Materialism and Mental Health free essay sample

A persuasive paper about how materialism has taken over society. This article discusses the situation of mental health and illness in todays society. The author argues that materialism, fame and fortune have taken over society and that as a result society has forgotten to give meaning to life. Good mental health is a fundamental aspect of life, but, as we are aware, a huge proportion of our society, around 25%, will at some stage suffer from a form of mental illness. We must realize the enormity of this problem. Stalin once said, The death of one person is a tragedy, the death of a thousand is a statistic. (Stalin). This means that we as humans, are unable to digest all the information that comes our way everyday and numbers are just that: numbers. 25% means that in every four people, one is likely to experience mental illness. Mental illness is a problem of the everyday, of the streets, of the ordinary man and woman that experience the joys, the sorrows, the trials and the tribulations of life. We will write a custom essay sample on Materialism and Mental Health or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

How to Calculate the Mean or Average

How to Calculate the Mean or Average Given a list of numbers, it is easy to determine the arithmetic mean,  or average. The average is simply the sum of the numbers in a given problem, divided by the number of numbers added together. For example, if four number are added together their sum is divided by four to find the average or arithmetic mean. Average or arithmetic mean is sometimes confused with two other concepts: mode and median. The mode is the most frequent value in a set of numbers, while the median is the number in the middle of the range of a given set.  Ã‚   Uses and Applications Its important to know how to calculate the mean or average of a set of numbers. Among other things, this will allow you to calculate your grade point average. However, youll need to calculate the mean for several other situations, too. The concept of an average allows statisticians, demographers, economists, biologists, and other researchers to better understand the most common situations. For example, by determining the average income of an American family and comparing it to the average cost of a home, its possible to better understand the magnitude of economic challenges facing most American families. Similarly, by looking at the average temperature in a particular area at a particular time of year, its possible to predict the probable weather and make a wide range of decisions appropriately. Issues and Pitfalls While averages can be very useful tools, they can also be misleading for a variety of reasons. In particular, averages can obscure the information contained in data sets. Here are a few examples of how averages can be misleading: Johns grades include a 4.5 in math, a 4.0 in science, a 2.0 in English and a 2.5 in History. After averaging his scores, his advisor decided that John is a straight B student. In fact, however, John is quite talented in math and science and needs remediation in English and history.Ten people were in a room. One woman in the room was pregnant. Based on the average, therefore, everyone in the room was .1% pregnant. This is, of course, a false and ridiculous finding! The Calculation In general, you calculate the mean or average of a set of numbers by adding them all up and dividing by how many numbers you have. This can be defined as follows: For a set of numbers, {x1, x2, x3, ... xj} the mean or average is the sum of all x divided by j. Worked Examples Lets start with an easy example. Calculate the mean of the following set of numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 To do this, add up the numbers and divide by how many numbers you have (5 of them, in this case). mean (1 2 3 4 5)/5 mean 15/5 mean 3 Heres another example of calculating the mean. Calculate the mean of the following set of numbers: 25, 28, 31, 35, 43, 48 How many numbers are there? 6. So, add together all of the numbers and divide the total by 6 in order to get the mean. mean (25 28 31 35 43 48)/6 mean 210/6 mean 35

Global Enterprise and Innovation individual report Essay

Global Enterprise and Innovation individual report - Essay Example This report will have various segments such as the analysis of main features of business environment within the US, role of government in promoting innovation, credit facilities and resources to the firms, scientific and technological capacity of the nation as well as general analysis of the national innovation systems within the US. Discussion Science and technology has increasingly been sighted to be a direct or indirect factor influencing the living of people within US. Various features define the business environment within the US with innovation as well as job creation being the major. Sustained investments within scientific research as well as strong system of education have been commended for great influence on general economic performance of the country. However, according to a 2011-2014 public policy statement by the ACS specific policies are critical in ensuring favorable business environment. Such policy recommendations include that appropriate tax and trade policies in ta rget of innovation and research should be adopted, encourage innovations through patenting as well as property rights and efficient commercialization and transfer of technological innovation within the country. Besides, the report shows a business environment that is in need of proper framework to encourage investment in research and innovation by small and large firms through such incentives as credit facilities and ensuring favorable business environment by the government (American Chemical Society, nd, 1-2). On the other hand, environmental awareness and conservation is a critical feature within business operations in the US where the government and other agencies increasingly regulate business operations on matters of environmental policies. According to a report by Esty and Charnovitz innovation is increasingly being influenced by policies and rules that are being adopted on environmental management and conservation. The report points to the poor performance of the government i n US to implement policies that are favorable to innovation concerning the environment effectively. This has therefore been a hindrance to operations of many firms, which are dependent on environmental policy frameworks (Esty and Charnovitz, 2012, para 1-4). Other factors that continuously have a direct impact on business performances within the US are social, political as well as economic factors. The social impact on business environment in the US is emanating from such aspects as the development of social platform and media, which all business operators must be aware of. Despite the great benefits that arise from social media, equally many shortcomings result from the improper application of the media into the business world within the US. Economic influences in the business environment within US are best examined from the perspective of economic growth of the country. Political factors on the other hand come in as political set up defines policy formulations as well as legal fra meworks within the nation (Sviokla and Gutstein, 2012-2013, para 1-5). Increased productivity through innovation by firms lead to improved standards of living of people. Through the design of appropriate policies and effective decision-making, the US government has continually created innovative environment, which has been attractive to such firms as Sony, which wholly rely on

Population control in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Population control in India - Essay Example In a bid to control the Indian population crisis, the government should implement some of the notable approaches including the use of contraceptive, sterilization and population policies. This paper looks at some scholarly proposals and suggests ways of controlling India’s population crisis. According to the 2004 Gupta’s article review on population, the Project Small Family (PSF) is one of the population control demonstration projects that can assist in the control of human population in India. The implementation of the scheme is taking place in the tribal belts of central India. Under the program, the family planning methods is shifted to the women participants by encouraging model family customs voluntarily. The program promotes small family set ups through providing regulated financial aid to the poor women who in exchange follow a reproductive system stipulated by the program (Gupta, 2004). The program provides a platform where the control of population targets the poor, who are characteristically associated with uncontrolled births. The program may achieve what other traditional birth control methods have not achieved by pegging the financial aid to an agreement to birth control. The desire and enthusiasm of getting financial leverage in the current state o f economic turmoil may be a valid motivator to trigger effective birth control among the tribal population in India. The Indian government may follow suit to help the NGOs initiating such plans because it is a win-win situation in the fight against poverty and population control. Results from the demonstration of PSF in India are promising since it makes the poorest uneducated women of the society observe birth control measures based on the financial incentives they get. However, the method may fail in the event that such financial aids reduce. In her article, Sarah Hodges proposes that population control may take the concept of wise reproductive practices in the modern India. The method

Major event happened in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Major event happened in China - Essay Example This places China on the same level as Trinidad and Tobago and Serbia. The index also reveals that China is indeed more corrupt than most of the developing countries like Sri Lanka. Corruption in China takes various forms such as either structural or non-structural. Non-structural corruption is also common in other parts of the world and includes illegal or criminal acts such as embezzlement of public funds, bribery, nepotism, and patronage. Structural corruption, on the other hand, is very difficult to tackle because it emerges on from weakness in political and economic structures in the country. This includes backdoor deals, statistical falsification, and graft. What is worse, corruption in China takes place at both individual and institutional levels. Political corruption has been a major obstacle to China’s development over the years and despite the government taking significant steps to curb the problem, there are still major instances of corruption in the country. Some analysts such as Yan Sun, a professor at City University of New York claim that there are more corrupt members in China’s leading political party, CPP than there are honest members. The current Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken a tough stance against corruption and has vowed to fight the vice. Impacts of widespread corruption include undermining democracy and good governance, reduces accountability, weakens institutions, and compromises both international and national laws. Corruption is a major threat to China’s development in its bid to overtake the US the world economic powerhouse. Most of the cases of corruption in China do nt6 find their way to the international stage due to unwillingness of the government to share such data with f oreign agencies. This has, however, not stopped some cases from attracting headlines in both local and international media. This essay is based on Makinen Julie’s article titled â€Å"In China, Corruption Cases Keep

Marketing Myopia, Theodore Levitt

Marketing Myopia, Theodore Levitt The rapid increase in technology, economic downturn and globalization has led the businesses to reflect about their organizational goals and policies. It is of imperative importance that an organization knows where it is heading. Businesses may have cutting-edge technology, large customer base and skillful employees which are an asset for any organization but it would all fall behind if that organization does not have a clear and concrete understanding of what it is trying to achieve in the long-run. It is the vision and goals of the company that direct its people to work for a purpose and is fundamental to the success of a company. Visions help to define the working practices, relationships, procedures and strategies for production which is turn determines the magnitude of progress of the organization. Theodore Levitt, in his article Marketing Myopia, compels the readers to understand the importance of effectively set visions which are a catalyst for the companys success. Most of the industries focus largely on their refined product and become victims of downfall in the long-run. They do not realize the cause of their diminishing growth because to them their strategies in product development and product enhancement are top-notch. They tend to blame external factors which might have contributed to their downfall but they fail to see the bigger picture underneath: their goals and visions did not focus on consumer preferences and needs. Theodore Levitt explains this phenomenon by the carefully penned term Marketing Myopia which refers to the short-sighted visions by the top-management that is focused on enhancing products rather than assessing customer needs. Levitt explains the downfall of railroads stating that the industry was defined incorrectly. The management should have seen railroads as a transportation means rather than just railroad industry. The stagnation of this industry thus was because of incorrectly defined vision. According to Theodore Levitt, there are no growth industries. He believes that in todays times there could be many substitutes for any number of products and the companys which focus on capitalizing their growth opportunities fall into a shadow of obsolescence. They fail to see the prospects of substitute industries which could wipe-out their businesses. For example, the silk industry in Europe has been thoroughly diminished because of introduction of viscose rayon as it costs less and has the ability to replace silk. In short, Levitt tells us that the companies are doomed to fail if their visions and purpose is obscure. In order to succeed, organizations should have crystal-clear goals that focus on the customer needs and preferences rather than on the product. This paper will discuss some of the pros of the article Marketing Myopia and some criticisms about the same along with examples. HIGHLIGHTING THE STRONG POINTS: Theodore Levitt emphasized that the organizations which are working on the belief that their products are unique; are growth opportunities for them and would continue to give them success, do not realize that their dependence on such belief could be their downfall. He describes this view in these lines: Industries that assume themselves to be riding some automatic growth escalator invariably descend into stagnation. The history of every dead and dying growth industry shows a self-deceiving cycle of bountiful expansion and undetected decay. He further gives four strong points arguing why these industries slow down in their growth conquest. 1. The belief that growth is assured by an expanding and more affluent population. 2. The belief that there is no competitive substitution for the industrys major product. 3. Too much faith in mass production and in the advantages of rapidly declining unit costs as output rises. 4. Preoccupation with a product that lends itself to carefully controlled scientific experimentation, improvement, and manufacturing cost reduction. I would be discussing these strong points here with the help of examples. 1. Population Myth: Theodore Levitt rightly argues that when the market for the product is growing the management tends to stop thinking about the future assuming that the growing market is the indication of future success. The management then focuses on expanding its production rather than thinking about marketing. The main focus of their concerns becomes selling which stems from the needs of the seller instead off the needs of the consumer. The management tends to ignore the changing trends and needs of the customer which leads the company to their doom. Iridium, which once was a high-flying organization on Wall Street, got the biggest failure in the market. Iridium introduced satellite phones in late 1990s that could work anywhere in the world. It was a brilliant idea which was flopped within a year pushing the company towards bankruptcy and leading the CEO to resign. The company invested billions of dollars in this project which backfired because the focus of their initiative was not the consumer. They assumed that the growing advancement in information technology and the larger customer base for mobile phones would be enough to build an expensive project on. They did not take marketing efforts seriously and failed to realize ahead of time that the consumers were not willing to pay high prices for their product and they did not take note of the fact that the cellular phones could become popular during that same time period. The market for satellite phones was not tested before launching the phones which did not get the success hope d by the management. 2. No Competitive Substitution Myth: The second argument by Theodore Levitt, the belief that there is no competitive substitution for the industrys major product, could easily bring about the downfall for the organization. When the management tends to have faith in the fact that their offerings are indispensable, they stop thinking about the future. They focus on producing that indispensable product and do not take into consideration the changing environment and the threats of possible entrants or substitute products. This belief takes the organization into stagnation. In this age, mobile phones have more or less replaced the fixed connections. The competition is between the landline services and the mobile phone companies. Now multiple wireless access technologies are also in the fast race with the GSM technologies. 3. Faith in Mass Production: Declining unit costs as production rises is a very attractive incentive for producers. They tend to focus on the production and costs rather than focusing on the marketing and consumer preferences. Once they have mass produced their products, they are inclined towards selling it instead of marketing it which becomes the reason for their downfall. As time changes, the consumer preferences change as well. . It is a known phenomenon that people and their behaviors have to change with the changing environment they live in. With todays changing milieu, an individual must be willing to abandon old techniques and learn new ones. Henry Ford, developer of assembly-line technique for mass production, introduced Model T automobile and revolutionized the transportation business. He started producing Model in large quantities. It was a success initially and was hailed as the everywhere. As time changed, the consumers started thinking in terms of benefits and value they get from the Model T car. They demanded more features especially color options. Ford replied saying, Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black; it was because black color used to take less time in drying. After some time, the production of Model T stopped as consumer wants changed and the industry got competitive. It is important for the organizations to take in view the changing trends and consumer wants. The industries in todays age are highly competitive and uncertain. Thus to avoid stagnation, marketing should be given specific importance. 4. Preoccupation with Scientific Research and Development Techniques: Theodore Levitt says in the article, The greatest danger which faces the glamorous new companies in this field is not that they do not pay enough attention to research and development, but that they pay too much attention to it. It is true that most technological firms tend to focus their efforts towards scientific implementations and research and development which raises their cost and increases their chances of failure if the innovations are not receptive to the consumers. Nokia, a world-leading organization in cell-phone industry, is fighting a battle with Apple Inc. for the market share of smartphones. The recent milestone in the cell-phone industry is the application feature. Apple has the largest market share in smartphone segments while Nokia is spending millions of dollars for R and D in this area yet its sales are diminishing. The software Nokia uses is failing which is the reason for continuous scientific research in this regard. According to Bloomberg.com, Nokias share of worldwide smartphone sales fell to 41.2 percent in the first quarter of 2009 from 45.1 percent in the year- earlier period, while Apples doubled to 10.8 percent. EXAMPLE OF MARKETING MYOPIA: Marketing Myopia does exist in almost all the industries where the top management fails to see the bigger picture. When the organizations take profit-making approach or mass production techniques, they tend to lose sight of the customers who can change the fate of any organization. Theodore Levitt gave us illustrations about myopic industries though most of his discussion was based on the railroad dilemma or the oil industry. Marketing Myopia, however, could be found in any organization. An example taken from Ivey Business Journal is presented here which discusses the downfall of PG owned coffee roasting company, Splendid, and the rise of Starbucks. For several decades Procter Gamble owned Splendid, an Italian coffee roasting company and a leading brand in the Italian take-home coffee market. Through Splendid, PG had access to a powerful reservoir of knowledge about the production, distribution and marketing of authentic, Italian espresso coffee, and to powerful insights on the consumer experience of enjoying an espresso or a cappuccino in an Italian coffee bar. But it viewed the potential of this knowledge narrowly: as a way to adapt the famous PG brand building and product management skills to the Italian market a peculiar place where people drank thick, dark coffee in preference to the traditional American brew. PGs myopic view of competition both in Italy and, back home, in the U.S.- and its failure to engage with the world as a source of innovation, left the way open for Starbucks, a minute coffee roasting company from Seattle. In the mid-eighties, Starbucks CEO spent some time in Italy and studied the technology and consumer behavior in the Italian coffee market knowledge that PG had already in-house at Splendid for ages. He then combined what he learnt in Italy with world-class retailing and fast-food management techniques perfected in the United States. To the recipe, he added his understanding of American consumers and New York financial market to craft Starbucks strategy. The results are now legendary. What made the success of Starbucks was not an innovative coffee blend but rather an innovative knowledge blend. The amazing thing is that PG had privileged access to all the components of the recipe, though some components were in other countries (Italy, for starters) or in other industries (for example, fast-food). But myopia was surely limiting and hurting PG, as it couldnt see much beyond its existing markets across the street. Eventually, in 1992, PG sold Splendid to Philip Morris Kraft General Foods. HIGHLIGHTING THE PROBLEMS OF MARKETING MYOPIA: Considering the fact that what Theodore Levitt said in his article Marketing Myopia was completely flawless would be ambiguous. Like every theory, Marketing Myopia also has its negative points. Railroad and Movie Industry: Theodore Levitt has explained the concept of marketing myopia with the help of the examples of railroads and Hollywood industry. He has pointed out that the failure of railroads was not due to the introduction of other transportation facilities availability rather the incapability of the management in defining the purpose of railroad industry as just railroad-oriented instead of a transportation-oriented. If they had identified themselves as transportation-oriented, they would have been able to see the market conditions more clearly and hence be prepared for any threats coming their way. Levitt has also explained about the Hollywood business in the same context: that they failed to define their purpose as entertainment-oriented and stuck with their myopic view of Hollywood as movie-making business which led to its near collapse because they did not treat TV as an opportunity. This led to their self-deceiving belief and TV became their threat and a much bigger industry. In 1990, David J. Morris Jr. of University of New Haven, published an article in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Services. He explained that the reason railroads came to their demise and the fiscal purgatory of Hollywood industry was not because they were myopic. He explained that their failure was due to the Government regulations that did not give them the chance for expansion even though they tried. In his article, he has stated that the US Government Regulatory body shifted to trucks, auto and air after World War II because of which the railroads got left behind. In his view, the railroads tried to expand into related transportation areas but the railroads suffered because of 70 years of government destruction. Morris has also explained that the Hollywood industry took steps to acquire television stations but the Federal Communications Commission denied this request to Paramount Pictures Inc. The movie industry also became a supplier to the television industry as the motion pictures were in colored and the television was still in black and white. Some motion picture producers also rented out studio space to television. The problems in movie industry thus were not because they were myopic rather because of antitrust policies and Government regulations. It is true that most managements fail to see the bigger picture while trying to focus on their product and define their purpose obscurely and finally getting caught up in myopia but the history of railroads and Hollywood industry show that they were not myopic rather victims of Government regulations. Stakeholders: Theodore Levitt stresses upon the need to focus on the customers and their preferences. In his article, he has emphasized the role of marketing repeatedly saying that the success of the firm in inevitable if the market has been thoroughly researched and the visions and goals of the company are defined on the basis of the marketing efforts. But he does not explain about the role and need of the stakeholders of the organization who also play a big part in the future of the organization. An organization may have an excellent product, well-defined market segment and a considerable market share and yet it could all fail if there are any problems in the workforce, distributors or suppliers. The focus should be the customer but the stakeholders should also be taken into consideration while defining the vision of any organization. Likewise, the marketers should also focus on the current environmental situations, environmentalists and legal regulations instead of just focusing on the customer. Leadership Issues: An organization could also fail if the leadership has no purpose for the organization. It is important to define the purpose in terms of market conditions but an organization should also have a purpose and a reason to exist; when it is lost the organization would fail even if their product and customer base is strong. Theodore Levitt has stated that in order to succeed in future an organization must have customer-oriented goals but the management should also have a vision to lead so that it could fulfill the purpose of those customer-oriented goals. For example, before 1984, ATT had a purpose and a reason to survive. The organization had talented employees and excellent services. The company started failing due to changing technologies and shifting regulations. Michael Armstrong was hired as the CEO with the hope that he would prevent ATT from failing. That unfortunately did not happen because the vision of the CEO to lead was hazy. He started laying-off employees and losing acquisitions and cost-cutting strategies which backfired. The reason was simple: Michael Armstrong did not have a clear understanding of how to lead and could not therefore manage the customer-oriented visions. CONCLUSION: Information in todays time has become more liquid and accessible. The organizations which want to grow in this world need to recognize the need for knowledge about the changing trends, technologies and customer preferences. Marketing Myopia as defined by Theodore Levitt could teach a lot of organizations the importance of clearly defined purposes and customer value. The organizations need to look around them to the changing environment-not only local changes rather a birds-eye view of the world around them. If the top management fails to see the local and global implications of the changing trends and decides to just focus their attention to their product then they are bound to get caught in myopia. This age is not one for an isolated entity. It is also of great significance that the top management analyzes the over-all impact of their strategies with the view to the market and start to think imaginatively. In the recent years, the understanding of marketplace trends and its competitive implications has led the organizations to change their strategies and policies. The competitive pressures influence the businesses to act speedily and innovate productively. The only profit-making approach towards busine ss does not hold true in these times because a single idea, a new product or even a new use of an existing idea can change the marketplace rapidly. The organizations have to continuously evolve and innovate in order to stay in this cut-throat competitive environment. If the management fails to do this, them the organization is bound to be caught up in the self-deceiving cycle of bountiful expansion and undetected decay.

Death Be Not Proud Essay -- essays research papers

	How would you cope if you were going to die? In the memoir Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther, his son Named Johnny is faced with this situation. At an early age, Johnny was found with a brain tumor, and struggles to survive. Johnny later died from the brain tumor. Johnny was loved by many people; much of whom tried his/her best to help Johnny through this ordeal. Although Johnny was faced with death, Johnny faced death with courage throughout the book. Even though Johnny was faced with death, he faced death with courage. Johnny showed that, by keeping a positive attitude through this whole ordeal. Johnny’s hope, positive attitude, and courage kept his death at bay, even in the face of terrible pain and incurable illness. " But later that day he developed an excruciating headache, the only fierce and intense pain he suffered during the whole course of his illness-a small mercy, perhaps, but one to be devoutly grateful for"(p24) Johnny was faced with unimaginable pain throughout his illness; yet he maintained a level of hope and determination to live. At the young age that Johnny was at, and to face death, it must have took a lot of courage to stay positive. Johnny kept fighting, determined to recuperate, even if he had to do things himself. "I watched him give himself a hypodermic injection of liver extract on the side above the hip, an awkward place to reach. I could not possibly have done on anybody, let alon e myself." (p77) Johnny, had to ta...

Bantu education and source analysis Essay

1. The main aims of the Bantu Education Act were mainly (at least according to Dr. Verwoerd) to transform education for natives into Bantu education, which will teach them things they will need to know in their lives. This is stated clearly in Source A, where Dr. Verwoerd is quoted saying â€Å"Education must train and teach people in accordance with their opportunities in life, according to the sphere in which they live.† Reading between the lines, Dr. Verwoerd is saying that the Bantu are an inferior race that will never be equal to the whites, and that it would be a waste of resources and effort to try and teach them things they will never need to know. By saying the he almost directly suggests that the blacks should be kept down, as it would be absolutely ridiculous to try and teach him mathematics, for example, when all he will ever amount to is a farmer or a tailor. I In Source C it is directly stated that, as most blacks will become agriculturists, the most useful things that can be taught to them are gardening and needlework. He doesn’t even give the blacks a chance, immediately dismissing them as complete idiots whom wouldn’t even want the same type of education as the whites. Therefore, when planning the different syllabuses for all education, the black systems should be limited to very simple skills such as reading, writing, farming and perhaps very simple mathematics. We wouldn’t want to overload the blacks with information that will only confuse them and make them unhappy, now would we? According to the Commission on Native Education the blacks; knowledge of anything requiring intelligence should be barred. In another speech by Dr. Verwoerd (Source B) he states that â€Å"The Bantu must be guided to serve his own community in all respects† and:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Until now he has been subjected to a school system which drew him away from his own community and misled him by showing him the green pastures of European society in which he was not allowed to graze†. Basically, these two  quotes state that Verwoerd doesn’t want any wannabe Europeans around. He defends his arguments by saying that it would also be unfair to continue educating the Bantu like the Europeans, as it is only showing them new horizons they will never be allowed to explore. Educating them like this would therefore create Bantu that had the skills of Europeans, and not their people. As whites into would never hire them the administrative positions their education levels demand, they would be forced to go back to their people and farming, in which they would have no skills. This would cause discontent in everyone, so it is better not to educate the Bantu at all. Apparently it would also be very uneconomic to spend money on education without a specific aim, and disrupt the community life of the Bantu. His main point behind the arguments states this: We don’t want to have the blacks interfering in our lives. Source E further supports these arguments. In this photo four black schoolboys are looking very happy walking down a road. This photograph seems very arranged to make the outside world think the South African government is doing all they can to bring light into the darkness that is the life of the Bantu. 2. Assessment of source B Source B is an excerpt from a speech made by Dr Verwoerd to the senate of South Africa on the 7th of June 1954. I think this source is very valuable, as it is a primary source from the time period. It gives us direct information about what Verwoerd said in his speech. It also tells us a bit about what kind of government was in power at the time. This can be seen from the fact that he can give such a racist speech. If someone gave this speech today, he would be severely criticized and ridiculed. At the time the speech was given it would appear that the senate would be expecting to hear something like this, and be satisfied by it. This again proves what a racist government was in power at the time of the speech. It does not leave much room for bias, except by censorship, or having some parts of the speech left out. This source is also very limited in many ways. It doesn’t tell us many things, as it is only a part of a speech. For instance, it doesn’t tell us who recorded this speech, and chose the parts to be included. We don’t know either what Verwoerd said in the parts that are not included. It would also give a clearer image of the government in power if we were told about the senate’s reaction to the speech. If they cheered madly, this would prove what a racist system was in power at the time. A tremendous help would be if we found out what happened after the speech. Were all his suggestions made reality, or were they regarded as a failed idea. I would also be very interested in finding out what inspired him to give this speech. Was he requested to give a speech on the topic, or did he himself think the time was appropriate for such an exclamation. Assessment of Source E This source is a photograph of four black schoolboys stating how happy they are, and what a good job the government are doing at getting all the Bantu into school. This photo is very valuable specifically because it is so obviously staged. This is a good example of a heavily manipulated propaganda photo. It is meant to give us the idea that all is well with blacks, and they are the happiest of all. If you dig deeper, though, you can deduce many things. Obviously the photographer has told the children where to stand and to apply a huge smile to their faces. This tells us that the South African government was concerned about their image with the outside world and human rights activists. This photo was obviously taken to soothe the minds of anyone worrying about the ill treatment of the blacks. The main limitation of this photo is we don’t know how much the photo was manipulated. Maybe the boys were walking down the street, and were told to smile while a photo was taken. Maybe the four boys were rounded up, put in school uniforms and made to walk down the street in exchange for a small payment. We don’t know. 3. In my opinion, Source B is absolutely the most useful. It really captures the mentality of the current government and the people. It tells us Dr.  Verwoerd’s opnion about the blacks and their treatment. Although he doesn’t directly announce his hatred for blacks and how he wants to shoot them all, we can see he is more concerned with the wellbeing of the European community than that of the Bantu. It is also a primary source, so chances are it has not been subject to too much manipulation. It gives us a good understanding of the government, Dr Verwoerd and how the blacks are being treated. It is a bit sugarcoated, but once you delve deeper it is obvious what they really think. I think this source is the most useful because it captures the attitudes towards the Bantu at the time.

Margaret Atwood Essay Example

Margaret Atwood Essay Example Margaret Atwood Paper Margaret Atwood Paper Achebe and Atwood appear to be writing about vultures, but are actually commenting on something different. Both poets compare vultures to humanity but Atwoods poem describes vultures in a good ways whereas Achebe describes vultures in a bad way. In Achebes poem the first section talks about vultures. On the whole it portrays them to be evil and dark but then suggests that humans are no better than vultures. Achebe uses a lot of dark negative words to portray vultures in the first section of the poem, he uses dark words that are, greyness, drizzle and despondent to set the scene, this shows that the vultures live in a dark habitat. This first section of the poem uses good imagery to set the scene. The next two lines suggest a stereotypical part of a vultures home, on a dead tree. Dead suggests that the vultures have killed the tree as well as other animals. Achebe then describes the vultures themselves and uses mostly negative words, such as bashed in head, bone, corpse and trench. Bone and corpse suggests death which represents the vultures to be bad and related with death. Bashed in head shows that vultures are ugly which makes a negative atmosphere and image. But Achebe also uses some positive words like affectionately, mate and perching. Affectionately suggests that vultures have a soft side to them and can treat others in a decent way. Mate shows that vultures are bit like humans, they have friends and lovers. Also perching suggests that vultures like to chill out and relax exactly what humans like doing. Margaret Atwoods poem also portrays vultures in a bad way, she compares them to other animals and then to humans in the last two stanzas. When she compares the vultures to humans it create a negative atmosphere in the poem resulting in the reader to think about how they act and how they treat others and even animals. In the second stanza Atwood compares vultures to hyenas and uses fierce and frightful words to portray the vultures to hyenas, she uses around the kill which shows that vultures want and like death. She also uses simple words like black which does not sound bad but helps to create a negative image and atmosphere of the vulture. Hyena is the main word in this stanza and suggests that vultures hunt in groups and laugh at there kill, this shows the vultures are just sick. Atwood then goes on to compare vultures to beetles which suggests that they are annoying pests that dont deserve a place on Earth. Atwood uses words to show that vultures only care about themselves. Atwood uses words to show that vultures only care about themselves, she uses gluttonous for a space which shows that they are in a mind of there own and dont think of others, she also uses territory of murder which shows that there kill is there territory and only there food and will not share it. Atwood does not use any words to portray vultures in a positive way but makes this makes humans look bad which is the message of the poem. Atwood and Achebe both describe vultures in a negative way to show how bad humanity is. But Atwood uses no positive words where as Achebe uses some positive words, which suggests that he does not want to put down humanity completely and wants to show there still is a small bit of good in humanity where as Atwood is all negative words suggesting she just want to get a strict point across that humanity has no good in it and needs to change. Achebe uses small more harsh serious phrases to portray vultures like swollen corpse, where as Atwood uses long less harsh words to describe the vultures like gluttonous for a space.

My World in Poetry Essays

My World in Poetry Essays My World in Poetry Essay My World in Poetry Essay The significance of this essay: creating a detailed description of me, one that grades cannot portray. Well here I am, Rachel Laura Gibson.Even before I could read, I had a natural curiosity for language, picking up new words easily and using them in surprising ways. For me, words were more than a way to communicate they were a form of art. As I explored the world of words, I began to understand writing as a powerful way to express my emotions. I looked to poetry as a focus to bringing out everything inside my head, every thought that defines me. And so, as I attempt to do the same, I look to poetry once again.Beginning this journey, I enter my room, the sun glowing through my window shades and illuminating the peony walls. I search for my journal, soon discovering a red spiral notebook, with my pen attached. To make sure it still worked, I scribble on the back of the notebook, finding it to be almost out of ink from all the writing it had done; but just enou gh left for me to continue. Finding a comfortable spot, I gently lay across my bed. And so I beginWhen no one else is aroundI think of things I could never sayAs lyrics run through my mindMelodies lingering in my earsI become the girl no one else can seeSomeone who goes beyond stereotypesBeyond imageShe has a perfectly imperfect lifeShe is real, and so are her friendsThe clothes she wears may not be designerBut she likes who she is:Her personalityHer brown skinHer lifeHer smileYetTears stream down her faceAs she dreams of a time, where she wont have to hideWhen acceptance wont matterWhen people wont careBut they doSo there she stays, showing people what they want to seeWaiting to be recognizedWaiting to be me.The waiting has come to an end. My poetry has allowed me to find my voice and let the world see Rachel Gibson; bright, unique, compassionate and with a perspective on the world that not many seventeen-year-olds have. This is a definition of me. I can think of this as a map to m y being, a window to my soul, or a record of my life. No matter which point of view I choose, every poem I have written contains a little piece of me, living and breathing in each line.My goal is to build understanding with my words. I amlooking to have an impact on issues of diversity which have shaped who Iam today. I want to help peopleUnderstandSee anothers viewLearn something newTo understand is to seeBeyond what you can seeTo know how Im feelingLook in my heartSpiritual healingRead between the lines andFind what you seekTo understand is to seeSee beyond meWelcome to my world.

Physiology and pharmacology for nursing practice Essay

Physiology and pharmacology for nursing practice - Essay Example The assortment of processes by which the body controls the internal environment making it constant is jointly known as homeostasis. In a bid to ensure that the body’s internal environment is stable, the conditions of the body must be continually monitored and adjusted through homeostatic regulation (Lenford and Johnson, 2015). It engages the receptor, the control center, and the effector. The receptor detects information about changes that occur in the environment (Norris & Carr, 2013). They then send the information to the control centers, which interpret the information as either being below or above the homeostatic range (Clancy & McVicar, 2009). The control centers send commands to the effectors that correct the disturbance by either opposing or enhancing a stimulus thus reinstating homeostasis (Clancy & McVicar, 2009). This is a continuous process to ensure the continuity and maintenance of homeostasis. An example is where the temperature receptors in the skin detect a change in temperature; communicate this to the control centers which are in the brain, then to the effectors in the blood vessels and sweat glands facilitating the required adjustments (Lenford and Johnson, 2015). When disturbances in the physiological balance occur, the system reacts to two forms of feedback. These include the positive and negative feedback. The majority of the homeostatic control mechanisms operate on the principle of negative feedback (Lenford and Johnson, 2015). It involves the system responding so as to reverse the direction of the change. An example of this principle is blood sugar regulation in the body. An increase in blood glucose higher than the homeostatic range triggers the processes that reduce it. Still, when blood glucose levels are below homeostatic range, the processes that increase the glucose levels will be triggered. Both instances result in the blood sugar level being maintained at a constant level

Drug Development and Toxicology (High-performance liquid Essay - 1

Drug Development and Toxicology (High-performance liquid chromatography) - Essay Example n from the day of the accident to the 5th day sampling, it can be seen that the presence of 4,5-dihydrodiol is evident in all days in the range of 0.1 to 0.2 nmol/ml. the second metabolite 7,8-dihydrodiol has the most presence immediately after the accident but slowly diminish through the days. The metabolite 7,8-diol-9,10 epoxide on the other hand has the least presence on the samples. It is even undetected during the first two days of the accident. Epoxide Hyrdolase contribute to the biodegradation of many organic compounds such as benzo[a]pyrene.(Loo, et al. 2006). This enzyme has the ability to detoxify a wide range of organic potential genotoxic epoxides with diverse structures (ARand, et al. 2003). It can modulate the effects on the binding of benzo[a]pyrene to the DNA structures (Carcinogenesis, 1983). It plays important roles in the metabolic activation of benzo[a]pyrene to carcinogens and mutagens (Thakker, et al. 1977). Metabolism of Benzo [a) Pyrene leads to formation of various compounds such as benzo[a] pyrene 4,5-dihydrodiol, ortho quinone and benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (Wood, et al., 1976). The first product is less or considered as non-mutagenic as compared to the other product which are the epoxide diol metabolites. The role of epoxide hydrolase is important such that it makes the benzo [a] pyrene derivatives to result to the non-mutagenic products. With this, there is less threat to genetic mutation and other health risks (Wood, 1981). Mr X is may have the possibility to develop cancer. There are three products for the metabolic pathway for benzo[a]pyrene where the product 7,8-doil-9,10-epoxide provides the biggest threat to human health due to its carcinogenic and mutagenic effect (Ruan, 2006). However, with the sampling and retention times considered, there are more products for 4,5-dihydrodiol produced based on the UV absorbance wavelength in detecting their presence. Benzo-pyrene are polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons with