Wednesday, October 30, 2019

SOCIAL WORK (ETHICS AND VALUES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

SOCIAL WORK (ETHICS AND VALUES - Essay Example The crying is a symptom that an unfavourable situation cropped up. Rajiv disliked being rushed. Similarly, Lola disliked waiting excessively for Rajiv to finish his food. Lola must implement absolutism ethics (Royakkers, 2011). Absolutism states that there are absolute ethical or morality standards. People must obey the ethical or moral standards, without exception. There are no excuses or exemptions in the compulsory implementation of the moral standards or ethics standards. In the current case, Lola should not rush Rajiv’s eating. Lola’s personal issues or problems should not affect or reduce the social workers’ required minimum social work performance. Lola should be penalized in order to prevent a repeat of her unethical behavior. Surely, absolutism ethics dictates Lola must wait until Rajiv finishes his meal. Lola must implement relativism ethics (Hales, 2011). The concept focuses on the individuals forming his or her diversely unique ethical standards. Other individuals influence how a person’s ethical standards are formed. Other societies can affect how a person’s ethical preferences are crafted. Consequently, one person’s relativism ethics may differ from another person’s relativism ethics. One’s cultural upbringing influences the person’s relativism ethics preferences. For example, people in the United States insist that it is morally right to eat beef. On the other hand, people in India insist that eating beef is immoral. Lola’s forcing Rajiv to uncomfortably rush his eating is not Lola’s workplace’s work ethic. Obviously, Lola must incorporate the social work community’s relativism ethics, imitating the other social workers’ making life for the patients more comfortable. Lola must implement deontology ethics (Tannsjo, 2013). Deontology ethics focuses on duty. It is the duty of every person to obey all ethics standards. There is no exception to the strict implementation of the ethical standard.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Phenylthiocarbamide Taste Perception in Type 2 Diabetics

Phenylthiocarbamide Taste Perception in Type 2 Diabetics Phenylthiocarbamide taste perception in type 2 diabetics and healthy subjects: A case-control study Authors: Wajiha Hassan, Hina Hassan, Muhammad Usman Anwar, Muhammad Umar Kamal, Ehsan Ullah ABSTRACT Objectives: We conducted this study to find out any epistatic relationship between expression of PTC gene and the genes controlling T2D development through comparing the relative frequency of PTC taste perception among T2D patients and healthy subjects. Methods: It was a case-control study conducted in diabetes clinics / centers located at various teaching hospitals in Lahore city. A total of 270 (135 diabetics and 135 healthy) subjects were tested for PTC taste perception by pouring a drop of PTC solutions of 0.0125%, 0.125% and 0.25% concentrations to determine super-tasters, tasters and non-tasters. The proportion of tasters and non-tasters was compared in two study groups with the help of Chi Square test and a p value of 0.05 or less was considered significant and to reject the null hypothesis. Results: Mean age of T2D patients and healthy subjects was 34.21 ±5.74 and 32.90 ±7.44 years respectively. Male to female ratio among T2D patients and healthy subjects was 1:14 and 1:1 respectively. Only 22 (16.29%) of T2D patients and 40 (30.37%) of healthy subjects were super-tasters which was significant difference (p = 0.009) and Odds ratio (OR) was 0.4624. A total of 39 (28.89%) of T2D patients and 25 (18.51%) of healthy controls were non-tasters which was also significant difference (p = 0.04513) and OR was 1.788. Conclusions: Supertasters and tasters of PTC have odds ratios of 0.4624 and 1.788 to have type 2 diabetes mellitus. Key words: Phenylthiocarbamide, taste perception, type 2 diabetes mellitus Introduction: Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) taste perception is a genetically controlled trail.(1) Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a widely occurring multifactorial disease with complex multigenic inheritance playing an important role in its pathogenesis.(2, 3) Interaction of genes conferring inheritance of T2D, pre-diabetes and obesity and those causing PTC taste perception has not been studied in detail though some investigators have highlighted that a possible link exists between the phenotypic expressions of these gene complexes.(4-6) We conducted this study to find out any epistatic relationship between expression of PTC gene and the genes controlling T2D development through comparing the relative frequency of PTC taste perception among T2D patients and healthy subjects. Methods: It was a case-control study conducted in three diabetes clinics located at various teaching hospitals in Lahore city i.e. Jinnah A Diabetes and Endocrinology at Jinnah Hospital Lahore, Diabetes Management Center, Services Hospital Lahore and a diabetes clinic at Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore. A sample of 270 (135 diabetics and 135 healthy) subjects was taken by simple random sampling technique with the help of lucky-draw method among the patients attending these clinics and their attendant/relatives who were non-diabetic. The confirmation of non-diabetic status of the control group participants was obtained by their random serum glucose P value of 0.05 or less was considered significant and to reject the null hypothesis. Results: Mean age of T2D patients and healthy subjects was 34.21 ±5.74 and 32.90 ±7.44 years respectively and there was no significant difference of age distribution among two study groups as shown in Table 1. Table 1. Age distribution of the study population Seventy (51.8%) of the T2D were males and 65 (48.2%) were females. Thus male to female ratio among T2D patients was near to 1:1. About half (n=67, 49.6%) of healthy subjects were males and 68 (50.4%) were females. Thus male to female ratio among healthy subjects was 1:1 as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Gender ratio among study groups Only 22 (16.29%) of T2D patients and 40 (30.37%) of healthy subjects were super-tasters which was significant difference (p = 0.009) and Odds ratio (OR) was 0.4624. Seventy-one (52.6%) of T2D and 73 (54.1%) of healthy controls were tasters which was not significantly different (p=0.141) and calculated OR for tasters as compared to non-tasters was 1.556. A total of 39 (28.89%) of T2D patients and 25 (18.51%) of healthy controls were non-tasters which was also significant difference (p = 0.04513) and OR was 1.788 as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Frequency of super-tasters, tasters and non-tasters in T2D and controls Discussion: Perception of bitter taste is a variable trait both within the same population and between different human populations.(7) Bitter taste perception is encoded by a family of 25 TAS2R taste receptors.(8) Whereas, the two most studied genes are TAS2R38, the one associated with the ability to taste PTC (phenylthiocarbamide) and PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil).(9) Approximately 75% of the world’s population are considered ‘‘tasters’’, and perceive these substances as moderately to intensely bitter. These compounds are weak or tasteless for the remaining 25% of the population, who are considered ‘‘non tasters’’.(10) Another study revealed that tasters can be further divided into two sub-groups: â€Å" tasters†, who perceived moderate intensity from PTC/PROP, and â€Å"supertasters† who perceived these compounds as extremely bitter. Thus, the population distribution of non tasters, tasters and super tasters is nearly 25%, 50% and 25% respectively.(11) In current study, the distribution of PTC taste perception for non-tasters, tasters and super-tasters was 25 (18.5%), 71(52.6%), 39 (28.9%) among the healthy controls which is quite comparable to the findings of Bartoshuk et al.(11) A study from American population showed that 71.2% of their study population was taster and 28.8% was nontaster.(12) A study from a neighboring Asian country reported that taste perception to PTC compounds was present (tasters) in 67% and absent (non-tasters) in 33%.(13) Another study from same Asian country reported that 66.38% of the study population was taster and 33.62% was non-taster to PTC.(14) However, a study from a Pakistani population of young healthy adults revealed the distribution of PTC tasters and non-tasters as 73.75% and 26.25% respectively.(15) Similarly, another group of investigators from Pakistan reported that 81.33% of the healthy adults were tasters and 18.6% were non-tasters.(16) Our observations are comparable to both the studies especially prevalence of non-tasters in our study is approximately the same as reported by Iqbal et al.(16) The second point of discussion in current study is the phenotypic association between the genes encoding for PTC taste perception and diabetes which has been studied by the procedures and methods mentioned earlier. Why the authors did conduct this study? A simple answer is the compelling and enormous links between diabetes and taste perception proposed in the recent literature.(17-19) A study has revealed that increased serum glucose levels induce a concentration-dependent impairment of taste perception in T2D patients as the result of an adaptation of the sensory cell to elevated circulating concentrations of glucose.(5) A study from an Asian population revealed a significant difference in taste sensitivity to PTC between the diabetics and non-diabetics, the former being less sensitive than the latter (16.7 vs. 6.8%).(20) A decrease in palatability of the glucose solutions induced by the glucose load (negative alliaesthesia) has been reported between PTC tasters and non-tasters wher e tasters showed higher hedonic ratings (Mean 4-25), as compared to non-tasters (Mean 3-70) and this difference was more evident after the glucose load in non-tasters.(21) More recently, genetic analysis of bitter tasters and non-tasters have shown that a polymorphism in TAS2R38 is associated with differences in ingestive behavior of the two groups, which may in turn be linked to the development of pre-diabetes and T2D.(22) However, by far the most delectable observations have been reported by Wang et al., who observed significant differences in plasma levels of leptin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and insulin-like growth factors-1 between tasters and non-tasters to PTC.(4) They also found a positive correlation between plasma levels of glucose and body mass index (BMI) exclusively in non-tasters which indicate that besides the regulation of food consumption, taste perception also appears to be snugly linked to the circulating metabolic hormones. It is proposed by the previous investigators and supported by the authors of current study that people with different taste sensitivity may respond differently to the nutrient stimulation. More robust investigations probing into the link between taste perception and peripheral metabolic control could potentially lead to the development of novel therapies for obesity or Type 2 diabetes. Conclusions: Supertasters are less whereas tasters and non-tasters are more likely to have type 2 diabetes mellitus. Further work is encouraged to unveil the link between taste perception to PTC and T2D. Acknowledgements We acknowledge the participating institutions, their staff members, patients and healthy volunteers for their cooperation. We are thankful to Prof. Dr. Tehseen Iqbal, Professor of Physiology at Dera Ghazi Khan Medical College, DG Khan, Pakistan for his critical, analytic and logistic help without that this research would have never been completed. References: 1.Kim UK, Jorgenson E, Coon H, Leppert M, Risch N, Drayna D. Positional cloning of the human quantitative trait locus underlying taste sensitivity to phenylthiocarbamide. Science. 2003 Feb 21;299(5610):1221-5. 2.Schmidt B, Dragano N, Scherag A, Pechlivanis S, Hoffmann P, Nothen MM, et al. Exploring genetic variants predisposing to diabetes mellitus and their association with indicators of socioeconomic status. BMC Public Health. 2014;14:609. 3.Banerjee M, Saxena M. Genetic polymorphisms of cytokine genes in type 2 diabetes mellitus. World J Diabetes. 2014 Aug 15;5(4):493-504. 4.Wang R, van Keeken NM, Siddiqui S, Dijksman LM, Maudsley S, Derval D, et al. Higher TNF-alpha, IGF-1, and Leptin Levels are Found in Tasters than Non-Tasters. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2014;5:125. 5.Bustos-Saldana R, Alfaro-Rodriguez M, Solis-Ruiz Mde L, Trujillo-Hernandez B, Pacheco-Carrasco M, Vazquez-Jimenez C, et al. [Taste sensitivity diminution in hyperglycemic type 2 diabetics patients]. Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc. 2009 Sep-Oct;47(5):483-8. 6.Hajnal A, Covasa M, Bello NT. Altered taste sensitivity in obese, prediabetic OLETF rats lacking CCK-1 receptors. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2005 Dec;289(6):R1675-86. 7.Robino A, Mezzavilla M, Pirastu N, Dognini M, Tepper BJ, Gasparini P. A Population-Based Approach to Study the Impact of PROP Perception on Food Liking in Populations along the Silk Road. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(3):e91716. 8.Behrens M, Meyerhof W. Bitter taste receptors and human bitter taste perception. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2006 Jul;63(13):1501-9. 9.Behrens M, Bartelt J, Reichling C, Winnig M, Kuhn C, Meyerhof W. Members of RTP and REEP gene families influence functional bitter taste receptor expression. J Biol Chem. 2006 Jul 21;281(29):20650-9. 10.Guo SW, Reed DR. The genetics of phenylthiocarbamide perception. Ann Hum Biol. 2001 Mar-Apr;28(2):111-42. 11.Bartoshuk LM, Duffy VB, Miller IJ. PTC/PROP tasting: anatomy, psychophysics, and sex effects. Physiol Behav. 1994 Dec;56(6):1165-71. 12.Keller KL, Reid A, MacDougall MC, Cassano H, Song JL, Deng L, et al. Sex differences in the effects of inherited bitter thiourea sensitivity on body weight in 4-6-year-old children. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Jun;18(6):1194-200. 13.Saraswathi YS, Najafi M, Vineeth VS, Kavitha P, Malini SS. Association of phenylthiocarbamide taste blindness trait with early onset of childhood obesity in Mysore. Journal of Paramedical Sciences. 2011;2(4):6-11. 14.Hussain R, Shah A, Afzal M. Distribution of sensory taste thresholds for phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) taste ability in North Indian Muslim populations. The Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics. 2013;14:367-74. 15.Raziq MA, Farog A, Iqbal T, Ahmed A. Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) Taste Sensitivity and Blood Groups in Students at Bahawalpur. Journal of Sheikh Zayed Medical College. 2011;2(1):152-4. 16.Iqbal T, Ali A, Atique S. Prevalence of Taste Blindness to Phenylthiocarbamide in Punjab. Pakistan Journal of Physiology. 2006;2(2):35-7. 17.Yu JH, Shin MS, Lee JR, Choi JH, Koh EH, Lee WJ, et al. Decreased sucrose preference in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2014 May;104(2):214-9. 18.Wasalathanthri S, Hettiarachchi P, Prathapan S. Sweet taste sensitivity in pre-diabetics, diabetics and normoglycemic controls: a comparative cross sectional study. BMC Endocr Disord. 2014;14:67. 19.Gascon C, Santaolalla F, Martinez A, Sanchez Del Rey A. Usefulness of the BAST-24 smell and taste test in the study of diabetic patients: a new approach to the determination of renal function. Acta Otolaryngol. 2013 Apr;133(4):400-4. 20.Ali SG, Azad Khan AK, Mahtab H, Khan AR, Muhibullah M. Association of phenylthiocarbamide taste sensitivity with diabetes mellitus in Bangladesh. Hum Hered. 1994 Jan-Feb;44(1):14-7. 21.Bhatia S, Sharma KN. Taste impairment for glucose in diabetic PTC tasters and non-tasters. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 1991 Jul;12(3):193-9. 22.Dotson CD, Shaw HL, Mitchell BD, Munger SD, Steinle NI. Variation in the gene TAS2R38 is associated with the eating behavior disinhibition in Old Order Amish women. Appetite. 2010 Feb;54(1):93-9.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Crime and Punishment and Raskolnikovs article, On Crime :: Crime Punishment Essays

Crime and Punishment and Raskolnikov's article, "On Crime" Raskolnikov's article, "On Crime," is vital to the understanding of his beliefs. This article also has a profound effect on Crime and Punishment as a whole, the subject matter being one of the main themes of the novel. The idea of the "extraordinary man" is referred to literally throughout the book, but also notable is the subconscious effect the idea has on Raskolnikov. Sometimes Raskolnikov is not even aware of this influence. It is important to note originality, or the ability to "utter a new word," as a defining characteristic of the extraordinary man. Therefore, we must take into account the presence of similar ideas, those of Pisarev, Nietzsche, and nihilism, as these might bring to light the possibility that Raskolnikov is not original, a possibility that haunts him throughout the novel. Within the article Raskolnikov analyzes the psychology of a criminal before and after the crime. This main portion of the article is not discussed, but it is likely that the psychological explanation that Porfiry gives Raskolnikov later, in the examination, is very similar. During this later examination, Raskolnikov appears resentful, but never disputes what Porfiry tells him, perhaps because it is a regurgitation of Raskolnikov's own thoughts. In the last meeting of the two men, Porfiry admits that he liked the article very much, and actually felt a connection with it. The one part of the main body of the article that is mentioned is "that the perpetration of a crime is always accompanied by illness" (225). Porfiry comments that this idea is very original; Raskolnikov welcomes this praise. Shortly, Porfiry moves on to the main topic of their discussion, a topic only mentioned briefly in the article, the idea that "certain persons...have a perfect right to commit breaches of morality and crimes" (225). Raskolnikov immediately realizes that Porfiry is intentionally exaggerating the idea, and "decided to take up the challenge" (226). Dostoevsky lets the reader know that the conversation will be a battle of wits. The ensuing argumentative dialogue makes the passage very entertaining, especially in contrast to later interviews between the two, in which Porfiry does nearly all the talking (he loves to hear himself talk). Raskolnikov attempts to clarify his idea, explaining that the "extraordinary" people have the right, but are not bound, to "overstep obstacles" if it is "essential" for the fulfillment of their idea.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Leadership in a Global Environment

Management vs. Leadership Management Leadership – Vision & strategy – Keeping an eye on the horizon – Creating shared values – Helping others grow – Reducing boundaries – Focusing on people – Based on personal power – Acting as a coach – Emotional connections – Open mind – Listening – Nonconformity – Insight into self – Creates change and a culture of integrity Source: Daft (2008), p. 15 Leadership Direction: Planning & budgeting – Keeping an eye on the bottom line – Organizing & staffing – Directing & controlling – Creating boundaries – Focusing on products – Based on position power – Acting as boss – Emotional distance – Expert mind – Talking – Conformity – Insight into organization Alignment: Relationships: Personal Qualities: Outcomes: – Maintains stability – Creates culture of efficienc y Definition of culture Internet in Leadership Germany Members of a group or a society sharing a distinct way of life with common values, attitudes and behaviors that are transmitted over time in a gradual, yet dynamic process.Source: Harris, J. E. / Moran, R. T. (1979). International Context Culture Bbehavior Values Attitudes Source: Adler (2002) p. 17. Values – attitudes – behavior Internet in Leadership Germany Values => explicit or implicit desirable to an individual or group => influences the selection from available modes, mearns and ends of action International Context => can be both consciously and unconsciously Attitudes => expresses values and disposes a person to act or react in a certain way to something Bbehavior => any form of human action Source: Adler ( 2002), p. 18. Linking values to behavior Internet in Leadership GermanyBbehavior Value Sample Countries/Areas China/Thailand Australia/United States 1 2 Use of understatement Asking people to call you by your first name Taking off from work to attend the funeral of an aunt Not helping the person next to you on an exam Disagreeing openly with someone at a meeting Not laying off an older worker whose performance is weak H Indirectness F Informality Centrality of family Self-reliance 3 B Venezuela/Korea International Context 4 5 6 I Switzerland/Canada Germany/England A Directness E Respect for age Japan/Pakistan 7 At a meeting agreeing with a suggestion you think is wrong D Saving faceAsia generally 8 Inviting the teaboy to eat lunch with you in your office J Egalitarianism Cambodia/Vietnam 9 Asking the headmaster's opinion about something you're an expert on G Defence to authority India/Brazil 10 Accepting, without question that something can't be changed C External Control Saudi Arabia/Turkey Source: www. uop. edu/sis/culture. Culture: The hidden dimension Culture has observable aspects and suspected, imagined, or intuited. Internet in Leadership Germany Holiday customs Facial expre ssions Paintings Food Music Eating habits Literature Concept of personal space Work ethic GesturesInternational Context Rules of social etiquete Religious beliefs Concept of beauty Childraising beliefs Importance of time Values Concept of leadership Concept of fairness Concept of self General world view Nature of friendship Source: www. uop. edu/sis/culture. Cultural dimensions by Hofstede Internet in Leadership Germany – based on the first and most detailed cross-cultural research study – national culture explained more of the differences in work-related values and attitudes than did position, profession, age or gender International Context 1. Power distance . Individualism 3. Masculinity 4. Uncertainty avoidance 5. Long term orientation Source: www. geert-hofstede. com. Power distance Internet in Leadership Germany 1. Power distance = degree of equality, or inequality, between people in the country's society. International Context High Power Distance – Core va lue: respect for status – Core distinction: powerful/dependant – Key element: centralization Low Power Distance – Core value: people‘s equality – Core distinction: whether or not responsible for a certain task – Key element: decentralization Individualism 2.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Bloodlines Chapter Sixteen

I EXPLAINED AWAY my chemistry experiment by saying that it was just a substance I had on hand from when I received my tattoo, in the event I had an allergic reaction. I certainly didn't let on that I'd mixed it myself. I think they would've bought that cover story, if not for the fact that a few days later, I was able to get ahold of a formula that helped treat the chemical burns on Kristin's skin. The mixture did nothing for the ink stain – that seemed to be permanent, barring some tattoo laser removal – but her welts did fade a little bit. After that, word got around that Sydney Melrose was the new on-site pharmacist. Because I had extra left over from Kristin, I gave the remainder of the skin cream to a girl with severe acne since it worked on that as well. That probably didn't do me any favors. People approached me for all sorts of things and even offered to pay me. Some requests were pointless, like cures for headaches. Those people I simply told to buy some aspirin. Other requests were out of my power and nothing I wanted to deal with, like birth control. Aside from the weird requests, I actually didn't mind the increase in my daily social interaction. I was used to people needing things from me, so that was familiar territory. Some people just wanted to know more about me as a person, which was new and more enjoyable than I'd expected. And still others wanted†¦ different things from me. â€Å"Sydney.† I was waiting for my English class to start and was startled to see one of Greg Slade's friends standing over my desk. His name was Bryan, and although I didn't know much about him, he'd never come across as obnoxious as Slade, which was a point in Bryan's favor. â€Å"Yes?† I asked, wondering if he wanted to borrow notes from me. He had shaggy brown hair that seemed to be purposely grown unkempt and was actually kind of cute. He ran a hand over it as he picked his words. â€Å"Do you know anything about silent films?† â€Å"Sure,† I said. â€Å"The first ones were developed in the late nineteenth century and sometimes had live musical accompaniment, though it wasn't until the 1920s that sound become truly incorporated into films, eventually making silent ones obsolete in cinema.† Bryan gaped, as though that was more than he'd been expecting. â€Å"Oh. Okay. Well, um, there's a silent film festival downtown next week. Do you think you'd want to go?† I shook my head. â€Å"No, I don't think so. I respect it as an art form but really don't get much out of watching them.† â€Å"Huh. Okay.† He smoothed his hair back again, and I could almost see him groping for thoughts. Why on earth was he asking me about silent films? â€Å"What about Starship 30? It opens Friday. Do you want to see that?† â€Å"I don't really like sci-fi either,† I said. It was true, I found it completely implausible. Bryan looked ready to rip that shaggy hair out. â€Å"Is there any movie out there you want to see?† I ran through a mental list of current entertainment. â€Å"No. Not really.† The bell rang, and with a shake of his head, Bryan slunk back to his desk. â€Å"That was weird,† I muttered. â€Å"He has bad taste in movies.† Glancing beside me, I was startled to see Julia with her head down on her desk while she shook with silent laughter. â€Å"What?† â€Å"That,† she gasped. â€Å"That was hilarious.† â€Å"What?† I said again. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Sydney, he was asking you out!† I replayed the conversation. â€Å"No, he wasn't. He was asking me about cinema.† She was laughing so hard that she had to wipe away a tear. â€Å"So he could find out what you wanted to see and take you out!† â€Å"Well, why didn't he just say that?† â€Å"You are so adorably oblivious,† she said. â€Å"I hope I'm around the day you actually notice someone is interested in you.† I continued to be mystified, and she spent the rest of class bursting out with spontaneous giggles. While I became an object of fascination, Jill's popularity fell. Part of it was her own shyness. She was still so conscious and worried about being different that she assumed everyone else was aware of her otherness too. She continued holding back from connecting with people out of fear, making her come across as aloof. Surprisingly making this worse, Jill's â€Å"doctor's note† had finally come through from the Alchemists. The school wouldn't put her into a different elective that was already in progress. Freshmen weren't allowed to be teacher's aides like Trey. After consultation with Miss Carson, they'd finally decided that Jill would participate in all indoor PE activities and do â€Å"alternate assignments† when we were outdoors. This usually meant writing reports on things like the history of softball. Unfortunately, sitting out half the time only managed to isolate Jill more. Micah continued to dote on her, even in the face of adversity. â€Å"Lee texted me this morning,† she told me at lunch one day. â€Å"He wants to take me out to dinner this weekend. Do you think†¦ I mean, I know you guys would have to go too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She glanced uncertainly between Eddie and me. â€Å"Who's Lee?† asked Micah. He had just sat down with our group. A few moments of awkward silence fell. â€Å"Oh,† said Jill, averting her eyes. â€Å"He's this, um, guy we know. He doesn't go here. He goes to college. In Los Angeles.† Micah processed this. â€Å"He asked you on a date?† â€Å"Yeah†¦ we actually went out before. I guess we're, well, kind of dating.† â€Å"Not seriously,† piped in Eddie. I wasn't sure if he was saying this to spare Micah's feelings or if it was some protective way to stop Jill from getting too close to anyone. Micah was good at hiding his emotions, I'd give him that. After a bit more thought, he finally gave Jill a smile that only seemed slightly forced. â€Å"Well, that's great. I hope I can meet him.† After that, the conversation turned to the upcoming football game, and no one mentioned Lee again. Finding out about Lee changed how Micah acted around Jill, but he still hung out with us all the time. Maybe it was in the hopes that Lee and Jill would break up. Or it could've simply been because Micah and Eddie spent a lot of time together, and Eddie was one of Jill's few friends. But the problem wasn't Micah. It was Laurel. I didn't think Micah would've been interested in Laurel even if Jill hadn't been in the picture, but Laurel still saw Jill as a threat – and went out of her way to make her miserable. Laurel spread rumors about her and made pointed comments in the halls and during class about Jill's pale skin, height, and skinniness – Jill's biggest insecurities. Once or twice, I heard the name vampire girl whispered in the halls. It made my blood run cold, no matter how many times I reminded myself it was a joke. â€Å"Jill isn't what's keeping Laurel and Micah apart,† I remarked to Julia and Kristin one day. They were amused by my continued efforts to apply logic and rationality to social behaviors in the school. â€Å"I don't understand. He just doesn't like Laurel.† â€Å"Yeah, but it's easier for her to think Jill's the problem, when really, Laurel's just a bitch and Micah knows it,† explained Julia. Ever since the awkward encounter with Bryan, she and Kristin had taken it upon themselves to try to educate me in the ways â€Å"normal† humans behaved. â€Å"Plus, Laurel just likes having someone to pick on,† said Kristin. She rarely spoke about the tattoo but had been serious and sober ever since. â€Å"Okay,† I said, trying to follow the logic, â€Å"but I was the one who called her out about dying her hair. She's hardly said a word to me.† Kristin smiled. â€Å"No fun picking on you. You talk back. Jill doesn't defend herself much and doesn't have many people to stick up for her either. She's an easy target.† One positive thing did happen, at least. Adrian was staying on good behavior after the Los Angeles mishap, though I had to wonder how long it would last. Based on what I gathered from Jill, he was still bored and unhappy. Lee's schedule was erratic, and it wasn't his job to look after Adrian anyway. There didn't seem to be any good solution for her, really. If Adrian gave in to his vices, she suffered the effects of his hangovers and â€Å"romantic interludes.† If he didn't, then he was miserable, and that attitude slowly trickled into her as well. The only hope they had was that Jill would eventually learn the control to block him out of her mind, but from what Rose had told her, that could take a very long time. When the next feeding came around, I was disappointed to see Keith's car parked in Clarence's driveway. If he wasn't going to actually do anything active to help this assignment, I kind of wished he'd just stay away from it altogether. He apparently thought these â€Å"supervising† visits counted as work and continued to justify his presence. Except when we met up with Adrian in the living room, Keith was nowhere in sight. Neither was Clarence. â€Å"Where are they?† I asked Adrian. Adrian was lounging on the couch and put down a book he'd been reading. I had a feeling reading was a rare activity for him and almost felt bad for the interruption. He stifled a yawn. There was no alcohol in sight, but I did see what looked like three empty cans of energy drink. He shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. Off talking somewhere. Your friend's got a sick sense of humor. I think he's feeding Clarence's paranoia about vampire hunters.† I glanced uneasily at Lee, who had immediately begun talking to Jill. Both were so caught up in each other, they didn't even realize what the rest of us were discussing. I knew how much the vampire hunter talk bothered Lee. He wouldn't appreciate Keith encouraging it. â€Å"Does Clarence know about the killing in LA?† asked Eddie. There was no reason Keith wouldn't, since it was open Alchemist knowledge, but I wasn't sure if he would've made the connection to Clarence or not. â€Å"He hasn't mentioned it,† said Adrian. â€Å"I swear Keith's just doing it because he's bored or something. Even I haven't sunk that low.† â€Å"Is that what you've been doing instead?† I asked. I sat down across from him and pointed at the energy drinks. â€Å"Hey, it's not vodka or brandy or†¦ well, anything good.† Adrian sighed and upended one can, drinking the last few drops. â€Å"So give me some credit.† Eddie glanced at the cans. â€Å"Didn't Jill say she had trouble sleeping last night?† â€Å"Adrian,† I said with a groan. Eddie was right. I'd noticed Jill tossing and turning constantly. Vicarious caffeine would certainly explain it. â€Å"Hey, I'm trying,† Adrian said. â€Å"If you could get me out of here, Sage, then I wouldn't be forced to drown my sorrows in taurine and ginseng.† â€Å"She can't, Adrian, and you know it,† said Eddie. â€Å"Can't you†¦ I don't know. Find a hobby or something?† â€Å"Being charming is my hobby,† said Adrian obstinately. â€Å"I'm the life of a party – even without drinking. I wasn't meant to be alone.† â€Å"You could get a job,† said Eddie, settling into a corner chair. He smiled, amused by his own wit. â€Å"Solve both your problems – make some money and be around people.† Adrian scowled. â€Å"Careful, Castile. There's only one comedian in this family.† I straightened up. â€Å"That's actually not a bad idea.† â€Å"It's a terrible idea,† said Adrian, glancing between me and Eddie. â€Å"Why?† I asked. â€Å"Is this the part where you tell us your hands don't do manual labor?† â€Å"It's more like the part where I don't have anything to offer society,† he countered. â€Å"I could help you,† I offered. â€Å"Are you going to do the work and give me the paycheck?† Adrian asked hopefully. â€Å"Because that actually could help.† â€Å"I can give you a ride to your interviews,† I said. â€Å"And I can make you a resume that would get you any job.† I eyed him and reconsidered. â€Å"Well, within reason.† Adrian stretched back out. â€Å"Sorry, Sage. Just not feeling it.† Clarence and Keith entered just then. Clarence's face was exuberant. â€Å"Thank you, thank you,† he was saying. â€Å"It's so nice to talk to someone who understands my concerns about the hunters.† I hadn't been aware that Keith understood anything except his own self-serving nature. Lee's face darkened when he realized Keith was furthering the old man's irrationality. Nonetheless, the Moroi withheld the comments he undoubtedly wanted to make. It was the first time I'd seen any sort of dark emotion on Lee's face. Looked like Keith could bring down even the most cheerful person. Clarence was happy to see us, as was Dorothy. Humans who gave blood to vampires weren't just disgusting because of the act itself. What was also appalling was the addiction that resulted. Vampires released endorphins into those they drank from, endorphins that created a pleasurable sort of high. Human feeders who lived among Moroi spent their entire days in that high, becoming heavily dependent on it. Someone like Dorothy, who had lived only with Clarence for years, hadn't experienced enough bites to really get addicted. Now, with Jill and Adrian around, Dorothy was getting an increased amount of endorphins in her daily life. Her eyes lit up when she saw Jill, showing she was eager for more. â€Å"Hey, Sage,† said Adrian. â€Å"I don't want an interview, but do you think you could give me a ride to get some cigarettes?† I started to tell him I wasn't going to help with such a filthy habit and then noticed him looking meaningfully at Dorothy. Was he trying to get me out of here? I wondered. Give me an excuse to not be around for the feeding? From what I understood, Moroi normally didn't hide their feedings from each other. Jill and Dorothy just usually left the room for my comfort. I knew they'd probably do it again but decided I'd take the opportunity to get away. Of course, I glanced at Keith for confirmation, expecting him to protest. He merely shrugged. It looked like I was the last thing on his mind. â€Å"Okay,† I said, standing up. â€Å"Let's go.† In the car, Adrian turned to me. â€Å"I changed my mind,† he said. â€Å"I'll take you up on helping me get a job.† I almost swerved into oncoming traffic. Few things from him could have surprised me more – and he said pretty surprising things on a regular basis. â€Å"That was fast. Are you serious?† â€Å"As much as I ever am. Will you still help me?† â€Å"I suppose so, though there's only so much I can do. I can't actually get you the job.† I ran down my mental list of what I knew about Adrian. â€Å"I don't suppose you have any idea of what you'd actually like to do?† â€Å"I want something entertaining,† he said. He thought some more. â€Å"And I want to make lots of money – but do as little work as possible.† â€Å"Lovely,† I muttered. â€Å"That narrows it down.† We reached downtown, and I managed a flawless parallel-parking job that didn't impress him nearly as much as it should have. We were right in front of a convenience store, and I stood outside while he went in. Evening shadows were falling. I was off campus all the time, but so far, my trips had all been to Clarence's, mini-golf courses, and fast-food joints. It turned out that the city of Palm Springs was really pretty. Boutiques and restaurants lined the streets, and I could've spent hours people-watching. Retirees in golfing getups strolled alongside young glamorous socialites. I knew a lot of celebrities came here too, but I wasn't in tune enough with the entertainment world to know who was who. â€Å"Man,† said Adrian, emerging from the store. â€Å"They raised the price on my normal brand. I had to buy some crappy one.† â€Å"You know,† I said. â€Å"Quitting would also be a really great way to save some – â€Å" I froze as I spotted something down the street. Three blocks away, through the leaves of some palm trees, I could just barely make out a sign that read Nevermore in ornate Gothic lettering. That was the place. The source of the tattoos running rampant through Amberwood. Ever since Kristin's incident, I'd wanted to delve into this more but hadn't been sure how. Now I had my chance. For a moment, I remembered Keith telling me not to get involved with anything that might raise attention or cause trouble. Then I thought about the way Kristin had looked during her overdose. This was my opportunity to actually do something. I made a decision. â€Å"Adrian,† I said. â€Å"I need your help.† I pulled him toward the tattoo parlor, filling him in on the situation. For a moment, he seemed so interested in high-inducing tattoos that I thought he'd want one. When I told him about Kristin, though, his enthusiasm faded. â€Å"Even if it's not Alchemist technology, they're still doing something dangerous,† I explained. â€Å"Not just to Kristin. What Slade and those guys are doing – using the steroids to be better at football – is just as bad. People are getting hurt.† I thought, suddenly, of Trey's cuts and bruises. A small alley separated the tattoo parlor from a neighboring restaurant, and we stopped just before it. A door opened inside the alley, on the parlor side, and a man stepped out and lit a cigarette. He'd taken only two steps when another man stuck his head out the side door and called, â€Å"How long are you going to be gone?† I could see shelves and tables behind him. â€Å"Just running down to the store,† said the man with the cigarette. â€Å"I'll be back in ten.† The other guy went back inside, shutting the door. A few moments later, we saw him through the window at the front of the store, tidying up something on the counter. â€Å"I have to get back there,† I said to Adrian. â€Å"Into that door.† He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"What, like sneaking in? How very black ops of you. And oh, you know – dangerous and foolish.† â€Å"I know,† I said, surprised at how calm I sounded as I admitted that. â€Å"But I have to know something, and this may be my only chance.† â€Å"Then I'll go with you in case that guy comes back,† he said with a sigh. â€Å"Never let it be said Adrian Ivashkov doesn't help damsels in distress. Besides, did you see him? He looked like some insane biker. They both did.† â€Å"I don't want you to – wait.† Inspiration hit. â€Å"You talk to the guy inside.† â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"Go in the front. Distract him so that I can look around. Talk to him about†¦ I don't know. You'll think of something.† We quickly hashed out a plan. I sent Adrian on his way while I ducked into the alley and approached the door. I pulled the handle and found it – locked. â€Å"Of course,† I muttered. What business would leave a remote door like this exposed and unlocked? My brilliant plan started to crumble until I remembered I had my Alchemist â€Å"essentials† in my purse. My full kit was rarely needed, high school acne crises aside, so it was usually kept at home. But Alchemists were always on call, no matter where they were, to cover up vampire sightings. And so, we always kept a couple of things on us at all times. One was the substance that could dissolve a Strigoi body in under a minute. The other was almost equally efficient at dissolving metal. It was a type of acid, and I kept it in a protected vial in my purse. Quickly, I fished it out and unscrewed the top. A bitter scent hit me and made me wrinkle my nose. With the bottle's glass dropper, I very carefully leaned down and placed a few drops right in the center of the lock. I immediately stepped back as a white mist rose up from the contact. Within thirty seconds, it had all dissipated, and there was a hole in the middle of the door's handle. One of the nice things about this stuff, which we called quickfire, was that its reaction occurred extremely fast. It was now inert and posed no danger to my skin. I pushed down on the handle, and it released. I only opened the door a crack, just to ascertain that there was no one else around. Nope. Empty. I crept inside and quietly shut the door behind me, fastening an inside bolt to make sure it stayed locked. As I'd seen from the outside, the place was a storage room, filled with all sorts of tools of the tattoo trade. Three doorways surrounded me. One led to a bathroom, one to a darkened room, and another to the store's front and main counter. Light spilled in from that doorway, and I could hear Adrian's voice. â€Å"My friend's got one,† he was saying. â€Å"I've seen it, and he said this is the place he got it. Come on, don't play me.† â€Å"Sorry,† came the gruff response. â€Å"No idea what you're talking about.† I slowly began scanning the cupboards and drawers, reading labels and looking for anything suspicious. There were a lot of supplies and not much time. â€Å"Is it a money thing?† asked Adrian. â€Å"Because I've got enough. Just tell me how much it costs.† There was a long pause, and I hoped Adrian wouldn't be asked to show any cash since the last of his money had gone to promoting cancer. â€Å"I don't know,† the guy said at last. â€Å"If I was able to do this copper tattoo you're talking about – and I'm not saying I can – you probably couldn't afford it.† â€Å"I'm telling you,† said Adrian. â€Å"Just name your price.† â€Å"What is it you're interested in exactly?† the man asked slowly. â€Å"Just the color?† â€Å"I think we both know,† said Adrian cunningly. â€Å"I want the color. I want the ‘bonus effects.' And I want it to look badass. You probably can't even do the design I want.† â€Å"That's the least of your worries,† said the guy. â€Å"I've been doing this for years. I can draw anything you want.† â€Å"Yeah? Can you draw a skeleton riding a motorcycle with flames coming out of it? And I want a pirate hat on the skeleton. And a parrot on his shoulder. A skeleton parrot. Or maybe a ninja skeleton parrot? No, that would be overkill. But it'd be cool if the biker skeleton could be shooting some ninja throwing stars. That are on fire.† Meanwhile, I'd still seen no sign of what I needed, but there were a million nooks and crannies left to explore. Panic began to rise in me. I was going to run out of time. Then, seeing the darkened room, I hurried over to it. With a quick glance toward the store's front, I flipped on the light and held my breath. No one must have noticed anything because the conversation continued where it had left off. â€Å"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard,† said the tattooist. â€Å"That's not what the ladies are going to say,† said Adrian. â€Å"Look, kid,† said the guy. â€Å"It's not even about money. It's about availability. That's a lot of ink you're talking about, and I don't have that much in stock.† â€Å"Well, when will your supplier deliver next?† asked Adrian. I stared in awe at what I had found: I was in the room where the tattooing took place. There was a lounging chair – much more comfortable than the table I'd received my tattoo on – and a small side table covered with what appeared to be freshly used implements. â€Å"I've already got some people wait-listed ahead of you. I don't know when there'll be more.† â€Å"Can you call me when you know?† Adrian asked. â€Å"I'll give you my info. My name's Jet Steele.† If not for my own tense situation, I would've groaned. Jet Steele? Really? Before I could think much more about it, I finally found what I'd been looking for. The tattoo gun on the table had its own ink container, but sitting nearby were several smaller vials. All of them were empty, but some still had enough metallic residue of their former ingredients to tip me off. Without even thinking twice, I quickly began recapping them and putting them in my purse. Nearby, I noticed some sealed vials full of dark liquid. I froze for a moment. Carefully, I picked one up, opened it, and took a sniff. It was what I'd feared. I screwed the lid back on and added those vials to my purse. Just then, I heard a rattling behind me. Someone was trying to open the back door. I'd bolted it behind me, however, and it didn't give. Still, it meant my time for snooping was up. I was just zipping up my purse when I heard the store's front door open. â€Å"Joey, why's the back door locked?† an angry voice demanded. â€Å"It's always locked.† â€Å"No, the bolt was on. From the inside. It wasn't when I left.† Cue my exit. I flipped off the light and began hurrying back through the storage room. â€Å"Wait!† exclaimed Adrian. There was an anxious note to his voice, like he was trying to get someone's attention. I had the uneasy feeling that the two guys who worked here were headed back behind the counter to investigate. â€Å"I need to know something else about the tattoo. Can the parrot also be wearing a pirate's hat? Like a miniature one?† â€Å"In a minute. We have to check something.† The voice was louder than before. Closer. My hands fumbled as I unlatched the bolt. I managed it and opened the door, hurrying out just as I heard voices behind me. Without pausing to glance back, I shut the door and ran out the alley and up the street, back toward where I'd parked. I was pretty sure the guys hadn't gotten a good look at me. I think I'd just been a figure darting out the door. Still, I was grateful for the crowds of people on the street. I was able to blend in as I turned my attention to my car and unlocked the door. My hands were sweaty and shaking as I fumbled with the keys. I wanted badly to look behind me but was afraid of attracting the attention of the two men, if they were out searching the street. As long as they had no reason to suspect me – A hand suddenly grabbed my arm and jerked me away. I gasped. â€Å"It's me,† said a voice. Adrian. I breathed a sigh of relief. â€Å"Don't look back,† he said calmly. â€Å"Just get in the car.† I obeyed. Once we were both safely inside, I took a deep breath, overwhelmed by the pounding of my heart. Fear-born adrenaline surged in my chest, so strongly it hurt. I closed my eyes and leaned back. â€Å"That was too close,† I said. â€Å"And you did good, by the way.† â€Å"I know,† he said proudly. â€Å"And actually, I kind of want that tattoo now. Did you find what you were looking for?† I opened my eyes and sighed. â€Å"I did. And a whole lot more.† â€Å"So, what is it? They're putting drugs in tattoos?† â€Å"Worse,† I said. â€Å"They're using vampire blood.†

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free All the King’s Men Analysis Essay

Free All the King’s Men Analysis Essay All the King’s Men Analysis Question 1: Which is more effective and powerful, Willies speeches and the crowds reaction as presented in the film, or in the novel? (Pages 135-144, 219-220). Explain your answer providing specific examples from both the film and the novel. Willie Stark is portrayed in both the novel as well as the film as a self-righteous man who fights for the truth and justice. According to Woodell (18), the small town lawyer and an idealist is also family man who does not drink because his wife does not allow him. After Stark realized that he was being engineered to divide votes, he steps down from the governor position. Willy works hard to feed the family. After he steps down from running for governorship, he starts giving speeches which were captivating to the listeners. The public applauds his speeches and expects more from him. Willy is also a farmers son who studies at night to become a lawyer. It is though, after the deaths of three children at a school, due to the faulty construction that he becomes a local hero for the community. The man who tried to warn them, but no one listened to them. Willie like every man who speaks the truth was a lousy candidate for the governor elections. He could not make the crowd listen; his speeches were full of facts and figures and lacking emotion. It was only after Sadie Burke revealed the truth to him that he was set up to split MacMurfees voters that he showed some emotion. Enraged, he drunk a whole bottle of whiskey and passed out. The next day, still drunk and furious over the way he was played, he gave the public his best speech. He told them how he was a foolish hick, like them who had been set up by those in power, suddenly the crowd began to listen. in fact, they could relate to him, and Willie spoke in ordinary words, unlike the rest of the politicians. After Willy decides to run for governorship, Judge Irwin disapproves him and calls him an opportunist. Willy does not give up and is never distracted. He goes straight for the post and wins. He initiates projects to run and asks Dr Santon to run them for him. The projects become popular and make him a man who fulfills his dreams. Willy maintains a pet project and starts to build a hospital for the neighborhood. After being criticized by Judge Irwin, and besieged by the political controversy, Willy demands that Jack should dig more sins from the judge and expose them too. Jack becomes adamant but later reveals the most painful facts that Judge Irwin was corrupt in dispensing his duties as a judge. This not a good experience for the judge and he instead considers committing suicide to shield him from the shame. In the novel, that speech is even more powerful as he states that he withdraws from the race to support MacMurfee: But if MacMurfee does not deliver for the little people, nail him to the door, or he would do it himself. ORDER FOR: $Â  11.99 document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function () { $("#miniorder_shorcode form").append($("", { "name": "_token", "value": window.Laravel.csrfToken, "type": "hidden" })); }); Question 2: Which is more effective and powerful, the visit with Judge Irwin and the conflicts presented between Willie, Jack and the Judge in the film version, or in the novel? (Pages 62-73) Explain your answer, providing specific examples from both the film and the novel. Jack Burden is a brash-bound idealist. According to him, idealism is exceedingly straightforward: What you do not know do not hurt you, for it aint real. If you are an idealist it does not matter what you do or what goes on around you because it is not real anyway", But, why would an idealist is working for a man like Willie Stark these days? In his perspective, Willie might have his own methods, but what it comes down to, he is using those methods to help, the best way he can. The first time, however, he does not agree with Willie is in his conflict with Judge Irwin, the man who Jack loved as a father. The same man raised him after his father abandoned him. The man who shared his love for history of warfare and weapons and at the end is proven to be his biological father. When it comes to the Judge, Jack is not sure whether he agrees with Willies methods. Going into the Judges house in the middle of the night, threatening him to retract his endorsement; otherwise they would find some dirt from his past. Jack does not feel comfortable threatening a man he respected this much. This is best presented in the film version, because of the three splendid actors, Sean Penn, Antony Hopkins and Jude Law. They are responsible for the strong emotions in the atmosphere, the anger, the betrayal, the gilt. Question 3:Which works better to show the conflict between Jack and Judge Irwin when Jack threatens to expose the Judges involvement in the scandal (regarding the Littlepaugh family): the scene in the film or the version in the novel. In your answer include the reaction of Jacks mother to Judge Irwins suicide. When Jack discovers that the perfect gentleman who treated him as a son, the eminent Judge Irwin has something hidden in his past, he feels the need to confront the Judge himself. He travels to Burdens Landing and visits the Judge at his house. The Judge seems happy to see him and apologizes for their last conversation. Jack nonetheless, asks the Judge to call MacMurfee off, and when he refuses, he threatens him with the information he found regarding Littlepaughs suicide and the bribe. This annoys the Judge, and consequently Willy is told to keep off. This however, does not leave the judge in peace. He is troubled about his status and his reputation that he has build for many years (Scott 32). It is that same blackmail that led the Judge to commit suicide. The reality was too much to bear. When Jack returns home, he hears a scream from his mothers room and he finds her on the floor crying and screaming that he killed the Judge. He was responsible for his death, the death of his father. That is when Jack finds out the truth about his family. What is more, Judge Irwin took a bullet to the heart to reveal the secret that haunted him all these years the love for his son. Then Jack learns that the bribe that Judge took was for him to have something to inherit and was a blessing in disguise. Him, who blackmailed him using that same information, He was responsible for the death of his father, whose only sin was for him. This feels like a Greek tragedy of modern Democratic politics. However on the film, it is shown on a velvet wallpaper version, where neither the politics nor the family intrigue makes some sense (Steven 37). Stark also comes to embrace various forms of corruption and uses patronage and intimidation to accomplish his mission. Dr. Stanton revealed that the hospital is as a result of the governor's political and personal gain. He waits for Stark at the state capitol to assassinate him, but is shot and murdered by Stark`s bodyguard. Question 4:Which provides more dramatic power and closure for the viewer, the last few scenes in the film when the Boss and Adam Stanton are murdered, or the ending of the novel? On a rainy day, Adam Stanton murders Willie Stark because he found out he had an affair with his sister and thinks that is the reason he was offered the directorship of the hospital. Two funerals, of two righteous men who did not deserve to die. At least that is the way it is portrayed in the film, but it leaves so many things unsaid. It fails to show how Willie changed after his sons accident. How he decided to go back to his wife and ended the affair with Anne. Moreover, it does not show that the reason behind Willie and Adams deaths were Sadie and Tiny and what Tiny told Adam to make him murder Willie at the first place. After the entire book is called the entire Kings Men and it focuses on the ultimate betrayal to the King by his Men, which led to his death. What is more, the film fails to show how Willie became who he was again at the end, a righteous man whom power corrupted. A man who made a mistake and regretted. Nonetheless, the film does not show what happened to the rest of the characters, Jack, Anne, Lucy, Tom, Sadie, Tiny and even Sugar Boy. What is written in the New York Times is the truth especially regarding the ending of the film: All the Kings Men make a lot of promises, but fails to deliver the goods (Steven 12). According to Woodell (28), the film had notable lessons because of its central focus of Sean Penn as Huey Long, the Kingfisher, and the every person governor of the depression-era Louisiana. If ever there existed a role meant for Penn's heated and emotive style of acting, this was it. Faithful to that to that promise, Penn brings colorful scenes with Willie Stark bringing fire and brimstone from the campaign trails.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Military Funeral Honors in the US Navy

Military Funeral Honors in the US Navy I am currently working for the US Navy, and I am in charge of conducting military funeral honors. My main task is referred to as passing of the flag. This is a very demanding job, but fortunately, two persons can accomplish it. There are many military funerals and thus I cannot manage to attend all of them. That is why I need to delegate my authority to someone else. This implies that the task of passing the flag is possible, just as if I was physically present.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Military Funeral Honors in the US Navy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lewis et al. (2007, p.198) argue that the task delegation cannot be successful without clear instructions that explain the manner in which to execute the task. It is in this regard that I have considered documenting the task because it will help in preventing any faults. This is because I am the one expected to account for all happenings encountered in the task and hence, I cannot hold the delegated person accountable. I have therefore created a framework for the person that receives my authority to dictate the appropriate time and manner of executing the task. I have decided to explain to the person to whom I am delegating this task to the importance of this initiative. The benefits are to be experienced by three entities, that is, this other person and the organization in general, and myself. First, delegation will slash my workload and therefore I will not feel overwhelmed because the tasks will be more manageable and I will focus on the most crucial tasks such as planning for flag passing sessions. In this light, the most obvious benefit is the monetary reward, which varies depending on the volunteer’s position. The person to whom authority will be delegated will get an opportunity to exercise his/her skills and abilities and he/she could be my successor when I retire. Saleem (2007, p.1) explains that executing this task on my behalf will provide the other person with the relevant training that will be needed in future for him/her to serve in this position. Moreover, volunteering in this position will yield points, which will be credited into his /her retirement scheme and thus, increase his/her income at that time. Similarly, I will explain to the person to whom I am delegating this task to how I will measure his/her performance and be in a position to tell whether the quality of his/her performance was satisfactory. I will set the goals for this task as recommended by Portny (2010, p.134) and thereafter, refer to them when gauging his/her performance.Advertising Looking for essay on homeland security? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More I expect his/her output to be slightly higher than mine because he/she will not be handling the entire tasks single handedly, as I did previously. Should I get any complains from my superiors I will assum e his/her output is below average and at that juncture, I will have to go back to the drawing board. The person to whom I intend to delegate this task to is very competent because he/she is drawn from the US navy and therefore is familiar with the force’s obligations and thus, knows what is expected of him/her. This implies that I will not have to train this person concerning this task of passing the flag. However, I will evaluate his/her performance in her/his present position so that I can be certain about his/her reliability. This is because this person cannot be expected to deliver an outstanding performance if he/she has failed to do the same in her/his present position. The spirit of volunteering when the need arises especially when we are engaged in a war motivates every officer in the US navy. However, I have a good working relationship with the person receiving may authority, which is based on mutual respect. Besides, if there are any faults in the task there are har dly any monetary costs. There can only be human expenses because this service is usually rendered before the bereaved family commences with grieving (Department of Defense, 2011). Furthermore, I will be able to supervise the performance of this person because in most situations, I am usually present but hardly noticed because I only come in when there is a fault that needs to be corrected. The faults will be corrected swiftly so that the organization does not feel the pinch of accumulated liabilities. In fact, I do not need to consult my boss regarding this initiative. This is because my superior knows that I am a responsible person and our code of ethics has granted me the power of task delegation. If the person performs well, this task will be his/her bridge for advancing his/her career in the US navy. He/she is most likely to be promoted to the position of funeral honor coordinator. The position entails dictating how the honors will be conducted. Moreover, this position involves giving messages of condolences to the bereaved family on behalf of the deceased officer’s branch. I will delegate this task without fear because all officers are trained to be flexible and thus, they are able to work in any position and deliver the desired results. References Department of Defense (2011). Military Funeral Honors. Web.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Military Funeral Honors in the US Navy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lewis, P. S., Goodman, S. H., Fandt, P. M., Michlitsch, J. F. (2007). Management: Challenges for Tomorrows Leaders (5th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Portny, E. S. (2010). Project Management for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing Inc. Saleem, H. (2007, June 23). How to Delegate Effectively. Directory Journal. Retrieved from https://www.dirjournal.com/blogs/how-to-delegate-effectively/

Sunday, October 20, 2019

4 Tips for Writing Effectively, Concisely and Truthfully

4 Tips for Writing Effectively, Concisely and Truthfully On November 20, I was featured in the article English Essay Tips from the Experts, a compilation of writing tips from several experts. These tips are valid for anyone writing any type of letter or essay. Remember them as you compile holiday letters and college application essays in the upcoming weeks! #1: Think First. Write Last. Sometimes when people don’t like writing, the actual problem is that they are having trouble thinking. Frequently I’ll work with a client on an essay the person has been struggling with for weeks. One client this past week, for instance, had been through seven revisions of his law school application essay and still wasn’t satisfied with the result. What he needed was not writing help so much as a conversation with a coach who could focus him on a strategy and theme that worked. He needed help thinking. As soon as he had his new outline, he rewrote the essay, completed two revisions, and finalized the essay in just one week. Erin Brenner, a publishing professional, copyediting professor and editor of copyediting.com, makes the important point that writing is the last step in the writing process. First, the writer must gather and organize information; once those steps are taken, writing can be a breeze. #2: Stick to the Point! Another challenge for writers can be going on tangents or including unnecessary details. Test prep expert Alexis Avila cuts to the chase on this issue with his tip that any â€Å"sentence that doesn’t fit under Thesis / Evidence / Transition† can be cut from an essay. Of course, to know whether a sentence fits under Thesis / Evidence / Transition, you need to be clear about what the purpose is of each of your paragraphs! So Tip #1 from Erin Brenner is part and parcel of this one. #3: Active Language Wins Do you ever get the vague feeling that your writing is too wordy but you’re not sure exactly why? I believe the first place to look is at passive vs. active construction (e.g., The car was moving fast down the street vs. The car sped down the street.) Mignon Fogarty, a.k.a. Grammar Girl, points out that the use of â€Å"of†- especially when it follows a â€Å"tion† word- can give you a clue about what to change. If you wrote something like, â€Å"The creation of paper snowflakes took the children hours† you would do well to change it to â€Å"The children spent hours creating paper snowflakes.† See the difference? Feel free to use this trick in your holiday writing! #4: Tell the Truth! This tip from me- Brenda Bernstein, The Essay Expert- makes writing a lot easier for anyone who thinks they need to â€Å"sound good.† If that’s you, stop it! Instead, tell the truth about your struggles and pain if that’s what you’ve been dealing with. And then tell the truth about your victories. No one is interested in how you’ve always known what you know now; we want to know how you grew. When I get to my clients’ real stories, they inevitably express a sense of relief and gain energy to start writing. People who were stuck suddenly can’t wait to start putting words on paper. Did these four tips give you a boost in getting started, or continuing, a writing project that has been stymieing you? Do you think you need a different type of tip to get you on track? Please share below!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Financial Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Innovation - Essay Example Evidence adduced in this paper illustrates various instances of financial innovations that exempted regulation. The consequence has been economic crisis. Introduction The performance of the financial sector is crucial to the economy of the country. Innovation in the financial sector can contribute to the growth or destruction of the economy. The economic growth over the past few centuries demonstrate that effective approach to financial innovation could create prosperity of the nations. However, the issue of financial innovation has drawn criticism from some economists who believe that frequent economic crises experienced in the recent years are due to financial innovation. This paper seeks to debate the question should the potential benefits of financial system innovation deter regulators from imposing restrictions on the activities of financial institutions. Financial regulations serve to regulate the activities of financial institutions against plunging the financial market into c haos. For instance, the Federal Reserve requirement dictates the base lending rate that a financial institution should observe when lending in the public. However, it is evident through the recent financial crisis that financial innovation that led to deregulation exposed the economy to erosion. Economists have observed that banks and other financial institutions in the money market are in constant competition (Anderloni 56). This competition influences the practices that a financial institution would employ in conducting its business. Thus, financial institution practices must observe a given limit in innovation. For instance, studies on the cause of great depression have indicated that financial innovation practices subjected the economy to high-risk behavior whose consequence was the great depression (Calomiris 6). Critics to financial innovation have argued that benefits of financial innovation have failed to yield the anticipated growth because of the risk factors, which the in novation creates in the financial sector (Meessen 199). Most financial innovation leads to excessive risk taking or failure of the financial institutions to predict the financial behavior in the future. For instance, speculation by financial institutions prior to the 2007 US economic crisis led to high risk lending by most financial institutions leading to the collapse of many institutions because of credit defaults. Innovation practices are beneficial to the growth of the economy when the operations are within some control. The Federal Reserve Act 1913 sought to cushion banks from risking foreclosure during financial constraints (Anderloni 156). The idea behind the Federal Reserve is to promote practices that promote the interest of the society. The Commission Inquiry on Financial Crisis report indicated that lack of transparent practice among banks led to unscrupulous lending in the subprime mortgage leading to the financial crisis (A.C.S.1). Lending laws set some base lending whi ch protect the interest of the investors. For instance, the Volcker Rule influenced the banking practices by influencing the operation of the financial institutions within a ring fence. The rule defined the operation of the banks within national and foreign category. The category of these financial institutions enables a given banks within the ring fence to operate a particular financial activities (Calomiris 3). On the contrary, failure to categorize the banks within particular operating spheres exposed the public to risks because large financial institutions collapsed with investment of the majority of the public. Financial innovation should be subject to regulation because some of the innovation practices or proposals fail to reflect the real effects that they would

Friday, October 18, 2019

'Give an account of the main mosques of Samarra' and al-Fustat in the Essay

'Give an account of the main mosques of Samarra' and al-Fustat in the early 'Abbasid period.' - Essay Example Through a discussion that begins with first developing a basic understanding of the function and form of Mosques from the medieval period, then moving through a discussion of specific structures, an exploration of the Mosques from the Abbasid period can be made in order to better understand the importance of these great structures. Function In attempting to study the architecture of the Islamic world, Hillenbrand suggests that one of the primary difficulties lies in the terminology that is used. This is due to the multiplicity of purposes that each building would serve as a function within the culture. He states â€Å"Small wonder that one and the same building could be designated by a string of descriptive terms if each did in truth refer to some aspect of its regular function†.1 In examining the ways in which the buildings of the Islamic middle ages were used it is clear that that mosques were not only used for worship, madrasas were not only used for education, and neither were mausolea used just for burial. The many needs of the culture were fit into the buildings through multiple functionalities, thus the first understanding of such buildings must be made through the idea of function. In discussing function, the first problem that can be seen in studying Islamic buildings is that there is little in the way of written information on the building of these structures. Technical renderings and information about the circumstances of how these buildings came into being are few and far between, allowing for only the buildings themselves to serve as objects of study on their construction.2 Although there is suspicion that the Islamic religious aesthetics influenced the building of Mosques during the medieval period, there is no explicit reference known or accessible to Western cultures that suggest that this is the case. Therefore, in studying the function of such buildings, one must look at the building itself to try and access this aspect and the culture in order to understand the development of needs for which the building served as a solution for cultural needs. According to Meri and Bacharach, however, most Mosques of the medieval period were designed after the creation of house that was build for Mohamed in Medina, which is located in Saudi Arabia. Literary evidence of the form of this house is more relevant than the archaeological as it is described as having a â€Å"large walled courtyard with entrances on three sides and two covered porticos, the larger of which functions as a sanctuary for the faithful where they may find shelter from the sun during prayer†.3 The original orientation of the qibla wall, the wall of the larger portico, was originally facing towards Jerusalem, and then later towards Mecca, thus providing for the importance of orientation when building a Mosque. The small portico was used as a place of shelter for those who were poor, thus setting up the division of classes within the Mosque cultural usag e. The three basic elements developed from this original structure were the courtyard for the gathering of the followers of Islam, the sanctuary for prayer, and the qibla wall.4 Form Hillenbrand lists three distinct areas in which form can be discussed. The first is in hierarchy, the second is in

E-marketing strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

E-marketing strategy - Assignment Example The e marketing differs from traditional marketing in that it involves the use of channels and methods that enable an organization to analyze marketing campaigns and understand what is working and what is not typically in real time. Digital marketers check things like what is being viewed, how often and for how long, sales conversions, what content works and does not work.Normaly, the internet is the channel that is mostly associated with digital marketing.(Csheing, 2010) Ordinarily, digital marketing and its associated channels are important to the existence and the profitability of the company. It is important to know your customers better than anybody else so that you can communicate with them where, when and how they are most receptive to your message. This is done by consolidating views of customer preferences and expectations across all channels – Web, social media, mobile, direct mail and point of sale. Marketers can use this information to create and anticipate consistent, coordinated customer experiences that will move customers along in the buying cycle. The deeper your insight into customer behavior and preferences, the more likely you are to engage them in lucrative interactions thus much sales.(Csheing, 2010) Ordinarily E-marketing involves the use of the Internet and digital media capabilities to assist in increasing the sale of the products or services. The digital technologies use by the hotels contributes to the value addition compared to the traditional marketing approach. This is regardless of the size and type of the hotel or restaurant. Standard hotels have fully applied the e-marketing with the aim of increasing the profitability of the Hotel. (Porta, 2012) Standard hotels have e marketing objectives that are geared towards achieving its mission. Firstly; the Hotel has an objective of achieving about 30% of online sales within the half a year of starting online

White Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

White Paper - Essay Example Next, David DeVore notes the importance of identifying fans and amplifying the digital brand. Some important objectives in this case include provision of relevant and useful content to engage fans, using email to share previous content with fans, and enlisting the help of brand fans. Rishi Shah identifies the shares five steps that digital marketers can use to grow their email lists successfully. These include offering gifts to website visitors in exchange for their email address, offering relevant gifts, creating their own unique gifts, hosting their files, and collecting leads. Jen Ribbie observes that content marketing does not have to be an expensive undertaking. She picks out commitment to content, using engaging, entertaining and/or educational content, recycling success stories in other formats, involving the audience, and focus on quality as key to creating content. Phil Daniels suggests that responsive design is essential to ensuring user-friendly experience on the mobile browser. To develop a responsive site, sufficient investment, strategic planning around the organization and content, enhancing technical support, and monitoring mobile trends on the site are necessary. Aaron Lee talks states that mobile phones have become a major communication tool, as shown in figure 1. about how social media can help brands gain a competitive edge by listening and responding to consumer expectations, creating trust, value, and community around their brand, and personalizing the consumer’s experience. The email list is important in deepening relationships with the consumer. The data collected from the digital marketing audience should be used to create value by turning it into smart data. The data can be used to improve the brand’s engagement, meaning, and relevance to the consumer in their online experience, email correspondence, and advertising. Trevor Yager

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Human trafficking during major sporting events such as the Superbowl, Thesis

Human trafficking during major sporting events such as the Superbowl, World cup, World Series - Thesis Example The focus is also on the study of finding solution to the problem and advising policy implications in order to eliminate this crime which is a shame in itself. 1. Introduction According to an UK ratified instrument, the definition of human trafficking is as follows: â€Å"Trafficking in person† shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transport, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at the minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery, servitude or removal of organs.†(Great Britain. Parliament, 10) In other words it can be said that human trafficking is modern day slavery and fastest growing criminal industry in the world with the means of threat, force, coercion, raid, deception and exploitation being the prime parameters of this socially degenerating phenomenon. The paper at its core tries to develop an elaboration of the varied forms of human trafficking associated with the great sporting events like Olympic Games, Super bowl, Football World cup, Basketball and other sporting events. The research question which it attempts to answer is that ‘Does human trafficking exist in these sporting events? If so how much and to what extent is that valid? What are the types of human trafficking exists in these mega sporting events? Human trafficking in the form of slavery It has been almost two hundred years that there has been abolition of transatlantic slave trade and declaration for the United Nations that, ‘slavery and slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms’ (Kathryn 3). But human trafficking in its ugly form is still persistent in our world and human beings are living in the state of slavery. In ancient times the concept of tied labor or slavery was a predominant feature and people used to born or inherit slavery an d there were no laws or laws which persisted were not stringent at all. But this feature is still persistent today although the laws are rigid and strict. As for example in Mauritania, despite the country passed its third official abolition of slavery in 1980 approximately 20 percent of the population is born into an inherited slavery. Here lies the crux of modern slavery. In the modern world the enslaved people are born in freedom but lose their freedom when they are illegally transported to different countries and they are treated like animals with no human conditions and are under threat of violence or even death (Kathryn 3). It has been found that the women are most vulnerable to human trafficking. At least half of international trafficking cases are for sexual exploitation and women account for around ninety-eight percent of forced sexual exploitation. These women are given employment opportunities and later they are moved into the realm of human trafficking and thus into the s lavery (Bales et al, 66). 2. Human trafficking during sports events World sporting events have always been recognized as a ‘showcase of world class athleticism and teamwork’. But the horrifying fact behind these great sporting events is that human trafficking in its ugliest face is persistent in these events. Initially the major concern for sex trafficking in the

Media Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Media Journal - Essay Example in her Ballet class and she often hears them pass weird remarks about themselves such as their skin is blemished or with pimples or that they had had a fat day. Some of them went to the extent of saying that they looked disgusting. Being a blogger herself, Julia brought this problem to the attention of other bloggers by starting an online petition drive. Julia took it a step further by taking the Seventeen Magazine to school and showing it to many of the kids, both boys and girls and asked them if they agreed with the petition where she asked the Seventeen Magazine to â€Å"commit to printing one unaltered — real — photo spread per month.† (Julia Bluhm, 2012) Most of them agreed with it and signed the petition. In fact, the total was a staggering 46,000 people. Julia, with the help of her mother and a few friends visited the Seventeen Magazine office and held a demonstration outside. Ann Shoket, the editor -in - chief invited them inside and both parties thrashed out the problem together. Even though the editor explained that things like freckles and moles could be covered by make up, Julia was not convinced stating that it was not possible to cover up everything and so strongly feels that they were using digital

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Human trafficking during major sporting events such as the Superbowl, Thesis

Human trafficking during major sporting events such as the Superbowl, World cup, World Series - Thesis Example The focus is also on the study of finding solution to the problem and advising policy implications in order to eliminate this crime which is a shame in itself. 1. Introduction According to an UK ratified instrument, the definition of human trafficking is as follows: â€Å"Trafficking in person† shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transport, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at the minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery, servitude or removal of organs.†(Great Britain. Parliament, 10) In other words it can be said that human trafficking is modern day slavery and fastest growing criminal industry in the world with the means of threat, force, coercion, raid, deception and exploitation being the prime parameters of this socially degenerating phenomenon. The paper at its core tries to develop an elaboration of the varied forms of human trafficking associated with the great sporting events like Olympic Games, Super bowl, Football World cup, Basketball and other sporting events. The research question which it attempts to answer is that ‘Does human trafficking exist in these sporting events? If so how much and to what extent is that valid? What are the types of human trafficking exists in these mega sporting events? Human trafficking in the form of slavery It has been almost two hundred years that there has been abolition of transatlantic slave trade and declaration for the United Nations that, ‘slavery and slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms’ (Kathryn 3). But human trafficking in its ugly form is still persistent in our world and human beings are living in the state of slavery. In ancient times the concept of tied labor or slavery was a predominant feature and people used to born or inherit slavery an d there were no laws or laws which persisted were not stringent at all. But this feature is still persistent today although the laws are rigid and strict. As for example in Mauritania, despite the country passed its third official abolition of slavery in 1980 approximately 20 percent of the population is born into an inherited slavery. Here lies the crux of modern slavery. In the modern world the enslaved people are born in freedom but lose their freedom when they are illegally transported to different countries and they are treated like animals with no human conditions and are under threat of violence or even death (Kathryn 3). It has been found that the women are most vulnerable to human trafficking. At least half of international trafficking cases are for sexual exploitation and women account for around ninety-eight percent of forced sexual exploitation. These women are given employment opportunities and later they are moved into the realm of human trafficking and thus into the s lavery (Bales et al, 66). 2. Human trafficking during sports events World sporting events have always been recognized as a ‘showcase of world class athleticism and teamwork’. But the horrifying fact behind these great sporting events is that human trafficking in its ugliest face is persistent in these events. Initially the major concern for sex trafficking in the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Balancing and Resolving Conflicts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Balancing and Resolving Conflicts - Essay Example I am kindly requesting the government to help our members of state by providing funding to help improve the community facilities and their residents in the area. The citizens around here are poor and do not have enough funds to make ends meet. This state needs funds to improve the public housing and to provide recreational facilities for the people around here. The area is surrounded by poor people who involve themselves in crime activities because most of them are not employed. The area has industries but the products go to waste because the warehouses are poorly managed and lack good storage facilities. By providing the funds to improve people’s lives in our state, the public housing will be improved, there will be reduced crime rates, the old and poor people will live comfortably, the warehouses facilities will be improved and the citizens will create employment

Monday, October 14, 2019

Mental Representation Is Based On Imagery Psychology Essay

Mental Representation Is Based On Imagery Psychology Essay There is few ways of representing thoughts in our mind, in this essay, we will be discussing about how mental representation is based on imagery, and also talks about whether speech recording is necessary for reading or not. Eysenck and Keane (2000, pp. 243) argued that, A representation is any notation or sign or set of symbols that represents something to us. In general, mental imagery is the mental invention or recreation of an experience that in at least some respects resembles the experience of actually perceiving an object or an event, either in conjunction with, or in the absence of, direct sensory stimulation. Internal, mental representations consist of symbolic representations and distributed representations (Quinlan Dyson, 2008). Symbolic representations can be regarded as some well-defined symbols. Every symbol represents a particular and distinct entity, including images. Indeed, symbolic representations are comprised of analogical and propositional representations (Quinlan Dyson, 2008). Analogical representations are a variety of images, which can be visual, olfactory, auditory and so on. Although information represented by these images can be acquired from a variety of perceptual sources, the analogical representations are concrete and connected to a particular, specific sense modality instead. In contrast, the propositional representations are more discrete and abstract. Information represented by them can be acquired from any modality. This kind of propositional symbols is usually specific entities and the relationship between them is distinct as well. Propositional representations are discrete and abstract entities that stand for the ideation of the mind in any modality. Therefore, the representations can be treated as a basic language to represent various mental information. Propositional representations consist of three aspects, objects, relations and schemata (Eysenck Keane, 2000). In object concepts, each entity can be defined and characterised by its attributes and features. The definition of an object plays a crucial role in categorising things and organising memories, knowledge, concepts and mentality. Relations focus on how one object is linked to another and on the interaction between them in the propositional representations. For instance, if the relation is an action verb like hit, people should be able to determine what an agent, a recipient, and an instrument respectively are. Semantic primitives underlie a specific relation. Many psychologists took researches on examining whether semantic decomposition occurs (Eysenck Keane, 2000). In the expression that the sun melted down the ice cream, the specific objects are the sun and the ice cream, and the relationship between the two entities is represented by the predicate melt down. In this case , the mental representation is that the two entities, the sun and the ice cream, are linked together by the conceptual relation melt down. The concepts and knowledge in peoples mind which reflect the world are complexly structured. There are three relative structures, schemata, frames, and scripts. Schemata, involving a lot of concepts are commonly used by people to perceive the world. Scripts were proposed by Schank and Abelson (1977) to explain the knowledge in peoples mind of what happens every day. Also, frame was proposed by Marvin (1975; as cited in Eysenck Keane, 2000) and was widely used in visual perception. Therefore, propositional representation is a pretty crucial form of mental representation. Also, imagery is another form of mental representation, which is viewed as analogical representation. Analogical representations, especially visual images, are another essential form of mental representations. The long-time study of visual imagery can be traced back to more than two thousand years ago when Aristotle considered imagery as the main medium of thought (Eysenck Keane, 2000, pp. 258). Nowadays, the studies on imagery still continue. The essay will concentrate on three important sets of studies that illustrate the properties of imagery. In the experiment conducted by Cooper and Shepard (1973), the subjects were asked to determine whether the presented figure was the normal version or mirror-image version, compared with the standard one. The result of this experiment was that the more the test figure was rotated from the standard one, the more time the subjects would spend in making their final judgments. According to this experiment, the objects are mentally rotated in the same way that they are operated in the real and physical world. So, mental visual images have all the same attributes and features with those of actual objects in the real and physical world. However, Rock (1973) argued that the more complex the test mental images were, the more difficulty it was for subjects to make correct judgments. The second set of studies that I am going to disccuss about is on image scanning, this which represents another aspect of the nature of mental imagery. Kosslyn, Ball, and Reiser (1978) conducted a mental scanning experiment that subjects were asked to image a black dot moving from on point on the map to another. The result showed that the scanning time was linearly related to the distance between the two points (Eysenck Keane, 2000). So, images have similar spatial properties with those of objects in the real and physical world. Another set of studies about imagery is called reinterpreting images of ambiguous figures. Chambers and Reisberg (1985) showed ambiguous figures to subjects, to ask the subjects to interpret every figure in different ways. However, only if subjects had drawn the image of the figure, could they make a reinterpretation of it. The result indicates that the imagery is influenced by some propositional code, and people always ignore what is needed for reinterpretation. Therefore, imagery is also a necessary part of mental representation. Imagery actually represents the perception of the outside world in our mind and the reflection our internal mentality. Thus, imagery is an important element of mental representation, but cannot completely cover all the aspects of that. Also, mental representation is not simply based on imagery. According to Kosslyns theory of imagery, the upshot of the long-time conflict between propositions and images is that images are a distinct form of mental representations, and that images have obvious significance in functions compared with propositional representations. Propositional and analogical representations constitute the symbolic representations, as a key aspect of internal, mental representations. However, there is another form of mental representation which is called distributed representations. A distributed representation involves a simple network called a pattern associator (Eysenck Keane, 2000), with no symbols. The pattern associator represents the association between two different sets of units of an object in a network. Hinton et al (1986) proposed that the relationship between distributed representations and symbolic representations is not conflicting, but complementary. Thus, the high-level symbolic representations can be represented by lower-level distributed representations. Also, the lower-lever distributed representations are considered as fundamental part of the high-level representations. Vividly speaking, the symbolic representation is the macro-structure of mental representation, whereas the distributed representation is the micro-structure of cognitive representation. In conclusion, imagery is only an essential form of mental representation. There are also two forms called propositions and distributed representation. Instead of contradicting one another, the complementary among them is able to help people to perceive and represent the world.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Another Baseball Paper :: essays research papers

The activity that I enjoy most is Baseball, which is a competitive game of skill played between two teams, each with nine players. Baseball is Americas National Pastime and is played by people of ages. Abner Doubleday, a former American Civil War officer, is the inventor of baseball. Born in Ballston Spa, NY, Doubleday attended school at the United States Military Academy. As a young man, Doubleday organized a small amount of baseball teams in Cooperstown, NY, who played what is now known as Doubleday Field. Cooperstown is the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Doubleday then died in 1893. Since then, amateur and professional baseball players have been improving the game of baseball in many ways. Baseball is played for the money, and medially played for the love of the game. The average salary for a baseball player is around $2 million a year. Some players can make as low as $250,000 a year up to about $25 million a year. On this present day, there is a baseball league in the United States called MLB, which stands for Major League Baseball. The MLB is made up of thirty teams and two different leagues, National and American. Out of the two leagues, there consists of fifteen teams that make up three divisions with a different number of teams in each division. Each team plays 162 games every year, unless they are tied with a team in their own division and a one game playoff must be played. At the end of the year, who ever has the best record out of their division makes it to the playoffs, as well as a wildcard team, who has the fourth best regular season record in the league, which makes four teams from each league that go to the playoffs. Each team plays a team from their own league. The team with the best and the worst record in the regular season play each other, and the

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Comparison Between the Play and Movie Versions of Death and the Maiden :: English Literature

Comparison Between the Play and Movie Versions of Death and the Maiden There is a significant difference between the play and movie versions of Death and the Maiden. The movie version emphasizes visual and sound effects, while the play highlights the importance of language. The movie version starts by playing a section from Schubert’s quartet Death and the Maiden. After the melodious music, viewers immediately see and hear lightening outside a small house as well as ocean waves clash against rocks. This contrast not only shocks the viewers, it also prepares them for the upcoming â€Å"action† in the movie. However, the play presents a different perspective. There are only two sentences that cover the above scene, â€Å"Sound of the sea. After midnight.† This simple language will generate imaginations inside readers’ mind and let them create their own movies. The movie version adds more stage directions to create an additional dramatic situation. We first saw Paulina cooking in the kitchen while listening to the radio. She then hears from the radio that Gerardo Escobar has been selected to be the head of the commission. She immediately drops the knife and walks out of the kitchen furiously. However, the above situation does not actually exist in the play Death and the Maiden. The play states that Paulina was sitting in a chair drinking before she heard a car stopped in front of her beach house. The movie version gives viewers evidences that Paulina knew Gerardo Escobar and was not happy about him being the head of the commission. The movie also adds a dialogue between Gerardo Escobar and Roberto Miranda. The main focus in the dialogue is the same as the â€Å"monologue† by Gerardo in the play. However, we can learn from the dialogue that a guy named Roberto Miranda helped Gerardo to get home. We can also tell from Paulina’s facial expression that she was shocked to hear Miranda’s voice. I like the added stage directions in the movie because it made me became very curious about what is going to happen next. The play’s beginning was no as interesting as the movie’s. I also liked the acting in the movie.