Challenging environment Essay

Mrs. Dae is a 28 year old Caucasian female. She presents clean and well dressed. She is approximately 5’ 6†, 145 lbs. She appears healthy and in shape. No visible physical deformities. She has normal gate. She is open and cooperative. She has a normal rate of speech and makes appropriate eye contact. Mrs. Dae expresses herself appropriately. In discussing family history, Mrs. Dae has little trouble recalling events. She is unaware of some family history on her father’s side. Mrs. Dae is orientated x 4. She has logical thought process. Mrs. Dae is alert, however, states she has been busy lately and is tired today. She reports getting approximately 6-8 hours of sleep nightly. Mrs. Dae is able to count backward from 100 by 7’s. She displays logical thought processes. No report of hallucinations or delusions. Mrs. Dae appears to have good judgment and insight. She is of high intelligence and is able to appropriately explain the meaning of a common proverb. (â€Å"A rolling stone gathers no moss†) (â€Å"How to†). Mrs. Dae appears happy and confident, with appropriate affect. During the interview Mrs. Dae was relaxed and participated in spontaneous conversation. She denies any suicidal or homicidal ideation. Strengths/ Weaknesses: Mrs. Dae is highly educated. She appears confidant with high self esteem. She reports she enjoys caring for others. She has good insight and appears to have good coping skills. Mrs. Dae has a supportive family. In terms of weaknesses, Mrs. Dae admits to taking on too many activities at once and at times she feels â€Å"burned out†. Family History: Mrs. Dae is the second of three children and grew up in a typical middle class American home. She has an older brother and a younger sister. Mrs. Dae’s parents were divorced when she was 7 years old. Ms. Dae and her siblings lived with their mother. Mrs. Dae reports her father was verbally and physically abusive toward her mother. This was the reason for the divorce. She does not recall being the victim of such abuse herself. However, she reports that her mother tells her that her father was â€Å"mean to all of us† (referring to Ms. Dae, her siblings and mother). Mrs. Dae denies any sexual abuse. Shortly after the divorce, Mrs. Dae reports all three children stopped seeing their father. She currently has no relationship with her father, however she reports speaking to him on the phone occasionally. Aside from these events, Mrs. Dae reports a normal childhood. She reports discipline as a child in the form of â€Å"grounding, which rarely occurred†. Mrs. Dae is currently married. She has been married for the past 8 years. She denies any previous marriages. Ms. Dae describes her marriage as â€Å"good†. She states she and her husband attended marriage counseling for approximately 3 months earlier in their marriage. Mrs. Dae reports that her husband has a well paying job. She denies any current financial hardship. The couple recently bought their first home. She reported some stress during the process. However, she did not think it was â€Å"more then would be expected when buying a home†. Mrs. Dae and her husband have one child, a 5 year old girl. Education and Work: Mrs. Dae graduated high school in the top 10% of her class and went on to college. She majored in psychology and graduated Cum Laude. She continued to earn her Master of Science degree. Mrs. Dae currently works with at risk youth in the prevention and advocacy department of a non-profit company. She has been with her current employer for one year. She reports being satisfied with her job. She states she makes â€Å"good† money and the work she does is rewarding. Mrs. Dae stated she plans on returning to school in the near future for her PhD in Psychology. Her long term goal is to go into private practice serving youth. Mental/ Physical Health: There is no known history of mental illness on her mother’s side of the family. Mrs. Dae reported there may be depression on her father’s side. Mrs. Dae denies any form of depression aside from â€Å"the blues† every now and then. Mrs. Dae reports history of cancer on both sides of her family. Mrs. Dae participates in annual physical examinations. According to her last physical she is in good health. Mrs. Dae denies substance use. She stated she will drink a glass of wine â€Å"once in a while†. Mrs. Dae denies tobacco use. Legal History: Mrs. Dae denies any significant legal history, aside from a few traffic tickets. Social: Mrs. Dae reports she has a group of friends, other married couples, that she and her husband spend time with. She is also a member of her church and participates in social events at the church. As her child recently started attending elementary school, Mrs. Dae stated she has joined the school’s Parent-Teacher Association. Spiritual: Mrs. Dae reports growing up Catholic but she did not go to church often as a child. She states that she no longer practices Catholicism, however, she does go to a non denominational Christian church. She goes to church on a regular basis. She feels strongly about her beliefs. Mrs. Dae reports that she prays on a daily basis and stated â€Å"this keeps me grounded†. Hobbies/Activities: Mrs. Day states she enjoys reading, yoga, and going to the spa with friends. She admits she has little time to spend on these activities. However, she reports that she and her husband give each other time with their friends, time together, and family time on a regular basis. References How to do a Mental Status Exam. Retrieved on November 9, 2007 from http://www.psychpage.com/learning/library/assess/mse.htm

The South China Sea Island Disputes

The South China Sea Islands Disputes Name of student Name of institution The South China Sea Island Disputes Introduction China’s rise to the status of a global economic power has been viewed with both skepticism and hope by her neighbors. Skepticism by countries wary of China’s history of aggression as far as territorial disputes are concerned, and hope by countries wishing to benefit from trade partnerships with China. However, it is China’s activities in both the south and East China seas that have got her neighbors worrying. In the 1970s and 80s, China was concerned with marking her terrestrial borders with countries that surround her.It was in the process of defining her borders that China’s military power was felt. There were border skirmishes between China and several of her neighbors including India and Russia. Having secured her terrestrial borders, China’s attention shifted to her maritime territory and its security. She embarked on the ac quisition of islands within the East and South China Sea. It is this expansion mission into the sea that has seen many disputes arise between China and her neighbors who lay claim to the same islands. This expansion strategy has seen disputes erupt between China and her neighbors who lay claim to islands she has acquired.As early as April 2012, the Philippine and Chinese militaries nearly faced off over an island known as Scarborough Reef. In the East China Sea, China has had a long dispute with Japan and Taiwan over the ownership of a group of islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. As late as 2012, Japan and China had a standoff over these islands. Although both countries have tried to diffuse tensions over this issue, the threat of conflict remains real especially with the involvement of the United States. Thesis Statement Recent diplomatic spats between China and her neighbors have increased tensions in the South East Asia regions.Such standoffs make the threat of conflict in the region all too real especially with the involvement of external actors such as the United States. However, it should not be lost on scholars that China’s claim to various islands in both the South and East China Sea is the major contributor to these tensions. This is evidenced by the recent standoffs between China and Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku group of islands in the East China Sea, as well as tensions with the Philippines over the Scarborough Reef and Spratly islands in the East China Sea.This paper offers a background to the disputes between China and her neighbors over these islands, and particularly Diaoyu/Senkaku. It will further investigate the domestic factors influencing China’s assertiveness in both the South and East China Sea and her claim to these islands as well. Finally, the paper will attempt to paint some probable outcomes of these conflicts while at the same time offering possible solutions. Background to the Disputes Diaoyu/Senkak u Dispute. A look at the world map will not clearly show the location of the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands. This shows how tiny these islands are.They consist of five volcanic islands and three outcroppings located 400 km west of the Japanese island of Okinawa and approximately 170 km northeast of the republic of Taiwan (Lohmeyer, 2008). Although they are administered by Japan, there is no human habitation in these islands. Imperial China is said to have been the rightful owner of the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands before 1895. In fact, the name Diaoyu in Mandarin stands for ‘fishing ground’ or ‘fishing platform’ (Lohmeyer, 2008). The Japanese name, senkaku, means ‘sharp point’, and was given to the islands by the 19th century Japanese explorer, Kuroiwa.However, China lost the islands as well as Taiwan to Japan in the Sino-Japanese war of 1895 (O’Shea, 2012). The islands remained in Japanese hands till the end of World War II when they fell under the U nited States mandate, as did the whole of Japan after losing the war. Additionally, the ownership of Taiwan reverted back to China at the end of the Second World War but not these islands. It is important to note that Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China lay claim to the islands on the basis of history. In other words, both claim that the islands have historically been part of their territory until they were captured by Japan in 1895.However, none of these countries made an issue of the islands ownership until oil deposits were discovered in the East China Sea in 1968. By the time the U. S returned the ownership of the islands as well as Okinawa to Japan, Tensions were already building up (O’Shea, 2012). Japan lays claim to the islands based on the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS) principle of Continuous Peaceful Administration. Although the dispute over the islands intensified after the U. S handed them over to Japan in 1972 (Beukel, 201 1), it was not until the 1990s that this dispute gained prominence.According to O’Shea (2012), Taiwan and China were angered by media reports which revealed that a Japanese right wing group had constructed a lighthouse in Diaoyu/Senkaku, and that the group had applied to the Japanese Coast Guard to recognize it as a government property. The protests that ensued in both China and Taiwan served to whip up nationalist sentiments against Japan. China responded two years later by enacting a maritime law called ‘the law of the People’s Republic of China on the Territorial sea and Contiguous Zone’.It is article two of this law that rattled Japan and Taiwan since it states that the People’s Republic’s territory included â€Å"†¦Taiwan and all islands appertaining thereto including the Diaoyu islands† (Lohmeyer, 2008). Despite Japan’s diplomatic protests, China has not changed this part of the law. The issue of the lighthouse recogn ition surfaced again in 1996 with the Japanese government giving it a serious thought. Taiwanese and Chinese activities reacted by setting sail for the islands. Attempts by Japanese coast guards to arrest the activities resulted to the drowning of some of the activists.This incident forced Japan to allow the activists to land on the islands. Japan also shelved the lighthouse recognition issue (O’Shea, 2012). In September 2010, the dispute over the islands erupted with news of a collision between two Japanese coast guard ships and a Chinese fishing trawler (O’Shea, 2012). The crew of the trawler was apprehended by the Japanese coast guard and later released, save for the captain. When China learned that the Japanese authorities planned to charge the captain in court, it suspended the exportation of rare earth to Japan among other severe measures (Beukel, 2011).The situation was eased by the release of the Chinese captain. The situation is not helped by Tokyo’s mo ve to nationalize some of the islands in September, 2012 which was condemned by China. China even conducted naval exercises in the waters near the islands, a move Japan termed as provocative. Other island disputes involving China. According to a report by the International Crisis Group (2012), the threat of war in the South China Sea is becoming real with each passing day. This is as a result of China’s growing assertiveness in staking her claim to various islands in that part of the world.These disputes pit china with countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam (Buszynski, 2012). The disputes arise from the fact that the islands claimed by China are said to be within the Exclusive Economic Zones of the above mentioned countries. Additionally, there are reports of oil and natural gas deposits having been discovered in the waters surrounding many of these islands. These reports precipitate the disputes further. Although maritim e disputes exist between China and her South China Sea neighbors, it is Vietnam and the Philippines that have shown resolve in defense of their claims.The international Crisis Group (2012) reports that Vietnam and China have twice gone to war over Chinese occupation of islands which Vietnam says are within her Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The first war took place in 1974 when China occupied the Paracel islands. Although Vietnam is said to have lost this war, she did not hesitate to engage her gigantic neighbor in another war in 1988. This was as a result of China’s occupation of the Spratly islands. As late as 2011, there were tensions between the two countries over China’s naval violations of Vietnamese waters.In order to counter China’s aggressive moves, Vietnam has embarked on modernization of its military and forging of closer ties with the U. S, china’s military rival in the Asia-pacific region. Resolve by the Philippines to resist China’s o ccupation of islands within Philippines EEZ was witnessed in April 2012 when the two countries were involved in both military and diplomatic standoffs. The international Crisis Group (2012) reports that this diplomatic crisis was occasioned by Chinese naval deterrence of Philippine naval patrols from apprehending Chinese fishermen in the Scarborough islands.Obviously, the fishing activities by the Chinese were illegal, and China did not have to respond as forcefully as she did. Furthermore, the Philippines, together with Malaysia, have disputed China’s claim to the Spratly archipelago (Buszynski, 2012). With the Philippines and Vietnam showing more resolve in their disputes with China, the prospects of peace in the region dwindle with each passing day. Domestic Factors Influencing China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea is influenced by various domestic factors.They include Chinese nationalism, the need t o secure energy resources, local economic interests, competing law enforcement agencies, and the ineffectual coordination of various government actors. Ineffectual coordination of various government departments by the central authority is made difficult by the number of departments within the government. These departments are huge in number and have, on various occasions, overstepped their mandate. The International Crisis Group (2012) reports that some of these departments have assumed the role of the foreign affairs ministry.A good example would be the way the Bureau of Fisheries boats have been used to guard the waters around the disputed islands. The promotion of tourism abroad should be done through the ministry of foreign affairs, but this has not been the case. This task is undertaken by the National Tourism Administration which goes as far as marketing tourism in disputed islands (Crisis Group, 2012). Obviously, this points to weaknesses within the ministry of foreign affair s and the factional divisions within the Chinese Communist Party.Apart from ineffectual coordination in government departments, there is competition among law enforcement agencies in China. These competing interests and the agencies’ uncoordinated activities have served to heighten tensions in the South China Sea. While the China Marine Surveillance is charged with patrolling the South China Sea, the Bureau of Fisheries Administration also assumes this role. It is the latter agency that has been involved in many of the disputes involving China and her neighbors. Patrols of China’s waters should be left to her naval forces.Diaoyu/Senkaku became a major issue in the Sino-Japanese relations after the discovery of oil resources in the waters around the islands in 1968. Therefore, it would be correct to mention that the major driving factor for China’s assertiveness over this dispute is domestic energy needs. Buszynski (2012) reports that China people became the seco nd largest consumer of oil in the world in 2009. By the year 2030, China will most probably be the overall largest consumer of oil in the world. This energy need is driven by its industries.It would, therefore, be expected that the People’s Republic would aggressively assert its claim to the South Asia Sea Islands which have been reported to contain large deposits of hydrocarbons. These oil reserves are estimated to be in billions of barrels. There are also natural gas deposits underneath the seabed near Diaoyu/Senkaku islands. Another domestic factor that has been cited as influencing China’s assertive attitude in the South China Sea is Chinese nationalism. Beukel (2011) observes that there has always been resentment for Japan among the Chinese public.This resentment stems from the atrocities committed against the Chinese by the Japanese between 1895 and the Second World War. Therefore, any hostility between China and Japan whips up more nationalist sentiments among t he Chinese public. Analysts have also pointed out the fact that the Chinese leadership has at times whipped up nationalist sentiments as a way of promoting patriotism (Buszynski, 2012). Local economic interests have also contributed to the tensions between China and her South China Sea neighbors.The International Crisis Group (2012) reports that the southernmost Chinese provinces of Hainan and Guangdong directly contribute to the assertive behavior witnessed from China in the recent past. These provinces have bypassed the central government in their actions against China’s neighbors such as Vietnam and the Philippines. In other words, the provinces seek to perform better than others economically. How China is Likely to resolve these Disputes China’s activities in the South China Sea have angered many of her south East Asia neighbors. The latest altercations in the South China Sea have heightened tensions in the region.However, the dispute with Japan over the Diaoyu/Sen kaku islands presents a delicate situation since the United States plays a pivotal role in the defenses of many nations in the South China Sea region. Beukel (2011) observes that Sino-Japanese relations are quite complex because both countries are strong partners. It is encouraging to note that while the Diaoyu/Senkaku dispute has existed, it has not broken the ties between the two nations. However, as long as the United States keeps on getting dragged in the South China Sea on the side of one disputants, China’s position is likely to harden.Disputes between China and her neighbors such as the Philippines and the Vietnam can easily be solved through fora like the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). However, the situation is precipitated by the standoffs between the disputants. Furthermore, the situation is likely to be precipitated by the military build ups in the region. Conclusion China’s activities in the South China Sea have been viewed with wariness b y her South East Asia neighbors. The long standing dispute over the long Diaoyu/Senkaku islands has been at the center of attention of the Sino-Japanese relations.The frequent flare ups in this region have been blamed on China’s strategy to expand its Exclusive Economic Zone. There are several domestic factors driving China’s quest for a larger share of the South China Sea. These include heightened Chinese nationalism, lack of coordination of the various Chinese government departments, and competing interests among the Chinese law enforcement agencies. Additionally, China’s domestic energy needs as well as local economic interests serve to heighten tensions in the South China Sea.There have been various speculations as to the directions that these disputes will take. However, these disputes can be resolved through regional fora such as the Association of South East Asian Nations, ASEAN. The situation will, however, be escalated by grand standings and continued m ilitary build ups. References Beukel, E. (2011). Popular Nationalism in China and the Sino-Japanese Relationship: The Conflict in the East China Sea: An Introductory Study. Copenhagen: Danish Institute of International Studies, DIIS. Buszynski, L. (2012).The South China: Oil, Maritime Claims, and U. S. -China Strategic Rivalry. The Washington Quarterly, 35 (2), 139-156. International Crisis Group (2012). Stirring Up the South China Sea (I). Brussels: Author. International Crisis Group (2012). Stirring Up the South China Sea (II): Regional Responses. Brussels: Author. Lohmeyer, M. (2008). The Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands Dispute: Questions of Sovereignty and Suggestion for Resolving the Dispute. Canterbury: Author. O’Shea, P. (2012). Sovereignty and the Senkaku/Diaoyu Territorial Dispute. Stockholm: EIJS, Stockholm School of Economics.

Optimism In Voltaire’s Candide Essay

Gottfried Leibniz was, among other things, a philosopher and was best known for his philosophy on optimism. Leibniz believed that there existed a supernatural being who created and controlled the world. He further espoused that this being was perfect and being a perfect being could not make anything imperfect. Leibniz was himself a mathematician and portrayed his image of God to be a mathematician as well. This being the case, Leibniz believed that God would balance out all things in the consideration of the possible actions in the world and would conclude with the optimal equation for equilibrium. Leibniz thus believed that we live in the best of all possible worlds. It was further held by Leibniz that God could have imagined and created all kinds of worlds. But being a just and gracious God, he chose to create the best possible world. Leibniz believed that such was the world and life that God created on earth. However, being finite creatures, men could not comprehend the extent of God’s plan and were painfully aware of the misfortunes that befell them. But if events were to be viewed from God’s perspective, the harm in the world would be seen as tolerable or even necessary. This philosophy was displayed through the justification of imperfections in the world with whatever positive outcomes that may have resulted, even those not directly related or those obviously not equal to the harm brought about by the imperfection. It was thus believed that the imperfections were necessary components in order to strike an optimal way of living. It should be noted that Leibniz qualitatively excluded all other options by defining the present manner of living as best, not merely better than other options. The followers of Leibniz may not have captured this exclusion. One follower, Alexander Pope, was an author of renown during Voltaire’s time. Pope espoused not that the present world was the best of all possible worlds rather he merely believed that all actions in the world are good or right. Pope believed that whatever is, is right. Therefore, everything that is in the world is right although not necessarily what is best. This lowers the standards of Leibniz’ optimism as the philosophy becomes merely that all actions, whether harmful or not, are inherently good and also result in good. These actions may not necessarily be the optimal acts to perform but they are undoubtedly right. Voltaire himself was a deist and believed that a god set the world into motion but left it to rule itself of its own accord. Therefore he could not submit to the reasoning that the world was perfect because of the perfection of such a god. It was impossible for Voltaire to believe that the misfortunes in the world were all meant to happen and more so, that each contributed to the perfection of the world. He found this particularly unreasonable when considering the harm that natural calamities inflicted upon persons. Thus, it was the philosophies of Leibniz and Pope that Voltaire responded to in several of his writings. When he wrote Candide it was optimism that he had in mind – more it seems the optimism of Leibniz’ than Pope’s. Voltaire’s Candide In Candide, the protagonist after which the book is named, is the illegitimate nephew of a baron. He falls in love with the baron’s daughter and is soon expelled from the house for having been caught kissing the girl, Cunegonde. This sparks Candide’s travels through misfortune and luck, one following the other. Shortly after his departure from the baron’s house and an encounter with several Bulgars, he is joined by his former tutor, Pangloss. It is Pangloss who has taught Candide that all things happen for the best possible outcome. The story continues with Candide attempting to win back Cunegonde. The satire unfolds with several deaths and more resurrections with Candide finding out how the friends he thought he had lost had survived the tragedies that had befallen them. In the midst of the chaos, Candide happens upon a substantial amount of precious jewels and is thus empowered to look for his lost love, Cunegonde, who had decided to marry a wealthy man in order to preserve herself. In the process he buys back the freedom of several friends, including Pangloss. Together they purchase a small farm house where they all settle down. They soon begin to quarrel however and it is only the example of a simple farmer who has employed gardening to guard himself against vice and leisure which saves them from their squabbles. The satire revolves around the human condition and Candide is thrust upon a journey filled with different settings in which said condition might be observed. He witnesses also the changing conditions of his friends and even of his beloved Cunegonde, who shifted from being a baron’s daughter to becoming a sex slave to becoming the wife of a Governor. The story is awash with examples of the different situations in which persons find themselves and the manner in which they perceive life as a result of their situations. The human nature was demonstrated as incessantly malleable and capable of adjusting to the different conditions thrust upon it by life, whether improving or degrading their status. The question posed turned to the response of the different characters to the conditions in which they found themselves. Pangloss: The Scholar of Optimism The most distinctive response to the variety of situations that were encountered was that of Pangloss. Pangloss himself started off as an educated tutor working for a baron. When the Bulgars came and ransacked the house, Pangloss was left to become a beggar. This was how he looked when he found Candide and joined his company. However, upon reaching Spain, Candide was curtly sentenced to hang for his heretical beliefs. He disappears from the story for some time but resurfaces after Candide has accumulated some wealth and has decided to search for Cunegonde. In his search for Cunegonde, Candide finds Pangloss along with Cunegonde’s brother as enslaved members of a chain gang. Candied buys back both their freedoms and Pangloss joins the company in searching for Cunegonde and thereafter living in the small farm house with them. In the end, Pangloss finds himself part of their simple farming community, finally attaining peace from the worries of their misadventures. It is noteworthy that throughout the story Pangloss does not lose his persistent optimism. He finds himself facing every misfortune focusing on the possible positive conditions that arise from his experience, even those minutely connected to himself. A rather comic scene portrays Pangloss still optimistic about having contracted syphilis. He connects his contraction of the disease with the origin of the same – if Columbus had not contracted the disease during his travels, thus propagating its spread throughout the world, there would have been no discovery of cocoa and chocolate as well. It seems that Pangloss outweighs the terrible effects of the disease both as to the reproductive cycle as to the individual affected with the proliferation of chocolate in the market. Pangloss continues to apply such philosophy in every problem that he and Candide face. He therefore guides Candide to view each hardship as still the best of the possible worlds that could possibly have been brought forth into motion. When Pangloss and Candide reach Spain he gets into a debate regarding the application of optimism in Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden. Pangloss firmly insisted that Eve ate the forbidden fruit because it would result in the exile from the Garden and thus entrance into the best possible scenario that God could have envisioned for them. It is in this explicit expression that Voltaire introduces the role of providence and destiny in Optimism. This was the very reason why Pangloss was hanged. The insinuation that Adam and Eve were pre-ordained to be exiled from Eden reflected that they were not punished because of their own free will. Rather, Optimism excluded the existence of free will as the philosophy espoused a deterministic outlook with humans being guided along to follow only the best possible path already paved by God. It is in the character of Pangloss that Voltaire depicted Leibniz, particularly so with the repeated intonations that the world is the best possible world that could be. This is certainly the philosophy espoused by Leibniz and not the one popularized by Pope. Thus, with the multiple misfortunes that befell Pangloss and his unlikely justifications for the same, Voltaire refuted the philosophical theory of Leibniz. Certainly the world that Pangloss moved in was not the best world possible, what with its deplorable misfortunes, chaotic societies and unstable order. There was certainly a lot that could have been done to improve the living conditions and to relieve the human plight depicted. Candide: The Pupil of Optimism Voltaire reflects the rejection of Optimism through the persona of Candide. This rejection however occurs throughout the events in the story. It is only at the very end that Candide rejects his tutor’s teachings and decides that there is no place for such Optimism in light of the experiences that he has gone through. From the beginning Candide is the pupil of Pangloss and he is taught the perspective of Optimism and is indoctrinated that the world is the best possible world that could have been conceived. When Candide is joined by Pangloss after the former survives the Bulgars, Pangloss teaches him to be exultant for the opportunity that the misfortune has offered them. It is in this manner that Candide struggled to embrace and hold firm to the beliefs of his tutor. When considering the absurdly deplorable conditions that Candide was made to face, it is surprising that it took him so long to completely reject the philosophy of his tutor. There is one scene where Candide is about to be eaten by cannibals where he decides to still uphold his tutor’s theories by being grateful that he did not have to succumb to the cannibals. It is also seen through Candide’s interactions that he has adopted the outlook of his tutor as regards providence. When Candide and Cacambo travel towards Cayenne for example, Candide trusts that God will intervene for them and that providence will help them to reach their destination. This is comical particularly because of the events that have transpired heretofore which reveal that providence is not on their side. If anything, it is Voltaire’s belief that God abandons the world to take care of itself which is seen throughout the story. Thus defeating the mathematical precision of Leibniz’ Optimism. After this scene however, Candide finds himself in the utopian city of Eldorado. This causes Candide to affirm the beliefs of his tutor as he thinks that all the suffering he has gone through occurred in order for him to achieve the bliss of Eldorado. In this sense Pangloss is justified in that the misfortunes experienced were mere necessities and trivialities compared to the benefits that followed. However, upon closer analysis this theory holds no water. Certainly Eldorado is a utopian and idyllic society. But doesn’t this only serve to undermine Pangloss’ theory that the world as it is, is the best possible world that it could be? With the existence of a better society than the one which they left behind, Candide should have seen that the latter is not the best society that it could be. Rather, the imperfections noticed and experienced in the society they left behind could be controlled for in the same manner that Eldorado controlled for such imperfections. Instead of supporting Pangloss’ theory, the arrival of Candide in Eldorado only showed the stubbornness of Candide in clinging on to Optimism after all of the hardships that has befallen him and his friends. In the end however, Candide is overrun by the criticisms offered by the people he meets regarding his optimistic outlook. He is also overcome by the pragmatic descriptions given about the situation of people and the condition of the world around them. It is also noteworthy that Candide was joined by a pessimist who served to counterbalance the philosophy of Pangloss. In the end however, what might finally have driven home the loss of the cause of Optimism was Pangloss’ own admission that he did not believe in the philosophy. This above all finally spurred Candide to give focus on the task before them – that of tending their newly established garden. The Reality of Optimism The satire although posing absurd situations to the different characters, presents a clear point to the issue of Optimism. Take into consideration for example the demeanor and outlook of Candide, he was optimistic about the situations that surrounded him only when he could stomach being optimistic. It was therefore a matter of attitude that determined whether the situation was truly good or bad. It can thus be seen that there was no actual determination of the circumstances presenting themselves. However, it is such a determination that is more important in order to truly assess whether or not the outcome is beneficial to a person concerned. To focus only on the outlook or perspective of persons would be to deny the reality that faces them. What Optimism would then espouse would be nothing more than selective screening of events with encoding of events that only served to improve the situation of the person concerned. Without adequate consideration of the disadvantages that a person might have undergone prior to the improvements of the situation there would be no accurate conclusion as to the actual benefit derived. This was painfully obvious with Candide’s optimistic outlooks. He was optimistic when he was striving for something he truly wanted; with complete disregard as to the harm that he went through and the like. However, when he was discouraged and had nothing to look forward to he succumbed to the doubts of optimism and failed to justify the harm encountered with corresponding benefits that may have come his way. The mere fact that harms need to be justified reflects that there is no good or best plan behind each of these. If anything, Optimism merely welcomes the existence of pain and misfortune in the world. Optimism in effect communicates that such misfortunes are a natural component of the world and there is nothing that man can do to ease the suffering of their fellow man. Such an outlook thus fails to improve the world as it is. Instead of encouraging people to work on making the world into the idyllic place that people hope it to become, Optimism espouses indolence and fatalism as people are taught to wait for other forces to act on their behalf.

Resume Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Resume - Assignment Example The key strengths that I believe will enhance secure this position includes: With a BS degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology, I have full understanding of the tests as well as the instruments involved in nuclear medicine. I also have experience in excelling in use of new technologies in the field of medicine. I am enclosing my certification credentials, my resume, and two references to enhance you access additional information on my experience. â€Å"The Community Cancer Center (CCC) is one of the private, bountiful, non-profit, community-owned and operated cancer treatment facilities† (Community Cancer Center) that was formed in early 1980. CCC is very unique. This is evidence by its lack of affiliation to governmental, political, or religious organizations. It is also independent of any support from any hospital or medical organization. Additionally, it performs its roles without any support from tax dollars. All these contribute to it working entirely towards enhancing the success of the community. â€Å"The CCC is governed by a voluntary, 30-member Board of Trustees† (Community Cancer Center). Its administrative duties are carried out by an executive director who supervises a staff of 22 as well as part-time employees. Physician services are offered by 2 independently employed oncologists. CCC offers support to those who lack the potential to purchase needed medicines. It also offers nutritional as well as psychosocial counseling to those in need of the service. A van owned by the center as well as the driver employed by the center take part in transporting patients who lack the ability of accessing medical centers. According to Bruce Hanna who was the former president of the Community Cancer Foundation, the philosophy of the CCC is to â€Å"To give hope, when life is challenged by cancer and to care for all who need it in

Prison Overcrowding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Prison Overcrowding - Essay Example The penalties for certain types of offenses are now harsher. The lawmakers have also added new offenses to the penal code. This has also led to the rise of prison overcrowding. There are several ways to reduce overcrowding in prisons. A prison expansion model should be put in place by the United States criminal justice department. They should plan to increase the number of beds whenever the population of inmates surpasses the existing capacity. A community corrections model can also help to reduce overcrowding in prisons. The community’s main objective is to reduce crime and recidivism. The community can carry out court-ordered sanctions. It can assist the court in assessing offenders for placement in the community. The community can take part in the rehabilitation of the offenders and ensure the safety of the public. The people in the community could also pull their resources to fund the jails and prisons in order to facilitate rehabilitation of inmates. Also, a system of graduated penalties imposed by courts can provide supervision of the offenders, rehabilitation, restitution of victims and public safety. There are several factors that impact the crime rate and prison population. These include poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, lack of employment opportunities, lack of education among many others. It is the responsibility of other state services to address these issues. However, due to lack of sufficient funds, these other state devices transfer this responsibility to the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system has rolled out a 20-year â€Å"war on drugs† to help reduce the crime rate and the eventuality of prison overcrowding. The aggressive â€Å"tough on crime† approach is a significant driving force in reducing prison overcrowding.  

Faculty of Businnes, Environment and Society Assignment

Faculty of Businnes, Environment and Society - Assignment Example This issue can lead to serious monetary and non-monetary repercussions for the company. In the legal sense, the company has displayed an unacceptable level of negligence and casualty in the management of standard of care which should have been exercised adequately by the company to ensure that it maintained its reputation as a socially responsible enterprise. As such, it is the legal duty of Choc Deluxe now to take care of the situation so that the derogatory impacts of the incidence can be lessened if not mitigated completely. It cannot be denied that sheer negligence has been done on the part of Choc Deluxe which has resulted in the monetary and physical harm for the consumer of the product, Lauren. Thus, both the aspects of financial and physical losses and harm are associated with this incidence. Not only ahs her tooth and lips dammed because of biting the nail present in the chocolates but also she has to incur a high cost of 20000 for treating her broken tooth and the cut in he r lips. This is a form of pecuniary damage done to the plaintiff as per the tort of negligence (Buxton, 2000). This is because the plaintiff has been physically injured due to the negligent conduct of the company. Due to this, Choc Deluxe has to pay the monetary expenditures incurred in the treatment of the physical injuries and damages of the plaintiff, Lauren. In addition to this, Choc Deluxe should also issue a formal apology made to the plaintiff as a way of compensating for their negligence in non-monetary terms (Conaghan and Mansell, 2008). In this case, the liability of Choc Deluxe under the Tort of Negligence is high as there has been a significant lack of responsible behavior and exercising of the standard of care in the manufacturing processes and products of the company (Williams and Hepple, 2008). The incidence also brings into light the loopholes in the quality check

Taking Risks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Taking Risks - Essay Example bullies, praying hard and asking for divine intervention so that I could pass the tests and achieve passing marks in classes that I knew I was going to fail due its difficulty, wishing that things would get better for my personal life and asking for the guidance of the spirit in order to see where my path truly lay... these were things that I was told should be left up to my faith to solve. Yet no solutions came my way. Life did not get better. It seemed to just continue to get worse. Until one day, I decided to take charge of my life and throw out my religious beliefs. I said â€Å"I am in charge of my destiny, I will create my own path†. Guess what? Life got better. I took charge of my future and chartered the path I wished to take. The improvements were remarkable. All leading me to question what exactly religious belief is for. All religion does is sell a person of bag of goods, then leaves you holding an empty bag. Life has nothing to do with religion. Religion has no influence over a persons life. That is how what I used to believe was finally changed into something that I continue to question to this very

Jeff Bezos Makes Another Push for Amazon Fashion. Will It Work Essay

Jeff Bezos Makes Another Push for Amazon Fashion. Will It Work - Essay Example Integral to this effort is Amazon Fashion, a section of main website that sells well-known brands the â€Å"contemporary† category. These are labels that do not carry the astronomical price tags of luxury fashion houses like Chanel and Prada. In 2013 the site also launched its first TV campaign looking forward to persuade shoppers that it can be relied on as a source of swanky merchandise. Moreover, this month, it hired Vogue editor Caroline Palmer to head up editorial duties at the site. Amazon also pushed websites shopbop and Zappos toward a higher-end aesthetic in order to attain its fervent desire for more affluent clothing customers. And for the very first time in New York, a menswear version of Fashion Week will come this summer. Bulbs will flash as photographers hustle to document best looks from the spectacle’s dapper attendees; most creative garments will be showcased on radiant catwalks. All this will be sponsored by Amazon; this announcement was made by the council of Fashion Designers of America earlier this month. Observers say that it is difficult to insert couture items under the Amaxon anner, which they claim to have long thrived on offering a practical, easy way to buy just about everything. Fashion is about experience, it is often impractical, dominated by unpredictable trends and personal teste. However, Amazon is known for being massive vending machine whose brand has only been about convenience and price, but instead they should be concerned with what is missing in the field of fashion, what can be improved upon so as to make their products a trend that everyone looks upon. They are forgeting that all that is done is to meet the customers’ needs, rather than their ambitious move in order to be a two-hundred-billion-dollar company by learning how to sell clothes and food products. If the brands are luxury, aesthetically appealing to the eyes and

Organizing, Decision-Making, Ethics, and the Law in Managemen Essay

Organizing, Decision-Making, Ethics, and the Law in Managemen - Essay Example The detrimental effect that stress has on decision making is mediated by the impairment of alternative scanning patterns. (Keinan, 1997) This means that stress makes one not adequately search for different courses of action that are available to the individual. If I were Rick I would have evaluated all possible options that are available to me and try to pick the correct one. Since Stan is my boss, I know whatever he asks me to do should get done. However, in this case, the instructions involve violating ethical standards by including his excess personal expense together with my own monthly expense voucher. Even though there is a rare chance that it could be identified through auditing, it would still be against my personal moral standing. Therefore, I believe the best option would be to decline to do as my boss asks, explain the evident risk of losing my job and hope that it would be reason enough for him to understand my decision. I do agree with Mr. House’s response to Rick. This is because he gave Rick a true picture of what would be the consequences for different courses of action. For one to make a critical decision all possible options must be considered and their pros and cons weighed. The correct decision will be based on the option that has the most pros and the least cons amongst all. Therefore by Mr. House giving Rick the different courses of action available to him and evaluating them one by one, it actually is the best possible way to make a good decision. Mr. House also tells Rick that â€Å"†¦ every man at some time has to make a decision that determines his survival of the fittest. This situation could be one of them.† This is, in fact, a correct statement in all realms of life and I agree with it since the decision that Rick is about to take will definitely be a tough one in all respects.

The Cultural Web Essay Example for Free

The Cultural Web Essay We have decided to use the cultural web in order to look at the organizational culture as it is now and secondly look at how we want the culture to be in the future. Thirdly we will evaluate and identify the differences between the two; these differences are the changes we need to make in order to achieve the high-performance culture that we want to obtain. The cultural web identifies six interrelated elements that paints the bigger picture of the company of analysis. The six elements are the following: 1. Stories After having conducted qualitative interviews with both customers and employees at A.G. Barr there are a few points to be made regarding the reputation and beliefs of the company. 1.1 â€Å"We like things the way they are† First of all each and every of the interviewed employees agreed that they were part of a family-styled organization, however only few customers were aware they were buying products from a family-owned company. Secondly, when the employees were asked about their desires for the future of the company, 90% of the employees stated that they are happy with the way things currently are and do not show great support towards potential changes at the firm; customers on the other hand mainly stated that companies should always invest in differentiation in such a competitive environment. 2. Rituals and Routines The rituals and routines at A.G. Barr are regular as employees are working on normal time-schedules. The only extra activity they have organized is an annual picnic with the whole firm. 3. Symbols The visual representation of the company is also not as different from most companies as they operate in a normal-sized, clean office space. People can dress up according to their status; workers in their workers’ outfit and managers in suit and tie. 4. Organizational Structure The structure at A.G. Barr is an informal and at the same time hierarchical  structure; especially the hierarchical difference between the workers and managers is massive as the managers have full authority. 5. Control Systems The organization is mainly controlled by the managing board that control all the input and output of the firm in terms of financial systems. We have made quite some changes to this control system in our recommendations as it suggests implementing a reward system to motivate the departments and create a healthy competition within the firm. 6. Power Structures The powers structure is especially hierarchical as the people who have influence on the decisions are all part of the management board. Decisions are made regardless of what the employees are saying, but the employees seem to be fine with that as the survey shows that they are happy with the way things are.

Statistical Analysis on Crime Rate in Nigeria

Statistical Analysis on Crime Rate in Nigeria CHAPTER TWO 2.1 INTRODUCTION: In this chapter we are going to review some research work which has been carry out. Crime is one of the continuous problems that bedevil the existence of mankind. Since forth early days, crime had been a disturbing threat to his personality, property and lawful authority (Louis et al., 1981). Today, in the modern complex world, the situation is most highly disturbing. Crime started in the primitive days as a simple and less organized issue, and ended today as very complex and organized. Therefore, the existence of crime and its problems have spanned the history of mankind. Nigeria has one of the alarming crime rates in the world (Uche, 2008 and Financial, 2011). Cases of armed robbery attacks, pickpockets, shoplifting and 419 have increased due to increased poverty among population (Lagos, undated). In the year 2011, armed robbers killed at least 12 people and possibly more in attacks on a bank and police station in North-Eastern Nigeria (Nossiter, 2011). However, Maritz (2010) has considered that image as merely exaggeration. He added that, as is the case with the rest of the world, Nigeria’s metropolitan areas have more problems with crime than the rural areas. Most crimes are however, purely as a result of poverty. Despite the fact that, crime is inevitable in a society Durkheim (1933), various controlling and preventive measures had been taken, and are still being taken to reduce the menace. However, crime control and prevention is still bedeviled by numerous complex problems. When an opportunity for crime is blocked, an offender has several alternative types of displacement (Gabor, 1978). However, the introduction of modern scientific and technical methods in crime prevention and control has proved to be effective. The application of multivariate statistics has made some contributions to many criminological explanations (Kpedekpo and Arya, 1981 and Printcom, 2003). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is very useful in crime analysis because of its robustness in data reduction and in determining the overall criminality in a given geographical area. PCA is a data analysis tool that is usually used to reduce the dimensionality (number of variable) of a large number of interrelated variables while retaining as much of the information (variation) as possible. The computation of PCA reduced to an eigenvalue –eigenvector problem. It is performed either on a correlation or a covariance matrix. If some group of measures constitutes the scores of the numerous variables, the researchers may wish to combine the score of the numerous variables into smaller number of super variables to form the group of the measures (Jolliffe, 2002).This problem mostly happens in determining the relationship between socio-economic factors and crime incidences. PCA uses the correlation among the variables to develop a small set of components that empirically summarised the correlation among the variables. In a study to examine the statistical relationship between crime and socio-economic status in Ottawa and Saskatoon, the PCA was employed to replace a set of variables with a smaller number of components, which are made up of inter-correlated variables representing as much of the original data set as possible (Exp, 2008). Principal component analysis can also be used to determine the overall criminality. When the first eigenvector show approximately equal loadings on all variables then the first PC measures the overall crime rate. In Printcom (2003) for 1997 US crime data, the overall crime rate was determined from the first PC ,and the same result was achieved by Hardle and Zdenek (2007) for the 1985 US crime data. The second PC which is interpreted as â€Å"type of crime component† has successively classified the seven crimes into violence and property crime. U usman et al (2012) carried out a research on ‘An investigation on the Ra te of crime in Sokoto Using Principal Component Analysis. From the results, three Principal Components was retained from seven, using the Scree plot and Loading plot indicating that correlation exist between crimes against persons and crime against properties. Yan Fang (2011) use multivariate methods analysis of crime data in Los Angeles Communities and from the findings Principal Component Analysis was successfully applied into the data by extracting five PCs out of the 15 original variable, which implies a great dimensionality reduction. In addition, this 85% variance of the original dataset, thus he does not loss much information. Shehu el al (2009) research on analysis of crime data using principal component analysis: A case study of Katsina State. The paper consists of the average eight major crimes reported to the Police for the period 2006-2008. The crime consist of robbery auto theft, house and store breakings, theft, and grievous hurt and wounding, murder, rape, and assault . Correlation matrix and Principal Component analysis were developed to explain the correlation between the crimes and to determine the distribution of the crimes over the Local Government areas of the State. 2.2 Classification of Crime The classification of crime differs from one country to another. In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation tabulates the annual crime data as Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). They classify violations of laws which derive from common law as part 1 (index) crimes in UCR data, further categorized as violent as property crimes. Part 1 violent crimes include murder and criminal homicide (voluntary manslaughter), forcible rape, aggravated assault, and robbery; while part 1 property crimes include burglary, arson, larceny/theft, and motor vehicle theft. All other crimes count as part II crimes (Wiki/Cr.2009).In Nigeria, the Police classification of crime also depends on what law prescribed. In Nigeria Police Abstract of Statistics (NPACS), offences are categorized into four main categories: i. Offences against persons includes: manslaughter, murder and attempted murder, assault, rape, child stealing, grievous hurt and wounding, etc. ii. Offences against property includes: armed robbery, house and store breakings, forgery, theft/stealing, etc. iii. Offences against lawful authority include: forgery of current notes, gambling, breach of peace, bribery and corruption, etc. iv. Offences against local act include: traffic offences, liquor offences, etc. 2.3 Causes of Crimes Criminal behaviour cannot be explained by a single factor, because human behaviour is a complex interaction between genetic, environmental, social psychological and cultural factor. Different types of crimes are being committed by different types of people, at different times, in different places, and under different circumstances (Danbazau, 2007). Here we discuss some of the causes of crime: Biogenetic factors: Criminologists are with the opinion that criminal activity is due to the effect of biologically caused or inherited factors (Pratt and Cullen, 2000). According to Lombrose (1911), a criminal is born, not made; that criminals were the products of a genetic constitution unlike that found in the non-criminal population. Social and environmental factor (Sutherland, 1939): The environment is said to play significant role in determining criminal behaviour. Factors within the environment that mostly influence criminal behavior include poverty, employment, corruption, urbanization, family, moral decadence, poor education, technology, child abuse, drug trafficking and abuse, architectural or environmental design Oyebanji (1982) and Akpan (2002) have attribute the current crime problem in Nigeria to urbanisation, industrialisation and lack of education. Kutigi (2008) has said that the factors of crime in Nigeria and poverty and ignorance which are at the same time the opinion of many Nigerians (Azaburke, 2007). In another dimension, according to Ayoola (2008), lack of integrity, transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, especially at all levels of government have been identified as the factors responsible for the endemic corruption that has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigeria n society over the years. 2.4 The Nigerian Police The most important aspect of criminal justice system is the police. Criminal justice system can be defined as a procedure of processing the person accused of committing crime from arrest to the final disposal of the case (Danbazau, 2007). However, for the past three decades there have been serious dissatisfaction and public criticisms over the conduct of the police (Danbazau, 2007). Then, what are the causes of the police failure in preventing and controlling the crimes? So many factors can be attributed to the problem. There are the issue of inadequate manpower, equipment and professionalism (Danbazau, 2007), corruption (Al-Ghazali, 2004) and poor public perception on the Nigeria Police (Okeroko, 1993), which has consequently made the Nigerian Public unwilling to corporate with the police in crime prevention and control. 2.5 Statistics of Crimes in Nigeria Nigeria has one of the highest crime rates in the world. Murder often accompanies minor burglaries. Rich Nigerians live in high – security compounds. Police in some states are empowered to â€Å"shoot on sight† violent criminals (Financial Times, 2009).In the 1980s, serious crime grew to nearly epidemic proportions, particularly in Lagos and other urbanized areas characterised by rapid growth and change, by stark economic inequality and deprivation, by social disorganisation, and by inadequate government service and law enforcement capabilities (Nigeria,1991).Annual crime rates fluctuated at around 200 per100,000 populations until the early 1960s and then steadily increased to more than 300 per 100,000 by the mid-1970s. Available data from the 1980s indicated a continuing increase. Total reported crime rose from almost 211,000 in 1981 to between 330,000 and 355,000 during 1984 – 85. The British High Commission in Lagos cited more than 3000 cases of forgeries annu ally (Nigeria, 1991).In the early 1990s, there was growing number of robberies from 1,937 in 1990 to 2,419 in 1996, and later the figure declined to 2,291 in 1999. Throughout the 1990s, assault and theft constituted the larger category of the crime. Generally, the crime data grow from 244,354 in 1991 to 289,156 in 1993 (Cleen,1993) and continued to decline from 241,091 in 1994 to 167,492 in 1999 (Cleen, 2003). The number of crime slightly declined to 162,039 in 2006, a reduction of 8 percent from 2005 (Cleen, 2006). 2.6 Principal Component Analysis Theories Having a large number of variables in a study makes it difficult to decipher patterns of association. Variables sometimes tend to repeat themselves. Repetition is a sign of multicolinearity of variables, meaning that the variables may be presenting some of the same information. Principal Components Analysis simplifies multivariate data in that it reduces the dimensionality of the data. It does so by using mainly the primary variables to explain the majority of the information provided by the data set. Analysis of a smaller number of variables always makes for a simpler process. Simply stated, in principal components analysis we take linear combinations of all of the original variables so that we may reduce the number of variables from p to m, where the number m of principal components is less than p. Further, the method allows us to take the principal components and use them to gain information about the entire data set via the correlation between the principal components and the original variables. Matrices of correlations or loadings matrices show which principal component each variable is most highly associated with. The first principal component is determined by the linear combination that has the highest variance. Variance measures the diffusion of the data. After the first principal component is obtained, we must determine whether or not it provides a sufficient amount of or all of the information displayed by the data set. If it does not provide adequate information, then the linear combination that displays the highest variance accounted for after the first principal component’s variation is removed is designated as the second principal component. This process goes on until an ample amount of information/variance is accounted for. Each principal component accounts for a dimension and the process continues only on the remaining dimensions. Designating a dimension as a principal component often reveals information about correlations between remaining variables which at first was not readily available. The main objective of Principal Components Analysis is to locate linear combinations , with the greatest variance. We want where ÃŽ £ is the covariance matrix, to be the maximum among all the normalized coefficient vectors à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"i. This result is achieved by way of Lagrange Multipliers. Taking the partial derivative with respect to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"i of the Var(yi) ÃŽ »(à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"iTà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"i – 1), where ÃŽ » is the Lagrange Multiplier results in the equation where à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"i is not equal to the zero vector. From the above equations it can be easily verified that ÃŽ » is a characteristic root of ÃŽ £ and ÃŽ »i is equal to the variance of yi where ÃŽ »1>ÃŽ »2> †¦ > ÃŽ »p are the characteristic roots. Note that they are positive. The characteristic vector corresponding to ÃŽ »1, the root that accounts for the maximum variance, is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"1. The percentage of variance that any particular principal component accounts for can be calculated by dividing the variance of that component by the sum of all the variances, i.e. We use the high correlations between the principal components and the original variables to define which components we will utilize and which ones we will discard. One device that assists us in this decision process is a scree plot. Scree plots are graphs of the variance (eigenvalue) of each principal component in descending order. A point called an â€Å"elbow† is designated. Below this point is where the graph becomes somewhat horizontal. Any principal components whose variances lie above this point are kept and the others are discarded. The original variables that are highly correlated with each principal component that is kept determine what the label of that particular component will be.

Cultural Changes Of The 1960s And 1970s

Cultural Changes Of The 1960s And 1970s In the 1960s Americans started to question the Americas culture of materialism, consumerism and Political norms. In their quest into seeking a better world, they used music, politics and unconventional lifestyle bequeathing a new way of life that was referred to as the new counter culture. The 1960s were a period of protest and reforms as young American demonstrated against the Vietnam War, the African Americans demanded civil rights and the women were advocating for gender equality1. The hero, therefore, was that person who helped others especially in achieving these. Americans faced many issues that ranged from arms race, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and to liberty issues that pertained to drug use and sexual orientations. This new culture incorporated the notions of peace, love and unity as well as the ideas of religion, the mystic world as well as usage of drugs to expand one understanding of his self-awareness. This movement contributed to the great changes that af fected America as the youth were courageous enough to challenge the established authorities, were advocating for more social tolerance as the peoples perception of matters that concerned gender marriage, environment and children rights slowly changed. A good number of the youths escaped from the problems of the cities like crime and drug abuse to find refuge in the countryside where they forged new lifestyles that emphasised a common political ideology and were faced with spiritual reawakening to indulge in new spiritual encounters that favoured the peace of mind e.g. the Yoga and meditation. Many Americans were under fear of the nuclear holocaust. The shock of the Vietnam War and the prejudices of the racial injustice were aggravated by the culture of materialism and consumerism a resultant of the brute capitalism. To counter all these, the youths engaged at sit-in at schools, colleges, churches, hotels and other facilities. These youths were inspired by leaders such as John F Kennedy, Martin Luther king among others that acted as the political ring leaders2. A group of democratic politicians and activist that advocated for improved welfare used the expansion of the welfare state in California to reach out to the partys electoral coalition hence setting the preliminary stage of the partys identity politics of the 1970s and beyond. Thus the youth had to change their appearance and character to suit whatever they were advocating for. These were done through clothes, musical lyrics and the expressions of the arts that were used to explicitly articulate and advocate for these changes that concerned matters of free speech, liberty and political reforms; phenomenas were not new to the American society as they are the basis for the American state. Music was used as a force of change to alter peoples thoughts and action. It brought about a culture change that was based on the hip hop culture. The fashion was not left behind as the men drew on crew cuts and the women had bouffant hairstyles. By the middle of the 60s, the women were wearing miniskirts and hot pants that were worn with the go-go boots that revealed the legs while the body wear revealed the body curves of women as their hair was made either short or tall and thin. The culture ended the idea of making women second class citizens. All this advocating was not in vain as the period of change came in the 1970s where the social experiments were tried out leading to change and partly showed what the Americans would be like in the 1980s. In the 1970s the state of America ended its involvement in the Vietnam War and the civil and women rights movement attained many of the goals that they were advocating for. The economy at this time was hit by a very hard recession (the cyclic nature of a capitalistic economy) that saw high-interest rates and inflation. The repercussion was felt in the whole world leading to a drop in the supply of oil resulting into an acute shortage of the product. The liberal democrats who were i n power for most of the 1960s lost in the 1970s to a conservative politician Richard Nixon where he was forced to resign during the Watergate scandal3. Gerald Ford the vice president came in but lost later. Carter who replaced him was also voted out as a result of his failure to improve the economy. These changes of the 1970s affected the pop culture, education and politics around America. In the film, radio and television industry, a popular program of the time was named All in the Family that was a factory worker who disliked black people and vehemently opposed women rights. But its his family that slowly made him change his ways and accept the difference of the Americas social fabric. Other programs helped Americas to escape from the problems afflicting them by depicting a utopian happy life e.g. happy days and the Threes company the message was also similar in the music industry. The folk music was much appreciated in the 1960s as it concerned the social problems4. With the advent of the 1970s different groups started to play hard rock and punk music. The reforms also led to a change in the education system as a lot of people were disinterested in furthering their education after college since they were busy advocating for social and political reforms5. The war in Vietnam had also bogged them down with the view that more education led to increased inequality. In the mid-1970s though, the need to make more money led to many Americans going for higher education as it had become acceptable and higher education provided the skills that were needed for this. In the 60s and 70 they were acting in a collective manner and after achieving many of their goals the focus shifted to making money and living a life that they had long desired. A sign of becoming more concerned with their personal life. This new counterculture ended the idea of making political decisions that people do not support and made the environment a priority for the government and the s tate of America in general6. Notes. 1. Bruce J. Schulman and Julian E. Zelizer, conservative in the Rightward bound: making America 1970s. (Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2008), 7. 2. General Publishing Group, Of the people: the 200-year history of the Democratic Party. (Santa Monica: General Pub. Group, 1992), 140-160. 3. Rodney P. Carlisle, America in revolt during the 1960s and 1970s. (ABC-CLIO, 2007) 62-96. 4. Rodney, America in revolt during the 1960s and 1970s, 179. 5. General Publishing Group, Of the people: the 200-year history of the Democratic Party, 102-104. 6. Bruce and Zelizer, conservative in the Rightward bound: making America 1970s, 200-230

Freshmen Fifteen :: essays research papers fc

Freshmen Fifteen: An Inescapable College Epidemic? Six months ago, she stood in front of her mirror, examining her body closely. Her stomach was flat and smooth, her waistline was to die for, and her friends and even complete strangers wished they had her shape in her size five jeans. She never had to work out, never played any sports, and she did not know what a squat was. She was happy and confident as her scale read 120 pounds. She smiled at the reflection of herself. She proudly wore her Seton Hall tank top and loved the feel of it. Six months later, she examines herself again. Her stomach has a little bulge and her hips spread slightly. Her skin hangs over her jeans, enticing her friends and family to laugh and pinch at it. The button on those size five jeans always comes undone when she sits down, consequently causing an open fly to embarrass her whenever she leaves class. She had to buy six new pairs of jeans, all of which were size sevens and nines. The Seton Hall tank top that she proudly wore before now has a tear on one of the straps and a hole in the back stitching. Her scale reads an unthinkable 130 pounds; she walks around shell shocked, for the rest of the day. The girl who you have just read about is not fictitious; she is the very real victim of the dreaded â€Å"Freshmen Fifteen† epidemic. Why do so many freshmen gain this excessive amount of weight? The odds of staying the same weight are strongly against us. The first and most obvious reason for weight gain is food. College cafeterias are smorgasbords of hot, greasy, fatty, empty calorie foods. At Seton Hall University, all freshmen are required to purchase a meal plan that comes with various amounts of Pirate dollars that can only be used on food. These Pirate Dollars are equal to one dollar and students are given an overage each semester. In order to avoid losing money, many students use these dollars to buy snacks in between all three meals. At the end of the year, the money is not refundable, so students must splurge once again in order to avoid throwing away their money. Whether students’ classes are far apart or back to back, they are likely to stuff themselves because they need to prepare to sit through about 3 or more hours of lecture, or their next class isn’t for another two or three hours and they plan to eat and â€Å"take a quick catnap.

Physics of Fireworks Essay -- physics firework fireworks

After black powder was discovered by the Chinese in the 9th Century, the relatively short history of fireworks began with this explosive chemical composition. Black powder is made up of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal (KNO3); in the correct amounts, this combination has very explosive results. The use of black powder sprung forth the evolution of muskets, rockets, and fireworks. Although history has shown that the development of black powder muskets into modern day guns, artillery, and weapons of mass destruction have changed the face of the earth, taken many lives, and changed the outcome of many wars, black powder is also used in many rituals and celebrations. While traveling the globe, Marco Polo, fascinated by this black powder, brought it back to the West were it soon caught on. In Rome, King Charles V used fireworks to celebrate a victory. The fireworks were developed and made by his â€Å"fire workers† who made leaps and bounds with the projectiles and rocket shape of the fireworks. These elaborate demonstrations of fire soon spread through Europe and pleased many spectators of the King and Queens Court. In the middle ages, Italy and Germany took their displays to another level, incorporating different colors and effects. In Italy, the firework displays were used to accentuation buildings and structures, while in Germany, the focus was more on the fireworks themselves. The name "green men" was coined on account of the people who would cover themselves in leaves to protect their body from sparks and ashes as they launched fireworks from their hands. As music grew and became a large part of society, the incorporation of music and firework displays became inseparable. The most infamous of all fireworks displays, f... ...ich ended up missing his head, but tearing the front of the coat. Anyone who has ever felt the material on a fire coat can tell you that it would be very difficult to do damage like that to fire coat in a split second. Bibliography Lancaster, Ronald, and Butler, Roy E.A., and Lancaster, J. Mark, and Shimizu, Takeo. Fireworks Principles and Practice. New York: Ticknor, 2002. Pihko, Petri. â€Å"Pyrotechnics – The Art of Fire.† 1998. Online posting. Pihko, Petri. 12 April 2003. http://cc.oulu.fi/~kempmp/pyro.html ProQuest Information and Learning Company. â€Å"Physics of Fireworks.† 2003. Online posting. Bigchalk – The Education Network. 12 April 2003. www.bigchalk.com Russell, Michael S. The Chemistry of Fireworks. York, ME: Stenhouse, 2000. â€Å"The Physics of Colored Fireworks.† 1998. Online posting. 12 April 2003. http://cc.oulu.fi/~kempmp/pyro.html

Health Risks of Energy Drink Essay

Introduction People want immediate results in the middle of the busy day, after exercise, or any other activity which requires them to recharge themselves. So, instead of focusing on key natural ways such as sleep habits, improving diets we used to go for certain energy drinks available in the market without knowing the pros and cons of these drinks related to our health. Recent researches on the consumption of energy drinks have proved that the excessive use of these types of drinks can cause severe health risk including increase in systolic pressure, insomnia, and various other discussed later in the paper. It is the common phenomena that energy drink used to rebuild the energy lost during the exercise, which is not right. Similarly, it does not help burn calories, neither it speed ups the metabolism nor it provides long lasting energy to our body. Energy drinks are the fastest growing beverages market (Bornstein, 2011). Youth is reportedly consumers more energy drinks than other demographic variable. There are various energy drinks available in the market targeting the same type of crowd with different slogan and appeals. Some have focused on athletes, some on teenagers and students etc. Excessive caffeine can cause various health problems such as insomnia, jitters, nervousness, gastrointestinal problems, and heart palpitations. Background Statement We see various TV ads focusing on red bull, 5-hour ENERGY, monster etc so are these drinks shelved at the supermarkets. However, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and UK drug inspecting agencies has reported severe health related issues on the consumption of energy drinks. The sales of energy drinks in UK and other parts of the world is increasing so are the concerns after the researches made on this particular subject. Hence, the need is to review the myth surrounding energy drinks consumption. What are energy drinks? According to UK soft drink report (2012), soft drinks are â€Å"traditional glucose based energy drinks; functional or stimulation energy drinks which claim a particular energy boost from caffeine, Guarani, turbine and ginseng or other herbs or some combination of these ingredients†. The ingredients used in these energy drinks act as a stimulant to the central nervous system of our brain. These include caffeine or Guarani and vitamins etc. Health Risk There are various serious health risks associated with the consumption of energy drinks. Some of these health risks are discussed in this section. Drinking energy drinks in moderation is not necessarily harmful. Excessive consumption of energy drinks containing caffeine, however, can result in the same health effects related to consuming too much caffeine, such as insomnia, jitters, nervousness, gastrointestinal problems, and heart palpitations. Like sodas, the amount of sugar and empty calories (calories that do not contain nutrients) in energy drinks contribute to poor dietary health when consumed regularly. Hence, the affects of these drinks are short term as well long term. These affects are categorized below: Short term affects †¢ Hurts performance †¢ Increased heart rate †¢ Abnormal heart rhythm and other problems †¢ Crabby †¢ Trouble Concentrating †¢ Negative interactions with medications †¢ Increased Blood Pressure Long term affects †¢ Caffeine Addiction †¢ Liver Failure †¢ Sleep Apnea †¢ Kidney Failure †¢ Cardiovascular Disease So, it is better to be aware of these health issues and do not use more than 100mg/day of the caffeine as per health official recommendation. Conclusion After reviewing the ingredients, myths, and other factors surrounding the energy drinks it can be concluded that excessive use of caffeine i.e. by consuming more energy drink will certainly lead us to the several health risks which might be short term as well as long term. So, the need for the people is to get educate themselves, so is the responsibility of the energy drink manufacturers to warn the customers of the potential health hazards associated with the particular drink. References Roy-Bornstein, C. (2011). Just Say No to Energy Drinks. Pediatrics For Parents, 27(7/8), 11. UK soft drink report (2012) Available at: http://www. britishsoftdrinks. com/PDF/UK%20soft%20drinks%20report%202012. pdf.

Bandura’s cognitive theory Essay

Introduction There are many approaches to the psychological treatment of mental disorders. While some therapists identify with particular orientation, others are more non-specific, trying various perspectives in their attempts to offer psychological treatment. Psychological treatment is based cognitive therapy, which seeks to change the way in which people think about various things and aspects of life, particularly depression. It is along this line that an American psychiatrist, Aaron Beck, formulated a theory to help in cognitive therapy. Beck’s cognitive theory serves as a basis for the treatment of anxiety and depression by addressing the causative agents of the abnormalities (Beck, 1976). Beck noted that psychological patients have the capability to tune into their internal â€Å"talk† or â€Å"dialogue† in order to alter non conducive thinking patterns. In this way, Beck noted that patients have the ability to change their thinking and therefore solve their personal problems (Beck, 1979). The distinctive feature of Beck’s cognitive theory is the presentation of the factors that affect people’s attitude, and which play an important role in contributing to or eliminating depression among individuals. Beck identified three factors- the self (cognizance of thoughts), the world or environment (which affects behavior) and the future or antecedent events as the factors that impact largely on a human beings cognitive ability and mental well-being. The three factors constitute the Beck’s cognitive triad (Beck 1976). The triad represents the types of negative depression and therefore forms part of Beck’s Cognitive Theory of Depression (Beck 1976). Beck’s cognitive theory articulates the manner in which cognitive processes are perceived in psychopathology and in provision of effective psychotherapy. Although the â€Å"biopsychosocial† (integration of biological and psychological mechanisms in solving problems) framework is used in perceiving the complexity of the human mental system, the focus of Beck’s cognitive theory is mainly on elements of psychopathology and psychotherapy. According to Beck’s cognitive theory, the essence of a disorder in a human being’s personality is portrayed in the dysfunctional opinions that characterize it and sustain its existence (Beck, 1979). Along this line, investigations that were done in the past on the association between dysfunctional cognitions and disorders in personality generally support the model of Beck’s cognitive theory (Beck, 1979). Beck’s cognitive theory of depression delineates the characteristics of ideas, which when activated or aroused in irresponsible ways, are maladaptive, or a source of mental dysfunction. Effective cognitive conceptualization would serve to correct such anomalies (Beck, 1979). Beck’s theory has a number of strengths in that among other points, it highlights that depressed people evaluate themselves in biased ways and that negative thinking of participants in research may deter the collection of accurate results in any research. On the other hand, the weaknesses include the inability of the theory to address cognitive biases and the fact that negative thinking could as well have contributed to the generalization of the theory. This paper evaluates the critical aspects of Beck’s theory and discusses the salient features of the model. In addition and evaluation of the theory’s strengths and weaknesses is given based on evaluation of the theory and models used.

Applying Management Theories

Company A was initially formed as a group of engineering students to undertake the project of modifying and coding a Boot to automatically move around a maze as quickly as possible. The group was formed by Dry S. Watson, the project supervisor. The group consisted of four students: J. Peters, A. Shabbier, A. Mohammed and O. Added. The students began their project through the organized Company 1 meetings. In their first meeting they were introduced to each other, though J. Peters was absent, which disadvantaged him later in the project.The group cited that their first action would be to organize a group meeting in the week, before the next company meeting, a good pro-active decision. It was observed that no leadership took place in the group with everyone inputting questions that the group could not answer. The Part D students were then able to answer some questions. In the meeting the group did not discuss project strategy, but discussed sensor systems, there was no clear sensory sys tem decided with A. Shabbier wanting to research into sonar systems and A.Mohammed continuing research into IR sensors and QUIT sensors. Over the next two weeks the group began to realize their task and formed their project structure based on the diagram, [ Figure 1 ]. The strategy overall was carried out well throughout the group, as they became more aware of mistakes that may have occurred without the plan and check stages. Once the strategy was in place, the Plan section was implemented. Within the plan stage the group took into account the following factors for equipment choice: Cost, Complexity and Acceptability.An example of this method was the choice of sensors, the group decided to use IR sensors, as they were cheaper than sonar systems, they were the east complex of all the systems and achieved the groups' requirements. This decision making process was very powerful, as it gave the groups specific criteria that they had to uphold and it prevented members from verging off to pic, which they were prone to doing. Figure 1 – Plan check do act (PICA) model A main failure of the group however, was that they did not choose a project leader.Their failure resulted in a leaderless structure to the group, immediately disadvantaging the group, as there was no one to make key decisions. This can be seen by tensions formed in the group with regards to sub-systems. The group decided to create sub-systems and allocate a person per sub-system, though this was a sensible systematic approach (though it could have been improved by using at a job design chart, such as in [ Figure 21). Breaking down the sub-systems affected the group with some tasks much simpler and straight forward than others. This process led to J. Peters and A. Mohammed wanting the same roles.The decision was made by the rest of the group that A. Mohammed would be better suited to the desired role. J. Peters had little contact with the group up until that point and this showed in the groups' deci sion. J. Peters was left with the difficult task of producing the interim report for the group. This was a poor decision by the group as it meant that they issue also arose from the sub-system approach, where during one week; more than one member of the group was absent. This led to a halt in progress of the project in the areas where team members were away, as absent team members knew their role, but the other team members did not.This should have been factored into the projects' risk contingency plan; however this was yet to be created by J. Peters. This failure resulted in a week without progress and certainly created tension not only thin the group, but between the group and supervisor as well. A better strategy would have been to split the design into sub-systems, but within each sub-system, tasks could be created and given to members of the group, allowing more than one group member to have knowledge of each sub-system to ensure progress continues.What sequence? Who else? How to interface with the facilities? Environmental conditions? How much autonomy? Skills? Where to locate? Tasks? Figure 2 – A Job design chart, enabling users to identify each role After the fourth week it was clear that A. Shabbier had taken charge of the project, which could be a positive factor of not immediately selecting a group leader, as it allowed time for the more dedicated person the project to take control, effectively becoming the natural leader.His indecision however, led to a long delay within an exercise the group carried out. A requirement that the group made was to increase the speed of the robot. The group originally removed the wheel and replaced it with a larger wheel increasing the speed, a good idea; however, their plan did not consider that they were not allowed to remove parts from the Boot. Therefore the approach taken by he group was to use their project PICA strategy and they were able to modify the wheel by creating an extension to use the original w heel as a shaft for a larger wheel.This shows good initiative from the group, however the issue should not and would limitation control. The group would have been better to choose a product design strategy, where they generated a concept, which they could feedback to the supervisor in a company meeting, who could then evaluate the groups' design, making sure it is suitable for the set requirements. This would make sure the design fits the requirements and if not, it could be improved until it did. The groups' strategy for their hardware sub-system had certain requirements, one of which included a LED display.The display was a creative concept as many ideas in the group were; however there was a delay in delivery (due to the University) which the group had not planned for. This delay was unplanned for with no risk contingency plan in place. This therefore meant the group had to alter their Giant chart to their needs at that time. This was poorly planned, as a better Giant chart would have had extra time allocated for work that could not be completed at the specific time.

Causes of Childhood Obesity Essay

Causes of Childhood Obesity Childhood Obesity has become a growing problem with children today. Obesity now affects 17% of all children in the United States-triple the rate from just one generation ago (CDC). There are multiple reasons that more and more children are becoming obese. The decrease in physical activity, along with increased amounts of television, computers, and video games is one. Higher calorie and sugar intake is another reason for the rising numbers. Childhood obesity is a major concern for the next generation. If the public is not educated on the dangers of childhood obesity it will continue to increase and endanger the lives and future of the children of the tomorrow. Why is the obesity increasing in today’s youth? More families have both caretakers working outside the house now than in the past years. Which means that children are more likely to get driven to school rather then walk or ride their bikes and after school it either leaves children home by themselves, or at after school programs. One third of children are not getting the recommended levels of moderate or vigorous activity, 10 percent are completely inactive (IOM). Children of today are spending more and more time sitting inside not doing anything physical compared to a few generations ago. They are also taking in too many calories due to the larger portion sizes, and high sugar intake. In the last, few years schools are trying to or already have succeeded in decreasing the amount of recess or play time the children have during the day, along with cutting after school sports and activities (HHS). Only about one-third of elementary children have daily physical education, and less than one-fifth have extracurricular physical activity programs at their school (YRBSS). Forty years ago, kids had playing fields to play on, parks to run around, there was no problem with traffic so they used to go out on the street to play, but that was the past (Fiona MacRae). Today, kids come home because they do not have, or cannot get to a park, or recreation center, and it is not as safe to play outside as it was years ago so there is no physical activity. Without regular daily cardio exercise, studies have shown that children are putting themselves at risk for more heath related problems, which can lead to shorter lifespans. The way children eat today is much different from even one generation ago. Children are taking in more calories, sugars and eating more foods that are less healthy. Since parents are working when children come home after school, there is no one to monitor what or how much they are eating. Families are also not eating as healthy as they were in the past. Children are eating dinners that are microwaved, or come out of a box; they are eating â€Å"Supersized† fast food meals that have little no nutritional values. School lunch programs are also to blame for the rise in the numbers of overweight children. Research has demonstrated that buying lunch at school significantly increases the risk of becoming overweight. The pervasiveness of school a la carte and vending programs that sell foods and beverages that are high in calories and low in nutrients is well-documented. However, the food provided is constrained by budgetary and regulatory issues largely external to public health concerns. US Department of Agriculture guidelines require school food programs to provide minimum quantities of specific nutrients over a 3- to 7-day span but do not address maximum food amounts (Wilkinson). Television is playing a big part on how and what are children are eating. They see commercials for drinks that sound and taste good, but the reality is that are loaded with sugars and High consumption of sugar drinks, which have few, if any, nutrients, has been associated with obesity (Vartanian). Thirty years ago, a bottle of Coke was 10 ounces. Today, a kid can get a 64-ounce Big Gulp and when inflation is taken into account, it is cheaper. â€Å"Economically, we really encourage people to over consume,† Stang says. She compares portion sizes in 1957 and today: hamburger patties have gone from one ounce to six; muffins have gone from 1 1/ 2 ounces to half a pound; and movie popcorn has ballooned from three cups to 16 (Cross). Academically, childhood obesity affects how children preform in school. When compared with children who were never obese, boys and girls whose obesity persisted from the start of kindergarten through fifth grade performed worse on the math test, starting in first grade, and their lower performance continued through fifth grade. For boys whose obesity emerged later (in third or fifth grade), no such differences were found, and for girls who became obese later, poorer math performance was temporary. In addition, for girls who were persistently obese, having fewer social skills explained some part of their poorer math performance. In addition, for both boys and girls who were persistently obese, feeling sadder, lonelier, and more anxious also explained some of their poorer math performance (. Childhood obesity can lead to serious short and long-term health conditions, physical and psychological illness as well as a lower quality of life. Obese children are more likely to have respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, as well as ear nose and throat conditions. As obese children get older, they have a greater chance of becoming obese adults, which leads to heart disease, stroke, and several types of cancer (Deckelbaum). The immediate consequence of being overweight as perceived by children themselves is social discrimination and low self-esteem. In a recent, study by Schwimmer, et. al. 2003), obese children rated their quality of life with scores as low as those of young cancer patients on chemotherapy. In the study, 106 children aged 5 to 18 filled out a questionnaire used by pediatricians to evaluate quality of life issues. Children were asked to rate things like their ability to walk more than one block, play sports, sleep well, get along with others, and keep up in school. The results indicated that that teasing at school, difficulties playing spo rts, fatigue, sleep apnea and other obesity-linked problems severely affected obese children’s well-being.

Critique of a Political Speech of Barack Obama Essay

Critique of a Political Speech of Barack Obama - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States stands as a greatly significant and meaningful moment for contemporary America.   His inaugural speech given on January 21st 2009 reads as a missive to all Americans and contains within it the classically American mà ©lange of Christian-style preaching and the Enlightenment era ideas so important to the country’s heritage: life, liberty, and equality. With respect to the course, the researcher believes that Obama’s speech touches upon, among other things, key elements of Americana which appertain to its heritage, its self-imagery, and its Universalist claims of equality and liberty for all.   In doing so, Obama employs pathos, ethos, and logos interchangeably so as to endow his words with the power that they have. It is debatable which of the three forms of rhetorical appeal are most effective to begin a speech.   Each, depending on circumstance, c an serve to capture the attention of the audience.   Obama opts for a blend of pathos and ethos.   He opens with â€Å"My fellow citizens:   I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you've bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. The pathos of self-imposed modesty and ‘trust’ easily transitions to the ethos of ‘ancestors.’ ‘Ancestors’ begins an appeal to the ethos of the American Republic and its ideals. He manages the transition well as he then refers to an America which †¦has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents. / So it has been; so it must be with this generation of Americans. (Obama 2009) This blending of pathos and ethos is quite effective. Without yet having to employ the limited tool of logos, Obama is able to allude to an historical nation and the sentiments of its people. Logic and consistency might demand that one point out that in fact America has not always held true to its ‘founding documents,’ the existence of slavery for many years, the mistreatment of the Native American, and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War Two being but some notable examples to the contrary. But this is rhetoric, not reality. The brief sojourn into ethos is then temporarily abandoned for a return to pathos. What other recent event, scored into the memory of every American, has the ability to evoke an emotional response without fail: September 11, 2001 of course. The other sources of emotional upheaval at the moment (in 2009 and now) is the ongoing global economic crisis and to a lesser extent, environmental degradation and healthcare. Obama makes use of all three. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some†¦.Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many -- and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. (Obama 2009) It is interesting that a man who is facing a crisis as serious as that faced by FDR generations prior, appeals to the sense of unease and fear that many hold. Apparently, we have more to fear ‘than fear itself.’ International terrorism, failing economy, and an inefficient healthcare system are things to worry about. This is pure and unbridled pathos. But in the end, Obama’s talent for speaking remains unblemished as he, after making appeals to fear-based concerns, reassures his audience, in true Rooseveltian fashion, that â€Å"we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord†