Personality and Ability Essay

1) What determines our individual characteristics? In other words, is personality and ability determined by our genes, our environment, or some combination of both? a. What percentage of our personality is determined by our genes? 35 -49% b. What percentage of our ability is determined by our genes? 60% 2) What are the different taxonomies for classifying an individual’s personality? a. The Big Five – This taxonomy consists of five traits: Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, and Extraversion. It reliably measures personality traits and validly predicts many job outcomes. b. The Myers-Briggs Type Inventory – This taxonomy is one of the most popular. Unfortunately, it is not very reliable (take it once and you might be classified as an ESTJ, take it again and you might be classified as an ISFP). It also isn’t very valid. Why isn’t it valid? Well, for one, it isn’t reliable. (And remember, reliability is a precursor for validity). For another, it doesn’t really separate well from bad performers. This scale is not commonly used for selection or promotion purposes, but it is commonly used for teambuilding purposes†¦We both take the test, then we say, â€Å"Wow, look at me. I’m an ESTJ†¦I ’m such an extraverted senser. What are you? An ISFJ? Oh that’s so cool. We are both senser and judgers. Let’s be good teammates now.† c. Holland’s RIASEC model (named after a dude, not the region of the Netherlands). This taxonomy is used to guide people into career fields†¦not much else. So, the main takeaway here is that on the question that asks, â€Å"Which taxonomy is best for making selection and promotion decisions?† Choose the Big Five. 3) The Big Five a. What are the Big Five? Conscientiousness: dependable, organized, methodical, reliable, persevering, ambitious, NOT careless, sloppy, inefficient, negligent, lazy and irresponsible Agreeableness: kind, cooperative, sympathetic, helpful, courteous, warm, not critical, not antagonistic, not callous, not selfish, not rude and cold Neuroticism: nervous, moody, emotional, insecure, jealous, unstable NOT calm, steady, relaxed, at ease, secure, contented Openness: curious, imaginative, creative, complex, refined, sophisticated, NOT uninquisitive, conventional, conforming, simple, inartistic, traditional Extraversion: talkative, sociable, passionate, bold, dominant NOT quiet, shy, inhibited, bashful, reserved, submissive b. Which two traits predict task performance across nearly all jobs? Conscientious and neuroticism c. In what types of jobs are the other three traits valid predict of task performance? Agreeableness=service jobs, extraversion=sales or leadership, openness= learning d. How does the strength of the situation impact the degree to which personality predicts task performance? 4) In class, we talked about personality testing. Each student completed a personality survey under (a) an honest condition and (b) a simulated job application condition. a. Was there evidence that faking was a problem? b. What are different techniques for alleviating faking on personality tests? Proactive measures Use forced-choice inventories where applicants have to decide between equally desirable options (e.g., which adjective best describes you: ambitious or helpful?) Use conditional reasoning tests (rather than ask about your personality, ask questions then infer your personality based on your responses) Warn applicants not to fake Require applicants to elaborate on their responses Reactive measures Measure response times Include items designed to catch fakers c. Were we able to eliminate faking? 5) In general, what is the best individual characteristic (out of our personality traits and abilities) for predicting task performance? a. What about if we are trying to predict an individual’s typical task performance? Motivation b. What about if we are trying to predict an individual’s maximal task performance? Ability 6) What characteristic of the job impacts the relationship between cognitive ability and task performance? When is the relationship stronger and when is the relationship weaker? One of the best predictor of job performance. Gold standard in terms of individual difference predictors. Research evidence for the validity of general mental ability measures for predicting job performance is stronger than for any other method. Significantly undervalued by managers On average, conscientiousness is a better predictor of employee performance than intelligence. 72% Increase organizational performance/profitability 7) Emotional ability – What are the dimensions of emotional ability? What do they mean? (If I give you an example, you should be able to tell me which dimension is being portrayed.) Self-awareness: Appraisal and expression of emotions in oneself. The ability of an individual to understand the types of she is experiencing, the willingness to acknowledge them and the capability to express them naturally. Other awareness: appraisal and recognition of emotion in others. Ability to recognize and understand the emotions that other people are feeling. Emotion regulation: ability to recover quickly from emotional experiences. Use of emotions: this capability reflects the degree to which people can harness emotions and employ them to improve their chances of being successful in whatever they’re seeking to. Groups and Teams 1. What is task interdependence? Team members interact with and rely on other team members for the information, materials, and resources needed to accomplish work for the team. a. What are the different types of task interdependence? Pooled interdependence: low task interdependence, easier to manage. Faster Sequential interdependence: different tasks are done in a prescribed order the interaction only occurs between members who perform task that are next to each other in the sequence. The latter part sustain the task after former part. One way interaction. Reciprocal interdependence: same sequential one but this is two way interaction. Comprehensive interdependence: highest level of interaction and coordination among members. High quality output, difficult to manage, more conflict, social loafers or dominant members, more  simulate members, more catches errors, i. If I give you an example of a work team, you should be able to tell me what type work team they are (in terms of task interdependence). Work team, management team, parallel team, project team, action team ii. If I give you a type of work team (in terms of task interdependence), you should be able to tell me how their members interact iii. You should a lso be able to rank the task interdependence types in terms of the degree of coordination required. Comprehensive, reciprocal, sequential, pooled, b. How does increasing the degree of coordination required (aka increasing task interdependence) affect process gains? Teams have more (and more diverse) knowledge / skills / information than the individuals Teams are able to â€Å"divide and conquer† tasks Teams are better at catching errors than the individual who proposed the idea Teams are better at creating and enforcing production norms Teams might stimulate individuals to perform better Teams might stimulate a sense of belongingness Members might learn knowledge / skills / information from other individuals in the team Members might positively impact others’ moods and emotions (emotional contagion) c. How does increasing the degree of coordination required (aka increasing task interdependence) affect process losses? Coordination consumes time and energy that could have been devoted to the task Production blocking Groupthink: Pressure to conform to the team and reluctance to criticize the comments of others Fear of negative evaluations from others may cause members to withhold ideas Some team members may exercise undue influence or monopolize the team’s time Members may exert less effort when working on team tasks (â€Å"social loafing†) Members might negatively impact others’ moods and emotions (emotional contagion) 2. What is goal interdependence? The degree to which team members have a shared goal and align their  individual goals with that vision† The more, the merrier. Increases potential for process gains, decreases potential for process losses a. How does increasing goal interdependence affect process gains? b. How does increasing goal interdependence affect process losses? 3. What is outcome independence? â€Å"The degree to which team members share equally in the feedback and rewards that result from the team achieving its goals. a. How does increasing outcome interdependence affect process gains? Answer: It depends on the situation. b. How does increasing outcome interdependence affect process losses? Answer: It depends on the situation. High outcome interdependence: Team members share in the rewards (pay, bonuses, feedback, recognition, etc.) that the team earns Advantages: promotes cooperation Low outcome interdependence: Individual members receive rewards based on individual performance regardless of team performance Advantages: higher performing members prefer getting more rewards than rest. 4. If task interdependence is high (or low), how should outcome interdependence be designed to maximize the ratio of process gains to process losses? . If task interdependence is high, it is usually better to ensure that outcome interdependence is also high 5. If outcome interdependence is high (or low), how should task interdependence be designed to maximize the ratio of process gains to process losses? If outcome interdependence is low, it is usually better to try to ensure that task interdependence is also low. 6. What are some factors that make up a team’s composition? Member roles, member ability, member personality, team diversity, team size 7. What are the different team roles? If I explain a team role, you should be able to tell me whether it is a team task role, a team building role, or an individualistic role. a. What team roles generally benefit the team? What team role is generally negative? Whereas Task role and team building role benefit the team, individualistic roles are generally negative. 8. What is the relationship between team cognitive ability and team performance? a. When is this relationship stronger? In general, a team’s cognitive ability is a moderate-to-strong predictor of  team performance. As the task becomes more complex, the strength of the relationship between a team’s cognitive ability and its performance increases. 9. What is the best combination of team members in terms of: a. Conscientiousness- variance is important, too much is bad b. Extraversion-variance is important, too little variance can be bad c. Agreeableness- minimum is important, no members are too low. 10. What is the impact of diversity on team outcomes? More specifically: a. For which types of tasks is diversity generally good? 1. The The task is complex and requires creativity 2. attributes considered are related to knowledge and perspectives (ethnicity, expertise, personality, attitudes, etc.) b. For which types of tasks is homogeneity (the lack of diversity) good? Regular work, low task complexity, requires efficiency c. What is surface-level diversity? Diversity regarding observable attributes such as race, sex, and age. i. How does it impact process losses over time? These process losses typically disappear over time d. What is deep-level diversity? Diversity regarding attributes that are less easy to observe initially, but that can be inferred after more direct experience such as attitudes, values, and personality i. How does it impact process losses over time? These process losses usually increase over time 11. What are task work processes? Creative behavior, decision making, boundary spanning a. In terms of decision making, why do some teams make bad decisions (i.e., what are the components that lead to poor team decisions)? Decision infirmity: reflects whether members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities. Staff validity: is the degree to which members make a good recommendations to the leader. Team members can possess all the information needed to make a valid recommendation but then fail to do so because of a lack of ability, insight or good judgment. Hierarchical  sensitivity: is the degree to which the leader effectively weighs the members’ recommendations. 12. What are teamwork processes? a. If I describe behaviors and interactions within a team, you should be able to tell me whether these processes are transition, action, or interpersonal processes. Transition processes: teamwork activities that focus on preparation for future work. Action processes: monitoring progress toward goals. Teams that pay attention to goal related information are typically in a good position to realize when they are off track and need to make changes. Interpersonal processes: motivating and confidence building, affect management, conflict management, b. Also, you should know: i. When are transition processes most valuable to team success? ii. When are action processes most valuable to team success? iii. When are interpersonal processes most valuable to team success? 13. What are team states? a. What is cohesion? Emotional attachment that tends to foster high levels of motivation and commitment to the team. i. How does cohesion affect team outcomes? Tend to promote higher level of team performance. ii. What is groupthink? Feelings of overconfidence about the team capabilities. b. What is potency? Is the degree to which members believe that the team can be effective across a variety of situations and tasks. i. How does potency affect team outcomes? When a team has a high potency, members are confident that their team can perform well. Vice versa. c. What are mental models? Level of common understanding among team members with regard to importantaspects of the team and its task. 14. How do teams develop over time†¦ a. †¦according to the Stage Based Model of Team Development? b. †¦according to the Punctuated Equilibrium Model of Team Development? Leadership: 1. What is power? The ability to influence the behavior of others and resist unwanted influence in return. a. What are the different types of power? Personal, organizational i. What types are derived from a person’s position within the organization? Legitimate power: is derived from a position of authority inside the organization and is sometimes referred to as formal authority. Reward power, coercive power ii. What types are derived from factors other than formal authority? Personal power: expert power, referent power b. What are some contingency factors that influence whether or not a person has power? (If I describe a situation, you should be able to tell me what contingency is responsible for the person’s power or lack of power). Power contingency factors: situations in organizations that are likely to increase or decrease the degree to which leaders can use their power to influence others. These include substitutability: there are no substitutes for the rewards or resources the leader controls. Discretion: the leader has the freedom to make his or her own decisions without being restrained by organizational rules. Centrality: the leader’s role is important and interdependent with others in the organization Visibility: others know about the leader and the resources he or she can provide. 2. What are the different influence tactics? If I describe a situation, you should be able to tell me what influence tactic is being used. a. Which tactics are most effective?  Rational persuasion, consultation, inspirational appeals, collaboration b. Which tactics are least effective? Pressure, coalitions c. When trying to influence a superior, which tactic is most effective? Engagement 3. What are the different responses to influence tactics? a. What influence tactics often lead to internalization/engagement vs. compliance vs. resistance? Engagement occurs when the target of influence agrees with and becomes committed to the influence request Compliance: occurs when targets of influence are willing to do what the leaders asks but  they do it with a degree of ambivalence. Resistance: target refuses to perform the influence request. Influencer’ power is low relative to the target or request itself is unreasonable. 4. What are the different conflict resolution techniques?  a. What types of outcomes do we expect from the different techniques? Competing: high assertiveness, low cooperation (win-lose) Avoiding: low assertiveness, low cooperation (lose-lose) Accommodating: low assertiveness, high cooperation (lose-win) Collaboration: high assertiveness, high cooperation (win-win) the best outcome Compromise: moderate assertiveness, moderate cooperation (win-lose) easy and common 5. Trait theories of leadership: a. Out of the Big Five and cognitive ability, which two traits are the strongest predictors of leader emergence? Conscientiousness and extraversion b. Out of the Big Five and cognitive ability, which trait is the strongest predictor of leader effectiveness? Cognitive ability c. According to the trait theories of leadership: i. What leadership outcome is best predicted by personality? leader emergence ii. What leadership outcome is best predicted by cognitive ability? Leader effectiveness d. Basic premise of trait vs. behavior theories: If traits predict leadership, then organizations should invest in hiring people with general dispositions to be leaders. If not, then organizations should not focus on hiring the right people, but instead, should focus on training people to be good leaders. Research shows that both traits and behaviors predict leadership. So, organizations should focus on hiring people that are predisposed to be better leaders and then training these people how to be the best leaders they can be. 6. Behavior theories of leadership: a. What are the two general categories of leader behaviors? If I describe a particular behavior, you should be able to tell me whether it is an example of â€Å"Consideration† or â€Å"Initiating Structure†. Initiating Structure: the extent to which a leader is likely to define and structure his/her roles and  those of employees in the search for goal attainment Consideration: the extent to which a person is likely to have job relationships that are characterized by mutual trust, respect for employees’ ideas, and regard for their feelings b. What outcomes do these leader behaviors predict? (You don’t need to know which behaviors â€Å"moderately† are vs. â€Å"strongly† related to which outcomes†¦just that these two behaviors are both pretty good predictors of the set of outcomes.) 7. Contingency theories of leadership: a. According to the Life Cycle Theory of Leadership: i. When followers are unable, initiating structure is important ii. When followers are unwilling, consideration is important iii. Followers usually progress through 4 stages: 1. Unable but Willing 2. Unable and Unwilling 3. Able but Unwilling 4. Able and Willing iv. So, in Stage 1 (Unable but Willing), initiating structure behaviors are required. In Stage 2, both initiating structure and consideration behaviors are required. In Stage 3, consideration behaviors are required. And in Stage 4, since the group is both willing and able, neither initiating structure nor consideration behaviors are necessarily required†¦the team will excel on its own. b. According to the Time-Driven Model of Leader Decision-Making Styles i. What are the different decision-making styles and how do they differ in terms of who is responsible for what? ii. I am not going to ask you to memorize the â€Å"decision-tree†. But you need to know that the effectiveness of the decision-making style is contingent upon the situation. In some situations, an autocratic style is most important, in others, a facilitative style, etc. iii. What might happen if leaders use inappropriate styles? You may end up making an incorrect decision The decision-making process may be inefficient (take more time or cost more money) The subordinates may not buy in to the decision c. According to Leader-Member Exchange Theory: Leaders treat different subordinates differently and the effectiveness of a leader is contingent on the relationship between the leader and the particular member(s) i. Who gets invited into the â€Å"in-group†? Those who are competent, likeable, and more similar to the leader in terms of attitudes and values. ii. What are the advantages of being in the â€Å"in-group†? More trusted, receive a disproportionate amount of the leader’s attention, receive special privileges iii. What are the disadvantages of being in the â€Å"in-group†? Rise and fall with the success of the leader. iv. How do people in the â€Å"in-group† differ from people in the â€Å"out-group† in terms of performance, turnover, and satisfaction? Higher performance, less turnover, greater job satisfaction Rate the leader as more effective. d. According to Critical Theories of Leadership: i. If substitutes or neutralizers are present, is it best to spend a lot of money hiring, training, and developing leaders? If neutralizers are present, then spending time and money hiring, training, and developing leaders might not be worth it because they will have little impact on the success of their subordinates Have to consider whether it will be more effective to hire, train, and develop leaders or to focus on leader substitutes instead Good leaders often try to build substitutes so that the unit can run itself When evaluating leader performance, it is important to determine whether success (or failure) is due to the leader or to substitutes and neutralizers. e. What are the different leadership styles? If I explain a leader, you should be able to tell me whether the leader is using a laissez-faire, passive management-by-exception, active management-by-exception, contingent reward, transformational, etc. Laissez-faire: Hands off style of leadership, Leader avoids getting invol ved Management by exception (passive): Leader only gets involved when mistakes are made Management by exception (active): Leader monitors group, looking for mistakes and gets involved only when mistakes are made. Contingent reward: Leader makes rewards contingent on favorable performance. Transformational leadership: What helps leaders â€Å"transform† followers so that they are willing to work beyond expectations to benefit the collective good? Idealized influence: provides a vision and a sense of mission, instills pride, gains respect and trust Inspirational motivation: fosters enthusiasm for and commitment to a shared vision of the future Intellectual stimulation: challenges followers to be innovative and creative Individualized consideration: helps followers achieve their potential through coaching, development, and mentoring f. What are the factors that separate transformational leaders from other leaders? Followers of transformational leaders work harder and are more committed to the group and organization Transformational leadership is strongly related to leader emergence and leader effectiveness Leaders can be trained in transformational leadership styles Dark side: Followers can be convinced to act unethically or immorally. A good leader has desirable leadership traits A good leader exhibits effective leadership behaviors A good leader matches the leadership behavior to the situation A good leader guides individuals and motivates them to perform at a high level A great leader transforms followers so that they are willing to work beyond expectations to benefit the collective good

Central African Republic Essay

Darfur is an area in Sudan which lies in the western part of Sudan and boarders Libya, the Central African Republic and Chad. It has an approximate residence of six million people who are among the poorest people in Africa and only rely on nomadic herding and subsistence farming. Genocide in Darfur has taken place only ten years after the genocide in Rwanda which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. In Darfur, thousands of people have been killed and almost double the amount has been displaced from their home areas. Many of the people have become refugees in their homeland and are currently living in a network of internally displaced people (IDP) camps which completely rely on the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations help for their most basic needs for living. Others have fled to the neighboring countries such as Chad which has also been affected by the Darfur genocide. Others who are still in the villages are under constant threat of bombing, murder, rape, raids and torture and their only help for safety is from undermanned and underfunded African Union (AU) peacekeeping force whose personnel compared to the situation on the ground. However, this force which is referred to as the ‘AMIS’ force larks civilian protection and has no adequate means to stop the violence. Due to its anemic capacity, the only thing which it now does is to monitor and give reports on ceasefire violations. The current crisis which are experienced in Darfur are as a result of neglect of people by the government and the entire world, cases of drought which has persisted for many years, oppression of the residents and the poor by the government and the affluent people and conflicts between the people and tribes in the northern in Sudan. The Sudanese Liberation Army/ Movement (SLAM) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) are the two main rebel groups in Sudan. These groups represent the agrarian farmers who most of them are non Arabs African Muslims from different tribes. They mounted a challenge and pressure to the Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir whose response was very brutal. The government increased arms and support to the militias and the local tribes known as the Janjaweed for the main purpose of seeking to defeat the rebel movement. Entire villages have been wiped, food and water supplies have been destroyed and livestock killed by the government supported groups. No part of the entire Darfur civilian population has not experienced the murder, rapes and torture by the government armed groups. The government military has painted their attack aircrafts white, the same color which the United Nations humanitarian aircraft which a violation of the international humanitarian law. This move by the government is to confuse the villagers so that when they approach the villages, the people will confuse them for the United Nations aircraft which have come for their help but in the real sense their mission is to kill and bomb them. The current humanitarian situation on the ground in Darfur is constantly deteriorating to worrying levels. There has been increased attacks which has increased the number of IDPs and refugees. Visitors of the camps who includes the Save Darfur Coalition have reported worrying and dire conditions the people undergo and its a pity they have survived under the conditions for such a long time and there seems to be no hope of remarkable improvement. The only help which seems to be forth coming is from the United Nations and the non-governmental humanitarian relief agencies who have introduced some refugee camps and provided several thousands of of aid workers who despite the relief agencies support work under logistical and difficult conditions due to constant harassment the Sudanese government and the red tape. These humanitarian operations and their workers are increasingly being targeted by the fragmenting rebel movement elements and the government. Their vehicles are being robbed and hijacked constantly, the aid workers are intimidated and assaulted when performing their duties and their offices are being looted and broken into making their work more harder. In the wake of 2007, reports from the United Nations showed that more that 80,000 Darfurians joined the already over populated IDP camps due to the continuing violence. The humanitarian bodies and United Nations as a result of the government harassments and the worsening security problems have given warning of their growing inability to support and sustain their operations. They say that any interruption of the flow of the humanitarian aid is likely to cause more deaths than the ones already experienced and per month death rates could raise up to 100,000 in case the humanitarian support system collapses. Civilians in Darfur have suffered deliberate and indiscriminate attacks violating their human rights such as rapes, pillage and torture. The government of Sudan has continued to protect the people accused of violation of human rights. In the cases of Ahmad Harum and Ali Kushayb who were arrested and charged with 51 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity such as murder, prosecutions, torture, rape and forcible displacements in 2003 and 2004, the government has refused to hand over the two suspects but instead they have given one of them a prominent post in the public positions and the other was promoted to the state as the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs. This responsibility was towards the well being of the very victims of the crimes he was alleged to have committed and is currently the key liaison to the United Nations-African Union peace keeping force who are in charge of the victims protection. He was also appointed in late 2007 to a committee in charge of hearing complaints on human rights abuse in Sudan and Ali Kushayb was released from the Sudanese in October 2007 for lack of evidence. (Draklich &Wagner p167). Sexual violence against women and the girl child have been featured mostly in the government and militia attacks with the main aim of terrorizing the population and gain control over them and their displacement mission. The worrying issue is that even after the displacement, the militia groups have set their camps near the IDP camps and therefore continued to sexually harass the women. (Human Rights Watch, p 5-7) Rape and many forms of sexual violence have remained endemic and have threatened the safety of women and girl children reflecting the current dynamics of law and order breakdown. Women and girls are not ready to admit their sexual abuse by the militia for fear of social stigmatization and have no trust that the government will take any action. Most of the authorities refuse to acknowledge the problem which is experienced by women and instead, they accuse the victims of giving false information to the international social aid workers of their fate for the purpose of political gains. Some of the local Sudanese authorities have even gone a step ahead to stifle the humanitarian agencies who are working on the issue and due to this, agencies which are running women’s health clinics in the largest IDP camps are constantly subjected to harassment and obstruction by government officials and decline to publicize their duties. As the conflicts increases, so do the sexual perpetrators who now include the military, militia, rebels, police and criminal gangs who attack civilians in IDPs, towns and rural areas near the military bases and areas under rebel control. On February 2008, the government groups performed ground and air attacks in the towns of Sirba, Silea and Abu Suruj. This led to more than 1000 deaths, property destruction, massive displacement and several cases of women and girls rape cases and sexual assaults by the government officials. In 2006, sexual violences cases were reported during the government and militia attacks in Abu Sakin regions where women and girls were abducted, brutally raped and forced to walk back to the camps while naked and to date, the military has declined to give information of the suspects. Other rape cases reported by the human rights officers during government attacks were in Deribat, Kabkabiya, Zamzam IDP camp, Kalma IDP camp in South Darfur among others. (Human Rights Council , p. 26-30).

Greek Mythology: Naricissus relevancy to today Essay

Many tales have been told of Narcissus, the son of a god who fell to his peril due to his own vanity and love for himself. The story is told according to The Mythology Guide, and this is how it goes: Narcissus was cruel not in the case of Echo alone. He shunned all the rest of the nymphs as he had done poor Echo. One day a maiden, who had in vain endeavored to attract him, uttered a prayer that he might some time or other feel what it was to love and meet no return of affection. The avenging goddess heard and granted the  prayer. There was a clear fountain, with water like silver, to which the shepherds never drove their flocks. Nor did the mountain goats resort to it, nor any of the beasts of the forest; neither was it defaced with fallen leaves or branches; but the grass grew fresh around it, and the rocks sheltered it from the sun. Hither came one day the youth fatigued with hunting, heated and thirsty. He stooped down to drink, and saw his own image in the water; he thought it was some beautiful water spirit living in the fountain. He stood gazing with admiration at those bright eyes, those locks curled like the locks of Bacchus or Apollo, the  rounded cheeks, the ivory neck, the parted lips, and the glow of health and exercise over all. He fell in love with himself. He brought his lips near to take a kiss; he plunged his arms in to embrace the beloved object. It fled at the touch, but returned again after a moment and renewed the fascination. He could not tear himself away; he lost all thought of food or rest, while he hovered over the brink of the fountain gazing upon his own image. He talked with the supposed spirit: â€Å"Why, beautiful being, do you shun me? Surely my face is not one to repel you. The nymphs love me, and you yourself look not indifferent upon me. When I stretch forth my arms you do the same; and you smile upon me and answer my beckonings with the like.† His tears fell into the water and disturbed the image. As he saw it depart, he exclaimed, â€Å"Stay, I entreat you! Let me at least gaze upon you, if I may not  touch you.† With this, and much more of the same kind, he cherished the flame that consumed him, so that by degrees he lost his color, his vigor, and the beauty which formerly had so charmed the nymph Echo. She kept near him, however, and when he exclaimed, â€Å"Alas! Alas!† she answered him with the same words. He pined away and died; and when his shade  passed the Stygian river, it leaned over the boat to catch a look of itself in the waters. The nymphs mourned for him, especially the water-nymphs; and when they smote their breasts, Echo smote hers also. They prepared a funeral pile, and would have burned the body, but it was nowhere to be found; but in its place a flower, purple within, and surrounded with white leaves, which bears the name and preserves the memory of Narcissus.(paraphrased from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Book III, Narcissus and Echo, lines 477-745) Vanity and the need for outward beauty must have always been an issue in the lives of men and women for this story of Narcissus to ring true even today. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines beauty as, â€Å"The quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of form or color, excellence of artistry, truthfulness, and originality.† Interesting definition in light of what men and women strive for in what they believe to be beautiful. The internet, magazines, television and the movies tell us what we should look like and what we should be striving for. What all the hysteria toward perfection has meant is billions of dollars spent with in the world of plastic surgery. A person that is dissatisfied with their outward appearance can easily have any part operated on, or filled with fat, or injected with silicon or collagen and viola, perfection! Well not exactly, in fact most people that have plastic surgery want more. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, â€Å"43% of all patients have two and three procedures done within the first three years of their first procedure.† The number one procedure in the Unites States in 2003 was Rhinoplasty, which is the reshaping of the nose. Three hundred thousand Americans had this type  of surgery, with Liposuction running a close second taking three hundred thousand twenty people having their fat sucked out from different areas of their bodies. Leaving breast implants, tummy tucks and eye lid lifts coming in next with over eight hundred thousand surgeries done a year. A quarter of all breast implants are later removed because of complications or concern of future complications. Many of the people interviewed state that they want these surgeries so that they can feel better about themselves, but really more often then not it seems that it is more about what others think. This brings us to media and the pressure for beauty that is beamed into our living rooms daily. Television shows such as The Swan, supposedly takes, self-proclaimed â€Å"ugly ducklings† and they are given the unique opportunity to realize their dreams on an unscripted series that turns a fairy tale into reality. In its first season, THE SWAN became the No. 1 makeover show on television among Adults 18-49. THE SWAN promises to take women who are stuck in a rut and revitalizes them by revealing their beauty and confidence. It offers them an incredible opportunity to undergo physical, mental and emotional transformations and follows them through the process. This series culminates in a spectacular pageant in which one woman ultimately is crowned â€Å"The Swan.† Each contestant is assigned a team of specialists – a coach, therapist, trainer, cosmetic surgeon, and dentist – who work together to design the ideal individually tailored program for her. The team assists the contestants in an overall transformation that is not just about physical change. Two contestants, who compete for a place in the pageant finale, are featured in every episode. The reveals of their individual transformations are especially dramatic because the women are not permitted to see themselves in a mirror during the three-month process. Thus, not only do they find out who has been selected to compete in the Swan Pageant and who will go home to her family, but they see themselves anew for the first time. This sounds so harmless while being life changing. Are these women really ugly ducklings and according to who? The description of the show sounds like it might be actually helping people feel better about themselves. It is the process and competition that makes the whole idea rather unappealing to so many not to  mention narcissistic, for in the end of each show the women finally get to see themselves after three months of dieting, exercise, plastic surgery from head to toe, tooth bleaching or veneers, hair coloring, cutting, and make-up, to reveal, â€Å"I’m so pretty† and then many of them say to the host of the show that they can not stop looking at themselves. They are admiring the outside appearance that has just taken a huge transformation. Then in the end there can only be one Swan and of course the other sixteen finalists are left to feel like they were not good enough or beautiful enough to be chosen, and all though they reinvented themselves they have been lowered back down to be losers yet again. Similar to The Swan is a makeover show on MTV called I Want a Famous Face, where people have plastic surgery to look like their favorite celebrity. Shows such as these inadvertently train people that it is acceptable to change their bodies so other will be happier with the way they look, and so that they can love themselves for the first times in their lives. In these days of plastic surgery to redefine ourselves there would not be a balance in the universe without a psychological diagnosis for these kinds of behaviors. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary describes Narcissism as, â€Å"excessive love or admiration of oneself, or a psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem. Some narcissism could be healthy, â€Å"an individual’s existence would be in jeopardy if some narcissistic traits were not present. These traits protect the ego from severe damage inflicted by others.†(7,Vankin) In this case it can be protective to have some self love and overall it is important to have a healthy self image. Vankin goes on to further explain what true narcissism is, a pattern of traits and behaviors which signify infatuation and obsession with one’s self to the exclusion of all others and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of one’s gratification, dominance and ambition. According to Vankin, most narcissists (75%) are men. Sam Vankin, Ph.D. has written a book on the subject of Narcissim, entitiled, Magnificent Self Love, in this book he describes narcissism as a personality disorder with distinguishable traits. Feels grandiose and self-important (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents to the point of lying, demands to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements) Is obsessed with fantasies of unlimited success, fame, fearsome power or omnipotence, unequalled brilliance (the cerebral narcissist), bodily beauty or sexual performance (the somatic narcissist), or ideal, everlasting, all-conquering love or passion Firmly convinced that he or she is unique and, being special, can only be understood by, should only be treated by, or associate with, other special or unique, or high-status people (or institutions) Requires excessive admiration, adulation, attention and affirmation – or, failing that, wishes to be feared and to be notorious (narcissistic supply) Feels entitled. Expects unreasonable or special and favorable priority treatment. Demands automatic and full compliance with his or her expectations Is â€Å"interpersonally exploitative†, i.e., uses others to achieve his or her own ends Devoid of empathy. Is unable or unwilling to identify with or acknowledge the feelings and needs of others Constantly envious of others or believes that they feel the same about him or her Arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes coupled with rage when frustrated, contradicted, or confronted Obviously it is fair to say that there are people in this world that could be so in love with themselves that it could be to their own demise. It is also good to know that although there is not a tremendous amount of research on the disorder that there is help out there for these individuals. The story does not end here, there is more to our hero Narcissus. The author goes on to say that when Narcissus dies, the goddess of the forest appeared and found the lake, which had been fresh water, transformed into a lake of salty tears. â€Å"Why do you weep?† the goddess asked. â€Å"I weep for Narcissus,† the lake replied. â€Å"Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus,† they said, â€Å"for though we always pursued him in the forest, you alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand.† â€Å"But†¦ was Narcissus beautiful?† the lake asked. â€Å"Who better than you to know that?† the goddesses said in wonder. â€Å"After all, it was by your banks that he knelt each day to contemplate himself!† The lake was silent for some time. Finally it said: â€Å"I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected.† This story contains the essence of the impact we can have on others without even knowing it. People should remember that the reflection of ourselves, in the eyes of others during our communication with them, is usually the one that we put there ourselves. Perhaps Thoreau said it best: What a man thinks of himself, that is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate† – Henry David Thoreau

Argument research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Argument research paper - Essay Example This is harmful for teenagers in many ways as it obscures their vision of reality and social relations as they exist. According to Danielle Dai and Amanda Fry, the average teenager spends around fourteen hours a week playing video games. They argue that this takes away time that could be used for studies and for developing their social skills (n.p.). The time that teenagers spend on video games does in fact, reduce the amount of time that they would be able to devote to their studies at an age which is crucial in deciding which school they would be able to attend. It therefore, influences teenagers for the rest of their lives in very significant ways. This time, even if it is spent playing video games together with friends, would not be able to create social bonds as the game occurs not at the level of reality but at a virtual plane. This would mean that the kind of social bonds that are created during outdoor games are all but lost while teenagers are engaged in such an activity. Such bonds would have the power to influence the teenager in the direction that the rest of his or her life is to take. In other words, teenage years are very crucial in the life of a person and should not be squandered with video games. On the other hand, researchers have also suggested that video games have in certain elements in common with traditional games that would fulfill the functions that traditional games are expected to play. The child would develop, according to these researchers, an ability to communicate and engage with peers at a social level. They have gone on to also argue that video games may not have any effect at all on the cognitive development of a child or teenager (Shapiro n.p.). This, however, makes the argument a tenuous one, at best. The kind of social skills that may develop as far as the teenagers are concerned would aid them only in the virtual world that is created by the video game. This world

World War II and the Holocaust Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World War II and the Holocaust - Assignment Example ine restrictions and conditions put upon them in the form of the indemnities and other penalties, the fact that Adolf Hitler considered Jews and the Austrians as the main agent and factor of brining about defeat to Germans in the First World War sow the seeds of evil and hatred within. Initially when Adolf Hitler and Nazi party came to power, they claimed to aim at restoring the pride, honor and power of the Germans, but the undertaking of the Jews under a formally approved program of genocide in the name of Holocaust caused havoc and ran counter to the initially set forth principles and doctrines under the banner of National Socialist function and mandate they had received. Historic as well as cultural factors were incorporated into the statement and actions against the Jews. On the historic front, they were being held as the guilty party for having brought about shame and defeat upon the Germans in the First War, on the social and societal front, the Jews were being termed as the inferior race that with their presence brought about downfall upon the other tribes and societies. Considering the Aryans as the superior tribe led to the creation of the concept of hatred for others (Blain, 2009, 79). An ultimate feeling of ethnocentric identity prevailed. The outcome and the future prospect were so horrific that it led to the utter hatred and annihilation of the Jews by the German Nazi party. They were to be eradicated step wise and the muzzling was so complete they their literature, their governmental occupational posts, their achievements, their identity all was removed step wise. Formally approved containment centers and Gas Chambers were introduced (Bre itman, 2013). Designated posts of Ministry of Propaganda and spread of hatred against Jews were formally established. Strategies were being devised in the early phases of regime empowerment; formal actions came about towards the start of the Second World War. By the end of the Second World War, the concept of

Media Production - This is England Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Media Production - This is England - Essay Example The continuous whisper of ‘war’, soulful blast, and meaningless foreign conflict, which are undertaken for hidden desires and the obscured racism, are a clear reminder of England’s past (Brussat 2013) Location This Is England was entirely filmed in the East Midlands, an irregular landscape of flatlands and estate buildings with poor infrastructure development. Most of the movie’s shooting was done in the residential areas at Nottingham, Lenton, and some parts of St Ann’s. Meadow’s movie production history demonstrates the utilization of countryside region to form spectacular film background. Similarly, Meadow’s in his movie â€Å"This Is England† concentrates much on the countryside as part of the flat landscape, which portrays much of unemployment and few chances of self-development. This environment gives the viewer a chance to meet Shane Meadow’s in his boyhood age of twelve years whose father perishes in the war agains t Argentina (Goldsmith 2006) Themes The death of Shaun father leaves him exposed to tyrants in the streets and school compound whereby one moment a garrulous skinhead schoolmate takes him off course. The fact that Shaun kept his own counsel worsens his anger making it tough for him to get well with other boys, which leads to a lonely self-life in the firsts scenes of the movie. With time, Shaun finds unusual friends who have no taste for education and spent most of their time in criminal activities such as excessive drinking and street fights. Shaun gets a strange haircut to please the gang of skinheads that was much focused on racial antagonism. Fortunately, a conflict arises over the leadership of the gang leading the head of the gang, Woody, to split. Combo an ex-convict takes the readership of the opposing group that seemed to possess racism. The arrival of Combo from prison changes the plot whereby Combo’s numerous fights with blacks in jail led to his acquisition of bel ligerency experience. Combo’s comeback draws boundaries in the gang’s union whereby he challenges the skinheads led by Woody to guard England against external influence and encourages Milky to behave more like an Englishman and not just like a Jamaican (IMDb 2007). During the leadership struggle of the gang, Shaun turns on the side of Combo with a conviction that his father did not die in vain after, which he is trained on combat as well as survival for the fittest techniques. Considerably, â€Å"This Is England† title of the movie and Combo’s entreaty reveal the actual nature of England’s politics and cultural background. A great embrace of English heritage, as brought out by the Combo, shows a sense of social purity and racism. On the other hand, the viewer is able to view England that is struggling to be recognized as being in a mixed state and assimilated by colonial influences, which erode the native English culture and mix it with that of the irs (Goldsmith 2006). However, Meadow’s plot concentrates on the theme where the struggle for heritage gives birth to racism. In a later scene, national front meeting attended by British farmers and factory workers is clandestinely arranged behind a pub, which becomes one of the most scaring parts of the film that is full of engraved terror on what would be the next scene (French 2006) The spilt gang leaders, Combo and Woody, are able to care for honest and bullying skinhead boy under their reign.  

Google is always trying to push the envelope when it comes to Research Paper

Google is always trying to push the envelope when it comes to gathering information about you and me - Research Paper Example Advertisers are willing to pay lots of money for the guarantee that their advertisements will magically appear on the screens of the people that are most likely to buy their products, or at the very least, people that meet a certain profile of consumer that the sellers want to attract to their products. All of this sounds fine until questions about how Google collects and uses data are raised. How did the employees of Google know that I was shopping for shoes? The trade-off for the handiness of Google search lies in the fact that every time you search, you reveal a little bit about yourself. Likes, dislikes and hobbies are all recorded. The amount of e-mail you receive, generate and key words within all of those e-mails is also gathered and stored. The concern many are beginning to have about the way Google gathers, stores and shares information centers on the opportunities and threats this activity hold for our society as a whole, not to mention the damage it can cause to individual s. One positive aspect of Google’s information gathering activities is their apparent commitment to be transparent about their activities. Google has recently published a manual that educates and guides users understanding how information is gathered about them and how it is used. This guide is written in simple language and is intended for non-technical users (Blue, 2011). The guide titled, â€Å"Good to Know† is written for a global audience but is specifically targeted to address changes in legislation in the United Kingdom concerning how user information can be gathered, shared and used. The guide is broken into four sections, Stay Safe Online, Your Data on the Web, Your Data on Google and Manage Your Data. Step by step instructions are offered for interested persons on how to find out what type of a person Google thinks you are and how to opt out of the automated generation of Google Ads. It has been noted that this move puts Google far ahead of other tech compani es when it comes to revealing how they gather and use consumer data. Apple and Facebook, most conspicuously, do not have any obvious safeguards in place for consumers (Thinesen, 2011). Neither company has a Chief Privacy Officer and Google does. Everyone gathering and using data has been stung with security concerns, but Apple and Facebook have had some of the most visible blunders. Compounding the mistrust of these companies has been the initial denials followed by admissions that data was gathered and applied in some seemingly covert manner. For Apple, the most revealing was the denial then admission that GPS software could track the movements of all iPhone users and for Facebook the denial then admission of tracking user movements through the used of the â€Å"Like† button even if not logged on to Facebook. Google’s willingness to have transparent methods of gathering and using information from users is good for society. It can help consumers feel that they are stil l in control of their own person and habits. It is good that they give users the ability to opt out of some forms of data transmission and gathering. Transparency makes all the difference because consumers are making informed choices about how they search using Google. It builds trust between society as a whole and this very important company that provides a vast quantity of the information available to people every day. While trust can eventually lead to dangerous complacency, Google best serves individuals and society

Rule of St. Benedict and the Prayer of St. Francis Essay

Rule of St. Benedict and the Prayer of St. Francis - Essay Example Significantly, a variety of monastic traditions have contributed to the growth of the religious life within the Catholic Church. The regulation of monasticism was mainly carried out by the various religious rules such as the Rule of St Basil and the Rule of St Benedict in the early periods of monasticism and these rules were strictly observed by the monks. However, the Church laws of different denominations began to regulate monasticism in the later periods and there was a great change in the attitude towards these religious rules. The selections from the Rule of St. Benedict and the Prayer of St. Francis as given in the textbook provide an important illustration of the monastic traditions of different periods in the Church history. In spite of their apparent differences, both of these texts make sense in the context of the monastic traditions of the different periods. A comparative analysis of these two texts explains how monasticism fits into the Christian tradition generally and t hese texts provide the most effective demonstrations of the religious rules of different monastic traditions. In an analysis of the selection from the Rule of St. Benedict, one comes to recognize the example of the monastic tradition of the early stages of monasticism.

Born Blue by Han Nolan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Born Blue by Han Nolan - Essay Example They have access to health care, educational opportunities and decent food and lodgings. The poor are not so lucky. If you are born into poverty you are likely to have to fight for your right to have a roof over your head and food to eat. Healthcare is a joke and many of the schools in the poor districts have become urban ghettos where drive by shootings, muggings and fear rule the playground. Is this a bleak prediction for the future of America? Are things just going to get worse? Not necessarily. The problem is that the initiatives that are put in place by the government to help the poor in terms of affordable housing, access to health care and a decent education are aimed at the masses; when in fact it is on an individual level that things have to change. The baby born into the slums needs to be encouraged that they can better themselves. They need to be encouraged to dream and dream big. Because although the opportunities to succeed are a lot more hidden than they used to be, they are still there. "The whole time I lived with Patsy and Pete and Harmon and the babies that come an go, I loved Harmon and the ladies most, and almost everyday I lived there, which lasted almost three years, wed go to the basement and listen to the ladies sing. But Harmon didnt dance and I didnt sing. We was too scared to get the strap. Wed lay on the sour rug and dream we was singin and dancin, and I had me a stack of bread on a plate by my side for when I got so hungry I thought I would die". (Janie, aged 6, p. 6, Kindle edition) Dreaming – it is the one thing in life that is free. When Janie was little and living in the foster home she met up with her only friend, Harmon, who had old cassette tapes of some of the old time singers – Aretha Franklin and women like that. Janie and Harmon used to listen to the tapes to help them escape their reality – little food, harsh caregivers, neglect and drugged up parents. The problem is that

The Service Encounter Diaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

The Service Encounter Diaries - Essay Example 7. In order to improve on the restaurant, the manager absolutely must ensure that his/her first impressions team is up to the task of being friendly, cordial, and engaging with clients. Without this, the restaurant is not able to stand out; regardless of how low priced or tasty the food might be. 2: I had performed some online review in order to find the best mobile phone repair service that I could in the local area. After reading several online reviews, I came to have a high expectation of service as most of the customers of the store had written glowing reviews. 3: Upon entering the establishment, I was immediately greeted and asked if I could be helped. What was most interesting to me was that I was not just passed off to someone else once I explained my problem; instead, the person who greeted me was actually one of the repairmen himself and was able to take a look at my phone and quickly give me a cost and time estimate for how long the repairs would be. 4. I was pleasantly surprised by this level of service and decided I would have my phone repaired at this establishment; instead of wasting any more time looking for a lower price elsewhere. As a direct result of the first impression that I had and the level of knowledge that was exhibited to me, my decision to do business with the firm in question was solidified. 7. Although the service was exceptional, the only thing that I might recommend to change was the overall level of technical terms that the service professionals and repair staff would frequently use. Many customers might not understand these terms; as such, toning them down and putting things in more simple terms could definitely help. 3: On entering the store, I did not see any employees; other than the ones that were working the cash registers. This was odd to me as generally an H&M

Preference goods Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Preference goods - Dissertation Example In line with this, it is important to understand further the buying behaviors of consumers and their experiences in online shopping and their views and satisfaction level on it. In order to understand this further, there is significantly a need to conduct research. Customer satisfaction is very important in the market environment. Many believed that satisfied customers are most likely to repeat purchase and are most likely to give out a good word of mouth on the product. On the other hand, customer satisfaction is a very complex issue since it may contain different meaning among individuals. For some, customer satisfaction may be defined as something that would only make both ends meet. For others, customer satisfaction may be defined as something very satisfying to the extent that one may never ask for more. Thus, because of these different ideas about customer satisfaction, it is always been a common thought that customer satisfaction is a measure of product or service quality. Cus tomer satisfaction is a very important aspect that needs to be always monitored by marketers. It is in this reason that customer satisfaction remains as one of the most important indicators used in order to describe the quality of output given by the marketers. b. Purpose of the study The findings of the study would be beneficial to the following: This would serve as basis for formulation of marketing strategies plan and further reference for assessing the existing marketing practices. Information derived from this study may be used as a guide and awareness on their marketing position in their industry as well as creating and enhancing products for their existing market and potential ones. This would be a tool for each marketer to quantify their effectiveness in marketing with respect to the existing online marketing. c. Aims or objectives of the study This paper tries to investigate the customers’ experience in online shopping, and their views and satisfaction level on it. I n general, this research tries "to gauge the customers’ experience in online shopping and their views and satisfaction level on it. Specifically, the study is able: To know about the level of customer satisfaction that each of the 30 chosen respondents has with their experience in online shopping. To gauge the level of customer experience level in online shopping. To gauge the views and satisfaction level of the customers with their online shopping experience d. Problem statement and key questions Prior to performing the study, the proponent has in mind the following problem statements which gave way to the actual implementation of the research plan. Are the customers having high experience level in online shopping Do customers have high views and satisfaction level in online shopping e. Research design and methodology Hypothesis testing In order to test the above mentioned hypotheses, the proponent primarily employed mean and percentages. Testing of the hypotheses in this ca se was based on evaluative process employed in the research. Thus, the proponent discusses the nature of information as presented on the trend of data as generalised by the values obtained from mean and percentages. The scale of measurement used was ratio, which is the highest type of scale having absolute zero value (Broto, 2007). This was used considering that the values obtained in the data involved zero. To be able to test the above

A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay Example for Free

A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay The grandmother identifies herself as a southern lady based on appearance, money, and background. She is the main character in this short story and also the only character that the narrator actually shows into the mind of. The grandmother is the reason for the title of this story because she repeats throughout the story about a â€Å"good man†, when there really is no good man in this whole story. The grandmother also is used in many ways to foreshadow the upcoming events in the story; such as â€Å"In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (O’Connor 354) The grandmother is identified by appearance in that she compares the way she is dressed to the way the mother is dressed. The mother is told to be dressed in â€Å"slacks and still had her green kerchief† and the grandmother describes herself as having â€Å"on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print† (O’Connor 354). She wanted to make sure that â€Å"anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (O’Connor 354). Money is something important to the grandmother that we can also identify her by. The grandmother thought very highly of Mr. Teagarden because she says that June Star â€Å"would have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden because he was a gentleman and had bought Coca-Cola stock when it first came out and that he had died only a few years ago, a very wealthy man† (O’Connor 355). Red Sam is a â€Å"good man† in the grandmother’s eyes, which is probably because he is a wealthy owner of his own store (O’Connor 356). Where the grandmother is from and how she is raised is also a big part in identifying her. In the beginning of the story, the grandmother describes how she wants to go to Tennessee for their vacation instead of Georgia. When John Wesley says something about it, the grandmother gets defensive over where she grew up, she says to him â€Å"I wouldn’t talk about my native country that way† (O’Connor 354). Later in the story, the mother goes to a jukebox and plays â€Å"The Tennessee Waltz† kind of just to rub it in to the grandmother  that they were not, in fact, going to Tennessee. Another time in the story, the grandmother says that she recognizes where they were while on the way to Georgia. But it turns out, she was just recalling when she was in Tennessee â€Å"when she was a young lady† (O’Connor 357). Flannery O’Connor is such a good author, and that shows especially in this piece. She identifies the grandmother through appearance, money, and background. Appearance, such as the way she compares herself to the mother, how she talks about how Mr. Teagarden was â€Å"very-good looking†, and talking about the Misfit’s crew and their attire. Outline I. Introduction: The grandmother identifies herself as a southern lady based on appearance, money, and background. She is the main character in this short story and also the only character that the narrator actually shows into the mind of. The grandmother is the reason for the title of this story because she repeats throughout the story about a â€Å"good man†, when there really is no good man in this whole story. The grandmother also is used in many ways to foreshadow the upcoming events in the story; such as â€Å"In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.† II. Appearance: The grandmother is identified by appearance in that she compares the way she is dressed to the way the mother is dressed. The mother is told to be dressed in â€Å"slacks and still had her green kerchief† and the grandmother describes herself as having â€Å"on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print.† She wanted to make sure that â€Å"anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.† III. Money: Money is something important to the grandmother that we can also identify her by. The grandmother thought very highly of Mr. Teagarden because she says that June Star â€Å"would have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden because he was a gentleman and had bought Coca-Cola stock when it first came out and that he had died only a few years ago, a very wealthy man.† Red Sam is a â€Å"good man† in the grandmother’s eyes, which is probably because he is a wealthy owner of his own store. IV. Background: Where the grandmother is from and how she is raised is also a big part in identifying her. In the beginning of the story, the grandmother describes how she wants to go to Tennessee for their vacation instead of Georgia. When John Wesley says something about it, the grandmother gets defensive over where she grew up, she says to him â€Å"I wouldn’t talk about my native country that way.† Later in the story, the mother goes to a jukebox and plays â€Å"The Tennessee Waltz† kind of just to rub it in to the grandmother that they were not, in fact, going to Tennessee. Another time in the story, the grandmother says that she recognizes where they were while on the way to Georgia. But it turns out, she was just recalling when she was in Tennessee â€Å"when she was a young lady.† V. Conclusion: Flannery O’Connor is such a good author, and that shows especially in this piece. She identifies the grandmother through appearance, money, and background. Works Cited: O’Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find.† Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. X.J. Kennedy and Gioias eds. Pearson: New York, 2012. 352-365. Print.

Narrowcasting Is A Term Media Essay

Narrowcasting Is A Term Media Essay Narrowcasting is a term which means it spreading information or signal to a particular audience. It usually used by radio or television. In old time people use broadcasting to disseminate information to general public but now narrowcasting is more preferable because it can narrow media messages at specific segments of the public. Narrowcasting, in other word which is called niche marketing, through proprietary equipment and encryption it become easier to reach target audiences. The examples of narrowcasting are cable television, satellite radio and internet. We have chosen Astro as the example of narrowcasting in Malaysia. All-Asian Satellite Television and Radio Operator also called as Astro is a Malaysia direct broadcast satellite (DBS) Pay TV service. Astro service was launched on 1 June 1996. It owned and operated by Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad, a leading integrated consumer media entertainment group in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Astro is used to transmit satellite television and radio to the households in Malaysia and Brunei. Astro has provided 156 TV channels, including 68 Astro-created and branded channels and 22 HD channels. Household with Direct-To-Home satellite TV, Internet Protocol television (IPTV) and Over-The-Top platforms (OTT) can enjoy this service. Pay TV as mentioned just now is a kind of linear broadcast channel which only available for customer who paying an additional subscription fee. People are allowed to select particular channels and watch it on their television for a fee. Astro has become media preference for advertisers due to the media message can be spread out more a ccurately to target audiences. Discussion Astro subscribers can access to hundreds of channels worldwide through Astro channel. Astro channel has the ability to receive and send broadcast signals using satellite technology, this increases the possibilities of gaining access to channels from other countries like HBO, ESPN, CNN and so on, audience will not restricted to the channels on cable network and they can expose to more worldwide information. For example, during football match and Olympic season, Astro will open a lot of sport channels like Astro Super Sport, Astro Super Sport 2 and 3, Astro Arena and so on. Astro subscribers can enjoy the different live matches with high-quality audio and picture. They able to know the updated live score of the team they supported. Besides watching on the television screen, Astro subscribers also able to watch live football matches through smartphone, tablet or computer through Astro On-The Go web. For those viewers who cant watch the program on time, this is good news for them, they c an watch the live matches through their smartphone or tablet. Advertising on narrowcasting is effective, marketing experts are often interested in narrowcast media as a commercial advertising tool, since access to such content implies exposure to a specific and clearly defined prospective consumer audience. Advertisers can better target by identifying particular demographics viewing such programs their markets. For example if the energy drink company Red Bull wanted to target 18-25 year old action sport athletes, they can purchase commercial time on sports channel of Astro like ABOS, thus making their message more valuable by marketing to a concentrated audience. In this advanced digital era, most of the people having at least one smart technology device in their living lifestyle. Smart mobile devices have become the most basic device that people using every day. To bring a non-stop entertainment for Astro valued customers, Astro has introduced a new service for them which is Astro-On-The- Go. Astro-On-The-Go provides an application for Android devices, Astro customers just need to install this application from Android market, and so they can enjoy by watching Astro channels at anywhere or anytime. There are four main features of this innovative service. It provides 19 Astro channels for subscribers. When you feel boring at somewhere else, Astro-On-The-Go can bring a lot of entertainment for you. You will be able to watch latest news, educational and entertainment programs to pass the time. Secondly subscribers are may catch out the programs they missed. Astro-On-The-Go has given a chance for them to choose the program from their TV subscript ion package. Third, Pay per View service is available for subscribers to select TV program from a library on anytime. Lastly, subscribers are able to watch live events regardless of where they are. They are never missing out any live sport, live concert or others live events by using Astro-On-The-Go service. In addition, Astro-On-The-Go has bringing advantages for advertisers. Because of smart mobile device could be one of the device that people attached the most in daily life, advertisers can spread out their messages to target audiences easier and more effectively. There are number of gain of Astro channel however, miss are also there. The only miss of Astro is weather distraction. Due to the reason of Astro channel works on digital signals, weather is playing a very important factor for its operation. When bad weather is happening, it could interrupt the signal of receiving Astro channel. Viewers will loss the connection and thus they are going to miss out their TV programs. Satellite dish are located at outdoors, it becomes susceptible to malfunction as a result of weather conditions like snow, very strong winds and lightning. Medium (Astro) Audience Message Message ` Audience Medium (Astro) Feedback There is a relationship between Astro channel, message and its audience. Astro disseminate the message or information to the audience through different channels. For example, Astro channels consist of different categories like entertainment channel, news channel, knowledge channel, HD channel, music channel, sports channel, premium channel, kids channel and radio channel. Through these different types of channels, audience can receive the latest information of entertainment, news, music, sports. For example, for news, audiences are able to know the latest news or information through CNN or BBC which are worldwide. Audiences are able to know the latest news from other country instead of only the news of their own country. For entertainment, audience can get to watch the latest Hong Kong drama through Astro On Demand. Besides for those audience who love to watch English movies can watch their favourite English movies through HBO. All the Astro subscribers are active audience. Active audience is the one that who actively engages with the text, they do not simply accept every media message. They will question what they see and develop their own interpretation of a media product based on their life experiences, education, family and cultural influences. Audience become gatekeepers and decides on what they want to know. For example, Astro subscribers will choose the channel they are interest and pay for it. Besides that, audience can look for further sources of information from their friends, families, through internet, books, and so on instead of only depends on the information sources from television. They can also stop consuming particular media content by simply switch the television off. This will prevent channel hopping. Audience and Astro are having two-way communication. The audiences will also giving feedback to the medium which is Astro. For example, Astro subscribers can make a complaint through Astro hotline if there is any problem faces. This feedback is useful for Astro to improve their services in the future. In addition, the act of Astro subscribers vote for their favourite candidates in Astro Talent Quest singing competition through mobile phone short message service (SMS) shows that they are having two-way communication. This can help to improve the interaction between Astro and its audience.

History of Eugenics: Principles and Policies

History of Eugenics: Principles and Policies Eugenics is a set of beliefs and practices that aims at improving the genetic quality of the human population. While eugenic principles have been practiced as far back as ancient Greece, it was in 1883 that Francis Galton (1822-1911) systematized these ideas and practices based on statistical understanding of heredity, and new knowledge about the evolution of human and animals provided by the theory of his cousin, Charles Darwin. This eugenics movement spread from the United Kingdom to many countries, including the United States, Germany, and other European countries. In this period, eugenic ideas were espoused across the political spectrum. Consequently, many countries adopted eugenic policies meant to improve the genetic stock of their countries. Such programs often included both positive measures, such as encouraging individuals deemed particularly fit to reproduce, and negative measures such as marriage prohibitions and forced sterilization of people deemed unfit for reproduction . People deemed unfit to reproduce often included people with mental or physical disabilities, people who scored in the low ranges of different IQ tests, criminals and deviants, and members of disfavored minority groups. Eugenic policies were first implemented in the early 1900s in the United States. It also took root in France, Germany, and Great Britain. Later, in the 1920s and 30s, the eugenic policy of sterilizing certain mental patients was implemented in other countries, including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Japan and Sweden. In the decades following World War II, with the institution of human rights, many countries gradually abandoned eugenics policies, although some Western countries, among them the United States, continued to carry out forced sterilizations Eugenics Policies in the United States State laws were written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to prohibit marriage and force sterilization of the mentally ill in order to prevent the passing on of mental illness to the next generation. These laws were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1927 (Buck vs. Bell) and were not abolished until the mid-20th century. In the Buck vs. Bell decision of May 2, 1927, the United States Supreme Court upheld a Virginia statute that provided for the eugenic sterilization for people considered genetically unfit. Upholding Virginias sterilization statute provided the green light for similar laws in 30 states, under which an estimated 65,000 Americans were sterilized without their own consent or that of a family member. The plaintiff of the case, Carrie Buck, and her mother Emma, had been committed to the Virginia Colony for Epileptics and Feeble Minded in Lynchburg, Virginia. Carrie and Emma were both judged to be feebleminded and promiscuous, primarily because they had both had borne children out of wedlock. Carries child, Vivian, was judged to be feebleminded at seven months of age based on the foggy impression of a nurse who had been handed a cranky baby without toys. Hence, three generations of imbeciles became the perfect family for Virginia officials to use as a test case in favor of the eugenic sterilization law enacted in 1924. Upon reviewing the case, the Supreme Court concurred that Carrie Buck is the probable potential parent of socially inadequate offspring, likewise afflicted, that she may be sexually sterilized without detriment to her general health and that her welfare and that of society will be promoted by her sterilization Eugenics Policies in Nazi Germany Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler was well known for eugenics programs which attempted to maintain a pure Aryan race through a series of programs that ran under the banner of racial hygiene. Among other activities, the Nazis performed extensive experimentation on live human beings to test their genetic theories. During the 1930s and 1940s, the Nazi regime used forced sterilization on hundreds of thousands of people whom they viewed as mentally ill, an estimated 400,000 between 1934 and 1937. The Nazis went further, however, murdering tens of thousands of the institutionalized disabled through compulsory euthanasia programs such as Aktion T4. They used gas chambers and lethal injections to murder their victims. In the end, the Nazi program to cleanse the genetically sick was just a prelude to a much larger devastation to come the termination of 6 million Jews in camps and gas chambers during the Holocaust; of two hundred thousand Gypsies; of several million Soviet and Polish citizens; and unknown numbers of homosexuals, intellectuals, writers, artitst, and political dissidents. Lysenkoism Trofim Lysenko (1898-1976) was a Ukrainian self-taught biologist who believed in Lamarckian concepts of the inheritance of acquired characteristics and rejected Mendelian inheritance and the concept of the gene. In experiments performed in remote Siberia farms, Lysenko had supposedly exposed wheat strain to severe bouts of cold and drought and thereby caused the strains to acquire a hereditary resistance to adversity. By treating wheat strains with such shock therapy, Lysenko argued that he could make the plants flower more vigorously in the spring and yield higher bounties of grain through the summer. Lysenkos theory was immediately embraced by Stalin. It promised a new method to vastly increase agricultural production in a land teetering on the edge of famine: by reeducating wheat and rice, crops could be grown under any conditions, including the severest winter and driest summers. While Lysenko was retraining plants to relieve them of their dependencies on soil and climate, Soviet party workers were also reeducating political dissidents to relieve them of their ingrained dependence on false consciousness and material goods.

Baldwins Writing Style in Notes to a Native Son Essay -- James Baldwi

Father and Son: Bad to Regrettable James Baldwin is known to be one of the best essay writers in the twentieth century who wrote on a few topics including race, discrimination, sexuality and most of all his personal experiences. In â€Å"Notes of a Native Son†, he uses two main strategies to get his point across. First, he likes to tell a story in a narrative view. Following is normally his analysis of the event. He describes the event and then gives his theory on the matter. By doing this, he grants the reader a chance to decipher the meaning. His interpretation may not be what the reader’s is. He likes to argue and provides the basis for his argument in â€Å"Notes of a Native Son†. Throughout the essay he talks about himself and his father, their relationship and how their interactions influence his final feelings toward his father. He also integrates public incidents during those times into the essay. This method presents the reader with an opportunity to understand the race issue at that tim e. This essay is about part of his life. In the beginning he starts with his father’s death. It was coincidental that the funeral was on his Baldwin’s nineteenth birthday. Mr. Baldwin, his father, and his wife conceived a child near the end of his life. This child was born a few hours after his death. Here Baldwin presents a binary of life and death, along with other examples, that he executes throughout the essay. In retrospection, he perceives his father’s death as a time of sadness and regrets not having a healthier rapport with him and he mentions that his siblings are happy that their father will never come home again. He tells us about the race riots in Detroit and New Jersey and criticizes afterwards. These happenings show the influen... ...art. Baldwin does this using his own personal experiences and tying them into the greater picture of society. All the stories he has expressed in â€Å"Notes of a Native Son† can be paralleled with what was going on during that period. He even explained the riots in that sense for the reader. In the first paragraph he states that they drove his father to the cemetery over smashed plate glass (63). This was a result of the hatred and despair felt by the rioters. This visual is a representation of the hatred that had helped to kill his father. The abhorrence that played a role in the death of his father, he feared would do the same to him. The end of the essay shows Baldwin letting go of this hatred and despair. Works Cited Baldwin, James. â€Å"Notes of a Native Son.† 1995. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84.

Curriculum Unit: Stereotypical Images of African Americans in Televisio

Curriculum Unit: Stereotypical Images of African Americans in Television and Movies * Narrative * Lesson Plan * Lesson Plan * Lesson Plan * Notes * Films * Television Shows * Children’s Reading List * Teachers Bibliography Abstract: This curriculum unit will provide elementary school teachers with a framework to begin to help their students understand and define a stereotype. Recognize common stereotypes and stereotypical themes in film and television and illustrate some damaging effects perpetuating stereotypes through behavior. Finally, how to constructively deal with others stereotyping them. To Guide Entry The practice of racial stereotyping through the use of media has been used throughout contemporary history by various factions in American society to attain various goals. The practice is used most by the dominant culture in this society as a way of suppressing its minority population. The Republican parties use of the Willie Horton image in the 1988 Presidential campaign, is a small example of how majority groups have used racial stereotyping in the media as a justifiable means to an end. The book Unthinking Eurocentrism by Stam and Shohat supports this notion when they write â€Å"the functionality of stereotyping used in film demonstrates that they (stereotypes) are not an error in perception but rather a form of social control intended as Alice Walker calls â€Å"prisons of image.†(1) The modern usage of the word stereotype was first introduced in 1922 by American journalist Walter Lippman in his book Public Opinion. The major thesis of this book is that in a modern democracy political leaders and ordinary citizens are required to make decisions about a variety of complicated matters that they do not understand. â€Å"People believe that their conceptions of German soldiers, Belgian priests, or American Klu Klux Klansman for example are accurate representations of the real members of those classes . . . the conception in most cases is actually a stereotype acquired by the individual from some other source other than his direct experience.†(2) Historically the â€Å"other source† people developed racial stereotypes were from literature and then radio. In 1933 Sterling Brown the great black poet and critic, divided the full range of black characters in American literature into seven categories; the contented slave; the wretched freemen: t... ...A-Team Good Times Little Rascals That’s My Mamma to top Children’s Reading List Bogle, Donald. Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks. New York: Continum, 1989. Braley, Daniel; and Daniel, Katz â€Å"Racial Stereotypes of One Hundred College Students.† Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 1933. to top Teachers Bibliography Bogle, Donald. Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks. New York: Continuum, 1989 This books reveals and gives a historical perspective on the various incarnations of black stereotypes in American cinema. Cripps, Thomas. Black Film as Genre. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1978. This book attempts to explain â€Å"what is a black film† and critiques six examples of the genre. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., â€Å"TV’s Black World Turns—But Stays Unreal†, New York Times (November 12, 1989): 66-67. In this article Dr. Gates reveals how despite the success of television shows such as â€Å"The Cosby Show† stereotyping of blacks on T.V. is still prevalent. Guerrero, Ed. Framing Blackness: The African-American Image in Film. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1993. The book chronicles blacks misrepresentation in American films.

Violent Tv Programs

violent tv programs have been blamed for causing crime rates to rise in many countries. but many people dont agree that violence is related to TV viewing. Discuss the possible reasons for both opinions. give your opinion as to wether or not violent programs should be taken off the air. It has long been asserted that watching crime on television or playing violent video games contributes to violent behavior. In other words, it is what a person watches that allegedly influences and desensitizes him. Thus he becomes violent. Consider the absurdity of such a thesis! . People who are fascinated and excited by violence and other crimes gravitate to particular types of programs and games and immerse themselves in them, some for hours each day. Their absorption with violence reflects their personality. 2. Millions of people view violence in television programming†¦ It is entertainment or news. That's it! The viewers do not consider for a moment enacting what they see. The same is true w ith playing video games. They are solely for recreation. 3. There is such a thing as a â€Å"copycat† crime.A person watches a crime enacted in detail on television and then does the same thing. His decision to do so reflects a mind that has long been fascinated and excited by crime and violence. For every person who might fantasize about, then replicate the crime, millions of people who saw the very same thing reject it, are repulsed by it, and never would be tempted to enact what they watched. Related Articles Massacre for the Media One-Way Trip to Davy Jones' Locker Porn For Pedophiles: ‘Sexy Children' On Parade â€Å"Forced† to Kill You FirstCasey Anthony Is Found Not Guilty Of Killing Her Daughter Find a Therapist Search for a mental health professional near you. Critical is not what is on the screen or in the game but what already resides in the mind of the viewer, reader, game player, or listener. A â€Å"not guilty by reason of television† defense failed many years ago in a Florida courtroom. Violent tendencies reside within the personality, whether or not the person watches programming depicting violence. The television program, the movie, or the videogame do not turn him into something alien to his basic personality.

Business Letters

A business letter is more formal than a personal letter. It should have a margin of at least one inch on all four edges. It is always written on 8 ½Ã¢â‚¬ x11†³ (or metric equivalent) unlined stationery. There are six parts to a business letter.1. The Heading. This contains the return address (usually two or three lines) with the date on the last line. Sometimes it may be necessary to include a line after the address and before the date for a phone number, fax number, E-mail address, or something similar. Often a line is skipped between the address and date.   That should always be done if the heading is next to the left margin. It is not necessary to type the return address if you are using stationery with the return address already imprinted. Always include the date.2. The Inside Address. This is the address you are sending your letter to. Make it as complete as possible. Include titles and names if you know them. This is always on the left margin. If an 8 ½Ã¢â‚¬  x 11à ¢â‚¬ ³ paper is folded in thirds to fit in a standard 9†³ business envelope, the inside address can appear through the window in the envelope. An inside address also helps the recipient route the letter properly and can help should the envelope be damaged and the address become unreadable. Skip a line after the heading before the inside address. Skip another line after the inside address before the greeting.3. The Greeting. Also called the salutation. The greeting in a business letter is always formal. It normally begins with the word â€Å"Dear† and always includes the person's last name. It normally has a title. Use a first name only if the title is unclear–for example, you are writing to someone named â€Å"Leslie,† but do not know whether the person is male or female. For more on the form of titles, see Titles with Names. The greeting in a business letter always ends in a colon. (You know you are in trouble if you get a letter from a boyfriend or girlfr iend and the greeting ends in a colon–it is not going to be friendly.)4. The Body. The body is written as text. A business letter is never hand written. Depending on the letter style you choose, paragraphs may be indented. Regardless of format, skip a line between paragraphs. Skip a line between the greeting and the body. Skip a line between the body and the close.5. The Complimentary Close. This short, polite closing ends with a comma. It is either at the left margin or its left edge is in the center,  depending on the Business Letter Style that you use. It begins at the same column the heading does. The block style is becoming more widely used because there is no indenting to bother with in the whole letter.6. The Signature Line. Skip two lines (unless you have unusually wide or narrow lines) and type out the name to be signed. This customarily includes a middle initial, but does not have to. Women may indicate how they wish to be addressed by placing Miss, Mrs., Ms. or s imilar title in parentheses before their name. The signature line may include a second line for a title, if appropriate. The term â€Å"By direction† in the second line means that a superior is authorizing the signer. The signature should start directly above the first letter of the signature line in the space between the close and the signature line. Use blue or black ink. Business letters should not contain postscripts.A business letter is a formal communication from an organization to its customers, the general public for their information, another Company or the Authorities. It is often written in a standard format, and in formal language, compared to a private letter between two people who are well known to each other.Optional parts of a business letterEnclosure:The meaning of enclosure is to attach some documents with the letter. Enclosures are related documents sent with a letter such as; bills, cheques, quotations, brochures, price-lists etc. which have been mentioned in the letter and are sent as enclosures. The abbreviation of enclosure is ‘Encl.’. it is not a regular part of the layout of a business letter. It is written only when some documents are to be sent with the letter. If there are many enclosures, they are numbered and placed behind the letter in the order of their serial number. It is written at the bottom left of the letter, after the signature. The enclosure line is very useful to the recipient of the letter. By reading the enclosure receiver comes to know that some more documents have been sent with the letter. If you wish the reader to return any of the documents, type/ Write RETURN after the item.Post Script:Postscript (postscriptum) or P.S. means something written outside the main script it is a bit of writing, not more than three lines, added to the letter after the signature and after enclosures. Writing a post script indicates that the writer had forgotten to include something important in the body of the lette r or bit of information which is not a part of main message of the letter. It is often written in hand at the time of signing the letter. It is also used to add a friendly personal note to a formal letter. It enables the writer to establish personal contact.Superscription:In commercial correspondence the word superscription refers to anything that is written on the envelope. The meaning of subscription is â€Å"Something written outside†. As it is written outside, it includes the sender’s address and the recipient’s address as well. Sometimes in response to advertisements for jobs, candidates are advised to superscribe their applications.Identification line / Reference Initials:The reference initials refer to the person who has dictated the letter and the person who has typed out the letter. This line appears two spaces below the last line of the signature, on the left hand side of the paper sheet. In modern institutes the signatory may not be the person who has drafted the letter. The letter must have been typed out by the typist and it might be drafted by third person so identification line enables us to know the name of the person who has drafted the letter and the person who has typed out the letter. e.g. KMP/RJSThe first initial is that of the person who has drafted the letter and the second one is the person who has typed out the letter. Identification is helpful if any disputes are found. So if there is any typographical error found out then the typist is to be held responsible. If there is any error regarding contain of the letter found out then the person who has drafted is to be held responsible