Thursday, October 31, 2019

Schizophernia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Schizophernia - Essay Example ioning for six months accompanied with disorganized behavior, mixture of psychotic symptoms (hallucinations and delusions), disorganized speech, motivational impairment and emotional disturbance. The disorder typically begins during early childhood or adolescence. Here, patients may not show symptoms or may show mild traits like mild cognitive disorganization, impaired social competence and anhedonia (diminished capacity to feel pleasure). Such traits may only be recognized in retrospect. They may be noticed more with impairment of academic, social and vocational functioning (Noll, 2007). In this phase, subclinical signs and symptoms may emerge. Such symptoms include isolation or withdrawal, unusual thoughts, irritability, perceptual distortions, suspiciousness, and disorganization. The onset of clear Schizophrenia (hallucinations and delusions) may be slow and insidious (over years) or sudden (over weeks or days) (Noll, 2007). In this phase the individual experiences psychotic symptoms such as delusions, grossly disorganized behavior and hallucinations (Noll, 2007). It is the state of full development of the disorder. The behavior of the patient may be so bizarre and extreme that it is necessary to hospitalize them. This phase may last for many weeks or months in case the patient is not treated with medication. In this phase obvious psychosis subsides but the patient still exhibit negative symptoms like lack of emotion, social withdrawal, and extremely low energy levels. The patient continues to hold strange beliefs, supernatural intelligence (Noll, 2007). The signs and symptoms of the disorder fall into three broad categories: negative symptoms, positive symptoms and cognitive symptoms. The positive symptoms refer to psychotic behaviors that are not seen in healthy individuals (Noll, 2007). Patients with positive symptoms usually lose touch with reality. Such symptoms include Individuals have trouble organizing their thoughts or connecting them logically.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

An analysis of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward Essay

An analysis of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward - Essay Example His work was known to inculcate pessimism and cynicism which are the opposite of the concepts and philosophies being promoted in his era such as Enlightenment, Romanticism, and Christian humanism (Lovecraft â€Å"Works†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Biography page 1). The novel â€Å"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward† is one of the famous novels of Lovecraft in the same atmosphere of horror and fantasy. It is about the main character Charles who became a mental case due to the results of his quest in knowing the life of one of his ancestors Joseph Curwen who was known for his evil activities during his lifetime. There are important points in the novel. One is the impact of fantasy in the novel, which can be considered as the focal point of the story. Without the magical and demonic return of the spirit of Curwen through Charles, the novel would have failed to progress. In any novel, there is a fight between forces of good and evil. And in relation to the common theme of Lovecraft’s works , cosmic horror had an important role and created confusion in the story as well. This can be observed on the decision of the main character to dedicate his life in finding Curwen inspired by the possibility of achieving his capabilities (Lovecraft â€Å"Works†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Biography page 1; Lovecraft â€Å"The Case†¦.† Part 1 Par. 6). The focus of the paper is the theme of the novel regarding education which is another important point in the works of Lovecraft. The story specifically pointed out the dangers of biased knowledge based on education focused on a singular aspect which is the quest for an ancestor and his capabilities. Analysis of the Dangers of Biased Education in the Novel H.P. Lovecraft is known for his... H.P. Lovecraft is known for his style of writing in the fantasy and horror fiction genre but most importantly he is known for the importance of education in the themes of his works. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward also shares the same theme. In the story, one of the most important elements that affected the fate of the main character is his biased knowledge due to the lack of balanced perspective. This ultimately resulted in his mental condition. Ward is a an educated person with a degree but â€Å"during the boy’s last year at the Moses Brown School, when he suddenly turned from the study of the past to the study of the occult, and refuse to qualify for college on the ground that he had individual researches of much greater importance to make† (Lovecraft â€Å"The Case†¦.† Part 1 Par. 6). This became the onset of his research on Joseph Curwen and the change in his behavior. One of the observed changes is the behavior and attitude of Charles is the neglect o f other areas of his life to pursue his quest for the occult. This is one of the most important evidence of the dangers of biased education. Due to his obsession to focus on one area of knowledge he underwent a self consuming form of one sided education which led to his mental condition and change in behavior. The behavior that was exhibited by Charles can be compared to brainwashing and other forms of influential effects wherein a person can be totally focused on a single activity, a single aspect of life or a single objective and block the rest.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Are Wars Good for the Economy?

Are Wars Good for the Economy? Mr. PRAKHAR MAHESHWARI Are Wars Good For Economy? INTRODUCTION â€Å"War, n: A time-tested political tactic guaranteed to raise a president’s popularity rating by at least 30 points. It is especially useful during election years and economic downturns.† Chaz Bufe, American Anarchist Author Wars. Invasions. Fights. The reason for these and the final consequence of these is economy. Communities, kingdoms and countries have been fighting countless wars and invading other countries and kingdoms in search for wealth and money. The Mughals and the English came to India having knowledge that the country was full of gold and had massive wealth. Americans declared war on Iraq in search of the precious oil. Even particular individuals fight with their own kin and family for property, wealth and money. But is destruction of life and property the only thing which happens before, after even during a war? This project deals with precisely that. The project focuses on the economic development and/or economic destruction of USA during world wars. However, the project isn’t strictly focused on only US. Countries like Britain, France and Germany needed to be given a special mention in such kind of a topic. Wars make or break a country. And it is an integral question that we must ask ourselves: Are wars really good for economy? ECONOMY AND WORLD WARS There are several reasons to enter a war. Although economic reasons are the most important, patriotism, loyalty and friendship towards a nation and the belief of â€Å"helping the needy and the right out† not only decides if a nation should enter a war but also decides which side that country would join. World War 1 The United States entered the war very late. They were participants for approximately an year and a half – from April 1917 to November 1918.[1] This little participation in terms of days was very different from the point of view of contribution. The number of Americans serving the Army was more than a staggering four million. Not only did they provide men to the fighting nations, they also equipped them with great supply of raw materials and weapons and ammunition.[2] Before the war, the American economy was in a bad shape. However, the buying of U.S. weaponry and goods for war by the fighting Europeans and when the U.S. itself joined the conflict, the economy boomed.[3] Hugh Rockoff writes that if the United States had not converted the opportunity of making and delivering goods and weapons to the European Allies, it would have been next to impossible for the country to enter and win the war.[4] The massive production of such goods, which were added only after looking at the demands made by the European countries, ensured easy entrance of the United States.[5] Also, the goods were made in such a way that the country itself would need it if it enters the war.[6] The Americans had actually realized that the spoils of the war, if they won, would be huge and the profits were not ignorable. Hugh Rockoff also observes that â€Å"Entry into the war in 1917 unleashed massive U.S. federal spending which shifted national production from civilian to war goods. Between 1914 and 1918, some 3 million people were added to the military and half a million to the government.†[7] Infact, the impact of such employment was that the rate of unemployment came down from 7.9 percent to 1.4 percent.[8] This was not only due to the addition of men in the armies but also because labours and workers were required in large numbers to new manufacturing jobs like manufacturing guns, war infrastructure and developing technology.[9] U.S. exports to the European countries, due to this war in 1917, shot up to almost three times the year 1913’s exports. While U.S. exported goods worth $1.5 billion dollars in 1913, the sales were in excess of $4 billion dollars in 1917.[10] Now let us assume that the United States had got nothing to do with the war. It was a neutral country and was not supplying any goods to any European country. Also, let us assume that the raw material used to produce these exports for the European countries were only able to manufacture about half as much value when such goods were transported to other countries which were not at war.[11] Based on these assumptions, if we calculate the value in output in the year 1917, the loss would come out to be a bit more than $2 billion dollars per year.[12] In 1917, this was worth 3.7 percent the U.S GNP and about 6.3 percent of the total U.S. cost of war.[13] Rockoff estimates â€Å"the total cost of World War I to the United States at approximately $32 billion, or 52 percent of gross national product at the time. He breaks down the financing of the U.S. war effort as follows: 22 percent in taxes, 58 percent through borrowings from the public, and 20 percent in money creation. The War Revenue Act of 1917 taxed excess profits profits exceeding an amount determined by the rate of return on capital in a base period by some 20 to 60 percent, and the tax rate on income starting at $50,000 rose from 1.5 percent in 1913-15 to more than 18 percent in 1918. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary William Gibbs McAdoo crisscrossed the country peddling war bonds, even enlisting the help of Hollywood stars and Boy Scouts. The prevalence of patriotic themes created social pressure to purchase the Liberty bonds (and, after the armistice, the Victory bonds), but in practice the new bondholders did not make a tangible personal sacrifice in buying war bonds, sin ce the yields on these debt instruments were comparable to those on standard municipal bonds at the time. As can be seen, patriotic motives were not sufficient to alter market prices of assets during the war.†[14] Due to this war, various infrastructural projects were taken up and developed like Railroad, fuel and granaries. Since men had to go to war, the women took up the initiative of working in companies, etc. This ensured the economic freedom of women and more and more women started working. It is often said that the one’s gain is another’s loss. Wars are no different. Where one country’s, the United States’, economy was going through a positive transformation, the economies of the European powers were humbled. Even though the Allies won the war, the major participants, the British and the French, suffered massive losses. Saints have said that â€Å"Everything that shines is not gold.† They may have â€Å"won† the war, but economically, they had been fooled by this shine. However, the losses were restricted mainly to the battle fields. Overall, even the British economy (in terms of GDP) grew by around 14-15% during the four to five years of the world war. However, the country lost its men fighting for the country.[15] As discussed earlier, war also involves patriotism and many civilians hence started saving and investing in wars rather than the normal consumption. These investments were used majorly for ammunitions. The Government’s share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose from 8% to 38% in these five years.[16] The story of the Germans, the losers of the war, was however very different. Not only they had to give huge taxes and compensation, there economy was brought to the knees. Germany, just like any other country, had to borrow money from various banks, the axis powers and even its citizens. When the Germans lost, they had to pay back even these creditors. The Germans were left in huge debts and their economy was destroyed. And the main cause of their destruction was the Treaty of Versailles. Supposed to be a peace treaty, many people claim it to be an important reason of the Second World War. This treaty literally forced the Germans to pay huge compensations – a total sum of  £6.6 billion.[17] This amount was way beyond the financial capacities of the Germans. Economy doesn’t only mean the money or financial capacity. It also means the territorial extend of the country. After all, even territories are the properties of a country. After the First World War, Germany had to give up large chunks of its territories to the Allied Forces. â€Å"The Versailles treaty deprived Germany of around 13.5% of its 1914 territory (some seven million people) and all of its overseas possessions. Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France, and Belgium was enlarged in the east with the addition of the formerly German border areas of Eupen and Malmedy. Among other territorial re-arrangements, an area of East Prussia was handed over to Lithuania, and the Sudetenland to Czechoslovakia. The German army was limited to a maximum of 100,000 men, and a ban placed upon the use of heavy artillery, gas, tanks and aircraft. The German navy was similarly restricted to shipping under 10,000 tons, with a ban on submarines.†[18] The other financial and economical clauses of the treaty are dealt with in Article 248 to 312 with certain Annexes. Hence where some countries were enjoying the spoils of war, the other countries had to pay heavy compensations and reparations. World War 2 World War 2 was no different when the reasons for the war are given a thought. The world had seen one of the greatest economic tragedies ever in the form of the Great Depression of 1929, just 6 years before the start of the Second World War. There was chaos on the streets as people lost on jobs and the unemployment rate was on an all time high, crossing the 25% mark. The companies were going bankrupt, economy was in a disaster and depression, as the name phenomenon suggests, was spread across the world. It was evident that another war was on its way. With the rise of Adolf Hitler and economic woes of Germany after accepting the Treaty of Versailles, Germans had to wage wars, once again with the Allied Powers. The U.S., like the previous war, joined this one later, approximately by 2 years. The country, however, like before, started producing and manufacturing wartime goods for the â€Å"worst case scenario†. When the United States got involved in the Second World War, the demand for labor shot up. To fight a war, country needs weapons and for that the country needs manufacturing facilities and labor in huge numbers. The national employment suddenly fell to a minimal 10% in just a few months of the declaration of war by the country from its 1940 level.[19] The country was at war and weapons and infrastructure need to be built up with a rapid speed. Even fortification of borders and military bases abroad was equally important.[20] All these factors coupled with the fact that weapons and military equipments, vehicles and other wartime instruments needed to be transported and mobilized ensured vast labor requirement.[21] The Employers wanted to fill the vacancies as fast as possible so as to meet the production demand. This however, brought in vacancies in other non-war areas. These positions were then filled by women and non white people. They had been excluded from a long time from such industries which payed highly and involved high skills. Hence war meant employment for the whole country.[22] War doesn’t only bring profits. It brings massive destruction to life and property. Britain gave us the Industrial Revolution, and the very same industries, which were the pride of the Great Britain, were left nothing more to rumble. The damage that these facilities incurred, not only in Britain but also in other European countries, was much more than what they had incurred in the previous wars.[23] Where the damages incurred by France were approximately thrice of their total annual income, Britain suffered heavy losses in the form of damages to residential houses.[24] About 30% of the homes in Britain were destroyed by Germans in the Second World War, first by the aerial blitz and then by bombs and rockets.[25] The Germans, losing the war again, had their country divided into West and East Germany. While West was influenced by the capitalist USA, the East was the communist USSR. The economic woes for Britain and France were not limited to their own countries. They had to let go many important colonies as they had exhausted their money and resources and had none left for their militaries in these areas. India gained its independence as the growing revolts and violence in the country left Britain shocked. Britain had no more resources to deal with these violent outbursts and had to leave the country, just like they had to leave many other territories. USSR and US strengthened their economies during cold war, but USSR, after the recession of 1970, could not recover like the US and had to surrender in the cold war. It has been seen by historians that whenever countries have not gone to war or had no threat of being attacked, their economy have not grown or grown but with a very low percentage. But the wars, apart from developing or destroying economies, affect common man too. Inflation and rise in taxes are the two main effects. These are however short term. â€Å"Increasing taxes reduces consumer spending, which does not help the economy improve at all. Suppose we decrease government spending on social programs. Firstly weve lost the benefits those social programs provide. The recipients of those programs will now have less money to spend on other items, so the economy will decline as a whole. Increasing the debt means that well either have to decrease spending or increase taxes in the future; its a way to delay the inevitable. Plus theres all those interest payments in the meantime.†[26] Lack of wars The European countries in the western side of the continent have very little or no threat of being overtaken by another country in the present times. The politicians and ministers are therefore not criticized for not developing the economy faster. Infact, when these ministers lose their office, they are â€Å"garlanded† with income boosts from counseling and consultation as well as speaking fees. If not these, then they retire to an amazing and dreamy holiday spot.[27] This however is not true for the countries that face constant danger from their neighbors or other countries. An example would be that of China and Japan. The Japanese face great pressure, both territorial and geographical from the Chinese.[28] This is true for India and Pakistan. India today is the largest importer of ammunitions as she faces constant and grave danger from its parted neighbors, Pakistan. Hence where countries like India face constant danger from almost all its neighboring countries, they are the highest importers of ammunitions and weapons and countries like Switzerland, which are considered to be one of the most peaceful countries, hardly import any weapons.[29] US spend approximately $650 billion dollars in ammunitions.[30] This is what wars can do. They can make a country develop its resources and infrastructure. CONCLUSION As we can see, wars have the ability to develop an economy. In this project we dealt with three types of outcomes of a war. And each type had its representative. In the first type of outcome, the country wins. They win and enjoy a good deal of compensation. There economy grows by leaps and bounds, the rate of unemployment declines, infrastructure develops and the spoils of war compensate the losses they suffer. An example of this is the United States. While they joined late in the world wars, they had a great say and impact on the war. They had already developed their weapons and ammunitions and had gone to war with preparation. The second type of outcome is one in which although the country wins the war, they are badly hurt as far as economy is concerned. Their industries are destroyed, territories left damaged and even the spoils of war are not enough for their recovery. Britain and France are good examples of these. They â€Å"won† the Second World War but ended up losing m ore than what they won. They exhausted all their resources and their colonies gained independence. The third type of outcome is one in which the country loses; Germany being the example. Germany lost both its wars and had to pay damages which the obviously couldn’t. Infact, they had to ask for loans from the same countries they had to pay the damages. But leaving aside these so called boosters of economy, can any war, battle or fight justify the loss of human life? How can we as humans put a value to a person’s life? Economy may get boosted but for a short while. The damage to life, however, is a very very long one. In conclusion, I would like to say that war, like alcohol, is an addiction. Initially it tastes good, you think that all the worries are now away. But it’s not long before the person indulging himself in such addiction realizes that the pleasure was momentary, what he faces now is scars for life, which no money or economy can remove. [1] Price Fishback, U.S. Economy in World War I (eh.net 2010) http://eh.net/encyclopedia/u-s-economy-in-world-war-i/> accessed 28 June 2014. [2] Price Fishback, U.S. Economy in World War I (eh.net 2010) http://eh.net/encyclopedia/u-s-economy-in-world-war-i/> accessed 28 June 2014. [3] Carlos Lozada, The Economics of World War I (nber.org 2014) http://www.nber.org/digest/jan05/w10580.html> accessed 29 June 2014. [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid. [9] Carlos Lozada, The Economics of World War I (nber.org 2014) http://www.nber.org/digest/jan05/w10580.html> accessed 29 June 2014. [10] Price Fishback, U.S. Economy in World War I (eh.net 2010) http://eh.net/encyclopedia/u-s-economy-in-world-war-i/> accessed 28 June 2014. [11] Ibid. [12] Price Fishback, U.S. Economy in World War I (eh.net 2010) http://eh.net/encyclopedia/u-s-economy-in-world-war-i/> accessed 28 June 2014. [13] Ibid. [14] Carlos Lozada, The Economics of World War I (nber.org 2014) http://www.nber.org/digest/jan05/w10580.html> accessed 29 June 2014. [15] Niall Ferguson, The Pity of War: Explaining World War I (1st, Basic Books, 1988) 249. [16] Ibid. [17] London Jewish Cultural Centre, Economic effects of the Treaty of Versailles (theholocaustexplained.org 2009) http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks4/the-nazi-rise-to-power/the-german-economy-c-1919-29/economic-effects-of-the-treaty-of-versailles/> accessed 29 June 2014. [18] Michael Duffy, Treaty of Versailles, 28 June 1919 (firstworldwar.com 2009) http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/versailles.htm> accessed 29 June 2014. [19] David Siminoff and Deb Tennen, World War II: Home Front (shmoop.com 2009) http://www.shmoop.com/wwii-home-front/economy.html> accessed 29 June 2014 [20] Ibid. [21] Ibid. [22] Ibid. [23] Dr. Susmit Kumar, Consequences of World Wars I and II (susmitkumar.net 2010) http://www.susmitkumar.net/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=66:consequenses-of-world-wars-i-and-iiItemid=38> accessed 29 June 2014. [24] Ibid. [25] Dr. Susmit Kumar, Consequences of World Wars I and II (susmitkumar.net 2010) http://www.susmitkumar.net/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=66:consequenses-of-world-wars-i-and-iiItemid=38> accessed 29 June 2014. [26] Jodi Beggs, Are Wars Good for the Economy? (about.com 2014) http://economics.about.com/cs/issues/l/aa032003c.htm> accessed 29 June 2014. [27] Tyler Cowen, The Lack of Major Wars May Be Hurting Economic Growth (nytimes.com 2014) http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/14/upshot/the-lack-of-major-wars-may-be-hurting-economic-growth.html?_r=0> accessed 29 June 2014. [28] Ibid. [29] The 15 countries with the highest military expenditure in 2013 (table). Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2011). [30] Ibid. Georgia OKeeffe | Artist Biography Georgia OKeeffe | Artist Biography Georgia OKeeffe Georgia O’Keeffe is one of many famous American painters. Her paintings of flowers, skulls, horns, and pelvises against a colorful New Mexico background are what made her known to the art world (Zophy 448). There are so many interesting facts about Georgia O’Keeffe, which include her education and teaching, her major works and where they are, the honors she has received, and her charcoal drawings. Georgia and her siblings attended the Number Five District school house. This school was called the Town Hall School. Georgia once stated, â€Å"My memories of childhood are quite pleasant, although I hated school. I left the local school when I was twelve, and was sent to a convent school in Madison, Wisconsin. It was the one year I ever really learned anything,† (Robinson 24). While Georgia attended the Sacred Heart School, she was in the advanced section of her class. â€Å"At the convent in Madison, I don’t even remember wanting to do anything I shouldn’t,† she said (31). In 1902, she was sent to the big public high school in Milwaukee. She didn’t pay much attention to the academics and did not like the art teacher either. In the art room of the high school, she realized that the world through which she walked was a never ending source for her work. Since the age of ten, she knew that painting would be her life long profession (Zophy 448). Georgia first taught at the Chatham Episcopal Institute in Williamsburg, Virginia. The six weeks at Chatham showed Georgia how to continue her art, live in the country and be able to live off her artworks. It showed her a life she might make for herself after all (Robinson, 79). Georgia was offered a teaching position at the University of Virginia. When she wrote to a friend in Texas to get a reference, her friend told her about an opening in Amarillo. She immediately took the position in Amarillo. â€Å"I was very excited about going to Texas, where Billy the Kid had been,† (Robinson, 86). â€Å"Later she went to West Texas State Normal College in the Texas panhandle. Her teaching methods were unofficial. Georgia was head of her own department. She taught the students the methods of design, drawing, costume design, interior decoration, and the teaching of drawing† (Robinson, 159). â€Å"One of Georgia’s many famous paintings is the Jack-In-The-Pulpit series. This series is a powerful celebration of the strong thrust of spring and of the dark secret tower enfolded in green. Due to the natural design of the Jack, the paintings have been viewed as sexual. Georgia did not like her paintings to be put into that category† (Robinson, 354). Another series of Georgia’s paintings is the â€Å"Corn† series. â€Å"She got the inspiration to paint this series while living with Albert, her husband, in the country. She loved working in her garden which is where the vision came to her. The design of the young plants while she was looking down onto them made an exciting and stirring statement to her† (Robinson, 269). The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum opened on July 17, 1997 in Santa Fe, New Mexico and was built for the purpose of preserving and presenting the life work of one of America’s famous artists, this museum now houses a permanent collecton of O’Keeffe’s art (â€Å"Georgia†). O’Keeffe Museum’s Director, Peter H. Hassrick, added, â€Å"O’Keeffe’s life and work are central to the Santa Fe mix. When people visit Santa Fe, they think of Georgia O’Keeffe, and an institution devoted to her artistic accomplishments, located in the region that inspired much of her work, is long overdue.† (â€Å"Georgia†). â€Å"There are more than eighty paintings, watercolors, drawings, pastels, and sculptures in the collection. One of the centerpieces of the collection is â€Å"Jimson Weed†, a large-scale flower painting, one of her favorite flowers, created in 1982. She liked to make more than one version of her paintings† (â€Å"Georgia†). â€Å" The museum’s long-range plans include the building of a study center on the museum grounds providing scholars, students, and the general public with reference materials on the life and art of Georgia O’Keeffe and her fellow artists† (Robinson, 423) â€Å"Another place that Georgia’s paintings can be seen is at the National Gallery of Art. â€Å"Secretary of Treasury, Andrew W. Mellon, first wrote of his interest in creating a national art museum in Washington, D.C. in the year of 1928. Later in 1937, Congress passed legislation to build the National Gallery of Art as an independent agency within the Smithsonian Institution. Four years later, the National Gallery of Art was dedicated by President Roosevelt in the evening of the seventeenth of March which was attended by over 8,000 guests† (â€Å"National†). â€Å"The mission of the National Gallery of Art is to serve the United States of America in a national role by preserving, collecting, exhibiting, and fostering the understanding of works of art, at the highest possible museum and scholarly standard,† (â€Å"Mission†). â€Å"The 291st Gallery in New York was the first gallery to recognize her talent. There were few galleries in New York that showed American art because each artist had their own special style† (â€Å"Younger†). It soon closed shortly after its opening in 1917 (â€Å"Younger†). Georgia had received many great honors throughout her life. Here are some of them: in 1935 she was recognized for excellence in her field by the New York League of Business and Professional Women. â€Å"Later, in May of 1938, she received her first honorary degree, a doctorate of fine arts, from the college of William and Mary, in Williamsburg† (Robinson 423). In 1939, she was chosen as one of the twelve most outstanding women of the past fifty years. â€Å"Her painting, Sunset-Long Island, was picked to represent New York at the World’s Fair† (Ahsby, 432). â€Å"In 1942, she was given a second honorary degree, this one from the University of Wisconsin. In 1946, Georgia received an honor from the Women’s National Press Club, as one of ten women who had reached distinction in their fields† (Ashby, 451). Thirty-one years later, on January 10, 1977, Georgia was given the Medal of Freedom, which is America’s highest civilian award and was awarded to her by president Gerald Ford (â€Å"The Award†). Georgia recieved another award from a President in April of 1985. This one was the National Medal of Arts, given to her by President Ronald Reagan. This is the highest award given to artists and art supporters by the United States Government. â€Å"With this medal, the President recognizes the extent of creative expression of America’s artists. This is a lifetime achievement award.† (â€Å"The Award†) Georgia was given this medal one year before her death (â€Å"National†). â€Å"In 1962, the American Academy of Arts and Letters elected her into membership. That same year she was honored with the Bandeis University Creative Arts Award. In 1966, she became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences† (Robinson 507). â€Å"Georgia O’Keeffe also did many charcoal drawings. Her very first charcoal drawing was titled the â€Å"Special No. 15,† a very early drawing of the Palo Duro Canyon in Texas. It sends a remarkable and significant sense of place. Then eighteen years later in 1934, she drew â€Å"Special No. 40.† She wrote, â€Å"This is from the sea – a shell – and paintings followed. Maybe not as good as this drawing.† Also in this group of Georgia’s drawings is a rare charcoal drawing of her friend, the African American painter Beauford Delaney from the 1940’s. In 1959, she made a charcoal drawing of a riverbed in a desert, which was inspired by sketches she made during one of her first airplane rides† (â€Å"Philidelphia†). â€Å"Another one, â€Å"Banana Flower No. 1,† was chosen by Albert to be shown in his gallery. Because of her high standards when drawing flowers, some people thought there was some hidden meaning in them† (â€Å"American†). â€Å"She also drew â€Å"Maybe a Kiss† in 1916, another of a series, because of a boyfriend who left â€Å"(Robinson 133). In 1934, she drew the â€Å"Eagle Claw and Bean Necklace (Robinson, 406). â€Å"All of Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings and drawings had a reason to be drawn. The first reason is because she loved nature.† Many times, she said, â€Å"You know how you walk along a country road and notice a little tuft of grass, and the next time you pass that way you stop to see how it is getting along and how much it has grown?† (Robinson 233). Many of Georgia’s visions came from nature, she would tell people this by saying, â€Å"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for a moment,† (Robinson, 33). She would walk through the pines and hear â€Å"singing woods,† (Robinson, 118). â€Å"On the prairie she noticed how dried bones and skulls had a beauty of their own. She liked the color, strength, and shapes of these.† (Robinson, 119) â€Å"Another reason for her charcoal drawings is because of her emotions. In the nineteenth century, and in earlier decades of the twentieth century, art critics enjoyed the sentimental and long discussions of the emotional qualities in the paintings they saw: sadness, tenderness, passion, rage – all four were great feelings to be kept in print† (Robinson, 178). â€Å"It seemed she did most of her charcoal drawings when she was sad or lonely† (Ashby, 133). She once told a friend that art was a force that passed through the soul (Robinson, 28). Summing up her life, Georgia moved to Abiquiu, New Mexico permanently after her husband died in 1946. She had visited there many times before and fell in love with the place. She rented a ranch and stayed there six months out of the year (Ashby 204). â€Å"Her style was known as modernism. Some of her most innovative works were in watercolors, pastel, and charcoal† (â€Å"O’Keeffe†). By the year of 1984, she was blind (Robinson 249). â€Å"She spent the rest of her life with a nurse. She died on March 6, 1986 at a hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She was ninety-nine years old. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered into the â€Å"windy landscape† near her house at Ghost Ranch† ( Robinson, 550). This paper has some of the many interesting facts about Georgia O’Keeffe, including: her education and teaching, her major works and where they are, all of the honors she has received, and her charcoal drawings. Georgia O’Keeffe had a ve ry interesting life, this term paper only touched on part of it. Works Cited â€Å"American.† Arkansas Art Center. 2000. 20 Feb 2008. . Ashby, Ruth, and Deborah Gore Ohrn. â€Å"Georgia O’Keeffe.† Herstory: Women Who Changed the World. New York: Penguin Books, 1995: 202-204. â€Å"The Award.† Presidential Medal of Freedom. 2007. 20 Feb 2008. . â€Å"Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.† Traditional Fine Arts Online, Inc. 1997. 22 Feb 2008. . â€Å"Mission Statement.† National Gallery of Art. 2008. 21 Feb 2008. . â€Å"National Gallery of Art.† National Gallery of Art. 2008. 19 Feb 2008. . â€Å"The National Medal of Arts.† National Endowment for the Arts. 22 Feb 2008. . â€Å"O’Keeffe on Paper.† Traditional Fine Arts Online, Inc. 1996-2001. 22 Feb 2008. . Robinson, Roxana. Georgia O’Keeffe: A Life. New York: Harper Row, 1989: 24-550. â€Å"Special.† Philadelphia Museum of Art. 1996-1999. 20 Feb 2008. . â€Å"Younger American Artists.† National Gallery of Art. 2008. 21 Feb 2008. . Zophy, Angela Howard, and Frances M. Kavenik. â€Å"Georgia O’Keeffe.† Handbook of American Women’s History. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data, 1990: 448. Bradford Assay: Standard Quantitative Method Determination Bradford Assay: Standard Quantitative Method Determination The Bradford assay is a standard quantitative method for the determination of protein concentrations. Bradford reagent used in the assay contains Coomassie Blue which produces a characteristic blue colour upon binding to proteins in solution (Bradford, Anal. Biochem. 72: 248, 1976).. Using a spectrophotometer the absorbance of the coloured product can be determined. Analysis of multiple samples may involve the use of a microtitre plate so that samples can be replicated and more reliable results obtained. The use of microtitre plates also automates the process so results are produced very quickly. Samples are pipetted into multi-well plates and the absorbance values measured using a multi-well microtitre plate reader equipped with a 595 nm filter. Part 1 Calibration Data for the Bradford Assay A calibration curve for the Bradford assay in the range 0.2- 1.0 mg/ml was obtained using three replicates for each concentration, using a microtitre plate. These data are shown in Figure 1 below. Linear Regression Analysis was performed and the equation of the line of best fit, y=mx +c, was produced (where y represents absorbance, x is the concentration of protein, m is the slope of the line of best fit and c is the intercept of the line on the y-axis). Q1. Describe the relationship between protein concentration and absorbance for the Bradford assay calibration curve. Q2. What is meant by a line of best fit? Q3. Comment on the value of R2 Using the values of the equation of the line of best fit, the absorbance value for each standard was used to calculate the actual concentration of protein in each replicate. The mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation ((mean/SD)x100%) were calculated and are presented in Table 1 below: Comment on the reproducibility of the assay in the range 0.2 to 1.0mg/ml of protein. Part 2 Investigation of the effects of detergents on the absorbance of a set concentration of protein, using the Bradford Assay. Background You are part of a research team that is looking at the different proteins involved in a cell signalling pathway which leads to the increased synthesis of a specific protein, P. One technique used in this work involves the use of cells kept under tissue culture conditions. These cells are treated with inhibitors, after which they are broken open by solubilisation of their membranes (cell lysis) and the soluble cell contents taken up into solution. Before analysis of the solution for levels of P, the total protein content of each lysate has to be determined. One of the reagents in the buffer solution that can be used to solubilise the cell membranes is a detergent. Detergents can cause interference in a protein assay. In an investigation using the Bradford assay, two detergents at different concentrations were exposed to a set concentration of protein (0.5mg/ml). These are sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and Triton X. The absorbance values were converted into protein concentrations using the equation of the line of best fit from the calibration curve and the data subjected to statistical analysis (One Way ANOVA). Mean data are compared in Tables 2 and 3, and Figures 2 and 3.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Critical Analysis of Research Papers -- Research Methods, Qualitative,

In this paper I will critically analyse the strength and weakness of using 'qualitative and quantitative' to a specific area of social work practice. The area of choice is children's services with focus on two research findings in the area of performance measurement within social work, with special emphasis on quality services and stability of placements for children looked after away from home. The two documents will be referred as Paper one titled 'Performance Targets and stability of Placement for children Long looked After away from home' Harriet Wardan and Tricia Skuse (2002) and Paper two titled 'Defining Quality care for looked After Children: Front line Workers Perspective's on Standards and all that'(David Watson (2003). I have chosen to use nursing framework because Quantitative and Qualitative studies are different approaches to research and therefore need to be approach different with regard to critiquing' Frances Ryan et al (2007) However, there has been considerable debate concerning whether qualitative and quantitative research can be assessed using the same criteria May & Pope (2000). The critique will focus on issues like, title, theoretical framework, research design, methodology, data collection, methods, data analysis, rigour, findings, ethics, generalisability and flexibility. The title clearly indicates the focus of the study in both papers, but for paper two did not say the meaning of 'all that'. According to Smith (1983) quantitative research is to explain, predict and develop laws that can be universally applied and Qualitative research is the interpretation and understanding of what people give to their situation. The researchers clearly stated the purpose of their studies, aim, objectiv... ...tative method because are interested in how ordinary people observe and describe their Silverman (1993). There are debates on why qualitative and quantitative can be combined because the two approaches share the goal of understanding the world in which we live Haase & Myers (1980). However, Reichath &Rallis (1994) argued that the two paradigms are incompatible if the qualitative paradigm assumes that there are no external referents for understanding reality. Howe (1988) suggests that researchers should forge ahead with what works. Quantitative research makes no attempt to have personal relationship with the people being studied and to account of their view. The accounts include feelings, beliefs these being concept of feminist work. Feminism holds on to qualitative method because are interested in how ordinary people observe and describe their Silverman (1993).

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Pressures Faced by Media Organizations During War Essay

While wars kill people, destroy lives and economies and create lasting hatreds, they often bring great benefits to a minority of people. Wars are great for the national cohesion of a country, wars allow unpopular rulers to gather support for themselves and rally the masses behind them. Wars may also benefit the manufacturers of arms and ammunition and military equipment, mercenary forces or other industries. Wartimes are often periods of great emotional upheaval and peoples’ patriotic and nationalistic feelings rise to a great intensity. During wars people are inclined to be less suspicious of government motives and more complaint to government commands and recommendations. However, generally wars cause much more harm than good and a section of the public often opposes war. During war times governments often rely on the national media to back their military policy and answer and refute the critics of war in their behalf. Media organizations face pressure from the government, the masses, the corporations and the military to conceal or distort facts or to report the war in a certain way. In a democratic country, the citizens depend on the media to inform them objectively whether a certain governmental policy is in their best interests or not. Often the rulers of a country decide to go to war, while the people are reluctant. In such situations the government may pressurize media organizations to convince the public of the need for war. This situation occurred in the United States at the start of the World War I. The American public saw no reason to enter war against Germany at the behalf of Britain. The President Woodrow Wilson, on the other hand pledged to enter war in the aid of Britain. In April 1917 as the US entered the war, Wilson formed the Committee on Public Information (CPI) to convince the American intellectuals to support US entry into the war. The committee flooded the country with speakers and propaganda posters. Newspapers were flooded with news releases denouncing the Germans and leveling true and false accusations at them (Ponder). While at war governments often wish that the war be seen as a moral cause, wars that are fought for mercenary reasons or out of a misguided or extreme conception of patriotism are portrayed as morally sanctioned campaign to bring about a noble goal. Members of the media are expected to use this narrative in their reporting. Those who question the righteousness of the cause may face punitive actions of various types. During the Vietnam War, the media was employed by the American government as a tool against the anti-war movement. Anti-war protesters were portrayed as traitors, giving aid and comfort to the Vietcong and North Vietnamese enemy. It was not until a large number of elected officials had declared their opposition to the ongoing war, that it became acceptable for the media to discuss the motives and assumptions behind the conflict and the righteousness of America’s cause. However the general tone of the war coverage was highly ‘patriotic’ as if the presence of the US forces in Vietnam were most natural and it were the Vietcong who were foreign invaders (Hallin). Compared to previous administrations, the Nixon administration had to face a lot more public skepticism and widespread anti-war sentiments. The television networks too, started showing a lot more criticism of the administrations war policies. The administrations response was to appeal to the affiliate TV channels, which were mostly owned by rich, white, conservatives, to bear pressure upon the news networks to reduce the extent of their criticism (Hallin). The success of the establishment’s efforts to present the war as a moral goal is heavily dependant upon the public’s perception of the enemy as the epitome of evil. Therefore the establishment may try to suppress any discussion in the media that portrays the enemy as having any positive quality whatsoever. Soon after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, comedian Bill Maher, on his TV show ‘Politically Incorrect’ questioned President Bush’s comment that the attackers were cowardly. One of the guests on the show, political analyst Dinesh D’Souza replied that the word was inaccurate when applied to the attackers, they were not cowards but warriors, agreeing with him Maher said, â€Å"We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That’s cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it’s not cowardly. † (Jones) This comment provoked a storm of fury in the public, in the media and the government. The comment was condemned by President Bush’s spokesman Ari Fleischer who said, â€Å"There are reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is. † (Jones). As a result of the controversy generated by the comment, the show ‘Politically Incorrect’ was deprived of advertising revenue and was cancelled a few months later (Jones). One of the most common themes employed in pro-war propaganda is the identification of the military campaign as a campaign for the human rights of ordinary people. This propaganda is severely threatened by the news of civilian causalities. Therefore governments at war wish may wish to suppress or minimize the impact of news mentioning civilian casualties caused as a result of their soldiers’ actions. In order to portray the conflict with the enemy as a struggle between good and evil it is necessary to minimize any wrong doings or atrocities committed by the national and allied armed forces. Often reporters learning of a story involving atrocities by their own side feel pressured to hide these atrocities altogether. Reporters may also fear that if they report anything negative about the military, their access to the frontlines will be curtailed. In addition for reporters who are embedded within a military unit, within a few days of facing the same dangers as the troops, their identification with the unit may make it extremely difficult for them to make an objective assessment of a situation. During the Korean War, in the summer of 1950, the United States forces gunned down hundreds of South Korean refugees at No Gun Ri, believing them to be North Korean infiltrators. This massacre and other lesser ones were covered up by the American reporters because they believed that publishing the story might harm the war effort. It was not until 1999 that the No Gun Ri massacre was reported in the American Media (Penri). In Vietnam, the journalist Morley Safer, who revealed a number of atrocities on the part of the American military was especially the target of government wrath. Military officials attempted to have him barred from the war zone and recalled by his news agency (Hammond). In order to keep public support behind the war, the government may wish to give the impression that the war effort is succeeding very well even when the facts are to the contrary. The government may try to restrict the broadcast of certain types of information such as causality figures. During the Vietnam War, the American forces were fighting a smaller, clandestine war in Laos. In order to prevent the news of this clandestine war becoming public, the casualty figures for the Vietnam war were expanded to include the casualties in Laos under the heading â€Å"Casualties incurred by the US . military personnel in connection with the conflict in Vietnam† (Hammond). During the present day Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the Bush government forbade the media from publishing photographs of flag draped coffins of American soldiers shipped back from Afghanistan and Iraq, on the basis that it would undermine the morale of the public. The government may also fear that news of military setbacks received by the national forces may turn public opinion against the war. In World War II, news of setbacks suffered by the US forces in the South Pacific were severely censored. If it became clear that there was no way to hide the news from being broadcasted, media sources would be instructed to wait until a victory had been achieved, the news of the setback in one area would then be paired up with the news of victory in another area to lessen the impact of the bad news (Carpenter). On occasion members of international media organizations may be regarded as a hostile force by a side in a conflict due to their refusal to ascribe to a code of self-censorship or due to perceived bias in their news reports. These media organizations may then face violence at the hands of military forces. The Qatari television channel Al-Jazeera may have been the object of this treatment in the present day Afghanistan and Iraq wars. In November 2001, a bomb dropped from a US warplane destroyed the Al-Jazeera office in Kabul. Al-Jazeera executives alleged that the US military had been informed of the coordinates of their office beforehand and that the bombing was deliberate (Wells). Al-Jazeera was again the alleged target of US attack in Iraq. Al-Jazeera interviewed Allied military personnel captured by Iraqi forces as well as the massive civilian losses caused by the allied bombing. Neoconservative intellectuals close to the Bush administration, such as Frank Gaffney advocated the use of the US military against Al-Jazeera, alleging that it was the mouthpiece of Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida. In November 2005, the British publication The Daily Mirror alleged the existence of a memo from the British Prime Ministers office that claimed that President Bush considered bombing al-Jazeera offices in Qatar in discussions with the Prime Minister Tony Blair and that Blair talked him out of it (Mcguire and Lines). The conduct of war often becomes a point of contention between rival groups in a government, this may lead to politically motivated intentional ‘leaks’ of sensitive information to the media. These ‘leaks’ may consist of partial, distorted or fabricated information, giving people a distorted view of the reality of issues. Since news media organizations are always looking to gain an advantage over their competitors they may decide to publish this unverified information thereby becoming unwitting tools in the hands of a faction in the government. During the Iraq War, the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame was leaked to the press, the leak was seen as a reprisal against Plame’s husband Joseph C.  Wilson IV who had refuted President Bush’s assertion that President Hussein of Iraq was seeking to build nuclear weapons in a column in ‘Times’ (Werther). Modern news media attempts to serve several masters at once. In order to get to cover a war a make a profit they have to keep the military, the people, the administration and the affiliates happy. The professional responsibility of a journalist to report only the truth often takes a b ackseat to these considerations.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Positive Guidance

Positive Guidance and Discipline In Classrooms There is a difference in guidance and discipline. Discipline involves teaching and learning. It also comes from the root word â€Å"disciple† which means a pupil, a follower, or a learner. Guidance is an attempt to change behavior by leading, directing, teaching, and advising. But the two have a connection. The main goal for guidance is self-discipline. Once a child achieves self- discipline, it will increase his or her ability to learn new social skills. They are also given more opportunities to practice those skills on their own rather than having an adult solve every problem or conflict that they have. Children and adults views on discipline are based on Past experiences, cultural values, lack of knowledge and current social values. Before we can guide children’s behavior, we must understand the child’s behavior. In my early childhood class we learned that there are two different types of guidance; direct guidance and indirect guidance. Direct guidance is verbal and physical techniques that are used to influence a child’s behavior. Some examples of direct guidance are redirection, distraction, positive reinforcement, encouraging, and limits. Direct guidance strategies will differ between age groups and even for individual children. Indirect Guidance is planning that influences the child’s behavior. Example of indirect guidance strategies are planning, observation, room arrangement, modeling, and age appropriate equipment and materials. Neither direct nor indirect guidance includes punishment. Most negative punishment is unnecessary. It causes pain most of the time and it puts fear in the child. The child will probably grow up being scared of you and that will damage the relationship forever and it would also block positive discipline. It makes the child resent the person who punished them. Punishment also tears away a child’s self-esteem and it offers no possible solutions or explanation to the problem. It makes a child feel like its ok to hurt someone you love. This may leads to problems like abuse, neglect and domestic violence when they grow older. Instead of punishing a child for something they do wrong, try to redirect and guide them on the right thing hat they should be doing. Explain to them in a nice voice that what they are doing is wrong. Tell them how to fix it instead of yelling or spanking. Maybe even a time out could be put into place but this should be used as a type of punishment either. It should be used for reflective purposes. When you send a child to time out they should go off to the side to think about what they did that was wrong. Short time ou ts seem to work best. They should be two to three minutes long. Many people see the quick result of punishment and think it is effective but it isn’t. As we learned in class it just buts a â€Å"band-aid† on it but it doesn’t fix the problem it just makes it worst. A reaction to punishment is anger. Most of the time children who are punished who to get even. They get even by hitting others. Most people who often get punished are often bullies. They feel as though mommy and daddy take their anger out on me so I’m going to take my anger out on someone that’s smaller than me. This creates a major problem in the classroom. They call other children names, ruin other people’s work and take their things. When you come across a student like this, as a teacher, you can’t punish him or her because it will cause even more damage. When mommy and daddy uses punishment at home they don’t have to deal with the results but the teacher has to at school. Punishment focuses attention on what not to do rather than what to do. That’s why when we made rules charts in class we used positive words instead of negative words like â€Å"no†. Instead of enforcing rules of what not to do, rules should tell children what to do. For example if you want the children to walk inside, you will say we walk inside. Rules should be simple so children can understand and must be positive. Rules prepare children for a successful living in the future. Having too few rules gives children make children think that they can do whatever they want to do. Sometimes it provokes them to do power struggles and test the limits even harder to get their parents or teacher to use their authority. On the other hand, a great number of rules or being a strict parenting creates an bad relationship between parent and child and fosters feelings of resentment and rejection, which lowers a child’s self-esteem. Besides, excessive control can provoke rebellion, not only toward the parents, but also against other authority figures. Although children may not like the rules, they deserve to receive explanations for limits and expected consequences for breaking the rules. When a child hears a negative statement like, â€Å"Don’t throw the sand out the sandbox ! † what the child really thinking is throw the sand out the sandbox, instead what you told them to do. If you do state a rule in the negative, like â€Å"No hitting! †, but an positive statement with it. In conclusion it is way better to use positive words and positive discipline rather than negative punishment. Punishment causes shame, blame and pain and no one wants that. It would both benefit you as the teacher or parent and the child. Negative discipline only puts a â€Å"band-aid† over the problem for short term results. The problem is not solved and eventually gets worst in most cases. Take the time out to talk to the child and redirect and guide young children behavior because it will teach them how to act and solve their problems on their own the next time.