Monday, September 30, 2019

How to lose weight Essay

How to lose weight Girls are dreaming about losing weight all the tlme. They want to be thinner and thinner and thinner. So today,l’m going to talk about losing weight-There are some points of losing weight that you may be Interested In. You may have tried many ways to lose welght,and today I prepare three of the most Important tips about It. First ,you must choose a low carbohydrate diet-Low carb is the most effective way to lose weight. lf you only eat less to lose weight,you will give up soon because of the terrible eeling of hunger. Sugar and starch may increase your hunger, avoiding it may decrease your appetite to an adequate level. A low carb diet reduces your hunger and makes you â€Å"want to† eat less but not â€Å"have to†. A 2012 study also showed that people on a low carb diet burned 300 more calories a day – while resting! Another that I want to share with you is to measure your progress wisely. Focusing only on weight and standing on the scale every day might be misleading, cause unnecessary nxiety and undermine your motivation for no good reason. suggest measuring your waist circumference and weight before starting and then perhaps once a week or once a month. Write the results down so that you can track your progress. If you can, try to check other Important health markers when starting out, like these:Blood pressure,Blood sugar,Cholesterol profile. They’ll usually show that you’re not just losing weight, you’re gaining health too. The last important thing y ou must pay attetion to is that exercising smart. Studies show that if you just start exercising, you’re going to need at least one hour of tough workouts every single day to noticeably lose weight. It’s not a good idea to eat bad food, drink sugar water or be on medications which force you to train for hours daily Just to compensate. You must be more clear now,right? So are you still Jealous of ohthers’ great shape but doing nothing? Dont wait any more,you need to take action Immediately. Follow my tips and you’ll make lt. Wlsh you all have a dream body! That’s all,thankyou.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Economics and Higher Grades

Should I study more in math? T-Chart Cost Benefit Less time for things I like to do. | Higher grades. | Less time for family and friends. | Increased scores in finals. | Less time to earn money. | Graduate high school and more opportunities. | 1 Explain how the concepts of scarcity, choice, and opportunity cost relate to your dilemma. For scarcity it would be that instead of me doing other things of my liking I would study, resulting in higher grades. Opportunity cost would be for example working which comes with making money and letting that go but then in the long run being able to graduate high school and have more opportunities.2. What are the possible short-term costs and benefits? What are the possible long-term costs and benefits? Explain your answers and make sure all are listed in your chart.The short term costs would be to give up things I like in return for higher grades. Also giving up some time with friends & family would be shown in my final scores as it gives more time for studying. Also not working or making an income would take up less time and would make me be able to concentrate full time on my studies.3. Which column has more responses? Which column has more powerful responses? Explain which points are most important to you and why. I believe the more powerful response come from the benefit as they are what I want the most and don’t really compare to the other short term effects. For example I would rather want to graduate and whatnot than to have money right now as I know it will help me in the future.4. Based on the chart and your reflection of the above questions, what will be your final choice? Was this process helpful to you in reaching a decision? Write a brief paragraph with at least three details to persuade your instructor that this is the best decision.I would take more time to study as it pays off in the long run and would obviously be more beneficial to me than not doing it. It will also as you can see in the chart make me be able to excel more in the area’s in math I am having trouble with. I will be able to not have any trouble in passing exams, and I will be acquiring more knowledge on the subject for the future. Giving up work will also put a negative impact in short term for my wallet but it will give more time for me to acquire other knowledge on the subject.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Language is being replaced by icons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Language is being replaced by icons - Essay Example The thesis of this paper is as following: Universalized symbols and icons are much more powerful means of communication than any existing language of the world, because the power of their message that can be easily deciphered leading in the direction decoder wants. Consciously or subconsciously people read the sign and receive the message. Read Mercer Schuchardt, the author of the online article â€Å"Swoosh!†, discusses the theme of icon-driven marketing. The author acknowledges that the very idea of symbols, acronyms, icons is not a new one. The early followers of Christ created symbols which were known only to Christians. One of the recognized icons of the modern sportswear is the Nike Swoosh. The symbol itself is very simple. Nonetheless, it is very famous and known even to children. Moreover, simple design of Swoosh has become famous and improved selling shoes contributing to company’s general success. Image of Swoosh became so popular that the goods went out witho ut the word Nike. Today the image is well-known worldwide. The author makes such conclusion regarding importance of textless image in today’s business world: â€Å"the truly successful icon must be able to stand by itself, evoking all the manufactured associations that form a corporation’s public identity† (Schuchardt).

Friday, September 27, 2019

The US Presidential Candidates on Foreign Policy Essay

The US Presidential Candidates on Foreign Policy - Essay Example Our relations with Iran and North Korea are at center stage. Our plan for the war in Iraq and an international consensus may be vital to our success there. Almost every issue from banking to human rights requires some degree of foreign policy expertise. While McCain's years as a Senator qualifies him as the most experienced candidate, what Obama lacks in experience he makes up for in expertise. In today's world, Obama's plans and approaches to foreign policy are a better fit with the international community and the growing globalization. One of the critical differences is in the approach and style that the men bring to the table. While McCain's years of experience have given him significant exposure to foreign events and crisis, many of his methods arise from his experiences and are anchored in the past. For example, his comment during the debate of 'walk softly and carry a big stick' may have been effective in dealing with the 20th century banana republics, but is not relevant to 21st century Iran. In addition, he has recently contended that Iran's Ahmadinejad was responsible for their nuclear policy when in fact it is the Ayatollah Kahmenei and Iran's National Security Council. When questioned he simply replied, "any average American thought of Ahmadinejad as the Iranian leader, and so he would, too" (Frick). However, we would not expect the average American to run our foreign policy. While Obama may lack the direct experience, he has a lifetime of studied thought and a personal interest in foreign affairs that gi ves him a historical perspective and an expertise that McCain lacks. This ability to think and examine is shown by the candidates' difference in their approach to Iran. McCain steadfastly argues that we should never negotiate with terrorists and refuses to talk to the Iranians. This approach is a continuation of the Bush policy that has been responsible for the election of the extremist government in Iran. While Iran is a rather moderate and modern country, they have elected a hard line government in response to the Bush right wing rhetoric of the early 2000s. However, Obama contends that we should be talking to the Iranians. Note that Obama understands the difference between negotiating and talking, which offers no guarantees, makes no promises, and has no pre-conditions (Fang). While we may come away from the table with nothing, it may thaw out an icy relationship and create a first step to a diplomatic process. Here again, Obama favors the reasonable avenue of diplomacy with war as a last resort, while McCain favors the pre-emptive strike policies (a reckless and dangerous approach) that have been pursued by the current administration. These same shortsighted policies will be pursued by McCain in North Korea, while Obama will favor constructive diplomacy to defuse the situation. The most immediate foreign policy dilemma that will face the next president will be the plan for Iraq. The critical difference between the candidates is their steadiness and commitment to a goal. Obama has supported a phased withdrawal with a timetable to extract the US presence in Iraq since the war began. McCain had been adamantly opposed to a timetable arguing that it would simply motivate the enemy to wait for our exit. Meckler reports that, "After months of ridiculing opponents who want to set a timetable for withdrawal in Iraq, today John

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Can the United States Continue to Run Current Account Deficits Essay

Can the United States Continue to Run Current Account Deficits Indefinitely - Essay Example ates like China and Japan have afforded the United States with inflows that have made it possible for the United States to increase its current account deficit. However, analysts are of the opinion that the rising level of United States current account deficit may become unsustainable and risky thus make the large foreign investors consider shifting their investments in the United States loan securities away to other nations. It is also likely that the consequence of the persistent United States foreign debt may be making it a politically weak nation and reliant to large investors like China. According to Carbaugh (2011), the purchase of the United States current account deficit can continue indefinitely because the desire of foreigners for the American loan assets may not stop. The United States has a history of having run current account deficits continuously from 1820 to 1875 (McKinnon, 2001). Its economic growth by then solely remained reliant to foreign debts. Furthermore, the United States saving rate is lower than that of its main trading partners like China and Japan. All these factors make the United States current deficit likely to be persistent indefinitely as long as they remain

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Journal assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal assignment - Essay Example Theft of cleaner from the custodian’s cart, leading to a 911 call and posion control situation, was a difficult experience to manage. The group meetings were more controlled than the different interventions with the patients, as the nurse maintained direction and had personal experience with those who exhibited inappropriate behaviors. She understood the dynamics of paranoid schizophrenia and the sometimes distorted commentaries that come along with it. The moderating nurse was a proverbial breath of fresh air. Group meetings were concentrating attention on the patients which seemed to satisfy their needs, or perhaps it was out of long-standing respect for the nurse that they maintained control. I was changed personally not only in my sudden (and not pre-existing) apprehension around being near disturbed patients, but in how I view society and its diversity. In some households, these behaviors might be considered interesting or spontaneous, however in the clinical environment it was not an inviting experience. I have developed, in a small degree, much less trust for individuals after seeing this unusual social behavior. Though I recognize these problems are inherent and out of the patients’ control, to see such reckless behavior as the self-poisoning scenario made me realize why quality nurses are needed. My overall view of mental health is virtually unchanged. I realized that individuals with behavioral problems can be controlled if they have concentrated support and attention. Control was something desperately needed in this clinical environment. Elements of this rotation that could be considered reliable included memory game and trivia play in order to spark interest and maintain a decorum. Anytime that mental health patients had attention focused directly on them, they seemed to be more docile and rational. In a future role, I would take these lessons and attempt to model them for an informal research study in terms of sustaining positive control

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Moral Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Moral Model - Essay Example the principle of nonmaleficence or harm to the patient (Caplan & Arp, 2013); if the healthcare provider in some way forces the patient to agree to undergo transfusion, s/he has defied the principle of autonomy or the right of the patient to decide for him/herself (Treas & Wilkinson, 2013). Hence the judgment that the healthcare provider should make is whether to agree to the patient’s wishes, look for legal means to administer transfusion without the consent of the patient, or look for the most appropriate middle ground or compromise. This essay will use the MORAL model to generate several options or choices for the resolution of the moral dilemma. First is identifying and describing the aspects of the moral dilemma—(M) massage the dilemma. The values in conflict are respect for physical life and individual autonomy. The healthcare provider gives importance to both principles of nonmaleficence and autonomy. The healthcare provider completely understands the patient’s condition that is triggering the need for blood transfusion. However, s/he does not have sufficient time to decide because the situation was all too sudden. It seems that the patient is not aware of the full situation and does not know that it will be fatal if transfusion is not administered. Still, as stated in the core principles that healthcare professionals must take into consideration when making medical decisions with patients who refuse blood transfusions, a completely competent, fully informed adult patient is authorized to make a decision whether to agree to a medical treatment or not (Corey et al., 2014). The healthcare provider should then outline the options. The healthcare provider has to provide a summary of the emergency condition of the patient and specify some of the medical options available. First are non-blood medical options. The patient may agree to non-blood volume expanders like Dextran, Saline, Haemacel, and so on (Wilkinson & Treas, 2010). Second option is products

Monday, September 23, 2019

Complete In The Lab 1 Creating Objects for the ECO Clothesline Essay

Complete In The Lab 1 Creating Objects for the ECO Clothesline Database on page AC 66 AC 67 at the end of Access Chapter 1. Perform all steps. Submit the entire database file for grading - Essay Example A string supports a number of characters, mostly letters and symbols (Raghu & Gehrke, 2003). The following field is the first name of the sales rep, which is also a string. After the first name, the next field represents the street where the rep resides. This field is also a string and it supports the entry of numbers and characters. The other field after the street is the city field. This is followed by the state field which is a string, as well. The states’ representation is in the short form. After the states entry the field that follows is the postal code. This code is in an integer field. The other records are the base pay and commission fields. The representation is in decimals. The entries of the values of the commission are dependent on a calculation that is a percentage of all the sales made by that

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Case of Donald Rumsfeld and Prisoner Abuse at Abu Ghraib Essay Example for Free

The Case of Donald Rumsfeld and Prisoner Abuse at Abu Ghraib Essay The report on the case of Donald Rumsfeld starts off with Rumsfeld’s hearing (May 7, 2004) with the Senate Armed Services Committees. His response to the question of whether he should resign or not; is â€Å"If I felt I could not be effective, I’d resign in a minute. † The report also gives an account of General Antonio Taguba’s investigation results of Abu Ghraib. He gives a report on the following: Conditions, training, Standard Operating procedures, prison crowding, culture and accountability. In Federalist 41 Madison notes in the Constitution two specific concerns about government power: total power of government over the people and the allocation of power among the entities of government. He states that he does not want unnecessary or improper power given to government be it state or federal. In the case of Donald Rumsfeld and the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib; the soldiers believe they have the power to inflict harsh techniques on the detainees in order to get them to talk. This article will analyze General Taguba’s report. I will examine the problems in this case through the use of theories. CBS’s Sixty Minutes II releases a video with images of torture and abuse; the prisoners endure at the hands of the American soldiers. The video displays naked prisoners crawling on the floor. Some forced into sexual positions; while others are naked and blooded. The media brings this to public awareness worldwide through internet, television and radio shows. Bush and his administration allege that they have no knowledge of the problems or the allegations prior to the CBS airing to television audiences. The Americans and the Arab people express their concern with questions. Who should be accountable for the guards’ actions? Are they instructed to abide by the Geneva Convention? What signals are they receiving from superiors that this behavior is tolerable? DeVreese suggest that how the media frames issues affects how the public perceive the issues. This involves looking at an issue from different perspectives (DeVreese 2004, 36-52). The Taguba Report Major Antonio Taguba is given a directive to investigate the allegations of abuse, the failure in accountability and the escapes. In March 2004, Major Taguba reports that there is a problem in leadership. He confirms the allegations of abuse and disorder in the prison. The Geneva Convention The United States and Iraq is in agreement to the Geneva Convention. Therefore they have obligations to: (a) Treat everyone humanely, regardless of sex, beliefs, race, or status (b) Take no hostages (c) Not engage in treatment of humiliating or degrading (d) Impose executions without court approval While Military officials and most members of Congress, the public and Secretary Rumsfeld are in agreement that the United States Army is in violation of the Geneva Convention at Abu Ghraib, what is uncertain is the question what encourage the actions? Conditions at Abu Ghraib Although (BK) Janis Karpinski is commander of the 800th Military Police Brigade; Taguba’s reports that the brigade is lacking leadership and operational integrity. Taguba findings suggest that top military brass, officials in the Department of Defense or the Bush Administration is closing their eyes or encourage the soldiers’ behavior. Mosher believes that the public sector must maintain a higher standard of integrity and professionalism. (Mosher 1938, 332-342). Training Taguba learns that from the MP personnel to the 320th MP Battalion and the 372nd MP Company has very little to no training or instruction in neither detention/internee operation nor the rules of the Geneva Convention. Although the soldiers say they are trained regularly, there is no documentation to support their statements. Box’s article Running Government Like a Business, shrinking government by contracting out services or returning them to the private sector on the premise that the private sector s more efficient or the assertion that the public sector should simply be smaller(Box 1999,19-43). by the government trying to save money by contracting out; contracting companies are trying to cut cost. Training their workers would cost more money Standard Operating Procedures Within the 800th MP Brigade and its subordinate units there is a lack of knowledge, implementation of the standard operating rules and procedures. Each facility detention, compound, encampment and shift for handling of detainees and criminal prisoner’s procedures differs. There is a need for a check and balance system to maintain compliance. Coopers gives a primary example of accountability problem in war privatization, i. e. , the legal status of contractors. Neither civilian nor military laws cover inappropriate contractor behavior such as torture or unnecessary force resulting in loss of non-combatant life. This is particularly problematic in the Iraq situation where contractors are exempt from local law and they are not bound by U. S. civilian or military law. In some contracts, but not all, contractors who commit a felony are subject to U. S. urisdiction; however, this law does not clearly apply to subcontractors or to third-party nationals and the Pentagon has not written the implementation regulations for the law. In addition, because the contractor has control over day-to-day information concerning the behavior of the employees working in another country, it could be difficult for government prosecutors to secure evidence necessary to investigate an allegation of wrong doing. This is why Tagua saw a lack of training and accountability. The U. S. relieves the responsibility up to the Contracting Companies to train their workers. Prison Crowding Taguba’s report shows the overcrowding of the prisoners is one of the reasons for the poor living condition. The overcrowding is causing identification problem among the leaders in the detainee population who may be organizing the detainee’s escapes and riots. The unrest and overcrowding is due to the lengthy screening and processing and release of detainees who should not be in custody. There are three categories for releasing detainees. (1. ) A detainee can be release if it is determine that detaining them is no longer warrant. 2) If it is determine that a criminal detainee has not part of a terrorist group and that they will not be a danger to society. (3) Detainees accused of committing a crime against the coalition can be release if it is determine that they are no longer a threat to the Coalition Forces. The Detainee Release Authority grants recommendation for releases, but MG Fast regularly denies the board’s recommendations. Culture Operational Journals at different compounds and the 302th Battalion TOC reveal a lot of unprofessional documentations and no chain of command to review them. US civilian contract personnel are not supervising properly. The contractors have open access to the detainees. Accountability The detainees can move from location to another and not be accounted for; due to falsification of process sheets. BK Karpinski reports her findings and recommendations with follow ups and changes regarding the escapes and accountability lapses. Taguba reports that if Karpinski is accurate then the abuse, escapes and accountability lapses may be prevented. Prisoners of War, Terrorists and Enemy Combatants The new era of foreign policy and the promise to define the Bush presidency is a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Bush promise to find and punish the terrorists. The need for the Intelligence to pursue and prevent the terrorist from further attacks on the U. S. puts pressure on the interrogators to accomplish the mission. This relates to Eshbaugh-Soha and Peakes argument that chief executives are rather powerful in setting the policy agenda because Congress, the news media, and the public look to the president for this fact. In order for the president to set the policy agenda, he must command the medias attention so that the media is able to provide information to the public in regards to the presidents initiatives. The best way to do this is in the form of speeches or press conferences, which Bush did. | Because the Taliban and AlQaeda fighters are not under the Geneva Convention; the Administration recommendation to Donald Rumsfeld is to approve 35 full range techniques. Only nine are for exceptional use. the Military lawyer express how that the beginning of these recommendations will cause their ivilian counterparts within the Department of Defense will give approval for getting information about terrorist activity as top priority. Rumsfeld is given a memo by the same Administration warning him of a possible backlash if the nine techniques be used. The Administration also says that if the treatment becomes public, exaggeration and distorting by the media. The media will undermine the support for the war on terrorism. The U. S. officials will be facing human rights prosecution abroad and will be a ploy to have a reason for mistreatment of captured American Soldiers. Weeks later Rumsfeld denies 11 of the 35 techniques. The Media The Financial Times report accusations that official in the Bush Administration set a precedent for abuse and torture. The report reveals congress accusing Bush Administration of sanctioning torture by preparing legal documents that states harsh treatment of detainees is permissible under the United States and International Laws. Financial Times also reports the Statement of U. S. Military Lawyers regarding how they felt shut out of the prison policy. Some of the soldiers say that they are getting mix messages about the rules on prisoners. De Vrees says that news framing involves seeing the issue from either a conflict or an economic consequences perspective He suggests that this framing process determines whether the voter sees the issue as a conflict or economic issue. Here the Financial Times frame the report from a conflict. The government is seen as the ones who gave directives to abuse the detainees. This can hurt the president next election. Bilder and Vagts believes that government attorneys obligations greater than those of private sector attorneys. The client is the entire agency, the entire U. S. government, and the American public. An important difference between the government and private attorney is that the government attorneys advice does not have definitive judicial review. Because of the lack of a safety net in decision making process; there is a greater burden on the government attorney. The Military Lawyers shares with Financial Times how they felt left out of the prison making policy. In Conclusion Although the soldiers were discipline for their participation in the detainee’s abuse; U.  S. government is responsible for the detainees suffering. The U. S. soldiers should have kept their oath and agreement to abide by the Geneva Convention. Donald Rumsfeld did the right thing by resigning. Wilson theory on authority, he suggests that power and discretion must accompany responsibility and that power and discretion need to be provided to the public administrator. He adds that more power creates greater visibility which in turn creates more accountability. As the Defense Secretary he was given more power over the U. S. oldiers; therefore is more accountable. As an Administrator, I would ensure that the soldiers are trained; procedures are in place and adhere to. I would visit the prisons myself and question the detainees, their visitors and other staff to make sure that operational needs are met. Wilson theory on authority, he suggests that power and discretion must accompany responsibility and that power and discretion need to be provided to the public administrator. He adds that more power creates greater visibility which in turn creates more accountability.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

E-Business Infrastructure Essay Example for Free

E-Business Infrastructure Essay There is a need for businesses today to take advantage of e-business in order to achieve their organizational goals and objectives. The world market today is competitive; hence for any business organization to achieve a market share for its goods and services, it had to develop a well enhanced e-business infrastructure in order to reach a wider market. Cost of business operations is greatly reduced by use of E-Business since customer support costs are reduced and customers are able to serve themselves at their convenient time. As for the case of Pokey organization which has a live music venue, that serves as both as a bar and a restaurant, it should take advantage of e-business in order to increase reduce costs of operation and increase client base. It is necessary for Pokey to ensure it incorporate all the required infrastructure in its website in order to ensure it is a position of coping up with e-business demand. However, many businesses with website fail since they do not adequately take into consideration all the requirements of e-business infrastructure, thereby, their e-business fail to meet their demand. Some of the required technical infrastructures for e-business include:   Hardware Software Technology of Internet and server Security solutions Intranets Extranets Myriad of applications Supply chain management that is integrated. Business intelligence [2] As for Pokey organization, it should be aware that infrastructure is more than  technology hence it should be well considered in the implementation. They should be aware that infrastructure includes; A number of sources that would supply platform services of technology. All the skills and expertise that may be required in order to deliver technology of infrastructure. All the processes that would be required to manage the entire infrastructure. Finally, it also involves all the necessary investments that would be needed for better operations and functioning of the entire IT infrastructure for the purpose of delivering e-business solution that would be appropriate in the modern world. Infrastructure involves an interaction that is vibrant as it also includes tools, people who are skilled and processes. For this case, Pokey organizational infrastructure has to be well built taking into consideration that it includes are the required facilities that are required in building and launching a website that would be simple to understand and interactive. [3] In conclusion, Pokey organization will achieve their organization goals and objectives if they develop a website that would incorporate the entire required infrastructure. The website would ensure that the organization is in a position of meeting the entire e-business demand. This will also ensure that the organizational objective of maximizing profits is achieved since they will reduce operational costs such a customer services while at the same increases their client base. [1] McConnell Associates (2000): An Intelligently Managed Network Infrastructure for E-Business, Retrieved from, http://www.cisco.com/application/pdf/en/us/guest/products/ps2428/c1244/ccmigration_09186a0080088a2b.pdf, on June 19, 2007 [2] Optima Media Group (2006): Building the e-Business Infrastructure: Management Strategies for Corporate Transformation, Retrieved from http://www.business-intelligence.co.uk/reports/ebus_infra/default.asp, on June 19, 2007 [3] McConnell Associates (2000): An Intelligently Managed Network Infrastructure for E-Business, Retrieved from, http://www.cisco.com/application/pdf/en/us/guest/products/ps2428/c1244/ccmigration_09186a0080088a2b.pdf, on June 19, 2007

Friday, September 20, 2019

European Sovereign Debt Crisis Economics Essay

European Sovereign Debt Crisis Economics Essay The topic of the coursework focuses on the European sovereign debt crisis. We mainly explain how the latest European debt crisis emerged and the reasons that caused the worlds economy to enter into a recession. Another important issue is the impact of the crisis on the markets especially on the bonds markets and other such as commodities, equities, Forex and gold. Furthermore, we explain the lessons to the Eurozone from other countries that defaulted such as Argentina and Russia. What is more, we try to evaluate the effectiveness of the policies and measures taken by the financial institutions and the policy markets. Finally, we discuss the possible effects of the crisis to the financial landscape the lessons to be taken and the trends that may emerge from this turmoil. European Sovereign Debt Crisis: Reasons and Causes There is a prevalent agreement that the fundamental cause of the European sovereign debt crisis was the combination of a credit boom and a housing bubble affecting firstly US and consequently the Eurozone. Easy credit conditions during the 2002-2008 period encouraged high-risk lending and borrowing practices. This extremely situation has happened even though in 1992, members of the European Union signed the Maastricht Treaty that guarantee only the public sector can produce permanent deficits. It assumed that financial markets would always correct their own excesses. Next figure shows how home mortgages had risen during the period 2004 and 2007, collapsing all the banks due to lack of liquidity as people were not able to pay their mortgages back. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGljFtXxKVFTaiWBk595TfikC5nHww7erPCcQR0D4HPu11omTVpJrlDEuvygMVNK4P4WUYuJzfbSfvsKVgyvWf5a1Fb8ksaxAHFC-v3tk70sDvjjo52eDjkUOFoNUTnqyNiKwnwvF0Za3/+outstanding+mortgage+credit+1990-2008.jpg There are several important factors implies in the European sovereign debt crisis; some countries have been in trouble to pay the debts that they have built up in recent decades. Five of the regions countries Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, and Spain have failed to generate enough economic growth to make their ability to pay back bondholders the guarantee it was intended to be. Although these five were seen as being the countries in immediate danger of a possible default, the crisis has consequences that extend beyond their borders to the world as a whole. In fact, the head of the Bank of England referred to it as the most serious financial crisis at least since the 1930s, if not ever. Moreover, resulted from a combination of multiple factors European sovereign debt crisis have been affected by: the global financial crisis between 2006-2011; international trade imbalances which are the difference between the monetary value of export  and  imports of output in an economy over a certain period; real-state bubbles  that have since burst; the global recession between 2008-2012; approaches used by nations to guarantee troubled banking industries and private bondholders, assuming private debt weight or socializing . In general, the crisis is presented as the result of arrears in debt of some European Union countries. It is alleged that his debts reached a level that cannot be repaid or refinanced. However, this statement does not hold if we look in detail. Thus, the European Unions debt (about 80% of its GDP) is significantly below in Japan (220%) or the U.S. (100%). US debt increased significantly over the past five years, from less than 60% to over 100%. Still, U.S. is able to finance its debt due to China ´s help. Impacts on the bond markets and other markets The European sovereign debt crisis had a great impact on markets and several implications. The impacts of the debt crisis were so deep to the worlds economy that we can still observe them today especially at the Eurozones countries such as Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland and Portugal. High volatility of the euro markets has been a significant factor during the crisis period. Those high levels of volatility can lead to high interest rates of borrowing for the countries with debts and as a consequence to high bond yield spreads. http://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0176268010000509-gr1.jpg Fig.  2.  Bond yield spreads for EU-15 central governments, January 1991-May 2009. As we can see in figure 2 the bond yield spreads for the EU-15 central governments during May 1991 till October 2006 were low, whereas the bond yield spreads during October 2006 and May 2009 were extremely high. Government bonds are historically considered as the safest investment. After the crisis, investors starting to lose their confidence in the stock market and as a result they stop investing on it. Consequently, investors turned to government bonds and this led to a rise in the demand of bonds. Therefore, Central Banks tried to increase their holding of government bonds. Because of the increased demand, the price of the bonds has been raised. Source, Bloomberg : Euro Index from 2001-2012 The above graph shows the historical price graph of the European government bonds 7-10 years of maturity. The graph shows that the price of the government bonds gone very high from 2001 till 2012 and it is still rising. Source, Bloomberg : Bond Indices for US government 7-10 year, Bloomberg Finance L.P. The above graph shows the US 7-10 years of maturity price of the government bonds from 2001 till 2012. Again, because of the correlation of the European economy and the US economy the sovereign debt crisis has led the bond prices to high levels. What is more, if we observe the graph we can clearly notice that during 2008 and 2012 there is high volatility which indicates the high demand for government bonds during that period. The stock market is different to the bond market. During credit instability the price of the shares of the firms will decrease. Furthermore, when economies enter into recession the expected profit of the firms is going to be lower thus the firms are going to pay less dividend. Therefore, investors will lose their interest in the equity market and they will eventually turn to other markets such as bond markets. The following graphs drawn from Bloomberg are showing the price levels for SP 500, EURO STOXX and NIKKEI 225 for the period of 2000 till 2012. As we observe there is high volatility to all three equity markets. Furthermore, the low and high prices of the Euro equity index and the Japanese equity index are quite high whereas the prices of the US equity index are low. During January of 2008 the prices fall down for the EURO STOXX and the NIKKEI 225 and the SP 500 experienced great loses during November of 2008. The SP 500s prices went up on March of 2009 whereas the EURO STOXXs a nd the NIKKEIs 225 prices remained low. Source, Bloomberg : EURO STOXX INDEX from 31/10/2000 29/10/2012 Source, Bloomberg : SP 500 INDEX from 31/10/2000 29/10/2012 Source, Bloomberg : NIKKEI 225 from 31/10/2000 29/10/2012 During the sovereign debt crisis the worlds economy collapsed. There were many implications in all type of markets such as the derivatives, commodities, foreign exchange market and of course implications in the gold prices and the oil prices. After the housing bubble, the commodity market entered its own bubble. From 2007 till summer of 2008 oil prices went very high and then plunged to very low price by the end of 2008. Oil though was not the only commodity to experience swings in the prices. Table 1 illustrates the declines for some of the commodities during 2008 compared to the declines during 1970 2007. Table 1. The commodity bubble, Source: World Economic Outlook Crisis and Recovery Sovereign Default and lessons from defaulted countries A sovereign default occurs when a government refuses or fails to repay its financial obligations (debts). Countries that have been sovereign defaulted can escape liability without being legal penalized since they are not subject to bankruptcy laws. However, a sovereign default will cause difficulties for the defaulted government to borrow funds again since it will be too expensive and because of the low credit ability. The main cause of a sovereign default is the inability of a government to repay the loans interest rate. If the national income growth is less than the annual payable interest rate then the probability of default is very high. This situation commonly arises when government expenditure such as salaries, pensions, rents, supplies are much higher than the tax revenues while any internal borrowing fails to take place and issuing bills is for various reasons impossible. Economic history is full of cases of bankruptcies. From 1824 to 2009 we had at least 286 formal bankruptcies of 110 states. The most recent cases however were the bankruptcy of Argentina and Russia. Till 1997 Russia managed to improve its financial stability by reducing the inflation rate to 11% comparing to the enormous rate of inflation the previous years and by depreciating its exchange rate. However, problems emerged because of two major crises. The first was the Asian financial crisis, which started in 1997, and the subsequent reduce of demand for oil and metals. What is more, the reduction in demand for goods caused a fall in prices, leading countries who were directly dependent on the export of raw materials to deficits. Oil, natural gas, metals and timber accounted for more than 80% of Russian exports, making Russia highly vulnerable to any changes in international prices. In addition, oil was an important source of tax revenue. Thus, Russian government started to have diffic ulties with its financial obligations and defaulted in 1998. Source, Bloomberg Russia Real GDP by Expenditure As we can see from the graph Russia managed to recover in a decade. Although Russia defaulted in 1998 the results were not catastrophic for the government. On the contrary, Russias economic growth was fast and oil prices went high leading to high profitability. The most recent bankruptcy though occurred in 2002 in Argentina. The economic crisis in Argentina lasted from 1998 to 2002 with the following main points: there was a strong recession from 1998 to 1999 and the financial system collapsed during 2001 and 2002 which was basically the consequence of the recession. During that period of time Argentinas GDP fell by 21% with disastrous results for the citizens. Furthermore, the percentage of poverty reached 57% while unemployment exceeded 23%. Source, Bloomberg Argentinas Annual Real GDP growth Another important factor of that led Argentina to bankruptcy was its currency. During 1991 there was high inflation so the government decided to change the currency and linked it to the dollar (actually they adopted the US dollar instead of their own currency) in order to reduce inflation. Although the new currency reduced inflation for a while the consequences were disastrous. The product prices in the country become more expensive in international markets, which led to the reduction of competitiveness, lower exports and a negative trade balance. Argentinas case is interesting because there are a lot of similarities with the Eurozone countries. The first lesson is that by decreasing the nominal expenditures or by increasing taxes during a recession in order to decrease fiscal deficit reductions will make things worse. The second lesson is that deflation is not going to provide positive results in correcting an overvalued currency especially in a country with large public sector and powerful unions. What is more, by choosing to link their currency to dollar, problems with balance sheets will be significant. Policies and measures Regarding the measures and policies taken by Financial Institutions and Policy Makers, let ´s start with the ones that have been taken by Financial Institutions; we know that our rate of 1 per cent is the lowest since 1999, when the euro began, and this is a result of quickly regressing inflationary pressures since 2008. This step follows the primary objective of European Central Bank, which is to keep price stability in the Eurozone in the medium level. In addition to reduce the interest rate, they have taken a number of measures to support the perfect role of the euro area interbank market. Those measures have helped the progress credit to enterprises and households Those non-standard measures are known as intensify credit support. They mainly focus on commercial banks, because they are the main source of funding for households and businesses in the euro area. To contrast with the US: in the euro area about 70% of the funding of corporations and households comes from banks; the equivalent share for the US is around 25%. So a well-functioning money market is essential for Europes commercial banks and also for the ECB as the transmission of monetary policy to the economy starts here. Those measures are: the complete accommodation of banks liquidity requests at fixed interest rates; the extend of the maturities of the refinancing operations, up to 1 year; the provision of liquidity in foreign currencies; Outright purchases of euro-denominated covered bonds issued in the euro area. This last one has an important function because bond market is traditionally an important way for funding banks in the euro area. This market has been heavily suffered from the financial crisis. They have put an important amount of money 60Billion Euro to support market functioning but it is not so large to dominate market developments. Still, compared with bond purchase programmes in some other major countries, the amount spent by the European Central Bank in the context of its covered bond programme is fairly modest. However, this is a result that the primary role of the ECB is to act as an agent for this market, not as a market maker. To sum up, looking at the effectiveness of measures of improve credit support, we consider a positive impact on money market conditions and over the market. The large injection of liquidity into the money market led to a decrease in money market interest rates at the very short end, to levels close to the ECBs deposit rate of 0.25%. On the other hand if we have a look to Policy makers, those measures have been consisted to support the financial system and measures to reduce the effects of the financial crisis on the rest of the economy. After the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, most European governments speedily adopted measures to support the financial system in a coordinated action. These included increasing deposit insurance ceilings, guarantees for bank liabilities and bank recapitalisations We believe that the effectiveness of the support measures is positive. The measures were needed for avoiding a further growth of the crisis at the end of 2008. In addition there is an initial evidence that government support measures have been effective in reducing banks default risk, however may be necessary more money, especially in Spain and Greece. Here it seems that capital injections have been effective as well as debt guarantees and asset purchases. Overall, the government response has been effective. But it has negatives points as well; according to the European Commissions, the euro area deficit will increase to 6.5 percent of GDP in 2010 with the debt increasing to 84 percent of GDP, from 69% in 2008. Financial landscape, lessons and trends The last crisis is going to have a major impact on the financial landscape. The lower capital availability will surely change the investors emphasis on private equity and as a consequence the cost of borrowing for companies will be higher. Banks and governments will now have to take under consideration the lessons from the crisis in order to improve their regulations and management policies. A number of banks and other financial institutions had to change their structure due to high risk involved and the low liquidity because of the financial crisis. What is more, governments forced to change their regulations concerning banks and other financial institutions and more limits have been imposed. Furthermore, governments now own significant number of stakes of financial institutions due to efforts to control them. Changes in mergers and acquisitions also occurred with an emphasis in leveraged buyouts. As the debt of the consumers became higher and corporate balance shits focused on debt rather than equities. Apart from that investments will decrease because of the high capital costs and as a result GDP growth will decrease. We have learnt several lessons that might be taken the future. We summarise them in 5. That the euro area did not create an institutional (lacked) framework to correct and identify macroeconomic imbalances. Few countries in euro area have experienced strong nominal divergence mainly caused by unit labour cost increases and excessive credit growth; leading to declining competitiveness. During this time, large current account imbalances reflected a build-up of private and public sector debt, building external vulnerabilities that were exposed when the crisis broke. Establishing a permanent framework for surveillance of such imbalances will be necessary for the future. SGP, Stability and Growth Pact, did not help to fiscal policies consistent with membership of a single currency. In an economic and monetary union, fiscal policies must be consistent with rates of sustainable growth and price stability. Instead, despite during economic growth, 1999 and 2008, fiscal policies were largely pro-cyclical: Few countries kept a budgetary position in structural balance and many got deficits. A more effective SGP will be required for  all   euro area. The absence of appropriate frameworks for policy co-ordination in areas essential for competitiveness and sustainable growth. Lets take this example, a number of euro area countries internalised the fallacy that temporarily elevated national productivity and inflation rates warranted persistent wages increases out of line with the euro area as a whole. A better policy co-ordination is currently needed to reinforce the euro area in national economic policymaking Financial supervision in the Europe was lagging behind financial integration. The result was that a large build-up of systemic risk in the financial sector went largely unnoticed risk which in many cases was ultimately transferred to the balance sheet of the sovereign. A supervision regime commensurate with the reality of financial integration in the euro area is therefore needed. Sovereign debt challenges in individual euro area countries can undermine the stability of the euro area as a whole. Since member countries do not control their currency, they are vulnerable to liquidity episodes. Creditors assessment can change e.g. by effect of contagion, even when fundamentals would not justify itThat is the meanly reason why, a permanent crisis management framework is necessery for the euro area. There are several trends that might emerge from the European Debt Crisis. First of all the welfare state has been affected for this turmoil, millions of people have lost their jobs and governments have reduced money in main sectors as education, health care, culture,etc. due to lack of liquidity and in many countries those main factors will never be again free for everybody..

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Womens Pavilion at the Columbian Exposition Essay example -- Architec

The Women's Pavilion The Columbian Exposition was notable for its impressive architecture and large international attendance. Of particular importance was the Women's Pavilion. The first of its kind to have been designed by a female architect, it revealed much about the social plight of women at that time, and the need for further progress in the movement for equal rights. While its existence did not trigger significant changes for the Women's Movement, this pavilion was certainly a promising first step that would set a precedent for women's involvement in later years. All aspects of women's involvement in the Chicago fair were overseen by the Board of Lady Managers. This governing body, the first of its kind, had authority over all the decisions regarding the Women's Pavilion. It was headed by Mrs. Potter Palmer of Chicago, and composed of a diverse group of women from all over the United States. There were two women members from each state and territory as well as nine from Chicago. Invitations were extended to women across the world for their participation. Delegations from England, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Russia, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Venezuela, Algeria, Siam and Japan all participated in the planning ,and particularly the interior decoration. Many of these organizers belonged to the upper-class or even aristocracy of their societies. The first women's pavilion had been erected in 1876 in Philadelphia. The previous year, women had been given their own section in the main fair building, but at the last minute this decision was revoked. Instead, women were told if they wanted a display, it would have to be in their own building and from their o... ... was still a long way to go on the path to equality between the sexes. Works Cited: White, Trumbull. The World Columbian Exposition ,Chicago 1893. Philadelphia. P.W. Ziegler & Co. 1893 Ralph, Julian. Harper's Chicago and the World's Fair New York, Harper and Brothers, 1893. 161-172 Bolotin, Norm. The World's Columbian Exposition: the Chicago World's Fair Washington, D.C., Preservation Press, 1992. Paul Greenhalgh. Ephemeral Vistas: The Expositions Universelle, Great Exhibitions, And World's Fairs, 1851- 1939 "Women: Exhibiting and Exhibited" Manchester, U.K.: Manuchester University Press, 1988. 174-195 "World's Columbian Exposition of 1893" Paul V. Galvin Library Digital History Collection, Illinois Institute of Technology. http://columbus.gl.iit.edu/ Torre, Susan. "Women in Design" Design Book Review 1991, Spring n20. Pg.74-76 ISSN 0737-5344.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Technological Advancement is Natural Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive

Technological Advancement is Natural As we enter the twenty-first century, it is clear that many things about our method of interacting with our environment are different than in previous centuries, and that, in fact, the very philosophy of the man-nature interaction may change again. Some look forward to these changes. Others are fearful or condemnatory. In many cases, people implicitly or explicitly argue that certain technologies are unnatural. They claim that while certain technologies may be useful, other technologies represent a form of Nature manipulation and this that tinkering is unwise. Since this argument may appear in many places, it is important to critically analyze it. I feel that this argument is the arbitrary reaction of one philosophy against another, and does not by itself prove anything. Examining perceptions of the natural from history and certain exemplary situations, along with modern thinking on the subject, may illuminate the deeper issues that lie behind this argument. Aboriginal humanity seems to have had various religious systems designated broadly as "nature-worship". Objects in nature, places, and the spirits of friends or relatives (living or dead) were to be worshiped, feared, and appeased. For instance, a native American might leave an offering to the soul of a deer he had hunted. Other societies would gather in groves or caves to celebrate religious ceremonies. In agrarian and feudal societies, more complex and technical religious systems were developed. They might be designated "Polytheism", "Monotheism", and "Universalism". For the purposes of this discussion, let us define these terms as follows: Monotheism identifies exactly one transcendent supernatural being, who, by his own nat... ...nded tones of fear of the alien and suspicion of the mixed." I also worry that, in the debates over modern technology, many people fear change and use the word "unnatural", as well as others, to draw unwarranted assumptions into the debate. There are cases where "tinkering" with nature can have major unintended consequence, just as a man manipulating the works at a hydroelectric dam could cause a flood in the valley below. However, these consequences arise not because it is evil to play with nature but because Nature herself is both extremely powerful and morally neutral. Man has always tried to subdue Nature and hold her at bay. This becomes easier as we understand her better, so I claim that technology is perfectly natural. Work Cited Holy Bible. Authorized King James Version. Ed. C.I. Scofield. New Scofield Reference Edition. New York: Oxford UP, 1997.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Parenting Styles in Different Cultures Essay

Parenting style is one of many factors that strongly influence child development. One’s choice of parenting style is most often molded by their cultural background. American parents use a myriad of parenting styles, all of which have their roots in various cultural beliefs about which method is best to raise a child. In 1971, clinical and developmental psychologist, Diana Baumrind, recognized three different categories of parenting styles that she believed described most parents’ methods (Berger, 2011). Parents who fell into the authoritarian style of parenting set high standards and strict rules for their children. Disobedience was not tolerated and was met with harsh consequences, often physical. The authoritarian parent rarely showed affection or concern for their children’s emotional needs. On the other side of the spectrum was a permissive style of parenting that was characterized by no boundaries or discipline, but did include a lot of parental involvement and affection. Authoritative parenting was the third style Baumrind identified. She believed this style produced the most happy, well-adjusted, and successful children and adolescents (Baumrind, 1971). An authoritative parent set high clear standards for their children. They respected their children’s opinions and concerns and offered plenty of support and encouragement. This style is often referred to as the balanced or â€Å"democratic† style. Later a fourth category was added by Maccoby and Martin, who recognized a neglectful parenting style (Berger, 2011; Maccoby & Martin, 1983). The neglectful parent provided for the basic needs of their children, but nothing else. This style involved no demands, boundaries, emotional support, guidance or affection. The mother and father that utilized this method basically detached from their children. While these four categories are still widely used today to classify the types of parenting, many recent studies indicate that the results of Baumrind’s research are not culturally universal. â€Å"Parenting styles developed on North American samples cannot be simply translated to other cultures, but instead must reflect their sociocultural contexts† (Chao, 1994). This paper will further research the variability of effective parenting styles across cultures and explore some of the reasons for these variations. Based on the results of initial research and subsequent studies, Baumrind was a firm advocate of the authoritative parenting style claiming that it was the most successful of the parenting types in producing a positive child outcome (Baumrind, 1971). Authoritarian parenting tended to raise children who performed well academically and had a low involvement in problem behavior. However, they also had â€Å"poorer social skills, lower self-esteem, and higher levels of depression† (Darling, 1999). In contrast, while permissive parenting tended to raise children who had higher levels of self-esteem and were better socialized, they didn’t perform well in school and exhibited more problem behavior (Baumrind, 1991). Children raised by neglectful parents had the most negative results, with poor academic performance, low self-esteem, and high involvement in problem behavior (Baumrind, 1991). For years these results were extrapolated and generalized to describe all families and, although her work continues to be influential (Berger, 2011), many recent studies have found Baumrind’s conclusions regarding the success and failure rate of each of the parenting styles to be inaccurate when applied to a broader population. This is primarily due to her ethnocentric research design (Chao, 1994). The demographic for Baumrind’s study sample consisted of 100 preschool children that were mainly of white, European-American, middle-class families in California (Berger, 2011). Influential variables such as culture, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family size, religion, and the individual temperaments of both parent and child were not controlled or accounted for. If they were, very different results would have been found because each culture has different goals, values, and expectations of their citizens. Thus, the children will be socialized under different conditions. Aut horitarian and permissive parenting styles practiced in select cultures outside of the European-American context exemplify this. Criticized by many Westerners for its harshness and controlling approach, authoritarian parenting has found more success in Asian and Arab cultures (Grusec, Rudy, & Martini, 1997; Dwairy et al., 2006). In Asian cultures, which would include the Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans, Japanese, etc., Confucian principles are strongly embraced, and therefore, profoundly shape social relationships and moral ethics. In particular, Confucius stressed that a person should respect and obey authority without question, and to seize every opportunity to learn and perfect oneself (Chao, 1994). Rooted in this philosophy, Asians have chosen to use a very strict, controlling, and restrictive approach to parenting. Recently adding fuel to the notion that Asian’s authoritarian parenting style is harsh, oppressive, and sometimes even cruel, is the controversial book, â€Å"Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom,† by Amy Chua (2011), a Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Chua’s book shares her experiences raising her two daughters â€Å"the Chinese way.† Some of her memoirs describing her authoritarian parental tactics were viewed by the American public as disturbing. Chua (2011) shares that she never allowed her daughters to have a play date, be in a school play, attend overnights, date boys, attend school dances, watch TV or movies, or make any grade less than an A in school. Furthermore, she required her girls to be number one in every class, drilled them daily in Math and Chinese, and made them practice violin and piano three hours a day. Chua recognizes that she was intentionally very strict like most traditional Chinese families, but she was very involved and loving as well. Chua admits to threatening, yelling, and even calling her children degrading names at times in order to motivate them. She believes that most Westerners cringe at this type of parenting approach because they are interpreting her methods based on Western culture instead of Chinese culture. What Asian parents and children recognize as a training environment, Westerners interpret as a controlling one. Ruth Chao (1994), from the University of California, points out a critical difference between Western and Asian authoritarian parenting. The Western version described by Baumrind, â€Å"emphasizes an absolute standard of conduct from children without explaining, listening, or providing emotional support† (Baumrind, 1971). Chao (1994) describes authoritarian parenting as, â€Å"encompassing a set of standards of conduct enforced by parents and the community. These standards are imposed not to dominate the child, but rather to assure familial and societal goals of harmonious relations with others and the integrity of the family unit.† Based on these different interpretations of authoritarian parenting, it is apparent why the two culture’s results are so dissimilar. Among European-Americans, the style is associated with parental hostility and dominance (Martà ­nez, 2008). But for most Asian children, parental obedience and strictness is usually interpreted as parental concern, caring, and involvement, motivated by their parents’ belief that they are capable of excelling (Chao, 1994). Because they feel loved and supported by their parents, Asian children have higher self-esteem when raised with the authoritarian style than do European-American adolescents (Chao, 1994). Similarly, some studies have shown that in Arab societies, authoritarian parenting is not associated with low self-esteem or other negative effects on adolescents’ mental health as it is in Western societies (Dwairy, Achoui, Abouserie, & Farah, 2006). The permissive or indulgent parenting style is often considered too lax by the European-American culture. They found that with this approach children and adolescents were â€Å"more likely to be involved in problem behavior and perform less well in school, but they had a higher self-esteem, better social skills, and lower levels of depression† (Darling, 1999). Like authoritarian parenting however, permissive parenting has found more success outside of the European-American culture. For example, in a research study designed to establish which parenting style is associated with optimum youth outcomes among adolescents of Spanish families, the results found indulgent parenting to be the best approach in the Spanish cultural context (Garcà ­a & Gracia, 2009). This study attributed permissive parenting’s high success rate in Spain and Italy to the style’s compatibility with their â€Å"horizontal collectivist† culture (Garcà ­a & Gracia, 2009). Horizontal collectivism â€Å"perceives the self as a part of the collective and sees all members of the collective as the same; thus equality is stressed† (Singelis et al., 1995). Therefore, parenting styles that lack a hierarchal parent-child relationship, are low in strictness, and high in affection work best. In their study, Garcà ­a and Gracia (2009) found that Spanish adolescents raised by indulgent parents had higher self-esteem, were more socialized, and performed well in school. Garcà ­a and Gracia (2009) concluded that the most successful parenting style was determined by a country’s culture type, based on the dimensions of equality value and perception of self. The findings of other research studies seem to support this conclusion. Martà ­nez and Garcà ­a (2008) conducted a similar study in Brazil, another horizontal collectivist culture, and found that permissive parenting was favored there as well. Another study in Mexico found that authoritative and permissive parenting had equally positive outcomes (Martà ­nez, Garcà ­a, & Yubero, 2007). Garcà ­a and Gracia (2009) use their theoretical idea to account for the variance of preferred parenting styles across cultures, stating: In a cultural context, such as Spain, which has been described as horizontal collectivistic, egalitarian rather than hierarchal relations are emphasized, and strictness in parental practices would not have the positive meaning they would have in other contexts such as the United States—characterized by vertical individualism—or Asian cultures—characterized by vertical collectivism. This statement would explain the success of strict authoritarian parenting in Asiatic and Arab countries and authoritative parenting in the United States. Neglectful or uninvolved parenting is the least successful parenting style in European-American culture (Berger, 2011; Darling, 1999). In fact, it is universally viewed as a destructive approach to child development (Darling, 1999). A child who receives the message that they are worthless or unloved is going to have very low self-esteem and suffer from weak social skills. Very often, children with uninvolved parents stop relying on their parents and try to provide for themselves so they don’t feel the sting of rejection and disappointment. A study by Maccoby and Martin (1983) researched adolescents between the ages of 14-18 in four areas: psychological development, school achievement, internalized distress, and problem behavior. Their results concluded that adolescents from homes with neglectful or uninvolved parents scored the lowest in all areas (Maccoby & Martin, 1983). Another more recent study performed at Brigham-Young University indicated that teens from homes that prov ided accountability and warmth were least prone to heavy drinking (Bahr & Hoffmann, 2010). This does not fair well for children raised by the neglectful approach because both warmth and accountability are absent. Although authoritative parenting isn’t as generalizable as Baumrind once thought, it is still more widely successful across cultures than any of the other styles. Many of the studies mentioned in this paper found that, if authoritative parenting was not the most successful in producing a positive child outcome, then it was almost always the second most effective. This was the case among Arab, Asian, Spanish, Brazilian, and Mexican adolescents (Grusec et al., 2007; Dwairy et al., 2006; Garcà ­a & Gracia, 2009; Martà ­nez & Garcà ­a, 2008; Martà ­nez et al., 2007). However, the United States isn’t the only country in which authoritative parenting outranks the other styles in producing a positive child outcome. Research has shown that Great Britain finds this parenting type most effective as well. One study, conducted by Tak Wing Chan (2011) from Oxford University, found that British children raised in authoritative homes were associated with high self-esteem and well-being, and were less likely to engage in problem behavior, such as smoking, drinking, fighting, or have friends who used drugs. Additionally, when compared to those from permissive and authoritarian families, authoritative-raised adolescents made higher grades and stayed in school longer (Chan & Koo, 2011). The French also seem to advocate an authoritative style of parenting. In the recent book by Pamela Druckerman entitled, â€Å"Bringing Up Bà ©bà ©,† a work that people have been calling the next â€Å"Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom,† the author explained French methods for parenting (Kingston, 2012). During an interview, Druckerman said of French parenting that, â€Å"it’s a balance between what North Americans view as old-school parenting where parents have a lot of authority, and a much more modern form of parenting where they speak to children and listen to them but don’t feel they must do everything children say† (Kingston, 2012). This description certainly falls in to Baumrind’s definition of authoritative parenting. In a study of French adolescents regarding parenting style and the use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana, researchers found that adolescents whose parents provided both parental control and emotional support were less likely to partake in activities involving those substances (Choquet et al., 2008). While this paper could continue on and on, its point has clearly been made that culture plays a large factor in determining the most effective parenting style. Based on the information gathered, one can see that Baumrind’s conclusion declaring the authoritative style as the best form of parenting cannot be accurately applied to all families across all cultures. It is not as simple as translating her model of parenting to fit other cultural contexts, because each culture has a different set of values, ideologies, history, and goals. Behaviors are not interpreted in the same way. Even in the United States, Braumind’s model does not always fit. For example, low socioeconomic status is associated with a more strict authoritarian style (Berger, 2011). African-Americans are also associated with more parental control and blended families bring in multiple parenting styles. As demonstrated by Americans’ criticisms toward Asian parenting, it is important to not stereotype other cultures parenting approaches because they might not be accurately interpreted. References Bahr, S.J., Hoffmann, J.P. (2010). Parenting style, religiosity, peers, and adolescent heavy drinking. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 71(4), 539-543. Baumrind, D. (1971). Current patterns of parental authority. Developmental Psychology Monographs, 4(1, Part 2). Baumrind, D. (1989). Rearing competent children. Child development today and tomorrow (p. 349-378). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Baumrind, D. (1991). The influence of parenting style on adolescent competence and substance abuse. Journal of Early Adolescents, 11, 56-95. Berger, K. (2011). The developing person through the life span. (8 ed.). New York: WORTH. Chan, T. W., & Koo, A. (2011). Parenting style and youth outcomes in the uk. European Sociological Review, 27(3), 385-399. doi: 10.1093/esr/jcq013 Chao, R.K. (1994). Beyond parental control and authoritarian parenting style: Understanding Chinese parenting through the cultural notion of training. Child Development, 65(4), 1111-1119. Choquet, M., Hassler, C., Morin, D., Falissard, B., & Chau, N., (2008). Perceived parenting styles and tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use among French adolescents: Gender and family structure. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 43(1), 73-80. Chua, A. (2011, January 8). Why chinese mothers are superior. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html Darling, N. (1999). Parenting style and its correlates. Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, 1-3. Retrieved from ERIC database (ED427896). Dwairy, M., Achoui, M., Abouserie, R., & Farah, A. (2006). Parenting styles in Arab societies: A first cross-regional research study. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 37(4), 1-18. Garcia, F., & Gracia, E. (2009). Is always authoratative the optimum parenting style? evidence from spanish families. Adolescence , 44(173), 101-131. Grusec, J.E., Rudy, D., & Martini, T. (1997). Parenting cognitions and child outcomes: An overview and implications for children’s internalization of values. Parenting and children’s internalization of values: A handbook of contemporary theory (p. 259-282). New York: Wiley. Kingston, A. (2012). Why the french are better parents: The interview. Retrieved from http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/02/10/why-the-french-do-it-better-and-why-your-toddler-should-be-eating-braised-endives/ Maccoby, E.E., Martin, J.A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent-child interaction. Handbook of child psychology, 4, 1-101. Martà ­nez, I., Garcà ­a, J. F., & Yubero, S. (2007). Parenting styles and adolescents’ self-esteem in Brazil. Psychological Reports, 100, 731-745. Martà ­nez, I., & Garcà ­a, J. F. (2008). Internalization of values and sel f-esteem among brazilian teenagers from authoratative, indulgent, authoritarian, and neglectful homes. Adolescence, 43(169), 13-29. Singelis, T. M., Triandis, H. C., Bhawuk, D. P. S., & Gelfand, M. J. (1995). Horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism: A theoretical and measurement refinement. Cross-cultural research, 29(3), 240-275. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Horizontal collectivism is a term that comes from a two-dimensional concept in which the horizontal-vertical spectrum measures the value of equality versus the emphasis on hierarchy, and the individual-collective spectrum measures the perception of self as an independent individual versus the perception of self as a part of the collective or community (Singelis, Triandis, Bhawuk, & Gelfand, 1995).

Monday, September 16, 2019

How is Lady Macbeth an important and memorable character in Macbeth? Essay

Lady Macbeth is an important and memorable character in Macbeth because she sets up the story by persuading Macbeth to kill Duncan. She also is memorable because she almost controls Macbeth at the start of the play which is unusual in the time of the play, as women usually didn’t have much say in relationships. Her role in the play also highlights Macbeth’s loneliness without her. Lady Macbeth is the catalyst for her husband’s downfall, as she pushes him to kill King Duncan. She tells him to, â€Å"look like th’innocent flower but be the serpent under it.† Talking about Duncan she also says, â€Å"O never shall sun morrow see.† She also hints he is not a man unless he kills Duncan (this is a recurring theme in the play), â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man.† This also shows she represents evil at the start of the play; she plays on his ambition and drives him to become a murderer. Lady Macbeth represents evil at the start of the play, this is highlighted when she says, â€Å"Fill me†¦topfull of direst cruelty† and â€Å"pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell.† She also would have scared the audience at the time because she and the witches were controlling a powerful man. She also comes across as wanting to be more masculine when she says, â€Å"unsex me here† and â€Å"come to my woman’s breasts and take my milk for gall (bile).† She also repeats the word â€Å"come† as if she is summoning evil spirits in her speech in act 1 scene 5 such as when she remarks, â€Å"Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts.† This speech makes the audience relate her to the witches because she is so evil. Later in the play, Lady Macbeth starts to echo her husband’s reaction to the murder of Duncan. The main example of this is the symbol of hand washing, in act 2 scene 2 Macbeth says, â€Å"Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood from my hands? No: this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine.† Then in act 5 scene 1 Lady Macbeth remarks, â€Å"Here’s the smell of the blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.† This scene also shows she realises what she pushed her husband to do has turned him into a murderer, â€Å"The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?† Macbeth sees life as a pointless succession of days after Lady Macbeth commits suicide in act 5 scene 5. This is shown in his speech in that scene where he announces â€Å"It (life) is a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury, signifying nothing,† Also, â€Å"All our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death,† and â€Å"Out, out brief candle.† This shows that Macbeth sees no point or direction in his life without Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth realises that killing the King hasn’t brought them the joy they thought it would. This is summed up when Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"Noughts had, alls spent,† and when she says, â€Å"Tis safer to be that which we destroy,† in act 3 scene 2. This shows us her regret of pushing her husband to kill the King as they have gained nothing and envy to be him. These things drive her to her madness, as she realises what they have done has sealed their fate. This is an echo of what her husband says in this scene, â€Å"full of scorpions is my mind,† â€Å"After life’s fitful fever, he (Duncan) sleeps well.† Lady Macbeth appears to be the stronger person in the aftermath of the murder of Duncan and rubbishes Macbeth’s guilt and regret, she remarks â€Å"Infirm of purpose!† â€Å"My hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white,† â€Å"A foolish thing to say a sorry sight,† and â€Å"These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us mad.† The last of these quotes is ironic as when she does think back on it later in the play she goes mad herself! This reiterates the fact that she wants to be in control of him, and this would have been scary for people of Shakespearian time for men were far superior to women, especially Kings. Lady Macbeth still believes Macbeth is weaker than her up to act 3 scene 4 where she says â€Å"are you a man?† when he sees the ghost of Banquo. She then questions his manhood again by saying, â€Å"A woman’s story at a winter’s fire authoriz’d by her grandma. Shame itself!† and â€Å"What, quite unmann’d in folly?† This is a recurring theme of the play, but in the end they both end up dead cowards anyway. To conclude, Lady Macbeth is probably the most important character in the play as there would be no storyline if she hadn’t pushed Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeths control over him is lost in act 4 and Macbeth then lives off the witches’ apparitions, and becomes crazier as she does. Lady Macbeth and the witches play on his ambition and ego and eventually bring him down to his inevitable death at the end of the play.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Foresic thing

Emily Wilson Marcy Mrs. Myers Mr. Thompson -Dbl occupancy paid $9 extra. -Why would she report the crime if she did it -Defensive when asked questions -No alibi -Receipt shows she was not alone in the hotel room. -Appeared inconsolable as she straightened papers -Suspected of infidelity – Never got permission -Backpack with evidence from crime scene. -Knew the forest very well.Timeline Of Events 8:00 am Monday May 14 -Police respond to a report of missing person at Middle State University -First nterview was with Marcy by officer Stansky -According to Marcy, Professor Klein left for a field trip located near Jacob Falls around 5:15 last Friday night. -Dr. Myers was a secretive and competitive man -Warm weather, heavy decomposition 8:30 Tuesday 15 – Mrs. Myers said that her husband lives in a motel out in Jacob Falls -He had an office out in the community college -Last time she talked to him was around the time he called to tuck the kids in around 8:30. 0:05 Tuesday May 15 -Dr. Myers has research assistance Always Jealous of professor Klein -Emily said that she was at a young archaeologists conference all weekend and also had a receipt. -Emily said she wasn't expecting him until next week when asked why she didn't report him missing. -Late Thursday evening professor Klein's body was found lying supine along the banks of the creek. 5:45 Friday May 18 -No shoe / footprints -No physical wound due to maggot activity -Heavvy downpour and flooding occurred Saturday and light rain on Tuesday night.Heavvy maggot activity on and around professor Klein's body, both feeding and migrating. -Place look ransacked. Going over the details I believe that Emily Wilson was the murderer ot botn protessor Klein and Dr. Myers. Professor Klein might have died Tuesday may 15. Emily and Dr. Myers kidnapped Professor Klein because they were both Jealous and Emily decided that she was going to kill professor Klein on the low but then Dr. Myers saw her do it so then Emily had to kill dr. Myers too.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Principles Of human Resources Management Essay

INTRODUCTION The management of organization human resource to make them attain the organizational goals and work effectively towards contributing to the growth of the organization in contemporary times has taken a new dimension from the traditional way of personnel management. Human resource is considered as the most valuable resources in the organization; without which other resources cannot be coordinated and utilized to the optimal sue of the organization. The formation of effective relationship with workers and enabling a working environment where there is informal relationship goes a long way to motivating workers to performance. According to Farrazzi & Gatti (2007), â€Å"†¦developing deep, genuine relationships- both internally among co-workers †¦is one of the most important skills need for performance in workplace† Thus, Human Resource Development (HRD) is a vital process used in contemporary times to make an organization Human resource inapt and adequately equipped to face the challenges of the time. According to Wilson (1999:27), â€Å"An alignment between strategy and training and development is now commonly regarded as a good business sense in all corners of the globe†. This is more adduced to the limited resources and finance to aid an organization in the attainment of its goal. Thus, HR development will go a long way in the organization to attain effectively set goals in the most efficient way. For Colours R Us (CRU) company to effectively get the best in its human resource management , the management of the organization need to put in place conducive working environment; one that would motivate workers to want to remain long in the organization. This is obtainable through formation of deep relationship among workers. Getting the right people at the right place is a function of human resource planning. Motivation of workers plays a significant role in maintaining and making the positioned ‘right people’ stay and build up a long career in an organization. IMPLEMENTING AN EFFECTIVE HRM IN CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS Effective Human Resource Management practices are recognises as to enhance an organisation’s competitive advantage by creating both cost leadership and differentiation. Today’s competitive global environment has made organisation maintaining a competitive advantage puts a premium on having a committed and competent workforce. Low-cost, high- quality products and services are a result of committed employees all working hard to produce the best products and provide the best services that they can at the lowest possible cost. Thus, it is important that the Human Resource Managers are made to get in touch and be included in the organisation’s strategic plan, since they have the wealth of experience in the motivation of the organisational workforce into putting their best in the attainment of the strategic goals of the organisation. Furthermore, the possession of information about human resource planning put the Human Resource Manager in a good position to partake in the strategic planning of the organisation. For example, with the available information on human resource planning, this along side with the organisation strategy would bring about the hiring of the best human resource that would be in a better position to efficiently meet the organisation’s goals. In this view, Sims (2002), has it that, As effective partners in helping organisations successfully achieve their goals, Human Resource Management managers need to have a clear understanding of exactly what are the organisation’s strategies, and then they must ensure that their own efforts are consistent with provide support for those strategies. To the extent that the Human Resource Management function is seen as a strategic partner and/or a centre of expertise, of course, its manager should also be actively involved in the formulation of corporate and business strategies as well as other functional strategies. A closer integration between top management goals and Human Resource Management practices helps to elicit and reward the types of behaviour necessary for achieving an organisation’s strategy. According to Matanmi (2001:7), â€Å"as a concept HRM has relatively recently, developed as a generic (i.e. broad, all-embracing), and yet specialised management field that particularly draws its strengths from such multi-disciplinary sources of knowledge that include (but) not exclusively restricted to) personnel management, organisation behaviour   (OB), industrial and labour relations, economics, law, psychology and sociology†. In the process of HRM, there is an increasing emphasis on the personal needs of the organisation and its members. Thus, how effectively an organisation’s employee contribute successfully to the attainment of the organisational goals depends to a larger extent upon the ability of its HRM staff. Hence, the challenges of the HRM are to create an organisational environment in which each employee can grow and develop to his or her fullest extent (Sims, 2002:4). Furthermore, Rowden (1999) have it that Human Resource Professional need to master global operating skills. They should learn to do business in non-native environments, with individual of different backgrounds and perspectives and with products and services used in different ways. Human Resource Professionals should also be masters of the business environment. They need to understand financial reports, business goals, and consumer and investor important. â€Å"Also they must have the business acumen necessary to understand and support the business function. This will make Human Resource Professionals and indispensable part of a team assigned the task of charting a business’s future†. (Hussey 1995). Thus, it is seen that for the Human Resource source professionals to actively partake in the strategic planning of an organisation they need to be vast with skills that cut across financial planning, critical visioning and thinking, analytical skill and be informed with the ever changing technological development and better utilisation of modern information technology packages. This will make them be equipped to put the organisation a head of its competitors. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF COLOURS R US (CRU) HRM PROBLEMS The workers in Colours R Us (CRU) are not motivated enough to make their stay and build up a career in the organization. The working environment is not conducive; as workers find it difficult to meet their personal needs in the locality where CRU is located. These include restaurants services, baby day care services, security of workers who engages in night shifts. The necessary amenities are not there to aid the worker abide in their work and stay long in the company. Another major issue that is making CRU not to attract the best workers and to retain those it has is the level of remuneration available to the company’s staffers. However, CRU gives an average remuneration, the locality where the company operates from there is higher level of payment. The software companies and communication call centers are well positioned to pay more. This alone, would be an obstacle in motivating the right workers to want to be employed and build up a career with CRU. This is also a cause to make already employed workers in CRU to wanting to move out. Furthermore, the statistical number of workers in the organization shows that women are more than male permanent workers are. Women workers usually leave within short period of assuming their post as workers in the company. There is the problem of getting more workers to operate the company’s diversification operation in the production of ‘Magnificence in Miniature’ RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MANAGING THE COLOURS R US (CRU) HRM PROBLEMS As a Consultant with ‘Right People Right Place’, my recommendations for CRU Company, to solve its HRM problems, include the following: MOTIVATIONAL IMPROVEMENT FOR THE COMPANY’S HR CPU as an organization has not done very well in the motivations of its staffers. Though the company pays its staffers the average pay in the industry, the workers put in much time. Motivation would keep the staffers to contribute meaningfully in the organization and they will be interested and prepare to build up a lasting career with the company. Lindner (1998), argues, â€Å"Motivated employees are needed in our rapidly changing workplaces. Motivated employees help organizations survive. Motivated employees are more productive. Monetary incentive is not only the channel of motivating workers. The sense of belonging and appreciation of workers contribution to the organization goes a long way to motivating workers. To be effective, managers need to understand what motivates employees within the context of the roles they perform. Of all the functions a manager performs, motivating employees is arguably the most complex. This is due, in part, to the fact that what motivates employee changes constantly†. The CPU management should adapt different ways for motivating employees who serve long hours and permanent from short- term workers. Motivating short-term worker, this should be done differently from those workers who are overworked or who put in lengthy work performance in the organization (University of Chicago Newsletter for Supervisor and Managers, 2004). In motivating a short-term worker the management of CPU, need to adopt the following strategic approach: Reinforce the significance of short-term employees’ work by explaining their importance and how they contribute to the organization’s growth. Introduce short-term employees to the people who use their work to demonstrate the effect the quality of their work has on others. Counter assumptions that someone else will do the work if short-term employees do not come through. Discuss the role short-terms workers play in the CPU manufacturing and working process. They should be made to understand that their work is as important as that of other employees. The Management of CPU should demonstrate interest in their long-term plans for HRM for short –term workers. Plans should be devised to identify those areas where skilled short-term workers may have value elsewhere in the organization. The management should help short-term workers to identify other opportunities before their assignment in your department is over. On the other hand, to motivate those workers who have work lengthy period and over work for the organization, the CPU management can motivate this group by adopting a strategy that follows the sequence of: The CPU management should let the lengthy period and over worked employees know that the company value their stay in the organization and appreciate their contribution to the growth of the organization. They should be made to know they stand to be adequately rewarded. The management of CPU should display the quality of a team player by requesting from this category of workers what they require to made them comfortable and keep the work going. The management of CPU should provide a feedback to workers that put in lengthy work hours, stay, and make them fell appreciated for their contribution in the organization. ADOPTING A MUTUAL EXCHANGE MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGY Mutual exchange is another strategy the management of CPU can adopt in motivating their workers. Here, where a worker has accomplish an assigned task he or she should be given something in return based on   earlier promise made by the supervisor; this may come in form of   a day off, or early closure for the   day’s work etc. According the Moore (1991), the negative effect of this appraoch is that it is not the most effective approach for motivating   workers; as the workers and supervisor may not reach a balance on what should be exchanged for the accomplishment of an assigned task.   RECRUITING MORE MALE WORKER The management of CPU should engage in recruiting more males than females. The environment where the company is situated is not conducive for female worker to work adequately. There is absence of day care for nursing mothers and those women with little children; the vicinity is not safe enough for night female worker. Considering these facts, the male worker will do more to cope in the environment than their female counterparts will. STRATEGIC ALLIANCE FORMATION WITH OTHER INTENSIVE CARE AND FACILITY PROVIDING ORGANIZATION The major reason for the workers leaving the CPU Company within short period is adduced to the lack of amenities to contribute to workers convenience in working for the company. The locality where the company is situated lacks these basic amenities. The management of CPU can enter into strategic alliance by inviting and forming strategic partners with small organizations to provide basic services that the workers lack, such as children day-care services, security, inter-alia. REFERENCES Ferrazzi, Keith & Gatti, Lisa (2007), â€Å"The Human Element of Successful Training† June Volume 61, 6c ABI/ INFORM Global P. 68 Hussey, D. (1995), â€Å"Human Resources: Strategic Audit† In International Review of Strategic Management Vol. 6 Pp 157-195. Lindner, James R. (1998), â€Å"Understanding Employee Motivation† in Journal of Extension. June 1998 Volume 36 Number 3 Matanmi, Segun (2001) Strategic Management of the Human Resources in Nigeria for the next Millennium: some notes   (unpublished article) Lagos State University. Moore, Dianne-Jo (1991), â€Å"7 Motivational Strategies – Manager’s Motivation Of Workers† Modern Machine Shop http://findarticles.com/p/search?tb=art&qt=%22Dianne-Jo+Moore%22 (2/11/06) Rowden, R.W (1999), â€Å"Potential Roles of the Human Resource Management Professional in the Strategic Planning Process† in SAM Advanced Management Journal. Vol. 64, Issue 3. Pp 22 Sims, Ronald R. (2002), Organisational Success Through Effective Human Resources Management West Port, CT: Quorum Books. Pp. 1-5, 8, 9, 20, 23. University of Chicago Newsletter for Supervisor and Managers’ (2004), â€Å"Strategies and Tactics Methods to Manage Your Work, Your Staff, and Your Results† Volume VI Issue 9 September http://hr.uchicago.edu/newsletter/itk–20040901/toc.html (1/11/06). Wilson, John P. (1999), Human Resource Development: Learning and Training for Individuals and Organizations London: Kagan Page   

Bilingualism as a Contributor to Cognitive Reserve - Factors That May Article

Bilingualism as a Contributor to Cognitive Reserve - Factors That May Lead to Delay in Diagnosis of Symptoms of Alzheimers Disease Bilingualism as a contributor to Cognitive Reserve Critique Bilingualism as a contributor to cognitive reserve Critique The article focuses on factors that may lead to delay in diagnosis of symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (Schweizer et al, 2012). One of the factors identified is bilingualism. Other factors reported causing delay ions years of education, education, and stimulating leisure activities (Schweizer et al, 2012). Therefore, a sophisticated amount of diagnosis is required to identify the symptoms. The argument in the article is that bilingualism is an environmental factor that acts to produce cognitive reserve (CR) (Schweizer et al, 2012). Moreover, the article argues that acquisition of a second language in an individual makes individual have an elevated mental function. The weakness of the article starts from introduction. First, the authors affirm that there exist imbalance between brain atrophy and level of cognitive functioning. However, the authors describe that the relationship between the two is poorly understood. Second, the authors refute the credibility of use of cognitive reserve. The authors raise doubts on the correlation nature. However, even after raising doubts they go on to use it in the study. On the other hand, the authors agreed to have used computed tomography (CT) scan of participants with probable AD while the article talks of research done on individuals with AD (Schweizer et al, 2012). As a result, doubt is raised on credibility of participants used in the research. Moreover, there is a high chance the result would fail to support the hypothesis based on the number of participants in the study. For example, 40 patients were relied upon to carry out the study. In contrast, none of the research relied upon in the introduction involved such few number of participants. The research relied in hundred of participants due to the seriousness required for such analysis. In addition, the article develops a high sense of credibility. First, the article introduction has relied on several other researchers carried before on the topic. As a result, any claim made by authors in the introduction is supported by scientific research done before. Moreover, the article clarity is achieved by relying on a method that had been tried before in testing the hypothesis. As a result, the article does not raise any doubt on the procedure of estimating whether the hypothesis is true or false. The method is relied on to test the CR hypothesis. Moreover, the article has demonstrated a high standard of ethics. For example, the study first sought approval from the Hospital Ethics Board (Schweizer et al, 2012). However, the article might have faced some limitation. One of such limitations may have been getting clear response from participants as they are physiologically challenged. Moreover, the other limitation may have been in getting adequate number of participants. There are several things to learn from the article. First, I have identified that improved mental function may pose a challenge in the future. However, the article was not appealing due to use of jargon only understood by people specializing in the field of study. A repeat of experiment could enhance the study in various ways. The number of participants could be increased. Moreover, I would like to know what changes takes place in the brain due to high mental function that increases potentiality to AD. Reference Schweizer, T., Ware, J., Fischer, C., Craik, F & Bialystok, E. (2012). Bilingualism as a contributor to cognitive reserve: Evidence from Brain Atrophy in Alzheimer’s Disease. Cortex, 48, 991-996.