Monday, December 30, 2019

The Heart Of Road Construction Workers - 1606 Words

The Heart of Road Construction Workers We all have driven by a construction zone or been a passenger. Before you drive into a road construction zone you will see warning signs indicating that you are approaching a specific work zone. Typically, these signs will say â€Å"Three miles ahead work zone, speed limit 55 and any injury to a worker you will be fined 10,000 dollars.† Next, you will see men and women working and others supervising. One of the construction workers will be holding a sign to indicate to slow down, right on the side of the road saying slow down. Once you pass the worker holding a sign to slow down, hopefully you can see others following the directions. All you have to do is drive slow for a few miles and you will reach your†¦show more content†¦The Hubbard’s road construction company is the construction company I chose to observe and it is designed to keep their hard working men and women safe, heathy, and their employee’s happy. Each employer of Hubbard team must watch a nd embrace a Zero Accident video. This video contains all the knowledge you need to be safe while working on the construction site. Also what surprised me the most about this video was the 30 minute section pertaining to sexual harassment prevention in the work area. According to Frederick, the newest employee of Hubbard Road Construction Company, you must really pay attention to the video and make the video apart of your life, and support prevention as a way of life. Frederick explained that they are all responsible for each other’s lives and making sure that they are all safe. Frederick continued to explain that each month they have to watch the Zero Accident safety video as a group. Hubbard’s road construction company remains trying to prevent accidents and also forcing their employees to take safety and sexual harassment seriously. They are also currently trying to improve their Zero Accidents video according to the manger Kimberly Rose. After watching the Zero Accident video I wondered why half of the video focused on sexual harassment. So I decided to research sexual harassment in the construction industry and I found a lot of shocking information. According to

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Students Are Not College And Career Ready Nationally

Section 1: Introduction to the Study Students are not college and career ready nationally and this is more than likely attributed to low reading abilities. This is an on-going problem that needs immediate attention. It is not a new problem but because of the advance changes and the technology driven mind of the 21st century we have a gap in our educational system. Introduction The probablilty of students struggling to become fluent readers is evident as early as prek which gives an insight on which students will be on grade level by third grade. According to Paul (2012), â€Å"Third grade is the year that students move from learning to read — decoding words using their knowledge of the alphabet — to reading to learn†. In the Spring of 2015, the State Department of Education in South Carolina began an effort to ensure that all students were career and college ready upon graduating form high school. This was an exertion that stakeholders would pull their load in making sure that all students in the state of South Carolina would foster the ability to become proficient readers. Early years are the emphasis for the prevention of reading complications and research ‘conducted over the past two decades has produced wide-ranging results signifying that children who get off to a poor start in reading seldom catch up. A specific research based approach used in helping struggling readers is that of guided reading. Iaquinta (2006), stated that guided reading, is an importantShow MoreRelatedI Believe Vision And College Alumni Into Accelerating Career Pathways That Promote Autonomy, Innovation, And Leadership Expressed759 Words   |  4 Pagespromotes and excels college alumni into accelerating career pathways that promote autonomy, innovation, and leadership expressed independently and as a team. Fostering the next generation builds the framework for the assumptions relied upon to support the community needs for career ready hires. In addition, vision aligns personal beliefs and career goals as a career services, director. I would articulate, steward, and promote this vision to foster alignment with stakeholders – students, parents, andRead MoreWhy Students Drop Out Of College After Their Freshman Year1321 Words   |  6 PagesEver wonder why students drop out of college after their freshman year? Have you ever found yourself sitting in class wondering why you had to be there? Well in Article 26 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that â€Å"everyone has the right to education†. The global movement Education For All, led by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization describes education as not only a right, but a passport to human development; opening doors and expanding opportunitiesRead MoreCause And Effect Of Low Education Essay1234 Words   |  5 PagesCauses of Majority Drop-outs in a Higher Education The first thing most of us are conditioned to learn at a young age is if you are not a college graduate, you will not make it in this world. Although there is partial truth to this statement, it is important to know that college may not be for everyone and there are good paying jobs out there that don’t require any sort of higher education outside of high school. This may appeal to you if you just are concerned about making a living. For those ofRead MoreWhy Does America Need The Common Core? Essay1437 Words   |  6 Pagesleaving students ill prepared to enter the workforce and college. As evidenced by the persistent problem of students graduating and passing required exit exams in high school; yet, they still needed remediation upon entry to college. The Common Core is good because it provides a set of age appropriate learning goals and sets a national high-quality academic standard for Math and English to prepare students for college and career readiness. In essence, the Common Core defines what a student shouldRead MoreNew York s Largest Public Accounting1554 Words   |  7 PagesFreed Maxick CPAs is a one of Western New York’s largest public accounting firms and also top 100 firm in the United States. Freed serves closely held business, SEC companies, governmental and non-for-profit companies nationally and internationally. The Certified Public Accountants that work for Freed Maxick are high performance individuals who help guide their clients through business growth, compliance with standards, security and innovation. Freed has over 300 professional and administrative personnelRead MoreBeing A Nurse For A Very Long Time875 Words   |  4 Pagesstatus and to have a different direction of life is also my dream! I am ready to advance my career to be part of it! I had been admitted into the highly-selective Second Military Medical University which offered one of the only two BSN programs in China because of my high college entrance examination scores. The curriculum was extremely rigorous, and my converted GPA does not reflect my excellent performance as a nursing student, which put me among the top ten of my class. After graduation and workingRead MoreImproving Female Retention Rates Of Engineering Students1490 Words   |  6 PagesRetention Rates of Engineering Students Summary A significant number of female engineering students change their major before graduation. Of those women who graduate in engineering, even less accept a job in the engineering field. Most women say their reason for leaving engineering was the classroom or workplace environment towards females. Women should not be pushed out of classrooms and jobs due to bias against their gender. Purpose I propose to train students in workplace etiquette so as toRead MoreThe Competency Of Nursing Students Essay1556 Words   |  7 Pagesthe competency of nursing students (â€Å"NCLEX-RN ® Examination†, 2016). In 1941, the National League of Nursing created a better exam that was adopted by all states, in order to streamline the process, and the test was called the State Board Test Pool Examination (â€Å"NCLEX-RN ® Examination†, 2016). Locations to take the exam were very limited and had to be big enough to accommodate many people at once, since the test was only offered twice a year, and in order to take it, student nurses had to register aboutRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1907 Words   |  8 Pagesdiscussion and controversy going on about whether or not college athletes should get paid or not. There have been numerous cases where student’s athletes have had consequences brought upon them because they have taken improper benefits from booster or even their own coaches. The NCAA makes plenty of money off these athletes from sporting events to jersey sales. College athletes are expected to miss numerous amounts of class time do to the nationally televised games that bring in revenue. I also believeRead MoreShould College Athletes Get Paid?1196 Words   |  5 PagesRight now in sports, there is a huge debate on whether or not college athletes should be paid. For years now college athletes have gone out and performed on national television, working hard to make it to the next level. They have given it there all, and not only that, the athletes bring in about $11 billion in annual revenue from college sports. Now days, sports is a business, and college sports are the same. Division 1 college sports provide a lot of income for the universities. Many athletes

Friday, December 13, 2019

Sky High Free Essays

Good morning teacher and fellow students. The idea that we continue on as we are: unchanged, unchanging is unbelievably illogical. In a time and world where things are constantly changing, it is impossible to be in existence without being affected by the process of change. We will write a custom essay sample on Sky High or any similar topic only for you Order Now Changes are inevitable, and they are happening everywhere around us. In our stimulus booklet, it is evident that changes are a major part in everyone’s lives, this is best portrayed in the story â€Å"Sky High†. This story is filled with strong imagery, based on the clothesline in the author’s childhood memories. The author mesmerize her childhood memories of the clothesline, and how she used to pretend what it is, how the clothes are like signal flags and also how much fun she used to have with it. As the author matures in her perspective, her views about the past starts to change and she no longer sees the clothes line through a child’s naive, imaginative view, but now sees it as a memory, and just a tool which she her self uses. The author is able to perceive the two different perspectives and compare them. As we can now see, change is a part of growing up, of maturing and going forward, just like Hannah Robert, the author of â€Å"Sky High†. The prescribed text I’m here to present you with is â€Å"The Great Gatsby†. Nick Caraway the narrator in the story is the one who we are focusing on the change which he goes through. Nick in the beginning wants to chase after the â€Å"great American dream† like everyone else. He then realizes, how low the people were in achieving that goal, this could be seen when Jordan was cheating while playing golf. He also saw the carelessness these people have in doing things. They are only skin deep in who they are, like the main person described in the story, Gatsby, who is only known for his money and by his name, but not by who he really is. At the end, Nick realizes all this and changes his views on the Great American Dream, and realizes that it is only an expression of materialism. This took him a step further in life, as he changed his views, and helped him grow as a person. The last text I want to present to you with is â€Å"Looking for Alibrandi†. We noticed a number of changes that occurred in the story, which affected the lives of the Alibrandis within the 3 generations. We see a strong bond between Josie and Christina in the story because she was raised by a single parent. Josie was greatly influenced by her mother for decision-making and had a biased opinion about her father. But soon after she had personal contact with him, she comes to realization that he wasn’t so bad after all. The relationship between the 3 generations was also a disaster. Josie was often irritated by her grandmother, Katia at the beginning of the story but as she journeys through and discovers the real Nonna with the great sacrifices she made for them, Josie learnt to respect her and at the same time changed her perspective about her. As we can all see, changes are inevitable and unavoidable, they are constantly taking place in our lives no matter whether they have a good or bad impact upon us and there is no denying in its existence. Changes can be seen with our own eyes, as it occurs, we change physically all the time with our appearances, the way we look, the way we dress, and to keep up to date with the fashion and change with the crowd that is ever evolving so we are not a left over. We can change mentally, as we go through life, because of all the emotions that are constantly rushing through us, which also effects and changes our mood as well as our way of socializing with other people. If we say that we will continue on as we are, unchanged and unchanging, it is also like saying that we are frozen in a space of time and everything else around it, because changes comes with time, and if there is no change, then time would no longer exist. How to cite Sky High, Papers

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Strategic Human Resource Management and Resource Planning

Question: Discuss about the Strategic Human Resource Management and Resource Planning. Answer: Introduction In this assignment, we would study about one of the most interesting and important approaches in the business world i.e. human resource management. The assignment provides a brief introduction to the approach and discussed its importance in the modern day world. The assignment further discusses the concept of strategic human resource development in details and the benefits that it can have for an organisation. In the end, the assignment discusses some of the most important activities that the human resource managers of every business organisation have to perform. Human Resource Management Human resource management is an approach that aims at assisting business organisations in managing their human resources and optimising their performance by improving the work conditions for them. Human resource management uses concepts, such as performance management, training and development, career development, etc. In the past few decades, business organisations have come to realize that it is not possible for them to achieve market competencies using operations or technology as they can be easily replicated by the competitors within no time. The only source that the business organisations have, which can help them in achieving market competencies and can contribute towards the achievement of organisational goals and objectives, is the human resource. Thus, human resource is now considered to be the most important resource for any business organisation and companies are spending millions of dollars every year to properly manage their workforces and become leaders in the market by optimising their performance. Strategic Human Resource Management A strategic approach that aims at attracting, developing, rewarding and retaining employees for the well-being of the organisation as well as of the employees is known as strategic human resource management (Study.com, 2016). The department that is concerned with strategic human resource management never operates alone. Such departments always work in co-ordination with all the other departments of an organisation so that they can understand the goals and objectives of each department and help them in achieving them through strategic management of human resource. Therefore, the goals and objectives of the strategic human resource department reflect the goals and objectives of the organisation on the whole. On the whole, the main objective of the strategic human resource management department is to assist the human resource department in making all the departments of an organisation more strong and effective. Let us now discuss some benefits of strategic human resource management: Strategic human resource management allows the organisation in the identification, prioritization and exploitation of opportunities related to the human resource It helps in providing an objective view of the problems related to the human resources of a company It helps in establishing a better co-ordination amongst the various departments of an organisation It helps in minimising the effects of unwanted or adverse conditions and changes It helps in proper and timely allocation of resources to the opportunities that can help the organisation and its human resources in becoming more effective Helps in bringing the individual efforts together and using them to achieve something bigger It helps in fostering a workplace environment where changes are easily accepted It helps in improving the discipline in the organisation and allocated fewer resources and lesser time towards correcting the wrong decisions that the organisation has taken. Activities Performed By Human Resource Managers Human resource managers are those people in an organisation who are given the responsibility of managing the human resources in the best possible manner, keep them motivated, deal with their problems and optimise their performance by improving the work conditions for them. Human resource managers have a number of roles duties to perform in an organisation and an effective human resource manager can always help an organisation in achieving a competitive pool of talent and achieving organisational goals and objectives by optimising their performances. Let us now discuss three important activities that a human resource manager must perform in an organisation: Staffing and recruiting each and every human resource manager in an organisation has to perform the activity of staffing and recruiting new employees. It is the duty of a human resource manager to carefully forecast the human resource needs of an organisation, considering various factors that can have an impact on the staffing requirements, and then designing ways and techniques that would be used to fulfil the human resource demands of the company. Staffing and recruiting also means that the human resource manager will have to prepare job descriptions, job specifications and will have to analyse whether the demand can be fulfilled internally i.e. by promotions, transfers, job rotations, etc. (Wright, 1998). or by external methods, such as campus recruitments, job portals, calling in new invites, etc. An example of staffing and recruitment activity is when a human resource manager identifies a vacancy in the organisation that would likely occur in the coming few months. The manager would then prepare a job description and specification for the vacancy and would plan to fulfil the vacancy either internally or externally. If the manager decides to fulfil the vacancy internally he can desing a performance appraisal program where the start performer would be promoted to the higher job. On the other hand, if the manager decides to fulfil the vacancy externally, he can invite applications through job portals and can design various interviews and tests to choose the best candidate out of all. (Smallbusiness.chron.com, 2016). Training and development One of the most important activities that every human resource manager has to perform is to design training and development programs for the employees. The various tasks that are covered under this activity is the identification of training development needs of the employees, conducting a training need assessment, designing a training and development program, higher experts to conduct the training and development sessions, ensure transfer of training at the workplace, gather feedback from the employees and the trainers and then finally introducing the desired changes in the programs for the future (Harvey, Speier, Novicevic, 2000). Training and development of employees is a continuous requirement and should be performed very carefully because no company would want to waste its important resources in training and developing the employees for acquiring skills that are not required or are already present in the workplace. Therefore, designing and conducting training and development pr ogram is another important activity that every human resource manager has to perform. An example of training and development activity is when a human resource manager identifies that the employees need a training session that would improve their knowledge about Microsoft Excel. The manager would then identify the employees who lack the knowledge or skills required to operate Microsoft excel efficiently. Once the employees are identified, the manager would then design either an Off-the-job training session or an on-the-job training session for them and would also formulate training goals and objectives that the employees would be required to achieve during their training period (Study.com, 2016). Compensation and benefits the activities performed by human resource managers are all very important as they all are related to the workforce, which is the most important resource and these activities are the ones which can help in optimising the performances of the employees. One such important activity that the human resource managers have to perform is the design of compensation and benefits for the workforce. We are living in an era where the business organisations are competing on a global scale and the market competition is so fierce that it has become very difficult to retain employees. Companies are always on a hunt for new employees and can easily lure them by offering them handsome and better salaries than their previous companies (Kirk, 1991). As a result, it is important that the compensation and benefits of the employees are so adjusted that they would neither make them feel that they are being paid lesser than the market trends nor make them feel that they are being pa id too much for doing too little. An example of compensation and benefit activity is when a human resource manager decides the compensation and benefits for a particular post, let us say a production engineer. The manager would then conduct a market analysis of the compensation trends for that post and would fix a basic pay scale that would be competitive in the market. The manager would then decide additional benefits that would be offered to the employees working on that specific post. The benefits that a manager has to decide can be in the form of medical leaves, medical allowance, telephone allowance, travel allowance, etc. Conclusion Human resource management, at present, is one of the key concepts that is helping business organisations in achieving market success. In such a scenario, it is important that the human resource managers of companies are efficient and effective in forming human resource management strategies so that they can optimise the performance of the employees and achieve the desired results. References (2016). Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved 17 August 2016, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/primary-responsibilities-human-resource-manager-10957.html (2016). Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved 17 August 2016, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/factors-affecting-human-resource-plans-61165.html Harvey, M., Speier, C., Novicevic, M. (2000). Strategic Global Human Resource Management: The Role of Inpatriate Managers. Human Resource Management Review, 10(2), 153-175. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s1053-4822(99)00044-3 HRP: Human Resource Planning: Meaning, Definition and Features. (2014). YourArticleLibrary.com: The Next Generation Library. Retrieved 17 August 2016, from https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/essay/hrp-human-resource-planning-meaning-definition-and-features/25935/ Human Resource Management. (2016). Inc.com. Retrieved 17 August 2016, from https://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/human-resource-management.html Human Resources Managers Job Description, Duties and Jobs - Part 1. (2016). Job-descriptions.careerplanner.com. Retrieved 17 August 2016, from https://job-descriptions.careerplanner.com/Human-Resources-Managers.cfm Kirk, J. (1991). Exploring how HRD managers differ from other managers. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 2(4), 373-386. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.3920020409 Strategic human resource management. (1996). Long Range Planning, 29(5), 745. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0024-6301(96)90309-x Strategic Human Resource Management. (2015). EnkiVillage. Retrieved 17 August 2016, from https://www.enkivillage.com/strategic-human-resource-management.html Strategic human Resources Management - what is human resource ?. (2016). Whatishumanresource.com. Retrieved 17 August 2016, from https://www.whatishumanresource.com/strategic-human-resources-management Wright, P. (1998). Introduction: Strategic human resource management research in the 21st century. Human Resource Management Review, 8(3), 187-191. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s1053-4822(98)90001-8

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Save Trees free essay sample

A coalition of environmental organizations working directly with Canadian companies to develop practical and economic ways to shift their wood and paper use away from ancient and endangered forest products to ecologically sound alternatives. Conservatree – www. conservatree. com: American non profit organization dedicated to converting paper markets to EP papers. Reach for Unbleached – www. rfu. org: Canadian registered charity working for a sustainable pulp and paper industry.ABPBC (Association of Book Publishers of BC) – www. books. bc. ca/ecokit. php: eco-kit for book publishers online. Magazine Paper Project – www. ecopaperaction. org: American non profit encouraging magazine publishers to switch to recycled paper. ReThink Paper – www. rethinkpaper. org: American non profit – more info, more resources. Almost half of the trees harvested in North America go to the production of paper Produced with the assistance of and the BC Gaming Commission For one source of EP office paper, see the Office Paper Buying Club at www. We will write a custom essay sample on Save Trees or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page rfu. orgBuying EP paper is the focus of the companion brochure – â€Å"Buying EP Paper. † Money saved using paper saving tips in this brochure can easily offset any initial cost differences of purchasing EP paper. Potential organizational benefits of an EP paper policy include favourable public image, employee pride and contentment, competitive differentiation, socially responsible investing advantages. Pulp paper is one of the most environmentally demanding and damaging industries in the world ? $50 ? $500 ? $100 ? $1,000 ? $250 ? Other $____ 1984 1994 2004Global paper consumption has more than tripled over the past 30 years. How’s recycling working? Reach for Unbleached Box 39 Whaletown, BC Canada V0P 1Z0 Phone: (250) 935-6992 In Canada we recover only 44 % of all paper products used, including only 15 % of printing and writing papers and magazines. Over 90% of all office and printing paper is made with virgin fibre. | | Paper reduction techniques Machines n Purchase photocopiers that have double-sided copying capacity. Program double-sided copying as the default. n Purchase fax machines that use plain paper to eliminate the need to copy thermal sheets.Electronics n Create letterhead stationary using software templates and make it available to all. n Use e-mail instead of paper memos. n Don’t print all your e-mails. n Send out and keep reference documents electronically – don’t make hard paper copies. Software adjustments n Changing the print and other settings in software programs can save paper up to 50% by reducing the margins, font size and line spacing. Set the default to these settings, altering the parameters when necessary. (See www. rfu. org for more details on software adjustments. ) n A software program like www. ineprint. com will print more than one page to the sheet. Use the right paper for the job n Choose the most eco-friendly paper for a job – highest recycled content, unbleached, etc. Premium, extra white glossy paper is only occasionally necessary – for fine art reproduction, photographic prints, etc. n Use lighter paper (less weight) when feasible. This reduces the amount of fibre needed and also saves money in postage. n Use non-coated paper. Coated paper is in most cases less desirable for recycling mills because the clay coating is not recyclable. Work with your vendors Many of the following ideas could reduce vendor costs – enabling you to negotiate for advantages in other areas. n Ask suppliers to first send information electronically; then decide whether or not you need a hard copy. n The following shipment strategies from suppliers can save money for both you and your vendors. n Boxes, filler, etc. cost money. Ask vendors to colour code materials to help identify materials for recycling procedures. n Re-usable containers can be shipped back to suppliers. n Product packaging contributes significantly to purchasing costs.Ask vendors to reduce packaging. n Set up incentives for paper suppliers to sell you less product by helping keep track of your inventories and eliminating excess stockpiles, e. g. custom stationary that could become obsolete. n Provide inter-office envelopes to vendors for incoming invoices that need to go through more than one hand before payment. Many companies now consider their vendors as partners, not just product suppliers. In this spirit of partnership, they are working together to save money and improve environmental performance.Reward employees who come up with other paper-saving ideas. email yesterday More Paper reduction tips n Reduce a legal size sheet to letter size. n Make smaller notices, forms and letters – print two on each sheet of paper and cut it in half. n Use two-way envelopes to send out invoices customers can refold envelope for return payment. n Circulate office reports in a forwarding mailing envelope – saves making copies. n Use on-demand publishing or printing for books, manuals, catalogues, etc. – only print for immediate needs.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Fahrenheit 451 Themes and Literary Devices

Fahrenheit 451 Themes and Literary Devices Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451 addresses complex themes of censorship, freedom, and technology. Unlike most science fiction, Fahrenheit 451 does not view technology as a universal good. Rather, the novel explores the potential for technological advancement to make humans less free. Bradbury investigates these concepts with a straightforward writing style, employing several literary devices that add layers of meaning to the story. Freedom of Thought vs. Censorship The central theme of Fahrenheit 451 is the conflict between freedom of thought and censorship. The society that Bradbury depicts has voluntarily given up books and reading, and by and large the people do not feel oppressed or censored. The character of Captain Beatty provides a concise explanation for this phenomenon: the more people learn from books, Beatty tells Montag, the more confusion, uncertainty, and distress arises. Thus, the society decided that it would be safer to destroy the books- thus restricting their access to ideas- and occupy themselves with mindless entertainment. Bradbury shows a society that is clearly in decline despite its technological advances. Montag’s wife Mildred, who serves as a stand-in for society at large, is obsessed with television, numbed by drugs, and suicidal. She is also frightened by new, unfamiliar ideas of any kind. The mindless entertainment has dulled her ability to think critically, and she lives in a state of fear and emotional distress. Clarisse McClellan, the teenager who inspires Montag to question society, stands in direct opposition to Mildred and the other members of society. Clarisse questions the status quo and pursues knowledge for its own sake, and she is exuberant and full of life. The character of Clarisse offers hope for humanity explicitly because she demonstrates that it is still possible to have freedom of thought. The Dark Side of Technology Unlike many other works of science fiction, the society in Fahrenheit 451 is made worse by technology. In fact, all the technology described in the story is ultimately harmful to the people who interact with it. Montag’s flamethrower destroys knowledge and causes him to witness terrible things. The huge televisions hypnotize their viewers, resulting in parents with no emotional connection to their children and a population that cannot think for itself. Robotics are used to chase down and murder dissenters, and nuclear power ultimately destroys civilization itself. In Fahrenheit 451, the only hope for the survival of the human race is a world without technology. The drifters that Montag meets with in the wilderness have memorized books, and they plan to use their memorized knowledge to rebuild society. Their plan involves only human brains and human bodies, which represent ideas and our physical ability to implement them, respectively. The 1950s saw the initial rise of television as a mass medium for entertainment, and Bradbury was very suspicious of it. He saw television as a passive medium that required no critical thinking the way reading did, even light reading done just for amusement. His depiction of a society that has given up reading in favor of the easier, more mindless engagement with television is nightmarish: People have lost their connection to one another, spend their time in a drugged dreamland, and actively conspire to destroy great works of literature- all because they are constantly under the influence of television, which is designed to never disturb or challenge, only to entertain. Obedience vs. Rebellion In Fahrenheit 451, the society at large represents blind obedience and conformity. In fact, the characters of the novel even assist their own oppression by voluntarily banning books. Mildred, for example, actively avoids listening to or engaging with new ideas. Captain Beatty is a former book lover, but he, too, has concluded that books are dangerous and must be burned. Faber agrees with Montags beliefs, but he is fearful of the repercussions of taking action (though he ultimately does so). Montag represents rebellion. Despite the resistance and danger he faces, Montag questions societal norms and steals books. However, its important to note that Montags rebellion is not necessarily pure of heart. Many of his actions can be read as resulting from personal dissatisfaction, such as angrily lashing out at his wife and attempting to make others see his point of view. He does not share the knowledge he gains from the books he hoards, nor does he seem to consider how he might help others. When he flees the city, he saves himself not because he foresaw the nuclear war, but because his instinctive and self-destructive actions have forced him to run. This parallels his wife’s suicide attempts, which he holds in such contempt: Montag’s actions are not thoughtful and purposeful. They are emotional and shallow, showing that Montag is a much a part of society as anyone else. The only people shown to be truly independent are the drifters led by Granger, who live outside of society. Away from the damaging influence of television and the watching eyes of their neighbors, they are able to live in true freedom- the freedom to think as they like. Literary Devices Bradbury’s writing style is florid and energetic, giving a sense of urgency and desperation with lengthy sentences containing sub-clauses that crash into each other: â€Å"Her face was slender and milk-white, and it was a kind of gentle hunger that touched over everything with a tireless curiosity. It was a look of almost pale surprise; the dark eyes were so fixed to the world that no move escaped them.† Additionally, Bradbury uses two main devices to convey an emotional urgency to the reader. Animal Imagery Bradbury uses animal imagery when describing technology and actions in order to show the perverse lack of the natural in his fictional world- this is a society dominated by, and harmed by, a total reliance on technology over the natural, a perversion of the ‛natural order.’ For example, the opening paragraph describes his flamethrower as a ‛great python’: â€Å"It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.† Other imagery also compares technology to animals: the stomach pump is a snake and the helicopters in the sky are insects. Additionally, the weapon of death is the eight-legged Mechanical Hound. (Notably, there are no living animals in the novel.) Repetition and Patterns Fahrenheit 451 also deals in cycles and repeated patterns. The Firemen’s symbol is the Phoenix, which Granger eventually explains in this way: â€Å"There was a silly damn bird called a Phoenix back before Christ: every few hundred years he built a pyre and burned himself up. He must have been first cousin to Man. But every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again. And it looks like were doing the same thing, over and over, but weve got one damn thing the Phoenix never had. We know the damn silly thing we just did.† The ending of the novel makes it clear that Bradbury views this process as a cycle. Humanity progresses and advances technology, then is destroyed by it, then recovers and repeats the pattern without retaining the knowledge of the previous failure. This cyclical imagery pops up elsewhere, most notably with Mildred’s repeated suicide attempts and inability to remember them as well as Montag’s revelation that he has repeatedly stolen books without doing anything with them.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Behaviour therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Behaviour therapy - Essay Example The monetary cost is calculable, however. In 2001, the estimated cost of adult depression was estimated at more than  £9 billion,  £370 million of this was a direct result of treatment costs. In 2000, more than 100 million total working days were lost in addition to 2615 deaths attributed to depression (Thomas & Morris, 2003). The Greek philosopher Epictetus probably described it best when he said, â€Å"It is not circumstances themselves that trouble people, but their judgments about those circumstances† (Seddon, 2002). Cognitive behavioural therapy in essence, seeks to alter the perceptions of circumstances. Cognitive therapy, according to Aaron T. Beck, â€Å"... is based on an underlying theoretical rationale that an individual’s affect and behaviour are largely determined by the way in which he structures the world† (Dubord, 2004: 1). At one time this was simply referred to as behaviour therapy but today is known as cognitive behaviour therapy. This discussion outlines CBT and its approach to the treatment of depression. The primary interventions preferred in the treatment of chronic clinical depression are behavioural in nature. Efforts to augment a person’s sense of self-worth and to re-connect them socially through physically exertive exercises is a widely used and effective strategy for reversing behaviour associated with depression. Because of the behavioural nature of the condition and the treatment, it is strongly recommended that those in the health care services employ the same vigilance regarding behavioural treatments as they would prescribe drugs used as treatments. When the depressive cognitions are restructured, this generally increases the disposition benefits for an individual and positively affects changes in behaviour. There are many examples of depressive cognitive statements offered by patients that doctors often hear such as, ‘I can’t do anything to improve my outlook on life,’ ‘I’m

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Genetically Modified Crops are a threat to bio-diversity and cannot Research Paper

Genetically Modified Crops are a threat to bio-diversity and cannot sustain the world's increasing human population - Research Paper Example Genetically modified organisms were first authorised for sale as food in 1994, amid different views from the international community over the benefits and costs of genetic modification, its associated applications and the cultural, ethnical, social and political issues arising from its use (Orton). Some consider it unnatural proposing its rejection while others, concerned about the pollution, nutritional issues and food supply, are more open to technological innovation. Some still want more information prior to deciding whether to support the full release of GMOs to the environment. Numerous environmental threats from the use of genetically modified crops have been identified and they include the loss of agricultural species and their wild relatives through the process of gene flow, despite it still occurring in non-GM crops (Orton). Throughout the 20th century, conventional breeding has created a huge number of hybrids and as a result, varieties which have contributed immensely more yields, stable harvests and reliable farm income. Despite this, the battle against world hunger is still far from over. The rapidly increasing human population, insufficient poverty eradication programs and the changing demographics have greatly battered the successes of the Green Revolution (Orton). For genetic modification of food to continually meet the need of the ever increasing world’s population, both bio-technology and conventional technologies are necessary. Depending on the context, genetic modification still remains a controversial issue both as potential threat and as an opportunity for biodiversity conversation. Biodiversity is defined as the variability among living organisms from different sources that comprise of the marine, terrestrial, aquatic ecosystems and other ecological complexes that they are part of, including the diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. The pressure on biodiversity is continually increasing. The main predominant threats on biodiversity include loss of habitats, degradation from agriculture and development of infrastructure, pollution overexploitation and invasive alien species. Several responses have been made concerning the loss and degradation of biodiversity and although these have failed to reduce the decline, more effort is needed (Roller). Some responses include those of adopting policies that manage the invasive alien species and genetically modified organisms (including crops). GM crops pose a risk in reducing the agricultural and crop diversity which are the basis of poor farmer livelihoods and the food sovereignty of developing nations. Three quarters of the original varieties of agricultural crops have been lost since 1900 as export led agriculture has encouraged monoculture for a more uniform global market. GM crops threaten to eat away at biodiversity more (Roller). GM proponents argue that genetic engineering is indispensable so as to supply tomorrow’s world with food a nd natural resources. However there has been a drastic decrease in the diversity of the flora and fauna field. Due to the spread of commercial seeds and high performance cultivars, well adapted local varieties have been eliminated. Farmers become continually unable to cultivate their own seeds. GM â€Å"super-plants† usually accelerates the reduction in diversity as they are designed for implementation of mono cultures and economic sovereignty (IUCN). This demonstrates the amounts of variants that have been and

Monday, November 18, 2019

Death Row #7 CJ202 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Death Row #7 CJ202 - Research Paper Example The lawmakers introduced, passed and signed a bill  in November 2007,  which led to the abolishing of the death penalty. This made New Jersey the first state to abolish the death penalty. The court argued that the death penalty was costly and posed a risk to killing innocent lives. They also concluded that the penalty was painful to the victim’s families and the community as well, thus reduced it to life imprisonment (Peters, 2007). Illinois became the 16th state to abolish the death penalty in March 2011. The state had for more than a decade imposed a moratorium on execution. The concerns raised after the justice system wrongly condemned 13 men made them realize that it was possible to prosecute innocent people. In January 2011, the lawmakers voted to abandon death penalty. After the vote, their governor, Pat Quinn, took two months to check on this issue by looking at all aspects and consulting prosecutors, death penalty opponents, victims of the families, and religious leaders. He later concluded that creating a perfect system that is free of mistakes and discrimination of race or economic status would be impossible (Vogue and Pinto, 2007). With the abolishment, all death penalty sentences reduced to life imprisonments. Vogue A. and Pinto B. (2007). Illinois Abolishes Death Penalty; 16th State to End Executions. Retrieved on March 25 2012 from

Friday, November 15, 2019

Role of Genes and Environment in the Aetiology of Schizophre

Role of Genes and Environment in the Aetiology of Schizophre INTRODUCTION Schizophrenia (schiz = splitting; phrene = mind) is generally characterized as the fragmentation of psychic functions (Bleuler, 1950) of which the absolute causes are unknown. It is defined and diagnosed based on Schneider (1959)’s ‘first rank symptoms’ which can be further categorized into positive (e.g. hallucination, delusion, etc.) and negative (e.g. avolition, catatonia, etc.), depending on the described and observed experiences of patients (Andreasen Olsen, 1982). This essay aims to review a wide range of scientific literature and research which attempted to study the influence of various genetic and environmental factors in the aetiology of schizophrenia based on the general assumption that this mental illness is a multifactorial disease and can be viewed as an outcome of gene-environmental interaction (Van Os, Rutten, Poulton, 2008). A case study on the effect of Cannabis use on schizophrenia (Caspi et al., 2005) is analysed in order to justify the signi ficance of gene-environment interaction. GENETIC FACTORS The study of genes and how they contribute to the aetiology of schizophrenia have always been the topics of interest for neurobiologist. Multiple twins studies have shown that identical twins of 100% shared genes carry almost 40 times higher risk than completely unrelated people in developing such mental disorder if one of them was schizophrenic (Kallman, 1946; Cardno et al., 1999). In fact, schizophrenia is a polygenic illness as no single significant schizophrenia gene has been identified and numerous candidate genes such as Dystrobrevin-binding protein 1 (dysbindin), neuregulin 1 (NRG1), Catechol-O-methyltransferase protein (COMT), and Disrupted-in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) are the aetiological factors (Ross et al., 2006). This essay intends to discuss the role of COMT with respect to the ‘dopamine hypothesis’ and dysbindin corresponding to the ‘glutamate hypothesis’. Two neurochemical models have evolved to become important theories accounting for the aetiology of schizophrenia. The dominant one is the ‘dopamine hypothesis’ which pinpointed the association of hyperfunction of dopamine system, critically at D2 receptors, with schizophrenia (Carlsson, 1988) but it is being challenged (Egan et al., 2001) and will be discussed in next section. Another recent model will be the ‘glutamate hypofunction hypothesis’ which suggested that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors dysfunction and deficiency in glutamate production can lead to negative symptoms of schizophrenia (Olney, 1999; Coyle, 2006). ‘Dopamine hypothesis’ challenged: Introduction of inverted â€Å"U† model for COMT as the regulator of dopaminergic transmission COMT gene, being located at chromosome 22q11.2, is involved in the synthesis of dopamine metabolic enzyme and it regulates the dopaminergic transmission across synapses in the prefrontal cortex (Craddock et al., 2006; Tunbridge et al., 2006). Microdeletion of this chromosomal region resulted in Velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS) and approximately one third of the patients suffering from VCFS were diagnosed to be with schizophrenia (Murphy et al., 1999), depictingthe significance of COMT in aetiology of schizophrenia via regulation of the release of dopamine transmitters in PFC. Two alleles, valine (Val) and methione (Met), found on COMT are involved in the functional polymorphism which alters the activity of dopamine metabolic enzyme. The relatively lower stability of the Met allele resulted in the lower enzyme activity, which in turn reduced dopamine breakdown and increased the concentration of dopaminergic transmission in the synapses. Consequently, individuals with Met-Met genotype were expected to be more susceptible to schizophrenia (Ross et al., 2006). In contrast, research has challenged the ‘dopamine hypothesis’ by demonstrating that both the patients with schizophrenia and individuals that inherited two copies of Val alleles (with decreased prefrontal dopamine level) exhibited the lowest PFC efficiency (Egan et al., 2001). This leads to the introduction of an inverted â€Å"U† model (see Figure 1) which illustrates the relationship between COMT genotype, PFC dopamine levels and prefrontal activity (Cools DEsposito, 2011). Glutamate hypothesis: Dysbindin as the regulator of glutamatergic transmission Dysbindin gene, being located at chromosome 6p22.3, was identified to have strong association with schizophrenia (Straub et al., 2002). There is a wide colocalisation of this gene with dystrobreyin in both presynaptic and postsynaptic regions of brain such as hippocampus (Benson et al., 2001). The level of dysbindin expression in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) of schizophrenia patients is consistently found to be significantly reduced (Talbot et al. 2004, Bray et al., 2005; Weickert et al, 2008). As a result of knockdown of endogenous dysbindin protein in culture by siRNA, a small interfering RNA, glutamatergic neurotransmission can be reduced. (Numakawa et al., 2004; Talbot et al., 2004). Besides, the reduced expression also significantly suppresses the synaptic transmission of glutamate in Drosophila’s brain (Shao et al., 2011) and reduces the excitation of NMDA as well as the expression of NR1 mRNA in the PFC of mice (Karlsgodt et al., 2011). These findings wel l supported the ‘glutamate hypothesis’ of schizophrenia, which proposed this mental disorder as an outcome of dysfunction of NMDA receptors and glutamatergic transmission. Limitations Although microdeletion of chromosome 22q11.2 increases vulnerability to schizophrenia, it is important to note that there might be other genes on the same location that can account for such illness as COMT is not the only gene in this location. Moreover, in contrast to the glutamate hypothesis’, reduced dysbindin expression in the hippocampus of mice increases NMDA-mediated current and long-term potentiation and increase glutamatergic transmission (Tang et al., 2009). This suggests that ‘glutamate hypothesis’ might not be applicable to the role of dysbindin in all brain areas. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Studies using the approach of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have consistently discovered significant brain abnormalities in schizophrenics such as reduced frontal lobes and cerebral cortex (Andreasen et al., 1986) which affected cognitive abilities. Reduced frontal cortex was later shown to have no correlation with familial influence but with environmental factors (Owen et al., 2012). Although Touloupoulou et al. (2010)’s study has demonstrated that genetic factors can explain the correlation between cognition and schizophrenia, the research also suggested that environmental factors can account for the weak link between them. This essay will then discuss the influence of prenatal and postnatal risk factors as well as childhood trauma in the aetiology of schizophrenia. Prenatal and postnatal risk factors in aetiology of brain abnormalities A meta-analysis has demonstrated the strong correlation between schizophrenia and prenatal or obstetric complications such as below standard birth weight, premature birth and perinatal hypoxic brain damage (Cannon, Jones Murray, 2002). During prenatal stage, deficiency in micronutrients such as folate, iron and vitamin D can interrupt physical development of fetus and result in low birth weight (Brown Susser, 2008). Maternal exposure to infectious pathogens such as herpes simplex virus type-2, rubella, polio etc. can also impact neurodevelopment in fetus and raise the vulnerability of offspring towards schizophrenia. Furthermore, hynoxia (deficiency in oxygen level) during perinatal stage significantly influences the development of gray matter which in turn induces schizophrenia (Opler et al., 2013). Childhood trauma and experiences in aetiology of abnormal functional and structural brain development Positive symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucination is of strong association with undesirable childhood experiences such as abuse and neglect. Childhood trauma acts as a stressor which adversely alters the dopamine production system in hippocampus. Accordingly, the accumulated effect of abuse can trigger dysregulation of dopaminergic transmission as well as the onset of schizophrenia (Read, Os, Morrison Ross, 2005). The abnormal dopamine level (either too high or too low) is linked with the aetiology of schizophrenia, corresponding to the inverted ‘U’ model (Cools DEsposito, 2011). In addition, childhood abuse can lead to traumatic brain injury (TBI) which results in neurodegeneration and significant volume loss in various brain regions and eventually leads to the onset of psychosis (Keightley, 2014). 1316 GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION Case Study: COMT genotypes moderates the effect of adolescent cannabis-use on risk of schizophrenia in adulthood Strong evidences have signified the use of cannabis in adolescence as the modest risk factors for schizophrenia. Early use of cannabis is capable of increasing the risk of brain abnormalities and schizophrenia because the brains of adolescents are still under development and brain maturation is extremely susceptible to the deleterious effect cannabis use (Ehrenreich et al 1999; Pistis et al 2004; Pope et al 2003; Schneider and Koch 2003). Nonetheless, this environmental factor alone cannot be regarded as an aetiology of such mental disorder because a vast majority of the cannabis adolescent users do not exhibit schizophrenic disorders in adulthood (Caspi et al., 2005). Hence, the vulnerability of individuals towards adolescent-onset use of cannabis suggests a gene-environment interaction. In fact, COMT gene, as discussed above, is involved in regulating such trait. Individuals who have two copies of Val alleles carry the highest risk of schizophrenia at age 26 if cannabis abuse was f ound in their early stages, followed by Met-Val genotypes and adolescents who inherited Met-Met COMT genotype are least vulnerable to the abuse use of cannabis (Caspi et al., 2005). Thus, this clearly demonstrates the moderation effect of COMT on cannabis use and the gene-environment interaction. CONCLUSION In conclusion, understanding the role of various genes such as COMT and dysbindin in regulating the neurotransmission can help developing adequate medications which effectively tackle the mental illness. Identifying the influence of prenatal and obstetric complications as well as childhood experiences in aetiology of schizophrenia can also effectively prevent the onset of schizophrenia. Last but not least, studying the gene-environment interaction in the case of cannabis use reveals the multifactorial properties and intricate aetiology of schizophrenia. Hence, future research is encouraged to work on such interaction in order to pinpoint the main causes of such mental disorder. REFERENCES Andreasen, N. C., Olsen, S. (1982). Negative v positive schizophrenia: definition and validation.Archives of General Psychiatry,39(7), 789. Bleuler, E. (1950). Dementia praecox or the group of schizophrenias. Oxford/England: International Universities Press. 548. Carlsson, A. (1988). The current status of the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia. Neuropsychopharmacology. Cardno AG, Marshall EJ, Coid B, Macdonald AM, Ribchester TR, Davies NJ, et al. (1999). Heritability estimates for psychotic disorders.Arch Gen Psychiatry,56 (162), 8. Kallmann, F. J. (1946). The genetic theory of schizophrenia: an analysis of 691 schizophrenic twin index families.American Journal of Psychiatry,103(3), 309-322. Kety, S. S. R. D., Rosenthal, D., Wender, P. H., Schulsinger, F., Jacobsen, B. (1974). Mental illness in the biological and adoptive families of adopted individuals who have become schizophrenic: A preliminary report based upon interviews with the relatives.Journal of Psychiatric Research,10(2), 154. Ingraham, L. J., Wender, P. H., Kety, S. S. (1991). Characterization of genetically transmitted schizophrenia in Danish adoptees.Schizophrenia Research,4(3), 279-280. Ross, C. A., Margolis, R. L., Reading, S. A., Pletnikov, M., Coyle, J. T. (2006). Neurobiology of schizophrenia.Neuron,52(1), 139-153. Straub, R. E., Jiang, Y., MacLean, C. J., Ma, Y., Webb, B. T., Myakishev, M. V., Kendler, K. S. (2002). Genetic variation in the 6p22. 3 Gene DTNBP1 the human ortholog of the mouse dysbindin gene is associated with schizophrenia.The American Journal of Human Genetics, 71(2), 337-348. Shao, L., Shuai, Y., Wang, J., Feng, S., Lu, B., Li, Z., Zhong, Y. (2011). Schizophrenia susceptibility gene dysbindin regulates glutamatergic and dopaminergic functions via distinctive mechanisms in Drosophila.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,108(46), 18831-18836. Olney, J. W., Newcomer, J. W., Farber, N. B. (1999). NMDA receptor hypofunction model of schizophrenia.Journal of psychiatric research,33(6), 523-533. Coyle, J. T. (2006). Glutamate and schizophrenia: beyond the dopamine hypothesis.Cellular and molecular neurobiology,26(4-6), 363-382. Talbot, K., Eidem, W. L., Tinsley, C. L., Benson, M. A., Thompson, E. W., Smith, R. J., Arnold, S. E. (2004). Dysbindin-1 is reduced in intrinsic, glutamatergic terminals of the hippocampal formation in schizophrenia. The Journal of clinical investigation, 113(9), 1353-1363. Weickert, C. S., Rothmond, D. A., Hyde, T. M., Kleinman, J. E., Straub, R. E. (2008). Reduced DTNBP1 (dysbindin-1) mRNA in the hippocampal formation of schizophrenia patients. Schizophrenia research, 98(1), 105-110. Karlsgodt, K. H., Robleto, K., Trantham-Davidson, H., Jairl, C., Cannon, T. D., Lavin, A., Jentsch, J. D. (2011). Reduced dysbindin expression mediates N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor hypofunction and impaired working memory performance. Biological psychiatry, 69(1), 28-34. Tang, T. T. T., Yang, F., Chen, B. S., Lu, Y., Ji, Y., Roche, K. W., Lu, B. (2009). Dysbindin regulates hippocampal LTP by controlling NMDA receptor surface expression. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(50), 21395-21400. Egan, M. F., Goldberg, T. E., Kolachana, B. S., Callicott, J. H., Mazzanti, C. M., Straub, R. E., Weinberger, D. R. (2001). Effect of COMT Val108/158 Met genotype on frontal lobe function and risk for schizophrenia.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,98(12), 6917-6922. Cools, R., DEsposito, M. (2011). Inverted-U–Shaped Dopamine actions on human working memory and cognitive control.Biological psychiatry,69(12), e113-e125. Opler, M., Charap, J., Greig, A., Stein, V., Polito, S., Malaspina, D. (2013). Environmental risk factors and schizophrenia.International Journal of Mental Health,42(1), 23-32. Gottesman, I. I., Bertelsen, A. (1989). Confirming unexpressed genotypes for schizophrenia: risks in the offspring of Fischers Danish identical and fraternal discordant twins.Archives of General Psychiatry,46(10), 867-872. Toulopoulou, T., Goldberg, T. E., Mesa, I. R., Picchioni, M., Rijsdijk, F., Stahl, D., Murray, R. M. (2010). Impaired intellect and memory: a missing link between genetic risk and schizophrenia?.Archives of general psychiatry,67(9), 905-913. Manoach, D. S. (2003). Prefrontal cortex dysfunction during working memory performance in schizophrenia: reconciling discrepant findings.Schizophrenia research,60(2), 285-298. Owens, S. F., Picchioni, M. M., Ettinger, U., McDonald, C., Walshe, M., Schmechtig, A., Toulopoulou, T. (2012). Prefrontal deviations in function but not volume are putative endophenotypes for schizophrenia.Brain, 138. Cannon, M., Jones, P. B., Murray, R. M. (2002). Obstetric complications and schizophrenia: historical and meta-analytic review.American Journal of Psychiatry,159(7), 1080-1092. Brown, A.S., Susser, E.S. (2008). Prenatal nutritional deficiency and risk of adult schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 34, 1054–1063 Read, J., Os, J. V., Morrison, A. P., Ross, C. A. (2005). Childhood trauma, psychosis and schizophrenia: a literature review with theoretical and clinical implications.Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica,112(5), 330-350. Van Os, J., Rutten, B. P., Poulton, R. (2008). Gene-environment interactions in schizophrenia: review of epidemiological findings and future directions. Schizophrenia bulletin,34(6), 1066-1082. Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Cannon, M., McClay, J., Murray, R., Harrington, H., Craig, I. W. (2005). Moderation of the effect of adolescent-onset cannabis use on adult psychosis by a functional polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene: longitudinal evidence of a gene X environment interaction.Biological psychiatry,57(10), 1117-1127. Keightley, M. L., Sinopoli, K. J., Davis, K. D., Mikulis, D. J., Wennberg, R., Tartaglia, M. C., Tator, C. H. (2014). Is there evidence for neurodegenerative change following traumatic brain injury in children and youth? A scoping review.Frontiers in human neuroscience,8. Schneider, K. (1959) Klinische Psychopathologie. New York/Stuttgart : Thieme Verlag.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Shakespeares Othello - Othello and Iago :: Othello essays

Othello and Iago The tragedy "Othello" by William Shakespeare is a story based upon the revenge of two characters, Othello and Iago. These two characters help to prove Murphey's Law which states that if something wrong can happen it will: for Othello it is the wrongful killing of his wife and friend, for Iago it is getting caught for his actions and finally being tortured. Many historians, actors, and readers would like to argue that Othello and Iago are very complex but at a closer look you will notice that their actions are purely based upon revenge for their iniquities. "I follow him to serve my turn upon him," said Iago (9:45). From the beginning of the story Iago has a cruel intent bent on destroying Othello merely because the job that he sought after was given to young Cassio. Exactly why his hatred burns so bright is unclear because it was not uncommon to lose a position to another soldier. With or without reasonable justification for revenge, Iago immediately starts to tear Othello apart by informing Brabantio (Desdemon's father, Othello;s wife) that she is out with a black ram and committing unjust acts. As time progresses Iago becomes more wrapped up in his lies that he even begins to believe that Othello has slept with his own wife, Emelia, and now he has even more reason to hate "the Moor", "I hate the Moor and it is thought abroad that `twixt my sheets `has done my office"( 55:429-431). Iago is so obsessed with his revenge on Othello that he does not care what happens to anyone else so long as he is happy. In the process of hur ting Othello he manages to have Roderigo killed, Cassio severely injured, his own wife Emelia is slain by his own hands, Desdemona dies at the hands of her husband Othello, and after everything Othello kills himself. Sadly Iago accomplishes his revenge but with so many casualties and then he himself is tortured and killed for his part in the great conspiracy, but before he is punished he has to see that Cassio will be the one to take Othello's place (a strange irony since it was Cassio that Iago was jealous of).