Mathematics, Jazz, Zen An Existential Ribbon in Balance free essay sample

Math and jazz are different. Contradicting sometimes, complementing sometimes,  ­always side by side, sometimes parallel, sometimes intersecting. Theyre both important to me, and I think their unique interaction has helped me discover who I am in a few short years of high school. Jazz is so free – creative, lyrical, pulsing, raw, human. Music is emotion, while math is abstraction. Mathematics takes all we know in life and then takes it away. If music is the most human of the arts, math is the least. Yet there is math in music, and music in math. In jazz, inspiration can come to any soul, but it takes a trained musician to liberate it from the heart and set it in the hearts of others. Ive struggled as a student of music theory to balance my expression with the necessities of formal structure. I think soloing on a chart is a good analogy for life. We will write a custom essay sample on Mathematics, Jazz, Zen: An Existential Ribbon in Balance or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I can have a million ideas, but only by training my mind can I put them in a form others can digest. Only by training my pen and sharpening my mind academically can I turn my thoughts into arguments, and turn my arguments into ideas that I hope could someday change the world. In math, the process of proof is similar. Its easy sometimes to see the answer, but it takes perseverance and training to derive it logically. Its not enough to feel the answer; you have to prove it. Its not enough to feel the music. You have to prove it. Theres a little bit of irony in all this. Ive recently become a fan of Zen philosophy, which maintains that we must cherish the contradictions and hypocrisies of life, rather than try to blindly â€Å"resolve† them. This translates into Zen meta-philosophy – studying the Way only brings us farther from it – and the resolution of meta-meta-philosophy – the farther from the Way we are, the closer we approach it. The endless contradictions eventually cancel out to a universal truth of sorts: its tough to get to Enlightenment, but by training your spirit you can try to pave the Way for it. Thats jazz, and thats mathematics. John Coltrane for a period of time was living on a farm to practice without interruption (not unlike some Zen monks!). He spent 14 hours a day locked in his room, playing sax. Certainly he had the heart of an artist and was able to express himself pretty well beforehand. But he knew you dont move the souls of an entire generation without a little more practice. Thats what I want my education to do for me. I want to change the world in some way someday, and I can do it by making the most of myself, the most of everything inside me. Though it seems silly and almost hypocritical to say that I can enhance the arts of music and mathematics with the sciences of knowledge and self-discipline, its no stranger than noting one must study to become a Zen monk. I love taking in every bit of knowledge I can, because I think the touchable knowledge of the real world will enhance my creativity and expression, the intangible, emotional things that are really the most human.

A View on Censorship and the Government essays

A View on Censorship and the Government essays The censorship of music and other forms of entertainment by the government have long been the topic of discussion among social and political circles. Some forms of censorship such as warning labels for parents can be helpful. However the censorship of music is just not right, and the government has no right to do so. All too often the government gets on a self righteous feeling and thinks that it is its right to control what goes in or out of this so called free nations minds. Censorship in music falls into one of those categories in which the American people and the American government, which is supposed to be a representation of the people, have extremely conflicting ideas on the subject. Some say that the government should regulate the music industry. They say that the American people dont know what is best for them as a whole. Their proof is in the increase in violence, crime, Unadulterated sex and other taboos that have been on the rise in recent years. There are those that say that the government should only slightly be involved. These are the proponents of warning labels and the like, and that is about the extent of what they want the government to interfere with. The remainder generally says that the government has no right infringing on entertainment at all. They say that the government does not have the right to decide what the people can or cannot see, read, or listen to. Most of those who are of the opinion to let government help regulate the entertainment industries take the all too familiar tragic occurrence at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado as proof of their position. On April 20, 1999, two students interred the school and killed twelve other students, a teacher, and then themselves, and set the media and the entertainment worlds ablaze. The two killers were said by their peers to be avid fans of Marilyn Manson, and were even said to almost ...

Minority ethnic group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Minority ethnic group - Essay Example The concept of boundaries began to get eliminated. The entire globe was observed as a global village. The nationals of different countries in hunt of a better life style and professional opportunities started migrating to different developed countries. Some of them settled over there and since then never came back to their country of origin. The trend of migrating to different countries gave rise to the communities. These communities were named according to the country of origin. The communities were not only created on the basis of countries, there are also communities based on the basis of similar religion, lifestyle, culture, language, etc. If we examine countries like USA, UK, etc, we observe different communities within their societies based on the variables mentioned above. The major factor in the birth of a minority is the difference of beliefs, language, culture, values, etc, from the majority of that particular society of the country. In most of the countries, the ethnic minority groups are now recognized as influential factor in the political scenario of the particular country. A most recent example would be of â€Å"Blacks† in South Africa during the apartheid era. Wagley and Harris (1958) defines minority ethnic group as people portraying five characteristics. The list includes; unjust treatment and less control of their lives, different physical and cultural features, automatic membership of a particular group, understanding of subordination and frequent internal group marriages. So, it would not be wrong to say the societies especially of developed economies are now multi ethnic. According to National Statistics (2005), the portion of ethnicity in UK increased by 53% from year, 1991 to 2001. The increase in ethnicity was 7.9% of the total UK population (Sheikh, 2005). The multi ethnic societies started to develop more rapidly as the influx of the best human capital was very

Is there life out there other than us Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is there life out there other than us - Essay Example We are able to see the process of formation and evolution of various planets, far away from our own home. There is life beyond our earth and possibly they are thriving as much as we are. There could also be beings that make use of an entirely different kind of existence which could be totally not interfering with our existence as a matter of fact even invisible to us. The question of whether there is life elsewhere in all the numerous other planets and the various solar systems that go around the millions of stars in this galaxy and in many other galaxies has always been a fascinating query. Many people have remarked in many ways in the days earlier on. But then, today almost no one among the known scientists of the planet today would say that there is no life elsewhere. Looking closely at the various papers, research works and exploration missions, that was taken up in the recent past have concluded successfully that there is a very high possibility that life exists in more than one form, in more than one location on the planets that abound in outer space1. In our own solar system, there are number of planets, planetoids and their satellites which boast of their own atmosphere. A temperature that is nearly as good as that of the earth. But then, the recent advances in the microbial sciences, have led from one discovery to another. It was spotted that there are millions of new bacterium that could possibly exist in Mars and the kind of harsh climates that they could manage to live with2. On closer introspection, one can find that the living organisms on the planet earth have been subjected to extreme conditions and that they lived through these conditions. In a similar way, conditions at many places in the universe are to the extreme side on temperature, on atmospheric conditions and on planetary material. All these have led to conclude that there is a high possibility for living organisms to exist in multi-various locations on the planetary systems3 that are continuously evolving across the universe. 3. Research Continuing research has revealed that the very definition of a living organism needs to be clearer when it comes to dealing with living organisms in other worlds. The question of 'what is a living organism' seems to have rocked the boat of the researchers in more than one way. Though there still seems to be a great amount of latency in defining the living organism, most people as of date seem to have accepted the fact that many of the so called, non-living organisms or man made objects seem to display tendencies that are similar to living organisms. They all eat, produce energy for their purpose and they also 'exhaust' unwanted or used up or unwanted material. They go through a chemical or nuclear or any other reaction that could sustain them. To date, what was found was that artificial objects do not copulate and reproduce. Current investigations into the existence of living organisms assume that the only difference between the living and non living organism is that they do not have a copulation methodology resulting in

Causes of increasing gas prices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Causes of increasing gas prices - Essay Example What is causing this rise in prices of gas? Is it merely supply and demand issues, or are there other factors that are influencing the rise in gas prices? This paper has the general aim of being informative of the causes of the rise in gas prices. However, within this general aim, the paper has a specific purpose in trying to uncover that the rise in gas prices is not merely caused by supply and demand issues. Gas prices in the USA are linked to international oil prices, as the cost of oil constitutes 70% of the cost of a gallon of gasoline. Cost of oil has risen. Brent oil prices are a measure of the prices of prevailing in the oil markets. Brent oil has risen by approximately 52 cents over the last two months, reflecting a rise in price of gas by 47cents per gallon in the USA. Four factors are believed to be involved in the recent rise in gas prices. These four factors are rise in demand for oil, inability of oil production to match the rising demand for oil, political turbulence in the Middle-East, and speculation in oil (Hargreaves, 1). The United Nations outlook for oil markets in 2010 demonstrates the reasons for an expected rise in demand for oil. The forecast indicated that there would be a rise in demand for oil to the tune of about 1.5%, raising demand for oil to 85.7 million barrels per day. Two factors would drive this rise in demand for oil. The main driver for rise in oil prices would be growing demand for oil from the emerging nations, like China and India, and the secondary driving force would be the slow emergence from recession of the developed world (United Nations, 63). The rise in demand for oil in 2012 however, was not as large as expected. The International Energy Association has estimated that the demand for oil in 2012 will be 200,000 barrels per day less than the earlier forecasted estimate of 90 million barrels per day. The reason for this

Risk And Adults With Learning Disabilities

Risk And Adults With Learning Disabilities A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills (impaired intelligence), with a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning); and a condition which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development (Scottish Executive, 2010). People with learning disabilities comprise of a highly vulnerable section of the society, who have limited access to health care facilities / services offered to them. They are often faced with obstacles and challenges while copying with grave situations such as loss and bereavement of loved ones, personal illness, death etc (Elliott, 1995). This, in turn, tends to aggravate their situation and increase their dependence on the society which includes their friends, family and loved ones as well as the community in general. They are known to have been ignored persistently in terms of providing services in the need of personal illness, death, and other challenging life situations, thus increasing their vulnerability all the more. Risk vulnerability: People with learning disabilities are one of the most vulnerable groups in the society (Department of Health 2001). People with learning disabilities has probably one of the worst histories is neglect and ill treatment in any group of society. Among the most vulnerable members of society they cant speak up for themselves. Concepts of risk assessment and management in psychiatry increasingly reflect public and professional anxieties that people with a mental disorder may harm others (Simon Halstead (997). At risk are the mens victims whose suffering was often exacerbated by service providers failure to protect them. For example, if consequences are limited when a man with learning disabilities abuses another person with learning disabilities, the victim may be left with the idea that such behaviour is normal and acceptable, and that services will provide little protection and that their complaints will not be heard. It may also increase their vulnerability to further abuse because abuse can become normalised (McCarthy and Thompson, 1996). The oxford dictionary define noun risk as meaning a hazard, a dangerous, exposure to mischance or peril, as verb it also similar which means hazard, to danger, to expose to the chance of injury or loss(P. Parsloe, 2005). Risk is closely linked to dangerousness, resulting in harm which seems to be agreed means harm to self or others and extend of harm which constitutes a risk in various situations especially adult with learning disabilities. If you dont know for sure what will happen, but you know the odd that is risk and if you dont know the odd that is uncertainty (Knight, 1921). From this definition of risk concentrate upon the probabilistic components in knowledge, and is agnostic as to whether this involves probabilities of good of bad outcomes. Royal Society(1983), risk assessment which saw as the probability that a particular adverse event occurs and social services has been concerned predominate with risk assessment to prevent harm. They may also suffer further if they have to deal with seeing their perpetrator on a regular basis, and may be subject to further assaults in retaliation of their initial complaint. It has been noted above how services frequently respond inadequately to the abuse of people with learning disabilities by men with learning disabilities: only rarely will the police be involved and most victims will have no option but to continue to see their attacker on a daily basis (Thompson, 1997). In addition to the risks to existing victims, poor responses may result in increasing numbers of people being abused. Definiation of vulanarable adult in section 80(6) care standard act 2000 states that- (a) an adult to whom accomodation and nursing or personal care are provided in care hom (b) in adult to whom personal care is provided in their own home under arrangements mad by a domiliciary care agency.(Ian. PeateD.Fearns-2006) Adult with learnign disabilities, and thos peopl who have a lescapcity like who have mental illness, old and frail,need protection from potentially abusive sitaution over which they might have little control (Department of Health,2000). Learning Disability Adolescents obviously do not always act in ways that serve their own best interests, even as defined by them. Sometimes their perception of their own risks, even of survival to adulthood, is larger than the reality; in other cases, they underestimate the risks of particular actions or behaviours. It is possible, indeed likely, that some adolescents engage in risky behaviours because of a perception of invulnerability-the current conventional wisdom of adults views of adolescent behaviour. Others, however, take risks because they feel vulnerable to a point approaching hopelessness (Fischhoff et al., 2000). In either case, these perceptions can prompt adults to make poor decisions that can put them at risk and leave them vulnerable t o physical or psychological harm that may have a negative impact on their long-term health and viability. Learning Disabilities: Risk Assessment Decision Making Process/ Practice Tools: Every day a lot of risk situation changes rapidly and what applied yesterday but may not today. Those service users who are identified as at risk would be provided highly effective instruction to reduce their risk in the identified area (e.g., language, reading, numeracy/ math, behaviour). Service users whose response to instruction moved them out of risk status would receive no further supplemental intervention. Service users whose response to well-documented, effective, and well-implemented instruction was low or who remained at risk would be considered for placement in special education. Thus, potentially, many Users could benefit from this type of an identification procedure. (S.Vaughn and Lynn S. Fuchs, 2003). For minimize risk and make it useful and meaningful, may risk situations need to be reassessed regularly perhaps daily basis according service users daily need. People with learning disabilities are subject to risk all time due to their vulnerability they sometimes abused by those who have control over them or by those who realize that they are vulnerable because of their disabilities they often find it very much more difficult to assess risk the way most of us do. While most of carer don dont asses risk very efficiently they generally make some attempt to do so. Its not easy at all to do risk assessment as it is a complex task and most of the time carer or support worker they do adequately but not very thoroughly. Adult with learning disabilities they always find this difficult and also fail to recognize any risk at all as they cant explain due to lack of communication. In spite of some difficulties, there is an increasing awareness that people with learning disabilities can make choices, moreover they want to do so. However its often fail to consider is that, the amount of risk that these choices carry and most of us have grown up accustomed to risk-taking. Life is full risks we all take risk all the time and the more familiar they are the less we tend to recognize the real level of risk involved.(Refe). Many problems about assessing risk that different services user may perceive the different risk. What is acceptable to one person may not be acceptable to another. Main objective of the risk assessment when its possible may sometimes affect decision making in number of different ways. Its true many people with learning disabilities who are always facing risk in their everyday life. Significantly about choice decision sometimes its difficult for adult as well carer to make right choice how could be at risk. The difficulty for people with learning disabilities is that carers often do feel often they are expected to make these choices for them. The law of negligence can appear to inhibit decision making personal freedom and choice sit uncomfortably next to the concepts of duty of care and professional liability (Ref.). people with learning disabilities may not have done perhaps carers need to be encourage to help their service users how to make choices with and appreciation of the risk involved. This is more challenging task than just encouraging choice alone it seems that not only should people with learning be allowed to make choices and take risk they should actively be encourage to do. Multidisciplinary Risk Assessment: The problem with the right to make choices is that it assumes that adult with learning disabilities are able to make choice about risk in the same way every one does(Refe.). we have to acknowledge that adult with learning disabilities do have real difficulties with many cognitive takes. Most we have problems in assessing risk effectively because of the complexity of doing so it is likely that people with learning disabilities will find the particular difficult. The assessment of ability to consent and the ability to make real choice, especially in relation to understanding the likely consequences of the choices or decision made. It could be helpful when any risk assessment pan to do like- If carer want to take any decision about the adult person, Is person are aware that about their decision at all? Are they communicating their choice decision making? Giving people with learning disabilities more choice especially about taking risk, its mean that carer have to be alert to the extent to which the service users are able realistically to assess the level of risks involved(Ref.). In order to decide when risk is acceptable, they need to consider a large number of pieces of information which is decision making become difficult for carer/support worker. Many adult with learning disabled the most successful way to avoid and minimize risk to avoid further problem is by effective management. When the person concerned may have been living in a setting where the opportunities for such behaviour have been very limited or absent, carers and professionals are sometimes tempted to assume that because the recent past has been incident-free the problem has disappeared. Risk Assessment: Never take someone with a learning disability swimming without first reviewing their risk assessment plan. A risk assessment is in place to address issues of importance such as dangers, hazards, and known triggers and how best to avoid them. Make sure you are familiar with the particular risks that you could face with the person in your care and that you have put measures in place to reduce, or eliminate, them. Assessment is a complex and time consuming task and it is a continuous process. Assessment of risk for adult with learning disabilities which should be evolutionary in nature constantly informed and shaped by changes of circumstances upon service users needs (M.Brown, 2003). The practice of risk assessment and management is the process of data collection, recording, interpretation, communication and implementation of risk reduction plan (Maden, 1996). For the risk of learning disability, clinical model of risk assessment have become the norm. There are two kinds of risk that are relevant to work people with learning disabilities, risk of unnecessary exposure to undesirable events or experience, and risk of negative consequences when possible benefits and desirable experiences are perused (Paul William, 2006). Above this it is clear that a strategy of prevention should implement, and management is required so that risk and benefit are balanced. In social care and health care there are broadly two main context of risk which are not provided and everyday risk in their life. people with learning disability to have a history of formally documented offence. Conclusion People with learning disabilities are beginning to reclaim the lives they lost in the institutions, having choices, jobs, sex lives and even becoming parents unthinkable until even quite recently. Slowly, perhaps far too slowly, the rest of the community is beginning to realize that the majority of people with learning disabilities are not so different from everyone else, and need the same things in their lives that all of us do: work, leisure, partners, and a sense of being part of a social group. They want to feel useful and valued, as we all do. Life is full of risks. We all take risks all the time, and the more familiar they are the less we tend to recognize the real level of risk involved. We actually take the greatest risk in our lives every time that we step into a car, but few of us really consider that risk seriously. This is the other side of the coin; we are inclined to believe that it wont happen to me, even when the objective statistics suggest otherwise. The difficulty that now exists for people with learning disabilities, especially those with greater handicaps, and those who care for and support them, is that the law specifies that many such people are vulnerable, and not able to make this choice for themselves. They are considered to be unable to assess the risks involved and thus make an independent choice. The onus of assessing risk and making the decision therefore often rests with carers. Because it is such a difficult decision to make for someone else, carers often take the simple way out, and avoid letting situations arise where learning-disabled people in their care have the opportunity to develop sexual relationships: if a person cannot make an informed choice then perhaps it is easier not to offer them that choice. This is the current dilemma for those who work in community care situations. The issue of sexual relationships is perhaps the most difficult and complex, but this problem of balancing risk and choice is a constant one for carers and professionals, in relation to many aspects of everyday life. In the background is the ogre of the law (and/or local management), ready to jump on the unwary, should they get it wrong. No wonder, perhaps that many are cautious about enabling such choices to be made. Recommendation Social services departments have seen a rise in the numbers of vulnerable adults referred to them because they are at risk of physical and sexual abuse, as well as financial fraud, a study has found. The survey of directors of adult services suggests the fallout from the death of Baby Peter has influenced social workers attitudes to vulnerable adults with more older people or those with a learning disability deemed to be at risk of abuse being referred for assessment. Speaking ahead of the national children and adults conference that opens today in Harrogate, the Local Government Association (LGA) warned that adults services were coming under increasing strain and called for reform of the way adult social services are funded to meet the explosion in demand and escalating costs. In others for example, in the increase in the number of adult safeguarding referrals it might be that the higher profile of risk and vulnerability has led to a greater vigilance by our care staff and by members of the public alike.

Progressive Era Essay -- essays research papers

From president Roosevelt becoming a vegetarian to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the progressive era, foreign policy, and World War one were major parts of United States history. The progressive movement was caused by labor unions and the presidents’ progressive plans. World War one and Open Door Policy caused the American Foreign Policy. This in many ways helped shape and increase American power in the early 20th Century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The progressive movement was an effort made to help make America to be safer and make the economy better. Social Welfare and African American rights where things that improved during the progressive era. Election Reforms started to change so it would give more power to the people instead of the government. The food industry was a very disgusting industry back then and it was so bad that when a man named Sinclair Upton wrote a book called The Jungle about it, it change the president into a vegetarian for six months until h came up with the Meat Inspection Act. Labor Unions such as, Knights of Labor and the A.F.L., started to increase in size because people wanted to have better job environments. Strikes emerged everywhere in the United States that helped job environments to improve. A major strike was in Chicago called the Haymarket Strike that turned the people against labor movement due to police brutality. President Roosevelt came up with a plan called the Squar e Deal, which used â€Å"Trust busting† and gave more powe...

Lord of the Flies and Human Nature

Good and evil. These are two words that everybody has heard. One question that can arise from these two words is whether humans are essentially good or evil. The question of human nature has been a topic that even the greatest philosophers have struggled with. Even the best people still have evil thoughts which demonstrate that evil exists in all of us, however much that the trait is suppressed. Evil is not a bold line straight down the middle of what is right and this is why it is my opinion that human nature is essentially evil.The book Lord of The Flies by William Golding presents the question of human nature and allows the reader to draw their own opinions on what it truly is. The story presents the situation of various young boys stranded on an island and the slow breakdown of society that occurs afterwards. There are multiple quotes in this book that can be used to argue that human nature is essentially evil. A particular example is â€Å"Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew didn’t you? I’m part of you? †(Golding 143).The Lord of the Flies said this to Simon while he was hallucinating. In the book, The Lord of The Flies represents the devil and the fear and evil within each of the boys. Further analyzing this quote, it boils down to basically mean that everybody has evil within them. Simon was the only boy on the island who figured out that the beast was not an external threat, it was inside of them. When he tries to inform the other boys of his findings he is killed by them because they were caught in the frenzy and passion of the hunt.This allowed the beast take them over and rule their actions and caused them to act with brutality. As the story progressed, it demonstrated how the boys went from calm and civilized to savages that were completely taken over by the beast of evil. This action further shows that evil resides in all of us and progressively takes us over as we commit savage acts for the acts that we commit are the ones that will ultimately dictate our nature. After succumbing to their inner beast it seems that the thirst for blood was not subdued in the boys.They killed Piggy shortly after Simon’s tragic demise and instead of expressing any type of remorse Jack says to Ralph â€Å"See? See? That’s what you’ll get! I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! †(Golding 181). He reveled in seeing Ralph’s tribe break down and with that the death of all order within the boys. Not even conform to being leader now, he and his tribe hunted Ralph down and lit the island on fire to try to draw Ralph out of his hiding place to kill him.This fire, the fire of savagery and evil, had an undesired consequence and got them rescued by order and society in the end. At the end of the book Ralph â€Å"wept for the end of innocence and the darkness of man’s heart† (Golding 202). This particular excerpt exhibits that at the end of his trial by fire (literally) Ralph had realized that deep inside, the nature of man is evil. Without any rules in place, the boys reverted to man’s original state of chaos and evil and destroyed the innocence that they had from being children.It was at the end that Ralph could see that humanity is an evil and twisted thing once he had experienced the death of his most loyal friend and seen and participated in Simons killing. The only two boys who realized that the beast was in them all were ultimately killed by the evil evident in human nature. How can young children, who are notably more innocent and less corrupted than adults, revert to such acts of evil? The only logical answer that one may be able to find is that everyone has an inherent sense of good and evil.This sense of evil seems to be the one that reigns supreme in mankind and its nature. There are many examples in history one can use to argue that human nature is essentially evil. A striking example is the reign of Mao Zedong in China that started in 1949. He was the founder of the People’s Republic of China and was a communist revolutionary. Once he had reunited China through his Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries, he enacted a widespread land reform. Zedong used terror and violence to overthrow the owners of large pieces of land and then divided it into people’s communes.The true evils of his reign come to play during his Cultural Revolution. Zedong’s regime persecuted millions of people and tortured them, publicly humiliated them, and even forcibly relocated youth to the countryside. Another campaign that killed millions was the Great Leap Forward. The Great Leap Forward led to a famine that killed around 18 to 42 million Chinese citizens. Instead of focusing on feeding his people, Zedong was more worried on maintaining face and continued exporting grain and refused outside help.Zedong could have avoided this huge genocide but he was more preoccupied with paying back his debts to the USSR. His desire for power and to one day lead a country that surpassed the United States lead him to neglect the most important element, his people, which is an evil in of itself. Evil can come in many forms, be it how you treat someone to just human nature in general. In Lord Of the Flies, William Golding coveys the message that there is evil inside every person, no matter how good they may seem.Examples in history can also prove that human nature can be a terrible thing and no matter what, there are always going to be bad people who can embody the sense that human nature is evil. One cannot judge and say that human nature is just a good thing or just a bad thing either. There are shades of grey and the in-betweens that one has to account for. In its entirety however, human nature is good with most people just choosing to give in to the evil, leading one to the conclusion that human nature is essentially evil.

Family Narratives About Child Obesity Essay

A growing interest in psychological approaches to the treatment of childhood obesity has led to an â€Å"increased demand for insights into the psychological drives related to the development of obesity† and to the motivation in families with obese children (pg 183). Reports suggest that childhood obesity affects both the physical and the psychological health of the child, and the family is the main cause. There is very little research done on how to prevent childhood obesity. Children undergoing treatment for obesity are dependent on both the family’s practical (socio-economical and lifestyle) and psychological (emotions and attitude) support. Thus, the purpose of this research was to â€Å"elucidate aspects of the family’s interactions and its understanding of who has a weight problem, of whom the family feels ought to change their health-related behavior (diet and exercise)† (pg. 188) METHOD Participants From November 2001 to November 2005, 100 families with obese children participated in the treatment project. The families were to include a 10 to 12-year old child whose weight was more than 40% above the weight-to-height ratio for children, and the family was willing to participate for one and a half years in treatment. Children were referred from school nurses, teachers or practitioners. Each family participated in a one-hour introductory interview, with only 53 of the interviews actually being completed. Procedure There were three analyses that were comprised for the research: qualitative (family narratives), one for the families’ socio-demographic condition, and the third was the â€Å"ways in which the various narratives are represented in families from different socio-demographic backgrounds† (pg. 192). During the interview, participants responded to questions: â€Å"What does your family think are the causes to the child being overweight? Why do you (the child) want to lose weight (What is the motivation)? Who is going to change anything concerning the eating habits in the family? What is the education of the mother/father?† (pg. 199) Finally an analysis of the relationship between the described narratives and the three educational categories was carried out, based on their percentile distribution in the sample. RESULTS In the first part of the analysis attention was directed to whether or not a family mentioned causal factors that may have influenced the child’s weight development (internally). Factors claimed by a family as influencing the development of excess weight that are clearly causal explanations were diet, exercise, and psychology (comfort eating, boredom, etc.). â€Å"Almost all families (91%) stated that they had played a part in the development of their children’s obesity. Many of the parents (59% of the mothers and 22% of the fathers) had experience in trying to lose weight by dieting† (pg 201). The dietary factors specified by families as having played a part in the development of the child’s obesity was overeating unhealthy food. The second part was the external influences: The family claimed to have had no influence on the development of their child’s obesity. Narratives belonging to this area of research fall into three categories: genetics, previous illness, and incomprehensible (the family had no clue as to why their child was obese.). All families had a short-term perspective on motivation for wanting to change their child’s weight development. Most of the families who also had a long-term perspective on motivation belonged to the two groups with the highest educational level. ‘More than three-quarters of the families (78%) believed their child’s overweight to be a family problem and that the whole family must participate in lifestyle modification† (pg 204). Half of the families (54%) felt that the child must assume responsibility of exercising. DISCUSSION It is suggest that more studies be conducted, mainly due to the fact that most of the families that were studied had relatively short educations. Contrary to expectations, there was no association between the parents believing that they had no influence on their child’s weight development and their feeling that it was the child alone who must act and change its behavior.

Joan of Arc - The Maid of Orleans

Joan of Arc - The Maid of Orleans Joan of Arc, or Jeanne d’Arc, was a teenage French peasant who, claiming she heard divine voices, managed to persuade a desperate heir to the French throne to build a force around her. This defeated the English at the siege of Orlà ©ans. After seeing the heir crowned she was captured, tried and executed for heresy. A French icon, she was also known as La Pucelle, which has been translated into English as the Maid, but at the time had connotations to virginity. It is, however, entirely possible Joan was a mentally ill person used as a puppet for a short term success and then cast aside for the longer impact. Context: The Hundred Years War Edward III Hundred Years War Charles The Visions of a Peasant Girl Charles was at first unsure of whether to admit her but, after a couple of days, he did. Dressed as a man she explained to Charles that God had sent her to both fight the English and see him crowned king at Rheims. This was the traditional location for the crowning of the French kings, but it was in English controlled territory and Charles remained uncrowned. Joan was only the latest in a line of female mystics claiming to bring messages from God, one of which had targeted Charles’ father, but Joan made a bigger impact. After an examination by theologians at Poitiers allied to Charles, who decided she was both sane and not a heretic – a very real danger for anyone claiming to receive messages from god – Charles decided she could try. After sending a letter demanding that the English hand over their conquests, Joan donned armour and set out for Orleans with the Duke of Alenà §on and an army. The Maid of Orlans This boosted the morale of Charles and his allies greatly. The army thus carried on, recapturing land and strongpoint from the English, even defeating an English force which had challenged them at Patay – albeit one smaller than the French – after Joan had again used her mystical visions to promise victory. The English reputation for martial invincibility was broken. Rheims and the King of France Capture Trial This wasn’t just a theological trial, although the church certainly wanted to reinforce their orthodoxy by proving that Joan wasn’t receiving messages from the God they themselves claimed the sole right to interpret, and her interrogators probably did genuinely believe she was a heretic. Politically, she had to be found guilty. The English said Henry VI’s claim on the French throne was approved by God, and Joan’s messages had to be false to keep the English justification. It was also hoped a guilty verdict would undermine Charles, who was already rumoured to be consorting with sorcerers, even though England held back from making explicit links in their propaganda. Joan was found guilty and an appeal to the Pope refused. At first Joan signed a document of abjuration, accepting her guilt and coming back into the church, after which she was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, a few days later she changed her mind, saying that her voices had accused her of treason, and she was now found guilty of being a relapsed heretic. The church handed her over to secular English forces in Rouen, as was the custom, and she was executed by being burnt on May 30th. She was probably 19. Aftermath One thing is clear: her reputation has grown enormously since her death, becoming an embodiment of French consciousness, a figure to turn to in times of need. She is now seen as a vital, bright moment of hope in France’s history, whether her true achievements are overstated – as they often are -or not. France celebrates her with a national holiday on the second Sunday in May every year. However, historian Rà ©gine Pernoud added: â€Å"Prototype of the glorious military heroine, Joan is also prototype of the political prisoner, of the hostage, and of the victim of oppression.† (Pernoud, trans. Adams, Joan of Arc, Phoenix Press 1998, p. XIII) Aftermath of the War List of French monarchs.

Mark Twain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Mark Twain - Essay Example There are only a few students especially foreign ones who would stand up for their right. It should be of their pride that they have the knowledge to be brought to a foreign land and be given the opportunity to cultivate not just education but also the culture of the place where they are residing or studying. It would be of great pride for them to also share their culture to fellow students. Moral courage is needed for foreign students to be able to succeed in a place where they are considered different. These students should always stand up and be proud of their roots. Whenever they have a chance to share anything related to their culture, they should grab the said chance and especially when it will be helpful to the lectures or to the improvement of the awareness of other students. Students, whether local or foreign, should always rise up to the occasion whenever needed. It is not trying to be someone who know-it-all instead it is a way of challenging peers to step up and be more competitive. In the process the education sector including the learners and the educators would

How Water Pollution Affect the Productivity of Elodea Canadensis Essay

How Water Pollution Affect the Productivity of Elodea Canadensis - Essay Example The conclusion from this study recommended that laundry detergents manufacturing companies, need to review and revisit the chemical components forming the detergents. There should be a paradigm shift to a chemical substance considered as a cleaning substance consisting of organic chemicals. Pollution is a human created issue which has been affecting the environment negatively. Especially, water pollution has become more significant as water is a vital factor for human life both as a need of the human body and as a requirement in agricultural processes which serve humans. As the human population is increasing, the demand for water is increasing as well. Water is the main cleaning agent we use in our daily lives. However, throughout the history, we have never used solely water for cleaning purposes. For instance, before detergents and washing machines, people used to clean their clothes around a river by beating them on the rocks around the river. The leaves of some plants produced lat her which acted as the first detergents used by humans. Today, we use laundry detergents inside our washing machines, with water. However, if observed closely, these artificial detergents cause more harm than good. The researcher states that especially human impact which enhances the water pollution is an essential topic to investigate. There are very simple and easy steps to hinder the damage we do to the water resources around us. Also, the damage is not only done to the water, but also to us, since we use the polluted water in our daily lives.