Online Behaviors And Impression Management Essay

Introduction With the rapid development of technology, the Internet has become an effective mechanism for social networking. People can not deny the fact that a successful social networking is more possible to lead a successful life. A personal impression serves as an important role in establishing new networks and managing old ones. It was proved that people have more opportunities presenting themselves in the computer-coordinated communication settings than face-to-face environments. Therefore, regardless of generations, the ways how people interact with one another have been greatly changed by online social sites. The purpose of this study is to understand how people utilize online social sites to manage their personal impression and how they behave on social media; also, people utilize social media in order to gratify their social needs such as their friendship maintenance. The thesis of this paper is that social media influences personal behaviors as well as their impression management and i t also has positive impacts on people friendships performance. Personal Behavior on Social Media Individual behaviors may be restrained because of their awareness that their behaviors might possibly be seen by other people, and the fact that people tempt to look more appealing in any social occasions is obvious (Jeong, 2011). Since social media is served as a platform which is opened to public, people tend to pay more attention to how they appear and behave online. An experiment from Denton (2012) indicates that participants within heterogeneous networks such as Facebook have more desire to shift their impressions to others. A heterogeneous network is a network which is established for people without same interests, religions or common interests; in other words, people are able to speak or act freely on those websites. This experiment explains further that people manage or even shift their image based on others views and attitudes. According to Cummings (2012), the setting of profiles provides an opportunity for ones’ social life; people put effort into presenting a better image which aims at influencing others within the network. Jeong (2012) also declares that the process in which individuals attempt to control their impression with others is called â€Å"impression management†. Impression management can be used interchangeably with the term â€Å"self-presentation†, and its goal is to elevate people’s public image by performing behaviors based on how others evaluate them. Jeong also states that impression management usually occurs together with social desirability. Social desirability is defined as an individual’s tendency to describe themselves and behave in a manner in which they believe they will be viewed favorably in a situation. Moreover, Jeong also points out three main characteristics of self-presentation in online media platforms. They are asynchronous, malleable and selective. Asynchronous means that people can edit and update self-presentational cues deliberately over time. Malleable means people can simply manipulate those cues. Denton (2012) explains further by stating that people behave differently in different situations or interact with different people with whom they have specific relationships. For example, a lazy and incompetent employee may spend his evening as a passionate and assiduous worker volunteer or he behaves as a hard-working worker only under supervision; in this case, employers might misunderstand that he is truly a diligent worker. Thirdly, selective means people can improve their impression by choosing specific cues. Jeong explains this term by giving an example that individuals are more likely to donate or show their supports for charity campaigns as long as they realize that their participation would be noticeable to other people. Besides, there are some companies tend to elevate their images by sponsoring nonprofit organizations. To conclude, in general, people tend to behave favorably and try to create a positive impression to others on social media. Impression Management on Social Media Social media has been a new and easy platform for people managing their impression. Sameer (2007) states that document preparation programs make it relatively easy to manipulate the appearance of profiles; also, programmability helps people keep track of contents to the audience, and browser application provide an easy way to distribute the original or modified profiles. Therefore, Krisanic (2008) concludes from her research that impression management has been commonly carried out by those who involved in social networking activities. Jeong (2011) also states that online media platforms are expected to provide people with a greater opportunity for impression management, and because of its â€Å"public display† which enables participants to articulate and make their social networks more manifest; furthermore, Ellison (2008) declares that this kind of â€Å"public display of connection† serves as important signal that helps people navigate their networked social world. Cummings (2012) supports his idea. He points out that social network sites provide people a channel to present themselves digitally, and also gives them another way to provide details about themselves and establish or maintain their relationships in their own social network. Also, profile owners are not the only ones who are able to provide information on their own pages. Most sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn allow those who are involved in the connection to create additional information, and the use of wall posts and the recommendation are the examples (Cummings, 2012). All in all, the main characteristics of social network sites include the capability to make connection between people and share personal information; on top of that, it offers an easy way for people to manage their personal impressions. Friendships Performance on Social Media The articulation of friendship connections is another facet of impression management; it might possibly be viewed from others as an identity marker to profile owners (boyd & Ellison, 2008). Although boyd and Ellison argue that online audiences’ comments may dominate user behaviors, Vallor (2012) thinks that those interactions are part of the reciprocity which serves a prime function maintaining friendships. Reciprocity is an original biological stimulus that operates as the core of human sociology and is the mutual characteristic of different types of friendships (Vallor, 2012). Take Facebook as an example, reciprocity emerge with diverse forms; it begins with the friend requests and accepting invitations correspondingly, responding to friends’ status by pressing â€Å"like† button, sharing photos and videos online, comments on friends’ status, and â€Å"tag† friends on pictures or posts. Therefore, a study from Vallor (2012) shows that instead of d iminishing people’s interactions in their real lives, online social sites actually extend chances for such interaction. Vallor (2012) also declares that social media can support friendships. Many social network sites allow additional information, and which encourage people to list hobbies, post photos, and interact with other individuals within the network (Cummings, 2012). Furthermore, social network sites help individuals to manage contacts beyond traditional software like outlook, and they also help incorporate visual information such as pictures of contacts (Cummings, 2012); hence, the online social media offers a precious function of recombining efficiently with friends in the past (Vallor, 2012). To conclude, it is true that these sites help participants perceiving more sense of social value and connection; also, social network sites help reinforce participant’s desire to maintain their friendships (Vallor, 2012). Conclusion As online social networking sites as a new media technology comes out in our society, individuals have more opportunity than ever before to present themselves in public by using them. These sites allow users to make self-presentation by creating their own profile pictures, personal information, photos, videos, and their activities. Impression management is related to social networking sites use because individuals tend to develop different self-presentation depending on the audiences online. From those studies we were discussed, people tend to behave favorable to their audiences. However, the authenticity of profile information comes into concern since everything that shows on people’s profiles may dominate their images to others; whether this fact leads to negative problem of social networking sites may still need to be further investigated and researched. From another aspect, we can conclude that social networking sites have a positive impact on friendship performance. Although some studies argue that the online social networking sites may damage the traditional meaning of friendship, it serves as a valuable tool maintaining the friendship in people real lives. All in all, social network sites if manage properly; they can of course offer very concrete benefits to people social networking lives. References boyd, D. & Ellison, N. (2008). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. (pp. 219-220). Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13(2008) 210-230. Cummings, J. (2012). Virtual First Impression Matter: The effect of social networking sites on Impression formation in virtual teams. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses 2012 pg. n/a Ellison, A. S. W. (2012). Impression Formation in a Social Network Context. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses 2012 pg. n/a Jeong, H. J. (2011). The Effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Campaigns on Consumer Responses to Brand in Social Media: Impression Management Perspectives. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses 2011 pg. n/a Krisanic, K. (2008). Motivation and Impression Management: Predictors of social networking site use and users behaviors. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses 2008 pg. n/a Sameer, B. (2008). First Impression formation in electronic profiles. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses 2008 pg. n/a Vallor, S. (2011). Fl ourishing on Facebook: virtue friendship & new social media. Springer Science and Business Media B.V. 2011

Human Resource Is the Most Important Assets in an Organization Essay

Assets can be defined as â€Å"tangible and intangible resources of a firm which can be drawn upon by a the firm when required to achieve its objective(s)† (Ray and Ramakrishnan, 2006). Tangible assets include financial and physical assets such as machineries and manufacturing plants while examples of intangible assets are branding, company reputation, technological know-how and human resource (Noe et al., 2012). Human resource is the most important asset of an organisation. Using studies which showed that effective use of human resources contributed to better corporate performance and/or productivity, this essay attempts to show that this intangible asset is a key driver in the survival and competitiveness of an organisation. For organisations to be successful, they need to survive and obtain an advantage over their competitors. There are many ways to attain a competitive advantage, including patented product and process technologies, protection and regulation of domestic markets and access to financial resources (Pfeffer, 1994). However, the aforementioned contributors of success are deemed to be less relevant in today’s societies because technologies can be imitated, markets are increasingly globalised and global capital markets ever more opened for worldwide movement of financial resources (Pfeffer, 1994). Instead, in today’s organisations, it is widely accepted that employees are key strategic resources for companies because their knowledge, expertise, ideas and services drive innovations, steer product developments and build relationships with clients. This in turn increase companies performances through multiple means such as driving profits, increasing productivity and building large customer bases. For example, Sears, a multinational US company, attributed its transformational success through its believe in the 3†³Cs† of â€Å"Compelling Place to Work†, â€Å"Compelling Place to Shop† and followed by â€Å"Compelling Place to Invest† (Yeung and Berman, 1997). The senior management at Sears believed that by optimising its human resources (through shaping of employee’s attitudes, increasing motivation and skills), it will become an attractive venue for customers to shop with high level of satisfaction. Consequently, it will be a good investment option due to strong financial results (through increase in customer expenditure) and productivity (through optimisation of human resources) (Yeung and Berman, 1997). Strategically valuable resources may give companies a competitive edge. Bartlett and Ghoshal (2002) argued that there is an evolving corporate strategy from one that competes for markets and products, to one that compete for resources and competencies, to the current strategy of competing for talents and dreams. Resources are deemed to be valuable when they cannot be easily imitated, their value depreciate slowly, they cannot be easily substituted and they are relatively better than competitors with similar resources (Collis and Montgomery, 2008). While these resources may be tangible or acquired capabilities, it is the view of this author that it is people that best fit the described characteristics of valuable resources. Creativity and expertise of an employee may not be easily duplicated. It takes time to groom talents, and their experiences and competencies cannot be easily replaced. Thus, to gain a competitive edge, companies need to invest in the hearts and minds of the key success factor – human resource. Many studies have shown that effective HRM (such as investments in training and strategic HRM) had led to increase in company performances, through proxy indicators such as increased profits return, labour productivity, and service quality. In the employee-customer-profit chain model devised by senior management at Sears, they predicted that a 5 unit increase in employee attitude will drive 1.3 unit increase in customer impression that will in turn increase revenue growth by 0.5% (Rucci et al, 1998). When put into context, in 1998, a 4% rise in employee and customer satisfaction translated to an increase in more than $200 million of revenues over a 12-month period (Rucci et al, 1998). Other than the example on Sears, Choudhury (2010) showed that there is a positive relationship between investment in human capital and company performance in India’s information technology sector. Similar positive correlation can also be observed from studies analysing quality of human capital an d sales revenue per employee in Romanian software companies (Camelia, 2012) and perceived effectiveness of rewards on corporate performance in Nigerian Banks (Ojo, 2011). As an important asset of the organisation, human resources need to be managed properly. HRM encompasses a multitude of responsibilities including recruitment, training and development, benefits, health and services (Noe et al., 2012). There are many case studies that have demonstrated that a highly-skilled workforce and appropriate training of employees play a key role in increased company performances. A survey done on 62 retail stores showed that percentage of personnel trained in their designed training programme correlated with the stores’ performances (Russell et al., 1985). Another study done in 15 manufacturing sectors of seven European Union countries suggested that intermediate- and highly-skilled workers increases labour productivity, which is a proxy for companies performances (Corvers, 1997). It is envisioned that with training, employees will be equipped with job-related skill sets and competencies. A company with cutting edge technology needs employees with the know-how to operate the machineries. A retail shop may distinguishes itself from another shop that sells similar merchandise through quality services that helps build a brand name and large clientele. Employees may learn how to serve customers through training programmes. A study of 2003-2006 Training Top 100 survey report published by the Training Magazine showed that there is a positive correlation between training expenditure and operating performances (Liao et al., 2011). This supports the general perception that training is an important HRM tool for companies to survive in the increa singly competitive market. Human resource is a key contributor to the success of organisations today. Examples used in this essay reinforced the argument that human resource is likely to the most important corporate asset as it is a unique resource that drives companies performance. In order to effectively tap on this valuable resource, companies need to train employees so that their potential can be harnessed.

Dmt

It’s said to be the spirit molecule, for some it’s listed on the D. E. A’s schedule I list for illegal drugs and for others it’s been used in rituals throughout our earth’s history. Why haven’t we been informed about one of the US’s most illegal substances? Wouldn’t it help people make the right decisions when it comes to â€Å"experimenting† with life’s vices like the publics knowledge of heroin, cocaine, LSD and so on? Where did DMT come from and what is its purpose? Based on user accounts, FDA regulated studies and documentaries involving indigenous peoples in South America some of these questions were answered with even more interesting ones raised. Shamanic rituals throughout the Amazon region called for a special potion referred to as ayhuasca, a combination between a DMT containing plant and a â€Å"monoamine oxide inhibitor† which is a special chemical that allows the DMT to avoid digestion by the stomach and reach the bloodstream. There is evidence stretching back to 2130 BC supporting the fact that these rituals have been passed down and adopted by people living today. A pipe made out of puma bone of that time period was discovered and tested positive for DMT. An example of vegetation containing this chemical is pure inner root bark of the Mimosa Hostilis plant, and it’s used for its DMT properties for several reasons by Shaman; entering altered states of consciousness, shamanistic healing, meditation, spiritual exploration and mystical insight. DMT stands for Dimethyltryptamine. It is found in thousands of plant species across the world and in trace amounts in mammals. It is a type of tryptamine along with other natural occurring ones such as serotonin and melatonin. Its natural function in the human body is unknown, but it is produced in out pineal gland and can be found in our spinal fluid, urine, and blood. Our brain is one of the most complex items in our worlds known existence and for the most part it is highly accurate when it releases hormones and chemicals. Studies performed by Dr. Rick Strassman at the University of New Mexico, in which subjects were injected with doses of DMT, show strong correlation with other user accounts and interviews with shaman in brazil. The experiences are remarkably similar, the person who injects, smokes, snorts or eats DMT claim to encounter alien entities, or godly figures. Smoking the substance has been determined to cause the greatest effect, episodes lasting only from about 15-30 minutes. To the person under the effect of DMT it feels a lot longer than that, claims that it lasts for hours. One â€Å"toke† from a pipe and in a matter of seconds you are catapulted into another dimension, realm, world or form as described by account holders.

Adress some aspect of criminal justice system in New York City Essay

Adress some aspect of criminal justice system in New York City - Essay Example ken by the city’s criminal justice system, with the active involvement of people, police and other agencies concerned, have been paying rich dividends with regard to crime control. The concept of ‘problem solving justice’ implemented as part of the reforms into the administration of criminal justice system of the New York City has become a trend setter and is heavily appreciated by other countries also. The reforms were so genuine and result oriented that the Commission on English Prisons Today of the UK recommended in one of its recommendations to the Government to take the reforms as a model for bringing out changes in the country’s criminal justice system (Harwood, Para 1 ). The greatness of the ‘problem solving justice’ lies in its ability to address various issues connected with the root causes of crimes. Constitution of community courts is the main component of this type of justice to attend to and solve the crime-provoking issues in the society. To make the courts successful, cooperation of local people is a must. Bean (2003, p.308) explains that responsibility of crime control is not limited to the police and criminal justice agencies alone and that different agencies and social service providers have to coordinate the efforts towards this end. Community courts, set up with proper inputs by the community members, are meant to develop amity between the community members and the legal fraternity and aimed at the sole purpose of bettering the opportunities such as educational facilities, employment and business opportunities and keeping the youth of the community on the right path (Barak, 2007, p. 586). Corriero (2006, p. 154) has explained that these courts are meant for tackling the burning social issues such as drug abuse, domestic violence, unemployment and mental illness. It is common knowledge that these are the potential issues pushing the youth towards the world of crimes when they are negatively connected with them. It is therefore

The International Committee of the Red Cross Research Paper

The International Committee of the Red Cross - Research Paper Example The ICRC runs operates by depending on donations from well-wishers, governments, Private corporations and the societies that operate under the umbrella of the ICRC. The ICRC in made up of the Red Crescent Movement and many national Red Cross Societies from different parts of the world. These partners are usually contacted to assist in cases of conflict and disasters. Though the ICRC has the permanent international mandate to conduct its activities due to the Geneva Conventions, it still is a private organization operating under the Swiss law The ICRC offers monetary assistance to its member organizations to assist them in their day to day operations and for humanitarian work. The best performing societies are also awarded as recognition of their hard work so as to motivate them to keep up the good work. Organizational Structure The ICRC structure comprises of an Assembly, an Assembly Council and a Directorate. The Council has specifically delegated powers with regard to specific matt ers concerning the ICRC. The Directorate acts as the executive body of the ICRC. The Assembly is made up of 25 members who are of Swiss nationality. The organization is currently chaired by Jakob Kellenberger, Ph.D. It also has two vice presidents to who assist the chair. The Directorate is made up of five members. The Directorate is headed by a Director-General. International advisors are usually appointed by the ICRC to serve for a period of four years. Their work is to advise the ICRC on policy issues and decision making. They help the organization to deal with political and humanitarian issues encountered in a professional manner in accordance with internationally accepted conventions. Apart from the top administrators, the ICRC has a network of national Red Cross societies that are headed by national executive directors. These directors coordinate the societies on behalf of the umbrella body to facilitate smooth operation of the organization. Operations The ICRC dedicates itsel f to alleviation and prevention of any form of human suffering as a result of war or natural disasters such as epidemics and floods. The organization is divided into subgroups to ensure proper distribution of manpower. It consists of the ICRC, the IFRC, the national Red Cross societies present in186 nations and the Red Crescent Societies. All these organizations work under the umbrella body that is the International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC main mission is to protect human lives during armed conflicts and other violent occasions and provide necessary aid to the victims. It serves to look after the interests of the most vulnerable and alleviate their suffering. The societies that operate at the national level are meant to assist their respective governments when a crisis situation arises. Their mandate is to provide social programs, health services where necessary and also assist in disaster relief. In the event of war, they should assist civilians and at the same time ca ter for the armed forces. For any national society to be part of the movement, it must seek permission from the ICRC after which it can be counted as a member of the International Federation.

In relating to the surrounding culture in a post-Christendom world, Essay

In relating to the surrounding culture in a post-Christendom world, what lessons should the Church learn from the pre-Constanti - Essay Example In the twenty-first century the broadly Christian basis of society has given way to something much more diffuse. In particular the absence of a Christian values to underpin governmental regimes is resulting in an increasing number of potential conflicts between Church and State, and suggests that the Church needs to find ways of adapting to a new role outside the main value system of the majority of people. This paper examines the situation of the pre-Constantinian early Church and the way it related to the cultures surrounding it. The Church’s early relationship with Jewish, Roman and Greek culture is examined, and experiences gathered in this pre-Constantinian period are applied to the contemporary situation of the Church, showing that in terms of identity, ethnic relations, attitudes to war, social customs and political engagement, the modern Church has much to learn from its own earlier history. In modern times, as in pre-Constantinian times, Christianity is not the accept ed â€Å"norm†, and its doctrines are not perceived as the core values of society at large. Instead of sustaining and promoting a stable Church/State symbiosis, which we see in the post-Constantinian conceptof â€Å"Christendom†, the Church finds itself on all fronts in danger of entering into conflict through contamination from and resistance to the surrounding cultures. The implications of isolation from the dominant norms are perhaps most significant in the area of evangelism. In pre-Constantinian times, as in present time, any Christian outreach work must start from an assumption that people will require intensive mentoring, apprenticeship and instruction in even the most basic doctrines.1 Nothing can be taken for granted, in terms of factual knowledge or moral training in the family, and the position of outsider that the modern Church occupies means that it must find ways of operating that help to clarify, define and maintain its position in relation to a somewhat hostile environment . The first lesson that the modern Church must learn from this earlier stage in its history is therefore to revisit and re-emphasize its core message through teaching of basic Christian facts and principles. One aspect of early Church history which has perhaps been underplayed by later commentators is the extent to which it harmonized with the cultures around it in the very beginning. An important factor in its first spurt of growth was its focus in cosmopolitan centres, where a multitude of different cultures co-existed with each other without any problem: â€Å"Absorption and adaptation were to mark the progress of the church both in east and west so long as it remained predominantly urban.†2 The trading cities of the Mediterranean were a melting pot for different races but also for different ideas, and the fledgling church took advantage of this relative freedom to develop its structures and systems, often taking selected elements from different cultur al groups around them. Celebration of the Jewish Sabbath, for example, was a custom that was adapted for Christian use but was clearly borrowed from the Jewish tradition. Much of the rhetoric and some philosophical texts for exposition and teaching were borrowed freely

Human nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human nature - Essay Example I take the position that cruelty is a unique human trait since, as its definition suggests, it involves deliberate infliction of pain and suffering on others and deriving pleasure from it. Empirically, human beings have a unique ability to attribute suffering or pain to other creatures. This was not the case with the subjects in the Milgram’s experiment; in fact Stanley Milgram in one of his quotes declared that how a man acts is much more determined by the situation he finds himself in and not much in his nature or the kind of a person he is. The subjects in the experiment acted as they did; they were willing to deliver to deliver the maximum shock, which they did. Despite the fact that they did deliver the maximum shock, they were, however, angry, distraught, and agitated at the experimenter. They delivered the maximum shock anyway because they were following order, which they did to the end. This shows that the subjects acted as they did; they performed seemingly sadistic a nd overly cruel acts; not because it was their nature-who they were-, but because they were obey the instruction of the authority. Similarly, in Kitty Genovese case, none of the 38 witnessed helped Kitty Genovese despite his numerous cry for help, not because they did not want to help her or because they were cruel, but because of the situation that they found themselves in (Gansberg). This is explained by the experiment carried out by John Darley and Bibb Latane, who sought to explain the behavior of the 38 people who witnessed the brutality and murder of Kitty Genovese. Darley and Latane argued that the 38 witnesses behaved the way they did because of the effect referred to as diffusion of responsibility. Diffusion of responsibility states that no one is willing to help because they are all thinking that someone else will help. Darley and Latane found out that the more the witnessed were, the more helping behavior decreased; the less every person felt that it was their responsibil ity to help (Slater 112). This thus disputes the notion that no one helped Kitty Genovese because cruelty is part of human nature, and the 38 witnesses were cruel. Cruelty in itself is subjective; what others may consider cruel, other people may consider not cruel but a more logical choice. As its definition suggests, cruelty is a feeling that cannot be defined without being idiosyncratic. This is because the range of human feeling greatly differs; others may be insensitive while others may be sensitive. Despite cruelty being considered part of human nature, the logic is somewhat flawed since it is tied to human emotions, while it is to some extent objective. Cruelty is not unnatural, either; this is because, more often than not human beings are cruel to other people that they do not like or they loathe. In fact, most people act cruel as a way of revenging or taking back; something that is purely human nature. It is argued that when a human being’s life it threatened, he can only survive by being cruel; the enemy in that case might not try or be able to hurt them. Thus, I take the stand that, even though

What are the advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing ROI (Release Research Paper

What are the advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing ROI (Release of Information) - Research Paper Example This calls for a need to outsource the ROI activity so that things can be accomplished with minimal fuss. The potential advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing the ROI are as follows: According to an estimate, Hospital Information Management (HIM) departments need to retain at least three workers on full-time basis and accommodate their pays, monthly privileges and educational expenses in the budget in order to adequately administer the ROI process. (Fournier, Coffey, and Bellenghi, 2008, p. 22). Outsourcing the responsibility for the ROI offers the owners’ room to minimize the expenses by saving the money that would have otherwise been consumed in purchasing the insurance, facilities and monthly privileges for the permanent HIM employees. Also, money spent on educating the employees through additional training is saved. Not only that, outsourcing the ROI services can be employed as a fundamental means to transfer the risks and all liabilities to the contractor accepting the responsibility. In addition to that, applications and requests are entertained timely with minimal inconvenience to the applicants as well as the staff. Furthermore, the information is released with increased responsibility and remaining within the limitations imposed by the owners which goes in favor of the owners. Although usually outsourcing ROI bears more advantages than disadvantages, yet the disadvantages can be very severe once encountered. It is an established fact that no other company would take the responsibility as seriously as the owners themselves fundamentally because the contracting companies are concerned with their fee, and the owners’ reputation does not matter much to the irresponsible contractors. However, disadvantages are not commonly encountered unless the contracting company tends to maximize its profits by selling the owner’s secret reports and statistics to the spying agencies.

Business law - Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business law - Case - Essay Example But he has neglected the aesthetic aspects of the treatment and thought that causing a burn to the patient is negligible as part of saving the life of the patient. In that sense the doctor was culprit of neglecting certain critical things in his profession. If the surgery was unavoidable at that juncture, probably the doctor’s actions could have been justified. On the other hand, there are no such worries in declaring the ECR instrument manufacturer as the major culprit in this case. This manufacturer has sold defective products in the market which caused damages to the users. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to test the quality of the product fully before introducing it in to the market. He should ensure that his product may not cause any damages to the users. No product manufacturer has the right to sell defective products in the market. The specifications and usage instructions of the product should be given to the users by the manufacturer and the manufacturer is responsible for any malfunctioning of the product provided the users use it exactly as per the instructions given by the manufacturer through the product manual. So the manufacturer of the ECR instrument is 100% responsible for this crime and need to be compensated Karl for that. Apart from the doctor and the ECR manufacturer, the hospital management is also responsible for Karl’s agony. The management purchased cheap quality products and took the risk of using it in the treatment of patients. It is the responsibility of the management to ensure the quality of the products they purchased before testing it on others. So, in my opinion, Karl can consider suing against the hospital management also. Anaesthesiologist and the nurses have nothing to do with this case. The duty of the anaesthesiologist is confined to the anaesthesia alone. He has nothing to do with the usage of

The Concept of Health Literacy in Promoting and Maintaining Adolescent Essay

The Concept of Health Literacy in Promoting and Maintaining Adolescent Health - Essay Example Factors affecting the concept of health literacy in adolescents are discussed. Recommendations to develop and enhance adolescent health literacy are included. Keywords: health literacy, adolescent, health promotion. The Concept of Health Literacy in Promoting and Maintaining Adolescent Health A young diabetic man, aged 14, learns about a new clinical trial on a new diabetic medicine. He goes to the study site to learn more about the trial. The adolescent is asked to sign an informed consent form; he must also have this form signed by his parents. However, once his mother sees the informed consent form, she realizes that her son’s participation in the trial will put him at high risks of health complications, since his current medicines and health state are in conflict with what is required for and being tested during the trial. This is a routine situation that exposes the role of health literacy for promoting and maintaining adolescent health. Adolescents must be able to read a nd understand health information. They should be able to use this information in ways that empower them to take proper health decisions. It goes without saying, that the adolescent health literacy is affected and mediated by a multitude of internal and external factors. In this sense, the concept of health literacy in adolescents can be defined as the degree to which young people are capable of accessing, reading, processing, and comprehending health information and use this information to take proper health decisions, promote and maintain their health, based on continuous interactions with their social and cultural environments. Literacy and Health Literacy among Australians Health promotion has long been one of the primary goals of health care; yet, it was not before the 1990s that the importance of health literacy was officially recognized. In the early 1990s health literacy was included in Australia’s health targets and goals (Keleher & Hagger, 2007). These goals and targ ets include improving language skills, population literacy, and public knowledge of health and health literacy, to ensure that individuals have the information and knowledge required to take informed health decisions (Keleher & Hagger, 2007; Borzekowski & Rickert, 2001). Unfortunately, less than one-fifth of Australians have high levels of literacy, which impedes the development and implementation of health promotion policies (Keleher & Hagger, 2007). Only every third Australian possesses functional literacy to cope with their everyday tasks (Jorm et al., 2006). Thus, just about one half of all Australians have the skills and potential to affect health decisions and promote their own health. This raises the question of bringing up health literacy from a young age. Why care about health literacy among adolescents? The answer is simple: there is no health without health literacy. Limited health literacy is associated with increased utilization of health care services (Keleher & Hagger , 2007). Poor health outcomes are direct results of low health literacy (Farrer et al., 2008; Keleher & Hagger, 2007). Low health literacy predicts poor verbal communication with health care providers and poor medication compliance (Keleher & Hagger, 2007). Therefore, it is imperative that adolescents have the level of health literacy needed to promote and maintain their health. Undoubtedly, superior health literacy is one of the foundational elements of improved health in adolescents and adulthood. The long-term effects of literacy on

Effectiveness of Time and Financial Management Essay Example for Free

Effectiveness of Time and Financial Management Essay Chapter 1 I. Introduction A. General Statement to the Effectiveness of Time and Financial Management on selected scholars of Adamson University 1. Profile of the Selected Scholars B. Statement of the problem ( How can they cope up with the demands of their respective courses? C. Objectives of the study D. Relevance of the study E. Definition of terms Chapter 2 II. Survey of Related Literature A. Foreign studies 1. Working Students/Student Assistants 2. Scholars B. Local Studies 1. Working Students/Student Assistants 2. Scholars Chapter 3 III. Methods on how to measure effectiveness of time and financial management A. Results of Survey/Questionnaire to the Selected Scholars of Adamson University 1. Graphical Representation 2. Analysis of the results IV. Conclusion Chapter 3 Methods on how to measure Effectiveness of Time and Financial Management The researchers chose 7 different scholars to conduct a survey about the chosen topic. Most of the respondents came from student assistant’s category and the others came from the category of academic scholars. These scholars were given scholarships from Ozanam Study Grant Program and Megaworld Foundation. On the range of their ages, 17-22 years old were the students who were given an opportunity they wanted to have. The scholars being interviewed have a daily allowance of more or less 150 pesos. On the Graph 1.1 being shown below are some of the expenses of the following students. Graph 1.1 A little number of respondents said that they stay in boarding houses that cost them Php 1,600 to Php 1,700. Literally, the cost was being solved by their parents. 3 out of 7 students said that both of their parents are self-employed. 1 respondent said that his/her parents run a business and another corresponds to unemployed parents. The rest of the students match up on other answers like their father/mother neither is an overseas Filipino worker, a tricycle driver, a plain housewife nor was deceased. Researchers proceed to the monthly income of their parents in able to measure the financial background of each and every respondent. Graph 1.2 illustrates the possible monthly income of the parents of these learners. Graph 1.2 As you can see, there is an equality of 14,000 and lower and 15,000-20,000 income. It is based on the survey being conducted by the researchers and from the occupation of their parents. On the part of their financial management, they spent the biggest part of their allowance for their food (50%) followed by their transportation and some other expenses. This shows that food is very important especially for the scholars like them. Food is an essential and they must not ignore because of the responsibilities they have in the university. The primary reason of the pupils asked in preferring themselves in being a scholar of Adamson University is that because they wanted to help their parents in decreasing the expenses. In this reason, an individual can determine that financial or money matters are the first basis in order for them to have financial management. Other reasons are for them to gain independency. The effectiveness of financial management is measured by proper usage of money and thinking a creative way of using up money.  The researchers also find ways on evaluating time supervision of scholars. Because of a more number of student assistants being interviewed, most of their time is allotted on their duties. Here is Graph 1.3 that shows how long an ordinary scholar uses his /her time in the university. Graph 1.3 Take a look of the graph that has been illustrated by the researchers. Student D and F are academic scholars. According to the information gathered from the survey, these students are academic scholars. As academic scholars, their worlds are focused on studying. They usually spend time in resting, studying and even have a time for leisure. On the other hand, the remaining students (A, B , C and E) make use of their time in duties and offices. Equalizing time in each activity of a student like them is not easy to do. Like on the Graph 1.3, student assistants are divided in different opinions. Some of them were able to balance their time and others cannot. Same answer was derived by academic scholars. However, they also answered it depends on the situation. Situations are unpredictable and make equalization of time in different planned activities. Somehow, all of them have a time for rest and have a break after long hours from school. Lastly, as a scholar, grade is the most important or basis in acquiring scholarships. Grades of these scholars are not affected by activities being done in school. Therefore, these learners have a good strategic measures in managing their time and studies. Chapter 4 Conclusion Based on the presented and interpreted data above, the following conclusions were drawn: 1. That most of the scholars spend their money more on food  for it is an essential need. 2. That most of the scholars wanted to help their parents to reduce the number of expenses. 3. That most of the scholars allot their time to school by doing different duties but assures that grades of them will not be affected. Chapter 2 Survey of Related Literature

Crops and vegetables Essay Example for Free

Crops and vegetables Essay Contribution of Crops in 1995-96 was 15. 03, in 1997-98 was 14. 59, in 1999-00 was 14. 59, in 2001-02 was 13. 75, in 2003-04 was 13. 23, in 2005-06 was 12. 19. Contribution of crops and vegetables is decreasing year by year. Though production of crops has increased our land has decreased, so our total production has decreased and thus contribution of crops on economy is decreasing. Contribution of Crops and Vegetables in total agriculture in 1995-96 was 58. 53%, in 1997-98 was 57. 58%, in 1999-00 was 57. 04%, in 2001-02 was 57. 32%, in 2003-04 was 57. 32%, in 2005-06 was 55. 99%. From these percentage amounts we can easily say that among the total agriculture sector, contribution of crops and vegetables is most and it is more than 5o% in each year. If we can not increase our crops production then it will have no contribution on GDP. Livestock Contribution of Livestock in 1995-96 was 3. 36, in 1997-98 was 3. 19, in 1999-00 was 3. 02, in 2001-02 was 2. 96, in 2003-04 was 2. 91, in 2005-06 was 2. 93. Though many firms are being established day by day livestock is not contributing enough on GDP. Contribution of Livestock in total agriculture in 1995-96 was 13. 08%, in 1997-98 was 12. 59%, in 1999-00 was 11. 81%, in 2001-02 was 12. 34%, in 2003-04 was 12. 61%, in 2005-06 was 13. 46%. From these above percentage amounts we can say that though our livestock production is not increasing. But contribution of livestock on total agriculture is increasing in recent years. Forestry As we are cutting down more trees to meet our daily need our forestry is gradually decreasing day by day and thus contribution of forestry on GDP is also decreasing. Contribution of Forestry in 1995-96 was 1. 90, in 1997-98 was 1. 89, in 1999-00 was 1. 88, in 2001-02 was 1. 88, in 2003-04 was 1. 83, in 2005-06 was 1. 79. Contribution of Forestry in total agriculture in 1995-96 was 7. 52%, in 1997-98 was 7. 46%, in 1999-00 was 7. 35%, in 2001-02 was 7. 84%, in 2003-04 was 7. 93%, in 2005-06 was 8. 22%. As other sub-sector is decreasing more than forestry, contribution of forestry on total agriculture has increased in recent years. Agriculture and forestry Fisheries Contribution of Fisheries in 1995-96 was 5. 36, in 1997-98 was 5. 67, in 1999-00 was 6. 09, in 2001-02 was 5. 40, in 2003-04 was 5. 11, in 2005-06 was 4. 86. We see that contribution of fisheries on GDP was increasing from 1995-96 to 1999-2000, but after that it has been decreasing. Though the contribution of fisheries is not much on GDP of Bangladesh, this sub-sector has become an important and major source of agriculture. Contribution of Fisheries in total agriculture sector, in 1995-96 was 20. 87%, in 1997-98 was 22. 38%, in 1999-00 was 23. 81%, in 2001-02 was 22. 51%, in 2003-04 was 22. 14%, in 2005-06 was 22. 32%. Which is more than livestock and forestry. Sector/ Sub sector 95-96 96-97 97-98 98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 Crops 15. 03 15. 21 14. 59 14. 33 14. 59 14. 7 13. 75 13. 43 13. 23 12. 51 12. 19 In ( % ) 58. 53 58. 80 57. 57 56. 68 57. 03 58. 72 57. 31 57. 22 57. 32 56. 14 55. 99 Livestock 3. 36 3. 27 3. 19 3. 12 3. 02 2. 95 2. 96 2. 93 2. 91 2. 95 2. 93 In ( % ) 13. 08 12. 64 12. 58 12. 34 11. 80 11. 78 12. 33 12. 48 12. 60 13. 24 13. 45 Forestry 1. 93 1. 91 1. 89 1. 9 1. 88 1. 87 1. 88 1. 86 1. 83 1. 82 1. 79 In ( % ) 7. 51 7. 38 7. 45 7. 51 7. 34 7. 47 7. 83 7. 92 7. 92 8. 16 8. 22 Fisheries 5. 36 5. 48 5. 67 5. 93 6. 09 5. 51 5. 4 5. 25 5. 11 5 4. 86 In ( % ) 20. 87 21. 18 22. 37 23. 45 23. 80 22. 01 22. 50 22. 36 22. 14 22. 44 22. 32 Total 25. 68 25. 87 25. 34 25. 28 25. 58 25. 03 23. 99 23. 47 23. 08 22. 28 21. 77 Contribution of Agriculture in Employment The linkage between the agricultural sector and the economy in general is in terms of employment generation. This is especially important because agriculture is by far the largest employer of poor people, and therefore has a key role in poverty alleviation. According to the 1981 census, total employment was approximately 24 million people (Table 2. 7). Of these, more than 60 per cent were employed in the agricultural sector, representing 14. 5 million people. This figure represents those directly working in agriculture and does not include employment in agricultural-related manufacturing industries. According to the 1991 census, the number of employed in agriculture increased to 16. 3 million. While this figure shows that the share of agriculture in total employment declined over the 10-year period, agriculture still provided employment for well over half the total workforce (again excluding employment in agriculture related industries). Statistics of the Labor Force Survey (LFS) in 1989 and again in 1991 show a similar pattern, although they indicate a more significant role for agriculture in employment generation. The main difference between the two surveys is that the LFS includes household-based economic activity, and therefore perhaps provides a better picture of actual employment patterns and trends. According to the 1989 LFS, almost three-quarters of the all employment were derived directly from the agricultural sector, with 34 million employed. The 1991 survey showed that agriculture continued to provide a livelihood for the vast majority of Bangladeshis, although its share dropped slightly in comparison to non-farm employment. According to the last census which is took place in 2002-2003 the labor force working in agriculture is 51. 7% of the total labor force of the country. Women participation in Agriculture In the socio-economic context of Bangladesh, involvement of women in agriculture is very important. It would be easier to control rural-urban migration by engaging women in agricultural activities to a greater extent. Considering women. s involvement in agriculture, the following programmes will be taken up for enhancing their role under the scope of the National Agriculture Policy: Agriculture related activities like post harvest operations, seed preservation, nursery business, jute stripping, vegetable cultivation, homestead gardening, floriculture, production of horticultural seeds, establishment and management of cottage industries based on locally produced agricultural commodities, etc are very suitable for women. Extensive training programmes will be conducted and capital support will be provided to encourage women’s interest and improve their skill in such activities. the women are always a major employment force of agriculture. A large majority of the households in Bangladesh depend upon agriculture and related activities like livestock rearing, fisheries and forestry. In 1992-93, crops accounted for 77. 7% of the total agricultural production, fisheries 7. 8%, livestock 7. 7% and forestry 6. 7%. The agricultural sector accounted for nearly 36% of Gross Domestic Product . Despite their routine domestic work, women are very actively involved in agricultural production in Bangladesh. Women in rural Bangladesh are in general responsible for most of the agricultural work in the homestead. They traditionally undertake home gardening. Farm activities in the homesteads, ranging from selection of seed to harvesting and storing of crops, are predominantly managed by women. Despite womens important role in agriculture, the traditional social norms and customary laws combined with the purdah system deprive Bangladeshi women of equitable economic opportunities and access to resources.

Luminescence in Low-dimensional Nanostructures

Luminescence in Low-dimensional Nanostructures NANO AU RSY Luminescence in Low-dimensional Nanostructures: Quantum Confinement Effect, Surface Effect Whenever the carrier localization, at least in one spatial direction, becomes comparable or smaller than the de Broglie wavelength of carriers, quantum mechanical effects occur. In this limit the optical and electronic properties of the material change as a function of the size and the system is called a nanostructure. As the size is reduced the electronic states are shifted toward higher energy and the oscillator strength is concentrated into few transitions. Nanostructures are classified by the number of dimensions in which the carriers are confined or, alternatively, free to move. In case of confinement in only one spatial direction, the nanostructure is named a quantum well (QW). The carrier motion is frozen in one dimension but electrons and holes can still freely move over the other two directions. Therefore the QW is a quasi two-dimensional (2D) system. A structure which provides carrier confinement in two directions, allowing the motion along the remaining dimension, is calle d quantum wire (QWR) and it is a quasi 1D system. In the case of confinement in all three spatial coordinates, the nanostructure is denominated quantum dot (QD). QDs are 0D systems since the carrier motion is completely frozen. The physics of the quantum size effect relies on the Heisenberg uncertainty principle between the spatial position and kinetic momentum of a quantum particle. It is not possible to measure both the momentum and position of a particle to an arbitrary precision. The product of the standard deviation in space and momentum satisfies the uncertainty relation: à ¢- ³x.à ¢- ³p ≠¥ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ /2 (1.26) This equation means that the smaller is the carrier localization in the nanostructure, the larger is the spread in the momentum p, or, better said for semiconductor systems, in the crystal momentum à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ k. The energy may still be well defined, but the momentum is not well defined. In bulk systems, for states around the edge of conduction and valence band, the dependence of the energy on the wavevector k is quadratic, Where m* is the carrier effective mass. Following this equation, the spread in the momentum à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ k gives minimum kinetics energy to the localized particle. This is in contrast with the classical physics, where the lowest energy state in whatever potential corresponds to no kinetic energy. The uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics imposes a positive zero-point energy, which is approximately inversely proportional to the square of the nanostructure size. Therefore, the energy of theground state of electrons and holes in semiconductor nanostructures not only depends on the materials but also on the dimension of the confinement region. Nanostructured materials with a size range of 1-100 nm have been the focus of recent scientific research because of their important optical properties, quantum size effects, electrical properties, chemical properties, etc. The low-dimensional materials have exhibited a wide range of optical properties that depend sensitively on both size and shape, and are of both fundamental and technological interest. The ability to control the shapes and size of nanocrystals affords an opportunity to further test theories of quantum confinement and yields materials with desirable optical characteristics from the point of view of application. The exciting emerging important application of low-dimensional nanocrystals is in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and Displays. Recently, there has been much recent interest in low dimensional systems such as quantum well (two dimensional system), quantum wire (one dimensional system) and quantum dot (zero dimensional system). Optical properties of low-dimensional systems are substantially different from those of three-dimensional (3D) systems. The most remarkable modification comes from different distributions of energy levels and densities of states originating from the spatial confinement of electrons and holes. The simplest model for two dimensional (2D) systems is that of a particle in a box with an infinitely deep well potential, as shown in Figure 1.6. The wave functions and energy levels in the well are known from basic quantum mechanics and are described by: ÃŽ ¨n(z)=(2/Lz)1/2 cos ( nÏ€z/Lz ) (1.28 ) n = 1,2,3,†¦. (1.29) Figure 1.6: A particle in a box made of infinitely tall potential barriers In semiconductor quantum wells (two dimensional (2D) systems such as layered materials and quantum wells), both electrons and holes are confined in the same wells. The energy levels for electrons and holes are described by [1.8]: (1.30) (1.31) Where and are the effective masses of electron and hole, respectively If electric dipole transitions are allowed from the valence band to the conduction band, the optical transition occurs from the state described by nh , kx , and ky to the state described by ne, kx and ky . Therefore, the optical transition takes place at energy: (1.32) Where ÃŽ ¼ is the reduced mass given by ÃŽ ¼-1 = The joint density of states Ï 3D for the 3D for an allowed and direct transition in semiconductors is: (1.33) The joint densities of states for 2D, 1D and 0D systems are: (1.34) (1.35) (1.36) Where ÃŽ ¸ is a step function and ÃŽ ´ is a delta function. The sum of quantum confinement energies of electrons and holes are represented by El , Em and En ; where El , Em and En refer to the three directions of spatial confinement Obviously the physics of the nanostructures strongly depends on their dimensionality (Figure 1.7). In a semiconductor structure a given energy usually corresponds to a large number different electronic states resulting from the carrier motion. In a bulk material where the motion can occur in three different directions the density of states increases proportionally to the square root of the energy. In quantum wells the motion in the plane gives a staircase DOS, where each step is associated with a newstate in the confining potential. In quantum wires a continuum of states is still present, but strong resonances appear in the DOS associated with the states in the confining potential. Finally in quantum dots only discrete energy states are allowed and the DOS is therefore a comb of delta functions. The possibility to concentrate the DOS in a reduced energy range is extremely important for a large variety of fundamental topics and device applications. It is at the base of the quantum Hal l effect in quantum well (QW), of the quantization of the conductance in quantum wire (QWR), and of the single electron tunnelling in QDs. In the case of lasers the presence of a continuum DOS leads to losses associated with the population of states that do not contribute to the laser action. Conversely, the concentration of the DOS produces a reduction of the threshold current and enhances the thermal stability of the device operation. Clearly this property is optimized in QD structures. Due to the three-dimensional carrier confinement and the resulting discrete energy spectrum, semiconductor QDs can be regarded as artificial atoms. Figure1. 7: Density of states of three-dimensional ( 3D ) bulk semiconductors, a two dimensional ( 2D ) quantum well, a one dimensional ( 1D ) quantum wire, and zero dimensional ( 0D ) quantum dots. The most striking property of nanoscale semiconductor materials is the massive change in optical properties as a function of size due to quantum confinement. This is most readily manifest as a blue-shift in the absorption spectra with the decrease of the particle size. The blue-shift in the absorption spectra with decrease of particle size in semiconductor nanoparticles is due to the spatial confinement of electrons, holes, and excitons increases the kinetic energy of these particles. Simultaneously, the same spatial confinement increases the Coulomb interaction between electrons and holes. The exciton Bohr radius is a useful parameter in quantifying the quantum confinement effects in nanometer size semiconductor particles. The exciton Bohr radius is given by [1.8]: (1. 37) and an inequality holds. Here and are defined as: and (1.38 ) Where ÃŽ ¼ is the reduced mass given by are the effective masses of electron and hole, respectively. And also ÃŽ µ is the dielectric constant, à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  is the Planck constant. As the particle size is reduced to approach to the exciton Bohr radius, there are drastic changes in the electronic structure and physical properties. These changes include shifts of the energy levels to higher energy, the development of discrete features in the spectra (Figure 1.8). Figure 1.8: A schematic models for the energy structures of bulk solids, nanoparticles and isolated molecules. The quantum confinement effect can be classified into three categories: the weak confinement, the intermediate confinement and the strong confinement regimes, depending on the relative size of the radius of particles R compared to an electron , a hole , and an exciton Bohr radius , respectively. In strong confinement (R , ), the individual motion of electrons and holes is quantized and the Coulomb int eraction energy is much smaller than the quantized kinetic energy. The ground state energy is [1.8]: (1.39) Where the second term is the kinetic energy of electrons and holes, the third term is the Coulomb energy, and the last term is the correlation energy. In intermediate confinement ( ), the electron motion is quantized, while the hole is bound to the electron by their Coulombic attraction. In weak confinement ( ), the center-of-mass motion of exciton is quantized. The ground state energy is written as: (1.40 ) Where is the translational mass of the exciton Figure 1.9: Size dependence of band gap for CdS nanoparticles. In strong confinement, there is appearance of an increase of the energy gap (blue shift of the absorption edge), which is roughly proportional to the inverse of the square of the particle radius or diameter. For example, it can be observed from Figure 1.9 that the strong confinement is exhibited by CdS particles with diameter less than ~ 6 nm (R ~ 3 nm), and this is consistent with the strong confinement effect for particles with The luminescence dynamics in low-dimensional nanostructures also deals with the interaction of light with the material. The interaction of light depends strongly on the surface properties of the materials. As the size of the particle approaches a few nm, both surface area to volume ratio and surface to bulk atom ratio dramatically increases. The basic relationship between the surface area to volume ratio or surface atoms to bulk atoms and the diameter of nanoparticles can be seen in Figure 1.10. Figure 1.10: Surface area to volume ratio and percentage of surface atoms (%) as a function of particle size. It is observed that the percentage of surface atoms in corner and edge vs. Particle sizes display dramatic increase when the size is decreased below a few nm, whereas percentage of face atoms decreases. For particles of ~1 nm, more than 70% atoms are at corners or edges. This aspect is important because light interaction with material highly dependent on the atomic scale surface morphology. As in nanoparticles, a large percentage of the atoms are on or near the surface, therefore, surface states near the band gap can mix with interior levels to a substantial degree, and these effects may also influence the spacing of the energy levels. Thus in many cases it is the surface of the particles rather than the particle size that determines the optical properties. Optical excitation of semiconductor nanoparticles often leads to both band edge and deep trap luminescence. The size dependence of the excitonic or band edge emission has been studied extensively. The absence of excitonic or band edge emission has attributed to the large non-radiative decay rate of the free electrons trapped in these deeptraps of surface states. As the particle size becomes smaller, the surface to volume ratio and hence the number of surface states increases rapidly, reducing the excitonic emission. The semiconductor nanoparticles exhibit broad and Stokes-shifted luminescence arising from the deep traps of surface states [1.25 – 1.27].

Background of the Catholic Church Essay -- Religion Papers

Background In the Western world, the schism within the Catholic Church has made its most significant impact due to rapid changes in social standards. Of greatest importance is the evolution of modern society and their response to the reverberated traditions of the Catholic Church as well as the evolving Protestant sects. In consequence of increases in technology and science, modern society has redefined its acceptable and moral behavioral standards within a social setting, whereas, the Catholic Church stands firm in its doctrines despite social and moral movements in the twentieth century. Except for the Second Vatican Council and the Council of Trent, the Roman Catholic Church has not worked to revise its religious traditions in response to a changing society. As a consequence with this unparalleled development, many young adults and the population in general has swayed from the devout Catholic worship.1 From my personal experience I have found it difficult to accept the strict doctrines of the Catholic Church due to a social lifestyle that takes precedent. Secondly, I have appreciation for other religions, particularly Hinduism and sects within Christianity. My attitude does not necessarily correspond with that of the Catholic Church. Specifically, the Catholic Church perceives itself as the only divine route to Heaven. From my perspective, having been born and raised Catholic, I feel that Catholicism strongly disfavors any exploration of other religions or even tolerance of additional religions. I feel that this intolerance is subtly communicated to worshipers. Even if this intolerance it not communicated, there are not measures taken to inform worshipers about other religious practices. This stance is probably ... ...ery emotional responses such as tears. However, this should not be a discouragement because all Catholics are very sensitive to this dramatic difference in celebrating God and it does take time to get use to. Mainly it must be known that whether Protestant or Catholic we are worshipping to the same God. By taking a step back and analyzing the differences in religious celebration of this mystery, one can realize the true similarities between the too. In this realization Catholics will be able to fully appreciate and identify with Protestant religious ceremonies. References: 1 Momen, M. The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach. Oxford: 1999, 475. 2 DeBruyn, R. Today’s Missal: April 8-June 9, 2001. Oregon: 2000, 81. 3 DeBruyn, R. Today’s Missal: April 8-June 9, 2001. Oregon: 2000, 86. 4 St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church. Boston: 2001, 2.

College Sports - Todays Athletes are Privileged Perverts, Rapists, Thie

College Athletes - Privileged Perverts, Rapists, Thieves, Frauds, and Liars    In America today athletic events play an important role in the reflective perception and financial standing of any given community. It is for this reason that the individuals involved in these events are also of significance to the community. Due to the esteemed and very influential role placed on athletes they are often times given privileges that would not normally be given to them if they were not athletes. These privileges are given in order to recruit the athletes, and once recruited to maintain their status on the team so that, in turn, the team's status is not adversely affected. To understand the importance of the role of an athlete one must first examine the role of the athletic event in which the athlete participates and the level of importance placed on this event. Many communities see the local college athletic teams as a reflection of their society. It is therefore important to the community members that their team represents them in the best way possible. Due to American society being of a competitive nature, the basis on which democracy is built, the way a team's representation is judged is by its level of play. If a team is successful in its competitive meetings with other teams it asserts itself into a superior position over those teams. This in turn creates a sense of pride in the community because the team that represents them has beaten the teams that represent other communities. This develops a greater fan base and more support than if a team was to lose "because people aren't going to come watch a losing team" (qtd. in Suggs A42). This support is important to the team because this is where the team receives the majority o... ...ic ability and performance is based primarily on the athletes that participate in the athletic programs. In order to recruit and retain the best athletes for their college athletic programs coaches and colleges alike have made many exceptions and broken many rules. The preferential treatment of athletes is just one of the areas where these exceptions have been made. No matter the area where the exceptions are made these variances from the societal norm are brought about by the high demands and expectations placed on athletic teams to represent their community through success in competitive endeavors. Again, a team's level of success determines its level of community support and therefore determines its survival due to its need to be self-sufficient. Unfortunately the exceptions made and privileges given are often at the expense of the average student, the non-athlete.

Asperger?s Syndrome Essay -- essays research papers

Asperger’s Syndrome Today there are many different types of disabilities and syndromes. When you have a child to be diagnosed with a disability or a syndrome life can suddenly become overwhelming. This is especially true if they have been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Parents sometimes feel guilty because their child has a disability or syndrome. Parents may feel that they are responsible for their child’s disability or syndrome. Parents may feel guilty about their child being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome since it is a neurological disorder. This particular syndrome is not widely recognized by the general public. Since Asperger’s Syndrome is not widely recognized by the general public, the public sometimes may not understand the behavior of someone who has Asperger’s Syndrome. This can be a challenge for a parent who tries to explain their child’s behavior to someone who has never heard of Asperger’s. Parents until recently may have known thei r child was behaving in an unusual manner but did not where to go for help. These are just some of the challenges that parents’ face when their child has Asperger’s because it has some of the same characteristics as Autism. This paper will review the definition and characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome, what assessments are available to diagnose Asperger’s Syndrome, and what particular children are most often diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s Syndrome was not made an official disorder until 1994. Asperger’s was discovered by Hans Asperger in the 1940's. Asperger’s Syndrome is different from autism and is under the category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Asperger has a long definition. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV of the American Psychiatric Association (cited in Klin & Volkmar, 1995) Asperger’s syndrome follows the same format as autism. The definition of Asperger’s syndrome actually uses autism as a reference point. Asperger’s syndrome involves the absences of some abnormalities in certain areas of functioning that are affected in autism. People with Asperger’s can be highly intelligent. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV of the American Psychiatric Association (citied in Klin & Volkmar, 1995) the definition of Asperger Syndrome there is a qualitative impairment in social interaction. There should be at least tw o of the following imp... ...elligent but have odd behaviors. We as educators need to understand the behaviors of children with Asperger’s Syndrome so they will not get left behind in the classroom. With on going research maybe in the future there will be one diagnostic test that all clinicians can use to properly identify someone with Asperger’s Syndrome. When a child is labeled with Asperger’s Syndrome remember this child can be highly intelligent but with some odd social behaviors. References Attwood, T. (1998). Asperger’s syndrome: A guide for parents and professionals. New York: Jessica Kingsley. Klin, A., & Volkmar F. R. (1995). Asperger’s syndrome: Guidelines for assessment and diagnosis. January 22,2005 from http://www.aspennj.org/guide.html Rubin, E. & Laurent, A. C. (2004). Implementing a curriculum- based assessment to prioritize learning objectives in asperger syndrome and high functioning autism. Topics in Language Disorders, 24(2),298-315. Tsatsanis, K. D., Foley, C., & Donehower, C. (2004). Contemporary outcome research and programming guidelines for asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism. Topics in Language Disorders, 24(2), 249-259.

Digital Fortress Chapter 42

Inside Node 3, Susan caught herself pacing frantically. She wished she'd exposed Hale when she'd had the chance. Hale sat at his terminal. â€Å"Stress is a killer, Sue. Something you want to get off your chest?† Susan forced herself to sit. She had thought Strathmore would be off the phone by now and return to speak to her, but he was nowhere to be seen. Susan tried to keep calm. She gazed at her computer screen. The tracer was still running-for the second time. It was immaterial now. Susan knew whose address it would return: [email protected] Susan gazed up toward Strathmore's workstation and knew she couldn't wait any longer. It was time to interrupt the commander's phone call. She stood and headed for the door. Hale seemed suddenly uneasy, apparently noticing Susan's odd behavior. He strode quickly across the room and beat her to the door. He folded his arms and blocked her exit. â€Å"Tell me what's going on,† he demanded. â€Å"There's something going on here today. What is it?† â€Å"Let me out,† Susan said as evenly as possible, feeling a sudden twinge of danger. â€Å"Come on,† Hale pressed. â€Å"Strathmore practically fired Chartrukian for doing his job. What's going on inside TRANSLTR? We don't have any diagnostics that run eighteen hours. That's bullshit, and you know it. Tell me what's going on.† Susan's eyes narrowed. You know damn well what's going on! â€Å"Back off, Greg,† she demanded. â€Å"I need to use the bathroom.† Hale smirked. He waited a long moment and then stepped aside. â€Å"Sorry Sue. Just flirting.† Susan pushed by him and left Node 3. As she passed the glass wall, she sensed Hale's eyes boring into her from the other side. Reluctantly, she circled toward the bathrooms. She would have to make a detour before visiting the Commander. Greg Hale could suspect nothing.

Benefits & Compensation in Small Businesses

This paper is based on the benefits and compensation in small businesses as this is one of the important factors the small businesses have to consider and likewise have to struggle to compete for top quality employees with big businesses. It is very important for any business to hire good and hardworking employees and for this; they have to plan out proper strategies. Moreover, it is not just important to hire diligent employees but the business also has to make strategies as to how to retain them especially in the case of the small businesses because the competition is very high and it is essential for them to retain them.Organizational culture The culture followed by an organization highlights its personality. Culture basically comprises of the assumptions, the values and norms the business has, its financial position and about its members and their behaviors. Whenever a new member is added to an organization, they don’t take much time to study and learn about the type of cu lture being followed, however every company has its different culture and although new employees may take time to adjust but they soon get to know about it and work accordingly.There are always some things that are quite obvious for others to understand what type of culture a business has adopted. The way the interior of an organization such as the setting and the furniture being used, what the people working in an organization wear and how and what they talk about tells about the culture of an organization. This is one of the factor that is considered as important by the employees and so the business must set a kind of culture that is easy and favorable for the employees to adjust and is basically the task of the HR department to make the employees feel comfortable.Can HR system make a difference to the creation of such culture? The human resources are required by all the organizations in order to compete in the extremely aggressive world today. This reason defines the purpose of t he HR system extremely necessary, increases efficiency and also enables the company to achieve a competitive advantage over its competitors. HR also helps to identify how and in what ways an individual attributes to affect is organizational effectiveness. The key purpose of HR strategy is to guide the process by which organizations develop and position organizational and human capital to augment their competitiveness.Nowadays, HR is used as a model that reflects an era of strategic management. It emphasizes on the knowledge-based competition. Therefore, these systems are designed in a way to develop and support ideas of intellectual capital and knowledge management that propel strategy formation. (Pynes, 2004). Problematic areas of Human Resource development activities One of the major problems being faced by the HR department is because of the diversified workforce at an organization. Many people feel uncomfortable to working with people of a different age, sex, or culture.Despite the fact that employing people from different groups is good but it can lead to a clot of conflicts. The management has to manage a diversified workforce effectively or it can effect employee satisfaction and productivity negatively and the employees who recognize themselves as valued members of their organization are more diligent, concerned, and innovative and this tends them to work harder. Another problem can be the economic unrest prevailing. People from diversified groups would be having different definition of ambition.The outcome of ambition is mostly unpredictable, some ambitions begun in selflessness end in rancor; others begun in selfishness end in large-heartedness. It can at times be uncontrollable as well and some people may not be able handle ambition serving it as a grief to others. It also leads to jealousy. Other than that, people might opt any way to achieve their goals and these might be unlawful as well. (Evans, 2003). Role and function of HR department To defin e human resources in the simplest words we can say that they are the â€Å"resources for humans† within the workplace.The task of the HR department is to meet the needs of the employees and it also serves as a connection between all the people who are involved. The HR system of an organization comes into existence depending on the company size. The Human Resource Department can be formed just by appointing Personnel who can manage a small workforce, In case of a small company but in the case where a larger, complex organization is concerned that employs hundreds of people with many departments and divisions, the task becomes more demanding. Employee Compensation BenefitsThis includes the remuneration and bonuses such as paid leaves, sick leaves and insurance policies, etc and it is Human Resources Department that is in charge to develop and to manage the benefits compensation system for the staff that serves as an inducement to guarantee the recruitment. Their goal does not j ust finish after recruitment but they also have to work on retaining employees and make them continue working for the company. After recruiting an employee, the Benefits Coordinator of the business must meet the selected candidates one-on-one or in small group settings and explain their benefits package.(Brockbank & Ulrich, 2005). Employee Relations These might include age and gender, race discrimination, etc. and it is mandatory for the HR Department to make sure a fair treatment of employees. Employees should know that they are safe and they can approach someone in case they are unfairly treated by anyone. The HR Department acts as an negotiator and works to establish cooperation between the legal entities, regulatory agencies, supervisors and employees to properly tackle and determine the issue is persisting.Policy Formulation Every company whatever its size is has a set of rules and policies. This is essential so that proper regulation can be maintained at the work place. These policies also help the managers to hire individuals and evaluate the performance of an employee currently working for the firm. Maslow’s model Abraham Maslow was the one who proposed the hierarchy of needs model. The model consisted of the five basic needs that every employee requires from the organization in order to sustain well.The most imperative need is the physiological need of an employee that includes the basic needs without which he cannot survive such as food, water, clothing and shelter. Next comes the safety needs of an employee, that are also essential to make him perform well in an organization and this is followed by the need of belongingness. As man is a social animal, he always needs family and friends, etc. Third is the self-esteem needs that can be explained by admiration as a person always needs recognition from others for encouragement.The last is the need of self-actualization i. e. enhancing ones capabilities. However, some factors also put restrictions to this model and one of them is the differences in thinking levels of the employees belonging to different cultural backgrounds. Rewards and Benefits Rewards and benefits are major set of HRM activities. The business should provide their employees rewards and benefits like pay, fringe, etc. The most common rewards they can give to the employees are worker’s compensation, social security and unemployment insurance.By focusing the employee’s performance it provides benefits to its employees, which are considered by the staff members, executives and managers of the company. Conclusion The leaders are the ones who should encourage their juniors to suggest ideas that could lead to creativity and innovation. The employees should be rewarded, supported and proper amalgamation should be provided for the processes. Fund learning should be encouraged. This can be done by prioritizing it into budgets and work plans and to make it accessible to the employees or it would be of no use.Trust and respect should be placed on all the levels of the organization. Free communication and personalization should be allowed. Constant training or at least monthly or yearly training programs should be held for all the staff to keep on learning new things. The return on investment should be taken care of. The employees should know how much they are contributing to the company. These are some more factors that could help UN to retain their current employees. (Anderson & Anderson, n. d. ). Reference Anderson, D. & Anderson, L. (n. d. ). A.Awake at the Wheel: Moving beyond Change Management to Conscious Change Leadership. March 9th, 2009. Retrieved from: http://www. changeleadersroadmap. com/freeresources/P1D. 7. 17. aspx Brockbank, W. & Ulrich, D. (2005). The HR Value Proposition. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Evans, C. (2003). Managing for Knowledge – HR's Strategic Role. 1st Edn. Butterworth- Heinemann. Pynes, J. E. (2004). Human Resources Management for P ublic and Nonprofit Organizations. (Jossey Bass Nonprofit & Public Management Series). 2nd Edn. Jossey-Bass.

Brain Compatible Strategies

One of the most important avenues of debate when it comes to education is the question on how to make the learning experience in school be also connected with real life. There are many hurdles to answering this question. For example, the feeling of being closed in during learning makes the students feel that school is an entirely different world and is an entirely different experience, and when classes and end and they rejoin the real world, they tend to leave the things that they relate to school in the recesses of their mind and shifts their cognition by turning on the brain they use for real life.This is just one of the many different factors, and because of this reason, experts are consistently looking for a way to ensure that what the children learn is something that they also apply in real life. The effective designing, formulation and use of brain compatible strategies are important in the learning experience of the students; but more importantly, the brain compatible strategi es should also be updated and up to date.As Sousa (2003) explained, â€Å"the sit-down-be-quiet-and-listen model is not compatible with the brains of many students who now cross the thresholds of our schools because the environment has affected the contemporary student brain compared with that of just 20 years ago (Sousa, 2003, p. 101). †The use of brain compatible strategies are strategies which do not just help in the effective teaching and lesson retention inside the classroom; more than that, the application of these approaches of this type of style is also usually connected with approaches that individuals take in real life when they are faced with different scenarios, picking a system which the individual feels is suitable for a particular situation.Because of this, brain compatible strategies help not just in the learning process of school-based education but also close the gap found between school life and real life. According to Karten (2007), one of the basic princi ples of brain-based learning strategy is the use and the presence of the effect of â€Å"activities such as simulations and role (that) provide real-life emotional connections (Karten, 2007, p. 57).† This is one of the proofs that through the use of brain compatible strategies in teaching and in the learning experience of children, the lessons learned are applied in real life, closing the gap found between school life and real life. What is the gap between school life and real life? For some students, the problem with going to school is that they see lessons in school as purely limited for use inside the school or inside formalistic educational grounds.They see math solutions as tools to achieve problems inside the classroom as well as history notes as the key to answer the midterm history exam. The manner by which the students are thought sans brain compatible strategies isolate school life and real life, and when this happens, the students feel that whatever it is they lear n in school is exclusive for school use alone, which should not be the case because the lessons learned in school should be transformed as intellectual tools that should be used in real life so that a person can react correctly and rationally in real life situation.This is the gap present in school life and real life, and there was a point that the gap grew bigger and bigger simply because of the fact that the teaching style does not make the learning experience of the students a way for them to realize that what they learn in school should be applied in real life – that math solutions should be applied for counting changes when buying in a store, that the critical thinking during science experiments should be extended in real life. Take for example the different types of brain compatible strategies being used today.In cooperative learning, the student is learning school based education while at the same time learning the value and use of cooperation between individuals, and because of that, the student transfers this knowledge about cooperation in real life. The same is true with the use of problem-solving, which infuses in the child’s conscious and unconscious mind the need to use critical thinking not just to solve school examinations but real life problems as well (Cooperative Learning, Collaboration, Problem-Solving etc. ), not only increase student learning but also help bridge the gap between school and â€Å"real life.† Experts are inclined also to believe that as much as most people believe that brain compatible strategies for learning should impact not just school-based scenarios but real life as well, the truth is that proponents of brain compatible strategies who teaches this system to teachers are advocating the use of not just school-based examples but also to use real life examples to teach the students how the lessons in school are actually usable as well in real life scenarios and not just limited to school experience.As T ate (2006) explained in her book about integrating brain compatible system in teaching inside the classroom, â€Å"a third way to gain student's attention is to connect the learning to real life. It stands to reason that if the brain was meant to survive in the real world, then the closer a teacher can get the instruction to the real world, the more memorable it becomes (Tate, 2006, p. 51). †Conclusion – The use of brain compatible strategies to teach students today has already garnered many followers, if not something that is already widespread, and people ask why such phenomena occurred. Brain compatible strategies are always changing, based on the changes happening on the target audience, and it is important that everyone is on the same page. Maybe the shift in the education paradigm has happened. Before when education was limited to a select few, the idea was to teach things that cannot be easily learned by sheer experience alone (i. e.technique in arts, formula in sciences, strategies in politics), but now educators are looking the reality that what the students needs is a good dose of traditional educational content and lessons which have practical application to assist in the refinement of the actions and reactions individuals make when faced with circumstances, using the knowledge transmitted and embedded in a child’s brain through the use of brain compatible strategies that closes the gap between school learning and real life learning. References Fisher, Robert (December 2005). Teaching Children to Think. Thornes Nelson.Karten, Toby J. (April 2007). More Inclusion Strategies That Work! : Aligning Student Strengths with Standards. SAGE Publications. Sousa, David A. (May 2003). The Leadership Brain: How to Lead Today's Schools More Effectively. SAGE Publications. Tate, Marcia L. (August 2006). Shouting Won’t Grow Dendrites: 20 Techniques for Managing a Brain-Compatible Classroom. SAGE Publications. Tracy, Kim (May 2000). Brai n Compatible Learning: Another New Program†¦ or Is It?. The Teachers. Net Gazette. Volume 1 Number 3. Retrieved June 14, 2008, from http://teachers. net/gazette/MAY00/bcl. html

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay

Frederick Douglass’ Narrative the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, was first published in 1845 when author was approximately twenty-eight years old, the autobiography was widely circulated and critically acclaimed by his contemporaries. Remarkable for its vivid descriptions, clarity of tone, and powerful rhetoric, Douglass’ narrative details the deplorable conditions suffered by slaves and dispels prevailing myths about slavery (myths that sanitized its evils and that implied that slaves themselves were better off under its rule). Douglass boldly includes the exact names and locations of the persons and events he reproves. Most poignantly, he paints a vivid picture of the emotional and spiritual life of an individual slave, revealing his raw frustrations, intense inner yearnings, fears, and aspirations, making him a kind of â€Å"everyman† with whom sympathetic readers could easily identify. The first eight Books detail Douglass’ life on the Wye plantation and in Baltimore, his awakening of consciousness and broadening perception of a wider world. Books Nine and Ten show Douglass in a state of transition, undergoing a metamorphosis of sorts, whereby a â€Å"slave becomes a man†. It is only in the final book, Eleven, that we learn of Douglass’ determination to escape and his arrival in New York, and Massachusetts. (Out of concern for Douglass’ welfare, and for the welfare of slaves still aspiring to escape, neither the route of his journey nor his means of transport is described). Reading the text within the context of the Hero Quest theme, Douglass is regarded as a man on a journey of self discovery, one who develops, along the way, a thirst for social justice and learns to view with a critical eye reigning institutions and ideologies. Douglass entitles his narrative Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. He emphasizes the narrative or account of his life rather than the adventures, thereby elevating the narrative from a mere â€Å"interesting† story to an instructive, conscientious construction and reconstruction of his life.   His title introduces the idea of literacy as an inherent and organic part of his experiences and identity. This bridge, indicated by the comma, intensifies the noun and pivotally designates his narrative as an authorized act, one by which he constructs an identity based on a systematic structuring of details that ultimately leads to the transformation of the man. Douglass sets a paradigm for objectifying his subjective experience by rendering an eyewitness account of slavery that typifies that of most American slaves. Hence, he posits a titular argument to prepare his audience for its (the title’s) inherent claim: he, Frederick Douglass, was a man who was made a slave. Douglass’ Narrative can be examined in light of both its historical and personal contexts. Together, Douglass’ immediate, individual situation, the setting into which he was born, his family and pivotal relationships, his inward struggles and aspirations as well as the wider social and political landscape against which his journey unfolds. In early years he was a slave on a large plantation in Talbot County, Maryland where he lived separate from his family and suffered greatly from hunger and cold. Douglass begins his narrative with riveting details but relies primarily on memory or capitalizes on the lack thereof to prove an argument rather than recapitulate a tale. His descriptions are structured to counter his audience’s stereotypical, inaccurate views. Therefore, he begins with specific details of the geographical location of his birthplace. Born Frederick Augustus Bailey in February 1814, in Tuckahoe, Maryland (he changed his name to Frederick Douglass after his escape to the North), he was the son of Harriet Bailey, daughter of Isaac Bailey, a free man, and Betsy Bailey, the slave of Aaron Anthony. Speaking of his birth and parentage in his first autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845), Douglass says, I have no accurate knowledge of my age never having seen any authentic record containing it. By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell his birthday. They seldom come nearer to it than planting- time, harvest-time, cherry-time, spring-time, or fall-time. A want of information concerning my own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege . . . (13) This statement is followed by descriptions of customs on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. He also includes a description of Captain Anthony’s homestead and Colonel Lloyd’s, plantation to foreground claims that slave masters lived in opulence while their slaves lived in abject poverty. After providing verifiable places and incidents, Douglass substantiates his general claims, an effective strategy that relegates the condition of the slave to circumstances that deny him the â€Å"tools† that would logically empower any human being and which are the inherent rights of the dominant culture. Hence, he uses specifics to makes his subjective experience typical and subsequently ascribes it to slaves generally as well as to himself. Douglass’ account, is inclusive instead of exclusive. Douglass also recognizes familial relationships as cultural determinants of identity. Therefore, he posits the lack of knowledge regarding his parentage as a deterrent for healthy socialization. Although he knows his mother’s name and remembers seeing her a few times, they do not have a mother-child relationship, nor does he know his father. Douglass reports: My mother was named Harriet Bailey. She was the Daughter of Isaac and Betsey Bailey, both colored, and quite dark. My mother was of a darker complexion than either my grandmother or grandfather. My father was a white man. He was admitted to be such by all I ever heard speak of my parentage. The opinion was also whispered that my master was my father†¦. (Narrative 13) Initially, it might be assumed that his mother’s absence and then-lack of intimacy do not affect him during the formative years of his life while he lived with his grandparents, who provided emotional and physical support. In fact, he summarily says, â€Å"I never saw my mother, to know her as such, more than four or five times in my life; and each of these times was very short in duration, and at night† (13-14). In this case, Douglass’ silences only distance him from the text and his mother, thereby objectifying both and intensifying the gravity of the particular performance act in the mother/son relationship, a normative construct within the culture but an anomaly within the slave culture. Although she traveled over twelve miles a night from Mr. Steward’s farm, the place of her employment, risking physical punishment just to spend a few moments with her son, young Douglass was not aware, or chose not to acknowledge, the gravity of her sacrifice, at least not in this narrative. When she died after a short illness, Douglass’ unemotional response is anticipated: â€Å"Never having enjoyed, to any considerable extent, her soothing presence, her tender and watchful care, I received the tidings of her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger† (14), for it is consistent with his argument, which negates the concept of a slave family and its lineage. The mystery that surrounded his parentage haunted him throughout his life and figured prominently in his identity quest. Not knowing his father’s identity or his birthday proved to be a major source of anxiety, for he continuously stressed the importance of knowing one’s birth date and tried to provide an estimation of his age, another determinant of his identity. Douglass says, â€Å"The nearest estimate I can give makes me now between twenty-seven and twenty-eight years of age. I come to this, from hearing my master say, some time during 1835, I was about seventeen years old† (13). In Narrative, Douglass estimates that he is 27 or 28 years old in 1845, and he extends this description and uses this tenuous information as a basis for attacking slavery’s destruction of the family and its perpetuation of ignorance: I know nothing; the means of knowing were withheld from me. My mother and I were separated when I was but an infant—before I knew her as my mother. It is a common custom, in the part of Maryland from which I ran away, to part children from their mothers at a very early age. Frequently, before the child has reached its twelfth month, its mother is taken from it, and hired out on some farm a considerable distance off, and the child is placed under the care of an old woman, too old for field labor. For what this separation is done, I do not know, unless it be to hinder the development of the child’s affection toward its mother, and to destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child. This is the inevitable result. (13-14) This lengthy quotation shows how Douglass uses the assessment of his age, although inaccurate, and the description of his separation from his mother as powerful ammunition for his abolitionist rhetoric. Continuing his attack, Douglass notes the absence of familial ties among slaves and indirectly critiques slavery as a system that bolsters a racial hierarchy that obliterates the legal, unalienable rights of the slaves, placing them outside of human discourse and reducing them to property only in a system of â€Å"glaring odiousness, that slaveholders have ordained, and by law established† (14). Therefore, most women did not have husbands, and children did not know their fathers, although it was common knowledge that in many cases the masters were the fathers. Douglass suspects that he is among this unfortunate group. He concludes that slave masters were the only benefactors: â€Å"This is done too obviously to administer to their own lusts, and make a gratification of their wicked desires profitable as well as pleasurable; for by this cunning arrangement, the slaveholder, in cases not a few, sustains to his slaves the double relation of master and father† (14). Douglass takes a specific, subjective experience and generalizes about slavery. He argues that the family as an institution was nonexistent for the slave, for it was slavery’s aim to destroy the sacredness of the family, one of America’s principal institutions. This argument supports the claim that slavery not only dehumanized slaves, but it also relegated them to the position of other and disconnected them from the mores and conventions of the patriarchy. At age seven he is â€Å"providentially† sent to Baltimore to live with his owner’s son-in-law Hugh Auld. Auld’s kindly wife, Sophia, commences to teach Douglass to read but is halted by her husband who lectures her fiercely about the dangers of educating slaves, pronouncing that literacy would render them â€Å"unmanageable†, â€Å"discontented and unhappy.† Auld’s virulent reaction illuminates for Douglass the power of literacy and its key role in the social domination of one population over another. Upon this realization, Douglass, by his own wit and ingenuity, teaches himself to read, risking severe punishment by devouring in secret every text that comes his way. The Columbian Orator, an anthology of essays on social justice and democracy, especially affects him. Among the essays are Sheridan’s treatise on Catholic emancipation and a fictionalized dialogue in which a slave and his slaveholder debate the merits of slavery, the slave arguing so persuasively that his master sets him free. The Columbian Orator illuminates for Douglass fundamental tenets of human rights and propels him to a new understanding of the philosophical claims against slavery and the enormity of its evils. However, with this expanded consciousness comes new inward distress. Douglass recalls, â€Å"I could at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy†(84). He admits that—feeling trapped and frustrated by his inability to act—†I often found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead†(85). Still, he is propelled forward by a burgeoning sense of social justice and by a thirst to learn more about slavery and the mysterious term abolitionism. As his awareness grows, he resolves to some day run away. Realizing that he may need to forge his own pass, he sets out to learn to write-cajoling and bribing white boys to teach him, tracing letters on the prows of ships, marking fences with pieces of coal. When Douglass is fifteen, he returns to his owner’s plantation. There, Douglass’ inexperience in the fields is viewed as laziness, and he is sent for disciplinary purposes to the home of Mr. Covey, a tenant farmer renown for his cruel treatment of slaves. Under Covey, Douglass endures repeated physical abuse and incessant, grueling labor. The ordeal nearly destroys Douglass, leading him close to despair, causing him to question God’s very existence. He writes: â€Å"I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed . . .† (105). He recalls standing along the shores of the Chesapeake. Seeing the ships sailing north, he felt the tremendous weight of his enslavement and prayed to God for deliverance: â€Å"The glad ship is gone; . . I am left in the hottest hell of unending slavery. God, save me! God, deliver me! Let me be free! Is there any God? Why am I a slave? I will run away. I will not stand it. Get caught, or get clear, I’ll try it†(107). This secret resolution sustains him amid the dark months with Covey, offering him a glimmer of hope. It is under Covey’s charge that Douglass experiences a pivotal, life-changing event. After suffering several fierce beatings, Douglass flees to his master but is forced to return to Covey, whereupon he is attacked with a horsewhip. Douglass recounts that â€Å"at this moment—from whence came the spirit I don’t know—I resolved to fight; and suiting my action to the resolution, I seized Covey hard by the throat; and as I did so, I rose†(l12). For hours, the two men fight. In the end, Douglass gets the better of his overseer, drawing much blood and winning an unspoken reprieve from further attacks. Douglass assents that â€Å"this battle with Mr. Covey was the turning point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood. It recalled the departed self-confidence and inspired me again with a determination to be free† (113). The physical confrontations with Covey proved to be the turning point in Douglass’ life. After several brutal whipping, Douglass was overcome by a new sense of power and self-preservation, and assumed authority over his life. As an agent who maintained a defensive posture, which symbolized his confrontation with the dominant power, he not only changed himself, but he also redefined the source of power. Douglass resisted all Covey’s attempts to beat him, proclaiming was resolved to fight, and, what was better still, I was actually hard at it†¦ it is — was the turning point in my ‘life as a slave.’ It rekindled in my breast the smoldering embers of liberty; it brought up my Baltimore dreams, and revived a sense of my own manhood† (54). Maintaining a defensive posture, Douglass was elevated to a new plateau, and his transformation from slave to man was made complete:†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ I now resolved that, however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact† (54).  Ã‚   The triumph in this altercation sets a precedent in the narrative tradition that parallels similar themes in early American writings.   Emotionally free to exercise his intellect and dream of his eventual emancipation, Douglass regained his self-confidence and became a viable leader in the black community where he was physically and spatially enslaved until a traitor foiled his escape plans. After his year with Covey Douglass is sent to a more humane master, where he is able, clandestinely, to teach over forty slaves to read and write. There, with a growing sense of agency, Douglass inspires several of his fellow slaves to join him in â€Å"one noble effort to be free†(122), but on the morning of their intended departure, the conspirators are discovered, beaten, and jailed. Alone in prison, Douglass anticipates that he will be sold to a plantation in the deep south, but miraculously he is sent back to Baltimore and hired out to a shipbuilder. Douglass fares better under this new arrangement: he learns caulking and is granted the autonomy to make his own contracts. Yet even so, he suffers barbs of racism and oppression: he is nearly beaten to death by white shipyard workers; he smarts at the dictate that every cent of his earnings must go to his master. Once again he plots to escape, this time deciding to go it alone, though it requires leaving behind his beloved fellow slaves. As Douglass’ narrative draws to a close, we see him arriving safely first in New York, and then in New Bedford, Massachusetts where Douglass sets up a home for himself and his bride. It is here that Douglass first reads The Liberator (â€Å"The paper became my meat and my drink. My soul was set all on fire†). He befriends William Lloyd Garrison and joins the American Anti-slavery society as a speaker on their lecture tour. Here the narrative triumphantly ends (though, as the students knew from their research, for Douglass it is only the beginning of a long life of activism). In the course of the narrative, we have seen, in Douglass, an evolution of consciousness; the hero grows increasingly aware of and implicated in larger social and political forces. His aspirations widen, his powers of agency increase as he enters directly into the course and flow of historical events. Douglass explores another crucial aspect of the culture and unveils the ignorance that permeated the slave’s life; he exposes the reality that undergirded slavery: â€Å"the white man’s power to enslave the black man† lay in the white man’s ability to keep the black man ignorant (32). Recognizing the pathway to freedom, he became resolute in seeking an education: What he most dreaded, that I most desired, what he most loved, that I most hated. That which to him was a great evil, to be carefully shunned, was to me a great good, to be diligently sought; and the argument which he so warmly urged, against my learning to read, only served to inspire me with a desire and determination to learn. (32) Douglass’ recognition of the parity of literacy and freedom is an epiphany and becomes a distinguishing mark in the development of the slave narrative. Sophia Auld adhered to her husband’s mandate and subsequently embraced his philosophy, but not without sacrificing her humanness. Douglass’ characterization of Mrs. Auld points toward other noteworthy social issues. Her actions suggest that she, like the slave is victimized by a male dominated practice that denied slaves and women educational opportunities as well as other basic freedoms. Therefore, women like Sophia who blindly obeyed their husbands were transformed by the practices of a patriarchal system. Following her husband’s precepts, her â€Å"tender heart became stone, and the lamb-like disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness† as she was divested of her previously esteemed Christian qualities (34). Slavery usurped even the powerful virtues of Christianity, further confusing a skeptical child and providing commentary on religion, another cultural practice. For Douglass, however, the key to freedom was not to be found in religion or social relationships, but within literacy, an empowering, transforming agency.    Works Cited Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. Ed. Houston A. Baker, Jr. New York: Penguin, 1986.