Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Special Needs - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1047 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/10/10 Did you like this example? Question 1 Sigafoos et al. (2003) note that an adequate awareness of medical problems (mental health issues included) is essential for proper understanding of challenging behaviour in order to provide effective support to people with developmental disabilities and challenging behaviours. Unlike people without developmental disabilities, persons with developmental disabilities tend to be more prone to a number of mental and medical problems hence the need to promote their health and well-being. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Special Needs" essay for you Create order This paper describes two factors that are considered in health and medical screening and their relevance in supporting people with disabilities. These are; mental health and medical care and screening. Mental health Assessment of an individual’s mental health will give an indication as whether the person has a mental illness or if the mental health problem is a reaction to stress from the surrounding environment such as death of a close relative. In addition, a person’s mental health could be a pointer as to whether they receive the necessary psychiatric care when necessary and in the case where psychotropic medications are used whether they are justified and their use monitored on a monthly basis. In our line of work, we receive many children with mental health problems and it is our responsibility to evaluate them individually and understand what could be triggering or encouraging the conditions so that we can give them the appropriate care that can nurture them to make independent decisions without stigmatization and isolation. Lunsky et al. (2008) emphasize on the role that medical ethics play in protecting the medical rights of people with intellectual disability. Caregivers, healthcare providers and patients with disability should work together with the ultimate goal of achieving good health while meeting their medical rights. Self-determination in healthcare should be encouraged to reduce disparities in health that people with intellectual disabilities undergo. Self-determination has the capacity to change issues that are known to be sources of health disparities for example patient-level factors, health system factors and communication issues from the patient or healthcare provider. Bà © rube (2013) argues that democratic principles give prospective parents the right to choose what they desire.   He recognises how difficult it is to maintain the abortion rights of an individual in the face of a social stigma directed at people who are disabled shaping their prenatal choices.   Bà © rubà © visual izes a world where certain conditions are screened and disability is not equated with disease. He adds that disabled people must be allowed to participate in the democratic deliberation of the public policies that affect them. Medical care and screening This helps in determining whether the medical problems identified have been resolved and referrals to specialists are made when necessary. It will also help in determining whether the person with disability and the care provider comply with the recommended medical treatments.   It also ensures that before or during the period that behavioural and educational assessments and interventions are done, the individual is examined to evaluate vision, hearing, allergies, reactions to medications and other medical conditions that might be contributing to challenging behaviour but have not been recognized. In their study, Raina and Lunsky (2010) established that inpatients and outpatients from the forensic group engaged more in substance abuse, had higher levels of IQ and considerably longer stay lengths compared to the non-forensic group. This did not however translate to high rates of personality disorders in the forensic group, where the clients also had equal gender distribution. This is a clear indication that these clients need to be served in such a manner that they are accorded the necessary mental health supports adequately as well as the legal supports to address forensic-related issues. Similarly, in my day-to-day experiences with students in my early childhood special needs class, I have to thoroughly understand an individual’s medical history to know the specific medical problems they are suffering from in order for me to tailor the necessary supports and interventions that can help them grow and achieve independence as an individual rather than as a group. Question 2 Based on the video clip, the different components of Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT) used by the mother to encourage communication from the child are; setting up an interactive context whereby the child is allowed to initiate the communication, response of interaction by responding to the child’s communication to you and using verbal terms to teach them how to have a conversation, modelling and expanding play by linking words with engaging activities and letting the child take the child, modelling communication target to expand the child’s utterances, environmental arrangement strategies whereby non-verbal tasks are used to initiate communication and   milieu teaching procedures where an adult encourages the child to say something by giving them a signal. Sandberg and Liliedahl (2008) advocate that prelinguistic children are given an active role in play interactions and provided with opportunities to ask questions in order to reinforce language development. I would recommend that the mother use parent coaching to improve interactive communication with their child. For instance, the mother can enrol the child in a group-based program to complement the EMT. Moore et al. (2013) note that group training tends to be more effective and promoted an environment where peer parents are able to support and guide each other thereby encouraging participation and engagement, especially when they involve parent education programs that aim at reducing children’s challenging behaviours. The authors add that small groups consisting of 5-6 families are more effective as parents get an opportunity to share progress, support each and discuss the way forward in implementing strategies. Another Milieu teaching strategy I would recommend is naturalistic intervention through the use of play and routines. According to Curiel and Sainato (2016), the focus in this case is on training the parents or adults present in the environment of the child to recognise and respond to attempts at communication by the child. This is because most attempts at communication by the child often go unnoticed leading to missed opportunities at elaboration of language. Children’s daily routines such as bath time, dressing, mealtime, nappy time and reading before going to bed provide rich environments for learning language. This is also shown by Ogletree et al. (2011) who demonstrate the acquisition of communication skills by a child through perlocutionary, illocutionary and locutionary stages where peers and teachers serve as communication partners.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Enterprise Risk Management ( Erm ) - 1726 Words

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is the ability to identify, manage and/or mitigate risks that can affect the overall business operations down to the day to day operations of an organization (Hampton, J., 2009). The overall Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) entails the utilization of a holistic model to identify risks that face an organization. ERM is not successful when it is managed in silos. Doing so could lead to the organization not having a clear understanding of risks and a misunderstanding of their risk appetite. There are many important components involved in the overall ERM process. Therefore, ERM can be implemented through creating a risk –aware culture, the implementation of the Risk Focused Allocation Framework (RFRAF) and an operations review which creates and implements a risk strategy for an organization. The overall framework of ERM is dependent on a risk-aware culture. A strong culture is one in which decisions are made in a disciplined way, taking into a ccount considerations of risk and reward on an informed basis (Fraser, 2010, pg. 87). Each organization is different and the structure of how it is run, what is important, and what is expected are all different. The definition of risk â€Å"is the potential to lose something worth value† (Risk, 2014). The culture at an organization must be aware of the risk appetite, allowing managers and other employees to make informed decisions based on the amount of risks the organization is willing to take. Having aShow MoreRelatedI.Introduction . Enterprise Risk Management (Erm) Started2499 Words   |  10 PagesI. Introduction Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) started to steady down at the end of 1990s and has been mostly recognized as the expectations for the effective management and corporate governance. (Fraser and Simkins, 2016) This report divided into 4 parts base on the understanding of ERM and Marks Spencer (MS) 2016 Annual report. Firstly, a literature review of ERM to determine the appropriate comprehension of ERM in MS. Secondly, this report introduced basic situation of MS Corporation toRead MoreEnterprise Risk Management ( Erm )1741 Words   |  7 Pages Introduction âž ¢ What is Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)? Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the activities of an organization in order to minimize the effect of risk on an organizations capital and earnings. ERM expands the process to include not just risks associated with accidental losses, but also financial, strategic, operational, and other risks. âž ¢ Benefits of Enterprise Risk Management In Finance †¢ Financial IncentivesRead MoreEnterprise Risk Management ( Erm )1166 Words   |  5 PagesLiterature Review Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) In light of the fraud scandals that took place in 2001 and 2002 companies all over the world have been introduced to a new system to help incorporate corporate governance, risk management, and the requirements made by the SOX. That new system is known as Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). The ERM system has been suggested to be the new system to help companies predict risk and help achieve their overall objectives (Arena, Arnaboldi, Azzone, 2011)Read MoreEnterprise Risk Management ( Erm )1531 Words   |  7 Pagesabout the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). How much risk can be taken so that gain can be increase as risk is directly associated with gain Answer 1: Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) has great potential to provide organizations with new competitive advantages. Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is designed and disciplined approach to deal with strategy, processes, people, technology and knowledge by the motive of evaluation of management of uncertainties which are faced by the enterprises and generatesRead MoreThe Objectives Of The Zimbabwe Agenda For Sustainable Socio Economic Transformation Essay1505 Words   |  7 Pagesthe importance or role played by Enterprise Risk Management in achieving the current goals or objectives of ZimAsset [30] Enterprise risk management (ERM) has been defined by the COSO (2004) as a process, effected by an entity’s board of directors, management and other personnel, applied in strategy setting and across the enterprise, designed to identify potential events that may affect the entity, and manage risk to be within its risk appetite, to provide reasonableRead MoreRisk Management Is A Essential Component Of Any Business1046 Words   |  5 PagesRisk Management is a vital component of any business, especially health care. Risk management can be generally defined as recognizing, preventing, and monitoring situations that could result in injury or liability, monetary loss, or noncompliance of regulations (Chubb Health Care, 2004, 9). In a basic risk management system, risks are identified in separate risk area. Each risk area is handled by a different department. It addresses the risks to an organization at the department level. In theRead MoreRelationship Between Corporate Governan ce And Risk Management Of High Technology Firms1595 Words   |  7 Pagesrelationship between corporate governance and risk management of high technology firms, with publicly listed Australian biotechnology organizations as for example. It displays a governance structure that better deals with the various complex risks such organizations face. INTRODUCTION The current global financial crisis has seen the breakdown of various organizations universally, showing that no industry or ward is invulnerable from insufficient or wrong risk management. In the light of the current globalRead MoreQuestions On Implementing An Effective Erm Program1492 Words   |  6 Pages Assignment 1: ERM Roadmap Wayne Thomas Dr. Patricia White IT Audit and Control October 15, 2016 Abstract This paper represents the IT Audit and Control course and will address the following four issues. ïÆ'Ëœ We will elaborate the COSO Risk Management Framework and COSO’s ERM process. ïÆ'Ëœ We will propose to management the method that they need to take to implement an effective ERM program. This will comprise the concerns and the organizational impact they might meet if they do not implement anRead MoreEnterprise Risk Management1609 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract This paper discusses how a company can successfully implement the Enterprise Risk Management based on COSO guidelines. This paper discusses a step by step process of the implementation plan at Dell Inc, the responsibilities of the workforce and management, the risk mitigation approach and how to monitor the activities successfully. Enterprise Risk Management In the wake of all the financial scandals, a variety of laws and regulations have been passed which makes the board of directorsRead MoreRisk Management 7 Step Process1280 Words   |  6 PagesEnterprise Risk Management is defined as â€Å"the process of identifying and analyzing risk from an integrated, company-wide perspective. It is a structured and disciplined approach in aligning strategy, processes, people, technology and knowledge with a purpose of evaluating and managing the uncertainties the enterprise faces as it creates value† (Woon, Azizan, Samad,  2011, p.  23). Had Non-Linear Pro utilized Enterprise Risk Management, the company would have been able to reduce their liability

Sunday, December 15, 2019

A Picture is Worth a thousand…Parts Free Essays

It is presumed that adults can not recognize a face in parts as easily as the complete facial structure.   It is presumed to be as such because adults recognize the features of an individual’s face more easily than the context of the facial patterns in isolation (762). This gestalt-like facial processing theoretically begins in infancy and has a developmental milestone that is disrupted if something delays or obliterates this phenomenon. We will write a custom essay sample on A Picture is Worth a thousand†¦Parts? or any similar topic only for you Order Now    On television shows and in magazines I recall partial viewings of celebrities’ faces and I almost never got it right.   Such is the finding of Young et al in 1987 study in which adults found it difficult to recognize the top half of a celebrities’ face when it was aligned   with bottom half of a different face (762).    Some theorists believe there is an intimate ability to recognize faces.   However, this research study invalidates that theory.   A controlled experiment was done with patients that were born with or suffered from visual impairments at infancy. These participants were all less than seven months when visual acuity was affected.   Vision was later corrected and the experiment for holistic facial identification had commenced (765). To test for the gestalt-like effect, participants were asked to move a joystick forward if the top halves were the same and back if the top halves were different.   Composites were created by splitting face images horizontally across the middle of the nose, and then recombining the faces using the top and bottom halves of different individuals.   In the aligned position, the top and bottom were properly aligned. In the misaligned condition the top half was shifted horizontally to the left (764).   The results were astounding.   The group that had visual imperfections at infancy actually performed better than their control counterparts on same trials when faces were aligned (766). This group was also more accurate on different trials than on same trials and did not vary with alignment (766).   This supports the theory that this ability is not innate.   Holistic face processing or a composite face effect was not a sustained ability of those with visual impairments at a critical time period.   Such patients fail to integrate facial features into a Gestalt (767). This experiment shows that early visual input is very critical for the normal development of facial processing.   It also raises the question of whether early vision is necessary to preserve the neural substrate that would allow training to induce the later development of holistic processing of non-face objects (767),   I find it rather interesting and this bizarre phenomenon begs the question of when the critical time period begins and ends. The article states that by age six, adult-like processing takes place.   It does not state if visual perception is disrupted after age six, if this ability for gestalt-like processing is still apparent.   Thus this experiment does not prove that infancy is the critical time period or developmental milestone for this ability. To be sufficient, it would have to include a group of participants that had visual impairments later in life and the length of the impairment would have to be similar.   What about visual impairments for one and two year olds? This only mentions infancy from 3 to 6 months. This experiment is partial, at best.   I would also like to know how the control group compares to those who have visual impairments that have not been corrected.   Are such people able to recognize faces aligned and misaligned with similar circumstances? These are critical points to validate and substantiate the findings of this experiment. How to cite A Picture is Worth a thousand†¦Parts?, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

The Culture of Big Data

Question: Describe and define the benefits and limitations of different data infrastructures, storage, information systems, and proper data accessibility? Answer: For any kind of organization, organizational data are very important. Central characteristics of an organization can be captured through organizational data. With the help of information technology, these data can be further analyzed to understand important aspects of an organization, its business process etc. These information in turns help in gaining competitive advantage and overall growth of an organization. (Beynon-Davies, 2013) Organizational data can be structured or unstructured. Traditional databases are useful for storage of structural data and analysis of the same. However, due to current socio economic changes, huge amount of unstructured data is evolving from various transactions and operations of organizations, social media, ecommerce etc. Most of these data are unstructured in nature. For example, URL, image files etc. but for organizations, analysis of these data can be very helpful to understand the changing market trends and coming future opportunities or understanding risks. Hence, organizations are also interested in storage and analysis of these data. But there are some limitation for storage and analysis of these unstructured and voluminous data. Most of these data are real time data and hard to capture. Also, these data comes from diverse sources, hence it is also difficult to analyze those data. Traditional database management systems are not able to store or process these data that is cal led big data. So, new technologies are also evolving for big data storage and management. Some of the examples are Hadoop, ETL etc. (Barlow, 2013) Information systems are also very important for processing of organizational data. As traditional databases are slowly getting replaced by big data management systems. So, new type of information systems are being developed for processing of new kind of organizational data. Information systems based on Data science and knowledge management are example of such new types of information systems for better accessibility to organizational data. References Barlow, M. (2013). The Culture of Big Data. O'Reilly Media, Inc. Beynon-Davies, P. (2013). Business Information Systems. Palgrave Macmillan.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Believe In Me free essay sample

In his first solo effort, the bass player for hard rock band Guns NRoses has really outdone himself. Hoping to gain recognition for his work, Duff McKagan has put out a serious, somewhat personal, but nevertheless rockin album. With the help of his friends: fellow G NR buddies Dizzy Reed, Gilby Clarke, Matt Sorum and Slash, as well as Skid Rows Sebastian Bach, Rob Affuso and Dave Snake Sabo, Lenny Kravitz, guitar legend Jeff Beck of the Yardbirds, Doc Newmann, and long-time friend Joie Mastrokalos, McKagans album is bursting at the seams with extraordinary talent. The songs contained in Believe in Me all have lyrics that come from Duffs heart: stories of personal struggles that tell of the different emotions he has felt through the years. The title song is self-explanatory, basically illustrating the fact that he has gone through a lot in his life and would like to be taken seriously. We will write a custom essay sample on Believe In Me or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Numerous other songs are about love: love lost, being hurt, and the search for that one right woman. In Man in the Meadow, McKagan pays tribute to a deceased close friend of his Todd Crew. The powerful lyrics describe pain and even slight confusion, which are understandable when dealing with the loss of a loved one: You had your start, you made your mark, and then you turn around and leave us in the dark: I think at times Duff McKagans talents have been underestimated, and this album definitely makes up for that, as he takes control of lead vocals, guitar, drums and piano on various songs. The old saying holds true: Give credit where credit is due, and I would like to be the first to applaud him. .

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Evolution of Citizenship essays

The Evolution of Citizenship essays As citizens living in the 21st century, we take for granted the rights and freedoms we have. We dont think about and cherish the freedoms and rights we have as citizens, which many people had to fight for. Citizenship today has changed from that almost 300 years ago. The concept of citizenship is a fairly recent invention. Being a citizen use to mean you had to do whatever the government ordered you to do, which for most people was pay outrageous taxes. This changed in the 1700s when John Locke when he had the idea that individuals should be put ahead of the government and that citizens have the right to life, liberty, and the protection of property. John Lockes ideas served as a reason for future revolutions. The next revolution that had a big impact on citizenship was the Industrial revolution (1750 1900). This led not only to the rise of organized labor, but the rights of employees. Employers were giving their employees shorter work hours, and benefits for their families. Both the Apartheid (1980s) and the Civil rights movement (1960s) helped improve the rights and freedoms for blacks all over the world. Also in 1982 we had the Constitution Act in Canada. The constitution outlined the rules of how the government (federal and provincial) should operate. The Constitution Act also included the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. For that last century we have had many rights and freedoms (the BNA Act) but for the first time in our history there are written down and protected by this constitution. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is the ending point for the rights that we now have as a Canadian citizen. As you can see, citizenship is actually a fairly recent invention and we have many people in history to thank for the rights and freedoms we now have as Canadian citizens. ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Teaching Paper - Nursing Considerations for Teaching Patient hope to Research

Teaching - Nursing Considerations for Teaching Patient hope to deal with Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension and Renal Disease - Research Paper Example Since hypertension and type II diabetes is caused by eating habits and lifestyle issues, health teachings should include proper meal plan which focuses on consistent and regulated intake of the following: (1) calories and carbohydrates based on the patient’s age, gender, body weight, and height; (2) vitamins; (3) minerals; (4) increased fiber; (5) low sodium diet; and (6) moderate sugar depending on the patient’s blood glucose level. It is equally important to encourage the patient to lessen or stop the habit of smoking (nicotine), drinking of alcohol, and avoid stressful situations which could lead to the increase of blood pressure (Johnson, 2004, p. 432). Instead of Depending on the patient’s age, nurses should consider the patient’s physical maturation, cognitive abilities, and psychosocial development when conducting health teaching (Habel, 2007). Although the patient is well-educated and prefers all learning styles; the nurse should always consider the age factor and readiness to learn. Since the patient is 65-year old, there is a possibility that the patient is experiencing learning barrier related to loss of hearing. In this case, the nurse should consider the idea of allowing the patient to read the health-related materials. The patient’s readiness to learn is an important factor behind the success of nurse’s health teachings. In case the patient is not interested in learning due to physical discomfort such as pain, the nurse should take more time to teach the patient health information in short details. Pertinent to the patient’s health condition, nursing diagnosis may include high random blood glucose levels of more than 200 mg/dL due to type II diabetes (Johnson, 2004, p. 286). For chronic renal failure, nursing diagnosis will include excessive fluid volume caused by sodium and water retention (decreasing the patient’s urine output) (Johnson, 2004, p. 677). To prove that allowing the patient to read nurse’s health

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Should couples in us be discouraged from having more than two children Research Paper

Should couples in us be discouraged from having more than two children - Research Paper Example 17). The government thus had to find a way to reduce population growth since the increasing dependent group was growing randomly. In the late 1960s, the government introduced the use of contraceptives even by the unemployed category of women. These contraceptives were offered at cheap prices to increase their use and thus curb the uncontrolled population growth that resulted to more poverty. The introduction of contraceptives helped reduce the population growth but the government was in full control of the population growth. The issue of the increase of low-income earners is becoming a burden to the taxpayers due to the increased overdependence on the government aiding programs. Putting this in mind, this project is aimed at discussing if the US government should discourage couples from having more than two children (Demographic Research, 2008, vol. 17). The issue of a couple on to have at most two children has raised a big debate that many researchers have surveyed in an effort of coming up with the benefits that small families have over big families and vice versa. The past researches will provide us with more knowledge and thus an informative literature review. The literature review will also provide this research on the reasons behind rapid population growth and will thus answer the issue at hand. In this research, we will use primary data to not the views of Americans and thus from the data will analyze it and discuss the findings. After discussion, the research will provide a conclusion. Lastly, in this research we will offer a recommendation. Past researches have talked the issues of the need for family planning, causes of rapid population growth and the impacts of government making laws on the number of children by a couple. The three are the most related researches that will provide us with the information required to tackle the issue at hand. The past research on the use of family

Monday, November 18, 2019

The Domino Effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Domino Effect - Essay Example Through increased exports, current account deficit tend to correct itself and bridge the gap. However, what has been observed that in real world is something different. It has been observed that currencies of the countries with large deficits have witnessed great appreciation in the value over the period of time. The apparent reason for this appreciation in currency is the fact that the emergence of new emerging market economies like India, China, Brazil, South Africa etc has witnessed a marked decrease in the overall risk profile of developing countries. This coupled with increased interest rates saw the strong inflow of speculative capital into those countries which increased the overall attraction for the currencies of the countries having large current account deficits. The increase in the interest rates has been attributed mainly as the most important factor which attracts foreign investors and hence increases the overall attractiveness of the currency and helps stimulate its ap preciation in foreign exchange market despite country running a large current account deficit. The author further cited the examples of some countries like New Zealand, Australia, Britain and Iceland, which despite their large and persistent current deficits tend to have higher gains in their currencies. Theoretically, it has been argued that there is a relationship between the two variables however, empirical studies have proved it otherwise as there is very weak or no relationship between the two variables. These trends in current account financing however seems to be reversing because of the current financial turmoil in the markets. The article further went on to discuss that the same relationship however do not to persist over the sustained period of time and foreign capital inflows tend to dry up thus forcing current account deficits to much higher spreads. Further, the trends seem to hold when foreign investors investing into the countries with high current account deficits tend to be more risk averse. A slight change in the overall risk appetite of the foreign investor s may reverse the relationship and with increased current account deficit, inflationary pressures may further damage the trust of international investors hence virtually reverse the process of current account deficit financing through high interest rates. The above graph shows the relationship between the Current Account Deficit (CAD) and the growth in currency in Australian Markets. This graph very clearly indicates that the relationship between current account deficit and the currency appreciation and shows that as the CAD accumulated so does the exchange rate. Another important characteristic which is depicted in the above graph is the rise of bank credit with the rise in CAD and exchange rates. The higher inflows of foreign investment finally seem to be ending up in the form of local bank deposits. It is also important to mention that the article discussed the effect of foreign investments from two perspectives. First is foreign direct investment which is believe to have a less volatile nature and fluctuate less with current account deficit therefore has lesser correlation with the exchange rates. However, the speculative portion of foreign investment, the so called speculative capital, tends to show a relationship with the exchange rates and current account deficit. The below mentioned graph depicts some of the forecasted relationship betw

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Super Size Me: Film Report

Super Size Me: Film Report Chapter I: Introduction Morgan Spurlock the director of Super Size Me went on a daring adventure to test whether the claims made by two overweight/obese teenagers was true. Two teenagers claimed that they had received their condition as a result from the McDonalds Cooperation by eating their fast food. Seeing how McDonalds is the most populous fast food restaurant in the world. Many Americans do indeed follow a fast food diet but are unaware of the exact health results. Since America is growing in the percentage of overweight/ obese people in America there should be some data on what fast food restaurants have in this issue. Obesity has become a major health problem in the United States; with over 60% of adult Americans beingobese. Obesity can lead to an array of other diseases, an increased risk of illness and premature death. Chapter II: Review of Literature The documentary, Super Size Me, was not only created to show the harmful effects of eating fast food, namely McDonalds. Morgan created the film to show that fast food has become a fixture in our countrys culture. I learned the ongoing and fast rate obesity is growing. Diabetes is also playing a key role as well as psychological changes and side effects that can result from a high fatty diet. Marketing campaigns by fast food markets are stronger and louder than healthy eatingmessages. Being obese has now become the second largest preventable cause of death falling behind cigarette users. Each day, one in four Americans visits a fast food restaurant. This figure shows how the fast food market has really taken a grasp on American lifestyles with eating. With McDonalds making up of 43 percent of the fast food market today and shelling out more money in advertising alone compared to health food ads, its easy to see how the convenience of fast food has taken apart of Americans â€Å"culture†. In general, children and adolescents are eating more food away from home, drinking more sugar-sweetened drinks, and snacking on food that cost generally less than their healthy counterparts. Convenience has become one of the main criteria for Americans food choices today, leading more and more people to consume quick service or restaurant meals or to buy ready-to-eat, meals to prepare at home rather than the ordinary home-style cooking by the mother due to the fact that this requires far more work. Only 21 percent of young people eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. 32 percent of adolescent girls and 52 percent of adolescent boys consume three or more eight ounce servings of soda per day. And with, schools currently decreasing the amount of free play and physical activity that children receive during school hours this does not add up to a particularly healthy lifestyle. Only about one-third of elementary children have daily physical education, in which this time of life can set the tone on how children will lead their lives as they later grow up into adolescents. Spurlock goes on to show how our nation is becoming morbidly obese and the fast rate it is growing just by fast food in itself. In the United States alone it has reached epidemic proportions. Being overweight during childhood and adolescence increases the risk of developing high cholesterol, hypertension, respiratory ailments, orthopedic problems, depression and type two diabetes as a youth. With over 60 percent of adult Americans beingobese side effects can result from this, hypertensionbeing one of the most common side effects of obesity. Another complication associated with obesity is diabetes, with 15 million people alone in the United States being diabetic; approximately 10 percent are juvenile onset diabetics. The other 90 percent of diabetics are type two diabetics, commonly known as adult onset. Those who develop adult onset diabetes generally are diagnosed in their middle years, between 30 to 60 years old. This type of diabetes is almost always associated with obesity. The m ajority ofobeseindividuals with diabetes can reduce their complications by losing as little as 10 percent of their current body weight. Just being diagnosed with diabetes will automatically cut 17-27 years off a human life. Overweight in children and adolescents are generally caused by a lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns resulting in excess energy intake, or a combination of the two. If people were to look at the long-term consequences, overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults, which increases to 80 percent if one or more parent is overweight or obese. Within the documentary, Spurlock seems to contract the beginning stages of a severe condition calledsleep apnea. For people with this problem, it becomes more difficult to breathe at night as their weight increases. People with this condition typically snore severely and have episodes when they stop breathing completely, sometimes for up to one minute at a time. Sleep apnea although not as well known of a complication is still quite serious, and in many cases requires medical attention. The best method of treatment for any of the above side effects is weight loss. In 2000, the total cost of obesity for children and adults in the United States was estimated to be $117 billion ($61 billion in direct medical costs). Understanding the causes of childhood obesity can provide people with the opportunity of eating right and staying healthy. Chapter III: Methodology Before undertaking the experiment of living every childs dream by eating McDonalds for thirty days, procedures needed to be taken to ensure that data would be accurately recorded and that Spurlock would be obtaining the most accurate results possible. He must eat one of everything on the menu at least once, and when asked to super size his meal he must do so. Another requirement of Morgans experiment is that he can only take 5,000 steps a day to replicate the exercise that most average Americans get on a daily basis. He must also eat three meals a day, no exceptions and if McDonalds doesnt serve it Morgan cant eat it. To start, Morgan enlists three doctors to assist him through his thirty day documentary. A cardiologist, gastroenterologist, and a general practitioner all check him out at the beginning of the experiment. Spurlock, who stands six feet two inches tall, had a body weight of 185.5pounds, 11 percent body fat, perfect blood pressure, and cholesterol of 168, Morgan sported a very fit body before undergoing the McDiet. This is about as perfect of a body that someone can sport at the age of 32. Morgan also hires a nutritionist and dietician named Bridgett Bennet who will help track his progress. With the hypothesis of what results that may be seen from this diet, the cardiologist says that he expects to see a change in Morgans triglycerides, but he says that his liver will probably be able to metabolize the excess fat. The general practitioner says that Morgan will probably gain weight and that his cholesterol will probably go up as well. In my own personal opinion, an experiment I would use as a follow-up to Spurlocks would be a test to show more of a long term effect on eating at McDonalds. If I was a scientist and was studying the effects of eating fast-food, one way I would go about running this experiment would be to find two men of common age, height, weight, and healthy eating habits. Then I would have one of these men continue with their healthy eating, while the other man has McDonalds at least twice a week. The man who continued eating healthy would help provide a control for the experiment that Spurlock lacked. Even extending the period of the experiment to maybe two to three years will provide a more realistic view of the effects on McDonalds in a diet then an unrealistic every day and every meal experiment. Whether there would be a huge difference in the two men or none at all, I have no idea but I think that it would be a way to increase the validity of the lab that Spurlocks experiment lacked. Chapter IV: Presentation of Findings Even during the first few days of the McDonalds diet, Spurlock was showing signs of being visibly uncomfortable. One afternoon eating in his car after stopping at a drive-through, he was havingtrouble finishing his supersize fries, complaining that he was experiencing a McBelly ache, McGas, and McSweats. The results in the 30 day McDonalds diet is that there was change to the human body caused by fast food was in fact much worse than the three doctors had originally anticipated that occurred to his body after undertaking this experiment. Before, Spurlock was in taking about 2,500 calories per day, but when undergoing the McDiet, the calorie intake doubled to 5,000 per day. Morgan frequently pointed out that throughout his day, he felt depressed and sad, during his thirty day McDonalds diet. Spurlock claims he was hooked on fast food during his binge, feeling happy only while eating. I definitely went through serious withdrawal symptoms, including headaches, sweats, and shakes, and only when he ate another McDonalds meal did he find sanction from these symptoms. Over time Morgans weight dramatically increases, his health weakens and he begins to show signs of depression. Morgan at six foot two inches, 185 pounds, and 11 percent body fat was fit and lean at the start the month. After 30 days Morgan has gained 24.5 pounds and increased his body fat by seven percent, concluding that such an extreme diet really can be hazardous to your health. His cholesterol goes up, and so does his blood pressure. His doctor describes his liver function test results as obscene. His liver test came back to ratify the doctors conclusion, that his liver was starting to turn to fat. His cholesterol went from 168 to 230.He went from 11 percent body fat to 18 percent body fat. This was extreme for just thirty days. During his various checkups throughout the month, his body weight slowly increased except for one exception when one pound was lost. This is theorized that the excess fat he was obtaining was weighing less than the muscle mass that was being lost.The movi e presented some alarming facts.With only seven items on the McDonalds menu were sugar free along with the case that McDonalds can be found in nearly every city across America, this doesnt help the cause of the growing obesity pandemic in America. Chapter V: Summary/Implication/Discussion What else is there to be expected if you are eating fast food three times a day and getting little to no exercise? Since Spurlocks documentary Super Size Me argues that fast food is addictive but not in the typical way that someone would find it. It was only addictive in the case of finding a haven from the various side effects of not consuming fast food. Throughout the course of the documentary Spurlock uses humor to advance his thesis. He shows pictures of famous personalities to kids who look to be about six years in age. The children readily identify Ronald McDonald and George Washington but are stumped by a third picture. George W. Bush? one little boy ventures, No, but thats a good guess, says Spurlock, turning the picture toward the camera. Its a drawing of Jesus Christ. How does this help further prove that children are on a course of obesity just because they can identify the leading fast food figure? Its not the kids to blame that Ronald McDonald spends a great deal of time on commercials of children television commercials than Jesus himself does. As with Spurlocks exercise in extreme eating, Im not sure what that proves. The fact that kids know who Ronald McDonald is does not mean they will end up becoming obese. Similarly, Spurlock asks a group of tourists to stand in front of the White House and recite the Pledge of Allegiance, which they have trouble doing accurately and in unison. But when he asks about the components of a Big Mac, one of them wattles off, Two all-beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onions on a sesame seed bun. Im sure that if I went on to remember the list of what a Big Mac consists of, I can still avoid eating one. Throughout the movie I found one particular quote that stood out to me apart from the rest. It came from the words of Jared Fogle, the man off of the Subway commercials, commenting to a obese family that The worlds not going to change. You have to change. All in all, I think that this experiment was not valid. However, the effects resulting from Spurlocks experiment were too good to be true. Supersize Me† showed me very interesting things about eating at McDonalds. For example, it helped me realize that eating at McDonalds is a consumers choice. The meals provide a quick, easy, and cheap way to fill a persons stomach which definitely attracts many customers to eat at a restaurant. There is without a doubt that fast food comes at a costly sacrifice and being absurdly unhealthy. People, if they realized the facts of what they were eating you cant blame them for wanting a crack at the fast food industry of what it has done to their body. However the catch is, its your own choice to purchase the food they are selling. If people are really worried about their health, then they should take the measures of looking up exactly what it is they are consuming. Within months after the films release McDonalds excluded the Supersizing option. Nutrition information was printed right on food packages, and thousands of people may have started thinking twice before considering McDonalds for a meal. In this case of the documentary, â€Å"Supersize Me† was a hit success.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

shirley jackson :: essays research papers

The Irony in "The Lottery" Shirley Jackson wrote the story "The Lottery." A lottery is typically thought of as something good because it usually involves winning something such as money or prizes. In this lottery it is not what they win but it is what is lost. Point of views, situations, and the title are all ironic to the story "The Lottery." The point of view in "The Lottery" is ironic to the outcome. Jackson used third person dramatic point of view when writing "The Lottery." The third person dramatic point of view allowed the author to keep the outcome of the story a surprise. The outcome is ironic because the readers are led to believe everything is fine because we do not really know what anyone is thinking. This point of view enables the ending to be ironic. The situations in "The Lottery" are ironic. The author's use of words keeps the reader thinking that there is nothing wrong and that everyone is fine. The story starts by describing the day as "clear and sunny"(309). The people of the town are happy and going on as if it is every other day. The situation where Mrs. Hutchinson is jokingly saying to Mrs. Delacroix "Clean forgot what day it was"(311) is ironic because something that is so awful cannot truly be forgotten. At the end of the story when Mrs. Hutchinson is chosen for the lottery, it is ironic that it does not upset her that she was chosen. She is upset because of the way she is chosen. She shows this by saying "It isn't fair, it isn't right" (316). The situation is extremely ironic to the story. The title of the story "The Lottery" is ironic. By reading the title of the story the reader may think that someone is going to win something. In actuality when the reader gets to the end of the story, he finds just the opposite to be true. Jackson shows every day as if it is any other summer day. Jackson foreshadows the events to come by writing: School was recently over for the summer . . . Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; . . . eventually made a pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of other boys.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Of Endings and Closures Essay

When reading a novel, some cannot avoid but get carried away by the emotions and experiences of the characters. Some novelists are very good not only at capturing interest of their readers but also getting them involved in the turn of events. Through the dialogues, the characters, and the plot, the readers are compelled to think, feel, and even dream. With vivid imagination, readers can feel like they are active participants to the story. Taking this into consideration, authors should consider what the readers would feel upon reading a story. Although the beginning of the story is one very important part of the plot, the ending is more important for it concludes and seals in every knot, each loose end presented throughout the story. It decides what will happen to the characters, and suggests to the readers how they should think or react to the situation or feelings presented. They compel the readers to continue the thought implied at the end, or to imagine the scenes come true in reality. This way the story’s ending is very important. Without it the story will not reach its finality. Designing a suitable ending is very important. Based on the thoughts and experiences of the characters, the ending should provide a finality to make the work complete. It should provide conclusion to the themes of the story, and tie every loose end so as not to leave the audience hanging. Although some stories are open-ended, where readers are asked to decide what happens next, these stories still suggest a specific ending considering the events that proceeded. The point is, as the reader closes the book, they should be left with a thought to provoke other thoughts that they could apply in their own experiences. A story’s ending does not always have to be happy. There are endings that are meant to be sad especially if this is where the main character is led throughout the story. In learning about point of view, we see how the story’s angle of narration connects with the ending. Based on this, a story with the omniscient angle is likely to have a happy ending, where all characters will be settled in place, those who are good will be rewarded, while those who are bad will be punished. In contrast, a story presenting the psychological angle will likely constitute a sad ending or death of someone connected to the main character. These two angles are the ones used in the novels of two great classical women writers, Jane Austen and Emily Bronte. Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey presents the omniscient angle, while Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights uses the psychological angle, being told by Lockwood, who makes a reflection on what is happening around him. In Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen employs the omniscient angle. Although the story is focused on Catherine as the main character, subplots are used to tell experiences, especially love affairs of other characters like Isabella, Eleanor, John, and James. Told in the omniscient angle, the author provides a closure to every subplot, and finally leads to the major one, the conclusion for the major character’s journey. Noticeably, different sub-endings are employed in the story. The end of Isabella’s affair with James (Catherine’s brother) is not successful, neither is her relationship with Frederick. Similarly, the arrogant John Thorpe does not succeed in winning Catherine’s heart, while Eleanor (Henry’s sister) gets to marry a wealthy and prominent man, an ending somehow related to that of Catherine’s. Told in the omniscient angle, the narrator seems to see everything happening among the characters. Although the focus is on the development in the life of the young woman, other events that intertwine are also told by the omniscient narrator. As such, the deeds and feelings of the characters are revealed in the story. If follows that those who are good-natured, those who does not fake affection like Catherine, Eleanor, and Henry are granted proper treatment in the story, with a proper ending for all of them. In relation, those who do not do good, and feign affection are punished, such as Isabella and John. The omniscient angle affects the story or vice versa for it considers the effect on the readers. As mentioned, those who should be punished lose in the unraveling of events, and those who are good triumph. In contrast, Emily Bronte uses the psychological angle in her novel, Wuthering Heights. The story is told by Lockwood, who serves as a major participant in the story for he is the one giving account and reflecting on the major characters’ experiences. Although he is not a major character in the plot involving Heathcliff and those who have died, he plays an important role in that the story of Heathcliff affects him directly, and makes him write his own point of view regarding other characters. As the major narrator who takes interest in his landlord’s story, he portrays Heathcliff with some psychological imbalance, giving his account a psychological treatment. The angle by which the story is told relates with the ending of the story. Being told in the major character’s viewpoint, it gives account on what happens to the main character, Heathcliff, his affections, sufferings, emotional imbalance, etc. Through this angle we see how the death of Catherine Earnshaw affects Heathcliff, and how the anger inside him makes him fall into a tragic pit. Aside from point of view, the kind of characters present in the story affects the treatment and the ending. Both novels employ the concept of bildungsroman, thus providing the psychological, moral and intellectual development of the characters from the time they are young. As such, in Austen’s Northanger Abbey, we see how the naive Catherine grows up to be a self-assured individual. As the character’s journey continues, she meets different people to help her gain new insights about life, and she matures more with the experiences she has. Although some events lead her to feel dismayed such as the feign feelings of Isabella towards her brother, and the arrogance of John, the encounters she has makes her a more mature person. Moreover, her encounters with the Linton and the captain’s hospitality of sending her back home contribute to her development, for these help her explore the world and find her place in it. The positive development of Austen’s character normally leads to a positive ending. As the events unravel, the readers may expect a happy ending for the character. Although Henry’s proposal comes a little later than she wishes, it concludes the major character’s ultimate wish, and justifies the preparation Catherine undergoes in being a full-grown woman. The plot is designed in such a way that the character experiences all the necessary events in her life, including the waiting and rejection, for her to satisfy a more important role in the end, that is fulfilling her wish to be a family woman. The same concept of bildungsroman is applied by Bronte in the character of Heathcliff. This starts with the adoption of Heathcliff by Mr. Earnshaw despite the strong disapproval of Hindley. In the story, we see that the weak boy turns into a strong and influential man when he grows up. However, unlike the protagonist of Austen, Heathcliff develops in a rather negative way. His hatred towards Hindley and Edgar Linton makes him bitter and this does not change until the end. Although there is development, it is negative, thus leading to the tragic ending of the said character. There is a clear relevance between the negative development Heathcliff undergoes and the sad ending he encounters. Some readers who prefer a happy ending would still expect Heathcliff to change along the way, especially when he finally reunites with his son. However, it is only rational and more realistic that the former events lead to the tragic ending. The melancholy the character imposes on himself and others correspond to the ending that Bronte gives. The cruel and unforgiving personality Heathcliff projects reasonably leads to his bad fate. We may say that this is more reasonable than make him reflect on everything he has done and have him repent at the end. Although having him repent for his sins would make the story more cathartic as what would be explained later, the ending by Bronte may have better relevance during the time the novel was written. The theme of misery is probably more appealing to the people during its milieu, that is why faith in God and religion is not emphasized in the story. Moreover, the novel’s themes of misery and revenge are two intertwined motifs. Heathcliff suffers misery because of his cruelty and wish for revenge. He insists on having his way on everything, even if doing so would hurt the people around him. The misery he feels later leads him to insanity, as he talks to Catherine’s ghost on his own. It probably appealed more to the audience to have Heathcliff suffer at the end than have him repent and change his ways. The question of catharsis is another consideration in evaluating the ending of a story. Catharsis as Meriam Webster Online Dictionary defines (2008), â€Å"is a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension. In employing catharsis, the author should use elements to balance the good and evil in the story. For instance, crime stories with criminals as the main characters should not just portray them as bad people, but also as good ones. One classic example is Robin Hood. In this tale we see that the protagonist steals from the rich to give the goods to the poor people. By making him champion the cause of the poor, the character is an example of a cathartic hero. Even though stealing from the rich is a crime, it is made positive and thus gains approval from those in the lower class. This way, the story becomes cathartic. In Northanger Abbey, we see catharsis in the lives of the characters. First, we see the consequences in the life of Isabella. When she falls in love with James, she also remains as Catherine’s friend, but when she leaves James for Frederick, she loses her bestfriend and the man who loves her. Such fate of an unfaithful lover demonstrates the author’s way of achieving catharsis. It reveals that unfaithfulness will not lead to finding true love, and retribution will come later on.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Great Pyramid at Giza

Great Pyramid at Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza, located about ten miles  southwest of Cairo, was built as a burial site for Egyptian pharaoh Khufu in the 26th century BCE. Standing at 481 feet high, the Great Pyramid  was not only  the largest pyramid ever built, it remained one of the tallest structures in the  world until the late 19th century.  Impressing visitors with  its massiveness and beauty, its no  surprise that the Great Pyramid at Giza was considered one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. Amazingly,  the Great Pyramid  has withstood the test of time, standing for  over 4,500 years; it  is the only Ancient Wonder to have survived to the  present. Who Was Khufu? Khufu (known in Greek as Cheops)  was the second king of the 4th dynasty in ancient Egypt, ruling for about 23 years in the late 26th century BCE. He was the son of Egyptian Pharaoh Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres I. Sneferu  remains famous for being the very  first pharaoh to build a pyramid. Despite fame for building the second and largest pyramid in Egyptian history, theres not a lot more that we know about Khufu.  Only one,  extremely tiny (three inch), ivory statue has been found of him, giving us  just a glimpse at what he must have looked like.  We know that two of his children (Djedefra and Khafre)  became pharaohs after him and it is believed that he had at least three wives. Whether or not  Khufu was a kind or evil ruler is still debated. For centuries, many believed that he must have been hated because of stories that he used slaves to create the Great Pyramid. This has since been found untrue. It is more likely that the Egyptians, who viewed their pharaohs as god-men, found him not as beneficent as his father, but still a traditional, ancient-Egyptian ruler.   The Great Pyramid The Great Pyramid is a masterpiece of  engineering and workmanship. The accuracy and precision of the Great Pyramid astounds even modern builders. It stands on a rocky plateau located on  the west bank of the Nile River in northern Egypt. At the time of construction, there was nothing else there. Only later did this area become built up with two additional pyramids, the Sphinx, and other mastabas. The Great Pyramid is huge, covering a little over 13 acres of ground. Each side, although not exactly the same length, is about 756-feet long.  Each corner is nearly an exact 90 degree angle. Also Interesting is that each side is aligned to face one of the cardinal points of the compass north,  east, south, and west. Its entrance lies in the middle of the north side. The structure of the Great Pyramid is made from 2.3 million, extremely large, heavy, cut-stone blocks, weighing an average of 2 1/2 tons each, with the largest weighing 15 tons. It is said that when Napoleon Bonaparte visited the Great Pyramid in 1798, he calculated that there was enough stone to build a one-foot-wide, 12-feet-high wall around France.   On top of the stone was placed a smooth layer of white limestone. At the very top was placed a capstone, some say made of electrum (a mixture of gold and silver). The limestone surface and the capstone would have made the entire pyramid sparkle in sunlight. Inside the Great Pyramid are three burial chambers. The first lies underground, The second, often mistakenly called the Queens Chamber, is located just above ground. The third and final chamber, the Kings Chamber,  lies in the heart of the pyramid. A Grand Gallery leads up to it. It is believed that Khufu was buried in a heavy, granite coffin within the Kings Chamber. How Did They Build It? It seems amazing that an ancient culture could build something so massive and precise, especially since they had only copper and bronze tools to worth with. Exactly how they did this has been an unsolved  puzzle perplexing people for centuries.   It is said that the whole project took 30 years to complete 10 years  for preparation and 20 for the actual building. Many believe this to be possible, with the chance that it could have been built even  faster. The workmen who built the Great Pyramid were not slaves, as once thought, but regular Egyptian peasants who were conscripted to help with building for about three months out of the year i.e. during the time when the Nile floods and farmers were not needed in their fields. The stone was quarried on the east side of the Nile, cut into shape, and then placed on a sledge that was pulled by men to the rivers edge. Here, the huge stones were loaded onto barges, ferried across the river, and then dragged to the construction site. It is believed that the most likely way the Egyptians got those heavy stones up  so high was by building a huge, earthen  ramp. As each level was completed, the ramp was built higher, hiding the level below it. When all the huge stones were in place, the workmen worked from top to bottom to place the limestone covering. As they worked downward, the earthen ramp was removed little by little. Only once the limestone covering was completed could the ramp be fully removed and the Great Pyramid be revealed. Looting and Damage No one is sure how long the Great Pyramid stood intact before being looted, but it was probably not long. Centuries ago, all of the pharaohs riches had been taken, even his body had been removed. All that remains is the bottom of his granite coffin even the top is missing. The capstone is also long gone. Thinking there was still treasure inside,  Arab ruler Caliph Mamum ordered his men to hack their way into the Great Pyramid in 818 CE. They did manage to find the Grand Gallery and the granite coffin, but it had all been emptied of treasure long ago. Upset at so much hard work with no reward, the Arabs pried off the limestone covering and took some of the cut-stone blocks to use for buildings. In total, they took about 30-feet off the top of the Great Pyramid. What remains is an empty pyramid, still grand in size but not as pretty since just a very small portion of its once beautiful limestone casing remains along the bottom. What About Those Other Two Pyramids? The Great Pyramid at Giza now sits with two other pyramids. The second one was built by Khafre, Khufus son. Although Khafres pyramid appears larger than his fathers, its an illusion since the ground is higher under Khafres pyramid. In reality, it is 33.5-feet shorter. Khafre is believed to have also built the Great Sphinx, which sits regally by his pyramid. The third pyramid at Giza is much shorter, standing only 228-feet high. It was built as a burial place for Menkaura, Khufus grandson and Khafres son. The help protect these three pyramids at Giza from further vandalism and disrepair, they  were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

11 Tips for Surviving a Miserable Job

11 Tips for Surviving a Miserable Job Work is work, not play. That’s why it’s called work. But there’s a difference between work being work and having to work a really miserable job. We’ve all been there. Here are 11 ways to tough it out in a job you hate- at least until you can get another one.1. Vent it OutAs long as you don’t do it at the office or with your coworkers or too publicly (ahem, on social media), it can be a really good thing to rant and rave and get your feelings off your chest rather than letting them fester. If you’ve already annoyed your friends with your work gripes, try a forum like jobvent.com.2. Realize it’s Only TemporaryYou’re only stuck there until you can find another job. Start looking. The average number of jobs a typical worker has in their career is growing to five. And there is no longer a stigma about switching jobs or careers like there used to be. Get out there and start working on your resume and soon this bummer job will be way i n the past.3. Make Time for YourselfAll work and no play will make you miserable, no matter what your work is. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself and taking time to do things you find enjoyable. If you build these activities into your day, it’ll be a lot easier to get through.4. Find Something Fun in Your WorkdayGive yourself a daily treat at the office, whether that’s listening to music at your desk, buying yourself  a snazzy lunch, keeping track of your sports team, playing the occasional round of chess against your computer†¦ just something to break up the day. Find something you like that will give you a few minutes of fun among the drudgery.5. Keep LaughingYour sense of humor is your best friend in rough times. Don’t lose sight of it. Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine. Find a way to keep a hold on perspective and keep laughing. Your situation is manageable and can be changed. Just keep your chin up and stay positive.6. Focus on Your Real LifeChances are you have plenty going on outside the office. Put your main focus on that stuff for a change. Don’t take your bad job home with you; leave work at work and make sure your outside life is rich and rewarding. And fun.7. Try to Do BetterIf you hate your job, it’s probably really hard to motivate yourself to excel. But being better at your job will actually help you move jobs- whether up the ladder at your current company, or to another one entirely. Put your hating energy into working harder and your problem might just solve itself.8. Don’t Screw UpYou hate your job, but the last thing you want to do is get fired. Be doubly careful not to put your job in jeopardy while you’re figuring out what to do next. Whatever you do, don’t let your performance slip. You’ll probably need a reference.9. Organize a Fun Night OutGet your coworkers to all go bowling, or to a movie, or to have a potluck picnic in the park. Chances ar e they’re probably as miserable as you are on the job. Get together, share some laughs, and feel a little better about life.10. Get HelpWorkplace stress can be a major factor in depression. Check to see whether your company has an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) and get some professional help to see you through. A happy worker is more productive, obviously. Plus, it never hurts to talk things out with the pros.11. Be PatientYour bad job sucks, but you only have to cope long enough to find a new job. Devote yourself to that, but leave the rest of it at the office. You can get through 9-5 every day for a few weeks until you find something new. Hang in there.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Leave blank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leave blank - Essay Example However, under act utilitarianism, if for instance such a person were known to be a Pol Pot, and Idi Amin or a Hitler, then killing him would be justified in order to spare the many more they would have killed. The declining marginal utility of money refers to the change in total satisfaction derived from the purchase of one additional or incremental unit of a specific good or service, all else being equal (businessdictionary.com, 2010). In other words, as a person has more and more of one thing, his satisfaction with each additional unit of the thing becomes less and less. For instance, a beggar with nothing at all will be immensely joyful at receiving a dollar. A student will frown at the dollar, but will be happy with a hundred dollars. The office worker may be disappointed with a hundred dollar raise, but will welcome ten thousand dollars added to his annual income. Finally, a millionaire will think nothing of ten thousand dollars; he needs to acquire ten million dollars to feel the same satisfaction that the beggar felt with one dollar. (b) A principle of justice in transfer – A person who acquires a holding in accordance with the principle of justice in transfer, from someone else entitled to the holding, is entitled to the holding. (c) A principle of rectification of injustice - No one is entitled to a holding except by (repeated) applications of 1 and 2. Otherwise, holdings that are unjustly acquired or transferred, should be returns, victims duly compensated, past transgressions or injustices done by a government rectified, and so on. An example of the first principle is that a person may legally acquire an asset, such as a car, by purchasing it at good value. If the sale, however, is done under duress and for a price way below its true value so as not to be justified, then the right of ownership does not transfer, as in the case of a man who forces

Saturday, November 2, 2019

What are the Marxist explanations for the current global economic Essay

What are the Marxist explanations for the current global economic crises - Essay Example Marx argues that the relations of production are initially progressive but deteriorate over time to a point where capitalists are in control of the application of productive forces. The capitalists lack interest in promoting socially beneficial reforms. In a capitalist society, the capitalists benefit most as they are in control of the means of production. As such, they receive a disproportionate share of wealth, power, status and privileges. Marx insists that only labor should earn money and that money should not be used to make more money. As such, capitalists should not receive an income as interest on their savings or investments as they are going to earn income without working (Elster, 1986, P.259). Marxists argue that due capitalism’s insistence on production for profit; a huge gulf exists between production for profit and production to meet needs. Profits are maximized by producing to satisfy the needs of richer people; and as a result, urgent needs of poorer people are neglected (Elster, 1986, P.297). Capitalists engage in savage competition, and there is pressure to develop more efficient production and better technology. Over time, capitalists tend to increase the percentage of capital investment that goes into the machinery and to decrease the percentage put into buying labor. As a result, workers earn less while capitalists increasingly accumulate wealth. Consequently, the workers have less purchasing power and cannot afford the goods produced by capitalists leading to a fall in capitalists’ profits on the long-run (Elster, 1986, P.230). The aggressive competition and accumulation of wealth by capitalists gives rise to a chronic problem of finding profitable outlets for the accumulated capital. The search for outlets has led to important phenomena such as takeover mania, speculation, stock market crashes and financial crisis. More importantly, it has inspired

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Steve Jobs' Commencement Speech at Stanford University Essay

Steve Jobs' Commencement Speech at Stanford University - Essay Example This paper aims at identifying the main elements of Steve Jobs' Commencement Speech at Stanford University that enables the listeners to comprehend and connect with the speaker individually and collectively. In attaining this end, the research will examine the use of logos, pathos, and ethos to make the listeners understand the full speech and some components of the speech. This paper is in the form of rhetorical analysis. It tries to examine the main components of the speech and the kind of message it seeks to communicate to the audience. Rhetoric analysis â€Å"...lays bare or adequately interprets the secret life of a form of communication or speech†. In other words, the paper seeks to decode the main influence that the message seeks to exert on the mind of the listener. It tries to comprehensively examine the kind of information that Steve Jobs seeks to assert on the graduands by breaking down the speak. Rossenwasser and Stephen identify that â€Å"to analyze the rhetoric of something is to determine how that something persuades and positions its readers or viewers or listeners.† Ethos is about the credibility and the ethical appeal that the speaker has over the listener. It is mainly about how the audience relates to the speaker and the contacts that occur whilst the discussion goes on. Although there is no agreed standard in measuring the potency of ethos, the commonest method of evaluating this is to examine the emotions of the audience. The audience reacts by clapping and shouting to show their connection with the speaker. In this speech, there are so many emotions that are shown at different points in the interaction between Steve Jobs and the graduands. There were instances where the crowd screamed and there were other times where they clapped. Also, at the end of the entire speech, there was a standing ovation which gave an indication to a bystander that the speech had had some influence on the people present and this is very much evide nt of ethos. In analyzing the speech of Steve Jobs, there are four main components of ethos that can be conveniently examined to bring to bear the kind of connection that existed between the audience and speaker during the whole speech. Credibility refers to the trust and worth of a person's communication with another. This refers to how factors that cause a listener to place more reliance on the words of another person. First of all, the personality of Steve Jobs is one that grants him so much credibility. Being nominated as the speaker for the event in itself is something that comes with a lot of reputation for the event.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Macbeth a tragic hero Essay Example for Free

Macbeth a tragic hero Essay A Tragic Hero is a common figure in many of Shakespeares works. A Tragic Hero is usually a figure of royalty, fame or greatness. This person is predominately good, but falls from prominence due to personality flaws that eventually lead to self-destruction. Macbeths major flaws are his ambition and impressionability. Due to their flaws, a Tragic Heros actions are often atrocious and cause them to battle with their conscience after their desires have been accomplished. These battles with their conscience evoke empathy from the audience. A Shakespearean Tragic Hero will always lose their life in the end of the play as a result of re-establishment of what is good in the play. In Shakespeares Macbeth, the title figure of the play can be seen as the Tragic Hero. There are many factors which contribute to the decline of Macbeth. The three main factors which contribute greatly to Macbeths degeneration are the prophecies which were told to him by the witches, Lady Macbeths influence and ability to manipulate Macbeths judgment, and finally Macbeths long time ambition which drove his desire to be king. Macbeths growing character decays from a noble man to a violent individual. When the play begins, Macbeths greatness is already established. Macbeth has already earned the title of Thane of Glamis and will soon become the Thane of Cawdor. The fact that he has these titles demonstrates to the reader that Macbeth is good and an important figure of responsibility. He is also addressed as Valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen. (Shakespeare 1:2 26), Brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name. (Shakespeare 1:2 18) and as Worthy Thane. by King Duncan. They way in which he is addressed by the influential members of his country further informs the reader that Macbeth is respectable. However, after Macbeth interacts with the three witches, his curiosity is stirred by their prophecies, especially their prediction that he will become king. He commits murder in order to fulfill their prophecy and then returns to the three witches a second time for reassurance. The three witches, with the aid of three apparitions, then revealed to Macbeth in Act 5, Scene 1 the following prophecies: Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff! Beware the Than of  Fife!Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Be bloody, bold and resolute. Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm MacbethBe lion-mettled, proud and take no care who chafes, who frets or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him. (Shakespeare 4:1 80-107) Because of these predictions, Macbeth believes that no one can harm him. However, this is a false sense of security. Macduff, who was born by a Caesarean section and therefore was not born of woman, ultimately killed Macbeth, thus revealing that the witches predictions were only half-truths. Macbeths good nature is increasingly defeated by one of his major flaws-ambition. His ambition and desire to become king leads Macbeth to take rash and sudden actions that are immoral. This includes ordering the murders of his friend Banquo and his son and Lady Macduff and her children, as well as personally handling the murder of King Duncan. His ambition is also displayed by his willingness to kill anyone who threatens his power. Macbeth is largely influenced not only by the three witches, but by Lady Macbeth as well. Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to murder the king, Duncan. She helps plan out the murder and even offers to do it herself. When Macbeth changes his mind and decides not to carry out Duncans murder, Lady Macbeth questions his masculinity and love for her. [We will proceed no further in this business.] From this time such I account thy love. Art thou afeard to be the same in thine act and valor as thou art in desire? Woudst thou have that which thou esteemst the ornament of life and live a coward in thine own esteem, letting I dare not wait upon I would, like the poor cat I th adage?When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than you were, you would be so much more than a manThey have made themselves and that their fitness now does unmake you (Shakespeare 1:7 34-62) After Lady Macbeth accuses him of acting like a coward, he agrees to continue with Duncans murder. Macbeth is a prime example of a Shakespearean Tragic Hero. He is represented as a good man who, through his major character flaws- ambition and impressionability- falls from grace. After struggling with his conscience over the evil deeds he had committed throughout the play, Macbeth is killed and the rightful heir to the throne is restored to power.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Effect of the Financial Crisis on the British Economy

Effect of the Financial Crisis on the British Economy To what extent has Britain been affected by the financial crisis and what efforts contribute to recovery of the British economy? The worldwide financial crisis of 2007-2008 almost brought down the global financial system. The fundamental cause agreed broadly was the combination of credit and the housing bubble crunch (Acharya and Richardson, 2009). Most people are placed on the same side of credit ranking relaxing area; however, the question may be raised that why the housing bubble would bring the financial system instead of having an effect on just on the housing sector of the economy. The answer is assigned to the bankers and regulators on the Wall Street. In this global economic crisis, banks had shirked regulatory capital requirements with the temporarily placed assets increasing and the reduction on the number of holding capital requirement allowed by the regulators. The financial crisis began to out of control after September 2008 and led to a number of fairly large financial institutions bankrupt or takeover by governments. As a financial industry and service oriented country, although Britain has a smaller size of economies of scale than America, financial industry accounted for a greater proportion of the national economy, the real estate market existing bubble as well. Therefore, the British economy suffered a massive hit by the crisis and shaped the current British commercial and business scene (Hodson and Mabbett, 2009, pp. 1041–1061). These factors are making a huge influence on the public now, either at national or individual level. Under such circumstances, Britain tends to cut government expenditure to repay debt rather than cause inflation. In terms of the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, the British economy is picking up by 0.2% and confidence of consumers is being improved. This essay will contain two main parts. The first part aims to give an overview of the British economy has been affected by the financial crisis on the following aspects. They are currency devaluation, housing and mortgage market bubble as well as the employment policy. In the second part, this essay will demonstrate the consequences of these aspects and efforts contributing to the British economic recovery, especially for employment policy. For a better understanding, efforts and consequences will follow behind by introducing the three aspects. First of all, devaluation is a natural process in financial markets. All currencies exchange rates will rise or fall based on the international situation and the states financial condition. Assume 5 British pounds were able to buy 10 U.S. dollars years ago, today the pound could be devalued and its purchasing power would only be enough to buy 7 dollars. Compared with the devaluation of the market, governments around the world sometimes use devaluation as a balance tool to protect their trade. For instance, the country could benefit from the lower cost of its export of goods if the currency is devaluated. Meanwhile, the lower currency value encourages exports and discourages imports, which could improve trade deficit and imbalances for the country. So far, the sharp depreciation of sterling in 2008 was not due to naturally devaluation process but by the true power-driven, the global financial crisis (Broadbent, 2011). In addition, trade performance of the UK since financial crisis in 2008 has been part of an essential developments in the British economy. Despite a fact that extensive depreciation in the value of sterling, which should have enhanced the UK’s competitiveness theoretically, the performance of UK trade has remained relatively stable (Hardie et al., 2003). As can be observed in the figure 1, there was a massive depreciation from 2007 to 2008 and the trade deficit stayed open. At the same time, import prices went up by a fairly large amount as well as export prices according to the figure 2. Which is not coherence with economic theory that currency depreciation encourages exports and discourages imports. Figure 1: Sterling effective exchange rate and balance of UK trade Figure 2: Sterling effective exchange rate index and UK import and export price indices Figure 3: Earnings against inflation Moreover, the reason for why there was a large depreciation of sterling during 2007 and 2009 is because the value of the sterling is tied up with the price and turnover of financial assets in the City of London. While, the UK does not contribute to the same position as America, which has the Worlds’ reserve currency. And hence when asset prices took the hardest hit in 2007-2008, the sterling did as well. This phenomenon demonstrates the sensitivity of the sterling that might occur in the financial markets. Furthermore, based on figure 3, the consequences of sterling depreciation cause a dramatic decline with earnings growth from around 4.5 per cent in 2007 to just above 1 per cent in 2009, even though the price inflation decrease during 2008. Forecast could be made from the data that standards of living quality for British people fall markedly (Hardie et al., 2003). The second impact by the 2007-2008 global financial crisis within the British economy is housing and mortgage market bubble. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (2010) point out that the housing market is playing an essential role in UK economic activity, and there was a high owner-occupation rate stood at 68% in 2010 (Niklewski et al., 2013, PP. 518–530). However, the financial crisis associated with the credit crunch means that the UK market faced a further problem relating to the housing and mortgage market. Prior to the financial crash, borrowers were in a position to finance at least 95% of the purchase price using mortgage debt (Niklewski et al., 2013, PP. 518–530). By contrast, banks withdrew the majority of these offers after crash, and many increased the required down-payment from the historical average of 10 percent to 25 percent (Niklewski et al., 2013, PP. 518–530). The British Banking Association (2013) indicates that house purchases sum reduc ed from almost  £12 billion in November 2006 to around  £2000 in November 2008. Prima facie this had improved slightly to  £4550 million by July 2012, but this was still below the historical average. In terms of credit becomes more readily available eventually, the housing market still performs unlikely to revert to pre-crisis levels. Hence, the UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) placed proposals to a greater formal restriction on mortgage lending. The Council of Mortgage lenders suggested that the implementation of these proposed restrictions could see four million fewer mortgages in the United Kingdom over the subsequent four years (Niklewski et al., 2013, PP. 518–530). Finally, international financial crisis caused serious problems on the status of British employment. And the National Bureau of Statistics report shows that by October 2008, there were more than 150,000 jobs to be cut. Thus, UK jobless claims have increased by 257,500. Moreover, the British company lay off up to 38,588 people mainly due to high cost and low demand during the preceding three months. Under such situations, the British government had taken a number of steps to slow the further development of expanding unemployment and helped to recover the British economy to some certain extent. This could be split into two points. The first one is to encourage employment directly. And there are four policies will be presented at this point. Policy one: at least 100,000 new jobs were established through infrastructure projects. The British government implemented a total of  £10 billion for infrastructure investment plans in 2009, including education, transportation and other infrastructure projects in order to create at least 100,000 additional jobs. This measure was appropriate to provide a large number of jobs for British workers, reducing the unemployment rate as well as promoting the improvement of infrastructure. This has encouraged the development of economy and city construction in the long run. However, the biggest problem is the huge pressure for fiscal policy of expend iture, which may lead to British citizens’ tax burden in the future. The second policy was for women were received training allowance for re-employment. This policy had improved the housewife job enthusiasm to some significant extent, and it relieved the economic pressure due to decrease income by husband unemployment; also promoted the sex ratio of the employment market equilibrium. However, this policy has intensified competition among job markets, the employment situation will deteriorate further, and the effect may deviate from the original purposes. Policy three was the National Program to promote the employment of university students. Based on the view of the great employment pressure, the British government launched a National Program in 2009, helped the college students who were failed to find a job to get an internship in enterprise or other organizations, improving their occupation and comprehensive quality by skill training (White Paper, 2011). Then, reach the goal for the final realization of employment. This policy increased the quantity and quality of employment. At the same time, because of financial crisis, British unemployment rate for young people under the age of 25 continues to increase. Hence, the British government introduced a number of youth employment measures for 18 to 24 years old people, to help them find work or study, where can improve their employment skills (White Paper, 2011). The positive effect of this policy is obvious. For instance, recent figures from the Office for National Statistics show that about 30 million people were in work at the end of 2012, an increase of 154000 on the quarter to September, which is the most obvious improvement since 2007 (King, 2013) The last policy was restricting immigration. The British government started to increase the difficulty of immigrants in October 2008 (GOV.UK, 2014), and limited the number of British immigrants to the open jobs. This policy has reduced the British resident employment pressure to a certain extent, but it will cause hatred between the British and foreign immigrants, which may lead to the problem of racial discrimination. Meanwhile, this policy made life more difficult for immigrating people who have already lived in the UK. Therefore, government had to increase fiscal expenditure on their housing and daily expenses. Which was also made the foreign immigrants cannot engage in some work that British people do not want to engage in, it may hinder the British economic development to some extent. The second point was to pay a subsidy to the unemployed class, and this will be introduced by three policies. The first one was spending  £50 million to help the unemployed people. In order to cushion the impact of the economic recession, the British government planned to apply for a package of measures to help the long-term jobless workers back to the positions in the next two years since April 2009. Spending on this plan was around  £50million, which including paying compensation to the company to hiring workers who are unemployed for more than six months. These measures improved the re-employed workers’ skills and promoted the employment rate. However, paying subsidy to jobless people may cause ethical risks of enterprises. Because of obtain the compensation payment from the government, enterprises may take negative training even repeat its layoffs behavior, which leads to the re-employment rights and interests cannot be ensured. The second policy was that an unemployed worker could delay the mortgage interest payments up to 2 years. The British government provided guarantees to lenders, allowing those property buyers who lost their jobs and income appear serious decline can delay the mortgage interest payments up to 2 years. It helps to prevent the default risk on interest payment. If this policy is implemented, buyers can afford the monthly repayment, the risk of default will be reduced. Also, it helps the buyers overcome the current financial crisis smoothly. Nevertheless, there is no accurate calculation on the cost of risky loan guarantee provided by the government. If the cost is quite high, the reachable and feasibility of the reformed policy are still far from satisfactory. At the same time, the Bank of England offers loan, if the government is responsible for guaranteeing costs, the liquidity will become worse, which may lead to continuing market turmoil. The final policy was raising the minimum wage standard. The British government raised the minimum wage standards in the late 2008. However, it was obvious to see the dual characters of this policy during the recession. On the one hand, there is an undeniable fact that an increase in the minimum wage will increase income of workers living at the bottom of society relatively, which strengthen their basic livelihood security and maintain their basic living standard for low income groups. It serves to sustain the stability of British society. On the other hand, minimum wage standards will also increase the labor cost of enterprises directly. The increased burden would have a negative effect on employing workers, and cause the amount of jobless people increase, which deteriorates the employment environment. Even bring negative effect on the British economic recovery.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Earth is surrounded by a covering of air which we call the atmosphe

The Atmosphere The Earth is surrounded by a covering of air which we call the atmosphere. It reaches over 384 miles from the surface of the earth, so we can only see what occurs in the troposphere and the tropopause. Nitrogen – 78% Oxygen – 21% Argon – 1% Carbon Dioxide – 0.035% Other – 0.00253% The above information highlights what the atmosphere is composed of. It is clearly visible that Nitrogen is the dominant gas as over three quarters of the atmosphere is made up of this. It is very fortunate that Nitrogen is not a very reactive gas because if it were not, that atmosphere would be far less stable and extremely dangerous. The pie chart refers to the atmosphere today but it was not always made up of these percentages. It seems that carbon dioxide levels have raised a lot and these rises may be down to many causes such as the industrial revolution and constant deforestation. Natural functions of the atmosphere The atmosphere is vital for life and acts as a life support system to al...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Adolescence & the human individual Essay

During childhood, children basically accept parental authority (Smentana, 1989) and an equilibrium is established in which parents largely determine and control relationships with their children within a context of acceptance and availability (Steinberg and Silverberg, 1986). However, in the state of approaching adolescence and especially during puberty, parent-child relationships are transformed in a number of ways (Collins, 1990). These changes entail increased assertiveness by both parents and children, decreased perceptions of acceptance, inhibited communication, increased incidence of conflictive exchanges, decreased expressions of physical affection and positive feelings among family members, and adjustments in the amount and kind of influence that children exert in family decision making. Difficulties with communication derive in part from sensitivities and embarrassment associated with pubertal changes and this, combined with the adolescent’s socio-cognitive development and querying of the inequalities in the parent child relationship, often result in tensions and heated exchange (Hill, 1988). Most families, while they sustain close bonds during children’s teenage years, experience such an escalation of conflict, particularly during the early stages of adolescence. Although much of the conflict has been described as â€Å"mild bickering, disagreements and conflicts over everyday issues and emotional stress during early adolescence† (Smetana, 1988), its effects can be debilitating. The role of parents is made more difficult by the legal and status ambiguity of the adolescent period. In today’s society, adolescence is an indeterminate period of transition with no rite of passage to mark the distinction between childhood and adulthood. It has been suggested that this has detracted from the capacity of some young people to function as successful adults (Campbell and Moyers, 1988). There is a lack of clarity in the status and legal rights of adolescents which sends confusing messages to parents and teenagers in their relationships with each other. However, several writers have suggested that these apparent perturbations in relationships may serve the positive function of facilitating adolescents’ independence and diminishing dependence on parents. Via conflicts, family members allow themselves to express distinctive and separate views (Grotevant and Cooper, 1986). It is true that during adolescence, a boy or girl must break, or at least loosen, the ties that bind him or her to home and parents. However, one should not assume that the complete break with, or indifference towards parents or open conflicts with them are a sign of maturity. Quite the contrary is true. Release from home authority is necessary, but revolt is probably not, although a proportion of each adolescent generation leaves home completely as a result of familial conflicts (Henricson and Roker, 2000). For the majority of youth, while once dependent upon their parents, adolescents begin to substitute their friends as the centre of their lives. The centrality of friends and friendship in the life of adolescents has been frequently stressed. It has been claimed that friendships are the most prominent features of the social landscape during adolescence and acceptance by peers generally, and especially having one or more close friends, may be of crucial importance in a young person’s life (Coleman and Hardy, 1990). Friendship among adolescents fulfils important tasks, such as providing much of the social context that allows proper performance of actions which will be accepted and rewarded by the peer group, strengthening the self and reaffirming its worth and value. Adolescents use the peer group to express their divided feelings and incoherent images in accordance with their emotional needs and to reinforce their behaviour as they conform to peer norms and behaviour styles (Tatar, 1995). Adolescents perceive popularity and attainment of social status among peers as beneficial and positive, reflecting their desirability as a friend. Adolescents also form larger, more loosely organised groups called crowds. Unlike the more intimate clique, membership into the crowd is based on reputation and stereotype. Whereas the clique serves as the main context for direct interaction, the crowd grants the adolescent an identity within the larger social structure. Adolescents are very aware of the differential social status conferred upon different groups, and this knowledge can affect self-evaluation: categorisation of the self as a member of an unpopular or lower status group can be detrimental to feelings of self-worth and self-esteem (Denholm, Horniblow, and Smalley, 1992). Susceptibility to peer pressure is reported to peak between the ages of twelve to sixteen years (Tarrant, North, Edridge, Kirk, Smith, and Turner, 2001). Peer conformity is a complex process that varies with the adolescent’s age and need for social approval and with the situation. Adolescents reported that they felt greatest pressure to conform to the most obvious aspects of peer culture, such as, dressing and grooming like everyone else and participating in social activities. Although peer pressure toward misconduct peaked in early adolescence, it was relatively low compared with other areas (Brown, Lohr, & McClenahan, 1986). Due to their greater concern with what their peers think of them, early adolescents are more likely than younger or older individuals to give in to peer pressure. Although, when parents and peers disagree, even young adolescents will not consistently rebel against their families. Instead, parents and peers differ in their spheres of greatest influence. Parents have more impact on adolescents’ basic life values and educational plans, while peers are more influential in short-term, day-today matters, such as type of dress, taste in music, and choice of friends (Berk, 2000).