Computer background

The booming industry of technology, one would naturally assume that computer literacy is not a problem. However, it is the case that not all of the people have the opportunity to learn the new technological advancement. It has been an issue that computer literacy has a big impact on a person’s capacity to find sufficient jobs. It has been a necessary requirement that one should have a certain background on computer works. It would seem then that being literate with computers had been a forgone issue for a person living in this era. Nonetheless, the issue of computer literacy has always been present. The essential knowledge that a dichotomy of generations is still present should not have been neglected. The problem that could be seen here then is that not all of the previous generations have the sufficient information about computers and other technological advancements. Other people might have the opportunity to learn but others could not cope with the advancement. Main reason for this is the issue of the socioeconomic status that a person might have. Learning to use computers would necessitate the need for computers in the home. Not all of the people though have the same opportunity financially though. At the rate of the fast advancement of computers, it would have been hard to be able to keep up with what ought to be learned. The main issue here then is the socioeconomic status that a person has. Learning could be done through computer classes but having the means to learn is the problem. It would seem that the major hindrance for learning is the monetary issue. But what is socioeconomic status? It is known that this refers to the status or background of person. It is here that a person’s background that includes his/her â€Å"occupation, education, income wealth, and place on residence (â€Å"Socioeconomic Status†)† is scrutinized. In this aspect, there could be those who are deemed to be unfortunate. They are the ones who are usually subjected to the harsh realities in this life. Those who could be considered poor then would have a deprived background. Those who could be considered well-off would have a privileged background. It could be seen here that not all of us has the privilege to have a relatively better socioeconomic status. The benefits of having a better status are countless especially when a person is determined. But determination could not always take us somewhere if we have not had the chances or opportunities in the first place. I was one of the fortunate ones. Growing up in a family whose socioeconomic status is relatively better than others I had the benefit of going to a good school. I had learned to use the computer through school and had the opportune time to practice at home. As a child, I did not think that computers would have to be relevant in my life since all I cared about was fun and games. Computer class was not considered to be fun and games in my book then so I just went to class and tried my best to pass. As I grew older and childishness had deserted me, I have learned the real value of computer classes. I took it seriously and realized that fun and games could also be found in computers. My teachers were drilling in me the basics of computer programs had given me the benefit of being called computer literate. It is not an uncommon knowledge that computer literacy is highly favored nowadays. When I filled out my resume, computer skills or literacy was an important factor. Offices now had long dispatched type writers and replaced it with the more convenient computers. In this time, it is believed that modernization would require the usage of technological aspects and computers are one of them. Computers have been a given necessity that computer illiteracy was a forgotten issue. However, this issue is still in circulation but some would usually shrug at the thought of computer illiteracy. The main culprit here is the presumptuous thinking of the people. They have seemed to have conveniently forgotten those who are down the social triangle. I have come across with other people who did not have the opportunity to learn the ropes of computers let alone had the chance in ever using or touching one. This is not an exaggerated case but this situation usually happens to those who did not have the blessings that I had. This person had to stop going to school so she did not have the opportunity to learn the usage of computers. It was later when she had a family that she realized that her children might suffer the same plight. Although, it would not have been a problem for her since she had managed to send her children to a school that had computer classes. But her frustration came when she would observe her children in front of the computer. Her frustration stemmed out from the fact that she had to learn through her children plus she found computers to be complicated. Generally, a person trying to learn would think it to be complicated but one could not blame him/her. In this case, the woman did not have the opportunity and means to learn since she was busying earning a living. Going back to what I have said earlier, computers had been a prerequisite when it comes to job hunting. The importance that the people had found in computers was due to the dependency that they have about it. My father told me that they did not have to use computers before nor was there a need to use other gadgets before. He usually frowns upon the great importance that people put on computers but in the end he had to learn. The company that he was working for made technological upgrades so he had to learn how to use a computer. Fortunately for my father he had the means to learn and he had his children to teach him. Others would not have been lucky though. Some had a hard time coping with it that soon new employees were easily promoted than them. The company would not always hesitate to do so not because they were not grateful for the loyalty and service but they had to do it for the progress of the company. It was a sad situation but it was inevitable. I think that the booming technologies would not be stopped especially when man thirst for a more unproblematic way of life. It could not be helped and maybe someday soon that what I know about computers would be rustic compared to the younger generations. The best way for me to avoid this is to accommodate the change and change as well. This change would have to be for the betterment of my status in life, work related or not. Work Cited â€Å"Socioeconomic Status.† The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Ed. Jr. E.D. Hirsch, Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil. Third Ed: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.      

“Sequel” to Fahrenheit 451

Burning Bright, Burning Right It was that time of day when the afternoon barely gave away to the glorious wonders of the night. The birds had stopped chirping and the many creatures that stirred in the ruins of the city, those that found it livable, had retreated to their underground homes. It had been a decade, a lifetime since the city had been reduced to rubble. The radiation still lingered in the air. It added a new taste, similar to the taste of an orange or a lemon. The crater from the bomb had been filled with rainwater to form a lagoon.The river’s natural current carried away the radioactive debris to the forest where, undoubtedly, the creatures of the forest would drink the contaminated water. There had been an occasional drizzle now and then soaking most of the wood in the area. Montag had managed though. He had come prepared essay writer helper. It took him three full hours to build the raft and funeral pyre in which Faber’s body now rested on. He looked at t he horizon just in time to catch the everlasting rays of the sun fade to the night and began. â€Å"Faber, my dear friend; it has been awhile since we talked. Almost three months.I heard that you were shooting propaganda somewhere by the Eastern Battle; probably condemning the unworthy fools that fought against us. Remember when we first met? You called yourself a coward for not standing up to stop the madness when it was beginning. I always found it ironic that you would become the symbol of rebirth, that you would be dubbed the phoenix. A coward really, but that was not my decision to make,† he stopped and took a breath. â€Å"You were my mentor. When I was blind to the knowledge of books, you educated me; you showed me what I was missing.You were everything I could ever ask for. Granger was there for me, but you were there for me to the, I mean your, bitter end. I can remember when you were approached about the face of the phoenix. That bright day in St. Louis. â€Å"Fab er, tell me what happened yesterday? I thought all was going well with your friend. He had printed books for us before†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Montag stopped. â€Å"Why won’t he do it now? † â€Å"I’m afraid that he is no longer on our side of the battle,† Faber said. â€Å"Not on our side of the battle? That’s absurd! One doesn’t just simply stop being a savior,† Montag said. Well he isn’t trustworthy anymore. He had tricked us. Pulled the wool over our eyes. We were only seeing what we wanted to see. † It was at that moment that Montag noticed the man standing in the corner of the room. He had his face turned away from us, but it was obvious he was listening to them. â€Å"You there, who are you? † â€Å"Nobody. I heard that the almighty Guy Montag and the wise Faber were in town, I simply couldn’t resist the opportunity of meeting them,† said the strange man. Montag took a good look at him. He was well dress ed. He was very well dressed.It was obvious that he knew who we were and it was also obvious that he was there for a reason. His fingernails were clean; an indicator that he was no fighter. Either he was a very good ally to have, or a powerful enemy to dispose of. When he noticed Montag looking at him he gave a wry smile. He decided it was best to trample through the bush. â€Å"Why are you here and what do you want? And this time don’t be shy to tell us your real name. † Montag asked. â€Å"My oh my, the rumors about you are true. You see Mr. Montag I want to help you. You could say that I have friends in high places, places that can help you.While you have been fighting your wars silently, and rather immaturely, some of us,† he paused, â€Å"have been thinking of the bigger picture,† he stopped as he met Montag’s cool but deadly gaze. â€Å"What are you implying? † â€Å"Nothing at all. Just an offer to, how do I put this? Just an offer t o help move things along. We want to take the war public,† the man said. Montag raised his eyebrows until they almost became part of his receding hairline. â€Å"I don’t know what rock you have been living under but it is obvious that you have lived a very luxurious life up until now.The war was thrown out of the shadows three years ago. † â€Å"I know that,† the man replied, â€Å"but there was never a reason. † â€Å"What? † Montag said. â€Å"For the past three years we have been fighting a war about nothing. Some say it’s about money. Others? They say the world is hungry. It’s a blind man’s game. You may be thinking about what I think. I think that the world is hungry. It’s hungry for knowledge, for books. Some of us believe it is time to throw it out in the open to light the flames under the fire. To throw something out in the open, we need a face.Somebody that will inspire and mock every policy and rule that the government symbolizes. We need a phoenix. † â€Å"I’m not interested,† Montag replied. â€Å"I was expecting that,† he answered, â€Å"That’s why I wasn’t going to ask you. † He turned to Faber and said, â€Å"We need a face but we think Montag has too much baggage attached to it. It may scare some, to see a dead man come to life. You on the other hand are a somebody that became a nobody. Your wounds have healed, have they not? Why not find the strength to rise from the ashes? Faber, why won’t you join me? † Montag stood stunned in silence.He had been rejected. Faber was sitting there looking at his damn, shaking hands. He had been offered to be the face of a rebellion, to lead a revolution; yet he sat there, solemn as a statue. Finally he spoke: â€Å"I am not a phoenix. I, at the very best, can be compared to a humble field mouse. I was a coward when it all began. I watched books burn in front of me but did nothin g of it because I was too afraid to change anything. I decline your offer. † â€Å"I was also expecting that. † A sudden flash of emotion passed through his eyes, like a fox that knew his prey would be his. I haven’t even introduced myself yet. Here I am, trying to convince you to start a revolution with me, yet you do not even know my name. My name is Hubert Hoag. † He looked nothing like the man Montag had seen on the parlor walls. Albeit he was short like him, but he must have lost weight. A quick glance at Faber showed that he wasn’t the least bit surprised. â€Å"Faber I know that you failed when it began. I also know that you aren’t exactly the bravest but this is your chance at redemption. You can finally fix the mistakes you made when it was all beginning,† Hubert said.Montag was back in the forest with Granger. He remembered what he had said. That it was the right kind of mistakes to be where they are now. Montag opened his mou th to protest but was interrupted by Faber. â€Å"I’ll do it,† Faber said in a sharp whisper. â€Å"I’ll do it,† he said with more confidence. I’ll start a rebellion. † Hoag gave a smile like he knew that the stars would align for him. He stood up and said, â€Å"Excellent. I’ll be in contact with you soon. † We didn’t see Hoag for three months. When we were contacted; things changed. Things changed fast. Faber was soon an international icon.He looked younger and radiated power. Hoag and his friends dressed him in the image of the revolution and soon there were ads and posters everywhere. That was then. Now things had changed. Montag was back in the ashes of the city. The scurrying of various animals in the bones of the dead brought back his fond memories of Faber. The sun was nowhere to be seen. It was behind the mountains, hiding, like Faber. He turned to the one animate body of Faber. â€Å"How does it feel Faber? To start a revolution. When they look back in history, whether or not we won the war, you will be remembered.But your arrogance got the best of you. You were no humble field mouse. You looked at yourself as the new phoenix. You had risen from the ashes of the old and were ready to guide mankind to this new age. Spending time with Hoag got the best of you. Soon you were thinking like them. You words were weak and empty. You became the image that you were trying to fight. You became a problem,† Montag said. He looked around. It was around midnight. Not even the moon showered him with its pale glowing light. He lit a match. A match that he had used such a long time ago to burn others, to burn his problems.And then he was somewhere else, thinking about how a decade ago he had the same problem with another. The wise words of Beatty rang in his head: â€Å"Don’t face a problem, burn it† â€Å"Beatty, I’ve done just that. † He looked on to see the body of Fab er leaning against the funeral pyre in such a way that it would collapse into a beautiful red flower once the match had engulfed the small raft. He thought of the phoenix. â€Å"Faber, you were to be the phoenix. The rebirth of man rising from the ashes. You were a failure. Maybe all we need to do is burn the ashes one more time. †

Prostitution during the 18th and 19th century Essay

Prostitution became a significant of London’s history during the 18th and 19th century. At the time, prostitution was a chronic problem of the public order. It became so big in London that it attracted the attention of many groups such as, â€Å"the church, the state, the medical profession, philanthropists, feminists and others.† (Bartley, 1) All of these groups worked together in order to resolve the problem, even though at the time prostitution was not illegal. However, it was an activity that many felt was socially unacceptable. Prostitution began because Britain was experiencing political and social ferment during the Industrial Revolution. The industrial revolution brought up new social groups, which had struggled to exert themselves politically and culturally. (Fisher, 29) During the 18th & 19th centuries London had many deficiencies in their legal system, which can explain the openness of prostitution. A major factor of this problem lays in the fact that almost none of the laws under which prostitutes were most usually arrested in the 18th century referred to their offence by name. Instead, prostitutes were charged for violating laws. At the time, laws of night walking were put into the system. The main objective was to enforce a dawn-to-dusk curfew, so the police could keep the towns under close watch. London decided that it was time for to get involve and find a solution before the city went out of control. First of all, police officers started by taking more action on the streets. Also, they started policing Disorderly houses. In addition groups such as the Reformers, Commentators, Church and others, used their own methods of resolving this problem. Finally, how did the people of London feel towards prostitution and prostitutes? The streets were becoming an unsafe environment for the citizens of London. Prostitutes started occupying the streets of London more frequently. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the policing of London’s streetwalkers were the responsibility of the constables, beadles, patrol, and watchman. Their duties were to enforce and maintain public order. There was a general police force consisting of upper and under Marshals, marshalmen, day and night patrols and even special forces for certain towns or areas such as the Smithfield area. Each city had twenty-six Wards, which in turn produced their own forces such as constables, beadles, and watchmen. All of these men were able to enforce the laws in the proximity of the Ward. Figure 1 & 2. â€Å"The police force was to be responsible for containing street disorder and averting the danger from the uncontrolled and un-socialized classes, the constable role was to act as a domestic missionary, translating and mediating bourgeois values in working-class communities.† (Mahood, 120) In 1784, day patrol was introduced in Westminster, Nevertheless, â€Å"before 1828 no parish anywhere in London had considered it either necessary or desirable to provide†¦ intensive daylight patrols.† (Henderson (1), 191) During that time all the resources devoted their time to nightly watch, as they believed it was more of a crucial period of the day for prostitution. Watchmen were the most intrusive in doing their work, and also reduced the importance of constables. A constable was usually in company with a beadle, whose duties consisted of patrolling the streets of the parish as frequently as possible throughout the night. (Henderson (1),192) However, while on duty, they would instead spend most of their time in a safer area around the watch house. Furthermore, they would not even show up sometimes for duty. Moreover, the Watchman was always expected to be on the streets from dawn till dusk. It was very important for the police to clear up the streets. Solicitors and prostitutes crowded the busy narrow streets of London. It was inevitable either group would come into conflicts with other citizens. The public streets were areas where one could enjoy the view and sights of the beautiful city, in addition to being the main passageways, for vehicles and pedestrians. However, â€Å"to the prostitutes the streets, and squares of London were a workplace.†(Henderson (1), 198) Mr. William Logan was given the duty in 1843 to research and find solutions of prostitution. He was an observer of many streets and brothel houses, and he stated several solutions towards prostitution. One of the solutions was the policing of the streets. He suggests, â€Å"from eight to ten o’clock at night, to bear in mind those who are employed to conduct the evening correspondence and carry it safely.† (Logan,40) Therefore, that crime should, be traced to its source as accurate as possible, and a system of  prevention must be introduced. (Asylums1817, 10) Police forces had many problems in assembling together and during the late 1840’s a quarter of the Edinburgh police force was dismissed annually for misconduct and 63 percent were recorded as drunk on duty. (Mahood, 120) Policing Disorderly house was another solution London brought about to eliminate prostitution. Disorderly and Bawdy houses were controlled, like streetwalking, because of their threat to the well being of the society. â€Å"They were the causes of endless mischief, and tended directly to the overthrow of Men’s bodies, to the wasting of their Livelihoods, and to the endangering of their souls.† (Henderson (1), 253) The general society saw these houses as a place without morals or religious principles, and rather a place of corruption. They were also concerned that the people that worked in the houses were being funded through fraud and robbery. Figure 3. Select Police Committee members in 1816 and 1817 showed great concern of the spread of these cheap licensed houses. They were catered only for thieves and prostitutes. The Committee introduced a license for selling alcoholic drinks, where if the house did not practice the laws, their alcohol license would be removed. The Justices of the Peace had the primary responsibility, to grant these licenses. This procedure began in 1729 and it still in effect today. Before 1729, it was possible to get a license from the Stamp Office, which was a practice that helped keep open the Disorderly Houses. In 1743, the Gin Act was introduced, and in 1751 confirmed and, â€Å"forbade any but tavern, victualling house, inn, coffee house, or alehouse keepers to hold a license to sell spirituous liquors.† (Henderson (1), 257) When it came time to renew licenses, the constable of each Ward or parish was to present to the magistrates a list of those houses requiring a renewal of their license. After that, each Constable would be placed under oath and questioned about the conduct of the house in his district, as well as if any neighbors had made any complaints. (Henderson (1), 258) Even though the Constable had spoken well of the house or not, any person that was present was able to state their objections towards the issue. Representatives of the parish or ward raised most of the objections,  and in some cases there would be the presence of the neighbors. In 1752, London passed the Disorderly House Act. This act encouraged people to turn in the houses and owners into the police. If the information led to a charge, the witness would receive  £20. The houses where divided into three different classes: First, Second, and Third. Figure 4. Wealthy merchants, military officers, and those in the higher circle of society usually visited the First class houses. The Second class houses were mostly intended for businessmen, and blue-collar people. Finally, the Third class houses were for the not so wealthy citizens. As a result of the close monitoring of these houses and liquor licenses, the amount of Disorderly houses dropped, by the end of the 19th century. Other major groups besides the police wanted to get involved to put a stop to prostitution. These groups consisted of Parish committees, Reformers, and Philanthropist. They all contributed in different ways. The Church helped out the police by hiring watchmen, for the area that surrounds them. In 1796, St. James parish in Westminster was employing sixty-four watchmen, six beadles and two inspectors as well as its body of constables. (Henderson (1), 192) Even the smaller parishes helped out and had larger numbers of people working. This was all possible because in Westminster from 1753, on, a series of Watch Acts where introduced. These acts gave individual parishes, or to the City and Liberty as a whole, the right and duty to establish a parochial watch, under the general supervision of the Middlesex Watch Justices of the Peace. (Henderson (1), 190) Also the churches forbade women that were working as prostitutes of any religious rights. If they were still doing the trade until they died, they would not receive proper burial rights. The Church also made its own court and was responsible for maintaining acceptable standards of Christian behavior. (Henderson (2),81) Reformers believed that prostitutes were victims of upper class men who seduced them. However, they also believed that prostitution was the outcome of personal moral weakness, and therefore blamed women for prostitution. (Bartley, 5) â€Å"Moral reformers demanded that the police be granted the authority to curb soliciting and brothel keeping.† (Mahood, 121) The  Reformers believed the only way to eliminate prostitution was to get rid of prostitutes. In turn, they started and founded a variety of institutions, such as large penitentiaries, asylums, and even small homes. These centers were used as places of rehabilitation. Figure 5. These institution centers were located within most large cities and towns. In 1758, in Whitechapel, London the Reform opened up The Magdalen Hospital. It was a great success and thus led to the opening of more institutions. The Church tried not to connect all institutions with a religious aspect, like Lock Hospitals with lock wards. This kind of institution dealt more with unmarried females and tried to treat them for venereal diseases. Figure 5. By the end of the 19th century, a special group was formed, National Union of Women’s Worker (NUWW), whose members met once a year to discuss strategies and to compare practices. (Bartley, 26) Each institution had its own managerial system; the upper and middle class managed most of them. â€Å"There were three main methods of managing a reform institution: some were managed by men who employed female workers as matrons and laundry workers; some where managed jointly by men and women; some were managed by women only.† (Bartley, 27) Reform Institutions had great success. Which resulted in a decline in prostitution. Furthermore, a mixture of clergy and laymen and women ran institutions that were set up by the Church of England. Philanthropists saw prostitution as a problem because of its negative effect on the population. They too implemented institution and ran them similar to the Reform. The majority of the people in London did not agree with prostitution, nor did they understand it. People of London felt that prostitution was affecting the Modernity of London. â€Å"Prostitutes disordered the state and threatened the empire.† (Ogborn, 47) People felt that kids that are surrounded by prostitutes, especially boys would not grow up to be healthy, and productive men because prostitutes were only spreading ruin, disease, and death. Prostitution was an interference of social relations and the geographies that surrounded them, which created new relationships and new spaces. It also was responsible for subverting the relations of the public sphere; even  the hierarchies and equalities of the public sphere were being affected. They also felt that prostitution caused the ruin of families. Prostitutes were looked upon as evil people, and were treated as though they were infected with the plague. They were â€Å"public nuisances† as one shopkeeper describes. â€Å"The activities of prostitutes and their bullies along Fleet street and Ludgate Hill adversely affected their business.† (Henderson (1), 195) It also became hard for all the women in the town, for they were also treated like prostitutes. For example if a woman were walking on the streets just after dusk, she would be harassed and insulted. On the other hand, people believed that men who engaged with prostitutes were not at fault because of the temptation the women give off the male passer-bys. In 1864, the Contagious Disease Act (CD Acts) was passed. It was meant to make paid sex safer for people, especially those in the armed forces. This act was passed because, at the time in the Army and Navy, many men had contracted venereal diseases. So, the government enforced that all women that were practicing prostitution must be inspected. Police were given the authority to arrest any woman that was suspected of practicing prostitution, and make her undergo an internal examination at a Certified Hospital. If a disease were found she would be detained until the disease was cured. Reformers felt that it was fair to say that Prostitution helped spaced out the wealth of men, because there would be different sections in the community. In one area you would have men that were well off and in another area men that were not well off. William Logan describes the girls that he observed were poor and innocent children that were constantly being abused by their supporters. (Logan, 26) It is clear that prostitutes played a very important role during the 18th and 19th centuries, which were modernity times of London. Consequently, it was not a good role. Prostitution affected the development and growth of the city. As a result, the city had to put a stop to the acts and began by policing the streets. They tried to control the narrow overcrowded streets to make them a safer place for other individuals. Secondly, they tried to control Disorderly houses. They achieved this by hiring inspectors and  constables to watch the houses, and even enforced Liquor Licenses. Moreover, groups such as the Church and Reformers had their own techniques to stop prostitution. Both groups built a series of institutions that were treated as rehab centers. Ultimately, citizens of London had their own view and understanding of prostitution. Most felt that it was the ruin of London, and it was affecting the modernization of the city, especially concerning the social relations and the geographies that went along with them. Others felt sorrow for these young girls; they believed they were victims of upper-class men. Although prostitution still exists today, its evolution in the 18th and 19th centuries will be a significant part of London’s history forever. Work Cited Bartley, Puala. Prostitution: Prevention and Reform in England. London: Routledge, 2000. Fisher, Trevor. Prostitution and the Victorians. New York: Sutton, 1997. (1) Henderson, Anthony. Female Prostitution in London 1730-1830. London: University of London, 1992. (2) Henderson, Tony. Disorderly Women in the 18th Century London. New York: Longman, 1999. Logan, William. Female Prostitution in London, Leeds, and Rochdale. London: Personal Observation, 1843. Mahood, Linda. The Magdalenes: Prostitution in the 19th Century. London: Routledge, 1990. Ogborn, Miles. Spaces of Modernity. New York: Guilford Press, 1998. Report of the Committee of the Guardian Society for the preservation of public morals, providing temporary Asylums for Prostitutes. Dec. 1815. Report of the Committee of the Guardian Society for the preservation of public morals, providing temporary Asylums for Prostitutes. Oct. 1817.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana - Essay Example In addition to this, she mobilizes her community to stand against the Taliban who had taken control of Kabul City where she lived. This book is therefore her personal story and her buoyancy to keep her family intact at a time when there is chaos in Afghanistan and women are not allowed to go to any public places and particularly to schools. My paper will look into the two major issues of distributive injustice as well as cultural imperialism that Kamila and her community faced once the Taliban entered their city of Kabul. Deutsch defines distributive injustice as having four different kinds of capital which includes investment, consumption, social and skill (Deutsch, 2005). In Kamila’s example they face skill capital especially when Kamila who has completed her teaching degree is denied the chance to get a teaching job and is forced to stay at home. There is also the social capital whereby kamila her sisters and the women in the neighborhood get together to grow the dressmakin g business. Cultural imperialism on the other hand according to Deutsch â€Å"involves the universalization of a dominant group's experience and culture and establishing it as the norm.". For example in Kamila’s story the women have to wear the chadri as mandated by the Taliban’s, something that they were not used to. When it comes to growth mindset Dweck states that is helpful to people’s growth as they look forward to a successful future however there is always a risk of failure (Dweck, 2006). For instance Kamila did not despair when she found out she could not get work, instead she started her own business in dressmaking and made it her priority to see it through to the end. Her business was however facing a lot of challenges particularly from the Taliban’s. This example shows that there is a risk element in growth mindset since despite the fact the Kamila was hopeful of succeeding her businesses she could she did not see the challenges ahead of her w hich would have affected the businesses growth. History of Afghanistan Afghanistan’s history dates back to 500BC at the time of the Achaemenid Empire. The meaning of Afghanistan translates to â€Å"land of Afghans†. Some of the most powerful kingdoms came because of Afghanistan state with the inclusion of Kushans, Ghurids, Hotakis, Mauryas and many others. When it comes to how women in Afghanistan are treated, this is whole different story especially compared to western societies. Women in Afghanistan are denied the privilege to many essential things with examples of education, work and even power. It is believed that women’s role is to stay at home while the men go out to fend for the family. Women are also not allowed to speak in public as they are only to be seen and not heard. Should they go out they have to be escorted by a man from their own home. Once the Taliban gained power in the year 1995, girls and women were automatically discriminated upon as well as their human rights being undermined. As a result, this led to the social and economic standards of women getting worse. Women who had previously been having good jobs as doctors, teachers found themselves jobless. This is why prostitution increased at a very alarming rate. In the year 2001, the Taliban has later prohibited women from even driving their own cars. Worse still, they would be humiliated and hammered in public. Another Taliban rule was that women had to go out fully covered from head to toe with the

Analysis of Media Coverage of the Summers Controversy Essay

Analysis of Media Coverage of the Summers Controversy - Essay Example Summers emphasized that this evidential difference between men and women in sciences could not be overlooked. The media blew Summers’ remarks out of proportion in the ensuing controversy, reporting that the academic was a chauvinist, who upheld the notion that women are naturally inferior to men.   In my opinion, the media framed and perpetuated the controversy, missing out on the fact that he was hypothesizing on the significant gap between men and women while trying to provoke further research into the issue. Summers was wrong to state that women are inherently inferior to men since he did not have any scientific evidence to prove this; further, his tendency to understate the role of gender and socialization in the same, lowers the credibility of his hypotheses. Summers' controversial remarks were first published in the Boston Globe newspaper. The paper primarily focused on the Harvard president’s second suggestion on the potential cause for fewer female representat ives in sciences. This statement quoted Summers stating that males attain higher test scores in science and math than females. He continued to say that although nobody could explain this occurrence, studies in behavioral genetics shows that aspects usually attributed to conditioning or socialization could actually be based on biology. The Boston Globe reported that conference participants said that in making this point, Larry Summers was implying that women do not possess the same scientific and mathematical ability as men.  

ANALYZNG THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ANALYZNG THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS - Coursework Example Vodafone is a telecom company and is headquartered at London, UK. The reason behind choosing Vodafone is that the recruitment process is very simple as compared with other multinational companies. The recruitment process of Vodafone is presented below. The company recruits on the basis of experience as well as academic background of the candidate. However in some of the vacant positions the company only hires on the basis of prior experience. The company is hugely focused towards the recruitment of diverse work force. It is a rule in the company that the recruitment of the candidates should ensure diversity. This can be cited as one of the business strategies of the company. The company strategically recruits diverse workforce keeping in mind about the diversity in their customer base. The company also pays competitive pay packages to its employees in order to make sure that the attrition rate remains minimal. However the company also uses several other techniques in order to retain their present employee strength. In this context the company carries out various employee retention programs. Also the company pays on the basis of performance. 2. Pension Scheme: - The company also thinks about the employees after their retirement from the company. In this context the company offers pension to them. Also the company has been awarded with the ‘Pensions Quality Mark Plus’ in the United Kingdom. 3. Holidays: - The company offers 28 holidays in a year apart from the regular and national holidays. The company also has the policy that states that if an employee gets older in the system he/she is entitled to get more

Analysis of Online Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Online Learning - Essay Example This is how I felt after prior programmes taken on-campus and wanted a change in my way of acquiring knowledge. At times, one would want to spend some time with their families, listen to them or attend events, but all these were hindered by physical classes. This led to my analysis of the benefits of studying online, and I came up with the following. First, online learning gives a person the freedom to choose the times to read. This is because online courses run for twenty-four hours in a day giving one the chance to work at their own pace. In addition, one studies at the comfort of home avoiding traffic, transport fees, and with peace of mind. To me, summer holidays are valuable and since I could put online courses down whenever I wanted, I chose online classes. Secondly, online classes are relatively cheaper than on-campus classes. Statistics from USA news and World news proves that some students can complete a master’s degree in less than $5,000 in 18 months, in Beaumont, Texas. This means that online courses are far much cheaper than on-campus courses (Online Classes web). Additionally, students avoid many costs when they choose to study in the comfort of their house. Such costs include transportation costs, cost of meals taken outside the house, and dormitory fees. The only pay a student has to part with is the tuition fees. Thirdly, the future of businesses is becoming more remote, which means that students have to get used working via web-based technologies. Working in remote workstations is the modern trend for this technologically advanced society. I found that I could learn this work approach by learning as an online student. More importantly, I realized that online learning offers profound chances of social interaction through various web 2.0 technologies. Â  

Introduction to american history Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduction to american history - Article Example Indeed, he has been writing about Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, and other historical aspects in America. He has a Ph.D. of the Highest Distinction from Johns Hopkins University and is the George Henry Davis 86 Professor of American History.1 James McPherson wrote the article, â€Å"We Stand by Each other Always: Grant and Sherman† in 2007.2 The divided views on Ulysses S. Grant’s reputation and contribution in American history influenced the author and the political setting of the article.3 While some historians know him as a foremost general of the Civil War, others despise his significance as a biographical subject. The dwindling reputation of Grant as a major figure in American history also influenced the author and the political setting of the article. Moreover, the literature by Bruce Catton on Grant’s wartime achievements also influenced James McPherson into writing this article since they demeaned Grant’s reputation but did not reverse his populism as a major player in the Civil War. The eminent revival of Grant’s reputation, his influence on General William T. Sherman life, and his winning strategy against the Army of Northern Virginia influenced the political setting of the ar ticle.4 The intended audiences for the article include historians, history students, people interested in American history, and the general reading public. Notably, James McPherson discusses the historiography of his subjects, Grant and Sherman. The author considers Grant and Sherman’s life, early career, ascent, success, strategies, decisiveness, physical courage, image, and generalship in the Civil War.5 The author agrees with other historians who have written on this subject. Indeed, he agrees with historians who regard Grant as a drunkard and a foremost general of the Civil War. He addresses opposing arguments by appreciating them and offering his opinion. He recognizes historians who wrote about Sherman but asserts that

The impact of European settlement on Aboriginal people in Canada Essay

The impact of European settlement on Aboriginal people in Canada - Essay Example From fishermen on the coast, to traders for fur and other commodities, it is interesting to note that the story of the contact between Europeans and aboriginals does not start from the voyages of discovery but has its origins in the journeys of the Vikings. However, the real impact on aboriginal people only becomes clear when French and British explorers started making journeys into Canada rather than remain on the Canadian coast. Their journeys took them to areas where farm output was better and this allowed larger settlements to be created by the explorers (Schneider, 1996). The story of these connections between Europeans and people from the old world was quite similar to the situation which developed in America and elsewhere in the world. The aboriginals were struck with disease and conflict. Diseases which were unknown to them and for which their bodies had no real defenses were laid up against them. Smallpox and other ailments destroyed entire settlements of natives and they were not able to counter the disease with their medicine. As the concept of the disease and the manner in which it spread remained alien to them, they were also unable to take real precautions against the disease which spread quickly (Wikipedia, 2008). The aboriginals were also impacted in terms of religion and education as the Europeans attempted to civilize the nations of the new world. At the same time, there were several nations which were on friendly terms with the European settlers such as the Algonquin and others included in the Wabankaki Confederacy. With these nations, trade and exchange took place to a great extent which was mutually beneficial for all parties. However, the trade was often replaced with broken contracts and war. For example, the French were continually troubled by the Iroquois who had been given arms by the British in order for them to fight against the French. The

Topic by yourself-ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Topic by yourself-ethics - Essay Example Cultural Relativism is, according to James Rachels, â€Å"a theory about the nature of morality†, that â€Å"challenges our ordinary belief in the objectivity and universality of moral truth† (Rachels). Essentially, what is right and what is wrong is determined by tradition and culture, and each culturally-dictated standard of living should be viewed, understood, and judged within the context of that particular culture alone (Nussbaum 121). This way of viewing culturally-specific circumstances is a good deterrent for racism, religious extremism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice. We Westerners are and have been guilty of colonialism and ethnocentric thinking. With this in mind, majority of scholars and even undergraduates â€Å"are hesitant to make any negative judgment of a culture other than their own† (Nussbaum 121). ... ccurs in many countries in Africa where there is a ritualistic cutting of a part or the entire external female genitalia of girl as a rite of passage to adulthood. I agree with Nussbaum that the best argument for retaining this practice is FGM’s essentiality in ensuring â€Å"cultural continuity†. These operations make the community intact for it is a ritual that has been passed from generation to generation, and for a young lady, having undergone this ritual is a sign of being a part of the community. Cultural relativism would dictate that we should not be opposed to this ritual, because the society that practices it sees that it is the right thing to do for the greater good of not just the individual, or her husband, or their families, but for the benefit of the whole society as well. However, if you view this argument with rational thinking, practicing FGM does more harm to the society because the lives of their next generation women are at stake every time the proce dure is performed, and for a continent that relies on female labor for most of its agricultural endeavors, it is not to the society’s benefit if their women cannot do their jobs more efficiently because of chronic infection, pain and difficulty in walking, urination, and menstruation, due to FGM. What is more, the future of the society is at stake because FGM makes the rates of complications in child birth higher and the risk of the mother and infant dying during and after child birth greater. Though many modern philosophers and social scientists recognize that different cultures have different moral codes, many as well as I believe that there is such a thing as a â€Å"natural right†1, that which everything and anything that violates that â€Å"right† can be considered universally wrong (Harman 367).

Summary and Response in the Face of Imperialism Essay Example for Free

Summary and Response in the Face of Imperialism Essay In the subtitle â€Å"Orthodoxy as ‘Objectivity† of â€Å"Thinking About Empire† Michael Parenti argues that all opinions are not of the same value, and the more entrenched the orthodox view becomes, the more irrelevant evidence will be. Firstly, the functions of the heterodox view is to contest the prevailing orthodoxy, to broaden the boundaries of debate, to wake people up and unearth suppressed data. However, the function of orthodox is just the opposite. As we all know, people’s self-protection will be motivated by meeting something they never think about or even never met before. They will fall back when they are in this kind of situation. Secondly, some inflammatory topics like the legitimacy of the 2004 presidential election in the United State, Shangri-La image of Tibet before the Chinese invasion and so on raise issues. They break the traditional ideas, deny rational discourse and make an assertion. This process creates the dominant paradigms. However, whether they will be created all depends on their intellectual reputation or even their careers. In the subtitle â€Å"The Myth of Innocent Empires† of the article Michael Parenti argues that empires seem to be innocent unintentional accretions sometimes, however, they actually are not innocent, absent-minded, accidental accretions. Empires have been welcomed and glorified by people by being given empires laudatory names. They are seen as innocent without plans and reasons occasionally like the example of the United State invaded Iraq. Nevertheless, empires are not innocent, because rulers would like to plunder other lands and people by using them such as the British aggression of India and the Americans armed intervention against Iraq. I agree with Michael Parenti’s idea which is â€Å"When the orthodox view becomes so entrenched, evidence becomes irrelevant†. He use one sentence for a paragraph independently, which I think is very important. I think in this way. The orthodox view have been existed for a while, and people always think it’s right, and never question it. When it faces challenges, people’s first reaction is challenges are wrong even there are some evidence. Believe it or not, some ideological cognition and perspectives about something have already been existed in our mind. Before we judge it, we have already had a answer, unless something we never know. When it comes to whether empires are innocent. I also agree with him. Empires are not innocent. There are a lot aggressions cause by empires in history. They took lives from innocent people, destroy the nature, and so on. Although empires once make people get together, makes them apart as well.

How is childhood presented in Games at Twilight Essay Example for Free

How is childhood presented in Games at Twilight Essay There are many similarities between the ways that childhood is presented in these two short stories. When acting as a group, the children are frequently portrayed as cruel and aggressive. In The Red Ball the young boy is given a variety of cruel names by other children due to his thin frame, for example Thinny Boney and Match-stick foot. This shows the brutal honesty of children of a young age. In Games at Twilight the children are rough and belligerent, shown by the shoves became harder and the frequent quarrelling of the children over who will be It in their game of hide and seek. In Games at Twilight the children are frequently shown in an animalistic light. The authors use of vocabulary reveals this, for example wild, maniacal, and snarling. Words such as prey, stalked and pounded relate to hunting in the animal kingdom, and therefore reinforce the authors portrayal of children as animalistic. In The Red Ball Bolan is said to have waited like a small animal, so children are again compared to animals. The fact that the children in both stories play their games in large groups could represent the packs that animals exist in in the wild. By using animalistic images the authors are able to reinforce their portrayal of children as cruel and aggressive. Childish games seem to hold great significance to the children in both stories. In Games at Twilight the author says that the children are desperate to start their business the business of the childrens day which is play. By making the children in the story so dependent on games the author suggests that the children have basic, immature values, since play is not an adult business. In The Red Ball games also hold a great significance for the children it is Bolans ability to play cricket well that gains him acceptance amongst the other children. It is obvious that friendships are built when games are participated in, as Bolan steals money from his parents to buy a red cricket ball in order to be more highly thought of by his friends. It is interesting to see that the games in both of the stories are carried out outdoors. In The Red Ball the author writes the boys played cricket until the fireflies came out. In Games at Twilight Raghu is described as crashing and storming in the hedge wilder. Thus the children in both stories are more closely linked to nature, reinforcing the authors portrayal of them as animals. In both stories the main characters are portrayed as outcasts. In The Red Ball the young boy watches other children play cricket from the outskirts of the park, and in Games at Twilight young Ravi hides alone, only to find that the other children have quite forgotten him. The difference between the stories is that the young boy in The Red Ball is eventually accepted by his peers and revered by them he becomes their star bowler and therefore essential for their game. In Games at Twilight we are led to believe that Ravi will eventually be accepted by the other children for winning the game of hide and seek he smiled to himself at the thought of so much victory. However Ravi never achieves such victory as the other children forget about him having disappeared from the scene, he had disappeared from their minds. Clean. By using such a short sentence, clean, the author is stressing the fact that Ravi was forgotten by his peers, and therefore emphasises his insignificance to the other children; he is bottom of the pecking order. In Games at Twilight young Ravi is portrayed as rather unintelligent and cowardly. He is frequently described as fearful Ravi shook with fear. His desperation to be accepted by his siblings shows that he is not highly thought of, and is also somewhat pathetic. Thinking that he will win the childish game of hide and seek he thinks that nothing more wonderful had ever happened to him. His unimportance is confirmed in the final sentence of the story he lay down full length on the damp grass silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance. In The Red Ball Bolan is portrayed as a somewhat more intelligent, wise individual. He is capable enough to understand that by replying when he is called offensive names by the other children, he will be labelled with those names. He is also able to comprehend more difficult family situations, and shows perception and intelligence when the author writes it was one of those moments when he felt as if he had held his mother in front of him as a sort of shield to save himself from a rain of blows. In conclusion, the presentation of childhood in the two short stories, Games at Twilight and The Red Ball varies. The main characters, when alone, are portrayed as more innocent individuals, whereas when in larger groups, the children seem to be more cruel and hostile. Games at Twilight offers the less favourable impression of children overall, frequently incorporating animalistic images into the story to describe the children.

Positive Social Competence in Mainstream Deaf Students

Positive Social Competence in Mainstream Deaf Students A Study of Behaviors, Characteristics and Environmental Aspects Michelle Swaney Social Competence of Mainstream Deaf Students Mainstreaming of deaf students in the general education classroom has drastically increased over the past 10 to 15 years. Generally, deaf students in general education/mainstream settings demonstrate lower social competence (e.g., self-concept, self-esteem, social skills and peer relationships) (Antia, Jones, Luckner, Kreimeyer, Reed, 2011) reporting feelings of isolation and loneliness (McCain and Shirin, 2005; Gent, Goedhart, Knoors, Westenberg, Treffers, 2011) than those in inclusion settings. Considerable research has been conducted related to deaf students and low social competence (Vogel-Walcutt, Schatschneider, Bowers, 2011) in general education settings, but there is not research readily available for deaf students who have positive social competence in these settings. This study proposes to ascertain behaviors and characteristics of deaf students who exhibit positive social competence as well as environmental aspects they interact within. As mainstreaming of deaf students continues to significantly increase, having studies available that provide information about deaf students with positive levels of self-concept, self-esteem, social skills and peer relationships in the mainstream setting will greatly benefit parents and educators alike. Design This proposed design of the study will be to determine behaviors and characteristics of deaf students with positive social competence as well as environmental aspects that may lend to enhancing the students’ social competence. Questions to be considered in this study include: 1) How does the deaf student interact and communicate with hearing peers (sign language, writing notes, etc.)? 2) What is the deaf student’s level of self-concept in relation to their deafness? 3) Does the deaf student have supportive and involved parents and/or family relationships? 4) What are the characteristics of the educational classrooms and the environment for the student (e.g., do teachers willingly recognize and interact with the student)? 5) Is the deaf student involved in extra-curricular activities? Answers to each of these questions will provide guidance and help educators to determine what behaviors could be modeled, environmental changes that could be made as well as what characteri stics they should encourage in deaf students in order for more deaf students to begin to develop positive social competence in the general education setting. Participants This study will include up to 25 deaf students in the mainstream/general education setting who demonstrate positive social competence. Students will be selected from elementary, middle/junior high, and high school levels in order to determine characteristics, behaviors, and environmental aspects of these students at each interval of education. Preference will be to have 5 students at the elementary level, 8 students at the middle/junior high level, and 12 students at the high school level. Participant use of amplification (hearing aids) or whether they have a cochlear implant will also be noted in the study as well as their preferred mode of communication as this may indicate a correlational relationship with social competence. Procedure The study procedure will include both observations of the student at home as well as in the educational environment and interviews with the student, educators, and family members. The student will participate in an interview with researchers where they are asked relevant questions to provide their perspective on each of the five questions. After the interview has been conducted with the student, observation in the educational and home setting will be held in order to determine if the student’s answers are an appropriate reflection of their environments. Once the observations have taken place, researchers will also interview educators and parents/family and ask for their perspectives regarding the student on each of the five questions. Interviews and observations will be documented through researcher note-taking as well as video recording for review as needed. Follow-up will occur with elementary and middle/junior high students one-year after they have transitioned to the next level to determine if there have been any noticeable positive or negative changes in any of the five questions. Follow-up for high school students who were freshmen through juniors at the time of the study will occur mid-year of the students’ senior year in high school. This type of follow-up will provide researchers a longitudinal study that will provide a strong basis of information on positive social competence for deaf students as they transition throughout their elementary and secondary education (Wolters, Knoors, Cillessen , Verhoeven, 2012). Predictions Predictions regarding the questions of the study come from the researcher’s knowledge and understanding of the aspects of deafness. Predictions are listed for each study question. 1) How does the deaf student interact and communicate with hearing peers (sign language, writing notes, etc.)? Unless the deaf student utilizes speech, it is predicted that communication and interaction initially originates with writing notes and progresses with lip reading and then into the use of sign language if the student utilizes sign language. If the student is oral, it is highly likely that deaf students will immediately utilize speech in communication and interaction with hearing peers. 2) What is the deaf student’s level of self-concept in relation to their deafness? It is predicted that the deaf student will have a mainly positive level of self-concept in relation to their deafness. They will likely view their deafness as part of their identity rather than a disability that negatively impacts their lives. In addition, they will also be satisfied with their mode of communication, speech/language use, and amplification if used. 3) Does the deaf student have supportive and involved parents and/or family relationships? As with any child who has positive social competence, it is predicted that deaf student’s parents and families will be supportive and involved and well as have consistent ongoing communication with the student. This is not always the case for deaf students, especially with fathers as the lack of communication in the family unit occurs frequently. 4) What are the characteristics of the educational classrooms and the environment (e.g., do teachers willingly recognize and interact with the student) for the student? It is predicted that the characteristics of the educational environment will include teachers who model positive relationships and communication with the deaf student. Likely, the interpreter or other accommodations that the student utilizes are viewed in a positive light and the student is constantly encouraged to be an active member and participant. 5) Is the deaf student involved in extra-curricular activities? The prediction for this question is that a high percentage of the student participants will likely be involved in extra-curricular activities and have integrated themselves into the school culture. Implications The implications of the findings from this study have the potential to make positive changes for deaf students in the mainstream environment as it relates to their level and development of social competence. This may occur several ways: 1) by providing educators and parents with information on behaviors and characteristics that demonstrate positive social competence for deaf students in the mainstream/general education setting, 2) helping both educators and parents determine what potential environmental changes could take place in both settings that could promote positive social competence, and 3) provide deaf middle and high school students transitioning into the mainstream/general education environment with examples of deaf students who have had positive social experiences and thereby been successful in both academic and social realms of the mainstream/general education setting. References Antia, S. D., Jones, P., Kreimeyer, K. H., Luckner, J., Reed, S. (2011). Social outcomes of  students who are deaf and hard of hearing in general education classrooms. Exceptional  Children, 77 (4), 489+. Antia, S. D., McCain, K. G. (2005). Academic and social status of hearing, deaf, and hard of  hearing students participating a co-enrolled classroom. Communication Disorders  Quarterly, 27 (1), 20+. Van Gent, T. Goedhart, A. W., Knoors, H. E. T., Westenberg, P. W., Treffers, P. D. A. (2012).  Self-concept and ego development in deaf adolescents: A comparative study. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, (3), 333-351. Vogel-Walcutt, J. J., Schatschneider, C., Bowers, C. (2011). Social-emotional functioning  of elementary-age deaf children: A profile analysis  American Annals of the Deaf, 156 (1), 6-22. Gallaudet University Press. Wolters, N., Knoors, H. Cillessen, A. H. N., Verhoeven, L. (2012). Impact of peer and teacher  relations on deaf early adolescents’ well-being: Comparisons before and after a major school transition. Journal Of Deaf Studies And Deaf Education, (4), 463-482.

Prion Diseases Essay -- Medical Prions Disease TSE

Prion Diseases Abstract Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are neurodegenerative diseases that are thought to be caused by the misfolding of prion proteins. Prions are able to replicate in the absence of nucleic acids. TSEs include: scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, kuru, Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease, and Fatal Familial Insomnia. They can affect many different animals, including humans. Currently, there are no ways to diagnose, treat, or cure TSEs, as much more research is needed before these diseases are completely understood. 1. Overview Prions are a type of protein found naturally in the brain and other regions of the central nervous system. The diseases associated with prions are collectively known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). â€Å"Transmissible† refers to their potentially infectious nature, and â€Å"spongiform encephalopathies† indicates the microscopic sponge-like deterioration of the brain caused by the progression of the disorders. While these fatal neurodegenerative diseases exhibit different clinical symptoms, have different incubation periods, and even target different areas of the brain, they do share a number of characteristics. They occur in both animals and humans. During a silent incubation period, there are no detectable signs of the disease, although depending on the specific disease, the length of the incubation period can â€Å"vary from a few weeks to up to 40 [years]† (Baker & Ridley, 1996, 1). Due to their unique method of propagation (which will be addressed later), TSEs present a seeming paradox in that â€Å"inherited cases give rise to a disease that is transmissible but acquired cases do not produce heritable diseases† (Baker & Rid... ...(Soto, 2006, 105). 15. Conclusion On a closing note, prion research is significant not only for possible breakthroughs in understanding TSEs, but because of the vast implications the very concept of prions holds for the entire field of biology. As the first substance discovered that can replicate in the absence of nucleic acids, prions defy one of the most central biological doctrines. The similarities between TSEs and dementia disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and â€Å"findings of proteins with a prion-like behavior in yeast and other fungi† (Soto, 2006, 143) suggest that prions and proteins like them may be much more common than ever expected (Soto, 2006, 154). 10 Bibliography Baker, Harry F., & Ridley, Rosalind M. (1996). Prion Diseases. Totowa, New Jersey: Humana Press. Soto, Claudio. (2006). Prions: The New Biology of Proteins. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay -- Frankenstein Shelley Essays

Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" In order to illustrate the main theme of her novel â€Å"Frankenstein†, Mary Shelly draws strongly on the myth of Prometheus, as the subtitle The Modern Prometheus indicates. Maurice Hindle, in his critical study of the novel, suggests, â€Å"the primary theme of Frankenstein is what happens to human sympathies and relationships when men seek obsessively to satisfy their Promethean longings to â€Å"conquer the unknown† - supposedly in the service of their fellow-humans†. This assertion is discussed by first describing the Promethean connection. Thereafter, the two forms of the myth, Prometheus the fire-stealer and Prometheus the life-giver are reviewed in the context of Shelly’s use of the myth in her novel and their relationship to the main theme. Finally, the character of Frankenstein as a modern Prometheus of the scientific age is discussed in the context of English Romantic literature. This â€Å"Promethean longing† mentioned by Hundle, is the connection between Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton. They both seek to gain knowledge of the unknown. Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with occult scientific knowledge results in the destruction of his family and friends, whilst Walton, the narrator of the story, causes many deaths by his obsessive journey to the North Pole. Shelly’s use of the Prometheus myth combines the two versions of the legend, Prometheus the â€Å"fire-stealer† and Prometheus the â€Å"life-giver†. According to the Ancient Greeks, in the first version of the myth, the Titan, Prometheus, in rebellion against Zeus, took fire from the sun and gave it to humankind to warm them and enable them to make tools and weapons, thereby allowing them to rise above other animals. Zeus was incensed by Prometheus’ disobedience, and as punishment, ordered Prometheus chained to a rock, where his liver was eaten by eagles each day and restored each night so that his torment could be prolonged for eternity. The second, Roman version of the myth, comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which, according to Newey (1993), Mary Shelly read in 1815. In this version Prometheus was the Creator who made man from clay and breathed life into him. This relates directly to the quotation on the title page of Shelly’s book. â€Å"Did I request thee Maker, from my clay to mould me man. Did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me? Although a quotation from Milton’s... ...fe-giver. However, it could be argued that Frankenstein is better connected to Prometheus the fire-stealer. Frankenstein’s experiments with the two edged sword of forbidden knowledge had the possibility of bestowing great good upon humanity or perhaps the destruction of humankind. Shelley has utilised both versions of the myth to great effect in the development of the main theme. Her character, Frankenstein, effectively destroyed all he held dear as a consequence of his obsession with the pursuit of forbidden knowledge. Works Cited: Griffith, G. V. 1997 Frankenstein in the Context of the Romantic Era. Retrieved April 2004 from http://www.enotes.com Hindle, M. 1994, Mary Shelley Frankenstein Penguin Books, London Hunter, J. P. (ed.), 1996, Mary Shelley Frankenstein. The 1818 Text, Contexts, Nineteenth-Century Responses, Modern Criticism, W.W. Norton & Company, New York Newey, K. 1993, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Sydney University Press, Sydney Schmidt, A. 1999, The Myth of Prometheus, Retrieved April 2004 from http://www.enotes.com Oates, J.C. 1984 Frankenstein’s Fallen Angel, in Critical Inquiry, Vol 10 No.3. Retrieved April 2004 from http://www.enotes.com

Saussures definition of language :: essays research papers

Most studies of language take a diachronic approach that emphasised, for instance, a "cause/effect" or sequential view of meaning and communication. Saussure used a synchronic method of study that looked at simultaneous relationships. One result of the synchronic method was Saussure's insistence on the double nature of language and linguistic elements. Saussure insisted on the systematic nature of language; â€Å"Language is a structure, a functioning whole in which the different parts are determined by one another† (Course in General Linguistics p. 9). The combined elements of parole and langue form language. Language states Saussure, manifests itself as speech (parole), the actual performance of speakers when they speak or write, also language (langue), which represents the knowledge or competence that all speakers possess of their language (Course in General Linguistics p. 8- 9). Speech says Saussure, â€Å"has both an individual and social side †¦ always implies both establish system and evolution† (Course in General Linguistics p. 8). All changes in language occur in parole, in the actual speech act. But only some of these changes become institutionalised in langue. Saussure states that langue, should not be confused with human speech, it is a system or structure of speech codes. He argued that linguistic elements are relational, that it is viewpoint that creates the object of linguistic study. Because so much depends on viewpoint, the nature of the linguistic sign is necessarily arbitrary. Saussure followed that if we are able to recognise things through mental representations, then the brain also has to recognise words we hear via mental representations, in conjunction with distinguishing what the words mean via representations. From this, Saussure goes on to make the sign the unity of sound-image and concept. Thus like Aristotle he seems to think that there are mental facts (concepts). He does not believe however of the sound as a sign of those concepts, rather that the sound that travels due to the physical disturbance in the air (is associated with a mental representation of the sound) the sound-image.

Theories of Leadership and Motivation

Introduction:Leadership is the character which every administration wants to see in their staff and the individual who is self motivated and who can actuate the squad members become a good director. Leadership is nil but animating the squad leader is the 1 who does it, inspiration is nil but motive. So leading and motive is a chemical science which can take any hard undertaking to success. The leading and motive chemical science is largely helpful in direction sector whether it is in concern or in the squad ; every person posse ‘s leading but the 1 who patterns on the spell go a perfect leader. The chief facet a leader consists is a vision for the certain intent. When a undertaking or undertaking is taken over by a company the company searches for a leader who posses cognition on the undertaking and vision how to develop the undertaking, make usage of co-workers and give the administration a net income on it. A leader tends to act upon the undertaking to be continued and alter to be taken topographic point to do the administration profitable. There are several theories on leading by great leaders some of them say that â€Å" leading is an action non place or individual † . These theories help to fix a perfect leader, all these theories are proposed and practiced by great leaders and directors but latest direction considers a leader who follows his function.Leadership theories:Sing leading reveals school of idea giving different leading theories such as Great Man theory, trait theory, behaviorist theory, situational leading theory, eventuality theory, transactional theory and transformational theory. Great adult male theory is the 1 proposed before 20th century where it says that leaders are born with the endowment and leader should be a adult male this lead to the following theory trait theory.Trait theory:The trait theory rose from the constructs of the ‘Great Man ‘approach. This theory leads to place the of import features of a successful leader. The people who got the characters as defined by the traits attack are isolated or shortlisted and those are recruited as leaders. This type of attack was largely implemented in military and still used in some of the country. Harmonizing to the trait theory the individual who got the undermentioned accomplishments is said to be a trait.Ambitious and success orientedAdaptable to all sorts of state of affairssCo operative to all the members in the organisationHighly active or energeticDominativeGood determination devising abilitySelf-assuredAdaptable to emphasize conditions andReliable.These are the characters which make a individual trait and they should posses some accomplishments which areSkillsIntelligentSkilled conceptuallyCreativeFluent in speech productionTactfulSelf motivated and self beliefSkilled sociallyWhen these sorts of accomplishments and characters are identified in the individual, the individual is recruited in the squad.Behavioral theory:The trait survey does n't give any conclusive consequences and it was difficult to mensurate some more critical issues such as honestness, unity and trueness. This leaded the attending to be diverted on to the behavior theories. The behavior theory focuses on human relationship and success public presentation every bit good. Harmonizing to behavioral theory the director believes that the working environment should be like an amusement topographic point where the outgo of mental and physical attempts is treated to be drama and remainder. The thought of director is an mean individual non merely learns to accept but besides seek duty. The people will automatically larn to exert self-denial and self way to accomplish the end or mark. The organisational jobs can go inventive and originative.Contingency theory theoretical account:This theory illustrates that there are many ways for the director to take the squad to acquire best result. Harmonizing to the state of affairs the director can happen a best manner to acquire the best result. Fiedler worked on eventuality theory harmonizing to that he looked for three state of affairss which define the status of a managerial undertaking.Leader and squad member relationshipWork construction or undertaking constructionPosition and powerThe director should keep relation with their squad members to acquire along and make assurance and do them experience free to believe about the undertaking and give their thoughts to assist the undertaking to be finished. Undertaking construction is the occupation extremely structured or unstructured or in between. The power shows how much authorization a director does posses. This theory rates the director whether the trough is relationship oriented or undertaking oriented. The undertaking oriented directors gets success in such state of affairss where there is good leader and squad member relationship and structured undertakings or undertakings does n't count whether the place power is weak or strong. And acquire success when the undertaking is unstructured and does hold any kind of good vision by holding a strong power and place. The variables which affect the undertaking such as environmental variables are combined in a heavy some and differentiated as favorable and unfavorable state of affairss. The undertaking oriented direction manner depends on the favorable and unfavorable environment variables but the relationship direction manner stays in the center by pull offing or altering the variables to roll up with their manner. Both manners of directions got their sides to be good when all the public presentation and squad work good in the undertakings. There is no good or bad direction in these two directions. Task motivated direction manner leaders do best when the squad performs good and they are good in accomplishing good gross revenues record and public presentation better than their rival where as the relationship oriented leaders are helpful to derive positive client service and construct a positive image to the administration.Transactional and transformational leading:Transformational leading â€Å" is a relationship of common simulation and lift that converts the followings in to leaders and may change over leaders into moral agents † Transformational leading is pass oning with the leaders and the squad members to take them to higher degree something like a leader can go a moral agent and the follower can go a leader. Transactional leading technique builds the individual to complete the certain undertaking such as occupation done for the clip being. Some of the differences between transactional and transformational leading are Transactional manner of leading builds a adult male to finish a certain undertaking where as transformational manners builds a member to go a leader. This focuses on undertaking completion and tactical manner of direction where as transformational leading focal point on schemes and missions. These are some theories of the leading which shows how a leader act on different state of affairss and how different leaders behave to acquire success in the organisation.Motivation in Management:Theories of motive:The theories of motive can be divided into 3 wide classs. Reinforcement theories – stress the agencies through which the procedure of commanding an person ‘s behaviour by pull stringsing its effects takes topographic point . . Contented theories – focal point chiefly on single demands – the physiological or psychological lacks that we feel a irresistible impulse to cut down or extinguish. Procedure theories – focal point on the idea or cognitive procedures that take topographic point within the heads of people and that control their behaviour.Early Theories of Motivation:Hierarchy of Needs TheoryTheory X and Theory YMotivation-Hygiene TheoryContemporary Theories of Motivation:ERG TheoryMcClelland ‘s Theory of NeedsCognitive Evaluation TheoryUndertaking Features TheoriesGoal-Setting TheoryEquity TheoryHierarchy of Needs Theory:Abraham Maslow hypothesized that within every human being there exists a hierarchy of five demands:Physiological.Safety.Social.Esteem.Self-actualization.Maslow so categorized these 5 demands into lower-order demands and higher-order needs.Lower-order demands are needs that are satisfied externally: physiological and safety needs.Higher-order demands are needs that are satisfied internally ( within the individual ) : societal, esteem, and self-actualization demands.Theory X and Theory Y of Douglas McGrogor:McGregor concluded that a di rector ‘s vision of the nature of human existences is based on a certain blend of premises and that he or she tends to model his or her actions toward subsidiaries harmonizing to these premises:Employees of course dislike work and, whenever possible, will try to avoid itSince employees dislike work, they must be coerced, controlled, or threatened with penalty to accomplish endsEmployees will avoid duties and seek formal way whenever possibleMotivation-hygiene Theory:Harmonizing to Herzberg, the factors taking to occupation satisfaction are spliting and distinguishable from those that leads to occupation dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors include factors such as: company policy and disposal, supervising, interpersonal dealingss, working conditions, and salary. Motivator factors include factors such as: attainment, acknowledgment, the work itself, duty and growing.Hygiene FactorsCompany regulation and direction ;Supervision ;association with supervisor ;Work fortunes ;Salary ;Rela tionship with equals ;Personal life ;association with subsidiaries ;Status ;SafetyIncentive Factors:attainmentrecognition ;Work itself ;Duty ;patterned advance ;GrowthContemporary Theories of Motivation:ERG Theory:ERG Theory proposed by Clayton Alderfer of Yale University: Alderfer fights that there are three groups of nucleus demands:BeingRelatednessGrowthExistence group is worried with supplying our basic stuff being demands. Relatedness group is the desire we have for keeping of import interpersonal relationshipsMcClelland ‘s Theory of Needs:McClelland ‘s theory of demands focal points on three demands:AccomplishmentPowerAffiliationCognitive Evaluation Theory:Allocating extrinsic wagess for behavior that had been antecedently per se rewarded tends to diminish the overall degree of motive. ( This construct was proposed in the late sixtiess. ) The mutuality of extrinsic and intrinsic wagess is a existent phenomenonUndertaking Characteristics Theories:These theories seek to place undertaking features of occupations, how these features are combined to organize different occupations, and their relationship to employee motive, satisfaction, and public presentation.Goal-setting theory:Specific and hard ends lead to higher public presentation. Feedback leads to higher public presentation than non-feedback. In add-on to feedback, 2 other factors have been found to act upon the goals-performance relationship. These are:Goal committedness.Sufficient self-efficacy.Equity Theory:Persons make comparings of their occupation inputs and outcomes relations to those of others and so move in response so as to take any unfairnesss ‘ . Stacy Adams proposed that this negative tenseness province provides the motive to make something to rectify it. There are 4 referent comparings that employee can utilize:Self-inside.Self-outside.Other – interior.Other – exterior.DecisionThe alteration in the leading theories clip by clip says that the leader should posses certain characters which lead the organizational success whether to believe in keeping a relationship or to travel on tactically the director or the leader should move to the state of affairs and acquire success at the terminal. Depending on the companies motive the leader should respond or act with the squad members to accomplish the mark. Normally keeping a good relation helps to do the squad members life easy and pull off the work merrily. The squad members become more advanced and achieve marks easy where as with tactical manner leading may make some kind of force per unit area on the squad members, there is no warrant that in every state of affairs relational ship direction is successful. the leader should accommodate himself for the state of affairs and mo ve harmonizing to a peculiar state of affairs. We have discussed above merely a aggregation of the motive theories and ideas of the assorted advocates of direction.In some of the theories and sentiment presented, nevertheless, one can detect some ‘glimpses ‘ of the individual and how, possibly, he or she could be motivated. This is fulfilling in itself. But, as noted earlier, pattern has been in progress of theory in this field, so allow us now move to the realistic side of direction of human behavior and motive in the workplace.

The Potential Worries of Individual Visit Scheme

Recently, Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) has become a controversial topic in Hong Kong. Online forums, newspapers and magazines are weighing the pros and cons of the scheme every day. Undoubtedly, it boosts the Hong Kong tourism. However, it has led to several drawbacks to Hong Kong in resource allocation, culture differentiation and livelihood. To commence with, for resource allocation, IVS greatly makes the distribution of resources in Hong Kong become chaotic.After the implementation of IVS, more and more Mainland visitors go to Hong Kong and cause disorder of resources in medical services, local products and housing prices. According to delivery statistics of non-local pregnant women from Hong Kong Hospital Authority, the number of non-eligible persons admitted via Accident and Emergency Department increases from 796 in 2010 to 888 in 2012 January to September, which means the workload of front-line medical consultants is increasing.Since the supply of medical consultants has been in shortage already, the medical services in Hong Kong are not enough and in severe burden to afford. In addition, many local newspapers like Mingpao and Appledaily report that a number of Mainland tourists spend lots of money purchasing daily products during their visit. For example, in Sheung Shui, Mainland parallel traders make use of IVS and â€Å"One Issuance Multiple Entries Visa† to buy tins of milk powder, tissues and wines, which led to the deficiency of daily supplies in North District.In other words, citizens in North District cannot enjoy the use of local products as the resource allocation is inadequate. Aside from local products, resource allotment of housing is also troublesome. Based on a study conducted by Hong Kong Research Association, it reveals that with 1080 interviewees, 84 per cent of them think that through IVS, Mainland people in Hong Kong have raised the cost of building. It explains that buildings built by either the Government or property develop ment companies cannot ease the housing problem for local citizens, which, however, benefits people from Mainland.This shows that the resources are not used by the local, but by Mainlanders including tourists in IVS. Secondly, implementing IVS increases conflicts between Hongkongers and Mainlanders due to cultural difference. For example, Mainland parents allow their children to foul everywhere. Netizens in many Internet forums like hkgolden discussed such incidents. They commented this behavior critically and caused conflicts between people in Hong Kong and Mainland due to different cultural levels.Besides, in April, to attract Mainland visitors and become more customer-friendly, agnes b. in Tseung Kwan O, whose news was reported by SCMP, used simplified Chinese words instead of traditional words in its menus. Treating that as an invasion of Hong Kong culture, Hong Kong citizens were furious of seeing the simplified Chinese words appearing in Hong Kong and tried to boycott it. Moreo ver, in January, SCMP reported that there was a rally over ‘photo ban' about retailer Dolce & Gabbana, which was a human rights and cultural unfairness between Mainlanders and Hong Kong people.These incidents have further worsened the relationship between Mainland tourists through IVS and local citizens because of cultural differentiation. Apart from consequences caused by culture difference, IVS produces various living problems to local citizens which make disturbance to their living. Some politicians may think that IVS can improve the Hong Kong economy and hence increase the living standards of local citizens, especially the underprivileged. It is, however, a wrong prediction. Scholar Francis T.Lui (2009) accounts for this statement: Hong Kong should pay for the consequence of IVS. For example, the European and American brands, milk powder and other products are not made in Hong Kong, so that Hong Kong can be assigned limited profits. For the Mainland visitors going shopping in Hong Kong, it also increases rents and prices of goods, which deteriorates the living standards of the local people. Furthermore, the owner of â€Å"Subculture† Pang Chi Ming adds his opinion about the consequences that IVS has brought: The consuming ability of Mainland visitors makes Hong Kong lose her local style.For example, shops in Mongkok are occupied by pharmacies, jewelry stores, electronics stores and cosmetics shops which welcome Mainland tourists. It also makes local citizens lose a place for recreational use. Increased crimes also lower the lifestyle in Hong Kong. According to the Hong Kong Police crime figures of Comparison of 2012 and 2011 Crime Situation, from January to October in 2012, the total number of crimes committed by Mainland visitors increases 9. 7% compared with the same period in 2011.In the past, such criminals were mostly illegal immigrants, but now they do not take risks to go to Hong Kong illegally. They can go to Hong Kong by IVS, then com mit crimes and cause troubles to our living. Such results and shocking statistics have deprived Hongkongers of the way of life. To conclude, IVS causes different disadvantages to Hong Kong in allocating resources, cultural relationship with China and the living standards. It is hoped that the Hong Kong Government should and must pay attention to and deal with these potential worries for the sake of the plight of local people.

Digital Fortress Chapter 44

Phil Chartrukian stood fuming in the Sys-Sec lab. Strathmore's words echoed in his head: Leave now! That's an order! He kicked the trash can and swore in the empty lab. â€Å"Diagnostic, my ass! Since when does the deputy director bypass Gauntlet's filters!?† The Sys-Secs were well paid to protect the computer systems at the NSA, and Chartrukian had learned that there were only two job requirements: be utterly brilliant and exhaustively paranoid. Hell, he cursed, this isn't paranoia! The fucking Run-Monitor's reading eighteen hours! It was a virus. Chartrukian could feel it. There was little doubt in his mind what was going on: Strathmore had made a mistake by bypassing Gauntlet's filters, and now he was trying to cover it up with some half-baked story about a diagnostic. Chartrukian wouldn't have been quite so edgy had TRANSLTR been the only concern. But it wasn't. Despite its appearance, the great decoding beast was by no means an island. Although the cryptographers believed Gauntlet was constructed for the sole purpose of protecting their code-breaking masterpiece, the Sys-Secs understood the truth. The Gauntlet filters served a much higher god. The NSA's main databank. The history behind the databank's construction had always fascinated Chartrukian. Despite the efforts of the Department of Defense to keep the Internet to themselves in the late 1970s, it was too useful a tool not to attract the public-sector. Eventually universities pried their way on. Shortly after that came the commercial servers. The floodgates opened, and the public poured in. By the early 90's, the government's once-secure â€Å"Internet† was a congested wasteland of public E-mail and cyberporn. Following a number of unpublicized, yet highly damaging computer infiltrations at the Office of Naval Intelligence, it became increasingly clear that government secrets were no longer safe on computers connected to the burgeoning Internet. The President, in conjunction with the Department of Defense, passed a classified decree that would fund a new, totally secure government network to replace the tainted Internet and function as a link between U.S. intelligence agencies. To prevent further computer pilfering of government secrets, all sensitive data was relocated to one, highly secure location-the newly constructed NSA databank-the Fort Knox of U.S. intelligence data. Literally millions of the country's most classified photos, tapes, documents, and videos were digitized and transferred to the immense storage facility and then the hard copies were destroyed. The databank was protected by a triple-layer power relay and a tiered digital backup system. It was also 214 feet underground to shield it from magnetic fields and possible explosions. Activities within the control room were designated Top Secret Umbra†¦ the country's highest level of security. The secrets of the country had never been safer. This impregnable databank now housed blueprints for advanced weaponry, witness protection lists, aliases of field agents, detailed analyses and proposals for covert operations. The list was endless. There would be no more black-bag jobs damaging U.S. intelligence. Of course, the officers of the NSA realized that stored data had value only if it was accessible. The real coup of the databank was not getting the classified data off the streets, it was making it accessible only to the correct people. All stored information had a security rating and, depending on the level of secrecy, was accessible to government officials on a compartmentalized basis. A submarine commander could dial in and check the NSA's most recent satellite photos of Russian ports, but he would not have access to the plans for an anti-drug mission in South America. CIA analysts could access histories of known assassins but could not access launch codes reserved for the President. Sys-Secs, of course, had no clearance for the information in the databank, but they were responsible for its safety. Like all large databanks-from insurance companies to universities-the NSA facility was constantly under attack by computer hackers trying to sneak a peek at the secrets waiting inside. But the NSA security programmers were the best in the world. No one had ever come close to infiltrating the NSA databank-and the NSA had no reason to think anybody ever would. Inside the Sys-Sec lab, Chartrukian broke into a sweat trying to decide whether to leave. Trouble in TRANSLTR meant trouble in the databank too. Strathmore's lack of concern was bewildering. Everyone knew that TRANSLTR and the NSA main databank were inextricably linked. Each new code, once broken, was fired from Crypto through 450 yards of fiber-optic cable to the NSA databank for safe keeping. The sacred storage facility had limited points of entry-and TRANSLTR was one of them. Gauntlet was supposed to be the impregnable threshold guardian. And Strathmore had bypassed it. Chartrukian could hear his own heart pounding. TRANSLTR's been stuck eighteen hours! The thought of a computer virus entering TRANSLTR and then running wild in the basement of the NSA proved too much. â€Å"I've got to report this,† he blurted aloud. In a situation like this, Chartrukian knew there was only one person to call: the NSA's senior Sys-Sec officer, the short-fused, 400-pound computer guru who had built Gauntlet. His nickname was Jabba. He was a demigod at the NSA-roaming the halls, putting out virtual fires, and cursing the feeblemindedness of the inept and the ignorant. Chartrukian knew that as soon as Jabba heard Strathmore had bypassed Gauntlet's filters, all hell would break loose. Too bad, he thought, I've got a job to do. He grabbed the phone and dialed Jabba's twenty-four-hour cellular.

An Event That Changed My Attitude Towards Life Essay

An accident last year changed my attitude towards life . That accident had a great impact on me , it taught me to treasure what i have and to treasure those people around me more . Although the accident was not life threatening , it was still the scariest thing i had ever been through in life . It was an accident that no one would have expected and wanted it to happen . The accident happened sometime last year during the june holidays , while i was having my council annual camp . It was the second day of the camp and we were all playing the four corners captains ball . I love ball games , as long as it is a sport but who knew such an accident would happen on me . When the game started , students were banging and pushing everyone they see as long as they are not from the same team . As the game goes into the second half , competitiveness began to rise , actions of defending and attacking was beginning to seem more obvious . It was finally my turn to play, i was so excited that i ran around attacking and defending , supporting my teammates as an when they needed me . After a while , there was a free throw ball , therefore i decided to slow walk backwards. Before slow walking backwards , i checked that there wasn’t anyone behind me just to prevent any accident to occur . After making sure that it was safe to walk backwards , i then proceeded walking backwards , but who knew a girl that was thrice my size ran pass me and i tripped over her leg and instantly fell backwards . The only thing that in my mind was not to let my head hit against the concrete ground hence i used my right hand to break my fall . I fell against the ground and my right hand lost its strength immediately. I thought that it was just a small injury therefore i just stood up , bear with the pain and walked back to my team’s home ground . While i was walking back , i felt that something was wrong as i could not move my wrist area at all . Due to my CCA we are all required to learn first aid , therefore i could sense something was terribly wrong . I then went to my friend who was also in my CCA and asked her if there was something wrong with my wrist area . When i showed her my wrist , she gasp in utter shock like she did not know what to do and had never seen any injuries like this before. I was curious why she gasped in that way and took a look at my own wrist , i then got as shocked as her as my wrist bone was jutting our and it was swollen . She touched the swollen part lightly without any force and it was so painful that i cried . The pain was excruciating , it was a type of feeling that i would never want to feel it again . Many of my teammates started crowding around me , getting more worried and concern about my hand , the president of student council was then notified about someone was injured. She then walked over to my team home ground and saw a girl on the floor crying . She got shock knowing that the person was me as i was a strong girl , no matter how pain it was i would try my best to bear with it and not drop a single tear . She was then aware of how much the pain was and knew it was unbearable . The teacher-in-charge was then notified while i was walking to his office with people supporting my wrist and my upper part of my body as did not had the strength. The teacher saw me and the state of my wrist and then told the president and my best friend to be beside me while asking the rest of the students to continue with the game before going back into his staff room to get some materials to make a temporary cast just to protect my wrist from getting hurt further . My best friend was then assigned to be by my side while my teacher drove me to the nearest hospital which was the Changi General Hospital . Honestly , it was my first time going to the Accident and Emergency department i was scared and worried about what will happen to my wrist and how will my parents react. While my teacher was doing all the registration i sat there in state of shock . It was really a blessing having my best friend by my side comforting me and constantly telling me everything will be alright . I was then called to do some X-RAYS before consulting the doctor . My parents finally came and just right it was my turn to consult the doctor , my mother then went in together with me . The doctor was then examining my X-RAYS that i took before consulting him . My heart was beating very very fast as I am a right hander and i need my right hand to do many things. Finally the doctor spoke , he said that there was no obvious or major fractures shown in my X-RAYS but i have to put an temporary cast on my hand. He then referred me to a specialist at KK Children Bone Specialist to ensure there was no hairline fracture or any small minor fractures . I was on cast for one month . My appointment with the specialist then arrived , it was a few days after my holiday trip . I then went to KK Hospital and got my cast removed as the specialist confirmed that there was no hairline fractures or what not it was only an inflamed tendon and the impact of the fall that cause it to swell. I felt so happy after my cast was being removed , but at the same time i was also upset as the physiotherapist said that i have to wear the plastic cast for at least a month and i will not be able to do anything that require strength on my wrist . To me , i was basically handicapped . I thought the that my life could not get any worser but it did . Due to the extreme pain my wrist facing , i was then prescribed with a particular painkiller called ‘Bufen’ . My family then went to my Aunt’s house for a family dinner , once i reached my Aunt’s place , i took my painkiller as i had consume food before the visit to the doctor. The painkiller itself causes drowsiness therefore i needed to take a nap after taking the painkiller . I took a nap for 1 hour and wanted to wake up for dinner but to my horror i was unable to open my eyes , i was then scared out of my wits , jumped off the bed and screamed very loudly . My Aunt , Uncle , Cousins and my parents then came into the room and on the light getting a shock after seeing my eyes . I was then crying and trying to open my eyes at the same time but all i could see was total darkness . I was only able to differentiate who was who when i listen to their voices clearly. I sat on the bed feeling panic and scared , all that was on my mind was ‘ would i go blind and never see this world again? there are still so many things i want to see and admire . i cannot afford to go blind ‘ . My dad then called up the KK Hospital and told them what happened to me , i was then asked to make a trip down to the A&E as soon as possible . My parents then immediately brought me to the A&E at KK Hospital . I was then examined and asked to stay there for a day to make sure my condition is stabilized and that there was no more allergy reaction. The doctor then came to my ward and asked me if i had any drug allergy , i said no. This was an unknown allergy that had only been discovered then . While i was lying down on my ward bed , the nurse gave me a pink liquid medication to help my allergic reaction to subside . The next morning when i woke up , i was finally able to open my eyes and the first thing i saw was my parents siting beside my bed asleep . I then realized how much i did not treasured them and how great they were . The nurse came to check on me , my parents woke up and i was able to be discharged. I was so happy that i finally could open my eyes and see the world and the bright sun . After this accident , i do still play ball games but i never walked backwards again . This accident made me realized how much i was taking my parents for granted and how much i was not contended with my life . I decided to change my point of view of my life and to change my attitude towards my life , making sure that i would not wait till something bad like that happen again to realize how much i have not been treasuring the people around me and the things i have.