Finite element method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Finite element method - Essay Example In order to avoid this situation; one must work in SI units (David, 2006). The Finite Element Method refers to a process of approximating a structure while considering that a structural analysis is being conducted, and existence of several potential sources of error. Major sources of errors include: several simplifications in structure model, element order, loads and boundary conditions, numerical, examples of errors from simplified representation, and general warning (David, 2006). Referred as disfeaturing, this simplification process usually involves taking out small details. It works well when stressed on the areas where omitted details are low. It is crucial to consider that sharp radii can increase the stress to a great extent. Ideally, its expected to start with a simple representation of the actual component and analysing if it is working as expected. If it is turning out as expected, more details can be added at every stage. With every repeat analysis, further details are added. In this way, it is possible to gain appreciation of the details that needs to be incorporate (David, 2006). All components have fixed radii at edges. However, a common perception should be ignored that small radii make "sharp" corner. It may not influence an exterior corner, however, for a sharp re-entrant, corner end up in a stress singularity. In stress singularity refinement of the FEA mesh will result in increased stress values with reduction in element size. Stress results are not requires while displacement results may work, however, a rational approximation of the radius should be utilized in the model. In order to avoid this issue, model components can be made with a substance that can identify plastic bend, however, the pressure at the sharp re-entrant will continue to be unlimited. If stressors are not required, induction of a sharp re-entrant will not influence the results and simplification process will lead to simplify model, for instance,

The Indolence of the Filipino Essay Example for Free

The Indolence of the Filipino Essay The word indolence has been greatly misused in the sense of little love for work and lack of energy†¦In the Philippines one’s and another’s faults, the shortcomings of one, the misdeeds of another, are attributed to indolence. And just as in the Middle Ages he who sought the explanation of phenomena outside of infernal influences was persecuted, so in the Philippines worse happens to him who seeks the origin of the trouble outside of accepted beliefs. Indolence in the Philippines is a chronic malady, but not a hereditary one. The Filipinos have not always been what they are, witnesses whereto are all the historians of the first years after the discovery of the Islands. All the histories of [the country’s] first years†¦abound in long accounts about the industry and agriculture of the natives; mines, gold-washings, looms, farms, barter, naval construction, raising of poultry and stock, weaving of silk and cotton, distilleries, etc. , are things encountered at every step, and considering the time and the conditions in the islands, prove that there was life, there was activity, there was movement. The Filipinos in spite of the climate, in spite of their few needs (they were less then than now), were not the indolent creatures of our time†¦their ethics and their mode of life were not what is not complacently attributed to them. How is it strange, then, that discouragement may have been infused into the spirit of the inhabitants of the Philippines, when in the midst of so many calamities they did not know whether they would see sprout the seed they were planting, whether their field was going to be their grave or their crop would go to feed their executioner? He who does not act freely is not responsible for his actions; and the Filipino people, not being master of its liberty, is not responsible for either its misfortunes or its woes. We say this, it is true, but, as well as seen later on, we also have a large part in the continuation of such a disorder. Of no little importance were the hindrance and obstacles that from the beginning were thrown in the farmer’s way by the rules, who were influenced by childish fear and saw everywhere signs of conspiracies and uprisings. The natives were not allowed to go to their labors, that is, their farms, without permission of the governor, or of his agents and officers, and even of the priests as Morga says†¦ A modern French traveler who was in the Philippines for a long time says, â€Å"†¦the governor, the foremost official of the district†¦monopolizes all the business and instead of developing on his part the love of work, instead of stimulating the too natural indolence of the natives, he with abuse of his powers thinks only of destroying all competition that may trouble him or attempts to participate in his profits. It matters little to him that the country is impoverished, without cultivation, without commerce, without industry, just so the governor is quickly enriched. † All the Filipinos†¦know how many documents, what comings, how many stamped papers, how much patience is needed to secure from the government a permit for an enterprise. One must count upon the good will of this one, on the influence of that one, on a good bribe to another in order that the application be not pigeon-holed†¦And above all, great patience, great knowledge of how to get along, plenty of money, a great deal of politics, many salutations, great influence, plenty of presents and complete resignation! The trade with China†¦was not only prejudicial to Spain but also the life of her colonies; in fact, when the officials and private persons in Manila found an easy method of getting rich they neglected everything. They paid no attention either to cultivating the soil or to fostering industry†¦The pernicious example of the dominators in surrounding themselves with servants and despising manual or corporal labor as a thing unbecoming the nobility and chivalrous pride of the heroes of so many centuries; those lordly airs, which the natives have translated into tila ka castila, and the desire of the dominated to be the equal of the dominators, if not essentially, at east in their manners; all this had naturally to produce aversion to activity and fear or hatred of work. â€Å"Why work? † asked the natives. The curate says that the rich man will not go to heaven. The rich man on earth is liable to all kinds of trouble, to be appointed a cabeza de barangay†¦to be forced banker of the military chief of the town, who to reward him for favors received seizes his laborers and his stock in order to force him to beg money and thus easily pays up. Why be rich? †¦The native, whom they pretend to regard as an imbecile, is not so much so that he does not understand that it is ridiculous to work himself to death to become worse off. A proverb of his says the pig is cooked in its own lard, and as among his bad qualities he has the good one of applying to himself all the criticisms and censures he refers to live miserable and indolent rather than play the part of the wretched beast of burden. Along with gambling, which breeds dislike for steady and difficult toil by its promise of sudden wealth and its appeal to the emotions, with the lotteries, with the prodigality and hospitality of the Filipinos, went also, to swell the train of misfortunes, the religious functions the great number of fiestas, the long masses for the women to spend their mornings and the novenaries to spend their afternoons, and the nights for the processions and rosaries. Remember, that lack of capital and absence of means paralyze all movement, and you will see how the native was perforce (unavoidably) to be indolent for if any money might remain to him from the trials, imposts and exactions, he would have to give it to the curate for bulls, scapularies, candles, novenaries, etc. And if this does not suffice to form an indolent character†¦ recall then that the doctrine of his religion teach him to irrigate his fields in the dry season, not by means of canals but with masses and prayers; to preserve his stock during an epidemic with holy water, exorcisms and benedictions that cost five dollars an animal, to drive away the locusts by a procession with the image of St. Augustine, etc†¦We have noticed that the countries which believe most in miracles are the laziest, just as spoiled children are the most ill-mannered. Whether they believe in miracles to palliate their laziness or they are lazy because they believe in miracles, we cannot say; but the fact is the Filipinos were much less lazy before the word miracle was introduced into their language. With the lack of confidence in the future, that uncertainty of reaping the reward of labor, as in a city stricken with plague, everybody yields to fate, shuts himself in his house or goes about amusing himself in an attempt to spend the few days that remain to him in the least disagreeable way possible. The apathy of the government itself toward everything in commerce and agriculture contributes not a little to foster indolence. There is no encouragement at all for the manufacturer or for the farmer, the government furnishes no aid either when a poor crop comers, when the locusts sweep over the fields, or when cyclone destroys in its passage the wealth of the soil†¦Why should it do so when these same products are burdened with taxes and imposts and have no free entry into the ports of the mother country, nor is their consumption there encouraged? And the principal and most terrible [reason] of all: the education of the native. From his birth until he sinks into his grave, the training of the native is brutalizing, depressive and anti-human†¦There is no doubt that the government, some priests like the Jesuits and some Dominicans like Padre Benavides, have done a great deal by founding colleges, schools of primary instruction, and the like. But this is not enough; their efforts are neutralized. They amount to five or ten years†¦during which the youth comes in contact with books selected by those very priests who boldly proclaim that it is evil for the natives to know Castilian, that the native should not be separated from his carabao, that he should not value any further aspirations, and so on †¦Thus while they attempt to make of the native a kind of animal, yet in exchange they demand of him divine actions†¦Deprive a man, then, of his dignity, and you not only deprive him of his moral strength but you also make useless for those who wish to make use of him. Every creature has its stimulus, its mainspring; man’s is his self-esteem. Take it away from him and he is a corpse, and he who seeks activity in a corpse will encounter only worms. Thus is explained how the natives of the present time are no longer the same as those of the time of the discovery, neither morally nor physically. The ancient writers, like Chirino, Morga, and Colin, take pleasure in describing them a well-featured, with good aptitudes for anything they take up, keen and susceptible and of resolute will, very clean and neat in their persons and clothing, and of good mien and bearing (Morga)†¦ In exchange, the writers of the present time, without being more gallant than Herman Cortez and Salcedo, nor more prudent than Legazpi, nor more manly than Morga, nor more prudent than Colin and Gaspar de San Agustin, our contemporary writers we say find that the native is a creature something more than a monkey but much less than a man, an anthropoid, dull-witted, stupid, timid, dirty, cringing, ill-clothed, indolent, lazy brainless, immoral, etc. tc. To what is this retrogression due? Is it the delectable civilization, the religion of salvation of the friars, called of Jesus Christ by euphemism, that has produced this miracle that has atrophied his brain, paralyzed his heart and made of the man this sort of vicious animal that the writers depict? Alas! The whole misfortune of the present Filipinos consists in that they have become only half-way brutes. The Filipino is convinced that to get happiness it is necessary for him to lay aside his dignity as a rational creature, to attend mass, to believe what is told him, to pay what is demanded of him, to pay and forever to pay; to work, suffer, and be silent, without aspiring anything, without aspiring to know or even to understand Spanish, without separating himself from his carabao, as the priests shamelessly say, without protesting against any injustice, against any arbitrary action, against an assault, against an insult; that is, not to have heart, brain, or spirit; a creature with arms and a purse of gold. . there’s the ideal native! unfortunately, or because the brutalization is not yet complete and because the nature of man is inherent in his being in spite of his condition, the native protests; he still has aspirations, he thinks and strives to rise, and there’s the trouble! Peoples and governments are correlated and complementary: a stupid government would be an a nomaly among righteous people, just as a corrupt people cannot exist under just rulers and wise laws. Like people, like government, we will say in paraphrase of a popular adage. The very limited training in the home, the tyrannical and sterile education of the rare centers of learning that blind subordination of the youth to one of greater age, influence the mind so that a man may not aspire to excel those who preceded him but must merely be content to go along with a march behind them. Stagnation forcibly results from this, and as he who devotes himself merely to copying divests himself of other qualities suited to his own nature, he naturally becomes sterile; hence decadence. Indolence is a corollary derived from the lack of stimulus and of vitality. That modesty infused into the convictions of everyone, or, to speak more clearly, that insinuated inferiority, a sort of daily and constant depreciation of the mind so that it may not be raised to the regions of life, deadens the energies, paralyzes all tendencies toward advancement, and of the least struggle a man gives up without fighting. If by one of those rare incidents, some wild spirit, that is some active one, excels, instead of his example stimulating, it only causes others to persist in their inaction. There’s one who will work for us; let’s sleep on! † say his relatives and friends. True it is that the spirit of rivalry is sometimes awakened, only that then it awakens with bad humor in the guise of envy, and instead of being a lever for helping, it is an obstacle that produces discouragement. Nurtured by the example of anchorites (monks) of a contemplative and lazy life, the natives spend theirs in giving their gold to the Church in the hope of miracles and other wonderful things. Their will is hypnotized: from childhood they learned to act mechanically, without knowledge of the object, thanks to the exercise imposed upon them from the most tender years of praying for whole hours in an unknown tongue, of venerating things that they do not understand, of accepting beliefs that are not explained to them, to having absurdities imposed upon them, while the protests of reason are repressed. Is it any wonder that with this vicious dressage of intelligence and will the native, should now be a mass of dismal contradictions? That continual struggle between reason and duty, between his organism and his new ideals, that civil war which disturbs the peace of his conscience all his life, has the result of paralyzing all his energies, and aided by the severity of the climate, makes that eternal vacillation, of the doubts in his brain, the origin of his indolent disposition. â€Å"You can’t know more than this or that old man! † â€Å"Don’t aspire to be greater than the curate! † â€Å"You belong to an inferior race! â€Å"You haven’t any energy! † This is what they tell the child and they repeat it so often, it has perforce to become engraved in the mind and thence mould and pervade all his action. The child or youth who tries to be anything else is blamed with vanity and presumption; the curate ridicules him with cruel sarcasm, his relatives look upon him with fear, strangers regard him with great compassion. No forward movement — Get back in the ranks and ke ep in line! With his spirit thus molded the native falls into the most pernicious (wicked; malicious; harmful) of all routines: routine not planned but imposed and forced†¦What he lacks is in the first place liberty to allow expansion to his adventuresome spirit, and good examples, beautiful prospects for the future. It is necessary that his spirit, store up energy, seek high purposes, in order to struggle against obstacles in the midst of unfavorable natural conditions. In order that he may progress it is necessary that a revolutionary spirit, so to speak, should boil in his veins, since progress necessarily requires the present; the victory of new ideas over the ancient and accepted one†¦all the flattering promises of the fairest hopes will not suffice, so long as his spirit is not free, his intelligence is not respected. Convinced by the insinuation of his inferiority, his spirit harassed by his education, if that brutalization of which we spoke above can be called education, in that exchange of usages and sentiments among different nations, the Filipino, to whom remain only his susceptibility and his oetical imagination, allows himself to be guided by his fancy and his self-love†¦ They have dazzled him with tinsel, with strings of colored glass beads, with noisy rattles, shining mirrors and other trinkets, and he has given in return his gold, his conscience, and even his liberty. He changed his religion for the external practices of another cult; the convictions and usages derived from his climate and needs, for other convictions that developed under another sky and another inspiration. His spirit, well-disposed toward everything that looks good to him, was then transformed, at the pleasure of the nation that forced upon him its God and its law, and as the trader with whom he dealt did not bring a cargo of useful implements of iron, hoes to till the fields, but stamped papers, crucifixes, bulls and prayer-books, as he did not have for ideal and prototype the tanned and vigorous laborer, but the aristocratic Lord carried in a luxurious litter, the result was that the imitative people became bookish, devout, prayerful; it acquired ideas of luxury and ostentation, without thereby improving the means of its substance to a corresponding degree.

Motivation and Broadbent’s Filter Model of Attention

Motivation and Broadbent’s Filter Model of Attention Foundations in Sport Psychology XingChi Shen Term Paper for the Course Foundations in Sport Psychology Abstract: in this paper, two most impressive topics, the motivation and Broadbent’s filter model of attention respectively, are chosen from various interesting topics as the focus of this essay. First their concepts are analyzed and then their applications in the cheerleading phenomenon are discussed. Cheerleaders can raise spirits, strengthen confidence, and set up the players a motivation and strengthen psychological pressure on the rivals and achieve deterrent effects on the rivals. But on the other hand, cheerleaders can generate some negativeeffects. Therefore, in practice people should appropriately design and organize the activities of the cheerleaders to let the cheerleaders affect the audiences, and strengthen the athletes confidence, and enhance the audiences passions. At last, my personal reflection for this course is addressed. 1. Topics Chosen During the process of studying the course of Foundations in Sport Psychology, we learned many principles of sport psychology, including the concepts of collaboration and competition, the process of the cognitive psychology, the concepts of social loafing, and the motivation of sport (Martin, Carlson, and Buskist, 2000; Weinberg Gould 2011). We also knew the experimental method and biological fundaments of psychology. Although the course emphasizes psychological factors in sport, but the course provides us many general theories of psychology. This course has opened our minds and shown us a colorful world in our inside world, which we never noted before. However, among various interesting topics, two are most impressive for us: the motivation and Broadbent’s filter model for peoples cognitive process. In this paper we will choose these two topics as the focus of this essay and discuss their applications in the sport. 2. Theoretical and Conceptual Principles of Sport Psychology In the first place, motivation is one of the most important concepts in sport psychology because people participating any sport have various motivations. For example, some people play tennis with friends because they mainly want to improve skills and have fun with friends, while other may want to develop fitness by playing tennis. For some professional athletes, their motivation is to achieve a success in their sport career. From this class we learn the interactional view of motivation: motivated behavior is primarily determined by situational factors, but motivated behavior results from the interaction of participant personal factors and situational factors (Martin, Carlson, and Buskist, 2000; Weinberg Gould 2011). Shown in Fig.1, personal factors contain athletes personalities, needs, interests, and goals, while situational factors includes lead-coach style, team win loss record, and facilities attractiveness, etc (Martin, Carlson, and Buskist, 2000; Weinberg Gould 2011). Here si tuational factors also include audience response in the competition. Athletes apparently can be affected by audience response, while cheerleading is a very important method to stimulate the audiences response in matches. Fig.1 interaction of participant personal factors and situational factors In the second place, psychological research shows when people engage in certain activities, their psychological status will be affected by the environment. Consequently, their actions and actions results will be further affected by these factors accordingly. In the field of sports, a lot of practices have shown that athlete’s cheerleaders will impose certain psychological effects, thereby affecting the athletes sport results or performance. Even the American diver Michelle Davison says, â€Å"Everyone is pretty much at the same level physically, [The difference comes down to] who can hold it together mentally. (Using Psychology to Improve Sports Performance 2014). Moreover, Dr. Magulubur published a paper in Olympic scientific congress in 1984 that the impact of psychological factors for the athletes in low, mid-level skills is 20%, bio-mechanical factors account for 80%. For elite athletes these numbers are just the opposite. i.e., psychological factors may account for 80% a nd biological mechanical actors are 20% (Using Psychology to Improve Sports Performance 2014). American track and file athlete Carl Lewis has said 90% of preparation is the pre-match psychological. So the psychological factors play a decisive role in the match. Moreover, many researchers have investigated the influence of the mental factors for the performance of the athletes and injure of athletes in details. For example, they investigated the psychological factors such as the competitive anxiety and coach may lead to injure of the athletes in matches (Junge 2000). Among many explanations about the connection between psychological status and the performance of athletes, we just concern the psychological theory of attention, since in the competition of athletes. The problem of attention is very important for an athlete to achieve success. In basis of Broadbent filters model shown as Fig.2, people have a process to use a message they receive (Broadbent, 1958). First, all messages from outside are input into the sensor store of human, but selectively transferred into our brains, in basis of their physical properties such as color, pitch, and loudness. After going through a bottleneck, the information is transmitted into high level processing and finally into short term memory and then into long term memory. This theory emphasizes that the world comprises of many more sensations than we can handle by the perceptual and cognitive capabilities of humans. To cope with the information, we have to selectively keep to some information. Attention, therefo re, is the result of a limited-capacity information-processing system. Fig.2 Broadbent’s filter model of attention We noted that the cheerleading becomes a very common activities in the match, especially in the NFL (National Football League) and NBA (National Basketball Association) basket ball companions. And even the cheerleading becomes one necessary part of match in the US. We see often them from the TV and newspaper. Therefore, we are interested in what the functions of the cheerleading in the match, and how the applications of the aforementioned principles of sport psychology into the cheerleaders phenomenon. We will explain these details in the next section. 3.Application to Cheerleaders Phenomenon 3.1 The introduction of cheerleader Even though currently most cheerleads team consists of females, the cheerleading began as all-male activity. The first cheerleader team dates back to in 1987, when cheerleaders yelled at the stadium of the Princeton University for their baseball and football athletes. After that, many universities and high schools have established such of cheerleaders and they often play performances in the NFL and NBA matches. Table 1. Top 10 cheerleading organizations in the US (Campo-Flores 2007 ) However, until 1980 in the United States, cheerleading has developed into the athletics competition, gradually developed into International All Star Cheerleading Association (the IASCA) competition (Smith 2007). In 1998, International Cheerleading Union (International Cheerleading Federation), a world cheerleading organization supported by the United States was established as an important turning point in the history of cheerleading. The International Cheerleading Union successfully hosted the first Cheerleading World Championship in 2001. Eight countries (Finland, Germany, Japan, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and China Taiwan) around the world participated, and the Japanese team won the championship (Campo-Flores 2007). Newsday, cheerleading itself has developed into an independent sport. Today it is estimated that over 1.5 million participants are active in the all star cheerleading in the US. In addition, about 1000,000 cheerleaders are scattered around the world, including Canada, China, German, Japan, and United Kingdom. To date, more than 60 countries around the world to carry out this campaign (Campo-Flores 2007). Fig.3 the Cheerleader of NFL and NBA Boston Celtics (Cheerleaders of NFL and NBA Boston Celtics 2014) Today modern cheerleaders movement blends many elements of hand gymnastics, dancing, gymnastics, sports skills, coupled with a strong sense of rhythm music. They demonstrate the athletes spirit and collective spirit of solidarity in the competition. In addition to athletes, referees, and spectators, cheerleaders are active in sports venues of the fourth character. At least cheerleading has a function of spectators. But unlike simple spectators, cheerleading has more obvious and deliberate purpose on the athletes. With respect to the athletes themselves, cheerleading is an external factor capable of acting on the inner psychological athletes. In this section we will apply the theory of the motivation and the cognitive psychology in analyzing the cheerleading phenomenon. 3.2 Format of cheerleader According to its organization format, cheerleading can mainly be divided into the following two categories: (1) Simple cheerleaders: They are also known as yelling cheerleaders. They mainly consist of the athletes families, friends and fans. They just yell, clap, or shake hands at the stadium in order to encourage athletes. It is a common way of cheering athletes. For individual athletes or entire team, the cheerleaders can raise spirits, strengthen confidence, and set up the players a motivation that it is not only a win for themselves, they win for more. It allows individuals competitive spirit more adequate and help them access to get out of the ego. Meanwhile, it can strengthen psychological pressure on the rivals and achieve deterrent effects on the rivals. A good cheerleader can even produce artificial home field advantage. Athletes are not in home field, but if the cheerleaders can control the visiting fields audiences, so players can feel they are at home field, thereby enhancing their confidence and strengthen the winning mentality. In fact, friends group and fans group of athlete stars also can organize cheerleaders to support one athlete or group, and generate the psychological offensive for the rivals. (2) Show cheerleader: This cheerleading includes 1-3 minutes long aerobics performance show at opening, midfield transition, or closing. Athletes groups (individual members or groups of members compete with each other) create and improve the environment and atmosphere of the competition. The athletes groups and audience can be affected which let them have feelings of joy and excitement. Often these cheerleaders will show many movements of gymnastics and dances. From a business standpoint, these cheerleaders market has become the mainstream in the current competition matches. Through purposeful selection members, after careful preparation, show cheerleaders can design their movement and adjust the competitive atmosphere of the scene, and inspire athletes to fight attracted the audiences attention. Many cheerleaders we saw from the TV and newspaper belong to this type. However, on the other hand, cheerleading may generate some negativeeffects. In a sport context an attention is a vital aspect of athletic performance. As we mentioned from the Broadbent model, to cope with the messages, we have to selectively attend to some information. However, in the competition, inappropriate cheerleading activities can use loudly yelling, or some special color to distribute the athletes attention and dampen their enthusiasm. Recently, many experts concluded that cheerleaders may hinder the game In games such as gymnastics, aerobics, fraught with difficult moves, such as juggling, tumbling, athletes need to concentrate their attentions, otherwise they will be extremely vulnerable to generate adverse consequences. But sometimes the cheerleaders are hard to realize this point and may generate some negative effects. Therefore, in practice people should appropriately design and organize the activities of the cheerleaders to let the cheerleaders affect the audiences, and strengthen the athletes confidence, and enhance the audiences passions, not to interrupt the athletes concentration. In details, based on the schedule of the match, the type of the competition, and the audiences, cheerleading should choose the music, performance actions, and location of performance. On the other hand, the athletes should strength the psychological training to avoid the interference by the cheerleading and audiences. 4. Personal Reflection In this semester, we first learned many psychological concepts from this course. We took many tests and assignments in the classes. However, only by through writing this essay, we have an opportunity to further understand the concepts that we learned in this course. In the first place, this course gives me many new ideals about the psychology and widens my horizons. I feel the psychological concepts are useful in our life. For example, people have different personality and mood, which can be determined by their inner world, but can be adjusted by the environment. However, when I write this reflection paper, I reviewed many concepts and chose the most important points which I learned in this paper. To write this paper, I search all kinds of knowledge of the sport psychology. For example, I find some topics as the research of the experiment of sport psychology. Even though the result is very interested, it is not fitful for this paper. When we saw the pictures of cheerleaders from internet, we think it is a good topics to connect the sport psychology to our life, since everyone know what is cheerleader and cheerleading has some psychological principles. We thought this topic and finally choose motivation and cognitive psychology in this paper and consider their applications in sport. In the second place, from this course we know how important of psychology in the sport. For instance, I am also a player of badminton and I have my personal experience. I understand how important of the mental status in playing badminton. Moreover, understanding some psychological principles can help me improve our performance in the match. Especially when we continuously lose several points in the competition, we should not blame our partner. On the country, we encourage each other with my team players and make ourselves relaxed. In addition, we can ask for my friends to organize one cheerleader for us and encourage us in the match. That is very useful in practice. Thirdly, I read many papers talking about the connection between the sport injure and the mental issue of athletes. Even this course concentrates on the sport psychology; the principles are still useful for any person. For example, I was very nervous before taking the exam. By from this course, we know that the self-confidence is very important for achieving better performance not only for athletes, but also for students. So this course helps me tread correctly the anxiety and pressure at exams. It helps me understand the mechanism of the anxiety, and teach me how to resolve the anxiety. Therefore, as for this aspect, the course is very useful in practice. In the near future, we would like to apply these principles we learned in this course into practice. References Broadbent, D (1958). Perception and Communication. London: Pergamon Press. Campo-Flores, Arian (2007). A World of Cheer!. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/cheerleading-gains-popularity-worldwide-101645. Cheerleaders of NFL and NBA Boston Celtics (2014), Pics from http://www.spox.com/de/sport/diashows/cheearleader-nba-nfl/cheerleader-nfl-nba,seite=23.html Junge, Astrid (2000), The Influence of Psychological Factors on Sports Injuries, Review of the Literature. Am J Sports Med.2000;28(5 Suppl):S10-5. Martin, G.N. Carlson, N.R. and Buskist, W. (2010) Psychology. Pearson Educational Press: Harlow, Essex. Smith, Jennifer Renà ¨e (February 2007). The All-Star Chronicles, American Cheerleader13(1): 40–42. Schmidt, R. A. and Wrisberg, C.A. (2008). Motor learning and performance: A Situation-Based Learning Approach. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Using Psychology to Improve Sports Performance (2014). Retrieved from www.spicewoodgroup.com/sports_psych.asp. Weinberg, R. S., Gould, D. (2011). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. (5th Ed.) Word count 2524

The Gun Control Debate Essay -- Gun Control, 2015

"I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it." -- Clint Eastwood Gun control has a history dating back to 1791, when the Second Amendment of the Constitution was ratified. However, more recently, the debate over gun control has escalated into a much more public issue to which many citizens can relate. After all, stories about incidents involving guns appear frequently today in newspapers and on television or the radio. One could say that the debate started with the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, which banned ownership of guns by certain groups of people and regulated the sale of guns. Since then, two main groups have gradually appeared: people who oppose strict federal regulations on guns, and people who favor those federal regulations. The Second Amendment to the Constitution states, â€Å"a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.†1 Because the â€Å"militia† is composed of ordinary citizens that may take up arms when the country needs, all Americans should be constitutionally able to own a gun. This is one of the beliefs that proponents of gun ownership, including the National Rifle Association (NRA), hold. They feel that most people—excluding certain groups of people, such as criminals should be able to buy a gun with little trouble and without a waiting period. Also, they think that limiting gun ownership would restrict law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves from criminals and violent crime, and that people need to be able to protect themselves and their families. An article from the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action actually rep... ....S. Constitution Online. 2 "More Guns, Less Crime (Again) in 2007." National Rifle Association of America. 3 "Gun Control." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. WORKS CITED Adams, R. J. "Gun Control." Awesome Library. 2014. Web 30 Apr. 2015. . "Gun Control." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation. Web 30 Apr. 2015. . "More Guns, Less Crime (Again) in 2007." National Rifle Association of America. 23 Sept.2008. Institute for Legislative Action. Web 30 Apr. 2015. . "The United States Constitution." U.S. Constitution Online. Web 30 Apr. 2015. Clint Eastwood Quote http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/gun_control.html#XShIErUHLBztRpl0.99

Learning Styles & Personality Types

Teamwork: Balancing Learning Styles and Personality Types R. Haynes GEN200 October 7, 2010 Abstract Three different learning styles and personality types were assessed to identify a strategy for the three to collaborate and communicate effectively in a team-setting. The use of the Myers-Briggs personality type indicator and Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences determined the different personality types and learning styles to study. Every personality type and learning style offers skills and abilities beneficial to teamwork.Students and employees benefit from knowing their personality type and learning style. It allows them to determine how they will best contribute to a team. Teamwork: Balancing Learning Styles and Personality Types Even though undefined, knowing one's learning style and personality type allows one to determine their skills and abilities to excel. The Myers-Briggs personality type indicator and Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligen ces was used to assess different personality types and learning styles.These assessments are used by schools as well as employers; the results of these assessments bring self-awareness allowing one to determine how one works individually and what one has to offer to a team. Teamwork is a part of everyday life; whether one is a student or an employee. As a student to know one’s learning style or personality type helps one discover the best way to study and retain information. It also allows one to assess how well one can contribute to and collaborate in a group project.As an employee, one works with a team daily therefore knowing the way one learns or one’s personality type allows them to â€Å"pinpoint your own strengths and weaknesses and let your teammates know where you can excel† (Wee ; Morse, 2007, para. 8), which makes delegating tasks and roles easier. In either setting, one can play up their strengths, build weaknesses, and focus their career to their sk ills and abilities. One’s learning style is â€Å"your mind’s particular way of taking in and processing information† (Carter, Bishop, ; Kravits, 2007, p. 38).Verbal-linguistic, interpersonal, and visual-spatial are just three of many learning styles one may fall into. A verbal-linguistic learner uses language to learn and can listen, memorize, and speak well. An interpersonal learner relates to others and considers the perspective of others. They learn best in group discussions or group activities. A visual-spatial learner is capable of perceiving and creating images. They use charts, diagrams, or graphs to learn effectively. For these three learners to work effectively together consider developing study groups in which each learner teaches the information to the group.In the study group include graphs or PowerPoint presentations for visual-spatial learners, group discussion for interpersonal learners, and outlines of the presentation for verbal-linguistic lear ners. Including different techniques will help each learner to perfect strengths and build weaknesses. An individual’s personality characteristics identify how one learns, thinks, reacts to others, and retains information. The three personality types that were assed were an Organizer, Adventurer, and a Giver. An Organizer is responsible, disciplined, and loyal.They work well in structured environments. An Adventurer is courageous, flexible, open-minded, and hands-on. A Giver is adaptable, honest, has open communication with others, and promotes potential in others. For these three personality types to collaborate together, the Organizer should create a schedule of tasks. The Giver and Organizer should request feedback to ensure all tasks are being met and each group member is equally participating. They should develop a game or use music to help memorize material or to present material for the Giver and Adventurer.All three personality types would enjoy working in a group wit h open communication. In a group, they can present new ideas to each other and establish those that work best to achieve their goal. In conclusion, although undefined, knowing one's learning style and personality type allows one to determine their skills and abilities to excel for two main reasons. First, one will be aware of what areas are their strongest and weakest. Most important, one will be aware of how one works individually and what one has to offer to a team.Personality types were assessed using the Myers-Briggs personality indicator and learning styles were assessed using Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences, which is used by schools as well as employers. These assessments prepare one for collaborating and communicating in a team either at school or in a work environment.References Carter, C. , Bishop, J. , & Kravits, S. (2007). Keys to College Studying: Become An Active Thinker (2nd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. A Pearson Education Company. Wee, J. , & Morse, O. (2007, Aug). Juggling People-Secrets for Successful Teams. Cost Engineering, 49(8), 38.

Collocation Examples For English Learners

Collocation Examples For English Learners A collocation is made up of two or more words that are commonly used together in English. Think of collocations as words that usually go together. There are different kinds of collocations in English. Strong collocations are word pairings that are expected to come together, such as combinations with make and do: You make a cup of tea, but you do your homework. Collocations are very common in business settings when certain nouns are routinely combined with certain verbs or adjectives. For example, draw up a contract, set a price, conduct negotiations, etc. Collocation Examples Here are a number of common collocations in English: to make the bed I need to make the bed every day. to do homework My son does his homework after dinner. to take a risk Some people don't take enough risks in life. to give someone advice The teacher gave us some advice on taking tests. Verb Collocations Some of the most common collocations involve verb noun collocations used in everyday situations. Here are some examples of the types of verb collocations you will need as you continue learning English. to feel free Please feel free to take a seat and enjoy the show. to come prepared Make sure to come prepared for the test tomorrow. to save time You'll save time if you turn off your smart phone and concentrate on the lesson. to find a replacement We need to find a replacement for Jim as soon as possible. to make progress We're making progress on the project at work. to do the washing up I'll do the washing up and you can put Johnny to bed. Business Collocations Collocations are often used in business and work settings. There are a number of forms including adjectives, nouns and other verbs that combine with keywords to form business expressions.  Here are some business collocations for specific situations. to open an account Would you like to open an account at our bank? to forgive a debt Do you think the bank would forgive a debt? to land a deal We landed a deal worth $3 million. to key in a PIN Just key in your PIN at the ATM and you can make a deposit. to deposit a check I'd like to deposit this check for $100. hard-earned money Once you get a job, you'll know what hard-earned money really is. to close a deal I closed a deal on a new account last week. to write up a contract Let's write up your contract. counterfeit money Be on the lookout for counterfeit money in circulation. Common Expressions Collocations are often used as short expressions to describe how someone feels about a situation. In this case, collocations can be used in the adjective form, or also as emphatic expressions using an intensifier and a verb. Here are a few examples using some common  collocations: positively encourage someone to do something We'd like to positively encourage you to buy this stock. deeply regret the loss of someone / something I deeply regret the loss of your loved one. to be in an utter fury over something Tom's in an utter fury over the misunderstanding with his wife. to go to great lengths to do something He went to a great length to explain the situation. Learn more of these common expressions. Common Adjective CollocationsEmphatic Expressions - Strong Collocations Get a Collocation Dictionary   You can learn collocations from a number of resources. Academics and teachers like to use collocation databases to help study common collocation uses. However, for students one of the best tools is a collocation dictionary. A collocation dictionary is different from normal dictionaries in that it provides you with collocations commonly used with key words rather than a definition. Here is an example of a few of the collocations used  with the verb progress: Progress Adverbs: nicely, satisfactory, smoothly, well  - You are progressing smoothly in this course.| further -  As you further progress, you will learn more.  Verb Progress: fail to -  Hes failing to progress at work.Prepositions: beyond -  She failed to progress beyond high school.  | from, through -  Students should progress from this class with an improved knowledge of the subject.  I highly recommend using the Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English published by Oxford University Press to begin using collocations as a means of improving your vocabulary skills in English.

Augustus and the Augustan Age of the Roman Empire

Augustus and the Augustan Age of the Roman Empire During the Viet Nam War, the U.S. witnessed how little it means for Congress to have the power to declare war when the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and the President, can order troops to engage in police actions. In recent decades weve watched military dictatorships the world over wreaking havoc on civilians in the name of the martial law. And in Imperial Rome, the praetorian guard installed Claudius as the first of the militarily-elected emperors. Having power over the militia means having the power to ignore the will of the people. This was as true with Augustus as it is today. To the extent that Augustus didnt abuse his powers, he was a good leader, but his consolidation of not only military power but also the tribunitian and proconsular in the hands of one man set the stage for the end of popular freedom. The Roman historian Tacitus, from the early imperial period (A.D. 56?-112?), enumerates the powers Augustus swallowed: [Augustus] seduced the army with bonuses, and his cheap food policy was successful bait for civilians. Indeed, he attracted everybodys good will by the enjoyable gift of peace. Then he gradually pushed ahead and absorbed the functions of the senate, the officials, and even the law. Opposition did not exist. War or judicial murder had disposed of all men of spirit. Upper-class survivors found that slavish obedience was the way to succeed, both politically and financially. They had profited from the revolution, and so now they liked the security of the existing arrangement better than the dangerous uncertainties of the old rà ©gime. Besides, the new order was popular in the provinces. (1. 2) From The Annals of Tacitus The peace Tacitus refers to is peace from civil war. The bait evolved into what the satirist Juvenal later describes as panem et circenses bread and circuses. The other actions led to the fall of Romes form of republican government and the rise of the single head of Rome, the princeps or emperor. Vice Like leaders today, Augustus sought to end vice. Definitions then were different, though. Three of the problems he faced were: extravagance, adultery, and declining birth rates among the upper classes. Previously, morality had been an individual or family matter. Augustus wanted it to be a matter for legislation, complete with tax incentives for those who married and had children. The Romans didnt want to change their behavior. There was resistance, but in A.D. 9, the law now referred to as lex Julia et Papia passed. Powers originally delegated the pater familias were now matters for the princeps Augustus. Where earlier a husband was justified in killing a man he found in bed with his wife, now it was a matter for the courts. Lest this seem humane and evidence of concern for the rights of individuals, the father of the woman caught in adultery was still allowed to kill the adulterers. [See Adulterium.] Augustan Age Sources The Oxford History of the Classical World, edited by Oswyn Murray, John Boardman, and Jasper GriffinA History of the Ancient World by Chester StarrBiography of Horace and selected Odes in translationLegal Status In The Roman WorldThe Ancient History Bulletin 8.3 (1994) 86-98 Leges sine moribus, by Susan Treggiari.Horatian Meters Augustus was impartial in his harsh judgments. When his daughter, Julia, his child by Scribonia, was caught in adultery, she suffered the same fate as any other daughter exile [See Dio 55.10.12-16; Suet. Aug. 65.1, Tib. 11.4; Tac. Ann. 1.53.1; Vell. Pat. 2.100.2-5.]. Literature Augustus was restrained in his personal use of power. He tried not to force people to do his will and left at least the appearance of choice: Augustus wanted an  epic poem  written about his life. While its true that he eventually got one, he didnt punish those in his literary circle who turned him down. Augustus and his colleague, the wealthy  Etruscan  Maecenas  (70 B.C.- A.D. 8), encouraged and supported members of the circle, including  Propertius,  Horace, and  Vergil. Propertius didnt need the financial input, but more than that, he wasnt interested in writing epic. His shallow apology to Augustus was on the order of I would if I could. Horace, son of a freedman, needed the patronage. Maecenas gave him a Sabine farm so he could work at leisure. At last, as unencumbered by poverty as he was now burdened by obligations, Horace wrote the and Epodes Book 4 to glorify the emperor. The  Carmen Saeculare  was a festival hymn composed to be performed at the  ludià ‚  saeculares  (secular games). Vergil, who likewise received remuneration, kept promising to write the epic. He died, however, before finishing  The Aeneid, which is considered an ambitious attempt to join the legendary history of Rome with the glorious and noble present embodied in Emperor  Augustus. [See Horace and Augustus, by Chester G. Starr.  The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 90, No. 1 (Jan. 1969), pp. 58-64.] Tibullus and  Ovid, two later writers in Augustus literary circle, were under the patronage of Messalla, rather than Maecenas. Independently wealthy, highly successful Ovid, who was considered the embodiment of Augustan poetry, mocked everything. He was irreverent towards the new morality, even going so far as to write what could be viewed as guidebooks to adultery.  Eventually, he went too far and was exiled by Augustus to Tomi where Ovid spent the rest of his life pleading for recall. [See  DIR Augustus.] A Hard Act To Follow Augustus, living under the shadow of his adoptive fathers assassination, was aware that the appearance of dictatorship could spell his doom. As he amassed power, Augustus took care to make it look constitutional, but all the while, power was accruing in the hands of one man rich, popular, smart, and long-lived.  He  was a hard act to follow and with the reduction of power in the Senate and people, the time was ripe for autocracy. The two passages quoted on the preceding page, the Asian Decree, which calls Augustus the bringer of overwhelming benefaction and Tacitus evaluation of him as a man who used bribes, judicial murder, and absorbed the functions of the senate, the officials, and even the law, could hardly be more different, yet they equally reflect near contemporary attitudes towards Augustus.

Alas, Babylon essays

Alas, Babylon essays The women in this novel have important roles. Most of the time the women are shown as the caregivers who watch over the children. There are many examples of this in this novel. Helen Bragg is the wife of Mark Bragg. She is very important in this novel because she shows a real motherly and caregiver role. In chapter four, Helen and her two kids, Ben Franklin and Peyton, are leaving to go stay with Randy. Mark has to stay behind in Omaha in a military place called The Hole. Mark says to Helen, Your job is to survive because if you dont the children wont survive. That is your job. There is no other (66). Mark states her role here. She needs to survive in order to take care of the children so they will survive too. While Helen and the children are staying in Randys house, she tries to keep things as normal as possible after the nuclear attacks. She tells Ben to wash his hands before they eat dinner. This also shows that she is in a caregiver role. Another woman with a caregiver role in this novel is Lib McGovern. When Helen has a fantasy about Randy being Mark, she kisses him and this freaks out Randy. He talks to Lib for help. She tells him that she wanted to major in psychology and that Helen was having a fantasy. Randy says, Youre talking like a professional, Lib (223). Her role is to help Randy with his problems. Another time when Lib has an important role in this story is when she goes over to Admiral Sam Hazzards house with Randy. Admiral and Randy are discussing what to do about the highwaymen that attacked Dan and stole his things and the only good car that they had. Lib is sitting there with those two men when she finally has to make a suggestion. She says that the best way to get the highwaymens attention is to ask Rita for her grocery truck and gasoline. The Admiral all this time treats her like a mess girl. After Lib sugges ...

Financial Markets and Bank Management Coursework - 1

Financial Markets and Bank Management - Coursework Example The company sells second-hand clothes in the African markets. Rive Gauche plans to explore a new market opportunity in Asia. The company plans to meet the demand in the new market by importing more clothes from Germany. Rive Gauche Ltd seeks for working capital funding through overdraft. The facts point that the company prefers meeting the shortage in its working capital by seeking for short-term sources of funds (bank overdraft). On that note, the current overdraft of the company stands at  £ 90,000. The management plans to increase the overdraft level to  £ 400,000, which is an increase by  £ 310,000. In other words, the company is seeking for a loan worth  £ 310,000 to meet its working capital needs as it explores the new market. Working capital is arrived at by the following formula: working capital = (current assets – current liabilities). The company relies on its working capital to meet current obligations and run the day-to-day operations. Therefore, is advisable for managers to formulate and implement more efficient working capital management strategies. The primary reason behind the most effective strategy is to ensure the constant availability of sufficient levels of working capital. Rive Gauche Ltd.’s current assets are (stock + debts + cash) = (311,000 + 208,000 + 40,000) =  £ 559,000. On the other hand, the current liabilities are (creditors + other liabilities) = (200,000 + 200,000) =  £ 400,000. Based on the working capital formula, the company’s working capital = (559,000 – 400,000) =  £ 159,000. The estimation states that Rive Gauche Ltd currently has  £ 159,000 to meet its current obligations. The analysis clearly shows that working capital is not sufficien t to cover the current obligations. Therefore, the company’s working capital requirement is determined as follows: working capital requirement = (current liability – working capital) = (400,000 – 159,000) =  £ 241,000 (Bhattacharya 2009, pp).

Personal reflect essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal reflect - Essay Example From personal experiences I have seen my father suffer from asthma and my grandmother suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes. During these instances I was asked to go to medical shops and get the required medicines and drugs. When these events occurred my lack of knowledge on the subject frustrated me. At that time I had an immense desired to learn more about the subject in order to help people. I had watched a number of movies related to pharmacy and medicine. I had also in my personal time read books such as The Last Medicine by Arthur Hailey. These readings increased my interest for the profession of pharmacy. One of my strengths is that I’m a person that takes advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. I also keep myself up to date with the current happenings, research, breakthroughs, and inventions in the fields of pharmacy and healthcare. I am a team player which a good trait in all professions particularly in the field of pharmacy because this will help me with the coordination in the inter-disciplinary treatment that pharmacy professionals need to provide. I seek to expand my knowledge base on every possible occasion and I am good at crisis management. I am capable of handling complex situations in a calm manner which is a pre-requisite for every professional in the field of pharmacy. There were other reasons why I decided to pursue a career in pharmacy. For instance, I was intrigued by human psychology and its acceptance of trying circumstances. I am a compassionate person and enjoy extending a helping hand to those in need. In order to further my goal I have volunteered at various health camps. Core values such as equality, human dignity, and justice are of utmost importance to me. I aspire to devote myself to servicing humanity as a tool to give back what I can to society. My goal in life is to become a pharmacist. Now that I have started on the path towards becoming a

Organizational Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Organizational Communication - Research Paper Example Effective communication in this case requires message, a sender, a recipient, codes to help in encoding the message, and a means of transmitting the message. If passed on well information contained in communication will encourage and promote good relations between people and entities. This therefore emphasizes the need for effective communication if the businesses are to prosper as well as have a good flow of information within the out of their confines. One of the characteristics of effective communication is the absence of conflict in response or reaction as has been captured perfectly by Katherine Miller (2008). When we talk of organizational communication, we essentially refer to the way in which companies, associations or groupings communicate with their employees, clientele as well as how departments interrelate with each other. It is also encompasses the relationship between a business and its environment, a process that enables the organization to relate with its surrounding in order to serve them with finesse (Carsten, & De Dreu, 2007). Literature Review: Effective communication in a very important tool in an organization, especially because of the way it helps in promoting good flow of information and hence relationship and performance of the business departments as they create a synergy for achieving the best results in terms of production. Organizational communication can either be internal or external. Internal communication is solely communication within the confines of the company while external is communication with other businesses or any other external entity. Effective communication leads to many positive effects and leads to good productivity. There are several ways that management can use communication to pass information. They include emails, meetings, face-to-face discussions, letters, video conferencing, conferences and telephone calls (Fredric, & Jablin 2007). Noteworthy, is the fact that some methods of message transfer are more effect ive and detailed than others and therefore appropriate to always evaluate the organization and weigh the most effective and cost efficient mode of communication for your business, and through which the company can achieve maximum profits. When the most appropriate mode of communication is used then message contained in it not only leads to its effective transfer but it also enhances a good relationship between various entities in the an organization and especially the top management and the workers. It also creates an enabling environment for the building of trust within the company workers (Miller, 2008). Communication as a process is a very dynamic and vibrant process when compared to other business processes. As a process communication changes with individuals and this is dependent on factors such as education, eloquence, target audience and the message being transmitted itself. It is therefore right to say that the sender of the message determines how the message will be underst ood and interpreted. If communication is efficient, it will get rid of events of conflicting messages or conflicting responses (Fredric, & Jablin, 2007). Successful communication at different levels of management is important in an organization in that it helps in building of relationships amongst these people. Communication between management and employee is also a very important aspect

Interview methods for children as eyewitnesses Essay

Interview methods for children as eyewitnesses - Essay Example The special circumstances under which children may be interviewed such that their testimony yields credible, admissible evidence requires special support in recent legal reforms. For this reason, advances in legislation in many countries have greatly improved the manner in which children are interviewed in court.1 This is because young children above the age of 5 are highly susceptible to suggestive influences that may affect the credibility of their testimony in court. Suggestibility of very young children Bruck, Ceci, Francoeur & Barr 2 studied the influence of postevent suggestion on children’s accounts of their visit to the doctor. After their DPT shots, children were given one of three types of feedback: (1) that the shot hurt (pain affirming); (2) that it did not hurt (pain denying); and (3) that the shot is over (neutral). One year after, the children were again visited, and were again given either pain denying or neutral feedback in three separate visits. They were als o given either misleading or non-misleading information about the actions of the nurse and doctor. Children given pain denying feedback reported that they did not cry or hardly at all, and said the shot did not hurt, or at least hurt less than the children who received neutral feedback. Also, children who were given misleading information about the actions of the nurse and doctor made more false allegations about their actions than children not given misleading information. ... The study showed that timing of the misinformation affected the memories of single and repeated events, depending on the combination of event-misinformation and misinformation-test delays rather than overall retention interval. In the study by Milne and Bull,4 and that of Holliday,5 the objective was to examine if the cognitive interview would enhance the recall of events when used with children, and whether the cognitive interview increased children’s resistance to suggestive questions. (The cognitive interview focuses on the cognitive processes respondents use to answer survey questions, and the interview is held in some private location such as a laboratory environment.6) In the experiment, eight to ten year old children were shown a video recording of a magic show. The following day they were interviewed individually, some using cognitive interview and some using structured interview. A pre-set list of leading or suggestive questions was given to the children either before or after the interview. The findings were that the children who were interviewed using the cognitive interview had a better and more accurate recall of significantly more details. They were also more resistant to suggestive questions subsequently asked. The study established that the cognitive interview was found to comprise a reliable interviewing technique that enhance recall and enables children to be more resistant to the influence of misleading and suggestive questions. There were implications in other studies. For instance, it was found that both true and false memories tended to increase with age, but did not differ for children who were maltreated as against those who were not.7 Also, suggestibility effects were

Mediation Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mediation Assignment - Essay Example It is this relationship that guides them in any future dealings, and might also assist the summer interns get the Human Resource Department’s support whenever any issue might arise. After both parties arrive at the office, it is vital to assure them that all parties will have their turn to speak and air their views. It is paramount that some of the ground rules are made for all parties to comprehend what might be at stake (Smith & Smock, 2008). I am the voice of reason between the warring parties, thus; confidence, clarity, and conciseness are what I need to make the mediation process a success. At the end of the stabilization stage, I ask for any questions from the warring parties, and then proceed to hearing their views. The mediation room is one place where all the concerned parties become aware of each other’s existence and role in the organization. At this stage, I allocate Ms. Bennett and Mr. Stokes a few minutes to speak about their predicaments, and inquire what their thoughts are, with regards on how to move forward in company dealings. Both parties think they are entitled to what they want, but I remind them of the organization’s policies and what they dictate. Questioning both parties and restating some of their positions gives my position a better chance at trying to negotiate the terms of the agreement (Smith & Smock, 2008). The confidentiality of the meeting makes it possible for both Ms. Bennett and Mr. Stokes to confide in me, and after each parties’ contribution, I thank them both for sharing. After listening to both sides, it is my duty to bring them both to agree on a common ground, where every party might feel like they have a certain measure of control in their respective departments. This ensures that issues which are of more concern find their way to the top of the discussion table, and

The History of Cotton Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The History of Cotton - Literature review Example The plant has a leafy green shrub that has pink flowers that become the fruit or cotton balls. The cotton plant has deep roots, which go deep into the soil about 1.5 and is drought resistant but requires constant adequate moisture supply to produce healthy balls (Williams, Bolton & Moneyhon, 2013). Cotton is the most commonly used fiber in the manufacture of products regularly used such as the jeans pants, T-shirts, towels and shirts (Riello, 2013). The fiber from the cotton wool is transformed into yarn and fabric while seeds broken to oil and animal feeds and mulching purposes. The unprocessed form of the fiber is known as the lint. The lint exists within the fruit of the cotton plant or the ball and within each ball are around 30 seeds of cotton with numerous lint fibers connected to each seed. The fiber is protected within the ball until it ripens and breaks up. The word cotton originated from an Arabic word quantum or kutum referring to soft textiles. It is one of the oldest fibers ever. The archeologists discovered the cotton fabric 5000 years old at Mohenjo-Daro an ancient Indus River valley of West Pakistan and the same Egypt and Mexico. Cotton grew wildly in East Africa but first cultivation in Pakistan where it was used for the clothing purposes and binding on sandals and harnesses for elephants (Parker & Parker, 2012). Cotton has its origin from many countries globally, for instance, India where the fine quality cotton fabric originated making India the leading producer and exporter of cotton materials since 1500 BC until the end of the 15th century AD. The other countries, which started the cotton production after India, were China, Japan, and the Middle East. In America, Christopher Columbus began growing cotton in the early 17th century. However, the southern American colonies began producing cotton and manufacturing coarse clothing for their use. Â  

Interview methods for children as eyewitnesses Essay

Interview methods for children as eyewitnesses - Essay Example The special circumstances under which children may be interviewed such that their testimony yields credible, admissible evidence requires special support in recent legal reforms. For this reason, advances in legislation in many countries have greatly improved the manner in which children are interviewed in court.1 This is because young children above the age of 5 are highly susceptible to suggestive influences that may affect the credibility of their testimony in court. Suggestibility of very young children Bruck, Ceci, Francoeur & Barr 2 studied the influence of postevent suggestion on children’s accounts of their visit to the doctor. After their DPT shots, children were given one of three types of feedback: (1) that the shot hurt (pain affirming); (2) that it did not hurt (pain denying); and (3) that the shot is over (neutral). One year after, the children were again visited, and were again given either pain denying or neutral feedback in three separate visits. They were als o given either misleading or non-misleading information about the actions of the nurse and doctor. Children given pain denying feedback reported that they did not cry or hardly at all, and said the shot did not hurt, or at least hurt less than the children who received neutral feedback. Also, children who were given misleading information about the actions of the nurse and doctor made more false allegations about their actions than children not given misleading information. ... The study showed that timing of the misinformation affected the memories of single and repeated events, depending on the combination of event-misinformation and misinformation-test delays rather than overall retention interval. In the study by Milne and Bull,4 and that of Holliday,5 the objective was to examine if the cognitive interview would enhance the recall of events when used with children, and whether the cognitive interview increased children’s resistance to suggestive questions. (The cognitive interview focuses on the cognitive processes respondents use to answer survey questions, and the interview is held in some private location such as a laboratory environment.6) In the experiment, eight to ten year old children were shown a video recording of a magic show. The following day they were interviewed individually, some using cognitive interview and some using structured interview. A pre-set list of leading or suggestive questions was given to the children either before or after the interview. The findings were that the children who were interviewed using the cognitive interview had a better and more accurate recall of significantly more details. They were also more resistant to suggestive questions subsequently asked. The study established that the cognitive interview was found to comprise a reliable interviewing technique that enhance recall and enables children to be more resistant to the influence of misleading and suggestive questions. There were implications in other studies. For instance, it was found that both true and false memories tended to increase with age, but did not differ for children who were maltreated as against those who were not.7 Also, suggestibility effects were

The History of Cotton Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The History of Cotton - Literature review Example The plant has a leafy green shrub that has pink flowers that become the fruit or cotton balls. The cotton plant has deep roots, which go deep into the soil about 1.5 and is drought resistant but requires constant adequate moisture supply to produce healthy balls (Williams, Bolton & Moneyhon, 2013). Cotton is the most commonly used fiber in the manufacture of products regularly used such as the jeans pants, T-shirts, towels and shirts (Riello, 2013). The fiber from the cotton wool is transformed into yarn and fabric while seeds broken to oil and animal feeds and mulching purposes. The unprocessed form of the fiber is known as the lint. The lint exists within the fruit of the cotton plant or the ball and within each ball are around 30 seeds of cotton with numerous lint fibers connected to each seed. The fiber is protected within the ball until it ripens and breaks up. The word cotton originated from an Arabic word quantum or kutum referring to soft textiles. It is one of the oldest fibers ever. The archeologists discovered the cotton fabric 5000 years old at Mohenjo-Daro an ancient Indus River valley of West Pakistan and the same Egypt and Mexico. Cotton grew wildly in East Africa but first cultivation in Pakistan where it was used for the clothing purposes and binding on sandals and harnesses for elephants (Parker & Parker, 2012). Cotton has its origin from many countries globally, for instance, India where the fine quality cotton fabric originated making India the leading producer and exporter of cotton materials since 1500 BC until the end of the 15th century AD. The other countries, which started the cotton production after India, were China, Japan, and the Middle East. In America, Christopher Columbus began growing cotton in the early 17th century. However, the southern American colonies began producing cotton and manufacturing coarse clothing for their use. Â  

The Significance Of The Creatures Speech Essay Example for Free

The Significance Of The Creatures Speech Essay Frankenstein: The Significance of the Creatures Speech. Hideous monster! You wish to eat me and tear me to pieces! You are an ogre. Victor Frankenstein has created life. Out of nothing he has constructed a being that can think for itself, make decisions for itself and sustain itself as if it were any of gods creations. When the creature confronts its maker it clearly presents an autobiographical narration of its life, it is this speech that raises several significant issues. These many issues can best be categorised into three broad areas, the development of the creatures basic capabilities and desires, the acquisition of morals and their further development and finally the duties that a creator has to those upon which it bestows life. A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt heard and smelt, at the same time Children rely on the first few years of life to develop their senses and their ability to survive on their own; they are cared for and raised by adults and those that are completely abandoned die. Frankensteins creation, in many ways similar to a new born child, in its age, lack of education and inexperience in the world, is totally abandoned and survives. It is during his speech that this significant issue of self-sustainment, even from birth, is raised. Frankenstein gives life to an inanimate object, this object however, from the first instant of life is capable of thought and well within its first week is able to sustain itself. When the creature gets hungry it finds food and seeks shelter, a most basic instinct, but how far do these instincts go? Does one from birth desire language, and companionship? The creatures speech answers many of these. Frankensteins creations rate of self-education far outstrips a human child who in the same situation would almost certainly perish. (Many Greek, Roman and Jewish stories involve children surviving on their own for certain periods and it is quite possible that Shelley has been influenced by the stories of, Oedipus, Romulus and Moses. Upon awaking in the woods on his second day of existence natural instinct takes over and the creature sets about procuring food and shelter. These are the most basic impulses for a creature and given an infant mind in a very apt, physically capable frame, his story gives a detailed insight to the extent of what knowledge and desires a new being has from birth. Several changes of day and night passed when I began to distinguish my sensations from each other Given no education other then what he can teach himself the creature sets about the task of mental development and survival. On its first night of existence the monster feels cold and damp from night, not understanding what these are it weeps in despair. Without any concept of what pain is other then first hand experience the creature knows nothing of how to end it, only upon the discovery of fire is the pain of cold abated. This important discovery however, as with the discoveries of Victor and the mythological Prometheus, have negative effects, all three tampered with the unknown, and all three suffered. Sweeter then the voice of the thrush or the nightingale Another issue focusing around basic instincts that is raised is the question of what a being is born with and what it acquires during life. The above quote indicates the creature, from the early stages of its life was able to compare and make decisions based upon, two entirely different things. It also soon develops the desire for the mastery of language and writing, which is very symbolic of how mankind for many thousands of years has relied upon writing and speaking to convey thoughts and desires form person to person, generation to generation. The creature also, from the first time it views its reflection refers to itself as hideous, having never been educated in beauty and deformity the creatures statement implies that all self-aware beings are born with a concept of beauty. I learned from the social life which it developed, to admire their virtues and depreciate the vices of mankind.

Why Is Budgeting Important Accounting Essay

Why Is Budgeting Important Accounting Essay A budget  could be an elaborated  set up, expressed in quantitative terms that specifies  however  resources  are going to be  non-heritable  and used  throughout  such  amount  of your time. The procedures  wont to  develop a budget  represent  a budgeting system. Budgeting systems have  5  primary purposes: (1)  coming up with, (2) facilitating communication and coordination, (3) allocating resources, (4)  dominant  profit and operations and (5) evaluating performance and providing incentives.   Budgeting is simply balancing your expenses with your income. If they dont balance and you spend more than you make, you will have a problem. Many people dont realize that they spend more than they earn and slowly sink deeper into debt every year. If  you do not  have enough  cash  to try to to  everything  youd  prefer to  do, then  youll be able to  use this  coming up with  method  to  rank  your  defrayment  and focus your  cash  on  the items  that  area unit  most significant  to you. Why is Budgeting  Important? Since budgeting  permits  you  to make  a  defrayment  set up  for your  cash, it ensures  that you simply  can  invariably  have enough  cash  for  the items  you would like  and therefore the  things that  area unit  vital  to you. Following a budget or  defrayment  set up  also will  keep you out of debt or  assist you  work your  solution  of debt if  youre  presently  in debt. What  are  Budget  statement  and Planning? Once you  produce  your  initial  budget, begin to use it  and find  a decent  grieve  however  it  will  keep your finances  on the right track,  youll  wish  to  plan  your  defrayment  set up  or  allow  vi  months to a year down the road. By doing this  youll be able to  simply  forecast  that  months your finances  is also  tight and  which of them  youll need  more money.  Youll be able to  then  search for  ways in which  to even out the highs and lows in your finances  so  things  are often  a lot of  manageable and pleasant. Extending your budget out into  the long run  conjointly  permits  you to forecast  what proportion  cash  youll  be  able to  then again  vital  things like your vacation,  a replacement  vehicle, your  initial  home or home renovations,  associate  emergency  bank account  or your retirement.  Employing a  realistic budget to forecast your  defrayment  for the year  will  very  assist you  together with your  long run  monetary  coming up with.  Youll be able to  then  build  realistic assumptions  concerning  your annual financial gain  and expense and  set up  for  long run  monetary  goals like  beginning  your own business,  shopping for  associate  investment or recreation property or retiring. Budget preparation   Firstly,  verify  the principal budget  issue.  This is often  conjointly  called  the key budget  issue  or limiting budget  issue  associated  is that the  issue  which is able to  limit the activities of an  endeavor. This limits output, e.g. sales, material or labor.   a) Sales budget: this involves  a practical  sales forecast.  This is often  ready  in units  of every  product and  conjointly  in sales  worth.  Ways  of sales  statement  include:   †¢Ã‚  sales department  opinions †¢Ã‚  research †¢Ã‚  applied math  ways  (correlation analysis and examination of trends) †¢ mathematical models. In  exploitation  these techniques consider:   †¢ companys  evaluation  policy †¢ general economic and political conditions †¢ changes  within the  population †¢ competition †¢ consumers  financial gain  and tastes †¢ advertising and  different  commercial  techniques †¢Ã‚  when  sales service †¢ credit terms offered. b) Production budget: expressed in quantitative terms  solely  and is  intermeshed  to the sales budget.  the assembly  managers duties include:   †¢ analysis of plant  activity †¢ work-in-progress budgets. If  needs  exceed  capability  one may:   †¢ subcontract †¢Ã‚  set up  for overtime †¢ introduce shift work †¢Ã‚  rent  or  purchase  further  machinery †¢ the materials purchases budgets  each  quantitative and  monetary. c) Raw materials  and buying  budget:   †¢ the materials usage budget is in quantities. †¢ The materials purchases budget is  each  quantitative and  monetary. Factors influencing a) and b) include:   †¢ production  needs †¢Ã‚  coming up with  stock levels †¢Ã‚  space for storing †¢ trends  of fabric  costs. d) Labor budget: is  each  quantitative and  monetary.  This is often  influenced by:   †¢ production  needs †¢ man-hours  offered †¢ grades of labor  needed †¢ wage rates (union agreements) †¢Ã‚  the requirement  for incentives. e)  Money  budget: a  money  set up  for  an outlined  amount  of your time. It summarizes monthly receipts and payments. Hence, it highlights monthly surpluses and deficits of actual  money. Its main uses are:   †¢Ã‚  to keep up  management  over a firms  money  needs, e.g. stock and debtors   †¢ to  alter  a firm  to require  precaution  measures and  prepare  ahead  for investment and loan facilities whenever  money  surpluses or deficits arises   †¢Ã‚  to point out  the  practicality  of managements plans in  money  terms   †¢Ã‚  parenthetically  the  monetary  impact of changes in management policy, e.g.  modification  of credit terms offered to customers. Receipts  of money  could  return  from  one in all  the following:   †¢Ã‚  money  sales †¢ payments by debtors †¢ the sale of  mounted  assets †¢Ã‚  the problem  of latest  shares †¢ the receipt of interest and dividends from investments. Payments  of money  is also  for one or  a lot of the following:   †¢ purchase of stocks †¢ payments of wages or  different  expenses †¢ purchase of capital  things. †¢ Payment of interest, dividends or taxation. TYPES OF BUDGET. Master Budget A master budget  could be a  comprehensive projection of  however  management expects to conduct all aspects of business over the budget  amount,  sometimes  a  twelvemonth. The master budget summarizes projected activity by  means  of a  money  budget, budgeted  earnings report  and budgeted  record. Most master budgets  embrace  interconnected  budgets from  the assorted  departments. Managers  usually  use these  set  budgets to  set up  and set performance objectives. Master budgets  area unit  typically  employed in  larger businesses  to stay  several  managers on  an equivalent  page. Operational Budgets The operational budget covers revenues and expenses  encompassing  the  day-after-day  core business of  an organization. Revenues represent sales of  merchandise  and services; expenses  outline  prices the prices}  product of products}  sold  additionally  as overhead and  body  costs directly  associated with  manufacturing  goods and services.  Whereas  budgeted annually,  in operation  budgets  area unit  sometimes  softened  into smaller  news  periods,  like  weekly or monthly. Managers compare  in progress results to budget throughout the year,  coming up with  and adjusting for variations in revenue. Cash Flow Budget An  income  budget examines the inflows and outflows  of money  in an exceedingly  business on a  day-after-day  basis. It predicts a companys ability  to require  in additional  cash  than it pays out. Managers monitor  income  budgets to pinpoint shortfalls between expenses and sales times  once  finance  is also  required  to hide  overheads.  Income  budgets  conjointly  counsel  production cycles and inventory levels  so  a companys resources  area unit  offered  for activity, not sitting idle on warehouse shelves. Financial Budget a  monetary  budget outlines  however  a business receives and spends  cash  on  a company  scale,  as well as  revenues from core business  and  financial gain  and  prices  from capital expenditures. Managing assets  like  property, buildings, investments and major  instrumentality  could  have  a big  impact  on the  monetary  health of  an organization,  significantly  through the peaks and troughs of daily business.  Government  managers use  monetary  budgets to leverage  finance  and  worth  the corporate  for mergers and public offerings of stock. Static Budget A static budget contains  components  wherever  expenditures  stay  unchanged with variations to sales levels. Overhead  prices  represent one  kind of  static budget,  however  these budgets  are not  confined to  ancient  overhead expenses. Some departments  could  have  a set  quantity  of cash  set in budget to  pay, and  its  up to managers  to create  positive  such amounts  area unit  spent  while not  going over-budget. This condition  happens  habitually  publicly  and  noncommercial  sectors,  wherever  organizations or departments  area unit  funded  for the most part  by grants. IS BUDGET NECESSARY? Many business  house owners  fail  to line  a budget and dont  think about  this to be  vital  for them. They either  assume  theyre  not  sufficiently big  to want  one or  they need  one in their head. So, why is it  vital  for each  business  to line  a budget? A budget  is that the  success  set up  for a business.  Because the  notable  locution  says: Those  UN agency  fail to  set up,  commit to  fail. A budget helps  you propose  to succeed in  goals  at intervals  your business,  ensuring  {you  area unit youre} earning the  financial gain  you wish  and are  up to speed  of  the prices  associated with  that  financial gain. Firstly,  you would like  to grasp  what percentage  items/hours  you want to  sell per month  to succeed in  your goal  financial gain.  This is often  phased over a  twelve  month  amount. If  youre  presently  unable  to figure  out this  a part of  however  youll  earn your goal  financial gain, then  youre  not setting your business up  for achievement. Secondly,  you would like  to match  the prices  associated with  your goal  financial gain  so as  to realize  that goal. If youre a service  primarily based  trade,  youll  have direct  prices  associated with  every  hour  that you simply  charge out.  You would like  to figure  out  specifically  what proportion  every  hour  really  prices  you i.e. subcontractor/staff  prices, rent, electricity and  different  regular  prices  like  subscriptions and memberships. By having a firm  set up  in situ  youll be able to  simply  see, over the year,  during which  months  youre  creating  a profit and  youll be able to  track this against  every  individual month  to examine  however  your business  really  performed in  reference to  your budget.  After you  area unit  able to  see what you planned and what  really  happened,  youll  then be  able to  simply  establish  any  variations  Ã‚  wherever  they occurred, why they happened  and the way  youll be able to  alter  your budget or defrayment  to induce  on the right track. As the business owner  you recognize  your business  and may  return  up with the answers  you would like.  Youre  the one  UN agency  can  understand  if  theres  a  seasonal  impact, a  modification  within the  economy, or  the other  relevant variables. Remember, if  you are doing  not have  management  over your  prices  you wont  understand  if  youre  on the right track  to your goal profit. A budget  conjointly  helps you  to spot  the quality  for  income  at intervals  your business.  you cannot  maintain  income  while not  setting  an inspiration  in terms of  whats  happening  together with your  financial gain  and expenses. So setting a budget  is absolutely  vital  for creating  positive  you  accomplish  the profit  and clearly  the  money  flows  that you simply  wish  in your business.

Parents Influence on CHildren Essay -- essays research papers

When two people decide to have a child, either knowingly or unknowingly, they make a vow to raise that child to the best of their abilities. While some parents are wonderful, loving, proud parents some are hurtful, abusive both physically or mentally, or just down right evil the impact they have is immense and will determine many aspects of the child and the way he/she lives out the rest of his/her life. In my life I have both kinds of parents, my mother is the most caring, loving, proud parent I know; while my father is very abusive and hateful towards me and this has had a tremendous effect on me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the years my mother has always been there for me and has been the one true positive factor in my life. She left my father with a 7 year old and two 3 year old children making $4.75 an hour at Walgreen’s. She has always defended me and helped me do many things I would not have been able to do without her help. Her love and devotion has fought many battles against my father and schools that did not care about the student but only test scores. It hasn’t always been easy and many years were spent with sometimes just enough money to eat, but through it all she has been a strong beacon of hope.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the other side of life is my father, he was a man who I believed may have loved my mom at one point but he was abusive, he was an adulterer, and just down right evil. He spent many years with at his peak four girlfriends p... Parents Influence on CHildren Essay -- essays research papers When two people decide to have a child, either knowingly or unknowingly, they make a vow to raise that child to the best of their abilities. While some parents are wonderful, loving, proud parents some are hurtful, abusive both physically or mentally, or just down right evil the impact they have is immense and will determine many aspects of the child and the way he/she lives out the rest of his/her life. In my life I have both kinds of parents, my mother is the most caring, loving, proud parent I know; while my father is very abusive and hateful towards me and this has had a tremendous effect on me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the years my mother has always been there for me and has been the one true positive factor in my life. She left my father with a 7 year old and two 3 year old children making $4.75 an hour at Walgreen’s. She has always defended me and helped me do many things I would not have been able to do without her help. Her love and devotion has fought many battles against my father and schools that did not care about the student but only test scores. It hasn’t always been easy and many years were spent with sometimes just enough money to eat, but through it all she has been a strong beacon of hope.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the other side of life is my father, he was a man who I believed may have loved my mom at one point but he was abusive, he was an adulterer, and just down right evil. He spent many years with at his peak four girlfriends p...

Prejudice :: essays papers

Prejudice Immigrants entering our country have always experienced discrimination due to many different prejudices. ^How they would not rent to Negroes or Puerto Ricans. How Negroes and Puerto Ricans were given the pink slips first at work^ (Colon 243). Prejudice impacted various aspects of the lives of immigrants including where they lived, their success, and their careers. The lives of immigrants were impacted everyday due to the prejudices they encountered. For instance, in the story ^Blues Ain^t no Mockingbird^, a black family was impacted by the harassment of white men because the black family was assumed to be on welfare, therefore; they were videotaped against their will (Bambara 119-124). Another more extreme example that Houston illustrates would be the case of the Japanese-Americans who were thrown into detention camps during the war. Their loyalty for the country was questioned and they had to leave many of their possessions behind because of their nationality and the hatred of the enemy during the war (111-116). These immigrants encountered prejudices by the way they looked and their race. In the selection ^To Be a Slave^, it is said that: It is estimated that some fifty million people were taken from the continent during the years of the slave trade. These fifty million were, of course, the youngest, the strongest, those most capable of bringing great profit, first to the slave trader, and later to the slave owner. (Lester 84) Lester^s illustration shows that many African people were taken because they were black indeed. If the people who resided in Africa were white, or the same as Americans or Europeans, there probably would not have been much of a problem. Success was stressed on the lives of immigrants. Immigrants had to try harder then other people. In the story ^The Fat of the Land^, Yezierska points out that success was extremely stressed. Hanneh Breineh, a polish immigrant, stressed the importance of becoming successful. She did not want her children to have it as bad as she did. She desperately wanted them to become American. By the end of the story, all of her children are successful and rich in some way (33-49). ^^What did I tell you? In America, children are like money in the bank^^(Yezierska 42). Success is also a key point in the story ^Two Kinds^ by Amy Tan. In this story, a Chinese mother and daughter immigrate to California after losing what they had in China. The mother believed ^you can be anything you wanted to be in America.^ Therefore, her mother tries to make the little girl a prodigy.

Assessment of Grandmother’s Character in ” a Good Man Is Hard to Find”

An Assessment of the Grandmother from â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor The grandmother who remains unnamed all throughout in the story is the protagonist and the central character of Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is hard to Find, a tragic story of a family who decided to go on vacation but got killed randomly on the road by a criminal on the loose named â€Å"The Misfit†. She is endowed with a joyful spirit, a passion in life in spite of her age. She is a non-stereotypical woman whose old fashion clothing and beliefs contradict her strong, manipulative mind, an opposite trait of a passive and complacent woman in her time. The Grandmother is a smart woman who knows how to assert herself by trying to use all the available resources around her and manipulating them by appealing to their morality. From this information we say that the grandmother is a round and dynamic character as her character changes from being a manipulative mother to her son Bailey, to a quirky, playful grandmother who ignite her grandchildren’s imagination by her stories, and finally, to a humble human being who experiences â€Å"awakening† and acceptance of defeat in her moral battle and failed manipulation scheme with The Misfit. Right from the beginning of the story, we are introduced to a powerful trait of the grandmother—her strong and manipulative character. She did not want to go to Florida, as her son Bailey has planned for the family. Instead she wanted to go to Tennessee to visit her old friends and â€Å"she was seizing at every chance to change Bailey’s mind† (356). She would use everything around her to complete her scheme and set things her way. She picks up a newspaper and shows him the news about a criminal on the loose from the Federal Penitentiary who is headed towards Florida, and attacks his conscience and morals by saying, †I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that a loose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscience if I did† (356). When her first attempt gets no response, she uses her grandchildren and hopes to convince Bailey’s mind this time by saying that the â€Å"children need to see the other parts of the world and be broad† (356). Finally, when she realizes defeat, the grandmother is the first one all set to go the next morning, an indication of the dynamism and flexibility of her character. This same manipulative character is so important in the development of the plot that it will set fire and conflict of the story. The grandmother persuades her son Bailey to make a detour and let the family see an old house off road. When Bailey says no, she again uses her grandchildren by telling them lies about the secret panel in the house where the old family that used to stay in that house hid their silver. The grandmother knows she ignites the children’s imagination and senses winning this time. This sends the children to a frantic tantrum and ultimately changes Bailey’s mind. The detour causes them an accident and their encounter with The Misfit. In her encounter with The Misfit, still high with power over her ability to changer her son’s mind, she does the same tactic to The Misfit, and hopes not to get killed by persuading The Misfit to change his ways. She evangelizes on his morality and flatters him by constantly telling him he is a good man and that he comes from a nice people (364). Her desperation is overwhelming as she desperately tries to reach out with The Misfit by calling him â€Å"one of her children† and touching him on his shoulders. This desperate action brings her to her death in the hands of The Misfit. Apparently, her manipulative scheme does not work with The Misfit, instead gets him more irritated and angry as he states, â€Å"She would have been a good woman†¦if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life† (368). Another indication of the grandmother’s unique personality is her clothing and style. The author presents her to us as being a prim and proper lady dressed in a navy blue suit with a matching navy blue sailor hat and white cotton gloves. What makes her clothing and style peculiar and interesting is its inappropriateness to the humid condition of her surroundings. The grandmother seems unmindful about it instead she focuses on her aristocratic and old-fashion views in life. She states, â€Å"In case of accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (357). Instead of viewing the grandmother as hypocrite and superficial, we could look at her as a lost spirit in a lost time frame and space. Her old-fashioned clothing, ways and thinking indicate her imprisonment and nostalgia for the old days. This is shown through her constant recalling of the past, her yearning to reconnect with her old friends in Tennessee, and her nostalgia with the old house in the hill. These are important indications of a suppressed spirit trapped in the pain and joys of unresolved past. Tragically, this constant yearning of the past will take her and her family to doom and death. Compared to the other characters in the story, the grandmother’s character is the most dynamic and vibrant just like how her choice of clothing stands out. Her son, Bailey, is a cold-hearted and self-absorbed individual whose character is just as boring as his yellow parrot shirt. He consciously defies his mother’s control and hates her sunny disposition,† The children’s mother put a dime in the machine and played ‘The Tennessee Waltz’, and the grandmother said that tune always made her want to dance. She asked Bailey if he would like to dance but he only glared at her†. Bailey’s wife on the other hand, is a passive character whose only obsession is to hold her baby day and night. To illustrate it more graphically, â€Å"the grandmother is a giant red rose in the midst of weathered weeds in a field†. It becomes more vibrant in her encounter with the antagonist of the story, The Misfit. The grandmother’s and The Misfit’s characters are both strong and contrast with each other and it is reflected in their opposing choice of clothing and differing views on morality. Reading between them is like watching the Battle of Endor in Star Wars-Return of the Jedi where the â€Å"good†Ã¢â‚¬â€Luke Skywalker battles with the â€Å"evil†Ã¢â‚¬â€Darth Vader. The encounter brings us to a hopeful anticipation whether the good will prevail evil and hopes that the grandmother will persuade The Misfit to spare her life and change his ways. But to no avail. The grandmother will be shot three times on her chest. The death of the grandmother in the hands of The Misfit will evoke us differing reactions. At first instance, we may feel vindictive for the grandmother, and that she only got what she deserved as payback for her selfishness and manipulative character. At the same time, we are also saddened of the evil’s triumph over goodness, a brush of reality that at times or most of the time, â€Å"guns are still mightier than words or even religion†. The story concludes with a life lesson that a man’s character and morality are so embedded in the individual that it cannot be changed overnight nor by the mere mention of God or religion. It has to be noted though that when the grandmother dies, the author describes her as â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky (368), as if full of peace and divine grace. This demonstrates O’Connor’s conviction on salvation through religion that everyone has the chance to be saved no matter how deceitful the individual’s actions may have been in the past. All throughout the story, our relationship with the grandmother fluctuates from hatred to love, anger to sadness. We love her for her playfulness, her sunny disposition, and nostalgia for the past, yet we hate her for resembling with our own grandmothers or mothers who never shut up at our homes and who seem to know everything in the world constantly asserting their power and dominance over us. This ability to evoke an ambivalent feeling and familiarity with reality is what makes this story worth reading all over again. References: O’ Connor, F. (1955). A Good Man Is Hard to Find. In G. Giola, & J. Kennedy (Ed. ), Backpack Literature (pp. 355-368). USA: Pearson