Latin American Religions Essay examples - 624 Words

Latin American Religions University of Phoenix November 12, 2012 What are some major attributes of Latin American Catholicism? Identify and describe at least two distinctions and include how they are distinct from Catholicism elsewhere. The Central American War had changed the priorities of the Catholic Church in Latin America. In the 1980’s, the clergy’s had decided to go against the Catholic Church mainly the Vatican despite the various threats, and began to help the poor which were struggling for their equality and their rights. The Catholic activism was in support of the change; however, it did influence guerilla movements in certain parts of Latin America such as Nicaragua, Salvador, Guatemala. This had introduced moral and†¦show more content†¦Once others start to deviate from Catholicism then it begins to start a new religion and moves away from the beliefs of the Catholicism. Only the Vatican may assess and make changes within the Catholic Religions. How have churches fostered or hindered social changes in Latin America? After the civil war, Latin Americans had turned to other religions. For over 500 years, many Latin Americans were considered loyal to the Catholic religions. However, it quickly turned to be a stronghold to Protestants. In the Liberation area other religions had developed such as Evangelical and Pentecostal. These religions are very different from the Catholicism. These religions speak in tongue, rely on baptism, accept the Holy Spirit, and emotional rituals. With these new religions developing the social changes in Latin America does provide a much broader outlook on their beliefs. There are various groups or community gatherings within the particular religion. Each religion unites and brings together their faith and social aspects within their own community. How has Protestantism spread in Latin America in the past? Is it different than the factors that are promoting the current growth in Protestantism in this region? How and why? The Protestantism had spread in Latin America in the past due to the fact of various discrepancies within the Catholic Religion. For instance, in 1980’s, the Guatemalan’s had begun to change their beliefs and lean more to theShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Religion On Latin American Politics2024 Words   |  9 PagesHistorically, religion and politics have always played a very significant part in our everyday lives, dating back to the ancient pharaohs of Africa to our modern day society, the relationship between religion and politics can be traced through centuries of human history in various civilizations. Both religion and politics prescribe, legislate, and enforce codes of behavior, promote collective action, and create group identification. There are numerous examples of how religion continues to contributeRead MoreLatin American Culture Essay examples1050 Words   |  5 PagesLatin American Culture Latin America represents 1/10 of the worlds population, and geographically can be located from the land extensions of Mexico, until the Patagonia at Argentina. Some of the most relevant elements of todays culture in Latin America are; Religion, Values, Attitudes, Social structure, Social stratification, Language and Gift-giving hospitality. The predominant religion throughout history in Latin America has been Catholicism. From big cities to small villages, churches, basilicasRead MoreU.s. A Multicultural Country1045 Words   |  5 PagesIn terms of diversity, the U.S. contains a lot of history, which makes them what they are now. Both the U.S. as well as Latin America were colonies, achieved independence movements and were directly influenced by countries like Spain and France. 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Americans tend to dislike over-formalisedRead MoreWhite Women : Shapeshifters Of America Essay1916 Words   |  8 PagesWhite Women: Shapeshifters of America Throughout our history, there have been many incidents that have helped shaped American culture. Many of these incidents have substantially affected women. To counter these phenomena, women work as shapeshifters. That is to say, they shift and morph their ethics and endeavors in order to adapt to their external, social environment. From the glamorization of woman’s confinement in Cotton Mather’s â€Å"The Captivity of Hannah Dustan† to overcoming political and socialRead More The Loss of Faith Exposed in A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings2205 Words   |  9 Pageshim completely (443).† The falling actions are the angel’s surviving his worst winter and his strengthening. The angel’s departure from the town is the conclusion.    â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† takes place in a small coastal South American town, in the aftermath of a violent storm. Marquez writes, â€Å" The world had been sad since Tuesday. Sea and sky were a single ash-gray thing â€Å" and says the sands of the beach â€Å"had become a stew of mud and rotten shellfish (441).† This tells us thatRead MoreClassical Era in Latin America and Europe Essay1569 Words   |  7 Pagesstyle of politics, culture and economies, the economic and social patterns in Latin America distinctly detached this civilization from any Western society, which accounted for obvious distinctions in both culture and politics. In politics, the most apparent feature of the Western Society was the creation of new political ideologies, resulting in neither an absolute or dictatorial structure. The instability of Latin American politics created a weakened structure, therefore creating limitations to regulate

Buddha’s Brain Free Essays

[in the SPOTLIGHT] Richard J. Davidson and Antoine Lutz Buddha’s Brain: Neuroplasticity and Meditation I n a recent visit to the United States, the Dalai Lama gave a speech at the Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting in Washington, D. C. We will write a custom essay sample on Buddha’s Brain or any similar topic only for you Order Now Over the past several years, he has helped recruit Tibetan Buddhist monks for— and directly encouraged—research on the brain and meditation in the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior at the University of WisconsinMadison. The findings from studies in this unusual sample, as well as related research efforts, suggest that over the course of meditating for tens of thousands of hours, the long-term practitioners had actually altered the structure and function of their brains. In this article we discuss neuroplasticity, which encompasses such alterations, and the findings from these studies. Further, we comment on the associated signal processing (SP) challenges, the current status, and how SP can contribute to advancing these studies. WHAT IS NEUROPLASTICITY? The term neuroplasticity is used to describe the brain changes that occur in response to experience. There are many different mechanisms of neuroplasticity, ranging from the growth of new connections to the creation of new neurons. When the framework of neuroplasticity is applied to meditation, we suggest that the mental training of meditation is fundamentally no different than other forms of skill acquisition that can induce plastic changes in the brain [1], [2]. WHAT IS MEDITATION? The term meditation refers to a broad variety of practices, ranging from techDigital Object Identifier 10. 109/MSP. 2007. 910429 niques designed to promote relaxation to exercises, performed with a more farreaching goal such as a heightened sense of well-being. It is thus essential to be specific about the type of meditation practice under investigation. In [3], meditation was conceptualized as a family of complex emotional and attentional regulatory strategies developed for various ends, including the c ultivation of well-being Buddhist Vipassan? and Mah? mudr? , a a a and are also implicated in many popular secular interventions that draw on Buddhist practices. FINDINGS OF BRAIN CHANGES IN MEDITATION In what follows, we summarize the changes in the brain that occur during each of these styles of meditation practice. Such changes include alterations in patterns of brain function assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), changes in the cortical evoked response to visual stimuli that reflect the impact of meditation on attention, and alterations in amplitude and synchrony of highfrequency oscillations that probably play an important role in connectivity among widespread circuitry in the brain. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP The experiments described below that measure hemodynamic changes with fMRI require a high-field-strength magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner equipped with the appropriate pulse sequences to acquire data rapidly and with the necessary fiber optic stimulus delivery devices so that visual stimuli can be presented to the subject while he or she lays in the bore of the magnet. For the studies that measure brain electrical activity, a high-density recording system with between 64 and 256 electrodes on the scalp surface is used. FA MEDITATION A recent study [4] used fMRI to interrogate the neural correlates of FA (continued on page 172) THE TERM NEUROPLASTICITY IS USED TO DESCRIBE THE BRAIN CHANGES THAT OCCUR IN RESPONSE TO EXPERIENCE. and emotional balance. Here we focus on two common styles of meditation, i. e. , focused attention (FA) meditation and open monitoring (OM) meditation. FA meditation entails voluntarily focusing attention on a chosen object in a sustained fashion. OM meditation involves nonreactively monitoring the content of experience from moment to moment, primarily as a means to recognize the nature of emotional and cognitive patterns. OM meditation initially involves the use of FA training to calm the mind and reduce distractions, but as FA advances, the cultivation of the monitoring skill per se becomes the main focus of practice. The aim is to reach a state in which no explicit focus on a specific object is retained; instead, one remains only in the monitoring state, attentive moment by moment to anything that occurs in experience. These two common styles of meditation are often combined, whether in a single session or over the course of a practitioner’s training. These styles are found with some variation in several meditation systems, including the 1053-5888/08/$25. 00 ©2008IEEE IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE [176] SEPTEMBER 2007 [in the SPOTLIGHT] y=4 continued from page 176 % T2 Accuracy: Times2 Versus 1 50 40 30 20 10 0 ? 10 Novices Time1 Practitioners PZ P3b to T1 420-440 ms 0 10 1,000 F-Values ms Novices Practitioners r=? 0. 68, p=. 001 Amygdala 0. 2 0. 1 0 ? 0. 1 ? 0. 2 10 20 30 (a) V 20 ? 20 20 ? 20 20 ? 20 20 ? 20 20 ? 20 20 ? 20 (d) 40 50 r=? 0. 64 Time2 +5? V ? 5? V ? 200 Blink No-Blink T1 T2 ?5 ? 4 ? 3 ? 2 ? 1 0 1 2 3? V T1-Elicited P3b Amplitude: Time2 Versus 1 (c) (b) F3 Fc5 Cp5 F4 Fc6 Cp6 V2 500 300 100 0 Blocks 50 Resting State 100 Meditative State (e) 150 Time (s) % 100 45 0 Controls % 100 45 * * % 80 Practitioners * * * * * 40 0 Ongoing Initial Baseline Baseline (g) Meditation State * Controls Practitioners * * 0 * 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (f) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 [FIG1] Neuroimaging and neurodynamical correlates of FA and OM meditations. (a) Relationship between degree of meditation training (in years) and hemodynamic response in the amygdala (in blue) to distractor sounds during FA meditation in long-term Buddhist practitioners. Individual responses in the right amygdala are plotted (adapted from [4]). (b) The reduction in P3b amplitude (a brain-potential index of resource allocation) to the first of two target stimuli (T1 and T2) presented in a rapid stream of distracter stimuli after three months of intensive Vipassan? meditation [5]. (c) Generally, the greater the reduction in brain-resource allocation to T1 was a over time, the better able an individual became at accurately identifying T2 (adapted from [5] ). d)–(e) Example of high-amplitude gamma activity during a form of OM meditation, nonreferential compassion meditation, in long-term Buddhist practitioners [6]. (e) Time course of gamma (25–42 Hz) activity power over the electrodes displayed in (d) during four blocks computed in a 20-s sliding window every 2 s and then averaged over electrodes. (f) Intra-individual analysis of the ratio of gamma to slow oscillations (4–13 Hz) averaged across all electrodes during compassion medita tion. g) The significant interaction between group (practitioner, control) and state (initial baseline, ongoing baseline, and meditation state) for this ratio. meditation in experts and novices. The study compared FA meditation on an external visual point to a rest condition during which participants do not use meditation and are simply instructed to adopt a neutral baseline state. The meditation condition was associated with activation in multiple brain regions implicated in monitoring (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), engaging attention (visual cortex), and attentional orienting (e. g. , the uperior frontal sulcus, the supplementary motor area, and the intraparietal sulcus). Although this meditation-related activation pattern was generally stronger for long-term practitioners compared to IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE [172] JANUARY 2008 novices, activity in many brain areas involved in FA meditation showed an inverted u-shaped curve for both classes of subjects. Whereas expert me ditators with an average of 19,000 practice hours showed stronger activation in these areas than the novices, expert meditators with an average of 44,000 practice hours showed less activation. This inverted u-shaped function resembles the learning curve associated with skill acquisition in other domains of expertise, such as language acquisition. The findings support the idea that, after extensive FA meditation training, minimal effort is necessary to sustain attentional focus. Expert meditators also showed less activation than novices in the amygdala during FA meditation in response to emotional sounds. Activation in this affective region correlated negatively with hours of practice in life, as shown in Figure 1(a). This finding may support the idea that advanced levels of concentration are associated with a significant decrease in emotionally reactive behaviors that are incompatible with stability of concentration. Collectively, these findings support the view that attention is a trainable skill that can be enhanced through the mental practice of FA meditation. OM MEDITATION Another study [5] recently examined the idea that OM meditation decreases elaborative stimulus processing in a longitudinal study using scalprecorded brain potentials and performance in an attentional blink task. The consequence of decreased elaborative stimulus processing is that the subject is able to better attend moment-to-moment to the stream of stimuli to which they are exposed and less likely to â€Å"get stuck† on any one stimulus. The attentional blink phenomenon illustrates that the information processing capacity of the brain is limited. More specifically, when two targets T1 and T2, embedded in a rapid stream of events, are presented in close temporal proximity, the second target is often not seen. This deficit is believed to result from competition between the two targets for limited attentional resources, i. e. , when many resources are devoted to T1 processing, too few may be available for subsequent T2 processing. The study in [5] found that three months of intensive training in Vipassan? meditation (a common style of a OM meditation) reduced brain-resource allocation to the first target, as reflected in a smaller T1-elicited P3b, a brainpotential index of resource allocation. This is illustrated in Figure 1(b), which shows the reduction in P3b amplitude. In this figure, the scalp-recorded brain potentials from electrode Pz, time-locked to T1 onset as a function of T2 accuracy [detected (no-blink) vesus not detected (blink)], time (before or after three months), and group (practitioners versus novices) are shown. The scalp map shows electrode sites where this three-way interaction was significant between 420 and 440 ms. The reduction in brain-resource allocation to T1 was associated with a smaller attentional blink to T2, as shown in Figure 1(c). As participants were not engaged in formal meditation during task performance, these results provide support for the idea that one long-term effect of OM meditation may be reduction in the propensity to â€Å"get stuck† on a target as reflected in less elaborate stimulus processing and the development of efficient mechanisms to engage and then disengage from target stimuli in response to task demands. Previous studies [6] of high-amplitude pattern of gamma synchrony in expert meditators during an emotional version of OM meditation support the idea that the state of OM may be best understood in terms of a succession of dynamic global states. Compared to a group of novices, the adept practitioners self-induced higher amplitude sustained electroencephalography (EEG) gamma-band oscillations and long-distance phase synchrony, in particular over lateral fronto-parietal electrodes, while meditating. Importantly, this pattern of gamma oscillations was also sig- nificantly more pronounced in the baseline state of the long-term practitioners compared with controls, suggesting a transformation in the default mode of the practitioners as shown in Figure 1(g). Although the precise mechanisms are not clear, such synchronizations of oscillatory neural discharges may play a crucial role in the constitution of transient networks that integrate distributed neural processes into highly ordered cognitive and affective functions. An example of high-amplitude gamma activity during a form of OM meditation, nonreferential compassion meditation, in long-term Buddhist practitioners [6] is shown in Figure 1(d) and (e). The intra-individual analysis of the ratio of gamma to slow oscillations (4–13 Hz) averaged across all electrodes during compassion meditation is illustrated in Figure 1(f). The abscissa represents the subject numbers, the ordinate represents the difference in the mean ratio between the initial state and meditative state, and the black and red stars indicate that this increase is greater than two and three times, respectively, the baseline standard deviation. The significant interaction between group (practitioner, control) and state (initial baseline, ongoing baseline, and meditation state) for this ratio is shown in Figure 1(g). The relative gamma increase during meditation was higher in the postmeditation session. In the initial baseline, the relative gamma was already higher for the practitioners than the controls and correlated with the length of the long-term practitioners’ meditation training through life (adapted from [6]). SP CHALLENGES While SP has a unique opportunity to contribute to this novel effort to chart the manner in which the brain may be transformed through the mental practice of meditation, there are several associated challenges. Among these challenges are the characterization of different signatures of brain function that distinguish among different meditation practices, IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE [173] JANUARY 2008 [in the SPOTLIGHT] continued the parsing of variance in brain activity that may be due to changes in peripheral physiology such as respiration, and the simultaneous measurement of electrical and hemodynamic signals to harness the best temporal and spatial resolution possible. IMPACT ON BRAINCOMPUTER INTERFACES One of the interesting implications of the research on meditation and brain function is that meditation might help to reduce â€Å"neural noise† and so enhance signal-to-noise ratios in certain types of tasks. In contexts where brain-computer interfaces are being developed that are based upon electrical recordings of brain function, training in meditation may facilitate more rapid learning. This idea warrants systematic evaluation in the future. FUTURE WORK Ongoing and future work focuses on a few distinct directions. One of the crucial areas requiring attention is the characterization of changes in connectivity among the various brain circuits that are engaged by these practices. The development of new methods to probe different aspects of connectivity (both structural and functional) will be extremely valuable in furthering this line of inquiry. The goal of such work is to better understand how different circuits are integrated during meditation to produce the behavioral and mental changes that are said to occur as a result of such practices, including the promotion of increased well-being. AUTHORS Richard J. Davidson (rjdavids@wisc. edu) is a director and Antoine Lutz (alutz@wisc. edu) is an associate scientist, both with the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison. REFERENCES [1] A. Berger, O. Kofman, U. Livneh, and A. Henik, â€Å"Multidisciplinary perspectives on attention and the development of self-regulation,† Prog. Neurobiol. , vol. 82, no. 5, pp. 256–286, 2007. [2] R. A. Poldrack, â€Å"Neural systems for perceptual skill learning,† Behav. Cognit. Neurosc. Rev. , vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 76–83, 2002. [3] A. Lutz, J. P. Dunne, and R. J. Davidson, â€Å"Meditation and the neuroscience of consciousness: An introduction,† in The Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness, P. D. Zelazo and E. Thompson, Eds. Cambridge, U. K. : Cambridge Univ. Press, in press. [4] J. A. Brefczynski-Lewis, A. Lutz, H. S. Schaefer, D. B. Levinson, and R. J. Davidson, â€Å"Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners,† Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. , vol. 104, no. 7, pp. 11483–11488. [5] H. A. Slagter, A. Lutz, L. L. Greischar, A. D. Francis, S. Nieuwenhuis, J. M. Davis, and R. J. Davidson, â€Å"Mental training affects use of limited brain resources,† PLoS Biol. , vol. 5, no. 6, pp. e13800010008, 2007. [6] A. Lutz, L. Greischar, N. B. Rawlings, M. Ricard, and R. J. Davidson, â€Å"Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude synchrony during mental practice,† Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. , vol. 101, no. 46, pp. 16369–16373, 2004. [SP] I N D I A N A U N I V E R S I T Y †¢ P U R D U E U N I V E R S I T Y †¢ F O R T WAY N E FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION RESEARCH Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Department of Engineering invites applications and nominations for the position of Founding Director of the Center of Excellence in Wireless Communication Research. Candidates must possess a recognized national reputation for research excellence in the field of wireless communication. Master’s degree required; possession of an earned doctorate in electrical engineering or its equivalent is highly desired. Preference will be given to candidates with a strong history of applied research, industry collaboration, and experience in Department of Defense-funded projects. The initial appointment will be for a period of three years with the option for subsequent renewal based upon performance. IPFW is a regional campus of both Indiana University and Purdue University and is the largest university in northeast Indiana. Serving more than 12,000 students and offering more than 180 degree options, IPFW is a comprehensive university with a strong tradition of service to and collaboration with the region. The Department of Engineering offers B. S. degrees in electrical, computer, civil, and mechanical engineering. The M. S. egree in engineering with concentrations in electrical, mechanical, computer, and systems engineering will be launched during the 2007-2008 school year. The department presently includes 16 full-time faculty members and has approximately 300 undergraduate students. The Founding Director of the Center of Excellence in Wireless Communication Research shall have the following responsibilities: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Establish the Center of Excellence in Wireless Communication Research, emphasizing the practical application of wireless technology for the needs of the regional defense industry. Expand collaboration with industry through sponsored research. Establish a wireless laboratory to support courses in wireless communication. Develop a series of undergraduate courses that would lead to an undergraduate certificate in wireless communication. Develop and teach courses for the Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) – electrical engineering concentration – that would lead to a graduate certificate in wireless communication. Develop and offer credit and non-credit professional development experiences for regional employees. Participate in IEEE 802. X standards development. Coordinate and host conferences on the application of wireless technology with an emphasis on defense applications and emerging commercial wireless technologies. This position offers a unique opportunity to build a Center of Excellence in Wireless Communication Research and to significantly expand industry-university collaborative research in the fields of wireless networks. IPFW offers a competitive salary and benefits package and an excellent work environment. Fort Wayne is the second largest city in Indiana and is located within several hours of Chicago, Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Indianapolis. It boasts affordable housing, a low cost of living and a safe environment in which to raise a family. The region is home to seven major defense contractors employing over 1,800 engineers working in the fields of wireless communication, sensor networks, C4, network-centric systems, and defense products. Applicants with extensive industrial rather than university career experience will be given serious consideration and are strongly encouraged to apply. Candidates demonstrating extensive contact networks within the business and governmental sectors will be preferred. To apply for this position, please visit our Web site at www. ipfw. obs. Applicants should submit a cover letter addressing wireless communication and DoD knowledge and experience, resume/vita, statement of research and teaching experience, and the names and contact information for at least three references. The committee will begin review of applications immediately and the search will remain open until the position is fi lled. For additional information regarding IPFW and the Department of Engineering please visit the Web sites at: www. engr. ipfw. edu and www. ipfw. edu. ,3): LV DQ (TXDO 2SSRUWXQLW(TXDO $FFHVV$IILUPDWLYH $FWLRQ (PSORHU IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE [174] JANUARY 2008 How to cite Buddha’s Brain, Papers

Discovery Essay free essay sample

Discovery is uncovering what is not known. The core text ‘Away’ written by Michael Gow and related text The Pursuit of Happyness directed by Gabrielle Muccino simply implies that every significant discovery brings change, growth, and strong relationships. The characters that are present in these two texts face conflict, and learn how to overcome their problems through their support of family and friends. Therefore, they are able to evolve as a person and although the texts differ in their contexts, they both illustrate discovery as a product of self-actualisation, and an appreciation for our environment. Away’ and The Pursuit of Happyness gives us an insight into how a character changes and grows as a person once they are faced with an obstacle. In ‘Away’, Coral is a woman who experiences the loss of her son during the Vietnam War. She believes in her mind that he will come back for her. We will write a custom essay sample on Discovery Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the last act, she mentions, â€Å"I’m walking. I’m walking. I’m walking.. † this is repetition and she discovers that her son will never come return to her, and how she will continue to live life without him, showing how acceptance of the inevitable will allow us to be happy. You know what you’re becoming? Snide. A nasty, snide girl. No one likes a snide girl, always arguing. † Gwen is rude, and is not accepting her daughter for who she is, because she would like her to follow her rules. She is seen as dominating, and unknowing. This quote is an exaggerated quote. It is conveyed to the audience as Gwen exaggerating too much about the issues she has with Meg. In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner is a man who struggles to support his family. As a result, his wife leaves him and his son to fend for themselves. â€Å"Hey. Dont ever let somebody tell you You cant do something. Not even me. All right? † This truncated sentence demonstrates that Chris loves his son, and does not want his son to go through the hardships he is faced with. He wants his son to work for his goals and achieve them. At the end of the film, Chris makes a connection with the audience when he says, â€Å"This part of my life this part right here? This is called ‘happiness. ’† after he had gained his stockbroker job. The long shot of his face conveys symbolism and creates an impact on the audience as he realises how far he has come on his journey to the discovery of his job, which ultimately makes him content with his life, revealing how discovery is a product of hard work and diligence. The characters in both texts discover how strong their relationships are with their families. In the phrase, â€Å"You worry too much. † The emotive language is emphasising that Meg’s mother needs to give her comfort instead of condemnation. In Tom’s family, there is his mother and father, Harry and Vic. Tom always bonded with his family, but when he is faced with Leukaemia, he does not know how his parents will react. At the end of the play, Tom recites a speech from King Lear and he mentions, â€Å"Unburden’d crawl toward death. † This is a descriptive quote which conveys that Tom has finite time, and won’t have the happy ending of others. The audience would convey this as having a relation to ‘Away’ because it explores the dilemma that Tom is faced in; how he will not be living for much longer. In The Pursuit of Happyness Chris maintains a strong relationship with his son and his wife. â€Å"You got a dream You gotta protect it. People cant do somethin themselves, they wanna tell you you cant do it. If you want somethin, go get it. Period. † This is a meaningful quote. It is interpreted in a way which tells us that Chris wants his son to aspire to the best level, and he also wants him to learn from his mistakes; that making mistakes is okay. By convincing his son what he needs to accept and achieve, Chris is able to maintain a strong relationship. ‘Away’ and The Pursuit of Happyness both complement each other when discovering strong relationships and the growth of oneself as a person after facing obstacles. The significance of how discovery can bring about change is evident in all the characters. They have different view points towards their life, but are able to discover how they change as a person. This therefore has an effect on how they develop as a character.

lone survivor free essay sample

The eyewitness account of Operation Redwing and the lost heroes of SEAL team 10 is a true story, that like most books about the SEALs, starts out for the most part with BUD/S. There is a bit of a lead up to this and it starts with Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor, going through his tough, country style upbringing in Texas. At a very young age Luttrell decides he wants to become a Navy Seal, seeking out help and training from a former Green Beret named Billy Shelton. The next portion of the book falls into the typical SEAL book. It begins with Luttrell’s sign-up with the Navy, leads through a short section of basic training, then takes the reader through BUD/S including the much documented â€Å"Hell Week. † I won’t go into the details of these portions, since it has been written about and shown on television so much. We will write a custom essay sample on lone survivor or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Lone Survivor does go through Luttrell’s specific experiences, difficulties, and accomplishments as well as moving into the less documented Demolitions and Tactics Training and a fascinating brief on sniper school. Next it is off to Afghanistan for a variety of different missions with a few details included. This leads into what becomes the primary mission and bulk of the book; Operation Redwing. A high up Taliban leader and known associate of Osama Bin Laden had risen up a most wanted list and it was up to Luttrell and his men to capture or kill him. On June 27 th, 2005 Marcus Luttrell, Danny Dietz, Michael Murphy, and Matthew Axelson, all SEALs, roped out of a helicopter into the rugged terrain of Afghanistan to take out their target. Luttrell initially had worries about the terrain and lack of cover that later proved just. The four SEALs quickly realized they were getting into any sniper’s worst nightmare, difficult terrain with no cover of any kind, so they had to backtrack and try to find better routes and hides. After being dug in for quite sometime, a trio of goat herders stumble upon the SEALS, causing a difficult moral and tactical decision. They knew if they let the three of them go they would more than likely notify Taliban members in the area, but if they killed them there would be not only moral  issues to deal with, but right or wrong they would also be crucified by the liberal media. The SEALs knew it would not matter whether it was the correct tactical decision and that by letting them go they may be causing their own deaths. After a lengthy discussion and tense vote, they decided to let the herders go. It did not take long at all to pay the price for this decision. Taliban fighters began ar riving on the top of the hill above the SEALs, searching for them. The SEALs were greatly outnumbered and once the firing started they truly had no reprieve as the Taliban fighters continuously rained down gunfire and RPGs from their superior position. Luttrell and his men had to constantly provide cover fire, retreat, and try to protect their flanks. The SEALs amazingly held their own for quite some time, but with so much lead coming down at them it was only a matter of time before the began taking hits. With unbelievable courage and valor, they would take hits, lock and load and keep blasting away at the enemy. Even with repetitive mortal wounds these studs would continue to pick their targets and fire away. However, the human body can only take so much damage before shutting down and for Danny, Michael (Mikey), and Matthew (Axe) that point was reached, leaving Marcus Luttrell on his own. Blown off a mountain and badly injured, Luttrell now had to hide and evade the enemies. Confrontation was out of the question, but still occurred in a few fire fights that Luttrell was able to come out of victorious and quickly move on to stay away from the enemy. Members of Luttrell’s SDV Team 1 and Navy SEAL Team 10 got word of what was happening and immediately assembled and flew out in a MH-47 helicopter. The heroic rescue team arrived at a drop location and once the back hatched was opened tragedy struck. A Taliban fighter launched a RPG directly through the open door, exploding inside the helicopter. The shot was disastrous, blowing the MH-47 out of the sky and killing everyone on board. Finally a bit of luck was had by Luttrell who was found by an Afghan that was not in favor of the Taliban, so he helped get the injured SEAL back to his village. The tribe decides to grant him Lokhay, which basically means the village will help, shelter, and most importantly protect him with their lives. This ends up being more than talk and the villagers truly risk everything to keep Luttrell safe. Lone Survivor finishes up with a wrap up of Luttrell’s experiences after the ordeal. It is an absolutely amazing account of heroism and courage. Reading the book not only gives me a greater appreciation for our Navy SEALs, but also for all our military personnel. Thank you to all that serve and have served!

Army Essays

Army Essays Army Essay Army Essay Why Accountability is such an important aspect in the U. S. Army. As a child growing up on a small island in a community that does not exceed 600 population, It was very easy for our parents to keep track of us and know where we were pretty much at all times. When I decided to to join the Army and leave my small island community it was a major life change. I went from knowing everyone to knowing virtually no one. Being in the Army has broadened my views on so many things that I would never have thought of before.Such has how important it is to be someplace at a curtain time. Accountability and responsibility are pretty much one in the same to me. As a Private First Class I am slowly learning that the Army is a much bigger animal then I anticipated. When I took the oath of enlistment I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be in Korea or finding my future husband 6000 miles from home. For God’s sake I had never been outside the state of Virgini a in all my life until now.I look back at friends and family who are still on Tangier Island and think if they had just a little more responsibility and where held accountable for their actions the Island could be a much better place. Even though there are good people and things in Tangier, there are good people and things in the Army. The Army is not a joke or a place to party. The responsibility that the common soldier takes on is greater then any responsibility a civilian will encounter their entire life.At points we hold life in death in our hands the decision to take or save lives follows us everyday no matter what environment we are in Garrison or down range. It all comes down to the decisions we make. Do I leave the house a little earlier, do I prepare my uniforms and gear the day before instead of the morning of. People depend on people being where they are supposed to be to keep the good order and discipline of the Army. In civilian life if your co-worker isn’t there nobody really cares, maybe they got sick, maybe they are running late.In our profession and line of work a person gone, without knowing where that person is , could mean a mission doesn’t get completed, a crucial task takes double the time to complete, or in a worst case scenario a person has lost there life do to someone not doing or being where their supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there. As a Soldier I am learning that as I progress through the ranks I become more accountable and responsible for not only myself but others.

Bootstraps and Bootstrapping

Bootstraps and Bootstrapping Bootstraps and Bootstrapping Bootstraps and Bootstrapping By Maeve Maddox In the literal sense, bootstrap is a loop attached at the top back of a boot to make it easier for the wearer to pull on the bootif, that is, he is sitting down. On a woman’s bootin the days when women wore skirts to ride, the bootstrap looped round the boot to hold down the lady’s skirt. In the 19th century the expression â€Å"to lift oneself by one’s bootstraps† was used as an expression of the impossiblelike pigs flying, or hell freezing over. Early in the 20th century, the expression gained a popular new meaning: â€Å"to achieve financial independence by one’s own unaided efforts.† The epitome of this extraordinary accomplishment of the impossible feat of lifting oneself by the bootstraps was the Horatio Alger hero who goes from rags to riches aided by nothing more than honesty and hard work. Today’s politicians are especially fond of the metaphor: Despite the fact that Democrats and Republicans see themselves as having competing views about America, the theme of bootstrapping, or lifting oneself up the social and economic ladder through individual effort, hard work and personal responsibility, have taken center stage for both parties. They all either bootstrapped themselves up the economic ladder or benefitted from the bootstrapping of their parents and grandparents.Noliwe M. Rooks, Time Ideas, Sept. 7, 2012. Politicians, journalists, news commentators, social reformers, and even athletic coaches seem to find in the expression an irresistible metaphor, although not everyone who uses the term sees it as positive, or even as meaning the same thing. Now, in Texas, we believe in the rugged individual. Texas may be the one place where people actually still have bootstraps, and we expect folks to pull themselves up by them.Julian Castro, Sept. 4, 2012 The Poor have no Boostraps to pull up. –Tom Whitby As the U.S. auto industry pulls itself up by its bootstraps, the gloves are starting to come off.book review So well just have to regroup, pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and get ready for Tuesday and North Carolina.football coach But tomorrows a new day, the sun will probably come up and weve got to pull up our bootstraps and get going.hockey coach The high cost of gas is just one thing forcing the nations school districts to tighten the bootstraps this year. journalist writing about education In addition to its social applications, the word bootstrapping has taken on new meanings as occupational jargon. In computing, bootstrapping is â€Å"the procedure of using a fixed sequence of instructions to initiate the loading of further instructions and ultimately of a complete program (esp. the operating system).† It is this type of â€Å"bootstrapping† that gives us the verb â€Å"to boot,† in the sense of turning on a computer. The idea is that the first program pulls up all the others. In statistics, bootstrapping is a type of resampling in which a small sample is repeated numerous times in order to build up data. As happens with all overworked expressions, the original wording tends to break down. One commenter says he heard the following on CNN twice in one week: â€Å"[He needs to] pull up his boot straps.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Bare or Bear With Me?Yay, Hooray, Woo-hoo and Other AcclamationsPrepositions to Die With

Performance Appraisals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Performance Appraisals - Essay Example Appraisal outcomes are used to recognize the shoddier performers who may require some form of counseling, or in extreme cases, relegation, discharge or reduction in pay. Performance appraisal engages an assessment of real against preferred performance. It also assists in assessing different factors which manipulate performance. Managers need to plan performance growth approaches in a planned way for each employee. Managers should keep the objectives of the organization in mind and plan at best possible exploitation of all accessible resources, including financial. Performance appraisal is a multistage procedure in which communication plays a significant part. (i) Essay appraisal method: The evaluator writes a short essay providing an evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses and potentials of the employee. In order to do so impartially, it is essential that the evaluator knows the employee well and should have interrelated with the employee. The time taken and contents of the essay differ between evaluators, essay ratings are complicated to evaluate. (ii) Graphic rating scale: A graphic scale evaluates a person on the eminence of his or her work (average; above average; outstanding; or unsatisfactory). Graphic scales seem basic in creation; they have a function in an extensive assortment of job responsibilities and are more reliable and reliable in comparison with essay appraisal. (iii) Field review method: To overcome the evaluator linked unfairness, essay and graphic rating techniques can be joined in an orderly evaluation procedure. In the field review method, 'an associate of the HRM staff convenes with a small group of evaluators from the supervisory units to talk about each rating, thoroughly recognizing areas of inter evaluator difference.' Field review evaluation is considered applicable and dependable, it is time consuming. (iv) Forced choice rating method: The forced-choice rating method does not engage conversation with managers unlike the field review method. This method has numerous differences; the most common is to compel the evaluator to choose the good and bad fit statement from a group of statements. These statements are subjective or attained in advance to evaluate the worker. The score or weights allocated to the individual statements are not exposed to the evaluator so that she or he cannot support any employee. In this way, the evaluator favoritism is mostly abolished and related standards of performance develop for an objective. This method is of little worth wherever performance appraisal interviews are carried out. (v) Critical incident appraisal method: In this technique, a manager explains significant confrontations, giving particulars of both constructive and unconstructive performance of the employee. These are then talked about with the employee. The conversation focuses on authentic behavior rather than on personality. This technique is well suitable for performance evaluation

Ipad Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ipad - Research Paper Example oles anchoring what should be viewed as a continuing process with product development, advertising, and promotional efforts providing the necessary fuel to keep the process in play† (Ailloni, 1998). The iPad is getting a lot of exposure, especially in terms of media product placements. The market in which Apple operates is very competitive. There are high entry barriers and a few established competitors offering similar services. Switching costs have been increasing, because many companies are using long-term contracts with harsh penalties against customers who try to switch products. However, this is still an industry in which competition fuels innovation and progress, and many consumers are looking for the â€Å"next big thing.† The iPad is basically a larger version of the iPhone with a more powerful processor, but without phone capabilities. The proposed report will go into more detail concerning the product review’s specificities, its features, and its pros and cons, when there is more textual space allotted to do so. As noted, the market in which Apple operates is very competitive. Currently, it faces stiff competition from Microsoft, Samsung, and other companies. The proposed report will look closely at 3 of Apple’s major competitors, focusing on specific products that are in the same category as the iPad. One objective is to make a link between the iPad and information retrieval, in marketing terms. â€Å"To the extent that the information is made public and transparent, it will make people better informed and able to make better choices. New economy organizations tend to be flat, decentralized, and open to employee initiative† (Kotler, et. al, 2002, p. 4). The establishment of new marketing principles that are not based on rigid Even with increases in communication and technology, Apple shows traditional views about marketing. As Ailloni (1998) states, â€Å"In spite of all the intellectual legerdemain involved in repackaging old terms in

Electric Scooter Market in China- Market Competition & Opportunities Essay Example for Free

Electric Scooter Market in China- Market Competition Opportunities Essay Research and Forecast of China Electric Scooter Industry, 2014-2018 mainly conducts in-depth market research on Electric Scooter market in the following aspects: market scale, supply and demand, market competition and business performance of major enterprises, meanwhile it makes a prediction about electric scooter industry and provides decision-making references for investors. In 2013, the demand volume of electric scooters in China reached 1. 05 million units, an increase of 31. 25% year-on-year. In current electric scooter market, the products mainly serve for the elderly, the disabled and home women; with the deepened population aging degree and the increased consumption level, the demand for electric scooter is also growing increasingly. Complete Report @ http://www. marketreportschina. com/research-and-forecast-of-china-electric-scooter-industry-2014-2018 . Inquire Before Buying @ http://www. marketreportschina. com/contacts/inquire-before-buy? rname=4357 . Table Of Contents 1. Overview of Chinas Electric Scooter Products 1. 1 Product Brief Introduction 1. 1. 1 Brief Introduction 1. 1. 2 Composition 1. 1. 3 Advantages 1. 2 Classification 2. Electric Scooter Situation in Foreign Countries and Taiwan 2. 1 Foreign Countries 2. 2 Taiwan 3. Environment of Chinas Electric Scooter Industry 3. 1 Economic Environment 3. 2 Industry Relevant Policies, Standards, Laws and Regulations 4. Characteristics of Electric Scooter Industry 4. 1 Concentration Ratio 4. 2 SWOT 4. 3 Industry Chain 4. 4 Competitive Landscape 5. Supply and Demand in Chinas Electric Scooter Market 5. 1 Supply Situation 5. 1. 1 Supply Situation 5. 1. 2 Main Brands 5. 2 Demand Situation 5. 3 Demand Factors 5. 4 Price Situation 5. 4. 1 Price 5. 4. 2 Factors Affecting the Price 5. 4. 3 Price Trend 6. Overview of Chinas Low Speed Electric Vehicle 6. 1 Brief Introduction 6. 1. 1 Product Introduction 6. 1. 2 Main Products and the Introduction 6. 2 Development Situation in China 6. 3 Overview of Chinas Main Manufacturers 6. 4 Market Situation of Four-wheel Low Speed Electric Vehicle Market and the Forecast 6. 4. 1 Current Application Situation. 6. 4. 2 Domestic Market 6. 4. 3 International Market 7. Import and Export of Chinas Electric Scooters 7. 1 Import and Export 7. 2 Sources of Import and Destinations of Export 8. Technological Development of Electric Scooter Products 8. 1 Technological Development Situation 8. 1. 1 Relevant Domestic Patents 8. 1. 2 Research Situation 8. 2 Technological Development Direction 8. 2. 1 Technological Maturity in China and Technological Difference between China and Foreign Countries 8. 2. 2 Technological Development Direction 9. Main Enterprises and Competitive Landscape in Chinas Electric Scooter Industry 9. 1 Feishen Group Co. , Ltd. 9. 1. 1 Company Profile 9. 1. 2 Company Strength 9. 1. 3 Independent RD Situation 9. 1. 4 Business Performance 9. 2 Jinhua ACEME Electric Co. , Ltd. 9. 2. 1 Company Profile 9. 2. 2 Company Strength 9. 2. 3 Development Trend 9. 2. 4 Business Performance 9. 3 Zhejiang Ripu Electronic Science and Technology Co. , Ltd. 9. 3. 1 Company Profile 9. 3. 2 Company Strength 9. 3. 3 Business Performance 9. 4 Wisking Electromechanical Product Co. , Ltd. 9. 4. 1 Company Profile 9. 4. 2 Company Strength 9. 4. 3 Business Performance 9. 5 Xuzhou Maston Mobility Co. , Ltd. 9. 5. 1 Company Profile 9. 5. 2 Company Strength 9. 5. 3 Business Performance 9. 5. 4 Development Strategy 10. Development Forecast and Investment Prospect of Chinas Electric Scooter Industry 10. 1 Forecast of Supply, 2014-2018 10. 2 Forecast of Demand, 2014-2018 10. 3 Main Development Direction 11. Investment Suggestions and Opinions from the Experts 11. 1 Investment Opportunity 11. 1. 1 Market Space 11. 1. 2 Industry Development Trend. 11. 2 Investment Risk 11. 2. 1 Horizontal Competition Risk 11. 2. 2 Market Trade Risk 11. 2. 3 Influence of Industry Policy Changes 11. 3 Risk Precautionary Measure and Industry Coping Strategy 11. 3. 1 Precautionary Measure for Horizontal Competition Risk 11. 3. 2 Actively Develop Upstream Sellers and Downstream Consumers to Reduce Market Risk 11. 3. 3 Coping Strategy of Enterprises Request Discount @ http://www. marketreportschina. com/contacts/discount? rname=4357 . Buy Report @ http://www. marketreportschina. com/contacts/purchase? rname=4357.

Hidden Horrors in Shirley Jacksons The Lottery Essay -- Shirley Jacks

Hidden Horrors in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" presents conflict on more than one level. The most important conflict in the story is between the subject matter and the way the story is told. From the beginning Jackson takes great pains to present her short story as a folksy piece of Americana. Slowly it dawns on us, the terrible outcome of what she describes. From the first sentence of the story, The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. We are given the feeling of being in an idyllic, rural world. She enhances this feeling with little vignettes that are almost cliched in their banality: the little boys guarding their pile of stones in the town square; the towns-people gathering and interacting with each other as if they were at a country fair; Mrs. Hutchinson arriving late because she hadn't finished the dishes; even the good-natured complaining of Old Man Warner. All of these scenes and vignettes are used effectively to put us at our ease and to distract us from the horror that is to come. In depicting this home-spun American scene with its horrible underlying secret Shirley Jackson is commenting on the hidden horrors of our every day life. It is no coincidence that the victim of the stoning is a woman. Jackson uses this character, Tessie Hutchinson, to comment on the sacrificial role that women play in American society. We first meet Tessie Hutchinson when she arrives late for the lottery. It is significant that she has just come from washing her dishes. This is one of the most basic jobs of housework. Wiping her hands on her apron and apologizin... ...iety that Shirley Jackson belonged to, and commented on in her writing, was one that depended on women for their work. It also demanded that a woman sacrifice herself and her ambitions, if they included anything besides raising a family, to the god of domesticity. Jackson starkly portrays the sacrifice that has been a part of the lives of all women. Tessie Hutchinson screams, "It isn't fair. It isn't right," just before she is killed. This could be said, and has been said, about the lot of women in post-world war II America. In 1948, when Jackson wrote this story, Americans were listening about as much as the townspeople listened to Tessie Hutchinson before stoning her to death. Works Cited Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. 5th ed. Ed. Laurence Perrine. San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Publishers 1998. 180-186

Aphasia Essay

The terms ‘jargon aphasia’ and ‘jargon agraphia’ describe the production of incomprehensible language containing frequent phonological, semantic or neologistic errors in speech and writing, respectively. Here we describe two patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) who produced neologistic jargon either in speech or writing. We suggest that involvement of the posterior superior temporal–inferior parietal region may lead to a disconnection between stored lexical representations and language output pathways leading to aberrant activation of phonemes in neologistic jargon. Parietal lobe involvement is relatively unusual in PPA, perhaps accounting for the comparative rarity of jargon early in the course of these diseases. Aphasia is a communication disorder. It’s a result of damage or injury to language parts of the brain. And it’s more common in older adults, particularly those who have had a stroke. Aphasia gets in the way of a person’s ability to use or understand words. Aphasia does not impair the person’s intelligence. People who have aphasia may have difficulty speaking and finding the â€Å"right† words to complete their thoughts. They may also have problems understanding conversation, reading and comprehending written words, writing words, and using numbers What Causes Aphasia? Aphasia is usually caused by a stroke or brain injury with damage to one or more parts of the brain that deal with language. According to the National Aphasia Association, about 25% to 40% of people who survive a stroke get aphasia. Aphasia may also be caused by a brain tumor, brain infection, or dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. In some cases, aphasia is a symptom of epilepsy or other neurological disorder. What Are the Types of Aphasia? There are types of aphasia. Each type can cause impairment that varies from mild to severe. Common types of aphasia include the following: * Expressive aphasia (non-fluent): With expressive aphasia, the person knows what he or she wants to say yet has difficulty communicating it to others. It doesn’t matter whether the person is trying to say or write what he or she is trying to communicate. Receptive aphasia (fluent): With receptive aphasia, the person can hear a voice or read the print, but may not understand the meaning of the message. Oftentimes, someone with receptive aphasia takes language literally. Their own speech may be disturbed because they do not understand their own language. * Anomic aphasia. With anomic aphasia, the person has word-finding difficulties. This is called anomia. Because of the difficulties, the person struggles to find the right words for speaking and writing. * Global aphasia. This is the most severe type of aphasia. It is often seen right after someone has a stroke. With global aphasia, the person has difficulty speaking and understanding words. In addition, the person is unable to read or write. * Primary progressive aphasia. Primary progressive aphasia is a rare disorder where people slowly lose their ability to talk, read, write, and comprehend what they hear in conversation over a period of time. With a stroke, aphasia may improve with proper therapy. There is no treatment to reverse primary progressive aphasia. People with primary progressive aphasia are able to communicate in ways other than speech. For instance, they might use gestures. And many benefit from a combination of speech therapy and medications. Aphasia may be mild or severe. With mild aphasia, the person may be able to converse yet have trouble finding the right word or understanding complex conversations. Severe aphasia limits the person’s ability to communicate. The person may say little and may not participate in or understand any conversation.

Everyday Use by Alice Walker Essay

I would like to share this wonderful story that I had chosen for my English class research‘s paper â€Å"Everyday use† by Alice Walker. The story of â€Å"Everyday Use† is about a single mother and her two daughters, Dee and Maggie. Dee is the family’s proud. She is beautiful, smart and educated, on the other hand, Maggie is simple, low confident and her skin burned severely in a house fire. The author Alice Walker uses Mama as the narrator in the â€Å"Everyday Use† to describe these two characters, Maggie and Dee, to show us two different views of culture and tradition heritage during 1970’s. My thoughts on the story were drawn from personal experience with my own grandmother’s by entrusting their granddaughters with valuable heritage connections. This story also taught me how to value more my family. I also like this story because applies to every young person, and especially to all the young women who do not attempt to understand to respect the women who made them. I enjoyed reading it and symbolized the life of a family that is learning what their heritage really is and how to use it. I love the person I have become and I often scorn my grandparents, in their education and values. Today Most of us do not think about passing things down from one generation to another, either objects or traditions and I think is a valuable to understands the importance of cultural heritage and the story suggests that children should appreciate their heritage as it is passed down.

Otero Assignment Essay

Otero Assignment Essay Otero Assignment Essay The Otero Family Assignment Marife Alston ­Torres Brook ANTH201_02 Part A: The purpose of the table below is to identify the various individuals and organizations that contributed to the eventual collapse of the Otero family. Individuals, Nature of Contact Job Description Agencies/Organizations Evaluation of Job Performance School Attendance Officer First came into contact with Otero’s after their initial move to New York. Required to investigate why the children were not attending school. Responsible for ensuring that the Otero children were attending school and living in a healthy home environment. Seemed to be concerned about the conditions in which the Otero children were living, and with the state of Maria’s mental health. Should be commended for calling Jesus and encouraging Maria to seek help for her initial condition. Doctor From Medical Clinic Met the Otero’s under the circumstances of Maria’s difficulty breathing. Responsible for diagnosing Maria’s condition and determining the current state of her health Unfortunately, this doctor could not speak Spanish, therefore, he was not able to make a personal connection with his patient in order to treat her properly. He also noted that Maria may be suffering from a possible â€Å"anxiety reaction†, however, he did not take the steps to follow up with that suspicion. At most, he only scheduled Maria for urine and blood tests. Surgical Resident from ER Came in contact with Otero’s after Maria’s first break ­down Responsible for diagnosing why Maria was having difficulty breathing This doctor was able to communicate with Maria in spanish and therefore obtained a much beter understanding of her mental state. Which, he determined, was not entirely sound. However, he was not able to properly diagnose her because he was not a psychiatrist. Doing the right thing, he referred the Otero’s to a mental health clinic. Psychiatrist from Clinic Met the Otero’s after they were referred to him following Maria’s break ­down Responsible for determining what was causing Maria’s anxiety This doctor was able to diagnose Maria with an â€Å"acute schizophrenic reaction† due to culture shock. This was very important in terms of evaluating what kind of help Maria needed. After determining that she was unstable, he was the doctor who suggested she be hospitalized Social Worker from Hospital Was referred to the Otero family after Jesus was having Responsible for helping Jesus to find domestic This social worked was unsuccessful at finding any kind of assistance for Jesus with the children. Although she offered to personally step in and difficulty finding help with the children, post Maria’s hospitalization help/ help with supervising the Otero children while Maria was away. watch the children for a short period of time, her assistance was very short ­lived. What would have been helpful for the Otero’s was if she had provided alternatives for Jesus in terms of supervision for the children. However, it seems once the job could not be immediately solved she stepped out fo the picture. And it was not stated that she frequently checked up on the Otero family for any improvements on their state of affairs. Judge Working on Julio's Came in contact Cases with the Otero family after Julio's run ­ins with the law. Responsible for ensuring that Julio would not get into any more legal trouble and refrain from committing any more illegal acts Ordered that Juilio be remanded into a state training school after his second charge. However, Julion should have been on probation or some other form of intervention. This is because he would have been able to live in his environment (which he would be more comfortable in, rather than a foreign institution) The State Training School Attended by Julio after the Judge ordered him to do so.

An Exploration of the US Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

An Exploration of the US Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Was the United States Justified in Using the Atomic Bomb? On August 6, 1945 the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city, Hiroshima. To this day, this has been a controversial military strategy. Those who believe that the U.S. was justified in using the atomic bomb argue that more lives were saved, and that the Japanese’s vigor and willingness to fight to the death forced the U.S. to extreme measures. On the other hand, those who thought using the atomic bomb was unjustified argue that the atomic bomb violated the principles of war, that it did not end World War II (WWII) sooner and it was not the ideal choice to use for WWII. Looking at proponents of the United States’ usage of the atomic bomb such as Hugh A. Halliday and Richard Frank, military historians, and Michael Kort, a professor of Social Science at Boston University, as well as opponents including policy analyst, John Siebert, Martin J Sherwin, a professor at George Mason University, and Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, a professor emeritus of History at th e University of California we intend to evaluate and summarize both sides of the discussion as to whether the United States was justified to drop the atomic bomb. Proponents of employing the atomic bomb argue that had the atomic bomb not been dropped and the original ground invasion was implemented more lives from either side would have been lost. Japan’s unwillingness to surrender forced the United States to the point that they did not know what it would take to end the war. To discuss these points, we will look at the arguments from Hugh A. Halliday, a military historian who served in the RCAF’s Air Historian, Canadian Forces Directorate of History, and Canadian War Museum, Michael Kort, a professor of Social Science at Boston University, and Richard B. Frank a military historian who served almost four years in the United States Army. Japan had an ingrained conviction that the purpose of life was to die for the Emperor which was seen in not only her militants but also in her civilians with civilian causalities ranging from 42,000 to 150,000 dead from suicide or battle. Ground invasion of Japanese home islands was an option that the U.S. government considered. However, estimates from General Douglas MacArthur, in favor of ground invasion, curbed the numbers to roughly 130,000 casualties; however, this did not include the 300,000 Allied prisoners of war (PoWs) nor the enemy civilian casualties. In addition to the ground invasion and bombardment, the U.S. planned to utilize a blockade that was projected to cause famine, ensuing thousands of civilian deaths. Though roughly 200,000 people were killed thru the atomic bomb, it was still the morally preferred choice compared to the estimated deaths via an invasion. However, Michael Kort argues that it was never about deciding to use the atomic bomb versus implementing a ground invasion, but rather what it would take to have Japan surrender. The United States had been bombing Japan for three years prior to the Potsdam Declaration. She had already suffered an estimated 806,000 casualties in Okinawa and Tokyo. And yet when the U.S. had the Potsdam Declaration that gave Japan a chance to surrender, she not only chose to ignore it but also sought negotiations with the Soviet Union, to the extent of bargaining alliance benefits. Thus, the United States hoped that the sheer destructive power of the atomic bomb could persuade Japan to surrender and thus put an end to WWII. Advocates against utilizing the atomic bomb contend that it was a violation of the principles of war as well as the Geneva Protocol, which banned the usage of chemical weapons in war. Furthermore, in response to the belief that the atomic bomb lead to the shortening of WWII, the reason that Japan surrender was because of the USSR declaring war against her as well as invading Japanese-occupied land. In addition, had the United States adjusted the Potsdam Declaration, Japan would have been more inclined to agree to its terms. In order to analyze these arguments, we will discuss the points of John Siebert, a policy analyst who served in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Human Rights and Aboriginal Justice with the United Church of Canada as well as a consultant to government and non-governmental organizations, Martin J. Sherwin, a Pulitzer winner and professor of History at George Mason University, and Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, a professor emeritus of History at the University of Californi a. Arguably there are principles of war that are commonly agreed upon such as not directly targeting non-military establishments and non-militants. However, the United States knowingly targeted civilian cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And had Henry L. Stimson, former U.S. Secretary of War, not opposed the Target Committee, they would have chosen Kyoto, the center of Japan’s civilization for over a thousand years. Moreover, after the practice of mustard gas as well as other chemical weapons in World War I, the Geneva Protocol was created and signed by members of the League of Nations, banning the use of chemical weapons in war. But though the United States was aware of the radiation poisoning that would occur from the atomic bomb, it was still deployed. By exploiting the atomic bomb, the U.S. indicated that nuclear arms were valid weapons of war. Aside from the moral discretions of implementing the atomic bomb, the argument that the atomic bomb led to the end of WWII sooner is invalid. Because the USSR declared war against Japan and invaded Japanese-controlled land, Japan could not ensure success in fighting both fronts and thus surrendered. Ward Wilson, Senior Fellow and Director of the Re-thinking Nuclear Weapons, remarked that Japanese leaders said it was the atomic bomb that led to their surrender as it was less embarrassing to lose against a miracle weapon. Not only that but Japan’s military officials argued that they could convince the USSR to negotiate for better surrender terms than the unconditional surrender in the Potsdam Declaration. However, with the declaration of war, they no longer had a case to continue the war. Along with this, had the United States adjusted their Potsdam Declaration to indicate that the Emperor would not be held liable for the war under the unconditional surrender then perhaps Japan would have agreed. This is because her term for surrender was to preserve their imperial system and Japan was already known to hold her Emperor to a high-degree. Though Secretary of War Stimson did recommend this adjustment; unfortunately, Secretary of State, James Byrnes, vetoed it. Though the amendment was attempted yet vetoed, the U.S. could have invited the USSR to sign the Potsdam Declaration in doing so would show Japan that she could not rely on the USSR to aid her. Supporters of using the atomic bomb argue that the bomb saved more lives than the planned ground invasion and because of Japan’s disinclination to surrender the war despite heavily unfavorable odds provoked the U.S. to undergo drastic measures. Japanese people’s disposition to perish for their Emperor was unsettling and led to a high civilian casualty even prior to considerations of dropping the atomic bomb. This temperament to die rather than to be a prisoner is one of the teachings in bushido, a samurai heritage and code of ethics. The Japanese were taught from a young age bushido and to worship the Emperor, a descendent from the Sun Goddess. Because of this contempt of being PoWs, many times the Japanese would fight until they were killed or committed suicide. American soldiers would witness the horror of Japanese mothers holding their children and choosing to jump to their deaths rather than to be taken as prisoners. The U.S. estimated that a ground invasion would not only lead to losses on the Allied powers but also to a high casualty rate due to the extreme devotion the Japanese had to their Emperor. The Joint Chiefs of Staff assessed that the United States would experience 1.2 million casualties for the entire ground invasion operation, while personnel in the Navy Department estimated 1.7-4 million casualties (Trueman). These estimates were significantly larger than the roughly 200,000 people killed by the atomic bomb. Not known at the time, it was later found that the Japanese Army had trained a civilian militia of around 28 million men and women to defend the home islands should a ground invasion occur (Giangreco). A year after the dropping of the atomic bomb, Karl T. Compton, a member of Truman’s Interim Committee — â€Å"a committee to advise the president about matters pertaining to the use of nuclear energy and weapons† (Harry S Truman National Historic Site)  interviewed a Japanese Army officer asking him if they could have repelled Operation Downfall to which the officer responded â€Å"†¦ I do not think we could have stopped you.† When asked what the Japanese would have done, the officer responded â€Å"We would have kept on fighting until all Japanese were killed, but we would not have been defeated,† in which defeat meant the disgrace of surrendering (Compton). Not only that but the Japanese imperial system was corrupted by the influence of military officials who strongly desired to continue fighting despite the extremely detrimental predicament the country was in. Despite suffering 806,000 casualties in Okinawa and Tokyo, when the U.S. issued her Potsdam Declaration, Japan chose to try and invoke the aid of the USSR, who had a delicate relationship with the United States. And after the atomic bomb dropping on Hiroshima and given a three-day grace period to respond, significant Japanese military officials thought it unlikely that the U.S. would have another bomb. Even when Nagasaki was bombed, military officials refused to accept surrendering though the Emperor now suggested to accept the U.S. terms. It was not till days of continuous bombing after the atomic bombs usage that the Emperor firmly declared that Japan would indeed surrender the war. Thus, though there may have been implications of the Japanese surrendering, it was unlikely that they would have surrendered given the military’s obstinacy. That said those against the United States exploitation of the atomic bomb dispute that the United States not only violated the Geneva Protocol and principles of war but also legitimized the usage of the atomic bomb in wars to come. Though the United States targeted civilian cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, these cities were chosen because they centered around military production (â€Å"Hiroshima and Nagasaki Death Toll†). And though the Geneva Protocol banned chemical weapons use during war, the atomic bomb is not categorized under chemical weapons but rather as a nuclear weapon. However, in spite of not breaching the Geneva Protocol, the U.S. set the precedence for future countries to use nuclear weapons in future wars. It was also argued that the usage of the atomic bomb was not the reason for Japan’s surrender in its place it was the entry of the USSR into WWII. Japanese military officials used the USSR as a means of stalling Japan from agreeing to the terms of surrender, but when the USSR declared war against Japan, rather than concede and surrender, they came up with a different reason to avoid surrendering. Instead of teaming with the USSR to discuss better terms of surrender, Japanese militant officials argued that the U.S. did not have another atomic bomb and that even if she did she would be under public pressure to not use it. No matter what deleterious situation Japan came under, her military officials refused to surrender, whether it be the entry of the USSR or the dropping of the atomic bombs. However, the catastrophe from the atomic bombs was able to move the Emperor from his onlooker position into actively striving for Japan’s surrender. In addition to this proponents against the usage of the atomic bomb also reasoned that had the U.S. invited the USSR to sign the Potsdam Declaration then Japan military officers could not have tried to incite help from the USSR. However, the relationship of the U.S. and the USSR were already on shaky grounds and President Truman did not want to invite the USSR into the war as her objectives for involvement were unknown. And if the U.S. did add the USSR to the Potsdam Declaration then following Japan’s surrender, the USSR would be allowed to occupy a portion of Japan’s land (Heads of Governments). Robert Frank estimated that roughly 300,000 to 500,000 Japanese people, mostly civilians, would have died or vanished in Soviet captivity. Historians have debated over whether the United States was justified in using the atomic bomb against Japan in World War II. Proponents argue that the ingrained bushido in Japanese citizens led to the risk of substantial civilian casualties as well as the necessity to use catastrophic means to shake their conviction to not capitulate. Opponents assert that the U.S. broke principles of war and allowed a precedence to use nuclear weapons in war. As well as arguing that the atomic bomb was not the reason that WWII ended sooner and thus led to lives being saved, instead it was the entrance of the USSR that forced the Japanese to surrender. After evaluation of both sides of the discussion, the strongest argument for the usage of the atomic bomb is that the bushido in Japanese culture startled the U.S. and led her to believe that extreme measures would be necessary to put an end to the war. While the strongest contention against the usage of the atomic bomb is that it legitimized the usage of nuclear weapons in war. Subsequently, though the United States ethically should not have used the atomic bomb since it established the allowance of nuclear weapons in war, given the situation the U.S. was in it is justifiable that the atomic bomb was implemented. Opponents that argue against the U.S. deploying the atomic bomb are not realizing that hindsight is 20/20. After six years of long, gruesome battle the U.S. would want to put an end to the war as quickly and effectively as possible and it would be unlikely that they would carefully consider what the usage of the atomic bomb would entail in future war policies. The options from those who dissented the usage of the bomb are impractical and unrealistic. Perhaps invitation of the Soviet Union onto the Potsdam Declaration would have led to Japan’s surrender, but without knowing whether the USSR would hold up their promise it would be a risky compromise. And the U.S. was right to think that it would take a significant force to make Japan surrender as the corruption from the military officials would continue to thwart any notions of surrendering. The dropping of the atomic bombs was a necessity to influence the Emperor to take control and finally end WWII.

Analysis of you as a communicator Research Paper

Analysis of you as a communicator - Research Paper Example The old working environment gave the most importance to employee presentation and communication skills but these are not that important in this new work environment. The question therefore arises on the type of communication in the new environment. A new communication channel has therefore gained importance which is currently the biggest communication tool in the entire world. Billions of people use it to communicate with each other using communication tools such as MSN, Facebook, Orkut etc. Thus before analyzing my communication skill, I would insist that internet communication is the most important form of communication in the modern age. Other than that fluency in the usage of language is also very important. The use of gestures in portraying once meaning is equally important in verbal communication. When we talk about written communication, in my perspective the most importance should be given to language quality and presentation. My communication skills are the most strong when it comes to online communication. This is because I have been addicted to computer gaming throughout my childhood. This was a blessing in disguise because it gave me a chance to understand and learn more about computers. I am very good at using different online communication tools. The most favorite tool of mine however is MSN messenger. Users these days are fonder of chatting applications installed on social networks. I am totally expert at using them but still prefer to use MSN messenger because of its extra features. As a member of debating team my childhood was spent in learning new methods of improving my spoken communication tools. This career was however did not endure. As is turns out I am not a natural speaker, and therefore left the debating team. This experience did create a shyness and hesitancy in my nature. I have from that day onwards considered myself a weak verbal communicator. This deficiency has been covered by my v ery good