Disney Aladdin is Truly American

Disney’s Aladdin, despite its Arabian setting, is very American. The central theme of the story revolves around a poor young Arabian boy, Aladdin, who fell in love with the princess, Jasmine, and wished to marry her despite their difference in social class even if it meant doing so dishonestly at first. If one were to use Robin Williams Junior’s key values of U. S. culture, it would be obvious that Americans made the film. Americans consider material comfort as a prize for success. In the movie, Aladdin became a prince after proving himself worthy to marry Jasmine.Americans also believe that dreams come true when you do something about it. In the movie, Aladdin was a worker or doer. He would rather fight for the good of everyone than simply leave everything to fate. He also reflected on his values regarding honesty before finally doing what was right. Aladdin did what he could to be a person worthy of Jasmine despite the problem of status. He was not content to dreaming . He committed himself to doing what he could to be with the princess. American culture is also very scientific and democratic even in fantasy movies like Aladdin.It was Aladdin’s cunning practicality and logic that made him win over the evil Jafar’s magic. In the end, it was the freedom of choice that allowed Jasmine to marry Aladdin despite his social status. Although Americans love democracy, being prejudiced is still evident in the film. Its opening song’s lyrics were changed after its first public showing because advocacy groups felt offended by the way the words described the Arab people as barbaric. Aladdin was depicted as a bit fair-skinned compared to his opponent. One can definitely say that even if Aladdin was originally Arabic, Disney made him American.

Target and Job Satisfaction

Target and Job Satisfaction. Job satisfaction is very important in regards to keeping employees productive and efficient. If a employee is not happy with their working environment, co-workers, or the task on hand, then they are more likely to be less efficient and productive for the company. With that being said, Target is a wonderful place for advancement and status in a career with Target. Target states â€Å"We’re devoted to helping our more than 365,000 team members throughout the world live well and achieve their goals, know that their diver perspectives, talents and commitments make both our company and communities the best they can be. This statement and ideology shows the public that Target believes that the company is nothing without the employees that put their energy into it. Target has enforced this by providing their employees with incentives such as: resources, services and benefits programs. As far as leaders in each department, Target has ensured that leaders are well invested in and that they are given the opportunity to personal career development and networking opportunities.What makes Target special when it comes to Job Satisfaction is that they offer a variety of career development opportunities for the purpose of building the best team, because the best team represents the company itself. During the hiring process, target is in the pursuit of top talents that they intend to foster so that they not support the individuals growth but also set guidelines and development goals so that each member are able to pursue it.Target believes in the social well-being of everybody inside and outside the company. They believe in the concept that building strong relationships and enjoying life inside and outside work settings will distinguish other companies. For example, Target offers discounts, fun activities, social networks, and life event resources to help team members create a meaningful connection with others. Target wants to make every emp loyee feel to feel part of the family.Other incentives include: onboarding, leadership development programs, training and development resources, career planning, diversity and inclusion business councils, Coaching and mentoring, Recognition programs, tuition reimbursements, team member life resources, and more. To add, Target is also aware of the financial well-being and how its is important to make good financial decisions in the present and to plan for the future.They offer savings and invent plans, time off, and insurance options to help team members meet their financial goals; some of this may include: One of the best 401 k plans in retail, vacation, national holidays and personal days, 10% team member discount, Target Credit Union, Adoption assistance reimbursement, Daycare Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Child care discount, Life Insurance, Disability insurance, commuter benefits and more. Also, Target also offers good health benefits for their Employees.They are committed to providing and encouraging wellness and promoting preventive care, such as offering the many benefits and resource to help team members and their families lead healthy, and balanced lives. Health benefits include: Medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage, programs and rewards to encourage healthy actions, maternity support program, nurseline, Tobacco cessation program, well-being education resources, team member life resources, and more. Target has identified that there are about 120 different career paths that exist for team members to explore.This is good because if a current employee is not satisfied with their current position, then they have the option and the opportunity to change career paths, which is a prenominal process of transition, in my opinion. What also makes Target ideal as far as job satisfaction, is that aside from assisting current members with certain incentives mentioned above, but also for spouses, domestic partners and other dependents. Training and mentoring programs are also offered to employees to assist and prepare team members for current or new challenges.This special program is designed in a way that offers external benchmarking combined with industry research, as well as partnerships and internal expertise. What this means is that everything that is trained to employees is offered through not only internal settings but also external settings. The company will help find the best method, whether it is from in-house or, experts outside the company, target will do their best in providing the best training and mentoring program and experts for employees to improve and become as productive as they want to be.To further the job satisfaction of employees, there is a system for talent management is put into great consideration and implemented to Target’s employees. Target calls it the â€Å"Leadership Foundations and Expectations Competency Model† which informs and teaches every team member exactly which skill s and abilities are needed for them to succeed; no team member will be left behind. Target applies this method and administer this process by following talent-planning routines such as the Best Team Survey, which allots team members to voice their opinions. This method not only help employees speak out their voice but also help improve Target.Communication is important to target and believes that every voice and opinion should be heard. Target has design a program called â€Å"Regular Review Process† which ensures that not only leaders but team members meet routinely and regularly so that they can discuss the strengths and the potential development opportunities for the company; the company meets with their leader four times a year to negotiate and discuss business goals, performance, and development and career goals, with every if not all team members participating in a formal performance review once a year.Target is really the best when it comes to the benefits in retail, a nd that providing competitive pay, insurance coverage, career mentoring and so many great perks for the target family. They provide so many incentives for team members to speak out, and find a myriad of benefits for not only themselves but also for potential family members. Target’s importance to the local community and corporate social responsibility represent and defines target.This can include: target-sponsored volunteer activities, target volunteer councils, community captains, community awards and grants, and more. Target takes pride in providing so much for their team so that they can contribute and show their strong community. Citations. â€Å"Benefits. †Ã‚  Employee Benefits, Fringe Benefits, Perks. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"Culture.   Culture: Working at Target. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. â€Å"Social. †Ã‚  Employee Social Benefits: Enjoying Life. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"Team Members. †Ã‚  Our Team Member s: Partners in Our Success. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. https://corporate. target. com/corporate-responsibility/team-members

An exploration into irony, its meaning, and its consequences in Romeo and Juliet Essay

An exploration into irony, its meaning, and its consequences in Romeo and Juliet Essay Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs; this is the definition of irony, but what really is it? The answer, though not told in this essay, is definitely well explained through examples from William Shakespeares The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. This play is filled with paradoxical happenings that ultimately lead to the death of the hero and heroine. Of them, we see circumstances dealing with verbal, dramatic, and situational irony. To help with describing the definition better, we shall go into each of these types of ironies in turn.First, lets take a look at verbal irony. Verbal irony is basically sarcasm, saying something that means something completely different. We see it in R and J at the beginning when Romeo first meets Juliet and talks philosophically about pilgrims and praying. We see it again when the nurse talks about Juliets age and marriage later on in the same act. It both places, the speaking characters have an underlying meaning to what they really are saying, they are superb examples of verbal irony. Next, we have dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something the characters do not. This type of irony plays a crucial role in Romeo and Juliet because it is what, in the end, leads to the demise of our heroes. We mainly see this in the end of the play when we learn of Juliets faked death and Romeo has not. We also see it at the death of Tybalt who was completely unaware that he would set Romeo into a killing rage and lose his life to it. These both are cases of dramatic irony.Thirdly and probably most importantly, is situational irony. This is when the story takes a completely different turn than expected by the readers and the characters. I say this plays the most important role in the play because it is what brings us to the death of Romeo and Juliet through the friar. You see, we play into its trap when the friar gives Juliet the potion and we believe that everything is going to be fine. Only later do we find out that it is his failure to plan that kills the young lovers. In the end, it is situational irony that makes the story of Romeo and Juliet a tragedy. Through this essay, we have generally learned what irony is through examples in the text Romeo and Juliet. We have looked at what ironys three main types are and examples. There was verbal irony, such as at the beginning of the play. There was also dramatic irony such as Juliets fake death. Finally, the play went out with a bang by using situational irony.Hopefully, by going into these types of irony, irony itself is better understood.

Self-assessment process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Self-assessment process - Essay Example Through such a process, I will be in a better position to make a successful career decision. A self assessment process is imperative in understanding my personal inclination towards career and is of considerable importance in making a career choice (Foster 21). Under normal circumstances, the process regards obtaining an understanding of myself in a manner that predisposes me to establishing a credible career choice that reflects my natural abilities. Therefore, before I decide on the job to select, it will be necessary to engage in the self-assessment course that will furnish me with the required knowledge of the career options that suit my natural frame. Areas to be evaluated include personality that represents my emotional and behavioral features, my attitudes towards life that implies how I perceive life’s events, my leadership qualities denoting my ability to exercise the function of authority, team work that regards my ability to work with groups or teams as well as inno vation, which primarily concerns my capacity to develop novel and creative ideas. All these parameters will be part of my comprehensive self-assessment process that will illuminate my impending career choice. ... and throughout my academic process I have learnt the basics of working in a business environment through the ethos of leadership and management gained through the process. As a result, I am well-trained and professionally equipped to tackle the career environment. I am a committed team worker with immense interest in interpersonal communication and interaction, very friendly with people and also a firm believer in collaboration. My personality leans towards aggressive, ambitious and charismatic tendencies because I tend to be more proactive in my approach to issues. Therefore, I have the ability to work effectively with groups because of my personal inclination to socializing, problem solving and collaboration. Owing to my towering personality type, I am an effective leader with credible leadership qualities ranging from decision making, consultation, collaboration, communication, team work and interpersonal skills. My experience in college leadership roles has exposed me to numerous challenges of a leader thus sharpening my already existing leadership profile. Similarly, with regard to experience, I have held several leadership positions throughout my education particularly in college. I am a creative individual who likes experimenting new deals in daily practice. One of my hobbies is trying new things, and my joy lies in the successful implementation of a new idea. I have always liked trying something new ideas (whether it is my own creation or somebody else) although I am acutely imaginative and innovative at a personal level. My greatest motivation for innovation is my firm belief in change, which to me represents an opportunity to do something better and accomplish a goal. I spend a lot of time imagining and developing new frontiers of thought, management and

Response paper 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Response paper 3 - Essay Example It was in the twilight of Kurtz’ life when he finally understood while Marlow found it by contemplating on another’s life (Said, 2005). It becomes logical for us to cover our apprehensions with naivety, arrogance, and sometimes even hate. The style in which Joseph Conrad delivers an objective perspective of the issue of racism in his book â€Å"Heart of Darkness† emanates off the subtlety with which a number of arguments are presented. At a glance, it is reminiscent of Plato’s writings wherein characters are representative of the different points of view regarding one topic. This narrative undertaking gives the purposeful intention that allows the readers to form their own opinion regarding the subject as the author impartially presents us with all possible angles of the debate. We have Marlow, Conrad and Kurtz as the voices of reason each with their own proper merit. It is an irony that in the end of ‘Heart of Darkness’ there was still the undeniable obscurity between Marlow and the natives. The paradox is that revering the text is further acknowledging its flaws because of the absence of reciprocity in its dialogue as Achebe asserts (Armstrong, 2005). The vast sea and the travels are symb olic of the immense encompassing arguments and opinions of many that are altogether true and viable in real life. â€Å"It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind—as is very proper for those who tackle darkness. The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than our-selves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much† (Conrad, p.3). Such was the real scenario of the conquest of the West with the rest of the world. Self-proclaming themselvess superior for the sole reason that they were the conquerors and by process of simple deduction makes those who they were able to pass

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

Presentation - Essay Example Lis poetry has survived through the years and has gained imperishable popularity not only in China, but also developed a good influence in the Western world through translations. This discussion will be about the literary components and illustrations of Li Bai’s poems, particularly focusing on the way he has handled each of his poems, depicting its theme and primary images. The aesthetic sense in his poetic descriptions along with his recurring theme of nature is discussed in detail. Li Bai was born in Sichuan province, in what is now Central Asia, in 701 A.D. In his early years, he led a carefree life as an itinerant wandering throughout China with his companion and co-poet, Du Fu. Living during the mid-Tang Dynasty, which was called the ‘Golden Age of China’, he was influenced by Taoist thoughts. He wished of becoming an official in the dynasty but his family heritage did not provide enough opportunities for it. However, in 742 A. D., he was introduced to the emperor Xuanzong, as a fabled carouser who fascinated the public and aristocrats through his poetic skills. Even though he had little academic knowledge, he was appointed to the Hanlin academy by the Emperor. As a prestigious poet to the ruler, he settled with the Emperor making poetry for him and the academy. However, the revolt, which occurred soon after his elevation, exiled him out of the position. Being a superfluous imaginative poet, his death was also romanticized by a fable in which h is attempt to catch the moon’s light in a river led to his drowning. But, actually he is believed to have died because of his excessive drinking. Li Bai was indeed a legendary poet, with fanciful thoughts and inimitable adeptness in poetry skills. His poems covered a wide spectrum of human emotions and life with in-depth expressions through powerful language delivery. He was indeed a prominent figure in Chinese poetry

A Raisin in the Sun Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Raisin in the Sun - Essay Example This causes disagreements between the family members as everyone has different ideas on how the money should be used. They rent a house particularly in a white neighborhood, but they are not very welcome. This is evident by the way Karl Lindner the white neighborhood’s representative asks to buy them out with a very generous offer. At the end of the play, the family leaves with their pride of being black and refuse the money offered by the white people. This paper therefore seeks to analyze the play A raisin in the sun and show how racism was deeply rooted back in the 1950’s and the manner in which blacks always wanted to pursue the American dream where they would hope to have â€Å"life, liberty as well as the pursuit of happiness†. Looking at the social climate of the 1950s and 1960’s as displayed by the play, it is easy to see that black people lived in poor conditions as compared to white people. In this era, most of the public buildings in the white n eighborhood were full of racial segregation. White people did not mingle or live together with black people as they were thought to be of an inferior class. Many whites were also of the belief that by having black people in a white neighborhood, the value of their property would go down1. ... given in the year 1952 by the Women’s committee to end discrimination in the medical services, it was seen that there was a high connection between high death rates in black people and hospital segregation2. Still in the schools black children attended sub-standard schools as compared the white children. In most of the public schools together with colleges, racial segregation was rampant and blacks attained marginal education as compared to white children. Despite the fact that the Supreme Court in the year 1954 made a ruling using the Brown v. Board Education, that school segregation was not constitutional, it took quite a number of years for it to be implemented. In terms of the economic climate that the blacks faced during the 1950s, there was a lot of racial discrimination, which led to blacks getting very low paying jobs. After the Second World War, black veterans went back home so as to share their victory and live the American Dream. This however was not to be a reality for them as they were prohibited from settling in the upcoming suburbs. This is similar to the raisin in the sun play where Mama and her family are being asked to leave particularly because it is a white neighborhood. In the 1950’s black Americans have no choice but to live in cramped areas whereby even finding good jobs is equally hard. Unfortunately, candidates who are educated and are highly qualified for good jobs are not also lucky and they also face racial discrimination when the hiring process is on; for this reason, they have to settle for odd jobs. Black American population between 1940 and 1970 had drastically increased from 50 percent all the way to 80 percent. In the south, many black Americans lost both mining and share cropping jobs particularly due to the government investing

Course financial planning and control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Course financial planning and control - Essay Example As per Robert Bootle, Economic advisor, Mondaq, 'coming years will present plenty of opportunities for London's financial hub and it will be positioned as number one in the world. The ongoing globalization process will open new international markets. London has a strong track record for developing and trading new products. It is positioned European centre for new financial services. But there is an emerging threat from new Asian Global Financial centres. However once China and India, the two major new players, gets richer, they will turn to UK, thus helping the growth of the UK's financial services sector. In UK consumer spending regained momentum and along with other sectors gives sign of recovery of UK economy over past few years. At the start of 1990s the financial services sector accounted for 5% of the GDP, whereas now it stands at 9%. It's total assets at the year ending of 2005 stands to 5,988,300, compared to it's competitors GE Capital UK Funding (8,058,303), Provident Financial PLC (1,979,300) CW Lending Ltd. (2,616,735) and Cattles PLC (1,925,918). It has 115,920,724 nos. of shares at a market cap 738,415,012. It's net tangible assets stands at 5,917,600 compared to GE Capital UK Fundings 4,702,618, CW Lending Ltd.'s ,2,498,929, Provident Financial PLC's 1,348,600 and Cattles PLC's 1,469,941. ... igher than most of the other competitors like Provident Financial PLC (5%), Cattles PLC (3%)employed @7%, which is slightly lower to GE capital UK Funding (8%) and CW lending Ltd (9%), but higher than most of the other competitors like Provident Financial PLC (5%), Cattles PLC (3%) The company is in the business of: 1. Car Finance 2. Home improvement finance 3. Mortgages 4. Personal Finance and 5. Retail Finance. As per the statement of Jonathan P. L. Perry, Chairman, published in company's Annual Report; the group has performed strongly in the year 2005, produced growth in profit and loan assets. The Groups strategy of multi-brand products yielded good result. Paragon Mortgage Trust brand is well developed. The housing loan market is strong and expanding. The company has reduced its portfolio risks by reducing consumer loan from 36% in 2002 to 13.4% in 2005.Unsecured personal loan also is reduced from 319.9 million at 30th Sept 2002 to 180 million at 30 September 2005, which is 2.8% of the total loan book. With the surplus funds company has repurchased 1,790,000 shares and has a 20 million repurchase program. The risks perceived are: global economic shut down and prolonged slowdown in household borrowing growth. Now analyzing the financial statements for last 5 years: We find that the Return on shareholder's Funds are reducing over the years except in the year 2004 when there was a slight recovery. (1999 - 29.78, 2000 - 25.78, 2001 - 24.32, 2002 - 22.91, 2003 - 23.04, 2004 - 26.45, 2005 - 24.94). Whereas the Return on shareholders fund shown by Provident Financial PLC is much higher at in the range of 57.19 to 60.08 during last 4 years. Net tangible assets are increasing over the years making it to the highest at 5,917,600 in the year 2005. The liquidity ratio is

Once Upon A Quinceaera Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Once Upon A Quinceaera - Essay Example Episodes from other "quinces" covered by the author as part of her research work for this book and also tales from her own adolescent years in America has been weaved in brilliantly. A comparison is drawn between the actual custom what it represents and the present day celebrations, complete with limousines, DJ's and extravagant cakes. The blending of different cultural practices that marks a woman's "coming of age," which is the main purpose of organizing a Quinceaera is brought to light by Alvarez through this book. The tumult of emotions that is associated with adolescence has been captured through the various emotions portrayed by the various characters of the story. The author identifies with the various circumstances through the flashbacks to her own adolescent years in America. [Latinaya, 2007] Through her book Alvarez highlights on the attempt of immigrants to stay in touch with their roots and culture. Quinceaera, which celebrates a woman's coming of age, her of official transition towards womanhood is marked by lavish celebrations. Celebrations that parents themselves could not afford back home. Hosting a Quinceaera is a lavish affair that could be afforded by the affluent, something a simple Mexican, Dominican or Salvadorian family could only dream about. Yet it is observed that many of the mothers, whom the author interviews, perceive the tradition of hosting a Quinceaera as a significant aspect of passing on the culture of their native states to the next generation. [Valdes, 2007] Themes The main theme that outlines the subject of the book is staying in touch with one's root. Quinceaera, which celebrates the transition of a girl into a woman, is an ancient Latino custom. The age of 15 in most Latin nations is marked as the marriageable age of girls. This is viewed as a pre - wedding celebration. Various sociological aspects are discussed throughout the book, with the help of small incidents. The social importance of hosting a Quinceaera disregarding all cost is depicted through the tale of Monica Ramos, who enjoys a lavish Disney themed Quinceaera even though her father is out of job. Quinceaeras have also become the sole source of livelihood for many. The author speaks of a one Enrique Munoz, who earns a living as a Quinceaera photographer in Miami [Valdes, 2007] Through the book the writer expresses her ambivalence in the empowerment of women that Quinceaera represents and her own development despite the lack of a similar event during her years of growing up. The feminism that was so hard earned for the author, could possible be achieved by the frivolous extravagance associated with quinces. Ambivalence is further expressed by Alvarez, when she is "torn between optimism and a sense of dread," for Monica. On one hand she expresses her optimism for the empowerment of women, reminding them of their origins that mark such events, as a girl blossoms into a woman. Yet on the other hand she is devastated by the fate of young Latina girls in America. The alarmingly large numbers of Hispanic girls, who are victims of teen pregnancy, suicide, abuse or are school dropouts. Health researchers are of

Discuss using named examples, the use of and applicability of Essay

Discuss using named examples, the use of and applicability of bio-indicator organisms in the environmental assessment of fres - Essay Example According to Durranti, a bio- indicator is defined as a plant or animal species whose presence or absence gives information on the state of a given environment (Chu, Chanb and Chow 2005). The Use and Applicability of Various Bio-Indicator Organisms in the Environmental Assessment of Freshwater and Marine Systems There exist several bio-indicators that have been applied to measure the health status of freshwater and marine environments. To begin with, Chin argues that by identifying the kind of animal species present in a given water body, biologists are able to analyze the quality of water in that water body (Chin 2006). For instance, the presence of many carnivore fish species might suggest a higher quality of water compared to a water body dominated primarily by omnivores. A healthy water body supports life for many micro-organisms that are predated upon by the carnivore fish. For many years, fish have been used to indicate the quality of water bodies. This has been accomplished th rough determining the kind of fish that live in a given water body, measuring alterations in fish species composition and species proportion (Jackson 2001). Changes in fish length and tropic level can as well be used in determining the health of aquatic environment. ... From the experiment, it was established that samples from the lake had a high number of comets and mainly in second and third classes. Thus the results suggested that Lake Igapo is an aquatic environment that was characterized by a high level of genotoxicity and other pollutants. In Izmir Bay of Mediterranean (in Western Turkey), fish are used to determine the level of water pollution in the sea (Gonenc 1999). Izmir is an industrial and commercial centre. The presence of metals such as lead and zinc in freshwater and marine environments can be indirectly measured using inorganic acids, such as sulphuric acid and hydrochloric acid (Turner and Tessier1995). These acids are applied on intestinal specimens of different fish species. If the above metals are present, the acids react with the specimens to form oxides. Bonnan notes that some aquatic pollutants might remain active for many years and through several generations. Examples include mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds (Farris, J. et al 1993). Genotoxicity biomarkers can be applied in sentry organisms to enhance the identification and assessment of mutagenic hazards and their sources. One of the most suitable methods of identifying the response of organisms to such contaminants is by use of micronucleus (MN) test. This can be used as an index of the total genetic damage of cells during the lifespan of an organism. Fish and bivalves have been the main target for such experiments. Gill and haemocyte cells are the commonly used tissues. Due to rising carbon dioxide concentration s in the 21 century, the acidity of sea water has increased as well. Consequently, global temperatures have been driven up, including

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s house Essay Example for Free

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s house Essay Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s house is all about women’s rights. We can infer from the theme of the novel that the author Henrik Ibsen was a strong Feminist as he created characters that fought for the rights of women. The central character of A Doll’s house, Nora fought for the same cause. Nora attempts to become a strong individual even though she was being locked in a male dominated world. Her husband Torvald’s dominating nature was the one that was preventing her from become self motivated. She appeared inexperienced, naive and vulnerable till the end when she surprised everybody by boldly leaving her husband and children to live an independent life. Nora’s world appeared to be so childish that the author has named it as a ‘doll’s house’. She appeared as an alien to the real world with no real world experience. She was even found humorous in few incidents. But we can see the same Nora being serious and trying to be superior as she says â€Å"one isnt without influence. This shows the feminist views of the character or the author. A Doll`s house speaks about women’s rights. Even though Nora is constructed as immature and silly, we can see that this nature is enforced by the society around her. However her true nature was destined to be revealed later. Nora is found to be an independent woman who was restricted within the ‘dollhouse’ by her husband. Her life was like that of a butterfly that is trying to get out of the cocoon to show its true colors. We can see Nora striving, throughout the play, and finally unveiling her original self. She is indeed a classical hero. She was submissive to her husband and was enthusiastic and smart. We can say that Nora was always right in her attitude as this was the best she can be towards her dominating husband. Towards the end of the play she discovered herself and took the big shocking decision to leave her husband and children for ever. The feminist ideologies of Nora were revealed in the end of the novel. She was found subordinate to her husband Torvald who believed that women are frail and can never make decision of their own. However finally Nora gets hold of her individuality and dares to take the great decision to abandon her husband and children. Nora’s great passion for life and her strong feministic beliefs stimulated her to take the decision of her life. She courageously broke away from the doll house that appeared as a prison for her all through these days. Nora was always under the care of someone, first with her father and then with her husband. Nora was a materialistic, impulsive and babyish. But Nora appeared as a bold woman in the final scene of the play. We can see Nora the classical hero walking out of her house in the final scene to live her life. All this makes us doubt whether she was pretending to be silly all through these days to adjust with the patriarchal oppression she was suffering from her husband Torvald. Nora finally becomes fully independent to renounce the false union of marriage and the burden of motherhood. She says â€Å"Never see him again. Never. Never. Never. Never see the children again. Them too. Never. never. Oh the icy black water! Oh that bottomless that -! Oh, if only it were all over! Now he’s got it he’s reading it. Oh, no, no! Not yet! Goodbye, Torvald! Goodbye, my darlings. † Nora was the upholder of women`s rights. She struggled against the selfish, stifling, oppressive and dominating attitude of her Husband Torvald and the society which he represents. Nora journey lead to her self-discovery as she fought against the exploitation of women by men. Torvald represents the orthodox society and Nora is the advocate of feminism. Torvald did not give any privilege to Nora and called her silly names throughout the play. He called her ‘squirrel’, ‘lark’, ‘little skylark’, ‘little songbird’, ‘little person’, ‘little woman’, and ‘little featherhead’. Torvald never forgot to use the word ‘little’ before these names. He considered her as ‘little’. He was also very possessive and always used ‘my’ before these names. Torvald never considered Nora equal to him. He thought she is inferior to him. The feminist beliefs of Nora rise up at last and she comes to know that she has been a foolish doll in a toy-marriage and walks out of her house slamming the door behind her and surprising Torvald. Nora was just considered like any other possession of Torvald. She was not given any humane privilege. The feminist beliefs of the author hated this attitude of Torvald and encouraged Nora to break away one day from the ‘doll house’. Nora recognizes her rights at last and is awakened. She stops pretending to be what she is not. She became a strong woman and takes control of her own destiny. Torvald considered his wife, children and status symbols and had a very narrow definition about marriage. He thinks that it is the duty of the wife to be good to her husband and children. She deems women as helpless creatures separated from reality and moral force. The author highlighted the self realization of the main character Nora and the way she becomes an example to feminist ideology. The novel thus becomes an extraordinary work in which a man portrays strong feminist ideologies. The attitude of Nora reveals the strong feminist views of the author. Nora always wanted to get out of the clutch of her husband as she says to Rank and Linde â€Å"I’ve the most extraordinary longing to say: ‘Bloody hell! ’† She finally gets out all her social and traditional commitments and obligations as become free as a hero. She is such a classical character that our hearts are with her even though she took the pitiless decision to leave her moral husband and innocent little children. She can be called as a hero as a fought for a good cause, the freedom for the weaker sex. The position of women in the 1800s, during the time of Nora was too low. They lived as housewives with no right to vote, own property, and make any significant transactions. Nora recognized her slavery and preferred to break away and live a life with freedom. It is nothing but her courage to fight against oppression made her the most admirable stage heroine of the century. What she has done is perfectly justifiable in the light is modern ideology and culture. She was just being a model to the women of modern days. She stepped into a wider world and making her husband understands that he is not the noble person that she expected him to be. She understands that she can no longer continue as a shadow of her husband. She turned out to be a classical hero in the contemporary male dominated society that oppressed women to the core and considered them as a second-class citizen.She just initiated an awakening and made a classical turn in history. Sources Ibsen, Henrik. ‘A Dolls House’. Introduction to Literature: Reading, Analyzing, and Writing. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1990. Henrik Ibsen. Dolls House: The Wild Duck: The Lady from the Sea . J M Dent Sons Ltd, 1979. Marianne Sturman. CliffsNotes on Ibsens A Dolls House Hedda Gabler. Cliffs Notes, 2003. Egil Tornqvist. Ibsen: A Dolls House. Cambridge University Press, 2004. Henrik Ibsen A Dolls House and Other Plays. Penguin Classics, 1965.

Aggression in Humans Essay Example for Free

Aggression in Humans Essay There are many different reason why a person may act aggressively towards other human being. The person may act this way because of his background or the way he/she was brought up in life. A person does not; act this way based on natural feeling alone. Is more like a melded, learned behavior. A human being must have both environmental and instinctual factors in order to show aggression. Some of a persons natural instincts are to desire food, reject some things, escape from danger, fight in a dangerous situations or when challenged. As well also sex desire, care for the young, control, and to accept substandard status. This combination of both instincts and environment determines a persons behavior and actions throughout life. This is based on the theory that everything human beings do would have to be learned from other human beings. Aggression must be learned as we grow. It is not just simply there from the moment of birth. A person behavior is something that is taught to him rather than being an unmanageable instinct. For example, a newborn baby is breathing because it is an uncontrolled reaction. But on the other hand, a father may tell his young son to beat up the school buly who is picking on him. As a result, the boy is dealing with the situation by using violence. In order for a human being to display aggression, violence and anger, it must be driven by an instinct interacting with that persons surroundings. The word instinct is defined as an inherited or innate psycho-physical disposition which determines its possessor to perceive, and to pay attention to, objects of a certain class, to experience an emotional excitement of a particular quality upon perciving such an object, and to act in regard to its particular manner, or, at least, to experience an impulse to such action. This definition, explains that people have different reactions for different situations they are put in. Therefore, an individual is expected to act a certain way when he is encouraged to do so from his surrounding environment. For example, an Eskimo does not have an inborn instinct that allows him to survive in his climate. He has to work with his people in order to survive when he is at a very young age. Furthermore, when people are brought up in a society, they learn a certain way of life and traditions. These customs are usually taught to them because its part of their societys way of life, even if some of the customs may be brutal and horrible to others. For example, cannibalism is distasteful to us, but in some prehistoric cultures, to eat an enemy is to gain his or her strength. This aggressive behavior was taught to the people of this culture and is the cause for its existence. People need to have contact with aggressiveness in society in order to act aggressive. For example, there was a tribe in New Guinea, who were violent warriors that were always fighting and killing each other. The children of these people learned this aggressive act from their parents and then acted in the same way. A parents method of child rearing has a huge impact on the childs aggression. For example my own brother found a way, which will convince my parents to buy him what he wants. All he has to do is cry and if he doesnt get what he wants he will start smashing, kicking and throwing thinks that he find around him. Moreover, when a group of people are isolated, their behavior does not change unless they interact with other people. There was tribe made up of a group of people who were completely isolated fro the rest of the world. They did not show any signs of aggression due to the fact that they had no words for weapon, aggression, anger or war. All they did was gathering food. So the tribe and had no use for weapons. The tribe only used knives and other things that might be thought as weapons or tools to gather food. They even rejected the spear, the bow and arrow because they could not use them to gather food. There could not been anything in their genetic makeup that made them act in an aggressive or peaceful manner. This was just their way of life that was taught from generation to generation, to gather food which was needed to survive. The source of human aggression lies in factors such as society and culture. Aggression is a learned emotion that is built up on different factors in a persons surrounding environment. It the combination of environment, society and culture that creates aggressive behavior. It is the persons instincts that are the basis for the three. While one tribe is a peaceful group of people, and the other a group of aggressive warriors. Both of the tribes had  the ability for aggression and peaceful life but it was their environment, society and culture that have driven them to choose totally opposite paths.

Use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Depression

Use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Depression Major depressive disorders destroy a persons ability to enjoy many ordinary parts of life. All of the activities which many consider normal such as eating, sleeping, working and playing, become empty for the depressed individual. Research has attempted to address the prevalence of depression and pharmacological treatments have often been the first line of defence in its treatment. Medications, however, usually have unpleasant side-effects and so psychological or talking therapies are often preferred by patients. One type of therapy that has been found to be effective in the treatment of depression is cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). This essay will first address the basic features and use of CBT in the treatment of depression before moving on to behavioural activation therapy which effectively uses a subset of the approaches used in CBT, finally the approaches will be compared and contrasted. CBT is often referred to as though it was a single treatment, but it actually comprises a number of approaches from both the cognitive and behavioural theories. Aaron Beck, the grandfather of cognitive therapy, describes the cognitive aspect of the approach as targeting the way that people interpret the events around them (Beck, 1991). In depression, within the theory, people are seen to have beliefs that are essentially maladaptive to the world around them. Their powers of interpretation have a number of significant biases which contribute towards their depression. In order to treat depression, then, cognitive therapy attempts to challenge the way that patients interpret the world. This is done by working through the various beliefs which are considered maladaptive by the therapist and testing them against the real world. Along with the cognitive aspects of CBT, behavioural approaches are also used. The behavioural aspect is based on ideas put forward by behaviourist psychologists such as B. F. Skinner, which describe peoples behaviour in terms of whether it is encouraged or discouraged by the environment. Hollon, Thase Markowitz (2002) point out that one of the assumptions of the therapy is that people who are depressed receive a high degree of reinforcement for their depressive thoughts and a low degree for their non-depressive thoughts. Behavioural strategies are particularly useful in CBT for allowing the patient to carry out behavioural experiments in which they are encouraged to try out different types of behaviour and check how the outcomes marry with their beliefs. The aim in CBT is that the evidence of these experiments will help to convince the patient that, through testing their contact with reality, they will come to adjust those maladaptive beliefs. The typical belief that a depressed pe rson has is that they are unlikely to succeed in many activities because of their have low expectations of their own abilities. Hollon et al. (2002) emphasise that the aim of CBT is not to think happy thoughts, but rather to try and encourage the patient to become more accurate in the way they perceive the world. One of the most important aspects of CBT is encouraging the patient themselves to continue to use the strategies learned in CBT after the therapy has finished. Compared to psychodynamic therapies, CBT is relatively brief at around 14-16 one-hour sessions, and so these learned strategies and changed beliefs need to be maintained after the contact with the therapist is finished. A large range of different studies have been carried out into the effectiveness of the use of CBT. Gloaguen, Cottraux, Cucherat Blackburn (1998), for example, used a meta-analytic approach to examine the evaluation of cognitive therapy (CT) in 78 studies between 1977 and 1996. Overall this meta-analysis showed that CT was effective in cases of mild to moderate forms of depression when compared to placebo or control conditions. There was even some evidence that the use of CT produced a better outcome than the use of anti-depressant medications and other psychotherapies. Criticisms of this research were aimed at the fact that this meta-analysis amalgamated wait-list groups with placebo groups, which, Parker, Roy Eyers (2003) argue, are not equivalent. Further, the effectiveness of the other therapies category to which CT was compared, was weakened by the inclusion of weaker types of intervention such as bibliotherapy. This research has also been questioned by Wampold, Minami, Baskin Tierney (2002) who, in reanalysing the meta-analytic data taking into account the control treatments, found that CT was not superior but equivalent to other forms of psychological therapy. The results discussed so far were mainly obtained for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. In the treatment of severe depression, however, the use of CT compared to pharmacological interventions has been questioned. Elkin, Gibbons, Shea, Sotsky, Watkins, Pilkonis Hedeker (1995) carried out a large study and found that CT was less effective than medication and only as effective as the placebo combined with clinical management. Hollon et al. (2002), however, point out that this, despite being a large influential study, was one of the only published studies that questioned the effectiveness of CT. Hollon et al. (2002) argue that the results were weak because of the lack of therapist training in two of the three sites at which the CT was given. In comparison, Jarrett, Schaffer, McIntire, Witt-Browder, Kraft Risser (1999) in a placebo-controlled, double-blind study looked at the use of CT compared to the most effective medication in the treatment of atypical depression. This st udy found that CT was as effective as the medication and better than the placebo in the treatment of atypical depression. The criticism of this study is that not all of the patients selected were suffering from severe depression, although many were. DeRubeis, Gelfand, Tang Simons (1999) carried out a mega-analysis[1] of severely depressed patients using the data from sub-groups of studies already carried out. Included in the analysis was the data from the study carried out by Elkin et al. (1995). Aggregating the results they found that, in fact, in this patient group with severe depression, CBT was as effective as medication. Indeed there was a small, but non-significant advantage for CBT over medications. This backed up findings from Hollon, DeRubeis, Evans, Wiemer, Garvey, Grove Tuason (1992) who had found a small, although non-significant, advantage for CBT over a pharmacological intervention. Hollon et al. (2002) argue that it is the expertise of the therapist that is most important, and those studies that do not support the use of CT or CBT tend not to involve the best trained therapists. So far, the way in which the studies have been discussed has treated depression as though the only variable in its makeup is its severity. Parker et al. (2003) point out that many of the studies report headline findings of the overall efficacy of the treatment of depression by CBT rather than examining the gradations in between. In fact, instead of talking about the severity of depression, Parker et al. (2003) suggest it is better to consider the different types of depression. Parker et al. (2003) split depression into psychotic, melancholic and other non-melancholic depressive disorders. The first two categories, Parker et al. (2003) argue, are considered more biological in origin and are, therefore, more responsive to pharmacological treatment. It is suggested that the last, more heterogeneous group of those with severe non-melancholic depression, are more responsive to psychotherapies, especially CBT. Taking a closer look at the way in which CBT works reveals a more ambivalent picture. MacLeod (1988) points to the distinction in psychotherapies between what are called common and specific factors. The common factors that have been found to be effective in all types of therapy include the therapists warmth, acceptance and empathy. Examining this idea, Strupp (1996) found that across different psychotherapies, as much as 85% of the variability could be accounted for by common factors. In other words, it doesnt matter which therapeutic modality is used, the simple fact that someone is taking an interest and being supportive has a beneficial effect. In addition, Ilardi Craighead (1994) point out that many of the major improvements during CBT occur before cognitive restructuring techniques are introduced. This also suggests that the importance of non-specific factors of the psychotherapy is paramount. A further factor which needs to be considered in the efficacy of CBT is the prevention of relapses. While patients often show good response to CBT, the suggestion is that, once the therapists support has been removed, a patient can easily regress. Gloaguen et al.s (1998) study suggested only tentatively that, when followed up, patients who had been treated with CBT were better able to maintain their gains than those treated with pharmacological treatments. Fava, Rafanelli, Grandi, Canestrari Morphy (1998) examined a relatively small sample of patients (40) in a follow-up study to compare the standard clinical management[2] with CBT. After 4 years, the CBT was shown to have a significant preventative effect against depression; however, this had faded at the 6 year follow-up. In similar work, Scott, Teasdale, Paykel, Johnson, Abbott, Hayhurst, Moore Garland (2000) looked at the effect of using CT on those with residual depressive symptoms and compared it to clinical management. The a uthors found that CT did significantly reduce residual depressive symptoms although there were some methodological problems with the study including the fact that the patients response could be a placebo effect as well as the authors suggesting that the effects seen might not have clinical significance in other words, they might not be practically useful. Parker et al. (2003) argue that, overall, these studies show only limited support for CT in the prevention of relapses and, in any case, do not provide the most useful comparisons as they do not compare CT to other psychotherapeutic or psychopharmacological approaches. Overall, Parker et al. (2003) argue that the efficacy of CBT and/or CT for all types of depression has yet to be established definitively, despite major positive findings in much of the research. Despite their critical approach to CT, Parker et al. (2003) do admit that CT is useful in certain situations. The problem for the research is identifying the situation specifically those with what is labelled depression do not represent a homogenous group and therefore when interventions are tested, it is not surprising that the results are equivocal. All of the research discussed so far has addressed cognitive behavioural or purely cognitive models of treatments for depression. The behavioural components of this type of therapy are normally used to augment the cognitive approach, with purely behavioural approaches having lost favour after the 1970s. As Parker et al. (2003) point out, though, there are problems with a reliance on cognitive strategies. They find little evidence for some of the basic assumptions of cognitive therapy, such as the centrality of global negative views of self and the world (Beck, Rush, Shaw Emery, 1979). One example of this is the work of Ingram, Miranda Segal (1998) who failed to find any support in the literature for cognitive vulnerability, an important factor in the model. While this does not disprove the model, Parker et al. (2003) argue that, overall, the evidence is somewhat inconclusive. For this reason and because of the increasing pressure to provide brief cost-effective interventions for de pression, there is now an effort to examine the efficacy of more behavioural methods, specifically behaviour activation (BA) therapies. As Hopko, Lejuez, Ruggiero Eifert (2003) point out, the roots of BA come from the radical behaviourism of Skinner (1953) who argued that depression was caused by those reinforcements that encourage healthy behaviour being, for one reason or another, interrupted in the social environment. At its most fundamental, then, those behaviours that are seen as healthy are not reinforced, or may even be punished, while unhealthy behaviours are reinforced. Jacobson, Martell Dimidjian (2001) claim that it is possible that CT and CBT do also tap into these ideas (as discussed earlier) but also place considerable emphasis on cognitive models. Jacobson, Martell Dimidjian (2001) see BA theories as concentrating more on the environment than the internal processes of the individual, and therefore aid in the de-medicalisation of depression. The empirical roots of BA can be seen in the Harmon, Nelson, and Hayes (1980) who found that they could prompt depressed patients into activity using a beeper an d increase their activity by more than double. Similarly, Zeiss, Lewinsohn Muà ±oz (1979) found that depression could be alleviated to a similar level as comparable interventions through the increasing of patients activity levels. BA concentrates, then, on behaviour, returning to formulations developed earlier, but with some modern enhancements. At heart, though, BA relies on some basic behaviourist principles. Extinction is used to attempt to remove those behaviours that lead to depressive feelings through the encouragement of approach behaviour (Hopko et al., 2003). At first, in BA, rigid structures are used to attempt to inculcate new behaviours but over time fading is used to minimise these structures as new behaviours become embedded. Shaping is also used in BA, although to a lesser extent than either extinction or fading. The reason it is not seen as shaping in BA is that the new target behaviours that the therapist hopes to embed in the patient are considered to already be there within the client. Shaping is sometimes required to reach more difficult goals that require a number of steps. Many of the ideas used in BA rely on classical behaviourism, but there are a number of major differences that Hopko et al. (2003) identifies. Firstly, BA approaches concentrate more on the functional aspects of a persons behaviour, i.e. those aspects of their environment that reinforce the depressive state. Secondly, close attention is paid in BA to the ongoing assessment of whether particular behaviours are related to depressive symptoms. Thirdly, instead of targeting thoughts, BA targets behaviours specifically and places this as the focus of change for the patient, with the assumption of the model being that these changes will flow back into affective states as well as thoughts. Finally, BA affects the environmental component of depression by influencing a person to change their behaviour and so experience positive consequences. Early work examining the efficacy of BA as a treatment for depression produced some encouraging results. Jacobson, Dobson, Truax Addis (1996) attempted to separate out the BA aspects of CT and compare them with each other. The results showed that there was little difference between the groups that received just the BA aspects of CT and those that received the full CT treatment. What was also encouraging for the researchers was that although the BA treatment did not specifically address the idea of negative automatic thoughts an extremely important component of the cognitive model of depression they showed the same levels of reduction across both the BA and CT treatment groups. Hopko and his colleagues went on to develop a specific manualised intervention aimed at depression called the Behaviour Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD) (Lejuez, Hopko Hopko, 2001). At heart this method uses the matching law developed by Hernstein (1970). This states that the amount of behaviour a person tends to give to a particular activity is directly proportional to the amount of reinforcement they receive while conducting that activity. The therapist therefore encourages the patient to change their behaviour, with much of the expected change happening outside the therapy sessions. The advantage of this type of treatment is that it is generally delivered over 10 to 12 sessions and is therefore shorter than CBT. In addition, sessions are often reduced in length towards the end of the intervention (Lejuez, Hopko Hopko, 2001). In this technique, once the baseline levels of activity and depression have been assessed, the patient moves on to look at the possible activities that could be targeted for increase. Examples provided are such things as the improvement of family and social relationships or courses of education or training that might be embarked upon. The emphasis at all times is focussing on those activities that the patient would find pleasurable and then these are ranked in order of difficulty. The patient also provides them self with rewards if their targeted behaviours have been completed (Lejuez, Hopko Hopko, 2001). Week by week the patient, with the help of the therapist, moves up through the hierarchy of activities, as they slowly get more and more difficult. The extra exposure to positive reinforcement for healthy behaviours is, within the theoretical model, supposed to encourage them to continue performing these behaviours and so decrease their depression. Hopko, Lejuez, LePage, Hopko McNeil (2003) used BATD in a small sample of 25 patients at a psychiatric in-patient facility. BATD was compared to the standard supportive treatments that the in-patient hospital provided. The results showed that, with the BATD requiring fairly low levels of training to implement, significant reductions in depression as measured on the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck Steer, 1987), such that the effect size and also the clinical significance of the intervention were substantial. In work that looked at both depression and anxiety in a case study, Ruggiero, Morris, Hopko Lejuez (2005) also found support for the use of BATD. In their most recent research, Hopko, Bell, Armento, Hunt Lejuez (2005) have examined the use of BATD in the treatment of depression in cancer patients in a primary care setting. This study was a preliminary clinical trial and therefore only included 6 participants. Each of these participants was suffering from major depression and being treated for cancer. After the BA intervention a variety of different measures showed considerable improvement with significant effect sizes. On top of this, the intervention was reported to be relatively easy to implement and did not require a large amount of resources. The advantages were maintained three months after the intervention and there was also an improvement in the amount of bodily pain. BA, while being based on techniques that have been long-established, in its current formulation is actually a relatively new method. As such, the types of evaluation that have been carried out to assess its efficacy are, as yet, fairly limited. While the work of Hopko and colleagues certainly provides some interesting and encouraging results, there are not the same scale of studies carried out into BA that have been carried out into CT and CBT. The CT and CBT studies include more than a handful of controlled, double-blinded studies which are the gold-standard of health psychology research. In comparison, the studies into BA have mostly small numbers of participants and do not provide the same rigorous comparisons as those carried out into CT and CBT. The reason for this is that the research into BA is still at an early stage and consequently, even though it is encouraging, cannot hope to provide the same solid evidence base as is already available to CBT. In conclusion, it can be seen that CBT and CT have a huge and growing evidence base that is largely positive. These cognitive based interventions have been repeatedly shown to be effective in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. For the treatment of severe depression there are some questions as to whether these cognitive methods are effective. Some researchers have suggested that the studies that have looked at CT and CBT have treated those with depression as though they are heterogeneous group which they are not. Future research should aim to look at which types of intervention are best suited to which types of depression. In comparison, BA shares many roots with CBT but only pays attention to the cognitive component indirectly. In this intervention the changing of behaviour is paramount, and the cognitive changes are thought to flow from these. One of the strongest advantages for BA despite its relative lack of supporting evidence is the easy with which it can be implemen ted. The evidence base for BA is clearly not as strong as that for CBT and so it will require more research before it can be confidently endorsed. References Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., Emery, G. (1979) Cognitive Therapy of Depression. New York: Guilford. Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A. (1987). Beck Depression Inventory: Manual. San Antonio, TX: Psychiatric Corporation. Beck, A. T. (1991) Cognitive therapy. A 30-year retrospective. American Psychologist, 46(4), 368-75. DeRubeis, R. J., Gelfand, L. A., Tang, T. Z., Simons, A. D. (1999) Medications versus cognitive behavior therapy for severely depressed outpatients: mega-analysis of four randomized comparisons. American Journal of Psychiatry, 156(7), 1007-13. Elkin, I., Gibbons, R. D., Shea, M. T., Sotsky, S. M., Watkins, J. T., Pilkonis, P. A., Hedeker, D. (1995) Initial severity and differential treatment outcome in the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program.  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63(5), 841-7. Fava, G. A., Rafanelli, C., Grandi, S., Canestrari, R., Morphy, M. A. (1998) Six-year outcome for cognitive behavioral treatment of residual symptoms in major depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 1443–1445. Gloaguen, V., Cottraux, J., Cucherat, M., Blackburn, I. M. (1998) A meta-analysis of the effects of cognitive therapy in depressed patients. Journal of Affective Disorders, 49(1), 59-72. Harmon, T. M., Nelson, R. O., Hayes, S. C. (1980) Self-monitoring of mood versus activity by depressed clients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 30-38. Hernstein, R. J. (1970) On the law of effect. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 13, 243-266. Hollon, S. D., DeRubeis, R. J., Evans, M. D., Wiemer, M. J., Garvey, M. J., Grove, W. M., Tuason, V. B. (1992) Cognitive therapy and pharmacotherapy for depression: singly and in combination. Archives of General Psychiatry, 49, 774–781 Hollon, S. D., Thase, M. E., Markowitz, J. C. (2002) Treatment and prevention of depression. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 3, 39-77. Hopko, D. R., Bell, J. L., Armento, M. E. A., Hunt, M. K., Lejuez, C. W. (2005) Behavior Therapy For Depressed Cancer Patients In Primary Care. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 42(2), 236–243. Hopko, D.R., Lejuez, C. W., LePage, J.P., Hopko, S. D., McNeil, D. W. (2003) A brief behavioral activation treatment for depression. A randomized pilot trial within an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Behavior Modification, 27(4), 458-69. Hopko, D. R., Lejuez, C. W., Ruggiero, K. J., Eifert, G. H. (2003) Contemporary behavioral activation treatments for depression: procedures, principles, and progress. Clinical Psychology Review, 23(5), 699-717. Ilardi, S. S., Craighead, W. E. (1994) The role of nonspecific factors in cognitive-behavior therapy for depression. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 1, 138–156. Ingram, R. E., Miranda, J., Segal, Z. V. (1998) Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression.  New York: Guilford. Jacobson, N. S., Dobson, K. S., Truax, P. A., Addis, M. E. (1996) A component analysis of cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 295-304. Jacobson, N. S., Martell, C. R., Dimidjian, S. (2001) Behavioral activation treatment for depression: Returning to contextual roots. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8, 255–270. Jarrett, R. B., Schaffer, M., McIntire, D., Witt-Browder, A., Kraft, D., Risser, R. C. (1999) Treatment of atypical depression with cognitive therapy or phenelzine: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56(5), 431-7. Lejuez, C. W., Hopko, D. R., Hopko, S. D. (2001) A brief behavioral activation treatment for depression: Treatment manual. Behavior Modification, 25, 255–286. MacLeod, A. (1998) Therapeutic interventions, In M. W. Eysenck, (Ed.), Psychology, an integrated approach. London: Prentice Hall. Parker, G., Roy, K., Eyers, K. (2003) Cognitive behavior therapy for depression? Choose horses for courses. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(5), 825-34. Ruggiero, K.J., Morris, T.L., Hopko, D.R., Lejuez, C.W. (2005) Application of Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression to an adolescent with a history of child maltreatment. Clinical Case Studies, 2(10), 1-17. Scott, J., Teasdale, J. D., Paykel, E. S., Johnson, A. L., Abbott, R., Hayhurst, H., Moore, R., Garland, A. (2000) Effects of cognitive therapy on psychological symptoms and social functioning in residual depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 177, 440–446. Skinner, B. F. (1953) Science and human behavior. New York: Free Press. Strupp, H. H. (1996). The tripartite model and the Consumer Reports study. American Psychologist, 51(10), 1017-1024. Wampold, B., Minami, T., Baskin, T., Tierney, S. (2002) A meta-(re)analysis of the effects of cognitive therapy versus other therapies for depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 68, 159–165. Zeiss, A. M., Lewinsohn, P. M., Muà ±oz, R. F. (1979) Nonspecific improvement effects in depression using interpersonal skills training, pleasant activity schedules, or cognitive training. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 47, 427-439. Footnotes [1] Mega-analysis differs from meta-analysis in that the former pools the raw data from separate studies while the latter pools the summary statistics from separate studies. [2] This generally includes discussion and education of the patient, and sometimes their family, about depression as well as any other care normally provided by the clinician.

J.S. MIlls Essay -- essays research papers

Individual Civilization   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the final two chapters of the essay â€Å"On Liberty†, J.S. Mill discusses a few different subjects concerning individual civilization. The one example I believe is important begins on page 92. Here he discusses how he feels about society trying to help or change a way that someone has decided to live their life. The decisions they make and the actions that they do are completely up to the individual themselves. I will try to further examine the role society plays in a person’s civilization and what arguments Mill made to explain the situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first three chapters, Mill discussed when and why someone’s personal Liberties should, if at all, be taken away. He felt that only if someone was about to harm themselves or others, their liberty should be interrupted or abolished. The situation discussed in chapter four that I was mostly concerned with was when he began to talk about a person’s living conditions being influenced by an outside person, government, or distant society. He was not aware that any that any community has the right to force a person to become civilized (92). He felt that it is not right for someone who lives miles away or who are completely blind of the situation to be able to step in and direct a problem into the direction they feel is right. The society does not have the right to persuade a person to live a certain way or conduct their lives as others do. Other commun...

Modern Christianity :: essays papers

Modern Christianity Now a day too many people are loosing their focus in life. We have heard that people are committing suicide everyday around in our community. In many of these occasions, religion has played a big role in saving many of these victims from the overwhelming pressures of our society. Religion has acted as a shelter that provides a peaceful environment and hope for guidance for these lost victims. Among that, becoming a Christian is what many have sought for. Two years ago, an eighteen years old high school friend of mine who is a typical American teenager lived in a perfect family of four had tried to commit suicide. It was astonishing when I found that he almost killed himself after he broke up with his girlfriend of six years. He simply thought that it was the end of the world when this had happened to him. He thought that his life would be no longer important and meaningful to this world. Luckily, at the very last moment of killing himself, his friend saved him. It happens that his friend knocked on the door of the bathroom at the right moment while he was trying to cut through his own wrist. After talking with this friend, who happened to be a Christian, he told him that there was a lot more in life that he should hold on to. He was then convinced that he could find what he had lost and would be able to realize how valuable a life is by becoming part of the big family, Christian, that is. He then became a born-again Christian ! in the following weekend. My friend although knew absolutely nothing about Christianity and he had never even read Bible, finally joined the big family. Another friend of mine who happened to be a really mature guy, living in his early 30^s had realized that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was being told that he would not live longer than 2 years. Before he got this disease, he used to be really energetic and hopeful for everything that he did. After realizing how much time he could have left in life, his personality made a huge swift to the opposite. He began to have no hopes in his life because he thought that he could die in any seconds. At that point of his life, he had totally lost his focus of himself and what is about to happen later on in his life. One day at the hospital, during a schedule psychological therapy those cancer patients were urged to take.

Essay --

Missouri Mandatory Reporting Laws Brandon Ruble Southwest Baptist University Missouri Mandatory Reporting Laws In a study performed by the National Center on Elder Abuse, Bureau of Justice in June 2013, a staggering 5,961,658 cases of elderly abuse occurred in 2010 (â€Å"Elderly Abuse†, n.d. para 1). That is approximately 9.5% of America’s population. As the elderly become unable to protect themselves or their interests, they are increasingly reliant on the healthcare professional to advocate on their behalf. Missouri has implemented legislation that provides the healthcare professional with resources to report elderly abuse, neglect and exploitation. This report gives the healthcare provider tools including definitions associated with elder abuse, clinical signs of abuse, and actions necessary when abuse is suspected. According to Missouri legislation (â€Å"Protective Services for Adults†, n.d.) abuse is defined as â€Å"the infliction of physical, sexual, or emotional injury or harm including financial exploitation by any person, firm or corporation (para. 4). Furthermore, neglect is â€Å"the failure to provide services to an eligible adult by any person, firm or corporation with a legal or contractual duty to do so, when such failure presents either an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the client†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (para. 4). Along with strict definitions of â€Å"abuse† and â€Å"neglect†, Missouri’s legislation also mandates that â€Å"†¦any person having reasonable cause to believe that there is a likelihood that, without protection, serious physical harm may occur to an eligible adult shall report information to the department† (â€Å"Protective Services for Adults†, n.d., para 6). It is therefore the duty of the registered nurse, as being th... ...e elder population. It is therefore necessary for the healthcare provider to become educated and thoroughly aware of the potential for elder adult abuse and neglect. Prevention of elder adult abuse is key, failing that, becoming the client’s advocate in situations where abuse and or neglect are suspected becomes the most important task. It is not only the ethical responsibility of the healthcare provider to report suspected cases of abuse and neglect it is mandatory in Missouri. References Elderly Abuse Statistics. (2013, June 18). In National Center on Elder Abuse, Bureau of Justice. Protective Services for Adults. (2010). In Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services. http://health.mo.gov/living/lpha/phnursing/protectiveservices.php Touhy, T. A., & Jett, K. (2010). Toward healthy aging: Human needs & nursing response (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier

Flooding in South Africa

Assignment GEO 234 D Sonnekus 2011042526 Flooding In South-Africa A Deeper Insight to What Happens Around Us [pic] Photo: Ivan Sonnekus 2012 Index Page Number 1. Introduction3 2. The Nature Of Flooding3 3. The Main Causes Of Flooding In South-Africa4 4. The Effect Of Development On Flood Hazards in SA5 5. The Effect Of The Economic Status Of People – Regarding Flood Hazards6 6. Conclusion7 7. Bibliography8 1. IntroductionFloods play a major role in our everyday lives, and how we react to the daily changing climate is of course our way of surviving our planetary conditions. Floods determine our building styles and play a very large role in the economy by means of devastating destruction and environmental engineer specialists in terms of flood prevention. The hydrological definition for a flood states that a flood is a rise in water level in a stream to a peak point where after the water level will recede at a slower rate (UNESCO-WMO 1974).  Control Key and Word – Text and Graphics.A flood event can be described as a flow of water in a stream constituting a distinct progressive rise, culminating into a crest, together with the recession that follows the crest (Linsley, 1942). In this Assignment I will be explaining some key features about flooding regarding a South-African point of view. 2. The Nature of Flooding. Floods can be broken down into different classes or divisions between different types of floods in this section I will explain the main flood types and their nature.Floods can be divided between major floods, minor floods and flash floods. Major Floods: In the event of a major flood the flooding is caused by the overflowing of rivers and dams by means of breaks in dikes, levees, dam walls and other protective structures; by uncontrollable releases of impounded water in reservoirs and by the accumulation of excessive runoff. In the case of a major flood the floodwaters will cover a wide spread contiguous area and will spread rapidly to ad joining areas of relatively lower elevations.The flooding will be deep in most parts of the total flooded area and there is a highly perceptible current as the flood spreads to a greater extent. [pic] Minor Floods: In the cause of a minor flood the inundation may or may not be due to overbanking. If there is no bank overflow, flooding happens due to the accumulation of excessive surface run-off in lower lying flat areas. In these cases flooding will mostly be restricted to flood plains along a river channel or low-lying areas or terrain depressions around the direct source of the flood.The flood water will be shallow and there may not be a perceptible flow apparent or present. Flash Floods: Flash floods is as the name states a flood that happens relatively quick, normally no more than 6 hours to a normal flooding time of 12 to 24 hours or longer. Flash floods is the result of a short concentration time of the drainage catchment or a steep river slope, this means that the precipitati on falling on a point in the catchment farthest from the river takes a very short time to reach the river itself and become a part of the stream flow.Thus the amount of flow will rapidly increase and the water level will rise, when the capasity of the river/stream is exceeded the channel overflows and the result is a flash flood. [pic] 3. The Main Causes of Flooding in SA. South Africa was subject to some intense floods over the last couple of years mainly as the result of cloud breaks and very heavy precipitation in very short time periods which leads to flooding of most small streams and rivers, what then leads to the larger rivers to flood.South Africa is also a victim of the Southern Oscillation which leads to El-Nino: dry conditions with high surface pressure and; La-Nina: low air surface pressure accompanied by cold and wet weather. See next page for simple diagram illustration [pic] As a result of the Earth surface temperature to keep on rising due to the greenhouse effect th e results being a more and more drastically changing macro climate which in turn leads to more rain and eventually will lead Earth into another Ice-Age but that is a topic for another day.The heavy rains on a constant basis keeps the rivers and dams full up to their limits so in the event of a heavy cloud break the already full rivers and dams cannot enclose all the extra water and all that water needs to go somewhere thus leading to floods, in most cases in South-Africa the floods will be flash floods. But there is also the chance of major floods in the form of a dam overflowing and then breaking the wall or even minor floods like in the December of 2012 the Ncandu River flowing through Newcastle KZN overreaches its banks and fills the Trim park with water at least 1-2 feet deep as the trim park is adjacent to the rivers. . The Effect of Development on Flood Hazards in SA Right around the world the population keeps growing at an alarming rate as the birth to mortality rate is not b alanced which leads to a world population always wanting and needing to expand city and/or town borders. In this case the chances are very good that eventually there will be building developments inside flood plains or lower laying terrain in the proximity of a dam or large volume of water.Thus the engineers of the modern world in developing countries like for instance South-Africa need to come up with new initiatives to improve building techniques to overcome the obstacle of flooding as the floods can be the cause of havoc among the inhabitants of developments within flood plains or beneath the flood level, and also cause a lot of structural and esthetic damage to a city or town. The MooiRivier Mall in Potchefstroom is a classic example of development within a flood hazard. The mall has been constructed on stilt type of tructures that allows the river to flow through underneath the mall but the engineers along with environmental specialists sought to come up with a few ingenious pl ans to prepare for floods of High hazard (1 in 20 years), medium flood hazards (1in 50 years) and low flood hazard (1 in 100 years) by means of designing a drop away wall where if a certain amount of water flows into a catchment a buoy lifts up and triggers a release on the wall which allows for the brick wall to fall down and allow water to flow into an drainage water way down to the central collection point at the bottom most point of the parking lot back into a stream (the release mechanism works on the same principal as a toilet bowls' float valve). The parking lot has also been designed on a slope (no flat parking) to act as a funnel leading water away from the mall or danger zone and down into a sub stream or channel. The Mall had a few good tests in the last 5 years of its existence and the engineers and environmental specialists did a good job to overcome the developing in a flood hazard obstacle (Jan-Albert Wessels. IAIA North-West, 2012. ) [pic] Picture: (Viljoen, MF. The Application of flood lines in land use controll. 2009) 5. The Effect of The Economic Status of People Regarding Flood Hazards.Flooding can and have caused a lot of damage in the past and will continue to do so as the macro climate will keep changing in favor of floods so all we can to do is to prepare ourselves and adapt to the changes of climate, floods cost the head of states and countries a great deal of money to develop in flood plains as well as being prepared to deal with any floods and the cleaning up there after. But it is not just the people on top that lose money, the people who actually live in the house that gets swept away or drive the car that rolls over or submerges, it is them that lead the most damage to their financial stance in life and 80% of the time it will be people from informal settlements or rural areas that lead the damage as they do not follow proper procedure to build their houses and then they build in areas of a high flood risk without them even knowin g.Thus the counties management somehow needs to get it under control as they have tried to do the in the past and actually still trying to do with regard to the housing subsidiary they offer to people of South-Africa. 6. Conclusion My conclusion regarding floods in South-Africa is that our main floods are flash floods that happen as result of heavy rains from the La-Nina time period of the Southern Oscillation, we as the people of our country need to stand together to make a difference in preventing people to build in dangerous high flood risk areas and also need to convince the children of today in developing countries to come up with fresh and new ideas to overcome development issues in flood risk areas. A countries economic development also greatly depends on its readiness for fighting disaster situations and keeping a disaster under control.A country like South-Africa can suffer great losses financially as result of floods that could have been prevented by means of making use of the right infrastructure on the key areas in developed areas as well as developing areas. Flooding is a natural occurrence and will never be fully under control but the minds of today can shape the ideas of tomorrow with that I leave my mark on the topic of flooding in South-Africa. [pic] 7. Bibliography †¢ Anonymous. 2012. Causes and types of floods. [Web: http://kidlat. pagasa. dost. gov. ph/genmet/floods/cause_types. html]. [Accessed: 14 March 2013] †¢ Department: provincial and local Government. 2009. National Disaster management centre. Flood awareness. PDF 5p. [Accessed: 15 March 2013] †¢ Anonymous. 2011.La Nina Influenced Flooding in South Africa. AccuWeather. [web: http://www. accuweather. com/en/weather-news/la-nina-influenced-flooding-in/44853]. [Accessed: 13 March 2013] †¢ SAPA. 2013. Floods Cause havoc across South Africa. Mail ; Guardian, Africa's best read. [web: http://mg. co. za/article/2013-01-20-floods-cause-havoc-across-south-africa]. [Accesse d: 15 March 2013] †¢ Anonymous. 2013. Definition and nature of flood. [web: http://kidlat. pagasa. dost. gov. ph/genmet/floods/def_nature. html]. [Accessed: 15 March 2013] †¢ SSC. 2011. The nature of flooding. Sunshine coast council, Queensland. [web: http://www. sunshinecoast. qld. gov. au/sitePage. cfm? code=flooding-nature]. Accessed: 13 March 2013] †¢ Department: Provincial and Local Government, Prof Viljoen. MF, Swiegers. C. 2009. The application of flood lines in land use control. Disaster reduction conference. [web: http://conferences. ufs. ac. za/dl/userfiles/Documents/00000/134_eng. pdf]. [Accessed: 14 March 2013] †¢ Times Live. (2011, February 2). [web: Urgent flood warning along Orange River. ] [Accessed February 14, 2011]. †¢ United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks. (2011, February 10). Southern Africa: Risk of food insecurity in wake of floods. IRIN News. [Accessed February 14, 2011. ] †¢ Anonymous. 2011. Floods in South Afr ica. Earth Observatory, NASA. [web: Flooding in South Africa FLOODING IN SOUTH AFRICA INTRODUCTION The aim of this assignment is to give background information about flooding in South Africa. These would be carried out through the means of research on journal entries, web research and different literatures. The nature of flooding, the main causes of flooding, the effect of development of flooding hazards and the effect of the economic status of people regarding flooding hazards will be taken into consideration. Definition of key terms Flooding An overflow of water onto normally dry land.The inundation of a normally dry area caused by rising water in an existing waterway, such as a river, stream, or drainage ditch. Pounding of water at or near the point where the rain fell. Flooding is a longer term event than flash flooding: it may last days or weeks (MRX webmaster, 2010). Flash flooding Flooding whereby it takes a very short period of time to form. In most cases flash floods few form and take place Nature of floods There are few places on Ear th where people need not be concerned about flooding due to their location.Rain is not the only impetus for flood even a broken dam wall can be the stimuli of a flood. A flood occurs when water overflows or inundates land that's normally dry. This can happen in a multitude of ways. Most common floods are when rivers or streams overflow their banks. Excessive rain, a ruptured dam or levee, rapid ice melting in the mountains, or even an unfortunately placed beaver dam can overwhelm a river and send it spreading over the adjacent land, called a floodplain. Coastal flooding occurs when a large storm or tsunami causes the sea to surge inland (National Geographic Society, 2011).Most floods take hours or days to develop, giving residents enough time to prepare or evacuate. Others happen quickly and with little warning. These flash floods can be extremely dangerous and cause major damage to the landscape and the habitants of such an area. Disaster specialists have various ways of classifyin g floods according to their likelihood of occurring and the intensity of the flood. A hundred-year flood, for example, is an extremely large, destructive event that would theoretically be expected to happen only once every century.But this is a theoretical number. In reality, this classification means there is a one-percent chance that such a flood could happen in any given year. Over recent decades, possibly due to global climate change, hundred-year floods have been occurring worldwide with frightening regularity (National Geographic Society, 2011) MAIN CAUSES OF FLOODING IN SOUTH AFRICA South Africa has been experiencing above average rainfall since December 2010 that has caused devastation on a scale the country has not seen in many years .This unusual weather pattern is caused by the La Nina effect, and the resulting floods have caused unprecedented disruption of services, displacement of people, loss of livelihoods and even worse, loss of life . it is reported that over 20, 00 0 people have been affected by floods and an estimated 40 people have died. A national state of disaster has been declared in 28 district municipalities in 7 provinces, with more affected areas being reported THE EFFECT OF DEVELOPMENT ON FLOOD HAZARDS IN SOUTH AFRICA. Floods caused havoc across South Africa .Heavy rain in a short period of time in the part of South Africa, caused more than hundreds of people to be homeless by heavy flooding. Floods caused many to seek refuge on rooftops and on trees. This catastrophe killed more than hundreds of people causing the death toll to rise. Recently these floods caused evacuation of the Kruger National, a game reserve in Northern South Africa. Floods also covered some farmlands and crops were killed as a result forcing farms to close. Most of the roads, dams and large buildings were damaged. Due to flooding some mines were forced to close, this the case of a coal mines in Limpopo. THE EFFECT OF THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF PEOPLE REGARDING FLOOD HAZARDS. Floods frequently causes major infrastructure damage of roads, railway lines, electricity supply systems, water supply and sewage disposal systems. Bribges over rivers are particularly exposed to damage and disruption of transportation systems follows. The economic effects of flooding are often greater than the flood itself. (Parker 2000) According to Parker (2000) because floods frequently destroy crops and livestock, food shortages are not uncommon in the aftermath.Floods may affect food availability in a number of ways. Food stocks may be damaged if storage areas are flooded. Serious flooding usually disrupts transportation of food deficit areas, particularly in towns, which are cut off from supply sources and have inadequate food stock. Impacts of flooding may hinder the economic growth and development that is the high cost of relief and recovery may adversely impact investment in infrastructure and other development activities in the area and in certain cases may crip ple the frail economy of the of the region.Recurrent flooding in a region may discourage long-term investments by the government and private sector alike. Lack of livehoods, combined with migration of skilled labour and inflation may have a negative impact on a region’s economic growth. Loss of resource can lead to high costs of goods and services, delaying its development programmes. (Drep operation international federation of Red Cross and crescent societies). Figure 2 three kid were during floods in Limpopo CONCLUSIONAs discussed under various perspectives, it is clear from the assignment that floods had adverse impact on the socio-economic status of livehoods for people in South Africa more especially the residents of Limpopo. It is also evident that there are varying underlying causes of floods i South Africa. Places near the flood event are the most susceptible to the dangers of the floods. Proximity of these places and poverty were identified as being the main cause of vulnerability of people REFERENCES Drep Operation International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, 1.February. 2011. MRX webmaster, 2010. National Weather Services. [Online] Available at: http://www. srh. noaa. gov/mrx/hydro/flooddef. php [Accessed 13 March 2013]. National Geographic Society, 2011. Natural Disasters: floods profile. [Online] Available at: http://environment. nationalgeographic. com/environment/natural-disasters/floods-profile/ [Accessed 12 March 2013]. Parker, J. D2000. floods. Tangler and Francis, National Academy Press, Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, Thailand. SAPA. 2013. Floods causes havoc across South Africa, Mail and Guardian, 20 January 2013.

Articles About Digital Art: Summary Essay

Summary of Art Form For The Digital Age by Henry Jenkins In the article â€Å"Art Form For The Digital Age,† by Henry Jenkins, Jenkins elaborates on the ever expanding video game industry and cites that it is now being considered a digital art. The gaming industry is also said to be the form of art in today’s economy that has grown the most. The gaming industry has progressed the most in the past century, starting with silent ping-pong games and evolving into intense story plot and battle games liken to Final Fantasy. Games are becoming more and more realistic, characters can talk, blink, jump, wave and move individual body parts, mimicking human behavior. Parental advisory ratings are an incredibly large part of the industry. In this new age of video games, players can blow up enemies and viscerally rip them apart. They have become so realistic that it is surmised that some children have difficulties differentiating video from reality and act out mirroring the game characters behavior. It is obvious that the gaming world isn ’t promoting youth violence; rather show the artistic view point of what the creator’s vision is. Also, online play allows you to have opponents who are not only not in the same room with you; they can be across the globe. It is essentially like a chat room where players can view other player’s stats and choose who to play, creating a more intense and challenging game. More and more young adults seeking careers and degrees in graphic design are leaning toward the gaming industry rather than the film industry. Gaming is as big now as cinemas were when they were first introduced to the public. Now, you can stay home and play games rather than go out. There are so many types of games that you can virtually do anything you want to. Due to the endless possibilities the gaming industry will continue to grow as a respected digital art. Jenkins, Henry. â€Å"Art Form For the Digital Age.† Technology Review Sept. 2000: n. pag. Print. Summary of Do Video Games Kill by Karen Stemheimer In the commentary, â€Å"Do Video Games Kill†, Karen Sternheimer brings to light an interesting and incredibly controversial subject; are video games to blame for youth gun violence? She maintains that due to many biased opinions; political, religious and advocacy groups, the media have failed to provide ample information to the public resulting in the inability to form an educated opinion, in turn causing a mass hysteria resulting in tougher security guidelines in schools, stricter juvenile laws and far less personal and parental responsibility. An incredibly popular first person shooter video game, Doom, is ripe with gratuitous violence. So much so that it has been blamed for several mass shootings, perpetrated by middle-class, white, young-adult males. The media, politicians, advocacy groups as well as the FBI are steadfast in claiming that the only rational explanation is that of the individuals falling prey to the aggression inciting video game. In short, the violent vide o game made them do it. One might be reminded of the Salem Witch Trials, where no educated explanation can be derived, those which cannot defend themselves, no matter how far-fetched the reasoning, is the obvious answer. Religious and political dogma has run rampant. The media have created unnecessary fear and moral panic to legitimize their personal agendas under the guise of â€Å"protecting children†. More often than not, alternate explanations are not even taken into consideration. Depression, poverty, ignorance, self deprecation, bullying, violent home life are seldom cited and when cited are not explored in depth. The justice system in nearly every state has revised its juvenile justice laws to increase their penalties in many ways; however, the Supreme Court deemed juvenile executions unconstitutional, which in turn created even more fodder for the paranoid masses. In summation, the author goads the reader to delve more into the alternative explanations in hopes that by increasing the masses education, the masses will be less apt to point the proverbial finger at the video games and look more toward the socioeconomic and psychological reasoning behind the individual’s violent beh avior. Sternheimer, Karen. â€Å"Do Video Games Kill.† The Journal of American Sociological Association Winter Contexts (2007): n. pag. Print. Summary of In Defense of Hip-Hop by Cathleen Rountree In the article â€Å"In Defense of Hip Hop†, Cathleen Rountree details the  nation’s growing innate disrespect for the musical genre of Hip Hop and illustrates a way to understand, respect and even advocate for the genre. She further argues that uneducated masses immediately condemn the art form ignorantly without fully understanding it, and furthermore, are unwilling to attempt to understand it. According to numerous sources, Hip Hop has been attributed to ignorance, crime, incarceration, disrespect and has created negative monikers reinforcing the negative connotations and stereotypes associated with the oft misunderstood art form. Lyricists have been shunned and ostracized by the nation and targeted with blame for the derogatory actions of pop-culture today. Upon further investigation, hip hop has now been linked to positive media projects such as films and collaborative albums featuring individuals from many different backgrounds who have used hip hop as a means o f expressing their hardships and misadventures. Liken to the beatniks of the fifties, the artists merely attempt to satiate their want for personal development and self discovery rather than incite violence. The author concludes that through becoming more educated on the artist’s personal journey and actually listening to or reading and comprehending the lyrics, one is able to find the art to be poetic, cathartic and even inspiring. In doing so, the reader is able to positively redefine their personal opinion of the genre by delving into the back stories behind the songs and note the courage necessary to write such personal and sometimes endearing phraseology. Rountree, Cathleen. â€Å"In Defense of Hip Hop.† Santa Cruz Sentinel 19 May 2007: n. pag. Print.