Saturday, August 31, 2019

Education in the Philippines Essay

In psychology, a drive theory or drive doctrine   is a theory that attempts to define, analyze or classify the psychological drives. A drive is an â€Å"excitatory state produced by a homeostatic disturbance†, an instinctual need that has the power of driving the behaviour of an individual. Drive theory is based on the principle that organisms are born with certain psychological needs and that a negative state of tension is created when these needs are not satisfied. When a need is satisfied, drive is reduced and the organism returns to a state of homeostasis and relaxation. According to the theory, drive tends to increase over time and operates on a feedback control system, much like a thermostat. Psychoanalysis Early attachment theory Social psychology Corroborative evidence Evaluation apprehension See Also ReferencesIn Freudian psychoanalysis, drive theory (German: Triebtheorie, German: Trieblehre) [1] refers to the theory of drives, motivations, or instincts, that have clear objects. [citation needed] In 1927 Freud said that a drive theory was what was lacking most in psychoanalysis. He was opposed to systematics in psychology, rejecting it as a form of paranoia, and instead classified drives with dichotomies like Eros/Thanatos drives, the drives toward Life and Death, respectively, and sexual/ego drives. Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents was published in Germany in 1930  when the rise of fascism in that country was well under way, and the warnings of a second European war were leading to opposing calls for rearmament and pacifism. Against this background, Freud wrote â€Å"In face of the destructive forces unleashed, now it may be expected that the other of the two ‘heavenly forces,’ eternal Eros, will put forth his strength so as to maintain himself alongside of his equally immortal adversary.†. In 1947, Hungarian psychiatrist and psychologist Leopold Szondi, aimed instead to a systematic drive theory. Szondi Drive Diagram has been described as a revolutionary addition to psychology, and as paving the way for a theoretical psychiatry and a psychoanalytical anthropology. In early attachment theory, behavioural drive reduction was proposed by Dollard and Miller (1950) as an explanation of the mechanisms behind early attachment in infants. Behavioural drive reduction theory suggests that infants are born with innate drives, such as hunger and thirst, which only the caregiver, usually the mother, can reduce. Through a process of classical conditioning, the infant learns to associate the mother with the satisfaction of reduced drive and is thus able to form a key attachment bond. However, this theory is challenged by the work done by Harlow, particularly the experiments involving the maternal separation of rhesus monkeys, which indicate that comfort possesses greater motivational value than hunger. In social psychology, drive theory was used by Robert Zajonc in 1965 as an explanation of the phenomenon of social facilitation. [8] The audience effect notes that in some cases the presence of a passive audience will facilitate the better performance of a task, while in other cases the presence of an audience will inhibit the performance of a task. Zajonc’s drive theory suggests that the variable determining direction of performance is whether the task is composed of a correct dominant response (that is, the task is perceived as being subjectively easy to the individual) or an incorrect dominant response (perceived as being subjectively difficult). In the presence of a passive audience, an individual is in a heightened state  of arousal. Increased arousal, or stress, causes the individual to enact behaviours that form dominant responses, since an individual’s dominant response is the most likely response, given the skills which are available. If the dominant response is correct, then social presence enhances performance of the task. However, if the dominant response is incorrect, social presence produces an impaired performance. Corroborative evidence Such behaviour was first noticed by Triplett (1898) while observing the cyclists who were racing together versus cyclists who were racing alone. It was found that the mere presence of other cyclists produced greater performance. A similar effect was observed by Chen (1937) in ants building colonies. However, it was not until Zajonc investigated this behaviour in the 1960s that any empirical explanation for the audience effect was pursued. Zajonc’s drive theory is based on an experiment   involving the investigation of the effect of social facilitation in cockroaches. Zajonc devised a study in which individual cockroaches were released into a tube, at the end of which there was a light. In the presence of other cockroaches as spectators, cockroaches were observed to achieve a significantly faster time in reaching the light than those in the control, no-spectator group. However, when cockroaches in the same conditions were given a maze to negotiate, performance was impaired in the spectator condition, demonstrating that incorrect dominant responses in the presence of an audience impair performance. Evaluation apprehension Cottrell’s Evaluation Apprehension model later refined this theory to include yet another variable in the mechanisms of social facilitation. He suggested that the correctness of dominant responses only plays a role in social facilitation when there is an expectation of social reward or punishment based on performance. His study differs in design from Zajonc’s as he  introduced a separate condition in which participants were given tasks to perform in the presence of an audience that was blindfolded, and thus unable to evaluate the participant’s performance. It was found that no social facilitation effect occurred, and hence the anticipation of performance evaluation must play a role in social facilitation. Evaluation apprehension, however, is only key in human social facilitation and not observed in animals. 1. Mà ©lon, Jean (1996) Notes on the History of the Szondi Movement Text for the Szondi Congress of Cracow, August 1996. 2. Seward, J. (1956). drive, incentive, and reinforcement. Psychological Review, 63, 19-203. Retrieved from https://pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=rev-63-3-195&site=ehost-live 3. Leopold Szondi (1972) Lehrbuch der Experimentellen Triebdiagnostik 4. Freud, S. (1961). Civilization and its discontents. J. Strachey, transl. New York: W. W. 5. Leopold Szondi [1947] (1952) Experimental Diagnostics of Drives first edition, quotation: 6. Livres de France (1989), Issues 106-109 quotation: 7. Harlow H F; Zimmermann R R. (1959). Affectional responses in the infant monkey Science, vol(130):421-432 8. Zajonc, R. B. (1965). Social facilitation. Science, 149, 269-274. 9. Zajonc, R. B.; Heingartner, A.; Herman, E. M. (1969). â€Å"Social enhancement and impairment of performance in the cockroach†. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 13 (2): 83. doi:10.1037/h0028063 . edit

Friday, August 30, 2019

James Cameron’s Science Fiction film “Terminator II” Essay

James Cameron’s Science Fiction film â€Å"Terminator II† uses various conventions of Sci-Fi to not only engage viewers, but entertainment them. Science fiction uses various futuristic elements to convey powerful comments about society. This is most effectively done through his powerful and relatable social comments. His central social comments force audiences to question their own world and like all Sci-Fi texts explore how possible this actually is. The dominant social comment explored by James Cameron is that Technology will be our downfall. Other social comments that are also relevant are that humans have an intrinsic need to adhere towards morals and ethics that can’t be taught and that it is in the human race’s nature to destroy themselves. James Cameron clearly explains the social comments through various film techniques. Similarly, Henry Slesar’s short story ‘Examination Day’ relies heavily on its powerful social comment to effe ctively engage readers. While both texts make significant social comments, various other sci-fi conventions are also used to keep responders entertained. The dominant social comment that entertains the audience in an effective way explored by James Cameron is that technology will ironically be our demise. Cameron cleverly juxtaposes the opening scene of the hustle and bustle of lively Los Angeles to the close up traffic in 2029. However, in this shot the cars are destroyed and an empty playground further indicates the dystopian world of our society. The diegetic laughter of the girl on the swing and the non-diegetic music in the background creates suspense. The extreme white fade out to a dramatic close up of the empty swing swinging back and forth which then brings us to the close up camera shot of a human skull being crushed by the terminator clearly reveals that technology will lead to our demise. With the war of the robots being shown in the opening scene, audiences can immediately conclude that the genre of thriller is brought to the film as suspense is immediately introduced in the opening scene. This war indicates from the outset that technology will be our demise. While the irony of machines destroying humanity is immediately established as a significant social comment in this sci-fi text, Cameron begins to explore the characteristics of humanity in his second social comment. Throughout the film, Cameron relies on the humorous juxtaposition between the T100 and John Connor to highlight the emotional and idiocentric characteristic that are inherently human. It is through this and several other film techniques that Cameron’s second social comment is explored; that being human, is not something that can be taught. The moral and ethical justifications that are intrinsic to being human is clearly explored in the scene where John attempts to explain why, â€Å"You can’t just go around killing people†. John’s dialogue is contrasted with the T100’s question; â€Å"why not?† close up camera shots of their contrasting facial expressions highl ights this significant idea, that despite our natural inclination â€Å"destroy ourselves†, reason and morality is only inherent to us Johns invalid explanation, â€Å"because you just can’t †¦ this stuff is important†, highlights the barrier between machine and human. Through this social comment audiences can easily link the text to the science fictional genre. This barrier is further explored when John humorously attempts to ‘humanise’ the Terminator. Through various satirical scenes Cameron reveals humanity’s saving grace is intact their emotions which are ironically aligned to weakness. When the T100 asks, â€Å"why do you cry?† The T100’s crying motif mixed with several film techniques symbolises the disparity between machines and humanity. In an age where technology is seen to advance the human mind, the T100’s inability to understand why people cry highlights the superiority of humans, â€Å"we just cry.† Again further explaining the social comment we can still relate the film to the sci-fi genre. The third idea explored by Cameron is the ironic self- destructive behaviour of humanity. Using real life examples Cameron attempts to create a logical link between the creation of the destructive, ab ominable Terminators and the weapons that are already leading us into destruction â€Å"it is in your nature to destroy yourselves†. While the terminator metaphorically highlights the paradox of our constant creation of destruction, it is the female protagonist Sarah Connor, who provides a fresh face and new insight into sci-fi revealing the contrast between the destructive creation of men and the beautiful, creation that only women are privileged to endure, â€Å"Fucking men like you built the hydrogen bomb. Men like you thought it up†¦ You don’t know what it’s like to†¦ create a life†¦ All you know how to create is death†¦ † . Her use of repetition and expletives highlights Cameron’s feministic approach to this social comment, symbolising men’s obsession with creating destruction. This not only makes this sci-fi film unique and original in its exploration of this common theme, it also allows audiences to question why humans are so obsessed with playing â€Å"God†. Similarly to ‘Terminator II’ the short story ‘Examination Day’ also explores Sci-fi convections in similar ways. Like ‘Terminator II’, ‘Examination Day’ is driven by its powerful and dramatic social comment. While subtly revealed to be set in the future, unlike ‘Terminator II’ this is not the dominant focus in the text. While the commentary is different to that of ‘Terminator II’, both texts entertain audiences primarily by focusing them to question their own lives like all sci-fi text, thus posing the ‘what if’ question. The short story ‘Examination Day’ hyperbolically explores a world where governments obtain ultimate control. This is brought to the readers in the opening paragraphs when Dickies parents are discussing a â€Å"Government intelligence test they give children at the age of twelve†. It is â€Å"the moisture in his mother’s eyes† when readers are aware that the story they have been told has contrasted what really is happening. Even though the links to sci-fi aren’t as clear as the ones in ‘Terminator II’ we still see the connection through the thriller genre. As both Mr and Mrs Jordan try to avoid the conversation about the test suspense begins to develop as we understand that the test will possibly resemble a big part in the Jordan family’s life. As Mr Jordan explains the details of the test further we learn that the government will provide Dickie with truth serum. In this event readers are immediately informed that the government play a big role in everything which is making civilization less utopian and more dystopian. Is through little key things during the story we can see a resemblance to a futuristic world such as ‘Terminator II’, â€Å"Your classification number is 600-115†. Unlike ‘Terminator II’ this short story utilises various literary techniques to explore this powerful social comment, relying on descriptive language and body gestures to capture the mystery and anxiety relating to this exam. Furthermore the repetitive image of the â€Å"moistness of his mother’s eyes† heightens suspense, hinting towards the significance of this â€Å"Government intelligence test†. Like ‘Terminator II’ this text uses various sci-fi conventions such as the embedded t hriller genre to effectively engaging audiences, keeping them entertained. As the denouement reveals the unpredictable twist, â€Å"we regret to inform you†¦ his intelligence quotient is above government regulation†, the disturbing social comment become clearer â€Å"†¦whether you wish his body interred by the government, or would you prefer a private burial place?† Slesar’s clever use of inversion as Dickie fails the intelligence test because he is too smart, seems to be warning readers about the dangers of power and control, and the need for people to be more engaged and aware of governments and other organisations that may abuse their power. Like most sci-fi texts, ‘Examination Day’ challenges our own world, and contemplates what may happen if we do not take more responsibility and interest in the powerful bodies that govern the people. Again, it is this dramatic yet relatable social comment that most effectively engages readers by shocking them much like ‘Terminator II’. While ‘Terminator II’ looks at humanity’s ironic destructive nature and dangerous over reliance on technology, ‘Examination Day’ focuses on humanity’s often gullible and negligent over reliance on powerful forces such as the government. While both texts are strongly driven by the relevant and powerful social comments, both texts follow the conventions of sci-fi through their mutual futuristic settings, advanced technology as well as the utilisation of other genres within; specifically the thriller genre. Along with powerful film and literary techniques, both texts entertain audiences.

Ozone Depletion and Global Warming

How the video was a good example of a persuasive speech? The video was a good example of a persuasive essay because of its overall structure from attention-getter and visual aid to the conclusion and performance. The speaker began to start his persuasive speech talking about global warming and what we the listener can do to prevent and lower down the devastating effects of Global Warming. The speaker allowed us to know what type of speech is he exactly giving information about and told us a personal story into his life to keep the listeners engage.The speaker gave much information of his speech and the effects on Global Warming to today. He pursues the listeners to stand up and do something about it by including the lives of mankind into the equation of global warming saying that things would only get worst if we do not act now. The speaker had great use of visual aid, which supported his entire speech and kept the listeners engaged by showing examples and slides that helped pictured out everything for the audience instead of the listener running off with their imagery of which the speaker was talking about.He also used video clips in helping getting his points across. The speaker showed examples of the speech and Global Warming meaning and Activity such as the ultra-violet rays and the ozone layer be these such example showed in speech. He used graph to show us exactly how long Global Warming has been affecting us and it's rate in growth. The visual aid was very useful to his persuasive speech and his performance of pursuing the audience to act.In the movie small clips had come up as the speech had progress turning out to be his attention-getter and the reason why he had chose to talk about this speech. For his attention-getter he mentioned that his son was playing on the playground and a car spiral out of control resulting in an accident. His son was on life support in the hospital. With that tragic attention-getter he managed to get his audience engaged in h is speech.When he started progressing through his speech the small clips would pop up again being stated as his source and research into his own dedication of the speech. In the movie the speaker brings up three main-points in his speech, these main-points are: what is global warming, global warming affects, & who’s doing what about global warming. The main points are placed well in his speech as oppose to the information being scattered. He used a great deal of information and he even involved his self into getting the information he needed by traveling where needed to back up is thesis. For example, he traveled to where the affects of global warming had taken place. He had said from his speech Japan had worst tsunamis now than they did in the past decade, in fact tsunamis constantly appeared in Japan. The structure and source the speaker used to back up his speech was overall amazing and very useful in creating a persuasive speech of my own. The speaker uses of his own know ledge of global warming was very helpful and believe this is the best persuasive speech I have heard.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Microsoft Zune Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Microsoft Zune - Essay Example On the other hand, through Apple iPod music can be played and the user can as well store videos, songs as well as their digital pictures so that they can listen and view them as an when required by the user. The videos can as well be watched on iPod and on the television by means of optional iPod AV cable (Apple, n.d.). Strategy Followed By Microsoft Zune In light of severe competition among the digital media brands, it becomes necessary for the firms to keep themselves updated with the new strategies to beat the competition. It has been noticed that Microsoft Zune has been trying to enlarge the features of Zune players with other hardware devices such as mobile phones, PCs as well as Televisions. It is worthy of mentioning that the strategy followed by Zune has been aimed at beating the competition that Apple presents. Microsoft has added Wi-Fi into the Zune in order to improve the features of the Microsoft Zune. The company aims at delivering its customers with new software, device s as well as services (Ganapati, 2009). Issues Related To Microsoft Zune It has been noted that the Microsoft Zune has faced certain problems. ... The other issue as identified is that although Microsoft claims to be quite compatible, the issue is that the users want their music service to be quite compatible not with the operating systems but with iPods as well (Adkins, 2006). It has also been noted that since the Zune is loaded with too much features it becomes difficult for the users to operate the device (Adkins, 2006). The product seems to have a neutered network. It can be mentioned that adding up of the wireless service in the device has been valueless since the feature did not work with more than half of the music users purchasing from Microsoft. The battery life was also too low. Despite Microsoft Zune’s efforts to provide wireless sync, it has been noticed that the device is quite slow (Slideshare, 2010). Adding up of the radio can also be considered as an issue with the system. The users may not purchase such an expensive device for listening to radio. The user’s needs to make use of the external antenn a in order to listen to the radio else the response of the radio is too poor (Dilger, 2007). Competitors of Microsoft Zune The primary competitor of Microsoft Zune is Apple iPod Nano. The secondary competitors of Microsoft Zune are Sony NWZ-A818 as well as Creative Zen. It has been found that the battery life of Sony NWZ-A818 is quite superior and even the sound quality is good. There are many features in Creative Zen and it has quite a big screen (CBS Interactive, 2011). It has been noted that the revenues of Zune reduced by around 54% and there was decline in the revenues of the company’s earnings in the entertainment as well as device divisions in the year 2008 (Slideshare, 2010). The sales of the mobile device were about 27 million in the year 2008. The figure

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Auditing and Accounting Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Auditing and Accounting Ethics - Essay Example The act suggests undertaking continuous rotation of audit partners. It also emphasises increased financial reporting and imposes limits on certain non-audit services. The Sarbanes-Oxley act suggests reducing the economic interdependence of auditor and client. The economic rent provided to the auditors can only be gained as a result of long lasting relation ship between the auditor and the client, this condition in turn acts as a hindrance in the way of auditor to act independently. The threat of lawsuits often act as a motivator for the auditors to act independently as inefficient or unfair performance can result in shape of judicial action against auditors. In most of the studies undertaken it has been observed that the higher degree of threat to the auditors independence leads to authentic opinion. Its also found that auditor does not tend to change their decision with the varying degree of independence but change the decision process. i) Difference in the social and cultural value s: Standard setting is a crucial process, which includes change. Some societies have open and flexible culture, which keeps on transforming with the time. But on the other hand closed societies have relatively rigid culture. The acceptance level of change in these societies is very low. In the case of the global harmonisation of standards a country adopting the International standards cannot complete the picture. In most of the studies undertaken it has been observed that the higher degree of threat to the auditors independence.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Music and Emotion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Music and Emotion - Research Paper Example In the "Music and Emotion" essay author describes the effect that music has on our brain and how it manipulates our emotions. The association between music, emotion and brain is an interesting topic which provoked the attention of music lovers, psychologists and medical experts. Music can touch the emotions of all kinds of people like introverts, extroverts, simple or tough people. Music has no languages or it has its own language which is understandable only to the music lovers. It is quite possible that a westerner may infatuate by the Indian classical music and an Indian may love the western music. In other words, music is all about the rhythm, composing styles, lyrics etc rather than the normal languages. Emotional association of music is highly subjective. For example, a group of people who hear the same music in the same environment may develop different emotions. One of them may develop happiness because of the fast rhythm and another may become sad because of the lyrics. A th ird person in that group may focus more on the singing style or the voice of the singer while a fourth person may give more importance to the composing of the music. These differences happen because of the individual differences. In other words, the development of emotion as a result of music listening depends on the nature of the individual. Music is effective in the treatment of psychological disorders like autism because of its ability to touch the emotions of the patient. It is difficult to treat psychological problems like autism with the help of any medicines. In the study of how music therapy improves behavioral abnormalities of autism, Griggs-Drane and Wheeler, a music therapist and educational consultant, respectively, in the Richmond Hospital Education Program, performed a study in 1997 with a blind, female adolescent with autism. The client was asked to listen to music, sing with music, and play instruments to decrease her self-destructive behavior. The study did show a decrease in her destructive behavior (Aguila, p.7) The above findings clearly show that music can affect even abnormal people. Music can be used as an effective communication device between an autistic patient and the therapist. The therapist can cultivate many desired feelings in the minds of the patient after recognizing the specific tastes of the patient. It is not necessary that two autistic patients may react in the same manner to a particular music. In other words, the music which was used by the therapist to cultivate a particular behavior in an autistic patien t need not be successful on another patient. The therapist should vary the music to see the effects and to decide which music is suitable for a particular patient. â€Å"Leanne Belasco, a music therapist at the Kennedy Krieger School's Montgomery County campus in Rockville, says music gives structure and a predictable rhythm to verbal directions† (Hwang). Apart from autism, music therapy can be effective in treating some of the phobias. Some people have the habit of developing unintentional negative feelings. Such people often worried about unnecessary things because

Monday, August 26, 2019

Oedipus the King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Oedipus the King - Essay Example Creon returns with a message from the oracle and insists on delivering the message in private to the king. Oedipus however, insists that he will hear the message in front of his citizens. The message is that the god Apollo through the oracle, demands that, for the curse to be lifted, the murderer of Laius must be found and brought to justice. Laius was the former king of Thebes before Oedipus. He was attacked and killed on a crossroad by thieves when on his way to consult an oracle. All, but one of his travelling companions survived the attack (3). Oedipus’s Innocence In determining whether Oedipus was guilty or not, one has to put into account information that was available to him at the time his alleged crimes were committed. A great portion of Oedipus’s innocence lies in his ignorance of his past and that of Thebes. Oedipus had attacked and killed a group of travellers at a crossroad sometime in the past. At the time, they did not seem significant and never did he th ink that this incidence would ever come up in the future. When he was a child, it was revealed to him, by an old man that he was adopted; furthermore he was told that he would kill his biological father and have carnal relations with his biological mother. What he did not know at the time that these individuals would be king Laius and his wife, Jocasta, respectively. There was some aspect of relief when news reached Thebes that his adoptive father had passed on. The relief was however, short lived since future investigations revealed that the man he killed at the crossroads was king Laius. In this aspect, Oedipus is innocent of both regicide – Killing a king- and patricide – Killing his father- because he had no idea who the man was at the time (30 - 35). Assassinating a leader was and still is a serious offence. Oedipus’s case however has two possible outcomes. First, if Oedipus attacked Laius’s travelling party first without being provoked, then, he is guilty of murder. Secondly, if Oedipus was attacked first By Laius, then this can only be viewed as a classic case of self-defence. Both these theories can be true depending on who among the two survived to tell the story. When Oedipus took over as king following Laius’s death, he also took up his widow, Jocasta, as his wife. Oedipus had a number of children by Jocasta as his wife. Knowing what has been mentioned above; this is an obvious case of incest. Oedipus is however, innocent of incest since neither he nor Jocasta had any idea that they were related in the remotest possible manner. When Oedipus realized that he had been having an incestuous relationship with his own biological mother, he punished himself very harshly by plucking out both his own eyes. His mother or wife consequently killed herself on learning that the son that she thought had been killed long ago, was the man whom she shared a bed with. Oedipus’s Guilt Oedipus’s guilt in one aspect seems to stem from hubris. He had previously gotten his peoples acclaim by saving them from the curse of the sphinx. Seeing a chance to emerge a hero yet again, he completely ignores all advice given to him. First, on lifting the curse of the sphinx, he was specifically warned not to investigate the murder of Laius. Instead he promises his citizens that he will investigate the murder and decrees a steep penalty for whoever is found guilty. Secondly, his pride comes in when he orders Creon to tell him the news from Apollo

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Exam 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Exam 1 - Essay Example The era witnessed the passing of 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments; The Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875; Reconstruction Acts of 1867 and the Enforcement Acts of 1871. The period was also characterized by political terrorism and violence from groups like Ku Klux Klan and the White League. In the end, black equality was not realized as the South and North united at the expense of Black rights. The main Reconstruction question was whether to punish the rebel states or forgive them and whether to grant the Blacks full equality (Foner 60-78). Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation proclamation in 1863 thus freeing the former slaves. A Freedman’s Bureau was established to oversee the welfare of the former slaves such as education. Lincoln’s plans were moderate thus not popular with Radical Republicans. Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson became president in 1864. Just like Lincoln, his Reconstruction plan was sympathetic to the rebel states. Although he believed in state rights, his hatred for blacks affected his plans (Foner 176-184). He made an amnesty proclamation which set simple terms for rebel states wishing to join union such as taking loyalty oath. The Radical Republicans were not pleased and took over the Reconstruction efforts using their congressional power to pass major legislations which granted legal equality to Blacks. The major legislations included the 1866 Civil Rights Act which granted rights to blacks as citizens of the U. S. They could testify in court, make labor contracts and hold property (Foner 239). The military reconstruction Acts of 1867 steered Reconstruction efforts and were used to police the Southern states. The Acts gave permission to these states to form new constitutions and set conditions for readmission to the union. The 14th Amendment of 1868 followed which stated â€Å"all persons born or naturalized in U.S and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of US

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Introduction to Psychology. forums Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction to Psychology. forums - Essay Example On the other hand behaviours usually occur consciously and it is possible for us to change our behaviour if we make a conscious effort. Dr Vasily Klucharev, from the FC Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging in the Netherlands has said that people often change their decisions and judgments to conform with normative group behavior (Alleyne). Psychology is interested in both behavioural studies and mental activities since both have close relationships. Psychology is the study of human mind and behaviour. Behaviour is the outcome of mental processes which means the study of psychology might not be completed without the study of behaviour and mental processes. For example, suppose a person shows some abnormalities in his behaviour. A psychiatrist or psychologist cannot treat him without knowing his mental processes. In order to know his mental processes, a psychiatrist or psychologist normally makes a free association with the patient. In short, behaviour and mental processes, both are important to psychology. Neurotransmitters are some kind of chemicals which is responsible for the amplification and modulation of signals between a neuron and another cell. Purse (2010) has mentioned that when a message or signal comes in at one end of a nerve cell, an electrical impulse travels down the "tail" of the cell (axon), and causes the release of the appropriate neurotransmitter and subsequently, molecules of the neurotransmitter are sent into the tiny space between nerve cells, called the synaptic cleft (Purse). Proper transmission of messages across the body is important for the smooth functioning of body parts. Neurotransmitters are responsible for ensuring the correct transmission of messages from the brain to other parts of the body. Neurotransmitters are responsible for the control of mood, sleep regulation, body temperature, blood pressure, hormonal activities etc. The brain

Friday, August 23, 2019

Suicides linked to bullied victims Research Paper

Suicides linked to bullied victims - Research Paper Example Many innocent lives have been lost owing to this problem of bullying and these precious lives could have been saved if proper intervention and help was provided for these issues. Bullying can be defined as acts of aggression which tend to humiliate the victim through every possible mean. According to Olweus, ‘A student is being bullied or victimized when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other students’ (Olweus 2001 p 5-6). Thus, bullying is basically a means of degrading a person to an extent that he may lose his confidence and morale and tend to consider options like suicide as the only solution. Different incidents have marked the severity of this act of bullying. Innocent young teenagers have died due to being the victims of humiliation. The examples of Tylor Cementi who was an 18 year old boy and Phoebe Prince who was a 15 year old girl serve as eye openers to highlight the issue of bullying. Tylor Cementi was a bright and intelligent boy who enrolled new in his university. Cementi was a homosexual and his sexual orientation was used as a point to bully him. His colleagues plotted against him and made a video of his private encounter with his homosexual partner. They then posted it on the internet which served to publicize a private encounter of Clementi. The young boy could not face this humiliation and he found it easier to submit him to death rather than face this embarrassment. He jumped off a bridge and committed suicide. The suicide of Tylor Clementi was a tragic incident and it was an example of cyberspace bullying. It left a great impact (Schwartz 2011). Phoebe Prince enrolled new in her school, South Hadley High School  after she moved from Ireland to the United States with her family. She became the target of the bullies and had to undergo severe pressure and mental exertion. She was bullied for three months in her school by different means which include calling her with names as well as physical harassment by the bullies. They used to give her disgracing names to humiliate her. The social networking sites served as another way to further bully Phoebe and to further publicly humiliate her. She finally could not face the pressure and gave up her race of life and committed suicide. Her death came as a shock and it served a great effect owing to the fact her suicide had just shortly followed the suicide of another young boy of 11 years in a school located in close vicinity to South Hadley High School. Serious notice of the incident was taken by the governing body in the state of Massachusetts which started formulating plans for the passage of laws to check into matters of bullying. The school also started to consider the issue seriously and started working towards creation of bodies to tackle the issue of bullying (Eckholm and Zezima 2010). Strong correlations and links between suicide and bullying have been reported. There has been an alarming rise in the suicide rate throughout the world. It is analyzed that amongst youth suicide ranks as the third reason of death. The CDC reports that 4400 deaths can attributed to suicide annually. Students who are enrolled in high school show very high levels of suicide and it has been analyzed that 7 percent of these students have actually tried to commit suicide. A research conducted by the Yale

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Turkish invasion of Cyprus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Turkish invasion of Cyprus - Essay Example Even before the conflict, the tension arose when the Cyprus Convention, on the basis of which Britain 'leased' the island, lost much of its relevance for some reasons, foremost of which was the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. However there is a background of the conflict followed by the year 1878, when Cyprus was offered to the British, the Turkish sultans expected them to build a strong naval base on the island, which could be used as a deterrent against possible Russian attacks on the Asian parts of the Ottoman Empire (Borowiec: 24). This project was never realized thus never fulfilled. Despite high claims and loud voices in Britain that demanded an end to colonial rule in Cyprus, the Convention was never abrogated, resulting in the economic disaster in Cyprus. After the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, it was felt that the time was not favourable for the Cyprus government as the Turkish government had just relaxed its negotiating position linking free access to Ayios Theodhoros with Artemis Road (Hart: 47). It had also, instructed its permanent representative to the United Nations to thank Secretary-General for his efforts in obtaining the release of Denkta, and to state Ankara's acceptance of the UNFICYP timetable for the phased resumption of police patrols to the village, provided UNFICYP returned the Kophinou police compound to Turkish Cypriot police and redoubled its efforts to settle the Artemis Road situation. The attitude of the Turkish Government was warlike because for months the Demirel administration had been focusing its attention on internal development projects, many involving U.S. economic assistance. However the advance deployment of heavy weaponry and Greek mainland troops were indicating something fishy not only, in battalion strength, around Skarinou, but throughout the island. When the Cyprus crises erupted in 1964, Turkey found itself deprived to get U.S. support, at that time Ankara thought of reapproaching Arabs with a hope that would pay off. However the Arabs instead supported Greece with arms and weapons against the Turkish Cypriot minority (Nachmani: 14). Turkey while depicting such attitude of Middle East as the Arab betrayal, tried to shake hands with the Western world. Conflicts and threats during and after Turkish invasion The political aspirations of the Cypriot leaders were to inspire Cypriots towards either Greece or Turkey instead of creating a mutual concern for the unity of their nation and for their own self-preservation as Cypriots. The dominant feeling that remained long after the invasion among Turkish Cypriots was that the internationally recognized government of Cyprus has not represented the interests of the island's Turkish community. Indeed, it was observed that except minor exceptions, particularly after the invasion, Greek Cypriots regarded Turkish Cypriots as enemies rather than as compatriots. Greeks never considered them as their equal partners due to which systematic economic blockade of the Turkish areas by the Greek side were theoretically intended to 'punish' Turkey (Borowiec: 8). Distances between Greeks and Turks remained wider and therefore alienated the minority that was supposed to share the island with the Greeks. However despite the elements that separated two Cypriot

Target Area by Peter Roberts Essay Example for Free

Target Area by Peter Roberts Essay Peter Roberts Target Area is an influential poem that exposes the reality of war. The poem depicts a bombing mission targeting an enemy village, beginning with the entry of the bomber into the target area and ending with its escape. Peter Roberts gives a vivid description of the bombing raid from the perspective of the bombardier. Roberts describes what the bombardier endures, observes, hears, and encounters during the raid. The theme of the poem is the sights and sounds of war throughout the eyes of the bombardier. Peter Roberts expresses this by writing how the bombardier feels during the raid, they have us! First a couple then a third, then dozens of them like a giant bird This simile generates the effect that he feels scared and hesitant. Peter Roberts focuses on certain words to create an image in our minds beyond the tireless searchlights bound for home, along the cloud-strewn way that we have come. The structure of the poem consists of three different components; the first section describes the anxiety of a bombing mission. The second describes targeting the area and the third, describes flying home. This type of poem is a ballad. The poem is unique because it explains in detail, what would have happened over a series of minutes. Each stanza has its own effect, the third and forth stanzas are longer to produce the effect that when your about to die time slows down. The poem flows with rhythm all the way through it. It is a very anxiety filled piece and shows how people are affected by war. Peter Roberts uses a various amount of different techniques to create an effect for the outcome of the poem. Each technique generates a mood for the poem. Left-left! Left-left again! A little ri-i-ight . . . . . This produces the sense of urgency and creates alarm. While the sentence streams of orange tracer, streams of red, gives a sense of imagery, and assembles a picture in your mind. The effect of pauses also creates a mood. And still they have that gritty, tearing sound . . . The use of the pause here lets you think and obtain all the information. Throughout the poem different kinds of poetic technique are used, the main  ones are Personification, The groping fingers claw the moonless night this personification gives a negative feeling. Along with with dazzling beams of rigid, icy light creates the mood of cold icy death. Metaphor, across the velvet curtain of the dark creates the feeling of terror, no hope. This section also creates a sense of anxiety and fear. Bombs gone! A dull vibration as they go. Below us in the darkness, far below This Assonance adds the effect that bombs have been dropped. Peter Roberts has chosen to make each pair of lines rhyme the heavy bomber starts to soar and dip, writhing within their cold remorseless grip. An Example of Onomatopoeia in the poem is Crrr-ump! Crrr-ump! Theyve got our range the heavy flak is bursting into puffs of sooty black The reader can then interpret the sentence, imagine a sound and how it would be on board. The poem Target Area is primarily a graphic description of a wartime experience. The satisfactory issue about this poem is that you can feel the tension as the searchlights wave across the sky in search of the bomber, undergo the rumbling of the bombs exploding, and experience the relief as they complete their mission.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Assumptions Of The Heckscher Ohlin Model Economics Essay

Assumptions Of The Heckscher Ohlin Model Economics Essay Introduction Eli Heckscher (1919) and Bertil Ohlin (1933) found the basis for crucial and substantial theoretical developments of international trade by emphasizing the relationships between the composition of countries factor endowments and commodity trade patterns. The Heckscher-Ohlin (H-O) theory is the simplest explanation for why countries involve in trade of goods and services with other countries. Heckscher-Ohlin model, which is the general equilibrium mathematical model of international trade theory, is built on the Ricardian theory of comparative advantage by making prediction on trade patterns and production of goods based on the factor endowments of nations (Learner 1995). Assumptions of the Heckscher- Ohlin Model The following assumptions pertain to the 2*2 model of Heckscher-Ohlin. It is assumed that there are only two nations (1 and 2) with two goods for trade (X and Y) and two factors of production (capital and labour). For producing the goods, both nations use the same technology and they use uniform factors of production. In both countries, good X is labour intensive and Y is capital intensive. The tastes and preferences of both nations are the same (both countries can be represented in the same indifference curve). In both nations, the assumption of constant returns to scale is applicable for the production of goods X and Y. In both nations, specialization in production is not complete. Goods and factor markets in both nations are perfectly competitive. There exists perfect mobility of factors of production within each country though international mobility is not possible. There are no restrictions or limitations to the free flow of international trade. That is, there exist no transportation costs, tariffs, or like other obstructions either to control or to restrict the exports or imports. It is assumed that there exists full employment of all resources in both nations. That is, there will not be any under employed resource in either nation. The exports and imports between the nations are balanced. It means that the total value of the exports will be equal to the total value of imports in both nations. Implications of the Assumptions The assumptions are made in order to depict the theory in a two-dimensional figure. It is also implied that both countries have access to and use the same general production techniques. The labour-capital ratio (L/K) of commodity X is higher than that of Y in both countries with the same relative prices of factors. As constant returns to scale is assumed, increase in the amount of labour and capital will result in the proportionate increase in the output also. Another implication is that though free international trade exists, both of the countries produce both commodities and it can be presumed that both countries are not small in size. As the tastes and preferences related to demand are identical in both countries, if the relative prices of the goods are equal, the consumption of goods X and Y will be in the same proportion in both countries. Likewise, in both countries producers, traders and consumers are too small to affect the commodity prices. Mobility of factors of production implies that capital and labour are free to move from areas or industries of lower prices (earnings) to those of higher prices (earnings) until earnings become same equal in all areas or industries. That is, price equalization theory is implied here. International differences in the earnings exist because of the factor immobility in the absence of international trade. The assumption of incomplete production specialization implies that the process of specialization in production continues until the commodity prices (either relative or absolute) prices are the same in both countries. Again, if the transportation costs, tariffs or any other restriction are allowed, specialization will continue only until price differences by less than or equal to the costs or tariffs. The Heckscher-Ohlin Model Heckscher-Ohlin model is generally described as two countries, two goods and two factors model (2x2x2 model). This formulation of HO model was mathematically developed by Paul Samuelson. The goal of the model is to predict the pattern of international trade in commodities between the two countries on the basis of differences in factor endowments in both the countries. Definition: A nation exports the commodities which are produced out of its relatively abundant and cheap factors or resources and imports the commodity which is produced out of relatively scarce factors or resources. In another words, relatively labour abundant country exports relatively labour intensive commodity and imports the relatively capital-intensive commodity. Country 1 exports commodity X because X is the Labor (L) intensive commodity and L is relatively cheap and abundant factor in country 1. Country 2 exports commodity Y because Y is the Capital (K) intensive commodity and K is relatively cheap and abundant factor in country 2. The theory implicates two things: first, different supply conditions in terms of resource endowments explain comparative advantage and second, countries export goods that use abundant and cheap factors of production and import goods that use scarce and expensive factors. According to Heckscher-Ohlin theory, international and interregional differences in production costs occur due to the differences in the supply of factors of production. Under free trade, countries export the commodities whose production requires intensive use of abundant factors and import the commodities whose production requires the scarce factors. Hence, international trade compensates for the uneven geographic distribution of factors of production. The theory gives insight to the fact that commodities are the bundles of factors (land, labour and capital). Thus, the exchange of commodities is indirect arbitrage of factors of production and the transfer of services of otherwise immobile factors from regions where factors are abundant to regions where they are scarce. The H-O theorem identifies the basic reason for comparative advantage and international trade as the different factor abundance or factor endowments among nations. Because of this particular reason, the theory is known as factor proportions or factor endowment theory. The theory postulates that the difference in relative factor endowment and prices is the main reason for the difference in relative commodity prices between two countries. Factor Endowments Factor endowment can be defined as the ratio of capital to labour (K/L). If the capital labour ratio in country 1 is greater than in country 2, then country 1 is said to be relatively capital-abundant (and labour-scarce) while country 2 is labour abundant (and capital scarce). Symbolically, this can be represented as: (K/L) 1 > (K/L) 2 Important implication of different factor endowments is for autarky prices of factors of production (the autarky prices are implied in the figure represented below). For two countries with same demand patterns, relative factor prices leads to relative factor scarcities. Country 2 will have relatively inexpensive labour and country 1 is in a position to provide relatively inexpensive (abundant) capital. Factor Intensities, Factor Abundance and Production Frontiers under H-O Model Factor Intensity Commodity Y is said to be relative capital intensive and commodity X is relatively labour intensive if the capital labour ratio used in the production of Y is higher than that of the production of commodity X. That is, (K/L) y > (K/L) x If the for the production of commodity Y, the country use 2K and 2L, then K/L = 1 and if the production of commodity X requires 1K and 4L, K/L=1/4. In this case, it can be said that commodity Y is capital intensity and commodity X is labour intensive. Factor intensity depends on K/L rather than the absolute amount of K and L. At the equilibrium points, for producing the commodities, both countries choose capital-labour ration that minimize the factor costs at the prevailing relative factor prices. The relative factor prices are represented as W=w/r where w is the price of labour and r is the price of capital. Though in principle, the factor intensities can be reversed when factor prices change. But it is assumed that this does not exist in H-O model. There is no factor intensity reversal. Factor Abundance Factor abundance can be defined in terms of two ways:1) Physical Units and 2) Relative Prices of factors. In terms of physical units, the overall amount of capital and labour available to each country is taken into consideration (that is, TK and TL). As per this definition, country 2 is capital abundant if the ratio of total amount of capital (TK) to total amount of labour available in country 2 will be greater than that in country 1. The ratio of TK/TL is important rather than total absolute amount of K and L of the countries. Country 2 may have less capital than country 2 and still there may be the capital abundant country if TK/TL in country 2 exceeds TK/TL in country 1. In terms of relative factor prices, country 2 is capital abundant if PK/PL is lower in country 2 than in country 1. As the price of capital is taken to be the interest rate, r and the price of labour is wage, w, then PK/PL= r/w. The ratio of r/w is important, not the absolute level of r or w, in determining whether a country is capital abundant or labour abundant. The first definition takes only the supply of factors into consideration, while the second considers both supply and demand factors. Factor Endowments and Production Frontiers When country 2 is capital abundant and the commodity Y is capital intensive, country 2 can produce relatively more of commodity Y than in country 1. Similarly, if country 1 is labour abundant and commodity X is labour intensive, country 1 can produce relatively more of commodity X than country 2. This situation gives a relatively flatter and wider production frontier curve for country 1 than country 2. Diagrammatic Representation of H-O Model The following figure represents the Heckscher-Ohlin model diagrammatically. As it is assumed, two countries have same tastes and preferences for demand, both the countries are represented in the same indifference map. I is the highest indifference curve that country 1 and country 2 can achieve separately in the absence of international trade. The points A and A/ represent equality of production and consumption of both countries in the absence of trade. The tangency points of A and A/ determine the no-trade equilibrium prices of PA and PA/ in country 1 and country 2 respectively. When PA The right side of the figure shows that country 1 specializes in commodity X and Country 2 in commodity Y when both countries involve in international trade. Specialization proceeds at point where country 1 achieves the point B and country 2 reaches at point B/. At these points transformation curves are tangent to the common relative price line of PB. Country 1 exports commodity X in exchange for commodity Y and consumes at point E on the second indifference curve (IC II). Likewise, country 2 exports commodity Y in exchange for commodity X and the relative equilibrium point of country 2 is point E/ which coincides with point E. In this context, it is important to note that country 1s exports of commodity X equal country 2s imports of commodity X (that is, BC=C/B/). Similarly, country 2s exports of commodity Y equal country 1s imports of commodity Y (that is, B/C/= CE). When PX/PY>PB, country 1 wants to export more of commodity X than country 2 is able to import at this high relative price, and PX/PY tends to diminish to PB, which is equilibrium and normal price. Likewise, when PX/PY At point E, more of commodity Y and less of commodity X than at the point A are involved. However, country 1 will gain from international trade because E lies on higher indifference curve (IC II). Similarly, though at E/ more commodity of X and less commodity of Y are involved compared to the point of A/, country 2 gains from the trade because E/ lies on higher indifference curve, IC II. Prepositions of H-O theorem and other empirical Studies As a connotation of H-O theorem, three other prepositions or theorems are associated: Factor price equalization theorem 2) Stopler-Samuelson theorem and 3) the Rybcsynski Theorem (Jone 2002). The Factor Price Equalization Theorem Even though the national frontiers rule out the international mobility of factors, free trade in commodities leads to reduce the disparities in demand relative to supply of factor and thus to decrease the disparities in factor returns among different countries. International free trade leads to sharing of same technology by different countries and bringing of equality of factor returns if the factor endowments are similar and sufficient quantity of commodities are produced commonly (Samuelson 1992). The Stolper- Samuelson Theorem Changes in relative commodity prices as brought by free international trade have strong effects on the factor prices or rewards. If there is no joint production, some factors may raise their rewards uncontrollably and other rewards may be lowered unambiguously. If the number of factors equals the number of commodities and production is non-joint, the relative changes in commodity prices will raise the price of any particular factor (Uekawa, 1971). The Rybczynski Theorem If there is unbalanced growth in factor supplies, it may lead to stronger asymmetric changes in outputs also. If the quantity of factors of production and commodities are evenly matched and production is non-joint, this pattern of asymmetry may pertain to growth in some factors of production (if there is given commodity prices) and may lead to the reduction of outputs. Empirical Legitimacy and Leontiefs Investigation Leontief (1953) was the first to confront the Heckscher-Ohlin model with empirical investigation. He had developed a set of data in the frame of input-output accounts for the U.S economy and he computed the amounts of labour and capital used in each industry for 1947. Likewise, he made use of U S trade data for the same year to compute the factors of production (labour and capital) used in the production of $1 million of US exports and imports. Table 1 Leontief Test (1953) Export Import Capital ($million) $2.5 $3.1 Labor (Person-years) 182 170 Capital/labour($/person) $13,700 $18,200 Each column of the table shows the amount of labour and capital required to occur $1 million worth of international trade (exports or imports) to United States in the year 1947. Firstly Leontief measured the capital and labour required for the exports from US. This estimation required the labour and capital used in each and every exporting industry and from the first row of the table, it is seen that $2.5 worth of capital was used to export worth of $1million. For labour, 182 person-years were used to produce the same exports. Taking the ratio of labour and capital, it can be said as in the third row of the table, each labourer is working with $13,700 worth of capital. Turning to the import side of the calculation, there emerged a problem non-availability of data on foreign technology. Still Leontif managed to estimate the model assuming that same technology of US used in imports. The estimation on imports (i.e., $3.1 million of capital, 170 person- years and capital-labour ratio as $18,000) indicates that capital labour ratio of imports is higher than that of US exports. But US economy is found in 1956 as capital-abundant and this appears to contradict the H-O theorem. Thus the findings of Leontief came to be called as Leontief Paradox (Learner 1995). Under the framework of H-O theorem, many explanations have been proposed for the existence of this paradox. U S and foreign technologies are not same unlike the assumption of H-O theorem. The year 1947 was not usual year as World War II has just ended As H-O model assumes, the U S was not engaged in free trade. Other Empirical Estimations of H-O model By examining the limitations of Leontief s estimation, Bowen, Leamer and Sveikauskas (1987) estimated the H-O model by using data on a large number of countries. It was estimated to check whether countries are net exporters of the factors of production (which are relatively abundant) as factors of production are indirectly embodied in the trade. Cline (1997) suggested a more generalized H-O model by taking into account more and disaggregated factors of production. It was recognized that factor endowments change over a period of time as the investment and technological advances occur. Concluding Remarks H-O theorem has been vehemently criticized on many grounds including in terms of its basic assumptions. Some empirical studies even questioned the validity of the theory. Despite of the many criticisms and drawbacks, H-O theory has its own merits and contributions in the theoretical history of international trade. By taking both commodity and factor prices into consideration, H-O theory provides a more and satisfactory explanation of international trade. In comparative cost theory of David Ricardo, it was pointed that comparative cost difference is the basis for international trade. But H-O theorem better explains the reasons for these cost differences in terms of factor endowments. The price equalization principle, a concomitant of H-O theorem comprehensively explains the situation which is of course, superior to the previous theories of international trade.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Geographic Setting Of India History Essay

Geographic Setting Of India History Essay The Indian subcontinent is a large peninsula. It is surrounded on three sides by : the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal. In the north, the Himalayan Mountain separate India from the rest of Asia. The towering Himalayas form a nearly impassable barrier that is 1,500 miles long. The rugged Hindu Kush Mountains on the Northwest also present barriers to travel. These geographic barriers allowed the first Indian civilization to develop mostly on its own. Yet India was not totally isolated. Determined invaders pushed their way through steep passes, such as the Khyber Pass in the Hindu Kush Mountains. Indian traders carried goods through the mountain passes to the Middle East and China. Furthermore, the surrounding seas served as highway for commercial and cultural contact. The vast Indian subcontinent has many diverse geographic features. The three major regions are: the Northern Plain, the Deccan Plateau, and the Coastal Plain. The three great rivers -the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra flows through the Northern Plain. These broad and slow rivers flow from the snow-covered Himalayas. Together with their tributaries, they supply water for farming and for transportation across the Northern Plain. The fertile soil of the river valleys supports extensive farming. For these reasons the Northern Plain became the home of the first Indian civilization .Later ,invaders set up powerful empires in the Northern Plain. As a result ,the area has played a dominant role in Indian history. The Deccan Plateau is the triangular shaped area, south of the subcontinent. The Vindhya Mountains separate the plateau from the Northern Plain. The Deccan Plateau is bordered on the west and east by long mountain ranges called the Western and Eastern Ghats. Because it lacks the snow- fed rivers found in the north, the Deccan Plateau suffer from droughts ,which make farming difficult. Along the eastern and western coasts of India lie narrow coastal plains, which supports both agriculture and fishing .Although India has few good harbors ,many coastal people of India were seafarers who traded with people in other parts of Asia ,Africa and the Middle East. The chief feature of the Indian climate is the monsoon, a seasonal wind system from June until September , the summer monsoon blows from the Southwest. It picks up moisture over the Indian Ocean and drops torrential rains on the coast and on the Northern Plain. From October to May, the winter monsoon blows from lands to the northeast. Indias hot and dry season reaches its peak during May and are commonly felt in the Northern Plains. Ruins of Harappan Civilization Every year , the people of India wait anxiously for the summer monsoon to bring desperately needed moisture to the parched farmland. When the rain comes, temperature drops ,and crops spring to life. If the monsoon is late ,crops fail ,and food shortages result. The heavy rains can cause destructive floods especially in the lower Ganges Valley. Archeologist discovered traces of ancient civilization in the Indus River Valley . Excavations have revealed that this civilization developed about the same time as the early Egyptian and Sumerian Civilizations. The Indus Valley covered an area larger than the Old Kingdom of Egypt (1,500 km.).Two of its cities ,Harappa and Mohenjo-daro lie close to rivers and digging can cause flooding. Despite these handicaps ,archeologists have uncovered some valuable information. The Two Cities The ruins of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro reveal that they are products of careful planning. Wide straight streets divide residential areas into square blocks. Excavated were houses ,granaries and public halls. There was a sign of a sewer system. Walled fortresses in the towns provided protection. With well-planned cities as Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, the people might have had a knowledge in surveying and geometry. In addition to this, it could have a strong central government who could have supervised such careful planning and construction. Government and Religion Scholars assume that a priest-king headed the government, and the rulers must have a considerable power because the government exercised strict control. They must have controlled the construction of new buildings and established standards of weights and measures. Like the Egyptians and Sumerians, the people of two cities were polytheist. Statues and masks show that they worshiped a mother-goddess. They also revered sacred animals such as the bull and certain sacred trees. Think and Explain What environmental challenges did the farmers of the Indus Valley face? Economic Life Agricultural economy thrived in the Indus valley civilization. On lands surrounding the cities farmers constructed dams and levees to channel water from the rivers to crops of wheat and barley. Food surpluses supported the large population and prompted the growth of trade. A merchant class acquired wealth from trade and commerce in the cities. Merchants exported cotton cloth to places as far as Mesopotamia, gold jewelry stone carvings of animals. End of Indus Valley Civilization Indus Valley civilization began to decline many years before it finally ended about 1500 C.E. Most authorities believe that about 1500 C.E. the Aryans invaded the Indus valley. When the Indus Valley fell, the people fled to other parts of India. About 1500 C.E the civilization was almost forgotten. Like many nomadic people ,the Aryans swept into India through the passes of the Hindu Kush Mountains. Their fierce nomadic herds had come originally from the region between the Black and Caspian Seas north of the Caucasus Mountains. The newcomers already knew the use of iron and the use of horses that gave them superiority in warfare. They came in contact with the Dravidians .These Dravidians were probably the survivors of the Indus Valley civilization. Their civilization, as revealed from the remains of the town, show a static society. In time, the fusion of Aryans and the Dravidians led to the rise of a new pattern of Indian life. The Aryans introduced the caste system in India. Aside from Aryan invasion,flooding was also cited as the cause of decay of the Indus Valley civilization.Recent studies also show that complex ecological change /climate change which led to famines forced inhabitants to leave their well planned cities. Think and Respond How could natural disasters have contributed to the decline of Indus valley civilization? What ecological problems does the world face today? Ensure Ancient India Geography Indus Valley Civilization Expand http://palomeitz.googlepages.com Excel Identify the correct answer. The chief feature of Indian climate is _____________________. The first civilization in India was developed in ______________. The mountain separating India from the rest of Asia is ________. The natural phenomenon that makes farming difficult in the Deccan Plateau was ___________. Mountain separating Deccan Plateau from the Northern Plain is ________________. Prove: A country can be isolated from other parts of the world by its geographic barriers.Give example. __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Respond to Essential Question The earliest recorded civilization in India began in the near fresh water source -the Indus River. Make Connections Imagine that you are an archeologist digging in the Indus region. Write a wish list of the three items you would like to uncover to learn more about the Indus Valley civilization

Monday, August 19, 2019

Violence as Displacement: The Erotic Gaze in Gladiator and Fight Club :: Essays Papers

Violence as Displacement: The Erotic Gaze in Gladiator and Fight Club On the screen, two men writhe and grapple on the cold concrete floor. One man on top, holding the other from behind in a chokehold that causes the man on the bottom to succumb to the more powerful man. The dialogue by the narrator states that, â€Å"Sometimes all you could hear were the flap, hard packing sounds over the yelling, or the wet choke when someone caught their breath and sprayed† (Fight Club). The soundtrack consists of a few notes repeated over and over again in a steady rhythm to the action that is happening on the screen. The camera focuses on a close-up of the face of the man on bottom as he contorts into an expression of both pain and pleasure and moans loudly. Finally, the two men get up after the action is finished and embrace. Panting and moaning, the last shudders of pleasure leave their bodies as the scene fades out and begins again with another couple struggling on the cold concrete floor. The scene described above sounds as if it should be found in a pornographic video displayed on the shelves of a sex shop located in the back alleys of Soho in London. However, this scene is taken from director David Fincher’s widely popular film Fight Club. Even though the scene has an intense air of the homoerotic, the characters in the film are actually fighting and not having sex. Steve Neale addresses this phenomenon in his article â€Å"Masculinity as Spectacle†. He upholds the view of feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey by maintaining that the spectatorial look in mainstream cinema is always male. A problem arises when the look of the spectator is forced upon an erotic shot of a male figure. The article states, â€Å"that in a heterosexual and patriarchal society, the male body cannot be marked explicitly as the erotic object of another male look: that look must be motivated in some other way, its erotic component repressed† (Neale 14). The e rotic component is repressed with violence or with mutilation of the male body. This repression is often found in the action genre in such films as Gladiator and Fight Club where the female object of the spectator gaze is replaced with male figures.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Security on the Internet Essay example -- essays research papers

Security on the Internet Today's information is highly interconnected by the internet. With this interconnection of computer systems through the internet comes computer crime. Breaking into computer systems, damaging information, and stealing information, more commonly known as hacking, has become extremely common on the internet. As hacking becomes more frequent, and as some would say, more of a problem, should we consider hacking a criminal activity? Information from across the world is stored on computer systems-most of which are connected, networked, to other computer systems through the internet. â€Å"In the ideal situation, this interconnection of information enables others from outside a specific computer network to access that specific computer network and its information.† (Amoroso, 2003) This has created a world in which information is extremely important and extremely easy to access, which in turn has created a government, business, and personal society that is dependant on and successful from the networked information. But this network also has its drawbacks. Besides enabling people who need to use the information for legitimate business or personal use to gain access, the network also-often unknowingly-enables unauthorized people to gain access to the information; in one way or another, no matter what kind of network security they have implemented. Gaining access to a computer system that does not intentionally allow you access is called hacking. Microsoft's Internet Explorer has it’s flaws, and criminal hackers cracker know it. In recent weeks, these evildoers have staged several well-orchestrated Internet Explorer attacks designed to steal your banking and credit card information. The result has been that you can't trust the internet. How will you know if a secure site is truly safe? Here's a look at what's wrong with internet security and what you can do to keep your data under lock and key. That issue is not the only one, but several flaws are contained within internet. Some well known and some not so well known so-called zero day attacks. All of the serious attacks also use tiny apps called keystroke-logging Trojan horses, which capture IDs, passwords, and credit card information as you type them. And all of the attacks so far happen without users even suspecting there's anything wrong. Elements of the Russian mafia coordinated a brilliant... ...more regulation comes more policing, and with more policing less freedom and privacy. Other non-hackers believe that hackers need to be caught and punished, but without taking away the freedom and privacy that the Internet offers now. They do not want the government or law enforcement to monitor the Internet. They only want better laws to prosecute the hackers after they are caught, and better ways of catching the hackers without infringing on the general public's security. References Amoroso, Edward. 2003 â€Å"Fundamentals of Internet Security Technology† Publisher: P T R Prentice Hall. Cohen, Frederick B. 2004 â€Å"Protection and Security on the Information Superhighway† Publisher: New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Fream, Anne M. 2001 â€Å"A Social Learning Theory Analysis of Computer Crime Among College Students† Publisher: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Schwartau, Winn. 2002 â€Å"Information Warfare: Chaos on the Electronic Superhighway† Publisher: New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. Sullivan, A. 2005. Hackers aren’t just picking on Microsoft: study. Retrieved May 2, 2005, from http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=8359040

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Understanding Business Ethics

Explain the implications for the business and stakeholders of a business operating ethically. A stakeholder is a person, group, or organization that has direct or indirect stake in an organization because it can affect or be affected by the organization's actions, objectives, and policies. Key stakeholders in a business organization include creditors, customers, employees, government, owners, suppliers, unions and the community from which the business draws its resources. Tesco is committed to conducting business in an ethical and socially responsible manner. This relates to all aspects of their business, treating employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders in a fair and honest manner and ensuring that there are constant and open channels of communication. Tesco has Codes of Ethics for its employees, which includes a policy on the receipt of gifts and a grievance procedure that covers employment issues. Similar essay: How Does Tesco Communicate With Their Customers Tesco has a confidential telephone help line, Protector Line, for any employee who wishes to raise concerns relating to alleged criminal offences, failure to comply with legal obligations, miscarriages of justice, health and safety, damage to the environment and concealment of any of these issues. These are Tesco’s stakeholders: Customers: The employees hear customers' views on everything from how Tesco are serving them in their stores to their role in the community. Customers are looking to buy products; they are looking for a wide range of products. They also want easy accessibility to the premises and hope to buy quality products at competitive prices. They are really important because they provide the money for the store to be successful. Also an expanding amount of customers mean more profit for the business. Most customers expect fresh fruit and vegetables at high quality for good value. Employees: Employees gives Tesco their feedback through the Viewpoint staff survey, Staff Question Time sessions and their Staff Forum process. May want an increase in pay rise. Employees have a very big interest in Tesco; they have an interest in the business in the form of wages, bonuses, discounts, and holiday pensions. The business may be affected by how well their employees do in customer service. If a customer experiences poor customer service, it is more like that they will tell someone else that if they got a good customer service. Therefore employees need the right type of customer training in order to be successful to the business. Suppliers: Tesco’s core value is â€Å"treat people how we like to be treated†, and it's something they apply firmly to their supplier relationships. Suppliers stock the business with all its business supplies; if they are late then it causes conflict between business and suppliers. Therefore, it is vital that all the business supplies are on time. Suppliers are probably the third important part in a business, they provide the products and if they are not on time it poses a great threat to the financial state of a business. On the other hand, suppliers aren’t that important in decision making because they’re scared of losing their contract with Tesco. The main jobs of the suppliers are to sell fresh stock daily at market price. Investors: Tesco’s Investor Relations team regularly meet analysts from the financial institutions which invest in them or represent their shareholders. In contrast it may want a decrease in pay rise for their employees. The owners are probably one of the most important people in a business, they set rules. More importantly they expect repeat business profits and respectable customers.

Couture Fashion’s Chinese Connection

Executive summary In this case, there are two major problems that I can analyzed. Firstly, Kaki and Houdini which are two of major loyal customers of Couture Fashions Bad (HCI)'s were writing to Jeffrey to inform him that they may looking to China to â€Å"contract manufacture† for them as the prices there were very competitive. Second, the previous adverse perception of â€Å"Made in China† labels had slowly changed as China now manufactured clothes that are higher quality at substantially lower operating costs.There were some recommendation that are going to implemented which are raptors to expand to China, proposal to close down Hess factories in Malaysia and Thailand or manufacturing its own label for Malaysian and Sean market. Statement of Problems HCI may lose their big major loyal customers which is Kaki and Houdini as they may looking to China to â€Å"contract manufacture† for them as the prices there is cheaper. Apart from that, nowadays China was produ ce high quality product with cheaper price so then makes the perception of people about the â€Å"made in China† goods changed to a good view.This is because of the labor cost in China is cheaper rather Han Malaysia. HCI now is very confusing to make decision but based on the problems they have to make accurate decision. According to these problems they have to deeply make consideration of their short term and long terms decision. As far as I am concerned, the short term problem is HCI may lose their big major loyal customers which is Kaki and Houdini. For long term, they may face a very big loss and no wonder if their company will go for bankruptcy as Kaki and Houdini may become the benchmark for other customers that are rely on Hess company.Other customers may assume that HCI does not maintain its reputation and that is why Kaki and Houdini are quit from keep doing â€Å"contract manufacture† with HCI. As it shows a bad benchmark to other customer, it may cause other customers quit from HCI. As a decision, I agree if HCI still operate it existing company but doing Joint venture in China. Causes of problems There is some cause or problems that cause Kaki and Houdini may switch doing â€Å"contract manufacture† from HCI to China which is they can save their financial sources a lot as they will get cheaper supply from China rather than what was offered by HCI.Apart from that, in 1997 Malaysia had face economic downturn and fluctuation or currency exchange. Rather than buying with higher price, Kaki and Houdini may get some more loses in currency exchange. To make an accurate decision, I prefer HCI to use PESTLE theory. PESTLE is divided into six categories which are political, economic, social, technology, ecological, and legal. Based on political and legal, to build new factory in China is not an easy way as HCI have to get he permission from the government and also have to fully understand and follow the rules and regulation to incept new factory in China.So it may take a very long period to face all the procedures. In term of economic, HCI may get lack of financial resources to build new factory as not confirm can sell both of their existing companies. Even they can sell both it is still not enough to incur all the cost to build new factory in China. Based on social view, HCI may lose their specialist once they move to China as some of them may not want to leave Malaysia which is their country. To find new specialist in China is not easy and may incur a big cost as HCI have to train them well to become professional enough.Their current workers also may lose Job as they will be layoff if HCI close their current company and move to China. In term of ecological, by building new factory it may cause pollution to the environment, so it relates to the government policy, rules and regulations. HCI may build a factory but in rural area that may cause the shipping cost to send all the goods to its customer become higher. In addition, from technological view, I can see hat in China the technology is different from Malaysia, so HCI once again have to incur a big cost to train all the workers with new technology.Decision Criteria and Alternative Solutions Based on the problems and alternative solution, I am totally agree if HCI still continue its operation in Malaysia but in the same time doing Joint venture with any other strong and well known company in China. This is because by doing Joint venture HCI will not incur a lot of cost rather than doing Greenfield which is building a new factory there. Apart from that, by doing Joint venture OVA) with well-known company, it is easy for HCI to find new prospect of customers from China thus in the same time HCI can increase their customers.If HCI want to build new factory, it may incur a lot of cost and if HCI want to manufacture its own label for Malaysian and Sean market, it is hard to brand new label and incur a lot of cost too as they have to advertise it new label. Recommended Solution, Implementation and Justification As a conclusion, I am totally agree if Jeffery Echoing continue it operation in Malaysia UT in the same time doing Joint venture with strong and well known company in China.To ensure that HCI not lose their current big major loyal customers which is Kaki and Houdini, HCI have to as soon as possible doing Joint venture with China. By doing Joint venture, HCI can directly continue operation in China without need to comply with government policy, legal restriction and tax if they are build new factory. They Just continue follow the regulation of its Joint venture partner. Once again I am totally agree if HCI doing Joint venture and still continue its existing operation.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Characteristics of at Risk Students

Pregnant Teens Janet Riley AED/201-Teaching as a Profession December 23, 2012 Mary Ortiz Pregnant Teens In 2010 data was presented by Voices for Virginia’s Children showing a pregnancy rate for school aged children in Virginia Beach to be 106. 7 per 1000 teens (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2012). Teenage pregnancy is an issue for many and causes problems for students (University of Phoenix, 2005). The Virginia Beach school district offers programs for pregnant teens to help them become less â€Å"at risk†. Once the teens are in the situation of becoming pregnant, many believe they do not have a choice to continue their education.There are programs such as night classes and centers for pregnant teens available in Virginia Beach for these students. The centers offer free childcare while the parents are in class. This way they do not have to miss school because they have no one to watch the children. The night school has an advanced curriculum to help the students gradua te faster. Both programs are good for the teenage parents because it puts them together with others in the same situation. Not only does this put them in a setting with others that can understand what they are going through, it also puts them in an environment where they won’t feel judged by others.Teenage parents may often drop out due to self-esteem issues or lack of help from others. It is very important to both the parents and children that the teens receive a proper education. That is why the programs mentioned are beneficial. They help the teens get past the problems associated with teen pregnancy. They also offer special classes on parenting to help the teens ease into the role of parents. This way they can better handle the transition into parenthood and manage to stay on track. Another great thing about the programs is that they do not cost anything.Many teen parents do not have a lot of money; and any money they have probably goes to doctors and items for the babies /children. The centers and special schools do not charge for admission or childcare. With this burden lifted, teens may feel they do not have to quit school. Just having the childcare is a big plus. Some teens do not get help from others and could not afford an independent daycare. So having a way to have their children being taken care of in a trusted environment is a big deal. There are programs offered by the state that are beneficial to these students as well.Medical programs and supplemental needs programs are offered. The state makes sure the teens and their children have access to doctors, mental health services, family planning services, and drug abuse services (Council on Virginia's Future, 2012). There are also programs to make sure nutritional needs are met. This is beneficial to students because they can stay healthy and well-nourished enough to remain in school. They also make sure that teens have counseling so they are not overwhelmed by the idea of parenting and finis hing school.The programs offered for pregnant teens by Virginia as a state and the city of Virginia Beach are great programs. This is something I actually have personal experience with. I used the night classes to finish school. The night school gave me a chance to graduate. And since the classes did not take up my whole day, I was still able to care for my son. The school years were only as long as an average semester, so it did not take as long to finish school. This way I was able to start a full time job sooner and did not have to sacrifice my education. There is one problem I have found with teen pregnancy programs.The issue of teen pregnancy is something many would rather not mention. People are afraid of bringing attention to the issue or creating influence. Therefore, the programs are not well known. Many only know of them through having to thoroughly research or by hearing from counselors or even peers after they have had time to give up. If the programs were more widely kn own, the teens would have the advantage to decide to go before completely dropping out. Teen pregnancy does cause a lot of issues when it comes to education. With the help of the schools and centers offered by the city, educational goals can be met.Though it should not be encouraged, the students do not have to be so â€Å"at-risk†. References Council on Virginia's Future. (2012). Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved from http://vaperforms. virginia. gov/indicators/healthfamily/teenpregnancy. php The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2012). Teen Pregnancy Rate per 1,000 by Age Group (Rate) – 2010. Retrieved from http://datacenter. kidscount. org/data/bystate/Rankings. aspx? state=VA&ind=6393 University of Phoenix. (2005). Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional, Second Edition. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, AED/201- Teaching as a Profession website.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Meet and Welcome Visitors

Understand procedures for meeting and welcoming visitors1.1) Describe different reasons for people visiting a business, their requirements and how their needs may be met. Different reasons why people visit businesses is to see if their requirements are met are by; managing their own performance in a business environment by improving your own performance, working in a business environment, communicating in a business environment.The requirements you would need are; to solve business problems, organise and report data, prepare text from note, support the organisation of an event, meet and welcome visitors word processing software. Customers are people who buy products and services from other people (usually companies of one sort or another). What customers think, and feel about a company and/or its products is a key aspect of business success. Irrespective of whether a business' customers are consumers or organizations, it is the job of marketers to understand the needs of their custom ers. In doing so they can develop goods or services which meet their needs more precisely than their competitors.1.2) Explain the purpose of dealing with visitors promptly and courteously.The reason to dealing with visitors promptly and courteously is to insure whilst working in reception you're the first person people see when they enter the business. You're a big part of the first impression they'll have of the business. The first thing you can do in order to represent your organisation in a positive way is to be professional. The public will expect to see you dressed in a certain way; for example, if your organisation has a uniform you will need to be wearing it correctly at all times when representing your organisation in public. You will need to follow procedures on addressing people, distributing information, answering the telephone, etc.Members will take notice and form judgments on the image you present. This includes taking notice of your attitude, appearance, facial expres sions, the way you address people, tone of voice, courtesy toward others and your overall level of professionalism. People don't want to spend their money with companies that they're not confident can competently provide the products or services they are seeking. If you're organized and  professional, you increase the chances that your customers will see your company in a positive light, and they'll be more likely to spend their money with you.1.3) Explain the purpose of presenting a positive image of self and the organisation. The reason of presenting a positive image of your self and the organisation is because it is important to influence people in taking you seriously. This attracts the best workforce when employment opportunities arise in the organisation and the best clients when attracting business. All this translates into better returns and a higher profitability for the organisation.You are expected to present a positive image of yourself and your organisation because yo u will be able to; listen to and absorb the information that others are giving you, ask questions, when necessary, provide information to other people clearly and accurately, contribute to and allow others to contribute to, discussions, select and read written information that contains the information you need, communicate well in writing, establish good working relationships with other people.1.4) Explain the purpose of following health, safety and security procedures when dealing the visitors, including own responsibility. The reasons for following the health, safety and security when dealing with visitors, including your own responsibilities is to make sure equipment in the workplace is safely kept and maintained, also making sure fire exits remain accessible, which will reduce hazards in the workplace.It sets out a lot of your responsibilities for your health and safety at work and the health and safety executive is responsible for enforcing health and safety at work.The Data Pr otection Act 1998 is concerned with personal data which must be kept private. Expect staff/manager other people must not have access to confidential information about identifiable individuals held on computer or in certain structured manual filing systems.1.5) Describe different types of problems that may occur with visitors including, conflict and aggression.The types of problems which may occur whilst dealing with problems caused by visitors can be tough, whether you’re working in a customer service position or receptionist, it’s important to know what can happen.Different of problems which may occur are when he or she may shout, swear, or threaten you and the people around you due to various reasons such as their needs not being met.Understanding problems related to aggressive visitors can help you formulate responses and actions that help to keep you safe. First of all, you should consider creating a barrier between you and the people who come in as a layer of prot ection between visitors and employees. If this isn’t feasible at your location, you should consider beefing up security so you will be protected in the event of an emergency.1.6) Describe ways of dealing with different problems and when to refer them to an appropriate colleague.Dealing with problems when referring to an appropriate colleague is to try and soothe the colleague through calm discussion that will address his or her concerns.However, your first priority should always be a backup system that allows you to call for help when things spiral out of control. A button you can press to call for help, or a cell phone in your pocket can be helpful, try to program emergency numbers into your phone or security system well in advance of when they are actually needed.Vocations where aggressive visitors are common include the health care field, education, government services, and police work. Schools, hospitals, and government offices see their fair share of angry and agitated v isitors. In some cases, courses in self defence may provide you with important coping skills. Understanding how to defuse anger with a calm response can also be  helpful. Explaining the reality of rules, wait times, regulations, and service restrictions may be of assistance. It’s important to avoid angry emotions of your own while dealing with an agitated visitor.1.7) Explain the purpose of communicating with visitors.The more visitors communicate with you, the easier it is for you to build a relationship with them. The purpose of communicating with visitors is so that it allows them to understand each other in different ways and for several reasons and connect, also so that the information is disseminated.You would need to develop your communicative skills so that you can use it as a tool to help you understand and the visitor.We also communicate with visitors to listen to each their problems, and solve the difficulties which they may be facing, it helps to find solutions, which will help you to would receive information and know more about them which will help you to know what their needs are so that it is met.1.8) Describe organisation structures and communication channels within the organisation.The organisation structural channels in an organisation are when you are communicating with several levels of channels, (does not include your colleagues). For example if the management furnishes information about how things are going, notifies the supervisor of what the problems are, and provides requests for clarification and help. Supervisors, in turn, keep their employees informed and render assistance. Supervisors continually facilitate the process of gaining necessary clarification and problem solving; both up and down the organization. Also, supervisors communicate with sources outside the organization, such as vendors and customers.Communication channels within the organisation are structured fabric made up of the system of lines, or channels, whic h are interconnected. Organizational communication is really the flow of information through the  networks.Communication under the formal network is narrow, but it allows for flow of essential information. Moreover, it is easy to maintain, orderly in nature, supports the authority of the superiors and provides for closeness of contact thereby reducing channels of miscommunication. It has certain limitations, such as, bottlenecks in the flow, enhancing organizational distance, greater possibilities of transmission, errors, screening at various filter points, etc.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Primate Society and Human Society Essay

The present paper is intended to discuss the similarities between the social behaviors of baboons and humans according to the book â€Å"Almost Human† by Shirley Strum. The first manifestation of social behavior Shirley Strum noticed is threat signals the animals convey when a newcomer appears (Strum, 1987, p. 24). Furthermore, as the newcomer approaches, juveniles and adult females circle around him and carefully examine him. The animals introduce themselves in an interesting way: â€Å"A female â€Å"presents† to a male when she approaches and turns her bottom toward his face; then the male will generally sniff her to see if she is sexually receptive. Two males can also present to each other with no sexual intention at all, and the same greeting is frequently exchanged by females, juveniles and even babies when they can manage it. † (Strum, 1987, p. 25). In several days upon the arrival of the newcomer, he remains an outcast, yet the other tribe members keep their eyes on each movement he makes. When a female comes closely to a male, the latter narrows his eyes, shakes head and smacks his lips – this physical manifestation is quite common among baboons. However, if the male is not considered â€Å"popular† in the group of animals, the female might simply flee without introducing herself, – then male continues grimacing as described above and accompanies the grim with soft grunting. The couple play this game for quite a long time – the female approaches and then quickly distracts and escapes, whereas the male continues to exhibit his â€Å"infatuation†. Such social â€Å"games† are played between men and women in our society. For instance, when a woman presents herself to a man, she smiles and shakes hands with him. They also verbally exchange their introductory information – name, occupation, hobbies. At the same time, the man, who considers marriage or searches for a sex partner, processes the information about the woman’s appearance and . If he is attracted to the woman, he begins to make slight hints and social gestures – e. g. , he might distinguish her amongst his friends and become more sincere, invite her to a theatre, cinema or dinner, give her gifts and flowers and so forth. However, if the woman notices the man has low social position or does not meet her social requirements, she is likely to lose interest in his â€Å"candidacy†. However, if the man persists and manages to present his interest as genuine and stable, the intimate relationship might begin. Human and baboon behaviors in cross-gender relationships are quite similar. Primarily, baboons present themselves to one another in order to learn more about a stranger; similarly, humans introduce themselves both verbally and through smiling, shaking hands. This introductory stage allows gathering the basic information and determining the primary sources of threat in the â€Å"interlocutor† (e. g. , contagious disease, among humans – armor etc). Among humans, smile acts as a sign of the person’s peaceful intentions, as humans are less proficient in the use and understanding of body language. Further, as a female baboon approaches the male and gives him an opportunity to inhale her odor, she shows to him that she is sexually mature and can have intimate contact. Moreover, such close introduction allows the male to examine her appearance, or â€Å"beauty† – this factor is extremely important, given that â€Å"beauty† in primate groups is associated with physical health and fitness. The healthier the female is the stronger progeny she can bear and the fewer problems with bearing and birth she will experience. Similarly, human males assess the female during the first seconds of encounter, – in particular, they pay attention to such criteria as age, physical beauty and erudition, as they half-consciously select (not always intentionally) a potential sexual partner or spouse and subconsciously believe younger (to reasonable degree, but generally younger in comparison to the male), smarter and more gorgeous women are fitter and better prepared for life in this society. Female baboons show their bottoms when they seek to lure a male, perhaps because appropriate building of this body part serves as a proof of the female’s sexual maturity and health. Human females, who wish to look â€Å"attractive†, also demonstrate their bodies, not necessarily naked, but always underlined by stylish clothes, make-up and accessories. After evaluating the female and determining whether she fits his criteria of physical development and appearance, the male baboon himself seeks to attract the female by displaying his interest and showing his own fitness and strength. Similarly to the primate society, among humans, there is also a behavioral pattern which consists in male’s responsibility for making the first step towards a stable relationship (e. g. inviting the woman he is infatuated with to a dinner, entertaining her, paying a lot of attention to her personality). If the female baboon realizes that male is outcast, she will continue ignoring him for some time, as the fittest males, whose inheritance will be most favorable to the future progeny in terms of survival, are normally popular in the tribe and have a high degree of authority. Furthermore, popular member of the tribe is more capable of providing for his female when she is consumed by â€Å"childcare†. Like female baboons, women become quite suspicious when meeting social outcasts or men of lower social status, who are potentially less likely to meet the needs of the family after the baby appears. However, in both societies, if the male manages to prove his dependability and keeps attending to the female for a long time, the latter might change her mind and find him eligible. As one can assume, human social behavior in cross-gender relationships is driven largely by instincts exhibited by primates. The factors humans and primates consider when selecting a sexual partner are in many cases the same, as males of both groups first and foremost evaluate physical fitness, whereas females in both baboon and human societies make a more complex analysis and also look at the male’s social position envisioning the necessity of taking care of defenseless and dependent progeny (or children). Both humans and animals are greatly concerned about the physical characteristics of the next generation, which partially backs Darwin’s theory of the survival of the fittest and the inborn striving for the survival of the species.