My First Experience

My First Experience Riding a Pedicab Alone I think we all have that kind of experience where we used to ride a vehicle with friends or family but because of dire emergencies, we are forced to go by ourselves. My experience with this kind of event was a bit nerve-wrecking yet I also had the feeling of great success. This happened on my early freshmen year in High School. I did not really prefer riding â€Å"pedicabs† alone especially at night yet I was forced to. However, this experience taught me that trying something in another way might be risky yet it shows surprising and rewarding results.It was already late in the afternoon and was getting darker when I waited for my dad to pick me up from school. I called him and he answered. However, he said â€Å"I’m sorry son but I can’t pick you up. You’ll have to ride a public transport to go home. You either ride a pedicab or an ‘easy-ride’. † I asked him why and he replied, â€Å"The car b roke had a problem so I left it in the repair shop. † Tired and depressed, I went out of the school and walked to the nearest waiting area alone because most of my friends and classmates had already gone home.I knew it would take me quite some time to wait for a passing pedicab. I had no experience signaling the driver properly because I usually let my companions do it. Thankfully, I have no problems talking to strangers or random people, so explaining my destination to the driver wasn’t a big deal. Then there was another problem that popped into my head. I was short on money and I had no idea how much the fair cost. That night did not go so well for me. Not long after I started waiting, I finally got a ride.It was the first time that I had nobody else to talk to except for the driver. The driver looked familiar but I could not put my finger on it. Being curious, I started a conversation with the driver. It just started as small chit-chats before I asked, â€Å"You loo ked familiar. Do I know you from somewhere? † He grinned and said, â€Å"Silly boy, I’m your neighbor from across the road. † That shocked me for a bit. He continued, â€Å"The reason you may not know me or see me is because I get up so early. † Embarrassed, I just nodded my head and smiled.As we arrive to our neighborhood, I was about to ask him for the price of the fair. He declined saying, â€Å"Since we are neighbors, and I had a great time conversing with you, you don’t have to pay me but only for now. † I was thankful upon hearing this as I waved good-bye for the night, hoping we cross paths again. That night, I had to take the risk of using a public transport which is rather unsafe considering it was night and I had no companion but with my determination, I was able to get home with a surprising reward.

Whap Chapter 15

Chapter 15 1. The economy of the Song Dynasty was one of the most prosperous and advanced economies in the medieval world. Monetary gain was assured from the vigorous overseas trade and indigenous trade along the Grand Canal and Yangzi River 2. The Tang Dynasty focused on education and foreign policy while the Song Dynasty focused on economic growth and the arts. 3. Under Emperor Taizong Li Shimin's wise governing, the national strength and social development of the Tang Dynasty reached an unparalleled prosperity – economy and commerce flourished, the social order was stable,corruption never existed. . Zhngguo translates traditionally as the â€Å"Middle Kingdom. † Only in the nineteenth century, Zhongguo became the common name for the country. During this time China expelled and Christians and outlawed the religion. They also started to become more internal and did not try to expand. 5. The Song eventually fell to the Mongols in 1279, who moved against the Southern Son g years after the forces of Genghis Khan had defeated the Jin.The Mongols had superior military organization and a better grasp of the advances in military technology 6. During the Sung dynasty the monumental detail began to emerge. A single bamboo shoot, flower,or bird provided the subject for a painting. Among those who excelled in flower painting was the Emperor Hui-tsung,who founded the imperial academy. 7. The most important technological innovation of the Ancient Period was the creation of the wheel. The wheel allowed humans to transport goods over long distances.People could also travel longer. 8. From the fifth century AD Confucian orthodoxy retreated before the popularity of Buddhism and Daoism. But a renaissance came during the Song dynasty when Confucianism responded to the challenge and developed its own metaphysics. This new trend is known as Neo-confucianism, and its main exponent was Zhu Xi (1130-1200). It subsequently became the main orthodoxy of the scholar official s until the demise of the imperial system in 1912. 9.Because of the remarkable durability of Chinese civilization as well as its marvelous technological and economic innovations, other cultures began to imitate China. Japan, Korea, and Vietnam were all drawn into China's cultural and political orbit in the post classical period. Each country interacted with China differently 10. It indicated that this person was of such high social status that she didn't have to do any work – that she could be carried from place to place by servants, that her every need would be catered to by others.

Into the wild character comparison

Into the wild character comparison essay Into the wild is a story about a man named Christopher Mishandles. In this story we learn that he gives up almost everything he owns to take a dangerous Journey and live off the land. Along the way we learn about a man named Gene Roseland who has a similar but deferent story to Christopher. Although these two men have a lot In common, they also have many differences. Christopher Mishandles was a very Intelligent guy. He graduated from Emory university with honors and was an excellent athlete. Many people saw Christopher as one of them students that would most likely succeed In life.Ditching the Idea of going to law school, he decided to take a Journey throughout Alaska and some other places. He burned most of his money and only had a ten pound bag of rice for food, and a rifle for whatever he caught on the way. Gene Reselling was almost just like Christopher. He also excelled in academics. Carrying a grade point average of 4. 0 throughout high lights and college. He did not receive a degree though because he didn't see a point in it, and only studied for the sake of learning. After college he decided to do an anthropological experiment. Gene believed that he could live off the grid just as Christopher did.He saw that people could do without modern day technology and live life like it was in the Older days. Unlike Christopher, Gene carried enough supplies to last him months or even longer. He also was dressed more properly for the harsh weather. When Christopher set offer his Journey, he didn't tell anyone where he would be going. He simply left everything behind him like it was nothing. Getting lucky, Christopher found people to stay with and work under the table for. These jobs were only temporary for him as he would go from place to place often. Since he didn't bring a lot of food or supplies, it made it really hard on him to manage.Because he chose to not be more prepared like Gene, Christopher died of starvation. Alth ough many people believed Chris had died from eating bad berries, this theory has not been yet proven. On the other hand, Gene Reselling experiment lasted for about 30 years. Soon after he realized that this Idea of his was absolutely Impossible, he decided to re-evaluate his goals. Out of complete shock, Roseland had committed suicide with a knife through his heart lying face down. These were both tragic deaths that sparked many people In Alaska and even attracted hate. These two men play a very Important role In travel history and the book â€Å"Into theWild†. With their very similar situations and stories, both men were very good people and had the Intentions of proving the same point. Neither one of these people are exactly the same but, they wanted to show people that going Into the wild and living off the land isn't always impossible. It just takes a lot of skills and and hard work. Into the wild character comparison By Raven_16 live off the land. Along the way we learn about a man named Gene Reselling who has a similar but different story to Christopher. Although these two men have a lot in Christopher Mishandles was a very intelligent guy.He graduated from Emory University with honors and was an excellent athlete. Many people saw Christopher as one of them students that would most likely succeed in life. Ditching the idea of Gene Reselling was almost Just like Christopher. He also excelled in academics, believed that he could live off the grid Just as Christopher did. He saw that people Unlike Christopher, Gene carried enough supplies to last him months or even longer. When Christopher set off for his Journey, he didn't tell anyone where he would be Christopher found people to stay with and work under the table for.These Jobs were about 30 years. Soon after he realized that this idea of his was absolutely impossible, he decided to re-evaluate his goals. Out of complete shock, Reselling had committed that sparked many people in Alaska and even at tracted hate. These two men play a very important role in travel history and the book â€Å"Into the and had the intentions of proving the same point. Neither one of these people are exactly the same but, they wanted to show people that going into the wild and living off the land isn't always impossible. It Just takes a lot of skills and and hard work.

Final Project-The Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final Project-The Story - Essay Example Such policies should also define stakeholders who will be held accountable on the progress, success or failure of the initiative. Inevitably, policy makers, physicians, nurses, nursing bodies, educators, patients, insurance firms and state authorities must collaborate to bring diabetes under control. The most effective control measure would be the prevention of the occurrence of new cases, while at the same time controlling and managing the condition among those already living with it (Davies, Dixon & Currie, 2001). The role of educators, therefore, becomes a key emphasis of the policy making procedure. This becomes a key issue because a 20 year old patient representing a diagnosis was interviewed for the project and confirmed not having been sufficiently informed on the necessity of a healthy lifestyle in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. This, in turn, means that the role of diabetes educators is not sufficiently felt in society, creating a knowledge gap. This issue is link ed to nursing because nurses have the abstract information on patient care and can contribute significantly towards formulating policies that will effectively curb the growing numbers of diabetic cases. Being the ones closest to patients in terms of provision of care, they are in a better position to know what advice needs to be given in the prevention and control the problem. Therefore, their role is significant in promoting the initiative through providing evidence-based and up-to-date facts about education and care in diabetes (Davies, Dixon & Currie, 2001). This essay will discuss the problem, the policy and political procedures and provide a concluding solution. Policy Analysis The subject of diabetes has faced numerous policy challenges. The American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) pointed out that at some time, when citizens were diagnosed with diabetes, access to life insurance available in their states became unaffordable and even sometimes unavailable (Oliver & Mo ssialos, 2012). The reason was that federal law permitted life insurance firms to operate on policies that rated or charged a premium basing on the health status of applicants. Essentially, such plans allowed the insurance companies to deny an applicant the sought cover depending on their health status. Even so, patients requiring access to diabetes educators require a physician’s referral in order to receive the services (Peeples & Austin, 2007). This poses another policy challenge in the management of diabetes. Some physicians may not be giving the referrals as a measure to safeguard their revenue sources, and even if they did, the number of available educators is not sufficient to handle them. On the other hand, without a physician’s referral, the services of an educator are not among the covered benefits of insurance. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), diabetes at any stage needs round-the-clock management to alleviate long term complications ass ociated with hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Within the learning environment, levels of blood sugar not within the target range will interfere with the learning ability of a student. Non-diabetic students must be taught healthy lifestyles to avoid it, while the diabetic ones should have the ability to check and respond to blood glucose levels accordingly. Although some may handle the routine independently, others, due to developmental level or

Ben's Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ben's - Case Study Example This is because high neutrophil count can be due to several factors such as stress due to sudden bacterial infection or damage of tissues among others. C. Respiratory acidosis-Respiratory acidosis is caused by alveolar hypoventilation, which leads to increased hypercapnia. The tests results help determine whether respiratory acidosis is acute or chronic. 12. CFC is usually clear, colorless, and sterile and contains similar constituents to those present in blood, but in lower amounts. Thus, the physician was relived because sterile CSF proved that there was no bacterial infection in the CSF. She was considering the possibility of bacterial meningitis infection. 13. Antibiotics can change the normal microbial flora, which may result in toxicities where the drug is unable to differentiate between the host physiology and the pathogen physiology; hence, destroying both the normal bacteria and harmful bacteria. Thus, Ben’s condition deteriorated due destruction of the normal bacteria in his body, which promoted the growth of drug-resistant microorganisms (Bauman, 2011). 14. Hospitalized patients are quite vulnerable to staphylococci and gram-negative bacteria, which are highly dangerous for already ill patients. Thus, this could have contributed to Ben’s condition and placed him at a high risk of

Why were people opposed to the war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Why were people opposed to the war - Essay Example orld War I because it brought a bitter experience to the civilians who were harshly treated, bullied, deprived of basic needs and rights, and imprisoned in inhumane conditions. This war would also act as an opportunity for countries like Germany to revenge and upset the status quo. According Susan R Grayzel, World War 1 brought loss of many innocent lives especially children and women. The war also disrupted learning program in schools as children were also involved in the war effort. Their zeal was fostered by schools that introduced a variety of activities to aid the men at war. In most schools, lessons were substituted with patriotic holidays to raise money that could be spent on activities such as welcoming back soldiers home and celebrating the triumph (Grayzel, p.48).. This also introduced children to odd jobs such as digging gardens and cleaning chimneys in order to raise funds. For example, Victorian state schools raised  £422 470 during the war. Many nations for instance American were opposed the war and wanted to remain neutral. This was so due to the anticipated negative consequences of the war for the US in case they decided to get involved in. The need to remain neutral was crucial because the American population included citizens of countries engaged in the war. The France-Americans would want success for France while British-Americans and German-Americans would hope the same for their nations. The other part of the people opposed the war since it would increase tensions all over American society, leading to an outbreak of bloodshed on American soil by the American citizens themselves. In some cases, the Germans forced families to leave which caused more pain to the victims (Grayzel, p.108). Men and women who participated in the WW1 endured some of the cruelest forms of conflict ever known. They were sent to fight far away from home for months or even years, and underwent a chain of horrible physical and disturbing experiences (Grayzel, p.48). The

Neanderthals Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Neanderthals - Research Paper Example Some suggests that the species mated with the human and disappeared into the other human species. Others think Neanderthals were underwent extinction since they could not compete favorably with humans a process that Charles Darwin would call natural selection. The origins of the Neanderthals can be traced back to about 250 years ago when a discovery of a born resembling that of a long-dead bear was made in Germany. However, a closer look at the born later suggested that they were not those of a bear as earlier thought. This is because the bones resembled those of human beings despite being excessively thick and oddly shaped. During the discovery, fifteen pieces of the skeleton and a skullcap were found at the site. The skullcap was found to be that which usually covers the human brain. Because of the strangeness of the remains, it became necessary to conduct a thorough examination on it leading to the fossil being handed over to Herrmann Schaafhausen, a local anatomist to do more research (Stefoff 11). Upon examination, Schaafhausen noticed that the fossils were human but only differed from those of the modern human being slightly. He concluded that the remains might have originated from the wild races, which lived in northwestern Europe documented by scholars. The place was called the Neander valley. However, Rudolf Virchow, a German anatomist also examined the remains and concluded that the peculiar thick, curved bone of the Neanderthal skeleton might have been caused by rickets. He went on to suggest that the peculiar structure of the skull might have been a result of blows to the head and arthritis. Upon thorough examination of the bones, Virchow disagreed with the earlier conclusions that the remains originated from the earlier primitive tribesmen. On his part, he concluded that the bones belonged to the unfortunate individuals who lived in the past (Stefoff 11). The conclusion

4.How do the Homeric epics, the Illiad and the Odyssey differ from Essay

4.How do the Homeric epics, the Illiad and the Odyssey differ from each other in their depiction of Greek culture and values - Essay Example n of vices and goodness, strength and weakness, and betrayals and friendships yet all these aspects of human life amalgamate in a manner that each aspect provides the readers with a variety of moral lessons to be learned. Homer in both of his works applies the same phenomenon and deals with two paradoxical situations and presents the readers with two highly contrasting scenarios although both the works project the some good and bad values and culture of the same Greek society. Homer utilizes the plot, setting, character and their actions as a tool in order to depict two different personal interpretations of the Greek society and its culture and values. Homer’s epic Iliad is based on the War of Troy. This piece of literature deals with warfare, bloodshed and revenge. The poem depicts a tale of a war that is fought between Greek King Agamemnon and the Trojans. Homer in his depiction of the whole scenario of the war incorporates and explores a variety of aspects of Greek values and culture. These aspects include greed, pride and deception. Greed and lust are two of the major seven sins that exist in this world. Consequently the Greek society was also engulfed in these sins and a common practice of these vices was also observed amongst portrayal of various characters in Greek Literature. Homer also assimilates this concept in his poem and presents the adverse and fatalistic affects of practicing such vices through the condition of the Greek troops when Achilles refuses to fight for Agamemnon. The reason behind this was because of Agamemnon’s desire to Briseis who was awarded to Achilles. Hence the greed and desire of Agamemnon leads to Achilles refusal and consequently the Greeks lose a large number of their warriors in the beginning. Through Achilles character Homer depicts another vice that was common in Greek Society i.e. Pride. So it can be perceived that the reason for the loss of a large number of The Achaean men and the death of Achilles closest friend

Training and Career Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Training and Career Management - Essay Example The competition in the market for skilled workforce has greatly augmented. There are certain key sought after skills that are highly desirable by different sectors, however availing the benefits of such skills often becomes challenging (Eraut, n.d.). Retaining and attract employee talent pool: There is a huge competition prevailing in the market to retain as well as to attract employee talent pool. Consequently, to enhance workplace desirability, providing the scope for learning by the employers plays a vital role (Eraut, n.d.). Workforce diversity along with changing demographics: Diverse workforce and altering demographics act as a key force affecting workplace learning as age, gender and ethnicity of the employees are evolving (American Society for Training and Development, 2008). Funding issues related to training and development: Providing proper training and development is a key constituent for enhancing workplace learning. However, keeping aside adequate funding has always remained a major concern for a number of companies especially during financial uncertainty (Eraut, n.d.). Providing training to the employees can greatly help the companies to deal with these forces. The requirement of skilled employees can be fulfilled by providing proper training to the employees especially the new comers along with the existing one. The aspect of training possesses the ability to increase the overall productivity of the companies. The proper guidance and training can definitely help in retaining and attracting employees. Training can also facilitate to enhance knowledge sharing and comprehend the significance of the forces for the companies which in turn would enable them to determine the strategies to handle different compelling forces (Eraut, n.d.). A company that is dominant in its product market mainly emphasizes the development of various strategies. The company primarily concentrates on increasing its market share. The training

Her First Ball Essay Example for Free

Her First Ball Essay My first impression of Leila simply from the first page of â€Å"Her First Ball,† was that she was an innocent girl that wasn’t completely satisfied with her current situation in life. Leila was portrayed as having a weak/inexperienced heart. For example, â€Å"†¦she couldn’t have helped crying because she was an only child, and no brother had ever said ‘Twig? ’ to her† (265), and for the fact that being different from the others bothered her. Despite her innocence and immaturity, she attempts to compose herself and act mature than she is capable of by â€Å"trying not to smile too much; she tried not to care† (265). Her life up to now wasn’t eventful or memorable in any way and she has a desire to cling onto the present/momentary excitement and not let go. â€Å"She would remember forever. It even gave her a pang to see her cousin Laurie throw away the wisps of tissue†¦as a keepsake, as a remembrance† (265), shows her emotions on how she wants to keep hold of every little detail of this first ball. I made the connection of this ball being her first in relation to not only the actual ball, but numerous ‘first times’ down her path of becoming mature. First time interacting with the opposite gender, feeling the lack of maturity amongst the other girls in the ladies’ room and first time in being hit in the head with reality, a frightening image from the fat man that Leila had never considered before, resulting in a somewhat loss of her previous innocence. I was able to relate to Leila’s situation of having missed out on the experiences of the ‘real world,’ such as the comparison between Leila and the Sheridan girls. Having lived in Abbotsford for my entire middle school life, I believe I missed out on experiences that I would have had if I lived out in the city (Surrey), seeing that Abbotsford is relatively an isolated/country city. Although I wasn’t as isolated as having the â€Å"nearest neighbor for fifteen miles† (265), I felt I could relate to Leila’s uncontrollable excitement that she felt while she was taking in her new surroundings. The impactful last sentence of the story, â€Å"She didn’t even recognize him again† (270), I found it almost eerie regarding the fact that it seemed like her memory was wiped blank. I questioned that even though her innocence was already long gone, whether that meant she would have to go through the same horrible process of being hit on the head by reality, as the first time she met the fat man and how she will be able to cope with the shock and sadness she feels every time. Throughout the reading, her style of writing, her word choices portrayed Leila’s perspective of her first ball in a magical/fantasy way. The presentation of a perfectly set up ball, â€Å"she clutched her fan, and gazing at the gleaming, golden floor, the azaleas, the lanterns, the stage at one end with its red carpet†¦how heavenly; how simply heavenly (267)! Every little detail was attractive and well suited to her fantastical desires. Leila was not yet revealed to the somewhat frightening reality that comes along with her magical world that is inevitable.

Religious Festivals Across The Globe

Religious Festivals Across The Globe Public all over the world are well recognizable about festival. Festivals are large celebrations with plenty of food, drinks, dance and music. Every country has their own festival and celebrates it attractively at a assured time. Generally people celebrates the festival with their happiness, there are many festival in the world like, Cultural festival, Religious festival, Music festival, Art festival, Fair festival, Film festival, Actor festival etc. But these festivals are much differing to the country to country. In this task there are two festivals would be described, first one is Religious festival and final one is food festival. This is known to important that two countries are different continent are considered of this festival. So they are set lower 2.Country of choice: To accomplish this task, It has been chosen two countries for describe. First one is Jordan and another last one is Libya. Jordan and Libya is the two Muslims country of the world. In general these two countries are very close to the many festivals but they have much difference as well. In general the countries are same about the religious festival. In order to complete this task of will compare three topics about origin, celebration and significant. 3.Religious festival of Jordan: 3.1.Origin: Religious festival is the most common festival of all over the world. The entire nation in the world organizes the festival. Jordan is a Muslim country; they have a huge history about the religious festival. According to the Muslim history the Jordan has two major Religious festivals first one is the Eid-ul-Fitr and another one is the Eid ul Azha. They have many other festivals such as miladunnabi, Lilatul barat. 3.2.Celebration: The Jordanà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s celebrates their religious festival. On that day they invite their neighbor relatives and their friends. Especially on the EID day they invite their friends by the EID cards. In this day people are gets up early in the morning and take part of mutual embracing .They prays their prayer and complete their all religious function. At the end of the celebration they goes to home each other. They deliver their friend sweets, cake, and many other traditional foods to their guest just after receiving warmly. 3.3.Significant: The significant of the Muslim festivals are same to the country to country when the other the festivals are different. Islam is the old religion in the world. The Is lam has a traditional history while all of them known as traditional festival. The Jordan is the north South African Muslim country. Religious festival is the most important one for the Jordan culture when the whole nations are the Muslims. Eid ul-Fitr come the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. This festival come with the significant of Islam like, empathy for the poor, charity, worships, etc. It is main teaching of Islam which name is fasting. Fasting is known to extol fundamental distinctions, lauding the power of the spiritual realm, while acknowledging the subordination of the physical realm. 4.Food festival of Jordan: 4.1.Origin: Jordan food festival is holding a traditional history for the long time, all the people of Jordan participate their food festival for holding their tradition. The general people participate in the Jordan Food Art Festival which takes place during July August at the Radisson Hotel in Vienna. The festival aims to attract consumers to dine Jordan food at the hotel and to motivate them to travel to Jordan. There remains tambala with a trip to Jordan to be won and we will have a desk in the foyer of the hotel with our Jordan brochures. 4.2.Celebration: In cooperation with the Jordan Embassy in Vienna, JTB participates in the National Day festivities at the Radisson Hotel within 15 June in every year. There also have the à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Grand Opening Ceremonyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚  of the Jordan Food Art Festival which takes place there in July August. 4.3.Significant: Food festival is the very important aspect within the Jordanian culture. In most villages, urban, meals are a community event with the immediate and extended family present. In addition, food festival is commonly used by Jordanians to state their generosity and liberality. Jordanians by nature are very hospital people and, often, it is presented within minutes of a persons invitation to a local house. Because of that the Jordanian feels so proud about their food and their festival. There is so much more to Jordanian food than mere ingredients. There is a history of generosity and rich cultural traditions that come with your dish. Bon hunger. 5.Religious festival of Libya: 5.1.Origin: The Libyan religious festival is traditional it comes after the holy month of Ramadan .One of the biggest festivals in the Islamic chart marked by visits to the mosques and the homes of invited their friends and neighbors, families, wishing them a happy Eid, and celebrations crossways the country. All kids and youthful public wear yarn new dress, panjabi, pajama, tupi and varitis of traditional dracess receive new presents, participate and have fun. 5.2.Celebration: Eid al-Adha is celebrated annually on the 10th day of the 12th and the last Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah of the lunar Islamic calendar Eid al-Adha celebrations. Start after the Hajj, The annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Mount Arafat. The date is approximately 70 days (2 Months 10 days) after the end of the month of Ramadan, i.e. Eid-ul-Fitr. Ritual observance of the holiday lasts until sunset of the 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. 5.3.Significant: It before mentioned that there are two major sacrificial banquets in the Muslim religious history, the first banquet is the Ramadan and the second most important banquet is the sacrificial banquet, which comes after the Haj or pilgrimage to Mecca, in recognition of Ibrahims devotion to Allah. When Allah instructed Ibrahim to sacrifice his sun Ismaeil, to test his belief and devotion, Ibrahim took his sun to a secluded spot, placed his neck on a stone, and as about to sacrifice his son, Allah sent him a ram instead and instructed him to spare the life of his son. Ever since Muslim all over the world go on to sacrifice once a year. 6.Food festival of Libya: 6.1Origin: Food festival is one of the most popular festivals in Libya. The total nation appreciate this day because this day is consists of their cultural history. In the ancient time of Libya, all the people of the nation participated on this day. Actually it was a great day of them. Because it was not depend on their religion and state that is why it gave them more charm. 6.2.Celebration: The Libyan food festival just like an exhibition as their other function, on that day the people of the Libyan give very natural food as the presentation to the very simple people as their relatives and friends. Different types of food would include their food list, but that type of list would not include on the other time. It was known as the food festival of Libyan nation. 6.3.Significant: Every nation has a significant of their festivals. It is specifically true for the Libyan food festival. All of people take parts in the food festival even the VIP person. It was their ancient tradition. All levels of the people in Libya take is very importantly. 7.Conclusion: Every country has their own festival. Every process mentioned in the guideline has been completed. In order to complete this task there has been followed a vest assessment. This task is for cultural study just for two countries named Jordan and Libya. These two countries are rich for their cultural festival mainly in religious and their food festival. On the above performance the whole assignment is designed for the religious and food festival of these countries.

The Character of Gertrude in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- GCSE Course

The Character of Gertrude in Shakespeare's Hamlet The Gertrude in Shakespeare’s tragic drama Hamlet is controversial in the sense that some critics uphold her morality and some deny it. Let’s consider this question and others related to this character. Gertrude has many good qualities in the play; she is not evil through and through. Rebecca Smith in â€Å"Scheming Adulteress or Loving Mother† presents an image of the queen in Shakespeare’s Hamlet that is perhaps not consistent with that presented by the ghost: Although she may have been partially responsible for Claudius’ monstrous act of fratricide and although her marriage to Claudius may have been indirectly responsible for making a â€Å"monster† of Hamlet, Gertrude is never seen in the play inducing anyone to do anything at all monstrous. . . . When one closely examines Gertrude’s actual speech and actions in an attempt to understand the character, one finds little that hints at hypocrisy, suppression, or uncontrolled passion and their implied complexity. . . . She speaks plainly, directly and chastely when she does speak. . . .(81-82) Gunnar Bokland in â€Å"Hamlet† describes Gertrude’s moral descent during the course of Shakespeare’s Hamlet: With Queen Gertrude and finally also Laertes deeply involved in a situation of increasing ugliness, it becomes clear that, although Claudius and those who associate with him are not the incarnations of evil that Hamlet sees in them, they are corrupt enough from any balanced point of view, a condition that is also intimated by the â€Å"heavy-headed revel† that distinguishes life at the Danish court. (123) Gertrude’s â€Å"contamination† does indeed affect the hero. Courtney Lehmann and Lisa S. Starks in "Making Mother Matter: ... ...//ds.dial.pipex.com/thomas_larque/ham1-col.htm Jorgensen, Paul A. â€Å"Hamlet.† William Shakespeare: the Tragedies. Boston: Twayne Publ., 1985. N. pag. http://www.freehomepages.com/hamlet/other/jorg-hamlet.html Lehmann, Courtney and Lisa S. Starks. "Making Mother Matter: Repression, Revision, and the Stakes of 'Reading Psychoanalysis Into' Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet." Early Modern Literary Studies 6.1 (May, 2000): 2.1-24 <URL: http://purl.oclc.org/emls/06-1/lehmhaml.htm>. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos. Smith, Rebecca. â€Å"Gertrude: Scheming Adulteress or Loving Mother?† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of â€Å"Hamlet†: A User’s Guide. New York: Limelight Editions, 1996.

The Carnivore project :: essays research papers

The Carnivore Invasion "They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin, 1759 The current use and regulations of the F.B.I. surveillance tool known as Carnivore need to be revised in such a way that it will no longer be able to copy the e-mails of unsuspecting Americans. Most Americans are not even aware of the existence of the Carnivore project. The ignorance of the American people is understandable; the government has gone to great lengths to ensure secrecy when it comes to the details of the Carnivore project. The purpose of this paper is to bring to light exactly how the Federal Burro of Investigation (FBI) has invaded the privacy of a countless number of Americans. Once the severe flaws of the Carnivore system have been outlined, this paper will describe what laws need to be changed to make the Carnivore project even reasonable. The FBI designed the Carnivore system to capture email communications of a criminal suspect. The information extracted from the suspect’s e-mails is then used as evidence against the suspect. In this simple explanation the Carnivore system appears to be an effective tool against crime. Unfortunately most issues in this world cannot be explained in two sentences. The process of implementing the Carnivore system begins with a court order for a full content-wiretap (Tyson 2). Once a court order has been issued the FBI is required to request that the suspects Internet Service Provider (ISP) is willing/able to copy all of the e-mails to and from the suspects address. The initial request made by the FBI to allow the ISP to copy the suspect’s e-mails is to ensure that the FBI has tried to meet the â€Å"best evidence† rule (Graham 8). The â€Å"best evidence† rule simply states that the FBI has to obtain evidence in the best way possible. If the ISP is able to copy the suspect’s e-mails directly, it is considered better evidence. If the ISP declines the FBI’s request then the FBI is allowed to install the Carnivore system onto the suspect’s ISP (Graham 6). Why would an ISP decline assistance? ISPs are concerned about the privacy of their customers. For example, Earthlink testified before the Carnivore Commi ttee saying that what the FBI was asking them to do â€Å".

The Authors Character in A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConn

â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is a short story written by Flannery O’ Connor. O’Connor was an American writer whose writings always incorporated humor into a sad or devastating situation. Her collections include 31 short stories, two novels, and a couple of letters and speeches. O’Connor is most famous for her short story works. In numerous works of her, her conscious craftsmanship was revealed and also the devoted role that Roman Catholicism plays in her life (Flannery) O’ Connor was born the only child to her parents in Savannah, Georgia. Her father was a real estate agent and her mother was born into a very prominent family. When O’ Connor was twelve years old, her family moved back to her mothers hometown of Milledgeville, GA where her father was also the mayor of for a couple of years. Milledgeville was known as the ‘crazy’ town in Georgia. Milledgeville was home to one of the largest mental institutions in the United States. At the time this story was written, the hospital had 13,000 mentally ill patients hospitalized there. She was surrounded by crazy people. The influence of living in Milledgeville helped her in writing her stories. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is one of O’Connor’s best and well known works. The work tells the story of a normal every day family and their trip to Florida. The trip begins as normal trips do, but then turns and there is an unexpected twist thrown in. The family encounters an escaped criminal who named himself The Misfit. The criminal and his accomplices threaten the family’s’ life, but while doing so are also very friendly and courteous. In a desperate attempt to save herself and her family, the grandmother begins talking to The Misfit telling him that she believes he really is a g... ... job with this story and I believe any reader can find some one or something in the story they can relate to and can apply the story to their every day life. The story has many lessons and morals that can be learned but adds a humorous twist to things. So I leave with this final though, in the words of Wendell Berry, â€Å"Practice Resurrection!† Works Citied â€Å"Flannery O’Connor† Tegasos Literature. 1 Feb 2006. O’Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† Discovering Literature. 3 Edition. Hans P. Guth and Gabrielle Rico, Eds. Uppersaddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall,2003:(355-365)† Woodiwis, Anna. â€Å"Jesus thrown everything off balance† Writings @ Swarthmore. 2003. WA Program at Swarthmore College. 1 Feb 2006.

Hemingway vs. Faulkner writing styles

From the post Civil War era in which Faulkner was accustomed, to the early 1920s era of Hemingway ‘s short stories, both authors' focus remains on a similar topic. 0th authors were ealist writers who expressed their concern with the changes happening In America. However, the writing styles in which Hemingway used, compared to Faulkner, show many differences. By comparing the styles of Hemingway and Faulkner, readers find a contrast in the authors' use of sentence structure, word choice, and character development; but overall, they achieve a similar tone. In many of William Faulkner's short stories, such as â€Å"Barn Burning†, the sentence structure is complex; he describes vividly what Is happening by including small details about characters and setting others may find insignificant.Faulkner uses long, complex sentences that contain hyphens and colons to continue his Ideas throughout the sentence. In â€Å"Barn Burning†, Faulkner writes â€Å"Now he could hear h is father's stiff foot as it came down on the boards with clockwise finality, a sound out of all proportion to the displacement of the body it bored and which was no dwarfed either by the white door before it as though it had attained to a sort of vicious and ravening minimum not to be dwarfed by anything†¦ â€Å". Faulkner commonly uses great detail to describe even the simple sound of the father's faulty footsteps.Much of detail is unnecessary but adds effect to the sentence. Hemingway, compared to Faulkner, uses short sentences to complete his thoughts. His ideas are expressed bluntly, but the point is clear. Both authors use sentence structure to complete an overall tone in their writing. Both authors achieve a similar tone using sentence structure. Faulkner uses long, detailed sentences to add to the effect of his stories. Hemingway uses short, blunt statements to set the tone. Many of the two author's stories end with the same sad tone. The sentence structure the authors use can carry tone throughout his story as they wish.The word choice of an author determines how a reader interprets the story. William Faulkner uses more complex words than Ernest Hemingway. In Faulkner's stories, the words he chooses often are symbolic in a way. In â€Å"A Rose for Emily' Faulkner writes The word choice in the sentence sets a tone for the story. The word choice Faulkner uses often make up the complex sentences In his stones. HemlngwaVs word choice Is less complicated. His ideas are expressed bluntly through his words. It is easy for the reader to understand Hemingways stories without further interpretation. Hemingway vs.Faulkner writing styles By Icahoon Throughout time, individual authors have crafted varying writing styles that portray s short stories, both authors' focus remains on a similar topic. Both authors were realist writers who expressed their concern with the changes happening in America. vividly what is happening by including small details about cha racters and setting hyphens and colons to continue his ideas throughout the sentence. In â€Å"Barn † The often make up the complex sentences in his stories. Hemingway's word choice is less reader to understand Hemingway's stories without further interpretation.

Factors affecting students academic performance in English 11 Essay

Factors affecting the academic performance in English 11 of first year AB-English students of the School of Arts and Criminology Introduction  Academic performance is one of the crucial areas of a learner’s life. Some learners may not be bothered if they progress or not, however, their parents are left with great distress if their children do not perform. This is because families, as well as the government invest in the education of child. On top of that, generally all parents would want their children to be successful citizens in future. â€Å"When young people fail at school, it is most often not because they are stupid, crazy or psychologically incapable. Rather, it is because they have not been taught the developmentally appropriate tools, skills and strategies every child needs to succeed in school and in life. â€Å" John Jay, stated that multiple factors come to play when it comes to academic performance of a learner, which need to be considered should one want to perform better. Research has found that determinants of learners’ performance have been the subject of on-going debate among educators, academics and policy makers. Different people believe that different factors affect learners differently under different circumstances. However there are some form of consensus on general factors that affect that performance. These include socio-economic, psychological and environmental factors. Different people come from different backgrounds – not everyone can afford school fees, for example, and therefore some children may not attend school properly because of such reasons, which may affect their academic performance at the end of the day. Smoking, alcohol, time spent sleeping and stress all have a great affect on students’ academic performance ( Pat & Tyler). Learners need to take care of their personal health, which includes eating healthy, doing exercise, getting enough sleep and rest. Behaviors such as smoking and drug usage may impact the school performance as these interfere with the brain functioning. Stress has been found to interfere with performance, and should therefore be taken seriously. Many factors can cause stress, including financial constraints, child abuse, parental neglect, irresponsibility and divorce, among many others. If a child is stressed, they may not focus on their schoolwork as their minds are often occupied by disturbing thoughts that may not leave room for them to study as effectively as they ought to do. Negative thoughts  can trouble a child and escalate into suicidal thoughts. These thoughts can lead to self-destructive behavioral patterns, but the thoughts in themselves can already be distracting from schoolwork and therefore directly and indirectly have an impact on academic performance. Some learners wish to progress in school, but they might not always perform as they wish, even if they feel they are trying their best.

Twilight 23. THE ANGEL

23. THE ANGEL As I drifted, I dreamed. Where I floated, under the dark water, I heard the happiest sound my mind could conjure up – as beautiful, as uplifting, as it was ghastly. It was another snarl; a deeper, wilder roar that rang with fury. I was brought back, almost to the surface, by a sharp pain slashing my upraised hand, but I couldn't find my way back far enough to open my eyes. And then I knew I was dead. Because, through the heavy water, I heard the sound of an angel calling my name, calling me to the only heaven I wanted. â€Å"Oh no, Bella, no!† the angel's voice cried in horror. Behind that longed-for sound was another noise – an awful tumult that my mind shied away from. A vicious bass growling, a shocking snapping sound, and a high keening, suddenly breaking off†¦ I tried to concentrate on the angel's voice instead. â€Å"Bella, please! Bella, listen to me, please, please, Bella, please!† he begged. Yes, I wanted to say. Anything. But I couldn't find my lips. â€Å"Carlisle!† the angel called, agony in his perfect voice. â€Å"Bella, Bella, no, oh please, no, no!† And the angel was sobbing tearless, broken sobs. The angel shouldn't weep, it was wrong. I tried to find him, to tell him everything was fine, but the water was so deep, it was pressing on me, and I couldn't breathe. There was a point of pressure against my head. It hurt. Then, as that pain broke through the darkness to me, other pains came, stronger pains. I cried out, gasping, breaking through the dark pool. â€Å"Bella!† the angel cried. â€Å"She's lost some blood, but the head wound isn't deep,† a calm voice informed me. â€Å"Watch out for her leg, it's broken.† A howl of rage strangled on the angel's lips. I felt a sharp stab in my side. This couldn't be heaven, could it? There was too much pain for that. â€Å"Some ribs, too, I think,† the methodical voice continued. But the sharp pains were fading. There was a new pain, a scalding pain in my hand that was overshadowing everything else. Someone was burning me. â€Å"Edward.† I tried to tell him, but my voice was so heavy and slow. I couldn't understand myself. â€Å"Bella, you're going to be fine. Can you hear me, Bella? I love you.† â€Å"Edward,† I tried again. My voice was a little clearer. â€Å"Yes, I'm here.† â€Å"It hurts,† I whimpered. â€Å"I know, Bella, I know† – and then, away from me, anguished – â€Å"can't you do anything?† â€Å"My bag, please†¦ Hold your breath, Alice, it will help,† Carlisle promised. â€Å"Alice?† I groaned. â€Å"She's here, she knew where to find you.† â€Å"My hand hurts,† I tried to tell him. â€Å"I know, Bella. Carlisle will give you something, it will stop.† â€Å"My hand is burning!† I screamed, finally breaking through the last of the darkness, my eyes fluttering open. I couldn't see his face, something dark and warm was clouding my eyes. Why couldn't they see the fire and put it out? His voice was frightened. â€Å"Bella?† â€Å"The fire! Someone stop the fire!† I screamed as it burned me. â€Å"Carlisle! Her hand!† â€Å"He bit her.† Carlisle's voice was no longer calm, it was appalled. I heard Edward catch his breath in horror. â€Å"Edward, you have to do it.† It was Alice's voice, close by my head. Cool fingers brushed at the wetness in my eyes. â€Å"No!† he bellowed. â€Å"Alice,† I moaned. â€Å"There may be a chance,† Carlisle said. â€Å"What?† Edward begged. â€Å"See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean.† As Carlisle spoke, I could feel more pressure on my head, something poking and pulling at my scalp. The pain of it was lost in the pain of the fire. â€Å"Will that work?† Alice's voice was strained. â€Å"I don't know,† Carlisle said. â€Å"But we have to hurry.† â€Å"Carlisle, I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Edward hesitated. â€Å"I don't know if I can do that.† There was agony in his beautiful voice again. â€Å"It's your decision, Edward, either way. I can't help you. I have to get this bleeding stopped here if you're going to be taking blood from her hand.† I writhed in the grip of the fiery torture, the movement making the pain in my leg flare sickeningly. â€Å"Edward!† I screamed. I realized my eyes were closed again. I opened them, desperate to find his face. And I found him. Finally, I could see his perfect face, staring at me, twisted into a mask of indecision and pain. â€Å"Alice, get me something to brace her leg!† Carlisle was bent over me, working on my head. â€Å"Edward, you must do it now, or it will be too late.† Edward's face was drawn. I watched his eyes as the doubt was suddenly replaced with a blazing determination. His jaw tightened. I felt his cool, strong fingers on my burning hand, locking it in place. Then his head bent over it, and his cold lips pressed against my skin. At first the pain was worse. I screamed and thrashed against the cool hands that held me back. I heard Alice's voice, trying to calm me. Something heavy held my leg to the floor, and Carlisle had my head locked in the vise of his stone arms. Then, slowly, my writhing calmed as my hand grew more and more numb. The fire was dulling, focusing into an ever-smaller point. I felt my consciousness slipping as the pain subsided. I was afraid to fall into the black waters again, afraid I would lose him in the darkness. â€Å"Edward,† I tried to say, but I couldn't hear my voice. They could hear me. â€Å"He's right here, Bella.† â€Å"Stay, Edward, stay with me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I will.† His voice was strained, but somehow triumphant. I sighed contentedly. The fire was gone, the other pains dulled by a sleepiness seeping through my body. â€Å"Is it all out?† Carlisle asked from somewhere far away. â€Å"Her blood tastes clean,† Edward said quietly. â€Å"I can taste the morphine.† â€Å"Bella?† Carlisle called to me. I tried to answer. â€Å"Mmmmm?† â€Å"Is the fire gone?† â€Å"Yes,† I sighed. â€Å"Thank you, Edward.† â€Å"I love you,† he answered. â€Å"I know,† I breathed, so tired. I heard my favorite sound in the world: Edward's quiet laugh, weak with relief. â€Å"Bella?† Carlisle asked again. I frowned; I wanted to sleep. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Where is your mother?† â€Å"In Florida,† I sighed. â€Å"He tricked me, Edward. He watched our videos.† The outrage in my voice was pitifully frail. But that reminded me. â€Å"Alice.† I tried to open my eyes. â€Å"Alice, the video – he knew you, Alice, he knew where you came from.† I meant to speak urgently, but my voice was feeble. â€Å"I smell gasoline,† I added, surprised through the haze in my brain. â€Å"It's time to move her,† Carlisle said. â€Å"No, I want to sleep,† I complained. â€Å"You can sleep, sweetheart, I'll carry you,† Edward soothed me. And I was in his arms, cradled against his chest – floating, all the pain gone. â€Å"Sleep now, Bella† were the last words I heard.

Leisure Profile Assignment

My personal philosophy towards life and leisure is founded in the belief that one should seek out those moments, events, people and attitudes that bring happiness to one’s life. I believe in spending time with the ones you love and the ones who love you in return as it is these people who help shape your reality, attitudes and life in turn. Since the truth is that no one cares if you are miserable except yourself, I make sure to surround myself with people who enrich my life; those who uplift me and help bring me higher and strive to better myself. I believe it is important to take time to do activities that one loves doing. It doesn’t matter whether these activities are enjoyed alone, with friends or with family, just getting out and doing these activities is beneficial to one’s state of being. When a person takes time to do those things they love, a contentedness results and regardless of any hurt, pain, stress or struggles, they are able to enjoy themselves in that moment. I believe attitude contributes a lot to one’s state of mind and also one’s physical being. All of my life experiences, good and bad alike, have taught me a lot and have helped me grow into the person I am today. I try to remain positive no matter what situation I find myself in. A major driving force in my life is my family. I am a firm believer that one of the most important aspects in life is family. I have a two year old daughter who has changed my life in a positive way and feel truly blessed to have her in my life. Life has changed since her arrival but it her presence that gives me that extra push to stay focused on my goals and on those aspects of life that really matters to me. If you had asked me what my personal philosophy toward leisure is 3 years ago, it would have been completely different to what it is now but with all my life experiences, knowledge learned and knowledge shared I can now say that while I am a young, I wouldn’t change a thing. Definition of Leisure In our lecture notes leisure is defined as any activity or state of mind experience that is freely driven or happens spontaneously during work time, obligation time, and/or discretionary time; and is permissible by the norms of society and is culturally specific, meaning that it is derived according to the values, traditions, or more of a specific way or lifestyle of a particular cultural group(s) and Canada as a whole. (Karlis, 2004) My definition of leisure is a similar one. I believe that leisure is the freedom to do those activities you desire to do with your free time. Leisure time is the time away from work and/or work related activities. It is the time and freedom from your responsibilities, whatever they maybe, and it varies for each individual. Leisure time encompasses those activities that help in reducing and relieving stress and those activities that result in positive contribution to an individual’s health. Every individual lives a different life and lifestyle thus the way a person spends their time will be different. One individual may enjoy spending time with the important people in their life, while another may enjoy participating in activity’s that he/she enjoys partaking in alone and/or with those important people in their lives. Any activity that brings a sense of happiness or joy to an individual’s life is leisure. My Leisure Activities As I am now a mom, my leisure activities have changed since 2009, they are family orientated and child friendly activities. I do not have the freedom to do everything and anything I would like however I have adapted and made changes to my life that result in fulfillment to both myself and my daughter. I do my best to ensure that both my daughter and I enjoy ourselves in whatever activity I choose for us to partake in. I am lucky that my daughter plays well both alone as well as in those moments where she has the opportunity to play with other children. I, along with most mothers, want my daughter to be happy, however I believe that in order for her to be so, she needs a happy mom. With this in mind I try to take advantage of my alone time while she is in daycare and when she is asleep at night. In January, my daughter and I moved from Thompson, Mb. and her da (my spouse) stayed in Thompson to work. With this change in our lives our activities are usually consist of just her and I. We consider ourselves lucky when family comes to visit and take as much time to soak in these times when they do occur. My activities I enjoy with my daughter: * Visiting and playing with the extended family we do have here in Winnipeg (Cousins, both my age and her age) * Swimming for fun I try to take Mila to McDonald’s Play place once a week (while she does this I get time for myself to drink tea or catch up with a friend or family member) * We go for runs together and since she loves being outside I push her in the stroller and bundle her up nice and warm. * In the summer time we go to different parks, long walks/wagon rides to get ice cream or a slush, and/or go to the bea ch * Watch movies together and cuddle * We Skype and Facetime a lot with our close family who are located in Thompson, Mb. * When her dad is visiting, we enjoy any activity so long as we are together * Family trips and traveling Dinner with family and friends * Read books, make crafts, color, and paint My activities: * Workout at my gym, go for a run or swim by myself when I can * Participating in a group workout class; group spin, yoga etc. * I like to go for a tan and relax after a hard workout * Going for tea and dessert with friends * I enjoy shopping with my close friends and family * Getting dressed up and going dancing with my girlfriends * Dinner and alone time with my boyfriend when he is in town * I enjoy Facebook and social networking * Getting my hair colored monthly Catching a movie with my boyfriend or friends Activities I do most often The activity I try to do the most is to go to the gym. I aim at going 5-6 times per week for about one hour and half to two hours and afte r a hard workout I enjoy a relaxing tan however as I am aware this can have long term effects on my health I do this only twice a week. The activities I do the most with my daughter would be: watching movies together, reading books (especially at bedtime), and Skyping and/or Facetiming with our family in Thompson. As we miss our family, it is important to us to have regular contact with our immediate family. My Favorite Activity/Why? I am a certified personal trainer and thus my favorite activity which promotes happiness and balance in my life is my time at the gym. My aim during my workouts is to try to target every major muscle group. One of my fitness goals is to compete in a fitness competition within the next year. During my workouts I always workout with a friend, this enables me to time to work on our shared fitness goals and also provides me with social time where I can catch up with my girlfriend(s). Previously, when I resided in Thompson, my favorite activity was working out with a friend and/or my spouse. I enjoy running and swimming and I like to change up my workout routine. I have found that participating in group spin class with other people who have similar fitness goals has been both beneficial and motivational to me. Working out and staying active is therapeutic and very important to my well-being. It improves my overall self-esteem and frame of mind and I have a fun time doing it. My favorite activity to do when my spouse is here visiting us is simply going out for dinner. I enjoy being able to sit down together, the one on one time and of course a good meal. It is those times that I am most thankful and feel blessed for everything that I have. Motivation My daughter and my family are the driving forces that motivate me. The reason I moved here in January was to pursue a Kinesiology degree and I can say with honesty that it has been the hardest and most stressful thing I have done in my life. I left my comfortable lifestyle, my spouse, my family, and my friends in Thompson, Manitoba so that I could better my life and my daughter’s life. This experience has made me a stronger person and I am thankful for every opportunity I get for myself to grow as an individual. I am always writing down my goals and ambitions and I re-evaluate these every two to three months, doing this helps keep me focused and motivated on what I want for my life. My goals vary from what I want in a year’s time, five years time, and what I’ll accomplish in ten years time. I have education goals, fitness goals, and relationship goals with my spouse, and my daughter. Being a good mom is my main priority and is very important to me. My daughter deserves to be happy and I want to provide a good life for her, this is why she is the reason I stay focused, organized and goal orientated. Satisfaction I get so much pleasure from my leisure activities. When I work out, I feel happy, healthy and strong. As a mom my daughter needs me to be all those qualities that it takes to be a good mother to her. It is time I take time to myself to â€Å"not worry about being a mom† and all â€Å"the mom† responsibilities I have taken on in the past two years. I feel great about myself as a mom and a person and feel I am capable anything I put my mind too. This attitude helps in all aspects of my life. The time I spend with my daughter and my spouse together as a family creates the ultimate happiness in my life and I feel blessed to have them. My family has been through a lot of up’s and down’s and I know we are a strong family unit. Constraints Constraints in our lecture notes was defined as barriers, inhibitor’s, obstacles, or restraining factor’s – perceived or real – that influence (preclude or limit) an individual’s participation, frequency, intensity, duration, quality, or freedom of choice in leisure activity. E. L Jackson, 1988) Having just moved here in January, away from my spouse and other immediate family, has been a constraint, both to my physical well-being as well as to my emotional well-being. I have found that being on a student salary with my daughter is very constraining of both time and money. All of these obstacles limit the activities that my daughter and I can do a s we are limited by when, where and how often we can carry out our work and leisure activities. With a budget in mind this creates more barriers as I cannot afford a babysitter. I find that I do not have as much freedom as I did when I lived in Thompson, where my family was available to babysit at a moment’s notice. When I lived in Thompson, my spouse and I had 1 household and I was able to work. Being able to work enabled me to to afford a new vehicle, get my hair done when I wanted or shop online as I pleased. Things are different now, I am in a new city, in a new home (additional household), and I really have to watch what I spend my money on now. If my daughter is sick I miss school, a workout, or have to cancel any prior plans I had. I also am unable to work since I cannot afford a babysitter. Ultimately, deciding move was a large constraint to my personal, leisure and financial life but it will be beneficial when I’m done school. What I can do to remove constraints Being a mom on my own, my daughter does take up a lot of my time. I try to find activities we can do together, and as she gets older I know she will be able to participate in more activities. I go to the gym when she is at daycare and if I want to go on the weekend my gym has a daycare where she enjoys it too. If I want to go for a run I simply put her in her stroller and off we go together. If I want to go for tea with a friends we go to McDonald’s where Mila can play and where I am able to socialize. When her dad does come to visit I am able to get my free time in to do whatever I want. My daughter’s grandparents live in Lac Du Bonet and they are also willing to take her once in awhile. I believe if you really want something you can make it happen and with a few adaptations you can make any situation work. My daughter isn’t going to be two years old forever so I’m going to enjoy the time we have now together. Stress in my life My current major stress issues are trying to get my finances in order. I have car payments and monthly rent and utility payments. This is my first time living on my own and is also the first time living alone with my two year old daughter. This change was a scary change not just for me but for her as well. Another major stressor in my life is my relationship with my spouse. Our relationship has been an on and off relationship and not the healthiest relationship either. I have lost weight as a result of being hurt and stressed out, my education has suffered and my relationships with my other family members and friends have suffered. Another contributor of stress in my life is raising my two year old daughter by myself and with everything combined it can be overwhelming at times. Activities that reduce my stress When I upset or need time to myself I really enjoying swimming or going for a long run to help clear my head and sort out my thoughts. If I need to talk to someone about something I usually workout with a good friend so I can get a workout in and another person’s perspective on my current problem or issue, whatever it may be. After a good workout I always feel great and it helps me to remember to think positive regardless the situation. I believe everything will always work out for the better in the end and it usually does. My mom, sister, and close friends are always a phone call away so it is comforting to know I can phone them and they will be there for me no matter the situation or problem. Positive thinking while I’m engaging in any activity I enjoy is a great way for me dealing with stress and life in general. I always try to surround myself with positive people; people who are going to lift me higher and who help me cope with stress. When I am frustrated I cry, I have found that crying is a great release and that after doing so I always feel better. Rather than viewing crying as a weakness I view it as a strength, it takes more to admit one is overwhelmed than it does to always pretend to everything is ok and if it results in a happier me then it must be positive. Activities that reduce my stress: * Working out with a close friend * Running or swimming alone * Talking to a close family member or close friend * Going for a tan * Going for a long walk with my daughter * Watching a movie and cuddling with my daughter * Crying when frustrated How can I use Leisure differently to reduce Stress? I feel that I have a good overall balance of how I control my stress. Managing stress is all about taking charge; taking charge of my thoughts, my emotions, my schedule, my environment, and the way I deal with my problems helps me cope with stress. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun, plus the strength to hold up under pressure and meet life’s challenges head on. I admit that there are moments where I may crack under pressure but I’m human and it is completely normal to have these moments. I know that I can improve on my time management when it comes to my daughter and my education time. I think that partaking in a yoga class once a week will help improve my stress levels. Also finding more free community family programs will be beneficial for daughter and me as well. It will help us to meet more families who may possibly be in a similar situation as us. The influence of my Cultural background on my Leisure I am of Metis background, my mom is aboriginal and my dad is from Nova Scotia. My mom is a residential school survivor and raised me and my siblings the western Canadian way. We do not practice aboriginal culture and tradition. While I have participated in smudging before and I have been to a few pow wow’s, I can’t say that my cultural background has contributed to my leisure in a large way.

High Budget Deficits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

High Budget Deficits - Essay Example Budget deficits, on the other hand, are the amounts in deficit of what the individuals spending, government or even a companies or corporations spending are short of the planned incomes from the entities sources. In another name, deficit spending may be the other terminology of budget deficits. Over the past years, budget deficits of countries, most so the developing countries, have attracted a lot of publicity. This has been majorly witnessed over the past two decades of which financial restructuring and turbulence have been witnessed (Associated Press 2010). The country where the impact is witnessed is attributable to the assorted financial ills bedeviling such countries; the countries base their expenditures from high debts due to extensive borrowing, high and ever growing rates of inflation and investment problems attributed to poor investment and their poor growth performance of such investments (Associated Press 2010). The poor government financial position, most so in regards to budgets, results to poor economic growth rates. The factors that fuel these rates are the poor growth of government revenues due to poor collection measures and tools. The budgeting process, which is not well structured, is also blamed for it in a major proportion. Others include the levels of economic development, which is low and unstable. World macroeconomic shocks, like the Great Depression and poor ways in which the government controls its expenditure, have in the past been witnessed to impact on the government financial position (Associated Press 2010). The methods used to finance any form of budget deficit will always result into an imbalance in one way or the other. For instance, if local borrowing is used, then the crowding out effect of the private investments occur leading to the collapse of the private firms which may even end up causing more harm to the economy. The budgeting process of most countries has so many loops and is, therefore, responsible for most countrie s budget deficits apart from the government participation in most economies and even the other factors as discussed above. According to reports, it is in record that budget deficits have several impacts on some economic sectors, such as private consumption, private investments, the T-bill rates, current account, and even money supply into the economy (BBC 2010). The aspects that the deficit has impact on as discussed above are major pillars for the measure of any economic growth of a country. Budget deficits have been recorded to reduce money supply into the economy; this majorly results when domestic borrowing is given an upper hand (BBC 2010). Intensified domestic borrowing may also lead to the collapse of private sector firms as a result of crowding out effect. I may, therefore, comfortably conclude that budget deficits in any economy are harmful to economic growth rates since they lower the growth rates. The causes of budget deficit are many and they include most major governmen t stakeholders (individuals, companies, and corporations) who evade taxation. It is in record that many US firms use the fair share of the infrastructure by the government but they don’t pay their fair share of the taxation; they use the roads, defense, grants and even emergency services (BBC 2010). Despite the companies making huge profits from the countries resources, they try as much as they could to evade

A Letter to Explain the Subtleties of Revelations Essay

A Letter to Explain the Subtleties of Revelations - Essay Example Probably the first thing that it is important to understand is that Revelations is grounded firmly in the time of its writing – that is, the first century after the death of Christ, and it can take on a completely new meaning when looked at under that light. Probably the first thing that it is important to understand is that Revelations is not at all unique, but rather part of a â€Å"literary tradition† of apocalyptic literature that was flourishing in the first century (Kirsch 38). This literary tradition was not just Christian, but also Jewish, and in fact expanded to many other groups, including â€Å"shamans† and other religious leaders (38). Many of these works take the form of visions granted by a divine being, said to show the end times and to warn people of the coming apocalypse, so in this way too is the Book of Revelations part of a broad tradition (103). But, I can imagine you saying, this is part of the bible, not just some raving of a Shaman. The fa ct remains, however, that there was a great amount of apocalyptic literature that was coming in and out of popularity during this era, and the decision of what would become canonical (or part of the Bible) and what would become apocryphal (not part of the Bible) would be made only centuries later and through an incredibly complex and fraught political process. So, in some ways, if you are worried about the end of the world as depicted in revelations, you also have to be worried about the end of the world depicted in a wide variety of other literature in this genre. So now that we have understood a little bit about the cultural and literary context that Revelations came from, it is important to delve into the historical realities that surrounded its creation, which have a palpable impact on one’s understanding of it once one is aware that the historical context exists. The first century after Christ’s death was an incredibly uproarious time religiously, and Christianity is in fact part of that uproar. During this time period there was widespread social unrest, especially in Judea, because of the relatively recent conquest of the area by the Roman Empire (45). This was simply the latest in a long line of conquests and enslavements that Jews (at this period Christians might be better understood as a sect of Judaism rather than as an independent religion) had suffered, which was made especially dire by the destruction of the Second Temple. These times of conquest and upheaval have always been accompanied by the emergence of apocalyptic literature (48), which serves several purposes. One is to provide hope and spirit to the people suffering – the end of the world necessarily means the prevailing of the righteous at the hands of the evil, which is an especially appealing idea to a downtrodden people. Another is to solidify the base of believers, whose beliefs might be weakened or who might be tempted to stray from the teachings of their religion based on the persecution that they suffer at the hands of the conquering force. So along with being part of line of literary traditions of apocalyptic literature, Revelations is also a fairly common response to political upheaval. One of the most commonly known prophesises in revelations, for instance, is the â€Å"mark† or â€Å"seal† of the devil (Revelations 13:16) that will become spread widely during the end

The National Health Service and the Risk Assessment Techniques Research Paper

The National Health Service and the Risk Assessment Techniques - Research Paper Example The incident took place on an eight-bed ward for female admissions in a small National Health Service (NHS) institution. Dorothy Perkins has a history of considerable antisocial conduct. She is a thirty-five-year-old woman who has been nursed within this inpatient facility for almost three years and will be referred to as. Ms Perkins was admitted from Her Majesty’s Prison Service following ruling from the Crown Court that she requires a period of assessment after the attempted murder of her community care worker. Ms Perkins presents as floridly psychotic with underlying persecutory delusions and presents as unstable in her mood. Her view is that other people (staff, visitors, family and the common public) are plotting against her and attempting to murder her. Despite this, she is able to forge a level of therapeutic alliance with some staff members, in particular, male staff members. She is verbally abusive and with her large physical stature is intimidating towards the other service users on the ward and staff members. Her abuse is usually targeted towards female staff members, and she has assaulted another female service user on the ward during this admission. The multi-disciplinary team has ruled that any episodes of inappropriate conduct from Ms Perkins whilst she is around the communal areas of the ward must result in a period of ‘time-out’. In accordance with the Code of Practice to the Mental Health Act 1983 (1999), ‘time out’ is a behaviour modification technique which denies a patient, for a period of no more than 15 minutes.

Team operating guide lines and principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Team operating guide lines and principles - Essay Example (1995) found that â€Å"[t]eams that evaluated themselves as more effective on team interpersonal process also regarded themselves as more successful venture businesses† (Watson et al., 1995). Therefore, it is important to consider deal with all team members equally in both responsibility and accountability. All group members will take notes during meetings. Notes will be prepared individually. Notes should be in writing. The notes will cover full length of the meeting. Notes will be reviewed at the end of meeting. Meetings are organized for promoting mutual understanding and sharing insights. In order for the goal of any kind of meeting to be achieved, it is critically important that all attendees mutually know the contents (Cramton, 2001). It is, therefore, required that all team members prepare notes individually while the meeting is in progress. This way, they can have the minutes of meeting prepared individually. Later, they can share and compare the contents to ensure everybody is on the same board. effectiveness in venture partnerships and its connection to perceived success. Journal of Business Venturing. 10(5), 393-411. Retrieved from

Product Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Product Assessment - Essay Example Fax machines had been very popular in offices and at home for transmitting messages anywhere for some time. According to coupon. chili.com website, an environmentalist group, there are about 46.3 million fax machines in the world, most of which are held in the United States, Japan, Germany, France and UK (in that order) . This group is worried on the environmental effect of the staggering amount of paper consumed by the operation which they presumed to reach 853 miles of paper or approx. 1.373 kilometers and an impact to 2 million trees used for paper. It was once an important piece of technology that is attached to a telephone. However it is now considered by several analysts as an outdated technology that has many flaws. In the office setting, it is considered as a security risk for information and one that consumes a lot of money and materials. Due to other available means of communication, the fax machine is now suffering from a steady decline. For instance, as cited by Nick Staf feiri (April 9, 2010), law firms in Philadelphia have decreased its facsimile usage by about 55 to 70% from previous years due to electronic preference of documents than paper. A survey done by Linkedin to 7,000 professionals in 17 countries around the globe showed that it is one of the products that is slowly losing its appeal and would disappear by 2017 (Vivian Gang. Sept 25, 2012). So it is closer to an end, and by this time manufacturers in the US should have developed a strategy to avert this closure. Recommendations Businesses have a product cycle of growth, maturity and decline. In each stage businesses have to adjust strategies to complement the needs of the market and environment. In the declining stage, businesses will notice a decline in sales of the product or service. a. When a product reaches declining stage, it is about time that the company does strategic actions to resuscitate the dying business. At this point, company should look into foreign markets that have need for the fax machine. Wagner, K. (May 15, 2013), a reporter of the CNN, argued that in some markets, fax machines refused to die. This is the case in Japan wherein the popularity of fax machines has grown roots into the Japanese society. Old folks have developed attachment to the fax machine that they found it hard to replace regardless of the modern technology. Taking this as a cue, manufacturers of fax machine should take the market opportunity of developing third world countries. Statistics compiled by the Nation Master website showed that there are more users of fax machine in Japan aside from US, than in any other countries while fewer users are shown for African and Asian countries. This is an opportune time to develop these regions and introduce the product. b. It is also about time that manufacturers of fax machines upgrade their product to cope up with the advent of new technology. In order for the fax system to expand, it will be necessary to bring into it developments of multiple functions of the information system. But of course, this will be a tall order that will cause its reinvention and would incur a lot of new investments. Adding new features would be a risky investment where return of investment is not sure. c. Reduce marketing expenses such as advertisements and promotions. These are overhead expenses that could reduce operating cost and help preserve the business, and if sales do not improve, manufacturer

Marketing Case Philadelphia Phillies Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Philadelphia Phillies - Case Study Example ntangible products involve an on-going relationship between the organization and its individual customers that begins before and continues after the sale (chap.1). However, marketing a service needs to have a more intensified and careful relationship with the customer than marketing a product, because with the former, you come in contact with your clients and your customers. In short, when marketing a product, customers would just be concerned about the performance of the product and not with who manufacture them, but with service, customers should have to like the seller or the company (www.businessknowledgesource.com). In terms of segmentation, marketing a product would be much easier than marketing a service such as the Philadelphia Phillies. The aggregating of prospective buyers to market a product would result to different products variants, suiting the specific need of its aggregate or market segment (chap.9). So, for a toothpaste example, we expect a variant for the kids with probably sweeter taste and for the adults with more fluoride and a stronger flavour. But after this, you can just leave your product on shelf, without really creating a customized or personalized product. This is where the difference between marketing a service and a product, lies, as in service the offering should be customized or personalized. For the Philadelphia Phillies for example, people can range from diehard fans, to kids 14 years and below, to those who are 15 years old and above, to senior citizens, young professionals and to corporate and community groups. Since they have different needs, the value that the c ustomer gets from attending a baseball game in the stadium should fulfil their individual needs and wants. Using the 4 Ps analysis, services will also differ with products, specifically in terms of promotion and sales. Products can be advertised through popular tri-media channels such as television, services such as Philadelphia Phillies are not. Promotion for a

The Economic Downturn Effects on I.T Projects in Singapore Case Study - 1

The Economic Downturn Effects on I.T Projects in Singapore - Case Study Example Beginning November 2008, global demand and investments in trade had been paralyzed and in turn had an adverse impact on several economic sectors in Singapore such as wholesale, retail, transport, and storage sectors. For instance, the manufacturing sector is estimated to have contracted by 3.7% in 2008 and is a bit better than the 5.8% contraction for the year 2007 (Bradley 2009). The services and construction sectors also registered a slower rate of growth by as much as 5.3% (the figures were an incredible 17.3% in 2007) (Bradley 2009). Laying a primary emphasis on mitigating job losses, the government of Singapore responded to the crisis by adopting several measures. Amongst them, one of the most significant initiatives implemented included a job-retraining program aimed at improving the professional skills of workers and to reduce the burden on businesses by paying for related expenses incurred over job training. In several other cases, the government also closed down several proj ects or instructed business to do so if it felt that they were to resource intensive or hampering the reversal of the crisis (include author). A broad review of related literature and news reports (include authors) suggests that the IT industry was generally favored and supported by the government during this period of economic recession and restructuring. For example, a tender to provide passive fiber grid for the next generation of the national broadband network in Singapore was awarded in September 2008. Decisions like these clearly indicate a high level of trust and commitment on the part of the Singapore government to support the IT sector and use of IT services despite and signifies the relevance of IT as an instrument for emerging out of the crisis. Further, a passive ICT infrastructure was to be implemented in Singapore by Netcom OpenNet to deliver speeds of 1Gbps and beyond. The government committed itself towards extending a grant of S$750 million to the contracted company so as to support the network implementation (James 2009) in the hope of opening up several opportunities along the way for many other I.T proj ects.

Hamlet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Hamlet - Essay Example Hamlet dresses badly and Queen Gertrude is displeased by his behaviour and more so because of the demise of his dad and her remarrying. Claudius orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to investigate the reasons for his son in law’s unusual behaviour (Shakespeare 41). Hamlet organizes a play The Murder of Gonzalo in which he reveals the ghost’s words to King Claudius of killing his father. The king behaves in a manner to suggest the words are true. Gertrude tries to stop Hamlet, but he reprimands her for remarrying. Hamlet bashes Polonius while listening to the scolding in arrears of the curtains (Shakespeare 86). The flicker resurfaces to Hamlet and instructs him to be gentle to Gertrude. Eventually, the queen ditches King Claudius. Later King Claudius is stunned by the news of Polonius’ demise (Shakespeare 92). The queen, however, defends Hamlet insinuating he is mad. Now scared, the king sends him to England and reveals his plans to kill him while in England (Shakespeare 95). Ophelia goes angry and later on pass away. The King informs Laertes that Hamlet was responsible for the death of his father, and they plan to kill him at a fencing match. During Ophelia’s funeral, Hamlet communicates to Horatio on how he escaped his planned death in England and in its place Rosencrantz as well as Guildenstern died (Shakespeare). Hamlet also says that he wanted to devour King Claudius Killed. The Queen perishes from drinking festering cup predestined for Hamlet (Shakespeare 140). Laertes poisoned sword cuts Hamlet hurdles against Laertes but, while about to die, Hamlet stabs Claudius with Laertes’ sword; instructs Horatio to reveal the story, and recommends Young Fortinbras as Denmark’s next King (Shakespeare line 142). This scene is vital in the play as helps in the establishment of not only the tone of the play but also the background situation of the play setting. This is essential as normally the there

Human motivation Essay Example for Free

Human motivation Essay

Graphene: Development and Applications

Graphene: Development and Applications Number of carbon atoms packed in a two-dimensional (2D) grid cells as flat single layer give the graphene. This is a key building block for graphitic materials of all sizes. It can be enclosed in fullerenes (0D), rolled into 1D nanotubes or stacked into three dimensional graphite. A serious step forward in the study of graphene was when Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov from Manchester extracted Singlet thick crystallites (graphene) from crude graphite in 2004. The unique electronic properties of graphene produce an unexpectedly high opacity for one atomic monolayer, with amazingly simple value : it absorbs ~ 2.3 % of white light . This is a consequence of the unusually low energy electronic structure of monolayer graphene saws which electrons and holes tapered zone which meet each other at the point Dirac which is qualitatively different from the more common solid square zones. In 2008 carried out the first experiment proves that graphene is the strongest material that exists in nature. The measurements showed that graphene has a tensile strength of 100 times greater than steel. Graphene is different from most conventional 3D materials. The natural Graphene presents a semimetal or zero-gap semiconductor. Been a long time since we talked through the Medgreece in graphene and its unique properties. Graphene is a material which was discovered relatively recently, and its main feature is that it is a graphite sheet consisting of a lattice of carbon atoms linked together as shown in the photo of the article ( we could characterize as a wire ) which has a thickness of a single atom . So far it has been described as the ideal replacement for silicon , and has a very low resistance and higher conductivity which can lead to the creation of faster chips for computers . And all at room temperature . Where else could however be used graphene ? From the University of California , and Alexander Balandin (Chair of Materials Science and Engineering), investigated the possibility of using graphene sheets as heat conductors . The researchers call these cards quilts ( like a quilt ) and that is because the graphene sheets are not homogeneous but consist of flakes graphene , which overlap creating a spreadsheet. Only unlike the quilt ( we all know ) the quilt of graphene flakes will not retain heat, but will remove it . The graphene sheets can be used to extract heat from parts of a circuit which, due to the high speed flow of electrons ( current) particularly heated , which leads to impaired function of the circuit. Helping the diffusion of that heat , graphene will help create sdti much faster chip . Graphene based on measurements made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹by the researchers shows remarkably high thermal conductivity that surpasses even that of diamond and carbon nanotubes. The properties of graphene , (electrical conductivity , low resistance , high thermal conductivity ) find no scope only chip electronic circuits. As we mentioned previously this technology could even be used to improve the photovoltaic , since one of the main problems (in terms of performance ) is the high resistance of the conductor carrying the current. Graphene thanks to its properties , could significantly increase their performance Chapter 1: Carbon Nanostructures 1.1 A new class of materials The two-dimensional (2D) crystalline materials have only recently been identified and investigated. [1] The first material that falls into this category, is graphene, a singlet carbon layer. This new material has unique properties that make it extremely interesting both as basic knowledge, as well as for future applications. The electronic properties of graphene, for example, have resulted in an unusual quantum Hall [2], [3]. It is a transparent conductor [4] with a thickness equal to the extent of zp orbital of an atom of carbon (0,344 nm). It also has parallels with the physics of elementary particles which for example displays an unusual tunneling [5], [6], which was predicted by the Swedish Natural Oscar Klein [7]. Additionally, graphene exhibits excellent mechanical and electrical properties. Its mechanical strength is greater than steel while it can be bent. The thermal and electrical conductivity is very high and can be used as a flexible conduit. The Andre K. Geim and Kostant in S. Novoselov from the University of Manchester, were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize for the production, isolation and identification of graphene [1]. 1.2 Forms of carbon Carbon is perhaps the most exciting element of the periodic table. It is the basis of DNA and life on earth. O coal occurs in different forms. The most common form of carbon, graphite, which consists of stacked sheet carbonates hexagonal structure. At high pressures, the diamond is created, which is a metastable form of carbon. A relatively new form of molecular carbon, are the Fullerenes (Fullerenes) [8]. The most ordinary fullerene consists of 60 carbon atoms (60 C) and has the shape of a football. It is consisting of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons which enable the surface to form a ball. The discovery of fullerenes was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996. The existence of a pseudo-one-dimensional form of carbon, carbon nanotubes, has been known for many decades and the existence of single-wall carbon nanotubes in 1993 [9]. The nanotubes are formed by winding of a graphene sheet so as to acquire a cylindrical shape with hemispherical ends with a configuration similar to that of the fullerene. The electronic and mechanical properties of metallic nanotubes, show many similarities with those of graphene. It was already known that the toner is composed of hexagonal carbon levels which are stacked on top of one another but scientists believed that such a singlet carbonate sheet could not be produced. In 2004, however, scientists A. Geim, K. Novoselov and colleagues [1] showed that such an individual could be isolated and was stable. The singlet this level carbon called graphene. Figure 1.1. The graphene sheets form the native structure of the graphite, carbon nanotubes and fullerenes [11]. It should be noted that structures similar to graphene has been known since the 1960s [10] but there were experimental difficulties in isolating them and raises doubts about whether this would be possible. The amazing thing is that a simple pencil contains graphite and as it moves the paper, toner levels separated in a very small part of which contains some of singlet layers of graphite, ie graphene. The difficulty is not the production of graphene structures but rather to isolate large quantities of singlet levels for the identification, characterization and study its properties. This just managed to make the Geim and Novoselov. 1.3 Graphene Graphene is called a singlet level of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, with nearest neighbor distance of atoms 0.142 nm. It is the first truly two-dimensional crystalline material and is representative of a whole class of two-dimensional materials which includes for example Psychosocial Critical Evaluation: Case Study of Rory Psychosocial Critical Evaluation: Case Study of Rory Psychosocial Critical Evaluation: Case Study of Rory Introduction Psychosocial theory originates from psychoanalytic and psychodynamic casework, which has had a profound and lasting impact on social work (Kenny and Kenny, 2000). This assignment will use the case study of Rory, a fifteen year old boy living in a family home with his brother, mother and stepmother. Throughout the assignment Rory’s social environment and his relationships within this environment will be analysed in order to understand how these factors have shaped his development. Following on from this an evaluation of group work as an intervention method to support and empower Rory shall be explored. Group work will be taken as evidence for practice, where social work practice is carried out in groups (Doel, 2000, p.148). Psychosocial theories will be explored into how they influence group work and group dynamics, and the way group work can be used to change and adjust dysfunctional social environments. In doing so, the model of psychosocial theory and its relevance to social work will be explored, and how useful it is in understanding clients and promoting their best interests. In order to critique the model of psychosocial theory, and explore how it influences our perception of the human condition, we must have a clear idea of what we mean by the term. Modern social work theorists have stressed the importance of applying the correct competency to the individual person, with regard to their social environment (Hutchinson, 2008). It sees people as ‘products of the interaction among their biogenetic endowment, the effects of significant relationships, the impact of life experiences, and their participation in societal, cultural and current events’ (Turner, 1978, p.2). The social work profession, can see the individual person as interdependent with their environment, which they are able to influence and change (Kondrat, 2002). By seeing individuals as being uniquely shaped by their environment, it helps social workers avoid the issues of social identity theory. Rather than categorising or stereotyping people, social workers are able to empathise a nd see all service users as individuals (Tajfel and Turner, 1979, cited in Gaine, 2010). The main ideas of psychosocial theory are reflected in other social work theories and methods, such as systems and attachment theory. Both theories developed from the need to build upon the traditional psychoanalytic model of individual therapy (Walker, 2012), and the idea that individual experiences with families were continually being shaped and influenced by the evolving interaction patterns of communication. For group work to be beneficial there must be a mindfulness of the social context or sociology of the individual and group. Understanding individuals who compromise the group requires knowledge of ‘psychosocial functioning and development through the life cycle’ but also the impact of the group’s structure and process on the members’ behaviour. A group cannot be understood without knowledge of members in their individual social context (Northern and Kurland, 2001, p.35). This promotes and encourages diversity within the group, as practitioners are mindful of differences within the group, and how they can be addressed to promote social skills such as empathy and respect. If a client’s environment and social context has been dysfunctional, as in Rory’s case, the group work can provide a model of a healthy culture through the group values, communication patterns, and the way it addresses interpersonal conflict (Northern and Kurland, 2001). Having explored the connection between group work and psychosocial theory, two theories of social work shall be applied and explored next. Attachment theory focuses on the quality of the attachments in the significant relationships in a client’s past (Bowlby, 1979, 1988). Bowlby’s theory of attachment stresses the importance of past relationships by determining which will develop emotionally and socially, and form relationships in the future. Bowlby was particularly concerned with the interactions and attachments that individuals had with their parents or carers. The ability of a child to attach to a parent or carer, the level of consistency of the parent or carer to meet the emotional needs of a child and the ability of the child to feel safe and secure, predicted how the child would develop emotionally. This theory has particular relevance and importance for this case study. The relationship between Rory and his mother can be recognised as a disorganised attachment. H is mother’s bi-polar disorder means her behaviour is inconsistent at times, due to her having stable periods but when her mood is very bleak she neglects the needs of Rory and his brother. From this behaviour Rory receives mixed messages, leaving him feeling anxious and unable to explain and possibly understand his own feelings (Bowlby, 1988). His father appears to display as insecure or ambivalent attachment, this is due to him demonstrating an inconsistency in his attitude to Rory, neglecting contact for several weeks at a time. His unpredictable behaviour and failure to display attention in a consistent way leads to anxiety and distress for Rory. Attachment theory is helpful to social workers in planning intervention, as they have insight into how past experiences of the service user can impact on their behaviour, and their ability to form relationships. For example, at the Youth Club Rory is seen as increasingly withdrawn and erratic by the youth workers. This may be due to his disorganised attachments impacting upon his ability to behave in social situations. Preston-Shoot and Agass (1990) explains that the development and quality of relationships can be influenced by considering the impact of the client’s feelings on behaviours. Group work can be a powerful tool when based on attachment theory issues. Egeland and Erikson (1993) and Eriskon et al., (1992) described a group in which young, high-risk mothers were brought together for weekly group sessions from the time their children were born until they were one year old. Group work was effective here for two reasons. Firstly, through the therapeutic relationship itself, or the relationship with the group facilitator, in which ‘the facilitator maintains a healthy, supportive alliance with the parent, proving such relationships are possible’ (Erikson et al., 1992, p.501). When using any intervention, it is important to create a working alliance, in which the patient has confidence that the practitioner can help (Holmes, 2001). Due to Rory having all his immediate adult relationships in his life being inconsistent and causing him anxiety, having another which proves to be consistent in his life, one that is dependable, may improve his self-esteem an d address problems he is exhibiting in social situations, such as at the Youth Club. The reason he may be attending the Youth Club could be due to him searching for that consistency and dependable person he needs, as the Youth Club is a weekly activity which is always there. The ‘therapeutic’ relationship gives Rory a ‘secure base’ (Holmes, 2001, p.17) where the task can challenge assumptions and relationship patterns. Group work would also introduce Rory to a plethora of perspectives and individuals. Through this, Rory may become conscious of thoughts and attitudes that were previously unconscious (Holmes, 2001). In listening to and working with others Rory may build up his self-esteem. As he begins to form relationships with members of the group, he has models of healthy and functional relationships that are different from his own attachments with family members. This could increase his confidence, addressing problems of withdrawn and erratic behaviour that have been raised by Youth Workers at Youth Club. A number of studies have shown group work can improve social skills (Reid and Hammond, 2001; Fargan and Jones, 2002). Group work also promotes diversity as those it helps do not feel isolated or alienated by their problems: through sharing experiences in a respectful and tolerant environment they gain insight into the sufferings and challenges of others, and methods to overcome this. Groupwork a s a form of learning extends beyond this, as groups offer members feedback that is often more effective coming from peers than from a social worker (Northern and Kurland, 2001). When done sensitively and constructively, such feedback helps clients such as Rory with their social skills and their ability to build relationships outside of the group. A weakness of this theory, however, may that does it is not sufficiently encompassing of all the social forces that act on the individual. Psychosocial theory holds that we should acknowledge the role in human development of temperament, racism, poverty, social class, and other environmental conditions (criticism outlined in Coady and Lehman, 2007). Group dynamics and interactions cannot be understood through individual’s relationships with their parents alone. Psychosocial theory assists social workers in understanding and analysing the situations and behaviours of their client. This provides practitioners with insight into what has occurred in the past or what may occur in the future. However, some argue that attachment theory does not paint a picture of the client whole: by attributing all of Rory’s behaviours and concerns to his parents, the practitioner may neglect the wider social context that is acting on him. Systems theory may offer a more encompassing picture of Rory’s social context. This theory holds that individuals and their environments are separate systems that are interconnected and interdependent (Teater, 2010). By thinking of families as living systems, systems theories are able to think about how dynamics are constantly altering as each family member deals with life inside and outside the family. Rory’s withdrawn behaviour, and self-destructive thoughts can be attributed to the frequency with which his family dynamics change. This change is at times dramatic for example the breakdown of his parent’s relationship, or his sister leaving the family home- but also in the inconsistencies due to his stepfather’s temper and mother’s mental illness. Systems theory also promotes tolerance and diversity, as it recognises that there is no one model for a healthy, functioning family (Walker, 2012). A change or movement in one of these systems results in change or movement in the others. In Rory’s case, social systems theory is useful as it allows social workers to identify which system requires an intervention (Teater, 2010). The key question is ‘does this structure work for this family’ and does it allow for the healthy development and growth of family members? As such, the Munro Report confirms that a systems perspective offers the most holistic tool for undertaking informed assessment work that takes into full account the wide environmental factors combined with the inter-personal relationship patterns that influence family experiences (cited in Walker, 2012). Furthermore, a family’s structure and organisation allows social workers to determine, to some extent what is possible within a particular family. Thinking of families systematically also ensures no family member is marginalised (Walker, 2012). One-to-one intervention with Rory will have an i mpact on the whole family system; his mother, brother and stepfather will be affected, and also the family dynamic as a whole. As such, group work is an effective method of intervention according to social systems theory. This is because it avoids the risk that the family’s problems and their solutions are individualised. By placing Rory in a different group dynamic, one that has been constructed by a facilitator or practitioner, social workers may be able to assess which elements of the family’s structure need intervention, and where Rory and the family need extra support. By assessing Rory’s patterns of communication and interaction outside his family dynamic, practitioners may gain greater insight into his specific needs and methods that can be used to support and empower him. Groupwork for families links closely to the family therapy movement (pioneered by figures such as Murray Bowen, Jay Haley, and Virginia Satir). The family therapy movement advocates systemic features as a means by which to assess the way groups of relatives organise themselves over time, creating stable patterns, that are inclined to return to familiar states. As such, one of the beliefs is that systems tend to be self-correcting, based on positive or negative feedback (Coady and Lehmen, 2007). By using groupwork intervention with Rory, he may feel empowered and supported to address and correct the patterns and familiar states of his family, rather than simply removing himself from situations. Furthermore, the counsellor or practitioner can address the dysfunctional and destructive subsystems that exist within Rory’s family. A concern surrounding this theory of social work, however, is the emphasis social systems theory places on adaptation. The purpose of the group work intervention is to explore how systems can be adjusted and change to create a healthy and supportive structure. As such, some fear that practitioners are encouraging clients to accommodate to oppressive circumstances (Coady and Lehmen, 2007). From this perspective, Rory may be being taught to accept and adapt to the hostile and threatening behaviour of his stepfather, or the neglect he sometimes faces from his mother. This can be addressed by being mindful of social work’s traditional concern with social justice- an integration of values such as social justice and social systems based thinking is possible. To do this, practitioners must be self-reflective and question their own values and assumptions, particularly in terms of prejudice and diversity, in order to ensure that the client’s best interests are at the heart of gr oup work intervention. An awareness of social circumstance is also important in tackling diversity with regard to mental health. Parental mental health, and the disruption to parenting capacity has been found to have profound and persistent implications for children and their parents (Smith, 2004). As such, it has been advocated that social workers have improved access to training that assists with psychosocial interventions, such as group work (National Institute for Mental Health in England, 2005). This helps us to understand the quality of attachment between Rory and his mother. Rory himself is displaying behaviours that may point to mental health, particularly disclosing suicidal thoughts. Research shows that social work plays a significant role of social work in promoting the involvement of people using services and developing systemic approaches to practice with families (Gilbert, 2007). Diversity is important here- social workers must address societal stigmas regarding mental health. Effective inter vention can also promote diversity by helping those with mental health to function and become involved in society. A psychosocial approach helps us to understand Rory’s patterns of communication and behaviour, as it gives us insight into the formative relationships, experiences and environments that have categorised his life thus far. This puts troubling behaviours, such as self-destructive and suicidal thoughts, within a social context that can be used as the basis for assessment and intervention. Our chosen intervention method, group work, is also revealing about how Rory can be supported and empowered. By modelling healthy and secure relationships, and developing Rory’s social skills, Rory’s future relationships do not have to be influenced solely by dysfunctional attachments with his parents and stepfather. By understanding his family as a system, and observing Rory but within that system and in other groups, insight is gained into how Rory’s social context can be adapted in order to promote the healthy growth of all its members.