illness. During the earlier course of a patient's illness, anxiety was the dominant factor; depression became more important later, and shortness of breath was the chief factor suppressing a will to live when death became imminent. The study confirmed that, at least during much of a terminal illness's course, psychological factors weigh more heavily in a desire for death than factors such as physical pain.    Numerous US studies have established that the Americans most directly affected by the issue of physician-assisted suicide -- those who are frail, elderly and suffering from terminal illness -- are also more opposed to legalizing the practice than others are:    * A poll conducted for the Washington Post on March 22-26, 1996, found 50% support for legalizing physician-assisted suicide (Washington A18) Voters aged 35-44 supported legalization, 57% to 33%. But these figures reversed for voters aged 65 and older, who opposed legalization 54% to 38%. Majority opposition was also found among those with incomes under $15,000 (54%), and black Americans (70%).    * An August 1993 Roper poll funded by the Hemlock Society and other euthanasia supporters indicated that voters aged 18-29 supported "physician-aided suicide" 47% to 35%; voters aged 60 and older opposed it 45% to 35%. Hemlock's newsletter commented that "the younger the person, the more likely he or she is to favor this legislation." The newsletter added that "this is somewhat at odds with how Hemlock views its membership," since it sees itself as defending the interests of elderly citizens. (Humphry; Poll 9) A study of cancer patients found that terminally ill patients experiencing significant pain are more opposed to physician-assisted suicide than other terminally ill patients or the general public.

Spread of Buddhism

Keith Secon AP World Spread of Buddhism DBQ Responses to the Spread of Buddhism Following Buddhism’s introduction into China in the first and second centuries, C. E. , the religion was received in different ways, reflecting the progression of China’s history. Chinese scholars, Confucian Government Officials, and Buddhists viewed Buddhism through their unique perspectives, sometimes agreeing and sometimes disagreeing on the role it played in Chinese life. Chinese scholars generally saw Buddhism as a positive influence because it provided hope for an afterlife. Buddhists naturally embraced the rise of Buddhism and saw it as salvation.Confucian government officials were suspicious of Buddhism and saw it as a negative influence that challenged their already proven authority from Confucianism. Ultimately, the groups response to Buddhism differed depending on how tightly centralized the established Confucian dynasty was at the time, and by how much each group’s positio n in society would be benefitted or harmed. Chinese Scholars viewed Buddhism from an intellectual standpoint which lead them to receive it as ultimately positive because they had no special interest, as did the religious or government leaders.As stated by Zhi Dun, â€Å"whosoever in China [†¦] serves the Buddha and correctly observes the commandments [†¦] he will behold the Buddha and be enlightened in his spirit, and then he will enter Nirvana. †(Doc 2) This shows that Zhi Dun supported Buddhism and saw it as a way to achieve the highest state of spiritual being because reaching Nirvana meant that one could escape the terrible cycle of reincarnation. This document is biased due to the fact that where Zhi Dun was living at this time, in Northern China was being invaded by barbaric nomads which led him to need something to believe in and Buddhism filled that void.A document that would have been helpful in reputing Zhi Dun’s statement would have been a diary en try from a scholar in Southern China where there were no foreign invaders and the government was still strong. In The Disposition of Error, an anonymous scholar in 500 ce questioned both Confucianism and Buddhism when he wrote, â€Å"All written works need not necessarily be the words of Confucius [†¦] even if the Buddha isn’t mentioned in them, What occasion is there for suspicion? (Doc 3) This scholar’s statements reflect the political chaos and turmoil of the time as they demonstrate Confucianism and Buddhism are neither good nor bad but they fill a necessary part in people’s lives. The bias in this document stems from his anonymity because it seems as if he is almost too scared too publicly share his ideas and name. In this case a diary entry or public statement from a Daoist would be very helpful to contrast this scholar’s claim. From the point of view of a Daoist the reader would have been better able to understand the writer’s loyaltie s on the statement.Buddhists positively responded to the Spread of Buddhism because they obviously believed in the values of Buddhism and they wanted to share their beliefs with others. Buddha in â€Å"The Four Noble Truths† lays out the basic guidelines to Buddhism and the way for converts to live their lives (Doc 1). Following the noble truths outlined by Siddhartha Gautama will eventually lead to the stopping of sorrow. The bias in the document lays in the fact that it is a sermon which has the sole purpose to try to convert people to the faith being preached.To argue the Buddha’s guidelines of life, the Four Noble Truths, a scientific based study by an Educator or Scholar would be helpful as it could clear up some of the unknowns in the Buddha’s statement. A scientific study would have been helpful due to fact that the Buddha was mainly preaching to the uneducated lower-class. The leading Buddhist scholar, Zong Mi, in his essay â€Å"On the Nature of Manâ⠂¬  wrote, â€Å"Confucius, Laozi, and the Buddha were perfect sages[†¦] all three teachings lead to the creation of an orderly society and for this they must be observed with respect†(Doc 5).This shows that Zong Mi was impartial if not pro-Buddhist because he showed respect for Buddhism, as well as the other philosophies, because he believed they all could provide stability and happiness for the people. This document is biased because the scholar is Buddhist and probably wealthy which led him to promote Buddhism because if more people converted to it, it would have only benefited him more. In this case a diary entry from a Confucian Scholar would be helpful in debasing Buddhism because Confucianism was specifically against Buddhism.Confucian government officials were vehemently opposed to Buddhism because they believed it openly challenged their power and authority. Han Yu, a leading Confucian scholar and official at the Tang imperial, in â€Å"Memorial on Buddhismâ⠂¬  states, â€Å"Buddhism is no more than a cult of the barbarian peoples spread to China†(Doc 4) Han Yu was clearly against Buddhism, thinking that it had a negative effect because the people who worshiped it were barbarians and not like the educated scholars of his social class.Han Yu also opposed Buddhism because he was rooted in his own Confucian beliefs and the power it bestowed upon his government. This document is dripping with bias because a Confucian scholar wrote it during a highly centralized time of political stability. The political stability led to the peasants and the masses not needing a higher belief so they digressed back to the standard Confucian bureaucracy. A diary entry from a Buddhist monk or convert would be helpful as it would defend the ways of Buddhism and living one’s life to the fullest instead of letting the state control you.Emperor Wu, of the Tang Dynasty, in his â€Å"Edict of Buddhism† states, â€Å"now if even one man fails to work the fields, someone must go hungry [†¦] At present there are an inestimable number of monks and nuns in the empire, all of them waiting for the farmers to feed them†(Doc 6). The previous statement shows that Emperor Wu was very opposed to Buddhism because it took away the maximum productivity that his empire was capable of due to the fact the Buddhists lead ascetic lives and depended on others for goods and food.This document is biased because Emperor Wu didn’t have a first hand experience of what the masses had to deal with because he was a wealthy aristocrat and didn’t understand the need for a religion like Buddhism. A recorded conversation between two farmers would be helpful for determining if it puts that much economic stain on the farmers to produce more for others, since more production leads to more wealth.The conflict between Buddhism and Confucianism was due to the changing political state of China throughout it history of dynasties. When a dynasty wasn’t strong or when China was in a period of decentralization, it allowed new philosophies and religions to become prominent but when China was stable and centralized the people regressed to the normalcy of Confucianism. In dark times, when political turmoil flourishes, new religions arise to the forefront of society by offering hope and structure and common values.This is true at many points in history throughout various civilizations, such as during medieval times in Europe, the new religion of Christianity took hold in peasants’ lives during the time of political unsteadiness. As times change, new religions are created and others are pushed to the back burner. People must remember through these changing times not to become too invested in one religion as it will only lead to disappointment, and in some extreme cases, persecution.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms Essay

I. Importance of Study Found in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, a group of Norwegian psychologists conducted an observational longitudinal study to discover whether or not there is a relationship because Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms (PTSD). Mette Senneseth, Kjersti Alsaker & Gerd Karin Natvig, conducted this study. According to the journal, the aim of the study was to examine HRQoL and PTSD symptoms in the people that attend Accident and Emergency departments (A&E), due to the fact that they suffer from some type of psychosocial crisis (Alasker et al. 2011, 403). Hereafter, this is referred to as Research 1. The study done in Research 1 revealed that there has been an interest in researching one’s quality of life, and how it correlates with one’s health. The term HRQoL refers to the â€Å"effects of health, illness and treatment on QoL† (Alasker et al. 2011, 403). There have been a number of studies that suggest that traumatic lif e events, including, but not limited to, sexual assault and military combat, have a negative effect on HRQoL. Additionally, poor HRQoL is not only associated with PTSD symptoms, but they are related to differences and modification in HRQoL, and there is a negative correlation between the two (Alasker et al. 2011, 403). The researchers hypothesized that people who seek help at A&E, suffering from such psychosocial calamites, have lower HRQoL than the general population of Norway at the time of the study, and that the participants will have improved HRQoL after two months (Alasker et al. 2011, 403). In addition, a second hypothesis predicts that participants who have high levels of PTSD symptoms at the time of the study will have reduced symptoms after the conclusion of the study at two months. Lastly, the third hypothesis wraps the study up by predicating that high levels of PTSD symptoms are associated to low HRQoL scores in a follow-up experiment (Alasker et al., 2011, 403). Found in the Cyber-psychology, Behavior and Social Networking Journal, a group of researchers conducted a study to compare the effects of VR-graded exposure therapy (VR-GET) versus treatment as usual (TAU) on people suffering from combat related PTSD (McLay et al. 2011, 223). Robert Mclay, Dennis Wood, Jennifer Webb-Murphy, James Spira, Mark Miederholf, Jeffery Pyne and Brenda  Wiederhold conducted this study. Hereafter, this is referred to as Research 2. The doctors responsible for conducting this study found that there has only been one â€Å"randomized, controlled proof-of-concept† study that was specifically designed for Active Duty Service Members suffering from PTSD (McLay et al. 2011, 223). Also, the doctors wanted to extend the â€Å"already found research gathered† from victi ms of PTSD, and take the study one step further. The researchers of Research 2 hypothesized that â€Å"patients with combat-related PTSD would be more likely to experience clinically significant improvements in VR-GET than treatment as usual† (McLay et al. 2011, 224). VR-GET is a virtual reality stimulation that combines graded virtual reality exposure with â€Å"physiologic monitoring and skills training† (McLay et al. 2011, 224). Also, VR-GET promotes engagement with, rather than escaping the events and experiences that prompt a traumatic episode. II. METHODS In regards to Research 1, the participants in the study had to meet three criteria before they were able to participate. During the recruitment period, the researchers found participants who were attending the A&E due to a â€Å"psychosocial crisis and who consulted a psychiatric nurse,† were 18 years of age or older, and those who were able to both read and understand Norwegian (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). A total of 113 were asked to participate in the study. Of those 113 people selected, 99 of the people participated in the baseline study, and 41 participated in both the baseline study, and the follow-up study. Aforementioned, this was an observational longitudinal study, where participants were observed repeatedly over a long period of time. There were two types of instruments that were used for the research in Research 1. The first instrument that was used was a SF-36 Health Survey, which is a â€Å"36 item self-report questionnaire that assesses eight domains of physical and MH ranging from 1-100† (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). In this survey, the higher score reveals the best HRQoL, and the lower score reveals the poorest HRQoL (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). The second instrument that was used for this study was the Post-traumatic Symptom Scale (PTSS-10), which is a ten item self-report questionnaire that â€Å"assesses the presence  and intensity of symptoms† (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). On the PTSS-10, scores range from 10 to 70, and a score of 35 or greater results in a PTSD diagnosis (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). In addition to the two questionnaires, participants were encouraged to go to consolations at the A&E. The number of consultations that each participant attended varies throughout the study. In regards to Research 2, â€Å"participants for the study were all Active Duty Service Members who had been diagnosed by a military mental health professional as having PTSD† related to military combat (McLay et al. 2011, 224). At the end of the baseline assessment, those who were qualified to participate in he study were asked to draw a piece of paper out of an envelop, making the selection of treatment completely random, and giving the participants an equal chance of choosing either treatment. There were a total of twenty people that participated in this study; ten assigned to the VR-GET and another ten assigned to TAU (McLay et al. 2011, 225). The two methods of Research 2 consisted of the VR-GET and the TAU. The participants that were assigned for the VR-GET had a sequence of sessions that consisted of different activities. First, the therapist would meet with the participant and discuss their trauma history. In the second session, participants were asked to reveal their more traumatic stories of their military combat and tours. In later sessions, the participant used the virtual reality helmet to relive their most traumatic events, based off of the information that was gathered about them in the earlier sessions. In each session, the participants were observed on their ability to face their fears and anxieties (McLay et al. 2011, 225). â€Å"Participants assigned to TAU could receive any of the regular services available to them at the NMCSD and NHCP. These two facilities offer full spectrum of PTSD treatment, including, but not limited to, cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, and group therapy† (McLa y et al. 2011, 225). III. ANALYSIS/RESULTS Analysis The researchers for Research 1 used the two self-report questionnaires to gather their data. In addition, the researchers processed the data using  statistical analysis with the help of SPSS16 Processor for Windows (Oslo, Norway). The researcher for this study wants to compare the results of the two surveys with the general population of Norway, and to succeed with that, they used SF-36 data through the Norwegian Coordinated Living Conditions Survey from 2002, consisting of 5131 people (Alasker et al. 2011, 405). In Research 2, it was found that participants in the baseline study had lower norm-based scores in all eight HRQoL domains in comparison to the general population of Norway. In the follow-up study, two months later, the â€Å"participants still had lower norm-based scores than the general population of Norway, but participants had improved their HRQoL in five of the eight domains from the baseline study to the follow-up study† (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). In regard to the PTSS-10 questionnaire in Research 1, among the participants in the baseline study, 79% of them had a PTSS-10 score that was 35, expressing high levels of PTSD symptoms (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). At the follow-up, â€Å"59% of the participants had a PTSS-10 score that was 35, which shows high levels of PTSD symptoms, which can indicate a risk of developing PTSD† (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). The researchers for Research 2 aimed to identify which of the VR-GET or TAU would yield a greater percentage of participants with a â€Å"clinically meaningful reduction in PTSD† (McLay et al. 2011, 225). The researcher succeeded in deepening their research by investigating the â€Å"difference in CAPS scores at an initial assessment and then at the post-treatment assessment in VR-GET versus TAU† (McLay et al. 2011, 226). The CAPS is a â€Å"rating scale for PTSD that corresponds with the 17 symptoms of PTSD† (McLay et al. 2011, 226). Participants were classified according to whether or not they had a 30% of larger reduction of their PTSD based on the results of their CAPS. ii. Analysis Results Taking a look at Research 1, and the question concerning whether or not there is a link between PTSD symptoms and HRQoL, researchers looked at the differences in SF-36 scores between PTSS-10 subgroups in a follow-up study (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). â€Å"The PTSS-10 high scoring and low scoring subgroups at the 2-month follow-up differed in all eight of the HRQoL domains in the follow up study† (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). In addition, the PTSS-10 low scoring participants had improved HRQoL in six out of the eight domains (Alasker et al. 2011, 407). In regards to Research 2, all ten of the participants assigned to the VR-GET were assessed with the CAPS at the post-assessment. Seven out of the ten participants showed an improvement of 30% or more on the CAPS. On the other hand, out of the ten participants that were assigned to the TAU, one did not complete a CAPS assessment. Nevertheless, one out of the nine returning participants receiving the TAU revealed more than a 30% improvements on the CAPS (McLay et al. 2011, 226). â€Å"There was no significant difference between VR-GET and TAU average CAPS scores both before and after the treatments, but there was indeed a significant difference in the average CAPS score over the course of the entire treatment† (McLay et al. 2011, 226). IV. DISCUSSION Results Summary Concerning Research 1’s first hypothesis, participants of the study reported lower HRQoL compared to the general population of Norway in all eight HRQoL domains (Alasker et al. 2011, 408). In regards to the second hypothesis, participants in Research 1 reported high levels of PTSD symptoms at the time of the baseline experiment. Furthermore, PTSS-10 scores did improve from the time of the baseline experiment to the follow-up. The results show that PTSD symptoms decrease for people suffering from a psychosocial crisis in the 2 months after attending the A&E (Alasker et al. 2011, 408). Lastly, concerning the questions if there is a link between the level of PTSD symptoms and HRQoL in the follow-up study, the researchers found that a â€Å"high level of PTSD symptoms after a two month period were linked to lower HRQoL† (Alasker et al. 2011, 408). Results for Research 2 Strengths and Weaknesses In regards to Research 1, there are many strengths and lurking variables that should be pointed out. One strength of the study was that they  progress of the study was completely up to the participant. The participant had the option as to how may consultations they wanted to attend, and the varied decisions led to different results. Another strength of the study was that they used instruments that were both appropriate to the study, and reliable. On the contrary, there were several confounding variables in Research 1 that must be acknowledged. First, there is no evidence that anyone in this trial was on any sort of anti-depressant or medication that would affect his or her scores on the SF-36 and the PTSS-10. Also, there are so many different traumatic events that would cause someone to show symptoms of PTSD. The study should limit its participants to those who experienced similar types of trauma. As for Research 2, there were also strengths and weaknesses to the study. As for its strengths, the doctors did a good job through their selections process to select a small group of people who were highly qualified for this study. Also, the exam that was used to measure the severity of the participants PTSD was based off of seventeen symptoms of PTSD, whereas the instrument used in Research 1 (PTSS-10) only focused on ten symptoms of PTSD. Lastly, the ten-week span of the study was appropriate in yielding results. Just like any other study, there are confounding variables that need to be identified for Research 2. Although the goal was to get the participants in for a reassessment at the conclusion of the study (ten weeks), reassessment for some did not occur until as far as 36 weeks. With that being said, participants have plenty of time to have a relapse, or more time in combat that can result in more severe PTSD. iii. Future Directions The researchers of Research 1 suggest that a â€Å"randomized control trial with a control group is needed to investigate the effect of the psychosocial interactions that are given to this group† (Alasker et al. 2011, 407). In addition, they suggest that it is crucial to get more, information about the long term effects of acute crisis intervention on PTSD symptoms and HRQoL â€Å"given by psychiatric nurses to participants† (Alasker et al. 2011, 410). The researchers of Research 2 also have some suggestions for further directions of this research. It was stated that other studies on the topic  of virtual reality therapy on PTSD victims, improvements in symptoms aren’t visible until sometimes three months after treatment. For future studies there needs to be a longer wait time for the follow-ups so that there can be the most accurate results. In addition, the journal states that careful monitoring of the participants is also something that needs to be done more thorough in the future because a participants overall health, aside from PTSD, must be taken into consideration when the researchers are making observations and conclusions about the participants (McLay et al. 2011, 226). Works Cited Mette Senneseth, Kjersti Alsaker, Gerd Karin Natvig. (2011). Health-related Quality of Life and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Accident and Emergency Attenders Suffering From Psychosocial Crises: a Longitudinal Study, Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(2), 402-414. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.rocky.iona.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6c7164f6-d4f6-4ce6-8a46-f1ad579caf63%40sessionmgr15&vid=5&hid=24 Robert N. Mclay, Dennis P. Wood, Jennifer A. Webb-Murphy, James L. Spira, Mark D. Wiederhold, Jeffery M. Pyne, Brenda K. Wiederhold. (2011). A Randomized, Control Trial of Virtual Reality-Graded Exposure Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Active Duty Service Members with Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking Volume 14, Issue 4. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.rocky.iona.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=61603dcf-c639-423e-8f1e-365db0b36d61%40sessionmgr13&vid=4&hid=24