The Pros And Cons Of Love - 1111 Words

Josh saw a potential move and took it, â€Å"Austin you go ahead and grab the front, and we can go three in the back.† Unaware of his intentions Sara thought nothing of it, and readily hopped into the far side seat. Josh slid in and Tyler followed closing the door as he entered. It started small with one sided chatter and attempted sweet nothings being whispered. Sara was having no part in the attempt of a created relationship in this manner. She had always been gone after as girlfriend, but never a friend, and could tell Josh wanted nothing more than a hook up. Josh pressed relentlessly at the topic, â€Å"So if you can’t fall asleep later, and you want to grab a drink or something I’m there.† Austin could take it no longer and snapped around in†¦show more content†¦In Josh’s mind this was the perfect opportunity to garner some quality time alone with Sara. However, before Josh could purse his lips to begin to make his move. Austin and Sar a were already working out sleeping arrangements. â€Å"Do you prefer the bed by bathroom or the window† Austin asked out of sincere consideration. â€Å"Actually, I prefer the bathroom, thanks for asking† Sara had always loved and appreciated how sweet Austin was. â€Å"If only Josh was like that, maybe he’d have a chance† she thought to herself. As Austin and Sara retreated to their room in order to prepare for the night, Josh was subterraneously fuming. Tyler, blissfully unaware, proceeded to revel in the fact that he and Josh were rooming. â€Å"This is going to be sick Josh, just the boys, boying it up, am I right?† As Josh tried his best not to explode with frustration the only thing he could manage to say was neutral but slightly aggressive â€Å"Sure.† Sara and Austin unpacked their things and began to wash up in preparation for the night. They had both traveled a long ways today and were ready to call it a night because of their day ahead of them. There was an obvious tension amongst the four, and Sara couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible. â€Å"How long have you been friends with those other guys?† Sara asked, curious to uncover moreShow MoreRelatedMy Experience Of Love745 Words   |  3 PagesLove is a certain emotion or feeling inside every individual. Most individuals at a point in their life have faced love, whether it’s being loved or have loved. Love appears to be the foremost principal objective that all individuals strive for in their lifetime. Love is one of the view things all individuals can come together and agree on that we need. There are different types of love, but my experience of love can be different from others. Being able to love yourself is very vital if you are tryingRead MoreKi ds or No Kids Essay1038 Words   |  5 Pagesbig decision on whether or not they want kids. I start out my paper by talking about how important this decision is and how it effects other people. Then I start to talk about all the pros of having kids. After that I point out all the cons of having children. The next part of the paper is all about the pros and cons of not having kids. As you will see there are a lot of different perspectives on this topic. This paper is not to persuade you to have or not to have kids; it is simply just to giveRead MoreDifferences Between Foster Care And Adoption1352 Words   |  6 Pagesvisit the John Adams Foster Care Home in Columbia, SC not knowing they was going to fall in love with John Thomas Beuler. After the visit to the Foster Home the Tinsdale are undecided also whether they wish to foster John or to adopt him. This paper will address the differences between foster care and adoption, differences in services received, differences in paym ents if any received and what are the pros and cons the Tinsdale may face if they decided to adopt or foster little Thomas Beuler. In theRead MoreEssay on Being Careful about Putting Animals in Captivity1013 Words   |  5 PagesAnimals in captivity. It has been an issue since the first zoo was opened. Many people are for and against it. I think that there are many pros and cons to having them in captivity. The main issue in the world is how do you possibly make it as close to the animal’s natural environment in captivity. It is almost impossible. You can’t start building sea world all over the ocean and hope the animals show up. I live in Agoura hills, big for horse property. At my grandma’s we have three ArabianRead MoreThe Issue Of American Patriotism1453 Words   |  6 Pagespride and devotion to one’s homeland. As everything does, there are pros and cons to being a patriot. For example, a pro would be that it leads us to feel proud of and for our county. That statement may seem like a purely good thing, but the downside to that is the possibility of descending into a state of nationalism in which everyone thinks they are superior; and unfortunately that leads to most of or wars. Not every pro has a con attatched to it though. For instance, just some of the perks thatRead Moreterm paper about living together before marriage1464 Words   |  6 Pagesnew tendencies which a lot of different than traditional countries appear. One of aspects changed quickly all over the world is love, marriage and family. A flower cannot without sunshine and man cannot live without love. (Max Muller) Love is a sacred and wonderful sentiment. In generation past, marriage and living together forever are a last destination of love. However, in recent decades, many couples often living together before marriage and after that they decide to walk down the aisleRead MoreMovies : Genres Of Movies892 Words   |  4 Pagesdramas or contain continuous plot twists. The perpetrator may be known to the viewer at the very beginning of the movie or may not be revealed until the end of the movie. Some pros of mystery movies are the subject matter of this type of film can stimulate the viewer’s intellect. A good mystery film can be very suspenseful. Some cons are that periodically, mystery movies can be quite predictable. There can be too many subplots to keep interest in the main story. Next, science fiction films are a genreRead MoreAbortion : A Female And Male s Sexual Intercourse951 Words   |  4 Pagesnot. Different situations come up when it is necessary for a woman to abort an unborn child. According to my source, (http:// abortion.procon.org/) gives the pros and cons to a woman having an abortion. Levels of maturity and responsibility play an important role to deciding what action needs to take place during this decision making. One pro that my source gives is â€Å"Abortion gives pregnant women the option to choose not to bring fetuses with profound abnormalities to full term.† It later concludesRead MoreAdoption Research Paper1556 Words   |  7 PagesInstitute, 1997) Understanding Adoption Along with adoption come stereotypes and myths which can make it difficult for parents to want or to be able to adopt. Some people assume that it ¡Ã‚ ¯s harder to love a child whose not of the own parent ¡Ã‚ ¯s blood. But sometimes it seems as though adoptive parents love their child even more when their child is adopted. People also assume that children who are adopted are insecure, poorly adjusted and more prone to behavioral problems than other children.(InstitutionRead MoreGod Hates Same Sex Marriage Essay978 Words   |  4 Pagesis, â€Å"a similar relationship between people of the same sex.† It blows my mind how people could go against the bible and change the meaning of marriage. This is one nation under God isn’t it? I wish this nation was based on the bible and not on the love of the world. Every American has the right to live the way they want to, do what they want to, and push forward in this world they want to, but in no way necessary do they have th e right to change the definition of marriage. Marriage was defined by

Training And Development Between Hard Model And Soft Model...

ABSTRACT This assignment will analyse the connection about employees’ training and development between Hard Model and Soft Model of Human Resource Management which has been achieved due to numerous studies that indicates the following: Hard Model in HRM has fleeting changes in employee numbers; it also has insignificant correspondences, starting from the top; and the pay is enough to enrol and maintain sufficient staff. (Cassidy, 2014) Moreover, the Soft Model in HRM has longer-term workforce arranging on strategic focus; it also have solid and customary two-way correspondence, and aggressive pay structure, with appropriate achievement-related rewards. Additionally, it will explore on how training and development can be used as a method of employee motivation providing relevant motivation theories, such as Alderfer’s ERG Motivation Theory which tackles about existence needs, relatedness needs, and growth needs; as well as McClelland’s Achievement and Acquired Needs Theory which addresses the high need for achievement, high need for affiliation, and high need for power; and Adams’ Equity Theory which applies the inputs, outputs, and perception about money. (Jose, 2013) Lastly, will evaluate about unproductive training and development of employees which explains that unproductive employees do not add to the development and benefit of the association which can be because of lack of chances, correspondence, input, value, and eagerness. Moreover, will investigate the approachesShow MoreRelatedAt present then, the contribution of HRM in improving a firm’s performance and in the overall1300 Words   |  6 Pagesin this area as it is now. In Managing Human Resources: Personnel Management in Transition, Stephen Bach (2005:3). However, Bach (p.4) shows that the debate has not finished because he disagreed with Boxall and Purcells (2003:1) statement that HRM is about: ... all those activities associated with the management of the employment rela tionship in the firm. The term employee relations will be used as an equivalent term as will the term labour management. The definition of Boddy was very similarRead MoreHr Resourcing3011 Words   |  13 PagesIntroduction ï‚ · Part 1: Definition of HR resourcing and HRM ï‚ · Part 2: HR practices ï‚ · Part 3: Hard and Soft HRM ï‚ · Part 4: The gap between rhetoric and reality ï‚ · Part 5: Control or Commitment ï‚ · Part 6: Philosophy ï‚ · Conclusion ï‚ · References Introduction In the world of knowledge economy, human resource has become the key element of resource in enterprise development, where human resourcing management is receiving more and more attention. There is a viewpoint about HR resourcing, which is thatRead MoreHuman Resource Management And Construction Industry1235 Words   |  5 Pagesstandards of human kind, whereas construction industry is providing efficient structures for domestic living, travel and business purposes. The construction industry is considered very risky field of operation due to more physical labour required for completing the projects. There are different stages of construction projects, whereas large number of workforce is completing these stages of construction projects. The management of employees is important for any kind of organisation, whereas human resourceRead MoreThe Labour Management s History1297 Words   |  6 Pagesan historical perspective is going to be explained. Human Resource Management is defined as a strategic, integrated and coherent approach to the employment, development and well-being of the people working in organization. Beer (1984),â€Å"All management decisions and actions that affect the nature of the relationship between organization and its employees – its human resources.† while Storey (1995), â€Å"A distinctive approach to employment management which seeks to achieve competitive advantage throughRead MoreContrast and Compare Approaches to Hrm Within Two Diverse Countries?2231 Words   |  9 Pages Introduction Human resource management (HRM) means the activities of management in the employment relationship (Boxall and Purcell, 2003). The use of strategic HRM in an organisation helps function with its various activities like training n development, motivation, recruitment, employee selection, leadership, communication and reach their milestones. HRM strategy helps an organisation to focus on its micro-strategic issues. It also helps to provide a robust and link between its various activitiesRead MoreHuman Resource Management Model And How Does It Work And Influence Organization3005 Words   |  13 PagesINTRODUCTION ‘Human Resource Management is a strategic approach to managing employment relations which emphasizes that leveraging people’s capabilities and commitment is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage or superior public services.’ (Bratton and Gold, 2012, p.7). Therefore, it is important to understand the concept of human resource management model and how does it work and influence organization. While many model of HRM emerged, soft and hard model are both most widely adoptedRead MoreHrm Case Study2220 Words   |  9 PagesHOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT Human Resource Management in Hospitality Operations A review of the key policies and practices that Little Chef HR department use to achieve service quality Word Count: 1812 Human Resource Management This academic work discusses the hard and soft models of Human Resource Management (HRM) based on the Little Chef case study which helped to understand and identify the key policies and practices used by Human Resource to meet the objective of service quality. Human Resource ManagementRead MoreSoft/Hard Hrm971 Words   |  4 PagesDefinition of HRM A philosophy of people management based on the belief that human resources are uniquely important in sustained business success. An organization gains competitive advantage by using its people effectively, drawing on their expertise and ingenuity to meet clearly defined objectives. HRM is aimed at recruiting capable, flexible and committed people, managing and rewarding their performance and developing key competencies. Lack of a universally agreed definition of HRM liesRead MoreHuman Resource Planning Assignment1359 Words   |  6 PagesBusiness Management and Psychology [pic] Module: Human Resources Assignment: Discuss how Human Resource Planning contributes to effective Human Resource Management Date: 21st December 2011 Student: Laura Doyle Lecturer: Michelle Flannery Introduction In the following text, the process of Human Resource Planning will be defined and described in detail. We will see the importance of Human Resource Planning and the essential role it playsRead MoreThe Role Of Human Resource Management ( Hrm ) Within An Organization1544 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction This essay discusses the role and function of Human Resource Management (HRM) within an organisation. The Harvard and Michigan models have been explained within the essay as they support the analysis of â€Å"soft† and â€Å"hard† HR approach that managers adapt when applying the HR policies to achieve different organisational strategies like diversification, acquisition and cost reductions. Subsequent section of the essay will examine the link between HRM and its strategies with examples taken from organisations

Internet Disadvantages free essay sample

Computers and the Internet are great items for the household, but along with these advantages there are disadvantages. They are constantly changing the way that we live and do business. The Internet puts tons of information at a click of a button. This information is a great educational tool for children. The Internet can be very dangerous to young children, and there is also research being done now about possible problems that adults have with computers. It is the parents’ responsibility to make sure that the Internet is a safe place for their children. I read an article called Internet and Computer Technology Hazards: Perspectives For Family Counseling. The author of this article is Jo Ann Oravec. It appeared in the British Journal of Guidance amp; Counseling, in August of 2000. I agreed with almost everything that she wrote. It was an interesting and compelling article. The main reason that people watch the news, and look through various sources of information is to make sure that their homes are safe from possible nuisances in the neighborhood or from severe weather. When working with a network, a series of computers tied together, there are new and dangerous hazards that can go unnoticed. Viruses and security breaches by hackers are a few of the hazards that they may encounter. The Internet is being used more and more for daily life. For many families the meaning of â€Å"Neighbor† is quickly changing from the people that live close to on-line relationships that they have. Now many people are doing their shopping, banking and other everyday activities on-line. Some people are also using the Internet to stay in touch with family members that live elsewhere. As families perform important educational and community activities on-line the meaning of home is changing at a rapid pace. Some families are worried that the Internet could have an effect on their privacy. The privacy for a family is necessary to raising their children. Today it is possible to get information on nearly anyone via the Internet. Crimes such as hacking and identity theft are the main concerns of these families. Children may accidentally give out family information to marketers by filling out their on-line surveys. Many families believe that they could prevent these things from happening by shutting off contact with the Internet. This is a very dramatic solution, and when this is done the family is being cut off from much needed resources. Technology is changing the setting in which children are raised and the way that adults receive support and understanding. The biggest problem of the Internet for adolescents is that they have access to on-line pornography. Pornography has the potential to damage the children’s innocent minds. There are many programs such as Surf Nanny, Net Nanny that restrict the areas of the Internet that children will be allowed to access. OneKey is a search engine that assures parents that it is a kid safe web page. It only provides links to sites that the staff has certified are suitable for children. There is also available information on bomb making, hate groups, and literature that can be harmful. Some sites glorify deviant behaviors and prison criminals. Bomb making information can also be found in any Library, but the fact that children can access it while quietly working in their room is what scares people. Some children while on-line may encounter predators. These predators could use different identities and the children may be told that they are there age and give them information that could endanger them and other family members. There is a program that will help prevent this. It provides the option of automatically forwarding their children’s e-mail and chat room messages to the parents. This will give the parents the ability to notice any odd information and stop any potential disasters. This should only be used as a last resort. All the programs that are available to help keep children out of unwanted web sites are not completely fail proof. Web pages are constantly being added from hate groups, and other groups that should not be available to children. It is hard to stop children from getting to this kind of information. Children are naturally curious. Parents are being encouraged to establish rules while on-line. The best way to make sure that your child is safe while on-line is to spend time with them while they are on-line. They will less likely come across that kind of material. There are also many problems concerning computer usage that are being researched today. According to my article one of those problems that are being researched is called â€Å"Information Overload†. Currently it is just a myth, but studies are being done to figure out if it is a serious problem. The people that would suffer from this problem are people that bring computers and the Internet into their homes that have not had prior experience. Current research has shown that information overload affects the decision making process negatively. Another possible problem that is being researched, that my article mentioned is called â€Å"Internet Addiction†. This is when someone puts to much time into his or her on-line research. They spend their time on the Internet rather than doing other things that they should be doing. This problem is not yet been covered as a medical problem. Also related to this is an on-line gambling problem. Emotional and financial problems can result from on-line gambling addictions. They may bet away some much needed money trying to double what they have. That may then lead to emotional problems when they don’t have the money to pay the bills. Counselors are becoming involved in computer related issues for many reasons to help clients address their concerns and supply them with guidance. According to my article it said that they have recommended the use of time logs of computer usage. Many also get guidance on the issue of Internet pornography. They work on ways that they can prevent their children from coming in contact with that material. They also are being used for therapy for on-line gambling addictions. Some parents are even using on-line counseling, websites, and support groups for their help. This method is not the best method for helping parents, but it shows the parents that they are not alone. Myself I believe that there is a problem with pornography on the Internet. It is way to easy for a young child to access that type of material. There is no reason that these young children should have access to that. Information overload is the one hazard that I am not real sure about. I can’t see how that would affect a person, but I guess anything is possible. Internet addiction is another hazard that I think is a possible problem. I could easily see a young child playing on the Internet rather than doing their homework.

Wuthering Heights (1145 words) Essay Example For Students

Wuthering Heights (1145 words) Essay Wuthering HeightsIn the novel, Whuthering Heights, Emily Bronte has created one of the mostcontroversial novel in the 19th century. Bronte has written a novel thatcontains many views of complex ideas. Revenge and love revenge are examples ofsuch. The main theme of revenge is protared through the character of Heathcliff. Heathcliff is also part of the theme of love accompanied by that of Cathy. Theother half of the love theme is shown throught the actions of Hearton andCatherine. The intertwineing of the ideas of revenge and love prove to giveHeathcliff a distored vision of love and Cathy a need for such a love that onlyHeathcliff can give to her. Where as Catherine and Hearton, the secondgeneration, learn from the experiences of the earlier generation that lived atWuthering Heights. The first memories Heathcliff has of life at WutheringHeights is that of being unequal. Hindley showed no other act to him butcruelty. Hindleys brutality, tyranny, and murderous violence far outdoanything of which Heathcliff can be cused on the evidence (Langman 143). Thetheme of revenge grows from the treatment Heathcliff recieves from is Hindley. We will write a custom essay on Wuthering Heights (1145 words) specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now His prime motivation is love , or to be more precise the lack of love. Hedecides to persecute Heathcliff , because he feels this later has usurped hisposition in his father ?s love. He refuses to allow the curate to continueHeathcliffs education and forces the still very young boy to work as afarm-hand. Here is one of the first exaples of idea of revenge when Heathcliffsays: I dont care how long I wait , if I can only doe it , at last(Bronte 47). Heathcliffs violence and cruelty are by contrast are notrandom and irresponsible, they are a willed. He has certain goals- power, money,a triumph over the circumstances and agents of his former humiliation- and heuses force and deceit to reach them (Langman 143). The event that was crucial indriving away Heatchcliff was Cathys decision to marry Linton, in which shesays: Ive no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be inHeaven; and if the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, Ishouldnt have thought of it. It woul d degrade me to marry Heatchcliff now(Bronte 63); While witnessing this speech he become outraged and runs awayfrom Wuthering Heights. While away, Heathcliff transforms himself into agentleman, in hopes of getting back Catherine. Upon returning to Wutheringheights, he discovers that Catherine has married Edgar, the plan of revengegrows from that idea of the loss of Cathy. The first part of the plan involvesgetting back at Edgar, the man who singularly took away his happiness, and thento commit suicide. The moment Cathernines ardent welcome proves she stillloves him, however, he abandons this plan and adopts another that of taking upresidence again at Wuthering Heights in order to be once more in her vicinity(Hagan 146). The reasoning behind this is to try once more to gain back the loveof Catherine. The third part of the plan deal with the the hopes of becomingmaster of the Heights and the Grange. This is done to take revenge against allof the Earnshaws and the Lintons collectively . This final act of revenge is themarriage of Cathy and his son Linton: Mr. Heathcliff, you have nobody to loveyou: and, however miserable you make us, we still have the revenge of thinkingthat your cruelty arises from your greater misery!(Bronte 218) This unioncompleted the journey of revenge for Heathcliff. With that union Heathcliffgains control of Thrushcroft Grange. This great passion in the need for revengean administering acts of cruelty help the reader to in understanding his basisof emotions. This explains the misunderstood definition of love he understands. .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 , .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 .postImageUrl , .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 , .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5:hover , .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5:visited , .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5:active { border:0!important; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5:active , .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5 .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uecb928b73dbe1b684b3c63775d0fa5b5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Should this business update to Windows 2000 from W EssayWhich I will now discuss is love between Heathcliff and Cathy. Love is expressedin two entiresly different ideas. The first type of love is that kind thatoccures between Heathcliff and Cathy, which a kind of love definded by that ofneed. The secondly type is that of Hareton and Catherine, this type of love ismore of a true type of love. Barbara Prentis, author of The Brote Sister andGeorge Eliot, thinks that the ideas of love expressed by the characters are infact, reflected not by Brontes own life because this girl seeked no comfortin earth, no husband, no lover, no close companionship, could write of thesethings in poetry and her novel with such integrity and conviction(99). Thefirst type of love is referred to by other authors as mythical, inhuman, a loveof suffering, and that of a tragic love. The first example of this oneness typeof felling for love occurs when Cathy says: Whatever our souls are made of,his and mine are the same (Bronte 62). This lead way to one of the mostinfluential speeches made by Cathy about her feelings toward Heathcliff. Inwhich she states: If all else perished, and he remained, and he wereannihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem apart of it. My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time willchange it, Im well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliffresembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, butnecessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff. Hes always, always in my mind: not as apleasure, any more than I am always pleasure to myself, but as my own being. Sodont talk of our separation again: it is impracticable.(Bronte 63-64).This declaration of Cathys feelings is an endeavor not so much to conveythe strength as to define the nature of her love, and so to win a recognitionfrom Nell (and, in a sense, from the reader) of it value (Langman 141). Inwhich she has defined her feeling toward Heathcliff and Linton in describing thedifferent basis of her feelings. She explains she must love him, that it is partof her nature. Through her feeling toward Heathcliff, Catherine discovers herown identity, her place in the world as he does through her (Langman 141).These ideas she expresses explain to us the felling of the deepest kind ofpassion she knows and that it is part of her being. This is a love which longsfor a soul unity with the beloved. Another example of this love occurs in thelast meeting between Heathcliff and Cathy. In which she continues to feel theactal love that Heathcliff encompasses for her. Cathy says: and should aword of mine distress you hearafter, thin k I feel the same distress underground,and for my own sake, forgive me! Nay, if you nurse you anger, that will beworse to remember that my harsh words! ..Oh you see, Nelly! He would notrelent a moment to keep me out of the grave! That is how I am loved (Brote123-124)! She is confessing that she is going to die. She is also tauntingwith the image of himself visiting her grave with is wife and children. Shequestions that who will ever love now that she is gone.

Course Outcomes Vietnamese Culture and Experiences

Course Outcomes Vietnamese Culture and Experiences Vietnamese culture and experience have evident distinctions from the American cultural environment in terms of history, perception, philosophy of life, and religion. Many historical periods reveals different encounters and challenges that Vietnamese people should overcome on the way to freedom and independence.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Course Outcomes: Vietnamese Culture and Experiences specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While through different historical documents and fictional novels – discussing the events of the mid 1960s and analyzing the fiction literature of the nineteenth century, it is possible to track the most important events happened in Vietnam, as well as define the main differences and peculiarities between the above-identified cultural identities. Thus, the readings reveal that Vietnamese people have deep affiliation to Chinese traditions, particularly to Confucian ideology. The y have also provided me with a better picture of how American and Vietnamese experiences are related. In the second half of the past century, the American and Vietnamese experiences crossed in the Cold War lasting for more than two decades. During this confrontation, both Americans and Vietnamese had to adjust to each to other customs and traditions to survive. At this time, Vietnamese people were facing significant challenges because of the discriminative policies held by both military parts, one of which was supported by the Americans (Halberstam 38). Difficulties were experience both the American people fighting in Vietnam and the civil people – the residents of Vietnam. Though the experience exchange had negative consequences for both rivals, their cultural experiences were also related. The aspiration for Vietnamese people to struggle for freedom, as well as their extreme commitment to their country and traditions is brightly revealed in the diary written by a young doct or Dang Thuy Tram. A twenty-seven-year old woman was killed by American military forces during the Vietnam conflict. The diary can be regarded as a prism through it was possible to learn much about the devotion of the Vietnamese people to their families and friends, as well as experience horrors and pain of the war. Their dedication to freedom and desire to reach independence are at the core of the Vietnamese cultural and ethnical identity. At this point, Tram writes, â€Å"Oh, my dearest ones in this land of Duc Pho, can anyone see my heart? The heart of a lonely girl filled with unanswered hopes and dreams† (7). Emotionally colored and intensified, the diary fully conveys the hardships of those times.Advertising Looking for critical writing on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Struggles for freedom and social pressure are also similarly discussed in the eighteen century novel called Tale of K ieu written by Ngueyn Du. The story is closely associated with a classical Chinese period and reveals a difficult situation, as well as the role and place of women in society. Because, the novel is under the influence of Confucian philosophy, the author portrays the main heroine who has to sacrifice herself for the sake of other people she loves (Du, 16). Overall, the novel underscores the ideas of self-sacrifice and honor as the priority that the Vietnamese culture is based on. With regard to the reading, it is possible to make several important conclusions. From social and cultural perspective, the Vietnamese people had to overcome a great number of constraints on the way to independence and recognition. They prioritize the value of price, honor, and respect for their traditions and customs. Finally, the historic events in the mid 1960 disclose the peculiarities of social and economic conditions in the country. Du, Nguyen. The Tale Of Kieu, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983. Halberstam, David. The Making of a Quagmire. New York: Knopf, 1988. Print. Tram, Dang Thuy, Last Night I Dreamed Of Peace. Pham. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2007. Print.

Religion in Russia

Religion in Russia Russia has experienced a revival of religion since the start of the new millennium. Over 70% of Russians consider themselves to be Orthodox Christians, and the number is growing. There are also 25 million Muslims, around 1.5 million Buddhists, and over 179,000 Jewish people. The Russian Orthodox Church has been particularly active in attracting new followers due to its image as the true Russian religion. But Christianity wasnt the first religion that Russians followed. Here are some main historical periods in the evolution of religion in Russia. Key Takeaways: Religion in Russia Over 70% of Russians consider themselves to be Russian Orthodox Christians.Russia was pagan until the tenth century, when it adopted Christianity as a way to have a united religion.Pagan beliefs have survived alongside Christianity.In Soviet Russia, all religion was banned.Since the 1990s, many Russians have rediscovered religion, including Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Slavic Paganism.The 1997 law on religion has made it more difficult for less established religious groups in Russia to register, worship, or exercise the freedom of religious belief.The Russian Orthodox Church has a privileged position and gets to decide which other religions can be officially registered. Early Paganism Early Slavs were pagans and had a multitude of deities. Most of the information about the Slavic religion comes from the records made by Christians who brought Christianity to Russia, as well as from Russian folklore, but there is still a lot that we dont know about the early Slav paganism. Slavic gods often had several heads or faces. Perun was the most important deity and represented thunder, while Mother Earth was revered as the mother of all things. Veles, or Volos, was the god of abundance, since he was responsible for the cattle. Mokosh was a female deity and was associated with weaving. Early Slavs performed their rituals in the open nature, worshiping trees, rivers, stones, and everything around them. They saw the forest as a border between this world and the Underworld, which is reflected in many folktales where the hero has to cross the forest in order to achieve their goal. Establishment of the Russian Orthodox Church In the tenth century, Prince Vladimir The Great, the ruler of Kievan Rus, decided to unite his people and create an image of Kievan Rus as a strong, civilized country. Vladimir himself was an ardent pagan who erected wooden statues of deities, had five wives and around 800 concubines, and had a reputation of a bloodthirsty warrior. He also disliked Christianity because of his rival brother Yaropolk. However, Vladimir could see that uniting the country with one clear religion would be beneficial. The choice was between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and within it, Catholicism or Eastern Orthodox Church. Vladimir rejected Islam as he thought that it would pose too many restrictions on the freedom-loving Russian soul. Judaism was rejected because he believed that he could not adopt a religion that had not helped the Jewish people hold on to their own land. Catholicism was deemed too stern, and so Vladimir settled on Eastern Orthodox Christianity. In 988, during a military campaign in Byzantine, Vladimir demanded to marry Anna, sister of Byzantine emperors. They agreed, providing that he is baptized beforehand, which he agreed to. Anna and Vladimir married in a Christian ceremony, and upon his return to Kiev, Vladimir ordered the demolition of any pagan deity statues and a country-wide baptism of his citizens. The statues were chopped and burned or thrown into the river. With the advent of Christianity, paganism became an underground religion. There were several pagan uprisings, all violently squashed. The North-Eastern parts of the country, centered around Rostov, were particularly hostile to the new religion. The dislike of the clergy among the peasants can be seen in Russian folktales and mythology (byliny). Ultimately, most of the country continued with dual allegiance to both Christianity and, in everyday life, to paganism. This is reflected even now in the highly superstitious, ritual-loving Russian character. Religion in Communist Russia As soon as the Communist era began in 1917, the Soviet government made it its job to eradicate religion in the Soviet Union. Churches were demolished or turned into social clubs, the clergy was shot or sent to camps, and it became forbidden to teach religion to ones own children. The main target of the anti-religion campaign was the Russian Orthodox Church, as it had the most followers. During WWII, the Church experienced a short revival as Stalin looked for ways to increase the patriotic mood, but that quickly ended after the war. Russian Christmas, celebrated on the night of January 6, was no longer a public holiday, and many of its rituals and traditions moved to the New Years Eve, which even now remains the most loved and celebrated Russian holiday. While most main religions were not outlawed in the Soviet Union, the state promoted its policy of state atheism, which was taught at school and encouraged in academic writing. Islam was at first treated slightly better than Christianity, due to Bolsheviks view of it as a center of the reaction. However, that ended around 1929, and Islam experienced similar treatment as other religions, with mosques shut down or turned into warehouses. Judaism had a similar fate as Christianity in the Soviet Union, with the added persecution and discrimination, especially during Stalin. Hebrew was only taught in schools for diplomats, and most synagogues were closed under Stalin and then Khrushchev. Thousands of Buddhist monks were killed during the Soviet Union, too. In the late 1980s and in the 1990s, the more open environment of the Perestroika encouraged the opening of many Sunday schools and a general resurgence of interest in Orthodox Christianity. Religion in Russia Today The 1990s marked the beginning of a revival in religion in Russia. Christian cartoons were being shown on main TV channels, and new churches were built or old ones restored. However, it is on the cusp of the millennium that many Russians began associating the Russian Orthodox Church with the true Russian spirit. Paganism has also become popular again, after centuries of repression. Russians see in it an opportunity to connect with their Slavic roots and rebuild an identity different from the West. In 1997, a new law On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations was passed, which acknowledged Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism as traditional religions in Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church, which nowadays acts as a privileged religion of Russia, has the power to decide which other religions can be registered as official religions. This has meant that some religions, for example, Jehovahs Witnesses, are banned in Russia, while others, such as some Protestant churches or the Catholic Church, have considerable problems with registration, or limitations on their rights within the country. There have also been more restrictive laws adopted in some Russian regions, which means that the situation with the freedom of religious expression varies across Russia. Overall, any religions or religious organizations that are considered non-traditional according to the federal law, have experienced issues such as being unable to build or own places of worship, harassment from the authorities, violence, and denial of access to media time. Ultimately, the number of Russians who consider themselves to be Orthodox Christians is currently at over 70% of the population. At the same time, over a third of Orthodox Christian Russians do not believe in the existence of God. Only around 5% actually attend church regularly and follow the church calendar. Religion is a matter of national identity rather than faith for the majority of contemporary Russians.

Short Response Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short Response Paper - Essay Example Connie tries a split personality with hope that, she will fit both at hope and elsewhere. She does this by having a selected smile, walking style, hairstyle, and even laughter style one meant for home and the other meant for elsewhere. The short story is from a potential victim’s view where Connie is a victim while Arnold Friend is a killer who seduces Connie and gives her promises of security (Oates 1-7). Indeed, Arnold Friend depicts a strange and mismatched appearance that represents danger (Oates 4). He also seems to conceal threat by depicting a calm voice, gentle coaxing, and convincing voice (Oates 3-7). When Arnold visits her home in her parents’ absence, he is a hard character for Connie to define, he lies somewhere between young and old, human and non-human, calm and strange. She is unable to figure him out and his intentions. The author asserts, â€Å"She couldnt decide if she liked him or if he was just a jerk, and so she dawdled in the doorway and wouldnt come down or go back inside (Oates 3).† Connie’s teenage rejects the role of daughter to her mother, sister to June, and â€Å"nice† girl to the family to cultivate her sexual persona, which flourishes only when she is away from her home and family. The music Connie listens to draws her into the world of fantasies. It paints an ideal love world and love life, which makes her daydream about boys (Oates 5-7). The author does not make it clear however whether Connie is just day dreaming busking in the sun while listening to her music from the radio or Arnold was at her home in reality. This aspect of the story leave the reader with no clarity of Arnold and Connie escapade. Did it happen in reality or was she

Will fax it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Will fax it - Essay Example The success of the company can be explained by the extremely high quality of the products offered, the continuous evaluation and restructuring of the customers’ support which enforce the creation of a friendly and effective support available on a continuous basis to the company’s customers. The perspectives for the company in the future seem to be positive. The company has managed to obtain a significant share of the global telecommunications market and to control the development of its competitors through the continuous research of the trends and the requirements of the telecommunications industry. In order to evaluate Vodafone’s financial performance particularly regarding the company’s shareholders we should present and evaluate the particular financial results (as stated in the company’s accounts) which show the company’s current financial strength but also its prospects for the future. We should also take into account that even when the financial results present a very positive aspect of a company’s financial performance, it is sometimes an issue of temporary conditions and in any case that one would proceed to the investment in a particular company, he should take into account that there is always the risk involved. In this context, Drury (2001, 222) states that risk ‘is applied to a situation where there are several possible outcomes and there is relevant past experience to enable statistical evidence to be produced fro predicting the possible outcomes’ while uncertainty ‘exists where there are several possible outcom es, but there is little previous statistical evidence to enable the possible outcomes to be predicted’. This differentiation between uncertainty and risk is practically with no particular meaning especially when the amount which is going to be invested in a specific company is significant. In this occasion there is no space for ‘uncertainty’ but it is

Pervasive Developmental Disorders Essay Example for Free

Pervasive Developmental Disorders Essay The pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) represent a spectrum of difficulties in socialization, communication, and behavior. Autism is the best recognized and most frequently occurring form of a group of the PDDs. Because most of the research in areas related to communication has been done on autism, we will focus here on this particular PDD. However, we should be aware that autism is probably not the most common disorder on this spectrum. Other types of PDDs include Retts Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Aspergers Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, or PDDNOS (Twachtman-Cullen 1998). This work will also discuss the distinctive features of Aspergers syndrome, which is believed to be genetically related to autism. Much of what can be said about certain features of autism and PDDNOS applies to other forms of non-autistic PDD. The goal of this research is to provide a framework for understanding cognitive development in children with PDDs. The study will cover criteria for early PDDs diagnosis. The best-known type of PDDs is autistic disorder (variously called autism or infantile autism). The symptoms of autistic disorder typically increase gradually through the childs second year, reach a peak between 2 and 4 years of age, and then show some improvement. Young children with greater cognitive ability who receive very early intensive intervention may show dramatic improvement at this age, whereas those who are more impaired will make more modest changes. Persons with autistic disorder exhibit major deficits in their ability to relate to others. The child with autistic disorder often appears content to dwell in a separate world, showing little empathic interest in parents or siblings. Unlike the normally developing baby, the child with autistic disorder may not raise his arms to be picked up or may stiffen in protest when his parents try to cuddle him. The childrens lack of social interest may make some of these babies seem like â€Å"easy babies† because they do not seek parental attention, and appear content to remain in their cribs, watching a mobile or staring at their hands. As they get older, such lack of demandingness is recognized for the relative indifference it actually reflects. The child with autistic disorder may not seek others for comfort when she is hurt or upset, finding little consolation in the gentle words and hugs that are so important to other children. Not only do the children not ask for comfort, they typically are quite indifferent to other peoples distress and do not seem to share their joy. A siblings tears or a parents happiness may elicit no response from the child with autistic disorder. Children with autistic disorder show little interest in the domestic imitation that most children enjoy. For example, unlike the normally developing child, the child with autistic disorder usually does not use his miniature mower to cut the grass like mommy or pretend to shave while he watches daddy. This lack of interest in imitation interferes with one of the primary channels for learning by young children: their ability to model adult behaviors and master them through role play. Social play is one of the primary activities of childhood. A few simple toys can create the backdrop for long hours of companionship. The child with autistic disorder does not know how to join this kind of play, sometimes completely ignoring other children, or perhaps standing on the sidelines, not comprehending how to become part of the group. Not surprisingly, given the range of social deficits they exhibit, children with autistic disorder are very impaired in their ability to make childhood friends. Within the communication domain, impairments are present in a number of linguistic and nonverbal areas, the most fundamental of which are pragmatics and semantics (i. . , the social usage and explicit or implicit meaning of language and gestures). Although linguistic capability varies greatly across the spectrum (from a total absence of speech to highly sophisticated and erudite language), significant impairments in pragmatics and semantics are universal among individuals with PDDs. They communicate primarily to express needs, desires, and preferences, rather than to convey sincere interest in others, or to share exp eriences, excitement, and feelings. Even among those possessing highly sophisticated and complex language, compliments, words of empathy, and expressions of joy in the good fortune of others are very rare. There is little reciprocity, mutuality, or shared purpose in discussions. In addition, speech and gestural forms of communication are poorly integrated, often resulting in awkward and uncomfortable social interactions. Implicit, subtle, and indirect communications are neither used nor perceived. Expressive communication tends to be explicit, direct, and concrete. During discussions, persons with autism often fail to prepare their speaking partners for conversational transitions, new topics, or personal associations. This can result in digressive, circumstantial, and tangential comments and discussions. It would appear as though persons with autism assume that others are implicitly aware of their experiences, viewpoints, attitudes, and thoughts. The fashion in which these deficits are manifest is influenced by age, overall cognitive level, temperament, and the presence of sensory or physical limitations. In toddlers, for example, impaired pragmatics may be manifested by significant limitations in reciprocal eye contact, responsive smiling, joint attention (mutual sharing of interests and excitement), and social imitative play. In addition, socially directed facial expressions, instrumental and emphatic gestures, and modulation of speech prosody (intonation, cadence, and rate) are rarely used to complement speech, communicate feelings and attitudes, or moderate social discourse. Among preschool children, impairments in symbolic functioning (e. g. , language) are accompanied by serious limitations in pretense (e. g. ymbolic, imaginative, creative, and interactive play). Pragmatic impairments among adolescents with Asperger’s syndrome may be manifested by one-sided, pedantic discussions, with no attempt to involve speaking partners by acknowledging and integrating their experiences, ideas, and viewpoints into conversations. Sincere attempts by others to engage in reciprocal conversations may be met with a lack of acknowledgment, annoyance, and disinterest. Comments or questions that are â€Å"snuck in† by the listener may be experienced as rude interruptions, prompting the directive, â€Å"Wait! Im not done talking yet† (Bernabei, Camaioni Levi 1998). The result is a monologue or lecture that often includes abrupt changes of topic and the introduction of unexplained personal associations. This lack of conversational reciprocity suggests that persons with AS and high-functioning autism inherently assume that the listener is implicitly aware of their own experiences, viewpoints, and intent. Because the relaying of factual and concrete information is the primary goal of â€Å"social† dialog among those with ASD, the communication of subtle attitudes, viewpoints, and emotions (particularly secondary emotions, such as embarrassment, guilt, and envy) are largely irrelevant and superfluous. Therefore, emphatic gestures, informative facial expressions, and vocal modulation lack essential meaning for them. The result is that persons with autism generally disregard nonverbal cues and fail to incorporate them into their own discussions. Because this component of social communication often conveys essential information regarding feelings, attitudes, and opinions, an inability to identify, interpret, and produce nonverbal cues can have a highly detrimental effect on social interactions and relationships. Given these impairments, it is not surprising that verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication are poorly integrated, and that subtlety and nuance are rarely conveyed. Figurative and inferential language is another area of communication that is impaired in autism, largely due to a combination of deficits in abstract and conceptual thought, social reciprocity, and appreciation of the subtleties of social communication. Persons with ASD are highly literal and concrete in their language and thought processing, typically failing to understand metaphor, irony, sarcasm, and facetiousness. As a result, comments are often misinterpreted and discussions misunderstood. In addition, in an effort to remain true to the facts, comments and questions are often presented in an overly direct, straightforward, and â€Å"brutally honest† manner, lacking appropriate tact and sensitivity (Szatmari, Jones, Fisman, Tuff, Bartolucci, Mahoney 1995). This can cause embarrassment and distress for the listener and confusion for the speaker with AS. Both may become angry and resentful; the listener, because of emotional distress and perceived mistreatment; the speaker, because of the seemingly unjustifiable overreaction and a negative attitude displayed by the listener. From the perspective of the person with AS, the listener responded in a rude and ungrateful manner to comments that were intended to be informative, useful, and corrective. The emotional distress, embarrassment, and attack on self-esteem experienced by the listener are relatively foreign to the individual with autism. Interestingly, principles, rules, and codes of behavior can be interpreted in a highly concrete and rigid manner. This can result in insensitive and hurtful comments and behavior, because exceptions to the rule, adjustments to unexpected social contingencies, and appreciation for the spirit (not simply the letter) of the law are relatively foreign to those with autism. There is little awareness that rigid adherence to unavoidably flawed rules can result in a situation that is antithetical to the underlying intent of the rule itself. One of the dinning features of autism and Asperger’s syndrome is that of rigidity and inflexibility in response to minor change and transition in the environment and daily routines. This insistence on sameness and invariance can be highly impairing, because the precipitants of these reactions often are of little social significance and do not disturb the smooth functioning of the social world. It is as though persons with autism depend on these inanimate markers of space and time because the social priorities that typically direct schedules and routines have little meaning and significance for them. Aspergers Syndrome has been associated with cognitive strength since Hans Asperger first described the disorder in the 1940s. When he wrote of children who sounded like â€Å"little professors,† Dr. Asperger (1944/1991) was describing not only their pedantic tone but also their cognitive abilities. The assumption of adequate cognitive skill was reiterated when the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) stated that individuals with Aspergers Syndrome show â€Å"no clinically significant delay in cognitive development† (Willey 2001). Aspergers syndrome (AS) was added as a new â€Å"official† diagnosis when DSMIV and ICD-10 were published. In the past, children with AS were sometimes referred to as having schizoid personality, or schizotypal personality, and PDD, NOS. It is now recognized as distinct from autism. AS differs from autism in a number of key ways: first, children with AS may not be detected as early because they may have no delays in language, or only mild delays. In fact, it is usually not until parents notice that their childs use of language is unusual, or their childs play is also unusual, that concern sets in. Unlike autism, where the vast majority of children also experience some degree of mental retardation, children (and adults) with AS are rarely mentally retarded although many have low-average intelligence. Children with AS are sometimes described as â€Å"active, but odd† not avoiding others the way autistic children often do, but relating in a more narrow way, usually centering activity around their own needs and peculiar interests. In fact, having one or more areas of narrow, encompassing interest is highly characteristic of those with AS. Parents often ask whether AS is the same thing as â€Å"high-functioning autism. Research studies have addressed this question, and the answer is â€Å"no† (Fombonne, Simmons, Ford, Meltzer Goodman 2001). One main difference is that children with AS tend to have fairly comparable verbal and nonverbal levels of intelligence, while higher functioning (that is, less cognitively impaired) autistic children tend to have nonverbal IQs that are markedly higher than their verbal IQs. Another key feature of AS is the presence of intense, preoccupying interests that generally are unusual in nature and highly restricted and narrow in scope and breadth. An impressive store of factual knowledge is accrued on relatively esoteric topics; however, this knowledge is rarely utilized for functional, socially meaningful purposes. Rather, factual knowledge is pursued for its own intrinsic value to the AS individual. In addition, children and adults with AS tend to be physically awkward, uncoordinated, and poor in judging visual-spatial perspective (often failing to maintain comfortable interpersonal space during social interactions). With regard to neuropsychological functioning, verbal abilities are generally much better developed than are nonverbal abilities (e. . , perceptualmotor, visual-spatial). In a majority of cases impairments are present in executive functions, including working memory, organization, and cognitive-set flexibility. Although children with AS are thought to show no general cognitive delay, there is actually a great deal of variability in the specific abilities of individuals. In spite of mass media suggestions that individuals with AS grow up to be scientists or software engineers, we do not yet have data to support this connection. For most children, the PDDs last a lifetime. Although early intervention for many young children with autistic disorder, Asperegers disorder, and PDDNOS has produced major developmental changes, the technology has not yet reached the point where the majority of children make the degree of change that allows them to blend imperceptibly into their peer group. As a result, although most children with PDDs benefit in important ways from treatment, many still become adults with PDDs or some significant residuals of PDDs. There are no details of what causes PDDs. There appears to be a genetic contribution to at least some kinds of autistic disorder. For example, Fragile X syndrome is a chromosomal disorder than long has been linked to mental retardation and more recently has been shown to be related to autistic disorder. This disorder gets its name from a narrowing near the end of the long arm of the X chromosome that sometimes makes the tip fragile. Fragile X syndrome shows an X-linked (sex gene-linked) recessive pattern of inheritance. As a result, this disorder typically is transmitted to boys by their mothers. Fragile X syndrome accounts for a small but significant number of boys diagnosed with autistic disorder. General support for the notion that the symptoms of autistic disorder reflect underlying physiological dysfunction comes from research showing that autistic disorder occurs more often than would be predicted by chance among children whose mothers had German measles during pregnancy, that these children experienced a higher than expected rate of problems during pregnancy or birth, and that they are at greater risk for seizures than other children. Findings such as these raise important questions about where in the brain abnormalities may occur and how these neurochemical, biochemical, or neurological factors may be linked specifically to the development of the language, social, affective, and behavioral symptoms that characterize autistic disorder and the other PDDs. The process of accurate diagnosis and classification is an essential endeavor in medicine, because it is key to ensuring validity and reliability, enabling etiological research, and identifying effective methods of treatment. Although ASDs are not medical illnesses in the classical sense, they do result from neurodevelopmental abnormalities that affect social, communicative, and behavioral functioning in fundamental ways. The autism is not a unitary condition with a single etiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and treatment approach; rather, it is a group of related conditions that share many clinical features and underlying social-communicative impairments. The fundamental purpose of arriving at an accurate diagnosis is to promote meaningful research that will eventually lead to effective treatment and an ultimate cure. Accurate diagnosis also enables investigators, clinicians, educators, and parents to communicate clearly, effectively, and efficiently. Ideally, a valid and reliable diagnosis should convey a great deal of information about developmental strengths and weaknesses, short- and long-term prognosis, and treatments that are most likely to be effective. Both basic and applied research endeavors are enhanced by improvements in diagnosis and classification. During recent years, efforts have been made to identify ASD as early in life as possible, in order to begin implementing educational and treatment interventions; providing families with education, support, and community resources; and reducing the stress and anxiety families experience as a result of incorrect or misleading diagnoses. The importance of an early diagnosis is supported by findings of improved linguistic, cognitive, and adaptive functioning as a result of intensive early intervention. Studies have begun to appear in the research literature assessing the reliability and stability of autism diagnoses made during the early preschool years. Experienced clinical investigators have demonstrated that an accurate diagnosis of autism can be made in the second and third years of life. However, accuracy depends on the completion of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary assessment, one that includes the use of standardized diagnostic instruments in conjunction with clinical expertise. Nonetheless, even among experienced clinicians and investigators, false positive and false negative diagnoses are sometimes made. Investigators have begun to examine clinical variables that may be predictive of treatment response and general prognosis. For example, Handleman Harris (2001) found that preschool children with autism who exhibited low baseline levels of social avoidance experienced significantly more social and linguistic progress than did their high-avoidance counterparts following 6 months of intensive incidental teaching and pivotal response training (provided in an inclusive setting). A complementary strategy for assessing the validity of AS is to examine the pattern of associated symptomatology. In this regard, a recent study investigated emotional and behavioral disturbance (psychopathology) in 4 to 18-year-olds with HFA and AS. The Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC), an informant-based instrument completed by parents and teachers, was used to assess psychopathology. The DBC contains the following six subscales: disruptive, self-absorbed, communication disturbance, anxiety, antisocial, and autistic relating. Children and adolescents with AS exhibited high levels of psychopathology, particularly disruptive behavior, anxiety, and problems with social relationships. The best documented approach to the treatment of people with PDDs is a form of behavior therapy called applied behavior analysis. Since the mid-1960s, when Ivar Lovaas and his colleagues demonstrated that children with autism responded to carefully planned applied behavior analytic techniques, there has been extensive research on the use of these methods to treat the PDDs, especially for autistic disorder, Aspergers disorder, and PDDNOS (Durand 1990). Three decades of research have contributed to the development of a substantial array of specific behavioral treatment techniques and of documentation to support the efficacy of these methods in treatment of PDDs. This research also has demonstrated the essential role that parents can play in the treatment of their children by providing consistency of intervention between home and school, or even in some cases as the childs primary therapist.

La Vitesse, Une Erreur? :: essays research papers

 «La principale erreur de notre temps est de chercher en toute chose la vitesse.  » Expliquez voire discuter cette idà ©e en vous servant d’exemples prà ©cis. Nous sommes au sià ¨cle de la vitesse, le monde grouille, fourmille, s’agite pour concurrencer, moderniser, produire†¦Nous sommes entraà ®nà ©s dans une spirale qui s’accà ©là ¨re sans cesse. En essayant d’aller toujours plus vite, de gagner toujours plus de temps, ne faisons-nous pas le contraire, ne perdons-nous pas l’essentiel de la vie en essayant d’aller toujours plus vite? Tout d’abord examinons la vitesse dans les transports, celle qui tue plusieurs millions de personnes par an. Cette vitesse est nà ©faste tout d’abord car elle cause plus de 50% des accidents meurtriers. De plus le temps gagnà © sur les routes est surà ©valuà ©( de l’ordre de 6 min quand on roule en continu à   150 km/h au lieu de 130km/h pendant 100 kilomà ¨tres), enfin la tension et la fatigue accumulà ©es ne valent pas les quelques minutes à ©pargnà ©es. Cette course à   la vitesse a pu grà ¢ce à   la technologie moderne profiter de moyens encore plus rapides et encore plus inhumains tel que le mà ©tro. Les gens qui prennent le mà ©tro pensent gagner du temps mais en rà ©alità © ils en perdent, car au lieu de prendre leur temps pour avoir un trajet plaisant, passer à   pied dans des endroits qui leur sont agrà ©ables, seul pour se relaxer ou à   plusieurs, d’une faà §on conviviale. Le temps du trajet mà ªme s’il est plus long ne serait pas perdu à   attendre, à ªtre bousculer ou s’à ©nerver. Cette phobie de la perte du temps, est d’autant mieux illustrà © par le succà ¨s des  «fast foods », ce terme dà ©signe un mode de restauration rapide oà ¹ les aliments sont prà ©parà ©s et servis dans un minimum de temps grà ¢ce à   des techniques et des opà ©rations planifià ©es. L’exemple le plus connu de ces restaurants rapides est le  «Mac Donald », importà © des à ©tats unis, on y mange vite et pour un prix trà ¨s bas. Mais ce type de restaurants favorisent la vitesse au dà ©triment du goà »t et de la qualità ©. De la mà ªme manià ¨re les individus qui vont manger dans ces restaurants perdent le meilleur du repas, au lieu de vivre celui-ci comme un temps de pause dans une journà ©e effrà ©nà ©e, le vivent encore comme un stress au milieu des bousculades, s’en prendre le temps de goà »ter aux bonnes choses que la vie nous offre mais qu’il faut prendre le temps de savourer. Cette obsession de vitesse se traduit aussi par un besoin de changer sans cesse: on change de voitures, de và ªtements, de loisirs, de milieu†¦Cette soif de nouveautà © jamais tarie.

Horror Story Essay

She collapsed in horror when†¦; wait let me start from the beginning. For Daisy Hicks her life was anything, but ordinary. She has a normal life like any other teenage girl. Daisy went to school, did her homework, had mostly A’s, and liked to sleep in. The only problem with Daisy is she has a big secret that only her father Greg, her mother Gwen, her sister Charlotte, and her best friend Phoebe know about. Daisy is a part of the CSI special agent program for kids under 18, and her mom was their manager. The worst was yet to come in the case of the ‘Hit and Run on 13th street† Daisy has done cases for many unusual things, but nothing like this. She was at school when her phone went off during class saying that she need to report at the command center right away, and so she did. She arrived there and oddly it was empty, but there was a file labeled Daisy J. Hicks. She was intrigued to open it but, she knew she had to brace herself for what was inside, because in this job you never know what to expect. Inside was a file explaining the case, and it said where she should be, and at what time. Daisy braced herself for the worst because in her 4 years of service she never had anything like this. She arrived at the first scene at the time allotted nothing suspicious happened, and nobody was here except William, Edward the barber, Paul the coffee shop owner, and Mary the waitress. Daisy heads over to the next spot and finds the cop cars pulling away, crying people, and all her fellow CSI co-workers.

Projectile Motion Lab: Using a Toy Gun

Projectile Motion Lab: Using a Toy Gun Purpose: The purpose of this investigation is to measure the vertical displacement, or height of the launch, and the horizontal displacement, or range, travelled by a projectile (bullet from toy gun). Questions: What is the shape of the actual path travelled by a projectile? How closely does an actual projectile's results follow the theoretical predicted results? Hypothesis: The shape of the path travelled by the projectile, in this case the bullet of the gun, is a parabolic. This means that is a curvy shape due to the bullet being launched in the air (making curve go up) and the earth's gravity pulling it down (making curve go down). As the height of the bullet's release increases the the time to reach the ground will increase, and therefore the range of the bullet will increase. This is because the bullet's vertical velocity will decrease later as the height is higher up, having a larger time, and therefore a larger range. Materials: Toy Gun Fake Bullets Metre Sick Stop Watch General Observations: A metre stick was used to measure the height and the range of the bullet. A stop was used to determine the time it took for the bullet to reach the ground. As the bullet was released, its path was parabolic. This means that its was curvy because it was first int air, but the gravity pulled it back down to the surface. The toy gun was steadily held in my hand. The initial height was the distance from the gun to the surface used. The gun shot out the bullets at a fairly fast speed. As the height was increased, the more time the bullet took to reach the ground. As the height was increased, the range was also higher. Observation Table: Data of various heights used: | Height (cm) |Time (seconds) |Horizontal Distance (cm) | |25 |2. 26 |70. 7 | |50 |3. 19 |100 | |75 |3. 1 |122 | |100 |4. 52 |141 | Analysis: Picture of the launcher: Height vs. Range graph- Refer to attached data in the back. Position vs. Time graph- Refer to attached data in the back. The graph results definitely support the hypothesis. This is because as the height of the toy gun was increased, the horizontal distance increased. Also, as the horizontal distance of the bullet increased, so did the time (vice- versa). The graphs were very similar due to the horizontal distance (cm) being constant on the y- axis of the graph. In the Horizontal Distance vs. Time graph, the time represented the corresponding heights of the Horizontal Distance vs Height graph. Making the graphs very similar. Determining the Vi of the Bullet: Vi = aav x ? t aav = -9. 81 m/s? ?t = 3. 19 seconds Vi = -9. 81 x 3. 19 Vi = 31. 3 m/s [v] *Therefore the initial velocity of the bullet is 31. 3 m/s [v]. Theoretical Ranges of the Bullet: Formula- ? d = Vi x ? t |Height (cm): |Range/ Horizontal Displacement (cm) : | |25 |? d = 31. 3 x 2. 26 | | |? d = 70. 7 cm | |50 | ? d = 31. 3 x 3. 19 | | |? d = 99. 8 cm | |75 | ? d = 31. 3 x 3. 91 | | |? = 121 cm | |100 | ? d = 31. 3 x 4. 52 | | |? d = 142 cm | Experimental Percent Errors For each Range: Formula- % error = [ (experimental value – accepted vale) / (accepted value) ] (100%) |Height : |Experimental Range: |Theoretical Range: |Percent Error: | |25 cm |70. 7 cm |70. 7 cm |0. 0% | |50 cm |100 cm |99. 8 cm |0. 00 2% | |75 cm |122 cm |121 cm |0. 00 8% | |100 cm |141 dm |142 cm |0. 00 7% | As it can be seen, there was a very little percent error between the actual and the theoretical range of the bullet from the gun. The theoretical and the experimental ranges were almost identical, and in some cases they were Sources of error: The first source of error was the toy gun's bullet were not perfectly a cylinder. Since the bullets we made out of plastic foam there some ripped edges. This would definitely give a slightly inaccurate result sine the bullet would not consistently travel in the same way as it is going in a parabolic path. This would cause some twisting and turning of the bullet since the rips would collect air and make the bullet therefore move around (sort of like air pockets). The main problem with this is that the bullet is not consistently travelling in the exact same way. Another source of error was that since the gun was shot from a human being's hand it is really tough to keep the gun at the same angle (zero degrees) as it is shot. If the angle of the gun is not consistently shot at the same angle it will definitely impact the results because the horizontal distance (range) of the bullet will be different each time. If the gun has an angle pointing downward, the range will decrease. The bullet will be in the air for a smaller amount of time, covering less ground. If the gun is pointing upward the range will increase. The bullet will be in the air for a longer period of time, covering more ground. There can be ways though to fix these sources of errors. For the first one where there were rips in the bullet, what one can do to fix the bullets is use tape to cover up the holes. Or, a better solution would to buy new, fresh bullets where there are no bend, rips or chance of disfunction. To make sure that the bullets angle is constant after each shot, what one can do is use a stand to place the gun in. This would make sure that the gun is not pointing down or upward, giving very accurate data of the range. Conclusion: All projectiles travel in a parabolic path. Projectile motion is the motion of an object who's path is affected by the force of gravity. Everything is affected by gravity, but it profoundly alters the motion of objects that are thrown or shot upward. The arching of the bullet in this experiment is caused by gravity, as well as its falling motion in general. Gravity causes change in the vertical velocity of the projectile. Objects experiencing projectile motion have a constant velocity in the horizontal direction, and a constantly changing velocity in the vertical direction. Thus, this is causing the parabolic shape. The actual projectile's results were really close to the theoretical results in this case. There were no outliers in the range. If the theoretical range and the actual range were not close it would be due to the tools used to measure the time and the distance. A metre stick was used to determine the horizontal range for the experiment. This is very inaccurate because the bullet dropped way to fast to see the actual landing spot. The landing spot was based on the eye. Also since a timer was used to determine the time of the bullet's range this is again very inaccurate since the bullet dropped way to fast to use a stop watch. Overall, the results in this case were luckily extremely close and accurate having a maximum percent error of 0. 00 8%. The reasons for the experimental error was mainly due to the tools used to measure data and, the inconsistency of the angle of the gun. As stated earlier a metre stick was used to determine the horizontal range for the experiment. This is very inaccurate because the bullet dropped way to fast to see the actual landing spot. The landing spot was based on the eye. Since a timer was used to determine the time of the bullet's range this is again very inaccurate since the bullet dropped way to fast to use a stop watch. Again as stated earlier, if the angle of the gun is not consistently shot at the same angle it will definitely impact the results because the horizontal distance (range) of the bullet will be different each time. If the gun has an angle pointing downward, the range will decrease. The bullet will be in the air for a smaller amount of time, covering less ground. If the gun is pointing upward the range will increase. The bullet will be in the air for a longer period of time, covering more ground.

The Approach to the Inmost Cave in the Heros Journey

The Approach to the Inmost Cave in the Hero's Journey This article is part of our series on the heros journey, starting with The Heros Journey Introduction and The Archetypes of the Heros Journey. Approach to the Inmost Cave The hero has adjusted to the special world and goes on to seek its heart, the inmost cave. She passes into an intermediate zone with new threshold guardians and tests. She approaches the place where the object of the quest is hidden and where she will encounter supreme wonder and terror, according to Christopher Voglers The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure. She must use every lesson learned to survive. The hero often has disheartening setbacks while approaching the cave. She is torn apart by challenges, which allow her to put herself back together in a more effective form for the ordeal to come. She discovers she must get into the minds of those who stand in her way, Vogler says. If she can understand or empathize with them, the job of getting past them or absorbing them becomes much easier. The approach encompasses all the final preparations for the ordeal. It brings the hero to the stronghold of the opposition, where she needs to use every lesson she has learned. Dorothy and her friends, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion face a series of obstacles, enter a second special world (Oz) with its own unique guardians and rules, and are given the impossible task of entering the inmost cave, the Wicked Witch’s castle. Dorothy is warned of the supreme danger in this quest and becomes aware that she is challenging a powerful status quo. There is an eerie region around the inmost cave where it is clear that the hero has entered shaman’s territory on the edge of life and death, Vogler writes. Scarecrow is torn apart; Dorothy is flown off to the castle by monkeys, very like a shaman’s dream journey. The approach raises the stakes and rededicates the team to its mission. The urgency and life-or-death quality of the situation are underscored. Toto escapes to lead the friends to Dorothy. Dorothy’s intuition knows she must call on the help of her allies. The reader’s assumptions about the characters are turned upside down as they see each person exhibit surprising new qualities that emerge under the pressure of approach. The villains headquarters are defended with fierceness. Dorothys allies express misgivings, encourage each other, and plan their attack. They get into the skins of the guards, enter the castle, and use force, the Tin Man’s ax, to chop Dorothy out, but theyre soon blocked in all directions.

Definition and Examples of Hypernyms in English

Definition and Examples of Hypernyms in English In  linguistics  and  lexicography, a  hypernym is a  word whose meaning includes the meanings of other words. For instance, flower is a hypernym of daisy and rose. Adjective:  hypernymous. Put another way, hypernyms (also called superordinates and supertypes) are general words; hyponyms  (also called subordinates) are subdivisions of more general words. The semantic relationship between each of the more specific words (e.g., daisy and rose) and the more general term (flower) is called hyponymy or inclusion. Etymology From the Greek, extra name Examples and Observations [A] hypernym is a broad, superordinate label that applies to many members of a set, while the members themselves are the hyponyms. Hyponymy is a hierarchical relationship, and it may consist of a number of levels. For example, dog is a hyponym of animal, but it is also the hypernym of poodle, alsatian, chihuahua, terrier, beagle and so on. (Jan McAllister and James E. Miller, Introductory Linguistics for Speech and Language Therapy Practice. Wiley-Blackwell, 2013) A hypernym is a word with a general meaning that has basically the same meaning of a more specific word. For example, dog is a hypernym, while collie and chihuahua are more specific subordinate terms. The hypernym tends to be a basic-level category that is used by speakers with high frequency; speakers usually refer to collies and chihuahuas as dogs, rather than using the subordinate terms, which are consequently of relatively low frequency. (Laurie Beth Feldman, Morphological Aspects of Language Processing. Lawrence Erlbaum, 1995) The foot of footstep narrows down the type of step being expressed to the step made by a foot. A footstep is a kind of step; or, in more technical terms, footstep is a hyponym, or subtype, of step, and step is a hypernym, or supertype, of footstep. . . . Doorstep is also a hyponym of step, and step is a hypernym of doorstep. (Keith M. Denning, Brett Kessler, and William Ronald Leben, English Vocabulary Elements. Oxford University  Press, 2007) Hypernyms, Hyponyms, and Connotations Hyponyms are more likely to carry  strong connotations than  hypernyms, though this is not an invariable rule. The word animal can carry negative connotations in metaphors such as He behaved like an animal. However, more specific connotations can be carried by the use of more specific words. He ate like a pig. You rat! Shes a bitch. (Maggie Bowring et al.,  Working with Texts: A Core Introduction to Language Analysis.  Routledge, 1997) A Method of Definition The most illuminating way of defining a lexeme is to provide a hypernym along with various distinguishing features- an approach to definition whose history can be traced back to Aristotle. For example, a majorette is a girl (the hypernym) who twirls a baton and accompanies a marching band. It is usually possible to trace a hierarchical path through a dictionary, following the hypernyms as they become increasingly abstract until we arrive at such general notions (essence, being, existence) that clear sense-relations between the lexemes no longer exist. (David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University  Press, 2003) Alternate Spellings: hyperonym

Website Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Website Analysis - Essay Example It has only used the phrases that must be used. This in itself sends a strong message. This tends to show that the company believes its their products, (Thomas and Stoddard 89). The website is easy to navigate. The key buttons are arranged horizontally on top of every page in the website. This means that a customer can access the index from any page of the entire site. The index is the first page of the website. It s also called the home page. In most websites, the index is accessed through a link button called home. The index is the image of the entire website. It shows a brief overview of the contents of the entire site and contains the main links. The Apple.com website has a well thought out index with well labeled links, (Thomas and Stoddard 89), making it easy for any visitor to navigate through the website. The Apple website has multiple articles. A website with exceptionally few articles show the company is either small or the site development was in a hurry. This website has many informative articles. The information varies from the products, history of the apple company to their future plan, (Thomas and Stoddard 89). Some of these articles carry information that would not be found elsewhere. This leaves the audience feeling the website is worth their time. The apple website is not static. It contains dynamic data. It is easy to see images swapping, products blinking, and images of Apple products just as they appear in the market, (Thomas and Stoddard 89). Moreover, the website is truly interactive. It is possible to check the features of apple products from the website, e.g. apple laptops, imacs, etc. Then order for it through the same website. The website can simply interact with its audience and achieve the intended goal. It has a place for enquiring any issue concerning Apple and its product, (Thomas and Stoddard 89). These are plenty of resources to download, ranging from text to audio data content. This data is

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Auditing - Essay Example The employee had been steeling for years and covering her tracks by dividing the amount into very small amounts in the various accounts. Risks are more prevalent at the end of the year when there is a incase of an unusual transactions, when the companies performance is declining for no apparent reason, frequent change in business councillors and auditors, where there is a complex corporate structure and inadequate balancing of financial accounts. Audit risks include inherent risks, control risks and analytical procedure risks. Inherent risk is associated with auditor's assessment of material misstatement, it is associated with wrong information given on financial status of the various accounts. Accounts with low inherent risks include fixed assets accounts which are easy to observe and securities traded in the stock market whose price level is easily observed. Control risks are the risk that which misstatement is not easily observed and cannot be prevented or detected. The internal control system cannot detect these frauds. The assessment of control risks detects the effectiveness of the internal control to prevent and detect such misstatement. Analytical procedure risks is the risk associated with the auditor, it is a measure of the willingness of an auditor to accept the misstatement of financial statements. This risk will cause unqualified opinions on the current status of a company. The auditor can lower these risks by making sure that financial statements are not materially misstated. Both the inherent and the control risks are referred to as the risk of material misstatement. (http://www.aicpa.org/pubs/jofa/sep2000/prac_aud.htm) The analysis of Railway PLC Financial statements. According to the audited financial statements of Railway PLC the risks can be analyzed as follows: The profit and loss account for Railway PLC has two parts, the Railway and the River financial statements. This combination is not appropriate and the two sectors should be analyzed separately. In my previous discussion on the possible of the occurrence of frauds and errors, when an organization has a complex corporate structure then the risks of fraud are high. Therefore the two should be analyzed separately to reduce the occurrence of frauds and to determine their individual contribution to profits. The direct costs, depreciation and other expenses in the profit and loss account should be split into individual expenses so as to enable proper auditing in detection of any frauds. These accounts individual accounts should also be audited. Direct costs should contain fuel expenses and other accounts associated with cost of providing services. Depreciation should also be analyzed according to individual assets and this accounts forwarded for auditing. Another risk factor is the indication of revenues and expenses in thousand pounds. Each single cent should be accounted for and this is evident in the above case where an employee committed frauds through the division of a large sum of money

Exploring the nature of the Postmodern Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Exploring the nature of the Postmodern - Essay Example This transformation has seen the coming and passing of several seasons and eras which have always been defined by particular aspects of life. Modernism and modernity as periods in life were very instrumental in shaping up the destiny and the manner of life in the ages they erupted. It is imperative to realize that such changes basically commence by transforming the mindset of humanity before progressively changing other aspects of life like culture, art, education and sport. In this transformational timescale, the latest era is the postmodern. Postmodernism has totally transmogrified the entire mannerisms and tenets that defined humanity in the earlier epochs. However, inasmuch as postmodernism is meant to be a solution to the basic concept of life, several arguments abound whether it has really been a positive trend it was meant to be. This certainly arises owing to the many issues that surround postmodernism and the several reservations and doubts raised by critics and cynics. That certainly begs the analysis of the whole concept of postmodernism to determine whether these doubts are justified and more importantly to seek into ways and means of making postmodernism an accepted agenda amongst all and sundry. No era in human civilization did transform the world more than modernity and modernism. When postmodernism gradually replaced modernism, its most notable characteristic was its subsequent attack of modernism. In a way, postmodernism is a formulated and calculated move that seeks to debase and criticize the components propounded in modernism. Postmodernists will always seek to find fault in the conventional ways of doing things and in most cases will not submit their solutions or alternatives even after negatively trashing the existing state of affairs (Featherstone, 1995). Postmodernism pervades all sectors of human life including culture, sport, sex, education, philosophy, literature etc .Most importantly, postmodernism if a function of the human

The Global Financial Crisis On Gcc Countries Economics Essay

The Global Financial Crisis On Gcc Countries Economics Essay The global financial crises that erupted in 2008 affected all countries, rich and poor, to varying degrees, worldwide (Iqbal 2008). Financial markets around the world became more volatile and the economic slowdown created a ripple effect beginning with the United States and Europe into several more economically integrated countries (Nabibi 2009). In a short span of time, severe economic losses were reported by banks, real estate, and equity markets. Blackstone chief executive officer (CEO) Steve Schwarzman stated in the Davos World Economic Forum that the global economic meltdown destroyed 40 percent of the worlds wealth (Conway 2009). The crisis began in September 2007 and concentrated in US real estate termed as the subprime crisis and eventually developed into what economists called the credit crunch in 2008 (Nabibi 2009). As American and European banks incurred losses because of exposure to sub-prime assets, their capital was reduced and affected their capacity to lend. Moreover, corporate and household borrowers began to deleverage (Al Maraj 2008). As major financial institutions went bankrupt and household wealth eroded, investor and consumer confidence went down significantly (Woertz 2008). Quick policy responses from governments of the West was able to prevent their economies from plummeting into depression, but the U.S. experienced one of its worst recessions since the Second World War (United Nations 2009a). While economists have said that no country was spared as a result of the global financial crisis, the effects were disparate among different economies. For instance, the more severe losses were exper ienced by highly integrated economies and had minimal impact on Arab economies which are less integrated (Behrendt, Haq and Kamel 2009). However, the global economic slowdown also resulted to the decline in demand for oil, which claims a significant chunk in the exports of countries composing the Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC (Nabibi 2009). The initial impact of the crisis was the sudden plunge of oil prices, coupled with the depletion of half of local stock markets by half, and the loss of value of investments in the global market. The decrease in oil prices affected the oil-exporting GCC countries which are also the most globalized in the region (Fakir 2009). The domino effect came later unemployment, decline in remittances, reduced government income, reduced trade and investment and reduced social service allocations (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] 2010). On the other hand, GCC decision makers and finance ministers have reiterated that strict monetary oversight ha s shielded their economies from the worst effects of the global crisis (Tzannatos 2009). The finance ministers stated that the abundant liquidity is enough to assuage investor concerns and highlight the stability of the monetary system of the GCC (Al Jazeera 2008).   Nevertheless, these effects cannot be generalized for all the GCC countries given their diversity (Nabibi 2009). Countries that are more exposed to global capital, investment and consumption demand face a greater risk of being affected by the crisis than others. For instance, Dubai in the UAE, which depend heavily on international capital, tourism and real estate, seems to be more adversely affected than other countries. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia, which has only 25 per cent foreign workers compared to much higher proportions in the other GCC economies might be much less affected than others (Rajan and Narayana 2009). The crisis seems to have visibly hit the GCC economies in the beginning of 2009. However, both the depth and intensity of crisis and the possibility of turnaround are not clear. This paper examines the impact of the global financial crisis on the six countries who are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 2 Objectives This study seeks to: 1. Assess the impact of the recession on key industries in the GCC economies; 2. Assess the impact of the recession on employment and other social services; 3. Identify the measures undertaken by various stakeholders to mitigate the adverse effects. 3 Topic Area The central topic of this study is the 2008 global financial crisis, which is one of the most significant economic phenomena that caused turmoil in countries all over the world. To some economists, it demonstrated the volatility and instability of increasingly integrated economies under a globalized world. As many have observed, the countries which were greatest hit by the crisis were those which were highly globalized (Nabibi 2009).    The implications of the crisis for the GCC are significant. In the Arab region, GCC countries are the most globalized, so logically, the erosion of corporate wealth in the US and Europe would have an accompanying impact on the GCC economies. Indeed, as the World Bank (2009) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) studies have shown, stock markets in all of the GCC countries experienced a significant decline because of the withdrawal of investment from foreign financial institutions. Moreover, privately-funded and domestic projects have been cancelled or abandoned, resulting to a great number of people being laid off and without jobs (Tzannatos 2009; Rajan and Narayana 2009). Despite pronouncements from government decision makers, the effects of the downturn on GCC economies seemed evident (Woertz 2008). Many organizations such as the World Bank and the ILO conducted impact assessments to determine the effect of the financial crisis on trade and industry in the GCC (Iqbal 2008 ). Understanding how it impacts the GCC economies and determining the effectiveness of the policy responses by governments shed light on how best to strengthen economies to mitigate the effects of the global financial crisis. After all, it seems certain that the global financial crisis of 2008 was not the first to its kind and will not be the last. 4 Literature Review   Studies and statistics assessing the impact of the global financial crisis on Arab countries have mixed results. Some have stated that the impact, while present, has been minimal (Behrendt, Haq, and Kamel 2009; Khamis 2010) while others have hypothesized of a more lingering adverse impact for oil-exporting economies such as those in the GCC (Nabibi 2009; Bloomberg 2010). The initial pathway for the effects of the crisis to become transmitted into the GCC was its financial markets. It began with the regional stock markets characterized by high volatility. Financial institutions as well as real estate developers, which comprise among the largely publicly-listed corporations in the GCC were adversely affected, especially Dubai (Nabibi 2009). Moreover, due to real estate speculations effect of increasing defaults on mortgages, many commercial banks in the Middle East region were hurt. Despite having a limited exposure to the global financial markets, banks in GCC countries maintained large investments and loaned very large sums to private entities for the purpose of investment (Center for Strategic Research 2009). As stock prices plummeted, several banks experienced massive default loans and loss of asset values (Khamis 2010). Although the banking sector experienced shock waves, the Islamic banks on the other hand were insulated (Iqbal 2008). Because the y are protected from toxic financial assets and prohibit speculation, the first impact of the global financial crisis shielded them. In addition, sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) also suffered heavy losses as a result of the global financial crisis. The heavier losses were recorded by those which have significant investments in the US stock market, financial institutions, insurance companies, and banks. Estimates put losses at over 200b USD for the year 2008 alone (United Nations 2009b). Aside from the financial sector, the effects of the global financial crisis have also impacted the real economy (Woertz 2008). In real estate, projects which are ongoing or are in the planning stage are likely to be suspended because of financial squeeze. Financing for large construction projects will not be so feasible. This is why one of the largest-hit of the global financial crisis is Dubai where the real estate sector is heavily dependent on speculation and debt financing (Rajan and Narayana 2010). Revenue generation among countries has also generally decreased. Figures from the ILO in 2009 reveal that real GDP growth has shrunk from 6 percent in 2007 to 4 percent in 2009. There is great indication that the crisis will have a more sustainable effect on the region within the years to come. Moreover, due to high inflation, increasing national debt, and prolonged volatility of markets will render more GCC countries vulnerable to the economic slowdown (Center for Strategic Research 2009). Analysts have been keen to point out that the significant drop of oil prices and demand for oil will be the biggest obstacle for the GCC economies. From a barrel price of 140USD in July 2008, oil prices have dropped to merely 40USD per barrel in January 2009. This significant drop increases the threat of negative fiscal balances for Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to losses in oil revenue. Hence, the projected growth among GCC countries may be set back a few years more because of downward trend of oil prices (Behrendt, Haq, and Kamel 2009). The slowdown of the European economy may also force GCC countries to reduce production, which will eventually lead to further decline of real GDP in oil-exporting countries (Bloomberg 2010). Saudi Arabia was also severely hit, with its GDP down from 4.2 percent in 2008 to 0.7 percent in 2009 (United Nations 2010a, p. 74).Moreover, without sound governance, the current practice of oil-exporting countries of maintaining high fiscal spending despi te declining oil revenues will further hamper growth (Nabibi 2009). Analysis and predictions over the impact of the global financial crisis on the GCC economies are mixed. While they unanimously state that the global crisis has had an adverse effect on GCC countries, some have stated that the impact is negligible (Khamis 2010) and is not adverse enough to threaten the stability of the region. Behrendt, Haq, and Kamel (2009) opined that the GCC economies are in a relatively well position and can ably cope with the challenges of the global economic turmoil because of many reasons. Firstly, the GCC region has abundant liquidity from incomes out of high commodity prices. Secondly, sound economic management has enabled GCC economies to weather the economic slowdown quite well. Thirdly, the economies of GCC countries are weakly integrated to the global economy as compared to other regions. Smith (2008) said that while there have been negative effects experienced by GCC economies, they are manageable compared to what has been suffered by other countries. The effects of the global financial crisis have also been diverse in degree. For instance, the Oxford Business Group (2009) opined that by and large, the banking sector in Saudi Arabia has demonstrated a high degree of resilience and was insulated from the problems which confronted commercial banks in other GCC countries. Moreover, the Saudi economy in general was found to better than other countries to avoid any negative impact (p. 61) on the following grounds. First, Saudis banks have focused on domestic demand, thereby keeping exposure to the US subprime assets at arms length. Second, Saudis mortgage industry is relatively underdeveloped, and therefore a minimal impact on its real estate sector was experienced in comparison to other GCC countries. Thirdly, the sector still maintains a large and underbanked deposit base to draw from (Oxford Business Group 2009). Among the GCC economies, the UAE has been the most affected by the crisis. Between 2008 and 2009, real GDP growth fell from 7.4 to 0.5 percent. This was due to a severe contraction in domestic demand, notably in Dubai. In the UAE, the real estate sector represents 16 percent of GDP, so the slowdown in this sector had a severe impact on growth. Around 80 percent of Dubais workforce is composed of expatriates, and due to the layoffs, consumption has been significantly reduced (United Nations 2010a, p. 73). GCC economies responded to the effects of the global crisis by adopting measures and policies to mitigate its adverse consequences. Most GCC countries reproduced the policy responses of Western governments such as fiscal stimulation and stricter financial guidelines and regulations. The responses varied relatively depending on the circumstances of their economy. As the first impact of the global crisis directly hit financial institutions and the stock markets, GCC countries first policy responses was directed at supporting the banking sector by providing liquidity and credit support. Oil exporters such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE fortified their banking systems by providing deposit guarantees for commercial banks (Woertz 2008). The effects of the global financial crisis on the banking sector have been buffered by several policy measures undertaken by GCC governments and their central banks. Some of the key measures taken since early September 2008 are as follows: reducing the Repo rate four-fold from 5.5 to 2.5 percent, reducing capital reserve requirement for banks, and injecting 3bUSD to enhance liquidity (Saudi Arabia); reducing Repo benchmark to 1.5 percent, injecting 32b USD in the financial and banking sector to ensure liquidity (UAE); reducing discount rates by 50 percent and guaranteeing of deposits (Kuwait) (Iqbal 2008). 5 Research Questions   The central question which this study answers is: What is the impact of the global financial crisis on the GCC countries? The following sub-questions will also be addressed, to wit: 1. What effect did the global financial crisis have on the financial markets, export demand, and government revenue in GCC countries? 2. How did the global financial crisis affect social indicators such as poverty and unemployment in GCC Countries? 3. What policy responses were made by GCC countries to counter the effects of the financial crisis? Research Hypotheses 1. The global financial crisis had a negative impact on the financial markets, export demand, assets, tourism, and remittances in the GCC countries. The impact of the crisis however went at varying degrees across countries. 2. The crisis led to an increase in unemployment and to the decrease of budget allocation for social services. 6 Methodology Overview of approach   This study follows a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and data analysis in order to achieve its goals. Because this study wants to determine the impact of the global financial countries on the economies of the GCC countries, the use of statistics is indispensable. Hence, the use of statistical evidence and the analysis of statistical data will form the bulk of the quantitative aspect of this study. The use of quantitative methods will provide generalization and predictions which are important to this study. On the other hand, there is a need to give the study a more in-depth character in order to fully understand the impact of the global financial crisis in its own context (Strauss and Corbin 2003). It is assumed that statistical research may not be able to take into full account the effects of the financial crisis. In order to have the best of both paradigms, qualitative and quantitative approaches are combined in this research in order to provide insights that neither approaches alone can provide (Patton 2005). Data Collection   Qualitative and quantitative forms of data will be gathered for the purposes of this study. 1. Key informant interviews Key informant interviews are qualitative in-depth interviews with individuals who are knowledgeable about the topic of interest. The purpose of conducting key informant interviews is to gain access to information which people who have first-hand knowledge only possess. In the context of the research objectives already outlined, key informant interviews can provide information about how the global financial crisis has affected GCC countries from a limited number of economic analysis or experts who have been able to observe and track the consequences of the global financial crisis in their respective countries. In particular, five (5) key informant interviews will be conducted. Participants will be individuals who are highly qualified to provide information about the effects of the global economic crisis: professors, economic analysts, or business experts. Face-to-face interviews or Internet correspondence will be conducted. Interviews will be transcribed and interpreted accordingly. 2. Statistical reports and other documentary evidence As stated earlier, the use of statistical data is indispensable to this study. To track the effects of the global financial crisis on key areas of the six GCC economies, official reports and statistics from authoritative sources will be used such as the World Bank, International Labor Organization, the OECD, and International Monetary Fund. Moreover, secondary sources such as newspaper articles, in-house reports, and other pertinent documents will be used to verify or illuminate findings. Data Analysis   Data from the key informant interviews will be analyzed for recurring themes, patterns, and ideas. Statistical data from reports and documentary evidence will be analyzed using descriptive statistics. Interpretation   Because qualitative data tends to be subjective, findings from the key informant interviews will be cross-checked and verified with secondary sources. In order to reduce the probability of bias, results from the interviews will be substantiated with findings from statistical analysis performed on the reports and documentary evidence. 7 Expected Results   Out of the mixed-methods approach that this study will undertake in determining the impact of the global financial crisis, the following results are expected: 1. A detailed presentation of the key economic and social indicators in significant areas of six GCC countries highlighting improvement or decline; 2. An in-depth presentation of interview findings from well-known and expert informants that will substantiate or illuminate on the findings from statistical sources. 3. Key policy responses made by governments are identified and recommendations for improvement are also outlined.