Thursday, October 31, 2019

Research Methodologies Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research Methodologies Paper - Essay Example Customer perceptions of value differ from time to time. Due to this, the attributes which create value are not only gotten from existing knowledge, data that is collected and analyzed and the findings communicated through a report. The maiden goal of a marketing research is to equip managers with facts and figures which are need in the making of more tangible marketing decisions (Edward, F 2007). Information is really needed in order to place XYZ strategically on the Germany market which has a lot of competition as there are other organizations dealing in the same products as us. For this information to help us, it should be accurate, the management should be willing to act on this information which will results, the risk involved should be combed out first as well as the level of competition. All this is possible is a research is done to fully understand the Germany market well so to enter without doubt. Exploratory research will be undertaken using literature search and taking a survey on a number of people about their past experiences. Some well known focus groups will also be surveyed in addition to case studies. Exploratory research methodology will not be about getting a representative sample of the customers, rather, this methodology will seek to make use of convenience sampling; only those with prior knowledge will be interviewed since they are better placed and will be able to provide a better understanding concerning the relationship among ventures dealing with the same wares as us. As Edward, F (2007) puts it, exploratory research is better due to its flexibility. This is not much expensive and with some $100,000, a research can be carried out exhaustively. On the other hand, descriptive research methodology will be used due to its rigidity According to Richmond, P (2004), descriptive research seeks to provide a description of the users of certain products, the actual proportion of the representation that uses

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The place of anonymity in theories of crowd behaviour Essay Example for Free

The place of anonymity in theories of crowd behaviour Essay Explain the place of anonymity in theories of crowd behaviour. Is it always associated with a ‘loss of self’ (Dixon and Mahendran, 2012, p. 13)? This essay will start by explaining the concept of anonymity and how it is used in theories of crowd behaviour namely the contagion, deindividuation theory and social identity theory. Later the essay will focus on critical discussion comparing the above theories in terms of how they perceive anonymity and the loss of self. It will highlight the similarities between Le Bon’s theory and the deidividuation theory but will also point out some of their differences. The essay will also offer the account of the social identity theory which does not see the crowd behaviour as associated with the loss of self and explains it differently in terms of social identity. The essay will also present evidence to support these claims. The crowd behaviour theories are concerned with how individuals experience being a part of a large group and how this in turn influences their feelings and behaviour. Crowd psychologists would argue that the experience of being a part of a large group necessarily means that a sense of anonymity is created. This anonymity then allows individuals in the crowd to feel somehow ‘safe’ in terms of what they are able to do or say without being directly responsible for it. However different theories view the concept of anonymity differently. Le Bon argued that the concept of anonymity in the crowd is not beneficial at all. In fact he viewed the crowds as dangerous because individuals lose their rationality which is substituted by a ‘group mind’ and as such crowds are a threat to social hierarchy (Dixon and Mahendran, 2012, p. 5). According to Le Bon the experience of being in the crowd involves anonymity thus the individuals are not responsible for their actions and feel a part of the collective therefore are more likely to get influenced by ideas that are sweeping through the crowd a concept Le Bon called the contagion. This anonymity then leads the individuals to behave in an aggressive and primitive way. The deindividuation theory outlook on anonymity is a bit different. Whilst deindividuation theory would agree with Le Bon on the fact  that crowd behaviour generates anonymity and leads individuals to believe that they are not personally accountable for their actions in the crowd, the idea of a ‘ group mind’ is dismissed. Instead Festinger, Pepitone and Newcomb argue that the sense of anonymity individuals experience in the crowds is a psychological shift in individual’s self perception which is clearly measurable (Dixon and Mahendran, 2012, p. 6.). From the perspective of the social identity theory crowd behaviour is not necessarily connected with anonymity and the loss of self. According to Tajfel and Turner the loss of self in the crowd behaviour is replaced by the social identity which is constrained by shared social norms amongst the group. Tajfel argues that we posses not just one individual identity but also a social one in terms that we belong to various social groups and share and accept their norms and values. In this light the social identity theory would argue that individuals do not lose their sense of self in the crowd rather they are more constrained by the shared group norms and as such cannot feel anonymous. It could be argued that Le Bon’s concept of contagion and the deindividuation theory have some similarities. They both start with the assumption that the crowd behaviour involves anonymity which is associated with the loss of self to a certain degree. Both of these theories also agree on the fact that the crowd behaviour alters individual’s feelings and behaviour and makes them more impulsive and less accountable for their actions. However both of the theories use different concept to explain this behaviour. Whilst Le Bon explains the crowd behaviour with the concept of the ‘group mind’ which takes over a rational individual’s mind and leads them to be aggressive and primitive (Dixon and Mahendran, 2012, p. 5), Festinger et al. use the concept of deindividuation to explain the psychological shift in individual’s mind whilst being part of the crowd. Another similarity between the concept of contagion and deindividuation is their perception of crowds being somewhat negative in their nature. Le Bon argues that crowds are dangerous in terms of their primitiveness and possible uncontrolled aggression. These features of crowd behaviour according to Le Bon pose a threat to the social hierarchy and as such should  be controlled and prevented (Dixon and Mahendran, 2012, p. 5). Similarly the deindividuation theories would suggest that the effects of crowd behaviour on the individual are negative in a sense that they lead to increased aggression. Zimbardo focused on the links between anonymity and aggression in his experiment with administering the electric shocks and the findings suggested that anonymity had indeed intensified the aggression. Zimbardo explained this phenomenon as a ‘diffusion of responsibility’ and saw it as a by-product of deindividuation. According to Zimbardo being part of crowd (or a social group) makes individuals feel like they are protected by the anonymity surrounding them and therefore they do not feel a moral responsibility for their actions which leads them to being more violent and aggressive. In the light of the evidence presented by Zimbardo it could be argued that anonymity is indeed associated with the loss of self. On the other hand there are differences to be found between these theories and their outlook on the loss of self. Whilst Le Bon and his concept of contagion and to some degree deindividuation theories would argue that crowds are not beneficial, the social identity theory would present evidence to argue otherwise. As Tajfel and Turner argue crowd behaviour is not necessarily associated with the loss of self rather there is a shift from the individual’s sense of self to the collective one. Social identity theorists do not see this feature of crowd behaviour as negative but rather they explain crowd behaviour in terms of its uniformity and spontaneity. According to the social identity theorists the fact that people belong to a certain social group creates constraints and forces the individuals to behave in a way that is acceptable and shared within the members of the group. As such the social groups act in a way which is more uniformed and predictable than the individuals themselves. Furthermore the social identity theorists would point out that thanks to the concept of ‘inductive categorization’ the crowds behaviour can be seen as socially coordinated. This concept can be explained using an example of football fans behaviour during the football match where there is no leader who orders the fans to sing and cheer at the same time. Rather if one of the fans starts singing or chanting the others join in because of the ‘inductive categorization’ within this particular social group. The evidence to challenge the claim that anonymity in crowd behaviour is always associated with a loss of self can be found in a research conducted by Reicher on the St. Pauls riots. Reicher argued that the riots were no random acts of violence as Le Bon or deindividuation theory would suggest, rather the rioters directed their violence towards specific targets and kept them geographically confined to the relevant area. This suggests that the rioter’s behaviour was uniformed and predictable and therefore fits in the explanation of the social identity theory. Further evidence can be found in the research of Reicher and Stott on the London riots in 2011. From the perspective of the deidividuation and Le Bon’s theory the riots were explained as a prime example of a ‘group mind’ taking over any rationality and resulting in violence and aggression. According to these theories the individuals lost their identity in the crowd hence their responsibility and behaved like primitive animals. However different perspective is offered by the social identity theorists. Reicher and Stott argued that the rioters did not lose their identities in the riots but rather they switched to the social identity which resulted in a collective action. The rioters were not random criminals but were members of the social community with a shared ideas and goals. The actions of the rioters were not random but they were directed at the symbols of authority suggesting collective and uniformed action which was designed to fight inequality. The social identity theorists would therefore argue that there is no such concept as a loss of self in the cr owd behaviour rather there is a shift to a social identity which is distinguished by its collectiveness and uniformity. In summary then it could be argued that from the perspective of the deindividuation theory and Le Bon’s theory, anonymity in crowd behaviour is associated with the loss of self. Le Bon and his concept of contagion argue that individuals in crowd lose their ability to think rationally and are consumed by the ‘group mind’. Deindividuation theories argue for the psychological shift in individual’s mind which is caused by crowd’s anonymity and leads to irrationality and aggression. Zimbardo’s experiment on the diffusion of responsibility certainly suggests this. On the other hand the social identity theory and its explanation of the crowd behaviour  argue strongly against the concept of the loss of the self. This perspective suggests that social groups are far more constrained by its shared social norms to be irrational. Social identity theorists view the crowd behaviour as a positive force in the social change.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Fake News: A Global Problem

Fake News: A Global Problem Mathangii Balasubramanian Carla Nyssen Do you remember the dress worn by American First lady for the presidential inauguration back in January of 2012? Several thousands of people looked at the photo posted online of her striped dress and had overwhelmingly different opinions about what color it was. Many thought it was navy blue and white, some said it was black and white, and few others even thought it was green 4xand yellow. So what was the actual color of that dress and what was the truth? What was the reasoning behind such contrasting opinions and what does this lead to? Dress worn by The First Lady is an example how the same information was interpreted in several different ways. This comes to mind amid discussions about how fake news and outright lies has taken precedence and its serious impact.mk In this so-called world of fake news where there is unlimited freedom of information sharing, anyone can spread anything they wish on the internet around the globe and anyone can find the information and rely on the fake news which confirms their beliefs. This clearly shows the lack of publics critical thinking and fall prey to fake news. This representation of the lack of critical thinking skills is quite worrying and in order to prevent the spread of fake news and control this serious problem, root cause concerning human mind has to be understood. The unprecedented rapid growth in technology leading to a widespread increase in fake news, understanding the inherent nature of human cognition, loopholes in the media and ways to control the spread of fake news has to be understood. In order to be a discerning news consumer, it is important for oneself to be a critical thinker with the ability to differentiate fake news from real news. There were various forms of media such as television, newspapers, magazines, and radio to spread and disseminate information before internet came into existence. Ancient media methods allowed advertisements and supplements which paved way to mask the real news. Television was a phenomena in the 1960s which glued people to sit in front of their media box. Advertisements, seen as ways to mask real news was telecasted during prime time with an opportunity to reach millions of homes every day. Later, fantasy based reality shows closed the gap between real and staged events. In todays world, professional looking websites can be published and search engines and social media platforms can be programmed to create influential news. Even a technological savvy computer science or information technology graduate student can create such websites. The news media doesnt tailor its content to specific individuals, hence its varied content and far reaching impact. Information shared with the media will spread at a faster pace and to a greater extent compared to the one without media coverage. Media targets a set of people whom the message needs to be communicate. Online media provides unlimited free access to information through websites, blogs, and various applications. Internet coverage and smart devices allow easy access to news media with a finger touch. Due to the volatile nature of politics, economy, and safety environment in the world, news media plays an important role. The news media do play a significant role on the negative side as well spreading fake news through various tabloids. There were lots of fake news involving gossips, scandals and manipulated information. The news media is a profit making organization with an ulterior goal of multiplying profits. Hence advertisements and sponsored content may contain unappro ved content causing huge impact to the society. Fake news doesnt mean its outright lie, rather news that are more likely to be biased or misleading in a gentle way. It is the information that is clearly fabricated and that has been customized to look like genuine news. Its content is specifically created to appeal to an audiences pre-existing preferences. The spread of fake news with the evolution of technology has been widespread causing a huge impact. According to a historian, dating back to 18th and 19th centuries, fake news was a commonly accepted practice and newspapers were more opinionated and agenda driven. Later with the introduction of penny press in 1830s, sensational news and gossip started proliferating. Though readers didnt believe everything they read is true as many newspapers published short stories and poetry and satire was mainly used by entertainers and not journalists. Most of the fake news thats viral online consists of written pieces and recorded segments that promotes false information through means of factual reporting. For example, several reports were published by news organizations highlighting examples of hoaxes, fake news and misinformation on Election Day 2016. Fake news is created intentionally by entrepreneurs who seek to make money from advertising, and false information can also arise from misinformed social media posts by normal people who posts regularly, which spreads through a biased blogosphere. One such example was the recent post on social media by a businessman regarding protests where he connected seeing several buses lined up in downtown and the protests reports which he heard in the news media. He assumed the two were connected and posted his thoughts on social media which were soon followed by many of his followers, then taken to reddit community, blogs and were shared among the internet world causing a huge stir and confusion. Initial content of the message got manipulated in several ways leading to incorrect information sharing driven by incorrect assumptions. This is one typical example how fake news originates and propagates with the help of social media and blogs in the internet world. Incidents affecting humanity and human values signify the dark real world consequences caused by fake news. Just for political propaganda, there were lot of websites that publish completely fake and fabricated news. Fake news grew into fame taking advantage of peoples attention seeking skills, meaning if human mind pays attention to a particular topic, more articles pertaining to that topic will be produced. More than the real news, its about page views that matters as in more sensational the headline is, the more views you get and the more money that could be made from manipulating eyeballs. It is tough to ignore the historical facts about how newspapers were agenda driven in the past and how it has changed now with a focus towards free speech and unbiased content. In the recent past, some of the headlines in the newspapers and social media have left people thinking in the wrong direction before they figure out that its fake news after reading the entire article. There were several instances where one reads various fake news pages and comes up with one on his own based purely on his exaggeration with a fancy and a sensational headline, making it go viral. It is imperative for people to differentiate fake news from real ones and prevent proliferation of such fake news even for the fun aspect of it. Because of the nature of social media, most of what is published goes unmediated. While traditional journalism subscribes to strong rigor, righteous editors and a history of fact-checking, these disciplines dont exist on social media, where fake news thrives. Given the veneer of respectability of a legitimate-looking site, its easy to see how the outrage can kick off a chain reaction of commentary and public finger pointing. Any lie can gain general acceptance if it gets repeated frequently and this is one sole reason for the alarming increase of fake news. Achieving repetition is easy in this so called era of social media with a few button clicks. Social media and online search giants should take efforts to prevent fake news sites, applications and advertisements from appearing. When there is an iota of doubt concerning a website or news content, it is better to search google for confirmation reports from reputable news sites to check whether they have picked up the same news. There are many reputable online websites such as Snopes, Factcheck, etc., to name a few, to verify the authenticity of the news content. Social media users have the opportunity now to flag articles they think are intentionally false, and these articles will be screened using third-party fact checkers. Warning signs on articles such as disputed and fake tags would negatively impact its rating score on social media making it visible to fewer people in their news feeds. Technology savvy scholars have created several applications detecting fake news sites. Such applications could be installed on web browsers as extensions and warnings provided by those applications could prevent the spread of fake news and help human beings detect and recognize fake sites. Fake news could be controlled by installing fake detector applications on gadgets which analyzes its authenticity and flags fake pages. First and foremost place to look for ways to control fake news is within oneself. Rather than checking the veracity of the news content using different verification websites and fancy tools, one should check their own self to believe or not. If the story is so outrageous, it is too true to believe. Individuals should make sure that they are not being told what they want to hear. In order to become a more insightful, discerning news consumer, it is important to differentiate real and fake news and become more of a critical thinker. Part of being a critical thinker is to always question whether they are only getting part of a story or the complete one. Developing oneself as a media literate person would help overcome this situation. The government must focus on education policy in order to develop a literate society which will help people decipher between real and fake news. Government can also introduce stricter regulations on media and individuals sourcing fake news articles. Though it may cross toes with freedom of speech, it is imperative to have government backing for individuals to fight against defamation and control the spread of fake news. Government can impose fines on social media companies and websites those spread fake news, as this will force sourcing websites to impose verification checks and control the spread of fake news. Fake news is a phenomena whose spread could be controlled through collective responsible actions by the means of governmental regulations, education policy, literate society, technology and applications. At this stage, determining the legitimacy and utility of information is ultimately the responsibility of the people. Work Cited: Agrawal, Nina. Where Fake News Came in and Why Some People Believe It. The Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2016, www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-fake-news-guide-2016-story.html , Accessed 08 Feb, 2017. Anand, Bharat. The U.S. Medias Problems Are Much Bigger than Fake News and Filter Bubbles. Harvard Business Review, 05 Jan, 2017 www.hbr.org/2017/01/the-u-s-medias-problems-are-much-bigger-than-fake-news-and-filter-bubbles, Accessed 16 Feb, 2017. Akpan, Nsikan. The very real consequences of fake news stories and why your brain cant ignore them. PBS NEWSHOUR, 05 Dec, 2016, www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/real-consequences-fake-news-stories-brain-cant-ignore/, Accessed 18 Feb, 2017. Yeats Poem | Second Coming | Yeats Poem | Second Coming | As the title of the poem suggests, Yeats poem is a prophetic poem that clearly shows Christs second return to the earth after the world has been engulfed in sin and sorrow. The poem was written after the first world war to depict hope for earthly occupants who have experienced torture, suffering, death ,hunger and disillusionment .The writer uses imagery to create a sense of waiting and arouse the readers interest in what is the second coming. Gyre is a word used to mean how things were moving in a spiral movement after the Second World War to bring to the readers mind the theme of confusion. Turning and turning is used to create repetition of the worlds cruel events which could present Christs Second Advent as revealed in the book of revelation. All Christians who read the bible and especially the events presenting the second coming were ready for the world to end after world war 1 because the bible warns of the war which will come before Christ returns to the earth to take his people to joyous life in heaven. The falcon cannot hear the falconer is used symbolically. In studies of wild birds, falcon is a bird of prey which kills and eats animals like hedgehogs and its flying speed when targeting its prey is more than that of cheetah. The Sentence means that the attacker or the worlds trouble maker cannot hear the creator. Falconer is the instructor of peace who can be God. Here it means the world has reached a point of no return where evil and the father of evil (the devil) is instructing the leaders of the world to seek war among nations. Suffering is the centre stage where people go hungry, and prostitution and crime are the order of the day, religious fanatics and false prophets are in the world. Concept of brotherhood has seized and the only theme in the world is every man for himself. Then things fall apart. The devil has taken much control of the world. The word mere anarchy is used to mean only and very pure. Writer uses these words in order to show the unleashing of wrath by the serpent who is the prince of darkness and together with his evil angels can cause great trouble in the world if it were not for divine power of God. During the First World War, bombs were dropped to the earths surface and people thought the end had come. These fires can be compared to the lake of fire in revelation which is portrayed as burning with brimstone where the beast, the false prophet and the dragon (that serpent of old) are tormented daily. Anarchy means lawlessness and shows how the worlds justice has been buried in an abyss. Fires of wrath dominate the whole world; diseases with no cure and immortal human suffering are used symbolically to mean the tension in the world. The words ceremony of innocence is drowned are an imagery used by the writer to show how the world is not free again and the innocent must suffer for sins which they did not com mit. Whoever commits the sins who is the anarchist, enjoys life and is unquestionable at any court jurisdiction. William butler uses this word to show how the world likes was in the days of civilization is not a place to admire. Like nowadays, the poem is very much applicable where international criminal courts have been established to prosecute evil doers who can escape punishment in their own countries because they are power barons and corrupt leaders like those of the medieval ages. The words best lack conviction and bad are always full of passion is a paraphrase. Here it can also mean that the good people need power to govern others very well in the society and that has been foiled by corruption and injustice. Powerful people on the contrary dont deliver accordingly when given the power but the wise governors say they want to be loved and those people who love believe in wisdom and how they can use it for the benefit of others and themselves. This leads to a vicious circle and c onfusion during the last days here on earth as William butler puts it. Words like revelation is coming are used in order to further develop the title of the poem and always to keep in the mind of the reader just as the title suggests, Christ must return to the world. The concept of time span is revealed by those words. Just as Christ came to the world, then in the same way will return to save mankind from destruction by the sinister person. The poet uses words like spirits mundu to bring the theme of religion in the poem and develop the poems title. Words mean that in the world, there is a pure spirit which rests in the minds of every human being and informs him about Godly issues. People then wait joyously and obey Christs commandments so as to escape eternal torment. The poet uses words like a lion like body with mans head to create fear among the readers and depict dangers associated with the weird creature. Simile is used to show how unforgiving and cruel the beast is. The beast is portrayed as passing through the desert just like the falcon of the second line to scare desert birds. Like the falcon, the beast is a symbol of evil and danger for the occupants of the earth. Desert birds are personified to human beings and again tormentation is a must. The beast represents the anti -Christ who comes before Christ return to cause a religious sway in the world. Beasts power was granted to him by the dragon (serpent) in or der to destroy loot and kill Christs followers. Rough beasts arrival brings the idea of suffering. Centuries of stony sleep is used symbolically to represent the suffering in Ireland during Williamss butlers time where he suffered to a point, and through religious meditations, thought the First World War can lead to the end of the world and Christ can come for rescue. In reality, the world was not ending but it was just beginning because the Second World War was fought but the world can end anytime .The poet uses imagery, symbolism, personification and simile to develop the theme of religion, fear, suffering, and history in his poem. In conclusion, the words used in the poem clearly fit to the message being communicated and they contribute to the development of the title second coming no other words could have been used to achieve the writers objectives.

Friday, October 25, 2019

No Butts About It :: essays research papers

No Butts About It Bruce Robert Nelson's conviction ought to be overturned. He ought to have maintained a civil suit against the Hennepin County Sheriff and the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis for violation of his federal constitutional rights. These rights include, inter alia, his rights against illegal search and seizure of the drugs from inside his body, and violation of his rights against self incrimination. These rights are granted to every American resident and citizen including Nelson, by the 4th and 5th Amendment to the Constitution, respectively. The authorities including the warden at the federal prison should also be made parties to the civil suit and their liability may include, such causes as unlawful imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. At least those remedies would be available to Nelson if and only if 1) No further warrant was obtained before the invasive search of Nelson's stomach and 2) No appeal was taken and the United States Supreme Court did not specifically sanction this operation upon the defendant. The reason for the above is that the evidence was seized upon an invalid warrant. The warrant that was obtained to search Nelson's person and possessions was never intended to authorize such invasive procedure. Under the 4th Amendment, the warrant is required to specify the physical boundaries of the search and the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently held that if a surgical procedure is needed then also a warrant. Had the Hennepin County Sheriff obtained another warrant before the surgical procedure they may have been shielded from liability in Nelson's civil suit. The requirement for a special warrant in the case of such a highly invasive surgery is an attempt to balance the authorities right to force a suspect to undergo serious medical surgery on suspicions that are spurious at best and at worst giving unfeathered power to authorities which may be abused. If the evidence is sufficiently strong then it should be presented to an independent federal magistrate or judge for an evaluation and a determination of the existence of the "probable cause" requirement of the 4th and 5th Amendments to the Constitution. The fact that Nelson signed a consent form prior to the performance of the endoscopy which provided the incriminating evidence was not in and of itself conclusive. Apparently Nelson did not have a lawyer before he signed the consent form. There is no indication that he was given Miranda warnings but we do know that he signed under protest and authorization given under these inherently coercive conditions have been repelled by the judicial system.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Talking Styles

Ashley Broadway COM 200 Instructor Lindsay Hallead April 8, 2013 Talking Styles I feel the score that was given from the LSM was accurate. I used a portion of the text messages between me and my husband to complete the test. Before the test I felt we had a great connection when we communicate. We can communicate verbally and non-verbally very well. We have had great communication since the beginning and over the few years we have been together our communication has grown. Communication I don’t feel that it can be measured because it changes all the time.Communication is based upon a lot of things. It can reflect your mood and the atmosphere that you are in at the time. Your LSM score is 0. 79 Compared to other IMs that we have analyzed, your LSM score is slightly below average to give you an idea, most LSM scores for IMs range between . 75 and . 95, with an average around . 84. The more that the two people are paying attention to each other in their interaction, the higher the LSM. LSM is higher in ongoing conversations such as IMs, telephone calls, or face-to-face conversations.LSM is lower in emails, letters, or other less direct interactions. The more similar the topic and the mindset of the two authors, the more the LSM score should be similar. Do not take this feedback about LSM too seriously. It is still in the experimental phase. Several factors can lead to LSM scores that are too low. Some problems include: †¢Too few words by one or both authors †¢Very different genres of writing between the two people †¢An extreme number of misspellings or IM shortcuts (words such as â€Å"2† for â€Å"to† or â€Å"b4† for â€Å"before†).If you think this was a problem, correct these problems and see if your numbers change. Some of the best way to interpret your own feedback is to run different LSM scores with IMs or emails to and from other friends. Or track LSM scores with the same person over time. Once you start com paring your numbers, you can get a better sense of your average LSM numbers. (http://www. utpsyc. org/synch/feedback. php) I do not believe that language style matching is a comprehensive way to predict the quality of interpersonal relationships.Interpersonal relationships are more on the inside that what the language style matching can measure. Interpersonal relationships also change like communication. You may grow closer to the person you have an interpersonal relationship with or end up hating the person you have an interpersonal relationship with. There are many things that can happen to change an interpersonal relationship. I think the article â€Å"Shared Talking Styles Herald New and Lasting Romance† is somewhat true and somewhat false. There are a lot of things in this article that I have a hard time believing are true.I think a test about communication isn’t always accurate because of the circumstances that could affect the test. â€Å"Unconscious verbal coo rdination of this sort, dubbed language-style matching by the researchers, signifies not how much two people like each other but how much each is paying attention to what the other says, Ireland and her colleagues propose in an upcoming Psychological Science. †(Bower, B. 2010) I can see the truth in this statement because giving un-divided attention when communicating is very important.If someone isn’t really paying attention to the other person talking then the conversation is more so one sided. It is also very disrespectful. â€Å"A second experiment found that among 86 young-adult couples in committed relationships, those who used similar writing styles during 10 days of instant-messaging chats with each other were particularly likely to stay together over the next three months. †(Bower, B. 2010) This is one of the parts of the article that I find a little fishy.It is speed dating so that tells me that there is only about ten minutes of conversation going on a nd I just don’t see how any test can show how long a relationship will last. I believe that a relationship lasts because the people in it want it to last so therefore they work for it to last. Reference Bower, B. (2010, Shared talking styles herald new and lasting romance. U. S. News & World Report, , 1. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/821694533? accountid=32521 Language Style Matching score http://www. utpsyc. org/synch/feedback. php

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

20th Centaury Poetry Assignment – Welsh Poetry Comparison

This essay will examine ideas of Welshness presented by Kelly Jones the lead singer of the Stereophonics and Welsh Poet R S Thomas and explore how they put them across. Both convey similar ideas in their work but in very different contexts Kelly Jones was born in June 1974, in the same hospital as Richard Jones. They grew up in a small village called Cwmaman. It is describes as a dull and lifeless area where nothing much goes on. With a population of only 1000, it's a very closed in community, with old women twitching their curtains and everybody knows each other's business. The small village of Cwmaman was a mining village, though the pit has long since shut the houses that Kelly Jones grew up in were originally built for colliery bosses with the loftier ones being occupied by colliery bosses. Kelly Credits Cwmaman as having a good pub culture by which he means kids is allowed to go into licensed premises with their parents. There are four main key ideas/themes in this poem, time, boredom, routine, and escaping. The time of the song is important, because in the video to this song we see people walking back, and the Stereophonics are the only people walking forward this suggesting that Cwmaman is a place where there is no opportunities, and only the Sterephonics are making something out of a bad situation. The theme routine, suggests that there is nothing new going on in Cwmaman, and that everything is the same, people do the same thing day in day out so nothing ever changes, and the last theme escaping could be talking about the local character â€Å"Mac the knife† and â€Å"the ladies wearing lipstick on their teeth† and how they escape by drinking and having fun, forgetting all the problems in this village The song â€Å"More Life In A Tramp's Vest† was written by Kelly Hones on the back of a paper back one day while he was working in the fruit and veg stall in the market. The title â€Å"More Life In A Tramp's Vest† has a special meaning to it, this being that a trams vest which hasn't been washed more months on end could have lots of flees in it, therefore the flees are happily bouncing around, so what Kelly Jones is trying to say is the flees are having more fun by being on the tramp than Cwmaman has year in year out. Kelly Jones opens the poem by saying † I get camping eyes in the final hour† If you are said to have camping eyes then generally you are very tired, because if you go camping then you hardly get any sleep, so what he is saying is he's tired. In the final hour could mean his final hour of work. He is trying to say he's tired in the last hour of work â€Å"Last mute shoppers picking cauliflower† Here Kelly Jones is saying how the last minute shoppers are being so fussy on the vegetables they are picking, and they are holding him up from closing the stall down. â€Å"The fuss you make, you swear They were buying a car† The people who are choosing cauliflower are being so fussy that they are talking lots of time picking through them trying to find the one that has the least marks, and this is making Kelly Jones very angry because he is waiting to go home. â€Å"Always moan, moan its not so cheap, Cheaper still, cheaper still down the street† This could mean that the people who are holding him up from going home are being picky and trying to get the price even cheaper, by saying the person on the stall down the road have the same goods for cheaper. â€Å"I loose my rag and tell them Take your back and shop down there† Kelly Jones is now very frustrated because these people are being so fussy, stopping him from closing his stall, coning about the price of goods, so he yells at them and says go down there to shop. We can sympathise because he has been working all day and is probably tired of boredom. â€Å"Closing down, closing down another road One-way system steals the show† Closing down, closing down another road could mean that they are closing down another road of their life, they are running out of alternatives just like if you were in a car going down a one way street you have no where to go but if you have a normal road you can go up and down it, one way system steals the show, this could be the equivalent to their lives, meaning that there is no future what so ever in Cwmaman, and they that the people are doing nothing about it. â€Å"Mac the knife swings a can And sings the day away† These sentences could mean that this local character Mac the Knife is trying to escape from boredom by drinking and trying to drown his sorrows, and singing the day away could seem like good entertainment for him because he doesn't know what he is doing. The chorus of this song has a persuasive technique, because instead of just saying there is more life in a tramps vest they say more life three times before continuing with in a tramps vest, then they repeat the whole line again. This is a repetitive technique used to make something stand out more and get a point across that there is more life in a tramps vest. â€Å"Flower man sits down in the street Surrounded by stock that he brought back last week† The flower man who had bought stock last week cannot sell it, so he is in the middle of it probably trying to sell it, which could be a hard task because people normally buy flowers to celebrate something but because in Cwmaman there is nothing to celebrate no body is buying any flowers. In this next line there is a very clever word association, there is no real effect for this, its just better than having a normal sentence, it says â€Å"Bring back the ladies wearing lipstick on their teeth Make up, we make up a crappy joke† The word association is with â€Å"lipstick† and â€Å"make up,† but why do they want the ladies to come back, is it because they were the only source of fun and life in that town? And why are they making up a crappy joke? Why not make a good one? The answer is that since these ladies have left Cwmaman for whatever reason the life of the village has gone down and become boring. The jokes that were considered as rubbish now seem like good jokes that people will laugh at. â€Å"Sit back, relax and have a smoke† If you read this sentence, it says sit back which could mean take a step back and look at our life, then you have a comma which is like a little pause, then you have relax, and have a smoke. This could mean that Kelly Jones wants us the reader to sit back, pause, relax which is like another pause, and take a look at his life, and the stressfulness of work, and how he smokes to relax. On the last 2 lines of the song it says â€Å"Mac the knife swings a can And sings the day away† This is a repeat of what is said on the end of the 3rd verse of this song, which could be to try and say this is what we all should be doing because Mac the Knife is enjoying himself. The last part of the song is the chorus, which is said again. This brings a negative end to the poem because not only has it ended where it begun, it proves that there has been no progress in the development of Cwmaman. Kelly Jones' aim was not to show the readers/listeners that Wales is a boring place to live, but to say that there is nothing to do in Cwmaman. The tone of this poem was mainly sad â€Å"I get camping eyes in the final hour† he's getting tired of work and stressed over what he is doing, the song if very negative â€Å"there's more life more life more life in a tramps vest† if you are saying that there is more life in a tramp that goes around smelling all day long then things must be very bad! This song shows some signs of Kelly Jones getting frustrated â€Å"I loose my rag and tell them take your bag and shop down there† if he is saying this to a customer, he must be very angry because he is telling somebody to go and shop somewhere else instead of coming to his stall to shop. The pace of this poem seems to speed up as they get closer to the main chorus, probably because they are trying to let of some steam and have some fun. Over all Kelly Jones makes welsh life in Cwmaman look dull, lifeless and boarding, he is continually negative about Cwmaman in the song and it seems that this mining village is going no where fast!

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Forever Alone Pros of Celebrating Valentines Day Solo

Forever Alone Pros of Celebrating Valentines Day Solo Bunch of chocolate, cheesy cards, and flowers†¦who needs it? No one seems to care anymore that V-day is named after a Christian martyr that dates back to the 5th century! Here’s the gist: the most widely circulated story is that this guy, who the saints named Valentinus, was imprisoned and executed for ministering to Christians and performing forbidden weddings under the oppressive Roman Empire of that time. What does this have to do with Valentine’s Day cards, jewelry, dinner dates, and boxes of candy? There’s the forbidden wedding angle, okay, but what the holiday’s turned into and how it’s been commercialized should be an outrage! If you have the same opinion or just dont have a date to celebrate Valentines Day here are some reason to spend this day happily alone. You Can Spoil Yourself Guilt-Free Unlike all the couples in love you dont have to bother what to get your beloved one, how to organize the celebration. what to surprise them with. You can dedicate this day for you entirely. At the end of the day, you are your most valuable asset. Use this day to thank yourself for all the good things about who you are and about being you. There’s no one else in all the universe like you, and you are an absolutely mind-bogglingly extraordinary being; conscious, self-aware†¦you’re alive! However much cash you would’ve shelled out for a special someone, spend it on yourself instead. Imagine what you would do for someone that you’re head over heels in love with, selflessly, and do it for you! No narcissism needed, just good old fashioned self-appreciation. You Can Take Enjoy a Solo Date Valentines day is actually not about the gifts and declaring love. Its about spending good time together. So, why not do it on your own? Dont be such a boring couch potato, surprise yourself by taking yourself out on a date (no matter how ridiculous or pathetic it may sound). Dinner and movie? Zoo then the club? A day in a spa? How about the opera then a moonlit walk through the park? Whatever. Go hit the gym and workout extra hard as a reward and an acknowledgement of your prowess. V-Day can be the â€Å"all about me† day and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. You Can Meet New People Dont want to spend this day alone and all of your friends will be somewhere out with their dates? No problem, you can meet new people to hang out with. After all, 60% of breeding-age people in the modern world are single. Go to a single’s hotspot and mingle with all the other romantics who wish they were arm in arm with their one and only True Love. At least you will be sure you have one thing in common you are sing;e on Valentines day. Do your homework though and take this seriously. Investigate all the potential places to go and hang for a bit. You’ll likely end up focusing your resources on 1-3 places. Now, regardless of where you go, be sure you show up in your best outfit ready to celebrate being single. On Valentines day you will definitely have. You Can Throw an Un-Valentine’s Day Party! Instead of lovey-dovey movies and comic romances, how about action adventures or perhaps even horror? V-Day could be one of the best days for a â€Å"Die Hard† or â€Å"Lord of the Rings† party. These Un-Valentine’s day parties are increasingly common, so if you live in a bigger city or metropolis there’s likely a few going on within Uber, Cab, or driving distance. You never quite know what you’ll find when people put parties together to be the antithesis of V-Day. You Can Save Money and Even Profit Being a commercialized holiday, Valentines Day literally empties your wallet you buy gifts, cards, chocolates, pay for entries and dinner. Having no date cuts a half of these spending if you still want to have fun alone, or doesnt require any finances. What is more you can make profit of it. Here are some opportunities to make some money on valentines day: Buy roses en-masse and add a little margin Create and sell your own specialized V-Day cards Offer your services as a babysitter These are just some of the options, you can be creative and make up much more ways to benefit from this whole V-day idea. You Can Volunteer or Do Something for a Stranger Seriously, this will pretty much quench any of those icky feelings you may be experiencing. Go work at a shelter, read at a children hospital, make a new friend at a nursing home, or hand out free calories at a soup kitchen. This is actually, in reality, among the most appropriate ways to celebrate this day. If you want to take it one step further, you can do things for people anonymously. So, for example, you could anonymously pay the month’s utility bill for a poor family. You could send flowers anonymously to someone that just recently went through a bad heart-wrenching breakup. You get the idea. You Can Spend the Day with Your Dearest As we all know, romantic relationships and marriages can come and go. They DO come and go for most people these days throughout our lives. But family’s different. And, most of the time our best friends are different as well. Make the day about the people who love you. If you need, you can check out even more ideas on how to spend Valentines day if you are single. And there you have the cream of the crop solo-V-Day strategies to make it count. But, that’s just our opinion. If you’re going to be a solo act, what do you plan on doing this year? We’d love to hear!

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Cheap essay writing by writer service site

Cheap essay writing by writer service site How cheap is really cheap? This is one of the most important questions a student should pose. To college students who look forward to seeking cheap essay writing services, cheap is something to look at carefully. You can never be sure of a service until you try it out. Its from the experience you encounter with a service, thats when you know its importance and its bad side. How to find the best cheap essay service Prices When you buy cheap essays, price matters a lot. There is no way you will go ahead to make an order if the prices are too high. College students should be on the lookout for prices. The pricing system should be as flexible as possible. Additionally the cheap essay writer service should clearly state the factors affecting the price table. This makes it possible for customers to do their own calculation and arrive at the approximate amount. Besides prices, check their discount program. Check to see if their discount offers favor both first time customers and returning customers and if so whats the percentage difference? You should be able to pay a much lower amount where their discount program is flexible. Such a service is one to buy cheap essay papers from. Read Reviews You have only heard the high demand of essay writing services. The only idea you have is that they offer writing help to college students throughout the world. Just how do you get to know a writing service better especially when you want to buy cheap essay online? Consider searching for essay writing service reviews website. The reviews contain in-depth information about writing services and their features. They clearly analyze the prices, customer support, delivery nature and ratings as given by the customers. Its easier to note the difference between prices and other features among several essay writing websites. Once you are through with reviews take a look at what customers are saying. You will have clear information and prove that reviews are not bias. Terms and Conditions Buying a cheap essay online is critical. The prices might be extremely cheap but have you looked at the companys terms and conditions? In order to sign an agreement, you have to comply with everything written in terms and conditions document. Consider whether the terms and conditions are favorable and fair enough to you as a customer. Writers These are the people responsible for the end product. Where a customer is not satisfied, they are the people to get back to for revisions. Therefore they play a role in the price factor. Professional writers will offer services at a price than is affordable. Its easy to get cheap essay writers but you cannot be really sure of the end product. Before you buy cheap essay from such writers, ask for a sample of their work. Once you observe the provided factors, it becomes safer to buy cheap essay online. Weve checked all trusted services where you can buy essays cheap, so feel free to use our reviews and make the right choice!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Captive Killer Whales

Captive Killer Whales In captivity, many orcas suffer from poor physical and mental health. In the wild, they can easily travel 50 to 100 miles a day. However, in captivity, a typical tank is only twice their size, forcing the animals to swim in small circles or float aimlessly. â€Å"The stress of captivity can drive orcas and other marine mammals to display neurotic behaviors that, understandably enough, can lead to tragic consequences†, says Elliot Katz, president of In Defense of Animals, an animal welfare advocacy group. These results can include premature death, depression, and injury to trainers. â€Å"Science has confirmed that in captivity, dolphins and whales suffer from high mortality rates, low breeding success and may endure physical and psychological disorders. There is no justification for the capture, trade, and display of these wild animals†, according to Daniel Turner of the Born Free Foundation, another organization dedicated to conservation and animal welfare. In the wild, killer whales typically travel in pods of between five and 30. Sometimes pods combine to form a group of 100 orcas with a complex social hierarchy led by females. Researchers believe that killer whales possess an advanced system of communication, with different dialects. In captivity, killer whales are often isolated, except during shows and training. They are unable to communicate with each other or form social relationships as they would in the wild. Another immoral practice is the mass breeding of these whales. They are being overbred, crossbred, and even inbred. Tilikum, the largest orca in captivity, is the chief sperm source of SeaWorld, and activists believe his value as a stud is the main reason why SeaWorld will not release him back into the wild. Often breeding methods pose safety conditions and threaten the animals health. In the wild, orcas choose their own mates, and the families stay together for life. To communicate, navigate, and hunt for food, orcas rely on echolocation, which is the process of emitting sound and then interpreting the vibrations. The sound waves bounce off objects and travel back, telling the orca what is around it. In captivity, tanks are made of solid concrete, which causes sound waves to bounce off the walls, making it impossible for orcas to locate food or navigate using echolocation. Many captive killer whales die prematurely, with the average life at about ten years. In the wild, they live between 50 and 80 years. The first orca held in captivity lasted one day; she swam around her enclosure at high speeds, ramming into the sides of her tank. Killer whales in captivity pose a danger to trainers, with four documented deaths and a long list of attacks. The most recent occurred in 2010, when Tilikum allegedly grabbed his trainer, Dawn Bran ¬cheau, by her hair and dragged her underwater. Tilikum, whose stage name is Shamu at SeaWorld Orlando, weighs 12,000 p ounds, and Bran ¬cheau was one of their most experienced trainers. â€Å"When these animals are taken into captivity, they can  ¬become very hostile, depressed, and even suicidal†, says Howard Garrett, director of the nonprofit Orca Network. Tragically, Tilikum had also been involved in an earlier death of a trainer, in 1991, when Keltie Lee Byrne accidentally fell into the tank. A homicide investigation showed that Tilikum and two other orcas prevented Byrne from getting out of the pool, causing her to drown. After Brancheaus death, Tilikum was banned from public appearances. However, just 13 months later, he rejoined the cast of Believe, SeaWorld’s most popular dolphin and whale show. In 2009, trainer Alexis Martinez, was killed by Keto, a 14-year-old male orca, during a training session. Keto held Alexis underwater. His autopsy revealed a violent death, with numerous scrapes, bruises, fractures, and several teeth marks. Although his immediate cause of death was drowning, the report states that the fundamental cause was â€Å"mechanical asphyxiation due to compression and crushing of the thoracic abdomen with injuries to the vital organs†. In other words, Keto violently crushed his trainer. Non-fatal attacks by captive killer whales on humans have also occurred. In 1984 at SeaWorld California, two killer whales grabbed the legs of their trainer, Bud Krames, and pinned him against a glass wall during a show. Krames eventually left his job – and he isn’t the only trainer working with orcas to do so; in one year, a total of 35 orca trainers left their jobs. There have been over 100 documented attacks in captivity, but no human deaths from orcas have been recorded in the wild. Only one attack has been documented involving a killer whale in the wild, but this was probably due to mistaken identity, since the victim was surfing in an area highly populated with seals, orcas natural food source. These cases prove that unnatural living conditions in captivity are the most likely cause of aggressive behavior and attacks on humans. It is unfair and immoral to profit from the mistreatment of animals. Killer whales are the main attraction at many marine parks and, without them, park attendance would drop drastically. Therefore, these facilities want to keep attendance levels high by offering shows that provide entertainment and allow guests to view the animals up close. Orcas are suffering major physical and mental problems due to their captivity, such as broken teeth from gnawing on steel gates, dorsal fin collapsing from lack of exercise, and signs of depression. However, the shows go on.

Friday, October 18, 2019

The early and modern views of human variation Essay

The early and modern views of human variation - Essay Example The primordial view on human variations explains that races emanate from past anthropological connections. Cavalli-Sforza (pp.54) argues that in the past, color was the only form of distinction that humans understood. For instance, the Egyptians are a notable group of people who distinguished humans on the basis of their color. According to them, all the people who came from the east were yellow, whites from the north and blacks from the south. Other analysts from the past argue that, races emanated from climatic changes that affected the skin color of many individuals. With the changes in climate, human beings began evolving into different races, in regards to the characteristics in their respective milieu. On the other hand, modern analysts argue that human characteristics can be discussed through a study of biological characteristics of the individuals. The innate characteristics of individuals cannot be alienated from the biological make up of these individuals. There is a great likelihood that race is linked with color, that is biologically oriented. On a social view, race has been indicated to be biologically real (Stringer, pp.566). It is through race therefore, that societies have been categorized into various groups. In as much, that primeval analysts argue that race is not real, modern analysts believe that racism is inborn just like intelligence. As time progressed, the views of anthropological researchers changed a great mile. With time, taxonomies were discovered which explained the human varieties through biological determinism. Stringer (pp.570) argues that the clinical model is the best approach towards understanding of race. This model describes the genetically inherited attributes in individuals. This model discusses the factual nature of variations in biological characteristics, inclusive of color variations. Essentially, modern analysts argue that human variations are resultant from

Funding Healthcare Services Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Funding Healthcare Services - Assignment Example It is important to denote that privatized ambulatory company aim at making profits. The insurance cover of the patients under consideration also plays a role in paying the services offered by the ambulatory company/organization (Accountability Office, 2005). The society and other non-profit making organization in the health sector also provide ambulatory services. The government can use the tax payer’s money to sponsor such kind of an organization. This is because they contribute in the provision of medical services, to the public, at a cheaper cost. On this basis, to increase their efficiency, the government needs to fund these organizations. Hospitals are also responsible for the provision of ambulatory services. These services can either be paid by the insurance company, or the patient under consideration, but this mostly occurs if the hospital under consideration is a private hospital (Mossialos, 2002). The ambulatory services provided by government owned hospitals should be funded by the tax payer’s money. This is because people, who access government hospitals, are always poor, and sometimes, they cannot afford to pay for their medical costs. Funding Services in Continuum Long Term Care: For purposes of financing services in long term care, it is important to involve all the stake holders of the health industry within the country. That is during the process of policy formulation. For example, when formulating a policy on how to finance services offered under continuum long term care, it is important to analyze the various costs that hospitals offer in the provision of such kind of services (Accountability Office, 2012). For example, it is very expensive to fund patients suffering from chronic diseases. This is because the disease takes a long period of time to treat, and the medications are very expensive. On this basis, to fund the treatment and care of such kind of diseases, it is necessary to involve the taxpayers, nongovernmental organiz ations, and insurance companies. The government needs to introduce insurance health care programs that can help to reduce the high costs of long term care (Fortinash, 2012). These health insurance programs must be funded by the taxpayers. In other words, the government needs to introduce new taxes that will fund the program under consideration. However, while increasing taxes for purposes of raising money to fund long term care, the government should be careful not to raise taxes on medical equipments, and health products that are used for purposes of providing health services in long term care. In fact, the government should reduce taxes in health care products, as this will most definitely lead to a reduction in the various costs associated with the provision health services to satisfy long term care (Levy, 2012). There is also the need of providing grants to hospitals that offer services in continuum long term care. The government and other non-governmental organizations should i dentify such health care organization, and thereafter fund them through grants. However, these grants should be attached with strict conditions that the hospital under consideration must meet. That is if they wish to continue receiving those grants from the federal government, and non-governmental

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 57

Journal - Essay Example They are adopted to a big number of, say, representatives of Judaism, as there are many Jewish senators, congressmen, businessmen and other important people, but Islamic tradition on the second place on the list of religions is still a surprise. The other religions that constitute major parts in this regard are Buddhism and the already mentioned Judaism. There is also Baha’i religion present in the USA, but this is not a very large group of people, and the state of affairs with Hindu is just a little bit better – they are a bigger religious society. The US citizens are concerned with such a big popularity of Islam in their country, because, in the course of the latest news coming from the place of the world which Islam is typical of, some ethnic and religious groups want to create sharia law in Islam as a major system of the Islamic law, and its severe control over the person’s life makes people think whether it is or it is not a limitation of one’s freedo ms. The reason for such a diversity of religious traditions in the US is that there are different nations present in this country, which, obviously, have their typical religions which they have brought with them when moving to the US: Buddhism is typical of the Asians, Islam is typical of the Arabic people, Judaism – of the Jews and so on. Islam, however, might have gained more supporters among the African Americans of the southern states who converted, or reverted, to Islam. The point of concern here is that the image of the religious America is not complete because the people who usually identify themselves as non-believers, such as atheists or agnostics, are not included into religious charts when conducting surveys of such a type, and the share of people belonging to this category is considerably big. Here there is also an opinion that, though these people do not believe in a particular

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Why I should be chosen to be the Muscle Activation Technique Trainer Essay

Why I should be chosen to be the Muscle Activation Technique Trainer for my company - Essay Example But to do this I will myself have to attend the lecture to get to know the concept inside out. This can transform lives and I don't want to miss this opportunity. The greatest pleasure is derived when a person helps another person and especially when a person is in excruciating pain, relieving him from his pain gives the ultimate joy. I firmly believe in this and this opportunity will surely give me a lot of joy and happiness. After learning the technique I will make it a point that I teach each and every one who comes in contact with me, so that this technique can pass on and be beneficial to several people. I have always wanted to do this right from my childhood; it is more like a dream to me than anything else. I would just like to say that I will be really lucky if I fulfill this dream of mine. I assure that I will certainly make a difference after learning the technique. The results will be in front of everyone to see. The satisfaction which I will derive from it would be the ultimate thing anyone would want.

Industrial Services of America, Inc. and Its Strategies Essay

Industrial Services of America, Inc. and Its Strategies - Essay Example On liquidation, Harry Kletter purchased majority of the shares and on the eve of 1980s, he started a new company concerned with the selling of equipments associated with handling and disposal of solid waste. The new company operated with a new trade name known as Waste Equipment Sales and Services Company (WESSCO). WESSCO finally joined with CWS (Computer Waste Systems), a company that had specialized in giving consultations in relation to solid waste management to a number of businesses operating in diverse industries. The merging of these two firms led to the establishment of business operations headquarters at Louisville in Kentucky. Since then the company has acquired a number of recycling units in several regions. Besides purchasing of business units, the company has also seen itself enter into merger with other companies. Currently, the company is resorting to contracting third parties’ services in collecting and disposing solid waste. This will see ISA increase its cove rage area in regards to offering its services leading to amplified profits. Although the company has its operation in two sectors, that is, recycling and waste management, ISA is considering about concentrating in recycling activities. The reason behind this decision might be due to its efficiency in the recycling operations (Consonni, Giugliano & Grosso, 2005). External environment Industrial Competition The recycling business especially in the metal sector is very competitive in the US market. ISA faces stiff competition from those firms that have access to metal source. It is alleged that some companies have access to cheap scraps giving them a chance to sell the finished products at relatively low prices. The tough competition is further enhanced by existence of rivals that have adequate financial capacity, physical resources such as trucks and efficient marketing strategies among other factors such as large market share. ISA also fears that its competitiveness might adversely b e affected by weak economy and unfavorable market conditions (Consonni, Giugliano & Grosso, 2005). Risk Associated With Depending Upon One Customer ISA is exposed to great risk by depending on one customer that contributes over 60% to its profit. ISA majorly depends on North American Stainless pertaining to sale of its recycled metals. Environmental Regulations and the Government Policies The government and the environmental organizations frequently monitors the operations of all company’s that deals in recycling of materials in addition to management of wastes to ensure their practices are in line with laws and regulations governing the environment as well as company’s operations. Such policies entail environmental, health and safety issues such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Failure to comply with these laws ISA might find itself in the trouble of paying fines and thus affecting their profitability (Cointreau, 2001). Internal organization Managemen t team ISA brags of having experienced and qualified management team including the president and chief operating officer, Mr. Brian Donaghy as well as the vice president of the ISA Recycling, Mr. James Wiseman. The team management is cooperative and competitive and work closely with its employees to achieve the organizations’ goals. Employees At the end of 2010, ISA had about one hundred and eighty five employees who were employed on a full time basis. Ninety-eight of the employees are employed in recycling;

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 57

Journal - Essay Example They are adopted to a big number of, say, representatives of Judaism, as there are many Jewish senators, congressmen, businessmen and other important people, but Islamic tradition on the second place on the list of religions is still a surprise. The other religions that constitute major parts in this regard are Buddhism and the already mentioned Judaism. There is also Baha’i religion present in the USA, but this is not a very large group of people, and the state of affairs with Hindu is just a little bit better – they are a bigger religious society. The US citizens are concerned with such a big popularity of Islam in their country, because, in the course of the latest news coming from the place of the world which Islam is typical of, some ethnic and religious groups want to create sharia law in Islam as a major system of the Islamic law, and its severe control over the person’s life makes people think whether it is or it is not a limitation of one’s freedo ms. The reason for such a diversity of religious traditions in the US is that there are different nations present in this country, which, obviously, have their typical religions which they have brought with them when moving to the US: Buddhism is typical of the Asians, Islam is typical of the Arabic people, Judaism – of the Jews and so on. Islam, however, might have gained more supporters among the African Americans of the southern states who converted, or reverted, to Islam. The point of concern here is that the image of the religious America is not complete because the people who usually identify themselves as non-believers, such as atheists or agnostics, are not included into religious charts when conducting surveys of such a type, and the share of people belonging to this category is considerably big. Here there is also an opinion that, though these people do not believe in a particular

Industrial Services of America, Inc. and Its Strategies Essay

Industrial Services of America, Inc. and Its Strategies - Essay Example On liquidation, Harry Kletter purchased majority of the shares and on the eve of 1980s, he started a new company concerned with the selling of equipments associated with handling and disposal of solid waste. The new company operated with a new trade name known as Waste Equipment Sales and Services Company (WESSCO). WESSCO finally joined with CWS (Computer Waste Systems), a company that had specialized in giving consultations in relation to solid waste management to a number of businesses operating in diverse industries. The merging of these two firms led to the establishment of business operations headquarters at Louisville in Kentucky. Since then the company has acquired a number of recycling units in several regions. Besides purchasing of business units, the company has also seen itself enter into merger with other companies. Currently, the company is resorting to contracting third parties’ services in collecting and disposing solid waste. This will see ISA increase its cove rage area in regards to offering its services leading to amplified profits. Although the company has its operation in two sectors, that is, recycling and waste management, ISA is considering about concentrating in recycling activities. The reason behind this decision might be due to its efficiency in the recycling operations (Consonni, Giugliano & Grosso, 2005). External environment Industrial Competition The recycling business especially in the metal sector is very competitive in the US market. ISA faces stiff competition from those firms that have access to metal source. It is alleged that some companies have access to cheap scraps giving them a chance to sell the finished products at relatively low prices. The tough competition is further enhanced by existence of rivals that have adequate financial capacity, physical resources such as trucks and efficient marketing strategies among other factors such as large market share. ISA also fears that its competitiveness might adversely b e affected by weak economy and unfavorable market conditions (Consonni, Giugliano & Grosso, 2005). Risk Associated With Depending Upon One Customer ISA is exposed to great risk by depending on one customer that contributes over 60% to its profit. ISA majorly depends on North American Stainless pertaining to sale of its recycled metals. Environmental Regulations and the Government Policies The government and the environmental organizations frequently monitors the operations of all company’s that deals in recycling of materials in addition to management of wastes to ensure their practices are in line with laws and regulations governing the environment as well as company’s operations. Such policies entail environmental, health and safety issues such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Failure to comply with these laws ISA might find itself in the trouble of paying fines and thus affecting their profitability (Cointreau, 2001). Internal organization Managemen t team ISA brags of having experienced and qualified management team including the president and chief operating officer, Mr. Brian Donaghy as well as the vice president of the ISA Recycling, Mr. James Wiseman. The team management is cooperative and competitive and work closely with its employees to achieve the organizations’ goals. Employees At the end of 2010, ISA had about one hundred and eighty five employees who were employed on a full time basis. Ninety-eight of the employees are employed in recycling;

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Iraq War Essay Example for Free

Iraq War Essay The American government took the controversial decision of waging a war against Iraq. The circumstances and the motives of the American government indicate that the war on Iraq was unwarranted and cannot be justified although the American government has put forward a few reasons for waging this war. The logic and evidence does not support such contentions by the American government. The American government has failed to justify its unilateral decision of declaring war against Iraq. In the year 2002, the American President revealed his plan of attacking the Iraqi regime as it was thought that Iraq was in the process of emerging as the greatest threat to the American security. This decision was apparently taken on the basis of the intelligence information that the US government obtained concerning Iraq’s nuclear program. However, it is interesting to note that this intelligence information was kept secret until 2002. The major reason for this war was the terrorist attack of the World Trade Center in the year 2001. Obviously, this attack had left Americans at a state of shock as the successful terrorist attack demonstrated to the whole world that American security is at stake and that American military and intelligence power is not that efficient. (Powers 1) The knee jerk reaction resulted in the decision to chalk out the proper plans to prevent the future attacks of the American territory. However, it is interesting to note that the American government could not obtain even the simple majority of the members of the UN Security Council. This clearly indicates that the United Nations did not wholeheartedly support the Iraqi venture initiated by the American government. The close allies such as France and Germany could not be convinced of the need for this war project as these countries felt that there was no need for any fresh attack on the Iraqi territory as after 1991 this region was left in almost depleted state. The President was able to only convince the United States Congress as the members of the Congress did not question the necessity of a war on Iraq. The Congress members did not even participate in the debate regarding the Iraqi war. This shows that the American government could not convince the world leaders that Iraq was up to some fresh mischief in the form of the production of armaments having the capacity to destroy the world population. These details indicate that the American government has been alienated by other important powers which have not accepted the evidence presented by America that Iraq was emerging as another center of terrorist activities. (Powers 2) The main argument of the proponents of war was that Saddam Hussein possessed various dangerous weapons such as nuclear arsenals and chemical weapons which could have been used to destroy the enemy countries. The proponents of war asserted that the past history of Saddam showed that he was an aggressor. Their another contention is that Saddam Hussein had connections with the Islamic terrorist organizations and the leaders such as Osama bin Laden who had played an important role in the WTC attack. (Mearsheimer and Walt 1) These are the three reasons given by war supporters to justify the US aggression on Iraq. However, the proponents of war are not able to prove that Hussein really possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The UN inspections did not reveal that Iraq actually possessed or had the potential of building huge base of WMD which could have been used for destructive purposes. The War mongers were aware of the fact that their action would lead to huge expenses to the American treasury and that this war would result in the alienation of America in the world politics. Even then they insisted that war was inevitable as one could not afford to ignore the possession of nuclear arsenals in the hands of the Iraqi leadership. In reality, the US had the power to contain the alleged Iraqi aggression. The argument that war was inevitable rests on the faulty logic. The war supporters are not able to come up with substantial proof to suggest that Saddam had seriously pursued the plan of destroying his enemy countries. (Mearsheimer and Walt 4) However, in this context one should remember that after the Gulf war the allied forces had obtained entry into Iraq and they had used their energy to reduce the military power of Iraq. The Gulf war debacle was sufficient to deplete the Iraqi resources. Perhaps the American government needed to make a strong statement against Islamic terrorists after the September 11 attack. This resulted in the declaration of war on Iraq. This can be considered as the face saving attempt made by the American government. The newspapers have reported information from CIA documents which contradicted the statements made by the President Bush who asserted that Iraq was trying to produce nuclear arsenals as the Iraqi officials had approached South Africa to obtain materials needed for producing nuclear weapons. However, CIA expressed doubt regarding this report that Iraq was trying to obtain nuclear weapon materials from South Africa. Another contention of the President was that the Iraqi officials refused entry of the weapon inspectors into Iraqi regions. However, there are evidences which refute this allegation. In reality, as the newspapers reported, the Iraqi government had offered their cooperation with the weapon inspectors. There is also evidence to suggest that even before the beginning of war the American government obtained the information that Iraq did not approach South Africa to obtain nuclear weapon materials. This shows that the Bush administration had deliberately misinterpreted the intelligence reports in order to obtain the support of the Congress members for this war. In spite of these contradictions Bush has defended his action of invading Iraq without any major reason. (Priest and Milbank A01) There are evidences to state that the US decision to attack Iraq has backfired and it has not contributed to the improvement of the US image in the international political arena. The Iraq venture has resulted in the protest by the governments and people belonging to different nations in the world which did not find any necessity for this war. (Martin 3) The main reason for this protest against the war is that this war was unjust. The extreme action taken by the US forces against the innocent Iraqi civilians has come under public criticism. This shows the world public opinion has not supported the idea of the US led campaign against Iraq. This war has enraged the Muslim nations and this may contribute to increase in the activities of the Muslim terrorist organizations leading to the loss of lives in different parts of the world. There is no evidence to state that the US government obtained the support of the majority of the Americans for this war. The Iraq war has contributed to the creation negative image of Bush not only in the world politics but also in the US. In this sense, this war has not benefited the US people. Instead of increasing the security of Americans, this war has increased the possibility of terrorist attack on the innocent American population. (Martin 4) Works Cited Bracknell, Major Rob. â€Å"Euro-bashing as Good Sport†. Naval War College Review. 58. 2, (2005): 139-142. Available at https://www.brookings.edu/

Monday, October 14, 2019

Research in sports coaching

Research in sports coaching Coaching In recent years coaching has become a much larger area for research, this is so that the complexity of the coaching process may finally be understood. Due to the nature of professional sport demanding a high quality of coaching there have been rapid developments in coaching as a profession (Woodman, 1993).As a result of this increased need for success in coaching it is becoming more desirable for other coaches to be able to replicate the same coaching processes that have proved successful previously, to do this researchers have attempted to model the coaching process. As thought by Lyle the approach to coaching may be seen as a sequential process, it is described as dynamic and systematic process that follows lots of stages and includes many contextual factors (Lyle, 1993). In similar research by Borrie and Knowles they also agree with the rationalistic approach, this was defined as a ‘series of stages that the coach has to go through to help the athlete learn and improveâ€⠄¢ (Borrie and Knowles, 2003). In lots of research it is clear that many researchers believe the process may be modelled, examples of this are shown by Lyle, Fairs and Sherman. These examples of research show that the coaching process is methodical and may be condensed into a diagram form for representation of how the process is carried out (Lyle, 2002; Fairs, 1987; Sherman et al., 1997). Following a successful representation of the coaching process via a model that can be easily replicated, the potential for improvements in education and teaching of these coaching processes is huge as it allows coaching as a profession to become more effective (Csikszentmihalyi et al., 1993; Jones and Wallace, 2005). Not all research into the coaching process supports the same argument, for example Jones and Wallace (2005) suggest that it doesn’t follow a sequential pattern and cannot be rationalised. This is due to the process being seen to have too many external factors that have to be included, as a result of this the process is viewed as an inherently ambiguous activity that cannot be modelled (Jones and Wallace, 2005). In recent years Jones et al (2004) have focused on the intricate and dynamic nature of how coaches help to prepare athletes for competition (Jones, Armour and Potrac, 2004). The conflicting research that has been conducted on the coaching process leads to a belief that coaching may be too complex to be modelled as the contradictory understanding affects the accuracy of each model. Although coaching is clearly a very complex process it has still been looked at from a rationalistic viewpoint in an attempt to model the process. Lyle suggests that for an improvement in coaching education to occur we must first understand the coaching process in principle (Lyle, 1999). By using a rationalistic perspective to look at the coaching process Lyle suggests the process can be modelled and will therefore have a subsequent effect on improving coaching education (Lyle, 1999). In the research conducted by Lyle it also suggests that there are two types of models for coaching, these are models of and for the coaching process. Models for coaching come from an idealistic perspective that derives from the use of assumptions made about how the process is carried out; On the other hand models of coaching lean more towards analysing successful coaching practice to produce a method of the coaching process (Cushion et al., 2006; Lyle, 1999).Categorising the types of research helps to i dentify the purpose of current models as well as identifying the structures of such models. In 1987 the objectives model was created by Fairs, this was developed by using a systematic approach to identify the key sections that form the coaching process structure. This model identifies that coaching follows a number of structured stages that are also seen as being interrelated (Cushion et al., 2006; Fairs, 1987). This model can therefore be used to effectively represent coaching in a diagrammatical form, however the nature of the model still allows for flexibility due to an emphasis on analysing and reassessment of targets (Cushion et al., 2006).The objectives model does link in well with the coaching process whilst still being logical, however this model has taken criticism due to the overly simplistic nature throughout the structure of the model (Cross and Ellis, 1997; Jones and Wallace, 2005; Lyle, 1999).The criticism has arose mainly due to the lack of detail when looking into the coach athlete relationship. There are many contextual factors that haven’t been acco unted for which therefore leads to the model not being directly specific to the coaching process (Jones and Wallace, 2005). The main downside to the objectives model is that the athlete coach dynamic isn’t highlighted to show a good representation of the interpersonal relationship that is clear for anyone who has taken part in sport, due to this there is a lack of validity because of the lack of connection to real coaching practice (Cushion et al., 2006). Following the critique of Fairs (1987) objective model Lyle (1999) produced a model that would aim to support that the coaching process does follow a rationalistic and sequential process but also wanted to take into account the complex contextual factors that the objective model lacked. Lyle’s model has also been criticised for its lack of flexibility when trying to adapt to the messy reality of practice (Cushion et al., 2006), for example; the model fails to reflect on how a coach may have to adapt to not many people turning up, this occurs regularly in sport as there is a constant flow of power between the coach and athlete showing that nobody is ever completely powerless (Layder, 1994). Although these models are beneficial to outlining the coaching process and its factors, they are still limited as to how much they can be used as an educative tool, this is due to the overall lack of in depth knowledge relating to the social dynamics that occur between the coach and athlete (Cushion, 2004). As the need for a fixed model to describe and show how the coaching process happens is large research has almost been forced to condense the process in an attempt to conceptualise and rationalise coaching, this however has led to the models being unable to make sense of the ambiguous nature that occurs during coaching practice (Jones et al., 2004; Jones and Wallace, 2004). Although in some cases models have attempted to investigate the interactions between coach and athlete they haven’t been able to understand the realistic complexity that underpins the relationships (Jones and Wallace, 2005). Viewing coaching as an inherently ambiguous activity leads us to begin to see that attempting to model coaching is counterproductive when trying to understand the practical applications of coaching (Jones et al., 2004; Jones and Wallace, 2005). Poczawardowski et al (2002) attempted to understand the coaching process further by taking a phenomenological approach to investigate the coach/athlete dynamic. This approach supported the theory that the athlete/coach relationship doesn’t follow certain patterns and have fixed reciprocal interactions (Poczawardowski et al., 2002). Again the complex athlete coach relationship was found to be unique for each individual interaction, this supports that both the athlete and coach personally author their own actions during the interactions. Jones and Wallace (2005) suggest that in order to improve coaching practice as a whole the coaches should practice situations where they themselves have low controllability and incomprehensibility, this will benefit the coaches as they will develop skills to quickly evolve to changing circumstances that require different measures of organisation and planning, doing so will lead to a more realistic expression of actual coaching practice (Jones an d Wallace, 2005). Using this method suggests that coaching is linked to orchestration as it has been shown that expert coaches recognise the parameters and respond by acting in an unobtrusive and flexible manner so as to adapt to the ever changing situation that coaching is subjected to (Jones et al., 2004). Even though there is rapid increase in acknowledgement of the coaching process as a whole and in the area, there is still a lack of a definitive list of concepts and factors to create a clear conceptual base to understand the coaching practice accurately (Cushion et al., 2006). All of the rationalistic models created to help better understand the coaching practice have been criticised, generally where all concepts fail is in the understanding of the unpredictable situations that arise during coaching, the main part of which is the extraneous variables that occur during both the athlete/coach relationship and factors that may affect training (Gould et al., 1990). Detailed research by Jones and Wallace (2005) and Poczwardowski et al (2002) revealed the real complexity of the coaching process by stating it as an ‘inherently ambiguous activity’ (Jones and Wallace, 2005). After looking at the literature surrounding the coaching process it has become clear that the coaching pr ocess is too complex to be modelled and attempting to do so is counterproductive.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Survival of the Fittest: Exploitation of Cambodia Under the Khmer Rouge

Slavery has existed throughout history and it even exists today in various forms. Slavery is the imprisonment of an individual by another. Herbert Spencer proposed the idea of survival of the fittest in human society. With slavery, especially in today’s time, there are people who are socially stronger taking advantage of those who are weaker and more vulnerable. The societies of today view money as a form of power, and with this power it is used to entrap the weak and using them as disposable objects. One of the forms of slavery that exist today but goes unnoticed is human trafficking. Somaly Mam’s autobiography, The Road of Lost Innocence, gave her readers an inside look into her world as a sex slave in Cambodia. Throughout her book, she describes the cruel and awful things slaves experience throughout their slavery. Sex slaves and violence are persistent in societies around the world, especially in the Cambodian society, because of the lack of respect and morals a nd the disconnection between the people with in that society. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Southern Asia. Cambodia’s poverty is causing a lot issues within the country; two of these issues are crime and enslavement. The citizens of that society are working hard and are receiving little to no pay. The damage that the Khmer Rouge has done to Cambodia has left the people emotionally and physically scarred. In Mam’s book she talks a lot about the effects that the Khmer Rouge had on the people and her country. Her words painted a picture for her readers showing the way people acted towards one another due to the Khmer Rouge. For example, she states, â€Å"It was important not to see, not to hear, not to know anything about what was happening† (Mam 14). Mam... ...the Khmer Rouge.† Time World, 17 February 2009 Date Accessed: 25 January 2012 Mam, Somaly. The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine. Ruth Marshall, Trans. New York: Spiegel& Grau, 2008. Pearl, Mariane. â€Å"Global Diary: Cambodia.† Glamour Magazine, 1 August 2006. Date Accessed: 25 January 2012 cambodia#ixzz1kXXN4LqD> Spencer, Channing. â€Å"Modern-Day Slavery in America: Sex Trafficking and Labor Exploitation.† Perspective Magazine, Harvard’s Liberal Monthly, 30 March 2010. Weinstein, David, "Herbert Spencer", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.) Date Accessed: 25 January 2012 .

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Building And Keeping A Continental Empire :: essays research papers

There are five key ingredients in building a continental empire. A strong continental empire must be able to up-hold these five key things to survive. These five all important things are a strong central government; foreign policy, to deal with other countries; manifest destiny, to deal with matters of land; infrastructure, which deals with state business, transportation, and financial matters; and the ability to solve internal problems such as social, economic, and political problems. America is a continental empire and runs itself using these five things. The most important of these is probably the strong central government. A strong central government insures that the government will be able to run smoothly in a time of crisis and have the capability to make sound decisions that will benefit the American populace. Foreign policy was developed so that America would know where it stood when it came to dealing with other countries. It was important that America dealt with international problems in a uniform manner. Manifest destiny deals with the issue of how America and Americans will acquire land. Infrastructure is America working together. America depends on many things to keep it running, when these things cross paths we develop an infrastructure. America must solve internal problems all of the time. What these problems are and how we solve them is what shapes America. America slowly began to build a continental empire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to achieve the five things needed to create a continental empire America had to start slow. They first had to gain the trust of their people and settle the differences between them. This trust was partly gained by heroes of the Revolutionary War becoming politicians. An example of this was George Washington. He led troops into battle during the war and then became president. American people found it very difficult to start a rebellion or disagree with someone that had led them to victory against Britain. With George at the helm of America we were well on our way to developing a continental empire. This trust in America was secured by actions. Our government kept making the people happy by writing a bill of rights and a constitution that gave Americans the freedom that they had wanted when they went to war with Britain. The people wanted rights that they felt were fair and necessary to their existence. The government outlined these rights in the Bill of Rights. The people agreed with them. The constitution outlined rules to form a more perfect Union. Americans excepted the contents of the Constitution and began to build their lives around it.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Heritage Assignment Essay

My Mother and Father were both born in Villamar Michoacan, De Ocampo Mexico it is a very small town with a population of 15,512 it is in the state/region of Michoacan de Ocampo, Mexico. My Grandfathers were born in Villamar Michoacan as well. My Grandmothers: my Father’s Mother was born in a small town called Venustiano Carranza, Michoacan (San Pedro) it is not too far from Villamar and is a small town as well. And my Grandmother on my Mother’s side was born in El Varal, Michoacan this is also a small town actually this is a smaller town also near Villamar. After both sets of grandparents met and married they lived in Villamar, Michoacan De Ocampo. My Mother and Father were born and raised in Villamar Michoacan, De Ocampo. My parents were fifteen and twenty years of age when they married. In 1974 they came to the United States and lived in Chicago Illinoi. I was born in the United States in 1976, I have one sister who is the eldest and was born in Chicago as well. In 1979 my parents moved to Los Angeles, California and my two brothers were born there. In 1986 my parents and many of my relatives participated in the amnesty and became Residents of the United States. We lived in a Suburban setting all of our childhood years, all of our neighbors were of of some Latino culture. We always went to public school, my primary language growing up was Spanish. I learned to speak English in school, I spoke and read it fluently. I still read and write Spanish fluently. One of the things I remember about learning the Spanish language first was not a pleasant experience. When I got to Junior High (new school no friends), my Mother made the mistake of putting us (my sister and I) in ESL classes. I remember thinking why am I here I speak English, and it was embarrassing only because I was made fun of. As children when we we got ill my Mother did use Western Medicine, occasionally if we had an earache she used some of her cultural medicine on us. Like heating garlic in a cotton ball inside aluminum foil and putting it inside our ear. There were also the lectures about going out with our hair wet or walking barefoot. Growing up I remember aunts and uncles living with us or in our converted garage. Always there was someone living with us mostly my mothers brothers and their children. All of our aunts and uncles lived nearby and we visited each other often, I would say every weekend we gathered at someones house for a Birthday, Baptism, Holiday, Wedding, Quinceanera or just because. We were all very close and we all carried the the original family name, my Fathers last name. We went to church together every Sunday, we were all raised as Catholics and went to Catechism school we were Baptized and received our Holy Communion in a Catholic Church. As an adult I follow the Catholic Religion mostly at home, and through Santeria I believe they are connected in some way. I only attend church on special occasions or to pray, but I do not attend Sunday Mass as I did when I was a child. I believe in the power of prayer, God and the Saints (Santeria). I have statues of Saints and leave offerings weekly. I light a candle pray to my Saints and ask them for good health, clarity and for the health of my children and my family. My husband is Caucasian he is not religious he believes we â€Å"evolved from the monkey† and is very scientific. He has explained why he believes this and has showed me numerous articles and videos of how Religion is all made up. It can be difficult at times because he tries to tell me that Religion is all â€Å"BS†. We now live in an Urban setting where the neighbors are all of a different race and religion. I prepare mostly American meals we are very Health conscious and we watch what we eat. Too many tortillas, rice and fried beans will kill us LOL. Occasionally I do prepare Hispanic meals or I visit my Mom to eat, I mean I did grow up on that food and it is delicious. I very rarely participate in Latino activities the occasional festival or Posada during Christmas time Spanish Book Fair. I try to stay involved. But it it is not at all like it was when I was younger. Our primary language at home today is English my fifteen year old speaks and writes Spanish my four year old speaks and understands it very little. My friends are not all of the same ethnicity as I am, I have friends of several different ethnicities. Russian, Caucasian, Filipino, Chinese, Latino its a giant Melting Pot. But in the end we are all the same. I believe I do identify with my cultural heritage, because I was raised this way, and by keeping some of the religious beliefs I was raised on. Also my participation in family events, attending Baptisms, Quinceaneras, Catholic Weddings being a Godparent at most of these events. Spending time with my Mexican American Family. Although I do not participate 100% in the religious beliefs I grew up on, I feel a kinship towards God. And I believe it is important to have faith in God or whatever God one worships. For me at times it can be difficult because my husband has different beliefs and we do not always agree in one or the others belief. Where Health is concerned I do use Western Medicine for yearly physicals my children are vaccinated and also get yearly physicals. My Mother, Father and Grandparents believe that Mexico has the best Doctors and they frequently visit Tijuana to see a Doctor. I believe they are more thorough but I do not practice this.