Gang Prevention

Broad Topic: Youth Gangs Narrow Topic: The Prevention of Gangs in Los Angeles Thesis Statement: The Mass Media Influences on Youth Joing Gangs I. Introduction A. Is our youth and teens being influenced by the mass media to join gangs? B. Is the media becoming more violent? C. What options do youth and teens have to prevent joing gangs? II. Body A. Behavior 1. The mass media portrays gang member behavior. 2. Language and dress code are taught to kids at a young age. B. Effects 1. Execution of gang members 2. Getting away without being caughtConclusion A. Community-chosen programs to lure youth, keep them busy and happy, and even motivate them to change their ways. B. The local social conditions in which our youth are raised in larger cultural generate great numbers of violence in individuals. Q1. â€Å"Most cities trying to reduce gang violence deny that they specifically target at-risk kids. As Nanette Smejkal, director of El Paso's parks and recreation department, says, â€Å"From our perspective, all kids are at risk. That's why they need positive programs†(Weintraub).This shows how youth gang prevention provived by the city during the summer to all its recreation centers and parks for kids under the age of 17. Waiving the annual membership fee that proved onerous for many poorer youngsters. Q2. â€Å"It is guns, it is poverty, it is overcrowding, and it is the uniquely American problem of a culture that is infatuated with violence. We love it, we glamorize it, we teach it to our children†(Surette). This demonstrates that our youth and armed aggression is not an American cultural right,and will determine the media's ultimate relationship to youth and violence.We must as a society address everything we can, such as economic inequities, the gun culture, and the glamorization of violence. And, by a slow, painful, generational process of moral leadership and example, we must work to modify the individual, family, and neighborhood factors that viole ntly predispose youth. Q3. â€Å"The debasement of our culture, of which gangsta rap is a big part, has coarsened children in general and put high-risk kids in a dangerous place. Taking drugs,carrying uns, and disrespecting human beings is now not only socially acceptable in many situations, it is downright glamorous†(O’Reilly). This shows how we as a society can reduce one aspect of violence in a violent society and expect real results. Youth violence will not be seriously reduced without violence in other aspects of our culture being addressed. In the same vein, modifying media violence alone will not have much effect but to ignore it will make efforts on other fronts less successful.Despite the fact that the media have limited independent effects on youth violence, we need to expand the focus on them. P1. â€Å"Gangs are violating our children and our community how these kids walk around with these guns,† said Harlem Mothers SAVE co-founder Jackie Rowe-Adams. â€Å"We have to go after these laws on the federal level and go after the NRA and the ATE†(Adams). P2. â€Å"We are in a very dangerous situation because this was right outside of a school and kids were outside in the play area.What we are seeing now is not what we are used to seeing, which is a new phenomenon with conflict between groups from different neighborhoods†(Perkins). P3. â€Å"Kids join [gangs] for various reasons,† Donahue says. â€Å"But I also believe it's a breakdown of the family, and I know everybody paints that picture. But if they were getting that support at home, they wouldn't join the gangs. (Lozada7-14). Title:New weapons in the fight against gangsSource:Parks and Recreation Author:Boris Weintraub Publication Date: November 2009

Racial Formation Summary Essay

Racial Formations by Michael Omi and Howard Winant, in my eyes, successfully explained how we as a society view race and gives us a sense of how it is observed within social contexts. Omi and Winant used media, ideas, and everyday examples to portray their views about race. Omi and Winant’s article began with the Susie Guillory Phipps’s case about how she had (Omi and Winant 2014) â€Å"unsuccessfully sued the Louisiana Bureau of Vital Records† (p.13) because she wanted to change her racial distinction from black to white on her birth certificate. Phipps argument was that racial classifications were unconstitutional. However, the court had upheld the belief that classifying individuals based on race was indeed constitutional. The Phipps case demonstrated for many centuries, that the United States had always tried to define race and how it is to fit within our social context. Omi and Winant then goes on to say this struggle to define race is not only seen in the U nited States, but is seen in other locations around the world, such as Europe. With exploration of the new world, many Europeans had believed that anyone who was not white had to have lesser freedom, if any at all, because these non-white were seen as inferior and less fit for society. Even to this every day, many individuals try to discover the â€Å"scientific meaning† of race. These individuals want to argue that race in not (Omi and Winant 2014) â€Å"social, political, or economic determination† (p. 15) but instead race can be found within an individual’s underlying characteristics which can be identified through skin color or physical attributes. Omi and Winant further showed how race can be seen as a social concept as well. For example, they explained how many people in contemporary British politics use the term black to mean any nonwhites, which surprisingly has not lead to any retaliation by any people. As a matter of fact, some Asian and Afro-Caribbean youth are using the term for self identity. Omi and Winant explains this phenomenon as â€Å"racial formations† which refers to the (Omi and Winant 2014) â€Å"process of by which social, economic, and political forces determine the content and importance of racial categories, and by which they are shaped by racial meanings† (p.15). Omi and Winant also goes on to explain within everyday life, individuals tend to create racial identities for others. These preconceived thoughts are like expectations we give  ourselves about other races. These preconceived thoughts did not just occur over night, they are a result of the historical events that has occurred over time and still shape the way we think about other races to this very day. Constructing Race, Cheating, White Privilege Constructing Race, Creating White Privilege by Pem Davidson Buck illustrated from the beginning of European colonization, there was a sense of how white individuals granted themselves privileges that no other race could have. To keep these racial privileges separate, laws such as the one in 1691punished European women who married African Americans or Native American men. The white individuals were so driven to separate themselves from other races, that European men who had children with an African or Native American, or any slave for that matter, were not responsible for the children. This meant that African American or the Natives did not become wealthy and was done so that the white people did not feel threatened by other race’s power. Buck then goes on to say that (2014) â€Å"Whites had an equal interest in the maintenance of whiteness and white privilege, and that it was the elite† (pg.35). This meant that white supremacy was taught to others and thus engraved in their minds for years after. All this was created so that whites would have power over other races. Additionally, whites reserved the right to whip African Americans; however, it was illegal to whip white people. On top of this, African Americans were denied the right to having a family just because husbands could have authority for their wives and not their owners. Buck then goes into talks about Psychological Wage. Buck describes psychological wage as having a feeling of superiority for the poor whites because their whiteness made up for the terrible economic situation they were in. This sense of superiority further helped the rich whites because the poor had supported this separate racial system and thus the rich had control of labor and the economy.

An Omnipotent Government: Utopia or Dystopia Essay

â€Å"Utopia: an idealized place of perfection or a visionary scheme for a perfect society† (Agnes). However, what if the ideals of utopia result in the seeds of dystopia? What if a government that is able to rule a perfect society, oversteps its bounds and causes destruction of freedom? In the dystopian novels 1984, A Brave New World, and The Giver, the government controls every thought, every fear, every story, and every emotion. These novels warn of the threat of a government that becomes too involved in its citizens’ lives. When citizens allow themselves to be uncaring and uninformed about their government, the ultimate price is freedom and liberty. These novels show that freedom is much to high a cost; momentary contentment should never come at the expense of liberty. Adolf Hitler once said, â€Å"If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed† (Huxley). Propaganda is a very powerful tool that can be used for good or evil. In 1984 the Party’s slogan, â€Å"WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH,† convinces its citizens that they want what the government has given them: war, slavery, and ignorance (Orwell). They do not want freedom because it is slavery. They are made to believe that peace and serenity come only during war. They are uninformed about their world, and this gives them strength. This type of government propaganda controls what citizens think by controlling what is heard on the radio, the television, the newspaper, and all other forms of media. In A Brave New World, propaganda is not only forced on citizens through media, but also during sleep. At the time Huxley wrote his novel, a new technique of â€Å"sleep learning† had become popular. The technique hypnopaedia was an interesting concept but actually caused negative behavior. Huxley used this in his novel as a form of government brainwashing. In A Brave New World, those in power used â€Å"sleep lea rning† to instill their beliefs in the citizenry of London (Clareson). This â€Å"sleep learning† is a type of non-rational propaganda. Huxley compares the two kinds of propaganda, rational and non-rational. Rational propaganda appeals to a person’s own best interest. Rational propaganda can only be used in a society where people have reason and morals. They could use the propaganda to rationalize what is in their best interest. Nevertheless in a society without reason or morals, what kind of propaganda is effective? Non-rational propaganda appeals not to any person’s best interest, but to their emotions. â€Å"The power to respond to reason and truth exist in all of us. On the other hand, unfortunately, does the tendency to respond to unreason and falsehood—particularly in cases where the falsehood evokes some enjoyable emotion† (Huxley 265). Huxley applies Hitler’s rule that the behavior of the masses is not determined by knowledge, but by feelings and innate drives. The propaganda in A Brave New World appeals to passion instead of reason (Clareson). Punishment is a powerful method of controlling any person. The fear of something that causes pain or unhappiness is usually an effective way to keep a person from rebelling. In The Giver, the fear of â€Å"release† or death kept all the citizens from breaking any rules. Even a simple mistake could cost a life. When a pilot in training accidentally flew over the city, the elders comforted the citizens, â€Å"Needless to say, he will be released† (Lowery 21). The citizens in The Giver did not understand that â€Å"release† meant death, but they could comprehend that it was not a desirous thing. In Lowery’s novel, no one broke rules. When Jonas’ father looked at the name of a baby before the naming ceremony, Jonas was shocked. He could not believe his father had broken a rule. In 1984, many people were hanged for a crime. â€Å"Thought Crime† was punishable by death. The Thought Police could not watch everyone’s thoughts simultaneously, but if they came across a belief that did not align with the party, death was the result. However public execution is not the only form of death in 1984. â€Å"Disappearances† were a common occurrence throughout the novel. Often those guilty of â€Å"thought crimes† just disappeared. All records of their existence were erased, and the Party attempted to remove all memories of them through â€Å"double think† (Orwell). Huxley takes a completely different approach in his novel. Pleasure is the key to controlling the citizenry in A Brave New World. A review of the book states, â€Å"Pleasure is the most powerful motivator of man† (Clareson). Research has proven that rewarding good behavior is more effective than punishing wrong behavior. Where the citizens in 1984 are controlled by fear of punishment, the citizens in A Brave New World are controlled by reinforcing desirous behavior. The main tools used by the government to regulate society are sex and Soma, a drug used by all citizens in the novel. The people’s awareness is suppressed to th e point that the World Controller refers to them as â€Å"nice tame animals.† They sacrificed their entire future for the pleasure of the moment. If a citizen disagreed with the government in A Brave New World, they would be given soma and through â€Å"sleep learning† be retaught the importance of government and their place in society (Huxley). The government fundamentally brainwashes its citizens to keep them ignorant of anything other than what they need know. Knowledge is a valuable thing. â€Å" If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and will never be†¦the people cannot be safe without information. Where the press is free, and everyone is able to read; all is safe† (Huxley). One important factor in controlling a large group of people is limiting his or her knowledge and resources. In 1984, the government uses a new form of speaking called â€Å"news speak.† Newspeak is a simplified version of the truth. The problem with this is when things are simplified we do not get the full version of the truth; instead we get a biased form of it. In 1984, the government controls information allowing only what reflects well on them to be released. â€Å"Don’t you see the whole aim of newspeak is to narrow the range of thought† (Orwell). Lowery also shows a limitation of knowledge in her novel. In The Giver, the elders censor their peoples’ language, emotions, and behaviors. Only the Giver and Receiver are allowed access to books and memories. The citizens in this novel are childlike in their understanding of things (Hanson). They literally have a limited vision and no way to think for themselves, or to make decisions without the Giver’s help. Taking away knowledge is a powerful thing and dangerous thing. â€Å"Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past† (Orwell 32). History and memories are essential to a society. When citizens forget the past; it numbs the entire citizenry. In 1984, the government constantly changes the past so it portrays them in a better light. â€Å"The party is at war with Eurasia therefore it always has been at war with Euras ia† (â€Å"Eternal Vigilance†). â€Å"Double think† is a form of thinking created by the government in Orwell’s novel. To â€Å"double think† is to have two contrary beliefs and believe both of them, while only expressing one. Orwell’s main character Winston knows when something is a lie, but has no evidence to controvert it. He says, â€Å" The past†¦had not merely been altered, it had been destroyed† (Orwell 33). In The Giver, only the Giver himself and Jonas the Receiver are allowed access to the history of their city. Upon discovering the outside world and time Jonas says, â€Å"I’m sorry sir. I don’t know what you mean when you say ‘the whole world’ or ‘generations before him.’ I thought there was only us. I thought there was only now.† Before becoming the Receiver, Jonas like all the others in his community only understood the here and now. To them everything outside of their own city simply was â€Å"elsewhere† (Low ery 56). When Jonas does discover his people’s past, he longs for a different future; knowing that there was more to life then what was offered by his elders. Emotion is an essential part of a human being. In these dystopian novels, emotion is either used as a tool for the government or completely eliminated from society. In 1984, negative emotions are used to create a common enemy among the people. Every day, all citizens were required to participate in the â€Å"two minutes hate.† During this time, they focused on an enemy of â€Å"The Party† and exhibited very animalistic behavior (Orwell 5). They also trained children from a very young age making Party minions. Winston describes his neighbor Parsons, â€Å"a man of paralyzing stupidity, a mass of imbecile enthusiasm- one of those completely unquestioning devoted drudges on whom†¦the stability of ‘The Party’ depended† (Orwell 22). Lowery instead of using emotions, tried to completely suppress them. In The Giver, there is no such thing as color, love, or joy. Jonas’ world is dependent of content people who ask few questions and see no need fo r change. Their lives are planned for them; spouses are picked out and children are applied for. All these monumental decisions are made by the council of elders. Jonas is accustomed to a life of â€Å"sameness.† Upon turning twelve and becoming the Receiver, Jonas’ lackluster world transforms into a vibrant new place. The memories given to him allow Jonas to experience love and warmth. â€Å"I like the feeling of love†¦but I can see that it was a dangerous way to live† (Lowery 126). In The Giver, â€Å"stirrings† are treated with a subduing drug. This represses any curiosity and imagination the young people have. Adults are also required to take medicine that eliminates their sexual desires (Henson). There is nothing beyond what is required and no desire for something more. In each of these cautionary novels, there are uneducated people who have no desire to become informed. Government has become so controlling that even history has been changed. Propaganda and emotions are only means to advance the government. Liberty is the price paid for stability, safety, and community. Their world did not become the desired utopia instead it became a dystopia. Webster’s dictionary defines dystopia as â€Å"a place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives† (Agnes). Liberty and freedom must be earned and guarded. Enlightened and empowered citizens must keep them alive. The dystopian life shown in these novels is only a threat if citizens allow their freedoms to be taken away. When citizens allow themselves to be uncaring and uninformed about their government, the ultimate price is freedom and liberty. These novels show that freedom is much to high a cost; momentary contentment should never come at the expense of liberty. Works Cited Agnes, Michael, ed. â€Å"Utopia.† Webster’s New Dictionary and Thesaurus. Cleveland, Ohio: Wiley Publishing Inc., 2002. Print. Clareson, Thomas P. â€Å"The Classic: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.† Extrapolation 3.1(Dec. 1961): 34-40. Rpt in Contemporary Literature Critisism. Ed. Carolyn Riley. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale Research, 1973. Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 January 2013. â€Å"Eternal Vigilance.† New Statesman [1996] 1 June 2009: 41+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. Hanson, Carter F. â€Å"The Utopian function of memory in Lois Lowry’s The Giver.† Extrapolation 50.1 (2009): 45+ Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 January 2013. Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited. New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 2004. Print. Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Dell Laurel –Leaf, 2002. Print. Orwell, George. 1984. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1991. Print.

Habitus in the Modern World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Habitus in the Modern World - Essay Example "The struggle of social distinction, whatever its symbolic form, is for Bourdieu a fundamental dimension of all social life. The larger issue, then, is one of power relations among individuals, groups and institutions (particularly the educational system). Indeed, for Bourdieu power is not a separate domain of study but stands at the heart of all social life" (6). To discover how power is regulated and dispersed throughout the sociological systems of human existence, Bourdieu strove throughout his life to discover the 'master' science that would unlock the codes of human behaviors regardless of culture or society. While sociological theories are often dedicated most stringently to the various hierarchies and power balances as they are found within the group structures, Bourdieu took his ideas further to explore how the various individuals within the group were typically provided their status and power, concentrating most especially upon how they learned the rules of the game when no rules, written or otherwise, are to be found. Within his work, Bourdieu struggled always to find a sort of 'master' science that would explain the various detailed elements of ever... y of the laws whereby structures tend to reproduce themselves by producing agents invested with the system of dispositions which is able to engender practices adapted to these structures and thus contribute to their production" (Bourdieu, 1973 cited in 7). This definition being about as convoluted as a pig's tail, what Bourdieu is essentially indicating is the process of regeneration of social institutions through imperfect repetition. A very simple, and perhaps not fully accurate, analogy to this process would be in the social system of an audience. As a collective group, the audience tends to encourage behaviors such as being silent, remaining attentive to what's happening on stage and clapping at the appropriate moments. This would be the first structure. This structure produces agents, the audience members, who are already predisposed to behave as an audience when the situation demands. As these individuals go into 'audience' mode in a given situation, they encourage others to be have in similar ways, thus contributing to their [the audience structure] production. While this establishes some of the mechanisms in place at the group level, it doesn't go far to explain the interrelationship between the group and the individual. For Bourdieu, the key question centered on discovering how individuals became members of groups, gaining their individual elements of power and status within that group, without any form of written or even informal rules. This was the key element of his research as he developed his conceptions of habitus, field and agency. By understanding the interrelated nature of Bourdieu's ideas concerning habitus, field and agency, it is possible to understand how his theories might be applied to current sociological concerns such as contemporary

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Psychology - Essay Example They encounter serious kinds of attacks frequently while some overcome them with consummate ease, depending upon the nature of stress one has to go through over a period of time. Workplace stress also entails within it issues of anxiousness at work whereby it is regarded as another kind of mental anomaly, which tears down the mind and the body in a number of different ways. Workplace stress leads to different kinds of depressions within oneself on top. The employees start feeling alienated with the tasks and feel their bodies having all forms of aches every now and so often. These people also comprehend the pressures from their job settings which in reality are of a normal nature and have little bearing on them in the real sense. The pressure-exertion effect makes them feel more stressed at the end of the day, which then again is a very perilous thing. Workplace stress can be reduced when employees know that the task they are putting their best energies at, are worth the shot and in the end, the same will help them to grow exponentially. In fact they must be apprised of their hard work and the rewards that they get. This is indeed a nice gesture which means a lot on the part of the hard working and committed employees and workers (Harmon 2003). The hard working employees should balance their work commitments with their physical and mental needs as 100 percent commitment can only be made possible when there is zest and enthusiasm from within and not when a person is made to do one thing or the other by force or against his wishes. The reason why one should believe this approach will work is because in the initial sense, it will build a strong rapport between the firm and its employees and also it will convey a strong message that the organization does not compromise on the needs of the employees who are working for it day in day out just for having that extra bit of work completed by them (Bergman 2003). It also means that the organization is thorough and profes sional in its approach and is not willing to surrender in a rat race when the talk goes out loud of competing within the relevant industry or even with companies just for the sake of nothing but competition. The intensity within organizations is pretty much understandable but the madness should not be substituted on the part of the employees and getting work done out of them so that the figures could be reached and new records could be broken within the shortest possible time is nothing but insanity to say the least. Other useful workplace stress removing remedies are accounted for in the form of exercising regularly, having an intake of healthy diet, taking proper sleep, developing trustworthy social support regimes and more than anything else enjoying quality family time (Linton 2000). The physical and psychological implications thus have direct and serious effects on the way the employees look after their work tasks and thus the bottom line remains all jammed up for a number of r easons – most of which are related with stress in one way or the other. It is true to state that workplace stress affects employees at all levels which could include the physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral stages. The physical indications entail the speech difficulties and complexities, headaches, ulcers, infertility issues, fatigue and sudden weight loss and

Business Continuity and Disaster Management for Aviation Essay

Business Continuity and Disaster Management for Aviation - Essay Example A significant event or crisis refers to such events, where there is a pressing need for an immediate and novice response, with the aim of lessening the adverse effects taking place in the reputation, profitability and the operations of the airport. This paper will examine the particular problems that affected Heathrow airport frequently and the effects felt by the airport, British airways and the UK aviation industry as a whole. Additionally, the paper will examine the steps that could be taken to minimize the effects of adverse weather and the outcomes that the new strategy would yield, for the wide array of industry stakeholders. Airports are highly intricate systems and are very essential to the effective transit of people and goods across the globe. In addition, airports are significant employment hubs, which allow them to work as economic drivers for surrounding regions; support businesses by facilitating the transit of goods and people, foster trade and support tourism. Despite the fact that airports have remained a critical link to the stability of natural infrastructural models, they have also been identified as highly vulnerable to a variety of external and internal disturbances. All of the internal and the external disturbances affecting the performance of airports impact or even limit the normality of airport operations. One of the recent events that gave evidence about the adverse effects of airport disturbances was the failure of the systems and the performance of London Heathrow’s Terminal 5, after it was launched. The newly opened airport building suffered from significant failures in the performance of operational and passenger-specific functions (Brady & Davies, 2010). The failures led to the cancelation of more than 34 flights in a day, after the start of the launch of operations and the cancelation of flights left

Final exam questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final exam questions - Essay Example It will also help in delivering the right products to the right market. Demographics Segmenting a market for baby-ware can be challenging because the consumer is not the actual decision maker. In considering the demographics of such a market, it is essential to understand that the demographics of the parents will be necessary. In this case, the age and gender of the parents of the children who are the target market will be necessary to be considered. This will help in creating marketing campaigns which are directed towards specific groups of people (Wedel & Kamakura, 2000). Psychographic segmentation Psychographic segmentation is also important. This refers to the behaviour of the customers and the way in which these customers are likely to behave in relations to the product (Webster, 1995). Some customers are likely to be willing to pay a little more if the quality of the product is raised higher. Others are likely to buy more often while others may be more exposed to the fashion ap peal of the product. In developing a product for parents who want to buy fashionable clothing for their children, it will be necessary for the organisation to consider having fashionable products. Segmentation by occasions There are various occasions and seasons which may require various kinds of clothing for the occasions. For example, selling Christmas clothing may only be necessary during the Christmas season. Halloween attire may again need to be sold during the Halloween season. Question 2 Every product has to go through four main stages as follows; Introduction Introduction stage of a product is the time when the product has just been innovated and being introduced to the market. For an ice cream product at this stage, it would be necessary to have intensive market in order to make sure that as many consumers have managed to know the existence of the product. Active marketing such as advertising in the main media outlets will also help a lot in giving the product popularity (W ebster, 1995). Growth The growth stage is crucial because not only does it show that the product is improving, but also because the product at this time has started to make money, thus making it possible to retain it. At this stage, the important thing is to increase the visibility of the product in order to have access to a wider market. Maturity At this time, the product is always at its best and it making a lot of money. However, the product mow has faces two main risks. The first risk comes from the fact that this product has no more room for growth because the product has reached its peak. The second risk is the risk of imitation from new market entrants. At this point, the best thing would be to look for ways to re-innovate the product. Decline The last stage of a product is the decline stage and at this stage the product is dying out. At this stage, the product cannot be redeemed, and it is important to utilize it as a platform to introduce its successor (Ranchhod & Gurau, 20 07). Although the product is declining, it is still enjoying the fact that it is well known in the market. The best thing is to look at ways in which this product can be use to help the new product developed during stage three into the market. Question 3 In marketing, maintaining and strengthening customer relationship is always important. BMW has been one auto manufacturers who have managed to use modern marketing

Research Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 7

Research Proposal - Essay Example Two middle managers, a labour union leader and thirteen low-level permanent employees were selected using two-stage random sampling technique. Two standardize and validated instruments (questionnaires and interview guides) were used to generate background information and data for analysis. The result of the survey indicates 68.5% believe informal mechanism is more effective in improving individual performance while 54.3% believe it is most appropriate for teamwork. In contrast, 51% low-level employees believe formal mechanisms improve individual performance while 30.1% believe it improves teamwork. Both middle managers and low-level employees believe that a combination of informal and formal control mechanisms is most effective in enhancing employee performance and productivity. However, 79.5% of the middle managers believe a combination that emphasizes formal mechanism is more effective. This is in contrast to low-level employees’ perception (93.4%) that a combination of info rmal and formal strategies that gives prominence to informal interactions among employees is more effective in enhancing employee performance. This contradictory perception of the combination of mechanisms suggests the need for further research into the relations between different combinations of mechanisms and employee performance at individual and team levels. The environment organizations operate is fast changing politically, economically, socially and technologically. These changes are impacting on the way organizations are designed to accommodate resultant changes in relationships among employees. It is the responsibility of management of organizations to continuously respond to these changes in environment and relationship among employees. Traditional rigid methods of dealing with employee relations vis-Ã  -vis performance and productivity are giving way for newer flexible methods. The

Psalm 23 and John 10 - Similarities and Differences Essay - 1

Psalm 23 and John 10 - Similarities and Differences - Essay Example The theme of both chapters - Psalm 23 and John 10 - is the good shepherd, both chapters talk about the Lord who is well known to his sheep, the sheep know the voice of their shepherd and when he moves in front of the sheep they follow him, in contrast, if a stranger moves before the sheep they run for they do not know his voice, the chapters also tells us that the good shepherd who is the owner of the sheep will take care of the sheep better than the shepherd on hire, the shepherd on hire here refers to the devil who will not take good care of the sheep.The good shepherd is the Lord Jesus Christ who leads his flock of sheep to the wilderness where he provides for them and protects them from any danger.The shepherd on hire represents the devil, also the thieve who does not enter the sheepfold through the door represent the devilThe sheep that hear the voice of the good shepherd represent us who follow Jesus Christ and believe in him.The sheep that do not hear the voice of the good she pherd represent the people who do not listen and believe in Jesus Christ and therefore they do not hear his voice.The wilderness where the shepherd leads his flock to represent the good life that those people who believe in Jesus Christ live, Jesus protects them from any danger and also that they always live satisfying lives.The image that the two chapters represent is that of a shepherd who leads his sheep to the wilderness where there are plenty of green pastures and cool waters, the shepherd protects the sheep form any danger because he is the owner of the flock.One difference is that the psalms are an Old Testament book while John is a New Testament book, the Psalms chapter is a praise to the Lord by Jesus while John chapters is based on the life of Jesus Christ, this parable was told to the disciples of by the shepherd himself.

A Sense of Truth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Sense of Truth - Essay Example A thorough analysis and better understanding not only clarifies but illuminates the distinction between deception and truth, trust and mistrust. Plato in his work, "Allegory of the Cave" published in his book The Polity presented the false reality that chained the people inside the cave. They had been blinded by ignorance and overshadowed by darkness. They believed that the shadows on the walls of the cave were true as opposed to the reality that these were just puppets and illusions. One of the prisoners had eventually escaped and seen the light. The sunlight represents the absolute Truth, which is what actually is, and is not relative to what any person might think to be truth (Christian Dunn, 2006). The point of Plato was to find the truth as the ultimate goal; relying on the senses to interpret reality would not give the truth. This perception of the truth will also be different from person to person. Furthermore, Plato suggested that our senses can be a distraction from the truth and should not be trusted because they are untrusting and false guides to realities. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha argued otherwise. ... With the background and foundation laid, I am now ready to answer the question "Should we trust our senses to give us truth" Trusting our senses achieves the purpose of knowing what the truth is. It simply means allowing the mind to digest the information perceived through the senses and making judgment based on these perceptions. Every person's reactions although varied will detect that the stimuli have been responded to depending on the conditions and courses of an event. While an observation is a prelude to a deduction of what really happens, it is still with empirical knowledge that the truth is tested and settled. After all, a claim remains a claim if not backed up with facts. Nevertheless, trusting the senses still remains the ultimate paradigm that ushers the knowledge of the truth. In an unchartered territory, the most a person can do is to act according to his instincts and survive depending on a perception of this environment. Needless to say, it is the right time for his senses to be utilized and maximized. Imagine being stuck in the Arabian Desert. What penetrate your eyes are visions of sand, sky, date palms, and occasional arachnids like scorpions, ticks and spiders. The dust swaying in the air provides an unbearable smell. The resolute stillness and serenity generate a deafening sound as well as the booming of the wind. The taste of water and soda creeps into your nerves and makes you thirst. Worse of all, the scorching heat reaches up to 54C. All these in consideration will determine the ability of a person to forge his reactions based on stimuli. Let's say there is a snake in the middle of the Desert. Trapped in this situation, the individual must find ways to get rid of the snake. How When the

If Age And Gender Play A Role In Staying Healthy Or Gaining Weight Essay

If Age And Gender Play A Role In Staying Healthy Or Gaining Weight - Essay Example This is because women have a lower resting metabolic rate more than men who burn a lot of energy when they are resting. This means that men need extra calories for maintaining their body weight more than women need. However, the research indicates that, in most cases, women gain more weight than men after menopause because the metabolic rate for women decreases considerably. RESEARCH QUESTION Does age and gender play a role in staying healthy or gaining weight? METHODS The research was conducted by employing qualitative research design for data collection. It also involved some participant of different age group brackets and a different gender. The research employed an effective procedure through using different apparatus in order to achieve the intended results. Participants The researcher included varied age group brackets that were selected from different gender groups. For instance, those who participated in the research study included 27 women and 23 men from different areas. The selected age of women and men were from the age of 35 and above. Among these groups, there were 15 children aging from 10-15 and 10 youths aging from 18- 35. The participants came from various schools and people from the community surrounding the chosen schools. The researcher chose the participants through random sampling on the targeted study area. The research study employed qualitative research design method in collecting information to reveal in case gender and age play significant roles in maintaining health. ... Moreover, the current study indicates that gender is a risk factor for healthy determination. For instance, women tend to gain weight faster than men (Mokdad 2003, p. 76). This is because women have lower resting metabolic rate more than men who burn a lot of energy when they are resting. This means that men need extra calories for maintaining their body weight more than women need. However, the research indicates that, in most cases, women gain more weight than men after menopause because the metabolic rate for women decreases considerably. RESEARCH QUESTION Does age and gender play a role in staying healthy or gaining weight? METHODS The research was conducted through employing qualitative research design for data collection. It also involved some participant of different age group brackets and different gender. The research employed an effective procedure through using different apparatus in order to achieve the intended results. Participants The researcher included varied age gro up brackets that were selected from different gender groups. For instance, those who participated in the research study included 27 women and 23 men from different areas. The selected age of women and men were from the age of 35 and above. Among these groups, there were 15 children aging from 10-15 and 10 youths aging from 18- 35. The participants came from various schools and people from the community surrounding the chosen schools. The researcher chose the participants through random sampling on the targeted study area. Qualitative Research Design The research study employed qualitative research design method in collecting information to reveal in case gender and age play significant roles in maintaining health. Qualitative research design is one of the effective methods employed by

Consumer Behavior Essay Example for Free

Consumer Behavior Essay This section describes the roles of product appearance in the process of consumer evaluation and choice. For this aim, literature in the fields of product development, product design, consumer behavior, marketing, and human factors has been searched. The literature shows that the visual appearance of a product can influence consumer product evaluations and choice in several ways. Several authors considered the role of product or package appearance in consumer product evaluation or choice (Bloch, 1995; Garber, 1995; Garber et al. , 2000; Veryzer, 1993; Veryzer, 1995). However, they did not discuss explicitly the different ways in which appearance influences consumer choice and their respective implications for product design. In addition to these more recent contributions to the literature, the functions of a product in consumer–product interaction are described in earlier industrial design literature (Lo? bach, 1976; Pilditch, 1976; Schu? rer, 1971). Several of these functions concern product appearance. There are differences between authors in the number of roles (i. e. , functions) of product appearance they distinguish and the terms they use. For example, communication of ease of use was mentioned by Bloch (1995) and was described as part of the aesthetic function by Lo? bach (1976), while Veryzer (1995) called it the communicative function of a product appearance. If all the roles mentioned in the literature are considered as a whole, the following six roles of product appearance for consumers can be distinguished: (1) communication of aesthetic, (2) symbolic, (3) functional, and (4) ergonomic product information; (5) attention drawing; and (6) categorization. A description of these six roles and their implications for product design follows. Product Appearance and Aesthetic Product Value The aesthetic value of a product pertains to the pleasure derived from seeing the product, without consideration of utility (Holbrook, 1980). A consumer can value the ‘‘look’’ of a product purely for its own sake, as looking at something beautiful is rewarding in itself. When product alternatives are similar in functioning and price, consumers will prefer the one that appeals the most to them aesthetically (see, for example, Figure 1). Aesthetic responses are primarily emotional or feeling responses, and as such they are very personal (Bamossy et al. , 1983). Several researchers have tried to determine properties of products that are related to aesthetic appreciation. Innate preferences are proposed for visual organization principles, such as unity (i. e. , congruence in elements), proportion (e. g. , ‘‘the Golden Section’’), and symmetry (Hekkert, 1995; Muller, 2001; Veryzer, 1993; Veryzer and Hutchinson, 1998), and an inverted U-shaped relation is proposed between aestheticpreference and complexity (Berlyne, 1971). Another property influencing aesthetic judgments is color. The desirability of a color will change according to the object to which it is applied (e. g. , a car or a table) and with the style of the object (e. g. , modern or Georgian) (Whitfield and Wiltshire, 1983). In addition to (innate) preferences for certain properties of stimuli, prototypicality is found to influence the aesthetic response. Proto typicality is the degree to which something is representative of a category (see also the section about categorization). In several studies, evidence is found for a positive influence of visual prototypicality on aesthetic preference (Hekkert, 1995; Veryzer and Hutchinson, 1998; Whitfield and Slatter, 1979). According to Hekkert et al. (2003), products with an optimal combination of prototypicality and novelty are preferred aesthetically. As well as the product-related characteristics previously mentioned, there are cultural, social, and personal influences on design taste. For example, color preferences differ between cultures and in time (Whitfield and Wiltshire, 1983). In addition, personal factors, such as design acumen, prior experience, and personality influence the design taste of consumers (Bloch, 1995). The influence of an aesthetic judgment on product preference can be moderated by the perceived aesthetic fit of the product with other products the consumer owns, or his or her home interior (Bloch, 1995). Product Appearance and Symbolic Product Value Consumer goods carry and communicate symbolic meaning (McCracken, 1986). Symbolic value even can be the key determinant for product selection (Hirschman and Holbrook, 1982) and can account for the selection of products that clearly are inferior in their tangible characteristics (Levy, 1959). An example of the latter is Philippe Starck’s Juicy Salif lemon squeezer (Lloyd and Snelders, 2003). The choice for a specific product or brand may convey the kind of person someone is or wants to be; consumers use products to express their (ideal) self-image to themselves and to others (Belk, 1988; Landon, 1974; Sirgy, 1982; Solomon, 1983). Symbolic meaning can be attached to a product or brand on the basis of, among other things, advertising (McCracken, 1986), country of origin, or the kind of people using it (Sirgy, 1982). But the productitself also can communicate symbolic value in a more direct way, namely by its appearance. A product’s appearance communicates messages (Murdoch and Flurscheim, 1983), as it may look cheerful, boring, friendly, expensive, rude, or childish (see, for example, Figure 2). In addition, a certain style of appearance may evoke associations with a certain time or place (e. g. , the Fifties). Furthermore, the product or package appearance can reinforce the image of a brand, as the identity of a brand is expressed visually in the appearance of products (Schmitt and Simonson, 1997). Consumers may attach the meaning of a brand to elements of the physical appearance of products. In this way, a brand image may transfer to different kinds of products (see the section about categorization). Many companies therefore make consistent use of certain design elements, such as a color combination, a distinctive form element, or style. For example, car manufacturers often try to keep different car models recognizable as belonging to the same brand. The distinctive radiator grill of BMW automobiles is an example of a recognizable design element. The linking of brand meaning to elements of the product appearance will be easier when the associations these elements engender by themselves (e. g. , because they are innate or are determined by culture) correspond to the desired brand image. For example, use of bright colors and a large size, which is associated with aggression (Murdoch and Flurscheim, 1983), will make it easier to position a car brand as aggressive. Although there are large individual and time-specific differences in the experience of color and form, there are certain associations that seem to be relatively constant. Overviews of the influence of form and color on consumer perception of symbolic value (but also ergonomic and aesthetic value) can be found in Muller (2001), Murdoch and Flurscheim (1983), Schmitt and Simonson (1997), and Whitfield and Wiltshire (1983). For example, angular forms are associated with dynamism and masculinity, while roundness evokes softness and femininity (Schmitt and Simonson, 1997). Culture is an important determinant of the interpretations that consumers give and the associations they have with certain factors of a product’s appearance. For example, color associations vary from culture to culture (Whitfield and Wiltshire, 1983). In America and Europe, the color white stands for purity, and brides traditionally dress in white; in Japan itis a color of mourning. Furthermore, meaning is context dependent. The impression that colors give may change completely by combining certain colors (Muller, 2001). Also, the meaning of forms and colors may change in time, as meanings are continuously transformed by movements in art, fashion, etcetera (Muller, 2001). There is some debate about whether symbolic interpretation is part of the aesthetic experience. In most literature, aesthetic value is mentioned as botha hedonic impression and a result of interpretation and representation (Schmitt and Simonson, 1997; Vihma, 1995). It is acknowledged in this article that whether a product is conceived of as beautiful is affected by what it represents (Vihma, 1995). The same style can be considered ‘‘good taste’’ at one point in time, while being considered ‘‘bad taste’’ 10 years later, because the connotations associated with it or the interpretations given to it have changed. For example, orange was a modern color for clothes, furniture, and plastic products in the Seventies, generally was perceived as old-fashioned and ugly in the Eighties, and became used in products and clothing again in the Nineties. However, the view in this article is that aesthetic and symbolic value should be distinguished, as they may have opposite influences on preference. For example, someone who likes a colorful design may not buy it because it looks ‘‘too childish. ’’ Product Appearance and Functional Product Value

Hardys Use Of Nature English Literature Essay

Hardys Use Of Nature English Literature Essay Throughout the novel, Hardy uses various aspects of nature in different ways in order to help tell the story. In Tess of the DUrbervilles, Hardy has written it so that Tesss life simply gets worse and worse until her death at the end. Nature does not help her, with Hardy portraying it as being unsympathetic, uncaring, and unforgiving. Hardy uses seasons, and setting of location in the novel to portray the passing of time; phases in Tesss life and new emotions associated with these new phases. At the start of the novel in chapters I and II, the location is set in Marlott, where the character of Tess lives. It is the spring, in May; Marlott is described by Hardy as though being almost flawless, as a fertile and sheltered tract of country. This description is used to portray early on, the purity and sexual innocence of Tess which will be degraded throughout the novel When Tess travels to visit Alec, Hardy transforms her surroundings, making The Slopes appear out of place and unnatural. This gives the reader a sense of uncertainty about what is about to happen to Tess. This is shown as Hardy writes how the house is of the same rich crimson colour that formed such a contrast with the evergreens of the lodge This colour, crimson, is evidently very out of place in a green forest setting. Tess also says I thought we were an old family; but this is all new! This shows her naivety and her own worry for the situation she is about to encounter. Also, she is surrounded by Druidical mistletoe while at The Slopes. This relates to how people are often seduced under mistletoe, therefore foreshadowing how she is going to be seduced there later by Alec in the autumn. At the start of phase the third, Hardy writes about Tesss finding of work in Talbothays dairy in the summer. He describes this setting in a more positive way, because this is a happy time for Tess, as she meets Angel. Talbothays is described as the verdant plain so well watered by the river Var or Froom. Verdant makes it seem as though it is a green, healthy and luxurious place which is the impression that Hardy is trying to set in. Hardy begins to describe normal things in a more sexual way, to reflect what is going to happen in Talbothays. For example, ..the milk oozed forth and fell in drops to the ground. In complete contrast to Talbothays, in chapter XLII, Hardy describes Flintcombe-Ash as a barren land, and it is now winter. Tess is now very miserable and lonely. This pathetic fallacy is made to help us feel sorry for Tesss now considerably less fortunate circumstances. Here the air was dry and cold à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ hedges mercilessly plashed down. The use of the word mercilessly describes how everything around Tess appears to be against her, including nature. Hardy specifically expresses this in chapter XIV, that bastard gift of shameless Nature who respects not the civil law.This describes how nature does not care that she was raped, unlike the civil law, which would. Hardy uses animal imagery within the novel to perhaps foreshadow the hidden themes and to metaphorically represent Tess. For example, in chapter IX Tess goes to work for Mrs DUrberville in her poultry house. This means that right at this point of the novel, we are already associating her with an animal which is trapped in captivity. Mrs dUrberville asks Tess, Can you whistle?' She cannot, so Alec has to teach her. For birds in the wild, whistling is a way of a bird trying to attract or seduce a mate, therefore the fact that Alec has to teach Tess to whistle means that his seducing has already started. On the other hand, the fact that Tess cannot whistle yet may also be implying that she is too young and not ready for sex. In the novel, Hardy has written it so it is as though Tess is accompanied by birds frequently, and so reflects her similarities to the animal about how she is trapped like a bird in a cage, and cannot escape her fate at the end of the novel. This is perhaps subtly foreshadowed in chapter XIX. Tess, like a fascinated bird, could not leave the spot. This implies that she cannot control the fact that she is listening to Angels music, and the fact that she will be trapped by fate is inevitable. Birds also appear at various points in the novel. For example, in chapter XLI, when Tess finds some injured birds. Her first thought was to put the still-living birds out of their torture she broke the necks of as many as she could find. This act perhaps foreshadows her own death which is inescapable. On the other hand, it may also be interpreted as though Tess can feel the birds pain, so kills them to put them out of their misery; as she has experienced similar pain that they have. They have be en hurt by causes beyond their control like Tesss rape. In the novel, Hardy uses weather, among other aspects of nature in a way that will reflect the storys events. For example, when Tess is first raped by Alec in chapter XI, The Chase is surrounded by a thick fog. Alec says, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦owing to this fog, which so disguises everythingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It is made to seem as though the fog, and therefore nature itself is uncaring. It is made to seem as though nature cares not for common morals, but only for itself, as it is happy for Tess to become pregnant, caring not that it is through rape. Hardy also personifies nature, for example at the start of chapter XXIII, The hot weather of July had crept upon themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the use of the word crept is effective as it describes how quickly time has passed for her, and how such unexpected events have happened so quickly. Hardy effectively uses pathetic fallacy within the novel in order to portray certain events to help the reader to empathise with the character of Tess. The best example of this is in chapter XIV when Tess is trying to baptise her baby before she knows it will die. Darkness is often associated with sad feelings and thoughts. Chapter XIV contains very sad and discomforting themes so Hardy uses dark colours and night time to help increase the atmosphere. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦shone in the gloom surrounding her. As the story goes on, the character of Tess matures, and it is as though nature around her also matures and changes accordingly to how she does. This is shown effectively in chapter XX. In this chapter, the development of Tess and Angels love is described, and this is reflected in Hardys description of nature in the first few lines. The season developed and matured. Another years instalment of flowers, leaves, nightingales took up their positions where only a year ago others had stood in their place The use of the word instalment portrays how the life of nature, and also Tess works in cycles, and each generation of nature is somewhat unimportant, only coming in instalments. Unimportance and insignificance is a common theme throughout the novel. This is also depicted in chapter XI when Tess is raped. Already at that hour some sons of the forest were stirring and striking lights It is as though nature is uncaring and goes on as normal around the awful events that are happening at the same time. In the novel, nature is meant to come across as being amoral and uncaring. This is most reflected in the passage about her baby Sorrow being a bastard gift from nature, which does not care as to how it came about, in contrast to the law which would have punished Alec. But also, nature is portrayed as though it doesnt judge Tess for what has happened, thus also meaning it does not judge Alec.

Measuring Skin Blood Flow and Vascular Permeability

Measuring Skin Blood Flow and Vascular Permeability The aim of this experiment is to compare the dose-related inflammatory response demonstrated by the skin following injection of histamine and bradykinin two inflammatory mediators. Methods used will demonstrate a non-invasive, quantitative way to measure blood flow and vascular permeability in the skin. INTRODUCTION The acute inflammatory reaction occurs to protect the body in response to a pathogen or other noxious substance. There are two components: adaptive immunological response (which is described as a more specific immune response) and the innate response which occurs immediately upon infection and consists of both vascular and cellular effects (Rang and Dale, 2007). The innate response will be studied in this experiment, specifically in the skin. Bradykinin and histamine are inflammatory mediators involved in the innate response and will be studied at different doses. The results can be used to provide a potential target for therapeutic use: further experimentation would allow the addition of inflammatory mediator antagonists to potentially reduce the four cardinal signs of inflammation: pain, heat, redness and swelling. The local oedema and vasodilation give rise to the wheal and flare. The reddening represents vasodilation of small arterioles, and the increased permeability of the post capillary venules is represented by the wheal. The flare occurs due to stimulation of sensory nerves causing release of vasodilators. This is known as the triple response. It will be the wheal and flare that will be measured and used to describe the action of the two inflammatory mediators. METHODS The methods used were in-vivo; the doses of inflammatory mediators (and saline control) were injected into 10 volunteers. It was confirmed there were no known allergies to either bradykinin or histamine and all correct health and safety procedures were followed. Each of the 10 subjects were injected first with 25ÃŽ ¼L of saline solution, used as a control to show there was nothing in the saline (that the inflammatory mediators were diluted with) causing an inflammatory response. This was followed by doses of 10, 30, and 100ÃŽ ¼M histamine for 5 subjects and the same doses of bradykinin for the other 5 was added, all at 30 second intervals. These were administered using a sterilised syringe which contained the correct concentration. The doses were injected into forearm intradermally and care was taken to ensure the complete volume of 25ÃŽ ¼L was taken up by the skin. Each successive administration was slightly further up the arm giving space for each of the four doses and to try and prevent the flares from overlapping. At periods of 2, 5, 10 and 15mins a clear sheet of acetate was placed over the centre of injection and the wheal and flare were circled using a non-wipe pen and repeated for each respective dose. This provided the area of the wheal and flare at each of the given concentrations at each of the given periods of time following injection, for each respective inflammatory mediator. The flare was cut from the acetate and weighed accurately to 4 decimal places. Subsequently, the wheal was cut from the centre of the flare and was also weighed. This process was repeated for each of the doses of inflammatory mediator (bradykinin and histamine) and for the saline control also. A 2cm2 square was ruled onto the acetate which was also cut out and weighed. This provided a conversion between weight and area, allowing the area of the wheal and flares to be calculated (credit to Dr. Dean Willis).This data was tabulated and can be found in the appendix and illustrated in the results. The data was checked for any anomalous values that could be defined as incorrect based upon logical criteria. Group 1 for the histamine set had flare sizes of 0cm2 however, had wheal sizes greater than this. Therefore this data was removed to all analysis as it is clearly incorrect. The data was then averaged for each of the 5 subjects for both histamine and bradykinin. There were two independent variables: time and concentration; and two dependant variables: wheal and flare areas. The independent variables were illustrated on separate graphs and the wheal and flare sizes were imposed on the same. To produce graphs to illustrate the change in area with concentration, first the largest average value recorded for each concentration was selected and tabulated. This allows comparison not only between different concentrations of the same mediator, but also between bradykinin and histamine. This also means time was irrelevant because it did not matter at which time recording the values were selected The increase in wheal or flare size due to inflammatory mediator was calculated (i.e. the difference between the wheal or flare recorded and saline). This increase in wheal or flare was plotted against the respective concentration and the concentration was plotted in log scale to illustrate a dose-response curve. To illustrate the change in area with respect to time, firstly, the data was scanned to select a concentration at which the change in wheal and flare was best illustrated. This concentration was taken to be 100ÃŽ ¼M (for both mediators to ensure continuity and to allow comparison). The Average wheal and flare size was then plotted against time for both bradykinin and histamine. RESULTS Removed data: (see appendix) Group 1 of the histamine section has a flare size of 0.000 recorded with a wheel size of greater than this. This is likely to be a systematic error in not realising the flare is indeed underneath the wheel and not visible, in this case the flare is the same area of the wheel. However this is just speculation, and in order to ensure all data used is correct saline recordings for each time interval both wheel and flare areas for group 1(histamine) were removed from analysis. The wheal size only increased slowly with increased concentration of bradykinin to a maximum of 0.414 at 100ÃŽ ¼M. The value at 10ÃŽ ¼M was actually lower than that for saline. This is not a significant decrease however as it was taken as a decrease of 0.04cm2, which is a small area and the limitations of the experiment are likely to be the cause. The flare size, however, increased more with increasing concentration. The size of the flare is likely to represent a dose-response curve with a classic sigmoid shape if the concentration of bradykinin were to be increased further. However, due to the nature of the experiment this would not be practical as a much large concentration of inflammatory mediator could be dangerous for the subject. It is also shown that the maximum flare area at 100ÃŽ ¼M was recorded at 10mins. It can therefore be deduced that it was relatively slow acting; however it cannot be determined whether the maximum value was indeed at 10mins recorded as 7.808cm2. Equally the flare area could have rose to a maximum between 5-10mins and decreased, or rose to a maximum after 10mins and reduced to that recorded at 15mins. It can be shown that at the lowest concentration (10ÃŽ ¼M) of histamine that there is only a small difference of 1.194cm2 between the maximum flare-area recorded by bradykinin. It can therefore be deduced that histamine caused a larger flare than bradykinin at the same concentrations. Ahe general trend is similar to that of bradykinin: small increase in wheal area, large increase in flare area. The maximum wheal area was only 0.03m2 larger than that recorded by bradykinin. Again, the wheal area had very little variation with time: increase of 0.2cm2. The flare area was at a maximum recording of 18.625cm2 after just 2mins. Therefore, it is likely to have been at the maximum area before 2mins. This shows that histamine is faster acting than the bradykinin. There is a relatively linear decrease with time to a minimum value of 9.120cm2 recorded at 15mins. The flare area did of course continue to decrease after the 15minute period until there was no apparent inflammation, likewise for bradykinin. DISCUSSION As mentioned previously, the innate inflammatory response consists of both vascular and cellular effects. Vascular events begin by dilation of post capillary venules, causing an increased blood flow. Vasodilation is caused by the action of histamine (and other inflammatory mediators), leading to increased local blood flow and an increased vascular permeability causing a local oedema. The fluid contains the components a proteolytic enzyme cascades producing bradykinin. Bradykinin is also an inflammatory mediator causing further vasodilation and vascular permeability leading to local redness and oedema respectively. This gives rise to the cardinal signs of inflammation: redness, swelling, heat and pain (also loss of function). The sensation of heat and pain ascend through sensory neurones via the spinothalamic tract. Upon the presence of a pathogen, pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) are recognised on the surface of bacteria and causing the release of cytokines from macrophages. Cytokines are small polypeptides involved in cell-signalling and orchestrate inflammation. This allows expression of adhesion molecules in the endothelial cells. Phagocytes then adhere to the endothelium and migrate towards the bacteria where phagocytosis takes place. In addition, exudation of fluid occurs in response to an increased vascular permeability due to a combination of cytokine and inflammatory mediator action (as well as increased vasodilation in response to inflammatory mediators). The fluid allows four enzyme cascades to occur producing inflammatory further inflammatory mediators by proteolytic cleavage from their native (inactive) state. One of these cascades gives rise to bradykinin (Pocock and Richards, 2006). Histamine is released in response to products of other enzyme cascade pathways such as C3a and c5a which make up part of the complement system. C3a and C5a bind with receptors on the surface of mast cells, causing a rise in intracellular calcium leading to exocytosis of histamine. Simple injection of bradykinin or histamine mimics these pathways. Bradykinin is a vasodilator and also increases vascular permeability leading to a local swelling. This is consistent with the findings in this experiment. After Intradermal injection of bradykinin, the typical triple-response was apparent; there was a wheel and flare as described by Sir Thomas Lewis. Breakdown is by kininases and it is likely to have cleaved bradykinin at a relatively fast rate due to the short lasting effect at 100ÃŽ ¼M where the flare area began to decrease after just 10mins. Histamine has a similar action to bradykinin but found to act faster and also found to be more potent at each concentration tested. The flare area was at a maximum after just 2 minutes. Histamine acts on H1 receptors to dilate blood vessels, therefore it is likely there is a high expression of H1 receptors at the skin surface, or histamine has a great affinity for its receptor. It is likely to be a combination of both, however to confirm these ideas, experiments could be conducted on other tissue perhaps on organ tissue in-vitro using an animal model. This response is characteristic of the acute inflammatory pathway; however, more recent studies suggest that histamine has a role in chronic inflammation involved in the immune response (Jutel et al., 2009). There is regulation of T-cells (which make up part of the immune response) by H1 and H2 receptors. There is a 4th histamine receptor, H4 and further evidence for the role of histamine in chronic pathways comes from expression of H4 receptors on immune cells (Jutel et al., 2009). It is apparent from figures 1 and 3 that an increase in either inflammatory mediator resulted in an increase in wheel area. As previously described, this is due to release of vasodilators from sensory nerves in response to stimulation. So it can be deduced that a larger concentration of bradykinin or histamine indicates a larger infection and therefore the cascade process is accentuated. The wheal area stays relatively constant in both cases, this could be due to no addition action of inflammatory mediators on the vascular permeability, or indeed there is already a full effect i.e. the post capillary venules are a permeable as possible. However another hypothesis could be that additional permeability would only lead to a further decreased extracellular solute concentration which would simply be reabsorbed by osmosis. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS Strengths of the experiment were in that humans were used and methods were in-vivo. Therefore there is no reliance on animal models to use as a comparison. All subjects were of a similar age and gender was at random, hence, generally similar responses were found between each group. Limitations were found to be in injecting the inflammatory mediator intradermally. There was a tendency for not all of the solution to actually enter the skin, thus decreasing the number of moles of inflammatory mediator. This however did not seem to effect the results too greatly as 5 repeat groups would allow for some small error. It is still clear from the experiment that the aims were met and the mediators compared. Furthermore, measurement of the area was not particularly accurate. Firstly it was hard to judge the size of the wheel and flare and there was a tendency for the flares to overlap and was often left down to judgment of where to define the boundary. There were a few further cases where the w heel size exceed that of the flare (in addition the case described in the results) however these were only small differences and could easily have been to variations in the measurement of the weight. If the wheal and flare were the same size, the acetate could have been weighed twice and hence the small difference. This would not have affected the outcome of the experiment however so the data was accepted. Better methods of measurement of wheel and flare area would be to use an imaging technique and record the change in areas digitally. This would allow for calculation of the change in rate of area with respect to time (via differential equations) which would give a good indication as to the potency and allow for a more in-depth comparison.

Good Advice :: Psychology Advising Essays

Good Advice Good advice has a different meaning for everyone. For me, good advice must be given by someone I trust. They need to be honest and sincere in what they tell me. They must lay the facts down in front of me and tell me what they would do in my situation. In the end the adviser must let me decide to use their advice. If it is good advice what they told me will change my view or action for the better. As I looked back to the notes I had, I made the observation that good advice involves people we trust. Sometimes the people we trust and turn to advice for is our friends. Take for example that, Luke, John, Mike, Cale, Joe, Kristi, and myself choose to use our friends to illustrate good advice. They seem to tell you the truth no matter how it will make you feel because they love you. Others choose their parents. Nate, Jeanne, Rebecca, had their mothers being the advisor. Chris, Nate Hilson, Douglas, and Andrea had their fathers. It seemed to me that they choose for the most part to have the advice come from the parent of the same gender. Sons had their dads and daughters had their mothers as advisor. Maybe this was so because they could relate more with them and had more of a closeness. Still others in the class illustrated good advice from teachers or counselors. Amanda, Lee, and Jackie Brooks took advice from those. Advice works when it is taken or not taken, but is clearly the right way to go. Advice that works doesn’t have to be deep or inspirational. Take for example when a mother gives her children the advice to but a jacket on because it is cold outside. It is nothing new, it is just because she is concerned about her children and knows from experience that when it is cold you need a jacket. Also, in my example, the friend that gave me good advice wasn’t being pushy or saying you have to do this or else. She left it up to me. This means for good advice to work that it must be left up to the person to follow. Nobody likes to be told what to do. They resent it when they are and probably won’t go back for advice again. I know I wouldn’t. Advice that doesn’t work is simple, it doesn’t have a good outcome when followed.

Lorraine Glass :: essays research papers

Landscape Writing and the Lorrain Glass   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Looking through my Lorrain glass I saw different moods of a scene. I sat on top of my car and looked out over a field of apple trees, raspberry bushes, and pumpkin patches. At the end of the fields was a huge white house with a ton of windows. The house had a wide porch that went all the way around to the back. I couldn't see much detail from such a great distance, but the smoke coming out of the chimney told me there was someone inside.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I chose three different colors to put into my Lorrain glass. Red, yellow, and green slates of color all gave a different feeling to the picture I was creating in my frame. It was almost like a snap shot. I chose colors that I thought were drastically different to give a different feeling for the same scene.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each slate did give a different feeling, but they looked similar in shape. Through the cellophane wrap, when the wind blew, the images seemed to wave. They had a small slant and looked as if they were moving. It was about 4 p.m. and the sun was just going down. The sun would hit the Lorrain Glass and made the image bright.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The red piece of cellophane made me feel hot. I felt that the sun coming through made it seem even warmer. It gave me a feeling of desert warmth with no water in sight. All the trees looked bare and dead. The yellow piece of paper made everything seem sunny and bright. The house looked full of light. I could picture in my mind the owner of the house having a glass of lemonade on the porch. The trees, the house, and the pumpkins all seem to come to life. They looked full and lively. The green cellophane seemed kind of cold and dark. The sun coming through of course made it seem a little brighter but it still had that sense of dreariness. The pumpkins looked rotted and old, the trees appeared bare with bad apples around its base, and the house just seemed to blend into the back round.

Riots- Rough notes

Riots were a series of riots, looting's, arson and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angels on April 29th 1992, lasting 6 days through to May 5th. They were triggered by the acquittal of police officers in a trial regarding a videotaped police brutality incident. 4 police officers were caught on amateur video beating an unarmed African- American motorist-Rodney King. The case was taken to trial and the four (white police officers) were acquitted of any wrong doing (by a 12 person Jury: 10 whites and no African Americans).The Rodney King Incident TLD only trigger the most destructive US call disturbance f the 20th century It created outrage In the press and It triggered a national debate on police brutality. In one way the riots did what hip hop had been trying to do for years, particularly since 1 988 with the birth of gangs rap – make the America which existed outside of the Ghetto's see what was really going on.According to the California Economic Development Departmen t between April 1 992 and April 1 992 108,00 local Jobs vanished- Black and Latino communities were hard hit with a combined 29. 7 % in poverty and more than 13% unemployed. In depressed South Central only 45% of African-American males were employed African-Americans have by far the lowest rate of two-parent families in Southern California â€Å"Gangs are never going' to die out. You all going' to get us Jobs? 016-year-old Grape Street Crisp -quoted In Mike Davis (historian) book City of Quartz Bloods and Crisp are the two mall gangs In LA at the time Black gangs Bloods (Red) Crisp (Blue) very territorial, street violence, drive by shootings, violent nature, Influenced youth local youth were bored with nothing to do drugs, guns, cars etc the local demographic leading up to and during the riots was ripe for civil unrest Juvenile and adult arrest rates- analyzing this source: reliable, police released these were angry and acting out, there was no doubt that there was a violent crime nature brewing in LA â€Å"What we have is people sick of the police and that's when you have a revolution in your hands† -Ice Cube Why were people sick of the police ? People were angry with the actions they took in order to deal with gang violence in LA: one of the main factors in the growing anger amongst communities particular black and Latino ones was the constant racial profiling and targeting of black and Hispanic youths ?> by the LAPPED. Operation Hammer for example was an initiative employed by the LAPPED in order to crack down on gang violence. Their aim was to arrest and incarcerate â€Å"suspected gang members† before they could commit a crime. What this objective led to was mass arrests of youths becoming common and as a consequence a large number of those arrested were never charged ?> leaving many personally victimized by the police force ?> greater number of hostility towards the police. *Complaints against police brutality increased by 33% in the perio d of 1984 and 1989 but only 1% of those complaints were ever followed up.In 1982 for example following a rash of LAPPED ‘chuckhole killings of young black men in custody Chief Gates advanced the theory that the deaths were the faults of the victims' racial anatomy and not excessive police force and I quote † We may be finding that in some Blacks when the chuckhole is applied the veins or arteries do not open up as fast as they do on normal people. † Many statements like these were constantly made in the media e. G â€Å"Tonight we pick ‘me up for anything and everything. OLAP spokesman (9 April 1988)† â€Å"l think people believe that the only strategy we have is to put a lot of police officers n the street and harass people and make arrests for inconsequential kinds of things. Well, that's part of the strategy, no question about it. Chief Gate† The use of the phrases â€Å"normal people†, tonight we pick them up for anything, Harass peop le etc is inflammatory in a society which is already deeply affected by issues of poverty, lack of education, lack of Jobs, broken families and prejudice. White perspective ?> the general perspective of the white community LA TIMES: Thank you very much for the interview with Police Chief Daryl Gates and County Sheriff Sherman Block. You gave them a fair chance to explain crime and gangs. Much too often the media make these two important law-enforcement gentlemen out as being callous and insensitive to the community's needs. Fortunately, we got to see the real side to these heroes who are trying to protect us as best they can. JASON M.NONSOCIAL Glendale proud of the policing strategies they implemented saw the gang culture as an epidemic Chief Gates saw the Rodney King verdict as wrong because the police officers â€Å"stepped out of line† but in an interview still tried to defend them, giving them Monnet to beating Rodney King up Sick and tired of gang bangers ( to put it sim ply) Saw gangs rap as a threat to the youth: they wanted to shut them up Worked with the government and publicly criticized groups like N. W. A tried to arrest as many as they could they were scared of â€Å"the hood† they believed that there were a few corrupt individuals in the LAPPED but the whole LAPPED wasn't corrupted but why and what was the effect ?The police perspective generally was a reaction to what the community were saying and feeling (white particularly and sometimes other aces), people were scared to sit on dining tables in case they would get shot. While it gave a sense of protection (â€Å"protect and serve†) to some parts of the communities, others felt victims, the LAPPED insisted they were not racist, Just careful. The perspective of black youths was represented through the art form of gangs rap ?> a voice for the voiceless. Police brutality is clearly a common theme throughout many gangs rap songs, the actions of police led to a lot of resentment towards police as seen in the song â€Å"Buck that Police† ?Analyses a few lyrics from songs and family detachment.Buck that police† ?> first indicator of low education -derogatory label is used on themselves- maybe that's the point (Amiga) -constant references to the police ?> the broken relationship between the communities and police â€Å"Authority to kill a minority' ?> not literally kill but destroy the foundations of their culture (police brutality ?> people are angry) -the whole last part of the song links back to Operation Hammer ? > why it made people angry (searching people because they were black, prejudices etc) Buck that police in particular was the theme song for the riots as the lyrics spoke to he people-resonating with what they were feeling Gangs rap artists like Ice- T and NNW, saw themselves as street reporters most of the situations in their rap is secondary accounts of things, personae taken on and it's hardly personal situations It neither glorifi es nor says â€Å"it's k† for these things to be happening but then from a black perspective- is what the LAPPED doing k ?

My Head Is Spinning

50PsychSim 5: My Head is Spinning PsychSim 5: MY HEAD IS SPINNING Section: PSYC 101 – D22 LUO Date: 11-15-2012 This activity provides some background information about thinking with verbal concepts versus thinking with mental images. Conceptual Thinking †¢ What was your train of thought as you navigated the picture of the candle? Initially seeing the candle I was not aware of what needed to be done until the mouse was moved and I saw the match. I then preceded to drag the mouse to the candle, placed the match on top of the candle and lit the flame. The two images, the cande and the match, created a likely outcome.Cooper & Shepard’s Results †¢ In the Cooper & Shepard experiment (1973), participants were asked to decide whether a stimulus (a letter) was normal (simply rotated in the picture plane) or backwards (flipped to its mirror image before the rotation). Reaction times were graphed and increased as the letters were rotated away from 0 degrees. Interestingl y, reaction time decreased after 180 degrees. Can you explain why this might occur? Reaction time increased as the the letters were rotated away from zero because there is a greater angle the closer you get to 180 degrees, taking longer to mentally roate the images .The decresed reaction time occurs because an object rotated beyond 180 can be flipped the other direction, taking less time to mentally rotate it. Rotating the images mentally takes more time per degree of rotation. Mental Rotation Experiment †¢ After completing the Mental Rotation experiment and viewing your data, how would you describe the pattern of your results? Do you think that your results fit the pattern of results from the Shepard experiments? I do believe my results fit Shepard’s experiment.It took me longer to contemplate the images when they reached 180 degress compared to zero degrees. The backward images had an increased response time due to manipulating the image. My time decreased at 240 degre es to 360 degrees. For example: Normal: Zero = . 57 sec. 180 degrees = 1. 70 sec 360 = . 56 sec Backward: Zero = . 85 sec 180 degrees = 1. 40 sec 360 = . 85sec †¢ After comparing the graphs of your results and the results of the Cooper & Shepard (1973) study, how similar are the two graphs?Did your results show a clear increase in reaction time as the ori- entation moved away from the vertical? Did your results show a decrease in reaction time as the orientation moved from 180 degrees back to the vertical? My graph was considerably similar. There was an increase in reaction time as the letter moved away from the vertical shape. My graph showed a heightened response time when the rotation reached 180 degrees and decreased as the letter returned back to its vertical shape mimicking my time for zero and sixty degrees.

Related Text For Belonging Essay

Looking for Alibrandi is a good example of expanding on the theme of belonging. Jose is a confused girl who is searching to find where she belongs in her two different cultures and trying to find a balance of both. Jose being a ‘bastard’ reflects how she does not feel she belongs in her family, as her nonna has always blamed Jose’s mother, Christina for her birth. A quote that proves this is â€Å"Nonna says where lucky to be included, because we’re cursed we don’t really belong.† Jose’s father is not in the picture leaving Christina as a single parent which is frowned upon in society. At school she is put down through racist remarks about her culture and about not having a father figure. ‘At St Martha’s it’s all about money, prestige and what your father does for a living.’ These are all reasons why ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ is a good related belonging text. Looking for Alibrandi is a good example of expanding on the theme of belonging. Jose is a confused girl who is searching to find where she belongs in her two different cultures and trying to find a balance of both. Jose being a ‘bastard’ reflects how she does not feel she belongs in her family, as her nonna has always blamed Jose’s mother, Christina for her birth. A quote that proves this is â€Å"Nonna says where lucky to be included, because we’re cursed we don’t really belong.† Jose’s father is not in the picture leaving Christina as a single parent which is frowned upon in society. At school she is put down through racist remarks about her culture and about not having a father figure. ‘At St Martha’s it’s all about money, prestige and what your father does for a living.’ These are all reasons why ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ is a good related belonging text. Looking for Alibrandi is a good example of expanding on the theme of belonging. Jose is a confused girl who is searching to find where she belongs in her two different cultures and trying to find a balance of both. Jose being a ‘bastard’ reflects how she does not feel she belongs in her family, as her nonna has always blamed Jose’s mother, Christina for her birth. A quote that proves this is â€Å"Nonna says where lucky to be included, because we’re cursed we don’t really belong.† Jose’s father is not in the picture leaving Christina as a single parent which is frowned upon in society. At school she is put down through racist remarks about her culture and about not having a father figure. ‘At St Martha’s it’s all about money, prestige and what your father does for a  living.’ These are all reasons why ‘Look ing for Alibrandi’ is a good related belonging text. Looking for Alibrandi is a good example of expanding on the theme of belonging. Jose is a confused girl who is searching to find where she belongs in her two different cultures and trying to find a balance of both. Jose being a ‘bastard’ reflects how she does not feel she belongs in her family, as her nonna has always blamed Jose’s mother, Christina for her birth. A quote that proves this is â€Å"Nonna says where lucky to be included, because we’re cursed we don’t really belong.† Jose’s father is not in the picture leaving Christina as a single parent which is frowned upon in society. At school she is put down through racist remarks about her culture and about not having a father figure. ‘At St Martha’s it’s all about money, prestige and what your father does for a living.’ These are all reasons why ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ is a good rel ated belonging text.

Manage health and social care practice Essay

Outcome based practice refers to the actual impacts, effects and or end results of services / interventions on an individual’s life. Its effectiveness is not measured by numbers/figures or financial strategies it is measured by the positive outcome that is achieved. It isn’t about what is required to be done but what is actually achieved as the result that matters. Outcome based practice is centred on results for people in the following areas: gains in health, mobility and skills, prevention of deterioration, increases in confidence, engagement and feeling they are in control and finally changes in behaviour. It is assessed and planned starting with the end result / goal and then planning how the goal is to be achieved. Outcome based practice is about investing rather than funding or purchasing and leads to a very different kind of relationship with programme or service providers. It means that providers have autonomy and are expected to innovate the objectives and plans etc. It doesn’t just require the input of one or two people, all team members are valued and are required to contribute to the achievement of outcomes. All outcomes will be measured as part of service/programme evaluation. There are different ways to approach outcome based practice following different models or systems and frameworks, including: Outcomes into Practice initiated by the Social Policy Research Unit (SPRU) in the University of York, a Results Based Accountability model, the Logic Model and Outcomes Management. Outcomes into Practice (SPRU): is very much service oriented and is mainly used for adults and older people’s services, for carers and people with learning disabilities. It is user-centred and promotes value of users determining their own outcomes. It provides autonomy and flexibility for service providers ensuring that they are responding to the ever changing needs and preference of their service users. This model / framework identifies three categories of outcomes: process, change and maintenance. It has both positive and negative features and is very useful for: all involved are focusing on achieving the same identified outcomes, involving service users in decisions about their own care and ensuring that they have control, finding out what works for all involved, enabling staff to use their initiative and feel valued. Some of  the disadvantages to this process include: the actual measuring of outcomes and although ‘bite-sized’ outcomes contribute to more strategic goals the higher outcomes are difficult to plan and be effective. Results-Based Accountability: this is extremely well worked out system and adopts an â€Å"ends (results) to means approach. It also presents itself as simple and easily implemented with a ‘talk to action’ method. This system is able to discriminate between Population Accountability and Performance Accountability. Performance accountability is based on three key questions: How much did we do? How well did we do it? And is anyone better off as a result?. It requires a need for baseline assessments / predictions in order to monitor and evaluate. The advantages to this process includes: it being adaptable to different services and interventions, it provides very strategic outcomes and in the UK is being used for Every Child Matters outcomes and actually measuring outcomes is more achievable. Some of the disadvantages to this method include: funding issues, commissioning relationships as organisations appear to be quite insular when implementing outcomes, individual outcomes/person-centred working and although the actual concept is simple the detail is complex. Logic model adopts a visual description of interventions and or programmes. It provides a way of understanding the connections between resources (inputs), activities, intended outcomes and the impact of outcomes. This method allows for short term, medium term and long term impact of outcomes to be planned and monitored, a bit like a ‘road map’ towards the outcome required. Although this method is not very precise but it does portray a picture to stakeholders about the aspects they think are important. Advantages to this process include: it helps systemise and organise a programme, it provides a useful primary planning tool, it illustrates the concept and strategy of programme for stakeholders and other organisations, evaluation of outcomes is fairly easy and straightforward and it can be easily augmented to fit differing situations. Disadvantages to this process include: planning and management of ongoing interventions and service provision. Outcome Management assumes a â€Å"results matter† style and this provides the driving force behind it. This means that goals need to be quantified on the outset as ‘what gets measured gets done’. This method also  provides a performance measuring tool and milestones provide opportunities to take stock and make adjustment. This process challenges conventional thinking and provide the opportunity for job descriptions to provide a pathway to enthusiasm and energy rather than just being about compliance. This method takes on an evaluation is important, but learning is even more important outlook and believes that the way forward is to invest in order to get results. Advantages to this process include: it is very supportive of innovation, challenges conventional ways of doing things making people â€Å"think outside of the box† and is used a lot in substance abuse programmes where results are easy to measure. Disadvantages to this measure include: more complex outcomes are more difficult to plan, assess and monitor and individual focus can be lost. Outcome based practice is proving to a very valued and evidence based practice which suggests that positive outcomes are more likely to be achieved when this process is followed. Legislation and frameworks also encourage the process as a â€Å"best practice† method and evidence strongly backs this up. No matter how small or big a goal it, when adapted using the outcome based process the individual and their care team are all away of the end result which they want to achieve there for the outcome is much more likely to be achieved than if for an example 1 person has set a goal without foll owing this process and involving the individual and key people in their lives. Read more:  Manage health and social care practice to ensure positive outcomes for individuals

Comparism of an everyday text with a literary text Essay

Choose one every day and one literary text. Using at least two analytical techniques from E301, analyze and compare your two texts in terms of their creativity and literariness, drawing on material from both parts of the module. In this paper I will analyze and compare a literary text and an everyday text, in terms of their creativity and literariness. I chose Philip Larkin’s (1964) poem, ‘Self’s the man’ (see Appendix, Text 1), as the literary text for analysis because it is not only smooth and pleasing to the eye and mind that it seems effortless to read and contain within one’s self but also because it arouses so many emotions which makes it ideal for analysis. In ‘Self’s the man’ Larkin (1964), is being cynical towards relationships and through the satirization of marriage; he contrasts himself with a mythical other, Arnold, with a view of talking about who is more selfish, claiming that married people are as selfish as single ones, that is, for their own comfort as well as fear that they will be left alone for the rest of their lives, people jump into marriage. The everyday text that I have chosen to analyze and compare with the poem, is an advertisement by DEBEERS (see Appendix, Text 2), targeting men, persuading them to buy a diamond ring for their lady, since diamonds, just like marriage, are an investment. Diamonds are a symbol of eternal love and devotion and men are aware of this symbolism, hence, DE BEERS exploits that in the advertisement by ingraining in the minds of men that if they want to stop ‘a woman getting away’ (Larkin, 1964), they should make their ‘two months’ salary last forever’ (DE BEERS, 2004). Although at first glance the two texts seem completely different, they are seemingly connected by the same theme of ‘relationships’, however, from two different contrasting contexts, with Text 1, being a poem by Philip Larkin (1964), and Text 2, being an advertisement by DE BEERS (2004). In order to evaluate the creativity and literariness of a text, a thorough analysis of the language the writer has used is of supreme importance. However, before analyzing the texts, it is necessary to have a broad interpretation of creativity and literariness. According to Sternberg (1999:3), ‘Creativity is the ability to produce work that i s both novel (i.e. Original, unexpected) and appropriate (i.e. Adaptive concerning task constraints). Furthermore, Swann (2006: 7) asserts that ‘creativity is not restricted to literary texts but is a common aspect of our interactions with others’, which links closely to Papen’s and Tusting’s (2006:315) claim  that ‘all meaning making processes have a creative element’. Hence, it can be said that creativity can be found in all literacy practices, in the way that texts are constructed, read and interpreted. Creativity has textual, socio-cultural and cognitive aspects (Carter, 2004) and in this paper both chosen texts will be analyzed in terms of all three. Literariness, on the other hand, is defined by the Russian Formalists as a sum of special linguistic and formal ‘properties that could be located in literary texts’ (Maybin & Pearce, 2006:6). The Formalists elucidate the observable ‘devices’ by which literary texts, especially poems, foreground their own language, in rhyme, and other patterns of sound and repetition . Hence, literariness is to be perceived in terms of defamiliarization, as a series of deviations from ‘ordinary’ language, ‘in which our routine ways of seeing and thinking are disrupted; our perceptions freshened; and our awareness of the world heightened’ (Shklovsky, in Hawks, 1997:62). Cook (1994) asserts that literariness is based on the notion of schema disruption where the reader’s views and perspectives are challenged in some way. He proposes that literariness results when a text and linguistic deviation cause schema disruption, refreshment or even change, however, whether a text generates schema refreshment ultimately depends on the reader’s desire for it to happen. Therefore, who the reader is, how he approaches and perceives the text with distinct background knowledge and expectations, ultimately determines the literary value of a text. In my analysis, I will first apply Jakobson’s (1960) methodology, stylistics approach and Carter’s (1997) criteria of literariness to the two texts and then contrast them with illustrations in terms of interpretative schemata. My intention in doing so is to highlight some of the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches and also modes in which they interact to better comprehend the nature of cre ativity and literariness. On the graphological level, in Text 1, the noticeable attributes are the traditional lineation, stanza divisions of poetry, and the presence of standard punctuation. The poem has 8 stanzas in all and each stanza consists of 4 lines. This creates a set rhythmic pattern, particularly in conjunction with the rhyme scheme. Text 2, on the other hand, on a graphic level, uses full capitalization in order to emphasize every letter in the ad and make it  look trim and tidy. The headline uses larger, capital and bold letters to draw readers’ attention and make them curious about what the advertisement mainly has to say, leading them to continue on reading unconsciously by arousing their curiosity and desire to know more about the product and subsequently persuading them to buy it. Moreover, Text 2, illustrates graphological deviation, by using solid background colors, and a brilliant diamond ring to focus all the reader’s attention to. On the phonic level, Text 1 has little ir regularity. The rhyme scheme of the poem is AABB, CCDD, where lines 1 & 2 and 3 & 4, rhyme in every verse with an exception of half-rhyme in the 3rd (supper/paper) and 4th (houses/trousers; mother/summer) stanzas. The use of rhyme creates an ‘end stop’, whereby the reader pauses slightly, emphasizing the words that rhyme. In Jakobson’s methodology (1960), when phonemes rhyme in a text and/or alliteration is present together with other sound effects of verse, ‘it is at once both a deviation from the code and an imposition of order upon it’ (Cook, 1994:396). Presuming that rhyming of phonemes is unique, literary, and an attribute of text, it can be said that, Text 1, is both creative and literary. In Text 2, on the other hand, the nine-word headline also contains linguistic exploitation, in a way that highlights and depicts the message which makes it an interesting Carpe diem poem urging the reader to seize the day by making his two months’ salary last forev er. Although, Text 2 is an advertisement and attention of the reader is traditionally supposed to be on the meaning rather than the sound, it is interesting to see how the headline, ‘HOW CAN YOU MAKE TWO MONTHS’ SALARY LAST FOREVER?’ contains phonological parallelism with an inline-rhyme (You/Two: both words come from a paradigm of one syllable words containing the sound /uË /) which as mentioned above makes it, both, creative and literary. The lexis in Text 1 is ‘ordinary’ rather than ‘poetic’. Larkin’s (1964) deviation from Standard English by using colloquial lexis: ‘perk’, ‘nippers’, ‘kiddies’ clobber’; interests the reader and familiarizes them with the situation, which is effective in that it is easy to read if one can relate to the poet. Moreover, the constant use of the conjunction ‘and’, in the 2nd, 3rd and 7th stanzas highlights the bare, repetitive and boring lifestyle of Arnold which is reduced to mundane tasks. Text 2, on the other hand, exploits lexical ambiguity at the semantic level. Thus, the slogan â€Å"A Diamond Is Forever,†Ã‚  means both that ‘a diamond is a never-ending sign of love’ (that is, the diamond is not merely seen as a rock but rather as a sign of eternal love, hence, the diamond, in Text 2, is made to produce love and comes to mean ‘love’) and that ‘a diamond would always hold its value’. Additionally, affirmative and commendatory words and phrases (‘perfect’, ‘she’ll cherish’, ‘she’ll love’, ‘surprise her’, ‘diamond experts since 1888’) are widely used in, Text 2, to impress the potential customer of the quality of the diamond ring, to form positive image in their minds, win their trust and arouse their desire to buy it. Moreover, in Text 2, the use of second person addressee â€Å"you† tends to shorten the distance between the reader and the advertiser, making the advertisement more like a face-to-face conversation where the advertiser speaks to the readers in a tender tone, making sincere promises and honest recommendations. In so doing, the advertisement moves the reader to action since the reader feels he is being thought of and plays an important role for the manufacturer. Hence, it can be said that, Text 2, has an obvious conative function, since it is supposed to address and influence the reader to buy a product, unlike, Text 1, where the poetic function dominates, making it self-referential (Thornborrow, 2006). Turning to the grammatical characteristics of the texts, Text 1, just like its lexis, seems pointedly ‘unpoetic’. Apart from Short’s (1996) idea of cohesion which can be identified in the poem since it contains logical and clear links between sentences through the use of words such as ‘and’ (‘And when he finishes supper’), ‘but’ (‘But wait not too fast’) and in form of personal reference, that is, through the use of personal pronouns where Arnold is named at the beginning to introduce him as a topic and then onwards the pronouns ‘he’ and ‘his’ are employed anaphorically for subsequent reference , there are only a few glimpses of patterning or ‘poetic’ syntax. One grammatical deviance in Text 1 is found in line 18 (‘Makes me feel a swine’), where the writer’s omission of the word ‘like’ draws particular attention to itself by deviating from what is expected. Imagery, a stylistic device, is used in Text 1, in the 3rd and 4th stanzas, where the poet invites the readers to imagine Arnold wheeling the ‘nippers’†¦round the  houses’(L.13) as well as painting the hall ‘in his old trousers’ (L.14) obviously at the command of his wife. Furthermore, the stylistic device, diction, which is the choice of distinct words used in a text to not only communicate meaning but also emotions, is being cleverly used in Text 1. The diction of ‘Self’s the man’ is accurate, vivid, expressive and chosen wisely by the poet. For instance, in the following sentence, ‘She takes as her perk’ (L.6), the ‘speediness’ and ‘brusqueness’ of the verb ‘takes’ insinuates a sense of forced snatching possibly even before Arnold has counted his money. The noun ‘perk’ promotes a negative view of women, suggesting that Arnold’s wife is a gold digger who expects to be paid for being there. Moreover, Larkin’s use of the colloquial idiom, ‘having a read at†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ instead of ‘read’, insinuates Arnold’s chronic fatigue, robbing him of the power of serious concentration. The phrase ‘Put a screw in this wall’ (L11) highlights how Arnold’s wife has the upper hand in the relationship, that she nags and controls him and ‘He has no time at all’ (L12), for he has given his life to marriage. Through his diction, one can perceive the poet’s sarcastic and cynical tone in Text 1, portraying Arnold as being trapped, unhappy and unfulfilled since he is enslaved, dominated and directed by his wife and children. The last stanza is an indecisive finishing statement that shows that the poet has reached the conclusion that he has a superior strategy in playing the game of life, however, by saying ‘Or – I suppose I can’ in Line 32, he lets the readers interpret and decide for themselves who i s more selfish. On the other hand, the grammatical style marker of significance in, Text 2, is the extensive use of present tense which demonstrates not only the positive features of the diamond ring, satisfying the consumer’s desire to know the present state of the product he wants but also makes the advertisement easier to comprehend without transferring to other tenses. But there is another aspect of the simple present in, Text 2, and that is its implication of universality and timelessness. Moreover, the use of interrogative sentences, in Text 2, such as, ‘How often will you give her something she’ll cherish for the rest of her life?’ and ‘How can you make two months’ salary last forever?’ arouses the reader’s attention since they are, both, captivating and thought provoking. Carter’s (1997) criteria of literariness, assists in confirming the general  opinion that both texts have a relatively high degree of literariness. The first criterion of Carter (1997) which is evident in, Text 1, is medium dependence. ‘Self’s the man’ creates a world of internal reference where the reader’s attention is ultimately ‘drawn into the text itself’ (Maybin & Pearce, 2006:16). Perceptibly, a lack of direct referential communication exists with the reader’s concerns, which results in an ‘enclosing effect’ proposed by Widdowson (1975) as being an attribute of literature. Carter (1997) asserts that such a text, which exclusively depends on itself, throws the reader’s expectations and emotions into turmoil, making them ‘feel insecure thus adding intensity to the meaning of the text’ (Carter, 1997:67). However, he elucidates that ‘no text can be so entirely autonomous that it refers only to itself nor so rich that a reader’s own experience†¦cannot extend the world it creates’ (Carter, 1997:82) which relates to Widdowson’s (1975:36) theory that ‘literary interpretation†¦is not concerned with what the writer meant by the text, but what the text means, or might mean, to the reader’. On the other hand, Text 2, points towards an external, verifiable reality which if required, could be reordered or reformed without altering the meaning. Moreover, Text 2, communicates with the reader in such a way that he/she is bound by cooperative conditions of conventional communication. It also relies on another medium, the employment of an image, to assist in reinforcing the promotional and persuasive effect, which when combined, shows aspects of literary creativity. The next criterion proposed by Carter (1997), genre mixing, is a type of deviation which demonstrates how all language can be employed to generate a literary effect by this process. Text 1 shows examples of deviation at the level of words and meaning as it includes colloquial words and phrases which stand out from the surrounding text (perk’, ‘nippers’, ‘kiddies’ clobber’, ‘having a read at’) while Text 2, exploits the language typically associated with advertising which could be subtly redeployed for literary purposes. Text 2, also employs graphological deviation, through the use of different layout, size and typeface. Polysemy, the use of words or phrases that have more than one meaning, is another criterion of Carter’s (1997) which can be seen in the following sentence in Text 2: ‘A Diamond is Forever’. These words as mentioned earlier carry the meaning that ‘a diamond  is a symbol of eternal loveâ₠¬â„¢ and that ‘a diamond would always remain valuable’. Moreover, the headline in Text 2, ‘How can you make two months’ salary last forever?’ is also polysemous, telling men that ‘they should invest their two months’ salary in buying a diamond ring for their lady which will make their love last forever’ and that ‘since diamonds are rare, a symbol of success and the most valuable possession, its value will only increase with time’, hence they are an ideal investment for their money. Carter’s (1997) criterion of text patterning expatiates on Jakobson’s (1960) concept of parallelism, nevertheless, on a much broader textual scale. Texts get their meaning from their context and what meaning the writer desires to establish depends to a larger extent on the reader. By looking at the structure of Text 1 and the way it is presented, one can say that it was written for no distinct purpose other than to entertain, whereas, Text 1 has a definite pragmatic function, for it is written f or a particular purpose which is to inform and persuade the reader to buy a diamond ring. So far, I have followed Jakobson (1960), Carter (1997) and the stylistics point of view, to analyze the formal features of the texts. However, in order for a text to serve as a coherent communicative act, certain schemata of the reader must be activated to make sense of what they read by applying the text to significant and authentic experiences. Text 1, activates the reader’s ‘married life’, ‘single life’ and ‘selfishness VS selflessness’ schema and as a result, judgments are made which go beyond the text. In Text 1, I interpret the relevant reader (depending on the reader) schemata to be as follows: Script: selfishness VS unselfishness of married and single people Script: marriage is an act of selflessness Script: married life has the bliss of being a husband and father Script: single people are inferior to married people Script: stay single since marriage is a form of entrapment Script: married people are as selfish as singles In Text 2, I interpret the relevant reader schemata (depending on the reader) as follows: Script: buy a diamond ring Plan: give a diamond ring Plan: show love and devotion Plan: impress the woman Goal: marry the woman Or Script: buy a diamond ring Goal: perfect investment for money since a diamond’s worth will increase with time No obvious mention of these schemata was made by the writers of the texts and I have only come to these cognitive conclusions with my own cultural background influencing my intuition. It can be said that, Text 1, ultimately results in schema reinforcement since it corroborates the stereotypical presumptions about people and the world. Text 2, also results in schema reinforcement since the advertisers assume that readers share and recognize their plans and are persuadable to the recommendation and will purchase a diamond ring. The analyses manifest how Jakobson’s and Carter’s methodology operates only at the linguistic level and not at the schematic and discoursal level. The literariness of both texts cannot be represented in simple Stylistics, Carter’s or Jakobson’s approach. Only with reference to the reader’s distinct schemata, can one argue for their literar iness or lack of it. In conclusion, the analyses demonstrate the weaknesses of Stylistics, Jakobson’s and Carter’s inherency approach in isolation, highlighting the importance of the reader’s unique interpretative schemata. However, one should not cast aside Jakobson’s, Stylistics and inherency approach but rather supplement them with the pivotal role of the reader. The significance of a reader to determine the literariness of a text was neglected by Jakobson, although, interestingly, his philosophy strongly insinuates the presence of the reader. In order for a text to have a poetic function, it has to have an effect on the person reading the text, which is, the reader. Stylistics and Carter’s inherency focus, on the other hand, are only beneficial in showing that ‘there are no sharp cut-offs between literary and non-literary texts and that prototypical literary texts, even if not poems, contain poetic elements’ (Thornborrow, 2006:65). Hence, Text 1, with its few glimpses of linguistic patterning and deviation, may still be regarded as literary by many readers, whereas, Text 2, with its density of patterning and deviation will hardly be regarded as being literary only because it is classified as an advertisement. This, however, depends upon individual  readers since point of views and approaches present in the texts will arouse particular judgments in particular readers. These judgments will differ according to the schemata of the reader, and the extent to which their valued expectations and emotions are thrown into turmoil. Moreover, it can be said that both texts are wide open to recategorization as readers change for different readers will categorize a text differently. REFERENCES Carter, R (1997) in Goodman, S & O’Halloran, K. (2006) The art of English: Literary creativity, Open University, Milton Keynes, pp. 60-89 Carter, R (2004) Language and Creativity: The Art of Common Talk, London, Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, pp. 1-226. Cook, D. (1994) in in Goodman, S & O’Halloran, K. (2006) The art of English: Literary creativity, Open University, Milton Keynes, pp. 37-43, 396-413 DeBeers, (2004) ‘How Can You Make Two Months Salary Last Forever’, [online], http://lessisabore.com/main_files/writing/04_diamond.html (Accessed on 2 April 2012) Grice, P. (1975) in Goodman, S & O’Halloran, K. (2006) The art of English: Literary creativity, Open University, Milton Keynes Jakobson (1960) in Goodman, S & O’Halloran, K. (2006) The art of English: Literary creativity, Open University, Milton Keynes, pp. 6-24, 49-74 Larkin, P (1964), The Whitsun Weddings, Faber & Faber Ltd, London, UK, p. 26 Maybin, J. & Pearce, M. (2006) in Goodm an, S & O’Halloran, K. (2006) The art of English: Literary creativity, Open University, Milton Keynes, p.6 Papen, U. & Tusting, K. (2006), in Maybin, J & Swann, J. (2006) The art of English: everyday creativity, Open University, Milton Keynes, pp. 312-331 Short, M. (1996) Exploring the Language of Poems, Plays and Prose, Addison Wesley Longman Ltd., Essex, UK Sternberg, R.J. (1999) in Carter, R. (2004) Language and Creativity: The Art of Common Talk, London, Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, p.47 Thornborrow, J. (2006) in Goodman, S & O’Halloran, K. (2006) The art of English: Literary creativity, Open University, Milton Keynes, pp.50-74 Widdowson, H. (2006) in Goodman, S & O’Halloran, K. (2006) The art of English: Literary creativity, Open University, Milton Keynes, pp. 30-37