Saturday, August 31, 2019

Personality at Selection Interview

Assignment – Personality Personality can be defined as those relatively stable enduring aspects of an individual that distinguish him/her from other people and at the same time form a basis for our predictions concerning his/her future behaviour. (Wright et al cited in Rollinson 2005) This definition represents the view that it is possible to identify an individuals stable and unchanging personality and characteristics, and that if the characteristics are identified they can be used to predict the persons future behaviour. Organisations differ greatly in their cultures and acceptable behaviours which means that some individuals naturally fit in better than others. (Rollinson 2005:85) Job roles themselves also differ in terms of the suitability of an individual’s personality in being successful in that job role. Therefore in determining the importance of personality at selection interview we need to determine what both the role and the organisation require. (Rollinson 2005:85) In the work environment the â€Å"fit† of a person has to be right in terms of skills and experience as well as values and needs. Holbeche: 2002). Person-organisation fit refers to the extent to which individuals and organisations share similar characteristics (personalities) or meet each others needs. The assessment of personality is carried out to determine desirable or un-desirable traits of candidates to assess their suitability for a role and/or organisation (Arthur:2005) Getting this right can lead to job satis faction and organisational commitment. (Kristoff:2000) When an employer is recruiting the psychological contract has some importance. The psychological contract implies a series of mutual expectations and satisfaction needs arising from the P-O relationship (Mullins:2010) P-O fit is likely to be more important than P-J fit in satisfying the psychological contract (Morley:2007) in that employees will be required to adapt to changes in tasks and gain new skills. It is argued that greater emphasis should be placed on the P-O fit as opposed to the more traditional method of P-J fit because firstly individuals will hold several roles within an organisation therefore their P-O is more important than the possibly less lexible P-J fit, they will hold the organisations values and culture closer and will have longer service therefore lowering recruitment costs. (Ree and Earles 1992) Secondly the changing nature of work requires individuals to be better at teamwork and more flexible. I believe that when recruiting graduates P-O fit is more important as opposed to P-J fit. Graduates are recruited to provide organisations with a potential pool of future managers and enhance succession possibilities. Morley:2007) Graduates have little experience in the work environment so are less able to translate their skills, qualifications and experience into the working world. If an employer has a clear understanding of their organisations culture, personalities of other employees and can accurately determine the personalities and beliefs of the graduate they can base their decision on the graduates enthusiasm, motivation and eagerness to work rather than skills, qualifications and experience. In a study by Wheeler et al (cited in Rollinson 2005) it was found that job satisfaction could be increased by increasing P-O fit, that is recruiting employees with similar values to the organisation. However, Wheeler also found that even though an ill-fitting individual resulted in job dissatisfaction, they would not leave the organisation unless suitable alternative work presented itself. This could lead to them being de-motivated, having poor performance and impact on relationships with colleagues. This shows the importance of getting personality right at selection interview. Person-job (P-J) fit refers to the correlation between the individual’s skills, qualifications and experience with the requirements of a job. (Edwards:1991) and is a traditional method of employee selection (Werbell and Gilliland:1999) P-J fit is most widely determined through proof of an individuals skills, qualifications and experience through certificates and references and questioning around their knowledge on a topic. I have personally heard colleagues question the importance of personality on some roles such as accountants which would initially strike you as being weighted heavily on their skills, experience and qualifications however how well would an accountant perform if they did not have the personality traits to communicate effectively with colleagues and customers? Differing roles do also require different personalities in order to be successful irrespective of the organisation. Receptionists, sales person or customer service representative require the ability to cope with stress and deal with individuals with differing priorities. Gatewood et al:2005) In considering the importance of personality in selection interview it would be sensible to consider how stable and unchanging a person’s personality is. Are we seeing a current snapshot of the individuals personality or will it change overtime? Rollinson (2005) writes that if personality is an ongoing developing process it would be al most impossible to develop valid ways to measure it and would be pointless in attempting to predict future behaviour. Idiographic, one of the two major theories on personality, focuses on personality developing and changing as a result of ongoing experiences. However, Costa and McCrae (1992) wrote that personality is relatively stable after the age of 30 therefore using personality in making selection decisions would be possible due to the stability of personality. Looking at Nomotheic theory, the other of the two major theories of personality, which assumes personality is stable and un-changing, it was noted that there are 5 distinct differences between people known as the Big Five and often referred to as OCEAN. These are: †¢ Openness (perceptive, sophisticated, knowledgeable, cultured, artistic, curious, analytical, liberal traits) †¢ Conscientiousness (practical, cautious, serious, reliable, organised, careful, dependable, hard-working, ambitious traits) †¢ Extraversion (sociable, talkative, active, spontaneous, adventurous, person-orientated, assertive traits) †¢ Agreeableness (warm, trustful, courteous, agreeable, cooperative traits) †¢ Neuroticism (emotional, anxious, depressive, self-conscious, worrying traits) The Big Five can be split into type theory and trait theory. Mullins cites Hans Eyesneck work in which he identified four main personality types. These are stable extraverts,(talkative, responsive, easygoing, lively carefree) unstable extraverts,(impulsive, changeable, excitable, restless) stable introverts (calm, even-tempered, peaceful, thoughtful) and unstable introverts. (anxious, moody, reserved, pessimistic) Mullins writes that if managers can predict future behaviours through an individual’s personality type then it is not surprising that psychometric tests to measure personality are growing in popularity. Trait theory is then broken down again into surface traits (those which are observable) and source traits (which can only be inferred) In theory surface traits could be observed through assessment centres. Mullins writes that the Big Five form the basis of standard personality questionnaires and of these five conscientiousness has the highest link with high levels of job knowledge and performance across a range of occupations. So, according to this, it would be beneficial to an organisation to determine candidate’s personality in order to recruit an individual who has a good score in conscientiousness. However, Maltby et al (2010) writes that if we were to employ the conscientious person with their practical, cautious, serious, reliable, organized, careful, dependable, hard-working and ambitious traits, would they be suitable for a role requiring innovation and creativity and are they flexible and adaptable to cope with the rapidly changing world of work? He questions the applicability of conscientiousness across all job roles. In considering the impact of personality on our relationship at work with colleagues I believe that emotional intelligence has a strong link with aligning personality with successful performance and relationships at work. Emotional Intelligence is defined as a person’s ability to manage themselves as well as their relationship with others so that they can live their intentions (Adele:2008:7) and can be broken down into five specific areas. These are Self awareness, empathy, social expertness, personal influence and mastery of purpose and vision. Each of these areas could have an impact on our relationships with colleagues. Self awareness is an understanding of how our behaviours or words affect others. If we have self awareness we are able to apply self control to change our actions should they be having a negative effect on colleagues. A self aware individual would know when their mood is impacting on others and alter it accordingly. Self awareness is an area looked for in the emotional intelligence of sales people and interview questioning based around the impact of previous experience of their positive and negative impacts on co-workers would be useful in identifying this area. (Adele 2008:17) Empathy is an understanding of others feelings and perspective and the ability to experience what someone else is feeling therefore giving a better understanding of our colleagues. It is the ability to respectfully listen rather than listening to refute or build our own case. A customer service representative who empathises with an irate customer rather than just demanding their account number will better diffuse a volatile situation. (Adele 2008:54) Marshall Goldsmith (â€Å"The world authority in helping successful leaders get even better†) described not listening as the most passive-aggressive form of disrespect shown to colleagues. Social expertness is the building of social bonds which allow us to work with others, share thoughts and ideas, build trust and resolve conflict. The reason that top executives fail is because of their failure to build interpersonal relationships rather than their technical competence. Personal influence is our ability to influence other towards goals or missions and to influence ourselves in taking initiative and displaying confidence. A recruiting manager would be looking for signs at interview that a candidate can prove they have got people to previously follow them irrespective of their differing levels. Mastery of purpose and vision is our ability to understand what our purpose is and therefore determine what types of emotions help us to live our life purpose. It allows us to manage our emotions and relationships. This is also the determining factor as to whether the organization and role is â€Å"fit† for us. Interview questions based around a candidate’s worst and ideal job as well as what inspires and bores them at work can help identify the â€Å"fit† of an individual’s personal purpose to an organization. (Adele:2008:131) Candidates demonstrating emotional intelligence at interview take responsibility for their actions rather than blaming others or playing the victim. (Adele:2008:146) Studies carried out by Grimsley and Jarrett (cited in Adele:2008) concluded that managers displaying higher emotional intelligence were more successful. Anderson and Shackleton (1993) carried out a study on the comparison of the strength of different variables in predicting eventual job performance at the point of selection. Their findings show that personality assessments have a 0. 38 correlation, intelligence a 0. 54 correlation, and structured interview 0. 62. Previous experience and the CV came in lower than all these at 0. 18 and 0. 37 respectively. (0. 1 being small, 0. 3 being medium and 0. 5 being large correlation) Showing in this study that personality assessment has an important role in predicting job performance, above that of the CV and previous experience. Maltby et al 2010) When putting the theory of personality into practice within the work environment, organisations must be clear on why they are assessing personality and what personality characteristics they are they are looking for. (Torrington et al:2011) A clear job description and person specification which requires skills, qualifications, experience and personal ity traits relevant to the job role is key, according to the CIPD, in creating a fair selection process. Should an applicant who is unsuccessful in being selected for interview threaten or indeed commence tribunal proceedings, the organization has a clear framework on how selection for interview and employment was made. Torrington et al also write that a method of defining the person specification is to focus on the characteristics or competences of individuals who have previously performed best in the role. This has positives in that these characteristics are producing individuals who perform well for the business however this method could produce employees who are very similar to one another and address problems with the same mindset. Personality questionnaires are based on the Nomotheic theory that personality is stable and unchanging. The most recognized personality questionnaire is the Myers Biggs Type Indicator (MBTI) based on the theories of Carl Jung. The questionnaire is developed on the understanding that it is of benefit to people to recognise their individual personality types, and how these differ from those of other individuals. The MBTI is an untimed questionnaire which asks respondents to choose between two opposing courses of action, or two words, depending on what they feel is closest to their natural preference. The MBTI measures 4 preferences Extraversion or Introversion, Sensing or Intuition, Thinking or Feeling and Judging or Perceiving. People’s four preferences classify them into one of 16 types. Descriptions are given of the characteristics of people of each of the 16 types. Each type is described as having positive qualities and strengths, as well as possible development needs. The questionnaire receives 4 stars from the Psychological testing centre. (The British Psychological Society:2011) An employer using MBTI can use the information given on the individual’s type to further question them at selection interview. Toplis et al (1997) have concerns that the lack of involvement of psychologists in marketing and selling personality testing packages results in too many tests being released for general use without the required intellectual support. He is also troubled by the increasing use of computer-based tests, particularly to score and interpret results, believing that the accuracy of some systems is not particularly high. Personality assessment is based on the belief that certain roles require particular personality and that tests can identify them. The use of ability tests and competence based interviewing as opposed to personality tests are more easily defendable in an employment tribunal due to the tangible results being right or wrong whereas with personality tests there are no right or wrong answers and are not as easily defendable should the need arise. There are questions over their validity in so much as practitioners can be trained with a basic knowledge of administering tests and interpreting their results. The British Psychology Society give an overall rating for validity and objectivity of tests. There is the argument that candidates may be able to manipulate their results to perform in a way they believe the employer requires. (Furnham:1990) therefore invalidating the results and potentially basing a recruitment decision on in-accurate information. In my experience this is where the face to face interview is of vale in verifying and questioning further the results of any personality testing. i. e. Do the results of the personality testing match the behaviours and characteristics of the person sat in front of me? Recruiters may be influenced by striking characteristics or similarities to themselves called the Halo Effect. The Halo Effect can be defined as a cognitive bias whereby the perception of one trait (i. e. a characteristic of a person or object) is influenced by the perception of another trait (or several traits) of that person or object. (Mullins 2011) An example would be judging a good-looking person as more intelligent. The Halo Effect can have a positive or negative effect. For example, someone who attended the same college or university as the recruiter could be at an advantage but someone who attended a college or university the interviewer perceives to have a poor reputation could put the candidate at a dis-advantage. Solomon Asch (1945) carried out a study that discovered that the presence of one trait often implies the existence of other additional traits and that certain traits can be characterized as central traits. For example, an individual described as warm is perceived to have positive traits such as happy and generous. An individual described as the cold would have the opposite perceived traits. Another example is when individuals believe that a happy person is also friendly or that quiet people are timid. On the other hand, people who are irritable may be seen as in disarray in their daily life. Therefore, people assume other individuals' personalities are in doubt using little information. It is often the case that people judge more favourably those individuals with whom they have something in common. An experiment carried out at the Penn State College of Medicine asked 35 interviewers and 135 interviewees to complete the MBTI. The results were not shared prior to face to face interview. The experiment concluded that there was a significant association between similarities in personality type and the rankings that individual interviewers assigned to each interviewee. In this circumstance it is important to be mindful of the effect an individuals personality may have on the outcome of the interview. Employing more than one selection tool does not eradicate the possibility of recruiting an unsuitable candidates. The use of personality data in the selection process, when gathered appropriately, can be valid information in making a contribution to the selection decision however it should not be used in isolation. Personality tests results can be used at interview for the basis of further investigation into applicant abilities. Skills, experience and qualifications are important criterion. Dependent on the role and organisation for which selection is being made will determine the weighting placed on each. If using any form of testing in the selection process employers need to pre-determine the worth of testing and weigh up the benefits, such as increased productivity, with the cost including purchasing a reliable and validated resource and training recruiting managers to correctly interpret reports. There is, therefore, in my opinion an importance to be placed on personality at selection interview which for me slightly outweighs the importance of skills, qualifications and experience especially when considering the knock on effect that a mismatch of person-job or person-organisation could have on the relationship with colleagues. An organization needs to be clear in what personality traits they are looking for before even advertising a role as the wording of an advertisement could attract and alienate certain personalities. Once at selection interview, managers should consider how they are fairly going to assess personality if using their own judgment. Do they have a fail safe scoring system to measure personality against that cannot back-fire in the event of an employment tribunal? Thought should also be given to how a candidate has completed any personality test i. e. to what extent have they thought about themselves in the work situation when completing it? Are they naturally nervous when asked to complete any test and therefore put at a dis-advantage? If personality is un-stable and changes over time, would it be wise to re-test individuals? Organisations are fluid and changing constantly. Teams, managers and individuals change. , What was once a good â€Å"fit† may not be in the future. References Adele, B (2008) The EQ Interview. AMACOM Books Anderson, N. D. Shackleton, V. J (1993) Successful selection interviewing. Blackwell Publishing Arthur, D. (2005) Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting and Orienting New Employees. 4th ed. New York AMACOM Page 368 British Psychological Society (2011) found at http://www. psychtesting. org. uk/test-registration-and-test-reviews/test-reviews. cfm? page=summary=82 CIPD (2011) Selection Factsheet (online) available from http://www. cipd. co. uk/hr-resources/factsheets/selection-methods. aspx Costa, P. T, McCrae, R. R (1992) Four ways five factors are basic. Personality and Individual Differences, Vol. 13, No. 6. (June 1992), pp. 653-665 Edenborough, R. (2005) Assessment methods in recruitment, selection and performance a manager’s guide to psychometric testing, interviews and assessment centres. London: Kogan Page. Page 2 Edwards, J. R. (1991). Person-job fit: A conceptual integration, literature review, and methodological critique. In C. L. Cooper & I. T. Robertson (Eds. ), International review of industrial and organizational psychology (vol. 6, pp. 283-357). New York: Wiley. Furnham, A (1990) Can people accurately estimate their own personality test scores? European Journal of Personality, no 4, pp. 319-327 Gatewood, RD. Field, HS. Human Resource Selection 5th ed. Mike Roche. Page 601-603 Holbeche, L. (2002) Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy. 2nd ed. Butterworth Heinemann. IRS Employment Survey July 2010 – accessed through employer login at www. xperthr. co. uk Kelly, G. A. (1955). The psychology of personal constructs (Vols. 1 and 2). New York: Norton. Kristof-Brown, AL. (2000) Perceived applicant fit: Distinguishing between recruiters’ perceptions of person-job fit and person organization fit. In Personnel Psychology, 53 (4), 643-671 Maltby, J. Day,L . Macaskill, A. (2010) Personality, Individual Differences And Intelligence. 9th ed. Prentice Hall. Michael J. Morley, (2007) â€Å"Person-organization fit†, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 22 Iss: 2, pp. 109 – 117. Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. Mullins, LJ. (2011) Management and Organisational Behaviour. th ed. Financial Times: Prentice Hall. Page 134 – 162, 240 Rees, MJ. Earles JA (1992) Intelligence is the best predictor of job performance. Psychological Science, 1, 86-89. Rollinson, D. (2005) Organisational Behaviour and Analysis: An integrated approach 3rd Ed. Prentice Hall Asch, S. E. Studies in the principles of judgments and attitudes: II. Determination of judgments by g roup and by ego standards. /. soc. Psychol. , 1940, 12, 433—465. Thorndike, E. L. (1920). A constant error on psychological rating. Journal of Applied Psychology, IV, 25-29 Toplis, J. Dulewicz, V. Fletcher, C (2004) Psychological testing: a managers guide. 4th Ed. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Torrington, D. Taylor, S. Hall, L. Atkinson, C (2011) Human Resources Management. 8th ed. Financial Times Prentice Hall Werbel, J and Gilliland, S. W (1999). Person-environment fit in the selection process. In G. R. Ferris (Ed. ) Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 17, 209-243 Wheeler, A. Gallagher, V. Brouer, R, Sablynski, C. †When person-organisation (mis) fit and (dis) satisfaction lead to turnover. In Person Organisation Fit 2nd ed. By Morley, M. London: Emerald, Page 203.

Friday, August 30, 2019

What is the role of hedge funds in the financial market

There has been rapid growth in the number of edge funds and their assets under management, suggesting they provide economic value to investors that is not available in other investment instruments. Their main aim is to reduce risk and volatility whilst attempting to preserve capital and deliver positive returns under all market conditions. They used a range of aggressive methods to invest in a wide array of assets to generate returns which have a very low correlation with traditional asset classes, creating a diversifying effect on a portfolio.This means they get a constant level of return, regardless of what the market does. Hedge funds tend to be illiquid as investors are limited in terms of when and how much money they are able to take out, therefore they are long term propositions. Originally, hedge funds were not subject to the public disclosure or regulatory reporting requirements that apply to other financial institutions, thus they had little or no regulatory oversight. But s ince the financial crisis, more regulations have been introduced, such as reporting under AIFMD; The Alternative Investment Funds Managers Directive.Also, from February 2014, they will have to report under Emir. Policy director in the BBA's Capital Market and Infrastructure division, Andrew Rogan, recently said â€Å"If [funds] don't comply with Emir, there are real consequences to how a business can use derivatives to protect itself from risk†¦ and you may even be shut out of the market completely. † The purpose of regulation is to protect investors. Although an element of secrecy between funds is kept in order to keep investment strategies to themselves, they can't do whatever they like with other peoples' money, so regulation had to be introduced.Markets function best when investors use ifferent information and strategies to manage, or hedge against, risk. Private investment companies provide valuable liquidity to financial markets in normal market conditions. In â₠¬Å"Hands Off Hedge Funds†, Sebastian Mallaby states that â€Å"by buying irrationally cheap assets and selling irrationally expensive ones, they shift market prices until the irrationalities disappear, thus ultimately facilitating the efficient allocation of the world's capital. † (Mallaby, 2007). Consequently, hedge funds can be less volatile than individual stocks or mutual funds.With the freedom to nvest wherever the managers believe they can perform better than the market, hedge funds broaden the use of investment strategies, increasing the number of investors, and enlarging the capital pools available and strengthening capital markets. Through flexibility, they are able to trade different securities in several markets at once, so opportunities for returns are maximised, improving risk management and encouraging innovation ot strategies, as well as financial products and services.There is also a competitive advantage as hedge funds attract human nd financial capital , contributing to a stronger economy. They can act as an incentive for businesses and individuals to invest because they offer the chance for money to be invested in a range of products, free from fraud and over-regulation, and increases in investment can influence economic growth and stability. Hedge funds also improve the efficiency of capital markets by helping to price securities more accurately. This minimizes market distortions, which in turn leads to better allocation of capital, financing growth, innovation and Job creation.Short selling, for example, may be a technique used by hedge funds and is sometimes seen as playing an essential part of the price discovery mechanism. Some researchers believe short interest is an indicator of poor stock performance, and that short sellers exploit market mistakes. Hedge funds have many different benefits such as diversification, flexibility and liquidity, but to the larger financial system they can provide innovation, reduction of mispri cing, gains in both growth and employment, and the provision of capital for technological and economic development.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Why has Tesco's loyal card scheme been successful where competitors' Dissertation

Why has Tesco's loyal card scheme been successful where competitors' schemes have not - Dissertation Example It has over two thousand stores all over United Kingdom and has a wide range of products from everyday items of groceries to electric appliances to the mortgage market and even a clothing line. This indicates the level of diversity that this store has been into. The company does not target a specific niche; instead it has been very successful at capturing the mass market yet providing a customized approach to the masses. Thos customer centric and market oriented approach has helped Tesco become better than ever before, defeating all its competitors by making sure all their systems were intact. Its success involved its customer loyalty card which helped Tesco gauge customer interests, trends and ready-to-use market research that was in line with customer needs and wants. Surprisingly, when Tesco’s loyalty card scheme was thriving, other firms using the loyalty card concept were declining. There is no doubt about the fact that Tesco’s business model and effective strategi es helped it raise its profits and give benefits to customers at the same time. Following is an analysis of Tesco’s success and the impact of the loyalty card scheme on it. ... hat Tesco is a wonderful example of those companies who are benefiting greatly with the use of loyalty cards, by identifying consumer need and anticipating their demand by looking at past trends and regular patterns of buying. All customers who shop from there earn points for shopping and can later use those points for free shopping from any Tesco store. This helps gauge customers loyalty. On the other hand, Tesco itself makes sure that it shows its loyalty to customers too. Moreover, by classifying trends of consumers Tesco has been able to make huge profits even after giving benefits to customers. This mutual interest and benefit to both helps create a win-win situation maintaining loyalty of customers and raising company profits. In itself, this research, taking Tesco as a successful case of giving out loyalty cards to its customers will help analyze the circumstances in which loyalty cards actually work and whether it is worth giving benefits to customers in return for the inform ation that they provide. Even though competitors like Sainsbury also copied this scheme of Tesco, it nearly failed because for first, Tesco had a first mover’s advantage in this industry, and it was known for being customer focused instead of product focused. As a result of this, customers were probably more inclined towards a company that positioned itself as a beneficiary for the customers, giving them benefits of the loyalty card along with excellent customer care which made them feel loyal towards the company. Along with the Loyalty card, the credit of this trust and credibility that Tesco had earned was also because of its efficient processes and fast paced technological improvements that helped it stay perfectly on track with the proficiently functioning supply chain. Thanks to the

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Enviromental science Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Enviromental science - Movie Review Example The director asks this family to keep their every scrap of the garbage for three months. Later he shows the family where it all goes and what its doing to the world. This documentary film is definitely an eye opener for everybody. The theme, which attracted me very much from this film, is the injudicious consumerism and tis consequences. Uncontrolled consumerism is one of the biggest curses facing by the current generation at present. Since modern generation do not have much financial problems compared to the older generation, they consume many wanted and unwanted things. For example, it is the habit of many people to purchase latest mobile phones even if they have good mobile phones in their hand. In other words, many of the current consumers purchase goods not because of necessity but to keep their social status. While purchasing new things, they throw away the older ones. It should be noted that mobile phones like electronic goods have many toxic elements, which has the potential to destroy our environment. For example, the lead batteries of the mobile phones have the ability to cause major environmental problems. This film warns the public a bout the negative effects of uncontrolled or injudicious consumerism. This film warns the public that â€Å"from organic waste to the stuff they flush down the potty, the plastic bags they use to the water they drink out of bottles, the air pollution they create when transporting the kids around, to using lights at Christmas, the McDonalds discover that for every action there is a reaction that affects them and the entire planet† (Nisker). The biggest drawback of this film is that it gives us many problems and failed to give ample solutions. In other words, the film mainly focussing on the problem side of uncontrolled consumerism and it says less about the possible solutions. For example, it says that 1 trillion plastic bags are used in the world every five minutes. However, it says little about the alternate options

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Orwell's 1984 paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Orwell's 1984 paper - Essay Example a similar profoundly satiric allusion to the Communist Manifesto, which was published in 1848 and was a highly influential book of its time in terms of political ideology. It promoted the ideology of Communism and was written by the famous communist theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. As its name depicts the book was all about the political ideology of overthrowing the† bourgeois† and bringing the working classes (â€Å"the proletariat) to power. George Orwell (whose real name was Eric Blair) makes satiric allusions to the communist manifesto and the regime it sought to promote. He was not anti-communist but towards the end of his career he felt disillusioned by the mechanics and â€Å"manifesto† of the Communists. He believed that such an ideology would always deteriorate into a dictatorial regime. The novel alludes largely to the situation of the regimes who took to the communist ideals (especially the case of Russia and the USSR) and how the Communist Manifesto fast moved away from its real aim of the emancipation of the working classes from the bourgeoisie. The theme of the story in 1984 depicts the world in the year â€Å"1984† in the setting and assumption the Communist movement has successfully dominated the world. The main Character of Emmanuel Goldstein is an allusion to Marx and Lenin who were the most prominent leaders and supporters of the Communist ideology.One of the strongest allusions to the Communist manifesto (and to some extent Lenin’s book on communism called† Testament"),is when Orwell states in his book that the fictitious Communist leader Goldstein writes a book called "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism".He goes further to describe his Communist â€Å" hero† as having a â€Å"a lean Jewish face,(with) †¦.. fuzzy aureole of white hair" which if carefully examined reminds us of the appearance of Marx who wrote the Communist Manifesto. His bitterness can be seen further when he writes that Goldstein is deceiving the

Monday, August 26, 2019

Queer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Queer - Essay Example The most common being those of homophobia because the word queer means deviant sexual practices that are frowned upon by the society. It can also mean strange sexual characteristics ranging from being a hamerphrodite to having abnormal genitalia. When an individual is not a heterosexual as the society dictates, then that person is referred to as a queer for being a lesbian or gay. Those people who have changed from being female to being males or vice versa are also regarded as queers by the society. The society we live in chooses to assign the word queer to this group of persons because they do not conform to the accepted gender roles assigned to them by the community. Gender has been divided since time in memorial into two groups. According to Bornstein, â€Å"choice between two of something is not a choice, but rather the opportunity to subscribe to the value system which holds the two presented choices as mutually exclusive alternatives and our choice puts us into the system that perpetuates the binary† (Bornstein 101). Different cultures assert that we belong to either one of the two chosen genders without question. If a person chooses not to belong to any of the two, then they are branded as outcasts. Bornstein wonders if the bi-polar gender system were a group and if its members were following rules that they can neither question nor be capable of challenging making group become more like a cult (Bornstein 103). In this context, gender is made up to look like a club for the privileged where the members, exhibit patterns both structural and behavioral that are common to cults (Bornstein 103). In his book â€Å"The Trouble with the Normal†, Warner says â€Å"even after fifty years of resistance, loathing for queer sex, like loathing for gender non conformity remains powerful†(Warner 48). This illustrates the society’s unwillingness to accept those who do not practice what their culture dictates as normal, especially if they are t o be accepted under consideration of sex only. The lesbian and gay movement in America was expected to shed more light on sexuality, but it did not because according to Warner in his book it shows that even after these â€Å"queer† people declared their sexual orientation to the public, they did not get the reaction they expected from â€Å"straight† people as envisioned. The end to stigmatization that they were used to did not end, but it, in fact, escalated because the abuses and threats now had a defined target (Warner 50). In his book, Warner uses the term queer to stand for the sexual acts that gays and lesbians engage in, it is also used to represent those who are sexually oriented towards homosexuality. Queers are understood to be separate from the other part of the population, and their political rights activist movements advocate that they be considered under the minority or special group category. The society we live in makes it hard for these people to be as similated into the community and be perceived as normal because it needs a group to dominate, have power over and control. Even if, the gays and lesbian movements did not arise, the culture we practice has always had a way of isolating an element in a society that is portrayed as queer so that there can be something for the society to frown upon and discriminate. The culture we live in, designed gender in such a way that it would

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Reaserch Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reaserch Critique - Essay Example However the research fails to mention the causative agent of pressure ulcer and only dwells on the prevention measures. The purpose of the research is clearly stated as to assess the quality of disease prediction in home health care. This is done by looking into process and procedure used to assess pressure ulcer risk upon admission to home care, frequency with proper timing f risk reassessment and the various interventions used by home health care agencies to prevent pressure ulcer development. By developing a three –part twenty nine item questionnaire, the research question was well applied. Questions were classified in three parts a move aimed at exhausting any important research material. With part one carrying questions with items related to agency size and respondent, part two covering questions on admission on risk appraisal processes and procedures and lastly, part three covering questions on prevention policies and prevention interventions it comes out clearly that the research question heading was well applied. Both provision of fixed responses and open-ended response options were well applied a thing that produced better results. The researcher had a well laid outline where the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) published clinical practice guidelines on pressure ulcer prediction and prevention. The contents of the guidelines were specified with practice recommendations for identifying those people at risk, maintaining and improving tissue tolerance to pressure, protecting against pressure friction and also the use of education to reduce pressure ulcer occurrence. The appraisal was well formulated where health care is evaluated through process of care and outcome indicators. It takes a wider review on the whole efforts undertaken in the prevention of pressure ulcers. (Bergquist, 2004) The two processes above have been developed through literature review, review of clinical guidelines,

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Democracy in Mexico Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Democracy in Mexico - Research Proposal Example e with all other parties to come to an agreement of the national project, as expected in a multiple party parliamentary system, but instead they deal with the instances that directly allocate funds –i.e. Secretarà ­a de Hacienda y Crà ©dito Pà ºblico-, aiming to benefit great economic interests and local political powers. The above scenario exacerbates the wealth distribution gap among Mexican citizens, whose protection should be constitutionally guaranteed by the State. In this context, the aim of my dissertation would be to strengthen the understanding of the challenges and consequences that the Mexican State faces in securing essential conditions of responsibility towards its citizens. It has been said that Mexico is on the brink of becoming a failed state. (Peschard-Sverdrup 2008, p. 238) An examination of the social and political variables that weaken its political system is, therefore, significant in several fronts. First, it would validate the argument whether the modern state of Mexico is, indeed, under attack and in danger of succumbing to its crises. Secondly, the outcome of such analysis could provide adequate lessons in regard to how the structure of modern democratic government can be eroded, highlighting its consequences to the state and to its citizens. This is particularly important because, as Laski put it, â€Å"no democracy can afford to neglect the proved sources of efficient service since that is the basis of its life.† (p. 117) Also, in this area – in the Mexican experience – solutions could be developed to address the crises and threats that undermine the modern state. Finally, the research subject could underscore the impo rtance of institutions and democratic concepts such as individual rights in the survival of a political system. The research will use the qualitative approach in an attempt to examine and understand: 1) the subject matter from the perspective of the stake holders; 2) the Mexican social and political setting in order

The Hunger Games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Hunger Games - Essay Example The author has been able to portray a wonderful story of love, hate, well as unity and the guts to have fighting instincts and patience within an individual; all the qualities that help him assist his own family in surviving in the modern day as well. The trilogy incorporates three major themes, including independence, government control, and survival, to illustrate the post-apocalyptic world that lacks the foundation of the society. The Hunger Games is an excellent novel about the lives of those that have been forced to participate in the survival of the fittest. Every district must sacrifice one young boy or girl who can fight for them and help them win repute for themselves. The story revolves around the life of Katniss, a braveheart, desperately trying to seek her identity along with doing her best to survive in the hunger games. Along with her mother and sister Prim, Katniss Everdeen lives in the twelfth district of Panem, and fights every single day in order to bring a square m eal home to feed her family. She is a tough woman, with the mind and heart of a valiant man, but the emotions and feelings of a woman. On an annual basis an individual is selected from each district in order to participate in the Hunger Games; a pursuit for survival. Unfortunately for Katniss, her sister Prim gets selected, forcing her to take her place instead in order to protect her. In many ways thus, Katniss is like the man of the family, taking care of the pack, and feeding them in order to help them grow and develop day by day. Soon as she enters the Games, she meets with Peeta from another district, a young man whom she helps to survive. She teaches him all that she knows and develops intimate relations with him over time. As her feelings for him grow, she finds that survival does not only include satisfying hunger and clothing oneself, but also helping oneself mature by understanding emotions and feelings. The characters within the story itself are very compelling; they prov ide for a gripping novel which leaves the reader from doing nothing but turning the pages. Innumerable instances have been provided within the book which talk about the stability of the region that they were living in, and how the thought process of the characters participating in the games are affected by the harsh ruling over the Capitol. Katniss is a strong young woman and provides for her family; she has accepted her fate at birth and tries her best to assist them in living a substantiate lifestyle. This is clear when she says, â€Å"It was slow-going at first, but I was determined to feed us. I stole eggs from nests, caught fish in nets, sometimes managed to shoot a squirrel or rabbit for stew, and gathered the various plants that sprung up beneath my feet. Plants are tricky. Many are edible, but one false mouthful and you're dead. I checked and double-checked the plants I harvested with my father's pictures. I kept us alive.†Ã‚  (Collins, Suzanne 4.19) She has truly bee n portrayed as the rock of her family, helping to send out a moral message to all young women about their inner strength and conduct towards society and family. Despite this however, the main theme that the novel revolves around is survival of the fittest; this means that every individual needs to keep that fighting spirit alive within them in order to rebel against the imposition of oppression of the Capitol. The main purpose of the Games was to ensure that a lot of hostility erupted among

Friday, August 23, 2019

International business final exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

International business final exam - Assignment Example The conditions imply that cotton in Africa is cheaper than in the United States in production. In fact, Dunavant pays about half of the world prices for the African cotton. This strengthens that assertion that the low cost of production translates to lower prices. The low cost are brought about by abundance of land to grow cotton, labor, and low barriers to trade in the commodity. Also, the availability of professional advice and microfinance services from Dunavant has increased production. Trade between Dunavant and Africa is beneficial to various parties which in include the farmers, the company and textile industries across the world. Unlike the US farmers who rely of subsidies, African farmers are reliant on financial services extended by companies like Dunavant (Zachary 2007). The price benefit derived by the company extends to other firms that buy the cotton from it. This has the effect of bringing the world cotton prices down. Consequently, it raises competition among cotton producing regions. The information can be explained by porters diamond of national advantage whose interest in factor conditions, structure and rivalry in the industry, available demand, related and supporting industries Factor conditions include skilled labor and technology. Cotton in Africa is labor intensive and thus benefits from a large population. Moreover, availability of funds from companies and governments aid the industry. A local market is preferable as it triggers more production. The industry becomes more competitive thus deriving better services to farmers. Global companies acting on a national stage opens up the country for international demand that further enhances cotton farming. The cotton industry is competitive. Production in Africa closely follows the United States, placing Africa as a strategic player in the industry. The advantage is that many international suppliers have ventured into the region to provide market

Thursday, August 22, 2019

University and Major Subjects Essay Example for Free

University and Major Subjects Essay Introduction Every student has the right to understand the lessons in an efficient and effective way. Students can even excel in their classes and their academic performance most especially in their major subjects. Accounting students may face a lot of challenges that affect their performance at school. Academic performance refers to how students deal with their studies and how to cope with or accomplish different tasks given by the professors. It is the ability to study and remember facts and being able to communicate the students’ knowledge verbally or in writing. Every student should have  the opportunity to achieve each academic potential. If the performance in academic is poor, it is an indication reflecting a large underlying problem of the students. All of the students seem to be best everyday by problems which must be considered and solved. The problems cover a wide range in one’s daily lives. For the students most of them are having poor academic performance. It only proves that this problem cannot be avoided. Bakre (2010) described poor academic performance as any performance that falls below a desired standard or excellence attained by the students. Rodriguez Castellanos (2010) considers poor academic performance as the situation in which the students does not attain the expected achievement according to their abilities. Similarly, Tapia (2002) notes that, while influences perceives that the student fail if he or she does not pass, more appropriate for determining poor academic performance whether the student performs below his or her potential. This study would like to have some solutions about this problem in the school. This research will be a great help to the students, faculty and administration. The result will create a corresponding  action and problem will be prevented. It is essential that these problems be scientifically analyzed to discover its underlying factor and to find a remedy. The researchers aim to help the students who are having difficulty in academic performance in their major subjects due to the factors affecting them. Through this study every student will determine the challenges that affect their academic performance. Statement of the Problem This study will be conducted to investigate the factor affecting the academic performance in major subjects among accounting students of Far Eastern University-Makati 2nd Semester 2013-2014. Time management is a factor affecting the academic performance in major subjects among accounting students of Far Eastern University-Makati 2nd Semester 2013-2014. Teaching methods is a factor affecting the academic performance in major subjects among accounting students of Far Eastern University-Makati 2nd Semester 2013-2014. Peer Pressure is a factor affecting the academic performance in major subjects among accounting students of Far Eastern University-Makati 2nd Semester 2013-2014. Academic Demand is a factor affecting the academic performance in major subjects among  accounting students of Far Eastern University-Makati 2nd Semester 2013-2014. Improper Use of Technology is a factor affecting the academic performance in major subjects among accounting students of Far Eastern University-Makati 2nd Semester 2013-2014. Scope and Delimitation This study, Factors Affecting Academic Performance in Major Subjects of Accounting Students of Far Eastern University-Makati 2nd Semester School Year 2013-2014 focuses on the factors affecting the performance of accounting students. The researchers will conduct a survey for both male and female college students who were taking up BS Accounting Technology and BS  Accountancy. The study is not only limit in the factors affecting the academic performance of accounting student but also the opinion and perception of college students in Accountancy. Because the given five factors, time management, teaching methods, peer pressure, academic demand and improper use of technology are not only the factors that could affect the performance of accounting students with their major subjects. Definition of Terms ?Academic performance- refers to how students deal with their studies and how they cope with or accomplish different tasks given to them by their professors. ?Accountancy – profession or duties of accountant ?Accounting is an information science used to collect, classifies, and manipulate financial data for organizations and individuals. ?Efficient – working in a well organized and competent way ?Factors -a circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes to a result. ?Improper – incorrect; not in accordance ?Peer Pressure -refers to the influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes and values in order to conform to group norms. ?Perception – the way in which something is regarded, understood or interpreted. ?Underlying – be the cause or the basis Procedure in Gathering Data †¢RESPONDENTS OF THE STUDY The researchers will survey college students with a program of BS Accounting Technology and BS Accountancy. This can be first year, second year, third year and fourth year accounting students. †¢RESEARCH INSTRUMENT The researchers will use the descriptive-survey in which they use survey form or questionnaire and interview method to gather the data from both male and female accounting students. The researchers will use purposive sampling in which male and female college students who are taking the program of Accounting Technology and Accountancy. Purposive and random sampling will be use for the samples that are chosen to specific objectives. Determine the Sample size Determine the Sampling Technique Use the Research Instrument Validation of Research Instrument Gathering of Data from the respondent Presentation and Interpretation of Data †¢PROCEDURE As shown in the diagram, the researcher will determine the sample size of the respondent and then the sampling technique to be use. The researcher will use questionnaire and interview method as research instrument. The questionnaire will be check by professor for validation, correction and suggestion. Then the researcher will start collection data from respondent. After the survey, the researcher will tabulate and present the data they obtain from the respondents. Research Instrument The researcher will use any type of questionnaire since it can provide sufficient information in the study. The questions can be limited in the five categories of factors affecting the academic performance of accounting students and it can beyond the other factors. Category A: Time Management Category B: Teaching Method Category C: Peer Pressure Category D: Academic Demand Category E: Improper Use of Technology Category F: Others.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Cockle Isolates of Vibrio Vulnificus | Research Experiment

Cockle Isolates of Vibrio Vulnificus | Research Experiment Isolation and identification characterization among cockle isolates of Vibrio vulnificus isolated from Selangor, Malaysia Coastal area Mohammed M. Kurdi Al-Dulaimi, Sahilah Abd. Mutalib and Ma`aruf Abd.Ghani Key words: Vibrio vulnificus, cockles, isolation, characterization, Malaysia. ABSTRACT: Vibrio vulnificus infections is worldwide public health problems associated with illnesses resulting from consumption of raw or partially cooked seafood worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and identification of V. vulnificus in cockle collected from local wet (2) and supermarkets (2) from Selangor, Malaysia from July 2013 to February 2014. A total of 78 (n=78) cockle samples were examined for the presence of V. vulnificus and collected from four local supermarkets sites of Selangor hypermarkets, V. vulnificus was present in at about 32% (25/78) of the 78 seafood cockle samples were positive to this bacterium. Colonies morphological observation and biochemical characterization for those isolates showed 60% (15/78) of isolates were classified as biotype 1 and 40% (10/78) belong to biotype 2. INTRODUCTION: Vibrio vulnificus is a motile, asporgenic, halophilic gram-negative bacterium that found worldwide in estuarine and coastal warm waters that frequently contaminates seafood like oysters , cockles , shrimps and other seafood (Horseman and Surani, 2011) infections of V. vulnificus are reported in many different countries ,USA, Europe, Korea, Taiwan , Malaysia and Saudi Arabia(Tamplin et al. 1982; Chuang et al.1992; Dalsgaard et al. 1999; Hlady and Klontz 1996; Elhadi et al.,2004; Elhadi 2012; Paydar and Thong 2013). Three major syndromes of clinical illness caused by pathogenic vibrio: septicemia, gastroenteritis and wound infections. The majority of these infections is foodborne and associated with consumption of raw or undercooked variety of seafood, including shrimp, fish, oysters and clams (Bisharat et al., 1999). Probability of septicemia and necrotizing fasciitis increased in the patients with liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus that reduce host resistance to bacterial infections owing to the immunocom-promised status (Ito et al., 2012). V. vulnificus is a bacterial species that is virulent for humans and fish ,In terms of virulence, it has been classified based on phenotypical and serological characteristics(Biosca et al.,1997 ; Tison et al., 1982), therefore V.vulnificus isolates classified into three biotypes, biotypes 1 and 3 are classified as a human isolates and biotype 2 is classified fish and eel isolates , The virulence mechanism of biotype 2 V. vulnificus strains in eels remains unclear, although some virulence factors have been proposed. The extracellular products of biotype 2 strains exhibit hydrolytic/toxic activities and lethality for the eel similar to those produced by the biotype 1 strain (Biosca and Amaro 1996). However, a few human infections caused by biotype 2 isolates have been reported worldwide. This study aims to isolateion and identifiy characterization of the V. vulnificus among cockle from Selangor, Malaysia. MATERIALS AND METHODS Samples collection and preparing For this In the present study, cockle samples (n=78) were purchased from wet markets (2) and hypermarkets (2) in Selangor-Malaysia from July 2013 to February 2014 .The cockles were washed in distilled water and scrubbed free of dirt and shucked with a sterile scalpel and cut to small pieces with sterile scissor, 25 g of muscle and intravalvar fluid were collected homogenized into sterile stomacher bags containing 225 ml of Akaline Salt Peptone Water (ASPW) (Oxoid, England) with 3% (w/v) NaCl. Samples were homogenized with using stomacher (Stomacher Lab-Blender 400) for 2 minutes. enriched in alkaline peptone salt water and The solution was diluted and then spread onto ______(what medium) medium and incubated for 18-24 hours at 37Â ºC. Isolation and morphological characterization All samples were analyzed for potentially pathogenic Vibrios. All samples enriched in APW[DS1] and transferred a loop full of enrichment broth on to Thiosulphate citrate bile salt sucrose agar (TCBS)(Difco Laboratories, USA) and CHROMagar Vibrio (CV)(CHROMagar, France) and incubated for 24 h at 37Â ºC. After incubation colonies suspected to be V. vulnficus were picked up from the TCBS[DS2] agar and CV plates and cultured on Tryptic Soy Agar (TSA) to obtain pure colonies.[DS3] (Elhadi 2012).V. vulnificus produce green colonies on TCBS and blue green (Turquoise) on Chromagar Vibrio, these colonies were picked up to nutrient agar slant and stored at 4Â °C for morphological and biochemical identification. Biochemical characterization The isolates were identified at the species level with the use of biochemical tests that may differentiated among closer species of vibrio that gave similar morphological characteristics on selective media, in this study we use some biochemical tests that distinguish among V. vulnificus and other vibrio species such as V. parahemolyticus. [DS4] Indole Production The ability of bacteria to splitting of tryptophan to indole tested , test tubes contain 9 ml of tryptone water inoculated with loop full of V. vulnificus culture and incubated for 24- 48 h at 37Â ºC, adding 1 ml of Kovac`s indicator(P-dimethyl amnobenzaldehyde in amyl) , positive reaction immediately forming red color ring in the broth. [DS5] Oxidase test :[DS6] Bacterial colonies were transferred with a sterile glass rod to filter paper moistened with oxidase reagent. Appearance of a dark purple color within few seconds was considered a positive reaction. Tolerance to NaCl :[DS7] Tolerance to NaCl was determined by the addition of NaCl to 1 % peptone broth with percentage of 0, 3, 6 and 10 % (w/v) [DS8]and cultures were examined for growth after 2 days at 37oC. RESULTS Isolation of V. vulnificus: [DS9] A total of 78 cockle samples were obtained from four different location of kajang.30, 28, 10 and 10 cockle samples were collected from pasar kajang, gaint bangi , gaint kajang and pasar bangi respectively, from August 2013 until January 2014, 11 sample (36%) of pasar Kajang was positive, 9 samples (32%) of Gaint Bangi was positive, 3 samples (30%) of Gaint Kajang was positive and 2 (20%) of Pasar Bangi was positive for V. vulnificus (table 1), The highest numbers of V. vulnificus were isolated from pasar kajang and gaint bangi , the lowest numbers of V. vunlificus were isolated from gaint kajang (Fig.1).[DS10] Table 1 percentage[DS11] of presence of V. vulnificus in cockle samples. Figure 1 percentage of positive samples. Morphological and biochemical identification: V. vulnificus in this study were identified as biotype I because all the isolates were positive for indole production. CHROMagar Vibrio (CHROMagar; Paris,France) was used in this study in conjunction with TCBS agar because of its ability to isolate and identifyV. vulnificus compared to the TCBS agar. CHROMagar Vibrio uses chromogenic technology to allow for the isolation and detection of V. vulnificus resulting in development dark blue colonies which can be distinguished from other Vibrio species as shown in Fig. 2. V. vulnificus were isolated from 25 of the 78 samples analyzed, and were identified with picked up single colonies on selective media for morphological identification, V.vulnificus isolates appeared as green colonies on TCBS medium and appeared as blue green colonies on Chromagar Vibrio medium Fig 2, green color on TCBS refer to inability of this bacteria to produce acids from sucrose, colonies on ChromagarTM Vibrio medium are accurately (99%) detect V. vulnificus isolates and differentiate it from other vibrio species. Fig 2 V vulnificus isolates on TCBS (A) and Chromagar Vibrio (B). Biochemical characterization: Distinguish between the different vibrios on the basis of colony morphology not always possible, the identification of Vibrio spp. is problematic because of phenotypic similarity of some species, there for we should be do biochemical tests to confirm the results obtained from morphological identification. V. vulnificus is divided into three biotypes according to their different biochemical and biological properties (Linkous and Oliver 1999).Twenty-five strains identified as V. vulnificus were submitted to biochemical tests. All isolates used in this study were positive for oxidase test (100%), all isolates grow on solid selective media (TCBS and CV agar). Salt tolerance show that 100% of isolates grow in 3% NaCl whiles no growth in 0 % of NaCl (table 2) because this bacterium is halophilic and it is abundantly present in estuarine ecosystems throughout the world. Table 2 biochemical tests of V. vulnificus isolates. DISCUSSION Isolation and morphological identification of V. vulnificus: The main objective of this study was to detect the incidence of pathogenic V. vulnificus in cockle samples collected from five sites in Malaysia, 25 of 78 cockle samples were positive for V. vulnificus (table 1), high percentage of cockles positive for V. vulnificus attributed to filter-feeding mollusks such as oysters, clams and mussels have high concentrations of the bacteria in their guts and other tissues (Strom and Paranjpye 2000). A chromogenic medium used for differentiation of V. vulnificus which contains bile salts and high NaCl and pH. This medium selects mainly three vibrio species (V. vulnificus, V. cholera and V. parahemolyticus) easily to differentiate among these species depend upon colony color whereas V. vulnificus isolates gave distinctive blue green color, various biochemical tests were used for more identification (Elhadi 2012). Biochemical identification: On the basis of differences in biochemical property V. vulnificus includes two biotypes (Tison et al. 1982). In this study, V. vulnificus biotype 1 and 2 were isolated. Isolates from human infections and environmental sources were described as indole positive and belong to biotype 1, whereas strains recovered from diseased eels were indole-negative and classified as biotype 2. (Amaro et al., 1992; Biosca et al., 1996; Radu et al., 1998).Ability to produce indole from trypton show 60% of isolates positive classified as biotype 1, and 40% was negative to indole production classified as biotype 2 (table 2), that indole production was the single biochemical trait which distinguished biotype 1 and biotype 2 (Tison et al. 1982). All isolates in this study were positive for oxidase, majority of V. vulnificus have cytochrome c oxidase enzyme, V. vulnificus is a halophilic marine bacterium tolerant for NaCl from 1% to 10% whereas most of V. vulnificus isolates tolerant up to 6% NaCl (table 2) but no growth in 10% NaCl and 0% of NaCl (Dalsgaard et al., 1999; Elhadi, 2012). V. vulnificus grow in wide range of temperature from 13Â °C to 40Â °C, optimal temperature for isolates in this study was 37Â °C that is an optimal temperature for pathogenic bacteria. REFERENCES Horseman, M.A. and Surani, S. (2011). A comprehensive review of Vibrio vulnificus: an important cause of severe sepsis and skin and soft-tissue infection. Int. J. of Infect. Dis., 15(3):157-166. Bisharat, N., Agmon, V., Finkelstein, R., Raz, R., Ben-Dror, G., Lerner, L., et al.(1999) .Clinical, epidemiological, and microbiological features of Vibrio vulnificus biotype 3causing outbreaks of wound infection and bacteraemia in Israel. The Lancet 354(9188):1421–1424. Biosca EG, Amaro C, Larsen JL, Pedersen K (1997) Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Vibrio vulnificus: proposal for the substitution of the subspecific taxon biotype for serovar. Appl Environ Microbiol 63: 1460–1466. Tison, D.L., Nishibuchi, M., Greenwood, J.D., Seidler, R.J.(1982). Vibrio vulnificus biogroup2: new biogroup pathogenic for eels. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 44,640–646. Biosca, E. G., and Amaro C.(1996).Toxic and enzymatic activities of Vibrio vulnificus biotype 2 with respect to host specificity. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62:2331–2337. Paydar M, Thong K.L.(2013). Prevalence and genetic characterization of Vibrio vulnificus in raw seafood and seawater in Malaysia. J Food Prot.76(10):1797-1800. Linkous D.A. and Oliver J.D.( 1999). Pathogenesis of Vibrio vulnificus, FEMS Microbiol. Letters. 174 :207-214. Hlady WG , Klontz KC(1996). The Epidemiology of Vibrio Infections in Florida, 1981-1993, J. of Infec. Dis. 173(5):1176-1183. Elhadi N, Radu S, Chen CH, Nishibuchi M.(2004) Prevalence of potentially pathogenic Vibrio species in the seafood marketed in Malaysia. Journal of Food Protection; 67(7): 1469-75. Chuang, Y.C., Yuan, C.Y., Liu, C.Y., Lan, C.K. Huang, A.H. (1992). Vibrio vulnificus infection in Taiwan: report of 28 cases and review of clinical manifestations and treatment. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 15: 271–276. Elhadi, N. (2012). Antibiotic Resistance and Plasmid Profiling of Clinically Significant Vibrio vulnificus Isolated from Coastal Water in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. British Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology 3(2): 93-97. Radu, S., Elhadi, N. Hassan, Z. Rusul, G. Lihan,S. Fifadara, N. Yuherman and E. Purwati, 1998.Characterization of Vibrio vulnificus isolated from cockles (Anadara granosa): Antimicrobial resistance,plasmid profiles and random amplification of polymorphic DNA analysis. FEMS. Microbiol.Lett.,165: 139-143. Ito, H., Shibayama A., Abe M., Antoku S., Nawata H., Isonishi M., Fujita M., Kato S. (2012). Vibrio vulnificus septicemia and necrotizing fasciitis in the patients with liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus. J. of Diabetes Mellitus :2(1)122-125. Dalsgaard, I., HÃ ¸i, L., Siebeling, R. J. Dalsgaard, A. (1999). Indole-positive Vibrio vulnificus isolated from disease outbreaks on a Danish eel-farm. Dis Aquat Organ 35, 187–194. Amaro, C., Biosca, E. G., Esteve, C., Fouz, B. Toranzo, A. E. (1992). Comparative study of phenotypic and virulence properties in V. vulnificus biotype 1 and 2 obtained from a European eel farm experiencing mortalities. Dis Aquat Organ 13, 29–35. Tamplin M, Rodrick G.E., Blake N.J., Cuba T.(1982). Isolation and characterization of Vibrio vulnificus from two Florida estuaries. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 44:1466–1470. [DS1]Write in ful, and short capital letter with bracket after that [DS2]Write in full [DS3]Shouldn’t has dot please [DS4]Omit this part [DS5]Not clear please clarify [DS6]remove [DS7]remove [DS8] please add [DS9]remove [DS10]make sure the valu tele with your abstract [DS11]Shouldn write in bold, please write properly and precise. Too simple is not describsable [DS12]write in full [DS13]remove this column

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Pythagoras Approach To Dualism

Pythagoras Approach To Dualism Dualism was early approached by Pythagoras in 6th Century B.C.E. Pythagoras believe on transmigration of soul-means that when a person died, the soul is immortal and bound to divide soul. However, Pythagorass theory is not likely famous during that time. Later, Plato shows the disjunctive between mind and body. Plato thinks that body is like a prison used to trap mind/soul. After death, the body decomposes because it was made of material while soul/mind is immortal. This shows that body and mind is two separated things. Dualism that famously used nowadays came from the famous philosopher and mathematician, Rene Descartes. It is also known as the beginning of modern philosophy. Rene introduced two main subjects for dualism which are substance and property. In order to understand dualism, several argument were rised.One particular argument is dualistic interactionism which known as common sense. Descartes stated the point of interaction is something connected mind/soul to body is at pineal gland of brain.However,the soul is not likely trap at pineal gland, it only act as point of interaction. Mind is real but it is different from brain. The brain is the major locus for the mind or consciousness of the soul, yet mind or consciousness is distributed throughout the whole body. But the function of pineal gland as point of interaction has been proved as wrong by scientifically method. Pineal gland function to secrete serotonin derivative melatonin(hormone use to modulate sleep and wake patterns and seasonal function).There are no evidence to associate mind/soul to body by using pineal gland. This is making interactionism as a weak argument to defend dualism. Another argument is mind is the immortal soul. Many religions like Islam and Christian teach that soul is different from our body. When we died ,the soul is immortal and will go to heaven or hell. This argument is similar to Platos approach. Thats why platonic dualism is well accepted in Christian .The third argument is ,if dualism is false, we can reduce mind/mental states to physical matter or vice versa, or to neutral third substance.However,it was impossible to change your mental states to matter. For example if we feel anger towards someone, can you made your feeling into concrete object? Of course not. Thats why this argument is commonly used to convince people about dualism.However,this argument can be critics for the lackness of imagination. In imagination we think about something then we made it into some physical things. The last argument is mental states(mind) and physical(body)have different and irreconcilable properties. First point for this judgment is mental states cannot be publically observable. For example ,I fall from stairs and hurt my head. We can see the effect of fall because the bump in my head but you cannot feel the pain I suffered. Thats why mental states are private unlike physical things such as fireworks and cannot be publically observable. Next is mental states is not spatially located .Many experiment been conducted but scientist still cannot proved where mind located ,either inside or outside of the brain. Pretending that you are feeling happy. Does you feel happy in your head or the happiness is spread throughout your body?so,where exactly your mind? Third point is mental states does not have properties as physical. As example our body has mass and can do physical motion. We cannot weigh a thought and we cannot measure how far our feeling can go. Some people stated that they h ave depthless of feeling but, how can they measure the depthness?Fourth,mental states have subjective properties(Qualia)that physical do not have. Qualia is raw feels .It is a subjective or qualitative properties of our experience. It is like how to know what is red color and what is red colour . We also need this Qualia to differentiate musical notes heard from piano or violin .Therefore, is impossible to reduced Qualia into physical properties.So there are at least four major differences between the mental and the physical, and the reason why we cannot reduce the mental to the physical. This is a good argument to show dualism as evidence of mind/body problem. In this philosophy of mind, dualism is different kinds of mental events and physical events in a set of beginning of belief in which they were claimed. Instead of that, the dualist in the philosophy of mind had identified the big difference between mind and matter. They all disagree that the mind and brain are same. While others deny that the mind is the only one product of the brain. The concept of this dualism is that our mind is more than our brain. It can contain everything in our surrounding. This concept tells us that our mind has a non-material which is spiritual dimension that includes consciousness and possibly motivated to explore surrounding. In order to understand this concept, we have to consider ourselves first as a container which is including our physical body and physical brain together with a separate non-physical mind, spirit, soul, motivation and so on. The mind, spirit, or soul is considered the conscious part that manifests itself through the brain. In a similar way where the picture and sound waves manifest themselves through a television set. These waves of picture and sound are also known as no -material just like the mind, spirit, or soul. There are many types of dualism that are compared based on the way mind and matters are thought to each other together with its own functionality. Thus, this dualism can be divided into two which is substance and property dualist. Substance dualists typically argue that there are difference matters in our mind and body where the mind is a thinking thing is less exposed to the physical of an object. The physical objects are including size, shape, location, volume, speed and direction in movement and so on. However, substance dualists fall into several groups depending on how they think the connection of mind and body are related. For instances, interactionists believe that minds and bodies can affect to each other. Occasionalists and parallelists, generally motivated by a curiosity concern of physical science. But this is denied because all apparent interaction to God is ultimately attributing.Epiphenomenalists offer a compromise theory, asserting that bodily events can have mental events as effects at the same time denying that the reverse is true. This can be done by our thought experience without following the science law. The occasionalism and parallelism are another two types of substance dualist. These th eories are largely preserved or are taken from the original of history. The occasionalist mentioned that there are no interaction between mind and body mind. For example, we put our hand above the hot kettle then the hot and uncomfortable sensation occurs. Malebranche, an occassionalists assert that the sensation is caused by God where God create appropriate experiences and feeling by using the occasion of environmental happenings. Furthermore, according to the parallelist, our mental and physical histories are coordinated so that mental events appear to cause physical events (and vice versa) by feature of their temporal joining, but there are no interaction between mind and body than two clocks that are synchronized so that the one chimes when hands of the other point out the new hour. Since this series of harmonies impossible is due to mere accident, so it is advanced in explanation of religion. In creation God does not appeared continuously, just like the occasionalist had mentioned, but it create a pre-established harmony which is we programmed ourselves that maximally removes the need for future impact. Next, another dualism is property dualism which is that mental states are misshape attributes of brain states and it holds that non-physical properties of physical substances are mental phenomena. Consciousness is the most widely known as a sample of a physical substance which is non-physical. However, other dualists hold that mental states, characteristic and episodes are brain states, even the states cannot be conceptualized in exactly the same way without loss of meaning. According to epiphenomenalism, mental events can build bodily events or processes, but bodily events or processes cannot caused by mental phenomena (McLaughlin, p. 277) whether an epiphenomenalist thinks these mental epiphenomena are the body properties or properties of a non-physical mental storage determines whether property or substance dualist is the epiphenomenalist. They are many psychology principles that had been discuss today. For example, functionalism, dualism, mongolism. All this principle had their own explanations and their own believe about the life and the things that related to life. But, for my group opinion, the most suitable and the nearest principle that can get along with life. Human body actually had two things, which is body and mind. These two things react with each other simultaneously to create the most complicated and perfect things, that is life to run smoothly. Dualism can be prove to be nearly correct because it has implications that related to life after death issues. This is because, after we die, we will going to had our life after death, and many religions in this world was practicing the same things. After we die, our soul will separated from our body, and will live the life after the death. So, the life after death is based on judgment on how we operate or run our life before. Besides that, nobody in this world can retain or can resist death. Everybody will die, and nobody had the immortal. So, this prove that dualism concept was the most or nearly precise principle that can be related to life. Apart from that, human rationality in the terms of thinking was also an implication that can be used to prove that dualism principle was true. Physical forces was something that play an importance role in peoples thought judgment. If there is no soul, instead, there is only had body, they will be no believe or not believe for something that is not real-abstract. For example, the galaxy had seven layers, and god is actually exist . On the other hand, if our body had only self-refuting left, there will be no room for rational beliefs. British study had published that there is evidence that consciousness continues after a persons brain stopped. The most shocking prove was that actually death support the dualism . The brain still run the function of lucid thought with formation and reasoning of memory. Besides, there are also patience that admit that they had gain information that they had never knew it before. Brain was also being proved that had no place where electric stimulation can cause a person to believe or decide. This was proved by doing interviewed to sixty three heart attack victims who were declared death. Roger Sperry and his team had studied difference between right and left hemisphere of the brain, and they had found that mind had causal power independent of the brain activities. This is why, materialism was concluded to be false by Sperry. Actually, thought had two components, which is mind and brain. This can be said to be true because thoughts can be true or false, however, brain states itself cannot be true or false. So, how on earth can we think in our everyday life about right or wrong? This can be the obvious prove to prove that dualism was the most precise principle exist-yet. Besides that, by measuring brain waves, nobody can tell we what we are thinking. Instead, we must been ask about what had been thinking first, then everybody will knows. That is why the dualism principle was chosen to be most or nearest precise principle that can be adapt to our life as it had two component that work and react simultaneously to complete the cycle that we called life and it was also true to be said that life or mind body actually had two component, that is body and soul.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Bone People- Relationships Essay -- Essays Papers

The Bone People- Relationships Relationships surround us all though out lift. Everyone needs some type of relationship, whether it's a friendship, family, or lover. People can't last without them, no matter how different the relationships are. In the novel The Bone People, it's based on the relationships between the three main characters; Kerewin, Joe and Simon. The relationship between Kerewin and Joe was very odd. They have a type of relationship that they aren't even sure about, they like each other, but don't realize it. It's starts off with Joe asking Kerewin: "Are you afraid of kissing," and Kerewin answers "I don't like kissing." (pg: 265) It's both a strange question and answer. Then later on in the page, Joe keeps on the topic by saying: "I thought maybe someone had been bad to you in the past, and that was why you don't like people touching or holding you." "Ah damn it to hell," she bangs the lamp down on the desk and the flame jumps wildly. "I said no. I haven't been raped or jilted or abused in any fashion. There's nothing in my background to explain the way I am." She steadies her voice, taking the impatience out of it. "I'm the odd one out, the peculiarity in my family, because they're all normal and demonstrative physically." (pg: 265) Joe is Sharing with Kerewin his feelings about family, and childhood. "I've often thought that maybe what happens to you as a child determines everything about you. What you are and what you do, a...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Violence in Schools Essay examples -- Education School Teen Violence

As teachers, parents, and students prepare and begin this new school year, hopefully fears of school violence such as the bullying, slapping, punching, weapon use, and rape will not be their major concern. To top it all, what is School Violence? As defined in the Oxford Dictionary, School Violence is a subset of students or teachers violence, physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing, the act or an instance of violent action or behavior at school, abuse or injury to meaning, content, or intent, vehemence of feeling or expression. What is sad is that school violence needs to be a concern at all. The fact is; violence of one sort or another is part of many schools today. Fortunately, this usually involves a small group of people fighting amongst themselves. School Violence is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society. People are talking about what needs to be done to help prevent this from becoming an everyday occurrence, looking to meta l detectors for schools, profiling of who would be the most likely to commit such crimes, and changing the way violence is looked at by society as a whole. There needs to be a change within society itself, but also in suburban homes and most of all is at school. Parents have never really been encouraged to teach their children ways of non violent confrontation. A push needs to be created towards parents getting involved in their child’s lives and knowing what is going on with their son or daughter. This is not only a way to help prevent the violence that plagues the schools of today but to help stop violence from occurring. Parents are the front line defense to helping put an end to school violence. This writing will be paste on the harmful effects of v... ...lves that should be considered tackling matters that are important instead of slipping through so easily into issues that are not worth it and undemanding for not only their lives but also the lives of others in the community that affected. Thus from what we see in arguments and damages caused in most communities are the cruelty of those students coming from school violences, so therefore to make this place a better one, teach students to control their pride and have more concern with what our life is taking us through, aiming for the best and the highest accomplishments not having violence affect our schools and our society. http://law.jrank.org/pages/12101/School-Violence-Effects-school-violence.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shooting http://whyfiles.org/065school_violence/ http://712educators.about.com/od/schoolviolence/School_Violence.htm

Conflict, Climax and Resolution in Sophocles Antigone Essay -- Sophoc

Conflict, Climax and Resolution  in Antigone  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Sophocles’ tragic drama, Antigone, presents to the reader a full range of conflicts and their resolution after a climax. In Antigone the protagonist, Antigone, is humble and pious before the gods and would not tempt the gods by leaving the corpse of her brother unburied. She is not humble before her uncle, Creon, because she prioritizes the laws of the gods higher than those of men; and because she feels closer to her brother, Polynices, than she does to her uncle. The drama begins with Antigone inviting Ismene outside the palace doors to tell her privately: â€Å"What, hath not Creon destined our brothers, the one to honoured burial, the other to unburied shame?† Antigone’s offer to Ismene (â€Å"Wilt thou aid this hand to lift the dead?) is quickly rejected, so that Antigone must bury Polynices by herself. The protagonist, Antigone, is quickly developing into a rounded character, while Ismene interacts with her as a foil, demurring in the face of Creon’s threat of stoning to death as punishment for violators of his decree regarding Polynices. The main conflict thusfar observed i s that which the reader sees taking shape between Antigone and the king. Antigone is a religious person who is not afraid of death, and who respects the laws of the gods more than those of men: Nay, be what thou wilt; but I will bury him: well for me to die in doing that. I shall rest, a loved one with him whom I have loved, sinless in my crime; for I owe a longer allegiance to the dead than to the living: in that world I shall abide for ever. But if thou wilt, be guilty of dishonouring laws which the gods have established in honour. Ismene is unmoved by the reasoning and sentiments of... ...e pervading themes in Sophocles is the justice of the universe. We are to understand that, in some sense, cosmic justice ultimately prevails (718). WORKS CITED Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999. Segal, Charles Paul. â€Å"Sophocles’ Praise of Man and the Conflicts of the Antigone.† In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by R. C. Jebb. The Internet Classic Archive. no pag. http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html â€Å"Sophocles† In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984. Watling, E. F.. Introduction. In Sophocles: The Theban Plays, translated by E. F. Watling. New York: Penguin Books, 1974.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Mexican Food

The increasing number of immigrant population in the US, is topped by the Mexican presence with more than 8.5 Million legal immigrants (Mexico’s National Council of Populations, Sept. 2001). The United States is therefore slowly inheriting traditions brought about by the oldest and newest Mexican inhabitants. One cannot even deny that anything to do with the Mexican culture has gained popularity in TV shows and advertisements endorsing Mexican products to radio programs playing guitars and crooning Spanish love songs. Mexican immigrants and their descendants are also becoming socially and culturally influential as their way of life seeps into the contemporary American politics, food and daily living that will soon redefine the nation’s identity. The demand for Mexican foods has increased and slowly becoming part of the mainstream culture and threatening to displace the long-time Italian and Chinese ethnic favorite foods. The unwillingness of Mexican immigrants to assimilate the American culture with strict preference over their own traditions (Smith, 1997: 112) is evident in their traditional choice of food in a new host country. As members of the leading minority group, Mexicans are coming out from obscurity and are collectively insisting a tangible conception of their democratic culture through cuisine (Rivera, 2006:4). This is creatively presented in their attachment to their native Hispanic Mexican foods that has created a common link between the Americans and Mexicans through the culinary arts. Mexican Traditional Food Mexican foods are becoming so popular and quite evident with the sales boost of salsa product outstripping ketchup sales in the United States. Tortillas are also becoming commonly needed in American palates with popular sandwich wraps replacing traditional breads (US, Levine; 2004: 32). American people are truly catching on the flavor of Mexican food that is intense and has varied spices (Wood, 2004:215). The original Mexican foods are rich in terms of proteins, vitamins, and minerals though it is characterized by some as spicy. Corn particularly presented in corn tortillas, plays a fundamental role in the Mexican cuisine along with beans as another major staple ingredient (Wood; 215). Such food staples are often boiled and fried. Beans are also high in fiber with an anti-oxidant benefit which is excellent against disposing unwanted cholesterol and for cancer prevention. Along with avocados used in salads, soups and other main dishes, hot chili peppers are mixed with most Mexican dishes which are mostly served fried to provide the characteristic spice for flavor mostly composed of jalapeno, poblano, habanero, cascabel and pasilla as the most common spicy ingredients. Protein-rich Mexican Diet In the Mexican food, cilantro or Chinese parsley is a very popular herb used in salsa and sauces. It’s composition of phytonutrients, flavonoids and acid compounds are known to help control blood sugar, lower cholesterol levels and fight infection with its antimicrobial properties. Along with fresh tomatoes in the Mexican salsas, they’re used in most sauces and soups. Its lycopene-rich composition is a potent antioxidant and a rich source of vitamin C, A and K. The papaya fruit is also a popular in the Mexican diet especially during breakfast which could be eaten as is or mixed with salsa. Papaya has been known to protect against heart disease, colon cancer and supportive to the immune system. It is also beneficial for digestion with its papain enzyme component particularly a good aid for digestion. When properly prepared, the benefits are well accepted in the human body with the best long-term effects. Food Preparation In Mexico, Mexican food preparation is fraught with traditional practices. In the preparation of salsa and tortillas and tamales especially during holidays, fire from the preparation is put out with either milk or butter and not water as a superstition of consistency in the food preparation is believed. As an ethnic group, Mexicans in the US do survive the ritual practices of religious and syncretic content, where the main offerings are food and beverages, such as mole during religious holidays like All Souls’ Day tamales or Saint Cross’ Day barbacoa (West, 1988:208) is upheld. These foods though take a lengthy preparation process yet in   Mexico’s different regions particularly in the rural areas during San Isidro Labrador’s feast day (West: 208),food is prepared as in a healthy manner and not merely fried with fat-rich oils. Mexican Cuisine adaptation in the US Mexican food demands created a major influence on American meals as shown by studies that Americans are currently eating Mexican foods four times more compared to 20 years ago (Wood: 216). Food chains are emulating the Mexican trend according to the Institute of Food Technologists (Dept of State, 2004) who claimed that Mexican food has almost doubled in popularity among people who cook regularly, from 44 percent in 1985 to 86 percent in 2003. According to them the weak link between the super-sized and super-fattened food sold as Hispanic or Mexican in the United States is the main problem as the Americanized version is loaded with calories. Further it is believed that as Hispanic people blend in with American culture, Hispanic would soon take in the food preparation and eating habits of the American people as they too are transformed into busybodies. While there is a mixture of both cultures in food preparation, the unhealthy element is retained as busy American-Mexicans hasten to prepare food faster fried in rich oils. Food and health relationships The traditional Mexican diet is advantageous but the American-Mexican is not! Staple as the main food composed of beans, corn and squash has a higher content of complex carbohydrates which is emphasized by the consumption of other fruits and vegetables. However when liberal amounts of fat are added through stewing or frying instead of baking or broiling, the purpose of a healthy diet is defeated. Fried foods which is a growing trend to a faster preparation needs fat-rich products which leads to obesity and contributes to diabetes, hypertension and a combination of these illnesses (Lisabeth and Kaplan: 2006). Cutting down on fat, sodium and sugar in the diet would ultimately reverse the effects. It would be beneficial if the carbohydrate intake could be increased by eating servings of bread, pasta, fruits and vegetables. Spanish rice can be served with potatoes and beans as well. Corn tortillas should also be made using whole wheat flour and made with unsaturated fats such as canola oil, soybean or corn instead of lard. Avoidance of too much soft drink would also spell health as the American-Mexican drinks more water. Corn chips are also health-wise when baked instead of fried and avoidance of salty foods would mean a modified healthful Mexican meal with flavored garlic, cumin, regain, cilantro and other spices. Works Cited Smith Robert. (1997). The City and the World: New York’s Global Future in Margaret E. Crahan, Alberto Vourvoulias-Bush (eds.). Council on Foreign Relations. Lisabeth, Lynda D. and Kaplan, Norman D. (2006). Mexican-Americans at Higher Risk for Second Stroke. Annals of Neurology, Sept. Rivera, John Michael. (2006). The Emergence of Mexican America: Recovering Stories of Mexican Peoplehood in U.S. Culture. NYU Press. United States. Department of State Reports.   (2004). Americans at the Table Reflections on Food and Culture. Diane Publishing. West, John. (1988). Mexican-American Folklore. Arkansas: August House. Wood, Andrew Grant. (2004). On the Border: Society and Culture Between the United States and Mexico. Rowman & Littlefield.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Paganism and Christianity in Beowulf Essay

Like a man outlawed for wickedness, he must await the mighty judgement of God in majesty. † (Beowulf, Heaney, p. 65) Finally, as Beowulf is dying after being mortally wounded by the Dragon, he ultimately thanks and praises God for the future prosperity of his kingdom, passing off the fame and glory to God instead of claiming it solely himself: â€Å"To the everlasting Lord of All, to the King of Glory, I give thanks that I behold this treasure here in front of me, that I have been allowed to leave my people so well endowed on the day I die. (Beowulf, Heaney, p. 189) The attempt at bridging Pagan tradition with Christianity is clear and powerful. Fate and personal fame and glory are important doctrine in Paganism, and the author of Beowulf is able to mend these characteristics with the Will of God and the ultimate power and glory of God, all major aspects of Christianity. 2-B2 The Gospel of Matthew was and still remains a critical text to Christians, both cradle Christians and converts from Judaism. It depicts the life of Jesus, as did the other two synoptic gospels – Mark and Luke. It includes depictions of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, his temptation, his baptism by John the Baptist, his teachings, his crucifixion, and his resurrection and Great Commission to his disciples. ?The Great Commission is arguably the most significant excerpt from the Gospel of Matthew as is believed to be Jesus’ instructions dictated to his disciples to go out and spread the teachings of Jesus. It is found in Chapter 28, verses 16-20: â€Å"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, â€Å"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. † This excerpt has been interpreted by Christians as divine instruction to evangelize nations, baptize non-Christians, as well as to perform missionary work. It is central to the theology of most Christian religions. Also of note, the Gospel of Matthew served as a bridge from Judaism to Christianity. In it, Matthew attempts to demonstrate how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament and that Jesus is, indeed, the Messiah foretold in the old texts.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Martin Luther King Essay

America was experiencing a situation of chaos in the 1950s when the African Americans and the people of color began to rise for the fight of equality and freedom, and racial differences were realized. Initially, blacks and colored were widely discriminated. There were separate restaurants for white and the colored; separate educational institutes and likewise, separate hotels and motels and other public places. Blacks were not given employments on the basis of race and color and the ratio of black working men was almost negligible. They were not even given the right to vote. Cases of police violation on blacks were tremendous. As a result, gradual frustration began bottling up in the blacks. Finally, much to their relief, a decision by the Supreme Court, Brown v. Board of Education was issued in favor of the blacks. This decision given on May 17, 1954, recognized the discrimination against blacks in the field of education and declared that separate educational institutes resulted in unequal educational opportunities. Thus, it ordered all states to combine the blacks and white into same classrooms. However, the country, particularly the Southern part of America, was reluctant in carrying out the court order and hence, many years passed but the order failed to be put into operation. That is when Martin Luther King Jr. appeared. King had been working for equality and justice of blacks for a long time and was one of the prominent leaders in this movement. In order to spring the court order into action and protest for freedom, King along with other more than 250,000 individuals led a march to Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, also known as the March on Washington. This rally included many other eminent characters such as actor Sidney Poitier, and labor leader Walter Reuther. All these influential heads addressed the audience and expressed their feelings individually; however, it was King’s speech; ‘I have a dream’ marked a landmark in civil right movement history. (Wikipedia, 1) About Martin Luther King Jr Born in January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Martin Luther King was the son of Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and a brother of two siblings. He earned his Bachelors degree in 1948 in sociology and then completed his Bachelor of Divinity degree afterwards. In 1955, he did his PhD from Boston University. Afterwards, he became a Baptist minister but then turned his focus towards the civil rights movement and fighting for the freedom of the blacks. He contributed to the establishment of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and also led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He was the orator of the memorial speech ‘I have a dream’. He received Nobel Peace Price for his efforts to eliminate racial discriminations. He was also declared â€Å"Man of the Year† by Times Magazine. King was shot dead on April 4, 1968 in Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was later established in his memory. (Wikipedia,1) Analysis of the Speech Style There is an element of emotional appeal in King’s speech. Rich in vocabulary, it is drenched in symbolism. The speech begins with an attention-grasping phrase and positive connotations. In fact, in the entire speech, whenever the future of blacks is mentioned, King has used strong and healthy words reflecting hope and an optimist approach. The first half of the speech; however, exposes the horrible reality the blacks faced. It narrates the story of thousands of blacks who were divested of their basic rights because of their coloring. King has made use of several phrases to describe the gloomy life of African Americans such as â€Å"the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. † (Alvarez, 339) King’s background as Baptist also came useful in his speech as it reminds many of the blacks’ Baptist sermons. It contains references from Bible; for example, his sentence, â€Å"It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity’ in the second stanza indicates to Psalm 30:5. Other allusions are found from Amos 5:24 and Isaiah 40:4. † (Wikipedia, 1) At the same time, the speech also reflects the Abraham Lincoln’s style in his Gettysburg Address when he uses the term, ‘Five score years ago’. (Public broadcasting service,1) Here again, the purpose of alluding to Lincoln in the commencing lines of speech is symbolic that is, he refers back to a leader who had fought the Southern states over the issue of slavery. In this way, King is reminding the whites that the slaves of in the 19th century and the blacks of 20th century shared a similar tragedy and the same repressive power. After emptying out his feelings of sorrow and despair for the African Americans, the speech then moves to the phase mirroring hope and about demanding their rights. Here, King uses the term ‘check’ to refer to their rights. (Heath, 146) His expressions such as ‘bank of justice’ and ‘riches of freedom’ compel any man of heart to melt and feel their pain. (Heath, 148) They are also an evident of his literacy exposure and knowledge which was rare in blacks at that time. Plus, these words depict a feeling of hope thriving in the speech. The way King demands for blacks’ right is purely beautiful and saintly as he says, ‘And so, we’ve come to cash this check’. (Alvarez, 352) Next, the speech emphasizes the significance of democracy and need to work together to achieve that state of democracy. Here, ‘Now is the time’ has been accentuated four times in the entire paragraph to demonstrate the critical requirement of acting promptly, without any further delay. (Alvarez, 355) He then refers this discrimination as a weakness of America that needs to be removed in order to achieve the nation’s mutual objectives. Here, King has used the technique of reaching the subconscious by using such words such as ‘children of God’ which itself defines that all blacks and whites are brothers. (Wikipedia 1) Hence, in this way, he didn’t have to say it directly and the message was also conveyed. While he talks of brotherhood and the need to put aside the differences and work together, he also issues a warning for the conflicting parties of the consequences if such circumstances failed to occur and promises the nation that they will struggle to fight and rebel until they were not granted their rights. This is evident from this sentence, ‘The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. ’ (Alvarez, 338) Nevertheless, King was against violence and sermonized the message of peace. Hence, the main objective of King in this rally was also to communicate his message in a non-violent manner. After encouraging the blacks to continue the fight, the speech moves to its second half – the part about his dream –an American dream. Here, ‘I have a dream today! ’ is repeated at intervals to indicate that the dream must be accomplished immediately and not in some future time. The most popular phrase of this speech ‘I have a dream’ is repeated eight times. (Wikipedia, 1) In this part of the speech that is about his dream, he has offered the image of a united country; a country free of discrimination and hatred; a liberal state. This part is highly rhetorical and lulls the audience into another world the world he yearns to create. His words carry such weight that the audience is bound to share his dream even if they deny it. At the end of the speech, he has named several different states of America. The reason was to make it clear that they want respect, dignity and equality in not just some parts of America but in fact, the entire country. This point was explicitly a clear indication for the Southern states. The concluding stanzas contain a stimulating phrase, ‘Let freedom ring! ’ and ‘Free at last! ’ (Alvarez, 351) The absorbing aspect of this speech is its rhythmical flow. The speech begins with a background of the black citizens’ existing situation and the crisis they are facing. It then proposes the solution to their dilemma; followed by the explanation of the reason of why this solution should be implemented. For this part, King uses number of tools such as facts and emotional appeal. At the end, in order to provoke the feeling of urgent execution of his solution, he shares with the audience a stirring dream i. e. his vision of the ideal situation that would prevail if his proposed solution was put into practice. Techniques Used The climax of the speech is distressing yet uplifting. The beginning stanzas reveal the sad state of blacks in America but the approach of the speech is highly optimistic and inspires the blacks to continue their struggle and the whites to bury their axes and embrace their black brothers. The technique of anaphora has been widely employed. Anaphora is the repetition of same word or phrase again and again at the beginning of sentences. For example, the most extensively used anaphora, also the title of this speech, is ‘I have a dream’. Similarly, other examples of this tool are ‘One hundred years ago’, ‘Let freedom ring’, and ‘With this faith’, along with many others. (Wikipedia, 1) The speech is filled with metaphors. For instance, ‘long night of their captivity’ refers to their sufferings and ‘nation’s capital to cash a check’ points to their purpose of protest. At the same time, ‘this nation will rise up’ is again an indication of the coming revolution. Similarly, ‘I have a dream that my four children’ refers to the black community in reality and the word my gives it a personal touch. (Heath, 160) In fact, King has personalized the entire message by using the words you, my and me. The wealth of this speech is its exquisite vocabulary. Words are skillfully manipulated in such a way that they attach a new meaning to every phrase. The popularity of this speech also owns to this factor. In addition, the quantity and quality of information and words reveal King’s extensive research done before delivering the speech, plus his vast knowledge since it contains references from the Bible, The Gettysburg Address and the US Declaration of Independence. (Public broadcasting service,1) Hence, King has used various techniques and tools in this address including facts, anaphora, metaphors, motivation, visualization, arguments and persuasion. The entire speech is highly figurative and symbolic. In fact, the rally outside the Lincoln’s Memorial is symbolic in itself: they were standing outside the steps of Lincoln Memorial i. e. the memorial of a leader who abolished slavery in the Southern states. (Wikipedia, 1) Conclusion The most distinguished fact about this march was its non-violent approach and this speech is its leading example. While its majority of audience was black; its main target was the white people. While he talked of revolution; his speech contained a message of peace. It was able to answer the meaningless questions of the opposing parties and warn them of the consequences of denying the blacks their rights without any form of hostility. In other words, it instilled in the whites a feeling of guilt and humbleness which proved to be enough to achieve their objective. At the same time, it prodded the colored citizens to keep their hopes high and not to rest until they were ‘free at last! It also motivated President Kennedy to extend his support for this issue. The context of the speech and of the surroundings also became one of the reasons for the popularity of the speech. His speech articulated the feelings of all colored citizens and his voice became the voice of all black citizens. To sum up, King’s speech ‘I have a dream’ touches the depth of the hearts and captures the minds. Its words were able to bring tears in the eyes at that time and carry a captivating effect on the readers even today. With tools such as anaphora and metaphors employed, the speech holds an air of charisma. It shakes the souls of the slumbering and the unjust alike. All in all, the linguistic power of the speech is what makes it stand out from the rest and gain the status of one of the most influential speeches ever delivered. Bibliography Alvarez, Alexandra. â€Å"Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’: The Speech Event as Metaphor,† Journal of Black Studies 18 1988: 337-57. Heath, Robert. â€Å"Black Rhetoric: An Example of the Poverty of Values† Southern Speech Communication Journal 39 1973: 145-60